We're still slightly mourning the early-2017 closure of Fitzroy stalwart Hammer & Tong, so the arrival of Light Years — from the former Fitzroy cafe's executive chef and the owners of Chapel Street's Journeyman — is a welcome one. Given the experience of the people behind it, we're unsurprised that the cafe has shone a beam of light across the developing grey suburban stretch of Camberwell Road. Everything about it is beautiful. The way the light filters through the yellow glass door and the windows that reach from floor to ceiling. The giant circular light fitting that hangs above the heads of diners. The coffee made using the balanced blend from Dukes Coffee Roasters. And the food is no exception. The avocado is not smashed, but 'pixelated' (read: diced into tiny squares) and laced with tangy Japanese flavours of pickled radish, nori and lime ($18). The dish also features a poached egg and chilli air-dried kale standing magnificently on a tasty bed of edamame hummus. Asian flavours feature prominently on the menu with the inclusion of miso scrambled eggs ($18) and matcha waffles with dark chocolate sauce and popping candy ($21). A vego ramen ($19) also makes the cut, a welcome reprise of Hammer & Tong's much-loved bacon breakfast ramen. For something a bit meatier, there's the barbecue duck croquettes with charred broccolini, crunchy snow peas, compressed radicchio, and pickled onions and cucumber are drizzled with five spice jus ($20). If you're really hungry, go for the sweet and sour pork burger with slaw, kewpie mayo, coriander, spring onion and lime ($19) and a side of crispy sweet potato waffle fries ($6). Importantly, it isn't another of those big, noisy, intimidating cafes; the space is generous with high, industrial ceilings, but the rows of plants and carefully-placed booths create pockets of quiet. The fare is reliable but intriguing enough that you'll return to try something else on the menu. While we're always sad to see cafes close, Light Years proves that good things can come from closure — and Hawthorn East is lucky to reap the rewards of this shake-up. Images: Kristoffer Paulsen.
They say that if you follow a galah, it'll lead you to the nearest watering hole. And while bar-filled Windsor might not be the best place to test the theory, you won't be going thirsty if you head for its newest drinking spot, named after those pink native birds. Launching last month on High Street, Galah is out to celebrate top Aussie produce, native ingredients and locally crafted drinks, though with minimal gimmickry served on the side. Greeting you at the street-level entrance is a boutique bottle shop, curated to focus on homegrown spirits, local craft beers, and both natural and new-world wines from across Australia. Take something home, or grab a bottle to enjoy at the bar above. Up there, a loft-like space is decked out with velvet booths, moody timber panelling and splashes of foliage, courtesy of co-owner Billy Staughton's other venture, Abbotsford's Native Home House of Plants. The cocktail list is a highlight, with signature creations heroing native ingredients. Try the Bush Pepper Man — a blend of 666 Tasmanian vodka, Ambra Limoncello, ginger beer and a house-made syrup of hand-foraged bush pepper. Backing up the booze, there's a tidy rotation of seasonal drinking-friendly fare, starring lots of Aussie cheeses and cured meats. Plus, Galah will also host a jam-packed live music lineup that'll cover a range of genres throughout the year. Find Galah at 216a High Street, Windsor.
Bar Josephine fits right in to its Footscray surrounds, bringing a cosy dive vibe to Barkly Street. A craft beer bar at heart, the graffitied, dog-friendly beer garden is a gathering place for creatives and has already become something of a local haunt. The unassuming, shabby brick exterior is warmed up by upcycled furnishings, well-worn books, red leather-backed booths, graffiti wall art and exposed brick interiors. The ever-changing chalkboard menu spells out the 12-tap rotation of craft beers, including Victorian favourites like Cavalier Brewing, Hargreaves Hill, Old Wives Ales and local West City Brewing from neighbouring West Footscray (which will feature regularly). They're also serving up a small cocktail and wine list, and while there's no kitchen, Bar Josephine does offer pizza delivery to the bar and classic bar snacks like pork crackling, jerky and chippies. Since they're open seven days, it means this spot really can be your go-to any night of the week.
Feeling like you need a little more fabulousness in your life? Get set for this summer, when Australia and New Zealand score their very first taste of stand-up from Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness. Emmy Award-nominated television personality, hit podcaster and hairstylist to the stars, the multi-talented Van Ness is bringing his Road to Beijing tour to our corner of the world, hitting Auckland, Christchurch, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney in February 2020. Van Ness is perhaps best known for his role in Netflix's new Queer Eye reboot, where he's guru for all things grooming, hair and self-care. He also starred on the popular Emmy Award-nominated Game of Thrones recap series Gay of Thrones, and has a podcast called Getting Curious, which recently took out the iHeart Radio Award for Best LGBTQ Podcast. Outside of all that overachieving, Van Ness is also combining two other passions – figure skating and stand-up comedy – to hilarious effect, for his Road to Beijing stage show. Inspired by a lifelong goal of becoming a figure-skating prodigy in time for the 2022 Beijing Olympics, the live show is set to deliver a healthy dose of realness, mixed with plenty of feel-good stand-up. Though it's only his first comedy tour, Road to Beijing has proved a sell-out success, as it hits venues across the UK and the US. [caption id="attachment_671749" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Queer Eye team at Yass in NSW[/caption] ROAD TO BEIJING TOUR 2020 DATES Auckland — The Civic, Sunday, February 16 Christchurch — Town Hall, Tuesday, February 18 Brisbane — BCEC Great Hall, Thursday, February 20 Melbourne — Plenary Theatre, Saturday, February 22 Perth — Riverside Theatre, Tuesday, February 25 Sydney — First State Super Theatre, Friday, February 28 Tickets for Jonathan Van Ness' Road to Beijing tour go on sale at 2pm on Friday, August 2 via TEG Dainty.
What if you were at a Titanic museum and Céline Dion was there? What if she was not only your narrator, but her songs accompanied the tale that she was telling? What if Titanic, the king of the boat-set blockbuster world, got an off-Broadway musical-comedy parody that went heavy on Dion, then? That's Titanique — and it's coming to Australia. This amusing ode to James Cameron's (Avatar: The Way of Water) movie docks in Sydney from Thursday, September 12, 2024 to make its Aussie debut. Nearing three decades since Titanic first splashed into cinemas, the film's status in popular culture will clearly go on. Near, far, wherever you are, you'll need to set sail for the Harbour City to see Titanique, which is playing an exclusive season at The Grand Electric in Surry Hills. "I am so excited that Sydney will be the next stop on Titanique's international cruise. If you love Céline Dion, if you love the film Titanic and you love having a completely silly night out, then this show is for you. Titanique is a nonstop waterfall of pure joy that will literally melt your troubles away. I can't wait to see you there!" said Tye Blue (RuPaul's Drag Race), Titanique's director and co-writer. "I am so thrilled that Titanique will make its maiden voyage to international waters in Sydney for its Australian debut, and I cannot wait to see that Aussie sense of humour embrace this hysterically funny nautical fantasia when it comes to life down under this September," added Titanique's original producer Eva Price. Titanique will dive back into the story of Jack and Rose until at least early November, with Drew Weston and Georgina Hopson stepping into Leonardo DiCaprio (Killers of the Flower Moon) and Kate Winslet's (The Regime) shoes as Jack and Rose — and Marney McQueen playing Dion. It was back in 2017 that the show premiered in Los Angeles, and in 2022 that it set a course for off-Broadway. It also has berths in Toronto, Montreal and London in its future. So far, the production has three Lucille Lortel Awards to its name, plus two Dorian Awards and the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best New Musical, among other gongs. And as for the songs, co-writers Blue, Marla Mindelle (Sister Act) and Constantine Rousouli (Cruel Intentions) — with the latter two originally starring as Céline and Jack — have worked in everything from Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On', of course, to Where Does My Heart Beat Now' and 'A New Day Has Come'. Titanique plays The Grand Electric, 199 Cleveland Street, Surry Hills, Sydney from Thursday, September 12, 2024 — head to the show's website for tickets and further information. Images: NYC Off-Broadway cast, Daryl Roth Theatre, NYC, Evan Zimmerman.
What do a twisted woodland, enchanted big-screen stories, the best new art that the Asia-Pacific region has to offer, movies about mad science, the work of Queensland artist Judy Watson, the fashion designs of Iris van Herpen, and an exploration of the importance of plants to Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander peoples all have in common — and with Brisbane, too? They're each featured on the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art's big 2024 program. GOMA's tribute to fairy tales was announced in 2022, and arrives before 2023 is out; however, as the newly announced full lineup for next year shows, it's just one of many reasons to visit South Brisbane — and, if you're making the trip from elsewhere in Australia, Brisbane in general — before 2025 rolls around. Running from Saturday, December 2, 2023–Sunday, April 28, 2024, Fairy Tales is quite the blockbuster, and comes with movie program Fairy Tales: Truth, Power and Enchantment at Australian Cinémathèque to match. The 100-plus-piece showcase and its corresponding flicks will focus stories that we all lapped up as kids, telling us about otherworldly critters, wishes, spells and more. From venturing into the woods to peering through the looking glass, and also pondering what happily ever after means — while featuring works by Henrique Oliveira, Patricia Piccinini, Jana Sterbak, Kiki Smith, Abdul Abdullah and Ron Mueck along the way, plus a costume worn by David Bowie in all-time classic Labyrinth, pieces from Where the Wild Things Are as both a book and a movie, and threads from 2012's Mirror Mirror by Eiko Ishioka, and more — this showcase is primed to entrance. [caption id="attachment_919713" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Henrique Oliveira / Brazil b.1973 / Baitogogo 2013 / Palais de Tokyo, Paris / Plywood and tree branches / 6740 x 1179 x 2076cm / Courtesy SAM Art Projects, Galerie GP&N Vallois, Galeria Millan / © Henrique Oliveira / Photograph: André Morin / This work is indicative of a new commission by Henrique Oliveira for the exhibition 'Fairy Tales' at QAGOMA.[/caption] Set to arrive while Fairy Tales is still working its magic are both Seeds and Sovereignty and mudunama kundana wandaraba jarribirri: Judy Watson. The first will run from Saturday, March 2–Sunday, September 8, 2024 also at GOMA, and feature artworks about not only Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander peoples bond with plants, but with Country. The second will take over Queensland Art Gallery to celebrate the Queensland artist's career, spanning four decades and highlighting her emphasis on Waanyi Country in northern Queensland, where her family is from. Also on display at GOMA until Sunday, September 8, 2024: sis: Pacific Art 1980–2023, which centres on contemporary pieces from the titular region — with Lisa Reihana, Yuki Kihara and Latai Taumoepeau among the artists with works on display. [caption id="attachment_923891" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Iris van Herpen / Netherlands b.1984 / Hydrozoa dress, from the 'Sensory Seas' collection 2020 / Collection: Iris van Herpen / Photograph: David Uzochukwu / © David Uzochukwu.[/caption] Midyear, Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses will head to GOMA as well, in an Australian exclusive for the massive exhibition about the Dutch fashion designer, as organised by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. It visits Down Under after displaying in Paris. "Set in direct dialogue with a selection of contemporary works of art, installations, videos, photographs and objects from natural history, the exhibition brings together more than 100 garments created by van Herpen, seeking new forms for femininity and challenging our notions of haute couture. It will include a recreation of van Herpen's Amsterdam studio and a space dedicated to her fashion shows, accompanied by a sound work by Dutch artist Salvador Breed," said curator Cloé Pitiot. "Iris van Herpen is one of the most avant-garde figures of her generation and Sculpting the Senses, organised by Musée des Arts Décoratifs, offers a sensory exploration of the pioneering Dutch designer's multidisciplinary practice. It's a creative universe that merges fashion, contemporary art, design and science," added QAGOMA Director Chris Saines. [caption id="attachment_923890" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mit Jai Inn / Thailand b.1960 / Planes (Electric) (detail) 2019 / Oil on canvas / Dimensions variable / Installation view, 'Encounters', Art Basel Hong Kong, 2019 / Image courtesy: The artist and Silverlens, Manila & New York / © Mit Jai Inn.[/caption] Then, come Saturday, 30 November 2024–Sunday, April 27, 2025, it'll be time for The 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (aka APT11) at both GOMA and Queensland Art Gallery. While it's too early for specifics, artists and collectives hailing from Australia, Asia and the Pacific will have pieces on display — and a cinema lineup, events, live performances and the like will also be on the agenda. As well as its fairy tale flicks, the Australian Cinémathèque has plenty in store. The Magic of Monty Python will celebrate the obvious for two January weeks, then the films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger — so The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus, for instance — will be in the spotlight from February–April. When May hits, those movies about mad science will start rolling until late June, such as The Bride of Frankenstein and The City of Lost Children. [caption id="attachment_923889" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Production still from The Bride of Frankenstein 1935 / Director: James Whale / Image courtesy: Universal Pictures.[/caption] QUEENSLAND ART GALLERY AND GALLERY OF MODERN ART 2024 PROGRAM: GOMA and Queensland Art Gallery: Saturday, December 2, 2023–Sunday, April 28, 2024 — Fairy Tales at GOMA Saturday, March 2–Sunday, September 8, 2024 — Seeds and Sovereignty at GOMA Saturday, March 23–Sunday, August 11, 2024 — mudunama kundana wandaraba jarribirri: Judy Watson at Queensland Art Gallery Saturday, June 29–Monday, October 7, 2024 — Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses at GOMA Until Sunday, September 8, 2024 — sis: Pacific Art 1980–2023 at GOMA Saturday, 30 November 2024–Sunday, April 27, 2025 — The 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT11) at GOMA and Queensland Art Gallery Australian Cinémathèque: Saturday, December 2, 2023–Sunday, April 28, 2024 — Fairy Tales: Truth, Power and Enchantment Saturday, January 13–Saturday, January 27, 2024 — The Magic of Monty Python Wednesday, January 31–Wednesday December 11, 2024 — For the Love of It: A Curator's Pick Saturday, February 3–Saturday, April 27, 2024 — Technicolor Dreams and Transcendent Reality: The Films of Powell & Pressburger Friday, May 3–Sunday, June 23, 2024 — Mad Science For more information about the Gallery of Modern Art and Queensland Art Gallery's 2024 exhibitions, plus Australian Cinémathèque's 2024 lineup — all of which will occur at Stanley Place, South Brisbane — visit the venue's website. Top image: Still from 'Cinderella' (1922) dir. Lotte Reiniger, courtesy British Film Institute.
One of Melbourne's original grocers is making a major comeback this week as King and Godfree is revitalised into K&G Deli and Espresso Bar. The enormous upgrade will be unveiled as the Italian grocer finally reopens this Saturday, December 8. The Carlton grocery shop dates way back to 1884, and has been under the Valmorbida family ownership since 1955 — Carlo Valmorbida is said to have introduced parmesan cheese, olive oil and pasta to the Carlton community. Now, the Valmorbida grandchildren are in charge, and they're set to reveal a fully refurbished fit-out that pays homage to the original heritage digs, but with modern twists. Designed by Melbourne architects Herbert & Mason, the fit-out combines elements of old-world Italy with a modern Melbourne espresso bar. Expect bespoke everything, from the custom-built lighting and furniture down to the handmade deli plates, by local ceramicist Ingrid Tuft. The original K&G crest has also been rebuilt by an old-fashioned terrazzo maker and inlaid at the entrance. The Roman-style delicatessen aims to be your 'one-stop shop' for everything Italian, and houses an espresso bar, deli and traditional grocer. In the espresso bar, expect house-roasted coffee by head barista Lucas Carrington (ex-All Press, London), along with Italian espresso and fair trade Guatemalan single origin. For breakfast, there are also fresh juices and smoothies, plus Italian baked goods and breakfast plates — these include the fried egg, pancetta and basil panino and scrambled eggs with cured salmon, chives and toast. During the day, there's a succinct list of pastas and cicchetti (Italian-style tapas) to choose from, as well as rotisserie meats, roasted veggies, ready-made Italian sandwiches and daily specials. The cicchetti will also be available for classic aperitivo hour from 4–7pm — think arancini, sweet and sour sardines and spinach pie, all served alongside spritzes, cocktails and Italian beers. In the deli, there are freshly baked breads, a massive assortment of local and imported cheeses, artisan salumi and DOP accredited prosciutto to look forward to. Italian smallgoods, fresh flowers and meals for takeaway round out the offering. Deciding what to buy will be the hard part, but luckily there will be plenty of tastings and demonstrations on offer, too. Opening alongside K&G Deli and Espresso Bar (or, should we say, on top of) is Johnny's Green Room. Taking its name from an old 1960s Carlton haunt, the relaxed rooftop bar has stunning views across Melbourne. Opening from noon til late, daily, Johnny's will be serving up a range of cocktails on tap — including Carlton classic the Northside, negronis and espresso martinis — as well as a slew of local and international beer and wine. You'll be able to eat up here, too. Take a seat on one of the banquettes — made from repurposed terrazzo steps — and dig in to classic Roman pasta dishes, like the cacio e pepe or rigatoni pomodoro; pork and fennel sausage rolls; and antipasto plates made with meats and cheeses from the downstairs deli. Pidapipo, also part of the building and run by Carlo's granddaughter Lisa, will be providing choc tops for dessert. While this incarnation of Johnny's Green Room won't have pool tables and gangsters, it will still have a bit of a nightclub vibe with a lineup of DJs, chosen by Hope Street Radio, taking to the decks regularly. The reopened King and Godfree has a lot going on, and a wine bar, dubbed Agostino, is set to join the party soon, too. The intimate, 50-seat wine bar — inspired by classic Italian enotecas — will open its doors late next week. The K&G Deli, Grocer and Espresso Bar and Johnny's Green Room will open on Saturday, December 8 at 293-297 Lygon Street, Carlton. Images: Josh Robenstone.
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch did it. Kimmy vs The Reverend, You vs Wild and Cat Burglar, too. With these four titles and more, Netflix has actively embraced interactive content in recent years. Choose Your Own Adventure books have a lot to answer for, clearly, with being able to select your way through streaming picks — making choices about what happens next within a movie or show, that is, rather than simply deciding what to watch — popping up often enough that it's now just another viewing option. But only the streaming platform's new heist thriller series Kaleidoscope boasts 40,320 different ways to dive in. Here, that vast array of choices is indeed a gimmick, giving a familiar robbery narrative shiny packaging. Picking a route through Kaleidoscope's eight instalments is also automated, at least if you do what Netflix tells you. When each subscriber presses play on the series for the first time, they're given one of seven colour-coded instalments at random. From there, viewers move onto one of six chapters, any of which could roll next, and so on. The only inbuilt rule: White: The Heist, as the episode that shows the heist itself is called, always screens last. That whittles down the options to 5040, which is still a hefty number. Created by author and screenwriter Eric Garcia, whose novel Matchstick Men previously slipped him into the world of grifters — and was turned into a Nicolas Cage-starring film — Kaleidoscope also allows Netflix customers to make their episode choices manually. Whether you stick to the random order the platform throws your way or genuinely choose your own adventure, however, the result is identical. One narrative, eight chapters, thousands of outcomes: that's the show from a storytelling standpoint, with the plot itself remaining unchanged. Does one's interpretation of Kaleidoscope and perspective on its characters differ depending on which order you see its instalments? That's the aim, but the playful series proves ridiculously easy to binge no matter how you move through its Green, Blue, Violet, Red, Pink, Orange and Yellow chapters. Wherever viewers hop in, a crew of thieves awaits, all attempting to bust into an underground vault packed with $7 billion in bonds in the middle of a massive hurricane. Doing the pilfering: veteran criminal Leo Pap (Giancarlo Esposito, Better Call Saul), his lawyer and longtime friend Ava Mercer (Paz Vega, 13 Minutes) and smuggler Stan Loomis (Peter Mark Kendall, Top Gun: Maverick), plus chemistry wiz Judy Goodwin (Rosaline Elbay, Ramy), her safe-cracker husband Bob (Jai Courtney, The Suicide Squad) and driver RJ Acosta Jr (Jordan Mendoza, ZIWE). Their target: SLS, a New York corporate security outfit run by Roger Salas (Rufus Sewell, Old). Kaleidoscope also throws SLS employee Hannah Kim (Tati Gabrielle, Uncharted), her sister and roommate Liz (Soojeong Son, Servant), and FBI agents Nazan Abbasi (Niousha Noor, The Accidental Wolf) and Samuel Toby (Bubba Weiler, Dopesick) into the mix — because family ties and law enforcement are heist genre staples. Anyone who has ever seen a film or show about stealing a big score already knows the drill, and Garcia and his team of fellow writers know it. Accordingly, of course the safe is ultra-secure, and extremely difficult to both get to and break into. Of course the job is also tied to an act of revenge, too. Also, of course Kaleidoscope slots into the eat-the-rich fold that Netflix also worked so well with Squid Game. And, while he doesn't play a fast-food shop owner who's secretly a drug kingpin, of course thinking about Esposito's time on both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul comes quickly as well. Past secrets, new rivalries, love triangles, close calls with pursuing cops, everything that can go wrong definitely going wrong: they all have a part, predictably so even amid all the shuffling. The just-keep-pressing-play hook comes from the overall puzzle, though, which is what Kaleidoscope's delivery gimmick serves up. Non-linear storytelling always involves sleuthing for clues and putting together pieces, which is why the heist genre loves it. It's also why, in these whodunnit-saturated times — Netflix did just gift the world Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, after all, and has another on its way) — this series goes all in. Consequently, Kaleidoscope's audience is instantly keen to know how everything fits together, sifting through each episode for clues and details alike as the show flits between timeframes. With the entire narrative spanning a quarter-century, chapters jump between 24 years, seven years, six weeks, three weeks and five days before the heist, plus the morning after and six months later. Although each instalment is tied to a hue, only Green — which perhaps makes the best entry point — lets its eponymous colour shine visually. That's disappointing albeit unsurprising; Kaleidoscope is slickly shot, but happy sticking to an aesthetic formula. The scrambled storytelling and Esposito do plenty of heavy lifting, and overtly; thankfully, the latter alone always makes for engaging viewing. Playing determined, authoritative but also vulnerable, it's hardly astonishing that the five-time Emmy-nominee is the standout among the cast. Similarly expected: that Courtney comes across as gratingly cartoonish. That said, that's just how one of Kaleidoscope's rotations pans out. Perhaps the other 40,319 (or 5039) treat the bluster-fuelled Bob more kindly — shifting perceptions on heroes and villains, and mysteries and revelations, is all part of the gimmick. That makes an interesting thought experiment, but maybe don't go thinking about how Netflix's algorithm is dictating each viewing path through Kaleidoscope, likely to keep everyone hooked based on their past watchlist, even if it works. Check out the trailer for Kaleidoscope below: Kaleidoscope streams via Netflix. Images: Courtesy of Netflix © 2022.
Poor old East Melbourne is a bit of a hospitality dead zone, so locals are surely jumping for joy at the arrival of the suburb's newest addition, Square and Compass. The three folks at the helm this one are some of the same names behind cafe favourites Touchwood, Barry and Pillar of Salt, and all that experience tends to show. The production feels tight, the kitchen's turning out a menu full of colourful crowd-pleasers, and the Seven Seeds coffee is on point. Refreshingly, the decor here stands out from the rest of today's cafe crowd, with block pastels and black edging giving the space an understated art-deco feel. Out the back, you'll find a semi-enclosed, heated courtyard space that looks set to be a coveted hot spot even throughout our chilly winter. Fans of the owners' other endeavours will be familiar with some elements of the menu, though this new kitchen's lending a fair splash of its own creativity too. It's a big nod to fresh produce and flavours, so you can expect to find kale aplenty, a few nourishing salad options and that increasingly popular raw zucchini pasta. Breakfast-style dishes and lunch offerings are mingled together, with everything available from open until close. If you're after a morning savoury hit, go for Square and Compass' version of an avocado smash. Here, it tops a wedge of pumpkin loaf, alongside goats' cheese, heirloom tomatoes and a raw beetroot relish ($16.50) — and you can add a poached egg for a couple of dollars extra. Working just as hard at breakfast as it is at lunch, is the ancient grains salad: piled on top of creamy, avocado labne, it's mixed with cauliflower rice, toasted sesame seeds and fresh herbs, and laced with tangy barberries. Crown it with a poached egg ($16) or a generous chunk of melt-in-the-mouth, seared cured trout ($20). Further down the menu, dishes like housemade gnocchi with lamb shoulder ($18) and a herb and parmesan schnitzel ($19.5) are sure-fire winter favourites, while the S.A Rock lobster roll with sriracha mayo and green papaya is already causing a stir. There are plenty of fresh drink options to back up the food offerings, with chai from Chai Boy ($4.5), 70% cocoa hot chocolate from Mork ($4.5), Ayamo cold pressed juices ($8) and a housemade smoothie ($9). This 60-seater is already buzzing on a daily basis, but looking around, there seems to be a pretty solid crew in place; with affable, unpretentious floor staff that know the menu inside-out, an air of smooth efficiency emanates from the service area and open kitchen. The East Melbourne of past years may have boasted much more in the way of hospitals than hospitality, but with any luck, this new offering — along with other East Melbourne venues, Persillade and Hard Pressed — will start to point things in the opposite direction.
Surrounded by water on three shores, The Entrance is nearly an island. It's an ideal place to spend a winter weekender staring into endless blue, especially when you've been desperately longing to forget all about work, traffic and the general chaos of life. And it's just a 90 minutes' drive north of Sydney. On one side lies tranquil Tuggerah Lake, and on the other, the mighty Tasman Sea. Further north are the tiny settlements of Magenta and Norah Head, where you'll come across friendly cafes, rugged lookouts and white-sand beaches backdropped by national park. Set up home base at the Pullman Magenta Shores Resort and follow our guide to fending off the winter blues with a sneaky getaway. EAT All great weekenders start with ace coffee. Get yours at the Burrow Coffee House. This cosy spot offers nice brews and beautifully composed brekkies, including a bacon and egg roll with avocado, haloumi and balsamic. When you're ready for your next brew, head a couple of kilometres south to Long Jetty. Here you'll find The Glass Onion Society, a fun, art and music-loving cafe that does Sonoma baked goods, vegan doughnuts and 'Soul Soup', among other eats sure to warm up even the frostiest morn. When lunchtime arrives, explore a bit of history in the best way possible: while eating cake. Do so by booking high tea at The Entrance Lake House, an airy, elegant cafe that's been licensed since 1905 but underwent a reno in 2012. If you happen to be around Norah Head when hunger hits, then swing by The Ark Cafe, which serves Campos coffee and gourmet bites, such as a poppyseed bagel loaded with heirloom tomatoes, haloumi, spinach, avo and pine nut pesto. This place isn't just an eatery but a social enterprise, too. A percentage of profits goes to The Welcome to Paradise Foundation, which supports aid workers in South Sudan and a food program in Nepal, among other worthy causes. There's also a quirky retail space, where you can invest in a hand-shaped surfboard created by local Christian M. Laing and peruse a bunch of ethically produced clothing and homewares. Been saving up your pennies for a posh feast or looking to impress your date? Reserve a table for dinner at Ocean, a fancy restaurant whose floor-to-ceiling windows let you gaze straight out over the Tasman. You'll get premium seafood transformed into cracking dishes, such as ocean trout with lemon mayonnaise, beetroot, asparagus, peas and potato, or mussel and shellfish chowder. A more affordable option is The Shallows Bar where you can build your own charcuterie board or grab a few wood-fired pizzas. Or head to Bistro Jinja to sample dishes from all over Asia. Tuck into Shanghai braised pork belly, Chiang Mai chicken curry and dark chocolate tart with honeycomb and sticky fig ice cream, while seeing the sunset over Lake Tuggerah. DO One of the best things about visiting The Entrance during winter is that you get all the beaches but none of the crowds. Soldiers Beach, just south of Norah Head, has the whitest sand on the Central Coast and backs onto the lush greenery of Wyrrabong National Park. While you're there, keep an eye out for whales, which pass by from May until August. An even better vantage point is Pelican Beach Road Lookout, from where you can walk the 3.4-kilometre Red Gum Trail through towering red gum forest and the 3.5-kilometre Lillypilly Loop through rainforest, cabbage palms and burrawangs. Whales aren't the only creatures worth watching around here, either. The Entrance is famous for its pelicans. It's been named the 'Pelican capital of Australia', in fact. These kooky and characterful birds make great subject matter for photos, particularly if you stop by the waterfront at 3.30pm, their daily feeding time. It's not purely about feeding either — it's a chance for volunteers to make sure none of the little guys are tangled up in hooks, lines or other debris. Make your next stop spectacular Norah Head, whose lighthouse has been operating since 1903. In fact, this became the very last lighthouse in New South Wales to lose its lighthouse keeper when it became fully automated in 1995. Half-hour tours, which take you up the building's 96 stairs for epic 360-degree views are available every day for just $6 per person. Keen to travel further? Continue another 15 kilometres north to reach Munmorah State Conservation Area, a coastal wonderland of empty beaches, lookouts and walking trails. SLEEP To sleep with still water on one side and roaring surf on the other, check into Pullman Magenta Shores Resort. This beautifully designed luxe five-star resort is ten minutes' drive north of The Entrance, on the southern edge of Wyrrabalong National Park. The resort offers apartment-style accommodation options, complete with views overlooking the landscaped gardens. Recreation is the name of the game here, so don't even think about complaining of boredom. You've got the exclusive Magenta Shores Golf Course and Country Club, a day spa, tennis courts and three swimming areas: a 2o metre indoor heated lap pool, rock pools and the Lagoon with a swim-up pool bar, all at your fingertips. Go to the AccorHotels website to book your stay in The Entrance, and to discover more of regional NSW, check out Visit NSW.
The masterminds behind Dexter Meat & Buns are taking their 'no rules approach' to American barbecue to the next level. They're opening two new venues: a Preston cocktail bar, dubbed Take Away Pizza, and a three-level CBD location, named Dexter Meat, Liquor & Roof, within the year. Looks like co-owners Sam Peasnell and head chefs and co-owners Tom Peasnell (Pitt Cue Co, London) and Adam Goldblatt (Homeslice, London) are going to have their hands full. Take Away Pizza is up first, with construction already under way and completion planned for this spring. The small, casual joint will be located across the road from Dexter Meat & Buns, offering cocktails and, you guessed it, pizza-by-the-slice. The space will also feature a front courtyard and a late-night, 1am license on Fridays and Saturdays. This dive bar meets pizza den has been in the works for a while now. "We were actually going to do pizza at the first Dexter location, considering Adam's background at Homeslice, but Tom's barbecue idea won out," says Peasnell. Dexter's CBD counterpart, Dexter Meat, Liquor & Roof, was not exactly planned. "We found this Swanson Street location and just fell in love with it before we were really looking to do a second venue," says Peasnell. "Tom and Adam have always been really keen to test their product in the city, though — it's the ultimate challenge considering the competitive nature of the CBD." We're not sure if the crew are taking cues from fellow multi-storey CBD venue Fancy Hanks, but it appears levelled dining adventures are Melbourne's forte now. Dexter's three-storey venue will have a very different vibe from the Preston original and consist of a full-on restaurant on level one, a cocktail bar on level two and, as the name suggests, an outdoor rooftop bar on level three. The moody fitout of level one will be a distinct departure from the light, open space of Dexter Meat & Buns and the restaurant will somehow be even more meat focused — think in-house, dry-aged beef with an emphasis on steak and brisket. Patrons can expect a few signatures, like the short rib, but overall the menu will be specialised for the city and include more mains, provisions and sides. The bigger space will also allow the team to break down cuts in-house and control much more of the process from start to finish. The 'Liquor' piece of the puzzle will take the form of a high-ceiling cocktail bar on level two. Patrons can expect a distinct step up from the picklebacks of Dexter Meat & Buns, with a fully-stocked bar focused on American style spirits and stirred down classics that suit the food. The spot can cater to an after-dinner crowd or for late night drinks and nibbles, with a 3am license and a menu of bar snacks including fried chicken, loaded fries and the signature Dexter buns and meat doughnuts. "We love the idea of being able to have an old fashioned and pulled pork bun at 2am and want it to be a really inviting place to hang around," says Peasnell. The 'Roof' component will be an outdoor, super casual extension of the bar with picklebacks, beers by Preston local Hawkers and signature buns — all elevated with amazing views over the city. The Preston crowd shouldn't feel abandoned, though — the team is even installing a CBD loyalty program for people from the 3072 area code which will include perks like picklebacks on entry, cheap beers and doughnuts on the house. "The locals have been so amazing and loyal to us, so we want to make sure they feel just as at home in the city location," says Peasnell. "Because of this support, Dexter Meat & Buns will also stay as important to us as anything new we do." Take Away Pizza will open at 535 High Street, Preston this spring and Dexter Meat, Liquor & Roof will open by Christmas 2017, location TBC.
Looks like it's time to throw An Unexpected Party; The Hobbit now has its own beer. Set to be released as a trio of microbrews, the Hobbity bottles will be available in the coming weeks, brewed to promote the next Tolkien-penned chapter of Peter Jackson's epic film series, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (out this December). With chilli-infused Smaug Stout on the line, this is a branding exercise we can get behind. Created far over the misty mountains cold by Washington state-based microbrewery Fish Brewing (backed by an army of investors including New Line Productions, Warner Brothers, BevLink and Ocean Brands), the three Hobbit-themed beers take on the personas of three of the series' most villainous characters in 650ml bottles. First off the rank, the Gollum Precious Pils, golden and somewhat bitter like its namesake. Then there's the ol' Smaug Stout named for our fiery treasure hoarder, a black imperial stout infused with chillies (classic dragon beer) and the perfect companion for lengthy, Orc-pursued journeys to Lonely Mountains, if you will. Finally, the Bolg Belgian Style Tripel is a robust beer embodying the evil Orc leader, crafted with enough dark strength to lead an army of goblins, Wargs and Bats in the Battle of the Five Armies. While we're yet to learn whether the Hobbit beer will make its way to Australia, the trio will be available in the US (here's hoping some nifty Australian boutique bottle shops get importing). For now, we'll just have to take a trip to the real life Green Dragon. Via Grub Street and Beer Pulse.
As the Mornington Peninsula's first all-vegan cafe and food store, Wombat has big love for all things cruelty-free. Rebecca Ettridge launched the venue in 2016 with the aim of gently showing Dromana locals that eating vegan needn't mean ditching flavour. It's a bright, youthful space, with local Little Rebel beans in the coffee grinder, house-made treats in the sweets cabinet, and a vibrant range of smoothies named after mountain bike trails in the nearby national park. The all-day breakfast menu is down to earth and hearty, with plates like the lemon-infused smashed avo, teamed with slow-roasted tomatoes and The Vegan Dairy feta, and a stack of banana pancakes drizzled with maple syrup. Loaded buddha bowls and a signature barbecue jackfruit burger take the reins at lunchtime. And at the end of the day you can feel extra good about your visit, knowing that proceeds from the cafe go towards funding Ettridge's Plumfield Farm animal sanctuary, just west of Ballarat.
On the water, near the water and from the water: that's one of the ways to look at the 2024 Sydney Festival lineup, which has just been announced in all of its 150-plus-event glory. When the Harbour City welcomes back its annual arts fest in January, the event will make the absolute most of its setting. So, cue a version of Puccini's opera Il Tabarro onboard the Carpentaria lightship in the harbour, a waterside Walsh Bay Arts Precinct takeover and a towering giant octopus sculpture that you can get closer to via a kayak tour. As proves the case every year, the festival's program will and does go on. In her third year at the helm, Artistic Director Olivia Ansell has compiled a hefty selection of things to see, do and experience — and if you're a fan of getting a snapshot via the numbers, the figures are impressive. Running for 24 days from Friday, January 5–Sunday, January 28, Sydney Festival 2024 will feature more than 1000 artists in bringing its showcase to audiences. Among the events, there'll be 26 world premieres, 29 Australian exclusives and 43 free activities. If seeing Il Tabarro performed on a boat piques your interest, you can catch the free one-act production at the Australian National Maritime Museum without spending a cent — but you do need to book. Or, you can watch from home via the livestream. Keen on hanging out at the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct? That part of the program is called The Thirsty Mile. On offer there: theatre and art, cabaret and dance, bars and speakeasies, and also a late-night club Moonshine Bar. This is where you'll marvel at a 46-metre-long installation Hi-Vis, a sculpture by Michael Shaw; enjoy a cabaret tribute to Kate Bush; and watch a Swedish dance double from GöteborgsOperans Danskompani — and that's just for starters. Also joining the bill: dance event SPIN, which is both interactive and guided; sunrise yoga sessions; and art exhibition Talking Posters: Garage Graphix 1981–1998. [caption id="attachment_923479" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sarah-Louise Young Onstage, Claudio Raschella Photography[/caption] A eight-legged sea creature scurries onto the program thanks to Te Wheke-a-Muturangi: The Adversary by Māori artist Lisa Reihana, which'll make its home in Watermans Cove in Barangaroo — well, once the octopus has been assembled from 1000-plus pieces — to explore the tale of the discovery of Aotearoa New Zealand. Another huge highlight is Summerground a new three-day Tumbalong Park music fest with a lineup that includes King Stingray, Electric Fields, Cimafunk, Queen Omega, The Brand New Heavies, Dem Mob, Beckah Amani, The Teskey Brothers, Full Flower Moon Band and more. Hopping between genres will be a big feature, spanning everything from alt pop and R&B to soul and reggae, all across the first weekend of the broader festival. Sydney Festival's Blak Out program is similarly worth hitting up the event for alone. ILBIJERRI Theatre Company's world-premiere production Big Name, No Blankets will pay tribute to the Warumpi Band; dance performance Mutiara will also make its debut, as set among Broome's early pearling industry; Anita Heiss adapts her own novel Tiddas for the stage; and GURR ERA OP will feature four Torres Strait Islander women who were born on the mainland explore the impact of the rising sea. Other standouts on the full lineup include Courtney Barnett playing a two-part performance at City Recital Hall; Night Songs at Coney Island, which will feature choral tunes at Luna Park; and Encantado, which will tell First Nations tales from Brazil thanks to Lia Rodrigues' choreographer, 11 dances and 140 bright blankets, and heads to Sydney Opera House. Also, Arka Kinari will be hitting the harbour with its music production that's powered by the sun and moved by the wind, and Kate Miller-Heidke's new musical-comedy Bananaland will make its Sydney debut, [caption id="attachment_919319" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Darren Thomas[/caption] Elsewhere, Dinosaur World Live will continue Australia's fascination with the ancient creatures (see also: Jurassic World: The Exhibition, for example); annual favourite Sydney Symphony Under the Stars: Pictures in the Sky returns to Parramatta Park; theatre production Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World riffs on murder-mystery podcasts; Orpheus & Eurydice gets reimagined in contemporary times by Opera Australia; and the Art Gallery of New South Wales' Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night or Has the Night Invaded the Day?, Kandinsky and Tacita Dean exhibitions all link in. And, also on the music roster: everyone from sitarist Anoushka Shankar and Irish folk singer Lisa O'Neill to Joe Camilleri and Deborah Conway paying tribute to Elvis Presley, plus a feast of tunes at the ACO Neilson. [caption id="attachment_923482" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sammi Landweer[/caption] Yes, 2024 is set for a busy start. "Get ready for a blockbuster summer that speaks to the heart and soul of Sydney — the best harbour city in the world," said Ansell. "With an explosive music program and the biggest to date, 2024 also offers spellbinding theatre, exquisite dance, electrifying circus and immersive experiences that lift Sydney's underbelly — see you in January at The Thirsty Mile," [caption id="attachment_923487" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lennart Sjoberg[/caption] [caption id="attachment_923488" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Moritz Kustner[/caption] Sydney Festival 2024 runs from Friday, January 5–Sunday, January 28 at venues across the city. For further details and to buy tickets from 12pm on Thursday, October 26, visit the Sydney Festival website. Top image: Mark Tantrum.
Melbourne train-catchers, we have some good news: commuting is about to get a bit easier thanks to a fleet of shiny new trains. Set to hit the tracks in mid-2019, the 65 high-capacity metro trains will boast the first new Victorian train design in a decade. And the first test train will be rolling out before the end of the year. The new trains are big. They're 160-metre long with seven carriages, more space for mobility devices in each carriage, and have the ability to carry 1100 passengers — 20-percent more than any other train on the network. Maybe, come next year, you'll actually be able to sit down on your morning and afternoon commute. The addition of the new trains to the force will also mean more trains on the tracks and — hopefully — less time waiting at the station. Earlier this week, Melbourne Premier Daniel Andrews posted a video to his Facebook, which provided a look inside one of the new trains. Mr Andrews also mentions in the post that the trains are being built in Melbourne's west, which is providing jobs for local workers. The first high-capacity metro trains will be rolled out on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines, Melbourne's busiest rail corridor, in 2019, with other lines to follow. It's been a big six months for train news in Melbourne, with the new HCMT fleet being only the latest announcement. Late last year, Mr Andrews announced that Melbourne would be finally getting an airport rail link, in February this year an elevated train line opened over Melbourne's southeast, and in April there was talk of a new high-speed train from the CBD to Geelong. Here's hoping Melbourne's train travel only continues to improve.
If there's one thing that 2020 could use to help distract us from the year's struggles, it's a big dose of rampaging, ravenous dinosaurs. That's the Jurassic Park franchise's remit, of course, and while it won't release its latest live-action big-screen outing until 2021, the series is expanding to Netflix via an animated show. Yes, when it comes to an island filled with dinosaurs, humanity just won't learn. Since Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park hit bookstores in 1990, spawning not only Steven Spielberg's 1993 blockbuster film, but two direct sequels and the recent Jurassic World movies, people just keep clamouring to share the same landmass as re-animated prehistoric beasts. That remains the case in Netflix's Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, which links in with the events of 2015's initial Jurassic World flick — and to the franchise's familiar setting, Isla Nublar. This time, six teenagers have been chosen to attend a new adventure camp on the other side of the remote deathtrap. If you've seen the movie, you already know that the dinos break loose, because of course they do. That leaves the plucky youths fighting to survive. As for what happens next (hint: it'll involve stampeding beasts and fleeing humans), you'll find that out when Camp Cretaceous hits the streaming platform on September 18. Executive produced by Spielberg — as well as Jurassic World executive producer Frank Marshall, plus two-time series director Colin Trevorrow — the show is aimed to help fill the gap until Jurassic World: Dominion film releases in 2021. You're probably already excited about that movie, given that it brings back Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum; however no one is going to complain about more excuses to watch out-of-control dinosaurs. Camp Cretaceous forms part of Netflix's family slate, so you can probably expect less scares than usual — although the official teaser below is a little creepy. And as for who is voicing Camp Cretaceous' characters, the cast includes Paul-Mikél Williams, Jenna Ortega, Ryan Potter, Raini Rodriguez, Sean Giambrone and Kausar Mohammed as the campers — as well as The Good Place's Jameela Jamil and Set It Up's Glen Powell as camp counsellors. Check out the official teaser trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKJwbsx1BSc Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous will hit Netflix on September 18, 2020.
If you're a Melburnian looking for a new staycation destination, you'll soon be able to add the first Victorian venue from luxe hotel chain W Hotel to your must-stay list. And, if you're looking for a new spot to have a few drinks, the hotel will offer that too. When the site throws open its doors in February 2021, it'll feature flashy rooms and suites, a heated indoor pool with a gold-adorned roof, and four in-house venues — including a new bar called Curious. If the latter has piqued your interest, then we hope you like cocktails. We hope you like moseying through a secret laneway entrance to get to them as well. Both will be on offer here, as will curated music programming, and a menu heavy on small bites and share plates. On the drinks side of things, Proof & Co is overseeing the cocktails — and taking inspiration from Melbourne's fashion, art and coffee in the process. While the full list of exactly what you'll be sipping hasn't yet been revealed, the latter will come into play via W Hotel's version of an espresso martini. Called 'A Curious Ristretto', it comes sealed with beeswax and will emit a nutmeg smoke when you take your first sip. Patrons will also be able to choose from boutique craft spirits, with Australian and Melbourne brands featuring prominently. And, you'll be able to pair your drinks with bites to eat from the venue's executive chef Jihun Kim — and listen to tunes from emerging talent in the process. As for actually getting to the place, you'll need to head to Market Street, then step down a spiral staircase. There, you'll find a cocoon-esque design made from timber beams that'll welcome you in. Once you're inside, you'll be surrounded by a rich, dark, earthy aesthetic — with the bar hoping to become one of the city's next late-night hangouts. When both Curious and W Melbourne open — on Collins Street in the middle of Melbourne's shopping heartland — they'll join the already-operating W Brisbane in 2018. The chain is also slated to launch in Sydney as well. Following Brisbane's ten-gallon baths and Sydney's lavish pool deck overlooking the harbour, the Melbourne digs look to be no less OTT. W Melbourne will encompass 294 rooms and 29 suites, including an 'Extreme Wow Suite', which has its own 40-square-metre balcony with views of the Yarra, a jukebox and cocktail bar. Designed by local architect and interior design firm Hachem, W Melbourne will also house a 14th-floor spa, gym and that aforementioned indoor pool, plus a poolside bar and DJ decks. And, for those needing function space, W will have more of it than you can physically fill (under current COVID-19 restrictions, at least) — a 830-square metre space for conferences, meetings or holding lush balls. On the food and drinks front, in addition to Curious, you'll have three other choices. The 30-seat Warabi will be your go-to for Japanese fine dining, while Lollo will be run by a "renowned local chef" — we'll let you know exactly who that is when it's announced — and Culprit will flip from a cafe during the day to a wine bar at night. Functioning, too, as the bottom 15 storeys of a towering new precinct called Collins Arch, W Melbourne will sit on Flinders Lane. The $1.3 billion new precinct will be comprised of two towers of commercial, residential and retail spaces, joined at the top by a dramatic sky bridge. W Melbourne is slated to open on Flinders Lane in February 2020.
World Chocolate Day is nearly here, but as much as we love them, you don't have to settle for a fancy block or bar on Monday, July 7. Instead, mix things up by biting into a special sponge-based collaboration between Pana Organic and Tokyo Lamington, with a free giveaway making the occasion an unforgettable treat. Putting their minds together to craft the ultimate dessert, this dream team has created three limited-edition lamingtons, fusing the high-end chocolatier's handmade single-origin bliss with the light, fluffy sponge that has made Tokyo Lamington a hit from Singapore to Melbourne. So, what can you expect from this decadent lamington trio? The Golden Crunch features a delicious mylk mousse, golden comb and plant-based chocolate sponge lamington, while the Crunchy Hazelnut Chocolate blends hazelnut mousse and milk chocolate ganache with a plant-based chocolate sponge coated in delicious cake crumbs. Finally, Mint Crunch is a plant-based chocolate sponge, made with Pana Organic mint crunch cream dipped in chocolate sauce and coated with coconut. Best of all, these incredible creations are available for free if you swing by Tokyo Lamington's stores on World Chocolate Day. Available from the Newtown, Sydney and Carlton, Melbourne locations, there's even the chance to score a free Pana Organic chocolate bar. Just arrive within the first 100 customers at either store to secure a second complimentary treat. With flavours this enticing, there's a good chance you'll be rushing out to grab your own. This triple-threat of soft, chocolatey goodness is being served up throughout July at both Tokyo Lamington locations. Priced at $8 each or $24 for a box loaded with all three, pick up from your nearest spot or have them delivered to your door. This inventive collab isn't one to overlook. Founded in 2012 by Pana Barbounis, Pana Chocolate is a hugely respected name in the world of chocolate, pioneering a fully plant-based, gluten-free and organic-certified lineup. Meanwhile, Tokyo Lamington focused on impressing overseas tastebuds with Australia's humble sweet treat, making its mark in Singapore before launching the brand at home in Sydney and Melbourne in recent years. Tokyo Lamington and Pana Organic's limited-edition treats are available from Saturday, July 5, with a free giveaway taking place at Newtown and Carlton stores on Monday, July 7. Head to the website for more information.
Whether you're hankering for lunch at the start of the working week, in need of a sweet treat come hump day or hungry for a snack late on a Friday night, if you while away your time in the Melbourne CBD, you've probably been overcome by a familiar sensation. Feeling like you've eaten from everywhere there is to eat while simultaneously feeling like you're spoiled for choice is the kind of experience that there really should be a specific term to describe, but isn't. Between Monday, May 13 and Friday, May 17, Menulog is here to help. It's making the choice for you, all thanks to those two words that everyone loves: free food. Across the week, the company is setting up a green lounge room area at Flinders Street Station and delivering a heap of meals at set times. Unsurprisingly, it's a first in, first served kind of deal. Kicking off the week is a spread of poké bowl from Poked, which'll be on offer from 12–1pm on Monday, while Nosh's tacos will fill your stomach from 5–6pm on Tuesday. Wednesday brings baklava from Stalactites between 2.30–3.30pm, breakfast by Ba'get is on the menu on Thursday between 8–9am, and Hella Good's souvlakis will be on making their way to your stomach from 11pm–12am on Friday evening. [caption id="attachment_721239" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Nosh[/caption] In total, there'll be more than a thousand meals served up for free. Of course, that means more than a thousand Melburnians clamouring for freebies, probably. Find Menulog's Green Lounge Room at Flinders Street Station in the Melbourne CBD between Monday, May 13 and Friday, May 17. Top image: Hella Good.
Get immersed in a world of sake as Chris Lucas' Tombo Den presents a one-night-only Sake Dinner, guided by Australia's first female Sake Samurai, Yukino Ochiai. Don't think that's just a fancy title — it's the highest honour bestowed by the sake industry, serving as a true sign that its holder has a nearly unparalleled appreciation for fermented rice wine. Held on Thursday, May 29, this is your chance to truly dive into sake, as Ochiai hosts a bespoke four-course menu thoughtfully paired with a lineup of sake and sake-forward cocktails. These drinks are poured using wares from some of Japan's most renowned sake breweries, like Yamagata's Dewazakura and Aichi's Houraisen. On arrival, guests will receive a sake martini alongside the first course — deep-sea Alfonsino Usuzukuri and prawn spring rolls. Next, relish salmon truffle maki, snapper nigiri, and Pure Black Wagyu flank steak with shiso relish and crispy garlic. Finally, the dinner rounds out with baked chocolate mousse with yuzu, white chocolate and buckwheat praline. Launched in September 2024, Tombo Den is Windsor's two-storey Japanese-inspired restaurant and sake bar influenced by Lucas' time living and working in Tokyo during the 1990s. Celebrating Japanese street food and izakaya culture, its upbeat atmosphere is primed for learning the ins and outs of sake, while drenched in neon light.
RISING 2025 keeps inching closer, with the Melbourne music, art, culture and architecture festival set to take over the Victorian capital across Wednesday, June 4–Sunday, June 15 — and it isn't done adding to its lineup just yet. How do you close out 12 jam-packed winter days, not to mention an event where you could be playing mini-golf in Flinders Street Station Ballroom one moment, then enjoying Pakistani R&B and Punjabi rap the next? With a literally underground five-hour gig that's making Melbourne history. The fest has announced Track Work — Music From the Underground, which will take audiences to a brand-new location. Feel like you've seen live tunes at every venue in the Victorian capital there is? You haven't headed 20-plus metres below St Kilda Road to the yet-to-open Anzac Station for a gig before. First Nations label BAD APPLES MUSIC is behind the event, with Briggs, BARKAA, Birdz and Jayteehazard on the lineup. Headline sets, DJs, MCs: they're all on the bill at this daytime concert, which is running from 11am–4pm on Sunday, June 15. Also huge: the fact that admission is free. Alongside the entertainment, Track Work doubles as a chance to take a self-guided walk-through of the station — and to see Tracks, the new public artwork from Victorian First Nations artist Maree Clarke, which features the fur seal and fairy penguin among other animals that live in Bunurong / Boonwurrung Country's coastal climes. "Track Work is a uniquely Melbourne moment — a chance to experience two of the most important, original and charismatic voices in music in this country. Briggs, BARKAA and their BAD APPLES MUSIC family will reveal one of the city's most significant new spaces with a baptism of bass and beats in a free afternoon of DJs, MCs and celebration," said RISING Co-Artistic Director Hannah Fox, announcing the event. "As a powerful finale for RISING, we're thrilled to partner with Metro Tunnel Creative Program and BAD APPLES MUSIC to create something bold, fun, unexpected and unrepeatable." Also on the RISING lineup, as previously announced: a free installation by a teamLab alum, exclusive Suki Waterhouse gigs, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Yasiin Bey with Talib Kweli, Portishead's Beth Gibbons, Aotearoa favourite Marlon Williams, Olivier-winning hip-hop dance work BLKDOG, Zoë Coombs Marr's new variety show, a film retrospective dedicated to Miranda July, Tropical Fuck Storm playing The Forum, Melbourne Art Trams' latest iteration and much, much more. [caption id="attachment_1005634" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Isaac Turier[/caption] Track Work — Music From the Underground takes place from 11am–4pm on Sunday, June 15, 2025 at Anzac Station, Melbourne, with entry via the Domain Road and Albert Road station entrances. Entry is free but booking is required via the festival's website. RISING 2025 runs from Wednesday, June 4–Sunday, June 15 across Melbourne. Head to the event's website for further information.
A string of long weekends is a joy while it's happening, such as the current Easter and ANZAC Day run (plus Labour Day, too, if you're in Queensland). When it's over and five-day work weeks become a reality week after week again, however, holiday dreams start calling. Clearly Jetstar wants you to get a jump on planning your next vacation, given that the Australian airline has just kicked off its latest big flight sale. Both domestic and international fares are on offer at discounted prices, with 40,000-plus seats available between now and 11.59pm AEST on Sunday, April 27, 2025. You'll want to get in quick, though, given that sale tickets mightn't last that long — and these deals run until sold out if that happens before the scheduled end date. One-way prices start at $49 for Club Jetstar members and $54 for everyone else this time, which covers routes from Brisbane and Melbourne to and from Newcastle. Next up, $97/102 will get you between Adelaide and Sydney, $99/104 from Melbourne to Cairns, and $114/119 between either Sydney or Melbourne and Uluru — and flights to and from the Gold Coast, Whitsunday Coast and Margaret River are also among the discounts. With the overseas options, one-way fares kick off at $159/165 from Cairns or Darwin to Bali, while Melbourne–Singapore ($179/189) and Brisbane ($279/289) or Sydney ($299/319) to Seoul are some of the other choices. Expect to primarily take winter getaways no matter where you're heading, although the international routes cover dates from mid mid-May to late-August 2025 and the domestic fares are for mid-July to late-September 2025 travel. The usual caveats apply: all prices apply to one-way fares; checked baggage is not included, so you'll want to travel super light or pay extra to bring a suitcase; and, as per above, dates vary according to the route. [caption id="attachment_938861" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] Jetstar's Just Plane Good Sale runs until 11.59pm AEST on Sunday, April 27, 2025 — or until sold out if prior. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Four Pillars continues to help push Melbourne's gin scene into exciting new places, flexing its creative muscles even harder with every new release drop. Now, just weeks after the Healesville distillery launched the latest annual edition of its Christmas Gin, it's unveiled another boozy wonder — this time paying homage to legendary local haunt, The Espy. Fittingly dubbed Sticky Carpet Gin, the new creation's been crafted in celebration of the historic pub's much-hyped reopening, infusing all of the venue's big personality and colourful past into one vibrant sip. With this drop, Four Pillars co-founder and distiller Cam Mackenzie set out to capture the spirit of a venue that's meant many different things to different people. To lend an unmistakable pub feel and give a malty edge, the gin uses local Watts River roasted dark stout in its base. On top of that, some roasted barley and Cascade hops push the beer flavour a little further, mingling with other botanicals like juniper, coriander, green pepper, honey and cassia, and a fresh hit of lemon peel and ginger. The result is a little bit deeper and darker than your usual gin of choice, aptly described by Cam as "a gin for beer lovers". Even the Sticky Carpet Gin's packaging gives a firm nod to The Espy, with old band posters recovered from the venue used on the underside of the labels. Unfortunately, the bottle isn't available for purchase, so you can only sample the new collaboration gin exclusively at The Espy, where it's being worked cleverly into a range of signature sips. Find it mingling happily with ginger syrup, lemon juice and a frothy pale ale top for the Hawksmoor Shaky Pete Ginger Brew, or perhaps in the more delicate 500 Days of Summer: a blend of Sticky Carpet Gin, elderflower, strawberries, mint leaves and ginger beer. Images: Lauren Bamford.
A new star is born in Windsor. It's called Normandy Wine & Grill. Spearheaded by the seasoned chef Azem Dzevlan, he brings his deep roots in French cuisine to the new establishment, promising a cool dining experience that marries traditional French cooking with innovative twists. Azem Dzevlan is a name that might ring a bell for those familiar with Bistro Thierry — an institution where Azem spent 13 years honing his craft. His 20-year culinary journey has also taken him through various other kitchens, including stints at Maha and Le Bouchon. And now, Azem's love affair with French cuisine has culminated in the opening of his dream venue. It's not just any French joint; it's a tribute to his enduring passion for French flavours. The setting is minimalist yet warm, creating a classic bistro mood. The window bench perches offer dinner with a show — the hustle and bustle and beautiful chaos of Winsdor's High Street. While the outdoor street tables are perfect with summer creeping up, when winter comes so too will the outdoor heaters. Al fresco all year round. Now for the food. At its heart is steak frites, a testament to Azem's love for beef, featuring premium cuts from Cape Grim. Snacks include chargrilled Skull Island tiger prawns with garlic butter; a refreshing zucchini flower with goat's cheese and heirloom tomato; and anchovy toast that will leave you begging for more. As for the confit duck, it's a work of art. Normandy's wine list is another highlight, crafted under the expertise of manager and sommelier Jeremy Letur. It's a well-thought-out collection featuring French, Australian, New Zealand and Italian wines. Letur aims to cater to all, from budget-conscious choices to lesser-known varieties for the adventurous. Open from 4.30pm, Normandy Wine & Grill is the perfect place to not only have a good meal, but to ditch work early for, and indulge in some classic European escapism — sit on the window-facing bench, order an anchovy toast, sip some wine, take it all in. Normandy Wine & Grill is open Tuesday–Wednesday, 2pm–9pm, and Thursday–Saturday, 5pm–10pm. Find it at 162–164 High St, Windsor.
Making its home within a former garage on High Street, this art nouveau theatre and adjoining bar are the brainchild of Gus Berger, whose name you might remember as the one behind St Kilda's George Revival Cinema back in 2013 and 2014. For his latest project, Berger has created a moviegoer's dream: a 57-seat cinema rocking a big six-metre screen, a top-notch Krix 5.1 sound system and an expertly curated program of big screen gems. The venue showcases a diverse mix of documentaries, cult classics, festival favourites and international titles. Thornbury Picture House will be giving plenty of screen-time to local filmmakers. The site's interiors pay homage to the building's art nouveau origins, sprinkled with historic film gear and classic movie posters. The bar, too, is a nod to the good old days, with the original garage features brought to life alongside recycled wooden furniture and pops of green foliage. Here, you can chase a film with Aussie spirits, local beers from the likes of Stomping Ground and Hawkers, a tidy selection of independent wines and batch brew coffee by Padre. Of course, there's plenty of homemade popcorn to round out the moviegoing experience. Find Thornbury Picture House at 802 High Street, Thornbury, or visit thornburypicturehouse.com.au for session times and further details.
A venue quite commonly missed — even by those of us who've been strolling by for nearly a decade — is Amelia Shaw. Tucked just inside of Brunswick's Retreat Hotel, and named after the hotel's first 1842 female licensee, Amelia Shaw boasts several upstairs rooms that transport you into the 1920s prohibition era. It's also the perfect place to take any pool shark aficionado. Why? Because it features a wonderfully confusing circular pool table. Patrons can visit this unique cocktail bar and salon on Friday and Saturday evenings. However, the space is regularly booked out for functions, so check its Facebook page before dropping in.
If you like your spirits dark and your booze collection could use a top-up, then we know an excellent Aussie choice to add to that shopping list. Melbourne distiller The Gospel just cleaned up in the 2023 International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) earlier this week. The Brunswick-based producer took out a gold medal in the prestigious awards, earning a score of 96 points from the judges for its signature Straight Rye Whiskey. That impressive effort resulted in the sip being the highest-awarded Aussie whiskey in the entire competition. But wait, there's more. The Gospel's score also saw it become the equal second highest ranked rye whisky in the world. Not too shabby for a small distillery located in the backstreets of Melbourne's inner north. Judges described the drop as being "decadent and complex", noting: "the palate is harmonious and well-balanced, leading to a memorable finish." And it wasn't the only Gospel creation that impressed, with the team's Solera Rye Whiskey nabbing its own silver medal at the awards. This year's IWSC pulled more than 4100 entries from across the world, with more than 250 expert judges tasked with sipping, critiquing and awarding them. Thought to be Australia's only dedicated rye whiskey distillery, The Gospel crafts its booze using unmalted rye from just one farmer, who's located in South Australia's Murray Mallee region. It's helmed by Ian Thorn, the first maker in Australia to score Master Distiller accreditation. If you're keen to sample more of the distillery's work, The Gospel's also just dropped a new limited-edition cacao husk liqueur for Easter, made in collaboration with the chocolate masters at Mork. The Gospel Straight Rye Whiskey is available to buy from the website, as well as at select bottle shops across Australia.
Melburnians have hotly anticipated visiting the very first Il Mercato Centrale outside Italy ever since the CBD site was first announced in 2022. At that time, it was expected to launch late the same year, but the highly ambitious venture encountered a heap of issues that pushed the opening back a couple of years. But all those woes are now in the past, as the team is officially opening the 546 Collins Street site at 4pm on Thursday, September 19. First off, the 3500-square-metre space, spread across three stories, truly is enormous. The first floor will have a market feel but with more flash, fun and tech. Each of the vendors will be slinging their own specialty goods, with none competing with the other. [caption id="attachment_856980" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mercato Centrale Milan[/caption] There'll be a bakery, patisserie, handmade pasta bar, pizza joint, cheese maker, butcher and seafood stall, to name a few. Here, you can get fresh produce to take away or order it to be cooked up right in front of you. That means that you can buy a steak to eat at home or ask them to pop it on the grill while you start on some wine that you ordered from the bar right in the centre of the ground floor. Want to make it a surf and turf? Order some grilled calamari from the seafood stall next door and create your own feast. Conveniently, you'll be able to order from any and all vendors all in one transaction by using a QR code — or even pre-order from your office to pick up when it's ready. It going to be one of the easiest Melbourne food halls to order from. Then, on the second floor of Melbourne's Il Mercato Centrale, you'll find a fine-dining restaurant, cocktail bar, pasta restaurant (all made by hand), pizzeria, gelateria, wine bar, a gin and vodka distillery, and live music stage. We told you, it's huge. Up here, you'll even be able to order some of the food from downstairs to be delivered to you. Say you're sipping on a negroni at the bar upstairs and get a bit hungry. All you've got to do is order a cheeseboard and perhaps some slices of pizza on your phone, and the team will bring it up to you. If it all works out how the crew wants it to, it will be a huge feat of tech and service ingenuity. The top floor of Il Mercato Centrale will then be dedicated to private events and masterclasses, where each of the vendors will run workshops on their particular trades each month. There will even be a big outdoor seating area right on Collins Street, something that was not easy for the Il Mercato Centrale team to secure. Taking Concrete Playground on a tour of the site, General Manager Gary Patikkis couldn't share the details about the outside area, but he noted that it is set to be unlike any other street-level drinking and dining space in the CBD. [caption id="attachment_856983" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Il Mercato Centrale in Turin[/caption] The venue will have a 3am liquor license (another rarity for new venues in Melbourne) and be open from 7am–midnight every day of the week. Patikkis commented, "We are beyond delighted by how the space is coming to life and are excited to share the authentic essence of il Mercato Centrale with Australia this September. "Our venue will not only bring a cultural experience never-before seen in Melbourne, it will celebrate the rich tradition of Italian cuisine and hospitality through our dedicated food and beverage artisans. "We look forward to unveiling il Mercato Centrale and becoming a cherished cornerstone of Melbourne's vibrant food and hospitality scene." [caption id="attachment_856981" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Il Mercato Centrale Rome[/caption] Il Mercato Central Melbourne will open at 4pm on Thursday, September 19, and will be found at 546 Collins Street, Melbourne. The Italian market and food hub will be open every day from 7am–midnight. For more details, you can visit the venue's website.
Melbourne's Midcity Centre on Bourke Street is home to Tokyo Motto, an eatery offering an enticing experience, transitioning from a casual Japanese restaurant by day to moody izakaya bar by night. The brains behind the operation is Spring Chee, a seasoned pastry chef and restaurateur with more than two decades of experience in Melbourne's hospitality scene at venues such as Le Mille Creperie, Sugar Labo and Sweetie Moustache. With Tokyo Motto, Chee brings everyday Japanese-style dining to Melbourne, with a menu focused on championing locally sourced ingredients. During the day, patrons can expect a mix of traditional and not-so-traditional Japanese dishes. A menu highlight is the Japanese curry made with "Golden" curry sauce infused with a blend of stone fruits and fresh bee honey — a recipe discovered by Chee during her travels in Japan. Other menu highlights include the omurice, showcasing a tornado egg omelette and thick-cut katsu — a take on a recent Japanese trend using a pork loin done sous vide-style for 24 hours. For those looking to have some fun, the Ice Cream Spicy Miso Ramen offers a blend of spicy and sweet, thanks to the literal ice cream cone floating in the middle of the spicy ramen bowl. It's all about balance. As evening approaches, Tokyo Motto transforms. Starting from 9pm, the venue becomes an izakaya bar, offering a range of classic izakaya snacks, including everyone's favourite karaage, alongside a selection of Japanese cocktails, beer and sake.
Pizza and tequila are about to embark on a tasty summer fling at new southside bar and eatery Chacho's Windsor. The Chapel Street space is keeping things fresh and fun with a Mexican-inspired pizza offering, an edgy urban fitout and a selection of agave spirits that's worth crossing town for. In the kitchen, ex-Lazerpig chef Dan Pegg is turning his pizza prowess to a line of crafty pies made on 12-inch sourdough bases and topped with all manner of non-traditional flavour combinations. The Del Toro ($21) is loaded with roasted onions, chorizo, corn and jalapeños, then crowned with a central ring of corn chips for dipping into guacamole and sour cream. The Whole Hog ($22) features pork and fennel sausage, caramelised onion and a sprinkle of pork crackling, while the Holy Mole ($21) riffs on the classic meat lover, teaming slow-cooked pork, coriander and pickled red onion with a Mexican mole sauce. Meanwhile, a range of 'Not Pizzas' includes bites like cream cheese-stuffed jalapeños, a roast sweet potato salad, or grilled corn cobs doused in chipotle aioli, chilli, parmesan, lime and tequila salt. The party vibes continue over behind the Chacho's bar, where a sprawling selection of tequila and mezcal is put to good use throughout a lively list of cocktails. You'll find a swag of margaritas, both savoury and sweet, alongside drinks like the Coco-Loco ($18), teaming elderflower liqueur, coconut tequila with a tropical coconut rim, and the Negave ($18), with mezcal, Antica Formula, Campari and grapefruit. There are tequila flights, too, available in both 20ml and 30ml serves. And there's even more fun in store for your wallet, depending what time of the week you pop in, a daily 5–7pm happy hour promises $10 pizzas and $10 margaritas to soothe those after-work blues, and there are $10 bloody marys up for grabs, all night every Sunday.
Not every film that wins an Oscar, earns a nomination for Hollywood's night of nights or gets selected by its country to go in the running for the coveted accolades makes it to cinemas Down Under beyond festivals. A movie can have international fests buzzing as well, yet still bypass a big-screen release in Australia. That's the fate for plenty of features; however, gone are the days when skipping a date with picture palaces was a sign of a bad movie. The streaming era means that a new flick is always dropping on one of the many platforms that are available to Aussie audiences. While they can't all be excellent, that's no different to what does make it to the silver screen. The gems that go straight to home viewing are up there with the gems that do get the movie-theatre treatment — as the highlights from January–June 2024 make clear. There are indeed Academy Award-winners on this list, as well as nominees. Films that'll compete next year, festival favourites, movies with big-name stars or from high-profile directors: they all feature as well. If you haven't caught them on the couch already alongside fellow straight-to-streaming standouts from 2024's first six months, take this as your motivation, whether you're after shattering documentaries, truth-is-stranger-than-fiction comedies, affecting dramas, gorgeous animation or plenty of horror. 20 Days in Mariupol Incompatible with life. No one should ever want to hear those three devastating words. No one who is told one of the most distressing phrases there is ever has them uttered their way in positive circumstances, either. Accordingly, when they're spoken by a doctor in 2024 Oscar-winner 20 Days in Mariupol, they're deeply shattering. So is everything in this on-the-ground portrait of the first 20 days in the Ukrainian port city as Russia began its invasion, with the bleak reality of living in a war zone documented in harrowing detail. Located less than 60 kilometres from the border, Mariupol quickly segues from ordinary life to an apocalyptic scene — and this film refuses to look away. Much of its time is spent in and around hospitals, which see an influx of patients injured and killed by the combat, and also become targets as well. Many of in 20 Days in Mariupol's faces are the afflicted, the medics tending to them in horrendous circumstances, and the loves ones that are understandably inconsolable. Too many of the carnage's victims are children and babies, with their parents crushed and heartbroken in the aftermath; sometimes, they're pregnant women. Directed by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mstyslav Chernov, and narrated by him with the grimness and soberness that can be this movie's only tone, 20 Days in Mariupol even existing is an achievement. What it depicts — what it immerses viewers in with urgency, from shelled hospitals, basements-turned-bomb shelters and more of the city destroyed day after day to families torn apart, looting, struggling to find food and bodies of the dead taken to mass graves — needs to be viewed as widely as possible, and constantly. His footage has also featured in news reports, but it can and must never be forgotten. Doctors mid-surgery demand that Chernov's camera is pointed their way, and that he shows the world the travesties taking place. The Ukrainian reporter, who has also covered Donbas, flight MH17, Syria and the Battle of Mosul for the Associated Press, does exactly that. He's doing more than ensuring that everyone bears witness, though; he makes certain that there's no way to watch 20 Days in Mariupol, which shows the vast civilian impact and casualties, and see anything but ordinary people suffering, or to feel anything other than shock, anger and horror. 20 Days in Mariupol streams via DocPlay. Society of the Snow It was meant to be a fun trip to Chile with friends and family for a game. When the Old Christians Club rugby union team boarded Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 in Montevideo on October 13, 1972, destination Santiago, no one among them knew what would happen next. The plane didn't make it to its destination, as 1976 Mexican film Survive!, 1993 American movie Alive and now Spanish-US co-production Society of the Snow each cover. All three features boast apt titles, but only the latest sums up the grim reality and existential dilemma of crashing in the Andes, being stranded for 72 days in snowy climes with little resources against the weather — or for sustenance — and attempting to endure. Taken from the memoir by Pablo Vierci, aka La sociedad de la nieve in Spanish, only this phrase adorning JA Bayona's (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) picture encapsulates the tremendous effort that it took to find a way to persist, as well as the fact that trying to remain alive long enough to be rescued meant adapting everything about how the survivors approached each second, minute, hour, day, week and month — and also links in with how a catastrophe like this banded them together, doing whatever it took to find a way off the mountains, while reshaping how they contemplated what it meant to be human. Society of the Snow isn't just a disaster film detailing the specifics of the flight's failed trip, the immediate deaths and those that came afterwards, the lengthy wait to be found — including after authorities called the search off — and the crushing decisions made to get through. Bayona, who also helmed the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami-focused The Impossible, has made a weighty feature that reckons with the emotional, psychological and spiritual toll, and doesn't think of shying away from the most difficult aspects of this real-life situation (including cannibalism). This is both gruelling and meaningful viewing, as crafted with technical mastery (especially by Don't Breathe 2 cinematographer Pedro Luque, plus Cinco lobitos' Andrés Gil and Cites' Jaume Martí as editors), built upon brutal candour, and paying tribute to resilience and then some. Its feats extend to its hauntingly acted performances from a cast that includes Enzo Vogrincic (El Presidente), Agustín Pardella (Secrets of Summer) and Matías Recalt (Planners), all contributing to an account of camaraderie and sacrifice that deserves its Best International Feature Film Oscar nomination. Society of the Snow streams via Netflix. The Devil's Bath Suspense and tension, how to cultivate such a strong atmosphere of unease that it feels as if it drips from the screen, the darker side of human nature, sheer existential exasperation: writer/directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala know these things. The Austrian filmmakers are just as well-aware of how to make movies that crawl under your skin as much as distress does with their characters. For that sensation at its very best, see: Goodnight Mommy, their Oscar-submitted 2014 debut (which was then remade in America in 2022). The Devil's Bath earns the same description, too. The duo's first feature since 2019's Riley Keough (Under the Bridge)-starring English-language horror flick The Lodge, it needles deep as it follows new bride Agnes (Anja Plaschg, Axolotl Overkill), who is thrilled to be starting her married life to Wolf (David Scheig, Heribet), even if that joy doesn't seem completely reciprocated. Relationship disharmony bubbles at the heart of this 18th century-set film, but that's not the only force bearing down on a woman that no longer has any agency — and, soon, little hope left simmering as well. Franz and Fiala begin The Devil's Bath with a different scene of domestic struggle. They haunt their viewers from the outset, too. First up, a woman throws a baby over a waterfall, then turns herself in for punishment, knowing that she'll meet her end via decapitation. With that scene as a prologue, it hardly appears strange that Agnes is thrilled to receive a severed finger as a wedding gift — a digit that's meant to bring luck for starting a family. But nothing in the way of good fortunes spring when she's soon away from her other loved ones, left alone in a woodland cottage as Wolf works by day, stuck navigating his disinterest in the bedroom each evening and frowned upon constantly by her new mother-in-law (Maria Hofstätter, Andrea Gets a Divorce). There's history to Franz and Fiala's screenplay, which draws upon real events, and the mood of despair that seeps from returning Goodnight Mommy cinematographer Martin Gschlacht's grey-toned frames sports a can-only-be-true bite to it. There's little sunshine shed on the imagery, or on the way that people treat each other — and there's even more terror in realising that the lines between this arresting picture's vision of the past, even as set within a deeply superstitious and puritanical community, and today are far from faint. The Devil's Bath streams via Shudder and AMC+. Hit Man The feeling that Glen Powell should star in everything didn't start with Top Gun: Maverick and Anyone But You. Writer/director Richard Linklater (Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood) has helped the notion bubble up before as early back as 2006's Fast Food Nation, then with 2016's Everybody Wants Some!! — and now he riffs on it with Hit Man. When viewers want an actor to feature everywhere, they want to see them step into all sorts of shoes but bring their innate talents and charm each time. So, Linklater enlists Powell as Gary Johnson, a real-life University of New Orleans professor who wouldn't be earning the movie treatment if he didn't also moonlight as a undercover police operative with a specific remit: playing hitmen with folks looking to pay someone to commit murder, sting-style. Johnson doesn't just give the gig the one-size-fits-all approach, though. Once he gets confidence in the job, he's dedicated to affording every target their own personal vision of their dream assassin. So, Powell gets to be a polo shirt-wearing nice guy, a long-haired master criminal, a besuited all-business type and more, including the suave smooth-talker Ron, the persona he adopts when Madison Figueroa Masters (Adria Arjona, Andor) thinks about offing her odious husband. Hit Man is as a screwball rom-com-meets-sunlit film noir, and an excellent one, as well as a feature based on a situation so wild that it can only stem from fact. Alongside charting Gary's exploits in the position and the murkiness of falling for Madison as Ron, it's also an acceptance that the kind of darkness and desperation needed for a person to want to hire a stranger to kill to make their life better isn't a rarity — if it was, Gary's services wouldn't have been needed. Linklater has been in comparably blackly comic but also clear-eyed territory before with Bernie, the past entry on his resume that Hit Man best resembles. The also-ace 2011 Jack Black (Kung Fu Panda 4)-led picture similarly told a true tale, and also sprang from an article by journalist Skip Hollandsworth. This time, Linklater penned the script with Powell instead of Hollandsworth, but the result is another black-comedy delight brimming with insight. Hit Man is a movie about finding one's identity, too, and Powell keeps showing that he's found his: a charismatic lead who anchors one of the most-entertaining flicks of the year. Hit Man streams via Netflix. Frida For almost a century, the art-loving world has peered at Frida Kahlo. Her self-portraits have stared steadfastly back. You can glean much about a person from how they commit their own likeness to canvas; whether donning a velvet dress, reclining in a hospital bed, standing between curtains, sitting opposite herself, or accompanied by a black cat and a monkey, Kahlo was unflinching. Exhibitions have adored her work, whether she's taking centre stage in her paintings or not, for decades upon decades. Creatives in other mediums have shown the same affection, be it via books (1983's Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo), biopics (2002's Frida, with Black Mirror's Salma Hayek as the artist; before that, 1983's Frida Still Life), operas (as first hit the stage in 1991) or ballets (Broken Wings debuted in 2016). 2024's Frida brings Kahlo back to the screen with a new approach that she'd surely approve of: making her directorial debut with this portrait of the iconic Mexican painter, editor-turned-director Carla Gutierrez (who spliced fellow biodocs RBG and Julia) lets her subject speak for herself and her own complexity. Actor Fernanda Echevarría (Ella Camina Sola) actually does the talking, because the treasure trove of materials that Gutierrez has gained access to — illustrated diaries, essays and letters, photos and footage, plus interview transcripts by Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo's Hayden Herrera — doesn't include Kahlo's voice. But the impact remains: this is Kahlo as she saw herself and as she was herself, as she always fought to convey when she was living. Drawing upon Kahlo's art, Gutierrez also uses animation by Sofía Inés Cázares (Daughter From Another Mother) and Renata Galindo (A la mala) to accompany Kahlo narrating her childhood, her medical studies, her life-changing accident at the age of 18, her marriage to fellow artist Diego Rivera, her other romantic liaisons, and her thoughts about all of the above and more. It's an inspired touch, and not just in breaking up the black-and-white archival visuals with dances of colour. Seven decades since her death in 1954, Kahlo still feels alive in her work, but the latest raw, rich and deeply resonant documentary to pay tribute to her finds its own way to express and honour that sensation. Frida streams via Prime Video. American Fiction Here's Thelonious 'Monk' Ellison's (Jeffrey Wright, Rustin) predicament when American Fiction begins: on the page, his talents aren't selling books. Praise comes the Los Angeles-based professor's way for his novels, but not sales, nor attendees when he's part of writers' festival panels. And even then, publishers aren't fond of his latest manuscript. Sick of hearing that his work isn't "Black enough", and also incensed over the attention that fellow scribe Sintara Golden (Issa Rae, Barbie) is receiving for her book We's Lives in Da Ghetto, he gets a-typing, pumping out the kind of text that he vehemently hates — but 100-percent fits the stereotype of what the world keeps telling him that Black literature should be. It attracts interest, even more so when Monk takes his agent Arthur's (John Ortiz, Better Things) advice and adopts a new persona to go with it. Soon fugitive convict Stagg R Leigh and his book Fuck are a huge hit that no one can get enough of. Because of the story spun around who wrote the bestseller, too, the FBI even wants to know the author's whereabouts. Deservedly nominated for five 2024 Oscars — including for Best Picture, Best Actor for Wright and Best Supporting Actor for Sterling K Brown (Biosphere) as Monk's brother Clifford — American Fiction itself hails from the page, with filmmaker Cord Jefferson adapting Percival Everett's 2001 novel Erasure. Wright is indeed exceptional in this savvy satire of authenticity, US race relations and class chasms, and earns his awards contention for his reactions alone. Seeing how Monk adjusts himself to a world that keeps proving anything but his dream is an utter acting masterclass, in big and small moments alike. As the film dives into the character's personal chaos, that's where Brown's also-fantastic, often-tender performance comes in, plus Leslie Uggams (Extrapolations) as Monk's mother and Tracee Ellis Ross (Candy Cane Lane) as his sister, and also Erika Alexander (Run the World) as a neighbour who is a fan of his — not just Stagg R Leigh's — work. Don't discount how excellent American Fiction is beyond its literary hoax setup, in fact; as a character study, it's equally astute. American Fiction streams via Prime Video. Fancy Dance Lily Gladstone might've won the Golden Globe but not the Oscar for Killers of the Flower Moon, but her exceptional resume shows every sign of more awards coming her way. Fancy Dance, the other movie to join her filmography in 2023 — it premiered at Sundance that year, but only makes its way to streaming worldwide now — is yet another example of how the Certain Women and First Cow star is one of the very-best actors working right now. Where Gladstone's time in front of Martin Scorsese's lens showcased her mastery of restraint, playing an aunt trying to do what's best for her niece and a sister searching for her absent sibling benefits from her equal command of looseness. Jax, her character, is a pinball. When she bounces in any direction, it's with force and purpose as well as liveliness and determination, but the choice of where she's heading is rarely her own. All she wants is to find Tawi (debutant Hauli Sioux Gray) and protect 13-year-old Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson, Three Pines), but set against the reality that law enforcement mightn't look as enthusiastically for a missing Indigenous woman — or treat one with a record attempting to do right be her family with consideration — that's far from an easy task. Writer/director Erica Tremblay hails from the Seneca–Cayuga Nation, where much of Fancy Dance is set. As Gladstone is, she's also an alum of Reservation Dogs — including helming two episodes — and so is experienced at depicting everyday reservation life with authenticity. Accordingly, her first fictional feature after documentaries Heartland: A Portrait of Survival and In the Turn takes a social-realistic approach in its details, especially when it's simply surveying the space and empathy that First Nations versus white Americans aren't given. Because Jax has a criminal history, child services deems her unfit to look after Roki, or even to take the teen to the powwow where the girl is certain her mum will attend to again steal the show in the mother-daughter dance competition; instead, Jax's white father (Shea Whigham, Lawmen: Bass Reeves) and stepmother (Audrey Wasilewski, Ted) are their choice of guardians. Fancy Dance's protagonist isn't one to simply acquiesce to that decision, and Gladstone makes both her fire and her pain palpable — and her tenderness for Roki, who is weightily portrayed by her Under the Bridge co-star Deroy-Olson, as well. Fancy Dance streams via Apple TV+. Infested For those firmly of the idea that there's no new stories in horror, just fresh takes on well-established sources of fear, Infested isn't here to change minds. Rather, the French movie is the latest poster child for what looking at a tried-and-tested concept anew can do, including while pairing it with up-to-the-moment social commentary. The genre staple here: spiders. When writer/director Sébastien Vanicek begins his feature debut — which he co-scripts with Florent Bernard (Meet the Leroys) — it's with a specific breed of the venomous eight-legged scurrying nightmares unearthed, literally, in a Middle Eastern desert. Within moments of emerging from the earth, the critters make the smugglers that are attempting to capture them pay. Horror fans should clock that Infested nods to classic ways to kickstart a scary flick from the outset, then, bringing The Exorcist's opening scene to mind. Prayer won't help the Parisian banlieue residents soon fighting arachnids for their lives, however, after Kaleb (Théo Christine, Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story) innocently purchases a new addition to his bedroom menagerie of exotic pets from a local convenience store. As he disagrees with his sister Manon (feature first-timer Lisa Nyarko) about selling the apartment that they've inherited from their mother, grapples with his grief, trades in sneakers to his neighbours to stump up a buck and is faced with small-minded prejudice just by stepping outside his door, what happens when Kaleb soon has a spider (and quickly, more than one) to track down? The critter he calls Rihanna was always going to escape, so havoc unsurprisingly eventuates. That's not to say that Infested goes through the motions. With energy and style as well as needling suspense, Vanicek makes a creature-feature equivalent of British alien-invasion gem Attack the Block, with shades of Les Misérables — the 2019 crime-thriller, not Victor Hugo-penned tale — and 2022's fellow standout Athena. He also gets his audience squirming. He filters his recognisable setup through welcome eyes. He knows how to make a heightened situation feel real to the deep distress of arachnophobics, and to get terror and tension scuttling through veins. And, he ensures that desperately rallying against forces that won't let you escape, in a setting that embodies that exact notion, proves both urgent and immediate. Infested streams via Shudder and AMC+. Stopmotion One of the most-haunting performances in Australian cinema belongs to Irish Italian actor Aisling Franciosi. She's acted in The Fall and Game of Thrones, I Know This Much Is True and Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter, and Jimmy's Hall and the upcoming Speak No Evil remake before and since, but her deservedly AACTA Award-winning work in The Nightingale — the second feature from The Babadook's Jennifer Kent, which follows a former convict's quest for revenge against a British officer in 1820s Tasmania — is stunning, searing and unforgettable. Also stellar half a decade later: Franciosi's turn in Stopmotion, which hails from the UK, has her playing the daughter of an animation genius and again tasks the immensely talented actor with confronting trauma. It's the product of a filmmaker in Robert Morgan with an uncompromising vision, too, with the English writer/director making his feature debut almost a decade after helming the D Is for Deloused segment in The ABCs of Death 2 with a movie that's never afraid to commit to its eerie chills, psychological thrills and macabre sense of wonder. Franciosi's Ella Blake has spent her entire life being told that her mother Suzanne (Stella Gonet, Breeders) is an unparalleled master at making the dead appear alive — because that's one way to see Stopmotion's eponymous art form. She's also spent much of her existence assisting rather than pursuing her own dreams, including after arthritis robs her mum of being able to use her hands to craft the exacting movements that their chosen medium requires. When the film begins, overwork has Ella fraying. Emotional cruelty has her internally raging, although she won't admit it. Suzanne has a project to finish, demanding her daughter's utmost commitment. When tragedy compounds her stress, Ella escapes into own creative vision instead, conjuring up a twisted fairy tale aided by a girl (Caoilinn Springall, The Midnight Sky) from an apartment neighbouring her new makeshift studio. Saying what Morgan unleashes from there is inventive, powerful and extraordinary — in live-action and animation alike — is an understatement. Stopmotion streams via Shudder and AMC+. Lumberjack the Monster Spanning big-screen releases, TV and straight-to-video fare, Takashi Miike has notched up 115 directorial credits in the 33 years since making his helming debut. Lumberjack the Monster isn't even the latest — it premiered at film festivals in 2023, which means that miniseries Onimusha and short Midnight have popped up since — but it is Miike back in horror mode, where 1999's Audition and 2001's Ichi the Killer famously dwelled. Here, the inimitable Japanese filmmaker and screenwriter Hiroyoshi Koiwai (Way to Find the Best Life) adapt the eponymous 2019 Mayusuke Kurai novel. Its namesake character also exists on the page in the movie itself, in a picture book. This is a serial-killer picture, though, and with more than one person taking multiple lives. A mass murderer wearing a bag over their head and swinging an axe is on a rampage, and lawyer Akira (Kazuya Kamenashi, Destiny) and surgeon Sugitani (Shôta Sometani, Sanctuary) aren't averse to dispensing death themselves. A clash is inevitable, not that the slick Akira expects it, or that his costumed attacker anticipates that their current target will survive his blade, sparking a cat-and-mouse game. Lumberjack the Monster doesn't just weave in fantasy boogeyman stories, offings upon offings, and characters with dark impulses going head to head. The police are on the case, giving the film a procedural layer, as well as Akira motivation to hunt down his assailant first. Science fiction also washes through, with brain-implanted chips and modifying human behaviour both for worse and for better part of the narrative. There's also a moral-redemption element weaved in. Consequently, it's no wonder that this tale is Miike joint. As well as being prolific, Miike loves making his resume the ultimate mashup. To name just a few examples, see: the yakuza action of Dead or Alive, superhero comedy Zebraman, titular genre of Sukiyaki Western Django, samurai efforts 13 Assassins and Blade of the Immortal, period drama Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai, video-game adaptation Ace Attorney, romance For Love's Sake, thriller Lesson of the Evil, vampire movie Yakuza Apocalypse and the crime-driven First Love. Unsurprisingly, Lumberjack the Monster is specifically the engrossing — and bloodily violent — Frankenstein's monster of a flick that Miike was always going to relish making when splicing together such an array of elements came his way. Lumberjack the Monster streams via Netflix. The Kitchen He has an Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe for Judas and the Black Messiah. He was nominated for all of the above accolades for Get Out, and should've won them all then, too. His resume spans Skins, one of Black Mirror's most-memorable episodes, plus Sicario, Widows, Black Panther, Queen & Slim and Nope as well. But The Kitchen marks a first for Daniel Kaluuya: his first movie as a director. Hopefully more will follow. Co-helming with Kibwe Tavares — who also notches up his feature debut behind the lens after shorts including Jonah and Robot & Scarecrow, which both starred Kaluuya — and co-penning the screenplay with Calm with Horses' Joe Murtagh, the actor makes a stunning arrival as a filmmaker. The Kitchen's setup: in the year 2044 in London, with class clashes so pronounced that not being rich is basically treated as a crime, a man (Top Boy's Kane Robinson, aka rapper Kano) living in the titular housing development crosses paths with a 12-year-old boy (newcomer Jedaiah Bannerman) who has just lost his mother, with the pair discovering that they have no one but each other as they endeavour to find a way to survive. Robinson's Izy has bought into the social-climbing dream when The Kitchen begins. He'll do so literally if he can come up with the cash for an apartment in a swankier tower away from everything he's ever known within 21 days, a dream that he's been working towards at his job selling funerals. It's at the latter that he meets Bannerman's Benji, who has nowhere to live after his mother's death and no one else to turn to for help. The film's scenario is pure dystopia, reflecting the inequities, oppressions and realities of today as all great sci-fi should. Its intimate emotional core hones in on people attempting to persist and connect, as the genre's best always does as well. Accordingly, this is an impassioned and infuriated portrait of society's gaps as everyone watching can recognise, a nightmarish vision of what might come and a thoughtful character study. As directors, Kaluuya and Tavares excel at world-building, at bringing such rich detail and texture to the screen that viewers feel like they could step straight into its social realist-leaning frames, and at guiding affecting performances out of both Robinson and Bannerman (who adds to the feature's impressive first efforts). The Kitchen streams via Netflix. Orion and the Dark Learning to face life's chaos, or even just recognising that life is chaos, has a particular term when Charlie Kaufman is making movies and audiences do the confronting. Describing something as Kaufmanesque sprang from the screenwriter and filmmaker's stunning run at the end of the 90s and beginning of the 00s — the Spike Jonze (Her)-helmed Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, plus the Michel Gondry (Microbe & Gasoline)-directed Human Nature and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind — and it's stuck ever since. Joining the trio of Synecdoche, New York, Anomalisa and I'm Thinking of Ending Things as well, all three of which he penned plus helmed, is new family-friendly animation Orion and the Dark. A Kaufmanesque kid-appropriate flick? It exists, and it's wonderful. Feature first-timer Sean Charmatz (TV movie Trolls Holiday in Harmony) directs, and Emma Yarlett's 2014 children's book provides the source material; however, this account of a boy afraid of the dark who then meets the literal Dark (voiced by The Afterparty's Paul Walter Hauser) is a Kaufman affair through and through. Also, iconic German filmmaker — and one-time Parks and Recreation star — Werner Herzog (The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft) pops up. Loaned the vocal tones of Jacob Tremblay (The Little Mermaid) as a child and Colin Hanks (The Offer) as an adult, Orion is petrified of sleeping without the lights on. And, just like the kids in Monsters, Inc that are scared of creatures in their cupboards, Orion and the Dark's protagonist is frightened of something real. Dark exists and, alongside Orion's parents (The Fall of the House of Usher's Carla Gugino and Bull's Matt Dellapina), is exasperated by the boy's response to nighttime. He can't help taking it personally, in fact, then offers to assist. For one 24-hour period, as darkness falls around the world, he gets Orion to accompany him on his travels with friends Sleep (Natasia Demetriou, What We Do in the Shadows), Insomnia (Nat Faxon, Our Flag Means Death), Quiet (Aparna Nancherla, The Great North), Unexplained Noises (Golda Rosheuvel, Bridgerton) and Sweet Dreams (Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) to demonstrate that being distressed is unfounded. It isn't just Herzog's involvement and a joke about David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest that prove that this is a movie as much for adults as kids; amid its gorgeous animation, its understanding of existential dread is also that astute. Orion and the Dark streams via Netflix. Spaceman Should astronaut become a dictionary-certified synonym for melancholy? Cinema believes so. Its latest case in point comes via Spaceman, where life temporarily lived above and beyond the earth replaces gravity with loneliness and disconnection for Jakub Prochazka (Adam Sandler, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah). He's six months into a solo trip past Jupiter to investigate an eerie phenomenon in the heavens when this adaptation of Jaroslav Kalfař's 2017 sci-fi novel Spaceman of Bohemia kicks off. His quest is both time-sensitive and celebrated. South Korea is in close pursuit, he's frequently being told by Peter (Kunal Nayyar, Night Court), his contact at ground control — and Commissioner Tuma (Isabella Rossellini, Cat Person) happily keeps dialling him in for PR opportunities. As he soars through a strangely purple sky, however, endeavouring to fulfil his mission while pleading for maintenance approval on his crumbling ship, all that's really on his mind is his wife Lenka (Carey Mulligan, Maestro). Pregnant and left at home alone, she's no longer taking his fast-as-light-speed phone calls. Then Hanus (Paul Dano, Mr & Mrs Smith) scurries in beside Jakub, demanding attention — as a giant spider in space is always going to. For the best part of a decade now, seeing a live-action movie starring Sandler has meant heading to Netflix. In Australia, even Uncut Gems, his greatest-ever performance, arrived via the streaming platform. Alongside The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) and Hustle, add Spaceman to the list of such features that give their star worthy parts and would've made welcome cinema releases. It isn't new news that Sandler is an excellent actor in dramatic and/or weightier roles, or that his career is more than the Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore-style comedies that he first became known for. Spaceman director Johan Renck (Chernobyl) has cast him expertly, in fact, in this tale of isolation, arrested development, otherworldly arachnids and amorous entanglements. Sending Sandler on an Ad Astra-, First Man- and Solaris-esque trip proves contemplative and empathetic — and, amid spider's-eye flashbacks to his complicated childhood in the Czech Republic, time spent with Lenka on the ground and floating around the film's claustrophobic main setting, also brimming with raw and resonant emotion. Spaceman streams via Netflix. STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces To do justice to Steve Martin's life, career and impact requires more than just one movie. So, the engagingly and entertainingly in-depth, intimate, affectionate and informative STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces explores the comedian and actor's existence in a pair of parts. The first is subtitled 'Then', honing in on his childhood and early stand-up days. The second, aka 'Now', jumps in when he made the leap to movies in the late 70s, which is where The Jerk, Pennies From Heaven, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Parenthood and LA Story comes in — and, of course, includes his tours with his ¡Three Amigos! co-star Martin Short, as well as their murder-mystery-comedy TV hit Only Murders in the Building. The initial half gets Martin narrating, sharing reflections personal and professional as accompanied by archival footage aplenty (and ample tapes of his stints in front of audience). The latter section treats him as an interviewee, with his wife Anne Stringfield, Short, Jerry Seinfeld (who has had Martin as a guest on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee) and Tina Fey (who also co-starred with Martin in Baby Mama) among the talking heads. Behind it all is documentarian Morgan Neville, an Oscar-winner for 20 Feet From Stardom, as well as a filmmaker who is clearly taking his stylistic cues from his subject. That's noticeable in STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces' moniker, for starters — it throws caution to the winds of grammar and title formats just as Martin has to comedy rules, as the two-part film makes plain again and again. No matter how well-acquainted you are with Martin, insights flow freely in this fascinating way to spend three hours surveying the ways that he's made people laugh over decades upon decades, beginning with doing magic tricks and working at Disneyland on his school holidays in the 50s. Revelations bound through about Martin as a person, too; more than once, he notes that his life has felt as if it has played out backwards, and not just because he only first became a father in his 60s. Clips of his stand-up act, and the response to it in the 60s and 70s, are gold. Hanging out with the man who originally was only going to create Only Murders in the Building, not star in it, when he's bantering with Short are as well. STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces streams via Apple TV+. Am I OK? The question in Am I OK?'s title is indeed existential: is Lucy (Dakota Johnson, Madame Web) coping with being a thirtysomething in Los Angeles treading water emotionally, romantically and professionally? From there, more queries spring. Can she — or, more accurately, will she — shoot for more than not quite dating the smitten Ben (Whitmer Thomas, Big Mouth), right down to shaking his hand at the end of their evenings out together, and also for something beyond working as a day-spa receptionist while putting her passion and talent for art on the back burner? Is she capable of breaking free of a comfort zone padded out with spending all of her spare time with her best friend Jane (Sonoya Mizuno, House of the Dragon), including being so predictable that she always orders the same thing at their brunches at their favourite diner? Regarding the latter, she gets a push when Jane agrees to a lucrative transfer to London, splitting the pair for the first time since they were teenagers. Am I OK? is an arrested-development coming-of-age movie, then, and a film about being honest about who you are and want to be. Change comes for us all, even when we've built a cocoon to protect our happy status quo — and, at the heart of this romantic drama, change clearly comes for Lucy. She's forced to consider a path forward that doesn't involve solely being defined as half of a platonic duo. She also confronts the feelings for her coworker Brittany (Kiersey Clemons, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters) and the truth about her sexuality that she's never previously admitted. Am I OK? is a coming-out tale, too, but it treats Lucy's stuck-in-a-rut existence and at-first-tentative attempts to embrace how she truly feels holistically, seeing how life's passage inevitably shifts how we see ourselves. If the movie feels more honest than it might've been, that's because screenwriter Lauren Pomerantz (Strange Planet) spins a semi-autobiographical story. Also, the directing team of real-life couple Tig Notaro (2 Dope Queens) and Stephanie Allynne (who helmed Notaro's 2024 special Hello Again) — who met making 2015's In a World… — demonstrate the ideal light-but-delicate touch. Plus, Johnson and Mizuno exude genuine BFF chemistry, with the former again showing why fare such as this, Cha Cha Real Smooth, How to Be Single, The Peanut Butter Falcon, A Bigger Splash, Suspiria and The Lost Daughter, a diverse group of pictures, is a better fit than the Fifty Shades trilogy or a Spider-Man spinoff. Am I OK? streams via Binge. Looking for more viewing highlights? We picked the best 15 films that've reached cinemas in 2024's first half, too, plus the 15 best new TV shows of 2024 so far and the 15 best returning TV shows. We also keep a running list of must-stream TV from across the year so far, complete with full reviews. And, you can check out our list of film and TV streaming recommendations, which is updated monthly.
Singapore's food scene reflects the diversity, passion and innovation that runs through the city. From fine-dining restaurants that push culinary boundaries to hawker stalls recognised by Michelin, there's a good meal to be had in every corner of Singapore. If you're feeling intimidated by the sheer volume of choice, let our guide take some of the pressure off. We've teamed up with Singapore Tourism to shed light on some classic Singaporean fare, as well as where to find them. [caption id="attachment_979197" align="alignnone" width="1920"] John Heng[/caption] Kopi Start the day off with a cup of fresh coffee, or 'kopi' as it's locally known. Drawn from traditional Malay coffee, kopi is complex, full-bodied and packs a strong kick. Robusta beans are roasted in margarine and sugar, before being strained through a cloth sack or sock. A traditional kopi is served with a splash of condensed milk, with options to switch things up from there. For a milkier brew, try a Kopi C (black coffee with sugar and evaporated milk), Kopi Gah Dai (with more condensed milk), or the foamy Kopi Tarik (cooled down by pouring the drink between two cups). There are also kopis with less sugar or dairy, or the completely black Kopi O Kosong. You'll find kopi all around Singapore, but we'd recommend going to an old-school kopitiam (coffee house) like Tong Ah Eating House or Heap Seng Leong — which is especially known for its rich Kopi Gu You (served with condensed milk and a square of butter) — where you can pair your caffeine hit with kaya toast and eggs. Zi Char Comfort food at its simplest. 'Zi char' refers to a type of home-style cooking dished out by casual eateries and food stalls around Singapore. Local staples include wok-fried fare such as hor fun and char kway teow (stir-fried rice noodles), pork ribs cooked with coffee or marmite, and seafood or meat coated with salted duck egg. For some authentic zi char outside of hawker centres, head to Keng Eng Kee Seafood for signature plates such as the seafood hor fun with Chinese sausages and egg, butter cereal prawns, salted egg squid and marmite chicken. New Ubin Seafood is a more contemporary zi char restaurant, but still serves classics like bee hoon (vermicelli noodles), fish head curry and crispy fish skin in salted egg. Nasi Lemak Traditionally a Malaysian breakfast dish, nasi lemak combines the subtle sweetness of coconut with the spice of sambal and bite of dried anchovies. A typical serving consists of rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves served alongside a variety of accompaniments, including cucumbers, a hard-boiled egg, crispy dried anchovies, roasted peanuts and sambal (chilli paste). The Coconut Club is — aptly — a local favourite for nasi lemak. The restaurant's signature dish comes with the option to add fried chicken, beef rendang curry, a fried egg or grilled fish cake. Dickson Nasi Lemak also specialises in the national dish, serving only nasi lemak from morning to the afternoon. Add-ons include fried chicken leg or thigh and chicken or beef rendang, paired with hot or iced kopi or teh (tea). Peranakan Cuisine Hailed as one of the earliest fusion cuisines, Peranakan (or Nyonya) food is a mixture of Chinese, Malay and Indian cooking techniques with colonial influences. Its roots trace back as far as the 15th century, when Chinese migrants began settling in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Well-known Peranakan dishes include ayam buah keluak (chicken with buah keluak nuts and a tamarind and spice-heavy gravy), laksa, fish maw soup, palm sugar cake made with bouncy tapioca flour, and kueh salat (pandan and coconut custard atop sticky rice). If you're keen to try the cuisine, look no further than Candlenut. Helmed by chef Malcolm Lee, Candlenut is the first Peranakan restaurant to be awarded with a Michelin star. The Ah-Ma-Kase option means you won't have to struggle with making any decisions — just sit back and let the kitchen bring you heaping plates of its beloved classics. Another Nyonya gem serving Peranakan and Singaporean cooking is National Kitchen by Violet Oon, housed inside the historic National Gallery Singapore. Hainanese Curry Rice Another amalgamation of cultures, Hainanese curry marries Indian spices with Peranakan stewed cabbage, European pork chop and Chinese soy sauce for maximum flavour in every bite. Other combinations include braised pork belly or chicken, with sides of egg, bean sprouts, tofu or seafood. Beach Road Scissors Cut Curry Rice and Loo's Hainanese Curry Rice have been slinging out loaded plates of Hainanese curry for decades. Open until 3.30am for those late-night cravings, Scissors Cut is known for the way each plate is prepared — once you've chosen what you want with your curry, the chef uses a pair of scissors to chop the ingredients up with incredible speed and dexterity, before topping it all off with the curry sauce. On the other hand, Loo's serves its curry with each component on separate plates, so you can choose to mix and match as you wish. You can't go wrong either way. Book your Singapore holiday now with Flight Centre. All images courtesy of Singapore Tourism Board.
You can never have too many John Wick movies. After the first film in the Keanu Reeves (Sonic the Hedgehog 3)-starring action franchise arrived in 2014, more thankfully followed — and if you're a fan, two, three and four flicks about the dog-loving assassin have never been enough. Reeves returns to the role in upcoming spinoff Ballerina, but that's not the only time you'll see him in the series again in the future. Yeah, we're thinking he's back: a fifth John Wick film is now officially locked in. Film studio Lionsgate has announced both another entry in the main saga and Reeves' comeback as its titular figure — something that initially floated way back before John Wick: Chapter 4, but wasn't actually guaranteed after the way that feature wrapped up. There's no word on when the fifth movie will arrive now, who else will be in it or what the storyline will follow as yet, but there doesn't need to be: Reeves as John Wick again is plenty to look forward to. That said, Reeves isn't the only returnee for John Wick 5, with his former stuntman-turned-director Chad Stahelski joining him. All five films not only boast its inimitable star, then, but Stahelski behind the lens. "It's so important to get this story right and give John's story the proper next step. It's exciting to take the first step on that road," said producers Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee (Monkey Man) about the fifth entry, as per Variety, with both also involved in the John Wick realm since its beginning. Led by Ana de Armas (Ghosted), From the World of John Wick: Ballerina has a date with cinemas Down Under on Thursday, June 5, 2025. This franchise has already earned a TV series, too, courtesy of The Continental: From the World of John Wick — and more related tales are also on the way. Newly announced: an animated John Wick prequel film. Already revealed back in 2024: a Donnie Yen (The Prosecutor)-starring chapter picture about Caine, who first popped up in John Wick: Chapter 4. That movie now has a director, and it's none other than Hong Kong actor and filmmaker Yen himself. There's obviously no trailer for John Wick 5 yet, but check out the trailers for past John Wick films, plus the upcoming Ballerina, below: John Wick 5 doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you with more details when they're announced. Via Variety.
The average person spends eight hours a day looking at a screen. That's not just your laptop or television set but also the time you spend on your phone. Observe the number of people thumbing their smart phones on the evening bus, and it's easy to believe that a lot of people exceed that average eight hours on a regular basis. Now, instead of waxing poetical about how grim this is, and imploring you to run into the streets, pick wildflowers, and dance barefoot (all thoroughly recommended pursuits), it might be better to think about how to get the most out of your time spent with a screen. Because a lot of the time we read, and look, at crap: think of the number of times you’ve heard about Kate Middleton's boobs in the past couple of weeks, or watched a Gangnam Style parody (you know you have). Last year, Eli Pariser gave a TED talk in which he pointed out that web companies like Facebook and Twitter, in trying to tailor their services to you and your tastes, end up blocking out the information they think you don't want to know about. That means you get trapped inside what he calls a 'filter bubble'. If Facebook knows you're passionately involved in campaigning for gay marriage, for instance, you won't get information that's going to expose you to other arguments in your news feed. By the same token, if Facebook thinks you only want to hear about pop culture, you're not going to end up hearing much about asylum seekers. This means that, ultimately, because we never get information that challenges our worldviews, we end up in a bubble in which we hear the same messages and information over and over again. Unless we go looking elsewhere. These are the tips we discovered while trying to get out of our media ghetto and into the bright lights of the big media city. Tidy up your RSS feed and bookmarks If you use Google Reader, go through and see how many of those subscriptions add value to your life. Balance out what you get from The Sartorialist by subscribing to The Huffington Post, Jezebel, or McSweeney's. Thinking about spreading out your information — so it's not all stories from America — is also a good way to go: you want to know what’s happening around the corner as much as you want to know what’s happening in New York this weekend. (As people who keep an eye on what's happening locally, we unabashedly recommend subscribing to us.) Buy a newspaper or a magazine One of the best things about these old-fashioned things is that, while you can skim and skip pieces, what's inside them is curated by an editor. They also offer work that people have been paid to write, and that often produces more interesting and well-researched content. Aside from your average copy of the Sydney Morning Herald or the Age, and high-brow magazines like the Monthly and the New Yorker, magazines like Fantastic Man or The Gentlewoman offer quality journalism mixed in with the pretty pictures. Mag Nation is a good place to browse. Explore Filtering Services Filtering services like Prismatic and Bottlenose collate information from your social media activity and provide you with a unique and personal newsfeed. These things are great because they expand your horizons beyond just giving you what you want to hear. The top stories in my Prismatic feed, for instance, cover the US presidential election, architecture inspired by mathematics, and (I don't know what this says about me) a guide to the top 10 hipster neighbourhoods in the US. None of which I would have stumbled across all on my lonesome. Monitor Yourself Setting limits about how long you spend on networks is really important. You can leave Facebook or Twitter open all day, but that doesn't mean life will get any more interesting. Set rules for yourself about how long you're prepared to sit monitoring a feed. Wired has a pretty awesome graphic showing how you might spread out your screen time, but I would also recommend going for a walk or baking a cake to give your square-eyes a rest. Broaden Your Horizons We’re long past the days when social media meant Facebook alone. It's not uncommon now to meet somebody who would never dream of having a Facebook account but will actively encourage you to follow them on Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram at once. Different mediums offer different things. Checking out sites like Pinterest and Reddit might broaden your horizons in ways you've never thought of before. Explore Overlaps Sometimes the lowbrow and the highbrow blend together in a beautiful dance. Superficial stories can blend in with serious issues. The most recent example of this is Chris Brown's new tattoo. While everyone can marvel over its similarity to that beaten-to-a-pulp image of Rhianna, it provokes more serious discussions about domestic violence and might elevate your thinking about the subject beyond the initial "oh no he didn't!". Upworthy Eli Pariser, the same guy who gave the aforementioned TED Talk, has since started a site designed to make important and compelling things as viral as videos of people planking. Designed to give you the tools and knowledge to make yourself a better and more aware human being, Upworthy is still in it's early stages but definitely worth checking out.
These days, Melburnians are pretty much spoilt for choice when it comes to sipping beers straight from the source, as craft breweries pop up all over town. But you'll be hard-pressed to find beer much fresher than the stuff at the soon-to-open Burnley Brewing, which will be poured right from the brewery's Brite tanks within days of when it's crafted. Slated to open its doors this December in the space currently home to Romulus and Remus, this might just be the brewpub of your dreams (if you regularly dream about drinking from a tank of beer). Not only are owners Renton Carlyle-Taylor (Milton Wines, The Alps), Phil Gijsbers (Pedro Espresso, Small Print Pizza Bar) and Neil Mills (Small Print Pizza Bar, Pedro Espresso) promising what's likely Richmond's freshest beer, the bartenders serving it are all Cicerone certified, having completed industry-recognised specialist beer training. There'll be ten taps pouring a range of seasonal house beers, running from fruit-driven sours, to hoppy US-style ales, to gutsy, barrel-aged Russian imperial stouts. Meanwhile, the minds behind wine lists at Toorak Cellars and Milton Wine Bar have curated a selection of artisanal Aussie wines with a focus on natural drops, to sit alongside the food lineup. Some old favourites from the Romulus and Remus menu will be making a comeback (think, pulled pork and beef lasagne, and hand-rolled pasta dishes), rounding out a selection of American-inspired drinking snacks and late-night, vegan-friendly fare. Burnley Brewing will open at 648 Bridge Road, Burnley from December. For updates, check burnleybrewing.com.au.
It's been an amazing six months for gelato in Melbourne. Not only were we treated to the work of those artisnal stalwarts at Messina, but we also had the treat of meeting Pidapipó — a test lab run in Carlton run by the gelato pro Lisa Valmorbida. But all good things must come to an end, and it's with a heavy heart we say, today marks the last day of business for Pidapipó's Faraday Street store. But they're sure as heck not going out quietly. In glorious everything-must-go style, Pidapipó is offering free gelato tonight from 9pm-11pm. In what they call The Last Lick, this much-loved gelateria will be slingin' free scoops while partying with DJs (and, let's be honest, a million local ice-cream lovers). If you haven't yet tried out this Carlton gem, there's no better time (and no available alternative) than the present. With wall decor designed by local artist Esther Stewart, Pidapipó is a hub of summery good times. Bright colours create a visual feast and provide a suitably vibrant background for gelato flavours like pistachio (imported from Italy), swirled raspberry coulis, lavender and lemon sorbetto and ouzo and Vietnamese mint. But don't fret just yet. Pidapipó's Faraday Store may be closing, but it was always just a test lab for something larger. Lisa Valmorbida will in fact be bringing the store back into a permanent location this September. In the interim, Valmorbida will be heading overseas to do more gelati research (the absolute best kind of research). The permanent store should be an exciting combo of everything she learnt while attending Carpigiani Gelato University in Italy, as well as things picked up over the last year. If that was all a little TL;DR, here's the abridged version: free gelato tonight from 9pm-11pm at Pidapipó. Bid the team a fond farewell but don't worry, it's not the last you'll be seeing of them. Pidapipó is located at 222 Faraday Street, Carlton (near the corner of Lygon Street). We highly recommend getting there on time.
In the heart of Chapel Street, Imperial South Yarra is a modern and vibrant spot to enjoy a couple of drinks after a day of shopping or a long week at the office. The sleek bistro fit-out is paired with street-side tables so you can take in all the area has to offer. The menu covers contemporary global fare, from small dishes to designed share, to hearty pub meals, pizzas and burgers. A classic drinks list is bumped up with specialty cocktails and huge fishbowls to share — or not to share. The Imperial has a bunch of weekly specials and events, including bottomless brunches, leisurely lunches, Sunday recovery sessions and a $5 happy hour, Monday–Friday, 4–7pm. Image: Giulia Morlando.
Perched just above Thornbury's High Street, this stunning, light-filled yoga studio and wellness space offers an ideal escape from the chaos of the main street below. Upon entering, it's hard not to feel a sense of immediate calm thanks to the space's soothing colour palette and minimalist decor. The space offers different types of yoga for all ability and flexibility levels, including an approachable ten-week course for beginners to begin to understand and connect with their own practice. For more advanced students, teacher training courses are also run here. Aside from yoga, Prana House offers a diverse wellness program that includes counselling, naturopathy, reiki and more. The space also hosts regular events with external practitioners.
Often when a musician or band announces a world tour, they start with dates in America and Europe, but leave fans Down Under waiting for local details to drop down the track. That isn't the case with Tyler, The Creator's new Chromakopia tour. Mark your diaries: as well as revealing US gigs, plus shows in a heap of European city, the hip-hop and fashion trailblazer has locked in a new trip to Australia and New Zealand. Tyler, The Creator last headed this way on a headline tour in 2022, and played Splendour in the Grass as well, and will now return in August and September 2025 on a five-city, seven-show visit that celebrates a new album also called Chromakopia. That record drops on Monday, October 28, 2024, and has unveiled its first single 'Noid' complete with a music video starring The Bear's Ayo Edebiri. [caption id="attachment_976993" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Raph_PH via Flickr[/caption] The tour details for your calendar: Auckland's Spark Arena is the first Down Under stop on Monday, August 18. After that, Tyler, The Creator is hitting up Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne for two shows across Friday, August 22–Saturday, August 23; Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney for another two gigs on Tuesday, August 26–Wednesday, August 27; Brisbane Entertainment Centre for one evening on Saturday, August 30; and RAC Arena in Perth on Thursday, September 4. On all local dates, the genre-bending rapper will have Lil Yachty and Paris Texas in support. The Chromakopia tour follows Tyler, The Creator's 2024 Coachella headlining set, on a bill that also included Lana Del Rey, Doja Cat, No Doubt and plenty more. Before 2022 — which marked Tyler's first set of headline shows down under in over eight years — the last time that the star graced Australian shores was for a series of festival appearances over New Years 2020–21, hitting up the likes of Beyond the Valley and Field Day. [caption id="attachment_823369" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Demxx via Flickr[/caption] Tyler, The Creator Chromakopia World Tour 2025 Monday, August 18 — Spark Arena, Auckland Friday, August 22–Saturday, August 23 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Tuesday, August 26–Wednesday, August 27 ‚ Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Saturday, August 30 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Thursday, September 4 — RAC Arena, Perth [caption id="attachment_823366" align="alignnone" width="2556"] Luis 'Panch' Perez[/caption] Tyler, The Creator is touring Australia and New Zealand in August and September 2025. Ticket presales start at 10am local time in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, and 12pm local time in Auckland, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 — with general sales from 10am local time on Friday, November 1, 2024. Head to the tour website for more details. Top image: Raph_PH via Flickr.
When lockdowns and restrictions started becoming a reality in 2020, a heap of cinemas around Australia began jumping online. Venues as varied as Sydney's Golden Age, Melbourne's ACMI and Australian-wide chain Event Cinemas launched their own streaming services, as did Palace Cinemas and the team behind the Ritz, Lido, Classic and Cameo cinemas — not just when the pandemic first hit, but as it kept impacting movie-going as we know it. That wasn't merely a 2020 or early 2021 trend, and it isn't simply limited to city or big national chains. Indeed, Australia has just scored another digital spot to check out movies from home, with Theatre Royal Castlemaine in regional Victoria adding its own platform to your viewing options. Watch something on this one, however, and you'll be supporting a 167-year-old venue that's been open since 1854 and operating as a cinema since the silent movie era. The first films flickered across its screen back in 1919, and it's now one of the oldest continuously operating theatres in the southern hemisphere. Theatre Royal Castlemaine's streaming site is called Royal Flix and Chill, and it's curated by cinema co-owner Felicity Cripps, some movie-loving friends of the venue and Castlemaine Documentary Festival Director Claire Jaegar. It's a pay-per-view platform, so you'll just fork out for what you want to watch on a title by title basis — with more than 100 films currently on offer, and five new additions set to join the catalogue each month. At the time of writing, highlights include recent fare such as A Quiet Place Part II, The Father, Antoinette in the Cevennes, The Godmother and The United States vs Billie Holiday — plus flicks from the past few years like Parasite, For Sama, Dunkirk, Get Out and Shoplifters. Or, there's also older titles such as Donnie Darko, City of God, There Will Be Blood, Tampopo, Chinatown, The Big Lebowski, The Professional and Twelve Monkeys; Australian movies like High Ground, Firestarter — The Story of Bangarra and Bran Nue Dae; documentaries such as Honeyland, Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry and Studio 54: The Documentary; and European cinema highlights including Cold War, Dogman and Toni Erdmann. "The cinema is one of the toughest arms of our business. We are one of the last remaining single-screen venues in the country and that is because it is so hard to make ends meet when there is so much available to view in the digital world. But it's also very special and as a long-standing 'picture palace', we want to do all we can to keep it going," said Cripps. "That's where our virtual cinema comes in. A way to connect with people who may not be able to physically attend our cinema and a way to show more arthouse and international films with less overheads, it's intended to compliment the in-house offering and draw a wider audience with a uniquely curated library of amazing cinema, available to everyone." For more information about Theatre Royal Castlemaine streaming platform, or to start watching, head to the Royal Flix and Chill website.
In recent times, this fine country has seen Harry Potter-inspired rooftops, brunches and train rides. And that's not to mention the Cursed Child mania that's been going down in Melbourne. But are you sick of it? No chance. If there's one thing we know, it's that the demand for Harry Potter will never die — and this latest pop-up, along with the fact that there is a seemingly endless stream of Harry Potter events to come, proves that. The next piece of mainstream Harry Potter fandom to hit Melbourne this summer will be the Wizard's Cauldron. Inspired by the experiences that the gang had in potions class — and hopefully avoiding the botched polyjuice potion episode — the pop-up bar will mix magic and mixology. That's to say, there will be cocktails. Probably with some dry ice and bubbling substances. It'll be sort of like a science class, except you'll wear robes and mix your drinks with a wand. And drink what you mix, of course. The 'experience' will take 90 minutes and will cost you $55. For that, you'll get a hot mug o' mead and help from a (probably) greasy-haired Potions Master to mix a potion or two for yourself. You may or may not have to take your O.W.L exam after. Either way, there'll be a cash bar so you can celebrate or commiserate your results for further drinks and snacks. The Wizard's Cauldron will run evening sessions Wednesday to Sunday (as well as daytime classes on weekends) between January 9 and April 12, 2020.
There's still over a month of 2022 left to go, but already food lovers can start getting excited about what's on the menu when Melbourne Food & Wine Festival rolls around in 2023. The long-running culinary celebration has announced which special guests will be heading up its two headline events — the World's Longest Lunch and the World's Longest Brunch — when it returns for ten food-filled days from Friday, March 24–Sunday, April 2. Exactly 30 years on from its 1993 debut at the MCG, the huge communal feast known as the World's Longest Lunch is next set to take over Melbourne's Treasury Gardens on Friday, March 24. And this time around, it'll feature the culinary stylings of regional treasure Alla Wolf-Tasker — the renowned chef behind Daylesford's Lake House. [caption id="attachment_880486" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alla Wolf-Tasker, by Clint Peloso[/caption] She'll be bringing her standout skills to the city for a three-course lunch attended by around 2000 lucky diners, with the al fresco feed also matched to wines and entertainment. Tickets to this one will set you back $245. Building on another much-loved Melbourne pastime is the World's Longest Brunch, which'll bring its own packed communal table to the leafy grounds of Treasury Gardens on Saturday, March 25. In excellent news for sweet tooths and pastry fiends, it'll be helmed by the one and only Natalie Paull — founder of the late, great North Melbourne bakeshop Beatrix Bakes. The pastry queen will be treating to diners to her ultimate morning feed, which sounds about as dreamy as you can imagine — think, tomatoes and buffalo ricotta in a rye galette; and a riff on the ploughman's brekkie done with cured kingfish and a hashbrown. And of course, dessert's a given, set to feature Paull's signature cheesecake, topped with apple compote and cinnamon-infused granola streusel. [caption id="attachment_880487" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nat Paull, by Clint Peloso[/caption] The brunch has capacity for 1400, with tickets coming in at $99. That'll get you your three-course feast, coffee, entertainment and a drink on arrival. Tickets to both the World's Longest Lunch and the World's Longest Brunch go on sale on Thursday, December 8, which is excellent timing if you've got any foodies on your Christmas present list. The full Melbourne Food & Wine Festival program will then drop some time in early February. The World's Longest Lunch will take place at Treasury Gardens on March 24, 2023, with the World's Longest Brunch hosted in the same place on March 25, 2023. Tickets to both are available online from Thursday, December 8 — with pre-sales for Melbourne Food & Wine Festival subscribers from Tuesday, December 6. The 2023 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival runs from Friday, March 24–Sunday, April 2 — check back here for the full program in early February.
If you're out for a fancy brunch, a very late lunch or are just waking up from the night before with a hankering for coffee, this is the place to do it. Porgie + Mr Jones is bustling regardless of the day of the week and, come the weekend, it is positively bursting with excitement. A very small wait for your table is hardly a blip on the radar when cheery staff accommodate all your needs as soon as you walk in. Having expanded considerably since its opening a few years ago, the aesthetic of Porgie + Mr Jones has developed with immense thought. The cafe is split into a variety of areas that all offer a different mood — from the quirky front room featuring a takeaway counter for coffee and baked goods, to the more formal dining rooms (the 'fancy rooms'), a private room for events and the expansive outside garden terrace (the 'secret garden'). Wherever seated you'll be entirely comfortable, with the outside garden particularly sublime in the summer months. The menu doesn't differ too far from other names in the Porgie + Mr Jones empire, which also include Snow Pony (Balwyn), Friends of Mine (Richmond) and recently opened The Stables at Como House (Prahran). Offering something for everyone, it's a big achievement when any cafe manages to achieve the perfect balance of interesting flavours, collective favourites and hearty serves. Whatever your selection, you'll be assured a faultless choice, with food envy possibly the only repercussion. For those craving savoury, salty goodness, the fabulous herb and cheesy toast with eggplant kasundi ($11.90) as well as the McPorgie, an English muffin stuffed with ham off the bone, Emmental cheese and creamy dreamy scrambles ($5.50) will hit the sides absolutely perfectly. For the health conscious, the bircher muesli with stewed rhubarb, honey yogurt and toasted pistachio ($10.90) is the perfect balance of sweetness. Aptly presented in a gorgeous glass jar, it's just one of the endearing touches Porgie + Mr Jones will leave you with. Things take a step up come lunchtime, with offerings including the crispy skinned pork belly with Jerusalem artichoke cream, prunes and pear ($22.90) assured to impress. With this expansive, highly-capable daytime menu, Porgie + Mr Jones' recent foray into nighttime dining has proved to be nothing but successful. Open for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights, the set menu run with the choice of two ($55pp) or three courses ($70pp) is a definite highlight in this part of town. Bookings are, of course, essential. Compared to its nearby sister Snow Pony, Porgie + Mr Jones delivers the goods in a dining experience that is almost flawless. Come back over and over again to explore the expansive menu and delight in the different spaces. It's a reliable choice when desiring a hearty meal, a cheeky sweet treat or somewhere to take a group. Just remember to take cash with you (cards are not accepted, but there is an ATM next door for convenience), and the buzzing atmosphere will have you out the door with a very happy spring in your step.
It's been 15 years since The Notebook made everyone fall in love with Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams and locking lips during a downpour, and the Nicholas Sparks-penned effort isn't done spreading its sappy brand of romance just yet. Soon, the book-turned-movie will make another leap, bringing its lovestruck drama to Broadway. As reported by Variety, the first bestseller from the author also responsible for A Walk to Remember, Dear John, The Last Song and The Lucky One is being turned into a stage musical. Expect singing in the rain, obviously, as well as crooned declarations of love in a rowboat. Expect a song-filled account of an heiress falling in love with a poor quarry worker, too. Producers Kevin McCollum and Kurt Deutsch — plus Sparks himself — are behind The Notebook's jump from tear-soaked pages to weep-inducing celluloid to a stage version that should probably just hand out tissues with every ticket. McCollum has earned Tony awards for In the Heights, Avenue Q and Rent, while Deutsch is the founder of both Sh-K-Boom and Ghostlight records, which both have a theatre and cast-recording focus. While a production timeline hasn't been announced (so don't go booking your New York flights just yet), the script and songs are being handled by Bekah Brunstetter and Ingrid Michaelson respectively. The former a writer and producer on TV show This Is Us, and the latter is best known for singles 'The Way I Am' and 'Girls Chase Boys'. It's way too early to talk about casting, but if Gosling can sing in La La Land, then you can start dreaming that he belt out a tune again. Of course, it's almost 100-percent guaranteed that that fantasy won't go any further than your head. If you've been keeping track, The Notebook's musical adaptation taps into a trend that just keeps growing, aka singing-and-dancing versions of beloved movies. In recent years, everything from Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Bring It On, Mean Girls and Clueless has made the leap to the stage, plus The Bodyguard, Amelie, Waitress, Muriel's Wedding and Moulin Rouge!. A stage version of The Devil Wears Prada is also in the works, as well as Empire Records, Mrs Doubtfire and Aussie classic Starstruck. Via Variety.
The Tinder trawl just got a little more rom-com; brand new dating app Happn aims to take your missed Meet Cutes and turn them into potential dates. Using the GPS function on your phone, Happn encourages you to "find the people you've crossed paths with" in an attempt at fast-tracked 'romance'. If you've ever wondered if the babe in the cereal aisle was giving you the eyeball, now you can check without risking an ego-shattering diss. Invented by three Frenchmen (growth hacker Fabien Cohen, entrepeneur Didier Rappaport and computer engineer Antony Cohen), Happn is generating serious buzz in Europe with its cut-to-the-chase hook up philosophy. While Tinder's flick left or right mechanism is undoubtedly based on looks, lack of Southern Cross tattoos and inclusion of Distracting Hot Friends in profile pics, Tinder also brings up shared interests (if you both like Game of Thrones on Facebook, it'll show up so there's something to talk about rather than "Sup, wanna bang?"). Happn leaves this behind in favour of distance to dates. If you're within 250 metres of each other, Happn uses your phone's GPS to flag your potential romance-o-meter. Of course, your mystery spunk has to have Happn installed on their phone too (so you might be waiting a while to hear from your eyelash-battering stranger if they ain't connected). The timeline shows you the profiles of all the people you’ve crossed paths with, in real-time. Every time you come across someone in real life, their profile appears on your app. Passing someone in the supermarket aisle just got a little more loaded. Happn's sole philosophy is based around celebrating coincedence, "boosting luck" and saving you from "missed connections." But although it sounds simultaneously romantic and an easy carnal escapade, the whole GPS situation is creeping some of us out. Importantly, your position on Happn isn't saved and remains completely invisible to other members — the coordinates of where you passed another Happn user is the only thing registered; the bus stop where That Guy hopped on, the record store where you noticed Her in the hip hop section, the park where your terrier 'accidentally' found itself off leash and headed toward a swoonworthy husky owner. But what of unwanted attention from creepos using technology to be predatory, like many, many creepos tend to do? "The app is designed to guarantee the safety of all users and the confidentiality of their data," say the Happn team. "You can decide at any given time that a profile doesn’t interest you anymore; you’ll never cross paths with each other on Happn again, and they’ll never know. Also, you can report any unwanted behaviour or block a profile by clicking on the little flag at the bottom of every profile." Avoid the creeps, follow up your Meet Cute and let us know where the reception's at. You can download Happn in the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Via Guardian.
The restaurant world is facing a bit of lockdown-induced chaos, but that sure hasn't stopped the 2020 truffle season. It has arrived with as big a bang as ever, inspiring a whole host of new, limited-edition dishes heroing this hot-ticket fungi. All across town, you can expect to find cheesy, truffle-infused toasties, handmade pasta dishes adorned with fresh truffle shavings and plenty of other indulgent truffle creations. We've helped narrow down the selection with a round-up of five truffle dishes you can sink your teeth into in Melbourne right now. Let the fun-gi begin. Under current COVID–19 restrictions in Victoria, residents of metro Melbourne and Mitchell Shire can only leave home for one of four reasons, which include getting food or other essentials. The Department of Health and Human Services has said that you must visit your closest cafe or bottle-o — no trekking across the city for a certain cup of joe — so if one of the below eateries is not in your immediate vicinity, check its delivery options. [caption id="attachment_774411" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kristoffer Paulsen[/caption] TRUFFLE TOASTIE, MAKER & MONGER Just like truffles and cheese are a match made in food heaven, so to are Prahran Market vendors Maker & Monger and Damian Pike the Mushroom Man. The pair has joined forces to create a limited-edition truffle toastie that takes the concept of hot cheese sandwich to dazzling new heights. Clocking in at $9.50 a pop, this little beauty heroes freshly shaved truffles from Manjimup in Western Australia, which are considered some of the best in the biz. These shavings of black gold are teamed with perfectly toasted Brasserie brioche, porcini mushrooms and a decadent ooze of Marcel Petite comté bechamel. Pick one up from Maker & Monger if you can — or order a range of other toasties for delivery within ten kilometres of Prahran Market. AGNOLOTTI DEL PLIN, TIPICO Over in Windsor, Italian restaurant Tipico has earned a solid reputation for its dreamy house-made pasta dishes. But for truffle fiends, there's one true star of the show and that's the signature agnolotti del plin. This menu staple features plump agnolotti pasta filled with a blend of creamy buffalo ricotta and Western Australian truffle. It's then finished with thyme and porcini mushrooms, coming in at $32 a serve, and is now available for takeaway and delivery. As an added bonus, you can get your fix all year round — the kitchen freezes a portion of its truffle haul each season to ensure this popular dish gets a run all 12 months of the year. Want to level-up your own chef game? Right now, Tipico's online store is also slinging 200-gram jars of house-made truffle butter for $15. SPINACH AND TRUFFLE ARANCINI, MISTER BIANCO Kew's Mister Bianco might have had to put its new truffle-focused cooking classes on hold, but the southern Italian restaurant is still dishing out some truffle goodness to see you through winter. It's celebrating the ingredient with a new menu addition — cheesy arancini stuffed with spinach and Buxton black truffles ($4 each). These Sicilian-style treats are available hot and ready to eat, courtesy of Mister Bianco's takeaway offering (Tuesday to Saturday). Or, you can grab a serve to heat and devour at home — either swing past and pick up from the restaurant, or order via The Italian Job delivery service to have them dropped to your door. TRUFFLE & CHEESE TOASTIE, RIPE CHEESE AT QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET For a truffle toastie that doesn't hold anything back, a visit to Ripe Cheese in the Queen Victoria Market's Dairy Hall is sure to impress. The specialty cheese store's three-cheese toastie has a cult following year-round, but now with truffle season in full swing, it's passed the spotlight on to an even more decadent sandwich sibling. The Truffle & Cheese Toastie stars buttered sourdough loaded with an oozy gruyère and fromage fondant from the folks at L'Artisan Cheese, alongside truffle-infused mascarpone and around ten grams of freshly shaved Victorian black truffle. Then, you'll find another five grams of truffle shavings piled right on top of this beauty after toasting. The$25 snack is available Friday through Sunday, though there's only 30 up for grabs each week. Nab yours by pre-ordering here. [caption id="attachment_776413" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pete Dillon[/caption] JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE SOUP WITH TRUFFLE CREAM, ESTELLE At his Northcote wine bar and restaurant Estelle, chef Scott Pickett is championing this season's black fungi in not one, but two tasty truffle creations. Alongside a cracking truffle toastie ($15), the kitchen's whipping up a rich jerusalem artichoke soup to warm your cockles ($18). It's elevated with pieces of saltbush, a sprinkling of Jerusalem artichoke crisps and a lush dollop of black truffle cream designed to melt through the dish and take things to a whole new level. Both limited-edition items are now available delivered to your door, ready to heat, via new meal delivery platform Providoor. Top image: Maker & Monger by Kristoffer Paulsen
Before anywhere else in Australia, Melbourne became home to a major annual celebration of movies. That was more than seven decades ago, when the Melbourne International Film Festival first kicked off — and the event is still going strong. Back in 1991, the Victorian capital made flick-watching history again, this time in the queer cinema space. Now, Melbourne Queer Film Festival is the nation's oldest such fest, and it too keeps delighting audiences. A documentary about Jackie Shane, a portrait of a Drag Race star, Elliot Page's first leading role as a trans man, the Village People: they're all on the 42-feature, 90-short program when MQFF returns for 2024 from Thursday, November 14–Sunday, November 24 at ACMI, The Capitol, Palace Cinema Como and Cinema Nova. Also a highlight in the event's 34th year: the festival's dedicated hangout space making a comeback. The theme for this year is "formative sound and vision". If you now have a certain David Bowie song stuck in your head, that's understandable — and Darryl W Bullock, who wrote David Bowie Made Me Gay: 100 Years of LGBT Music, is the fest's keynote speaker. He'll be chatting at the event's one-day free symposium dedicated to music videos, which will dive into the role that such clips have played in helping members of the LGBTQIA+ community form their identities. Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story is MQFF's opening-night pick, telling its namesake's tale from her 50s Nashville success through to disappearing from the public for four decades. In the middle of the fest, the dialogue-free Gondola, which is about female cable-car conductors expressing their emotions in the sky, gets the centrepiece slot. Then, when it all comes to an end for 2024, the festival will close with Duino, a semi-autobiographical effort about an Argentinian filmmaker working on a movie about his first love. Rex Wheeler, aka Drag Race's Lady Camden, pops up in-between via Lady Like. As for the band that ensured no one can say YMCA without singing, they're featured thanks to a retrospective screening of Can't Stop the Music — and if you want to dress up to attend the screening, that's up to you. With 2024 marking seven years since Page (The Umbrella Academy) last appeared on the big screen Down Under, Close to You brings that absence from local cinemas to an end. The film boasts the actor's first male movie role, as a trans man heading home to his family for the first time since transitioning. Attendees can also look forward to Evan Rachel Wood (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story) as a cheerleading coach in Backspot, with Devery Jacobs (Echo) as the squad's newcomer; Strange Creatures, which heads on a road trip to Narrabri with fighting siblings; Baby, about the connection between a São Paolo sex worker and an 18-year-old man just out of juvenile detention; and Hong Kong's All Shall Be Well, the recipient of this year's Berlinale Teddy Award and Frameline Audience Award for Narrative. Or, there's also The Visitor from Bruce La Bruce (Saint-Narcisse), which pays tribute to Pier Paolo Pasolini's Teorema — and docu-musical Reas, where former prisoners play both themselves and their jailers. Glue's former lead singer gets the spotlight in The Life of Sean DeLear, while Linda Perry does the same in Let It Die Here (complete with Brandi Carlile, Christina Aguilera, Dolly Parton and Sara Gilbert as interviewees). And courtesy of Life Is Not a Competition, But I'm Winning, get ready for a cine-essay about gender and bodies in sport. "We're taking over Melbourne with a dazzling lineup of films for the 2024 MQFF program. We've gathered the most-extraordinary new and historical LGBTQIA+ stories from around the globe that shape, form, pay homage to and celebrate queer music culture," said MQFF CEO David Martin Harris, announcing the lineup. "Plus, by popular demand, we're delighted to bring back the MQFF Festival Lounge at ACMI for the entire season. This will be a vibrant space for LGBTQIA+ community connection, featuring fascinating public programs, DJs, karaoke and delicious food in a mirror ball-lit setting. In other words, pure queer joy!" The 2024 Melbourne Queer Film Festival runs from Thursday, November 14–Sunday, November 24 at venues around Melbourne. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the festival website.
Dispelling the old thought that art and science cannot mix, The Creators Project showcases the talent of those who have simultaneously mastered both fields. The Creators Project is a product of a partnership between Intel and Vice, and has been held in various locations throughout the United States, as well as in the UK, France, China, South Korea, and Brazil. Held in San Francisco, California last weekend, the event featured both established and new artists who use technology to create their art. “The countries we travel to in our global event series are all comprised of innovative communities at the forefront of the marriage of art and technology," said David Haroldsen, Intel's Creative Director for the project. “Many of our creators are based out of these countries which has in turn helped us further expand, enabling us to form relationships with more and more forthcoming artists in the art and tech communities.” According to Haroldsen, the goal of the The Creators Project is to find the world's most innovative tech artists and provide them with the resources necessary to give their work exposure. Hosi Simon, GM of Vice, said: "We discuss the artists’ dreams and ambitions in great detail, and find ways of how The Creators Project can help them reach their goals. We want to create long-term partnerships and collaborations." The event featured an incredible range of unique pieces. One installation piece titled 'Six Forty by Four Eighty', by Zigelbaum + Coelho2, allowed event goers to interact with giant pixels. The pixels could be controlled via remote, or cloned by holding a hand over a particular pixel and then tapping another. 'The Treachery of Sanctuary' by Chris Milk similarly allowed for interaction by using Kinect sensors to transform participating people into birds on the projection screen. Other works included a giant, LED-lit cube which featured a light show, a giant wall of Instagram photos shared by attendees, and more. [via Mashable]
It's happening again: every now and then, Jetstar gives travellers a mighty fine reason to head to Japan (if the country's long list of existing drawcards, including its food scene, teamLab's digital art gallery and Studio Ghibli's very own theme park, to name a mere few, aren't enough already). When the Australian airline drops discounted fares to Tokyo and Osaka, they get snapped up quickly, too. If a getaway to either city is exactly what you need before 2025 is out, then, take note. The Australian airline usually has a sale of some description on offer at any given time; however, this one is only about discounted fares to Japan. This isn't among the carrier's return-for-free sales, but prices start at $249 one-way, still nabbing you a considerable bargain. Whichever of Tokyo and Osaka that you decide to fly into, Jetstar's new special will take you there while being nicer to your bank balance. The sale kicks off at 12pm AEST on Monday, May 19, 2025 for Club Jetstar members and at 12am on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 otherwise. Then, you've got until 11.59pm AEDT on Friday, May 23, 2025 to book, unless the discounted flights are sold out earlier. This round of bargain fares covers direct flights from Cairns, Brisbane and Sydney, plus connecting flights out of Melbourne (Tullamarine) and Adelaide. The cheapest price will get you from Cairns to Osaka, while Cairns to Tokyo costs $279. Brisbane fares start at $309 to Osaka and $429 to Tokyo, while Sydney's are $339 and $394 to the same cities. Melbourne's prices are $377 and $407, and you'll pay $394 and $424 from Adelaide. While travel dates vary, early October through to mid-December 2025 is among them. The normal Jetstar caveat applies, of course, as well as the standard advice to pack light: as is usually the case with airline, checked baggage is not included. Jetstar's Japan sale kicks off at 12pm AEST on Monday, May 19, 2025 for Club Jetstar members and at 12am on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 otherwise, running until 11.59pm AEDT on Friday, May 23, 2025 — unless it's sold out earlier. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
The unthinkable happens. Disaster hits, society collapses and the bulk of the world's population becomes shuffling, brain-munching members of the undead. Yes, a zombie apocalypse is in full swing — but how long does it last? In The Walking Dead's case, the answer is 11 seasons. Ten have already aired since 2010, and the show's final go-around will arrive in 2021. Whether you're well acquainted with its dystopian world, or you've somehow missed this TV horror classic, that means there's already 146 episodes to sink your teeth into. The story, as adapted from the comic book series of the same name, will sound familiar. But you don't squeeze over a decade's worth of life out of the concept without delivering some drastic twists and turns — and plenty of gore, too. The premise: awakening from a coma, sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) learns that the zombie-free life he previously knew has well and truly disappeared. His first aim is to find his wife and son, but that's not the most straightforward feat when you're surrounded by walkers.
