Next Wave Director, Emily Sexton, once described this artist's work as having an "eloquent politics", and this latest offering is no exception. From March 1 - 11, Phuong Ngo will be living in plain sight at No Vacancy Gallery with the same rations his parents had on their 10-day boat journey to Australia in 1981. In an act with obvious but important political implications, Ngo invites audience members to sit with him during the work and fold origami boats out of bank notes while listening to narrative recordings of other Vietnamese refugees. On the final night these boats will be burned in a huge, ritualistic fire. This event originally appeared as one of our top picks for the 2014 Next Wave Festival. See the full list here.
Few festivals in Australia have the energy and dynamism of Next Wave. Even though its just hit 30 years of age, the festival is still bouncing around in fluoro lycra, staying out in galleries all night, finding the best emerging artists from home and abroad. This year Next Wave boasts a lineup of 239 artists over a month-long program in locations all across the city. And, with a real life fight club and a yoga dance party, the work on show is unlikely to disappoint. Themed 'New Grand Narrative', festival director Emily Sexton defines this year's offering as "a rallying call". "Many institutions that operated throughout the 20th century are cracking," she says. "These institutions have deep, deep flaws, and in this time of transition – to what, we don’t know – we offer this festival and these artists, as a series of potent visions for a new world, and the relationships within it." Accordingly, much of the work on show is concerned with outsider stories. From the festival's keynote initiative Blak Wave to a puberty-themed games arcade made by transgender artist Jackson Fydim Stacy — Next Wave tackles the big issues with thoughtful detail and a little bit of a cheeky grin. For more information, check our top picks of the festival or see the Next Wave website.
"What really matters is what you like, not what you are like. Books, records, films — these things matter." - Rob Gordon, High Fidelity. Every muso at one point in their life has wanted to be Rob Gordon from High Fidelity. Not so much for the heartbreak and thirtysomething life crisis, but more for the fact that his job required him to chill with Jack Black and let good music like The Beta Band sell itself. The record store is a place of refuge for creative types like us and now, once a year, we congregate to worship at its dusty vinyl feet. Record Store Day Australia will be happening this Saturday, April 19. For those not yet acquainted with this most auspicious occasion, it brings with it specials on stock, free live music and general good times. TITLE on Gertrude Street, Fitzroy will be hosting three bands from 3.30pm; Polyester Records on Brunswick Street will feature guest DJs in store as well as taking a special event to the Evelyn Rooftop at 2pm; and Readings St Kilda will be blessed with a special performance from Record Store Day ambassador Dan Sultan. Aside from all that, the best way to experience the magic will be to visit your local record store. Even if there aren't any big events going on, it's important to take time to appreciate the fact such a great creative oasis still exists at all. For a full lineup of gigs around Melbourne check the Record Store Day website.
If her previous work is anything to go by, then Polly Borland’s Wonky should be a pretty outrageous exhibition. For an artist not many Melbournians would be familiar with, Borland has smashed the international stage with her portraits of famous faces such as Cate Blanchett, Nick Cave, Germaine Greer and Queen Liz II, not to mention that series where she photographed a bunch of dudes dressed as babies. Born in Melbourne but living overseas, the undeniably eccentric Borland often focuses on the psychology of her subjects and the artificiality of the world that exists around them. She’s a big fan of kitsch and it’s an aesthetic that continues to pop up in her work. In this exhibition at the Centre for Contemporary Photography, Borland explores different modes and mediums of her practice. She even combines her documentary photography styles with objects found from closed mental health institutions across Victoria. If we’re lucky Nick Cave will be hidden somewhere amongst the rubble... in a blue wig.
Hiatus Kaiyote will be taking up residency at Howler on Wednesday evenings for all of May. The contemporary soul outfit will be performing songs from their highly-acclaimed record Tawk Tomahawk, which is sure to enthral audiences with their unique genre blending sound. Lead singer Nai Palm's soulful vocals perfectly accompany rather than outshine her fellow band members Perrin Moss on drums, Paul Bender on bass and Simon Mavin on keys, and to witness these four come together live is something of wonder. With a Grammy nod last year for their song 'Nakamarra' featuring Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest, and accolades from modern soul royalty such as Erykah Badu and The Roots' Questlove, who are we to argue? Be sure to check out the support acts too. Not only is the lineup totally worthwhile in itself — Kirkis, Sex on Toast, Ainslie Wills and Low Leaf — but thanks to new initiative Support the Supports, you'll score some free wine if you get along early. Read more here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ozr4KsZBTvQ
What family dynamic holds greater prospect for drama than the one between a boy and his mother? From Norman Bates to Only God Forgives to Alex Winter's stepmum in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, movies are full of memorable mother/son pairings, not all of which have been entirely healthy. It's enough to make you think Freud might have been on to something. The latest picture to plumb the depths of maternal relations is Calin Peter Netzer's Child Pose out of Romania. Actress Luminita Gheorghiu gives a towering performance as Cornelia, a wealthy, overbearing mother who attempts to subvert justice after her negligent adult son Barbu (Bogdan Dumitrache) runs over a 14-year-old boy. As Cornelia bribes and bullies her way through the country's corrupt legal system, oblivious — or indifferent — to the pain that she leaves in her wake, viewers are offered a cynical portrayal of wealth and class in post-Stalinist Romania. Clad in expensive furs, Cornelia cuts an imposing figure, particularly in comparison to the impoverished family of the deceased teen and the overworked rural police force assigned to investigate the case. In both theme and style, Child's Pose is very much in keep with the emerging Romanian New Wave — currently all the rage amongst highfalutin film fans. Netzer adopts a minimalist approach to the drama that's acidified by bitter black humour. Handheld camerawork enhances the sense of realism, along with our feelings of outrage and discomfort. The truth is, it's an extremely unpleasant experience being trapped in the same room with Cornelia. Plenty of films manage to succeed in spite of their unpleasant protagonists, but Child's Pose isn't one of them. You can understand and to an extent even sympathise with Cornelia's actions, all of which are born out of a deep — if frequently controlling and occasionally downright creepy — love for her son. But that doesn't change the reality of her behaviour, which is appalling by any reasonable standard. The pacing, meanwhile, is unyieldingly slow, while also missing that sense of creeping escalation that makes the better films of the Romanian art house moment — Beyond the Hills, the unreleased Everybody in Our Family or the masterful Four Months, Three Weeks, Two Days — so dreadfully effective. Ultimately, Child's Pose has some insightful observations, but lacks the compelling quality of its contemporaries. https://youtube.com/watch?v=wQUh3hoGSfI
Fans of smoked meats, solid harmonica solos and all things Americana will love this; Melbourne just landed its very own specialised twang-fuelled shindig. Dubbed 'a celebration of Americana music, great food and fine booze' at Seaworks, Williamstown, brand new event Out On the Weekend promises to be one laidback folky affair by the water. A shiny new project developed from Love Police founder Brian 'BT' Taranto's fond country music memories and unfaltering love for Neil Young, the all-day, family-friendly October event hinges around a penchant for the dark desert highways of the US. "Ever since my first concert at the Wandong Country Music Festival in the mid '70s, I have had a fascination with the country sounds, the roots of it all, let's just call it Americana music," says BT. "I've lately wondered at staging an event that celebrates these sounds. One that offers great food with alcoholic drops of liquid gold at a cool space. Not a huge festival, just somewhere to get into it for a day with friends and likeminded folks." Just a few months ago, BT found a space for the event on the Williamstown shore and named the whole thing after his number one guy, Neil Young (quietly nicking his Harvest cover for the event logo). "Hey, I'm a giant Neil Young fan, and I reckon the one thing that will connect everyone at this event will be that they have all heard Harvest in it's entirety, and probably own that 1972 classic from which we take the name of track one." A hearty combination of music, food and top notch booze, Out On the Weekend fronts up a solid lineup of country, folk and roots (all undeniably tainted b a love for 'Muuurica. Right at the top sits acclaimed American singer/songwriter Justin Townes Earle (son of the legendary Steve Earle), who's just announced his brand new album White Gardenias set for release in September. Melbourne's own Henry Wagons and Friends are a natural addition to the Americana-inspired lineup, with Wagons having spent the majority of his time of late touring across the desert-dwelling watering holes of the States. Californian-based Texan Ryan Bingham, Bon Iver-meets-Jackson Browne singer Robert Ellis, smoky-voiced alt-country Canadian Lindi Ortega, Wanda Jackson-like wunderkind Nikki Lane, dreamy, gravelly duo The Delines, formerly-known-as-Johnny-Corndawg funster Johnny Fritz, Sydney folk darling Emma Swift, SA-raised multi-instrumentalist Chris Altmann, Melbourne alt-country foursome Raised By Eagles and raucous six-piece bluegrass band The Morrisons are also set to take things porchside on the day. But we promised food. With Melbourne's love for American cuisine in no danger of faltering any time soon, OOTW's nom lineup is quite the star-spangled menu. Sydney's leading renegade chefs Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz of Porteño/Bodega fame will be setting up a pop-up version of their acclaimed establishment, serving up all the smoked meats and potato salads you can fit in y'gob. Melburnians won't be outdone by a sizzling Sydneysider though, with street food legends Beatbox Kitchen, Taco Truck and All Day Donuts driving on in to satisfy every last taste bud. Further nosh and bevvy announcements are yet to come for OOTW, stay tuned for more lip-smacking, exclamation point-inducing news. Out On the Weekend will take place Saturday, October 18 at Seaworks, Williamstown from 11:30am — 10:30pm. Free entry for kids under 12 years old. Very limited Cripple Creek Ferry Packages available for $199 (inc. all fees) including return ferry transfer from Dockland to the event with live entertainment aboard, entry to Out on the Weekend, 2 x meal vouchers (for main dishes), 4 x beverage vouchers, limited edition 'Cripple Creek Ferry Package' screen printed poster (distributed to you on the return ferry ride after the event). https://youtube.com/watch?v=UCElUItrLZc
It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world. Luckily Alirio Zavarce is here to guide us through it. Co-founder of the South Australian theatre company The Border Project, the Venezuelan-born performer hits Melbourne on July 17, and he's bringing his award-winning one-man show with him. A hit at last years' Adelaide Fringe Festival where it scored a nod for Best Theatre Production, The Book of Loco charts lunacy in all its forms, from the madness of war to that crazy little thing called love. Mixing wry observations with deeply personal anecdotes, the show sounds like it'll either be brilliant or insane. Or maybe, with a bit of luck, both. Also, did we mention that the set is made entirely of cardboard boxes? Well, it is. About 2000 of them in fact. So yeah…there's that.
It’s interesting what happens when you throw a whole bunch of disconnected ideas into a skip and see what comes out. Let’s say you had an idea for a story about an isolated girl learning to connect with a family she’s never met before. Or you have an idea about what it’s like for a group of kids to survive in the country when nuclear war hits the capital. Or you have a forbidden love idea about cousins falling for one another. Or you want to write about a sullen teen with psychic abilities. Rather than writing four different books, why not just put them all in the same book and hope for the best? On the outside, How I Live Now looks like a mess. Part Tomorrow When the War Began, part The Shining, part 28 Days Later, it’s a hodgepodge of concepts that don't completely gel. So it’s weird that the film is actually quite good. Part of the reason it works is that it’s compellingly all over the shop. You genuinely don’t know where it’s going to go next, and that sort of haphazardness keeps your attention. Even when some of the storylines — hell, most of the storylines — remain unsatisfactorily unresolved, it still makes for a tale that’s far more than the sum of its parts. It’s directed by Kevin Macdonald, best known for 2007’s The Last King of Scotland, and he establishes an unsettling and powerful mood throughout. Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones, Hanna, The Host) is good as ever, creating a thoroughly unsympathetic moody teen and then making us sympathise with her. Young actors Tom Holland, George MacKay and Danny McEvoy acquit themselves very well, especially the exceedingly young Harley Bird (known to a very specific portion of the world as the BAFTA award-winning voice of Peppa Pig), who has to play an enormous range of emotions in increasingly difficult circumstances. The consequences of war — the violence, the sex, what happens when the rule of law collapses — are presented in an extraordinarily unvarnished manner. It’s almost difficult to believe this is based on a Young Adult book; it’s so intense at times that, were the protagonists all adults, this would surely be considered unsuitable for anyone under the age of 18. But make your characters teens, and it’s suddenly relatable. That’s the theory, at least. In practice, audiences will likely be divided. It will be an unsatisfying experience for those who require an explanation for some of the more outlandish setups this film gives us, but for others, the story’s uniqueness will overcome these issues. Its untainted look at the realities of war, and the suspense this creates, will make this a firm and enduring favourite.
Any self-respecting Melbournite knows the Docklands are a wasteland. It's always cold and windy, the bare concrete buildings act as a complex maze to which you can rarely escape, and the only people around tend to be depressed-looking businesspeople or gaudy drunks stumbling out of Crown. The Melbourne Star stands as watchman; a symbol of failure that hangs over the entire godforsaken place. This is the general impression at least. The City of Melbourne's newest art installation 5 Short Blasts is intent on changing minds. Asking audiences to "experience Melbourne as a waterfront city," 5 Short Blasts is an audio art installation enacted with the help of marine radios in electric floatillas that travel up the Yarra river from Collins Landing and Water Plaza, around the industrial shipping docks, under the Bolte Bridge, and back into the familiar Docklands. With five boats taking off at any one time, audiences embark on an intimate "choreographed listening journey" that incorporates the ethereal sound art of Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey as well as snippets of interviews conducted with people who have connections to the water you float on. From after-school rowing, to dock workers, to parables of seeking asylum; as you traverse this strange new space histories unfold in front of you. There is a calm upon the water that adds an importance to their words, and their stories become intensely relatable as you occupy a part of their world. For a steadfast land dweller like myself, the experience had a magical quality to it. Traversing this new world has an element of adventure, and in such an intimate setting (there's a maximum of five people per boat) that hour you spend on the boat feels intensely meditative. As for so many, the water becomes a zone of quiet contemplation. The river connects us to people, places and their histories. You finally understand what Tim Winton was getting at in Cloudstreet all those years ago. However, I could imagine finding the work quite condescending for someone who was already well-acquainted with the water. There's nothing exceptionally grabbing about many of the stories that are told, and if you're familiar with the Yarra itself the experience could come off as quite indulgent. Whenever my boat passed a set of construction or dock workers I became a little self-conscious. How strange we must look, floating by with these faces full of intrigue — a naive fascination with this ordinary aspect of our own city. Regardless, I enjoyed the adventure. With journeys commencing from 6am, the work does tend to cast a salty glow on the rest of your day. Everything becomes a little rose-tinted as you start to view the city as an assemblage of stories, and the title itself conveys this welcome sense of mystery. As they tell you upon boarding, "in maritime operations, communicating via a signal of five short blasts means 'I am unsure of your intentions — I am concerned we are going to collide.'" An ominous premise perhaps, but one with thought-provoking connotations nonetheless.
Starting at the end of November and stretching into 2014, the legendary tales of Sleeping Beauty and Spartacus will light up the nation’s silver screens. But these aren’t the classic films we’re talking about, but rather the latest productions from Moscow's celebrated Bolshoi Ballet, broadcast into cinemas around Australia (and the world). The 2013-14 cinema program includes five ballets, each of which will screen twice in select theatres around the country. The first, in late November, will be of Aram Khachaturian’s Spartacus, generally considered to be among the greatest works in the Bolshoi’s repertoire. December will see encore screenings of the company’s acclaimed 2012 performance of Marius Petipa’s Sleeping Beauty. This will allow the season to grand jeté into the new year with a trio of more recent works, beginning with Jewels in February, followed by Lost Illusions in March and concluding with The Golden Age in May. For a full list of participating cinemas, click here.
Paradise is looking likely to live up to it's name, with their new-kid-on-the-block coolness and stellar all-Australian line up. The aim of the festival is to take Melbourne’s thriving music scene and plant it in the scenic alpine location of Lake Mountain in Marysville. The BYO event will be hosted over two stages – one for principal acts, the other for electronic acts. It will feature 45 performers and six visual artists who have been brought along to make the experience both visually and aurally delightful. The bill includes a lot of emerging talent such as Glass Towers, Client Liaison, Elisabeth Rose, Naysayer and Gilsun, Millions and plenty of other outrageously talented folk. Start the first weekend of Summer on a high note and hit the road for a musical adventure.
The performance of Wagner’s Ring Cycle by Opera Australia is shaping up to be one of the most hotly anticipated events of Melbourne 2013 cultural calendar, inspiring a full-blown festival complete with art exhibits, lectures and even a boxing match. Not to be outdone, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image will present its own Wagnerian program consisting of two vastly different documentaries as well as a talk on the influence the composer has had on the movies. Lessons of Darkness, from director Werner Herzog, is a surreal 50 minute meditation on the first Gulf War that combines awe-inspiring images of Kuwait’s burning oil fields with Wagner’s evocative music. On the lighter side of things is Patrick McGrady’s Wagner & Me, wherein British comedian Stephen Fry chronicles the composer’s life, works and legacy. The third event on the program is a presentation by Dr. David Kram, musical director of the Melbourne Chamber Choir. An expert on Wagner, Kram’s talk will highlight the use of Wagner’s music in films such as Lars von Trier’s Melancholia and Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now.
Julian Assange. You might have heard of him? That Lucius Malfoy-haired, Peter Garrett-choreographed, Ecuadorian Embassy-ensconced hacker who almost certainly kisses and tells. Yeah, you know him? Of course you do, because thanks to years of media coverage, Robert Connolly's impressive biopic Underground (2012), Alex Gibney's excellent documentary We Steal Secrets (2013) and, of course, Mr Assange himself, the Wikileaks/Assange saga (now largely synonymous) is one of the most well-known, well-told stories of the decade. Accordingly, if you're going to make a new movie about that story, it had better offer up something new. Unfortunately, The Fifth Estate does not. Directed by Bill Condon (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn), The Fifth Estate sources much of its material from the two books Assange is least likely to ever recommend during cake corner, namely: Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange and the World's Most Dangerous Website (2011), and WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy (2011). Both were written by men who were about as close to Assange as one could get in the lead up to, and during, his infamous publication of hundreds of thousands of classified US military and government documents, and both detail how their initial infatuation with this quasi-messianic figure for openness and transparency gave way to horror at his apparent total disregard for consequence. In short, powerful stuff but nothing even remotely revelatory this far into the Wikileaks narrative. If there is a reason to see The Fifth Estate, then, it is unquestionably Benedict Cumberbatch. Few who are not Australian have ever mastered the accent, yet Cumberbatch wields both it and Assange's specific cadence and timbre with aplomb. So impressive is the feat, in fact, that it actually works against the movie. Assange's slow, measured and largely monotone articulation robs even the most dramatic moments of energy, both in real life and in this film, so much so that were it not for the consistently explosive content of his conversations, one suspects he'd be an unbearably boring man to meet in person. Stylistically, The Fifth Estate does what it can to make coding, reading and emailing something of a spectator sport; however, the only real drama occurs when the key figures engage in actual person-to-person (cf peer-to-peer) exchanges — most notably, the debates between Assange and his right-hand man, Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Brühl), who wrote Inside Wikileaks, over what to release, and when. Everything else feels largely pedestrian, and — remarkably — the contentious allegations of sexual misconduct for which Assange has been indicted by Sweden appear only as a footnote in the credits. Ultimately, The Fifth Estate is an example of the whole being somehow lesser than its parts; a film easily outperformed by its performers and the real life players who inspired it. https://youtube.com/watch?v=YQOiS_l_0Jk
Due to popular demand, Architecture In Helsinki are performing a second show at The Corner Hotel this December. AIH will be releasing their fifth album early next year, which includes their latest gem 'In the Future'. This is your chance to get a sneak peak at their new material, and we can assure you that they are nothing short of an absolute pleasure to see perform live. With their vibrant clothes, highly danceable tunes, and playful stage presence we can’t think of a better band to see on the first day of summer. Guest of the evening is the ever delightful Oscar Key Sung, making this an event of homegrown Melbourne heroes. AIH is pure pop perfection and their high-energy set is sure to have you flailing your limbs in uncontrollable excitement.
It's fifteen years since Elefant Traks started putting their weight behind independent Australian hip hop. In that time, the label has released scores of albums, organised a smorgasbord of gigs and taken home the Best Independent Label at the Independent Music Awards 2012. In October, Jimblah put out his first Elefant Traks album, Phoenix, to critical acclaim; Hermitude played New York City's CMJ Music Marathon; and both Urthboy and Horrorshow were nominated for ARIAs. To celebrate their 15th birthday, Elefant Traks will be hosting two massive, two-night parties in Sydney and Melbourne this month, featuring a selection of their favourite artists, including Horrorshow, Hermitude, The Herd, Jimblah and Sietta. In both cities, the second evening will be held in limited capacity venues (Melbourne's Northcote Social Club on 23 November and Sydney's Red Rattler on 30 November), so two-night tickets have already sold out. However, they're still on sale for the Corner Hotel (22 November) and the Metro (29 November).
Deerhunter's Australian tour caps off a stellar year for the Atlanta five-piece — one that's seen the release of their sixth album, Monomania, as well as a stint curating the final All Tomorrow's Parties festival in the UK. Their gig at Melbourne's Hi-Fi Bar is a sideshow from their appearance at the Meredith Music Festival, where they'll be headlining alongside Chic and the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Fronted by lead singer Bradfod Cox — a man whose prolific catalogue of solo projects such as Atlas Sound have made him distinctive in his own right — Deerhunter's live shows are charged with a great kind of unstable energy that make this rare Australian show unmissable.
It's wise to approach modern French comedies with a sense of caution. Given legendary director Francis Veber (The Dinner Game, The Valet) sadly doesn't appear to be working on anything new, the majority of recent French comedic releases in Australia have been the likes of last year's interminable Le Chef, misfire Paris-Manhattan and the recent laugh-free Fly Me to the Moon. It's with utmost trepidation that I approach anything with the words 'comedy' and 'French' in the description. The Gilded Cage may not 'break' the curse as such, but it sure bends it. It follows a Portuguese family that has been living in France for the past 30 years, dreaming of one day returning to their home. The patriarch, José (Joaquim de Almeida) is a respected foreman for a construction company, and the matriarch Maria (Rita Blanco) is the concierge for a building of upper-class toffs. Both José and Maria have a reputation for being the most accommodating people, so willing to help others out that their friends and children suggest they are being taken advantage of. When José’s estranged brother dies, the family is given a will promising them a large property in Portugal, along with a healthy income from the deceased brother’s business. It’s too good to be true, but before they can make plans, the word gets out. Everyone discovers the nicest family in Paris is about to leave and embarks on a ridiculous series of lies and manipulations to keep them in their lives. Most of the gags aren’t necessarily laugh-out-loud, but it's at least amusing even when it’s not being hilarious. It’s not the most inspiring of distinctions, but given the recent state of French comedies, “amusing” is more than welcome. It’s interesting watching it with an Australian audience, because many of the jokes hinge on the difference between the French and Portuguese languages, and although some of the jokes hit, others only really make sense if you actually speak at least one of the languages. And ending the film on a gag that requires an in-depth knowledge of celebrity Portuguese soccer players probably isn’t the best way to ensure international crossover appeal. On the other hand, Dodgeball was filled with Lance Armstrong jokes (now largely outdated), and no prizes for guessing which is the more popular sport across the globe. Still, for all the odd cultural references, the film is charming and feelgood and pretty funny. If you’ve been burned by bad French comedies in recent times, this should certainly help mend those wounds.
What is better than Lily Blacks, great drinks, summer and a gin garden? Well, we can’t think of much else. For five days in November, Lily Blacks are turning their home ground into a Sipsmith Gin Garden. There will be specialty gin cocktails, games of chess and faux grass — we’re hoping for the last one anyway. To kick off the celebrations, Sam Galsworthy, a true Sipsmith will be joining the shenanigans on Monday, November 18 to talk all things gin. Meet you at the bar.
There are not many 78 year olds that could gather a serious crowd these days. Then again, there are not too many people out there who can claim classic such as 'Suzanne', 'Hallelujah' and 'Famous Blue Raincoat' as their own. Since returning to the stage in 2008, audiences have been lining up to hear the veteran sing 'Hallelujah' among his other tunes. This year, Leonard Cohen and his nine-piece band will play a total of 10 Australian shows, including two winery events and a Rod Laver Arena performance in November. We have to applaud that. We’re looking forward to seeing a legend in action.
In Theatre Works' final outing for the year, indie darlings Little Ones take on Wendy Macleod’s 1996 The House of Yes under the direction of the company’s leader, Stephen Nicolazzo. On face value, Macleod’s twisted story is perfect fodder for the company: at Thanksgiving, a prodigal son returns to his family’s Washington home to introduce his fiancee to his mother, brother and sister, the latter whom harbours an obsession with the Kennedy family that is only dwarfed by her love for her returning twin. But on the stage, it falls flat. Besides the strong set and costume design from Eugyeene Teh, that elegantly frames the family’s claustrophobic world in a way that opens it up for the audience, Genevieve Giuffre and Benjamin Rigby turn in standout performances as Jackie O and Marty, the family’s twincestuous brother and sister. The pair's success in capturing the inevitability of their embrace is hugely affecting, even if it’s achieved almost in spite of the surrounding production. But the effect of the show’s uniformly heightened, "high camp" performance style is somehow curiously flattening. It does allow for some extremely funny comic moments, especially from Josh Price, whose portrayal of the family’s matriarch Mrs Pascal towers over the play like a louche Lurch. But much like the company’s Salome at the Malthouse in 2013 (particularly in the use of music-laden set pieces and transitions) operating at this kind of stylish remove punctures any incipient tension that threatens to board the stage, rather than emphasising by contrast the dark sickness at the heart of the play. Intuitively, this feels less like Nicolazzo’s direction diminishing the stakes rather than intractable issues with Macleod’s script; one that ripples with devastating, finely-observed one-liners but ultimately comes across like an insubstantial treatment of taboo. Adrift in the nexus between incest, insanity and attraction, it’s certainly interesting, but in ways that don’t actually matter. Photo: Sarah Walker.
Is it just us, or does Halloween seem to get bigger and better every year? If you managed to catch any of the Melbourne Zombie Shuffle and you’re feeling inspired to gore it up this Halloween, Work-Shop are running a fantastic DIY Monster Makeup class. The class will be run by Mary Gurry from Centerstage Costumes in Brunswick; a woman who knows how to make you look downright disgusting, as she’s been teaching her makeup tricks for over 20 years. You’ll have the opportunity to work with latex, crepe hair and derma wax to create anything from burns and bites to bullet wounds and black eyes. Gurry will give you a full rundown on when to use what, how to apply it and — equally as important — how to get it all off. It’s going to get messy, and part of the stage makeup will also be on your arms so come wearing something short-sleeved. If you want to recreate these gore-tastic looks for the Halloween party of your choosing, you can purchase a Zombie Makeup Kit for $25 on the night. BRAAAAAIIIIINS.
Who can get everyone in a crowd to take one piece of their clothing off and 'smash it in the air'? Hilltop Hoods can. It's a measure of the respect and adoration they've come to command in the local hip-hop scene (and, let's face it, the Australian music industry more generally). It's not for nothing — they have a persistent, infectious, unbridled energy that comes across in their epic live shows, and they're constantly giving to their fans. Nothing shows that more than the massive 21-date national tour they're setting off on right now. The Cosby Sweater Australian Tour comes off the back of their seventh studio album Walking Under Stars, the second instalment of an ambitious three-piece project that started with previous album Drinking from the Sun and will culminate next year with something big and as yet top secret. Will the reign of these undisputed kings of homegrown hip-hop never end? Expect heaps of new tracks alongside those old crowd favourites. Advice is, wear multiple pieces of clothing. https://youtube.com/watch?v=X6G2fzPTwOA
If the Melbourne theatre scene was your family, MKA would be a hip cousin who was dismissed as a kid for being a bit kooky — the kind who's always wearing black clothing and listening to Bowie. But cousin MKA is making a name for himself now as one of the most exciting young companies dedicated to new writing, and everyone’s pretty proud. This year they bring us their inaugural HYPRTXT festival that builds on an already celebrated and award-winning seasonal program. It promises to be an exciting event, offering audiences more than just the new works to be performed over the next few weeks. MKA will be running a debate series, the first MKA ART CLUB and a funky festival hub at The Tuxedo Cat. To kick it all off from June 2-14, Like A Fishbone by UK-based Aussie writer Anthony Weigh will be telling the story of a murdered child’s mother and the architect designing the memorial. The tensions between the highly emotional and the highly calculated are sure to overwhelm audiences as the two women battle to define how a nation remembers. Mark Wilson also returns to Melbourne from June 11-15 to present Unsex Me. After a controversial season travelling Australia (featuring both sell outs and walk outs), Wilson brings the show back to Melbourne for one last time. Celebrated as a fantastically dark comedy, Unsex Me dissects the story of Mark Wilson as she confronts the prospect of her next job: being directed by her father to play Lady Macbeth. A contemporary queer performance work not to be missed. On the Grace of Officials by Emilia Poyhonen (Finland) will then be running from June 14-28. Presented for National Refugee Week and including a benefit night for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, this show is a tale of the immigration process told through politically scathing theatrical satire. MKA describe it as "1984 meets Wes Anderson"; if that doesn't intrigue you, we don't know what will. Concurrently Thank You, Thank You Love, by MKA Creative Director Tobias Manderson-Galvin will be running at the festival hub. Performing alongside Miss Burlesque Victoria, Miss Becky Lou Church, Manderson-Galvin tells five tales of dying on stage. And who doesn’t like to see stage deaths? Probably best not to bring your six-year-old niece to this one. MKA will also be presenting The Defence by Chris Dunstan from June 14-28 — a show we raved about in its debut at Sydney Fringe. Following this successful season, The Defence returns to the stage to present its "sensational deconstruction of a misogynist". Funny, satirical, sinister and provocative, this is one show sure to get you thinking. Sugar Sugar by Yve Blake will also celebrate its world premiere at HYPRTXT from June 17-28. Visiting the depressingly confusing time following school when you’re not sure whether to grow up or get drunk, Sugar Sugar promises to cover all of the epic feels felt by 18 year olds worldwide. There’s plenty of exciting theatre to indulge in, so get out and support cousin MKA as they pave the way for new writing in Melbourne. Check out the full program of works and events at the MKA website. Photo credit: Sarah Walker.
One of the musical highlights of this year's Midsumma festival, Sweet Dreams is a one-man vehicle for the prodigious talents of Michael Griffiths — one of the stars of smash-hit Jersey Boys — that’s played to raptured audiences all over the world. The show, written and directed by Dean Bryant, reinterprets the work of Eurythmics songstress Annie Lennox into a modern-day cabaret performance with improvised dialogue. So much of the show is about Griffiths though, and in a testament to his abilities (and stamina!) the show is even double-billed with his own (In Vogue: Songs of Madonna). This show was one of our top picks for Midsumma 2014, see our full list here.
Easter weekend will from this moment on be known as Boogie Weekend due to the outrageously good times this festival provides. Musical acts to look forward to at Boogie 8 include Gary Clark Jr, Pond, The Frowning Clouds, Bad//Dreems, the Day Ravies to name a few. But the fun doesn’t end when the bands stop playing. The Boxwars is sure to be an event of total destruction worth watching, and shaking yo ass at the Hillbilly Clubhouse will be going off like a frog in a sock as per usual.
If Port Fairy Folkie is the festival to chill out to over the Labour Day Weekend, then Golden Plains is where you go for major party times. Golden Plains 8 is Meredith Music Festival’s little sister, so expect a similar no dickheads policy, pink flamingos, and excellent vibes radiating from every corner of the Supernatural Amphitheatre. The line up is once again the ultimate kaleidoscope of genres, with acts including You Am I, Public Enemy, Cut Copy, Flying Lotus and truckloads more. We’d raise a boot to that any day.
It's a little distressing just how good this band is, especially when the two brothers that make up Drenge look like they are only 12 years old. The first time I heard this record, I thought for sure that these were some grizzled old Manchester punks still hanging onto that glorious period of English post-punk in the late '70s and early '80s, still playing their Smiths and Wedding Present cassettes and raging against Margaret Thatcher. Maybe the bit about the cassettes is true, but as you can see, the Loveless brothers (Eoin and Rory) are anything but grizzled. They've been called "Sheffield's Black Keys" by some lazier critics, but rather than coming from a blues background, Drenge is a stripped-back, turned-up combination of all things metal and grunge, with elements of Black Sabbath and The Melvins everywhere — though mostly in the furious guitar overdrive on every track. Their debut album is all killer, and they are absolutely going to tear The Tote apart. If you're after a sweaty, thrashing headbang over summer, you couldn't ask for a better one than this. https://youtube.com/watch?v=8sqJIdcKsrs
Celebrate the new year in style with an absolute legend of hip hop. You might know Talib Kweli from the amazing album he made with Mos Def in the late '90s — Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star — but he has been making intelligent, insightful and lyrically rich music for almost two decades now. A born performer, Kweli comes armed with tunes from his new album Prisoner of Conscious, which features the likes of Miguel, Kendrick Lamar and Busta Rhymes. Tickets are on sale from The Espy now.
Nestled on the banks of the Tennessee River, Muscle Shoals has played as big a role in the history of American music as Nashville, Chicago or Detroit. At a time when the South remained defiant to the civil rights movement, and the rhythm and blues scene was still very much in its infancy, this small Alabama town was the place where artists like Aretha Franklin and Jimmy Hughes first put soul to vinyl. Later, the Shoals’ became a sight of pilgrimage for major acts such as Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and The Rolling Stones, who used as it as a place to get away from the limelight and record some of their most iconic songs. Slickly made, Greg Camalier’s historical documentary of the town, simply entitled Muscle Shoals, focuses primarily on Rick Hall, the founder of the appropriately named FAME Studios. After a bumpy beginning, the recording venue soon became a magnet for high profile acts, many of whom were eager to work with Hall’s soulful backup band The Swampers — a band that no one could believe was made up of white guys. A part of the local music scene to this day, Hall makes for a logical central character, although his tendency to lapse into melancholic personal anecdotes doesn’t do the movie any favours. More interesting than Hall are the people that he worked with. Jagger, Richards, Winwood, Bono and Franklin are just a few of the famous faces to chime in with what the Shoal’s mean to them as Camalier mixes their interviews with archival footage of their much younger selves. Many of the artists (okay, so it’s mostly Bono) attribute the town a mystical quality, while the film also makes reference to a Native American myth about a woman in the river whose singing protected her tribe. Such romantic proclamations are nice if a bit hokey. Ultimately, they’re far less important than the music’s real social impact during the period, particularly in changing attitudes about race and segregation. Though Muscle Shoals can seem a little conventional, you could never say the same thing of its soundtrack. Camalier has the music to really pull it off— even if you don’t believe Bono, and don't think there’s something special in the water, you can’t deny the magic of tracks such as 'Free Bird', 'Steal Away' and 'Respect'.
Weekends in Melbourne are already impressively packed with markets, but held on the first and third Sunday of the month, Greville Village Market is the latest addition to the lineup. Set in Grattan Gardens, just off Chapel Street in Prahran, the market is focused on independent and emerging designers. At the moment they're looking to add to a collection of stall holders before they return from a summer break on January 19. The offerings in December included homemade ginger ale, handcrafted children's toys, brooches, jewellery, terrariums and furniture. Also, they have the sort of locally designed clothing that makes you want to buy lots of things, dress immaculately and go on wonderful holidays forever. This isn't the sort of market where you slop around with a sausage sizzle. Just before Christmas there were lobster sliders on the menu, with a pop-up cafe from Pardon Coffee. Greville Village Market is the market version of that friend who seems to have their shit together on Instagram. Both exist in a world full of spectacularly made coffee, ethical chocolate and well-dressed friends. What a nice way to spend a Sunday.
Suspended is an original site-specific dance work by choreographer and dancer Yahna Fookes, developed exclusively for the City of Melbourne Arts Program for 2013. Inspired by iconic American modern dancer Trisha Brown’s Roof Piece (1971), it seems only fitting for Fookes’ performance to be realised at Melbourne’s own beloved Rooftop Bar over three nights. This open-air space is as important as the piece itself, allowing the anticipated boundaries between audience, stage and performer to dissolve by encouraging a sense of equality and balance within these pre-determined roles. Through the integration of pre-recorded film, sound and design, Suspended pushes our traditional perceptions of dance, and pulls the complementary nature of these areas together to create a highly conceptual collaborative performance. Drawing from a curated selection of promising Australian talent, the piece embraces the creativity and expression of each individual response to the work from dancers Jessica Wong and James Shannon, sound designer Matthew Brown, costume deisgners and winners of the LMFF National Designer Award From Britten, cinematographer Rudi Siira and post-producer Ana Jimenez. This harmony of creative fields is an aspect of the performance that is bound to elevate — or suspend it — to a place of heightened sensory experience. Suspended will be performed over three nights at the Rooftop Bar. Check out a sneak peek of the show here.
Digital Outlawed is a new media exhibition presenting an imagined future of a world without computers. By removing digital media from the work itself the exhibition forces the visitor to face an uncomfortable question: is using this kind of media a necessary part of contemporary art? In a piece curated and produced by Arie Rain Glorie, the artists set out to prove that new art doesn't have to be made in new ways. Read the rest of our top ten picks of the Melbourne Fringe Festival here.
The divide between moving image installation and cinema is continuously being manoeuvred and eschewed, and Screen Space's latest exhibition, Transformer blurs this boundary further. The exhibition features video works from Benjamin Ducroz and creative duo Ms&Mr. Benjamin Ducroz’s stop motion animation will have you flying through the clouds, and his work 'Cumulo' will explore remote landscapes to a haunting soundtrack. Ms&Mr will be mashing up old home VHS footage with more recently filmed footage in 'Amputee of the Neurotic Future', which is part of their ‘Videodromes for the Alone’ series. Ms&Mr will be rewriting their history according to JG Ballard's dictum “nothing is real until you put it in the VCR". Transformer is part of the Channels video art festival, which runs from September 18 - 21. Artwork: Benjamin Ducroz.
Ever thought about how we got our kicks before the days of Fifty Shades of Grey? Or what Big Ted and Jemima get up to when those Play School cameras aren’t rolling? A thriving internet subculture, fan fiction has gained momentum over recent years. But lesser-known is erotic fan fiction; a guaranteed crowd favourite which sees the recognisable characters of popular culture – movies, books, TV shows and sport – become the subject of weird and wonderful stories, all in the name of comedy. In a night of sex and scandal, four established writers will put their respectable reputations on the line and manoeuvre well-known stories and prolific celebrities; turning what we know and love of fiction on its head with the clever work of their pen. Set to be held at The Wheeler Centre — home of Melbourne’s finest literature and cultural events – this is about the only night where it’s acceptable to make Play School characters talk dirty. Or perhaps where the sexual tension between Margaret and David will be quashed. On the menu for the evening are smut extraordinaires: Wes Snelling, Zora Sanders, Van Badham and Travis Cotton. With host Virginia Gay, this event is geared up to be the most outrageous, entertaining night out you’ll have this September. Leave your inhibitions at the door and get ready for some serious literary action.
We know, driving for pizza is sometimes a drainer, especially when delivery is a few mobile clicks away. However, we strongly — very strongly — suggest you put La Svolta on your list. The reason we say so is La Svolta often has live music playing, lifting the ambience to a level that you won't get at home in front of the TV. The Hampton Street restaurant serves up some of the best pizza in the city. The base has perfect elasticity and thickness, and reliably carries toppings without getting soggy. La Svolta's menu caters for those who need direction and clarity when they dine out — the pizza section is separated into red base and white base pizzas making ordering even easier. If you're not in the mood for pizza, the homemade gnocchi is also stand out – on our visit, we indulged in a rich ragu variation, but the toppings change. Other times you may find a blue swimmer crab version.
A decade has sashayed away since Bianca Del Rio won the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. After emerging victorious over Australia's own runner-up Courtney Act, the drag queen and comedian has been conquering Down Under stages ever since. Among multiple tours over the past ten years, the fabulously quick-witted talent last brought her Hurricane Bianca whirlwind this way in 2022 — and she'll next break out her devilish snark and timing in 2025. The global favourite keeps building upon her massive past decade or so, with the dimple-cheeked performer doing everything from tours upon tours to hitting the West End stage in the musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie and also popping up in the film version as well. Then there's 2016 comedy Hurricane Bianca and its 2018 sequel Hurricane Bianca: From Russia with Hate, plenty more appearances on various Drag Race seasons and specials, web specials, music videos and even an episode of Celebrity Family Feud. Accordingly, you know what to start watching in preparation for Del Rio's Dead Inside gigs in Melbourne — although, as you'll know if you've seen her live before, there's nothing like seeing her in the flesh. Del Rio's 2025 visit will break out the cutting insults — plus her larger-than-life persona in general — across three nights from Friday, January 31–Sunday, February 2 at the Comedy Theatre.
Fancy a round-the-world trip with good food and hard liquor a-plenty? Get on the sauce at The Smith with chef Michael Lambie and manager Scott Borg, who will be fast-tracking hungry patrons to epicurean enlightenment with a six-course menu of international bites chased down with six potent cocktails. In an ongoing bid to leave behind The Smith’s gastro-pub past life Lambie is incorporating his signature global dishes into an all-encompassing “Culinary Safari” designed to enhance the taste buds and inebriate the mind. Spark your sense of adventure with regional cocktails designed by the restaurant’s bar professionals, and go gallivanting through a complementary menu ranging from Asian kingfish to a Mexican tortilla of soft shell crab, jalapeños and black beans. This is a journey best shared with others, and if you go on a Friday or Saturday night you’ll all get guestlist entry to late night lounge club OneSixOne. Pre-gaming has never been so classy.
His soulful voice could stir emotion even if he was speaking gibberish, but Willis Earl Beal's story is also well worth a listen. In display of grassroots ascent all but unheard of these days Beal found fame after he found himself living on the streets of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he moved from Chicago in 2007 to try land a job. He eventually found one at a motel, and in a moment of Carly Rae Jepsen audaciousness scattered hand drawn flyers listing his phone number and address: "My name is Willis Earl Beal. Call me and I'll sing you a song. Write to me and I'll draw you a picture." Found Magazine called him, interviewed him and featured his flyer on the cover, and three years later his debut album of home recordings, Acousmatic Sourcery, was released. The most interesting thing about this guy though is what he might do next. And that's what you'll get a hint of come January. https://youtube.com/watch?v=0dmeK01Nm48
There are two words that seem an almost permanent fixture in a film’s opening credits these days: “Based On” (though we’d also have accepted “Tom Hardy”). Ours is the era of adaptation and reboot, where the benchmark for originality has been whittled down to just retelling someone else’s story in an original way. Be it Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire, The Avengers based on the Marvel Comics or Karate Kid based on the earlier Karate Kid, Hollywood increasingly feels like the dodgy used-car lot simply polishing its stolen wares and reselling them as new. And nothing sells better than those wares stolen from life itself under the golden banner of “based on a true story”. It’s the bewitching phrase that somehow makes the film seem more important and convinces us to not just suspend our disbelief but cast it aside completely. So for a film like Lawless, one that routinely pushes plausibility to the very extreme, you can’t help but wonder just how true the ‘true story’ is upon which it’s based. That story is 2008’s "The Wettest County in the World" by Matt Bondurant, whose grandfather and great uncles became one of the prohibition-era’s most infamous bootleggers. Inevitably for a film set in that time, Lawless (which was adapted for the screen by Nick Cave) is full of the ruthless violence and corruption that defined one America’s darkest periods, however it departs from the norm by steering clear of Chicago and Atlantic City, focussing instead on the backwater hills of Franklin County, Virginia. There, the Bondurant boys ran a simple but effective operation distilling and distributing moonshine to both lawbreakers and lawmen alike, until the arrival of a corrupt federal officer (Guy Pearce) threatened to mire the entire region in a devastating territorial war. Leading the gang, Tom Hardy puts in another impressive and imposing performance as the taciturn-yet-brutal brother Forrest. He grunts more than he speaks, but combined with the actor’s sheer physical presence we need nothing more to believe he’s the born leader with unwavering mettle. Aussie actor Jason Clarke plays his enforcer brother Howard, while Shia LeBeouf rounds out the trio as Jack – the weak but smarter kid trying to prove his worth to the gang. They’re supported by an amazing ensemble cast including Jessica Chastain (Tree of Life), Mia Wasikowska (Jane Eyre) and Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight), however it’s Guy Pearce that commands most of the remaining screen time. His portrayal of the sadistic and effete federal marshal Charlie Rakes offers a performance as creepy as it is overblown, but with motivations that are never properly made clear to the audience, it’s difficult to regard him as anything but annoying. Directed by Aussie John Hillcoat (The Proposition), Lawless largely crawls along between sporadic moments of extreme violence thanks to its less-than-perfect script, however its fine performances, impressive cinematography and – yes – ‘real life backstory’ make it still worth a look.
Stroppy teens they may have been but their names have become synonymous with love. Romeo and Juliet has to be one of the best known and most adapted plays in the English language and this week two arts companies, both alike in dignity, will be joining forces for a homage to the star-crossed pair. John Bell and his troupe of Shakespeare experts will be performing key scenes from the play – so expect the balcony and several deaths at least – while the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will perform extracts from musical works inspired by the story, such as the Tchaikovsky ballet and the pastoral opera version by Delius. No word yet if any of the West Side Story soundtrack’s going to make it in. Playing at the glittering Hamer Hall, with a free pre-show performance by young artists, it is possibly the ultimate romantic date night experience. Boyfriends everywhere, take note.
How much is there to say about the humble T-shirt? A whole bunch, according to Eddie Zammit, editor of the world's apparently only T-shirt magazine, T-World. Collaborating with Just Another, the streetiest of design agencies, they have created TEES, an exhibition about Melbourne's T-shirt scene. Expect bucketloads of excellent designs from top Melbourne artists, memorabilia from metal shows, and plenty of Melbourne pride — the "T-shirt underdog of the world", according to Zammit. Slap on your most vintage t-shirt, that one you've had since you were eight, holes and all, and head on over to Fed Square to get a piece of the action.
Prepare to you lose yourself deep in the '80s with two of Melbourne's best live bands. Turtlenecks, mullets, and aviators abound in this powerful double-bill of cheesy goodness at that stalwart of Melbourne music The Evelyn as Sex on Toast continue their month-long residency with special guests Vaudeville Smash. Both bands have huge live presences, comprising of numerous members wielding everything from trombones and flutes to the incredible talk box, banter that could charm the pants off Sarah Palin, and a filthy sense of humour that’ll keep a smile on your face all night. While these guys are hilarious, their musical prowess is not to be sniffed at. As ensembles, they are seriously tight and polished, with crisp sounds that never feel underdeveloped, technically or musically. Most importantly: you're gonna dance. Hard. These guys' jams are funky as they come, so make sure you bring a loved one, because it’s gonna get hot and sweaty up in there.
With many a wedding comedy coming out in recent years, there's a certain formula that one has come to expect: bride/groom's well-meaning friends bungle the pre-wedding bachelorette/bachelor party with too much booze/drugs/sex with strangers, and comic antics ensue. What you get instead with Bachelorette is a group of bitchy, not at all well-meaning friends, who do everything they can to ruin the possibility of their friend having the dream wedding she'd planned. Kirsten Dunst leads the pack of 'B-Faces' (the apt name the girls gave themselves in school) as Regan, followed by a tyepcast Isla Fisher as the 'slutty drunk' Katie, and Lizzy Caplan as Gena, the girl who takes drugs to escape her past. The three are invited to be bridesmaids at the wedding of their less pretty friend from school (Rebel Wilson, who seems to be relishing these roles that Hollywood's throwing her), and they spend the night before causing mayhem while lost in their own depressingly self-centered lives. No characters, other than the couple who are getting married, are sympathetic in this movie, and while there are the odd laughs, Bachelorette is far less a comedy and more of a nightmare scenario of what the nasty group of girls from highschool really gets up to. If you want the darker version of Bridesmaids and The Hangover, this is it.
Anyone with kids knows that they grow up fast but you’ve probably never seen them grow up quite this fast. Before Your Very Eyes, one of the more intriguing acts at this year’s Melbourne Festival, shows a group of children aging through their entire lives within the space of an hour. The cast of child actors play out their possible futures – as teenagers, as adults, as elderly – on a stage walled by two-way mirrors, so they play in private to each other and their own reflections, while the audience watch through the glass. Devised in collaboration between Belgian theatre company CAMPO, which has done a series of plays for adults using child performers, and convention-defying Anglo-German troupe Gob Squad, it will be as thought provoking and innovative as theatre gets. Book fast, because its brief season at the Malthouse will be gone before you know it.
Funtimes for booklovers?! Are you for realz?! Debut Mondays throws book nerds a bone with local talent reading a selection of their latest work. You’ll be plenty contented rubbing shoulders with Australia’s literary vanguard, or if you’re the shy retiring kind, just sit back and listen to the stories. No wonder Melbourne has earned the official status of a UNESCO City of Literature. The Wheeler Centre is everything a creative, thinking city needs – an arena for new ideas and conversation, a community for emerging writers and veterans. Take your pick of readings, talks, lectures and debates. For once, an Australian government is investing in its literary culture, and it’s paying off. October brings diverse writers Edwina Preston, Zane Lovitt, Jessie Cole and Robyn Dennison. This year, the event takes over the already popular basement bar café, The Moat. Call ahead for the $20 pre-event package of a meal and a glass of wine. Mondays just got more interesting. Debut Mondays are free, but booking is essential.
“This is a sink or swim album”, TZU say of their fourth studio record, Millions of Moments. With no rap in this release, the hip-hop group has expanded and explored new musical territory, which is sure to surprise from a live perspective. On the back of lead singles 'Beginning of the End' and 'Beautiful' that have garnered acclaim from critics and fans alike, TZU will be bringing their new ambitious sound all around Australia. No strangers to the touring arena, expect a showcase of new sounds and many classics on their Millions of Moments tour. TZU will be rolling into Melbourne at the Hi-Fi.
The 1989 film The 'Burbs (starring Tom Hanks) is an underrated comedy about a suburban vigilante squad protecting their leafy suburb from creepy neighbours. Attack the Block (2011) is an overrated sci-fi flick about a bunch of London thugs protecting their housing estate from super-creepy aliens. Put them together and you get The Watch: a 'rated' comedy about a suburban vigilante squad protecting their leafy suburb from super-creepy aliens. It’s not quite as funny as the former, or as creative as the latter, but still has enough tricks up its sleeve to avert the instant fail. Directed by SNL's Akiva Schaffer and co-written by Seth Rogen and Adam Goldberg, The Watch boasts an enviable team of comedy heavyweights on both sides of the camera, with Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade, and Vince Vaughn in the lead roles. Of those, Hill is the standout as the mentally unstable, police academy dropout Franklin, while the others rarely push beyond the tried and tested: Stiller is amiable and uptight, Ayoade is polite and awkward, and Vaughn is the chirpy man's man. The plot is similarly familiar, borrowing more than it invents, but at least it does so in a way that keeps the pace steady and the laughs frequent. For a cast of this calibre, the jokes do linger too long in the gutter, but The Watch never takes itself too seriously and as a result, earns itself enough leeway as a silly yet entertaining diversion.
There's nothing like having a film's images and energy follow you as you leave the cinema and go about your day or having a specific scene creep up on you and make you laugh out loud in public. It's a special film that continues to reappear to the viewer after the credits roll, and that happened to me with Ruby Sparks. This is an impressive debut screenplay from Zoe Kazan, who also plays Ruby, and is directed by the married couple who brought us Little Miss Sunshine, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. With the same quirky joy to it, and many tender moments, its composition seems effortless. Ruby Sparks strikes a pitch-perfect balance between laughter, love, and heartbreak in sharing a fun, unbelievable love story. There's a lot to enjoy and have fun with in this film, starting with the plot. Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano, the mute son from Little Miss Sunshine) is a literary genius, except he doesn't like being called so. Modest, introverted, and socially anxious, Calvin's literary success came at a young age. Now his writer's block is causing added stress. Until he has a dream. "You don't even get laid in your dreams, man? That's just sad," spits his older brother, Harry, played by Chris Messina, after Calvin dreams of 'just talking' to a sweet redhead. But the relationship develops as Ruby, quite literally, springs to life, appearing in Calvin's kitchen. She's in love with Calvin, and although he adores her right back, and is writing again, he also feels uneasy loving a woman he imagines. The tension between the typed page and reality starts to wreak havoc on Calvin's moral compass. Ordering Ruby to be happy, sad, clingy, or normal, he realises that to love and be with someone, you have to let them be a person themselves, not just the idealised elements of one. Dano and Kazan's performances are tender and solid, and they make an adorable couple (in real life as well as celluloid). With elements of the Pygmalion myth and traces of Stranger Than Fiction, Ruby Sparks is beguiling, heartfelt, and innocently beautiful. Its enlivened by great cinematography, including wonderful internal shots of Calvin's typewriter, dreamy underwater scenes, and crisp colours and textures, especially when we visit Calvin's mother's rainforest home. Appearances from actors such as Steve Coogan, Elliott Gould, and Antonio Banderas are the cherries in this already delicious mix of a film. https://youtube.com/watch?v=acwm-UAZ3OQ
Animal Collective released their ninth full-length album Centipede Hz on September 4, prompting Rolling Stone to note "Something this inventive should be heard by everyone." Apparently it is — I'm yet to follow an Rdio account I don't like that doesn't have the new album on high circulation, spinning its already-turbulent buzz into an addictive loop of multifarious textures and unexpectedly cohesive rhythms. And all jumbled up with the respectively gnarly and buoyant vocals of Avey Tare and Panda Bear it's still, as a good record should be, something you can hum along to with a fair degree of confidence. Visuals are another important part of the Animal Collective experience, whether it's a trippy album cover or one of their sensory overload live performances. They'll be staging one such show at this year's Big Day Out, and another at the Palace in January. Expect the unexpected, and probably lots of graphic neon T-shirts. https://youtube.com/watch?v=GxhaRgJUMl8
