Looks like a few Black Keys-lovin' Bluesfest ticketholders will be reconsidering their Easter long weekend plans, The Black Keys have cancelled all Asia Pacific shows due to injury. Drummer Patrick Carney has sustained a serious shoulder injury, so the duo have cancelled all forthcoming concerts in Australia, New Zealand and Japan, part of their Turn Blue world tour, cancelled up until April 23. "We are very sorry to have to cancel our upcoming performances through April 23," the band said in an official statement. "Patrick sustained a dislocated and broken shoulder in January that required surgery. Working with the doctors, surgeons and physiotherapists since January, we had expected Patrick to be ready to return to touring in April. The recovery process and physical therapy has taken longer than anticipated and unfortunately Patrick is still unable to perform and needs additional time to heal. We thank all of our fans for their ongoing support and we look forward to getting back on the road as soon as possible.” "We were incredibly excited about the shows that were about to happen but there is no way around cancelling the tour with the extent of Pat’s injury," said Brian Taranto from Love Police Touring. "You just can’t have The Black Keys with no drums. We sincerely apologise for the hassle this cancellation will cause fans.” The cancellation isn't good news for Bluesfest in particular, coming just weeks after headliner Lenny Kravitz also pulled out of Bluesfest and his Australian shows due to conflicting touring commitments. All tickets (outside of Bluesfest Byron Bay) will be refunded — wherever you bought them from. Rescheduling ain't happening. For Bluesfest refund policies, visit bluesfest.com.au. CANCELLED TOUR DATES April 2 Riverstage - Brisbane, Australia April 3 Bluesfest - Byron Bay, Australia April 5 Rolling Green - Rochford Wines Yarra Valley, Australia April 7 Margaret Court Arena - Melbourne, Australia April 10 Qantas Credit Union Arena - Sydney, Australia April 11 Rolling Green - Bimbadgen Winery Hunter Valley, Australia April 14 Red Hill Auditorium - Perth, Australia April 16 Entertainment Centre Theatre - Adelaide, Australia April 18 Horncastle Arena - Christchurch, New Zealand April 19 Vector Arena - Auckland, New Zealand April 22 Studio Coast - Tokyo, Japan April 23 Studio Coast - Tokyo, Japan
As happens every year, more than a few Australian films will reach local screens in 2021. Some have already proven exceptional, others have earned the exact opposite description, and more flicks to come will fall into both camps. But great, average and terrible movies alike, no homegrown title that hits cinemas and/or streaming this year will garner as much attention as Nitram. It's the first Aussie feature to play in the Cannes Film Festival's coveted competition in a decade, it's one of the big local premieres at this year's Melbourne International Film Festival, and it's headed to Australian cinemas and then Stan after that. Read the movie's moniker backwards, however, and you'll see why it has already attracted controversy. Reuniting Snowtown and True Story of the Kelly Gang filmmaker Justin Kurzel with screenwriter Shaun Grant, who penned both movies, Nitram steps through the lead up to the events in Port Arthur 25 years ago. Caleb Landry Jones (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) plays the eponymous figure, who lives with his mother (Judy Davis, The Dressmaker) and father (Anthony LaPaglia, Below), and finds a friend in a reclusive heiress named Helen (Essie Davis, Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears). Of course, while the film isn't specifically about the tragedy of April 28 and 29, 1996 — promotional materials stress that it's about the time leading up to those dates — every Australian knows where the story goes from there. Before anyone has seen the feature, Nitram has already sparked debate about whether any film should explore this traumatic chapter of Australia's past. Thanks to their last two collaborations, Kurzel and Grant have an impressive history when it comes to tackling the nation's darker and thornier moments, however — and if Snowtown especially is any guide, the result will be difficult but must-see viewing. From the just-dropped first trailer, too, audiences look set for a haunting movie. In response to the conversation already surrounding the film, the filmmakers have advised that "Nitram was written as a response to the proliferation of regular mass shootings across the world and is an exploration of the issues and events that led to this atrocity, rather than a re-enactment of it, to bring the gun control debate to the fore and to try to ensure history does not repeat itself." Check out the trailer below: Nitram will have its Australian premiere at the 2021 Melbourne International Film Festival, and will release in local cinemas afterwards — and stream via Stan — with exact dates yet to be announced.
Liquor lovers, prepare yourselves for a spirited affair at Cumulus Up in Flinders Lane. Coming to the CBD bar at the end of February, the Spirit Fair will celebrate some of the finest Australian small batches in the business. If you're looking to whet your whistle, this is the perfect place to do so. Set to take place from midday until 4pm on Saturday, February 23, the event will cater to drinkers of every persuasion. While the lineup has not yet been announced, last year's event saw the likes of Fire Drum Vodka, Four Pillars Gin, Applewood Distillery and best whisky in the world winners Sullivans Cove. And yes, your ticket entitles you to a taste of everything on offer — as well as a welcome drink on arival. You'll also get the chance to chat with many of the distillers about the best way to enjoy the boozy fruits of their labour. That's assuming you can string two words together, of course. Snacks from the Cumulus Up kitchen should help soak up some of the alcohol, with your ticket including one dish — either a slow-roasted suckling pig roll or the bar's signature confit duck waffle. Images: Harvard Wang.
It's mid-August, so you should probably start getting your New Year's Eve plans in order. Victorian NYE festival Beyond the Valley has just announced the lineup for their celebrated four-day festival in Lardner, Victoria and it's pretty bloody good, so could be a solid option. Just four festivals old, the Victorian festival is still pretty fresh on the New Year's circuit, starting out in 2014. Despite this, they've managed to secure a rather colossal lineup, featuring charismatic rap headliner Schoolboy Q, Sydney electro legends The Presets, falsetto-flaunting folk favourite Matt Corby, UK grime gem Stormzy, East London 'wonky funk' singer Nao and 21-year-old Channel Islands-born producer Mura Masa. Beyond the Valley takes over Lardner Park, Warragul, Victoria from December 28 to January 1. Anyway, here's what you came for. BEYOND THE VALLEY 2017 LINEUP: Schoolboy Q The Presets Matt Corby Stormzy Mura Masa Stephan Bodzin (live) Little Dragon 2MNANY DJs (DJ Set) Adana Twins Âme (live) Amy Shark Andhim The Belligerents B.Traits Crooked Colours Cub Sport Cut Copy Dean Lewis DMAs Dom Dolla FKJ GL George Maple Harvey Sutherland & Bermuda Hayden James Hot Dub Time Machine Ivan Ooze Jack River Lastlings Late Nite Tuff Guy Marek Hemmann Meg Mac NAO Patrick Topping Pleasurekraft The Preatures Princess Nokia Ruby Fields Sampa The Great San Cisco Skegss Beyond the Valley is happening December 28 to January 1 at Lardner Park, Warragul, Victoria. Presale tickets on sale Wednesday, August 16, with general tickets on sale Thursday. August 24, from www.beyondthevalley.com.au. Images: Beyond the Valley.
Feeling warm, Melbourne? There's a very good reason for that. Seeing in 2019 with a scorcher, the city has been sweltering through quite the toasty day — the hottest in five years, in fact. As predicted earlier this week, the mercury soared past 42 degrees on Friday, January 4, hitting 42.6 in Melbourne, 45.8 at Avalon and 43.8 in Moorabbin. That's more than 16 degrees above Melbourne's average top January temperature according to Weatherzone, although it's still lower than the city's highest recorded January maximum of 45.6 degrees back in 1939. https://twitter.com/weatherzone/status/1081048522504298496 Extra scorching temperatures also blazed across the rest of the state — with highs of over 46 degrees experienced around Mildura, Swan Hill and Walpeup. The particularly hot spell comes after several similarly baking days last month, exceeding the 38-degree maximum experienced in Melbourne's brief early-December heatwave. And, it tops the city's efforts post-Christmas, when the mercury climbed to 37.4 degrees on December 27. Thankfully, the scorching summer blast is set to be short-lived. BOM expects a gusty southwest change to arrive late on Friday, heralding a return to mid-20s temps. In fact, the mercury is currently dropping around the state, including a 12-degree dip across a period of 10 minutes in Geelong. https://twitter.com/BOM_Vic/status/1081042375416442880 Melbourne's Saturday forecast is a considerably mild 21 degrees, with temps set to stay below 27 until Thursday, January 10. Via Weatherzone. Image: udeyismail via Flickr.
They're called twin films: two movies with a similar idea that reach screens around the same time. Think Deep Impact and Armageddon, Dark City and The Matrix, and The Prestige and The Illusionist — plus The Raid and Dredd, Upgrade and Venom, and Skate Kitchen and Mid90s. Yes, the list goes on (and on and on). The same concept applies on the small screen, too, as two of 2020's new shows are demonstrating. Earlier in the year, Netflix debuted Space Force, which starred Steve Carell as a military man tasked with establishing the space-focused new branch of the US armed forces. Now, via US network Showtime — and streaming service Stan in Australia — Moonbase 8 is also trying to turn the quest to leave earth into a sitcom. Featuring Fred Armisen, John C Reilly and Tim Heidecker, and set to start dropping from Sunday, November 8, Moonbase 8 follows three men who are eager to take part in a lunar mission. Skip (Portlandia's Armisen), Rook (Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'s Heidecker) and Cap (Reilly) are the epitome of enthusiastic, in fact, and they're doing their absolute best to complete their training at NASA's Moon Base Simulator in the desert in Winslow, Arizona. But whether they'll stay sane through the process is another matter entirely. The show's three stars also serve as Moonbase 8's executive producers, while the series is penned by Heidecker with Portlandia and Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! writer — and Baskets creator — Jonathan Krisel. And, based on the just-dropped first trailer, the new comedy promises plenty of stir-crazy silliness between three characters living in close quarters — something immensely relatable in 2020, obviously. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KECl99n-DI0 Moonbase 8 starts streaming in Australia via Stan on Sunday, November 8. The New Zealand streaming date is yet to be confirmed — we'll update you with further details when they come to hand. Top image: Courtesy of A24 Films/SHOWTIME.
Picture this: you're having a lazy evening at home in front of Netflix, and you promise yourself you'll power through just one — and only one — more episode before tapping out for the night. How many times have you broken that promise? Let's face it, you'd probably prefer not to count. And if you're like us, you probably also reach for the Ben & Jerry's for a quick sugar fix to keep you going. Convenient it may be, but healthy? Not so much. Next time you're planning a lazy night in, level up your snack game with something more wholesome (and equally delicious). We've teamed up with Yumi's to compile a collection of quick, easy and delicious alternatives to your favourite couch-time snacks. Here's what to dig into next time you're doing Netflix and chow. INSTEAD OF CHARCUTERIE...ASSEMBLE A GRAZING PLATTER Look, there's nothing wrong with a well-prepared charcuterie board — piles of delicious deli meats, indulgent cheeses, pâté and preserves, salty crackers, and the odd smattering of fruit. Add some variety with crunchy crudites — and, of course, dip. Yumi's have a huge range of dips that are all dairy and gluten free, and packed with real ingredients. We love the classic sweet potato and cashew dip, while the classic hommus is also excellent — variations like the rocket and almond pesto are also winners. They're great paired with fresh veggies (think carrots and cucumber), but perhaps even better with Yumi's selection of preservative-free and ready-to-eat falafel or veggie bites. We recommend zapping them in the microwave for a minute. INSTEAD OF ICE CREAM...MAKE SORBET Real talk: telling yourself that you're having just one more scoop of ice cream is the same as telling yourself you'll only watch one more episode before heading to bed. Before you know it, it's an ungodly hour and you're staring at the bottom of an empty tub. Lessen the lactose by making a swap for an easy, refreshing homemade sorbet — no churning required. You'll need to dice and prefreeze your favourite fruit — mango, cherries, pineapple or banana always work a treat, while store-bought, prefrozen berries are great for a quick win. Then, pop a cup (or two) in a blender with three to four tablespoons of sugar or maple syrup, and blitz until smooth. You can balance out the sweetness with a hint of lemon or lime juice, too. [caption id="attachment_815090" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Margarita Zueva (Unspalsh)[/caption] INSTEAD OF PIZZA...MAKE BRUSCHETTA An evening on the couch with a juicy series lined up and a big, cheesy pizza — is there a better way to Netflix? Perhaps not — but there are healthier ways (that also don't rely on Uber Eats). Making your own pie is simple as can be, especially with so many types of premade bases available in just about any supermarket, including ones that cater for just about every dietary requirement. Crank up the oven and lather your base with tomato paste (you can even make your own, should you wish), cheese and your choice of toppings. Feel like something more refreshing? It's hard to go wrong when you make your own bruschetta. Pick up a crusty baguette, whack it under the grill, give it a rub with some olive oil, garlic and salt, and then load it up with fresh diced veggies, herbs or deli meats. It's an easy — and delicious — way to make sure you get in your five a day. [caption id="attachment_815095" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Charles Deluvio (Unsplash)[/caption] INSTEAD OF SALTY CHIPS...MAKE VEGGIE CHIPS Love the salty crunch of potato chips? Us too — so we also know how hard it is to know when to stop. For a healthier alternative, leave the prepackaged morsels in the supermarket aisle and pick up some sweet potato or kale instead. It couldn't be more simple to get snacking, either. Just slice up your veg, toss it in some olive oil and pop it in the oven until crispy. Kale is full of good things, from beta-carotene to help eyesight, and Vitamins C, K and E. As for sweet potato, it's loaded with antioxidants, fibre and Vitamin A — it's also lower GI than a regular potato. Want some extra flavour? Kale chips are even better when tossed in a bit of za'atar, while sweet potato and paprika is a spicy match made in heaven. Dip liberally in some hummus and you've got yourself a serious snack. [caption id="attachment_815092" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anshu A (Unsplash)[/caption] INSTEAD OF BIKKIES...MAKE OATMEAL COOKIES We stan a Tim Tam as much as the next sweet tooth. And don't get us started on our ongoing love affair with an Iced Vovo. But of course, they're not the healthiest treats to snack on. If you too have trouble keeping your mitts out of the bikkie tin, try your hand at making your own oatmeal cookies. They're surprisingly easy to put together and will easily satisfying any sweet cravings. The benefits of trading sugar for oatmeal are plentiful — oats are higher in fibre, can stabilise blood sugars and are loaded with vitamins and antioxidants. There's also the added benefit of the warm aroma of freshly baked goods waiting through your house. [caption id="attachment_815093" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Abbie Whiddett (Unsplash)[/caption] INSTEAD OF CAKE...MAKE CACAO BALLS There's a better way to get your gooey chocolate fix. Enter date and cacao balls. They're ridiculously easy to make, and they last longer than cake does, too (though if they disappear from the fridge quickly, we won't blame you). There are a heap of health benefits, too — dates are high in antioxidants and fibre, and can also improve bone health, while cacao has been shown to help lower blood pressure and improve blood flow. For more wholesome snacking, check out the full range of Yumi's falafels, veggie bites and dips.
As we watch many other festivals fall by the wayside, St Jerome’s Laneway Festival just keeps on keeping on. In fact Laneway is going from strength to strength, with dates now being added in New Zealand and Singapore, as well as all the usual places. Organisers have also been said to have been adding in an impressive bunch of tweaks to individual venues, so that you can get from the mosh to a gozleme in record time, or grab a cider on the way back from the toilets without missing half the festival. Laneway 2014 will feature the likes of Chvrches, Cloud Control, Danny Brown, Jagwar Ma, The Jezabels, Haim and the Girl of the Moment, Lorde. Check out the full lineup here.
When Bad Moms became one of the big hits of last year, it was the film's great cast and refreshing approach to female friendship that really struck a chord. Indeed, it was those two factors that made an otherwise routine comedy about mothers behaving badly both amusing and empowering. Alas, it seems no one explained that to writer-director duo Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. Or, perhaps they simply don't care. With their inevitable sequel, the pair proves happy to take the easiest route — upping the raucousness, adding even more mums to the mix, and eschewing nuance, depth or any real comic commentary about the expectations placed upon women. This approach — taking aspects of the original and just ramping them up — is not uncommon in sequels. Unfortunately, Bad Moms 2 picks the wrong elements to highlight, at the expense of the thoughtful core that made its predecessor such a surprise. Stars Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn are as qualified as ever, while franchise newcomers Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines and Susan Sarandon all impress as well. The material, though? To borrow a scenario that occurs in the movie, it's like stealing a cheap department store Christmas tree rather than finding a real one. Also called A Bad Moms Christmas in other parts of the world, the film's first attempt to heighten these overstressed mums' worries arrives via the festive season. If the holidays weren't anxiety-inducing enough, their own mothers decide to drop by out of the blue, each displaying familiar family traits. Prim and proper Ruth (Baranski) is even more of a perfectionist than Amy (Kunis); stalker-like Sandy (Hines) takes the idea adoring motherhood too far even by Kiki's (Bell) standards; and wild-at-heart Isis (Sarandon) has a looser grasp on responsible parenting even than the free-spirited Carla (Hahn). The end result pits mothers against their mothers in the kind of multi-generational hijinks that's becoming a bit too common of late, with the conceptually similar Daddy's Home 2 hitting cinemas in just a few weeks. It also comes with a heap of problematic messages. Sure, Bad Moms 2 nods to the initial flick's championing of women being themselves and refusing to conform to society's demands. But that means next to nothing when the film's female characters are now depicted as little more than caricatures. That they only bond over parenting, fighting with their mums, or chasing men does not go down well. Nor does the suggestion that they are both the cause of their own mothers' craziness and are doomed to follow in their footsteps. Perhaps the film's standout scene demonstrates the fortunes of Bad Moms 2 best, turning a male stripper's intimate waxing session into a romantic meet-cute. In a feature filled with cartoonish depictions of women with children (and women in general), of course the most relatable and resonant moment takes place between Hahn's lusty, lonely beautician and her attractive client. Lucas and Moore, who clearly aren't doing their own mums proud here, don't even think of extending the same blend of genuine humour and earnest emotions to the movie's ladies when they're together. Instead they saddle the gals with making penis gingerbread and twerking on Santa. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGDOdlBlV08
UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 23, 2020 — Black Widow has moved its release date again, and will now hit cinemas on Thursday, April 29, 2021. This article has been updated to reflect that change. UPDATE, APRIL 4: Disney has announced a new release date for Black Widow, with the film now hitting cinemas on November 5, 2020. UPDATE, MARCH 18: Due to concerns around COVID-19, Disney has announced that Black Widow will no longer release on its initially scheduled date of Thursday, April 30, 2020. At present, a new release date has not been announced — we'll update you when one has been revealed. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Over the course of 23 films in 12 years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown into a big-screen behemoth. Just this year, Avengers: Endgame became the biggest worldwide box office hit of all time — and all three other Avengers films also sit in the global top ten, with Black Panther coming in at number 11. Basically, the MCU has become the Thanos of the cinema world, decimating its competition with ease. But, over all that time, all those movies and all that success, it has taken nearly a decade to give Black Widow her own standalone film. When it comes to pushing women to the front, the MCU's track record isn't great. As everyone knows, Captain Marvel, the Disney-owned company's first movie solely focused on a female character, only came out this year. Now Marvel is following that up with a film that really should've eventuated years ago — Natasha Romanoff, the highly trained ex-KGB assassin known as Black Widow and played in the MCU by Scarlett Johansson, first debuted on-screen in 2010's Iron Man 2 after all. Perhaps it's a case of better late than never. Perhaps, if Black Widow had been made earlier, it mightn't have attracted the extra scrutiny that's certain to follow given Johansson's track record when it comes to misguided public comments of late. Either way, thanks to Endgame, the film is obviously a prequel — as the just-dropped first teaser trailer makes plain. Also starring Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Fighting with My Family), Rachel Weisz and Stranger Things' favourite David Harbour, Black Widow jumps back a few years, setting the bulk of its story just after the events of 2016's Captain America: Civil War. On the run, Romanoff is forced to face her complicated (and violent) past, as well as a new masked opponent. We're sure a few familiar MCU faces will also show up. When it hits cinemas Down Under at the end of April 2021 — after a year delay due to COVID-19 — Black Widow will close a considerable gap for the MCU in more ways than one — not only will it finally give one the Avengers figure a solo moment to shine, but it'll mark the first Marvel film since mid-2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home. Behind the scenes, the movie boasts another reason to get excited, with Australian filmmaker Cate Shortland (Berlin Syndrome, Lore, Somersault) in the director's chair. And, she's actually the first female filmmaker to helm a Marvel flick solo (after Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck co-helmed Captain Marvel). Check out the Black Widow trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxAtuMu_ph4 After being delayed from its original release date of April 30, 2020, Black Widow will now open in Australian cinemas on April 29, 2021.
Shelly is a normal girl. Normal enough, that is, until she finds herself starting to become more and more fish-like every day. Staying true to her piscine transformation, she takes refuge in the sea, alone. But the sea is no place for a human girl — even a scaly, gilled amphibian-type one who's taken a liking to blowing bubbles. The Sound of Waves is a fictionalised account of performer Jodie Harris' true story of losing her hearing and getting a cochlear implant. Written bespoke for her to perform solo by Gareth Ellis, the production is a whimsical, affirming tale six years in the making. Harris, a deaf actor, admits she was worried about performing it. But the oh-so-precious, encouraging words of the Weedy Seahorse — one of her multitudinous characters in the play — got her through that: "I can do this, and that — check it out! I can do this." The Sound of Waves plays at fortyfivedownstairs from October 3-12, and tickets are $30 each ($25 concession). We have two double passes to give away to the performance on Sunday, October 5, at 5pm. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address.
UPDATE, August 12, 2020: Toy Story 4 is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube and iTunes. With Toy Story 4, Pixar returns to the franchise that brought it to fame. Nine years after their last cinematic adventure, the animation studio takes beloved cowboy Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) back out of the toy box, alongside his nemesis-turned-friend Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and their other fun-sized pals. On paper, it's a familiar, frequently used and hardly surprising move. While the Disney-owned company was once famous for championing new stories, its slate has been filled with follow-ups of late — this is a time when sequels, spin-offs, remakes and revivals monopolise our viewing, and when successful sagas seem like they could stretch on forever, after all. But in the process of giving the world its fourth Toy Story movie, Pixar does something that few others are even willing to contemplate: it offers up a farewell. Since it burst onto screens in 1995, the Toy Story series hasn't been afraid of goodbyes. It hasn't been frightened by the fact that everything evolves and comes to an end, either. The saga's first film contemplated the idea that Woody's time at the top of the pile might be over, with his owner Andy seemingly choosing a new favourite in Buzz. How Woody coped with his potential ousting drove the entire narrative, while similar themes of displacement, loss and moving on also featured in both 1999's Toy Story 2 and 2010's Toy Story 3. Wrapping up the franchise, Toy Story 4 continues the trend — contemplating what it means to realise that a part of your life is finishing, to embrace an unknown future, and to do so on your own terms. With Woody and company now the property of kindergarten-aged tyke Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw), much has changed in the Toy Story realm. All-too-often, the cowboy is stripped of his sheriff's badge and left in the cupboard during playtime — and his status slips further when, after sneaking into her backpack on her first day of pre-school orientation, Woody unwittingly helps Bonnie make another friend out of a plastic spork. Forky (Tony Hale), as she names the new critter, is now the number one plaything. Alas, to Woody's dismay, the Frankenstein's monster-esque piece of cutlery would rather be trash. When Forky attempts to escape to freedom during a family road trip, Woody puts Bonnie's best interests at heart and jumps out of the RV after him, embarking on an adventure to bring the spork back. Every child has screamed with sadness and anger when they've misplaced their favourite toy, and anyone who says they didn't when they were a kid is lying. Today, plenty of adults do the same thing — it's just called social media. Toy Story 4 director Josh Cooley shows how Bonnie reacts when she realises that Forky is missing, however with a smart story credited to seven other writers (including initial Toy Story director John Lasseter, Wall-E's Andrew Stanton and Parks and Recreation actor Rashida Jones), the film also delves further into loss, change and their impact. Via Woody's own journey, it examines what this process genuinely feels like when you're facing these experiences head-on and with purpose, rather than simply throwing a tantrum. You could say that the movie grapples with its own place in the pop culture domain, too, and you'd be correct. Given that its original viewers have literally grown from toddlers to adults over the franchise's run, encouraging them to break out of their entertainment comfort zones is a particularly savvy touch. Reflective, sweet, sensitive and virtually guaranteed to wring a response out of even the most cynical of viewers, Toy Story 4 is a classic Pixar piece as a result — the type of film that lets humans work through the complicated feelings they usually bury deep, all by watching animated toys express sentiments we rarely have the courage to utter, and tussle with topics we'd much rather ignore. It's a layered piece of storytelling also, with subplots involving Bo Peep's (Annie Potts) blossoming independence and 50s-era newcomer Gabby Gabby's (Christina Hendricks) quest to be loved each delicately and astutely handled. Both narrative threads tie into the movie's overarching message as well: that continuing on as usual, just because that's easy and safe, is rarely the best option. You can't take the 'toy' out of Toy Story, of course, not that Pixar would want to. At its best, this saga is as imaginative, amusing and fun as it is thoughtful, with bright, bouncy animation to match — and, returning to the heights of the first film, the franchise is at its best again here. With anarchic stuffed toys voiced by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, plus the one-and-only Keanu Reeves lending his slow-spoken swagger to charismatic daredevil figurine Duke Caboom, the series doesn't lack in spark or laughs. Visually, it doesn't forget to pair its story with vivid images, plenty of detail and a plethora of top cinematic nods either. And while melancholy may reign supreme, it's earned. That's the reality of sifting through nostalgia, remembering what's come and gone, and knowing that the future will always be different. More Toy Story fare may eventually hit screens, because money, however this fourth toy box tale well and truly provides a perfect ending. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl9JS8-gnWQ
Diehard fans of The Simpsons will remember season three, episode ten — the one in which bartender Moe steals Homer's secret, cough medicine-filled cocktail recipe and starts selling it at his bar as the 'Flaming Moe'. If a cough syrup-induced haze has always sounded like your kind of fun (or you're just a huge Simpsons fan) you're in luck. This classic episode will come to life this April when the Flaming Moe's Pop-up Bar opens its doors in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. It'll be an immersive experience with 'Moe' behind the bar slinging bottomless cocktails and all of the show's best characters in attendance, too. We doubt the bar's namesake cocktail will actually contain the grape-flavoured, children's cough medicine depicted in the show, but no information on the recipe has been revealed just yet. If its purist Simpsons, the drink will at least include some unholy combination of tequila, peppermint schnapps and creme de menthe — all lit on fire for good measure. For beer drinkers, Duff-inspired brew will be on tap as well. And, to round out the night, there will also be Simpsons trivia, with themed prizes up for grabs. Dates are not yet announced and details are slim, but we do know that the pop-up will open for just one day in each city. You can sign up for pre-release tickets here, which you best do because space will surely be limited.
Only one Australian festival this summer can whip it, whip it good. When Good Things returns for 2023, it'll hit Melbourne with new-wave icons Devo on the bill. The 'Girl U Want' band will be celebrating 50 years since first forming in 1973, and also saying goodbye on a farewell tour that'll mark their last-ever Australian shows. Devo's famous energy dome hats will be on display at Flemington Racecourse on Friday, December 1 on a jam-packed Good Things lineup that is brimming with nostalgia-inducing acts — including Fall Out Boy. The group behind 'Sugar, We're Goin Down' and 'Uma Thurman' are festival headliners, playing both tunes dating back to their 2000s heyday and recent tracks. From there, Good Things keeps rollin', rollin', rollin', rollin' with Limp Bizkit; will see Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor hit the stage solo; and is guaranteed to burst with punk energy thanks to Pennywise. Bullet for My Valentine, Taking Back Sunday and I Prevail are also on the bill, plus Enter Shikari, Pvris, Behemoth and Sepultura. [caption id="attachment_913268" align="alignnone" width="1920"] swimfinfan via Wikimedia Commons.[/caption] Fresh from featuring a reunited TISM in 2022, Good Things boasts a packed roster of local names in 2023, too, celebrating Australian alternative rock with Spiderbait, Frenzal Rhomb, Jebediah and Eskimo Joe. On both the international and homegrown front, the list goes on, including Hanabie, While She Sleeps, Magnolia Park, Short Stack, Boom Crash Opera, Luca Brasi and more. And yes, this is a fest where you can likely hear 'Whip It', 'Dance, Dance', 'Society' and 'Buy Me a Pony' live on the same day, plus 'The Last Fight', 'Leaving Home', 'Punch in the Face' and a very non-George Michael cover of 'Faith' as well. GOOD THINGS 2023 LINEUP: Fall Out Boy Limp Bizkit Devo (The Farewell Tour celebrating 50 years) I Prevail Bullet For My Valentine Corey Taylor Pennywise Spiderbait Slowly Slowly Enter Shikari Behemoth Sepultura Taking Back Sunday PVRIS Bloom Boom Crash Opera Eskimo Joe Frenzal Rhomb Hanabie Jebediah Luca Brasi Magnolia Park Make Them Suffer Ocean Sleeper Royal & The Serpent Short Stack Slaughter To Prevail Stand Atlantic Tapestry The Plot In You While She Sleeps Top image: Drew de F Fawkes via Wikimedia Commons.
Reaching the ripe old age of 42 years is no mean feat for an Australian music fest. But beloved bayside celebration St Kilda Festival is doing just that when it returns in February to deliver its bumper 2023 instalment. And yes, it's dishing up a hefty lineup of musical guests to mark the occasion. Already confirmed to be heading along to join the free festivities from Saturday, February 18–Sunday, February 19: big-name Aussie acts Hoodoo Gurus, Confidence Man and Christine Anu. Now, it's confirmed that they'll be joined by Genesis Owusu, Yothu Yindi, Alice Ivy and a whole lot more. [caption id="attachment_885347" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mackenzie Sweetnam[/caption] St Kilda Festival's refreshed 2023 format is set to include the new First Peoples First program celebrating Indigenous music and culture on the Saturday. Anu will take the stage alongside acts like Jem Cassar-Daley, Jungaji, Lady Lash and Dean Brady, while the late Archie Roach is to be honoured with a dedicated musical tribute featuring Emma Donovan, Bumpy, Sally Dastey and others. The following day will fire up for Big Festival Sunday, with multiple stages playing host to artists like ARIA award-winning hip hop star Genesis Owusu, legendary Aussie outfit Yothu Yindi, singer-songwriter Hatchie, electro darling Alice Ivy and longtime Nick Cave collaborator, the multi-talented Mick Harvey, just to name a few. Throw in more live sounds from the likes of Jen Cloher, THNDO, JK-47, Ashwarya and Phoebe Go, plus roving entertainment, dance performances, community activities, market stalls, and scores of food and drink pop-ups, and it's safe to say this fest is celebrating its 42nd birthday in style. [caption id="attachment_839020" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nathan Doran[/caption] [caption id="attachment_839022" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nathan Doran[/caption] St Kilda Festival will take over the St Kilda Foreshore and surrounds from Saturday, February 18– Sunday, February 19. Check out the full program over on the website. Top images: Nathan Doran and Andy Swann.
Peruse a list of 2019's big movies, and you could be forgiven for feeling like Hollywood is living in the past. When it's not serving up Dumbo, Aladdin and The Lion King remakes, it's extending the Godzilla, X-Men, Men in Black, Child's Play, Toy Story, Spider-Man and Terminator franchises — and putting together a sequel to The Shining. The list goes on, with the new Charlie's Angels the latest to join the fold. Hello, nostalgia- and action-loving movie-goers, obviously. Back in 2000 and 2003, the world didn't really need a couple of films based on the 1976–81 television series of the same name, even if Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu made a great team. Almost two decades later, the world probably doesn't need a third Charlie's Angels movie about a private detective agency, its formidable ladies and their globe-trotting hijinks, either. But the new flick — which both revisits the franchise's familiar scenario with new faces, and reportedly continues on from both the TV show and the the first two films — does boast more than a few potential highlights. Cast-wise, Charlie's Angels circa 2019 stars Kristen Stewart, Aladdin standout Naomi Scott and British up-and-comer Ella Balinska. Like her Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson, Stewart has made some savvy film choices since farewelling the vampire romance saga, including Clouds of Sils Maria, Certain Women and Personal Shopper — and while this upbeat action flick about kick-ass ladies saving the world clearly shares little else in common with her recent dramatic roles, here's hoping it continues her good run. Elsewhere, Elizabeth Banks sits the director's chair, co-wrote the script and features on-screen as Bosley. Well, one of them — Patrick Stewart and Djimon Hounsou both play Bosley, too. Music fans can also look forward to the soundtrack, with Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey all collaborating on a song, as the film's first trailer reveals. That's a bit of a throwback of its own, given that 2000's Charlie's Angels also featured a killer track, aka Destiny's Child's 'Independent Women'. Catch a glimpse of the new Charlie's Angels in the initial clip below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSUq4VfWfjE Charlie's Angels releases in Australian cinemas on November 14, 2019.
Whether you're a tentative first-timer or a seasoned waverider — if you identify as female and you're keen to get in some surf time while the weather's still decent, Urbnsurf's weeklong IWD celebrations are for you. The surf park is honouring Aussie women with an extended run of watery festivities from Monday, March 7–Friday, March 11. During that time, all female guests will score free wetsuit and board hire with their park entry, making any wave time extra affordable. If you're new to the game or just want a bit of expert guidance, there's also a cheeky 20 percent off Learn to Surf and Beginner lessons available when you book with the code "IWD2022". And on Friday, March 11, an all-female Surf and Sip session will take over both sides of the lagoon for a laidback evening featuring left- and right-hander waves for all skill levels. Choose between a Cruiser Turns session with its gentle pointbreak-style waves ($75) or the novice-friendly Play In The Bays ($35), both of which wrap up with a complimentary post-surf bev at Three Blue Ducks. Celebrated surfer Tru Starling will also be hitting the waves, as well as hosting a chat about the global female surf movement. [caption id="attachment_844527" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Aussie surfer Ellie Harrison[/caption]
Usually when a festival dedicated to espresso martinis pops up, it takes over one place. Such boozy fests only tend to run for a day or so, or a weekend, too. But one of Australia's big hospitality chains is ditching both of those norms, because this drink needs a whole week and more than 200 pubs countrywide to truly get buzzing. Who needs sleep when there's caffeinated cocktails to sip and celebrate? The event: ALH Hotels' Espresso Martini Festival, which'll take over venues in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory from Monday, March 13–Sunday, March 19. If you're wondering why, the reason is the same that most food- or drink-themed fests pop up. Yes, there's an occasion dedicated to the beverage in question, with World Espresso Martini Day upon us on Wednesday, March 15. For the week around the espresso martini-fuelled date, ALH Hotels will pour Grey Goose espresso martinis no matter what time you drop by. Fancy a pick-me-up over lunch? After-work bevvies with your colleagues? A cruisy weekend session giving you some extra perk? They're all options — just don't expect to be tired afterwards. Among the venues taking part in NSW, Sydneysiders can hit up the Summer Hill Hotel, Kirribilli Hotel, New Brighton Hotel, The Ranch and Harlequin Inn. Victoria's list spans Young and Jacksons, Moreland Hotel, Elsternwick Hotel, The Croxton and Balaclava Hotel, too. In Queensland, options include Breakfast Creek Hotel, Brunswick Hotel, Oxford 152, Indooroopilly Hotel, Stones Corner Hotel and the RE in Brisbane, plus spots both up and down the coast. The full list also features pubs in SA such as the Watermark Glenelg, Royal Oak and Esplanade Hotel; venues in WA, complete with Hyde Park, the Belgian Beer Cafe and the Albion Hotel; and four places in the NT. [caption id="attachment_870392" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Breakfast Creek Hotel, Andrew S (Flickr)[/caption] ALH Hotels' Espresso Martini Festival runs from Monday, March 13–Sunday, March 19 at venues around the country — head to the pub chain's website for the full list and further details.
With barely three months under its belt, Melbourne's much-hyped floating club ATET is only in its infancy, but it's already met with disaster. Moored in Docklands, the venue suffered a damaging fire overnight. According to Fire Rescue Victoria, firefighters were called to the blaze just after 4.30am today, Monday, January 31. Responding to multiple 000 calls, they were able to contain the fire within six minutes of arrival. "Our whole team has put their heart and soul into this venture so this has hit us hard," the ATET's team said, sharing the drama via Instagram. "It will take us some time to regroup but the good news is the fire and damage was localised and it's nothing that can't be fixed." There was no one on board at the time of the incident. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ＡＴＥＴ (@atetmelb) Also in the Instagram post, the ATET team expressed their gratitude for the Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade, and asked for the public's understanding while they processed the incident. They confirmed they'll update everyone on plans for scheduled events shortly. Inspired by the day clubs of Europe, ATET's arrival was first announced in August, with the floating venue slated to become a new home for electro-fuelled dance parties, led by a rotation of local and international DJs. It opened in October with a launch party hosted by Novel. ATET was set to host its next day party in collaboration with Flow Music this weekend, with international DJs Madmotormiquel, Seth Schwarz, Franca and Joep Mencke headlining the February 5 event. Organisers are now looking to tee up a replacement venue. ATET is located at Shed 2, North Wharf Road, Docklands. Stay up to speed on the venue's plans for upcoming events over on Instagram.
You may not have heard of the club-shakin', bass-droppin' record label Grizzly. Yet with the ever-growing lineup of club icons that have joined its ranks since it was kickstarted by British DJ Graeme Sinden in 2010, you may well have heard (or danced to) some of their mixes and mash-ups. This Thursday, Revolver Upstairs plays host to the Melbourne leg of Sinden's tour. Grizzly are unlike other independent labels who have found their niche in specific genres and sub-genres of dance and electronica. Instead, Sinden and his team have given themselves the ambitious task of finding, promoting and representing the sort of artists and producers that slip through the cracks that exist between musical genres and styles. According to Sinden, music makes the Grizzly cut if, and only if, it is "quality and fun bass music". We're talking tunes that are as original and unexpected as they are danceable and club-ready. And now the Grizzly boys are heading to Australia with some of their favourite artists, producers and DJs in tow. Headlining the tour is Mr Grizzly himself, Graeme Sinden, whose work with SBTRKT launched him into the club-scene stratosphere and whose collaborations with Aussie darling Elizabeth Rose have emphatically confirmed his local street cred. Joining him is fellow DJ and headliner, Brenmar, whose glossy yet rugged beats have endeared him to ravers, headbangers and pill-poppers across Europe, Japan and the US.
This year hasn't been great for anyone; however, if you're a Parks and Recreation fan, a few tiny slivers of happiness have poked through. First, the Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman-hosted crafting series Making It finally hit screens Down Under. Then, the entire Parks and Rec main cast reunited for a one-off, COVID-19-related new episode. And now, Making It is returning for a second season. Premiering in the US in 2018 but only airing its first season on Australian screens via Foxtel earlier in 2020, Making It sees Poehler and Offerman them step into the competitive reality TV show realm. That domain isn't for everyone, but even if you usually completely abhor the genre, its manufactured dramas and its saturation across the small screen, you'll be smiling heartily at Poehler and Offerman's kind-hearted, extremely likeable and all-round nice show. Focusing on DIY crafting, and celebrating both great craftsmanship and genuine camaraderie, it's basically Project Runway — but hosted by Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson. With Poehler and Offerman leading the charge, it's warm-natured, filled with crafting puns and other gags, and showcases folks trying to do their best, helping each other and enjoying themselves. Basically, it's the feel-good, light-hearted viewing we could all use at the moment. And, when there's a stereotypical moment of heightened tension, it's because Making It is overtly making fun of reality TV's usual theatrics. When you're not watching Poehler and Offerman hang out in a tiny house — yes, really — viewers can soak in the talents of contestants who happen to be handy with a glue gun, great at woodworking, skilled at working with felt and other such crafty endeavours. The competitors complete two tasks per episode, with one person sent home at the end of each episode. The last person standing at the end of the season is crowned the show's 'Master Maker' and wins $100,000. If you watched the first batch of episodes and instantly wanted more, Making It's eight-episode second season will start streaming via Binge from Friday, July 31, with new episodes dropping weekly — and, like season one, this is a case of better late than never. Expect the show's contestants whip up everything from mailboxes and costumes to holiday wreaths and pet homes, and to laugh quite often at Poehler and Offerman's jokes. While the star duo do the hosting — and do it well, naturally, even picking up an Emmy nomination for their efforts — the judging falls to Etsy trend expert Dayna Isom Johnson and window-dresser and fashion commentator Simon Doonan. Check out the second season trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhWFiFfrbY0 Making It's second season will be available to stream via Binge from Friday, July 31, with new episodes dropping weekly. Top image: Making It.
What do Franz Kafka and a misspelt offensive YouTube comment have in common? Usually nothing. But in the magical world of theatre — and more specifically, Malthouse Theatre's 2014 Helium program — the realms of high and low culture are coming into proper alignment. Like the recently-ogled red moon, this five-show program is casting an exciting glow on Melbourne; unlike the scarlet lunar moment, it's sticking around until early November. Now in its third year, Helium is a celebration of independent theatre-makers and original ideas. Partnering up with Next Wave and the Melbourne Fringe for certain productions, this year's initiative from the highly respected Malthouse Theatre is quickly building momentum and looks to be a major player in this year's already bustling cultural program. First cab off the rank is SEETHrough. Run in collaboration with Next Wave, this multimedia production from Sean Jorvn and the Ilbijerri Theatre Company tells a story of a friendship between a 'blackfella' and a 'whitefella', and the differing journeys they take on the path from childhood to adulthood. However the real innovation is to be seen in its audiovisual work. Containing hypnotic videography and soundscapes, Next Wave artistic director Emily Sexton describes the piece as both "menacing and fantastical". Helium's second production, Intimacy, will continue this contemplative style. Telling the story of Michelle Ryan, a dancer diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 30, the show will be a fictionalised version of real life events and performed by Ryan herself. Devised by Torque Show, the piece will feature a live score by Lavender vs. Rose and will no doubt continue the hybridity of the Helium program with some inclusion of dance. After these two, the program gets a little weird (in a good way, of course). In what's been described as a "multimedia This is Spinal Tap", Applespiel Make A Band and Take On the Recording Industry is a live-action rockumentary from Sydney performance group Applespiel. The show follows a fictional eight-piece indie band who crave success, complicated riders and "truckloads of cocaine". Needless to say, things don't work out for them, but an insight into their downfall will prove to be amusing nonetheless. In September, the Fringe brings with it some trademark strangeness; this time in the form of The YouTube Comment Orchestra. Presented by The Last Tuesday Society, this show represents months of sifting through the dark underbelly of YouTube for lyrical gold. Like a real-time, musical Google Poetics this stage spectacular will no doubt provide some srs lolz (and if you don't like it, I'm sure there's some kind of video platform you can anonymously criticise them on). Last but not least, Kafka gets an appropriate reimagining in The Second Cousins' META. Dragging the classic surrealist tale of Metamorphosis into the modern day, Samara Hersch and co. tell the story of Gregor Samsa — a family man whose mundane world unravels into a "multi-sensory nightmare". Spoiler (because you've now had 99 years to read the original): he might turn into a giant cockroach. Malthouse Theatre's 2014 Helium program: April 30 - May, 11 — SEETHrough August 13 – 23 — Intimacy September 3 -13 — Applespiel Make A Band and Take on the Recording Industry September 17 – 27 — YouTube Comment Orchestra October 22 - November 1 — META For more information including ticketing see the Malthouse website.
This isn't new news to anyone, but 2020 has been a big year for television. With everyone spending more time indoors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, TV has been a trusty go-to to help while away the hours, days and months — whether it's beamed into your home the old-fashioned way or streamed to your chosen device. If you've spent the past few months bingeing your way through a dark superhero tale, stepping back to 50s and 60s-era New York and watching a media mogul's personal and professional dramas, it seems that this year's Emmy Awards are on the same wavelength. Announcing the nominees for the 2020 ceremony, the Television Academy showered plenty of love on Watchmen, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel and Succession, which notched up 26, 20 and 18 nods respectively. Also doing well was Ozark, which scored 18 nominations — while The Mandalorian, Saturday Night Live and Schitt's Creek all earned 15 nods apiece. From there, everything from The Crown, Westworld and The Handmaid's Tale to Unorthodox, What We Do in the Shadows and even Tiger King earned a mention. It's worth noting that the Emmys hand out a hefty number of awards, with its full nominee list spanning 61 pages — and Netflix picking up a huge 160 nominations across the entire spectrum — so odds are that your favourite show popped up somewhere. Notably for talent from Down Under, Hugh Jackman was recognised for Outstanding Actor in a Limited Series or Television Movie, for Bad Education; Cate Blanchett received a nomination for Outstanding Actress in the same category for Mrs America; and Toni Collette nabbed a Outstanding Supporting Actress nod, also in the same field, for Unbelievable. Plus, Succession's Sarah Snook earned a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Hannah Gadsby's Douglas picked up noms for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) and Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special, and Taika Waititi scored an Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance nod for The Mandalorian. Both on the local front and in general, there were snubs, too. It wouldn't be a list of newly revealed award nominees without them. Russell Crowe's performance in last year's The Loudest Voice went unrewarded — and the fact that Better Call Saul's Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn and Jonathan Banks were ignored for their exceptional work isn't just surprising, but astonishing. This year's nominations did recognise The Good Place's Ted Danson and William Jackson Harper, though, as well as Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Andre Braugher. So, like all awards nominations from all awards bodies every single time they're announced, it's a mixed bag. [caption id="attachment_756726" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Succession[/caption] The 72nd Emmy Awards will take place on Monday, September 20, Australian time. Here's a rundown of the major nominations — and you can check out the full 61-page list of nominees on the Emmys' website: EMMY NOMINEES 2020 OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES Better Call Saul The Crown The Handmaid's Tale Killing Eve The Mandalorian Ozark Stranger Things Succession OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES Curb Your Enthusiasm Dead to Me The Good Place Insecure The Kominsky Method The Marvelous Mrs Maisel Schitt's Creek What We Do in the Shadows OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES Little Fires Everywhere Mrs America Unbelievable Unorthodox Watchmen OUTSTANDING TELEVISION MOVIE American Son Bad Education Dolly Parton's Heartstrings: These Old Bones El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs The Reverend OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES Jason Bateman, Ozark Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us Steve Carell, The Morning Show Brian Cox, Succession Billy Porter, Pose Jeremy Strong, Succession OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show Olivia Colman, The Crown Jodie Comer, Killing Eve Laura Linney, Ozark Sandra Oh, Killing Eve Zendaya, Euphoria OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES Anthony Anderson, Black-ish Don Cheadle, Black Monday Ted Danson, The Good Place Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method Eugene Levy, Schitt's Creek Ramy Youssef, Ramy OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES Christina Applegate, Dead to Me Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me Catherine O'Hara, Schitt's Creek Issa Rae, Insecure Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR TELEVISION MOVIE Jeremy Irons, Watchmen Hugh Jackman, Bad Education Paul Mescal, Normal People Jeremy Pope, Hollywood Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR TELEVISION MOVIE Cate Blanchett, Mrs America Shira Haas, Unorthodox Regina King, Watchmen Octavia Spencer, Self Made Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES Giancarlo Esposito, Better Call Saul Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid's Tale Billy Crudup, The Morning Show Mark Duplass, The Morning Show Nicholas Braun, Succession Kieran Culkin, Succession Matthew Macfadyen, Succession Jeffrey Wright, Westworld OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES Laura Dern, Big Little Lies Meryl Streep, Big Little Lies Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown Samira Wiley, The Handmaid's Tale Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve Julia Garner, Ozark Sarah Snook, Succession Thandie Newton, Westworld OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine William Jackson Harper, The Good Place Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method Sterling K. Brown, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel Mahershala Ali, Ramy Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live Daniel Levy, Schitt's Creek OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES Betty Gilpin, GLOW D'Arcy Carden, The Good Place Yvonne Orji, Insecure Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel Marin Hinkle, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live Annie Murphy, Schitt's Creek OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING IN A LIMITED SERIES OR TELEVISION MOVIE Dylan McDermott, Hollywood Jim Parsons, Hollywood Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs The Reverend Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Watchmen Jovan Adepo, Watchmen Louis Gossett Jr, Watchmen OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR TELEVISION MOVIE Holland Taylor, Hollywood Uzo Aduba, Mrs America Margo Martindale, Mrs America Tracey Ullman, Mrs America Toni Collette, Unbelievable Jean Smart, Watchmen Top image: Watchmen, Mark Hill/HBO
"One more thing, Manson is small, like, really small — try not to stare," talkative serial killer Ed Kemper (Cameron Britton) warns FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) in the new trailer for Mindhunter season two. If you didn't know, Charles Manson was only 157 centimetres tall (just under 5"2), which is short — especially in comparison to Kemper's towering 206-centimetre (6"9) frame. In this season of the show — which finally drops on Netflix on Friday, August 16, returning two years after the series first hit the platform — the agents are hoping Manson (Damon Herriman) will help them solve the Atlanta child murders. For the uninitiated, across 1979–81, at least 28 kids, teens and adults were killed — and this second trailer for the show's new season shows the reaction in Georgia, the agents desperately trying to solve the case and some particularly gruesome murders. This time round, expect more criminal profiling and psychological thrills, obviously, with the show based on the excellent non-fiction book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit. Expect more meticulous Fincher magic as well, as the Seven and Zodiac filmmaker continues his on-screen fascination with serial killers. He has company behind the lens, thanks to Australian director Andrew Dominik (Chopper, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) and US helmer Carl Franklin (Devil in a Blue Dress, Out of Time). Get creeped out by the second trailer for Mindhunter season two below (and the first here, if you haven't already): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHlJQCyqiaI Mindhunter season two drops on Netflix on Friday, August 16.
MIFF is giving a massive nod to the late, great, absolute legend, Robin Williams. Following the beloved comedian's tragic passing on Tuesday, the Melbourne International Film Festival has scheduled a tribute screening of one of William's best films: the 1987 classic Good Morning Vietnam. Shaking things up on breakfast radio is one thing, doing it on a US Armed Services Radio station during the Vietnam War is another. Playing the highly unorthodox DJ, Williams nabbed an Oscar nomination for giving a finger to the system as Adrian Cronauer in his breakthrough big-screen appearance. Diverting from his dull, monotonous radio predecessors, Cronauer's dynamite, wacky morning broadcasts turn real when he experiences first-hand the horrors of war — a broadcast truth that sees him replaced and facing another battle to get back on the air. Williams balances wacky outlandishness with dramatic poignancy, channelling all the Damn the Man finesse with high-fiveable conviction. And if we could wake up every day to Williams respect for microphone technique instead of certain bullshit shock jocks, we'd be outstandingly happy campers. MIFF 2014 runs from July 31 until August 17. The festival's one-off screening of Good Morning Vietnam is happening at 1:30pm this Saturday, August 16 at Hoyts Melbourne Central. Head over here for more info and tickets. Good Morning Vietnam is one of ten ways Robin Williams opened our minds, check out the list here. Lifeline provide all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to online, phone and face-to-face crisis support and suicide prevention services. Call 13 11 14 for 24hr telephone crisis support or visit their website here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=wuk8AOjGURE
The program for The Great Game summarises its plot as 'Charles Darwin meets the Pussycat Dolls and together they set out for the Battle of Khartoum'. Don’t worry, I don’t know what that means either, even after seeing it. You’re on a trip deep into the Land of Quirk with this one, so don’t expect anything so prosaic as a definable storyline. The show is constructed as a giant game of make-believe between two housebound and stir-crazy sisters. Exploring an untidy room, the floor strewn with papers around a desk crowded with scientific paraphernalia, Elizabeth (Charlie Laidlaw) and Georgiana (Katherine Connolly) rifle through old books and antique letters, play-acting the characters they read about. One minute they are austere ladies swapping Bible quotes, the next they are re-enacting tribal rituals, mimicking birds they find described in a biologist’s notes or indulging in romantic fantasies about a 19th century British colonial officer (Bernard Caleo). The show is at once extremely batty and highly intellectual, with animal impressions and pants-on-the-head type clowning interspersed with elegantly articulated musings on history, social change, religion and other such weighty topics. It presents a jumble of disparate ideas, like an attic cluttered with curiosities, inexplicable odds and ends and occasional treasures. From start to finish, the show is resolutely vague. While it is hinted from the outset that the sisters are modern women play-acting ladies of yesteryear who are in turn play-acting other characters, it is never explicit who they actually are, or where or when this is happening. They may be in an isolated house in rural Australia, the room may be their deceased father’s office — or their isolation and the deceased father may simply be melodramatic fictions. If any theme is central, it is loneliness and the obsessions and deep uncertainties it breeds. I am loathe to criticise a consciously abstract piece like this for lack of plot or character depth — the sisters’ complete removal from context, even the context of their own identities, is significant in creating a mood of total isolation — but the resulting lack of impetus can leave it feeling adrift. The show, like its shut-in heroines, is very deeply involved in its own world and a few more windows open to the audience might have done it some good. Even at its most esoteric, however, The Great Game is easy to enjoy. Connolly and Laidlaw are tirelessly enthusiastic performers who evoke the dynamics of a sibling relationship well. There is room for more subtlety in the performances though, especially in an intimate venue like La Mama, but the cast do get a lot of mileage from the audience by playing big and their antics keep the laughs coming. The piece was first performed in 2012 as part of La Mama’s EXPLORATIONS program for developing new work. This is its first full season. Bless La Mama for helping bring this theatrical oddity into being, because as curious as it is, The Great Game certainly represents an individual and exploratory artistic voice.
He's played a shimmering vampire in the Twilight films, a circus newcomer in Water for Elephants, a photographer friend of James Dean in Life and a desperate small-time criminal in Good Time. Also on his resume: battling in the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, stepping into Salvador Dali's shoes in Little Ashes, roaming around the Australian outback in The Rover, heading to space in High Life and enduring a nightmarish seaside ordeal in The Lighthouse. Yes, we're talking about Robert Pattinson, who'll also add Batman to his hefty list of roles next year — but, before then, he's playing a creepy man of faith in Netflix's new thriller The Devil All the Time. Since leaving terrible supernatural teen romance franchises behind, Pattinson has chosen many an impressive, interesting part. Indeed, add the David Cronenberg-directed Cosmopolis and Maps to the Stars, the unnerving The Childhood of a Leader, biographical drama The Lost City of Z and Shakespeare adaptation The King to the above lineup, too. So, playing an unholy and unsettling preacher in a small Ohio town between World War II and the Vietnam war seems right up his alley. That said, as The Devil All the Time's just-dropped first trailer shows, Pattinson is just one of the film's many stars. Tom Holland leads the charge as Arvin Russell, who finds himself surrounded by sinister figures — including not only Pattinson as Reverend Preston Teagardin, but Jason Clarke and Riley Keough as a twisted couple, plus Sebastian Stan as a corrupt sheriff. In a movie adapted Donald Ray Pollock's novel of the same name, IT's Bill Skarsgård also pops up, as do Aussie actors Mia Wasikowska and Eliza Scanlen. If it all sounds rather disquieting, that's the point, in a tense feature that promises a fight between the just and the crooked. It certainly looks the part and, hitting Netflix on September 16, The Devil All the Time also boasts Simon Killer and Christine's Antonio Campos behind the lens as well. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIzazUv2gtI The Devil All the Time hits Netflix on September 16. Top images: Glen Wilson/Netflix.
For all its chilling prescience, George Orwell's 1984 made us believe that loving Big Brother would be horrifying. That just like the protagonist Winston, we'd all be dragged kicking and screaming into Room 101 for conversion. Not so. It took some time, but as apps became less and less coy about asking to root through our messages and contacts, we became less wary of them. The rebellion never had a chance. Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan aren't so sure. The pair adapted Orwell's novel for the West End production and are now directing the Australian season at Melbourne's Comedy Theatre this May. 1984, which imagines a world where all citizens are under constant surveillance and the government has a ministry dedicated to fake news, seems to be gaining relevance as it ages. If things keep going Orwell's way, though, it's unlikely you'll get another chance to experience it in a theatre. Or in any form, for that matter. So what'll it be — freedom or happiness?
Whenever you're in a traditional art gallery, reaching for your camera can result in serious pangs of guilt. You know it's wrong, but you just want to take a little memento home with you. Next thing you know, the security guard is hauling you out the door by the collar and your photograph appears in the gallery blacklist. Well, it's not always that bad. But Canadian artists Brad Blucher and Kyle Clements aren't fans of the taboo against taking photos of artworks. Their project Take a Picture seeks to change the way audiences interact with art. Blank canvases on the surface, the artworks use a series of LED lights to create simple images invisible to the human eye. The paintings can only be unlocked for the viewer when photographed by a digital camera device. The artists explain that the series "explores the relationship between the ubiquity of digital cameras and social media, which encourages all aspects of daily life to be documented and shared, and the culture of art museums and galleries, which strictly prohibits photographing works of art." https://youtube.com/watch?v=810DLIu0uBg [Via PSFK]
If you haven't yet had a chance to check out Gelato Messina's Creative Department and its gelato-led degustations, then this November is the perfect time to do so. At its Windsor store in Melbourne, the gelato fiends are adding caviar to all their dishes for a series of special, seasonal dinners. Under the guidance of head chef Remi Talbot, Messina's Creative Department is crafting a special eight-course gelato-meets-salt-cured degustation running for just three days between Friday, November 9 and Sunday, November 11. So what kind of caviar-gelato goodness have the masterminds come up with this time around? Expect Thai basil and lime granita with lime caviar, picked strawberry and red shiso sorbet with strawberry gum cream and caviar, and roasted almond gelato with potato and brown butter foam. Scampi tarts, lemon myrtle sherbet, soy-cured egg yolk and white garlic gelato are among the other ingredients. Tickets are $150 per person and, based off how quick these things sell out around the country, you'll want to grab your tickets ASAP.
Curated by boutique music agency I Heard A Whisper, White Noise offers up a program of choice aural delights to complement the rest of the festival's striking visuals and illuminations. On Friday, August 23, and Saturday, August 24, it goes venturing down laneways and into some of Melbourne's best-loved music venues, to deliver a high-energy showcase of emerging talent plucked from across the country. Trip through a broad range of genres, from upcoming acts like CLYPSO, The Merindas, DJ Colette, Pjenné & Millú, as they grace stages at Section 8, Jack & Bones, Boney, Globe Alley and newcomer Radar. To check out the full White Noise lineup, head to the White Night website. Images: Radar by Julia Sansone and The Merindas
In the best films of 2019, lush love stories swept across the screen, intense thrillers laid bare class inequities and Hollywood history was given a playful twist. Australia's dark past was pushed under a magnifying glass, doppelgängers wreaked havoc and a marriage came to an end — and they're just some of the year's highlights. Come 12am on January 1, 2020, they're all yesterday's news, however. When a new year arrives, it brings 12 more months of glorious movies. They won't all be winners, but plenty of standouts will rise to the top — and, spanning everything from slasher thrills to long-awaited musicals, we have our eye on these ten must-see movies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE7YVZA5YVc TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG New year, new searing Australian film that carves up our national identity — and boasts no qualms about laying bare our troubled history. In 2018, Sweet Country did the honours, while 2019 gave us The Nightingale. Now, in 2020, it's True History of the Kelly Gang's turn. The latest distinctive and daring feature from Aussie director Justin Kurzel (Snowtown, Macbeth), this adaptation of Peter Carey's Booker Prize-winning novel follows the country's most famous bushranger from his childhood (where he's played by excellent newcomer Orlando Schwerdt) to his bush-ranging years (when talented UK actor George McKay takes over). Don't expect a standard interpretation of Kelly's well-known tale, though, because Kurzel's star-studded affair is gritty, galvanising and spans far beyond the usual cliches. Visually, emotionally and in its performances (including by Essie Davis, Russell Crowe, Nicholas Hoult and Charlie Hunnam), the result is electrifying. True History of the Kelly Gang releases in Australian cinemas on January 9, then hits Stan on January 26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkDOuzri5hw&feature=youtu.be TENET Is it a follow-up to Inception? Does Christopher Nolan just like getting twisty every ten years? Or does the acclaimed director simply enjoy messing with everyone's heads? When the trailer for Tenet dropped, it inspired all of the above questions — but keen moviegoers will need to wait until July for answers. For now, we do know that Nolan's latest will involve time travel, the afterlife and stopping World War III. Also: spies, boats, sensing things before they happen and objects running in reverse. Throw in an active attempt to bend viewers' minds, plus many a superbly shot and staged spectacle, and Nolan is back in the territory that has served him so well since Memento. BlacKkKlansman's John David Washington leads the cast, alongside Robert Pattinson, Nolan regular Michael Caine, Aussie actor Elizabeth Debicki and Kenneth Branagh. Tenet releases in Australian cinemas on July 16. BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC It was first uttered more than three decades ago, but the world could always use Bill & Ted's main nugget of wisdom. "Be excellent to each other," Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure first told us in 1989, before continuing the message in 1991's Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey — and it'll do so again in the long-awaited Bill & Ted Face the Music. Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves are back as everyone's favourite high school slackers and wannabe rockers, who initially started travelling through time in a phone booth to pass a history report and secure the world's future. They're middle-aged now and they even have daughters (played by Ready or Not's Samara Weaving and Bombshell's Brigette Lundy-Paine), but when you're told as a teen that your music is going to change the entire universe, that responsibility doesn't just fade because you get older. Bill & Ted Face the Music releases in American cinemas on August 21, with an Australian release date yet to be confirmed. HALLOWEEN KILLS For 42 years, the Halloween franchise has been delivering stone-cold horror masterpieces, weird and wonderful detours, and entries that deserve to be locked away for all eternity with Michael Myers. The difference between the series' John Carpenter-directed best and its trashy worst is enormous, but when David Gordon Green (Prince Avalanche, Pineapple Express) took the reins for 2018's Halloween — a direct sequel to the 1978 original that ignores the seven other follow-ups and two remakes in-between — he served up one of the saga's best chapters. It helped that Jamie Lee Curtis was back, of course. Also beneficial: a meaty story that grapples with trauma, a skill for slasher thrills, a new score by Carpenter himself, and producer Jason Blum's support. So it was great news when two more movies were announced, including 2020's Halloween Kills, which brings the whole gang back to Haddonfield for another encounter with the town's masked menace. Halloween Kills releases in Australian cinemas on October 15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i5kiFDunk8 PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN From Hustlers to Black Christmas, a swathe of great female-written and directed films haven't just been dancing in topical territory of late — they've been tackling issues of gender inequality, misogyny and sexual assault head on. Due to premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, Promising Young Woman belongs in the same company, as its immensely popular trailer shows. It all starts in a bar, where Cassie (Carey Mulligan) appears intoxicated and Jez (Adam Brody) helps her home. They've never met, but he's supposedly being nice. Then, while she's virtually passed out, he makes a move — and she makes it known that she's not going to become a drunken statistic. The feature debut of writer/director Emerald Fennell, the showrunner on Killing Eve's second season, this looks like a revenge flick with serious bite. Promising Young Woman premieres at Sundance in January, then releases in American cinemas on April 17, with an Australian release date yet to be confirmed. [caption id="attachment_756329" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Marriage Story[/caption] ANNETTE It has been eight years since Leos Carax's Holy Motors hit cinema screens, becoming one of the most memorable movies of both the decade and the 21st century in the process. And, for four of those years, his next project has been eagerly anticipated: musical Annette, starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. Lavant will make his English-language debut with the song-filled feature, which follows a stand-up comedian (Driver), his soprano opera singer wife (Cotillard) and the drastic change in their lives when their daughter Annette is born. Part of the film's delays have been put down to Driver's busy Star Wars schedule (and starring in The Dead Don't Die, The Report and Marriage Story this year alone, too), but the movie finally shot late in 2019 — so here's hoping that we soon get to see what Carax's inventive mind has put together next. Annette doesn't yet have a release date. [caption id="attachment_555885" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Cemetery of Splendour[/caption] MEMORIA With Memoria, another acclaimed auteur makes his first film in English — and returns after a significant gap in his filmography. That'd be Apichatpong Weerasethakul, the Thai director who last splashed dreamlike visuals and poetic musings across the screen with 2015's Cemetery of Splendour, and whose resume also features three Cannes prize-winning features (including the Palme d'Or for 2010's Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives). It's a claim made too often, but Weerasethakul truly does make movies unlike anyone else. Not much is known about Memoria, apart from that it was shot in Colombia, but the filmmaker's work is always about much, much more than plot. This one possesses some serious star power, too, with the international cast led by Tilda Swinton. Memoria doesn't yet have a release date. HOPE When New Zealand's Madeleine Sami and Jackie van Beek directed 2018's The Breaker Upperers, they gave the world one of the smartest and most amusing female-focused comedies in recent years. For their follow-up, Hope, the duo is keeping things funny — and given that this time they'll be pointing the camera at Aubrey Plaza, that doesn't seem particularly difficult. Another movie that's keeping its details quiet for now, it's described as a romantic comedy and is being made for Netflix. To shore up its rom-com credentials, it's based on a script by Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith, who also wrote the screenplay for another great example of the genre: the modernised Shakespeare adaptation that is 10 Things I Hate About You. Hope doesn't yet have a release date. [caption id="attachment_756331" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] A Very Murray Christmas[/caption] ON THE ROCKS Sofia Coppola. Bill Murray. Enough said, really. The Lost in Translation duo reunite for On the Rocks, which focuses on a young mother who reconnects with her wayward dad during a New York adventure. Parks and Recreation's Rashida Jones and Jenny Slate also star, as well as Marlon Wayans, with Coppola both directing and writing the screenplay — as she has with all of her projects since her 1999 debut The Virgin Suicides. Of course, the filmmaker also teamed up with Murray back in 2015 for Netflix special A Very Murray Christmas, but more of this pair is never a bad thing. On the Rocks will also mark Coppola's first film since winning Cannes Best Director prize (and becoming only the second woman to do so) for 2017's The Beguiled. On the Rocks doesn't yet have a release date. [caption id="attachment_492422" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Jodorowsky's Dune[/caption] DUNE David Lynch's Dune is one of the most unfairly maligned sci-fi films ever made. It's not the version that Alejandro Jodorowsky would've whipped up — as explored in excellent documentary Jodorowsky's Dune — but the 1984 movie still has its surreal delights. Just how Denis Villeneuve's new adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 novel will fare is still yet to be seen, but the French Canadian director has already revived another 80s sci-fi property to stunning effect with Blade Runner 2049. Once again, he has amassed a stellar cast, including Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem and Doctor Sleep's Rebecca Ferguson. They'll all fight over 'the spice', the most valuable substance in the universe. Dune releases in Australian cinemas on December 26. With hundreds of movies reaching Australian screens every year, there's plenty more to look forward to in 2020 too. We've also checked out a heap of trailers for the year's upcoming flicks, including Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), The Invisible Man, Fantasy Island, Mulan, No Time to Die, Black Widow, The Woman in the Window, Wonder Woman 1984, In the Heights, Soul, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Jungle Cruise and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge On the Run. Only one of them features Keanu Reeves as a talking sage, though.
If you're not fond of cooking every night of the week, chances are you've relied upon food delivery services a little more than usual in 2020. With heading out to eat off the cards during Australia's nationwide lockdown earlier in the year — and throughout Melbourne's current strict stay-at-home restrictions as well — being able to get meals brought to your door has been a key coping tool. You might not be able to physically go to your favourite eatery, but you can still tuck into its dishes. For three days next week — from 12.01am Tuesday, September 29–11.59pm Thursday, October 1 — you'll also be able to get those bites to eat without paying for delivery. Across that 72-hour period, Menulog is hosting its first Menulog Free Delivery Fest. And yes, it's all there in the name. You'll still have to pay for your food, obviously, but you won't have to fork out a single cent to get it delivered. And, the deal applies to every Menulog-delivered order except KFC, so you'll have plenty of dishes to choose from. To nab free delivery, you'll need to order between the above dates and times via the Menulog app and the Menulog website. Restaurants taking part will have a free delivery icon on their Menulog listing, too — with the Menulog Free Delivery Fest running in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. The Menulog Free Delivery Fest runs from 12.01am Tuesday, September 29–11.59pm Thursday, October 1 via the Menulog app and the Menulog website.
The Melbourne International Film Festival have already announced that The Blackhearts Club will be the official bar of the 65th festival, but they just dropped their musical lineup — and it includes some very special, ghostbusting guests. Created by Blackhearts & Sparrows wine shop, the piano bar will pop up at the Forum Theatre on the first full day of the festival on Friday, July 29, and run until Sunday, August 14. It's set to pay homage to Hollywood's Golden Age grandeur and speakeasy vibes while delivering a series of performances inspired by the festival's programming. The bar itself is centred around a Steinway & Sons Concert Grand Piano, which will be manned by 'player in residence' Mark Fitzgibbon. Fitzgibbon is an internationally-renowned Melbourne jazz pianist who has famously played in the Shinjuku Park Hyatt Bar, better known as the bar featured in Lost in Translation. But the set we're most excited to witness is on opening night, when Mr. Ray "I ain't afraid of no ghost" Parker Jr. — aka the guy behind the Ghostbusters theme song — will headline a very special, one-off DJ set. Yes, that is his real nickname and yes, this is really happening. Guests can also expect birthday cake (it's MIFF's 65th, after all) and a full night of entertainment to follow. Other special events include a 'Gimme Danger' after party, with DJ sets inspired by Jim Jarmusch's film about Iggy & The Stooges, and a Bieber "Sorry" dance workshop hosted by the fabulous Amrita Hepi. The bar will of course feature a wine list curated by Blackhearts & Sparrows, including a few specially produced for MIFF. The simple food menu by D.O.C will consist mainly of cured meats, cheeses and antipasti ($15), along with their much-loved minestrone soup ($10) and tiramisu ($10), all of which are pre-packed for in-theatre enjoyment. This slim menu will be extended for the August 10 Aperitivo Night, which aptly coincides with the screening of the Italian film-noir Suburra. Though the bar was created specifically for MIFF, patrons don't need a festival ticket to enjoy it. And enjoy it we will. The Blackhearts Club will be pop up from Friday, July 29 through Sunday, August 14 at the Forum Theatre, at the corner of Flinders and Russell Streets, Melbourne. Visit the MIFF website for the full entertainment lineup and menu.
If eating your way through plenty of creative and tasty desserts is your current pandemic coping strategy, Gelato Messina has been more than willing to help over the past few months. This year alone, it has released cookie pies in choc chip, red velvet, choc-hazelnut, and peanut butter and jelly varieties; 40 of its best flavours; and full tubs of Iced VoVo gelato. Messina's own take on the classic Viennetta ice cream cake and a gelato based on Italy's famed cremino dessert. Oh, and it even whipped up a batch of sticky lamington-scroll hybrids as well. For Messina's next tastebud-tempter, it's doing what it has always done best: turning one of your favourite non-ice cream foods into gelato, then giving it a twist. This time around, that means a new take on its beloved cereal-inspired 'Just Like a Chocolate Milkshake' flavour. It still features Coco Pops, obviously, but this batch is all about white chocolate. Naturally, it's called 'Just Like a White Chocolate Milkshake'. It's made with Messina jersey milk and white chocolate Coco Pops, with the latter soaked in the former to get things rolling. From there, the cereal and milk are churned into fresh gelato, which is then layered with clusters of more white chocolate Coco Pops. As well as milk, cereal and white chocolate, you can expect to taste caramel and marshmallow notes, too. Messina's special desserts and flavours are always a limited affair, with this one on offer for a week from Tuesday, September 1. You can pick it up in-store or get it delivered via Deliveroo. [caption id="attachment_741473" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Katrina James[/caption] If you're in Melbourne, remember that you can only venture to shops within five kilometres of your house — and only once a day — to get essentials, including food. Gelato Messina's 'Just Like a White Chocolate Milkshake' flavour will be available for a week from Tuesday, September 1, in-store and via Deliveroo — keep an eye on the Messina website for further details.
BeerFest has become permanent fixture on Australia's summer events calendar, and this year it returns for its eleventh year. The festival is set to descend on St Kilda's Catani Gardens on Saturday, March 2 in a heady blaze of music, comedy, food and, of course, beer. BeerFest will round up over 40 artisan breweries, delivering huge lineup of 300 craft drops, alongside a stack of great ciders, cocktails and wines. You'll kick off summer with a day of tastings, food and beer matchings, and free, brewer-led masterclasses showcasing one-off creations. Some of the breweries you should expect to see on the day include Melbourne's Henry Street Brewhouse and Urban Alley Brewing, Sydney's Young Henrys and Sauce Brewing Co, and the ACT's BentSpoke. What's more, this little shindig is also packing a serious punch in the entertainment department, with an impressive musical lineup featuring Sneaky Sound System, Addy Murphy and Philip Island's Emma Volard. Entry to the festival is $32, which gets you access to the day's full swag of live entertainment. Drinks will be extra — expect to pay $1–2 for 100ml tastings or $6–8 for a 285ml pour. BeerFest runs from 1–8pm.
When it was announced in April last year that German supermarket giant Kaufland was expanding to Australia, it was surprising news. Now, almost a year later, the chain has made an announcement that's even more surprising: it's not expanding to Australia. In a total 180, Kaufland today revealed to the public and its 200 local employees that it would make an "orderly withdrawal" from the Australian market. The reasons for why it has decided to pull the plug on Australia are still a bit vague, with a short statement merely saying that the company wants to concentrate on its "European core markets in the foreseeable future". The withdraw won't be so simple, either. With plans to open a slew of stores across Australian — including 14 in Victoria and three in Queensland — Kaufland has already purchased numerous properties and even, according to The Sydney Morning Herald, started construction on a store in Adelaide and a huge 115,000-square-metre distribution centre in Melbourne. The Australian reports that the company has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars here. In the statement, acting CEO Frank Schumann apologised for the "disruption" the decision will cause. Launched in 1984 and now with 1200 European stores to its name, Kaufland is owned by the Schwarz Group — the world's fourth largest retailer. The chain is big in Germany and parts of Eastern Europe, but this was set to be its first foray into a Pacific market as an alternative to Aldi. The withdrawal has shocked the retail sector — and while it might be good news to Woolworths and Coles, it certainly doesn't reflect well on the current state of the Australian retail market.
For the past three years, Elisabeth Moss has been doing her best to smash and subvert an oppressive patriarchal society, all thanks to The Handmaid's Tale. For seven seasons before that, she had a somewhat similar task in Mad Men, just within the world of 1960s advertising. So if someone has to go face-to-face with an unseen foe in The Invisible Man — an imperceptible figure that happens to be her controlling ex-boyfriend, and that no one else believes exists — then she's a great candidate. As the just-dropped first trailer for this monster movie remake shows, the classic Invisible Man premise has had a thoroughly 21st-century update. Moss plays Cecilia, who's had to flee an abusive relationship with her scientist ex (Oliver Jackson-Cohen, The Haunting of Hill House), but can't escape him that easily. He turns up dead and leaves her a fortune; however strange things then start happening around her. Celia is convinced her violent former lover is behind it — and not only that, but that he's still around, but invisible. Of course, everyone else just thinks she's crazy. Yes, it's HG Wells' sci-fi novel filtered through the concept of gaslighting, in a movie that looks set to stand out from its predecessors — such as the famous 1933 horror version and its many sequels, and 2000's Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon. The Invisible Man marks Universal's latest attempt to revive its iconic monster pictures from the 1920s–50s, after trying to create a Dark Universe series with Dracula Untold and the Tom Cruise-starring version of The Mummy. In fact, a different take on The Invisible Man was initially announced a few years back that'd tie into both of the aforementioned films, with Johnny Depp slated to turn see-through. But then The Mummy crashed at the box office and the studio changed its plans, with Universal now focusing on standalone remakes of its famous horror characters rather than an interconnected on-screen universe. Alongside Moss and Jackson-Cohen, this iteration of the out-of-sight figure also features Australian actress Harriet Dyer (Killing Ground), Aldis Hodge (Straight Outta Compton) and Storm Reid (A Wrinkle in Time). Prolific producer Jason Blum is pulling the strings, and, fresh from the action thrills of Upgrade, Aussie filmmaker Leigh Whannell sits in the director's chair. Also, if any of the movie's surroundings look familiar, that's because it was shot in Sydney. Check out the trailer below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLAJyugYEiY&feature=youtu.be The Invisible Man releases in Australian cinemas on February 27, 2020.
The Yarra Valley Chocolaterie's Hot Chocolate Festival is back again this August. And it's just in time, too. To save Melburnians from these blustery days, they'll be churning out 31 hot chocolate flavours over 31 days. Eight new flavours will be introduced each week of the month, so make sure you plan your visit(s) carefully as to not miss out on the best. Fan favourite flavours like chocolate brownie and Nutella will return to this year's menu, along with the iconic Slam Dunk — a cinnamon and honey hot chocolate topped with skewers of mini doughnut balls. Highlights of this year's new flavours include The Wagon Wheel, topped with marshmallow and jam chocolate-coated biscuits, and the Hot Gaytime — a combination of caramel toffee and milk chocolate, topped with crushed honeycomb and served with a vanilla ice cream popsicle. The Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery created 6000 hot chocolates last year alone, so newcomers can trust they know their way around this winter-warmer. You can book a 45-minute tasting session, which includes a sample of eight hot chocolates for $18.
Icons teaming up with icons: when documentary series Pretend It's a City hit Netflix in 2021, that's what it served up. Earning attention: Fran Lebowitz, with Martin Scorsese directing. The focus: the acclaimed writer, humorist and social commentator chatting about her life for the legendary filmmaker, following on from Scorsese's Lebowitz-focused 2010 feature-length doco Public Speaking. Of course, Lebowitz doesn't need to be nattering with Scorsese, or in front of The Wolf of Wall Street and The Irishman helmer's lens, to prove a must-watch figure. Her sharp opinions and deadpan humour have made her famous for more than five decades now, and over a career spanning magazine columns, books, working with Andy Warhol, notable late-night talkshow appearances and public-speaking tours. It's the latter that's bringing her back to Australia in 2024 — getting talking along the east coast. [caption id="attachment_912247" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Harrison Dilts[/caption] "Ever since Pretend It's a City exploded on our screens, we have wanted to bring Fran Lebowitz back to the Sydney Opera House. In this special event, we all get to take on the role of Marty Scorsese and ask her what she thinks about absolutely anything in our puzzling, frustrating, sometimes maddening world," said Sydney Opera House Head of Talks & Ideas Chip Rolley, with Lebowitz's Harbour City stop presented in conjunction with the venue's talk-focused programming strand. "It's then our job to sit back, relax and laugh until we can no longer. Sydney should prepare itself for a banner night out with one of the world's great cultural satirists." [caption id="attachment_912248" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lia Clay Miller[/caption] Melbourne and Brisbane should also prepare accordingly, with Lebowitz also taking to the stage at Hamer Hall in the Victorian capital and QPAC in the Sunshine State in February. Will she chat about attending the Succession season four premiere party? Her role as a judge in the Law & Order franchise (and The Wolf of Wall Street)? Saturday Night Live's parody of Pretend It's a City? Being a columnist for Warhol's Interview mag? Growing up in New Jersey? New York in the 70s? Topics such as race, gender, media and politics? Anything that vexes her? Everything? At least some will earn an unfiltered mention — including at the audience Q&As. AN EVENING WITH FRAN LEBOWITZ: Tuesday, February 13 — Sydney Opera House, Sydney Thursday, February 15 — QPAC, Brisbane Sunday, February 18 — Hamer Hall, Melbourne An Evening with Fran Lebowitz hits Australia in February 2024. Head to the Sydney Opera House, QPAC and Arts Centre Melbourne websites for tickets — with pre sales from Tuesday, August 8 and general sales from Thursday, August 10 — and further details. Top image: Bill Hayes.
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.
As COVID-19 continues to spread around the globe, travel is in no one's immediate plans — and the airline industry is responding accordingly. In Australia, that means a huge drop in the number of available flights, both overseas and within Australia, with Qantas announcing that it's grounding aircraft and slashing services for the foreseeable future. In a statement, the 100-year-old Aussie airline revealed that it will cut flights from the end of March until the end of May, at least. International flights will be cut by around 90 percent, while domestic flights will fall by approximately 60 percent. Both moves come in response to Australia's current containment and quarantine measures, including the requirement that all international arrivals into the country must self-isolate for 14 days — and, unsurprisingly, the steeply dropping demand for air travel both internationally and domestically. In total, around 150 aircraft will be taken out of service across both the Qantas and Jetstar brands. At present, the company will also stick to its previously announced reductions from late May to mid-September — with capacity cut by 25 percent by using smaller aircraft and reducing the frequency of flights — although that could obviously drop further depending on how the coronavirus situation develops in the next two months. While Qantas hasn't revealed exactly which routes will be affected by the huge 90-percent cut, it's sensible to assume that all of them will. Big changes already announced and operational include postponing the launch of the new Brisbane–Chicago route, sending all Sydney flights to London via Perth rather than Singapore (which, yes, means experiencing that whopping 17-hour non-stop trip from Perth–London), and completely suspending all flights from Sydney–Shanghai and Melbourne–Bangkok. Given the extent of COVID-19's impact, all other airlines are obviously in a comparable situation. While Virgin Australia hasn't updated its plans since March 13, it too has begun reducing services — by six percent overall, including by eight percent internationally. Worldwide, the scenario is the same. Air New Zealand is reducing its capacity by 85 percent overall, and its trips across the Tasman to Australia by 80 percent. Airlines in America, Britain, Europe, Asia and, well, basically everywhere are taking similar measures — as is to be expected as countries everywhere begin to close their borders. For more information about Qantas and Jetstar's reductions, visit the company's website. For further details about Virgin Australia's plans, visit its website. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
Bell Shakespeare artistic director Peter Evans has teamed up with Australian stage and screen actor Kate Mulvany to bring to life one of the most manipulative, dastardly and downright evil characters ever to stand before the footlights. Mulvany will play the notorious woman-hater and generally tasteless gent, which will undoubtedly lead to some tasty additional layers in the play and a fresh look at this gem of theatre and literature. Shakespeare's classic play explores King Richard III's Machiavellian acquisition of power and has essentially served as a textbook for most politicians from Henry Kissinger to… well, you can draw your own conclusions. The themes of power, deceit and malevolence amongst the ruling elite that are central to the play, have been echoed throughout the ages. If you're keen to get more out of House of Cards, this is a good place to start. Image: Pierre Toussaint.
If you're a fan of tasteful tunes and exuberant summer vibes that don't bruise the budget, the annual St Kilda Festival should be at the top of your summer bucket list. The nation's largest free music festival returns to St Kilda's foreshore for its 39th year, bringing eight stages of live music and a tonne of food stalls and interactive workshops stretching from Catani Gardens to the south end of Acland Street. As well as bangin' tunes, the air will be filled with the scent of delicious eats emanating from more than 100 food vendors. There'll be everything from curry to burgers, ribs and sushi — providing plenty of sustenance for all that dancing. You'll also need energy if you plan on attending one of the festival's free activities, which include bubble soccer, disco yoga and Latin dance workshops. The free fun begins just after 11am and runs well into the night. Sydney band The Preatures, dance-punk Brisbane duo DZ Deathrays, singer Mojo Juju and early-200s Aussie rock band The Cat Empire are just some of the acts you can catch across the eight stages, with more than 50 percent of them female, or female-fronted. Images: Nathan Doran. Updated Jan 7, 2019.
As the title of a franchise, Insidious has already been taken. Which is unfortunate, because it would have suited the pictures of Michael Haneke perfectly. Although his movies don't comprise an interconnected series, they're linked by the filmmaker's continued obsession with the way people really behave. In the work of the acclaimed writer-director, seemingly ordinary situations become something else entirely, whether it's strangers knocking at the door in Funny Games, a family going about its normal business in Cache, or an elderly couple at the end of their lives in Amour. With considerable cunning, Haneke's stories unsettle by gradually exposing the facade behind which we all live — particularly when matters of love, loyalty and the complicated bonds of blood are involved. Sporting an ironic moniker, Happy End is no different. If you're onboard with the type of humour Haneke demonstrates in those two words, then you're well prepared for the sly comic social critique that follows. Setting the subject of social media firmly in its sights, the director's latest film doesn't hold back, tearing down humanity's contemporary fondness for screens over in-person interactions. What we're snapping, filming, uploading, posting, emailing, reading, watching, scrolling through and clicking on is one of Haneke's two main targets. How we treat even our closest relatives when we're more concerned with likes, shares and our own busy lives is the other. Opening with Snapchat footage, it's quickly apparent that something sinister is brewing. Although we don't initially know who's responsible, seeing a hamster being drugged doesn't paint a contented picture, and nor does vision of a clearly miserable woman. Then Happy End introduces 12-year-old Eve Laurent (Fantine Harduin), who is bundled off to stay with her father (Mathieu Kassovitz) and his incredibly wealthy extended family after her mother overdoses. Not that anyone in her new mansion home pays the girl much attention. They're as content to ignore her as they are her increasingly senile grandfather Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant). As Eve's stepmother (Laura Verlinden) fusses over her new baby, her aunt Anne (Isabelle Huppert) prepares to take over the family construction company, and various family crises bubble up, the pre-teen and the octogenarian form a bleak kind of bond. Other than his new social media savvy (and a standout karaoke scene soundtracked to Sia's 'Chandelier'), Haneke ticks plenty of recognisable boxes with Happy End. A little too many, perhaps. He doesn't lose his ability to intrigue, but it's obvious that he's relying upon his established tricks and trademarks, almost as if he's making his own greatest hits package. In a way, keeping to his usual beats supports the recurring message in many of his movies: that life's woes and worries tend to repeat. That said, when spotting the filmmaker's familiar flourishes is more interesting than sections of the narrative, it's also a problem. Still, even when he's retracing his own footsteps with a knowing wink and smile, Haneke's work sits in its own category. The playfulness paired with grim scenarios, the long shots urging viewers not to tear their eyes away, the unease oozing from every scene and performance: it's all there, deployed with the requisite finesse. And while the final result isn't among Haneke's best films, when it comes to plunging into the chilling darkness behind carefully cultivated public personas, no one does it quite like the Austrian master. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8Jn1AIzcBQ
Whether it's a television series or a movie, when a beloved pop culture entity comes to an end these days, fans rarely have to say goodbye forever. We live in a time of remakes, reboots, revivals, sequels and prequels, after all — and stage adaptations and film-to-TV leaps, too — so usually we're just pressing pause on our favourites, rather than farewelling them permanently. Given how successful Game of Thrones proved for HBO — even after its eighth and final season caused plenty of uproar — the on-screen world inspired by George RR Martin's books was never going to simply disappear. Indeed, before GoT even finished, there was chatter about what would come next, with the network first announcing that it was considering five different prequel ideas. It then green-lit one to pilot stage, scrapped it and later decided to adapt Martin's House Targaryen-focused Fire & Blood for the small screen as a show called House of the Dragon. Next, it opted to give novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg the TV treatment, too, and to work on an animated GoT show. And, it's been reported that another three prequels are also under consideration. Of course, all of the above announcements have been happening for so long that it's easy to forget that new GoT-related shows will eventually grace the small screen — and that we won't just merely be talking about them. In House of the Dragon's case, it's actually due to release its ten-episode first season in 2022, so you now know what to look forward to watching next year. Expect to spend more time with flame-breathing scaly creatures and the family that adores them. If you thought the Targaryens were chaotic already, delving into their history — and their love of using dragons to wage wars and claim power — is certain to cement that idea. We all know what happened to the last surviving members of the family in GoT, including Daenerys and her boyfriend/nephew Jon Snow; however, House of the Dragon, like Fire & Blood, jumps back 300 years earlier. Cast- and character-wise, House of the Dragon stars Emma D'Arcy (Misbehaviour) as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the first-born child of King Viserys; Matt Smith (His House) as Prince Daemon Targaryen, the King's brother; Rhys Ifans (Official Secrets) as Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King; Olivia Cooke (Pixie) as Alicent Hightower, Otto's daughter; and Steve Toussaint (It's a Sin) as Lord Corlys Velaryon, aka 'The Sea Snake', a nautical adventurer from a Valyrian bloodline as old as House Targaryen. And if you're wondering how they all look, HBO has also just released its first official images from the series. These Westerosi folk will all grace a tale that harks back to Aegon I Targaryen's conquest of the Seven Kingdoms — which is what started the hefty 738-page first volume in Fire & Blood's planned two-book series — and then works through the family's history from there. Aegon I created the Iron Throne, so you'll probably get to see one returning favourite. And you don't have to be the Three-Eyed Raven to know that this tale involves plenty of GoT's staples: fighting, battles for supremacy and bloodshed. Also set to pop up on-camera: Paddy Considine (The Third Day) as King Viserys, Eve Best (Nurse Jackie) as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon and Sonoya Mizuno (Devs) as Mysaria, Prince Daemon's paramour. Behind the scenes, Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal are acting as the series' showrunners. Sapochnik has a hefty GoT history, winning an Emmy and a Directors Guild Award for directing 'Battle of The Bastards', helming season eight's 'The Long Night', and doing the same on four other episodes. As for Condal, he co-created and oversaw recent sci-fi series Colony, and co-wrote the screenplay for the 2018 film Rampage. House of the Dragon is due to start airing on HBO sometime in 2022. When and where it'll be available to watch Down Under hasn't yet been revealed — we'll update you with further details when they're announced. Images: Ollie Upton/HBO.
‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.’ Although this statement may have rung true for Jane Austen circa Pride and Prejudice, her characters also got about in girdles and styled their hair like so — times have changed. A Contract of Love sees the Malthouse play host to a night of discussion and debate regarding the pros and cons of putting a ring on it, post millennium. Richard Watts (Smart Arts 3RRR) leads a debate that is bound to be fierier than your average neighbourhood domestic and coincides with the theatre's season of Dance of Death, a performance that explores one couple's experience of 25 years of wedded hell (you get less for murder). Panellists include writer and broadcaster Helen Razer (The Big Issue), the walking minority that is gay and Asian writer Benjamin Law (Gaysia, The Family Law), gay activist and Professor Dennis Altman (The End of the Homosexual?) and marriage equality campaigner Jacqui Tomlins. While the evidence is overwhelmingly negative (Britney in Vegas, Kimmy K and Kris and Carrie left at the altar), Pippa Middleton’s ass stands in strong defence of tying the knot — a reminder of the beauty that can come out of a well executed wedding. I do?
The Kite String Tangle is the project of Brisbane-bred alternative electronic artist and producer Danny Harley. After being unearthed by Triple J last year and generating some serious buzz at Falls Festival, he is continuing strong into 2014 with a national tour scheduled for February. Inspired by the dreamy and atmospheric soundscapes of artists like Active Child, The Kite String Tangle offers a combination of ethereal pop and ambient electronica. The harmonic and hand-crafted textures of tunes such as 'Given the Chance' are rallying public and critical attention, having just made it into the Triple J Hottest 100 at No.19. Before heading to the states in March to play several showcases for SXSW, Harley's national run-around is already sporting some sold-out labels. However, additional shows have been added in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. You won't want to miss this upcoming Australian producer weaving his musical magic. https://youtube.com/watch?v=6qBwQtTHu4g
From humble beginnings on Hosier Lane, Melbourne's iconic Movida has spawned a tidy collection of venues, even adding a Bali outpost to the family last year. But the team's latest project, Bar Tini, sees them sticking much closer to home — in fact, just a few steps up the lane from the original. Transforming the space once home to long-standing laneway haunt Misty, Bar Tini is a cheery little drinking spot that takes its cues from the Spanish bodegas of yesteryear. Expect lots of warm red accents, a retro-leaning timber bar and walls lined with wine bottles. The focus here is on fresh, clean flavours — eats and drinks to make you feel happy. A lineup of simple small bites is primed for grazing, featuring plenty of top-notch seafood and smallgoods. Nibble your way through tapas plates, cheeses, things smoked and cured, and montaditos — aka small sandwich creations featuring nifty combinations like prawn, romesco and avruga. To match, you'll find vermouth on tap, a hefty curation of imported wines and clever Spanish riffs on some of your favourite classic cocktails. Stay tuned also for an onsite bottle shop once the proper licensing comes through. Find Bar Tini at 3-5 Hosier Lane, Melbourne, open daily from 4pm. Visit their website and Facebook page for further details. Images: Jamie Durrant.
