Another long weekend is upon us, and what better excuse to escape the city for a couple of days spent quaffing top-notch Victorian vino as you explore one of the state's top winemaking regions? That's exactly the situation that awaits you around three hours north, when wine-sipping festival Tastes of Rutherglen returns for its next instalment from Saturday, March 11–Sunday, March 12. Once again, the region's winemaking industry is putting on a show, with 17 of its cellar doors welcoming punters for a big weekend of tastings, masterclasses, chats, feasts and exclusive menus. Nab a $40 ticket and you'll enjoy two-day access to all participating venues, including De Bortoli, Campbell Wines, Scion, Jones Winery & Vineyard and Lake Moodemere Estate. Each cellar door will have a stack of tastings to put your keepsake glass to good use, plus live entertainment throughout the weekend. Many of the wineries will be putting on their own special ticketed happenings, too. Think: an evening of bubbly, beers and burgers at Cofield Wines; a vino-matched dessert degustation courtesy of Andrew Buller Wines; and a dinner among the vines helmed by All Saints Estate's new restaurant KIN. Throw in wine-tasting masterclasses, picnic parties, sundowner sessions and a dog's day out, and you've got one wine-fuelled weekend ahead. Keen to ditch the car? Tastes of Rutherglen is running a hop-on-hop-off shuttle bus service, with tickets at $30 per person per day.
Book in a date with 2 M3GAN 2 Furious now: even if it doesn't take that name, which it won't, a sequel to 2023's first guaranteed horror hit will come. Said follow-up also won't be called M3GAN 2: Electric Boogaloo, but that title would fit based on the first flick's TikTok-worthy dance sequence alone. Meme-starting fancy footwork is just one of the titular doll's skills. Earnestly singing 'Titanium' like this is Pitch Perfect, tickling the ivories with 80s classic 'Toy Soldiers', making these moments some of M3GAN's funniest: they're feats the robot achieves like it's designed to, too. Although unafraid to take wild tonal swings, and mining the established comedy-horror talents of New Zealand filmmaker Gerard Johnstone (Housebound) and screenwriter Akela Cooper (Malignant) as well, this killer-plaything flick does feel highly programmed itself, however. It's winking, knowing, silly, satirical, slick and highly engineered all at once, overtly pushing buttons and demanding a response — and, thankfully, mostly earning it. Those Child's Play-meets-Annabelle-meets-The Terminator-meets-HAL 9000 thoughts that M3GAN's basic concept instantly brings to mind? They all prove true. The eponymous droid — a Model 3 Generative Android, to be specific — is a four-foot-tall artificially intelligent doll that takes the task of protecting pre-teen Cady (Violet McGraw, Black Widow) from emotional and physical harm deadly seriously, creeping out and/or causing carnage against everyone who gets in its way. Those Frankenstein-esque sparks, exploring what happens when humanity (or Girls and Get Out's Allison Williams here, as Cady's roboticist aunt Gemma) plays god by creating life? They're just as evident, as relevant to the digital age Ex Machina-style. M3GAN is more formulaic than it should be, though, and also never as thoughtful as it wants to be, but prolific horror figures Jason Blum and James Wan produce a film that's almost always entertaining. In her job for toymaker Funki, working under brash CEO David (Ronny Chieng, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Gemma is responsible for three of the movie's most perturbing aspects. Yes, M3GAN is one of them. But the "cyborg puppet show", as David initially dubs it dismissively, comes about after his star employee installs listening software in the company's bestselling PurRpetual Pets — aka furry, troll-like trinkets that chat back, poop if you overfeed them and, as a parody-leaning ad openly says, bests IRL dogs and cats by never dying. As technology advances, ignoring how insidiously it's surveilling us is the bargain we've generally struck, but M3GAN doesn't forget it. Fleshing out a story co-conjured up by Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring's Wan, Cooper doesn't forget the other deal we've made with our smart gadgets and even just our ever-present screens, letting them make our lives easier by eradicating plenty of our human interactions. Gemma is meant to be working on a new, cheaper but shinier version of PurRpetual Pets, with a competitor undercutting Funki with a more affordable knockoff to David's dismay; however, her heart belongs to M3GAN. Then, via a tragedy, she's suddenly Cady's guardian — and because she wears flannelette, keeps collectibles and gets cranky about her overbearing neighbour's wandering pooch, she's immediately coded as anything but the mothering type. So, getting M3GAN functional serves multiple purposes, including giving Cady the kind of caregiver that her aunt instinctively isn't. "We're gonna kick Hasbro's dick!" David exclaims when he sees M3GAN in action as a walking, talking, bonding, nurturing, do-it-all bestie-slash-nanny that he can sell for $10,000 a pop. While the doll itself doesn't ever utter anything similar — she's murderous, but also child-friendly — as its AI learns and evolves, it's gonna knock about everyone who threatens Cady and its own existence. Hasbro's wares have scored the movie treatment in the Transformers, Power Rangers and GI Joe flicks and more, and M3GAN makes junk of most. They all largely did that themselves anyway, but none have this film's namesake, who makes one helluva horror nemesis. Clearly the product of ample time meticulously getting the specifics exactly right, M3GAN sports a lifelike-enough appearance that dwells deep in the uncanny valley, and could never visibly be confused for actual flesh-and-blood up close. And yet, the size is right, it pals around with Cady like they're peers and it dresses more like a stylish 70s Barbie than a standard doll. Its physical movements are preternatural, and its arch retorts and reactions — and often just its voice — would make Mean Girls' Plastics wither. Young actor Amie Donald (Sweet Tooth) plays the part, while TikTok star Jenna Davis (Maggie) provides M3GAN's vocals, with every detail pitch-perfect. Execution: M3GAN chiefly slays it, but because Gemma fluffs it (rushing to get the job done, overlooking parental controls as well as parameters for morals and ethics, and being too eager to avoid her guardian responsibilities), M3GAN savagely and repeatedly slays. As the brutal plaything's inventor and main target, Williams is fascinating, too, especially given that she comes to the part — any part — with her most famous past role's considerable baggage. She isn't playing Marnie Michaels as an expert coder here, obviously. In fact, the fact that the deranged toy she's facing patently resembles Williams is a savvy way of having the actor tear down the idea that she's crafted herself an on-screen type. Gemma isn't the uncomplicated hero of the piece, though, as a workaholic who happily outsources caring for a child to an untested gadget, revels in creating AI life to help cope with loss, then finds herself firmly standing in Victor Frankenstein's shoes. There's bite to Gemma's path, and to M3GAN's musings on motherhood, work-life balance, corporate culture and 21st-century chaos, as familiar as they all are — and, even when simply jerkily tilting its head or stealthily sneaking up unexpectedly, to M3GAN. There isn't as much blood to the film, sadly, with needing to appeal to a teen audience ensuring that it never fulfils its gory and deranged potential, including when the body count starts ramping up and the final act goes for adolescent-appropriate broke. What this sci-fi nightmare lacks in splatter, it compensates for with that gleefully campy, tongue-in-cheek and utterly self-aware vibe, forceful as it can be; M3GAN's trailer and its choreography didn't go viral months before the movie hit cinemas by accident. Indeed, Johnstone evokes the right sardonic atmosphere with the efficiency of his central robo-slasher. 2023 was already set to be the year of the big-screen doll thanks to Barbie, but M3GAN stalks the cinematic toy chest formidably and fiendishly first.
Time flies when you're obsessing over a big blockbuster fantasy TV series, as HBO's biggest hit of the past decade demonstrates. This month marks ten years since Game of Thrones first hit screens and became a pop culture phenomenon — broadening the world's awareness of George RR Martin's books, pointing out how often Sean Bean meets an untoward end on-screen and delivering more dragon-fuelled drama than anyone ever knew they needed. Keen to celebrate the occasion like you're in a Westerosi tavern? That's an option, all thanks to a new collaboration between Moon Dog Brewing and Warner Bros Consumer Products. The two have joined forces on a new line of GoT beers, so get ready to sip a Breaker of Chains imperial stout and a Watchers on the Wall imperial white ale. The former features chipotle chilli, vanilla and a chocolate finish, while the latter pairs white chocolate with orange and coriander. Winter might be coming, but these brews are available now — so, in autumn — with the Melbourne-based Moon Dog pouring them at its Abbotsford and Preston sites from Friday, April 16. The brewery is also dedicating the weekend of April 16–18 to all things GoT in Preston. An Iron Throne will also be onsite, because clearly Moon Dog couldn't pass up the opportunity to let folks sit on one of the most famous chairs there is. Head to Moon Dog World to snap a photo on the famed seat from 4–7pm Friday and 11.30am–4pm Saturday and Sunday. Also on the menu: burgers and dessert specials so you can line your stomach.
For the past year, watching a movie has felt a bit weird. Everyone has been doing it, and frequently — but seeing huge crowds of people in one place on-screen, or life going on as normal in a film, has felt more than a little like science fiction. Fantastic Film Festival Australia knows all about cinematic weirdness. The returning fest is all about it, in fact. The flicks on its lineup don't just feel odd, out-there, OTT or mind-bending because of the last 12 months, though — they've been programmed as part of the 2021 fest because they're purposely offbeat, weird, wonderful, strange and surreal, and in the best possible way. Screening at the Lido Cinemas in Hawthorn from Friday, April 16–Saturday, May 1, this year's FFFA kicks off with a match made in movie heaven, with Prisoners of the Ghostland seeing Nicolas Cage team up with iconic Japanese auteur Sion Sono on a futuristic, post-apocalyptic western. From there, the standouts just keep coming, including documentary A Glitch in the Matrix, which ponders whether we are all really channelling our inner Keanu and living in a simulation. Other highlights include cam girl thriller PVT Chat, starring Uncut Gems' Julia Fox; French charmer Jumbo, where Portrait of a Lady on Fire's Noémie Merlant falls in love with an amusement park ride; and Siberia, with Willem Dafoe collaborating with filmmaker Abel Ferrara yet again and descending into a subconscious nightmare. Or, there's Get the Hell Out, a relentless Taiwanese zombie movie that serves up a non-stop onslaught of action, blood, chaos and literally biting political commentary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IvTKnqnOck
If humanity ever managed to cure or circumvent death — or even just stop being despairingly afraid of our own mortality — the horror genre would immediately feel the difference. Lives are frequently in peril in films that are meant to spook and frighten. Fears of dying underscore everything from serial killer thrillers and body horror flicks to stories of zombies, ghosts and vampires, too. Indeed, if a scary movie isn't pondering the fact that our days are inescapably finite, it's often contemplating our easily damaged and destroyed anatomy. Or, it's recognising that our species' darkest urges can bring about brutal and fatal repercussions, or noting that the desperation to avoid our expiration dates can even spark our demise. Accordingly, Saint Maud's obsession with death isn't a rarity in an ever-growing genre that routinely serves it up, muses on it and makes audiences do the same whether they always realise it or not. In an immensely crowded realm, this striking, instantly unsettling feature debut by British writer/director Rose Glass definitely stands out, though. Bumps, jumps, shocks and scares come in all manner of shapes and sizes, as do worries and anxieties about the end that awaits us all. In Saint Maud, they're a matter of faith. The eponymous in-home nurse (Dracula and His Dark Materials' Morfydd Clark) has it. She has enough to share, actually, which she's keen to do daily. Maud is devoted to three things: Christianity, helping those in her care physically and saving them spiritually. Alas, her latest cancer-stricken patient doesn't hold the same convictions, or appreciate them. Amanda (Jennifer Ehle, Vox Lux) isn't fond of Maud's fixation on her salvation or her strict judgements about her lifestyle. She knows her time is waning, her body is failing and that she needs Maud's help, but the celebrated ex-dancer and choreographer does not want to go gently or faithfully in that good night. Instead, she'd much prefer the solace that sex and alcohol brings over her palliative care nurse's intensely devout zeal. Playing out in a hilltop house near the British seaside that could host any number of gothic horror tales, Saint Maud directs plenty of attention towards the push and pull between its two central characters. But Glass isn't solely interested in an adversarial relationship between a pious young woman with her whole life seemingly ahead of her and the ailing hedonist who'll soon have hers cut far too short. The ideological, psychological and emotional dance that Maud forces Amanda into is gripping to watch — and shrewdly and potently handled — but that's just one of the movie's two key clashes. The other: the war raging within Maud herself. Despite her fervour, as well as the stern but feverish way in which she pushes her devotion to her faith upon others, her own story isn't straightforward. Flashes to her past, and to her previous job in a hospital, make it plain that pain, trauma and tragedy all linger in her recent history. That Maud has changed her name from Kate in the aftermath also colours her backstory, as does her alarm when she's approached by a former colleague, and the fact that her sanity just might be fraying. Set to star in the upcoming Lord of the Rings TV series, Clark also has Love & Friendship, Crawl and The Personal History of David Copperfield on her resume; however, her performance in Saint Maud is career-defining. It's one of the best of recent years by any actor, and it isn't easily forgotten. She's subtle but also severe, two traits that can co-exist in a portrayal this exceptional. She wears Maud's devoutness like a second skin, but also conveys how it itches when anything conflicts with the character's forceful but also fragile status quo. Ehle, who is perhaps presently best-known for Contagion despite boasting three decades of credits to her name, is similarly stellar in a vastly dissimilar way. Amanda isn't an object of pity, or meant to get audiences weeping for her misfortune. Her personality, warts and all, remains steadfastly intact even as illness visibly takes its toll. And, she isn't willing to simply nod, smile and acquiesce to Maud's religious zest out of gratitude, either. Most filmmakers can only dream of guiding such powerful and delicately layered performances out of their two stars — and in their very first stint as a writer and director — but again, Glass isn't willing to rest easy. In its narrative, Saint Maud is about control on several levels, as its titular figure attempts to use her faith to keep her own life and her patient's impending death in check. Behind the lens, Glass has crafted a work of supreme mastery, including in its vivid imagery and sinister mood. Whether the film is sinking into realism, embracing horror or getting surreal, the cinematography (by The End of the F***ing World's Ben Fordesman) and production design can't be faulted. As the movie steps further inside Maud's precarious existence, nor can the score, which conjures up as much unease as the overall feature. They each contribute to a swirling sea of tension, culminating in a thunderous final shot that really couldn't be more fitting, affecting, astonishing or memorable. Part of being a horror fan is spotting the genre's webs and threads, and seeing how the best and the worst examples — and everything in-between — build upon all that's come before. Glass evokes Hereditary and Midsommar-esque levels of dread as her anti-heroine is slowly forced to reckon with her beliefs spiritually, emotionally and physically. Focusing on a young woman seen differently by the world around her, her feature recalls The Witch, too. Both as a character study and as a part-religious thriller, part-body horror flick, it also feels like the product of a 70s binge. That said, Saint Maud is firmly its own movie. Awful and average films make you wish you were watching their influences, while excellent pictures leave you ecstatic that their sources of inspiration have given rise to something so stirring — and, as it haunts from start to finish, demanding viewers' reverence, this revelatory feature falls into the latter category. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP2MlPwflX4
It's the time of the year when the days begin to shorten, the evenings get cooler and your stomach starts grumbling for comfort food. But, while that'll remain true for the next few months, only one particular day will bring free tacos. That'd be Tuesday, May 4, with Tex-Mex giant Taco Bell doing a big giveaway at all of its locations. If you haven't tried the chain's Crunchy Taco Supreme, this is your chance. If you have and you just like freebies, count yourself in as well. There is a catch, though. This free taco day is themed around the moon — because the chain has decided to name the half-moon the 'taco moon'. So, to get a taco without paying a cent, you need to mention 'taco moon' or say 'I saw the taco moon' when you get to the counter. Also, there's a limit of one free taco per person, so you won't be able to stuff your stomach full of them. What's a Crunchy Taco Supreme? A crunchy taco, as the name suggests, as filled with seasoned beef, sour cream, fresh lettuce, tomato and cheese — or black beans for vegetarians. If you happen to be one of the first 20 people through the door at each store — in Altona North, Hawthorn, Roxburgh Park and South Yarra in Victoria — you'll also score a taco moon party kit, which includes merchandise.
A sense of deja vu might've just set in across Melbourne, but Lune Croissanterie is doing its part to make the city's third lockdown better — or tastier, at least. As it did last time, Lune is bringing back its 'hot suburbs'. Obviously, that's great news if you'd like to add a few world-famous pastries to your time at home. While Lune's Fitzroy and CBD stores are still open for takeaways, Victoria's reinstated five-kilometre rule precludes plenty of folks around town from heading in to pick up a croissant, pain au chocolat, lemon curd cruffin or coconut rough. So, the eatery is popping up in select suburbs and delivering its wares within a five-kilometre radius. The areas change daily, so you'll want to keep an eye on Lune's Instagram feed for the latest details. At the time of writing, the suburbs for Tuesday, February 16 have been named — so if you live in the Bentleigh, Bentleigh East, McKinnon and Ormond areas, you might want to get ordering. You can pick two slots: from 9am–12pm and 12–3pm. Orders are only available until sold out, so getting in quickly is recommended. Images: Marcie Raw.
Margaritas remind us of warm summer breezes, tropical vacays and bevvies in beachside cabanas. While jetting to an overseas island is still off the cards, at least it's summer and the salty-sour cocktail tastes just as good here. And now is the perfect time to head to your favourite tequila watering hole to order a marg in celebration of National Margarita Month, running throughout February. To celebrate, top-notch tequila brand — and one of the last tequila-producing haciendas in the world — El Jimador is getting behind bars across the country by offering a heap of drink deals over the next 28 days. Whether you want to celebrate with a classic margarita, try a spicy watermelon number or stay cool with a Tommy's, all participating bars are slinging them — and some for a steal. And, you can bet your fine tipple will be made with El Jimador's range of 100 percent agave tequilas. This means you can knock off work and make a beeline to the local pub, or head to a riverside bar to catch the sunset — with a cheeky marg in hand, of course. Or, go all-in and head to a neighbourhood Mexican restaurant that's serving up margies galore. Wherever you want to go, just be sure to check out this handy map showing all the participating venues around town. To check out the full list of participating venues, head here.
There's nothing like watching a film at the planetarium, but it's something most of us don't do all that often. Daytime sessions cater to school groups, and the Melbourne International Film Festival's full-dome program only comes around once a year. Thankfully, Scienceworks' late-night series changes that. Every Friday evening through February and March, once the planetarium's usual working day is done, adults can have fun in its impressive space. That means sitting in the reclining chairs, looking up at the 16-metre domed ceiling, listening to the 7.1 surround sound system and soaking in the best the full-dome video projection system has to offer. Short films about space protons and the Bing Bang as well as ones based around Jules Verne and Pink Floyd's The Wall will all be showing, with sessions screening at 7.30pm and 9pm. Making things even better is the fact that the whole thing is boozy, so you can grab a drink from the bar, take it into the auditorium and sip while you watch.
Prepare to step inside the mind of a cinematic genius. It's a big call, sure, but when it comes to David Lynch, it's true. No one makes movies or TV shows quite like the man who brought us Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive and a little series called Twin Peaks, and we mean no one. Don't just take our word for it — experience his movie marvels for yourself as part of the Lido and Classic cinemas' two-month-long season of all of his films. The two venues are diving deep into his distinctive audiovisual catalogue, screening every feature he has ever made on Thursday nights between June 10–August 12. That means you can watch the sci-fi flick he took his name off of, Dune, before this year's remake hits; his Nicolas Cage-starring Palme d'Or winner, Wild at Heart; and his old-man-on-a-lawnmower tale, The Straight Story. And that's only the beginning of a very eclectic bunch of movies. Also on the agenda is Lynch's moving and thoughtful The Elephant Man, the twisty thrills (and ace 90s soundtrack) of Lost Highway, and Inland Empire, aka the flick the director famously wanted Laura Dern to win an Oscar for so badly that he campaigned on Hollywood Boulevard with a live cow. And then there's the thing we've all been waiting for: no, not Twin Peaks the series, but the show's exceptional horror sequel/prequel Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me on the big screen. BYO damn fine cup of coffee. Sessions kick off at 7pm each week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyG0LqcdvU0
Christmas barely seems behind us, but it's time to start thinking about Easter already. And while there are many ways to mark the occasion, only one involves paying tribute to a cinema star like no other — and also playing mini golf in a cinema. Between Thursday, April 1–Sunday, April 4, the Lido, Classic and Cameo cinemas are all hosting Adam Sandler Fest. Although it kicks off on April Fools' Day, it definitely isn't a joke. You will be laughing at Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore and The Wedding Singer, though, and getting considerably more serious with Punch-Drunk Love. Rounding out the bill is the phenomenal Uncut Gems, Sandler's best-ever on-screen role, which'll be hitting the big screen in Australia for the first time — and, unlike everything else on the program, will be showing multiple times. While the whole festival is obviously filled with highlights, the 25th anniversary session of Happy Gilmore at the Lido will include a putt putt contest before the movie. Yep, you'll be tap, tap, tapping, with prizes on offer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTfJp2Ts9X8
Heading to a movie might be one of the easiest date night options there is, but it has remained a romantic go-to for a reason. Pair the right person with the right film, and the magic doesn't just happen on the big screen. And, some flicks are just guaranteed to strike a chord no matter who you're with. If you'd been thinking about falling back on this tried-and-tested date option for Valentine's Day, we're sure that you're not alone — but you don't need to watch whatever new release has just hit the screen. At the Classic, Lido and Cameo cinemas, Sunday, February 14 will be filled with special showings of swoon-worthy classics. See one, make it a double or, if you're special someone is a bit of a movie buff, turn the occasion into your own day-long film festival. The program is slightly different at each cinema, but a 60th anniversary screening of Breakfast at Tiffany's is on the bill at every location. Other options include 1934 standout It Happened One Night, the Cher and Nicolas Cage-starring Moonstruck, Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, and the mind-bending Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. There's also Heath Ledger singing in 10 Things I Hate About You and the Italian-set delight that is Call Me By Your Name — and some sessions are taking place on the Classic and Lido's rooftop, and at Cameo's outdoor setup. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M01_2CKL6PU
Almost three decades have passed since Samuel L Jackson and John Travolta chatted about burgers in Pulp Fiction, and ensured that everyone in the world became familiar with royales with cheese. Fancy eating one, rather than listening to witty banter about them? They're on the menu at the aptly named Royale Brothers — and, for a week, you can get one for just one cent. Yes, from Monday, January 25–Sunday, January 31, tucking into these cheese-filled burgs will cost you so little, there's no longer a physical denomination of currency to cover it. You'll be paying online, though, because that's where you'll be ordering — with the deal celebrating Royale Brothers' partnership with Door Dash. As always, some caveats apply. You'll need to get in quick at 11am each day, as only 100 royales with cheese will be up for grabs for one cent every morning. You will also have to pay for delivery — but there's no minimum order amount, so you can just get the cheap burg if you like. And, obviously, you'll have to place your order via Door Dash, so you'll need to download its app if you haven't already.
Melbourne movie lovers, prepare to be spoiled for choice when it comes to getting your next big-screen fix. With the city expected to come out of lockdown in October, cinemas are being inundated with high-profile features — and, with film festivals showing them. One such event getting the projectors whirring is the annual British Film Festival, which'll bring its 31-movie lineup of Brit flicks to Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema and The Astor between Friday, November 5–Wednesday, December 1. Gracing the fest's titles is a who's who of UK acting talent, so if you're a fan of The Crown's Olivia Colman, Claire Foy and Josh O'Connor — or of everyone from Jamie Dornan, Colin Firth, Judi Dench and Benedict Cumberbatch to Helen Mirren, Michael Caine, Joanna Lumley and Peter Capaldi — you'll be spying plenty of familiar faces. The festival will open with true tale The Duke, starring Mirren and Jim Broadbent, with the latter playing a 60-year-old taxi driver who stole a portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. From there, highlights include the Kenneth Branagh-directed Belfast, about growing up in 1960s Northern Ireland; Last Night in Soho, Edgar Wright's new thriller featuring Anya Taylor-Joy and Thomasin McKenzie; romantic period drama Mothering Sunday, with Colman, Firth and O'Connor; and Best Sellers, a literary comedy with Michael Caine and Aubrey Plaza. Or, there's also Stardust, a biopic about the one and only David Bowie — and The Electrical Life of Louis Wan, about the eponymous artist, with Cumberbatch and Foy leading the cast. Opera singing in the Scottish highlands drives the Lumley-starring Falling for Figaro, which also features Australian Patti Cake$ actor Danielle Macdonald; Benediction marks the return of filmmaker Terence Davies (Sunset Song), this time focusing on English poet and soldier Siegfried Sassoon; and Firth pops up again in World War II-set drama Operation Mincemeat with Succession's Matthew Macfadyen. Plus, To Olivia dramatises Roald Dahl's marriage to Oscar-winning actress Patricia Neal, Stephen Fry explores bubbly booze in documentary Sparkling: The Story of Champagne, and novelist Jackie Collins also gets the doco treatment. And, as part of the British Film Festival's retrospective lineup, Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange and Barry Lyndon will grace the big screen — the former in a 4K restoration to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Sustainability and soup come together in perfect harmony this week, with the special return appearance from Joost Bakker's (Greenhouse by Joost, Silo) envelope-pushing soup bar, Brothl. Yep, the celebrated zero-waste advocate is reviving his famed eatery concept as a one-day pop-up at Federation Square this Friday, October 15. Setting up shop on the River Terrace from 3–8pm, the pop-up will showcase a handful of Bakker's latest clever low-waste soup recipes — including a meat broth crafted from wild Australian game, which can cause harm to our natural environment, and a vegetarian soup option starring wild-harvested seaweed and 'ugly' mushrooms. They'll be going for $15 a pop, served in packaging from ReturnR's game-changing zero-waste system. There's more supreme slurping to be found on the day's drinks menu, which features a selection of Mac Forbes wine, as well as bottles of the new limited-release Spring Gin from Darling Distillery. This drop's made from rainwater collected onsite, and seasonal fruits and herbs grown in Fed Square's own Future Food System garden — Bakker's self-sustaining food production pop-up. The gin will be selling for $95 a bottle, available from Friday until the limited batch sells out. [caption id="attachment_828537" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The original Brothl venue[/caption] Future Food System Images: Liam Neal
What's better than catching waves at Urbnsurf, Melbourne's man-made surf park? Hopping on a board and living out your Point Break dreams, then watching Point Break on Urbnsurf's big screen afterwards. That's on the agenda this summer, with the Tullamarine spot announcing its first-ever outdoor cinema series. And yes, seeing Keanu Reeves play a surfing FBI agent trying to hunt down bank-robbing beach-lovers is definitely on the bill. The best surfing-themed action movie that's ever been made — the 1991 original, not the awful 2015 remake — is part of a six-film, six-night lineup that kicks off on Friday, November 26 and runs through until Saturday, December 11. This outdoor movie setup really couldn't proceed without it; Point Break does famously end in Victoria, after all. If you're keen to hang ten and watch a flick, you'll want to head by on Friday and Saturday nights — and you can even make a day of it from 2pm. That's when the food and beverage offering starts, including Gage Roads' brews and bites from Three Blue Ducks. Live music kicks off at 6pm each night, with the movie screening straight after sunset — so at around 8.30pm. Excellent Australian surfing documentary Girls Can't Surf will start the program, with iconic fellow surfing doco The Endless Summer also a big highlight. Or, you can see She Is the Ocean, Reckless Isolation and Andy Irons — Kissed By God, with tickets costing $30, or $20 if you're an Urbnsurf member. Top image: Adam Gibson.
If you had big international holiday plans for this year, it's highly likely that they didn't end up happening. Instead, you've probably been doing what we all have: pretending. Whether you've been taking online tours of far-flung places, watching live streams from around the globe or just choosing your TV and movie viewing accordingly, virtually travelling the planet while sitting on your couch is a very 2020 trend. Also on the cards from December 5: pretending that you're in London, New York or Paris by simply heading to Fitzroy. That's where Wanderlust Melbourne will be popping up for two months until January 31, turning five rooms on Smith Street into destination-themed installations. If you wandered through Melbourne's previous dessert and Christmas-centric events, you'll know what you're in for. It's a photo-friendly pop-up, obviously, so prepare to snap yourself next to Big Ben and red telephone booths, on Broadway and having a hot dog in Times Square, and at the Eiffel Tower and sipping a drink outside a French patisserie. There'll also be a tropical beach-themed room, complete with sand and deck chairs, as well as a frosty winter wonderland — snowman and four-metre snow dome included. Tickets cost $29.50 per person, which lets you venture through Wanderlust Melbourne for an hour — with sessions starting on the hour between 12–7pm. Or, you can also book the space for a party with up to 99 of your mates.
Add Ireland to the list of places that you won't be jetting off to in 2020, but you can still visit via your screen. And, add Australia's annual Irish Film Festival to the growing ranks of cinema events making the jump online — so Aussies around the country can pop their own popcorn, scoop themselves some ice cream and watch along from their couches. In its virtual-only guise, the 2020 Irish Film Festival runs from Thursday, November 19–Sunday, November 29, with a lineup of features, shorts and documentaries on its bill. It's serving up something for everyone, so if you're keen on a dark comedy set in a small Irish town (thanks to Dark Lies the Island) or a doco about Nobel Prize-winning author Seamus Heaney (as seen Seamus Heaney and the Music of What Happens), you'll find both on the program. Among the highlights, horror-comedy Extra Ordinary stands out — as you'd expect of a movie about a driving instructor with supernatural powers, and one that co-stars Will Forte and Aussie comedian Claudia O'Doherty, too. Or, there's also grim and involving gang drama Calm with Horses, as led by Lady Macbeth's Cosmo Jarvis and The Killing of a Sacred Deer's Barry Keoghan. Tickets are on sale now — for individual sessions, in three-movie passes and as an all-access festival-long pass. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4MRcUzmFv8&feature=emb_logo
Melburnians, you really love your cheese. You've tried a 150-cheese pizza, bought buckets of the stuff on the cheap and have entered cheese-fuelled comas in a cheese cave. Now, you can kick off 2021 with another ultra-cheesy experience: a 29-cheese gnocchi. South Yarra's Cucinetta is the eatery behind the wondrous creation, which it's bringing back for a third year. If you're keen, it's available for dinner from Monday, January 4–Sunday, January 10 — and for both lunch and dinner from Monday, January 11–Sunday, January 17. The handmade potato gnocchi is oven-baked with 29 cheeses sourced from Thomastown's That's Amore Cheese, including buffalo mozzarella, truffled caciotta (a fresh cow's milk cheese), smoked scamorza, blue cheese and salted ricotta. Setting you back $34.99, it can be enjoyed with one of 29 wines on the regularly changing list and eaten inside the 29-square-metre restaurant. Sensing a theme? Cucinetta really likes the number 29. If you, like us, fancy yourself a bit of a cheese fanatic, you're probably curious as to what the 29 cheeses are. Well, here's the full list: Fior di latte Buffalo mozzarella Burrata Scamorza bianca Caciotta Pepper caciotta Chilli caciotta Truffle caciotta Ricotta delicata Ricotta salata Mascarpone Squacquerone Buffalo bocconcini Buffalo ricotta Buffalo caciotta Buffalo mozzarella (smoked) Smoked bocconcini Smoked scamorza Smoked caciocavallo Diavoletto Secret of The Forest Drunken buffalo Lavato Panettone Panettone with truffle Caciocavallo Bufalotto Blue cheese Formaggio di vacca Cucinetta's 29-cheese gnocchi is available from 12–4pm and 5pm-late daily.
In a normal year, Melbourne's annual Italian Film Festival gives cinephiles a chance to venture to Europe from the comfort of their cinema seats. In 2020, it's doing the same — but for everyone desperate to soak in some scenic sights well beyond their own four walls, that mission feels especially resonant. Cue an impressive array of films that'll whisk you off to the other side of the planet, as screening at Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay and Kino Cinemas from Wednesday, November 25–Wednesday, December 9. With Bad Tales, viewers will head to a southern suburb of Rome during a tense summer. Via psychological drama Feel Your Memories, a trip to 90s-era Naples is in order. And that's just the beginning. The festival's other highlights include Martin Eden, which nabbed The Old Guard's Luca Marinelli the Best Actor prize at the 2019 Venice Film Festival; crime drama The Traitor, which won big at Italy's version of the Oscars this year; and a 20th anniversary screening of Giuseppe Tornatore's romantic tragedy Malèna, starring Monica Bellucci. Or, you can opt for a rom-com with 7 Hours to Win Your Heart, jump into a holiday comedy via I Hate Summer and get immersed in a legal drama with Ordinary Justice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66f3BFtAmZA
As a teen rom-com about two high schoolers working through their attraction for each other as they're also trying to work out what to do with their lives and how to simply be themselves, there's a strong sense of familiarity about Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt). It's the kind of movie that viewers will initially feel they've watched before. Audiences will spot the tropes and conventions, the scenarios and exchanges they've seen in other tales about adolescent troubles and related affairs of the heart, and the kinds of characters that typically populate classrooms and families in seemingly similar films. Here, however, this isn't a sign of laziness. Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt) wants you to register how much it resembles other entries in its genre — because it wants you to notice what it's doing differently. Of course, unfurling a queer romance within such well-worn confines shouldn't be such a remarkable act (and an Australian teen queer romance at that), but it still currently is. There's a purposeful sense of clumsiness about Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt), too. Again, that's by design. Studious school captain Ellie (Sophie Hawkshaw, Love Child) has a simmering crush on the far cooler, calmer and more collected Abbie (Zoe Terakes, Janet King), but is struggling to stump up the courage to ask her to the school formal. In fact, she even goes as far as willingly and uncharacteristically getting detention so that she spend more time with Abbie, all to try to muster up the motivation to pop the quintessential high-school question. And when the pair do slowly start becoming closer, Ellie doesn't know exactly what to do, or what's expected, or how to be the person she wants to be in her first relationship. Complicating matters is the distance she feels from her mother, Erica (Marta Dusseldorp, Stateless), as she navigates such new emotional terrain — oh, and the fact that, as the title gives away, Ellie's dead aunt Tara (Julia Billington) suddenly starts hovering around and dispensing advice about following her feelings. So far, so sweet. Whether you think of Tara as a queer fairy godmother or a lesbian guardian angel, her wisdom-imparting presence is tender and thoughtful — and funny and often awkward, as you'd expect when the ghost of a dead relative pops up every now and then to try to help someone through situations they don't inherently know how to deal with. First-time feature writer/director Monica Zanetti plays the scenario affectionately and humorously, and also to reflect how having a guiding light is usually a purely fantastical concept for uncertain teens. And, if the filmmaker had left Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt) there, that would've been understandable. The film would've been entertaining and understanding, cute and creative with its teen romance, and proudly celebratory of LGBTQIA+ perspectives. It's still all those things, but Zanetti's decision to open the door to a deeper contemplation of Australia's historical treatment of the queer community gives considerable depth and weight to a movie that mightn't have earned those terms otherwise. If Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt) was being shot a few months from now, when Sydney is slated to become home to an 90-metre-long rainbow footpath through Surry Hills to commemorate Australia's marriage equality legislation — and to mark where more than 30,000 Sydneysiders gathered together to hear the results of the country's postal vote survey on the matter — the brightly coloured stretch of pavement would've surely featured in the film. Zanetti's brightly shot movie has a strong sense of place, but without including all of the usual landmark shots that make many features feel like tourism campaigns. More importantly, it has a clear understanding of what LGBTQIA+ Sydneysiders have weathered in past decades. That activism is layered throughout the film in an overt subplot and, while it's hardly treated with nuance, it's a powerful inclusion. Simply by reaching local cinema screens, Zanetti's feature makes a statement, but it also pays tribute to all the statements made in big and bold ways — and with tragic and painful outcomes, too — to get to this point in Australian queer history. Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt)'s intentions, approach and even the importance of its very existence can't completely patch over its weaker elements, however. That lack of subtlety is pervasive, and occasionally the deliberate use of cliches and clumsiness can feel just as forceful. Some lines and ideas — Tara tells Ellie to ask Abbie if she likes AFL to get a read on her sexual orientation, for instance — are cringe-inducing rather than satirical or amusing. And despite spirited efforts by the three actors playing its titular characters, those eponymous figures are never as fleshed out as they could be, with their personalities deeply tied to and dictated by the needs of the plot. But Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt) is still a charmer, and still gives Aussie cinema something that it has long been missing. That'd be a proud, contemplative and engaging teen queer rom-com with heart, humour and a heavy awareness of the need for the kind of tale that it's telling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq1F1opr_FE&t=2s
Since late in 2019, when Disney launched its own streaming platform, fans of its animated classics, beloved hits and many, many super-popular franchises have been able to binge their way through the Mouse House's back catalogue from the comfort of their couch. For a few weeks in December, however, movie buffs are being asked to leave their houses to check out a selection of the company's famed titles — all thanks to the new pop-up Disney+ Drive-In that's coming to Melbourne. Yes, a streaming service is running a drive-in. Or, to put it another way, a product designed to get everyone watching on small screens at home is now endeavouring to lure viewers out to watch its flicks on a big screen from their cars. That's a very 2020 situation, with Disney+ teaming up with Openair Cinemas to make it happen. The drive-in will arrive in Melbourne — at the Melbourne Showgrounds car park, to be specific — on Thursday, December 3, screening films every night (except Tuesdays) until Monday, December 28. As for what'll be screening, the Disney+ Drive-In is working through the Mouse House's hits, screening single features each night. Quite a few sessions have already sold out now that Melbourne is easing back to normality, but The Force Awakens will take you into the Star Wars universe — and you can get your Marvel fix via Thor: Ragnarok. Among the throwback titles, Freaky Friday, The Simpsons Movie and Big are all on the bill, as is The Muppet Christmas Carol. Or, you can croon tunes to The Greatest Showman and watch the live-action version of The Lion King, too. Popcorn, snacks and drinks will be available onsite — or you can bring your own. It's strictly a no-alcohol affair, though. And, ticket-wise, you'll be paying per car; however, prices vary depending the number of people in your car.
When the Australian Centre for the Moving Image announced Light: Works from Tate's Collection, the venue's huge winter exhibition, you could be forgiven for thinking that it sounded like a bit of a departure. But light is critical to moving images — we wouldn't have the striking visuals that grace cinema and television screens without it. We wouldn't have the work of Australian filmmaker Warwick Thornton, either — and, given that he not only writes and directs, but is also a cinematographer on his own and other creative's efforts, he's well aware of how crucial light is to telling filmed stories. Everything he's helped splash across a screen makes that plain, from his own features such as Samson & Delilah and Sweet Country through to TV shows Mystery Road and Firebite, and also lensing Radiance and The Sapphires. [caption id="attachment_861204" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Please credit Mark Rogers as photographer when published.[/caption] Don't just take our word for it — take Thornton's himself. Across the three-session Warwick Thornton x Light program between Friday, July 15–Sunday, July 17, he's heading to ACMI to explore how mastering the technical language of light has shaped his work. If you're keen to hear the Kaytetye man and one of the nation's best directors talk about his career, then head along at 6.30pm on Friday, when he'll be chatting with none other than beloved film critic Margaret Pomeranz. Or, at 12.30pm on Saturday, he'll introduce a session of Sweet Country that'll play as a double with Jim Jarmusch's Down by Law, which was shot by director of photography Robby Müller — and at 3pm on Sunday, he'll do the same with Samson & Delilah and Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas, which Müller also lensed. Images: Mark Rogers.
Idris Elba fights a lion. That's it, that's Beast, as far as film pitches go at least. This South Africa-set thriller's one-sentence summary is up there with 'Jason Statham battles a giant shark' and 'Liam Neeson stares down wolves' — straightforward and irresistible, obviously, in enticing audiences into cinemas. That said, the latest addition to the animals-attack genre isn't as ridiculous as The Meg, and isn't a resonant existential musing like The Grey. What this creature feature wants to be, and is, is a lean, edge-of-your-seat, humanity-versus-nature nerve-shredder. Director Baltasar Kormákur (Adrift) knows that a famous face, a relentless critter as a foe, and life-or-death terror aplenty can be the stuff that cinema dreams and hits are made of. His movie isn't completely the former, but it does do exactly what it promises. If it proves a box office success, it'll be because it dangles an easy drawcard and delivers it. There is slightly more to Beast than Idris Elba brawling with the king of the jungle, of course — or running from it, trying to hide from it in a jeep, attempting to outsmart it and praying it'll tire of seeing him as prey. But this tussle with an apex predator is firmly at its best when it really is that simple, that primal and, with no qualms about gore and jump scares, that visceral. Elba (The Harder They Fall) plays recently widowed American doctor Nate Samuels, who is meant to be relaxing, reconnecting with his teenage daughters Mare (Iyana Halley, Licorice Pizza) and Norah (Leah Jeffries, Rel), and finding solace in a pilgrimage to his wife's homeland. But Beast wouldn't be called Beast if the Samuels crew's time with old family friend Martin (Sharlto Copley, Russian Doll), a wildlife biologist who oversees the nature reserve, was all placid safaris and sunsets. Kormákur doesn't even pretend that bliss is an option, or that the stalking, scares and big man/big cat showdown aren't coming. Ramping up the tension from the outset, his feature begins with the reason that its main maned (and unnamed) creature wants to slash his way through Nate and company: poachers hunting, with the culprits sneaking in at night to elude human eyes and snuff the light out of every feline in a targeted pride, which leaves one particularly large animal, the patriarch, angry and vengeful. Arriving unknowingly in the aftermath, the Samuels family have just chosen the wrong time to visit. Their first encounter with another pride, which Martin helped raise, leaves them awestruck instead of frightened; then they spy Beast's killer beast's handiwork at a nearby village, and surviving becomes their only aim. Swap out Elba from the 'Idris Elba fights a lion' equation and Kormákur would've had a far lesser film on his hands. His premise, wonderfully concise as it is, wouldn't work with any old actor. His entire movie wouldn't, and Beast works on the level it's prowling on — mostly. Screenwriter Ryan Engle (Rampage), using a story by Jaime Primak Sullivan (Breaking In), gives Nate grief and guilt over his past mistakes to grapple with as well as that persistent lion. Yes, the script is that cliched, because action heroes almost always seem to be wooing, worrying about or mourning a woman while they're endeavouring to save something, be it the world, their families or themselves. Elba dances the bereaved absent father dance well, though, with the Beast's depths springing from him rather than the material and its deceased spouse/regretful dad/seize-the-day tropes. Whether coming to widespread fame in one of the best TV dramas ever made, cancelling the apocalypse in a different on-screen altercation with critters, or playing a complicated detective, the man with The Wire, Pacific Rim and Luther on his resume (but not yet Bond) excels at playing people juggling problems and worries beyond their immediate threats. As sure as any feline, big, small, wild or domesticated, will swipe when it's being aggressive, that's what makes Elba brawling with Beast's revenge-seeking big cat such an appealing idea. The other troubles his character weathers here are both formulaic and thinly written, as they were always likely to be in a 93-minute lion attack flick — but, reliably as ever, Elba imparts Nate with the unflinching sense that this bout of king-of-the-jungle chaos is just one of many burdens he's had to face. Elba would've brought that complexity to his part even if Beast didn't saddle Nate with an obligatory dead wife, and often that trauma feels like every other animal in the feature — merely there because the film needs to be about more than Elba feuding with a lion. Nate's thorny relationship with his daughters could've still prickled, then softened and resolidified in the throes of panic, anyway; indeed, both Halley and Jeffries are at their finest when Mare and Norah have to be resourceful, brave and in the moment amid such ever-lurking danger. Kormákur makes that peril palpable, too. With cinematographer Philippe Rousselot (an Oscar-winner three decades ago for A River Runs Through It), he keeps the camera moving and roving amid eye-catching surroundings, letting the beauty of the place linger but rarely allowing a minute's peace in lengthy, unbroken shots. The Samuels' new nemesis is fast, savage and erratic, after all — even if lions are majestic creatures — and also willing to lay in wait, and the director of disaster movies Adrift and Everest wants his viewers to feel all of the above. Perhaps it's apt that when Beast struggles, it's because it's doing more than it needs to, but also with not enough effort — over-plotting Nate, Mare, Norah and Martin's backstories, and yet keeping them so well-worn. The pixels behind the film's animal antagonist also suffer a touch of the same fate; in trying to truly terrify, this CGI cat looks photorealistic as the live-action The Lion King's creatures did, but also preternatural. Nonetheless, the narrative's inherent silliness and illogical leaps aside, too — yes, including Elba punching the movie's bloodthirsty namesake — Beast remains as ruthlessly proficient as a lion at drawing, demanding and grabbing attention. Add it to the menagerie alongside alligator flick Crawl, another wholly predictable, sparse, taut, menacing and effective effort that's never Jaws but never Sharknado. It also isn't 1981's Roar, the wildest lion picture that'll ever exist and one plagued by animal attacks off-screen as well, but nothing else is.
Do you find yourself wondering what this existence is all about? How we came to be? What it means to live a short life in an expansive universe? Well, wonder no more, you curious beings. Professor Brian Cox is bringing his dazzlingly brilliant mind and science expertise Down Under with Horizons: A Space Odyssey, the live stage show that explores those very questions. ICYMI, Cox is a world-record holding (highest ticket sales for a science show) physicist, TV host and best-selling author. And this spring, the talent is fusing his planetary passions with showstopping production values for an entertaining, educational and thought-provoking journey through the cosmos. On Saturday, October 15, Cox will hit the stage at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Staggering visuals travelling through faraway galaxies, supermassive black holes and alien worlds will backdrop an inquisitive celebration of human life, philosophy and art. Expect deep questions, expert knowledge and Cox's optimistic eye examining the existentialism in all of us. To nab your tickets to the intergalactic stage show in Melbourne, head to the website.
Sorry Mario Kart. Move over Tetris. Forget Wii Sports, Pokémon Go, Street Fighter or whatever other title first springs to mind whenever you think about video games. They're all well and good, but they aren't about to take over the big screen at Melbourne's Australian Centre for the Moving Image. No, that honour goes to homegrown hit Untitled Goose Game. Made in Melbourne, and gaining millions of fans since it was released by House House in 2019, Untitled Goose Game is a puzzle game — and, yes, it's about a goose. You play as the bird, and your aim is to move objects and other characters, and just generally cause chaos in a small village. No description can really do it justice, though — you just need to play it. As well as filling oh-so-many video game-playing hours over the past few years, Untitled Goose Game sports an ARIA-nominated original soundtrack by Dan Golding — and that'll be played by an orchestra during ACMI's Untitled Goose Game Live shows. Make a date with the Federation Square spot on Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9, and prepare to see and hear one of the gaming phenomenons of the 21st century like you've never seen or heard it before. Orchestra Victoria will be bringing the music to life at this world-premiere event, playing a new arrangement of Golding's soundtrack that's been crafted just for the show and features tunes by classical French composer Claude Debussy. The musicians will also react live to what's happening on the screen, meaning that each gig will play out differently. Untitled Goose Game Live takes place at 3.30pm and 6pm on the Friday, and at 11am and 1pm on the Saturday. And yes, if you've been to orchestral shows featuring Harry Potter flicks, Studio Ghibli's delights, Toy Story and more before, the concept here is the same — just with a super-popular video game about a pesky goose. Check out the Untitled Goose Game trailer below:
All plot, all the time: that's how some filmmakers craft movies. Every scene leads to the next, then to the next and so on, connecting the story dots so that event A plus event B (plus event C, event D, event E and more) neatly equals wherever the narrative eventually ends up. Clio Barnard is not one of those writers or directors. Every scene always leads to the next in every film that tells any tale, no matter who's spinning it, but much of what happens in the Dark River and The Selfish Giant helmer's movies doesn't change, shift or drive the plot at all. Indeed, her features often have storylines that seem straightforward, as the tender and tremendous Ali & Ava does. But that uncomplicated appearance — including here, where a man and a woman meet, sparks fly, but complications arise — couldn't be more deceptive. In Ali & Ava, that man and woman are indeed Ali (Adeel Akhtar, Killing Eve) and Ava (Claire Rushbrook, Ammonite), both residents of Bradford in Barnard's native West Yorkshire. He's a working-class landlord — a kind and affable one, noticeably — from a British Pakistani family, and was once an EDM DJ. She's an Irish-born teacher's assistant at the school where one of Ali's tenants' children attends. Frequently, he's on drop-off and pick-up duty, because he is that helpful to his renters. So, when the skies open one day during his school run, Ali offers Ava a ride home rather than seeing her walk to the bus in the pouring rain. They chat, click, laugh, bond over a shared passion for music and slowly let their guards down. But what would a romance be, especially an on-screen one, if the path to love truly was effortlessly smooth? With a lyrical social-realist bent that'd do Ken Loach, living patron saint of British lyrical social-realist filmmaking, proud — see: Loach's I, Daniel Blake and Sorry We Missed You for his two most recent examples — Barnard unpacks everything that roughs up Ali and Ava's tentative courtship. But there's another English director who springs to mind, too, thanks to the way that Ali & Ava can turn from poignant to portentous in a second: This Is England and The Virtues' Shane Meadows. His work finds bliss and joy in ordinary, everyday moments, and also violence and menace as well. One can become the other so quickly that, if it didn't all feel so genuine and authentic, a case of whiplash might be the end result. All three filmmakers possess a commitment to detailing lives that aren't typically fodder for celluloid dreams; all three, including Barnard with The Selfish Giant and now Ali & Ava, make features in the vein that are potent, perceptive, dripping with empathy and as emotionally raw as films come. Ali, friend to everyone, is troubled by more than just regret about no longer hitting the decks. He has a wife, Runa (Ellora Torchia, Midsommar), who no longer loves him or wants to be with him. But he's too proud to tell his family, so they still live together while she keeps studying. That brings judgement his way, with his sister Usma (Krupa Pattani, Ron's Gone Wrong) vocal in her disapproval about his growing closeness with Ava. It makes Ava apprehensive as well, unsurprisingly. She already has enough of her own worries as it is, caring for her five kids — some of which have had kids of their own — as a single mother. One, her son Callum (Shaun Thomas, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children), remains affected by his father's death a year earlier, and also his parents' breakup before that. He's far from welcoming to Ali as a result, terrifyingly so, hating even the idea of him as his mother's potential friend. Writing a devastatingly layered script, Barnard spies the myriad of factors that test her titular twosome. She sees them with unflinching eyes, in fact. Racism is a constant that Ali is forced to live with. For Ava — who has a top arts degree, but needs a secure job that makes ends meet to support her family — classism has long worked the same way. On both sides, someone that Ali and Ava each knows has a strong, instant, knee-jerk reaction. On both sides, the pair's past woes linger like ghosts. Barnard took inspiration for Ali and Ava from people she met while making her other movies, and she knows that there's nothing that's simple about anyone's life, not for a moment. She knows that we're all haunted by everything that's ever pierced our happiness and shattered our fantasies, and she's determined to wade through exactly what that means. Grief, trauma, domestic violence, mental health, the responsibilities of being a parent and grandparent, the expectations of families, the strength it takes to care for others, the weight of forsaking your hopes and wishes for someone else, the complexities of looking for love when a big chunk of your days are behind you: they all have a place in this deeply thoughtful film. So does daring to put yourself first, striving to work past each and every roadblock, being willing to fight for what you want, and braving the unshakeable truth that nothing is ever 100-percent rosy. These themes, ideas and factors all percolate as the movie spends time with Ali and Ava, rather than through purposeful and overt plot point after purposeful and overt plot point. Again, that's the kind of filmmaker that Barnard is. Off-screen, we get to know people through their company; on-screen here, with cinematographer Ole Bratt Birkeland shooting as he did with the director's astonishing 2010 debut The Arbor, that's what Ali & Ava does, too. The picture's namesakes, and the actors behind them, prove exceptional company. They provide wonderfully laid-bare performances as well, which Barnard directs — and Birkeland lights and lenses — with feeling to match. Just as Ali and Ava's existences swing between euphoric and struggling, the movie about them balances its naturalistic, keenly observant approach with a poetic eye. Never is this more apparent than in scenes where Ali, Ava or both are listening to music. Sometimes he dances on top of his car, or on her couch. Sometimes they sit in his vinyl-filed basement. Sometimes they're just driving. Wherever they are and whatever they're listening to, forcefully and dutifully progressing the plot is never the point; learning who Ali & Ava's eponymous figures are, and understanding them as intensely as possible, always is.
What do two nuns in the throes of sexual ecstasy gasp? "My god" and "sweet Jesus", of course. No other filmmaker could've made those divine orgasmic exclamations work quite like Paul Verhoeven does in Benedetta, with the Dutch filmmaker adding another lusty, steamy, go-for-broke picture to his resume three decades after Basic Instinct and more than a quarter-century since Showgirls. His latest erotic romp has something that his 90s dives into plentiful on-screen sex didn't, however: a true tale, courtesy of the life of the movie's 17th-century namesake, whose story the writer/director and his co-scribe David Birke (Slender Man) adapt from Judith Brown's 1986 non-fiction book Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy. For anyone that's ever wondered how a religious biopic and nunsploitation might combine, this is the answer you've been praying for. Frequently a playful filmmaker — the theories that Showgirls is in on its own joke keep bubbling for a reason — Verhoeven starts his first film since 2016's Elle with that feature's more serious tone. The screen is back, the words "inspired by real events" appear and the score is gloomy. When Benedetta's titular figure appears as a girl (played by Elena Plonka, Don't Worry About the Kids), she's the picture of youth and innocence, and she's also so devoted to her faith that she's overjoyed about joining a convent in the Tuscan village of Pescia. But then villains interrupt her trip, and this pious child demonstrates her favour with the almighty by seemingly getting a bird to shit in a man's eye. It isn't quite as marvellous as turning water into wine, but it's its own kind of miracle. As an adult (Virginie Efira, Bye Bye Morons), she'll talk to strapping hallucinations of Jesus (Jonathan Couzinié, Heroes Don't Die), too, and use her beloved childhood statuette of the Virgin Mary as a dildo. There is no line between the sacred and the profane in Benedetta: things can be both here, and frequently are. Case in point: on her first night at the convent, after a bartering session between her father (David Clavel, French Dolls) and the abbess (Charlotte Rampling, Dune) over the girl's dowry for becoming a bride of christ, a statue of the Virgin Mary collapses upon Benedetta, and she shows her sanctity by licking the sculpture's exposed breast. So, 18 years later, when she's both seeing Jesus and attracted to abused newcomer Sister Bartolomea (Daphné Patakia, Versailles), they're the most natural things that could happen. To Benedetta, they're gifts from god, too. She does try to deny her chemistry with the convent's fresh novice at first, but the lord wants what he wants for her. Unsurprisingly, not everyone in the convent — the abbess' daughter Sister Christina (Louise Chevillotte, Synonyms) chief among them — agrees, approves or in believes in her visions. Verhoeven puts his own faith in crafting a witty, sexy, no-holds-barred satire. That said, he doesn't ever play Benedetta as a one-note, over-the-top joke that's outrageous for the sake of it. His protagonist believes, he just-as-devoutly believes in her — whether she's a prophet, a heretic or both, he doesn't especially care — and he also trusts her faith in her primal desires. His allegiance is always with Benedetta, but that doesn't mean that he can't find ample humour in the film or firm targets to skewer. The hypocrisy of religion — "a convent is not a place of charity, child; you must pay to come here," the abbess advises — gets his full comic attention. Having the always-great Rampling on-hand to personify the Catholic Church at its most judgemental and least benevolent (at its money-hungry worst, too) helps considerably. Indeed, what the veteran English actor can do with a withering glare and snarky delivery is a movie miracle. The filmmaker behind RoboCop, Total Recall and Starship Troopers' futuristic visions has also long trusted in sex and violence. Here, he trusts that thrusting them together in a story about a lesbian nun who shows signs of the stigmata and scandalises her convent several times over will create his favourite kind of on-screen chaos. He's right, but there's always a smart and scathing point to Benedetta's nudity, fornication and physical altercations, and to how viciously the church responds. Humanity is messy. People are flesh and pulsating urges, no matter who they deify. Those who grasp power by instilling fear and demanding unquestioning allegiance will never put the masses ahead of their own dominance. Amid the boobs, blood and potential vaginal splinters — and communal defecation, farts lit on fire and gynaecological torture tools — these truths are steadfast. While Rampling is clearly having a ball as the abbess — and still gives the figure vulnerability — it's the committed and spirited Efira who goes deep. She visibly relishes her role as well, and brings depth, nuance and poignancy to every swoop and swirl in its tonal rollercoaster ride. The skill required to slide from religiously rapturous to sexually euphoric can't be underestimated, but Efira ensures it looks seamless and never silly, even when the film swings between soapy Jesus makeout sessions, matriarchal power struggles, porn-style sapphic tumbles in the convent sheets and comets in the sky. As Verhoeven already does, his French lead makes Benedetta's audience believe in her, too. She's fervent, bold, intelligent, rebellious and passionate, all traits her character shares, and exposes as much of Benedetta's emotional landscape as she does skin. As she navigates a torrid affair, beatific faith, the worst of Catholicism's scorn and even the looming threat of the plague (everything's a pandemic movie now), Efira is a beaming vision herself. That's part of the self-aware altar that Verhoeven worships at, knowing the glamour his star brings to a film that's always going to be known as "that lesbian nun flick" — and actively embracing the 'hot lesbian' on-screen trope while using his lead character and entire movie to subvert everything they come into contact with. He's also visually meticulous to a painterly degree; Benedetta is ravishing in multiple ways, including in the contrasting colour palette its bodies, habits and 17th-century convent life in general affords. That the feature ultimately avoids hitting just the obvious spots, embraces mayhem, gleefully provokes and doesn't completely penetrate as far as it could feels like an appropriate climax, and it's also the result that only Verhoeven could've bestowed.
There's something rather cool about being ahead of the curve when it comes to cinema, watching the latest and greatest flicks on the silver screen well before anyone else. And at Australia's biggest short film festival, you can do just that. The internationally acclaimed Flickerfest is celebrating its 31st year in 2022, so you can expect an A-class lineup of cinematic delights. The annual short film festival is Australia's leading Academy Award-qualifying short film fest, and it's backed with BAFTA recognition, too. Get a window into the cinematic mastery that has received both national and international acclaim, all acknowledged as the most inspiring, provocative and entertaining pieces to see. With a whopping 3200 submissions this year, and films gracing the screens of over 45 venues nationally, the Flickerfest Tour lineup will have something for everyone. This April, the Best of Melbourne Shorts brings a curated screening of 11 award-winning short films from thriving Victorian filmmakers. The one-night-only event kicks off at 7pm at The Kino Palace Cinema, with popcorn and drinks on arrival. Promising emotive coming-of-age storylines, writing that brings wit and creativity in droves and the exploits of a woman whose addiction to retail therapy is uncovered by an introverted gamer — you will laugh, cry and be inspired. Head down early to mingle with industry experts and hear insights from filmmakers fresh from their Flickerfest premieres. To see the full Flickerfest 2022 program and grab tickets, head to the website. Images: Flickerfest
It was true in the 90s, and it remains that way now: when Jim Carrey lets loose, thrusting the entire might of his OTT comedic powers onto the silver screen, it's an unparalleled sight to behold. It doesn't always work, and he's a spectacular actor when putting in a toned-down or even serious performance — see: The Truman Show, The Majestic, I Love You Phillip Morris and his best work ever, the sublime Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind — but there's a reason that the Ace Venture flicks, The Mask and Dumb and Dumber were some of the biggest movies made three decades back. Carrey is now a rarity in cinemas, but one franchise has been reminding viewers what his full-throttle comic efforts look like. Sadly, he's also the best thing about the resulting films, even if they're hardly his finest work. That was accurate in 2020's Sonic the Hedgehog, and it's the same of sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 2 — which once again focuses on the speedy video game character but couldn't feel like more of a drag. The first Sonic movie established its namesake's life on earth, as well as his reason for being here. Accordingly, the blue-hued planet-hopping hedgehog (voiced by The Afterparty's Ben Schwartz) already made friends with small-town sheriff Tom Wachowski (James Marsden, The Stand). He already upended the Montana resident's life, too, including Tom's plans to move to San Francisco with his wife Maddie (Tika Sumpter, Mixed-ish). And, as well as eventually becoming a loveable member of the Wachowski family, Sonic also wreaked havoc with his rapid pace, and earned the wrath of the evil Dr Robotnik (Carrey, Kidding) in the process. More of the same occurs this time around, with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 taking a more-is-more approach. There's a wedding to ruin, magic gems to find and revenge on the part of Robotnik. He's teamed up with super-strong echidna Knuckles (voiced by The Harder They Fall's Idris Elba), in fact, while Sonic gets help from smart-but-shy fox Tails (voice-acting veteran Colleen O'Shaughnessey). Gone are the days when an animated critter's teeth caused internet mania. If that sentence makes sense to you, then you not only watched the first Sonic the Hedgehog — you also saw the chatter that erupted when its initial trailer dropped and the fast-running creature's humanised gnashers looked oh-so-disturbing. Cue a clean-up job that couldn't fix the abysmal movie itself, and an all-ages-friendly flick that still made such a ridiculous amount of money (almost $320 million worldwide) that this follow-up was inevitable. The fact that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 arrives a mere two years later does indeed smack of a rush job, and the end product feels that way from start to finish. That isn't the only task this swift second outing is keen to set up, with bringing in fellow Sega characters Knuckles and Tails the first step to making a Sonic Cinematic Universe. Yes, with Morbius reaching theatres on the exact same day as Sonic the Hedgehog 2, it's an ace time for sprawling start-up franchises sparked by a quest for cash rather than making great cinema — an ace time for the folks collecting the money, that is, but not for audiences. Both otherwise unrelated movies are flimsy, bland and woefully by-the-numbers, and seem to care little that they visibly look terrible thanks to unconvincing CGI. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 also falls victim to one of the worst traits seen in family-appropriate pictures: being happy to exist purely as a distraction. That means pointless needle drops that shoehorn in pop hits for no reason other than to give kids a recognisable soundtrack to grab their attention, and an exhausting need to whizz from scene to scene (and plot point to plot point) as if the film itself is suffering a sugar rush. Also covered: unnecessary pop-culture references, including inexplicably name-dropping Vin Diesel and The Rock, and also nodding to all things Indiana Jones. Sonic the Hedgehog 2's fondness for dashing through its sequences and setpieces like it's racing against a clock could be seen as a simple case of the film endeavouring to emulate its protagonist — but it also runs for over two hours, so truly delivering a turbo whirlwind isn't on returning director Jeff Fowler's mind. Rather, the feature seems to flit by at a breakneck pace so that nothing could possibly linger, which is one of its few attempted gifts to viewers. The other is still Carrey, although he can't carry the movie this time around. To be specific, he doesn't appear to want to. He also seems to be leaning heavier on easy gimmickry rather than genuine goofiness, but he's happily still in anarchic mode. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 definitely can't match him, though, despite zipping as much chaos across the screen as it can (and as hurriedly as can). Try as it might, the film doesn't make anyone forget its inane Hawaiian wedding scenes, which earn far too much focus because they shouldn't receive any. In the year 2022, second-time Sonic writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller — plus newcomer John Whittington (The Lego Ninjago Movie) — somehow thought it was okay to rely upon bridezilla tropes in the name of supposed humour, and the result is unfunny and lazy. This narrative choice also gives The White Lotus' Natasha Rothwell a thankless part, but then no flesh-and-blood actor who's playing it straight fares well here. That leaves Carrey, and also the voice work behind the movie's primary colour-toned animated creatures. Schwartz still sounds as if he's doing Parks and Recreation's Jean-Ralphio right down to a "the woooorst" joke, but Elba's line readings at least raise a smile by being so self-serious. Throw in an over-emphasised message about the importance of family like this is a stealth Fast and Furious flick — yes, clearly the title would fit, and there's also that Vin Diesel and The Rock mention — and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 just keeps getting more and more derivative. It knows it, actually. It even makes a gag about it. But as with almost everything it serves up, throwing things at the screen like blazes and being well-aware you're doing it doesn't make for an entertaining, average or even passable-enough time at the movies. Image: courtesy Paramount Pictures and Sega of America.
Five Melburnians are in for a treat each Wednesday this month, with Hendrick's Gin's new Cucumber Concierge hotline helping juniper enthusiasts craft a cucumber-garnished gin and tonic at home. On each Wednesday in March between 4–5pm, gin lovers in one Melbourne area can call the hotline — 1800 HG CUKE — for their shot at Hendrick's latest giveaway. The first five callers will speak with Hendrick's Chief Cucumber Officer (yes, that's a thing) and receive a free crate of cucumbers and Henrick's Gin delivered to their location. Hendrick's Gin hopes that their first ever end-of-summer Gin O'Clock promotion will help Melbourne residents craft their own gin and tonics at home complete with a garnish of fresh cucumber, which they say is imperative to sipping Hendrick's Gin. The program began last week on Wednesday, March 9, and will continue on March 16 for Melburnians Flemington to Glenroy and Braybrook. Gin O'Clock will then move to the southeast (from Melbourne City to Brighton East, and up to Balwyn North) on March 23 and finally end in northern Melbourne (out to Heidelber and Fawkner) on March 30.
Maybe G&Ts are your favourite tipple and, if you're sipping drinks at your favourite bar, you always have one within reach. Perhaps you've never found a vodka cocktail that you haven't loved, or you've made it your life's mission to try all the whiskies (yes, spanning both whisky and whiskey) that you can find. Or, you could simply like broadening your horizons when it comes to knocking back the good stuff, and supporting independent producers while you're at it. Since 2015, the boozing sipping party that is Indie Spirits Tasting has covered all of the above — and it's back in 2022 after a couple of pandemic-affected years. Move over, craft beer — at this east coast event, which'll return to Melbourne in May, it's craft spirits' time to shine. Everyone has been to plenty of days dedicated to brews, brews and more brews, but this touring shindig is solely about all the whisky, gin, vodka, rum, tequila, vermouth and mezcal you could ever want. More than 30 exhibitors and master distillers are on the bill, showcasing over 200 craft spirits. Clearly, your booze-loving tastebuds will be in heaven. As well as tasting away, attendees will also be able to chat to the folks behind the craft and independent tipples on offer, listen to talks on booze-related topics and buy bottles to take home with you. Taking place at The Craft & Co from 1–4pm on Sunday, May 8, this year's Melbourne event will feature brands such as Never Never Distilling Co, Poor Toms, Boat Rocker, Wolf Lane and Archie Rose, some of which will be pouring limited-edition tipples. And while the big focus is on homegrown spirits, a few international names will be on the bill as well — taking your tastebuds on a trip, including through French cognacs and American gins.
According to a 2019 report by Foodbank Australia, one in five Australians experienced food security at some point in the past 12 months — and that was before COVID-19 hit and an estimated 600,000 Aussies lost their jobs. To help put food on the tables of those doing it rough at the moment, ten Asian Australian singers, comedians and rappers are coming together for a one-off live-stream to raise money for Foodbank NSW and ACT. Going down on YouTube from 9–11.45pm on Saturday, June 27, the live-stream will feature comedian Harry Jun, singers Krista Monica, Yura and Christine, and rappers Andy, Rako, Mike Choe, Cooee, Goyo and Saint. The YouTube link will be published on the event's Facebook page. While the live-stream will be free to watch, those bopping along in their living rooms are encouraged to donate to Foodbank over here. The group is hoping to raise $1000 — and has a strong start with $387 garnered before the live-stream has even begun. If you'd like a taste of what to expect, have a listen to Saint's single 'Kumbaya', which features fellow live-stream artist Cooee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQH53ioF7hc
If you've spent the past few months working from home in trackies and hole-ridden t-shirts, it's probably time to elevate your wardrobe. Thankfully, minimalist Australian clothing brand Assembly Label is hosting an online warehouse sale for a limited time this week, so you can buy some new linen pants, simple tees and big cosy jumpers without going too hard on the wallet. Known for its cool-yet-comfy timeless pieces, Assembly Label is a go-to for top-quality staples that'll take you from your morning coffee to working in your living room (aka the office), lounging around on weekends and going out for lunch with mates — really, you won't need much else. The online warehouse sale kicks off today, Wednesday, June 17, with a wide range of both men's and women's wear on offer. You'll find lots of winter essentials such as denim, basic tops, jumpers and jackets, plus its signature summery linen dresses, swimwear, skirts and shorts if you're already dreaming of hitting up the beach. Best of all, the selection will be on sale at up to 80 percent off — for a limited time only — with free shipping across Australia, too. Assembly Label's online warehouse sale kicks off on Wednesday, June 17 and will run until stocks last. To check what you can nab for up to 80 percent off, head here.
This Saturday, June 6, rallies will be held across Australia in protest of Black and Indigenous deaths at the hands of police, both locally and in the US. Held in solidarity with the protests currently happening in the States — in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis — and in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, the Melbourne rally is also a call to action on the systemic mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by police. Since 1991's royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody, another 432 Indigenous Australians have died in custody, including Dunghutti man David Dungay Jr, who's 2015 death draws many parallels to that of Floyd. Organised by the Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance, the Melbourne protest is called Stop All Black Deaths in Custody — Justice for George Floyd #BLM. It'll be held from 2–5pm, starting at the Parliament House steps. While Victoria's COVID-19 cases are declining, we're still in the midst of a pandemic and rally attendees are encouraged to practise social distancing measures, with the organisers saying everyone must wear a mask, stand as far apart as possible and do not attend if they are feeling unwell. If you have even mild symptoms, it's strongly encouraged you go and get tested. On Thursday, Victorian Chief Medical Officer Brett Sutton released a statement urging Victorians to "consider other ways to show support. Unfortunately now is not the time for thousands of people to gather together, putting your and others' health at risk. We are still in the middle of a pandemic." If you can't attend, but would still like to do your part, you can donate to an Indigenous Australian charity or organisation — including to the family of Dungay Jr, who are currently raising money to cover legal costs — and educate yourself on Australia's Indigenous history. To help start with the latter, here are 13 films by Indigenous Australian filmmakers you can stream.
She's worked in hatted restaurants and, in recent years, chef Jerry Mai has hit Melbourne to open Pho Nom, a Vietnamese restaurant with two Melbourne CBD locations bragging the freshest rice paper rolls this side of the Mekong Delta. Now she's set to return to her hatted roots with a new (and slightly more upmarket) venture, Annam. Mai has teamed up with Rani Doyle, of The National Hotel in Richmond, whom she's known for many years — and together they're aiming to revolutionise your understanding of Vietnamese cuisine. Annam will be all about traditional Vietnamese dishes, and slightly more high-end than the hawker style fare of Pho Nom. In fact, the name Annam is what Vietnam was known as prior to 1945. But don't confuse traditional Vietnamese food with homogenous Vietnamese food. Vietnam has a long history of subjugation. They've been occupied by the Chinese, French and Japanese, with their traditional cuisine picking up influences from every historic episode, as well as from their neighbours Laos and Cambodia. Mai's menu will draw on Vietnam's culinary fusion as well as her own background in curries and stir fries. The addition of a chargrill will mean you can expect lots of smoky, experimental protein too. But by far, one of Mai's most intriguing ideas borrows directly from Japanese cuisine. It's based on the Japanese idea of counter-served omasake (chef's selection) but with freshly made rice paper rolls. Mai is working closely with locals to guarantee the freshest rotating produce daily. "You'll get all the beautiful produce in the window: wonderful Hiramasa kingfish, spanner crab, tuna toro. Imagine the [freshest seafood] torched or slathered in miso, in a rice paper roll, made to order." "We're sourcing the produce like a [Japanese] chef does when they do nigiri, with that same love and respect but in a rice paper roll. I'm a strong believer in paddock to plate. We deal directly with farmers." For the drinks menu, they're looking at complementary but not strictly Vietnamese drops. "We're looking at wines that will suit the food, cocktails made with tropical fruits, and also at local and imported beers," Mai says. The architectural concept has been developed by Emlyn Olaver, with the venue currently in the demolition stage and construction due to start soon. Transporting patrons to sensual Vietnam is the aim of the fit out — and indeed the whole restaurant. "Relive sitting in the street, on a little stool somewhere in Vietnam," Mai says. "The heat and the smoke coming from the grill, and the noise coming from the kitchen and hopefully we can transport you back to a holiday in south-east Asia somewhere." Annam, 56 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne CBD, is set to open in mid-August. Image: James Morgan.
For years, its beery creations have appeared at leading bottle shops, graced the Good Beer Week lineup and sat among the winners of the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers list. But when Glen Iris' Deeds Brewing opened a taproom and tasting bar for dine-in customers in late June this year, it had to close its doors shortly after due to COVID restrictions. The brewery-restaurant hybrid has now tabled its sophisticated dine-in offering and pivoted to a very special lockdown treat — Deeds at Home, featuring juicy pieces of southern fried chicken. Inspired by head chef Paul Kasten's travels through Kentucky, the team are doing some very good deeds for Melbournians with fried chicken available in two, five or ten-piece portions. If you're after a bit of a kick, there are two different spicy additions to add on — Sichuan hot or Nashville hot. There's also a Nashville hot chicken sandwich, which comes complete with slaw, mayo and pickles on a soft milk bun. You can pair your chicken dinner with a four-pack of Deeds' award-winning beer and some classic southern sides, including mash with spring onion and gravy, baked aged cheddar mac 'n' cheese, buttermilk biscuits, or an iceberg wedge with herbs and vinaigrette if you're after something fresh to cleanse the palate. Pick-up Deeds Brewing's takeaway goods if you're within five kilometres, or you can order delivery if you're within 10 kilometres here.
You've spent your entire life training for this moment, and now it's finally here. On Sunday, September 4 on the stroke of high noon, 25 brave heroes will step up to the plate at the Dandenong Market for the Dandee Donut Eating Competition. The rules are simple. In round one, contestants will compete in heats of five. The person from each heat who can gobble down the largest number of jam doughnuts in two minutes will make it through to the final. The grand prize will then be awarded to the person who can knock back 20 more in the shortest possible time. The winner will receive bragging rights, the love and respect of all mortal men, as well as $200 worth of market vouchers which they can use to buy more doughnuts. Sadly all the competitor slots have already been filled, but you can still head down to the market to watch. Just maybe bring an umbrella or something, in case somebody's stomach fails them.
Melbourne's summery weather feels like it's set to stick around for a good while longer, and what better way to make the most of that, than with a few sun-drenched rooftop sweat sessions. Local spin cycle fitness brand Bodhi and Ride is taking things up a level, with the launch of its new Ride In The Sky series, kicking off on Sunday, February 24. The unique, four-part workout experience takes the form of an unconventional spin class, matched with some top-notch city views, as it takes over the sky-high setting of The Rooftop at QT. Venture up for a high-energy openair fitness session, complete with pumping club-style tunes, high adrenaline and plenty of dance moves, both on and off the bike. You'll feel the breeze in your hair, rather than staring at the four walls of your usual cycle class room. Stick around afterwards to reward your efforts with a complimentary selection of wholesome post-workout treats, including fresh coconuts and juices from Emma & Toms.
A controlled explosion took place in a Williamstown warehouse this week — in the name of art, of course. The sound of gunfire was simply part of Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang's massive new work. Transience II (Peony) is a 31-metre artwork created from gunpowder, fire and silk. It's the largest piece in Cai's latest exhibition The Transient Landscape, which will be presented as part of NGV International's Melbourne Winter Masterpieces from May 24 through October 13. To create Transience II (Peony), Cai layered 11 sections of silk and drew colourful patterns in gunpowder throughout each. He then ignited the design, with the explosions meant to depict a blooming peony. This type of work is not new for the artist, who has used gunpowder in his art for over 30 years. Cai regularly draws inspiration from ancient Chinese culture and philosophy, using Chinese inventions like gunpowder, porcelain, silk and paper to show how history can inform contemporary art. Transience II (Peony) is just one of three brand new works that Cai has created for the exhibition, which will also feature porcelain peony sculptures and an immersive installation of 10,000 suspended porcelain birds. The Transient Landscape will be presented in tandem with Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality, one of China's most important ancient artworks — crafted between 221–206 BCE. This exhibition includes eight warrior figures and two life-size horses from the Imperial Army, plus two half-size replica bronze chariots, each drawn by four horses. 'Cai Guo-Qiang: The Transient Landscape' and 'Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality' will exhibit as part of the NGV International's Melbourne Winter Masterpieces presentation, running from May 24 to October 13, 2019. For further details or to buy tickets, visit the NGV website. Images 1-3: Cai Guo-Qiang, Murmuration (Landscape) 2019 by Tobias Titz. Image 4: Sean Fennessy. Image 5: Cai Guo-Qiang, Pulse (Mountain) 2019 by Tobias Titz. Images: Scott Barbour, Jason Edwards, Tom Ross.
Bubbly pét-nat wines, snacks by one of Melbourne's top chefs and a Beach Boys-inspired soundtrack delivered by a group of musical legends — all aboard a boat. It's one of the season's most unique wine events and it's happening in Melbourne next weekend. Brought to by the team behind boutique booze-slingers Blackhearts & Sparrows, Pét Sounds is all about celebrating the naturally sparkling wine the French call pétillant naturel, or pét-nat for short. Held on the Victoria Star Ferry next Sunday, March 25, the event's set to feature a whole bunch of these lightly fizzy wines, at retail prices, alongside brews from Mornington Peninsula Brewery and some top-notch canapé action courtesy of Lȗmé's Shaun Quade. As for the tunes — a nod to the cruisy sounds of the Beach Boys — they'll be served up by DJ Nick Verwey and a very special supergroup of Mark Wilson (Jet), Davey Lane (You Am I), Marty Frawley (Twerps), Nick Imfeld (Tyrannamen) and Dan Kelly. Your ticket gets you a four-hour cruise around the bay, a glass of wine on arrival and complimentary canapés, plus access to really well-priced pét-nat and craft beers while onboard.
This September, Malthouse Theatre's Helium and the Fringe front up 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). Now in its third year, Malthouse Theatre's Helium is a celebration of independent theatre-makers and original ideas; the realms of high and low culture coming into proper alignment. Partnering up with Next Wave and the Melbourne Fringe for certain productions like this one, 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. The YouTube Comment Orchestra runs September 17 -27, tickets available via Malthouse Theatre. To check out the rest of the 2014 Helium program, we've got the wrap up over here.
It's safe to say Gami Chicken & Beer has secured its status as one of Melbourne's go-to fried chicken joints, slinging its signature, Korean-style chook from 14 locations across the city. After opening two Sydney venues this winter, it's about to launch its fifteenth Melbourne spot, opening in Chadstone Shopping Centre in early December. And, to celebrate, Gami is giving Melburnians a few very good reasons to jump on board, handing out a whopping 1000 pieces of its boneless fried chicken — for free. These fried chicken morsels — RSPCA-approved and rocking Gami's signature blend of 17 herbs and spices — will be up for grabs from noon–12.30pm and again from 5.30–6pm, on both Thursday, December 6 and Friday, December 7 at the new location. The chain has yet to mention any restrictions, such as one piece per person, so we suggest heading in with an empty stomach. Once you're hooked, you're probably going to want to schedule a return visit pretty quick, to try other Gami favourites like the chicken spare ribs, the vegetarian chicken and the aptly named Potato Heaven, featuring three layers of cheesy potato goodness — all paired with beer from Brunswick brewery Thunder Road. Gami's fried chicken giveaway will run from noon–12.30pm and again from 5.30–6pm on both Thursday, December 6, and Friday, December 7.
With Preston Station finally reopened after a long year of removal works, Preston is back firing on all cylinders and ready to party. So it's celebrating the occasion with a huge free block party on Sunday, September 11. Swing by Preston Market from 11am for a big day of eats, drinks, tunes and general good vibes, served up by much-loved market traders and other Preston favourites. Food pop-ups will be slinging treats ranging from fairy floss to gelato, alongside sweet and savoury goodies from all the usual market vendors. Preston-based brewery Moon Dog will be serving ice-cold craft beer tinnies from its MD Land Drover, while The Drinks Swap pop-up will have an array of booze-free things to quench your thirst. [caption id="attachment_811005" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Moon Dog, by Samantha Schultz[/caption] As with all good parties, there'll be entertainment — and plenty of it. Catch neo-soul and RnB sounds from songwriting duo Alex & Sophia, see a belly-dancing performance by Azura Oasis and cut some shapes of your own with a communal boogie lead by Brunswick's very lively Famous Love Heart Dancers. While you're there, be sure to check out the special live reptile show, and shop up a storm with a trip around the market, where you can stock up on everything from fashion and art to homewares and vinyl. [caption id="attachment_868219" align="alignnone" width="1284"] Famous Love Heart Dancers[/caption]
In the words of the illustrious Golden Girls: “Thank you for being a friend”. The School of Life has just released their winter program, and among the excellent classes that are on offer is the class ‘How to Be a Better Friend’. We’re all guilty of not getting in contact with our childhood friends as much as we should, or have some outstanding coffee dates with those nearest and dearest to us. Life coach and founder of The Main Protagonist Cece Ojany will lead this class and ask the big questions around friendship. It will explore insights and advice from key thinkers and philosophers at the promise of friendship, why we crave it and also the limits and perils of friendship that arise. They say that your friends are the family you choose, so here’s your chance to be the best family member of your friendship circle. Other interesting classes that you might want to look at include ‘How to Spend Time Alone’, ‘How Necessary Is a relationship?’ and ‘How to Face Death’. If a class may seem a little too heavy, or doesn’t really apply your personal interests, dropping into the Conversation Cafe is always a good start to meet people and get some great discussions going. Go forth and expand your mind.
The Victoria Street precinct that links Abbotsford and Richmond is a vibrant little pocket of Melbourne's inner east. And this weekend, you can experience a taste of that colour and creativity, when the Victoria Street Alive association hosts its second Makers Market. Taking over Abbots Yard from 10am on Sunday, June 19, the market is set to dish up a wide-ranging curation of bespoke goodies from local artists, designers and creatives. Expect to find art, gourmet food products, ceramics, jewellery, fashion, beauty care and a whole stack more. There'll be plenty of food and coffee options also flying the flag for the local area. And while you shop up a storm, you'll be treated to live sounds from local funk-rock group The Barking Mad Bartosies, along with sets by resident DJs. Four-legged friends are welcome to join your Sunday shopping session, plus there'll be activities to keep littlies entertained.
Forget Ferraris and therapy, SPOD has come up with an unbeatable fix for the good ol' mid-life crisis. Take a 2003 classic (i.e. SPOD opusTaste the Radness), update it with a decade's worth of wisdom and release a brand new incarnation (i.e. Taste The Sadness). That's right, SPOD's getting old. And slightly blue on occasion. And he's not afraid to admit it. Back in the early noughties, he thought that happiness was all about aiming champagne corks at innocent bystanders, tossing streamers around and cranking the odd slow-grind. But the combo just isn't cutting the mustard these days. "I thought I'd update the album, make it a bit classier, say sorry for all the naughty things I've done," he explains in the promo video. Taste the Sadness tells the story of rushing headfirst into the autumn of existence as though you were still a spring chicken, only to dislocate your hip and find yourself in an ultra cosy armchair. From that vantage point, you spend your time telling the world how much better everything was when you were able to enjoy it more. Released on August 22, the album will be officially launched in Melbourne on September 26 at The Old Bar. Featuring appearances by Justin Heazlewood and Alex Cameron. https://youtube.com/watch?v=z11wwNJ2aRM
If there's two things that the Japanese do well, it's whisky and food. So putting the two together is a bit of a no-brainer. Back for a second year, Japanese whisky house Suntory will once again take over Hihou for four Wednesday nights in July. The always great Hihou menu will be altered on the night to match the Suntory whiskies on show. This is your chance to wash down your sashimi with an award-winning whisky highball, or sip slowly on a nip of the Hibiki 17 year old while you nibble on some edamame. You can choose from three expertly-matched courses for $55, or go the whole hog with six for $120. In true Japanese style, it won't just be about the food and drink — no, it will most certainly be about the service and hospitality (or, the omotenashi) too. So strap yourself in for the full Japanese dining experience: delicate, delicious and utterly delightful. Bookings are essential. Book at info@hihou.com.au, through the event's Facebook page, or call (03) 9654 5465.
The 2014 Big Day Out lineup has been revealed, and it... sort of lived up to all those weeks of hype. Organisers spoke of their excitement at landing three "white whales", and the top of the ticket is pretty monumental. Pearl Jam is a classic choice for BDO headliner, Arcade Fire a welcome return visitor to the main stage, Blur a seriously impressive 'get' — and Snoop's good-natured, laaiiiiidbaaack style will be a nice counterpoint to the snarling grunge and indie-rock mania. And lucky Regine and that chick from The Lumineers — they'll have the backstage ladies loos virtually all to themselves! Here's the line-up in full: Pearl Jam Arcade Fire Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Lion Major Lazer Steve Angello Flume The Lumineers Tame Impala Dillon Francis Mac Miller Ghost Grouplove Flosstradamus Portugal. The Man Toro Y Moi DIIV The Naked And Famous Big Gigantic PEZ Mudhoney Cosmic Psychos Northlane The 1975 Loon Lake Kingswood Bo Ningen The Algorithm DZ Deathrays Peking Duk Ben Morris Rüfüs Gold Coast tickets are on sale on August 7; Sydney August 8; Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide on August 9 and Auckland on August 12 from the Big Day Out website.
