Bianchetto wins truffle month — the Italian wine and cocktail bar in Kew has transformed into a mossy truffle forest where you're invited to forage through the lush foliage with the help of Clara, Bianchetto's Brittany spaniel-in-residence. It also sets the scene for an exclusive truffle tasting menu by owner-chef Joe Vargetto, featuring dishes like truffle-infused teleggio risotto and a truffle ricotta cheesecake topped with truffled honey. Each dish is served on tableware from Staub's White Truffle collection (a fitting debut for the French brand's latest release), which customers can browse at the bar's pop-up truffle shop. While Bianchetto only seats 28 people for the Truffle Month menu every night, you can sample the items à la carte in the Mister Bianco dining room. On August 27, Mister Bianco will host its annual truffle dinner. The grand affair starts with a welcome drink before moving into five tartufo-speckled courses paired with Australian and Italian wines. Expect already-decadent dishes infused with truffle at every turn, like duck liver parfait and brioche entrée, stracciatella and chestnut mushroom gnocchi, steak with a side of foie gras, and tiramisu eclair. For those craving a meatier truffle season experience, visit Mister Bianco's website for more information.
Since the first Iron Man film in 2008, Marvel has trained superhero fans well. Notching up 33 movies in its enormous cinematic universe with 2023's The Marvels and showing zero signs of stopping, the comic book company has basically taken over the big screen, with this year delivering Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, too — and, as always, there's plenty more flicks on the way. Marvel hasn't just taken over picture palaces. Via Disney+, the small screen is also home to many a MCU story, including Secret Invasion and season two of Loki in 2023. Keen to see your favourite spandex-clad crime-fighters try to save the world in person as well? Along with splashing Marvel's heroes and villains across every screen it can find, that's also coming — and soon. Marvel Universe LIVE! is exactly what it seems — and if it sounds familiar, that's because it was meant to head Down Under in 2020, but then the pandemic hit. So, when it makes the trip to Australia in April 2024, it'll be unveiling its show to Aussie audiences for the first time. Melbourne's season takes place from Friday, April 12–Monday, April 15 at Rod Laver Arena. The production takes more than 20 characters such as Spider-Man, The Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy, teaming them up on stage and letting audiences marvel (pun intended) at their exploits. Featuring everyone from Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther and the Hulk to Captain America, Doctor Strange and Black Widow, it tasks the beloved superheroes with facing off against some of Marvel's infamous villains, including Nebula, Loki and Green Goblin. And, it packages their antics with video projections, special effects, pyrotechnics, martial arts, and both aerial and motorcycle stunts. The performance is aimed at all ages and, in news that's about as unsurprising as most wisecracks that Tony Stark ever uttered, the show has proven a massive success in the United States, Latin America and Europe. As a result, it was only a matter of time until it hit Australia after its pandemic delay. Obviously, attendees won't be watching Robert Downey Jr (Oppenheimer), Chris Hemsworth (Extraction II), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar), Scarlett Johansson (Asteroid City) and Tom Hiddleston (The Essex Serpent) — or any of the many, many other high-profile stars who feature in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, because that list truly seems endless. But, if you're happy to get your Marvel fix however you can, add this to your 2024 calendar.
You can't bounce off to Chinatown for a weekend yum cha session these days, but you can have the next best thing delivered right to your house. Modern Chinese restaurant Lee Ho Fook is upping the ante with a $48 finish-at-home yum cha feast, showcasing a lineup of chef Victor Liong's favourite dim sum dishes. Think, pork and garlic chive dumplings served with aged black vinegar and chilli oil, crisp veggie spring rolls and a riff on the classic pork and prawn siu mai starring goji berries, chilli and garlic sauce. You'll just need a few basic kitchen items to bring it all to life, including a wok with a steamer basket and some vegetable oil. Lee Ho Fook's online store has all the step-by-step instructions, as well as a handful of recommended playlists to dig into while you heat and eat. Gotta love a good yum cha soundtrack. Delivery is available Wednesday through Saturday to suburbs within 20 kilometres of the restaurant, or you can pick-up in-store from 1pm on the same days. All sold out? There'll be a fresh batch of dim sum feasts hitting the website every Saturday afternoon.
If you've ever had a sneaky little go with some small person's Lego blocks once they're all tucked up in bed, LEGOLAND sees you, tips you their hat… and raises you an adults-only night at its Melbourne Discovery Centre. With no children to get in the way (or outdo your creations), you'll be able to have free reign of LEGOLAND to check out the 4D cinema and rides, take a factory tour, and build to your heart's content in the brick pits. Challenge yourself by taking on the master builder or a speed build and vie for the prizes up for grabs — there'll even be a scavenger hunt so you can go full inner child mode. It all takes place from 7pm on Saturday, January 19 — and BYO shameless excitement, taste for glory, and creativity to enter the model of the month competition. It'll be a fierce one. This adults-only evening also doubles as an after party for Brickvention 2019. Yep, that's a fan convention dedicated to your favourite plastic blocks.
A white Christmas might be out of the question for Melbourne, but that doesn’t mean we have to miss out on French-style Christmas markets and all the tasty treats that come with it. This weekend, Alliance Française de Melbourne are hosting their tenth annual French Christmas Market, and better yet, they're free! The markets will feature products sold or made by French designers living in Australia. Authentic French food and wine will be on offer, and there are heaps of activities during the festival for those who wish to properly immerse themselves in the French festivities. There will be French language trial classes, a cabaret show, film screening and a theatre performance, as well plenty of kids activities if you're having a family adventure day. There's also a grand raffle to be drawn which could win you a trip for two to Reunion Island, a Sofitel Melbourne stay, or 20 hours worth of free French language lessons. But you have to be in it to win it, so Joyeux Noël!
If you've ever played along with McDonald's regular Monopoly promotion, then you'll want to watch McMillion$. The marketing campaign itself is rather simple — handing out Monopoly tokens with burger purchases, which corresponds to the game's squares and lets customers win big. But in the 90s in America, someone worked out how to rig it and handpick the lucky folks taking home $1 million cheques, as well as other prizes. Smartly, McMillion$ plays this 100-percent true tale as a whodunnit. If you don't already know the details, we'd advise you to keep it that way until you watch the docuseries' six very compelling and very bingeable episodes. You might not think that a show that spends so much time talking to FBI agents in nondescript offices would prove quite so gripping, but the case they uncovered is both complex and jaw-dropping. The interviews with the promotion's controversial winners, and with other figures involved with the scam, also have to be seen to be believed.
Prolific Melbourne artist Ronald Greenaway has been making a splash in the Australian art scene since the 1950s. Known for his bold use of colours and humour, Greenaway’s work is often considered surrealistic, while at the same time transcending genres to carve out a place of his own. To celebrate an excellent career to which he continues to contribute to every day, the Town Hall Gallery in Hawthorn are putting on a retrospective of his works. As well as featuring numerous artistic creations by Greenaway himself, the retrospective will include three new works by contemporary artists in various mediums. Justine Siedle pays tribute to Greenaway through her ceramic sculptures, Nicholas Ives has contributed a painting, and visual artist and filmmaker Ian Paradine has created a moving image piece which will be projected onto a light-box and be accompanied by a guitar piece by Pete Swanson.
The astroturf has been rolled out and the deck chairs have been prepped for those balmy January nights — it's the ideal time of year for an outdoor movie by the river. South Wharf's yearly cinema has been launched again, offering films like The Matrix, Crazy Stupid Love, Die Hard, The Lion King, 10 Things I Hate About You and Moana on a 7x4-metre screen with cinema-quality sound, while you wash down that choc top with a Pimms. Yes, there will be a Pimms Garden along with a pop-up Heineken Bar. And if you're hoping not to get out of your seat during the movie, you can also purchase 'cheese and bubbles' hampers from the candy bar, which will be also providing the popcorn and cocktail jugs. Running each Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday until February 28, South Wharf Pop-up Cinema will screen favourites along with a kids' movie each Sunday from 5pm.
It has been my personal experience that most galleries tend to have a pretty stringent ‘No Jumping On The Art’ policy. This seems unfair, I know, especially when so much contemporary art would probably improved by a good old double bounce, but I don’t make the rules! Fortunately, Melbourne based artists Brooke Williams and Henry Madin share our dismay at the un-jumpability of most art works, and have developed an installation piece to satisfy our taboo desires. Finding its home in Fort Delta gallery, JUMP relies on human interaction and movement to realise its full capacity. Fifty-five hand crafted wooden boxes are aligned in a semi-haphazard grid, and respond to weight bearing with a click-clack sound similar to the sound of wooden clapping sticks you probably last used in year 5 music class. Described by the artists as a facilitation of physical expression through movement and sound, the installation is designed to be navigated sock footed gallery goers, moving between coloured boxes to create a somewhat disjointed, yet undoubtedly cheery, soundtrack to the experiential piece. The exhibition runs August 9 – 23, so if you’d like to make sweet music with your body, hot foot it down to Fort Delta gallery (located downstairs at the back of the Capitol Arcade on Swanston Street). Take a friend or two along for the ultimate year 5 music class nostalgia.
If you've ever seen a live orchestra performance, you'll know just how powerful it can be — and sometimes so much so that you worry your glass of vino will spill. It's an experience to say the least. Whether you're a regular orchestra attendee or just keen to experience that level of energy on stage, you'll want to check out the fantastically chaotic Meow's Meow's Pandemonium at Hamer Hall. On Friday, May 21 and Saturday, May 22, international siren and comedian Meow Meow is joining the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ben Northey, for two nights of musical mayhem. Not sure what to expect? There'll be renditions of songs by the likes of Piazzolla, Weill, Brecht and Radiohead, as well as some originals by Meow Meow herself, who'll be performing in a number of dazzling outfits. You can bet you'll be in stitches, too. Head here to get your paws on some tickets.
Fatima Fazal, founder of iHeart, has created the Heart Part, a clever contraption which can be used as a knife, fork and scoop. Heart Parts are 100% biodegradable and are made of 88% less plastic than regular utensils. Furthermore, when they're joined together they form a lovely heart shape that will bring a little happiness into your day. Sitting at $8.95 for a box of ten, these are conveniently small, environmentally friendly and easy on the wallet too. I doubt these will get you through a 500 gram rump steak, but they'll be a handy addition for light snacks and party foods. Grab one of these at the iHeart store and do your part to save the world. Watch the video below for a comprehensive rundown on how these work. https://youtube.com/watch?v=jAIVjmQKn0g [via PSFK]
Need a break from tired Hollywood blockbusters? In that case, try a visit to the Melbourne Cinematheque. For more than six decades now this close-knit film collective has been devoted to the presentation of rare and important films in the form that their makers intended. Simply put — if you like movies, then these are your sort of people. Cinematheque screenings take place every Wednesday night at ACMI in Federation Square. Standouts on this year's program include retrospectives on the films of New Hollywood legend Robert Altman, celebrated Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-Hsien, and beloved actress Barbara Stanwyck. They'll co-present a double bill of Rainer Werner Fassbinder films with the Melbourne Queer Film Festival in April, and partner with the Human Rights Arts and Film Festival on a showcase of influential African films in May. Screenings are open to members only. Annual memberships cost $155, while a $29 mini membership is good for three consecutive sessions. For the complete Melbourne Cinematheque program, visit melbournecinematheque.org.
Melburnians, if your late spring plans involve going out for a meal in the CBD, Lygon Street, North Melbourne, Southbank, South Wharf and Docklands — and your summer plans, too — then the Victorian Government and the City of Melbourne want to give you an extra incentive. For the second time in 2021, the two government bodies are teaming up on a dining scheme that's offering rebates for eating out in the city. Meet the 'Midweek Melbourne Money scheme', which follows on from 'Melbourne Money' initiative that was rolled out back in June. Obviously, that extra word this time around highlights one of the key differences. You'll need to head out for a meal midweek — or early in the working week, if you're opting for a Monday nosh — to score cash back, because this new program is all about eating out between Monday and Thursday. The initiative will kick off on Monday, November 15, and apply to food and drink purchases in-store anywhere that meals are sold — such as restaurants, cafes and pubs, as well as bars, clubs, breweries and distilleries — across the municipality. And, it'll cover 30-percent of your transaction total this time around (up from 20 percent in June), as long as you spend between $50–500 (including GST). That means you'll be able to claim up to $150. Further specifics are yet to be announced; however, given the focus is on eating out and the new scheme is being linked to the past scheme, it's expected that the same big caveat will remain. Back in June, you had to purchase something to eat to get the rebate, with your drinks only covered if you're buying food. There'll be $5 million available — totalling more than 200,000 rebates — which means there's another important thing to take into consideration: it works on a first in, first served basis. So, heading out as soon as the scheme starts and submitting your claim for a rebate immediately afterwards is recommended, as Midweek Melbourne Money will only run until the funds are exhausted. And, redemption-wise, you can likely expect it to run the same way as Melbourne Money did midyear. That involved getting cash back after you'd been to a hospitality venue, received an itemised receipt at the time of payment, then taken a photo of it and uploaded it to the Melbourne Money website. Within five working days, you then scored your rebate via a transfer to your bank account. The scheme falls under the Victorian Government and City of Melbourne's $200 million Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund, which is all about helping get the city back into gear following the latest lengthy lockdown — and in this case, boosting weekday foot traffic. As also just announced, another $10.4 million will go to other initiatives to support businesses, such as supporting outdoor trading and dining, and boosting the night-time economy. Also, $15.7 million is being put towards events, including an expanded Christmas Festival that'll start on Friday, November 12 — a fortnight earlier than usual. And, more than $14 million will be used to enhance public areas — refreshing them with pop-up libraries and creative spaces, for instance — and $3.6 million is going towards giving city businesses an enhanced Business Concierge service that'll offer greater support for new businesses and also assist existing city traders with operating in these post-COVID times. The Midweek Melbourne Money scheme kicks off on Monday, November 15. For more information, head to the City of Melbourne and Victorian Government websites. Images: Emily Godfrey, Visit Victoria.
Horror franchises like their doors to stay open: years may pass, stars and filmmakers may come and go, but every popular series eventually waltzes back onto screens. That's been true of Halloween, Scream, Candyman, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Friday the 13th and more. It's also accurate of Insidious, which is up to five features in 12 years and returns after its longest gap to-date. For viewers, half a decade has elapsed since this supernatural saga last hit cinemas in 2018's underwhelming Insidious: The Last Key, one of two prequels alongside Insidious: Chapter 3 (because that was the only way to keep bringing back MVP Lin Shaye). For Insidious' characters, though, Insidious: The Red Door takes place nine years after the events of Insidious: Chapter 2. That flick was the last until now to focus on Josh (Patrick Wilson, Moonfall) and Renai Lambert (Rose Byrne, Platonic), plus their haunted son Dalton (Ty Simpkins, The Whale) — and it's their tale the franchise leaps back into. Not only starring but debuting as a director, Wilson makes Insidious: The Red Door an answer to the question that no one, not even the most dedicated horror fans, has likely asked: how are the Lamberts doing after their demonic dalliances? The portrait painted when the movie begins is far from rosy, with Josh and Renai divorced, Dalton resenting his dad, and something niggling at both father and son about their past. Neither the Lambert patriarch nor his now college-bound boy can remember their experiences with unpleasant entities in the astral plane, however, thanks to a penchant for handy hypnotism. So, Insidious: The Red Door poses and responds to another query: what happens when that memory-wiping mesmerism stops working? Seasoned Insidious viewers already know what's in store: ghosts and evil spirits jump-scaring their way back into Josh and Dalton's minds and lives, and also into Insidious: The Red Door's frames. In the saga's mythology, such beings hail from a form of purgatory known as The Further and can't easily be suppressed. Accordingly, when Dalton's university art professor (Hiam Abbass, Succession) encourages him to dive into his subconscious, then splash what he sees onto a canvas, it's obvious where Scott Teems' (Firestarter) script is going. When the snappy Josh tries to glean why his brain is so foggy and his mood so peevish, he too has an unpleasant awakening. For the elder and younger Lambert men alike, first comes snippets of creepy visions, then unshakeable sights, then astral projection to get the Lipstick-Face Demon and The Bride in Black to stop. "If only this portal had remained shut" isn't only something that Josh and Dalton are thinking in Insidious: The Red Door. Early, often, and until the weary and creaky film comes to an end, audiences share that wish. The picture keeps its central pair largely apart, one navigating his cursed chaos in his otherwise empty home, then endeavouring to reconcile with Renai (although Byrne is still woefully underused), and the other at school with new pal Chris (Sinclair Daniel, Bull). Splitting them up just plays like a quest to lengthen the movie's duration — extra running time that isn't put to good use. This isn't a meaningful exploration of trauma's lingering impact, the current genre go-to, as much as it wants to be. Similarly, it doesn't cause Wilson or Simpkins to turn in anything but workmanlike performances, either. Plenty of horror franchises are resurrected with by-the-numbers instalments — that's become as much of a horror convention as constantly reviving spooky series again and again — but this is dispiritingly routine and repetitive, and also rarely even barely scary. It doesn't help that the better Insidious fare, aka the first two that sported Aquaman and Malignant's James Wan behind the camera, weren't ever exceptional. What they boasted was effectiveness in executing their bumps, capitalising upon their uneasy sights, slowly building their suspense and tension, and ramping up the unsettling atmosphere. Wan did start both the Insidious and Saw sagas with The Invisible Man's Leigh Whannell, and The Conjuring Universe solo. Whannell has penned every Insidious screenplay until now, and helmed 2015's Insidious: Chapter 3. The duo produces this time around, while Whannell came up with the story behind Teems' script. As a filmmaker, Wilson is happy to go through the motions rather than try much new. He's also fond of closeups, which might stem from spending the bulk of his career in front of the lens. As a horror veteran — on-screen, he's a mainstay of The Conjuring movies as well, as last seen in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It; he popped up in Annabelle Comes Home, the third feature in that series' spinoff series, too — he's reluctant to attempt to put a new stamp on one of his franchises. He knows where and how to sprinkle in unnerving figures and faces in the peripheries, and to elicit jumps, but only by sticking to the Insidious template. His best fright? It plays with and preys on medical anxiety, because anyone that's ever had an MRI has harboured fears about getting stuck in the claustrophobic machine — no forces from The Further needed. Although it also doesn't work, the biggest and most interesting swing that Wilson takes comes over the closing credits, when Insidious: The Red Door busts out a version of late-80s track 'Stay' by Shakespears Sister. Swedish metal band Ghost are behind the cover, and Wilson himself sings on it. That truly is something that no other Insidious chapter has offered. Wan and Whannell genuinely couldn't have foreseen inspiring it, unlike sparking a wave of post-Saw torture porn, or the many movies about sinister kids, jinxed items and paranormal investigations that the Insidious films have influenced. Still, that isn't what any Insidious chapter should be best known for, let alone justify keeping the franchise's hatch open — but sixth flick Thread: An Insidious Tale, which'll broaden out the Insidious Universe with Mandy Moore (This Is Us) and Kumail Nanjiani (Welcome to Chippendales) starring, plus Jeremy Slater (Moon Knight) writing and directing, is already in the works.
Have you ever felt like you just don't quite fit in? The team at Tight Pants Theatre know exactly how you feel. For two nights this week, this upstart collective of dramatists and thespians will present an anthology of short plays, each written by a different member of the company in response to notions of membership, exclusivity and belonging. Featuring loads of home-grown talent, No Vacancy shapes up as a suitably strange and boisterous affair, ranging from political satire to absurdist game show to sobering reflection on the global refugee crisis. Throw in a runaway Christmas cult and a funeral home run by a necromancer, and it's hard to imagine there won't be at least something in the show that strikes your fancy. Best of all, 100 per cent of profits raised will be donated to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. Because nobody should be made to feel like they don't belong.
The team behind Beyond the Valley are teaming up with boutique music agency Novel for a brand new camping festival set to hit Victoria this March. More than 30 international guests, including Dixon, Ben Klock, Gold Panda, Kristian Beyer (aka Ame), Toro Y Moi and Red Axes, will join a contingent of locals including Kllo, CC:Disco!, Andras, Big Words, No Zu, Otologic, Sleep D and Albrecht La'Brooy, for a three-day EDM bush doof. Running from March 10-13 at a location near Mafeking in country Victoria, Pitch Music & Arts Festival is being promoted as a "ceremonial daze" in the golden fields of Victoria. Needless to say, we're very on board. Final release tickets are on sale for $330, and they also offer luxury glamping packages if you're feeling especially fancy.
With the weather starting to turn frosty, it's time to move those weekend activities out of the beer garden and into somewhere a little more cosy. So, on April 23, Raw Materials is opening up its Footscray warehouse space to the public, for an autumn-friendly Sunday session that promises a little something for everyone. Kicking off at 11am, it's set to be a jam-packed day, with an impressive lineup of live music from the likes of blues star John McNamara, Melbourne's high-energy Safari Motel, funk artist Andrea Marr, and Mike Elrington. Tastebuds are also in for a treat, as chef Robert Monteau takes over the on-site cooking demo kitchen to whip up a paella feast before your very eyes. Rounding out the fun, a menu of small bites will feature the likes of cheese boards and sliders, while local booze stars like Hop Nation and Two Birds Brewing will be on hand to quench your thirst. It's all happening from 11am till 6pm at the Cowper Street space.
If you prefer to shop with a conscience, Melbourne CBD's new retail treasure trove will have you busting out the reusable bags and locking in a shopping trip ASAP. A new permanent showcase of products and services from local social enterprises has launched in the Queen Vic Market, dubbed The Purpose Precinct. Making its home along the market site's String Bean Alley, the new addition has been dreamed up in collaboration with well-known social enterprises, bike retailer and repair crew Good Cycles, and change-making cafe group STREAT. The new initiative's also being backed by the Victorian Government and Social Enterprise Network of Victoria. So just what will you find in this new haven of wares that care? Well, The Purpose Precinct is stocked with a rotating range of goodies and offerings from more than 20 different Victorian social enterprises; including beloved brands like streetwear label HoMie and the Indigenous-owned and -operated Clothing the Gaps. Next time you're hitting Queen Vic Market for your usual haul of fresh veggies and hot jam doughnuts, you'll be able to drop by The Purpose Precinct to shop pantry items, fashion, accessories, homewares and more — all crafted with a conscience from ethically and sustainably sourced materials. Good Cycles is also operating a new bike shop and service centre onsite, continuing its work helping to create employment pathways for young people. The new precinct's not just a win for shoppers, the planet and the ongoing work of our local social enterprises, but it's only set to get bigger and better. "Our ambition is to see hundreds of Victorian social enterprises represented in the Precinct over the coming years," explains Good Cycles CEO Jaison Hoernel. "All working together not only to create better cites, but also meaningful employment opportunities for Victorians." The Purpose Precinct isn't the only new addition the Queen Vic Market has welcomed of late. A bunch of venues and retailers have already been opening as part of the site's much-anticipated Munro development, while in August we scored a peek at the latest plans for its groundbreaking new community library and rooftop. Find The Purpose Precinct at String Bean Alley, Queen Victoria Market, Queen Street, Melbourne. You can see more details over on the website.
Bond and big-name festival hits. Everyone from Paul Mescal and Lily James and to Olivia Colman and Colin Farrell. Established and up-and-coming filmmakers from across the UK. That's the British Film Festival's 2022 lineup, which'll hit Melbourne's Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema and The Astor from Wednesday, October 19–Wednesday, November 16. Get ready to catch Mescal's latest post-Normal People role, Aftersun, then check out a rom-com starring James (Pam & Tommy) with Shazad Latif (Toast of Tinseltown), before seeing the Australian premiere of Colman's (Mothering Sunday) newest movie Joyride. As always, it's a star-studded affair, including opening with Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, as set in the world of French fashion, with Oscar-nominated Phantom Thread actor Lesley Manville in the titular role. At the other end, that aforementioned rom-com What's Love Got to Do With It? will wrap things up, with James and Latif joined on-screen by Emma Thompson (Good Luck to You, Leo Grande). Other standouts include The Banshees of Inisherin, which reunites In Bruges writer/director Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) and his stars Farrell (After Yang) and Brendan Gleeson (The Tragedy of Macbeth); plus the Bill Nighy (The Man Who Fell to Earth)-starring Living, about a terminally ill man in the 1950s. Also on the complete bill, and a huge inclusion: Empire of Light, the new film from 1917, Skyfall and Spectre's Sam Mendes. Skyfall will also play as part of the Bond retrospective, but the director's latest has been called a love letter to cinema — because charting a romance in an old picture palace in the 1980s was always going to earn that description. An Emily Brontë biopic, aptly named Emily, and directed by Australia actor-turned-filmmaker Frances O'Connor (The End), also sits on the lineup — as do more sea shanties in song-filled sequel Fisherman's Friends 2: One and All. Or, there's Rogue Agent, which dramatises conman (and fake undercover MI5 agent) Robert Freegard's IRL story; In From the Side, about an affair between two members of a fictional South London gay rugby club; and Aisha, focusing on a young Nigerian woman seeking asylum in Ireland. As for that shaken-not-stirred contingent, it celebrates six decades since Dr No, the first movie in the 007 franchise, initially graced cinemas — and includes 14 films, with tickets $13 for each. The title that started it all is well and truly on the lineup, as are the fellow Connery-led You Only Live Twice, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger and Thunderball; Roger Moore-era titles Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun; On Your Majesty's Secret Service with Australia's Bond George Lazenby; Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill; Goldeneye and The World Is Not Enough with Pierce Brosnan; and Daniel Craig's Casino Royale and Skyfall.
Port Melbourne has scored itself a taste of the 1950s jazz scene, with sophisticated cocktail lounge Clooney Kitchen & Bar opening its doors on Bay Street this week. Named not for the actor, but for his famous jazz musician aunt Rosemary, it's a little dose of old-world Hollywood glamour down under. Heading up the bar are Shannon McFarland (The Rochester, Woodland House) and Will Crennan (Gin Palace, Collins Quarter), who have pulled together a collection of artisanal spirits, inventive signature cocktails, craft beers from across Italy and Australia, and a tidy, yet well-travelled lineup of wine. Dialling up the luxury will be lesser known Italian liqueurs, Scotch tasting trays and George Clooney's own Casamigos tequila. Meanwhile, McFarland's house-made liqueurs — and the bar's opulent crystal goblets — will add a unique edge to your drinking sessions. To match, Head Chef Leigh Stanicic (Melbourne Wine Room, The Fat Duck) has designed a menu of bar snacks and small bites drawing inspiration from across Europe and Asia, featuring dishes such as Peking duck terrine with duck skin crackling, barbecue pig jowl and Davidson plum salmon crudo. You can go a la carte — and choose your own adventure — or settle in for the four-course food and cocktail degustation, a collaboration between McFarland and Stanicic. The space itself is dressed to impress, designed by Darren Kerf of Kerf Designs, with swanky plum velvet booths, art deco features and bold wallpapers full of 1950s elegance. To round out the experience, the team is matching that vintage sophistication with an old-school sense of hospitality, serving drinks carefully customised to guests' palates, and respecting the classics, while also embracing the new and innovative. And the music will, fittingly, feature plenty of old-school jazz. Find Clooney Kitchen & Bar at 171 Bay Street, Port Melbourne. It's open from Tuesday–Wednesday, 4pm–midnight and Thursday–Saturday, 4pm–1am. Images: Kevin Li.
As the title of a franchise, Insidious has already been taken. Which is unfortunate, because it would have suited the pictures of Michael Haneke perfectly. Although his movies don't comprise an interconnected series, they're linked by the filmmaker's continued obsession with the way people really behave. In the work of the acclaimed writer-director, seemingly ordinary situations become something else entirely, whether it's strangers knocking at the door in Funny Games, a family going about its normal business in Cache, or an elderly couple at the end of their lives in Amour. With considerable cunning, Haneke's stories unsettle by gradually exposing the facade behind which we all live — particularly when matters of love, loyalty and the complicated bonds of blood are involved. Sporting an ironic moniker, Happy End is no different. If you're onboard with the type of humour Haneke demonstrates in those two words, then you're well prepared for the sly comic social critique that follows. Setting the subject of social media firmly in its sights, the director's latest film doesn't hold back, tearing down humanity's contemporary fondness for screens over in-person interactions. What we're snapping, filming, uploading, posting, emailing, reading, watching, scrolling through and clicking on is one of Haneke's two main targets. How we treat even our closest relatives when we're more concerned with likes, shares and our own busy lives is the other. Opening with Snapchat footage, it's quickly apparent that something sinister is brewing. Although we don't initially know who's responsible, seeing a hamster being drugged doesn't paint a contented picture, and nor does vision of a clearly miserable woman. Then Happy End introduces 12-year-old Eve Laurent (Fantine Harduin), who is bundled off to stay with her father (Mathieu Kassovitz) and his incredibly wealthy extended family after her mother overdoses. Not that anyone in her new mansion home pays the girl much attention. They're as content to ignore her as they are her increasingly senile grandfather Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant). As Eve's stepmother (Laura Verlinden) fusses over her new baby, her aunt Anne (Isabelle Huppert) prepares to take over the family construction company, and various family crises bubble up, the pre-teen and the octogenarian form a bleak kind of bond. Other than his new social media savvy (and a standout karaoke scene soundtracked to Sia's 'Chandelier'), Haneke ticks plenty of recognisable boxes with Happy End. A little too many, perhaps. He doesn't lose his ability to intrigue, but it's obvious that he's relying upon his established tricks and trademarks, almost as if he's making his own greatest hits package. In a way, keeping to his usual beats supports the recurring message in many of his movies: that life's woes and worries tend to repeat. That said, when spotting the filmmaker's familiar flourishes is more interesting than sections of the narrative, it's also a problem. Still, even when he's retracing his own footsteps with a knowing wink and smile, Haneke's work sits in its own category. The playfulness paired with grim scenarios, the long shots urging viewers not to tear their eyes away, the unease oozing from every scene and performance: it's all there, deployed with the requisite finesse. And while the final result isn't among Haneke's best films, when it comes to plunging into the chilling darkness behind carefully cultivated public personas, no one does it quite like the Austrian master. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8Jn1AIzcBQ
If you're fond of activewear, you better work some shopping time into your schedule this week. The Upside is hosting its first ever Melbourne warehouse sale, taking over Clifton Street Market from May 17–19. The Sydney-based activewear brand is offering up to 80 percent off for both men's and women's apparel, with pieces starting at just 25 bucks. Expect colourfully patterned sports bras for $30, legging for $50, hoodies for $50 and tanks and tees from $35. There'll also be pieces from the brand's swim and resort wear collections, including $50 bathers and dresses from $50. All samples will be $25. We expect there will be a queue — move around some yoga classes to get there early. The Upside Warehouse Sale will be open from 8am–6pm Friday and 9am–5pm on Saturday and Sunday.
If you're going to fork out an arm and a leg for candy bar concessions, the food may as well be good. That's the thinking behind the ever-popular Coburg Drive-In Food Truck Festival, which is back for a May run. On Wednesday and Thursday night you can sit back in your car and enjoy the latest Hollywood releases while chowing down on delectable offerings from Melbourne's leading mobile food vendors. Look out for the likes of Taco Truck, Smokin Barry's, Nem N Nem, Boss Burger Shakes, Yo India, Real Burgers, Those Guys' Food, Roadrunner Fried Chicken, Street Crepes and Senor Churro. Plus, your pooch is welcome to come along too.
Everyone loves a good laugh. And everyone really loves a good bargain. And right now, you've got a tiny window to enjoy both of those things, rolled into one. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is just around the corner, kicking off in late March. But if you're quick, you can get a head-start on scooping up tickets to some of this year's shows at a very budget-friendly rate. From 11am today, Tuesday, February 1, MICF has launched its annual 24/24 offer — a 24-hour-only deal slinging tickets to a stack of shows for the low price of $24 a pop. The flash sale covers gigs from a whole host of big-name Aussie artists, including Becky Lucas, Wil Anderson, Nazeem Hussain, Geraldine Hickey, Zoë Coombs Marr, Aaron Chen and Sammy J. You can even catch some international acts on the cheap, with the likes of David O'Doherty, Ali McGregor, Mark Watson and Fern Brady also among the list of participating shows. To take advantage of the special offer, you'll need to be speedy — it ends at exactly 10.59am tomorrow, February 2. To check out the full list of cheap thrills available, see the website. Top Image: Jim Lee
Spoken word events are few and far between these days. Haunted by a sometimes cringeworthy past of beat poetry and undergrad creative writing workshops, storytelling is close to becoming another lost art form. But with Tell Me A Story recently selling out shows in Sydney, this new oral phenomena is a welcome addition the Midsumma program. For one night only, under the theme of 'GLBTI Family', comedians, experienced storytellers, and tenacious beginners will share personal experiences over ten minute blocks with a relaxed audience at Gasworks Arts Park. The event on January 17 will be hosted by Kathryn Bendall and will feature Adam Richard, Em Rusciano and Joel Creasey among others. For more information check out the website. This show was one of our top picks for Midsumma 2014, see our full list here.
What would you do if you were a little less freaked out by consequences? Would you talk to more new people, fear a bit less, dance a little more like FKA Twigs, quit your desk job and start that business you've always wanted to give a red hot go? Some sparkling young Australians are already flinging their inhibitions into a ziplock bag and seizing this little ol' life with both hands. Concrete Playground has teamed up with the Jameson crew to give you a sneak peek into the lives of bold characters who took a big chance on themselves. They've gone out on a limb and rewritten their path, encapsulating 'Sine Metu', the Jameson family motto which translates to 'without fear' — getting outside your comfort zone and trying something new. After all, we only get one shot at this. Take notes. Dreaming big is easy. Following through on that dream — that's where the hard work begins. Junky Comics' owner Vlada Edirippulige knows this, but a year after opening her own store, she wouldn't have it any other way. Also known as illustrator Junky and as a member of local band Major Leagues, her commitment to boosting Brisbane's arts scene shows just what can happen when you embody 'Sine Metu', set your mind to something and throw caution to the wind. We had a chat to Vlada about how taking a big chance has paid off in a big way. You can read the interview over here. Want to experience a little bit of 'Sine Metu' yourself? Vlada's being a total legend and helping us give away $1000 worth of rare comic books from her own Junky Comics collection, so you can see for yourself what happens when bold humans take big creative chances with big payoffs. This whopping prize includes the complete Walking Dead series 1-23, Hip Hop Family Tree by Ed Piskor, the complete Scott Pilgrim colour hardcover series and The Complete Wimmen's Comix. Enter here to win. And enjoy Jameson responsibly, folks.
When Virgil Oldman (Geoffrey Rush) celebrates his birthday, he does so dining alone in a high-end restaurant, staring disconsolately at a special cake baked in his honour as other patrons titter at the pitiful spectacle. Lonely as he is, Virgil has carved out a fine career as an art auctioneer and is widely respected as the best at what he does and valued for his fine eye and penchant for detail. In his fastidiously maintained home, he keeps a whole wardrobe full of top-end designer gloves, the perfect accessory for a man who likes to keep life at arm's length. The wardrobe leads into a sanctuary of his most treasured possessions, a secret stash of portraits of women. He has secured these valuable gems in league with his only real friend, Billy (Donald Sutherland), an art collector who conspires with Virgil to win valuable works at auction, sold under value to 'the best offer'. When he is engaged to value the collection of antique furniture owned by Claire (Sylvia Hoeks), a young woman whose parents have died, he goes to the spectacular but run-down old property but finds to his frustration that Claire is not there. He continues to visit the property to attend to his work, but Claire is a ghost, always finding excuses not to meet him. Eventually, he finds that a young woman has in fact been in the house all along, but is in hiding. Concealed behind a wall, she tells him she has not left the house since she a traumatic experience she had as a teenager. Sensing a kindred spirit, Virgil gets drawn into her life, against his better judgement. As Virgil becomes more familiar with the house, he finds scattered wheels and cogs of a mysterious machine, which he takes to Robert (Jim Sturgess), a twinkle-eyed, raffish young man with a busy love life and a flair for repairing old things. Increasingly Virgil comes to confide in Robert and seeks the younger man's advice on the twin mysteries of the contraption and the elusive Claire. Becoming entranced by Claire's ethereal beauty and isolation, Virgil's usually perfect work performance begins slipping, the sign of a man losing control of his ordered life as he grapples with the foreign emotional landscape of human connection. Writer/director Giuseppe Tornatore has made an exquisitely told story with a cruel sting in its tale. Rush delivers a beautifully judged and involving performance as a man whose austere and detached approach to life is thrown into disarray, while Sylia Hoeks is ideal as the mysterious Claire. While some elements of the story's final act probably don't stand up to closer scrutiny, the overriding impression as the credits roll is one of complete heartbreak, making The Best Offer one of the best feel-bad films in recent memory. https://youtube.com/watch?v=WCfXq3nFDUM
There's no better place to sample a region's top drops than at the wineries, breweries and cideries making them. So lovers of Victorian booze will be very pleased to know that the Peninsula VineHop Festival is set to return for its second year, having been awarded a Regional Events Fund grant by the Victorian Government and Visit Victoria. It'll showcase the best of the Mornington Peninsula this November 17 and 18. Imagine a local version of Rutherglen's long-running Winery Walkabout, only with equal emphasis on craft beers and ciders, and it's not hard to see why VineHop's 2017 debut proved so darn popular. This year, the two-day event runs to the same concept, with affordable shuttle buses allowing visitors to cruise between a stack of participating breweries and wineries, experiencing the best of each along the way. Yes, that's right, no designated drivers required. As well as the opportunity to sample premium libations just metres from where they were crafted, there'll be a program of food trucks, live music and DJs setting the mood at each location. Among the venues that will be open for visitors is the gloriously named Hickinbotham of Dromana. The family-run estate produces both wine and beer (via on-site microbrewery Hix) and will also host a Mornington Peninsula Brewery pop-up. To make the most of the stunning scenery, make a stop at Bayview Estate which offers vistas of rolling hills and lavender farms plus the opportunity for a hearty feed — think pig on a spit and Ploughman's platters — at its old English-style pub Pig and Whistle. Other venues include Mock Red Hill Cider, Stumpy Gully and Red Hill Estate, whose overwhelming popularity at VineHop 2017 has led to a different approach this year: Red Hill will be set up at historic homestead The Briars as the official festival hub. Tickets to Peninsula VineHop Festival go on sale at 5pm on Friday, August 3. For information on bus options and routes, visit the website.
In 2022, The Strokes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were meant to share the same Splendour in the Grass bill. Karen O's band didn't make it to what became Splendour in the Mud, but the two groups have shared plenty before — and for decades. Their maps have overlapped since pre-9/11 New York, when both were formed in the turn-of-the-millennium indie-rock wave, then surfed it to success and worldwide fame. Both The Strokes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were born of the Lower East Side pre-gentrification. Both spun in the same orbit as late-90s saccharine pop and Y2K nu-metal rock gave way to electrifying guitar riffs and an explosive sound that'd become a whole scene. Both are led by charismatic singers who came alive onstage, but also found chaos and challenges. Alongside Interpol, LCD Soundsystem, The Moldy Peaches, The Rapture and TV on the Radio, both now sit at the heart of documentary Meet Me in the Bathroom. Based on Lizzy Goodman's 2017 book Meet Me in the Bathroom, an oral history that focuses on exactly what its subtitle says it does — Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001–2011 — this is a fond look back at bands setting the room on fire and rolling heads as one century gave way to the next. While the film isn't about just one or two groups, it returns to The Strokes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs again and again, and not simply because they're two of the early 00s' biggest NYC post-punk, garage-rock revival names. Listening to The Strokes' first record, 2001's Is This It, is a jolt and a buzz. With Julian Casablancas behind the microphone, it thrums and hums with the energy of hopping between bars, gigs and parties, and with the thrill of a heady night, week, month, year and just being in your 20s. Hearing O's voice is galvanising — intoxicating as well — and has been since the Yeah Yeah Yeah's self-titled EP, also in 2001. It's no wonder that directors Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern just want to keep listening, and also inhabiting that vibe. Meet Me in the Bathroom jumps around like a mixtape — or, befitting the period, like illicit tunes acquired by Napster and LimeWire, tools that aren't irrelevant to this story. Before technology changed the radio star again, making global fandom easier, better, faster and stronger, the movie's bands had to come to fruition in the first place, however. Lovelace and Southern start with images of the Manhattan skyline, and of New York's subway system. They hero Andy Warhol, Lou Reed and Blondie, ticking through New York icon after New York icon. They position The Strokes, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and company's arrival as the next step and, by using such familiar NYC mainstays, they mark Meet Me in the Bathroom's key players as era-defining legends who were always going be legends. Before this, Lovelace and Southern's best-known film was Shut Up and Play the Hits. In that James Murphy-centric doco about what was then LCD Soundsystem's last gig at Madison Square Garden and in this alike, the directing duo are patently enamoured with their subjects. That doesn't dampen or discount Meet Me in the Bathroom's passion and insights, not for a second — but the film is preaching to the long ago-converted rather initiating 00s-period indie-rock newcomers. There's a wistfulness beyond nostalgia to the movie as well that's a few strums away from being out of tune. The years have passed, naturally. It'll never be the advent of the 21st century again, short of time-travelling DeLoreans or phone booths. Still, The Strokes' last album arrived in 2020, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Interpol released new records in 2022; they're all still together and still touring. In a counterpoint to Meet Me in the Bathroom's confidence that this talent in this town was always going to lead to this tale, The Moldy Peaches' Adam Green voices early doubts: "I remember thinking maybe New York isn't the kind of city anymore that produces iconic bands." The film wouldn't exist if the names it surveys hadn't made their mark, of course, and helped ensure their scene made a mark. Viewers know that going in, but watching the process via archival footage, home movies and gig snippets from the time, much of it handheld and atmospheric — and hearing from Casablancas, O, Murphy, Green, Interpol's Paul Banks and more — is as immersive and transporting as Lovelace and Southern want it to be. A like-you're-there sensation kicks in; Casablancas looking so fresh-faced assists, plus O talking through how fronting a band helped her work out who she was. (Her comment that there were no women in rock leading the way beforehand aren't as spot-on.) O is a fascinating, mesmerising, don't-want-to-look-away point of Meet Me in the Bathroom's focus. The movie does peer elsewhere, but the audience wants it to swiftly return. Her transformation from a quiet girl with an acoustic guitar from New Jersey to a rock goddess doesn't just feel fated, but earned. Her honesty, especially when chatting about the solace from racism and sexism she sought in music, then the treatment that women in rock receive, is pivotal to making Meet Me in the Bathroom more than a vivid effort to revisit a time, place, mood and scene. Also, her candour sits in contrast to Casablancas, who the doco gravitates towards as the world did, but conveys most of what he's going to by saying little. The bigger The Strokes get, the less comfortable he is. And, given that everything in the film's frames comes from back in the day, that's without Casablancas knowing that two decades later this documentary would take its name from a track from The Strokes' second album. Affectionate, in the moment, revealing, reverent: Meet Me in the Bathroom hits all of those notes. It also covers much, from Y2K predictions to 9/11 and its aftermath, sweaty club shows to internet-enabled album leaks, and whirlwind tours through to struggling to get deals and records out. With editors Andrew Cross (Ronaldinho: The Happiest Man in the World) and Sam Rice-Edwards (Whitney), Lovelace and Southern structure the film by feel more than anything else. There's a timeline to this time capsule, but in flitting from one band to the next and back again, choosing where to linger — including an indulgent midsection spent charting Murphy's switch from producer to LCD Soundsystem frontman — and picking what to leave out, mood seems the biggest influence. That's music, though, as anyone who has happily lost themselves to The Strokes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on a heaving dance floor or among a jostling festival crowd knows, as does Meet Me in the Bathroom.
We know it's Monday morning and you're just getting stuck into the emails you didn't get to on Friday, but drop everything and scout out your closest 109 tram stop — because Public Transport Victoria is about to throw a one-off on-board pup party. And we're all invited. To mark International Day of People With a Disability and throw some support behind social enterprise Dialogue in the Dark, a team of furry Guide Dogs ambassadors will be special guests on the 109 tramline, from exactly 10.30am today. Keep an eye out for the yellow and black Dialogue in the Dark tram and hop on board to score some Monday morning doggy cuddles, and maybe even a special Christmas treat. Dialogue in the Dark is an initiative that allows the public to experience one hour in pitch darkness, guided by a person with vision loss. Plus, if you're keen to sign up to become a puppy raiser for Guide Dogs Victoria after your cuddles, head over here.
Sipping whisky in a plush rooftop bar perched 14 storeys up — that's a scenario that's bound to have you feeling pretty flash. And on Wednesday, August 31, it can be your reality, as Starward Whisky takes over the sky-high setting of Fable for a sophisticated booze-matched dinner. Guests will tuck into a seasonal three-course feast courtesy of Fable Head Chef Alex Xinis (Press Club, Hellenic Republic), with each dish paired with a different drop from Starward's award-winning range. Starward's Matty Follent will talk you through the evening's pours, including a couple of single malts, and a first taste of a yet-to-be-released peated number with notes of peach and tropical fruit. The feast will set you back $160, including a whisky cocktail on arrival. There are two sessions to choose from, at 5pm (buy online here) and 8pm (buy online here). Go for the former if you fancy pairing your dinner with some top-notch sunset vistas. Top Image: Nicole Cleary
Looking to woo this Valentine's Day? Just remember that location matters — and stunning views don't hurt, either. Luckily for you, Rippon Lea Estate has both of these things going for it and it just so happens to be hosting the ultimate dinner date for loved-up couples on Tuesday, February 14. Book your table for two at the stunning Elsternwick property from 6pm and prepare to be swept off your feet. On the evening's menu: a three-course spread featuring dishes like twice-cooked goats cheese soufflé, lemon herb chicken with creamy white wine sauce and an edible chocolate garden for dessert. Included in the $129 ticket, you'll also score a package of house-made sweet treats to take home, saving you from having to rush out and buy those last-minute Valentine's choccies. What's more, you and your lover can take a romantic post-dinner stroll through the estate's lush gardens whilst being serenaded by the enchanting cello melodies of Gary Fu. Top image: Lenish John via Wikimedia Commons.
'Jackie-O' Pascal and her twin brother, Marty, have been re-enacting the moment of JFK's assassination since they were teenagers. They have also been having a long-running affair. When Marty brings his fiancee, Lesly, to the family's Thanksgiving celebrations, a disturbing battle between the slightly deranged Jackie-O and Marty's oppressively normal fiancee ensues. Add a hurricane, a puppyish younger brother who takes a liking to Lesly and a slightly depressed matriarch, and you have all the ingredients for a seriously black comedy. Wendy Macleod's The House of Yes is taken to a new level of hilarity in this fresh adaptation of her cult classic about incest, mental illness and a family's inexplicable obsession with JFK. Brought to you by Little Ones Theatre, the guys that treated Melbourne audiences to Psycho Beach Party in 2013, this show promises to be a disturbing but hilarious theatrical treat. The House of Yes is on from November 27 to December 13 at Theatre Works. Thanks to Little Ones Theatre, we have three double passes for the show on Saturday, November 29, at 8pm to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address at win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au.
There's nothing like a stint of chilly Melbourne winter to inspire cravings for a hearty Sunday roast. And one with bottomless drinks to match? Even better. This, my friends, is the enviable situation that now awaits you at Mr Joe every Sunday afternoon. Book in for the Richmond eatery's new bottomless roast series from 1–3pm each weekend and enjoy a sumptuous, globe-trotting feed for $72. The shared spread features dishes like fresh bread with whipped ricotta and a red mojo sauce, plump pork and vegetarian gyozas, and an array of seasonal vegetables. Alongside those, star roasted delights like slow-cooked Asian-spiced lamb ribs, Texas-style wagyu brisket, local pork belly and a tender lamb shoulder are all on the menu as well. You're also in for two hours of free-flowing booze, including sparkling wine, Asahi beer, mimosas, margaritas, espresso martinis and a crisp watermelon punch. Images: Ben Moynihan
Winter isn't usually the most fun time to be in Melbourne. Sure, it's nice when the local pub starts serving mulled wine, but when your favourite activities include sunny brunches, outdoor cinemas and going to the beach, grey skies and arctic winds are not your friends. But we've found at least one reason to celebrate the chilly weather: a pop-up ice skating rink right in the middle of Fed Square. Located on River Terrace overlooking the Yarra, River Rink will be open from 10am – 10pm, seven days a week, from June 18 until July 17. At night the rink will be lit up in a multitude of colours, while select evenings will also feature live entertainment. Tickets to River Rink cost $24.50 for adults, and include skate hire. Those of you without much skating experience or general coordination can also hire a plastic penguin and/or seal, which essentially serve as ice skating training wheels. Full disclosure though: you're probably still going to wake up the next day covered in bruises.
Strawberry Fields' Tocumwal home has remained quieter than normal of late, after the site was inundated by flood waters last October, forcing the annual music festival to cancel. But it's about to score its glorious comeback, with brand-new one-day fest Good Times heading along to give it a proper workout this autumn. Making its debut on Saturday, March 25, Good Times is set to deliver a hefty lineup of Aussie talent, with acts like Cash Savage & the Last Drinks, garage four-piece Floodlights and blues legend CW Stoneking & His Primitive Horn Orchestra already revealed to be making the trip to Tocumwal. [caption id="attachment_887375" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Will Hamilton-Coates[/caption] Now, organisers have dropped the full artist lineup, throwing big names like jazz-funk four-piece Surprise Chef, Music Victoria Award-winning songstress Bumpy and dance-floor favourite Wax'o Paradiso (aka Simon TK and Edd Fisher) into the mix. Joining them in this bush oasis on the banks of the Murray River are rising stars Glass Beams (with their signature masks), Yorta Yorta blues act Benny Walker and Alice Springs-based folk artist Charly. And you'll catch even more diversity of sound from the likes of JUMAN, Collingwood Casanovas, PBSFM's Mz Rizk and a stack of others. [caption id="attachment_887378" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Will Hamilton-Coates[/caption] The family-friendly one-stage festival is set to be capped at just 1000 guests, with camping passes available for those keen on sleeping over, as well as shuttles running to and from Tocumwal's town centre. Alongside the tunes, there'll be offerings like a flame-driven culinary program with eats by Three Blue Ducks' Mark La Brooy, Wild Pie (a new collaboration from Jo Barrett and Louise Daily), and the purveyors of wild game at Discovered Wildfoods. Plus, attendees can also enjoy a strong lineup of natural wines, a series of riverfront hot tubs for unwinding in between sets, and a pop-up lounge for resting and relaxing. And as is the case with Strawberry Fields, you'll be able to cool off with a refreshing dip in the river whenever you like. Best of all, the entirety of Good Times ticket profits will be rolled into the Strawberry Fields Community Grants Fund, going to support local community organisations and non-profits. Berrigan Shire locals have access to half-price tickets. [caption id="attachment_887377" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Will Hamilton-Coates[/caption] Here's the lineup in full: GOOD TIMES 2023 LINEUP: Benny Walker Bumpy C.W. Stoneking & his Primitive Horn Orchestra Cash Savage & the Last Drinks Charly Claps Collingwood Casanovas Don Glori Floodlights Friday Young Glass Beams JUMAN Kuzco Mz Rizk Surprise Chef Wax'o Paradiso Good Times will take place at the Strawberry Fields site in Tocumwal, NSW, on Saturday, March 25. General admission tickets start from $119, available online. Top image: Duncographic.
This month, one of Melbourne's newest rooftop bars is letting you get acquainted with some of Victoria's hottest craft distilleries — without stepping foot out of the city. Ever the champion of local booze, sky-high hideaway the Stolen Gem has kicked off a limited run of weekly bar takeovers, set on showcasing top-notch spirits from across the state. From 12pm each Saturday, through until May 14, the bar will be hosting a different guest distillery for an afternoon of tastings, exclusive specialty cocktails and distiller chats. Coming up on Saturday, May 7, you'll catch the team from family-owned Somerville distillery Chief Son, as they share some stories and pour samples of their limited-edition single-malt whisky. And on May 14, the Jamaican-style Killik Rum out of Belgrave will be taking the spotlight, with the distinctly flavoured wild-fermented spirit available to try straight, as well as blended into a signature Old Fashioned. Entry to each takeover event is free — book via the website. [caption id="attachment_852613" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lumea Photo[/caption] Images: Lumea Photo
Ah, Cherry Bar. Home to sticky floors and leopard fur. Hallowed ground of headbangers. Tucked away down AC/DC Lane, the iconic venue is the ultimate dive bar in today’s age of overlit, oversanitised rock venues. Every not-so-self-respecting local has a story tell about the night they popped their Cherry. This Sunday the bar's 7th annual street festival, CherryRock013, will be co-headlined by two gloriously disgraceful stoner rock bands — recently reformed Californian legends UNIDA and Swedish fuzz rock sensations Truckfighters. They’ll be joined by King Parrot, Barbarion, Matt Sonic & the High Times, The Murlocs, Mammoth, Gay Paris, Surefire Midnights, The Workinghorse Irons, Drunk Mums, Little Bastard and Battle Axe Howlers, plus a swag more to be announced. Cherry festivals are notoriously epic days, when the makeshift curtains come down over the graffiti laden laneway, barely concealing a writhing sea of black tees, skinny jeans and badass rockers. Expect an all-day party that blends live music and Jack Daniel's better than AC/DC ever could. Image via theheavychronicles.com
The program for The Great Game summarises its plot as 'Charles Darwin meets the Pussycat Dolls and together they set out for the Battle of Khartoum'. Don’t worry, I don’t know what that means either, even after seeing it. You’re on a trip deep into the Land of Quirk with this one, so don’t expect anything so prosaic as a definable storyline. The show is constructed as a giant game of make-believe between two housebound and stir-crazy sisters. Exploring an untidy room, the floor strewn with papers around a desk crowded with scientific paraphernalia, Elizabeth (Charlie Laidlaw) and Georgiana (Katherine Connolly) rifle through old books and antique letters, play-acting the characters they read about. One minute they are austere ladies swapping Bible quotes, the next they are re-enacting tribal rituals, mimicking birds they find described in a biologist’s notes or indulging in romantic fantasies about a 19th century British colonial officer (Bernard Caleo). The show is at once extremely batty and highly intellectual, with animal impressions and pants-on-the-head type clowning interspersed with elegantly articulated musings on history, social change, religion and other such weighty topics. It presents a jumble of disparate ideas, like an attic cluttered with curiosities, inexplicable odds and ends and occasional treasures. From start to finish, the show is resolutely vague. While it is hinted from the outset that the sisters are modern women play-acting ladies of yesteryear who are in turn play-acting other characters, it is never explicit who they actually are, or where or when this is happening. They may be in an isolated house in rural Australia, the room may be their deceased father’s office — or their isolation and the deceased father may simply be melodramatic fictions. If any theme is central, it is loneliness and the obsessions and deep uncertainties it breeds. I am loathe to criticise a consciously abstract piece like this for lack of plot or character depth — the sisters’ complete removal from context, even the context of their own identities, is significant in creating a mood of total isolation — but the resulting lack of impetus can leave it feeling adrift. The show, like its shut-in heroines, is very deeply involved in its own world and a few more windows open to the audience might have done it some good. Even at its most esoteric, however, The Great Game is easy to enjoy. Connolly and Laidlaw are tirelessly enthusiastic performers who evoke the dynamics of a sibling relationship well. There is room for more subtlety in the performances though, especially in an intimate venue like La Mama, but the cast do get a lot of mileage from the audience by playing big and their antics keep the laughs coming. The piece was first performed in 2012 as part of La Mama’s EXPLORATIONS program for developing new work. This is its first full season. Bless La Mama for helping bring this theatrical oddity into being, because as curious as it is, The Great Game certainly represents an individual and exploratory artistic voice.
Another year, another Archibald Prize forced to adapt to these pandemic-afflicted times. After the 2020 award was delayed due to COVID-19, this year's gong was handed out as normal — but now the Art Gallery of NSW exhibition that always follows has been impacted by Greater Sydney's current lockdown. So, the folks at AGNSW have released a virtual version of the popular showcase, which means both at-home Sydneysiders and folks around the rest of the country can view 2021's top portraits from their couch. The 360-degree experience lets you tour the exhibition at your own pace, and see its works as they appear within the gallery space. You can learn more about the pieces along the way as well, thanks to clickable hotspots that provide information about each artwork. Every year for the past century, the Archibald Prize has recognised exceptional works of portraiture by Australian artists. In 2021, from a field of 52 finalists, the coveted award has gone to Melbourne-based artist Peter Wegner for Portrait of Guy Warren at 100. A unanimous decision by this year's judges, Wegner's portrait of the centenarian and fellow artist obviously won the gong in a fitting year. "Guy Warren turned 100 in April — he was born the same year the Archibald Prize was first awarded in 1921," Wegner said. "This is not why I painted Guy, but the coincidence is nicely timed." Wegner's win came after an equal number of works from both male and female artists made the finalists list for the first time in Archibald history — all of which you can now scope out from home, alongside entries and winners for the Wynne and Sir John Sulman prizes, too. Across the three prizes, 2144 entries were received this year, which is the second-highest number ever after 2020. And, the three prizes received the highest-ever number of entries from Indigenous artists. If you don't agree with the judges, you can also cast your own vote for the People's Choice Award before 5pm on Sunday, August 29. [caption id="attachment_814784" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Archibald Prize 2021. Peter Wegner, 'Portrait of Guy Warren at 100'. Oil on canvas, 120.5 x 151.5 cm. © the artist. Photo: AGNSW, Felicity Jenkins. Sitter: Guy Warren.[/caption] Top image: Archibald Prize 2021 finalist. Kirsty Neilson, 'Making noise'. Oil on linen, 50.1 x 60.1 cm, © the artist. Photo: AGNSW, Felicity Jenkins.
If jungle vibes while shopping for greenery sounds like your perfect outing, head along to the Jungle Collective's indoor plant sale on Saturday, January 23–Sunday, January 24. It's the latest greenery-filled market from the Melbourne nursery, which stocks all kinds of weird and wonderful species. And, after hosting plenty of online-only events over the past year, this sale is a 100-percent in-person affair. Whether you're after a hanging pot plant, some palms for the garden or a giant Bird of Paradise, chances are you'll find it here. Have a reputation for killing your cacti? Overwatering your ferns? Don't worry — there'll be horticulturalists on site on the night to give you advice and chat through any questions you might have. Get inspired by greenery aplenty and learn to incorporate plants into your home and living spaces, all while browsing and soaking up some tunes. Jungle Collective is turning this event into a bit of a maze, too, so you'll enter in one spot, wander along a designated path and leave in a completely different area. Best get in quick though — these markets are always popular, with more than 170 different species usually on offer. Due to expected demand, the sale will be held in 30-minute sessions across both days, and attendees will need to register for free tickets in advance. Plus, if you come decked out in white from head to toe — and spend at least $10 — you'll also get $5 off your purchase.
Snapping a few selfies over Christmas, and then sharing them with the world? Aren't we all. In this selfie-taking, uploading, sharing and Instagram-filling age, the days of only being able to spy your own image in a mirror or reflective surface are long gone. But, what if you could see it on a cookie, cupcake or even on top of your iced coffee? That's what New York's Selfee promises — and they can place your likeness on cold beverages and other baked goods as well. They've been holding pop-up events for the past six months, and are currently running a crowdfunding campaign to open their own store. At the time of writing, they've raised $23,516 towards their $30,000 goal with six days remaining. https://www.instagram.com/p/BOQBxEVAIgu/?taken-by=selff.ee How does it work, you're probably wondering? Flavourless, FDA-certified edible inks hold the key to feasting on food boasting your own picture — or another snap of your choosing. So does a quick printing method that happens as you watch, which gives it an advantage over existing methods of decorating food with your own image (such as cake transfers that have topped bakery fare for years — or online photo-printed marshmallow ordering service Boomf, which is co-owned by James Middleton, the brother of the Duchess of Cambridge). The New York shop will produce selfie-adorned cold-brew iced coffee, iced green tea, cupcakes, cookies, marshmallows and milkshakes, while an online store will ship cookies across America. Add it to your must-try list if you're heading to the US any time soon, or keep your fingers crossed that something similar pops up in Australia. (If you're heading to Asia, Selfie Coffee has proven popular in Singapore)> For more information about Selfee, visit their website.
Heading the NGV's autumn/winter program this year is a world-premiere exhibition Pierre Bonnard, created in collaboration with famed Parisian museum the Musée d'Orsay. It offers a glimpse into the life and work of acclaimed 20th-century French artist Bonnard through a sprawling collection of pieces on loan from the likes of London's Tate and The Museum of Modern Art in New York, along with other renowned French museums. A close friend of the legendary Henri Matisse, the artist is best known for his stylised decorative works evoking scenes of everyday domestic life. [caption id="attachment_747306" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Coffee (1915), Pierre Bonnard, Tate, London, presented by Sir Michael Sadler through the NACF 1941.[/caption] The exhibition will see Bonnard's recognisable designs brought to life even further, with the help of famed Iranian-Egyptian-French architect and designer India Mahdavi. Mahdavi — who has designed eye-catching spaces like London's Red Valentino store and the famous all-pink Gallery at sketch — will use her signature colour palettes and love of textures to create an immersive, life-size version of one of Bonnard's domestic scenes. Image: The Gallery at sketch designed by India Mahdavi, London, 2014, photo by Thomas Humery.
Dig out those once-a-year novelty gumboots, because Groovin the Moo has unveiled its 2019 lineup. Taking the large-scale music festival out of the city and into regional centres for another year, GTM will hit Bendigo on Saturday, May 4. This year sees local talent new and established taking the stage, with the lineup spanning up-and-comers like Jack River, G Flip and Haiku Hands right through to recent Hottest 100 top tenner Billie Eilish, Aussie favourites Nick Murphy and Thelma Plum, Australian hip hop legends Hilltop Hoods and rockers Regurgitator. International talent like Coolio — who'll you'll most likely recognise from his hit track 'Gangsta's Paradise' — Danish pop singer MØ and American rapper A$AP Twelvyy will make their way to the Moo, too. Groovin the Moo is also moving its ACT festival to Exhibition Park for the first time as it conducts its second pill testing trial. Pill testing is still a much-debated topic around the country with five people recently dying from suspected overdoses in as many months and the NSW Government remaining staunchly opposed to the idea of pill-testing, despite international research and the success of last year's pill-testing venture at the Canberra fest. Here's the full lineup. GROOVIN THE MOO 2019 LINEUP A$AP Twelvyy (USA) Angie McMahon Aurora (Nor) Billie Eilish Carmouflage Rose Coolio (USA) Crooked Colours DMA's Duckwrth Fisher Flosstradamus (USA) G Flip Haiku Hands Hermitude Hilltop Hoods Holy Holy Jack River Just a Gent MØ (Dnk) Nick Murphy Nicole Millar Regurgitator Rejjie Snow (Irl) Sofi Tukker Spinderella Thelma Plum TOKiMONSTA (USA) Trophy Eyes Images: Daisy Hofstetter.
Sometimes artists appear to be larger than life, but in this case they actually are. For almost 20 years, Melbourne-based artist Sandra Bridie has been creating 'fictional artists' — a thought-provoking experiment considering the journey of artists, as well as posing a series of "what if?" questions on Bridie's own career. Eight Fictions presents eight make-believe artists across mediums of photography, performance, sculpture, conceptual art, crafting, curatorship and text works, and with each artist said to be born into a different Melbourne art-world eras and at various stages of their career. Rather than tricking the audience into thinking these artists are real, Bridie makes it clear that she's the creator behind each artist's work. This allows for the audience to discuss the work with a unique context and consider the lives of the artists at their varied levels of success and hardship. Sandra Bridie (b 19--): eight fictions is on display at Blindside Gallery from Wednesday, November 15 until Saturday, December 2. Image: Sandra Bridie, Sandra Bridie, b.1952. Walking Meditation, Santiago, Spain. Video still compilation of walking performance, 2015. Courtesy the artist.
This review was written about the Sydney run of Beautiful One Day at Belvoir St Theatre in November 2012. Beautiful One Day shows that devised theatre still has a unique power to bring people together for true sharing, collaboration, and storytelling. With the support of Belvoir, leading Indigenous theatre company Ilbijerri and documentary performance maestros Version 1.0 went and tested the waters at the Aboriginal community of Palm Island. When their suggestions for a project weren't rebuffed, they developed the work with the residents, three of whom join the seasoned performers on stage. Palm Island is a place we've mainly seen in snippets on the news — not anybody's best angle. It captured headlines in 2004, after the death in custody there of Mulrunji Doomadgee, whom the coroner found to have massive internal injuries. After the autopsy report was made public, there were demonstrations that turned to rioting. This event, still a trauma and a focus for the people of Palms, is at the chronological centre of the play, although in this version of the story, it is part of a continuum of acts of violence committed by white Australia for which there has never been justice. At the same time, the island has a continuous history of asserting its rights, including through large strikes in 1957 against the Aboriginals Protection Act, which had Aboriginal people under state control since 1897. As mentioned, this is devised theatre without writer or director, so linear story is not its strength — though nor its intention. Instead, the Beautiful One Day team — performers Magdalena Blackley, Kylie Doomadgee, Paul Dwyer, Rachael Maza, Jane Phegan, and Harry Reuben, plus additional devisors Sean Bacon, Eamon Flack, and David Williams — build layer upon overlapping layer of story, context, and meaning. A big success is that they set up an atmosphere of chattiness with the audience from the get-go, creating a feeling of lightness and inclusion. They use a Version 1.0-influenced toolkit of multimedia (presented, not excessively, across three screens), interviews, transcripts of historical and legal documents, and fictionalised scenes to build a picture of Palms. A nod to the 'telling their own stories' trope has the performers actually reading and acting out memoirs from books literally printed and bound, a nice little kick in the pants for anyone who thinks Aboriginal history is sidelined mostly because it's oral in form. The scenes about Mulrunji's death can't match the breadth and discovery of Chloe Hooper's award-winning book on the subject, The Tall Man, which is among the great works of creative non-fiction produced in this country. If the story of what happened to Mulrunji and in the subsequent trials and inquests appears more damning in this viewing, it is because the facts are condensed into a smaller space, in which it is impossible for the officers of law and justice involved to hide. It seems a pity, though, that in some moments, the police are portrayed cartoonishly, as a means to a joke. Even if it doesn't bring new facts to the conversation, Beautiful One Day certainly brings a new feeling. In trying to get a view of Palm Island from Palm Island, rather than of Palm Island from the mainland, the picture they conjure is one of hope. The island has seen conflict and absurdity, but looked at up close, there's at least an equal share of normalcy and paradise. There'll be more once its people can truly say they're no longer "living under the act".
There are a few different holy experiences you could choose to indulge in over the Easter break. But only one of them will find you getting good and weird with live tunes and party vibes in the central Victorian countryside. From April 19–21, Boogie festival returns to its Tallarook farm digs for edition number 13, where it'll again deliver a three-day extravaganza of eats, drinks, music and shape-throwing. The just-dropped artist lineup is better than any Easter egg you'll unwrap, the one stage playing host to a truly mixed bag of musical goodies. There'll be all-American sets from Kurt Vile and his band the Violators, and folk artist Nathaniel Rateliff. Local bands The Chats, Goons of Doom and Hexdebt are just a few acts on the rest of the lineup. Of course, the tunes are just one part of the festival fun, backed by a tidy array of pop-up bars and food vendors to ensure your boogie games stays strong across the long weekend. BOOGIE 13 LINEUP Kurt Vile and the Violators Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats The Chats Jade Imagine Shogun and the Sheets Goons of Doom Leah Senior Spiral Stairs Laura Imbruglia Fulton Street Van Duren The Smallgoods Hexdebt Constant Mongrel Grinding Eyes Bunny Racket
Love Leunig? Chances are if you’re a Melburnian, the anwer’s a warm-hearted yes. Our city’s Cartoonist Laureate - to coin a title for the special role Michael Leunig and his curly-headed creations plays in our city consciousness - is this weekend doing live shows at the Melbourne Recital Centre. He will, naturally, be cartooning, his live drawing projected onto a screen, accompanied by melodies from former pop starlet turned soulful songstress Gyan. Gyan - one of Australia’s original reality TV stars (having gained notice on Star Search in the '80s) recorded a whole album using Leunig’s poetry for lyrics, titled Billy the Rabbit, in 2006. She and Leunig have performed it together as a song-plus-cartoon cabaret several times since its launch at the Melbourne Writers Festival that year and they won a Sydney Theatre Award for it in 2007. It’s back for two shows only, so catch this rabbit while you can.
Bingo. Rave. Two ends of the spectrum of fine holiday fun and finally — finally — together as one. Bongo's Bingo is a games night like you've never seen before. Part club, part rave, and, of course, part bingo night, this unlikely fusion event has been wildly popular in the UK since 2015. Now, they're taking the show on the road and launching in Australia this June. In partnership with Wats On Events, Bongo's Bingo Down Under is throwing a massive bingo rave at Collingwood Town Hall on June 29. Patrons can expect all of the debauchery of the original British version of Bongo's Bingo, including rave intervals, dancing on tables and a loose kind of bingo that you definitely never played with your nan (well, maybe you have). The victorious players can win everything from big cash prizes to a Hills Hoist, with a range of some absolutely ridiculous surprises on offer. If you're not sure what you're in for, check out this video for a better sense of this crazy night out: The Melbourne launch event will be presided over by founder and comic ringleader Jonny Bongo who, as one would expect, is a character in the truest sense of the word and even holds the world record for the biggest ever pub quiz. Australia is the second international location for Bongo's Bingo, which recently launched in Dubai as well and, based on popularity, we imagine the event will continue to expand around the globe. Venues, guest lineup and DJ hosts will be announced in coming weeks, and tickets will go on sale at 6pm on Wednesday, May 17. Tickets are $40 and include six games of bingo. Keep an eye on this space for further updates and brush up on those bingo-break down skills in the meantime.
From the creative minds behind MKA: Theatre of New Writing comes a new highly participatory work of live art. Supergroup EXPEN$$$IVE, starring the self-described queer femme showgirl Kerith Manderson-Galvin, are making a video clip despite never releasing a song. The Mechanics institute will become the live film set where audience members become involved in the shooting of the music clip. On top of that, audience members will also ask questions at a faux press conference, and we recommend attending on the May 8 to join in on their official Q&A and party. Come In Lover, We’re Doing Witchcraft is part of the Metanoia Live Works Program at Brunswick’s newest performance venue, The Mechanics Institute. It’s free entry and audience members can come and go as they please, but who would want to leave this riot?
