Back in March, Victoria implemented a State of Emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a move it has extended monthly since. So, while originally due to expire at midnight on Monday, April 13, the State of Emergency has been prolonged until May 11, June 20, July 19, August 16, September 13 and October 11 — and now until November 8. With the state slowly working through its roadmap to ease out of lockdowns — including relaxing stage-four lockdowns in the metropolitan Melbourne area — this is hardly surprising news. Victoria is also in a declared State of Disaster, which gives police additional powers to ensure that Victorians are complying with public health directions, and that has been prolonged once again until November 8 as well. Announcing the latest extensions on Sunday, October 11, Premier Daniel Andrews noted that it's "simply to make sure that we've got that legal framework in place in order to continue to have rules, to drive these numbers down even further". He also advised that keeping the State of Emergency and State of Disaster in place doesn't isn't a reflection of plans regarding metro Melbourne restrictions in the coming weeks. "That's simply a four-week extension. No one should read anything more into that in terms of it being key dates for shifts in rules. We try to do those things in four-week blocks. That's the most appropriate way to go. This comes from detailed public health advice, and there will be a time where we do not need to extend these things and I look forward to that day," he said. The State of Emergency declaration allows the state's authorised officers to "act to eliminate or reduce a serious risk to public health" as directed by Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton. That means restricting movement, preventing entry to premises and venues, and detaining people — measures that have been in place over the past seven months as the state responds to the coronavirus. Fines continue to be handed out to folks who breach the restrictions — with the state's on-the-spot financial penalties spanning up to $4659 for individuals if you test positive for COVID-19 or have symptoms and are awaiting test results, but fail to isolate at home. Fines of $4957 apply to folks who flout current restrictions on public and private gatherings, and who travel into regional Victoria without a valid reason. People who repeatedly break the rules can also be sent to the Magistrates Court and fined up to $20,000. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Victoria and how to protect yourself, head to the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services website.
Provocateur. Feminist. Filmmaker. Shirley Clarke, one of the key but often overlooked figures of the New American Cinema, will be the focus of a retrospective at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) starting later this month. A feature of the New York cinema verite movement during the '50s and '60s, Clarke’s films regularly explored controversial issues of race and class disparity. Her first feature, The Connection, told the story of a fictional documentary filmmaker following a group of African-American drug addicts. The movie was acclaimed when it screened at the Cannes Film Festival, but faced censorship in the United States. Later works dealt with similar themes, including her quintessential documentary Portrait of Jason, cited by director Ingmar Bergman as "the most extraordinary film I've seen in my life." Uptown Girl: The Cinema of Shirley Clarke will showcase some of Clarke’s most iconic features and shorts, many of them newly restored by Milestone Films and the New York Museum of Modern Art.
Talented pooches have been barking their way to big-screen stardom since the birth of the medium, and Cannes Film Festival even gives out awards for ace pupper performances. In Australia for a few years now, we also celebrate the intersection of canines and cinema — via our very own dog-themed movie showcase. At the Top Dog Film Festival, doggos and puppers cement their status as humanity's favourite film stars in a touring program of pooch-centric shorts. For a couple of hours, dogs will leap across screens in a curated selection of heartwarming flicks about humanity's best friend. Over the last few years, the lineup has included films about dog-powered sports, dogs in space, dogs hiking through the desert, senior dogs and more — and also dolphin-spotting dogs, animal actors and mountain pups. In 2025, the festival hits Melbourne's Astor Theatre at 7pm on Tuesday, August 26 — and rushing after tickets the way your best four-legged friend rushes after a frisbee is recommended. Given how much we all love watching dog videos online, not to mention attending pupper-centric shindigs in general, this event is certain to be popular. You'd be barking mad to miss it, obviously.
Lockdown is done and dusted, the weather's getting balmier and picnics are having a serious renaissance. And this summer is set to give us all a new appreciation for the humble park hang, as well as for those eats and drinks best enjoyed on grassy turf. Of course, a juicy burger is right up there on the list of ideal park accompaniments, which is why we've teamed up with Betty's Burgers & Concrete Co. to pull together this list of top Melbourne parks for an impromptu burger picnic. These rolling lawns and sun-drenched gardens are all within easy strolling distance of one of its restaurants. [caption id="attachment_754320" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] FLAGSTAFF GARDENS In the heart of the CBD, Flagstaff Gardens is a winning option for that lunchtime picnic feed. It offers the chance to bask in some greenery without chewing up too many precious lunch break minutes. Here, in the city's oldest park — established way back in 1862, you'll find plenty of huge, shady Moreton Bay figs under which to park yourself, as well as neat, sun-drenched stretches of lawn framed by footpaths and fragrant rose gardens. What's more, it's located metres from Queen Victoria Markets, making it an ideal spot for catch-ups after the weekly grocery shop. It's also conveniently close to Elizabeth Street's Betty's Burgers, for when you crave a feast without having to prep anything yourself. SCHRAMMS RESERVE Verdant lawns, shady trees and newly revamped facilities — this popular neighbourhood park has it all. Located just a few streets east of Doncaster Westfield Shopping Centre, and Betty's Burgers found inside, the 8.5-hectare Schramms Reserve has grassy areas in abundance. You'll rarely have to battle it out for a patch of turf to call your own. Plus, it's home to a couple of sports fields if you fancy watching cricket or footy with your al fresco feast. You'll also find playgrounds to keep any littlies entertained, as well as off-leash areas for those four-legged guests. [caption id="attachment_792852" align="alignnone" width="1920"] City of Stonnington[/caption] VICTORIA GARDENS The lush and leafy Victoria Gardens makes for an idyllic outdoor dining destination, offering a slice of tranquility just off Prahran's bustling High Street. Over 135 years old, this historic park was designed by the same landscaper behind the likes of Rippon Lea Estate and the Daylesford Botanic Gardens, so you know it's going to be pretty to look at. There are scores of shady spots to throw down your rug out of direct sunlight, too, and it has diverse tree varieties planted throughout. Pooches can roam free and happy in the designated off-leash area while you tuck into your park lunch, which you can pick up from Betty's in Windsor. [caption id="attachment_702339" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS The famed lawns of the Royal Botanic Gardens are brimming with primo picnicking spots. And, at 38 hectares, the park isn't short on space for everyone — consider yourself spoilt for choice, no matter what time or day you visit. Here, there are open stretches of green space, secluded nooks sheltered by trees and a couple of picturesque lakes for those keen to dine with water views. Plus, the grounds has kilometres of walking tracks, in case you find yourself in need of a post-feed digestive stroll. [caption id="attachment_794846" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Creative Commons[/caption] JELLS PARK With its sprawling parkland spaces, endless trails and scenic waterfront stretches, Jells Park offers a proper break from all that city hustle and bustle. Unfolding over 127 lush hectares in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, it has picnic spots for days, including some particularly idyllic areas overlooking Jells Lake. Throughout the precinct, you'll find scores of dedicated picnic facilities for those times you prefer a table over turf, while the kilometres of walking and cycling tracks come in handy when a leg stretch is on the cards. What's more, the park's booming bird population promises some top-notch wildlife-spotting opportunities, as well as a sweet soundtrack to any al fresco lunch, which you can pick up from Betty's at The Glen Shopping Centre. Find your nearest Betty's Burgers & Concrete Co, here.
From medieval guilds all the way forward to Wikipedia, sharing knowledge has always been a boon for humanity. We thrive on it. And Melbourne's new hospitality symposium GROW is built around the idea that information is better served up than hoarded. GROW Assembly is a slick new consortium of hospo professionals who've come together to collectively season the new generation of chefs, sommeliers, bakers, cocktail artisans, food journos and FOH firecrackers with the juice squeezed from their collective experience. The first event they're rolling out is a full day seminar on Sunday, May 1 in Melbourne with 12 industry speakers spitting knowledge left, right and centre. The lineup reads like a Wiki entry of Melbourne food royalty and includes Dan Hunter (owner chef of Brae), Angie Giannakodakis (restauranteur, Epocha and Elyros), Nolan Hirte (owner of Proud Mary Coffee Roasters), Kevin Donovan (industry long-tooth and owner of Donovans restaurant) and Sebastian Crowther (master sommelier at Rockpool 1989) among others. Also on the bill is Alquimie's Josh Elias, Gourmet Traveller's wine editor Max Allen and Sarah Lemke of Belgium's De Superette bakery. Phew. The team who are putting the whole shebang together — Michael Bascetta, Banjo Harris Plane, Meira Harel, Vicky Symington and Manu Potoi — also have an impressive joint resume; together they count stints at Attica, The Town Mouse, Rockwell and Sons, Lot 3, Proud Mary and Bar Liberty in their experience. It's a long list, but you get the jist — these are the people you want to be the hospitality Yoda to your Skywalker. If you're looking to bring that novelty hybrid food idea into fruition or give us your spin on fried chicken this event is the perfect way to get a foot in the door. The first GROW Assembly is being held on Sunday, May 1, from 10am until 5pm at a still to be disclosed Melbourne location. Tickets will cost $125 and include morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. Buy yours at growassembly.com.au.
Is there a fluffy, cat-shaped hole in your life? Have you been looking for an excuse to fill it? If so, consider this your calling. With the annual kitten season coming to an end and an influx of rescues on its hands, the Cat Protection Society of Victoria (CPSV) is putting the call out for feline-friendly homes, mainly for kittens, but also some mama cats. Most of the animals are either surrendered as kittens or rescued by council rangers and in need of TLC, medical attention and loving new homes. If you're keen to adopt one of these kittens, it'll cost you $135 — or $80 for an adult — which includes all the necessities: microchipping, desexing, vaccinations, parasite treatment, a full vet check and a two-week health cover. Recently desexed cats will also get free follow-up vet care and CPSV will be on hand to help out with questions and follow-ups long after each adoption is complete. Because the CPSV currently has a lot of cats that need fur-ever homes, this weekend it will throw in a free litter tray, litter, scoop, food bowl and a whole heap of dry food when you adopt an adult cat (older than 12 months). For more information on adopting and to see some of the animals that need rehoming, jump over to the CPSV website. The CPSV is located at 200 Elder Street, Greensborough and is open from 10am–3pm on Saturday, March 31 and Monday, April 2, and is closed on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Every October, hundreds of happenings around Australia make up Anti-Poverty Week, an annual event dedicated to fighting poverty and hardship. This year, one of them is an exclusive screening of STEP. This doco travels to inner-city Baltimore, US, to capture the story of an all-girls step team whose goal is to make it to college — despite none of their family members having attended before. Against a background of social unrest and discrimination, they strive to win scholarships, supported by their teachers, coaches, counsellors and families. At Sundance 2017, STEP won the US Documentary Special Jury Award for Inspirational Filmmaking. The STEP screening is being held by the Brotherhood of St Laurence, a community organisation that's been tackling poverty across Australia since 1930, through both grass roots initiatives and policy development. In keeping with the tone of the evening, a guest speaker from the Brotherhood will be sharing stories of local youths fighting their way out of poverty through education. This special screening will take place at 6pm on Wednesday, October 17. Tickets are $30 per person and include complimentary drinks and nibbles before the film. For more info on the event and to purchase tickets, visit the Brotherhood of St Laurence website.
If lockdown put a decent dent in your whisky collection, then Melbourne's next spirits festival was made for you. The inaugural Melbourne Whisky Week kicks off Friday, November 19, delivering a 17-day celebration of peat, smoke, spice and everything in between. Running until December 5, the festival is set to showcase a slew of top distilleries and whisky-obsessed venues, across a program of over 40 events — from tastings and tours to masterclasses and boozy dinners. Among them, you'll find a five-course whisky-paired degustation at Eureka 89, a rollicking night of bourbon and blues at The Catfish, and an intimate tasting of the just-dropped, much-hyped 78 Degrees Australian Whiskey, hosted by Mr West. Gospel Whisky invites fans on a special distillery tour, followed by a sumptuous four-course feast paired with cocktails, whipped up by the Rascal kitchen right there in the distillery. And if you're still thirsty, there's an array of distilling masterclasses, cheese and whisky flights, limited-edition whisky cocktail menus and other whisky business to sink your teeth into. Top Image: Jimmy Rum, by Chris McConville
A group of mates who've worked at some of Melbourne's top hospitality spots — think: Supernormal, Lilac Wine Bar, The Kettle Black, Bluebonnet Barbecue and Blackhearts and Sparrows — have opened a new bar on Brunswick East's Lygon Street. Unlike the Carlton end of Lygon Street (best known for its slew of Italian restaurants), this stretch of pavement covers a more eclectic group of places to eat and drink. Each spot also caters more to locals rather than uni students and travellers, so you can expect a proper community feel as well. With this in mind, Maggie's Snacks and Liquor seems to be perfectly placed. This small bar is located within a Victorian-era building that's been totally gutted and decked out with mid-century modern furnishings. It has some vintage charm to it, with the fireplace and intimate courtyard out back simply adding to those cosy vibes. Drinks-wise, the new Melbourne bar is focusing on seasonal cocktails that champion local ingredients. For summer, the team has done away with the Aperol and Campari, instead creating their own signature spritz — the rockmelon spritz — made with poached rockmelon, wax flowers, sparkling wine and Aussie-made Okar Tropic amaro. You'll also find a fruity vanilla slice milk punch that's been made with passionfruit, burnt vanilla, brioche, whisky and clarified milk. The ten-page wine list is also a marvel in itself, championing small Australian and French winemakers while also featuring eight different magnum bottles for those celebrating big. A huge range of Aussie spirits, beers and ciders round out the extensive booze offerings. Food at Maggie's is all about a farm-to-table ethos, led by Executive Chef Scott Blomfield, who is deeply passionate about creating produce-led menus that are a bit fun and experimental. The dishes are mostly slanted towards the grazing side of dining, made for those days when a quick drink with a mate eventually rolls into a big night out without you even noticing. Munch on a duck and pickle corn dog, fried bread with pickled mussels and chorizo, or a crispy chicken skin sanga before launching into larger share plates. These include everything from ceviche and lamb ribs to an epic snapper pie topped with scallop mousse and roasted bone cream. These aren't your average bar snacks. And Maggie's doesn't seem like just your average neighbourhood bar, either. Find Maggie's Snacks and Liquor at 98 Lygon Street, Brunswick East, operating 4pm–midnight Wednesday–Thursday, 12pm–1am Friday–Saturday and 12pm–midnight on Sundays. For more information, head to the venue's website.
It has finally happened, Melburnians. After two prolonged periods spent empty this year, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Melbourne picture palaces are back in business. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made over the past three months, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer from this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-M4qEmF268 FREAKY Blumhouse Productions has already turned Groundhog Day into a horror flick via Happy Death Day and Happy Death Day 2U. It gave 70s TV series Fantasy Island an unsettling makeover, too, with downright awful results. Now, it's Freaky Friday's turn. Body-swap movies span far beyond films starring Jodie Foster (in 1976) and Lindsay Lohan (in 2003), but given that Freaky sets the bulk of its action on a Friday, it's clearly nodding in the obvious direction. The movie begins with a prelude on Wednesday the 11th (yes, not only will most of the chaos go down on a Friday, but it'll happen on Friday the 13th). In the opening scene, four small-town high schoolers do what teens do in the first moments of slasher flicks: talk, party and make out in an empty old mansion, then get killed by a mask-wearing psychopath. Before the quartet meets that fate, its members explain who is responsible. The Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn) is known to have terrorised the area but, due to a lack of recent murders, the serial killer has mostly become an urban legend of late. Not only is the Butcher real, as writer/director Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day and its sequel) and his co-scribe Michael Kennedy (Bordertown) quickly show, but he steals a cursed Aztec dagger that lets him swap bodies with his next victim. So, when shy teen Millie (Kathryn Newton, Big Little Lies) crosses his path, she wakes up in his very tall and male guise the next morning — and vice versa. That's great news for the Butcher, who can now blend in with the adolescents that he likes to murder. It's a troubling predicament for the bullied high schooler that suddenly looks like him, though. Given that Freaky sports a big twist right there in its premise, no one should expect a surprise-laden narrative here. It does add some depth to its high-concept horror-comedy idea, including calling out society's accepted notions of male power and making it plain that women are never seen in the same fashion, but the movie proves a patchwork affair overall. In other words, sometimes things fall into place entertainingly, and sometimes they don't. The slick, fast-paced flick is particularly engaging when it ramps up either the gore-splattered horror or the over-the-top comedy, though, and it sports top-notch lead casting choices. Indeed, without either Vaughn or Newton, it might've resembled The Hot Chick meets the worst Nightmare on Elm Street sequels rather than Freaky Friday meets Friday the 13th. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW_3aaoSOYg HILLBILLY ELEGY Adapted from the 2016 memoir that shares its name, Hillbilly Elegy is filled with Acting and a Message. Yes, those words should be capitalised. It's an awards-seeking showcase for its two big-name stars, Amy Adams and Glenn Close — neither of whom have an Oscar on their mantles despite 13 nominations between them (six for Adams, seven for Close). It's also a sombre-toned, melodramatic attempt to explain, presumably to the so-called 'coastal elites' that are often characterised as the enemy of ordinary Americans by certain sections of the country's media, that folks crudely nicknamed 'hillbillies' or 'rednecks' are people, too. And, although Ron Howard sits in the director's chair and screenwriter Vanessa Taylor also co-wrote The Shape of Water, Hillbilly Elegy is about as subtle as an Appalachian-born grandmother yelling at teenagers to get off her porch or she'll shoot them. That's something that happens in the film. There's a difference between unpacking stereotypes and propagating them and, despite its obvious intentions, Hillbilly Elegy falls firmly in the second category. A deglamourised Adams plays drug-addicted ex-nurse and single mother Bev. With just as much frizzy hair, Close steps into the shoes of Bev's mother, Mamaw, who gave birth to her when she was 13. Their lives haven't been easy, although they've each constantly strived to do what's best for their poverty-stricken family. Adams and Close give big, overt performances that make their character's struggles known in every fierce glare and public meltdown, but even their visible efforts — and the work they're putting in is always forcefully apparent — can't lift this simultaneously earnest and bland affair. The true tale is all actually seen through the eyes and memories of Bev's son and hardworking Yale law student JD (Gabriel Basso, The Big C). When his mum overdoses while he's trying to secure a summer internship with a prestigious firm in DC, he heads back home, looking back on his childhood (where the character is played by Paterson's Owen Asztalos) across both the hill country of Jackson, Kentucky and also the downtrodden Middletown, Ohio in the process. The real-life JD literally wrote the book, but all those words inspire here is formulaic, mawkish, over-the-top and often fittingly beige-hued awards-bait that noticeably says little about the world that it so superficially feigns to explore. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYUO1xmwxTQ THE COMEBACK TRAIL It's never a great idea to fill a screenplay with verbal references to cinematic masterpieces gone by. If your movie doesn't come anywhere near close to matching Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho or Orson Welles' Touch of Evil, for instance, you've already inspired an unflattering comparison. Those classic titles are mentioned early in The Comeback Trail, and it's well and truly evident by then that this comedy will never sit in their company. Its predecessor certainly doesn't, with this Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Tommy Lee Jones and Zach Braff-starring, 1970s-set film based on a 1982 movie of the same name. Here, De Niro and Braff play an uncle-nephew pair of movie producers, Max Barber and Walter Creason, who are known for making average-at-best flicks and even inspiring protests at their premieres — and it doesn't take long for viewers to wonder if the inescapably cheap-looking The Comeback Trail is indicative of the terrible and unsuccessful features pumped out by its central pair. After the aforementioned picketing of their latest release, the duo owe $350,000 to gangster Reggie Fontaine (Freeman). Max could sell a beloved script to a rival producer (Emile Hirsch) to rustle up the funds; however, he stumbles upon another plan instead. Soon, he's in even more debt to Reggie, but with a scam in mind — setting up a suicidal old western star, Duke Montana (Jones), for a big accident so that he can claim an insurance payout. Naturally, nothing pans out as it's supposed to, in a film filled from start to finish with laugh-free moments. Max and Walter try to explain to their female director (Kate Katzman) that she's a bad fit because they're making a manly film, which was never going to be funny. Max gets kicked by the horse he's trying to use to injure Duke, and that inspires zero hilarity, too. Contrived, predictable, strained and grating, The Comeback Trail squanders the three acting veterans among its cast. In fact, it makes you wish they'd be more selective with their on-screen choices. De Niro has worked with filmmaker George Gallo before, with the latter writing 1988 comedy Midnight Run, but their reunion couldn't be more painful — and De Niro couldn't be further away from his excellent efforts in The Irishman just last year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loGLiMU5fuI TENET Christopher Nolan has never made a Bond film. He certainly didn't helm The Matrix franchise, either. But pick and twist aspects of each, including narrative tropes, sci-fi trickery and special effects wizardry, and the writer/director's latest slick, bold, mind-bending action-thriller Tenet is the end product. Spy flick elements are evident from the outset, thanks to a tense, taut, supremely well-executed opening attack on the jam-packed Kiev Opera House. When a gun fires during the chaos, but the bullet returns to the weapon rather than shooting out from it, Tenet's nods to late 90s and early 00s sci-fi are apparent, too. Soon afterwards, a scientist (Clémence Poésy) talks the film's CIA operative protagonist (BlacKkKlansman's John David Washington) through some of the nuts and bolts of the shadowy situation he finds himself in, explaining that inverted objects being sent back through time from the future, that a war is coming, and detailing the reverse trajectory of the bullet — and the Protagonist, as he's literally called, exclaims a Keanu-esque "whoa!" that's particularly memorable. Armed with the relevant background — tidbits the film wants viewers to pay close attention to as well — the Protagonist must hop around the world to stop life as everyone knows it from ending. He has suave handler Neil (Robert Pattinson) for company, but if Tenet's premise sounds a tad vague and convoluted, well, that's the movie's wavelength. As obsessed with time, space, existence and consciousness as much of Nolan's work, the cerebral feature doesn't get any less tangled or labyrinthine, or try to. It boasts the kind of plot that is actually quite straightforward, yet is told in an overly complicated fashion to keep viewers puzzling. Nolan likes messing with audiences' heads, so this shouldn't come as a surprise; however he jumps even beyond Inception's leaps, The Prestige's magic tricks and Interstellar's temporal dilations. As a result, as entertaining and downright spectacular as it is when it's at its action-packed best, there's also a sense that Tenet is bounding forward in some ways, while also needlessly looping back on itself in others. It's stirring, but also laborious. It's designed to overwhelm viewers in an inventive head trip, yet it makes the audience feel like they're working. It's intricate and exacting, and also messy and repetitive. It's a Nolan film through and through, in other words — usually to a mesmerising degree, but too indulgently as well. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtVe_8CS6vU RADIOACTIVE Even without sourcing and quoting an exact number, it's obvious that an immense amount of people owe their lives to Marie and Pierre Curie's research on radioactivity. Without their work — Marie's passion project, which she reluctantly agreed to collaborate on with Pierre after they first crossed paths in Paris — cancer treatment would've likely been vastly different over the past century. The results for scores of cancer patients would've been as well. But the pair's discovery of two new elements, radium and polonium, also led to disturbing side effects and cataclysmic events that changed the course of history in other ways. Radioactive touches upon both, from life-saving oncology usage and the ability to conduct x-rays on World War I battlefields to the bombing of Hiroshima and Chernobyl's nuclear reactor meltdown. Via the inclusion of clips in a 50s hospital, in Japan, in the Ukraine and at a nuclear bomb test in Nevada in 1961, this becomes a far more thoughtful feature than its usual biopic trappings often indicate (and make no mistake, much of the script reads from the biopic-101 playbook). It might seem strange for a film about Marie to leap forward at different moments, jumping to years and decades past her death in 1934, all to show how the physicist and chemist's work made and continues to make a colossal impact upon the world. But that's the most interesting thing about Radioactive: its willingness to contemplate both the significant benefits and proven dangers of Marie (Rosamund Pike, an Oscar-nominee for Gone Girl) and Pierre's (Sam Riley, Rebecca) pioneering discoveries. The latter is tasked with vocalising this battle in his acceptance speech for their shared 1903 Nobel Prize in physics, acknowledging the struggle but opining that "mankind will derive more good than harm". As directed by Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis) and adapted from Lauren Redniss' graphic novel about the Curies, Radioactive film doesn't simply take Pierre at his word, however. It shows his radiation sickness, and Marie's. It touches upon the backlash when news of radioactivity's health effects started becoming widely known. And those aforementioned flash-forwards to both positive and negative applications of the Curies' research keep the same conversation going, because Radioactive doesn't try to offer a right or wrong answer. Something can be two things at once, after all, as this often-probing movie shows in a variety of ways. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_vJhUAOFpI THE NEW MUTANTS For the 13th film in the X-Men franchise, The New Mutants has come up with the perfect way to explain where this series currently sits. The movie traps five teenagers in an eerie, inescapable facility, tries to placate them by promising that they'll soon be able to venture to greener pastures if they just dutifully stomach what they're being subjected to for now, but taunts them with pain and terror while they wait. Logan aside, that sums up this saga's past five years rather astutely. Fans have sat through average and awful chapters in the hope that something better will come in the future, only to be met by more of the same (or worse). Yes, Deadpool and its sequel were hits, but squarely of the one-note, overdone, easily tiring variety. And the less remembered about the overblown and underwhelming X-Men: Apocalypse, the instantly forgettable Dark Phoenix and now the teen horror-meets-X-Men mashup that is The New Mutants, the better. Shot in 2017 but delayed several times since, The New Mutants takes a concept that's equal parts The Breakfast Club and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, adds in angsty adolescents just coming to terms with their hormones and superpowers, and serves up a thoroughly flat affair. When Native American 16-year-old Dani Moonstar (Another Life's Blu Hunt) survives a traumatic incident on her reservation that she can't remember afterwards, she awakens in a hospital run by Dr Cecilia Reyes (Kill Me Three Times' Alice Braga), which she's told is for kids just like her. Her fellow patients (Emma's Anya Taylor-Joy, Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams, Stranger Things' Charlie Heaton and Trinkets' Henry Zaga) are all aware of their extra abilities, though. Dani doesn't even know what she's capable of; however the fact that her arrival coincides with a series of unsettling incidents needling through the minds of her new pals gives everyone a few clues. Alas, all it gives the film is a flimsy excuse to trot out a heap of teen, horror and superhero tropes, with writer/director Josh Boone (The Fault in our Stars) and his co-scribe Knate Lee delivering a suitably moody but also oppressively generic film. Indeed, when Buffy the Vampire Slayer clips play in the background in a couple of scenes, they're instantly more entertaining than anything The New Mutants has to offer. Read our full review. If you're wondering what else is currently screening around Melbourne, we've also picked the 12 best flicks that started gracing the city's silver screens when indoor cinemas were given the green light to reopen. When outdoor cinemas relaunched before that, we outlined the films showing under the stars, too. You can also read our full reviews of The Personal History of David Copperfield, Waves, The King of Staten Island, Babyteeth, Deerskin, Peninsula, Les Misérables, Bill & Ted Face the Music, An American Pickle, On the Rocks, Antebellum, Kajillionaire, The Craft: Legacy, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Radioactive and Brazen Hussies, all of which are presently showing in Melbourne. And, you can check out our rundowns of the new films that released in other cities over the past few months — on July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23 and July 30; August 6, August 13, August 20 and August 27; September 3, September 10, September 17 and September 24; October 1, October 8, October 15, October 22 and October 29; and November 5 — as a number of those movies are now showing in Melbourne as well. Top image: Hillbilly Elegy via Lacey Terrell/Netflix.
When one of the biggest movie franchises to ever grace the silver screen is forced to flee cinemas for more than a year — due to the pandemic, obviously — what happens next? In the Marvel Cinematic Universe's case, it plans a big comeback by releasing not one, not two, but three new movies in less than six months. First up is Black Widow, which is heading to both cinemas and streaming in July. When it does so, it'll mark only the second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that solely focuses on a female protagonist. Yes, really. Next, come September, the franchise's next flick will also make history — because Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings is the MCU's first movie with an Asian lead. Achieving that milestone is obviously long overdue; Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings will be the 25th MCU flick, after all. Simu Liu is doing the honours, playing the titular martial artist and trained assassin, who has spent ten years living a normal life but is suddenly drawn back into the shady Ten Rings organisation. As the first trailer and the just-dropped new trailer for the superhero feature both show, Kim's Convenience star Liu will have plenty of chances to show off his character's skills. He'll have impressive company, too. Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings's cast includes Awkwafina, following on from her voice work in fellow Disney release Raya and the Last Dragon; the great Michelle Yeoh, who was last seen on the big screen in Last Christmas and Boss Level; and the just-as-iconic Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, a mainstay of Wong Kar-Wai's films such as In the Mood for Love, 2046 and The Grandmaster. Fala Chen (The Undoing), Florian Munteanu (Creed II), Ronny Chieng (Godzilla vs Kong) and debutant Meng'er Zhang also feature, while Short Term 12 and Just Mercy's Destin Daniel Cretton is on directing duties. And, you can be forgiven for looking out for familiar sights amid the heavy martial arts action when the movie hits theatres — because it was shot in Sydney. On the big screen, Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings will be followed by the Angelina Jolie-starring, Chloe Zhao-directed Eternals, which is due to release in November. Although the MCU has been absent from cinemas since 2019, the franchise has been busy on the small screen in 2021's first half thanks to WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki. Check out the latest Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings trailer below: Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings releases in cinemas Down Under on September 2, 2021. Top images: ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved
If, when weekends roll around, you look for any excuse to don a nice outfit, sip fine wine and eat delicious food, listen up — Saké Restaurant & Bar Hamer Hall is now hosting a highly opulent Champagne lunch. To celebrate the 200th birthday of Veuve Clicquot's famous rosé Champagne, the restaurant is serving up a special two-hour food and drink package every Saturday and Sunday. As the story goes, Madame Clicquot invented the special blending technique behind the rosé Champagne after taking over the Clicquot business following the death of her husband. This prompted 'Veuve' — meaning 'widow' in French — to be added to the brand name. Unlike her predecessors in rosé-making, who simply coloured regular champagne with elderberries, Madame Clicquot allowed her fondness for red wine grapes to guide experimentation. She decided to blend red wine with still white wine, creating a newer, stronger rosé Champagne. Madame Clicquot is also credited with starting the riddling method, which ensures the champagne keeps its clear and crisp colour. In celebration of Madame Clicquot and her rosé Champagne, Saké Restaurant is treating you to a specially prepared lunch for $75 per person. The seven-plate feast includes Sydney rock oysters with spicy ponzu and onion salsa, sashimi tacos with kingfish and tuna, plus wagyu skewers served with yakiniku sauce and panko-crumbed Glacier 51 toothfish tempura. Add free-flowing Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label for an additional $99 per person, or, for those truly getting in the birthday spirit, upgrade to Veuve Clicquot Rosé for an additional $139 a head. For more info or to secure a table for the special champagne lunch, visit the Saké website.
One otherwise normal day back in 2019, you probably sat down on the couch, switched on your TV, started scrolling through Netflix and came across a new show. That's a pretty regular occurrence for all of us, but we're guessing that you'll remember this particular instance. Discovering I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson isn't something that's easily forgotten. The best sketch comedy of 2019 — and one of the best TV shows in general, too — I Think You Should Leave's first season is ridiculously easily to binge. You don't even need two hours to get through all six episodes but, once you're done, you'll wish that it went for at least twice as long. Social awkwardness is satirised with absurd precision here, and the results are as offbeat and hilarious as a house completely filled with Garfield items and furniture (trust us). And, in great news, a second season is finally due to hit Netflix on Tuesday, July 6. The streaming platform hasn't dropped a trailer, but it has released an announcement video that's as awkward and amusing as fans have come to expect from the show. Exactly what Robinson will satirise this time is obviously yet to be seen, but the second season is already must-see viewing. And if he seems familiar — other than from I Think You Should Leave's — that's because Robinson was the star of Detroiters, and also spent a couple of seasons on Saturday Night Live. Haven't watched the first season yet, and not sure it's for you? Robinson had plenty of recognisable co-stars by his side over the initial batch of episodes, which he also wrote and produced — talents such as Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth), Steven Yeun (Minari), Tim Heidecker (Moonbase 8) and Vanessa Bayer (Saturday Night Live). And, the series also boasts some big names off-screen too, with The Lonely Island (aka Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Andy Samberg and his regular comedy partners Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone) its executive producers. Check out the season two announcement video below: I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson's second season will be available to stream via Netflix from Tuesday, July 6. Top image: Netflix.
UPDATE, January 23, 2023: Mister Organ is available to stream via DocPlay. Twitter has sparked many things for many people, good, bad and in-between, a trend that began well before its late-2022 ownership change and resulting fallout. Still, amid all the social-media platform's mayhem across its history, the chaos started by a single tweet by New Zealand journalist and filmmaker David Farrier has few parallels. That may seem a big call given all that's ever unfurled 140 or 280 characters at a time. Mister Organ lays bare why that's accurate in agonising detail, however. 'Agonising' truly is the word for it — not to describe this equally gripping and mystifying documentary, but the twisty tale it tells and the ordeal that Farrier endures. Every director's work lives and dies on their ability to tell a story, especially when they trade in facts, but his work both thrives and astonishes via his uncanny knack to find stories so wild that they can only be the unvarnished truth. In 2013, the Tickled and Dark Tourist filmmaker commented online about a bad customer-service experience, as every social-media user has at some point. Making such complaints is a rite of passage in the digital realm. Commenting after hearing about a pal's woes, as he did, also couldn't be more standard. Nonetheless, where Farrier's story has gone from there, devolving rather than evolving as he'd no doubt agree — his exasperation surges through the film like parody accounts through the current Twitter regime — is something that no one's most bizarre nightmares could've conjured up. Indeed, expect to watch Mister Organ with a jaw that keeps dropping. Expect to think twice the next time you publicly air a grievance, too, lest a local version of the film's eponymous figure pop up. The tweet that started it all was inspired by one of Farrier's friends, who parked their car at Auckland's now-closed Bashford Antiques, then weathered an unpleasant aftermath. Threats of towing and instant abuse are hardly commonplace or acceptable, and neither is an immediate demand for $250 in order to be allowed to leave. Accordingly, it's no wonder that Farrier took to social media in his mate's support. He next began writing articles about the situation, and what seemed like a clamping racket, in 2016. In his first piece, he covered being asked by his employer three years prior to delete his tweet, too. His own ordeal was only just beginning, though, because his ordeal involves Michael Organ. Or, is that Micheal Organ? Michael Organe? MDA Organ? Michael Organ O'Sullivan? Or, maybe it's Count Michael Andrassy-Organe? "You pay a soul tax for every minute you spend with him," Farrier notes of Mister Organ's namesake and man of many names, as well as his own latest disconcerting subject. Watching the documentary about the pair's run-ins, the feeling behind Farrier's observation makes itself starkly apparent — and only keeps solidifying the more the movie goes on. "I feel like I fucked up pitching the film in the first place," Farrier also advises during Mister Organ. It's a candid admission, particularly from a director in their own doco, and it's devastatingly astute. Making this feature forced him to keep interacting with Organ, his interest kept garnering a response from Organ, and the whole process — like time in True Detective — is a flat circle. The emotional and mental turmoil wrought by a tweet that became a few articles, then a film years in the making, is so blatantly evident and so forceful that Mister Organ's audience takes it on themselves during the documentary's 96-minute running time. If you spotted the 'Count' title in one of Organ's monikers, yes, claiming to be royalty is also part of this narrative. That's in addition to helping impose onerous conditions on folks parking outside an antiques store, becoming the owner's constant companion to a seemingly controlling degree and swiftly getting litigious with Farrier about his reporting on the topic. As well as assisting with bringing legal proceedings against others, Organ has also defended himself in serious court cases. As with everything about his life — as told in Mister Organ, at least — the out-there strands and revelations keep snowballing. His web of interpersonal dealings, as fleshed out through discussions with ex-housemates and old acquaintances, brings discombobulated and infuriated interviewees into the doco. Finding someone to say a kind word about him is almost impossible, other than the attention-seeking, energy-draining, endlessly talkative Organ himself. For newcomers to this very real scenario — something that needs stressing thanks to every swerve it takes — it's best to get the ins and outs while viewing, stolen boats and all, because no summary does them justice. The minutiae genuinely needs to be seen to be believed, as does Farrier's time trying to separate fact, fiction, lies, boasts and threats with Organ. Constant surprises come with the territory, even for veterans of the director's past filmmaking, which has never spun straightforward narratives. Of course, those familiar with Tickled and Dark Tourist will easily glean why Farrier was drawn to this tale, including at a visible cost to himself. This is another disturbing, perplexing, larger-than-life yet unshakeably authentic slice of life, and another piece of proof that humanity's worst impulses will always seep out any way they can. Knowing why this is classic Farrier terrain and knowing why he's claimed himself this patch aren't the same thing; the more he appears on-screen in Mister Organ, which is often, the more Farrier makes it clear that he doesn't necessarily understand the latter himself. One of Mister Organ's inevitable feats is getting its audience contemplating the why of it all — why Farrier keeps gravitating towards this space, and why people like Organ repeatedly grace his frames — because why is a persistent sentiment among the hefty list of talking heads that've had the same run-ins with the same man. Also, trying to explain why Organ does what he does is impossible. Endeavouring to make sense of how he's been able to notch up such a sizeable roster of impacted parties is no less simple, but it is both fascinating and revealing. Then there's Mister Organ's other key question: would this tale hit home with such sheer and overwhelming bewilderment if someone else told it? The answer is likely yes — but few people can investigate and interrogate the flummoxing figures of the world like Farrier.
The famed martini has spawned all sorts of creative variations since its inception; but if you prefer the kind that's caffeinated and garnished with a bean, we've found the ideal way for you to celebrate World Martini Day 2022. On Saturday, June 18, the coffee maestros at Industry Beans are marking the global cocktail celebration with a one-off bottomless espresso martini party. From 5pm at the group's Chadstone cafe, this caffeine-charged cocktail soiree will see you sipping your way through three hours of bottomless espresso martinis, while snacking on roving coffee-inspired canapes — think, mini coffee-rubbed wagyu burgers. There'll be three different varieties of the coffee-laced cocktail being shaken up on the night, all starring Industry Beans' cold brew concentrate and Mr Black coffee liqueur. Plus, not only will there be a stack of surprise giveaways, but just by being there, you'll go into the running to win a year's supply of espresso martinis. Tickets come in at $60, including canapes, bottomless cocktails and a special Industry Beans gift. [caption id="attachment_855934" align="alignnone" width="1920"] by Guy Davies Photographer[/caption] Images: Guy Davies Photographer.
Music fans have a reason to get excited for this year's AFL Grand Final celebrations, and that reason is The Killers. That's right — the US rock legends behind tunes like 'Somebody Told Me' and 'Mr Brightside' have confirmed they'll be making the trip Down Under, tasked with serenading the country from the hallowed turf of the MCG for the pre-game show at this year's Grand Final clash. What's more, you won't even need to battle it out for a ticket to the footy to see them, with the band revealing they'll also be performing at a free post-game gig. They're one of the acts set to light up the stage at the Virgin Australia Premiership Party, a free concert held at the stadium on Grand Final evening, which is Saturday, September 30. Doors to the MCG are set to open at 6pm — you might want start lining up now to secure your spot. Access to the show is via MCG Gates four, five and six, from 6pm.
A series of works at the National Gallery of Victoria will highlight the art and traditions of Australia's Pacific neighbours. Visible to the public between June and mid-September, the works on display include a trio of bark cloth wall hangings, a two-channel video installation, and a collection of staged photographs that bear witness to the moment when two very different worlds came together. Dubbed The Raft of the Tagata Pasifika, the photographs are by Greg Semu, a New Zealand-born artist of Samoan descent, whose work has often explored the meeting place of Pacific and European culture. Using a cast of Indigenous actors from the Cook Islands, Semu has recreated a pair of European paintings from the 1800s — and in doing so draws attention to the devastating effect colonialism had on the region. Also featured is Lisa Reihana's in Pursuit of Venus, a live-action video work that brings to life a piece of nineteenth century panoramic wallpaper, in order to "recalibrate colonial history" through the cultural rituals of Indigenous performers. Complementing these works are three enormous wall hangings created by contemporary artists Robin White and Ruha Fifita in collaboration with women from Haveluloto, Tonga.
From the classical sounds of the MSO to the live indie acts of Falls Festival, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl has played host to an array of entertainment genres this summer. And next up on the agenda, it's embracing the magic of movement and dance, when free production Ballet Under the Stars takes the stage on Saturday, February 25. The one-off event comes courtesy of The Australian Ballet, as the company kicks off its 60th-anniversary festivities. With David Hallberg and Livinia Nixon as the evening's hosts, the show's set to wow audiences with a mix of classical and contemporary ballet moves, the dancers performing alongside Orchestra Victoria's full 64-piece ensemble. [caption id="attachment_889532" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'The Vow', The Australian Ballet, by Daniel Boud[/caption] From 7.45pm, you'll score a taste of productions like Kunstkamer, Don Quixote and Le Corsaire, as well as new works like Lucas Jervies' The Vow, all unfolding as the sun sets. Plus, if you fancy a behind-the-scenes glimpse, arrive a little earlier (from 6pm) to catch the pre-show program, including a performance of The Story of Pomi & Gobba and an on-stage ballet barre warm-up. You can pack a picnic to enjoy while you watch, otherwise there'll be a selection of food trucks slinging snacks on the night. [caption id="attachment_889531" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'Kunstkamer', The Australian Ballet, by Chris Rogers-Wilson[/caption] Top image: 'Don Quixote', The Australian Ballet, by Jeff Busby
If you thought that Michael Jordan was the epitome of cool and Albert Einstein didn't know how to have a good time then prepare to have your perceptions shattered. A significant part of being a successful celebrity is the act of persuasion. This includes the constant act of generating and maintaining a public image that appeals to a wide audience. Kurt Cobain did dense and brooding, Bill Clinton did regal and commanding, and Stalin did intense and intimidating. Yet here are ten photos that prove that sometimes what the spin media show us about famous people is not exactly the whole story. Teenage Eminem adorned in Alf T-shirt Kurt Cobain eating pizza Hillary and Bill 'The Dude' Clinton at Yale Dean Martin and John Wayne cooking spaghetti Hitler looked ominous even when riding a sled Michael Jordan as a dorky College kid Stalin: Part time dictator, part time model Colonel Sanders with Alice Cooper Winston Churchill says 'Line up, ladies!' Albert Einstein: everyone's favourite drunk uncle
Melbourne's change of seasons and weather shake-ups always inspire a fresh raft of offerings and events, sending locals chasing new ways to best soak up the city. Now, after a long, sleepy winter, sights are firmly set on spring and the promise of al fresco cocktails, sunset sessions and rooftop visits that it brings. So, we've partnered with Tanqueray to pull together a lineup of activities that'll see you enjoying the best of Melbourne this season with, of course, a gin in hand. SIP COCKTAILS ON CHAPEL STREET Make tracks to these celebrated Melbourne bars and enjoy negronis on tap. Melbourne has no shortage of hidden cocktail bars well worth the effort of locating, but none dish up those spring vibes quite as well as Jungle Boy. Tucked away behind a coolroom door out the back of a Chapel Street takeaway joint, this one will remind you just how strong Melbourne's bar game is. Wrangle a spot among the ferns, and get acquainted with this banger of a booze list — think, Tiki drinks in proper ceramic mugs and a stand-out Tanqueray negroni on tap. Afterwards, cruise across the street to try for a table at fellow Windsor hotspot, Mr Miyagi. This neon-drenched bar is your go-to for mod Japanese fusion fare that pops with creativity. Feast on dishes like miso-glazed pork belly pancakes and salmon nori tacos, married with one of the bar's crafty signature gin concoctions — like a frozen G&T or salted watermelon martini. HEAD FOR A FEAST THEN A SPOT OF THEATRE Settle in at one of Melbourne's best fine diners for a wattle seed negroni, then see a show. There's one surefire way to reawaken your tastebuds after a long and uninspiring Melbourne winter, and that's with a mind-blowing feed at somewhere like Lûmé. One of the city's most innovative fine diners, this South Melbourne restaurant by chef-owner Shaun Quade packs a serious punch, from the thought-provoking fare to the clever use of native ingredients to the edible herb garden gracing the back wall. Not to mention, it's also home to cocktail master Orlando Marzo, who was recently crowned the World's Best Bartender. Settle in for a pre-theatre feast, perhaps matched with a wattle seed negroni — Bar Lûmé's inventive blend of Tanqueray No. Ten, roasted wattleseed, vermouth and Campari. After dinner, a quick stroll will bring you to Southbank bar Blondie, where you can always count on some live jazz and a top-notch gin martini. Stop in for a drink before you head to Southbank Theatre, home of the Melbourne Theatre Company, for a show — right now, compelling play The Architect (showing until Wednesday, October 31) is pulling plenty of applause. TAKE A TRIP TO WONDERLAND Venture down the rabbit hole at this immersive exhibition. ACMI's Wonderland exhibition is now in its final few weeks, so it's time to pick a date and head along to check out the immersive celebration of Lewis Carroll's famed tale before it wraps on Sunday, October 7. In the spirit of spring, you can even round out your adventures with a lavish high tea as part of the exhibition's Mad Hatter sessions, featuring a spread of sweet treats, savoury nibbles and a special choc-berry brew from T2. Afterwards, balance out your time indoors by soaking up some of that long-awaited spring sunshine, drink in hand. Sitting right in the heart of the Yarra, Ponyfish Island is a primo spot for an al fresco gin this time of year — match yours with a toasted sandwich while enjoying a spot of Southbank people-watching. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Fortyfive Downstairs.[/caption] CATCH SOME EXPERIMENTAL ART, FINISH WITH ROOFTOP VIBES Experience some of Melbourne's famous creative edge, with a visit to Flinders Lane gallery and art space Fortyfive Downstairs. Champion of the experimental, independent and often challenging, this non-profit hub is a haven for any contemporary art lover. Right now, see renowned local artist Marco Luccio's evocative ode to The Big Apple with his Manhattan Dreaming exhibition, or escape to the downstairs theatre to take in Amelia Roper's production Lottie in the Afternoon — an edgy comedy billed as having "a Seinfeld-meets-Samuel Beckett feel". Once you're feeling sufficiently cultured and loaded with inspiration, let your hunt for a post-show tipple draw you around the corner to Siglo. The longstanding rooftop bar has undeniable charms, stellar views across to Parliament House and a penchant for well-made classic cocktails. Pull up a seat on the open-air terrace and match a few of those legendary house-made sausage rolls with a perfectly balanced negroni or gin martini. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Arbory Bar.[/caption] DINE AL FRESCO BY THE RIVER Right now, Melbourne's lauded art scene is packing even more goodness than usual, with more than 200 works from New York's iconic Museum of Modern Art on show at our own National Gallery of Victoria. You've got a couple more weeks to dive into MoMA at NGV: 130 Years of Modern and Contemporary Art before it heads back stateside, and you don't want to miss out on a culture fix of this size. Take a friend, then debrief over a springtime jaunt through the nearby Queen Victoria Gardens. Afterwards, a quick wander over the Southbank Pedestrian Bridge will deliver you into the arms of Arbory Bar — the riverside bar and eatery that stretches an impressive 100 metres along the Yarra. Nab yourself a prime al fresco position and launch into the new seasonal menu, filled with delights like tempura zucchini flowers and a soft shell crab salad. A couple of barrel-aged negronis, topped with Tanqueray, vermouth and Campari, should round out the fun. Celebrate the return of warmer, sunnier days with a Tanqueray tipple in hand at home or around your city.
Everyone remembers studying ancient Egyptian history in school. Pyramids, pharaohs, boy kings, mummification: they aren't easily forgotten. Your next chance to explore this chapter of the past will get you walking through works from centuries ago, covering the time of Tutankhamun, Ramses II, Nefertari, Khufu and even Alexander the Great, all as part of an impressive exhibition at Melbourne's NGV International called Pharaoh. Meet the venue's midyear blockbuster for 2024, which will fall into Victoria's annual Melbourne Winter Masterpieces season. Following on from 2023's Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi, this middle-of-the-calendar spectacular will run from Friday, June 14–Sunday, October 6 and feature items from the British Museum. That loan is quite significant, too, with Pharaoh including the venue's biggest-ever borrowing of ancient Egyptian jewellery, as well as pieces that previously haven't been shown. In total, more than 500 works will be on display as the NGV peers back at Egypt from the 1st Dynasty to the Roman era — so, from around 3000 BCE to the 4th century CE. Expect to see plenty of gleaming artefacts given that focus on ancient Egyptian jewellery. The exhibition will also span coffins and other funerary items, as well as examples of architecture spanning tombs, temples, and also massive monuments and sculptures. [caption id="attachment_918945" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Plaque of Amenemhat IV, Probably Byblos, Lebanon, 12th Dynasty, reign of Amenemhat IV, about 1808- 1799 BC, Gold, H 2.9 cm, W 3.1 cm, D 0.1 cm, © The Trustees of the British Museum.[/caption] Among the specific highlights, a hefty wall from a 2.5-metre-high, three-metre-wide limestone wall from a mastaba tomb dating back to the Old Kingdom is one of them — complete with hieroglyphic texts carved into the surface. Also going big: a huge fist made of stone from a statue of Ramses II that hails from Memphis, in the temple of Ptah, and weighs in at almost 1.5 tonnes. Still on that particular ruler, Pharaoh will feature an enormous limestone statue of Ramses II that shows him as a high priest. Visitors will also be able to see a seated statue of Sety II, Ramses II's grandson, which is also notable for being one of the most complete sculptures that still exist from the time. Or, check out Pharaoh's oldest item, a five-centimetre-wide ivory label that shows the 1st Dynasty's King Den. Jumping forward, a green siltstone head of the 18th Dynasty's Tuthmose III wearing the cobra headdress will also feature. Among the gold, silver and gemstone-studded jewellery, everything from rings and necklaces to collars and girdles will be on display — and as sourced from tombs, so will amulets that were placed to protect the deceased, to examine the role that adorning bodies played in ancient Egyptians' beliefs about the afterlife. Pharaoh won't just focus on jewels used after death, however, with pieces from places such as Akhenaten's royal city Amarna also part of the exhibition as it examines everyday life. Still on royals, the showcase will boast objects from Deir el-Medina, where the craftspeople who were responsible for carving and decking out the Valley of the Kings' royal tombs resided. Here, attendees will see letters, notes, sketches and poems carved on limestone fragments. [caption id="attachment_918948" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Statue of Ramses II as a high-priest, Abydos, Egypt, 19th Dynasty, reign of Ramses II, about 1279-1213 BC, Limestone, H 171cm, W 71.5cm, D 98cm, © The Trustees of the British Museum.[/caption] Top image: Shabti of Pharaoh Sety I, Tomb of Sety I, Valley of the Kings, Thebes, Egypt, 19th Dynasty, reign of Sety I, about 1294-1279 BC, Blue faience, H 22.8 cm, W 9.6 cm, D 9.6 cm, © The Trustees of the British Museum.
UPDATE, August 3, 2020: Mary Poppins Returns is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube and iTunes. Floating in on the wind with her umbrella in hand, Mary Poppins is back — in a most delightful way. More than half a century since the magical nanny made the leap from page to screen, this lively, loving sequel explores a notion that's already fuelled seven books. Directed by Rob Marshall (Into the Woods) and scripted by David Magee (Life of Pi), Mary Poppins Returns asks: what if the seemingly prim-and-proper governess worked her wonders on the Banks children once more? The answer both does and doesn't play out as expected. Imaginative songs, animated flights of fantasy and a friendly labourer all feature, as does the Banks house on Cherry Tree Lane. Kids learning life lessons and to embrace their creativity are part and parcel of the film as well, and so is the warmest of moods. But, letting time pass in the story as it has in real life, Mary Poppins Returns introduces adult versions of the tykes that Poppins once cared for. They need her help yet again, and so does the next generation snapping at their heels. Struggling to make ends meet during the Great Depression, widower Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw) is about to lose the family home. He's behind in the mortgage and, despite working for the bank as his late father did before him, the financial institution's president (Colin Firth) won't offer an extension. Michael's only option is to find proof that he own shares, with his sister Jane (Emily Mortimer) and his children Anabel (Pixie Davies), John (Nathanael Saleh) and Georgie (Joel Dawson) all doing their part in the search. Enter Poppins (Emily Blunt), as radiant and no-nonsense as ever – except when she's the source of the nonsense. If that idea seems like a conundrum, the nanny explains the predicament herself in one of the movie's catchy musical numbers. Reviving not only a long-beloved character, but one engrained in the youth of multiple generations, is far from an easy task. Thank the heavens that Poppins descends from for Blunt. Fresh from putting in a powerhouse performance in the virtually dialogue-free horror flick A Quiet Place, she charms and captivates stepping into Julie Andrews' shoes. Always entrancing, it's the kind of singing and dancing showcase that audiences mightn't have realised that the English actor could deliver. Whether she's schooling and being silly with the Banks poppets, or leading them into adventures with kindly lamplighter Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda) by her side, Blunt fits the part perfectly. More than that — she practically perfects the film's infectious air of fun in every way. While a spoonful of sugar isn't needed to make the movie go down a treat, it comes in the form of Marshall's love and care. The filmmaker's output can be hit and miss, with Chicago falling into the first category and Into the Woods the second, but Mary Poppins Returns is a winning effort. There's a juggling act at the picture's core, as the movie endeavours to pay homage to its popular predecessor without becoming a mere rehash. In a playful and well-judged manner, Marshall finds the necessary balance. His film deploys elements of the original — reflecting, reshaping, inverting, referencing — and yet it flies high as a kite on much more than nostalgia. Among the few elements that don't soar, nothing threatens to send the picture tumbling. The slight story feels like it could be whisked away by a breeze, but it's aided by the frequent diversions into song and dance. Rarely at her best in music-heavy scenarios (as the Mamma Mia! movies have shown), Meryl Streep is forgettable as the magical nanny's cousin, however her part is brief. And even when the film falters momentarily, Mary Poppins Returns has quite the distraction up its sleeves. From the eye-catching costuming to the colourful sets to the gorgeous animation, the movie serves up a visual wonderland. First Paddington, then Winnie the Pooh and now Mary Poppins, British treasures just keep coming back to the screen. But when they're this enjoyable, they're more than welcome. We're sure Poppins herself would approve of that sentiment. Among her many life lessons: realising when to relish what's in front of you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMe7hUb3TpI
There's something oh-so-relaxing about staring at the sea, even if you're feasting your eyes on the water via the big screen. That's the concept behind the Ocean Film Festival Australia. You can't always spend all your time at the beach, by the river or in a pool — but you can spend an evening peering at the next best thing in a cinema. On two nights in March, the festival will unleash a cinematic feast of water-focused wonders onto the silver screen. This is the event's 11th year, and it's heading to RMIT Capitol on Wednesday, March 6 and the Astor Theatre on Wednesday, March 13 — both starting at 7pm. Film-wise, viewers will spend time both above and below the ocean's surface thanks to a compilation of shorts from around the world. Expect to chase big waves, explore a range of sea life and get a hefty ocean rush, plus a heap of other sea adventures. One big highlight for 2024: Ice Maiden, about Lisa Blair's attempt to become the first woman to sail solo — and also without assistance, and non-stop — around Antarctica. The full program is united by a love of the ocean, an appreciation of the creatures who dwell in its waters and a curiosity to explore the substance that comprises more than two-thirds of the earth. It's the next best thing to diving in, all without getting wet.
Sometimes, we all need to get a little lost. We need to leave our comfort zones and go wandering through an otherworldly realm. We need to play with echo light chambers, bound our way into giant bubbles, wander between shimmering digital vines and take a leap into a three-metre abyss, too, and just completely forget about our day-to-day troubles while we're moseying around a multi-sensory installation. If all of that sounds like your idea of heaven at the moment, it's now a reality in Melbourne again until Sunday, November 6. Imaginaria has brought its immersive playground for kidults and children alike back to The District Docklands, setting up shop through winter and the bulk of spring. Over past seasons, more than 100,000 people have caught Imaginaria — and it's always impressive. And, whether you made a visit during one of the installation's its past runs, there's plenty to tempt you along this time. Get ready for an echo light cave that responds to your movements, a giant bubble filled with hypnotic imagery, a secret garden and a light maze. Each one helps fill out a 900-square-metre space that's made up of different structures, each boasting lights, sounds and smells. And yes, you'll still take your shoes off first, before exploring Imaginaria's new otherworldly realm. Melbourne's latest dance with Imaginaria is a choose-your-own-adventure kind of experience again, so you can spend 15 minutes skipping through or take your time. Open to all ages, it has capacity limits and strict hygiene measures, with tickets starting at $23.95 a pop for adults.
There was a time when $1 could buy you a decent feed — several generous handfuls of mixed lollies from the corner store or a round of icy poles for you and three mates. These days, however, the only place you’ll get a good swap for a golden coin is The Reject Shop's discounted chocolate shelves. Unless you get yourself to Melbourne between 3pm and 4pm this Saturday, March 5, that is. At that hour — and that hour only — a bunch of the city’s top-notch restaurants are selling dishes for just $1. Yep, one shiny dollar will buy you lime and coriander root sorbet at Botherambo, jamon croquettes at Bomba and Peruvian shepherd’s pie with smoked pork neck, alpaca heart, sweet corn and potato puree at Pastuso, among many, many other tasty morsels. Other eateries taking part include Grossi Florentino, Pope Joan, Saint Crispin, San Telmo, 400 Gradi and Rumi, as well as our favourite purveyors of baked goods, All Day Donuts and Agathe Patisserie. And what’s even better than your wallet staying intact? These two facts: one, your bargain basement feast will be made entirely from food that would otherwise have been chucked in the garbage. And two, every dollar spent between 3pm and 4pm will go straight to one of Australia's food rescue charities, OzHarvest, FareShare, Foodbank or SecondBite. So, there's wins all-round. This brilliant and delicious scheme is known as Yume Hour. Yume is a new app from Melbourne-based food waste entrepreneur Katy Barfield that provides restaurants with the tools to either sell or donate their surplus food. So, if they've got some extra cakes or salads left over at the end of service, they can put them up for half price on the app, and customers can come in and collect the goods right there and then. To take part in Yume Hour this Saturday, you need to download the Yume app , open it at 3pm, and reserve a $1 meal of your choice. Then go grab it before 4pm. The only catch is, you’ll need to be quick — dishes are limited, and first in will be best fed. Yume Hour will take place from 3-4pm on Saturday, March 5. Download the Yume app from the App Store or Google Play. For more info, visit their website.
UPDATE, March 4, 2021: Can You Ever Forgive Me? is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Can You Ever Forgive Me? takes its title from Lee Israel's memoir, but like much in her life, the words aren't completely her own. Israel first penned the phrase in the guise of Dorothy Parker, forging a letter by the famous American poet and writer, and selling it for a handsome sum. For a brief period in the early 90s, that's how Israel made a living. After establishing her career as a celebrity biographer, and earning praise for channelling the voice of her subjects, she couldn't get another book published. So she put those skills to other use, starting with a genuine but embellished thank you note, and segueing into outright — and highly lucrative — counterfeiting. Still, Israel was proud. "I'm a better Dorothy Parker than Dorothy Parker," she boasted. Based on Israel's confessional account of her crimes, Can You Ever Forgive Me? tells this heist-like tale, however it also tells so much more. Directed with an eye for quiet detail by Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl) from an evocative and insightful screenplay by Nicole Holofcener (Enough Said) and Jeff Whitty, it's an examination of everything from loneliness to the limits of celebrity worship — the things we do to fill our lives, and the need we have to connect with our idols. The film also charts a complex friendship that acts as a temporary balm for two unhappy souls, and portrays a tender, tentative and troubled romance, neither of which follow any formula. Of course, first and foremost, it's a portrait of the movie's central figure. Even if Israel hadn't dabbled with literary fraud, she could've spawned numerous character studies. Played with a hard veneer and begrudgingly vulnerable centre by a career-best Melissa McCarthy, Israel is passionate about chronicling the lives of great women. With her agent (Jane Curtin) continually brushing her off, she's also vastly under-appreciated. She drinks whisky at the thankless job that pays her bills until she's fired, and at her favourite bar every chance she gets. She refuses to temper her personality to please anyone, or simply get along with anyone for that matter. As becomes clear whenever Israel interacts with the world, she loves her cat more than people — even bookseller Anna (Dolly Wells) on their awkward dates, and even fellow outcast and barfly Jack Hock (Richard E. Grant), who becomes her only friend. Then her beloved feline falls ill and Israel can't afford to take her to the vet, so she gets into the forgery game. Many of Can You Ever Forgive Me?'s delights come from McCarthy, both when she's alone and also sharing scenes with Grant. While Israel was real and her story as well, the screen versions of both come to life in the actor's hands. It's a compelling, awards-worthy performance, one that's played close to the chest to capture Israel's closed-off nature, while remaining expressive in every inch. McCarthy paints Israel as someone who's always herself, even when she's pretending not to be — and when she pals around with Grant's rambunctious, resourceful, up-for-anything drinking buddy, the duo feel like they could walk out of the film and into any dank New York watering hole of their choosing. On the surface, McCarthy's switch from garnering laughs to evoking deep empathy might sound familiar, with plenty of comedians following that path before. And yet, nothing about her work as the misanthropic and purposefully thorny Israel feels routine, which is another of Can You Ever Forgive Me?'s great charms. Heller knows how juicy Israel's tale is, and firmly proves that fact is stranger than fiction. She also knows that this story is a product of a fascinating, complicated and distinctive woman, who both committed the details to the page and actually committed the crimes. Heller may only have two movies to her name, however she's a perceptive, probing and generous director, giving her characters the space they need to shine and fail and experience everything in-between. Indeed, in bringing Israel's life to the screen, Heller and McCarthy have clearly taken her words to heart. The real-life writer bragged about stepping into someone else's shoes so easily and convincingly, and the women leading this fantastic film achieve the very same thing — just without perpetrating a sham. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvJIaNsf_bY
Here are some things that have happened in the stories of American writer David Sedaris: A man goes in search of a stuffed owl to give to his boyfriend for Valentine's Day. Befriending a taxidermist who confirms his interest in formerly alive creatures is strictly non-professional, the man finds himself in a London basement gazing at the 400-year-old preserved head of a 14-year-old girl and the skeleton of a 19th-century Pygmy. They raise questions, uncomfortable ones. Like, 'how much are they?' A man takes a job at Macy's department store as a Christmas elf named Crumpet. He encounters fistfights, vomiting and magnificent tantrums, children with modelling contracts and children with adjectives instead of first names. He tells a child that Santa has changed his policy, and no longer brings coal if you misbehave. Instead he will break into your house, steal all your appliances, and leave you alone, in the dark, with nothing. A father imagines his children forming a jazz quartet. Hoping to make the fantasy reality, the father gifts the son 'that guitar you always wanted'. The son, while regularly petitioning for a brand-name vacuum cleaner, had never mentioned a guitar. He takes lessons from an artistically thwarted midget, until one evening the son admits to his teacher that what we really wants to do is perform a medley of television jingles in the voice of Billie Holiday. David Sedaris has developed a cult-like following for penning insightful, satirical, real-life stories like those above. His latest book is entitled Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls. You could read it, if that is a thing you would like to do. You could also read Naked, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, Me Talk Pretty One Day or any of his other fine collections available at your local bookshop. A regular contributor to This American Life, Sedaris will be touring Australia and New Zealand in January 2014. You can sign up for exclusive pre-sales at his website. SYDNEY Sydney Opera House Saturday 18 January MELBOURNE Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Tuesday 21 January CANBERRA Canberra Theatre Centre Wednesday 22 January BRISBANE Brisbane Powerhouse – Powerhouse Theatre Thursday 23 January PERTH Perth Concert Hall Friday 24 January AUCKLAND Civic Theatre, Auckland Sunday 26 January https://youtube.com/watch?v=1msZQjwlebU
UPDATE, September 14, 2020: Custody is available to stream via SBS On Demand, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. If Kramer vs. Kramer met The Shining, it would look like Custody. That's filmmaker Xavier Legrand's own description of his bleak and tough domestic thriller, and it's one that firmly fits. The French writer-director initially styles his debut movie as a social realist drama, following a divorcing couple fighting over their 11-year-old son. But as courtroom arguments give way to the family's daily reality, Custody understands the devastating terror that comes from living in fear. As strained civility is replaced by deep-seeded turmoil, the film turns the trauma of a dissolving marriage and the accompanying fallout into an unwavering portrait of horror. Everyone in Custody is afraid of something and, crucially, they know it. Anxiety overwhelms the movie, with Legrand mirroring the Besson family's shattered nerves in the film's relentless mood. Miriam (Léa Drucker) is clearly frightened of her husband Antoine (Denis Ménochet), who she has left suddenly with their two children in tow. The duo's pre-teen son Julien (Thomas Gioria) and nearly 18-year-old daughter Joséphine (Mathilde Auneveux) share her concern, although Julien is also worried that he can't protect his mother from his father. An imposing figure even when he's attempting to be calm, Antoine can't face the lack of control and power that comes with his new situation. Panicked anguish and agitation radiates from his pores, gaze and stance, turning every gesture into an act of hostility. After spending its first 15 minutes scrutinising Miriam and Antoine's court battle — she claims that he's violent, he says that she has turned their kids against him — Custody charts the aftermath of the judge's decision. Julien must stay with Antoine on alternating weekends, but the boy visibly doesn't want to go. Dread and distress build with each scene, as Julien tries to stay composed while Antoine's thin facade of restraint just keeps cracking. Every moment is weaponised, be it a hug where Julien remains blank-faced and limp, a tussle over the kid's mobile phone, Antoine's bullying determination to find out where Miriam and the children are living, or the man's overbearing behaviour when he arrives unannounced on more than one occasion. Following the same characters first seen in his Oscar-nominated short Just Before Losing Everything, Legrand canvasses the whole family's reactions and perspectives — but Julien remains the film's quivering heart. In a masterstroke of casting, first-time actor Gioria conveys the internalised pain and stress of being literally caught in the middle of a parental tug-of-war. More than that, even when he's keeping silent, he shows how terror shapes Julien's entire existence. As a result, the boy's time with Ménochet is impossible to look away from, even though it's crafted to evoke maximum discomfort. Meanwhile, the disarmingly naturalistic Ménochet never plays Antoine as a simplistic villain, although he's always a threat. Legrand purposefully cast someone who physically fills the frame, and constantly uses the hulking talent to push his other stars to the edge of the image. Indeed, it's Legrand's visual approach — particularly in his depiction of his menacing antagonist — that speaks to his film's true brilliance. The director doesn't merely want to tell a brutal tale about divorce, fear and violence. He doesn't just want his actors to express their characters' complex emotions with each breath and blink, either. And he doesn't simply want to chronicle the destruction that springs from domestic abuse, although that's one of his aims. Rather, the filmmaker is intent on trapping viewers in this incredibly fraught scenario with his protagonists, and using every means at his disposal to make the audience feel that same all-encompassing horror. Sometimes, that means shooting a scene from ground level, solely focusing on feet beneath a toilet stall. At one point, Legrand lets a rare musical moment — one that should be a celebration — swell with almost-unbearable tension. Over and over again, in his placement of the camera, he makes every composition bristle with claustrophobia. Rhythmically, as things in the narrative get increasingly out of hand, his fast and abrupt takes grow looser and longer, but no less urgent. Legrand won the best director award at the 2017 Venice Film Festival for his efforts, and it's easy to see why. Every meticulous move he makes in Custody is heartbreakingly effective, in a film that's already downright heartbreaking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8mJT7wEtkA
Let's see what's behind door number one. Or how about door number 1000? After blowing our minds last year with the incredible House of Mirrors, Australian installation artists Christian Wagstaff and Keith Courtney are headed back to the Melbourne Festival with the fittingly named 1000 Doors. Visitors will choose their own adventure, cutting a path through an endless labyrinth of doors, screens, portals and gateways in the Arts Centre Forecourt. No two people will experience the work in quite the same way once they step across the threshold. While there's no word yet on what you'll encounter on the way — hopefully no deathly four-guard, two-door riddle, à la Labyrinth — the artists have hinted to ghosts, time-travelling and "inhabitants past". We suggest you have your wits about you. Images: James Morgan
It's Halloween, 1968, in the fictional town of Mill Valley. With an opening montage reminiscent of many a movie, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark shows viewers just what that means. Locals prepare to celebrate the spookiest day of the year, with decorations littering the town. Pumpkins are a common sight, naturally. Horror-obsessed aspiring writer Stella (Zoe Margaret Colletti) and her fellow teen outcast pals, Auggie (Gabriel Rush) and Chuck (Austin Zajur) are getting ready to go trick-or-treating, too; however it's the bully they're afraid of that initially proves pivotal. At his family farm, Tommy (Austin Abrams) and his offsiders attack a scarecrow. Under the autumn sky, surrounded by towering crops stretching far and wide, they smash and bash the figure mercilessly. Each blow knocks the straw man around, but it doesn't fight back. It can't — it's inanimate. But that doesn't mean that there won't be repercussions. Based on the 80s and 90s children's book series of the same name, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark doesn't trade in a 'what goes around, comes around' mentality — although Tommy isn't destined for a hero's journey. Rather, director André Øvredal (The Autopsy of Jane Doe) and his screenwriters (The Lego Ninjago Movie's Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman, plus Oscar-winning The Shape of Water filmmaker Guillermo del Toro) explore the idea that pain is part of a cycle. Whether you're inflicting, receiving or helping to relieve it, trauma isn't a one-way event or a one-off occurrence. In the film's intermittent narration, Stella explains this in a different way, more befitting the movie's literary origins: "Stories hurt. Stories heal". After a trip to a supposedly haunted local house leaves Stella in possession of a spooky collection of stories, her words start ringing true. Decades earlier, the book belonged to Sarah Bellows, who was brutalised by her wealthy family, locked in the basement and — as the legend goes — lured in kids with eerie tales, then killed them. Stella doesn't necessarily believe the myths, until fresh tales begin writing themselves into the dusty tome in a bloody scrawl. Each new story mentions someone that Stella knows, such as Tommy, Auggie, Chuck and the mysterious drifter, Ramon (Michael Garza), that she meets at a drive-in screening of Night of the Living Dead. As foretold on the page, scarecrows soon seek revenge, monsters shuffle through creepy asylums and stews come seasoned with body parts, among other unnerving incidents. Tasked with adapting short stories, the filmmakers find an effective solution to what could've been the movie's big struggle: moulding standalone tales into a cohesive whole. Working through a selection of the printed collection's chapters, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark still feels episodic. Indeed, each segment could work on its own as a short film. That said, this isn't a cobbled-together anthology linked by loose connective tissue (or, if they've sprung to mind, a Stranger Things or IT rip-off). Delving deep into what each spooky tale means to Stella and her friends, Øvredal gives his framing narrative as much weight as the movie's individual parts. These stories reflect events, emotions, fears and worries in the characters' lives, and tie into the picture's setting and time period. The Vietnam War rages on, Richard Nixon is about to be elected to America's highest office and racism makes its presence known — and, via all of the above, a generation just coming of age begins to realise that horror really exists. When it comes to the tangible frights — the bumps, jumps, creaks and the like — Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark also finds an apt approach. As he demonstrated in both The Autopsy of Jane Doe and Troll Hunter, Øvredal knows that less is often more. When needed, though, he's not afraid to throw severed heads around, unleash a stream of spiders or watch dissembled limbs combine into a demon. He's not averse to pushing his fresh-faced cast to their limits, either, or deploying Breaking Bad's Dean Norris (as Stella's dad) as the fount of all gravitas. But, whether in subtle or overt mode, the film always sticks to its point, showing how frightful sights, and the underlying forces and troubles they represent, can manifest in many forms. Still, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark does tussle with one tricky spot. While vastly darker than Goosebumps, this is an adolescent-friendly affair, sparking an all-too-generic ending and sequel setup. When it takes the easy route in wrapping things up, the movie is at its worst. Thankfully for horror buffs of all ages, that's doesn't spoil the preceding fun. For most of its running time, this is a suitably creepy and thoughtful film, taking familiar parts, twisting them in unnerving ways, and layering its stories with both scares and meaning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYPRyBN3Kz8
An underground sensation has been stirring in Australia since 1999. That's when the country's first truffles were harvested, following years of careful preparation, and as a nation we've embraced this black gold of haute cuisine ever since. To see how the prized fungi are farmed firsthand, there's nothing better than to join a truffle hunt and tasting at Black Cat Truffles. This truffiere on the edge of Victoria's Creswick State Forest, just outside of Ballarat, boasts more than 1000 French and English oak trees with truffles slowly, moodily growing on their roots. To help you sniff them out, you'll have a little animal assistance from Black Cat's resident dogs, Ella, Harry and Narla (pigs are famously naturally drawn to truffles, but you don't want to fight one for the rights to its find). Farmers Andres and Lynette Haas will be there too, sharing their truffle-related knowledge, tales and tasting notes. You'll also get to try a selection of truffle-infused dishes, ranging from oozy d'Affinois cheese to potato stacks and ice cream. This is a quintessentially winter activity — truffles aren't in season for long — so prepare to rug up, pull on your wellies and get enveloped in the highland mists. Black Cat's Truffle Hunts and Tastings run from June to August. If you're really enamoured with the catch of the day, it's yours to take home for $2.50 per gram. To find more winter adventures in Ballarat, Daylesford and the surrounds, visit the Wander Victoria website.
If you see an unusual number of fictional characters roaming the streets this May 2, you're not crazy, but you are missing out: it's Free Comic Book Day. Every year on the first Saturday in May, comic book stores around the world give away free comics to anyone who walks in. Free Comic Book Day started in America, but it's been picked up by stores in Australia as well. Aiming to "reach out to those individuals unfamiliar with the comic book specialty market", Free Comic Book Day sees many publishers ship specially printed comic books, often previews of upcoming titles, to participating stores around the world. It's not just about the free stuff, though — most stores will have special events going on like artist signings, dress-up competitions and giveaways. The website also has a handy store locator, so you can see what stores are participating near you.
The much-hyped 80 Collins Street dining precinct might be a good 320 kilometres away from Gippsland. But, even so, its newest resident Farmer's Daughters is dedicated almost entirely to celebrating and showcasing the region's finest produce and ingredients. Opening its doors on Thursday, January 28, the three-level restaurant is the work of acclaimed chef Alejandro Saravia (Pastuso), who is not only a longtime champion of the area, but the Official Food & Beverage Ambassador for Gippsland. With this homage to all things Gippsland, Saravia is out to take guests on a full-blown exploration of his favourite Victorian region, minus the four-hour road trip. On the first floor, you're greeted by a gourmet deli, food store and eatery, turning out share-friendly fare like beef cheek pastrami rolls and lightly poached fish from Baw Baw's Alpine Trout Farm matched with mountain pepper cream. Available to go, there's a strong curation of pantry items and food products, heroing both Gippsland and other renowned Victorian regions. [caption id="attachment_796665" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Thom Rigney[/caption] One storey above, the Farmer's Daughters restaurant plates up a more formal celebration of provenance, complete with an open kitchen fuelled by charcoal and wood. A sophisticated space by Agents of Architecture's Luke Hickman marries a nature-inspired colour palette of gentle greens and greys with tabletops made from reclaimed Gippsland timber. But it's the custom-made campfire kitchen at the dining room's heart that will really transport you — a high-tech piece of kit that'll allow Saravia to flex his impressive cooking skills. Expect a sprawling, seasonal menu, backed by a Gippsland-focused drinks list, showcasing drops from the likes of William Downie, Patrick Sullivan and Loch Brewery & Distillery, alongside other wines sourced from across Australia and Europe. Finally, there's the venue's crowning glory: the rooftop bar, where you can unwind against a backdrop of native mountain pepper trees and a lush herb garden. Up here, you'll find a botanical-driven cocktail list featuring the exclusive Farmer's Daughters Gippsland vermouth in many iterations, along with wines by the glass, a range of tap brews and the new Farmer's Daughters and Stomping Ground collaboration beer, Stringer's Creek Pilsner. Find Farmer's Daughters at 6/80 Collins Street, Melbourne (entry via Exhibition Street), from Thursday, January 28. The deli, restaurant and rooftop will all open Wednesday to Saturday. Images: Thom Rigney
Gone but not forgotten, the stars of yesteryear are rising from the grave at this creepifying Halloween party at Nieuw Amsterdam. Forget generic vampires, wolf men and sexy nurses. This shindig is all about the rich and famous…or what's left of them, anyway. Running from 7pm on Saturday, October 29 until first light the next day, the Dead Celebrities Halloween Party is a costumed affair where A-listers go after they die. You can be an actor, a musician or a world politicians — it really doesn't matter, as long as rigor mortis has set in. Alternatively, come as a living celebrity you'd like to see shuffled loose. Just a guess, but we reckon we might see a few zombie Donald Trumps. Like all good Halloween parties there'll be prizes for best dressed, along with various other spooky surprises. Entry is free, meaning you'll have plenty of cash to spend on your costume.
Tasers, telephoto lenses and a new spate of crimes terrifying the beachside town of Neptune: yes, Veronica Mars is back. Everyone's favourite pint-sized TV private eye is finally returning to our screens, all thanks to the show's long-awaited, eagerly anticipated fourth season. As played with the usual pluck and determination by Kristen Bell, she's ready to sleuth her way through a whole new mystery. Of course she is. Due to release in the US in July, via streaming platform Hulu, Veronica Mars' revival follows its titular heroine as she endeavours to get to the bottom of a wave of bombings that've been blasting their way through her home town. The fictional seaside spot is quite the tourist spot — especially come spring break — and Ms Mars thinks that someone wants to blight its reputation. After dropping a very brief teaser in April, Hulu has released the first proper trailer for the series — and, as well as showing the no-nonsense Veronica doing what she does best, it features a heap of familiar faces. Her dad Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni) and on-again, off-again love interest Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) also pop up, as does her ex-classmate Weevil (Francis Capra). Also set to make an appearance: returning cast members Percy Daggs III, Ryan Hansen and Max Greenfield, plus new inclusions such as Patton Oswalt, Clifton Collins Jr and Bell's The Good Place co-star Kirby Howell-Baptiste. Oh and JK Simmons, too, and it appears that he's the new season's bad guy. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuhCFAtFE-A If you've been following Veronica's story for the past 15 years, you'll know that the TV series originally debuted in 2004, ran for three seasons until 2007, and then set a crowdfunding record to get a film off the ground in 2014. Next came two novels and a web series spin-off — and now, as first confirmed in September last year, this eight-episode revival. Break out the marshmallows, obviously. The fourth season of Veronica Mars hits Hulu on July 26. Details of the show's Australian and New Zealand release are yet to be confirmed — we'll keep you posted.
Like her relatives, Morticia Addams (voiced by Charlize Theron) is supposed to be creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky — but in the latest version of The Addams Family, she's just creaky. Unleashing tiny spiders to build a bridge over a bottomless pit (in the family's basement, naturally) in one scene, the vampish matriarch coughs up a cringe-worthy line that everyone can see coming: "we call this surfing the web". Morticia's dad joke would prove a grim omen for this new animated take on America's most macabre family, except that it's sadly preceded by plenty of others. By the time the above dialogue is uttered, a groan-inducing town called Assimilation has already sprung up down the hill from the Addams' imposing mansion. And, within said house, sentient, unattached hand Thing has also been seen wearing a watch with an eye on it. To be honest, the pain starts in the prologue, which doubles as an obligatory origin story. As Morticia and Gomez (Oscar Isaac) tie the knot 13 years before the movie's main narrative, Fester (Nick Kroll) tells them to put the lime in the coconut and drink it all up. That's how things are done "in the old country", apparently. This opening gag doesn't nod to the 1930s New Yorker cartoons that first introduced the Addams clan, or the 60s live-action TV series that followed, or 90s big-screen favourites The Addams Family and Addams Family Values. Rather, it references Harry Nilsson's 1971 novelty song 'Coconut' and serves no one — unless this iteration of The Addams Family is aimed at fans of a singer from half a century ago, Quentin Tarantino aficionados who know the tune from Reservoir Dogs, or anyone familiar with Dannii Minogue's 1994 cover (again: no one). The track is hardly obscure; however, even as a throwaway line, non sequitur or piece of absurdist humour, it leaves audiences scratching their heads instead of laughing. Really, it just smacks of the filmmakers giggling among themselves at a bad joke, without considering whether it's relevant to the story they're telling, its characters or their viewers. Alas, as the rest of the flick shows, that seems to be directors Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon (Sausage Party) and screenwriters Matt Lieberman (Playing with Fire) and Pamela Pettler's (Corpse Bride) approach overall. Flimsy from the outset, The Addams Family charts the predictable clash when Assimilation's residents — and celebrity interior designer Margaux Needler (Allison Janney), who financed the town — aren't happy about their odd neighbours. This revelation coincides with Pugsley's (Finn Wolfhard) swordplay-heavy coming-of-age ceremony, which brings the extended Addams crew to visit and scares the locals even further. Cue life lessons about accepting those around you, being yourself, not judging spooky-looking people by their appearances and other similar clichés. Margaux and her mob attempt to bully the Addams family out of the area, Gomez stresses over Pugsley's fondness for bombs over blades, and Wednesday (Chloe Grace Moretz) shocks Morticia by befriending Margaux's daughter Parker (Elsie Fisher) and daring to fit in. The fact that the Addams clan stands out has always been their point, ever since their cartoonist namesake created the weird and wonderful figures. In their aesthetics, interests and behaviour, Morticia, Gomez, Wednesday, Pugsley, Fester and Grandma (Bette Midler) are clearly the opposite of the stereotypical American household, and the resulting juxtaposition — and the horrified reactions to their monster-like appearance, as well as their strange and supernatural ways — makes a satirical statement. But, even bringing social media, lifestyle gurus and a few other bits of modern technology into the mix, The Addams Family circa 2019 doesn't have anything new to say. It doesn't have much to say in general, really. Given that the family-friendly film also lacks in story, jokes and creativity, the result is ghoulish, and not in a manner that'd do the fictional characters proud. It doesn't help that, although inspired by Charles Addams' original drawings, the animation is dull — including the character design. Creepy, kooky and the like can look delightful on the screen (and all-ages appropriate), as Corpse Bride, Frankenweenie, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline and ParaNorman have all shown; however, this has more in common visually and tonally with the broad and bland Hotel Transylvania movies. The picture's celebrity voices can't fill in the gaps, either. Mostly, hearing Isaac as Gomez makes you wish that someone had made a new live-action version starring him instead. That would've required more effort, though, which is something this thin, generic and not-at-all offbeat film shows few signs of. Rather, it features Snoop Dogg as Cousin Itt purely so that it can play 'Drop It Like It's Hot' when he's first seen on screen, a level that even abysmal 1998 direct-to-video threequel Addams Family Reunion (no, no one remembers it) didn't stoop to. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFnn4fNsB64
Come with us on now, on a journey through time and space, to the world of Behind The Boosh. You may not hear those words spoken aloud when you walk into the exhibition celebrating British comedy troupe The Mighty Boosh, but fans will think them. When you're peering at behind-the-scenes peeks into Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding's hilarious and surreal creation, as snapped by fellow group member Dave Brown, that's the very first thing that should come to mind. A part of all things Boosh since the troupe was first formed in the 90s, Brown played Bollo the Gorilla, Naan bread, Black Frost and Australian zookeeper Joey Moose. He's also taken care of tour posters, DVDs, set graphics and merchandise; compiled and designed The Mighty Book of Boosh; and had a hand in Boosh music and choreography. And, he's been snapping away with his camera — the results of which are gracing this photography showcase. There aren't enough elbow patches in the world for this exhibition, or shoes filled with Baileys. Whether or nor you can find either — or the black hair dye and strong hairspray needed to get Vince Noir-style locks, green Old Gregg-esque body paint or 60s-era suits that look like they've been taken straight from Howard Moon's wardrobe — heading to Melbourne's North Gallery from Wednesday, August 2–Sunday, August 6 means getting a glimpse into the minds behind The Mighty Boosh's stage shows and radio series, and obviously the three-season TV gem also called The Mighty Boosh. Brown's two decades of images traverse a history that saw The Boosh become a live smash at the Edinburgh and Melbourne Comedy Festivals, then a 00s cult hit on the small screen. These days, Fielding might co-present The Great British Bake Off and do team captain duties on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, while Barratt has been playing a part in The Great, but they'll always been known for The Boosh. Brown is also in Australia with the exhibition, and doing an artist talk to chat through his work — and being part of a troupe, plus their various onstage and on-screen shows, where anything could happen — on Saturday, August 19. Images: Dave Brown.
Over the past six months, Fleabag picked up six Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes, becoming the most-acclaimed TV comedy of the past year. Sadly, that isn't enough to inspire Phoebe Waller-Bridge to make more episodes of the hit show — but for everyone lamenting the Fleabag-sized hole in their lives, the multi-talented Brit has a new project landing soon. She has a couple, actually. Waller-Bridge helped write the script for delayed Bond flick No Time to Die, which is no small feat. If you're keen to see her on-screen, however, then you'll want to add Run to your must-watch pile. Waller-Bridge executive produces and pops up among the cast, with Vicky Jones — the director of her Fleabag stage show, and a script editor on Fleabag's first TV season — writing and producing the series. Hitting HBO in the US in mid-April and Foxtel in Australia around the same time, Run spends time with ex-lovers Ruby Richardson (Unbelievable's Merritt Wever) and Billy Johnson (Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker's Domhnall Gleeson). They dated in college and, 17 years ago, they made a pact. First, one of them has to text the word 'run' whenever they feel like it. Next, the other has to respond the same way. After that, they both have to drop everything, step away from their everyday lives and meet at Grand Central Station, then travel across the America together. For Ruby, that means escaping her monotonous existence and leaving her husband (Mad Men's Rich Sommer) at home. As for what happens next, while last month's first teaser gave a bit of a glimpse, the just-released full trailer provides more of a sneak peek. Expect plenty of chatty train trips, as well as both tension and laughs — with HBO badging the series as a romantic-comedy thriller. And if you're wondering about Waller-Bridge, she plays Laurel, a woman who Ruby and Billy meet on their journey. Check out the full trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9TjitrfeMo Run starts streaming on Foxtel Now and screening on Foxtel Showcase in Australia, Thursdays at 8.30pm from May 7. Image: Ken Woroner/HBO. UPDATE: MAY 7, 2020 — Run was initially meant to hit Foxtel back in April, but it was postponed till May 7. The above copy has been updated to reflect this.
In an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19 across Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced an indefinite ban on non-essential organised gatherings of more than 500 people from Monday, March 16. The decision was made this afternoon at a meeting of Council of Australian Governments, which is made up of the PM and state and territory First Ministers, on the recommendation of Australia's Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy. Schools, universities, public transport and airports will not be impacted by the ban, but the government is recommending Australians reconsider all non-essential overseas travel, regardless of their age, health or destination. Large sporting games, concerts and food festivals will all be impacted by the ban and it's possible venues with a capacity of over 500 people will, despite not falling under the banner of 'organised events', also decide to close. We'll let you know if and when these are announced. While the ban does not come into place until Monday, many large-scale events across the country have taken precautionary measures and already cancelled or postponed, including Melbourne's Meatstock, Parramasala in Sydney's west and Brisbane's Paniyiri Greek Festival. Australia's ban follows a similar one introduced in New York yesterday, as well as the closure of large swathes of cinemas in China, Iran, South Korea, Japan, Italy and France, and theme parks in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo. We've also seen the cancellation of Texan music and film festival South by Southwest and postponement of Coachella. More locally, Tasmania's Dark Mofo and the Grand Prix in Melbourne have both been cancelled. The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced early this week that COVID-19 is a pandemic. As at 11am on Friday, March 13, Australia has 156 cases confirmed cases of COVID-19. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
Forget ocker comedies and downbeat dramas — when it comes to Aussie cinema, there's a new trend in down. Sure, plenty of titles have made the leap from theatre to film during the country's movie-making history, but with Ruben Guthrie, Holding the Man, Last Cab to Darwin and Spear all hitting cinemas within the last year, the nation appears to be in the middle of a stage-to-screen renaissance. Next comes The Daughter, with actor and playwright turned filmmaker Simon Stone leading the charge. After treading the boards with his own take on Henrik Ibsen's 1884 work The Wild Duck, he now turns the tale into an Australian-set feature film. When Christian (Paul Schneider) returns to the mountainous outskirts of New South Wales after years spent in the US, his homecoming stirs up mixed emotions. His father Henry (Geoffrey Rush), is pleased to see him, but Christian has more than a few reservations about his dad's impending marriage to the much younger Anna (Anna Torv). And while his reunion with childhood best mate Oliver (Ewen Leslie) proves happy, the more time Christian spends with his pal, his wife Charlotte (Miranda Otto) and teenage daughter Hedvig (Odessa Young), the more troubles start to emerge. Some characters know things they shouldn't, others are hiding details they're trying to forget, and everyone gets caught up in the chaos when certain truths are exposed, making secrets and lies The Daughter's primary currency. There's more than a little bit of melodrama at play, though there's not much in the narrative that's unexpected. Even if you're not familiar with the source material or Stone's previous theatre version, it's not hard to see where the soapy story is going. That's disappointing in terms of delivering real twists, turns and mysteries, but it does showcase the movie's true focus: its characters and performances. Corralling an impressive, mostly Australian cast — a scene-stealing Sam Neill among them — Stone hones in on the actions and emotions of a close-knit group struggling with the weight of past and present deeds. Accordingly, the tension that bubbles throughout the feature stems from their reactions, rather than the many not-so-surprising revelations. Whether frozen with shock, arguing with anger or crying in pain, their response to the situation always feels real. Take the figure of Hedvig, the titular daughter, for example. She seethes with a blend of confidence and vulnerability not often seen in teens on screen, with Young giving her second great performance, behind Looking For Grace, of the year so far. It certainly helps that Stone, as a director rather than a writer, favours an empathetic, subjective approach in his stylistic choices. With a colour scheme that reflects the characters' moods, and camera angles that mirror their perspectives, he crafts a movie that looks as intimate as the age-old issues it trifles with. The end result may be obvious and histrionic, story-wise, yet it's still for the most part engrossing. As such, The Daughter doesn't just bring the stage to the screen, but the messy nature of life as well.
Prepare to exclaim "yeah, science!" like Jesse Pinkman — and to see a whole lot more of Aaron Paul's Breaking Bad character. The acclaimed series is making a comeback, cooking up a movie that serves as a sequel to the show's finale. In the spotlight: Walter White's former student and protégé, who happens to be in a spot of trouble (again). When we last saw Pinkman in Breaking Bad's final episode six years ago, he had just escaped captivity, all thanks to Walt (Bryan Cranston). The latter was injured in the process, but when he asked his former meth cooking partner to kill him, Pinkman couldn't bring himself to do it. So, Pinkman ran, and Walt lost consciousness just a cop arrived. And, that's how the series ended. As happens when every great show comes to a conclusion, we've all wondered what happened next. Come October 11 — that's in just over two weeks — fans can find out. First revealed last year, and initially given the working title of Greenbriar, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie will continue Pinkman's tale in a thriller written and directed by Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan. Although this follow-up will span a single package rather than run across multiple episodes, it is still coming to a small screen near you thanks to Netflix. Dropping the debut teaser in August, and another one during this week's Emmy awards, the streaming service has, finally, blessed us with a full-length trailer today. The film is set "in the wake of his dramatic escape from captivity", with Pinkman being forced to "come to terms with his past in order to forge some kind of future", according to the official synopsis. In the trailer, you see him hiding from police, digging holes in the desert and instantly ageing after showering and shaving — all dropping small clues to what you can expect next month. Whether Cranston will show up in El Camino is still the subject of rumour, but the trailer does reveal a couple of familiar faces, with Pinkman seeking shelter with Skinny Pete (Charles Barker) and Badger (Matt Jones). And, right at the end, an unidentified voice asks Pinkman, "you ready?". Could it be Walt? Ed the Disappearer (Robert Forster)? We'll find out very soon. Check out the El Camino trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JLUn2DFW4w El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie hits Netflix on October 11.
It's been a little under two years since star chef Shane Delia brought his lo-fi, modernised kebab offering to Windsor, setting up Biggie Smalls on Chapel Street. But now, the hip hop tunes and crinkle-cut chips are being switched out for something a little sleeker, as the venue transforms into new culinary concept Maha East. Sibling to Delia's acclaimed CBD restaurant Maha, the reimagined Windsor space will soon be showcasing the same elevated Middle Eastern flavours and contemporary flair, only with a more relaxed edge. While the original Maha is known for its degustation-driven dining options, guests at the Chapel Street newcomer will find themselves faced with a little more choice and a slightly fatter wallet at the end of a feed. Delia and Head Chef Simon Lillico are still adding the final touches to the Maha East food offering, though we do know that both lunch and dinner will offer the option of a la carte or a share-style set menu. Whatever you choose, get set for a mix of tried-and-true favourites and creative new dishes, from slow-roasted lamb shoulder and famed turkish delight doughnuts to the likes of fried buns filled with taramasalata and topped with salmon caviar, and house-baked breads with hummus and a Persian saffron XO. [caption id="attachment_722637" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brook James[/caption] The drinks program is set to be a major focus, too, with a 120 bottle-strong wine list heroing both old-world styles and more contemporary drops, alongside Maha's full lineup of signature cocktails. Yes, that means the legendary Pomegranate Sour will be be making an appearance. Meanwhile, the design of the 40-seat restaurant will favour the timeless, pulling together a suave mix of bronze-edged stone, walnut panelling and rich green accents. If you'd still like a taste of Delia's lo-fi kebabs, fear not — you can still visit the original Biggie Smalls outpost in Collingwood. Find Maha East at 36 Chapel Street, Windsor from Thursday, June 27. It'll be open for dinner daily and lunch on Saturday and Sunday. Images: Brook James
Here in Australia, we're just about to enter what will no doubt be a gruelling winter. Well, our version of gruelling (socks and thongs weather). What makes it worse is that the Northern Hemisphere is enjoying summer, taunting us with pictures of beaches, lilos and rooftop cocktails while we huddle around an on-fire garbage bin and feel our seasonal affective disorder turn up a notch. The smartest of us, the ones not shackled to our desks and chairs, will defect to the north and torture us even more with Instagram stories from the Amalfi Coast, photos that could be compiled into an overpriced coffee-table book and sold in a snooty art shop. But you know what they say: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. And if you don't have enough annual leave to join 'em, eat so much pizza that your cheese dreams transport you to warmer places. And then start referring to your tummy as Little Italy. And then despondently look for flights for Euro-summer next year. To help you achieve this goal, we've teamed up with American Express to find the best Italian-style pizza to counteract Euro-summer FOMO. So, grab your American Express® Card and let's head out for some of the city's best cheesy rounds, slices and rectangles. Got yourself in another dining situation and need some guidance? Whatever it is, we know a place. Visit The Shortlist and we'll sort you out.
The Melbourne Marathon Festival started back in the 70s and is a favoured annual running event for many Melburnians. The races vary in length and difficulty — the shortest event being a three-kilometre walk, with five- and ten-kilometre courses coming in before and half marathon and the full slog. The track spans the Melbourne CBD and gives runners an opportunity to experience the city's famous landmarks in a different context — from the St Kilda beach foreshore to Flinders Street to Albert Park Lake. All races start at Birrarung Marr and end inside the MCG — so you can finish with the roar of the crowd. Take part on your own, as a team or with colleagues, and help raise funds for the Cerebal Palsy Education Centre, or a charity of your choice.
They don't make them like Nicholas Alexander Gray anymore. Besides having a name that sounds like an Oscar Wilde character, Gray is an artist, arts therapist, antiques buyer, grape picker, puppet maker, graphic designer and book collector. He's also working on an English translation of a series of seminal Buddhist texts, making a could be portrait of Nicholas Gray very intriguing indeed. Collingwood's House of Bricks gallery is hosting an enormous art book sale filled with over 2000 aesthetically inclined page turners acquired by Gray on the aforementioned crazy journey he calls life. Running alongside the sale is a collection of Gray's paintings and sculptures, also available for viewing and purchase. On Tuesday May 28 from 6pm-8pm the event opens with drinks and a performance by Gray's choir (yes, he has a choir). Image via House of Bricks.
UPDATE, September 7, 2020: Emma is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Happiest when she's playing matchmaker, experienced at meddling in the affairs of others and accustomed to a comfortable level of standing in her village, Emma Woodhouse withholds judgement on no one. Since first popping up on the page 205 years ago, Jane Austen's heroine has always been a picture of youthful hubris. Case in point: the 20-year-old member of the upper class wouldn't dream of letting a friend marry a mere farmer. She eventually learns the error of her well-meaning arrogance, of course. That's the journey that Austen's Emma charts, following the titular character's evolution from unthinking snobbishness to genuine compassion. But if the fictional Miss Woodhouse was somehow asked to survey the latest film to tell her story, we're certain that her opinionated tendencies would still shine through. Renowned for eschewing the average and ordinary in the hope of a more romantic option, she'd at least arch an eyebrow at this dutifully faithful, perfectly palatable yet hardly spectacular adaptation. Emma may be stylised on its marketing materials as 'Emma.', as though it's putting a full stop on all big-screen iterations of Austen's novel; however it's unlikely to become the definitive book-to-film version of this tale. That title continues to belong to Clueless, a movie that modernised the details, played fast and loose with certain specifics, and turned Austen's comedy of manners into an even savvier delight than it already was. Devotees of the original text might consider that statement blasphemous, but Emma's musings on love, life, social status and human nature thrived under a bolder spotlight. Indeed, Clueless outshone the more traditional Gwyneth Paltrow-starring adaptation of Austen's novel that came out just a year afterwards, and did so easily. The difference a quarter-century ago, and now as well: Clueless engages with and re-interrogates the narrative and its insights, rather than just reverently recreating it. They all tell the same general story, though. For those who haven't committed the broad strokes to memory alongside Alicia Silverstone's 90s outfits, Austen's tale revolves around Emma (played in this 2020 iteration by Anya Taylor-Joy) and her current matchmaking mission. Her friend Harriet Smith (Mia Goth) receives a marriage proposal from local tenant farmer Robert Martin (Connor Swindells), with whom she's clearly besotted, but Emma is convinced that her pal can, should and must do better. So, she nudges Harriet towards seemingly kindly vicar Philip Elton (Josh O'Connor). As well as earning the disapproval of her neighbour George Knightley (Johnny Flynn), who she treats like a brother, Emma's interference causes significant ripples throughout the village. It doesn't help that the rich, handsome and vain Frank Churchhill (Callum Turner) has just returned to town, and the quietly accomplished Jane Fairfax (Amber Anderson), too — with the former considered a potential match for Emma herself, and the latter the target of her palpable jealousy. Well-heeled chaos ensues — as much chaos that can ensue within stately and sprawling country manors, while compliant, silent servants are always on hand, and amidst polite conversation constantly tinted with gossip (although as Downton Abbey keeps demonstrating, that's plenty). Emma circa 2020 does everything it's supposed to, including using its sumptuous production and costume design to paint a vivid picture of Regency-era England, but it adds little of its own personality. Austen's prose, here shaped into a screenplay by The Luminaries' author Eleanor Catton, still sparkles with wit. Making her feature filmmaking debut, photographer and music video director Autumn de Wilde retains the novel's playful mood, and pairs it with a sweeping sense of visual symmetry that'd do Wes Anderson proud. And yet, this adaptation feels mostly indistinguishable from the many other unchallenging film and TV versions of literary classics that've reached screens over the years. In fact, the end result is fine, but in the passable rather than excellent sense of the word. It can be a strange sensation, watching a movie that hits plenty of marks and still feels just standard, but that's this iteration of Emma. The film's various parts boast a variety of charms, and yet they never manage to leave much of an imprint. The main outlier: The Witch, Split and Glass' Taylor-Joy. There's little in the way of purposeful contemporary parallels in this take on Austen's tale but, in Taylor-Joy's hands, Emma herself seems like she could easily be passing judgement on her peers and their love lives via Instagram. As the overly chatty, far less wealthy Miss Bates, Miranda Hart (Call the Midwife) also stands out, especially when her character becomes the target of Emma's withering comments. But it might be Bill Nighy, playing Mr Woodhouse, that encapsulates the movie best. He's as reliable as ever, trots out all his usual moves, and inspires more than a few laughs and smiles — but you always know exactly what you're in for. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llt7-EQP6dg
With money to burn, the folks at Crown Casino are hosting one seriously lavish party. Set up along Crown Riverwalk by the Yarra, this three-day festival includes tons of great food and cooking demonstrations, as well as music and arts and crafts. Performers will be roaming the crowd during daylight hours, while a fireworks display on the Saturday evening should guarantee you a happy and prosperous New Year.
It's not like you need an excuse to get stuck into some hummus, but this week, Bar Saracen Head Chef Tom Sarafian is giving you a few extra reasons to load up on his restaurant's famed chickpea dish anyway. The kitchen has been quiet at the Punch Lane venue for the past few weeks, with the doors closed to both dine-in guests and takeaway orders during this current stretch of restrictions. Which has left Sarafian with a little extra time up his sleeve. And that time's now being used to whip up batches of signature hummus to raise much-needed funds for those impacted by last week's devastating Beirut explosion. The Lebanese capital holds a special place in the chef's heart and has been the catalyst for some of his best work. "I honestly wouldn't have learnt to make this hummus (or a lot of my dishes) and share it with Melbourne if it wasn't for my trips to Beirut, and the hospitality and generosity of its people," said Sarafian in a statement. https://www.instagram.com/p/CDpx6bxjH3E/ So now, for the first time in a little while, you'll be able to get your mitts on Bar Saracen hummus by the tub, all for an excellent cause. The 300-gram serves come paired with sumac pita crisps, clocking in at $20, with all proceeds going to Lebanese Red Cross. If you live within ten kilometres of the CBD venue, you can have a tub dropped to your door for free, with complimentary home deliveries running Sunday, August 16, and Monday, August 17. Can't wait that long and live within five kilometres of the restaurant? You can swing past Bar Saracen between noon and 3pm this Thursday to Saturday, to nab some fundraiser hummus straight from the source. If that's not in your allowed radius, thankfully a stack of other venues will also be selling the hummus tubs (for $15 with no crisps) this weekend, including Baker Bleu, All Are Welcome, Wild Life Bakery, Meatsmith, Falco Bakery, Spring Street Grocer and Park Street Pasta & Wine. Check in with your closest to see when they're open and whether they've got stock. Hummus le Beirut is available to buy online now, and can be picked up from Bar Saracen from 12–3pm, August 13–15 or home-delivered from August 16–17.
