Remember the name Rasmus King. Based on 2022's slate of Australian films and television shows, that shouldn't be hard. The Byron Bay-born newcomer hadn't graced a screen, large or small, before this year — and now he has no fewer than four projects pushing him into the spotlight before 2023 arrives. Most, including surfing TV drama Barons, capitalise upon the fact that he's a pro on the waves IRL. Two, 6 Festivals and the upcoming sci-fi featurette What If The Future Never Happened?, get his long blonde locks whipping through the Australian music scene. The latter is based on Daniel Johns' teenage years, actually, and has King playing that pivotal part. If he's half as impressive in the role as he is in father-son drama Bosch & Rockit, Silverchair fans will have plenty to look to forward to. When writer/director Tyler Atkins opens his debut feature, it's in the late 90s, along Australia's east coast, and with King as eager surfer Rockit — son to weed farmer Bosch (Luke Hemsworth, Westworld). Sometimes, the titular pair hit the surf together, which sees Rockit's eyes light up; however, Bosch is usually happy tending to his illicit business, making questionable decisions, and coping with splitting from his son's mother Elizabeth (Leeanna Walsman, Eden) with the help of other women. Then a couple of unfortunate twists of fate upend Rockit's existence, all stemming from his father. Begrudgingly, Bosch is pushed into stepping outside his drug-growing comfort zone by an old friend-turned-cop (Michael Sheasby, The Nightingale) and his corrupt partner (Martin Sacks, Buckley's Chance). When a bushfire sweeps through the region shortly afterwards, he's forced to go on the run to stay alive. Bosch & Rockit approaches Bosch's absconding from Rockit's perspective, adopting the line that the former gives his boy: that they're going to Byron for an extended holiday. Atkins doesn't feed the same idea to its audience, but ensures that viewers understand why a bright-eyed teenager would take his dad at his word — not just because he doesn't know what Bosch does for a living, which he doesn't; or he's naïve, which he is; but also because he's eager to hang onto his biggest dream. There's sorrow in King's spirited performance, with Rockit more affected by his parents' split, bullying at school and the isolation that comes with finding solace in the sea, usually alone, than Bosch has the shrewdness to spot. There's earnestness as well, because what struggling kid who's desperate for the kind of love that genuine attention signifies, as Rockit visibly is, won't blindly believe whatever fantasy their dad or mum sells them for as long as possible? King does a magnetic job of conveying Rockit's inner turmoil, and expressing his uncertainty, too. There's an effortlessness to his portrayal, whether Rockit is lapping up Bosch's presence like a plant swaying towards the sunlight, listlessly left to his own devices when his dad decides he'd rather chase Byron local Deb (Isabel Lucas, That's Not Me), or finding a kindred spirit in Ash (Savannah La Rain, Surviving Summer), another restless and yearning teen vacationing under less-than-ideal circumstances and feeling like she's alone in the world. Avoiding formulaic plotting isn't Bosch & Rockit's strong suit, however, as the film makes plain at every turn. That's evident in both of its namesakes' trajectories, for starters — with Bosch a small-time crim falling afoul of the wrong people, with help from bad luck, then trying to start anew; and Rockit an innocent kid stuck with subpar parents, forced to grow up faster than he should, but hanging onto whatever he can. When a wave tumbles over a surfer's head, crashing towards the shore, it's both a new revelation and a routine occurrence every single time — and, as well as showing that sight whenever Rockit takes to the ocean, aka frequently, that's also how Bosch & Rockit feels. The depths in its two central performances, Hemsworth's included, can't completely sweep aside the film's well-worn storyline, but the feature's sincerity goes a long way. A movie can be sentimental and still ring true, too, which this repeatedly does. Knowing that you're having your heartstrings pulled isn't just blatant, but almost instantaneous, and yet this tender tale is still easy to drift along with. While King proves Bosch & Rockit's biggest asset, Hemsworth's impact can't be underestimated — and shows why he has never just been "the other Hemsworth". Like his brothers, his early career weaved through local soaps (Neighbours in his case, which Chris and Liam also popped up on), plus other Aussie TV series (including Blue Heelers, All Saints and Tangle). As his siblings are, he's now best-known for his overseas success, with Westworld forever altering his resume as the Thor franchise has for Chris and The Hunger Games did for Liam. Here, there's a weight and texture to Luke's empathetic work as the well-meaning, perennially hapless Bosch that ranks it among his best, and is crucial to the film. Atkins also ensures that his audience understands why Rockit wants to be with his charismatic yet careening dad, even when he does know better. Indeed, scenes where Hemsworth and King banter, whether slinging the most Aussie curse-filled exchanges each other's way or bickering in public, are among Bosch & Rockit's standouts. It's lucky that its key duo bring so much to their portrayals; elsewhere, Bosch & Rockit is undeniably scenic, but never surprising. Often, Ben Nott's (How to Please a Woman) cinematography looks like a postcard — especially when the picture lingers on the obvious shots, such as the famous Cape Byron Lighthouse, or loiters on dolphins and whales while its characters frolic along the coast. Of course, those pieces of card sent from holiday spots usually come bearing heartfelt statements behind the eye-catching gloss, a trait that Bosch & Rockit also shares. Little about growing up is simple, nothing about parenting is, and love and hope can't help anyone escape either reality — all notions that resonate from this straightforward, always-familiar but also evocative film.
Between Thursday, September 8–Wednesday, September 14, Palace Cinemas is giving movie buffs in Melbourne an extra present. It's not just the gift of great flicks — that is, their daily bread and butter — but the gift of cheap great flicks. Head to the chain's Balwyn, Brighton, Brighton Bay, Como, Westgarth, Pentridge and Kino venues across the week in question, and any film at any time will only cost you a fiver. Haven't yet seen Top Gun: Maverick, Bullet Train or Elvis? Catching up will cost you $5. Keen to check out Nope, The Black Phone, Three Thousand Years of Longing, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Where the Crawdads Sing and Full Time? Also $5. We'd keep naming movies, but you get the picture. Booking in advance is highly recommended, given how much everyone loves going to the flicks for little more than the price of a cup of coffee. If you do nab your tickets online, you will have to add a transaction fee to the cost. You won't be able to use the $5 deal on special events and film festivals, or on two-for-one offers and other deals — and it's a Melbourne-only special — but you've now got plenty of movies to see for cheap.
Everyone could use a dose of big-screen escapism every now and then, whether you're an avid movie buff all-year-round, a casual cinemagoer or can't remember the last time you caught a flick at the pictures. That's on offer every day of the week at the Classic, Lido and Cameo cinemas, of course, but between Thursday, September 8–Wednesday, September 14 it'll only cost you $5. Yes, that's a mighty cheap price for a trip to the movies, and it means that you can even treat your bestie, date or mum to a flick and pay just ten dollars for both of you. Some of the films you'll be able to catch during the week include a few of the biggest titles around at the moment — such as Jordan Peele's creepy and clever Nope, Brad Pitt-starring action onslaught Bullet Train and the breathtaking Top Gun: Maverick (in case you haven't seen them yet). Also showing: Baz Lurhmann's stunning Elvis; Emma Thompson-starring sex comedy Good Luck To You, Leo Grande; big-screen must-see documentary Fire of Love, about a couple of volcanologists; and George Miller's Three Thousand Years of Longing. Yes, the list goes on. The $5 tickets are available at all regular sessions across the seven days — other than sneak previews, advance screenings, special events and retro films — and bookings open from Monday, September 5. To book your $5 tickets, just head to the Classic, Lido and Cameo cinema websites. And if you fancy becoming a member at the cinemas, that'll only cost you $1 across the seven days as well.
Last year's The Old Man and the Gun and Clint Eastwood's new film The Mule share three things in common. First, they both star Hollywood octogenarian greats Robert Redford (82) and Eastwood (88). Second, they're both based on real life stories of unlikely elderly criminals and the men who pursued them. Thirdly, they share a pronounced nostalgia for civility; a yearning for a bygone era where nothing, not even law-breaking, should come at the cost of common decency. But where Redford's film maintained a light and tender tone throughout, Eastwood's latest lacks consistency, veering from awkward cynicism to thin familial sentimentality. As a vehicle for Eastwood's first on-screen role in six years, The Mule seems perfect. Written by Nick Schenk, who previously worked alongside Eastwood on Gran Torino, the film tells the fascinating true tale of Leo Sharp (named Earl Stone here), a 90 year-old WWII veteran and award-winning horticulturalist who became a big-time drug runner for a Mexican cartel after his own business ran into financial trouble. Stone is grizzled, bitter, grumpy and a little bit racist. In short, Eastwood embodies the look and feel of the man immediately. When Stone agrees to run a package across the country, no questions asked, he reveals himself to be the perfect mule for Andy Garcia's cartel, and as his illicit load increases with each new run, so too does his reward. Accompanied throughout by cartel minders, the setup is perfect for a black comedy. But whilst there are a few terrific moments (a carpool karaoke version of 'Ain't That A Kick In The Head' being the best), too much of the film falls flat, lacking the full lighthearted touch but at the same time failing to follow the darker path it also could have taken. In supporting roles, Eastwood brings back some of his recent regulars, including Bradley Cooper and Michael Pêna as the DEA agents charged with tracking Stone down and bringing him to justice. As with The Old Man and the Gun, it takes some time to dawn on the authorities that they're pursuing a man in his 80s – which of course was precisely why the Cartel went that direction in the beginning. Eastwood has always been impressive in his embracing of ageing, even tabling Unforgiven for over a decade until he felt he was old enough to do the role justice. Here in The Mule, though, the age card offers so many tantalising possibilities for the story, yet is used far too sparingly and too easily, resorting to mostly tired tropes like technological dyslexia (wait, how do you text again?). Moreover, while Stone is a remorseful man insofar as his troubled family history goes, he shows none for his part in supporting a violent and brutal cartel (at least not until the film's final stages). The end result is a film that looks great (it's Eastwood in the chair, after all), but feels like a middle child of genre; funny but not a comedy, dark but not a thriller, on the road but not a road movie and moving but not fully a drama. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_QksSzK7sI
Back at work and feeling the post-festival season blues? We've got the cure with the return of By The Meadow to regional Victoria for its sixth edition of wild music. The three-day music festival returns to the hills of Bambra, 90 minutes southwest of Melbourne, from March 29 to 31. Hit the dance floor to a lineup of soul, funk and disco, with headliners including blues and garage band The Murlocs, American indie rock artist Lucy Dacus — in her Aussie debut — indie pop trio The Goon Sax and Melbourne funk DJ Harvey Sutherland. As the festival goes for just over 24 hours, you'll be able to settle in and enjoy the tunes then spend the night camping (or glamping) under the stars. Much needed festival fodder will be available in the form of food stalls from local restaurateurs, with plenty of vegan and vegetarian options, too. To drink, there'll be craft beers from Salt Brewing and wines from across the vineyards of the Otway Hinterlands. Or, you can BYO — just make sure you adhere to the festival's booze limits (around 18 cans of beer, or 12 RTDs). So pack your camping gear and get ready for a weekend of music in the wilderness.
With its latest movie-fuelled event, Underground Cinema is hoping that you've never felt like this before — and that you love Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey dancing up a storm in a much-loved 1987 romantic drama. As part of the outfit's new Immersive Cinema spin-off, it's promising to plunge cinephiles into the world of Dirty Dancing. And give you the time of your life, presumably. Hitting Flemington Racecourse for three nights in March 2019, Dirty Dancing: The Immersive Cinema Experience won't just screen one of Swayze's biggest film roles, but will recreate the world of the popular film. That means that attendees will travel back to 1963 in spirit, check into Kellerman's Mountain House in the Catskills, and enjoy a day of painting classes, volleyball, croquet and — of course — dance lessons. You can probably also expect a stint of carrying watermelons, as well as a talent show. It all ends with a sunset screening of Dirty Dancing on the big screen. You'd be just a fool to believe that's all that's on the agenda. Actors and dancers will roam around like the wind, and, food and drink-wise, Americana-style eats and several pop-up bars slinging summery cocktails are on offer for those with hungry eyes (and stomachs). You'll also be able to wander through recreations of Kellerman's famous fictional spaces, from the staff quarters where Francis 'Baby' Houseman gets her first taste of dirty dancing, to the studios where she learns all the steps from and starts swooning over Johnny Castle, to the restaurant where nobody puts Baby in a corner. Like the film version of Kellerman's, the event is also an all-ages affair — Underground Cinema's first that'll welcome families and kids along. And everyone is encouraged to dress up like it's the 60s, although appropriate footwear for dancing is a must. Tickets are available in two tiers, with the $89.90 'Kellerman's Guest Experience' giving you access to all of the above, and the $129.90 'Time of My Life Package' (naturally) also letting you sashay in via express entry, nab a premium elevated viewing spot, explore secret spaces and take a group dance class with one of Kellerman's dance instructors.
Windsor's Singapore-inspired Hawker Hall is celebrating Chinese New Year with the return of its weekend yum cha sessions. Every Saturday and Sunday in February, diners can feast on a whole six courses of dim sum for just $38 per person. As yum cha is traditionally a breakfast or early lunch meal, the deal is available from 11am–4pm each day. You can choose six dishes from the many bamboo steamer baskets on offer — think the requisite barbecue pork buns, spring rolls and fried rice, plus five-spiced chicken ribs, shiitake mushroom mapo tofu, fried squid and seafood-stuffed Chinese doughnuts with plenty of chilli oil. Apart from the eats, the venue is slinging four cocktails ($12 each) that have been designed to drink aside dim sum. There's the Enter The Dragon — a tropical concoction of tequila, pineapple, lime, guava and mint — as well as The Green Lantern, with jasmine-infused vodka mixed with peach, lemon and cucumber. Since it's yum cha, the courses will, of course, be on the smaller side, but the price is hard to beat regardless. Hawker Hall's yum cha runs from 11am–4pm. You can book your spot via the website.
Four years ago, legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Fleetwood Mac toured Australia with Christine McVie, who'd just rejoined the band after a 16-year absence. This year, when the British-American group tours the country, the lineup will look a little different. Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, John McVie and Christine McVie will be joined on stage in August by Crowded House frontman Neil Finn and Mike Campbell, from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, with Lindsey Buckingham controversially axed from the band early last year. Despite the switch-up — it's not the band's first personnel change, and probably won't be its last — the band will be performing all its biggest hits, from 'Dreams' to 'The Chain' and 'Go Your Own Way'. The six will visit both the west and east coast, with four shows over two weeks at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena on September 2, 4, 7 and 9. Fleetwood Mac is one of the world's best-selling bands, selling in excess of 100 million albums worldwide, with the album Rumours one of the best-selling of all time. The band's Aussie tour follows its 50-show tour of the US.
Making a powerhouse acting debut, Zain Al Rafeea carries the entire weight of Capharnaüm on his slender shoulders. Playing a young Lebanese boy also named Zain, the untrained talent puts in a raw, soulful performance that nearly bursts off of the screen, all while capturing a truth that is rarely uttered. With a weary expression where an impish smile should be, he conveys the toll of simply existing, a burden that nobody initially asks for. Indeed, when Zain is introduced in court, suing his parents for bringing him into a life of relentless hardship, Al Rafeea's exasperated face alone sells the character's existential angst. While Zain's unconventional lawsuit provides Capharnaüm's entry point, writer-director Nadine Labaki (Where Do We Go Now?) is quick to explore the basis for the 12-year-old's legal challenge. In his dismal Beirut home environment, his parents (Kawthar Al Haddad and Fadi Kamel Youssef) make him work to support the family, his baby sibling is kept in chains, and he witnesses his beloved younger sister (Cedra Izam) sold into marriage for a few chickens. More than that, his birth was never registered, so he can't get the necessary identifying paperwork to attend school or to even prove that he exists. Running away, he's soon caught in another difficult domestic situation — taken in by kindly Ethiopian immigrant Rahil (Yordanos Shiferaw), he cares for her infant son (Boluwatife Treasure Bankole) while she works, but is left stranded when she suddenly doesn't return. Scripting the film with four co-writers, Labaki puts the despairing yet resourceful Zain through even further misery — the type that'd be badged 'poverty porn' if it wasn't drawn from reality and told with such empathy. Those traits prove Capharnaüm's main strengths, aside from the highly sensitive work by the movie's non-professional actors. Much of the cast, including the mesmerising Al Rafeea and captivating toddler Bankole, have lived lives that hew much too close to the events seen on screen, while Labaki's commitment to bringing their plights to light shines through in her narrative. Ranging beyond the feel-good charm of Slumdog Millionaire and the tender reunion of Lion, Capharnaüm actively wants viewers not just to engage with its bleak story, but with the truth behind it. From crumbling shanties to overcrowded juvenile jails, this is a fictional tale wrought from the toughest type of real-life pain, and it's designed to feel that way from start to finish. The key word there is feel. Labaki wants audiences to be moved by her gritty, warts-and-all portrait — and given everything that Zain experiences, that's exactly what happens. Alas, although the actor-turned-filmmaker clearly recognises the potency of her material, she doesn't seem to trust it to get the job done alone. Every stylistic decision, from the lingering camerawork to the button-pushing score (by her husband and producer Khaled Mouzanar) to the lurching narrative structure, is calculated to poke and prod viewers. Every choice cajoles those watching not just to react with sympathy, but to respond harder and deeper, eventually to the point of overkill. There's a difference between stressing the point in an earnest and affecting way, wallowing gracefully to truly communicate the enormity of a character's struggle, and hitting people over the head. Bluntly bludgeon someone for long enough, and they might just stop feeling anything. As a result, even with a Cannes jury prize and an Academy Award nomination to its name, Carpharnaüm can't overcome its obvious contradictions. It knows that it's spinning a worthy tale, but isn't confident that anyone will care about the gruelling minutiae without applying force. It possesses two of the most authentic, endearing child performances committed to celluloid in recent times — on par with its thematic sibling, The Florida Project — and yet packages their naturalistic work with overtly manipulative storytelling. It argues that unthinkingly birthing kids into a downtrodden life is a heinous crime, while also championing a boy whose engaging persona and enduring resilience was forged through weathering immense difficulties. Although it's impossible to ignore these clashes, when Al Rafeea lights up the screen, he'll make you wish otherwise. Stirring but never self-assured enough to be subtle, Capharnaüm is a heartbreaking movie that stops well short of being a heartbreaking masterpiece. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBecbs52Fpo
Gauchito Gil is Argentina's Robin Hood. As such, it seems fitting that Australia's own Malbec Day has been borrowed from the South American country, where the majority of the world's malbec comes from. If this day is a donation from the grape god, it's one we're happy to accept. After a successful six years, Gauchito Gil is once again bringing Malbec Day to Melbourne with a five-hour wine bonanza at North Melbourne's Meat Market on Saturday, April 13. The event comes from the organisers of the Pinot Palooza and Mould cheese festival, and mirrors the free-reign tasting set up. Your $60 ticket includes a wine glass, and from there you'll be able to move around, sampling over 60 Australian, French and Argentinian malbec varietals. Other events have been known to get a little boozy, so to soak up all that wine there will be top-notch empanadas from five local restaurateurs — who'll be vying for the prestigious Golden Empanada award. It really doesn't matter if you know everything there is about malbec or if you don't know much at all, because Malbec Day is about education and celebration of the Argentine grape. And what better way to celebrate than with an bottomless glass of wine?
Every year, runners from all over Victoria limber up for the Bendigo Bank Fun Run, a fundraiser for Bendigo Hospital. The event is split into a five-kilometre walk or run, or a ten-kilometre, 15-kilometre or half-marathon run. So, whether you're a pro who barely breaks a sweat or you can't stand running and would prefer to stroll at a leisurely pace, there's an event for you. There will also be dedicated colour stations positioned along the track to add a little more excitement to the festivities. All you have to do is register online — as either an individual or team — and then start training. All entrants who make it across the finish line will score a medallion and a free brekkie loaded with healthy goodness courtesy of The Spotless.
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
If you've been struggling to defeat the winter blues, here's a little helping hand. And it won't cost you a cent. From October until the mid-November, Serotonin Eatery — an eatery and exercise centre in Burnley — is offering free exercise classes twice a week, every week. Head along to Serotonin Eatery at 7am on a Wednesday or Thursday (or both) and get ready to move your body. The 60-minute workout involved stretching, cardio and strength work and is suitable for all levels of fitness. All you need are runners and a water bottle. While you're at it, you can score a complimentary session with Serotonin's nutritionist, who'll discuss how your eating patterns could be affecting your mood. If you've time to spare afterwards, hang around for a healthy brekkie. There'll be 20 free classes all in all. Should you make it to every single one, you could save yourself $2400 in fees you'd otherwise be paying. Online registration, which you can do over here, is essential. Serotonin's free exercise classes kick off on Wednesday, October, 10 and wrap-up on Thursday, December 13.
Melbourne is known for its fine food experiences. Usually that just means eating a lot of things you would never be able to make yourself. But, on the rare occasion, we get to peek behind the culinary curtain and learn some tricks of the trade. Joining these ranks is Moro. The olive oil purveyor is launching a series of masterclasses to elevate your appreciation of the humble pantry staple. It's partnering with three top eateries — Trattoria Emilia, Epocha and Simply Spanish — to highlight the versatility of olive oil in multiple cuisines. Each class will kick off with an industry expert taking you through how to identify the characteristics of olive oil and how to prep dishes in the right way to enhance the flavour. Next, the restaurant chefs will hold a live Q&A session as they cook up authentic meals — think pasta made from scratch at Trattoria Emilia and tapas and paella at Simply Spanish. And then the fun part: you get to enjoy those dishes with matching wine. The Moro Masterclass series will run across three separate sessions. Trattoria Emilia is up first on Saturday, October 20 followed by Epocha on Thursday, October 25 and Simply Spanish on Saturday, November 3. For more details and to purchase tickets, visit the website. Image: Brook James.
February 29 only rolls around once every four years. And while the earth spins around the sun playing catch up, we want to make the most of our last day of summer. To help you do so, Melbourne's luxe boutique hotel, QT Melbourne, is offering 29 percent off all food and drinks at a number of its in-house restaurants and bars for a whole 24 hours. And you don't even have to be a hotel guest to get in on this deal. Soak up the sunshine and sweeping city views on The Rooftop at QT as you snack on tacos, pork rolls and choc tops, all for a fraction of the cost. Or, if you want to spend the end of summer sipping a cocktail, head to QT's lush The Secret Garden Bar, which uses ingredients from its own garden. The Wild Strawberries, described as 'a negroni for those with less beards and tattoos', is a concoction of gin, rosé, freshly picked strawberries and coriander. If you want something more traditional, there's the Rivermint Martini — a twist on the classic— or the sangria-style Garden Punch. [caption id="attachment_763014" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kate Shanasy[/caption] In the evening, French-inspired bistro Pascale Bar and Grill is also offering 29 percent off everything — from champagne and red wine to oysters, tartare, cacio e pepe and wagyu steaks. Then hit up the cake shop for treats decadent enough for Marie Antoinette herself. You could also use it as an excuse to book in for a last-minute staycation and go to town on the room service. You'll be saving 29 percent on all your wining and dining, after all.
If there's one thing that cinephiles have learned after almost a quarter-century of Wes Anderson films, it's that the director's features look like nothing else on-screen. His love of symmetry is well-known. In fact, you can't miss it. But meticulous detail shines in every element of his movies — especially in the production and costume design. It's evident in the trailer for his latest movie, The French Dispatch. It made a whole heap of fans buy Team Zissou sneakers after The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. And, it's on display in The Royal Tenenbaums and The Grand Budapest Hotel, too — the two films in the spotlight at The Sartorial Splendour of Wes Anderson. For two nights, the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival and Cinema Nova are teaming up to fill the latter's big screen with eccentric siblings and eager lobby boys — and the eye-catching outfits they all wear, of course. Catch The Grand Budapest Hotel at 6.30pm on Tuesday, March 10 and The Royal Tenenbaums at the same time on Wednesday, March 11. Each screening will be followed by a panel discussion on their costuming choices as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caMgokYWboU
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
If you've ever had the urge to rummage through someone else's suitcase, here's your chance. Suitcase Rummage is coming back to Melbourne, and luckily for you it'll be less old socks and more vintage treasures. Next happening between 10am–3pm on Saturday, February 15 at the South Melbourne Town Hall — and then again on March 14 — the mini-scale market will bring together numerous trunks that aren't just filled with clothing. The suitcases will contain everything from art to records, shoes and jewellery — so, come and bargain, buy or swap to score that old Joni Mitchell vinyl you've been wanting. [caption id="attachment_760661" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Suitcase Rummage[/caption] Those who wanting to sell their wares must register — and it'll cost $25 for a 'stall'. You can bring up to three suitcases, so you can lug in all those shoes you've been promising to wear but certainly will not. Top image: Yan Chen via Suitcase Rummage.
It has only been three short years since Call Me By Your Name first hit cinemas; however the yearning romance instantly cemented itself as an all-time great. Adapting André Aciman's novel of the same name, every element of the film hit exactly the right note — including the tender love story, charting a summer dalliance between Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and Oliver (Armie Hammer), as well as director Luca Guadagnino's gorgeous use of the story's Italian Riveria setting. Hammer's awkward dance moves, Michael Stuhlbarg playing the dad everyone wishes they had, the use of peaches — you can remember this heartwrenching movie for any or all of the above. Actually, because there's never a bad time to revisit Call Me By Your Name, you can also re-experience it all again on the big screen on Valentine's Day. The Astor Theatre is doing the honours, kicking off at 7.30pm on Friday, February 14 — and tickets cost $18.50. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9AYPxH5NTM
The public pool is fun and all, but spending the afternoon throwing down some moves on a giant inflatable water slide? That's how we want to cool down this summer. Luckily, you've got just a few more days left to tick off that little summer bucket-list item, at The District Docklands' supersized pop-up Slip 'n' Slide. Making its home beneath the soaring Melbourne Observation Wheel, the Astroturfed water park will be sticking around to offer some sweet heat relief until Sunday, January 26. The leafy pop-up is decked out with garden games and a water mist zone, though the star of the show is the elevated, 25-metre-long blow-up water slide. This bright yellow monster is free to ride and fitted out with two lanes, so you can even challenge your mates to a few cheeky races. It might be mostly for kids, but as long as you're over the age of four and taller than 110 centimetres, anyone's allowed to have a go. It's open from 11am until 5pm each day.
In response to COVID-19, film festivals around the world have been making the shift to online programs for 2020 — and Australia's fests are no different. Sydney Film Festival is doing just that, as is the Melbourne International Film Festival. Also going virtual: the Human Rights Arts and Film Festival. HRAFF's addition to the digital fold is called Humankind, and it runs between Monday, May 18–Sunday, May 24. Each day, it'll screen a different film online. And yes, while that means that the fest's lineup is quite small, it's also mostly free. Although registering for tickets is still required, six of the seven movies on the program will be made available to viewers without paying a cent. You can opt to donate, though, if you can spare $2, $10 or $50. On the bill: poignant New Zealand drama Whale Rider; documentary No Time for Quiet, about the Girls Rock! camp in Melbourne; and fellow music-focused doco Her Sound, Her Story, which explores the experiences of women in the industry. Or, you can check out environmental documentary Tomorrow, which is co-directed by Inglourious Basterds star Melanie Laurent; Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise, about the African American poet and activist; and Backtrack Boys, which dives into a jackaroo-led youth program. Humankind is also screening excellent Aussie doco In My Blood It Runs, which tells the tale of 10-year-old Northern Territory resident Dujuan — and tickets to watch it online cost $15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmahNqD3Dvw&feature=youtu.be
The offering at Balaclava's newest wellness studio Upstate is a supercharged one, with a schedule that runs from reformer pilates to meditation, all the way through to Bikram And you can get a taste of it all for free, when the venue welcomes the public for a jam-packed open house weekend on April 27 and 28. Punters keen to kick-start their post-Easter fitness regime will be able to experience a swag of those classes first-hand, with 22 free sessions happening across the weekend. Start your Saturday with a hot yoga or reformer class, or work up a sweat at a pilates HIIT class. Finish off the weekend with a yin yoga class and sound bath meditation on Sunday night. You'll just need to book in via the website. As well as joining a class or two, you'll get the chance to meet the founders — Lululemon Ambassador Gail Asbell and sister Charelle Cuolahan — and find out more about becoming a member. This is their third studio — the two also run studios in Geelong and Torquay, which will also being doing free classes over the weekend. The studio will also provide post-workout treats and kombucha, and there'll be chances to win activewear and three-month memberships. Images: Ed Sloane Photography.
What starts with a widespread look at how we could radically address climate change using existing technologies, ends with a moving coming-of-age story, and features everything from Aussie rom-coms to documentaries about the country's refugee policies in-between? Thanks to films 2040, Giant Little Ones, Top End Wedding and Stop the Boats, that'd be Melbourne's showcase of human rights-focused movies, art and performances. Yes, the Human Rights Arts and Film Festival returns for another year, running from Thursday, May 9 to Thursday, May 23. Also on the 15-day festival lineup: a showcase of Indigenous short films, a deep dive into child labour and its use in everyday products, the story of a young woman who escaped ISIS and the life of an octogenarian trans woman. Plus, if you'd like to take a look at the biggest global corruption scandal in history, aka the Panama Papers, you can — and the doco is directed by Alex Winter, who is perhaps better known as the William 'Bill' S. Preston, Esq to Keanu Reeves' Theodore 'Ted' Logan in the Bill and Ted movies. As well as screening at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Cinema Nova and Lido Cinemas, HRAFF includes an exhibition component at a number of galleries around town. Whether you like your creativity on a canvas or on the big screen, this fest has the answer — and the topical content.
Most people head to Healesville to get a taste of the Yarra Valley's famous wine, but those in the know always make sure to include a stop at the TarraWarra Museum of Art for an arts and culture fix. And throughout the gallery's Open Weekend 2019 showcase on Saturday, March 30 and Sunday, March 31, you'll get to experience all of it and more for free. Welcoming newcomers and locals alike onto its lush grounds, the out-of-town museum will play host to a Makers' Market — featuring the arts and crafts of 25 local designers and creative — and popular Melbourne painter Ash Keating, who'll drop-by to create a colourful 10-metre artwork live. You'll also get free access to the TarraWarra's latest exhibitions by Tracey Moffatt and Katie West, and have a chance to attend free landscape sketching sessions, creative workshops. A selection of food trucks and drinks to enjoy if you forgot to pack to the picnic basket. Open Weekend runs from 11am–5pm each day.
Following an extensive 18 months of consultation and collaboration with the Dja Dja Wurrung community, Bangarang artist Peta Clancy has debuted her latest exhibition, Undercurrent, at Fed Square's Koorie Heritage Trust. Clancy worked closely with the Dja Dja Wurrung community to explore numerous massacre sites and areas of Bendigo and central Victoria that saw extensive frontier violence to create this major series of landscape photographs. To create these large images, Clancy revisited the sites numerous times over a period of months, experiencing them at different times of day and in disparate weather conditions. She has also used a specific cutting and layering technique, which gives the photographs a unique look. More importantly, however, it also serves as a visual motif for the emotional and cultural scars left on the landscape by frontier violence and colonial occupation. Exploring themes of history, memory and place, Undercurrent features eight new works and a 30-metre wallpaper installation, plus a soundscape and audio interviews from the region's Traditional Owners. Images: Christian Capurro.
Last time that Kenneth Branagh took on a cultural icon, he stepped into Hercule Poirot's shoes, starring in and directing a new adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. He'll return to the character in next year's Death on the Nile, continuing a filmmaking career with a noticeable theme: bringing famous figures and stories to the screen. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Mozart's opera The Magic Flute, Marvel's initial Thor flick and fairy tale Cinderella all appear on his resume, however one particular chap has always retained pride of place. Thirty years ago, Branagh jumped behind the camera for the first time for a cinematic version of William Shakespeare's Henry V. In the decades since, he's directed and acted in Much Ado About Nothing, Love's Labour's Lost and As You Like It, too. So it was only a matter of time until he did the obvious, turning his attention to a Shakespeare biopic. Shakespeare in Love, this isn't. Shakespeare in Retirement would've worked as a title, though. With Branagh both starring and helming as he usually does, All Is True's take on the Bard sees him back in Stratford-upon-Avon, where his family has always lived while he's been triumphing in London. It took a fire to bring him home, with his beloved Globe Theatre burning down in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII. Devastated, old Will has pledged never to work again, vowing to spend time with his wife Anne Hathaway (Judi Dench) and adult daughters Susanna (Lydia Wilson) and Judith (Kathryn Wilder) instead. Alas, absence hasn't exactly made the heart grow fonder. As Shakespeare switches from penning flowery prose to trying to make a garden blossom, drama still keeps finding him. Grief rears its head, over the son he lost years ago, while Anne's stoic sadness at being left to take care of the household also bubbles to the fore. So does Judith's simmering anger at being constantly overlooked due to her gender, as well as Susanna's gossiped-about troubles with her fiercely Puritan husband (Hadley Fraser). If being a genius isn't easy, living in the shadow of one is a much tougher feat. Still, in a reflective screenplay written by Ben Elton, it's Shakespeare's struggle to not only adjust to an ordinary life, but to weigh up his flaws and failings over the course of his life, that drives the film. In a movie filled with allusions to its subject's work, All Is True takes its name from the alternative moniker for Henry VIII, which would prove Shakespeare's last play. Elton's script is definitely fictionalised — although perhaps less than his recent British sitcom, Upstart Crow — and yet the eponymous phrase remains apt. At the heart of the handsomely shot feature sits an important notion that applies not only to the Bard, but to art in general: whatever unfurls on the page or stage speaks to something within its creator. Just as Shakespeare clearly resonates with both Branagh and Elton, the great playwright's acclaimed words were borne of his own emotions. Sure, All Is True includes one of those typically grating moments where a character utters its title in dialogue (no prizes for guessing who does the honours), however in painting a portrait of the Bard as a conflicted, haunted man, it conveys both the inner source and hefty toll of his output. In the acting stakes, Branagh makes for a melancholic later-in-life Shakespeare, repeatedly digging his hands into the earth as he grapples with being brought back to normality. Leading quietly, sensitively but commandingly even under a pronounced prosthetic nose, he's matched by the steely Wilder, a great stint of comic sneering by Alex Macqueen as one of the Bard's naysayers, and a witty appearance by Ian McKellen as the writer's long-term patron, the Earl of Southampton. And yet, while buoyed by strong performances and making good on its premise, the film always plays like a minor ode rather than a major work. Walking in the footsteps of greatness is a difficult task, as the movie makes plain, although Branagh has been trying for decades. With All Is True, he shows why — and demonstrates that passion, intelligence and enthusiasm can go a considerable way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I5cKmiONDI
Twelve of Australia's best young winemakers will be gathering in Melbourne on Saturday, June 1, and you're invited to spend an afternoon in their company. You'll be sampling their latest drops, asking all the questions and, ultimately, deciding who decides to get take home the 13th Young Gun of Wine People's Choice Award. To be part of wine history in the making — and play James Halliday for the day — you need to snag a $45 (or $55 after May 25) ticket and rock up at midday. The event, being held by City Wine Shop, will be happening at St Martins Youth Arts Centre. As well as wine, there'll be burgers and vegan fare from 24-hour Melbourne favourite Butchers Diner. Four states and some of Australia's most famous wineries are represented in the Young Gun list of finalists — including Andrew Scott from La Petite Mort in Queensland's Granite Belt, Sacha La Forgia from the Adelaide Hills Distillery, Ben Ranken from Macedon Ranges' Wilimee and Rhys Parker and Paul Hoffman from Vallée du Venom in the Margaret River. If, on the day, any particular drops takes your fancy, you'll be able to buy bottles at cellar door prices.
The crew behind Collingwood's rooftop burger joint Easey's has scored a second sky-high home, taking over the kitchen at South Yarra hot-spot The Emerson. And, to celebrate, the venue's launched a brand new weekend brunch series, featuring bottomless cocktails and unlimited bites up on the Astroturfed terrace. Running 12–3pm every Saturday and Sunday, these are the kind of long, lazy feasting sessions worth getting out of bed for — even in the middle of winter. Easey's will be knocking up a special offering of brunch canapés each week, with bites like fried calamari, lettuce cup 'tacos', creamy seafood rolls, and oozy mac and cheese croquettes. Read: the perfect fare for quaffing while you kick back on one of those rooftop lounges. Especially when the bar's bringing some party vibes of its own, whipping up mimosas, spritzes and bloody marys — which will be free-flowing for the entire three-hour period. All up, it'll cost you $59 per person. Needless to say, bookings are essential if you want to nab a spot. Images: The Edible Image.
The Grosvenor Hotel in St Kilda is commemorating ANZAC Day with free beer, but it has a catch — the beachside pub is only giving out free pots from the first siren until the first team scores in the ANZAC Day clash. The iconic AFL event is the second biggest game of the season — after the grand final, of course — and will see Essendon and Collingwood go head-to-head for the 24th year running. If there's one situation where you don't want you team to score, it's this. Not many (if any?) quarters finish scoreless, so luckily there's more to the deal. The pub is serving up $15 woodfired pizzas all day — there are a whopping 17 to choose from — and is holding an 11am Publican's Toast, which will pay respect to the diggers. The clash kicks off at 3.20pm. We suggest you get there early to snag a seat. Images: Giulia Morlando.
An Italian slang word for 'stuffed' (among other things), Fatto might just be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Perhaps even more so soon next week, when the riverside Italian eatery is offering $10 gnocchi con abbacchio alla Romana for one lunchtime only. The deal is quite the steal, with the dish usually setting you back $29. But if you rock up for lunch on Thursday, May 2, you'll be able to get it for just a cheeky tenner. And what is it exactly? It's homemade, pillowy gnocchi with Roman-style braised lamb topped with mammoth green olives and green peas, a citrus, parsley and garlic gremolata and, of course, plenty of parmesan. Yep, we could eat that for a chilly autumn lunch. Plus, Fatto Bar & Cantina is superbly placed on the upper terrace at Hamer Hall, overlooking the river and Flinders Street station on the other side so you can soak in some top-notch views while you dine. If you're feeling like a big spender, you can also grab a glass of prosecco, a Fernet Branca (served with freshly pressed orange or grapefruit juice), a negroni or Aperol spritz to accompany your gnocchi. The dish will be available from noon until sold out. We suggest you book a table or get in quick. The $10 gnocchi will be available from 12pm until sold out.
The opening of a new cinema is always excellent news, but Hoyts' new site at Docklands knows how to ramp up the excitement by quite a few levels. To celebrate the launch of the eight-screen picture palace, the chain is offering moviegoers a free day at the flicks on Saturday, April 13. You choose the film, Hoyts will give you a free ticket — and one for up to three of your mates, too. It's really as simple as that. All you need to do is book online in advance, and get in quickly. A giveaway like this isn't going to last long. Movie-wise, there are plenty of flicks to choose from, whether you're keen on superheroes in Captain Marvel and Shazam!, something scary with Pet Sematary or Us, or all-ages entertainment thanks to Dumbo or The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. Or, maybe you could get in onr some in-ring action courtesy of wrestling comedy Fighting with My Family. The free tickets are only available on this one date, must be locked in online and can't be transferred. And you will still need to take your wallet if you're keen on some in-movie snacks. There will be food specials on offer on the day, too, plus live music in the cinema foyer.
UPDATE, August 16, 2020: Cold War is available to stream via SBS On Demand, Google Play, YouTube and iTunes. "I knocked, I cried; she wouldn't open up," sing violin and bagpipe-playing musicians in Cold War's very first moments. What apt and evocative words they prove. Set in a decimated Europe as the Second World War gives way to the film's titular period, Pawel Pawlikowski's sweeping, melancholic romance is steeped in a place and a time where deeds, sobs and pleas for help go unnoticed. The writer-director's native Poland might sport a facade of recovery, and charge a folk ensemble with crooning appropriated music to set the requisite tone, but the nation remains an unforgiving master for those that walk its lands. When the movie spends much of its second half in the jazz-soaked bars of the Parisian music scene, it treads through just as complicated terrain. Meeting during an audition — she sings and confirms that she can dance; he decrees that she has "energy, spirit; she's original" — Cold War's star-crossed lovers navigate a rocky path that unfurls across the 50s and 60s. Music director Wiktor (Tomasz Kot) is soon desperate to leave the country, an action that's as simple as walking across the border while touring near East Berlin. As rumours about her background demonstrate, the youthful Zula (Joanna Kulig) is not one to comfortably submit to anyone or anything. Other than the strength of their feelings, nothing is easy about Zula and Wiktor's relationship. Nothing is easy, period. The movie jumps forward in fits and spurts, and yet three things stay constant: music that adds a haunting soundtrack to both hopeful and bleak days; unease that chips away at even the happiest of times; and Zula and Wiktor, who forever orbit around each other. Cold War may be a film where the yearnings of the many go unnoticed by the cruel, harsh world, but the same never applies to the deep-seeded bond between its protagonists. Wiktor notices every sentiment and sensation that courses through Zula's veins, and vice versa. Yet their love can't penetrate the fraught, uncaring environment they're living within. There's a resigned air to the movie, one mirrored by the changing tones and moods of the song that Zula's always singing. Pawlikowski may have based the picture's narrative on the most personal of stories — that of his parents, who share the characters' names and earn the film's dedication — but his gaze is clear. The winner of the Best Director award at this year's Cannes Film Festival is resolute in depicting the oppressive turbulence of the era, and in relaying the crushing vagaries of life in general. Making his first movie since the similarly exceptional Oscar-winner Ida, Pawlikowski retains his penchant for crisp, black-and-white visuals, all constrained within tight 4:3 frames. The boxed-in shape draws the eye just as Zula and Wiktor are repeatedly drawn together, and the smaller space makes every detail count. As sumptuously shot by cinematographer Łukasz Żal, the result is imagery so dense, luminous and intoxicating that it seems as if the filmmaker is painting every possible emotion across the screen. Visions of cavernous churches and busy clubs prove pregnant with feeling, and the expressions adorning Kulig and Kot's faces even more so. Where Cold War is at its aesthetic best, however, is when the camera floats and wanders and keeps pace with the picture's main players. A fluid late dance scene where Zula moves with abandon to 'Rock Around the Clock', the lens following along with her, is filmmaking at its most enthralling. It helps that Pawlikowski and his frames clearly adore Kulig and Kot. It helps, too, that the entrancing central pair don't so much invite but demand adoration. Whenever the camera shifts away from either, their absence is instantly felt, although this masterpiece never shifts away for very long. Zula and Wiktor's knocks and cries might largely remain silent, yelled with their eyes rather than their words, however Cold War's devastating lead performances convey the impact of every internalised ache and pain. Indeed, in a bittersweet finale that sears itself into memory like few celluloid moments ever manage, Kulig and Kot unburden a world of insights about simply trying to survive. And they do so while uttering the scantest — yet still most utterly perfect — of lines. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSYHHLk12x8
It was only a matter of time before Australia's penchant for themed brunches spawned an all-out fairytale-inspired breakfast feast. And you'll have the chance to partake — and channel your inner Ariel, Mulan or, even, Simba — when a huge (unofficial) Disney-themed bottomless dinner and sing-along party rocks into town. The Magical Soirée will go down on Saturday, January 19 at Hawthorn Arts Centre. Prince, princesses and singing candelabras will sit down to an evening feast served "fairytale-style", along with four hours of unlimited beer and wine for an extra $45. We're hoping for something similar to Belle's 'Be Our Guest' feast in Beauty and the Beast. Word is there'll be themed entertainment and a Cinderella-worthy dance floor for post-brunch twirling, too. Best dust off the DVD collection and start practising — costumes are definitely encouraged, so you'd best start hunting for your best Elsa gown or Cruella de Vil two-tone wig — tickets to the original Sunday brunch sold out incredibly quick.
Serving up fine cuts of beef for many years now, Footscray's Station Hotel continues to uphold its reputation as one of the finest steak venues anywhere in the city. Helmed by chef Fraser Stark, The Station Hotel is putting these expert skills to good use in the form of a weekly special. Head into the heritage pub on Tuesday nights to get the Station Burger with a glass of wine or beer for $20. With the expectations of the venue's name to uphold, the Station Burger delivers with a wagyu beef patty, bacon, caramelised onions and truffle mayonnaise, alongside a hefty serving of crispy fries. Had a burger for lunch and don't feel like a second (not that we'd judge)? Station Hotel's menu also features nine different steak options, all served with chips and salad. For something a little different to your normal pub fare, opt for the green onion risotto with taleggio, spiced spatchcock with colcannon mash or confit pork belly with eggplant puree. Whatever you've decided, you've almost made it halfway through the week — we say you deserve it. To make a booking, visit Station Hotel's website.
During those long, lazy days where Christmas melts slowly into the new year, eating tends to become a number one pastime. Slaving away in some kitchen and actually making the food...not so much. Thankfully, Bluebonnet Barbecue is here to save your sanity and fill your belly, offering a series of daily bottomless barbecue sessions, from December 27 to January 10. From its new home in Brunswick East, Chris Terlikar's signature low'n slow US-style barbecue fare will set the tone for some very festive post-Christmas feasting. For $65 (excluding drinks), diners can sit down to two hours of free-flowing barbecue goodness — think, tender ribs, slow-cooked brisket, house-made snags and classic sides, all delivered right there to the table. The feasts are available at both lunch and dinner, and if you time it right, you can match yours with some pretty cracking drink deals. Bluebonnet's dishing up two daily happy hours (3–6pm and 10pm until late), as well as an all-day version each Monday. And with ten craft beer taps, a fridge chock full of tinnies and a slew of interesting cocktails, the bar here makes for one very enticing summer hang-out. Bluebonnet's two hours of bottomless barbecue is available between 12–3pm and 5–9pm daily. It'll be closed January 1. Images: Kate Shanasy.
This summer, the National Gallery of Victoria is showcasing the works of William Wegman — a celebrated American photographer, visual artist and dog lover. William Wegman: Being Human, the artist's first major exhibition in Australia, features more than 100 works created throughout his productive 30-year career. In addition, the exhibition will also include 50 photographs that have never been seen by the public before. Wegman's work first emerged in the 1970s, with much of his career fixated on his favourite dogs and their offspring, relatives and companions — including his now famous dogs Man Ray and Fay Ray. With the dogs showing a great interest in performing in front of the camera (allegedly), Wegman developed somewhat of an obsession, seeing them as an interesting way to reflect the human condition. Through the dogs' poses and outfits, Wegman's work reflects various famous historical moments and pop culture references. While the wagging Weimaraners may have been the subject of William Wegman's most recognisable works, he was also a prolific painter, photojournalist and admirer of fashion and art history, all of which make appearances throughout the works on display. William Wegman: Being Human is free to attend, and runs until Sunday March 17, 2019 at the NGV International. Images: William Wegmen: Being Human 2018, NGV International. Photos by Carmen Zammit.
When is a brewery more than just a brewery? When it's a regular roller skating disco as well. Throughout 2018, Moon Dog Craft Brewery has transformed its Abbotsford ballroom into a skate arena on the first Sunday of every month, and this week it's hosting its last roller disco of the year. And it's set to be a blowout. Held in conjunction with Malt Shop Rollers, the Sunday Funday Roller Disco boasts everything you'd expect from a end-of-weekend session of rolling around a brewery. Expect beers, piña coladas, mirror balls brightening up the place, and DJs playing all afternoon. Unsurprisingly, costumes aren't only encouraged but required, whether you've got some lycra burning a hole in your wardrobe or you're getting on theme. BYO skates or hire some on the day. Kids are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult. This is the last time the roller disco will be held at Moon Dog, so be prepared to send it off with a bang.
What starts with Dragged Across Concrete, a Vince Vaughn and Mel Gibson-starring gritty crime flick from the director of Bone Tomahawk? And then ends with Lords of Chaos, a blood-splattered comedy-horror effort set in the Norwegian death metal scene? That'd be Monster Fest, Melbourne's annual genre film festival. It's bringing plenty of dark delights to Cinema Nova once again, this time across Thursday, November 22 to Sunday, November 25. While Monster Fest boasts a solid lineup of new movies, a few blasts from the past rank among the event's highlights — including glorious 4K restorations of John Carpenter's Escape from New York and The Fog. On the events front, if you love the Halloween filmmaker so much that you're definitely going to revisit his two iconic films, then you can also play a round of John Carpen-trivia. Elsewhere, you can step into Australian cinema history with Bad Boy Bubby, worship at the altar of Bruce Campbell with Evil Dead 2 or get nostalgic with The Monster Squad. If you're a fan of the latter, then documentary Wolfman's Got Nards will take you through the film's cult appeal. Lars von Trier's highly controversial The House That Jack Built will also hit Monster Fest's big screen, and so will a webcam-focused horror flick appropriately called Cam. And, in a brief stint over at the Lido, you can stay up all night for an unnerving movie marathon. That's what genre film fests are all about, right?
With the weather heating up and the days getting longer, there's no time like the present to relish that silly season fever and head outdoors to lap up the sunshine. Try as we may to plan regular beach excursions, sometimes leaving the city is tricky. But don't put your beach towel and sun hat away just yet — the Wharf Hotel has brought the sand to the city with its Yarra Beach Bar. The bar has taken over the lower wharf area of its prime riverside real estate, transforming it into a quintessential Victorian beach, complete with beach huts, sand, deck chairs and an ice cream cart. The three 'beach boxes' are available for bookings of between six and 36 people ($59 per person), making it the perfect spot for your next group hang, whether it be for a Christmas party and family gathering. Your Beach Box package comes with a choice of a seafood platter, which includes oysters, mini prawn cocktails and crab and lobster rolls, or the Wharf platter, with sliders, pulled pork tacos and loaded wedges. You'll also get a beer jug, Canadian Club cocktail jug or carafe of house wine to share between you and a mate, plus an ice cream from the cart. The Beach Bar will also play host to a top-notch New Year's Eve party, featuring DJs, summery sangria and four hours of drinks and food for $130 per person. The Yarra Beach Bar will be bringing the summertime vibes until Tuesday, January 29. To make a booking, visit The Wharf Hotel's website.
If the countless parties and festivities of Melbourne Music Week are staring to take their toll, this talk presented by Real Life could be the perfect cure. It's a free panel discussion about how sound and music can be used to improve wellbeing. The key speaker is music therapy expert Dr Emma O'Brien, who was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2017 for her work in the field. The panel concludes as you can imagine with some music healing — in the form of a 'sound bath' from gong practitioner Mona Ruijs. Even if a sound bath doesn't strike you as your sort of thing, it'll no doubt be a mindful way to end your week. Image: John Gollings/MPavilion.
Ladies to the front. These women are without doubt three of the most talked about independent artists right now — and you can see them all performing their new releases at this exclusive Melbourne Music Week gig for just $43. Even if you're not fans of these three artists (yet), if you're into boss singer-songwriters, acoustic guitar and lyrical storytelling, this is the gig to see this festival — these ladies will be selling out big rooms in no time. Plus, MMW is donating 5 percent of proceeds to charity in loving memory of Scott Hutchison (Frightened Rabbit).
Nazi. Zombies. Those two words alone were probably enough to secure the support of executive producer J.J. Abrams and have him green-light Overlord, the new horror/war flick by Australian director Julius Avery (Son of a Gun). Set on the eve of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, the film sees a small troupe of American soldiers parachute into France tasked with destroying a Nazi radar station, only for them to discover a series of sinister, zombie-crafting experiments taking place deep beneath the facility's walls. In terms of the premise, gamers will immediately recognise similarities to both the Wolfenstein and Call of Duty franchises (the latter literally had a title called WWII Nazi Zombies – The Darkest Shore). At times the film tracks so closely to these games both in style and story that you expect the Xbox logo to appear on screen instead of the Paramount one. To the film's credit, though, for every example of borrowed content or tired cliche, Overlord surprises you with nifty subversions of horror-genre tropes and delights in its consistent, sumptuous cinematography. Much of the film's success actually lies in its pacing, and it's a testament to screenwriters Billy Ray and Mark L. Smith that they're willing to be so patient with their eventual zombie reveal. Indeed, it's so long before the first encounter with the undead that the film's trailer borders on misleading and deceptive marketing. Just like the shark in Jaws, we see the monsters in Overlord only after we've seen clues to their existence and their horrific, destructive power. And when at last they do arrive, the wait is (mostly) justified. Immensely strong and grotesquely twisted with sharpened bones protruding through burnt or shredded flesh, the fiends look and feel appropriately terrifying. If there's a complaint to be made, it's that – once revealed – they're deployed far too sparingly. Intentional or not, it's the mortal Nazis and not their flesh-eating compatriots who feel the most sinister in Overlord, and since the peril in the zombie genre traditionally comes from their unstoppable swarm dimension, removing that dynamic feels like a significant misstep. Overlord's characters aren't much for groundbreaking, coming straight from the stock WWII movie playbook. On the Allied side there's wise-cracking Italian-American Tibbet (John Magaro), timid war photographer Chase (Iain De Caestecker), grizzled loner Ford (Wyatt Russell) and pure-of-heart rookie Boyce (Jovan Adepo). On the Axis side, we're given an unapologetically evil commander named Wafner (Pilou Asbaek) who, to his credit, goes all-out in the performance. Also in the mix is French actress Mathilde Ollivier as Chloe, a civilian from the nearby town who helps hide the Americans from the Nazis and whose work is probably the film's standout. Given the film spends so much time in the company of these characters, it's disappointing that it rarely evolves their personalities or digs into their back stories. Still, the performances are above average for a B-movie, and while the film sometimes feels as though it's being pulled between two very different genres, it still has enough going for it to be worth your time and your money. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USPd0vX2sdc
According to this year's star-studded chick flicks, real women want easy-to-use beauty products. They also want films where women state this obvious fact, apparently. First I Feel Pretty made that claim, and now Second Act does the same, because these things typically come in pairs. The similarities don't end there, with both movies championing the idea that it's what's inside that counts. Sadly, neither picture knows how to properly live up to that notion — and while Second Act has more heart than its near-insufferable predecessor, it also sports a vast gap between its good intentions and its muddled reality. Jennifer Lopez plays everywoman Maya, a Queens native with 15 years experience at a Costco-like discount department store, but lacking in professional confidence. She lacks a college degree as well, which precludes her from the big promotion she's been working towards. Maya's support network helps commiserate — and celebrate her birthday — but it's the teenage son (Dalton Harrod) of her best friend and co-worker Joan (Leah Remini) that makes a difference. Thanks to his computer wizardry, Maya suddenly has a fake online life complete with the credentials, backstory and social media profile to get a high-flying Manhattan job. And when she's swiftly headhunted by a prestigious cosmetics company, she goes along with it. Armed with street smarts and real-world experience, this fish-out-of-water is soon tasked with making an organic skincare line for her new employer — while pitted against cut-throat colleague Zoe (Vanessa Hudgens), who also happens to be the boss' (Treat Williams) daughter. Cue a quest to prove that Maya has what it takes, although she only has the chance to do so because she lied to conform. No amount of comic competition, well-meaning sentiment or lightly insightful commentary about class can lessen that divide, as the movie tells viewers to be themselves, but only after they've pretended to be someone else to get their foot in the door. Given that the organic skincare subplot involves calling out substandard products that falsely claim to fit the label, surely director Peter Segal (Grudge Match) and writers Justin Zackham (One Chance) and Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas (also one of Second Act's producers) should've noticed that their film suffers from the very same flaw. Perhaps the filmmakers were just distracted by (or trying to distract viewers with) Second Act's various moving parts. Splitting its time between Maya's professional and personal struggles, the movie explores why she gets frosty whenever her boyfriend (Milo Ventimiglia) mentions having children — and while to say more is to spoil Second Act's, well, second act, motherhood remains a prominent theme, as does Maya's attempts to balance her new and old lives. Set at the end of the year for no apparent reason, this is also a Christmas film. Thanks to the hijinks of Maya's devoted employees (Charlyne Yi and Alan Aisenberg), it's a broad workplace comedy as well. But, more than anything else, it's a case of throwing together every formulaic element possible and simply hoping that the combination works. What does work is Lopez, firmly in Maid in Manhattan mode and showing why she's often a warm presence even in lukewarm (at best) films. Most of Second Act feels contrived, misguided, forced and superficial, but that doesn't apply to the movie's star, or to Hudgens when she's given a bit more to do. Still, neither actor can completely overcome the material. Second Act's jumbled core never fades, which only reinforces its central message in an unintended fashion. What's inside this flick is bland, routine, and happy offering up feel-good statements in a slight and easy way. And as the movie keeps telling viewers, it's what's inside that truly matters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJKoJXIcdv0
American singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne, who put pensive folk back on the charts in a big way in 2004 when his single 'Trouble' hit number four on the US charts, is returning to Australia — after ten years of absence. His Just Passing Through tour will take him to Bluesfest in Byron Bay, then down the highway for gigs in Sydney and Melbourne. All shows are in acoustic format, with Ray performing in duo mode, alongside Wilco's legendary bassist John Stirratt. Expect new tunes and a selection of hits. Even though we haven't seen Mr LaMontagne for so long, he's been busy. His seventh album Part of the Light came out in May this year, and, back in 2010, God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise picked up a Grammy for Best Folk Album Of The Year. As you might've guessed, mad, long-tortured fans have already nabbed most tickets. But, thankfully, a second run of shows has been announced. If you've been cursing your luck, jump in quick. LaMontagne will play the Palais Theatre in Melbourne, on April 27 and 28. You can pick up tickets over here.
Every Wednesday between January 9 and February 13, the Astor will become the dreamiest place in Melbourne. Across a six-week period, the historic cinema is paying tribute to the entire filmography of Sofia Coppola — melancholic sisters, cake-eating monarchs and Los Angeles teens breaking into celebrity houses all included. It all kicks off exactly where the second-generation filmmaker's feature directorial career began, aka with The Virgin Suicides and its ethereal score by Air. From there, viewers will play tourist in Tokyo with the Oscar-winning Lost in Translation, head to 18th century France with Marie Antoinette, and laze around an LA hotel with Venice Golden Lion recipient Somewhere. The real-life tale of The Bling Ring and the civil war drama of The Beguiled also get a run, of course. Showcasing Coppola's films also means showcasing a fantastic array of performances — including Kirsten Dunst in three of Coppola's flicks, Bill Murray singing karaoke and befriending Scarlett Johansson, and everyone from Nicole Kidman to Colin Farrell proving a treat in the director's latest effort. Screenings kick off at 7.30pm each week, and tickets cost $14.
After throwing a series of after-hours pop-up shindigs in 2018, Melbourne Museum is partying until late once again — and for its first soiree of the new year, the venue is teaming up with the Midsumma Festival. Once again welcoming you into a venue that's usually only when daylight is blazing, Nocturnal x Midsumma will serve up a summery showcase of queer and pan-African culture. Expect talks, performances and plenty of music, all from 7pm on Friday, February 1. On the lineup are four diverse artists, including South African performer Nakhane, who's heading to Australia for the very first time. He's joined by Sydney-based vocalist Okenyo, who you might know from Elefant Traks, plus cabaret show The Cocoa Butter Club, which is all about people of colour and first peoples performers. And then there's Candy Bowers, who has curated an evening of spoken word poetry and storytelling — with seven folks on the bill, all responding to the museum's Mandela My Life exhibition. Attendees will also find pop-up bars ready to quench your thirst, and staff delivering chats and presentations throughout the building. Tickets range from $20 for members, $25 if you nab an early bird special and $35 otherwise.
The historical city of Ballarat is home to one of the most widely anticipated brewing festivals in Australia. And on Saturday, Janaury 19, it'll return for its fourth instalment, serving up a mind-boggling selection of Aussie craft beers and ciders. The Ballarat Beer Festival is set to showcase 43 makers in the picturesque new location of Ballarat's Northern Gardens. Expect to see offerings from old hands such as Little Creatures, Grand Ridge and Bright Brewery alongside newer ventures like the ever-growing Stomping Ground Brewery, and many others. But it's not just for hopheads — artisanal cideries including Flying Brick and Cheeky Rascal will also be popping up to pour a few, and wine lovers can look to the stalls of Taltarni, Blue Pyrenees Estate and The Mallow Hotel for some top-notch tipple. There'll also be a number of beer education events, beer trivia and beer-fuelled yoga sessions on offer. A food garden, hosted by brewing powerhouse Hawkers Beer, will take care of your appetite with a wide variety of food trucks and stalls available from Benny Burgers, GoGo Icecream, Opa Greek Food, East India Trading Company and more. Plus, live music and DJs will perform throughout the day, with such acts as nine-piece band Butterfunked, crooner Frank Sultana and blues artist PJ O'Brian. Located just 90 minutes from Melbourne CBD, you could easily make Ballarat Beer Festival a day trip — but then there's the awkward conversation of who'll be designated driver. Instead, use it as an excuse for a weekend jaunt, then check out our guide of other things to eat, see and do while you're there. Getting there early will also mean you can get a head start on the beer festivities with a special degustation on Friday, January 18. Held at Housey Housey, this dinner will feature two craft beer specialists taking guests through five beer and food pairings ($125 per person). General admission tickets for Ballarat Beer Festival cost $51.37, with discounts available for group bookings. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the website.
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
The NGV's first-ever showcase of Australian interior design, the Rigg Design Prize 2018 is a groundbreaking exhibition that highlights the artistry of 10 local designers shortlisted for the leading Australian design award. For the exhibition — and coinciding competition — each designer was invited to create a room exploring this year's theme of 'domestic living', with the rooms judged on their use of different materials, methods and design aesthetics. This year, the $30,000 prize has been awarded to Melbourne design firm Hecker Guthrie. Lead designers Paul Hecker and Hamish Guthrie designed a room entitled The table is the base, which features a table as the centrepiece and uses terracotta throughout. The award's international judge, Shashi Caan said it was the design's simplicity that won it the prize, saying, "this project inherently addresses our social need for smaller footprints for today's responsibly designed domestic space." It's now on show at the NGV, alongside rooms designed by nine of Australia's leading interior designers: Amber Road, Arent & Pyke, Danielle Brustman, David Hicks, Flack Studio, Martyn Thompson Studio, Richards Stanisich, Scott Weston Architecture Design and The Society Inc by Sibella Court. The Rigg Design Prize has celebrated the best of interior design since 1994, having undergone a revamp in 2015 when the prize was expanded to encompass the work of designers from outside Victoria. Images: The table is the base, 2018, Hecker Guthrie; Imaginarium, 2018, The Society Inc by Sibella Court; We've boundless plains to share, 2018, Flack Studio; Our natural needs in a digital world, 2018, Richards Stanisich; Panic room, 2018, David Hicks; Take it outside, 2018, Amber 2018; Inner-Terior, 2018, Danielle Brustman. All photos by Shannon McGrath.
If you're a fan of the new and exciting, especially when it comes to what's in your wine glass, prepare to scope out some very fresh talent, when Young Gun of Wine's Uncut showcase hits Melbourne next month. Roving between legendary laneway spots Kisumé, Supernormal and Bar Tini on Sunday, November 4, the event's set to shine a spotlight on the bright young things and rising stars of Australia's wine scene. It'll offer the chance to sample 50 wines from 25 buzz-worthy winemakers, as chosen by the expert Young Gun of Wine crew — a group that champions groundbreaking, emerging winemakers and acts as an incubator for the country's up-and-coming wine stars. Uncut will see you quaffing all sorts of interesting Aussie drops as you cruise between venues, with eats available at each stop. Tickets are $55, which includes all your tastings and a Riedel glass to keep for future wine appreciation sessions.
