Self-sufficiency is not simply an environmental goal but an all-consuming way of life for Spanish design company, Elii Studio. With their brilliant new invention — the Jane Fonda Kit House — these Mediterranean innovators have created an experimental home powered almost entirely through that most futuristic of technologies: human movement. The concept itself is startlingly simple. The house, which resembles something between a DIY greenhouse and an M.C. Escher design, is fitted with a number of low-tech exercise devices hooked up to some pretty high-tech generators. Every time you punch out some sit-ups, jump on the exercise bike or even water the plants, these generators convert your kinetic energy into energy that can be used to power your household appliances. Thus, the fitter you get get yourself, the more episodes of Game of Thrones you can watch. While JF-Kit may certainly isn't for everyone, if you're the kind of person who likes to put their fitness first and likes to keep energy expenses to a minimum, then this might just be future-you's perfect home. Via Inhabitat
It's Groundhog Day The Musical — and it's finally making its way to the Australian stages ten years after it was first announced. Back in 2014, Australian comedian, musician, actor and writer Tim Minchin (Upright) revealed that he was making a song-filled onstage version of the Bill Murray-starring classic comedy. Then, the end result premiered in London in 2016. Next came Broadway in 2017, with 2024 marking Australia's turn. Prepare for plenty of déjà vu in Melbourne from January. Feeling like you've been there and seen this comes with the territory with this production, of course, given that that's what the story is all about. Obviously, you've probably seen the film. In fact, you've likely done so more than once. Still, when Groundhog Day The Musical hits Princess Theatre from Wednesday, January 24–Sunday, April 21, 2024, this'll be Aussie theatregoers' first chance to catch the stage show on home soil. The tale remains the same, with Pittsburgh TV weatherman Phil Connors tasked with travelling to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to cover the annual Groundhog Day event — and none too happy about it, oozing cynicism as everyone else around him embraces the occasion. After a cantankerous day, he wakes up the next morning to find that everything is repeating again. And, that's how every day continues, no matter what he does or how he tries to tinker with the cycling routine. On the big screen (and on VHS and streaming queues since), the result proved hilarious, and also one of Murray's best-ever roles. For the stage iteration, Minchin teamed up with screenwriter Danny Rubin — who originally co-wrote Groundhog Day's movie script and won a BAFTA in the process — plus Minchin's Matilda The Musical director Matthew Warchus. Their theatre efforts earned Groundhog Day The Musical Tony Award nominations, as well Olivier Award wins for Best New Musical and Best Actor. Yes, Groundhog Day The Musical's Australian-premiere season runs across Groundhog Day itself, aka February 2. Yes, you can listen to Sonny and Cher's 'I Got You Babe' on repeat now to celebrate. And yes, like the musical version of Matilda, this'll likely return to the big screen at some point — but after the Melbourne season. Groundhog Day The Musical comes Down Under exclusive to the Victorian capital — and if you're wondering who'll step into Murray's (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) shoes, and Andie MacDowell's (Maid) as Phil's producer Rita Hanson, too, the cast for the show's Australian run hasn't yet been announced. "I have waited seven years for this moment! Groundhog Day The Musical, like Matilda The Musical, has a unique mixture of darkness and light, of head and heart, and of complexity and joy, and I've been convinced since its first iteration that Australians will love it!" said Minchin, announcing the Aussie premiere. "I'm so excited that the run is going to be in Melbourne, the city I lived in when I wrote my breakout comedy shows, and the place where — when things weren't going so well — I learned how important it is to find the beauty and hope in the day to day." "Following its celebrated run at London's Old Vic Theatre, where it broke all box office records, I couldn't be happier to be bringing Tim Minchin and Danny Rubin's musical masterpiece to the Princess Theatre in Melbourne (coincidentally, the very venue which was home to Matilda back in 2016)," added Warchus. "Groundhog Day The Musical, I know, will surprise many people. Perhaps the most joy-filled show I have ever directed, this magical tale of redemption somehow manages to be both a truly hilarious romantic comedy and a profoundly moving and inspiring message of hope. I love the original movie and I love this adaptation. It inspires us to be the best possible versions of ourselves, to break free of our repetitive gloom and to learn how to love life. All that plus a rodent who predicts the weather... what more could you ask for?" Check out the trailer for Groundhog Day The Musical below: Groundhog Day The Musical will premiere at Princess Theatre, 163 Spring Street, Melbourne from Wednesday, January 24–Sunday, April 21, 2024, with tickets on sale from 9am on Friday, October 6 — head to the production's website for further details and to join the ticket waitlist.
There's every chance you've forgotten what a dance floor even looks like but the folks at Untitled Group — the same minds behind Beyond the Valley, Pitch Music & Arts and Ability Fest — are here to get you reacquainted. They've just revealed a huge all-Aussie lineup for the 2021–22 edition of live music series For The Love, heading to Wollongong, Perth, Melbourne and the Gold Coast. Across three dates, festival staples including Dom Dolla, Crooked Colours and Mallrat will help Australia dust off the cobwebs and rediscover its groove. The local instalment in the party series is due to hit St Kilda's Catani Gardens on Saturday, March 5. The waterfront precinct will be transformed with live sounds from favourites like Running Touch and Allday, along with Telanova, Boo Seeka, George Maple and Ebony Boadu. Punters will also have the opportunity to kick back in style in one of For The Love's VIP lounges, presented by Aussie streetwear label Nana Judy. FOR THE LOVE 2022 LINEUP: Dom Dolla Crooked Colours Mallrat Allday Running Touch Boo Seeka George Maple Telenova Ebony Boadu
Dig out the Thai fisherman pants from the back of your closet, Woodford Folk Festival is back for another year. If you've never been, Woodford is the perfect place to disconnect from the daily grind, become one with nature (read: mud) and check out some of Australians best musicians with a chilled and festive vibe. This year's offering is no exception; the lineup has 'best summer ever' written all over it. Festival mainstays like The Cat Empire and Lior will be back once again. They will also be joined by an A-list crowd of Australian ladies like Kate Miller-Heidke, Bertie Blackman, and Mia Dyson. But the real crowdpleaser will come from The Violent Femmes. Who wouldn't want to listen to 'Blister in the Sun' while dancing in the wilderness in the height of summer? Bliss. Though The Violent Femmes may be a little past their prime, there will also be a bunch of up and coming musicians on stage. Husky and Hiatus Kaiyote will be representing Melbourne talent and The Cairos will be playing to what's basically a home crowd. With over 400 acts jammed into the full program, Woodford is all about discovering new sounds. As well as music, the festival covers visual arts, circus, comedy, vaudeville and dance. Set up camp, let your hair get knotty, and roam the makeshift tarpaulin towns of this super chilled festival. It's time to channel your inner hippy. WOODFORD FOLK FESTIVAL 2014 LINEUP: Archie Roach Bertie Blackman The Cairos The Cat Empire Christine Anu Darren Middleton (ex-Powderfinger) Del Barber The East Pointers Hiatus Kiayote Husky Jeff Lang Jenn Grant John Smith Kate Miller-Heidke Lau Led Kaapana Lior Matt Anderson Mia Dyson Nahko and Medicine for the People Shooglenifty Sticky Fingers Tiny Ruins The Topp Twins Violent Femmes We Two Thieves Woodford Folk Festival is on from December 27 - January 1. Tickets are on sale now.
Landlocked surfers of Melbourne, rejoice — Australia's first surf park has announced its reopening date. And, if you're looking to catch some waves, it's a whole lot closer to the city than Torquay or the Peninsula. After initially opening back in January this year, then closing in March due to COVID-19, Urbnsurf Melbourne will officially relaunch in Tullamarine, near the airport, just 16-kilometres north of the CBD, on Friday, June 19. The two-hectare space is powering up to 1000 waves per hour — day and night — with the waves coming from an 85-metre pier running down the centre of the lagoon. A series of pistons located on the pier push the water to the left, then to the right, to create the waves. Being ability to create waves means that the park is built for both pros who are looking for steep, barrelling waves and novices looking for a safe place to get their start in the surf. The waves are split into three sections: The Bays (beginner) with gentle rolling waves; The Point (intermediate) with 1-1.5 metre, mid-range turn waves; and The Point (advanced) with steep, long, barrelling waves up to two-metres-high with high-octane turns. At Urbnsurf, founder Andrew Ross predicts most novices will stand on their board within an hour and ride across the green face within two. And not only will you get guaranteed waves — you won't be fighting for them. The park usually holds a maximum of 24 riders in The Bays and 18 on each side of The Point; however, in line with Victoria's current COVID-19 requirements, it'll be limiting numbers to 18 per area. [caption id="attachment_756495" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Courtesy Urbnsurf and Stu Gibson[/caption] Urbnsurf will also be implementing other changes in response to the coronavirus — such as 1.5-metre social distancing between all surfers, including during surf sessions; keeping The Surf Academy closed, which means there'll be no surf lessons for the time being; and also shutting indoor showers and change rooms. The park will only allow surfing guests in, too, so you won't be able to just head by to watch. And, it'll be suspending sales on spectator passes as well. While the site's Surf Rental store and Lagoon Supply Co will reopen, they'll limit the number of people allowed inside at once, using the four-square-metre rule. Unsurprisingly, all hire surfboards and wetsuits will also be cleaned and sanitised between each use. Find Urbnsurf from Friday, June 19, near Melbourne Airport. It's open from 6am–10pm in summer and 9am–6pm in winter. You can't book in yet for surf sessions and surf lessons, but, if you're keen, keep an eye on the park's website. Images: Courtesy Urbnsurf, Ed Sloane and Stu Gibson.
If songs about wristies, murder and rape sheds don't strike your fancy, this isn't the show for you. I realise that's a strange way to start a review, but it's also entirely necessary to state. This low-budget re-make of the 2005 horror film, Wolf Creek, takes an axe to the throat of both British backpackers and political correctness in one fell swoop. Moral complexities aside, it's great to see something like this at the Comedy Festival. In a month of charity galas and international acts in neatly pressed suits, it's exciting to see young comedians that aren't afraid to build their props out of cardboard, don a blonde wig from the $2 shop and go after an Australian classic. It's a total pisstake (in the best way possible). Unsurprisingly, the story follows the basic gist of the original film. Doe-eyed tourists undertake hostile road trip through the outback, foreseeable trouble ensues. Though there are some alterations of course. The male backpacker is now a Greek aspiring wrist-model who can find kebabs in the middle of the desert; the cast is momentarily supplemented with small appearances by dreamtime animals; and there are numerous inclusions of clams due to the vested interests of the play's fictional financier (just go with it). Pushing both genre and character into the absolute absurd, the show offers up deadpan black humour with perfect timing and original writing that hits every mark. But, with risky humour like this, it's good to know you're not alone. So if you're feeling a little iffy about it, take solace in the fact the show has had hit runs in both the Adelaide and Melbourne Fringe Festivals. It even snagged Best Emerging Comedy at the former. To be on the safe side, take a friend with a similar sense of humour to your own and leave the parents at home. Written by comedian James McCann and RAW Comedy winner Demi Lardner, this is a show for those that appreciate the unconventional. It's like the best primary school play you've ever seen (assuming all the children involved had serious social and behavioural problems).
Even if you've never been, Healesville Sanctuary is probably your happy place — it's full of adorable fluffy creatures, protects some of our important native Australian species and is located in a very peaceful part of the world. In news to make your heart swell even more, the sanctuary is hosting its very first Hop Fest on the Melbourne Cup long weekend of November 3–6. The festival will celebrate the standout craft beers and ciders being brewed int the Yarra Valley, with local brewers pouring tastings of their best drops. The whole thing will take place amongst the native flora and fauna with live music happening throughout the weekend. Plus, you'll have the opportunity to meet some of the animals — like hip-clinging koalas — which will be out and about with their keepers. There'll be a menu of street food-style snacks like sticky ribs and pulled pork tacos to help keep you going throughout the day. And, if you've outbeered yourself, head to the Chandon bar where a new classic Champagne cocktail will be poured each day. The zoo opens at 9am and drinks will flow from 11am right through to 4pm. One-day tickets are going for $49, and include all your beer and cider tastings and unlimited pats of the sanctuary's cute creatures. All proceeds will go towards Zoos Victoria's efforts to save the nearly-extinct brush-tailed rock wallaby. Drinking for four days straight has never been for such a good cause.
Across its five seasons to date, Black Mirror has dedicated 22 episodes to imagining dystopian futures — and while it makes for compelling viewing, none of the sci-fi anthology series' predictions are particularly pretty. But, for all of its prognosticating, the Charlie Brooker-created show didn't foresee 2020's chaos. And now we've all endured this hectic year and are about to see it come to an end, the team behind Black Mirror has something to say about it. At some point soon — presumably before 2020 is out — Netflix will drop a new comedy special called Death to 2020, which is made by the Black Mirror crew. Exactly what's in store is being kept a surprise for now, but the show will obviously look back on the year. And, it'll have high-profile help in the form of Samuel L Jackson, Hugh Grant, Lisa Kudrow, Kumail Nanjiani, Tracey Ullman, Samson Kayo, Leslie Jones, Diane Morgan, Cristin Milioti and Joe Keery. Netflix has just revealed a teaser trailer for Death to 2020, although that doesn't provide any further info — other than confirming that the Black Mirror team couldn't have made up a year as bleak as this, and that they'll be satirising and savaging the year's developments. That said, Brooker has a history of looking back at events that have just passed, as Newswipe with Charlie Brooker and his end-of-year Wipe specials between 2010–16 have all demonstrated. Brooker and Netflix also love releasing new material over the holiday period with little pre-warning, with interactive Black Mirror special Bandersnatch dropping between Christmas and New Year's Eve back in 2018. So, you might be receiving an extra festive — and grimly funny — present this year. Check out the teaser trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxR9Zo36rbo&feature=emb_logo Death to 2020 looks set to hit Netflix sometime before 2020 is out — we'll update you with an exact release date when one is announced. Top image: Black Mirror.
It has been three months since Queensland closed its borders to Greater Sydney, making the Sunshine State off limits to residents of specific local government areas in the New South Wales capital. Over that period, the status of Queensland's borders has changed multiple times — as it has throughout much of 2020 — including shutting out all of NSW, then reopening to all of NSW except Greater Sydney. But, finally, Sydneysiders will be able to make the journey north from Tuesday, December 1. Today, Tuesday, November 24, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced that Queensland will reopen its border to all of NSW, including Sydney, from the first of next month — which is just seven days away. The Premier said Queensland's Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young was now "satisfied" that NSW was safe as it had reached more than 28 days of no unlinked community transmission. The state is also set to open its border to Victoria from December 1, as long as the southern state does not record a new case tomorrow. Victoria has had 25 consecutive days with zero new cases and has today hit the milestone of zero active COVID-19 cases for the first time since February. "I hope this is welcome news," the Queensland Premier said at the announcement. "I think it's great news in the lead-up to Christmas, but, once again, that timely reminder for everybody — we need to make sure that we continue to keep up our social distancing." https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1331015192155541507 This is also good news if you're a Queenslander now keen on a southern getaway, as you'll be able to head to Sydney or Melbourne (if all goes well in the next 24 hours) and not have to worry about quarantining on return. The Sunshine State will continue to keep its borders closed to 20 South Australian LGAs for the foreseeable future. Whichever way you're heading, though, you will still need a border pass. It isn't required to leave the state, but you'll need one to enter, regardless of whether you're a tourist or returning resident. To obtain a pass, you'll need to apply online, with each one valid for seven days. For more information about Queensland's border policies, head to the Queensland Government website.
Last summer, we scored a bright pink pool to wade through. A couple of years earlier, it was a sleek bamboo garden and deck, and before that, the very memorable pink carwash. And next up, for its 2022 iteration, the NGV's annual Architecture Commission is gifting us with something even grander — a reimagined version of Athens' famed Parthenon. Yep, the majestic ancient structure gracing the Acropolis is the inspiration behind this year's winning design, Temple of Boom, by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang. The work will make its home in the NGV's Grollo Equiset Garden from November, the latest piece in an annual series that invites Aussie architects to create site-specific architecture for the gallery's grounds. Announced today as the Commission's 2022 winner, Temple of Boom celebrates The Parthenon as a symbol of Western civilisation, democracy and enduring beauty. Unlike the Greece original, however, it's set to be decked out in overlapping large-scale artworks by local artists, inviting visitors to ponder how society ties different meanings to architecture and how these change over time. Tsang and Newman's replica will be big enough for people to wander through and gather in, doubling as a community meeting place for the duration of its stay. As with its predecessors, Temple of Boom will also host a summerlong program of performances, live music and other NGV-led events. Melbourne's mini Parthenon will grace the Grollo Esquiset Garden from November 16 and stick around until the end of summer. 'Temple of Boom' will be on display from November. For more details, see the NGV website. Images: Renders of 2022 NGV Architecture Commission 'Temple of Boom' 2022, by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang. Courtesy of Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang.
An annual celebration of queer performance and culture, there was a time Midsumma was one of the only opportunities for the city to quench its addiction to culture over the sleepy summer. Now hemmed in closely with SummerSalt and White Night, Midsumma offers up a heady mix of live performance, public events, talks and parties. This year's program is especially cabaret-heavy, but its eclectic mix of visual art, live music, and cutting-edge performance work keeps Midsumma’s summer festival crown firmly in place. Midsumma Carnival As always, the festival kicks off on January 18 with the free, open-air Carnival in Edinburgh Gardens, featuring sets from festival performers such as Abbar and Dolly Diamond. Other highlights include the annual Midsumma Dog Show and James Varnish singing 'Connect', a track taken from his V EP and recently chosen as Midsumma's 2015 anthem. There will also be well over 140 stallholders in the Festival Village. 2015 also sees the fifth instalment of Miss Gay and Miss Transsexual Australia; it's the best kind of pageant, one that not only rewards beauty but also the competitors' advocacy. January 18, Edinburgh Gardens, Free. Affluenza Since the age of fourteen, young man about Melbourne, Will Hannagan-McKinna, has racked up an impressive number of original projects and performances to his name. He’s snared a spot in New York’s prestigious New York Musical Theatre Festival for HouseWarming, co-created the web series Melbourne Black and even won an unlikely shout out from Julian Assange. His solo cabaret shows have been a series of completely distinct, freshly reinvented pieces, now his latest, Affluenza, sees Will trade in his innate Fitzroy hipsterhood for the role of a Disney-corrupted former pop star. "[It's] LiLo meets Miley, only gayer". His trailer alone — seamlessly inserting himself into a promo for Hannah Montana — makes Affluenza essential watching for Melbourne cabaret fans. January 22 - February 8, The Butterfly Club, $25 - $32. Black Faggot For those who missed Victor Rodger’s award-winning Black Faggot at last year’s Melbourne Fringe, Midsumma’s a welcome chance to catch the playwright/performer’s work before it goes on to continue its meteoric rise. Rodger wrote the show as a reply to the Destiny Church protests against New Zealand’s Civil Union Bill, in which thousands of members marched on parliament, led by conservative Bishop “We have had enough of liberal behaviour in this country” Tanaki. Since its Auckland premiere, the show has found acclaim across the world, most impressively at the Edinburgh Festival, with punters and critics alike being blown away by Rodger’s ability to combine manic, sketch-type comedy with poignant reflection. February 3 -7, Gasworks Arts Park, $22 - $32. Jumpers for Goalposts Tom Wells drew heavily on his own experience as a young gay man to write Jumpers for Goalposts. "A lot of plays about gay people are about people in a bar, being hedonistic, not being supportive of each other, and that's not what my experience of being gay is like, it just isn't," he said. "What you write is the play you want to see in the world." And, after the runaway success of its Melbourne premiere directed by Tom Healey late last year, the show — about Team Barely Athletic, who compete in a LGBTI football league in Hull – returns to Red Stitch for a season in Midsumma. Read our review of the 2014 production here. January 19 - 25, Red Stitch Actors Theatre, $25 - $30. Sissy Blvd Devotees of Australian lit mag The Lifted Brow will probably recognise the work of the four queer cartoonists on show in Sissy Blvd. Merv Heers, Sam Wallman, Lee Lai and Katie Parrish have all contributed work to the magazine, but together the exhibition makes for a diverse offering. Some of Sam Wallman’s work – like Ashtrayan Hishtry Thru Political Cartoons – reminds us of a really messed up Larry Gonick mashed with the calculated weirdness of Married to the Sea, while Lai’s work traverses transient and constructed notions of identity in portraiture. Together, the four artists make up some of the most interesting and original graphic storytellers kicking around the country. January 15 - March 15, The Substation, Free. Show Stopper It’s a big call, but Agent Cleave might just have the best hair of in Melbourne. Maybe it's just a bonus that he’s also one of the city’s most captivating drag performers. Besides his past appearances onstage in smash hits like Sisters Grimm’s Summertime in the Garden of Eden, Cleave’s certainly got the best bio of anyone in the Midsumma program: "The body of a panther and the eyes of a crocodile, with tears to match". Hopefully his solo cabaret Show Stopper at Howler lives up to this formidable reputation. January 21 – 23, Howler, $22. Bad Adam / PONY Theatre Works has a reputation for presenting some of the city’s edgiest queer theatre throughout the year, playing host to indie companies like Little Ones and Sisters Grimm. Now, to kick off the new year, they’re featuring a double bill of contemporary performances that interrogate narratives of male sexual experience. Bad Adam, by Dosh Luckwell, is a meditation on the sticky intricacies and complications of gay pleasure, attraction and cruising, while Jay Robinson’s PONY is a contemporary dance work that draws on a transformation from pony into stallion as he navigates the fraught landscape of trying to construct a male, sexual identity growing up in Australia. Febuary 4 - 7, Theatre Works, $18 - $22. Edi Donald and the Transients While Midsumma certainly has enough cabaret to spare, there’s not a great amount of live music on offer. Edi Donald and the Transients come as welcome relief to those who might prefer a little less schmaltz and a little more sincerity. This six-piece band hailing from Alice Springs give us epic, genre-splicing songs which conjure up a vision of Australia’s desert heart that enfolds questions of gender, privilege, and identity within Donald’s searing voice and reflected audio-visual projections. January 29 - 31, Footscray Community Arts Centre, $15 - $20. The Jacobeans Hannah Malarski and Jack Richardson make up Bagabus Inc, a partnership that’s borne “supple fruit”, including shows like Bushpig, a 2014 hit across Australian fringe festivals in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne, and their genre-busting monthly sketch show podcast, Faces for Radio. The pair’s latest live show The Jacobeans aims for a satirical romp through time, one that throws up their signature blend of humour and surrealism in stark juxtaposition. January 22 – February 7, Club Voltaire, $15 - $20. Finucane & Smith's Caravan Burlesque... Wilder West! Finucane & Smith have single-handedly redefined burlesque in Melbourne and across the world, elevating the form to a place that occupies the perfect mix of populist entertainment and political edge. Since its premiere in 2005 their Burlesque Hour has been seen by nearly 50,000 punters, selling out shows across Australia, and their work has traversed right around the globe, from Tokyo to Sao Paulo. …Wilder West is the latest title to add to the company’s impressive repertoire. Febuary 5 – 14, The Substation, $25 – $57.
It's Keanu Reeves' world and we're all just living in it. When he played Neo in The Matrix back in 1999, that was basically the narrative (because yes, Keanu is and always will be the one). But what would happen if his famous sci-fi franchise character was 20 years older, sported Keanu's John Wick-era look, and couldn't remember anything about blue and red pills, bending spoons, bullet time and living in a simulated reality in a dystopian future where artificially intelligent machines harvest human bodies for power? The answer to that question is coming to the big screen, and soon, all thanks to The Matrix Resurrections. The fourth live-action film in the series that started 22 years ago, already spawned sequels The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions in 2003, and also includes excellent animated anthology The Animatrix, this 18-years-later follow-up dives back down the rabbit hole as Neo once again grapples with the Matrix and everything it means for humanity. And, as seen in the long-awaited, just-dropped first trailer for the new movie — which comes after a teaser site, www.whatisthematrix.com, popped up earlier in the week — he needs to show off some martial arts moves in a familiar-looking dojo again first. In the years since audiences have last seen The Matrix saga's trenchcoat-loving protagonist, it seems that Neo has been living his life as Thomas Anderson once more — and he's forgotten all about his time with Morpheus and co, so much so that he doesn't even recognise Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Jones) when they cross paths. He does chat to his therapist (Neil Patrick Harris, It's a Sin), however. And, he gets to hear a very telling line from another advice-spouting character (played by Mindhunter's Jonathan Groff): "after all these years, to be going back to where it all started... back to the Matrix." As newcomers to the franchise, Harris and Groff are joined by a lengthy list of other recognisable faces making their Matrix debuts, including Jessica Henwick (On the Rocks), Priyanka Chopra Jonas (The White Tiger), Christina Ricci (Percy vs Goliath) and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Candyman). And, while Jada Pinkett Smith (Girls Trip) sits alongside Reeves and Moss in the returning camp, one big name from the original flicks is noticeably missing — but the trailer does indeed have an answer to that. Crucially, filmmaker Lana Wachowski also returns as The Matrix Resurrections' director and co-screenwriter, albeit without sibling Lilly — who co-helmed the first three live-action films. Just as importantly, the first sneak peek at the new flick looks as moody and brooding — and as filled with spectacular action scenes — as its predecessors. It comes jam-packed with nods to the other movies, too. So, knock knock, The Matrix fans, because it's time to jump back in (well, it will be on January 1, 2022, when the film is scheduled to hit Australian cinemas). (And, because it really is Keanu's world, we're getting John Wick: Chapter 4 in 2022 as well — so that's double the chances to see Keanu return to his best franchises in one year.) Check out the trailer for The Matrix Resurrections below: The Matrix Resurrections opens in Australian cinemas on January 1, 2022.
As summer draws nearer we all feel that urge to GTFO of the city, and when the weather heats up sometimes all we want to do is eat oysters on the Great Ocean Road or blast out summery tunes on the way to a three-day music festival. The list of cool, boutique festivals seems to get longer and more varied, so we've picked out seven regional festivals that we think are worth the drive not only for the main event, but also for the cute country towns and rolling vineyards they inhabit — from grape harvests in the Granite Belt of Queensland to family-friendly music festivals in country New South Wales. Before you head out on a long drive, make sure you're doing it in comfort. MG's new limited-edition MG3S hatchback has ample luggage space (perfect for three-day camping festivals), rear camera and parking sensors (to help you nab that last parking spot) and an AppleCarPlay system (for that podcast binge). Start planning your journey to these seven events below.
If her previous work is anything to go by, then Polly Borland’s Wonky should be a pretty outrageous exhibition. For an artist not many Melbournians would be familiar with, Borland has smashed the international stage with her portraits of famous faces such as Cate Blanchett, Nick Cave, Germaine Greer and Queen Liz II, not to mention that series where she photographed a bunch of dudes dressed as babies. Born in Melbourne but living overseas, the undeniably eccentric Borland often focuses on the psychology of her subjects and the artificiality of the world that exists around them. She’s a big fan of kitsch and it’s an aesthetic that continues to pop up in her work. In this exhibition at the Centre for Contemporary Photography, Borland explores different modes and mediums of her practice. She even combines her documentary photography styles with objects found from closed mental health institutions across Victoria. If we’re lucky Nick Cave will be hidden somewhere amongst the rubble... in a blue wig.
Three hours west of Melbourne, the Grampians is one of the country's finest cool-climate wine regions. But rather than leaping in the car to get a taste, it's possible to take a much shorter trip to Bobbie Peels in North Melbourne to sample a glass, thanks to the pub's latest event — Grampians in a Glass. Held across three Wednesday evenings in August from 5–8pm, this fresh take on a traditional wine tasting features interactive cellar door experiences, new releases, exclusive back vintages and premium drops. Plus, the makers themselves will be in the house to answer all your questions. Delving into the lineup, Wednesday, August 6, features wines from Miners Ridge Wines, Best's Wines and SubRosa. The following week, Black & Ginger, Seppelt Wines, Clayfield Wines and Mount Langi Ghiran showcase their wares for your drinking pleasure. Finally, Grampians in a Glass rounds out on Wednesday, August 27, with top-quality vino from Pomonal Estate, Grampians Estate and Mountainside Wines. Spanning household names and family-run favourites, expect non-stop sips complemented by delicious grazing platters. General admission tickets are $35.
We can't all live in a world where a newspaper columnist pens one article about her love life a week, gets paid enough to wear Manolo Blahniks and spends most of her time drinking cocktails with her best mates — and coming up with amorous fodder for her next pithy essay. But, thanks to 1998–2004 series Sex and the City, we can all watch that fictional world, which is actually partly based on the experiences and New York Observer columns of writer Candace Bushnell. As everyone with even the slightest pop culture knowledge already knows, Sarah Jessica Parker plays fashion-loving writer Carrie Bradshaw, who has given plenty of viewers a sizeable case of wardrobe envy over the years. She's joined by Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis, in a series that pushed the boundaries when it came to both sex and friendship. Just ignore the 2008 and 2010 movies
Some Pixar movies bring childhood obsessions to big screen, as seen in the Toy Story and Cars films. If you loved monsters as a kid, the Monsters, Inc flicks definitely also count. Other features made by the beloved animation studio explore exactly what it feels like to be a child — as seen in the wonderful Inside Out, of course, and now in the company's upcoming release Turning Red. Marking the first feature from writer/director Domee Shi, who won an Oscar for her delightful 2018 short Bao, Turning Red takes its moniker literally. Many Pixar flicks do (see also: Finding Nemo, Up, Brave and Onward, for instance). Here, 13-year-old Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang, also making her movie debut) is an ordinary teen who gets embarrassed by her mum Ming (Sandra Oh, The Chair) fairly often, and can find adolescent life a bit overwhelming. So far, so relatable — but when she's overexcited by all of the above, Mei Lee also happens to turn into a fluffy red panda. If you're thinking about the Hulk but red, female, younger and more adorable, that's the kind of vibe that the trailer gives. Disney does own both Pixar and Marvel, so that isn't a big leap. Just how Mei Lee copes with those sudden transformations is exactly what the flick will cover, obviously — and while the film was originally destined for cinemas, viewers will now be able to see the end result via Disney+ instead. The Mouse House has just revealed that Turning Red will take the same route as the past two Pixar releases, Soul and Luca, and head straight to its streaming platform. So, you'll be sitting on your couch to grab another dose of heartwarming animated cuteness, with the film due to drop on Friday, March 11. Check out the trailer below: Turning Red will be available to stream via Disney+ on Friday, March 11. Top image: © 2022 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
If TV is your way to escape the nine-to-five grind, or one of them, then the best of the best of 2022's small-screen newcomers thoroughly understands. All five of the year's absolute top fresh arrivals contemplated work in some way. Some showed its nightmarish side, while others delved into life and work as a performance — and you spent some time spending at your streaming queue over the past 12 months, you eagerly clocked in for office hell, hospitality tension, film industry chaos, law-and-order disorder and approaching existence as something that can be rehearsed. Chills, thrills, laughs, horror, jaw-in-the-floor moments: that's just part of what television delivered in 2022. Porn for women, pirates, dinosaurs, murder-mysteries, rom-coms, chaotic holidays, the best Star Wars story yet: they're all on the list as well. Whatever your preferred genre or topic, it's likely there was an ace new TV show about it this year, keeping you glued to your couch. 'Tis the season to reflect upon, revel in and revisit the year's new small-screen gems — and maybe even throw a waffle party or tuck into a beef sandwich in celebration. We've spent the year watching and rounding up TV highlights — including initially naming our favourites midyear — but these 15 newcomers are 2022's must-sees from its new must-sees. And, your catch-up list over summer. SEVERANCE It's the ultimate in work-life balance, an antidote to non-stop after-hours emails and Slack messages, and a guaranteed way to ensure what happens at work stays at work. In mind-bending thriller series Severance — which plays like Black Mirror meets the Charlie Kaufman-penned Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, with Wes Anderson's aesthetic if he designed soulless office complexes, plus sprinklings of everything from George Orwell to also-excellent 2020 TV effort Devs — switching off when clocking off at Lumon Industries is easy. There's a brain implant for exactly that, and it's a condition of employment on "severed" floors. Accordingly, when quittin' time comes for Macrodata Refinement division employee Mark (Adam Scott, Big Little Lies), he physically steps into a tiny, shiny elevator to re-enter his after-hours life; however, the version of him that works for Lumon won't recall anything beyond the company's walls. The instant that the lift starts moving, it goes back to the office for Mark's "innie", as his work-bound consciousness is dubbed. Voila, it's clocking-on time once more. Severance's attention-grabbing premise springs from creator Dan Erickson, a TV first-timer, and understands how most folks feel about the nine-to-five grind. The show is knowing in its lead casting, too, given that Scott is best recognised for two workplace comedies: the joyous hug that is Parks and Recreation, as well as the acerbic, astute and soon-to-return Party Down. But as savvily and evocatively directed by Ben Stiller in its first three season-one episodes (and again in its last three, with Kissing Candice filmmaker Aoife McArdle helming three in the middle), Scott's new series dwells in 'be careful what you wish for' territory. For the part of Mark's brain that blanks out work, Severance initially seems like heaven. For the half that only knows the office, it's hell. For everyone watching, soaking in its twisty mysteries — and enjoying Patricia Arquette (The Act), Christopher Walken (Percy vs Goliath) and John Turturro (The Plot Against America) as fellow Lumon employees — it's a surreal and riveting must-see. Severance streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. THE BEAR First, an important piece of advice: eating either before or while watching The Bear is highly recommended, and near close to essential. Now, two more crucial slices of wisdom: prepare to feel stressed throughout every second of this riveting, always-tense, and exceptionally written and acted culinary series, and also to want to tuck into The Original Beef of Chicagoland's famous sandwiches immediately. The eatery is purely fictional, but its signature dish looks phenomenal. Most of what's cooked up in Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto's (Jeremy Allen White, Shameless) kitchen does. But he has taken over the family business following his brother's suicide, arriving back home after wowing the world in fine dining's top restaurants, and nothing is easy. Well, coveting The Bear's edible wares is across the show's eight-episode first season — but making them, keeping the shop afloat, coping with grief and ensuring that the diner's staff work harmoniously is a pressure cooker of chaos. That anxious mood is inescapable from the outset; the best way to start any meal is just to bite right in, and The Bear's creator Christopher Storer (who also directs five episodes, and has Ramy, Dickinson and Bo Burnham: Make Happy on his resume) takes the same approach. He also throws all of his ingredients together with precision — the balance of drama and comedy, the relentlessness that marks every second in The Original Beef's kitchen, and the non-stop mouthing off by Richie, aka Cousin, aka Carmy's brother's best friend (Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Dropout), all included. Carmy has bills to pay, debts to settle, eerie dreams and sleepwalking episodes to navigate, new sous chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri, Dickinson) mixing up the place and long-standing employees (such as Hap and Leonard's Lionel Boyce, In Treatment's Liza Colón-Zayas and Fargo's Edwin Lee Gibson) to keep happy. Every glimpse at the resulting hustle and bustle is as gripping as it is appetising — and yes, binging is inevitable. The Bear streams via Disney+. Read our full review. IRMA VEP A cinephile's dream of a series, Irma Vep requires some unpacking. The term 'layered' has rarely ever applied to a TV program quite as it does here. French filmmaker Olivier Assayas (Clouds of Sils Maria, Personal Shopper) retraces his own footsteps, turning his cult-favourite 1996 movie of the same name into an Alicia Vikander-starring HBO miniseries. And, in this series itself, a director is also remaking one of his own past flicks as a television project. In all versions of Irma Vep, the movies and shows being made are also remakes of 1915–16 French crime effort Les Vampires. It was a ten-episode, seven-hour cinema serial, and it's supremely real. Indeed, by first helming a feature about remaking Les Vampires, and now a series about remaking a movie that remakes Les Vampires (which, IRL, is also a remake of a movie that remakes Les Vampires), Assayas keeps remaking Les Vampires in his own way. It all sounds exactly as complicated as it is — and Assayas loves it. Viewers should, too. The nested dolls that are Irma Vep's meta setup just keep stacking, actually. The 1996 Irma Vep starred Maggie Cheung, who'd later become Assayas' wife, then ex-wife — and the 2022 Irma Vep haunts its on-screen filmmaker René Vidal (Vincent Macaigne, Non-Fiction) with visions of his ex-wife Jade Lee (Vivian Wu, Dead Pigs), who, yes, led his movie. If you're a fan of word puzzles, you might've also noticed that Irma Vep is an anagram of vampire; that said, Les Vampires isn't actually about bloodsuckers, and nor is any iteration of Irma Vep. To add to the list, while Cheung played a version of herself, Vikander (Blue Bayou, The Green Knight) plays fictional American star Mira — a name that's an anagram of Irma. You can also take that moniker literally, because mirroring is patently a pivotal aspect of the brilliant Irma Vep in every guise. Irma Vep streams via Binge. Read our full review. WE OWN THIS CITY For the past 20 years, we've all fallen into two categories: people who've seen, loved and haven't been able to stop raving about HBO's Baltimore-set masterpiece The Wire; and folks who don't tick any of those boxes but have been told by everyone who does that they really need to watch it ASAP. We Own This City deserves to spark the same response — and shares many of its predecessor's key pieces. It too takes place in Maryland's most populous city. It also follows a law-and-order battle, complete with time spent within the Baltimore Police Department. It springs from former Baltimore Sun police reporter-turned-author, journalist and TV writer/producer David Simon as well, and sees him reteam with writer George Pelecanos, a veteran of not only The Wire but also Simon's Treme and The Deuce. Oh, and as it tells a compulsive crime tale, it's packed with phenomenal performances. One of those astonishing portrayals is among the first thing that viewers see, in fact, with We Own This City opening with Sergeant Wayne Jenkins lecturing new recruits on the BPD Gun Trace Task Force. Chatting through how to legally do the job — how to get away with what he deems necessary, that is — Jon Bernthal (The Many Saints of Newark) is hypnotically unsettling as Jenkins, who'll become the focus of a corruption investigation for his methods. He isn't the only "prime example of what's gone wrong in Baltimore," as viewers are told. So is Daniel Hersl (Josh Charles, The Loudest Voice), who is initially glimpsed pulling over and terrorising a Black driver for no other reason than that he can. Department of Justice Civil Rights Department attorney Nicole Steele (Wunmi Mosaku, Lovecraft Country) is among those tracking the force's bad eggs, and that's just one of this complex, revealing and arresting six-part miniseries' layers. And if it feels so detailed that it could only be true, that's because it's based on a non-fiction book by Justin Fenton another ex-Baltimore Sun reporter. We Own This City streams via Binge. THE REHEARSAL Early in the first episode of The Rehearsal, Nathan Fielder meets Kor Skeete, a Jeopardy!-watching, trivia-loving New Yorker with a problem that he's seeking help with. Skeete has been lying to his bar trivia team about his educational history, claiming that he has a master's degree instead of a bachelor's degree, and he's hoping for assistance in coming clean. His biggest worry: how his pal Tricia might react, and if it'll end their friendship. First, however, in their initial meeting in Skeete's apartment, Fielder asks Skeete if he's ever seen any of Fielder's past work. Skeete says no, despite claiming a particular interest in television as his favourite trivia subject — and his response to what Fielder explains next will likely mirror anyone watching who comes to this with the same fresh eyes. Until now, Fielder was best known for Nathan for You, in which he helped companies and people by using his business school studies. Fielder played a version of himself, and the result is best described as a reality comedy. It's the kind of thing that has to be seen to be truly believed and understood, and it's both genius and absurd. In The Rehearsal, Fielder is back as himself. He also wants to use his skills to help others again. His tactic this time is right there in the name, letting his subjects rehearse their big moments — baring all to a friend in that first episode, and exploring parenthood in the second, for instance. The show's crew even build elaborate sets, recreating the spots where these pivotal incidents will take place, such as the bar where Skeete will meet Tricia. Fielder hires actors to assist, too. And, adding yet another layer, Fielder also steps through the same process himself, rehearsing his first encounter with Skeete, with thanks to an actor, before they cross paths. If you've ever thought that life was a big performance, and that every single thing about interacting with others — and even just being yourself — involves playing a role, you'll find much to think about in this fascinating, funny, often unsettling, quickly addictive series. There's reality TV and then there's the way that the deadpan Fielder plays with and probes reality, and while both can induce cringing, nothing compares to this. The Rehearsal streams via Binge. Read our full review. ANDOR When it arrived in 2016 between Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens and Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi, Rogue One: A Star Wars sent a message in its own spy-slash-heist flick way: it wouldn't be slavishly beholden to the Star Wars franchise's established and beloved universe. It felt earthier and murkier, more urgent and complicated, and far more steeped in everyday reality — within its science-fiction confines, of course — and more concerned with the here and now of its specific narrative than the bigger saga picture. It was certainly and unshakeably bleaker, and felt like a departure from the usual template, as well as a welcome risk. The same proves true of impressive streaming prequel Andor, which slips into its namesake's routine five years prior. The Galactic Empire reigns supreme, the Rebel Alliance is still forming and, when the series opens, Cassian (the returning Diego Luna, If Beale Street Could Talk) is a wily thief living on the junkyard planet of Ferrix. A Blade Runner-esque sheen hovers over a different place, however: the industrial-heavy, corporate-controlled Morlana One, which couldn't be further under the boot of the Empire if it tried. As Monos-style flashbacks to Cassian's childhood aid in fleshing out, he's searching for his sister, but his latest investigatory trip results in a confrontation and the Preox-Morlana Authority on his trail. Back on Ferrix, he endeavours to hide with the help of his friend/presumed ex/mechanic/black-market dealer Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona, Morbius) and droid B2EMO (Dave Chapman, Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker), while keeping his latest antics a secret from his adoptive mother Maarva (Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve). But, even after being told to drop the case, persistent Imperial Deputy Inspector Syril Karn (Kyle Soller, Poldark) and higher-ranking officer Dedra Meero (Denise Gough, Under the Banner of Heaven) aren't willing to give up. Andor streams via Disney+. Read our full review. BAD SISTERS Bad Sisters begins on the day of an Irish funeral, farewelling John Paul Williams (Claes Bang, The Northman) — after his widow, Grace (Anne-Marie Duff, Sex Education), makes sure that the corpse's erection won't be noticed first. He's long been nicknamed 'The Prick' anyway, with his four sisters-in-law all thoroughly unimpressed about the toxic way he treated his wife. In flashbacks, they joke about saving her by getting murderous, and exactly why is made plain as well. Bonded by more than blood after their parents died, the Garvey girls are used to sticking together, with the eldest, Eva (Sharon Horgan, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent), stepping in as the maternal influence over Grace, Ursula (Eva Birthistle, The Last Kingdom), Bibi (Sarah Greene, Normal People) and Becka (Eve Hewson, Behind Her Eyes). She's fierce about it, too, as characters played by the Catastrophe and This Way Up star tend to be. When a guest offers condolences at John Paul's wake, Eva's response is "I'm just glad the suffering's over" — and when she's then asked if he was ill, she replies with a blunt and loaded "no". If this scenario sounds familiar, that's because Belgian TV's Clan got there first back in 2012, which means that Bad Sisters joins the ever-growing list of series that largely exist to make the leap into English. That isn't a criticism of the end result here, though, which proves itself a winner early. Also part of both shows: two insurance agents, aka half-brothers Thomas (Brian Gleeson, Death of a Ladies' Man) and Matthew Claffin (Daryl McCormack, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande) here. Their family-run outfit is meant to pay out on John Paul's life insurance policy, but it's a hefty amount of cash and will bankrupt the firm, which is why Thomas starts asking questions. It seems an obvious setup, but this is a series with both bite and warmth. Brought to the screen by Horgan, Bad Sisters finds both the pitch-black comedy and the drama in its whole 'offing your arsehole brother-in-law' premise, and the tension and banter as well — and the sense of sorority between its quintet of main ladies, too. Bad Sisters streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. MINX When home video, the internet and mobile phones with inbuilt cameras each arrived, six words could've been uttered: get ready to look at dicks. HBO comedy Minx is set the early 70s, so before all three, but the same phrase also applies here. It's true of the show itself, which isn't shy about displaying the male member in various shapes and sizes. It also stands tall in the world that Minx depicts. When you're making the first porn magazine for women — and, when you're making an ambitious, entertaining and impeccably cast The Deuce meets Mrs America-style series about it, but lighter, sweeter and funnier (and all purely fictional) — penises are inescapable. Also impossible to avoid in Minx: questions like "are erections consistent with our philosophy?", as asked by Vassar graduate and country club regular Joyce Prigger (Ophelia Lovibond, Trying). Idolising the magazine industry and unhappily working for the dispiritingly traditional Teen Queen, she has long dreamed of starting her own feminist publication — even penning a bundle of articles and making her own issues — but centrefolds splashed with male genitalia don't fit her ideal pitch. No one's buying what Joyce is selling, though; The Matriarchy Awakens, her dream mag, gets rejected repeatedly by the industry's gatekeepers. Only one is interested: Bottom Dollar Publications' Doug Renetti (Jake Johnson, Ride the Eagle), but he's in the pornography business. Minx streams via Stan. Read our full review. FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE The title doesn't lie: when Fleishman Is in Trouble begins, its namesake is indeed struggling. He's also perfectly cast. If you're going to get an actor to play an anxious, unravelling, recently divorced man in his forties who's trying to navigate the new status quo of sharing custody of his kids, having a high-powered ex, and being initiated into the world of dating apps and casual hookups, it's Jesse Eisenberg. If his Zombieland character lived happily ever after until he didn't, or his Vivarium character was trapped into a different type of domestic maze, this book-to-screen series would be the end result. Fleishman Is in Trouble has Eisenberg play Toby, a well-regarded hepatologist who is passionate about being able to help people through medicine, but has spent more than a decade being made to feel inferior by Upper East Siders because his job hasn't made him rich enough. His theatre talent agent wife — now former — Rachel (Claire Danes, The Essex Serpent) had the exact same attitude, too, until she dropped their kids off at his place in the middle of the night, said she was going to a yoga retreat and stopped answering his calls. Written to sound like a profile — something that journalist, author and screenwriter Taffy Brodesser-Akner knows well, and has the awards to prove it — Fleishman Is in Trouble chronicles Toby's present woes while reflecting upon his past. It's a messy and relatable story, regardless of whether you've ever suddenly become a full-time single dad working a high-stakes job you're devoted to in a cashed-up world you resent. As narrated by the ever-shrewd Lizzy Caplan (Truth Be Told) as Toby's old college pal-turned-writer and now stay-at-home-mum Libby, Fleishman Is in Trouble dives into the minutiae that makes Toby's new existence such a swirling sea of uncertainty. At the same time, while being so specific about his situation and troubles, it also ensures that all that detail paints a universal portrait of discovering that more of your time is gone, your hopes faded and your future receded, than you'd realised. Everything from class inequality and constant social hustling to the roles women are forced to play around men earns the show's attention in the process, as layered through a show that's both meticulously cast and evocatively shot. Fleishman is indeed in trouble, but this miniseries isn't. Fleishman Is in Trouble streams via Disney+. THE ENGLISH It tells of gold rushes, of brave and dusty new worlds, and of yellow frontiers stretching out beneath shimmering and inky blue skies; however, the true colour of the western is and always will be red. This isn't a genre for the faint-hearted, because it's a genre that spins stories about power and its brutal costs — power over the land and its Indigenous inhabitants; power-fuelled in-fighting among competing colonialists; and power exercised with zero regard for life, or typically for anyone who isn't white and male. It's a rich and resonant touch, then, to repeatedly dress Emily Blunt (Jungle Cruise) in crimson, pink and shades in-between in The English, 2022's best new TV western. She plays one instance of the show's namesakes, because the impact of the British spans far beyond just one person in this series — and the quest for revenge she's on in America's Old West is deeply tinted by bloodshed. In her first ongoing television role since 2005, in a stunning and powerful series from its performances and story through to its spirit and cinematography, Blunt dons such eye-catching hues as Lady Cornelia Locke. With a mountain of baggage and cash in tow, she has just reached Kansas when The English begins, seeking vengeance against the man responsible for her son's death. But word of her aims precedes her to this remote outpost's racist hotelier (Ciarán Hinds, Belfast) and, with stagecoach driver (Toby Jones, The Wonder), he has own mission. That the aristocratic Englishwoman arrives to find her host torturing Pawnee cavalry scout Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer, Blindspot) is telling: the plan is to blame her end on him. Before the first of this miniseries' episodes ends, however, Cornelia and Eli have rescued each other, notched up a body count and started a journey together that sees them each endeavouring to find peace in a hostile place in their own ways — and started their way through one helluva show. The English streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. THE RESORT If the last couple of years in pop culture are to be believed, it mightn't be a great idea to go away with a character played by Cristin Milioti. In three of the always-excellent actor's most recent high-profile roles, she has decamped to idyllic surroundings, only to find anything but bliss awaiting. Palm Springs threw a Groundhog Day-style time loop her way in its titular setting. Made for Love saw her trapped by sinister futuristic possibilities. In The Resort, which hails from Palm Springs screenwriter Andy Siara, she now has the ten-year itch — and a getaway to Mexico that's meant to soothe it slides swiftly into a wild mystery. In this instantly twisty comedy-thriller Miloti plays Emma, spouse to William Jackson Harper's (The Good Place) Noah. After a decade of marriage, they're celebrating at the Bahía del Paraíso in the Yucatán, but they're really trying to reignite their spark. At this stage in their relationship, he recoils at her bad breath, she makes fun of him falling asleep on the couch, and they're rarely in sync; even when they're floating along the resort's lazy river, cocktails in hand, they want different things. Bringing them together: a missing-persons case from 15 years ago, after Emma goes tumbling off a quad-biking trail, bumps her head and spies an old mobile phone. It belongs to Sam (Skyler Gisondo, Licorice Pizza), a guest at the nearby but now-shuttered Oceana Vista Resort, who was on holidays over Christmas 1997 with his parents (IRL couple Dylan Baker, Hunters, and Becky Ann Baker, Big Little Lies), as well as his girlfriend Hannah (Debby Ryan, Insatiable). As Emma learns via Sam's photos and text messages, all wasn't rosy in his romantic life. After running into fellow guest Violet (Nina Bloomgarden, Good Girl Jane), who was travelling with her dad Murray (Nick Offerman, Pam & Tommy), his SMS history skews in her direction. But the pair promptly disappeared, and any potential clues were lost when a hurricane struck and destroyed their getaway spot. If The White Lotus joined forces with Only Murders in the Building, it'd look a whole lot like this entertaining series, which also includes an ace performance by Luis Gerardo Méndez (Narcos: Mexico) as Baltasar, Oceana Vista Resort's head of security. The Resort streams via Stan. Read our full review. OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH In the on-screen sea that is the never-ending list of films and television shows constantly vying for eyeballs, Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby have frequently proven gem-dappled treasure islands. When the immensely funny New Zealand talents have collided, their resumes have spanned four of the most endearing comic hits of the big and small screens in the 21st century so far, aka Flight of the Conchords, What We Do in the Shadows, Wellington Paranormal and Hunt for the Wilderpeople — and now, with pirate parody Our Flag Means Death, they've given viewers another gleaming jewel. This show was always going to swashbuckle its way into streaming must-see lists — and into comedy-lovers' hearts — based on its concept alone, but it more than lives up to its winning idea and winsome casting. Come for the buccaneering banter and seafaring satire, stay for a thoughtful and sincere comic caper that's also a rom-com. The inimitable Darby stars as Stede Bonnet, a self-styled 'gentleman pirate' and a great approximation of Flight of the Conchords' Murray if he'd existed centuries earlier. Meanwhile, Waititi dons leather, dark hues aplenty, an air of bloodthirsty melancholy and an eye-catching head of greying hair as Edward Teach, the marauder better known to the world as Blackbeard. The two real-life figures eventually cross paths after Bonnet leaves his life of wealth, privilege and comfort to rove the oceans, captains a ship staffed by a motley crew to end all motley crews, and initially gets captured by Blackbeard — or Ed, as he calls him. As these two opposites bond, riding the waves from adversaries to co-captains to potentially something more, Our Flag Means Death truly and gloriously opens up its warm heart. Our Flag Means Death streams via Binge. Read our full review. HEARTSTOPPER It only takes minutes for British newcomer Heartstopper to explain its title — showing rather than telling, as all great shows should. A year ten student at Truham Grammar School for Boys, Charlie Spring (first-timer Joe Locke) finds himself seated in his form class next to year 11 rugby player Nick Nelson (Kit Connor, Little Joe). Sparks fly on the former's part, swiftly and overwhelmingly, with the eight-part series' graphic-novel origins inspiring a flurry of fluttering animated hearts on-screen. But Charlie has a secret boyfriend, Ben (Sebastian Croft, Doom Patrol), who won't even acknowledge him in public. He also hardly thinks of himself as sporty, even after Nick asks him to join the school team. And, while a friendship quickly solidifies between the two, Charlie is initially unsure whether anything more can happen — and anxiety-riddled in general. As well as writing Heartstopper's source material — which initially started as a webcomic — Alice Oseman pens every episode of this perceptive teenage-focused gem. From the outset, it bubbles with heartwarming charm, while its coming-of-age story and central love story alike prove wholly relatable, aptly awkward but also wonderfully sweet and sensitive. In short, it's a series that plunges so convincingly and inclusively into its characters' experiences that it feels like its heart is constantly beating with affection for Charlie, Nick, and their fellow high-schoolers Tao (fellow debutant William Gao), Elle (Yasmin Finney), Isaac (Tobie Donovan), Tara (Corinna Brown, Daphne) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell). First crushes, young love, the swirling swell of emotions that comes with both and also figuring out who you are: all of this dances through Heartstopper's frames. Also, when Oscar-winner Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter) pops up, she's glorious as always. Heartstopper streams via Netflix. Read our full review. PREHISTORIC PLANET Five episodes, one comforting voice, and a time-travelling trip back 66 million years: that's the setup behind Prehistoric Planet, an utterly remarkable feels-like-you're-there dive into natural history. Having none other than David Attenborough narrate the daily activities of dinosaurs seems like it should've happened already, of course; however, now that it finally is occurring, it's always both wonderful and stunning. Filled with astonishing footage on par with the visuals that usually accompany Attenborough's nature docos, all thanks to the special effects team behind The Jungle Book and The Lion King, it truly is a wonder to look at. It needs to be: if the Cretaceous-era dinosaurs rampaging across the screen didn't appear like they genuinely could be walking and stalking — and fighting, foraging for food, hunting, flying, swimming and running as well — the magic that typically comes with watching an Attenborough-narrated doco would instantly and disappointingly vanish. Welcome to... your new insight into Tyrannosaurus rex foreplay, your latest reminder that velociraptors really don't look like they do in the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World flicks, an entertaining time spent with al kinds of animals, and your next favourite dinosaur project with an Attenborough attached. Each of Prehistoric Planet's five instalments focuses on a different type of terrain — coasts, deserts, freshwater, ice and forests — and chats through the creatures that call it home. Set to a spirited original score by Hans Zimmer, fresh from winning his latest Oscar for Dune, there's a formula at work. That said, it's no more blatant than in any David Attenborough-hosted show. Viewers watch as some dinos look after their young, others try to find a mate, plenty search for something to eat and others attempt not to be eaten. The same kinds of activities are covered in each episode, but the locations and dinosaurs involved all change. Prehistoric Planet streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. COLIN FROM ACCOUNTS A girl, a guy and a meet-cute over an adorable animal: that's the delightful and very funny Colin From Accounts' underlying formula. When medical student Ashley (Harriet Dyer, The Invisible Man) and microbrewery owner Gordon (Patrick Brammall, Evil) cross paths in the street one otherwise standard Sydney morning, they literally come to an impasse. He lets her go first, she flashes her nipple as thanks, then he's so distracted that he hits a stray dog with his car. As these circumstances demonstrate, Colin From Accounts isn't afraid to get awkward, much to the benefit of audiences. There's a syrupy way to proceed from the show's debut moments, intertwining sparks flying with idyllic dates, plus zero doubts of a happy ending for humans and pooches alike. If this was a movie, that's how it'd happen. Then there's Dyer and Brammall's way, with the duo creating and writing the series as well as starring in it, and focusing as much on ordinary existential mayhem — working out who you want to be, navigating complex relationships and learning to appreciate the simple pleasure of someone else's company, for example — as pushing its leads together. Just like in the Hollywood versions of this kind of tale, romance does blossom. That Dyer and Brammall are behind Colin From Accounts, their past chemistry on fellow Aussie comedy No Activity and the fact that they're married IRL means that pairing them up as more than new pals was always going to be on the show's agenda. It's how the series fleshes out each character and their baggage — including those who-am-I questions, Ash's difficult dynamic with her attention-seeking mother Lynelle (Helen Thomson, Elvis), and the responsibility that running your own business and committing to care for other people each bring — that helps give it depth. Colin From Accounts lets Ash and Gordon unfurl their woes and wishes, and also lets them grow. Sometimes, that happens by peeing and pooping in the wrong place, because that's also the type of comedy this is. Sometimes, it's because the show's central couple have taken a risk, or faced their struggles, or genuinely found solace in each other. Always, this new Aussie gem is breezy and weighty — and instantly bingeable. Colin From Accounts streams via Binge. Read our full review. Looking for more viewing highlights? We also rounded up the 15 best returning TV series of 2022, as well as 15 excellent new TV shows of 2022 that you might've missed. Plus, we've kept a running list of must-stream TV from across the year, complete with full reviews. And, you can check out our regular rundown of film and TV streaming recommendations, which is updated monthly.
It was really only a matter of time before someone went there — and they finally have. Residents that fit into the intersection of the 'Singapore resident' and 'Orange Is the New Black fan' Venn diagram will be stoked to hear Netflix is opening an a pop-up restaurant themed around the show's prison cafeteria. As of yesterday, June 16, Singaporean diner OverEasy has been transformed into Litchfield Penitentiary Cafeteria to bring the TV prison experience to the people (and also to cash in on the hype surrounding the OITNB season four debut, which should be going up on Netflix sometime today). Chef Bjorn Shen has created the menu inspired by the depressing slop served up in the prison cafeteria but, you know, more gourmet. On the menu? An appetiser of corn kernels with spiced butter, cheese and lime, a main designed to replicate Nutraloaf (the US prison punishment food of three meals literally blended into one), and gruel for dessert (which is actually white chocolate and coconut rice pudding, almond crumble and 'fruit' of the day). And to wash it all down? Delicious tap water (moreish, healthy and flavourful!). Unfortunately the restaurant has filled up pretty quickly but if you're in Singapore right now, you can chance your arm for a walk-in. It's worth a shot because the prison-style grub is free — probably because no one would actually pay for prison fare. And for everyone else, well, we can sleep easy knowing that OITNB-branded GruelTM is surely coming soon to a supermarket near us and get stuck into binge watching season four. Via CNET.
Yearning to create pop music that has a little more depth than your standard dancefloor anthem is Sydney's Catcall. Catherine Kelleher, the woman behind the name, speaks to Kirstie Sequitin ahead of her debut album release and upcoming performance at Surrealism Up Late. How's The Warmer Side coming along? Yeah, it's good! We're kind of in the process of mixing it at the moment. There'll be a new single out in August, September hopefully. How long has that process been going for? It seems like you've been working on it for a while now. I put the EP out around 2008, and then I started writing for the album around the end of that year. Since then I've been kind of writing and recording and working on it. It's just taking a long time for the songs to develop to a point where we're all really happy with them, and then there was a lot of demoing done and a lot of songs disposed of. Then we had to work out how the record was going to be tied together and produced and recorded. All that kind of stuff just took a while to kind of grow into something strong, but now it's all kind of come together quickly in the last couple of months and it's at that point where we're just locking mixes off and whatnot. When it comes down to the writing process - I guess that was a while ago now - but do you focus on lyrics first or do you focus on the backing stuff first? I usually collaborate with people who start off by sending me either a simple thing with a bass line or some keys, and that inspires the vocal melody. They'll normally ask me, "What do you want to make?" and I usually tell them to make whatever they vibe. I don't like sending refs or anything saying "I want you to create me this!" It's not about creating the most interesting or exciting work; usually I just want the other person to do what they do best. They usually send me a beat or something and I'll write something over it and that'll always start with a vocal melody. From there the hardest part is basically just nutting out the lyrics and that's usually where all the time is spent, getting the lyrics perfect, because you need your meanings and you need to sing it and make sure it sounds good. Then we record and mix and get the production worked in. Do you have a specific vision in mind? I know that you said that you don't tell the collaborators what to do but do you have a template of how you want them to sound? Hm… not really - they've usually already heard something I've done. With Youth [Brisbane's Luke Foskey], he knew all of it, so he would just send me stuff. But with more recent collaborations in the past six months they do normally ask for refs and ask things like "What are you listening to at the moment?" and I'll say, "Oh, I'm really into Fleetwood Mac". But you can't get someone to truly create something that's like Fleetwood Mac, so I'll just tell them what I'm listening to, and send them stuff that I've already written and that usually forms what they'll do. Most of the time I just want them to do what they already do, and I collaborate with them because I've already heard their stuff. But they do always ask those kinds of questions like "What are you writing? Are you writing something slow or are you writing something fast?" because they want to know a point to start. Then I think, "Maybe we will go fast, maybe we'll go up-tempo" but usually I stop there because I want them to do what they do, because that's when the most exciting stuff happens. I've read that you have an emphasis on making things imperfect, can you elaborate on that? I don't want things to be necessarily perfect but just as strong as they can be, I guess. In terms of the quality of work, the show… I just want everything to have the best that I can bring it. I don't like the idea of putting something out there that's half-assed. Well, not half-assed but just something that feels like it's not finished, or complete, you know? Because I've already done that, I've put out work that's not complete, I've performed shows that have been really incomplete. Now this is my first record, and I'm going to start putting on a live show and playing regularly. I'm not a complete perfectionist but I just want everything to be the best that it can be. What it seems like to me is that you're trying to work on something that's a little more wholesome than other pop music that's coming out. Yeah, yeah, I want it to be substantial. I was at the APRA Awards the other day and I remember there were eight songwriters on one Katy Perry song and I was like, "That's why these records come out so quickly! There are eight people working on this!" It's like, there's a real formula with the production and it just feels really empty. I just want things to be soulful; I want people to connect with it and I don't think you can just do that if you do it without putting any thought or care into it. It takes a long time to write a really good record. It's so much harder than people assume. Pop records especially. I mean, good pop records. Not really forgettable, flimsy, soulless pop records. You've changed a lot in the past couple of years, how would you describe your developments? Your music style, how has that developed? I think I've become a better singer, a better vocalist, and that's opened up a lot more possibilities for me for what I can write. I've started paying more attention to song lyrics and what makes a really good song. Bry Jones and Toni Toni Lee, I think working with them has really helped me develop, and being open to criticism of what I'm doing and performances and writing. And spending a lot of time rewriting and looking at what I've done and thinking about what I've done and trying to make it better, rather than being satisfied with the first thing I put down, which is what I used to do. I used to be like "Yep, that's what we're going to do" and never edit myself or look back and think, "Hang on a second, there's so many different ways I can make this better". I think that has definitely made me a better songwriter and a better singer and a better performer all round. Catcall plays Surrealism Up Late at the Gallery of Modern Art on July 29. Thanks to GoMA we've got three double passes to give away - e-mail brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au with the subject line 'Water in my veins' by Monday July 25 for your chance to win.
Trust a mockumentary about the undead to keep coming back in new guises. Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's What We Do in the Shadows first came to light as a short film in 2005, then made its way to cinemas in rib-tickling feature-length form in 2014, and currently has both a werewolf-focused sequel and a US television remake in the works. As first announced back in 2016, it's also getting a Cops-style TV spinoff — one that starts airing in New Zealand this month, and has just released its first trailer. Slated to air on New Zealand's TVNZ 2 from July 11, Wellington Paranormal doesn't spend more time with everyone's favourite Wellington-dwelling bloodsuckers, even though Waititi and Clement conceived the six-part series. Instead, it follows police officers Karen O'Leary and Mike Minogue, who WWDITS fans might remember came knocking at the vampire share house's door. With the help of Sergeant Maaka (Maaka Pohatu), the cop duo will keep trying to keep the city safe from supernatural happenings — and we're sure viewers will keep watching. When Wellington Paranormal's existence was first revealed, Waititi described the show as "Mulder & Scully but in a country where nothing happens" on Twitter, should you need any more reason to get excited. For Australian viewers looking to catch the show, local airing details haven't yet been announced, but watch this space — once you're done watching the below trailer, of course. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=WRO2QfESbEI
Prince Dining Room's Executive Chef Daniel Cooper is set to host a dining series that will see guest chefs collaborating with the kitchen to serve up exclusive, one-night-only menus. The Mix program kicks off with Jake Nicolson, Executive Chef at Brisbane's Ghanem Group, on Thursday, May 25. Nicolson's past experience boasts stints at The Lake House in Daylesford and Circa — the past iteration of Prince Dining Room. Nicolson and Cooper will serve up a refined, modern Australian five-course menu that pays homage to Nicolson's time at Circa. The set menu runs to the likes of spanner crab tartlet with pine, pollen, Gippsland dairy cream and corn custard Caivar eclair. Guests will find plates of ora king salmon, served with salmon roe buttermilk, and wood-roasted calamari with 'ndjua butter. Wagyu rib fillet is served with smoked bone marrow and flowering garlic, while potato galette is paired with gruyere and chives. Dessert is a white coconut and mango lamington, served alongside black sesame ice-cream. Each course is paired with matching wines, and the $220 ticket price includes the five-course set menu with paired beverages. Images: supplied.
Venturing through Melbourne's southeastern suburbs can be a testing experience — especially if you need to pass through the public transport black hole between the Glen Waverley and Pakenham–Cranbourne lines, which has no train or tram services. But that could soon change, with the Victorian Government proposing a new tram that will run all the way from Caulfield to Rowville. The new route would potentially reduce congestion and speed up commutes for many in the area, which is home to a bunch of destinations that really need accessible PT, like the Monash Medical Centre, Monash University's Clayton campus, the Australian Synchrotron and the future Victorian Heart Hospital. At the moment, these institutions are only accessible by bus or bus links. The first stage of the proposed project would link Caulfield Station with Monash University via Chadstone Shopping Centre. Then the government plans to extend the route on to Rowville, running via Waverley Park. "This is the missing transport link for the southeastern suburbs," Premier Daniel Andrews said. "It will connect some of our most important education, employment and shopping precincts and boost the local economy". The government has committed to providing $3 million in the Victorian Budget 2018/19 for the design and planning works for the new tram line. The budget will be delivered on May 1 and, if all goes to plan, works are set to begin straight away, though there's no word yet on how much the project will cost, how many delays it will cause and when it's expected to be completed.
Who says Halloween celebrations can only go for one night? Not Fitzroy bar Bimbo. Seeing as the spooky night doesn't fall on a weekend this year, Bimbo is suggesting you celebrate for an entire week. From Monday, October 28, the bar will be hosting a costume party every night of the week until Sunday, November 3. The best look gets a $100 voucher — that's 25 x $4 Bimbo pizzas, if you're doing the math — so start planning those costume changes, stat. Get down for Halloween-themed drink specials (some complete with lychee "eyeballs"), different DJs each night (check out the website and pick your poison), and say "trick or treat" at the bar between 7pm and 8pm for a free pot of beer. Happy Halloween indeed.
The epitome of grace and good taste, a finely crafted suit can make all the difference in a number of occasions. No longer relegated to the bland en masse uniform of the corporate nine-to-fiver, the suit is experiencing a resurgence as a statement of personal style, flair and elegance. But how do you know which suit is right for you or should be worn at which occasion? Indochino has made picking the details of your suit nice and simple to build your own personal touch to your corporate, formal or marital attire. The brand lets you customise your suit from shoulder to cuff, pockets to hems. But if you need some guidance in figuring out how to get started, that's where we come in. Here, we've broken it all down for you. Find out about the importance of each part of the suit and how best to accentuate (or downplay) these elements for the strongest effect — no matter the occasion. [caption id="attachment_725467" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Indochino Spring/Summer 2019.[/caption] COLOUR The most immediate impact of your suit will be its colour. Suits, like all clothing, are inherently linked to eras and fashion. Certain colours can accurately indicate the period in which they were popular — think bright blue a couple of years ago, black during the late 90s and early 2000s and, for the more out there, aubergine, brown and fawn from the 70s. Nowadays we see mostly grey, navy and black but occasionally, a colourful number comes along that makes for a great statement. Indochino offers a wide variety of colours that allow for versatility across a number of occasions; a forest green might be a good choice for someone wanting a suit that's a little outside the box but still maintains a level of formality and style. For the occasion where you can be a little bolder, you may choose a purple hue for more effect. And, of course, there are the classic blues, greys and blacks available, too. You could always go with a pattern as well, with multiple patterns like checked, herringbone and striped available — plus there's always a vibrant pocket square and/or tie that can take your look up a notch. [caption id="attachment_725466" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Indochino Spring/Summer 2019.[/caption] LAPELS Essentially there are three types of lapel: notch (the standard), peak lapels (usually found on double-breasted jackets) and shawl, wherein the collar and lapel are made from one piece of fabric. Indochino recommends notch or peak lapels in slim, normal and wide for suits and offers shawl lapels for its tuxedos, as these are always found on traditional dinner jackets and tuxedos, giving a sense of elegance and grandeur. The width of one's lapels is often indicative of style and era — think of the wide Saturday Night Fever-style from the 70s versus the Mad Men-esque slim lapels of the 60s. Another thing to look for is the height at which the lapel joins the collar (the gorge). Currently, the trend seems to hark back to the 60s when gorges were high in order to enhance the slim silhouette of the suit. Another thing to note about lapels (who knew there was so much to know): the lapel hole, made to hold flowers — or a fob or pocket watch if that's more your style. You could even attach a brooch if you want to add some personal flair on a special occasion. You've got a lot of options; now you just need to decide the style (and decade) you're going for. [caption id="attachment_727121" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Indochino Spring/Summer 2019.[/caption] BUTTONS For such a seemingly innocuous detail, buttons bring a suit all together depending on colour and count. Brown buttons tend to be the go-to, with black reserved for black or dark suits and cream for lighter suits. And when it comes to counting 'em, the number of buttons on the front of a jacket is traditionally indicative of your profession, though now, it's more about your style preferences. The most common count on a single-breasted suit is two, though three-button fronts come and go with trends. But the most important thing to remember is the button rule that's accepted the world over: if a jacket has more than one front button, the lowest shouldn't be buttoned. POCKETS Invariably, all suits will have an outer breast pocket, which is always on the left and undoubtedly stems from the fact that most people are right-handed. For the most part, these never have a flap but are made from a single piece of fabric which is folded and sewn into the body of the jacket — a welt pocket. Most jackets will also have at least two 'side' pockets, located above the hip and usually made with a fabric 'flap'. Traditionally the flaps are straight but can be angled to achieve a more rakish look. Slim fitting jackets often have a smaller version above the right hip pocket, which sits almost in the jacket's waist. These are referred to as ticket pockets, because, fun fact, their original purpose was for carrying one's theatre tickets. Inside the jacket, there are usually two breast pockets and often a lower inside ticket pocket. Maintaining the clean line of the suit should be top of mind when wearing a suit, so try not to put too much in them. TROUSERS Well-fitting trousers can make or break the look of a suit. Just think of that suit from year ten formal that just looked a bit silly all bunched up at the ankle and saggy in the seat. You're no longer 16; this look won't cut it. These days, most suits favour a particularly slim leg, though depending on the suit, baggier cuts are also in style, but generally with a higher waist. Broadly speaking, baggy trousers are to be worn with baggy jackets and slim with slim, and for the most part, don't have cuffs. Now that you know where to start, let Indochino help you through the rest of your suit customising journey here. Plus, from now until September 30, 2019, the brand is offering its premium custom suits at a discounted price of $599 for all Concrete Playground readers. Use code CONCRETEPLAYGROUND to receive the discount.
Bill Murray playing the world’s worst babysitter; Michael Keaton washing up in a cinematic ballet; Timothy Spall muttering his way through an artist’s biopic; the Bolshoi doing real ballet — there are loads of reasons to hurry along to the cool retreat that is Palace Cinemas before summer cuts the ropes. Good news is, to make sure you don’t miss out, we’re giving away five double passes to a film of your choice at your preferred Palace location. What’s more, the movies needn’t be your only motivation. A brand new, uber-refreshing, summery drink has jumped onto the Palace menu: Appleton V/X and ginger beer with fresh lime wedges. It’s built in a tall glass, with plenty of ice, to make sure that it keeps you cool throughout any feature. V/X is a special blend of no fewer than 15 aged rums, hand-mixed by master blender Joy Spence, who’s been making rum for more than 20 years. It’s one of Appleton Estate’s favourite rums for mixology because of its sophisticated, multilayered flavour profile. To be in the running for one of five double passes to Palace Cinemas, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter and then email win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address.
Oh Christmas, what a time. A time for love, a time for giving, and of course, a time to lose your shit amongst the writhing throngs of desperate last-minute shoppers. Joy. Luckily for us, this year WineMarket have put together some pretty nifty packages, including a whole host of multi-bottle specials. Throw in easy-as-mince-pie one- or 1-2 day delivery on selected sets, and you really can get Christmas sorted this year, minus the stress plus a whole lot of delicious booze. Take the methode traditionelle Grandin Grande Reserve Brut NV, for example. These six tasty sparklings, made the same way as Champagne but with fruit from outside the region, come in at practically half the price of their French cousin. And, individually packaged in festive red metal presentation tubes, they’re right fancy too ($119.40 for six). Another great option to give is the six-pack of Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz Merlot, again individually packaged so no need to wrap. Just in case you haven’t heard of Wynns, this yummy mellow-textured fruity number is crafted by award-winning winemaker Sue Hodder, from her 5-star James Halliday-rated winery ($191.40 for 12). But, if you really want to treat the vino connoisseur in the family, you can also secure a bottle of Penfolds Grange 2010, sporting accolade after accolade, for $639 (usually $785). But, if variety is the festive spice of your silly season, you’re covered with all manner of combos, including ten reds and a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label ($99), 13-bottle stock-up essentials ($99) and a fabulously titled Impress the In-Laws package of award-winning, 90+ rated reds ($120). Cheers to that. WineMarket is offering a discount exclusively for Concrete Playground subscribers. Get $50 off orders over $120 (excluding freight) using the voucher code CONCRETEXMAS at the checkout. Hurry: offer ends 11.59PM 21/12/2014 (AEDT). Voucher can only be used once per customer. Excludes orders solely consisting of beer, champagne, cider or RTDs, and purchases from WineMarket must not be re–sold commercially. Not valid with any other promotion. Not redeemable for cash. WineMarket reserves the right to cancel orders made outside of these terms and conditions. Standard WineMarket T&Cs apply.
No matter where you are in Australia, you probably spent the majority of 2020 in your own state — and in your own bedroom — thanks to interstate border restrictions. Limits on domestic travel have still been popping up in 2021 so far; however, if you're still keen to see more than your own backyard this year, Virgin Australia is selling 1.9 million fares to destinations around the country. And, those cheap flights are starting at $75 for a one-way ticket. Hang on, Virgin? Yes. The same airline that, less than 12 months ago, entered voluntary administration. It has since been sold to US private investment firm Bain Capital, launched a comeback sale in early July and its voluntary administration officially ended on Tuesday, November 17. Virgin's current Let the Good Times Fly flight sale runs until midnight AEST on Monday, February 8 — or until sold out. In the sale, you'll find cheap flights on a heap of routes to destinations across the country, with travel dates spanning from March to September 2021. If you've been waiting to book your first getaway for the year, now might be the time. Discounted flights span both economy and business, and include seat selection and checked baggage. Some of the routes on offer include Sydney to Ballina from $75, Brisbane to Proserpine from $84, Melbourne to Hobart from $99, Brisbane to Darwin from $165, and Melbourne to Hamilton Island from $179. The discounted flight sale is timed to coincide with Queensland reopening its border to New South Wales, which came into effect on Monday, February 1. Virgin is also increasing the frequency of trips between the two states, including between Sydney and the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Cairns, Hamilton Island and Brisbane. As we are still in the middle of a pandemic, flying is little different to normal. Virgin has introduced a range of safety measures, including hand sanitisation stations, contactless check-in and face masks provided to all passengers. Wearing masks on flights became mandatory in Australia in January. Virgin is also waiving change fees and allowing unlimited booking changes between now and June 30, 2021 — extending a scheme that was initially due to end at the end of January. Virgin's Let the Good Times Fly flight sale runs until midnight AEST on Monday, February 8 — or until sold out. Find out more about current interstate border restrictions over here.
2015 brought you a cornucopia of hideous yet good for you root veggies, international restaurant swaps and bargain basement lobster, among other gustatory revelations. So, what's in store for 2016? Well, the restaurant transplants are set to continue with Copenhagen's Noma popping up in Sydney later this month, and not-so aesthetically appealing foodstuffs are sticking around (see: algae). But just when you thought chefs and food technologists couldn't invent anything weirder, they come up with the goods. Then again, with the likes of Bompas and Parr setting up food museums, we shouldn't be surprised. This year is set to deliver a slew of culinary adventures, from cocktails you can inhale to niche food festivals, to more dishes featuring native Australian ingredients. Here are ten trends we've got our money on. [caption id="attachment_555266" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Attica[/caption] NATIVE AUSSIE INGREDIENTS Kylie Kwong's been caramelising wallaby tail and stir-frying native greens for a few years now, while our own Attica offers a dish of salt cured red kangaroo with bunya bunya (pictured). By and large though, Australian chefs have been slow to capitalise on Australia's indigenous produce. That might change when Copenhagen's two Michelin-starred restaurant Noma pops up in Sydney on January 26 for ten weeks. Head chef Rene Redzepi is passionate about expressing an area's unique environment through his cooking, and is sure to use our best native ingredients while he's here. Read more about the incredible potential of native foods over here. [caption id="attachment_555499" align="alignnone" width="1280"] blumblaum via Flickr[/caption] ALGAE Kale's still kicking around, but algae is closing in. In October, an upmarket Californian store put the world's first ever algae cooking oil on its shelves. With scientists warning us off other veggie oils due to their toxicity, this new product promises "goodness to your heart, the kitchen and the planet". Expect it to be added to foods and beverages to reduce fat and cholesterol and add a bit of extra protein and antioxidants. Meanwhile, a design collective has imagined a futuristic opera, in which singers grow algae with their breath during the show and give it to audiences to eat afterwards. But maybe that belongs under theatre trends. [caption id="attachment_555557" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Hunter and Barrel[/caption] PLAYING WITH FIRE Lucky we've been giving you inside info on how to throw an epic barbecue, because your tong-wielding skills are about to come in handy. When electricity arrived, we cast aside one of humankind's oldest technological developments, but, as any dedicated hiker knows, there ain't no potato like a campfire-cooked potato. So expect to see a lot more cooking with fire this year, whether it's at Hunter & Barrel, the new San Antone by Bludso or any of our favourite BBQ joints. Just don't think you can go wandering into any of these bars with your marshmallow on a stick. [caption id="attachment_555568" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Stefano via Flickr[/caption] DNA MATCHING Not as in, would you like a chardonnay or a cup of genes with that salad, but choosing foods that best suit your DNA to avoid unpleasant symptoms and improve your health. Yep, it's a thing. It turns out your wheat intolerance mightn't be just about gluten, it might be linked to a plethora of factors, especially your DNA. Old mates Bompas and Parr are already onto this, having worked on a project that created bespoke cocktails based on your DNA last year. And Dr. Fredric Abramson, founder of Digital Nutrition, is already offering a service that helps you match your diet to your genes. So get on it. [caption id="attachment_555298" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Fir0002 via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] GETTING GOATY With bacon having some copped some bad press for its carcinogenic qualities, goat sales are on the rise. It's profitable news for Aussie farmers, who are the world's biggest exporters of goat meat. Long a staple of Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Sri Lankan, Pakistani and Indian diets, the horned creature will be making its way onto mainstream menus more and more often . In London, Aussie-born chef Brett Graham is already on the bandwagon at The Ledbury. NICHE FOOD FESTIVALS So, it happened before processed meat was added to WHO's top five most cancerous items, but Sydney hosted its biggest ever bacon party in August 2015. And in Melbourne, we had Pinot Palooza, a touring festival devoted to the mighty pinot noir, return for another year, and Juniperlooza answered all our prayers with a two-day festival showcasing the country's best gin. Food festivals have been around for thousands of years, but we reckon they're going to get more and more specific in 2016 — in fact, a festival 100 per cent dedicated to Nutella will be hitting Adelaide in April. [caption id="attachment_555572" align="alignnone" width="960"] Master's 'Roast Potato' by kseet via Instagram[/caption] SWEET AND SAVOURY DESSERTS Everyone knows what a decent dash of salt can do for a good chocolate. And the ebullient marrying of sweet and savoury flavours is likely to feature in desserts all over the planet in 2016. New Yorkers are already sampling beetroot, carrot and sweet potato yoghurts, courtesy of Blue Hill founder Dan Barber, and Sydney's Master is pushing the sweet-savoury envelope with their roast potato ice cream dessert. Here in Melbourne Lume is going down the same lines with their beetroot cake dessert, and Mammoth is confusing everyone's tastebuds with their sugary doughnut lobster burger. INHALABLE COCKTAILS Many of our favourite bars look to the cocktail's 'golden age' for inspiration. And with good reason — an old-fashioned or a martini is hard to beat. But the inhalable incarnation of the cocktail is bringing the drink into the 21st century. This is thanks to Bompas and Parr, who ran a pop-up bar named Alcohol Architecture in London last August. Visitors were invited to walk into a 'cocktail cloud', created with enormous humidifiers. Inspired by the duo, Brisbane Festival got on this last year, creating a breathable gin and tonic room as part of their 2015 program. We can't wait to see where this goes next. LEAVES OF ALL KINDS Your iceberg lettuce just won't cut it anymore. And neither will your cos, rocket or radicchio, for that matter. Your salads are about to get much, much fancier and more diverse. Heston Blumenthal was onto it at 2015's Fat Duck pop-up — he organised exclusive access to a source of local oyster leaves, which he combined with chicken, grilled onion emulsion and spiced celeriac sauce. [caption id="attachment_555270" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Superfood Sushi[/caption] GOING VEGAN Veganism is nothing new, but this year looks like it might be the one to firmly cement it as a full-blown cuisine. Last year, Smith & Deli was one of the biggest openings of the year, and Transformer took vegan dining up to a much fancier level. Over in Sydney, Newtown's King Street added vegan superfood sushi and Bliss 'n' Chips — where soy-based protein and konjac are transmogrified into incredibly convincing deep fried seafood dishes — to its many restaurants, and and then, in news that shocked many, much-loved pizza place Gigi announced it was taking animal products out of its pizzas. All three businesses seem to be thriving, so we're banking on more vegan openings and conversions this year. But for now, here are our top ten vegan joints. Top image: Bompas and Parr
They've made bespoke cocktails catered to each drinker's DNA, hosted anatomical whisky tastings where spirits were sipped from actual people, and served a beating pig's heart as a starter. Yes, it's safe to say that Sam Bompas and Harry Parr know how to liven up a meal. Calling the duo food artists might be a bit of an understatement, however, particularly given that they're not just experimenting with what we consume in a creative, unexpected and delicious way. At the heart of everything from their edible fireworks to their molten lava barbecue to their 200-course dinner party sits an interrogation of our eating and drinking habits, including the one thing carnivorous folks easily overlook: the food chain. Indeed, London diners heading along Bompas & Parr's next event won't be able to forget where their lunch came from. In the kitchen at Sea Containers restaurant, they'll see just what path their meal takes to their plate, and play quite the considerable part in it. At Kill It, Eat It, attendees will devour a crustacean-heavy feast — after, as the name gives away, they kill the crabs destined for their stomach. We'll give you a moment to think about this next-level eating experience because it's quite the confronting concept. Of course, it's supposed to be. It's one thing to know but not really engage with the idea that you're munching on something that was once alive. It's another to have an active hand in it. The 16 people per session that are willing to face their food in the most visceral and primal way possible, as well as their role in eating living creatures, will journey through a number of steps: looking closely at crabs and the role they play in the ocean, learning about the ways they're sourced and caught, and discovering the the 'biologically most efficient and humane method' of ending their lives. They'll then receive their own live crustacean, prepare it, kill it in a RSPCA-approved manner, cook it and de-shell it. Afterwards, participant's crab will be dressed by the restaurant's chefs and served as part of the group meal alongside sea-inspired cocktails. An expert in fisheries and seafood cultivation will be on hand during the event, and attendees will receive a guide to help them replicate the process at home. Chatting with Concrete Playground in advance of their 2015 Wild at Heart event at Dark Mofo — which involved roadkill jerky, drinks served from actual skull cups, roasting just-hunted wild deer and the aforementioned blood-gushing pig's heart — Bompas explained that "when you start feeding people, you become quite aware of just how thin that line of civility is that divides us from the animal kingdom." It's clearly something that, with his culinary partner-in-crime Parr, he's still exploring. Bompas & Parr's crustacean-focused classes will take place on April 23 and 30, and they're just the first toe into the water of a planned Kill It, Eat It series. We'll let your mind ponder just what might come next. As Parr explains, the workshops are designed to provoke the ultimate question at the heart of every carnivorous diet: "if you want to eat animals, shouldn't you be prepared to kill them yourself?"
If you're thirty-plus (either chronologically, or in terms of your musical tastes) and finding triple j increasingly unsuitable to your aural palette, then you're probably going to love the ABC's latest move. Yesterday afternoon, the broadcaster announced that, as of 5pm, digital music channel Dig had come under triple j's management. Essentially, the plan is to revamp Dig as a 'triple j for over-thirties'. In other words, the program will be shaped by the types of artists that originally informed the triple j ethos. Think Tex Perkins, Eskimo Joe, Nick Cave and their musical progeny. About 75 percent of the playlist will be comprised of new music (triple j's is about 90 percent that way) and the other 25 percent will be made up of classics familiar to '70s and '80s babies. Each week, there'll be a minimum of four pre-recorded, guest-programmed segments. Anticipated curators include Billy Bragg, Sarah Blasko, Adalita, Missy Higgins, Bernard Fanning, Tex Perkins, David Bridie, Eskimo Joe, Clare Bowditch and Moby. During the next six months, Dig is asking listeners to let the station know exactly what they want to hear, and how they want it presented. The channel will be officially launched in its new format in April 2014. "Over the last few years, there have been many voices calling out for a station like this," commented Dig Music's content director Meagan Loader, "and the input of those voices during this initial stage is hugely valuable. We are so excited to be able to evolve with our listeners and create something truly unique." Dig Music is available online at www.digmusic.net.au, on mobile phones via the ABC Radio App, and through both digital radio and television.
There are more reasons than ever to make the three-hour journey west to visit Dunkeld's Royal Mail Hotel. Not only will you discover one of regional Australia's best restaurants, but you can now admire the soaring beauty of the Grampians National Park (Gariwerd) from a recently added outdoor wellness suite. The hotel has put together a tempting Spring Wellness Package to encourage your visit, available for bookings until Sunday, November 30. So, now might be the perfect time to slide into its spacious magnesium-salt hot tub or sweat it up in a Finnish-inspired cedar wood sauna. Following a hike in the surrounding hills, there's nowhere better to soothe your weary limbs. Priced from $1610 per couple for a midweek booking, the package includes a two-night stay in the hotel's mountain view room, offering a stunning Gariwerd vista, a private balcony and a gourmet minibar. You're also invited to a degustation dining experience at Wickens at the Royal Mail Hotel, an acclaimed culinary journey brimming with ingredients plucked from a sprawling kitchen garden. What's more, you'll indulge in a seasonal sharing menu lunch or dinner at the Parker St Project — the Royal Mail's more casual dining venue. Then, a chef will help you get to know Australia's largest restaurant kitchen garden on a guided tour. Finally, soak up a 90-minute session in the outdoor wellness suite, featuring uninterrupted views of Mount Sturgeon.
One of the musical highlights of this year's Midsumma festival, Sweet Dreams is a one-man vehicle for the prodigious talents of Michael Griffiths — one of the stars of smash-hit Jersey Boys — that’s played to raptured audiences all over the world. The show, written and directed by Dean Bryant, reinterprets the work of Eurythmics songstress Annie Lennox into a modern-day cabaret performance with improvised dialogue. So much of the show is about Griffiths though, and in a testament to his abilities (and stamina!) the show is even double-billed with his own (In Vogue: Songs of Madonna). This show was one of our top picks for Midsumma 2014, see our full list here.
If you haven't tasted a tub of Piccolina, you've been severely deprived of some of Melbourne's best natural and authentic Italian-style gelato. You can now pick up all the Piccolina favourites from the new flagship Collingwood store including pistachio, Better than Nutella and salted caramel. The creamy creations are prepared in a dark green open kitchen, which sits in the centre of the gelateria. The design is a collaboration between Hecker Guthrie, Projects of Imagination (they've overseen a huge rebrand) and owner and ex-designer Sandra Foti. "It's really fun and fresh, but it's traditional at the same time," Foti explains. The design takes inspiration from both 1950s southern Italy and the historic building in which it lies; Hecker Guthrie has retained pressed metal ceilings and original terrazzo floors and has used a traditional Italian colour palette. The star of the space is the large pozetti bench, which holds 24 shining silver containers. This traditional Italian storage method protects the product from light and air. At the flagship store, the bench has been fully clad in rustic green Italian tiles, which curve around the bench. After tasting and choosing a flavour, gelato-lickers can grab a seat at the bar and enjoy some behind-the-scenes action at the open kitchen. "They'll be able to see nuts roasting, chocolate sauces being stirring, ganaches and jams being made from scratch — everything," says Foti. Using wholesome natural ingredients is what Piccolina is all about — there are no premixes and certainly no artificial colours or flavours anywhere near this gelato. And that's not about to change with the launch of the new store. "Our focus is still on traditional gelato," says Foti. "We don't want to do what everybody else is doing. It's about remaining true to our vision, which is traditional, Italian gelato made using authentic production methods." It certainly provides an alternative to Gelato Messina, which is just 200 metres down the road.
For residents of the Greater Brisbane area, plus folks who spent some of your Christmas and New Year break in the region, 2021 has gotten off to a hectic start. The city's Grand Chancellor hotel cluster sparked six COVID-19 cases — all of the new, more contagious B117 coronavirus strain — resulting in a three-day lockdown, increased local restrictions, and changes in domestic border rules between states as well. The cluster also saw Prime Minister Scott Morrison declare Greater Brisbane a COVID-19 hotspot at the commonwealth level — a decision that came out of the first Australian national cabinet meeting for 2021, and covered the Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, Moreton and Redlands local government areas. Now, just over a week later — and 14 days since local transmission is thought to have occurred — Australia's Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly has announced that the hotspot status has been revoked. That new status became effective at 12.01am today, Sunday, January 17. "This hotspot was declared out of an abundance of caution because we saw for the first time a case of this new more transmissible strain in the community," said Kelly. "Like so many instances throughout the pandemic, we've now seen another success story in our response." When Greater Brisbane was deemed a federal-level hotspot, every state and territory across Australia implemented border restrictions with the area — and in some cases, the entire State of Queensland. As the situation has settled, those rules have been changing again. In New South Wales, folks who had been in the Greater Brisbane area since January 2 were required to isolate during the Queensland region's lockdown. Now, however, there are no restrictions in place. Victoria closed its borders to Greater Brisbane, and implemented a new traffic light-style system to cope with domestic outbreaks and corresponding restrictions on entering the state in general. Greater Brisbane was initially classed as a 'red zone', which meant anyone who had been in the area couldn't head to Victoria. As at 6pm on Saturday, January 16, it became an 'orange zone' instead — so entry is now allowed after applying for a permit, then self-quarantining, getting a coronavirus test within 72 hours of arrival and remaining in isolation until a negative test result is received. https://twitter.com/VicGovDHHS/status/1350229906488102913 Tasmania declared the Greater Brisbane region a high-risk area. Anyone who had arrived in Tasmania after spending time in Greater Brisbane since January 2 had to immediately self-isolate, while anyone who had been in the area and wants to travel to Tassie isn't allowed to enter without an exemption. That's still the case, although the rules will be reviewed and updated on Monday, January 18. In the Northern Territory, a hotspot declaration meant that anyone entering the NT from Greater Brisbane area had to go into quarantine for two weeks. That declaration was revoked on Monday, January 11. South Australia brought in a quarantine requirement, too, requiring arrivals from Greater Brisbane to to isolate for two weeks. That was revoked at 12.01am on Sunday, January 17, although anyone entering SA from the area must now have a COVID-19 test on day one, five and 12 of their trip to the state. The Australian Capital Territory required anyone who had been in the Greater Brisbane area since January 2 to go into isolation for 14 days from when they were last in the area; however, that was revoked at 2pm on Monday, January 11. Over in Western Australia, a hard border has been brought back in with all of Queensland, with WA closing to anyone who has been in the Sunshine State since January 2. That's still in effect — so anyone who receives an exemption to still enter WA has to go into quarantine for 14 days, and undertake COVID-19 testing within 48 hours of arrival and again on day 11 of their quarantine. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Australia, visit the Australian Government Department of Health website.
Fans of Trainspotting will probably want to check out Filth, the new film adaptation of the 1998 Irvine Welsh novel. Jon S. Baird directs James McAvoy as Bruce Robertson, a bipolar, misanthropic junkie detective (role of a lifetime) who, when he's not awash in drugs, alcohol and sex games, spends his time plotting the downfall of his fellow colleagues. In his quest to trump them and secure a coveted promotion, he stops at nothing — stealing their wives, exposing their darkest secrets. Oh, and there's a murder to be solved, too. Things escalate to the point of madness, with plenty of manipulation, hallucination and downright insanity. McAvoy won critical praise for his performance upon the film's UK release and is supported by some stellar UK actors including Jim Broadbent, Jamie Bell and Eddie Marsan (who was so good in Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky and Paddy Considine's Tyrannosaur). The film will no doubt give a typically Welsh-ian insight into the grim, violent underbelly of Edinburgh — with a few laughs. Filth is in cinemas on November 21, and thanks to Icon Films, we have ten double in-season passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au
Get ready for battle: House of the Dragon is returning in 2024 and, based on the just-dropped first teaser trailer for the Game of Thrones spinoff's second season, things are getting even more fiery. "There is no war so hateful to the gods as a war between kin — and no war so bloody as a war between dragons," Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best, Nurse Jackie) tells her niece Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy, Mothering Sunday) in the just-dropped sneak peek. Also glimpsed in the debut look at the Targaryen-focused show's next eight episodes: dragons, obviously, plus Rhaenyra and Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke, Slow Horses) going head to head — and Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith, Morbius) looking brooding while suiting up in armour. Troops preparing to fight, burning soldiers and the Iron Throne (also obviously) all pop up as well, as do serious words about what's to come. Set to arrive in winter 2024 Down Under — because, yes, winter is always coming — House of the Dragon's second season will arrive two years after the first premiered in 2022. Game of Thrones was always going to spark spinoff shows. Indeed, when HBO started thinking about doing a prequel five years ago, before the huge fantasy hit had even finished its run, it was hardly surprising. And, when the US network kept adding ideas to its list — including a Jon Snow-focused series with Kit Harington (Eternals) reprising his famous role, novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg and an animated GoT show, to name just a few prequels and spinoffs that've been considered, but may or may not actually come to fruition — absolutely no one was astonished. So far, just House of the Dragon has hit screens, which jumps back into House Targaryen's history. When it initially roared into streaming queues, it became an instant success. Accordingly, as it delivered more complicated GoT realm relationships, flowing long blonde hair, dragons, stabbings and fights for power — and plenty to fuel a drinking game, as we created — it was quickly renewed for season two. The series kicked off 172 years before the birth of Daenerys and her whole dragon-flying, nephew-dating, power-seeking story, and gave HBO its largest American audience for any new original series in its history when it debuted. If you're thinking that House of the Dragon is basically a case of new show, same squabbles, as it was easy to foresee it would be, you're right. It's pretty much Game of Thrones with different faces bearing now well-known surnames — and more dragons. If you haven't yet caught up with the show so far, it dives into the battle for the Iron Throne before the one we all watched between 2011–19. Paddy Considine (The Third Day) started the series King Viserys — and it's exactly who should be his heir that sparked all the Succession-style fuss. The words "succession" and "successor" (and "heir" as well) got bandied around constantly, naturally. Also, Australian actors Milly Alcock and Ryan Corr were among the stars. House of the Dragon's returning season two cast includes Rhys Ifans (The King's Man) as Ser Otto Hightower and Steve Toussaint (It's a Sin) as Lord Corlys Velaryon, plus Fabien Frankel (The Serpent), Ewan Mitchell (Saltburn), Tom Glynn-Carney (Rogue Heroes) and Sonoya Mizuno (Shortcomings). HBO has also announced new faces for the show's comeback, with Clinton Liberty (This Is Christmas) as Addam of Hull, Jamie Kenna (Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story) as Ser Alfred Broome, Kieran Bew (Warrior) as Hugh, Tom Bennett (Black Ops) as Ulf, Tom Taylor (Love at First Sight) as Lord Cregan Stark and Vincent Regan (One Piece) as Ser Rickard Thorne. They join Abubakar Salim (Napoleon) as Alyn of Hull, Gayle Rankin (Perry Mason) as Alys Rivers, Freddie Fox (The Great) as Ser Gwayne Hightower and Simon Russell Beale (Thor: Love and Thunder) as Ser Simon Strong among the season two newcomers. This latest adaptation of George RR Martin's popular fantasy books — based on Fire & Blood, specifically — is bound to continue on for more than just two seasons, but that's all that's confirmed for the moment. Check out the first teaser trailer for House of the Dragon season two below: House of the Dragon streams Down Under via Foxtel and Binge in Australia and SoHo, Sky Go and Neon in New Zealand, with season two arriving in winter 2024 — with an exact release date yet to be announced. Read our full review of season one. Images: HBO.
Whether you're avoiding the wet weather across Australia's east coast, still in lockdown in Auckland or in need of a quiet one before the festive season kicks into gear, a stint of couch time may be on your weekend agenda. And while there's never any shortage of things to watch, here's something that might tempt your eyeballs: extremely cheap Disney+ subscriptions, plus a lineup of new movies and TV shows to go with it. This month marks two years since the Mouse House first leapt into the streaming game, so it's celebrating with $1.99 subscriptions. That's the rate for one month, and it's available until 6.59pm AEDT on Monday, November 15 — as long as you're either a new subscriber or a returning subscriber who doesn't current have an active subscription to the service. Disney+ is also fleshing out its catalogue with a number of new big-name additions, effective today, Friday, November 12. So, from tonight, you can watch Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings at home — just two months after it hit cinemas — or get nostalgic and merry with new Home Alone franchise instalment Home Sweet Home Alone. Action-adventure comedy Jungle Cruise is also making the leap to the service as part of regular subscription fees (after simultaneously launching on the big screen and on digital back in July, but for an extra fee for the latter). And, so is new Michael Keaton-starring drama Dopesick, with the TV series exploring prescription drugs, Big Pharma and opioid addiction in America. The Mouse House is also going big on existing fan favourites, thanks to the Frozen-related Olaf Presents, new short The Simpsons in Plusaversary, the first episodes from the second season of The World According to Jeff Goldblum, and Star Wars-centric Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett special. Plus, you can check out two Marvel specials about the making of Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings and Hawkeye's best MCU moments — although Hawkeye, the show, doesn't actually premiere until Wednesday, November 24. And, there's also The Making of Happier than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles, which follows on from the platform's Billie Eilish concert experience — as well as the Disney+ debut of the 2007 Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey-starring fantasy rom-com Enchanted. Disney+'s $1.99 subscription deal is available until 6.59pm AEDT on Monday, November 15 for new and eligible returning subscribers. For more information, head to the streaming platform's website.
There are plenty of ways to see out one year and welcome in the next. There are plenty of music festivals that offer that experience, too. But Woodford Folk Festival truly is an event like no other. When it sets up shop in southeast Queensland, it turns a patch of the Moreton Bay region into a thriving and heaving arts, music and culture village — and it's finally back to do it all again to farewell 2022 and greet 2023. Back in May, the festival announced that it would indeed return this year, hosting its first fest since 2019. And, it revealed its dates: Tuesday, December 27, 2022–Sunday, January 1, 2023. Now, it has also just locked in who'll be in the bill. It's an enormous lineup, as it always is — but it starts with Boy and Bear, Jaguar Jonze, Dani Im, John Butler and Electric Fields. Also on the program: The Black Seeds, The Black Sorrows, Gabriella Cohen, Spinifex Gum and Urthboy. Given that there's always around 2000 artists putting on 1600-plus shows across the festival's 25 stages, in venues that range from a 25,000-seat amphitheatre to chilled-out hangout spots, the list truly does go on. Whoever piques your interest, or even if you're just keen on a Woodford experience — for the first time, tenth or more — prepare to catch a heap of bands, wander between arts performances and get a little muddy, all around 90 minutes north of Brisbane. The festival will once again take over its Woodfordia parklands base, which now boasts a lake. And, as always, the fest's lineup spans everything from music, art, circus and cabaret to yoga, dance and comedy, plus spoken word, comedy, workshops, bars, cafes and restaurants. Tickets are already on sale, whether you'll be slumbering at one of the fest's multiple campgrounds or just heading along for the day. Whichever fits, you'll have company — more than 120,000 people attended and participated each year in pre-pandemic times. Find highlights from the 2022–23 lineup below, and check out the full list of acts and activities on the Woodford website. WOODFORD 2022–23 LINEUP HIGHLIGHTS: Alysha Brilla Andrew Small Anna Smyrk Ashley Watkins Band of Frequencies The Black Seeds The Black Sorrows Boy & Bear Catherine Britt Coterie Dami Im Dya Singh Electric Fields Electrik Lemonade Emma Donovan & The Putbacks Emily Lubitz Eric Bogle Fred Smith Gabriella Cohen Grace Petrie with Ben Moss Greg Sheehan Hello Tut Tut Hollow Coves Hot Potato Band Inn Echo Jacob Jolliff Band Jaguar Jonze The Jellyman's Daughter John Butler Keyim Ba Lior & Domini Liz Stringer Mama Kin Spender Marlon x Rulla Mia Wray The Monks of Tibet The Moving Stills Neil Murray Parvyn The Paul McKenna Band Rachel Bailman Rich Davies & The Low Road Sorong Samarai The Spooky Men's Chorale Spinifex Gum The Steele Syndicate Super Massive Tenzin Choegyal William Barton Urthboy Yirrmal The 2022–23 Woodford Folk Festival will run from Tuesday, December 27, 2022–Sunday, January 1, 2023 at Woodfordia on the Sunshine Coast. For more information, head to woodfordfolkfestival.com Images: Woodford Folk Festival via Flickr.
In the fight to help keep our planet healthy and firing on all cylinders, there's one little guy that can't be overlooked: the humble honey bee. These oft unsung heroes are crucial for pollinating the world's food crops, which means that our future food security relies on them thriving. Luckily, groups like Aussie not-for-profit Pollinator Alliance are spreading the word and helping to conserve our pollinator populations. Next month, the group is even opening a brand-new bee shed and bee school, creating not just a home for our insect mates, but a community space for educating and encouraging a new wave of backyard beekeepers. Making its home in Alphington at the Melbourne Innovation Centre, the Bee Shed was one of last year's winners of the Victorian Government's community grants initiative, Pick My Project. Thanks to the program, and strong community support and votes, Pollinator Alliance scored almost $200,000 in funding to bring its proposed venture to life. The project's using a double-whammy approach to help raise awareness about the bee's plight and its importance to our planet. Firstly, the onsite Bee Shed will act as a hands-on education hub and teaching apiary, where local beekeepers of all ages can head to for low-cost beekeeping tools, helpful resources and a program of workshops. Then there's the student-focused Bee School, which will visit schools across Melbourne, using display hives to teach budding future beekeepers about the ins and outs of pollination. The Bee Shed is kicking things off with Opening Day celebrations on Sunday, November 17. You're invited to head along to check out the new digs, take an apiary tour and even sit in on a beekeeping workshop. There'll be market stalls, live music, and plenty of CWA scones served with lashings of local honey. Find the Bee Shed at 2 Wingrove Street, Alphington from Sunday, November 17. To find out more, head to the Pollinator Alliance website.
If the impending winter chill has you dreaming of cosy nights spent quaffing drams of whisky, there's a new Melbourne-made creation that deserves a spot in your spirits collection. The team at the city's own Starward Whisky has just unveiled the latest edition of its Ginger Beer Cask series — and this spicy little number promises to keep those winter blues at bay. The sixth annual iteration of Starward's ginger-based program is its most experimental yet — French and American oak barrels were used to brew a citrus-filled ginger beer, which was then left to soak up maximum flavour. Next, the casks were emptied and then refilled with a blend of apera (a fortified wine) and single-malt whisky that had been previously aged in red wine barrels. The result is a boldly-flavoured ginger-forward drop with aromas of orange and dark chocolate, and a juicy taste full of vanilla and pineapple accents. Starward's experts say you can try the whisky any way you please, but they particularly recommend sipping it straight, perhaps alongside some good-quality dark chocolate. Either way, it's safe to say you can expect a very good drop — the last Ginger Beer Cask edition took out a gold medal at the World Whisky Masters, as well as a bronze at the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Competition. The special-edition spirit is always quick to sell out, and this year's release is pegged to be no different. In fact, after five increasingly popular runs, Starward is this year using a ballot system to determine who gets first dibs on buying the limited number of bottles available. To be in with a shot, register online before Sunday, May 9. Any remaining bottles will then be available to the general public for purchase on World Whisky Day on Saturday, May 15. And if you'd like to try before you buy, it'll be on the tasting roster at Starward's Port Melbourne distillery bar for a limited time. To get first access to Starward's Ginger Beer Cask #6, register for the ballot online by Sunday, May 9. Ballot holders will then get a few days to purchase a bottle, before any remaining stock goes on sale to the general public on Saturday, May 15. A 500-millilitre bottle will set you back $119, and will be available via the distillery's online store or at its Port Melbourne distillery shop.
As the federal government continues to drag its feet resettling refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict (Australia had managed about 6000 by last November. Canada by comparison, was at well over 30,000), it falls once more to the non-political professions to show the government where the hands go on the humanitarian clock. This time, it's hospitality's turn. On February 27, UNICEF Australia will partner with ten of the country's best chefs for a charity dinner celebrating Syria's strong culinary tradition. Three Blue Ducks in Roseberry will host the posse of gastronomers as they prepare a banquet comprising their signature dishes with a few Syrian flourishes. If you've never been at the mercy of za'atar, pomegranate, Aleppo pepper or tamarind, this could well be a revelation. Tickets are a steep $320 per person (plus booking fee), which includes canapés, cocktails on arrival, a shared Syrian-inspired feast and wine. It may seem on the surface like you're paying for the food, but ten professional chefs jammed into a single kitchen also suggests a night of great theatre. Bennelong's Pete Gilmore, Long Chim's David Thompson and The Bridge Room's Ross Lusted will be in the fray, with Paul Carmichael from Momofuku Seiobo and Ester's Matt Lindsay contending for next use of the colander with equal ferocity. If you've ever wanted to see Kylie Kwong trying to slice potato with steel wool or fighting a pitched battle for the top shelf of the oven, this could well be your chance. While the top guns will have their turn on February 27, UNICEF Australia is encouraging anyone with passing knowledge of an oven to contribute. Restaurants and cafes can produce a limited edition 'Syria' version of a favourite dish, of which a portion of the proceeds will go to UNICEF. For those who deal in culinary delight on a slightly smaller scale, bakes sales are your recommended course. While you're waiting for the oven to pre-heat, there's more information here.
New York's Museum of Modern Art isn't the only major international gallery to bring its wares to our shores this year, with an exhibition from London's Tate Britain gallery heading to Australia from December. Entitled Love & Desire: Pre-Raphaelite Masterpieces from the Tate and displaying from December 14, 2018 until April 28, 2019, it'll bring more than 40 of the Tate's beloved works to the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, in an exhibition that'll focus on the artistic movement that started in 1848. Iconic pieces such as John Everett Millais' Ophelia and John William Waterhouse's The Lady of Shalott will be making the journey as part of the showcase. Part ode to early Renaissance efforts, part protest against the prevailing creative traditions of the mid-19th century, pre-Raphaelite art was sparked by a group of rebellious artists eager to create something different to the art of the time — and their preferred style, featuring detailed, colourful compositions painted in thin layers with small brushes, certainly managed that. In addition to the pieces from the Tate, the exhibition will also feature an additional 40 works loaned from other British and Australian collections. Each will help highlight the themes of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, examine the different styles adopted by the various artists adhering to its principles, stress the importance of draughtsmanship and emphasise the movement's fondness for collaboration. "This exhibition includes some of the most loved and visited paintings at Tate — some of which have never before been seen in Australia," said NGA director Nick Mitzevich. Love & Desire: Pre-Raphaelite Masterpieces from the Tate will be the NGA's major summer exhibition, although it's not the gallery's only new addition come the end of the year, with Yayoi Kusama's pumpkin-filled infinity room The Spirits of the Pumpkins Descended into the Heavens set to join its permanent collection in December. Images: John Everett Millais, Ophelia 1851-2. Oil paint on canvas. Tate collection presented by Sir Henry Tate 1894. © Tate. / John William Waterhouse, The Lady of Shalott 1888. Oil on canvas. Tate. © Tate.
It's the American cable TV network everyone knows by name in Australia, even though it doesn't air here. We all know its famed television static intro clip, too. That'd be HBO, which keeps carving out a place in TV lovers' hearts because it just keeps delivering must-see television programs. The latest example: Scenes From a Marriage. If you know your classic Swedish TV, that name will be familiar. If that doesn't apply to you, this new miniseries is adapted from an iconic work by one of the best Swedish filmmakers ever — the late, great Ingmar Bergman. As its name makes plain, Scenes From a Marriage steps inside a relationship, and finds that it's hardly a picture of domestic bliss. This new version also stars two supremely watchable leads: Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain. Isaac was last seen on our screens saving the galaxy and fighting evil in Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker. Chastain last popped up in IT: Chapter Two and the straight-to-digital Ava. And if pairing them up sounds familiar as well, that's because they've already navigated a complex and fraying marriage in 2014's A Most Violent Year. Given how that turned out — phenomenally, that is — seeing the duo team up again promises to be a treat. HBO is positioning this miniseries as a "re-imagining", which means that it shouldn't fastidiously stick to the original's beats — and it'll jump to contemporary times. It'll still explore love, hatred, desire, monogamy, marriage and divorce, though. Writer/director Hagai Levi (In Treatment, The Affair) does the honours behind the lens — and, if you're keen for a sneak peek, HBO and Foxtel, which'll both air and stream the series in Australia, have just released a teaser trailer. The full series will drop sometime this September. And yes, thanks to everything from Watchmen, Chernobyl and The Undoing to I Know This Much Is True and Mare of Easttown, HBO has had a particularly great run with its miniseries recently. Obviously, that's yet another reason to be excited about Scenes From a Marriage, too. Check out the trailer below: Scenes From a Marriage is set to air on and stream via Foxtel in Australia sometime this September — we'll update you with the exact date when it is announced.
If the pandemic hadn't hit, Sydneysiders would've been able to peer at more than 150 items from Tutankhamun's tomb this year, all without leaving town. So would've Australians visiting the Harbour City, too, because Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh was due to display at Sydney's Australian Museum in 2021 — until the events of the past 15 months or so happened. While the King Tut showcase was sadly cancelled — with that news coming through back in March — the Australian Museum will still be diving into Egyptian history in the near future. Come summer 2023, the venue will play host to Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs. This time, there'll be more than 180 rare artefacts on display, all connected to a different pharaoh, including animal mummies, royal masks, amulets and other golden treasures from the ruler's tomb. Focusing on Egypt's third pharaoh from its nineteenth dynasty — a ruler also known as Ramses II, who reigned from 1279–1213 BCE — this showcase is set to be big. It'll be the largest collection of Ramses II items to ever leave Egypt, in fact, and will also mark the first time in more than three decades that items connected with the pharaoh have left their home country. So, as well as experiencing a slice of history, you'll be able to take a peek at objects that no one has seen outside of Egypt for 30-plus years. Created by World Heritage Exhibitions and supported by Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs will also let attendees enter the ruler's temples — virtually, via the first walkthrough of its kind. And you'll be able to watch the first full-length documentary that's ever been made about Ramses II's tomb, too. [caption id="attachment_816405" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Grey Nurse Shark at Magic Point off Sydney, Eric Schlogel[/caption] The exhibition will receive funding from New South Wales' 2021–22 budget, as part of $40 million that's being committed to get major cultural exhibitions from around the world to come to the state in the next four years. Also nabbing financial support from the state government, and also coming to the Australian Museum: Sharks, which the site is developing itself. As the name makes plain, it's all about the aquatic animals, and it's set to display at the venue from winter 2022 until summer 2023. "This funding will also help the Australian Museum to premier and globally tour one of the largest, most ambitious glimpses into sharks that any museum has ever produced," said Director and CEO of the Australian Museum Kim McKay AO. "The Australian and Pacific relationship with sharks is completely unique — we know them, we understand them, we live with them every day, and we're going to share this with the world." Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs will display at the Australian Museum, 1 William Street, Sydney, in the summer of 2023 — with exact dates and details yet to be announced. Sharks will display at the venue from winter 2022–summer 2023, with further details still to be announced. We'll update you with more information about both exhibitions when it is announced.
The Oscars might not be ready to acknowledge and celebrate women in film, but local Melbourne cinemas certainly are, especially on International Women's Day. In honour of the annual event, indie cinema Thornbury Picture House is screening three awesome films with women in key creative roles. Kicking things off at 2.30pm is the lush period-set French romance Portrait of a Lady on Fire, from director Céline Sciamma and cinematographer Claire Mathon. At 5pm, be inspired by a collection of short films called the Women's Adventure Film Tour, starring Aussie athletes like four-time World Champion cliff diver Rhiannan Iffland and climber Angie Scarth-Johnson. The last screening of the day will Autumn de Wilde's 2020 adaption of Jane Austen's beloved Emma at 8pm. On the site of a former car garage on High Street, Thornbury Picture House pays homage to its former life in its bar's aesthetic, so you can get down early (it opens at midday) for a glass of wine or a Two Birds Brewing beer among original garage features, recycled wooden furniture and green foliage. Whether you're planning to catch one, two or all three of the flicks, you can order antipasto from the local Italian restaurant, or fill up on popcorn and choc tops. [caption id="attachment_755894" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Portrait of a Lady on Fire[/caption]
Wearable art meets wearable music with this trendy idea from New York company Parte LLC. Playbutton is an mp3 player embedded in a badge, each one storing pre-recorded content like an album or mix-tape. Album artwork is printed on the badge, making your music taste an integral part of your fashion statement. Sure, you can't change the sequence of the music or download new content, but that's pretty much the entire idea. It's only fitting to hark back to older forms of music consumption (like listening to an entire album, rather than buying individual songs) when teaming it up with a retro-style fashion accessory. Each Playbutton weighs just 0.8 grams, making it 175 times smaller than a traditional iPod; and bands like Mount Eerie, Bubbles and Opening Ceremony are already on board. In fact all proceeds from the sales of Open Ceremony's Playbutton go to Musicians on Call, a non-profit in New York that brings live and recorded music to hospital patients who are unable to leave their beds. [Via NOTCOT]
Want to cover your walls with cool, original artwork without it costing you the roof over your head? Then head on down to the Royal Exhibition Building, for an art bazaar you can actually afford to attend. A three day celebration of design, print and illustration, Supergraph is a goldmine for artists and art lovers alike. Supergraph 2015 features dozens of exhibitors, ranging from long-established artists to the best and brightest young talent. The flavour is local for the most part, although The International Salon section showcases designers from America, the UK, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Thailand. Pieces start from as low as $30, ensuring that no one has to go home empty handed. But it's not just artists spruiking their wares. The Supergraph program is packed full of special events, from an opening night party with DJ Yo! Mafia to masterclasses on felt art, fashion illustration and tattoos. In between, you can chill out at the Food Truck Stop, snacking on bagels, donuts, tacos and more. For the full Supergraph program, visit their website.
It's time to mark your calendars for the National Cherry Festival, the ultimate celebration of all things cherry. This annual event is set to take place in Young, NSW (the cherry capital of Australia!) from Friday, December 1 to Sunday, December 3. In case you've never been, the National Cherry Festival is a three-day extravaganza that brings together cherry growers and enthusiasts from all over Australia. Get ready to indulge in delicious cherry treats, including fresh cherries, cherry pies, cherry ice cream and more. You can also enjoy cooking demonstrations, cherry-picking competitions, live music performances, and even a seed-spitting competition. For those looking for a more relaxing experience, there will be a Cherry Blossom Walk, showcasing the stunning cherry blossoms that bloom during summer in Young. It's also a chance to meet and learn from local artisans showcasing their products and crafts, the history of the region, the cherry-growing process, and the impact of cherries on the local economy. Since Young is a four-hour drive out of Sydney, be sure to book local accommodation in advance and get the full weekender experience to celebrate of the sweetest summer fruits. For more information on the festival and how to enjoy it, visit the website. We advise against wearing white clothing.
If you woke up this morning and got yourself a hankering for one of the best TV shows ever made, here's some good news: a big-screen prequel to The Sopranos is on its way. Fourteen years after HBO's hit mobster drama cut to black, creator David Chase has penned The Many Saints of Newark, which jumps back to Tony Soprano's formative years in the 60s and 70s. And, because family was always a huge part of the influential drama, the film's central role is played by Michael Gandolfini (The Deuce, Cherry) — son of the late, great James Gandolfini. The Many Saints of Newark hops into Soprano's story when he's a teen in the titular New Jersey city — a place under the sway of the DiMeo crime family, struggling with race relations and about to be caught up in the race riots of 1967. Young Anthony plans to go to college, but he also has a strong relationship with his uncle Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola, The Art of Self-Defense). Fans of The Sopranos will recognise the name, with Dickie the father of series regular Christopher Moltisanti. As the just-dropped first trailer for The Many Saints of Newark shows, Anthony's connection to his uncle will have a huge impact on his life — and on his path to becoming the ziti-loving, panic attack-suffering, hot-tempered mob boss that The Sopranos followed for six seasons between 1999–2007. Leaving a significant imprint on the film: the casting of the younger Gandolfini. Even from just this initial sneak peek, it's impossible to imagine this movie being made without him stepping into his dad's shoes. Whether director Alan Taylor, a veteran of The Sopranos, gives Journey's 'Don't Stop Believing' a whirl in the feature is yet to be seen. It doesn't pop up in the trailer, though. Of course, when the film releases in cinemas in September, The Sopranos aficionados can definitely look forward to spending time with a few familiar characters other than Young Anthony — including Corey Stoll (The Report) as Uncle Junior, Vera Farmiga (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It) as Anthony's mother Livia, and Billy Magnussen (Made for Love) and John Magaro (First Cow) as his future righthand men Paulie Walnuts and Silvio Dante. Leslie Odom Jr (One Night in Miami) and Jon Bernthal (Those Who Wish Me Dead) also co-star, while seeing Ray Liotta (Marriage Story) jump back into the gangster genre immediately conjures up memories of Goodfellas — the Martin Scorsese classic that also charted the rise of a young man within the mob. Check out the trailer below: The Many Saints of Newark releases in Australian cinemas on September 23.
