If you're in need of some rejuvenation, a weekend in Mansfield among stunning vistas and beautiful vineyards could be just for you. That's where Delatite Wines will be hosting its first Harvest Moon Festival from Friday, May 13–Sunday, May 15. Get ready to feel energised under a full moon — or, an almost full moon — as harvest comes to an end. The three-day event will be held at Delatite's new cellar door and restaurant. Kick off the festivities with a hot air balloon ride, then spend the weekend doing yoga among the vines, meditating and even indulging in a cold water submersion in the dam. There'll obviously be plenty of drops going around for tasting, plus a good balance of local produce markets and food trucks. And, you can also some fine dining with a fire-roasted feast by Pope Joan's Bente Grysbaek. The program also has a strong focus on sustainability through exploring all the natural elements, curating a wholesome experience that marries nature, wine and wellness. If you're keen, you can delve into the world of regenerative and open-gate farming, sustainable architecture and biodynamics thanks to the festival's seminar program. Then, to wrap things up, you can end the weekend with a free tree planting session. Some sessions are free, others are ticketed — and you can find the full program on the festival's website.
It might just be Australia's brightest festival: Parrtjima - A Festival In Light, which has just finished its fourth and most expansive annual program in Alice Springs. Shifting from the fest previous spring timeslot to autumn, the 2019 event attracted a record crowd of 25,000 — and, if you're keen to be among them next time around, organisers have announced that the fest will return in 2020. While exact dates haven't been revealed, the nation's first indigenous festival of its kind will light up the Red Centre in April, once again filling the region with dazzling light installations. This year's free ten-day public celebration of Indigenous arts, culture and storytelling included seven luminous displays gracing both the Alice Springs Desert Park Precinct and the Alice Springs Todd Mall. Expect a similar lineup — with all-new lighting pieces, of course — to feature next year. [caption id="attachment_715721" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Lighting the Ranges, Parrtjima festival, Alice Springs, Australia. 5/4/2019. Images courtesy Parrtjima / NTMEC[/caption] If you're already thinking about blocking out your diary, 2019's highlights might help cement your plans. Alice Spring's CBD was lit up with new installations and events, and just out of town, tourism and conservation facility Alice Springs Desert Park came alive with the festival's main attraction. Once again, a huge artwork transformed a two-and-a-half-kilometre stretch of the majestic MacDonnell Ranges, showering it with light from 6.30–10.30pm each night of the festival — and featuring an audio track voiced by Aussie acting legend Aaron Pedersen. Visitors were also able to immerse themselves in art and storytelling as part of the returning Ahelhe Itethe – Living Sands (Grounded), with installations projected onto the earth and accompanied by a striking soundscape. New additions to this year's lineup included an illuminated tunnel that attendees walked through as they enter the festival space, called Angkentye Anpernirrentye-kerte – The Language of Kin; an array of over-sized sculptures relaying the social history of First Nations station workers and their language of the land, dubbed Angkentye Stockmen Mape-kenhe – The Language of Stockmen; and a series of sculptured large-scale moths, badged The Language of Moths, in Todd Mall. There was also a huge maze for kids and a set-up of three bush taxis displaying works by First Nations artists. [caption id="attachment_715716" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Language of Kin, Parrtjima festival, Alice Springs, Australia. 5/4/2019. Images courtesy Parrtjima / NTMEC[/caption] With the news that Parrtjima will shine again, the Northern Territory will boast two glowing attractions in 2020 once again. The festival it's a nice supplement to Bruce Munro's Field of Light installation, which has been extended all the way through until December 31, 2020. Parrtjima – A Festival in Light runs until April 14, 2019 around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. For more information, visit the festival website. Images: James Horan.
There's no shortage of quality wineries in the Upper Yarra, but one that's quietly been going about its business for the last 25 years is Payne's Rise. Established by Tim and Narelle Cullen in 1999, the Seville-based operation has grown from early plantings of cabernet sauvignon into a focused, site-driven vineyard producing small-batch pinot noir, chardonnay, shiraz and cabernet. Now the business is celebrating its quarter-century anniversary with the launch of a new hospitality experience. Relaxed and welcoming in equal measure, a new wine-tasting area invites guests to sit, connect and reflect on the bounty in their glass. Another new space, the Elm Room, features sweeping Valley views and the chance to indulge in casual drinking and dining. Meanwhile, the existing function room, The Deck, has been expanded to house a larger kitchen and upgraded amenities to make gatherings and private functions even more special. Leading this new kitchen is Head Chef Yohan Kahandagama, who brings a global culinary perspective while keeping with the venue's dedicated approach to seasonal and local produce. Born in Sri Lanka and trained in Japan, Kahandagama has shaped a flavourful menu designed to pair with the estate's easygoing ambience and wine. Focused on slow food, expect dishes like lamb ragu gnocchi, rigatoni carbonara and seafood carpaccio. Complementing the cool-climate wines, this refreshed direction will help Payne's Rise build upon its reputation as one of the region's most respected family-run wineries. Named the Best Small Producer at the 2024 Yarra Valley Wine Show, the estate has also long held a 5-star rating from James Halliday, and received a respected nod by being included in The Real Review's Top Wineries of Australia 2024 list. This success hasn't happened overnight. According to Tim Cullen, it's been shaped by decades of careful vineyard management, an unwavering belief in minimal intervention and a steadfast connection to the local community. "Our vineyard has a clear voice now," says Tim. "And our winemaking is all about capturing that purity with honesty." With slow and thoughtful food joining its lineup of refined wines, Payne's Rise is finding ways to blend its rustic charm with a modern sophistication. The estate's acclaimed cellar door is integrated into the original 1860s homestead, while the winery continues to work alongside celebrated local winemaker Franco D'Anna. He puts the estate's success simply: "Winemaking is simple when the vineyard produces great fruit." Payne's Rise Wines is open Thursday–Sunday from 11am–5pm at 10 Paynes Road, Seville. Head to the website for more information. Images: Alex Jovanovic.
For cinephiles who like their movies dark, twisted, offbeat and out there, Monster Fest has been a beloved name on Australia's festival circuit for more than a decade. The event started back in 2011 as a Melbourne-only showcase of weird and wild cinema, and has expanded to hit up Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, too — because everyone deserves a strange and surreal (and sometimes chilling and horror-fuelled) night or several at the pictures. In 2022, Monster Fest is back for another whirl, although you're forgiven if that idea sounds familiar: earlier in the year, it hosted weekender mini fests to sate movie buffs' appetites. Now, it's time for the full festival experience, which unfurls over 11 days in Melbourne, again highlighting the latest and greatest in genre filmmaking. If it's a horror, sci-fi or thriller movie and it's destined for a cult following, you'll likely see it here first. When it gets things started at Carlton's Cinema Nova from Thursday, November 24–Sunday, December 4, Monster Fest 2022 will kick off with the Yuletide terrors of Christmas Bloody Christmas, which features a robotic Santa malfunctioning, then going on a murderous rampage. 'Tis the season and all that. From there, other standouts include Stephen Dorff- and Emile Hirsch-starring The Price We Pay, which begins with two criminals on the run and gets deadlier from there; The Offering, about a family battling an ancient demon; and Swissploitation flick Mad Heidi, which has its namesake fight fascist rule in a grindhouse frenzy. Or, there's On the Edge, the latest from American Mary filmmakers Jen and Sylvia Soska; Subject, the sophomore release by Australian Watch the Sunset filmmaker Tristan Barr; and Ribspreader, another Aussie effort, this time about getting rid of smoking — and smokers. Closing night features Kids vs Aliens, a coming-of-age sci-fi/horror effort that sees a house party gatecrashed by visitors from another galaxy as directed by Hobo with a Shotgun's Jason Eisener. Elsewhere on the lineup, even though the idea of people fighting to survive their way through a building isn't new by any means — see: High-Rise, Dredd and The Raid, for starters — French film Lockdown Tower is giving it another go. A must-see for everyone: the special presentation of Friday the 13th Part III to celebrate its 40th anniversary, as screening in 3D and 4K. And a word of warning: if you like your movies happy and chirpy, this clearly isn't your kind of festival. For everyone else, settle in.
Across its 12-season order to-date, the best episodes of Bob's Burgers have always resembled exactly what they should: a delicious serving of the meat-and-bread combination that shares the hit sitcom's name. There's a knack to a great burg — to a tastebud-thrilling, so-appetising-I-need-more-now example of this extremely accessible culinary art — and it's all about perfecting the absolute basics. No matter what else gets slotted in (and plenty of other ingredients can), every burger's staples should be the stars of the show. Indeed, a top-notch burg needn't be flashy. It definitely mustn't be overcomplicated, either. And, crucially, it should taste as comforting as wrapping your hands around its buns feels. On the small screen since 2011, Bob's Burgers has kept its version of that very recipe close to its animated, irreverent, gleefully offbeat heart. Unsurprisingly, the show's creators whip up the same kind of dish for The Bob's Burgers Movie, too. It's a winning formula, and creator Loren Bouchard knows not to mess with it while taking his beloved characters to the big screen. Co-helming with the series' frequent supervising director Bernard Derriman, and co-writing with long-running producer Nora Smith, he experiments here and there — in filmic form, Bob's Burgers is a tad darker, for instance — but he also knows what keeps his customers a-coming. That'd be the goofy but extremely relatable Belcher clan, their everyday joys and struggles, and the cosy little world that sprawls around their yellow-hued Ocean Avenue burger joint up the road from seaside fairground Wonder Wharf. Bouchard also knows that if you make something well enough time after time — be it a burger or a TV show that's spawned a movie; both fit — it'll be warmly, reliably and welcomingly familiar rather than just another helping of the same old nosh. With that in mind, it's a compliment to say that The Bob's Burgers Movie could've easily stayed on television, slotting in among the 238 episodes that precede it — but longer. Vitally, however, it doesn't ever simply feel like a few TV episodes simmered together. That can be the television-to-film curse, as Downton Abbey: A New Era demonstrated recently. Thankfully, as The Simpsons Movie and all three SpongeBob SquarePants films so far have also achieved, that isn't the case here. Instead, this super-sized stint in the Belcher family's company sports as much care, attention to detail, plot, gags, character-building moments, in-jokes, puns and musical numbers as a 102-minute portion of Bob's Burgers needs. It features the same colourful animation that works such a treat on TV, with added shadows for a cinematic feel, plus the lively voice acting that's the heart and soul of the show — but it's its own meal, and never merely four servings of fries passed off as something more substantial. As always, the action centres on the film's namesake — the diner where patriarch Bob (H Jon Benjamin, Archer) sizzles up punningly named burgs to both make a living and live out his dream. And, as the show has covered frequently, financial woes mean that Bob and his wife Linda (John Roberts, Gravity Falls) have more to worry about than cooking, serving customers, and their kids Tina (Dan Mintz, Veep), Gene (Eugene Mirman, Flight of the Conchords) and Louise (Kristen Schaal, What We Do in the Shadows). Their solution: a burger, of course. But their bank manager isn't munching when they try to use food to grease their pleas for an extension on their loan. That mortgage also involves their restaurant equipment, leaving them out of business if they can't pay up. As their seven-day time limit to stump up the cash ticks by, Bob sweats over the grill and Linda oozes her usual optimism — only for a sinkhole to form literally at their door. As trusty as Bob's Burgers gets, and still refreshingly committed to depicting the daily reality of its working-class characters, that above setup is the movie's buns. Layered inside are tomato, lettuce, cheese, pickle and beetroot, aka the narrative's well-balanced fillings. First comes a murder-mystery ensnaring the Belchers' eccentric landlord Calvin Fischoeder (Kevin Kline, Beauty and the Beast) and his brother Felix (Zach Galifianakis, Ron's Gone Wrong). Springing from there is Louise's determination to solve the crime to save the diner and prove she isn't a baby just because she wears a pink rabbit-eared hat. Then there's Tina's quest to make her crush Jimmy Jr (also voiced by Benjamin) her summer boyfriend; Gene's need to get The Itty Bitty Ditty Committee, the family band, a gig at Wonder Wharf's Octa-Wharfiversary celebrations; and Bob and Linda's attempt to sell burgs at the amusement park using a barbecue on wheels MacGyvered up by number-one customer Teddy (Larry Murphy, The Venture Bros). Meat-slinging, killer-hunting, carnival-frolicking mania and mayhem is the name of the game — dripping one-liners and puns, too, including the obligatory next-door store gag ("Sew You Think You Can Pants" is the film's offering) — and it all makes the leap to cinemas with well-oiled ease. So does the non-stop onslaught of quick gags, verbal and sight included; the extravagant musical numbers and action-flick-esque setpieces, which are all gorgeously choreographed even though they're animated; and the always-loose vibe that can entertainingly feel like the voice cast are just riffing. And, while it might've felt gratuitous, Bouchard and company's efforts to find space for plenty of the series' motley crew of neighbours and other supporting players is as natural as dipping chips in whatever sauce takes your fancy. Also part of this animated gem: robot aliens who hate music, a village inhabited by Wonder Wharf workers called Carnieapolis, fantasy horse rides, creepy skeletons and an underground lair that Wes Anderson could've dreamt up. And, obviously, the overflowing affection for its oddball family that's always made all things Bob's Burgers as engaging as it is firmly remains on the menu as well — as eagerly sprinkled with fondness for the Belchers' many quirks, their routine woes, and their daily efforts to just get by, be happy, love each other and enjoy their modest existence. Without that, The Bob's Burgers Movie would've just been any old film. With it, it's exactly what viewers have adored for over a decade. This show doesn't need to be your regular dish to fall for its charms, though. Whether it's your first bite or your 239th, it's a delight.
Are you already missing your summer routine of lazily re-watching old classics? The NGV have just the thing. Dripping with saturated colour and packed full of femme fatales, the photographs of Alex Prager will transport you straight back to the intrigue and drama of your favourite Hitchcock film. In this, her first solo show down under, you can see a vast array of her works ranging from 2007 until the present day. But, trust us: you'll walk out feeling as though you just took a trip to 1960s Hollywood. Highly reminiscent of the work of fellow US photographer Cindy Sherman, Prager's work often deals with issues of representation and reality; in particular a familiar kind of hyper-stylised retro femininity. In her aptly-titled Polyester series, Prager's women are clad in go-go dresses, wigs, thick slicks of liquid eyeliner and thrown into various uncertain terrains. Think: Twin Peaks in lurid technicolour. But to get the full force of this Lynch-inspired madness, you should head straight for her latest work Face in the Crowd. Conveyed via three-channel video, this complex and straight-up beautiful photographic series guides you through the heavily stylised crowds on American beaches, in train stations, movie theatres, airports and parks with the help of The Hunger Games' own Elizabeth Banks. Bonus: the artist has even curated a handy exhibition e-book to guide you through it all.
Leanne Failla's design practice involves investigating how objects play a role in shaping space and the 'intangible' influence objects play in our reading of physical locations. A collection of objects to retain from a collection of objects to discard sees Failla continue her long-held interest in this idea and introduces her own personal narrative by working with objects she owns and values – "reproducing their form using other objects in her possession". By using methods of deconstruction in her art practice, Failla dissects how objects shape space and our experience of it. Failla has previously exhibited her works at the Sheraton Hotel, Seventh Gallery and c3 Contemporary Art Space and has collaborated with Artland as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival. Failla is also the co-director of interior design practice Itself Studio, which she heads alongside fellow designer Jaime Vella. A collection of objects to retain from a collection of objects to discard is on at Blindside Gallery and runs from Wednesday, September 13 until Saturday, September 30. Image: courtesy of Leanne Failla.
Here's one way that 2025 is certain to dazzle: with Lightscape and its luminous path through the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne making a comeback this winter. Walking through stunning lights as far as the eye can see, moseying beneath a canopy of glowing multi-coloured trees, wandering between ribbons of flashing beams, taking the most lit-up route through nature that you can imagine — you'll be able to do all of this again, just like in 2022, 2023 and 2024. If you attended in past years, this fourth Lightscape stint does have surprises in store. 2025's event will feature 20-plus stunning new installations. So, no matter whether you're a veteran or a newcomer, you haven't seen this. Exactly what'll be on offer hasn't been revealed as yet, but it'll be on display from Friday, June 20–Sunday, August 10. Lightscape first hit Australia in 2022 after initially taking over gardens across the United Kingdom and the United States. Developed by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in the UK, it has understandably proven a huge success — and more than two-million people wandered along its glowing trails in a season overseas. 2024's Melbourne event featured the return of the popular Winter Cathedral, which is made out of glowing bulbs — and also the vibrant Laser Garden. Also included last year: Submergence, letting patrons move through suspended — and colour-changing — lights by the thousands, for instance, and Lili with its glowing three-metre-tall flowers. Whatever is on the agenda in 2025, prepare to see the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne illuminated by immersive and large-scale pieces scattered along that lengthy walking route, including sparkling trees, shimmering walkways and bursts of colour that look like fireworks. Prepare to feel like you're being bathed in radiance — and ample neon — as well. Pop-up food and drink stalls are usually a feature, too, as scattered throughout Lightscape — selling, we always hope, mulled wine to keep hands warm in the thick of winter.
Every year, Refugee Week sees thousands of refugee-inspired events take place around the world, to raise awareness of refugees' experiences and celebrate their contributions to society. Taking over Australia from Sunday, June 16 to Saturday, June 22, the 2019 festival is offering a myriad of film screenings, feasts, gigs, art exhibitions, theatre shows and more. The theme is #withrefugees and, more specifically, "share a meal, share a story". Get along to the Footscray Community Arts Centre from 6pm on Tuesday, June 18 to watch Chauka, Please Tell Us the Time, a film co-directed by Kurdish journalist Behrouz Boochani — who has been held in the Australian-run Manus Island detention centre since 2013. Or, over in Coburg from 6pm on Thursday, June 20, you can catch This Is Home, a documentary about four Syrian families starting a new life in Baltimore, US. All proceeds from the latter will go towards Second Stitch, a textiles studio run by refugees and people seeking asylum. Meanwhile, the Immigration Museum Discovery Centre in the CBD will run free screenings of Meet Fadak, an intimate documentary featuring 25-year-old lawyer Fadak Alfayadh who, 16 years ago, left Iraq as a refugee. If you're looking to feast, everything from celebration dinners to community lunches to coffee welcoming ceremonies are also on the agenda. In Australia, Refugee Week is coordinated by the Refugee Council. Image: Chauka, Please Tell Us the Time.
When news arrived that Brooklyn Nine-Nine is coming to an end after its upcoming eighth season, did it hit you a little harder because you've spent the past year binging and re-binging its latest batch of episodes? According to a rundown of Australia's most-rented and -bought video-on-demand titles from 2020, plenty of TV lovers spent the last chaotic year watching comedic cop antics. The show ranks second on the television list — and, across both film and TV, it has a heap of company. The Australian Home Entertainment Distributors Association (AHEDA) has released four top ten lists, all detailing exactly what Aussies were hiring and buying to watch online in 2020. Netflix did something similar late last year, when it reminded us all that we'd feasted our eyeballs on Cobra Kai, The Haunting of Bly Manor to Enola Holmes and Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness; however, this new rundown focuses on things you would've headed to digital purchase and rental stores to see (so, to services such as Google Play, YouTube Movies, Amazon Video, Apple TV, the Foxtel Store, Telstra Box Office and Fetch). With cinemas closed for months, a number of recent flicks then fast-tracked online, it's hardly surprising that movies that quickly jumped to digital proved popular. Jumanji: The Next Level topped the best-selling list, followed by Sonic the Hedgehog. Also now sitting in virtual movie collections around the country: Frozen 2, Joker, Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise Of Skywalker, Bad Boys For Life, The Gentlemen, Bloodshot, Scoob! and Ford v Ferrari. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyYgDtY2AMY Some of the above films also feature on the most-rented list, which Joker topped. Sonic the Hedgehog came in second again, with The Gentlemen, Jumanji: The Next Level and Gemini Man rounding out the top five. They were followed by 1917, Knives Out, Ford v Ferrari, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood and Hustlers. And, if you made an effort to support local fare while Australia's creative sector was affected by the pandemic, AHEDA has detailed which ten Aussie-produced movies received the most love. Ride Like a Girl came out on top, The Invisible Man took second spot and Miss Fisher and The Crypt of Tears nabbed third. Then came Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan, 100% Wolf, Go!, Peter Rabbit, Black Water: Abyss, Carl Barron — Drinking with a Fork and The Nightingale. On the TV front, Brooklyn Nine-Nine's seventh season was only pipped by Outlander's fifth season. On the rest of the televisio list: The 100's seventh season, Vikings' sixth season, The Undoing, Supernatural's 15th season, Big Little Lies' second season, Game of Thrones' eighth season, Chernobyl and the first season of Succession. AHEDA also noted that the Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter franchises were popular (unsurprisingly), and that digital purchases and rentals soared in April and May (again, to the surprise of of no one) by between 29–55 percent. To rent or buy any of of the above titles online, head to services such as Google Play, YouTube Movies, Amazon Video, Apple TV, the Foxtel Store, Telstra Box Office and Fetch.
The artists at Pretty Dirty Theatre will tread the boards at the Southbank Theatre, with an anarchic tale of insanity and obsession. A loose, contemporary adaptation of Hermann Hesse’s early twentieth-century novel Steppenwolf, The Lonely Wolf is the latest work featured as part of the Melbourne Theatre Company’s Neon Festival of Independent Theatre, which continues to showcase homegrown theatre-makers with unconventional voices. Written and directed by company founder Gary Abrahams, The Lonely Wolf (or an Incomplete Guide for the Unadvanced Soul) combines theatre and dance with the writing of psychoanalyst James Hillman. The aim is to provide an irreverent take on the philosophical drama found in Hesse’s source material, about a man divided between his human and animal personas. The Lonely Wolf runs from June 11 until June 21, with the June 14 show followed by an audience Q&A. For more information, visit the MTC Neon Festival website.
Chef Nobuyuki "Nobu" Matsuhisa is on his way to Melbourne. The renowned restaurateur behind Nobu – whose kitchens stretch from Beijing to Budapest to Beverly Hills – will host a pair of big ticket events at Nobu Melbourne with ten other Nobu chefs form around the world as part of Australia's first ever Nobu Festival. On Wednesday, March 15 and Thursday, March 16, chef Nobu will be joined by Mark Edwards of Nobu London and Chef Sean Tan of Nobu Melbourne for a two-hour masterclass in which they reveal the secrets behind some of their most celebrated dishes. Guests will get the chance to watch the chefs in action, while sampling the various dishes that have made the Nobu brand so iconic. You'll also take home a signed Nobu cookbook. The class kicks off from midday, with tickets no small investment at $225 per person. Thursday night will also see the visiting chef host an exclusive dinner and cocktail party, complete with canapés from Nobu menus the world over including signature dishes such as his Matsuhisa beef tataki and black cod with butter lettuce. Again, tickets are pricey at $155 a head — it is the Nobu, after all. Image: InterContinental Hong Kong via Flickr.
Concrete Playground recently caught up with Mexican-Canadian tech artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. Lozano-Hemmer is famous for art that lurks in public spaces, galleries and even beaches, amplifying passers-by into new creatures with a city-sized will. He's taking over a slice of the as-yet unfinished Museum of Contemporary Art over summer, with his hands-on exhibition Recorders. Lozano-Hemmer mashes-up tech, art and his audience, with an effortlessness that would leave the mechanism invisible — if he didn't then go on to scrupulously explain, in-situ, how his works work. How would you describe what do you do? I work primarily with the intersection of architecture and performance art. Most of my installations are in the form of either displays or lights, or sounds that react to the presence of the public. And to do that there are things like sensors and tracking systems, and biometric scanners which allow the artworks to detect the presence of people. I like always to reveal the mechanisms by which these works function. So oftentimes in my work you get to see the tracking systems, or you get explanations about what equations are at work to make a project happen. I pretentiously call it a 'Brechtian moment'. You remember how in Brecht, all of a sudden all the actors stop and just look at the public and say "Well, you know, this situation is just make believe. This is just a simulation of reality. We are actors. You're the public." So there's this moment where you all get back, anchored in reality. You've said one of the things you liked about an outdoor work of yours was that you had people outside in public, just hanging around and not shopping. It must be very interesting for you, watching the Occupy movements around the world. When it first started in Spain in May it was just so exciting. I'm from Latin America, so oftentimes protests and so on turn out to be these ideology-based, adversarial kinds of movements. And that's not what I saw with the Occupy movement, when it started in Spain. With the indignados ('indignant ones') it was mostly professionals, architects, dentists, students, professors, whatever. And they were just taking over public space. And that was just such a beautiful statement, and they did so in such a sophisticated way. The indignados started in Madrid, where there's a tradition of young people going out and drinking in the streets. There's a sense of ownership of the street. Real estate was so expensive that everybody lives with their parents. And so you needed to go out in order to see your friends. And that produced very lively street life. But it's also just a sense of being seen. It's almost as if the actual protest is the message all by itself. Just a we're here. Yeah. Just this idea of just occupying space is radical. You know, you're there. You're existing. Just spending time, and connecting, and being present, is in my opinion extremely radical. Especially in Latin countries where people used to just disappear under the dictators, the idea of just being there.. That's a really good way to understand the sense of presence and absence, in terms of the political dialogue. It's like "Yeah, what are you going to do? You cannot wipe us out. We think these things, and therefore we are taking space. These ideas take space." I just came back from Art Basel Miami Beach. Which is this art fair. I mean, I'm not a moralist. And I love money. And I love champagne as much as the next guy, but there is something really absurd about a system that only reserves this sort of superior cultural production to this tiny fraction of the population. And I'm telling you this because there was an Occupy Art Basel Miami. There were all these artists. You know, local artists and so on, and educators, camping out of Art Basel Miami saying "We can't afford the 50 bucks it costs to go in. And, even if we could, we would never be able to afford any of the art that is on display here." Something else you try to bring to people's awareness is the surveillance around them all the time. These technologies come mostly from a desire to control the public, a desire to seek out, search and detect suspicious activity. The surveillance aspect of my work is more about acknowledging this kind of darker, predetorial side of where these things come from. But then creating critical or poetic experiences with these very same technologies. I would love people to come out of Recorders with a sense of inclusion, a sense that these technologies are neither this Orwellian, ominous threat — it's already happened — and also not like an infantile, fun, hands on science experiment thing. In between those two extremes, there's a whole range of different poetry that is possible. Image courtesy and © Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. Photo: Ana Cristina Enriquez
If you're a fan of the Apple iPad be sure to pencil March 7, 2012 into your diaries. According to tech site iMore.com, this is the day that Apple will unveil the iPad 3 — or iPad HD. These predictions are in sync with AllThingsD's earlier report that the iPad 3 will be announced in the first week of March. In addition, Apple insider, Jim Dalrymple of The Loop, has indirectly accepted this rumoured announcement date with a solid "Yep." Citing "sources who have been reliable in the past", iMore suggests that features of the next-gen iPad are to include 4G LTE networking, a 2048 x 1536 Retina Display and a quad-core A6 processor. These are considerable upgrades when considering the current iPad 2's specs. Other circulating rumours anticipate an improved camera (either 5 or 8-megapixels), a HD front camera and the possibility of a mini 7" iPad. Considering Apple's world domination in the business of technology, one thing that's for certain is that you'll have to fight off a hoard of iPad-loving vultures before you can get your hands on Apple's newest edition to the iPad family.
Celebrate Australia Day with toasties and pavlova cocktails at Village Melbourne on St Kilda Road. Open from midday, the garden bar and bistro is bringing back the Trailer Park for a day of food truck-catered revelry in the sun. There'll be toasties by Toasta, sausages from The Snag Society and mouth-watering burgers courtesy of The Dude Food Man — plus a self-serve frozen yogurt bar and alcoholic icy poles. Alcoholic icy poles! And did we mention the pavlova cocktails? We've never been so proud to be Australian.
The best and brightest in new queer cinema is coming to Melbourne cinemas — and to couches around the country as well. When the Melbourne Queer Film Festival returns from Thursday, November 18–Monday, November 29, it's embracing big-screen sessions via a huge 145-film lineup. And, for folks who can't make it along in person, including everyone outside of Melbourne, it's also screening more than 40 flicks online. That's the film festival dream these days, giving movie lovers the flexibility to sit in a darkened theatre or watch along from home. You'll need to attend in person to make the most of MQFF's opening night, however, with the 2021 fest — the event's 31st, in fact — kicking things off with a gala screening of powerful animated documentary Flee at The Jam Factory. Other highlights include moving drama Great Freedom, which hits MQFF after picking up a prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival; closing night's Fanny: The Right to Rock, about female rock band Fanny; the Los Angeles-set Summertime, which focuses on 25 of the city's residents as their lives intersect; French romance Anaïs in Love; and the Udo Kier-starring Swan Song. Or, there's also striking Albanian drama The Hill Where Lionesses Roar; Dramarama, a coming-out comedy about theatre kids; the St Vincent and Carrie Brownstein-starring The Nowhere Inn; and South Korea's A Distance Place.
MPavilion, Queen Victoria Gardens' pop-up building designed by Barcelona architect Carme Pinós, is hosting one of the year's largest collections of free events — 400 of 'em, to be exact. This year's bioluminescent-themed program is inspired by Pinós and will take over the gardens from October 9 to February 3 2019. Focusing on inclusion, women in leadership and the architecture of education, the four-month program spans live music, dance performances, talks, workshops and installations — all located inside Pinós' floating geometric structure. Many of these events aren't what you'd expect, either. Think dog walking adventures, fashion shows, regular morning yoga sessions, guided meditations and contemporary dance classes. Hands-on workshops include one with designer Vicky Featherston Tu, in which participants build a pedestrian-only city using origami techniques. A discussion on beekeeping and baking and a talk on building video game worlds and virtual reality experiences are on offer, too. Two massive parties will take over the space as well — first a Halloween ball on October 27, and then a marriage equality celebration on November 17 (featuring JOY 94.9 radio and the city's best queer DJs). There'll be plenty of local and international musicians on throughout the four months, including weekly gigs at Friday Night Fiestas. Other highlights include Hope St Radio's live broadcast on October 27, a performance by emerging Indigenous singer-songwriter Alice Skye on November 18, and a series of Bakehouse Studios' secret rehearsal sessions, with the artists announced the day before. Plus, Cuba's La Buena Vida Social Club will play three Sunday arvo sessions on October 14, November 11 and December 9, with special sangria served at the kiosk during these shows. If you're interested in the strictly architecture and design side of things, discussion topics include: 'the future is gender neutral design', 'how to start and sustain your creative project', 'perfectionism: pressure to be perfect' and the 'living closer together: symposium'. There'll also be five panel talks on Indigenous built environments with architecture forum BLAKitecture, including 'women's business' and 'Indigenising procurement'. To meet this year's MPavilion designer, you can catch a talk with Pinós on October 9, titled 'the land on which we stand'. For 2018, they've also signed on writer-in-residence Maddee Clark and artist-in-residence Esther Stewart, who will explore the intersection between architecture, writing and art. Stewart will also create a large-scale interactive installation that'll fit alongside Pinós pavilion, open from December 24–January 6. MPavilion will return to Queen Victoria Gardens from October 9–February 3, 2019. To check out the full program, head to the MPavilion website. Images: Bec Capp
Multicultural Arts Victoria's annual Asian-Australian arts and music festival, Mapping Melbourne, is wrapping up with a big closing night party under the stars at the crisp, white lines of this year's MPavilion structure. Dubbed Medium Spicy, the free party will celebrate the creativity and diversity of Melbourne's Asian-Australian community with an all-femme lineup. Party curator and creative collective Big Bao has cued up Melbourne artists Aarti Jadu and ZK king for live sets, with experimental pop artist PRINCI (pictured) coming down from Sydney to headline the night. As the sun sets on the lush Queen Victoria Gardens, Felicity Yang and Big Bao DJs will be spinning tracks into the night. Medium Spicy is just part of a huge and diverse MPavilion program of talks, performances, workshops and installations, which continues until March 22. An on-site kiosk is open from 9am daily, serving up Three Thousand Thieves coffee, Four Pillars Gin, wines by ShadowFax and Sample Brew beers. Sounds like a perfect excuse for a picnic in the gardens before the party kicks off at 5.30pm. Image: PRINCI by Kristina Yenko.
Looking for a perfect Christmas present for that special someone in your life? Here's another artisan market to add to your yuletide hunt. On Saturday, December 19, more than 70 designers and stallholders will descend upon Melbourne Town Hall for the Melbourne Made Gift Market, selling handcrafted gifts and tasty treats all day long. Among the local makers announced for the event are ceramic jewellery specialist and O Design, paper artists Cheerio Paper Co., street and homeware designers Neon Pear, and leather crafters The Leatholic. Alternatively, if you're after pressies of the edible variety, you can snap up chocolates from Orna's Choc Rocks, balsamic vinegar from Sticky Balsamic and delectable cakes from Bethany Claire Cakes. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. To really get your shopping list in order, check out the event page on Facebook, here.
There's something unwaveringly, undeniably appealing about French cinema. Whether you're hooked on the industry's characteristically stunning cinematography, rawness of storyline, or you simply prefer watching films in a language other than English, French films continue to prove some of the world's most captivating. Haven't watched much French cinema? Lucky for you, and hardcore Francophiles, the annual Alliance Française French Film Festival is just around the corner, starting in Sydney on March 7 with a strong 45-film lineup. While you're waiting for the festival to begin, whet your appetite with a few older releases you might have missed from the last year or so. All five of these films capture stories that are often ignored in mainstream media and will make you cry, laugh, and reflect. BANDE DE FILLES (GIRLHOOD) Set in the banlieues (suburbs) of Paris, Céline Sciamma's Girlhood follows Marieme (Karidja Touré), a teenager who drops out of school and joins a badass crew of fellow young, black, female dropouts. A beautiful celebration of black femininity and female friendship, this award-winning coming-of-age story screened at Cannes in 2014, then received four nominations at the 40th César Awards, including Best Director for Sciamma and Most Promising Actress for Touré. Available to stream on Stan, to rent on Dendy Direct, Quickflix, Google Play and Microsoft. QUAND ON A 17 ANS (BEING 17) This touching story by André Téchiné and co-writer Céline Sciamma explores the sexual awakening between two French teenagers who, on the surface, couldn't be more different. The relationship between Damien (Kacey Mottet Klein) and Thomas (Corentin Fila) is intimately-observed and full of a raw electricity that you can almost feel through the screen — making its Golden Bear nomination at the Berlin International Film Festival a no-brainer. Pack your Kleenex for this one. No streaming available now, rent on iTunes, Microsoft, Google Play and Pathe. DHEEPAN This timely film by revered director Jacques Audiard tells the story of three Sri Lankan refugees who pose as a family to receive asylum in France. Its title character (played by Antonythasan Jesuthasan) is a former Tamil militant who hopes to build a new life and forget the horrors of his past. Awarded the Cannes Palme d'Or in 2015, the film is a compelling snapshot of the contemporary immigrant experience in Europe. Available to stream on Stan and Foxtel Play, to rent on Dendy Direct, Quickflix, Google Play, PlayStation and Microsoft. DIVINES The winner of the 2016 Cannes Camera d'Or, Houda Benyamina's directorial debut is an exhilarating drama that centres on the intense friendship between two young women, Dounia (Oulaya Amamra) and Maimouna (Déborah Lukumuena). Confronted by their limited prospects in the outskirts of Paris, the pair soon fall into drug dealing, attracted by the opportunity to make a quick buck. Oscillating gracefully between moments of sheer joy and pain, this powerful social commentary is packed with memorable scenes. Prepare yourself for the gut-wrenching, if somewhat over the top, ending. Available to stream on Netflix. LA BELLE SAISON (SUMMERTIME) Set in the 1970s, this stirring love story between farm girl Delphine (Izia Higelin) and radical feminist Carole (Cecile De France) is an ode to self-liberation and discovery. On a whim, 24-year old Delphine decides to leave her rural town and move to Paris, where she meets — and falls in love with — Carole, a Spanish literature professor and feminist activist. Directed by Catherine Corsini, the film skilfully captures the complexities of navigating individual desires with familial and societal expectations. If you've seen a streaming/renting option let us know, otherwise buy from Palace Cinemas' shop. Watch them all before the Alliance French Film Festival kicks off. Want to win tickets?
Come summer in Melbourne, you won't just see stars on cinema screens — you'll sit beneath them while you're watching a movie. That's what Rooftop Cinema promises each and every year, and the first part of its 2019–20 program certainly delivers. First stop: Joaquin Phoenix in Joker. Kicking off on the first day of summer (conveniently a Sunday) and running through until March 2019 (with the second half of the program still to be announced), there's plenty more movie fun where that came from. Haven't had a chance to see Bill Murray and Adam Driver hunt zombies in The Dead Don't Die? Keen to check out Renee Zellweger's exceptional performance in Judy? Want pretend you're watching an 80s Elton John in Rocketman? You'll find them all on the lineup. Don't forget that checking out classics on the big screen is all part of the Rooftop Cinema experience as well, though. This year's retro contingent includes tributes (Good Fellas, The Shawshank Redemption, Spirited Away, Raising Arizona, Clueless) and all manner of Christmas hijinks (Love Actually, Home Alone and Die Hard) If there's ever been a reason to spend your evenings outdoors for the next few months, this is it. Rooftop Cinema takes place in the Melbourne CBD, on top of Curtin House, Swanston Street (between Little Bourke and Lonsdale Streets). The bar opens daily between 11am and 1am, with films starting at 9.30pm in December and January. The February and March program will be announced in late January.
There's plenty of people who go around collecting art and putting it in their house. But how about turning your home itself into an artwork? That's exactly what Aussie-born, New York-based artist Ian Strange will be doing this weekend in Richmond. For this Saturday and Sunday only, he's projecting a site-specific illumination onto a family home on Clifton Street. Passersby will see a huge red dot covering the doorway, framed by concentric circles: a bit like an interpretation of the eye of a dartboard. Titled OPEN HOME, the work aims to explore ideas of suburban isolation. On one hand, the home appears as a shelter — on the other, it is vulnerable and at risk of demolition. The piece is one of many by Strange investigating the meaning and architecture of the buildings in which we live. While creating the illumination on Monday, October 2, Strange documented the process in detail. The result is a collection of photographs titled Twenty-Five, which will be on display in the home's front bedroom, next to another series called Forty-Eight. Meanwhile, spread across the other bedrooms, bathroom and living room, you'll find Shadows, a group of photographs and videos that Strange created in Western Australia during 2015 and 2016. The former explore changes to post-war red-brick dwellings, while the latter document Strange at work in the light of dawn. Rounding out the exhibition are two sculptures. Elliot Terrace (2013) features a cut from a New Jersey home that's since been demolished, while Framework (Kenyon 3) (2017) is from a series of site-specific installations that explore the role of frameworks and architectural drawings in the creation and imagining of homes. OPEN HOME is located at 25 Clifton Street, Richmond and will be open from 10am – 6pm on Saturday, October 7 and Sunday, October 8. For more info on the series, visit ianstrange.com.
Your regular commute is now an immersive art experience thanks to Melbourne Art Trams, which has returned for its sixth year as part of the Melbourne International Arts Festival. The moving exhibition sees eight trams transformed into moving, public works of art, with seven new commissions and one reproduction of a classic 80s piece. And the first one hit the tracks just this morning. Designed by Gunditjmara woman Hayley Millar-Baker, who hails from southwest Victoria, the train's monochromatic art explores personal and collective connections to country, land, flora and fauna. If you'd like to catch it, you'll find it rolling along the 11 (West Preston to Victoria Harbour Docklands) and 86 (Bundoora RMIT to Waterfront City Docklands) routes. The project is a revival of Transporting Art, a program which, between 1978 and 1993, saw 36 hand-painted trams launch across Melbourne. Among the most memorable was a W-Class tram by the late expressionist artist David Larwill, created in 1986 as part of the United Nations International Year of Peace. This year, it has been faithfully reproduced, with the help of digital photography and adhesive. This one will hit the tracks tomorrow, Friday, October 5. The remaining six trams will be rolled out over the rest of the month. They'll boast art from psychedelic street artist Oli Ruskidd; Year 9 student Valerie Tang; Nick Howson (best known for Richmond's Tigerland mural); creator of Fitzroy's Pool Parade, Stephen Baker; Oslo Davis, whose weekly cartoon Overheard has been amusing readers of The Age for longer than a decade; and Troy Innocent, whose interactive tram design will become animated when viewed through a mobile phone with an augmented reality app. Images: James Morgan
Over the past few weeks, Victoria's COVID-19 situation has changed rapidly, resulting in the reintroduction of strict stay-at-home orders for all of metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire. As part of reimplemented lockdown rules currently in place for at least six weeks, residents of both areas can only leave their homes for one of four reasons: for work or school (if you can't do this from home), for care or care giving, for daily exercise, or for food and other essentials. And, if you do venture out for one of these reasons, you'll now be required to wear a face mask. Since Friday, July 10, the Victorian Government has advised that Victorians living in metro Melbourne and Mitchell Shire should wear masks when leaving home and where physical distancing is not possible. Now, on Sunday, July 19, Premier Daniel Andrews has advised that everyone over the age of 12 in those areas now must wear facial coverings in the above situations. To give folks time to purchase or make face coverings, the rule will only be officially enforced from 11.59pm on Wednesday, July 22; however, the government asks that "for those who can, please start wearing yours immediately". Specifically, metro Melbourne and Mitchell Shire residents will be required to don facial coverings if "you are out of your home for one of the four permitted reasons", Premier Andrews explained, while also announcing that the state has recorded 363 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. "Just as you remember to take your keys when you leave the house, you need to remember to take something to cover your face — to help keep you and our community safe". He stressed that it needn't be a mask, with scarves, bandanas and other pieces of fabric also sufficient. "This is on the advice of the Chief Health Officer that it's a relatively simple thing, but it's also about embedding behaviour which I think is just as important on the other side of this second wave as it is in bringing these case numbers down," Premier Andrews continued, advising that adhering to the new requirement is an important step to hopefully avoid further lockdown conditions. "If we see people wearing masks, so all of us when we're out and about for those four lawful reasons are wearing masks, then that will mean it is less likely we have to move to things like only doing that daily exercise, for instance, in your own local postcode. Or things like saying you can only go shopping within a certain radius or certain distance from your home." The new mandate regarding masks is compulsory and will be enforced from the aforementioned date — so you will be fined $200 if you don't comply from 11.59pm on Wednesday, July 22. That said, Premier Andrews also noted that "common sense will be the rule here". He provided examples: "if you're out running, part of your daily exercise, then it may not be practical to wear the mask while you are running. But you should bring the mask with you and you should wear it before and after you have gone for your run. There'll be some other environments, for instance, where you're going into a bank, then you would need to take your mask off. If you worked at a call centre, then it may be very challenging for you to perform your duties wearing a mask". If you're now wondering which type of face mask is best, where to get them or how to make your own, the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services website has put together a guide — as well as instructions on how to whip up masks at home. You'll also find information about how to wear a mask correctly, how to take it off, and when to wash and replace it. For more information about wearing face masks, and the Victorian Government's advice for metro Melbourne and Mitchell Shire residents, head to the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services website.
After a stint in Heath Ledger's hometown, this stunning exhibition is making its way east to Canberra's National Film and Sound Archive. Celebrating the Perth-born actor's charisma, exemplary career and passionate creativity, Heath Ledger: A Life in Pictures is a must-see for all Ledger fans. Put together by AGWA, the WA Museum and guest curator Allison Holland, the exhibition follows Ledger's career from his teenage years up to his final role in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009). You'll get to see costumes — including the Joker suit from The Dark Knight and the shirts he wore as Ennis del Mar in Brokeback Mountain — alongside research journals (on display for the first time) that grant an insight into how Ledger developed his roles. Also included in the show are photographic portraits by the likes of Karin Catt and Bruce Weber, Ledger's Best Supporting Actor Oscar and BAFTA, and a chronological narrative of his career — including his own experimentation with image making and creative projects as a director. Promises to be a bittersweet reminder of just how talented Ledger was, and what even greater heights he would have gone on to achieve.
If you tend to do all your best thinking in the shower, then pay attention. We know it's difficult to keep track of all those deep thoughts as you lather, rinse, repeat; but never fear, AquaNotes are here. Shower-thinkers can now write down their genius ideas on AquaNotes, a waterproof notepad that can be hung in the shower. The paper is made from soy-based ink, so it can absorb water and still be written on when it gets wet. Accompanied by a cedar wood pencil, this revolutionary piece of stationery will never let a good idea be forgotten. Whether you have a revelation about how to stop world hunger or just remember what you meant to buy at the grocery store, AquaNotes will be just a few feet from the soap dish to save the day. Bubble bath thinkers are not excluded, as AquaNotes are durable enough to be used all the way underwater. To boot they're recyclable and environmentally friendly. https://youtube.com/watch?v=p-7zABpEN3E [via Whathecool]
Crack open a beer and catch a movie under the stars at Geelong's openair theatre. Popping up at the Little Creatures Brewery (where they also brew Furphy) over summer, the Furphy Outdoor Cinema will screen a selection of classic flicks films while serving up top-notch grub and ice cold bevs. Fancy a trip down the Princes Highway? Lighting up the night on four consecutive Wednesday evenings, the season begins on January 9 with Jurassic Park. That'll be followed by Pulp Fiction on January 17, Happy Gilmore on January 23 before the season comes to a close on January 30 with Fight Club. Doors at the Furphy Outdoor Cinema open at 8pm for an approximately 9pm start. Entry is via the brewery canteen, which will be serving up food until 10pm.
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.
If you happen to be in Thailand in February and you spy Harry Potter's Jason Isaacs, Mission: Impossible's Michelle Monaghan, The League's Leslie Bibb and all-round icon Parker Posey, congrats: you will have spotted some of the cast of The White Lotus season three in the country to film the hit HBO show's next batch of episodes. The best new series on TV in 2021, and one of the best returning series of 2022 as well, The White Lotus is heading to the Asian nation after spending season one unleashing ultra-lavish hell in Hawaii and season two getting scathing in Sicily. Season three's location isn't new news, but the fact that Isaacs (The Crowded Room), Monaghan (The Family Plan), Bibb (God's Favourite Idiot), Posey (Beau Is Afraid), Dom Hetrakul (The Family) and Tayme Thapthimthong (Thai Cave Rescue) will be experiencing a chaotic getaway — or somehow involved with a White Lotus hotel — is a fresh development. [caption id="attachment_934932" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Crowded Room[/caption] The Mike White (Brad's Status)-created, -written and -directed series will also bring back a familiar face from its first season, as it did in season two. As fans of the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning drama know, sadly Jennifer Coolidge (We Have a Ghost) won't be returning, unless the anthology series tells a prequel in the future, gets the undead involved or makes heavy use of flashbacks. Someone she spent a heap of screen time with in The White Lotus' debut season is popping up again, however: Natasha Rothwell (Wonka) as Belinda Lindsey, the spa manager who had been hoping to get Coolidge's Tanya McQuoid to invest in her dream business. Rothwell, Isaacs and company will obviously have more company, but that's the full list of cast members that've been revealed for now. No storyline details have been unveiled, and neither has a premiere date — but you'll be waiting till 2025 to see what happens in The White Lotus realm next. [caption id="attachment_934934" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Beau Is Afraid[/caption] The show will shoot its third season in Koh Samui, Phuket and Bangkok, with HBO partnering with the Tourism Authority of Thailand "to support the filming and promotion of the third installment", the US network advised. Yes, expect everyone you know to want to vacation in Thailand as a result. Thapanee Kiatphaibool, the country's Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, certainly does. "Thailand has long been considered one of the world's favourite filming locations. The White Lotus project will certainly strengthen the kingdom's status as a preferred filming destination and a beacon of experience-based tourism, inspiring even more visitors to amazing Thailand," Kiatphaibool said in a statement. Based on past seasons, the nation will backdrop a searing — and supremely entertaining — takedown of one percent, their lavish getaways, their deep-seated problems, and the gross inequality between the haves and have nots. And, it'll spark sleuthing, given that someone winding up dead has been part of all prior seasons as well. HBO announced that it was bringing The White Lotus back for a third go-around mere episodes into season two. Originally, the show was meant to be a one-and-done miniseries, but it was that excellent (and that popular) that it's now running with the anthology setup. White has hinted at focusing on "death and Eastern religion and spirituality" in season three. "It feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus," he said in a clip at the end of season two's finale. There's obviously no trailer yet for The White Lotus' third season, but you can check out the trailers for seasons one and two below: The White Lotus' third season will arrive sometime in 2025, but doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when one is announced. The first and second seasons of The White Lotus are available to stream via Binge in Australia and Neon in New Zealand. Read our full reviews of season one and two. The White Lotus images: Fabio Lovino and Mario Perez / HBO.
We've all heard the jokes about how many folks it takes to change a lightbulb, but here's a new situation to ponder: how many people are needed to turn your overhead light fixtures into a gorgeous mini hanging garden? The answer involves designer Richard Clarkson, possibly someone to help you install a new light (depending on how handy you are), and your plant-loving self. Clarkson has come up with the ultimate way to add a dash of greenery to any room courtesy of Globe, the terrarium lamp. It's as simple as it sounds, involving a suspended handblown glass ball with an intergraded LED light source. And, it's as visually spectacular too, coming complete with a thin power cord that makes the orb look like it's floating, as well as a dimmer letting you control the level of brightness surrounding your new ball of nature. The Globe comes in two sizes — diameters of 12" and 8" — and Clarkson's website also includes instructions about the best types of plants, how to layer everything in the best way, and watering recommendations. While they were designed as a hanging terrarium, with the shape of the glass magnifying the greenery inside to provide a new viewing perspective, they can also be filled with water. Prices range from US$210 - $460, and they ship internationally. Via: inhabitat. Images: Richard Clarkson Studio.
Come hear the music play at the eighth annual Melbourne Cabaret Festival. Returning to Chapel Off Chapel in Prahran as well as The Butterfly Club in the Melbourne CBD, this year's festival will feature almost two full week's worth of shows from established and emerging cabaret performers from all around the country. The fun begins on Tuesday, June 20 with a dazzling opening night gala emceed by the festival's artistic director Dolly Diamond. The famous diva will also feature in her own show, Dolly Diamond: The Lady is a Tramp, featuring tales of her "life, loves and (alleged) lascivious behaviour". Other standout shows on the program include Queenie van de Zandt's Blue: The Story of Joni Mitchell and Jon Jackson's Queen of Broadway: The Ethel Merman Story, plus Australia's Boys of Motown featuring Vincent Hooper, Richard Swanson and Barnaby Reiter. You can view the full lineup here.
If you're a well-off manchild who's ever defiantly moved out of home all grown up-like, stole all your mum's tupperware and turned your old room into a storage space because you're great and responsible and have your own Medicare card, Bondi Hipsters' new Old Spice ad will strike a few chords. The Australian follow-up to the bang-up hilarious viral 'Mom Song' brought out by the deodorant branding geniuses in January this year, 'Old Spice Man Song' (or Mahn Song) has been crafted by Bondi Hipsters for our own market. Both focused on the fact that Old Spice apparently makes you an immediate Man, the 333-riders have put less focus on freaky couch-dwelling, son-clingy mums and more on dudes who move out of home and think they're big ol' grown ups. Bondi Hipsters Dom and Adrian play two dudes breaking the news to Dom's possibly North Shore-looking mum that he's moving because he's a mahn with a cool leather wallet and a Swiss-made watch, whose beard grows quicker and chest hair grows thicker because of Old Spice. Of course it does, you've seen what happened to this guy. Watch the Bondi Hipsters' Old Spice ad here: https://youtube.com/watch?v=TuiKdWz6IKo Then revisit the US-version 'Mom Song', just for kicks. https://youtube.com/watch?v=JEbpbNTkIdk Via Junkee.
Melburnians of a certain era will be more than familiar with the giant golden pheasant statue that once loomed large beside the Princes Highway, signalling the entrance to Gumbuya Park. While the bird is no more and the Tynong North site has had a name change and a revamp — and is now home to water, wildlife and theme park Gumbuya World — there's still plenty of nostalgia to go around. And there will be even more so later this year, when the park pulls together a lineup of musical heroes for its inaugural Gumbuya Sounds of Nature festival. Taking over the beloved venue for an evening of live tunes on Saturday, November 30, is a cast of deadset Aussie legends. Pop icon Daryl Braithwaite will be hitting the stage to belt out classics like 'As The Days Go By' and 'The Horses' and is joined on the bill by renowned rocker and former INXS lead singer Jon Stevens, chart-topping songstress Vanessa Amorosi and noughties favourites Thirsty Merc. Acclaimed guitarist Phil Ceberano will also be there, throwing down hits from across the late 20th century, while X-Factor Australia alum Reece Mastin takes the stage to show off his own new sound. You can nab a ticket for the general admission grass area from $93, with seated tickets starting from $116. While the music kicks off at 4.30pm, we suggest heading in earlier to explore the park and have a splash around.
Buy this for a dollar: a history-making gay rom-com that's smart, sweet, self-aware and funny, and also deep knows the genre it slips into, including the heteronormative tropes and cliches that viewers have seen ad nauseam. Actually, Billy Eichner would clearly prefer that audiences purchase tickets for Bros for more that that sum of money, even if he spent five seasons offering it to New Yorkers in Billy on the Street while sprinting along the sidewalk and yelling about pop culture. Thinking about that comedy series comes with the territory here, however, and not just because Eichner brought it back to promote this very movie. Starring and co-written by the Parks and Recreation and The Lion King actor — with Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the Bad Neighbours franchise's Nicholas Stoller directing and co-scripting — Bros both presents and unpacks the public persona that helped make Billy on the Street such a hit: opinionated, forceful and wry, as well as acidic and cranky. No one person, be it the version of himself that Eichner plays in the series that helped push him to fame or the fictional character he brings to the screen in Bros — or, in-between, his struggling comedian and actor part in three-season sitcom Difficult People, too — is just those five traits, of course. One of Bros' strengths is how it examines why it's easy to lean into that personality, where the sheen of caustic irritability comes from, the neuroses it's covering up and what all that means when it comes to relationships. The movie does so knowingly as well. It's well aware that Eichner's fans are familiar with his on-screen type, and that even newcomers likely are also. Accordingly, when Bros begins, Eichner's in-film alter ego is shouting about pop culture and being adamant, grumpy and cutting about it. In fact, he's on a podcast, where he's relaying his failed attempt to pen a script for exactly the kind of flick he's in. A mainstream, studio-produced gay romantic comedy that starts out riffing on the difficulties of making a mainstream, studio-produced gay romantic comedy? Yes, that's Bros. ("Am I going to be in the middle of some high-speed chase and all of a sudden fall in love with Ice Cube?", Eichner asks as the feature's protagonist Bobby Lieber.) A film about a gay man known for a biting and droll disposition, starring a gay man similarly known for that type of biting and droll disposition? Yes, that's Bros as well. It's also a movie that makes fun of Hallmark rom-com schmaltz while featuring one of the US network's go-tos — that'd be Sense, Sensibility and Snowmen, A Shoe Addict's Christmas, Christmas in My Heart and The Mistletoe Promise's Luke Macfarlane — and a flick blasting Schitt's Creek some scorn while charting a comparable queer storyline. So, it's a feature that wears its obviousness and its contradictions in tandem, purposefully and proudly. Eichner's Bobby is 40, just received an LGBTQIA+-community Best Cis Male Gay Man award and has a dream gig setting up America's first national queer history museum. Rom-com logic, which Bros heartily subscribes to, means he has to discover his seeming opposite in a memorable way: a gay dance party where he complains to shirtless probate lawyer Aaron Shepard (Macfarlane) and finds sparks flying. How Stoller and Eichner handle this scene says plenty about the film, and the authentic view of gay romance, dating and sex it's committed to. Neither man — Grindr-swiping, emotionally unavailable, hardly content as they both are — is anything but himself. For Bobby, that means awkwardly flirting, getting furious when Aaron disappears mid-conversation, tracking him down and telling him about it, but also being non-committal and even angry for being attracted to him. For Aaron, it involves continuing to breeze around the party like nothing out of the ordinary has happened; "I'm supposed to fuck him and his husband later," he tells Bobby about two other buff, sweaty guys on the dancefloor as they're chatting. Even when the genre isn't giving the world the first romantic comedy about two gay men to be released by a major Hollywood studio — the first romantic comedy both written by and starring an openly gay man as well, and also one with an entirely LGBTQ+ main cast — rom-coms adore Bros' basic scenario. In the broad strokes, there's plenty that's universal in the overarching storyline about opposites attracting, the chaos that springs, and the risks and vulnerabilities it takes to love someone. Still, even when it's nodding to Meg Ryan's filmography and also managing to be a Christmas flick as well — and when it's brightly shot and bouncily paced, which is always — this is never a movie where its leads just happen to be gay. A straight couple couldn't just be subbed in with zero changes, and the chief aim is never to show that the same stock-standard struggles plague everyone in matters of the heart regardless of sexuality. Instead, Bros is brimming with detail specific to being a gay man today. That's true in the throuples, group sex and "must see pic of ass" dating-app requests that spark a hunt for ring lights and razors, and in the commentary about tragedy-heavy mainstream queer movies that typically catapult heterosexual actors to Hollywood awards. And, it echoes in the short but hilarious gag about a fictional new app called Zellweger, "for gays who want to talk about actresses and go to bed". Bros spans further, however, examining how Bobby has internalised a lifetime of homophobia directed his way, how that's shaped the persona he projects to the world, its influence over his romantic outlook and his underlying self-criticism. When the film also ponders why he's so conflicted about Aaron, and so acerbic and cynical towards parts of queer culture and its stereotypes, it digs into the same ideas — with a joke always mere seconds away, but with both thoughtfulness and heart. Bros remains unashamedly frothy, although never syrupy or saccharine. It's predictable, even if you've somehow only ever seen one rom-com before now. It runs on charm, care, warmth and insight, though — and more than enough eagerness to make the most of making history. There's just as much willingness, too, to add weight and heft to the picture's gay take on rom-com conventions, all amid Debra Messing appearances, Cher gags, Fire Island's Bowen Yang having all the fun as a rich investor, and the savvy bickering between Bobby's museum colleagues about the infinite shades of the rainbow gleaming in the LGBTQIA+ community. Crucially, there's an engaging and heartfelt boy-meets-boy story at the core of it all, as brought to the screen with two well-matched and affecting performances, in a movie that's determined to be equally honest, pioneering and entertaining.
Sydney residents are currently in lockdown due to the city's growing wave of COVID-19 cases; however, they now can't head to Victoria even if stay-at-home conditions ended. In response to New South Wales' expanding coronavirus outbreak, its southern neighbour has closed its borders — to the entirety of NSW, and also to the Australian Capital Territory. Coming into effect 1t 11.59pm yesterday, Sunday, July 11, Victoria has declared NSW and the ACT red zones under its traffic light-style system for grading other regions of Australia according to their COVID-19 status. That colour coding means that Victoria will only allow the state's own residents who've been in NSW or the ACT to obtain permits to return home; however, they'll then need to get tested and quarantine for 14 days. If you're not a Victorian resident and you've been in either state or territory, you are no longer be able to enter Victoria without an exception, exemption or other valid permit (and, if you try, you'll be fined up to $4957). For folks who live in the NSW–Victoria border region, you can cross the border without a permit, but you will need to have proof of address with you. That said, you can't enter if you have been to a red zone outside of the cross-border area — or if you have COVID-19, any symptoms, or you're classed as a close contact of a positive case. https://twitter.com/VicGovDH/status/1414102690523607043 The closure comes just over a year since the border between New South Wales and Victoria closed for the first time in more than 100 years back in July 2020. Before then, it last shut in 1919 during the Spanish Flu. Victoria had already classed parts of the state, including all of Greater Sydney, as red zones in response to the current outbreak — a move that date backs to last month. The latest change has been put in place as NSW's coronavirus cases continue to spike, with 77 new locally acquired cases reported on Sunday, July 11 — and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian noting that she expected the number for today, Monday, July 12, to be more than 100. In a statement, the Victorian Government said that "with case numbers continuing to increase in New South Wales, Victorian public health authorities are concerned about the risks of transmission beyond current red zones in Greater Sydney and surrounds, and the potential risks this poses to the Victorian community from people entering our state." Residents of the Greater Sydney, Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour regions have been under lockdown for more than two weeks, with those conditions tightened on Friday, July 9. A July 16 end date for lockdown has been announced previously, although, with case numbers continuing to climb, it now looks extremely unlikely that the stay-at-home period will end then. You can find out more about the status of COVID-19 at the NSW Health and Victorian Department of Health websites. Top image: Mulwala Bridge by Yun Huang Yong via Flickr.
If you're in Sydney's CBD and can hear helicopters overhead, that's because Barack Obama is in town. According to 7 News, the former president of the United States touched down at Sydney Airport around 1pm and has since made his way — as part of a motorcade — up Oxford Street and into the CBD. .@barackobama at @SydneyAirport. The former U.S. President will be speaking at the @ArtGalleryofNSW tonight. https://t.co/0rfycPrrqA #7News pic.twitter.com/FJgJVxgpi3 — 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) March 23, 2018 Obama is in Sydney for an exclusive private event hosted by the New Zealand United States Council at the Art Gallery of NSW tonight, Friday, March 23. He comes via Auckland, where he spoke last night. At the moment, it doesn't look like there will be any road closures or changes to traffic. Unfortunately the talk is not open to the public, but if you head to the AGNSW, you might be able to get an IRL sighting of the former president. Although you may not be able to get very close — security will be understandably tight.
Public holidays are wonderful, with Australia currently experiencing its usual autumn run of them — and loving it. The one big side effect: they always get everyone thinking about enjoying more than just a day or two off work. Yes, you're likely now in holiday-planning mode, and Virgin's latest sale wants to help. Forget staying local, or even just heading somewhere around the country. This batch of discounted fares is all about island getaways overseas. Bali, Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu, here you come — because they're the spots that the airline is slinging cheap return flights to right now. The love islands flight sale runs until 11.59pm AEST on Monday, April 24 — unless sold out earlier. And while prices start at $429, that'll get you there and back. In that specific instance, that's how much it costs for Gold Coast–Bali airfares. Other specials include Adelaide to Bali from $489, Brisbane to Fiji from $489 and Melbourne to Samoa from $729, as well as Sydney to Fiji from $469 and Perth to Vanuatu from $909 — all with economy lite fares. If you're wondering when you'll need to travel, it depends according to route, but the sale is largely clustered around October–December 2023 and January–March 2024. To some destinations, you can go in May and June 2023 (and avoid the start of Australia's winter, too). As usual when it comes to flight sales, you'll need to get in quick if you're keen to stack your next year or so with island trips. Virgin's love islands flight sale runs until 11.59pm AEST on Monday, April 24 — unless sold out earlier. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
When your last festival screened 48 films to 168,000 people around Australia, what comes next? It's a problem many events wish they had, however, in their 28th year, the Alliance Française French Film Festival is on the case. With the massive celebration of Gallic cinema continuing to draw huge crowds, the beloved annual festival is offering up more of the same. The lineup has changed, of course, but the eclectic nature audiences have come to expect of the event is back. Kicking off on March 7 in Sydney before touring to Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart, Parramatta and Casula until April 9, the 2017 program begins and ends with a bang — or, with two very different journeys. In pole position at the start of the fest sits The Odyssey, an adventure-filled biopic focused on famous oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, and co-starring Audrey Tautou as Cousteau's wife Simone. Then, after running through the bulk of its 45-film selection, the fest comes to a close with maternal comedy A Bun in the Oven, featuring The Bélier Family's Karin Viard as an unexpectedly expectant 49-year old. In between, the AFFFF delivers on two fronts: stars and a vibrant array of big screen stories. There's plenty of both. The former includes 2017 Oscar-nominees Isabelle Huppert and Natalie Portman, with Huppert showing up twice — playing a woman with a secret past in the rom-com Souvenir, and a philosophy professor in Things to Come — and Portman joining forces with Lily-Rose Depp (yes, Johnny's daughter) in Planetarium. Depp also stars with French singer-actress Soko in The Dancer, while Marion Cotillard does double duty too in romance From the Land of the Moon and the Xavier Dolan-directed family drama It's Only the End of the World. Inglourious Basterds actress Mélanie Laurent co-directs environmental doco Tomorrow, the great Gérard Depardieu takes a road trip in Saint Amour, and one of the last roles played by Amour's Emmanuelle Riva, as an elderly aunt in Lost in Paris, also features. Elsewhere, the 2017 fest tells the tale of the first popular Afro-Cuban artist of the French stage in Monsieur Chocolate starring The Intouchables' Omar Sy opposite James Thierrée (aka Charlie Chaplin's grandson), examines the real-life circumstances surrounding a pregnant nun in The Innocents, dives into coming-of-age affections with Being 17 and gets ghostly with the haunting Daguerrotype. Or, viewers can catch Juliette Binoche at her most slapstick in farcical detective effort Slack Bay, and enjoy the kind of moral dilemmas the Dardenne brothers explore so well in The Unknown Girl. Looking back as well as forwards, a two-movie retrospective steps into the court of Versailles courtesy of the Marie Antoinette-centric Farewell, My Queen and music drama Mozart's Sister. Plus, if all of the above isn't enough for the most eager film buffs, dedicated cinephiles can take A Journey Through French Cinema for 191 minutes of movie history. The Alliance Française French Film Festival screens at Melbourne's Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Kino Cinemas and The Astor Theatre from March 8 to 30.
Netflix viewers, toss a coin to your new favourite watering hole — the only spot in Melbourne (and Australia) that'll bring The Witcher, Stranger Things, Squid Game and more to life while you're sinking a brew. For five days only, the Who's Watch Inn will pop up in Carlton, offering fans of the streaming platform's hit shows a unique pub experience. Always wanted to throw down a beverage or several while sitting under a mounted demogorgon head? Yes, that's on the menu. Also on offer: coveting the piggy bank jackpot, reclining on Emily in Paris' Parisian garden bench and just generally feeling like you've stepped inside (and you're drinking inside) your Netflix faves. That covers the food and drinks menu, too, which'll showcase pub grub favourites and themed tipples — including the 'Emily in Parma' (taking on the old pub classic, obviously) and a Squid Ink Dark Ale. Even better: everyone who drops by the Who's Watch Inn will get a free drink on arrival (although there is just one per person). That's probably all the excuse you need to head to the Clyde Hotel across the Netflix takeover's five streaming-worshipping days, running from Wednesday, September 28–Sunday, October 2 (open from 7–11pm on Wednesday, 12–11pm on Thursday, 11am–1am on Friday, 12pm–1am on Saturday and 12–11pm on Sunday). The Who's Watch Inn will also host a Netflix pub trivia night on Thursday, September 29, plus a comedy evening on Friday, September 30 featuring Urzila Carlson, Nazeem Hussain and Melanie Bracewell live — and all events are free. Bookings are recommended, and if you're wondering why the themed watering hole is happening at all, that's because it's been a big couple of days for Netflix — all thanks to a celebration that the streaming platform calls Tudum: A Netflix Global Fan Event, where the company drops details about and trailers from its upcoming slate. That's why you might've seen a sneak peek at The Crown season five, a trailer for Dead to Me's third and final season, and a clip from Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story over the past few days, for instance.
Every day is like a party at Moon Dog's sprawling Preston venue Moon Dog World, so expect big things for its New Year's Eve celebrations. If you're partial to an early kick-off, the doors will be open from 11.45am for lunch, with appearances from all the usual gang, including the barbecue bacon burger and the charcoal chook with chips and gravy. The bar's going to be slinging $15 jugs of the new Fizzer seltzer, as well as whipping up special Fizzer slushies to help you keep your cool while kicking back by that indoor lagoon. And, of course, there's the bar's hefty lineup of house beers on tap, available throughout the day. Come 5pm, the DJ decks will be firing up the sounds of Total Giovanni, Close Counters, MzRizk and Melburnerz, spinning until the wee hours. [caption id="attachment_744574" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kate Shanasy[/caption] Entry to this one is free, with both bookings and walk-ins available. At 12,000 square metres, there's plenty of space here to see out 2020 with a bang. Top image: Kate Shanasy
It's been a big, chaotic year here in Melbourne — and that calls for one heck of a send-off. Whether you're eager to see the back of 2021 with a few champagnes in hand, or looking to set a cheerier tone for 2022 by bouncing into it with DJ tunes and a good ol' d-floor session, a slew of Melbourne bars, pubs and restaurants are happy to help. From fancy dinners and cocktail soirees to dance parties and rooftop shindigs, we've scouted out a big bunch of New Year's Eve events you can add to your calendar right now. Some are ticketed, some are free — all promise to have you marching out the year that was in style. Round up the crew and lock in one of these New Year's Eve happenings now. CENTRAL [caption id="attachment_787570" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nick & Nora's by Brook James[/caption] Arbory Bar & Eatery: A glam Versace-inspired shindig with DJs, free-flowing drinks and canapes. Book here. Whitehart: A free laneway party with sounds from Afrodisiac, Claddy and more. Panda Hot Pot: Open as usual for your New Year's Eve hot pot feasting. Nick & Nora's: A ritzy masquerade ball with Dom Perignon, caviar and canapes, plus a cheeky bar tab to spend throughout the night. Book one of two packages here. Robata: Enjoy tunes from DJ Kazuma Onishi while tucking into a set menu of Robata favourites. Book one of two sittings here. Chancery Lane: This chic New Year's Eve dinner will see you indulging in seafood hors d'oeuvres, wagyu sirloin and more, across four or five courses. Book one of two sittings here. Dom's Social Club: A rooftop do starring free-flowing magnums, lots of other quality sips and DJ sets, to enjoy while soaking up a primo view of the fireworks. Book here. NORTH [caption id="attachment_645872" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Welcome to Thornbury[/caption] Welcome to Thornbury: Trip back to 1999 at this Millennium-themed party, featuring food trucks, bottomless booze, old-school DJ tunes and two different package options. Book here. Moon Dog World: A free-entry brewery party with plenty of tap beers and seltzer, plus dance-friendly tunes from Airwolf Paradise, Hip Hop Hoe and more. RSVP here. New Guernica: This beloved club is putting its new Smith Street home through its paces, with a huge New Year's Eve party. It'll feature a solid lineup of DJs playing across two rooms, plus roving entertainment and champagne at midnight. Nab tickets here. The Provincial: While its rooftop party is sold out, this Fitzroy pub's still got passes available for its ground floor and level one NYE celebrations, featuring DJs and pumping dance floors from an easy $25. Book here. The Everleigh: This lavish masked soiree will star a special one-night-only menu of signature cocktails, plus chic snacks and plenty of champagne. Dig out your finest black-and-white threads and book here. Welcome to Brunswick: Relax into the new year at this cruisy beer garden bash, complete with barbecue eats, backyard games and bottomless beers. Book one of two packages here. SOUTH [caption id="attachment_764366" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Firebird, by Parker Blain[/caption] Matilda: A decadent four- or five-course feast filled with both signature and special-edition dishes. Book one of two sittings here. Bang Bang: A rollicking New Year's do complete with roving entertainment, DJs, menu favourites from the kitchen, and an hour of power dedicated to espresso martinis. Book here. Firebird: A five-course, fire-licked mod-Asian feast, with bubbly on arrival. Book here for one of two sittings. The Emerson: This rollicking rooftop party will see you sending out the year with four hours of drinks, entertainment all night long and bubbly at midnight. Book here. Pawn & Co: Farewell 2021 while ripping up the dance floor to sounds from the likes of TBIB, Gaz Kempster and Sarlece. Book here. EAST [caption id="attachment_717781" align="alignnone" width="1440"] Moon Dog OG[/caption] Fargo & Co: A buzzing NYE house party starring five hours of free-flowing drinks, roving canapes and entertainment, with a VIP option also on offer. Book here. Starting early? The venue's also hosting a special bottomless brunch, at 12pm and 3pm. Waygood: A generously-packed evening of good times, where you can look forward to a soundtrack of party hits, a menu full of Euro-inspired favourites and spritzes aplenty. Pop by for casual afternoon drinks or book the main event here. Moon Dog OG: This free brewery shindig is set to feature a bunch of beer, seltzer and cocktail specials, to enjoy while you're belting out the karaoke tunes. Book here. The Corner: A shimmering NYE rooftop party with DJs playing through the night, roving canapes and a four-hour drinks package. Plus, prizes for the best dressed punters. Book here. WEST [caption id="attachment_797549" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Holmes Hall, by Parker Blain[/caption] Mr West: Spend the night sampling top-notch fizz at this pet-nat party, featuring a huge range of vino, pizza specials and a variety of sipping packages. Book here. Holmes Hall: A free party starring all the usual tap brews and house cocktails, along with an all-night menu and sounds by DJ Ashley Smyth. Book here or walk in. Top Image: Whitehart
The United States Transport Security Administration has found a new use for Instagram. As of last month, they're displaying photographs of a selection of the goods that have been confiscated at the U.S. border. The online album is certainly not designed to put the mind at ease. Already photographed are a stun gun posing as a Marlboro packet, a knife disguised as a credit card, several knives, a range of guns, a selection of hand grenades and a collection of fireworks. The Instagram account is an addition to the TSA's blog, which provides a weekly 'review' of prohibited items discovered in luggage in various US airports. In the week leading up to July 5th, the authorities claim to have seized 30 firearms, 27 of which were loaded. Advice is also on offer. For example, 'What Not to Say at an Airport: "Take care of my bag; it might blow up"' and 'You can travel with firearms in checked baggage, but they must first be declared to the airline.' Gun laws, anyone? [via PSFK]
There are plenty of ways to describe something that's fun while it lasts, but finishes up prematurely. And yes, many of them could be followed by "title of your sex tape". So, with US TV network NBC announcing a few months back that beloved sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine will come to an end after its next season, we're sure you've been thinking about Jake Peralta's favourite retort for a while now. We're sure the phrase will be uttered at least once in the show's final batch of episodes, too — which will air in America in August. B99 is due to wrap up its police-focused comedic antics with a ten-episode eighth season, which will launch following the Tokyo Olympics, NBC has just announced. Just when the show's latest instalments will surface Down Under hasn't yet been revealed, though. In Australia, SBS has fast-tracked recent seasons — so fingers crossed that we'll be farewelling the Nine-Nine crew at the same time as our overseas counterparts. When those final episodes hit screens, it'll be your last chance to spend time in Brooklyn's fictional 99th police precinct, and with Peralta (Andy Samberg), Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero), Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz), Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio), Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews) and Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher) — and even Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker) and Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller). Well, other than binging your way through the show's entire run again and again, a pastime that will never get old. Whenever any B99 news arrives — happy or sad — there are plenty of appropriate ways to mark this development. You could break out a sorrowful yoghurt, Terry Jeffords-style. If you're more like Captain Raymond Holt, perhaps you'd like to treat yourself to a trip to a barrel museum. You could also channel your inner Gina Linetti (Chelsea Peretti) and dance about your distressed feelings, organise your entire house as you know Santiago would, or say cheers to Peralta by watching Die Hard over and over. And, to fill the time until the new episodes drop, you can also watch this cool cool cool B99 training video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaoBN_e9Om0 Brooklyn Nine-Nine's eighth and final season is set to air in the US from August 2021. We'll update you when an air date Down Under is announced.
It's mid-August, so you should probably start getting your New Year's Eve plans in order. Victorian NYE festival Beyond the Valley has just announced the lineup for their celebrated four-day festival in Lardner, Victoria and it's pretty bloody good, so could be a solid option. Just four festivals old, the Victorian festival is still pretty fresh on the New Year's circuit, starting out in 2014. Despite this, they've managed to secure a rather colossal lineup, featuring charismatic rap headliner Schoolboy Q, Sydney electro legends The Presets, falsetto-flaunting folk favourite Matt Corby, UK grime gem Stormzy, East London 'wonky funk' singer Nao and 21-year-old Channel Islands-born producer Mura Masa. Beyond the Valley takes over Lardner Park, Warragul, Victoria from December 28 to January 1. Anyway, here's what you came for. BEYOND THE VALLEY 2017 LINEUP: Schoolboy Q The Presets Matt Corby Stormzy Mura Masa Stephan Bodzin (live) Little Dragon 2MNANY DJs (DJ Set) Adana Twins Âme (live) Amy Shark Andhim The Belligerents B.Traits Crooked Colours Cub Sport Cut Copy Dean Lewis DMAs Dom Dolla FKJ GL George Maple Harvey Sutherland & Bermuda Hayden James Hot Dub Time Machine Ivan Ooze Jack River Lastlings Late Nite Tuff Guy Marek Hemmann Meg Mac NAO Patrick Topping Pleasurekraft The Preatures Princess Nokia Ruby Fields Sampa The Great San Cisco Skegss Beyond the Valley is happening December 28 to January 1 at Lardner Park, Warragul, Victoria. Presale tickets on sale Wednesday, August 16, with general tickets on sale Thursday. August 24, from www.beyondthevalley.com.au. Images: Beyond the Valley.
I've sung in lots of choirs in my time. The Australian Youth Choir, for example (is it just me, or was that just so incredibly nineties?) My high school choir, the NSW School's Spectacular combined choir, the Newtown Community Choir, to name a few more. Sure, singing in choirs is one of the many nerdy things I have done in my life so far. But there's nothing quite like the buzz you get from uniting together with other singers as one voice. It gets me through my one obligatory visit to church at Christmas time: I'm a carol-singing tragic. Composer Eric Whitacre believes singing in unison to be a fundamental part of human experience. His Virtual Choir project uses technology to bring people together from around the globe to sing his compositions. The first experiment in 2010 saw 185 singers from 12 countries posting videos of themselves to YouTube singing one of the 4-part harmonies from Whitacre's piece Lux Arumque. Whitacre had previously uploaded a video of himself conducting the piece in silence which participants could watch as they sang their parts. The next installment of the project is a performance of Whitacre's Sleep, and is set to be unveiled on April 7 2011. The choir has increased 100 fold, with over 2000 voices from 58 different countries now taking part. Part of the beauty of it all is the prospect of so many individuals alone at their computer screens, who are nevertheless together as part of a bigger picture, sound and purpose. https://youtube.com/watch?v=zyLX2cke-Lw https://youtube.com/watch?v=D7o7BrlbaDs [Via TedEX]
Everyone loves dessert. In fact, some of us even indulge in a cheeky "second dessert" when the evening calls for it. But now you can indulge in an epic five course dessert, thanks to Syracuse head chef and all-round legend Philippa Sibley. Affectionately known as the Queen of Desserts, Philippa will host her first event at the restaurant this November. Those with a sweet tooth are invited to join what will be a breathtaking degustation, with matched drinks to boot. Guests will start with the Snow White & Rose Red (strawberry soup, coconut sorbet, rhubarb and rose) before moving on to tasting the Meyer Lemon Tart. Third course comes in the form of Hansel & Gretel (a pineapple tart satin with Speculoos ice cream) before the Teddy Bear's Picnic comes out to play (a toasted lavender ice cream sandwich with pear sorbet, blueberry jam and honey). Saving the best for last is Sibley's take on the much loved chocolate bar in the Syracuse Snickers. A selection of cocktails, wine, mocktails and soft drinks will be matched to the offerings by the restaurant's talented bar staff.
Looking for a delightfully different designer piece? Want to dress up your walls with a Whiteley? Need to hit refresh in your furniture department? Or, simply dreaming of a Hermès handbag or a pair of Gucci earrings? Design Icons by Leonard Joel is here for you. This November, the auction house is hosting a series of viewings and live auctions that hold a spotlight to the best of design. From Friday, November 11 till Sunday, November 13, head to University Place in Clayton to view the collections that are ready and waiting to go to the highest bidder. More like an exhibition of the impeccable pieces, even if you're not looking for your next forever-piece, it's still guaranteed to be a fascinating culture trip (and the ideal time for you to cut your auction-teeth if you're new to the scene). When will the collections meet the gavel? Modern Design on Monday, November 14, Luxury on Tuesday, November 15 and Prints and Multiples on Wednesday, November 16. The renowned Aussie auction house is a far cry from the dusty antiques and outdated estate sales your brain might first conjure. And, if you've ever been intimidated by an aggressive auctioneer, you need not worry either. Design Icons is redefining the auction experience, making investing in a piece of fine fashion, furniture or art fresh, fun and a whole lot more affordable (plus, you'll be bidding on pieces that are bespoke, vintage and limited edition). Leonard Joel knows what its doing — having done it for over a century. Whether you have your heart set on something or you simply want to check out a unique retail experience, Design Icons is set to deliver a treasure trove of both experiences and pieces. Design Icons by Leonard Joel is hosting viewings from Friday, November 11 till Sunday, November 13 and auctions on Monday, November 14; Tuesday, November 15; and Wednesday, November 16. For more information and to browse the catalogue ahead of time, visit the website.
The next dancefloor filler from 'Love Tonight' favourites SHOUSE is on its way, but it needs your help in the best possible fashion: by taking part in a huge music party that'll fill Melbourne's St Paul's Cathedral for RISING 2024. For one of the Victorian capital's major annual arts festival's big commission for this year, Ed Service and Jack Madin are overseeing Communitas — where hundreds of people will make tunes, then a single will be released. Free to attend, Communitas wants its participants to form a choir; however, not only using their voices but dancing and making sound vibrations is on the agenda. Think of it as a huge gathering that's also a jam and a ritual, composing collectively and spontaneously as everyone parties and communes. There's no audience here, just folks joining in, connecting and chasing shared joy. The date to pop in your diary: Saturday, June 15, for what's certain to be a standout event on the full RISING lineup. The entire program of art, music, installations and performances for the fest's third year runs from Saturday, June 1–Sunday, June 16. Jon Madin is creating handmade instruments for participants to use, while Deep Soulful Sweats is in charge of the choreography. While the end result is something to experience, the single that springs will give everyone who is there a songwriting credit as it aims to share the fun beyond Communitas' one massive night.
Winter's coming to a close and we found one way you can end the chilly season on a very toasty high note, involving a lavish, three-course cheese-filled feast. On Wednesday, August 21, star cheesemonger Anthony Femia (Maker & Monger) is teaming up with Arbory Bar & Eatery to deliver a one-off winter dinner that's sure to warm those cockles and fire up those tastebuds. The menu kicks off with one seriously dreamy entree, featuring no less than three different kinds of cheese, alongside fresh baguette, Meatsmith charcuterie, cornichons and peppers. It's all matched to a pinot noir from Gippsland's Lucinda Estate. Next up, you'll be digging into a monster cheese fondue, with the likes of roasted parsnip, warm sourdough and veggies for dipping, and the 2014 Domaine Dupasquier Roussette de Savoie altesse for sipping. Cheese even creeps cleverly into dessert, which will be a modern reworking of the traditional madeleine with gorgonzola, paired with a serve of hot spiced cider. Tickets to the cheese feast will set you back $115, including three courses and all matching drinks.
UPDATE, July 6, 2021: Antarctica Flights will also be flying out of Canberra this year, departing on November 7. For further details, head to the Antarctica Flights website. Seeing the South Pole is a bucket-list dream at the best of times, and even more so in these pandemic-afflicted times. But, if you have a bit of spare cash to burn, it's actually achievable — including while Australia's borders remain mostly closed to international travel. Eager to head overseas just for one day? Then you'd best get in quick to score a seat on the upcoming Antarctica flights out of Australia. As it has in previous years, sightseeing group Antarctica Flights is taking bookings for a series of rare, sky-high charter tours. And if you're wondering how the day trips can go ahead during COVID-19, that's because they're classified as domestic flights. You won't even need to take your passport with you. Departing Perth (November 14, 2021), Adelaide (November 21, 2021), Brisbane (November 28, 2021), Melbourne (December 5, 2021 and February 6, 2022) and Sydney (December 31, 2021 and February 13, 2022), these flights will cruise above the dazzling Antarctica Treaty area for around four hours. Each flight path is carefully chosen to maximise viewing from both sides of the plane and to ensure the best views should the weather turn nasty, while some passengers will rotate seats to allow everyone an equal shot at the spectacular scenery below. Travelling on a Qantas 787 Dreamliner, the whole trip clocks in at around 12.5 hours — depending on your departure city — during which you'll hear from expert Antarctic explorers, talking about the polar environment and its fascinating history. All that, while enjoying some better-than-average Qantas plane food, full bar service and, in the lead-up to the views, a spot of in-flight entertainment — classic flick Happy Feet, or some Antarctic docos, of course. As expected, this kind of plane trip doesn't come cheap — you're looking at $1199 to be seated without direct access to a window. Other options, including Standard Economy Class ($2199), Superior Economy Class ($3199) and Premium Economy Class ($3999) involve seat rotations throughout the flight, so passengers can spend time both close to the window and further away. Of course, you and your favourite travel buddy could drop $7999 each on Business Class Deluxe tickets to have a window seat and the one next to it all to yourselves for the entire flight. Regardless of which type of seat you fork out for, COVID-19 safety measures will be in effect — including temperature testing and pre-flight health and safety forms; providing disposable masks, sanitiser and disinfectant wipes; enhanced cleaning procedures; and not selling all seats in Economy Class. Antarctica Flights' 2021–22 season is open for bookings now, with flights out of Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney between November 14, 2021–February 13, 2022. Images: Antarctica Flights
