Raw Comedy is the country's biggest open mic challenge, and the grand final will see 12 aspiring comics from all around Australia go head-to-head for a chance to perform at Edinburgh Fringe. Some of the best local comics in the business are Raw alumni, including Tom Ballard, Hannah Gadsby, Ronny Chieng, Josh Thomas, Demi Lardner and Danielle Walker. In case you need any extra incentive, this year's showcase will be hosted by Venezuelan-born stand-up Ivan Aristeguieta.
The name says it all, doesn't it? Shit-Faced Shakespeare features a cast of actors performing Shakespeare...only one of them is always absolutely plastered. A sell-out smash for years in the US and UK, the show is heading to Australia for the very first time. And what better play to perform for their local debut that The Bard's greatest love story: Romeo and Juliet.
They say you should start your year as you wish to continue it. So, to be sure of a seriously tasty twelve-month forecast, why not make your first meal of 2018 a decadent feast at Proof is in the Pudding? On January 1, not only will the South Yarra bakery be open and slinging a standout array of seasonal sweet treats, but it's also hosting a special New Year's Day recovery brunch — in place of its usual monthly Bakers Bench degustation event. The same $42 per head brunch will also run on Sunday, December 31, with intimate sittings available at 2.30pm on NYE and 11.30am, 1pm and 3pm the next day. No matter how stressful your 2017 turned out to be, this three-course feed is sure to make it all better, featuring sweet and savoury dishes as imagined by head baker and owner Isabelle Bach. The menu is still under wraps for now, though previous degustations have starred such drool-worthy delights as bite-sized tacos, lasagna scrolls, a feather-light honey pistachio cheesecake and the utterly addictive 'crack pie'.
The Pleasure Garden returns for its sophomore run on December 9, painting St Kilda's Catani Gardens with colour, art installations, roving performers and, of course, some huge beats. A heady mix of Rainbow Serpent, Glastonbury and every other time you've had an impromptu sweaty day dance party with your mates (costumes mandatory), the festival, though only in its second year, knows exactly what it's doing. The brainchild of organisers who've worked the festival circuit both here and overseas for years, for starters, their line-up is solid: Remi, Montaigne, Baker Boy and Fat Freddy's Drop are part of the eclectic mix. Think dub and bass with a smattering of pop. And once you've flailed around to Remi and itched in your costume for a while, there'll be plenty to revive your sweaty self; Toasta, Sparrow's Philly Cheesesteaks and Franklin's Classic American Hotdogs (plus vego options) are on the menu, so you can roam around and check out the art installations and hula hoop performers while thinking about what you want to line your tummy with. FYI, there's also a kombucha truck if you're feeling like you've overindulged and want to regain a bit of body equilibrium (we guess).
If ever there was anything Huckleberry Finn and Jim wished they sailed past as they made their way down the Mississippi River, surely it was a music festival. The Riverboats Music Festival is that dream come to life — and about 14,500 kilometres from Old Man River. Set in the twin-towns of Echuca-Moama, the festival takes place under towering river red gums in a natural amphitheatre next to the mighty Murray River. Sip local wine as you dance the night away to incredible music acts — this year will see Neil and Liam Finn headlining, as well as performances by Josh Pyke, Kasey Chambers and a whole stack of others. Mouthwatering regional food will also be on offer, as historic paddle steamers meander past on the Murray and the chorus of corellas welcome the sunset. Perhaps one of the prettiest and most laid-back music festivals in Australia.
After setting up their big screen earlier in 2017 — and packing out Buluk Park — Dockland's free open-air cinema is back for a second outing. This time, it's bigger and better, too. Presented by Victoria Harbour, the summer 2018 season will run over Friday nights from January 26 to March 2. On the agenda: new and old favourites such as Strictly Ballroom (for Australia Day, naturally), The Karate Kid and Ethel & Ernest, the latter of which arrives after featuring at the 2017 Melbourne International Film Festival. Pack a rug and some snacks, or leave the work to whichever eatery you like, with the site featuring a designated UberEats drop-off point. The event is alcohol-free, but if you're keen for a pre-movie tipple, stop in at Collins Street's Bar Nacional on the way to the park. Just note that there is no reserved seating, so make sure you're on time to score a prime spot on the lawn — gates open at 7pm, with the screening kicking off around 8.30pm as the sun goes down. Tickets for the first three sessions are available now, and keep an eye on the cinema website for further titles as they're announced. By Aobh O'Brien-Moody and Sarah Ward.
Richmond's National Hotel invites you to swap your classic Australia Day feast for an Asian street food party, as it ditches the kitchen in favour of an outdoor BBQ to celebrate the public holiday eve this Thursday, January 25. The pub will be firing up the long weekend with an al fresco session in its lantern-lit beer garden, complete with a grilling station serving Japanese binchōtan-style charcoal BBQ, and a menu filled with pan-Asian street eats. There'll be sizzling skewers featuring combinations like caramelised pork belly, cucumber and chilli vinegar, alongside a tempting veggie dish of crisp carrot and radish cakes with chilli jam and kewpie mayo. Matched to a tidy assortment of drink specials — think $6 Hanoi beers and $12 lychee mojitos — and tunes from resident DJ Loz Newy, this is one way to get the year's first long weekend off to a very solid start.
Sun, surf, sand, sex and the seaside Gold Coast suburbs in the '70s. What a combination. Swinging Safari is every bit as over-the-top and outrageous as it sounds, but if anyone was going to try and make the chaos work, it's writer-director Stephan Elliott. The man behind The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert knows how to make a splash, paying tribute to Australia and our eccentricities in a manner that's both affectionate and tongue-in-cheek. Accordingly, his latest effort is a knowing love letter to a specific era and the freewheeling way of life that came with it — one spent surrounded by rayon clothes and shag carpets, slathered in sunscreen, chowing down on buckets of KFC and guzzling cask wine. In a cul-de-sac not far from the Queensland hotspot's scenic shoreline, three families spend their days and nights hopping between backyard parties, beach picnics and any other shenanigans that come about. Over at the Hall household, encyclopaedia salesman Keith (Guy Pearce) and the booze-addled Kaye (Kylie Minogue) can't manage their marital malaise, let alone their rowdy brood of kids. Next door at the Joneses, Rick (Julian McMahon) and Jo (Radha Mitchell) think they're the leaders of the pack, with a sunken conversation pit in the middle of their lounge room to prove it. That leaves Bob and Gale Marsh (Jeremy Sims and Asher Keddie) somewhere in the middle, complete with a daughter, Bec (Chelsea Glaw), who's a hit with the local boys, and a son, Jeff (Atticus Robb), who constantly has a camera in his hands. With Elliot himself a child of the 1970s, there's no escaping Swinging Safari's partly autobiographical nature. In fact, it's an adult Jeff (voiced by Richard Roxburgh) that narrates the movie, with the aspiring filmmaker looking back on his teenage years. Unsurprisingly, his younger self sometimes struggles to cope with the mayhem around him. While making his own stunt-filled movies helps, he really has eyes for the shy Mellie Jones (Darcey Wilson). Unfortunately, their budding romance hits a snag when their parents' key-swapping antics incite a neighbourhood war. Plus there's the not-so-little matter of the 200-tonne dead whale rotting on the local beach. Elliott might be turning what he knows into a movie, but diving headfirst into nostalgic memories isn't quite the same as stringing together a great story. Swinging Safari places less focus on its narrative, and pays more attention to moments, mood, outfits and ramping up the fun. With that in mind, the adult cast members are clearly having a ball reliving their younger years (and, in the case of Pearce and Minogue, reuniting nearly 30 years after they left Ramsay Street). Their irreverence and enthusiasm is infectious, even when the jokes don't land. Of course, the film always seems more interested in pushing boundaries of comedy, taste and political correctness than it is in fleshing out its characters. If Swinging Safari teaches viewers one thing, it's that fickle entertainment and amusement were high on everyone's agenda in '70s Australia, while seriousness and subtlety most definitely were not. The result is a movie that can't stuff its frames with enough raucous one-liners, polyester jumpsuits or instances of a woman urinating on a jellyfish-stung child. When that doesn't work, the crew – many of whom date back to Priscilla – helps pick up the slack with their attention to bright, sunny period detail. Oscar-winning costume designer Lizzy Gardiner is one of them, and while it's usually not a good sign when the outfits steal the show, her outlandish creations hit the garish spot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB95v_pyQq8
How do two filmmaking siblings follow up one of the biggest Australian comedies of the 21st century? With a much bleaker slice of comic action. In the 12 years between Kenny and Brothers' Nest, Shane Jacobson hasn't been far from screens. In fact, he's graced local cinemas in the awful trio of Guardians of the Tomb, The BBQ and That's Not My Dog! just this year alone. But making another film with his brother, actor-director Clayton Jacobson, has taken much, much longer than it'd take Kenny to plumb most of the country's toilets. While Brothers' Nest is as far removed from the Jacobsons' toilet-fixing mockumentary as you can get, it's mostly worth the wait — an attempt to meld grimy psychological thrills with black comedy that doesn't break the mould, but delivers exactly what it promises. Shane and Clayton co-star as a luckless and unhappy duo intent on securing what's rightfully theirs and willing to do whatever it takes to get it, even resorting to planning the perfect murder. Their cancer-stricken mum (Lynette Curran) is dying and, to their dismay, she's just changed her will to leave everything to their stepfather Rodger (Kim Gyngell). With the family home in country Victoria on the line, no-nonsense elder sibling Jeff (Clayton Jacobson) quickly convinces his kindlier younger brother Terry (Shane Jacobson) that homicide is the only option to reclaim their inheritance. It's with a wry smile that Brothers' Nest begins with its titular pair cycling up to their childhood abode, donning orange jumpsuits and hospital booties, and starting to enact Jeff's meticulous plan. Visually, the picture is soaked in fog and grey, befitting a sombre mood — but the moment Jeff and Terry start preparing for their grisly task, humour cracks the grim facade. Indeed, Clayton Jacobson and writers Jaime Browne (The Mule) and Chris Pahlow manage a delicate balancing act for the first two-thirds of the film, milking the business of knocking off a family member, and dealing with deep-seeded woes, for both drama and laughs. Still, there comes a point where brothers' banter can't bring cheer to this tale, with their bickering — often sparked by Jeff's pedantic determination to stick to his detailed to-do list — only going so far as the movie veers into more tragic territory. That said, much of the film's success stems from the Jacobsons' performances, with the pair pretending to be other, more desperate siblings. Fleshing out a fraught picture of brotherly love in the process, it's clearly not a case of art imitating life, but the authentic connection between their characters runs deeper than if the actors weren't related. For Shane, as the unsurprisingly more affable of the two, it's a more interesting and challenging big-screen role than he's had in some time, although his 'loveable larrikin' public persona softens Terry's quiet sadness. For Clayton, taking the sterner, more brittle part — and eventually, the more unhinged as well — it's a welcome reminder that his talents don't just reside behind the camera. Wielding that lens, Clayton's efforts are effective. Viewers never forget that this is a low-budget affair, particularly given that it's confined to one setting, but many rousing thrillers have been. A hefty smattering of inventive shots catch the eye, while the short but definitely not sweet film is well-paced, with Clayton also co-editing. Sadly the supporting cast are all noticeably underused, although Curran, Gyngell and Sarah Snook each make their marks. Of course, you don't go to a dark, murderous comedy called Brothers' Nest for something other than siblings getting kill-happy, and this taut, claustrophobic account of blood, money and double-crossing does what it needs to. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vdo5oiBQOgs
Every year, when October rolls around, the Astor Theatre hosts an all-night movie-watching extravaganza. 'Tis the season for bumps, jumps, screams, creepy celluloid dreams and getting scared while sitting in a cinema, after all. But there are halloween marathons, and then there are Halloween halloween marathons. No, we didn't accidentally repeat a word in the last sentence. For the Chapel Street venue's 2018 spooktacular, it's dedicating an entire night to the frightening film series that John Carpenter started 40 years ago. Expect the writer/director/composer's famous piano-filled score to echo throughout the building as Michael Myers dons his mask, grabs a knife, bursts through wardrobes, stalks babysitters and terrifies his hometown of Haddonfield, all on the titular occasion. And, expect Jamie Lee Curtis to cement her credentials as the ultimate big-screen scream queen. From the iconic first film — one of the best horror flicks ever made — to the not-so-iconic late 90s and early 00s sequels, all eight original Halloween movies will screen from 7pm on Saturday, October 27. The Halloween onslaught couldn't be better timed, and not only due to the date, with the all-new ninth film in the franchise hitting cinemas everywhere just a week earlier.
Burgers. Giver of life. Mana from heaven. We're pretty keen on this most glorious of food groups — and given how many new burger joints are placed around town, it seems like you are too. Hell, Hank Marvin Market's previous Burger Biannuals have drawn more than 6000 hungry punters. So, really, it's little wonder they're gearing up for another round. Firing up from 11am till 10pm on Sunday, March 11 and Monday, March 12 of the Labour Day long weekend, the event will feature 20 of Melbourne's best burg merchants. There'll be American–Asian burgs from Gorilla Grill, bao burgers from Miso Fresh, Indian-flecked creations from Curry Up Now and the regular suspects from Mr Burger. There'll also be vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options, and pup-friendly options. Burgers truly are for everybody. Assuming you have room for dessert, you'll also have the run of a number of sweet options from the likes of Billy Van Creamery, Whoopies Cookies and Downtown Donuts. Point is, you probably won't need to eat for the rest of the week. Image: Shara Henderson.
In 2018, great Australian choreographer Graeme Murphy celebrates 50 years in the business. And, to mark the occasion, the Australian Ballet is opening the season with a tribute. Titled Murphy, the show is a dazzling compilation of the choreographer's boldest and most poetic moments. A major highlight is the return of Firebird. The ballet is based on a Russian folktale about a prince who captures a bird, but, in exchange for a magical feather, sets her free. Next, he finds himself in an enchanted garden, where he falls in love with the daughter of an evil magician called Koschei, whose soul is trapped inside an egg. Together, the prince and Firebird attempt to release it. The story first appeared as a ballet in 1910 in an interpretation by choreographer Michel Fokine, set to music by composer Igor Stravinsky for the Ballet Russe. Murphy's recreation in 2009, which sticks to the original, is set in a dystopian Garden of Eden, designed by Leon Krasenstein. Along with performing the whole masterpiece, dancers will revisit excerpts from The Silver Rose, Ellipse, Grand and Air and Other Invisible Forces, as well as the entirety of Sheherazade. "What better way to start the year than by honouring an Australian dancemaker of unparalleled talent whose virtuosic career began right here with the Australian Ballet 50 years ago," said David McAllister, artistic director of the Australian Ballet. Murphy created his very first work for the Ballet's Choreographic Workshop in 1971, before going on to become artistic director for Sydney Dance Company, a position he held for 31 years. Murphy runs March 16–26 at Arts Centre Melbourne. You can book tickets here. Image: Jeff Busby and Alex Makeyev
Bottomless cocktails, brunch and beats... it's hard to think of a better way to banish a hangover on an autumn afternoon. Yes, Melbourne's hip hop brunch is back, and this time it's serving up R 'n' B tunes as well. Oh, and did we mention that it includes karaoke too? On April 15, doors will open at 11am, which is when brunch will be served. This'll give you a chance to get yourself fed before hitting the booze at midday — bottomless Champagne will last an hour and help everyone warm up for an afternoon of hip hop and R 'n' B karaoke. If the concept sounds familiar, it's because it comes by way of London; this is the first Australian offshoot. The whole thing will go down at Two Wrongs. Even though it's called a brunch, it'll inevitably carry onto into the late, late afternoon.
Three weekends. 41 artists. Plenty of massive sculptures. That's whats's on the agenda when the Lorne Sculpture Biennial returns for 2018, with a new array of huge creations exploring the theme 'Landfall'. It's the sixth time that the fest has turned the Lorne foreshore and the surrounding areas on the Great Ocean Road into one amazing sculpture playground, with 65,000 folks checking out the results back in 2016. Attendees can expect sculptures and installations that focus on the intersection of nature, humanity and art, all for their viewing pleasure — and, for free as well. Highlights include a four-kilometre walking track between Erskine River to the St George River, featuring 25 artists and including many site-specific pieces. Or, there's the Sculpturescape trail, where nine artists reimagine the landscape in their own ways. And, four pieces will emerge victorious as part of LSB's annual awards. Of course, moseying on down for a stint of sculpture-viewing however you see fit is also on the agenda. The mammoth artworks will be on display 24 hours a day, seven days a week between March 17 and April 2. Image: Greg Johns, The Observers.
If there's one thing the world probably doesn't need more of, it's drive-thru fast food joints. But hey, when doughnuts are involved, anything goes. Especially when they're free. So Krispy Kreme's gearing up to open the doors to a new Victorian drive-thru doughnut store in Bulleen, in Melbourne's northeast. And to celebrate, it'll be giving out a hefty 10,000 free original glazed doughnuts to punters who visit the store on opening weekend, between February 9 and 11. You won't even need to leave your car to grab your signature glazed freebie, though if you'd rather not feel quite that lazy, you can physically head in and check out the new digs. The store's got room for 80, which seem excessive for a doughnut store that's schtick is drive-thru, as well as outdoor seating and a 'hot now' light signalling when the doughnuts are coming in fresh off the line. Obviously, Melbourne has many a doughnut shop — from Greek to artisan earl grey and rose cake rounds to the hot meat variety — that we'd recommend over Krispy Kreme, but if you're keen on novelty and free stuff, hop to it. The doughnuts will be free from 8am on Friday, February 9 until Sunday, February 11, and the story is open from 6am till 11pm daily. There's a limit of one per person.
UPDATE, March 12, 2021: Slender Man is available to stream via Netflix, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Forget Slender Man's thin body, faceless head and eerie vibe. Sure, the character's unsettling appearance was designed to frighten people; however the scariest thing about the lingering internet meme is the fact that it still exists. It's been nine years since Something Awful forum user Eric Knudsen came up with the macabre figure as part of a photoshop contest to create paranormal images, and not only is it still doing the digital rounds, it's making the leap onto the big screen as well. Longevity is one thing. Flogging a nearly decade-old creepypasta — the online equivalent of telling ghost stories around a campfire — is something else entirely. In the film that shares its name, Slender Man has a knack for timing, but Slender Man the movie definitely doesn't. In fact, this flimsy horror effort doesn't have a knack for much, other than sticking to the dullest of formulas. A group of teenage girls view an unnerving video, begin to notice weird occurrences and then start disappearing. If you'd like us to wake you up when it stops sounding generic, then you're in for quite a lengthy snooze. When Massachusetts pals Katie (Annalise Basso), Chloe (Jaz Sinclair), Hallie (Julia Goldani Telles) and Wren (Joey King) get bored at a slumber party, they decide to switch from watching porn to discovering what this Slender Man character is all about. A week later, Katie goes missing during a class trip to a cemetery, and her drunken dad blames her newfound obsession with the occult. That sparks the rest of the gang into action, taking advice from a mysterious online source and trying to offer Slender Man an exchange to get their missing friend back. To their surprise (but not to the audience's), that plan doesn't pan out well. Slender Man isn't someone to be bargained with, it seems. Given that Ringu and The Ring already exist (with several sequels to both), you might expect Slender Man to reach beyond an already well-worn premise. Given that The Craft exists as well, you might expect more than just a group of goth-leaning besties trifling with ominous forces, too. Sadly, we can keep playing this game, and the outcome remains the same. The film follows terrorised, victimised girls in the same US state that's infamous for the Salem witch trials, but it draws zero modern-day parallels. And, while it stems from the pen of screenwriter David Birke — the scribe behind the vastly superior Isabelle Huppert-led rape-revenge thriller Elle — Slender Man boasts no signs of complexity either. Along with by-the-numbers performances, bland shots of spooky forests and a paper-thin message about the corruptive power of going viral, among Slender Man's many missteps is the squandering of its eponymous villain. The elongated figure is literally yesterday's news now, but the film does little more than point out that it looks creepy and thrust it at the screen for a few jump-scares. That's the kind of laziness that usually plagues direct-to-video sequels, arrogantly believing that name recognition will do half of the work, and that occasionally pointing the camera at something sinister will do the rest. In that spirit, it should come as no surprise that director Sylvain White also has derivative threequel I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer on his resume. If there's one positive aspect to Slender Man, though, it's this: thankfully, it doesn't try to capitalise upon the real-life stabbing committed in the titular entity's name. Back in 2014, two 12-year-old girls attacked one of their friends in an effort to impress the internet's favourite boogeyman, adding an extra level of discomfort to the Slender Man saga. The case was covered in 2016 documentary Beware the Slenderman, which is straightforward but still vastly more intelligent and engaging than this fictional take on the meme. Still, watching Slender Man, viewers get the feeling that the film might've once cribbed a few cues from reality, then cut them from the final version — the movie is so drab and cobbled-together that it seems like the work of filmmakers trying to salvage a bad situation. Or, that could just be the kindest way to look at this scare-free, intrigue-free mess. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Jc0ez0IZ4k
Let's see what's behind door number one. Or how about door number 1000? After blowing our minds last year with the incredible House of Mirrors, Australian installation artists Christian Wagstaff and Keith Courtney are headed back to the Melbourne Festival with the fittingly named 1000 Doors. Visitors will choose their own adventure, cutting a path through an endless labyrinth of doors, screens, portals and gateways in the Arts Centre Forecourt. No two people will experience the work in quite the same way once they step across the threshold. While there's no word yet on what you'll encounter on the way — hopefully no deathly four-guard, two-door riddle, à la Labyrinth — the artists have hinted to ghosts, time-travelling and "inhabitants past". We suggest you have your wits about you. Images: James Morgan
An underground sensation has been stirring in Australia since 1999. That's when the country's first truffles were harvested, following years of careful preparation, and as a nation we've embraced this black gold of haute cuisine ever since. To see how the prized fungi are farmed firsthand, there's nothing better than to join a truffle hunt and tasting at Black Cat Truffles. This truffiere on the edge of Victoria's Creswick State Forest, just outside of Ballarat, boasts more than 1000 French and English oak trees with truffles slowly, moodily growing on their roots. To help you sniff them out, you'll have a little animal assistance from Black Cat's resident dogs, Ella, Harry and Narla (pigs are famously naturally drawn to truffles, but you don't want to fight one for the rights to its find). Farmers Andres and Lynette Haas will be there too, sharing their truffle-related knowledge, tales and tasting notes. You'll also get to try a selection of truffle-infused dishes, ranging from oozy d'Affinois cheese to potato stacks and ice cream. This is a quintessentially winter activity — truffles aren't in season for long — so prepare to rug up, pull on your wellies and get enveloped in the highland mists. Black Cat's Truffle Hunts and Tastings run from June to August. If you're really enamoured with the catch of the day, it's yours to take home for $2.50 per gram. To find more winter adventures in Ballarat, Daylesford and the surrounds, visit the Wander Victoria website.
Bendigo is a city that loves its craft. You can see that in its busy pottery centre or its tram completely covered in yarn. But most of all, you can see it in the profusion of craft breweries here, collectively making some of the best cold ones in the country. To celebrate this thriving indie beer scene, Bendigo on the Hop returns to the city on Saturday, August 25. The annual winter festival transforms Bendigo's historic town centre into the site of one epic craft beer crawl. The event organisers, local non-profit Bendigo Beer, describe it as a "festival for beer drinkers with an open mind". It works like this: you buy your ticket and select your starting venue. This is where you pick up your tasting tokens and souvenir glass on the day. After that, it's a choose-your-own-adventure as you make your way to whichever pub, bar, beer garden or pop-up kiosk calls you most. This year's event has grown from last year, now featuring 44 beers from 22 truly independent breweries across 10 venues — including sophisticated restaurant Rocks on Rosalind, leafy Handle Bar and heritage boozer The Rifle Brigade Hotel. Turn over your tasting tokens as you go, and be adventurous — that tzatziki beer might turn out to be your tastebuds' true love. Trains travel every hour from Melbourne to Bendigo, making this an easy day trip. If you've got the time to spare, though, take the opportunity to stay the night, enjoy a lazy Sunday and spend some time at Bendigo's four breweries. To plan your time in Bendigo and the surrounding countryside, visit the Wander Victoria website.
Pasta and parmesan are one of Italian cuisine's perfect pairings. Eat the former without the latter, and your tastebuds will know the difference. And while sprinkling your spaghetti with fine shavings of hard cheese is all well and good (and delicious), that's nothing compared to devouring a bowl of pasta that has been cooked in a parmesan wheel. If it sounds like all of your culinary dreams come true, that's because it is — and it's the dish in the spotlight at Cucinetta's Parmesan Wheel Week. After two successful events last year, the South Yarra restaurant is bringing it back in May, once again serving up the Italian traditional specialty pasta cacio e pepe straight out of a wheel of 18-month Grana Padano. Given that cacio e pepe is a spaghetti concoction made with parmesan and pepper — think fancier, tastier mac 'n' cheese — the results promise quite the cheesy meal. It will be available at Cucinetta for lunch from 12–3pm and dinner from 5pm between May 2 and 8. We'd tell you to arrive hungry, but we're sure you already are just thinking about it.
Sam Simmons' comedy has always been unusual, but we honestly don't know what to make of his latest show. Titled Radical Women of Latin American Art, 1960-1985, the set promises to tackle "the feminist Latin art movement of urban Puerto Rico in the 1970s". We suspect there's more to it than that, although knowing how much the comedian likes to mess with his audience, maybe not. Still, given how funny Simmons is at his best, we're willing to take the risk.
Heston Blumenthal. You know him, you love him. But are you willing to lay down $275 to get a seat at his restaurant? The folks at Melbourne Food and Wine Festival are betting you are, so they're hosting a two-night feast at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal on March 19 and 21 — and it's for art-lovers and foodies alike. The event will see the group's executive chef Ashley Palmer-Watts join forces with legendary Australian artist and designer David Bromley, who not-so-coincidentally commissioned sculptures for the restaurant back when it opened in 2015. Guests will indulge in a four-course tasting menu with paired wines, all while watching Bromley paint a piece of work. After dinner each night, the art piece will be raffled off, with proceeds going to the Children's Cancer Foundation. If you've got the bank roll to support this indulgence, or you're just really in the mood for a mega-splurge, there's no doubt it will be an evening for the books. Image: Mark Roper
If the team behind the Insidious franchise could have their time again, we're betting they'd make a significant change. You don't need supernatural abilities to pick what they'd fix, with their decision to kill off Lin Shaye's parapsychologist Elise Rainier in the first movie something they clearly regret. In the second film, they brought her back via the spirit world, while the series' third and fourth instalments have gone down the prequel route. It's easy to understand why — as the plucky otherworldly expert tasked with helping ordinary folks battle literal demons, Shaye is the best thing the horror saga has going for it by far. Indeed, thanks to the veteran actress, the Insidious flicks deserve a little more credit than they generally get. After all, how many franchises can say they have a 74-year-old woman as their star? A genre veteran with everything from A Nightmare on Elm Street to Critters to the Ouija movies to her name, Shaye remains as committed to her role as Elise as ever, including this time around. That said, pushing a septuagenarian front and centre can't make up for the series' largely by-the-numbers construction, which grows increasingly apparent with each new chapter. It would take serious mystical abilities to breathe life into the formulaic effort that is Insidious: The Last Key, for example. Directed by Shaye's 2001 Maniacs co-star Adam Robitel, this derivative outing keeps its protagonist around by taking a tried-and-tested path: an origin story. Anchored in Elise's childhood, the movie could easily be subtitled "this time, it's personal". As an introductory segment explains, she was once a girl (Ava Kolker) with special abilities, living near a prison, with a stern executioner father (Josh Stewart) who didn't approve. In the modern-day storyline, Elise is called back to her former home by its current resident (Kirk Acevedo), who's having some paranormal troubles of his own. Set in New Mexico's Five Keys and featuring a ghoul by the name of KeyFace, Insidious: The Last Key is anything but subtle. The paranormal villain also has keys for fingers, and doors and locks are prominent throughout the film. Although he created the series and has penned every instalment to date, Australian actor and screenwriter Leigh Whannell appears to be going through the motions with the flimsy narrative, even when he tries to step into more thematically interesting territory. Part of the movie focuses on abuse and the cycles of violence it can create, but it's treated with the same clunkiness as the supposedly-comic romantic subplot that sees sidekick characters, played by Whannell and Angus Sampson, hitting on a couple of much younger women. Of course, depth isn't something the franchise has ever counted among its strengths. Nor, for that matter, is comedy. Other than Shaye's presence, it has always fared best as a genre exercise. When The Conjuring's James Wan was at the helm of the first two films, what the series lacked in smarts and story, it almost made up for with its well-executed bumps, jumps, shadowy images and unsettling atmosphere. Nodding affectionately to (and borrowing liberally from) iconic horror flicks has always been part of the package too, but Wan's handling of demonic spirits and haunted houses still struck a stylistic chord. Sadly, as this trying, generic effort demonstrates, Robitel doesn't have the same talents with aesthetics or with scares. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV7tKm6JCCU
If you missed Gelato Messina's degustation bar the last three times, you're in luck because the gelato team is coming back to Melbourne this November. Messina's Creative Department is returning to the secret room behind its Windsor store to serve up seven-course degustations for eight nights. So what kind of gelato creations can you expect this time round? Spring flavours including seasonal fruits, herbs and Japanese aromatics. One course might see you testing your tastebuds with a savoury black garlic gelato while another might have you digging in to a strawberry-shaped sorbet mound with red wine and hibiscus jelly. Tickets are $130 per person and, with just eight seats available at each sitting, you can book for groups of two, four, six or eight of your gelato-loving mates. The dinners will run at 6.30pm and 8.30pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and at 4.30pm, 6.30pm and 8.30pm on Saturday between November 1–11. And based off of previous events, you'll want to grab your tickets ASAP before Melburnians book out the event (most probably in record time again). Head to the Messina Creative Department page to nab a seat.
When the minds behind Melbourne Music Week select a venue as unique as St Paul's Cathedral as festival hub, you'd better believe they launch it with a bang. And indeed, the venue's MMW opening night is set to be quite the showstopper, pulling together a sparkling lineup of local and international acts on Friday, November 17. Heading the bill is Brooklyn-based songstress Julianna Barwick, whose ethereal vocals promise to make pure magic with those soaring cathedral ceilings. She'll be joined by US folk icon Kath Bloom, Melbourne producer Andras Fox, Wilson Tanner of Eleventeen Eston and neo-classical doom act Divide and Dissolve. Meanwhile, local producer Kirkis will debut his latest record with backing from the Melbourne Mass Gospel Choir, Two Steps On The Water will serve up a taste of their signature folk-punk sound and Krakatau's James Tom and Jack Doepel are set to deliver an unmissable performance featuring the cathedral's iconic T.C Lewis Pipe Organ. Now that you know what you'll be doing on opening night, make sure you've locked in some more gigs throughout the nine-days of music. We've given you a rundown of the full lineup here.
The next time you go out drinking and feel that warm, fuzzy feeling, it might not be because you've had one too many. Hopefully, it'll be because the money you spent on your beverage is being used to support an extremely important cause. Starting this week, 46 bars across Melbourne are once again teaming up with social enterprise Scarf for a campaign to help refugees, asylum seekers and recent migrants find work. Running from December 3–10, Scarf's Do More Than Drink initiative will help raise awareness and funding for young migrants facing barriers to employment. Participating venues — including many Concrete Playground favourites such as Stomping Ground, The Beaufort, Neighbourhood Wine, Garden State Hotel, The Alps and Gerald's Bar — will put out donation jars and encourage patrons to dig deep. Proceeds will be used to provide migrants with training, mentoring and employment in the hospitality industry. In addition to the donation jars, participating venues will reach into their tills and donate $1 from each drink sold on the final weekend (December 8 and 9) of the campaign. Basically, this means you're duty-bound to buy a drink. A move that's assured to give you the aforementioned warm and fuzzies across the bar. Now in its third year, Do More Than Drink will allow Scarf to provide more training, mentoring and employment to those that it will make a difference to. So drink up — here's a list of venues participating on the final weekend. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8 New Gold Mountain Double Happiness Lucky Coq Carwyn Cellars The Rum Diary Bar The Rooks Return Belleville Melbourne Stomping Ground Brewing Co Gerald's Bar Neighbourhood Wine Joe Taylor Back Alley Sally's The Local Taphouse Paradise Alley Aviary Hotel Los Hermanos Garden State Hotel Bar Josephine Seddon Wine Store Union Wine Store The Attic above Black Pearl Rupert on Rupert Rochester Hotel Atticus Finch Toorak Cellars SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9 Robert Burns Hotel Bimbo Deluxe Kelvin Pallino Above Board The Alps Kitty Somerset Section 8 Saint Urban The Lincoln Bomba (Rooftop) Park Street STARWARD Distillery The Grace Darling Hudsons Road Wine & Beer Two Birds Brewing Bad Love Club Clever Polly's The Beaufort Lulie Street Tavern The Attic above Black Pearl
If you could plan your ideal summer day, here's how we're guessing it'd pan out. Drinks? Obviously. Snacks? Ditto. Live tunes? Of course. Courtyard hangs? Yes please. Eager for a cruisy Sunday session that promises all of the above? Don't want to do the organising yourself? Don't worry, you're in luck thanks to Wax'o Paradiso x Soulfor Wine's latest natural wine party on December 3. Mosey on down to the Collingwood Arts Precinct with a hankering for tasting tipples of the organic and additive-free variety, all as part of the $45 ticket price; a hunger for buying and munching on delicious dishes whipped up by a team of guest chefs; and a need to make shapes to Ben Fester, Edd Fisher, DJ Simon TK, BIG RIG and Chico Gat the Wax'o Paradiso discotheque. Doors open at midday, which is when the tunes kick off and the two-onsite bars will start serving — and if you're not so keen on the tasting part of proceedings, you can nab a party ticket for $25 (rather than $45 for added vino sipping). Image via Wax'o Paradiso.
Kicking off this week, the Coburg Night Market is back in full swing for its eighth year and will take place every Friday from November 24 to December 15. Pop over for an al fresco meal and drinks before perusing the local artisan stalls set up throughout the evening. There will be a vast array of food on offer so devour some award-winning gluten-free gnocchi by Ardor Food Co. before tucking into American-style BBQ from The Gypsy's Lunchbox. There's plenty to feel good about too. Head on over to Crepes for Change — all profits go towards youth homelessness in Australia — or rice paper roll slingers Paper Plains, whose profits go to socially conscious projects like Taboo Sanitary Products. There will be a fully stocked bar with beers provided by the Thunder Road Brewing and a variety of other beverages. And once you've had your dinner, you'll find a show with live music and entertainment throughout the evening. The Coburg Night Market takes place at Bridges Reserve from 5.30 till 10pm.
Tarantino fans, it's the moment you've all been waiting for — and it just might be even better than the world-famous Jackrabbit Slim's twist contest. In a massive overnight movie marathon (dusk till dawn included), The Astor is showing its love for the filmmaker responsible for making everyone think twice about Madonna's 'Like A Virgin', Royales with cheese, getting sword-wielding vengeance and getting caught in Minnie's Haberdashery during a snowstorm. With more enthusiasm than the man-in-question's fondness for rapid-fire dialogue, retro soundtracks and paying homage to every film he's ever seen, Tarantino Fest will train the Chapel Street cinema's projector on some of QT's finest from 6pm on February 10. The next 19 hours or so will be filled with flicks helmed by Tarantino, written by Tarantino and/or starring Tarantino. On the agenda: Reservoir Dogs, True Romance, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, From Dusk till Dawn, both volumes of Kill Bill and The Hateful Eight (in its 70mm roadshow presentation), in that order. Breaking out your best yellow jumpsuit, bathrobe, Hawaiian shirt, daggy tee and shorts combo, or flight attendant's uniform is heartily recommended, obviously. $5 shakes will also be on offer — hopefully in Martin and Lewis, or Amos and Andy styles — as will themed food trucks. And with The Astor also promising some K-Billy-style super sounds, if you want to dance to 'Stuck in the Middle with You' or 'Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon' in the foyer, we're guessing that no one will stop you.
Summer is in the air, and with it the smell of fresh popcorn, as starlight screenings return to Lido's Rooftop Cinema in Hawthorn. Perched atop the eight-screen picture house overlooking Glenferrie Road, the outdoor screen will light up from next week with a selection of classic and new release movies in the open air. The Lido on the Roof season kicks off on Thursday, November 16 with Justice League. DC's superhero team-up is one of a number of hotly anticipated summer movies on the program, with other highlights including James Franco's The Disaster Artist, Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water and the critically acclaimed gay romance Call Me By Your Name. Oh, and they're also screening a little indie flick called Star Wars: The Last Jedi. They're also bringing back their 'cult calendar' selection, with iconic retro titles including Labyrinth (on David Bowie's birthday), The Goonies, The Lion King and The Big Lebowski, plus a sing-a-long screening of Muriel's Wedding. And for those after something a little bit more adult, Fridays will be dedicated to steamy erotic thrillers such as Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct and Eyes Wide Shut.
Revel, the crew behind such epicurean hits as Pinot Palooza, Game of Rhones and Mould, is back with another standout food and wine event, this time devoted to all things Greek. After a successful debut last year, Oinofilia: A Celebration of the Wines of Greece will return to North Melbourne's Meat Market this Sunday, June 24. As with previous Revel events, wine lovers are in for a serious treat here. Greece takes the cake as Europe's oldest wine-producing region and Oinofilia is out to do it justice, showcasing 80 different wines from every corner of the country. Visitors will have the chance to sample unique varietals like Assyrtiko, Xinomavro, Moschofilero and Agiorgitiko, and chat to producers flown in especially for the event. Being a Greek celebration, no one's about to go hungry either. The Melbourne edition will feature authentic fare from Camberwell's Elyros and sister restaurant Epocha, along with treats from Prahran Market's famed Sweet Greek. According to Revel founder and director Dan Sims, it's the chance for locals to get acquainted with a Greek offering that's often underrated here in Australia. "Oinofilia, from the Greek oîn, is by definition a love of wine," he says. "We all love Greek food, culture, and those islands, now it's time to celebrate Greek wine."
In Unsane, Sawyer Valentini (Claire Foy) moves across the country to escape her stalker David (Joshua Leonard), but can't break free from his grasp. She still sees his face everywhere she looks. She still feels like she's unravelling. She still experiences flashes of pain and anxiety at inopportune moments — when a Tinder date is getting hot and heavy, for example. Alone in a new city, Sawyer seeks professional medical help, yet even that exacerbates her situation. Signing what seems to be a routine form, she's soon trapped in a mental health centre "for her own safety". Even worse, she spies David among the staff. Directing his second feature following his short-lived retirement from filmmaking, Steven Soderbergh puts Sawyer through a recognisable ordeal. As scripted by Jonathan Bernstein and James Greer (in quite a departure from their previous work, the Jackie Chan vehicle The Spy Next Door), the movie takes a leaf out of the well-thumbed psychological thriller playbook. Or does it? Surprises are part of the film's nightmarish world, as well as the genre that it knowingly fits into, but Unsane isn't just a chip off the old block. It slides smoothly into Soderbergh's filmography — in fact, if his 2013 flick Side Effects met his excellent TV series The Knick, it might look something like this. More than that, Unsane pairs a savage takedown of America's profits-before-patients health system with an equally sharp take on society's treatment of women. Specifically, Soderbergh and company dive into the mindset of someone who has been violated and attacked, providing a devastating expression of a victim's fraught, overwhelmed viewpoint. The film's plot continues to set the appropriate scene, pitting Sawyer against hostile doctors, nurses and cops, as well as her stalker, with allies few and far between (Amy Irving plays her mother, while Jay Pharoah pops up as a fellow detainee). If it sounds broadly familiar, that's by design. Here, a woman is harassed through no fault of her own, and is stuck reliving the trauma. She's subjected to unwanted attention from her assailant, and is scrutinised by the powers-that-be when she tries to take control. Further, when she asks for assistance, she's left at the mercy of a system that's complex at best and oppressive at worst. Indeed, Unsane's biggest shock doesn't spring from anything in its narrative, even when the film toys with reality. Instead, what's truly astonishing about the picture is how effectively it relays its perspective. The twists and suspense all work swimmingly, keeping the audience on edge throughout, but figuring out what's true or false is really beside the point. What matters in Unsane is how Sawyer is made to feel over and over again, and how the movie conveys her emotional and mental agitation to the viewers. Who, under intense stress, hasn't imagined something they definitely didn't witness? Who, in the same circumstances, hasn't felt like they're being watched? Who hasn't questioned their own sanity? Who hasn't felt hyper-alert, physically reacting to everything and everyone around them? In bringing these aspects of Sawyer's turmoil to the screen — and making her anguish seem to seep from the screen — Soderbergh's decision to shoot the film on three iPhone 7 Plus handsets is particularly astute. Every shot is intimate and urgent, as well as both voyeuristic and claustrophobic. Each visual composition feels heightened, frequently positioned at a slightly askew angle and often keeping part of the frame out of focus. Every image looks gritty and grim, even bordering on unpleasant. Crafting a literal picture of distress, the director (who also acts as his own cinematographer and editor under different pseudonyms) matches his style with the movie's substance, in an inventive filmmaking masterclass. Regardless of who Soderbergh was pointing his camera-phones at, his shooting technique would've hit the mark. But with Foy on the other side of the filmmaker's jumpy handheld lens, Unsane hits home hard. Far removed from the drama and glamour of The Crown (and with the American accent to prove it), the actor's performance couldn't be less regal. It also couldn't be more committed or compelling. The movie itself might come packaged with a pulpy tone, but the uneasy look in Foy's eye, the jitters in her hands and the stiffness of her stance speak to something more than lurid thrills. In fact, as this powerful film makes plain, they've stared back at many a viewer from their own mirrors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yOkE3vsU6g
Chunky Move's artistic director Anouk van Dijk has taken on our shared experiences and the current time we find ourselves in with her new piece Common Ground. An encounter between two dancers — contemporary artists Tara Jade Samaya (Chunky Move) and Richard Cilli (Sydney Dance Company) — the work will be a boundary-transcending study of the instability of the world we're living in. In it, Van Dijk will explore the common ground that unites all of us and that can rupture and disturb our lives. Common Ground will look at how to stand firm when the ground around you is shifting. "There is an incredible sense of instability in the world — social, political, economic and environmental — this affects us on a visceral level," she says. Common Ground will demonstrate the universality of our shared experiences, and how we manage to find unity in a world that is shook. It'll show at Chunky Move Studios from April 26 until May 5, then at The Drum Theatre in Dandenong on May 8.
It's been three years since Australia's cinema scene welcomed the American Essentials Film Festival — and while a fest dedicated to US flicks might seem obvious, this event sets its sights much further than Hollywood's usual suspects. Given that mainstream, megaplex-friendly movies reach our shores every week, the Palace-run showcase instead curates a lineup of other American titles, delving into films from the US indie realm. Screening in Melbourne from May 10 to 20, the 2018 fest has a particular fondness for emerging practitioners, with artistic director Richard Sowada noting "the obvious talent from some of the filmmakers in the early stages of their feature film careers," as well as "the deep and obvious respect even some of these newer filmmakers have for the traditions of storytelling in American cinema." With that in mind, this year's event kicks off with The Boy Downstairs, a Zosia Mamet-starring effort from debut feature writer-director Sophie Brooks, which proved a hit at the 2017 TriBeCa Film Festival. The opening night pick also highlights one of the festival's other trends — thanks to its focus on American cinema, it boasts plenty of familiar faces on screen. Standouts include Nicolas Cage and Selma Blair battling a murderous rage in horror-comedy Mom and Dad, Helena Bonham Carter and Hilary Swank recreating a landmark '80s case for patients' rights in 55 Steps, and war effort The Yellow Birds, featuring Solo: A Star Wars Story's Alden Ehrenreich, Ready Player One's Tye Sheridan, plus Toni Collette and Jennifer Aniston. There's also two star-studded flicks about sons and their fathers: Humour Me, which pairs up Jemaine Clement and Elliott Gould in a deadpan comedy, and Kodachrome, which takes Jason Sudeikis and Ed Harris on a road trip to a photo processing laboratory. Other notable titles range from Stuck, which brings the train-set off-Broadway musical of the same name to the cinema; to Outside In, director Lynn Shelter's latest featuring Edie Falco as an ex-high school teacher; to mob drama Gotti, starring John Travolta as the mob boss and screening in Australia just hours after its Cannes Film Festival premiere. On the documentary front, How They Got Over takes a far-reaching documentary into African-American gospel quartets in the '30s and '40s, while RBG examines the life and career of US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. For the fest's retrospective section, Los Angeles is in the spotlight courtesy of classics Chinatown, Heat and Shampoo, as well as '70s masterpieces Killer of Sheep and Wattstax.
Local craft beer lovers have a tasty new pop-up to cosy up to this winter, with the launch of Central Beer District at the Queen Victoria Market next month. Taking over the market's A-Shed every Saturday and Sunday, from August 4 until September 9, the pop-up beer bar is out to celebrate some of the best drops our local craft beer scene has to offer. Headed up by emerging act Brick Lane Brewing Co, the event will hero a different guest brewery each week, with appearances by Hop Nation, Two Birds Brewing, Stomping Ground, Brewmanity and Coldstream Brewery already locked in. Punters will be able to meet the brewers, have beer-related chin wags, and of course, sample a stack of tasty drops, from old favourites, to experimental new creations. To match, there'll be musical delights from the likes of retro rockers Jukebox Racket and Chicago-style blues act Jules Boult, and a barbecue-heavy menu courtesy of food truck Digging For Fire. Dishes like a 12-hour pulled pork with lime mayo and a barbecue chilli chicken burger with harissa and fennel yoghurt promise to work a treat alongside those crafty brews.
At least once and likely much more than that, a certain line will be uttered at Hightail over the next six weeks. "Six us a song, you're the piano man" will be rather a fitting thing to say, admittedly — because the Melbourne hangout is hosting a pop-up piano bar between Tuesday, July 17 and Thursday, August 23. On Tuesday and Thursday nights across that period, Matt Ganim will tickle the ivories and play whatever you ask for — including the Billy Joel track you might now have stuck in your head, we're guessing. Go on, be more adventurous than that with your song selections. He really will play whatever you wish, even if it's an old piano classic or your favourite pop track. Singing along is both encouraged and expected. That's one of the joys of piano bars, after all. Plus, if you gather the gang, get organised and book a booth for four people in advance, you'll get something extra — a free beverage on arrival. Image: Hightail.
You might not be jumping on a plane anytime soon, but you can still enjoy those European summer vibes, with a spot of Greek-style plate smashing right here in Melbourne. This month, the guys at The Food Truck Park and The Break Room have joined forces to offer a dedicated plate smashing space, as part of the Greek Food Festival running from July 20–22. In between smashing serves of moussaka, souvlaki and haloumi chips, punters can head in here to let their hair down, alleviate some stress and show that crockery who's boss. Open from 5pm each day of the festival, The Break Room pop-up will offer made-to-smash plates at various prices. Grab six for $15, 12 for $25, or get extra destructive with 18 plates for $30. Mary And A Little Lamb, Greek Street Food and Kalloni Little Dessert Island have already been confirmed for the festival's food truck lineup, with more to be announced soon. Greek Food Festival will run on Friday, July 20 from 5pm–10pm, Saturday, July 21 from 12pm–10pm and Sunday, July 22 from 12pm–9pm.
Spare a thought for the screenwriters of origin stories. Sure, at first glance, it might seem like they have it made: an enormous built-in audience, a clearly defined universe steeped in history, and pre-existing characters so beloved across multiple generations that all their quirks, mannerisms and catch-phrases are already fully fleshed-out. All the writers have to do is join up a few narrative dots and cue that memorable theme song. But what about tension? How do you place your heroes in deadly peril when the audience already knows they survive? How do you make a character's emotional growth even remotely interesting when the audience already knows who they become? And what possible story can you tell when the audience already knows how it ends? The solution is recalibration, shifting the audience experience from one of wonder and surprise to anticipation. Much like a movie based on real events, origin films focus not on what, but on how, why and when. Back in 1995 director Ron Howard masterfully applied that technique to create the tense final moments of Apollo 13. Now, with Solo: A Star Wars Story, he again shows how waiting for something to happen can be just as exhilarating as wondering if it will happen at all. This is a movie of firsts: the first time Han acquires his surname, the first time he sets foot on the Millennium Falcon, and the first time he encounters his lifelong friend and ally Chewbacca. It's entirely accessible for newcomers, and an even bigger treat for fans. Solo: A Star Wars Story is the second of the Star Wars Spin-offs, and like Rogue One takes place somewhere in between the timelines of the larger, better known chapters (in this case, after Revenge of the Sith but before A New Hope). It is an age of lawlessness, the opening tells us, and nowhere is that more prevalent than the distant planet of Corellia, where the long arm of the Empire is less feared than the gangs that lurk in its shadows. It's here that we meet the young Han (Alden Ehrenreich), a wannabe pilot forced to boost speeders and run errands for a slug-like criminal matriarch and her cronies. Han and his girlfriend Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke) have dreams of escaping to explore the universe. But when their plans fall apart, Han reluctantly joins the Empire to secure his way off planet, vowing to return as soon as humanly possible to liberate his great love. Fast forward a few years, though, and Han finds himself stumbling from one calamity to the next, convinced like all good scoundrels and conmen that his next score will be the big one – the one to set everything right. The beloved nature of the Han Solo character is largely down to actor Harrison Ford and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan – the latter of whom wrote both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The master scribe returns for Solo, delivering a story that's less galactic opera and more small-scale heist movie in the vein of an old school Western. Solo's swagger, the gun on his hip, and even the iconic outfit all fit perfectly with that space cowboy aesthetic, while Ehrenreich makes the wise call to embody the character rather than impersonate. He doesn't begin as Solo, but instead neatly and incrementally becomes him over the course of two action-packed hours. On the other end of the scale, Donald Glover's portrayal of the iconic charmer Lando Calrissian scarcely evolves from his first line to his last, yet is so note perfect that it scarcely matters. Clarke's contribution is equally nuanced, especially in the film's latter stages. The roster is rounded out by fun turns courtesy of Thandie Newton, Woody Harrelson and Paul Bettany as the assorted rogues Han encounters on his travels. Focussed, fun and faithful to the lore, Solo: A Star Wars Story comfortably shrugs off the production woes that seemed destined to leave it in ruins and instead delivers us a fine and worthy expansion of the wider Star Wars universe. Oh, and if you had any lingering doubts, let it be finally laid to rest: Han shot first. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPEYpryMp2s
Cake Bar in Geelong is — just as it sounds — a place to live out your cake dreams. Run by cake boss Charles Corby, he takes inspiration from his gran, a lady who knew her dietary stuff: like all good nannas, she used to whip up desserts and let him enjoy the results both before and after her creations were done cooking. He's expanding on this very important knowledge by spreading it to the people: Cake Bar will run an all-you-can-eat cake buffet on Saturday, July 7 which is just as it sounds — a buffet that will provide you with all the sweet, baked goodness that you can stomach. Not for the faint-hearted or those lacking a sweet tooth, you might need to do some serious girding of those sugar loins before you get there. For $45 you get unlimited cake, plus a cocktail to wash it all down with. Expect Kinder Surprise mousse cakes, Kit Kat cheesecake, Ferrero Rocher mud cake, and the good old pav. Also expect a sugar comedown the next day.
It seems burger fever has gripped Bentleigh this winter. Last month, Good Times Milk Bar opened a burger offshoot and gave away free buns to celebrate. Now, Centre Road staple Mr Burger is launching a new menu and is hosting its own celebratory giveaway. On Sunday, July 8, from 11.30am, the Centre Road eatery will be giving away 100 free burgers. It's limited to one per person, and to one of three burgers off the new menu: Mr Burger, the standard with beef, lettuce, cheese, tomato and pickles; Mr Grilled, which is the same as the former but with chicken breast instead of beef; and a vegetarian Mr Veg. Other items on the new menu, which are not part of the giveaway, include Mr Brunch (stuffed with with a hash brown, bacon, egg and barbecue sauce), mozzarella sticks and sweet potato fries. The giveaway doesn't stop on Sunday, either. For the whole of July, the Bentleigh burger joint is serving up weekday deals to help launch its new menu. Head in on Mondays for free chips with burger purchase, Tuesdays for 2-for-1 milkshakes between 3–5pm, Wednesdays for free sweet potato chips with burger purchase, Thursdays for free mozzarella sticks with burger purchase and Fridays for free add-on bacon. They're a lot of reasons for you to get out from under your slanket and grab a burger this July.
International Beer Day approaches, and so too do the slew of events to celebrate our beloved frothies — and this one's a cracker. The Grosvenor Hotel in St Kilda is capitalising on the occasion as well as the fact that people love a happy hour, and coining their own 'hoppy hour'. On Friday, August 3, make sure you clear your schedule and prepare to crack into the pints, tinnies and stubbies that the day is devoted to. The Grosvenor will provide a range of craft beer for only $6 — think Brick Lane, Wolf of the Willows and Bad Shepherd, among others. Pull up a seat from 5–7pm — that's two solid hours of craft beer-drinking and pun-making using 'hoppy' to replace 'happy' for you to get yourself around. You're welcome.
If you're not already familiar with Melbourne's much-loved 400 Gradi, here's a fact: owner Johnny Di Francesco won World Pizza Champion in 2014. So, his pizza is some of the best in the world. Fast forward to now and Di Francesco is about to giveaway some of this world-renowned pizza, for free. To celebrate National Margherita Day (supposedly, it's a thing), 400 Gradi is slinging free margheritas all day on Monday, June 11. It's a public holiday and the giveaway is happening at all 400 Gradi venues in Melbourne, so there's really no reason to miss out. At the moment, there's no limit to how many pizzas the restaurants will be giving away, but it will be limited to one per couple. To get your cheesy, doughy round, free of charge, you'll just need to post a pic of it on Insta and show it to a staff member. You can find all the nitty-gritties here.
Meet Patriot, Potomac, Primrose, Poppet and Phil. They're each cute as a button, and they just might become America's next hard-working, helpful guide dogs. Born at the headquarters of US organisation Guide Dogs for the Blind, these labrador puppies will learn what it takes to become a seeing-eye companion for a human in need. While they won't all end up assisting the visually impaired to live fuller lives, they'll each try their best and look adorable in the process. That's the story behind Pick of the Litter, the documentary that'll make you want to hug your own doggo, get one, or volunteer to help train pooches that become guide dogs. The movie is part of this year's Melbourne International Film Festival lineup, screening on Sunday, August 5 and again on Sunday, August 19 — and it covers a program that's incredibly close to the way that Guide Dogs Victoria breed, raise and train their pups. If you've not only just added the film to your must-see list, but have started wondering how you can get involved, here's some good news — Guide Dogs Victoria staff and volunteers will be on hand at both sessions to let you know how you can assist. In even better news, they'll have company of the four-legged kind, so you can see a movie about gorgeous, life-changing guide dogs and pat a few before and after the screening.
If, when weekends roll around, you look for any excuse to don a nice outfit, sip fine wine and eat delicious food, listen up — Saké Restaurant & Bar Hamer Hall is now hosting a highly opulent Champagne lunch. To celebrate the 200th birthday of Veuve Clicquot's famous rosé Champagne, the restaurant is serving up a special two-hour food and drink package every Saturday and Sunday. As the story goes, Madame Clicquot invented the special blending technique behind the rosé Champagne after taking over the Clicquot business following the death of her husband. This prompted 'Veuve' — meaning 'widow' in French — to be added to the brand name. Unlike her predecessors in rosé-making, who simply coloured regular champagne with elderberries, Madame Clicquot allowed her fondness for red wine grapes to guide experimentation. She decided to blend red wine with still white wine, creating a newer, stronger rosé Champagne. Madame Clicquot is also credited with starting the riddling method, which ensures the champagne keeps its clear and crisp colour. In celebration of Madame Clicquot and her rosé Champagne, Saké Restaurant is treating you to a specially prepared lunch for $75 per person. The seven-plate feast includes Sydney rock oysters with spicy ponzu and onion salsa, sashimi tacos with kingfish and tuna, plus wagyu skewers served with yakiniku sauce and panko-crumbed Glacier 51 toothfish tempura. Add free-flowing Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label for an additional $99 per person, or, for those truly getting in the birthday spirit, upgrade to Veuve Clicquot Rosé for an additional $139 a head. For more info or to secure a table for the special champagne lunch, visit the Saké website.
We all love a good Polish dumpling, but who knew the humble pierogi actually had a patron saint? His name is Saint Hyacinth and he even has a day of feasting dedicated to him, which falls on August 17. And to celebrate, your mates at Pierogi Pierogi are hosting a good ol' dumpling fundraiser. As it turns out, Saint Hyacinth was famed for feeding homemade pierogi to Krakow's poor, needy and destitute, and these locals are marking the occasion by doing something similar. At the Pierogi Pierogi stall at The Fitzroy Market on Saturday, August 18 — they're holding it a day later so it falls on the weekend — the team will donate all dumpling profits to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC), in a nod to the Poles who were welcomed into Australia when they fled the communist regime in the 40s and 80s. What's more, if you donate on the day and fill out a raffle ticket, you'll go into the draw to win a huge Pierogi Pierogi feast for you and ten mates at your house.
If Falls seems a little too large for your liking, but you're still looking for a sweet escape from the city, then NYE on the Hill might be just what you need. Brought to you by the legends behind the equally awesome The Hills Are Alive festival, this boutique NYE experience is small on scale but big on good vibes. And it's returning to The Farm in South Gippsland, for its sixth year, with a lineup of top Aussie artists. Forty-eight hours of freedom never looked so blissful, with the likes of The Smith Street Band, Sampa the Great, The Kite String Tangle and many more dropping in to help you welcome 2019. A word of warning: the festival is limited to 2700 people and tickets sell out — fast. So we suggest heading online when general sale tickets go on sale at 9am, Thursday, August 9. NYE ON THE HILL 2018 LINEUP The Smith Street Band The Kite String Tangle Sampa the Great Last Dinosaurs Slowly Slowly Psychedelic Porn Crumpets Hollow Coves Kaiit Mildlife Jess Locke Tyne-James Organ Adrian Eagle Eliott Jordan Dennis Approachable Members of Your Local Community Clews Crocodylus Diet Adult.Films Tones and I Maddy May Images: Lauren Murphy and Catherine Forge
You don't need to go far to find creativity in Melbourne. Each suburb is brimming with street art, independent boutiques and quirky food vendors. But the smaller guys — those with side hustles, passion projects and small businesses in their garage — are a little harder to find. Enter The Melbourne Collective, a design market which brings all of these local creatives together to showcase products. It's a much-needed platform to find new supporters — and you get the opportunity to discover some new pieces to gift to your mates or yourself (you deserve it). The market's spring outing will take place on Sunday, September 16 at Federation Square. Running from 10am to 4pm, the market will offer everything from home decor and ceramics to stationery and fashion. There'll also be food (vegan options, too) for your inevitable realisation that you've been shopping for a whole day without sustenance. Entry is free so you can save your dollars for all those unique and innovative wares you didn't know you needed.
Ah, gluten. Scourge of coeliacs and trend-dieters alike, this humble wheat protein has been making life difficult for as long as we've been eating sliced bread. But fortunately for all the gluten-intolerants out there, this long weekend the Food Truck Park will be a strictly gluten-free zone. Starting 5pm on Friday, June 9, more than a dozen mobile food vendors will roll into Preston, slinging tasty treats without a single bit of wheat, rye or barley in sight. Woking Amazing, The Pizza Doctor, Babuji's Kitchen, Nem N Nem, Two Fat Indians and Sweet Forbidden Journey are but a few of the rolling restaurants who'll make an appearance. There'll also be a number of stalls selling a variety of gluten-free products to take home.
When I was bartending, a lovely lady gave me her number over the bar. My manager, having seen the smooth exchange, turned to me a said, "I didn't think people met like that anymore!" It gets to feeling like that in Melbourne's dating scene, with so many first contacts with a potential flame coming through the simple swipe of a finger. Keely Sonntag, the brains behind The Datevine, is looking to chuck that notion away — or at least provide an alternative. Instead of checking out a bunch of pictures and making a snap judgment, The Datevine is all about getting together in a fun environment and just simply seeing what happens. You know, social interaction. There's no pressure, no expectation, just some single people maybe or maybe not hanging out together. After a string of sold-out events in Sydney, The Datevine is hosting their first Melbourne party on Thursday, June 8, booking out Brunswick Street's Rice Queen for the night. $59 gets you dinner in the form of a set menu, plus the opportunity to chill out with similarly minded people. So put the phone down, get out there and meet some people. The next event will take place at Rupert on Rupert on Thursday, June 22.
Here's Underworld: Blood Wars in brief: in the millennia-old conflict between werewolves and vampires, the werewolves (or Lycans) are regrouping while the vampires are down to their last two covens. The good news, however, is that the Paris coven is impregnable. Never been breached in 15 centuries. Not once. Give up now, Lycans. It cannot. Be. Pregged. Well…unless you have a small, mid-priced sedan driven by animatronic Gucci model Theo James, which ploughs through the coven's single-frame, wrought-iron gate like a knife through butter that isn't even butter because it's actually nothing. Not to be deterred, however, the vampires quickly re-attach the gate with a solding iron, rendering the coven once again...impregnable. To quote The Princess Bride, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means". So here's what we need to do. First, we go buy some red baseball caps – bright red ones – then embroider them with the following message: MAKE UNDERWORLD OKAY-ISH AGAIN. The people will follow us. Landslide, guaranteed. The original Underworld, released in 2003, was not without its merit. It didn't have much merit, mind you, but some is still better than none. Kate Beckinsale proved a fantastic choice for the death-dealing werewolf hunter Selene, whose talents and temerity outstripped compatriot and opponent alike. Alongside her, Bill Nighy, Scott Speedman and Michael Sheen rounded out a not-unimpressive supporting cast capable of making even the most laughably bad line somehow resonate with a sense of class and purpose. Yes, it was fetishist-heavy and contained a whole lot of gun porn, but it was a film of its time and found a willing fan base to propel it into a franchise. Underworld: Blood Wars, however, is now the fifth film in said franchise, one that definitely ought to have stopped at two – and my, how the largely-passable have fallen. Honestly, people have written more compelling stories on toilet paper, and they didn't need a pen. This latest instalment takes every one of the already scant, okay-to-decent aspects of the original film and dispenses with them wholesale aside from Beckinsale herself. What little story there is comes across in heavy-handed dialogue which mostly exists to bridge one dull fight scene to the next. The characters, meanwhile, continue to clad themselves in comically revealing black lace or leather like extras from a Judas Priest video. Except for the ones in all white, because they're pacifist vampires, don't ya know. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSlaWHDu5WU
