In the just-dropped full season-three Only Murders in the Building trailer, Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez, The Dead Don't Die) asks Oliver Putnam (Martin Short, Schmigadoon!) and Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin, It's Complicated) a key question: "who are we without a homicide?". When you're characters in a murder-mystery comedy who make a podcast about murders in your building, death comes with the territory. So does chatting about it — and both are covered in this latest and lengthiest sneak peek at the show's new batch of episodes. This time, it's actor Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) who has shuffled off this mortal coil — and at opening night of theatre producer Putnam's latest Broadway show. Of course Mora, Putnam and Savage are going to get sleuthing again, as they did with past murders in season one (aka one of the best new shows of 2021) and season two (one of the best returning shows of 2022). And of course scrambling to save Putnam's career is also part of the storyline. Season three stars not only Gomez, Martin, Short and the ageless Rudd, but also the one and only Meryl Streep (Don't Look Up) as it add another bit of murder, a new mystery to solve and plenty of laughs to the winter streaming lineup. The show returns on Tuesday, August 8 with its main trio spending plenty of time on Broadway trying to work out who is responsible for Gilroy's death, and why, with help from Streep as his co-star Loretta Durkin. "Is this really happening again?" asked Putnam in the first teaser trailer for the new batch of episodes. Yes, yes it is. So is the series fondness for big-name guest stars, as viewers will know from both season one and two. Tina Fey (Girls5eva) has been a significant presence, Sting and Amy Schumer have played themselves, and Cara Delevingne (Carnival Row) has also popped up. If you're yet to experience Only Murders in the Building's charms, it follows its central odd trio after they bond over two things: listening to a Serial-style podcast hosted by the show's own version of Sarah Koenig, aka Cinda Canning (Fey); and a death in their luxe abode. Of course, they did what everyone that's jumped on the true-crime bandwagon knows they would if they were ever in the same situation, starting their own audio series that's also called Only Murders in the Building. That's how season one kicked off — and continued, proving a warm, funny, smart and savvy series at every step along the way. In the show's second go-around, another death needed investigating. That time, it was someone the main trio were all known not to be that fond of, so suspicions kept pointing in their direction. Check out the full trailer for Only Murders in the Building season three below: Only Murders in the Building's third season will start streaming Down Under via Star on Disney+ from Tuesday, August 8. Season one and two are currently streaming. Read our full review of season two — and of the show's first season, too.
Feeling a fraction frazzled? A bit bamboozled? A touch touchy? Every now and again, you've got to step out of the action and into some downtime. And here to give you a helping hand are the good folk at independent Australian company The Downtime Agenda. Started by entrepreneur Julie Haslam, The Downtime Agenda aims to help everyday folks actually take time for themselves — when was the last time you did? Really did? By enabling Aussies to maximise their valuable downtime and actively relaxing, Haslam intends to boost mindfulness and wellbeing with a range of deliverable products, gifts and services — "a place dedicated to the things we do when we're not doing things". To get you started on your high quality R&R quest, in partnership with TDA, we're giving away a whole lot of free time. The big prize up for grabs is a weekend camping experience for two people. Another great independent Australian startup, CampNow is a local service made for people who dream about camping, but never seem to find the time or the gear. To make it easy, the team turns up on your doorstep with everything you need — from air mattresses and pillows to head torches and first aid kits. So, you end up with a weekend of camping delivered, without the hassles of storage and cleaning. You can also ask CampNow to show you the way to secret camp spots. Two runners up will score $100 vouchers to spend at The Downtime Agenda. These can be used to enjoy one of TDA's relaxing experiences, including massages, meditation classes, yoga sessions, men's grooming, pizza-making master classes, stays in Thredbo and more. [competition]613765[/competition]
Charging your phone is probably one of the most mundane things you do each day. Your phone's on three percent, you scramble to find your charger cord, you plug it in, it makes a noise and, hey, it's charging. But a Canadian startup has decided to take the downright borezo process of charging your phone and make it look like literal magic — they've created a charger that makes your phone levitate while it's powering up. The OvRcharge is a wireless charging base that puts your smartphone on show. While it's charging your device it not only suspends it in mid-air, but it can slowly rotate it too through an invisible magnetic field. The product, which has been created by Toronto studio AR Designs, is currently being funded on Kickstarter, and is $10k (Canadian dollars) off their $40,000 goal. Of course, it's not actual magic. The OvRcharge is able to simultaneously charge and suspend the device through magnets, which will transmit from the base to a special phone case that plugs into your device. "It consists of two main technologies: electromagnetism and induction," AR Designs' founder and CEO Rukhsana Perveen told Digital Trends. "Electromagnetism is responsible for maintaining its altitude and balance, [while] induction is for wireless power transfer." The charger is set to be compatible with the iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, Sony Xperia and a few other models. If you want one, you'll have to pledge to the Kickstarter campaign — there's 15 days left. Via Digital Trends.
When Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead hits cinemas this Friday (and only this Friday), do yourself a favour and remain indoors. The feature film debut of the Sydney-born Roache-Turner brothers, this is a gruesome zombie apocalypse movie with a grungy, DIY aesthetic — the duo spent three-and-half-years on the project, and their hard work and enthusiasm can be felt in every frame. But enthusiasm alone doesn’t excuse derivative storytelling. Nor does it make the film’s casual racism and leering misogyny any less unpleasant to watch. The movie begins — as such movies tend to do — with the downfall of civilisation. Specifically, a meteor shower, which for some unknown (possibly biblical) reason turns a majority of the population into zombies. It’s especially bad news for blokey auto mechanic Barry (Jay Gallagher), who’s forced to execute his wife and daughter before they make him a meal. Armed to the teeth — and with a homemade armoured vehicle to match — Barry and a group of survivors make their way down the outback highway, in an attempt to rescue his sister Brooke (Bianca Bradey) from a similarly grizzly fate. Wyrmwood is being sold as a cross between Mad Max and Dawn of the Dead. It should probably go without saying that it doesn’t hold a candle to either. This is bargain-bin horror filmmaking, and although the brothers endeavour to throw in a few new twists on the zombie genre, ultimately the formula remains the same. It’s a movie more focused on interesting kills than interesting characters; Barry has less personality than a reanimated corpse, while his sidekick Benny (Leon Burchill) is a cartoonish collection of belittling Aboriginal stereotypes. Even more distasteful is Wyrmwood’s handling of its only significant female character. While Barry and Benny slice their way through the zombie hordes, the scantily clad Brooke finds herself chained up in a laboratory, at the mercy of a syringe-wielding mad scientist. Dull and repetitive, the subplot serves zero purpose in the film, other than to give pervy male audience members ample opportunity to star down Bradey’s top. This kind of sexism is all too common in the low-fi horror world, and frankly, it needs to be stamped out. Technical specs are solid, particularly given the film’s presumably minuscule shooting budget. The camerawork recalls the madcap energy of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead film, although with next to none of that series’ ingenuity or humour. Credit also to the effects and makeup teams for credibly bringing the film's monsters to (un)life. Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead will have its Australian premiere at Moonlight Cinemas around the country on Friday, February 6. These screenings will be followed by a one-day theatrical engagement on Friday, Feburary 13.
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But during these pandemic times while scores of venues are closed, it might also be the only way to get your mitts on your favourite cult dish. Right now, dining out is off the cards and we're all inside racking up plenty of spare hours perfecting those kitchen skills. So, what better time for the minds behind some of the world's greatest cult dishes to share their culinary secrets? From Disneyland's sugar-dusted churro bites, to IKEA's much-loved meatballs, a bunch of famed spots have revealed their secret recipes for you to recreate at home. Add a few of these classics to your iso cooking repertoire. DISNEY'S CHURRO BITES AND MICKEY MOUSE-SHAPED BEIGNETS Disney's renowned collection of theme parks might be temporarily closed in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19, but your inner child will be chuffed to hear it's simply relocating the magic...to your house. Along with virtual tours and new online offerings, the company's keeping that whimsical spirit alive by sharing some of its best-known recipes through its Disney Magic Moments series. Top of everyone's kitchen hit-list are the classic Disney churro bites, which are on the menu at every single Disney park across the globe. The recipe is fairly straightforward and if you've been lucky enough to wrangle some flour (if not, here's where you'll find some), you should already have most of the ingredients at home. Oh, and we're sure the four-person serving size is just a suggestion… Elsewhere on the site, you'll find recipes for its sugar-dusted Mickey Mouse-shaped beignets. PIZZA EXPRESS'S DOUGH BALLS Internationally loved, UK-born chain Pizza Express has done its many fans a solid, by releasing the recipe for its legendary dough balls into the world. While its restaurants are shut in accordance with public health measures, the group's fluffy, buttery snacks are yours for the making. Nab some yeast and flour, along with a few other pantry basics, and you could be pulling a tray of these beauties out of the oven in no time at all. Fancy something a little heartier? Pizza Express has also dropped the recipe for its classic margherita, so bring on the at-home pizza parties. https://twitter.com/PizzaExpress/status/1250363279945367553 IKEA'S MEATBALLS IKEA's Swedish meatballs have earned almost as much buzz for the furniture giant as its signature flatpack home accessories. And while those blessed balls are off the menu with the chain's in-store restaurants temporarily closed due to COVID-19, there's nothing stopping you recreating the goodness at home. IKEA has released its once-secret meatball recipe to the internet gods, complete with a handy, illustrated step-by-step guide. Each batch makes enough pork and beef meatballs — and matching rich cream sauce — to serve four. And chances are, you can knock it all together in less time than it takes to assemble one of IKEA's flatpack creations. DOUBLETREE BY HILTON'S CHOC CHIP COOKIES If you've ever stayed at a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, chances are you're a sucker for the complimentary warm chocolate chip cookies the group serves each of its guests on arrival. But you no longer need to book in an overnight stay to sink your teeth into one of these cult baked goods — the recipe's now available online. With most travel plans on hold while the world's in pandemic fighting mode, Hilton has shared the blueprint for its covetable cookies so you can have a crack at baking them yourself. Whip up a batch of these minimal hassle treats and inject a little jet-setting, hotel-living style into your iso situation. [caption id="attachment_768714" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Flickr/Alpha[/caption] MCDONALD'S SAUSAGE & EGG MCMUFFIN Thanks to the magic of drive-through and delivery, there's pretty much no need to forego your Macca's fix here in Australia, even when self-isolating. But if you've jumped on the home cooking bandwagon hard, you can now have a go at perfecting your own version of the humble McDonald's sausage and egg McMuffin. After shutting all of its stores in response to the pandemic, McDonald's UK has gifted the world with the recipe for the brand's globally-loved breakfast treat. With just four ingredients and only a handful of steps, this one sure seems like a pretty easy culinary project and judging from the #McDonaldsAtHome feed on Twitter, has proved successful for plenty of folks. How will your DIY McMuffin stack up to the original? ACME-STYLE PASTA DISHES FROM MITCH ORR It was a sad day when Rushcutters Bay favourite ACME shut its doors for good last year. But the award-winning restaurant is back in spirit — kind of — to help cure those isolation blues and answer all your pasta cravings. Chef and co-owner Mitch Orr has taken to Instagram to share a slew of his own go-to recipes and it's about as close as you'll get to having ACME reincarnated, at your house. Jump over to his page for a step-by-step photo guide to dreamy dishes like pasta arrabbiata, creamy boscaiola, a classic bolognese and a 'turbo schnitty' featuring Lao Gan Ma chilli sauce.
UPDATE, February 8, 2021: The Breaker Upperers is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies and Amazon Video. Breaking up isn't hard to do in New Zealand's latest hilarious comedy. In fact, dumping someone you never want to see again couldn't be easier. For a fee, best friends Jen (Jackie van Beek) and Mel (Madeleine Sami) won't just do their clients' dirty work for them, but they'll come up with an elaborate scenario or even a song. Want to ditch an unwanted boyfriend via a country ditty? They'll start crooning. Certain that a scandal is the only way to stop your wedding? One of them will pretend to be the mother of your unborn child. Need something with a bit more finality? The pair will tell your wife that you're missing, presumed drowned. Welcome to The Breaker Upperers — the name of Jen and Mel's busy Auckland business, as well as the title of van Beek and Sami's astute and side-splitting film. The duo write, direct and star, and they're an uproarious force to be reckoned with. Comedians with considerable resumes on New Zealand television (as well as parts across Taika Waititi's filmography), their first big-screen adventure together doesn't just milk ghosting an ex for laughs. It's also the kind of female-focused buddy comedy that cinema could use considerably more of, telling a tale of thirty-something women who don't have it all together. Moreover, the movie's protagonists aren't chasing the usual romantic fantasy, and don't feel like they should be doing what rom-coms tell them. Actually, ever since Jen and Mel experienced their own respective relationship mishaps, they've each sworn to keep their love lives casual. That's easier for the pessimistic Jen than the amiable Mel, with two specific jobs thrusting their differences into focus. Firstly, the distraught wife of a former client (Celia Pacquola) keeps popping up in their lives — needing a shoulder to cry on, and making Mel start to doubt whether breaking up couples for cash is a line of work anyone should be doing. Secondly, high schooler Jordan (James Rolleston, delightfully asked to play dumb) hires them to dump his smart-talking girlfriend Sepa (breakout newcomer Ana Scotney), causing sparks to fly between the 17-year-old rugby player and Mel. As well as giving van Beek and Sami on-screen gigs over the years, plus directing Sami's one-woman TV show Super City, Waititi has an executive producing credit on The Breaker Upperers. While the brand of dry, awkward Kiwi comedy found in Boy, What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople is alive and well here, this is always van Beek and Sami's movie. They fire off gags and one-liners with such a hit rate that you might miss a few because you're laughing too much. They not only commit to the more outlandish aspects of the picture's humour, but flesh out their characters so they're much more than just a source of jokes. And, in a film with several standout musical moments, they make the best Celine Dion karaoke video you're ever likely to see. A little bit silly, a little bit sweet, yet still thoroughly smart in its ode to female friendship: that's The Breaker Upperers from start to finish. It's the cinematic equivalent of a great (not doomed) romance — hooking viewers instantly like love at first sight, throwing up plenty of joyful surprises and then riding off into the sunset. The film itself doesn't chart that narrative path, but that's the journey it takes audiences on anyway. It's also energetic, well-paced, and delightfully diverse in its appreciation of sexuality, sex positivity, gender, race, culture, body image and going grey at a young age. If it was your date, you wouldn't be asking anyone to break up with it for you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-phMlkRiWIg
Perhaps you've made 2023 the year of prioritising self care, or maybe you're looking to recharge and recentre as we ease out of summer and into a fresh season. Either way, you'll have the chance to kick some serious weekend wellness goals at the Mornington Peninsula's newest festival, Awaken. As Peninsula Hot Springs' latest offering, it'll take over the Fingal bathing precinct on Sunday, March 26 for a day devoted to wellness, music, culture and art. Designed to reawaken body and mind, the gathering is set to deliver a hollistic program of workshops, bathing, guided experiences and performances. You can fill your day with soothing dips in the precinct's many geothermal pools, stress-relieving treatments in the dedicated massage zone and a whole host of yoga-focused activities. Plus, enjoy live tunes from artists like Kyle Lionheart, Mama Kin Spender (backed by the Macapella Choir), Garrett Kato and Edo Khan. Those looking to stretch their mind can sit in on a whole range of talks and workshops led by experts like celebrated US yoga teacher Shiva Rea, stem-cell biologist Dr Bruce Lipton, Dr Marc Cohen, Wayapa Wellness' Jem Stone and trainer Simone Callahan. William Wong, Uma Spender, Sonja Kyra-Bleau and Maggie Carr are just some of the others who'll be offering expert guidance and inspiration on the day. [caption id="attachment_845455" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Peninsula Hot Springs, Visit Victoria[/caption] What's more, the Peninsula Hot Springs amphitheatre and sprawling new 'food bowl' will play host to a good portion of Awaken's program — the pools here offer an indulgent front-row seat to whatever's happening on stage, allowing you to literally soak while you soak it all in. There are multiple saunas, icy plunge pools and even an ice cave to hit in between the performances and workshops. And if you fancy making a weekend of it, don't forget about the onsite glamping retreat where you can spend the night in luxury just metres from all the action. [caption id="attachment_790886" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Glamping at Peninsula Hot Springs.[/caption] Awaken will take place at Peninsula Hot Springs, 140 Springs Lane, Finga,l on Sunday, March 26. General tickets are $110 (or $180 with bathing access), available online.
UPDATE: FEBRUARY 10, 2020 — Due to popular demand, The Fork Festival has extended for three weeks, which means you have until Saturday, February 29 to snag a tidy 50 percent off your total food bill. It also means this deal is sticking around for Valentine's Day — you know what to do. When Christmas and New Year are over, the temptation to hibernate grows pretty strong — so, you're probably going to need a little something extra to tempt you off the couch. Handily, online reservation platform The Fork has a winning idea up its sleeve: it's offering a huge eight weeks of dining specials nationwide. Kicking off on Monday, January 6, the second ever The Fork Festival will see top restaurants across the country offering sit-down meals for half the usual price. Yep, 50 percent off your total food bill, folks — think of it as the proverbial carrot luring you out of the house. So far, 300 restaurants have signed up, but The Fork is expecting this number to grow. To snag a half-price meal, you just need to make a reservation through The Fork website or app at one of the participating eateries for any service (breakfast, lunch or dinner) during the five weeks. [caption id="attachment_704314" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pretty Boy Italian Steakhouse[/caption] There are some great venues coming to the party, too. Melbourne venues include Tulum Restaurant, Mukka, Souk, White Oaks Saloon, Pascale Bar & Grill and Casa Nom Bar y Restaurante, Din Tai Fung and Pretty Boy Italian Steakhouse. You might want to revisit an old favourite or you could get a little adventurous and road-test somewhere new. Either way, there's ample time to squeeze in a fair few discount feasts before the festival wraps up on February 29. You can check out the full list of participating restaurants on the website. Top image: Casa Nom by Griffin Simm.
You can never have too many occasions to eat cheese; however Melbourne's newest celebration of everyone's favourite dairy product isn't just keen to shower cheese fiends with creamy goodness. A collaboration between Bottle Shop Concepts and Bruny Island Cheese Co cheesemaker Nick Haddow, Mould: A Cheese Festival wants dairy-lovers to explore and devour the mild, hard and soft bites that Australia's best cheese wizards have to offer. Corralling 20 local producers together, and showcasing more than 80 different varieties, the festival with paint North Melbourne's Meat Market yellow from 11am to 6pm on September 2. Yes, it'll make everyone discover just how many times they can say the word cheese before it starts to sound strange — but, it'll also feature flavoursome fare from Yarra Valley Dairy, Holy Goat Cheese, Woodside Cheese Wrights, Pyengana Dairy Company, Shaw River Buffalo Cheese, That's Amore, Grandvewe and more. Think of it as a cheese tasting trip around Australia without leaving Blackwood Street. Of course, snacking on samples and purchasing slices and slabs to take home with you are just two ways to enjoy cheese. Don't worry, Mould: A Cheese Festival has other cheese-tastic fun in store as well. In fact, the fest will boast cooking demonstrations and masterclasses so you'll know just how to make the best cheesy wonders, as well as everything from grilled cheese sandwiches and 'flaming Reubens' to raclette and cheese-flavoured gelato. You can thank Maker & Monger, Harper & Blohm and Pidapipó for all of that, with Tivoli Road Bakery joining in to serve up that cheese-accompanying staple: bread aplenty. It wouldn't be a cheese festival without beverages to wash it all down with, so expect a bar serving Aussie tipples such as Patrick Sullivan and Pennyweight wines, Starward whisky, Stone & Wood beer and Napoleone cider — and expect to spend plenty of time trying to pair your cheeses and your pints oh-so-perfectly. Tickets cost $45, which includes tastings, classes, one free glass of vino and a PLUMM wine glass to keep (and cheese dreams later, obviously). Mould: A Cheese Festival takes place from 11am to 6pm on September 2 at Meat Market, 5 Blackwood Street, North Melbourne. For more information, head to the fest's website and Facebook page.
Loaded with breaded pork jowl, chicken jus and green mustard leaf mayo, the legendary pig's head sanga from Collingwood's Congress is far from vegan. But that's not stopping the team from joining forces with the famed purveyors of plant-based goodness at Smith & Daughters for a special collaboration event. Taking over the Peel Street wine bar from 12pm this Saturday, October 10, the pop-up will showcase an unexpected new creation — Smith & Daughters' own vegan reimagining of the much-loved pork sandwich. They've recreated the flavours using pickled fennel, some salsa verde and that all-important fluffy white bread, and they'll be slinging their edition for $12 a pop. On the day, you'll also be able to buy Congress's original sanga ($10), as well as the venue's signature dutch spice cake ($8), Peroni Red beers ($5) and yuzu spritzes ($10). The lineup's sure to be popular, but you can pre-order from the Congress website this week to avoid missing out. Before you head out, you can check that the wine bar is in your five-kilometre bubble using this handy app. Congress x Smith & Daughters pop-up runs from 12–4pm.
Melbourne, if a big juicy steak is your ideal way of kissing goodbye to hump day, you're spoilt for choice. On a Wednesday evening, you can head to Dolly at Le Meridien Melbourne for budget-friendly steak frites; Bonny in Fitzroy for a $30 wagyu; and now, to Three Blue Ducks in Tullamarine for your pick of three cuts. There's a 250-gram rump for $25, a 200-gram Porterhouse for $35 and, for anyone who's ravenous (or willing to share), an 800-gram Tomahawk for $89. All three have this in common: they're sourced from 100% Black Angus, which is grass fed on Josdale Farm in Gippsland. On top of that, they all come with Three Blue Ducks' house-made mustard and a big serving of chips. Plus, for a few extra dollars, you can add sauces, sides and snacks. For any non-steak loving friends, the rest of the à la carte menu is available. Steak night kicks off every Wednesday at 5pm. Bookings can be made online.
A smart, self-effacing send-up of the entertainment industry, Top Five, like most of Rock’s best material, feels at least partly autobiographical. Rock plays Andre Allen, a comedian turned Hollywood superstar and recovering alcoholic, best known for his role in the million-dollar Hammy the Bear franchise. Unfortunately, Allen’s funny bone has been blunted since going sober, and his first attempt at a ‘serious’ film — playing Haitian slave revolutionary Dutty Boukman — is shaping up to be a box-office bomb. Even more out of control is his upcoming televised wedding, to Kardashian-esque reality star Erica Long (Gabrielle Union). Enter Chelsea Brown (Rosario Dawson), a sardonic, whip-smart writer for the New York Times, who’s been assigned to profile Allen over the course of a single day. Although initially suspicious of Brown and the Times, whose resident film critic has made a career out of tearing his movies to shreds, Allen soon finds himself opening up to the writer, as the pair begin to trade stories while walking around NYC. Top Five (©2015 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.) is in cinemas on March 12, and thanks to Paramount Pictures, we have ten double in-season passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter and then email us with your name and address. Read our full review here. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au
When you've fought for your life, plus a massive cash prize, while donning a green tracksuit, you're probably not going to shake off the deadly endeavour easily. So shows the latest teaser trailer for Squid Game season two. Lee Jung-jae (The Acolyte) is back as Gi-hun, and there's a familiar face — or mask — at his door, awakening him from a restless slumber. Soon, he's back on bunks as competitor 456. Let the games begin — again. Following a three-year wait since its award-winning first season, and after teasing the show's 2024 return since January, Squid Game will start playing once more on Boxing Day. If you usually spend the day after Christmas shopping, at the cinema or recovering from your food coma by trying to play backyard cricket, you now have other plans if you want to catch the next instalment of the South Korean thriller ASAP. It was back in August that Netflix not only advised when its huge 2021 hit — one of the best new TV programs of that year, in fact — will finally make a comeback, but also announced that there's even more in store. After Squid Game season two arrives on Thursday, December 26, 2024, Squid Game season three will drop sometime in 2025. There's no exact date for the latter as yet, but it will be the final season, closing out the Squid Game story. The streaming platform revealed both pieces of news with a date announcement teaser that featured a running track, competitors in recognisable green tracksuits, and also-familiar folks in red watching on alongside the masked Front Man — and with a letter from series director, writer and executive producer Hwang Dong-hyuk. Now, Netflix has dropped its next sneak peek at the second season — including at new games. Also back: Gi-hun's nemesis (Lee Byung-hun, The Magnificent Seven). If you're wondering what else is in the works after the hefty gap — Squid Game was such a huge smash in it first season that Netflix confirmed at the beginning of 2022 that more was on the way, and also released a teaser trailer for it the same year, before announcing its new cast members in 2023 — a few further details were dropped earlier in the year. That's when Netflix previously unveiled a first brief snippet of Squid Game season two in a broader trailer for Netflix's slate for the year, as it releases every 12 months. In the footage, Seong Gi-hun answers a phone call while at the airport sporting his newly crimson locks. He's soon told "you're going to regret the choice you've made". Cue his statement of vengeance; Squid Game meets John Wick, anyone? Wi Ha-joon (Little Women) is also back as detective Hwang Jun-ho, as is Gong Yoo (Train to Busan) as the man in the suit who got Gi-hun into the game in the first place. A show about a deadly competition that has folks battling for ridiculous riches comes with a hefty bodycount, which means that new faces were always going to be essential in Squid Game season two — so that's where Yim Si-wan (Emergency Declaration), Kang Ha-neul (Insider), Park Sung-hoon (The Glory) and Yang Dong-geun (Yaksha: Ruthless Operations) all come in. If you somehow missed all things Squid Game when it premiered, even after it became bigger than everything from Stranger Things to Bridgerton, the Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning series serves up a puzzle-like storyline and unflinching savagery, which unsurprisingly makes quite the combination. It also steps into societal divides within South Korea, a topic that wasn't invented by Parasite, Bong Joon-ho's excellent Oscar-winning 2019 thriller, but has been given a boost after that stellar flick's success. Accordingly, it's easy to see thematic and narrative parallels between Parasite and Squid Game, although Netflix's highly addictive series goes with a Battle Royale and Hunger Games-style setup. Here, 456 competitors are selected to work their way through six seemingly easy children's games. They're all given numbers and green tracksuits, they're competing for 45.6 billion won, and it turns out that they've also all made their way to the contest after being singled out for having enormous debts. Netflix turned the show's whole premise into an IRL competition series as well, which debuted in 2023 — without any murders, of course. Squid Game: The Challenge has already been picked up for a second season. Check out the latest teaser trailer for Squid Game season below: Squid Game season two streams via Netflix from Thursday, December 26, 2024. Season three will arrive in 2025 — we'll update you when an exact release date for it is announced. Images: Netflix.
No matter where you are in Australia, you probably spent the majority of 2020 in your own state — and in your own bedroom — thanks to interstate border restrictions. Limits on domestic travel have still been popping up in 2021 so far; however, if you're still keen to see more than your own backyard this year, Virgin Australia is selling 1.9 million fares to destinations around the country. And, those cheap flights are starting at $75 for a one-way ticket. Hang on, Virgin? Yes. The same airline that, less than 12 months ago, entered voluntary administration. It has since been sold to US private investment firm Bain Capital, launched a comeback sale in early July and its voluntary administration officially ended on Tuesday, November 17. Virgin's current Let the Good Times Fly flight sale runs until midnight AEST on Monday, February 8 — or until sold out. In the sale, you'll find cheap flights on a heap of routes to destinations across the country, with travel dates spanning from March to September 2021. If you've been waiting to book your first getaway for the year, now might be the time. Discounted flights span both economy and business, and include seat selection and checked baggage. Some of the routes on offer include Sydney to Ballina from $75, Brisbane to Proserpine from $84, Melbourne to Hobart from $99, Brisbane to Darwin from $165, and Melbourne to Hamilton Island from $179. The discounted flight sale is timed to coincide with Queensland reopening its border to New South Wales, which came into effect on Monday, February 1. Virgin is also increasing the frequency of trips between the two states, including between Sydney and the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Cairns, Hamilton Island and Brisbane. As we are still in the middle of a pandemic, flying is little different to normal. Virgin has introduced a range of safety measures, including hand sanitisation stations, contactless check-in and face masks provided to all passengers. Wearing masks on flights became mandatory in Australia in January. Virgin is also waiving change fees and allowing unlimited booking changes between now and June 30, 2021 — extending a scheme that was initially due to end at the end of January. Virgin's Let the Good Times Fly flight sale runs until midnight AEST on Monday, February 8 — or until sold out. Find out more about current interstate border restrictions over here.
Take a kid or several, then add a skill to be mastered and a feat to be overcome. Next, paint the protagonists as underdogs, and show synchronicity between their efforts and the act of growing up. It worked in 1980s fantasies Labyrinth and The NeverEnding Story — and the adventures of The Goonies too. The approach trickled through the baseball-themed The Sandlot Kids and the hockey-centric The Mighty Ducks trilogy in the 1990s. Circa 2000s, the espionage antics of Spy Kids and the wizardry of the Harry Potter films followed the formula. Now comes the locally made Paper Planes, a feature for a new generation of childhoods yet one that feels ripped from all others that came before. As the title suggests, the age-old pastime of creating plane-like shapes out of paper provides the movie with its premise. In this activity that anyone can enjoy, one ordinary child finds a new ability, chases glory, and circles a solution to his adolescent problems. Yes, it is supposed to sound familiar. No, it is not supposed to be subtle. Twelve-year-old Dylan (Ed Oxenbould) is the Western Australian kid in the spotlight, often left to his own devices by his grieving father (Sam Worthington) and deemed different in his country class but soon anointed with the promise of something more. A simple schoolroom lesson unlocks his knack for folding and throwing paper planes, a talent his teacher (Peter Rowsthorn) encourages. With the help of a bully turned best pal (Julian Dennison) and his cheeky grandpa (Terry Norris), Dylan sets his sights on national and international championships. By design, the path plotted by writer/director Robert Connolly and co-scribe Steve Worland isn't difficult to discern. In his coming-of-age quest of trying to triumph in the paper plane arena, Dylan encounters an adversary (Nicholas Bakopoulos-Cooke) and makes a new friend (Ena Imai); however, being comfortable in his own skin and repairing the relationship with his dad are more important outcomes. With magical realism and hearty humour bubbling through the film in abundance, Paper Planes endeavours to offer the same joyful jaunt for all ages that helped fellow homegrown efforts Babe and Red Dog achieve success – and with the same penchant for striking backdrops and broad performances, too. Well-meaning cheesiness, as seen in repeated sequences of planes rocketing past outback landscapes, and earnest portrayals of stereotypical characters acting as expected (including brief appearances by Deborah Mailman and David Wenham) are what the feature is made of. Alas, it is nostalgia, not enchantment, that keeps Paper Planes flying, if never quite soaring. Think back to the feel-good movies of your youth, because Connolly obviously has. Simplicity, sweetness and sticking to the well-worn script are the main aims of his Australian fable, and ones attained with the biggest blast of old-fashioned exuberance the filmmaker – and the film – can muster.
The National Cabinet was set to meet and decide on how to relax some of Australia's social distancing and public gatherings restrictions on Monday, May 11 — inline with the end of Victoria's second four-week state of emergency — but Prime Minister Scott Morrison decided today, Friday, May 1, to bring this date forward to next week. "Decisions on relaxing restrictions will be made next Friday [May 8]", the Prime Minister said. "Australians have earned an early mark for the work they have done." Some states have started to ease minor restrictions — such as allowing two-person house visits in NSW and more outdoor recreational activities in Queensland — but next Friday's announcement could see some larger decisions made on the federally mandated public-gathering and social-distancing rules. The Northern Territory, which has had a total of 28 cases, has already outlined its own roadmap to the "new normal", with the reopening of restaurants, bars and cafes set to take place on Friday, May 15. The Prime Minister would not comment on exactly what restrictions could be wound back, but that "room density measures" — such as the previous one person per four-square-metre rule for indoor venues — and requirements to remain 1.5 metres apart will not be lifted. This could impact if it's financially viable for restaurants, bars and cafes to reopen, even if they are allowed to. Before any restrictions are lifted, though, the Prime Minister said that more people need to download the government's contact-tracing app COVIDSafe. He said that while 11 of the 15 previously outlined conditions under which restrictions could be eased had been met, the final piece in the jigsaw puzzle of contact tracing was not in place. "There are currently over 3.5 million downloads and registrations of the COVIDSafe app, but there needs to be millions more," the Prime Minister said. He reiterated that if Australians want to go to the pub, they have to download the app. For now, the current COVID-19 restrictions will remain in place for at least the next four weeks. And fines are still in place for disobeying these in NSW, Vic and Queensland. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Top image: Kimberley Low
'Tis the season to be merry and bright, and where better to get your glow on than at a Christmas market dedicated to that all-important seasonal ingredient: wine. It's the third year for the Northside Wines Christmas Market, and by all accounts, it's going to be the best and biggest yet. Organisers promise over 100 wines will be on offer for tasting on the day, and did we mention there's "unlimited sampling"? We like the sound of that. Taking place at Northside's High Street store, the market is the perfect place to find gifts for all those hard-to-buy-for souls, as well as stocking the table for Christmas lunch. If your usual selection is more in the ream of the supermarket sale shelf, don't worry: Some of the country's best boutique winemakers will be on hand to share their knowledge and guide your hand. Some of the winemakers in attendance will include Konpira Maru, Little Brunswick Wine Co and Collaborative Fermentations, so if you haven't dabbled in a natural drop yet, perhaps this will be time to do it. Two 2.5 hour sessions will be running which should give you plenty of time to sample drops and choose your favourites — perhaps before grabbing a kebab and having a lie-down.
It's been 13 years since Danny Rogers and Jerome Borazio decided to fill a Melbourne alleyway with tunes in 2005. Thankfully, Laneway Festival has just confirmed it will be heading back to its collection of unconventional venues for another year, revealing it's 2018 dates and first two headliners. Returning to Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Fremantle, Auckland and Singapore next January and February, Laneway will raise a plastic cup to the middle of summer with what looks to be one heck of a lineup. Following on from sweltering sets from AB Original, Chet Faker, Tame Impala and Glass Animals last year, the festival has just announced two of 2018's headliners: California's inimitable Anderson .Paak with his live band The Free Nationals, and Canada's Mac DeMarco, who swayed, pashed and crowdsurfed through his slacker-rock set with about 20 of his buds (and his mum) at Laneway 2015. The full lineup is expected to be announced soon with a Via pre-sale happening this week and the rest of the tickets going on sale on September 18. But here's the dates so you can save the one in your city LANEWAY FESTIVAL 2018 DATES Singapore — Saturday, January 27 Auckland — Monday, January 29 Adelaide — Friday, February 2 Melbourne — Saturday, February 3 Sydney — Sunday, February 4 Brisbane — Saturday, February 10 Fremantle — Sunday, February 11 Image: Andy Fraser.
It's been three and a half years since Lûmé first crashed into our food scene, with head chef and co-owner Shaun Quade's wildly inventive fare quickly making a name for the South Melbourne fine diner. Now, as Quade gears up to kick-start his next culinary venture, he's given the whole place a spruce-up and handed over the all-important kitchen reins to mentee and celebrated young gun John Rivera. He recently won the San Pellegrino Young Chef of the Year, as well as the Gault & Millau Young Talent of the Year in 2017. The first thing he's done is make the menu smaller; Lûmé's signature $210 14-course degustation has been replaced with the option of three slightly more approachable offerings: three courses for $100, five courses for $140 and seven courses for $170). To that end, you can expect an all-new menu, delivering Rivera's interpretation of modern Australian fare — but still with that Lûmé edge. Dive into thoughtful and unexpected creations like the calamari matched to coconut, cucumber and chrysanthemum; melaleuca-smoked duck with leatherwood honey and cherries; and shiitakes with oyster and charred kombu. [caption id="attachment_705023" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The 'snacks' at Lûmé.[/caption] Each menu comes with four clever snacks that promise to be just as good as the main event. Onion doughnuts come with fresh sea succulents, dainty smoked tomato tarts feature burnt barley and "salted egg", while black banana makes an appearance as an unlikely glaze for the barbecue pork bites. Lûmé's penchant for great wine holds strong, the list championing big names alongside new and interesting drops. If you've got extra cash to splash, opt for one of the expert beverage pairings ($60–130) to see the team's booze prowess at its best. One to add to your must-visit restaurants of 2019 list. Find the new-era Lûmé at 226 Coventry Street, South Melbourne. Food images: Shaun Quade.
Replace a Friday knock-off at your local, with an evening of live music and haute couture at the NGV. There's a rotating lineup of musicians and DJs performing and after-hours entry to The House of Dior: Seventy Years of Haute Couture. The exhibition is made up of 140 garments designed by Christian Dior Couture between 1947 and 2017. Throw in killer food and beverage options into the mix and your Friday night looks a lot more exciting.
Slip into the shadows and embrace the dark side, when Melbourne Museum launches its new immersive digital exhibition, Tyama: A Deeper Sense of Knowing. Taking its name from the Keerray Woorroong language verb 'to know', it's a captivating glimpse into First Peoples practices of embodied learning, storytelling and connection to nature. Launching Friday, July 22, the exhibition invites you to explore Victoria's vibrant nocturnal world via large-scale projections, soundscapes, striking imagery and a collection of artefacts. Interactive technology is fused with powerful storytelling to capture and unpack ideas around our connection to the natural world. Created in conjunction with Keerray Woorroong citizens Yoolongteeyt Dr Vicki Couzens and Yaraan Bundle, Tyama aims to immerse and transport you as you wander through its spaces, activating swirling dreamtime lightscapes, flitting amongst blooming nocturnal flowers and using sound to 'see' like a bat. You'll switch perspectives with flora and fauna, and gain new insight into our extraordinary world. Images: Eugene Hyland
You should cut down on your porklife and get to the Palais Theatre this summer, Damon Albarn is coming to Melbourne. Celebrating the recent release of his critically-acclaimed first solo venture Everyday Roots, the legendary Blur frontman will bring early Christmas presents to Melburnians with an intimate performance on Friday, December 12. Alongside his Blur/Gorillaz escapades, the 46-year-old has casually worked with Everyone Ever — including the late Bobby Womack, buds Brian Eno, Natasha Khan (Bat For Lashes), Paul Simonon (The Clash), master drummer Tony Allen, Snoop Dogg and Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers). For his Melbourne show he'll be joined onstage with his shiny new live crew, The Heavy Seas, plus a cheeky string quartet and onstage choir. Epic. While the setlist will undoubtedly focus on Albarn's solo material, fingers are crossed for a Boys and Girls Easter Egg or two. Damon Albarn will play the Palais Theatre at 7:30pm, Friday 12 December. Tickets available from Ticketmaster. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ODG3VRkncBc
MIFF is giving a massive nod to the late, great, absolute legend, Robin Williams. Following the beloved comedian's tragic passing on Tuesday, the Melbourne International Film Festival has scheduled a tribute screening of one of William's best films: the 1987 classic Good Morning Vietnam. Shaking things up on breakfast radio is one thing, doing it on a US Armed Services Radio station during the Vietnam War is another. Playing the highly unorthodox DJ, Williams nabbed an Oscar nomination for giving a finger to the system as Adrian Cronauer in his breakthrough big-screen appearance. Diverting from his dull, monotonous radio predecessors, Cronauer's dynamite, wacky morning broadcasts turn real when he experiences first-hand the horrors of war — a broadcast truth that sees him replaced and facing another battle to get back on the air. Williams balances wacky outlandishness with dramatic poignancy, channelling all the Damn the Man finesse with high-fiveable conviction. And if we could wake up every day to Williams respect for microphone technique instead of certain bullshit shock jocks, we'd be outstandingly happy campers. MIFF 2014 runs from July 31 until August 17. The festival's one-off screening of Good Morning Vietnam is happening at 1:30pm this Saturday, August 16 at Hoyts Melbourne Central. Head over here for more info and tickets. Good Morning Vietnam is one of ten ways Robin Williams opened our minds, check out the list here. Lifeline provide all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to online, phone and face-to-face crisis support and suicide prevention services. Call 13 11 14 for 24hr telephone crisis support or visit their website here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=wuk8AOjGURE
Aussie truffle season is here for a good time, not a long time, so you want to really squeeze the most out of it. And from Friday, August 12 to Sunday, August 14, that means heading out to Spotswood to feast your way through Grazeland's inaugural Truffle Festival. The huge food precinct is plating up a decadent weekend of funghi appreciation with a bunch of vendors whipping up limited-edition truffle dishes just for the occasion. As always, it's a globe-trotting lineup — think shaved truffle sprinkled atop hot chip cones and inside toasties from Fat Tonys, Lucky Little Dumpling's black truffle xiao long bao, truffled raclette courtesy of Frencheese, and truffle cheese bratwurst rolls from Bratboy. 48H Pizza will be doing a sausage, truffle and wild mushroom number, while Claw & Tail gives seared scallops the truffle butter treatment. Even dessert is a truffled affair, with the likes of Doughville's dreamy custard-filled croissant collaboration with Pierrick Boyer; and ricotta cannoli stuffed with black truffle and dark chocolate chip from Cannoleria. Meanwhile, both of Grazeland's stages will be dishing up the live tunes across the weekend and you'll find a huge array of sips pouring at its many pop-up bars. [caption id="attachment_856787" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Frencheese[/caption] The Truffle Festival will run over the weekend of August 12 to August 14 at 5–10pm Friday, 12–10pm Saturday and 12–9pm Sunday. Top Image: I In The Sky Productions
For many beer drinkers, opting for a craft creation isn’t just about taste. It’s also about supporting the little guys and choosing microbreweries over multinationals. But the fact that more and more consumers are spending their dollars on local produce is not going unnoticed by big companies. And they’re responding by bringing out beverages that might look, smell and taste like craft beers, but are, in fact, macrobrewed masqueraders. So, a team of US-based entrepreneurs has come up with an app that can tell the difference between beverages from "real craft breweries" and those from "assembly line multinationals". It’s called Craft Check and its motto is "Drink Craft — Not Crafty". Using an iPhone, the user scans the bottle’s barcode or searches by brewery name. The app responds by communicating whether the brewery meets the Brewers Association’s definition of ‘American Craft Brewery’. Thousands of producers are included and records are updated monthly, incorporating new businesses and buy-outs. Findings can be shared via Twitter and Facebook, meaning that friends can be kept in the loop. The only catch for Antipodean drinkers is that ‘Craft Check’ is pretty much only applicable in the US. That’s because most other nations in the world don’t have a definition for ‘craft brewery’. It’s such a subjective term that deciding exactly what it means is pretty tough. Luckily, our team has taken out some of the guess work for you. Via PSFK.
It's hard to talk about The Darkside. It's a collection of true Aboriginal ghost stories. It's the follow-up to Warwick Thornton's first feature, Samson and Delilah. And it's unlike any other feature film — in format, in feeling and in content. It's a bit like The Turning by Robert Connolly — an anthology of mini-films rather than a long narrative that arcs forward in a straight line. So you have to take it for what it is; there's no suite of regular characters who change or interact or grow or hug or learn together, there are no subplots, no tricks, no twist at the end, no irony, no winking cleverness, definitely no CGI. In 12 small chapters, an encounter with an Indigenous ghost is recounted, usually by an actor, straight into the camera in leisurely, long takes. It's a simple and honest approach to pure storytelling without the cinematic gimmicks we're used to. That makes The Darkside a film to approach with total trust and zero skepticism. Thornton put a call-out all over the country for people to tell their stories of interactions with spirits and the inexplicable. The fact that the stories are real is important. The fact that you may not believe in ghosts is unimportant. After all, you don't need to believe in zombies to enjoy a horror movie. I engaged less with the spiritual side of the film, and more with its sincerity and its unique Indigenous cultural perspective. Thornton's detours from the direct-to-camera thing are highlights: we watch artist Ben Quilty painting a symmetrical, roaring landscape with the spirit of a small, lost girl floating sideways (it is astonishing, and a rare insight into this painter's creative process). We see a long-limbed Claudia Karvan meets the rainbow serpent and dances into Massive Attacked oblivion. And we see quietly distressing archival footage of 1900s colonialists' anthropological studies into Aboriginal people, who were once thought of as the missing evolutionary link between 'legit' humans and apes. There are a few sneaky laughs and a few sneaky creeps. This new tide of Indigenous filmmakers — Thornton, Wayne Blair, Ivan Sen, Rachel Perkins — are speaking for themselves, making Aboriginal stories for all audiences, and showing that black culture cannot be compartmentalised into the past or into the margins of non-white populations: this is not Australia's heritage, this is Australia's present. This film may be in limited release in theatres, festivals and galleries, but it deserves to be seen by everyone. The Aboriginal ancestors of Australia are still here and they're living on in The Darkside. https://youtube.com/watch?v=AUQ-8MBFjjE
Adding to Ovolo's growing Australian portfolio, the hotel company has revealed its next new location. Come 2020, a six-storey site will open in South Melbourne — the first that the brand will manage, but won't own. Due to be built at 183-199 Moray Street, the$50 million South Melbourne hotel will bring 100 rooms to a mixed-use precinct that's being developed by Perri Projects. If you're already planning a staycation, you can expect the usual Ovolo flourishes. That includes a distinctive interior design scheme tailor-made for the location. At its other Aussie hotels — such as Ovolo Laneways in Little Bourke Street in the CBD — the company offers a heap of freebies, such as a free mini-bar with every room (including a lolly bag full of treats), free breakfast with every stay, free wi-fi, free laundry and free happy hour drinks each day. Here's hoping that they're all part of the South Melbourne spread as well. Construction is due to start in the second half of 2019, with the hotel also set to feature bars, restaurants, and a rooftop function and events space. The news caps off a big 2018 for Ovolo, with its two Brisbane sites in Spring Hill and Fortitude Valley opening this year. Find Ovolo South Melbourne at 183-199 Moray Street, South Melbourne from a yet-to-be-revealed date in 2020.
So you thought you'd be cool with giving Parklife a miss this time around? Well if FOMO is already kicking in hard with a week or so still to go we've got a solution, and it doesn't involve drowning your sorrows in beer and lying to everyone that you really just want to stay home and relax anyway. That's right, thanks to Grill'd Healthy Burgers we here at Concrete Playground are giving away two VIP double passes to the first chapter of summer's already-way-above-average music festival calendar. In case you missed it when we almost wet ourselves over the first line-up back in June this means you'll be enjoying tunes from the likes of The Presets, Passion Pit, Justice, Tame Impala and breakthrough beatmaker Flume, with plenty more equally exciting acts permeating Centennial Park with musical goodness. It's so fully sick that even the Bondi Hipsters have put their usual weekend plans on hold to join the bill. And since it's not a spring weekend without something chargrilled and delicious, Grill'd will be giving you each a voucher you can swap for a nice fresh burger at their on-site Airstream trailer. For a chance to win, make sure you're subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name, postal address and preferred city to hello@concreteplayground.com.au by 5pm Wednesday 26th September. What you're getting: 2 double VIP passes to Parklife in the city of your choice ($384 value) 2 Grill'd Burger vouchers ($25 value) Parklife 2012 Dates: Parklife Brisbane | Saturday 29th September at Riverstage and Botanic Gardens Parklife Sydney | Sunday 30th September at Centennial Park Parklife Perth | Monday 1st October at Wellington Square Parklife Melbourne | Saturday 6th October at Sidney Myer Music Bowl and Kings Domain Parklife Adelaide | Sunday 7th October at Botanic Park, Botanic Gardens of Adelaide
Between an immersive dinner experience in a historic house, performances by The Flaming Lips and Kamasi Washington and a swag of captivating theatre experiences inviting audiences into parallel worlds, this year's Melbourne International Arts Festival (MIAF) will be tough to ignore. Unveiled yesterday, the festival's 2019 program is set to deliver a diverse, vibrant celebration of dance, music, theatre, visual arts and architecture from October 2–20, with the entire city as its stage. For one of 12 Australian premieres, famous illusionist Scott Silven will host multi-sensory dinners for 24 people inside Chapter House, combining magic and storytelling (and, hopefully, some food). Another Australian premiere that'll be equally captivating is Yang Liping's contemporary dance masterpiece Rite of Spring. Tokyo-based art collective teamLab — made up of mathematicians, architects, animators and engineers — will take over Tolarno Galleries with sculptures of light and "cascades of shimmering luminescence", which will make you feel as though you're standing on a floating wave of light. If you've been lucky enough to visit Tokyo's Digital Art Museum or Shanghai's pop-up digital waterfall you'll know what to expect — they're both works by teamLab. Over at the Arts Centre, Black Mirror actor Maxine Peake will lead 15 musicians in a captivating exploration of enigmatic artist Nico and her 1968 masterpiece The Marble Index, in an Australian exclusive. [caption id="attachment_724480" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Flaming Lips[/caption] In terms of music, there are some big names heading Down Under for the two-week festival. Psychedelic rock legends The Flaming Lips will perform their ninth, and most celebrated, record The Soft Bulletin in full to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The band's performances are never run-of-the-mill either — so, expect confetti cannons, elaborate costumes and neon unicorns. Jazz king Kamasi Washington — who has collaborated with everyone from Herbie Hancock to Kendrick Lamar and St Vincent — will be performing his latest album Heaven and Earth, as well as other top hits. Grammy Award-winning string quartet Kronos Quartet will be heading to Melbourne, too, and if the name doesn't immediately sound familiar, you'll most definitely recognise their Requiem for a Dream soundtrack. Elsewhere on the program — which, yes, continues – will see the return of Melbourne's beloved art trams, Nakkiah Lui's new show Black is the New White, a thought-provoking look at (and questioning of) 2019 Melbourne in Anthem and a world premiere of Chunky Move's new contemporary show Token Armies. This will be the last MIAF in its current format, too. Starting from 2020, MIAF will also form part of a new and bigger winter festival, in conjunction with White Night. Melbourne International Arts Festival runs from October 2-20, 2019, at venues across the city. Tickets are available here, from Monday, July 22. Images: Borderless Tokyo Digital Art Museum by Sarah Ward; Yang Liping's Rite of Spring; Kamasi Washington.
If there's a live gig-shaped hole in your life right now, Indigenous Australian hip hop artist Ziggy Ramo is here to fill that void with a night of hard-hitting tunes. This Saturday, August 29, he'll take to the hallowed stage of the Sydney Opera House for an exclusive live-streamed performance, complete with striking visuals and a ten-piece band in tow. Beaming live and loud to a device near you, Ramo is set to play his debut full-length album Black Thoughts. The much-lauded work was completed in 2015 before being shelved for a few years, and has now been reborn in light of current conversations around race and colonial history. Expect a powerful performance incorporating strings and brass, brought to life alongside newly commissioned artworks by 2018 WA Young Person of the Year, Indigenous Australian illustrator Kamsani 'Kambarni' Bin-Salleh. Spiritually charged rap meets traditional Songlines to deliver a captivating musical journey, touching on collective trauma, racial discrimination, vulnerability and spiritual renewal. Got plans Saturday night? All good — the full performance will also be available on-demand after the initial live stream. While the Sydney Opera House is still closed to the public, it's running a Digital Season with full-length archival performances and live recordings. You can can check out the final lineup over here. [caption id="attachment_720224" align="alignnone" width="1920"] A gig at Sydney Opera House during Vivid by Daniel Boud[/caption] Top image: Emma Pegrum
In great news for anyone who'll be in the vicinity of the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery, Mornington Peninsula Chocolaterie and Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie in May, all three sites are dedicating the month to rocky road, as they usually do at this time of year. In 2022, they're bringing back their rocky road fest in person, too; however, for those can't make it along in the flesh — including folks interstate — the at-home version is still running as well. Get ready for a virtual month-long sugar extravaganza dedicated to sweet, nutty, marshmallowy rocky road — and yes, giant boxes filled with 31 different flavours of rocky road are available to order. As in previous years, you have a few options. If you'd like to get the mammoth Ultimate Rocky Road Box delivered to your door, that'll set you back $110. Flavours this year include Golden Gaytime, espresso martini, mint, licorice, black forest, Biscoff, pineapple, pistachio praline and many, many more. Elsewhere on the shop's delivery menu, you'll find pick-and-mix packs and a create-your-own option — where you can choose your favourite types of chocolate, nuts, extra nuts, marshmallows, jellies, extras and toppings. The boxes can be delivered anywhere within Australia for a flat rate of $15.
This weekend, Victoria's National Trust will let you into its covetable closet when it opens the doors to the tenth iteration of Melbourne's "biggest and most authentic" vintage and designer clothing sale. You'll be able to get a feel of a Armani coat and fight over Valentino as a cavalcade of items take pride of place in South Yarra's 1800s-built Como House on Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22. The pieces on offer will run from the affordable right up to the super expensive, but all will be going at a reduced price. Given some of the brands on offer — including Alexander McQueen, Armani, Valentino, Max Mara and Missoni — you'll be able to pick up some bargains, or opt for a few investment pieces. Covering fashion from late 1800s onwards (yes, there'll be 100-year-old fashion on offer), the range will focus on handbags, scarves, jewellery, hats, belts and ready-to-wear clothing. Keep an eye on National Trust's Instagram to see more sale items, which'll be posted in the lead-up. Entry to the massive sale is $2, with all proceeds going towards Como House conservation projects. We also suggest getting there early to snag the good stuff. Vintage Clothing Sale at Como runs from 10.30am–4pm, with National Trust Members allowed in from 10am. Top image: Como House by Letícia Almeida
If come January you find yourself stuck in the city battling the inevitable post-holiday blues, consider Sunset Sounds one of your summertime saviours. Launching its sixth season, the free concert series will once again feature a program of gigs hosted at parks across the Stonnington area throughout the month. Returning for three Sunday sessions from January 5, Sunset Sounds is set to dish up a cracking mix of up-and-coming homegrown musical talent, best enjoyed from the comfort of your picnic blanket. Prahran's Victoria Gardens helps to kick-start the 2020 season in style, with hip hop group Billy Davis & The Good Lords supported by jazz singer Tanya George. Genre-blending band The Northern Folk headline the January 12 edition, gracing Central Park in Malvern East with help from Rach Brennan & The Pines. And the fun wraps up on January 19 at Malvern Gardens, as soulful guitarist Laneous takes to the stage, followed by Indigenous singer Emma Donovan. Each concert runs from 5-8pm, with a lineup of food trucks on hand serving cheese platters, gelato, fish and chips, and more — just in case you forget your picnic basket — to back the openair tunes and barefoot dance moves.
The life and times of 20th century music and cultural icon, Bob Marley, are explored through the deeply raw and poignant documentary, Marley. Kevin Macdonald directed the film in an attempt to allow audiences to get to know the man behind the myth a little better. The two and a half hour documentary features never before seen footage and photos from Marley's early life and final years; from his years as a mixed-race farm boy, Marley's time on the streets in Kingston's Trenchtown, his worldwide fame, through to his cancer diagnosis and slow subsequent demise. Marley reinforces the cultural significance of this Jamaican hero, who still resonates in music lovers' hearts all over the world almost 30 years after his death. Commentary is provided by the family members and friends who knew him best, and the film includes concert footage of four previously unseen songs. All of this is woven together in a seamless stream of revelations to sate the appetites of even the most ardent, die-hard Marley fans. Macdonald and Marley's children and grandchildren also wished to preserve Marley's legacy through the documentary and highlight his driven and ambitious work ethic, whilst quelling the notion that his marijuana smoking led him to lead a slow-paced or lazy lifestyle. The film powerfully captures the quirkiness of the Marley clan as well as providing a musical journey that outlines the development of the sub-culture of reggae and the instrumental role Marley had in this. Concrete Playground has ten double passes to giveaway to see Marley. To go in the running to win tickets, make sure you're subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name and postal address to us at hello@concreteplayground.com.au
The 90s are the decade that keeps on giving — to nostalgic Australians, at least. On any given weekend under regular circumstances, you can usually find a party dedicated to kicking it old school-style. And, at the moment, you can still get retro with Isolation Trivia's 90s Music Trivia edition. Know everything there is to know about the Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, grunge, 'Gangsta's Paradise' and chasing waterfalls? Then, come 6.25pm on Thursday, June 4, it's time to put your 90s-loving brain to the test. The Isolation Trivia folks will be asking the questions, your lounge room will be doing the hosting and you'll be slinging back your answers — if you wannabe the trivia champ, that is. No bookings or registrations are required — all you need to do it hit up the event Facebook page when it's time to strut your stuff. Our tip: prepare to channel Alanis when your competition gets something wrong — aka to have 'You Oughta Know' stuck in your head. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPcyTyilmYY
Whether you're a Brisbanite eager to head to another state, or you live elsewhere in Australia but you're keen on holidaying in Queensland, the past two years have been more than a little difficult. They've been hard for a heap of reasons during the pandemic, obviously, but the Sunshine State's border closures have definitely been tricky to navigate. In November and December, however, that'll all start to ease. Today, Monday, October 18, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced that the state will start to reopen to the rest of Australia once the Sunshine State hits the 70-percent double-vaccinated mark among its eligible population. Queensland's domestic borders haven't been closed to the entire country this year, but with New South Wales and Victoria both experiencing lengthy lockdowns, they've definitely been shut to Sydneysiders and Melburnians — so this'll be welcome news to plenty of folks. "If we keep getting our vaccine, we can welcome family and friends from interstate hot spots in a little over a month who are fully vaccinated — and a month after that, in December, they can come without having to quarantine in time for Christmas, but they too will need to be fully vaccinated," said the Premier. "Queenslanders will acknowledge that that is a sensible and cautious approach to ensure that families can be reunited, but the people coming into Queensland will have to be fully vaccinated." Palaszczuk continued: "the faster we are vaccinated, the faster these deadlines will be achieved. It means that some of these dates may come forward if we get the vaccination rates up." BREAKING: Today we're releasing a plan for Queensland borders. Travel restrictions will ease when 70% and 80% of eligible Queenslanders are fully vaccinated.#covid19 pic.twitter.com/4PANA1CBjF — Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) October 18, 2021 So, when Queensland reaches the 70-percent double-jabbed mark — which is expected around Friday, November 19 — travellers who've been in a hotspot area within Australian in the past 14 days can enter the state again. They'll need to be double-vaxxed, to arrive by air and to have received a negative COVID-19 test result in the 72 hours before arriving. Also, anyone in this category will need to go into home quarantine for 14 days. Then, at the 80-percent double-vaccinated threshold — which is expected around Friday, December 17 — travellers from interstate hotspots can arrive by either road or air to enter the Sunshine State. They'll still need to be double-jabbed, and to have received a negative COVID-19 test result in the 72 hours before arriving. But, there won't be any quarantine requirements at that point. The announcement means that Queensland will be welcoming in travellers from elsewhere in Australia just as summer arrives — and that quarantine will be scrapped for double-jabbed Aussies before Christmas. When Queensland hits 70-percent double-vaxxed, international arrivals will still be handled as they currently are. At the 80-percent double-jabbed mark, though, double-jabbed overseas travellers will be able to undertake 14 days of home quarantine — if they've also received a negative COVID-19 test result in the 72 hours before getting to Queensland. Finally, at the 90-percent double-vaccinated threshold across the Sunshine State, all entry rules and quarantine requirements will be ditched for folks who've had both jabs. For the unvaxxed, the 14-day quarantine rule will still be in effect. At the same press conference, Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles revealed that more restrictions within Queensland will start easing at the 70-percent and 80-percent marks — covering things like gatherings, entering venues and the like. And, these relaxed rules will start having vax requirements attached, so both Queenslanders and visitors from interstate will need to be double-jabbed to take advantage of them. Exactly what that'll entail hasn't yet been revealed, so expect further details before mid-November. Queensland will start allowing domestic visitors back into the state from mid-November, when the 70-percent double-vaxxed threshold is met. For more information about Queensland's border policies, head to the Queensland Government website.
Erica Rasmussen’s latest work, Silhouettes, Inside Outside, sits right at the intersection of music, art and performance. A multidisciplinary, multi-sensory, performance art piece this work features classical musicians Andrea Keeble and Elisse Kleiner, visual artists Sam Haycroft and Natalya Garden-Thompson, and most importantly, you. Essentially, as the musicians perform, the visual artists will capture their silhouettes by drawing their outlines on canvases placed behind them. Now here’s where you come in: audience members will then add colour to these silhouettes as interpretations of the music. Don't worry if you're a little shy. Silhouettes, Inside Outside is as interactive as you make it. You’re welcome to sit there and take it all in or jump up and grab a brush when the mood strikes you. Heads up for those attending, don't wear your favourite frock to this event. Bring an old shirt to throw over the top and let your creativity run wild.
Oh Christmas, what a time. A time for love, a time for giving, and of course, a time to lose your shit amongst the writhing throngs of desperate last-minute shoppers. Joy. Luckily for us, this year WineMarket have put together some pretty nifty packages, including a whole host of multi-bottle specials. Throw in easy-as-mince-pie one- or 1-2 day delivery on selected sets, and you really can get Christmas sorted this year, minus the stress plus a whole lot of delicious booze. Take the methode traditionelle Grandin Grande Reserve Brut NV, for example. These six tasty sparklings, made the same way as Champagne but with fruit from outside the region, come in at practically half the price of their French cousin. And, individually packaged in festive red metal presentation tubes, they’re right fancy too ($119.40 for six). Another great option to give is the six-pack of Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz Merlot, again individually packaged so no need to wrap. Just in case you haven’t heard of Wynns, this yummy mellow-textured fruity number is crafted by award-winning winemaker Sue Hodder, from her 5-star James Halliday-rated winery ($191.40 for 12). But, if you really want to treat the vino connoisseur in the family, you can also secure a bottle of Penfolds Grange 2010, sporting accolade after accolade, for $639 (usually $785). But, if variety is the festive spice of your silly season, you’re covered with all manner of combos, including ten reds and a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label ($99), 13-bottle stock-up essentials ($99) and a fabulously titled Impress the In-Laws package of award-winning, 90+ rated reds ($120). Cheers to that. WineMarket is offering a discount exclusively for Concrete Playground subscribers. Get $50 off orders over $120 (excluding freight) using the voucher code CONCRETEXMAS at the checkout. Hurry: offer ends 11.59PM 21/12/2014 (AEDT). Voucher can only be used once per customer. Excludes orders solely consisting of beer, champagne, cider or RTDs, and purchases from WineMarket must not be re–sold commercially. Not valid with any other promotion. Not redeemable for cash. WineMarket reserves the right to cancel orders made outside of these terms and conditions. Standard WineMarket T&Cs apply.
It's widely known that New Zealand is a bit of a stunner of a travel destination. Overflowing with majestic terrain, impeccable wine and warm hospitality, there are a few reasons why this little corner of the world makes it onto many a bucket list. Whether you're seeking an adventure or want to wine and dine your way around, the South Island, in particular, is a mecca for visitors looking to indulge in the finer things in life. From helicopter flights over glaciers to sailing day trips, we've rounded up some of the South Island's most luxe experiences for when you're feeling a bit flash. SLEEP IN STYLE AT A LAKESIDE LODGE A great holiday starts with a great night's sleep and Whare Kea Lodge is the perfect spot to catch some quality zs during your South Island adventure. Nestled on the edge of Lake Wanaka, this luxurious, private retreat boasts eye-popping vistas of the lake and mountains. Whare Kea is small but perfectly formed, with each of its rooms offering postcard-worthy views that'll be the envy of all your friends back home. Relax and unwind in the stylish surrounds where you'll find loads of light-filled nooks and cosy spaces. On-site, you'll also find a massage room and an outdoor spa pool, so you'll slip into holiday mode in no time. The lodge offers a full kitchen so you can cook up a storm, too. Otherwise, you can treat yourself to a private chef for a real foodie experience. With its five-star views and home comforts, you won't want to leave. SIP TOP DROPS AT A STYLISH WINERY A visit to New Zealand wouldn't be complete without sampling some of the country's famous vino, and Central Otago is the perfect place to enjoy a grape escape. Head for The Shed, the gorgeous, new cellar door by celebrated winemakers, Cloudy Bay. Located in the heart of wine country, just an hour's drive from Queenstown, The Shed is a stylish sanctuary perched amongst stunning South Island scenery. With touches of rustic New Zealand charm, The Shed blends seamlessly into the landscape, and is an unforgettable spot to discover Cloudy Bay's wine range. Book a private tasting tour to get to know the wines and the story behind them. Take a stroll through the vineyards with a Cloudy Bay ambassador to learn about the terroir and the connection between the land and the brand. Afterwards, settle into the private tasting room to savour some of Cloudy Bay's finest, while lapping up the dazzling vistas of Lake Dunstan and the rugged ranges beyond. FORAGE FOR YOUR LUNCH ON AN EPIC HELI TOUR If you thought the South Island was mind-blowing from the ground, just wait until you see it from the sky. Take your trip to the next level with the ultimate experience for adventurous food lovers — a helicopter and foraging tour through the majestic, untamed landscapes of the remote south with Alpine Helicopters. Begin your adventure with a stop on the edge of Lake Wanaka, where you can try your hand at trout fishing. From here you'll be whisked into the Southern Alps, where you'll land smack bang on a glacier for the ultimate photo stop. After the obligatory selfies, fly out to the wild west coast to gather fresh crayfish for lunch. Next, you'll be flown deep into a lush valley for a lunch stop like no other — a Kiwi bush barbecue, featuring smoked trout and premium Te Mana lamb and washed down with local wine. With happy bellies, enjoy a final flight over more epic nature before returning to base. SAIL AWAY IN THE MARLBOROUGH SOUNDS Marking the gateway to the South Island, the Marlborough Sounds is a sparkling labyrinth of winding waterways and bush-clad hills. With its hard-to-reach bays and beaches, the best way to discover this scenic playground is from the water. Get your sea legs on and sail away for a day on a luxury yacht, hosted by Cloudy Bay. Cruise the turquoise waters of the Sounds, visiting quiet coves teeming with untouched nature. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for dolphins along the way, too. Fancy yourself a bit of a sailor? Get stuck in and be part of the crew. Or if that doesn't float your boat, simply sit back and relax — with a glass of Cloudy Bay vino, of course. At lunchtime, tuck into delicious locally caught seafood with matching wines served against a backdrop of pure New Zealand beauty. GET BACK TO NATURE AT A SECLUDED RETREAT Nestled into a lush hillside, in a remote bay that's only accessible by boat, Bay of Many Coves is the retreat of your dreams. Luxury villas pepper the hillside, offering knockout views of pristine waters and bushy peaks. Stay a night or two to truly experience the magic of this secluded paradise. During the day, go for a dip, dine out on the water's edge, or get your walking shoes on to explore nature trails that teem with wildlife — don't worry, New Zealand's bush is proudly snake free. If that's just a bit too active, take it down a notch, listen to the bird song and relax in the serenity. It doesn't get more zen than this. ADVENTURE OFF-ROAD AROUND ONE OF MARLBOROUGH'S FIRST WINERIES If you're a wine enthusiast there's a mighty good chance you've heard of a wee region called Marlborough. Famous for its top-notch sauvignon blanc, Marlborough is the ultimate destination for any wine lover. Experience a taste of the region by visiting one of the very first wineries to put down roots here. The original Cloudy Bay Cellar Door is a chic spot to try the brand's diverse wines, from the iconic sauvignon blanc to the lively pinot noir and crispy Pelorus bubbly. Taste your way through the range in the spacious cellar door before grabbing a glass of your favourite and settling into a hanging egg chair in the leafy courtyard. For a unique adventure, take a vineyard tour by car — jump into a custom-restored 1985 Land Rover Defender and discover the vineyard sites with the Cloudy Bay crew as you learn how these distinctive wines make their way from grape to glass. Discover more about Cloudy Bay wines and the tailor-made experiences you can have in New Zealand here.
Fans of the Avengers franchise are getting a special treat on Saturday, August 3, when cinemas around the country will screen double bills of Infinity War and Endgame. You'll get to watch all six glorious hours of the last two Avengers films, and you'll be doing it for a good cause to boot — with 100 percent of ticket sales going towards the Curing Homesickness initiative. In an attempt to get kids home from hospital sooner, Curing Homesickness is raising funds for research, equipment and more health professionals at eight children's hospitals across Australia. And you can help by stocking up on popcorn and watching the Avengers (Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow — everyone) and the Guardians of the Galaxy team up in an attempt to destroy Thanos in Infinity War. Then, in Endgame, more stuff happens with Thanos — we won't reveal too much, in case you haven't seen it — and you'll get to watch a fitting sendoff to the 22-film, billion-dollar Marvel Cinematic Universe. [caption id="attachment_718483" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Avengers: Endgame[/caption] This Disney and Marvel Studios screening will take place at Sydney's Event Cinemas George Street, South Yarra's Village Cinemas Jam Factory and Brisbane's Event Cinemas Chermside. Alongside Disney, other brands involved in the campaign include Assembly Label, which has released a limited-edition line of t-shirts (in-stores and online), and Sydney's Pasta Pantry — who is donating funds raised from its pasta and lasagne, too. The Avengers double bills will take place on Saturday, August 3. Tickets are $20 and available at the Event Cinemas website for Sydney and Brisbane and the Village Cinemas website for Melbourne. For more information on Curing Homesickness and to donate, head over here. Top image: Avengers: Infinity War
Aphids are at it again. Following on from such outlandish projects as the champagne-fuelled live cinema experience Thrashing Without Looking as well as the first ever Australian performance to be broadcast into outer space, the latest genre-hopping work from the St Kilda-based arts and performance collective celebrates one of Australia’s most iconic songs. Which one? You’ll have to figure that out for yourself. Described as a mix between a theatre restaurant, a rave and a game of 20 questions, A Singular Phenomenon will explore our fascination with pop culture and the evolution of cultural stereotypes, while chronicling the inner life of an iconic '80s hit "that refuses to go away". Could it be Farnham? Kylie? Whatever the answer, expect plenty of guilty pleasure music and audience interaction. A Singular Phenomenon runs May 21 – 23 at the Malthouse Theatre. For more information, go here.
Melbourne's biennial showcase of young and emerging artist has just unveiled its latest program. Running from May 3 to 20, the 2018 Next Wave Festival will highlight some of the coolest, most exciting and most innovative up-and-comers working across theatre, dance, video, music, sculpture and everything in between. The festival will kick off with a free opening night party at the Brunswick Mechanics Institute. The soiree is being sponsored by the Archie Rose Distilling company, so you know the booze will be good. It's one of a number of epic shindigs on the program this year, with Sezzo Snot and Makeda Zucco set to take over the Tote Hotel for a night of electronic music, sound art, performance and installation, and DJ Sista Zai Zanda headling an Afro-futuristic Mother's Day eve celebration of dance, music, poetry and storytelling. The rest of the line-up is packed with standouts. Crush Time, from Brisbane theatre artist Nathan Sibthorpe, serves up a democratic dinner where participants vote on the ingredients, while Estrogenesis, by performance collective Embittered Swish, will explore contemporary transgender realities through a mix of movement, lyricism, video and live sound art. There's also the intriguing-sounding Apokalypsis by local Greenroom Award nominees Zak Pidd and Charles Purcell, billed as "a high octane theatrical flipbook performance of 100 historical disasters in 60 minutes." If that all sounds a bit too intense, you can also check out Canine Choreography from Danielle Reynolds, an in-depth investigation into the world of freestyle dog dancing which is apparently a thing that exists. Next Wave Festival runs from May 3 to 20. For more information, including the full program, visit www.nextwave.org.au. Image: Kristy Macafee.
"Hear that? That's nothing. Which is what I, as a speaker at today's conference, have for you all." Ah, if only all presenters could be as honest as Will Stephen, CollegeHumor.com staff writer and editor, who presented a pretty spot-on parody of his fellow speakers at a recent TEDxNewYork event. The content is one thing, but it's Stephen's manner — the intonation, the weighty pauses, the glasses adjustment, the 'revealing' question thrown out to the audience — that makes this so great. If you weren't paying attention, you'd swear he'd just imparted a deep and essential truth vital to the global progress of humanity. Via Mashable
April 14, 2018, will forever go down in history as the day Beyoncé took to the Coachella stage and made it her own. If you were lucky enough to be there, you'll no doubt remember it forever. If you watched the live stream — and it became the most-watched live-streamed performance of all time, so you probably did — then you'll never forget it either. Whichever category you fell into, you likely wish you were closer to the action — to the stage for the 105-minute performance, to the 100-plus dancers, to its powerful homage to America's historically black colleges and universities, and to the backstage antics as well. Enter Netflix's Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé, the concert documentary you definitely knew you needed, but didn't know existed until now. On Wednesday, April 17, the streaming platform will release the in-depth look at Beyoncé's epic show, revealing "the emotional road from creative concept to cultural movement" according to the official synopsis. The film reportedly clocks in at 137 minutes, so expect a lengthy and intimate tour through the festival set everyone has been talking about for a year, including behind-the-scenes footage and candid chats that delve into the preparation process and Beyoncé's stunning vision. Even if Beyoncé hadn't put on such a fierce 32-song performance complete with a marching band, Beychella still would've made history. Her performance was a year in the making, with the music superstar originally scheduled to play in 2017, but dropping out due to pregnancy (with twins Rumi and Sir). And when she finally appeared before the California crowd, she became the first black woman to headline the fest — and only the third woman to do so in 20 years. News of the film comes just as one of Beyoncé's 2018 co-stars, her sister Solange, announced that she was pulling out of this year's Coachella due to "major production delays". Check out the trailer for Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB8qvx0HOlI Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé hits Netflix on Wednesday, April 17.
The State Library of Victoria is a grand old building — and she's about to get 40 percent grander. It's just been announced that the State Library will undergo massive renovations, opening up 40 percent more space to the public by 2020. The $88.1 million 2020 Vision redevelopment will include a new café, a new Readings bookshop, a co-working space, a children's centre, exhibition spaces and three new reading rooms — and that's just the start. The extension is being handled (with the greatest of care) by architecture firms Architectus — the big guns behind Brisbane's QAGOMA and the Arts West extension at Melbourne Uni — and Denmark's Schmidt Hammer Lassen. They've been surveying not just the site, but the community for the last 18 months to determine what to do with the new spaces. Great halls, defunct lobbies and decrepit entrances will be revamped and opened up. And they're committed to retaining the original style of the heritage building at the same time. The new spaces will include: Queen's Hall — Located on the Swanston Street side of the building, Queen's Hall was an original room, built in 1856, that's been closed for 15 years. It's being turned into a reading room during the day (event space at night), retaining its original 1856 wall paint. Russell Street entrance — The Russell Street side of the State Library is currently home only to spookiness and trash, but will be opened up to capture foot traffic. They'll be opening a café (a sibling for sweet Mr Tulk!), a Readings bookshop (yes!), and a co-working space for budding entrepreneurs. Children's Quarter — An education, but fun, space for kiddies and kidults alike to play and fall in love with the library. Matilda would be so proud. It's a massive undertaking. The State Government is contributing two-thirds of the funding, but the library has committed to raising the rest of the budget. Construction is slated to begin in July. You can read more about (and donate money to) the project here .
When Toy Story hit cinema screens back in 1995, the Oscar-winning movie made history as the first entirely computer-generated feature-length film. The huge Pixar hit also made audiences everywhere fall hard for a bunch of loveable playthings, because you're never too old to find a friend wherever you need it. It's completely okay if you're feeling a little wistful and teary just thinking about it. Nine years after the last Toy Story movie, the animation studio is counting on that very sentiment — and that viewers everywhere just aren't ready to farewell these animated pals. While 2010's Toy Story 3 was pitched as the final flick in the series, this film franchise could reach to infinity and beyond. For now, it's just unveiling its next chapter. Releasing on the big screen in June, Toy Story 4 sees the return of Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the gang (and the return of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and company as voice talent). Given that Andy, the protagonist from the original three flicks, has given away all of this toys, the group are now the proud property of Bonnie — and a new adventure awaits, as does a new homemade buddy called Forky (Tony Hale). Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Christina Hendricks and none other than Keanu Reeves also join the voice cast — the latter playing a daredevil character called Duke Kaboom, and likely saying "whoa!" more than once. Check out the full trailer below, and prepare to get mighty nostalgic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmiIUN-7qhE Toy Story 4 releases in Australian cinemas on June 20, 2019.
When Godzilla first crawled out of the ocean and into cinemas, the famous movie monster made its debut appearance in the shadow of the Second World War. The link between the film's fears of nuclear holocaust and what Japan had just experienced wasn't an accident, in a picture that isn't just an excellent creature feature — the franchise-starting flick is stellar all round, including its glorious score. It was back in 1954 that Godzilla initially greeted the world. Now, almost seven decades later, 37 other movies have followed. The latest: Godzilla Minus One, which gives Zilly fans a long-awaited new Japanese Godzilla movie and takes its namesake back to the country's postwar era. As seen in the just-dropped first trailer for Godzilla Minus One, Japan is still coping with the aftermath of WWII's atomic bombings when the kaiju appears. The question: in a place that's already rebuilding, how will everyone both endure and battle against this towering critter? In a feature written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki (Lupin III: The First, Ghost Book), cue plenty of rampaging through the streets by Godzilla, plus fleeing by the film's humans. Cue buildings levelled, the ground both rumbling and crumbling, and explosions wreaking more havoc, too. Referencing going backwards from zero in its moniker, cue a film that follows people trying to survive and fight — all back in the time that gave birth to all things Godzilla. Reaching cinemas in Japan on Friday, November 3 and the US on Friday, December 1, but without a release date Down Under as yet, Godzilla Minus One marks the first live-action Japanese Godzilla release about its namesake since 2016's excellent Shin Godzilla. Since then, three animated efforts — 2017's Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, and 2018's Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle and Godzilla: The Planet Eater — have arrived on streaming, however. The franchise also includes America's take on Godzilla, starting with a low in 1998, then including another try in 2014, 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters and 2021's Godzilla vs Kong. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, a sequel to the latter, is due in 2024. And, TV series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is due to hit before the end of 2023. Check out the trailer for Godzilla Minus One below: Godzilla Minus One will hit cinemas in Japan on Friday, November 3 and the US on Friday, December 1, but doesn't yet have a release date Down Under — we'll update you when one is announced.
Clocking in at a hefty 1500 square metres, Stomping Ground's Collingwood brewpub is quite the monster. But it seems there are even bigger things to come for this ever-expanding brewery, with its owners this week announcing plans to build a second venue in Moorabbin. They've just signed a ten-year lease on a space within the historic Morris Moor development, which they're keen to transform into a brewery, beer hall, event space and roomy beer garden. Helping to breathe new life into Moorabbin's 60-year-old Phillip Morris manufacturing site, the new venue will be part of a dynamic hospitality precinct, designed in conjunction with award-winning architects Genton and lauded architecture and interior design firm Techne. At this stage, details for the Stomping Ground space are scarce, though co-founder Steve Jeffares confirmed there'll be a family-friendly brewpub showcasing a wide range of beers brewed onsite — complete with a 12-hectolitre facility — and a top-notch food offering. There's also no exact date for the site's opening, but expect it to start pouring brews in early 2020. In the meantime, you'll find plenty of the label's fresh brews at its Collingwood home. [caption id="attachment_724944" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Guy Evans Photography[/caption] Stomping Ground isn't the only local brewery with grand plans in the works, either. Abbotsford's Moon Dog is also currently working on a gigantic new Preston site. Find Stomping Ground Morris Moor at 1 Cochranes Road, Moorabbin by early 2020. Images: Guy Evans Photography.
There's really no need to even convince you of this one. From 10am until 4pm on Saturday, August 30, beloved speciality grocers Aunt Maggie's will host an event for the ages in their Sydney Road store. Bringing together an amazing crew of established cocoa artisans, Brunswick Chocolate Festival is your number one destination for all things sweet this weekend. And the best thing about it? They offer free samples. With an emphasis on local, organic, and fair trade ingredients, Aunt Maggie's are uniting chocolate makers from all over Melbourne and beyond. Bearing the delicious fruits of their labour, folks from Conscious Chocolates, Pana Chocolate, Green & Black's, Wholly Cacao and more will all be in attendance. But this isn't just an opportunity to stuff your face with heavenly mousse and ganache. Each chocolate expert will also be there to talk you through the finer details of their craft. It's the perfect opportunity to grab some DIY tips while sipping on one of the most mind-blowing hot chocolates of your life.
