Sustainability and soup come together in perfect harmony this week, with the special return appearance from Joost Bakker's (Greenhouse by Joost, Silo) envelope-pushing soup bar, Brothl. Yep, the celebrated zero-waste advocate is reviving his famed eatery concept as a one-day pop-up at Federation Square this Friday, October 15. Setting up shop on the River Terrace from 3–8pm, the pop-up will showcase a handful of Bakker's latest clever low-waste soup recipes — including a meat broth crafted from wild Australian game, which can cause harm to our natural environment, and a vegetarian soup option starring wild-harvested seaweed and 'ugly' mushrooms. They'll be going for $15 a pop, served in packaging from ReturnR's game-changing zero-waste system. There's more supreme slurping to be found on the day's drinks menu, which features a selection of Mac Forbes wine, as well as bottles of the new limited-release Spring Gin from Darling Distillery. This drop's made from rainwater collected onsite, and seasonal fruits and herbs grown in Fed Square's own Future Food System garden — Bakker's self-sustaining food production pop-up. The gin will be selling for $95 a bottle, available from Friday until the limited batch sells out. [caption id="attachment_828537" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The original Brothl venue[/caption] Future Food System Images: Liam Neal
Dance and classical aren't music genres you'd usually find swirling around in the same basket — unless you have a particular bent for the orchestral 'Sandstorm' covers found in the depths of YouTube. Synthony — A Generation of Dance Music is here to prove that the disciplines go hand in hand. Touring Australia since 2019, the event is returning to Melbourne on Friday, February 18. It'll see a 60-plus piece orchestra join forces with a selection of DJs and live performers at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, all to play the biggest dance tracks of the last 30 years. Expect the venue to take a few cues from the nightclub scene, with lights, lasers and mapped video all part of the experience — and a selection of dance floor bangers note-for-note. The lineup includes live performances from Savage, Emily Williams, Mobin Master and more — and The Synthony Orchestra, of course — with Madison Avenue's Andy Van on hosting duties.
Fairfield pasta boutique and kitchen Pasta Poetry is celebrating the launch of its dreamy new al fresco courtyard by putting it to extra good use over the balmy summer months. Right through until the end of February, the sunny space will be turning on the charms and hosting your ultimate aperitivo session, every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Head along from 3pm and find yourself transported to a summer day in Bologna. A weekly rotating food offering delivers top-notch antipasto, sides and classic desserts, along with the venue's expertly crafted pasta varieties — served by the entree size, so you don't have to limit yourself to sampling just one. Get set for the likes of ox cheek-filled cappelletti or chickpea gnocchi in rich sugo, perhaps chased with a Caprese-style chocolate torte for dessert. Meanwhile, you'll be quaffing local brews, wines and spirits — think, 3 Ravens' New World IPA, Pizzini prosecco from King Valley and Melbourne Gin Company gin. There's also a handful of summery cocktails including an elderflower spritz and a reworked negroni. And all the while, you can be engaging in a spot of friendly competition on the central bocce court. [caption id="attachment_837805" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Simon Shiff[/caption] Images: Simon Shiff
What's better than catching waves at Urbnsurf, Melbourne's man-made surf park? Hopping on a board and living out your Point Break dreams, then watching Point Break on Urbnsurf's big screen afterwards. That's on the agenda this summer, with the Tullamarine spot announcing its first-ever outdoor cinema series. And yes, seeing Keanu Reeves play a surfing FBI agent trying to hunt down bank-robbing beach-lovers is definitely on the bill. The best surfing-themed action movie that's ever been made — the 1991 original, not the awful 2015 remake — is part of a six-film, six-night lineup that kicks off on Friday, November 26 and runs through until Saturday, December 11. This outdoor movie setup really couldn't proceed without it; Point Break does famously end in Victoria, after all. If you're keen to hang ten and watch a flick, you'll want to head by on Friday and Saturday nights — and you can even make a day of it from 2pm. That's when the food and beverage offering starts, including Gage Roads' brews and bites from Three Blue Ducks. Live music kicks off at 6pm each night, with the movie screening straight after sunset — so at around 8.30pm. Excellent Australian surfing documentary Girls Can't Surf will start the program, with iconic fellow surfing doco The Endless Summer also a big highlight. Or, you can see She Is the Ocean, Reckless Isolation and Andy Irons — Kissed By God, with tickets costing $30, or $20 if you're an Urbnsurf member. Top image: Adam Gibson.
Brunswick bar and music venue Howler has added to the family, unveiling a breezy new pop-up that'll be sticking around for the summer months. With a look reminiscent of some Wes Anderson film set in 1960s Palm Springs, Howlerwood has taken over a sunny position just around the back on Michael Street and it's your new go-to for balmy drinking sessions every Wednesday to Sunday. Expect sunset hues, palm fronds and twinkling festoon lights, painting a dreamy backdrop for the bar's lineup of kitsch cocktails. Summery sips include a range of boozy slushies — think, watermelon margaritas and a frozen Blue Hawaiian — alongside crafty tins and shareable cocktail jugs to split between two or four. Meanwhile, your mates at vegan pizzeria Red Sparrow are also on board, slinging plant-based woodfired delights out of their food truck from Friday to Sunday. With a few slices and a couple of spritz, sunset sessions here are looking pretty blissful. Howlerwood is open from 4–10pm Wednesday–Friday and 2–10pm Saturday–Sunday.
If you had big international holiday plans for this year, it's highly likely that they didn't end up happening. Instead, you've probably been doing what we all have: pretending. Whether you've been taking online tours of far-flung places, watching live streams from around the globe or just choosing your TV and movie viewing accordingly, virtually travelling the planet while sitting on your couch is a very 2020 trend. Also on the cards from December 5: pretending that you're in London, New York or Paris by simply heading to Fitzroy. That's where Wanderlust Melbourne will be popping up for two months until January 31, turning five rooms on Smith Street into destination-themed installations. If you wandered through Melbourne's previous dessert and Christmas-centric events, you'll know what you're in for. It's a photo-friendly pop-up, obviously, so prepare to snap yourself next to Big Ben and red telephone booths, on Broadway and having a hot dog in Times Square, and at the Eiffel Tower and sipping a drink outside a French patisserie. There'll also be a tropical beach-themed room, complete with sand and deck chairs, as well as a frosty winter wonderland — snowman and four-metre snow dome included. Tickets cost $29.50 per person, which lets you venture through Wanderlust Melbourne for an hour — with sessions starting on the hour between 12–7pm. Or, you can also book the space for a party with up to 99 of your mates.
Now that Melbourne is reopening, you're probably keen to make a splash. Yes, watching fish, penguins and plenty of other marine creatures literally splash about definitely counts. And that's exactly what's on offer at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium — which isn't back in its official capacity just yet, but is hosting luxe underwater lunches and dinners. Available from on Fridays and Saturdays from November 6, Sea Life's private dining packages will be on offer during the day for the first time in the venue's history, running from 12–3pm. If you'd prefer an evening session, they're on from 6–8.45pm. While you're there, you'll escape into an underwater world, feast your way through a spread of food and drinks, and soak in the intimate vibe. You can choose from one of seven locations, too, so prepare to pick between the shark tunnel, the marine life-filled mermaid garden, the shipwreck theatre section of the oceanarium and the new jellyfish exhibit. Or, you could opt for the seahorse pier, watch penguins in the Antarctica zone or sit above a five-metre-long saltwater crocodile. As well as a three-course meal and two hours of beverages — including sparkling, red and white wines, plus beer — you'll also get a 45-minute tour of the place. The whole experience doesn't come cheap, surprisingly, with a minimum spend in place of $2000 for ten people — so $200 a pop. If you're keen on a smaller booking, you can put your name on a waitlist.
Add Ireland to the list of places that you won't be jetting off to in 2020, but you can still visit via your screen. And, add Australia's annual Irish Film Festival to the growing ranks of cinema events making the jump online — so Aussies around the country can pop their own popcorn, scoop themselves some ice cream and watch along from their couches. In its virtual-only guise, the 2020 Irish Film Festival runs from Thursday, November 19–Sunday, November 29, with a lineup of features, shorts and documentaries on its bill. It's serving up something for everyone, so if you're keen on a dark comedy set in a small Irish town (thanks to Dark Lies the Island) or a doco about Nobel Prize-winning author Seamus Heaney (as seen Seamus Heaney and the Music of What Happens), you'll find both on the program. Among the highlights, horror-comedy Extra Ordinary stands out — as you'd expect of a movie about a driving instructor with supernatural powers, and one that co-stars Will Forte and Aussie comedian Claudia O'Doherty, too. Or, there's also grim and involving gang drama Calm with Horses, as led by Lady Macbeth's Cosmo Jarvis and The Killing of a Sacred Deer's Barry Keoghan. Tickets are on sale now — for individual sessions, in three-movie passes and as an all-access festival-long pass. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4MRcUzmFv8&feature=emb_logo
UPDATE, April 30, 2021: Nomadland is available to stream via Disney+ — and it's still screening in cinemas, too. Frances McDormand is a gift of an actor. Point a camera her way, and a performance so rich that it feels not just believable but tangible floats across the screen. That's true whether she's playing overt or understated characters, or balancing those two extremes. In Fargo, the first film that earned her an Oscar, McDormand is distinctive but grounded, spouting midwestern phrases like "you betcha" but inhabiting her part with texture and sincerity. In Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, her next Academy Award-winning role, she's an impassioned mother crusading for justice and vengeance, and she ripples with deep-seated sorrow mixed with anger so fiery that it may as well be burning away her insides. Now, in Nomadland, McDormand feels stripped bare and still a commanding force to be reckoned with. She's tasked with a plucky but struggling part — defiant and determined, too; knocked around by life's ups and downs, noticeably; and, crucially, cognisant that valuing the small pleasures is the hardest but most rewarding feat. It'll earn her another Oscar nomination. It could see her nab a third shiny statuette just three years after her last. Both are highly deserved outcomes because hers is an exceptional performance, and this is 2020's best film. Here, McDormand plays the widowed Fern — a woman who takes to the road, and to the nomad life, after the small middle-America spot where she spent her married years turns into a ghost town when the local mine is shuttered due to the global financial crisis. A slab of on-screen text explains her predicament, with the film then jumping into the aftermath. Fern lives in a van that has seen better days, but she's spent so much effort customising the inside that she's reluctant to part with it. She works hard wherever she can, be it an Amazon warehouse in the pre-Christmas rush, a trailer park over its busy summer season, or a restaurant job she lucks into thanks to a new friend (David Strathairn, Godzilla: King of the Monsters). She's qualified to do far more employment-wise, but the post-GFC recession has wiped out most options, so she's doing her best to get by as she can. She drives wherever she has to in order to earn the most modest of livings, and returns to any gig possible when the time cycles around. This isn't the life she dreamed of, but it's the one she has. Nomadland follows Fern over the course of more than a year, chronicling the 60-something's travels — the jobs, the places and the people she meets. When asked, she's quick to stress that she isn't destitute, and that not having a house isn't the same as being homeless. Based on Jessica Bruder's 2017 non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, that's one of the film's most valued ideas. Indeed, while McDormand convincingly steps into the fictional Fern's shoes, she also leads a cast that includes real folks experiencing the existence portrayed within Nomadland's narrative. Seen on-screen as themselves, Linda May, Swankie and Bob Wells couldn't be more organic and authentic as a result, but this movie earns those terms several times over anyway. Writer/director Chloé Zhao is known for this approach, using non-professional actors in 2015's Songs My Brothers Taught Me and 2017's The Rider as well. She's also known for making movies driven by pure empathy and compassion, and Nomadland's observational portrait of those that society happily overlooks overwhelmingly fits the bill. A deeply humanist road trip drama that ponders home, identity and community, Nomadland is intimate and almost disarmingly tender and thoughtful, as every movie made by Zhao proves. Those traits mightn't carry over to her next release — 2021's Marvel flick Eternals, which'll see her operating on a much different scale — but they're the reason that she's the filmmaker she is. No one else could've made this movie, even with McDormand as its lead. The cinema industry isn't lacking in talented directors, but no one else would've seen Fern, her transient life, and the ebbs and flows she navigates in the same way. Zhao truly sees everyone in her frames, be they fictional or real. She understands their plights, and ensures her audience understands them as well. Actually, one other filmmaker would've likely done as superb a job, because Debra Granik's 2018 drama Leave No Trace is the perfect companion piece to Nomadland — but Zhao's almost documentary-esque contemplation is all her own. One shot, lensed as gorgeously and naturalistically as everything else within the film by Zhao's now three-time cinematographer Joshua James Richards, typifies this knockout movie's charms. Fern has to be coaxed into attending a meet-up with other nomads but, once there, she fits in with her fellow drifters as they attend informal outdoor seminars about vehicle maintenance and faeces disposal, share stories and swap unneeded belongings. One morning, Fern walks through the makeshift camp, and the camera follows her. It sits at shoulder level, so McDormand's face monopolises the centre of the frame, but her surroundings still peek in at the sun-dappled edges. It's a sublime example of visual storytelling, and a sequence so in tune with the figure it's gazing at that it's virtually staring into her soul. It instantly conveys how Fern holds herself as she makes her way through the world, too. Meticulously crafted, filmed and performed — and with a resonant score by composer Ludovico Einaudi (The Third Murder) that lingers just as potently — Nomadland overflows with these types of moments. Each scene, no matter how routine Fern's acts and deeds might seem at any given second, unearths another sliver of her essence. Every sight, including all the natural wonders that America's sprawling expanse can serve up, has the same effect. Gleaming sunsets, winding roads, otherworldly rock formations, peaceful streams and various critters sighted aren't just background fodder here. Rather, they're used to relay Fern's inner radiance, twisty complexities, fluidity and adaptability, and unwavering strength. That's how layered Nomadland is, because its protagonist, those around her and their lives earn the same term — and Zhao never forgets that, or lets her viewers either. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSFpK34lfv0&feature=youtu.be Nomadland screened in Melbourne cinemas during a two-week preview season in 2020, starting Saturday, December 26. From Thursday, March 4, 2021, it's back on the big screen for its general release season.
Melburnians, you really love your cheese. You've tried a 150-cheese pizza, bought buckets of the stuff on the cheap and have entered cheese-fuelled comas in a cheese cave. Now, you can kick off 2021 with another ultra-cheesy experience: a 29-cheese gnocchi. South Yarra's Cucinetta is the eatery behind the wondrous creation, which it's bringing back for a third year. If you're keen, it's available for dinner from Monday, January 4–Sunday, January 10 — and for both lunch and dinner from Monday, January 11–Sunday, January 17. The handmade potato gnocchi is oven-baked with 29 cheeses sourced from Thomastown's That's Amore Cheese, including buffalo mozzarella, truffled caciotta (a fresh cow's milk cheese), smoked scamorza, blue cheese and salted ricotta. Setting you back $34.99, it can be enjoyed with one of 29 wines on the regularly changing list and eaten inside the 29-square-metre restaurant. Sensing a theme? Cucinetta really likes the number 29. If you, like us, fancy yourself a bit of a cheese fanatic, you're probably curious as to what the 29 cheeses are. Well, here's the full list: Fior di latte Buffalo mozzarella Burrata Scamorza bianca Caciotta Pepper caciotta Chilli caciotta Truffle caciotta Ricotta delicata Ricotta salata Mascarpone Squacquerone Buffalo bocconcini Buffalo ricotta Buffalo caciotta Buffalo mozzarella (smoked) Smoked bocconcini Smoked scamorza Smoked caciocavallo Diavoletto Secret of The Forest Drunken buffalo Lavato Panettone Panettone with truffle Caciocavallo Bufalotto Blue cheese Formaggio di vacca Cucinetta's 29-cheese gnocchi is available from 12–4pm and 5pm-late daily.
In a normal year, Melbourne's annual Italian Film Festival gives cinephiles a chance to venture to Europe from the comfort of their cinema seats. In 2020, it's doing the same — but for everyone desperate to soak in some scenic sights well beyond their own four walls, that mission feels especially resonant. Cue an impressive array of films that'll whisk you off to the other side of the planet, as screening at Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay and Kino Cinemas from Wednesday, November 25–Wednesday, December 9. With Bad Tales, viewers will head to a southern suburb of Rome during a tense summer. Via psychological drama Feel Your Memories, a trip to 90s-era Naples is in order. And that's just the beginning. The festival's other highlights include Martin Eden, which nabbed The Old Guard's Luca Marinelli the Best Actor prize at the 2019 Venice Film Festival; crime drama The Traitor, which won big at Italy's version of the Oscars this year; and a 20th anniversary screening of Giuseppe Tornatore's romantic tragedy Malèna, starring Monica Bellucci. Or, you can opt for a rom-com with 7 Hours to Win Your Heart, jump into a holiday comedy via I Hate Summer and get immersed in a legal drama with Ordinary Justice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66f3BFtAmZA
As a teen rom-com about two high schoolers working through their attraction for each other as they're also trying to work out what to do with their lives and how to simply be themselves, there's a strong sense of familiarity about Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt). It's the kind of movie that viewers will initially feel they've watched before. Audiences will spot the tropes and conventions, the scenarios and exchanges they've seen in other tales about adolescent troubles and related affairs of the heart, and the kinds of characters that typically populate classrooms and families in seemingly similar films. Here, however, this isn't a sign of laziness. Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt) wants you to register how much it resembles other entries in its genre — because it wants you to notice what it's doing differently. Of course, unfurling a queer romance within such well-worn confines shouldn't be such a remarkable act (and an Australian teen queer romance at that), but it still currently is. There's a purposeful sense of clumsiness about Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt), too. Again, that's by design. Studious school captain Ellie (Sophie Hawkshaw, Love Child) has a simmering crush on the far cooler, calmer and more collected Abbie (Zoe Terakes, Janet King), but is struggling to stump up the courage to ask her to the school formal. In fact, she even goes as far as willingly and uncharacteristically getting detention so that she spend more time with Abbie, all to try to muster up the motivation to pop the quintessential high-school question. And when the pair do slowly start becoming closer, Ellie doesn't know exactly what to do, or what's expected, or how to be the person she wants to be in her first relationship. Complicating matters is the distance she feels from her mother, Erica (Marta Dusseldorp, Stateless), as she navigates such new emotional terrain — oh, and the fact that, as the title gives away, Ellie's dead aunt Tara (Julia Billington) suddenly starts hovering around and dispensing advice about following her feelings. So far, so sweet. Whether you think of Tara as a queer fairy godmother or a lesbian guardian angel, her wisdom-imparting presence is tender and thoughtful — and funny and often awkward, as you'd expect when the ghost of a dead relative pops up every now and then to try to help someone through situations they don't inherently know how to deal with. First-time feature writer/director Monica Zanetti plays the scenario affectionately and humorously, and also to reflect how having a guiding light is usually a purely fantastical concept for uncertain teens. And, if the filmmaker had left Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt) there, that would've been understandable. The film would've been entertaining and understanding, cute and creative with its teen romance, and proudly celebratory of LGBTQIA+ perspectives. It's still all those things, but Zanetti's decision to open the door to a deeper contemplation of Australia's historical treatment of the queer community gives considerable depth and weight to a movie that mightn't have earned those terms otherwise. If Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt) was being shot a few months from now, when Sydney is slated to become home to an 90-metre-long rainbow footpath through Surry Hills to commemorate Australia's marriage equality legislation — and to mark where more than 30,000 Sydneysiders gathered together to hear the results of the country's postal vote survey on the matter — the brightly coloured stretch of pavement would've surely featured in the film. Zanetti's brightly shot movie has a strong sense of place, but without including all of the usual landmark shots that make many features feel like tourism campaigns. More importantly, it has a clear understanding of what LGBTQIA+ Sydneysiders have weathered in past decades. That activism is layered throughout the film in an overt subplot and, while it's hardly treated with nuance, it's a powerful inclusion. Simply by reaching local cinema screens, Zanetti's feature makes a statement, but it also pays tribute to all the statements made in big and bold ways — and with tragic and painful outcomes, too — to get to this point in Australian queer history. Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt)'s intentions, approach and even the importance of its very existence can't completely patch over its weaker elements, however. That lack of subtlety is pervasive, and occasionally the deliberate use of cliches and clumsiness can feel just as forceful. Some lines and ideas — Tara tells Ellie to ask Abbie if she likes AFL to get a read on her sexual orientation, for instance — are cringe-inducing rather than satirical or amusing. And despite spirited efforts by the three actors playing its titular characters, those eponymous figures are never as fleshed out as they could be, with their personalities deeply tied to and dictated by the needs of the plot. But Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt) is still a charmer, and still gives Aussie cinema something that it has long been missing. That'd be a proud, contemplative and engaging teen queer rom-com with heart, humour and a heavy awareness of the need for the kind of tale that it's telling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq1F1opr_FE&t=2s
Since late in 2019, when Disney launched its own streaming platform, fans of its animated classics, beloved hits and many, many super-popular franchises have been able to binge their way through the Mouse House's back catalogue from the comfort of their couch. For a few weeks in December, however, movie buffs are being asked to leave their houses to check out a selection of the company's famed titles — all thanks to the new pop-up Disney+ Drive-In that's coming to Melbourne. Yes, a streaming service is running a drive-in. Or, to put it another way, a product designed to get everyone watching on small screens at home is now endeavouring to lure viewers out to watch its flicks on a big screen from their cars. That's a very 2020 situation, with Disney+ teaming up with Openair Cinemas to make it happen. The drive-in will arrive in Melbourne — at the Melbourne Showgrounds car park, to be specific — on Thursday, December 3, screening films every night (except Tuesdays) until Monday, December 28. As for what'll be screening, the Disney+ Drive-In is working through the Mouse House's hits, screening single features each night. Quite a few sessions have already sold out now that Melbourne is easing back to normality, but The Force Awakens will take you into the Star Wars universe — and you can get your Marvel fix via Thor: Ragnarok. Among the throwback titles, Freaky Friday, The Simpsons Movie and Big are all on the bill, as is The Muppet Christmas Carol. Or, you can croon tunes to The Greatest Showman and watch the live-action version of The Lion King, too. Popcorn, snacks and drinks will be available onsite — or you can bring your own. It's strictly a no-alcohol affair, though. And, ticket-wise, you'll be paying per car; however, prices vary depending the number of people in your car.
Even without sourcing and quoting an exact number, it's obvious that an immense amount of people owe their lives to Marie and Pierre Curie's research on radioactivity. Without their work — Marie's passion project, which she reluctantly agreed to collaborate on with Pierre after they first crossed paths in Paris — cancer treatment would've likely been vastly different over the past century. The results for scores of cancer patients would've been as well. But the pair's discovery of two new elements, radium and polonium, also led to disturbing side effects and cataclysmic events that changed the course of history in other ways. Radioactive touches upon both, from life-saving oncology usage and the ability to conduct x-rays on World War I battlefields to the bombing of Hiroshima and Chernobyl's nuclear reactor meltdown. It might seem strange for a biopic about Marie to leap forward at different moments, jumping to years and decades past her death in 1934, all to show how the physicist and chemist's work made and continues to make a colossal impact upon the world. But that's the most interesting thing about Radioactive: its willingness to contemplate both the significant benefits and proven dangers of Marie (Rosamund Pike, an Oscar-nominee for Gone Girl) and Pierre's (Sam Riley, Rebecca) pioneering discoveries. The latter is tasked with vocalising this battle in his acceptance speech for their shared 1903 Nobel Prize in physics, acknowledging the struggle but opining that "mankind will derive more good than harm". The film doesn't simply take him at his word, however. It shows his radiation sickness, and Marie's. It touches upon the backlash when news of radioactivity's health effects started becoming widely known. And those aforementioned flash-forwards to both positive and negative applications of the Curies' research keep the same conversation going, because Radioactive doesn't try to offer a right or wrong answer. Instead, as directed by Marjane Satrapi (The Voices), Radioactive recognises how the efforts of an astonishing woman have led to a complex array of outcomes. The movie doesn't weigh up saving the cancer-afflicted against deaths contributed to nuclear atrocities, but shows how they're both consequences of her work — and that, even though she died before some of the events mentioned above, Marie grappled with the pros and cons of her discoveries herself. This is such a crucial part of this adaptation of Lauren Redniss' graphic novel about the Curies, in fact, that it stands out in multiple ways. Curie deserves all the praise and acclaim that have been showered upon her, and this is an affectionate film, but Radioactive isn't a glossy exercise in hero worship. That said, the movie's complications and probing stem primarily from its unconventional line of thinking; take out the clips in a 50s hospital, in Japan, in the Ukraine and at a nuclear bomb test in Nevada in 1961, and a far less thoughtful feature would result. After an opening glimpse of an elderly Marie collapsing in her Paris laboratory, Radioactive heads back to 1893, where she's one of few female scientists in the French city. Expectedly given the era, she's reviled by her male peers and the decision-making powers-that-be — but a goateed Pierre has already heard of her when they meet-cute in the streets over a microbiology book. Marie is adamant that she be judged on her own merits, and that of her work, so she's resistant to his early professional advances. But the fact that she's kicked out of her existing lab space on the day she initially makes her future husband's acquaintance sets obvious wheels in motion. Being seen as an equal is a fight she'll keep waging, even after not one but two Nobel Prizes come her way. Pierre never regards her otherwise, but altering the scientific establishment and society in general's minds is a far tougher job. By design, it's dismaying how familiar Marie's treatment feels; her work has changed the world, but engraining gender equality as a given sadly doesn't rank among her achievements. The same can be said about the race-based attacks she's forced to weather, with her Polish background used as an insult to a chilling degree in early 20th-century Europe. Satrapi has brought similar themes and experiences to the screen before, as evidenced in 2007's Persepolis. Based on her own autobiographical comics about growing up in Iran and Austria both during and after the Islamic Revolution, it unsurprisingly felt far more urgent and personal — two traits that Radioactive lacks. From fast-paced montages of Marie and Pierre's scientific experimentation to snippets of their home life as their family expands with their fame, the process of detailing the Curies' lives largely takes on a routine air, with much of Jack Thorne's (Dirt Music, Enola Holmes, The Secret Garden) script reading from the biopic playbook. Thankfully, Radioactive looks as textured as its best moments feel, and sometimes as bold as well. That it springs from an illustrated text, and that Satrapi has experience in the medium herself, comes across in stylised frames shot by cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (The Undoing) that could've leapt from a page. The film also benefits from not only Pike as Marie, but Anya Taylor-Joy (Emma) as the adult version of her eldest daughter Irène, another Nobel Prize-winner. There's a spiky determination to both — a willingness to forge on with doing the right thing despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles — that effortlessly links their performances. Of course, Radioactive also asks Pike to spend its first half asserting that Marie will never be defined by a man, then to spend its second struggling when Pierre is killed. That plays a little too neatly, but it's actually in tune with the many contrasts that sit at the film's core; something can be two things at once, after all, as Radioactive's rumination upon the Curies' discoveries firmly shows. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtVe_8CS6vU
They're the masters of immersive thrills, such as smash-hit shipping container installations Seance, Coma and Flight — also known as the Darkfield series. But not even the folks at Realscape Productions are immune to the realities of pandemic life. After spending much of the year locked down with the rest of Melbourne, the team put their nerve-jangling real-life projects on hiatus and whipped up a series of brand-new audio experiences. All of Realscape's recent collaborations with UK creators Darkfield have been designed for fans to enjoy from the comfort of their own homes, such as Double and Visitors — and they've been geared to be every bit as creepy and unsettling as their IRL predecessors. But the next addition to the series, Eternal, promises something extra special. It is inspired by Bram Stoker's Dracula, aka one of the best horror novels ever written (and certainly the best vampire novel), after all. Available until Sunday, January 31, Eternal is presented via the producers' new digital project Darkfield Radio. Like its siblings, it plunges participants deep into an immersive experience by perplexing the senses — with the use of a 360-degree binaural sound, played through your own headphones. But while this year's other shows were aimed at groups of two, this one is made for listening to solo, at home, while you're alone in bed. Originally commissioned by Ireland's Bram Stoker Festival, the 20-minute-long Eternal explores the allure of living forever — and will get you pondering what you'd willingly do to avoid death. The uneasiness everyone feels when they hear something go bump in the night also plays a part, because that's just the kind of sensation the production aims to conjure up. To listen along, you'll need an $11.40 ticket, and to book a spot a late-night spot — with the show available at select times Thursday–Sunday (with exact slots depending on the day, but 9.30pm, 10pm, 12.30am and 1am times, all ADST, on offer). And if you haven't yet given Double and Visitors a listen, they're still available as well. Yep, you can make it a triple feature if you'd like to get especially eerie one night.
When the Australian Centre for the Moving Image announced Light: Works from Tate's Collection, the venue's huge winter exhibition, you could be forgiven for thinking that it sounded like a bit of a departure. But light is critical to moving images — we wouldn't have the striking visuals that grace cinema and television screens without it. We wouldn't have the work of Australian filmmaker Warwick Thornton, either — and, given that he not only writes and directs, but is also a cinematographer on his own and other creative's efforts, he's well aware of how crucial light is to telling filmed stories. Everything he's helped splash across a screen makes that plain, from his own features such as Samson & Delilah and Sweet Country through to TV shows Mystery Road and Firebite, and also lensing Radiance and The Sapphires. [caption id="attachment_861204" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Please credit Mark Rogers as photographer when published.[/caption] Don't just take our word for it — take Thornton's himself. Across the three-session Warwick Thornton x Light program between Friday, July 15–Sunday, July 17, he's heading to ACMI to explore how mastering the technical language of light has shaped his work. If you're keen to hear the Kaytetye man and one of the nation's best directors talk about his career, then head along at 6.30pm on Friday, when he'll be chatting with none other than beloved film critic Margaret Pomeranz. Or, at 12.30pm on Saturday, he'll introduce a session of Sweet Country that'll play as a double with Jim Jarmusch's Down by Law, which was shot by director of photography Robby Müller — and at 3pm on Sunday, he'll do the same with Samson & Delilah and Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas, which Müller also lensed. Images: Mark Rogers.
Despite also serving up everything from all-day vegan breakfast to ice cream sandwiches, we still think that fries are the best thing about Lord of the Fries. It's right there in the name, after all. The chain's chips are particularly tasty — as made with Australian potatoes and cooked in a cottonseed sunflower oil blend. There is one thing better than Lord of the Fries' titular dish, however. That'd be free shoestring fries from the chip-loving establishment. And on Wednesday, July 13, the vegan fast food joint is giving away just that. Free. Fries. Yes, really. To snag free fries on Wednesday, you'll need to head to your chosen store in between 4–5pm and you'll be gifted a serving of shoestring deliciousness. You don't even have to purchase any vego nuggets to redeem them. There is a limit of one freebie per person, though, so take that into consideration if you're feeling particularly peckish. You'll get your choice of classic sauces, too. This is clearly great news for anyone who like fries, aka everyone — and Melburnians can choose between ten different stores. And if you're wondering why, that's because it's National Fry Day. Of course it is. There are a few caveats, as is always the case with this kind of giveaway. So, the freebies span one Lord of the Fries stickered cup of shoestring fries and one classic sauce, with the latter popped directly on top of the former. Again, you can only get one per person, and only in-store. And, it's only for shoestring fries — not the classic, chunky or sweet potato versions.
What better way to ride out the end of comfort food season, than a weekly shindig dedicated to your favourite carb-based food? That's the indisputable logic behind Marameo's new Pasta Party series, which kicks off Saturday, July 30, and runs weekly until August 27. On offer at the CBD restaurant from 12–3pm each week, the lunchtime fiestas promise to wrap up your winter with a warm hug of fresh pasta, wine and tunes. Across a two-hour sitting, you'll dig into a three-course pasta-centric menu starring the likes of gnocco fritto paired with prosciutto di Parma and mortadella, black truffle cacio e pepe, a 10-cheese lasagne, and saffron pappardelle with a rich wagyu shank ragu. Meanwhile, a DJ will be spinning tunes of the disco and funk variety, and the drinks will be equally free-flowing, with bottomless prosecco, wine and Peronis to wash down your pasta banquet. The pasta parties clock in at $100 per person, and you'll need at least four diners to nab a table. Images: Kristoffer Paulsen
Idris Elba fights a lion. That's it, that's Beast, as far as film pitches go at least. This South Africa-set thriller's one-sentence summary is up there with 'Jason Statham battles a giant shark' and 'Liam Neeson stares down wolves' — straightforward and irresistible, obviously, in enticing audiences into cinemas. That said, the latest addition to the animals-attack genre isn't as ridiculous as The Meg, and isn't a resonant existential musing like The Grey. What this creature feature wants to be, and is, is a lean, edge-of-your-seat, humanity-versus-nature nerve-shredder. Director Baltasar Kormákur (Adrift) knows that a famous face, a relentless critter as a foe, and life-or-death terror aplenty can be the stuff that cinema dreams and hits are made of. His movie isn't completely the former, but it does do exactly what it promises. If it proves a box office success, it'll be because it dangles an easy drawcard and delivers it. There is slightly more to Beast than Idris Elba brawling with the king of the jungle, of course — or running from it, trying to hide from it in a jeep, attempting to outsmart it and praying it'll tire of seeing him as prey. But this tussle with an apex predator is firmly at its best when it really is that simple, that primal and, with no qualms about gore and jump scares, that visceral. Elba (The Harder They Fall) plays recently widowed American doctor Nate Samuels, who is meant to be relaxing, reconnecting with his teenage daughters Mare (Iyana Halley, Licorice Pizza) and Norah (Leah Jeffries, Rel), and finding solace in a pilgrimage to his wife's homeland. But Beast wouldn't be called Beast if the Samuels crew's time with old family friend Martin (Sharlto Copley, Russian Doll), a wildlife biologist who oversees the nature reserve, was all placid safaris and sunsets. Kormákur doesn't even pretend that bliss is an option, or that the stalking, scares and big man/big cat showdown aren't coming. Ramping up the tension from the outset, his feature begins with the reason that its main maned (and unnamed) creature wants to slash his way through Nate and company: poachers hunting, with the culprits sneaking in at night to elude human eyes and snuff the light out of every feline in a targeted pride, which leaves one particularly large animal, the patriarch, angry and vengeful. Arriving unknowingly in the aftermath, the Samuels family have just chosen the wrong time to visit. Their first encounter with another pride, which Martin helped raise, leaves them awestruck instead of frightened; then they spy Beast's killer beast's handiwork at a nearby village, and surviving becomes their only aim. Swap out Elba from the 'Idris Elba fights a lion' equation and Kormákur would've had a far lesser film on his hands. His premise, wonderfully concise as it is, wouldn't work with any old actor. His entire movie wouldn't, and Beast works on the level it's prowling on — mostly. Screenwriter Ryan Engle (Rampage), using a story by Jaime Primak Sullivan (Breaking In), gives Nate grief and guilt over his past mistakes to grapple with as well as that persistent lion. Yes, the script is that cliched, because action heroes almost always seem to be wooing, worrying about or mourning a woman while they're endeavouring to save something, be it the world, their families or themselves. Elba dances the bereaved absent father dance well, though, with the Beast's depths springing from him rather than the material and its deceased spouse/regretful dad/seize-the-day tropes. Whether coming to widespread fame in one of the best TV dramas ever made, cancelling the apocalypse in a different on-screen altercation with critters, or playing a complicated detective, the man with The Wire, Pacific Rim and Luther on his resume (but not yet Bond) excels at playing people juggling problems and worries beyond their immediate threats. As sure as any feline, big, small, wild or domesticated, will swipe when it's being aggressive, that's what makes Elba brawling with Beast's revenge-seeking big cat such an appealing idea. The other troubles his character weathers here are both formulaic and thinly written, as they were always likely to be in a 93-minute lion attack flick — but, reliably as ever, Elba imparts Nate with the unflinching sense that this bout of king-of-the-jungle chaos is just one of many burdens he's had to face. Elba would've brought that complexity to his part even if Beast didn't saddle Nate with an obligatory dead wife, and often that trauma feels like every other animal in the feature — merely there because the film needs to be about more than Elba feuding with a lion. Nate's thorny relationship with his daughters could've still prickled, then softened and resolidified in the throes of panic, anyway; indeed, both Halley and Jeffries are at their finest when Mare and Norah have to be resourceful, brave and in the moment amid such ever-lurking danger. Kormákur makes that peril palpable, too. With cinematographer Philippe Rousselot (an Oscar-winner three decades ago for A River Runs Through It), he keeps the camera moving and roving amid eye-catching surroundings, letting the beauty of the place linger but rarely allowing a minute's peace in lengthy, unbroken shots. The Samuels' new nemesis is fast, savage and erratic, after all — even if lions are majestic creatures — and also willing to lay in wait, and the director of disaster movies Adrift and Everest wants his viewers to feel all of the above. Perhaps it's apt that when Beast struggles, it's because it's doing more than it needs to, but also with not enough effort — over-plotting Nate, Mare, Norah and Martin's backstories, and yet keeping them so well-worn. The pixels behind the film's animal antagonist also suffer a touch of the same fate; in trying to truly terrify, this CGI cat looks photorealistic as the live-action The Lion King's creatures did, but also preternatural. Nonetheless, the narrative's inherent silliness and illogical leaps aside, too — yes, including Elba punching the movie's bloodthirsty namesake — Beast remains as ruthlessly proficient as a lion at drawing, demanding and grabbing attention. Add it to the menagerie alongside alligator flick Crawl, another wholly predictable, sparse, taut, menacing and effective effort that's never Jaws but never Sharknado. It also isn't 1981's Roar, the wildest lion picture that'll ever exist and one plagued by animal attacks off-screen as well, but nothing else is.
Do you find yourself wondering what this existence is all about? How we came to be? What it means to live a short life in an expansive universe? Well, wonder no more, you curious beings. Professor Brian Cox is bringing his dazzlingly brilliant mind and science expertise Down Under with Horizons: A Space Odyssey, the live stage show that explores those very questions. ICYMI, Cox is a world-record holding (highest ticket sales for a science show) physicist, TV host and best-selling author. And this spring, the talent is fusing his planetary passions with showstopping production values for an entertaining, educational and thought-provoking journey through the cosmos. On Saturday, October 15, Cox will hit the stage at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Staggering visuals travelling through faraway galaxies, supermassive black holes and alien worlds will backdrop an inquisitive celebration of human life, philosophy and art. Expect deep questions, expert knowledge and Cox's optimistic eye examining the existentialism in all of us. To nab your tickets to the intergalactic stage show in Melbourne, head to the website.
Sorry Mario Kart. Move over Tetris. Forget Wii Sports, Pokémon Go, Street Fighter or whatever other title first springs to mind whenever you think about video games. They're all well and good, but they aren't about to take over the big screen at Melbourne's Australian Centre for the Moving Image. No, that honour goes to homegrown hit Untitled Goose Game. Made in Melbourne, and gaining millions of fans since it was released by House House in 2019, Untitled Goose Game is a puzzle game — and, yes, it's about a goose. You play as the bird, and your aim is to move objects and other characters, and just generally cause chaos in a small village. No description can really do it justice, though — you just need to play it. As well as filling oh-so-many video game-playing hours over the past few years, Untitled Goose Game sports an ARIA-nominated original soundtrack by Dan Golding — and that'll be played by an orchestra during ACMI's Untitled Goose Game Live shows. Make a date with the Federation Square spot on Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9, and prepare to see and hear one of the gaming phenomenons of the 21st century like you've never seen or heard it before. Orchestra Victoria will be bringing the music to life at this world-premiere event, playing a new arrangement of Golding's soundtrack that's been crafted just for the show and features tunes by classical French composer Claude Debussy. The musicians will also react live to what's happening on the screen, meaning that each gig will play out differently. Untitled Goose Game Live takes place at 3.30pm and 6pm on the Friday, and at 11am and 1pm on the Saturday. And yes, if you've been to orchestral shows featuring Harry Potter flicks, Studio Ghibli's delights, Toy Story and more before, the concept here is the same — just with a super-popular video game about a pesky goose. Check out the Untitled Goose Game trailer below:
All plot, all the time: that's how some filmmakers craft movies. Every scene leads to the next, then to the next and so on, connecting the story dots so that event A plus event B (plus event C, event D, event E and more) neatly equals wherever the narrative eventually ends up. Clio Barnard is not one of those writers or directors. Every scene always leads to the next in every film that tells any tale, no matter who's spinning it, but much of what happens in the Dark River and The Selfish Giant helmer's movies doesn't change, shift or drive the plot at all. Indeed, her features often have storylines that seem straightforward, as the tender and tremendous Ali & Ava does. But that uncomplicated appearance — including here, where a man and a woman meet, sparks fly, but complications arise — couldn't be more deceptive. In Ali & Ava, that man and woman are indeed Ali (Adeel Akhtar, Killing Eve) and Ava (Claire Rushbrook, Ammonite), both residents of Bradford in Barnard's native West Yorkshire. He's a working-class landlord — a kind and affable one, noticeably — from a British Pakistani family, and was once an EDM DJ. She's an Irish-born teacher's assistant at the school where one of Ali's tenants' children attends. Frequently, he's on drop-off and pick-up duty, because he is that helpful to his renters. So, when the skies open one day during his school run, Ali offers Ava a ride home rather than seeing her walk to the bus in the pouring rain. They chat, click, laugh, bond over a shared passion for music and slowly let their guards down. But what would a romance be, especially an on-screen one, if the path to love truly was effortlessly smooth? With a lyrical social-realist bent that'd do Ken Loach, living patron saint of British lyrical social-realist filmmaking, proud — see: Loach's I, Daniel Blake and Sorry We Missed You for his two most recent examples — Barnard unpacks everything that roughs up Ali and Ava's tentative courtship. But there's another English director who springs to mind, too, thanks to the way that Ali & Ava can turn from poignant to portentous in a second: This Is England and The Virtues' Shane Meadows. His work finds bliss and joy in ordinary, everyday moments, and also violence and menace as well. One can become the other so quickly that, if it didn't all feel so genuine and authentic, a case of whiplash might be the end result. All three filmmakers possess a commitment to detailing lives that aren't typically fodder for celluloid dreams; all three, including Barnard with The Selfish Giant and now Ali & Ava, make features in the vein that are potent, perceptive, dripping with empathy and as emotionally raw as films come. Ali, friend to everyone, is troubled by more than just regret about no longer hitting the decks. He has a wife, Runa (Ellora Torchia, Midsommar), who no longer loves him or wants to be with him. But he's too proud to tell his family, so they still live together while she keeps studying. That brings judgement his way, with his sister Usma (Krupa Pattani, Ron's Gone Wrong) vocal in her disapproval about his growing closeness with Ava. It makes Ava apprehensive as well, unsurprisingly. She already has enough of her own worries as it is, caring for her five kids — some of which have had kids of their own — as a single mother. One, her son Callum (Shaun Thomas, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children), remains affected by his father's death a year earlier, and also his parents' breakup before that. He's far from welcoming to Ali as a result, terrifyingly so, hating even the idea of him as his mother's potential friend. Writing a devastatingly layered script, Barnard spies the myriad of factors that test her titular twosome. She sees them with unflinching eyes, in fact. Racism is a constant that Ali is forced to live with. For Ava — who has a top arts degree, but needs a secure job that makes ends meet to support her family — classism has long worked the same way. On both sides, someone that Ali and Ava each knows has a strong, instant, knee-jerk reaction. On both sides, the pair's past woes linger like ghosts. Barnard took inspiration for Ali and Ava from people she met while making her other movies, and she knows that there's nothing that's simple about anyone's life, not for a moment. She knows that we're all haunted by everything that's ever pierced our happiness and shattered our fantasies, and she's determined to wade through exactly what that means. Grief, trauma, domestic violence, mental health, the responsibilities of being a parent and grandparent, the expectations of families, the strength it takes to care for others, the weight of forsaking your hopes and wishes for someone else, the complexities of looking for love when a big chunk of your days are behind you: they all have a place in this deeply thoughtful film. So does daring to put yourself first, striving to work past each and every roadblock, being willing to fight for what you want, and braving the unshakeable truth that nothing is ever 100-percent rosy. These themes, ideas and factors all percolate as the movie spends time with Ali and Ava, rather than through purposeful and overt plot point after purposeful and overt plot point. Again, that's the kind of filmmaker that Barnard is. Off-screen, we get to know people through their company; on-screen here, with cinematographer Ole Bratt Birkeland shooting as he did with the director's astonishing 2010 debut The Arbor, that's what Ali & Ava does, too. The picture's namesakes, and the actors behind them, prove exceptional company. They provide wonderfully laid-bare performances as well, which Barnard directs — and Birkeland lights and lenses — with feeling to match. Just as Ali and Ava's existences swing between euphoric and struggling, the movie about them balances its naturalistic, keenly observant approach with a poetic eye. Never is this more apparent than in scenes where Ali, Ava or both are listening to music. Sometimes he dances on top of his car, or on her couch. Sometimes they sit in his vinyl-filed basement. Sometimes they're just driving. Wherever they are and whatever they're listening to, forcefully and dutifully progressing the plot is never the point; learning who Ali & Ava's eponymous figures are, and understanding them as intensely as possible, always is.
Why drink at just one watering hole, when you can head to two, three, six or 11? That's always been the motivation behind everyone's favourite boozy journey, aka a pub crawl. And, it's exactly the same type of thinking behind the long-running Urban Wine Walk. Back for its next Melbourne wander this spring, it's the bar-hopping excuse every vino-lover needs — if you need an excuse, that is. From midday until 4pm on Saturday, October 1, you'll saunter around Prahran — jumping between the likes of White Oaks Saloon, The Prahran Hotel, Casa N.O.M., The Emerson, Ruelle Wine Bar and more — sampling wines and having a mighty fine time. [caption id="attachment_725708" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Casa N.O.M., by Griffin Simm[/caption] As for the tipples offered at each of the eight venues, they'll be curated by a heap of top local wineries such as Rob Dolan, Soumah, Zonzo Estate and Save Our Souls, so prepare to get sipping. Tickets will set you back $75 and you'll get to choose which venue you kick off from, though spots are limited. Guests will enjoy a stack of wine tastings, a tasting glass to keep and a $10 voucher to spend on food, plus $25 redeemable for take-home wine purchases on the day.
When Flee won the World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, it collected its first accolade. The wrenchingly affecting animated documentary hasn't stopped notching up deserving acclaim since. A spate of other gongs have come its way, in fact, including a history-making trifecta of nominations for Best International Feature, Best Documentary and Best Animated Feature at this year's Oscars, becoming the first picture to ever earn nods in all three categories at once. Mere minutes into watching, it's easy to glean why this moving and compassionate movie keeps garnering awards and attention. Pairing animation with factual storytelling is still rare enough that it stands out, but that blend alone isn't what makes Flee special. Writer/director Jonas Poher Rasmussen (What He Did) has created one of the best instances of the combination yet — a feature that could only have the impact it does by spilling its contents in such a way, like Ari Folman's Waltz with Bashir before it — however, it's the tale he shares and the care with which he tells it that makes this something unshakeably exceptional. Rasmussen's subject is Amin Nawabi, an Afghan refugee using a pseudonym. As his story fills Flee's frames, it's also plain to see why it can only be told through animation. Indeed, the film doesn't cover an easy plight — or a unique one, sadly — but Rasmussen renders every detail not just with eye-catching imagery, but with visuals that flow with empathy at every moment. The filmmaker's protagonist is a friend of his and has been for decades, and yet no one, not even the director himself, had ever previously heard him step through the events that the movie chronicles. Amin is now in his 40s, but he was once a kid in war-torn Kabul, then a teenager seeking asylum in Copenhagen. His life to-date has cast him in other roles in other countries, too, on his journey to house-hunting with his boyfriend as he chats through the ups and downs for his pal. That path — via Russia and Sweden — is one of struggle and acceptance. It's a chronicle of displacement, losing one's foundations and searching for a space to be free. It's also an account of identities fractured and formed anew, and of grasping hold of one's culture and sexuality as well. Flee explores how global events and battling ideologies have a very real and tangible impact on those caught in their midst, a truth that the feature's hand-drawn look underscores at every turn. And, it's about trying to work out who you are when the building blocks of your life are so tenuous, and when being cast adrift from your family and traditions is your status quo. It's also an intimate portrait of how a past that's so intertwined with international politics, and with the Afghan civil war between US-backed rebels and the nation's Soviet-armed government, keeps leaving ripples. Plus, Flee examines how someone in its complicated situation endures without having a firm sense of home, including when acknowledging he's gay after growing up in a place where that wasn't even an option. Clearly, Flee is many vivid, touching, devastating things, and it finds an immense wealth of power in its expressive and humanistic approach. There's a hyperreality to the film's animation, honing in on precisely the specifics it needs to within each image and discarding anything superfluous. When a poster for Jean-Claude Van Damme's Bloodsport can be spied on Amin's 80s-era Kabul bedroom, for instance, Rasmussen draws viewers' eyes there with exacting purpose. There's impressionistic flair to Flee's adaptive style as well, with the movie firmly concerned with selecting the best way to visually represent how each remembered instance felt to Amin. A scene set to A-ha's 'Take on Me' presents a fantastic example, especially given that the Norwegian group's pop hit is famed for its animated music video — something that Rasmussen happily toys with. Flee uses its music cues bewitchingly well across its entire duration. The sounds of Swedish duo Roxette are never unwelcome echoing from screens large and small, as everything from Pretty Woman and Long Shot to Euphoria have capitalised upon, and the use of 'Joyride' during a plane trip is a sublime masterclass in emotional juxtaposition. And, when the movie lays bare its most stunning sequence in a club where Amin wholeheartedly embraces his sexuality, it's immaculately soundtracked to Daft Punk's 'Veridis Quo'. Flee isn't the first feature to lean on that particularly enchanting song to such strong effect, after Eden did as well, but the tune's use here is nothing short of divine. Of course, any movie can whip up a killer soundtrack, but it's how these songs are deployed to so perfectly encapsulate exact slices of Amin's life that's repeatedly phenomenal. We all listen to music to help us process the world, and our traumas. We're all drawn to images to aid in doing the same, and we each have recollections of life-changing events that are tied to pop culture — the songs we heard, the movies we loved and the like. Flee is as skilful as films come at conveying this sensation, which is a coming-of-age staple. Yes, that's another genre that this animated documentary biography, which boasts actors Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) among its executive producers, also slots into commandingly. How astoundingly it achieves everything it sets its mind to is breathtaking, especially the feat that it its number-one aim: giving Amin's plight the attention, justice, respect and room to resound that it deserves, all while making it clear that this is just one of countless refugee stories with similar complexity. Evocative from its first glimpses to its last (including when it weaves in IRL footage from news clips and protests), Flee overflows with individual successes, be it scenes that glow with potency, animation choices that express a world of feeling, pitch-perfect needle drops or the pure details of Amin's life. Every description they earn applies to each second of this poignant and shattering feature, too, which manages something truly extraordinary overall. To peer into Amin's eyes, as painted here with nothing but lines, shapes, colours and pixels, is to feel like you're staring deeply at the flesh-and-blood Amin. Flee takes us home to him, while mirroring the reality that home has been a constantly shifting concept for its subject, and for everyone else who has shared even part of his journey. No wonder this film proves so innovative, sincere, heartbreaking, harrowing and poetic in tandem, and also simply astonishing.
Now, here's a summer flavour combo that's sure to impress: ripe juicy peach, fruity beer and freshly churned ice cream. Sound good? Well, that tasty trio is set to take centre stage this week, when Preston's Tallboy & Moose throws its thirst-quenching Peach Ice Cream Party on Friday, February 18. The craft brewery is celebrating the launch of its new peaches-and-cream-inspired sour beer with an afternoon of peachy treats for all. The crew's even teamed up with Thornbury ice cream joint Kenny Lover to create a limited-edition sorbet made on the new beer — you'll be able to try this one for free, scooped into your pint as a fizzy beer spider or simply paired in a cup on the side. Other signature ice cream styles available to try on the day include the Peaches 'n Cream and the Coconut & Peach Ripple, both of them non-alcoholic. Sticking with the peach theme, you'll also find a boozy peach iced tea slushie to sip between brews. And from Wee Man's Kitchen, there'll be a special Peaches 'n Cream salad — a summery dish of smoked peach and stracciatella cheese finished with mint, basil and pomegranate molasses. As always, the house brews will be flowing and pooches will be allowed in the beer garden. [caption id="attachment_804971" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tallboy & Moose[/caption]
What do two nuns in the throes of sexual ecstasy gasp? "My god" and "sweet Jesus", of course. No other filmmaker could've made those divine orgasmic exclamations work quite like Paul Verhoeven does in Benedetta, with the Dutch filmmaker adding another lusty, steamy, go-for-broke picture to his resume three decades after Basic Instinct and more than a quarter-century since Showgirls. His latest erotic romp has something that his 90s dives into plentiful on-screen sex didn't, however: a true tale, courtesy of the life of the movie's 17th-century namesake, whose story the writer/director and his co-scribe David Birke (Slender Man) adapt from Judith Brown's 1986 non-fiction book Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy. For anyone that's ever wondered how a religious biopic and nunsploitation might combine, this is the answer you've been praying for. Frequently a playful filmmaker — the theories that Showgirls is in on its own joke keep bubbling for a reason — Verhoeven starts his first film since 2016's Elle with that feature's more serious tone. The screen is back, the words "inspired by real events" appear and the score is gloomy. When Benedetta's titular figure appears as a girl (played by Elena Plonka, Don't Worry About the Kids), she's the picture of youth and innocence, and she's also so devoted to her faith that she's overjoyed about joining a convent in the Tuscan village of Pescia. But then villains interrupt her trip, and this pious child demonstrates her favour with the almighty by seemingly getting a bird to shit in a man's eye. It isn't quite as marvellous as turning water into wine, but it's its own kind of miracle. As an adult (Virginie Efira, Bye Bye Morons), she'll talk to strapping hallucinations of Jesus (Jonathan Couzinié, Heroes Don't Die), too, and use her beloved childhood statuette of the Virgin Mary as a dildo. There is no line between the sacred and the profane in Benedetta: things can be both here, and frequently are. Case in point: on her first night at the convent, after a bartering session between her father (David Clavel, French Dolls) and the abbess (Charlotte Rampling, Dune) over the girl's dowry for becoming a bride of christ, a statue of the Virgin Mary collapses upon Benedetta, and she shows her sanctity by licking the sculpture's exposed breast. So, 18 years later, when she's both seeing Jesus and attracted to abused newcomer Sister Bartolomea (Daphné Patakia, Versailles), they're the most natural things that could happen. To Benedetta, they're gifts from god, too. She does try to deny her chemistry with the convent's fresh novice at first, but the lord wants what he wants for her. Unsurprisingly, not everyone in the convent — the abbess' daughter Sister Christina (Louise Chevillotte, Synonyms) chief among them — agrees, approves or in believes in her visions. Verhoeven puts his own faith in crafting a witty, sexy, no-holds-barred satire. That said, he doesn't ever play Benedetta as a one-note, over-the-top joke that's outrageous for the sake of it. His protagonist believes, he just-as-devoutly believes in her — whether she's a prophet, a heretic or both, he doesn't especially care — and he also trusts her faith in her primal desires. His allegiance is always with Benedetta, but that doesn't mean that he can't find ample humour in the film or firm targets to skewer. The hypocrisy of religion — "a convent is not a place of charity, child; you must pay to come here," the abbess advises — gets his full comic attention. Having the always-great Rampling on-hand to personify the Catholic Church at its most judgemental and least benevolent (at its money-hungry worst, too) helps considerably. Indeed, what the veteran English actor can do with a withering glare and snarky delivery is a movie miracle. The filmmaker behind RoboCop, Total Recall and Starship Troopers' futuristic visions has also long trusted in sex and violence. Here, he trusts that thrusting them together in a story about a lesbian nun who shows signs of the stigmata and scandalises her convent several times over will create his favourite kind of on-screen chaos. He's right, but there's always a smart and scathing point to Benedetta's nudity, fornication and physical altercations, and to how viciously the church responds. Humanity is messy. People are flesh and pulsating urges, no matter who they deify. Those who grasp power by instilling fear and demanding unquestioning allegiance will never put the masses ahead of their own dominance. Amid the boobs, blood and potential vaginal splinters — and communal defecation, farts lit on fire and gynaecological torture tools — these truths are steadfast. While Rampling is clearly having a ball as the abbess — and still gives the figure vulnerability — it's the committed and spirited Efira who goes deep. She visibly relishes her role as well, and brings depth, nuance and poignancy to every swoop and swirl in its tonal rollercoaster ride. The skill required to slide from religiously rapturous to sexually euphoric can't be underestimated, but Efira ensures it looks seamless and never silly, even when the film swings between soapy Jesus makeout sessions, matriarchal power struggles, porn-style sapphic tumbles in the convent sheets and comets in the sky. As Verhoeven already does, his French lead makes Benedetta's audience believe in her, too. She's fervent, bold, intelligent, rebellious and passionate, all traits her character shares, and exposes as much of Benedetta's emotional landscape as she does skin. As she navigates a torrid affair, beatific faith, the worst of Catholicism's scorn and even the looming threat of the plague (everything's a pandemic movie now), Efira is a beaming vision herself. That's part of the self-aware altar that Verhoeven worships at, knowing the glamour his star brings to a film that's always going to be known as "that lesbian nun flick" — and actively embracing the 'hot lesbian' on-screen trope while using his lead character and entire movie to subvert everything they come into contact with. He's also visually meticulous to a painterly degree; Benedetta is ravishing in multiple ways, including in the contrasting colour palette its bodies, habits and 17th-century convent life in general affords. That the feature ultimately avoids hitting just the obvious spots, embraces mayhem, gleefully provokes and doesn't completely penetrate as far as it could feels like an appropriate climax, and it's also the result that only Verhoeven could've bestowed.
There's something rather cool about being ahead of the curve when it comes to cinema, watching the latest and greatest flicks on the silver screen well before anyone else. And at Australia's biggest short film festival, you can do just that. The internationally acclaimed Flickerfest is celebrating its 31st year in 2022, so you can expect an A-class lineup of cinematic delights. The annual short film festival is Australia's leading Academy Award-qualifying short film fest, and it's backed with BAFTA recognition, too. Get a window into the cinematic mastery that has received both national and international acclaim, all acknowledged as the most inspiring, provocative and entertaining pieces to see. With a whopping 3200 submissions this year, and films gracing the screens of over 45 venues nationally, the Flickerfest Tour lineup will have something for everyone. This April, the Best of Melbourne Shorts brings a curated screening of 11 award-winning short films from thriving Victorian filmmakers. The one-night-only event kicks off at 7pm at The Kino Palace Cinema, with popcorn and drinks on arrival. Promising emotive coming-of-age storylines, writing that brings wit and creativity in droves and the exploits of a woman whose addiction to retail therapy is uncovered by an introverted gamer — you will laugh, cry and be inspired. Head down early to mingle with industry experts and hear insights from filmmakers fresh from their Flickerfest premieres. To see the full Flickerfest 2022 program and grab tickets, head to the website. Images: Flickerfest
Want to get your long weekend off to a cracking start? How does this sound: a night spent dancing up a storm to DJ tunes in a huge brewery, while sipping on a few boozy slushies. That's the situation that awaits you at Moon Dog World's free Good Friday Eve party, kicking off from 6pm on Thursday, April 14. The giant Preston brewpub is serving up a big dose of long weekend musical goodness — not only is legendary electro duo Close Counters headlining the evening's soundtrack, but they'll be backed by local favourites MzRizk and DJ Be Kind To Other People. And it'll all be spinning until 1am. As always, Moon Dog's 72-tap bar will have a host of good stuff to quench your thirst and fuel your best dance moves, including cocktails, craft brews and some special slushies made on their signature Fizzer seltzers.
It was true in the 90s, and it remains that way now: when Jim Carrey lets loose, thrusting the entire might of his OTT comedic powers onto the silver screen, it's an unparalleled sight to behold. It doesn't always work, and he's a spectacular actor when putting in a toned-down or even serious performance — see: The Truman Show, The Majestic, I Love You Phillip Morris and his best work ever, the sublime Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind — but there's a reason that the Ace Venture flicks, The Mask and Dumb and Dumber were some of the biggest movies made three decades back. Carrey is now a rarity in cinemas, but one franchise has been reminding viewers what his full-throttle comic efforts look like. Sadly, he's also the best thing about the resulting films, even if they're hardly his finest work. That was accurate in 2020's Sonic the Hedgehog, and it's the same of sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 2 — which once again focuses on the speedy video game character but couldn't feel like more of a drag. The first Sonic movie established its namesake's life on earth, as well as his reason for being here. Accordingly, the blue-hued planet-hopping hedgehog (voiced by The Afterparty's Ben Schwartz) already made friends with small-town sheriff Tom Wachowski (James Marsden, The Stand). He already upended the Montana resident's life, too, including Tom's plans to move to San Francisco with his wife Maddie (Tika Sumpter, Mixed-ish). And, as well as eventually becoming a loveable member of the Wachowski family, Sonic also wreaked havoc with his rapid pace, and earned the wrath of the evil Dr Robotnik (Carrey, Kidding) in the process. More of the same occurs this time around, with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 taking a more-is-more approach. There's a wedding to ruin, magic gems to find and revenge on the part of Robotnik. He's teamed up with super-strong echidna Knuckles (voiced by The Harder They Fall's Idris Elba), in fact, while Sonic gets help from smart-but-shy fox Tails (voice-acting veteran Colleen O'Shaughnessey). Gone are the days when an animated critter's teeth caused internet mania. If that sentence makes sense to you, then you not only watched the first Sonic the Hedgehog — you also saw the chatter that erupted when its initial trailer dropped and the fast-running creature's humanised gnashers looked oh-so-disturbing. Cue a clean-up job that couldn't fix the abysmal movie itself, and an all-ages-friendly flick that still made such a ridiculous amount of money (almost $320 million worldwide) that this follow-up was inevitable. The fact that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 arrives a mere two years later does indeed smack of a rush job, and the end product feels that way from start to finish. That isn't the only task this swift second outing is keen to set up, with bringing in fellow Sega characters Knuckles and Tails the first step to making a Sonic Cinematic Universe. Yes, with Morbius reaching theatres on the exact same day as Sonic the Hedgehog 2, it's an ace time for sprawling start-up franchises sparked by a quest for cash rather than making great cinema — an ace time for the folks collecting the money, that is, but not for audiences. Both otherwise unrelated movies are flimsy, bland and woefully by-the-numbers, and seem to care little that they visibly look terrible thanks to unconvincing CGI. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 also falls victim to one of the worst traits seen in family-appropriate pictures: being happy to exist purely as a distraction. That means pointless needle drops that shoehorn in pop hits for no reason other than to give kids a recognisable soundtrack to grab their attention, and an exhausting need to whizz from scene to scene (and plot point to plot point) as if the film itself is suffering a sugar rush. Also covered: unnecessary pop-culture references, including inexplicably name-dropping Vin Diesel and The Rock, and also nodding to all things Indiana Jones. Sonic the Hedgehog 2's fondness for dashing through its sequences and setpieces like it's racing against a clock could be seen as a simple case of the film endeavouring to emulate its protagonist — but it also runs for over two hours, so truly delivering a turbo whirlwind isn't on returning director Jeff Fowler's mind. Rather, the feature seems to flit by at a breakneck pace so that nothing could possibly linger, which is one of its few attempted gifts to viewers. The other is still Carrey, although he can't carry the movie this time around. To be specific, he doesn't appear to want to. He also seems to be leaning heavier on easy gimmickry rather than genuine goofiness, but he's happily still in anarchic mode. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 definitely can't match him, though, despite zipping as much chaos across the screen as it can (and as hurriedly as can). Try as it might, the film doesn't make anyone forget its inane Hawaiian wedding scenes, which earn far too much focus because they shouldn't receive any. In the year 2022, second-time Sonic writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller — plus newcomer John Whittington (The Lego Ninjago Movie) — somehow thought it was okay to rely upon bridezilla tropes in the name of supposed humour, and the result is unfunny and lazy. This narrative choice also gives The White Lotus' Natasha Rothwell a thankless part, but then no flesh-and-blood actor who's playing it straight fares well here. That leaves Carrey, and also the voice work behind the movie's primary colour-toned animated creatures. Schwartz still sounds as if he's doing Parks and Recreation's Jean-Ralphio right down to a "the woooorst" joke, but Elba's line readings at least raise a smile by being so self-serious. Throw in an over-emphasised message about the importance of family like this is a stealth Fast and Furious flick — yes, clearly the title would fit, and there's also that Vin Diesel and The Rock mention — and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 just keeps getting more and more derivative. It knows it, actually. It even makes a gag about it. But as with almost everything it serves up, throwing things at the screen like blazes and being well-aware you're doing it doesn't make for an entertaining, average or even passable-enough time at the movies. Image: courtesy Paramount Pictures and Sega of America.
UPDATE, August 21, 2022: Cyrano is now available to stream via Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Love can spring quickly, igniting sparks instantly. Or, it can build gradually and gracefully, including over a lifetime. It can be swift and bold like a lightning strike, too, or it can linger, evolve and swell like a gentle breeze. In the sumptuous confines of Cyrano, all of the above happens. The latest adaptation of Edmond Rostand's 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac, this time as a musical via playwright Erica Schmidt's own song-filled on-stage version, lends its attention to two men who've fallen for the plucky Roxanne (Haley Bennett, Hillbilly Elegy) in opposite ways. Charming soldier Christian de Neuvillette (Kelvin Harrison Jr, The Trial of the Chicago 7) gets the fast-and-infatuated experience, while the movie's namesake (Peter Dinklage, I Care a Lot), a poet also handy in battle, has ached for his childhood pal for as long as he can remember. Roxanne's two suitors make a chalk-and-cheese pair, with their contrasting approaches to matters of the heart — specifically, to winning her heart and helping ensure that she doesn't have to marry the rich and ruthless De Guiche (Ben Mendelsohn, The Outsider) to secure her future — driving much of Cyrano's drama. Also present and accounted for, as all takes on the tale have included (see also: 80s rom-com Roxanne with Steve Martin, the Gérard Depardieu-starring Cyrano de Bergerac, 90s rom-com The Truth About Cats & Dogs with Uma Thurman and Janeane Garofalo, plus recent Netflix teen flicks Sierra Burgess Is a Loser and The Half of It): insecurities about appearance, a way with words and a ghostwriting gambit. Short in stature given Dinklage's casting, Cyrano can't even dream that Roxanne could love him. But he wants her to be happy above all else and knows that she's smitten with Christian, so he secretly lends his romantic rival his letter-penning abilities to help woo her by lyrical prose. This Cyrano may have a different reason for not believing that Roxanne could reciprocate his feelings, even as she gets giddy over the correspondence he scripts for Christian — traditionally, a large nose gets in his way — but his slow-and-steady affection is especially apt in this particular film. The latest period piece from Joe Wright, it slips into the British director's resume alongside Pride & Prejudice, Atonement and Anna Karenina, and initially seems as standard a silver-screen staging of Cyrano as a musical as he could reliably muster. But all three of those aforementioned movies are stunning in their own ways, especially the gutsy Anna Karenina. Unsurprisingly, his newest feature is as well. Doing his best work since that Tolstoy adaptation, and clearly back in his comfort zone after Pan, Darkest Hour and The Woman in the Window, Wright lets Cyrano take its time to bloom and blossom. And, when it flowers partway through, it makes viewers realise that it's been a gorgeous gem of a film all along. Like on-screen love story, like surrounding flick, basically. That said, the routine air that initially seems to float through Cyrano's first act can't have been by design. Rather, the film winds up to its full heart-wrenching powers so patiently that it appears a tad too expected while its various pieces are being put into place — a fact hardly helped by how often this exact narrative or variations of it have made it to screens — until it's just simply and unshakeably wonderful. Wright doesn't change anything in his approach, helming a handsome, detail-laden, rhythmic piece of cinema from the outset, but the emotions that truly make the movie sing strengthen minute by minute. And yes, when it all clicks in just so, it's with its three main players literally crooning, conveying so much about their huge, swirling, all-encompassing feelings that normal dialogue couldn't have done justice to. That swooning sensation — because this is a feature that it's easy to tumble head-over-heels for — helps answer the obvious question that needs asking whenever a famed tale gains songs. That query: why? Wright and screenwriter Schmidt, the latter of whom is married to Dinklage and wrote her crooning-heavy stage version for him in 2018, reply by making it rousingly plain how much yearning and desire resides in each musical number. The movie's tunes come courtesy of The National's Aaron and Bryce Dessner, fresh from their efforts scoring C'mon C'mon, and prove worlds away from big, barnstorming Broadway numbers. Emotionally sweeping, they survey the full range from longing to heartache, while also navigating an immensely tricky task: relaying what simmers inside each character that not only goes unspoken, but isn't inked in the feature's back-and-forth love letters. Thank goodness for not just Wright's finessed handling of these musical scenes, which lets those sung-about feelings echo with weight and heart-swelling resonance, but also for his clear passion for the musical genre. This marks his first entry, although both rhythm and music have been key to so much of his back catalogue — not the least of which being spy thriller Hanna with its melodic Chemical Brothers score — and he whirls properly into the fold like he was always meant to dance there. Even when no one is singing, Cyrano has the soul of a musical in its lush staging, Seamus McGarvey's (Bad Times at the El Royale) fleet-footed cinematography, the pace instilled by Valerio Bonelli's (The Woman in the Window) lithe editing and its performances. It has its own beat and vibe, and every element drums and hums along in time. Also trilling the right tune, regardless of whether they're singing (which they each do well): Dinklage, Bennett and Harrison Jr. Australia's own Mendo still gives exceptional villain, and darkly and cunningly so; however, being enamoured with Cyrano's main trio is inescapable. The decision to cast Dinklage and Bennett straight from the stage production is a winner. He imparts melancholy, wit and spark into his romantic lead, as he so consistently did in Game of Thrones, too, while she ensures that Roxanne's quest for a big and fulfilling life — and love — cuts deep. And, as much chemistry buzzes between the two, enlisting Luce and Waves' standout Harrison Jr as the man between them is another masterstroke. Indeed, Cyrano adores Roxanne and Christian's romance as much as it feels its eponymous figure's pining, loves his rhapsodic words and wants his heart's desire to come true — and sharing it all comes, gradually but still overwhelmingly, with the cost of admission.
Five Melburnians are in for a treat each Wednesday this month, with Hendrick's Gin's new Cucumber Concierge hotline helping juniper enthusiasts craft a cucumber-garnished gin and tonic at home. On each Wednesday in March between 4–5pm, gin lovers in one Melbourne area can call the hotline — 1800 HG CUKE — for their shot at Hendrick's latest giveaway. The first five callers will speak with Hendrick's Chief Cucumber Officer (yes, that's a thing) and receive a free crate of cucumbers and Henrick's Gin delivered to their location. Hendrick's Gin hopes that their first ever end-of-summer Gin O'Clock promotion will help Melbourne residents craft their own gin and tonics at home complete with a garnish of fresh cucumber, which they say is imperative to sipping Hendrick's Gin. The program began last week on Wednesday, March 9, and will continue on March 16 for Melburnians Flemington to Glenroy and Braybrook. Gin O'Clock will then move to the southeast (from Melbourne City to Brighton East, and up to Balwyn North) on March 23 and finally end in northern Melbourne (out to Heidelber and Fawkner) on March 30.
Maybe G&Ts are your favourite tipple and, if you're sipping drinks at your favourite bar, you always have one within reach. Perhaps you've never found a vodka cocktail that you haven't loved, or you've made it your life's mission to try all the whiskies (yes, spanning both whisky and whiskey) that you can find. Or, you could simply like broadening your horizons when it comes to knocking back the good stuff, and supporting independent producers while you're at it. Since 2015, the boozing sipping party that is Indie Spirits Tasting has covered all of the above — and it's back in 2022 after a couple of pandemic-affected years. Move over, craft beer — at this east coast event, which'll return to Melbourne in May, it's craft spirits' time to shine. Everyone has been to plenty of days dedicated to brews, brews and more brews, but this touring shindig is solely about all the whisky, gin, vodka, rum, tequila, vermouth and mezcal you could ever want. More than 30 exhibitors and master distillers are on the bill, showcasing over 200 craft spirits. Clearly, your booze-loving tastebuds will be in heaven. As well as tasting away, attendees will also be able to chat to the folks behind the craft and independent tipples on offer, listen to talks on booze-related topics and buy bottles to take home with you. Taking place at The Craft & Co from 1–4pm on Sunday, May 8, this year's Melbourne event will feature brands such as Never Never Distilling Co, Poor Toms, Boat Rocker, Wolf Lane and Archie Rose, some of which will be pouring limited-edition tipples. And while the big focus is on homegrown spirits, a few international names will be on the bill as well — taking your tastebuds on a trip, including through French cognacs and American gins.
St Kilda gallery Linden New Art has reopened to the public following lockdown, now taking limited visitor bookings across two sessions from Tuesday–Friday: 11.30am to 1pm and then between 2pm and 3.30pm. One of three exhibitions on its starting lineup, The Long Shot stars a new collection by award-winning Victorian artist Jacqui Stockdale. Both locally celebrated and with a slew of international exhibitions under her belt, Stockdale is known for her symbolic, theatrical works, delivered through a diverse catalogue of painting, drawing, collage, photography and performance art. Tied to the artist's continued exploration of Australia's early colonial past, The Long Shot flips the script on some of the more dominant narratives served up throughout our history. Here, catch an alternative version of the infamous Ned Kelly story, which challenges long-held perceptions by honing in on the experiences of the bushranger's mother, Ellen. It's an interactive show, featuring a variety of sculptural works — you'll see a piece cast from real dung that pays homage to the world's largest ever gold nugget, and even a towering likeness of Kelly's horse, crafted to the exact dimensions of fellow icon Phar Lap. [caption id="attachment_773494" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Images: Jacqui Stockdale 'The Long Shot' exhibition view at Linden New Art[/caption]
According to a 2019 report by Foodbank Australia, one in five Australians experienced food security at some point in the past 12 months — and that was before COVID-19 hit and an estimated 600,000 Aussies lost their jobs. To help put food on the tables of those doing it rough at the moment, ten Asian Australian singers, comedians and rappers are coming together for a one-off live-stream to raise money for Foodbank NSW and ACT. Going down on YouTube from 9–11.45pm on Saturday, June 27, the live-stream will feature comedian Harry Jun, singers Krista Monica, Yura and Christine, and rappers Andy, Rako, Mike Choe, Cooee, Goyo and Saint. The YouTube link will be published on the event's Facebook page. While the live-stream will be free to watch, those bopping along in their living rooms are encouraged to donate to Foodbank over here. The group is hoping to raise $1000 — and has a strong start with $387 garnered before the live-stream has even begun. If you'd like a taste of what to expect, have a listen to Saint's single 'Kumbaya', which features fellow live-stream artist Cooee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQH53ioF7hc
The Oscars might not be ready to acknowledge and celebrate women in film, but local Melbourne cinemas certainly are, especially on International Women's Day. In honour of the annual event, indie cinema Thornbury Picture House is screening three awesome films with women in key creative roles. Kicking things off at 2.30pm is the lush period-set French romance Portrait of a Lady on Fire, from director Céline Sciamma and cinematographer Claire Mathon. At 5pm, be inspired by a collection of short films called the Women's Adventure Film Tour, starring Aussie athletes like four-time World Champion cliff diver Rhiannan Iffland and climber Angie Scarth-Johnson. The last screening of the day will Autumn de Wilde's 2020 adaption of Jane Austen's beloved Emma at 8pm. On the site of a former car garage on High Street, Thornbury Picture House pays homage to its former life in its bar's aesthetic, so you can get down early (it opens at midday) for a glass of wine or a Two Birds Brewing beer among original garage features, recycled wooden furniture and green foliage. Whether you're planning to catch one, two or all three of the flicks, you can order antipasto from the local Italian restaurant, or fill up on popcorn and choc tops. [caption id="attachment_755894" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Portrait of a Lady on Fire[/caption]
If you've spent the past few months working from home in trackies and hole-ridden t-shirts, it's probably time to elevate your wardrobe. Thankfully, minimalist Australian clothing brand Assembly Label is hosting an online warehouse sale for a limited time this week, so you can buy some new linen pants, simple tees and big cosy jumpers without going too hard on the wallet. Known for its cool-yet-comfy timeless pieces, Assembly Label is a go-to for top-quality staples that'll take you from your morning coffee to working in your living room (aka the office), lounging around on weekends and going out for lunch with mates — really, you won't need much else. The online warehouse sale kicks off today, Wednesday, June 17, with a wide range of both men's and women's wear on offer. You'll find lots of winter essentials such as denim, basic tops, jumpers and jackets, plus its signature summery linen dresses, swimwear, skirts and shorts if you're already dreaming of hitting up the beach. Best of all, the selection will be on sale at up to 80 percent off — for a limited time only — with free shipping across Australia, too. Assembly Label's online warehouse sale kicks off on Wednesday, June 17 and will run until stocks last. To check what you can nab for up to 80 percent off, head here.
This Saturday, June 6, rallies will be held across Australia in protest of Black and Indigenous deaths at the hands of police, both locally and in the US. Held in solidarity with the protests currently happening in the States — in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis — and in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, the Melbourne rally is also a call to action on the systemic mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by police. Since 1991's royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody, another 432 Indigenous Australians have died in custody, including Dunghutti man David Dungay Jr, who's 2015 death draws many parallels to that of Floyd. Organised by the Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance, the Melbourne protest is called Stop All Black Deaths in Custody — Justice for George Floyd #BLM. It'll be held from 2–5pm, starting at the Parliament House steps. While Victoria's COVID-19 cases are declining, we're still in the midst of a pandemic and rally attendees are encouraged to practise social distancing measures, with the organisers saying everyone must wear a mask, stand as far apart as possible and do not attend if they are feeling unwell. If you have even mild symptoms, it's strongly encouraged you go and get tested. On Thursday, Victorian Chief Medical Officer Brett Sutton released a statement urging Victorians to "consider other ways to show support. Unfortunately now is not the time for thousands of people to gather together, putting your and others' health at risk. We are still in the middle of a pandemic." If you can't attend, but would still like to do your part, you can donate to an Indigenous Australian charity or organisation — including to the family of Dungay Jr, who are currently raising money to cover legal costs — and educate yourself on Australia's Indigenous history. To help start with the latter, here are 13 films by Indigenous Australian filmmakers you can stream.
Popping bubble wrap is one of those things which will never grow old. Regardless of who you are, where you are from, and what you do, bubble popping is a universally accepted means of entertainment. For all poppaholics, behold the Bubble Calendar — a poster-sized calendar with a bubble to pop every day. This 122cm x 26cm monolith of a calendar is sure to make up for any dull day of the year. Whether it's returning from a vacation or retreating back to your cave from a tough day at work, Bubble Calendar is sure to provide you with at least one thing to look forward to in the day. [Via Lost At E Minor]
She's worked in hatted restaurants and, in recent years, chef Jerry Mai has hit Melbourne to open Pho Nom, a Vietnamese restaurant with two Melbourne CBD locations bragging the freshest rice paper rolls this side of the Mekong Delta. Now she's set to return to her hatted roots with a new (and slightly more upmarket) venture, Annam. Mai has teamed up with Rani Doyle, of The National Hotel in Richmond, whom she's known for many years — and together they're aiming to revolutionise your understanding of Vietnamese cuisine. Annam will be all about traditional Vietnamese dishes, and slightly more high-end than the hawker style fare of Pho Nom. In fact, the name Annam is what Vietnam was known as prior to 1945. But don't confuse traditional Vietnamese food with homogenous Vietnamese food. Vietnam has a long history of subjugation. They've been occupied by the Chinese, French and Japanese, with their traditional cuisine picking up influences from every historic episode, as well as from their neighbours Laos and Cambodia. Mai's menu will draw on Vietnam's culinary fusion as well as her own background in curries and stir fries. The addition of a chargrill will mean you can expect lots of smoky, experimental protein too. But by far, one of Mai's most intriguing ideas borrows directly from Japanese cuisine. It's based on the Japanese idea of counter-served omasake (chef's selection) but with freshly made rice paper rolls. Mai is working closely with locals to guarantee the freshest rotating produce daily. "You'll get all the beautiful produce in the window: wonderful Hiramasa kingfish, spanner crab, tuna toro. Imagine the [freshest seafood] torched or slathered in miso, in a rice paper roll, made to order." "We're sourcing the produce like a [Japanese] chef does when they do nigiri, with that same love and respect but in a rice paper roll. I'm a strong believer in paddock to plate. We deal directly with farmers." For the drinks menu, they're looking at complementary but not strictly Vietnamese drops. "We're looking at wines that will suit the food, cocktails made with tropical fruits, and also at local and imported beers," Mai says. The architectural concept has been developed by Emlyn Olaver, with the venue currently in the demolition stage and construction due to start soon. Transporting patrons to sensual Vietnam is the aim of the fit out — and indeed the whole restaurant. "Relive sitting in the street, on a little stool somewhere in Vietnam," Mai says. "The heat and the smoke coming from the grill, and the noise coming from the kitchen and hopefully we can transport you back to a holiday in south-east Asia somewhere." Annam, 56 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne CBD, is set to open in mid-August. Image: James Morgan.
Looking for something to fill your time (that's not live streaming koalas or re-watching Tiger King over and over again)? TAFE Victoria is offering a heap of courses — for free. There are currently 42 free 'priority' courses on offer at Victorian TAFE institutions, running from a Diploma of Nursing to an Advanced Diploma in Accounting and a Certificate IV in Cyber Security. Exactly what courses are available at what time varies with what jobs are currently in demand in Victoria. The free TAFE for priority courses initiative isn't new — with the first free courses on offer from January 1, 2019 — but is particularly important right now. Today, Friday, April 17, Premier Daniel Andrews announced $260.8 million worth of emergency funding to help support the state's TAFE and training systems, saying "we need a skilled, adaptable workforce to get through this crisis and rebuild". Part of that money will be used by the higher education facilities to deliver more online and remote learning, with free TAFE courses in fields like infection control and first aid set to come online in the coming week. According to the State Government, "685 people have already completed free short courses in food hygiene and cleaning" and free TAFE has been providing a 'pipeline' of nurses and other health care workers essential during the COVID-19 crisis. To be eligible for a free priority TAFE course, you'll have to be an Australian or New Zealand citizen or a permanent Australian resident and fit one of the extra criteria. This may be you if you're under 20 years old, if you will be upskilling (that is, enrolling in a higher qualification than you've previously attained), or you're a Victorian who requires additional support — i.e., you're unemployed or have recently been retrenched. If you're looking to change careers, you may also be considered for one of the free places. To find out more about the free TAFE courses and enrol, head to the Victorian Government website. Alternatively, you can apply directly to a Victorian TAFE institution.
For years, its beery creations have appeared at leading bottle shops, graced the Good Beer Week lineup and sat among the winners of the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers list. But when Glen Iris' Deeds Brewing opened a taproom and tasting bar for dine-in customers in late June this year, it had to close its doors shortly after due to COVID restrictions. The brewery-restaurant hybrid has now tabled its sophisticated dine-in offering and pivoted to a very special lockdown treat — Deeds at Home, featuring juicy pieces of southern fried chicken. Inspired by head chef Paul Kasten's travels through Kentucky, the team are doing some very good deeds for Melbournians with fried chicken available in two, five or ten-piece portions. If you're after a bit of a kick, there are two different spicy additions to add on — Sichuan hot or Nashville hot. There's also a Nashville hot chicken sandwich, which comes complete with slaw, mayo and pickles on a soft milk bun. You can pair your chicken dinner with a four-pack of Deeds' award-winning beer and some classic southern sides, including mash with spring onion and gravy, baked aged cheddar mac 'n' cheese, buttermilk biscuits, or an iceberg wedge with herbs and vinaigrette if you're after something fresh to cleanse the palate. Pick-up Deeds Brewing's takeaway goods if you're within five kilometres, or you can order delivery if you're within 10 kilometres here.
If your ideal autumn weekender involves escaping the city for top-notch regional eats and lots of wine, we know exactly where you need to be on Sunday, April 30. And that's around two hours north of Melbourne, at Bendigo's renowned Balgownie Estate. The award-winning winery is celebrating the season of changing colours and crunchy leaves with another edition of its Maiden Gully Autumn Festival. Head along from 10am and spend the day wining, dining, patting cute animals and soaking up a live entertainment program. Popping up here at Bendigo's oldest working vineyard, you'll find a stack of local food trucks, including Not Just Pizza, Bullwinkle Burgers, Bloom Espresso and Maiden Gully Marong Lions Club. The winery restaurant will also be open for brekkie, lunch and coffee, while the cellar door is your go-to if you fancy sampling some of the estate's hand-harvested wines — and stocking up on a few bottles for home, discounted by up to 50-percent off. Elsewhere, there'll be an animal farm filled with cute critters, a lineup of live, local tunes, and a market brimming with everything from fashion and foliage, to fresh produce and crafts. Entry to the day's festivities is by gold coin donation. And of course, if you're keen for a sleepover, you can spend the night under the stars with a stay in the winery's glamping retreat.
You've spent your entire life training for this moment, and now it's finally here. On Sunday, September 4 on the stroke of high noon, 25 brave heroes will step up to the plate at the Dandenong Market for the Dandee Donut Eating Competition. The rules are simple. In round one, contestants will compete in heats of five. The person from each heat who can gobble down the largest number of jam doughnuts in two minutes will make it through to the final. The grand prize will then be awarded to the person who can knock back 20 more in the shortest possible time. The winner will receive bragging rights, the love and respect of all mortal men, as well as $200 worth of market vouchers which they can use to buy more doughnuts. Sadly all the competitor slots have already been filled, but you can still head down to the market to watch. Just maybe bring an umbrella or something, in case somebody's stomach fails them.
He's the creative mind behind Uluru's spectacular Field of Light installation, which pulled more than 200,000 visitors in its first eighteen months and has been extended twice to keep up with demand. And now, renowned British artist Bruce Munro has lent his talents to yet another landmark Aussie exhibition. This time, he is illuminating the tree-lined Avenue of Honour in Albany, Western Australia. Field of Light: Avenue of Honour kicks off today and will run until April 25, 2019, in honour of the ANZACs who departed for the Great War from this southernmost point of the state 100 years ago. It's an immersive work, aglow each night with 16,000 flower-like glass spheres, 'planted' by local volunteers to form a glowing carpet through the avenue's memorial trees. Arriving at peak wildflower season, the glowing orbs also nod to this corner of the country's unique plant life, referencing the whites, yellows and greens of the wattle and New Zealand's kowhai. Munro's Field of Light: Avenue of Honour installation will be free to wander during its stint Down Under, which coincides with the ANZAC Centenary commemorations. If you'd like to visit, you'll have to plan a bit of a trip. Albany is located a five-hour drive (or one-hour flight) from Perth. Field of Light: Avenue of Honour runs from October 4, 2018 until April 25, 2019. Images: Mark Pickthall, courtesy of the Bruce Munro Studio
Melbourne's summery weather feels like it's set to stick around for a good while longer, and what better way to make the most of that, than with a few sun-drenched rooftop sweat sessions. Local spin cycle fitness brand Bodhi and Ride is taking things up a level, with the launch of its new Ride In The Sky series, kicking off on Sunday, February 24. The unique, four-part workout experience takes the form of an unconventional spin class, matched with some top-notch city views, as it takes over the sky-high setting of The Rooftop at QT. Venture up for a high-energy openair fitness session, complete with pumping club-style tunes, high adrenaline and plenty of dance moves, both on and off the bike. You'll feel the breeze in your hair, rather than staring at the four walls of your usual cycle class room. Stick around afterwards to reward your efforts with a complimentary selection of wholesome post-workout treats, including fresh coconuts and juices from Emma & Toms.
Melbourne is fond of a good light show, if the crowds at Royal Botanic Gardens' dazzling after-dark light show, Docklands' annual fire-filled festival or the newly announced Rialto Aglow are anything to go by. Here to add to the city's illuminated calendar is Electric Kingdom, taking over Birrarung Marr for eight luminous nights across September 7–September 17. The free, after-dark lights festival is supported by the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund, a $200 million collaboration between the Victorian Government and the City of Melbourne to grant funding for after-dark activities. Melbourne-based arts and entertainment specialists Blanck Canva are presenting Electric Kingdom, with a resume spanning towering and immersive pop-ups at White Night and Moomba. Electric Kingdom will be centred around a lineup of giant, illuminated animals, some of which will span up to 27 metres. As you explore the attractions and installations, you'll be greeted by lit-up giant pandas, giraffes, snakes and creatures from the ocean. Each luminous artwork will be displayed with immersive storytelling elements, kinetic movements, unique lighting design and an original soundscape. Highlights also include roving live performances, ambient soundscapes and light installations. "In times of financial strain, few destinations in the world prioritise free creative events. We are delighted to play a part in rekindling the joy and vibrancy of Melbourne city, while celebrating the incredible creativity of the artists that call it home," Director of A Blanck Canvas Joe Blanck says. Electric Kingdom will run from Thursdays to Sundays, 6pm-10pm from Thursday, September 7 to Sunday, September 17 at Birrarung Marr. Entry is free but registration via the website is encouraged. Images: supplied.
A controlled explosion took place in a Williamstown warehouse this week — in the name of art, of course. The sound of gunfire was simply part of Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang's massive new work. Transience II (Peony) is a 31-metre artwork created from gunpowder, fire and silk. It's the largest piece in Cai's latest exhibition The Transient Landscape, which will be presented as part of NGV International's Melbourne Winter Masterpieces from May 24 through October 13. To create Transience II (Peony), Cai layered 11 sections of silk and drew colourful patterns in gunpowder throughout each. He then ignited the design, with the explosions meant to depict a blooming peony. This type of work is not new for the artist, who has used gunpowder in his art for over 30 years. Cai regularly draws inspiration from ancient Chinese culture and philosophy, using Chinese inventions like gunpowder, porcelain, silk and paper to show how history can inform contemporary art. Transience II (Peony) is just one of three brand new works that Cai has created for the exhibition, which will also feature porcelain peony sculptures and an immersive installation of 10,000 suspended porcelain birds. The Transient Landscape will be presented in tandem with Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality, one of China's most important ancient artworks — crafted between 221–206 BCE. This exhibition includes eight warrior figures and two life-size horses from the Imperial Army, plus two half-size replica bronze chariots, each drawn by four horses. 'Cai Guo-Qiang: The Transient Landscape' and 'Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality' will exhibit as part of the NGV International's Melbourne Winter Masterpieces presentation, running from May 24 to October 13, 2019. For further details or to buy tickets, visit the NGV website. Images 1-3: Cai Guo-Qiang, Murmuration (Landscape) 2019 by Tobias Titz. Image 4: Sean Fennessy. Image 5: Cai Guo-Qiang, Pulse (Mountain) 2019 by Tobias Titz. Images: Scott Barbour, Jason Edwards, Tom Ross.
Phillip Island undoubtedly offers some incredible gastronomic options, but the scenery is just as good. From striking clifftop hikes to astounding whale watching spots, there are plenty of things to see and do to keep your weekend away lively. One of the island's most popular adventures is the Cape Woolamai Circuit. Starting from the island's southern point and travelling up to its highest peak, this trek combines three separate walks that range in length from four to almost seven kilometres long. Each section is a rather easygoing walk with no prior hiking experience required. You'll probably want to rug up — you'll be battling the elements, after all. But you'll be rewarded with moody ocean vistas and stunning rock formations, including the Pinnacles Lookout and the Old Granite Quarry, which highlights a bit of local history — much of Melbourne's building materials came from here in the late 19th century. Image: Robert Blackburn/Visit Victoria
If you and your partner have a little (or a lot) of pent-up energy, and you're looking for a different outlet to help ease it, here's an option: Melbourne's axe-throwing joints Maniax is hosting Valentine's date-night sessions from Friday, February 11–Friday, February 18. The Elizabeth Street and Abbotsford venues are doing two-hour public sessions that'll cost you and your other half $110 in total to hurl hatchets — and will let you do something different to mark the occasion. Also, that price also includes a beer, wine or canned spirit each afterwards to celebrate. For the uninitiated, Maniax gives you the chance to very safely throw a hunk of sharpened steel attached to a flimsy handle, and compete with your partner and/or friends to see who has the most Viking blood coursing through them. Chuck those axes, sink a bullseye, and then calm down after all the hatchet-lobbing excitement with a drink with your significant other.
Chris Lucas is the force behind plenty of vibey Melbourne restaurants worth raving about (Kisume, Yakimono, Society, Grill Americano, Hawker Hall and Baby), but Chin Chin is forever a Melbourne favourite. The spot somehow manages to still have lines snaking around the corner regularly, flummoxing other local eateries that wish they could have the same. Lucas has also seen the power of smartly replicating Chin Chin in Sydney, taking one successful business and turn it into two without too much fuss. And now he is making it three. Come late April this year, a new Chin Chin will land in Geelong's GMHBA Stadium. On game day, this means footy fans can get brilliant South East Asian food right at the oval, either nabbing a speedy set menu or going a la carte. But it's not just for sports fans. The new Chin Chin in Geelong will be open throughout the year, no matter whether there's a game on or not. It might seem strange to dine at an empty sports stadium, but Lucas has a knack for creating a lively atmosphere at each of his restaurants. Those skills might just be tested here, but the veteran hospitality great rarely lets folks down in that department. The new Chin Chin is slated to open in late April this year at GMHBA Stadium in Geelong. For more details, head to the venue's website.
