Goodbye Shiv Roy, hello Dorian Gray — plus every other character in Oscar Wilde's gothic-literature masterpiece. That's Sarah Snook's current path. The Australian Succession star is swapping the hit HBO drama, which wrapped up forever with its just-aired four season, with a stage date with the sinister portrait that lets its subject stay young and beautiful. And, she's playing every single role in the production. On the page, The Picture of Dorian Gray is exceptional, as well as astute and unnerving, as it follows the selling of its namesake's soul in order to keep indulging every corporeal whim, urge and desire. There's a reason that it just keeps getting adapted for the screen and in theatres, after all. But there's never been a version like Sydney Theatre Company's The Picture of Dorian Gray, which is the iteration that Snook will star in — in the UK's West End. [caption id="attachment_896386" align="alignnone" width="1920"] HBO[/caption] This news is two huge announcements in one: Snook's return to the London stage after debut in the 2016 production of The Master Builder, and this Aussie reworking of Oscar Wilde's classic making its UK premiere. With its high-profile star, The Picture of Dorian Gray is headed to The Theatre Royal Haymarket, with a season from Tuesday, January 23–Saturday, April 13, 2024 locked in. Premiering in Sydney 2020, this take on the tale uses video and theatre to get its star playing 26 characters. In Australian runs, Eryn Jean Norvill has done the honours, and brilliantly, with Snook following in the actor's footsteps abroad. "I am elated to return to the London stage in such an astonishing piece of theatre," said Snook. "From Oscar Wilde's remarkable original text to Kip Williams' stunning adaptation, this story of morality, innocence, narcissism and consequence is going to be thrilling to recreate for a new audience. I can't wait." Williams, who adapted Wilde's text into the phenomenal production and also directs, is heading to the UK as well. "In creating a new piece of theatre like The Picture of Dorian Gray, you always hope to have the opportunity to share it with a wider audience. I am so excited for theatre lovers in London to experience our show, and am thrilled to have the extraordinary Sarah Snook bringing to life the many characters of Oscar Wilde's remarkable story." [caption id="attachment_856346" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dan Boud[/caption] Taking the show to London is part of a partnership between STC and Michael Cassel Group, which is all about sharing the former's works around the globe. A similar path — from Australia to the UK, but originating from the Griffin Theatre Company — has worked out spectacularly for Prima Facie, with the British production starring Killing Eve's Jodie Comer winning Best New Play and Best Actress at the 2023 Laurence Olivier Awards. On-screen, Snook will next be seen in straight-to-streaming films Run Rabbit Run and The Beanie Bubble. Check out a trailer for STC's Australian seasons of The Picture of Dorian Gray starring Norville below: The Picture of Dorian Gray will play The Theatre Royal Haymarket, 18 Suffolk Street, London from Tuesday, January 23–Saturday, April 13, 2024 — for more information and tickets, head to the venue's website. Top image: Alexi Lubomirski.
An important part of Victorian history is set to be played out on La Mama’s stage this August, as Giordano Nanni and Andrea James’ Coranderrk: We Will Show the Country comes to life once more. In 1881, the people of Coranderrk Aboriginal Station were being targeted to move to make way for white settlement. They were determined to challenge the decision, and took on the Board for the Protection of Aborigines with their white supporters in the pursuit of justice. The script is essentially a verbatim reading of the real life testimonies that occurred before the Coranderrk Parliamentary Inquiry and as you can imagine, they make quite a damning case. Each scene opens with an introduction to the character speaking and the key themes raised in their testimony, giving the theatre performance an even stronger tie to the reality that it depicts.
The second weekend in July is one for truffle hunters and lovers to mark in their diary. Winter is truffle season people, and the good folk at Truffle Melbourne are putting on a festival for the highly-sought after rich delicacy. Did you know that Australia is the 4th largest black truffle producer in the world? Yes, they may be a little bit fancy, but they’re more accessible than what you might think. Melbourne Truffle Festival, held at the Caulfield Racecourse, will feature Melbourne’s greatest truffle chefs as they demonstrate their tantalisingly tasty secret recipes. There'll be plenty of tastings on offer by the festival's executive chef Philippe Mouchel, plus truffle product samples from other artisan food businesses. Even if you have no idea what to do with truffle, experts on the day will offer advice on finding, choosing and preparing truffle dishes at home. Truffle snuffling aside, we're counting down until this little gem of a festival highlight. The festival will a stage a mock truffle hunt — with truffle dogs in tow — for those wanting to go on the tastiest game of hide and seek we've come across yet.
He's responsible not just for a big Australian movie franchise, but for the big Australian movie franchise. He's also followed a pig in the city, made penguins dance, gotten witchy and granted wishes, too. He's Australian filmmaking icon George Miller, and he has just joined the Sydney Film Festival lineup for 2024 to talk about his career, and of course Mad Max and Furiosa. Mere weeks after Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga hit cinemas — starring Anya Taylor-Joy (The Super Mario Bros Movie) as Furiosa and Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Love and Thunder) as wasteland warlord Dementus — Miller now has a date with Sydney's annual cinema showcase to chat about on-screen storytelling. For company, he'll have someone else who knows a thing or two about action cinema, and just filmmaking in general: stuntman and filmmaker Nash Edgerton, brother of Joel (Dark Matter), and director of episodes of Bodkin, plus Mr Inbetween, Gringo and The Square. The Road to Furiosa — George Miller with Nash Edgerton will take place at 3pm on Saturday, June 15 in the Sydney Film Festival Hub at Town Hall, on the second-last day of the fest. SFF's full dates: Wednesday, June 5–Sunday, June 16. Miller won't just be stepping through his work in a general sense, either. The director that started the Mad Max franchise 45 years ago and has helmed four more films in the saga — and has Babe: Pig in the City, The Witches of Eastwick, the two Happy Feet movies, Lorenzo's Oil and Three Thousand Years of Longing on his resume as well — will dig into a specific action sequence, if you want to find out how it was executed. After also adding a visit from Elvis star Austin Butler for his new picture The Bikeriders and straight-from-Cannes body-horror flick The Substance as closing night's flick since announcing its 2024 program, Sydney Film Festival has now popped something for Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon fans on the bill, too. Ahead of season two's arrival, the Iron Throne spend time at Martin Place from Wednesday, June 5–Friday, June 7. Yes, you can sit in it. Other talks and events on the program also include a queer cinema night, going all in on the 80s to tie in with opening night's Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line, K-pop fun as part of a Korean cinema celebration and a session on the impact of AI. [caption id="attachment_959668" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Belinda Rolland © 2023/SFF[/caption] Sydney Film Festival 2024 takes place from Wednesday, June 5–Sunday, June 16 at various cinemas and venues around Sydney. For more information and tickets, head to the festival's website. Read our interview with George Miller, Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth about Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and our review of the film. Top image: Sonna Studios.
When December hits, 'tis the season to be jolly. 'Tis the season to be celebrating over cocktails and sipping plenty of drinks in general, too. But even just a few days into the merriest time of year, or summer, you might feel like you've already tried every beverage there is. Enter Cocktail Porter's DIY Messina espresso martini kits, which come in dulce de leche and chocolate-hazelnut versions. You might've sipped these boozy treats before, actually, because this isn't the first time they've been available. Still, Cocktail Porter has brought them back for the appropriate time of the year, letting you make your own boozy end-of-year beverages — or start-of-year, once 2023 hits — using Messina products. Unsurprisingly, these make-at-home packages have proven popular, especially after we've all been spent more time than usual at home over the past few years. Now that there's no restrictions on heading out of the house, though, they're back to being an easy favourite for parties, casual after-work sips and occasions like Christmas — or just because. First, the dulce de leche espresso martini kit. Basically, it's the answer to a familiar dilemma. No one likes choosing between tucking into dessert or having another boozy beverage, so these kits combine the two. To enable you to whip up dulce de leche espresso martinis at home, you'll get a box filled with vodka, coffee liqueur, cold-drip coffee and Messina's dulce de leche topping, plus Messina's chocolate hazelnut spread and shaved coconut to go on top. Prefer a Nutella-esque spin to your espresso martinis? The Messina choc-hazelnut espresso martini kit comes with the gelato chain's choc-hazelnut spread, as well as vodka, espresso and Baileys. For a garnish, the pack also includes Ferrero Rochers for you to crush. Once your kits arrive, you just need to follow the instructions, then get drinking. Whichever variety you choose, you can pick between two different-sized packs. A small dulce de leche kit costs $85 and serves up six drinks — or you can opt for the large for $149, which makes 18 dessert cocktails. With the choc-hazelnut, you'll pay $80 for the six-drink pack and $145 for a 16-cocktail offering. Cocktail Porter delivers Australia-wide, if that's your summer drinking plans sorted. You can also sign up for a subscription, which'll see a different kit sent to your door each and every month. To order Cocktail Porter's Gelato Messina cocktail kits, head to the Cocktail Porter website.
When Easter rolls around each year, one thing is always on everyone's minds: eating as much chocolate as humanly possible. Chocolate eggs, chocolate ice cream, chocolate cocktails, chocolate-filled hot cross buns — the list goes on. Thanks to SBS, Easter 2020 won't just involve eating chocolate, however. Courtesy of The Chocolate Factory: Inside Cadbury Australia, Australian audiences can also spend three hours watching chocolate Easter treats get made. It's the latest instalment in the network's 'slow TV' series — which has previously let viewers spend 17 hours watching a train journey on not one but two occasions, and tracked a lengthy cruise from Broome to Darwin, and a trip from New Zealand's north island to its south island as well. Of course, vicariously indulging your wanderlust is one thing. Teasing your sweet tooth is another entirely. Spanning three hours — and set to a new original score by Amanda Brown and Caitlin Yeo — The Chocolate Factory: Inside Cadbury Australia charts the chocolate-making process from beginning to end, starting with seeing sugarcane being harvested from north Queensland fields and milk being collected from a Tasmanian dairy farm. Naturally, the observational documentary devotes the bulk of its time to the factory itself, focusing on the creation of its best-selling easter eggs and chocolate bunnies by combining the aforementioned two ingredients with cocoa imported from Ghana. Expect melting, rolling, drying, shaping and wrapping. Expect to be mesmerised by the routine and rhythm, too. Airing twice over the Easter weekend of Saturday, April 11 and Sunday, April 12 — and then available for a year on SBS On Demand — it's basically Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, just without the Oompa-Loompas, songs or everlasting gobstoppers. That said watching chocolate come to fruition will likely have your stomach singing out with hunger, so don't forget to stock up on appropriate snacks (yes, chocolate) to accompany your viewing. Check out the trailer for The Chocolate Factory: Inside Cadbury Australia below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFSE3TW7EPc&feature=youtu.be The Chocolate Factory: Inside Cadbury Australia screens is now available to watch on SBS On Demand.
In the words of the illustrious Golden Girls: “Thank you for being a friend”. The School of Life has just released their winter program, and among the excellent classes that are on offer is the class ‘How to Be a Better Friend’. We’re all guilty of not getting in contact with our childhood friends as much as we should, or have some outstanding coffee dates with those nearest and dearest to us. Life coach and founder of The Main Protagonist Cece Ojany will lead this class and ask the big questions around friendship. It will explore insights and advice from key thinkers and philosophers at the promise of friendship, why we crave it and also the limits and perils of friendship that arise. They say that your friends are the family you choose, so here’s your chance to be the best family member of your friendship circle. Other interesting classes that you might want to look at include ‘How to Spend Time Alone’, ‘How Necessary Is a relationship?’ and ‘How to Face Death’. If a class may seem a little too heavy, or doesn’t really apply your personal interests, dropping into the Conversation Cafe is always a good start to meet people and get some great discussions going. Go forth and expand your mind.
When it comes to street art exhibitions, it really doesn't get any bigger than this. A retrospective of Banksy's work is making its way to Australia, featuring more than 80 of the artist's off-street masterpieces. From October 7 to January 31, The Paddock in Melbourne's Federation Square will play host to The Art of Banksy, a massive collection of pieces by the art world's chief enigma — including the darkly satirical, overtly political work that has turned the stencil-loving artist into such an infamous icon. Endeavouring to take audiences on a journey through Banksy's output and mindset, the exhibition will include the well-known Girl with Balloon, Flag Wall and Laugh Now pieces, as well as three efforts that have never before been displayed to the public. If it sounds epic, that's because it is. The art featured has been sourced from over 40 different private collectors around the world, and comprises the largest showcase of Banksy pieces to ever make its way to our shores. As curated by the artist's former manager Steve Lazarides, the exhibition is also a little controversial. While every piece is original, unique and authentic, The Art of Banksy proudly boasts that the entire show is 100% unauthorised. No, Banksy hasn't signed off on the event. As well as displaying Banksy's work in a custom-built enclosure, The Art of Banksy will also shine a light on a range of pieces by well-known and emerging local street artists. Expect to find them on the surrounding external surfaces and the inside walls of the exhibition's own Circle Bar, which will serve craft beers and cocktails. Outside, the Welcome to Thornbury team will corral a heap of food trucks into an area called 'The Railyard'. Plus, on Friday nights and Saturday arvos, DJs will also provide appropriate tunes to suit the occasion. Of course, Melburnians will know that this isn't the mysterious figure's first dalliance with the city. The artist's stencils have popped up around the city previously courtesy of a visit in 2003, though many have been destroyed and damaged in the years since.
For most of us on the morning after a big night out, our time is generally spent lounging around complaining, taking painkillers, drinking sports drinks, filling the bottomless pit that is your stomach with truckloads of the greasiest foods you can find and generally just waiting out the torture of the self-inflicted pain you have forced upon yourself. While this may seem like the only option of how to handle your hangover at the time, there are actually a plethora of natural methods which will rid you of that dreaded ill feeling or at least make you feel slightly more bubbly. Rather than just avoiding hangovers altogether by stopping at the second drink — which let's face it isn't going to happen at those big celebrations — Good.is suggests a few fresh and healthy ways to cure the hangover and get you back on your feet and functioning like a normal human being again. Miso Soup and Eggs Despite what you may be thinking by looking at the picture, this funky combination of miso soups and eggs is actually a great Japanese-inspired hangover cure because of the nutrients that it replenishes you with, which you lost from the previous night of drinking. Stacked full of sodium, water and electrolytes as well as probiotics to subdue that queasy stomach, this trick will be sure to get you charging for the rest of the day. Omega-3 Omega-3 is a fantastic nutrient to take to alleviate hangovers as it helps clear the free radicals produced when alcohol is broken down. Omega-3 also helps fight the dry, blotchy skin on your face, which alcohol causes. Have a cuddle To dim your stress levels and get yourself feeling better just have a 20 second Oxytocin-releasing hug. Studies have shown that after a 20 second embrace with someone, oxytocin will be released, which helps relax and repair your body. Inconclusive evidence has also shown that having sex is a great hangover cure - probably largely due to the hormones released, but also cause it will simply take your mind off the pain. Get a Massage Massages are very helpful the morning after a night out, not only because of the release of happy hormones such as oxytocin but also because they have been proven to help your body produce more white blood cells and thus boost your immune system. So if you're looking for an excuse to treat yourself, simply have a few more shots. Take a Dip One of the most effective (and nice) ways to cure a hangover is to submerge yourself is some refreshingly cool water and have a swim around. Find yourself a body of water - preferably a beautiful white sandy beach with a radiant, shining sun - and have a dunk to wake yourself up, clear the head and rejuvenate yourself for the day ahead. Go Bananas Bananas are a great source of potassium and vitamin B, which help replenish your body's lost nutrients, and they also rehydrate your dehydrated body. And what better way to consume them than by making a delicious smoothie. Alternatively, a berry smoothie would also go down a treat because of the antioxidants within them. Mix it up with almond milk to make it twice as effective as the healthy fats, oils and vitamins in the almonds will help get you back on your feet. Drink Some Coconut Coconut water can be extracted from coconuts while they're still very green and not mature enough to produce milk. This wonder fluid has been used intravenously in medical emergencies for rehydration, so it's pretty safe to say it'll do wonders for your hangover. It also has no fat, is low in calories and is lower in sugar than most other juices — it's a win-win! Kombucha Tea Despite it's not-so-delicious looking floaties and somewhat sour apple cider vinegar flavour, Kombucha tea is a fermented miracle drink which is great for liver stimulation or detoxification, blood purification and even euphoria. So to replace your vacant look of pain and regret with a beaming smile, simply get yourself some Kombucha tea. Pickle Juice Although this last one is somewhat disputed, pickle juice is the cure of choice in Poland and has been shown to be highly effective in quelling the effects of the hangover. The sodium of the juice helps you bring your electrolyte levels back up in order to help you rehydrate. Honey is also a great addition not only to lessen some of the awful taste, but also because the glucose and fructose assists the rehydration process.
Part of Victoria's road system is about to get a little bit greener, under a new Victorian Government trial that'll see a stretch of the Hume Freeway rebuilt using material made from recycled waste products. A massive haul of plastic bags, glass bottles, printer cartridges and reclaimed asphalt will be converted into more than 2100 tonnes of road product and then used to redo an 850-metre section of the freeway's southbound lane. The stretch of road is located at Balmattum in the state's northeast, near Euroa and about two hours out of Melbourne. Not only is the recycled road material better for the planet, but it supposedly works even better than the regular stuff, with testing showing the new product is longer lasting, more durable and more resistant to cracks. Clocking in at $845,000, this particular project should save the equivalent of around one million glass bottles, 746,000 plastic bags and 21,800 printer cartridges from otherwise heading to landfill. The new trial comes three years after an Aussie-first project helmed by Hume City Council saw a similar mix of waste products recycled into 250 tonnes of asphalt and used to construct a road in Craigieburn, in Melbourne's north. Victoria's war on waste has been ramping up considerably in recent years — with the state's ban on single-use plastic bags coming into effect in 2019, a container refund scheme in the works, and single-use plastic straws, cutlery, plates and stirrers, plus polystyrene food and drink containers, all set to be banned from 2023. You can read more about the Victoria's use of recycled materials on the Hume Freeway on the government's website.
Melbourne is in the middle of a big screen boom. We've already told you about the brand-new multiplexes coming to Coburg, Moonee Ponds and Footscray, but now it's time to case your movie-loving eyes to Melbourne's south east. M-City Monash is a planned residential and retail precinct set to open on the corners of Blackburn Road and Princes Highway in Clayton, a short walk from Monash University. The development will consist of four apartment towers, a 250-bed hotel, commercial offices, eateries, supermarkets and — as we learnt this week — a six-screen cinema. The theatre will be operated by Village Cinemas, and will have a combined capacity of over 1000 seats. They're also touting "a stylish bar" and "innovative food and beverage component", with one spokesperson describing "a bistro style food and drink offering with a more urban styled cinema experience geared towards millennials." In a statement, Village's Divisional CFO Chris Stanley said the new cinema would see the company "completely moving away from what is deemed a traditional cinema complex." Sounds like they're still locking down the details on this one. Still, colour us intrigued. The cinema at M-City Monash is slated to open in late 2019.
Heading to Marvel Stadium at Melbourne's Docklands usually means watching a game of AFL. Or, you could be hitting up the venue to see a gig. Moseying beneath the space to wander around an underground light show and labyrinth definitely isn't normally on the cards. That'll change come winter, with the city's Firelight Festival returning for 2024 — and, for the first time, bringing the Firelight Labyrinth with it. The fest itself is a three-day affair over the last weekend in June, running from Friday, June 28–Sunday, June 30 at New Quay Promenade, Victoria Promenade and Harbour Esplanade. On the agenda, as in past years: fire performers, fire pits, fire drums, flame jets, fire arches and fire sculptures. There'll also be live music, African drumming, and an array of stomach-warming food and drink options — such as dumplings, smoked meats, paella, churros and hot chocolates. Flame-filled arts — and bites to feast on and beverages to sip while you're enjoying them — aren't the only drawcard this year, though. Cue more than 144,000 lights beaming beneath Marvel Stadium, with the labyrinth sticking around for over two weeks from Friday, June 28–Sunday, July 14. Accordingly, this year's Firelight Festival is also a huge tourist attraction for locals and visitors alike, especially if you want to see a key Aussie Rules venue in a new light — literally. As well as all of those sources of luminousness, the Firelight Labyrinth will feature immersive audio, making the experience an audio-visual maze. While the festival is free to attend — you'll need your wallet for whatever you eat and drink — the Firelight Labyrinth is ticketed, costing $37.50 for adults.
Some days in the office, it can feel like the only thing worth thinking about is where to go for lunch. But with even the most basic options often accompanied by an eye-watering price, perhaps you'd be better off just bringing a sandwich from home. However, the recent arrival of Melbourne Winery on Flinders Lane means your lunch could taste better than ever with an unbeatable price to match. Now presenting Express Lunch Lane every Monday–Friday from 12-3pm, trudging into work each day just became so much easier. Featuring a rotating menu of standout options from just $19, you'd expect the dishes up for grabs to fetch a steeper price tag — not that we're unhappy about it. Think a smashed wagyu beef burger with fries; gnocchi alla vodka with soft ricotta; and a beef short-rib toastie with celeriac remoulade. These options are complemented by an ever-changing cast of fish and steak dishes, alongside big-flavour salads. Plus, this stellar lunch deal also includes a glass of wine, beer or soft drink. Designed for speed, flavour and walk-ins, you'll be dreaming about taking your lunch break as soon as you arrive at the office. Opened at the end of April, Melbourne Winery is looking to shake up the culinary scene with a fresh take on how we indulge in a glass of vino. Located inside the heritage-listed Ross House, beyond the Express Lunch Lane, this sprawling destination is keen to flip the script on what visitors know about wine and dining. For instance, the venue's innovative dining concept sees wine, not food, become the focal point of your meal, with each dish designed to pair with an expansive vino collection. Meanwhile, a host of interactive masterclasses and a creative cultural program will explore the ins and outs of wine, while inspiring guests to expand their palate. Melbourne Winery's Express Lunch Lane runs Monday–Friday from 12–3pm at 247 Flinders Lane, Melbourne. Head to the website for more information.
Drop everything, it's time to book a holiday for next year. At this time of year, every dollar counts, and when else can you book a return flight (domestic and international) and only pay for half the fee? Jetstar — ever the patron saint of affordable getaways — has just announced its latest special offer: three days of deals that offer essentially two flights for the price of one. From midnight tonight (or midday today if you're a Club Jetstar member), customers who purchase an outbound starter fare on select flights will get their return flight completely free, until 11.59pm on Sunday, November 30, or until the 90,000 available fares sell out. As mentioned, the offer is available across both domestic and international trips. Sydneysiders could skip the eight-hour drive to Byron and instead book a flight to Ballina from $42, or to Cairns from $102. Brisbane travellers can book a Whitsundays flight from $63, and Perth locals looking to go cross-country can fly to Melbourne from $199. If you're going out of the country, you're spoilt for choice. Sydneysiders looking for a quick and easy trip to Bali can do so from $249, Melbournians can immersive themselves in the cultural melting pot that is Singapore from $209, and if you're part of the Aussies that have yet to visit the 'it' destination of 2025: you can fly from Brisbane to Tokyo from $373 and Sydney to Osaka for the same price. Just next door is South Korea, which has gone underappreciated for too long — but Brisbanites can fly to Seoul from $309 in 2026. In terms of dates, the availability varies per route, but the offer is open for domestic flights between early February and late October 2026, and for international flights between early February and mid-September 2026. The Jetstar Return for FREE Black Friday sale runs from 12pm AEDT on Thursday, November 27 for Club Jetstar members, and from 12am AEDT for the general public. The sale will run until 11.59pm AEDT on Sunday, November 30, or until fares sell out. Visit the Jetstar website for more information.
D4vd has officially been removed from the touring lineup of Spilt Milk, in the midst of official investigations into a dead body discovered in a Tesla registered in the artist's name. His 2025 touring schedule has been up in the air ever since the investigation began, but after quietly being scrubbed on the weekend, the organisers have confirmed their decision today as reported on Rolling Stone. The body was discovered in the Tesla trunk after police were called to a tow yard in Hollywood to investigate reports of a foul smell coming from the car. It took a week for medical examiners to identify the victim as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas, who had been missing for over a year. Burke was on tour when Rivas' body was discovered, and he continued to play shows. "Last week we removed d4vd from our website and marketing out of respect for the unfolding story," a statement reads. "We can now confirm d4vd will not perform at Spilt Milk and we are working on a replacement booking which we'll announce as soon as it's finalised." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Spilt Milk (@spiltmilk_au) Tickets for d4vd's headline shows while in the country have also been quietly scrapped. Rolling Stone AU/NZ has contacted promoters for comment. According to a previously released statement, Burke has been "cooperating" with authorities during the investigation. He has not been named as a suspect or a person of interest, nor has he been accused of any crimes. While authorities haven't identified a suspect or person of interest yet, several details about the investigation have come out. For instance, the impounded Tesla was towed from the affluent Bird Streets neighbourhood in the Hollywood Hills, with neighbors telling Rolling Stone that it had been spotted in various places. It was eventually towed from a spot on Bluebird Avenue, where sources said it had been sitting for at least three weeks. After Rivas was identified, law enforcement searched a house around the block from where the car was towed. Police left with several items, including a computer. The home's owner later confirmed to Rolling Stone that the residence had been rented to Burke's manager, Josh Marshall, last year, starting in February 2024. Spilt Milk will take place in Ballarat, Perth, Canberra and the Gold Coast between Saturday, December 6 and Sunday, December 14. For more information on the lineup, visit the website.
The predictably sole stay available in the Zig-Zag-occupied Republic of Zubrowka, Wes Anderson's mighty Grand Budapest Hotel is quietly killing it over at Trip Advisor. With its own page up for user reviews, photos and generous applause for its cable car access, mountaintop location, satisfying concierge and significant amount of available rooms, the fictional hotel is now rated higher than Paramus, New Jersey's Holiday Inn Express. Seems the marketing team have pulled one humdinger of a stunt, celebrating the UK DVD/Blu-ray release of The Grand Budapest Hotel. If only Trip Advisor had been around for The Shining, they might have pulled a few more winter guests. The official description, as provided by the 200-room 'hotel' reads as follows: Located in the mountainous Republic of Zubrowka and reached by funicular railway The Grand Budapest Hotel has all the advantages of being secluded amongst nature, while having attractions including the Kunst Museum and Mendl’s Patisserie close at hand. Famed for its staffs’ meticulous attention to detail and commitment to the wellbeing of its residents this hotel proves to be the perfect retreat — you’ll never experience anything quite like the Grand Budapest Hotel. True to Trip Advisor form, the comments section is the best bit. Whether fuelled by fans or the marketing team themselves, there's some chortleworthy digs in there for fans of Anderson's wonderfully whimsical hotel: "I am a lady in my 80s and I had the pleasure of staying in this wonderful hotel. Charming, luxurious, soothing, breathtaking... these are just some of the words I'd use to describe the concierge. Simply put, Gustav blew my mind. The hotel wasn't bad either." "Its best days may be behind it, but it's at least quiet, and you never have to wait for a table at dinner time." "As much as I enjoy the solitude, though, it's not perfect. The elevator has the odor of some strong cologne that just won't dissipate, and every so often a VERY creepy old man wanders around and sleeps in the servant's quarters. I'm sorry, but somebody like that has no business amongst the classes that would be staying in a grand hotel." "One of the few genuinely historic buildings remaining in Zig-Zag-occupied Zubrowka. The concierge is lazy, but also quite accommodating." Marketing teams for The Exotic Marigold Hotel, Bates Motel and Hotel Transylvania are face palming right now. Via Indiewire and IWATCHSTUFF.
If you're a fan of the biggest thing in musical theatre in the 21st century — that'd be Lin-Manuel Miranda's game-changing, award-winning, rightly raved-about Hamilton — then you'll know that the show's dialogue and lyrics can be adapted to plenty of situations. So, when it comes to making sure that you get to see the stage sensation during its Australian run, you'd best take the play's very own advice. No, you don't want to throw away your shot. When April 2023 comes to an end, so will Hamilton's Aussie seasons, after what's been a huge few years for the hit show. After opening its Down Under run in Sydney in 2021 and currently playing Melbourne, the musical has booked a 2023 date with Brisbane from January. When that's over, however, Aussies will no longer be able to sit in the room where it happens. Australia's big loss is New Zealand's hefty gain, with Hamilton hopping across the ditch from May 2023. Haven't become a Hamilton obsessive yet? Can't make the remaining Melbourne shows, or enjoy a date with the Sunshine State's season? Maybe you've got an Auckland holiday in your future. The Broadway blockbuster's Aussie production boasts a cast that includes Jason Arrow as Alexander Hamilton, Chloé Zuel as Eliza Hamilton, Lyndon Watts as Aaron Burr, Akina Edmonds as Angelica Schuyler, Matu Ngaropo as George Washington, and Victory Ndukwe as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson. If you want to see all of the above on home soil — plus Shaka Cook as Hercules Mulligan and James Madison, Marty Alix as John Laurens and Philip Hamilton, Elandrah Eramiha as Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds, and Brent Hill as King George III — you'll need to make plans ASAP. Still new to this song-and-dance take on 18th-century American politics? Not quite sure why it has been the most-talked about theatre show of the past six years? The critically acclaimed hip hop musical, for which Miranda wrote the music, lyrics and the book, is about the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, as well as inclusion and politics in current-day America. In addition to its swag of Tony Awards — 11 in fact, which includes Best Musical — it has nabbed a Grammy Award and even a Pulitzer Prize. Until 2021, Australians eager to see the show had to be content watching the filmed version of its Broadway production, which started streaming via Disney+ in 2020 (and yes, it's as phenomenal as you've heard). If you're not feeling financial enough to nab a seat, you can try the $10 ticket lottery, which offers Hamilton tickets for less than the cost of lunch. TodayTix, the platform behind it, has just launched in Brisbane, so fingers crossed those discounted tickets will make their way to Queensland as well. And yes, there's another Hamilton quote that might get you all hopeful about a return: you'll be back. That might be the case eventually, somewhere down the line, but who wants to risk a massive wait? Hamilton's Australian season will finish in Brisbane in April 2023. Head to the musical's website for further details, or to buy tickets. Images: Daniel Boud.
With the Australian Open main draw hitting the court this weekend, Cali-inspired rooftop restaurant and bar Beverly is embracing the excitement. Just a couple of kilometres from Melbourne Park, Racquet Club is the sky-high venue's answer to the Grand Slam's glitz and glamour. Running daily until Sunday, February 1, this experience celebrates one of Australia's premier sporting events with a curated selection of Don Julio cocktails. Plus, guests can expect some of Beverly's most coveted dishes alongside Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut Épernay poured by the glass. Soak up the ace views from the 24th-floor with a stellar cocktail in hand. Your choices include the Paraluman, featuring Don Julio Rosado and Chambord with blackberry, lime, saline, and agave, or the Campari-forward Siesta, with Don Julio Rosado, grapefruit, lime and sugarcane. As for the bites to eat, you're welcome to double up on the Paraluman, served with a wagyu slider topped with jalapeno jack cheese and dill pickles. Alternatively, pair the Siesta with a scallop tostada, finished with apple yuzu dressing and basil.
From rooftops in Hawthorn to convents in Abbotsford and the sun-kissed shores of St Kilda Beach, Melbourne is a city obsessed with outdoor cinemas. It's little wonder, then, that the organisers of this year's Chinese New Year festivities wanted to get in on the action. Popping up for one night only in Chinatown Square, Chinese cinema lovers will be able to sink into a beanbag and enjoy an evening of specially curated Asian short films. The screen flickers to life at dusk, which should translate to about 8.30pm. BYO popcorn...although dumplings would probably be more appropriate.
When Parrtjima — A Festival in Light announced its 2025 program, the numbers were impressive, with the event's tenth edition featuring works by 20-plus First Nations artists, plus more than 100 performers and special guests. But nothing sells this Australian celebration of Indigenous arts more than the spectacular end results each year, when the fest lights up the Northern Territory. For 2025, that time is now, and it's once again a dazzling sight to behold. Parrtjima — A Festival in Light has so firmly established itself as a highlight of Alice Springs, the Red Centre and Australia's cultural scene that it's hard to imagine a time before it. Getting a 2.5-kilometre stretch of 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges glowing every evening is the reliable star of the show; however, that's just the beginning. Heading along this year also means being welcomed by The Gateway at Parrtjima's entrance, for instance, where towering poles by artists from Antulye, Irlpme, and Mparntwe groups are greeting guests. Also, Balanggarra and Yolŋu artist Molly Hunt's Three Generations of Station Women is an animated comic strip that honours Aboriginal stockwomen, with actor Mark Coles Smith (Apple Cider Vinegar) on soundtrack duties. Then there's Bobby West Tjupurrula's Hypnotic Reverberations, creating a moving dreamscape out of beams of light, mist and reflections on a shallow pool. From Lyall Giles, Transforming Light & Country isn't just about sand dune patterns — it gets festivalgoers playing with them, using drums to create rings of light. 2025's Parrtjima kicked off on Friday, April 4, and runs until Sunday, April 13. The MacDonnell Ranges Light Show is among past favourites on the bill, again pairing its eye-catching display with classical music and Arrernte language. Another: Grounded, asking attendees to look down instead of up. A festival of lights in the NT was always going to incorporate the red earth, too, which is where large-scale projections turn the soil into a canvas. This year's version features six artworks. Budgerigar Dreaming Ngatijirri Jukurrpa is also back, using shapes from Wirliyajarrayi artist Myra Nungarrayi Herbert Patrick's paintings in neon-hued abstract bird sculptures — and so is Johnny Young and David Wallace's four-metre-tall The Language of Stockmen. While the fest's first weekend has been and gone, the program still has the Darwin Symphony Orchestra to come, in what'll be Parrtjima's first-ever orchestral performance. Gigs by Dem Mob, Dobby, Desert Divas and Warren H Williams & Western Wind are also part of the upcoming lineup, as is the festival's debut comedy night, with Andy Saunders and Sean Choolburra sparking laughs. Parrtjima – A Festival in Light runs until Sunday, April 13, 2025, at venues around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. For more information, visit the festival website. Images: Parrtjima – A Festival in Light / Che-Chorley. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
In Melbourne we are known for our coffee and our laneway cafes. The latter, which can often be very tricky to find, regularly serve up the aforementioned tasty coffee. Here, we select our favourite laneway spots to grab a latte or two in the shade. League of Honest Coffee From the team behind Padre and the Brunswick East Project, these guys know a thing or two about coffee. You can expect a few choices when deciding on your single origin for the morning. The menu is small, offering a range of noisette pastries for a start. But the real drawcard here is the brew and the relaxed atmosphere that the staff and the space offer. 8 Exploration Lane, Melbourne, padrecoffee.com.au Silo by Joost Joost Bakker, the passionate eco-entrepreneur that he is, has created Silo by Joost and has done so with no waste. Food scraps and napkins don’t go into the bin here, they go into the on-site dehydrator out the back. The menu is small and to the point. Toast, oats, and coddled hens eggs sum it up. Snacks and local alcohol are served into the night. If you are looking to do your part for the environment, you can start with a breakfast at Silo. 123 Hardware Street, Melbourne, byjoost.com Journal Cafe Located in the same building as the City Library, this little cafe is sure to make you want to delve into some Austen or Fitzgerald as you sip your espresso. It’s very cozy here, and with the big communal table in the middle it can feel like everyone is a friend of a friend. The menu offers simple breakfast fare done well. They also have six bruschettas on offer, both sweet and savoury. 253 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, journalcafe.com.au Bar Americano Known for its serious cocktails, little sister of Der Raum – and we do mean little – is also a great stop for a quick coffee and bite to eat. There is only standing room for 10 so don’t plan to linger here. As homage to Harry’s Bar in Venice, Bar Americano embraces the Italian way of sipping on the run. If you can find it, down not one but two laneways; they will sort you out, day or night. 20 Presgrave Place, Melbourne, baramericano.com Hardware Societe Hardware Lane is nothing if not bursting with cafes and restaurants, and down the end on Hardware Street, you’ll find Hardware Societe. With a French and European influence, you’ll find more than just your typical breakfast fare. You are likely to have to wait on the weekends, as this bad boy is no well-kept secret. Get there early if you’re in a rush. 120 Hardware Street, Melbourne Jungle Juice This one is small, and as the name suggests they do know their juices. Changing regularly, you’ll often land something different. If you can get a seat, grab a bagel with your juice, or takeaway if all the seats in this little one are occupied. 20 Centre Place, Melbourne Manchester Press Good coffee, serious legroom and delicious bagels, what more could you want really? Manchester Press, once a gallery is open and spacious and a great retreat from the chaos that is Little Bourke Street. With about 10 bagel varieties to choose from, they are your best bet. Venture through the roller door and take your time. 8 Rankins Lane, Melbourne Chez Dre Laneway cafes don’t always have to be found in the CBD. Chez Dre, located in a converted warehouse down a little alley at the rear of Coventry Street in South Melbourne, is where you can find some of the best pastries in Melbourne. With a pastry chef who spent years in Paris honing her art, expect a French influence. If you’re not in the mood for something sweet, hot breakfasts and a range of baguettes are also available. Rear of 285-287 Coventry Street, South Melbourne, chezdre.com.au View all Melbourne Cafes.
Several years in the works, a brand-new green space is ready to make Melbourne's central riverfront a little more lush. Opening on Thursday, June 19, Seafarers Rest is set to become the city's first new riverfront public park in over two decades, bringing 3500 square metres of greenery to Birrarung, aka the Yarra River. Forming part of North Wharf's revitalisation — a $600 million project led by developer Riverlee in partnership with the City of Melbourne — this stretch between Spencer Street and the Charles Grime Bridge is buoyed even further with the addition of this vibrant, accessible public space. Designed by landscape architecture and urban design practice Oculus, the team's highly integrated approach marries history, ecology and community. So, what can you expect? Seafarers Rest spans an immersive array of native plantings and generous lawns, bringing a vivid sense of nature to this once-industrial area. Supported by vegetated walking and cycling paths, kids' play areas, rope swings and shipping-inspired seating, there's also space for markets, live music and community gatherings throughout the day and night. Seafarers Rest dovetails directly with 1 Hotel Melbourne, serving as a green gateway to the luxury hotel's lounge and bar. You might also notice design details that pay homage to the area's Indigenous heritage and rich maritime history, like timber benches inspired by shipping crates alongside curated artefacts hand-picked from the Offshore & Speciality Ships Association. [caption id="attachment_1010719" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Credit: Mikkel Vang[/caption] "A vital piece of Northbank, Seafarers Rest's green infrastructure promotes wellbeing through connection to place and a celebration of community and culture," says Oculus Associate Director Claire Martin. "The outcomes we will deliver draws heavily on the relationship to the river and the site's maritime history which define the unique character of this part of the city and remain important to Melburnians." As for the broader North Wharf precinct, it's a mixed-use wonderland, with the 277-room hotel and 114 apartments set to breathe plenty of atmosphere into the area. Plus, there's a new function centre set to occupy the heritage-listed former cargo shed, Berth 5. Carefully conceived to harmonise with the waterfront and promote round-the-clock communal activities, this largely forgotten part of Melbourne is now looking a whole lot more impressive. Seafarers Rest will open on Thursday, June 19, at 68 Siddeley Street, Docklands. Head to the website for more information on the park and the surrounding precinct.
Melburnians of a certain era will be more than familiar with the giant golden pheasant statue that once loomed large beside the Princes Highway, signalling the entrance to Gumbuya Park. While the bird is no more and the Tynong North site has had a name change and a revamp — and is now home to water, wildlife and theme park Gumbuya World — there's still plenty of nostalgia to go around. And there will be even more so later this year, when the park pulls together a lineup of musical heroes for its inaugural Gumbuya Sounds of Nature festival. Taking over the beloved venue for an evening of live tunes on Saturday, November 30, is a cast of deadset Aussie legends. Pop icon Daryl Braithwaite will be hitting the stage to belt out classics like 'As The Days Go By' and 'The Horses' and is joined on the bill by renowned rocker and former INXS lead singer Jon Stevens, chart-topping songstress Vanessa Amorosi and noughties favourites Thirsty Merc. Acclaimed guitarist Phil Ceberano will also be there, throwing down hits from across the late 20th century, while X-Factor Australia alum Reece Mastin takes the stage to show off his own new sound. You can nab a ticket for the general admission grass area from $93, with seated tickets starting from $116. While the music kicks off at 4.30pm, we suggest heading in earlier to explore the park and have a splash around.
When the Australian Open returns for 2023, it'll also serve up a few aces for local music-lovers — namely, as part of the inaugural AO Finals Festival, which is set to heat up Kia Arena with a program of live acts from Friday, January 27–Sunday, January 29. The music fest is dishing up a ripper lineup for its debut run, too, curated with help from the respected music-heads at Untitled Group — the brains behind Pitch Music & Arts, For The Love, Grapevine Gathering and more. The festival's first day coincides with global LGBTQIA+ event The Grand Slam, presented by Ralph Lauren. Legendary singer-songwriter and 'Absolutely Everybody' star Amorosi will help launch the musical offerings, joined by pop darling Montaigne and DJ Bertie. [caption id="attachment_842049" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Flight Facilities[/caption] Chasing that on January 28 (also the AO women's finals day), you'll catch New Zealand singer-songwriter Benee, renowned Gamilaraay artist Thelma Plum and party-starting six-piece Winston Surfshirt, along with dance favourite CC:DISCO!. And wrapping things up on AO men's finals day you'll have electro duo Flight Facilities, backed by Lastlings, Sydney's Willo and emerging Melbourne star Forest Claudette. The gigs will take place in Melbourne's Park Kia Arena, with tickets at $34 for each day. If you're already heading courtside during the AO, you'll just need to drop $5 to upgrade your existing ground pass or Rod Laver Arena stadium ticket to include entry to the AO Finals Festival on any given day. [caption id="attachment_789706" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Benee[/caption]
Next time that you're looking for a cocktail spot, follow the pins. That's what The Pinnacle Guide, the new bar recognition system that's throwing some love at the top watering holes around the world, gives out. Michelin does stars, this ranking does pins — and on its just-announced first batch of picks, two Australian bars have made the cut. Scoring one pin apiece: El Primo Sanchez and Maybe Sammy, both in Sydney. The duo both hail from the same crew, in fact, and now have bragging rights over Australia's other cocktail havens. In total, 25 bars received one pin and 12 were given two pins. Nowhere has nabbed three pins so far. [caption id="attachment_889906" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] Created by three folks behind London Cocktail Week — Hannah Sharman-Cox, Siobhan Payne and Dan Dove — The Pinnacle Guide doesn't just make its selections based on beverages and bar service. Also considered: an establishment's approach to sustainability, diversity and philanthropy. The idea is for the guide's pinned watering holes to reflect everything that's required to be a cocktail bar, and that The Pinnacle Guide is the kind of list that heroes versatility as well. Bars submit to be considered, which requires them to provide information on their drinks program, how they manage their staff, and both the venue's aesthetics and its vibes. From there, anonymous reviewers comprised of mixologists, industry experts and bar enthusiasts undertake in-person reviews to decide which places deserve a place in the guide. [caption id="attachment_941736" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] To get a pin, a bar must be considered excellent, outstanding or exceptional both in front of and behind the bar. Securing three pins requires both the written application and the service during the reviewer's visit to be exceptional, and no venue has achieved that so far. Other overall considerations by The Pinnacle Guide include that commitment to sustainability, and ensuring that the drinks list expands beyond booze, with at least two curated non-alcoholic drinks required on the menu (so, thoughtful mocktails, not basic soft drinks). [caption id="attachment_889910" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] "We've been overwhelmed by the incredible response to the first round of applications for The Pinnacle Guide. In revealing this first list, we have been able to realise our goal of celebrating the extraordinary range of cocktail bars the world has to offer — from tiny drinking dens to majestic hotel bars," said Dove. "We're proud of our unique submissions process, which has allowed these deserving bars to shine — and we're excited to shed light on many many more in the months and years to come." In the first picks made since The Pinnacle Guide's applications opened in November 2023, entries came from around the globe, including Australia, the UK, the US, Singapore, Spain, Mexico and Dubai. Maybe Sammy's inclusion adds another accolade to its lengthy collection, including being named the number-one bar in the data-driven Top 500 Bars list for 2023 and also coming in 15th on The World's 50 Best Bars list for last year. The Pinnacle Guide's Pinned Bars: Three-pin bars: None Two-pin bars: ATLAS, Singapore Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour, Phoenix, USA Nipperkin, London, UK Origin Bar, Shangri-La Singapore, Singapore Panda & Sons, Edinburgh, UK Paradiso, Barcelona, Spain Pretty Decent, Louisville, USA Selva, Oaxaca, Mexico The American Bar at Gleneagles, Auchterarder, UK The Spy Bar at Raffles London, UK Thunderbolt, Los Angeles, USA True Laurel, San Francisco, USA One-pin bars: Artesian, London, UK Ballroom by Barbary Coast, Singapore Blue Bar at The Berkeley, London, UK Couch, Birmingham, UK Cure, New Orleans, USA El Primo Sanchez, Sydney, Australia Kiki Lounge, Isle of Man, UK KOL Mezcaleria, London, UK Kwant Mayfair, London, UK Little Rituals, Phoenix, USA Magnus on Water, Maine, USA Maybe Sammy, Sydney, Australia Meteor, Minneapolis, USA Milady's, New York City, USA Nightjar Shoreditch, London, UK Passing Fancies, Birmingham, UK Rattlebag, Belfast, UK Roka Dubai, UAE Sexy Fish, London, UK Sexy Fish, Manchester UK Side Hustle, London, UK Swift Soho, London, UK The Dead Rabbit, New York City, USA The Guards Bar & Lounge at Raffles, London, UK Velvet by Salvatore Calabrese, London, UK For more information about The Pinnacle Guide and its pinned bars, head to its website. Find El Primo Sanchez at 27–33 Oxford Street, Paddington, Sydney. Find Maybe Sammy at 115 Harrington Street, The Rocks, Sydney. Top image: Steven Woodburn.
Walking from one end of Brunswick to East Brunswick can well and truly take more than an hour — so it's no wonder that a bounty of bars have blossomed to quench the thirst of foot-weary travellers and locals alike. There's practically something for every night of the week: karaoke, sharp-shooting on a round pool table, Afro jazz for sweating out the Sunday blues, or mid-week cheeseboards to impress your date. So leave the car at home, and make sure to hop the best of Sydney Road and Lygon Street's bars.
After the last couple of years, many of the metro-bound among us have a case of cabin fever. Now that the holiday season is fast approaching and opportunities for gift-giving are coming thick and fast, this year swap the paper-wrapped presents for the gift of experiences. Around Australia you've got spectacular options. There are luminous art installations at sacred sites, pink-hued salt lakes, transparent bubble tents near jaw-dropping canyons and Scandi-style saunas floating on lakes — and they're all the perfect antidote to the city. In partnership with Tourism Australia, we've put together a list of the most stunning places, activities and tours to provide gifting inspiration for that friend who really deserves an escape. Far more memorable than a pair of socks — and you'll be supporting local tourism while doing so. Result!
The opening of a new cinema is always excellent news, but Hoyts' new site at Docklands knows how to ramp up the excitement by quite a few levels. To celebrate the launch of the eight-screen picture palace, the chain is offering moviegoers a free day at the flicks on Saturday, April 13. You choose the film, Hoyts will give you a free ticket — and one for up to three of your mates, too. It's really as simple as that. All you need to do is book online in advance, and get in quickly. A giveaway like this isn't going to last long. Movie-wise, there are plenty of flicks to choose from, whether you're keen on superheroes in Captain Marvel and Shazam!, something scary with Pet Sematary or Us, or all-ages entertainment thanks to Dumbo or The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. Or, maybe you could get in onr some in-ring action courtesy of wrestling comedy Fighting with My Family. The free tickets are only available on this one date, must be locked in online and can't be transferred. And you will still need to take your wallet if you're keen on some in-movie snacks. There will be food specials on offer on the day, too, plus live music in the cinema foyer.
Plenty of movies have hit cinemas and streaming in 2022, including ace and terrible flicks alike, but few films have sparked as much chatter as Don't Worry Darling. First up, it earned attention thanks to its director and cast, with the twisty thriller marking actor-turned-filmmaker Olivia Wilde's second stint behind the lens after Booksmart, and starring Florence Pugh (The Wonder) and Harry Styles (My Policeman). Then, the picture started causing talk due to a whole heap of off-screen chaos, such as awkward press conferences, possible spit and other rumoured scandals among its main figures. So, by now, everyone has heard about Don't Worry Darling. If you haven't yet seen it since it released in Australian cinemas at the beginning of October — and it is worth seeing — you can now do that at home, too. Like everything from Dune, The Matrix Resurrections, Spencer and West Side Story through to Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Elvis and Nope this year, the film has joined the list of fast-tracked flicks making their way to digital while still brightening up the big screen. Here, Pugh plays Alice, who gets stranded in the worst kind of 1950s-style ordeal despite all initial appearances to the contrary. Victory, the community where she lives with her husband Jack (Styles), appears picture-perfect; however, we all know how that can be deceiving. Indeed, the dreamy facade unravels quickly. The town is home to the men who work for the top-secret Victory Project — such as Jack — and their families, and it's where Don't Worry Darling's central duo are meant to enjoy nothing but bliss. They're given two rules to abide to, though: exercising the utmost discretion and committing 100-percent to Victory's vision, even if the town's wives don't actually know what their husbands get up to all day. That's all well and good — and terrific, in fact for most of Victory's residents — but it stops being the case for Alice. Despite a pervasive mood of optimism around the place, as well as overt reassurances by company CEO Frank (Chris Pine, All the Old Knives) and his wife Shelley (Gemma Chan, Eternals), Alice is certain that all isn't quite what it seems — or that she can or should trust what the company is so determined to impress upon the town's inhabitants. Yes, as immaculate as Don't Worry Darling looks, it's 100-percent a psychological thriller. It gives off huge The Truman Show vibes, too, as Alice refuses to acquiesce. The film also co-stars Wilde herself, playing another Victory employee's spouse, as well as Nick Kroll (Our Flag Means Death), KiKi Layne (The Old Guard), Sydney Chandler (The Golden Rut), Kate Berlant (A League of Their Own), Asif Ali (WandaVision), Douglas Smith (Big Little Lies), Timothy Simons (Station Eleven) and Ari'el Stachel (Zola). Check out the trailer for Don't Worry Darling below: Don't Worry Darling is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream online via video on demand from Monday, November 7 — including via Google Play, YouTube Movies and Prime Video in Australia. The film is also still showing in NZ theatres as well, and can be streamed in Aotearoa via Neon, Google Play and iTunes. Read our full review.
Just as not all movies are created equal, neither are all stints on screens. The big, in budget and attendance, stick around. The small, in audience awareness but not in artistry or effort, might not stay that long. Such a cinema environment sees many gems fall by the wayside in the battle for viewer hearts and minds – many that rank among the year’s best, too. So which 2014 films should you have perhaps taken a chance on instead of just seeing the latest shiny blockbuster? Here’s ten that local box office performance tells us you most likely missed, but really shouldn’t have. THE BABADOOK Jennifer Kent’s debut feature is one of the best among Australian efforts, horror films, and haunted house fright fests — both of this year, and of all others. Alas, in a nation that rarely embraces anything spooky on the big screen en masse, it came and went quickly, though what it lacked in local attention it is now making up for in international acclaim. Such recognition is mere window dressing for a movie that allows its equally touching and terrifying content to make its own statement as it charts a single mother’s troubles when her six-year-old son finds fear in a formidable figure that springs from the page into his bedroom. The style, the story and the scares can now continue off-screen, too, courtesy of a crowd-supported production run of the pop-up book at the centre of the chills. Read our full review. ALL THIS MAYHEM Great dramas are made of the same ingredients as this stunning homegrown true tale, a rise to fame, a fall from grace, seeking glory at all costs, and getting mixed up with the wrong things among them. In Eddie Martin’s documentary, all this and more is wrapped up in a roller-coaster ride that starts in the Melbourne suburbs, reaches the heights of the international skateboarding scene, and comes crashing towards its conclusion with the tragedy of what might have been in different circumstances. For those unfamiliar with the story of brothers Tas and Ben Pappas, the film offers the best account you’ll ever experience. For those aware of the details, devastation still emanates from a feature suitably straightforward in structure and shattering in sentiment. Read our full review. FORCE MAJEURE While audiences flocked to Gone Girl’s twisty take on marriage and masculinity, a Swedish couple holidaying in the French Alps with their kids spawned the same musings in just as cynical and striking a fashion. Force Majeure begins with a seemingly impending avalanche, in the face of which, a man runs away as his family looks on. Watching the aftermath as the central pair fight in public yet drift apart in private is not only astute but also amusing in its insights. Writer/director Ruben Östlund has crafted an acerbic comedy of discomfort that says everything about the most intimate of interpersonal relations, with a mastery of form to match the complexity of theme. Read our full review. MY SWEET PEPPER LAND One feminist western – A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, which also earns many other descriptors, too – is starting to appear at Australian festivals and in niche screening runs; however, this year also brought another to local screens. Writer/director Hiner Saleem and actress Golshifteh Farahani combine to chart a teacher’s fight for independence in male-dominated Kurdistan, both excelling with the material. Also fuelling the narrative is a policeman’s quest for a new existence free from his gun-slinging past. In this tale of two outsiders endeavouring to establish their own identities and exert power over their own dominion, all the tropes unravel amid a desolate landscape, and given the parallels with the nation’s sociopolitical climate, the film ranges beyond its adopted genre. Read our full review. THE MISSING PICTURE Wading through the past to get a grasp on his – and Cambodia’s – present, filmmaker Rithy Panh attempts to fill in the gaps in his own and well as the collective memory. With the assistance of sculptor Sarith Mang, he assembles figurines and dioramas of clay and wood to restage scenes from his childhood, the fleetingly beautiful and the inescapably brutal among them. The documentarian earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film for his efforts, his latest offering continuing his prolonged fascination with the state of his country. As modest as it is meticulous, and as moving and illuminating, too, this is a picture that shouldn’t be missed. Pun intended. THE DARK HORSE Stories similar to the real-life circumstances of Genesis Potini have been seen before on screen, steeped as they are in a relatable arc of redemption. What James Napier Robertson’s film perfects is the mindset of the troubled chess prodigy turned coach to marginalised youth, in every expressive image and atmospheric sound, and in a tone that never loses hope – just like its inspiration. Formula might seethe through the underdog story, but so does authenticity. The feature swept the recent New Zealand Film Awards for its earnest and emotional efforts, with acclaim rightfully thrown the way of star Cliff Curtis and supporting actor James Rolleston (worlds away from the work he is best known for, his titular role in the charming Boy). Read our full review. THESE FINAL HOURS When this Australian apocalyptic effort made its world premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2013, it set audiences ablaze with excitement for its fresh cinematic talent and its invigorating approach to the end of the world. Fast forward to a year later, and the flames spluttered when Zak Hilditch’s debut earned a general release, a response that doesn’t reflect the skill and style of the movie. Nathan Phillips plays against type in a story not of special deeds but of looking beyond a selfish, self-serving mindset. As his protagonist, James, journeys from nihilism to humanism upon a road trip through Perth’s suburban streets — motivated by the lost, lonely girl he decides to help — he evokes a quiet awakening not just for the character but for a new Australian classic. Read our full review. SON OF A GUN Not even the lure of Ewan McGregor enticed patrons into theatres for Julius Avery’s first feature, another film coming out of Western Australia. As a veteran criminal masterminding a jailbreak, then caught in a web of mobster manipulation, the Scottish actor rightfully commands attention — but so do his co-stars, Australia’s own Brenton Thwaites as the innocent immersed in underworld dealings, and Swedish actress Alicia Vikander as the obligatory love interest. Yes, there’s no escaping the film’s fondness for standard crime caper cliches as it navigates prison hierarchies, daring heists and dalliances with Russian gangsters, but its embrace of its genre exceeds what could’ve just been an ordinary assembly of average parts. Avery also shows a knack for set pieces and a confidence with pace and tone that keeps everything moving beyond the familiar. Read our full review. NYMPHOMANIAC Lars von Trier doesn’t make films to cater for all tastes, to be certain. Danish cinema’s enfant terrible earned the label after making many a feature considered unpalatable by broader audiences. Four hours of his work may be an endurance test for some (and that’s the short version of his latest effort); however, his frank dissection of female sexuality demands to be seen. Lust eclipses love as the driving mechanism in the experiences of Joe as she grows from a girl into a woman, ever-aware of her carnal impulses. Some chapters hit the mark better than others, just as some performances — from a cast that includes Stacy Martin and Charlotte Gainsbourg sharing the lead role, as well as Uma Thurman, Christian Slater, Shia LaBeouf and Jamie Bell — suffer the same fate, yet the end product is never anything less than engrossing. Read our full review. OUT OF THE FURNACE A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it run in Australian cinemas excuses many from failing to cross paths with the latest feature from Crazy Heart writer/director Scott Cooper. Though he again steeps his story in the struggles of those striving for something more but continually restrained by their circumstances, here he places his stumbling characters in the midst of small-town malaise, post-war apathy and generational inertia. Excellent work from Christian Bale, Casey Affleck and Woody Harrelson lies at the core of an intimate, intricate effort played out with a brooding look and feel from start to finish. Also strong is the sense of conviction that helps patch over thematic similarities with other films.
By now, we're all pretty well acquainted with a little thing called lockdown. Being stuck with stay-at-home orders is mostly a drag — and if you want to spend the majority of your time slowly becoming one with your couch, there's absolutely no judgment here. Do what you need to do. But, if you happen to be looking for creative ways to keep yourself (and your housemates) entertained at home, there are plenty of options from Melbourne's clever businesses — and you won't even need to change out of your PJs. We've rounded up a few non-boring ideas for nifty new things you can learn over the weekend, ranging from therapeutic Japanese craft projects to boss-level renovation skills. Consider this your isolation inspiration. [caption id="attachment_767056" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cork and Canvas[/caption] GET CREATIVE WITH CLAY AND KINTSUGI Dabbling in a new arts or crafts skill won't only see you reaping the benefits of creative therapy. It'll also likely land you with neat new handmade objects to pretty up your pad or gift to someone special. If you fancy having a crack at some pottery, you can get those hands messy and learn how to make your own ceramics with a DIY at-home clay kit from Crockd. It'll hook you up with some clay, tools, illustrated instructions and even conversation-starter cards, all delivered to your door. Local studio Ceramiques also has its own clay kit that it ships Australia-wide — they're currently out of stock, but keep an eye on the website or Instagram for future availability. Meanwhile, Cork & Canvas is offering on-demand paint and sip sessions, delivered virtually — of course. Select which masterpiece you'd like to create, then one of the company's professional artists will guide you through the painting process via an online tutorial. BYO wine. Shibori will get you hooked on the Japanese method of resist-dyeing with its offering of home-delivered craft kits, virtual how-to videos and downloadable technique guides. And, among Class Bento's hefty lineup of online creative classes, you'll find a hands-on workshop dedicated to the ancient Japanese art of Kintsugi — a unique way of repairing broken pottery that celebrates imperfection. A DIY craft kit including all the necessary materials will be sent out to you, with the beginner-friendly two-hour class taught via Zoom. MAKE TIME TO DIY A TIPPLE Numerous lockdowns have left us all pretty well-practiced in the art of drinking, so now is the perfect time to take things up a notch and throw some knowledge behind the art. For example, you can add a few home-blended editions to that gin collection, with help from Gin Kit's range of artisan gin-making packs. They come filled with everything you need to transform a bottle of base spirits into a botanically-charged, sippable gin that you can call your own. Or, if you'd rather boost your whisky smarts, Brisbane's Malt Traders is hosting virtual guided tastings that'll take your tastebuds on a trip through Scotland. If you've got enough of a crew, it also offers virtual beer tastings, where an expert will guide you through a selection of brews that have been delivered to your house. And the National Wine Centre runs a series of Zoom masterclasses, exploring various Aussie wine regions. [caption id="attachment_771911" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rob Palmer, from The Whole Fish Cookbook[/caption] COOK SOMETHING THAT'S NOT ANOTHER LOAF OF SOURDOUGH If you want to learn a few new culinary tricks to add to your repertoire, there are plenty of local kitchen maestros that are happy to help. If you're not tied down to a specific dish, you'll want to get acquainted with Maggie Beer's Instagram page. The chef's catalogue of how-to videos are fun, informative and easy to follow, plus she does a live cooking tutorial every Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, Sydney's sustainable seafood king Josh Niland (Saint Peter, Fish Butchery) is sharing his secrets to prepping and cooking fish via his online masterclass videos, which you can rent or buy. Marina Totta's live-streamed pasta-making classes will ignite your inner Italophile. And Atlas Dining's Charlie Carrington is simplifying the dinner rush with his DIY meal kits. Each one is centred on a different international cuisine, and comes stocked with all the ingredients (and recipe cards) to make three or four dishes. [caption id="attachment_818814" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Prudence Earl via Unsplash[/caption] MAKE YOUR HOME SPACE LOOK ACE If you're here looking for nifty things you can learn at home, then chances are that you're currently spending a lot of time between those four walls. And if that's the case, you might as well pick up some skills that'll help leave your space looking fabulous, inside and out. For plant-lovers and wannabe green thumbs, there's a jungle's worth of hot plant tips and gardening knowledge to be found over on Bunnings' Staying Grounded podcast. It's hosted by certified plant guru and horticulturalist Chloe Thomson, along with a suite of guest experts, covering everything from edible plants to lawn basics. Alternatively, head to the Plant Society's website and jump on one of its beginner-friendly virtual workshops, which will transform you into an expert green thumb in no time. Got a room, wall or piece of furniture that's begging for some DIY love? Embrace your inner handyman-slash-reno master and upskill with a little help from the Bunnings Youtube channel. It's a goldmine of how-to goodness, ranging from basic tool tips to full-blown makeover workshops. SORT OUT SOME SELF-CARE While a little self-improvement never goes astray, it's more important than ever to hone those self-care instincts. And you can do plenty of that without even leaving the house. Get bendy with some live-streamed or on-demand living room yoga, guided by experts from the likes of I Am That and Annie Belcher. Or, if you'd like to finally learn how to meditate, there's lots of handy digital tools that'll get you off to a flying start with minimal fuss. The popular Headspace app features a brief beginners course that teaches the basics in just a few minutes a day. If you'd like to shake up your screen time, the company has also recently released a new interactive Netflix special titled Headspace: Unwind Your Mind. Meanwhile, award-winning app Calm has a bunch of different meditation lessons, along with expert-taught masterclasses, guided exercises and relaxing soundscapes you can use in your future meditative endeavours. Top Image: Crockd
UPDATE — MAY 8, 2019: Palace Cinemas has extended the Moro Spanish Film Festival to Sunday, May 12, with additional screenings of the festival's most popular films. When Australia's annual Spanish Film Festival returns this year, it'll offer cinephiles a two-for-one affair. Fancy seeing the latest and greatest movies from the European country? Keen to watch fresh flicks from Spanish-speaking Latin America too? They're both on the lineup. While Latin American cinema has received its own dedicated Aussie fest over the past three years, in 2019 the Cine Latino Film Festival will form part of the Moro Spanish Film Festival. In short: this year's April–May fest presents the best of both worlds across a 32-title program. In Melbourne, it kicked off on Thursday, April 18, with the Aussie premiere of applauded and acclaimed Spanish comedy Champions, which picked up this year's Goya award for best film, as well as the best new actor prize for star Jesús Vidal. The feel-good flick follows an amateur Spanish basketball team comprised of players with mental disabilities and an arrogant coach who's sentenced to community service to help them bounce their way to glory. At the other end of the event is a bona fide classic: Pedro Almodóvar's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, the 1988 black comedy is one of the movies that first helped bring Antonio Banderas to fame. Other program highlights include action-packed bank robbery drama 70 Big Ones and comedy Super Crazy, which focuses on a woman who suddenly can't stop speaking her mind. If you've ever wanted to know all there is to know about olive oil, there's also a documentary on the topic: Virgin & Extra: Jaén, The Land of the Olive Oil. And from the Cine Latino contingent, Argentinian title Rojo delves into corruption before the country's mid-70s coup, while Tremors explores a Guatemalan family's secrets. Across its full slate, the Spanish Film Festival also showcases 11 titles by female filmmakers, ranging from established talents to up-and-comers. Watch out for romance Carmen & Lola, which has proven a hit on the queer circuit; star-studded comedy-thriller Crime Wave, which stars Maribel Verdú, Javier Cámara and Luis Tosar; and the 1982-set The Good Girls, which follows the wives of wealthy Mexican men. The Moro Spanish Film Festival will screen at Melbourne's Astor Theatre, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, The Kino and Palace Westgarth from April 18 to May 8. For more information and to book tickets, visit the website.
This month, you'll have the chance to dig deeper than ever before into the city's architectural past and present, as Open House Melbourne returns with its biggest, broadest July program yet. Headlining the bill is, of course, the annual Open House Melbourne Weekend, which gives visitors the chance to get up close and personal with some of the city's most interesting and iconic structures. This year, a huge 224 buildings will be opening their doors to the public on July 28 and 29, including 87 appearing on the program for the first time. You'll be able to explore the likes of City of Casey's new $125 million cultural and entertainment precinct Bunjil Place, fresh off the back of its International Design Awards 2017 win, and Monash Clayton's Learning and Teaching Building, designed by John Wardle Architects. Behind-the-scenes guided tours are also being offered through the site of the Australia 108 tower, which, once complete, is set to become the Southern Hemisphere's 'tallest building by roof height'. The rest of the month also has plenty of Open House goodness in store, including major new exhibition The Australian Ugliness, which sees Aussie artist Eugenia Lim pay homage to acclaimed modernist architect Robin Boyd, through a three-channel video installation. Running at the Melbourne School of Design's Dulux Gallery from July 23 until August 25, the work sets out to explore the diversity of 'The Australian Dream'. It traverses over 30 sites and spaces across the country, with Lin herself swapping between the roles of student, tourist, property investor, client and resident.
A well-stocked deli cabinet is the stuff of foodie dreams — plump salamis and prosciutto waiting to be sliced, hefty wedges of cheddar and wheels of gooey brie, pots brimming with glossy olives and house-made dips. It's a mouthwatering sight for anyone with a penchant for quality snacking. Whether you're shopping for premium picnic accompaniments or assembling a crowd-pleasing grazing board to kick off a household dinner party in style, you need a great local Melbourne deli in your life. And here, we've rounded up some of the city's finest. From charmingly classic European spots steeped in tradition, to shiny modern food stores stocked with the latest and greatest in locally-made wares, here's your guide to Melbourne's best delis. Find your local and get snacking. Recommended reads: The Best Sandwiches in Melbourne The Best Bottleshops in Melbourne The Best Bakeries in Melbourne The Best Cafes in Melbourne MEATSMITH, FITZROY, ST KILDA, BRIGHTON & BALWYN Chef Andrew McConnell's specialty butcher, food store and deli is a firm favourite among those who take their meat products seriously. If you're looking for some quality grub, you'll find it here in strong supply at Meatsmith. Along with a premium butchers selection, the marble cabinets are brimming with top-notch Euro-style smallgoods, homemade terrines, imported and local cheese, charcuterie, pâtés, and house-made preserves and mustards. A supporting range of gourmet groceries and a tight selection of booze makes this a one-stop shop kind of deal. No idea where to even start? Go for one of the curated charcuterie packs, loaded with the knowledgeable staff's latest top picks at this fab Melbourne deli chain. [caption id="attachment_828281" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kate Shanasy[/caption] KING & GODFREE, CARLTON Nestled right in the Italian heartland of Carlton's Lygon Street, long-running King & Godfree has been a go-to deli pitstop for multiple generations of discerning food-lovers. Following a refresh in 2018, it's now a stylish Italian cafe, wine shop and food store, complete with fridges stocked full of top-quality groceries, pantry staples and gourmet extras. At the deli counter, you'll find dreamy cheeses sourced from across Europe and Australia, along with sliced-to-order meats, a range of antipasto options and plenty of premium smallgoods. Load up your basket with some top-shelf Italian prosciutto, olive-flecked mortadella and perhaps some gutsy imported gorgonzola, and you're guaranteed some very happy picnic buddies. OBELIX & CO, FITZROY NORTH This quaint French-inspired deli and larder in the heart of Fitzroy North is a charcuterie-lover's dream. At Obelix & Co, expect to be tempted by a generous curation of culinary goodies, headlined by the owners' own house range of charcuterie, sausages, terrines and lush pâtés. From duck rillettes, to truffle-spiked brie, to sticks of wild venison salami, this spot promises to elevate any picnic or dinner party with a few extra Frenchy-chic vibes. There's also a great lineup of fresh baguettes, gourmet pantry staples, fancy butter and handmade condiments to match your deli haul, along with some standout mix-and-match hamper packs for those short on time. [caption id="attachment_688356" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Simon Shiff[/caption] LAIKON DELI, RICHMOND Bridge Road stalwart Laikon Deli has close to five decades under its belt and it's earned itself plenty of loyal regulars along the way. The family-run European deli scored a spruce-up and a new cafe in 2018, yet still retains its homey feel and traditional charms, with family photos on the walls and floor-to-ceiling shelves brimming with products. The generously loaded front cabinet beckons with its assortment of cheese, meat and antipasto products; ranging from wedges of imported comte, to Portuguese-style roast chicken and hot Calabrese salami, ready to be sliced to order. Don't forget to nab a serve of the house-made tiramisu while you're at this beloved Melbourne deli. CASA IBERICA DELI, FITZROY A colourful beacon of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American cuisine, Casa Iberica has been a staple of Johnston Street since 1975. Just look for the vibrant street art, head through the door and you're met with a heaving array of authentic food products and deli items from the homeland, along with a selection of locally-made iterations. The cabinets are filled with piles of olives, wedges of manchego and goat's cheese, and even Casa Iberica's own signature line of smallgoods — including air-dried wagyu bresaola, Spanish-style chorizo and pancetta. Whether you're looking for some Latin American cooking inspo, or you're sourcing a top-notch picnic spread with some international flair, this family-run spot is sure to impress. D.O.C. DELICATESSEN, CARLTON & MORNINGTON If you've ever had a meal at a D.O.C. eatery, you'll know to expect very good things from its sibling delicatessen, the original version which sits fittingly in the heart of Carlton. Gracing the cabinets at the Melbourne delis, you'll find the same premium prosciuttos, salamis and mozzarellas the team have hand-picked to star throughout the restaurant group's latest pizza and pasta menus. It has specialty Italian deli goods as far as the eye can see, from cold-cuts and cheeses, to tinned anchovies and olives. Oh, and plenty of great vino. Otherwise, for high-quality snacking with minimal fuss, pre-order one of the picnic-friendly boxed antipasto platters. STOCKED FOOD STORE, TOORAK, MALVERN & HAWTHORN With three modern outposts, housing an ever-growing curation of groceries, pantry staples, take-home meals and deli goods, Stocked Food Store certainly lives up to its name. If you're here to stock an enticing grazing platter of your own, you'll be spoilt for choice with its selection of top Aussie and European products — from hand-sliced salmon gravlax, to home-made salami, to decadent wheels of the triple-creme Brillat Savarin out of France. You'll also find fresh loaves of Bromley's Bread, loads of antipasto classics and crackers galore. Or, you can forgo the decision-making and let Stocked's experts whip you up a dreamy picnic or lunch platter, starring a variety of cheese, cold cuts and dainty sandwiches. CONTINENTAL DELI, HAWTHORN The long-standing, family-run Continental Deli has been winning over Hawthorn locals with its selection of Australian and imported goods for over four decades. Visit this classic European-style arcade deli and you'll find it hard to leave without amassing a shopping basket chock-full of luxurious French cheeses, Italian meats, locally-made sweet treats and other grazing platter must-haves. Should you find yourself in the area at lunchtime, you'll definitely want to try one of the Melbourne deli's cult-favourite house-made rolls. And if you're looking to really impress at your next picnic session, the team also makes a pretty mean snack board to order. Top Image: King & Godfree, by Sarah Pannell
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas across the country. After months spent empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Australian picture palaces are back in business — spanning both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0T4GIqEYyNk&feature=youtu.be RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON Featuring a vibrant animated spectacle that heroes vivid green and blue hues, a rousing central figure who is never a stock-standard Disney princess and lively voice work from an all-star cast, Raya and the Last Dragon boasts plenty of highlights. Directed by Don Hall (Big Hero 6) and Carlos López Estrada (Blindspotting), co-directed by Paul Briggs and John Ripa (both Disney art and animation department veterans), and penned by Qui Nguyen (Dispatches From Elsewhere) and Adele Lim (Crazy Rich Asians), the Mouse House's new all-ages-friendly release also embraces southeast Asian culture with the same warm hug that Moana gave Polynesia and Pixar's Coco sent Mexico's way — and it's always detailed, organic, inclusive and thoughtful, and never tokenistic. But perhaps its biggest strength, other than the pitch-perfect vocal stylings of Awkwafina as the playful, mystical half of the film's title, is its timing. Disney first announced the feature back in August 2019, so the company can't have known what the world would suffer through from early 2020 onwards, of course. But a hopeful movie about a planet ravaged by a destructive plague and blighted by tribalism — and a feature that champions the importance of banding together to make things right, too — really couldn't arrive at a more opportune moment. COVID-19 has no place in Raya and the Last Dragon; however, as the picture's introductory preamble explains, a virus-like wave of critters called the Druun has wreaked havoc. Five hundred years earlier, the world of Kumandra was filled with humans and dragons living together in harmony, until the sinister force hit. Now, only the realm's two-legged inhabitants remain — after their furry friends used their magic to create the dragon gem, which saved everyone except themselves. That's the only status quo that Raya (voiced by Star Wars' Kelly Marie Tran) has ever known. Her entire existence has also been lived out in a divided Kumandra, with different groups staking a claim to various areas. With her father Benja (Daniel Dae Kim, Always Be My Maybe), she hails from the most prosperous region, Heart, and the duo hold out hope that they can reunite the warring lands. Alas, when they bring together their fellow leaders for a peaceful summit, Raya's eagerness to trust Namaari (Gemma Chan, Captain Marvel), the daughter of a rival chief, ends with the Druun on the rampage once again. A movie about believing not just in yourself, but in others, Raya and the Last Dragon doesn't shy away from the reality that putting faith in anyone comes with the chance of peril and pain — especially in fraught times where the world has taken on an every-person-for-themselves mentality and folks are dying (or being turned to stone, which is the Druun's modus operandi). If the narrative hadn't been willing to make this plain again and again, including when it picks up six years later as Raya tries to reverse the devastation caused by Namaari's actions, Raya and the Last Dragon wouldn't feel as genuinely affecting. Raya and the Dragon is screening in Australian cinemas from Thursday, March 4, and will also be available to view via Disney+ with Premier Access (so you'll pay $34.99 extra for it, on top of your usual subscription fee) from Friday, March 5. It'll hit Disney+ without any extra fee on June 4. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSFpK34lfv0 NOMADLAND 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. Along with the attention the movie received at the Golden Globes, both are highly deserved outcomes because hers is an exceptional performance, and this was easily 2020's best film. Here, leading a cast that also includes real people experiencing the existence that's fictionalised within the narrative, she plays the widowed, van-dwelling 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. Following her travels over the course of more than a year, this humanist drama serves up an observational portrait of those that society happily overlooks. It's both deeply intimate and almost disarmingly empathetic in the process, as every movie made by Chloe Zhao is. This is only the writer/director's third, slotting in after 2015's Songs My Brothers Taught Me and 2017's The Rider but before 2021's Marvel flick Eternals, but it's a feature of contemplative and authentic insights into the concepts of home, identity and community. Meticulously crafted, shot and performed, it truly sees everyone in its frames, be they fictional or real. Nomandland understands their plights, and ensures its audience understands them as well. It's exquisitely layered, because its protagonist, those around her and their lives earn the same term — and Zhao never forgets that, or lets her viewers either. Nomadland screened in Australian 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. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ICPoXlmTO0 CHAOS WALKING Adapted from the book series of the same name, Chaos Walking has weathered a difficult path to cinemas. The tedious and generic space western releases ten years after the rights to turn Patrick Ness' novels into films were first acquired, four years since the movie was originally shot and two years after major reshoots following unfavourable test screenings. It went through a plethora of rewrites, too, with I'm Thinking of Ending Things' Charlie Kaufman on scripting duties at one point, and Ness (A Monster Calls) and Spider-Man: Homecoming's Christopher Ford getting the final credit. Navigating such a mess rarely bodes well for a movie, so the fact that Chaos Walking proves dull and derivative shouldn't come as a surprise. Even with its cast filled with impressive talent, and with Edge of Tomorrow filmmaker Doug Liman begin the lens, it's hard to see how it might've fared better, with its premise an instant struggle. Set in 2257, the film follows colonists from earth on a planet called New World, who are plagued by a strange phenomenon. A multi-coloured haze hovers around men's heads — and only men — showing their every thought. The sensation has been dubbed 'the noise', and experiencing it while watching sure is rackety. Indeed, 'noise' is the absolute right word for the entire movie. In his pioneer village, teenager Todd (Tom Holland, The Devil All the Time) can rarely control his noise. While the Mayor (Mads Mikkelsen, Another Round) is able to filter the words and images that project from his mind — and also rock a furry red coat and wide-brimmed hat far better than anyone should — few others have the same ability. Seeing what everyone is thinking is a tricky way to live at the best of times, and it applies to the entire population, because women have been wiped out in a war attributed to the planet's original inhabitants. But Todd's troubles multiply when he discovers a spaceship, as well as Viola (Daisy Ridley, Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker), its sole surviving occupant. The mayor and his followers don't take kindly to the first female in their midst for years; however, supported by his adoptive fathers Ben (Demian Bichir, The Midnight Sky) and Cillian (Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter), Todd isn't willing to surrender the only girl he's ever seen to an angry mob. Cue a tale of toxic masculinity that dates back to 2008, when first instalment The Knife of Never Letting Go hit bookshelves, and feels timely in the current social, political and cultural climate. That said, this isn't a complex, layered or thoughtful film. Instead, it's content to stress its themes in such a broad and easy manner that getting Holland to hold up a sign saying "the patriarchy is bad" would've been more subtle. Indeed, Chaos Walking really just uses these notions as a backdrop for a predictable and formulaic dystopian story, and as a handy reason to motivate its conflicts, in a movie that plays like a hodgepodge of far better sci-fi and western fare. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCvQzzKdgV4 ABOUT ENDLESSNESS The latest feature from acclaimed and always distinctive Swedish auteur Roy Andersson (Songs From the Second Floor, You, the Living, A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence), About Endlessness plays like the filmmaker's response to an oft-used — and overused — piece of worldly wisdom. Relishing the little things has become a greeting card-level piece of advice that's trotted out far too frequently and easily, but this vignette-fuelled drama contentedly peers at and contemplates everyday occurrences, flitting from one snippet of story to another across its brief 78-minute duration. It sees the happy moments, and the bleak ones. It has time for inconsequential instances, for clear flights of fancy and for real-life events that changed the shape of history. It spies the magical, the mundane, the merciful and the menacing, gives them all their time in the spotlight, and weaves them into a moving catalogue of the human condition. And, although the writer/director remains in his comfort zone, he crafts this latest treatise on merely existing into a movie that cuts deeply and feels bold rather than familiar. With Andersson's renowned eye for the sublime and the absurd, the film sees the juxtaposition at the heart of living. It knows that, in some shape or form, life is bound to continue on forever. It's also aware that individual lives are inescapably finite. When pondering mortality, these two truths can be hard to reconcile, especially given that the minutiae that makes up each and every day lulls us into a false sense of feeling as if it'll never end — and About Endlessness embraces all of this thorniness and complexity in its own way. Via poetic parcels of narration that declare "I saw a man begging to be spared", "I saw a woman who had a problem with her shoes" and "I saw a man who wanted to save the honour of his family, then regretted it" — plus other such short descriptions — About Endlessness works through instance after instance of people searching for meaning, happiness, and a reason to see their existence as anything more than a parade of breaths and heartbeats. The voice offering such narration is female, proves choosy about which scenes she decides to comment on, but is clearly affected by everything that plays about before her all-seeing vision. When it comes to anything approaching an explanation, though, Andersson remains sparse and careful. And yet, this is a detailed film that overflows with intricacy, intimacy and emotion, and with glorious artistry in every single frame. Every shot looks both naturalistic and staged, as is the filmmaker's custom, which evokes the feeling that you're stealing glimpses of life that are equally rich and routine in tandem. Whether a dictator, a man of faith or someone crying on public transport takes temporary pride of place (or, in the latter's case, if a fellow passenger is asking why he can't just be sad at home like everyone else), these short moments have a cumulative effect that's striking and profoundly insightful. Take, for example, an oh-so-short clip of young women spontaneously dancing outside a cafe, which is delightful, instantly touching and speaks firmly to the fact that life is as consistent in its joys as it is in its woes. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on November 5, November 12, November 19 and November 26; and December 3, December 10, December 17, December 26; and January 1, January 7, January 14, January 21 and January 28; February 4, February 11, February 18 and February 25. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Craft: Legacy, Radioactive, Brazen Hussies, Freaky, Mank, Monsoon, Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt), American Utopia, Possessor, Misbehaviour, Happiest Season, The Prom, Sound of Metal, The Witches, The Midnight Sky, The Furnace, Wonder Woman 1984, Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles, Nomadland, Pieces of a Woman, The Dry, Promising Young Woman, Summerland, Ammonite, The Dig, The White Tiger, Only the Animals, Malcolm & Marie, News of the World, High Ground, Earwig and the Witch, The Nest, Assassins, Synchronic, Another Round, Minari, Firestarter — The Story of Bangarra, The Truffle Hunters and The Little Things.
If you're anything like us, you buy a lot of coffee, and odds are that means you burn through a lot of takeaway cups. But what you might not realise is that those cups contain a plastic liner that means they cannot be recycled. It's for this reason that the City of Sydney is throwing its weight behind a BYO coffee cup campaign – and a ton of local cafes are already on board. The aim of Responsible Cafes is to get cafes and customers to ditch takeaway coffee for good. "There are now over 2,500 cafes across Australia offering a discount to people with a BYO coffee cup," said founder Justin Bonsey. "It's great for our pocketbooks, great for cafes to bring in new customers and great for the planet." Cafes keen to get on board can sign up via the Responsible Cafes website. In return, they'll be added to a searchable map that, according to Bonesey, is visited by over 1 million people every year. Among the cafes that have already signed up include About Life Bondi Junction and Surry Hills, Darlinghurst's Infinity Bakery and The Royal, Surry Hill's BangBang Espresso and Soul Origin locations across the CBD and suburbs. The campaign will receive an injection of government funding via the City of Sydney's latest round of knowledge exchange sponsorships. "In our area alone, 100 million takeaway coffee cups end up in landfill every year – and each one takes around 50 years to decompose," said Lord Mayor Clover Moore. "Responsible Cafes connects and promotes cafes that encourage customers to refuse takeaway cups for good, and they're aiming to recruit another 100 new city cafes." It's not the first step that the City of Sydney has taken to address the issue. Last year they gave a $17,500 grant to Closed Loop, who installed standalone bins for coffee cups in office buildings in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. And it's also not the only bit of good environmental news we've gotten recently. Just last week, supermarket chains Coles, Woolworths and Harris Farms all pledged to stop using single use plastic bags as of 2018. Keep it up, Australia.
Virtual reality is no longer just something found in science fiction films, as anyone who has experienced a VR concert or tour, attended a festival of VR flicks or bought their own VR headset is more than aware. That's just the beginning. The next step in this brave new world — well, maybe that's where everything the likes of The Matrix, TRON, eXistenZ and Strange Days told us starts to come into play. In Vienna, a world-first bar lets patrons combine the real and virtual worlds in a new fashion: by heading out for a few beverages, donning the requisite gear and hanging out in an intangible space rather than just soaking in the bricks and mortar surroundings. Who needs to chat to the people around you when you can plug in, play and interact in the VR space, right? Equipped with an array of VR gear, Vrei Lounge encourages both, with Playstation VR, HTC Vive, Samsung GearVR and more all on the menu alongside the usual selection of booze, coffee, pizzas and muffins. While you're sipping and snacking, you can play mini-golf, train to be a space pirate, repair robots, plunge into the underwater deep or race cars — virtually, of course. It might be the first of its kind, but with arcade and pinball bars popping up with frequency these days, expect more alcohol-fuelled VR haunts to follow around the world. It does indulge humanity's now-engrained love for always being glued to a screen, after all. Whether putting on a headset and having a tipple is better than lounging around and chatting to your mates — that's up to you. Via AWOL. Image: Vrei.
Fresh off expanding Supernormal to Brisbane and opening new concept Bar Miette in the same building, Andrew McConnell (Cumulus Inc, Cutler & Co, Supernormal, Builders Arms and Marion) has returned to Melbourne to sign a lease on an all-new venture in the CBD. There's no details yet on what he'll be cooking or who will be joining him in the kitchen, but the new restaurant will take over the former Becco site. This old-school Italian diner has been serving city workers and visitors since 1996, and before that was home to Pellegrini's Tavola Freddo Cantina. For decades, this Crossley Street site has played an important role in the city's food scene, and McConnell and his business partner Jo McGann have been sure to recognise this. [caption id="attachment_860199" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gimlet by Earl Carter[/caption] "This is one of the most important heritage restaurant sites in the city. The dining room has a beautiful soul that reflects its history and the incredible hospitality that has been offered here for over 70 years," shares McConnell. "We are excited to preserve and continue this legacy whilst bringing new energy to the space." To revamp the space, McConnell and McGann will once again collaborate with Sydney-based design studio ACME (Gimlet and Apollo Inn). However, we won't get to see what they've dreamt up until it opens in late 2025. Until then, the duo will run a temporary outpost of Morning Market — the Euro-centric grocer and cafe that McConnell and McGann opened during the pandemic. [caption id="attachment_867912" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Supernormal Nikki To.[/caption] McConnell and McGann's new restaurant is slated to open in late 2025, and will be found at 25 Crossley Street, Melbourne. For more information, you can visit the restaurant group's website. Image: Andrew McConnell by Shelley Horan for Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.
For everyone who'll always love Dolly Parton, the icon herself has unveiled excellent news: she's turning her life story and unrivalled career into a musical, which will debut on Broadway in 2026. Parton is writing the new stage show's music and lyrics. She's also co-penning the book for the musical. Will she pop up during a performance? You'll have to head along to Hello, I'm Dolly to find out. If the production's name sounds familiar, then you truly are a Parton fan: it shares its moniker with her very first studio album, which was released in 1967. In the almost six decades since — a year short of it when Hello, I'm Dolly premieres, in fact — Parton has done everything from dominate country music and star on the big screen to read bedtime stories and donate money to COVID-19 research. Her music is also no stranger to Broadway thanks to 9 to 5: The Musical, as based on the 1980 film of the same name, which made its leap to theatre's most-famous district in 2009. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dolly Parton (@dollyparton) "Hello, I'm Dolly, and I lived my whole life to see this show on stage," said Parton in a statement about the musical. Dolly diehards, you now have this in common with the legend. "I've written many original songs for the show and included all your favourites in it as well. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll clap, you'll stomp, it truly is a Grand Ol' Opera. Pun and fun intended. Don't miss it!" Parton continued. As well as composing the score and new songs for the show, and co-writing the book with Maria S Schlatter, Dolly is producing Hello, I'm Dolly with Adam Speers for ATG Productions and Danny Nozell for CTK Enterprises. There's no word on an exact opening date as yet, or any casting details or touring plans after its Broadway run, but Parton just keeps pouring cups of ambition. And if you're now begging for the musical to please head Down Under, we understand. There's obviously no clips or imagery from Hello, I'm Dolly available yet, but check out the trailer for 9 to 5 — the film — below: Hello, I'm Dolly will premiere on Broadway in 2026. We'll update you with any details of a season Down Under if and when they're announced. Head to the musical's website for further details in the interim.
Sweet tooths, assemble. Pastry chef Pierre Roelofs and his team of wicked enablers are resurrecting their legendary dessert evenings, shattering our halfhearted plans to cut down on the sweet stuff in 2019. Oops. After five years at Cafe Rosamond in Fitzroy and a few pop-ups around the traps, Roelofs' dessert extravaganzas are making a return to Collingwood. This time, however, they're taking place at Terror Twilight. The cafe will turn all things sweet for three nights in February, May, August and November. Luckily, there's still spots left for all of them — for now. We suggest snapping some tickets up quickly, these babies sell like hotcakes (or, should we say, like dessert-filled test tubes). If you haven't been to an evening before, you can expect a four-course degustation — the catch being that all four courses are dessert. The menu is top secret and changes every time. We can tell you that previous evenings have involved ridiculous concoctions of mascarpone, strawberry, honey, orange, cardamom and speculaas, as well as a deconstructed bread and butter pudding served in one of Roelofs' famed dessert test tubes. Tickets for the dessert feast will set you back $75 with non-alcoholic beverages able to be purchased separately on the night. To book your spot (quickly) head to the website. There are two sittings for Pierre Roelofs' dessert evenings each night: 7pm and 8.40pm.
Northsiders love good coffee as much as they do new cafes. Fairfield is no exception. There has been a new addition to Station Street, and it comes from a family that understands the world of hospitality and, more importantly, coffee. Mamma Says is from the previous owners of Station Lounge, and they've promised regulars that some of the old favourites will feature on the new menu. The new space is homely and familiar. Wooden furnishings sit next to greenery and hanging lights. The best part of the interior? The wall of Banksy prints watching you munch on your poached eggs. Speaking of poached eggs, the menu reads as familiar cafe fare. Buttermilk pancakes are served with maple syrup ($9) or apple and rhubarb ($12), avocado smash comes with a poached egg and jalapenos ($16.50), and the eggs Benedict is just how you expect it to be ($14.50). Lunch sees nachos ($11.90), chicken Waldorf salad ($18.50), a chicken parma ($19.90) and a linguini marinara ($16.90), among other like dishes. The coffee, roasted by Mamma Says themselves, is smooth. It could do with a bit more punch, but is pleasant nonetheless. A juice, milkshake and smoothie menu gives a nod to nostalgia with a blue heaven milkshake ($5) as well as embraces today with the Health Freak — strawberries, peach, pineapple juice, sorbet, ginseng and Ginkgo biloba ($6). A cabinet of arancini, pies, lemon tarts, caramel slices and many more baked treats give a whole other range of options for any time of the day. Dessert anyone? The newest addition to this Fairfield strip, Mamma Says is going to be one for the locals.
2023 already marks Australia's last chance to be in the room where it happens. Until winter, it's now every Aussie muggle's final opportunity to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child pick up its wands as well. Currently running as a condensed single-night play rather than the original two-part version, this onstage follow-up to the page and screen Harry Potter franchise has announced that it'll wrap up its Melbourne season on Sunday, July 9 — and then leave our shores. Unlike other big shows such as Hamilton, Moulin Rouge! The Musical and The Book of Mormon in recent years, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child isn't jumping elsewhere around the nation after its stint in the Victorian capital. So, when the curtain falls on its lengthy stay at Melbourne's Princess Theatre after four years, that'll be the end of its magic Down Under. That gives theatregoers five months to book in a date with the hit wizarding production, which picks up 19 years after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and its abominably cheery epilogue on Platform 9 3/4. Here, Harry is now an overworked Ministry of Magic employee, with the play focusing on both him and his youngest son Albus Severus Potter as they grapple with the past and future. Since debuting in London in July 2016, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has won a swathe of awards (including nine Olivier Awards and six Tonys) and proven a repeated sellout — in the West End, on Broadway and in San Francisco, too. In its Melbourne run, it has become the most successful play in Australian history, including attracting 326,500 people in its first year. Four years on from first opening in Australia in February 2019, and after navigating the pandemic during that time, the local season has sold more than a million tickets and hosted over 1300 performances. "We are extremely proud of our Melbourne production and to be the longest-running play in the history of Australia is an extraordinary achievement," said producer Sonia Friedman CBE, announcing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child's Aussie end date. "Opening our production here has been one of the highlights in the life of our groundbreaking, astonishing show and we look forward to an amazing final five months in this glorious city." Muggles, if you want to see The Cursed Child, you'll need to accio yourself along before July — with more tickets released on Monday, February 6. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child plays Melbourne's Princess Theatre until Sunday, July 9. For more information and to buy tickets, head to the play's website. Images: Michelle Grace Hunder.
After the year that's been, we've all got our sights set on making this summer one to remember. So, no doubt, you'll want to shake things up a little — and, if you're hosting the crew around for some backyard drinks, you'll want to make sure those sips are darn memorable, too. Because balmy days call for cocktails, we've teamed up with tequila distiller 1800 Tequila to help you unleash your inner bartender. Recently, the brand launched a limited-edition merch range in collaboration with Aussie accessories queen Poppy Lissiman and Sydney-based artist Manu Crooks. So, if you were looking for some bold new accessories for summer, it's got you sorted in that department — but you better get in quickly, before they sell out. Now, the two aforementioned creative legends, plus 1800's Hayley Dixon (Proximo Spirits Tequila Specialist), have come up with three tequila cocktail recipes that are guaranteed to spice up your next at-home session. POPPY LISSIMAN'S TASTE OF TULUM Serves one Sleek, chic and a little bit fun, this little libation created by Poppy Lissiman is the perfect drink for summer nights spent on the dance floor. The concoction uses 1800 coconut-infused tequila, which lends a taste of the tropics, while prosecco keeps things sophisticated. So, break out the champagne flutes and get shaking. Ingredients 30ml 1800 Coconut 15ml peach syrup 10ml Fino sherry 20ml fresh lemon juice 5ml simple syrup 90ml prosecco Method Minus the prosecco, shake all ingredients together, then double strain into a champagne flute. Top the glass with prosecco and garnish with lemon zest. MANU CROOK'S CHERRY CHILL Serves one The classic cherry-cola combo gets served a grown-up twist in this moody drink designed by hip hop artist Manu Crooks. Expect smoke and spice from the 1800's barrel-aged Reposado, which is perfectly balanced with a fun, fruity hit from the rest of the ingredients. It's safe to say that this is one smooth sip that'll see you from day to night. Ingredients 30ml 1800 Reposado 15ml cherry liqueur 2ml vanilla extract 15ml simple syrup 25ml fresh lemon juice Dash Angostura orange bitters 60ml cola Method Minus the cola, shake all ingredients together, then double strain the mix into a double rocks glass over ice. Top with the cola and garnish with a lemon twist. 1800 TEQUILA'S SUMMER STAPLE Serves one When sunny skies and post-swim sessions call for a tipple that's fresh and fruity, keep your cool with this fizzy, pink-hued number. Made with the extra-smooth, double-distilled 1800 Silver, it's a crafty riff on the classic G&T that's sure to become your new summer go-to. Ingredients 40ml 1800 Silver 15ml watermelon syrup 15ml honey syrup (three parts honey, one part warm water) 20ml fresh lemon juice 15ml fresh grapefruit juice 60ml dry tonic Method Minus the tonic, shake all ingredients together, then double strain the mix into a highball glass over ice. Top up with tonic and garnish with a watermelon wedge. Spice up your summer with these three easy-to-make 1800 Tequila cocktails, then get yourself some fresh new accessories from the 1800 Essential Artists merch range. 1800 Tequila promotes responsible drinking practices, for 18 years and over only.
With Geelong and Brisbane set to battle it out in Saturdays AFL Grand Final, the MCG is once again the centre of the Australian sporting world — and now talk has turned to how the stadium might evolve in the years ahead. As reported by the Herald Sun, Premier Jacinta Allan has launched a new business case to explore redevelopment options for the' G, aiming to ensure it continues to lure global events well beyond footy season. Ideas on the table include expanding the Shane Warne Stand to squeeze in another 5,000 fans. One more obvious option, however, might be more costly than expected — a roof. MCC chief executive Stuart Fox revealed that covering the venue could carry a staggering price tag of up to $6 billion. "We're here to make sure this asset doesn't become old and redundant, and if we sit on our hands and do nothing people will grab more events from us," he said. The comments come off the back of the stadium's latest Social and Economic Value Study, which found more than four million people came through the gates last year across 69 events. Those visitors delivered $720 million to Victoria's economy — with Taylor Swift's three sold-out shows alone contributing a quarter of that figure. Sports and Major Events Minister Steve Dimopoulos compared the impact to "12 Taylor Swift concerts," underscoring just how valuable the stadium is to the state. While the roof may be out of reach, the conversation is another reminder of the MCG's status as both the heart of the AFL and one of the most important event spaces in the country. And as the Cats and Lions run out this weekend, more than 100,000 fans will get a taste of why the' G remains one of the world's great sporting stages — roof or no roof. Read the original reportage via The Herald Sun. Images: iStock
Much that Jimmy Barnes has uttered, sang and screamed is immortalised in Australian history. His discography, both as the lead singer of Cold Chisel and as a solo artist — and via his many collaborations — has echoed across the nation and soundtracked this sunburnt country since 1973. "Oh, my soul" now ranks up there. Those were the three words that he exclaimed to Triple J announcers Zan Rowe and Lucy Smith when he heard live on air that 'Flame Trees' had come in at number seven in the first-ever Hottest 100 of Australian Songs — a chat that he was doing because 'Khe Sanh' had just placed eighth. Australia demonstrated their appreciation for Barnesy's contribution to local music with their votes, including for 'Working Class Man' at number 56, and he clearly, audibly, emotionally appreciated that love in turn. "We've had a lot of awards and all that sort of stuff, and big claims to fame over the years, and we've always been a bit 'nah, you can't say this is the best song ever', because everybody has their own taste," Barnes tells Concrete Playground. "But for me, the best thing about that top 100, the top 200 even, was the fact that a radio station — which Cold Chisel literally helped start, we were playing when they were Double J, Live at the Wireless, when it was a scrambling little station, we helped get them set up — but there's a station that's become our national carrier, that is the only really, truly national radio station for kids in this country. And there's times when I listen to it and I go 'I don't get it. I don't really get what you're playing here', but they're the only station that still plays a load of Australian music. And the fact that on that day they celebrated Australian music and played 100 Australian songs, which were a collection of songs that had moved and affected the punters in this country — just to be a part of that was a good thing for me, and to be a part of that group of songs." Barnes himself joined in with selecting his favourites, entering his picks in the poll. "There's a lot of great songs in this country. I voted for 'Eagle Rock' myself," he advises. He's passionate about shining the spotlight on Aussie tunes — "it's very cool. And the thought that they were celebrating Australian music was the best thing ever. That was the best part about it. I think they should do it more often," he offers — and also equally as enthusiastic about the fellow local acts that earned a place in the countdown. "You look at that that top five or whatever it was, whether it's INXS' 'Never Tear Us Apart' — I think that besides it being a great song and beautiful film clips and all that, we have that loss, that sad loss of Michael [Hutchence], who was such a dear soul and just a magnetic frontman. The band were just unique the way they played, and they couldn't play it like that without Michael. So there's a tragedy to it," Barnes continues. He collaborated with INXS on 1986 single 'Good Times', which featured on The Lost Boys soundtrack. "You have The Veronicas, who are these little intense pop girls who are just incredible," Barnes says. "They were all from different worlds. There was all sorts of stuff. There was Kylie. There was all sorts of stuff in the top 20, it was so eclectic and so mixed that I just thought 'I'm glad to be a part of that group of songs, doesn't matter where I am in the chart as long as we're in amongst it all, then it's a good thing'. There were acts with more songs than us, but it wasn't that sort of competition. It was just great. I'm listening to the top 100 and I hear Jet come on with 'Are You Gonna Be My Girl' and I go 'what a great song. Jesus, who wrote that? That's really cool'." [caption id="attachment_1018404" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sam Tabone/Getty Images[/caption] Long before the country spent a day revelling in the best 100 Aussie tunes — and a week afterwards enjoying the next 100, too — Barnes was already in deeply reflective mode. Almost a decade ago, in 2016, he released his first memoir Working Class Boy, which saw the rocker lay bare his traumatic childhood. Focusing on his adult years, Working Class Man as a book hit shelves the following year. 2018 then brought Working Class Boy to cinemas as documentary, premiering at the Melbourne International Film Festival. Now, seven years later, Working Class Man is also a film and also debuting at MIFF. Between the page and the screen, Barnes has taken his excavation of his upbringing, life and career to the stage as well. Australians have been embracing Barnes on every step on this journey. In their printed guises, Working Class Boy and Working Class Man both became bestsellers, and each also won the Australian Book Industry Award for Biography of the Year. Crowds flocked to see Barnes talk about his experiences live. Viewers did the same with the first doco, which notched up a spectacular array of feats at the time. It played on the largest amount of screens, 220, for an Aussie doco; took over $500,000 in its opening weekend to top that period for a local documentary; and it scored the biggest opening for a doco in Australia since This Is It, 2009's Michael Jackson concert film. [caption id="attachment_1018405" align="alignnone" width="1920"] James Gourley/Getty Images for TV WEEK Logie Awards[/caption] As a movie, then, Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Man is a highly anticipated sequel. With Andrew Farrell (How Australia Got Its Mojo) in the director's chair after executive producing Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Boy — which veteran filmmaker Mark Joffe (Spotswood, Cosi, The Man Who Sued God) helmed — it traces the impact of a childhood of neglect, abuse and poverty upon Barnes as he became a rock star, all as it charts his time behind the microphone from joining Cold Chisel onwards. In the film and in conversation chatting about it alike, the man who'll also be forever known as the voice of 'Breakfast at Sweethearts', 'Choirgirl', 'Cheap Wine', 'You've Got Nothing I Want', 'Saturday Night', 'No Second Prize' and so much more is candid as well as relaxed, even about the darker days that he's been unpacking in his memoirs and their documentary adaptations. "All that stuff was pretty raw and fairly emotional, but because I've been through writing the book and obviously the process of, I guess, detraumatising myself from it all over the few years after that, and then going through the Working Class Man spoken-word tour, which we based this doco on, it gave me time to process it all," Barnes notes. "So there's stuff there that every time I look at it, I go 'ouch, I wish I could have not done that', but I've learned to live with everything I've done." [caption id="attachment_1018401" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Boud[/caption] Of Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Man, he says "they've done a fabulous job". Of Farrell: "we've known each other for a long time and I trusted him completely with it". That act of reflecting the past has also been driving some of Barnes' live tours, with Cold Chisel taking to the stage around the country to mark their 50th anniversary in 2024, and the 40th anniversary of 'Working Class Man', the song — and album For the Working Class Man that it's on as well — the reason for his next tour in November 2025. Barnes is currently as prolific as ever: alongside the new documentary and the two tours mentioned above, he opened the 2025 Logies, June was all about his Defiant tour, he's released seven albums in the past decade as well as six books so far, and has his second recipe book with his wife Jane, Seasons Where the River Bends, hitting stores in October. From whether he had any inkling that his memoirs would strike such a chord, their leaps to the screen and how he feels about his part in inspiring men to be emotionally open in a way that isn't usually part of Aussie masculinity, through to everything in his life being a family affair, boasting a catalogue of songs that's engrained in Australia's identity and his career longevity, we also spoke with the icon who'll always be known as Barnesy about plenty more. On Whether Barnes Had Any Idea of What Might Follow Working Class Boy — and the Impact That It Has Had Personally "No, not really. But I did get a feeling pretty soon after I wrote it — it was so liberating to sit and write the book. It was something, at the time, doing it was very painful. And every day I wrote — this is the first book — every day I wrote, it would open up a new can of worms that I had to deal with. And there was obviously a lot with childhood trauma. There's a lot of stuff you just block out, and you forget details and all that sort of stuff. And so I'd be writing it and then I'd remember all the stuff that I hadn't thought about for 50 years, 40 years or whatever. And it'd come back to me, and I'd have to process it and deal with it. So the during the process of it, it was sort of a heavy time, a heavy burden on my shoulders. But every day I'd end up and I'd feel like something has been lifted off. And most days I'd finish writing, and I'd ring up my therapist and talk to him about stuff, and then he'd put more weight back on my shoulders and tell me more things to look for. [caption id="attachment_1018398" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jess Lizotte[/caption] So the process of doing that, it was dark and hard to deal with, but it was also enlightening at the same time. And so by the time I'd finished the book, I just felt that I'd learnt a process, a way to process the past and my childhood, without having to sit and actually not physically allow it to overwhelm me. I could do it and walk away from it and process it a bit and breathe, and come back and then write again. And every time it got too overwhelming, I could stop. So I learned how to process — and that went along with a lot of help that I got from various psychotherapists and rehabs and all that sort of stuff. I had enough tools to be able deal with it. So I really enjoyed it. In the end, I really enjoyed the process of writing. And that made me just think — I'd sort of half-written Working Class Man while I was writing the other one. The thing was, the publishers and everybody that was on the commercial side of the book was really wanting the rock 'n' roll, sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll story. And I'm going 'I think this is much more important for me to write, that I write the first one first'. And so when I did it, I wasn't going to sit down and write about sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, and brag about being wild and all that sort of stuff — because a lot of that stuff, it just is what it was, but a lot of it was as painful as when I was a child. And by the time I finished writing the first book, I realised that my behaviour as an adult, which I obviously, as I say in the book and on the show, I take full responsibility for, but it was heavily influenced by that trauma and that stuff that I just dealt with in the book previously. So it gave me an opportunity to to look at not only the mistakes my parents made and the mistakes that we made as children, how we were brought up and all that sort of stuff, but also how that affected me and how I moved on as an adult, and how the impact of childhood trauma kept knocking on the door — it kept, every time I'd get over one thing, something else would reveal itself until it became so entwined with addiction. And you turn into the parents, and I ended up with the same problems as they had, because I hadn't really — before I'd gotten that heavily into alcohol and drugs and that, I hadn't dealt with any of this stuff. So it was interesting. It was a really good process. [caption id="attachment_1018397" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jess Lizotte[/caption] And the other thing I liked about it was I could sit sitting down after spending years of singing, going out on stage and literally reaching out to people and going 'look at me, look at me, look at me', I could sit — writing books I'm sitting at a desk and just going back into my mind. It gave me a lot of freedom to, like I said, to not cherry pick but go in and look at things and get out of there before it was too heavy. And it allowed me to do the same with my imagination. When I started writing fiction or more towards fiction, I just found it was really enjoyable. I could sit in my own head and just disappear into my own worlds there. So writing that first book has opened up this whole new, not career, but a new chapter in my life — no pun intended — that I really enjoy. I can still go out and make music and feel that emotional response with people, or I can just bury myself in my own head and dig out stories, which I really enjoy almost as much as singing." On What It Means to Barnes to Help Inspire Men to Be Emotionally Open in a Way That Isn't Usually a Part of Aussie Masculinity "Well, it wasn't something that I did myself. It was the start of real growth of men. We'd all been brought up, everybody that I knew had been brought up, with 'men don't cry' and 'you've got to hold your emotions in' and 'don't you don't admit you're wrong', all that bullshit. And I think part of that was just — like when my parents, when my dad was alive, he had to be strong just to survive. He was fighting. He was a prizefighter. My grandfather was fighting bare knuckles in the alleys of Scotland so that he could feed his family, and they had to be tough. They couldn't cry. They couldn't let people know they were weak. But I could look back on them though — and now I remember how scary my grandfather was, I thought he was very scary and that whole image I built up of him was scary — but I look back at it now and I think 'he's probably the same as me, just terrified the whole time'. I know I spoke to my brother John about it — John was a dangerous guy, he was wild and he could fight like hell, and him and I spoke about it. And he said 'I only fought because I was so scared, and I had to be hypervigilant, hyperaggressive. I had to win because I didn't want to be hurt'. And I realised that they were like that. So I guess writing these books, I was never looking for blame, to blame anybody, but in the process of writing them, there were times where I was really angry with my parents and angry with my family and all that sort of stuff. And in the process of the first book, I got angry. With the second book, I realised that I fell into the same patterns and I fell into the same traps, and I was trying the best I possibly could but it just wasn't good. And so I learned about forgiveness for my parents in the process of writing those first two memoirs." [caption id="attachment_1018406" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sam Tabone/Getty Images[/caption] On Sharing Barnes' Story, and the Path to Working Class Boy and Working Class Man Receiving the Documentary Treatment "I realised when I started writing Working Class Boy, in the process of writing, I realised that my story wasn't that unique to me. It was a common story that a lot of people went through. A lot of people went through the same things as me. And that was one of the reasons why I put the book out. When I was first started to write, I was thinking I'd just write and when it's all finished, I could burn it and that'd be okay. It'd have done its job. But everybody I let have a look at it went 'oh, I can relate to this. I can relate to that'. And I realised that there were people who were going to be touched or see themselves in it, and maybe get a window of hope from it. And so I wanted to film the shows — and one of the reasons I wanted to film the shows was because every night, when I go up and talk about all the stuff that I had written, something else would reveal itself to me. I'd be up there talking about my mum being angry and storming around and dragging us through the streets and stuff, and then I go 'oh geez, I remember this now'. I'd remember something else that she did. There was a point where I remembered, I realised that as scary as my mum was, and as wild and all that sort of stuff, and she neglected us, but actually I realised that the only time I ever felt safe was when she held me in her arms, when I was a baby, when I young. And I realised that and I thought 'oh, man, all of this stuff, I've just kept thinking all the bad stuff. You've got to remember the good stuff, too'. So things would reveal themselves as I wrote them. And I thought — and doing the stories, more would reveal, more detail, I'd think of more things. There's times when I'd be telling the stories — so it's sort of half-rehearsed, but I got pretty good at it after the first ten shows or so — and then suddenly I'd be telling the story and all this new stuff information would come to me. And so it was really, I wanted to film the shows then, because I wanted to see how far that went and see if it could — I didn't know how, if it was going to be a documentary or a movie or what we were going to do with it, it was more to have in case I needed it as another tool to deal with my own shit." [caption id="attachment_1018399" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jess Lizotte[/caption] On Ensuring That the Documentaries Were Always the Films That Barnes Was Comfortable With — Including No Dramatisations "Mark was a dear friend of mine, and I love Mark's work as a filmmaker, anyway. I've known him for a long time. And one of the deals we did when he said he wanted to make it, one of the deals we made was that it had to be the story we wanted to tell. It wasn't going to be glamorous or dramatised — I didn't want to have people acting as us and all that sort of shit. Which you could do. And I was getting people, literally even once I started writing the book, I was already getting offers to have movies made with actors. And I'm going 'no, this is too close to the bone' and I didn't want dramatisations of it. I wanted it be real. And Mark was really sympathetic to that, and he made me really comfortable. He said 'we're only going to reveal and open up things, wounds, that you think you need to or you think you can learn from or you think that need to be told to tell the story'. So he was very close to me about it. And Andrew was actually, as a producer, was involved working with Mark all the time on that. The first one, I was 'hmm, I don't know if I want to put this out', and then the book seemed to really connect with a lot of people. So that was really a good outcome for me and allowed me to let even more of that stuff go. The second one, I just figured that because everybody had watched me growing up in public onstage, I thought because a lot of those people had read the first book, they would want to see how that affected me — and what effect that had for the good and the bad. I wouldn't have been the wild rock 'n' roll singer I was had I not been brought up that way. Everything about being abused and unwanted and poor, and the violence and the alcohol in the house all the time, everything that happened to me made me the perfect melting pot to make me a rock 'n' roll singer. [caption id="attachment_1018403" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Boud[/caption] I got there and all I wanted — even before I was in bands — all I wanted to do was for people to like me so I felt safe. And what better way for people to like you than to make the whole bloody country like you? I get up on stage and people go 'yeah, Jimmy, you're okay' — and I go 'yeah, I'm all right'. I'd be falling apart, but it would make me feel safe. And as a traumatised child, to get people to like you they had to look at you. So I'm on stage going 'look at me. Look at me. Look, I can do this — like a monkey, I can do tricks'. And so I wanted people to see what I worked out was actually going on behind the pictures, behind the story that that we all knew that and that I'd created really as far as just being a rock 'n' roll singer. And I wanted to prove that as bad as all that upbringing was, you've got to be thankful for who you are. If you can learn from it and grow from it, then you can learn to be thankful for all the gifts that were given to you in amongst all that shit — and it doesn't seem that bad anymore." On Working Class Man Being a Family Affair, Like Everything in Barnes' Life "They were always there — all the way through my life, my grown life, Jane was there. And she was just waiting for me and she was trying to keep me in the straight and narrow. And at times I drove her into the wild side with me, and there were times where it got out of control, but she was always just trying to keep things and be there for me as long as she could. I think as much healing as I got from writing the first two books, I think the family got it, too. So as soon as I started to get myself together and started to deal with this, my family blossomed. They've always been very supportive. Always there. The kids were always singing with me. I used to take the kids on tour with me all the time, and Jane on tour with me — we'd get teachers and tutors and nannies and stuff to bring them on the road, so we wouldn't be apart, because I was just afraid I was always going to lose them. And as that changed and I started to become a better human being, started to understand my own life, I wanted them there for much better reasons: to share the joy of it with me. And so they went from going — they were always there, but the reasons for them being there and what they were getting from being there changed dramatically. And so, in the end — because my kids naturally grew up and went into music, and Jane became a musician and a singer as well, but they learned that it was all about the joy, and not about the running and the hiding. And it wasn't just about the wildness and about bravado; it was about growing up and baring your soul to people, and making a connection with someone and walking away feeling like you belong. And for me, for my children, for Ruby [Rodgers, who also appears in Future Council], my grandchildren, to feel that connection with an audience is, I think, it's probably one of the best gifts I could have given her in life — to feel that she can connect to people and connect with her own soul. When she started singing, she's done her first record, and it was nothing like any of us singing. It's just really sweet and beautiful. But we weren't all pushing her and telling her what to do. She just did it on her own. And she's found his voice, and she's found this direction that she wants to sing and the way she wants to communicate, which is really beautiful. But it was just because she was allowed, nurtured and it was encouraged that she find her own voice. And I think that's one of the great gifts that we've been able to share in this family. And so they're all a part of this film, because they're all a part of my life and our lives are so entwined. Sometimes, for a while it was unhealthy, but now I think it's very healthy. I used to want Jane to be with me, of course because I love her, but also because I didn't ever want to lose her and I didn't want to be away and I didn't want to forget about her. Now it's just because I just adore her and we just want to be together all the time. So the reasons sorted themselves out. And I realise that being together even through the adversity, there was times where it was probably more dangerous than doing good, but it also helped keep us together." On How Barnes' Period of Reflection Has Inspired New Projects "For a start, being healthier and straight and focused, I just have so much time. I'm hyperactive anyway, but obviously when I was medicating myself and drinking myself to a standstill all the time, it was hard to pick myself up to just even sing. Nowadays, I'm so healthy. I was up at 7am this morning swimming laps. But I feel so healthy and so good. I just wake up and go 'right, what am I going to do now?'. And I've got the cookbook coming out this October. I've written two kids books in the last few months for a couple of my grandkids, in at the publishers now. I've started writing more short stories. I've also started, last year or the year before, I started writing a novel, which I'm in the process of rewriting that. I've got new songs that I've written for the next record. I have to slow down because you really can't put three records in a year. People will go really crazy. But I'm just enjoying having the time and the energy to focus and do things that are creative and that are inspiring." [caption id="attachment_1018402" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Boud[/caption] On Making Music That's Built Into Australia's Identity "I think we're very lucky that we're a pretty real working-class band, really. It's a mixed bag actually, like Steve [Prestwich] and myself and Ian [Moss] — Ian comes from Alice Springs, he's a country boy; Phil [Small] was sort of middle working class; Steve and I were real working-class families. Don [Walker] was sort of the outsider. His family were writers and are writers, and were really beautiful writers. But Don wrote, he was a voyeur a bit, of life. And he looked at life and the lives that we had and wrote songs about them. So I was lucky enough and we were lucky enough as a band that we wrote songs, that he was writing, that were influenced by us and influenced by what he's seeing around him. And those songs were so good they've connected with people. Our songs aren't about driving in your limousines or whatever. They were songs that were real earthy, and people connected to them. And I found songs like that, songs like 'Khe Sanh', songs like 'Flame Trees' — I could go on, there's a list of them all the way through. 'One Long Day'. Songs about people who just work in an office trying to get through the week, so they can have a nice time of the weekend with their girl or something. Those songs connected with people. And over the years, the songs have become part of people's lives. We've been around for 50 years. We never changed. Cold Chisel was always a band, and same with me, people can walk up and say hello to you. We don't have security. For a while I had security, because it was to keep me from people, because I was too wild. But Cold Chisel have always been approachable. They're always a meat-and-potatoes band. We're like the people we play for. And I think that made us connect with, that band, with those people. And the songs are just — sometimes it really it brings tears to my eyes, because people come up and say 'I buried my father to your songs', 'I danced at my wedding to 'Flame Trees'', 'I danced at my bar mitzvah', whatever it was. All these different things and people, these songs were part of their lives, and that's something that we don't take for granted. That's something that anytime we start to get a bit uppity, we remember this is why we play — to be connected to this society, to the people that we love so closely. And I think a lot of that has to do with the quality of songs." On Barnes' Longevity, Including His Current Prolific Period "I think it's a real blessing. I think one of the reasons why that happens is, as much as Cold Chisel went away for a while, we always all worked. We always stayed connected to our audience, to the music we love. And one of the things I tell young musicians is just 'keep doing it because you love it. Some things are going to be successful, some things aren't. And if you just keep doing them, people connect, come and go'. And I feel, we've made maybe 50 records or something, or something more, and they've not all connected. But some of the ones that haven't connected are really special to me. So if you make music for the right reasons, and you put your heart into it and you put your soul into it, and you're committed, people connect with you and I think you'll always have a career. And the thing is, I'll always have a career because I'll sing till the day I die. Whether I'm selling records or not is another story, but that's what brings me joy, is singing." Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Man screens at the 2025 Melbourne International Film Festival. MIFF 2025 runs from Thursday, August 7–Sunday, August 24 at a variety of venues around Melbourne; from Friday, August 15–Sunday, August 17 and Friday, August 22–Sunday, August 24 in regional Victoria; and online nationwide from Friday, August 15–Sunday, August 31. For further details, visit the MIFF website.
Since April, Melbourne's Australian Centre for the Moving Image has been celebrating femininity across screen history at world-premiere showcase Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion. On offer: an exhibition focusing on ladies in cinema and television, including examining how women are represented, championing standout talents, exploring how depictions and expectations have changed, and unpacking what female talents have symbolised — and been forced to deal with — about and from the society around them. Head by any time until Sunday, October 1 and that's what awaits. It's both a massive and a landmark exhibition. More than 150 original costumes, objects, artworks, props and sketches are gracing the Federation Square venue's walls and halls, all heroing oh-so-many women and their impact. Make a date between Friday, August 4–Sunday, August 13, however, and you'll get discounted entry. Across the ten days, ACMI is slinging tickets for just $10 — and cheap bookings are available online We're the country that gave the world Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie, to name just a few renowned Australian actresses owning the silver screen in recent years, so of course we're the country that's spearheading this exhibition. Among a lineup that spans threads that've never been displayed before, various cinematic trinkets, large-scale projections and other interactive experiences, attendees can check out odes to Marlene Dietrich in 1930's Morocco, Pam Grier's spectacular Blaxploitation career, Tilda Swinton in 1992's Orlando and the aforementioned Robbie via 2020's Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). Plus, there's Mae West's sky-high heels from 1934's Belle of the Nineties, as well as Michelle Yeoh's fight-ready silks from 2000's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The list goes on, clearly, covering Anna May Wong, Marilyn Monroe, Laverne Cox and Zendaya as well. And, everything from Glenn Close's Cruella de Vil in 102 Dalmatians to the Carey Mulligan-starring Promising Young Woman also gets time to shine. Images: Eugene Hyland Photography.
He turned the world's most famous shipwreck into one of biggest movies in history and reinvented 3D filmmaking to make another box office behemoth — and now James Cameron is bringing the ocean's depths to Sydney. Making its world premiere at Sydney's Australian National Maritime Museum from May 29, 2018 until January 30, 2019, James Cameron – Challenging the Deep will dive deep into the Titanic and Avatar director's rather expensive hobby: deep-sea exploration. When you make a movie about a necklace called the Heart of the Ocean, becoming obsessed with the sea is understandable, and Cameron has quite the array of artefacts, specimens, underwater recordings, inventions, cinema-scale projections, and film props and costumes to prove it. They'll all be on display, in a showcase that examines the filmmaker's passion for understanding and wading through our oceans. According to the The Sydney Morning Herald, Cameron himself will be in attendance to open the exhibition — taking a break from making four (yes, four) Avatar sequels. And if you're wondering why he's launching his latest project here, it could have something to do with his custom-built Deepsea Challenger submersible, which was made in Sydney. Back in 2012, Cameron piloted the vessel to the Mariana Trench, a cool 10,994 metres below the sea and also the deepest part of the ocean, becoming the first person to venture there solo. You might've seen a documentary about his efforts, 2014's Deepsea Challenge 3D, which is just one of the many movies to chart his fascination with what lurks beneath. After kicking things off with 1989's The Abyss, he not only sent Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio running around the RMS Titanic, but made his own documentary about exploring its real-life ruins, aka 2003's Ghosts of the Abyss. Expect The Abyss and Titanic to feature heavily in the exhibition. James Cameron – Challenging the Deep will display at Sydney's Australian National Maritime Museum from May 29, 2018 until January 30, 2019. For more information, visit the exhibition website. Image:NOAA/Institute for Exploration/University of Rhode Island via Wikimedia Commons.
The stars on The Real Housewives of New York City are all more than a little extra — it comes with the territory. Yet, Countess Luann's larger-than-life personality rises above even the most eccentric characters that capture the imaginations of audiences around the globe. Now, Luann de Lesseps is giving the inside scoop on RHONY, as she offers fans a behind-the-scenes look at the show's most iconic moments. Messy, over-the-top, entertaining and endearing, this tea-spilling experience will deliver unparalleled goss from multiple angles. With Lu-Niverse taking over the Melbourne Recital Centre from 7.30pm on Monday, February 23, 2026, the show kicks off with a moderated visual walk down RHONY memory lane. Then, it's time for housewives trivia and an unfiltered audience Q&A, where no question is too outrageous to ask. There's no shortage of tales to cover, with Countess Luann's expansive career spanning life as a television icon, recording artist and celebrated cabaret entertainer. Plus, this one-night affair is bound to have you leaving with even more of Luann's unforgettable one-liners stuck in your head.
