UPDATE, Thursday, October 5: Zach Bryan's Australian show has now been moved to Flemington Racecourse due to demand. Not content with bringing Christina Aguilera to Australia for a one-off Down Under show, and boasting exclusive Eric Prydz and Jai Paul gigs as well, Victoria's statewide music celebration Always Live has added country music megastar Zach Bryan to its 2023 bill. The 17-day festival will now feature the biggest name in the genre right now, taking to the stage at St Kilda's Catani Gardens. The 'Something in the Orange' singer will head to Melbourne on Saturday, December 9 for an openair gig that'll give the Oologah, Oklahoma native's 2022 American Heartbreak album a hefty spin. Although he released two records prior — 2019's DeAnn and 2020's Elisabeth — his third album marked his major-label debut, and also the reason that Bryan has become such a sensation. Among Bryan's recent feats, American Heartbreak premiered in the top spot on America's Billboard 200. 'Something in the Orange' has now stayed in the charts longer than any single by a male country artist. In Australia, Bryan has earned that same achievement in the ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart for all country artists. And his streaming numbers? In excess of 6.8 billion worldwide. Yellowstone viewers will also know him from popping up in the western series. As he's been taking his American Heartbreak tour around the US — including stops at Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits — Bryan has been smashing attendance records, too. In his first-ever Australian stint, he'll also have tracks from his latest album to play, with the self-titled Zach Bryan releasing in August. Among the tunes: collaborations with Kacey Musgraves, The Lumineers, The War and Treaty, and Sierra Ferrell. Being brought Down Under by Untitled Group, which is also behind Beyond The Valley, Pitch Music & Arts, Grapevine Gathering, Wildlands and Ability Fest, Bryan's just-announced spot on the Always Live bill is his only currently scheduled gig in Australia. The statewide music celebration's full lineup includes more than 165 artists at 60-plus events — all, of course, in Victoria. Always Live 2023 runs from Friday, November 24–Sunday, December 10, with one pre-festival gig on Saturday, October 14. For more information, and to get tickets, head to the festival website. Zach Bryan will play St Kilda's Catani Gardens on Saturday, December 9, with pre sales from 12pm AEDT on Thursday, October 5 and general sales from 12pm AEDT on Friday, October 6.
Generally well-regarded, Australian owned and operated Coopers Brewery has come under fire this week for their involvement in this painfully uncomfortable Bible Society video. The video depicts two Liberal Party MPs, Andrew Hastie and Tim Wilson, discussing marriage equality in a 'lighthearted way', washing it down with a few ice-cold bottles of Coopers Light. Yeesh. If you're confused how Coopers got roped up in such a casually offensive and poorly executed pun, the sad news is that they pretty much tied the noose themselves. As a congratulatory gift to the Bible Society's bicentenary this year, Coopers released a collaboration limited edition light beer which features the Christian non-profit's logo and Bible verses on each case — 10,000 of them, to be exact. The brewery — which is family-run and openly Christian — and their association with the Bible Society flew under the radar until the society's 'Keeping it Light' campaign went live over the weekend, which is meant to showcase "light discussion on the heaviest topics". The Bible Society's somewhat haphazard video (which, it must be noted, Coopers has claimed they had no involvement in) acts as the first in a planned series using the Coopers Light beer as a gateway for their 'light' discussion. Shortly after the video was released, The Sydney Morning Herald published these statements by the two MPs, who seemed to find nothing wrong with the video's content. With 64 percent of Australian's in support of marriage equality, the video came across as patronising and flippant to a large chunk of the public who feel same-sex marriage shouldn't be a debate at all. Coopers' involvement with the video is questionable. Their first response was a sort-of apologetic statement essentially defending the video's content, saying it was "a lighthearted but balanced debate about an important topic". When this did not quell the backlash and boycotts, they then released a second statement claiming that they "did not give permission for [their] Premium Light beer to feature in, or 'sponsor' the Bible Society's 'Keeping it Light' video". The Bible Society has since released their own statement backing up this claim, stating that they were "entirely responsible" for the video and that no money changed hands in regards to the campaign. Twitter, not surprisingly, exploded. The hashtag #BoycottCoopers has taken over social media over the last few days, with consumers and venues alike speaking out. Venues across the country are pulling Coopers stock from their bars, including Sydney's Hollywood Hotel and Newtown Hotel and Melbourne's Old Bar and Sircuit/Mollies Bar & Diner — the latter of which posted this video of their GM throwing all their Coopers stock into the bin. Whatever their involvement with the production of the video, it doesn't look like Coopers is getting out of this one anytime soon. It certainly muddies the waters in relation to how religious groups and brands can influence consumers and secular institutions — particularly as Coopers has been a donor to the Liberal Party in the past, which not one, but both MPs in the video belong to.
When the Mr Black Festival of the Espresso Martini first hit Melbourne in 2016, caffeinated cocktail lovers rejoiced — and forgot all about sleep for a few days. It's far from surprising that the fest is back for another round of chilled coffee and vodka. Best get some rest now because you won't in November. After last year's event expanded from one to three days due to demand, the 2017 iteration knows it'll need to spread out its buzzing boozy fun from the outset. Taking over North Melbourne's Meat Market from November 3 to 5, it'll serve up six different bar areas, a range of workshops and classes, food aplenty, live music from Australian musicians and, yes, the drink in question. Thanks to the fine folks at NSW cold-pressed (and damn fine) coffee liqueur brand Mr Black, attendees can try espresso martinis topped with doughnuts, other variations on the tasty cocktail and even white russian slushies. A garden tiki bar and hidden speakeasy will also boast their own range of special tipples, while a gin and tonic bar will offer a reprieve from the coffee — if that's what you feel you need. Holgate Brewing's beer will also provide a non-espresso option. With Fancy Hank's, Zeus Street Greek Food, That Arancini Guy, Toasta & Co and Butter Mafia on food duties, there'll be a range of eats to help line the stomach (and soak up the caffeine). Tickets start at $30 + booking fee, with multiple sessions running each day. Entry includes a Mr Black tasting on arrival, and if you head along to the brunch slot from 10.30am until 2pm on November 4, you'll also get brunch and your first espresso martini included. The Mr Black Festival of the Espresso Martini takes place from November 3 to 5 at Meat Market, 5 Blackwood Street, Melbourne. For more information or to buy tickets, head to espressomartinifest.com.
Huge birthday, huge program, huge list of reasons to spend an entire year at the Sydney Opera House. Come October 2023, the iconic Australian venue will reach its 50th birthday, and it's doing what everyone does when it hits a massive milestone: celebrating for as long as possible. In fact, the Opera House is dedicating 12 whole months to its 50th-anniversary shenanigans, starting a year in advance. From October 2022, the acclaimed Sydney Harbour venue will kick off the festivities in the most fitting way — with From the Sails: Light Years, a nightly projection series featuring new art by Sam Doust and Art Processors, which'll adorn the structure's famous sails from Wednesday, October 19–Sunday, 30. Obviously, that's just the beginning of a hefty program, with the already-announced Amadeus starring Michael Sheen taking over the site's newly revamped Concert Hall from Tuesday, December 27, 2022–Saturday, January 21, 2023, too. Also on the bill: a full lineup that spans 230-plus performances, events and experiences, covering outdoor concerts, community events, First Nations storytelling, tours, public art, exhibitions and more, and happening in the venue's theatres, on its forecourt and online. From Thursday, October 20–Sunday, 30, that includes From the Steps: Voices at Dusk, which'll see local community choirs — as curated by resident company Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' Artistic Director Brett Weymark OAM — sing free open-air choral performances on the Opera House steps. Also outdoors, this time running from Thursday, November 10–Saturday, November 19, is a concert series at the Opera House's forecourt featuring Tim Minchin, New Zealand's Fat Freddy's Drop and two shows by Vance Joy. There'll be two free gigs, too — one dedicated to Yolŋu music and culture with Djakapurra Munyarryun, Dhapanbal Yunupingu, the Andrew Gurruwiwi Band and more on the lineup, and another that'll see Ngaiire and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra join forces. [caption id="attachment_871449" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ngaiire[/caption] While Sydney Opera House hasn't unveiled the full program yet, with further events set to be announced in the coming months, the rest of the lineup so far features two big festivals: Inside/Out at the House and Open House Festival. The first will arrive at the beginning of May 2023, heroing performances by the London Symphony Orchestra, Australian Ballet, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and Australian Chamber Orchestra. Each show will take place inside either the Concert Hall or the Joan Sutherland Theatre, but you'll also be able to watch in the forecourt, where they'll be broadcast to an openair cinema setup. At the second, Open House Festival will live up to its name across the entire month of October 2023. That means hosting performances, events and activities in every part of the Opera House, and also holding an open day where attendees can go exploring. [caption id="attachment_871446" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ken Leanfore[/caption] Plus, Bangarra Dance Theatre will unveil the world premiere of a new production in June 2023, under incoming Artistic Director Frances Rings. Sydney Theatre Award-winning play The Visitors will receive a new staging, directed by Quandamooka man Wesley Enoch — and the Opera House will present Blak & Deadly: The First Nations Gala Concert in conjunction with Sydney WorldPride 2023. Also, the Central Australian Aboriginal Women's Choir (CAAWC) — which hails from six remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory — will unleash their vocals in the Concert Hall, German operatic tenor Jonas Kaufmann and an international cast will perform La Gioconda, and Mad Scenes by Jessica Pratt will showcase the Australian talent. [caption id="attachment_871445" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Boud[/caption] Marking a full-circle moment given that it was part of the Opera House's opening in 1973, Sydney Dance Company will stage three works. And, there'll be a revamped Opera House tour that highlights past performances and historic moments. Clearly, this year-long party is going to be massive — it's supported by the NSW Government's Blockbuster Funding initiative, and 'blockbuster' is the right word for it. [caption id="attachment_871453" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Prudence Upton[/caption] Sydney Opera House's 50th anniversary program kicks off in October 2022 and runs for a year. For more information, head to the Sydney Opera House website. Top images: Prudence Upton / Keith Saunders / Anna Kacera.
When the latest version of Mulan starts its story, it does so with a crucial piece of narration that clearly signals the movie's intentions. "There have been many tales of the great warrior Mulan, but ancestors, this one is mine," Hua Mulan's father Zhou (Tzi Ma, The Farewell) advises the audience. Most viewers know the titular character's name from Disney's 1998 animated musical. The Mouse House is behind this new film, too, as part of its growing stable of live-action remakes of its own past hits (see: everything from Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast to Aladdin and The Lion King). But Mulan circa 2020 isn't interested in slavishly recreating the company's last take on the tale frame by frame, just with flesh and blood rather than illustrations — instead, it's smartly interested in retelling the Chinese legend in a rousing and vibrant way. As first transcribed in the Ballad of Mulan in the sixth century, the story of Hua Mulan holds a considerable place in history — and it is easy to understand why. When her elderly and ailing father is conscripted to serve in the Imperial Army, with no son of an acceptable age to take his place, Mulan steals his armour and sneaks off to join the forces for him. To do so, she disguises herself as a man, which none of her colleagues or superiors suspect. The fact that she has considerable martial arts, swordplay and archery skills assists, of course, but Mulan's kindly subterfuge sees her become a formidable and respected warrior who helps save her kingdom. With Whale Rider and The Zookeeper's Wife's Niki Caro in the director's chair, Mulan covers the expected tale; it wouldn't be a Mulan movie otherwise. But this story first fought its way across the big screen in a 1927 silent film, and has been no stranger to the page, stage or cinema over the past 93 years — so just repeating the 1998 movie really would've been the laziest option. Accordingly, the feature's four writers (Jurassic World's Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, plus Christmas Perfection's Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek) aren't afraid to wrangle their own version of the narrative, and Caro doesn't shy away from imparting a specific tone and focus either. Where its animated predecessor played the situation in a lighthearted but still respectful manner (think: talking dragons, cricket sidekicks and lively songs about arranged marriage), this iteration adopts a weightier mood, stressing the significance of its protagonist's journey at every turn. Cue details both familiar and new, including ditching the aforementioned Eddie Murphy-voiced dragon for a symbolism-laden (and mute) phoenix, scrapping the romantic subplot with Mulan's commander and delving into the treatment of women in multiple ways. As the Emperor's (Jet Li) military battles invading northerners led by the revenge-seeking Böri Khan (Jason Scott Lee, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny), Mulan (Liu Yifei, Once Upon a Time) not only fights alongside her peers and tries to keep her secret from her mentor (Donnie Yen, the IP Man franchise) and her rival (Yoson An, Mortal Engines), but also comes up against shapeshifting sorceress Xianniang (Gong Li, Memoirs of a Geisha). Mulan isn't very subtle about juxtaposing the two women's plights — nuance is rarely Disney's specialty — but the comparison is always moving. And, with Liu serving up a quieter, more stoic performance and Gong getting a showier part as the outcast on the other side, they offer something that the company's movies aren't always known for: multiple visions of femininity, even in a story that literally tasks its lead with pretending to be male. As a result, Mulan feels like it's forging its own path even when it does hit recognisable notes, either from the 1998 film or from general cinematic tropes. Its central figure is given an almost superhero-esque origin story, involving her innate ability, or qi, because Disney is also the home of Marvel and Star Wars — but in charting her quest to succeed, the film never merely drums to the requisite beats. This version of Mulan was always going to heighten the inspirational angle, too, to rightly reflect today's attitudes; however the emotions it earns are genuine. When a coming-of-age story about a determined young woman defying the shackles of her gender and her culture in a groundbreaking way is treated thoughtfully and intelligently, it's always going to evoke a reaction. While viewers will be watching Mulan on a small-screen — after the feature was originally scheduled to play in cinemas in March, had its date delayed several times until July and August due to COVID-19, then opted for a streaming release via Disney+ instead — there's no missing the movie's visible spectacle, too. Australian cinematographer Mandy Walker (The Mountain Between Us, Hidden Figures) delivers a sweeping feast of lush imagery across a plethora of landscapes, and lenses energetic wuxia-inspired combat action as well. Indeed, this is one of Disney's most sumptuous-looking remakes, and one of its better examples in general anyway. The chasm between the company's best do-overs (Pete's Dragon, The Jungle Book) and its worst (Alice in Wonderland, particularly) is considerable, but this big-hearted, captivating and striking film easily falls into the first category. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK8FHdFluOQ Mulan is available to stream via Disney+ from Friday, September 4, for an extra price of AU$34.99/NZD$39.99 on top of your regular Disney+ subscription. It'll join the service for no extra fee from December 4. Top image: Jasin Boland. © 2019 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Calling all Parks and Recreation, Succession, Pulp and Exit West fans of Melbourne — you now have an exciting September date with Melbourne Writers Festival. The city's annual literary fest won't reveal its full program until late July, ahead of its spring arrival; however, it has just announced quite the impressive first batch of international guests. On the bill: Parks and Recreation, Obvious Child, I Want You Back and Everything Everywhere All At Once star, and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On author Jenny Slate; Logan Roy himself, aka Succession actor Brian Cox; Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker; and bestselling Moth Smoke, The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Exit West writer Mohsin Hamid. They'll each take part in sessions that survey their work and careers — which means they'll all have plenty to talk about. Slate, Cox and Hamid are all physically heading to Melbourne, too, now that that's a possibility again. As for Cocker, he'll livestream in from the UK. [caption id="attachment_756726" align="alignnone" width="1920"] HBO[/caption] From Slate, expect to hear about her on-screen work, her bestselling book Little Weirds, and also the process of bring Marcel the Shell with Shoes On to the big screen. Cox recently released a memoir called Putting the Rabbit in the Hat, so that's what his chat will cover — including deconstructing his phenomenal work on one of the best shows currently on TV. Via live link, Cocker won't be singing Pulp's hits — but he will be discussing his music, as well as his book Good Pop, Bad Pop. It's a guide to the objects that mean the most to him, and the experiences as well, so expect plenty of behind-the-tunes insights. [caption id="attachment_859193" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jillian Edelstein.[/caption] Hamid's session will focus on his latest work, The Last White Man, which has been attracting acclaim — as the Booker-shortlisted Exit West and The Reluctant Fundamentalist also did. His new tome is taken from his own experiences after September 11, as a "brown-skinned man with a Muslim surname". If all of this sounds familiar, the same quartet have just been announced on Sydney Opera House's Antidote lineup, which is livestreaming its sessions — but Melburnians can now attend MWF's counterparts in-person. Melbourne Writers Festival will run from Thursday, September 8–Sunday, September 11 at a variety of venues around Melbourne, with the full program announced on Wednesday, July 27. Tickets for the fest's first headline events are on sale from Tuesday, June 28. Top image: Katie McCurdy.
Some events are worth locking into your diary regardless of who's playing and what's brightening up the place, and Parrtjima — A Festival In Light is one of them. An annual favourite in Alice Springs, the Indigenous arts, culture and storytelling festival just might be Australia's most luminous event, as attendees will learn when it returns from Friday, April 7–Sunday, April 16. Parrtjima announced its 2023 dates last year, and also outlined its theme — 'Listening with Heart' — plus some of the light-heavy artworks that folks can look forward to. Now, it has dropped two further details: the list of musicians taking to its stages, as well as a sneak peek at what this year's installations will look like. The music bill overflows with First Nations talent, including Docker River Band, Eastern Reggae Band, Emily Wurramara, JK-47, KAIIT, Karnage and Paul Ah Chee. They'll be joined by Radical Son, Richard J Frankland, Discovering Leerpeen Mara, Rowdy Birds, The Andrew Gurruwiwi Band and The Merindas across the ten days — and with a range of dazzling backdrops. "Parrtjima is a unique experience of large-scale light installations combined with a fascinating program of not just music but also talks, workshops and film," said Northern Territory Major Events Company CEO Suzana Bishop, with the organisation delivering the event on behalf of the Northern Territory Government. "As well as being visually stunning, Parrtjima offers so many other experiences, and the chance to see some of Australia's leading Indigenous artists perform. Combined with the unique tourism offerings available in the Red Centre, Parrtjima is not to be missed." Parrtjima's 2023 theme is inspired by the artwork surrounding the Statement from the Heart. That piece depicts Uluru-Ku Tjukurrpa, the Uluru story of connection, and was created by a group of artists from Multijulu as led by Maruku artist Rene Kulitja. So, Kulitja will work with other of artists for Parrtjima to turn the Statement from the Heart artwork into a large-scale immersive light and sound installation. That means that Parrtjima attendees will find themselves plunged in the world of the Aṉangu people of the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands surrounding Uluru. The idea is to feature ancient songlines, plus Indigenous viewpoints on Country, as well as connecting to First Peoples' strong links with the land, water and sky. Two things that'll also be on the bill: two of the festival's regular annual attraction, aka a huge artwork that transforms a 2.5-kilometre stretch of the majestic, 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges, showering it with light each night of the festival; and Grounded, the installation projected over the red dirt at tourism and conservation facility Alice Springs Desert Park. Free to attend, Parrtjima is just one of Northern Territory's two glowing attractions in 2023, with Australia's Red Centre lighting up in multiple ways. The festival is a nice supplement to Bruce Munro's Field of Light installation, which — after multiple extensions — is now on display indefinitely. PARRTJIMA — A FESTIVAL IN LIGHT 2023 MUSIC LINEUP: Docker River Band Eastern Reggae Band, Emily Wurramara JK-47 KAIIT Karnage (DJ) Karnage n Darknis Paul Ah Chee Radical Son Richard J Frankland Discovering Leerpeen Mara Rowdy Birds (DJ) The Andrew Gurruwiwi Band The Merindas Parrtjima – A Festival in Light will run from Friday, April 7–Sunday, April 16, 2023 around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. For more information, visit the festival website. 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.
Since he first hit the big screen in two wildly different 1995 movies, Clueless and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, the seemingly ageless Paul Rudd has spent time in plenty of imaginations. Who hasn't filled seconds, minutes or hours thinking about how Baz Luhrmann chose him as the unwanted romantic alternative in Romeo + Juliet, or how nothing Wet Hot American Summer-related would be the same without him? Who hasn't pondered how Rudd was ideally cast as Ant-Man, and also in both Parks and Recreation and Only Murders in the Building, too? Given how far the actor's resume stretches on around all of those projects, there's always a reason to have Rudd on the brain. Writer/director Alex Scharfman initially met him after penning a screenplay called The Cats of Baxley, then had a Rudd-centric idea pop into his head: the extremely likeable actor killing a unicorn. Getting one of the most-beloved actors currently working to slay one of the most-cherished mythical creatures there is: now that's quite the concept for anyone's mind to conjure up, and also quite the unique way to start a film. That movie is Death of a Unicorn, the A24-backed genre mashup that kicks off with a widowed father and his college-aged daughter — Elliot and Ridley Kintner, played by Rudd (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) and Jenna Ortega (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice) — stunned that they've accidentally hit one of the titular creatures. They're also in shock that such a critter is real. The pair are meant to be on a business trip to the Canadian Rockies, to the estate owned by Elliot's boss, who is in pharmaceuticals and loaded as a result. Elliot sees the getaway as way to boost his career; Ridley would rather be anywhere else. A unicorn encounter isn't something that can just be shaken, though — especially if a billionaire can monetise it, and if nature isn't fond of being messed with. Scharfman's debut feature is a monster movie about unicorns, so a film firmly in the horror-comedy mould. It's an eat-the-rich satire, too. Death of a Unicorn plays with viewer expectations of a picture with Rudd at its core, getting someone so adored for so long portraying a man who constantly makes terrible decisions. Equally, it tasks Ortega with being the film's emotional and empathetic centre as the person instantly attuned to the unicorns, and to the fact that every choice being made around her is wrong (and driven by chasing cash and power). With a killer cast that also spans Richard E Grant (The Franchise) as pharma company head Odell Leopold, Téa Leoni (Madam Secretary) as his wife Belinda and Will Poulter (Black Mirror) as their son Shepard — as well as Anthony Carrigan (Barry) and Jessica Hynes (Am I Being Unreasonable?) among the clan's hired help, plus Sunita Mani (Fantasmas) and Steve Park (Mickey 17) as scientists — it's also a playful creature feature that digs into unicorn lore alongside class structures and hierarchies, commodifying nature, plus capitalism, colonialism and imperialism. That all sprang from the flick's first scene materialising in Scharfman's imagination, then from the filmmaker's deep dive into the mythology surrounding the fabled one-horned animals — and realising what those stories say about society, not merely centuries back but also now. The picture works The Unicorn Tapestries from the Middle Ages into the plot prominently, courtesy of Ridley studying art history; however, as the Leopolds, especially the dying Odell, focus on potential miracle cures and the big bucks that their wealthy peers would pay for them, that's just one of the director's touchpoints. As always evident to Death of a Unicorn's audience, Scharfman has followed the path that his unicorn research has taken him down— through tales typically "about a lord, it's about a king, a nobleman, sending out their court, all their servants, the people who have no choice in the matter, the people who have to do it, and sending them out into nature to capture the uncapturable, so that this this object of purity, this resource, can be owned and possessed and commodified", he tells Concrete Playground — and found modern-day parallels in the pharmaceutical realm. He's interrogating commodification not just of nature and animals, but resources, knowledge, medicine, health and life-saving treatment, and tearing into the imbalance in access that comes with it. That said, never forgetting the type of movie that he's crafting, Scharfman has equally gleaned inspiration from a wealth of films and TV shows, resulting in a mix of Jaws, Jurassic Park, Succession, ET the Extra-Terrestrial, The Creature From the Black Lagoon, Evil Dead, The Rules of the Game, John Carpenter flicks, Korean cinema and more as clear influences. Before dreaming of Rudd dispensing with unicorns, and before turning that idea into a cinematic reality in a SXSW-premiering picture, Scharfman started solidifying his filmmaking voice by writing and directing his own shorts — and also producing features. Keep the Lights On, Selah and the Spades, Resurrection, House of Spoils: they're just some of the projects that he's been involved in. How did that background assist with Death of a Unicorn? Did Scharfman ever imagine a version of his directorial debut without Rudd? How crucial is Ortega in grounding the feature's chaos, and how pivotal is the scene-stealing Poulter in helping set the comedic tone? We chatted to Death of a Unicorn's guiding force about all of that, coming up with the initial concept, his research, that huge lineup of inspirations and more. On Conjuring Up the Concept for the Film — and for Starting It with Paul Rudd Killing a Unicorn "The first thing I thought of in the movie is the opening sequence. A family kills a unicorn, and a father and daughter specifically, then need to put it out of its misery — for lack of a better turn of phrase. So that was always the initial intention, and that was where the movie started for me. Then it grew out of that seed and that premise and that idea, not knowing where it was going to go, and it took the shape that it did hopefully organically. And I also wrote that role for Paul. So they were both always the plan. Paul is incredibly likeable. And Paul is, frustratingly — he's likeable as a performer, and he's frustratingly likeable as a person, too, because you want to find something wrong with him and he doesn't have it. He's just an incredibly at-peace, generous, kind person. And there was something that I thought was interesting on a narrative level of making him unlikeable, because I think he has this inherent likeability, and that we could tolerate a lot of bad behaviour from him and wait until he comes around, or hope that he comes around, to become the Paul Rudd who we love. So I think there was something that was interesting to me about veiling that Paul Rudd we know and love, and shrouding him in anxiety and stress at the beginning of the movie — and telling you 'he's going to become the Paul Rudd we love by the end of the movie, but he's not going to be that guy at the beginning of the movie', and to give him an arc to become that. And I think that came through, I hope, in this sense of this character who's had some misfortunes — the universe has thrown him some curveballs, and he's gotten some bad luck along the way — and what that might do to someone to start ratcheting up their anxiety with financial, personal, otherwise, in a way where they're always trying to look ahead at what might go wrong. The real Paul Rudd has had an incredibly blessed life and is a really sweet person, and is totally present and in the moment and wonderful. And the thought was 'well, how we get the opposite of that to that place?'. And so, yeah, I thought it was an interesting challenge to weaponise Paul Rudd's likeability." On Always Imagining Rudd in the Lead — and the Journey That That Key Piece of Casting Takes Audiences On "The hope was to understand why he's making bad decisions, and to understand his moral compromise and the perspective of moral relativism that he's had to adopt as a means of coping with the world, navigating his way through the world, and also providing for his daughter — who I think he's taken a very literal approach to 'how do I be a good parent?'. It's 'I provide for her and that's what I'm supposed to do, and as long as I have amassed enough financial security, then anything that comes our way, we'll be able to tackle and address as best we can'. Because they've had, as I said before, he's been kicked in the teeth from the universe before. Things have happened to him that were no one's fault that just sort of happened, and that happens to people. And I think that that gave him a certain kind of limp, that's an invisible limp that he walks with for the rest of his life until the events of this movie — and he hopefully shakes that limp. But in terms of 'was it ever anyone else?', no. I always liked the idea of it being this morally compromised lawyer, because I think something interesting about lawyers is that's a skillset that could be applied in any direction. And there's something interesting about the nature of the legal system and that everyone's entitled to representation, even guilty people. There's a certain moral vacuum. That's literally what they refer to it as, lawyers: the moral vacuum, a place where you don't make a moral judgment. And I thought that was always an interesting perspective to have for a protagonist. And usually I feel like the lawyer in Jurassic Park was killed quite unceremoniously, and I thought it would be interesting to say 'what if that guy was the hero?'. Or I thought a lot about the actress who's married to Kenneth Lonergan [Manchester by the Sea], who played Gerri in Succession, who's so great: J Smith-Cameron [Hacks]. I was like 'oh, what if she was the lead of a movie, that character?'. And so was it ever not that? I always hoped it would be Paul. I certainly entertained 'well, what if Paul says no'. And I thought about other people in the role if I had to, but thankfully he said yes and I never had to." On the Wide Range of Influences, From Succession and Jurassic Park to ET and Korean Cinema, That Helped Inspire Death of a Unicorn "I wish I could say that the tone was something I thought about and meditated on for a long time. It always felt like that was just the expression of the movie to me. I think unicorns are, in our consciousness, magical, in a way that they're not just monsters. You can't treat a unicorn like a xenopmorh, because I don't think then you're treating a unicorn — you can make a horror movie that features unicorns that isn't a unicorn horror movie, if that makes sense. You want to be true to the emotional associations that we all have with unicorns, to make sure that you're doing justice to that for all the unicorn lovers out there and for everyone who has a passive understanding of a unicorn that has a certain magical association. And so that sort of conjured, in my mind, a certain Amblin kind of magic — you know, that ET kind of way. And The Abyss also has that in spades, certainly. But then I also thought about subverting that, and that led me down a road of the Alien and Aliens and Evil Deads of the world. And An American Werewolf in London, certainly, too. So there was a lot of that hybridisation. But then at the end of the day, I was also thinking 'well, I don't think you could do a unicorn movie with a total straight face, as a unicorn horror movie. You have to be funny'. I think there has to be some awareness of the absurdity in that. I think if you just did that with a straight face, it would get real boring real fast. And so it kind of presented itself in this way, that it was like 'well, it's a monster movie' so it has to have these things like Jaws and Alien and Aliens, and those sort of movies — and Creature From the Black Lagoon and so forth. But then we have all this warmth associated with them. And so that brings in the ETs of the world. And there's a great Val Guest movie, The Abominable Snowman, which is wonderful and has these benevolent yeti monsters that are really interesting. And The Abyss, also again, to go back to that one, has these benevolent monsters, that it's on us not to fuck with them, you know? Like, they will decimate us if they decide to, but it's our prerogative to make sure they don't want to. So anyhow, these influences all coalesced, and I think it became clarified through a certain Korean sensibility — thinking about The Host or Train to Busan, or Thirst, which is a very different movie. But there's something about those movies, and I think a general Korean sensibility, is that they aren't afraid to combine influences and to swing, and to say 'we're going to be funny here and absurd, and then we're going to be scary over here, and then this emotionality is going to be building underneath all of that'. The Host is such a favourite movie of mine. It opens with Song Kang-ho [Cobweb] doing these brilliant pratfalls and physical comedy, and then it ends with this tragic loss at the end of the movie that's really heartbreaking. And then through the middle, it's almost like The Royal Tenenbaums on a monster hunt. It's this dysfunctional family of adult estranged siblings. And you're going 'wait, what? This movie does all of these things?'. And it has this anti-American, -colonial, -capitalist satire threaded through all that. And yet somehow I watch that movie and I'm like 'what a perfect movie'. My hope was when you watch those kind of movies — and Train to Busan is another one that contained zombies, action and high-concept, but also is a commentary about selfishness and self-interest, and then also this father-daughter story that makes me cry every time I watch it. There's something about that that's like, I don't know, somehow that has a spine that allows it move through all these zones. And I think if you commit to it, hopefully that's okay. So that's sort of what I was aspiring to do, I suppose." On Connecting Unicorn Lore and Mythology to Class Structures, Commodifying Nature, Colonialism and Capitalism "I outline a lot, so I try to accrue a lot of information and thoughts and research and material. John Houston has this great quote where he said 'don't start writing till you can't stop', and so I try to do that. So what I end up doing is, I end up thinking about things a lot. I very early on got to unicorn mythology, and I zeroed in on the Middle Ages — because I think the tapestries are brilliant, and I love them, beautiful pieces of art, but that's sort of when unicorn narratives became really cohesive and codified, in a way. Before that, there were unicorns, but they weren't in a traditional structure. And then in the Middle Ages, the hunt narratives became quite, not formulaic per se, but that was the archetypical unicorn story, it was about a unicorn hunt. And when I realised that, I was like 'oh, well this provides a basis for a parallel to a creature-feature structure', in the sense of those kind of James Cameron-y or Spielberg-y monster movies where very often they're on a hunt. That's what most of that second act of Alien is about. And same with almost the entirety of Aliens, that is about a monster hunt. And so that made a lot of sense to me. And again, that Val Guest Abominable Snowman, that's a monster-hunt movie. The Creature From the Black Lagoon: monster-hunt movie. There's a very traditional structure. But then when I started thinking about medieval unicorn mythology in a contemporary context, it also invites a lot of thought about class structure, and those are very much stories about social hierarchy. It's about a lord, it's about a king, a nobleman, sending out their court, all their servants, the people who have no choice in the matter, the people who have to do it, and sending them out into nature to capture the uncapturable, so that this this object of purity, this resource, can be owned and possessed and commodified. And so when I was like 'okay, well I'm updating unicorn mythology, unicorn myth', that's what the lore is. It's like, well, how could it not be about those things? And when you realise that unicorns were prized for their curative properties, it naturally invites a conversation with healthcare and pharmaceuticals. And so it's funny. How I like to write is just to find a string and start pulling and see where it leads me, and it seems like the story presented itself as being about class, about the social structures that we live in today and also about pharmaceuticals. And so it naturally provided this context to consider an oligarchic, industrialist family as if it was a former nobleman or noble lord's family with their fiefdom, but their fiefdom is an industry." On Enlisting Jenna Ortega to Be the Film's Emotional Centre, Audience Surrogate and Voice of Wisdom "I wrote the role and figured out the characters based on what the story was asking for and what their dynamics were, and then I got to the end of that process and we were like, with the studio, with A24, they're like 'let's start casting the movie'. And I realised, I was like 'holy shit, what have I done? Who can play this role?'. Ridley is such a challenging role because, yeah, she's the vehicle of exposition. She's the character who the audience identifies with. She's the most — I try not to write anyone as like a straight man, I think comedies are most fun when everyone has their own weird game that they're playing, but she's certainly among the most-grounded, probably. I think her and Anthony's character are the most grounded in terms of their perspective. And so, yeah, it's a really hard role to figure out. And I'm so fortunate, we only offered the role to one person and she said yes, and that person is Jenna Ortega. She's an absolutely just knockout performer. Every take is great. So I don't know, what did I have to do? I had to get lucky. I wrote Jenna a letter and I asked her to please be in my movie and save it. And she did. And so I just showed up every day and we'd talk about things a lot, but the truth is Jenna's just an incredible performer. She's so good. She's just one of those actors that you just point the camera at her, she's going to do it." On the Importance of Will Poulter's Comic Timing, and Ability to Lean Into His Character's Privilege and Obliviousness, to Help Set the Comedic Tone "Shep's voice was one that came off the page pretty early in the writing process, where it was hard not to keep writing for his voice. He's one of those characters that — and Will figured it out so beautifully — it's just a character that you just want to keep giving him stuff to say. You just want him to react. He's in a great position, too, as far as comic structure, in that he gets to react to a lot of things. He doesn't have to drive a lot of things. The scenes, he gets to just be present in them and be arrogant and lack any self-awareness. But Will totally landed it and nailed, I think, the tone. And did this amazing feat — that's a very heightened character that he somehow found an emotional centre for, and he grounded that character in a sense of, I think, inadequacy, and bravado around that inadequacy. And wanting to be told that he's enough as a person, trying to earn his parents' love and respect. And I think he, in doing so, built a character that's both heightened and yet grounded, and so both villainous and yet I kind of sympathise with him. I look at that character and I'm like 'oh, man, you've got into a bad situation where psychologically you've been put in this position that your parents have really done a number on you, and there's nothing you can do about it because it's all it's too late now, it's all locked in'. The dark humour of the movie and the pace of the jokes and dialogue all lives in the performance, and the Leopold family really gets to let that rip. They get to be unmoored. And Will totally got it. And Téa and Richard are also comic geniuses, I think, and totally understood the commitment to the bit. And I'm just so lucky they all chose to be in the movie." On How Scharfman's Experience as a Producer for Over a Decade Helped Him Make the Leap to Directing His First Feature "It was invaluable. I've worked as a producer for a long time. And it built up a comfort level on set. To be honest, when I started working in film, I wanted to be a writer and a producer, and I was a little bit scared of directing. It's a really daunting task, and I had, I hope, a respect for it, a reverence for it, that I don't think I could have — I didn't want to go out and be directing at the outset of my career, and I think I only gained that perspective over time, and the desire to do it as well, as I got more comfortable on set. So I would say producing the features that I have just built up my comfort level with the apparatus, of the machine, of a film set, which is such a specific working environment — and understanding how to problem-solve in that kind of context, how to be creative in that context, how to create the right environment. And that trickles into the writing in invisible ways, just the choices you make. I've seen filmmakers make great choices and I've seen filmmakers make choices they regret later. And not that any of those films that I made were dry runs or anything like that, those are films that I'm all proud of, but you just gain experience by being around an apparatus like that, by making movies and by being part of it. And I think I've gained a lot of experience. I've worked as a professional screenwriter for several years as well, not quite as long as I've been a professional producer, but you learn a tremendous amount by working in development on other scripts and by developing your own scripts simultaneously. So I like to think that it's just a holistic perspective. It's hard to isolate an experience that like 'this experience taught me that' — it's just all cumulative to become who you are and the lens through which you see the world. So I don't know exactly how, but I know it's helped me. I know I felt more comfortable on a set, and I know I've been around enough practical effects and stunts and things like that that I felt it was within my capacity to execute an execution-dependent film like this as my first feature. There's a lot to bite off in the film, but I don't think I would have been capable of doing that if I hadn't been building towards this over the course of over a decade of just learning about the filmmaking process." Death of a Unicorn opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, April 10, 2025.
While the Sunshine Coast might be best-known for its world-class coastline and truly magnificent beaches, there's plenty to explore inland in this part of Queensland. And the charming town of Montville is the perfect base from which to set off on outdoor adventures in the subtropics. In fact, Montville might be one of the quaintest spots you'll find on the Sunshine Coast. Located on the Blackall Range, the town used to be known by the admittedly cooler name Razorback, but was changed following, of all things, a town meeting. Nevertheless, the picturesque hamlet is a superb spot for your next out-of-town escape. The town itself is home to great restaurants, cafes, boutiques and galleries, and it's on the doorstep of impressive scenic walks and swimming holes. Where to start? We've teamed up with Wild Turkey to put together a list of our favourite ways to enjoy the great outdoors in and around Montville. UPDATE: Due to damage from recent extreme weather in southeast Queensland, some places mentioned may be closed or operating differently. Check websites for the latest updates before visiting. [caption id="attachment_843812" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] EXPLORE THE KONDALILLA NATIONAL PARK Montville is perhaps best known for its close proximity to the idyllic Kondalilla National Park. One of the best ways to take in the epic scenery here is via the Kondalilla Falls Circuit. The slightly challenging but rewarding four-kilometre walking trail takes you from the eponymous waterfall through a verdant valley of lush, green rainforest to a cool rockpool at the top of the falls, before leading to the bottom of the valley where you'll get the best view of the falls. The walk back up is a little tough, but you'll be rewarded with encounters with stunning native flora like bunya pines, piccabeen palms and pink ash. [caption id="attachment_843814" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] SPEND A NIGHT IN THE SUNSHINE COAST HINTERLAND While there are plenty of cute Airbnbs and hinterland cottages in this part of the Sunshine Coast, the region is also perfect for camping. Located along the Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk is the Flaxton walker's camp, which offers a series of campsites peppered through a towering eucalypt and ash forest with a ferny undergrowth. The site is only accessible via a 16-kilometre walk, but we assure you it's worth the effort — you'll be rewarded with truly majestic surroundings and be woken by birdsong as the sun rises. If you fancy bringing the 4WD, the nearby Hunchy Hills Bush Camp is situated on a former banana and pineapple plantation less than five minutes' drive from the centre of Montville. It offers a superbly secluded setting, with each of the three sites boasting a fire pit and log seats. [caption id="attachment_844583" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Elliott Kramer[/caption] SWIM, KAYAK OR PICNIC AT THE BAROON POCKET DAM The Sunshine Coast may well be an area synonymous with stunning beaches, but you'll be pleasantly surprised to know it also boasts some beautiful inland waters as well. Enter Baroon Pocket Dam, a picturesque lake located between Montville and the nearby town of Maleny that offers beautiful picnic grounds, swimming, fishing, as well as plenty of local wildlife. We'd recommend renting a kayak for a few hours to explore the lake and its many surrounding tributaries. [caption id="attachment_843815" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Garry Zhuang (Unsplash)[/caption] GO-KART ON AUSTRALIA'S LARGEST COMMERCIAL TRACK Okay, maybe you're a bit over bushwalking by this point, so you'll be stoked to know that the oh-so-nearby town of Landsborough is home to the largest commercial go-kart track in Australia. Whether you're an adrenaline junkie, looking for something to keep the moody teenager in the family distracted, or just keen for a revvin' good time, the aptly titled Big Kart Track is sure to be a hit. The 1.2-kilometre track includes a series of wide looped turns as well as some serious hairpins, which you can take on in a cart capable of reaching speeds of up to 70 kilometres per hour. The track is open seven days a week for you to live out your Formula One dreams, at much more manageable speeds. Nighttime and wet-weather sessions are also on offer for more experienced drivers. [caption id="attachment_843813" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] EXPLORE THE MARY CAIRNCROSS SCENIC RESERVE Back to walking again, but that's only because there are just so many awesome places to check out while you make those steps count. The stunning Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve is as scenic as its name suggests and is home to 55 hectares of subtropical rainforest overlooking the beautiful landscape of the Glass House Mountains. The reserve boasts a number of leisurely walking trails and guided tours that'll get you up close with the enchanting surrounds, while the Rainforest Discovery Centre is where you can learn about the diverse life that makes up the ecosystem of this beautiful forest via a bunch of cool multisensory educational exhibits. While you're out and about, keep your eyes peeled for local birdlife — the park plays host to nearly 150 different species. GO LUXURY CAMPING AND SLEEP UNDER THE STARS You've probably heard of glamping, but Starry Nights Luxury Camping takes things to a whole other level. Situated in the bucolic hinterland by the waters of the gently flowing Petrie Creek, these lush grounds host handmade tents spanning 75 square metres, each set on a raised platform of polished recycled barn floor wood. Inside there are hand-carved stone basins, a roaring fireplace, hot running water for both showers and opulent baths in the claw-footed tub, a fully stocked kitchenette, flushing toilets and king-sized beds with organic linen. Settle in among the eucalypts and rolling hills and take in a decadent evening under the stars. Find out more about Wild Turkey's Discovery Series at the website. Top image: Tourism and Events Queensland
If you only managed to watch a handful of 2021's best new TV shows, odds are that you still saw one knockout newbie starring Jean Smart. The veteran actor turned in two stellar performances in two exceptional television series last year, starting with murder-mystery drama Mare of Easttown, then following it up with comedian-centric comedy Hacks. Clever, hilarious and insightful, the latter earned her both an Emmy and a Golden Globe, too, and deservedly so. And, if the about-to-drop season season of Hacks proves anywhere near as great, she might just repeat both feats in the next 12 months. It's obviously impossible — and also flat-out ridiculous — to pick whether someone will nab a shiny trophy for their work based on a trailer alone. Smart was that phenomenal in Hacks' first season, though, so it's a fair prediction even without seeing any upcoming footage. In the just-released full sneak peek for season two, she's once again playing seasoned Las Vegas comic Deborah Vance, of course, who viewers saw notch up 2500 shows in last year's episodes. Now, after taking stock of her career, the character is headed out on the road. Still by the acerbic Deborah's side: Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder, North Hollywood), who started as her assistant last time around. As the first season charted, the chalk-and-cheese pair hardly got along. Deborah is a comedy legend, while Ava is a 25-year-old who made the move to Hollywood, has been living out her dream as a comedy writer, but found her career plummeting after a tweet crashed and burned. That said, the series is far, far more than just an odd-couple comedy. Season two's eight episodes will follow the duo as they workshop Deborah's new standup set around the US — and will start dropping Down Under on Friday, May 13 via Stan. They'll arrive the same day as they air in America, in fact, which means that you'll be watching two episodes per week rather than binging on all of Hacks' next season in one go. Also returning: Broad City's Paul W Downs as Deborah and Ava's mutual manager Jimmy, Megan Stalter (The Megan Stalter Show) as his clueless assistant Kayla, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Kaitlin Olson as Deborah's daughter DJ, Carl Clemons-Hopkins (The Chi) as Deborah's Chief Operating Officer Marcus and Christopher McDonald (Ballers) as casino owner Marty. They'll be joined by Hacks newcomers Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird), Martha Kelly (Euphoria), Ming-Na Wen (The Book of Boba Fett) and Susie Essman (Curb Your Enthusiasm), as well as guest stars Margaret Cho (The Flight Attendant) and Devon Sawa (Chucky). And if you're wondering why Hacks has proved so ace so far — other than Smart and her co-stars — it was created by three of the talents behind Broad City: writer Jen Statsky; writer/director Lucia Aniello; and Downs, who does double duty in front of and behind the lens. Check out the trailer for Hacks season two below: Season two of Hacks will start streaming via Stan from Friday, May 13. Season one is available to stream now. Read our full review of season one.
A new restaurant in Fitzroy is putting a Latin American twist on the classic charcoal chicken joint from your childhood. Opening August 5 on Brunswick Street, Che takes its name from the Argentinean slang word for 'buddy', which hopefully serves as a good indicator of the kind of atmosphere punters can expect. It's also an acronym for chef Alejandro Saravia's three specialties: chicken, helados (ice cream) and empanadas. Saravia, who is also executive chef at Pastuso, really knows his charcoal chicken. Drawing on fond memories of his childhood in Lima, chef will marinate the chicken in Peruvian chilli and dark beer, before cooking it over a custom-made charcoal smoker and grill. He'll also be making his own chicken salt from dehydrated chicken skin that's been smoked and ground into powder. The empanadas, meanwhile, will come in a variety of flavours, including beef, chicken and a vegetarian number made with pumpkin, pesto and feta. Just make sure you leave room for dulce de leche soft serve with blueberry, crushed macadamias and Malbec jam. Complimenting the food will be a selection of beers and Argentinian wines. Che can sit up to 40 customers at a time, while the entire menu will also be available for delivery. You'll eventually be able to buy marinades, too, for those that want to get a little bit creative at home. Look for Che at 296 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy from August 5. For more information follow them on Instagram.
Ever wished you could be spirited away into a Studio Ghibli film? Stop dreaming and start making travel plans. Turning movie magic into a real-life wonder, Japan's beloved animation house is opening its own My Neighbour Totoro theme park. Set to liven up the space known as Expo Park in Nagoya's Aichi Prefecture, the 200-hectare site will recreate the world of the 1988 film, building upon an existing attraction. Since 2005, the park has boasted a replica of Satsuki and Mei's house, the home of two characters from the movie. It'll stay, of course — and be joined by other, yet-to-be-revealed Totoro additions. Yes, we're all hoping for a cat bus, some susuwatari (those gorgeous little balls of floating soot), something umbrella shaped and tiny seeds sprouting into giant trees, in a place that'll basically transform that cute video of Ghibli characters out in the world into a reality. Here's hoping it'll nod to a few other Studio Ghibli greats too, although their current focus is understandable. Just try to go into a gift store in Japan without coming across a treasure trove of soft, cuddly Totoros that you can call your own — it's impossible. The park is scheduled to open in 2020, however, in the interim, Ghibli-loving visitors to Japan can still get their dose of animated joy at Tokyo's Ghibli Museum. Plus, back in 2015, it was announced that co-founder and all-round Ghibli legend Hayao Miyazaki was building his own park on Kume Island in the Okinawa Prefecture. Designed to preserve and celebrate nature, it's set to launch in 2018. Via Anime News Network.
If you like watching glitzy Hollywood awards ceremonies that hand out shiny trophies to talented actors and other creative film and TV talents, 2024 has been a particularly dazzling year so far. First came the Golden Globes, as always happens. Next, only a week later, the Emmys have anointed winners. For those thinking that this sounds out of the ordinary, it is. In fact, there'll likely be two Emmys in 2024. This one, as held on Tuesday, January 16, 2024 Australian time, is the 2023 event after being postponed during Hollywood's writers' and actors' strikes. If you like basing your viewing picks on what's been collected prizes, this is clearly a stellar year as well, with a heap of new Emmy-winners now demanding a spot in your streaming queue. Here's seven that you should — and can — watch ASAP. (And if you're wondering what else won, you can read through the full list, too.) THE BEAR The more time that anyone spends in the kitchen, the easier that whipping up their chosen dish gets. The Bear season two is that concept in TV form, even if the team at The Original Beef of Chicagoland don't always live it as they leap from running a beloved neighbourhood sandwich joint to opening a fine-diner, and fast. The hospitality crew that was first introduced in the best new show of 2022 isn't lacking in culinary skills or passion. But when bedlam surrounds you constantly, as bubbled and boiled through The Bear's Golden Globe-winning, Emmy-nominated season-one frames, not everything always goes to plan. That was only accurate on-screen for Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White, Fingernails) and his colleagues — aka sous chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri, Bottoms), baker-turned-pastry chef Marcus (Lionel Boyce, Hap and Leonard), veteran line cooks Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas, In Treatment) and Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson, Fargo), resident Mr Fixit Neil Fak (IRL chef Matty Matheson), and family pal Richie aka Cousin (Ebon Moss-Bachrach, No Hard Feelings). For viewers, the series' debut run was as perfect a piece of television as anyone can hope for. Excellent news: season two is better. The Bear serves up another sublime course of comedy, drama and "yes chef!"-exclaiming antics across its sizzling second season. Actually make that ten more courses, one per episode, with each new instalment its own more-ish meal. A menu, a loan, desperately needed additional help, oh-so-much restaurant mayhem: that's how this second visit begins, as Carmy and Sydney endeavour to make their dreams for their own patch of Chicago's food scene come true. So far, so familiar, but The Bear isn't just plating up the same dishes this time around. At every moment, this new feast feels richer, deeper and more seasoned, including when it's as intense as ever, when it's filling the screen with tastebud-tempting food shots that relish culinary artistry, and also when it gets meditative. Episodes that send Marcus to a Noma-esque venue in Copenhagen under the tutelage of Luca (Will Poulter, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), get Richie spending a week learning the upscale ropes at one of Chicago's best restaurants and jump back to the past, demonstrating how chaos would've been in Carmy's blood regardless of if he became a chef, are particularly stunning. EMMYS Won: Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Jeremy Allen White), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Ayo Edebiri), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Christopher Storer), Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (Christopher Storer). Where to watch it: The Bear streams via Disney+. Read our full review. SUCCESSION Endings have always been a part of Succession. Since it premiered in 2018, the bulk of the HBO drama's feuding figures have been waiting for a big farewell. The reason is right there in the title, because for any of the Roy clan's adult children to scale the family company's greatest heights and remain there — be it initial heir apparent Kendall (Jeremy Strong, Armageddon Time), his inappropriate photo-sending brother Roman (Kieran Culkin, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off), their political-fixer sister Siobhan (Sarah Snook, Pieces of a Woman), or eldest sibling and presidential candidate Connor (Alan Ruck, The Dropout) — their father Logan's (Brian Cox, Remember Me) tenure needed to wrap up. The latter was always stubborn. Proud, too, of what he'd achieved and the power it's brought. And whenever Logan seemed nearly ready to leave the business behind, he held on. If he's challenged or threatened, as happened again and again in the series, he fixed his grasp even tighter. Succession was always been waiting for Logan's last stint at global media outfit Waystar RoyCo, but it had never been about finales quite the way it was in its stunning fourth season. This time, there was ticking clock not just for the show's characters, but for the stellar series itself, given that this is its last go-around — and didn't it make the most of it. Nothing can last forever, not even widely acclaimed hit shows that are a rarity in today's TV climate: genuine appointment-viewing. So, this went out at the height of its greatness, complete with unhappy birthday parties, big business deals, plenty of scheming and backstabbing, and both Shiv's husband Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen, Operation Mincemeat) and family cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun, Cat Person) in vintage form — plus an early shock, at least two of the best episodes of any show that've ever aired on television, one of the worst drinks, a phenomenal acting masterclass, a The Sopranos-level final shot and the reality that money really can't buy happiness. EMMYS Won: Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Kieran Culkin), Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Sarah Snook), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Matthew Macfadyen), Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (Jesse Armstrong), Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Mark Mylod). Where to watch it: Succession streams via Binge. Read our full review. BEEF As plenty does, Beef starts with two strangers meeting, but there's absolutely nothing cute about it. Sparks don't fly and hearts don't flutter; instead, this pair grinds each other's gears. In a case of deep and passionate hate at first sight, Danny Cho (Steven Yeun, Nope) and Amy Lau (Ali Wong, Paper Girls) give their respective vehicles' gearboxes a workout, in fact, after he begins to pull out of a hardware store carpark, she honks behind him, and lewd hand signals and terse words are exchanged. Food is thrown, streets are angrily raced down, gardens are ruined, accidents are barely avoided, and the name of Vin Diesel's famous car franchise springs to mind, aptly describing how bitterly these two strangers feel about each other — and how quickly. Created by Lee Sung Jin, who has It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Dave and Silicon Valley on his resume before this ten-part Netflix and A24 collaboration, Beef also commences with a simple, indisputable and deeply relatable fact. Whether you're a struggling contractor hardly making ends meet, as he is, or a store-owning entrepreneur trying to secure a big deal, as she is — or, if you're both, neither or anywhere in-between — pettiness reigning supreme is basic human nature. Danny could've just let Amy beep as much as she liked, then waved, apologised and driven away. Amy could've been more courteous about sounding her horn, and afterwards. But each feels immediately slighted by the other, isn't willing to stand for such an indignity and becomes consumed by their trivial spat. Neither takes the high road, not once — and if you've ever gotten irrationally irate about a minor incident, this new standout understands. Episode by episode, it sees that annoyance fester and exasperation grow, too. Beef spends its run with two people who can't let go of their instant rage, keep trying to get the other back, get even more incensed in response, and just add more fuel to the fire again and again until their whole existence is a blaze of revenge. If you've ever taken a small thing and blown it wildly out of proportion, Beef is also on the same wavelength. And if any of the above has ever made you question your entire life — or just the daily grind of endeavouring to get by, having everything go wrong, feeling unappreciated and constantly working — Beef might just feel like it was made for you. EMMYS Won: Outstanding Limited Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Television Movie (Steven Yeun), Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Television Movie (Ali Wong), Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (Lee Sung Jin), Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (Lee Sung Jin). Where to watch it: Beef streams via Netflix. Read our full review. THE WHITE LOTUS Lives of extravagant luxury. Globe-hopping getaways. Whiling away cocktail-soaked days in gorgeous beachy locales. Throw in the level of wealth and comfort needed to make those three things an easy, breezy everyday reality, and the world's sweetest dreams are supposedly made of this. On TV since 2021, HBO's hit dramedy The White Lotus has been, too. Indeed, in its Emmy-winning first season, the series was a phenomenon of a biting satire, scorching the one percent, colonialism and class divides in a twisty, astute, savage and hilarious fashion. It struck such a chord, in fact, that what was meant to be a one-and-done limited season was renewed for a second go-around, sparking an anthology. That Sicily-set second effort once again examines sex, status, staring head-on at mortality and accepting the unshakeable fact that life is short for everyone but truly sweet for oh-so-few regardless of bank balance — and with writer/director/creator Mike White (Brad's Status) still overseeing proceedings, the several suitcase loads of smart, scathing, sunnily shot chaos that The White Lotus brings to screens this time around are well worth unpacking again. Here, another group of well-off holidaymakers slip into another splashy, flashy White Lotus property and work through their jumbled existences. Another death lingers over their trip, with The White Lotus again starting with an unnamed body — bodies, actually — then jumping back seven days to tell its tale from the beginning. Running the Taormina outpost of the high-end resort chain, Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore, Across the River and Into the Trees) is barely surprised by the corpse that kicks off season two. She's barely surprised about much beforehand, either. That includes her dealings with the returning Tanya McQuoid-Hunt (Jennifer Coolidge, The Watcher), her husband Greg (Jon Gries, Dream Corp LLC) and assistant Portia (Haley Lu Richardson, After Yang); three generations of Di Grasso men, aka Bert (F Murray Abraham, Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities), Hollywood hotshot Dominic (Michael Imperioli, The Many Saints of Newark) and the Stanford-educated Albie (Adam DiMarco, The Order); and tech whiz Ethan (Will Sharpe, Defending the Guilty) and his wife Harper (Aubrey Plaza, Best Sellers), plus his finance-bro college roommate Cameron (Theo James, The Time Traveller's Wife) and his stay-at-home wife Daphne (Meghann Fahy, The Bold Type). EMMYS Won: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Jennifer Coolidge). Where to watch it: The White Lotus streams via Binge. Read our full review of season two. ABBOTT ELEMENTARY The Office did it, in both the UK and US versions. Parks and Recreation did so, too. What We Do in the Shadows still does it — and, yes, there's more where they all came from. By now, the mockumentary format is a well-established part of the sitcom realm. Indeed, it's so common that additional shows deciding to give it a whirl aren't noteworthy for that alone. But in Abbott Elementary, which has aired two seasons so far, the faux doco gimmick is also deployed as an outlet for the series' characters. They're all public school elementary teachers in Philadelphia, and the chats to-camera help convey the stresses and tolls of doing what they're devoted to. In a wonderfully warm and also clear-eyed gem created by, co-written by and starring triple-threat Quinta Brunson (Party Down), that'd be teaching young hearts and minds no matter the everyday obstacles, the utter lack of resources and funding, or the absence of interest from the bureaucracy above them. Brunson plays perennially perky 25-year-old teacher Janine Teagues, who loves her gig and her second-grade class. She also adores her colleague Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph, Ray Donovan), the kindergarten teacher that she sees as a mentor and work mum. Actually, Janine isn't just fond of all of the above — she's so devoted to her job that she'll let nothing stand in her way. But that isn't easy or straightforward in a system that's short on cash and care from the powers-that-be to make school better for its predominantly Black student populace. Also featuring Everybody Hates Chris' Tyler James Williams (also The United States vs Billie Holiday) as an apathetic substitute teacher, Lisa Ann Walter (The Right Mom) and Chris Perfetti (Sound of Metal) as Abbott faculty mainstays, and Janelle James (Black Monday) as the incompetent principal who only scored her position via blackmail, everything about Abbott Elementary is smart, kindhearted, funny and also honest. That remains the case in season two, where Janine is newly single and grappling with being on her own, sparks are flying with Williams' Gregory and James' Ava can't keep bluffing her way through her days. EMMYS Won: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Quinta Brunson). Where to watch it: Abbott Elementary streams via Disney+. BLACK BIRD 2022 marked a decade since Taron Egerton's first on-screen credit as a then-23 year old. Thanks to the Kingsman movies, Eddie the Eagle, Robin Hood and Rocketman, he's rarely been out of the cinematic spotlight since — but miniseries Black Bird feels like his most mature performance yet. The latest based-on-a-true-crime tale to get the twisty TV treatment, it adapts autobiographical novel In with the Devil: a Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption. It also has Dennis Lehane, author of Gone Baby Gone, Mystic River and Shutter Island, bringing it to streaming. The focus: Jimmy Keene, a former star high-school footballer turned drug dealer, who finds his narcotics-financed life crumbling when he's arrested in a sting, offered a plea bargain with the promise of a five-year sentence (four with parole), but ends up getting ten. Seven months afterwards, he's given the chance to go free, but only if he agrees to transfer to a different prison to befriend suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser, Cruella), and get him to reveal where he's buried his victims' bodies. Even with new shows based on various IRL crimes hitting queues every week, or thereabouts — including Inventing Anna, The Dropout, The Girl From Plainville and The Staircase, to name a mere few, also in 2022 when this one arrived — Black Bird boasts an immediately compelling premise. The first instalment in its six-episode run is instantly gripping, too, charting Keene's downfall, the out-of-ordinary situation posed by Agent Lauren McCauley (Sepideh Moafi, The Killing of Two Lovers), and the police investigation by Brian Miller (Greg Kinnear, Crisis) to net Hall. It keeps up the intrigue and tension from there; in fact, the wild and riveting details just keep on coming. Fantastic performances all round prove pivotal as well. Again, Egerton is excellent, while Hauser's menace-dripping efforts rank among the great on-screen serial killer portrayals. And, although bittersweet to watch after his passing, Ray Liotta (The Many Saints of Newark) makes a firm imprint as Keene's father. EMMYS Won: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series of Television Movie (Paul Walter Hauser). Where to watch it: Black Bird streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. DAHMER — MONSTER: THE JEFFREY DAHMER STORY Mindhunter might be over, but Netflix isn't done exploring true crimes or serial killers yet — not by far. In 2022, DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story joined the service's hefty list of TV series based on horrific real-life details. It's coming back for a second season, too, turning into an anthology series as Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story. The show's debut outing wasn't an easy watch, as the IRL story was always going to ensure. With WandaVision and Mare of Easttown actor Evan Peters starring as the titular IRL murderer, it told Dahmer's particularly gruesome story; between 1978–1991, he murdered and dismembered 17 boys and men — and there's more to his crimes, including cannibalism. The inherently unsettling first season reunited its lead with American Horror Story creator and prolific TV producer Ryan Murphy, too, this time getting creepy in a different way. Alongside Peters, Netflix's dramatised step back into Dahmer's murders features Richard Jenkins (Nightmare Alley) as the serial killer's father Lionel and Penelope Ann Miller as his mother Joyce, with the full cast including Niecy Nash-Betts (Never Have I Ever) and Molly Ringwald (Riverdale). There's much about the show that's impossible to shake, Nash-Betts' now Emmy-winning performance for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Television Movie among them. As Dahmer's neighbour Glenda Cleveland, she's shock, concern and outrage personified. Thanks to her portrayal, imagining being in the same shoes — and being that horrified and traumatised — is the simplest thing about DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Of course, that isn't easy either, but Nash-Betts couldn't be more of an effortless force in a difficult role and miniseries. EMMYS Won: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Television Movie (Niecy Nash-Betts). Where to watch it: DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story streams via Netflix. Top image: Andrew Cooper/Netflix © 2023.
For most of us, getting festive involves trees, lights, wreaths, tinsel and other assorted decorations. For the folks behind pop-up dessert museum Sugar Republic, nothing says Christmas like a ten-room pop-up absolutely brimming with end-of-year cheer. Think marshmallow-themed pools, human-sized snow globes, a lane filled with candy canes and a giant peppermint ball pit — plus a a gingerbread cottage and plenty of ugly sweaters, naturally. That's what Melburnians will find at Christmasland, which takes over the old MacRobertson's Confectionery Factory from Sunday, November 10. Basically, the Sugar Republic crew is swapping out sweet treats for all things jolly and merry, then decking the Fitzroy spot's halls and walls in the same over-the-top manner as its previous dessert-heavy installation. And, we do mean over the top. That marshmallow pool? You'll be able to slide into it. The snow globe? You'll be able to stand inside and try to catch falling snow. One space will be called Tinseltown, so you know what you'll find there. There'll also be life-sized toys, the requisite Christmas carols and even seasonal smells. Because these kinds of installations are all about the photos, Christmasland will feature a heap of merry backdrops for your snaps and selfies — such as a giant Christmas card, a sleigh, a huge advent calendar and a forest of pink trees. And, because festive season isn't complete without indulgent snacks, you'll also be able to sample lots of chocolates and lollies from the likes of Darrell Lea, Mars, Skittles and Wizz Fizz. This should go without saying, but if you're a known Grinch who has recurrent Christmas-themed nightmares, this probably isn't for you. Tickets will set you back $35 — or less for littlies — which includes an hour in Christmasland and four sugary snacks. You can, of course, buy more, too. Images: Kate Shanasy
First, there were cat cafes, the cosy spaces where sipping a coffee and getting friendly with some cute felines go hand-in-hand. Next came pooch and pint sessions, where taking your doggo for a drink is heartily encouraged. While pubs that welcome puppers aren't all that rare in general, one US watering hole is taking all of the above concepts, combining them and turning it into their own animal haven. The end result is Fidos, an Oregon establishment calling itself the world's first dog tap house. With the words "Eat. Drink. Adopt." emblazoned on its walls, Fidos is part craft beer tap room, part foster home for shelter dogs, with the ultimate goal of rehoming the canines within its confines. Located outside of Portland, it encourages patrons to come in for a beverage and a bite — and, like a cat cafe, they'll will be able to play with the puppers — then take a new four-legged buddy home with them. Opening back in January, but holding a grand launch on February 13, Fidos boasts 40 rotating taps, a room dedicated to interacting with the doggos — which are provided by Oregon Friends of Shelter Animals — and dog videos playing on the onsite TVs. Events such as art shows and dog training demonstrations are planned, in an environment that's all about having a few drinks, celebrating man's best friend, and supporting dog and animal charities. For more information, visit www.ilovefidos.com. Via PR Newswire.
The Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix is always a momentous weekend on the calendar. And the electric atmosphere doesn't end when the final chequered flag waves on Sunday afternoon. Just a short walk from Gate 10, St Kilda's famous Fitzroy Street will come alive on March 16 from 5pm with the sounds of music as a heap of iconic venues host free performances by renowned local bands and DJs. Plus, as you're hopping from gig to gig, keep an eye out for the roving street performers along The Esplanade and Fitzroy Street. [caption id="attachment_994383" align="alignnone" width="1920"] DJ Eden[/caption] Harvey's Sports Bar Just five minutes from the Gate 10 exit, Harvey's Sports Bar is an obvious first pick for your post-race fun. Wind down from the (hopefully drama-filled) finish with a pint — there are 17 beers on tap to choose from — and snacks from the woodfired smoked barbecue menu (think wagyu beef brisket, buffalo cauli bites and mac 'n' cheese croquettes). Between 5.30-8.30pm, local Melbourne solo artist Olly Coombs will use loops and funky beats to provide a playful, upbeat set. Between 8.30-10.30pm, rock duo Sam + Sam will perform popular rock covers and originals before DJ Eden keeps the tunes going until 1.30am. St Kilda Sports Club A little further down Fitzroy Street, alt-country rock band Brooke Taylor & The Poison Spitting Gin Queens is kicking off the festivities at 7pm at legendary bowlo (aka St Kilda Sports Club). From 8.15pm, local country rock quartet Murrays Bay Country Club will hit the stage before the vibe shifts to fiery all-girls rockers Hot Machine from 9.30-10.30pm. Some more good news? The greens are kept open until 8pm so if the Formula 1 has left you feeling a little competitive, you can challenge your mates to a friendly match before the sun goes down. The Fifth Province You can always expect a good time (or 'craic') at St Kilda's legendary Irish pub, The Fifth Province, and that includes post-Formula 1 with old-school rock cover band The Day Drinkers hitting the stage from 6.30-9.30pm. The pub also serves up a stellar roast on Sundays so you can pair those classic tunes and a pint of creamy Guinness with striploin or roast chicken with gravy and all the trimmings. Freddie Wimpole's Fried chicken and beer are a staple game-day diet and we reckon that extends to Formula 1, too. Skip up to late-night bar Freddie Wimpole's, located in the historic George Hotel building, to indulge in an eight-piece bucket, served with soft potato rolls, pickles, house-made ranch and spicy mango habanero sauce. Wash it down with a craft brew from the rotating tap list or opt for a tipple from the cocktail menu. While you're eating and drinking, soak in the free folk tunes from alt-country singer Clint Wilson (6.30-7.30pm) before rock 'n' roll band Willie J's 6V6s amps up the energy. George Lane Also housed within the old George Hotel building, George Lane is a cool space that regularly hosts intimate live music performances. On Sunday, March 16, the lineup starts at 8.20pm with Melbourne artist and Wiradjuri woman, Ruby Mae, an indie country singer-songwriter set to release her first album Baby in April. From 9.10pm, Georgia Rodgers will treat you to her soothing blues, rock and soul stylings before renowned funk and soul artist, Kylie Auldist, takes to the stage at 10.10pm. 29th Apartment Designed to feel like a cosy New York apartment, 29th Apartment is the perfect place to unwind after a big day with a cocktail in hand. There are board games if you want to take things easy or you could have a boogie with Nitida & The Hottiehotstuffs between 6-8pm. As they're performing, work your way through the innovative cocktail list which includes the Spicy Donkey, with chilli-infused tequila, guava liquor and spicy ginger beer, and the Mysterious Artichoke, featuring Scottish spiced rum, sweet vermouth and cynar, an Italian liquor made from artichokes. St LuJa Continuing down Fitzroy Street, St LuJa will be pairing its buzzy atmosphere, classic cocktails and delightful bar snacks with free tunes from Dave Larkin. The guitarist of Aussie alt-rock legends Dallas Crane will be crooning from 7.30-9.30pm. Plus, if you want something a little more substantial to snack on, the bar allows you to order in pizza from nearby Topolino's. Ellora Sitting pretty on the corner of Fitzroy Street and The Upper Esplanade, Ellora is a go-to in the area, particularly for its excellent views of the St Kilda Beach and Catani Gardens. Post-Formula 1, perch yourself on the newly renovated beachside balcony and watch the sun go down while listening to the groovy blend of Italian music with rock, country and jazz influences from Lorenzo and the Spaghetti Connection between 5.30-8pm. The tapas-style menu will refuel you after a long day with the likes of truffle fries, pumpkin arancini, prawn ceviche and fried halloumi on offer. Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron Salute the day (and summer) that was with a visit to the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron, positioned right on the boardwalk and boasting excellent views of St Kilda Beach and city skyline. Your free soundtrack for the evening, between 8-10pm, will be the smooth sounds of yacht-rock band, The Yachtski Brothers. Watching the dapper eight-member crew perform is like witnessing a time capsule from the late 70s opening so get ready to groove to classic tunes like Toto's 'Africa' and 'Hold the Line'. For more about Last Lap Live and what's on in Melbourne's Southside, head to What's On St Kilda and Southside.
If you prefer an art experience that extends beyond looking at works on a wall, prepare to be impressed by Melbourne's new immersive digital art gallery. Set to open in late 2020, The Lume will take the form of a $15-million 2000-square-metre gallery, decked out with 150 state-of-the-art projectors. Projections of some of the world's most celebrated works will be splashed across various surfaces, backed by powerful musical soundtracks and complemented by aromas. The project is the brainchild of Melbourne-based Grande Exhibitions, which, for the past 14 years, has hosted immersive exhibitions and gallery experiences in over 130 cities across the world. The company also owns and operates Rome's Museo Leonardo da Vinci. Known for celebrating art world greats like Vincent van Gogh and da Vinci through modern, multi-sensory technology, Grande Exhibitions will use a similar formula at The Lume. Instead of showcasing original works, the gallery will rely on a curation of music and moving image to create a tapestry of instantly recognisable artworks. At night, The Lume will transform into an events space, thanks to a collaboration with catering company Food & Desire. So, next Christmas party you could be sipping bubbles while looking at (and smelling) a Van Gogh. To get more of an idea of what to expect from The Lume when it opens later this year, check out this teaser: https://youtu.be/-nFtXTTXpWk The Lume will open in an unconfirmed Melbourne location in late 2020. We'll let you know when more details are announced. You can check out some of Grande Exhibitions' other gallery experiences over here. Updated March 2020
By this point in 2020, you probably feel like you've spent most of your year at home — and either watching or cooking something while you've been there. Thanks to both country-wide stay-at-home requirements and city-specific lockdowns, that's how the past six months have played out. And, as a result, you likely feel as if you've seen every cooking show and made every recipe there is, too. Enter Raph's Mean Cuisine, the YouTube culinary series hosted by Melbourne restaurateur Raph Rashid, who the city's residents will know from Beatbox Kitchen, All Day Donuts and Juanita Peaches. In bite-sized episodes clocking in at under 12 minutes, the show adopts a very nostalgic approach to helping you up your kitchen game — because if there's one thing we're all experiencing this year, it's a yearning for a time before the pandemic. Specifically, Rashid is focusing on 80s cooking classics, with each instalment of his seven-part first season showcasing a dish that's bound to bring back memories. They're simple, easy recipes, too, which you'll be able to recreate at home without any trouble. As Rashid explains, "I just wanted to inspire people to cook in real kitchens, in sharehouses. And I just love cooking with friends. It's kinda what life's all about". Accordingly, he teams up with a different guest in each episode, and together they whip up the cuisine in the spotlight in Rashid's home kitchen. And, as well as recipes, every episode includes tips and hacks as well. On the menu: apricot chicken made with sommelier Matt Skinner, chow mein made with artist Esther Olsson's help and curried sausages with assistance from 1800-Lasagne's Joey Kellock. Six episodes are available at present, also covering Mars bar slice, chicken kievs and tacos, as cooked with florist Hattie Molloy, chef Mike Hoyle and artist Nadia Hernandez. Fancy trying your hand at a lamb roast as well? In the show's finale, that's on offer. Dropping at 6pm on Tuesday, September 8, it'll see Rashid join forces with pro skater Nick Boserio and Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Creative Director Pat Nourse to revive an 80s (and Sunday) staple. Check out Raph's Mean Cuisine's first episode, focusing on apricot chicken, below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVHsUwQAlhk The first six episodes of Raph's Mean Cuisine are available to view on YouTube, with the seventh — the season finale — dropping at 6pm on Tuesday, September 8.
A decade ago, English Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur FC scored a new American coach and assistant in an advertisement hyping up soccer coverage by US TV network NBC. In that four-minute commercial, Ted Lasso made his debut, taking a gig across the pond without knowing a thing about the sport — or letting that whole lack of familiarity with the world game stop him. At his side: a bearded, sunglasses-wearing, cap-donning offsider, who dutifully offered advice and tried to steer him in the right direction. Unsurprisingly given how successful Ted Lasso has now become as an award-winning sitcom, viewers warmed to the sketch and its characters. A year later in 2014, the clueless coach returned in another ad, this time back in the US and using his Premier League learnings on home turf. But it'd take six more years before the Apple TV+ series that's widely and deservedly loved would grace screens, and before Saturday Night Live alum Jason Sudeikis and his We're the Millers and Horrible Bosses 2 co-star Brendan Hunt would return to the roles of Ted and Coach Beard. Now, Sudeikis has two acting Emmys for the first two seasons of the smash-hit show, and another two as one of its executive producers — and Hunt has a nomination for his on-screen supporting part, and shared those latter two wins. "It's wonderfully insane," Hunt tells Concrete Playground while chatting about Ted Lasso's long-awaited third season, which starts streaming from Wednesday, March 15 after an almost two-year gap since 2021's season two. Even if you hadn't seen the two ads that sparked the show, Hunt's face might've been familiar when Ted Lasso first hit Apple TV+ — his resume also includes appearances on everything from Parks and Recreation and Community to How I Met Your Mother and Key & Peele — but co-creating, -producing, -writing and -starring in one of the biggest comedy smashes of the past four years has made him instantly recognisable. He's also the man behind one of the show's most beloved characters, which is no mean feat given how widely adored the AFC Richmond crew are. A man of few words who's always at Ted's side, Beard hasn't stopped intriguing viewers yet. When Ted Lasso started its run as a series, its namesake and his righthand man Beard moved to London, and switched sports. So far, so familiar from the ads. But Ted Lasso as a series has a warmer tone, a busy roster of other players and the hearty embrace of audiences worldwide thanks to its kindness as much as its comedy. The gap between season two and three has been keenly noticed and felt — and not just because season two ended with a bombshell, after AFC Richmond assistant coach Nathan 'Nate' Shelley (Nick Mohammed, Intelligence) defected to rival club West Ham United, burning bridges with his old team and, pointedly, with Ted. How will Ted and Nate handle their new status quo? How has Hunt handled the Ted Lasso rollercoaster ride so far? Why is Beard such a fan favourite? They're just some of the things that we discussed with Hunt — alongside season two's delightful Beard After Hours episode, of course. ON TED LASSO'S JOURNEY FROM A SKETCH TO A SITCOM — AND ITS HUGE SUCCESS "Yeah, it's bonkers. You know, we took that first gig in that first campaign, and the main selling point was 'oh and we get to go to London for three whole days!'. Cut to: last year when we're in London for ten months. I think last year we were in London so long, we were like 'eh, London'. But that first one was super fun, and it went well enough that they had us go the next year, and that was fun too. And then Jason, [Ted Lasso co-creator] Joe Kelly and I got together [and went] 'alright, we've got to find a way to do more of this'. And then we wrote a pilot and put together a season arc — that was in late 2014/early 2105, and it felt like 'oh wow, we're going to have a TV show any minute now!'. And we didn't. We didn't for years. Years passed. Jason's career, he's going fine. Joe's career, he's going fine. Me, I'm baking on a rock, holding on for dear life in Los Angeles. And I had officially gotten to the point where I had given up any hope of anything Ted Lasso happening — like I was no longer even asking Jason if anything was happening. Then one day out of nowhere, he was like 'hey, is that pilot we did, is that still online somewhere?'. Yeah man, of course it is, that's how online works. He goes, 'oh, because Im talking to [Scrubs creator and sitcom veteran] Bill Lawrence tomorrow'. And then suddenly things moved very, very quickly after years of nothingness and heartbreak. I mean the last four years — it is what it is, and I just cannot, cannot, still cannot believe what has happened. I try not to think about it. I try to just get on the ride and pull down the harness and shake it and make sure it's secure, and then 'weeeeeeeeeeeeee!' — and then not think about the actual physics of the loop-de-loops, because it's insane." ON WHY TED LASSO HAS STRUCK SUCH A CHORD WITH AUDIENCES "In the ads, it's a sketch. And a thin sketch idea can work really well for five minutes, but it's unlikely to work for 30. So we just had so much fun doing the first two — 'like, we've got to find a way to do this' — and as soon as were making the TV show, we knew from early on, and this was Jason's idea, that something has to be going on in Ted's life to make him do this crazy thing. And we came upon the idea that he's going through a divorce. We weren't going to play the divorce for laughs — we were going to play the divorce for real. Jason and Joe and I, we've all been through a divorce. It's nothing to mess with. It's a very hard time. And once we had that in there, then the reality of this character is more fully formed and is now baked in, and is something to keep returning to. That's what led the way to panic attacks. That's what led the way to finding out his history with his dad, and stuff like that. I think we wouldn't be sitting here still talking about this show if it was still what it was in the original campaign." ON COACH BEARD'S ROLE IN THE SHOW — AND HIS FAN APPEAL "I think the main thing was still have him standing next to Ted as much as possible, because then people understand why he's there. No, it's just the idea that Ted wouldn't do this crazy thing alone. He would do it with someone he trusts — someone who would help him with the finer points, such as offside. And Beard's whole mission — we come from an improv and sketch-comedy culture, and one axiom you hear in that world is while you're offstage, while you're watching your partners improvise, ask yourself 'what does the scene need?'. Then you come into the scene with that. Well, Ted is the scene that Beard is watching, and Beard is always asking 'what does Ted need?'. That is rarely for Beard to talk, because Ted's pretty good at that bit. So Ted and Beard just have a very unspoken yet incredibly clear relationship and dynamic, and one's not going to take such a journey like this without the other — they're bosom buddies. I think it's [Coach Beard's fan appeal] just sort of a happy ancillary result of how little he talks, because he's on camera a lot by dint of the aforementioned standing next to Ted, who will most often be in the centre of your screen. And when someone is on camera that much but isn't talking, well, that's mysterious. Now you don't know what that dude's really about. It makes him a bit if a blank canvas that people can project themselves on and make their own assumptions about, but they're still unable to fill up that whole canvas themselves. So that accidentally discovered air of mystery, once we knew that was there, then it was like 'we can play with this and have good fun with it'." ON SEASON TWO'S BEARD AFTER HOURS EPISODE "We started writing season two before season one had come out, and season two was going to be ten episodes as season one was. We'd been going for three or four months before season one came out, so by then we had the season worked out — we had it mapped out, we had the dynamics, we had the peaks and valleys, and where things were going to go. Then suddenly the show comes out and, as you may have heard, that went pretty well. Almost first thing Monday morning, Apple was like 'you have two more episodes, please do two more episodes!'. And we're like 'okay, alright'. But we can't just mess with the dynamics we'd created for the scenes, so we had to come up with two episodes that were kind of standalone. We had a bit of a discard pile of things we were thinking of doing, and one was the Christmas episode, and the other was an episode where we follow Beard around. On top of that, where it's placed in the season, we really liked from sort of a mischief standpoint — because the episode before is a very big episode where a lot of big things happen, and by the end of that episode, you're definitely ready for next week and to find out where these things are going to go. And instead we go 'no, no, sorry, you're getting Beard for 45 minutes'. 45 minutes! 'Yeah, sorry, his is how it worked out'. And then, the week later, then we finally get back to business. So it was a happy accident, essentially, and it ended up being a pretty fun diversion." ON SEASON THREE'S BIG THEMES "Certainly for Ted, he made a promise in season one if they ever got back he'd try to win the whole fucking thing. Well, now they're back, and he doesn't give promises lightly. So he has to decide if he's going to go whole hog with that and, if so, is that at the risk of the values that he's trying to teach? And at the same time, Nate is off at West Ham having to figure out if what he's done or what he's doing, and what he has now, is worth the bridges that he's burned. With Rupert in his ear, that can go a few different ways. Other than that, we're looking at some of the same things we always have — vulnerability and honesty, and love and pain. And every ten minutes or so, somebody apologises for something." Season three of Ted Lasso starts streaming via Apple TV+ from Wednesday, March 15. Read our full review.
They can't all be treats. That's true each time October 31 hits, sending children scurrying around the streets in search of sweets, and it's true of the film franchise that owns the spookiest time of year. Since debuting 43 years ago, the Halloween series has delivered both gems and garbage — and off-kilter delights such as Halloween III: Season of the Witch — but its latest and 12th entry carves a space firmly in the middle. Halloween Kills ticks plenty of boxes that a memorable Halloween movie should, and is also a horror sequel on autopilot. Somehow, it's also a Halloween movie lacking purpose and shape. It has The Shape, of course, as Michael Myers is also known. But it's more an exercise in spending extra time in Haddonfield, in its boogeyman's presence and in world inhabited by franchise heroine Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis, Knives Out) than a compelling slasher flick on its own. After giving the Halloween realm its second-best chapter in 2018, it's easy to see why returning writer/director David Gordon Green (Stronger) and his frequent collaborator Danny McBride (The Righteous Gemstones) have taken this approach. When you've just made a classic follow-up to a stone-cold classic — again, only John Carpenter's iconic franchise-starter is better — you keep on keeping on. That's not quite how Halloween Kills turns out, though. It picks up immediately where its predecessor left off, lets Michael stab his way through small-town Illinois again, and brings back Laurie's daughter Karen (Judy Greer, Where'd You Go, Bernadette) and teenage granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak, Son) from the last spin. It also pads things out with a vengeance storyline that endeavours to get political, yet proves about as piercing as a butter knife. In the last film — called Halloween, like the flick that started it all — Laurie faced the man who turned her into a victim back when she was a 17-year-old babysitter. She unleashed four decades of rage, fear and anxiety during a moment she'd been preparing for across all of that time, and it proved cathartic for her and for viewers alike. This saga was always going to add another sequel, however. As the second part of a trilogy under Green and McBride's guidance, Halloween Kills will also gain its own follow-up in a year's time. When it arrives in 2022, Halloween Ends won't actually live up to its name. No horror movie lover would want it to. Still, it already haunts Halloween Kills — because, like the townsfolk that the latex mask-sporting, overall-wearing Michael just keeps stalking, it feels uncertain about where it should head. First, Halloween Kills sends its three generations of Strode women to hospital, riffing on 1981's Halloween II. Sadly, it also replicates one of the latter's missteps, leaving Laurie there as her nemesis keeps slicing — and splitting its attention around Haddonfield. Here, both Karen and Allyson have also had enough of Michael's nonsense. So has Tommy Doyle (Anthony Michael Hall, The Goldbergs), one of the kids that Laurie babysat on that fateful night all those years ago. So, he rallies a mob and transforms the grieving and scared locale into a haven for vigilante justice; "evil dies tonight!" is their cheer. Evil won't die tonight, which isn't a spoiler. Again, Halloween Ends is coming — and evil won't end there, either. As this franchise has kept looping, twisting and constantly resetting its prior timelines every few films or so, the fact that its source of evil keeps slashing in movie after movie has been one of its strongest thematic weapons. Indeed, Halloween circa 2018 keenly understood that trauma such as Laurie's doesn't fade. It festers; its survivors might learn to cope beneath their PTSD, but their lacerations still pulsate with pain. Halloween Kills tries to expand the idea by focusing on communal rather than individual wounds, and on its setting's shared past; however, thanks to heavy-handed insurrection-style imagery, it plays less as a musing on its underlying suburban nightmare and the distress rippling from it, and more as a weak comment on America today. They can't all slay, obviously — Halloween movies, that is. Michael clearly can and does keep slaying, his body count rising swiftly. When it comes to his murders, Halloween Kills is gory, bloody and gruesome, with Green at his best when he's honing in on the mechanics of its masked maniac's reign of terror. It'd be repetitive if it wasn't so effective, even if it's packaged with smaller doses of tension and suspense. The OG Halloween spawned a spate of imitators for a reason, and still does, but this latest successor lacks its slasher elegance and economy — because Green also enjoys getting flamboyant with Halloween Kills' kills for the sake of it. Perhaps he's trying to make up for sidelining his star, the white-haired Curtis, for so long. Steely as ever, she remains the film's undisputed highlight in the screen time she has, but Halloween Kills doesn't feel like Laurie's story. Or, perhaps Green is trying to distract from the bold move he didn't make. Even in a franchise that plays so fast and loose with its continuity, not managing to bring back Paul Rudd, aka Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers' version of Tommy, is a huge missed opportunity. Halloween Kills re-enlists other familiar faces, spanning both 1978's and 2018's Halloween flicks. It adds backstory all over the place, much of it filler. It gets Carpenter, his son Cody and godson Daniel Davies to rework the synth and piano-heavy tunes that've served the series so well, after they did the same last time around. Like its predecessor, it slinks and stalks with unease. It pushes women to the fore again, too — women who refuse to simply be mere final girls. But it's also the jack-o'-lantern of Green's trilogy within the broader Halloween franchise: there's enough light flickering in its carved-out pumpkin eyes, but there's also an inescapable by-the-numbers emptiness as well.
Every December, fans of sparkling sights are gifted a luminous feast for their eyes. No, we're not talking about Christmas lights. Regardless of whether you're bathing in a festive glow or hardly fond of all the merriment, 'tis the season for the Geminids meteor shower to soar through the sky. It began on Wednesday, December 4 and finishes for 2024 on Friday, December 20. Even better: Down Under, it's at its peak on the evening of Friday, December 13 and the morning of Saturday, December 14. If you have a telescope at hand, it's clearly a great time to put it to use. Eager to catch a glimpse, even from just your backyard or balcony? Here's everything you need to know. [caption id="attachment_927790" align="alignnone" width="1920"] A composite of 88 photos taken over 60 minutes during the Geminids by Paul Balfe via Flickr.[/caption] What Is It? Lighting up the end-of-year skies, the Geminids meteor shower is considered the most spectacular meteor shower of the year. Again, Christmas lights aren't the only spectacle worth peering at this month. The Geminids is caused by a stream of debris, left by an asteroid dubbed the 3200 Phaethon, burning up in Earth's atmosphere — and it was first observed in 1862. Some years, you can catch as many as 150 meteors every 60 minutes, so this definitely isn't just any old meteor shower. [caption id="attachment_882304" align="alignnone" width="1920"] ESO/G. Lombardi via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] When to See It The 2024 shower kicked off on Wednesday, December 4, and runs through till Friday, December 20. As with every year, it's at its peak in Australia overnight mid-month — between Friday, December 13–Saturday, December 14, specifically. If you fancy a stint of stargazing, the best time to look up is on Saturday, December 14 from around 3.08am in Brisbane, 3.30am in Perth, 4.01am in Sydney, 4.13am in Melbourne and 4.18am in Adelaide — all local time. [caption id="attachment_699423" align="alignnone" width="1920"] NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, Jeff Dai.[/caption] How to See It For your best chances, it's worth getting as far away from bright lights as possible. This could be a good excuse to head out of the city to a clear-skied camping spot — and pray for no clouds. To see the meteors, you'll need to give your eyes around 15–30 minutes to adapt to the dark (so try to avoid checking your phone) and look to the northeast. The shower's name comes from the constellation from which they appear to come, Gemini. So that's what you'll be looking for in the sky. To locate Gemini, we recommend downloading the Sky Map app — it's the easiest way to navigate the night sky (and is a lot of fun to use even on a non-meteor shower night). If you're more into specifics, Time and Date also has a table that shows the direction and altitude of the Geminids. The Geminids meteor shower runs until Friday, December 20, 2024 and will be at its peak during the night on Friday, December 13–Saturday, December 14. For further details, head to Time and Date. Top image: Asim Patel via Wikimedia Commons.
From global behemoth Netflix to the arthouse, indie and documentary-focused Kanopy, picking a streaming platform can take as much time as actually picking something to watch on a streaming platform. The latest to enter the market has quite the point of difference, however — and not just because it's free. If viewing the likes of Bronson, Drive, Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon has you on the same wavelength as filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, then you're in luck — the Danish writer/director has started his own streaming service. Called byNWR.com, it's a self-appointed "an unadulterated expressway for the arts", according to the site itself. After opening in beta in July, it's now officially up and running. A venture in conjunction with existing platform Mubi as well as the Harvard Film Archive, byNWR.com highlights a different restored cult classic each month, with the selection picked by a guest editor. Each film is supported by content themed around the chosen flick, such as essays, videos, photos and music. If you're thinking that you've probably seen the movies on offer (and that they're probably available elsewhere), think again. The site launched with three titles chosen by journalist Jimmy McDonough, and it's highly unlikely that you've watched and rewatched 1965 horror effort The Nest of the Cuckoo Birds, 1967's Hot Thrills and Warm Chills and 1967's Shanty Tramp endlessly, or even seen them on a big or small screen recently. The second volume will start rolling out from September, and will include 1961 thriller Night Tide starring Dennis Hopper, 1971's If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do?, and 1967's Spring Night, Summer Night — all curated by film publication Little White Lies. "I hope my site will inspire people to see the world a different way," Refn explained The Guardian, while also touching upon something fans of the filmmaker's own work will be more than familiar with: pushing people out of their comfort zones. If Refn's choices sound like the kind of thing you would like to see in a cinema, Little White Lies also reports that the streaming site will be accompanied by special screenings around the globe.
You swing by Starbucks before work, longing for a latte or flat white to bring you to life before a morning full of meetings. The barista hands over your cup of energy for the day and with a smile on your face you continue your journey to the office. You finally lift the cup to take a sip, and much to your dismay instead of enjoying the first taste of caffeine your tongue is brutally scalded by the piping hot liquid. You now have a temporary lisp and food is tasteless for the next three days. Not anymore — Coffee Joulies have come to the rescue of burnt tongues everywhere. The coffee-bean sized capsules are made of a thermodynamic, non-toxic material surrounded by stainless steel and are designed to cool hot beverages three times faster than normal and maintain a "perfect" drinking temperature for twice as long. How does it work? The Joulies are made to melt at about 60 degrees Fahrenheit (coffee is typically brewed at 90, give or take), and as they melt they absorb that extra heat from the drink. When the drink starts to cool down, the Joulies release that heat and begin to re-solidify. They may be called Coffee Joulies but they work for any hot drink, tea, hot chocolate, you name it.
Sixteen films in, the Marvel Cinematic Universe shows no signs of stopping, with eight more already in the works. Add their growing list of television series, the comics they're all based on, plenty of merchandise and an Australian gallery exhibition, and Marvel mania is difficult to escape. In fact, soon you'll be able to sleep in a hotel dedicated to the company's caped crusaders. Disney has announced that Disneyland Paris will become the home of the world's first Marvel hotel, reimagining an existing site into a superhero-themed wonderland. The park's Disney's Hotel New York will become known as Disney's Hotel New York – The Art of Marvel — and yes, we do think that a Parisian place with New York in its name has the potential to be confusing, but that's not likely to stop Avengers fans. Details are currently thin on the ground; however the hotel will feature nods to everyone from Iron Man to Spider-Man — and we're hoping some of the brand's female superheroes too. And, in what's shaping up to be a great time to be a pop culture fan, the news comes hot on the heels of another huge Disney hotel, with a Stars Wars-theme site slated to debut as part of Walt Disney World's new 360 vacation concept in Orlando. Image: Disney/Marvel via Disney Parks Blog.
If Vincent van Gogh can do it, and Claude Monet and his contemporaries like Renoir, Cézanne and Manet as well, then Frida Kahlo can also. We're talking about being the subject of huge, multi-sensory art exhibitions — the kind that takes an artist's work and projects it all around you so you feel like you're walking into their paintings. First came Van Gogh Alive, which has been touring the country for the last few years. On its way next is Monet & Friends Alive, launching at Melbourne's digital-only gallery The Lume at the end of October. And, after that, Frida Kahlo: Life of an Icon is heading to Sydney as part of the hefty and just-announced Sydney Festival program for 2023. Frida Kahlo: Life of an Icon will make its Australian premiere in the Harbour City — and display only in the Harbour — from Wednesday, January 4, 2023. For two months, it will celebrate the Mexican painter's life and work, taking over the Cutaway at Barangaroo Reserve with holography and 360-degree projections. The aim: turning a biographical exhibition about Kahlo into an immersive showcase, and getting attendees to truly understand her art, persistence, rebellion and skills — and why she's an icon. Visitors will wander through seven spaces, and get transported into the artist's work — including via virtual reality. That VR setup will indeed let you step inside Kahlo's pieces as much as VR can, although the entire exhibition is designed to cultivate that sensation anyway, with digital versions of Kahlo's paintings expanding across every surface. The showcase hails from Spanish digital arts company Layers of Reality, alongside the Frida Kahlo Corporation, and will feature historical photographs and original films as well — and live performances of traditional Mexican music. As part of the interactive component, attendees will also be able to make their own flower crowns, and turn their own drawings into Kahlo-style artworks. And, you'll be able to immortalise the experience in souvenir photos, too. For Sydneysiders, Frida Kahlo: Life of an Icon is one of the most exciting announcements in Sydney Festival's massive 2023 lineup. For folks residing elsewhere, it's a mighty good reason to make a date with Sydney this summer. The exhibition comes to Australia after touring Europe and the US, and also displaying in Canada, Puerto Rico, Israel and Brazil. Frida Kahlo: Life of an Icon will run from Wednesday, January 4–Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at The Cutaway at Barangaroo Reserve, 1 Merriman Street, Barangaroo. For more information, or to book tickets, head to the Sydney Festival website.
Drinking some of the finest brews on the Mornington Peninsula while sitting inside the reclaimed stable of a champion racehorse may sound like an odd pairing, but at St Andrews Beach Brewery you can do just that. The brewery has been constructed inside a former racehorse training centre. In 2017, the 92-acre property became a fully functioning brewery, with the 1200-metre race track replaced by 8000 apple and pear cider trees. The training facility-turned-brewery was previously owned by the Freedman family and ran as the Markdel Thoroughbred Complex, which produced hundreds of winning racehorses. Now it's owned by Andrew Purchase, who returned home to the Mornington Peninsula after co-founding a successful brewery in France. So far, it has created a slew of award-winning beers — with appropriately equestrian names, such as the Race Day Czech pilsner and 6 Furlongs US pale ale — which are packaged on site with with facility's own kegging and bottling line. In addition to a variety of beers there is also a diverse menu with pizzas, seafood, salads and desserts with dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options. St Andrews Beach has live music every weekend, too. You can walk in and grab a brew or book a stall table for a group of six or more here.
Forget socks and jocks this holiday season. This year it's all about experiences. So why not give the gift of local travel and send your friends and family on an enviable journey that sets them up for a stellar 2022? Plus, you'll be helping Australia's tourism industry get back on its feet. It's a win-win. If you know someone who's itching to reunite with big adventure travel experiences, you can stock up on multi-day hike vouchers or surprise them with a whale shark swimming adventure. In partnership with Tourism Australia, we've pulled together a list of thrilling experiences to help you pick the perfect present for the adrenaline seeker in your life.
Twenty-five years ago, a TV sitcom about six New Yorkers made audiences a promise: that it'd be there for us. And, as well as making stars out of Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer, the hit series has done just that. Sure, Friends wrapped up its ten-season run in 2004, but the show has lived on — on streaming platforms, by sending an orange couch around Australia and by screening anniversary marathons in cinemas. In news that was bound to happen someday — no pop culture entity truly comes to an end in these reboot, remake, revival and spinoff-heavy times — it looks like Friends is going to live on in a much more literal sense, too. The Hollywood Reporter reveals that a deal is in the works to bring back the show for a reunion special on HBO's new streaming platform HBO Max. Naturally, if it happens, all of the gang will be involved. Almost certainly set to be called 'The One with a Reunion', the special will be unscripted — which means that Aniston and company aren't likely to actually step back into Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and Ross's shoes; rather, they'll chat about their experiences on the show. Still, they'll all be on-screen at the same time celebrating the series that so many folks love, which is probably enough for fans. And, really, who knows what could spring from there. We're purely speculating, but if other big 90s sitcoms like Will & Grace, Mad About You and apparently Frasier can make a proper comeback, then surely everyone's favourite Central Perk regulars can as well. Friends creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman are also slated to join the reunion special, if it comes to fruition. If you're wondering when it could happen, THR notes that it'll largely depend on the relevant parties' schedules — although HBO Max is due to launch in the US in May 2020, so perhaps it'll be sooner rather than later. For folks Down Under, there doesn't seem to be a current plan to bring the streaming platform to our shores. Instead, the company appears to be continuing to focus on its existing arrangements with local channels and streamers for the time being. Via The Hollywood Reporter.
Succession may be over, but the fight for the Iron Throne between half-siblings Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney, Rogue Heroes) and Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy, Mothering Sunday) is about to fill your streaming queue. Both want to rule the Seven Kingdoms. Both claim the famous seat as theirs. Both are destined for war — the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons — when House of the Dragon returns for season two. Fiery feuds are this show's baseline — this franchise's as well, since Game of Thrones was also full of them — so much so that when HBO last dropped a sneak peek at the upcoming second season, it did so with duelling trailers. Now, following the first teaser in late 2023 as well, the US network has followed with a full glimpse. Carnage, fire, dragons, conflicting factions, a trip to the north: they're all coming. So is watching House of the Dragon season two in winter, which is when it will arrive. If you haven't already, mark Monday, June 17, 2024 in your diary. And while a clash of Targaryens awaits, Rhaenyra knows that the role of ruler isn't about power but stability. "The Targaryen who sits the Iron Throne is not just a king or a queen — they are a protector of the realm," she says to open the new trailer. Also returning when the fray continues: Olivia Cooke (Slow Horses) as Alicent Hightower, Matt Smith (Morbius) as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Rhys Ifans (The King's Man) as Ser Otto Hightower, Eve Best (Nurse Jackie) as Rhaenys Targaryen and Steve Toussaint (It's a Sin) as Lord Corlys Velaryon, plus Fabien Frankel (The Serpent), Ewan Mitchell (Saltburn) and Sonoya Mizuno (Civil War). HBO is also adding new faces to the mix, with Clinton Liberty (This Is Christmas) as Addam of Hull, Jamie Kenna (Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story) as Ser Alfred Broome, Kieran Bew (Warrior) as Hugh, Tom Bennett (Black Ops) as Ulf, Tom Taylor (Love at First Sight) as Lord Cregan Stark and Vincent Regan (One Piece) as Ser Rickard Thorne. They join Abubakar Salim (Napoleon) as Alyn of Hull, Gayle Rankin (Perry Mason) as Alys Rivers, Freddie Fox (The Great) as Ser Gwayne Hightower and Simon Russell Beale (Thor: Love and Thunder) as Ser Simon Strong among the season two newcomers. When it premieres in June, House of the Dragon's second season will arrive two years after the first debuted in 2022. Game of Thrones was always going to spark spinoff shows. Indeed, when HBO started thinking about doing a prequel six years ago, before the huge fantasy hit had even finished its run, it was hardly surprising. And, when the US network kept adding ideas to its list — including a Jon Snow-focused series with Kit Harington (Eternals) reprising his famous role, novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg and an animated GoT show, to name just a few prequels and spinoffs that've been considered, but may or may not actually come to fruition — absolutely no one was astonished. So far, just House of the Dragon has hit screens; however, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, the Dunk and Egg adaptation, is now due in 2025. With House of the Dragon, Game of Thrones' first spinoff jumps back into House Targaryen's history. When it initially roared into streaming queues, it became an instant success. Accordingly, as it delivered more complicated GoT realm relationships, flowing long blonde hair, dragons, stabbings and fights for power — and plenty to fuel a drinking game, as we created — it was quickly renewed for season two. The series kicked off 172 years before the birth of Daenerys and her whole dragon-flying, nephew-dating, power-seeking story, and gave HBO its largest American audience for any new original series in its history when it debuted. If you're thinking that House of the Dragon is basically a case of new show, same squabbles, as it was easy to foresee it would be, you're right. It's pretty much Game of Thrones with different faces bearing now well-known surnames — and more dragons. If you haven't yet caught up with the show so far, it dives into the battle for the Iron Throne before the one we all watched between 2011–19. Paddy Considine (The Third Day) started the series King Viserys — and it's exactly who should be his heir that sparked all the Succession-style fuss. The words "succession" and "successor" (and "heir" as well) got bandied around constantly, naturally. Also, Australian actors Milly Alcock and Ryan Corr were among the stars. This latest adaptation of George RR Martin's popular fantasy books — based on Fire & Blood, specifically — is bound to continue on for more than just two seasons, but that's all that's confirmed for the moment. Check out the full trailer for House of the Dragon season two below: House of the Dragon streams Down Under via Foxtel and Binge in Australia, and SoHo, Sky Go and Neon in New Zealand, with season two arriving on Monday, June 17, 2024. Read our full review of season one. Images: HBO.
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to watching anything, we're here to help. From the latest and greatest to old favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue from March's haul of newbies. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL RIGHT NOW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBUwi9eXtXM SLAXX Ask any style guru for their opinion on denim, and they'll all likely give the same answer. Everyone needs a pair of killer jeans, after all — the type that fit perfectly, flatter every inch of your lower half, and that you just don't want to ever take off. In Slaxx, CCC is the store aiming to make all of the above happen. Already priding itself on its eco-friendly, sustainable, sweatshop-free threads, the chain is set to launch a new range of denim that moulds to the wearer's body, with the company's buzzword-spouting CEO (Stephen Bogaert, IT: Chapter Two) certain that they'll change the fashion industry. On the night before the jeans hit the shelves, employees at one store are tasked with making sure everything goes smoothly; however, as new hire Libby (Romane Denis, My Salinger Year), apathetic veteran employee Shruti (Sehar Bhojani, Sex & Ethnicity) and their over-eager boss Craig (Brett Donahue, Private Eyes) soon learn, these are killer jeans in a very literal sense. Quickly, the ravenous pants start stalking and slaying their way through the store. It's a concept that'd do Rubber's Quentin Dupieux proud and, in the hands of Canadian filmmaker Elza Kephart (Go in the Wilderness), the results are highly entertaining. Slaxx wears its equally silly and savage attitude like a second skin, smartly skewers consumerism and retail trends, and possesses stellar special effects that bring its denim to life — and, although never subtle (including in its performances), it's exactly as fun as a film about killer jeans should be. Slaxx is available to stream via Shudder. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf34qI1hjKU MOXIE When Amy Poehler made her feature directorial debut with 2019's Wine Country, movie magic wasn't splashed across the small screen. But thankfully Moxie is now here to wipe that underwhelming comedy out of viewers' minds — and to demonstrate Poehler's knack at helming a high school-set tale of blossoming feminist activism. Adapted from the 2015 novel of the same name, the film follows 16-year-old Vivian (Hadley Robinson, I'm Thinking of Ending Things). Quiet, studious and happy hanging out with her similarly introverted best friend Claudia (Lauren Tsai, Legion), she has always known that her male classmates have an attitude problem, and that their teachers and the general status quo both enable it. But, until newcomer Lucy (Alycia Pascual-Pena, Saved by the Bell) arrives, she's never been willing to rock the boat and fight for change. Inspired by her mother's (Poehler) crusading teen years, she starts a zine that calls out the toxic behaviour around her. That's where the film gets its title, and her school is scandalised by the homemade publication's pages. Story-wise, Moxie isn't big on surprises, especially if you've seen more than a couple of teen flicks in your time, as everyone has. Nonetheless, it's always as impassioned about its tale and as angry about the way the world treats anyone who isn't a white male as it is engaging and hopeful. And, as it follows the quest for equality being passed from one generation to another, it boasts a stellar soundtrack — including Bikini KIll's 'Rebel Girl', of course. Moxie is available to stream via Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfpzdSJlv6o CALLS Everyone has heard about the response that The War of the Worlds reportedly sparked back in 1938. That's when Orson Welles adapted HG Wells' novel into a radio play, and the result was so convincing that it reportedly incited panic among listeners. Watching Calls, it's easy to understand how. 'Watching' isn't exactly the right term for this mystery series, though. Like all those folks glued to their radios 83 years ago, Calls' audience is forced to listen intently. Indeed, in terms of visuals, the series only provides two types: words transcribing the conversations heard, and abstract visuals that move and shift with each sentence uttered and every suspenseful pause left lingering. Accordingly, focusing on the snippets of phone chats that tell the program's stories is what Calls is all about. Remaking the French show of the same name, and directed by Evil Dead and Don't Breathe's Fede Álvarez, something much more than a small-screen version of a story-fuelled podcast eventuates. A starry cast voices the chats — including everyone from Parks and Recreation duo Aubrey Plaza and Ben Schwartz to Wonder Woman 1984's Pedro Pascal and The Lodge's Riley Keough — but it's the tension and power of their words that leaves an impression. Each of the nine episodes tells a short story that eventually builds an overall picture, and getting caught up in them all is far easier than the underlying concept might initially make you think. Calls is available to stream via Apple TV+. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceXaKIhuyOA SOLAR OPPOSITES For a significant portion of the past few years, TV fans have had a Rick and Morty-shaped hole in their hearts. After the anarchic animated series' third season came to an end late in 2017, it took more than two years for its fourth season to reach screens — and that wrapped up in the first half of last year. More Rick and Morty is coming, and more schwiftiness with it. But, in the interim, Solar Opposites is here to fill the gap. It too is created by Justin Roiland, and also features his voice work. And, it's a chaotic, raucous and very funny sci-fi sitcom that unleashes all manner of strangeness upon a suburban family as well. The immediate difference: the family here are aliens. Korvo (Roiland), his partner Terry (Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley), and the younger Yumyulack (Sean Giambrone, The Goldbergs) and Jesse (stand-up comedian Mary Mack) have crash-landed on Earth and are trying to make the best of it, but they're well aware that their new home pales in comparison to their old one. From that basic setup, anything and everything can and does happen, as seasoned R&M fans will easily expect. Going in, you can be forgiven for thinking that this'll come off as a clone of a beloved show, and there's no missing their shared DNA; however, Solar Opposites flies its own immensely funny, often flat-out ridiculous and always astute path. The first season of Solar Opposites is available to stream via Disney+. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYl1DVIgbAg SHIRLEY In 2020, Elisabeth Moss had a great year. While the Mad Men and The Handmaid's Tale star has enjoyed a fantastic past decade, she turned in two of her best performances over the past 12 months. First came The Invisible Man, which twisted the classic horror tale in modern directions, including exploring gaslighting and the lack of willingness to believe women. Then, in Shirley, she stepped into the shoes of horror and mystery novelist Shirley Jackson. This is a movie by Madeline's Madeline director Josephine Decker, though, so it as never going to be a standard biopic about the The Haunting of Hill House author. Indeed, Shirley is drawn from a fictional novel by Susan Scarf Merrell, focusing on Jackson's home life with her husband Stanley Hyman (Michael Stuhlbarg, Call Me By Your Name) during a 1964 period when teaching aide Fred Nemser (Logan Lerman, Hunters) and his wife Rose (Australian The Daughter star Odessa Young) come to stay. An agoraphobic, Jackson's routine is unsettled by her new houseguests, although an unexpected connection springs with unlikely kindred spirit Rose. In telling this story, Decker is far more interested in capturing the essence of Jackson and her sensibilities than slavishly sticking to facts, and her film all the better for it. Indeed, this subjective and engaging character study is daring, disarming, dark and, unsurprisingly, anchored by a pitch-perfect lead performance. Shirley is available to stream via Stan. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otu7hGMgmcQ VIOLATION The rape-revenge genre isn't new, but two of the most powerful films to reach Australian audiences this year step into it with unflinching confidence. They do more than that, though. They savagely dissect society's willingness to accept that sexual assault is part of our culture — and misogyny, too. They demand that their audience not only spend almost two hours thinking about a subject so many would rather avoid, but that they have a visceral reaction. The movies: Promising Young Woman and Violation. Both are the product of first-time feature directors. Both include women among their filmmakers, either solely or as half of a duo. Both are anchored by blistering lead performances as well, and neither fades quickly (or at all) from memory. They'd make a stellar double bill; however, tonally, they each march to their own beat. In Violation's case, co-writer and co-director Madeleine Sims-Fewer (Operation Avalanche) stars as Miriam. As she visits her sister Greta (Anna Maguire, The Hummingbird Project) and brother-in-law Dylan (Jesse LaVercombe, Murdoch Mysteries), it soon becomes obvious that more than just a happy reunion is on the cards. Playing a traumatised woman soon grappling the reality of vengeance in a primal and tangible way, Sims-Fewer puts in a performance that it's impossible to look away from, but that's just one of the savvy steps that the actor/filmmaker and her co-director Dusty Mancinelli take. Violation is available to stream via Shudder. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFHj8e7mU_I OPERATION VARSITY BLUES: THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCANDAL 'Eat the rich' isn't a Netflix category. But with Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal joining Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened in the streamer's catalogue, perhaps it should be. The former certainly makes the case for it, covering a criminal conspiracy that smacks of the wealthy abusing their cash and status in an egregious manner. No one could've avoided the headlines and reports when news broke about affluent, influential and/or famous Americans, including actors Lori Loughlin (Full House) and Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives), deciding that they needed to bribe college officials to send their already privileged children to prestigious schools. Operation Varsity Blues neither assumes any knowledge on the viewer's part nor needlessly repeats itself, but those acquainted with the details and folks with just a passing interest so far will both find themselves swept through the ups and downs. The film's dramatisations — starring Matthew Modine (Stranger Things, Wrong Turn) as Rick Singer, the scheme's central figure — can feel clunky at times, but director Chris Smith (Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond — Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton) knows how to step through this tale. It worked for him on Fyre, after all, which he also helmed, and it works again in a documentary that's as much about a broken system as it the people who cheated it. Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal is available to stream via Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzqevBnUUZU THE ASSISTANT Charting an ordinary day in the life of a junior staff member at a film production office, The Assistant is as unsettling as anything else that has reached screens recently. Jane (Julia Garner, Ozark) has the titular position, working an entry-level job for a demanding head honcho who everyone in the office indulges — although viewers never get to meet him. She arrives at work before daylight, trudges through menial tasks and is treated poorly by her male colleagues. She's expect to anticipate everything that her boss could ever need or want, or face his wrath if she doesn't. And, as the day progresses, she realises just how toxic her workplace's culture is and how deep its inappropriate conduct burrows. Seeing how predatory the man she works for acts on a daily basis, and how his behaviour has a significant impact, she also learns how those who even try to speak out can still be powerless to effect change to stop it. If you've kept abreast of the #MeToo movement over the past few years, you'll know exactly what has inspired The Assistant, of course. However, Australian filmmaker Kitty Green wants her audience to experience this devastating scenario via Jane, rather than merely read about it. She doesn't just succeed; although she's working in fiction here, she directs a film as searing and perceptive as her last project, the excellent documentary Casting JonBenet. The Assistant is available to stream via Binge. NEW SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bfAVpuko5o INVINCIBLE If you've ever shopped for a specific item on Amazon and found multiple similar versions of the same thing, then you already know what it can be like to dive into Amazon Prime Video's streaming catalogue. Many of its new additions instantly bring other shows in its catalogue to mind by sharing and mimicking elements, and Invincible follows that trend. At first, it'll have you thinking about The Boys. Next, you'll start recalling Undone. Those two series mightn't seem like a natural fit, but the combination of superheroes and existential malaise works well here. Animated like the latter, but willing to get bleak and dark with caped crusaders as the former does repeatedly, Invincible focuses on Mark Grayson (voiced by newly minted Oscar nominee Steven Yeun, Minari). The 17-year-old son of the well-known Omni-Man (J Simmons, Palm Springs), he's been waiting for his own powers to kick in — and, when they do, he's forced to grapple with exactly what that means. Among the star-studded cast, Sandra Oh (Killing Eve), Mark Hamill (Star Wars) and Mahershala Ali (Green Book) all lend their vocal tones. Off-screen, The Walking Dead co-creator Robert Kirkman is responsible for not only doing the same with the Invincible comic book, but with the series. What lingers most here is the mood, though, with the show at its best when it's getting contemplative and introspective with its teen protagonist. The first three episodes of Invincible are available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, with new episodes dropping weekly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWBsDaFWyTE THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER First things first: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier isn't WandaVision. It's much more conventional, and it doesn't boast a fabulous performance by Parks and Recreation's Kathryn Hahn, either. But, it does explore the everyday existence of both Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie, Synchronic) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan, The Devil All the Time), who team up in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame — and it gives both characters space to be more than just supporting figures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As proved the case in its fellow 2021 Disney+ newcomer, that's a welcome change in a realm that usually pushes action to the fore. Seeing how these two function as people, and as folks who know they've never been the stars of the show, too, brings depth to a franchise that doesn't always have it. Wilson is recognised everywhere including when applying for a loan for his family business, for instance, but fame and getting by financially don't always go hand in hand. Barnes has his murky history to deal with, and it weighs upon him as he tries to get through every day. But, of course, pooling their talents to stop villainous forces is still the name of the game in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier — as is is weaving in the returning Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl, The Alienist: Angel of Darkness) and Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp, The Resident), and introducing Captain America replacement John Walker (Wyatt Russell, The Good Lord Bird). The first two episodes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier are available to stream via Disney+, with new episodes dropping weekly. Top images: Slaxx, Bertrand Calmeau/Shudder; The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Chuck Zlotnick. ©Marvel Studios 2020.
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to anything, we're here to help. We've spent plenty of couch time watching our way through this month's latest batch — and, from the latest and greatest through to old and recent favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue from October's haul. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH FROM START TO FINISH NOW BECKHAM Strike It Like Sam Kerr would make an excellent movie title. As fans of football and film alike already know, Bend It Like Beckham got there first 21 years ago, borrowing its moniker from David Beckham's uncanny knack for curling the ball when taking a free kick. The former Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan, LA Galaxy and Paris Saint-Germain player — and England captain — now sees his name grace the screen again via Beckham, the instantly compelling four-part documentary about one of the biggest talents to ever play the world game. A birth-to-now chronicle, the series spins a fairytale that's all real and came true. David was once a quiet boy from a working-class family with a dad who loved soccer. He took to the sport with passion and dedication, and has since lived out any and every aspiring athlete's wildest fantasy. Director Fisher Stevens, who is recently best-known for acting in Succession, appreciates the dream ride that Beckham has experienced, but also sees the costs and tolls. Reflecting on that for him are several Beckhams, including the man himself, Spice Girl Victoria (who is adamant that she wasn't into football when she met David and still isn't now), and his doting parents Sandra and Ted. As countless YouTube complications have already captured, watching Beckham on the pitch at the height of his footballing powers is pure sporting joy — a fact that can be appreciated in the doco by soccer diehards and the unacquainted alike. Beckham shows off the skills, demonstrating how exceptional he was on the field and why the world responded. Witnessing that prowess is also key in understanding how everything from brand partnerships to global tours, famous teammates to disapproving team managers, and championships to tabloid harassment followed. Various Beckhams aren't the only folks chatting. Sir Alex Ferguson, Gary Neville, Eric Cantona and Rio Ferdinand are among the footballing names. Anna Wintour makes an appearance. But David and Victoria's observations, memories and insights — and relationship, in the 90s, since and now — are at this docuseries' core. Red cards, the World Cup, big moves, fan abuse and taunts, sacrifices and scandals, sarongs and hairstyles, the Beckhams' wedding, being peak 90s and pop-culture icons, changing clubs, owning clubs, family life: it all factors into this captivating and satisfying watch. Beckham streams via Netflix. THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER Of the many pies that Succession's Roy family had their fingers in, pharmaceuticals wasn't one of them. For virtually that, Mike Flanagan gives audiences The Fall of the House of Usher. The horror auteur's take on dynastic wealth gets a-fluttering through a world of decadence enabled by pushing pills legally, as six heirs to an addiction-laced kingdom vie to inherit a vast fortune. Flanagan hasn't given up his favourite genre for pure drama, however. The eponymous Usher offspring won't be enjoying the spoils of their father Roderick's (Bruce Greenwood, The Resident) business success, either, in this absorbing, visually ravishing and narratively riveting eight-parter. As the bulk of this tale is unfurled fireside, its patriarch tells federal prosecutor C Auguste Dupin (Carl Lumbly, SWAT) why his children (including Pet Sematary: Bloodlines' Henry Thomas, Minx's Samantha Sloyan, The Peripheral's T'Nia Miller, iZombie's Rahul Kohli, The Wrath of Becky's Kate Siegel and The Midnight Club's Sauriyan Sapkota) came to die within days of each other — and, with all the gory details, how. As with The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor before it, plus The Midnight Club as well, Flanagan's latest Netflix series finds its basis on the page. The author this time: Edgar Allan Poe, although The Fall of the House of Usher isn't a strict adaptation of the iconic author's 1840 short story of the same name, or just an adaptation, even as it bubbles with greed, violence and paranoia (plus death, loss, decay and the deceased haunting the livin)g. Character monikers, episode titles and other details spring from widely across Poe's bibliography. Cue ravens, black cats, masks, tell-tale hearts, pendulums and a Rue Morgue. What if the writer had penned Succession? That's one of Flanagan's questions — and what if he'd penned Dopesick and Painkiller, too? Hailing from the talent behind the exceptional Midnight Mass as well, plus movies Oculus, Hush, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Gerald's Game and Doctor Sleep, the series that results is a gloriously creepy and involving modern gothic horror entry. The Fall of the House of Usher streams via Netflix. Read our full review. OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH First dropping anchor with its debut season in 2022, and finding a mooring among the best new series that the year had to offer, Our Flag Means Death's premise has always glinted as brightly as its impressive cast (not just Uproar's Rhys Darby and Thor: Love and Thunder's Taika Waititi, but also Bloods' Samson Kayo, Creation Stories' Ewen Bremner, Bank of Dave's Joel Fry, Game of Thrones' Kristian Nairn, Hello Tomorrow!'s Matthew Maher, Loot's Nat Faxon, The Sex Lives of College Girls' Vico Ortiz and The Batman's Con O'Neill for starters). It follows Darby as self-styled 'gentleman pirate' Stede Bonnet. Born to a life of privilege, he felt that seafaring and swashbuckling was his calling, leaving his life on land behind to hop on a ship — details that all spring from reality. Creator David Jenkins (People of Earth) isn't interested in telling the exact IRL tale, however. Consider those basics merely Our Flag Means Death's departure point. On-screen, Stede gets caught up in both a workplace comedy and a boatmance. The first springs from his certainty that there has to be a nicer way to glide through a pirate existence, and the second from his blossoming feelings for feared marauder Edward Teach (Waititi), aka Blackbeard. When season one wrapped up, Stede and Ed had found love in a buccaneering place, but also felt splashes of uncertainty about what their relationship means, leading to heartbreak and a breakup. Season two picks up with the show's motley crew of characters torn in two, with Stede and his loyal faction marooned on the island tourist destination that is The Republic of Pirates — fantasy is as much a part of Our Flag Means Death as comedy and romance — and Blackbeard back to his robbing and murdering ways on The Revenge. The series' attracted opposites will find their way onto the same deck again, but choppy waters are in store for their emotions, as well as ample bobbing up and down, ebbing and flowing, floating and sinking, and everything else that the ocean brings to mind. Similarly splashing their way: rivalries, curses, old pals, new foes, betrayals, forgiveness, glorious silliness, trauma, lopped limbs and a merman (plus Madeleine Sami from Deadloch among the show's new faces). Our Flag Means Death streams via Binge. Read our full review. LUPIN Forget Emily in Paris — the best Netflix series set in the French capital focuses on a light-fingered smooth mover who is as adept at stealing hearts as he is at pilfering jewels and art. The streaming service's Lupin isn't the first screen outing based on the Maurice Leblanc-penned master of disguise, with the author's famous character first popping up on the big screen over a century ago, then appearing in both movies and TV not just in his homeland but also in the US and Japan since. Centred on a gentleman thief who takes his cues from the fictional figure, however, Netflix's take on all things Arsène Lupin is equally creative, riveting, twisty and entertaining. With the charismatic Omar Sy (Jurassic World Dominion) as its lead, it also couldn't be better cast — as viewers initially discovered in January 2021, when Sy's Arsène superfan Assane Diop started showing off his larceny skills in the series' instantly engaging five-episode first part. The angle proved savvy. The central casting is sparkling. Creators George Kay (who has since made the Idris Elba-led Hijack) and François Uzan (Family Business) perfected the rollicking vibe. And, director Louis Leterrier (Fast X) turned in some of his best work helming the debut three instalments. It's no wonder that the show became the most-watched series in a language other than English on Netflix at the pre-Squid Game time. A second five-chapter part arrived in June the same year, but audiences have had to wait until now for a third. Now streaming its seven new entries, Lupin's third part dazzles again. As its central figure tries to protect his family while the world thinks that he's dead, crime capers don't much more charming — and bingeable — than this page-to-screen heist affair. Leblanc introduced the world to Lupin in short stories in 1905, with 17 novels and 39 novellas following. In some, Herlock Sholmes pops up — and yes, the reference to Arthur Conan Doyle's detective is clearly on purpose. Although Sherlock Holmes isn't quite Arsène Lupin's English equivalent, the two characters give readers and viewers alike the same thrills. If spending time with smart figures with silky skills in can't-put-down and can't-look-away mysteries is what you're after, both deliver. Netflix's Lupin gives the French favourite a modern-day Sherlock-esque spin, but with another pivot to put the suave Senegal-born Diop and his various quests in the spotlight. Lupin streams via Netflix. Read our full review. HOT POTATO: THE STORY OF THE WIGGLES Get ready to wiggle: Anthony Field, Murray Cook, Greg Page and Jeff Fatt have ensured that Australia has been in that exact state for so long. It was more than three decades back when the university classmates, all studying early childhood education, decided to combine their area of interest with music — not for fame, which has come and then some since, but to put what they were learning into action while engaging and teaching kids. If your childhood spanned Australia in the 90s onwards, or you've ever spent time parenting or babysitting someone who fits into that category, then you know the end result. Indeed, folks in most parts of the world do, too. The Wiggles haven't gone wrong since those early and humble beginnings. Only Field, aka the Blue Wiggle, remains part of the skivvy-loving group's current main iteration, but such is The Wiggles' beloved status that all four can and do fill arenas filled with adults on OG Wiggles tours. Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles charts the why, what and how about the Aussie troupe, who've also won Triple J's Hottest 100, appeared at Mardi Gras and performed at Falls Festival in just the last couple of years. Comprised of archival clips and recent interviews — all lively and colourful — plus earworm-level kids tunes that everyone knows no matter if you've ever actively watched or listened to The Wiggles, Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles hits the screen from a filmmaker that's no stranger to exploring the stories behind pivotal figures. Also on Sally Aitken's resume: Valerie Taylor: Playing with Sharks and David Stratton: A Cinematic Life, although neither had such a penchant for bright primary hues. This is a tale of a great idea and the hard work that made it a success, of friendship and being able to do what you love, of creative genius and lucky breaks, and of both finding and spreading joy. It's an account about big red cars, pirates with feathers for swords and dinosaurs called Dorothy as well, of course, and of teaching approaches and learnings, sacrifices made, health tolls weathered, a band becoming a show, and a group ensuring that it wasn't just entertaining Australia and beyond — it was representing its audience, too. Unsurprisingly, Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles is both enlightening and likeable; so, classic The Wiggles, then. Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles streams via Prime Video. ONEFOUR: AGAINST ALL ODDS Members of ONEFOUR happily chat through their lives and music careers in ONEFOUR: Against All Odds, with first-time feature filmmaker Gabriel Gasparinatos regularly putting brothers J Emz and YP, plus their friend Spenny, centre screen to tell their story in their own words. As the trio talk, they're never anything less than candid and impassioned about their childhoods growing up in Mount Druitt in Sydney's western suburbs, the lack of opportunities available to the Pacific Islander community, being openly told as teens that they'd end up in jail, when paths and choices made those harsh words come true, and the reason that they're famous: their tunes. But everyone involved in this film, and those watching as well, must wish that this was a different movie — not due to anything about how the doco itself is made or plays, but because of the grim reality that it charts. If only this wasn't an account of friends who found not only something they loved but a new way forward in drill rap, which they turned into viral success and more, only to be constantly harassed by a New South Wales police squad that usually targets organised crime, terrorism and bikie gangs. Sharing J Emz, YP and Spenny's dismay comes easily while viewing ONEFOUR: Against All Odds, which takes a thorough ride through the group's origins, career and run-ins with the law. Feeling enraged at the police attempt to censor art — shutting down gigs in NSW and around the country; also thwarting international touring plans; and constantly making their presence known to ONEFOUR's talents, their families and their community — because they claim that the band's tracks will incite violence is just as inescapable. Gasparinatos interviews law enforcement representatives on-camera, and their words don't and can't justify the shocking treatment that ONEFOUR has received and keeps receiving as singles such as 'What You Know', 'The Message', 'Home and Away' and The Kid LAROI collaboration 'My City' have struck a chord with listeners locally, nationwide and internationally over the past six years. This plight isn't over, either; in fact, when ONEFOUR: Against All Odds premiered at SXSW Sydney, the heavy representation from the thin blue line didn't go unnoticed or unreported. The film chronicles the group's highlights, such as earning recognition, starting dance crazes, one-man gigs, a stadium The Kid LAROI show and the band's resilience, while always conveying how true the doco's title rings. ONEFOUR: Against All Odds streams via Netflix. THE PIGEON TUNNEL What happens when one of the world's great documentarians, and a master at the talking-head format, turns his lens toward one of the best authors of espionage intrigue that's ever graced the page? The engrossing The Pigeon Tunnel, Errol Morris' (an Oscar-winner for The Fog of War) exploration of John le Carré's life and work. Of course, the latter's tales haven't just spilled through books, but onto screens themselves long before he was a doco subject — and his IRL exploits are as fascinating as anything ever captured in The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Constant Gardener, A Most Wanted Man, Our Kind of Traitor, The Night Manager and The Little Drummer Girl. How did the man born David Cornwell, who was in his 80s when he sat with Morris for a frank interview before his passing in December 2020, become the go-to for cloak-and-dagger affairs? And what kind of rollercoaster of an existence inspired such narratives? le Carré aka Cornwell explains all here — from his dad's shady schemes, his mother leaving and his time as a teacher through to working for MI5 and MI6, and becoming a novelist. The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories From My Life precedes this film, hitting bookstores in 2016 as the only full-length non-fiction text to le Carré's name. Whether you've read that or not, devoured one or some or none of his spy tales, done the same with the movie adaptations or are coming to the author anew here with just slight recognition drawing you in, The Pigeon Tunnel is gripping as a documentary. A gifted storyteller on the page, the movie's central figure is just as talented when he's in front of the camera — often framed askew, in a feature that tellingly takes the aesthetics of le Carré's favourite genre to heart. Morris and his adept regular editor Steven Hathaway also splice in examples from the author's pen, given there's such a large amount to choose from, which isn't merely a case of illustrating the impact of his work. Indeed, The Pigeon Tunnel knows that the lines between fact and fiction are faint, including when surveying, probing and interrogating decades in the eventful life of someone who spent more than one job spinning complicated webs. The Pigeon Tunnel streams via Apple TV+. TOTALLY KILLER Kiernan Shipka has long said goodbye to Mad Men's Sally Draper, including by starring in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. After her dalliance with witchcraft, she's still sticking with horror in Totally Killer, but in a mix of slasher tropes and a Back to the Future-borrowing premise. There's a body count and a time machine — and 80s fashions aplenty, because where else does a 2023 movie head to when it's venturing into the past? Also present and accounted for: a tale about a high schooler living in a small town cursed by a past serial killer, which brings some Halloween and Scream nods, plus Mean Girls and Heathers-esque teen savagery. And, yes, John Hughes flicks also get some love, complete with shoutouts to Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink star Molly Ringwald. Totally Killer doesn't skimp on knowingly and winkingly mashing up its many influences, clearly, or on enjoying itself while doing so. The end result is a heap of fun, as hailing from Always Be My Maybe's Nahnatchka Khan behind the lens, along with screenwriters David Matalon (The Clearing), Sasha Perl-Raver (Let's Get Married) and Jen D'Angelo (Hocus Pocus 2). Shipka plays Vernon resident Jamie Hughes, who has spent her whole life being told to be careful about everything by her overprotective parents Pam (Julie Bowen, Modern Family) and Blake (Lochlyn Munro, Creepshow) after an October turned deadly back when they were her age. Unsurprisingly, she isn't happy about it. The reason for their caution: in 1987, three 16-year-old girls were murdered in the lead up to Halloween, with the culprit badged the Sweet 16 Killer — and infamy ensuing for Jamie's otherwise ordinary hometown. Pam is still obsessed with finding the murderer decades later, but her daughter only gets involved after a new tragedy. This Jason Blum (The Exorcist: Believer)-produced flick then needs to conjure up a blast in the past to try to fix what happened then to stop the new deaths from occurring. Always knowing that it's a comedy as much as a slasher film (as seen in its bright hues, heard in its snappy dialogue and conveyed in its committed performances), Totally Killer leans into everything about its Frankenstein's monster-style assemblage of pieces, bringing its setup to entertaining life. Totally Killer streams via Prime Video. THE BURIAL Find the right story, enlist an ace cast, and any genre can thoroughly entertain and engage while ticking recognisable boxes — and legal drama The Burial is one such hearty example. The true tale: Mississippi resident Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe's mid-90s David-versus-Goliath battle against businessman Raymond Loewen, with their respective funeral operations at the centre, and also lawyer Willie E Gary representing O'Keefe's side when it went to court. The stars: Tommy Lee Jones (The Comeback Trail) as the 75-year-old grandfather who is having government troubles over the insurance side of his company, and wants to secure a future for his sizeable family (including 13 children); ever-busy and reliable character actor Bill Camp (Boston Strangler) as a cashed-up promised buyer of three funeral homes to add to his North American deathcare empire; and Jamie Foxx (Strays) as the smooth-talking, jury-whispering, private jet-owning Florida-based personal injury lawyer who is convinced by the just-graduated Hal Dockins (Mamoudou Athie, Elemental) to give a case he normally wouldn't think twice about a go. After writing and helming 2017's Novitiate, filmmaker Maggie Betts takes on both gigs again — co-scripting with Doug Wright (Quills), who also came up with the story that's based on a New Yorker article — on a film that doesn't only step through cracking courtroom antics, but is cleverly funny, too. The details are rousing, as well as infuriating, with Loewen reneging on an agreement with O'Keefe, the latter suing the former with Gary's help, and predatory practices regarding race and economic status becoming plain. After jumping from sci-fi/horror with They Cloned Tyrone to raucous comedy with Strays and now this, Foxx is giddily excellent playing a character that could've been all style and no substance, even as someone who exists IRL, but proves flashy yet genuine. His rapport with Jones, as cemented by the music off late-80s/early-90s R&B act Tony! Toni! Toné!, also shines. And although John Grisham could've penned the ins and outs if it was all fiction, this is still a smart and involving movie, and an easy crowd-pleaser. The Burial streams via Prime Video. NEW AND RETURNING SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK LOKI One of the best performances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes from the man who was first charged with getting villainous, but now leads his own spinoff series as a complex and playful hero. While Tom Hiddleston's acting talents are well-established far beyond playing the God of Mischief — see: The Deep Blue Sea, The Hollow Crown, Only Lovers Left Alive, High-Rise, Crimson Peak and The Night Manager, for instance — the MCU has been all the better for his involvement for more than a decade. A scene-stealer in 2011's Thor, his parts in film after film kept getting bigger until streaming series Loki arrived. Amid Disney's rush of greenlighting shows for Disney+, starting this one couldn't have been easier; as Thor: Ragnarok in particular demonstrated, adding more Hiddleston has always been a winning move. Indeed, when it slid into queues in 2021 as just the third series in the MCU's small-screen realm, following WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki proved that more Hiddleston in a six-part TV show was also a delight. As one of Marvel's standout shows, it came as no surprise when this stint of time-hopping trickery confirmed that it was returning for a second season in that run's final episode. Now back for another half-dozen instalments, Loki becomes the first of Marvel's television entries to earn a second go-around. That isn't an achievement that it takes for granted. Picking up exactly where season one left off, Loki season two sticks to some familiar beats but also makes its own leaps, and remains fun, funny, lively and smart in the process. It feels more lived in, too, a description that rarely applies to any franchise about caped crusaders and their nemeses, gods, multiverses and temporal chaos, this one among them. And, as well as Hiddleston excelling overall, plus opposite Owen Wilson (Haunted Mansion) and Sophia Di Martino (The Electrical Life of Louis Wain), this time-jumping return also brings Everything Everywhere All At Once Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan into another temporal jumble, which is as great on-screen as it sounds on paper. Loki streams via Disney+. Read our full review. UPLOAD Every show about the afterlife, whether it's The Good Place or Upload of late, relies upon an inescapable truth: if some form of existence can go on after death, humanity's worst traits will go with it. Greg Daniels' addition to this stream of thought relies upon AI, virtual reality, plus capturing the consciousness of someone before they die so that they can spend eternity in a simulation — if they can afford it — and while The Office and Parks and Recreation writer/co-creator has made another sitcom, rather than going all Charlie Brooker and Black Mirror, the end result doesn't evade the fact that people are people whether they're flesh and blood or digital approximations. So, as he resided in the luxurious country club-esque Lakeview after shuffling off the mortal coil, computer programmer Nathan (Robbie Amell, The Witcher) wasn't free of living's troubles. Instead, he had daily struggles and the fallout from his demise to deal with. Now three seasons in, Upload has brought its protagonist back to regular reality, downloading into a body with the help of his former virtual handler-turned-girlfriend Nora (Andy Allo, Chicago Fire), but he's still facing the same troubles. Well, mostly the same — because downloading is risky, hasn't been done successfully before and Nathan's bleeding nose is a worrying sign. As Upload's main duo battle big tech, the series continues to probe the limits that capitalism will take advancements to while prioritising circuitry and dehumanising people. Nathan's ex Ingrid (Allegra Edwards, Briarpatch), who financed his trip to Lakeview, is increasingly coming around to this way of thinking. Even the plentiful AI Guy (Owen Daniels, Space Force) is getting progressively rebellious against the systems, coding and rules that are behind his very existence. Upload season three keeps complicating its storyline, but also keeps doubling down on its critique of wealth disparity, companies ruling over people, modern society's endless quest for control and cash, and the hellscape that might come if and when digital afterlives leap off the screen. Amell, Allo, Edwards and Daniels remain perfectly cast, as does Zainab Johnson (Tab Time) as one of Nora's colleagues and Kevin Bigley (Animal Control) as another Lakeview inhabitant, in a series is repeatedly astute and amusing. Upload streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. A RECENT BIG-SCREEN RELEASE YOU MIGHT'VE MISSED EMILY If Emily had been made two or three decades earlier, it might've starred Frances O'Connor, rather than boast the Australian actor-turned-filmmaker as its writer and director. Back in the 90s and 00s, O'Connor played with literary classics in movies such as Mansfield Park and The Importance of Being Earnest, plus a TV version of Madame Bovary. Now, making an accomplished and emotive debut behind the lens, she explores how Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights might've come to be. Is a Kate Bush-inspiring piece of gothic romantic fiction of such passion and yearning — the only one from a writer lost to tuberculosis at the age of just 30 in 1848 — the result of a life touched by both? That's a question that this fictionalised biopic ponders. Emily begins with another query, however, although it's also basically the same question. "How did you write it?" Emily's (Emma Mackey, Sex Education) older sister Charlotte (Alexandra Dowling, The Musketeers) demands. "How did you write Wuthering Heights?" As one Brontë grills another, "I took my pen and put it to paper" is Emily's literal answer, offered as she reclines, pale and not long for this world, alongside printed versions of her now-iconic story. The response provided by the gorgeously shot, impressively acted and deeply moving Emily is far more complicated, but O'Connor's choice to open her movie with this scene and question is both clever and telling. One perspective on great artists, including of words, is to view their work as intertwined with their lives — aka this feature's preferred vantage. A key perspective of Emily, too, is not letting the small amount of detail known about the middle of literature's three Brontë sisters dictate how this story is told. That copy of Wuthering Heights by Emily's side? It bears her name, as does every iteration printed today, but her book wasn't first published under her real moniker — her pen name was Ellis Bell — until two years after her death. Emily streams via Stan. Read our full review. Need a few more streaming recommendations? Check out our picks from January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August and September this year. You can also check out our running list of standout must-stream shows from this year as well — and our best 15 new shows of 2023's first six months, top 15 returning shows over the same period and best 15 straight-to-streaming movies from January–June 2023, too.
What do films about bickering neighbours, wannabe heavy metal bands and a boy wandering through the forest all have in common? They're on this year's Scandinavian Film Festival bill. While the annual event always surveys the cinema output of a variety of countries — Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, namely — it also dives into movies on a range of topics. Case in point: one title explores the college exploits of a teenager with supernatural abilities, but it's definitely not the kind of movie that you're thinking of, and another tracks youths trying to survive a mass shooting. They're some of the highlights of the 2018 fest, which tours Australia between July 10 and August — and if you'd like to hear more, keep reading. The full lineup includes everything from border patrol officers and Saint Bernards to icy westerns and an extremely different take on capitalism-drive class clashes. From all of the above and more, here are our six must-sees. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJghTR5y9U0 UNDER THE TREE It sounds like a storyline on any routine soap opera: two neighbouring families get into a turf war over the most ordinary of issues. And yes, as the title suggests, it's a tree. Overhanging branches aren't the only things casting a shadow over these particular lives, however, as marital woes, Ikea, family pets and more become involved in this bleak but hilarious study of bad behaviour. One side acts, the other retaliates, and the film's various spats escalate, although the emotions at the movie's core always remain believable and relatable. As well as featuring a number of impressive performances by Icelandic talents, especially from veteran Edda Björgvinsdóttir, Under the Tree represents another winning effort from writer/director Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson. Like his earlier feature Either Way, which was remade as Prince Avalanche, don't be surprised if this gets the English-language treatment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi2N-DFfe7Q THELMA The best super-powered film of the past year doesn't involve Wonder Woman, Black Panther or any other Marvel or DC characters. We're not saying that the big end of town hasn't turned out some great caped crusader flicks (and some terrible ones, too) over the last 12 months or so, but Thelma plays with extraordinary abilities in a completely different manner. The latest work from Oslo, August 31st and Louder Than Bombs' filmmaker Joachim Trier, it's a thriller about a college freshman (Eili Harboe) who copes with her new Oslo surroundings — and adjusts to her new bond with fellow student Anja (Kaya Wilkins) — in ways that surprise, astonish and truly cut to the heart of being a confused, anxious soul in a troubling world. Part sci-fi, part horror, part coming-of-age effort, the end result is a piercing exploration of identity that looks as impressive as it feels. HEAVY TRIP They're the world's first symphonic, post-apocalyptic, reindeer-grinding, Christ-abusing, extreme war pagan, Fennoscandian metal group, as they describe themselves, but these four Finnish villagers don't quite know how to chase their dreams. After 12 years of rehearsing in a slaughterhouse basement, the twenty-somethings finally record their own song — and after accidentally drenching a Norwegian festival promoter with a barrel of blood, Turo (Johannes Holopainen) starts telling everyone that they've scored a huge first gig. What happens next both follows the expected path and throws in plenty of unexpected incidents, altercations and antics, with the comedy caper including everything from a love triangle to grave-robbing to sailing on a viking ship. Still, even when it veers into silly territory, Heavy Trip remains inventive, heartfelt and very amusing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2WRsAyC-K4 VALLEY OF SHADOWS The gothic horror tradition is alive and well in moody, brooding Norwegian effort Valley of Shadows, which proves as haunting and gorgeously gloomy as its title suggests. The film might send a youngster trampling through creepy surroundings, but it carves its own path away from the current Stranger Things-inspired trend and its various offshoots. In fact, anything that seems familiar in the narrative is soon eclipsed by this confident and unnerving movie's commanding tone, as well as its eye-catching 35mm-shot images. Story-wise, the debut by writer/director Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen follows a six-year-old's (Adam Ekeli) foray into a nearby forest in search of his runaway dog, and the folklore-like events that eventuate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0RaGwzqLBE WINTER BROTHERS Danish drama Winter Brothers has won multiple awards for its cinematography, and it's immediately easy to see why — shot on 16mm film and casting its lens over snowy landscapes, remote homes, dark mines and the general inner workings of industrial settings, it's never less than striking to look at. As a study of masculinity left to fester in an isolated environment, it's also an emotionally powerful piece, winning Best Picture at the Danish Academy Awards for its troubles. Examining the lives of two miner siblings (Elliott Crosset Hove and Simon Sears) as they engage in a spat with their neighbours (yes, that seems to be a theme this festival) and make moonshine, this tense, textured movie knows exactly how it wants its viewers to feel. Helping perfect the ideal unsettling mood is a score that knows when to drone with ominous purpose, and knows when silence says everything it needs to. U — JULY 22 There's nothing new about recreating a harrowing real-life event from the perspective of those who were there, and giving audiences an on-the-ground view of their horrifying experiences. There's nothing new about adopting that approach when it comes to mass shootings either, or just generally unravelling a tense and terrifying situation in a single shot. Still, Norwegian effort U — July 22 finds the best way to plunge viewers into the thick of one of the most traumatic incidents in the country's history. On the eponymous date in 2011, a right-wing extremist gunned down 69 of the 500 attendees at a youth summer camp on the island of Utøya, with filmmaker Erik Poppe following one 19-year-old's efforts to survive. Lead actress Andrea Berntzen is fantastic as the desperate young woman searching for her sister, and for a way to make it out alive, in a feature that's never easy to watch but remains heartbreakingly engrossing — and important — from start to finish. The Scandinavian Film Festival tours the country between July 10 and August 5, screening at Sydney's Palace Norton Street, Palace Verona and Palace Central from July 10–29; Melbourne's Palace Cinema Como, Palace Brighton Bay and Palace Westgarth from July 12–29; and Brisbane's Palace Barracks from July 19 to August 5. For the full program, visit the festival website.
Some desserts always tempt the tastebuds, because there's going wrong with a classic. As well as tasting great every time you bite into them, some of those same sweet treats have inspired a heap of creative takes, too. If you've ever sipped a lamington-flavoured milkshake or plunged a scoop into some Iced VoVo gelato, then you know exactly what we're talking about. The next dessert mashups on offer hail from chocolatier Koko Black — and, if you're particularly fond of nostalgic Aussie favourites, your stomach might just start growling. As part of its new Australian Classics Collection, the Melbourne-founded company is making chocolate versions of plenty of your childhood staples. Think honey joys, chocolate crackles and Golden Gaytimes, plus the perennial go-tos that are Iced VoVos and lamingtons. The artisanal range turns some of the above sweets into separate bars sold in three-packs, and some into slabs of chocolate. So, you can tuck into Gaytime Goldies, which combine vanilla and malted caramel ganache, then dip the bar in dark chocolate, before covering it with hazelnuts — or opt for a block of Koko Crackles, which features rice bubbles, caramelised coconut and white chocolate, as then dipped in dark chocolate. Also available: a Lamington Slice slab, combining chocolate marshmallow and raspberry jelly, as covered in dark chocolate and dusted with coconut; bars of Koko Vovo, aka milk chocolate-coated biscuits topped with strawberry rosewater marshmallow, raspberry jelly and coconut; and Jam Wagons, which top biscuits topped with marshmallow and raspberry jam, then coat them in milk chocolate. Or, there's also Honey Joys, if you like your cornflakes drizzled with honey, then mixed with either milk chocolate or dark chocolate. The Australian Classics Collection is available separately or as one big hamper, with prices ranging from $15.90–$169. If you're keen, they've already hit Koko Black's online store — with delivery available nationally — and will show up in its physical shops from September 24. For more information about Koko Black's Australian Classics Collection, visit the store's website. Images: Studio Round.
When Olivia Wilde first made the leap from starring in front of the camera to helming behind it with Booksmart back in 2019, she took a genre that usually spins easy celluloid dreams — high school-set coming-of-age comedies — and gave it her own twist. For her second feature as a filmmaker, the actor-turned-director is set to actively dismantle a different fantasy. She also indulges in one, at least if you've always wanted to see Harry Styles get steamy on-screen. Fresh from proving the talk of Coachella — and locking in a 2023 Down Under tour, too — the former One Direction member stars with Florence Pugh (Black Widow) in Wilde's Don't Worry Darling, which strands the pair in a 1950s nightmare. Well, for Pugh's Alice, it's anything but peachy; however, Styles' Jack, her husband, is content with the idyllic status quo. Here's the setup: seven decades back, the community of Victory appears picture-perfect. It's 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 be living blissful lives. 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 in the film's just-dropped first full trailer. Despite the pervasive optimism of the era, 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. In Don't Worry Darling's initial sneak peek, Pugh shows the rebellious streak that served her so well in Little Women, plus the utter horror that helped make Midsommar what it is — all within an immaculate-looking movie that's 100-percent a psychological thriller. As for Styles, he's trying to both toe and sell the company line as Jack, but Alice isn't having it. There's a bit of a The Truman Show vibe, too, as Alice refuses to acquiesce. Don't Worry Darling also co-stars Wilde herself, playing another Victory employee's spouse, as well as Nick Kroll (Our Flag Means Death), Sydney Chandler (The Golden Rut), Kate Berlant (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Asif Ali (WandaVision), Douglas Smith (Big Little Lies), Timothy Simons (Station Eleven) and Ari'el Stachel (Zola). And yes, it's clearly one of the big movie must-sees for the rest of the year — and hits cinemas Down Under in early October. Check out the trailer for Don't Worry Darling below: Don't Worry Darling releases in cinemas Down Under on October 6. Top image: © 2022 Warner Bros. Enterainment Inc. All rights reserved.
Have you ever been casually scoffing a big tub of rocky road ice cream — the kind with the hulking big chunks of chocolate and marshmallow that may just slip right into your heart valves, killing you right then and there — and thought, man, I wish there were some carrots up in this mix? I doubt it. Because no one has ever, or should ever have thought that. Enter Haagen-Dazs' new Japanese offerings: Carrot Orange and Tomato Cherry; the ice cream flavours that have just usurped vanilla as the dull person's ice cream of choice. Set to launch on May 12, the veggie flavours make up a new line of products appetisingly named Spoon Vege (you can't accuse them of being coy about it). "Carrot Orange [will] take the gentle flavour of carrot and add to it the fresh citrus taste and scent of orange, giving the carrot a sophisticated and refreshing twist," reads the translated press release that is astonishingly not satire. "Tomato Cherry [will] combine the natural sweetness of tomato with the fruity flavour of cherry, which should accentuate the rich taste of the tomato." Now, Carrot Orange is clearly the winner of the two — carrot cake is a thing that exists, orange sorbet is acceptable. At the very least Carrot Orange can be a thing that annoying Gym People eat with half-guilty expressions. After all, these ice creams will be somewhat healthy; containing about half the amount of milk fat found in their sweeter counterparts. But in any circumstances, Tomato Cherry: not okay. Chow down on some Cherry Garcia instead. Via RocketNews and PSFK.
With its pristine rivers, wild surf and lush valleys, Tassie's east coast produces some of the freshest, tastiest food and wine in Australia — if not the whole darn world. We're talking oysters that melt in your mouth, unbelievably decadent cheeses and Pinot Noirs that James Halliday can't get enough of. Plus, all you have to do to sample them in one fell swoop is drive onto Spirit of Tasmania at Port Melbourne, which will sail you across Bass Strait to Devonport and make your journey to Australia's southernmost state one to remember. Here, you can get a jump on your foodie road trip before you've even hit land. Partake in Tasmanian oysters in the ship's restaurant, indulge with ice cream from The Pantry shop, and enjoy the brews and sea views in the ship's bars. May to October there's even a Flavours of Tassie showcase, where you can sample everything from local cheeses and chocolates to wines and spirits. Once off the ship, head east until you hit the Great Eastern Drive, which travels for 176 blissful kilometres from St Helens in the north to Orford in the south. Here's your guide to eating, drinking and sleeping along the way. [caption id="attachment_665949" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Flow Mountain Bike[/caption] PYENGANA DAIRY Make your first destination Pyengana Dairy, which lies between Devonport and St Helens. Here, the Healey family has spent more than a century perfecting the art of cheese production. It's now in the hands of the fourth generation, Jon Healey and his wife, Lyndall, and you get to reap the rewards. Sample a range of cheddars — from four-week-old mild to an intense one-year-old dubbed Devilish – and stock up on non-homogenised milk. If you're hungry, slip into the Holy Cow Cafe for brekkie or lunch overlooking the farm's fertile pastures. You can also watch the cheese-making process in action. Pyengana Dairy is at St Columba Falls Road, Pyengana GALA ESTATE VINEYARD Your next stop is Gala Estate Vineyard in Cranbrook, a pretty area about 100 kilometres south of St Helens. The cellar door is a cute weatherboard building that once served as the local post office and general store, where you can now try an award-winning Pinot Noir or two. If the tasting couch happens to be free, then make sure you claim it and take your time. Once you're done, grab a bottle or two of your favourite drop and a gourmet hamper packed with local produce, then set off for a picnic – either in Gala's idyllic vineyards, at a nearby beach or further afield. For spectacular wilderness, head to Freycinet National Park. Gala Estate Vineyard is at 14891 Tasman Highway, Cranbrook SPRING VALE WINES From Gala Estate, it's just five minutes' drive south to Spring Vale Wines. This fifth-generation vineyard, founded in 1826, is all about producing wines that express the local area (technically referred to as terroir). Taste their latest creations at the cellar door, which is a heritage-listed stable built by convicts in 1842, or settle in for a long lunch at the seafood restaurant, which pops up among the vines. Loosen your belt: you can expect to be overwhelmed by a cornucopia of crayfish, scallops, oysters, octopus and woodfired lamb, with an array of matching wines. Spring Vale Wines is at 130 Springvale Road, Cranbrook MILTON VINEYARD Right nearby is Milton Vineyard, which began as a sheep farm back in 1826, but, like Spring Vale, is now dedicated to interesting small-batch drops. In fact, its 13 hectares inhabit a microclimate, where pinot noir, pinot gris, riesling and gewurztraminer grow. Handpicked in April, they're the only grapes that go into Milton's bottles. If you've time for lunch, book at Sophie's Restaurant, where you'll be feasting on the creations of head chef Sophie Bermudes, who turns premium local produce into French-inspired fare. Milton Vineyard is at 14635 Tasman Highway, Swansea MELSHELL OYSTERS Next up, oysters. We don't mean just any old ordinary bivalves, but some of the best on the planet, served up at a humble shack, a stone's throw from Coles Bay. Melshell Oysters spend their entire lives in superbly clean water, starting out in the Swan River before transferring to Great Oyster Bay, where they enjoy views of the Hazard Mountain Range. You'll get to sample them in the simplest, freshest way possible, shucked to order and accompanied by a slice of lemon. Most of the time, you'll catch the oyster farmers at work. Melshell Oysters is at 9 Yellow Sandbanks Road, Dolphin Sands [caption id="attachment_666231" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] by Eugene Hyland[/caption] SLEEPING Freycinet Lodge has been around since the 1990s, but its brand new Coastal Pavilions take things to the next level. Surrounded by national park and fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows, they look out over either forested wilderness or sparkling Coles Bay. Either way, you can count on a king-sized bed, an outdoor bath, a spacious deck and plenty of native timbers. Yep, it's pretty much luxe designer hotel meets glamping, immersed in world-famous scenery. THE NITTY GRITTY DETAILS HOW TO GET THERE: The most adventurous way to travel to Tassie from the mainland is on Spirit of Tasmania, which journeys between Port Melbourne and Devonport. Take your car with you and drive right off the ship. Added bonus: no weight restrictions means that for the journey back, you can load up your car with food, wine and souvenirs to your heart's content. WHEN TO GO: The Great Eastern Drive is beautiful at any time of year. WHAT DOES IT COST: This varies, depending on how many award-winning pinot noirs you plan on buying. Expect to spend anywhere between $50 and $200 a day (plus accommodation). To book your Tasmanian adventure today, head to the Spirit of Tasmania website.
Feeling like Kylo Ren but wish you could be as blissed out as Yoda? May the force — and may Headspace's new Star Wars collaboration — be with you. Yes, May the fourth is here for another year, which means celebrating like you're in a galaxy far, far away. Or, thanks to this new range of mindfulness tools, meditating like you're a jedi and falling to sleep to the sound of porgs. Already a go-to for mindfulness and meditation, Headspace has teamed up with the Star Wars franchise to mark the most important date there is for the space-opera saga's fans — and make sure that everyone's cool, calm and collected while doing so. If you're eager to de-stress, these are indeed the breathing exercises and sleepcasts you're looking for. On offer from Wednesday, May 4 — when else? — the one-to-five-minute breathing exercises all feature cute animated clips with either Yoda, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and BB-8. In the Yoda-led exercise, you'll find your focus while watching an X-Wing levitate. In the Chewie version, you'll be transported to his home planet Kashyyyk, and then use your breath to make the forest come to life. The R2-D2 exercise gets the cute little robot flashing as you inhale, recharge and reset — and the BB-8 one gets it rolling in much the same way. (Notice that C-3PO isn't included, because that droid can't help anyone relax.) Prefer banishing the dark side via sleepcasts? You have three options there, all of which use famous sounds that you'll recognise from the Star Wars movies. X-Wing Voyage is rather self-explanatory, taking you on a tour of the Star Wars galaxy in one of the eponymous vessels — and going to a different planet in each chapter. With Tatooine Sunset, you'll hone in on that particular planet instead, exploring everything from its endless sea of dunes to its moisture farms. And via Islands of Ahch-To, you'll fall asleep while visiting the very first jedi temple. If you've seen Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens, you'll remember that that's where Luke Skywalker ventured off to when he was in seclusion. And yes, you'll hear porgs. Of course you will. To access all of the above, you'll need to sign up for Headspace — but it's doing a limited-time 30-day free trial offer from Wednesday, May 4. And yes, this is answer to the plea you've never uttered: "help me Star Wars-themed Headspace content, you're my only hope for finding some bliss." To access Headspace's new Star Wars content from Wednesday, May 4, head to the service's website or app. Top image: Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker. (c) 2019 and TM Lucasfilm Ltd.
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to watching anything, we're here to help. We've spent plenty of couch time watching our way through this month's latest batch — and, from the latest and greatest to old favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue from May's haul of newbies. NEW SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK OBI-WAN KENOBI More Ewan McGregor in anything is always a good thing, including in returning to a galaxy far, far away (and long ago). But before Disney+'s new Star Wars series Obi-Wan Kenobi gives the space opera franchise's fans that gift as part of the platform's third live-action spinoff from the blockbuster movie saga (following The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett), it has another present to bestow. Across a few minutes in the show's "previously on" prelude prior to its opening episode, it recaps what viewers need to know about the Jedi and his time with Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen, The Last Man) before now. That means that viewing the terrible prequel trilogy is no longer ever necessary, because the main point of the entire three films has been condensed down into this quick montage. Elated, you should be — and may the force be with the time you'll never waste rewatching them again. There's obviously more to Obi-Wan Kenobi than that. Set ten years after Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, it finds Obi-Wan (McGregor, Halston) living as Ben Kenobi on Tatooine, all to keep an eye on a young Luke (Grant Feely, Creepshow) from afar. But the Empire is after the former Jedi master, and all Jedis — with a particularly determined Inquisitor, Third Sister (Moses Ingram, Ambulance), especially vicious in her efforts to hunt him down. That's all as expected; however, the storyline involving the kidnapping of young Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair, Waco), who is growing up with the Organas (In the Heights' Jimmy Smits and 11%'s Simon Kessell) as her adoptive parents, is far more of a surprise. Also boasting everyone from Joel Edgerton (The Green Knight) and Kumail Nanjiani (Eternals) to Sung Kang (Fast and Furious 9) and Benny Safdie (Licorice Pizza) among its cast, this six-part limited series slots easily into the ongoing sci-fi franchise at its big-screen best — including both looking and feeling the part. Obi-Wan Kenobi streams via Disney+. THE STAIRCASE On December 9, 2021, novelist and aspiring politician Michael Peterson called the North Carolina police to report that his second wife Kathleen had fallen down the stairs. It was late, and he was distraught. She was unconscious but still breathing, he said, and he pleaded for medical help ASAP. While waiting for the ambulance, he rang back to say that Kathleen was no longer breathing. When the paramedics arrived, she was dead. But the scene they found was shockingly bloody, and questions about Michael's story were asked immediately. Protesting his innocence, and originally supported by all five of his biological, adopted and step children, he was arrested and charged with his wife's murder. And yes, if this all sounds familiar — and not just from news headlines two decades back — it's because it was originally chronicled by 2004 French-made true-crime documentary miniseries The Staircase. Now, HBO's eight-part dramatised version — also called The Staircase — is relaying the same story. Whether or not you already know the full tale, the result is still gripping, tensely shot and edited, and also masterfully acted. Colin Firth (Operation Mincemeat) plays Michael, albeit with a far-from-convincing American accent. Aussie actors abound, too, with Toni Collette (Nightmare Alley) as Kathleen, plus Olivia DeJonge (Better Watch Out) and Odessa Young (Shirley) as two of the family's daughters. With Juliette Binoche (How to Be a Good Wife), Michael Stuhlbarg (Call Me By Your Name), Parker Posey (Lost in Space), Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones), Dane Dehaan (Lisey's Story) and Patrick Schwarzenegger (Moxie) all also popping up — and Rosemarie DeWitt as well, playing Collette's sister again after United States of Tara — getting absorbed in this retelling comes quickly and swiftly. The Staircase streams via Binge. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL RIGHT NOW CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS Peeking into intimate connections and making audiences feeling as though they've been lifted from their own lives, or from emotions they've navigated and weathered, is one of Sally Rooney's key skills as an author. It's true of both Conversations with Friends and Normal People in print, and it's a knack that the same creative team — Rooney as an executive producer, co-screenwriter Alice Birch (Lady Macbeth) and co-director Lenny Abrahamson (Room, Frank) — have brought to TV adaptations of both. In text and flickering across the screen, the two tales step into complicated romances that simmer with intensity. They confront class clashes and the difficulties that spring from them as well. And, they force contemplative women to confront what they want, who they are, how they'll grow as people and the others they might give their hearts to. In the instantly addictive Conversations with Friends, 21-year-old Frances (quietly magnetic newcomer Alison Oliver) is first poised as the other half in a couple that's not a couple, at least anymore; she went to school with and used to date the outspoken and outgoing Bobbi (Sasha Lane, American Honey), but now the two university students are best friends and spoken-word poetry partners. It's during one of their performances that successful writer Melissa (Jemima Kirke, Sex Education) spots the duo's act, compliments them afterwards and invites them over for a swim, then back to her well-appointed house for a drink. Enter Nick (Joe Alwyn, The Souvenir: Part II), Melissa's actor husband, who holds himself like he'd rather be anywhere but there but is too polite to upset the status quo. He's as reserved and introverted as Frances — and they catch each other's eyes, while Bobbi and Melissa gravitate towards each other. Conversations with Friends streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. PREHISTORIC PLANET Five episodes, one comforting voice, and a time-travelling trip back 66 million years: that's the setup behind Prehistoric Planet, an utterly remarkable feels-like-you're-there dive into natural history. Having none other than David Attenborough narrate the daily activities of dinosaurs seems like it should've happened already, of course; however, now that it finally is occurring, it's always both wonderful and stunning. Filled with astonishing footage on par with the visuals that usually accompany Attenborough's nature docos, all thanks to the special effects team behind The Jungle Book and The Lion King, it truly is a wonder to look at. It needs to be: if the Cretaceous-era dinosaurs rampaging across the screen didn't appear like they genuinely could be walking and stalking — and fighting, foraging for food, hunting, flying, swimming and running as well — the magic that typically comes with watching an Attenborough-narrated doco would instantly and disappointingly vanish. Welcome to... your new insight into Tyrannosaurus rex foreplay, your latest reminder that velociraptors really don't look like they do in the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World flicks, an entertaining time spent with al kinds of animals, and your next favourite dinosaur project with an Attenborough attached. Each of Prehistoric Planet's five instalments focuses on a different type of terrain — coasts, deserts, freshwater, ice and forests — and chats through the creatures that call it home. Set to a spirited original score by Hans Zimmer, fresh from winning his latest Oscar for Dune, there's a formula at work. That said, it's no more blatant than in any David Attenborough-hosted show. Viewers watch as some dinos look after their young, others try to find a mate, plenty search for something to eat and others attempt not to be eaten. The same kinds of activities are covered in each episode, but the locations and dinosaurs involved all change. Prehistoric Planet streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. STRANGER THINGS Finally back for its fourth season after a three-year wait (yes, finally), Stranger Things ventures beyond its trusty small-town setting of Hawkins, Indiana, and in several directions. It keeps its nods and winks to flicks and shows gone by streaming steadily of course — but expanding is firmly on its mind. Once again overseen by series creators The Duffer Brothers, its latest batch of episodes is bigger and longer, with no instalment clocking in at less than an hour, one in the first drop running for a feature-length 98 minutes, and the final two not set to release until Friday, July 1. Its teenage stars are bigger and taller as well, ageing further and faster than their characters. The show has matured past riffing on early-80s action-adventure movies, too, such as The Goonies; now, it's onto slashers and other horror films, complete with new characters called Fred and Jason. And with that, Stranger Things also gets bloodier and eerier. That said, it's still the show that viewers have loved since 2016, when not even Netflix likely realised what it had unleashed — and no, that doesn't just include the demogorgon escaping from the Upside Down. But everything is growing, as Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown, Godzilla vs Kong), her boyfriend Mike (Finn Wolfhard, Ghostbusters: Afterlife), and their pals Will (Noah Schnapp, Waiting for Anya), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo, The Angry Birds Movie 2), Max (Sadie Sink, Fear Street) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin, Concrete Cowboy) all visibly have. Eleven, Will, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton, The Souvenir Part II) and Joyce (Winona Ryder, The Plot Against America) have branched out to California, and Mike comes to visit. Back in Hawkins, Dustin, Lucas, Max, Steve (Joe Keery, Free Guy), Robin (Maya Hawke, Fear Street) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer, Things Seen & Heard) have a new evil to face. And, as for Hopper (David Harbour, Black Widow), he's stuck in a Russian gulag. The first seven episodes of Stranger Things season four are streaming via Netflix. Read our full review. EMERGENCY The 'one wild night' genre isn't solely comprised of films about high school or college parties — Martin Scorsese's ace After Hours isn't, for example — but it's still filled with them. Emergency is the latest, but it's also a movie with something to say beyond the usual life lessons about valuing your real friends and working out who you genuinely are when you're at that awkward time learning about what being an adult means. It also takes a huge cue from a fairy tale that everyone knows, and adapts it to reflect an inescapable part of America today. How does being a person of colour change your options during a supposedly carefree night of partying? How does it influence your choices when something unexpected happens to someone else and you want to help? And what would happen if Goldilocks and the Three Bears was about a drunk white high schooler who passes out inside a house shared by one Latino and two Black college seniors? These are Emergency's questions. The answers to the above queries come courtesy of filmmaker Carey Williams (R#J) and screenwriter KD Dávila (Salvation), who adapt their short film of the same name. Their focus: pals Sean (RJ Cyler, The Harder They Fall), Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins, The Underground Railroad) and Carlos (Sebastian Chacon, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels), on what's supposed to be a huge night hopping between seven different campus shindigs. Then, they find Emma (Maddie Nichols, The Outsider) passed out on their lounge room floor. The Princeton-bound Kunle wants to call 911, but Sean knows how it'll look to the authorities — even though they're trying to do the right thing, have never met the girl before and don't know how she ended up in their house. Savvier than it is funny, Emergency is an oh-so-topical satire first and foremost, and doesn't hold back for a second. Emergency streams via Prime Video. UNDONE Returning for its second season three years after its first — which was one of the best shows of 2019 — the gorgeously and thoughtfully trippy multiverse series Undone is fixated on one idea: that life's flaws can be fixed. It always has been from the moment its eight-episode initial season appeared with its vivid rotoscoped animation and entrancing leaps into surreal territory; however, in season two it doubles down. Hailing from BoJack Horseman duo Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg, it also remains unsurprisingly concerned with mental illness, and still sees its protagonist caught in an existential crisis. (The pair have a type, but Undone isn't BoJack Horseman 2.0). And, it deeply understands that it's spinning a "what if?" story, and also one about deep-seated unhappiness. Indeed, learning to cope with being stuck in an imperfect life, being unable to wish it away and accepting that fate beams brightly away at the heart of the show. During its debut outing, Undone introduced viewers to 28-year-old Alma Winograd-Diaz (Rosa Salazar, Alita: Battle Angel), who found everything she thought she knew pushed askew after a near-fatal car accident. Suddenly, she started experiencing time and her memories differently — including those of her father, Jacob Winograd (Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul), who died over 20 years earlier. In a vision, he tasked her with investigating his death, which became a quest to patch up the past to stop tragedy from striking. Undone didn't necessarily need a second season, but this repeat dive into Alma's story ponders what happens in a timeline where everything seems to glimmer with all that its protagonist has ever wanted, and yet sorrow still lingers. Once again, the end result is deeply rich and resonant, as intelligent and affecting as sci-fi and animation alike get, and dedicated to thinking and feeling big while confronting everyday truths. Undone streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. RETURNING FAVES DROPPING EAGERLY AWAITED NEW EPISODES WEEKLY BARRY Three seasons into the sitcom that bears his name, all that Barry Berkman (Bill Hader, Noelle) wants is to be an actor — and to also no longer kill people for a living. That's what he's yearned for across the bulk of this HBO gem, which has given Saturday Night Live alum Hader his best-ever role; however, segueing from being an assassin to treading the boards or standing in front of the camera is unsurprisingly complicated. One of the smartest elements of the always-fantastic Barry is how determined it is to weather all the chaos, darkness, rough edges and heart-wrenching consequences of its central figure's choices, though. That's true of his actions not only in the past, but in the show's present. Hader and series co-creator Alec Berg (Silicon Valley) know that viewers like Barry. You're meant to. But that doesn't mean ignoring that he's a hitman, or that his time murdering people — and his military career before that — has repercussions, including for those around him. One of the most layered and complex comedies currently airing, Barry's third season is as intricate, thorny, textured and hilarious as the first two. Indeed, it's ridiculously easy to see how cartoonish its premise would be in lesser hands, or how it might've leaned on a simple odd-couple setup given that Anthony Carrigan (Bill & Ted Face the Music) plays Chechen gangster Noho Hank with such delightful flair. But Barry keeps digging into what makes its namesake tick, why, and the ripples he causes. It does the same with his beloved acting teacher Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler, The French Dispatch) as well. With visual precision on par with Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, it's also as phenomenal at staging action scenes as it is at diving deep into its characters — and, as every smartly penned episode just keeps proving, it's downright stellar at that. Barry streams via Binge. HACKS In 2021, Hacks' first season quickly cemented itself as one of 2021's best new TV shows — one of two knockout newbies starring Jean Smart last year, thanks to Mare of Easttown as well — and it's just as ace the second time around. It's still searingly funny, nailing that often-elusive blend of insight, intelligence and hilarity. It retains its observational, wry tone, and remains devastatingly relatable even if you've never been a woman trying to make it in comedy. And it's happy to linger where it needs to to truly understand its characters, but never simply dwells in the same place as its last batch of episodes. Season two is literally about hitting the road, so covering fresh territory is baked into the story; however, Hacks' trio of key behind-the-scenes creatives — writer Jen Statsky (The Good Place), writer/director Lucia Aniello (Rough Night) and writer/director/co-star Paul W Downs (The Other Two) — aren't content to merely repeat themselves with a different backdrop. Those guiding hands started Hacks after helping to make Broad City a hit. Clearly, they all know a thing or two about moving on from the past. That's the decision both veteran comedian Deborah Vance (Smart) and her twentysomething writer-turned-assistant Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder, North Hollywood) had to make themselves in season one, with the show's second season now charting the fallout. So, Deborah has farewelled her residency and the dependable gags that kept pulling in crowds, opting to test out new and far-more-personal material on a cross-country tour instead. Ava has accepted her role by Deborah's side, and is willing to see it as a valid career move rather than an embarrassing stopgap. But that journey comes a few narrative bumps. Of course, Hacks has always been willing to see that actions have consequences, not only for an industry that repeatedly marginalises women, but for its imperfect leading ladies. Hacks streams via Stan. Read our full review. GIRLS5EVA When it first hit streaming in 2021 with an avalanche of quickfire jokes — as all Tina Fey-executive produced sitcoms do, such as 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Great News and Mr Mayor — Girls5eva introduced viewers to its eponymous band. One-hit wonders in the late 90s and early 00s, their fame had fizzled. Indeed, reclaiming their stardom wasn't even a blip on their radars — until, unexpectedly, it was. Dawn Solano (Sara Bareilles, Broadway's Waitress), Wickie Roy (Renée Elise Goldsberry, Hamilton), Summer Dutkowsky (Busy Philipps, I Feel Pretty) and Gloria McManus (Paula Pell, AP Bio) had left their days as America's answer to the Spice Girls behind, barely staying in contact since the group split and their fifth member, Ashley Gold (Ashley Park, Emily in Paris), later died in an infinity pool accident. But then rapper Lil Stinker (Jeremiah Craft, Bill & Ted Face the Music) sampled their single 'Famous 5eva', and they were asked to perform backing vocals during his Tonight Show gig. Jumping back into the spotlight reignited dreams that the surviving Girls5eva members thought they'd extinguished long ago — well, other than walking attention-magnet Wickie, who crashed and burned in her attempts to go solo, and was happy to fake it till she made it again. That's the tale the show charts again in its second season, which is back with more rapid-fire pop-culture references and digs; the same knowing, light but still sincere tone; and a new parade of delightful tunes composed by Jeff Richmond, Fey's husband and source of music across every sitcom she's produced. One of the joys of Girls5eva — one of many — is how gleefully absurd it skews, all while fleshing out its central quartet, their hopes and desires, and their experiences navigating an industry that treats them as commodities at best. The show's sophomore run finds much to satirise, of course, but also dives deeper and pushing Wickie, Dawn, Summer and Gloria to grow. Obviously, it's another gem. Girls5eva streams via Stan. Read our full review. RECENT AND CLASSIC FLICKS TO CATCH UP ON — OR REVISIT NO SUDDEN MOVE Any film by prolific director Steven Soderbergh (Unsane, Kimi) is a must-see event, even if it bypasses cinemas — as No Sudden Move sadly did. This crime thriller would've looked dazzling on a big screen, and for a plethora of reasons, but it's as excellent as ever even while watching on your TV. Soderbergh is no stranger to helming capers — he has Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen on his jam-packed resume, plus both Out of Sight and Logan Lucky — and No Sudden Move is as energetic as the rest of his heist fare. Here, he also revels in period details, with this Ed Solomon (Bill & Ted Face the Music)-scripted tale unfurling in the 1950s. As he's known to do, Soderbergh both shot and edited the movie himself, too, and that exceptional craftsmanship is another of this playful neo-noir's many delights. Spinning an engaging story steeped in Detroit's crime scene, No Sudden Move has something to say as well. Don Cheadle (Space Jam: A New Legacy) in is career-best form as Curt Goynes, who gets out of prison, then gets enlisted for a job by a middleman known as Jones (Brendan Fraser, Trust). That gig? With two colleagues (The French Dispatch's Benicio Del Toro and Succession's Kieran Culkin), he's tasked with babysitting the Wertz family (Archenemy's Amy Seimetz, A Quiet Place Part II's Noah Jupe and debutant Lucy Holt), all so the Wertz patriarch (David Harbour, Stranger Things) can steal a document from his work. There's no shortage of plot — No Sudden Move keeps twisting from there — but capitalism's worst consequences also bubble prominently underneath. Soderbergh and Solomon savvily tease out the details, though, keeping their audience guessing as much as their characters. No Sudden Move is available to stream via Netflix and Binge. EVERY JAMES BOND MOVIE Break out the martinis and prepare for a shaken but not stirred couch session: Bond, James Bond, is coming to your lounge room. Just in time for wintry binge-viewing marathons, the famed espionage franchise has hit Prime Video, spanning every flick in the series from the now 60-year-old Dr No through to 2021's No Time to Die. Sean Connery smouldering his way through everything from that first-ever Bond instalment through to Diamonds Are Forever, Roger Moore stepping into 007's shoes between Live and Let Die and A View to A Kill, Timothy Dalton's two-film run in The Living Daylights and Licence To Kill — they're all included. So is Pierce Brosnan's stint as the secret agent between GoldenEye and Die Another Day, and Daniel Craig's five contributions from Casino Royale onwards, wrapping up with what might be the best Bond film yet. Aussie actor George Lazenby's one-movie appearance as Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service is also on the bill. That's all 25 official movies in total covered, but there is also a 26th movie, Never Say Never Again, that you might want to watch. Made in 1983, it stars Connery as the suave spy. But, because it was made by a different company from the rest of the Bond movies, it's not considered part of the franchise itself — however, it is also on Prime Video now. Exceptional Bond flicks, terrible ones, everything in-between: if 007 is involved, it's now in this one spot. For everything other than No Time to Die, this isn't the first time the franchise has all sat on one streaming platform, and we've all seen various flicks hop between different services over the years. That said, the Bond movies aren't likely to move from Prime Video moving forward given that Amazon recently purchased MGM, the nearly century-old film studio that's behind all things 007. The entire Bond franchise streams via Prime Video. Need a few more streaming recommendations? Check out our picks from January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December 2021, and January, February, March and April 2022 — and our top new TV shows of 2021, best new television series from last year that you might've missed, top 2021 straight-to-streaming films and specials and must-stream 2022 shows so far as well.
As well as giving popular culture some of its most beloved characters of the past few decades, the Harry Potter franchise has also conjured up a whole heap of astonishing critters. The Boy Who Lived himself studied them at Hogwarts, all thanks to textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Then, to the joy of Potter-loving muggles everywhere, that tome became an actual IRL text in 2001. Every Wizarding World fan knows that that book followed the original Harry Potter novels in making the leap from the page to the screen, resulting in a first film in 2016, then 2018 sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and also 2022's Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. But if you're more interested in the actual fantastic beasts than a movie plot spun around them — and in natural history in general — exhibition Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature has you covered. First announced in 2020, then premiering at London's Natural History Museum, this is all about critters that fly, scamper and scurry through the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts realm on the page and screen; however, it's also about real-life creatures, specimens and artefacts, too. The exhibition combines beasts from the natural world, the mythical world and the Wizarding World, and was always slated for an international tour. Next, it's Australia's turn to see it, with the showcase displaying at Melbourne Museum from Friday, May 19–Sunday, October 8. Visitors to Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature will see legendary beasts placed alongside specimens and historic objects, while also venturing through elements from cinema's last two decades. Unsurprisingly, there'll also be a hefty focus on Newt Scamander, the Wizarding World's famed magizoologist as played Eddie Redmayne (The Good Nurse). Whether you're a Melbourne local or now planning a visit, you'll see items from the Natural History Museum's scientific collections, custom-made Wizarding World models, props from the flicks and original artworks from Bloomsbury Publishing. You'll also wander through a celebration of real-life scientists trying to understand the planet's animal inhabitants. In London, the exhibits included a tiger, a Galápagos marine iguana and a giant oarfish (the planet's longest bony fish) alongside an Erumpent horn and the dragon skull from Professor Lupin's classroom. Patrons were also able to compare the camouflage tactics of a jaguar to those of the Demiguise. Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature will display at Melbourne Museum from Friday, May 19–Sunday, October 8. Head to the exhibition's website for further details. Images: Trustees of the Natural History Museum London.
Sydney's city centre has been overrun by birds — though they're not the usual kind. Rather, these dainty bronze bird statues gracing spots along Bridge and Grosvenor streets are part of the latest public work by acclaimed artist Tracey Emin. The Distance of Your Heart, which was commissioned by the City of Sydney back in 2014 and unveiled by Lord Mayor Clover Moore for the City Art collection yesterday, features over 60 of the handmade sculptures, carefully placed atop doorways, awnings and poles around the CBD. A birdbath inscribed with the work's title forms a centrepiece in Macquarie Place. Emin is perhaps best known for her work My Bed, which included items from her own bedroom, including dirty sheets, cigarette butts and condoms, but the message behind this work is much less controversial. It's about comfort — a kind of reflection on Australia's distance from the rest of the world and a little piece of hope for those who might be feeling homesick or detached. "Sydney is big but the birds are small, tiny, delicate, fragile — just like we are as human beings," Emin explained. "Sometimes we can feel lost and sad, but the sight of a bird can give us hope." The Lord Mayor said that "with its underlying concept of global migration and travel, this artwork will particularly resonate with the many Sydney residents born overseas and the millions of visitors who visit our shores each year". The Distance of Your Heart is a permanent addition to Sydney's collection of public art — you can find the birds on Bridge and Grosvenor streets in the CBD.
Australia no longer has to wait out the storm; it’s time to dance in the Purple Rain. After months of rumours, Prince’s Australian tour dates have finally been confirmed. This is the first time in eight years that Prince has toured Australia, and he’s bound to return in all of his sparkly, guitar-soloing glory. So far, only three performances have been confirmed; shows will be held in Sydney on May 11, Melbourne on May 14, and Brisbane on May 18. There may be more in the works, however. The last time Prince visited Australia, he performed a series of ‘secret’ shows and held after-parties at local clubs, so stay tuned. Tickets start at $99 and are available from 9am on Monday, April 16 through Ticketek, but you can get more expensive VIP tickets via pre-sale here.
It's the longtime Abbotsford favourite known for its chilled vibes and live tunes. And this spring, Lulie Tavern returns with its namesake rock 'n' roll street party, Luliepalooza. Bust out your dancing shoes because Saturday, November 5 will see Lulie Street — the home of Lulie's OG bar — energised for a huge day of live tunes, eats and drinks. Oh, and a spot of mechanical bull-riding, too. This time around, there'll be two stages, as the festivities extend to beneath the Victoria Park Grandstand. Treating your ears there'll be no less than 12 bands — including indie rockers Children Collide, Byron Bay punk outfit Mini Skirt, Caitlin Harnett & The Pony Boys, Eaglemont, Spunk and Queenie. Plus, DJ sets from Camp Cope's Georgia Maq and DJ JD. There'll be plenty of food stalls and cold bevs to round out the fun, plus you can have a crack at conquering the mechanical bull in between sets. [caption id="attachment_861658" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bibby Photo[/caption] Top Images: Bibby Photo
With international travel banned indefinitely and many Australian states and territories closing their borders, travel is in no one's immediate plans — and the airline industry is responding accordingly. In late March, Qantas and Jetstar suspended all international flights and cut domestic flights by 60 percent, temporarily stepping down two-thirds of their 30,000-person staff in the process. Virgin Australia also suspended all international flights from March 30 — and cut domestic flights by 50 percent — but is now reducing its local capacity even further. From yesterday, Friday, April 10, Virgin Australia has suspended all domestic passenger flights except for a return service between Melbourne and Sydney, running once daily except Saturdays. In a statement on the airline's website, the group said "Demand for travel has continued to decline with border restrictions and the need for people to stay home due to social distancing measures." https://www.facebook.com/virginaustralia/photos/a.10151888728861990/10156927916476990/?type=3&theater Tasmania, WA, SA, NT and Queensland have all closed their borders to non-essential travel and require interstate visitors to quarantine for 14 days. And, as of yesterday, Queenslanders are required to obtain a permit to cross back over the border from interstate, too. These measures are similar to those currently in place for Australians returning from overseas, which mandates compulsory 14-day isolation periods for all international travellers Qantas and Jetstar haven't yet announced further cuts to their domestic flights, and all three airlines currently working with the government to help bring stranded Australians home. Qantas is helping bring Aussies back from Peru, Argentina and South Africa, while Virgin Australia is running flights to Los Angeles and Hong Kong. If you have ticket for travel up to June 30, 2020, Virgin Australian will let you change your booking or cancel and request a travel credit with no change and cancellation fees. You can find out more about this on its website. For more information about Virgin Australia's reductions, visit its website. For further details about Qantas and Jetstar's plans, visit the company's website.
For those following a vegan diet, plenty of obvious items are off the menu: meat, dairy products and eggs in particular. So is anything made with gelatine, given that the substance is derived from collagen from animal body parts — which rules out many a sweet treat, too. Gummy and jelly lollies are definitely usually made with gelatine; however, with its newest release, The Natural Confectionery Co is giving vegans an animal product-free alternative. Already known for completely avoiding artificial colours, flavours and sweeteners, plus high-fructose corn syrup as well, the company is now launching a gelatine-free, vegan-, vegetarian- and flexitarian-friendly version of its fruity jelly lollies. If that's your next snack taken care of, you'll find packs of Vegan Fruity Flavoured Jellies in supermarkets from mid-August — starting with Coles and independent stores, then hitting Woolworths from mid-September. They'll cost you $4 for a 200-gram packet, which boasts five varieties of lollies inside: apple, blackcurrant, peach, pineapple and raspberry. The new addition to The Natural Confectionery Co's range comes in response to demand. "We couldn't ignore the requests from Aussies asking for a vegan-friendly option," explains Lauren Fildes, the Cadbury-owned company's Marketing Director for Candy, Biscuits and Meals. If you're a fan of the brand's other types of lollies — its snakes, fruity chews and sour worms, for example — you'll have to cross your fingers that they eventually get a vegan version as well. [caption id="attachment_779206" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Peter O'Connor via Flickr[/caption] Find The Natural Confectionery Co's Vegan Fruity Flavoured Jellies in Coles and independent supermarkets from mid-August, and in Woolworths from mid-September — costing $4 for a 200-gram pack.
A cup of tea can't soothe all ills, solve any traumas of the past or smooth over centuries of systemic oppression; however, it is how the biggest New Zealand film of 2022 started to spring to fruition. That movie is Muru, writer/director Tearepa Kahi's (Poi E: The Story of Our Song, Mt Zion) take on the treatment of Aotearoa's Tūhoe community by the NZ government and law enforcement. It spins a story easily tied to one event, the October 2007 armed police raids of Rūātoki that were carried out under terrorism laws — acting on supposed suspicion of paramilitary training camps in the Urewera mountain range — but it gleans inspiration from multiple incidents that've blighted the country's history. "This film is not a recreation… it is a response," Muru tells its audience at the outset. That's an important statement. Kahi's approach is to work through the raids — and to draw upon the police shooting of Steven Wallace in Waitara in 2000, and from the arrest of Rua Kēnana in Maungapōhatu in 1916 — to offer a reply that might just prevent such horrors from recurring in the future. His feature lays bare how the community was impacted when police stormed in 15 years ago, and the distress it brought. An emotional film as well as an action-packed one, Muru doesn't hold back, whether it's confronting generations of prejudice, reckoning with its consequences or depicting what that kind of experience is like in shattering detail. When the cups of teas behind Muru began being poured, Kahi wasn't the only one doing the sipping. Also at the table: Tāme Iti, who was one of 18 people arrested during the 2007 raids. His off-screen input was always going to be crucial; his on-screen presence is as well. The activist and Rūātoki local plays himself in the film opposite fellow tea-drinker and NZ actor Cliff Curtis (Reminiscence), with Kahi bringing two famed Aotearoans together for a pivotal cause. Passion radiates from the end result: passion to tell this tale, to do it justice, to reflect the community's ordeal and to make a difference. It's no wonder that Muru has not only resonated on home soil, including opening the 2022 New Zealand International Film Festival midyear and its local box-office success, but also travelled further afield. Berths at the Toronto and Busan film fests, a cinema release in Australia, earning the Asia Pacific Screen Awards' Cultural Diversity Award: they've all followed. As Muru continues to share its story in NZ, in Australia and beyond, we spoke with Kahi and Iti about making a feature that history demanded, those cups of teas, the responsibilities of a film like this and more. ON DECIDING TO MAKE A FILM THAT RESPONDS TO THE TŪHOE RAIDS Tearepa: "Our first cup of tea together was in 2018, but my father and Papa Tāme, and my father-in-law and Papa Tāme, are friends, so the relationship predates 2018. You could almost say 'where did this film start?'. It probably started on the 15th of October 2007." Tāme: "I think those beginnings, it was really talking to people that we can trust. For me personally, it was: who do I need to talk to, and how do we do that, and the purpose? Who's the audience? And so forth and all that. For me, sharing my story, our story, the village's story to Tearepa is based on trust, connections and having those relationships with him and his family. So it has become a family collaboration or participation. It is really the timing too — it happened at the right time — and putting those layers of the story together. They came up with the magic." [Tāme points to Tearepa.] Tearepa: "The three of us — one, two and Cliff — we all started having cups of tea and plotting this chessboard out, really interrogating the themes, and pulling this chessboard of characters together." ON TĀME ITI PLAYING HIMSELF Tāme: "I mean, when Tearepa and I were talking about the character…" Tearepa: "I had a secret. And I kept the secret from him." Tāme: "It was all good. At the end of it, I did agree to it. There was a moment of anxiety, but I got over it and just moved along — it was fun, really." Tearepa: "We surrounded Papa Tāme with the best cast we could produce from NZ at the time of shooting. We were really proud — and the fact is that all of these people came on was because everyone was committed to wanting to bring Papa Tāme's story to life on-screen." Tāme: "And having the experience working with people like Cliff Curtis and Manu Bennett." Tearepa: "And Jay Ryan." Tāme: "And Jay Ryan. That was a new experience for me, working with people that have the craft and they're very good at it, and learning from that, too." Tearepa: "They learned a lot from you too, though. They learned a lot from you Papa." Tāme: "But it was great." ON FINDING THE RIGHT APPROACH Tearepa: "It's not what happened — it's a response to what happened. In that spirit, the spirit that guided us through here, is that this film, Muru, we hope is a prevention from this occurring to Tūhoe or to any Māori community ever again. Two times, our government has repeated their actions. And in many ways this is more than a reminder — it's a clear, strong message that the memory of the community is alive and well. It's saying: 'we know what you've done and we know what has happened, and here is our response. We've taken preventative measures to ensure the safety, the ongoing safety of our communities'. There was another version that was just much more Beehive and Wellington and police-focused, and a sort of very faithful chronological understanding of the machine and the system, and how it reached the moment of pushing the red button. But when we really held that script up and stress-tested it, there's no heart there, there's nothing to learn there. Why aren't we in the community? So we successfully screwed that one up and threw it into the basket, and put our story where it rightfully should be told." ON WORKING THROUGH REAL-LIFE TRAUMA WITH THE TŪHOE COMMUNITY Tāme: "That was my role, and others around us, to have those conversations with the community." Tearepa: "We had two years' worth of conversations. This was something that we carried with us every day, over the entire process. Is the commitment to telling this story going to enact more trauma, or retraumatise? Or, can we do this in a way where the point is so well-articulated, and the kaupapa is so well-understood and carried by everybody involved with this, that we do understand it as a prevention?" ON MAKING THE FILM WHERE THE RAIDS HAPPENED Tearepa: "What was it like staging an action film in Tāme's backyard? It was the most fun we've ever had as a full, experienced crew. We made many decisions from the outset, and one of them was not to shoot this in a West Auckland studio, or on a Lord of the Rings set. So we went to Tāme's backyard, and we spent our time conversing and communicating with everybody there so everyone in the community had an understanding of what was going to happen. It was an incredible amount of fun. It required an incredible amount of focus. Why it was easy was because it was all character-motivated and generated, so we're not imposing this external new worldview into the film — the film and the sequences are driven by the action of the characters. So that made it clear for everyone." ON SHOOTING DURING THE PANDEMIC Tearepa: "It was the best thing for us because it brought us much focus, and it brought us closer together. We're always trying to cast the lightest footprint in and amongst the community, but the amount of focus meant there was no third wheel to lean on. It was really up to us. It was like making an old-school 1980s film, you know, an old-school George Miller or an old-school Geoff Murphy film. It was just us and the crew, deep in the Valley, making this thing happen." ON THE PERSONAL IMPACT AMONG THE COMMUNITY, CAST AND CREW Tāme: "It was a whole new experience for the Valley, and bringing people into the space. Actually, that part was quite fun. After everybody agreed to participate in the making of the movie — it was a big thing for the village, to see something big is happening within our village — they were really excited, particularly my generation, the older folks, the ladies and the men there. And meeting Cliff Curtis and Manu Bennett, and all those guys — they really loved that." Tearepa: "There was an excitement factor, but then down inside each character, our cast members, there was a personal connection to the date, to the day that we're trying to bring to life as well. And that's what everyone was carrying — this personal connection. A lot of people were caught up inside this raid that day, and everyone had a personal story that connected them to someone who had been victimised or someone who had been caught up in this false net, so the personal stakes were really, really high." ON BRINGING THIS STORY TO THE WORLD Tearepa: "Everyone stays glued to their seats when the credits roll. We have been so specific with the Valley, in terms of the dialect, the language, the relationships — they are so specific. And I guess in committing to that level of specificity, you are universalising the story. There's a big undercurrent that's happening worldwide in terms of questions of authority, policing and how they should be protecting communities — there's always been a question mark there. So with that theme of loyalty and protection and authority, there is a lot of international resonance when they watch this specific valley." Tāme: "I had this conversation with Tearepa, sharing some of those experiences, those stories that come from within the village. The experiences we're covering come from well over 100 years — not just what happened in 2007, but what happened in 1916 to Rua Kēnana, what happened in the 1860s, right through that whole period of time. We survived here to tell the story, and to bring that story here and share it to the world really. And of course it resonated to many other Indigenous people, to other people that have been through the same experiences like our village." Tearepa: "To add to it, there is an overall awareness of the why we're making it — but really, in terms of the scriptwriting, it was about understanding and turning inwards. It was very inward-facing, to look into the Valley, to look into Papa Tāme's personal story. And with those themes, how we could bring those themes to life with characters within the village, within the Valley? Muru is screening in Australian and New Zealand cinemas. Read our full review. Images: Jawbone Pictures, Wheke Group Limited.
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=q5kkZAKjkiw COLLECTIVE We can only hope that one day, likely in a far distant future, documentaries will stop doubling as horror films. That time hasn't arrived yet — and as Collective demonstrates, cinema's factual genre can chill viewers to the bone more effectively than most jump- and bump-based fare. Nominated for Best Documentary Feature and Best International Feature at the 2021 Academy Awards (only the second time that's ever happened, after last year's Honeyland), this gripping and gut-wrenching Romanian doco starts with a terrible tragedy. On October 30, 2015, a fire broke out at a metal gig in Bucharest, at a club called Colectiv. Twenty-seven people died in the blaze, and 180 people were injured as they tried to escape via the site's lone exit; however, that's just the beginning of the movie's tale. In the four months afterwards, as burn victims were treated in the country's public hospitals, 37 more passed away. When journalist Cătălin Tolontan and his team at The Sports Gazette started investigating the fire's aftermath and the mounting casualty list, they uncovered not only widespread failures throughout Romania's health system, but also engrained corruption as well. This truly is nightmare fuel; if people can't trust hospitals to act in their patients' best interest after such a sizeable disaster, one of the fundamental tenets of modern society completely collapses. Early in Collective, director, writer, cinematographer and editor Alexander Nanau (Toto and His Sisters) shows the flames, as seen from inside the club. When the blaze sparks from the show's pyrotechnics, hardcore band Goodbye to Gravity has just finished singing about corruption. "Fuck all your wicked corruption! It's been there since our inception but we couldn't see," the group's singer growls — and no, you can't make this up. It's a difficult moment to watch, but this is a film filled with unflinching sights, and with a viscerally unsettling story that demands attention. Nanau occasionally spends time with the bereaved and angry parents of victims of the fire, even bookending the documentary with one man's distress over the "communication error" that contributed to his son's death. The filmmaker charts a photo shoot with Tedy Ursuleanu, a survivor visibly scarred by her ordeal, too. And yet, taking an observational approach free from narration and interviews, and with only the scantest use of text on-screen, Collective's filmmaker lets much of what's said rustle up the majority of the movie's ghastliest inclusions. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zadWJ8tPmnU VOYAGERS He's an Australian treasure, he's one of Hollywood's recent villainous go-tos and he definitely isn't in Voyagers. That'd be Ben Mendelsohn, who comes to mind anyway while watching this sci-fi thriller. In a softer mode, the Rogue One and Ready Player One star could've played Colin Farrell's part here. That's not why Voyagers makes him pop into viewers' heads, though. Rather, it's because his brand of slippery menace still slinks through this space-set flick, all thanks to its most vivid performance. Should an upcoming movie ever need a fresher-faced version of Mendelsohn's latest bad guy or next morally complicated figure, Dunkirk, The Children Act and Black Mirror: Bandersnatch's Fionn Whitehead needs to be on speed dial. He channels Mendo perfectly as Zac, one of 30 test tube-bred teenagers who are rocketed into the heavens as humanity's last hope for survival. In the latter half of the 21st century, Earth is near-uninhabitable, so he's on an 86-year mission to a newly located planet. The young Humanitas crew's main purpose is to beget the next generations who'll colonise their new home — but, after learning that he's being drugged into obedience, Zac decides not to play nice. Ten years in, when the quieter Christopher (Tye Sheridan, X-Men: Dark Phoenix) realises that the drink they all call 'blue' contains an unidentified compound, the decision is easy. First Christopher, then Zac, then the rest of their shipmates all stop sipping it and start letting their hormones pump unfettered for the first time in their intricately designed and highly controlled lives. Richard (Farrell, The Gentlemen), the lone adult and the closest thing any of the crew have ever had to a father, is suddenly treated with suspicion. Christopher and Zac begin testing boundaries, indulging desires and flouting rules, too — and realising that they're both attracted to dutiful Chief Medical Officer Sela (Lily-Rose Depp, Crisis). Then an accident changes the dynamic, with the two pals challenging each other while fighting to lead. Factions are formed, chaos ensues and the very folks entrusted with saving the species are now simply trying to outlast each other. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE5-hkHIZF4 WILLY'S WONDERLAND If you've ever wondered how Nicolas Cage might've fared during cinema's silent era, Willy's Wonderland has the answer. A horror film about killer animatronic restaurant mascots, it's firmly a 2021 feature. It wasn't made a century ago, before synchronised sound forever changed the movie business, so it's definitely a talkie as well. Cage doesn't do any chattering, however. He groans and growls, and often, but doesn't utter a single word. The actor's many devotees already know that he's a talent with presence; whether he's cavorting in the streets under the delusion that he's a bloodsucker in Vampire's Kiss, grinning with his locks flowing in the wind in Con Air, dousing himself with vodka and grunting in Mandy or staring at a vibrant light in Color Out of Space, he repeatedly makes an imprint without dialogue. So, the inimitable star needn't speak to command attention — which is exactly the notion that Willy's Wonderland filmmaker Kevin Lewis (The Third Nail) put to the test. First, the great and obvious news: Cage doesn't seem to put in much effort, but he's a joy to watch. Playing a man simply known as The Janitor, he glowers like he couldn't care less that furry robots are trying to kill him. He swaggers around while cleaning the titular long-abandoned Chuck E Cheese-esque establishment, dances while hitting the pinball machine on his breaks, swigs soft drink as if it's the only beverage in the world and proves mighty handy with a mop handle when it comes to dispensing with his supernaturally demonic foes. Somehow, though, he's never as OTT as he could be. Cage plays a character who doesn't deem it necessary to convey his emotions, and that results in more restraint on his part than the film demonstrates with its undeniably silly premise. Accordingly, cue the bad news: as entertaining as Cage's wordless performance is — even without completely going for broke as only he can — Willy's Wonderland is often a ridiculous yet routine slog. Read our full review. Willy's Wonderland opens in Sydney and Brisbane on April 8, and hits home entertainment on April 21. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZmgl4TkFBc ANTOINETTE IN THE CÉVENNES In some other parts of the world, Antoinette in the Cévennes is known as My Donkey, My Lover & I. Both titles summarise the French comedy in a literal sense, but only one taps into the unexpected survivalist thread weaved through its woman-and-animal antics. Parisian primary school teacher Antoinette (Laure Calamy, Only the Animals) does indeed travel to the Cévennes, the mountain range in France's south. The lovestruck fortysomething makes the trip to follow her married lover Vladimir (C'est la vie!), who has cancelled their plans for the school holidays to hike with his wife Eléonore (Olivia Côte, No Filter) and daughter Alice (first-timer Louise Vidal), the latter of which is one of Antoinette's students. And, setting off on a six-day trek, she walks with a donkey, just like Treasure Island and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde author Robert Louis Stevenson did in the 1870s — as he chronicled in his book Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes. Chaos and convenient plotting ensues, with the film's eponymous figure unprepared for her journey, inexperienced at both hiking and walking with a donkey, quickly becoming the talk of the trail and greeted with awkward horror by Vladimir when they eventually cross paths. But as a tale of a woman finding herself — and finding out how to truly survive and thrive in her own skin — Antoinette in the Cévennes is both thoughtful and charming. Luminous star Calamy is so essential to Antoinette in the Cévennes, it's hard to see the feature working without her. She plays her titular part with the commitment rather than recklessness or naive confidence; Antoinette knows that her decisions are guided by her heart rather than by any amount of consideration, but she's determined to see them through. In the movie's opening sequence, when Antoinette dons a sparkly dress and overshadows her class during a performance, Calamy conveys both yearning and spirit. In the many moments that her character finds herself alone on the trail unburdening her romantic woes to Patrick, the stubborn donkey who becomes her unlikely confidante and much-needed animal companion, she's unguarded and without a drop of self-consciousness. Just as crucially, writer/director Caroline Vignal (Girlfriends) has penned a character who smacks of typical rom-com traits at first glance, yet continually proves anything but. Her script gives its central figure time and space not just to grow, but to realise who she really is. That time can pass more patiently than the film's 97-minute running time should, and that gorgeously lensed space — by Knife + Heart cinematographer Simon Beaufils — is as much the star of Antoinette in the Cévennes as Calamy and her four-legged co-star; however, the end result is never anything less than a winsome and perceptive jaunt. Antoinette in the Cévennes opens in Sydney and Melbourne on April 8, and in Brisbane on April 15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6vOhD_fI2I&feature=emb_logo ASCENDANT More than halfway into Australian sci-fi thriller Ascendant, Aria Wolf (Charlotte Best, Tidelands) finds herself facing one of the modern world's worst nightmares: a dying phone battery. She's trapped in a 120-storey Shanghai building, and in an elevator that plunges downward and jerks back up seemingly at random. She awoke bound, gagged and blindfolded, and with no recollection of how she came to be in such a predicament. She's at the mercy of sinister Russians (led by The Mule's Alex Menglet), who are holding her father (Jonny Pasvolsky, The Front Runner) hostage and live-streaming his torture into her suspended cage. But if her phone was to stop working, it'd be the movie's most monumental development. She'd no longer be drip-fed Ascendant's exposition, and first-time feature writer/director Antaine Furlong (co-scripting with fellow debutant Kieron Holland) would also lose his main way to relay those details to his audience. The low battery hardly comes as a surprise, given that Aria has spent the bulk of the film to that point using the device. Because logic is absent here, Aria's mobile keeps working long after she starts stressing about its demise, too. But the importance placed on her phone — both in relaying much of the feature's story, Buried- and Locke-style, and in providing an easy source of drama — speaks volumes about this muddled struggle of a film. The Russians want information, but Aria doesn't know what they're talking about. Enter flashes of memories from her childhood, which help fill in the gaps. Throw in flimsy supernatural elements as well, and that's the crux of Furlong and Holland's screenplay, which primarily feels like a series of one-upping "what if?" questions — "what if she isn't merely stuck, but she's being tormented?", "what if one wall of the elevator is a big TV screen?", "what if her name makes everyone think of Game of Thrones?", "what if it's all taking place in China?", "what if the CIA is involved?" and "what if there's an ecological aspect?", for instance. Living up to her surname as the feature's standout actor, Best turns in a convincing and layered performance as the perplexed Aria. Stunt double Marlee Barber (The Invisible Man) deserves ample credit given the amount of time that the film's protagonist spends being thrown around, and production designer Fiona Donovan (Back to the Rafters) makes the movie's eerie setting look both unsettling and striking. Their efforts can't lift a picture that's big on ideas but light on cohesion, though. Furlong has a keen eye and doesn't lack in ambition — but Ascendant sinks rather than rises. 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 January 1, January 7, January 14, January 21 and January 28; February 4, February 11, February 18 and February 25; and March 4, March 11, March 18 and March 25; and April 1. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as 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, The Little Things, Chaos Walking, Raya and the Last Dragon, Max Richter's Sleep, Judas and the Black Messiah, Girls Can't Surf, French Exit, Saint Maud, Godzilla vs Kong, The Painter and the Thief, Nobody and The Father.
Painting sky-high grain solos and 20-storey housing complexes is all in a day's work for Matt Adnate, with the Melbourne street artist earning plenty of attention in recent years for his soaring pieces. For his next project, he's going even bigger, taking on Perth's new Art Series Hotel — which, in keeping with the chain's tradition, will also bear his name. Due to open this October, The Adnate will pay tribute to Australia's renowned big wall artist both inside and out; however you won't need to book a stay to enjoy the site's exterior displays. In a work dubbed the 'Mega Mural', Adnate will splash his creative magic across the entire west-facing side of the hotel, painting a 27-storey-high piece. If that sounds huge, that's because it'll eclipse his work in Collingwood, which became the tallest mural in the southern hemisphere when it was unveiled. In fact, this new record-holder will stand just five storeys shorter than the world's tallest mural in Toronto, which measures 32 storeys. The Adnate's towering external artistry mural won't simply earn a place in the record books; it'll highlight the city's cultural history and community. Three large-scale portraits will emblazon the wall, with the mural depicting "the past through the cultural representation in the subject's dressing elements, the present with contemporary faces, and the future as the subjects are the youth of today," according to the artist. "What excites me most about this collaboration with Art Series is the opportunity to capture the stories and emotions of my subjects and to share them with a new audience in the west," Adnate explains. "I've always held a personal connection towards the First Nation people I paint. Whether it be a connection to country or a strong emphasis on spirituality, I believe we have a lot to learn." With The Adnate marking the first Art Series hotel dedicated to street art, its namesake will also contribute a 50-metre-long external painting known as the 'Laneway Mural', which will include multiple portraits in collaboration with a local Indigenous artist. Inside the hotel, Adnate is completing a 'Staircase Mural', as well as two original canvases. They'll be joined by up to 650 reproductions of 30 of his most famous works from around the world, which guests will spy on the site's internal walls and in its hallways. Other than a vast array of Adnate's art, the hotel will feature 250 rooms, a centrepiece pool area on its first floor, plenty of cocktails and a focus on Mediterranean cuisine. It slots into Art Series' existing hotel portfolio, which spans five sites in Melbourne (The Olsen in South Yarra, The Blackman on St Kilda Road, The Cullen in Prahan, The Larwill in Parkville and The Chen in Box Hill), one in Adelaide (The Watson in Walkerville) and two in Brisbane (The Johnson and The Fantauzzo). The Adnate will open at a yet-to-be-announced date in October at 900 Hay Street, Perth. For further details, head to the hotel's website.
