Melbourne's own little pocket of New York City-style cool is firing up for Good Beer Week, hosting a rollicking block party with beers, art and tunes aplenty. On Saturday, May 22, Section 8 and Ferdydurke — and their famed laneway surrounds — will come alive for this free shindig co-helmed by the USA's renowned Brooklyn Brewery. Drop by from 2pm to catch a diverse lineup of live music from acts like Pookie, Man Made Mountain, Khiarra, Culture Evolves and more. There'll be roving entertainment, projection art courtesy of the talented Simbiotic Vision, and dance performances served up by the likes of Maggie Madfox, Lauren Drago and Peter Isaac Koh. While there, you'll be able to indulge in a spot of retail therapy at the Fresh Flames vintage streetwear pop-up. And of course, the Brooklyn Brewery crew will be on hand pouring a stack of fresh beers throughout the day — including a few limited-edition and special releases. [caption id="attachment_735400" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ferdydurke[/caption]
The team behind South American restaurants San Telmo, Pastuso, Palermo and Asado has switched continents entirely for its latest venture: Robata Japanese Grill. A playful, minimalist space with futuristic elements and neon lights aplenty, the restaurant takes its cues from the streets of Tokyo. It's embracing the art of charcoal grilling as enthusiastically as the rest of its stable, though with Japanese techniques and traditions at the forefront, and a custom-built robatayaki grill taking centre-stage in the kitchen. An izakaya-style menu by former San Telmo Head Chef Stephen Clark is headlined by a slew of yakitori and kushiyaki skewers, cooked over charcoal. Choose from the likes of chicken meatballs with cured yolk and tare sauce ($9), miso-marinated pork belly ($10), and scallops dressed in sweet soy with tobiko ($9). Other snacks run to the likes of various sashimi and a wagyu flank tataki ($25), while bigger bites might include a chargrilled pork cutlet with black sesame glaze and wasabi leaf ($40), and duck matched with salted plum sauce and pickled sansho pepper ($44). Add a side of brussels sprouts elevated with tuna flakes and goma dare (sesame sauce) ($14), and try the miso caramel apple mille-feuille ($14) for dessert. An expertly curated drinks lineup stars an abundance of top-notch drops, ranging from Coedo craft brews to bottles of local chardonnay. The bar's pouring a strong spread of imported sake and Japanese whisky, while cocktails include the likes of an umeshu and yuzu negroni ($22), and the sake and hojicha tea highball ($16). Updated Friday, September 9, 2022. Appears in: The Best Restaurants in Melbourne for 2023
There's no putting a happy face on this news: Joker: Folie à Deux has been named one of the worst movies of 2024 by the 45th Golden Raspberry Awards. While the first Joker film earned Joaquin Phoenix (Napoleon) an Oscar, now he's up for Worst Actor instead. Lady Gaga (House of Gucci) is included in the Worst Actress field for her performance as Harleen Quinzel, and the picture's two leads share a nod in the Worst Screen Combo category. The flick also popped up in the Worst Screenplay, Worst Director (for Todd Phillips, War Dogs) and Worst Remake, Ripoff or Sequel camps. 2025's Razzies, which will announce its winners on Sunday, March 2, 2025 Australian and New Zealand time, weren't fond of comic-book characters making the leap to the screen. Madame Web also collected a heap of nominations — six in total, including for Worst Picture and in three of the acting fields. Cinema's least-coveted gongs didn't have any love for video game-to-film adaptation Borderlands, either, another flick with a big showing, including in the top field. Also up for Worst Picture: Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis and political biopic Reagan. The five-film group covers all of the most-nominated titles for 2025's awards, with Joker: Folie à Deux up for seven, then Madame Web, Borderlands, Megalopolis and Reagan each up for six. From there, although they weren't featured in the Worst Picture field, the Jerry Seinfeld-directed Unfrosted picked up four nods, Kraven the Hunter scored three and the remake of The Crow starring Bill Skarsgård (Nosferatu) nabbed two. Everything from Argylle (for two of its performances) to Mufasa: The Lion King (for Worst Remake, Ripoff or Sequel) are now Razzie nominees. Among the big-name stars recognised this year, Seinfeld earned two (for Worst Actor and Worst Director), while Jack Black received three (for Worst Actor for Dear Santa, Worst Supporting Actor for Borderlands and for the latter again for Worst Screen Combo — for any two obnoxious characters, but especially Jack Black). Whichever films emerge victorious in March, they'll follow on from 2024's winners, with Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey nominated in five categories and winning all five — and Expend4bles collecting two awards. The year before, Morbius, Blonde and Elvis tied for the most accolades with two apiece. Check out the full list of Razzie nominees below: Golden Raspberry Nominees 2025 Worst Picture: Borderlands Joker: Folie à Deux Madame Web Megalopolis Reagan Worst Actor: Jack Black, Dear Santa Zachary Levi, Harold and the Purple Crayon Joaquin Phoenix, Joker: Folie à Deux Dennis Quaid, Reagan Jerry Seinfeld, Unfrosted Worst Actress: Cate Blanchett, Borderlands Lady Gaga, Joker: Folie à Deux Bryce Dallas Howard, Argylle Dakota Johnson, Madame Web Jennifer Lopez, Atlas Worst Supporting Actor: Jack Black, Borderlands Kevin Hart, Borderlands Shia LaBeouf, Megalopolis Tahar Rahim, Madame Web Jon Voight, Megalopolis, Reagan, Shadow Land and Strangers Worst Supporting Actress: Ariana DeBose, Argylle and Kraven the Hunter Leslie Anne Down, Reagan Emma Roberts, Madame Web Amy Schumer, Unfrosted FKA Twigs, The Crow Worst Screen Combo: Any two obnoxious characters (but especially Jack Black), Borderlands Any two unfunny "comedic actors", Unfrosted The entire cast of Megalopolis Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, Joker: Folie à Deux Dennis Quaid and Penelope Ann Miller, Reagan Worst Director: SJ Clarkson, Madame Web Francis Ford Coppola, Megalopolis Todd Phillips, Joker: Folie à Deux Eli Roth, Borderlands Jerry Seinfeld, Unfrosted Worst Remake, Ripoff or Sequel: The Crow Joker: Folie à Deux Kraven the Hunter Mufasa: The Lion King Rebel Moon 2: The Scargiver Worst Screenplay: Joker: Folie à Deux Kraven the Hunter Madame Web Megalopolis Reagan The Golden Raspberry Awards will be announced on Sunday, March 2, 2025 Australian and New Zealand time. For further details, head to the awards' website.
Sometimes you need to wait for the things you love. In Hacks, that's true off- and on-screen. It's been two years since the HBO comedy last dropped new episodes, after its first season was one of the best new shows of 2021 and its second one of the best returning series of 2022 — a delay first sparked by star Jean Smart (Babylon) requiring heart surgery, and then by 2023's Hollywood strikes. But this Emmy- and Golden Globe-winner returns better than ever in season three as it charts Smart's Deborah Vance finally getting a shot at a job that she's been waiting her entire career for. After scoring a huge hit with her recent comedy special, which was a product of hiring twentysomething writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder, Julia), the Las Vegas mainstay has a new chance at nabbing a late-night hosting gig. Fictional takes on after-dark talk shows are having a moment, thanks to Late Night with the Devil and now Hacks' third season. At times, some in Deborah's orbit might be tempted to borrow the Australian horror movie's title to describe to assisting her pitch for a post-primetime chair. That'd be a harsh comment, but savage humour has always been part of this showbiz comedy about people who tell jokes for a living, which returns via Stan in Australia and TVNZ+ in Aotearoa from Friday, May 3. While Deborah gets roasted in this season, spikiness is Hacks' long-established baseline — and also the armour with which its behind-the-mic lead protects herself from life's and the industry's pain, disappointments and unfairness. Barbs can also be Deborah's love language, as seen in her banter with Ava. When season two ended, their tumultuous professional relationship had come to an end again via Deborah, who let her writer go to find bigger opportunities. A year has now passed when season three kicks off. Ava is a staff writer on a Last Week Tonight with John Oliver-type series in Los Angeles and thriving, but she's also not over being fired. Deborah still sees it as a necessary move, and a push for her protégée to chase her own dreams. Ava feels scorned and betrayed, particularly since she was the catalyst for her mentor ditching the act that she'd been performing at a casino residency for decades, then getting raw and real by sharing stories about being a woman in comedy over that period, reinventing her image in the process. Back in Vanceland (our term, not the show's; Deborah's mansion is sprawling enough to warrant such a name), everything is gleaming without Ava — but Deborah isn't prepared for being a phenomenon. She wants it. She's worked for years for it. It's taken until her 70s to get it. But her presence alone being cause for frenzy, rather than the scrapping she's done to stay in the spotlight, isn't an easy adjustment. She's hardly fond of her new writers (Dream Scenario's Dylan Gelula and Orphan Black: Echoes' Jordan Gavaris), and crowds feeding off her merely standing onstage means that none of her material actually matters. Deborah's life is now unfettered praise and no challenges; as her Estate Manager Josefina (Rose Abdoo, Leo) remarks to her Chief Operating Officer Marcus (Carl Clemons-Hopkins, The Beanie Bubble), the comedian staying up all night rearranging her salt-and-pepper shakers isn't a great sign. Hacks creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W Downs and Jen Statsky — all Broad City alumni, all co-writers, with Aniello also directing and Downs co-starring — were never going to keep Deborah and Ava apart in season three. The reunifying developments: first crossing paths at Just for Laughs in Montreal, then tucking into Tom Cruise's famous coconut cake, then attempting to win Deborah a hosting job that she once almost had and hasn't recovered from losing. With Ava's show on hiatus for three months over summer, she agrees to head back to Vegas to help do whatever it takes. If it sounds like a reversal of season two's finale, that's because it is — instead of Ava being free to pursue her own passions, she's parking them for Deborah's — but codependency has also long been at the heart of this always-astute gem. Although Deborah can't stomach being seen to rely upon someone, Ava has changed her. As for the latter, she can't divorce her own career from the comedy legend. But time away, and also the success of the special that neither could've made without the other, puts them on more-even footing when they reteam. Hacks season three again also explores the other pairings in Deborah's life, including her daughter DJ's (Kaitlin Olson, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) festering hurt over her mother's absence in her childhood, and Marcus feeling undervalued and stagnant while running her business empire. Now out on their own, Deborah and Ava's manager Jimmy (Downs, How It Ends) and his assistant Kayla (Megan Stalter, Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain) have their own codependency to grapple with, especially as they work their way through the industry (which is where guest stars such as Blindspotting's Helen Hunt and Knuckles' Christopher Lloyd come in) on Deborah's behalf. Hacks' third season has a comedy roast, where DJ revels in the catharsis of slinging mean words at her mum; a dress from Deborah's treasure trove that Ava describes as "giving Big Bird"; and Mad Men great Christina Hendricks as fellow big-name guest. Its main duo get lost on a hike, navigate a golf trip and weather a chaotic Christmas party. Deborah also admits to feeling the passage of time, as well as the urgency to achieve everything that she's ever wanted ASAP that snowballs with it. The season surveys humour today from high-profile ridicule sessions to cancel culture. It's unsparing about the glass ceiling in late-night TV, as it should be. Along the way, Aniello, Downs and Statsky keep improving their series — and keep proving some of the smartest and funniest writers in the business. Crucially, the pursuit of Deborah's all-time coveted gig takes Hacks into new terrain, ambitiously for the show and the character alike. A sitcom built around an odd couple, the show could've coasted by on its mismatched intergenerational lead twosome. It could've remained a must-see thanks to the excellent performances that the never-better Smart and equally engaging Einbinder bring to their parts, because they're both that magnificent. But while Deborah might've clung to a routine for much of her life, the series hasn't, and it's all the greater for it. If longevity is about taking risks, Hacks makes its latest confident and hilarious claim for a long-haul run. Check out the trailer for Hacks season three below: Hacks season three streams via Stan in Australia and TVNZ+ in New Zealand from Friday, May 3. Read our reviews of season one and season two.
Remember when your parents threw dinner parties when you were a kid? Your parents had likely planned the menu well in advance, pulled out the good crockery, and cleaned the house in a frenzy. It was gorgeous, of course, but it was also a colossal effort. Thankfully, the popularity of formal dining at home took a nosedive, and now we want the kind of easy and elevated dining experience that Pinterest has championed: relaxed, but still worthy of sharing pictures across the internet. Which brings us a new kind of challenge, when you search 'dinner party ideas' you'll get 275 million results and too many options to choose from. So to help cut through the anxiety you may be feeling about hosting your next dinner party, we've partnered with super premium French vodka Grey Goose to bring you a guide on how to host an elevated evening meal at home that won't cost you your entire pay cheque (or your sanity). Read on for some sensory inspiration. TASTE Arguably the most important part of a dinner party (aside from your guests) is the food and drink, so don't let this part trip you up. Repeat after me: delegation is key. Nobody expects you to do this on your own (and foot the expenses, too), so when people offer to bring something, assign them a dish immediately. Keep it simple with cheese, charcuterie or a salad. For drinks, rest assured that everyone will bring their own beer or wine, so flex your hosting skills by having a pre-dinner cocktail ready for when everyone arrives. So fancy! So adult! The Grey Goose Peach Spritz is an elegant cocktail that's easy to make. Simply build 40ml of Grey Goose Original with 20ml of peach puree, 10ml of lemon juice, 10ml of sugar syrup and 45ml of sparkling rose in a wine glass. Stir and top with a sprig of rosemary. Look at you go! [caption id="attachment_751536" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Creative Commons: Flickr/Eva Coudyser[/caption] SIGHT Your parents were onto something with all those candles they lit at their weekend soirees; lighting really is important. Fairy lights, lamps, tea lights = good ambiance. That dodgy fluro light in the living room = bad vibes. You don't live in a dive bar. Once you've picked out the lights that suit your home, spruce up the rest of the house. Hide any clutter, put something floral on the table, and pull out some old photos. Not only will this serve as decoration, but it'll also work as an ice-breaker for any guests that might not know each other that well. Bonus points if the photos contain questionable haircuts circa 2010. [caption id="attachment_751529" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Creative Commons: Flickr/Marco Verch[/caption] SMELL They say the smell of baking bread is used by real estate agents to attract home buyers — and it's a very comforting aroma. Rather than baking your own loaf of sourdough for the occasion (#toohardbasket), stop by one of the best bakeries in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane and pick up something ready made. Heat it up in the oven, and cut up thick slices to throw on a cheese board. Your gluten-free/low-carb/Keto friends probably won't eat it, but everyone will appreciate the smell. And if your sense of smell is chef-level impressive, see if you can pick out the notes of French baguettes in the Grey Goose vodka, as the same winter wheat is used to make the vodka as bakers use to make the country's famed pastries. [caption id="attachment_751744" align="alignnone" width="1920"] InBed[/caption] TOUCH Two words: table linen. It makes a real difference — and you can create a tactile environment really easily with one throw-over table cloth from linen purveyors like InBed (from $110) to more affordable homewares stores like IKEA (from $19.99). In a pinch, you can always use a picnic rug, or a sarong, to dress the table. Next, create an inviting environment where people can congregate after a big meal. Grab all the blankets from your bedroom, and get some hygge happening. Imagine a pillow fort, but more chic. SOUND When it comes to music, people fall into one of two categories: the effortlessly cool people who have a record player (and a well-curated vinyl collection) and those who rely on the old faithful Spotify and wireless speakers, which wins points for being totally customisable. If you choose to use a music streaming service during dinner, please abide by the cardinal rules: pay for premium (so you don't have pesky ads interrupting the mood) and use 'private session' so you don't add the tracks to your algorithm. Alternatively, rely on pre-made playlists like Front Left; the latest tracks become conversation starters. [embed]https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX5WTH49Vcnqp[/embed] Upgrade your dinner party by choosing premium vodka Grey Goose. Each bottle is distilled in France, and the high quality vodka has a 100 percent traceable production process, from crop to cork.
Three words: blue cheese hummus. That's what you'll come out of Naughty Boy repeating — over and over, like a prayer or incantation — if you make the right move in ordering the cauliflower and hazelnut fritters with poached eggs and a fennel salad. The addition of hummus and blue cheese together (at last!) is such a perfect marriage, you'll wonder why you hadn't thought of it yourself. It's not a brunch dish likely to be superseded in a hurry — except perhaps by something else on the very same menu. Because while blue cheese hummus is undoubtedly incredible and it's a great introduction to Naughty Boy, there is much more to love at Princes Hill's new (and we're pretty sure only) cafe. Having been open for almost three months now, the cafe has found its rhythm, and come the weekend, the 100-seater space is pretty much full. The menu — which spans breakfast and lunch — is one of those that caters to each one of your gastronomic sensibilities. Choosing is the hard part. Sweet is covered by a coconut and lime rice pudding with rhubarb and candied almonds ($12.90), and — when we visited — a pancake special. The Bircher with muddled spiced berries and pistachio ($10.50) takes a more virtuous path; oats are subbed for quinoa and chia seeds, making it grainy and wholesome. It's also one of the many gluten free options. Savoury is where the focus lies though, with the aforementioned fritters taking centre stage, along with twice-cooked pork belly and a breakfast Scotch fillet and fried eggs. The Naughty Boy is a platter set to please, with bacon, tomato, falafel, mushroom and eggs ($20.90) — just be sure to add a side of bacon and gruyere croquettes. Coffee is from Allpress, but you might also find a guest blend, like Dukes, on offer. The cafe is licensed too, which means lunch can be accompanied by a beer, cider or one of the few wines kept in-house. Naughty Boy is perhaps a bit ambitious — the space is big and risks looking empty out of peak weekend hours — but it fills a void in the surprisingly cafe-barren stretch of Lygon Street that has long been monopolised by North Carlton Canteen. Above all else, this is Melbourne breakfast at its most pleasing, and it is a menu that can be revisited again and again.
Victoria's Grampians National Park is already home to a number of world-class hiking trails, but, come next year, it will have a giant new one that's will be a whole trip in itself. Start stretching, because this will be a big one. When completed in late-2020, the Grampians Peaks Trail will cover 160 kilometres and take 13 days to traverse. It'll connect some of the Grampians' best mountain peaks, providing panoramic views of the southern volcanic plains from Mount Abrupt, winding through the parks low-lying greenery and waterfalls to Mount Zero in the north. The track has been designed so everyone can get some use out of it — whether you're looking for a leisurely day trip or an overnight hike, or ready to commit to an epic two-week adventure. Gariwerd — as it's known by the land's Traditional Owners, the Jardwadjali and Djab Wurrung people — is more than just its rugged, sandstone mountains. The park is heritage listed for its Aboriginal significance (there is a large number of ancient rock art paintings and shelters in the area), its abundance of animal and plant life, and its damn spectacular views. If you're raring to get started, a section of the Grampians Peaks Trail is already open — and it's a three-day circuit, so you can easily make a weekender out of it. As it stands, the 36-kilometre walk starts and ends at Halls Gap and has two campsites — Bugiga Hiker Camp and Borough Huts Campground — and takes in highlights like the Pinnacle, Spitters Falls, the Gate of the East Wind, Mount Rosea and Bellfield Lake. The Grampians Peaks Trail will open in full in late 2020. We'll keep you updated with new details on the track as its launch gets closer.
In this very time, in this very galaxy, someone is usually on a screen somewhere talking about the force. It might've been three years now since a Star Wars movie hit cinemas — 2019's Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker, to be exact — but Disney+ has been filling the gap with The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. And if you still need more intergalactic drama in your streaming queue, Obi-Wan Kenobi will soon be here to help. Your new hope for another step into the Star Wars realm, the six-part series hits Disney+ from Friday, May 27, with Ewan McGregor (Halston) once again donning the iconic Jedi master's robes. As both the original Star Wars trilogy and the prequel films showed, however, it's impossible to tell Obi-Wan's story without also stepping into the tale of a certain padawan-turned-sith — and the latest Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer makes that plain in a big way. The fact that Anakin Skywalker-slash-Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen, The Last Man) is a part of the series isn't new news, but it's a key focus of this sneak peek anyway. Initially, Kenobi is reminded about his time training Anakin when he approaches Owen Lars (Joel Edgerton, The Green Knight) about trying to do the same with young Luke. Before the trailer is out, though, the familiar suit and sounds of Darth Vader take centre stage. Disney+ dropped the new sneak peek as part of May the Fourth celebrations. Yes, the force is clearly still with this franchise. It's been 45 years since a little movie called Star Wars — now known as Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope — first hit screens, and the George Lucas-created space-opera franchise has been with us ever since, including through prequels, sequels, spinoffs, theme parks and, as of this week, meditation apps. Timeline-wise, Obi-Wan Kenobi is set ten years after Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, and bridges the gap in its namesake's narrative between the prequels and the OG Star Wars flicks. So, that means following the fallout after Anakin's turn to the dark side and reinvention as Darth Vader, and also chronicling the fact that Obi-Wan is now being pursued across the galaxy. Following on from the show's initial teaser back in March, the new trailer another glimpse at the Empire's search for Obi-Wan, and also includes Kumail Nanjiani (Eternals) — who, based on appearances here, could be playing a jedi. Also set to pop up in the series: Bonnie Piesse returning as Beru Lars, plus Moses Ingram (Ambulance), Indira Varma (This Way Up), Rupert Friend (The French Dispatch), O'Shea Jackson Jr (Just Mercy), Sung Kang (Fast and Furious 9), Simone Kessell (1%) and Benny Safdie (Licorice Pizza). Check out the full trailer for Obi-Wan Kenobi below: Obi-Wan Kenobi starts streaming via Disney+ on Friday, May 27. Top image: © 2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
It swept cities across the nation into a sugar-dusted frenzy when its pop-up 'dessert museum' travelled the country, now, the team behind the nostalgic Sugar Republic and festive Christmasland is taking its sweet-toothed fantasies to a whole new level, opening Australia's first-ever sweets-inspired accommodation. Opening its doors in Daylesford, Victoria — 90 minutes northwest of Melbourne — Sweet Retreat is a true candy-coated affair, complete with sugar-themed suites you can stay in, play in and take some rather dashing snaps in. Located in an old miner's cottage, the retreat has Milk Bar-inspired art by Callum Preston, a giant Paddle Pop in the living room, oversized Tim Tams in the bedroom, a pink ball pit, a disco ensuite and neon artworks throughout the house. Oh, and it has scratch 'n' sniff cherry wallpaper, too, plus an appliance-filled kitchen for whipping up any sweet treats of your own and some actual lollies to eat. In short, it's exactly what you'd expect from any of Sugar Republic's previous pop-ups, but you can sleep, cook and play games in it. And you can bring along your mates, too, with the retreat housing up to eight people across four themed bedrooms. You can cosy up in the Sweet Love suite filled with Mills & Boon books, the Tea & Biscuits room with teapot lights and biscuit walls, or the rainbow or peaches bedrooms. All rooms have access to the balcony, deck and pergola. There are retro boardgames and Sonos speakers to keep you entertained when you're not sniffing the wallpaper or swimming in the ball pit and, outside of the house, there's a sprawling garden with roses and fruit trees. Of course, there's plenty you can do in the surrounding area, too. You can check out some of Daylesford's more unexpected activities — including llama rides and visits to a treehouse spa — take a look over here. Sweet Retreat by Sugar Republic is now open for bookings, starting from $450 a night. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
There's plenty to see and do in and around Daylesford, whether you're up for adventure or just want to spend your whole weekend blissing out. Located in the Macedon Ranges in Victoria's northwest, this cute country township is close enough for you to make an afternoon, a day or a whole afternoon of it. Take your time exploring this lush spot and be sure to pick up some local produce to ferry back home to Melbourne — a tasty reminder of a delightful weekend away. Together with our Victorian road trip partner RACV, we've put together a guide to a perfect weekend in Daylesford. And don't forget — if you're planning on having a drink, make sure there's a designated driver to keep you safe on your travels. [caption id="attachment_581973" align="alignnone" width="1280"] The Lake House[/caption] STAY There is truly a plethora of bed and breakfasts here — Daylesford is that sort of place. But if you want something charming in the centre of town you can't go past the Central Springs Inn. Basic but cosy, be sure to request a room with a fireplace to maximise those winter feels. It can't be beaten on location either, with this central spot only a five-minute walk to The Convent Gallery and many other local sights. If you want to treat yourself, then head directly to the Lake House. Check in and take a turn about your tastefully decorated room before heading out to the luxurious spa for a private treetop treatment before dinner. Later, sink into your it's-so-fluffy-I'm-gonna-die bed before drifting off to sleep tucked into what feels like one million thread-count sheets. [caption id="attachment_581981" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Wombat Hill Botanical Gardens, s13n1 via Flickr[/caption] SEE AND DO Kick things off with a walk through the Wombat Hill Botanical Gardens. In this Victorian Heritage-registered oasis of calm, you can wander verdant paths lined with towering trees and lush greenery. Once you've had a good ramble, maybe grab a coffee at Wombat Hill House. Afterwards, you can get your art on with a visit to The Convent and its adjoining gardens. Tread the old floorboards and enjoy local and international art displayed in what is arguably one of the prettiest galleries around. Once you've soaked up the culture, head out for a wander around the grounds and admire the range of bronze sculptures seamlessly interspersed with the stunning gardens and native plants. Insert obligatory TLC joke about chasing waterfalls, and then head out to see this one. Right near Daylesford is Trentham Falls, one of the longest single-drop falls in Victoria. Plunging a respectable 32 metres over basalt columns, these falls were forged by volcanoes five million years ago and are now a great spot for a walk and a few pics. [caption id="attachment_581987" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Hepburn Bathhouse[/caption] Haven't had enough nature? Good! Head to Lavandula, a special spot just north of Daylesford. Wander the stunning European-style gardens and perhaps take a tour of the original 1850s stone farmhouse. Afterwards, nibble on a lavender scone and enjoy a glass of lavender lemonade for a fragrant sweet treat. After all that exploring you need to take some time for yourself. This is pretty much expected in a region that is perhaps best known for the revitalising mineral waters of the Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve. Slip into a fluffy robe at the Hepburn Bathhouse and settle in for a day of utter bliss. A popular spot since 1895, it's safe to say that this spa has got the whole relaxation thing down pat. Choose from a range of spa therapies including facials, wraps and scrubs, or simply recline on an underwater spa couch and enjoy a hydro massage like it's something you do every day (we wish). And if you just don't want to leave, you don't have to. The spa offers some luxe accommodation too. [caption id="attachment_581994" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Cliffy's Emporium[/caption] EAT Hungry? You're in the right place. Start the day with a relaxed breakfast at former general store, Cliffy's Emporium, where you can tuck into an excellent brunch menu that showcases celebrates producers and is dotted with a clever selection of international influences — laksa or Turkish eggs, anybody? Larder is also a great option for breakfast, brunch or lunch, and a feast for the eyes, too — the cafe features an proud selection of art by local creatives. After breakfast take a wander through town and stock up on treats for a picnic lunch later on. Choose smallgoods from local salami legends Istra and load up on dips and cheeses while you're at it. And if you're the kind of person who plans your next meal while you're eating your current one, you might also want to start thinking about dinner. For fantastic food and wonderful wine, wedding-venue-favourites Lake House or Sault are your go-to options. [caption id="attachment_581992" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Lake House[/caption] This region boasts some truly magnificent produce, and you'll find it heavily and beautifully on show at Lake House. This celebrated spot under the direction of culinary legend Alla Wolf Tasker AM has been on the radar of Melbourne foodies for years — and it's not hard to see why. Enjoy the elegance of the venue perched on the shores of Lake Daylesford as you settle at your table, perhaps taking a seat at one of the spots against the expansive windows. If you have any restraint then you can try not to fill up on out-of-this-world, crusty fresh-baked sourdough before your main meal arrives. Good luck. Impressive is one word that might spring to mind as you approach Sault, a 100-acre property which comes complete with lake, manicured gardens and lavender fields. The restaurant offers a stunning array of seasonally changing Modern Australian plates that celebrates local produce — the venue is a member of the Daylesford Macedon Produce group — so you can be assured that the food miles are minimal here. [caption id="attachment_581997" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Sault[/caption] If you're into classic French farmhouse cooking with a real honest vibe (and who isn't?) then Annie Smithers is your go-to. She's doing amazing things at du Fermier with her ethos of fresh, locally-sourced food. There's no set menu, it's simply Annie crafting an offering each week, which showcases the spoils of her garden and the finest meats and poultry from the region. You have to call to book and lunch runs Friday to Monday each week. But if you're just after a good old pub meal then head for the red-brick charm of The Farmers Arms. Grab a seat at the long wooden bar or one of the tables, order a drink and choose a meal from the selection of well-executed pub classics. Plump for crispy roast pork belly with a house-made apple and cranberry relish, or a juicy porterhouse, or perhaps a warming miso-glazed pumpkin with lemon tahini. [caption id="attachment_581999" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Belvedere Social[/caption] DRINK Passing Clouds is the winery to visit if you want to sample the drops that have turned the heads of sommeliers and wine lovers everywhere. Graeme Leith and Sue Mackinnon, friends and partners in wine, started the winery in 1983 with a humble goal: to create the best wine in the world. And after winning gold at the Melbourne Wine Show with their 1982 shiraz, they didn't look back. Passing Clouds wines are on the lists at Attica and Rockpool, and remain a firm quaffing and cellaring favourite among their loyal fanbase. Enjoy fragrant, cherry-red pinot noir and fine, crisp, citrusy chardonnay at the cellar door before enjoying a relaxed family-style lunch, a three-course feast cooked entirely over a charcoal fire pit. For a nice drink in town, head for a cocktail at The Convent's snazzy Altar Bar, or pair your drink with live entertainment at Palais in Hepburn. [caption id="attachment_582006" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Convent Gallery[/caption] ALRIGHT, LET'S DO THIS Daylesford is 70-minute drive from Melbourne CBD travelling by car and just under an hour from Tullamarine Airport. The Hume, Calder and Western highways, and the Tullamarine Freeway, all lead to the region. V/Line operates several services daily to Daylesford, via train to Woodend, Ballarat or Castlemaine, with a connecting coach service to Daylesford. Road tripping this summer? Make sure you're covered with RACV. Top image: Lake House
Already in 2022, Australian shoe brand Volley has given footwear fiends one type of sneaker inspired by a local icon, aka its ridiculous mullet kicks. Now, it's time for a new range that pays tribute to more homegrown favourites. No lengthy strips of hair are involved with these summery shoes, though — but you can expect to get ice cream cravings every time you look down. In its latest collaboration, Volley has teamed up with Streets on a line of sneakers that nod to three treats that help define summer in Australia: Bubble O'Bills, Paddle Pops and Splices. The new shoes take their colour cues from the ice creams, meaning that they come in a pale pink hue, yellow like banana Paddle Pops and light green to match pine-lime Splices. The word you're looking for? Sweet. Now, you just need to pick which ice cream you'd most like to think about all day. The Streets range is decking out Volley's heritage low sneakers — but if you'd like to celebrate Aussie desserts with a pair of heritage high kicks, there's a fourth pair, all in white with Streets colours on its collar and laces, on offer as well. The rest of the collab spans Streets socks and a Streets bucket hat, with prices starting at $19.99 (for the socks) and topping out at $89.99 (for the heritage high kicks). The Volley x Streets range is strictly a limited-time collection, which means ideally getting in faster than you can lick your way through a Paddle Pop — or blow a bubble from a Bubble O'Bill gumball. Wearing your ice cream-inspired sneakers while scenting your home with Streets' team up with Dusk, which includes Bubble O'Bill, Paddle Pop, Golden Gaytime and Splice Candles, is clearly recommended. The Volley x Streets range is on sale now — head to the Volley website for further details.
After opening 90 bars over the past eight years, bringing its worldwide footprint to 94, Scottish brewery BrewDog has finally set up shop in Australia. And, sprawled across a hefty parcel of land by the banks of the Brisbane River, it has arrived with a splash. That said, while a brand new jetty has just been built right next to the company's Murarrie site — which has been dubbed DogTap Brisbane — don't go planning on pairing your brew with a dip in the ol' Brown Snake. Brisbanites, you really do know better than that. Still, Calvin McDonald, BrewDog's operations manager for Australia, isn't ruling out making the most of DogTap's impressive location. "There aren't many bars in the world that are totally accessible by jet ski," he notes, without giving away what fun activities the company might have in store down the line. If you've been following the brand, you'll know that it has engaged beer-lovers in many inventive ways over the years, including launching a craft beer hotel in the US, brewing up a Subwoofer IPA for pooches and taking to the skies in the world's first craft beer airline. [caption id="attachment_751722" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pandora Photography[/caption] In Brisbane, brew aficionados can look forward to the BrewDog basics when DogTap opens to the public on Thursday, November 21. Acting as the brand's Australian base, the brewery will pump out beer that'll get shipped around the country. It'll also have a huge taproom with food and plenty of opportunities to learn more about craft beer. There'll be tours of the facility, once the fully automated four-vessel 25-hectolitre brewing system and accompanying canning line is completely up and running in January, while eager drinkers can also enrol in Beer School — aka two-hour guided tasting sessions where one of BrewDog's Cicerone-certified staff will talk you through the BrewDog and craft beer basics. First announced in 2018, and only the company's fourth taproom directly attached to one of its breweries, BrewDog's $30-million street art-covered Brisbane site boasts a range of other reasons to drop by. Heading to the end of a Murarrie industrial estate hasn't ever been high on locals' to-do lists, but making the journey to sip freshly poured cold ones on a 485-square-metre riverside patio soon should be. The sizeable outdoor area comes with views towards Hamilton and the Gateway Bridge, as well as ample seating. There's also a selection of games, such as giant Jenga, giant chess and giant Connect Four. And, both the public and staff car parks are licensed too, so beer festivals and other events could be in DogTap's future. [caption id="attachment_751727" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pandora Photography[/caption] If you're coming by for the beer, BrewDog's headliners (including its famed Punk IPA) sit alongside a heap of small-batch brews. Nodding to the growing local craft beer scene — one of the reasons that BrewDog chose Brisbane as its Aussie base, McDonald advises — is a rotating range of guest tipples from other Queensland breweries, such as Range Brewing, Currumbin Valley Brewing, Balter, Aether, Brouhaha and Black Hops. All-Australian wines, an Aussie-heavy spirits list and local soft drinks are also on offer, should you want something other than beer. Of course, if you fall into that category, McDonald hopes that BrewDog will convert you. He's adamant that there's a craft beer for everyone, and that anyone who says they don't like beer just hasn't tried the right brew for them yet. Food-wise, it's a lineup of familiar bar favourites. Think 11 types of burgers and eight kinds of pizza — plus Korean-style chicken wings, crispy pork, baby squid and barramundi fritters. On weekends, a brunch menu will feature chicken and waffles, eggs benedict and other classic meals, while you can tuck into two-for-one vegan dishes on Mondays. In addition to 16 blue leather booths and high-top tables, DogTap's industrial indoor area also has arcade games, including Addams Family and The Munsters-themed pinball machines. [caption id="attachment_751728" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pandora Photography[/caption] Really love BrewDog? There's a merchandise stall that's already been selling items before DogTap even opens. Want a few brews to take home? Stop by the takeaway area on the way out the door. And if you're an interstate BrewDog fan hoping that it'll be coming your way soon, McDonald explains that the plan is to open five Aussie venues in the next five years (then, hopefully, another five before the brewery marks a decade in Australia). Find DogTap Brisbane at 77 Metroplex Avenue, Murarrie from Thursday, November 21. It's open from 12pm–midnight daily. Images: Pandora Photography
The Art Gallery of NSW is set to unveil the results of its multimillion-dollar expansion and renovation project later this year. Originally announced in 2017 and officially given a green light in 2018, the Sydney Modern Project is now finally set to be complete before the end of 2022. And, as part of the expansion's opening, the gallery has commissioned original works from nine acclaimed local and international artists. The artists enlisted to create works for the opening comprise an impressive list: Yayoi Kusama, Lorraine Connelly-Northey, Karla Dickens, Simryn Gill, Jonathan Jones, Richard Lewer, Lee Mingwei, Lisa Reihana and Francis Upritchard. Spanning huge artworks from First Nations artists through to intricate installations worked into the building's architecture, the creations will be displayed across the site both indoors and outdoors, with some viewable to the public day and night. Highlights include a floral sculpture from Yayoi Kusama that'll be placed on the new building's terrace, and be able to be seen at all hours; huge wire and iron bags from Waradgerie (Wiradjuri) artist Lorraine Connelly-Northey; and, by Simryn Gill, a life-sized rubbing of a century-old tree that was removed to create the Sydney Modern Project. [caption id="attachment_758872" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yayoi Kusama[/caption] A family of fantastical figures inspired by local Moreton Bay fig trees will be created by New Zealand-born artist Francis Upritchard, too — to be installed in the building's Welcome Plaza, greeting those that enter the gallery. Other notable works span a multi-panel painting by Richard Lewer, celebrating the labour and personalities behind the Sydney Modern Project, plus a trans-Tasman sci-fi moving-image work from Māori artist Lisa Reihana. The list of pieces goes on, with the full program of commissioned works available at the AGNSW website. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRl_jDVF-eo&t=1s "The extraordinary Sydney Modern Project art commissions connect deeply with our sense of place in Sydney and the architecture and landscape around them," AGNSW Director Dr Michael Brand said. "They'll be some of the first artworks that welcome visitors to our expanded campus, with many able to be experienced night and day." Funded by a $344 million public and private collaboration comprised of $244 million from the NSW Government and $100 million raised by private donations, the Sydney Modern Project will see the AGNSW double its current exhibition space, incorporating an entirely new 7830-square-metre building and a gallery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. It will also add some new elements to the existing building, with new pools, greenery and public spaces being added to the cultural institution's longstanding gallery forecourt. The Sydney Modern Project is set to be completed later this year — we'll update you with an exact opening date when it is announced. Top image: Sydney Modern Project render as produced by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA
Sounds like a branding exercise, but there really is a brand new vegetable on the block; a teeny tiny new development dubbed lollipop kale, currently under development in Australia, the UK and US right now. And it's possibly the most adorable thing we've seen in many a day — even if it's almost a Brussels sprout. Lollipop kale is indeed a thing — one gaining predictable popularity in the US, UK and now, South Australia and Victoria. Developed as a hybrid by British company Tozer Seeds, lollipop kale is now known as kale sprout (boring) in Australia and kalette (better) in the US. A form of cross-breeding between kale and Brussels sprouts (so you'll actually eat 'em), lollipop kale is currently being developed by a cluey South Australian grower. Adelaide Hills grower Scott Samwell, of Eastbook Farms in Mount Barker, has been upping the ante on his lollipop kale plantings over the last two years. Samwell told the ABC the lollipop kale grows sort of like a Brussels sprout — tiny bunches growing from a central stem, growing to around a metre tall. Apparently the new veggie has been getting good reviews in South Australian and Victorian markets, where the mini-kale has been available. "Everyone we've spoken to who has tried it, especially in the local area, are very keen on it." he told ABC. "It's a different tasting product, compared to green Brussels sprouts, because it's a bit sweeter." According to Grub Street, lollipop kale was the centre of mere whisperings in the food community — and wholly doubted and denied by chefs. GS's Hugh Merwin described it as the Bigfoot of the vegetable world — appearing in fruit exchanges around America and then suddenly becoming unattainable. But now it's here, ready for 'hipster' brandings and total hater ridicule. Being so teeny tiny, lollipop kale is primed for the home roasting — more bite-sized and considerably more adorable than your regular freaky kale chips. Right now, however, growing lollipop kale at home is pretty expensive — GS noted that online vegetable message boards (an actual Thing) criticised the high cost of the seeds; $11 for 40 seeds. So expect to see higher prices on Australian menus for the bite-sized little blighters. Lollipop kale will supposedly be available on the Australian market this year. Via ABC and Grub Street. Image: Hugh Merwin, Grub Street.
Get excited, festivalgoers: Pitch Music & Arts is returning to Grampian Plains in 2025, complete with a jam-packed roster of talent. Joy Orbison, Honey Dijon, Funk Tribu, 2manydjs: they're all on the bill. So are Daria Kolosova, SPFDJ, 999999999, Shanti Celeste, FJAAK, Lady Shaka and Job Jobse, with the list going on from there. Everyone should make the trip to the Grampians at least once, and here's as ace an excuse to do so as any: the return of the much-loved camping festival, which will host its eighth edition, taking over Moyston again. Next years' festivities are happening from Friday, March 7–Tuesday, March 11. Not only will its three stages play host to a sparkling lineup of local and international musical talent, as always, but the tunes will be backed by a hefty program of interactive art and installations. Basically, no matter who makes it onto the bill, attendees are in for a very big, very busy four days. Joy Orbison's 'flight fm' and 'better' were used in teaser videos for 2025's fest, which was indeed a huge advance lineup hint. You can also look forward to catching Gabber Eleganza, BASHKKA, Funk Assault, Baraka, ISAbella, Ogazón, southstar, Midland, Dax J, Anetha and plenty more, including Osmosis Jones, Moopie, DJ PGZ, Stev Zar, Jennifer Loveless and Mabel. On the Pitch Music & Arts arts lineup: Adnate, Anatolik Belikov, Ash Keating, Builders Club, Clayton Blake, EJ Son, ENOKi, Georgia Treloar, Henry Howson & Ambrose Zacharakis, Jaqui Munoz, Joan Sandoval, Lukas Rafik Mayer, ØFFËRÎNGŠ (aka Melissa Gilbert), Petra Péterffy, Rachel Lyn & Cameron Trafford, Raquel Villa, Reelize Studio, Sam Hayes, TERRAIN, Tetrik and UnitePlayPerform. In between all of the dance-floor sessions and arty things, festivalgoers will again be able to make themselves at home in the Pitch Pavilion, which is where yoga classes, meditation and sound baths usually help patrons unwind. The local-focused Club Serra will be new in 2025, championing homegrown talent. Pitch Music & Arts 2025 Lineup 2 LUBLY 2manydjs (DJ set) 6 SENSE 999999999 Anetha Audrey Danza BADSISTA Baraka (LIVE) BASHKKA D. Tiffany Daria Kolosova b2b SPFDJ Dax J Diffrent DJ Fuckoff DJ Gigola DJ Paulette DJ PGZ b2b Moopie Ed Kent Ela Minus Elli Acula Fadi Mohem FJAAK (LIVE) Funk Assault Funk Tribu Gabber Eleganza presents the Hakke Show GiGi FM Guy Contact Honey Dijon ISAbella Jennifer Loveless Job Jobse Joy Orbison Kasper Marott Kia Kuzco (LIVE) Lacchesi Lady Shaka Leo Pol Maara Mabel Maruwa Mia Koden Midland Mikalah Watego Miley Serious Naycab Ned Bennett Objekt Ogazón Ollie Lishman Osmosis Jones Pablo Bozzi Pegassi Shanti Celeste southstar Stev Zar Sugar Free Surf 2 Glory Taylah Elaine The Illustrious Blacks Trym VOLVOX Y U QT Images: Duncographic, William Hamilton Coates, Max Roux and Ashlea Caygill.
Heading to a live gig hasn't been on Melburnians' agendas since early August, when the city entered its latest — and sixth — lockdown. But before October is out, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl will host a big music event. And yes, the lineup will play live and crowds will be allowed to attend. The exact details — including who'll be on the bill, how many people will be permitted to go along and how you can nab tickets — haven't yet been revealed; however, today, Sunday, October 10, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews did announce that this currently unnamed concert is happening on Saturday, October 30 for a solely double-vaccinated audience. It's due to occur shortly after the state hits the 70-percent fully jabbed mark, which is when lockdown ends and more restrictions will begin to ease. And, it'll take place before the next key vax stage, the 80-percent double-vaccinated mark, when even more rules will loosen. If you're wondering why this kind of concert is being announced when Victoria is experiencing extremely high numbers of COVID-19 cases — 1890 new locally acquired cases were reported today, after an Australian-high 1965 cases were recorded on Saturday, October 9 — the Premier advised that the concert is being held to help test the city's reopening settings. It's occurring as part of what's being dubbed 'vaccinated economy trials', with the state testing the rules and requirements that'll be in place as both Melbourne and Victoria open up even further. A series of events will be held across Victoria as part of the Vaccinated Economy trials, including a concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Watch this space, more details to come! 🎶 @VicGovAu https://t.co/K6CBDbGuGh pic.twitter.com/BlG0StwGFT — ArtsCentreMelb (@artscentremelb) October 10, 2021 "I can't provide a precise number of patrons allowed, but there is plenty more to be done there. As part of the mature vaccinated economy trials, there'll be several thousand double-vaccinated [people] who can attend that live music event," said the Premier. "That's incredibly important for them and for the live music scene. We are the live music capital of our nation that has had it very tough. We have been there to support them all the way through, but they want to get out and perform and do what they do best. That's two entertain and inspire, to question all of us, to be that incredibly soulful part of our city and state. That's 30 October," Andrews continued. The Sidney Myer Music Bowl gig is currently subject to Victorian Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton considering and approving the venue's COVID-safe plan — and will be joined by smaller gigs around the state at the same time, if also approved by Sutton. Regarding the lineup, it'll be comprised of Victorian artists — who'll "perform and celebrate the return of live music at one of Melbourne's most iconic outdoor venues," according to the announcement. Reported yesterday: 1,890 new local cases and 0 cases acquired overseas. - 39,861 vaccines administered - 74,105 test results received - Sadly, 5 people with COVID-19 have died More later: https://t.co/OCCFTAchah#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/6U7hNSXiCG — VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) October 9, 2021 The move comes after first-stage trials of new vaccinated economy settings — including the process required to show that you're fully vaccinated under the new rules — occur in regional parts of the states. They were announced in late September and will kick off on Monday, October 11, covering select pubs, art galleries, cinemas and cafes, as well as gym, a church and a beauty clinic. And, the Victorian Government will also test bigger crowd capacities on the final two days of the Melbourne Cup Carnival. The Premier announced that Oaks Day and Stakes Day will be permitted to welcome up 10,000 patrons, but only if the 80-percent double-jab mark has been passed by then. The Sidney Myer Music Bowl will host a big live music gig on Saturday, October 30, with further details — including the lineup, crowd capacity and ticketing — yet to be announced. We'll provide you with more information when it comes to hand. For more information about the status of COVID-19 and the current restrictions, head over to the Victorian Government's website. Top image: Piknic Electronik, Wade Malligan.
Have you ever noticed the effervescent trail of light that follows your mobile phone screen when you move it in a dark room? Or how you can create shapes by whirling a glow stick around at night? Both are rudimentary examples of a recent trend: light painting. Light painting essentially consists of capturing light moving by using high exposure photography; the result is an image of the moving lights' path through the air. According to geek.com, the trend began "with a group of artists that wanted to map urban WiFi signals. This project created a visual landscape of technology we couldn’t see before, giving perspective on something we use everyday." Since then, artists and technology nerds alike have been creating floating works of light. In order to 'paint' properly, the painter must have an understanding of both the creative and scientific elements involved. The photography must be spot-on, and the hardware and software well-managed. Introducing the LightScythe: one of the first light-painting devices designed specifically with artistic endeavors in mind. The hardware is simply a long staff covered in LED lights, controlled by arduino boards and software the Mechatronics Guy designed. Watching the process, it may seem as though someone is just walking slowly with a large stick in hand, but the photographs reveal much more. The Mechatronics Guy uses the LightScythe to create floating images and text, and he wants you to, too. Check out the directions online and get to painting for yourself.
If you're the kind of person who looks for hot cross buns on your local supermarket shelves the moment that December 26 hits each year, congrats — you know that these seasonal treats really should be available all year round, as everyone should. And, you're likely also aware that not all hot cross buns are created equal. Lune Croissanterie's hot cross cruffins are in a league of their own, for instance. The highly coveted Easter bites are returning in 2023, too, to the delight of pastry lovers across Melbourne and Brisbane. Whether you've had plenty of Lune Easters or just a few — Lune only opened its first interstate store in Brissie in 2021, after all — these baked goods are a must-try. Yes, they're exactly what they sound like, and they're only available for a super-limited time. Forget plain old croissant-muffin hybrids — Lune's Easter version throws hot cross buns into the mix as well, and they always sell out. The croissant-muffin-hot cross bun mashups come filled with a spiced custard and traditional hot cross bun fruit mix, which includes sultanas and candied citrus peel. They're then topped with a cross (obviously) and brushed in a sweet glaze. And, they're both vegetarian- and Halal-friendly. If you're keen, you'll find them in-store at Kate Reid's pastry haven from Monday, March 20–Monday, April 10 at all Lune sites. The chain is also doing pre-orders from Friday, March 17 for its Fitzroy, Armadale, South Brisbane and Brisbane CBD venues. Dubbed 'HCCs', the hot cross cruffins cost $10 each — and pre-ordering early is recommended. If you want some for Good Friday, Lune advises that you'll need to pre-order by Tuesday, April 4. Lune's hot cross cruffins will be on from Monday, March 20–Monday, April 10 at all Lune stores, with pre-orders from Friday, March 17 for Fitzroy, Armadale, South Brisbane and Brisbane CBD. Images: Peter Dillon.
It made stars out of Adam Brody, Rachel Bilson, Mischa Barton and Ben McKenzie. It made everyone want to visit Orange County. And, in perhaps its longest-lasting effect, it also ensured that everyone would always sing the word 'California' in their heads in exactly the same way as the show's earworm of a theme tune (as you are right now after simply reading this sentence). We're talking about The OC, of course, which sits alongside Beverly Hills, 90210, Dawson's Creek and Gossip Girl as a teen TV drama all-timer. The 2003–7 show might've only run for four seasons, but its culture clash-driven setup — sparked by the adoption of a troubled teen by a wealthy family — and heightened adolescent antics had a hefty impact. If you've ever celebrated Chrismukkah, you know what we're talking about.
Father's Day is a holiday that tends to really sneak up on you. One minute you think you have weeks to plan something, the next it's tomorrow and you've completely spaced on getting dad a gift. Dad might be happy with another barbecue set, apron, bottle of whiskey or a voucher for BCF, but if you really want to impress him, we have an idea. There's a good chance your dad isn't a "stuff" guy, he might want some quality time. You could settle for a bike ride or get dinner, but how about something more special? How about a helicopter flight, a rally driving race or a scuba diving session? An adrenaline-packed experience is the kind of quality time dad deserves. That's why we've teamed up with Adrenaline this Father's Day to make it happen with an exclusive giveaway. Fill out the form below, and you'll officially enter the running to win a $500 Adrenaline voucher, plus a GoPro Hero 13 and accessory bundle, so you can take dad on an adventure and capture every minute of it on camera. If all else fails, get dad an Adrenaline gift voucher, it's delivered instantly and valid for up to five years. To put your name into the running, fill out the form below before Sunday, August 31. [competition]1011630[/competition]
With its flat, open spaces and stretches of waterfront, Docklands and its surrounds are primed for those al fresco workouts. Make the most of the great outdoors with one of the area's many great walks, running tracks and bike trails, or take to the Yarra for a water-based workout. There are options for solo exercisers as well as those who prefer the motivation of a group. Best of all, plenty of them are free, so you can get your sweat on without spending the big bucks. Read on to discover some top spots to sweat it out in the area. MOONLIGHT KAYAK DOWN THE YARRA See the city from a different angle — and score a sneaky arm workout at the same time — with a moonlight kayak tour down the Yarra. Geared for paddlers of all skill levels, this guided 2.5-hour jaunt will see you cruising through Melbourne's scenic waterways as the sun sets. It kicks off in Victoria Harbour and wraps up at the rowing sheds across from Federation Square. Participants get back to basics with a quick paddling technique session before they hit the water — and they even enjoy a feed of fish and chips in their kayaks along the way. CAPITAL CITY BIKE TRAIL For a two-wheeled tour of the city limits, hit the Capital City Bike Trail. Cutting right through Victoria Harbour, this 29-kilometre looped track provides a solid few hours of endorphin-boosting cycling. Depending on how much you want to tackle, you'll be rolling past a swag of Melbourne icons, including the Royal Botanic Gardens, the MCG, Princes Park, the Studley Park Boathouse and Melbourne Zoo. Make a half-day of it and stop in for some lunch at the Abbotsford Convent on your way through. DOCKSIDE HERITAGE WALKING TOUR Get in a few steps and learn something new about Docklands in the process with the Dockside Heritage Walking Tour. Available for free through the Docklands Walking Tours mobile app, this self-guided trek clocks in at 4.5 kilometres, hitting 25 significant stops along the way. As you go, the supplied images, audio and information will find you diving deep into the area's maritime history and learning all about the wharfies and railway workers who made it what it is today. VICTORIA HARBOUR OUTDOOR GYM When the weather's playing ball, the last thing you want is to be cooped up in a gym. Instead, boost those endorphins while loading up on fresh air with a sweat session at Victoria Harbour's outdoor fitness zone. Adjacent to the basketball court at Buluk Park, you'll find a series of modern workout equipment, along with almost everything you need for a full-body workout. An off-leash dog area means you can even bring your pooch along for some exercise of their own. WALK AROUND ALBERT PARK LAKE The trail that loops around the perimeter of Albert Park Lake makes for one picturesque exercise spot, no matter what your speed. And we all know how much easier that jog is when you've got some good scenery to distract you. Easily accessed via public transport, the track is a tidy five kilometres long, winding past the park's lush green sports fields and golf course. If you fancy some company, Park Run hosts a weekly Saturday morning group run here, meeting at 7.50am at the Coot Picnic Area. [caption id="attachment_646912" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Donald Tong.[/caption] PORT MELBOURNE BEACH One of the closest beaches to Melbourne's CBD, Port Melbourne's sandy bayside stretch sits just a few short kilometres from Docklands, making it a winning option for those after-work dips. Usually a little more serene than its St Kilda neighbour, the beach is a family-friendly spot for swimming, kite-surfing, paddleboarding or simply a bit of beachside relaxation. Get in an aquatic workout, then stroll to the buzzing strip of nearby Beach Street to treat yourself to a post-paddle feed or bev. WALK THROUGH SOUTH MELBOURNE With the iconic markets at its heart, surrounded by an eclectic mix of cafes, boutiques and pubs, the inner-city suburb of South Melbourne is made for weekend explorations. It'll take you less than an hour to clock most of the main landmarks, including the National Trust-registered St Vincent Gardens, the South Melbourne Town Hall and Albert Park Lake, where you can tack on an extended walk. What's more, in this neck of the woods, you're completely spoilt for choice when it comes to both pre-walk caffeine fixes and that post-walk recovery parma and pint. RUN THE TAN TRACK Looping 3.8 kilometres around the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Tan Track is one of Melbourne's most popular options for al fresco fitness, whether you're a marathon runner or prefer a low-key powerwalk. Overall, it's picturesque and not too savage, though it helps to mentally prepare for the rise known as Heartbreak Hill, which sits about 1 kilometre in. Cap off your session with a cheeky post-run reward at Domain Road institution The Botanical, either in the form of some modern Australian bistro fare or a sophisticated tipple. VICTORIA HARBOUR STROLL If you'd rather play explorer at your own pace, opt for a DIY tour, as navigated by Walking Maps' self-guided Victoria Harbour Stroll. The downloadable map features a bite-sized waterfront jaunt that'll take you past five of the area's landmarks, including Wang Shugang's NewQuay artwork, Ari Purhonen's shimmering harbourside installation and the iconic Etihad Stadium. What's more, clocking in at an easy 23 minutes, this is a stroll you could even squeeze into your lunchbreak, sandwich in hand. DRAGON BOAT RACING When the weather's decent, the best kind of sports are the ones involving water and plenty of sunshine. If that sounds like your jam, make the most of Docklands' riverside location and get acquainted with the world of dragon boat racing. It's a team sport originating in ancient China, where 22-person boat crews battle it out in a test of endurance, speed and synchronisation. Docklands is home to six of Dragon Boat Victoria's 23 affiliated clubs, welcoming rowers of all ages and skill levels. Head along for a casual paddle, or join a team. Surround yourself with everything Docklands has to offer at the new 883 Collins Street development. Top restaurants, cafes, bars and activities are just a stone's throw away.
The folks at the Astor Theatre have just released their latest program, and we've never been so happy to soak it in. In the wake of years of angst and uncertainty surrounding the future of the art-deco cinema, the new program marks the start of a veritable second age, after Palace Cinemas announced last month that they would be taking over the venue — guaranteeing its survival for (hopefully) many years to come. "As long as we're around, it's a cinema," says newly appointed general manager Zak Hepburn. "I think the main point of Palace getting involved with The Astor was so they could save it. To put the final word on it, and know that it won't be turned into a carpark or a high-rise apartment. It's all about preserving that legacy." Hepburn's involvement should help quash concerns about the legitimacy of The Astor's latest resurrection. A respected and enthusiastic figure in the Melbourne film scene, Hepburn has no shortage of cinema programming experience, beginning with the late night 'cult vault' sessions at Palace Westgarth, as well as a stint at The Shadow Electric. You might also recognise him from his weekly gig reviewing films on ABC News Breakfast. Like many local film buffs, Hepburn feels a particular connection with the cinemas he's now been charged with operating. "I grew up in Bacchus Marsh, where it was hard to access retrospective stuff," says Hepburn. "Then when I was probably around eight or ten, I heard of this place and asked my Mum to take me. I went to a matinee session of TYellow Submarine, and I thought it was just amazing... I'm 32 now, so I've been going steadily to The Astor, every calendar, for more than 20 years." Hepburn understands people's lingering sense of uncertainty, but is quick to assuage our concerns, including the idea that Palace might try and convert the cinema into a multiplex. "In the age of multiple exhibitors and Netflix and everything else, everybody is looking for a point of difference," says Hepburn. "The Astor is such a unique location, so to make it just like every other location would really defeat the purpose of investing in it. Palace has already got those multi-screen locations, so this is really the alternative pathway for fans of cinema." So what changes will Palace be making? In terms of the actual building, the answer is apparently very little. "There are absolutely no structural changes planned for the location," says Hepburn. "It's mostly maintenance... A bit of paint here, a few fixed seats, maybe some lighting. That's really about it." As for the candy bar, Hepburn says that we can expect to see a slight incorporation of Palace's coffee, wine and boutique beer range, before hastening to add that the famous (and delicious) Choc Ice ice-creams will still definitely be on the menu. Of course the most important thing — the thing that has always set The Astor apart — is the quality of the programming. In that regard, Hepburn promises it'll be business as usual, with calendars consisting of the theatre's typical blend of double bills and retrospectives, including screenings on 35mm and 70mm, along with a smattering of recent releases. A quick look at the new calendar confirms it, with everything from golden age Hollywood classics like The Maltese Falcon and Some Like It Hot, to iconic cult films including a double bill of Evil Dead and Carrie. There's also an Avengers double feature with prizes for best costume, as well as a 007 marathon on back-to-back weekends. "What I really want to do is have a curatorial kernel in each calendar," Hepburn explains. "So there'll be a sort of master film in there, and then strands hanging off. For example, in this first one, we have the gala premiere of the Gillian Armstrong documentary Women He's Undressed, which is based on the life of costume designer Orry-Kelly. So we've got quite a few Orry-Kelly films in the program, and are really touching on some classic Hollywood stuff." Ultimately, Hepburn considers The Astor "a destination cinema", one where "every cinema session should be an experience". Here's hoping that under Palace, it stays that way for a long, long time. The Astor Theatre officially reopens for business on June 7. To check out their latest program, visit their website. Image: Charlie Kinross Photography
Melbourne comes alive on AFL Grand Final day — and while nothing beats being at the 'G, the city's pubs and bars know how to throw a party on the last Saturday in September. From rooftop viewing parties to sprawling beer gardens and bottomless banquets, there's no shortage of places to cheer on every second of the action. Whether you're keen on a lively crowd, a sit-down feast, or just looking for somewhere to catch every kick, mark and goal with a cold one in hand, these venues have your game day sorted. The Terminus Hotel Abbotsford's Terminus Hotel is gearing up for a huge Grand Final Saturday with the return of its annual Grand Final Day Block Party. Catch every second of the action from a massive outdoor screen with a siren-to-siren premium bottomless drinks package and roaming canapes to keep you fuelled. Plus, live entertainment will keep the energy high long after the final siren. Find out more at the venue's website. Garden State Hotel Flinders Lane favourite Garden State knows how to throw a party, and this Grand Final day will be no exception. There'll be free-flow tap beers and house wines from 1.30pm, roaming canapes, live music at halftime and DJs spinning well into the night — and plenty of massive screens around the venue. Tickets guarantee you access but not a table, so get in early to nab one before they're gone. Find out more at the venue's website. The Duke of Wellington Melbourne's oldest licensed pub is covering all the bases this Grand Final day. Doors open from 9am for hearty pre-game counter meals, before all the action plays live and loud on screens on all three levels. The rooftop comes alive post-match, with acoustic sets from 5pm and DJs taking over from 8pm until late. To find out more and book your spot, head to the venue's website. [caption id="attachment_1021356" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Zennieshia Butts[/caption] Hickens Hotel Having swung open its doors just a few weeks ago in the former Crafty Squire site, CBD newcomer Hickens Hotel is going all in for its first Grand Final. Live music and DJs get things started on Thursday and Friday night, before a 10am start on the day of the big dance. A live duo in the Carlton Bar will set the mood pre-game, while a live band in Abe's Athletic Hall keeps the energy high after the siren. Table and booth bookings are also available for prime vantage spots. Find out more at the venue's website. Hotel Esplanade Do Grand Final day your way at The Espy. For a loud and lively vibe, The Gersh is throwing a three-hour watch party with free-flowing bevs and roaming canapes. It's standing room only, so if you're after somewhere to settle in, the Sunroom is hosting a long lunch, while Mya Tiger is dishing up a three-course banquet with the game on in the background. If you'd rather keep things casual, the whole venue is open all day — just wander in, grab a spot, order a cold one and catch every bump and tackle across the venue. To book your spot, head to the venue's website. Prince of Wales Hotel St Kilda's legendary pub is turning into a high-energy watch party this Grand Final day. Multiple screens will show every moment, while bottomless beer, wine and chef-curated canapes will flow from the first bounce. Then, keep the celebrations going with Anthems live band in the Bandroom post-game. Head to the venue's website for more information. Brewdog Pentridge Pull up to Pentridge for a massive Grand Final day at BrewDog. The sprawling beer garden will be the heart of the action, with bottomless beers, wines and house spirits flowing siren to siren, plus roaming canapes to keep you going. Huge dome screens will beam in every play — but with no allocated seating, it's first in, best dressed, so get down early to nab yourself a spot. Find out more at the venue's website. Beer DeLuxe Fed Square Fed Square's flagship watering hole is serving up two ways to do Grand Final day. Entry is free downstairs, where you'll be in the thick of the action – and in the shadows of the 'G — with big screens to take it all in. Or, upgrade to the VIP package upstairs for bottomless house beers and wines, roaming canapes and a halftime barbecue buffet. Find out more at the venue's website. Auburn Hotel Auburn's light-filled pub is kicking things off from 10am this Grand Final day with a Bottomless Footy Brekky — $70 for two hours of spritzes, pizza and fries. Starting later? Catch the game live across the venue, whether you've locked down a table in the light-filled Pavilion or found a spot in the leafy beer garden. After the final siren, DJs will take over to keep the party rolling well into the night. Find out more at the venue's website. For more information on these venues and to claim credit for your order, download The Pass app.
Thought Nutella's time in the limelight was coming to an end? Well, you might want to think again. Tella Balls Dessert Bar — Sydney's temple to OTT Nutella creations — is now open in Melbourne. The self-proclaimed 'king of desserts' launched its first Victorian dessert bar in Melbourne Central on Monday, March 5. The sixth addition to the Tella Balls family, this one comes two years after the original opened its doors in NSW's Dulwich Hill. If you've encountered these Nutella-filled dishes before — possibly on Instagram — you'll know subtlety's not a Tella Balls strongpoint. Instead, expect a menu of very tricked-up treats like a dessert lasagne, doughnut cones loaded with ice cream and Nutella, waffle burgers as big as your head, filled doughnuts, and a fettuccine-like crepe creation dubbed 'pastatella'. There's even a sweet version of 'fish and chips', starring deep fried ice cream and doughnut fries. Australia did go a little crazy over Nutella around 2015, holding a festival dedicated to the stuff and causing a nation-wide shortage — which makes this opening seem a little behind the trend. But Tella Balls' other outlets seem to be going strong, so we'll see if this is enough to rekindle Melbourne's love affair with the humble choc-hazelnut spread. Tella Balls Dessert Bar is now open within Melbourne Central. For more info, visit tellaballsdessertbar.com.au. Images: Bodhi Liggett. Updated: March 27, 2018.
In one of the many audio clips that comprise One to One: John & Yoko's impressive array of 70s-era archival materials, the documentary's two namesakes are asked how they want to be remembered. John Lennon's answer: "just as two lovers". It's an apt description, and one that applies in multiple senses in the latest film by Kevin Macdonald — a doco that joins the likes of Oscar-winner One Day in September, plus Touching the Void, the crowdsourced Life in a Day, and the also music-focused Marley and Whitney on the Scottish director's resume, as well as features such as The Last King of Scotland, State of Play, How I Live Now and The Mauritanian. Standing out in the the well-populated realm of Beatles movies, factual and dramatised alike, One to One: John & Yoko steps through Lennon and Yoko Ono's love for each other and for music, and also for doing what they can to make the world a better place. As much as that "two lovers" quote resonates in the movie, that idea wasn't one of the lenses through which Macdonald, a lifelong Beatles fan and someone who considers Lennon his first pop-culture hero, approached the film. "Not specifically, actually, the kind of love affair between them," he tells Concrete Playground. "I think that comes across as between the cracks, in a way." Instead, in a film that explores a marriage, a milestone concert that also gives the doco its title, and a moment — that's as fascinated with the reality that greeted John and Yoko when they moved to the US from Britain in 1971, how the couple witnessed the era through American TV and their activist efforts to make a difference IRL — he was keen to show Lennon and Ono's romance as a union of equals. [caption id="attachment_1010512" align="alignnone" width="1920"] © Bob Gruen / www.bobgruen.com[/caption] "I was very interested, though, in trying to give Yoko a bit more of a voice and get her perspective on this period, and on the immediate aftermath of this breaking up of The Beatles and the influence she had on John. And for the audience to see, I think, what to me was very clear as I looked at all this material — is that this is a real marriage of true partners, love partners but also creative partners, and the respect that they have for each other comes across in the film," Macdonald continues. "I think it's a very mature kind of love, I suppose, as in it's not the kind of usual movie romantic, tweeting-birds kind of love. It feels like love that is part of a profound relationship of respect. I think that's what's so striking about it." "And I'm particularly struck always by, when I watch the film, by seeing John go to the International Feminist Conference at the end — and thinking in early 1973, which other massive rockstar of that period would do that, would be the only man in the room with a bunch of very hardcore feminists, and be open to that, those ideas and that experience, and giving the platform to their partner in such a way? I think that even today, that would be quite rare with a male star." Macdonald's latest documentary started its life with the One to One concert footage, which was John's last full-length gig — and also his only one after The Beatles. An interview that the filmmaker heard with John speaking about how all he did was watch TV when he arrived in the US, which is quoted at the beginning of the movie, was just as crucial. So began a project with a tricky task, given how frequently cinema's focus falls upon John and The Beatles still. The job: when Sam Mendes' (Empire of Light) four films starring Harris Dickinson (Babygirl), Paul Mescal (Gladiator II), Barry Keoghan (Bird) and Joseph Quinn (Warfare) are on the way — and the Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon)-produced Beatles '64 arrived in 2024, The Beatles: Eight Days a Week from Ron Howard (Jim Henson Idea Man) came out in the last ten years and The Beatles: Get Back by Peter Jackson (The Shall Not Grow Old) isn't even half-a-decade old (and that's without thinking about Nowhere Boy and Backbeat and so much more) — how do you come up with something that feels new? The answer here: fleshing out One to One: John & Yoko not only around the Madison Square Garden benefit concert for children with intellectual disabilities at Staten Island's Willowbrook institution, and not even just through the pair's music, either, but also by using their television viewing to give context to what was happening in America at the time. Also, by giving the movie the vibe — with home movies, plus unheard tapes of John and Yoko's phone calls, too — of hanging out with the pair. Accordingly, Macdonald pairs restored 16mm footage of the pivotal gig with personal clips, archival news, TV snippets and commercials, and even a recreation of John and Yoko's Greenwich Village apartment from the era. The duo's presence in the political and social movements of the time is in focus as well, as is simply revelling in their presence together. Sean Ono Lennon has said that it's the first film that's truly captured who his mother was as an artist and a person, Macdonald has shared. That's one of many striking elements to the doco. How clearly it highlights the similarities between the 70s and now, how it embraces John and Yoko's fondness for creative experimentation in its approach, its collage-like structure that the director likens to TikTok: they're others. We chatted to Macdonald about the above, plus what it means to him to make One to One: John & Yoko as such a Beatles and Lennon fan, his career journey and more. On Sean Ono Lennon Saying That This Is the First Film He's Seen That Has Truly Captured His Mother as an Artist and a Person "I was really happy with that, obviously, because first of all, you make anything about The Beatles or about The Beatles solo and there's so many films and so many books, and so much has been said and written. So to try to do anything that's new, that was my starting point. I don't want to make a film like every other film that's been made. I want to show something different. But I'm not going to factually show you much that's new — there are probably some things up here that the real Beatles fans can go 'oh that, I didn't know this little fact, that little fact', but it's not really about that. To me, it's more about the experiential thing of being with these people in a very domestic, everyday setting for a lot of it. I mean, just hanging with them. And I wanted people to have the sense of hanging out on the bed with John and Yoko. So naturally, of course, that means that you, because you're seeing Yoko not always in her public persona, I think you feel closer to her. And I think there's something about the phone calls, the phone calls that she's on — particularly the one where she talks about how The Beatles treated her, and how people sent her dolls with pins in them and things, which I think give you a great deal of empathy for her, which then is redoubled when you hear the story of her daughter Kyoko. Which, by the way, I thought I knew quite a lot about The Beatles — I didn't even know about Kyoko. And I think that says an awful lot about how her perspective has not been taken in terms of telling the story in the past. Because John and Yoko went to New York largely because they were looking for Kyoko. They were escaping from what they perceived as the unwelcoming attitude in Britain for Yoko, but they were primarily there because they were trying to find Yoko's daughter. And that drove them through all of this period, and yet that's not something that's talked about. So I as soon as I started to learn about that story and learn about how that was really the emotional driver for the concert being put on in the first place — this sense that both of them had for the terrible conditions that these kids were being brought up in, which was particularly raw for them because they both undergoing this sense of loss of Kyoko — I think once I put all that together, that gave a perspective on Yoko emotionally, which I think changes the way you feel about her. Because when you empathise with someone, you tend to like them more." On the Importance of Giving One to One: John & Yoko a Tangible Element Through a Detailed Recreation of Lennon and Ono's Greenwich Village Apartment "When I got involved in the film, as I said, I was thinking first and foremost about 'how can I open up a different kind of window on them and give people a sense of getting to know them on a deeper, more immediate level?'. And I heard this comment that John made, very early on in my research, where he talked about how television was his window on the world, and how he spent most of his time when he first arrived in America watching TV and learning about the country through the TV. And I thought — that's a light-bulb moment, I thought 'well, that's how I should structure the whole film, is around that concept. And we should see them watching TV or feel like we're with them, feel like they just left the room and they left the TV on and the cigarettes still in the ashtray'. And so, as I said earlier, to have the feeling that we are on the bed with them, watching what's going on in America — and I like the idea that we're understanding history through shards, in the same ways we do in everyday life. We don't have a perfect knowledge or understanding of what's going on around us. We pick up little bits and pieces, and we create a narrative in our heads. And that's I wanted to reproduce, that experience, which is the experience of how human beings pass through the world. We don't have perfect narratives that are presented to us and everything coheres and makes sense. We are taking these imperfect little moments and giving them meaning and putting them together in narratives." On Whether Macdonald Anticipated the Parallels Between America in the 70s and Today That Are Evident inthe Documentary "No, I actually didn't. I didn't. We started this, I guess, in early 2023, and the legal situation, the political situation in the world, was very different. And it did feel at times — still does feel — like the world is copying our movie. Things keep happening that we're like 'oh my god, that's like the scene where such and such happens in the film'. And I did for a long time wonder about whether, is this kind of echoing, is this something? I've since read quite a lot about it, actually, and I'm not the only person to have noticed it — it is something which quite a lot of historians have commented upon. And I think even if you go back in time, there's even earlier periods in American history which have a similar rise of populism, demonstrations, economic turmoil. I think a lot of those things come back in some cyclical way in America every 50–60 years. And I think that they'll probably come back in different ways in other countries. I think it's something I'd be very curious to find out more about. But I was struck, as we were making the film, that all these echoes and similarities just arose around me. Because it really was — we didn't know that Donald Trump was going to have an attempted assassination. We didn't know that Kamala Harris was going to be the first Black woman to stand for presidency. And we had Shirley Chisholm, who was trying to get on to that ticket [in 1972]. All these many, many connections, they weren't there when we started cutting the film, even. So it was peculiar. But I think that why I find it comforting in a way, is that we all like to think that our period is a particularly catastrophic, apocalyptic period. It's a kind of vanity, I suppose, we all have as human beings — you think 'oh my god, we're living through the worst of times'. But actually, to see that things were pretty bad before, passions were very high, and then we had Jimmy Carter and things. We had sort of boring presidents and stabilisation in the world, and things did get a little better. I suppose I took some comfort from that. But I guess you can read it also the other way around. You can read it as 'oh my god, why don't we learn anything?'." On Making One to One as a Lifelong Beatles Fan and Someone Who Considered Lennon His First Pop-Culture Hero "I think I — maybe in common with other people, I don't know — the passions that you have when you are in your early teenage years, or between the ages of 11 and 16 or whatever, you never feel passion for anything quite as much again in the way that you did for those things. Whether they be movies or songs or artists, whatever it is, I think you're more open and raw, and everything is new to you and it's super exciting. And so to be able to go back to one of the people who really was my great hero of that [age]. I think I was aware of The Beatles in 1979 when I was 11 or 12, and then John was shot, and then that confluence of those two things is what made him such a focus of attention for me. But I think that to be able to revisit that period of your life is real pleasure — from an adult perspective, from a more cynical, seen it all, been-there-done-that perspective. Because it reminds you of who you are and the passion that you had. And you can see how right you were in some ways, to love those things. And it reawakens that love that maybe you were a bit cynical about it. So yeah, I think I find myself, interestingly, in a lot of films and documentaries I've done, going back to this period in the 70s — which is, I guess, the formative period for me. I had an American grandmother and I used to go to stay with her all my holidays in America and watch TV. I remember the Nixon hearings and things like that being on TV. And I remember my grandmother supporting Nixon. I remember her vividly saying 'oh, that poor man, Mr Nixon, why don't they leave him alone?'. So maybe we're all revisiting our childhood experiences." On Whether One to One Was Actively Aiming to Match Lennon and Ono's Creative Experimentation with Its Own Approach "No, not so much. I was looking at what remains of them and what it says. I thought it would be an interesting process to just say 'I'm not going to take any extraneous information, very little extraneous information, in the film, except that which exists in archive footage and audio and whatever. I'm going to see what I can make, how I can create an experience, but also somewhat of a story'. And it's always a balance in this sort of film. I wanted it to be something that when you experience narrative, you feel like things move forward and change, but for it to also feel moment to moment like it's chaos and anarchy, and you don't know where it's going to go. But actually, I want the audience to feel that, as they watch it, like 'oh, the filmmakers do have an idea — they are taking me somewhere. This is going somewhere. There is a progression. There is a narrative'. So it's trying to finely balance the chaotic and the structured. And there is a very thought-out structure to it. But it just seems to me like it's interesting to use the crumbs that have been left down the back of the sofa. You can put it like that. It's like you live your life and most of it vanishes with you when you're gone, and those times are gone, but certain crumbs are left down the back of the sofa, and a few coins that fell out of your pocket — and what do they say about you? And they're not the whole truth. They can't be. Because we can never reconstruct the whole truth of the past. And then, not to get too pretentious, so that's what different documentary forms which are about the past are trying — different ways to evoke and describe that which you know can't be fully brought back to life, can't fully be understood, in an hour and a half or two hours or whatever it is. And so there's a joy for me in the experimentation, and in the trying to find a different way to bring this period to life, to bring these characters to life, to mix their personal lives with the bigger political scene, and the bigger cultural scene, without trying to explain it all too much. I've had younger viewers watch the film and say 'this is like the TikTok experience'. This is basically how young people experience the world, watching TikTok, where you just see people, characters, situations appear, and you are very rapidly are making calculations in your head about 'who are they? Where they from? What's the purpose of this? Are they selling me something? Are they just trying to be funny?'. And I think that's the way I want be able to experience this film — that you're making all these connections. You're not being totally passive in it. You have to bring your own mind, bring your own sense of narrative to it." On Macdonald's Three-Decade Career So Far, Including Jumping Between Documentaries and Dramas "I feel, on one level, just really lucky to continue to be able to make films and continue to be able to make them in the way that I want to make them. And I have to give thanks to Mercury Studios, who let me make this film — sort of a mainstream experimental film, if we call it that. And to get the opportunity for people to give you money to be able to make a film is always a privilege. To get a make a film which is idiosyncratic and personal is really an exceptional thing. So after 30 years of making documentaries and films, yeah, first of all I just feel lucky to have been able to do that and to have supported myself and made a living out of doing it. And I love doing something which you can never perfect. You're always having to realise what did and didn't work in what you last did, and try to do something new — and I think that's maybe the defining feature of my work, which is that it's very varied and I'm always excited to try something different, try something new and go with my own passions for the most part. Although sometimes, obviously, we do things for money — but for the most part we do things for passion. And also, I'm very happy that I've continued to do both documentary and fiction — and the breathing space that each one gives me and renews in me, that gives me the time to renew my passion for the other one. So when I make a documentary, I'm at the end of it and I'm like 'oh my god, I really want to work with some actors who give me exactly what I asked them to so I don't have to find it in all this footage' and vice versa." One to One: John & Yoko opened in Australian cinemas on Friday, June 20, 2025 — and streams via DocPlay from Monday, July 21, 2025. Images: Magnolia Pictures.
Brightonites couldn't be more excited about 'Back To School' — and that's not just the yummy mummies talking. Brighton Schoolhouse has masterfully overseen the conversion of the heritage-listed schoolhouse accompanying St. Andrew's Church into a glorious institute of top coffee and wittily named brunch options. If the local consensus is anything to go by, it's gold stars all round. The menu places a strong emphasis on the origins of produce, with local and ethically sourced elements of utmost importance. The Schoolhouse features one of the best chai lattes in Melbourne; hand made and blended locally in Bentleigh, it's a combination of six spices with fresh cut ginger cubes and Australian bush land honey. When it comes to coffee, St Ali has devised a seasonal espresso unique to Schoolhouse, while premium fresh milk is sourced from St David Dairy and hand bottled in Fitzroy. The cafe is divided into two parts. The outside courtyard is positioned within a comfortable pocket of lawn, not too close to the schoolhouse as to obstruct the heritage street presence, and not too near to the street to be interrupted by Church Street's ongoing parade of four-wheel-drives. Inside, the original brickwork and exceptionally high ceilings are integrated with hip light fixtures and intimate tables for two to create a calm setting, perfect for catching up with the morning papers. It's a place where James Packer and Miranda Kerr publicly have breakfast together (as in, the Miranda Kerr Waffles with salted pistachio crumble ($18.50) and the James Packer Pancakes ($18) with maple glazed big boy bacon). Not straying too far from its schoolhouse origins, there's also a kids menu as well as colouring books and crayons on offer, making sure kids big and small are all well catered for. In an area where the choice of school is always a hot topic, Brighton Schoolhouse is easily a top pick.
Australian activewear and maternity wear brand Active Truth has just launched its new line of leggings, bike shorts and crop tops with the help of Ngarluma, Kariyarra, Nyulnyul and Yawuru designer Bobbi Lockyer. The hand-painted design featured on the limited edition Brolga line of activewear is currently available via the Active Truth website and shipping is free worldwide. Based in Port Hedland, Western Australia, Lockyer created the clothing line in order to celebrate strong women. "In our Dreaming about Brolga, she was a beautiful girl obsessed with dancing. Dancing was her only love and nothing distracted her," Lockeyer said. "I like to think of Brolga as a headstrong woman, passionate and determined, going for her dreams. This is why I chose to paint brolga feathers for this design, to symbolise women with our strengths, passions and show that we are going for our dreams." Lockyer also photographed the campaign herself, shooting some of the strong women in her life sporting the line out in the red dust and salt flats of her hometown. The activewear line is supportive of women of all shapes and sizes, available in sizes small through to 3XL. The Brolga line is also available in Active Truth's popular maternity wear range. These leggings can be worn through every trimester, as well as post-natal. Stevie Angel and Nadia Tucker, the duo behind Active Truth, have created a compression fabric that provides secure support and is especially designed to help ease some of the pains and strains experienced during pregnancy. The tights will stay in place throughout your workout, too, and the compression fit assists in reducing leg swelling and soreness to boot. All Active Truth orders come with a 30-day return policy and free express shipping and exchanges worldwide. The clothing company also offers customers the option to include their traditional First Nations place name when entering their address during the ordering process. Check out the full range of Brolga activewear and maternity wear here or you can browse the whole range of Active Truth activewear, maternity wear and swimwear online now. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Inviting everyone over to enjoy your sun-drenched courtyard on a Friday evening seemed like a brilliant idea at the time — it's certainly more relaxed than cramming into a busy city rooftop bar and more summery than sipping cocktails in a dark, underground basement bar. But now that your friends are due round any moment, do you have your drinks repertoire ready? Here to help you, we've got five easy-to-make cocktail recipes that'll upgrade your home bar and hosting skills — and you won't have to spend all your time in the kitchen making them, either. Spruce up your evening get-together with the world's finest French vodka, Grey Goose, which we've partnered with to showcase three vodka cocktails and two non-alcoholic options that your friends and workmates will love. GREY GOOSE ESPRESSO MARTINI In 1983 a model sauntered into a London bar and uttered the phrase "I want something to wake me up and fuck me up", and the espresso martini was born. Thirty-six years later and the caffeinated cocktail has risen to cult status. To make things easier on you, this recipe uses cold drip coffee so you don't have to worry about making a fresh espresso for each round. — 30ml Grey Goose Original — 30ml De Kuyper Crème de Café coffee liqueur — 30ml cold drip coffee — 1 pinch of salt (serves one) Shake all the ingredients, hard, in Boston tins with lots of ice till the outside is frosty. Double strain into a martini glass. Garnish with coffee beans or chocolate dust. Everyone'll be pepped for the night ahead in no time. [caption id="attachment_750115" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Camille Vidal, La Maison Wellness[/caption] HEALTH YEAH Not everyone drinks alcohol — and having a non-boozy option makes you a considerate host. This refreshingly light iced tea needs a little pre-planning, so you'll have to batch-make the tea and syrup the night before. Then, come Friday afternoon, you can to knock one of these together in no time. — 120ml roobois tea — 80ml kombucha — 20ml turmeric honey syrup — 2 dashes of lemon essential oil (serves one) Use cold water to infuse the tea as it'll avoid bitterness and tannins; add ten grams of roobois tea for every one litre of mineral water and leave to infuse overnight. Strain and keep it in the fridge. To make the syrup, use three tablespoons of turmeric honey and one tablespoon of golden unrefined sugar with 350ml of water. Add all ingredients in a saucepan, bring to boiling point and stir for one-to-two minutes until dissolved. Remove from heat and allow syrup to cool. Build the cocktail over ice in a highball, give a gentle stir to mix ingredients and garnish with a lemon wedge. SPIKED ICE TEA Thought that last one sounded good? How about having an iced tea with an extra kick? Forget woeful Long Islands and upgrade to this delicious and balanced Grey Goose version which includes a fruity twist of apricot brandy. — 30ml Grey Goose Original — 20ml apricot brandy — 20ml lemon juice — 90ml cold earl grey tea — 10ml sugar syrup Just like the boozeless option above, prep the tea overnight and brew with cold water to avoid any bitter tannin taste. Build the cocktail over ice in a highball, give a gentle stir to mix ingredients and garnish with a lemon wedge. Easy peasy! BOOZELESS GINGER MOJITO Who said drinkers had to have all the fun and flavour? When you want to take time off the sauce, or cater for guests who do, opt for this gently spiced but super-fresh non-alcoholic mojito. As a bonus you can show off your muddling skills to impress your mates. — 22ml fresh lime juice — 15ml sugar syrup — 3 wedges of fresh lime — 2cm of fresh peeled ginger — 12 fresh mint leaves — top with soda water (serves one) Muddle lime wedges, mint leaves and ginger with the sugar syrup and lime juice. Add crushed ice and churn before topping with soda water. Look at you go! ROSE SPRITZ Make like you're in the south of France with this gently fizzy, and oh-so pink cocktail that practically begs to be sipped outdoors on a terrace surrounded by your besties. — 30ml Grey Goose Original — 20ml Martini Bianco — 10ml Monin watermelon syrup — 15ml lemon juice — 45ml soda (serves one) Build all the ingredients over ice in a collins glass and top with soda water. Garnish with a lemon wedge. Then upload a pic to Instagram to make sure everyone knows you can make such a fine looking drink. Upgrade your Friday night at home by choosing premium vodka Grey Goose. Each bottle is distilled in France, and the high quality vodka has a 100 percent traceable production process, from crop to cork.
Between the inaugural So Pop festival, drawing names like Vengaboys, Aqua and Lou Bega, and RNB Vine Days, headlined by the likes of Nelly and Craig David, the list of international music heroes hitting Aussie stages this summer is already huge. And it's about to get even heftier with the news that the world's biggest hip hop festival Rolling Loud is set to make its southern hemisphere debut next January. While the initial announcement didn't include any specifics on exactly who would be coming out for the event, the official lineup has just dropped. Leading the charge is hip hop singer and producer Future, who will head back Down Under just a year after his set at Sydney City Limits. He'll be joined by 'Rack City' rapper and collaborator Tyga, alongside Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert, Smokepurpp and Manu Crook$. No female artists have been announced yet. This will all go down over one day at Sydney Showgrounds on Sunday, January 27. Rolling Loud started in Miami in 2015 and has since expanded to Los Angeles and San Francisco, pulling crowds of up to 135,000 earlier this year. Past events have seen names like Kendrick Lamar, Cardi B, A$AP Rocky, Future, Lil Wayne, Young Thug, Post Malone, Migos and Lil Uzi Vert all grace the festival's stage — something to keep in mind as more acts are expected to be announced. For Rolling Loud's first Australian foray, young founders Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif are teaming up with local production and events company HSU Events, who has previously brought us big international headliners for the likes of Midnight Mafia and Knockout Circuz. This festival regularly sells out overseas so you should probably think about getting tickets quick smart. ROLLING LOUD 2019 LINEUP Future Lil Uzi Vert Playboi Carti Tyga Smokepurpp Manu Crook$ Plus, more to be announced. Rolling Loud's Aussie debut will take over Sydney Showgrounds, Olympic Park, on January 27. You can sign up now for exclusive pre-sale access from 10am Thursday, November 15, otherwise general tickets will go on sale for $179 (plus booking fee) at 10am this Friday, November 16. Image: Sergio Montoya.
Put the tablet away, the library is where it's at this summer. With the sun shining bright in January, State Library Victoria is inviting families to its Swanston Street forecourt for the free Library on the Lawn: Kids Festival. Made for keeping little ones' literacy on track during the summer break, this stacked event also features numerous on-site activities to level up their engagement. Presented across two three-day sessions — Tuesday, January 6–Thursday, January 8 and Tuesday, January 13–Thursday, January 15 — each day is crammed with kid-friendly fun. Think bubble dance parties, storytime sessions and parachute play. Plus, bean bags, sensory boxes, soft toys, jumbo puzzles and games add even more exciting elements to their encounter. At the same time, kids can score take-home craft showbags while families are welcome to roam the Library's reading rooms on a scavenger hunt. Meanwhile, the second set of dates also features the Under the Love Umbrella installation, where illustrations from popular children's books by Davina Bell and Allison Colpoys take over the Pauline Gandel Children's Quarter. With studies showing that kids who don't practice enough reading over the holiday break sometimes struggle when back in the classroom, State Library Victoria is doing its bit for young literary explorers this summer with this kids-focused edition of Library on the Lawn. Home to over 4000 books for children aged up to 12 years old, Australia's oldest public library is a kid-friendly haven for budding bookworms.
By now, the fact that almost every beloved TV show arises from the dead at some point is hardly new news. From Gossip Girl and Saved By the Bell to Twin Peaks and the upcoming Sex and the City small-screen sequel series, plenty of programs have been doing it. The next former hit set to make a comeback: Dexter. Yes, that means that television's mild-mannered blood-splatter expert by day, serial killer by night is returning — so if you didn't like how the original series wrapped up back in 2013, that's no longer the end of Dexter Morgan's (Michael C Hall, Shadowplay) story. Eight years have passed when Dexter: New Blood kicks off, just as they have for audiences. As the just-dropped first trailer for the revival demonstrates, Dexter is now living a quiet life in the small town of Iron Lake, New York, and trying to forgo his murderous urges. He's also going by the name Jim Lindsay, which nods to author Jeff Lindsay, who penned the series of novels the show was initially based on. But, as fans saw again and again in Dexter's original eight-season run, resisting picking up a knife isn't all that easy for the program's protagonist. In fact, the trailer features plenty of blades — and all within its namesake's vicinity. In the sneak peek — the first look we've been given of the upcoming ten-episode limited series — Dexter finds his old ways calling after his new hometown is rocked by unexpected events. US network Showtime, which'll air the series in the US, obviously wants to keep the bulk of the plot up its sleeves for now; however, Julia Jones (The Mandalorian), Alano Miller (Sylvie's Love), Johnny Sequoyah (Believe), Jack Alcott (The Good Lord Bird) and Clancy Brown (Promising Young Woman) are all joining the cast. And, Jennifer Carpenter (Dragged Across Concrete) is set to return as Dexter's sister Debra, as is John Lithgow (Perry Mason) as the Trinity Killer — presumably in flashbacks, given the characters' fates in the OG series. Australian viewers will be able to check out Dexter: New Blood via new streaming platform Paramount+, which launches locally on Wednesday, August 11. The new show itself doesn't start airing in the US until Sunday, November 7, and just when it'll hit Down Under hasn't been announced — but fingers crossed that it'll be around the same time. Check out the Dexter: New Blood trailer below: Dexter: New Blood is set to stream in Australia via new streaming platform Paramount+, which will launch on Wednesday, August 11. The new series will start airing in the US from Sunday, November 7; however, an exact stream date for Australia hasn't been announced as yet — we'll update you when it is.
When Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox, Kin) and Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio, Dumb Money) first sit face to face in the debut episode of Daredevil: Born Again's initial season, they do something that neither has ever been fond of with the other: agree. Daredevil and Kingpin are no more, they both confirm, under threats going both ways should that statement ever stop proving accurate on either's part. Murdock has his legal career to focus on. Fisk is running for mayor of New York City. Murdock will hold Fisk to account, though, if he's anything but above board in his new role running the Big Apple — and Fisk, campaigning with a strong anti-vigilante message, will respond if Murdock slips into Daredevil's red costume again. Murdock and Fisk are back. With the characters dating back more than half a century, so is one of the comic-book realm's greatest rivalries. It's been a decade since the first streaming series to follow their battle on the small screen premiered and also seven years since it wrapped up, with Netflix's Daredevil spanning three seasons from 2015–2018. While that show wasn't part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, its successor definitely is. Joining Disney+'s small-screen catalogue after WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, two seasons of Loki, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms Marvel, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Secret Invasion, Echo and Agatha All Along, Daredevil: Born Again is a new beginning for its namesake and his nemesis, then, but it also honours its television past. Grey areas not only come with the territory in this fierce feud — they aptly apply to its latest TV date. Consider this a fresh start, yes, as well as a sequel. The MCU has been working towards bringing Daredevil and Kingpin's friction into the fold for a few years now, officially announcing Daredevil: Born Again in 2022 much to the delight of fans, then beginning to put that plan into action elsewhere across the franchise. So, viewers have already seen Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Fisk in Hawkeye, and both in Echo. As those appearances have been popping up and piling up, giving the pair their own series again has journeyed along a winding path due to a creative overhaul partway through. Consider Daredevil: Born Again a show with history, too, in multiple ways in front of and behind the camera. Boasting a connection with Marvel's small-screen tales at Netflix courtesy of The Punisher (which sat alongside not just Daredevil, but Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Defenders), screenwriter and TV producer Dario Scardapane joined Daredevil: Born Again during that shake-up, taking over the reins as showrunner. One of his key tasks: finding the right balance between continuing the story of the Netflix show and taking this new chapter for Murdock and Fisk in its own direction. He was certain that moving forward couldn't mean never looking backwards. He also felt strongly that two more beloved characters needed to be a part of the series. Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll, Queen of the Ring) and Franklin 'Foggy' Nelson (Elden Henson, Killers of the Flower Moon) weren't originally featured in Daredevil: Born Again — and if that seems unthinkable, that was also the case for the Trauma, The Bridge and Jack Ryan alum now calling the shots. [caption id="attachment_994610" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Disney[/caption] Scardapane said he wouldn't take the gig without Karen and Foggy, in fact. "I'm a true Italian in form. I have a tendency to make bold statements that may or may not be 100-percent accurate," he tells Concrete Playground. "The thing is, when I went in and talked to them, those two characters had been missing from the original, the first iteration. And unfortunately, in having them referenced but not seeing them, there was something missing in terms of that bridge between seasons. And then I also think that one of the most-interesting characters in the Marvel world, that has not been given as much room to just rock, is Karen Page. I just think that's a fantastic character. I'm super interested in the relationship she has with Matt Murdock. I'm interested in that family of three that you see, and when there's a loss in the family, what happens. So it was, yeah, it was a little extreme to say 'I'm not going to take it unless I get to do this', but it seemed that it was absolutely integral to telling the tale and bringing us into this new version." "And we wanted to do it," notes Sana Amanat, one of Daredevil: Born Again's executive producer — and not only an MCU veteran thanks to Ms Marvel, but a comic-book editor who co-created Kamala Khan on the page. "I think we realised it as we were watching the material. We're like 'this feels like there's something missing'. The heart of the show was missing, and we were all just very simpatico," she advises. "Dario has this phrase, he says 'yes, and' a lot, which I love — because it makes for such a rich collaboration. We wanted the same thing for this project — very much so," Amanat continues. Adds Scardapane: "and it was funny, I think I wasn't there, but I think probably in that, when you had the opportunity to kind of stop, slow down and take a look, it must have felt like 'oh, somebody's missing'. Like there's an X-factor there." As Daredevil: Born Again's nine-episode first season keeps establishing, Daredevil's past ties couldn't remain more crucial to the series, even in a narrative that sees Murdock confront a new future — and, in what proves an engrossing character study not just of its eponymous figure but of his main adversary, in a show that faces the similarities between Daredevil and Kingpin, and how those commonalities drive their obsessions with each other regardless of whether either will admit it. We also chatted with Scardapane and Amanat about that dynamic, as well as how crucial Cox and D'Onofrio are individually and together, knowing what to build upon from Netflix's Daredevil, how working on The Punisher and Ms Marvel helped them prepare for Daredevil: Born Again, and more. On Finding the Right Balance Between Continuing the Story of the Netflix Show and Shaking Things Up Sana: "I think it was quite important, first of all, for us to pay respect to the material that was there before. We really believed in it and we really loved it. The challenge for us was making sure that it was familiar, yet it was charting a new course. We didn't want people to feel like they needed to watch everything — they needed to be able to step in at the first episode and know everything that you needed to know. And I have to say, really a lot of credit to obviously Dario and our writing team, and Justin and Aaron [directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, who also worked on Moon Knight and Loki], who told us everything you needed to know in those first 15 to 20 minutes. I think also visually, stylistically, again there is a lot of references pulled from the old show, but we tried to do something new and fresh also to make sure that New York felt real, and that there was also stylistic pops that took into account his sensory experience — Matt Murdock as someone who is blind with heightened senses. So that combination, I think, really made it feel like a Daredevil that was in its new course and new chapter, and hopefully it feels exciting and thrilling and bold for folks coming in. We hope that you guys really see the love that we put into it." Dario: "And then when I came in and saw what they had, it was like 'this stuff is really, really, really cool'." Sana: "Yeah." Dario: "But it needs a bridge. It needs something that takes you from the past, from the end of the Netflix show, into what we're doing now. And that was really a large portion of the job, in terms of giving audiences, — and fans like myself of the old show — a touchstone, and then taking them somewhere new." On How Crucial Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio Are — Not Just as Daredevil and Kingpin Individually, But in Bringing That Rivalry to the Screen Together Sana: "They're so absolutely pivotal. I feel like they are these mythological figures. They are larger than life. When you see them step on set as Daredevil and as Kingpin, you see the presence that Charlie and Vincent have and what they bring to these roles. So there's no other question for me — I mean, those are those characters. And that diner scene in itself, at the opening of 101, said everything that you needed to know about the entire series, about their prowess as actors — and through Dario's incredible writing, and Justin and Aaron's great, great directing. It's just an amazing combination." Dario: "And you were right when you say that the two of them together are more than the sum of their parts." Sana: "Yeah." Dario: "And that's what's so fun about working with and writing for two characters that have such a rich history. There's the history that the characters in the comic book have. Then there's the history that that Charlie and Vincent have, having done this now for about ten years. So when you get in a room to do a scene or write a scene for them, you have the weight and the joy of all that history, and these two actors who know it so well." Sana: "Yeah, it feels like the years of storytelling is building to an intense character drama about these two characters — and honestly, how similar they are. They might be different, but they're pretty similar, too." On Daredevil: Born Again Being a Character Study That Highlights the Commonalities Between Daredevil and Kingpin — and Why That Makes Them So Obsessed with Each Other Dario: "They're both carrying duality. That's what's funny. You have a character or person that is Matt Murdock and Daredevil. You have a person that is Kingpin and Fisk. And those are constantly interacting and constantly bouncing into each other, and bringing out the worst in each other at times. And this whole saga, for lack of a better word, this is what it's all about: this dance, this fight between Kingpin and Daredevil. What are the ripple effects it has into the world? What are what these two people's obsessive need to bang heads? What does it mean for everybody and everything in a city around them?" Sana and Dario, in unison: "It's hard to come to terms with your violent nature." Sana: "Truly, they both have a very complicated and similar relationship to violence, and that is something that is really intriguing to show." On Deciding Which Elements to Continue From the Netflix Series — and Where to Stand Apart Dario: "It's really funny — that's a great question, and there's kind of a litmus test for all of it. There's so many people. We're all bringing everything we can to being custodians of this character. When something's right, you literally feel it. And when something's off, you feel it. So in the same way, if I write something for Vincent that just doesn't feel right, he's like: 'hold on, try this'. And when we build a storyline that just doesn't feel on-story — we discarded a few for season two that just didn't feel like what we wanted to do. And the thing is, is that we've taken almost everything that was started over the course of those three seasons, because there's so much in those three seasons, and we've just put it into a context of seven, eight years later and a bigger conflict because Fisk is now, he's the system." Sana: "There's also just us as fans being like 'oh my god, we love this from the old show." Dario: "Gotta do it. Gotta do it." Sana: "We've got to do it. So that's our litmus test. Like Bullseye — you know, we love Bullseye." Dario: "You were like, very early on 'so, we've got to do a oner'. I was like 'yes, we do'. There was no, especially with the two of us, there's very little like 'oh, no, that's not the show'." Sana: "100 percent. We're usually on the same page, which is awesome." Dario: "Yeah." On What Scardapane Learned From Making The Punisher and Amanat From Ms Marvel That Helped with Daredevil: Born Again Dario: "Now wouldn't that be a team-up." Sana: "Oh my god, that'd be awesome. It's like The Last of Us — but yeah." Dario: "You go first." [caption id="attachment_994625" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Disney[/caption] Sana: "What did I draw on for this? I mean, ultimately the biggest thing for me — obviously the joy of filmmaking and creating and storytelling is just unmatched, and for me, I've been lucky enough to do it at Marvel for so long. It is about the people that you work with, making sure that they feel heard, that they feel like they're bringing their best — and that we're all creating the same thing together, we're all collectively building just this beautiful tapestry of a very hopefully powerful story. And to me that's the same in any genre that you work on. And if you're lucky enough to work with such great collaborators who can help you bring this vision to life, my job really is to help draw the best out of everyone we're working with to be able to tell the best story that we possibly can. And that is the delight, the delight of my job." [caption id="attachment_994626" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Disney[/caption] Dario: "The takeaway from The Punisher for me, really — and I will say I had two, for lack of a better word, two great teachers on that job in Jon Bernthal and Steve Lightfoot — was you're writing something that is incredibly dark, incredibly gritty and incredibly violent, but you're always trying to find the humanity inside it. And you're always — when you watch some of Steve's writing, and when you watch some of Jon, what he does with the character — you're always trying to find the heart. And I definitely brought that as best I can to Daredevil. In and amongst all the punching and broken bones and mayhem, you want to find the heart and soul of these characters. You want to really feel." Daredevil: Born Again streams via Disney+. Daredevil: Born Again stills: Giovanni Rufino, courtesy of Marvel Television. © 2024 MARVEL.
Melbourne's north has a new go-to for those wanting to make authentic Italian at home. Gnoccheria is a takeaway pasta shop with handmade gnocchi, as well as other pastas, lasagne, pizza bases and more. It's located in Coburg and run by the folk behind Take Me Home, which has been selling its wares to gourmet delis, supermarkets and local farmers markets (where they regularly sell out by 11am) for over ten years. With its new brick-and-mortar store, the team is making fresh gnocchi all day long. There are up to 20 different gnocchi flavours available at a time, spanning classics such as potato, three cheese and spinach and ricotta to varieties like truffle honey, saffron and burnt butter, and carrot and turmeric. Some even more left-of-centre flavours include pepperberry and parmesan, wild nettle and an activated charcoal number. The shop has all of the fixings for creating your very own Italian feast, too. Sauces, flavoured butters for gnocchi frying (think confit garlic, fennel and sage) and passata are all on offer — the latter is made using San Marzano tomatoes and basil from the family's organic Gippsland farm. Apart from all the gnocchi, there are other freshly made, organic pastas up for grabs, including pappardelle, cavatelli and orrechiette, as well as a whole heap of lasagne varieties. Expect Moroccan lamb, organic beef and pumpkin and sage, with gluten free and vegan options available, too. Pizza doughs, flours, oils and specialty salts also make the menu. And, if the gnocchi-making and huge display counter don't inspire you to make a hearty Italian dinner, the portrait of co-owner Felicity Giuliani's big Italian family tucking into a pasta feast will surely do the trick. Gnoccheria by Take Me Home is now open at 89B Harding Street, Coburg. Opening hours are Monday through Friday from 9am–5pm.
The espionage antics. The shaken-not-stirred martinis. The suits. The theme song. Think James Bond, and all four come to mind. Indeed, they've all played a part in the long-running franchise, which first started back in 1962 — and they're all now coming to the Sydney Opera House with a live score. Following in the footsteps of the Star Wars and Harry Potter films, Bond is bringing one of its spy instalments back to the big screen with help from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. It's the first time in Australia that the franchise has been shown in this way, and it'll hit Sydney on Thursday, February 28 and Friday, March 1 in 2019. Audiences will relive Daniel Craig's 007 debut while hearing the music behind as they've never heard it before, all as part of Casino Royale in Concert. For those in need of a refresher on the 2006 flick, it takes the franchise back to the beginning of Bond's career. He's newly licensed to kill, and he's soon falling in love with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) while trying to hunt down terrorist financier Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen). Directed by Martin Campbell, it was a huge hit — the biggest Bond film, box office-wise, ever released at the time, a mantle that was later overtaken by 2012's Skyfall. As the film hops from the Bahamas, to Montenegro to Venice's Grand Canal, the SSO will perform composer David Arnold's music. Yes, the classic theme track that's served the franchise so well for more than half a century now also features. Casino Royale in Concert plays the Sydney Opera House on Thursday, February 28 and Friday, March 1 in 2019. For more information or to buy tickets, visit the SSO website.
Given that The Simpsons Australia episode was more of a Fosters ad than anything else, it sounds clunky to claim 'beer is back Down Under'. When did it leave? So let's settle for the idea that brewers have lifted their socks in the wake of the return of cocktail culture. Hell, the Old Growler is pretty much a hops-filled speakeasy, beer festivals seem to be going off like fireworks on Guy Fawkes Day and home brewing is slowly being wrestled from the cold, dead hands of the river folk. Oh, and Coles now owns a microbrewery, Steamrail, that's exclusively stocked at their Liquorlands across the country. The times they are a-changing. But, with a flood in the market, where should you be directing your attention before the sun cuts back its working hours and we're all staring down those few unmentionable months of winter? Here is a list of (mostly) local beers you've probably glanced over on a menu but may not have taken the risk, forgone your beloved Coopers and forked over those extra $3 for a taste. Let's try them together. Robot Ninja Lager Rice lager is a great way to ease into the wonderful world of craft beer — fruity, light and round, this offering from the Victorian brewery Kooinda is inspired by Tokyo City and the proof is on the palate. Plus, it is something new. You can pretty much taste everything in this tipple (the website even claims a bubble-gum finish), but it is surprisingly smooth and a go-to on those hot afternoons. Though, be warned: this one masks its 4.6 percent booze content with a ricey backbone and shouldn't be treated lightly. For a more traditional rice lager, try out the Koshihikari Echigo Beer. Four Pines American Pale Ale Four Pines comes out of Manly, and offhand there is nothing in their range that isn't worth a look. The kolsch is an absolute winner, but their pale gets on here by virtue of its wide appeal. They use an unusual amount of hops in here, so expect a mouth-filling flavour, but the softness of the pine and bite of the grapefruit wrangle it in and make it a very versatile food match… Admittedly I'm thinking pub food here, but heck go with it. Murrays Angry Man If you are looking for something a little bit more familiar (yes I'm talking to all of you smashing-Sierra-Nevadas-like-its-going-out-of-fashion people) in a pale ale but still interested in broadening those horizons, try out the Murrays Angry Man. It's got a bit more punch and hop, aka bitterness, and will suit a blokier pallet — I swear I am not just running with their ridiculously awesome strong man versus kangaroo label here — but there is still plenty of complexity to the flavour. Keep a few in your fridge and order some unadvisedly hot Thai curry for your next Thursday in. Emerson's Pilsner New Zealand does do a few things well, and one of them is pilsner — in this case German pilsner. Emerson's is a well-balanced beer with a healthy smack of nectarine and then (which those of you easily overwhelmed by ales will appreciate) a long, dry finish that makes this one taste like… well... beer, essentially, which is nice. A clean, crisp mouth-wetter with a few surprising flavour notes to get your tongue wagging. Stone & Wood Jasper Ale It is still an ale, but its not going to blow your socks off with an overwhelming burst of vanilla or pineapple. The Jasper is a great crowd pleasingly thirst quencher, and it is sold in pints which is good news for everyone! Most people who identify as non-beer-likers are actually just not that into hops, but that doesn't mean you have to forgo the whole drink. Plenty of people enjoy peat free whisky, and in the same vein beers that let the malt sing and tone down the hops, like this one, will make a convert of you in no time. For the rest of us, true believers, this deep-red Jasper Ale kicks off fruity, finishes nutty and is very restrained on the carbonation front so it won't fill you up. Young Henrys Newtowner An Australian pale (i.e. they use Australian hops), this critter came out for the 150 years of Newtown celebrations and remains only available in the Inner West — which makes it the perfect excuse for a trip to King Street. Young Henrys is easily one of the most talked about local breweries and this English summer ale is a fair bit drier than their other regular pours, with a golden look and refreshing finish. Head over to The Courthouse for a long lunch with this one before summer's end. Murray's Moon Boy Golden Ale This is a beautifully gentle beer that should have spent all summer teamed up with your favourite pineapple-filled burger. It didn't did it? Do not mistake gentle for wishy-washy or tasteless; there is a lot of wheat in this baby, so expect a dry finish, and there is fruit there too. And if the option to drink a beer with a maroon-sweated, bespectacled werewolf man for a logo doesn't get you high-tailing it to the Trinity Bar on Crown Street, then I feel like I don't even know who you are anymore, man. Feral Brewing Hop Hog If this was 'Ten Beer Names to Appreciate Before the End of Summer', all of them would be from Feral Brewing. These WA beer freaks don't stop at making great beer, no, no; they then give them names like The Raging Flem, Runt and a whole selection of hogs. The Hop Hog is simply a great beer, but there is nothing simple about it: big on the hops, well balanced by malt, and somehow the whole room smells like pine when the top's off. Feral reminds us that some tastes can't be luck and someone, somewhere must know exactly what they are doing. Seriously, hop on a hog. Hargreaves Hill ESB Serious beer drinkers need only apply for this one, an Aussie twist on the Extra Special Bitter (this is normally an English speciality) that brought this Victorian brewery some serious international attention a few years ago. There are hops aplenty, a rich toffee-like malt and tropical wonders on the nose. Yes, I am an unabashed fan of this beer. If you're looking for a bit more oomph, pair it up with sherry casked single malt and sip away the next 45 minutes of your day. Sinha Stout Okay, so stouts aren't particularly summery, but they also aren't particularly Sri Lankan, which is where this mochaccino-worthy bevvy hails from, so go with it. First up, it is smooth (look at how this thing pours into a glass; it's like they've managed to bottle the voice of Laurence Fishburne), and then you sip it and suddenly you've gone to that place Irish Coffee promised but never delivered. It is 8 percent, but honestly, you don't even notice. Well, not while you're drinking it at least. Try this one out for a flavour kick at the end of your next dumpling session at Uncle Mings. Like anything, your appreciation of beer grows in direct proportion to the amount you pop in your gob, so get yourself off to an upcoming beer festival or check out the website of a brewery near you for the grand tour. Yes, it will smell like yeast. Yes, that is pretty much the smell of warm horse feed. Yes, you'll love it. Or else, we'll see you in the beer garden.
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 September's haul. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH FROM START TO FINISH NOW STARSTRUCK Living up to its splendid first date with audiences has never been a problem for Starstruck. When the Rose Matafeo (Baby Done)-starring BBC and HBO series first strode into streaming queues in 2021, its initial episode was an all-timer in the charming stakes, as was the show's entire six-instalment debut season. When Starstruck returned for a second run in 2022, its next go-around instantly proved as much of a smart, savvy and charismatic delight, too. Season three continues the trend, and keeps demonstrating that no romantic rendezvous, no matter how idyllic, can just keep repeating itself. Plot-wise, Starstruck has always had one couple at its centre: New Zealander-in-London Jessie (Matafeo) and British actor Tom (Nikesh Patel, Four Weddings and a Funeral). Frequently, however, they're not actually together, with the show charting the ins and outs of a complicated relationship that started with a New Year's Eve meet-cute and one-night stand. The hook from the get-go: that Tom is an A-list star, which Jessie doesn't know until after they've hooked up. So, Starstruck asks what it's like to live the Notting Hill life. In season three, it more accurately ponders what comes after that's been and gone. Season two might've finished with a scene right out of The Notebook, and with echoes of Bridget Jones' Diary as well, but its follow-up quickly establishes that Jessie and Tom didn't get their happy-ever-after ending — they're no longer together, and haven't been for some time. This return starts with a bold move, spending a few minutes zipping through Jessie and Tom's romance since season two via a heartbreaking montage. That choice is also deeply fitting for a show that's exceptional at endings. One of the best newcomers of its debut year and best returning series of its second, Starstruck's excellence is like a perfect bouquet, with vibrancy blooming everywhere — in Matafeo's lead performance, the show's ability to unpack a genre it clearly loves, its glorious nods to rom-coms past, and its astute insights into 2020s-era dating and life, to name a mere few. How its star, creator and co-writer wrapped up both season one and two was equally as sublime, though. So, season three goes all in on something cherished and blissful approaching its conclusion. Starstruck streams via ABC iView. Read our full review. FLORA AND SON No filmmaker believes in the power of music quite like John Carney. In Flora and Son, the Once, Begin Again and Sing Street writer/director again lets his favourite refrain echo, this time with an Irish single mother, her rebellious teenage boy and the American guitarist who she pays to give her lessons via zoom. The eponymous Flora (Eve Hewson, Bad Sisters) feels like she's never had an adulthood of her own after falling (swiftly, not slowly) pregnant at the age of 17 to musician Ian (Jack Reynor, The Peripheral) — whose big claim to fame is that his band once opened for Snow Patrol — then being a mum through their relationship highs and lows. When she salvages a thrown-out instrument for now-14-year-old Max (Orén Kinlan, Taken Down) but he doesn't want it, she decides to give it a try herself. It's an escape from simply getting by, arguing with Ian, coping with Max's run-ins with the law and young mother-style existential malaise. It could be a path to a new future, too. And, with her teen also into music — but hip hop, rap and EDM, or whatever will impress his crush (feature first-timer Alex Deegan) — it's a way to bring Flora and son closer together. Music is in Hewson's blood given that she's the daughter of Paul Hewson, aka U2's Bono, with the Behind Her Eyes and The Knick star well-cast — and magnetic, and also endlessly charismatic — as the forthright, sweary, just-trying-to-get-by Flora. There's both yearning and energy in her electrifyingly lived-in performance, and in the melodic and soulful tunes that her character pens with teacher Jeff (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Poker Face) via video chats as they reflect upon their lives, loves, hopes and dreams via songwriting. Flora and Son boasts lovely performances all round, in fact. Kinlan is a dynamic find who deserves many more credits on his resume, Gordon-Levitt charms quietly and softly, and sparks fly when Carney gets the latter in the same space as Hewson through an easy but nice visual touch. The movie's moniker makes plain where its heart belongs, though, as Flora and Max learn not just about themselves but about their complicated bond with each other by making music. As always with this filmmaker's work, the original soundtrack is sublime. Also, the mood feels like a warm but clear-eyed hug. Flora and Son streams via Apple TV+ from Friday, September 29. SEX EDUCATION Before it introduced anxious teen sex counsellor Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield, Flux Gourmet), his fellow-therapist mother Jean (Gillian Anderson, The Great), his ever-exuberant best friend Eric Effiong (Ncuti Gatwa, the next Doctor Who), and his whip-smart and rebellious crush Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey, Emily), Sex Education's very-first episode started with trembling lights. With that debut back in January 2019, depictions of adolescent sexuality on-screen earned a welcome shake up as well. Horny high schoolers struggling with life, love and lust are such a pop culture staple that they inhabit their own genre, which this British series has always recognised. But when a show bursts onto streaming queues with a roll in the sheets that ends with a guy (Barbie's Connor Swindells as Adam Groff) faking an orgasm with his girlfriend (Living's Aimee-Lou Wood as Aimee Gibbs), it's clearly not interested in sticking with the usual tropes — and it wants its audience to know it. Candidly and enthusiastically subverting well-worn cliches about growing up and exploring all things carnal has always been Sex Education creator, lead writer and executive producer Laurie Nunn's focus in her first major project beyond the stage and shorts. It was true in that attention-grabbing premiere run, then 2020 and 2021's equally excellent second and third seasons, and now the show's big finish. Another key element right through to the series' fourth and final go-around, which caps off its tale with as much charm, heart, humour and maturity as ever: knowing that it's far more relatable to be open, honest, warm, authentic, inclusive and diverse than to just spill out the same old coming-of-age story. Here's a third factor that's also long been crucial to Sex Education: understanding that life doesn't begin or end with surging hormones. So, as change sweeps in — and goodbyes as well — this series couldn't be better placed to handle it. Otis is still as uncertain as always when season four kicks off. With his old school shuttered and snapped up by developers, he's forced into a new start, as well as a new bid to become the on-campus sex therapist, competing with existing student O (Thaddea Graham, Wreck). While Eric doesn't want them to be dubbed outsiders from the get-go, he fits in easily when he sees "all the gays everywhere", in his excited words. The fact that Maeve is at university in the US just after they've just come to terms with their feelings for each other was always going to hold Otis back, of course. The pair are finally more than friends, but also on different continents. Sex Education streams via Netflix. Read our full review. EL CONDE What if Augusto Pinochet didn't die in 2006? What if the Chilean general and dictator wasn't aged 91 at the time, either? What if his story started long before his official 1915 birthdate, in France prior to the French Revolution? What if he's been living for 250 years because he's a literal monster of the undead, draining and terrifying kind? Trust Chilean filmmaking great Pablo Larraín (Ema, Neruda, The Club, No, Post Mortem and Tony Manero) to ask these questions in El Conde, which translates as The Count and marks the latest exceptional effort in a career that just keeps serving up excellent movies. His satirical, sharp and gleefully unsubtle version of his homeland's most infamous leader was born Claude Pinoche (Clemente Rodríguez, Manchild), saw Marie Antoinette get beheaded and kept popping up to quell insurgencies before becoming Augusto Pinochet. Now holed up in a farm after faking his own death to avoid legal scrutiny — aka the consequences of being a brutal tyrant — the extremely elderly figure (Jaime Vadell, a Neruda, The Club, No and Post Mortem veteran) is also tired of eternal life. The idea at the heart of El Conde is a gem, with Larraín and his regular co-writer Guillermo Calderón plunging a stake into a despot while showing that the impact of authoritarianism rule stretches on forever (and winning the Venice International Film Festival's Best Screenplay Award this year for their efforts). The execution: just as sublime in a film that's both wryly and dynamically funny, and also a monochrome-shot visual marvel. A moment showing Pinoche licking the blood off the guillotine that's just decapitated Antoinette is instantly unforgettable. As Pinochet flies above Santiago in his cape and military attire in the thick of night, every Edward Lachman (The Velvet Underground)-lensed shot of The Count — as he likes to be called by his wife Lucia (Gloria Münchmeyer, 42 Days of Darkness), butler Fyodor (Alfredo Castro, The Settlers) and adult children — has just as much bite. El Conde's narrative sets its protagonist against an accountant and nun (Paula Luchsinger, Los Espookys) who digs through his crime and sins, and it's a delight that punctures. As seen in the also magnificent Jackie and Spencer, too, Larraín surveys the past like no one else. El Conde streams via Netflix. NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU Thanks to Justified, Short Term 12, Booksmart, Unbelievable and Dopesick, Kaitlyn Dever has already notched up plenty of acting highlights; however, No One Will Save You proves one of her best projects yet while only getting the actor to speak just a single line. Instead of using dialogue, this alien invasion flick tells its story without words — and also finds its emotion in Dever's expressive face and physicality. Her character: Mill River resident Brynn Adams, who has no one to talk to long before extra-terrestrials arrive. The local outcast due to a tragic incident from her past, and now living alone in her childhood home following her mother's death, Brynn fills her time by sewing clothes, making models of her unwelcoming small town like she's in Moon and penning letters to her best friend Maude. Then she's woken in the night by an intruder who isn't human, flits between fighting back and fleeing, and is forced into a battle for survival — striving to save her alienated existence in her cosy but lonely abode from grey-hued, long-limbed, telekinetic otherworldly interlopers with a penchant for mind control. With Spontaneous writer/director Brian Duffield's script matched by exacting A Quite Place-level sound design and The Witcher composer Joseph Trapanese's score, this close encounter of the unspoken kind is a visual feat, bouncing, bounding and dancing around Brynn's house and the Mill River community as aliens linger. Every single frame conveys a wealth of detail, as it needs to without chatter to fill in the gaps. Every look on Dever's face does the same, and every glance as well; this is a performance so fine-tuned that this would be a completely different film without her. Bringing the iconic 'Hush' episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to mind, No One Will Save you is smartly plotted, including in explaining why it sashays in silence. Just as crucially — and this time recalling everyone's favourite home-invasion film, aka Home Alone — it's fluidly and evocatively choreographed. There's also a touch of Nope in its depiction of eerie threats from space, plus a veer into Invasion of the Body Snatchers, all without ever feeling like No One Will Save is bluntly cribbing from elsewhere. The result: a new sci-fi/horror standout. No One Will Save You streams via Disney+. CASSANDRO The story of luchador Saúl Armendáriz comes to the screen in Cassandro, which takes its title from the American-born Mexican performer's ring name. As writer/director Roger Ross Williams (Life, Animated) works through with help from his charismatic star Gael García Bernal (Werewolf By Night), Armendáriz first came to wrestling in a mask — as an amateur living in El Paso but heading over the border to Juarez to get scrapping — then made a big switch to take on an exótico identity. That's where the openly gay competitor not only found himself, but also earned fame. He takes convincing, however, as this affectionate and thoughtful feature unpacks. Of course he wants to be able to express himself, bounce between the ropes with glamour and joy, carve out an accepting space and have crowds showering him with love. But exóticos have been traditionally positioned to lose. Dressed in drag, they've been used to show up the masculine strengths of their opponents. That homophobic situation isn't one that Armendáriz wants to embrace, but trainer Sabrina (Roberta Colindrez, A League of Their Own) thinks that he could make a difference, subvert the trend, stand out and become a better wrestler. Frequent documentarian Williams, who won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short for Music by Prudence, knows a great story — and stellar talent. Cassandro has both, including Armendáriz's rise to become the 'Liberace of Lucha Libre', the many ups and downs on that path, his relationship with his mother Yocasta (Perla De La Rosa, Villa, itinerario de una pasión), and Bernal's layered performance in his shoes and spandex. There's both passion and heartbreak in the actor's portrayal — shyness as Saúl and blossoming confidence as Cassandro as well — in another of Bernal's big career highlights. Indeed, he puts in a tour-de-force effort as the film explores Armendáriz's devotion to his mum; his complicated feelings about his absent, disapproving dad (Robert Salas, Family Portrait); his secret liaisons and not-so-clandestine love for married fellow luchador Gerardo (Raúl Castillo, The Inspection); his flirtations with the assistant (Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio aka Bad Bunny, Bullet Train) to his key promoter (Joaquín Cosio, Narcos: Mexico); and what it means to get a shot in the ring with icon silver-masked El Hijo del Santo (as himself). Cassandro streams via Prime Video. MIRACLE WORKERS: END TIMES The wrong Daniel Radcliffe-starring franchise is sprawling on forever. Sorry, Harry Potter diehards — it's Miracle Workers that should keep coming back. Of course, Radcliffe hasn't shown up in the Fantastic Beasts movies, and is highly unlikely to in the upcoming HBO Harry Potter TV series that's planning to step through each book again, devoting a season to every one of the series' tomes. His stint there is done and, now, his time with frequently hilarious television anthology comedy has also come to an end. How is the Guns Akimbo, The Lost City and Weird: The Al Yankovic star sending off only his second major small-screen role after 2012–13's A Young Doctor's Notebook & Other Stories? With a fourth season called Miracle Workers: End Times that's the Mad Max equivalent of season one's Good Omens-esque heavenly sci-fi (back in 2019), season two's medieval parody Dark Ages (in 2020) and season three's pioneer western Oregon Trail (in 2021). Yes, Radcliffe rocks leather while attempting to survive in a dystopian future wasteland. Yes, he's ace, as are his returning co-stars Steve Buscemi (Bupkis), Geraldine Viswanathan (The Beanie Bubble), Jon Bass (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law) and Karan Soni (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse). As always, creator Simon Rich — who based the first season on his book What in God's Name and the second on short story Revolution — brings back his five key actors but shakes up everything else except Miracle Workers' sense of humour. New setting, new scenario, new era, new characters, new links between its main players: that's all on offer again, as is Radcliffe and Viswanathan's new on-screen guises being drawn together. Radcliffe plays Sid, a road warrior befitting the Australian flicks he's riffing on, and husband to Viswanathan's war lord Freya Exaltada. That's another of End Times' shifts: getting Radcliffe and Viswanathan to explore an established relationship rather than hop into classic rom-com territory. Sid and Freya are giving setting down in Boomtown instead of wreaking havoc in the postnuclear apocalyptic realm a try, with their war dog Scraps, played by Bass, at their feet. Buscemi shows up as Morris 'The Junkman' Rubinstein, who becomes Sid's new boss. Soni brings in The Terminator nods as killbot TI-90, aka Tai. And the jokes keep coming in a series that wraps up with one of its best runs. Miracle Workers streams via Stan. NEW SHORTS ARRIVING IN FULL BEFORE SEPTEMBER IS OUT THE WONDERFUL STORY OF HENRY SUGAR, THE SWAN, THE RATCATCHER AND POISON Fresh from stepping into a play as a live production in a TV show in Asteroid City, and also flicking through a magazine's various articles in The French Dispatch before that, Wes Anderson now gets an author sharing his writing in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. The 39-minute short film features Ralph Fiennes (The Menu) as Roald Dahl, who did indeed pen the tale that gives this suitably symmetrically shot affair its name — the book it's in, too — with the account that he's spilling one of several in a film that enthusiastically makes Anderson's love of layers known in its playful structure as much as its faux set. So, Dahl chats. The eponymous Henry Sugar (Benedict Cumberbatch, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) does as well. And, Dr Chatterjee (Dev Patel, The Green Knight) and his patient Imdad Khan (Ben Kingsley, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) also have a natter. The stories within stories within stories (within stories) share the fact that Khan has learned to see without his eyes, Chatterjee couldn't be more fascinated and Sugar wants to learn the trick for himself — to help with his gambling pastime. In his three decades as a filmmaker, Anderson has only ever made both features and shorts with one of two people responsible for their ideas: himself, sometimes with Owen Wilson (Haunted Mansion), Noah Baumbach (White Noise), Jason Schwartzman (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) and/or Roman Coppola (Mozart in the Jungle) contributing; and Dahl. With the latter, first came Anderson's magnificent stop-motion Fantastic Mr Fox adaptation — and now The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar sits among a series of four new shorts, all releasing before September is out, that are based on the author's work. This is still a dream match, with the director's beloved jewel and pastel colours, dollhouse-esque visuals, moving sets, love of centred framing and dialogue rhythm all proving a treat in this account of personal and spiritual growth. The cast is as divine on-screen as it sounds on paper, too, especially Cumberbatch and Patel. The next in the set, the 17-minute The Swan, pushes Rupert Friend (High Desert) to the fore in a darker tale about a bully. With The Ratcatcher and Poison arriving, too, the only quibble is with the decision to release all four shorts separately, rather than package them together as an anthology film. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar streams via Netflix, as is The Swan. The Ratcatcher arrives on Friday, September 29, followed by Poison on Saturday, September 30. Read our full review. NEW AND RETURNING SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK THE CHANGELING It isn't by accident that watching The Changeling feels like being read to, rather than simply viewing streaming's latest book-to-TV adaptation. Landing from the pages of Victor LaValle's novel of the same name, this horror-fantasy series is obsessed with stories, telling tales and unpacking what humanity's favourite narratives say about our nature, including myths and yarns that date back centuries and longer. Printed tomes are crucial in its characters lives, fittingly. Libraries, bookstores, dusty boxes stacked with old volumes, beloved childhood texts, a rare signed version of To Kill a Mockingbird with a note from Harper Lee to lifelong friend Truman Capote: they all feature within the show's frames. Its protagonists Apollo Kagwa (LaKeith Stanfield, Haunted Mansion) and Emma Valentine (Clark Backo, Letterkenny), who fall in love and make a life together before its first episode is out, even work as a book dealer and a librarian. And, The Changeling also literally reads to its audience, because LaValle himself relays this adult fairytale, his dulcet tones speaking lyrical prose to provide a frequent guide In a show created and scripted by Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Fifty Shades of Grey and Saving Mr Banks screenwriter Kelly Marcel, there's nothing more potent and revealing than a story, after all — and The Changeling believes in the power of tales to capture, explain, transport, engage, caution and advise, too. Aptly, New Yorkers Apollo and Emma meet amid books, in the library where she works and he frequents. It takes convincing to get her to agree to go out with him, but that leads to marriage and a child. The Changeling's astute thematic layering includes Apollo's repeated attempts to wrangle that first yes out of Emma, however, setting up a train of thought that has many future stations. In-between early dates and domesticity, Emma also takes the trip of a lifetime to Brazil, where an old woman awaits by Lagoa do Abaeté. The locals warn the visitor to stay away but she's mesmerised. What happens between the two strangers sends the narrative hurtling, with the lakeside figure tying a red string around Emma's wrist, granting her three wishes, but advising that they'll only come true when the bracelet falls off by itself. The Changeling streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. GEN V Instead of Gen V, you could call this spinoff The Boys Jnr and it'd fit — to a point. The superheroes are younger, with the series' eight-episode first season focusing on students attending Godolkin University, rather than adults. The minutiae of their lives is teen-centric, including dates and crushes, dorms and lectures, making new friends and peer pressure, and the like. Their worries largely aren't world-weary, been-there-seen-that, years-of-existential-malaise woes. There's nothing smaller about the hefty, hearty, utterly gleeful splashes of gore and violence — the guts and penises, too — in the latest show inspired by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's comic book, however. Prime Video's next dive into this satirical caped-crusader world after the OG series (which has dropped three seasons, with a fourth on the way) and the animated The Boys Presents: Diabolical stems from the 'We Gotta Go Now' storyline, and embraces making The Boys with younger characters but zero other tone and vibe changes. So springs an OTT coming-of-age tale that's gruesome, irreverent, subversive, funny and filled with bodily fluids. Set at the same time that The Boys' fourth season will take place when it hits, Gen V follows the blood-bending Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) as she scores an enrolment at Godolkin University that could change her life. Dwelling under the cloud of a past tragedy until now, her scholarship to the Vought-approved college is the ticket to her dreams, with becoming the first Black woman in The Seven her ultimate aim. As she rooms with Emma Meyer (Lizze Broadway, Based on a True Story), who can scale down her size — and meets the campus cool clique, including literally hot top pupil Luke 'Golden Boy' Riordan (Patrick Schwarzenegger, The Staircase), his persuasive girlfriend Cate Dunlap (Maddie Phillips, Teenage Bounty Hunters), the magnetic Andre Anderson (Chance Perdomo, also Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) and the gender-shifting Jordan Li (Never Have I Ever's London Thor and Shining Vale's Derek Luh) — all isn't exactly what it seems at her new school, though. While a few key cameos pop up, Gen V's focus is firmly on the franchise's newbies, their supe and uni experiences, and the mystery around them — and it's as entertaining as The Boys to watch. Gen V streams via Prime Video from Friday, September 29. Read our full review. SOLAR OPPOSITES It isn't the approach that Rick and Morty has taken, as the trailer for its upcoming seventh season shows, but Solar Opposites' method of handling its big casting change is genius. In its own sneak peek before its fourth season arrived, the other animated sitcom with Justin Roiland as a co-creator revealed how it was moving on after ties being cut due to domestic abuse allegations — and it was as glorious then as it is in full episodes. Enter Dan Stevens, star of everything from Downton Abbey, The Guest and Colossal to Legion, I'm Your Man and Gaslit, as the new source of Korvo's voice. He's using his British accent and sounds absolutely nothing like his predecessor as a result, but the change couldn't be easier to work in. When a show is about aliens living a life of mayhem on earth — chaos caused in no small part by their non-stop array sci-fi gadgets — anything can and does happen, including the lead Shlorpian out of its core quartet suddenly sporting new tones. That's the only shift that season four of Solar Opposites makes. Before the first new episode is out, with the series as anarchic and hilarious as ever, Stevens feels like he's always been in the role. Across an 11-episode run, Solar Opposites does what it has since 2020 — and well — following Korvo, his boyfriend Terry (Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley), and their replicants Jesse (Mary Mack, Kiff) and Yumyulack (Sean Giambrone, The Goldbergs) as they experience life among humans. This time around, that means getting jobs, which devolves into a fight to get a ping-pong table and a one-upping battle to impress a client; the crew's artificial intelligence AISHA (Tiffany Haddish, The Afterparty) giving online dating a go; bringing a dinosaur back to life just to get a pet; getting stuck among stock photos; and new birthday traditions. Smart, perceptive and sidesplittingly funny, Solar Opposites parodies the ridiculousness of human life from two angles, however — not just witnessing the Shlorpians grapple with adjusting, but also observing the society that evolves in the wall of Jesse and Yumyulack's bedroom thanks to the annoying folks that they've shrunk down for a range of petty slights. Cherie (Christina Hendricks, Good Girls) is there for serving the wrong food at Benihana, for instance, and is now caught up in a religious war, with the show's writers consistently finding an ideal balance between its two plot threads. Solar Opposites streams via Disney+. A RECENT-ISH TV GEM YOU MIGHT'VE MISSED LODGE 49 When Monarch: Legacy of Monsters starts streaming before 2023 is out, it'll see father and son Kurt Russell (Fast and Furious 9) and Wyatt Russell (Under the Banner of Heaven) co-star as older and younger versions of the same character. That's dream casting, although the younger of the pair already scored a stellar part with his first TV lead in Lodge 49. Debuting in the US in 2018, then ending with its second season in 2019 — due to low ratings, sadly — this Long Beach-set dramedy chases bliss. The potential solution for former surfer-turned-pool cleaner Sean 'Dud' Dudley (Russell): the titular place. It's the town's chapter of a worldwide fraternal order called the Order of the Lynx, complete with rituals, secrets, a lengthy history, and a motley crew of eclectic and eccentric characters. Among them are plumbing salesman Ernie Fontaine (Brent Jennings, All American), journalist Connie Clark (Linda Edmond, Only Murders in the Building) and her patrol officer husband Scott Miller (Eric Allan Kramer, CSI: Vegas), alchemy professor Blaise St John (David Pasquesi, White House Plumbers) and the lodge's Sovereign Protector Larry Loomis (Kenneth Walsh, The Kids in the Hall). The now-late Walsh's pre-Lodge 49 resume includes Twin Peaks — and, while nothing will ever match David Lynch's TV masterpiece, and also this series doesn't dare try, the two share a an embrace of being their own distinctive, idiosyncratic and surreal kinds of television shows. Here, the tone is lighter, but the always-optimistic Dud and Twin Peaks' Agent Dale Cooper don't lack in similarities as outsiders entering an insular world filled with unique personalities and odd happenings. Easygoing in tone, too, and also sunnily shot, Lodge 49 muses on what it means to seek happiness, how anyone can ever hope to find it, the search to fit in, what matters in a time of increasing disconnection, signs and omens, and the enduring value of friendship, especially when found in unlikely places. Russell is perfectly cast as the amiable Dud, but everything about this show, its quirks and its mysteries is wonderful. Two ten-episode seasons aren't enough, especially given how quickly loveable and bingeable those seasons prove. Lodge 49 streams via AMC+. Need a few more streaming recommendations? Check out our picks from January, February, March, April, May, June, July and August 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. Top image: Netflix ©2023
America's Southern cuisine is the stuff of legend. After all, who hasn't devoured Southern fried chicken, dreamed of a crawfish boil or salivated over a decadent mac and cheese? Whether you want to sample the authentic version of familiar favourites or enliven your palate with new, never-before-tried flavours, we've partnered with Travel South USA to uncover a mix of the region's must-visit establishments and must-try dishes. From Memphis-style barbecue to a comforting porridge that's a specialty of the region, here's our guide on where to go and what to eat. Gumbo at Mr B's Bistro, Restaurant Rebirth: Louisiana Countless dishes in the South have reached legendary status both within the US and abroad — among which gumbo stands out as a must-try. Not only is gumbo Louisiana's official state dish, the flavours and ingredients are an iconic example of the state's cuisine, reflecting its cultural history and blending together French, Spanish, African and Caribbean flavours. It's a stew that has infinite iterations; it can feature seafood such as shrimp and crab, meats like duck, chicken or sausage, and although there is a traditional style to making gumbo, each bowl is unique to its maker with variations in seasonings, proteins and thickness, making it a dish to try at many different restaurants. Head to Mr B's Bistro for a gumbo that the locals love, made with fresh regional products, or Restaurant Rebirth for a Creole Cajun gumbo that's made with farm-to-table ingredients. West Indies Salad at Wentzell's Oyster House of Mobile: Mobile, Alabama The southern border of Alabama just happens to be the Gulf — which means one sure thing: mouth-watering, fresh seafood. A must-try dish of the state is the distinctive West Indies salad, which notably is made with ice cubes and ensures the salad tastes exactly as it should — fresh and light. The salad is a pride of Mobile, where it has been served since the 1940s, and calls for fresh crab meat, making it a local specialty that you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere else. Hot Brown at Brown Hotel: Louisville, Kentucky The South is often synonymous with comfort food and Kentucky's Hot Brown is one of the finest on offer. The open-faced sandwich is a Kentucky culinary classic, originating in the 1920s at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, where it has stood the test of time and continues to be a menu favourite a century later. It features layers of turkey and bacon on thick slices of bread smothered in a decadent Mornay sauce, before being baked to perfection. Barbecue at Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous: Tennessee Barbecuing in the South isn't just one or two dishes, it's a tradition with countless regional variations and quirks. So much so, neatly demarcating the different styles of barbecue from region to region is a tall order, but there are four major variants that come up again and again — of which Tennessee's Memphis-style barbecue is one. The Tennesseean variant often sees pork selected as the meat of choice, with a focus on ribs and shoulders. Memphis is brimming with barbecue joints featuring everything from hole-in-the-wall hidden gems to world-class dining experiences. Once you step into Tennessee, it will quickly become apparent why Memphis-style barbecue has ascended to one of the greats; it's a state where barbecue culture thrives with incredible, smoky morsels always just around the corner. Elsewhere in the state, there are tomato and vinegar-based sauces in the mountains, while Nashville blends all of the state's traditions into one big culinary melting pot. [caption id="attachment_990176" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Austin Walsh[/caption] Burnt Ends at Arthur Bryant's: Kansas City, Missouri When in Missouri, do as the Missourians do and try Kansas City-style barbecue, another one of the four major styles of 'cue in America. In Kansas City the local specialty is burnt ends, and for fans of tender, slow-cooked brisket, these bite-sized meaty morsels are a must. Served sans sauce typically as a side dish or part of a wider barbecue plate, they're the perfect crispy platform for the smoke to shine and take centre stage. Head to the longstanding restaurant Arthur Bryant's, where burnt ends originated, to try this local favourite for yourself — but get in early because they sell out on the regular. Of course, the dish is now a staple of the state so there are plenty of other restaurants to try your luck at and sample these delectable bites. Shrimp and Grits at Slightly North of Broad: Charleston, South Carolina Grits are one of the great culinary staples of the South — and they pair perfectly with the abundance of fresh seafood throughout the region. Head to the culinary hub of Charleston to sample a bowl of the most refined version of this uniquely creamy style of porridge made with maize. Look out specifically for shrimp and grits which may have originated in the South, but has since found favour through the country. Helmed by chef Frank Lee, who has long been a proponent of South Carolinian cuisine, Slightly North of Broad (affectionately known as SNOB by locals) is an excellent stop to try this quintessential recipe of the region. '1010 Cut' at 1010 Bridge Restaurant: Charleston, West Virginia West Virginia is unique for its cultural heritage which spans both the South and Appalachia. Combining the best of both worlds is 1010 Bridge Restaurant in West Virginia's capital city, Charleston. The cosy restaurant offers a menu that reflects Appalachian roots matched with low country influence, owned and operated by chef Paul Smith, a winner of the prestigious James Beard Award. On the menu, you'll find a wide variety of meticulously crafted dishes including lamb loin, gourmet seafood and the iconic '1010 Cut' dish of cast iron-seared steak and lobster mac and cheese. Steak at Doe's Eat Place: Greenville, Mississippi If you're making a stop in Mississippi on an empty stomach, chart a course to Doe's Eat Place for your next feast and to experience Southern hospitality firsthand. Stop by for generously-sized steaks, tamales and a welcoming, no-frills atmosphere. With a storied history as a family-run establishment, there's a sense of tradition and community that you'll immediately feel from when you first step foot through the restaurant's door all the way until you roll out of your seat and back to your car. Fresh Seafood at Salt Box Seafood Joint: Durham, North Carolina The menu changes with the seasons at North Carolina's Salt Box Seafood Joint. Owned and operated by chef Rickey Moore, a James Beard Foundation Award winner, the Durham restaurant celebrates local, fresh seafood with dishes that prove why the South's seafood is so remarkable. The one constant on the menu is the oysters, which are also found in many restaurants around the state, since North Carolina is home to a sustainable oyster farming industry. Find your next adventure in the South. Discover more unforgettable destinations and start planning your trip with Travel South USA.
Kendrick Lamar kicked off his four-city Australian DAMN. album tour on Tuesday, with a standout show in Perth. On top of the tour, which is also heading to Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, the acclaimed hip hop artist is also headlining a sold-out Splendour in the Grass later this month. If that wasn't enough Lamar-goodness for Aussie punters, the Pulitzer Prize-winning artist has just announced that he's bringing his coveted DAMN. Pop-Up stores down under, too. Damn. The first pop-up is happening in Melbourne right now, running from 11am to 7pm today and tomorrow on Brunswick Street. Sydney will get its chance to nab some of Lamar's limited-edition merch later this month on July 24 and 25. While details of what exactly will be stocked at the stores are extremely vague, the rapper's pop-up has already appeared in Europe and across the US, stocking vinyls, tees, caps and hoodies. You can take a look inside his NYC pop-up here. The rapper has also made surprise appearances at many of the pop-ups, so if you're keen to grab a closer-than-row-z sighting of Lamar we suggest heading along. If you are thinking of heading along, however, take this as a warning: there will be long lines. DAMN. Pop Up is open in Melbourne at Doomsday, 195A Brunswick Street, Fitzroy on Friday, July 13 and Saturday, July 14 from 11am–7pm. Sydney's pop-up will be located at Above The Clouds, 205 Oxford Street, Sydney on Tuesday, July 24 and Wednesday, July 25 from 11am–7pm. Kendrick Lamar is playing in Melbourne on July 13 and 14 and in Sydney on July 24 and 25. via Triple J
It's Hollywood's night of nights for television, it usually takes place in September and it has already announced its 2023 nominees. This year's Emmys look set to delay anointing a new round of winners, however, with word circling that the awards ceremony will be postponed due to the current film and TV industry strikes. Both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter are reporting that the 2023 Emmy Awards will ditch its scheduled date: the night of Monday, September 18 in the US, which is Tuesday, September 19. If the strikes are still ongoing, actors and writers won't be attending the ceremony — not the red carpet, nor the awards themselves — meaning that the bulk of the televised accolades wouldn't be able to be accepted by their recipients. Also, the shindig will look mighty empty. As per Variety, vendors have been told that the event will be postponed, with a new date yet to be confirmed. The Hollywood Reporter also advises that the rescheduled awards won't take place in September — and, in a best-case scenario, will be held off until the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers comes to an agreement with SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America. TV lovers will have to wait a little longer, then, to find out which shows have been dubbed the past year's best by the voters in the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences — and how much they love HBO. The answer already: a whole heap. In 2023, the folks who decide which shows will score some Emmys love awarded a massive 74 nominations to three HBO series: Succession, The Last of Us and The White Lotus. TV's best case of family feud earned 27 nods, including for almost every actor who appeared in its fourth and final season in leading, supporting and guest roles. In the Best Actor category alone, Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin are going head to head. The most spectacular game-to-screen adaptation yet nabbed 24, while vacation chaos brought about 23 nominations. The other show that racked up a comparable tally? Apple TV+'s Ted Lasso with 21 nods. Similarly in the running: everything from Andor, Better Call Saul, House of the Dragon and Yellowjackets (all in the drama fields) to Abbott Elementary, Barry, The Bear, Only Murders in the Building and Wednesday (the comedy categories), plus the likes of Beef, Daisy Jones & the Six and Fleishman Is in Trouble (limited series) as well. Hollywood talents are fighting against diminishing residual payments for performers, and to establish firm rules about the future use of artificial intelligence in the industry, among other improvements to working conditions. When they took action in mid-July, SAG-AFTRA's members joined their counterparts in the Writers Guild of America, who've been striking since May. The current strikes are affecting film releases, too, with Australian crime-thriller Force of Nature: The Dry 2 already ditching its planned August date with cinemas given that star Eric Bana a member of the striking SAG-AFTRA. It's also been rumoured that big blockbusters such as Dune: Part Two, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom and The Colour Purple might also delay their releases, including until 2024; however, none have officially shifted their dates as yet. The 75th Emmy Awards are currently scheduled to take place on Tuesday, September 19, Australian time, but may be postponed — we'll update you if/when a new date is confirmed. Check out the list of 2023 nominations, and keep an eye on the Emmys' website for further details in the interim. Via Variety / The Hollywood Reporter.
Sometimes you just want to leave the city behind and get back to nature. Recharge and reconnect. Go off-road or underwater or deep into the outback. Where can you do it all? Western Australia's Coral Coast. On this stretch of coast, you'll find everything from wildflowers and wonderfully weird geological sights to beautifully preserved coral habitats. See vibrant underwater ecosystems to rival those on the tropical east coast and swim with gentle giants of the sea. Take road trips through storied landscapes of deep cultural significance, stand up high for sweeping vistas across ancient formations and hike, hike, hike to your heart's content. Stay on family-owned cattle stations with luxe amenities or simply set up your tent by the river for a truly rustic getaway. Whether you want a day trip from Perth (Boorloo) or a dedicated adventure north, underwater encounters or desert exploration, country home comforts or nights sleeping out under the stars, here's a few ways you can get in touch with nature during your Coral Coast trip. Get ready for a breath of fresh air — and a heavy dose of wonder and awe. [caption id="attachment_895302" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] UNDERWATER WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS The western beaches are world-class — and, if you head offshore (and underwater), you can get up close and personal with a really special place. Ningaloo Reef (Nyinggulu) is a healthy, vibrant reef that plays host to some incredible marine life. To meet them, head out by boat from Coral Bay or Exmouth (Warnangoora). The whale shark is the largest fish in the world and swims by between March and August. You'd be silly to miss taking a snorkel tour to join these gentle and beautiful giants in their home. In this part of the world, you're also well-placed to catch one of the huge manta rays soaring gracefully through the water. Around 30,000 humpbacks pass through the marine park between June and October, and you can set off on a boat tour for a closer look at the pods of these gargantuan guests. For a glimpse of a rare species, take a cruise to see the sea lions in Jurien Bay playing in the ocean and resting on their 'haul out' islands. [caption id="attachment_896070" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lavender Patch at Ningaloo Reef, Coral Bay[/caption] CORAL VIEWING TOUR It may not be as well known as the Great Barrier Reef, but Ningaloo Marine Park is a thriving World Heritage-listed area — and the world's largest fringing coral reef. The Coral Coast has more than 200 coral varieties and more than 500 species of fish; joining them is an abundance of charismatic mammals and seabirds. For what lies beneath the sparkling blue waves, you can't beat a glass-bottom boat tour — some even include fish-feeding. The clear, shallow waters make it a cinch to view these underwater worlds teeming with marine life; you never know what you're going to spy gliding under the glass. You don't have to be a coral expert when you've got one on board talking you through it, and with passionate guides operating out of a roll call of local businesses — like this one-hour coral-filled trip with Ningaloo Glass Bottom Boat — you'll be schooled on all the ins and outs of the reef. Plus, many are eco-certified, so you know your guides love the reef and are dedicated to preserving it for future generations. [caption id="attachment_895352" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] YAMAJI DRIVE TRAIL The Yamaji Drive Trail near Geraldton (Jambinu) is an epic 195-kilometre stretch of road where history, art and natural wonders are entwined. Featuring 14 significant Aboriginal sites, this experience takes its name from the word meaning 'human' or 'man' in the language of the Wajarri people. You'll traverse a diversity of landscapes in this patch of the world, from idyllic beaches, tree-lined rivers and red, red dirt to midden sites, meeting places and stellar wildflower-spotting places to wander. There's no need to keep yourself cooped up in the car: there are numerous walking trails through parks and reserves along the drive. See native quandong trees on the Warlgu trail, go bird-spotting along the Greenough River nature trail, and visit Ellendale Pool, watched over by Bimarra the serpent. Depending on how often you'd like to stop and explore, the whole trip can take between one and two days. Looking to break it up with a stay? We recommend Geraldton, Greenough or Mullewa as overnight pitstops. [caption id="attachment_895316" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] NAMBUNG NATIONAL PARK Only a few hours' drive from Perth, Nambung National Park feels a world away from the shining city. Explore this mesmerising area via dedicated walks or drives through the desert. Visit the Pinnacles, the famous ancient limestone rock formations, standing stark in the sandy flats like some alien landscape. Take the boardwalk at Lake Thetis and learn all about the curious geology of the place — and the unique rock forms known as thrombolites. From August to October, the oceanside dune vegetation flowers beautifully, covering the sandy scenery in life and colour. The park also has beaches perfect for swimming, snorkelling and surfing from the white sands and blue waters of Kangaroo Point to Hangover Bay in Jurien Bay Marine Park and the rocky shoreline of Grey beach area (if you brought a fishing rod, this is the spot). Head to the Desert Discovery Centre to find out more about the history, significance and ecology of this fascinating park. [caption id="attachment_895310" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] KALBARRI SKYWALK The Kalbarri Skywalk (Kaju Yatka) offers an unbeatable view of the 80-kilometre expanse of the Murchison River Gorge. Formed millions of years ago, the gorge is part of an ancient landscape replete with fossils and fascinating geology. The cantilevered platforms sit 100 metres above the gorge, making it feel like you're really floating in the sky. Look down or gaze out and take in the vast view of scrub, sand and stone below, with the river snaking through. There are a few more spectacular places to catch a sunset around here, too. If you want to get a bit closer, take a hiking track down to the gorge to catch the seasonal wildflowers blooming in the rugged terrain. Learn about the flora and fauna, the history of the place and of the Nanda Aboriginal people from sculptures and helpful signs. Stay a while and refresh yourself at the kiosk or set up a picnic at the table. You won't find a better lunchtime vista than this. CORAL COAST WILDFLOWER TRAIL Love wildflowers? Really love them? Then set off on this 11-day trail along a stretch of the Coral Coast in bloom. From late July to early October, this driving trail and its many points of interest burst into florals — with a few rare plant species to spot as well. Native wildflowers surround historical sites, tourist activities and places of cultural significance. Pick up a map and set out on an adventure. Each day on this road trip offers a new landscape, a different mix of wildflowers and wildlife, and a compact diversity of geological wonders, national parks and sweeping beaches. You can stop off in Carnarvon — the 'food bowl' — to sample delicious local produce while spotting the fuchsia dream parakeelya, delicate bluebells and seasonal everlastings. While you're on this adventure, you could opt to stay at Peron Homestead, relax in an artesian spa, explore 8 kilometres of walking trails in Mullewa, get amongst the gum trees, carpets of wildflowers and native scrub (and a few rare orchids) in Kalbarri National Park and visit historic buildings to discover the stories of the vibrant communities along the way. [caption id="attachment_895309" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] OUTBACK STATION STAYS: BULLARA, QUOBBA, WOORAMEL Want the real outback experience? Stay at a working station and see it all firsthand. Bullara Station (Punurrba; pictured above) lies between Coral Bay and Exmouth, offering an authentic cattle station experience complete with friendly country hospitality. Stay in a self-contained cottage or shearers' lodge, or on a bush-camping site. Take coffee and scones in the wool shed garden, join your host and guests for special meal nights, stay for the yearly muster, or just wander, stargaze, fish and recharge. For an eco-certified option, head to Quobba Station instead. The Meecham family operates this 187,000-hectare station, which was established in 1898. You can stay in the original cottage outbuildings, including the blacksmith's workshop, stables or jackaroo quarters. You're close to the sea here, so make the most of fishing, whale watching and even snorkelling with turtles. The station campground at Wooramel River Retreat sits on the banks of the Wooramel River. It's a delightful balance between the rugged outdoors and home comforts, with a private campfire, naturally heated artesian bore baths, walking trails and a cafe and nightly dinners. The family-owned outback station backs onto a World Heritage area and splendid surrounds that are hard to beat if you're looking to partake in wildlife spotting. Whichever part of Western Australia beckons you over, Concrete Playground Trips is the ideal place to start planning. Ready to go? Head to the website. Top images: Tourism Western Australia (Exmouth Adventure Co; Quobba Station; Bullara Station Stay; Bullara Station Stay; Ningaloo Reef; Coral Bay; Kalbarri Skywalk; Exmouth Dive).
Uber, you sly geniuses. In a bold marketing move, Uber have launched UberKITTENS, a service with actually brings kittens to your office for 15 minutes of cuddles. Launching today around Australia in six locations (Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane included), you'll be able to front up $40 and Uber will drive a rescue kitten to your home or office as part of an Australia-wide fundraiser. GET GOING. NOW. Uber posted on their blog today: "Following the huge success of UberKITTENS in the US, we were inundated with requests from riders and some amazing local shelters to bring it to our shores so we could share the kitten love and spread the word about the importance of finding much needed homes for our furry friends." How can has kitten? 1. Download the Uber app. 2. Request the 'KITTENS' option in the app TODAY between 12pm and 4pm within the Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane CBD and surrounding suburbs. 3. If kittens are available, you will get to enjoy 15 minutes of furry cuteness delivered to your office, your sweetheart, or even your favourite cat lady. 4. Pro Tip: Demand for #UberKITTENS will be off the charts so please be patient in your quest for kitten playtime. All the funds go to the participating shelter and you can even adopt the little guy. Looks like cat lovers have a lot to celebrate after yesterday's announcement for Sydney's very first cat cafe. Via Mumbrella.
Money can't buy you love, as four mop-topped Brits first sang 59 years ago, but it can buy you tickets to see the music legend who wrote one of the catchiest pop tracks ever released — and co-performed it — play it live in Australia. When Paul McCartney heads Down Under this spring, he'll have a wealth of material to choose from. One of his favourite openers: 'Can't Buy Me Love'. Hitting our shores for the first time since 2017 on his Got Back tour, McCartney will work through a massive catalogue of hits from his time in The Beatles, Wings and also across his solo career on a six-city stint around the country. Arenas and stadiums will welcome Sir Paul, starting at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Wednesday, October 18, then heading to Melbourne's Marvel Stadium, Newcastle's McDonald Jones Stadium and Allianz Stadium in Sydney before the month is out. Then, to kick off November, McCartney will take over Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium and finally Heritage Bank Stadium on the Gold Coast. This tour will mark the Beatles icon's first-ever Newcastle and Gold Coast shows, and also commemorate almost six decades since the band that helped McCartney make history famously toured Australia in 1964 amid a wave of Beatlemania. In Adelaide all of those years back, it's estimated that 350,000 people lined the streets to get a glimpse of the group, packing the stretch between the airport and Town Hall. McCartney's Got Back setlist has featured everything from 'Hey Jude', 'Let It Be' and 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da' to 'Love Me Do', 'Blackbird' and 'Got to Get You Into My Life' from The Beatles across its stops so far. Yes, 'Get Back' gets a whirl. Wings tunes 'Live and Let Die', 'Band on the Run', 'Letting Go' and 'Junior's Farm' usually pop up, too, as does McCartney's own 'Maybe I'm Amazed'. The Got Back tour kicked off in the US in February 2022, wrapping up last year's run with a massive Glastonbury set. McCartney now brings his usual band — keyboardist Paul 'Wix' Wickens, bassist and guitarist Brian Ray, fellow guitarist Rusty Anderson and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr — our way after picking up a Helpmann Award for Best International Contemporary Concert for his last visit. PAUL McCARTNEY 'GOT BACK' TOUR 2023 DATES: Wednesday, October 18 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Saturday, October 21 — Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Tuesday, October 24 — McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle Friday, October 27–Saturday, October 28 — Allianz Stadium, Sydney Wednesday, November 1 — Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Saturday, November 4 — Heritage Bank Stadium, Gold Coast Paul McCartney tours Australia in October and November 2023, with Telstra Plus members pre-sale tickets from Thursday, August 3, Frontier members pre-sale ticketing available from Wednesday, August 9 and general tickets from Friday, August 11 — all at staggered times. Head to the tour website for further details. Images: MPL Communications.
Thanks to its extremely photogenic Strawberry Watermelon Cake, Black Star Pastry's fame has spread far and wide beyond the two cities — Sydney and Melbourne — that the Australian bakery has called home over the past decade and a half. It currently only has stores in the New South Wales capital, but dessert lovers everywhere from the Gold Coast and Perth to New Zealand and Singapore can enjoy its two latest creations for the first time ever. Yes, Black Star Pastry is going both national and international. Black Star Pastry is spreading its wares thanks to a new collaboration — and February is indeed the right time for dream team-ups. For a month from Friday, February 14, 2025, the bakery is joining forces with QT Hotels to whip up an exclusive menu. If you're thinking that the two specials on offer really should have a romantic theme given when they're arriving, you're 100-percent right. Whether you're celebrating Valentine's Day or just keen on a super-indulgent treat until Friday, March 14, you can tuck into either The Love Bomb or The Ghost — or both. As their names make plain, these dishes do take their cues from aspects of the modern dating game. Prefer to enjoy one or two solo? No one's stopping you from doing that, either. With The Love Bomb, you'll be sending your tastebuds to chocolate heaven. The dish starts with chocolate financier as a bed, then features chocolate crèmeux and levels of chocolate sponge — with every layer coated in chocolate mousse ganache. On top: red streusel and raspberry chocolate shards. Opt for The Ghost and you'll be feasting on a tiered treat boasting sponge cake, what's been dubbed a "crunchy surprise", vanilla mousse, strawberry and raspberry compote, chocolate truffle garnish and milk-coconut coating. Each costs AU$18, comes with a love letter to keep nodding to the romance angle, and is on QT's limited-time Eat Your Heart Out menu at every QT Hotels & Resorts signature dining restaurant — and via its room service. So, that not only means that you can head to the Sydney, Bondi and Melbourne venues, but also to QT's Gold Coast, Perth, Newcastle, Canberra, Auckland, Wellington, Queenstown and Singapore locations. You have Black Star's Group Head Pastry Chef Arnaud Vodounou and QT Gold Coast Head Pastry Chef Daniel King to thank for the dishes. "The key for both Arnaud and I when creating the cakes was for it to feel like a true collaboration of brands and flavours. The V-Day cakes play on the subtle nods of flair we are known for at QT along with our use of premium ingredients, whilst creatively spinning a signature Black Star Pastry masterpiece to do things a little bit differently," said King. "We can't wait for Australians across the country and our international friends in New Zealand and Singapore to experience our indulgent and delicious creations, many for the very first time," added Vodounou. QT Hotels x Black Star Pastry: Eat Your Heart Out is available from Friday, February 14–Friday, March 14, 2025 at all QT locations — head to the hotel's website for more details.
You've likely caught a flick at the cinema there (indoors and out) or maybe even sipped beers in the courtyard of its newest resident, BrewDog. But come autumn, Melburnians will have a brand-new — and somewhat eerie — reason to visit Coburg's historic bluestone Pentridge Prison precinct. From Wednesday, March 1, the prison itself will be throwing open the doors and kicking off daily guided tours, diving deep into the heritage-listed site's dark past. There'll be two 90-minute experiences running, touring B-Division and H-Division (also known as Hell Division), both delivered in collaboration with the National Trust Victoria and award-winning creative tech company Art Processors. The latter's work has featured at the likes of Mona, the Australian Sports Museum and the Sydney Opera House. Visitors are in for an intriguing humanised history fix, with immersive audio elements and voiceovers by the likes of the late Uncle Jack Charles, a former inmate, and celebrated Indigenous Australian actress and director Rachael Maza. You'll hear first-hand accounts of time spent within the walls of the prison since it opened in 1851, encountering plenty of grisly truths and out-there history along the way — including the questionable treatment of its First Nations prisoners. Both tours will kick off exploring the multimedia exhibition in the former Warders' Residence, before heading off on a guided jaunt where the site's notorious history is brought to life via original scores, true stories and engaging installations. You'll have the chance to see the prison's panopticon, known as the 'airing yards', and to wander through the original cells of B-Division. And, if you're ok with getting a little darker, you can tour the somewhat grimmer high-security unit of H-Division, with its observation cells and breaking yards. "The National Trust Victoria believes that for too long, these stories have been shrouded in mystery and although the past is confronting, it is crucial that we do not forget the realities of those who were incarcerated, and we respectfully learn and share their truths," says Simon Ambrose, CEO National Trust Victoria. Pentridge Prison Tours will launch daily from Wednesday, March 1 at Pentridge Prison, Coburg. Tickets are available online from Thursday, February 23.
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 May's haul of newbies. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL RIGHT NOW GIRLS5EVA First, a word of warning: the hit song that brought fictional late 90s/early 00s girl group Girls5eva to fame is such an earworm, you'll be singing it to yourself for weeks after you binge through the sitcom that bears their name. That's to be expected given that Jeff Richmond, the composer behind 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's equally catchy and comedic tunes, is one of the talents behind it. Tina Fey and Robert Carlock produce the series, too, so you what type of humour you're in for. Starring Sara Bareilles (Broadway's Waitress), Busy Philipps (I Feel Pretty), Renée Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton) and the great Paula Pell (AP Bio), Girls5eva follows four members of the eponymous band two decades after their heyday. Their initial success didn't last, and life has left the now-fortysomething women at different junctures. Then a rapper samples their hit, they're asked to reunite for a one-night backing spot on The Tonight Show, and they contemplate getting back together to give music another shot. As well as being exceptionally well-cast and immensely funny, the series is also bitingly perceptive about stardom, the entertainment industry and the way that women beyond their twenties are treated. Also, when Fey inevitably pops up, she does so as a dream version of Dolly Parton — and it's as glorious as it sounds. The first season of Girls5eva is available to stream via Stan. THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD Two words: Barry Jenkins. Where the Oscar-nominated Moonlight director goes, viewers should always follow. That proved the case with 2018's If Beale Street Could Talk, and it's definitely accurate regarding The Underground Railroad, the phenomenal new ten-part series that features Jenkins behind the camera of each and every episode. As the name makes plain, the historical drama uses the real-life Underground Railroad — the routes and houses that helped enslaved Black Americans escape to freedom — as its basis. Here, though, drawing on the past isn't as straightforward as it initially sounds. Adapting Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same moniker, the series dives deeply into the experiences of people endeavouring to flee slavery, while also adopting magic-realism when it comes to taking a literal approach to its railroad concept. That combination couldn't work better in Jenkins' hands as he follows Cora (Thuso Mbedu, Shuga), a woman forced into servitude on a plantation overseen by Terrance Randall (Benjamin Walker, Jessica Jones). As always proves the case in the filmmaker's work, every frame is a thing of beauty, every second heaves with emotion, and every glance, stare, word and exchange is loaded with a thorough examination of race relations in America. If something else this affecting reaches streaming queues in 2021, it'll be a phenomenal year for audiences. The Underground Railroad is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video. LOS ESPOOKYS It has taken almost two years for the delight that is Los Espookys to reach Australian screens — and it'll take you less than three hours to binge its six-episode first season. This HBO comedy is both worth the wait and worth devouring as quickly as possible, though. The setup: horror aficionado Renaldo (Bernardo Velasco, Museo) wants to turn his obsession into his profession, so he starts staging eerie scenarios for paying customers, enlisting his best friend Andrés (Julio Torres, Shrill), pal Úrsula (Cassandra Ciangherotti, Ready to Mingle) and the latter's sister Tati (Ana Fabrega, At Home with Amy Sedaris) to help. Torres and Fabrega co-created the show with Portlandia and Saturday Night Live's Fred Armisen, who also pops up as Renaldo's parking valet uncle. This mostly Spanish-language series only uses its biggest name sparingly, however, because its key cast members own every moment. Following the titular group's exploits as they attempt to ply their trade, and to weave it into their otherwise chaotic lives, Los Espookys always manages to be both sidesplittingly hilarious and so meticulous in its horror references that it's almost uncanny. There's nothing on-screen quite like it and, thankfully, it has already been renewed for a second season. The first season of Los Espookys is available to stream via Binge. OXYGEN When Elizabeth Hansen (Mélanie Laurent, 6 Underground) awakens in a cryogenic chamber, she doesn't know who she is, where she is or why she's there. She's strapped in via an array of invasive tubes and restrictive belts, the pod's oxygen levels are rapidly depleting and, in trying to work out what's going on and how to survive, she only has the unit's artificial intelligence program, called MILO (voiced by Sound of Metal's Mathieu Amalric), on hand. That's how Oxygen starts, taking cues from everything from Buried to Locke. But each engaging single-setting, talk-driven thriller lives or dies on the strength of its story, dialogue and cast, all of which hit their marks here. It helps having Laurent at the film's centre, as tends to happen when the French Inglourious Basterds star is pushed into the spotlight. Also pivotal: director Alexandre Aja's horror background, which includes the remake of The Hills Have Eyes and 2019's Crawl. As he demonstrated with the latter, he's particularly skilled at not merely working with familiar tropes and conventions, but at getting the most out of them. Accordingly, even as Oxygen nods to a wealth of one-location and survival flicks — and a hefty number of closed-in sci-fi movies as well — it still grippingly wrings every ounce of tension it can out of its nightmarish scenario. Oxygen is available to stream via Netflix. AMERICAN UTOPIA On paper, American Utopia's concept doesn't just sound excellent — it sounds flat-out superb, stunning and spectacular. A new David Byrne concert film, capturing his acclaimed American Utopia Broadway production, as directed by Spike Lee? Sign the world up, and now. In the most welcome news of the past year, the execution matches the idea in this instant masterpiece (and wonderful companion piece to 1984's Stop Making Sense). It'd be hard to go wrong with all of the above ingredients, but the second of Lee's two 2020 films (after Da 5 Bloods) makes viewers feel like they're in the room with Byrne and his band and dancers like all concert movies strive to but few achieve in such engaging a fashion. Every shot here is designed with this one aim in mind and it shows, because giving audiences the full American Utopia experience is something worth striving for. Byrne sings, working through both solo and Talking Heads hits. He waxes lyrical in his charming and accessible way, pondering the eponymous concept with an open and wise perspective. And he has staged, planned and choreographed the entire performance to a painstaking degree — from the inviting grey colour scheme and the open stage surrounded by glimmering chainmail curtains to the entire lack of cords and wires tethering himself and his colleagues down. American Utopia is available to stream via Binge and Amazon Prime Video. Read our full review. MADE FOR LOVE When author Alissa Nutting penned Made for Love, no one needed to think too hard about her source of inspiration. Now bringing its tale to the small screen courtesy of the series of the same name, her story ponders one of the possible next steps in our technology-saturated lives. Hazel Green-Gogol (Cristin Milioti, Palm Springs) seems to live a lavishly and happily with her tech billionaire husband Byron (Billy Magnussen, Aladdin). They haven't left his company's desert campus in the entire ten years they've been married, in fact. The site is designed to cater for their every desire and whim, so they shouldn't need to go anywhere else — or that's how Byron views things, at least. Then his next big idea looks set to become a reality, and Hazel decides that she can't keep up the charade. She certainly doesn't want to be implanted with a chip that'll allow Byron to see through her eyes, access her feelings and always know where she is, and she's willing to take drastic actions to escape his hold over her life. Bringing the plot to the screen herself, Nutting favours a darkly comedic and sharply satirical vibe as she follows Hazel's quest for freedom, with Made for Love filled with blisteringly accurate insights into the tech-dependence that's become a regular part of 21st century existence. That said, the series wouldn't be the gem it is without Milioti, as well as Ray Romano (The Irishman) in a scene-stealing supporting part as Hazel's father. Made for Love is available to stream via Stan. AND TOMORROW THE ENTIRE WORLD Submitted as Germany's entry for Best International Feature at this year's Oscars, And Tomorrow the Entire World mightn't have ultimately earned a nomination or the prized gong itself, but it's still a compelling and confronting — and timely — film. And, an impassioned one as well, with filmmaker Julia von Heinz (I'm Off Then) leaving zero doubt about her feelings on the re-emergence of right-wing extremist views in general, and specifically in a country that'll never escape the shadow of the Holocaust. University law student Luisa (Mala Emde, Shadowplay) swiftly shares her director's horror and anger. Brought up in comfortable middle-class surroundings, and in a family where taking a weekend hunting trip is commonplace, she has her eyes opened at school when she joins an anti-fascist group. They're soon doing whatever it takes to combat hate-filled ideologies, including letting their actions speak louder than words; however, the stakes are raised when they endeavour to thwart an upcoming attack. Aesthetically, von Heinz opts for edge-of-your seat immersion. Feeling like you're in Luisa's shoes as she steps into a topical conflict is part of the experience, as is feeling her struggles as she grapples with the reality of counteracting abhorrent views by violent means. Emde is exceptional in the lead role, pulsating with urgency in even the quietest of scenes — as does everything in the film. And Tomorrow the Entire World is available to stream via Netflix. RETURNING SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK MYTHIC QUEST When its first season arrived back in 2020, it took a while for Mythic Quest to find its groove. Once it did, though, the sitcom shone — and brightly. Co-created by It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day, and starring the former as a visionary video game developer, Mythic Quest follows the daily ins and outs around the studio behind the eponymous massively multiplayer online role-playing game. McElhenney's Ian Grimm is drunk on his own ego, lead engineer Poppy Li (Charlotte Nicdao, Content) barely manages to cope, their executive producer (David Hornsby, Good Girls) is a ball of neuroses, and finance head (Danny Pudi, Community) couldn't be more ruthless in general or less interested in the people he works with. Mythic Quest doesn't break the workplace sitcom mould, or reshape it. Still, as it navigates its chosen industry, calls out its insular nature and examines its other issues, it's as smart and entertaining as the genre's recent classics such as The Office and Parks and Recreation. And, picking up where its pandemic special left off, the show's second season proves just as sharp and funny, including while exploring the struggles women in gaming face in a big way. The second season of Mythic Quest is dropping new episodes each week via Apple TV+. CLASSICS TO WATCH AND REWATCH ROUND THE TWIST Sometimes, you're eager to spend your spare hours binging your way through serious dramas. At other times, only clever comedies will do. But, there also comes a time when you just want to feel nostalgic — including by revisiting the local TV show that absolutely every Aussie kid watched in the 90s and 00s, and more than once. For two seasons between 1990–93, then another two from 2000–01, Round the Twist adapted Paul Jennings' popular books into an offbeat fantasy series. If you were the right age, it was must-see TV. It's the source of plenty of lighthouse obsessions, given that's where the Twist family lived. And, it's also a show that knew how to balance humour, strangeness and scares. Yes, the latter two seasons of Round the Twist really aren't as great as the first two, but we're betting they're still baked into your childhood memories anyway. And, we're certain that you'll now have the show's theme tune stuck in your head for at least the rest of the day, which is where it'll likely stay until after you've finished binging the series on Netflix (and probably for plenty of time afterwards as well). All four seasons of Round the Twist are available to stream via Netflix. A HEAP OF CLASSIC AUSTRALIAN FILMS When Netflix launched in Australia, it took three years for the huge streaming behemoth to produce Tidelands, its first original Aussie series. Another three years later, the nation's creatives are still calling for it and other streamers to invest heavily in local productions — including via content quotas that would legislate its obligation to plunge part of the profits it earns from Australian subscribers back into the Aussie film and TV industry. That battle is ongoing. For now, though, Netflix has added a hefty batch of local films to its catalogue. The lineup is eclectic because Australian cinema is eclectic, but you can start with Two Hands, follow it up with BMX Bandits, then check out Dating the Enemy (and watch Heath Ledger, Rose Byrne, Nicole Kidman, Claudia Karvan and Guy Pearce in the process). Or, you could plunge into Dark City's twists, hit the beach with Puberty Blues, and see Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths co-star in Cosi, not Muriel's Wedding. Just as My Name Is Gulpilil reaches cinemas, you can also stream your way through the actor's standout roles in Walkabout (the Indigenous icon's first feature from 50 years ago) and The Tracker (which won him an AFI Award for Best Actor). Check out Netflix's Australian range via the streaming platform. Top image: The Underground Railroad.
Storytelling is as old as time. It's how we share experiences, knowledge and memories. Non-profit organisation The Moth is dedicated to sharing personal stories and celebrating the art of telling them. The New York-based initiative hosts over 500 live open-mic events across the globe each year, with people — from notable literary and cultural personalities to your average Joe — getting up on stage to tell their stories. In 2008, The Moth brought its communal open mic events Down Under and this year, on Monday, August 5, Melbourne will hear some of the best stories of the city about animals — from ridiculous stories about road kill to warm and fuzzy anecdotes on man's best friend to thrilling tales of run-ins with scaly, furry or feathered creatures in the wild. Brandishing their weapons of word and wit, the storytellers will compete for the top gong at Howler in Brunswick . You'll hear five-minute stories on the animal kingdom that are both tightly crafted and masterfully told. Come for stories that inspire, provoke, sadden and enlighten, told by some of Melbourne's best. Or, if you consider yourself a wordsmith, you can drop your name in the bag to be selected at random, then grab the mic, hit the stage and tell your five-minute tale. The Moth StorySLAM: Animals will take place at Howler on Monday, August 5. Doors open at 7pm, with stories beginning at 7.30pm. Tickets for this event are available on Thursday, July 18 at 3pm and can be purchased here.
For seven decades, Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has been brightening up galleries around the globe with her dot-filled art work — and bringing smiles to art lover's faces in the process. Come October 1, she'll not only be doing just that; she'll also have her own museum dedicated to her lively geometric designs. Expect circles galore, colour aplenty and pumpkins. Slated to open in Tokyo's Shinjuku, the new facility will become a permanent celebration and showcase of the 88-year-old's inimitable pieces, spreading the vibrant joy across five storeys. According to The Japanese Times, the Yayoi Kusama Museum will feature a collection of her art, including her immersive installations, plus documents and related material. Launching with the inaugural exhibition Creation is a Solitary Pursuit, Love is What Brings You Closer to Art from October 1, 2017 to February 25, 2018, it will host two per year, as well as regular lectures. In what's proving to be a great time to surround yourself with Kusama's art, the news comes in the lead up to her next Australian exhibition, Yayoi Kusama: Life is the Heart of a Rainbow, which heads to Brisbane for four months from November. Kusama fanatics (aka everyone) in the vicinity of Japan rather than Brissie can snap up advance tickets to the Tokyo museum from August 28, for a cost of 1000 yen (around AUD$11). The site will run year-round, opening Thursday to Sunday across a series of staggered entry times. Via The Japan Times. Image: Yayoi Kusama in front of Life is the Heart of a Rainbow (2017) ©YAYOI KUSAMA, Courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore, Victoria Miro, London, David Zwirner, New York
