Gin fiends, drop everything. Right now, somewhere in Sydney, there are gin cocktails — and gin cocktails alone — being shaken and stirred. There's a rooftop terrace and yummy morsels from one of the best chefs in the country. It's called Project Botanicals, and it's a gin-lovers dream. Premium gin giants Bombay Sapphire have teamed up with award-winning Biota Dining chef James Viles for the three week pop-up, which will see the upper levels of the former Queen Street Studios building in Chippendale's new Kensington Street precinct temporarily transformed into a degustation restaurant and rooftop bar. Taking inspiration from the 10 exotic botanicals found within Bombay Sapphire — juniper berries, coriander seeds, liquorice, almonds and cassia bark — Viles and the Bombay Sapphire team have created two five-course menus matched with five inventive gin cocktails. The offering will rotate weekly, so you'll have the chance to try two botanical menus, 'Plants & Roots' and 'Berries & Bark'. “I'm constantly challenging myself to work with new and unusual ingredients," says Viles. "Working with 10 botanicals found within Bombay Sapphire was really exciting in creating flavour combinations that emphasised what is at the core of Bombay Sapphire." But you don't have to go the whole five-course hog to enjoy this pop-up. Project Botanicals will also boast a rooftop bar, open from 5.30pm Wednesday to Saturday. The drinks have been created in collaboration with some of Sydney's best bars, including Eau de Vie, The Barber Shop, The Rook and This Must Be The Place. There's no doubt that this is the best place to get your gin on. Running for just three weeks, the pop-up will only be around until Saturday, December 5. So if you want to indulge in some 'ginstronomy' and savour the spirit in the most Sydney way possible, best you get your tickets now. The Sydney debut of Project Botanicals will run at the Old Rum Store warehouse at 10 Kensington Street, Chippendale until Saturday, December 5. Sittings are available at 6pm and 8.30pm Wednesday to Saturday. Tickets are $105 and include a five-course menu matched with five Bombay Sapphire cocktails. Tickets must be purchased in advance, and can be bought here.
Everyone has a family story to tell, but we can't all be as good storytellers as Paul Capsis. In Angela's Kitchen he presents a fascinating play on the practice of biography, a microhistory of the migrant experience, a touching ode to a deeply loved woman and a reflection on his own lifetime of pretending and identity-seeking. Capsis — writer, performer, cabaret singer and Kosky pet actor — has devised this production in collaboration with director Julian Meyrick and sounding board/writer Hilary Bell. It uses monologues, multicharacter (but single actor) skits, costume, hand-tinted photos, archival videos, pieces of cloth and objects to create a montage of the life of his grandmother Angela and the close relationship they shared. But what really galvanises Angela's Kitchen is Capsis's warmth, wry metre, open, elastic face and ability to inhabit a character within seconds. Angela came to Australia from Malta with her family in 1948. It was one of the defining events in her life, along with poverty and World War II, during which residents of the strategically important tiny island would hide in deep-dug caves to escape the massive bombing campaign. Angela's family settled in Surry Hills, and it is in a modest kitchen there that Capsis relates to her most strongly. She was clearly a formidable woman and a nurturing influence, and through his bond with her, Capsis felt a life-long bond to Malta — a land of sun, sea and the explanation of self — even though he did not visit it until well into adulthood. His journey there parallels his grandmother's life story in this production. Angela's Kitchen progresses through chapters, and the best bits are entirely surprising (static reading of a 64-member family tree? Awesome) and build on Capsis's off-kilter sense of humour. He makes eye contact and speaks directly to the audience several times in an honest, sweet and very personal performance well cradled by the intimate space. There's something in here for everyone to appreciate, but Angela's Kitchen will most deeply resonate with people who have known the pull of their motherlands and forged transnational identities.
Outdoor clothing brand Merrell wants your photos to stitch together the world's largest panoramic photo. You can be a part of it by uploading your geo-tagged shots of the outdoors to the Add Your Own Scenery website where they are pinned to a virtual globe, or you can just browse others' photos and see what things look like in their neck of the woods. As well as inspiring people to get and share their love of the outdoors with others, the project has a philanthropic purpose: for every photo uploaded Merrell will donate $1 to a range of conservation groups, up to their target total of $250,000. Unfortunately only residents of the US, UK and Canada are eligible for the prizes on offer, but sharing your favourite part of nature with the rest of the world to help conserve it should be reward enough! [via PSFK]
Owners of The Taphouse — one of Sydney's most awarded craft beer venues — brothers James and Josh Thorpe know a thing or two about running a specialist beer house. And with this wealth of experience in mind, the duo has announced the arrival of their latest venture, Odd Culture. Opening on The Taphouse's second level, Odd Culture will be an adaptive drinking experience with a rotating menu of Australia's finest craft beers and natural wines. From twenty beers on tap to twelve wines and Australia's largest bottle list of wild ales and sour beers (over 100), there'll be something new to drink every time you drop in. When the doors open, some of the taps that will greet you include a wild fermented cherry ale from Marrickville's Wildflower Brewing and Blending, Wild Cider from Tasmania's acclaimed Two Metre Tall and Garage Project's Dinky Pinky Rhubarb and Strawberry barrel-aged sour. After the brothers bought The Taphouse in 2017, they carried on the venue's already established reputation as one of Sydney's best spots to try out the best of independent Australian beers. Similarly, Odd Culture aims to provide an accessible space that'll also stays respectful to the art of beer brewing. The long list of beers and wines are complemented by cocktails — such as Odd Culture's signature Sour Negroni, made with house-made tart vermouth — sodas from PS40 and a neat lineup of snacks. Food is antipasto-led and will also rotate, with a "revolving door" of cheese, cured meats and tinned seafoods on offer. If you're looking for something heartier, burgers and toasties on thick-cut sourdough are available, too. At Odd Culture, beers connoisseurs will feel at home with the venue taking its cues from historic beer and wine farmhouses. Peeling back the existing paint, subtle colours emerge while rustic antique furnishings fill out the space. Those looking to expand their beer knowledge can join fortnightly meet-and-greets with brewers and winemakers, the first one being held with Konpira Maru Wine's Alastair Reed and Bridge Road Brewers' head brewer James Dittko on Wednesday, August 15. Showcasing a diverse selection of wild fermented ales, sour beers, and natural and sustainable wines, the drinks list is a collaboration between two widely respected beer nerds Jordan Blackman (Chin Chin, Ananas) and Tom Evans (ex Royal Albert, Wayward). There's no printed tap or wine list, but once you arrive, there's little chance you're going home disappointed. Find Odd Culture at Level 2, The Taphouse, 122 Flinders Street, Darlinghurst. It is open from 5pm–midnight Mon–Wed, 5pm–1am Thur, 12pm–1am Fri–Sat, and 12p–11pm Sun. Images: Jasper Avenue
Montreal-based artist, Shelley Miller, has turned graffiti into a tasty artform. Her sugary designs have covered city walls in ornate scrolls and decorative motifs. She takes the conventional approach to graffiti, and turns it completely upside-down. Her designs are beautiful, intricate and look straight out the Victorian era. Miller's latest installation titled Throw-Up was part of the Nuit Blanche ("white night") project in September at the Metro Hall in Toronto, Canada. You could call her a sugar graffiti veteran. Having worked with cake icing for several years, Miller has exhibited works around the world including Canada, India and Brazil. And, she is even cooler than you think. Not only does she make amazing art, but it often represents more serious and important global issues. Her work has represented consumer culture and the historical links between sugar and slavery. Miller's pieces have been acquired by The City of Montreal, The Museum of Modern Art of Bahia, Reliance Industries and the Just for Laughs Museum (Montreal). Check out some of her unique street-art below and her website, here.
Summer is just around the corner, and you may be feeling the itch to splash some cash on new pieces. Maybe you're thinking of finally investing in a pair of those so-hot-right-now wooden-soled sandals, or a comfy jumpsuit for the coming summer parties. Then check out búl, a brand with sophisticated, versatile and comfortable styles. It's SoCal beach chic meets Melbourne edge in an effortless union. Their pieces are also well-designed, decently priced and oh-so modern. If you're familiar with the name, or curious to check it out, you'll be pleased to hear that the Sydney flagship store is opening on Thursday, November 7. The brand, which has two popular Melbourne locations and ran a successful pop-up in Sydney's Strand Arcade earlier this year, has found a permanent home amongst other chic boutiques on Paddington's Glenmore Road (That's right: an opening in Paddington. Keep 'em coming). The Spring/Summer 2014 collection, 'New Zealand', is stocked in the store now, so grab your credit cards and give this Melburnian a warm welcome. Shop 6, 2-16 Glenmore Road, Paddington; (02) 80215432; Open Mon - Wed and Fri - Sat 10am - 6pm, Thu 10am - 6pm, Sun 11am - 5pm.
Anything set in the 1960s will draw the inevitable comparison with Mad Men, so let's get it done with in the first sentence: Made in Dagenham shares none of the glamour of that particular zeitgeist-definer, although it does have a charm all of its own. The movie charts the days when if you wanted to stay cool on the factory floor, you stripped down to your drawers, if you wanted to make an announcement, you stood on a chair, and if you wanted to get paid the same amount as a man, you faced derision. It's May 28, 1968, and Rita O'Grady (Sally Hawkins from Happy Go Lucky) is about to get pushed into the sexy, man's world of picketing, negotiating, speechifying and out-quoting Marx in the fight to get equal pay for Britain's women. It's all based on real events in which a group of female sewing machinists began a Ford factory-specific strike to be recognised as skilled workers that turned into a nationwide fight to pass legislation guaranteeing equal pay for equal work. Within a few years, similar laws were being made around the world. To get to that point, Rita and her friends have to outmanoeuvre the Ford bosses (including The West Wing's Richard Schiff) and some easily bought union leaders and get financially strained male and female workers on their side. Fortunately, Rita finds allies across both gender (Bob Hoskins' Albert, her union mentor) and class (Rosamund Pike's Lisa, the privileged but trapped wife of a Ford manager) and potentially in Secretary of State Barbara Castle (Miranda Richardson). Nigel Cole's picture captures the drab honesty of British working-class life in the tradition of Monty Python, although it's nicely pastel-rendered and floral-printed to allow for plenty of nostalgia, comedy and some well-played sentimentality. The movie has a great cast of characters (and actors to fill them) and contains touching moments of solidarity that will leave you longing to stand shoulder to shoulder with something. It's a subject worth documenting and a document worth watching. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Nc20m1JoDsw
Buy this for a dollar: a history-making gay rom-com that's smart, sweet, self-aware and funny, and also deep knows the genre it slips into, including the heteronormative tropes and cliches that viewers have seen ad nauseam. Actually, Billy Eichner would clearly prefer that audiences purchase tickets for Bros for more that that sum of money, even if he spent five seasons offering it to New Yorkers in Billy on the Street while sprinting along the sidewalk and yelling about pop culture. Thinking about that comedy series comes with the territory here, however, and not just because Eichner brought it back to promote this very movie. Starring and co-written by the Parks and Recreation and The Lion King actor — with Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the Bad Neighbours franchise's Nicholas Stoller directing and co-scripting — Bros both presents and unpacks the public persona that helped make Billy on the Street such a hit: opinionated, forceful and wry, as well as acidic and cranky. No one person, be it the version of himself that Eichner plays in the series that helped push him to fame or the fictional character he brings to the screen in Bros — or, in-between, his struggling comedian and actor part in three-season sitcom Difficult People, too — is just those five traits, of course. One of Bros' strengths is how it examines why it's easy to lean into that personality, where the sheen of caustic irritability comes from, the neuroses it's covering up and what all that means when it comes to relationships. The movie does so knowingly as well. It's well aware that Eichner's fans are familiar with his on-screen type, and that even newcomers likely are also. Accordingly, when Bros begins, Eichner's in-film alter ego is shouting about pop culture and being adamant, grumpy and cutting about it. In fact, he's on a podcast, where he's relaying his failed attempt to pen a script for exactly the kind of flick he's in. A mainstream, studio-produced gay romantic comedy that starts out riffing on the difficulties of making a mainstream, studio-produced gay romantic comedy? Yes, that's Bros. ("Am I going to be in the middle of some high-speed chase and all of a sudden fall in love with Ice Cube?", Eichner asks as the feature's protagonist Bobby Lieber.) A film about a gay man known for a biting and droll disposition, starring a gay man similarly known for that type of biting and droll disposition? Yes, that's Bros as well. It's also a movie that makes fun of Hallmark rom-com schmaltz while featuring one of the US network's go-tos — that'd be Sense, Sensibility and Snowmen, A Shoe Addict's Christmas, Christmas in My Heart and The Mistletoe Promise's Luke Macfarlane — and a flick blasting Schitt's Creek some scorn while charting a comparable queer storyline. So, it's a feature that wears its obviousness and its contradictions in tandem, purposefully and proudly. Eichner's Bobby is 40, just received an LGBTQIA+-community Best Cis Male Gay Man award and has a dream gig setting up America's first national queer history museum. Rom-com logic, which Bros heartily subscribes to, means he has to discover his seeming opposite in a memorable way: a gay dance party where he complains to shirtless probate lawyer Aaron Shepard (Macfarlane) and finds sparks flying. How Stoller and Eichner handle this scene says plenty about the film, and the authentic view of gay romance, dating and sex it's committed to. Neither man — Grindr-swiping, emotionally unavailable, hardly content as they both are — is anything but himself. For Bobby, that means awkwardly flirting, getting furious when Aaron disappears mid-conversation, tracking him down and telling him about it, but also being non-committal and even angry for being attracted to him. For Aaron, it involves continuing to breeze around the party like nothing out of the ordinary has happened; "I'm supposed to fuck him and his husband later," he tells Bobby about two other buff, sweaty guys on the dancefloor as they're chatting. Even when the genre isn't giving the world the first romantic comedy about two gay men to be released by a major Hollywood studio — the first romantic comedy both written by and starring an openly gay man as well, and also one with an entirely LGBTQ+ main cast — rom-coms adore Bros' basic scenario. In the broad strokes, there's plenty that's universal in the overarching storyline about opposites attracting, the chaos that springs, and the risks and vulnerabilities it takes to love someone. Still, even when it's nodding to Meg Ryan's filmography and also managing to be a Christmas flick as well — and when it's brightly shot and bouncily paced, which is always — this is never a movie where its leads just happen to be gay. A straight couple couldn't just be subbed in with zero changes, and the chief aim is never to show that the same stock-standard struggles plague everyone in matters of the heart regardless of sexuality. Instead, Bros is brimming with detail specific to being a gay man today. That's true in the throuples, group sex and "must see pic of ass" dating-app requests that spark a hunt for ring lights and razors, and in the commentary about tragedy-heavy mainstream queer movies that typically catapult heterosexual actors to Hollywood awards. And, it echoes in the short but hilarious gag about a fictional new app called Zellweger, "for gays who want to talk about actresses and go to bed". Bros spans further, however, examining how Bobby has internalised a lifetime of homophobia directed his way, how that's shaped the persona he projects to the world, its influence over his romantic outlook and his underlying self-criticism. When the film also ponders why he's so conflicted about Aaron, and so acerbic and cynical towards parts of queer culture and its stereotypes, it digs into the same ideas — with a joke always mere seconds away, but with both thoughtfulness and heart. Bros remains unashamedly frothy, although never syrupy or saccharine. It's predictable, even if you've somehow only ever seen one rom-com before now. It runs on charm, care, warmth and insight, though — and more than enough eagerness to make the most of making history. There's just as much willingness, too, to add weight and heft to the picture's gay take on rom-com conventions, all amid Debra Messing appearances, Cher gags, Fire Island's Bowen Yang having all the fun as a rich investor, and the savvy bickering between Bobby's museum colleagues about the infinite shades of the rainbow gleaming in the LGBTQIA+ community. Crucially, there's an engaging and heartfelt boy-meets-boy story at the core of it all, as brought to the screen with two well-matched and affecting performances, in a movie that's determined to be equally honest, pioneering and entertaining.
The arrival of the Federal Budget this week, for most, was like looking into Mordor. But also released this week is a local government plan that's a source of light: The City of Sydney's first cultural policy, describing all we want our city to be and prescribing the immediate actions that will make it happen. It's been developed following a year of active consultation that included more than 2000 written submissions, plus all the chatter generated at forums and on Twitter. Why have a cultural policy? It's a way of formalising all the things that creative people love in Sydney and amplifying them. It's a way of making creative industries grow and our everyday lives be a little out of the ordinary. And it's a way of ensuring that new laws and regulations — as well as existing ones — work with those creative aspirations, not against them. The draft action plan pulls together ideas from New York, San Fran, Helsinki, Hobart (yes, Hobart) and Sydneysiders' own invention. After a month on exhibition, where you can still give feedback, it's set to go before City of Sydney Council on June 9. Here are six of its inspiring proposals that will soon become reality. Pop-ups will be (more) legal It's tough for a temporary venture to set up legal shop — so some choose not to, operating a la speakeasy. "[Chippendale pop-up The Eat-In] was this fantastic experience, but it was completely illegal because it didn't have the $25,000 grease trap, or all of the things that the health and building legislation and codes require anyone to have if they're setting up a permanent restaurant," says Rachel Healy, executive manager of culture at the City of Sydney. "And I guess the point is that it wasn't a permanent restaurant; it was creative experimentation around a new idea, which artists and creative workers do all the time." Pop-ups are a perfect example of what the cultural policy is about, really. The law is there to protect us from improvised, dubiously fitted out restaurants and bars — but we the public love them. Once the cultural policy passes, those laws that conflict with the broader vision are liable to change. The City of Sydney have committed to researching and reviewing regulatory impediments to pop-ups, both of the hospitality and creative varieties, so that there's less red tape and more jovial partaking in pigs on spits. In fact, cutting out red tape is a big theme throughout the cultural policy. Their whole attitude is that the creative people of Sydney are sitting on millions of brilliant ideas for their community; all the council has to do is facilitate them. Any single person who wants to put a public space to an unexpected creative use should be able to, they realise — even without the expertise of a big organisation behind them. This could be done in many ways, but we particularly like the submission that suggested an 'independent producer passport', including a simplified DA application, bar licence and zoning exemptions, information about insurance options and a point of contact within the police. Art & About Will Go All Year "What was really clear from the feedback that we got was that while the community and the sector love our festivals, and Sydney's really good at them … we do need to spend more time focusing on year-round activity," says Healy. So even though the outdoor public art smorgasbord of August/September's Art & About will continue, the festival will expand to include programming throughout the year. This won't be limited to the CBD — one of the big demands the City is more than happy to answer is to inject colour, art and interaction into public spaces throughout Sydney's 'villages'. There'll be heaps of art that's site-specific and brings out the history and culture of each area. What will that look like? Healy elaborates. "Those interesting experiences — the raining house near Hyde Park or the fantastic Craig Walsh work of the faces of protesters on the trees in Hyde Park — all of those interesting things won't only happen in a festival context but will happen throughout the year, so Sydney does become a city where those unexpected little moments become part of your everyday experience." Interest-Free Loans Will Help You Buy Art Home loans may be out of reach of most Sydneysiders, but soon we'll be able to go cry into the one appreciable asset we do own — art. A new scheme will give interest-free loans of up to $10,000 to buyers purchasing works from City of Sydney galleries and studios by living artists. "One of the policy directions is about removing barriers for greater engagement with the city's existing cultural life, and this is the most fantastic idea, that we've shamefully stolen from Arts Tasmania," says Healy. It's all in the name of improving access to culture, but the loan also benefits the artist, who might otherwise have not sold that work that so enamoured you. "More than five million dollars has gone through the scheme [in Tasmania]," says Healy. "Arts Tasmania would never have been in a position to give out five million dollars in grants to Tasmanian artists. What they did do, though, was develop a scheme where they enabled five million dollars to go into the wallets of Tasmanian artists, who are otherwise doing it pretty hard." The scheme is so perfect, in fact, that Tasmania's experienced zero defaults. Art lovers don't renege — fact. You'll be able to tell the difference between Surry Hills and Redfern There's no easy fix to the sameyness that seems to go hand in hand with gentrification, but the City of Sydney has a few ideas to preserve and develop what they call 'precinct distinctiveness'. They'll basically be trying extra hard to make sure King Street looks different to Crown Street, and neighbourhood festivals embody all that is special about your neck of the woods. The touchstone here is New York, the ultimate city of villages. To complete this nebulous task, they'll be encouraging projects that amplify each precinct's distinctive histories, stories and contemporary character through grants. You should also look out for cute maps and variations on those stripey deck chairs. Soundproofed rehearsal rooms in high-density housing Artist live-work spaces are something the council has been talking about for some time, and that commitment continues with the Cultural Policy. A cool addition, however, is in the smaller units of artistic infrastructure that mean anyone who has a shred of artsiness they want to nurture can have a space to do so. One of the City of Sydney's jobs is signing off on residential high-rise developments, so they're determined to push for creative spaces like soundproofed rehearsal rooms before they do so. "When Scandinavia turned over a whole lot of its community centres to kids who were engaged with metal music, they collectively had the most incredible impact on the metal scene worldwide," says Healy. "Making soundproof space available, particularly for young people, who've got a lot of time often but not much money, can have an incredible impact on what that city produces long-term. So long-term infrastructure is a really big part of what we're doing with this policy." Free public wi-fi (maybe, sometimes) Free omnipresent wi-fi is the dream, is it not? Working in the park without tethering to your temperamental phone, accessing maps as a tourist, torrenting all of Game of Thrones (jk! Would not do that to the nice councilpeople). Well, it's still a dream, for now. In the medium-term, though, the City of Sydney will investigate the introduction of wi-fi into major parks and squares, whether by partnering with business or some other means. Fingers crossed here. Surry Hills house image by rabbithoang via photopin cc.
My yoga studio has a basketball court below it. During a calming session of yoga, it is not uncommon to hear the piercing screech of a whistle, frequent cheering and the intermittent shrieks of "great shot Mike!". One time, I kid you not, there was a marching band procession going down, and the instructor had to calmly try and talk over the incessant drumming. Quite un-zen. Flow After Dark Silent Disco Yoga seeks to give yoga enthusiasts the exact opposite experience. How exactly does one silent disco yoga? Quite easily with the introduction of wireless headphones. These bad boys give participants a one-on-one with instructor, Flow Athletic co-founder Kate Kendall, while simultaneously pumping out beats from Sydney DJ James Mack. Also, they're neon. Their latest 90-minute Vinyasa yoga session — their last for 2016 — will celebrate not only yoga, but Halloween. Held on Thursday, October 27, the pre-Halloween yogi get together will have a range of pop-ups, including a make-up station to get you themed for the holiday. It's probably your best (possibly only) chance to show off your best warrior pose while simultaneously jiving to some seriously smooth music. Silently.
Lovers of Die Hard references and 'title of your sex tape' jokes, rejoice — and start planning your next Halloween heist. Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the beloved sitcom that all of the above gags form an important part of, has just been renewed. And if this feels a little like deja vu, there's a good reason for that. Basically, what a difference 18 months can make. This time back in May 2018, the show was cancelled after its fifth season by Fox, its original American network. An outcry followed, so rival US channel NBC came to the rescue, picking up the series just 31 hours later and committing to a sixth season of cop comedy. It was the latest tense move in the B99's history, with the threat of axing looming over the show since it premiered in 2013. Now, much to delight of fans, that's no longer the case — at least for the next two seasons. Back in March, the series was renewed for a 13-episode seventh season. Just last week, it was announced that those new episodes (and gags) will hit screens in both the US and Australia from early February. But there's even more exciting news in store for the fine fictional detectives of Brooklyn's 99th precinct, with NBC now renewing the series for an eighth season even before the seventh season airs. It seems that the network is rather fond of Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg), Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero), Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz), Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio), Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews) and Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher) — and even Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker) and Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller). https://twitter.com/nbcbrooklyn99/status/1195037124342378497?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Enews%7Ctwgr%5Etweet Yes, Brooklyn Nine-Nine fans can't utter "noice" fast or often enough. Or, as Peralta would say: cool cool cool. Expect season eight to air during the 2020–21 US TV season — although just when it'll screen obviously hasn't been revealed this far in advance. We do have season seven to get through first, after all. Aussie fans have been very fortunate in recent years, with SBS dropping new episodes in line with their US screenings, and that'll continue with season seven from February 2020. Here's hoping the same proves the case when season eight rolls around. As always, there are plenty of B99-appropriate ways to mark this development. Breaking out a celebratory yoghurt, Terry Jeffords-style, is definitely in order. If you're more like Captain Raymond Holt, perhaps you'd like to treat yourself to a trip to a barrel museum. Or you could channel your inner Gina Linetti and dance about your happy feelings. Brooklyn Nine-Nine's eighth season will air sometime in 2020 or 2021. Before that, the show's seventh season will start screeening from Friday, February 7, 2020, Australian time on SBS Viceland. Via Variety.
When a spider spins a web, the strands are designed to trap prey for the eight-legged arachnid to consume. Madame Web tries to do something similar. The fourth live-action film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe, it attempts to create a movie meal by capturing bits and pieces from anywhere and everywhere. There's Spidey nods, of course, variations on the "with great power comes great responsibility" line and more than one Spidey-like figure included. Introducing a new superhero to the screen, it's an origin story, complete with a tragic past to unfurl. Set in 2003 but with ample 90s tunes in the soundtrack, it endeavours to get retro as well. In its best touch, Madame Web winks at star Dakota Johnson's (Cha Cha Real Smooth) Hollywood family history, with a pigeon bringing The Birds, as led by her grandmother Tippi Hedren (The Ghost and the Whale), to mind. And, catching inspiration just like flies, the film also strives to be a serial-killer thriller. Look out, though. Here's hoping that spiders have more luck snaring a feast than Sony has in swinging Madame Web into its not-MCU franchise. They're not officially counted as part of the saga, and they're both exceptional unlike this, but the studio's animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse also help explain Madame Web's existence and approach. In trying to carve out a Spidey space around the Peter Parker version of the webslinger, who is now part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sony has been throwing everything it can at the screen. In the Spider-Verse flicks, that means a kaleidoscope of spider-folk, plus dazzling visuals and creative storytelling to match, demonstrating that people in suits isn't the best way to tell caped-crusader tales in cinema. In the SSU, focusing on a heap of peripheral Spidey figures is instead the tactic — and it's as piecemeal as it sounds. Hence Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Morbius, the upcoming Kraven the Hunter and the on-the-way third Venom title. Hence also the feeling that giving whichever bit players Sony can their own features, in the name of making a sprawling superhero saga with well-known stars because everyone else is (see also: DC), is the money-chasing move. In Madame Web's case, its namesake from the comics has scored a makeover to fit the franchise's mould — so, instead of being an elderly mutant with clairvoyant powers, who is both blind and attached to a web-like life-support system, she's 30 and sports Johnson's famous off-screen devil-may-care attitude. It's easy to wonder while watching if the film's lead took the gig just to wreak havoc on the press tour. Johnson's presence also gives viewers plenty to be thankful for. She hasn't gone for serious and solemn. She isn't playing for laughs, either. Instead, she lends the flick her charisma and knack for playing charmingly awkward, all without ever seeming bogged down by how lacklustre the movie around her is; now that's a superpower. Madame Web arrives on the big screen with one of its pieces of dialogue already sporting meme-level notoriety, except that it doesn't actually include that line. The clunky "he was in the Amazon with my mom when she was researching spiders right before she died" became the best-known aspect of the feature's trailer when the sneak peek hit in 2023, but it isn't in the finished film. Words to the same effect are, describing the fact that Johnson's Cassie Webb is the daughter of scientist Constance (Kerry Bishé, Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber), who has spun off this mortal coil — and that explorer Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim, Napoleon), the flick's big bad, was there with her. That was back in 1973. In the movie's present, Cassie has grown up in foster care, now spends her days saving lives with her work partner Ben (Adam Scott, Party Down), then starts seeing the future after a near-death experience. The full backstory, which also provides the feature's prologue, involves Constance getting bitten in Peruvian jungle under the guidance of Amazonian spider-people Las Arañas as a way of saving the unborn Cassie's life. That's the reason for the adult Cassie's visions — and, thanks to his own interaction with the magic arachnids from the area, for Ezekiel's spider-like physical abilities and dreams of his impending death. In the latter, he sees three spider-esque women ending his existence. His plan: locate them now (with the help of The Flight Attendant's Zosia Mamet and some technology that doesn't really fit 2003), murder them, live evilly for longer. Only Cassie can stop that from happening, with Julia Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney, Anyone But You), Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced, Migration — and also Dora in Dora and the Lost City of Gold) and Mattie Franklin (Celeste O'Connor, Ghostbusters: After Life) soon in her care despite not knowing her, or each other, beforehand. It doesn't bode well for veteran TV director SJ Clarkson (Succession, Vinyl, Jessica Jones) that her first cinematically released feature, which she co-wrote with producer Claire Parker (Life on Mars), also includes Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless as scribes. The pair with Dracula Untold, The Last Witch Hunter, Gods of Egypt and Power Rangers on their resume scripted Morbius, too, which is still the worst SSU movie — but generic, bland, caring zero about characters and basically sketching out scaffolding for monotonous action scenes remains their niche. Madame Web's serial-killer angle does stand out, more for feeling like it could've been the plot of a 90s effort about a psychic protecting three teen girls that had zero Spider-Man ties. That flick wouldn't have needed such routine fights and chases, either, or proven what too much caped-crusader fare constantly does: like join-the-dots filler. Enlisting ace talent such as Johnson, Sweeney and Scott, each of whom do what they can with stock-standard roles — as do Merced and O'Connor (alas, the usually stellar Rahim's part is woefully thankless) — can't paper over Madame Web's desperation to send strands Spider-Man's way. The 2003 setting could've been a Tobey Maguire (Babylon)-era nod, but with Ben's surname Parker and his pregnant sister Mary (Emma Roberts, American Horror Story) having a boy, the timing is geared to connect with the Tom Holland (The Crowded Room) iteration. A mid-movie scene blatantly yearning to make that leap also helps sum up Madame Web. At a baby shower for Mary, Cassie doesn't want to get roped into the antics, turns the room silent by talking about her mum's death and interrupts the big name reveal. Johnson kills it, but the need to link into a franchise that isn't even the SSU crashes. Unsurprisingly, pitching the whole picture to setup a future Spider-Woman trio flick feels like just as much as a stretch. Unless Madame Web becomes a box-office smash, no one, not even Cassie, would foresee a follow-up coming to fruition after this tangled mess.
The centrepiece of the 2018 Biennale of Sydney was Ai Weiwei's 60-metre inflatable boat, a critique and exploration of the global refugee crisis. This year, when the Biennale returns to art galleries across Sydney, the lineup of 100-plus artists will be examining another poignant issue close to the heart of Australia: First Nations sovereignty and intergenerational trauma. Running from Saturday, March 14 until Monday, June 8, the 2020 Biennale is entitled Nirin, which means 'edge' in the language of western NSW's Wiradjuri people. This year's theme is timely, for two reasons: the 2020 blockbuster falls on the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook's voyage to Australia — and it will be helmed by a new First Nations artistic director, famed Sydney-born, Melbourne-based interdisciplinary artist Brook Andrew. [caption id="attachment_759715" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Arthur Jafa, Still from The White Album (2018). Photo courtesy the artist and Gavin Brown's enterprise, New York/Rome; commissioned by the University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA). © Arthur Jafa, 2018[/caption] Andrew has selected an impressive lineup of artists and creatives — many of them First Nations — from around the world to exhibit at the Art Gallery of NSW, Woolloomooloo's Artspace, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Cockatoo Island, MCA and the National Art School for the exhibition's 12 weeks. On the just-announced program, you'll find the Southern Hemisphere premiere of Arthur Jafa's Golden Lion-awarded work The White Album, Wiradjuri artist Karla Dickens's immersive work symbolising the disproportionate number of incarcerated Indigenous Australian women and a large-scale political protest piece by Pitjantjatjara artist Kunmanara Mumu Mike Williams (who passed away last year). Cockatoo Island will be home to a wide range of works, including Ghanaian-born artist Ibrahim Mahama's sprawling installation of coal sacks; Tony Albert's interactive greenhouse, where you'll be invited to write and plant messages; and Tlingit/Unangax̂ artist Nicholas Galanin's excavation work that'll 'dig up' the land beneath the shadow of Hyde Park's Captain Cook statue. Elsewhere, Ahmed Umar's ceramic sarcophagus will be shown at the MCA; DJ Hannah Catherine Jones will perform an audiovisual work inspired by pop-culture, poetry and provocative imagery; Andrew Rewald's evolving community garden will take over NAS; and Leisa Reihana's multi-channel video installation and film will explore the history of Māori and South Pacific Islander peoples. [caption id="attachment_759716" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ahmed Umar, 'What Lasts! (Sarcophagus)' Courtesy the artist.[/caption] Running alongside the free Nirin exhibitions this year will be Nirin Wir: a program of free and ticketed events taking place all over the city, from the Blue Mountains to La Perouse. You can listen to in-depth conversations between First Nations artists and other artists at the multi-location Aabaakwad, head to Cockatoo Island for 4ESydney Hip Hop Festival, watch an all-Indigenous Australian cast discuss Australia's 60,000-year history and debate the question "To cook Cook or not?' at Sydney Town Hall and join a performative walking tour of Parramatta Female Factory Precinct or a guided bushwalk through Dharawal National Park with Aunty Deirde Martin. Favourite events such as the Bankstown Poetry Slam and Sunday family day will also return for the festival. The 22nd Biennale of Sydney runs from March 14–June 8 2020. The Nirin exhibitions are free and tickets are on sale now for Nirin Wir. Top images: Lisa Reihana 'Tai Whetuki - House of Death Redux' (2016) at The Walters Prize, Auckland Art Gallery; Andrew Rewald 'Alchemy Garden'.
One king. Six wives. Centuries of folks being fascinated with the regal story. Throw in pop songs as well, and that's the smash-hit Six the Musical formula, as Australian audiences discovered in 2021, 2022 and 2023 — and can again in Melbourne and Sydney in 2024, then in Brisbane in 2025. If you've ever needed proof that some stories never get old, the ongoing obsession with Britain's royal history provides plenty. 2024's inescapable Kate Middleton fixation and photo situation has served up just the latest reminder. On screens and stages, a slice of regal intrigue is regularly awaiting our viewing, too, interpreting and remixing the past in the process. The Crown might take ample artistic license with reality, but it's got nothing on the empowering pop-scored twist on the 16th century that's been wowing audiences in Six the Musical. This theatre sensation takes a few cues from well-known history, adds toe-tapping tunes and makes stage magic. If you think that you know the stories of Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr, then you probably do — even those with little interest in Britain's past kings and queens are likely aware that Henry VIII had six wives — but Six the Musical's version isn't about telling the same old tale. Victoria's next dance with the show arrives from Saturday, August 3 at Comedy Theatre. Sydney's will start on Friday, October 25 at Theatre Royal Sydney. And in Brisbane, theatre lovers can start 2025 with Six the Musical at QPAC Playhouse from Thursday, January 2. First premiering back at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, then jumping to London's West End — and winning Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Costume Design, plus a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theatre Album, along the way — Six the Musical gleans inspiration from one of the most famous sextets there's ever been. It also finds its own angle despite how popular the Tudor monarch's love life has been in pop culture. So, move over 00s TV series The Tudors and 2008 movie The Other Boleyn Girl — and this one takes the pop part rather seriously. Six the Musical is presented as a pop concert, in fact, with the Catherines, Annes and Jane all taking to the microphone to tell their stories. Each woman's aim: to stake their claim as the wife who suffered the most at the king's hands, and to become the group's lead singer as a result. Expect Six the Musical's comeback tour to be popular. In Sydney, it played a whopping 15-week Sydney Opera House from December 2021, then returned to the Harbour City from August 2021 due to demand. Six the Musical Australian Tour 2024–25: From Saturday, August 3, 2024 — Comedy Theatre, Melbourne From Friday, October 25, 2024 — Theatre Royal Sydney, Sydney From Thursday, January 2, 2025 — QPAC Playhouse, Brisbane Six the Musical is touring Australia again in 2024 and 2025. For more information, for pre-sale tickets and for general ticket sales from Wednesday, March 27, 2024, head to the musical's website. Images: James D Morgan, Getty Images.
Back in May, Prime Minister Scott Morrison outlined a three-step roadmap to a 'COVIDSafe Australia', which included all interstate borders opening and the possibility of a travel bubble with NZ as part of the third step. That roadmap was then put on hold after a spike in cases across the country, but the Prime Minister has today announced some good news: seven out of eight states and territories are onboard for a revised version of the plan and hope to reopen their borders in time for Christmas. At a national cabinet meeting today, Friday, September 4, the Prime Minister said leaders of the country's states and territories discussed the reopening of interstate borders and all bar WA agreed to work towards reopening them by December. "We agreed today with the objective that was set out in the May plan to be at the end of that three-step process, which we will seek to ensure is even better defined. We said before we wanted to get there in July. And the virus prevented us from achieving that. Seven out of eight states and territories want us to get back to that position in December of this year," the Prime Minister said. He also said that WA has "a very different border and a very different economy than most of the other states and territories" and will not be "joining that aspiration at this time". To ensure the borders open safely, the Prime Minister said states and territories (bar WA) will be moving to a "hotspot model", but the exact definition of a "hotspot" still needed some work and has yet to be agreed upon. According to a document released by the government, and subsequently Tweeted by journalists, that starting point definition is 30 cases in three consecutive days (an average of ten locally acquired cases per day) for metropolitan areas and nine cases over three consecutive days (an average of three a day) for regional and rural areas. Over the past three days, the number of new locally acquired cases in NSW have been seven, nine and 16; and the new daily cases in Victoria have been 81, 113 and 90. [caption id="attachment_772589" align="alignnone" width="1920"] New Zealand[/caption] The Prime Minister also raised the issue of a possible "travel bubble" with New Zealand again, but said at this point it would just be one way. "I spoke to Prime Minister Ardern this morning, and what I advised her was that Australia will be looking to apply the same hotspot approach to New Zealand," the Prime Minister said. "So, that means, when we're in a position to do so... then we would be able to have New Zealanders come to Australia. That doesn't mean Australians can go to New Zealand. That's a matter for Prime Minister Ardern. But if there's no COVID in Christchurch, and there's no COVID in Queensland, then there's no reason both of them can't come to Sydney. And that will mean, I think, an important boost for our tourist economy, whether it's in New South Wales or anywhere else." In terms of other travel, Australia's international travel ban was yesterday extended until Thursday, December 17, but the Prime Minister has previously suggested that the country's border may not open until 2021. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and current interstate travel restrictions, head to the Australian Government website.
If you're a fan of a stiff drink, finding a bar, pub or other boozy establishment generally isn't difficult. Locating a bottle shop selling your beverage of choice usually isn't, either. But if you're giving your liver a rest for a month or longer, you're often the designated driver, or you're staying away from the hard stuff for health, cultural or any other reason, filling your fridge, cupboard and bar cart with decent non-alcoholic alternatives isn't always as easy as it should be. Enter Killjoy Drinks, the new curated online store that specialises in booze-free beverages that you can knock back while your pals are hitting the sauce. It's set to launch on Tuesday, December 1 — and to showcase the best in non-alcoholic drinks from around the world. No, opting away from booze doesn't just mean consuming copious amounts of soft drink. Indeed, showing that there's much, much more to sipping alcohol-free tipples than being stuck with juice, lemonade or water is one of Killjoy Drinks' aims — hence its curated approach. The brainchild of Brisbanite Kat Brophy, who decided to launch the online store after her own experiences trying to find tasty booze-less bevvies, it'll be selling standout local and international drops across three categories: drinks for the wine glass, drinks for the bar cart and drinks to hold in your hand. Think non-alcoholic Melbourne gin, alcohol-free rum from Sweden and zero-proof wine from London, plus non-boozy cocktail premixes from the UK and ready-to-drink G&Ts sans alcohol from our own shores. Heroing indie makers and distilleries, Killjoy Drinks' range will all be available to purchase via its site — and it'll then be delivered to your door anywhere in Australia. You'll be able to nab packs, too, in case you don't quite know where to start. Some will focus on recreating the cocktail experience ($60–80), and others on making you feel like you're sipping wine ($85–170) — or you can opt for a pack with a bit of everything ($160). Explaining her motivation for starting the online store, Brophy explains that "so many of us have enjoyed a glass of wine on a wintry evening. And if you want to spend your Saturday doing Jaegerbombs, go for it. But our philosophy is that you shouldn't have to feel bad for not drinking alcohol. And you shouldn't have to sacrifice your tastebuds either". Killjoy Drinks launches on Tuesday, December 1 — head to the online store's website for further details. Images: photo credit Annika Kafcaloudis / styling credit Nat Turnbull.
First Tropfest announced they'll be moving to Parramatta next year, then Sydney Sacred Music Festival plan a gig on a carpark rooftop, and now local music festival The Plot have confirmed they'll be returning to the Western Sydney suburb for November's festival. Parramatta is being graced with some seriously awesome events lately — and the all-Aussie festival is the icing on the cake. Now in its third year, The Plot comes courtesy of the folks behind Groovin' The Moo. The lineup, which features more Aussie artists than you can fit on the tray of a Ford Falcon, will take place at Parramatta Park on Saturday, November 19. The licensed, all-ages event will include every musical genre under the sun — the lineup includes the likes of party boys The Bennies, Montainge, Vera Blue, Indian Summer, Nicole Millar and Elizabeth Rose, just to name a few. And this will all happen in some sweet sunny grasslands with local food and beverage stalls, which are yet to be announced. Those who have attended the festival before know that food is a big part of the day, with last year's event featuring nosh from local vendors Knafeh, The Emporium, Sundweesh and Riverside Brewery. But we know what you're here for — here's the first lineup announcement. THE PLOT 2016 LINEUP A.B. Original Alex Lahey Allday The Belligerents The Bennies Bootleg Rascal Buoy Dorsal Fins Dylan Joel E^st Elizabeth Rose Gold Fields Indian Summer Ivan Ooze Japanese Wallpaper Lanks Luca Brasi Mallrat Montainge Nicole Millar Ocean Alley Paces Pierce Brothers Running Touch Tash Sultana Thela Plum Tired Lion Vera Blue Ziggy Alberts The Plot will take place on Saturday, November 19 at Parramatta Park. Tickets are on sale now at theplot.co.
It's happening, you guys — we've arrived. We're living in the golden era of music festivals. Along with Meredith, Beyond the Valley and Falls, Lost Paradise is also returning this year for three days over New Year's. We've been dealt such a glut of quality acts, it's definitely going to spoil us. But resolutions can wait. In an effort to make you NYE not the shittiest, most over-hyped night of the year, LP are bringing you a slam dunk of a headliners Sticky Fingers, Flight Facilities, Gang of Youths and Fat Freddy's Drop to ring in a most auspicious 2017. The rest of the lineup is equally impressive, a great mix of local and imported talent. This is Lost Paradise's third year and while that's quite young in festival years, they keep proving they mean business. Their ethos extends past music too and the festival — held in Glenworth Valley (just an hour north of Sydney) — is built around a mix of art, yoga, performance and food. Because there's nothing like a little yoga to dust off a festival hangover. Anyway, we know what we're here for. Check it out. LOST PARADISE 2016 LINEUP Gang of Youths Hot Chip (DJ Set) Hudson Mohawke Eats Everything Big Scary Kölsch (DJ Set) Skream Harts Montaigne, Mark Pritchard Methyl Ethel Motez Lunice Doorly Bad//Dreems Heidi Optimo Young Franco Leon Vynehall Dro Carey The Belligerents Ocean Alley Harvey Sutherland & Bermuda No Zu KLLO Set Mo Luke Million Mossy Mosquito Coast Human Movement Goodwill Wild Honey
In cinemas, on TV and on the page, the past decade or so has served up more than a couple of Nordic noir hits. It's also left audiences wanting more. So, when Australia's annual Scandinavian Film Festival rolls around each year — sitting out 2020 for obvious reasons, though — it tends to deliver a few twisty thrillers from that part of the world. In fact, when 2021's fest kicks off in Sydney on Tuesday, July 6 — and plays Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and Byron Bay as well — it'll start with a must-see new entry in the Scandi-noir genre. Hailing from Denmark, opening night's Wildland stars Sidse Babette Knudsen (Borgen, Westworld) as the head of a family crime syndicate. She's charged with looking after her teenage niece and, in a movie that instantly brings Australia's own Animal Kingdom to mind, the latter soon learns more about the family business. Also on this year's Scandinavian Film Festival lineup: Knudsen again in Copenhagen-set psychological thriller The Exception; masterful and engaging Norwegian film Disco, about an evangelical dance champion who finds her faith tested; and surreal mother-daughter drama Psychosis in Stockholm. Or, for fans of Nordic cinema's big names, relationship drama Hope co-stars Stellan Skarsgård (Chernobyl), musical comedy A Piece of My Heart sees Swedish-born actor Malin Akerman (Rampage) back on home turf, and The Country hails from Icelandic filmmaker Grímur Hákonarson — who directed Rams, which was remade in Australia last year. Other highlights include Icelandic box office hits Agnes Joy and The Last Fishing Trip, the latter of which has been compared to The Hangover; Finnish biopics Helene and Tove, about painter Helene Schjerfbeck and visual artist and author Tove Jansson, respectively; Tigers, which tells the true tale of former Inter Milan player Martin Bengtsson; and closing night's 50th anniversary-screening of The Emigrants starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann. Australia's various country- and region-focused film fests have always let cinephiles see the world without leaving their cinema seats — and with trips out of the country (other than New Zealand) off the cards at the moment, that's clearly a big drawcard at this year's Scandinavian Film Festival, too. The Scandinavian Film Festival tours the country between Tuesday, July 6–Wednesday, August 4, screening at Sydney's Palace Norton, Palace Central and Chauvel Cinemas from July 6–28; Melbourne's Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, The Kino and Pentridge Cinema from July 8–28; Brisbane's Palace Barracks and Palace James St from July 15–August 4; Adelaide's Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas from July 13–August 4; and Perth's Luna Leederville, Luna on SX & Palace Raine Square from July 14– August 4. For the full program, visit the festival website.
After the wild success of 2014's NYE PROM, Goodgod is back with an even shinier and more ecstatic take on New Year's Eve. The Small Club's twin princes — DJ Levins and Shantan Wantan Ichiban — have put together the soundtrack, inviting a bunch of their favourite rap and R&B artists along for the ride. Spend the last few hours of 2014 with Nacho Pop (aka Lord of the Dance), Leon Smith (King of the Bing) and the Laprats, as well as a handpicked selection of yet-to-be-announced special guests. Taking over both rooms, Goodgod's NYE will see Sydney's inner city party haven taken to the utmost heights of jiggy magnificence. The front bar is where you'll find old school R&B-inspired bumpin' and grindin', while the Danceteria will be reserved for the latest and greatest in rap hits. You're asked to dress according to the official code: "Shine bright like a diamond. Visions of ecstasy. Flashy whites. Shiny silver. Rich gold." Fine cigars and premium champagne will be handed out for best costumes and jiggiest dancers. And one deserving couple will win the much-coveted title of Mr and Mrs Jiggy Ball Queen 2014.
Dumplings are a hot commodity in this city. The ability to encase pure, unbridled joy in an edible cocoon of merriment is an art respected by Sydneysiders citywide. Select few dumpling palaces are at the top of their game, those you’d happily wait many an agonising minute for. If you’re any kind of dumpling aficionado, the words Din Tai Fung will have already sprung to mind. Start mixing that chilli/soy balance, the dumpling monarchs have some big ol’ news for you — they’ve opened another new restaurant. Arguably their biggest and most ambitious restaurant yet, Din Tai Fung are opening a two-story, 220-seater eatery at the newly renovated Westfield Miranda. Snuggled amongst the Kingsway precinct, Din Tai Fung's newest member will be cranking out those Xiao Long Bao dumplings you know and love in a brand new setting. The realms of Poseidon are the thematic flavour of the day at the new DTF, Featuring fish scale-like tiling, large koi murals, white-washed walls and aqua detailing. The newest DTF comes after last year's opening of the Chippendale chapter. Southern Sydney residents won't have to commit to an hour trek for those famous Dumpling Gems. "It’s about time we brought our well-loved dumplings down to Sydney’s south," says Australasian director Dendy Harjanto. "We’ve always had Shire customers asking us to bring our dumplings closer so when we were invited to be part of the Miranda revamp we said yes, and what great timing with Lunar New Year just around the corner." Din Tai Fung pumps out over 6000 dumplings daily, with dumpling training carried out at the World Square HQ. It takes two years to become a dumpling master. Two. Years. RESPECT YOUR DUMPLINGS. Din Tai Fung Miranda can be found at Level 2, Kingsway Restaurant Precinct, Miranda Westfield Shopping Centre, Miranda. Open for lunch Monday to Sunday 11am – 3pm, and for dinner Thursday to Saturday 5 – 9.30pm, Sunday to Wednesday 5 – 9pm.
When it comes to showcasing up-and-coming Australian musical talents, and also celebrating the country's music industry in general, Brisbane's BIGSOUND has never held back. Going big is right there in its name, after all. So, with the event finally making its in-person return after a pandemic-afflicted couple of years — and also marking its 21st birthday — it should come as no surprise that it's set to host its biggest lineup ever. Back in April, BIGSOUND confirmed its comeback details for 2022, including dates and basic numbers — a four-day event including the conference side of things, running from Tuesday, September 6–Friday, September 9, and popping up in 21 different venues, to be precise. It also promised that more than 150 bands and artists would take to its stages, too. Now that the full bill is here, that figure has gone up to a whopping 182. [caption id="attachment_861893" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jess Gleeson[/caption] That's 38 artists more than the last in-person event, in 2019, boasted — and they'll take to 23 stages at those 21 Fortitude Valley venues over three nights. Leading the charge: Adrian Dzvuke, Budjerah, flowerkid, Dallas Woods, Mia Wray and Teenage Joans, as well as Dulcie, Ghost Care, Ashwarya, Birdz, Jem Cassar-Daley, Concrete Surfers and VOIID. The list goes on, and also includes the event's first BIGSOUND Country lineup, spanning country The Buckleys, Hinterland, DARLINGHURST, Loren Ryan, Melanie Dyer, Taylor Moss and The Wolfe Brothers. A contingent from New Zealand will head over as well, with JessB, Soaked Oats, Troy Kingi, TE KAAHU, Church & AP, MELODOWNZ and Jenny Mitchell making the trip. [caption id="attachment_861894" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lachlan Douglas[/caption] Wondering which venues will be doing the honours? The list features everywhere from Black Bear Lodge and both inside and outdoors at The Brightside through to The Wickham and The Zoo. If you're a BIGSOUND regular, you'll know what all of this entails: jumping between as many spaces as possible, all teeming with as many bands, industry folks and music-loving punters as possible, and enjoying the latest and greatest tunes and talent that's on offer. Expect 2022's iteration to be no different to usual — well, the pre-pandemic usual — although the vibe is set to jump up a few notches given that there's so much to celebrate. [caption id="attachment_851420" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bianca Holderness[/caption] Past events have showcased everyone from Gang of Youths, Flume, Tash Sultana and Courtney Barnett to San Cisco, Violent Soho, Methyl Ethel and The Jungle Giants, making the BIGSOUND program a very reliable bellwether of current and up-and-coming musos. This year's fest will also include 300 artist showcases and more than 20 parties, while the conference side of things will welcome in 150-plus speakers over 55 sessions (and more than 1500 delegates as well). Leading the conference bill so far: 'Friday' singer Rebecca Black; activist, author and #MeToo movement founder Tarana Burke; Mushroom Group CEO Matt Gudinski; and Jaguar Jonze and Example. BIGSOUND's return to the Valley's streets follows a virtual event in 2020, and comes after 2021's fest was originally slated to go ahead in-person, but had to cancel due to COVID-19. [caption id="attachment_851423" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lachlan Douglas[/caption] BIGSOUND 2022 FESTIVAL LINEUP: Adam Newling Adrian Dzvuke AGUNG MANGO Alter Boy Andrew Gurruwiwi Band Andrew Swift Andy Golledge Anesu Aodhan Asha Jefferies Ashwarya Ayesha Madon Baby Cool Banjo Lucia Beckah Amani BIG SKEEZ BIG WETT Birdz BLOODMOON Blusher Bones and Jones BOY SODA Brekky Boy Bud Rokesky Budjerah Bumpy C.O.F.F.I.N Caroline & Claude Chanel Loren Chloe Dadd Church & AP CLOE TERARE Club Angel Cody Jon COLLAR CONCRETE SURFERS cookii Dallas Woods dameeeela Daniel Shaw DARLINGHURST Dean Brady Death by Denim Diimpa Dulcie Eastbound Buzz EGOISM Eilish Gilligan Eliza Hull Eluize Enclave ENOLA Evie Irie Fash Five Island Drive flowerkid FLY BOY JACK Folk Bitch Trio Forest Claudette FOURA Franko Gonzo Full Flower Moon Band Future Static Germein Ghost Care Girl and Girl Gold Fang Grace Cummings and Her Band Grand Pine Great Sage Greatest Hits grentperez Greta Stanley Grievous Bodily Calm Hallie HANNI Hauskey Hinterland Holliday Howe Hope D ISUA JACOTÉNE JELLY OSHEN Jem Cassar-Daley Jenny Mitchell Jerome Farah Jess Day JessB June Jones KANADA THE LOOP Kee'ahn KEYAN Kid Pharaoh Kutcha Edwards LÂLKA Lee Sugar LION Liyah Knight Loren Ryan LOSER MALi JO$E Melaleuca Melanie Dyer MELODOWNZ Memphis LK merci, mercy Mia Wray Mitch Santiago Molly Millington Monnie Moonboy Moss MOUNTAIN WIZARD DEATH CULT Mr Rhodes Mulalo MUNGMUNG Mvlholland Newport Nick Griffith Nick Ward Noah Dillon OK HOTEL Old Mervs Phoebe Go Pink Matter Platonic Sex Queen P RinRin Romero Roy Bing Ruby Gill Ryan Fennis & Voidhood Saint Ergo Sam Windley San Joseph Sappho Sarah Wolfe SayGrace Selfish Sons Selve Shanae (FKA MADAM3EMPRESS) Shannen James Siobhan Cotchin Skeleten Soaked Oats SOPHIYA South Summit Srirachi Stevan Suzi Talk Heavy Tasman Keith Taylor Moss TE KAAHU Teenage Dads Teenage Joans Teether & Kuya Neil Tentendo The Atomic Beau Project The Buckleys The Last Martyr The Rions THE RIOT The Terrys The Wolfe Brothers To Octavia Toby Hobart Troy Kingi Tulliah VOIID VOLI K Waxflower WIIGZ Wildheart Woodes Yb. Yen Strange yergurl YNG Martyr Zeolite ZPLUTO BIGSOUND 2022 VENUES: Black Bear Lodge Blute's Bar The Brightside The Brightside Outdoors EC Venue Ivory Tusk King Lear's Throne La La Land O'Skulligans The Outpost Press Club The Prince Consort Hotel Prohibition Ric's Bar + Backyard Stranded Bar Summa House Tomcat The Warehouse The Wickham Woolly Mammoth Mane Stage The Zoo BIGSOUND 2022 will take place between Tuesday, September 6–Friday, September 9 in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. For more information, or to buy tickets, visit bigsound.org.au. Top image: Bianca Holderness.
It's best known for whipping up eye-popping, intricate sweet treats; including the legendary strawberry and watermelon creation that once claimed the title of 'world's most Instagrammed cake'. But for its latest trick, Sydney-born bakery Black Star Pastry is doing something a little different. The famed brand is now in the business of liquid treats, today releasing two new signature drinks inspired by two of its best-loved cakes. It's time to ditch your usual coffee order and say g'day to the Strawberry Watermelon Latte and the Hot Chocolate Mirage. The decadent sips will be joining the menu permanently at all of Black Star's Sydney and Melbourne stores, clocking in at $7 a pop. Fans of pink drinks will be all about the strawberry and watermelon concoction — crafted on a secret-recipe syrup featuring all the same notes as the iconic cake, as well as almond milk to capture the flavours of its almond dacquoise layers. It's all finished with a spritz of rosewater, a sprinkling of pistachio powder and a garnish of rose petals. For the chocolate fiends, there's the Hot Chocolate Mirage, which is built on rooibos tea — just like its eponymous Choc Mirage Slice. The tea's mixed with your choice of milk, plus caramel, hazelnut syrup and paste, and rich Valrhona Madagascan Manjari chocolate. Then, the drink's garnished with chocolate and gold, and served with the same passionfruit, chocolate and yuzu sun that normally sits atop the cake. Find the Strawberry Watermelon Latte and the Hot Chocolate Mirage at all Black Star stores in Sydney (Newtown, CBD, Rosebery, Moore Park) and Melbourne (Chadstone).
Virtual assistants in our homes, facial recognition technology everywhere, drones throughout the skies — it's no secret that we're being watched and listened to more than ever before. None of us want our data used for nefarious purposes, but what is the true price of living in such a state of surveillance? The Ethics Centre director Dr Simon Longstaff is chairing a panel — which features AI researcher Toby Walsh, former national human rights commissioner Edward Santow and journalist and filmmaker Yaara Bou Melhem — that will attempt to answer some of the modern world's most urgent questions. Join these luminaries in The Great Hall at UTS as they share their ideas and concerns.
With a couple of years under its belt, Cake Wines' urban cellar door has launched itself into a new phase of life, reopening this week with a full kitchen, revamped menu and warmer feel. A few edges have been polished and the energy tweaked as the team behind the Redfern bar sets out to deliver a place where people can really settle in and enjoy. The food offering has been ramped up to better complement the vino. While previously only pizza and snacks were available, the cellar door now offers a full, seasonally rotating menu across brunch, lunch and dinner. You'll still find pizzas — and some banging snacks — though now they're backed by dishes like savoury doughnuts stuffed with jamón and taleggio, roasted carrots with chilli honey and whipped goat's curd and seared lamb with wakame and puffed black rice. On the wine list, Cake's own beloved creations now star alongside guest drops from their favourite up-and-comers, including Clare Valley's Riesling Freak and Adelaide Hill's Alpha Box & Dice. It also now has a compact list of cocktails — with drinks such as yuzu spritzes and Australian negronis — spirits and digestifs. Cake Wines owner and co-founder Glen Cassidy has also hinted to more exciting things to come. "We've got a couple of other surprises up our sleeve over the next six months too," he explains. "It's a super exciting time to be in wine, rules are falling by the wayside, it's awesome." Cake's cellar door regular lineup of live tunes will continue, too, though they'll now be brought to life with a revamped sound system and better acoustics. Young Sydney jazz artists will continue to get a big look-in with the likes of Friday's Jazz! Attack with Tom Studdy, while a stable of resident DJ's includes names like Adi Toohey, Simon Caldwell, Anno and Mija Heally will also feature. Cake Wines's Cellar Door will reopen this Thursday, July 19, at 16 Eveleigh Street, Redfern. Its new opening hours are Thursday 6pm–11pm; Friday 12pm–3pm and 6pm–midnight; Saturday 11am–11.55pm; and Sunday 11am–5pm.
Bustling city life can be stressful and overwhelming, even to resident Sydneysiders. Escape the chaos of the city streets with The Sport For Jove Theatre Company as they present one of Shakespeare's most magical plays, A Midsummer Night's Dream. The company is partnering with the Sydney Morning Herald Autumn Festival of Arts to put on the show in the peaceful sanctuary of the Royal Botanic Gardens throughout March. Director Damien Ryan strives to capture the pure comedy, romance and adventure of Shakespeare's famous tale. The performance will be a vibrant interpretation of the classical myth, in which young women attempt to break free from the claustrophobic city to frolic in the open woods in search for heart's desire. Pack some blankets, food and wine and enjoy a picnic on the Tropical Centre Lawn for either a night under the stars or an afternoon matinee. The compelling love story will entertain and enchant, and will calm those tense nerves that come with the city lifestyle.
Sydney has a seemingly insatiable appetite for the food truck. And fans of tucker that comes kitsch and on wheels will be pleased to know there’s a new kid on the culinary calendar: Food Trucks After Dark. As the name suggests, it’s all about bringing the best trucks that make food to you after the sun goes down. And they’re teaming up with the folk from Work-Shop, Redfern’s centre for stuff you’ve always wanted to learn but they never taught you at school (y’know, gelato-making, kokedama-crafting, illustrative hand lettering). Work-Shop HQ has just relocated the corner of Cleveland and Eveleigh Streets, and the food truck takeover sets up shop in its newly graffed-up car park every Wednesday and Thursday night. Expect a rotating lineup of all your old favourites, including Veggie Patch Van, Tsuru, Agape and Cantina Movil. As for Work-Shop, it looks like they’re going to continue in the same vein of gloriously specific masterclasses. See: the basics of street art with Sid Tapia and pastry things with pastry chef/probable rockstar Anna Polyviou. Image: Natasha Mulhall.
If a cheeky ancient spirit wanted to unleash their signature beverage, how would they go about it? Mix up some rum cocktails? Corral a bunch of bands and DJs? Take over some bars and pubs? In the case of Campari's new lip-smacking spirit Baron Samedi Spiced, all of the above proves true. To celebrate the launch of Baron Samedi Spiced — a Caribbean rum laced with spices such as vanilla, cacao, cinnamon and native Haitian spice Vetiver — the folklore villain is spreading his brand of mystery across Sydney and Melbourne. After all, you don't become a skull-faced underworld figure in Haitian Voodoo, leader of the Guédé, guardian of the afterlife (and general go-to dude whenever magic and death comes up) without causing a bit of mischief. If you're in NSW, you have a few options, starting with Baron Samedi Haitian Nights at Taylor's Rooftop from June 8 to July 7. If Sunday hangouts and tunes by Sydney hip hop legend Joyride north of the bridge take your fancy, there will also be heap of fun stuff taking place at Manly Wharf Hotel and Daniel San throughout June and July. Melburnians can head to Brunswick's Penny Black to get in on the action, with local band Dallas Frasca kicking things off with a live set on June 3. The venue will also offer nightly Baron Samedi drink specials until the end of July, as will Big Mouth St Kilda. So it's time to switch to rum for winter — it's one of the best ways to keep warm, after all.
Nineties kids, Disney fans and everyone who's ever cried over a lion cub that just couldn't wait to be king, it's time to climb onto a rock and yell your lungs out. The circle of life has struck again, and The Lion King is back. It's in live-action form this time around, and the first teaser trailer for the new movie has just dropped. Releasing in mid-2019, the film will once again tell the tale of Simba, who's set to take over the pride from his father Mufasa, only for his malicious uncle Scar to get in the way. You know where it goes from there — and while you're watching extremely life-like lions prowl around Africa, you'll be hearing the voices of Donald Glover as Simba, none other than Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as his childhood pal Nala, and James Earl Jones as his dad. Yes, the latter is reprising his role from the original film. Other big names attached include Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, John Oliver as Zazu, and Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen as Timon and Pumbaa. Elton John is back working on the soundtrack with Tim Rice, as they both did on the first film. They'll reportedly have some help from Beyoncé, naturally, while The Jungle Book's Jon Favreau is in the director's chair for the entire production. If you're anxious about how it might turn out, it's worth taking Timon and Pumbaa's advice at this early stage — although this initial look should help get rid of your worries for the rest of your days. The Lion King hits Australian cinemas on July 18, 2019. Feel the love for the first trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJbI5f3z3Po&feature=youtu.be
Since June 1, when regional travel across NSW was allowed once again, Sydneysiders have had (pretty much) free rein of NSW. But, today, Wednesday, July 8, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has warned against travel to (and from) some regional towns as COVID-19 cases spike in Victoria. While a large swathe of Victoria is reentering lockdown from midnight tonight and the Victoria-NSW border has closed (for the first time in 100 years), Premier Berejiklian has said that the possibility of contagion in NSW is "extremely high". "We are in a high-risk situation and I don't want to see the good work we've done in New South Wales undone," the Premier said at a press conference today. To help mitigate the risk of increased infections in NSW, the Government is effectively sealing off towns on the Victorian border. "If you live in a border community and you're a New South Wales resident, please do not travel outside your border community at this time," the Premier said. "If you are a New South Wales resident outside of those border communities, please do not go to those communities unless you absolutely have to." https://www.facebook.com/NewSouthWalesHealth/posts/1339669139565757?__xts__[0]=68.ARBDT6dzQmTEZQc7n72PZdN6keGYOqYbAxD4WYXH6tkyP5SNM0ooTzOtoLqkz694IqWNbjD91XlTdXAA7JQqX53SVTwxmFb7N5JCpD22_fu8p-WDEuh6Cf3KrVSyVDXOyPG-lmTJs4lDuKp2gluVwp4wqe6q3GjGAYyos8WhHvtnxvXKs7K8UKEYcBZZAufXXwCpJ7V7v1hfT6IKCtpy1mkUQugPIgdX8yD1d9MRGzLycrdJ5iDkBIFWaPWyGAeSCMr3SeI142DFvv0Ws0v4S4gsGVHKHRt251DPlgrOoXTlNlEWS99tRyRGUSxs0S1CLZetotDv5i4_aCTX1NFFAX1KHsfavme-i8ITx8t0Vmiy36iplTsH0UhLI_VRXOiBgDGkKBQ6PrwDQNqszxm__25clCAaxbYWYfYK20lYrvoTEycsbKOP46BPYWk8D_cvnjA6vt0GuR4AYAKSG0hoB09lyCeI36RzoJt2XUTIzAaQj29iN5hNUs3y&__tn__=-R While no public health orders have been put in place preventing travel to or from these towns as yet, the Premier has not ruled the possibility of this happening in the near future. "I will stress that the government is considering what further action we take to make sure the bubble, as we call it, of those border communities is maintained." Exactly what towns are considered "border communities" has not been set in stone, but the NSW Government is encouraging Sydneysiders to use their commonsense. "Border community means a community that a reasonable person would consider to be a community located at or near the border," is the definition used in the newly published border control public health order. In the press conference earlier today, the Premier mentioned Albury and Wagga Wagga, as well as Merimbula, where there is a returned traveller from Victoria who has tested positive and is currently in isolation. At the moment, the border between Victoria and NSW is closed — as of midnight on Tuesday, July 7 — and those who want to enter from Victoria, including NSW residents, will need to apply for a permit via Service NSW. The NSW Government has said patrolling the border will be a "mammoth task" as there are 55 border crossings, including four main roads, 33 bridges, two waterways and multiple smaller roads, across 11 local government areas and five police districts. Those who cross without a permit, or do not follow the permit rules, could be hit with an $11,000 fine and spend up to six months in jail. For more information about the new border restrictions and the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Government website. Top image: A town near the NSW-Victorian border by Denisbin via Flickr.
For the second year in a row — and only the second time in the more than three decades that the country's professional Aussie Rules competition has called itself the Australian Football League — the AFL grand final might be hosted outside of Melbourne. AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan has announced that the code will shift the biggest game of the 2021 season to Perth's Optus Stadium if the Victorian capital is still under lockdown, or if the Melbourne Cricket Ground is unable to welcome in spectators. In 2020, the AFL made the move to the Brisbane Cricket Ground, aka the Gabba, due to Melbourne's lengthy stint of stay-at-home conditions. Now, a year later, the city is currently under lockdown for the sixth time during the pandemic, which is set to remain in place at this stage until Thursday, September 2. Whether the stay-at-home rules will ease then as planned is yet to be seen, with Victoria's new locally acquired COVID-19 case numbers hovering between 40–71 since Thursday, August 19. And, if lockdown does end before the scheduled grand final date on Saturday, September 25, whether Melbourne's stadiums will be permitted to host crowds under post-lockdown restrictions is similarly unknown. Announcing the news on Wednesday, August 25, AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan said that "if we're unable to play at the MCG, the Grand Final will be at Optus Stadium... The capacity available at Optus Stadium is 100 percent and that's pretty compelling to have as many people as we can see the biggest and best sporting event in the country," he continued. Optus Stadium can 60,000 people, and the AFL is expected to make a final decision sometime during the week beginning Monday, August 30. That's the same week that the lockdown not just in Melbourne but also in all of Victoria is currently set to end — and that the city's and state's residents will learn if it's being extended. Perth will host the 2021 Toyota AFL Grand Final, if the MCG cannot hold the event in front of crowds. — AFL (@AFL) August 25, 2021 In 2020, the AFL also nominated a backup stadium in the event that cases surged in Brisbane. If the game is held in Perth, it's likely either Adelaide Oval or the Gabba could be named as backups. Moving the game to Perth also means that 2020's night grand final won't be repeated due to the time difference between Australia's west and east coasts. McLachlan said that the AFL would be looking at an afternoon or twilight time slot. A Perth grand final won't feature any Western Australian AFL teams, however, with both the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers failing to make the code's finals season. Just like last year, it really shouldn't have taken three decades for a competition that's not only named after the entire country, but that changed its moniker in 1990 to reflect the fact that it was no longer just about Victoria, to host its deciders in other cities. Before 2020, the grand final had actually been played at venues other than the MCG before — but still in Melbourne. The MCG remains contracted to host the grand final for a significant period moving forward, however, with its contact originally running through until 2057, then extended until 2058 as part of the agreement to allow the game to be played at the Gabba in 2020. If the move to Perth happens this year, it wouldn't be surprising if the arrangement with the MCG will be extended again. If you're a Victorian — whether you've been missing the footy over the past month, or you're not fussed about the sport at all — you might be wondering about the usual pre-grand final public holiday. Last year, even with the game being played in Brisbane, the holiday still went ahead. What'll happen this year hasn't been revealed as yet. The 2021 AFL Grand Final will take place on Saturday, September 25 — at the MCG if it is able to host a crowd, or at Optus Stadium in Perth otherwise. A final decision is expected during the week beginning Monday, August 30, and you can read more about the current details on the AFL website. Top image: Optus Stadium, Government of Western Australia.
Pint-sized Maisie (Onata Aprile) has a skewed view of adult life, with slammed doors and whispered rows as much a part of her world as playmates and puzzles. Her parents are Beale (Steve Coogan), a globe-trotting, supercilious art dealer and Susanna (Julianne Moore), a rock star who fails to notice how heavily she is flirting with cliche as a rock star with panda eyes, messy hair and ever-present cigarettes. Their marriage has dissolved into open hostility as Susanna locks Beale out of their luxurious Manhattan apartment. They next meet at divorce court, where both seek full custody of Maisie. The court instead orders joint custody in allotments of ten days for each parent, starting a heart-sinking cycle where both parents fail to keep up with their responsibility to pass the child onto the other, meaning the wide-eyed Maisie is left at school, in a bar, in the lobby of the apartments. Beale quickly ups the stakes, marrying Maisie's somewhat timid but well-meaning nanny Margo (Joanna Vanderham) and setting up house with her. Fuelled by spite, Susanna retaliates with a marriage of convenience of her own, quickly wedding Lincoln (Alexander Skarsgard), a naive bartender who soon develops a bond with Maisie. Both parents continue to throw emotional barbs at each other through their daughter, but as they both start spending more time out of the city for work, Maisie ends up increasingly left in the care of either Margo or Lincoln, or sometimes both. Told entirely from the point of view of the neglected Maisie, this is a fragmented story made up of overheard snippets of conversation, claim and counterclaim. Completely convincing and beautifully nuanced, it becomes an involving affair, all the more effective for taking an unconventional route to your heartstrings and generally eschewing the kind of histrionics or easy sentimentality that could have come with this territory. Based on Henry James' 1897 novel of the same name, the story has been seamlessly moved from the 19th century to the present and from London to New York, suggesting there is something essentially timeless at the heart of this story. Despite the presence of a quartet of first rate actors who nail all the details of their respective roles, the narrative's exclusive focus on the child's perspective of events means What Maisie Knew has to live or die on the performance of Aprile, who was aged just six at the time of filming. Thankfully her performance never hits a false note. Acting as the tale's unlikely moral centre, she is remarkable as a child who maintains her essential goodness in the face of deplorable neglect and selfishness. https://youtube.com/watch?v=GHHt5eYl95c
Ginuwine's 90s banger 'Pony' is about to get another workout — because Magic Mike, the Channing Tatum-starring franchise about male strippers chasing the American dream one shirtless dance at a time, is heading back to screens. That's great news for Ginuwine's royalties, and even better news for fans of the savvy — and sweaty, and scantily-clad — movie saga, which has also spawned its own Tatum-produced live show. And, yes, Tatum will be returning in Magic Mike's Last Dance as the eponymous Mike Lane. Well world, looks like Mike Lane's tapping back in. @hbomax pic.twitter.com/V9Ce62n710 — Channing Tatum (@channingtatum) November 29, 2021 If you somehow missed the 2012 hit, it saw Tatum turn his own background as a stripper in Tampa, Florida into one of that year's most perceptive flicks. The Matthew McConaughey, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello and Alex Pettyfer-starring film unsurprisingly became a box-office hit, too, with its combination of blue collar struggles and gyrating on-stage antics striking a chord to the tune of $167.2 million in takings. It was then followed by 2015's Magic Mike XXL, which did indeed manage to live up to its name — not merely by doubling down on what made the first movie such a success, but by also shrewdly recognising the power of the female gaze. Filmmaker Steven Soderbergh (Logan Lucky, Unsane) directed, shot and edited the initial movie, then just shot and edited the second; however, he's sitting back in the helmer's chair for Magic Mike's Last Dance. Also returning is screenwriter Reid Carolin, who has done the honours all the entire franchise so far. As for what it's about, Tatum's tweet announcing the movie didn't provide any details other than the fact that Mike is tapping back in — and, thanks to the film's title, that this is his final outing. Exactly when you'll be able to see the feature hasn't yet been revealed either, but it's heading to HBO Max, the cable network's streaming platform, in the US when it does surface. There's no word yet on where and when the bumping and grinding will appear Down Under. Also, there's clearly no sneak peek for Magic Mike's Last Dance so far, either, but here's the original film's trailer to get you in the mood: Exactly when Magic Mike's Last Dance will release — and where it'll be available Down Under — hasn't yet been revealed. We'll update you with more details when they come to hand.
In response to Melbourne's growing Holiday Inn COVID-19 cluster, the entire state of Victoria will enter a five-day lockdown from 11.59pm on Friday, February 12 until the same time on Wednesday, February 17. That means that stage four restrictions will be back in effect, and you'll only be able to leave your house for the now-familiar four reasons. The lockdown is happening in the middle of one of Melbourne's biggest annual sporting events, too: the Australian Open. It's running from Monday, February 8–Sunday, February 21, with big-name stars including Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Rafael Nadal flying in (and quarantining) for the event. The good news is that the Australian Open will go ahead during the five-day lockdown. The bad: no spectators will be allowed to attend. https://twitter.com/AustralianOpen/status/1360069954800807938 Under the new stage four restriction rules, professional athletes are considered 'essential workers', so they are allowed to leave their homes and their five-kilometre radius to go to work. This means, not only can the Australian Open games go ahead — but so can the AFLW games that are scheduled for this weekend. Once again, without crowds. It does mean, however, that you can't head out in person to cheer on Ashleigh Barty, Carlton or North Melbourne, but you can order in a feast for you and your housemates (or intimate partner) and yell as loud as you want from the comfort of your house. In regards to tonight's matches, in particular the much-hyped 7pm game between Nick Kyrgios and Dominic Thiem, the AO has said "sessions today and tonight will continue as planned with COVIDSafe protocols in place". But, do remember that stage four restrictions begin at 11.59pm. All of Victoria will revert back to stage four restrictions from 11.59pm on Friday, February 12 to 11.59pm on Wednesday, February 17. For more information about the rules, head to the Victorian Department of Health website. Top image: Australian Open 2020 by Rob Keating via Wikimedia Commons
Zhang Huan lives for the ephemeral. The Shanghai-based performance artist has made a celebrated, controversial career from moments of fleeting intensity — from having mangled doll parts and red liquid poured over him at Beijing’s National Art Gallery, to calligraphing his entire family tree all over his face and using fish and honey to attract flies to his body from his childhood village’s public toilets. Yep, intense. But in recent years, the artist has found a new Buddhist-infused means to find enlightenment in the temporary — and we get to join him this summer at Carriageworks. Zhang Huan’s Sydney Buddha (presented in conjunction with Sydney Festival) joins the Carriageworks program in 2015, if only for a limited life. For this highly-anticipated work, two, five metre tall Buddha sculptures made of 20 tonnes of incense ash and its aluminium case, will face each other. Made of incense ash collected from Chinese temples (and set to disintegrate slowly within Carriageworks) acting in the same way a Tibetan Buddhist mandala works — a stunning, complex, time-consuming artwork to be briefly enjoyed and subsequently destroyed, reminding us of the brevity of life. Sydney Buddha will sit in the Carriageworks public space from January 8 until March 15, available to view from 10am-6pm daily. Zhang Huan will speak about his work ‘In Conversation’ at Carriageworks on Thursday, January 8 at 4pm. Tickets are free and currently waitlisting, available here. Image: Zan Wimberley — Zhang Huan, Sydney Buddha, 2015, ash and aluminium. Presented by Carriageworks in association with Sydney Festival, courtesy PACE Gallery, New York.
University ruined lectures for us all. Some were amazing, interesting or even mind-blowing, but the fact remains that lectures are dull. Right? Wrong. Rather than let lectures remain the domain of the masochistic university professor, the folks at the Giant Dwarf (the Chaser team) are bringing us TOD Talks — a series of talks from some of the greatest minds of our generation. Well, some of the minds of our generation. It’s an opportunity for pop culture personalities to sit us down and tell us what they really think. The audience drinks, and the lecturer plays with a PowerPoint presentation, delivering an epic speech on whatever the hell topic they like. TOD Talks promises to be an amusing and informative way to garner some varied perspectives on life, the universe and everything.
Every year across ten days, FOOD (Food of Orange District) Week shows off the best fare from 'The Food Basket' of New South Wales, including the best local produce, chefs and restaurants, as well as cool-climate wines. Kickstart your culinary adventure at the FOOD Week Night Market on Friday, April 5 with food and wine from over 50 stalls, or head to FOOD HQ to pick the brains of local farmers, chefs and providores and buy their produce directly from them. If you need a lift to Orange from Sydney, hop aboard the FOOD Train. Departing from Central Station, you'll embark on a weekend-long journey filled with tasting menus, outdoor lunches and gourmet brunches. You'll also hear from local producers, explaining how their food gets from paddock to plate. There are several more gourmet experiences to be had during the week in Orange, including Forage on Saturday, April 13, a gentle 4.1-kilometre walk through vineyards and paddocks with wine tasting and a nine-course degustation made with local produce along the way. The Autumn Grazing Dinner returns, too, this time headed up by local chef Richard Learmonth. Enjoy the experience of wandering through Blayney while sampling local produce and wine and dancing the night away
If you had only ever watched five horror movies in your life, odds are that one would've covered being careful what you wish for, and another would've focused on not messing with nature. It's equally likely that growing up being hell, motherhood being even more nightmarish and grappling with the terrors of the human body would've popped up as well. These all rank among the genre's favourite concepts, alongside haunted houses, murderous forces, demonic influences and the undead — and, making her feature filmmaking debut with the savvily sinister-meets-satirical blend that is Hatching, Finnish writer/director Hanna Bergholm knows this. She's also innately aware that something unique, distinctive and unnerving can still spring from stitching together well-used notions and now-familiar parts, which, on- and off-screen, is her bold and memorable body-horror, twisted fairy tale and dark coming-of-age thriller in an eggshell. Hatching begins by unpacking a fallacy as fractured as Humpty Dumpty after the nursery-rhyme character's fall — and that still keeps being lapped up anyway. In suburban Finland, among homes so identical that the song 'Little Boxes' instantly pops into your head, 12-year-old gymnast Tinja (debutant Siiri Solalinna), her younger brother Matias (fellow first-timer Oiva Ollila), and their mother (Sophia Heikkilä, Dual) and father Jani Volanen, Dogs Don't Wear Pants) are living their best lives. More than that, as the soft lensing and music that helps open the movie establishes, they're also beaming that picture of pink, white and pastel-hued domestic perfection to the world. Tinja's unnamed mum is a vlogger, and these scenes are being captured for her cloyingly named blog Lovely Everyday Life. Naturally, showing that this family of four's daily existence is anything but enchanting is one of Bergholm's first aims. The initial crack comes from outside, crashing through the window to ruin a posed shot alight with fake smiles and, of course, being filmed with a selfie stick. Soon, broken glass, vases and lamps are strewn throughout a lounge room so immaculately arranged that it looks straight out of a supermarket-shelf home-and-garden magazine — and the crowning glory, the chandelier, has descended from a luminous pièce de résistance to a shattered mess. A garden-variety crow is the culprit, which Tinja carefully captures. She hands it to her mother, thinking that they'll then release it outside. But her mum, placid but seething that anything could disrupt her manufactured picture of bliss, ignores that idea with a cruel snap and instructions to dispose of the animal in the organic waste. Watching the source of her own life snuff out a bird's because it temporarily disturbed the faux, performative idyll is understandably a formative moment for Tinja, and one of several early splinters. The girl is clearly nowhere near as enthused about gymnastics as her mum is about having a star gymnast for a daughter, even before Tinja is forced to train until her palms are torn and bloody. She's also unsettled when she sees her mother kissing handyman Tero (Reino Nordin, Deadwind), then justifies having a "special friend" because he satisfies her in ways Tinja's dutiful dad doesn't. So when Tinja finds the crow's egg in a nest outside, she's quick to take it into her care — both because of and despite her mum. She nurtures it tenderly, placing it inside a teddy bear for safe keeping. She gains her own little universe to dote over. Then the egg keeps growing, and a human-sized chick emerges. Hatching is economical, running for a mere 86 minutes. It also unfurls that above setup in its first third. From there, screenwriter Ilja Rautsi (Spandex Sapiens) — working with a story co-credited to Bergholm — spins a narrative that's part creature feature, too, but wholly steeped in Tinja's experiences encroaching womanhood and tackling her own form of motherhood under the wing of someone who always puts appearances first. The grin-and-bear-it attitude that's imparted to adolescent girls to deal with bullying; the pressure to be perfect physically, emotionally and mentally, no matter the cost; the stigma around body image; the force exerted by caregivers and society alike around bodily agency; the urges and desires that comes with bubbling hormones: they're all weaved into Hatching's smart script. So too is the reality that, for girls, farewelling childhood doesn't just mean menstruation and other physical changes, but the potential to get pregnant, become a mother and have your existence forever tied to your offspring. If Rosemary's Baby springs to mind in Hatching's repeated lullaby-like refrain, plus the Alien franchise in its visceral depiction of twisted maternity, that's understandable. If there's a touch of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial to the relationship between Tinja and the creature, but filtered through Black Swan and Us, that is as well. 2021's similar blend of folklore and parenthood, Lamb, also flaps gently — and the mother of all tales about sparking life, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, too. One visual touch nods so overtly to David Lynch's Twin Peaks that you expect someone to mention damn fine coffee, while Blue Velvet's peeling back of suburban facades weighs heavily. The body-horror work of that other iconic filmmaking David, The Brood, Scanners and The Fly's Cronenberg, also flutters underneath as a clear influence. But Bergholm has incubated a rare movie that both makes its sources of inspiration blatant and feels like its own beast sprung from their combined DNA. One of the film's most striking moves hails from its twinning not just of Tinja and her surrogate offspring (via a supremely disturbing animatronic puppet to begin with, and evolving from there), but of two ways of soaring through the world. When cinematographer Jarkko T Laine (Finnish TV's Cargo) isn't lensing Päivi Kettunen's (Hotel Swan Helsinki) exacting production design, which weaponises floral wallpaper to a chilling degree, like an influencer's Instagram story — or peering into shadowy wardrobes and under beds — he's connecting the visual dots between flying birds and gymnastic acrobatics. For Tinja, though, the latter hasn't ever meant freedom. As so astonishing portrayed by Solalinna in a complicated part, and against such an entertainingly monstrous turn by Heikkilä, she's always felt trapped and henpecked in the nest. Hatching splits open that coop, its artifice and all the lies that reside within it — and, while happily obvious at times, makes for a crackingly clever, grotesque and canny watch.
Australia no longer has to wait out the storm; it's time to dance in the 'Purple Rain'. After months of rumours, Prince's Oz tour dates have finally been confirmed. This is the first time in eight years that Prince has toured Australia, and he's bound to return in all of his sparkly, guitar-soloing glory. He'll be at the NSW Allphones Arena Sydney on May 11, 12 and 22. There may be more in the works, however. The last time Prince visited Oz, he performed a series of 'secret' shows and held afterparties at local clubs — so stay tuned. Doves, there is no longer reason to cry. The Prince has returned. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ij-jM8CcQIQ
Calling all beer connoisseurs: what kind of flavour do you prefer? Hoppy or sour? Which type of brew do you think is more popular? To answer these important questions, Basement Brewhouse has asked six breweries to showcase one of each style from their selections. This event runs from Sunday, October 22 to Sunday, October 29 from 11am–11pm — so there's plenty of time to pop down, grab a paddle and make your vote count with the tokens gained from buying a taster. The competing breweries are Mornington Peninsula Brewery, HopDog BeerWorks (from Nowra, NSW), Marrickville's Batch Brewing Co., Camperdown's Wayward Brewing Co., Feral Brewing from WA and Bridge Road Brewers from country Victoria. Who will be crowned champion? You'll have to head along to find out.
The story behind Melbourne folk foursome Husky's new song, 'I'm Not Coming Back', sounds pretty damn cute. It's something to do with looking up at the stars in the night sky, seeing the lights of airplanes gliding under them and the universal need to leave parts of ourselves behind. Swoon. This whimsically starry-eyed vision fits perfectly with the soaring sounds of the track itself. But contrary to the song's title, Husky are indeed coming back — with a show at Newtown Social Club on July 31 as part of their first headline tour since 2012. The folk-fuelled whiz kids stole hearts back in 2011 with their debut LP Forever So. Husky became the first Aussie band to be signed to Seattle label and arbiters of cool Sub Pop, then toured pretty much non-stop around Australia, the USA and Europe for a couple of years. It's a good thing they stopped and took a break, because now we're privvy to a whole lot of new Husky — as well as promising to play much-loved tracks from Forever So, they've been working on a whole lot of new folky goodness to tour with.
Forget about tech-heavy toys and gizmos: kids can still have hours of fun bouncing up and down in a jumping castle. But this landmark pop-up is no ordinary experience, with The Big Bounce Australia featuring the world's largest jumping castle. Spanning a mind-boggling 1500 square metres, this sprawling inflatable contains slides, climbing walls, ball pits, basketball hoops and a central performance area with music and hosted activities. Plus, this huge blow-up runs alongside a 300-metre obstacle course, complete with over 50 challenges that'll test kids of all ages (not to mention adults). Leap into the galaxy-themed airSPACE zone, home to a five-lane slide, multiple elevated platforms and moon craters filled with balls. Meanwhile, the Sport Slam zone is jam-packed with goals, nets, hoops and balls so that everyone can bounce and compete at the same time. Touring nationally, The Big Bounce Australia is now at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne until Sunday, January 11, before travelling to Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth over the next three months. With tickets starting from $40, three-hour sessions are held for toddlers, juniors and bigger kids. And for those aged 16 and older, adult-only sessions give you the chance to tackle this bouncy wonderland. "We are pleased to begin the tour in Melbourne, where there is strong demand for active, outdoor entertainment throughout summer," says Noa Overby, Tour Manager for Big Bounce Australia, "The Big Bounce offers a broad mix of activities that appeal to a wide range of ages and encourages people to get involved in something that is both social and physical."
This October, the streets of Marrickville will be flooded with over 120 stalls boasting local produce, indie artwork and emerging artists, all set to the backdrop of live music pouring from the main stage. Yep, Marrickville Festival is back for 2016. The entertainment lineup features indie rock band Edens March and jazz troupe Stormcellar, with live music playing continuously from 10am until 5pm on Sunday, October 23. If you're more Bollywood than blues, the international dance floor will be hosting live performances by the Amera's Palace belly dancers and drummers, alongside demonstrations by Sydney Self Defence, and many more. The festival promises a sensational day out in the sun for both small and big kids alike. Whatever you're into, it's as good a reason as any to spend a Sunday in Marrickville Image: Wendy Kimpton.
The super-adorable Finders Keepers Markets have been home to Sydney's most creative and quirky designers for five years. The independent hip-fest is returning to their home at Eveleigh's Australian Technology Park for two days in December. The biannual, designer-centric, come-one-come-all mini-festival has managed to bridge the gap between local market and exclusive exhibition, creating a space for independent designers to engage with the wider community. You'll be able to nab some marvellous treats difficult to find anywhere else. From bespoke leather goods to bespoke stationary, upcycled journals to upcycled bicycle reflectors, every stall will be a unique shopping experience that combines innovative design with grassroots feel-goodery. As usual, there will be live music, a cafe, a bar and thousands of other Sydneysiders celebrating independent art and design. Finder Keepers is open 6-10pm on Friday, 10am-5pm on Saturday.
After two locally acquired cases of COVID-19 popped up in Sydney in early May, the New South Wales Government reimplemented a number of restrictions in the Greater Sydney region. Then, when the direct link between the cases and hotel quarantine couldn't be identified, it extended the new rules until 12.01am on Monday, May 17. When tomorrow morning hits, the current restrictions will indeed end — as confirmed today, Sunday, May 16, by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. So, after a couple of weekends of smaller at-home gatherings, not being able to sing and dance indoors, having to sit down to drink and wearing masks in a number of situations, the rules in Sydney, the Central Coast, Wollongong, the Blue Mountains and Illawarra will revert to what was in place when May began. If you need a refresher, that means that that at-home gathering caps will lift again — but if you're having more than 100 people over to your house, you will need to have a COVID-19 safety plan in place and record visitor details electronically. If you're most excited about being able to make shapes again, dance floors are back once more. All restrictions on singing will ease, too — and drinking while standing up will also return. https://twitter.com/GladysB/status/1393733303409143810 And, masks will no longer be mandatory on public transport, or for customer-facing employees working in hospitality venues. They'll move to being strongly recommended instead. If you can't guarantee social distancing elsewhere, you're also advised to wear them. NSW Health hasn't yet identified how the recent community cases were exposed to COVID-19, but the NSW Government is happy to lift restrictions because there has been further transmission related to the cases. That said, Sydneysiders are asked to continue to keep an eye on NSW Health's long list of locations and venues that positive coronavirus cases have visited — and, in terms of symptoms, to look out for coughs, fever, sore or scratchy throat, shortness of breath, or loss of smell or taste, then get tested at a clinic if you have any. The usual hygiene recommendations still apply, too, including washing your hands, social distancing and staying home if you feel unwell. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website. Top image: Parker Blain.
Community sport, outdoor boot camps, and leisure activities such as bushwalking, fishing, golf and swimming might soon be back on the agenda nationwide, with the Australian Government releasing its National Principles for Sport and Recreational Activities. As referenced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday, May 1 in his press conference after the latest national cabinet meeting, the 15-point set of principles outline the pathway for resuming physical pastimes — focusing on a staged approach. Using the Australian Institute of Sport's Framework for Rebooting Sport in a COVID-19 Environment as a guide, the principles recommend that small-group, non-contact activities involving less than ten people be allowed to recommence first, with social distancing required for participants. Then, at the next stage, large group and full-contact pastimes could recommence, covering sports and activities with more than ten people involved. That means that anyone eager to go for a stroll, hit a few balls or do some laps in the pool will be able to do so in the first stage, with large team sports returning in the second stage. The government hasn't provided an exhaustive list of activities that fall into each category, or of the steps required at each stage — but for those eager to get outside and get active as soon as possible, it's still a positive sign. Guided by health concerns first and foremost, and noting that outdoor activities likely possess a lower risk for COVID-19 transmission than indoor activities, the principles also touch upon professional sport — aka football codes such as AFL and NRL. "For the foreseeable future, elite sports, if recommenced, should do so in a spectator-free environment with the minimum support staff available to support the competition," the principles state. And at the community level, "sport and recreation activities should limit those present to the minimum required to support the participants". Crucially, the principles don't include a timeline or timeframe for implementation. But with the Prime Minister announcing that the national cabinet will meet on Friday, May 8 to decide on how to relax some of Australia's social distancing and public gatherings restrictions — bringing the date forward from Monday, May 11, because "Australians have earned an early mark" — it's safe to assume that progressing with the National Principles for Sport and Recreational Activities will be on the agenda. Once actioned at a national level, it'll be up to the individual states and territories to implement in their own jurisdictions. As the nation's new daily cases of COVID-19 continue to drop — remaining below 20 per day nationwide since Wednesday, April 22 — governments at both the federal and state levels have been looking to relax limitations on daily life. Queensland and New South Wales eased some restrictions this week, while the Northern Territory outlined its roadmap to "the new normal". Learn more about the National Principles for Sport and Recreational Activities and the Australian Institute of Sport's Framework for Rebooting Sport in a COVID-19 Environment. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
Could the violence of Kings Cross be jumping ship over to Newtown? Could this be a direct result of the lockouts? Are LGBTQI Sydneysiders losing their safe haven of diversity? Transgender musician Stephanie McCarthy has reason to believe in all of the above, fronting a 300-strong rally on Monday after she was brutally bashed at Newtown's Town Hall Hotel on Friday night. Hundreds of supporters rallied in Newtown on Monday, against alcohol-fuelled violence, transphobia, prejudice and discrimination against transgender people, after McCarthy was allegedly attacked by four men before her own show at the Townie on Friday night. According to McCarthy's statement, her hair was pulled, she was called a 'f****t' and was left bloody and bruised with a black eye. A few snaps from #Newtown #protest. Brave @tallpunksteph & organiser Ingrid. End #transphobia. Boycott the Townie. pic.twitter.com/duHuAVMSu8 — James of Social Work (@james_scwk) June 8, 2015 "I know that the physical scars will heal, but this is going to take so long to heal," McCarthy told the Sydney Morning Herald. "This isn't the first time I've been assaulted and sadly I know it won't be the last ... I'm just one in a long line of people who've been assaulted in Newtown in the last few years, for no reason at all, just for who you are." McCarthy directly blames the lockout laws for the rise in assaults in Newtown. “I’ve heard stories of gay bashings, racist attacks, women getting hit,” she said. “I personally believe it's down to the lockout. There are people coming out on Friday and Saturday nights that never used to go out in Newtown, and they’re just here to bash people ... They’re just here to get loaded on drinks and drugs and fight. "This used to be one of the best places in Australia for all kinds of people. The diversity was special and now we have people who prey on that. This area is getting destroyed." A crowd of supporters with #transgender musician Stephanie McCarthy in #Newtown. (Pic: @ElizaJBarr) pic.twitter.com/daHZN2yTFs — Inner West Courier (@InnerWestNews) June 8, 2015 So has the level of violence in Newtown risen since the lockout laws were instated in February 2014? Police are yet to deliver official statistics, but McCarthy is sure the incidence of violent assaults in the suburb has gone up since the lockouts, telling Fairfax that she and her LGBTQI friends had experienced significantly more attacks and abuse in the last year. The last numbers we've seen are in this review by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, done in April 2015. The report found that the number of non-domestic violence related assaults in Sydney's central areas (Kings Cross, Oxford Street, George Street and The Rocks in particular) had gone down since the lockouts. It didn't record a rise in assaults in surrounding, non-lockout suburbs like Surry Hills, Pyrmont, Bondi and Newtown. But if incidents are indeed rising as McCarthy and her friends suggest, this could possibly be attributed to a lack of reported incidents — a tendency with many LGBTQI people who've been harassed — or it could be that incidents have indeed gone unchanged. McCarthy's not just pointing fingers, she's seen the effect of lockout laws on surrounding suburbs firsthand — she grew up in Newcastle, where the same happened to fringe suburbs after lockouts were rolled out. McCarthy says she moved to Newtown because it was a safe space for LGBTQI people, celebrating diversity without threat or judgement. Now, McCarthy's not so optimistic for the future of the suburb. "It’s just so upsetting knowing that this special area is getting destroyed, because of a law that’s meant to protect people from violence. It might well make Kings Cross safer, but it’s destroying Newtown." Via SMH. Top image: Paul McCarthy, Wikimedia Commons.
UPDATE: MARCH 17, 2020 — Due to concerns surrounding COVID-19, Sydney Writers' Festival has cancelled its 2020 program. In a statement, organisers said the cancellation will have a "significant impact on the literary community" and is encouraging the pubic to support the authors who were scheduled to attend the festival and to visit local booksellers. Ticket holders will be contacted for reimbursement. At the start of the Cold War in 1947, a group of scientists created the Doomsday Clock. An internationally recognised indicator of how close we are to a global catastrophe — caused by nuclear weapons, climate change or other disruptive technologies — it was initially set at 11.53pm. Fast forward to 2020, and we're a mere 100 seconds from midnight. In light of this, Sydney Writers' Festival has announced its timely theme for 2020: Almost Midnight. More than 400 writers from across the globe are set to descend on the city from Monday, April 27–Sunday, May 3 to discuss Donald Trump, political movements, surveillance, bushfires, First Nations' connection to land and how we can reverse the clock's movement. Heading the lineup is 2019 Booker Prize winner Bernardine Evaristo and author of Girl, Women, Other. Evaristo's award-winning novel appeared on Concrete Playground's — and Barack Obama's — favourite books of 2019 list, alongside Salt by Bruce Pascoe, another author who'll be making an appearance at SWF. Pascoe, a Yuin, Bunurong and Tasmanian man, is known for his ground-breaking works exploring country, nature and identity. Lisa Taddeo, author of the much-talked-about 2019 hit Three Women; acclaimed American novelist Siri Hustvedt; Uncanny Valley's Anna Wiener; writer of seminal 85 novel In the Cut, Susanna Moore; and Strange Hotel's Eimear McBride are five more international big-names flying into Sydney for the festival. [caption id="attachment_764742" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bernardine Evaristo by Getty[/caption] Elsewhere on the program, Umbrella Movement founder and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Joshua Wong will appear via video link, and Nichole Perkins and Bim Adewunmi of Slate's hilarious Thirst Aid Kit will record an episode of the podcast live. Lively panels discussing everything from Clive James to the Christchurch mosque shootings and why there may be method in Donald Trump's madness are also on the lineup, as is a large contingent of Australian authors. Christos Tsiolkas, Clare Bowditch, Shaun Micallef, Bob Brown, Paul Kelly, Archie Roach and Charlotte Wood are some of the 100-plus locals that'll be taking to the stage at Carriageworks, The Seymour Centre, Town Hall, City Recital Hall, Parramatta Riverside Theatre and Chatswood Concourse Theatre. While the writers prepare to discuss global catastrophes, the world is in the midst of one: the COVID-19 pandemic. Many events have already been cancelled, including SXSW, Coachella and Dark Mofo, but SWF has decided to cautiously proceed. In the case of any cancellations, however, it is promising a full refund. Sydney Writers' Festival runs at various venues across the city from Monday, April 27–Sunday, May 3. Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday, March 13 via www.swf.org.au. Top images: Prudence Upton
If you experienced lauded director Barry Jenkins' last film Moonlight, then you would know that he's able to load his movies up with an emotional punch like no one else can. And if you believe the early reviews for his latest production If Beale Street Could Talk, this time around could possibly be even more powerful. Starring Kiki Layne as Tish and Stephan James as Fonny, this adaptation of James Baldwin's acclaimed novel is a love story set within the bustling world of 1970s New York. As the leading couple fall in love and come to expect their first child, their promising future is left in tatters when Fonny is arrested for a crime he didn't commit. Elegantly adapting Baldwin's celebrated portrayal of black America, the three-time Academy Award-nominated Jenkins offers up a cinematically stunning masterpiece that considers the power of love and family alongside a razor-sharp social commentary. Currently sitting at a 94% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it seems like Jenkins has produced yet another massive success. You can catch his latest flick nationwide from Thursday, February 14 — be sure to check out the trailer here beforehand. But if you can't wait until Thursday, we've got our hands on a bunch of double passes to the preview screening at Palace Central Cinemas on Wednesday, February 13. To be in with a chance, enter with your details below. [competition]707652[/competition]
Last week we told you about Endulj, a brand new Melbourne food service replicating and delivering dishes from some of the swankiest restaurants in town. Well, if Endulj is the equivalent of dinner at a high-end restaurant, then FoodByUs would surely be a comforting home-cooked meal. In fact, that's literally what they're all about, connecting hungry Australians with talented home chefs. Because why bother borrowing a half-dozen eggs from your neighbour when you can get them to make the whole omelette for you? Described as "a vibrant local community of food buyers and sellers", the online portal and app has been operating in Sydney back in August, and launches in Melbourne this week. Users can chose from culinary creations — ranging from Egyptian tangines to vegan treats and incredible cakes — made by dozens of different professional and amateur chefs for pick-up or delivery. It's like UberEats at community level — a place where it's perfectly acceptable to ask someone else's nonna to cook you dinner. "It's an opportunity to meet your [food] maker and have really authentic food that is homemade and that is really hard to find anywhere else," co-founder Ben Lipschitz told SBS earlier this year. "It's about having that authentic experience." Alternatively, you can try your hand at making and selling dishes of your own. Have your friends ever told you your cupcakes are so good you could charge people for them? Well, here's your chance to put that to the test. For more information and to try it for yourself visit foodbyus.com.au. The app can be found on Google Play and in the Apple App Store.
