When trouble strikes, tragedy gets a catchphrase: "life goes on." You might hear it from well-meaning acquaintances, or even loved ones. As accurate as those words may be, however, the reality is far less simple. In the case of Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) in Manchester by the Sea, pain and heartbreak become like a second skin, numbing him to the outside world. As he goes about his job as a Boston janitor he encounters complaints, advice and even awkward romantic advances, and yet he can barely bring himself to react. "You're rude, you're unfriendly, you don't say good morning," his boss tells him after a complaint is lodged. Lee remains unfazed. Manchester by the Sea tackles heavy subject matter as Lee is forced to return to his hometown and take custody of his teenage nephew (Lucas Hedges) after the death of the boy's father (Kyle Chandler). From this relatively simple dramatic premise, writer-director Kenneth Lonergan (Margaret) masterfully pieces together fragments of past trauma, present malaise and future uncertainty, delivering a complex portrait of a haunting but rarely acknowledged reality. Whether we've charted the same journey as Lee or endured ordeals of our own, most of us are broken in our own way. Surviving that pain, rather than fixing it, is perhaps all we can really ever hope to manage. Lonergan stresses this idea in a number of different ways. Stellar performances from Hedges and Michelle Williams (as Lee's ex-wife) seethe with inner turmoil. The snowy Massachusetts setting, meanwhile, provides further obstacles. And then there's the filmmaker's approach to filling in Lee's backstory, via flashbacks that slip into the main storyline so seamlessly that it takes a moment to realise that the timeline has changed. Of course, that's how everyday pain manifests itself. It coats life with an extra layer, even when things otherwise appear fine. It intrudes seemingly at random, even when you're not expecting bad memories and heartache to rear their ugly head. In an Oscar-nominated performance, Affleck broods, frowns and furrows his brow. Don't think he's just serving up his own version of Sad Affleck though. Here, despair runs much deeper than a bad interview about a superhero flick. Conveying the deep-seeded misery that can only come from years of suffering and regret, Affleck plays Lee with naturalistic agony of the festering variety, while also providing a glimpse at something more. An exploration of grief and loss, Manchester by the Sea is undeniably bleak. But don't be surprised by the movie's sense of humour, either. Laughter is a necessary cathartic device even in the darkest of situations, and here it makes the drama feel that much more real. Combined with the movie's commitment to laying bare inescapable inner struggles, and Lonergan's latest proves both devastatingly relatable and sincerely affecting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsVoD0pTge0
Real life has enough drama, as we all well and truly know at the moment. When it comes to getting cosy on your couch, you can be forgiven for wanting to forget the world's troubles — and your own, and this year's — and get caught up in a side-splitting comedy instead. Our tip: pick a top-notch TV series of the rib-tickling kind and stream (or re-stream) your way through it. Some you can knock out fairly quickly, filling your weekend with laughter. Others will take weeks and months, and will constantly brighten up your days in the process. From acerbic delights and absurd wonders to heartwarming gems and instant classics, streaming platform Binge isn't lacking in the comedy department. Because being able to lose yourself in a hilarious TV series is one of life's simple but much-needed pleasures, we've teamed up with the Australian service to highlight five shows that are guaranteed to have you giggling and guffawing — including via a 14-day free trial for new customers.
Pre-work swims and afternoon picnics in the park just became a whole lot more enticing in Petersham thanks to a new opening that's reinventing the classic pool canteen. Splash Coffee has just taken over the food and drink offering at the Fanny Durack Aquatic Centre, setting up shop right next to Petersham Park with standout coffee, loaded sambos, fresh salads and a freezer stocked full of ice creams. Splash is the second Inner West opening from the team behind Newtown's always-pumping Soulmate — an accomplished crew also boasting the minds behind northwest Sydney favourites The Tuckshop and the now-closed Baron. Open seven days a week, Splash begins to stir from the early hours, swinging open its doors from 6.30am each morning. That means pre-work swims paired with a hearty brekkie and Single O coffee are well and truly on the cards. As with Soulmate, all your classic lattes and flat whites are on offer alongside batch brew, cold brew and even a maple and cinnamon oat-milk cold brew. The all-day breakfast section of the menu spans granola, smashed (or splashed) avo and B&Es (or V&Es — vego and egg rolls). There's a handful of salads, including the plentiful seasonal salad chocked full of roast potatoes, peas, beans, asparagus, pickled onions and red wine dressing. If you're after a more-sizeable option, picks include fish and chips, a selection of sandwiches and a loaded Bradman burger. The fish sandwich is a certain summer hit, packing thin pieces of fish schnitzel, American cheese, house-pickled beetroot, white onion, shredded lettuce and a signature sauce between two ultra-fluffy pieces of white bread. Summer swimmers can head to the takeaway window inside of the pool in order to elevate their dips with a heap of nostalgic treats on offer at the cafe — including a chip butty with optional curry sauce, milkshakes, smoothies, fresh-squeezed juice, and your classic ice cream selections from Paddle Pops to Bubble O'Bills. Splash's proximity to the park also opens it up to servicing leafy picnics under the nearby trees. The team has even supplied picnic blankets, which you can borrow when you order a coffee or a feed. Splash is located at the Fanny Durack Aquatic Centre, 2A Station Street, Petersham — open 6.30am–3pm Monday–Sunday. Head to the cafe's website to view the full menu.
Dystopian life isn't something that's easily or quickly shaken. Exploring what it means to survive and endure in the aftermath of global devastation isn't a fast process, either. Due to that fact, as well as the huge success of HBO's big game-to-TV hit show about that topic, it should come as no surprise that The Last of Us will be officially returning for season three. There might only be two The Last of Us video games so far (plus expansion packs and remasters), but there'll be at least a trio of seasons of the Pedro Pascal (The Wild Robot)- and Bella Ramsey (Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget)-starring hit television series. The news comes before season two even arrives, and means that viewers can watch the new seven-episode run safe in the knowledge that the story isn't ending there. "We approached season two with the goal of creating something we could be proud of. The end results have exceeded even our most-ambitious goals, thanks to our continued collaboration with HBO and the impeccable work of our unparalleled cast and crew. We look forward to continuing the story of The Last of Us with season three," said Craig Mazin (Chernobyl), creator, executive producer, writer and director of the TV adaptation. "To see The Last of Us brought to life so beautifully and faithfully has been a career highlight for me, and I am grateful for the fans' enthusiastic and overwhelming support. Much of that success is thanks to my partner in crime Craig Mazin, our partnership with HBO and our team at PlayStation Productions. On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog, our cast and crew, thank you so much for allowing us this opportunity. We're thrilled to bring you more of The Last of Us," added Neil Druckmann from Naughty Dog, who also penned and directed The Last of Us games. There's no details yet regarding when the third season of The Last of Us will drop, how many episodes will be in it or the cast, but season two's arrival from Monday, April 14, 2025 Down Under will help distract you from those questions for now. Streaming via HBO's own platform Max in Australia — fresh from its late-March launch — and Neon in New Zealand, the second season takes place five years after the events of season one. As well as a time jump, audiences should prepare for a guitar, hordes of infected, flames, sirens and flares, plus a stern warning. "There are just some things everyone agrees are just wrong," one of the season's teasers advises. In the first season, set 20 years after modern civilisation as we know it has been toppled by a parasitic fungal infection that turns the afflicted into shuffling hordes, Joel (Pascal) and Ellie (Ramsey) didn't always get along; however, their best chance for survival was together. In season two, as the full trailer for the HBO hit's long-awaited return shows, that may no longer be the case. Amid warnings about monsters — and scenes showing why those cautions are so important — the most-haunting moment of the sneak peek arrives with two words: "you swore". When The Last of Us initially made the leap from video games to TV in 2023, it was swiftly renewed after proving a massive smash instantly. The series gave HBO its most-watched debut season of a show ever — and its first episode was also the network's second-largest debut of all time. Back then, locking in a second season was also hardly unexpected because the 2013 game inspired a 2014 expansion pack and 2020 sequel. There's obviously no trailer for The Last of Us season three yet, but check out the full trailer for season two below: The Last of Us season three doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when one is announced. The Last of Us season two streams from Monday, April 14, 2025 Down Under, via Max in Australia and Neon in New Zealand. Read our review of the first season. Images: Liane Hentscher/HBO.
You'll be able to go further into brain-imploding Water Temples, delve into more shitty dungeons and ride Epona across more of the Sacred Realm gathering rupees; the brand new Legend of Zelda game is going to go open world. Finally (finally) taking cues from long-celebrated megamap games like Oblivion and Fallout 3, Nintendo looked back to Zelda's history to develop their eighteenth official adventure — and online opinions are predictably flying. Series producer Eiji Aonuma announced the new Wii U Legend of Zelda game during the Nintendo Digital Presentation at the annual E3 annual video game conference overnight in LA. Nintendo needed a big ol' eel slap of a new game announcement last night, leaning on Mario Kart 8 to kickstart struggling Wii U sales. Looking back to older Zelda games, the developers decided it was high time for Link to explore bigger maps again (many, many years after Oblivion, Skyrim and even Fallout 3 had delivered gamechanging —heh — open world formats). Expanding the best bits of the old school 2D Link to the Past, everyone's favourite Ocarina of Time and GameCube's 2002 Wind Waker, Nintendo are finally cottoning on to the joys of open world in RPGs. To be fair, the new game looks badass. If I had an Ocarina in my possession, I'd be throwing down notes on Epona's Song and hitching a ride there immediately. The new Legend of Zelda is expected in 2015. https://youtube.com/watch?v=mM9MGY2OL8o Via Kotaku.
There's a moment in Netflix documentary Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened that no one will ever forget. While much of the film falls into that category — cataloguing an utter trainwreck of a festival will do that — one scene particularly stands out. When event producer Andy King reveals what he was asked to do to secure bottled water for the fest's stars and patrons (and the fact that he'd resigned himself to doing it), it instantly underlines the scope and shamelessness of Fyre's catastrophic mismanagement. Given that the doco not only became an instant must-watch, but that the similar, Hulu-funded film Fyre Fraud did too, it's safe to say that everyone wants to know more about this story. Australians will be able to get the full details at this year's BIGSOUND, with King himself joining the lineup as a late addition. He'll be heading to Brisbane as one of the four-day conference's keynote speakers, appearing an event called Fyreside Chat with Andy King on Wednesday, September 4. King will likely be offering his advice on what not to do in the music festival industry, and why being willing to go the extra mile for a gig isn't always a good thing. As Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened demonstrates, he isn't shy when it comes to taking about his experiences — and he has a sense of humour about it. He also has a considerable resume that ranges well above and beyond Fyre Festival, spanning more than 25 years in the event business. Expect to hear about that, too, which ranges from hosting the launch of the world's tallest ferris wheel in Las Vegas to running the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation's annual gala. Amusingly, King also oversees a zero-waste event company that focuses on environmental and social impacts, including when plastic bottles of water are involved. Until he makes his way Down Under, revisit King's must-see doco moment via the Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened trailer below. The film itself is available on Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ0KNVU2fV0 BIGSOUND 2019 runs from September 3–6 at various venues around Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. For further details or to buy tickets, visit bigsound.org.au. To discover what to do, see, eat and drink while visiting Brissie for the annual event, check out our weekender's guide to Brisbane during BIGSOUND.
Can we all agree that Thursday is an underrated day of the week? It's the Friday of Fridays — a day when you're over the hump of the work week and oh so close to the weekend. And because of this, it can be a real treat to catch up with friends or grab an after-work drink on a Thursday. Chin Chin knows this better than most, and is celebrating the magic of Thursdays with a deal-heavy happy hour running every week through September until October. As part of the new Cocktail Hour program that Lucus Restaurants is running, Chin Chin's Sydney outpost is rolling out a set of three $9.50 cocktails alongside discounted beer, wine and snacks every Thursday until October 5. The pick of the bunch is the Watermelon Margarita. The mix of Reposado Tequila, Aperol and fresh watermelon packs a real punch thanks to its chilli salt rim. If you prefer your cocktails on the sweeter side, opt for a $9.50 Elderflower Spritz made from vodka, elderflower, apricot, raspberry, lemon and prosecco. And, rounding out the happy hour cocktails is a vibrant purple Lychee Violet Daiquiri which combines white rum, yuzu-shu, lychee, peaflower and lime. Elsewhere on the drinks menu, there are $6.50 tap beers, plus discounted wines including a $10 glass of Marquis de Pennautier Rosé and a $22 glass of Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvee Brut NV (usually $27 a glass). Then there are the happy hour snacks — all loaded with the typical big, bold Asian flavours of the Chin Chin menu. The must-try menu item is the jungle pork sliders featuring a spiced pork patty — setting you back $15.50 for two sliders. Round up your bestie and head to Chin Chin on a Thursday to nab a watermelon margarita and a pork slider for a grand total of $17.25 each. There's also citrus-forward kingfish sashimi on a rice cracker ($9.50 for two), $9.50 bowls of larb-spiced popcorn and puffy typhoon-style popcorn prawns, also for $9.50. The deals are on offer from 4–6pm every Thursday throughout the promotion — the perfect excuse to knock off work a little early.
Filling your house with Swedish furniture is already a wallet-friendly affair, much to the joy of anyone who likes nice homewares but also likes sticking to a budget. Come 2020, however, it'll also be an environmentally-friendly choice, with IKEA announcing plans to ramp up its sustainability measures. Over the next two years, the furniture retailer will phase out all single-use plastic products from both its range and its restaurants all around the globe. That's right — you won't find all those Allen keys in tiny plastic bags taped to your Billy bookshelves, or whatever other flat-packed wares you're fond of. And you won't be taking any frozen meatballs home in throwaway plastic bags either. IKEA has also pledged to only use renewable and recycled materials in all of its products by 2030, alongside a range of other initiatives — upping its plant-based menu items from this year, reducing its home delivery emissions to zero by 2025 and expanding its range of solar offerings to more countries by the same year. It's all part of the company's goal to abide by 'circular principles'. As IKEA's Sustainability Manager Lena Pripp-Kovac explains, "becoming truly circular means meeting people's changing lifestyles, prolonging the life of products and materials and using resources in a smarter way." Accordingly, they'll be designing "all products from the very beginning to be repurposed, repaired, reused, resold and recycled." It's not IKEA's first attempt to shake off its 'fast furniture' reputation, with the brand unveiling a non-disposable collection with Danish designers HAY last year. Still, the announcement brings the company into line with the growing movement towards ecologically conscious packaging and products, as seen in supermarkets and other businesses around both Australia and the globe — eradicating singe-use plastic bags, straws, takeaway containers and more, and working towards banning non-recyclable packaging outright.
As the source of those bright green hotdog buns and pancake stacks dominating your Instagram feed, entrepreneur Sarah Holloway knows a few things about how to spot (and start) a food trend. In 2014, she went from corporate lawyer to professional foodie when she started her own business, tea company Matcha Maiden, and then expanded it to vegetarian cafe Matcha Mylkbar (purveyor of said buns and stacks). A big part of her life (which she documents as @spoonful_of_sarah) involves swotting up on Melbourne's best food, drink and wellbeing offerings, so if total nourishment is what you aspire to on your upcoming visit to the city, she's an ideal guide. In partnership with Pullman Hotels and Resorts, we're helping you explore more on your next holiday and make sure you get those experiences that the area's most switched-on residents wouldn't want their visitors to miss. In Melbourne, we've called in Sarah, whose favourite spots range from Burnley's happiness-promoting Serotonin Eatery to Windsor's degustation-sporting Morris Jones. A stay in one of Pullman's two locations in Melbourne — Albert Park or On the Park in East Melbourne — will not only put you in the thick of all this action, it will let you rest and digest in five-star luxury at the end of the day. Read on for Sarah's top Melbourne food hot spots in her own words, and check out the rest of our Explore More content series to hone your itinerary for some of Australia's best holiday destinations. BREAKFAST AT MATCHA MYLKBAR My (completely non-biased, of course) Melbourne favourite is Matcha Mylkbar. It has everything I love in one spot (by no coincidence). Breakfast outings are my favourite way to start the day, food innovation and creativity are my great passions and healthy living is my philosophy. Our menu unites clean eating with satiation and excitement — plus it's a stone's throw from the beautiful beach in St Kilda. The "vegan egg" is a must-try! It's made from coconut, sweet potato and turmeric, but the texture and protein content is almost like the real thing. BRUNCH AT SEROTONIN EATERY Happiness + cafe go together in my world, so eating at a "happiness cafe" speaks to my heart. Serotonin Eatery has beautiful, colourful, nourishing bowls, served in a happiness-promoting environment complete with swings, tucked away in leafy Burnley. Don't miss the Positive Pancakes! Dehydrated organic bananas are ground into banana flour to make the pancakes, which are topped with banana nice-cream, coconut yoghurt and berries. ELIXIRS AT GREENE STREET JUICE I visit this stunning elixir bar filled with soul-replenishing goodness most days. Greene Street Juice's flagship "elixir bar" has the best juices in town, as well as smoothies, broths, tonics and even crystals. If you make one stop for your wellbeing from inside to out, make it here. The New Yorker smoothie — a twist on banana — is my favourite, but their concoctions range from alkaline activated charcoal and lemon water (Gotham City) to an energising carrot and beetroot juice with burdock root extract (The Bronx). MINDFUL MORNINGS AT GREENFIELDS This beautiful new venue on Albert Park Lake mainly caters to events, but it also hosts a monthly "Mindful Morning" with meditation, yoga, tunes and a delicious healthy breakfast from their eatery. A truly nourishing experience for mind, body and soul! Greenfields focuses on which local, raw, organic and fermented ingredients, and if you miss the Mindful Morning, you can grab a la carte eats from Wednesday to Sunday instead. BITES OF ALL SIZES AT LBSS Literally the place where you can get a bite that's little, big, sweet or salty, LBSS (Little Big Sugar Salt) in Abbotsford is another favourite for breakfast or lunch with something to suit every palate. The seasonally changing Plate of Health is my favourite for something healthy, filling and delicious. The cafe is also known for offering "Eggs with Friends" — a spread of breakfast dishes for sharing selected by the chef. LUNCH AT URBAN PROJUICE Tucked away in a converted terrace house, Urban Projuice is the home of health. Run by a beautiful family who glow with vitality, the menu here is absolutely delicious, with lots of takeaway options too. I love to grab a snack then go for a walk around Albert Park Lake nearby. The Smoothie Bowls here include a Snickers-inspired option with cacao powder, natural peanut butter, banana, soy milk, dates and fresh seasonal fruit and nuts. QUICK CUPPA AT MAGIC ON FERRARS Not far away from Urban Projuice is the Melburnian coffee lover's best-kept secret, Magic on Ferrars. It's known for its amazing St Ali coffees and very cosy setting (its few seats are almost always occupied), but it also does a mean breakfast and a solid matcha latte using Matcha Maiden. I love popping by for meetings. AFTERNOON DELIGHTS AT PANA CHOCOLATE Even though I don't have a sweet tooth, there is nothing quite like a dessert experience at Pana Chocolate. Perfect for a guilt-free afternoon snack indulgence, the store on Church Street in Richmond not only stocks the range of Pana's beautiful organic, raw vegan chocolates but also offers a range of delectable dessert creations. I can't go past the cookie dough caramel slice, which features layers of crunchy activated buckwheat, chocolate cheesecake and cashew nuts, and is sweetened with agave and coconut nectar. DEGUSTATION DINNERS AT MORRIS JONES Morris Jones on Chapel Street, Windsor is one of our favourites for a night out. Head chef Matthew Butcher brings a wealth of experience and culinary flair to the degustation menu, which always keeps us entertained and infinitely satisfied. His Nitro Violet Crumble dessert is next level! It combines the flavours of violet ice cream, chocolate soil and frozen honeycomb, and the plating is finished at the table from a pot of liquid nitrogen. SEAFOOD SENSATIONS AT NOBU Our first foodie tradition ever was date night at Nobu, and eight years later, nothing has changed. This Melbourne outpost of the famous New York Japanese restaurant has been open at the Crowne since 2007, and overlooks the Yarra River. The miso cod keeps us coming back every time, along with some of the most exquisitely prepared seafood around town. Plus, don't miss the green tea dessert bento box! Explore more with Pullman. Book your next hotel stay with Pullman and enjoy a great breakfast for just $1.
The kind of place where 18 degrees is considered freezing, Brisbane is hardly a snowman's natural habitat. But that'll change come summer, when South Bank's Gallery of Modern Art welcomes its own icy figure — and, yes, it'll be made out of real snow. GOMA's latest high-profile acquisition, Snowman is the work of artists Peter Fischli and David Weiss, and dates back to 1987. First conceived as part of a site-specific work at a German thermic power plant, the fairly typical-looking snowman is made from three balls of snow, with the top one boasting hand-drawn eyes and a mouth. What's not typical of this well-travelled snowman, however, is its ability to survive full summers. To protect Snowman from Brisbane's subtropical climate, it'll sit encased in a glass and metal industrial freezer — so, while GOMA visitors will be able to see the frosty sculpture, you definitely won't be able to touch it. But, lucky gallery staff members will be given the task of retracing its eyes and smile every few days, with the artwork's enigmatic expression expected to shift subtly over time from happy to quizzical to maybe even diabolical as a result. When Snowman brings its literal chill to Brissie, it'll mark the piece's first visit to the Southern Hemisphere. Understandably, it's usually exhibited in locations where it's much, much older — including a hit season at New York's Museum of Modern Art. [caption id="attachment_743010" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Peter Fischli and David Weiss, Snowman (1987/2017-19). Copyright: Peter Fischli David Weiss, Zurich 2019. Courtesy Spruth Magers, Matthew Marks New York and Los Angeles, Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich.[/caption] The icy work will first go on display on December 7 as part of GOMA's huge summer showcase, which is completely dedicated to the theme of water. As well as marvelling at Snowman — because a snowman in Brisbane is definitely something worth marvelling at — visitors will also be able to walk across a massive indoor riverbed, with Olafur Eliasson's Riverbed installation another of Water's centrepieces. More than 40 works by international and Australian artists will be featured across the entire exhibition. Geraldine Kirrihi Barlow, Curatorial Manager of International Art at GOMA, hopes the sculpture will help inspire visitors to contemplate topical environmental issues. "In the context of Water, Snowman prompts us to think about issues such as global warming and climate change," Barlow said in a statement. While Water runs until April 26, 2020, Snowman will become a permanent feature at GOMA. The piece isn't just on loan to the gallery, but has been acquired thanks to philanthropic support — and, according to The Courier-Mail, may even eventually tour the state in its freezer. Snowman will display at the Gallery of Modern Art, Stanley Place, South Brisbane as part of GOMA's forthcoming Water exhibition, which runs from December 7, 2019 to April 26, 2020. Top image: Peter Fischli and David Weiss, Snowman (1987/2016). Installation view: SFMOMA. Copyright the artists. Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery. Photograph: Mary Ellen Hawkins.
Rapid Prototype 2 plans to bring to new art space 107 Projects some of three-dimensional printing's make-sure-things-get-made-right attitude of print out, check out and recycle. The night is part of Legs on the Wall's Open Source program, with this tilt letting artists try out their new ideas in rough draft form on a looming public. The follow-up to August's inaugural Rapid Prototype night, held at Alaska Projects, has a special focus on experiments in sound and will feature spoken word artist and composer Tom Hogan, the commanding headphones of Roslyn Helper, evolving compositions from ClulowForester, musical poetry by Marcus Whale and Pip Smith, cityscape sound quests by Erica and Tom Brennan's, live audiovisuals from Circle Path, and the blindfolded concert experience Noise Exposure. Image: Toby K, Helmet Project, Rapid Prototype 1, Aug 2012. Photo by James Brown.
It seems like every rooftop, garden and open-air space in Sydney has been transformed into a winter wonderland this year (not that we're complaining). And the latest venues to join the wintry pop-up trend are harbourside spots Untied and Bungalow 8, which have teamed up to bring the cosy cold weather vibes to the inner city. Over at Bungalow 8 on King Street Wharf, a tree-lined path leads to six apres ski-inspired timber 'cabins' with plenty of blankets to keep you warm and heaps of skiing paraphernalia, too. Sip on a range of French Alps-inspired cocktails, including a honey mead-spiked iced tea, or stop by a pop-up bar dedicated to the drink of the moment: espresso martinis. Here, it's served nitro and comes with DIY optional toppings such as dark chocolate, hazelnuts, marshmallows and even fairy floss. You can pair all this with woodfired pizzas, cherry wood-smoked hummus, plus skillets of s'mores for dessert. Each 'cabin' fits four to eight mates, and bookings are recommended. A stone's throw away, Barangaroo's rooftop bar Untied has been transformed into a luxury ski resort. It comes complete with magnums of Champagne, absinthe-misted highballs and a new winter menu — with honey chicken wings and crème brûlée waffle cones. Bungalow 8's Winter Wooodlands is now open and Untied's Apres Ski Bar launches on Friday, June 21.
I don't know about you, but I usually don't associate Russia with summer homes. In fact, 'Russian summer home' seems a bit of an oxymoron. However, Moscow-based architect Peter Kostelov has created this all-white 'origami house' for Russia's reality show, Dachniy Otvet. His only guidelines were to create a summer home where the family could enjoy athletic activities outdoors and host gatherings for friends. The house has no doors or windows, allowing guests to get some of that Russian sunshine (catch it while you can) whilst still being protected from Russia's often unpredictable weather. Built with sustainably-sourced timber, the origami house also uses a solar battery to heat water. The design folds and wraps, representing an origami-like structure. Check out some photos of this unique contemporary design.
With the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and everyone in a royals fervour, it's all too fitting the Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney is hosting a series of dinners fit for nobility — only this feast is fit for a French king. And while the French monarchy hasn't been around since 1870, The Bonaparte Dinner series will help us commoners live like Franco royalty, only if just for a few hours. Being reimagined at the hotel's Altitude Restaurant, the sumptuous three-course French feast was first staged at the former mansion of Prince Roland Bonaparte (the grand nephew of Napoleon) — which now houses the Shangri-La Hotel in Paris. The dinner will pay homage to the finest French cuisine with a menu crafted by chef Christophe Moret, who helms the two Michelin-starred Parisian restaurant L'Abeille. Guests can expect decadent classics, from shellfish bisque with foie gras to Cape Grim filet de boeuf and green peas, all expertly paired with a throng of Australian wines handpicked by Altitude's sommelier Matt Herod. And for dessert, you'll be served the classic Saint Honoré cake, complete with profiteroles and wild berries. If you want to experience all the elegance and grandeur of noble French dining without leaving Sydney, this is the dinner for you. Eat like a royal, treat your tastebuds to a night of unfettered opulence and take in some French history, all the while soaking in those unbeatable panoramas. The Bonaparte Dinner runs Monday to Thursday from 6pm till Thursday, November 1 and is priced at $145 per person or $270 per person with matching wines. Go on, grab your cheri, pretend you're off to French court and make a night of it — just make sure you're out of there before the clock strikes 12 and you turn back into a pumpkin. For more information and to make a reservation, visit the Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney website.
When we think of things associated with "fun", lockdown ranks at the very bottom of that list. Memes, on the other hand—pure comedy gold. So if you've been oscillating between "alright" and somewhere south of "fine", here's a little story to brighten up your day. Like most businesses in Sydney's current lockdown, the Art Gallery of NSW has been forced to get creative. Its solution? Pair up artwork from its huge historical collection with Instagram captions that are so clever and on the nose that we here at Concrete Playground expect someone to get a pay rise after all this is over. Seriously. Check out some of the best memes below if you need a giggle. You can also follow the Art Gallery of NSW's Instagram page for more content. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Art Gallery NSW (@artgalleryofnsw) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Art Gallery NSW (@artgalleryofnsw) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Art Gallery NSW (@artgalleryofnsw) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Art Gallery NSW (@artgalleryofnsw) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Art Gallery NSW (@artgalleryofnsw) Top images: Wenceslaus Hollar, after Albrecht Dürer, A stag lying, after Dürer, 1649, etching, Art Gallery of New South Wales, purchased 1979. Photo: AGNSW. David Davies, From a distant land, 1889, oil on canvas, Art Gallery of New South Wales, purchased 1968. Photo: AGNSW. Roddam Spencer Stanhope, "Why seek ye the living among the dead?" St Luke 24 v5,1870s, oil, gesso, goldleaf, wax medium, on canvas, Art Gallery of New South Wales, gift of Arthur Moon KC in memory of his mother, Emma, born in Sydney in 1860, the daughter of John de Villers Lamb 1950. Photo: AGNSW.
As part of the NSW Government's $3.4 billion revamp of Darling Harbour, Lendlease is building a six-storey Japanese-designed development called Darling Exchange. And at its heart is a whizzbang, high-tech library. Stretching over two storeys, the library will house much more more than just books. It's been planned with start-ups, entrepreneurs and makers in mind, so look out for a Makerspace and IQ-Hub, with oodles of room for collaborations, workshops, meetings and events. "Working with Lendlease, we're developing a library where innovative, creative and sustainable communities can thrive," says Lord Mayor Clover Moore. "Encouraging entrepreneurs to start and build global businesses will create more jobs, boost our economy, strengthen global connections and make the city a more attractive place to live, work and visit." The library is four times the size of the one it will take the place of at Haymarket, which occupies a heritage building at 744 George Street. It shouldn't be hard to find — the building, designed by Kengo Kuma, will be wrapped in a facade made of 20 kilometres of recycled timber. In addition to the library, there'll be a market hall, a child care centre, a mezzanine restaurant and a rooftop bar overlooking Tumbalong Park, the Chinese Gardens and Cockle Bay.
Getting a decent, healthy feed when you're on the road isn't easy. From the highway, Maccas and servos can look like your only options. However, if you know where to go and when, there are some top spots serving delicious feasts, from The Sir George in Jugiong to The River Deck in Albury. The latest addition to this top-notch class of vendors is the Ingelara Farm Truck, a roadside food truck serving up fresh (and warm) seasonal and organic dishes on the Monaro Highway on the way to NSW's snow fields. Co-owners Tom Osborne and Daniel "Sausage" Nixon live the biodynamic Snowy Mountains farm after which the food truck has been named, where they grow their own produce and create their offerings from scratch. This includes organic soups, sourdough, smoked pork and chicken, pumpkin pie, filter coffee and biodynamic veggies. Right now, the duo is set up with one crowd in mind: keen skiers. Whether you're heading to the slopes at Perisher, Jindabyne or Thredbo or sadly making your way home, you'll find the micro kitchen in Bredbo Village, about an hour south of Canberra. They're just outside the Christmas Barn on the Monaro Highway every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8.30am till 5pm until the end of September. And, when the ski season is all over, keep an eye on their travels by following @ingelarafarmtruck. The Ingelara Food Truck is currently located outside the Bredbo Christmas Barn, 23 Monaro Highway, Bredbo on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. For mroe info, visit their Instagram.
Can a pair of glasses really help a world-renowned superhero become unrecognisable? If you've always queried that detail in Superman's story, rest assured that James Gunn has thoughts, too — as the full trailer for the writer/director and DC Studios co-CEO and co-Chairman's Superman makes plain. The latest sneak peek, following an initial teaser late in 2024 and an almost five-minute glimpse earlier in 2025, begins with an interrogation. Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel) is doing the questioning, and a normally close-kept secret is clearly not a factor in this take on the Kryptonian. As Lois and the Man of Steel (David Corenswet, Lady in the Lake) dig into what makes a hero — and how accountable they need to be — the just-dropped trailer also offers looks at Superman's other battles. Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult, Nosferatu) features, naturally. So do Superman's efforts to stop wars and save everyday folks, and take on other villains. The new sneak peek has arrived just two months before the film hits cinemas, racing onto the big screen Down Under on Thursday, July 10, 2025. Gunn has penned, helmed and produced Superman. In his DC roles, he's also overseeing the new DC Universe. His picture will be followed by Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow in 2026, as directed by Dumb Money's Craig Gillespie and starring Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) — after she also plays the part in Superman. Clayface will release in the same year as well, working with a script from Doctor Sleep and The Fall of the House of Usher's Mike Flanagan. Alongside Corenswet, Brosnahan, Hoult and Alcock, Superman features Gunn regular Nathan Fillion (Deadpool & Wolverine) as Green Lantern and Anthony Carrigan (Barry) as Metamorpho, plus Isabela Merced (The Last of Us), Frank Grillo (Tulsa King), Skyler Gisondo (The Righteous Gemstones) and Wendell Pierce (Elsbeth). As always in the Super, The Suicide Squad, and three-time Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker's work, Gunn's brother Sean (Creature Commandos) is among the ensemble. An angle for this Superman: Gunn's take on the character is a superhero who believes in humanity's goodness — even if presumably Lex Luthor tests that idea, and even if he draws queries about why he does what he does. If it feels like Superman has been missing for cinemas for a while — well, in these superhero movie-heavy days, that is — that's because it's been eight years, since Justice League. That's when Zack Snyder's film initially arrived in its theatrical version (Zack Snyder's Justice League, aka the Snyder Cut, debuted on streaming in 2021). Check out the new Superman trailer below: Superman releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, July 10, 2025. Read James Gunn's thoughts on the initial trailer.
Gambling sites are so often accused of being scummy. Confined to the cracked iPhone screens of sweaty middle-aged men watching the races, or nestled up against a footy fanatic's much-pounded Tinder app, these sites don't often conjure up images of class. But for this year's FIFA World Cup, Sportsbet have pulled out the big guns. They've called upon the classiest dude bro they could think of. They've let Jesus loose upon our skies. In a marketing stunt that seeks to mimic Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer, Sportsbet have created a hot air balloon in an arguably sacrilegious image of Jesus Christ. They've encapsulated his transcendent essence in 46 metres of gassy latex, slapped a hashtagged Socceroos jersey on him and launched him off into the atmosphere because culture or sports or betting or something. It's a move that's understandably enraged Melbourne's religious community. Director of the Australian Christian Lobby Dan Flynn has spoken out against the stunt on 3AW saying Jesus has been co-opted into endorsing gambling. "Jesus was very much for the poor and we know the effect of gambling on the poor, they take the biggest brunt of that," he said. The balloon has also been condemned by Deputy Premier Peter Ryan, the Australian Churches Gambling Taskforce, and the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne. However, Sportsbet's representatives claim the balloon is nothing more than a morale booster to get people behind the Socceroos this week. "Let’s be honest — the Socceroos need divine intervention to progress past their three group games, so the message we’re aiming to get across is that for all Aussies to keep the faith in [them]," PR manager Shaun Anderson told the Herald Sun. Sportsbet also claim they haven't received any complaints from religious groups directly. Spokesperson Matthew Campbell even went so far as to reassure readers at the Sydney Morning Herald: "We certainly don’t believe we’re being insensitive to anyone’s religious beliefs." This isn't the first time Sportsbet have been accused of insensitivity. In fact, their last controversy came only one year ago with this charming piece of good ol' Aussie animal porn. Any of the @QantasWallabies see this little guy upon landing in Melbourne today? #rootingforoz pic.twitter.com/NOei58MFNv — Sportsbet.com.au (@sportsbetcomau) June 23, 2013 Though today marks just the second day of flight for the holy balloon, it's already received a huge amount of attention. Not only has it faced scrutiny from those religious groups mentioned above, it's featured on the front page of mX, and made an appearance on both the Daily Mail and Wall Street Journal. How embarrassment. Despite all this, Sportsbet claim the only thing that could bring down our ever-present lord is the weather. The betting site intend to keep him airborne over Melbourne for the next couple of days before a national tour starting next week. If you weren't already having moral dilemmas with this year's World Cup, you sure as hell will now. Via Herald Sun and The Sydney Morning Herald. Photos via Sportsbet.
If you stare at something long enough, you don't just see the obvious. You notice everything, from the details that fail to immediately catch your attention to the way things can change instantly right in front of your eyes. The Killing of Two Lovers is all about this idea, and on two fronts. It puts a fractured marriage before its lens, ensuring its struggles and troubles can't be ignored. It also takes its time to peer at its protagonist, the separated-and-unhappy-about-it David (Clayne Crawford, Rectify), and at all that his new life now entails. In a sparse small town — with the film shot in Kanosh, Utah — its central figure attempts to adjust to living with his ailing widower father (Bruce Graham, Forty Years From Yesterday). His wife Niki (Sepideh Moafi, The L Word: Generation Q) remains in their home with their four children, as they've agreed while they take a break to work through their problems. David isn't coping, though, a fact that's apparent long before his teenage daughter Jess (Avery Pizzuto, We Fall Down) gets angry because she thinks he isn't fighting hard enough to save their family. He's trying, but as Crawford conveys in a brooding but nervy performance — and as writer/director/editor Robert Machoian (When She Runs) and cinematographer Oscar Ignacio Jiménez (Immanence) can't stop looking at in lengthy and patient takes — he can't quite adapt to the idea of losing everything he knows. Not just wed young, but welcoming Jess into their lives when they were basically kids themselves, David and Niki have spent their entire adulthood together so far — and as parents. They've agreed that they can date other people during their time apart, which Niki is doing; however, David just wants what he's always had. Indeed, The Killing of Two Lovers opens with him appearing poised to put that title into effect. He even has a gun, in fact. But nothing is that simple here, or for everyone in the movie's frames, or for anyone. From that very first moment, with the camera lingering on him wrestling with a big decision and radiating pain, anger and uncertainty, this is a feature that's determined to keep staring while its characters grapple with complexities both intimate and commonplace. David can't handle that Niki has started seeing Derek (Chris Coy, The Deuce), who works in the same building. He can't face the fact that she's been promoted at work, which brings more opportunities for her to be independent. And he certainly can't abide by only spending time with his beloved kids — including pre-teen boys Alex, Theo and Bug (Arri, Ezra and Jonah Graham, God Bless the Child) in agreed slots, instead of being there for their every moment. The Killing of Two Lovers watches David rage and fray. It sees him try to be the cool part-time dad, buying his brood toy rockets to send soaring into the sky in the local park, and waking up his sons in the middle of the night to show them he's taken their comedy advice. The film observes as he weathers Jess' anger, fear and disappointment, too, and as he tries to make his date nights with Niki the kind of evening that'll get them back together. It notices his self-centred wish to keep everything frozen in time, his stubbornness to accept any other fate, and his posturing with the unpleasant, jerk-ish Derek. Crucially, though, this is a movie about domestic disharmony that witnesses as much as it can, and lets as broad a spectrum of its protagonist's life as possible tell its tale. The Killing of Two Lovers ensures that Niki's predicament is just as complicated as well. This isn't just a movie that explores what happens when a man could lose everything that's made him who he is; it's also a portrait of a woman torn between a past she knows and a future that's on her own terms. And, it definitely isn't a film that condones David's actions, or offers any neat or predictable answers, explanations or options, but rather it's a snapshot of just how tangled and elaborate life always becomes. There's an element of Scenes From a Marriage at play here, although The Killing of Two Lovers pre-dates the new remake — and so much of the feeling in this gorgeously shot movie comes from its imagery. When it's hard to look away from such rich and enticing visuals, it's impossible not to spot and soak in everything they depict. Each frame is postcard-perfect, not that those pieces of cardboard ever capture such everyday sights, but wide vistas and the snowy mountains hovering in the background are just the beginning. With its long takes, The Killing of Two Lovers forces its audience to glean the naturalistic lighting that never casts David and Niki's hometown in either a warm glow or grim glower. Repeated images of David alone, especially in his car, also leave a firm impression of a man moving and solo. And, presenting most of its frames in the 4:3 aspect ratio, the film also possesses an astonishing and telling sense of space. Nothing is bluntly boxed in here, but everyone is trying to roam within the claustrophobic patch of turf they've scratched out. And, within the feature's square-shaped visuals springs an added fountain of intimacy that cuts to the heart of such close relationships, such as when David and the kids all pile into his truck, or during one of David and Niki's car-bound dates. Of course, without the right actors inhabiting those shots — and the right performances emanating from them — Machoian's stunning sights would ring hollow. Crawford is as soulful as the film's cinematography, and as jumpy as the metallic-sounding audioscape that echoes during its 84-minute running time. He's both masterful and devastating as he, like the overall feature itself, tussles and jostles with David's internal and external chaos. His is a raw and invested portrayal, so it comes as little surprise that he's one of the picture's executive producers. Crawford is aided by spot-on work by his co-stars, though; by smartly penned, stirringly insightful dialogue that most scripts wish they could muster, too; and by a piercing use of silence to let everything sink in. The devil isn't in the detail here — the minutiae is the entire movie, and what an unflinching, evocative and heady vision of yearning and emotionally churning it is.
Dodging peak hour traffic, avoiding unmindful pedestrians and negotiating road rage - all the while exposed to the elements - are part of a day's work for the average city bicycle courier. With this in mind, Renault has put together the 'Twizy Cargo'. First presented in concept mode at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2009, and now on the market, it's a one-seater electric car with an over-sized boot, designed to make urban delivery easier, faster and safer. Sharing the convenience associated with a bicycle, with its small size enabling parking in the tiniest of spots, the Twizy also offers a seatbelt, an airbag and a sealed cabin. In other words, protection from the weather and from crazy drivers whose legal access to a licence remains a mystery to us all. Plus, it's super cheap to run. The boot has a 180-litre capacity and can handle weights of up to 75 kilograms. It might not be able to take an elephant, but it can certainly handle more than a party's worth of pizzas. And the doors open to a blissful 90 degree angle. So there's no more trying to prop the door open with your leg while juggling boxes and keys. Two versions of the Twizy Cargo are currently available. The granny-style 'MA L6e' has a maximum speed of 45 km/hr and is selling for $US10,433; while the more rock-starrish 'MB L7e' can handle speeds of up to 80km/hr and retails at $US11,337. Both require a Renault-rented battery, which comes in at about $US65 per month. [via PSFK]
Napoli Food and Wines is a mega warehouse for all things Italian and it has been serving the Marrickville community for nearly 30 years. The wholesaler is owned by Raffaele Angrisano, who is considered a neighbourhood local legend. The expansive warehouse contains imported goods directly from the motherland (as well as carrying local produce, such as Australian cheese). You can get it all here, from Italian salumi and burrata, bocconcini and fresh mozzarella to imported coffee and olive oil. There's even an entire pizza making section and plenty of pasta, too. In addition to the food, Napoli also carries Italian wines and craft beers, and the deli is currently offering home delivery to boot. Images: Cassandra Hannagan
This time last year, Hartsyard became Hartsyard 2.0 when then owners Gregory Llewellyn and Naomi Hart swapped the deep fryer for the charcoal grill. Then, late last year, they sold it. Now, to kick off 2019, the much-loved Newtown restaurant has reopened with new owners. Except they're not exactly new. One, Jarrod Walsh, has been Hartsyard 2.0's head chef for the past year, and the other is Momofuku Seiobo chef and Walsh's partner, Dot Lee. "We were wanting to open our own restaurant, then Greg and Naomi told us they were thinking of selling and that was it," says Walsh. "It was too good an opportunity not to miss." To celebrate the takeover, the two have added a splash of paint, in the form of black-and-white tattoo-inspired artworks by local artist Isabel Williams. Besides that, the 50-seater space has keep its light, fresh look, dotted with oak, tan, black steel and greenery. "Food-wise, it's the same style — share plates and snacks designed to be eaten with your hands," says Walsh. "There are lots of vegetarian and vegan options." Take your pick of 13 individual dishes or one of two set menus ($75/95). Among Walsh's new creations are marinated and grilled Clarence River baby octopus with roasted peppers and smoked charcoal potatoes, stone fruit with smoked sheep's milk yoghurt and yukari shiso (an umami-heavy seasoning made from shiso leaves) and Geraldton kingfish tartare with seaweed chips. [caption id="attachment_705252" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] But the one that's already won over the crowd is the fried cheese. "It's like a cheese toastie, but with layers of cheese on cheese on cheese," says Walsh. "We start with Parmesan, with roasted black pepper stock — cooked with tapioca pearls, so it's gluten free — then, we add hot mustard sour cream, which we top with gruyère, gouda and roasted black pepper salt. We served it last night and customers were ordering it again and again." Behind the bar, restaurant manager and sommelier Andrea Spagna has expanded the wine list with a bunch of Australian and international drops. Look out for several experimental, organic numbers, too. Meanwhile, bartender Paddy O'Rourke (The Gretz, Bulletin Place, Dead Ringer) is pouring local craft beers and signature cocktails, which change every week. Kicking off the inaugural list are the Stonefruit Slipper (stone fruit vodka, maraschino cherry and lemon sherbet) and the Pepito (spiced coconut rum, mango, yoghurt, honey and pistachio). The new-look Hartsyard is now open at 33 Enmore Road, Newtown. Opening hours are Wednesday to Saturday 6pm till late, and Sunday 12pm to 3pm. Saturday lunch will follow in February. Images: Steven Woodburn.
If you haven't been to Auckland (Tāmaki Makaurau) — or it's been a while — it's time to get (re)acquainted. Emanating a fresh urban energy, Auckland is buzzing with bar and restaurant openings, thought-provoking exhibitions, and thrilling outdoor adventures — all while honouring its unique cultural legacy. If you play it right, Auckland feels more like a creative playground than a city — you just need to know what mood you're in. Whether you're feeling adventurous, romantic or indulgent, here's how to nail your next Auckland visit. What To Do When You Feel Like… A Hit Of Adrenaline Need a healthy rush? It's not every day you can jump off a country's highest landmark but Auckland's Sky Tower offers you the chance to do just that. Described as base jumping by wire, SkyJump is an 11-second freefall from 192 metres high. Reach speeds of up to 85 kilometres per hour before coming to a smooth landing at the base — so enjoy the view up there. Too fast? Scale the Auckland Harbour Bridge with a two-hour guided tour right to the top. Soak up 360-degree views of the city, embark on a sunset tour, or double down on the adrenaline by bungee jumping off the bridge instead. Auckland's Waiheke Island is home to an array of zip lines guaranteed to get your heart racing. EcoZip Adventures offers a three-hour zipline journey through the treetops, soaring high above lush, native forest, while the Man O' War Forest Flight allows you to comfortably zip at your own pace across three 200-metre ziplines and boardwalks, ending at Man O' War's magnificent winery for a tasting. What To Do When You Feel Like… Indulging In Some 'Me Time' While a holiday is generally considered 'me time', jam-packed itineraries and travelling with others can sometimes leave us craving a solo outing. Luckily, Auckland boasts many indulgent treatments to help you find solace. Treat yourself to spa treatments at Chuan Spa in the city. Offering luxurious experiences that blend traditional Chinese medicine with modern wellness, you can expect a satisfying menu of treatments and facilities, including massages, facials, saunas, herbal steam rooms, and a heated rooftop pool. They also won spa of the year, so you know you're in good hands. Abstract Hotel's in-house award-winning Sa-Ni Spa offers affordable treatments in the city's heart. Devoted to holistic healing and wellness, Sa-Ni Spa incorporates ancient techniques and traditional aromatherapy throughout its offerings. Our top pick? Deep Sleep Therapy. A signature massage that calms your nervous system, inducing the most peaceful sleep you've ever had. While an escape to Auckland can bring a world of calm, a visit to East Day Spa at the Grand by Sky City will deepen your relaxation even further. Promising an oasis of healing with a no-phone policy so you can switch off from the world, East Day Spa boasts 11 treatment rooms — including four double suites, zen heat experiences, and a relaxation atrium. What To Do When You Feel Like… You're Overstimulated and Need To Zen One of the best antidotes to burnout? Immersing yourself in Mother Nature or moving your body — combining the two is even better. And you're certainly spoiled for choice in Auckland. Craving zen? Roll out a yoga mat in one of the coolest settings: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. Immerse yourself in the calming, meditative practice of Hatha yoga while surrounded by magnificent, historic artworks and sculptures. Classes run for an hour every Sunday and Tuesday evening. If you'd rather be outdoors, swap the mat for a picnic rug among beautiful plants and lush gardens. Wander through Auckland Domain's impressive Wintergarden—an ever-changing trove of rare plants, including the Amorphophallus titanum (corpse flower) — and follow a trail of captivating outdoor sculptures. Alternatively, hop over to the city's southern side and explore Auckland's Botanic Gardens filled with aromatic flowers and a picturesque lake. It's an idyllic slice of stillness in Auckland. The best part? It's free. Speaking of picturesque, Waiheke Island offers you a hike for every mood, whether after a leisurely stroll or a more challenging trek. If you're eager to take it easy and slow, we recommend the Whakanewha Loop. The two-hour, grade four hike is through Nikau forest and native bush with cascades along the way. But, if you're up for something that's a little more challenging, set out on the Mokemoke Pā headland walk — a two-hour, grade seven walking loop that hugs Waiheke's stunning coastline. What To Do When You Feel Like… A Fancy Snack Auckland's vibrant food scene offers plenty of gourmet bites, share-worthy small plates, and indulgent treats perfect for a snack-filled day of exploring. If you're in the mood for a taste of Italy, head to pocket-sized Pici, where its signature cacio e pepe pasta is a must-try. For a twist on Mediterranean classics, Lebanese favourite Gemmayze Street serves up heavenly homemade hummus, which you can even take home to keep the flavour lingering. For high-brow fancy snacks, look no further than Bar Magda. Here, Filipino-inspired plates like tuna on toast with mayo, anchovy, and flying fish caviar bring a refreshing take on bar snacks. Alternatively, visit local favourite Atelier, where French-style tapas and freshly shucked oysters await, alongside a curated selection of local and international cheeses — or, if you're on the hunt for incredible vegetarian bites, swing by Hatted restaurant Forest in Mount Eden. Think small plates like seaweed-dusted fries with toasted chilli goop and crunchy crudités dunked in creamy garlic pine nut dip. If you're near the CBD, Auckland's snack scene has you covered. Darling On Drake offers a sprawling terrace where you can sample saucy prawn rolls or short rib nuggets with mustard mayo. For something sweet, Giapo is a must-visit. Known for its world-famous hokey pokey ice cream, it isn't your average ice creamery. Its inventive flavours — like velvet cake with cream cheese or pumpkin seed praline are as much of an experience as they are a treat. Craving luxury? Miann Chocolate Factory is a dream dessert boutique. From fairytale-like mousse mushroom cakes to imaginative tiramisu treats, each dessert is meticulously detailed and (almost) too beautiful to eat. What To Do When You Feel Like… Learning Something New Auckland is the perfect destination for those who crave fresh experiences and the thrill of learning something new. Whether you're exploring your creative side or honing a new skill, the city offers plenty of opportunities to expand your horizons. Get your green thumb wagging at Babylon, Auckland's beloved plant store. Learn how to create a Japanese Kokedama or build a vibrant terrarium. Plus, for the most heinous indoor plant killers, Babylon offers courses on how to nurture your own plant babies. If you're in the mood to get your hands dirty, The Clay Centre in Mt Wellington runs creative workshops, including its popular "wheel and wine" class. It's a great way to unwind while learning the art of pottery. For a quieter but equally rewarding experience, try its Saturday morning coffee-and-clay sessions. To refine your artistic skills, Studio One Toi Tū in Grey Lynn offers a variety of classes, from life drawing to knotting macramé bracelets. They even offer specialised workshops like traditional Māori jewellery carving. Don't forget to check out one of the exhibitions at the studio, which showcases local and international talent. If you're looking for something a little more adventurous, why not learn to surf at Muriwai Beach? Set against dramatic dunes and cliffs, the beach is about 40 minutes north-west of Auckland and is an idyllic spot to learn the basics of surfing (or advanced technical skills if you've surfed for years). And don't worry about the cold — winter wetsuits are included, so you can stay warm while soaking up the stunning coastal views. Just a short flight away, Auckland is the perfect long weekend destination for travellers seeking urban energy and unexpected natural gems. Find out more here. By Jacque Kennedy
When someone spots a giant spider, they take notice, even when it's simply a tall metal piece of art. Seeing one of Louise Bourgeois' towering arachnids is indeed a stunning experience; however, so is watching people clock her lofty works. Her Maman sculptures demand attention. They're the type of public art that audiences just want to sit around, soak in and commune with. They're photo favourites, too, of course — and one has just arrived in Australia. This is the first time that Maman has displayed Down Under, with the world-famous piece arriving in Sydney as part of Sydney International Art Series. Bourgeois is one of three hero talents scoring a blockbuster exhibition during event, alongside Wassily Kandinsky and Tacita Dean. The nine-metre-high, ten-metre-wide sculpture that Bourgeois is best known for is currently on display on the forecourt of the Art Gallery of NSW, towering over the historic South Building. The sculpture hails back to 1999, and boasts its name because it's a tribute to Bourgeois' mother. The artist described her mum as "deliberate, clever, patient, soothing... and [as] useful as a spider". [caption id="attachment_927831" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation view of the Louise Bourgeois 'Has the Day Invaded the Night or Has the Night Invaded the Day?' exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Felicity Jenkins[/caption] If you're keen to see Maman on home soil, Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day? is running at the gallery from Saturday, November 25, 2023–Sunday, April 28, 2024, boasting 120 different works — the most comprehensive exhibition of Bourgeois's work ever to grace a gallery in the Asia Pacific. The Bourgeois exhibition is on display 13 years after the Paris-born artist passed away in New York in 2010, and after she stamped her imprint upon the art of the 20th century. Visitors will see her Arch of Hysteria work down in the gallery's underground Tank, textile works of the 1990s and 2000s, and plenty in-between. Other highlights include The Destruction of the Father, which is among the pieces that've never been displayed in Australia before; Clouds and Caverns, which is rarely seen in general; and the mirrored piece Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day?, which shares the exhibition's moniker. Alongside the display of art, there will be a free film series curated by the AGNSW's Ruby Arrowsmith-Todd. A heap of Louise Bourgeois' favourite flicks will be screened at the gallery's cinema, including 1958's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 1971's Harold and Maude, David Lynch's Eraserhead, John Waters' Pink Flamingos and The Wizard of Oz. [caption id="attachment_927828" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation view of the Louise Bourgeois 'Has the Day Invaded the Night or Has the Night Invaded the Day?' exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Felicity Jenkins[/caption] Top image: installation of Louise Bourgeois 'Maman' at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Felicity Jenkins.
Coca-Cola has been turning green lately with sustainable bottles and recycled store shelving already upping their eco-cred, but their latest venture in the Philippines might be the best yet. Partnering with WWF, their new 60 foot by 60 foot billboard features 3,600 Fukien tea plants held in pots made from recycled Coca-Cola products, the plants defining a simple silhouette of a Coke bottle. As well as catching the eye the billboard should soak up carbon from the immediate atmosphere, as each plant is capable of absorbing 13 pounds of carbon dioxide in a year. Critics have cited it as mere greenwashing, and only a drop in the ocean compared to Coke's giant production and transport carbon outputs. Nevertheless, at least it's a step in the right direction, and as well as advertising their product the billboard also highlights the issue of climate change. But, will it ever make up for the decades of flashing lights on the Kings Cross Coke sign? Will Sydney ever see the lights dimmed and replaced with some greenery? [via PSFK]
If we've said it once, we've said a thousand times: spring is an absolutely stellar time to be in Sydney. But we're not going to stop because it's just the weather is glorious and primed for outdoor activities — and our fair city follows suit, serving up countless springtime happenings. As its Spring Carnival continues, we've teamed up with Australian Turf Club to bring you five top-notch ways to celebrate the season this week. [caption id="attachment_745411" align="alignnone" width="1920"] George Gittany[/caption] EAT, DRINK AND DANCE YOUR WAY THROUGH A NEARBY STREET FESTIVAL When? Tuesday, October 15–Sunday, October 20 Spring is the season for street festivals — and this week, you can find one in almost every corner of the city. In the inner city, there's Paddington's long-running William Street Festival, which will see local shops, bars and cafes throw open their doors for an all-day celebration on Saturday, October 19. Meanwhile, on Sunday, October 20, you (and your dog) can make tracks to Marrickville's street party, featuring live music, free workshops and plenty of food trucks, or head over the bridge to Crows Nest's own party, which is celebrating its 30th year. Oh, and to get you geared up, head west to Parramatta for its expansive laneway festival — it's on from Tuesday, October 18–Friday, October 18, and will feature a 90s-themed club, a Pac-Man maze, roving performances and much more. [caption id="attachment_745951" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'Unbearable Darkness' by Choy Ka Fai[/caption] WITNESS A BOLD PERFORMANCE AT THIS EXPERIMENTAL ART FESTIVAL When? Thursday, October 17–Sunday, October 27 Spring is all about shaking the winter shackles off and mixing up the routine after months of cosy nights in under your doona. And catching a bunch of outrageous performance art fits the bill perfectly. This week sees the return of Carriageworks' annual experimental art festival Liveworks. For eleven days, the expansive space will be filled with bold experiments by innovative artists and curators — think interactive installations, live performances, workshops and parties. This year's celebration has two central themes: championing female and non-binary visionaries and telling stories through the lens of cultural identity. The festival will feature five newly commissioned works — including Chicks on Speed's performance art piece I'll Be Your Body Instrument using wearable music devices — alongside three world premieres and three Australian premieres. [caption id="attachment_746452" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paul McMillan[/caption] CATCH SUPERSTAR KELLY ROWLAND AT THE EVEREST RACEDAY When? Saturday, October 19 The six-week Everest Carnival culminates this weekend in a rather lavish event day. It's the biggest day on the spring carnival calendar — and there'll be plenty of action happening off the track at The Everest Raceday that you can get involved in, too. Alongside a bevvy of food trucks, pop-up bars and champagne vending machines, you can expect entertainment in the form of a roving brass band, a DJ set from Nat Sax in the Palm Springs-inspired oasis Pony Palms, and none other than global pop star Kelly Rowland closing out the day with an energetic live performance. SIP MANY PINK DRINKS AT THIS BAR'S ROSÉ-INSPIRED FESTIVAL When? Any day Rosé may not be the official drink of spring — despite the fact that we all start ordering it in copious amounts as soon the weather warms up — but it might as well be at Barangaroo House. For the entire month of October, the harbourside bar has transformed its entire three-storey venue into an homage to the blush drop — think hot pink decor (including a hidden all-pink room), rosé vending machines, pop-up bars, themed cocktails and even $55 bottomless rosé lunches, which you can enjoy from Friday to Sunday. SNAG A PRELOVED GEM AT A LOCAL GARAGE SALE When? Saturday, October 19–Sunday, October 20 We know what you're thinking: aren't garage sales for... grandpas? Not so, dear bargain hunter. If you like your stuff to be one-of-a-kind, garage sales are an opportunity to uncover some truly fantastic finds — and also unload a few items of your own that have been collecting dust in your wardrobe, under your bed or (shocker) in the garage for a while. This weekend, more than 18,000 garages are expected to open their doors for the tenth annual Garage Sale Trail. Aside from the retro goodies up for grabs, the Trail is all about sustainability. Instead of ending up in landfill, unwanted clutter becomes a fantastic find. So get that tight pair of sunnies for peanuts and help the environment at the same time. Head here to find your closest sale. Everest Carnival runs until November 2 at Rosehill Gardens and Royal Randwick. For more information, head this way. Image: Paul McMillan.
Sometimes eye-opening, sometimes distracting, sometimes just 'meh', cameras have become a common sight on the Australian stage. Recently, Belvoir’s production of The Glass Menagerie used them to great effect, exploring the limitations of personal memory. At key points, the cameras captured and cropped the events onstage. When this footage was projected onto two large screens above the set, the feed the audience saw was completely distorted; it was decontextualised, romanticised and bore only the slightest relation to the scene we were witnessing. This was both innovative storytelling and a means of reconciling a work which writer Tennessee Williams, through the protagonist, had claimed was simultaneously truth and sentiment. In STC’s production of Williams’ Suddenly Last Summer (directed by an unrelated Williams, Kip), a similar fusion is attempted, albeit for different reasons. Unfortunately, a more hamfisted approach means that despite strong performances, the events unfolding on stage feel like a sideshow, collateral damage of the true spectacle — a struggle between cinema and theatre. The play takes place in the lavish New Orleans estate of Violet Venable (Robyn Nevin), a wealthy older woman struggling to come to terms with the loss of her son Sebastian, who died overseas in mysterious circumstances. Mrs Venable has long contended that the account of his travelling companion and the last person to see him alive, Catharine Holly (Eryn Jean Norvill), is not only false but slanderous. Summoning a number of people, including a young psychosurgeon (Mark Leonard Winter) and Holly herself to the estate, she sets about extracting the truth. The extended and very dramatic nature of the explanation, coupled with the roomful of shocked onlookers, means that this occasionally feels like Murder on the Orient Express, but the script is unsettling and the cast emanate a tangible sense of dread. Nevin, though confined to a chair for much of the play, is simultaneously wolfish and austere as Mrs Venable. Norvill is wonderful as Catharine, a woman who can’t be certain of anything except the terrible event she witnessed, and Melita Jurisic adds to the almost Lovecraftian nature of the piece with her weird, bewildered turn as Venable’s maid, Miss Foxhill. The shortcomings of Suddenly Last Summer lie in Williams’ decision to film the play live with a camera crew who move freely about the stage, walking in and out of each scene. The text is relatively naturalistic and places a high priority on creating an unsettling, anxious atmosphere. This is achieved in the first scene, which is filmed entirely out of view. Sebastian’s overgrown greenhouse, referred to as a "well-groomed jungle", is made chaotic and threatening by the cameras. Talk of lobotomies and Mrs Venable’s remembrance that her son equated the face of God with baby turtles shredded by gulls on the Galapagos Islands establishes a creeping horror. Then the wall shifts. Where before there had only been glimpses of the camera crew, they are now in full view and the shroud of terror falls. Our reality and the reality of the play begin to butt heads and the plight of Catharine Holly fades in importance. Putting technicians next to performers is like putting live animals on stage. With no investment in the constructed reality of the stage, their honesty is inherently more interesting to watch than the assumed characters of the performers. Their presence does allow for an exploration of the cinematic nature of Williams’ work, but in doing so, they become the piece. The production is no longer a Tennessee Williams play but a play about the making of a film of a Tennessee Williams play. In this context, the fate of the characters becomes rather arbitrary and a strange new dynamic is created, whereby half of the people onstage wail and rage at each other while the other half remain uninvolved and unmoved, content to witness these events through the lens of a camera. Although the concluding scenes are an impressive marriage of cinematography and staging which work to give the ending real punch, Suddenly Last Summer’s cinematic and theatrical elements spend so much time straining against each other that by the time the ending is reached, this struggle has already done irreparable damage to the whole.
Has it ever crossed your mind that this is a ridiculously impossible idea and that you might not actually be able to do it? Artist Willoh S Weiland is on the other end of Skype and laughs at the question. "What I love about this project is that it's about the audience — people love doing stuff that's impossible. I think it's our job as a project team to make it a reality." The project in question is Forever Now, an epic artistic and curatorial collaboration between MONAFOMA director Brian Ritchie (of Violent Femmes fame), Jeff Khan (director, Performance Space), Thea Baumann (artistic associate, Aphids) and jokingly self-titled 'Evil Overlord' Weiland (artistic director, Aphids). With the launch on June 15, the fantastic four will open the call out to anyone and everyone in the world to submit one-minute audiovisual artworks that represent humanity in the 21st-century. The team will select 44 applications to go on a digital golden record, which will then be launched into outer space at MONAFOMA 2014. "Forever Now is the third in a trilogy of art science works that I've been doing over the last four years, all of which have explored space and astrophysics," says Weiland. "I thought that the ultimate challenge to complete this trilogy would be for us to try and get contemporary art actually into the galaxy." Thirty-six years ago, NASA launched a Golden Record of its own into outer space on The Voyager spacecraft. Like the sci-fi version of the classic message in a bottle, there is hope that intelligent extraterrestrial life might discover the record, have the brains to correctly decipher the instructions, the fingers with which to operate them on a turntable and the sensory capacities to consume the record's contents and learn about our lonely planet. The Voyager is the furthest human thing from planet Earth, currently floating on the edge of our galaxy, about to enter interstellar space. Moreover, the Golden Record is made from gold-plated copper and uranium-238 that is designed to last over 4 billion years. Weiland describes the differences between NASA's 1977 Golden Record and what she hopes to achieve with Forever Now: "Firstly, [the Voyager Record] was created in six weeks in a totally closed curatorial process by a group of scientists and cultural experts." The Forever Now launch and open call for submissions is a direct reaction to that. "There was no digital democracy in 1977," says Weiland, "so the idea is that the curatorial process is completely transparent and able to be influenced by the public and that the record we compile will be an evolving process over six months." A second point of difference, as she sees it, is to the curatorial limitations that NASA worked within. "They deliberately didn't send anything that was about conflict or war or argument or famine or anything — it was a very shiny, upbeat representation of humanity. So we want to look more at the queer and the horrible.” On whether or not she believes in aliens, Weiland replies, "I think that one of the most exciting developments of the last thirty years compared to when the Voyager went out is the discovery of exoplanets (planets outside our Solar System) and also the absolute certainty that we will within my lifetime find biological life somewhere else." And how might an alien respond if it got its hands (or other limbs) on the Forever Now record? "If they weren't a gas, I can only say what I'd hope, which is that they'd be curious about us and be compelled to find us," she says. "I think we've been trying to understand our own aloneness for a long time and I think finding that out, that we weren't, would be such an intense, massive shift. It would be like when they worked out that the world wasn't flat." Plans for sending the physical record into outer space are yet to be confirmed, though Weiland declares, "We will do our valiant best to get it into space. We have a lot of possible plans ranging from gifting it to NASA, or to lesser known space programs like South Korea. The main issue in that is dealing with how much you have to compromise the content in order to participate in what is essentially a really militarised industry." There is also the possibility of launching Forever Now privately, "though this will carry implications for how far the work will be able to travel". More information about the project will come to light at the official unveiling ceremony on June 15 at the State Library of New South Wales. "The launch in June is also the launch of the research and implementation for both Susan Cohn, who's making the record, for Erin Milne, who's working out how to get it into space, and for the curators, who are going to be talking to the public and dealing with the submissions process." Forever Now is an Aphids project in association with Performance Space, MONAFOMA and Vitalstatistix. It launches as part of the Performance Space Switched On season, and the launch webcast can be watched on the their website.
"Things are mental at the moment." "I'm totally slammed." "Where has this month gone?" Sound familiar? At this time of the year, work schedules can get pretty crazy. With the end of financial year, the start of a new one and everything in-between, it probably means you're starting earlier, finishing later and answering emails whenever they hit your inbox — even if it's 11pm and you're in bed. So, no doubt, you're clocking a lot of hours of screen time. A huge problem with that is that screens emit a blue light that strains our eyes and makes our brains think it's daytime — even when it's midnight and you're about to go to bed. With your brain still running around in circles, chances are, you won't be able to switch off and drift into the deep sleep that you need to be chipper and productive the next day. But there's no need to throw in the towel (or throw out your phone) completely. Oscar Wylee offers lenses that filter out this blue light, which you can add to your glasses whether they're prescription or not. Think of it as an easy way to set yourself up for a restful sleep and a super productive day ahead. And that's just one way you can increase your productivity. Once you've got those eyes sorted, you can get into these stress-busting hacks that will help you make the most our of each work day and get stuff ticked off your to-do list. USE AN APP TO SORT OUT YOUR TO-DO LIST Almost missed that 2pm meeting? Keep forgetting to pay that overdue gas bill? Constantly double-booked on Saturday nights? There's a lot to keep on top of. From birthdays to boxing classes, we're swimming in a sea of emails, alarms, missed phone calls and unanswered messages. But there are several ways to make your life easier. Enter project management apps. They're the lifesaving, schedule-sorting saviours that keep your to-do list in check at the office and at home. These handy apps act as a virtual assistant, reminding you of all the stuff you've already forgotten about. Simply type whatever you need to do, add a due date and let the app do the rest. Talk about taking the stress out of adulting. Ready to get started? Check out Asana, Trello, Airtable or Wunderlist to get your to-do list sorted. INVEST IN THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT TO GET THE JOB DONE Eight hours of staring at a screen is, well, about as fun as it sounds. Hunched shoulders and headaches are usually how it ends. But there is a way to combat that 3pm fuzz, even if you just can't leave your desk for that highly necessary walk. Look to glasses that filter out blue light, like Oscar Wylee's blue light filter lenses. These bad boys help block the harmful rays of blue light that can lead to eye strain and disrupted sleep pattern. Using clear lenses, these glasses are perfect for digital desk dwellers who spend long hours on their computer or smartphone. Plus, blocking blue light will help you sleep better. Our brains associate blue light with daytime, so these lenses make winding down after a big day a breeze. BLOCK OUT YOUR CALENDAR SO NO ONE INTERRUPTS YOUR FLOW Meetings can chew up so much of time at the office. So treat your desk time like all those back-to-backs you've been in, and book it in like an appointment. Better yet, add a daily appointment in the cal for your lunch break. It's time to take control of your calendar. Set aside 15 minutes at the beginning of your week to block out 'no meetings' hours each day. Consider what project deadlines are looming and prioritise your time towards these tasks accordingly. Make sure to lock in time for yourself, too, such as lunch dates and midday workout classes. Establishing boundaries will help others better respect your time, which in turn, will help you get through the day's tasks they're nagging you about anyway. [caption id="attachment_728617" align="alignnone" width="1920"] April, @coffeewithme.[/caption] TAKE YOUR LUNCH BREAK AWAY FROM YOUR DESK We've all been there. You're swamped with reports to write and emails to respond to. Then Word crashes, your laptop freezes and all your hard work disappears into the digital abyss. Sure, you've now got your Oscar Wylee blue light filter lenses on to combat the strain on your eyes, but you need to combat the strain on your brain, too. As counterproductive as it might seem, taking a break away from your desk can be the best move. When we're flustered and overwhelmed, getting out and into the fresh air does wonders to clear the mind. Even just 20 minutes sitting in a nearby park or walking to a local cafe will do the trick. Soak up that vitamin D, take a brisk walk and try to avoid scrolling through your phone while doing so. You'll return feeling refreshed and, most likely, in a better mood, making the recovery of that hard work not so daunting. SWITCH OFF YOUR EMAIL AND PHONE NOTIFICATIONS Staying on task can be tough. The buzz of a phone and ping of our emails can be enough to pull us way off course. These might seem like tiny distractions, but their powers are mighty. There are plenty of findings out there linking mobile phones and depression, but also those distractions end up putting you in a state of multitasking. What's so wrong with that? Well, it slows your productivity right down. So, kick the habit of jumping between tasks once and for all. By turning off those pesky notifications that lure you back to your inbox, you'll be much better placed to smash through your to-do list. Plus, you can batch your time to respond to emails in one go, rather than drip-feeding responses throughout the day. Prime yourself for your productivity kick. Head to Oscar Wylee to pick your frames and speak to its team about adding a blue light filter to your lenses. You and your less-strained eyeballs can thank us later.
The couple at the centre of relationship dramedy Before Midnight is one we know oddly well, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy). In a typically Gen X act of slacker romanticism, they spent one night walking and talking around Vienna in 1995's Before Sunrise and were finally reunited for a further afternoon in Paris in 2004's Before Sunset. In the nine years since, it turns out they've stuck with each other, but the insouciance of those early encounters has gone now they're into their early forties. "When was the last time we just walked around bullshitting?" Jesse says in one beautifully self-aware moment, as they rediscover the pastime on holiday in Greece. With this series of films, dialogue is everything. In Before Midnight, it sparkles, dances and defies the bounds we expect of film. All three instalments are the product of a unique collaborative partnership between director Richard Linklater, Hawke and Delpy; from the start the actors have written parts of their own selves into the characters, and the possibility for honest exploration seems to have deepened with the passing of time. Before Midnight is in cinemas on Thursday, July 18, and thanks to Hopscotch Films, we have ten double in-season passes to give away to. To be in the running, sign up to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email hello@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address. Read our full review of Before Midnight here.
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.
Vivid Ideas and Vibewire have decided to join forces to produce some creative good in the world. Well, at least for one of seven young social innovators who are the finalists in this competition. What’s the deal you ask? These young guns will pitch their creative project idea to the judging panel in the hope of scoring $1000 in seed funding, 6 months of workshop space at the Vibewire Hub, workshops and mentoring. All those important things needed for a startup. And they will get the title of Vivid Ideas Fellowship winner (hopefully with some kind of pagent style tiara). There will be rapid fire pitches presented by the finalists to the panelists and the audience (you – if you’re there). Will you choose Joanna Bayndrian and her Suburban Heritage Project, or Sabrine Elkhodr’s The Paper Bag which provides the homeless with handmade stationery items made from recycled materials. The other entries are Joshua Davey’s Owl, Nathan Li’s Young Entrepreneurs of Australia, Ryo Ishii’s Urban Myth Sydney, Jesse Cox’s Driveway and Jordan Bryon’s Turf. If you love competitions and getting to vote on a crowd favourite (and who doesn’t?) this might be one to mark in your diary. There will also be some nibbles and beverages, and it’s all free. Tick. Just remember to do that rsvping thang.
Trust a mockumentary about the undead to keep coming back in new guises. Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's What We Do in the Shadows first came to light as a short film in 2005, then made its way to cinemas in rib-tickling feature-length form in 2014, and already has a werewolf-focused sequel in the works. Now, it's getting a TV spinoff. Slated to air on New Zealand television in 2017, Paranormal Event Response Unit won't spend more time with everyone's favourite Wellington-dwelling bloodsuckers, even though Waititi and Clement conceived the six-part series. Instead, it'll follow police officers Karen and Mike, who WWDITS fans might remember came knocking at the vampire share house's door. The cop duo will keep trying to keep the city safe from supernatural happenings — and we're sure viewers will keep watching. On Twitter, Waititi described the show as "Mulder & Scully but in a country where nothing happens", should you need any more reason to get excited. And we know he likes buddy flicks with mismatched characters, so expect that kind of vibe to come through too. As for the ingeniously titled We're Wolves, aka the Rhys Darby-starring, wolfpack-oriented big-screen continuation we mentioned above, it's still in development; however Waititi has been more than a bit busy of late. His last movie, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, proved a runaway hit when it opened in cinemas earlier this year. And over the last few months, the filmmaker has been hanging out on Gold Coast and in Brisbane directing a little flick called Thor: Ragnarok. Via Radio NZ.
White Night might not be lighting up the Melbourne CBD this year, with the event's inner-city edition bowing out to make way for the new Rising Festival. But if you're willing — or even eager — to get out of town, you'll still be able to treat your eyeballs to that famously vibrant program of large-scale projections and light installations when White Night makes its much-anticipated return to the streets of Bendigo and Geelong this spring. After the two regional events were postponed last year due to the pandemic, they're now back on the arts calendar. White Night Bendigo firing will fire up on Saturday, October 2, followed by White Night Geelong on Saturday, November 6. As always, the program will see each regional city come alive after dark for one jam-packed night, with a mix of illuminations, projections, music, art, performance, culinary experiences, and interactive artworks from leading local and international talent. Public spaces including laneways, streets and parks will be brought to life with striking installations and audio-visual delights. Even the Geelong foreshore is set to score some extra decoration of its own, playing host to a major hub during the festival's local run. All up, it's set to be as diverse a program as ever — with artists guided by the theme 'everything on the land is reflected in the sky', and globally renowned artist Joseph O'Farrell heading things up as the festival's new creative director. When White Night Geelong made its grand debut back in 2018, the event pulled around 70,000 attendees. The same year, White Night Bendigo also proved a roaring hit, with a crowd of over 60,000. The call is now out for expressions of interest from artists for both events — and stay tuned for more program details to be unveiled in the coming months. White Night Bendigo returns on Saturday, October 2, while White Night Geelong follows on Saturday, November 6. For more information, jump over to the White Night website. Images: White Night Bendigo, Visit Victoria
Urban beekeepers in Australia are on the increase, with more and more people besotted by an unusual new love affair with backyard native beekeeping. According to Sydney's Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, the new trend has brought an element of nature back to the city, where residents and native bees alike are reaping its benefits. The Asylum Seekers Centre community garden in Surry Hills is currently home to several hundred sugarbag bees. Volunteer Jess Perini says that asylum seekers are “hooked” on the beauty of the tiny bees, which produce roughly one kilo of sugarbag honey – an expensive, nutritious variety – a year. Not only do the creatures add to the splendour and biodiversity of the garden, they have also helped to break down language barriers for asylum seekers. Sydneysiders can expect the backyard beekeeping craze to stay with the instalment of native beehives in several community gardens later this year. In Brisbane, a code of practice for urban beekeeping has already been established. And in Melbourne, an organisation called Rooftop Honey offers people the chance to sponsor their own hives. Australia is home to ten different species of stingless bees which grow to only a few millimetres. Tiny and harmless, they quite literally take the sting out of a mutually beneficial relationship. Backyard beekeepers are able to harvest their own sources of honey, while the bees find sanctuary from the destruction of their habitats from land clearing. Native bees also play an important role in balancing the natural ecosystem by pollinating native plant species and crops. With so many environmental and community benefits, it’s not hard to see why urban beekeeping has generated such a buzz. And it’s not limited to Australia – since a ban on beekeeping in New York was overturned in 2010, the popular pastime has hit the roof on NYC's rooftops.
When it was announced back in 2016 that Moulin Rouge! was being turned into a stage musical, fans around the world thought the same thing in unison: the show must go on. Since then, the lavish production premiered in the US in 2018, then hit Broadway in 2019, and also announced that it'd head Down Under in 2021 — and if you're an Aussie wondering when the latter would actually happen after all the chaos of the past two years, the same mantra thankfully applies to its upcoming Melbourne season. Originally set to debut in August — a date that was obviously delayed due to lockdown — Moulin Rouge! The Musical will now make its Australian debut at Melbourne's revamped Regent Theatre on Friday, November 12. It'll do so as a newly minted Tony-winner, too, after picking up ten awards earlier in October, and also becoming the first-ever Aussie-produced show to win the Tony for Best Musical. Based on Baz Luhrmann's award-winning, Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor-starring movie — which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year — the stage musical brings to life the famed Belle Époque tale of young composer Christian and his heady romance with Satine, actress and star of the legendary Moulin Rouge cabaret. Set in the Montmartre Quarter of Paris, the film is known for its soundtrack, celebrating iconic tunes from across the past five decades. The stage version carries on the legacy, backing those favourites with even more hit songs that have been released in the two decades since the movie premiered. The musical is heading to Melbourne in the hands of production company Global Creatures, along with the Victorian Government. The Government is also a big player behind the Regent's upgrade works, having dropped a cool $14.5 million towards the $19.4 million project. It co-owns the site, along with the City of Melbourne. Moulin Rouge! The Musical's spectacular spectacular Melbourne season is set to stick around for a while, with tickets currently on sale until April 29. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihH1VttqMzc&feature=emb_logo Updated October 26, 2021. Moulin Rouge! The Musical image: Matthew Murphy.
If Face to Face is anything to go by, 100 percent of psychiatrists have some serious issues of their own to resolve. In Ingmar Bergman's film, here adapted for the stage by constantly impressive young director Simon Stone, the protagonist, Jenny (Kerry Fox), is confronting a lifetime of dissociation. The only other shrink we meet (Humphrey Bower) has some intense schadenfreude, and he'll end up her doctor. Despite Jenny's life looking beyond normal, she's long papered over her sense of disconnection from her basically invisible husband, her child (Jessica Nash), the auntie (Wendy Hughes) and uncle (John Gaden) who raised her, the patients she treats (Anna Martin), and the lover she's contemplating taking (Mitchell Butel). Eventually, she'll have to confront these spectres in psychology's traditional playground: dreams. It's thrilling to see each new work Stone comes out with at this point, given his string of mature, vivacious, and influential productions from Thyestes to this year's Strange Interlude and Death of a Salesman. Face to Face was always destined to be a tough one. The film has a quality of cool reserve, keeping the characters' motivations enigmatic, but we're able to connect with Jenny through the camera's insistent close-ups. There's no such luxury in theatre, so heed is paid to theatricalising her psychological journey. Unfortunately, not enough is done, and, keeping to theme, Face to Face doesn't quite connect. The creatives make much in the program notes of having never seen the film but rather responding to the screenplay and Bergman's own perceived flaws in it. It's a deliberately myopic move that may have sabotaged some of their decisions. They achieve a beautiful effect with the staging (Nick Schlieper), creating a grandiose, fey first half that overlaps time and place to make the real world seem like a dream, and making the dreams that dominate the second half a harsh, constrictive reality that demands to be faced. At the same time, something is lost in the overly literal parade of dreams. Dreams don't usually yell and lecture; they stalk and forebode. That's assuming dreams do much meaningful at all. Face to Face is essentially outdated in that sense. The film was released in 1976, a time when it was thought that psychological issues could be traced back to underlying emotional trauma and that Freudian psychoanalysis, particularly of dreams, was the tool it took to fix it. Now our view of mental illness is permeated by more complex neurological and psychological factors. If this story has a timeless heart, it will take more dramaturgical digging to find it. Face to Face has moments of deep humour and humanity, but ultimately a build-up of little things, some slightly flat performances included, mean it doesn't quite come together. Watching it on this stage, you can't help but be reminded of last year's surprising Gross und Klein, similarly a story of alienation from a female perspective among sets that convey the spectacularly surreal. In that comparison, Face to Face is left grasping for poetry, complexity, and relatability.
Yeah, we're thinking he's back — John Wick, that is. Five years after Keanu Reeves introduced everyone's favourite assassin (and dog owner) to the world, and two years after the film scored its first sequel, the action-packed franchise is bringing its third instalment to the big screen in 2019. Entitled John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum and due to hit cinemas in May, the series' latest follow-up picks up where the last flick left off, aka with Wick being hunted down by his fellow killers. With a $14 million price tag on his head, plenty of hitmen and women are out to collect the bounty. And all of this because, in the first movie, he became the proud owner of an adorable pooch. As Wick notes, of course, "it wasn't just a puppy". If you're not up on your Latin, parabellum means 'prepare for war', which is just what a kick-ass Keanu looks primed to do. This time, he'll have Halle Berry in his corner — and he's not adverse to brandishing some firepower while atop a horse or mowing down his enemies while he's riding a motorbike. With this year marking two decades since The Matrix first arrived and blew movie-goers' minds, he's not against quoting one of that film's most famous lines either. Like John Wick: Chapter 2, Parabellum does re-team Reeves with Laurence Fishburne once more, so prepare for another Neo and Morpheus reunion. As for the rest of the cast, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick and Jason Mantzoukas all return from the previous flicks, while Anjelica Huston ranks among the new additions. Behind the lens, former Keanu stunt double turned filmmaker Chad Stahelski directs again, as he has did with the previous John Wick flicks. The film's first trailer arrived earlier this year, and now a second sneak peek has dropped. Check them both out below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU8-7BX9uxs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v2P3cpPOXY&feature=youtu.be John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum releases in Australian cinemas on Thursday, May 16.
Another Emmys year has rolled around, Breaking Bad and Modern Family dominated yet again, Matthew McConaughey missed out on his expected golden accolade for True Detective and everyone was mean about Lena Dunham's dress. Between Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman nabbing matching Sherlockian trophies, American Horror Story popping up in every last category and Australian audiences scrawling down lists of shows they'll be pirating soon, there were a few big ol' magic moments that caught our attention this year — for the high-fivably better and WTF-inducing worse. HIT: Brian Cranston and JLD Had a Big Ol' Pash Dentist Tim Whatley and Elaine Benes reunited in a big fat smooch. Multi Emmy-winning Brian Cranston (who once played Elaine's dentist boyfriend on Seinfeld back in the day) proved he truly is The Danger by planting a big ol' pash on Julia Louis-Dreyfus after she was announced Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Veep. On her way to the stage, Cranston intercepted Louis-Dreyfus for a big wet snog after exclaiming, "You were on Seinfeld!" Mackin' legends. MISS: Sofia Vergara Was Objectified on a Rotating Pedestal During a Speech About Diversity Seriously, what were they actually thinking? Maybe, just maybe, if you're the president of the Academy about to give a speech about diversity on globally-watched television, do not deliver said speech with Modern Family's Sofia Vergara on a rotating pedestal beside you, blatantly revolving like a piece of meat. As Huffington Post points out, only 26 percent of the nominees this year are women, not to mention the fact that the Emmys have only twice awarded a Latina actress with an award. Leave the rotating pedestals out and let Vergara stand on her own two feet huh? HIT: Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey Looked Like a Night at the Roxbury Donning suits akin to Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell in their 1998 comedy, the True Detective bros offered up an offensive amount of swagger in their matching promworthy tuxes. Even Kattan noticed. HIT: Billy Crystal Made the Only Speech that Could Be Made for Robin Williams "He was the greatest friend you could ever imagine... It's very hard to talk about him in the past, because he was so present in our lives," Crystal said, inviting a minute's silence for the recently-passed legend, following the Emmys' 'In Memoriam' segment. "He was the brightest star in the comedy galaxy," he said of his super close friend, before closing with an outstanding last line: "Robin Williams, what a concept." https://youtube.com/watch?v=hYv7qSDIRRY MISS: Julia Roberts Didn't Miss an Opportunity to Make Everything About Julia Roberts Mere seconds before awarding Bryan Cranston with his straight-up deserved Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, presenter Julia Roberts took a moment to remind everyone about number one. "Apologies to anyone who doesn't get to hug me in the next ten seconds," she said, before reading out Cranston's winning spot. Top marks, Roberts. HIT: Everyone Realised the Director of True Detective is a Stone Cold Fox As if we all pictured Cary Joji Fukunaga as a Tom Waits-like, porch-dwelling, gravel-voiced cowboy, the True Detective director got more applause on Twitter for being smokin' hot than he did for his award-winning series. Kind of like every Emmy-winning actress ever. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ygcHfkOoAeQ HIT? Sarah Silverman Might Have Been Stoned "We're just molecules and we're hurling through space right now." We're not sure, Silverman rules anyway. Check out the entire list of Emmy winners and nominees right here.
It's time to clean out your stein, wash off your lederhosen and reacquaint yourself with the wonders of oom pah pah music, because Oktoberfest is back again. The world's most (in)famous piss-up has outdone itself again this year with 6 million people expected to show up for the 179th instalment. As always, the real winners of the festival shall be the brewers, who are expected to sell in excess of last year's 8 million litres at a touch over US$12 a glass. The festival was kicked-off in traditional fashion on Saturday, September 22 with Munich mayor Christian Ude's tapping of the first keg. With a cry of "O'zapft is!" ("It's tapped!") the Bavarian festival, in all its dirty, drunken, debaucherous glory, was launched for another year of liver-beating, cardio-destroying-mayhem. Here is a little peek into the thrills and spills of the first week of Oktoberfest 2012. Oom Pah Pah, Oom Pah Pah That's How it Goes! Beer-drinkers Wonderland Ordinary Man Drinks Beer: Becomes Legend A Boy in Traditional Dress Surveys the Damage A Tiny Snapshot of the Estimated 6 Million Oktoberfest Revellers It's On for Young and Old A Man Wearing Hops on his Head: Doesn't it look so innocuous like this... Oktoberfest - When One Beer is Never Enough Polish Girls in Traditional Polish Dress Get In On the Oktoberfest Action Bavarian Men in Traditional Dress Totally Look the Part: Moustaches and All "Prost!" ("Cheers!")
Mexican kitsch shrine and firm placeholder in our list of Sydney's best tacos, Mexico Food & Liquor is moving. The restaurant-bar closed its doors on Sunday, April 6, and promises to reopen in an as-yet-unknown spot. The team is seeking "a more expansive location better suited to its buzzy format which swings from lunch through dinner and with a healthy following for post-work and apres-dinner drinks". That reads a lot like 'CBD', but only time will tell. It's easy to see why the colourful joint would want to move from its entirely romanceless spot across the road from Central Station; however, Mexico was plugging a cool-dining-shaped hole in the area that is now once again gaping. Opening at the end of 2012, Mexico was the casual dream of New Zealand chef and ex-District Dining restaurateur Warren Turnbull. The staple tacos are among the most innovative we’ve come across, combining favourite flavours from other cuisines that make you wonder why you never thought of wrapping it up in a tortilla earlier. For example: blackened duck with mango, coriander and sour tamarind ($7); pork cheek cooked in beer with guajillo chillies, olives and citrus cured apple ($7); and chimichurri fish with bacon and mussels with pickled green tomato and mayo ($7). Come back soon, Mexico. We'll keep our bocas at the ready. By Rima Sabina Aouf and Eloise Basuki.
Sydneysiders are lucky enough to live in a city with a thriving gallery scene, and every two years, things turn up a notch — when several of the city's major cultural institutions band together for a free citywide program of art. Titled The National, this biennial celebration of Australian art kicked off back in 2017, before returning for a blockbuster run in 2019 and then again for a much-need post-lockdown dose of art in 2021. Now, it's back with its latest iteration, The National 4: Australian Art Now. This time around, there are four participating galleries — the Art Gallery of NSW (AGNSW), Carriageworks, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) and Campbelltown Arts Centre (C-A-C), marking the first time the program has expanded outside of the inner city and into the west. [caption id="attachment_895419" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Erika Scott, 'The Circadian Cul-de-sac', 2023. Installation view, 'The National 4: Australian Art Now', Carriageworks. Photo: Zan Wimberley[/caption] The exhibitions all run for a slightly different length of time at each gallery, with both C-A-C and Carriageworks getting their fix until Sunday, June 25, the MCA until Sunday, July 9 and the AGNSW until Sunday, July 23. Forty-eight new artistic projects are appearing across the four distinct spaces. Some of the highlights include an immersive exploration of migration through the lens of artist Allison Chhorn's Cambodian-Australian family; The Circadian Cul-de-sac, an otherworldly mess of discarded items like fish tanks, Tampax instructions and empty photo frames from Erika Scott; a massive ceramic piece made from over 600 hand-formed tiles by Gerry Wedd; and Nabilah Nordin's colourful and immensely textured new sculpture Corinthian Clump. Plus, for the first time, The National is also activating the Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills, with Archibald Prize-nominee Natasha Walsh presenting her new body of work Hysteria, where she reinterprets famous paintings of women painted by men. [caption id="attachment_895418" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Heather Koowootha, The Bush people's walking pathways of Country sites and story places, 2023 . Installation view, The National 4 - Australian Art Now Carriageworks. Photo: Zan Wimberley[/caption] Top image: Anna Kucera.
Attention Sydney foodies, fans of Japanese cuisine and connoisseurs of fine dining. Prepare your tastebuds for an epicurean adventure like no other. Get ready to savour the flavours of omakase dining as Concrete Playground and Haku Vodka offer you the chance to win a $2500 restaurant voucher to omakase restaurant Bay Nine. Located along Campbells Cove in The Rocks, Bay Nine's minimalist yet inviting ambience sets the stage for a truly unforgettable dining experience. The restaurant boasts an intimate setting on the waterfront with a ten-seater counter as well as throughout the cosy venue. For those unfamiliar with the term, omakase is a Japanese dining tradition that loosely translates to "I'll leave it up to you". It means placing your palate entirely in the hands of skilled Head chef Yul Kim and his team, who craft each dish with passion, precision and creativity. There is no fixed menu at Bay Nine — only mouth-watering seasonal dishes that are made with the freshest, most premium ingredients available. In addition to the six-, eight- and 11-course menus, the restaurant offers a 40-strong sake menu with dedicated sake flights, wines and a solid range of Japanese spirits — including Haku Vodka. If you aren't the overall winner of the $2500 restaurant voucher, you need not worry. Ten runner-ups will score a bespoke Haku Vodka Gift Pack (valued at $60 each) with a 200ml bottle of Haku, two martini glasses and two Haku martini pins. To be in with a chance to win this delectable dining experience or score a runner-up gift pack, fill out the form below. [competition]917167[/competition]
After a couple of years spent staring at screens our brains are pretty thirsty for some lush green scenery. We are in the mood for tumbling waterfalls, secluded swimming spots and remote rainforest hikes that make us feel like we're living in an endless summer. Luckily for us, Tropical North Queensland fits the bill nicely — and you won't have to renew your passport to get there. In this part of the world, summer lives on a little longer with refreshing tropical rains and warm autumn days. The national parks are a little quieter and the waterways run a little deeper during this time of year, making it the ultimate time to explore the rainforest from top to bottom. From canopy walks, to castles and kayaking — there are plenty of ways to experience the rainforest this autumn.
Battles will be had, blood will be shed, and brothers will unite on stage in this Bell Shakespeare production of Henry V, but not quite as you remember it from high school lit. Shakespeare's tale tells the story of King Henry V, who, having ascended the throne following the death of his father, promptly — after a few people tell him he should probs do something else — declares war on France. Essentially, Henry tries to rally his troops to fight their best while simultaneously avoiding assassination and getting a French wife (because nothing says romance quite like declaring war on your crush's country). In this production, director Damien Ryan is bringing the story to life with a contemporary take, inspired by a true story. During the London Blitz in 1941, a group of young men, bored and stuck in a bunker, started a club, where they would rehearse and perform plays to others in the shelter. "With England on the precipice and Churchill comparing the fighter pilots to the 'happy few' at Agincourt, it is hard to imagine that a Henry V would not have struck their hearts," said Ryan. With this in mind, he has re-imagined one of Shakespeare's more politically charged plays. An exploration of violence, manhood and assumed power from the heart of a gloomy British bunker. Henry V is on from October 21 to November 16 at the Sydney Opera House Playhouse, following acclaimed seasons in Melbourne and Canberra. Thanks to Bell Shakespeare, we have three double passes to give away to the performance on Tuesday, October 28, to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address.
Five years after Sydney's lockout laws were introduced by Liberal Premier Barry O'Farrell, it could be a Liberal Government that finally winds them back. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has this morning announced a review of the city's night-time economy — which will include the lockout laws. The ten-member cross-party committee — made up of politicians from both the upper and lower house, the NSW Government and cross-benchers — will consult with police, health, entertainment and live music stakeholders to decide if, and what, changes need to be made. It will consider factors such as community safety and possible ways to enhance the night-time economy, with Ms Berejiklian saying in a statement that the government is hoping to "strike a balance between limiting alcohol-related violence and maintaining a vibrant night-time economy". While Ms Berejiklian says the lockout laws have done a lot of good since their introduction in 2014 — saying, "the number of non-domestic violent assaults have declined in the Sydney CBD Entertainment and Kings Cross precincts" — there is evidence that they've done a lot of damage, too. [caption id="attachment_652980" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kings Cross. Andy Vermeulen / Destination NSW.[/caption] A reported 176 venues have closed since the laws were introduced and, according to a report by Deloitte Access Economics, they have contributed to NSW missing out on $16 billion in potential profits, caused by an underdeveloped night-time economy. This won't be the first review of Sydney's nightlife, either. A year-long parliamentary inquiry into the state of the Sydney's music and nightlife economy also found that the industry was in "peril" due to the NSW Government's history of neglect, and lack of funding. The government, in response to this inquiry, did not repeal or relax the lockouts — so it's possible they won't again. The 2016 Callinan report into liquor licensing only suggested the lockout time be extended by half an hour. There are also some community groups that continue to stand by the lockout laws. The NSW/ACT Alcohol Policy Alliance, which is made up of 48 groups, including frontline emergency services, law enforcement and health services have said that the lockout laws have been "life-saving" and have led to a "sharp drop in alcohol-related violence". But, this time round, it is looking slightly more promising — with Ms Berejiklian recently giving the go-ahead to relaxing a heap of licences. More than 20 venues have been granted half-an-hour live entertainment extensions, and Oxford Street, and the surrounding area, has gone lockout-free for Mardi Gras the past two years. Earlier this year, Chippendale favourite Freda's and Petersham's Oxford Tavern both had licences extended, too — although neither of them are located within lockout zones. Either way, we'll have to wait a few months until we find out review's recommendations — and the NSW Government's response to them — with the committee set to report back by the end of September, 2019. After that, any changes to lockout legislation will be need to be passed through parliament. Although, if the Coalition is bringing the motion to relax the lockout laws, it's likely it will be — especially as the Shooters, Farmers and Fishers Party has already expressed its support for scrapping them. You can check out the major parties' views on live music and the lockouts in our pre-state election wrap-up. Image: Frankie's by Katje Ford.
Every year, once gifts have been given, turkey and prawns devoured, drinks sipped and backyard games of cricket played, the festive season delivers another treat. Whatever you spend your Christmas Day doing, Boxing Day is just as exciting if you're a movie buff — or even simply eager to escape the weather, and your house, to relax in air-conditioning and watch the latest big-screen releases. Just like in 2020, 2021 has seen many cinemas Down Under spend months empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading; however, the country's picture palaces are well and truly back in business. And, they're screening a wide array of Boxing Day fare as always — so at least one thing about this chaotic year is proceeding as normal. If you're wondering not only what's showing, but what's worth your time, we've watched and reviewed the day's slate of new titles. It includes a trip back into an adored sci-fi franchise, getting swept up in a musical romance, catching a scorching new Shakespeare adaptation and taking in a glorious 70s-set coming-of-age slice of life. Even when you're done unwrapping your presents, these silver-screen gifts await. THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS Hordes of imitators have spilled ones and zeros claiming otherwise, but the greatest move The Matrix franchise ever made wasn't actually bullet time. Even 22 years after Lana and Lilly Wachowski brought the saga's instant-classic first film to cinemas, its slow-motion action still wows, and yet they made another choice that's vastly more powerful. It wasn't the great pill divide — blue versus red, as dubiously co-opted by right-wing conspiracies since — or the other binaries at its core (good versus evil, freedom versus enslavement, analogue versus digital, humanity versus machines). It wasn't end-of-the-millennia philosophising about living lives online, the green-tinged cyberpunk aesthetic, or one of the era's best soundtracks, either. They're all glorious, as is knowing kung fu and exclaiming "whoa!", but The Matrix's unwavering belief in Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss is far more spectacular. It was a bold decision those two-and-a-bit decades ago, with Reeves a few years past sublime early-90s action hits Point Break and Speed, and Moss then known for TV bit parts (including, in a coincidence that feels like the product of computer simulation, a 1993 series called Matrix). But, as well as giving cinema their much-emulated gunfire-avoidance technique and all those other aforementioned highlights, the Wachowskis bet big on viewers caring about their central pair — and hooking into their chemistry — as leather-clad heroes saving humanity. Amid the life-is-a-lie horrors, the subjugation of flesh to mechanical overlords and the battle for autonomy, the first three Matrix films always weaved Neo and Trinity's love story through their sci-fi action. Indeed, the duo's connection remained the saga's beating heart. Like any robust computer program executed over and over, The Matrix Resurrections repeats the feat — with plenty of love for what's come before, but even more for its enduring love story. Lana goes solo on The Matrix Resurrections — helming her first-ever project without her sister in their entire career — but she still goes all in on Reeves and Moss. The fourth live-action film in the saga, and fifth overall counting The Animatrix, this new instalment doesn't initially give its key figures their familiar character names, however. Rather, it casts them as famous video game designer Thomas Anderson and motorcycle-loving mother-of-two Tiffany. One of those monikers is familiar, thanks to a surname drawled by Agent Smith back in 1999, and again in 2003 sequels The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. But this version of Thomas Anderson only knows the agent from his own hit gaming trilogy (called The Matrix, naturally). And he doesn't really know Tiffany at all, instead admiring her from afar at Simulatte, their local coffee shop. Before Reeves and Moss share a frame, and before Anderson and Tiffany's awkward meet-cute, The Matrix Resurrections begins with blue-haired hacker Bugs (Jessica Henwick, On the Rocks). She sports a white rabbit tattoo, observes a scene straight out of the first flick and helps set the movie's self-referential tone. As a result, The Matrix Resurrections starts with winking, nodding and déjà vu — and, yes, with a glitch, with Lana and co-screenwriters David Mitchell (author of Cloud Atlas) and Aleksandar Hemon (Sense8) penning a playful script that adores the established Matrix lore, enjoys toying with it and openly unpacks everything that's sprung up around it. Long exposition dumps, some of the feature's worst habits, explain the details, but waking up Anderson from his machine-induced dream — again — is Bugs' number-one aim. Read our full review. WEST SIDE STORY Tonight, tonight, there's only Steven Spielberg's lavish and dynamic version of West Side Story tonight — not to detract from or forget the 1961 movie of the same name. Six decades ago, an all-singing, all-dancing, New York City-set, gang war-focused spin on Romeo and Juliet leapt from stage to screen, becoming one of cinema's all-time classic musicals; however, remaking that hit is a task that Spielberg dazzlingly proves up to. It's his first sashay into the genre, despite making his initial amateur feature just three years after the original West Side Story debuted. It's also his first film since 2018's obnoxiously awful Ready Player One, which doubled as a how-to guide to crafting one of the worst, flimsiest and most bloated pieces of soulless pop-culture worship possible. But with this swooning, socially aware story of star-crossed lovers, Spielberg pirouettes back from his atrocious last flick by embracing something he clearly adores, and being unafraid to give it rhythmic swirls and thematic twirls. Shakespeare's own tale of tempestuous romance still looms large over West Side Story, as it always has — in fair NYC and its rubble-strewn titular neighbourhood where it lays its 1950s-era scene. The Jets and the Sharks aren't quite two households both alike in dignity, though. Led by the swaggering and dogged Riff (Mike Faist, a Tony-nominee for the Broadway production of Dear Evan Hansen), the Jets are young, scrappy, angry and full of resentment for anyone they fear is encroaching on their terrain (anyone who isn't white especially). Meanwhile, with boxer Bernardo (David Alvarez, a Tony-winner for Billy Elliot) at the helm, the Sharks have tried to establish new lives outside of their native Puerto Rico through study, jobs and their own businesses. Both gangs refuse to coexist peacefully in the only part of New York where either feels at home — even with the threat of gentrification looming large in every torn-down building, signs for shiny new amenities such as Lincoln Centre popping up around the place and, when either local cops Officer Krupke (Brian d'Arcy James, Hawkeye) or Lieutenant Schrank (Corey Stoll, The Many Saints of Newark) interrupt their feuding, after they're overtly warned as well. But it's a night at a dance, and the love-at-first-sight connection that blooms between Riff's best friend Tony (Ansel Elgort, The Goldfinch) and Bernardo's younger sister María (feature debutant Rachel Zegler), that sparks a showdown. This rumble will decide westside supremacy once and for all, the two sides agree. The OG West Side Story was many things: gifted with a glorious cast, including Rita Moreno in her Academy Award-winning role as Bernardo's girlfriend Anita, plus future Twin Peaks co-stars Russ Tamblyn and Richard Beymer as Riff and Tony; unashamedly showy, like it had just snapped its fingers and flung itself off the stage; and punchy with its editing, embracing the move from the boards to the frame. It still often resembled a filmed musical rather than a film more than it should've, however. Spielberg's reimagining, which boasts a script by his Munich and Lincoln scribe Tony Kushner, tweaks plenty while also always remaining West Side Story — and, via his regular cinematographer Janusz Kaminski (The Post) and a whirl of leaping and plunging camerawork, it looks as exuberant as the vibrant choreography that the New York City Ballet's Justin Peck splashes across the screen, nodding to Jerome Robbins' work for the original movie lovingly but never slavishly. Read our full review. LICORICE PIZZA A Star Is Born has already graced the titles of four different films, and Licorice Pizza isn't one of them. Paul Thomas Anderson's ninth feature, and his loosest since Boogie Nights — his lightest since ever, too — does boast a memorable Bradley Cooper performance, though. That said, this 70s- and San Fernando Valley-set delight isn't quite about seeking fame, then navigating its joys and pitfalls, although child actors and Hollywood's ebbs and flows all figure into the narrative. Licorice Pizza definitely births two new on-screen talents, however, both putting in two of 2021's best performances and two of the finest-ever movie debuts. That's evident from the film's very first sublimely grainy 35-millimetre-shot moments, as Alana Haim of Haim (who PTA has directed several music videos for) and Cooper Hoffman (son of the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman, a PTA regular) do little more than chat, stroll and charm. The radiant Haim plays Alana Kane, a Valley dweller of 25 or 28 (her story changes) working as a photographer's assistant, which brings her to a Tarzana high school on yearbook picture day. Enter the smoothly assured Hoffman as 15-year-old Gary Valentine, who is instantly smitten and tries to wrangle a date. Alana is dismissive with a spikiness that speaks volumes about how she handles herself (a later scene, where she yells "fuck off, teenagers!" to kids in her way, is similarly revealing). But Gary keeps persisting, inviting her to the real-life Tail o' the Cock, a fine diner he claims to visit regularly. In a gliding ride of a walk-and-talk sequence that's shot like a dream, Alana says no, yet she's also still intrigued. As a smile at the end of their first encounter betrays, Alana was always going to show up, even against her better judgement (and even as she firmly establishes that they aren't a couple). Her demeanour doesn't soften as Gary interrogates her like he's a dad greeting a daughter's beau — a gag Anderson mirrors later when Alana takes another ex-child actor, Lance (Skyler Gisondo, Santa Clarita Diet), home to meet her mother, father and two sisters (all played by the rest of the Haims, parents included) and he's questioned in the same manner. That family dinner arises after Gary enlists the new object of his affection to chaperone him on a trip to New York, where he's featuring with Lance in a live reunion for one of their flicks. Upon returning to Los Angeles, Gary is heartbroken to see Alana with Lance, but all roads keep leading her back to him anyway. Charting Alana and Gary's friendship as it circles and swirls, and they often sprint towards each other — and chronicling everything else going on in the San Fernando Valley, where PTA himself grew up — Licorice Pizza is a shaggy slice-of-life film in multiple ways. Spinning a narrative that Anderson penned partly based on stories shared by Gary Goetzman, an ex-child talent turned frequent producer of Tom Hanks movies, it saunters along leisurely like it's just stepped out of the 70s itself, and also sports that anything-can-happen vibe that comes with youth. It's a portrait of a time, before mobile phones and the internet, when you had to either talk on a landline or meet up in person to make plans, and when just following where the day took you was the status quo. It captures a canny mix of adolescence and arrested development, too; teen exuberance springs from the always-hustling Gary, while treading water is both an apt description of Alana's connection with her would-be paramour and a state she's acutely aware of. Read our full review. THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD When Frances Ha splashed a gorgeous portrait of quarter-life malaise across the screen nearly a decade back — proving neither the first nor last film to do so, of course — its titular New Yorker was frequently running. As played by Greta Gerwig, she sprinted and stumbled to David Bowie's intoxicating 'Modern Love' and just in general, while navigating the constantly-in-motion reality of being in her 20s. It takes place in a different city, another country and on the other side of the globe, but The Worst Person in the World's eponymous figure (Renate Reinsve, Phoenix) is often racing, too. (Sometimes, in the movie's most stylised touch, she's even flitting around while the whole world stops around her.) Norwegian writer/director Joachim Trier (Thelma) firmly understands the easy shorthand of watching someone rush — around Oslo here, but also through life overall — especially while they're grappling with a blatant case arrested development. Capturing the relentlessly on-the-go sensation that comes with adulthood, as well as the inertia of feeling like you're never quite getting anywhere that you're meant to be, these running scenes paint a wonderfully evocative and relatable image. Those are apt terms for The Worst Person in the World overall, actually, which meets Julie as she's pinballing through the shambles of her millennial life. She doesn't ever truly earn the film's title, or come close, but she still coins the description and spits it her own way — making the type of self-deprecating, comically self-aware comment we all do when we're trying to own our own chaos because anything else would be a lie. The Worst Person in the World's moniker feels so telling because it's uttered by Julie herself, conveying how we're all our own harshest critics. In her existence, even within the mere four years that the film focuses on, mess is a constant. Indeed, across the movie's 12 chapters, plus its prologue and epilogue, almost everything about Julie's life changes and evolves. That includes not just dreams, goals, fields of study and careers, but also loved ones, boyfriends, apartments, friends and ideas of what the future should look like — and, crucially, also Julie's perception of herself. As the ever-observant Trier and his regular co-screenwriter Eskil Vogt track their protagonist through these ups and downs, using whatever means they can to put his audience in her mindset — freezing time around her among them — The Worst Person in the World also proves a raw ode to self-acceptance, and to forgiving yourself for not having it all together. They're the broad strokes of this wonderfully perceptive film; the specifics are just as insightful and recognisable. Julie jumps from medicine to psychology to photography, and between relationships — with 44-year-old comic book artist Aksel (Anders Danielsen Lie, Bergman Island), who's soon thinking about all the serious things in life; and then with the far more carefree Eivind (Herbert Nordrum, ZombieLars), who she meets after crashing a wedding. Expressing not only how Julie changes with each shift in focus, job and partner, but how she copes with that change within herself, is another of The Worst Person in the World's sharp touches. At one point, on a getaway with friends more than a decade older than her, Julie is laden with broad and trite generalisations about being her age — which Trier humorously and knowingly counters frame by frame with lived-in minutiae. Read our full review. THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH Bringing Shakespeare to the big screen is no longer just about doing the material justice, or even about letting a new batch of the medium's standout talents bring their best to the Bard's immortal words. For anyone and everyone attempting the feat (a list that just keeps growing), it's also about gifting the playwright's material with the finest touches that cinema allows. It's never enough to simply film Macbeth like a theatre production, for instance, even if all that dialogue first penned four centuries ago still ripples with power — while riffing about power — without any extra adornments. No Shakespeare adaptation really needs to explain or legitimise its existence more than any other feature, but the great ones bubble not only with toil and trouble, but with all the reasons why this tale needed to be captured on camera and projected large anew. Joel Coen knows all of the above. Indeed, his take on the Scottish play — which he's called The Tragedy of Macbeth, taking Shakespeare's full original title — justifies its existence as a movie in every single frame. His is a film of exacting intimacy, with every shot peering far closer at its main figures than anyone could ever see on a stage, and conveying more insight into their emotions, machinations and motivations in the process. The Bard might've posited that all the world's a stage in As You Like It, but The Tragedy of Macbeth's lone Coen brother doesn't quite agree. Men and women are still merely players in this revived quest for supremacy through bloodshed, but their entrances, exits and many parts would mean nothing if we couldn't see as far into their hearts and minds as cinema — and as cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel's (The Woman in the Window) stripped-down, black-and-white, square-framed imagery — can possibly allow. In a year for filmmakers going it alone beyond the creative sibling relationships that've defined their careers — see also: The Matrix Resurrections — Joel Coen makes a phenomenal solo debut with this up-close approach. His choice of cast, with Denzel Washington (The Little Things) as powerful as he's ever been on-screen and Frances McDormand (The French Dispatch) showing why she has three Best Actress Oscars, also helps considerably. The former plays Macbeth, the latter Lady Macbeth, and both find new reserves and depths in the pair's fateful lust for glory. That's another key element to any new silver-screen iteration of Shakespeare's most famous works: making its characters feel anew. Washington and McDormand — and Coen as well — all tread in the footsteps of of Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard and Australian filmmaker Justin Kurzel (Nitram) thanks to 2015's exquisite Macbeth, but they stand in absolutely no one's shadows. The narrative details remain the same, obviously, from the witches prophesying that Macbeth will soon be king to his murderous actions at Lady Macbeth's urging to make that prediction become a reality. All that scheming has consequences, both before and after Duncan (Brendan Gleeson, Mr Mercedes) is stripped of his throne — and one of the smartest parts of the movie's central casting is the change it brings to the Macbeths' seething desperation. Due to Washington and McDormand's ages, their versions of the characters are grasping onto what might be their last chance, rather than being ruthless with far more youthful abandon. That's the intensely meticulous level that Coen operates on in The Tragedy of Macbeth. His visual use of light and darkness is just as sharp, too; here, stepping back into the acclaimed play is a lean, ravishing, eerie and potent experience again and again. Read our full review. SWAN SONG Sit down on your couch to watch Swan Song, and a Mahershala Ali (Green Book)-starring sci-fi drama about mortality, farewells and leaving a mark on the world beckons. Head to the cinema instead, and you'll see the great German actor Udo Kier grappling with the same concepts — in a movie that shares the same name, too, and is also anchored by a weighty central performance. They're vastly different features in almost every other way, however, and only one boasts the inimitable Kier. His seven-decade resume spans everything from the original Suspiria and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective to a wealth of Lars von Trier movies, but he turns in career-best work in this SXSW-premiering film-festival favourite about a small-town hairdressing superstar enjoying one last hurrah by styling a former favourite client who has just passed away. Kier plays Pat Pitsenbarger — and, when the movie begins in an Ohio nursing home, he looks as washed-out as a months-old dye job. With a stare that stings like bleach, he fills his days refolding napkins in an extremely precise way and spending his Social Security benefits on cigarettes he's not supposed to smoke. After his lawyer arrives with the $25,000 funeral gig offer, Pat isn't initially willing to shatter his dull routine, but getting a rare taste of a life less institutionalised is too alluring to pass up. His initial reaction — "bury her with bad hair!" — isn't so quickly cast aside, though. From his acerbic attitude to the rings he packs onto every finger, Pat has spent his life fighting to do things his own way, and he isn't about to change that for anyone. The care that Kier puts into Pat can't be underestimated. His is an attention-grabbing performance, but also always a deeply nuanced one, all while playing a character that's gleefully outrageous and always has been, and is also unshakeably tinged with melancholy. Every second that Kier is on-screen is a marvel, because every second conveys new character details or plunges further into the many complexities of a man who proudly strides down his own path. Writer/director Todd Stephens (Another Gay Movie) has clearly conceived Pat with just as much thought and precision, and extended the same meticulousness to the town around him. Swan Song could've played like a one-note gag — a flamboyant senior citizen making a splash in a conservative midwestern spot — but interrogating what it means to be an openly gay man in such surroundings, both in the past and now, sits firmly at the core of this poignant drama. Like its lead, Swan Song is both eclectic and electric, especially in balancing different tones in every way it can muster. The narrative is episodic and encounter-driven, but each chapter heaves with slice-of-life glimpses that contrast who Pat once was with the situation that he's in now. Stephens' film can look both candidly naturalistic and glitteringly dreamy — and, in the same vein, Kier stands out in his nursing home garb and rocking a women's safari suit alike. Swan Song also smartly acknowledges the struggles that today's queer elders have navigated and survived, embodied here by enduring grief over past losses and the impending closure of Pat's old favourite gay nightclub, as well as the world they find themselves in now. Brief appearances by Jennifer Coolidge (The White Lotus) as Pat's former assistant and Michael Urie (Younger) as someone touched by his trailblazing add the same layers, in a film that couldn't be more delicately styled if it was sculpted one snip at a time with hairdressing scissors. DELICIOUS No one eats the rich in Delicious, but French nobility is still savaged in this gently pointed gastronomical comedy. The year is 1789, the revolution hasn't yet broken out, and the chasm between the wealthy and everyone else is so glaring that it even extends to cuisine — with eating well solely reserved for the kinds of aristocrats who smugly think that no one else could appreciate a fine meal. At one such dinner in the Duke of Chamfort's (Benjamin Lavernhe, The French Dispatch) household, his personal chef Pierre Manceron (Grégory Gadebois, Night Shift) earns the table's ire by daring to cook a new dish featuring potatoes and truffles, which he dubs 'the delicious'. The humble tuber is considered beneath the Duke's dining companions, but Manceron refuses to apologise for his new creation, choosing to leave his prestigious post and man his own roadside inn instead. Delicious is framed around the restaurant trade and its beginnings; it isn't just superheroes that earn origin stories these days, it seems. With his son Benjamin (Lorenzo Lefèbvre, Sibyl) following him home, Manceron busies himself cooking for travellers — but he's both fiercely proud of his past work and visibly bitter about how the whole situation has turned out. He's so aggrieved with his current lot in life that when a woman, Louise (Isabelle Carré, De Gaulle), arrives at his door asking to become his apprentice, he's sharply and rudely dismissive. He questions her story, and perpetuates the stereotype that women can't be great chefs, too. But she's a key ingredient in his quest towards a different future, which first involves trying to re-win the Duke's favour, and then boils up a bowl of revenge. Everything from Parasite to The White Lotus have set their sights on class disparities with far more brutality, but Delicious adds an affable course to this ongoing pop-culture reckoning. It's the dessert of the genre, even as its frames are filled with sumptuous close-ups of savoury dishes in various stages of creation — pastry kneaded, potatoes and truffles placed exactingly, and egg wash glistening to begin with. (Yes, if you haven't eaten before watching, it'll make your stomach rumble.) An opening title card sets the scene, advising that dining away from home, and for pleasure in general if you weren't rich, was utterly unheard of at the time. Writer/director Éric Besnard (L'esprit de famille) then spends nearly two hours slowly smashing that status quo, albeit by firmly sticking to the obvious. Recipes are a culinary staple for a reason, though; amass the right parts in the right way and magic frequently happens. Delicious isn't the filmic equivalent, but it's charming nonetheless — as engaging as sitting down to a well-cooked meal where you know what everything will taste like in advance, but you're happy to get swept up in the flavour. It mightn't have proven so appetising without Gadebois, Carré and Lefèbvre, however, even if their parts are clearly thinner in Besnard and Nicolas Boukhrief's (The Confession) script than they play on-screen. The handsome period staging also assists immensely, including all those shots of tastebud-tempting cuisine. Eating is as much about the setting and the company as the food, of course, a concept Delicious bakes into its frames. SING 2 Star voices, a jukebox worth of songs, anthropomorphic animated critters, cheesy sentiments: that's the formula fuelling far too many all-ages-friendly films of late. Back in 2016, Sing used it to box office-smashing success by doing little more than spinning a colourful version of American Idol but with zoo animals doing the singing. It wasn't the worst example of this kind of flick, but perhaps the most interesting thing about it was the skew of its soundtrack, which favoured songs that the adults in its audience would like more than the pint-sized viewers entranced by its bright hues, talking lions and koalas, and frenetic pacing. It should come as no surprise, then, that Sing 2 doubles down on that idea by not only mining the discography of U2, but by also casting Bono as a reclusive ex-rockstar. For the Irish frontman, the double payday must've been nice. For everyone watching Sing 2, what follows is the latest example of a style of filmmaking that resembles turning on Nickelodeon or your other kid-centric TV network of choice, cueing up a Spotify playlist full of past hits and letting the two run at the same time. Returning writer/director Garth Jennings explored how young minds process, respond to, and both internalise and externalise pop culture in the delightful 2007 comedy Son of Rambo, but his Sing franchise only wishes it could echo to such depths. The fact that its characters are merely belting out souped-up karaoke is telling, because giving familiar 'believe in yourself' and 'trust your pals' rhetoric some new packaging is the gambit here. Yes, the animated creatures are cute, plenty of the songs are classics, and it's clearly meant to be disposable fun, but it's all so dispiritingly lazy and generic. It might begin with a saccharine rendition of Prince's 'Let's Go Crazy', but that song choice isn't instructional or descriptive; nothing here departs from the expected. This time around, after already gathering a gang of music-loving animals via a singing contest in the first flick, koala Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey, The Gentlemen) has a hit show filling his theatre — but he still wants to make it big in the bigger smoke. Alas, Suki (Chelsea Peretti, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), a dog and a talent scout, advises that Buster's ragtag crew don't have what it takes. He's determined to prove otherwise, taking pigs Rosita (Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show) and Gunter (Nick Kroll, Big Mouth), gorilla Johnny (Taron Egerton, Rocketman), porcupine Ash (Scarlett Johansson, Black Widow), and elephant Meena (singer Tori Kelly) to Redshore City to pitch directly to wolf and media mogul Jimmy Crystal (Bobby Canavale, Nine Perfect Strangers). If Sing was an animal karaoke caper that turned reality television into a star-studded cartoon while trying to evoke warm and fuzzy sentiments — and it was — then Sing 2 proves a case of just flogging the same exact thing. The narrative has changed slightly and been overstuffed, but that's all just new words set to the same beat. While a few parts of the initial flick gleamed beyond the template, mainly because it still remained just fun enough, it's all about as fresh as a U2 greatest hits CD here. Children will still be distracted, but family-friendly entertainment should always strive for more. Dropping two already over-used Billie Eilish tracks within five minutes to sprinkle in some more recent cuts says plenty about Jennings' second-time approach, as does the heavier reliance upon songs in general to convey all the movie's emotions and fill almost all of its minutes, too. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on August 5, August 12, August 19 and August 26; September 2, September 9, September 16, September 23 and September 30; October 7, October 14, October 21 and October 28; November 4, November 11, November 18 and November 25; and December 2, December 9 and December 16. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Suicide Squad, Free Guy, Respect, The Night House, Candyman, Annette, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Streamline, Coming Home in the Dark, Pig, Big Deal, The Killing of Two Lovers, Nitram, Riders of Justice, The Alpinist, A Fire Inside, Lamb, The Last Duel, Malignant, The Harder They Fall, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, Halloween Kills, Passing, Eternals, The Many Saints of Newark, Julia, No Time to Die, The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick... Boom!, Zola, Last Night in Soho, Blue Bayou, The Rescue, Titane, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, Dune, Encanto, The Card Counter, The Lost Leonardo, The French Dispatch, Don't Look Up, Dear Evan Hansen, Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Lost Daughter and The Scary of Sixty-First.
The Duffer brothers, aka Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross, have made a deal with their streaming god — and more time pondering Hawkins, the Upside Down, eerie monsters and all things 80s is now firmly in everyone's futures. Fancy adding a new Stranger Things spinoff to your Netflix queue? Keen to see how Stranger Things might turn out as a stage play? Like Kate Bush-loving teenagers battling demons, these things are now happening. Just days after the final two episodes in Stranger Things' fourth season arrived — aka just days after everyone tried to binge them so quickly that Netflix crashed for around half an hour — the Duffers and the streamer have revealed what's coming next. We already knew that there'll only be one more season of Stranger Things itself, with the show set to end after season five. Now, we have a couple of still-strange things to look forward to once the OG series says farewell. First, the spinoff — which comes as zero surprise given that Netflix has also announced that Stranger Things 4 is now in the number-one spot on the platform's all-time Most Popular English TV list. So, it's committing to leaping back into the show's world, via a new live-action series based on an original idea by the Duffers. As for other details, such as the storyline, cast and release date, they're as scarce right now as a drama-free day in Hawkins. Theatre-loving Stranger Things devotees can also rejoice, with a new stage play set within the world of the series also in the works. Who it'll be about, when it'll arrive and where it'll premiere also hasn't been unveiled as yet, but it'll be produced and directed by Stephen Daldry (The Crown, Billy Elliot, The Reader). Netflix and the Duffer brothers also revealed a few bits of non-Stranger Things news, if you're keen to see what the latter does next beyond creeping viewers out via Demogorgons, Vecna and the like. On their list, courtesy of the siblings' new production company Upside Down Pictures: a live-action TV adaptation of Japanese manga and anime series Death Note, a new original show from Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance's Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, and a series that adapts Stephen King and Peter Straub's The Talisman. And yes, back to Stranger Things hitting the stage, that has already happened before — but as an unofficial musical parody. In fact, that satirical song-filled show is coming to Australia this year, playing Melbourne in November. Until more news about Stranger Things' Netflix spinoff and stage play arrives, check out the trailer for the second half of Stranger Things season four below: Stranger Things is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review of Stranger Things season four volume one. Images: Courtesy of Netflix © 2022.
