When it comes to expressing how cool something is on the internet, we're kind of spoiled for choice. What with Facebook Like, Digg, Stumble Upon, Delicious and retweets on Twitter, you could argue there's little need for yet another alternative. Google recently jumped on the recommendation bandwagon with the launch of the "+1" button. According to Rob Spiro, a Product Manager at Google, +1s are "the right recommendations when you want them – in your search results." And the power of the recommendations is that they're coming from "people who matter to you." The +1 button takes search in new directions by tapping into the relevancy of relationships, as well as of search keywords. As Google rolls out the new feature, which will appear not only on Google search results but also on external sites, sites which have been "plus-oned" by your contacts will be flagged for you. Kind of helpful when you're sifting through the flotsam and jetsam of the average search query, which can generate many hundreds of thousands of results. https://youtube.com/watch?v=OAyUNI3_V2c
Throughout Greater Sydney's ongoing lockdown, mask rules have shifted and evolved several times — but if you're outside of your own house, you've only needed to cover your face in certain circumstances. Come 12.01am on Monday, August 23, that'll change. That's when masks will become compulsory across New South Wales whenever you're outdoors, other than if you're exercising. The new rule will arrive two months into Sydney's stay-at-home conditions and will apply moving forward, with Greater Sydney's lockdown now extended until the end of September. It also comes almost a week after regional NSW was also put under stay-at-home orders, with that lockdown set to continue until at least Saturday, August 28. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the new mask requirement today, Friday, August 20, alongside the lengthier Greater Sydney lockdown and a number of tightened rules for residents of Sydney's 12 Local Government Areas of concern. "Our concern is that when people are walking past a group of people or accidentally bumping into people, that can cause that fleeting contact and transmission," said the Premier. "It also makes it easier for police to make sure everybody is sticking to the rule. Unless you are exercising, masks outdoor applies to every single citizen across NSW, whether you live in Sydney or the bush, everybody has to respect that," she continued. So, masks will be mandatory whenever you are out of your house for any reason other than working out — including working outdoors, at an outdoor market or outdoor shopping strip, and standing in an outdoor queue waiting for a coffee or something to eat, activities that already require face coverings. You'll still obviously need to carry a mask with you at all times whenever you leave the house — even if you are exercising. And, wearing face masks in all indoor settings outside of your own home, and on public transport, is still compulsory. Since mid-July, masks have been required in all common areas in residential buildings, too. The latter covers apartment complex lobbies, foyers, lifts, stairwells, corridors and shared laundries, and applies whether you live there or you're a visitor. In response to the evolving Delta outbreak, NSW will extend the current lockdown in Greater Sydney until the end of September, and introduce new rules targeting the local government areas of concern, where the vast majority of new cases are emerging. pic.twitter.com/KoKwl0GCin — NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 20, 2021 NSW residents under lockdown are still currently only permitted to leave the house for four specific essential reasons: to work and study if you can't do it from home; for essential shopping; for exercise outdoors in groups of two; and for compassionate reasons, which includes medical treatment, getting a COVID-19 test and getting vaccinated. As it always does, NSW Health has been updating the COVID-19 venues of concern list, and will continue to do so as more places keep being identified. Anyone who has visited these venues during the times specified are required to get tested and self-isolate as per NSW Health's instructions. And, if you have any COVID-19 symptoms in general, you should be getting tested at a clinic, too. Sydneysiders should be looking out for coughs, fever, sore or scratchy throat, shortness of breath, or loss of smell or taste. Masks will become compulsory outdoors in NSW unless you're exercising from 12.01am on Monday, August 23. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website. For more information about the current mask rules, head to the NSW Government website.
Easter egg hunts might typically be restricted to the back garden, but this year ice cream giant Ben & Jerry's is staging its own virtual search to give away 50,000 free scoops across Australia and New Zealand. The global ice cream company has partnered with digital platform Block V for the experience in the lead up to the holiday season. After signing up to the platform, Aussies can hunt down virtual eggs on their phone and then exchange them for chunk-filled frosty treats in-store. Then, all you need to do is decide whether it's going to be a scoop of strawberry cheesecake, choc chip cookie dough, English toffee crunch or triple caramel chunk. In Australia, the virtual eggs — known as vatoms on Block V — will be hidden close to scoop stores. You'll need to find them between now and Tuesday, April 6. So, Sydneysiders will want to look near Bondi Beach, Chatswood, Manly, and Hoyts at Blacktown, Broadway, Penrith and Wetherill Park — while Melburnians should scope out Burwood Brickworks, Flinders Lane, Melbourne Central and St Kilda, plus Hoyts at Chadstone Shopping Centre, The District Docklands, Eastland Shopping Centre, Greensborough Plaza and Highpoint Shopping Centre. In Queensland, you'll need to peer around Pacific Fair, Surfer's Paradise, Mooloolaba and Noosa, and Adelaide residents will be searching around Norwood.
UPDATE, February 1, 2023: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is available to stream via Disney+ from Wednesday, February 1. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever isn't the movie it was initially going to be, the sequel to 2018's electrifying and dynamic Black Panther that anyone behind it originally wanted it to be, or the chapter in the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe that it first aimed to be — this, the world already knows. The reason why is equally familiar, after Chadwick Boseman died from colon cancer in 2020 aged 43. At its best, this direct followup to the MCU's debut trip to its powerful African nation doesn't just know this, too, but scorches that awareness deep into its frames. King T'Challa's death starts the feature, a loss that filmmaking trickery doesn't reverse, no matter how meaningless mortality frequently proves when on-screen resurrections are usually a matter of mere plot twists. Wakanda Forever begins with heartbreak and pain, in fact, and with facing the hard truth that life ends and, in ways both big and small, that nothing is ever the same. Your typical franchise entry about quick-quipping costumed crusaders courageously protecting the planet, this clearly isn't. Directed and co-written by Ryan Coogler (Creed) like its predecessor — co-scripting again with Joe Robert Cole (All Day and a Night) — Wakanda Forever is about grief, expected futures that can no longer be and having to move forward anyway. That applies in front of and behind the lens; as ruminating so heavily on loss underscores, the movie has a built-in justification for not matching the initial flick. The Boseman-sized hole at Wakanda Forever's centre is gaping, unsurprisingly, even in a feature that's a loving homage to him, and his charm and gravitas-filled take on the titular character. Also, that vast void isn't one this film can fill. Amid overtly reckoning with absence, Coogler still has a top-notch cast — returnees Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke, plus new addition Tenoch Huerta, most notably — drawing eyeballs towards his vibrant imagery, but his picture is also burdened with MCU bloat and mechanics, and infuriating bet-hedging. The emotional tributes to T'Challa and Boseman hit swiftly, after the former's tech-wiz sister Shuri (Wright, Death on the Nile) agonises over not being able to save him. In a swirl of song, dance, colour, movement, rhythm and feeling on par with the first instalment, but also solemn, Wakanda erupts in mourning, and the film makes plain that the Black Panther audiences knew is gone forever. A year later, sorrow lingers, but global courtesy wanes — now that the world knows about the previously secret country and its metal vibranium, everyone wants a piece. Such searching incites a new threat to the planet, courtesy of Mesoamerican underwater kingdom Talokan and its leader-slash-deity Namor (Huerta, Narcos: Mexico). The Atlantis-esque ocean realm has vibranium as well, and it's not keen on anywhere else but Wakanda doing the same. If Queen Ramonda (Bassett, Gunpowder Milkshake), Shuri and their compatriots don't join Namor to fight back, Namor will wage war against them instead. Given Coogler and Cole's basic premise, bringing back Okoye (Gurira, The Walking Dead), head of the Wakanda's formidable Dora Milaje warriors, is obviously easy. The same applies to fellow soldier Ayo (Florence Kasumba, Tatort), and to introducing Aneka (Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You). Straight-talking tribal leader M'Baku (Duke, Nine Days) makes a seamless comeback and, although she's working in a school in Haiti, former spy Nakia (Nyong'o, The 355) does the same. Even excusing seeing CIA operative Everett Ross (Martin Freeman, Breeders) again is straightforward enough, but keeping overarching Marvel saga cogs turning means a pointless reappearance for another character familiar from the broader series but new to Black Panther movies. And, it results in the clunkiest of kickoffs for "young, gifted and Black" college student Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne, Judas and the Black Messiah), the star of upcoming MCU Disney+ TV show Ironheart, who is needlessly shoehorned in on the big-screen. Serving itself first and foremost, rather than the behemoth of a franchise it's in, was one of the OG Black Panther's many glorious delights. That picture felt alive, unique, rich and impassioned — and dedicated to standing out, including via its Afrofuturism — in a way that nothing else in the MCU has. While the colours lensed by cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw (Loki) are more muted now, befitting the tone of mourning, the grand visual spectacle and love for everything Wakanda stands for thankfully remains in the second go-around; however, 30 films in instead of 18, Wakanda Forever sadly isn't allowed just to be concerned with its own patch. Worse, that box-ticking, piece-connecting switch comes with an unwillingness to be truly bold where it matters: the future of Black Panther. The women of Wakanda get their time to shine here, and to show they deserve the spotlight. Alas, then arrives an end-credits scene that's sentimental where the rest of the flick firmly isn't, and gives Marvel a convenient way to change course if Wakanda Forever sparks a manchild backlash. Coogler knows that viewers will watch wondering what Wakanda Forever might've been if it was the movie originally intended. Indeed, grappling with that within the film itself will always be its smartest move. Accordingly, come for the meaningful musing on grief and lost possibilities, and a heartfelt tribute. Come, too, for plenty that made the initial Black Panther engaging and resonant: the cast and their stellar performances, especially Wright and Bassett; Wakanda's look, vibe and sound; and the commanding yet nuanced and fleshed-out antagonist, with Huerta nailing his MCU debut (and following capably in Michael B Jordan's footsteps). There's also the inherent commentary, this time pointing out battles over the earth's resources, and how colonial powers push people who should be aligned into conflict among themselves. And, yes, come for brief flashbacks of Boseman — although in a better all-round film, they wouldn't be as key a highlight. Staying — and with a 161-minute duration, viewers are in for an overlong sitting — heralds much that's simply standard, far less impressive, curious or a missed opportunity, though. Some examples: the workmanlike climax despite eye-catching action beforehand, shortchanging Wright and Bassett's scenes together, too many easy comic-book tropes, too many subplots, trying to do to many things, all the blue and undersea dives so close to Avatar: The Way of Water's release, and failing to give T'Challa's death a named cause. (Imagine how potent it would've been to say that cancer claimed this mighty superhero, as it does to too many ordinary folks every single day, and also to recognise the disease that took Boseman.) When Wakanda Forever is at its most by-the-numbers, too, it plays like Marvel dragging its most diverse and distinctive arm down rather than lifting it up. Of course, the film tells you how it wants you to respond to its struggles and messiness, because it acknowledges that they're a part of mourning. But forging through can resemble treading water — it does have the wing-footed villain for it.
For most Australians, the past few days have been unprecedented: not since 1952 has the country experienced the death of its official head of state. Whether your main relationship to Queen Elizabeth II is watching The Crown or seeing her face on Aussie coins and $5 notes — and whether you follow the royal family's move through the media or not at all — the monarch's passing has unsurprisingly monopolised the news. It's also now the reason for a new one-off public holiday. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced today, Sunday, September 11, that Aussies will get a day off to commemorate the Queen. Mark Thursday, September 22, 2022 in your diary — that's being designated as the country's National Day of Mourning. On September 22 there will be a public holiday for the National Day of Mourning for Her Majesty The Queen. — Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) September 10, 2022 "It will be a one-off national public holiday. That's to allow people to pay their respects for the passing of Queen Elizabeth," the Prime Minister said on the ABC's Insiders. "I spoke to all premiers and chief ministers yesterday and I'm writing to them formally this morning, they will have received their letters by now. They have all agreed that it's appropriate that it be a one-off national public holiday," Albanese continued. The Prime Minister has announced Thursday 22 September will be a public holiday for the National Day of Mourning for Queen Elizabeth II. — Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) September 11, 2022 The public holiday will come three days after the Queen's funeral, which will take place on Monday, September 19 Australian time. And, the new day off means that Victorians will get a four-day long weekend, given that Friday, September 23 is already a public holiday for the AFL grand final. Aussies in other states who do the Monday–Friday grind will still have to work on the Friday, however, unless you take annual leave. Thursday, September 22, 2022 is now a public holiday in Australia, for a National Day of Mourning for the Queen. Top image: Elizabeth: A Portrait in Part(s).
Being called a ‘couch potato’ may not be so insulting after all. You’d never leave yours if you had such a killer view from your living room. Somewhere on Japan's Mount Rokko, five white sofas sit elevated upon a lovely hillside, with full views of lakes, trees and gorgeous mountain scenery. Visitors can easily spot them and climb their ladders to enjoy the views from the top. The ‘garden sky project’ is artist Hidemi Nishida's contribution to Rokko Meets Art, an annual outdoor art festival in Kobe, Japan. Featuring plenty of playful installations like these sky seats, the celebration encourages visitors to interact with art, nature and each other. Via Spoon & Tamago.
This article is part of our series on the diverse highlights of NZ's Canterbury region, from city to snow. To book your Christchurch trip, visit the 100% Pure New Zealand website. Serving beer out of a bus sounds like a next-level food truck about to hit the streets of Melbourne (and, honestly, a great business idea, liquor licensing laws aside), but Smash Palace is a bit more complicated than that. The bus doesn't move per se — it mostly stays parked in a vacant lot — but, as is the beauty of having a bar on wheels, it can be moved at any time. Welcome to Christchurch: where bars are mobile and most things are temporary. "We ... knew that a lot of Christchurch was, and still is, empty land," says Smash Palace owner Johnny Moore. "So we wanted to find a way to occupy that empty land." Like all good purchases, the bus was bought late one night on the internet. Finding a place to put it wasn't quite so easy. The site that was eventually found — an empty block on a busy corner of the CBD border — was disused. The bus bar forms the centrepiece of the lot, serving beer and burgers, with the addition of mulled wine and hot water bottles over winter. Circus-like coloured lights hang around the outdoor tables and undercover areas, making it more like a beer garden or a market than a booze bus. Originally designed to be temporary and provide Christchurch with a pub-like place to meet, drink and start conversations, Smash Palace has now been open for just over two years. People just really bought into the concept and what it gave to the community, says Johnny. "I think it’s the spirit of the place, making do with what you’ve got." As is the transitory nature of Christchurch at the moment, pop-up bars, shops and institutions make up a large percentage of the city. It's an exciting time for small business owners and those wanting to start something in Christchurch. "Anyone who's here wants to be here," says Johnny. "For younger people it's the land of opportunity. Whatever you can dream can happen at the moment."
The martini faithful will insist this cocktail classic never went away — and they'd be right. James Bond's favourite tipple is hardly an obscure concoction, but ubiquitous as it may be, this stalwart sip is nevertheless having a moment in Sydney right now. One of the nation's most revered chefs and restaurateurs, Neil Perry, added Bobbie's, a basement martini lounge, to his Double Bay empire this week, tapping a New York bar legend to bring the project to life. Linden Pride, who alongside Nathalie Hudson launched Big Apple hotspot Dante, is not merely overseeing the cocktail list. Bobbie's is so named in honour of Pride's grandfather, Australian DJ Bob Rogers OAM, the nation's longest-serving radio announcer who is credited with introducing Top 40 radio programming on 2UE in the late 1950s. In a further nod to Pride's illustrious grandfather, Bobbie's will also be a live music venue. Chippendale also scored a new martini bar this week from veteran barkeep Grant Collins. Dry Martini, as the name suggests, is dedicated to celebrating the evolution of its namesake beverage as well as its caffeinated cousin, the espresso martini. Meanwhile, over by Darling Harbour, Barangaroo House is putting on a month-long martini festival, with $10 mini 'tinis and martini-inspired specials on offer across all three levels throughout September. The rising popularity of the martini has not gone unnoticed in Potts Point either. Following the runaway success of its limited-time $5 martini happy hour in August, upmarket brasserie Franca is extending its Five @ 5 offer indefinitely. But why is the martini so damn popular? "Drinks, like fashion, are cyclical," Collins (pictured above) explains to Concrete Playground. "They were big in the 50s and 60s and then made a comeback in 90s." During their last renaissance 30 years ago, innovative mixologists gifted us fruit-laced neo-martinis like the infamous passionfruit-powered Porn Star martini, as well as the now wildly popular espresso martini, creating playful alter-egos for an otherwise rather serious cocktail. By contrast, the most recent uptick in the martini's popularity is getting back to basics, according to Collins. "Consumers are looking for healthier drinking options, sans sugar, and a martini is about as clean as you can get with regards to mixing a cocktail — neat liquor stirred well over ice, no sugar sugar syrups, sweet juices or liqueurs," Collins explains. [caption id="attachment_971268" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dexter Kim[/caption] While that simplicity is certainly true of the gin and vermouth OG, the martini has been a powerful muse for bartenders, with countless variants now gracing the menus of bars all over the world. "Its a drink with such a rich history and legacy," Collins says of the martini's power to inspire. "It's always had such romance on the silver screen, in movies like Casablanca, All About Eve and Some Like It Hot, where Hollywood stars like Clarke Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jnr all promoted and drank martinis in their movies. And of course, there's also the popularity created by Ian Fleming and his Bond novels in the 50s and 60s, which is also where we get the Vesper martini from. World leaders like Churchill and Franklin D Roosevelt also swore by them. I think all of this cemented the martini as a drink that was never going to go away." [caption id="attachment_751374" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Gidley, Dominic Loneragan[/caption] So, where are the Harbour City's best martinis? While you should certainly check out both Bobbie's and Dry Martini, CBD steakhouse The Gidley should also be top of your hit list. It has one of the savviest martini offerings in town, served with a silver platter of accoutrements including pipettes with brine and vermouth as well as olives, citrus skins and pickled onions so guests can pimp their dirty, dry, wet or Gibson martini any way they like. And because a single martini is never enough, every order automatically comes with a second serve, kept in a small bottle on ice so it remains perfectly chilled when you come to pour. At Alfie's, also owned by Liquid and Larder who operate The Gidley, the city's "iciest martini" awaits. Chilled to -10 Celsius, it's poured from a sub-zero thermos and made with Four Pillars olive leaf gin or Mother of Pearl vodka, vermouth, and a splash tarragon vinegar. While you can choose your preferred garnish, the pink onion is our recommendation, for a pop of colour and some extra zing on the palette. [caption id="attachment_937586" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bar Planet[/caption] The Cantina OK! team perfected the margarita at their tiny laneway outpost in the CBD, so it's little wonder they've done the same for the martini at their Newtown cocktail joint, Bar Planet. Featuring a specially distilled small-batch gin from Marrickville's Poor Toms, the house signature is a great gateway sip for martini newcomers. The Continental Deli trailblazed its innovative canned cocktail line with the mar-tinny. The OG was a silky smooth number with a twist already included in the can, but the recipe has leaned dirty in recent times, including a limited-edition truffled version that, we'll be honest, was something of an acquired taste. Not only can you order these perfectly preprepared cocktails chilled and ready to drink while dining at The Continental, you can also stock up and take a supply home with you. [caption id="attachment_696573" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Continental Deli, Kitti Smallbone[/caption]
Belvoir has brushed off everyone caught up in the bog of the adaptations versus original writing in theatre debate, putting on not one but two versions of Greek tragedy Oedipus in their freshly announced 2014 season. Seeing as the shows resemble each other about as much as a Friesian cow resembles the internet, we are forced to conclude that they are, in fact, originals. First up is Oedipus Schmoedipus, a comedy epic from local legends post that will play as part of the Sydney Festival and is billed as "by post after aeschylus, anon, artaud, behn, brecht, büchner, Chekhov, Coward, Fo, Genet, Havel, Ibsen, Marlowe, Molière, O’neill, Plautus, Racine, Seneca, Shakespeare, Shaw, Sophocles, Strindberg, Wedekind, Wilde et al". The other Oedipus, Oedipus Rex, by Belvoir resident director Adena Jacobs (Persona), will be a rather more intense affair in the Downstairs Theatre. Of course, there are another eleven shows that each have something special going on. "This year we introduce two new resident directors, Adena Jacobs and Anne-Louise Sarks," says artistic director Ralph Myers. "They join associate director Eamon Flack and literary manager and all-rounder Anthea Williams to round out what has to be the hottest team of theatre-makers this side of The Globe. Plus, we’ve invited a swag of freelance artists into the tent to weave their magic." In the Upstairs Theatre, Jacobs is also directing a must-see Hedda Gabler with Ash Flanders in the title role. The actor's capacity for subtleness has always shone through in the high-camp melodrama we're used to seeing him in, and he'll no doubt bring a new dimension to Hedda. Ibsen is also looked to in resident director Anne-Louise Sarks' Nora, which she is developing with Kit Brookman. It's partly adaptation, partly spin-off of A Doll's House, in that it follows the character Nora after she's walked out on her family and off the page of the original. Also featuring upstairs is Once in Royal David's City, a new work by Australian playwright Michael Gow, starring Brendan Cowell and directed by Eamon Flack (Angels in America). Belvoir is calling it an "astonishing act of theatrical invention". Winner of the Balnaves Foundation Indigenous Playwright’s Award Jada Alberts has her Brothers Wreck, directed by Leah Purcell, on Upstairs, while Indigenous performers also lead the truly vibrant experiment that is Twenty Questions, a cabaret/talkshow hosted by Wesley Enoch and playing on Monday nights from April through to August. Rounding out the Upstairs shows is a Simon Stone-led Philadelphia Story (that's the 1940 screwball/romantic comedy, yes, but apparently he's got something radical planned), an Eamon Flack-helmed Glass Menagerie featuring Luke Mullins and Pamela Rabe, and a version of A Christmas Carol you can see on Christmas Eve. Downstairs, we're poaching Melbourne's much-loved THE RABBLE, who'll present Cain and Abel and take their powerful, gender-aware to the stories of the Bible. Post's Zoe Coombs Marr (winner of FBi SMAC for Best on Stage) explores the life of a stand-up comedian (in non-one-man-show form) with Is This Thing On?, while Matthew Whittet and Belvoir literary manager Anthea Williams do Cinderella in an adults-only kind of way. It appears that apart from the four shows, the Downstairs Theatre will be going dark for the rest of the year. For more information and to get a subscription, visit the Belvoir website.
Whether it celebrates music, performances or film, every arts festival is a gift. When it's brand new and combines all three, it's like Christmas. And, when it also boasts Solange's return to Australia, it's the adult equivalent of scoring the pony or bike that you always wanted when you were a kid. The event ticking all of those boxes? Volume, the newly announced fest that'll take over the Art Gallery of New South Wales this spring When it debuts from Friday, September 22–Sunday, October 8 at the Sydney gallery, Volume will hero the cutting edge and the contemporary in all of its chosen artforms — and, given that it's calling itself a festival of sound and vision, that's where it'll be focusing. Solange has the headline slot, but the Grammy–winning R&B singer-songwriter has ample company, including Sampa The Great, Mount Eerie and Sonya Holowell. [caption id="attachment_738150" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Max Hirschberger[/caption] Also taking to the stage: everyone from Black Belt Eagle Scout, crys cole, Datu Arellano, Fuji|||||||||||ta and Hamed Sadeghi to Jeff Parker, Joe Rainey, Kim Moyes, Lonnie Holley and Maissa Alameddine, and the list keeps going from there. Via Dean Hurley, KMRU, Lea Bertucci, Loraine James, Megan Alice Clune, R Rebeiro and salllvage, Volume will also host the world premieres of seven new music recordings, all commissioned by AGNSW. All up, the fest will showcase 27 local and international musicians, with the venue's music and community curator Jonathan Wilson putting together the impressive roster of talent behind the microphone. That program includes an experiential live music performance series called Play the Room, plus local and international composers creating and playing new scores courtesy of the fest's Playback sessions. [caption id="attachment_881769" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jordan Munns[/caption] And, thanks to the gallery's new North Building, the setting is as stunning as the lineup. The Tank, which is a former-WWII oil tank-turned-art space, will host shows — and give its acoustics a workout — as will the 13-metre-high atrium and sculpture gallery spaces. Volume's film and performance lineups will be announced in August, with AGNSW's film curator Ruby Arrowsmith-Todd picking the moving-image works and the venue's curator of contemporary art Lisa Catt doing the honours with the dance performances. Expect 50-plus music, film and performance events in total — some free, some ticketed, and with the program running during the day and into the evening. [caption id="attachment_906009" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Art Gallery of New South Wales, Jenni Carter[/caption] "While the visual arts have traditionally been the Art Gallery's focus, our expansion, through the Sydney Modern Project, has created an exceptional opportunity for us to extend our programming as part of our new curatorial narrative to include more cutting-edge live music, film and performance. Volume is the manifestation of this vision," said Art Gallery of New South Wales director Michael Brand, announcing the new festival. "Featuring some of the most compelling artists of our time, Volume sets a new standard for music curation in public art museums and is the most exciting performative live music and art festival to be staged in Sydney." [caption id="attachment_880684" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Art Gallery of New South Wales, Iwan Baan[/caption] VOLUME 2023 LINEUP: Solange Sampa The Great Mount Eerie Sonya Holowell R. Rebeiro Toni Muñoz Datu Arellano KMRU Lonnie Holley crys cole TENGGER Maissa Alameddine Sumn Conduit Loraine James Jeff Parker Kim Moyes Joe Rainey Mourning (a) BLKstar Lea Bertucci Black Belt Eagle Scout Hamed Sadeghi Megan Alice Clune Oren Ambarchi salllvage FUJI|||||||||||TA Naretha Williams Dean Hurley Volume runs from Friday, September 22–Sunday, October 8 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, with ticket pre sales from 10am on Tuesday, July 18 and general sales from 10am on Wednesday, July 19 — head to the festival website for further details. Top image: Ibrahem Hasan.
When it comes to fashion, staying ahead of the pack can be a mighty tough feat. But if you’re keen to kick monochromic minimalism to the curb, while giving a little back to your global community, we’ve found just the bold West African label to help you do it. YEVU, which means 'foreigner' in the local Ewe language, is a socially responsible clothing line bringing the wild traditional wax prints of Ghana to Aussie shores. Linking local African tailors with style-conscious global customers, founder Anna Robertson is creating serious change for Ghanaian seamstresses living on the poverty line. After launching their sell-out debut range in October 2013, YEVU returns this month with a fresh selection of awesome new threads (we actually can't get enough of these prints). From late November, Sydney and Melbourne will both house YEVU’s latest pop-up stores. Stocked with everything from daring jumpsuits to bold bomber jackets for both ladies and gents, these vibrant designs won’t go unnoticed in your wardrobe. Give back, shop ethically and nab a new look with some of the sweetest prints you’ll see all season. Head along to the launch of YEVU's pop up locations in Sydney (636 Crown Street, Surry Hills) on November 26th and Melbourne (27-29 Johnston Street, Collingwood) on December 3th from 6 to 9pm. YEVU POP-UP OPENING HOURS Sydney — November 27 to January 24 (10am to 7pm daily) Melbourne — December 4 to January 31(10am to 7pm Daily) Both stores closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day. Images: YEVU.
When JK Rowling sat in an Edinburgh cafe and jotted down the first Harry Potter book more than two decades ago, she couldn't have guessed just how magical her life would become — or how she'd escape from her ordinary existence. We can't all follow in her literary footsteps, but we can now try to escape HP-style. No, not into the novels or movies. No, not via broomstick, portkey, apparating or the floo network. Rather, if you're in Melbourne, you can attempt to find your way out of a Harry Potter-inspired escape room. Let's be honest: it sounds like the kind of place you don't want to escape from, doesn't it? While getting out is the aim of the game at Trapt's new Alchemy rooms, enjoying the experience is too. Here, you'll "practise spells and enchantments and test your magical skills," according to the website, aiming to "discover the mythical substance and Elixir of Life, the Philosopher's Stone, before time runs out." Trapt is also quick to state that this isn't an official HP offering, but you can't bring up spells, wizarding and the title of the first Boy Who Lived book without nodding to the room's obvious inspiration. Make that rooms, with two identical spaces available — to meet demand, because you know there'll be more than a little. In addition, the Lonsdale Street establishment is also serving up an appropriate array of beverages at the bar — both alcoholic and non-boozy, including Flying Cauldron butterscotch beer, the blueberry and cardamom-flavoured Exhibito Noctis, and Potion of Fire spiced rum. And if you're after a journey into more than one themed realm while you're there, there's also a spy room, a prohibition-set offering that's all about bootlegging and moonshine, and an Alice in Wonderland space as well. It's not the first time an Australian escape room has tried to give muggles a magical experience, with Sydney's Break the Code announcing its own back in 2016. Alas, at present, it's still listed as coming soon on the site's website, although it does boast Indiana Jones, Avatar and Lost-themed rooms. Find Alchemy at Trapt, The Basement, 377 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, or visit the venue's website for further details.
Music lovers all over the country have been holding their breaths for the much-awaited Parklife lineup announcement. And yesterday they were able to exhale with utter excitement at the acts that are set to hit the stages around Australia in late September and early October. We have a double VIP pass to giveaway in each city that Parklife will be making an appearance. Lucky winners of the VIP tickets will not only gain access to the exclusive Garden Bar, which offers such treasures as toilets, phone chargers, massages and the chance to catch up with Parklife artists, but they'll also get free drinks and a Parklife Mixtape, and be able to skip the ever-dreaded queues. To go in the running, just head to the Concrete Playground Facebook page and leave a comment under this story telling us which artist you want to see most, and which city you want tickets for. Entries will close at noon on June 21. Parklife dates and venues:Parklife Brisbane - Saturday, September 29 at Botanic GardensParklife Sydney - Sunday, September 30 at Centennial ParkParklife Perth - Monday, October 1 at Wellington SquareParklife Melbourne - Saturday, October 6 at Sidney Myer Music Bowl and Kings DomainParklife Adelaide - Sunday, October 7 at Botanic Gardens Discounted presale tickets ($25 off in all cities except Adelaide, which is $17 off) are available from 12pm on June 21 until midnight on June 25. Head to parklife.com.au for more info.
We can hardly keep up with Josh Arthurs. He's been bouncing around Sydney's pubs and bringing burger joy to every boy and girl south of the bridge with his notoriously popular Burgers by Josh pop-ups — and he's on the move once again. Last night he wrapped up his residency at Darlinghurst's Hotel William one month ahead of schedule, and has announced that he'll be heading back to The Annandale Hotel for what might well be his last pop-up ever. The residency will kick off on Wednesday, July 13, with Burgers by Josh returning to its spiritual home. The decision to head back to the Annandale pub was driven by the fact that the "atmosphere and venue" fits with the burger pop-up's brand, Arthurs told Concrete Playground. The menu will feature four faves, including the the J Burger, the Primo, the Scorpio, and the Lisa Simpson. That won't be all though. In addition to the cult classics, there will also be a new #HacksbyJosh menu, which will feature crazy things like deep fried cheese patties, spicy Scorpio chicken fillets, smoked pulled pork and a heap of new sides. If you're a BBJ fan, you best book in a burger date because this could be the last time those delicious burgs grace The Annandale's counter. Arthurs is looking for something more permanent. "This will be our last pop-up as I feel it's time to evolve my brand into its next stage — and that will be a permanent fixture," says Arthurs. "We are currently looking at sites all over Sydney."
Thought you’d be eating vacuum packed meals in space? Think again. Fruit and veges could now be part of everyday space cuisine as part of EDEN’s (Evolution and Design of Environmentally-Closed Nutrition Sources) latest research initiative to grow fruit and veges in outer space with LED lights. The German Aerospace Centre (DRL) has picked up new Heliospectra LED lighting technology which the company has developed to help researchers explore conditions that can be used to grow fruit and veges in outer space. These space greenhouses could potentially function and feed a crew millions of miles above the clouds and prove particularly useful in harsh environments like a greenhouse module on Mars, or on slightly closer turf at the Neumayer Station III in Antarctica. One of the current projects at the German institute investigates testing the greenhouse module in the hostile Antarctica environment where a team lives in total isolation for nine months straight. Researchers hope to discover the ways whereby food could be produced for the crew and investigate how plants influence humans in isolation. [via inhabitat]
So, I guess it's been a while since Myspace taught us HTML and horrible dancing babies set the standard for viral videos. Today, Facebook turns ten years old, and with this milestone they bring us one of the most sophisticated (and downright pretty) social media apps to date. With a clean, image-based design and multipurpose usability, the recently launched Facebook Paper may well be the future of the gargantuan Zuckerberg empire. The differences between the current Facebook app and Facebook Paper (not to be confused with the existing beautiful notebook app Paper) are enormous. There's no trademark blue colouring, the feed is horizontal and self-refreshing, and through a dynamic design you have access to not only your friends' updates and photos, but separate sections of your choosing. These include subjects like news and current events, the latest in art and design, and a section of trending online comedy tactfully titled 'LOL'. Though this is a welcome change for many lovers of news and design out there, the app is by no means mandatory — a clever move to avoid people kicking up a fuss like the great Timeline debacle of 2011. However, that's not all Facebook is giving us for their birthday. In a showing of enforced sentimentality, they've created a personalised video (A Look Back) for each user. Featuring your oldest photos and most popular status updates, the video plays for just over a minute with a strange and uplifting musical track that makes you feel like you're the female lead of a romantic comedy finding her feet in the Big Apple. For many, this feels a little amiss as no one feels all that nostalgic about their drunk teenage photos or sarcastic status updates about Girls quite yet. All in all, like the platform itself, Facebook's birthday is a mixed bag. They've given us a little to cringe about from the past, and a lot to look forward to in the future. Facebook Paper is available for iOS devices in the Apple App Store. It is currently only available in the US but, as always, there are ways to get in early.
Our city's nightlife may be doing it tough, but it's just been thrown a bit of a bone. The City of Sydney has just announced the recipients of its late-night grant program, and it looks like we've got a load of new after-dark cultural events and gigs to look forward to. The business support grant program aims to reinvigorate the city's nightlife scene by supporting live music venues and small businesses that want to expand their programming and late-night offering. The grants — which offer matched funding up to $30,000 — will go toward infrastructure upgrades, including acoustics, staging and equipment. Basically all the things that help venues introduce new nighttime performances, talks and film. The first round of funding will go to 18 local businesses, including Oxford Art Factory, The World Bar, Freda's and historic jazz venues Foundry 616 and The Roosevelt. "We know the NSW Government's lockout laws have had a significant impact on Sydney's night-time economy, so we are finding practical ways to help local businesses and live music venues get back on their feet," says Lord Mayor Clover Moore. "We want to do everything we can to encourage businesses to provide more diverse night-time activities." Apart from these iconic nightlife venues, City of Sydney will also work with retail stores, theatres and bookshops to expand their programming — in Darlinghurst alone, patrons can expect to see arthouse movie nights and painting classes at the The Tribe, fortnightly conversations with local authors at Ariel Bookshop and small-scale cabaret performances at Eternity Playhouse. New musical offerings for Hudson Ballroom and slam poetry at City Recital Hall are also on the bill. These events will be rolled out over the next 12 months — look out for them in our events calendar. If you own a small business in the City of Sydney, you can apply for the next round of funding until March 12.
Nearby Cobram, meanwhile, is home to one of the Murray's premier golf destinations. The Cobram Barooga Golf Club (pictured above) boasts 36 championship-level holes on which to test your skills, as well as lush lawn bowls greens, a full-service clubhouse and even a mini-golf course (that recently hosted the Australian Mini Golf Open) on its expansive grounds dotted with beautiful native flora and fauna. Head to the website to plan your day on the green. Image: Visit Victoria
The Social Network isn't a rowing film, but the Henley Royal Regatta sequence in David Fincher's (The Killer) 2010 triumph quickly became one of cinema's most-famous oar-sweeping moments. Prestige, money, tradition, opulence, power, competition, determination: they all wash through the tightly shot segment, which gleams with the water of the River Thames, the sweat on the crew's faces and, just as importantly, with status. Definitely a rowing film, The Boys in the Boat paddles into the same world; however, a commentator's line mid-movie sums up the focus and angle of this old-fashioned underdog sports flick. "Old money versus no money at all" is how the usual big and rich names in the field and the University of Washington's junior varsity team are compared. George Clooney's (The Tender Bar) ninth feature as a director doesn't just spot the class-clash difference there — his entire picture wades into that gulf. Drawn from 2013 non-fiction novel The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown, reuniting Clooney with his The Midnight Sky screenwriter Mark L Smith in the process, The Boys in the Boat is about the UW's rowing efforts, rower Joe Rantz and coach Al Ulbrickson, too — plus an against-the-odds quest, bold choices, the struggles of the Great Depression, the reality of an Olympics held under the Nazi regime and the looming shadow of war. But thrumming at its heart like a coxswain is setting the pace is the mission to keep afloat one stroke at a time, and not merely in the pursuit of glory and medals. What rowing means to Rantz (Callum Turner, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore), the character at its centre, as well as to the classmates-turned-crewmates catching and extracting with him, is pure survival first and foremost. Rantz is the engineering student who lines his shoes with newspaper to cover the holes in their soles, has no reliable place to sleep and hasn't been a stranger to going hungry for years. He's had zero family to support him since he was 14, thanks to his remarried dad, and he'll no longer be at college if he can't come up with his tuition fees. If the details weren't all true, and if The Boys in the Boat wasn't so matter-of-fact about them — patient in its overall pacing, handsome in its imagery, and clear-eyed about the dire and desperate situation its protagonist is in when everything changes — then the movie's plot might seem to be a Hollywood confection. Indeed, Clooney's current jump behind the lens feels like a throwback thanks to its sincerity, and its understatement along with it. Finding emotion in the specifics of Rantz's life and feats isn't hard, so there's no forceful poking and jabbing needed. That existence-shifting turn comes via trials for UW's JV rowers, not out of affinity for or interest in the sport but because his similarly doing-it-rough pal Roger Morris (Sam Strike, American Outlaws) mentions that there'll be lodging and pay for whoever gets picked. Hundreds show up. Only eight will make it. The gratitude in their eyes is the antithesis of the entitlement spied when The Boys in the Boat enrols them in races against competitors from cashed-up schools, and as The Social Network's time in racing shells splashed around so successfully. Where Rantz's journey glides from there isn't difficult to guess, as seen in training montages, rising passion for his new endeavour, gaining more confidence about falling for childhood friend Joyce (Hadley Robinson, Anyone But You), butting heads with the stoic Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton, I'm a Virgo) and receiving words of wisdom from boatbuilder George Pocock (Peter Guinness, Jack Ryan). And yet, in a move that separates it from the clumsy breeziness of the other underdog sports flick based on real-life hitting silver screens of late, Next Goal Wins, it's always told with the utmost earnestness. The Boys in the Boat is solid, then — an apt state for a film about securing sure footing atop a substance that's anything but. Clooney's fellow key craftspeople, including cinematographer Martin Ruhe (who shot The Tender Bar and The Midnight Sky), editor Tanya M Swerling (returning from The Tender Bar as well) and composer Alexandre Desplat (also back from The Midnight Sky), make their pivotal contributions just as reliably. Scenes with oars in hand are a particular thrill, contrasting the exertion, resolve and grit to persist within the UW boat with the shimmering water and scenic surroundings. Peering at Turner and Edgerton, their characters pitched as opposites who aren't really, proves equally revealing in conveying why Rantz and the crew's toils — and Ulbrickson's tough love — is all about persevering no matter what, too. As a filmmaker, Clooney started out making movies that he'd also act in, albeit regularly leaving the leading parts to his co-stars. In his 2002 directorial debut Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, as in 2017's Suburbicon, 2021's The Tender Bar and now The Boys in the Boat, for example, he's been perfecting the art of enlisting other talents to play roles that he might've once (or easily could've, but has chosen not to). Edgerton's performance as Ulbrickson slides into that category. That said, he brings his own interiority and intensity to a figure who rarely cracks a smile, appears dedicated to winning above all else — putting the JV squad in races over their senior counterparts if it'll improve his chances of victory, in fact, and regardless of the uproar sparked — yet also clearly cares, even if his way of showing it is simply going about the team's business as usual. Evident in Edgerton's portrayal, and Turner's — the movie would sink if it wasn't — is tenacity that goes past the promise of prizes, fame and acclaim. As much as the film sees the desolation of the period, its push against the privilege, elitism and affluence that's often synonymous with rowing shines through strongest in its characters. This can't be called a scrappy picture in any sense but, as Turner and Edgerton ensure with help from Strike, Luke Slattery (New Amsterdam) as coxswain Bobby Much and Jack Mulhern (Pet Sematary: Bloodlines) as crew member Don Hume, it's filled with scrappers. While The Social Network will remain the pinnacle of rowing on-screen for now, telling a familiar tale well, The Boys in the Boat brings stirring depth.
When Julia Ducournau's first film hit cinemas back in 2016, it garnered plenty of headlines. When reports start circulating about people passing out during your movie, that tends to happen. Following a vegetarian veterinary student who starts hungering for something much meatier when she heads to college, Raw definitely isn't for the easily queasy. It's also one of the best movies of the past decade, with the French filmmaker debuting with a film that's intense in multiple ways, and also surprisingly relatable. With her second feature, Ducournau is going to earn even more attention. Titane premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and, as announced on Sunday, July 18, it has just nabbed the prestigious event's coveted Palme d'Or. That's an exceptional feat for any director, but it's historic in this case. The movie's win marks only the second time ever that a female filmmaker has won the fest's top prize, and the first time a woman has ever earned the gong solo. Jane Campion is the only other female filmmaker to receive the Palme d'Or, back in 1993 for The Piano — and when she won, she shared it in a tie with Farewell My Concubine's Chen Kaige. The highly valued prize was first introduced back in 1955, which means that a long list of men have taken it home over the past 66 years. Ducournau's film was named 2021's best flick of the fest by a jury chaired by filmmaker Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman), and also featuring fellow directors Mati Diop (Atlantics), Jessica Hausner (Little Joe) and Kleber Mendonça Filho (Bacurau); actor and filmmaker Mélanie Laurent (Oxygen); actors Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Deuce), Tahar Rahim (The Serpent) and Song Kang-ho (Parasite); and singer-songwriter Mylène Farmer. Lee was so excited to announce the winner, he let it slip at the beginning of the ceremony — before the night's other gongs were announced. Like Raw, Titane doesn't hold back with its concept. The official festival synopsis describes it as a film that sees a father reunited with the son who has been missing for ten years following a series of unexplained crimes— but that's really the most simplistic description possible. Starring Vincent Lindon and Agathe Rousselle, it also sees the latter play a character with quite the car fetish, and morphs into Cronenbergian body horror territory from there. Ducournau's Cannes win marks the second time a female director has made history this year, after Chloé Zhao became the first woman of colour and second woman ever to win the Best Director Oscar for Nomadland back in April. At Cannes, a heap of other movies picked up shiny trophies, too — with the Grand Prix shared by Asghar Farhadi's A Hero and Juho Kuosmanen's Compartment Nº6, the Jury Prize split between Apichatpong Weerasethakul's English-language debut Memoria and Nadav Lapid's Ahed's Knee, and Best Director going to Leos Carax for his Adam Driver-starring musical Annette. The Best Actress prize was awarded to Renate Reinsve for The Worst Person in the World, while Caleb Landry Jones won Best Actor for his titular role in Australian drama Nitram. Check out the trailer for Titane below: Titane doesn't currently have a release date Down Under. We'll update you when one is announced. Top image: Carole Bethuel.
Given how 2020 has turned out, we can all be forgiven for hoping that next year is much, much brighter. In Sydney, that'll happen literally. After cancelling its 2020 festival due to COVID-19, Vivid has announced that it'll make a comeback in 2021, returning with another jam-packed lineup of light installations, live music and interesting discussions. When Vivid re-emerges next year, it'll do so with one big change: a later time slot. Usually, the luminous fest's events and city-wide glow mark the end of autumn and the beginning of winter; however, in 2021, it'll run from August 6–28 instead. Whether you're a Sydneysider in desperate need of a bit more light in your life, or you're located elsewhere and contemplating local 2021 holidays — seeing that Australia's international border is likely to stay closed for some time — you can now look forward to a late-winter feast of projections, tunes and talks. Exactly what the program will hold hasn't yet been announced, with the lineup usually unveiled a few months before the event. [caption id="attachment_761801" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Jordan Munns[/caption] If it had gone ahead in 2020, this year's Vivid was set to be headlined by US neo-soul singer and poet Jill Scott. The festival cancelled before it released its full lineup of gigs, installations, light shows and other cultural events. As well as a change of date, it's sensible to expect that moving around Vivid might look a little different in 2021, too. The event hasn't announced anything along those lines but, in 2019, it attracted more than two million attendees. That's quite the crowd in general, and even more so in these pandemic-afflicted times. In terms of restrictions, New South Wales has been easing them, though — including announcing just this week that outdoor music gigs will be able to host up to 500 people from Friday, October 16, and that outdoor venues can double their capacity to one person per two square metres. Vivid Live 2021 will take place from August 6–28, 2021. For more information, visit the event's website. Top image: Yaya Stempler.
Get ready to see 23 words get engraved on a pivotal piece of jewellery: "one ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them". The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been renewed for a third season, and Sauron's efforts to make the One Ring will be its focus. Yes, Prime Video's prequel series will move closer to the events of The Hobbit movie adaptations and OG live-action Lord of the Rings films. And yes, to do so, there'll be a time jump in its narrative. The streaming platform has announced that the fantasy hit will return for a third season, which is currently in pre-production. To The Hollywood Reporter, it also revealed where the story will head. The War of the Elves and Sauron will be in full swing, as will the Dark Lord's efforts to forge an item to help in his quest for dominance: the ring that becomes so crucial in the books penned by JRR Tolkien. When the new season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will arrive hasn't yet been revealed. Whenever it shows up, the season will continue exploring Middle-earth's history — telling a tale that's taken the elves, dwarves, orcs, wizards and harfoots to everyone's streaming queue, and also featured talking and walking trees, giant spiders and Sauron's chaos. Set in the fantasy realm conjured up by Tolkien — as unrelated animated movie The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, which hit cinemas in late 2024, also is — The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power dives into Middle-earth's Second Age. In season one, a young Galadriel (Morfydd Clark, Saint Maud) had a mission to hunt the enemy, after her brother gave his life doing the same. She saw fighting for fate and destiny as the work for something greater. A young Elrond (Robert Aramayo, The King's Man) was part of that journey, and the big bad who needed staving off was indeed Sauron (Charlie Vickers, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart). Since then, the show has started charting how the rings were forged, as well as Sauron's rise and the impact across Middle-earth. So, it's a battle between good and ascending evil, then, as the Dark Lord keeps pushing his shadowy influence. If you're a little rusty on your LOTR lore, the Second Age lasted for 3441 years, and saw the initial emergence and fall of Sauron, as well as a spate of wars over the coveted rings. Elves feature prominently, and there's plenty to cover, even if Tolkien's works didn't spend that much time on the period — largely outlining the main events in an appendix to the popular trilogy. The Rings of Power remains separate to the big-screen Lord of the Rings revival that was first announced in 2023 and now has new movie Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum in the works. If you're a LoTR fan, there's no such thing as too much for this franchise, though — like breakfast for hobbits. There's obviously no trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season three yet, but check out the trailer for season two below: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power streams via Prime Video. Season three doesn't yet have a release date. Read our review of season one.
Mona Foma, MONA's wild and weird summer music and arts festival, is back for 2018. And it's set to eclipse all previous incarnations, with the festival adding a series of Launceston events to the usual Hobart lineup. The supercharged twin-city program will feature 11 days of thought-provoking performances, celebrating creativity in forms that defy categorisation. The expansion to Launceston offers a little taste of the festival's future — in 2019, Mofo will relocate to Launnie entirely. If you've never visited Launceston, Mofo is the perfect excuse to make a weekend trip to this gem of a town. While the festival will obviously keep your schedule pretty packed, you should definitely make some time to explore Mofo's future home. To guide you in the right direction, we've teamed up with Mazda3 to round-up the best places to eat, drink and lay your weary head. Go on, take a detour from the humdrum of daily existence and inject a little adventure into your life. [caption id="attachment_642025" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Harvest Market.[/caption] EAT AND DRINK Launceston is steadily gaining a reputation as a food destination. Visit some of the city's cafes and restaurants and you'll soon understand why. No visit to Launnie would be complete without a Saturday morning trip to the Harvest Market. This outdoor market, which blossoms in the summer months, features stall upon stall of fresh produce, baked goods and coffee. Get there early to nab a pastry from Sandy's Sourdough before they sell out and keep an eye out for the retro caravan, Wanderlust, which dishes up innovative vego meals. In need of a caffeine hit? Make your way to nearby Sweetbrew, a quaint cafe serving up some of the city's best coffee. If you're looking for a more substantial morning meal (you'll need the energy for all the Mofo craziness), Cuccina has you covered. And you'll fall hard for its legendary sweet chilli eggs. Cafe Mondello, with its all-day brekkie menu, is another great choice. In the evenings, the food trucks lined up along High Street are the perfect place for no-fuss dining — and you can take full advantage of the warm summer nights. Track down Turkish Tukka, for incredible kofte and gozleme, and The Crepe Caravan for its moreish Nutella pancakes. If you're after casual eats but prefer sitting at a table, make a beeline for Burger Got Soul. This insanely popular burger joint is famous for its veggie and chicken burgers — for very good reason. If you have a bigger budget, book in for a meal at Stillwater, one of Tassie's most lauded restaurants. Set in a historic mill, this Launceston stalwart dishes up impeccable fare year in, year out. Meat fanatic? Try Stillwater's sister restaurant, Black Cow Bistro, a local favourite known for its great steaks. DO Running from January 12 to 14, Mofo's first Launceston program features cutting-edge performances that are bound to set your mind on fire. Watch as Gotye join forces with the Ondioline Orchestra to pay homage to renowned French electronic composer, Jean-Jacques Perrey. This vibrant performance will be presented in a double bill with Skin Migration by Tannery, the Tasmanian Taiko and Leather Orchestra that makes mind-blowing sounds out of Japanese drums and leather instruments. Also hitting town is Monumental, a riotous dance performance by Canadian dance company, The Holy Body Tattoo, accompanied by music from post-rockers, Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Expect a raucous score, light sculptures and eclectic film projections. Rounding out the Launceston events is a massive free Block Party on January 14 (you'll just need to register on the website). There'll be music, art, drinks and wood-fired meats by MONA's Heavy Metal Kitchen. [caption id="attachment_642027" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Peppers Seaport Hotel.[/caption] STAY If you're in Launnie for Mofo, you'll probably want your accommodation to be right in the thick of things — to maximise the festive and adventurous atmosphere. For a comfortable stay that won't break the bank, the centrally-located Batman Fawkner Inn is a winner. The historic building was converted into a 40-room hotel with all the trimmings — air conditioning, free Wi-Fi and ensuite bathrooms. Prefer something fancier? Try the Areca Boutique Hotel. It has spacious rooms, comfy beds, stunning views over the city and Tamar Valley and it's still fairly affordable. If you're looking to splurge, book into the heritage Auldington Hotel. A convent in its previous life, this charming hotel boasts spacious rooms with contemporary furnishings and local art on the walls. Peppers Seaport Hotel, located on the waterfront, is another good choice. The rooms here have sweeping river views and are decorated — fittingly — with a nautical theme. Mona Foma 2018 will take place at venues across Launceston from January 12 to 14, at MONA from January 19 to 21 and across Hobart from January 15 to 22. Personalise your next adventure via The Playmaker, driven by Mazda3.
UPDATE, April 30, 2021: If Beale Street Could Talk is available to stream via Binge, Foxtel Now, Google Play and YouTube Movies. What a joy it is to rove one's eyes over Barry Jenkins' films. Not just to watch, or to take in their stories, but to truly gaze upon his images and revel in every visible detail. Cinematography has been described as painting with light, and it's a turn of phrase that wholeheartedly applies to the filmmaker's work with his regular director of photography James Laxton. But in Moonlight and now If Beale Street Could Talk, the duo don't merely splash brightness and shadow across the screen, although they do just that with exhilarating precision. Jenkins and Laxton also paint with movement, thanks to swirling frames that instantly evoke the feelings being experienced by their characters — the feeling of only having eyes for one person no matter what else is happening in the world, for example. And they paint with colour, expanding their tales through telling hues, including warm, inviting reds and moody, swoon-inducing blues. It's fitting that colour plays such a prominent role, visually, in If Beale Street Could Talk. Adapted by Jenkins from the late James Baldwin's novel of the same name, colour plays a driving role in the film's narrative. As the exceptional documentary I Am Not Your Negro demonstrated in 2017, Baldwin was perceptive, impassioned and understandably enraged about the topic of race relations in America, a perspective that always remains apparent here. If Beale Street Could Talk is a romance, charting an unbreakable bond between childhood pals turned neighbourhood sweethearts Tish Rivers (KiKi Layne) and Alonzo 'Fonny' Hunt (Stephan James). However, as set in 1970s Harlem, it's also an account of how prejudice shapes their everyday reality. Aged 19 and 22, this deeply infatuated couple know that just getting by won't be easy. They're well aware of the disadvantages they've been born into because of their skin colour. They endure this difficult reality everyday, whether trying to find an apartment or simply stopping by the corner deli. Then Fonny is arrested and incarcerated for a crime that he didn't commit, a development that's sadly as topical and relevant today as it was when Baldwin was penning his prose. That's not the only life-changing development within If Beale Street Could Talk, with Tish discovering that she's pregnant, then revealing the news to Fonny through the forbidding glass of a prison visitors' room. Battling to save one life while preparing to welcome another, the star-crossed pair discover how hard they'll have to fight for what's right. The conflict extends to their home turf, where his family are far from happy about adding to their number — but Tish's, especially her steely, devoted mother Sharon (Regina King), is willing to do whatever it takes to help. Black lives devastated by discrimination, young lovers braving seemingly insurmountable obstacles: both tales have played out across countless pages and screens before, although not as they do so here. There's a bewitching alchemy to the combination of Baldwin's words and Jenkins' direction — never shying away from the despairing truth of the situation, but never wallowing in inescapable bleakness either. Indeed, If Beale Street Could Talk takes the opposite position. As its entrancing imagery and emotive score always remind viewers, this is a film of love above all else. Affection doesn't dissipate when times are tough. Kindness isn't absent from lives thwarted by institutionalised oppression. Rather, affection and intimacy are the counterforce that keeps a flicker of light glowing in marginalised eyes. If love can sustain a man faced with losing his freedom, a woman trying to remain strong as her world crumbles and a mother pushed to desperate deeds to protect her family, then it can survive anything. In every sensory stylistic touch, Jenkins paints this revolutionary sentiment across If Beale Street Could Talk's frames. Make no mistake, finding such delight and beauty amidst such struggle is revolutionary. So is recognising that these characters' stories, and the characters themselves, are rich, detailed and worthy of being treated and seen in such a tender way. Jenkins tells tales and peers at people with empathy that's palpable, intoxicating and infectious. Thanks to his winning way with actors, he also has considerable assistance. From King's rightfully awarded efforts, to Colman Domingo's caring turn as Tish's father, to Dave Franco's brief appearance as a generous landlord, there are no weak links here. Still, it should come as no surprise that Layne and James earn the camera's adoration. More than that, they demand it. Together, they make a shared glance seem like the most important moment in the world, whether it's exchanged beneath autumn trees or directed through physical barriers. What a joy it is to witness their exquisite performances and natural chemistry, all while their protagonists weather both infuriating trials and quiet triumphs. And, what a joy it is to watch them in this — Jenkins' heart-swelling, insightful and yet almost dream-like piece of cinematic perfection. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8qbq6Z6HYk
When the theatre powers that be wondered if Moulin Rouge! could leap to the stage from the screen, the answer was simple: yes it can can can. And when the hit Broadway version notched up 14 Tony nominations, another question arose. Could Moulin Rouge! The Musical become the first Australian-produced show to win the coveted Best Musical Tony Award? Again, yes it can can can. After being delayed due to the pandemic, the 74th Annual Tony Awards were held on Monday, September 27 Australian time, recognising the best that theatre had to offer in the 2019–20 season. And, Moulin Rouge! The Musical did indeed emerge victorious. Including Best Musical, it took out ten gongs in total. Produced by the Sydney-based Global Creatures — and marking the first Australian-produced show to originate on Broadway — Moulin Rouge! also nabbed prizes for Best Direction of a Musical (f0r Alex Timbers), Best Choreography (Sonya Tayeh), Best Orchestrations (Justin Levine with Matt Stine, Katie Kresek and Charlie Rosen), Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Aaron Tveit) and Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Danny Burstein). And, it won Best Scenic Design in a Musical (Derek McLane), Best Costume Design in a Musical (Catherine Zuber), Best Lighting Design in a Musical (Justin Townsend) and Best Sound Design of a Musical (Peter Hylenski) as well. The Tonys sweep comes as Australians will finally get to see the stage production later this year, after its long-awaited local premiere season in Melbourne was delayed due to lockdown. It was set to open in mid-August, but is now selling tickets for shows from early November in line with Victoria's roadmap out of stay-at-home conditions. 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 hit Broadway in 2019, and now has a date with Melbourne's revamped Regent Theatre. 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. Moulin Rouge! The Musical wasn't the only production soon headed to Australia to nab a Tony, with Jagged Little Pill the Musical also collecting two ahead of its Sydney premiere in December. Elsewhere at the high-profile awards, A Christmas Carol nabbed five gongs in the play categories, while The Inheritance picked up four. Moulin Rouge! The Musical is due to make its Australian debut at The Regent Theatre, at 191 Collins Street, Melbourne from November — depending upon Victoria's COVID-19 restrictions at the time. To buy tickets, and for further details, head to the production's website. Images: Matthew Murphy.
The eco-friendly craze has spread like wildfire in the past several years, and now the movement is even targeting the minds of young kids. Designer Leo Corrales and Precidio Design Inc. have developed Juice in a Box, a reusable juice box for children as an alternative to drinking the typical one-time-use juice boxes. The Juice in a Box containers are made of reusable plastic and come equipped with both a lid and straw, and are the perfect size to fit in packed lunches to bring to school. The outside of the containers cater to young children, featuring cartoon characters and colourful designs. Recently proposed at the International Home and Housewares Show, the design is aimed at making kids conscious of their impact on the environment from a young age so they continue eco-friendly practices throughout their entire lives. Getting the 'go green' initiative instilled in young minds may be what it takes to make a significant impact in long-term sustainable living.
When Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead hits cinemas this Friday (and only this Friday), do yourself a favour and remain indoors. The feature film debut of the Sydney-born Roache-Turner brothers, this is a gruesome zombie apocalypse movie with a grungy, DIY aesthetic — the duo spent three-and-half-years on the project, and their hard work and enthusiasm can be felt in every frame. But enthusiasm alone doesn’t excuse derivative storytelling. Nor does it make the film’s casual racism and leering misogyny any less unpleasant to watch. The movie begins — as such movies tend to do — with the downfall of civilisation. Specifically, a meteor shower, which for some unknown (possibly biblical) reason turns a majority of the population into zombies. It’s especially bad news for blokey auto mechanic Barry (Jay Gallagher), who’s forced to execute his wife and daughter before they make him a meal. Armed to the teeth — and with a homemade armoured vehicle to match — Barry and a group of survivors make their way down the outback highway, in an attempt to rescue his sister Brooke (Bianca Bradey) from a similarly grizzly fate. Wyrmwood is being sold as a cross between Mad Max and Dawn of the Dead. It should probably go without saying that it doesn’t hold a candle to either. This is bargain-bin horror filmmaking, and although the brothers endeavour to throw in a few new twists on the zombie genre, ultimately the formula remains the same. It’s a movie more focused on interesting kills than interesting characters; Barry has less personality than a reanimated corpse, while his sidekick Benny (Leon Burchill) is a cartoonish collection of belittling Aboriginal stereotypes. Even more distasteful is Wyrmwood’s handling of its only significant female character. While Barry and Benny slice their way through the zombie hordes, the scantily clad Brooke finds herself chained up in a laboratory, at the mercy of a syringe-wielding mad scientist. Dull and repetitive, the subplot serves zero purpose in the film, other than to give pervy male audience members ample opportunity to star down Bradey’s top. This kind of sexism is all too common in the low-fi horror world, and frankly, it needs to be stamped out. Technical specs are solid, particularly given the film’s presumably minuscule shooting budget. The camerawork recalls the madcap energy of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead film, although with next to none of that series’ ingenuity or humour. Credit also to the effects and makeup teams for credibly bringing the film's monsters to (un)life. Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead will have its Australian premiere at Moonlight Cinemas around the country on Friday, February 6. These screenings will be followed by a one-day theatrical engagement on Friday, Feburary 13.
Another week, another film, another hero clad in spandex. For the past decade and a half, Hollywood has churned out an unrelenting stream of superhero movies. Some, like Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight or Joss Whedon's first Avengers film, manage to rise above the pack. Others, like the laughably self-important Man of Steel or the disastrous new Fantastic Four, scrape the bottom of the barrel. The rest, for the most part, are merely okay. More to the point, almost all of them stick to the same predictable playbook in which everything is taken way, way too seriously. That's where Deadpool promises to be different. This long awaited film about the popular Marvel antihero arrives in cinemas on the back of an absolutely ingenious marketing campaign, one that stresses to punters unfamiliar with the character that he is anything but your typical superhero. Decked out in red, wielding katanas and a big ass gun, Deadpool swears, cracks jokes and murders his enemies with glee. Not only that, but he knows he's in a movie, and frequently delivers his X-rated quips directly to the camera. Most importantly, he's entertaining. He doesn't mope about his dead parents, or whinge about how great power means great responsibility. In an era of increasingly reluctant and angst-riddled crusaders, he makes being a superhero look fun. That's not to say that director Tim Miller has reinvented the wheel. The same familiar narrative formula is still very much at play here, even if the specifics are different. Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is a low-level mercenary whose life with his prostitute girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) seems doomed after he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. A lifeline comes in the form of an offer from a shady organisation, who promise to make Wilson indestructible. Unfortunately, the process also leaves him horribly disfigured, looking roughly akin to – in his own words – "a testicle with teeth." And when the people behind his transformation inevitably betray him, he's left with no choice but to become the one thing he never thought he'd be: a hero. So yeah, Deadpool isn't exactly the second coming of the genre. Luckily, it's also so relentlessly enjoyable that its flaws are easy to forgive. The script, by Zombieland co-writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, is absolutely brimming with knowing, foul-mouthed humour – indeed, this is much more a rude, crude, fourth-wall breaking comedy than it is a standard action film. There are dick jokes and pop-culture gags aplenty, but the biggest laughs come from references to Deadpool's fellow superheroes. When a couple of ancillary X-Men try and convince Deadpool to meet with Professor X, he asks whether they mean James McAvoy or Patrick Stewart. The writers also lay mercilessly into the recent Green Lantern movie, which of course starred none other than their own film's leading man. Frankly, it's hard to fathom that Reynolds ever wore another costume, since it feels like Deadpool is the role he was born to play. His performance is the other big reason the movie works as well as it does, his irreverent, snark-laden line delivery helping keep us on side with a protagonist whose behaviour is totally reprehensible. Not that you'd want him any other way. Hell, we'll take this nutcase over that bland boy scout Superman any day of the week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIM1HydF9UA
Visiting New York City sits on plenty of bucket lists, and there are more than a few reasons why that's the case. But if you've always wanted to head to the Big Apple, wear designer outfits, get paid to write about your love life and, between cocktails and dates, hang out outside your apartment — sitting on the stoop with your significant other, whether you're making up or breaking up — you obviously have Sex and the City to thank. Running from 1998–2004 (forget the terrible 2008 and 2010 movies), the hit HBO series made Manolo Blahniks a must-wear, turned cosmopolitans into the drink of choice for sips with the gang, and gave tutus their moment outside of ballet. It also showered Carrie Bradshaw's apartment stoop with ample attention, including in big, life-changing moments. Unsurprisingly, the filming location has become a tourist attraction over the past two decades. Always wanted to make the trip to follow in Sarah Jessica Parker's footsteps, but haven't yet had the chance? With Sex and the City spinoff And Just Like That... now streaming, Binge has brought a replica of that famous apartment stoop to Sydney. It's popping up in the Pitt Street Mall for three days, between Friday, December–Sunday, December 19, ready to fill your Instagram feed with something other than Christmas party pics. Just like when the Friends couch toured Australia, the Squid Game Red Light, Green Light doll towered over Sydney Harbour and a statue of Borat made an appearance at Bondi Beach, this pop-up is all about three things: indulging one of your pop-culture obsessions, taking snaps and promotion — although And Just Like That... has already had everyone talking after premiering its first two episodes last week. And no, as you're taking photos of yourself living out your Carrie Bradshaw dreams — Manolo Blahniks optional — you won't find any Peloton fitness equipment in sight. Find the replica Sex and the City and And Just Like That apartment stoop in the Pitt Street Mall, Sydney, from 12–8pm on Friday, December 17, and 11am–7pm on Saturday, December 18–Sunday, December 19. Images: Chris Pavlich Photography.
Attention BLACKPINK fans around Australia — and get ready for love — because 2023 just got a whole lot better. As initially announced back in 2022 and now officially locked in, the world's most successful female K-Pop group are heading Down Under this winter, hitting Australia mere months after a rather huge gig: headlining Coachella 2023. Last year, the dates for the [Born Pink] World Tour were unveiled in a post on Instagram, revealing that the tour was kicking off in Seoul before moving through the US and Europe. As revealed then, come June 2023, BLACKPINK will spend the final leg of the tour performing over two nights in Melbourne (Saturday, June 10–Sunday, June 11) and two nights in Sydney (Friday, June 16–Saturday, June 17). A one-night stint in Auckland, however, has been ditched. "Due to unforeseen logistical challenges, the originally announced Auckland show will no longer be feasible," according to the tour announcement. [caption id="attachment_887179" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jiya & Arcam[/caption] BLACKPINK's two Melbourne shows will take over Rod Laver Arena, while their Sydney gigs will unleash their pink venom at Qudos Bank Arena. Fans around the rest of Australia, we bet you wanna show your BLACKPINK love, too — so you have trips to the New South Wales or Victorian capitals in your future. The tour supports BLACKPINK's latest album BORN PINK, which released in September 2022. It also comes after 'Pink Venom' made history by becoming the biggest release by a female group or solo artist this decade. First, then tune debuted at number one on Spotify's global top songs chart. Then, it racked up over 7.9-million streams within the first 24 hours. And on YouTube, the official music video reached 100-million views quicker than any video by a female group ever, including 90.4-million views notched up in the first 24 hours. Also the most-subscribed music act on YouTube thanks to their 84 million-plus followers, and the most- followed girl group on Spotify, BLACKPINK will head through Asia first before hitting Australia. And if you can't make it or don't manage to nab tickets, there's always the Coachella livestream in April. BLACKPINK [BORN PINK] WORLD TOUR AUSTRALIAN DATES: Saturday, June 10–Sunday, June 11 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Friday, June 16–Saturday, June 17 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney BLACKPINK's [Born Pink] world tour heads to Australia in June 2023. The Frontier members' pre-sale runs for 24 hours — or until the allocation is all snapped up — from 11am AEDT for Sydney and 1pm AEDT f0r Melbourne on Wednesday, February 8, with general sales from 12pm AEDT for Sydney and 2pm AEDT for Melbourne on Thursday, February 9.
UPDATE, APRIL 4: Due to concerns around the coronavirus, Sony has announced that Morbius will no longer release on its initially scheduled date of Thursday, July 30, 2020, with the film now hitting cinemas on March 18, 2021. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. When Venom took a Spider-Man villain, gave the character its own film and made a colossal amount of money — ranking seventh at the global box office for 2018 — other movies in the same vein were always going to eventuate. Next up is Morbius, which repeats the first two parts of the above equation in the hope that the third part (aka piles and piles of cinema-goers' cash) will also follow. With Joker this week scoring 11 Oscar nominations, the most of any film this year, it's a good time to be in the comic book villain movie game. Former Suicide Squad Joker and Dallas Buyers Club Oscar-winner Jared Leto leads the charge in Morbius, playing a figure also known as the "Living Vampire". The backstory: suffering from a rare blood condition and dedicating his life to trying to save others from the same disease, Dr Michael Morbius (Leto) subjects himself to an experiment in an attempt to find a cure — and ends up with vampire-like superhuman abilities. Made by Sony, the studio that owns the rights to Spider-Man and its associated characters — unlike the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's figures, who are owned by Disney — Morbius forms the second film in its own Marvel Universe after Venom. Yep, there are now two big-screen superhero realms stemming from the company's comics. And, as the just-dropped trailer for Morbius shows, they're actually connected. Thanks to a piece of graffiti, it looks as though Morbius takes place after 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home, and a well-known face from Spider-Man: Homecoming shows up here as well. Just how else the film will tie into Sony's Marvel Universe or the MCU is yet to be seen; however, given that the Tom Hardy-starring Venom 2 also hits cinemas in 2020, it's safe to expect that there'll be some links between those two flicks at the very least. As well as bringing Leto back into the comic book movie fold after Joaquin Phoenix stepped into the Joker's shoes, Morbius also features Adria Arjona (6 Underground), Tyrese Gibson (the Fast & Furious franchise), Jared Harris (Chernobyl) and Matt Smith (The Crown) — with Life director Daniel Espinosa behind the camera. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uezFNUDKXhk&feature=youtu.be After being delayed from its original release date of July 30, 2020, Morbius will now open in Australian cinemas on March 18, 2021.
The secrets trade is booming. Julian Assange and WikiLeaks have proved the incredible consequences of when confidential information shows up where it's not supposed to, as well as the accompanying newspaper sales spikes. Rupert Murdoch no longer wants to rely on the whims of a third party and last week introduced the Wall Street Journal's SafeHouse. SafeHouse is News Corporation's online attempt at replicating the success of WikiLeaks. The website aims to increase whistle-blowing on wrongdoing, whether that be individual, corporate or governmental. The site encrypts your personal information so that your leaking of documents doesn't get back to you (anonymity is offered but not preferred as oftentimes information without a background is useless from a journalistic standpoint). If your information is juicy enough it will get coverage in the Wall Street Journal. So what's the catch? Questions over the motives of establishing such a site have been raised. Rupert Murdoch and his broadcasters have traditionally treated WikiLeaks and Assange with incredible disdain, with Fox News broadcaster Bill O'Reilly saying Assange "is a sleazeball...bent on damaging America". Why the sudden turnaround? Is the Wall Street Journal slighted over the New York Times traditionally getting the better (read: more scandalous and destructive) information from WikiLeaks? Or, as security analysts and conspiracy theorists alike think, is it all a trap? Security analyst, Jacob Appelbaum, was quoted as saying that the site had a "laundry list of amatuerish security flaws", with no guarantee your personal details or anonymity are safe. The website also holds the dubious disclaimer that your identity as a source is anonymous except under "extraordinary circumstances". With no definition of "extraodinary circumstances" provided, what does it entail? Does it include getting asked by the government to give up the information? Does it include selling the source's details to the highest bidder? The absense of such fine print flexibility is what made WikiLeaks what it is - a safe haven for the tell tale and leaker. If not a deliberate trap, the security concerns and disclaimers could make SafeHouse a fruitful hunting ground for a US government who's had enough of people knowing their confidential goings-on. Either way, if Murdoch wants more secrets, he might have to start being a bit nicer to Assange. [via Fast Company]
Anger doesn't need words to echo. In The Survival of Kindness, it resounds so urgently without a comprehensible remark spoken that it creates its own simmering soundtrack. Stepping behind the lens for his first feature since 2013's Charlie's Country, Dutch Australian filmmaker Rolf de Heer gives his latest movie an actual score — largely an atmospheric, wind-beaten piece by first-timer Anna Liebzeit, but also with strings and birds — however, his audience can always hear rage at its loudest. It reverberates in an attention-grabbing opening where a colonial bloodbath is made of cake icing. It may as well whistle, too, when the feature's protagonist is left caged in the blazing rays against a claypan desert landscape that's instantly recognisable as Australian. And that fury about oppression and discrimination, plus the privilege that's behind it, keeps silently singing as a woman wanders — which isn't all that The Survival of Kindness is about, but is primarily what it depicts. Credited only as BlackWoman, and portrayed in a phenomenally expressive performance by the Democratic Republic of the Congo-born, Adelaide-based Mwajemi Hussein — a debutant who had never even been to a cinema before she made the film — The Survival of Kindness' central figure does indeed walk. The red dunes get scrubbier, desolate ruins appear, then remote shacks and empty towns. Next comes a lake, and finally an industrialised city. Through each, BlackWoman keeps putting one foot in front of the other, striding forth in search of safety and solace, with sorrow evident, and also to subsist. To make that relentless trek, she must break free first, after the masked folks initially seen cutting cake drive BlackWoman into sun-bleached isolation. Days pass, plus freezing nights, both with only the battling ants for company. Those little critters are determined, but rarely more so than de Heer's heroine. The Survival of Kindness' first scenes are calculated to engage and stun. As they segue from the model of a massacre atop a dessert to BlackWoman incarcerated in dark of night outside, then to her trailer being towed to the desert, they're crafted to clash and contrast as well. There's nothing dreamy for a moment about what de Heer's film is saying, but a dreamlike quality lingers in the way that he unfurls this unflinching narrative. His story so overtly deploys Australia's terrain, with the movie shot in South Australia and Tasmania, but never says that's where it takes place. It spends much of its first half with little but ochre soil and virtually cloudless skies surrounding BlackWoman, but townships and cityscapes are a part of its world. It feels as if it is peering backwards and peeking forward simultaneously, while also being firmly a product of the present. It brings fellow Aussie greats Walkabout and Mad Max to mind, and also has a dialogue with the pandemic and the #BlackLivesMatter movement. It dwells in the aftermath of a catastrophe, yet leaves its plague unnamed. That inscrutability is wholly by design; BlackWoman could've strolled through history, across an apocalyptic future or right now and her dystopian tale wouldn't differ. That's one of the raw and resonant messages beating down on The Survival of Kindness as harshly as the sun, noting how cruelly those of wealth, power and white skin have long treated people of colour. In a feature also sporting a sense of absurdist playfulness, finding footwear routinely turns out badly — when BlackWoman secures a pair from a corpse, they're swiftly snatched with a gun pointing her way — in a smart and loaded piece of foreshadowing. When the land that she moseys over becomes more populated, the film's lead is soon scavenging for clothing for a different type of protection: so that she can smear white ash around her eyes beneath one of her oppressors' full-facial coverings, as needed to keep walking without her race being spotted. Hussein is always noticed, though. A social worker off-screen, she blasts a matter-of-fact, always-resolute and innately empathetic stare at everything from those warring insects to boot-clad skeletons. She too is impish when she's stripping mannequins for their attire — rapping the head of one dressed as a policeman with its own truncheon — and almost jocular when she's bartering with a forlorn man mourning his wife over water and, yes, those pesky kicks. BlackWoman's eyes are always scrutinising the horrors before her, and Hussein's soulful peepers are frequently surveyed in turn. Such is the quiet force rippling in her performance, one that just keeps having to weather the world's worst tendencies, that it's impossible to imagine The Survival of Kindness feeling as human as it does while burdened with so much bleakness and ire without her presence. Not merely because the title says so, Hussein's is a face of kindness, giving the movie a warm and lively focal point amid its rampant suffering and atrocities. That said, BlackWoman does eventually have company in BrownGirl (Deepthi Sharma, another debutant) and BrownBoy (fellow first-timer Darsan Sharma), who come to her assistance and welcome her into their camaraderie. Between them, goodwill endures — but The Survival of Kindness knows, sees and stresses how truly rare that is in its own realm and in the reality it's so eagerly reflecting within its frames. It isn't by accident that de Heer begins with violence in miniature, immediately and blatantly posing his picture as a condensed portrait of life and history as we know it. Similarly, the lack of intelligible dialogue and the anywhere, anytime air purposefully ensures that BlackWoman's plight remains deeply universal. For Aussie viewers, there's nothing global about the scenery captured by cinematographer Maxx Corkindale, who also lensed the de Heer-produced documentary My Name Is Gulpilil about the director's The Tracker, Ten Canoes and Charlie's Country star. Add The Survival of Kindness to the pile of local features that do what only the best can — fare such as Mystery Road, Goldstone, Sweet Country and High Ground in the past decade, for instance — by making such oft-used dusty expanses seem like they've been unearthed solely to fuel the picture they're so essential to. Corkindale also looks upwards, watching the heavens cycle in time-lapse. He gazes at minutiae, adopts BlackWoman's gas mask-wearing perspective and, throughout it all, shoots with pure naturalism. He draws attention to the act of seeing, too, which couldn't be more pivotal: de Heer isn't making a doco here, but The Survival of Kindness is still bearing enraged witness.
UPDATE, February 17, 2021: Waves is available to stream via Amazon Prime, Foxtel Now, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. The sight of streaming sunlight, South Florida's scenery and a blissful young couple shouldn't hit like a gut punch, but in Waves, it does. When this magnificently moving film opens, it does so with high-schooler Tyler Williams (Kelvin Harrison Jr) and his girlfriend Alexis Lopez (Alexa Demie). They sing and drive with carefree exuberance — buoyed by both youth and first love — with their happiness not only captured by fluid, enticing camerawork that circles around and around, but mirrored by the use of Animal Collective's upbeat, energetic 'FloriDada' on the soundtrack. Waves continues its sinuous cinematography and alluring tunes as it follows Tyler through a snapshot of his teenage existence, too. Viewers meet his upper middle-class family, who dote on his every word. We witness his prowess on the school wrestling team, where he's a star. We see how infatuated he is with Alexis, and vice versa. But, as intoxicatingly sensory as all of this is — and as expertly calibrated by writer/director Trey Edward Shults to convey exactly how Tyler is feeling — its glow fades quickly when the agonised glimmer in Tyler's eye becomes evident. It's only there when he's alone, looking in the mirror, but it's a picture of heartbreak. As played with a complicated mix of charm, arrogance, sadness, anger and vulnerability by the excellent Harrison, Tyler navigates his seemingly content life with an outward smile, while balancing on a knife's edge. He doesn't completely know it, though, although he can clearly feel the pressure mounting. Forceful in reminding him that African Americans are "not afforded the luxury of being average", his father Ronald (Sterling K Brown) is well-intentioned, but also stern and domineering. He pushes Tyler to be better at every turn and, when they train together for the teen's wrestling matches, even gets competitive. Stepmother Catherine (Hamilton's Renée Elise Goldsberry) is far more gentle; however the focus placed on Tyler compared to his younger sister Emily (Taylor Russell) is always obvious in her household. And so, when an injury threatens to undo his sporting future and his romance with Alexis breaks down, Tyler makes a series of self-sabotaging decisions. One leads to tragedy — and the fact that this isn't a joyful movie becomes devastatingly apparent. Waves is a graceful movie, though, even as it relentlessly hits hard. It starts with a feverish, frenzied outburst of adolescent life, pivots on a shocking and shattering night, then switches its focus to Emily in the painful aftermath — and it does so nimbly, compellingly, and with poise and precision. This is a film that's carefully crafted to not just tell several intertwined tales, but to express the bustling emotions that go with them. It's also exactingly engineered to ride the crests of the Williams' family's lives, sink into the troughs, and bob back up and down again as each given moment calls for. It is called Waves, after all. And, as that well-chosen name nods to, it follows the sadness that ripples through the lives of its characters, their attempts to keep afloat however they can, and all the other ebbs and flows they endure. They drift apart and glide back together, and Shults provides an immensely affecting account of their experiences, with the feature always raw and resonant as it grapples with loss, love, and the chaos and reality of being a Black teenager in America today. In Emily's section of the story, charting the above path from her perspective comes with a swift change of style: switching aspect ratios, easing back the pace, and taking a quieter, calmer, more lyrical approach. Where Waves' window into Tyler's life is frantic, fast-paced and, as the drama intensifies, often cloaked in lurid hues from parties and police lights, the film prefers slower, smoother and softer imagery for his sister, who must try to regain some sense of normality after the movie's big turning point. She's always been in Tyler's shadow, so the transition makes emotional sense, too. She's more reserved, accustomed to watching on rather than being the centre of attention, and well-versed in soaking in what slivers of happiness she can. Accordingly, as the Williams' family tries to recover from Tyler's life-changing actions, Emily makes a new connection with classmate Luke (Lucas Hedges), helps him deal with his own traumas and allows herself to be herself. Best known for Netflix's Lost in Space remake and horror flick Escape Room so far, Russell is just as phenomenal as the more overtly powerful Harrison. In fact, Waves proves a superbly acted movie all-round, with Shults wrangling intricate, intimate and expressive performances out of his entire cast. That shouldn't come as a surprise given the filmmaker's resume. But, while he already has the stellar Krisha and effective It Comes at Night to his name, this is his best work yet. With exceptional assistance from his usual cinematographer Drew Daniels, his own deft editing with Isaac Hagy (Guava Island), and a magnetic score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross — and a willingness to cover weighty issues such as race relations, the US legal system and engrained discrimination as well — every second of Shults' film pierces and probes as it cuts to the heart of Tyler and Emily's tales, and the impact upon their loved ones, school and community. The result: a stunningly visceral, stirring and profound drama that rushes, peaks and rolls like its moniker suggests, sweeping audiences along for every single moment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIzchAe5H5A
Your local grocer is getting a flash, big-city revamp with a new European-inspired fresh food market coming to the CBD this autumn. Family-owned retail group Romeo's is set to open Locali by Romeo's, a large-scale grocer and cafe, within the newly renovated, multimillion-dollar George Street office building. Inspired by the grand market halls in Budapest, Barcelona, Rome and beyond, the market will be a one-stop-shop for fresh produce and tasty treats with a walk-in cheese room, salumi bar, nut bar, continental deli and a liquor store with wine tastings. Fresh meat and fish will be available for at-home dinners and a florist will be on hand for you to pick up flowers on your way home from work and woo that special someone. CBD workers and citysiders looking for a bite to eat or a caffeine fix will also be in luck, with the market set to be home to a dine-in cafe, commercial kitchen, Italian bakery and sushi bar. Romeo's has signed a 15-year lease for the 1600-square-metre space inside 388 George Street. Alongside Locali by Romeo's, the office building is home to a five-storey retail space and yet-to-be-revealed rooftop bar. Completed last November, a $200 million renovation of the space included a complete redesign of the office spaces, as well as new ceilings, lobbies and amenities. A second Locali by Romeo's is set to open midway through 2021 at Brookfield Place Sydney, the $2 billion office and retail building being built above Wynyard Station. Locali by Romeo's will open at 388 George Street, Sydney in mid-March.
The curse of 11 Bridge Street continues. A year (almost to the day) since Neil Perry's Cantonese fine diner opened its doors, the restaurateur has announced its retirement. Jade Temple — which will close its doors tomorrow, Saturday, June 30 — was the third restaurant in as many years to frequent the historic building. The acclaimed Rockpool Est 1989 closed in 2016 (after enjoyed a 17-year residency in the building), then Eleven Bridge only survived six months in the space. There were hints to Jade Temple being on rocky ground, when it announced earlier this year that it was shifting its cuisine focus from Cantonese to pan-Asian. While cuisine changes aren't uncommon in the restaurant world, with the site's recent history, this one seemed particularly ominous. Rockpool Dining Group released a statement on the closure saying, "as beautiful and refined as Jade Temple is, the restaurant didn't resonate with diners the way we thought it would." This time the space will not be reinvented into a new restaurant, instead transforming into a private event destination hosting functions for the restaurant group's charity, Rockpool Foundation. Jade Temple will close its doors after dinner service on Saturday, June 30.
Since 2007, Korean designer Yvette Yang has been exploring the boundaries between image and text with 'fashion font'. Each year, she creates a new typography out of the season's fashion statements, mixing and matching ideas by hand to maximise the chance of discovering successful graphics. The designs are carefully compiled collages made up of jackets, pants, dresses, skirts, shirts, shoes, hats and jewellery that have been clipped, flipped, cropped and rotated. Yang's project aims to imbue the alphabet with a meaning derived from images, rather than from the arrangement and rearrangement of letters, as well as to record changes in fashion over time. 'Image is message . . . One alphabet delivers various messages,' her website states, 'as it contains many different items and trends.' 'Fashion font' has appeared in a high school textbook in South Korea and in publications far and wide, including Italy's Out of the Box and China's Modern Weekly. Yang has taught 'font image creating' workshops to students in Seoul and collaborated with Vogue South Korea on a font to present Chanel's 2009 collection. All five of the alphabets that she has put together since 2007 can be viewed in detail on her official site. Images: Fashion Font [Via PSFK]
In a week that already gave our nostalgic hearts hope for a reunion of The Nanny, here comes an even better piece of news: Daria, your favourite late 90s realist gal, will be finding her way back to our screens thanks to MTV. Big mood. The news comes as part of MTV's announcement that it's launching a new production unit, MTV Studios, which'll be working on a number of reboots. As well as Daria, other past TV hits getting the revival treatment include Aeon Flux and The Real World. The new outfit will also work on several new reality shows, but it's probably safe to say cult fave Daria is the one to get fans most excited. Feminist icon Daria Morgendorffer blessed our screens with smarts, satire, sardonicism and being a general slacker from 1997 to 2002, with the show revolving around her acerbic cynicism and its disconnect with the teenage girl world she lived in. And, even though it's been nearly two decades since the show went off the air — running for 65 episodes, plus the pilot, two specials, and made-for-television films Is It Fall Yet? and Is It College Yet? — she is very far from forgotten if yearly Halloween costumes are anything to go by. Melburnians certainly haven't been letting the character slip from their memories, with not one but two parties dedicated to the series taking place in 2017. The new reboot will be called Daria & Jodie, and it'll follow your gal and her friend Jodie — another character from the original series, and one of Daria's classmates at Lawndale High School — as they "take on the world with their signature satirical voice while deconstructing popular culture, social classes, gender and race", according to MTV. Written by Grace Edwards (Inside Amy Schumer, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), you can probably rest assured that this is one reboot that won't ruin the original (we're looking at you, Charmed — although, to be fair, that new witchy series won't air until later this year). Stay tuned for premiere date information, and start kicking about in those old black Doc Martens again to celebrate. Via Variety.
If you consider yourself a Lord of the Rings fan — of JRR Tolkien's books, Peter Jackson's movies or both — then one TV series has sat at the top of your most-anticipated list for the past few years. That'd be Amazon Studios' new LOTR show, bringing the beloved property from the page to the cinema to your TV. A five-season series was first announced in 2017, then received the official go-ahead in mid-2018. In case anyone thought that the new program would just be a simple rehash, it was revealed back in 2019 that it wouldn't simply be remaking events already covered by the movies, with show's official Twitter account hinting at spending time in Middle-earth's Second Age. If you're a little rusty on your LOTR lore, the Second Age lasted for 3441 years, and saw the initial rise and fall of Sauron, as well as a spate of wars over the coveted rings. Elves feature prominently, and there's plenty to cover, even if Tolkien's works didn't spend that much time on the period — largely outlining the main events in an appendix to the popular trilogy. Knowing when the new series will be set is all well and good, but that description is still rather scarce on details. Thankfully, Amazon has now dropped an official synopsis for the show that provides more information. "Amazon Studios' forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth's history," it confirms. "This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien's pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness." https://twitter.com/LOTRonPrime/status/1349519737655611392 Yes, you can expect Sauron to feature, and to give the show's main figures some trouble. "Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth," the official synopsis continues. "From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone," it also advises. Exactly when Amazon's series will arrive on screens hasn't yet been revealed but, pre-pandemic, it was originally expected to drop sometime in 2021. It is currently in production, though — in New Zealand, of course. A huge number of cast members have been announced, however — plus some talent behind the scenes. Among the actors traversing Middle-earth are Tom Budge (Judy & Punch), Morfydd Clark (Saint Maud), Ismael Cruz Córdova (The Undoing), Joseph Mawle (Game of Thrones), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (The Accountant), Maxim Baldry (Years and Years), Peter Mullan (Westworld), Benjamin Walker (Jessica Jones) and comedian Lenny Henry. And, the series is being overseen by showrunners and executive producers JD Payne and Patrick McKay, while filmmaker JA Bayona (A Monster Calls, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) directs the first two episodes. Amazon's new Lord of the Rings series will hit screens sometime in the future — we'll update you with release details when they come to hand.
Cheap festival events are great. Free festival events? Even better. The Sydney Festival has done a lot in the last couple of years to up the free factor in its programming, which means you can breezily pad out your January with cardboard cities, free Flaming Lips concerts, whimsical fairgrounds, and other outings fun and fanciful. By the Concrete Playground team.
Breaking down a classic tale best known as an opera, rebuilding it as a lovers-on-the-run drama set across the US–Mexico border and making every moment burst with emotion, Benjamin Millepied's Carmen is a movie that moves. While its director is a feature debutant, his background as a dancer and choreographer — he did both on Black Swan, the latter on Vox Lux as well, then designed the latest Dune films' sandwalk — perhaps means that the former New York City Ballet principal and Paris Opera Ballet Director of Dance was fated to helm rhythmic, fluid and rousing cinema. His loose take on Georges Bizet's singing-driven show and Prosper Mérimée's novella before it, plus Alexander Pushkin's poem The Gypsies that the first is thought to be based on, is evocative and sensual. It's sumptuous and a swirl of feelings, too, as aided in no small part by its penchant for dance. And, it pirouettes with swoon-inducing strength with help from its stunningly cast leads: Scream queen and In the Heights star Melissa Barrera, plus Normal People breakout and Aftersun Oscar-nominee Paul Mescal. When Mescal earned the world's attention in streaming's initial Sally Rooney adaptation, he had viewers dreaming of fleeing somewhere — Ireland or anywhere — with him. Carmen's namesake (Barrera) absconds first, then has PTSD-afflicted Marine Aidan (Mescal) join her attempt to escape to Los Angeles. Carmen runs after her mother Zilah (flamenco dancer Marina Tamayo) greets the cartel with thunderous footwork, but can't stave off their violence. Aidan enters the story once Carmen is smuggled stateside, where he's a reluctant volunteer border guard in Texas alongside the trigger-happy Mike (Benedict Hardie, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson). As the picture's central pair soon hurtle towards California, to Zilah's lifelong friend Masilda's (Rossy de Palma, Parallel Mothers) bar, they try to fly to whatever safety and security they can find. That may be fleeting, however, and might also be in each other's arms. Mérimée's 1845 work told of blistering passion, as did Bizet's 1875 aria-filled version that's become the first Carmen that usually springs to mind. Indeed, ardour and intensity are among this tale's key traits no matter what format it's in — see also: iconic French filmmaker's 1983 effort First Name: Carmen; the Beyoncé-starring, 2001-released Carmen: A Hip Hopera; and everything prior and since. Millepied, who co-wrote the script with Alexander Dinelaris (an Oscar-winner for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)) and Loïc Barrere (President Alphonse), doesn't buck the trend. Heat and energy beat through his iteration as kinetically as Zilah's heartbeat-mimicking opening number, with the same burning that blazes in Barrera's eyes and as swelteringly as the movie's desert setting (Australia, specifically Broken Hill, standing in for the other side of the world when the film was shot in early 2021 while the pandemic was still wreaking havoc with international borders). Millepied isn't afraid to be bold with Carmen, clearly. Neither are his collaborators on- and off-screen. Barrera, Mescal and de Palma anchor the former — which also includes Elsa Pataky (Interceptor), Tara Morice (who came to fame with Baz Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom three decades back) and rapper The DOC (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty) — with such force that to witness them swish through the feature is to feel like you're in their shoes. Barrera and Mescal's chemistry simmers, pivotally. Together and apart alike, each convincingly unpacks the woes and worries paving their characters' struggles in their physicality as much as their words. Enlisting Pedro Almodóvar favourite de Palma is a spectacular coup, of course, and one that makes the La Sombra Poderosa nightclub stretches glimmer and glide with extra zest and potency. This Carmen doesn't just move — it transports, all while pulsating with emotions usually belted out with gusto in song. The movie's destination: the yearning that pushes Carmen and Aidan's flights towards different lives, the sorrow and desperation that refuses to remain buried in their hearts, the determination to fight and the lusty whirlwind that is their time together. Milliped knows how to immerse his audience in these sensations via his frames, which are so strikingly lensed by Jörg Widmer — a cinematographer with past credits that couldn't better sum up the look and tone of Carmen. Back in 2011, Widmer held the same role on Wim Wenders' big-screen Pina Bausch ode Pina. In 2019, he aided Terrence Malick's A Hidden Life in appearing as visually lyrical as the Badlands and The Tree of Life director's work gets. Carmen is that enamoured with the expressive nature of dance, and with imagery as its own haunting form of poetry. That Carmen means ode and poem in Latin is even verbally mentioned within the feature's dialogue. To peer at, Carmen is arresting, too, with its backdrop more than a minor reason. The arid expanse that's long made Broken Hill a popular filming destination has previously graced Wake in Fright, Mad Max II, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Mission: Impossible II, yet demands fresh eyes as Barrera and Mescal twirl over it with longing. In one particularly stirring scene, the duo cavort and embrace, their bodies as feverish as the golden hues evident in both the soil and sky. Carmen and Aidan come together in a desolate existence, finding — even making — what rays they can, but their romance is as jagged as the rocky, scrubby stretch around them. That Mescal's steps can't quite match Barrera's also feels all the more apt given the locale; it's visibly imperfect, so is his dancing and, of course, Carmen and Aidan's intertwined thrust for a new destiny earns that exact description. Similarly vivid touches: seeing Carmen's characters unleash such telling body language against such a still background, and the film's rich costumes gleaming against the ochre earth. The camera spies it all, yet never just lingers and passively observes. Rather, the cinematography flows — never more than in that sashaying against the dirt, plus a glowing fairground interlude that plays like a dream, in Masilda's clu,b and also a late boxing sequence that's as throbbing as anything on a makeshift or genuine dance floor. Singing is still a part of this Carmen, spiritedly and affectingly so, but this is a drama with carefully placed songs worked into the narrative rather than a traditional musical. To be more accurate, it's a drama with dance and sometimes lyrics, with the grandly ambitious and layered score by Nicholas Britell (Succession) getting intoxicatingly stormy to match the sea of movement that keeps washing through like waves.
Light, art and photography – it's a proven winning combination. Australian artist Denis Smith is a professional light painter whose Ball of Light project combines traditional long exposure photography with continuous movements of lights directed by the artist. Surreal, glowing orbs are captured in peaceful yet unlikely places – a cemetery, a mountainside, a beach. Eerily they hover between land and sky, buzzing with strange energy and varied hues. Would you believe that Smith doesn't use Photoshop to edit these incredible images? Smith says "there is so much post processing of photography today, I wanted to create something that was real, yet unreal. No pixels are added or subtracted from the Ball of Light images." [Via Flavorwire]
For the second year in a row, North Narrabeen will play host to the GWM Sydney Surf Pro, part of the World Surf League's Challenger Series, from May 9–16. You'll get the chance to see 80 men and 48 women compete for 10,000 points to take to the remaining 2024 events in South Africa, California, Portugal and Brazil. Last year, Queenslander Isabella Nichols — who was once Blake Lively's stunt double — and Californian Cole Houshmand were the victors. If you're keen to see who will take the crowns this time around, make tracks to the Northern Beaches to catch a few heats and enjoy the scenic views. The tournament lasts all week so you can dip in and out as you please. The best part? It's all free. Images: Matt Dunbar/World Surf League
For a movie based on a highly publicised, real-world incident, director Paul Greengrass has done a remarkable job of delivering in Captain Phillips one of the more gripping films of 2013. In 2009, the US commercial ship Maersk Alabama was boarded by Somali pirates off the horn of Africa and its crew taken hostage. Their captain, Richard Phillips (played by professional everyman Tom Hanks) displayed remarkable composure throughout the ordeal, successfully keeping the majority of his crew hidden and leading the pirates on circuitous routes around the ship until his men were able to regain the initiative and force the pirates back off. The only problem — they took Captain Phillips with them. What followed for Phillips were five punishing days trapped inside a cramped lifeboat as the pirates sought to reach shore before the US Navy could intercede. Greengrass is perhaps best known for his Bourne films, where he brought gritty realism back into the world of breakneck action. Here, he brings breakneck action into gritty realism. After an unconvincing start burdened by clunky and expository dialogue, the film quickly finds its pace with the first radar blip of the approaching pirates, and from that moment on Captain Phillips is a heart-in-mouth, white-knuckled affair right to the end. It's also thankfully light on Greengrass's signature 'shaky cam' direction, which might otherwise have made the prospect of sitting through two hours of not just unsteady footage, but footage captured largely on a small, rocking lifeboat, a genuine risk of inducing widespread vomiting. As the film's protagonist, Hanks is at his vulnerable, relatable best. His torment effortlessly becomes the audience's, all but commanding you to laugh when he laughs, and cry when he cries. Opposite him is Somali newcomer Barkhad Abdi who plays Muse, the leader of the pirates. A wiry actor with an imposing forehead and menacing, half-shut eyes, Abdi holds his own in every scene with Hanks, bringing an unsettling unpredictability to his character that constantly flicks between sympathy and ruthlessness. Most crucially, his scenes ring true, which for a dramatisation of real-world events is not only critical, but also contributes to the exhausting tension experienced throughout. Together, they and the rest of the team have crafted a remarkable and harrowing story about modern piracy and understated heroism on the high seas. https://youtube.com/watch?v=GEyM01dAxp8
Australia's highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, can be reached on a 13-kilometre round-trip hike once you jump off the chairlift from Thredbo. In the warmer months, this is an incredible way to explore the mountain's historic settler huts, weathered snow gums, alpine wildflowers and lofty lakes. But if you're keen to stand atop the 2,228-metre summit among mid-winter snowfall, book a K7 Snow Camping trip. Travelling on snowshoes (best for first-timers) or skis, you'll traverse the mountain while learning alpine survival skills from your expert guide and watching spectacular sunsets over the snow-capped peaks. This truly luminous experience is only available for small groups (fewer than six people), so it's a chance to make the mountain your own. Images: Destination NSW
By now, it's an all-too-familiar story. Put the human ball of hilarity that is Kate McKinnon in a film and it instantly improves. It was true in Office Christmas Party, Rough Night and Masterminds, no matter how average, sometimes awful those movies ultimately were. It's true again in The Spy Who Dumped Me as well. Thankfully, however, the Saturday Night Live standout isn't a rare diamond this time around. McKinnon's latest action-comedy doesn't always hit the mark, but it entertains in both the action and comedy departments — complete with death by fondue, affairs with Edward Snowden and completely relatable gushing over Gillian Anderson. That said, even when she's declaring that Anderson's MI6 boss is "the Beyonce of the government", and delivering other one-liners and asides with gusto, McKinnon is only one half of The Spy Who Dumped Me's modest charms. Mila Kunis is the other, playing the straighter role against McKinnon's gloriously goofy energy. Together, they not only make an engaging comedic pair, but furnish a funny, mayhem-fuelled ode to female friendship. That's the film's secret weapon. Director Susanna Fogel doesn't just throw women into the usually male-dominated realm of big-screen espionage, and nor is she content to just laugh as ordinary folks get caught up in the spy world. Rather, she shows that her characters cope with their new outlandish life by relying on each other. It's a recognisable scenario, even when it isn't. Girl meets boy, they bond over beers and bad jukebox songs, and then settle into a comfortable relationship. A year later, grocery store cashier Audrey (Kunis) is suddenly dumped by text, and aspiring actress Morgan (McKinnon) is her trusty shoulder to cry on. What they don't know is that Audrey's ex, Drew (Justin Theroux), is a lethal CIA agent immersed in a globe-trotting plot. When they find out, it's courtesy of two fellow operatives (Sam Heughan and Hasan Minhaj), a hook-up gone wrong and a shower of gunfire — plus a promise to travel to Europe to finish Drew's mission. "Do you want to die having never been to Europe, or do you want to die having been to Europe?" Morgan asks. Hopping between Vienna, Prague, Paris and Berlin, Audrey and Morgan try to do what's right, work out who they can trust and, of course, not die even though they've now been to Europe. And they do it all amidst cafe shootouts, an eventful Uber ride, stealing from Australian tourists, chatting about Balzac and trying to outrun the icy Russian gymnast turned model turned assassin (Ivanna Sakhno) on their trail. Whether you're a seasoned spy flick fan or barely know your Bond from your Bourne, everything you expect to happen happens. Well, almost everything, with the Cirque du Soleil finale a zany surprise. But even when the film seems predictable (and stretches its material about 30 minutes too far), the hyper-violent set-pieces always come with a slice of humour, the gags always inspire at least giggles, and the movie knows it is wading through a sea of genre cliches. More than that, its love of its central duo remains. This might be Fogel's first foray into big, bouncy action, but it's telling that her only other film — 2014's Life Partners — spun a story of lifelong besties who find their relationship being tested. While espionage wasn't part of that flick, there's plenty that's universal about women grappling with life's challenges with a pal by their side. Here, co-writing the script with David Iserson (United States of Tara), Fogel never questions Audrey and Morgan's camaraderie. Rather, The Spy Who Dumped Me feeds off of the characters' connection, using it as a constant source of affection, affirmation and amusement throughout all of the chaos. There are the foreseeable high points and a few low points, and most of the movie falls firmly in the middle, but it always feels fitting: that's friendship, after all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URUVhRYJsgA
Instead of Gen V, you could call this spinoff The Boys Jnr and it'd fit in an array of ways. The superheroes are younger, with the series' eight-episode first season focusing on students attending Godolkin University, rather than adults who've been there, done that and are weathering the brutalities of life as grown caped crusaders. The minutiae of Gen V's characters' lives is firmly teen-centric as a result, including dates and crushes, dorms and lectures, making new friends and peer pressure, and the like. Obviously, their worries largely aren't of the world-weary, years-of-existential-malaise kind, but span making friends, scoring the right classes, wanting to be popular, breaking curfew, navigating social media, body image, sex positivity, morning-after regrets, dealing with overbearing parents and plotting out the future. There's nothing smaller about the hefty, hearty, utterly gleeful splashes of gore and violence, however — the eager amounts of guts and penises, too — in the latest show inspired by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's comic book. Streaming from Friday, September 29, Prime Video's next dive into this satirical superhero world is The Boys but in college, the same chaos, carnage and characteristic raucousness all included. Slotting into the Vought Cinematic Universe after the OG series (which has dropped three seasons, with a fourth on the way) and the animated The Boys Presents: Diabolical, Gen V stems from the 'We Gotta Go Now' storyline, sporting youthful leads but zero tone and vibe changes. So springs an OTT coming-of-age tale that's gruesome, irreverent, subversive, funny and, yes, filled with bodily fluids. Set at the same time that The Boys' fourth season will take place when it hits — its episodes have been filmed, but no release date has been locked in yet due to Hollywood's 2023 strikes — Gen V follows the blood-bending Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) as she scores a university place that could change everything that she knows. Stuck under the cloud of a past tragedy until now, her scholarship to the Vought-approved God U is the ticket to her dreams, with becoming the first Black woman in The Seven her ultimate aim. Her approach going in: putting her head down, working hard and securing a path beyond the facility that's been her home for much too long. She's warned what will occur if she doesn't succeed, with more time spent institutionalised the only other option that superhero organisation Vought foresees. Before Marie arrives at God U, Gen V begins with her backstory, plus with the reason that doing her best is so important. The show's developers Craig Rosenberg, Evan Goldberg and Eric Kripke, all The Boys alumni, also establish that their adolescent angle is as essential as caped crusaders and diving back into havoc caused by the corrupt mega-corporation that is Vought. When a young woman has Marie's distinctive powers, how do they manifest? When she reaches puberty and gets her first period. In opening moments set eight years earlier, just as A-Train (Jesse T Usher, Smile) is welcomed into Vought's top-tier superhero crew, there's a body count, emotional scars that Marie will never get over, and also an ultraviolet start to the series' exploration of compound V-dosed kids who were given the drug by their mums and dads to turn them into something special, only to be forced to live with the consequences. Accordingly, college's everyday trials and tribulations were never going to be the only challenges in store once Gen V steps foot on campus, and Marie with it; more follow. Academic disappointment comes early, when hotshot Crimefighting Department head Professor Rich Brinkerhoff (Clancy Brown, Ahsoka) won't let her into her dream course, but that soon seems like a minor woe. As Marie rooms with Emma Meyer (Lizze Broadway, Based on a True Story), who can scale down her size, fitting in doesn't come easily. And when she meets the resident cool clique, including literally hot number one-ranked pupil Luke 'Golden Boy' Riordan (Patrick Schwarzenegger, The Staircase), his persuasive girlfriend Cate Dunlap (Maddie Phillips, Teenage Bounty Hunters), the magnetic Andre Anderson (Chance Perdomo, also Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) and the gender-shifting Jordan Li (Never Have I Ever's London Thor and Shining Vale's Derek Luh), she swiftly discovers that everything at her new school isn't what it seems. There will be blood by the bucketload — even if Marie's powers weren't tied to it, this is a VCU entry — plus secrets, lies, class clashes and life-and-death stakes. And, in a show that also gives its characters a mystery to chase, there's also a creepy underground facility known as The Woods that Marie, Emma and their pals keep being drawn to. Gen V delivers a savvy balance of wild fun and perceptive smarts as well, in a series that plays like The Boys mixed with The Sex Lives of College Girls, Scooby Doo, Wednesday and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Like the latter pair, it's highly cognisant that growing up is weird and hellish. It similarly knows how to use fantasy and horror — here, being a caped crusader at a sinister uni that specifically trains them, rather than the ultimate goth girl or vanquishing the undead while living on a hellmouth — to explore the many struggles that accompany facing maturity. While a few key cameos pop up from its predecessor, Gen V's is 100-percent focused on the franchise's newbies, their supe and uni experiences, and the shady happenings around them — which is a pivotal move. Indeed, that's what makes it a perfect The Boys spinoff, and never an easy facsimile, lazy wannabe or unsubtle reminder of what else exists in the broader saga. Gen V dwells in the same realm with the same atmosphere and same bite, but always dons its own personality, is committed to telling its own characters' tales and proves genuinely keen to broaden the Vought Cinematic Universe. Tearing into what's become the biggest type of on-screen stories right now is still the same mission, complete with blatant Marvel digs, yet it's done in a story that puts the ups and downs of being a teen in this situation first and foremost. It's no wonder, then, that Gen V is as entertaining as The Boys to watch. It's also no surprise that Marie and her classmates easily earn the same investment as Billy Butcher (Karl Urban, Thor: Ragnarok), Hughie (Jack Quaid, Oppenheimer), Frenchie (Tomer Capone, One on One), Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara, Bullet Train) Mother's Milk's (Laz Alonso, Wrath of Man), Starlight (Erin Moriarty, Captain Fantastic), Maeve (Dominique McElligott, The Last Tycoon) and company. Alongside confidence, strewn-around viscera and its sense of humour, casting remains one of this core franchise's talents, especially with Sinclair, Broadway, Perdomo, Thor and Luh. And any X-Men or The New Mutants comparisons? Just as The Boys knowingly smashed through its Avengers and Justice League commonalities, so does this new sharp, cynical and imaginative chip off the old block. Check out the trailer for Gen V below: Gen V streams via Prime Video from Friday, September 29.
When August arrives this year, the Melbourne International Film Festival will celebrate its 70th-anniversary edition — and it's planning to give one lucky filmmaker an enormous gift. To commemorate the longest-running film fest in the southern hemisphere's huge milestone year, the event is launching its own film prize. Cannes has one, and the Venice and Berlin film festivals, too, and now MIFF is joining the party to the sum of $140,000. From a pool of up to ten films, all of which will screen at the fest as part of the new MIFF Film Competition, one movie will be chosen to win the Best Film Award. And if that $140,000 sum sounds like a lot of money, that's because it is. In fact, it's the southern hemisphere's richest feature film prize. Indeed, Sydney Film Festival also has a competition and an accompanying gong, which the New South Wales film fest launched back in 2008 — but while MIFF is setting up its own prize 14 years later, it's more than doubling the amount of cash on offer. MIFF's award will cover all types of feature-length films, spanning fiction, documentary, animation and combinations of the above — and they'll also need to screen at the fest as an Australian premiere (so they won't also be able to show at other fests first, including at the Sydney Film Festival in June). And, the MIFF Film Competition will be focusing on emerging filmmakers, with the official selection also limited to a director's first or second feature-length films. A jury comprised of prominent international and Australian guests will pick the winning feature, with further details about who'll sit on the panel in 2022 — and which films they'll be choosing between — set to be announced closer to MIFF's Thursday, August 4–Sunday, August 21 dates. As for when you'll find out who wins, that'll be revealed at the fest's closing night soiree on Saturday, August 20. [caption id="attachment_769568" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tony Zara / Dean Walliss[/caption] Announcing the MIFF Film Competition and MIFF Best Film Award, festival Artistic Director Al Cossar said that "the competition will recognise and amplify the new, the next, the breakthrough and the best in-screen from Australia and across the globe, bringing incredible films and filmmakers to Melbourne – and making MIFF truly unmissable in 2022 and beyond." The hefty new award is being supported by the Victorian Government, and is one of two new gongs for this year — with MIFF also introducing the Australian Innovation Prize, which'll recognise an outstanding Australian creative within a festival film that plays in the MIFF program. That award is designed to span a large number of roles, including the winning film's director, technical or creative lead, or other craft positions. MIFF's new prizes come after two tricky years for the fest, with the event screening solely online in both 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. They also now see MIFF become the only film festival in the southern hemisphere with its own film competition, screen content financing market, commissioning fund and talent programs. Movie buffs, August clearly can't come fast enough. The 2022 Melbourne International Film Festival will run from Thursday, August 4–Sunday, August 21. The festival program will release in July — we'll update you when further details are announced.
To anyone who's ever seen a boy band struggle to croon over the screams of an enraptured crowd, the energy from the adolescent girls losing their minds would seem enough to solve the looming global energy crisis. Is it clean? Not always. But there are 60 years worth of gig footage — from The Beatles to One Direction — that classifies this energy as renewable. Belvoir is bringing back its super-popular production Fangirls, after selling out when it first debuted back in 2019. This time, however, it'll be taking over a stage at the Seymour Centre to allow for a bigger performance — while abiding COVID-19 restrictions, of course. The musical peeks into the poster-plastered bedroom and love-heart-emblazoned diary of teen girl fandom. It's a celebration of the time in your life when you're convinced the haircuts of a pop group may well bring civilisation to its knees. It's witty and fun, sure. But writer and lyricist Yve Blake also probes an insidious double standard: Why is it that when boys cry at the footy, that's the love of the game, but when girls cry at a Justin Bieber concert, that's pathetic? Through protagonist Edna (Karis Oka), a city girl conspiring to confess her undying love to True Connection frontman Harry (Aydan), Fangirls also examines the sorts of messages sold to young women as well as the power of the modern fan. In the age of the internet, pubescent devotees are a coveted market, but they are also the new talent scouts, organising online to confer godhood on anybody playing acoustic guitar in their bedroom, rhyming 'your face' with 'gotta get out of this place'. Directed once again by Paige Rattray, the 2021 production will star a mix of new and returning cast members, with Oka taking over from Blake as the lead. Fangirls is boppy and sugary in spades. But it also asks you to spare a thought for those crying, screaming and full of joy in the front row. They're going through a hugely transformative time. And, they may be the ones keeping your lights on in years to come. Fangirls is a Belvoir St Theatre co-production with Queensland Theatre, Brisbane Festival in association with Australian Theatre for Young People. It is showing from January 30–February 20, 2021. After a sell-out show last year, be sure to get your tickets stat, which you can do over here.
The hospo-geniuses behind two of Sydney's cosiest bars (The Duke of Clarence, The Barber Shop) are bringing you a brand new watering hole by the harbour: Hickson House. The newest hybrid venue featuring a distillery, bar and dining room is set to open today, Tuesday, December 7. Part working distillery and part destination cocktail bar, Hickson House is set in the soaring brickwork and girders of the former Saatchi & Saatchi garage (the location of many infamous warehouse parties). The towering space boasts an extensive back bar with over 600 spirits and a menu crafted with locally-sourced ingredients. Founders Mikey Enright and Julian Train are no strangers to the Sydney bar scene either, with over eight years of experience as co-directors of the Barrelhouse Group. "Weaving the needs of a full production distillery and significant bar space into what is a unique heritage warehouse has been a challenge that we have embraced wholeheartedly," says Train. The boys aren't holding back any punches and have brought ex-Manly Spirits legend Tim Stones on board. The bespoke range of Hickson Road Gin is the star of the show, but Stones will also be slinging out vats of housemade whisky, aperitifs, brandies and other speciality spirits. To sample the creations, take a seat at the main bar — the interior is lined with dark polished timber and dotted with French blue bar stools, a reflection of the venue's harbour location. For a more intimate experience, the mezzanine High & Dry Bar overlooks the entire dining space and is the perfect spot for a cocktail and bite to eat. Intimate distillery experiences, tours and private dining experiences are also all on the cards, so keep an eye on Hickson House's socials for any upcoming events. Highlights of the botanically-inspired menu include slow-roasted lamb porchetta with juniper jus and mint gremolata. For dessert, indulge in a decadent piece of whisky chocolate lamington. After you've found a drop you like following dinner, you can also shop at the off-license spirits store and bring a bottle (or two) home to enjoy. Hickson House opens on Tuesday, December 7 at 6 Hickson Road, The Rocks. Bookings are now open for December via the website. Top image: Steven Woodburn
