Sydney cinephiles, February 14 in 2024 doesn't just mean watching romantic movies. If you'd like to show your love for one of the city's favourite picture palaces for one of the last times, that's also on this year's agenda. The cinema: Palace Verona, which is shutting up shop after almost three decades, and celebrating one of its final evenings with a closing event on multiple screens featuring delightful Finnish comedy romance Fallen Leaves. Back in 2023, Palace Cinemas announced that it'd say goodbye to its Oxford Street digs this year, with the company's lease on the site finishing and the building that the theatre is in is then set to be redeveloped. The venue's projectors will stop whirring towards the end of February, on Wednesday, February 21 — but the special event that will include a glass of sparkling, a heart-shaped chocolate and a Palace Verona tote bag as part of the ticket, plus an invite to a free screening at Palace's next venture, is its big last hurrah. While Verona is calling cut on its time showing arthouse films, Palace Moore Park will open on Tuesday, March 5. Accordingly, Sydney movie lovers are swapping Paddington for Entertainment Quarter. If you'd like to think of this as a relocation — or a reboot, if you prefer — you can. Entertainment Quarter already has Hoyts onsite, but Palace's venue will be solely devoted to arthouse and international cinema, rather than blockbusters. Indeed, Palace Moore Park is launching with this year's Alliance Française French Film Festival. "As we bid farewell to Palace Verona, we want to express our sincere appreciation to all of our patrons who have shared in the magic of cinema within its iconic walls. The passion and enthusiasm you have shown over the years have truly made Palace Verona a cherished community landmark," said Palace Cinemas CEO Benjamin Zeccola when Verona's closing was first announced. "We are committed to preserving the arthouse ethos that Palace Verona is renowned for and having that live on at Palace Moore Park," Zeccola continued. "Moviegoers can expect an enhanced experience with an expanded range of films, more immersive events and, of course, our unwavering commitment to excellent hospitality". The Verona building will fall under new management once Palace departs. Over at EQ, the chain names parking and public transport options among the new drawcards — and dining options as well. Find Palace Verona at 17 Oxford Street, Paddington until Wednesday, February 21, 2024, and Palace Moore Park at Entertainment Quarter from Tuesday, March 5, 2024.
"Will there be kangaroos?" That's Liv's (Jessica Henwick, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) main question when she's offered a job in the Australian outback with her best friend Hanna (Julia Garner, Ozark). They're Americans backpacking Down Under, they've run out of cash and, yes, they make the stereotypical query about heading to a mining town for a live-in gig at a pub. After the pair make their temporary move, parched landscape as far as the eye can see awaits, plus drinking goon and serving copious amounts of brews to the locale's mostly male population. That's the tale that The Royal Hotel tells — and, if you've seen documentary Hotel Coolgardie, which inspired this thriller, you'll know that Liv and Hanna aren't in for a blissful time. In the just-dropped trailer for The Royal Hotel, weathering the blazing heat is nothing compared to dealing with the bar's men. Among their new acquaintances is a host of of familiar Aussie faces, including Hugo Weaving (Love Me) as the watering hole's owner, plus Ursula Yovich (Irreverent), Toby Wallace (Babyteeth), Daniel Henshall (Mystery Road: Origin) and James Frecheville (The Dry). The storyline, the real-life basis, the cast, the fact that this is the latest film from Australian director Kitty Green: thanks to all of the above, The Royal Hotel should already be high on your must-see list. The trailer only amplifies that anticipation, with the filmmaker in tense and unsettling mode as she explores gender dynamics and Australia's drinking culture. This is the Casting JonBenet helmer's second movie in a row with Garner, her current go-to star. Both turned in a stunner in with The Assistant — another picture about power imbalances, the everyday threats that loom over women and problematic workplaces. Green's second fictional feature and fourth full-length effort overall, The Royal Hotel premiered at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival on the way to making its Aussie debut at SXSW Sydney in October. How do you open the first-ever SXSW Screen Festival Down Under (and outside of Austin)? With this homegrown effort. Next stop after that: launching the 2023 Adelaide Film Festival just days later. The Royal Hotel doesn't yet have a general release date, but expect it in cinemas afterwards. Check out the trailer for The Royal Hotel below: The Royal Hotel will open 2023's SXSW Sydney on Sunday, October 15 and Adelaide Film Festival on Wednesday October 18, but doesn't yet have a release date Down Under otherwise. Images: Neon / See-Saw Films. If you're keen to make the most of Australia's first SXSW, take advantage of our special reader offer. Purchase your SXSW Sydney 2023 Official Badge via Concrete Playground Trips and you'll score a $150 credit to use on your choice of Sydney accommodation. Book now via the website.
Nearly one-third of the artists scheduled to exhibit in the 19th Biennale of Sydney have written an open letter to the board of directors, urging them to "act in the interests of asylum seekers" by withdrawing from "the current sponsorship arrangement with Transfield". Transwho? Detainees who've been dodging bullets and knives on Manus Island know the name all too well. It's an "operations, maintenance and construction services business" that, in the 2013-14 financial year, made millions out its involvement with the Nauru Regional Processing Centre. Since early February, Transfield has taken over welfare responsibilities on both Nauru and Manus from the Salvation Army (because a construction company is just so well-equipped to provide education, recreational facilities and emotional support to traumatised individuals). Though the 28 artists acknowledge that the increasing dependence of public institutions on private funding is complex, they are clear, that "in this particular case", their involvement risks "adding value" and "cultural capital" to the Transfield brand. The letter states, "We appeal you to work alongside us to send a message to Transfield, and in turn the Australian Government and the public: that we will not accept the mandatory detention of asylum seekers, because it is ethically indefensible and in breach of human rights; and that, as a network of artists, arts workers and a leading cultural organisation, we do not want to be associated with these practices." The problem is that Transfield isn't just another name on the sponsorship list. Transfield Holdings actually established the event in 1973, and Transfield Foundation board member Luca Belgiorno Netti is the Biennale's current chairman. While the open letter does not overtly threaten boycott, a separate statement hints at the possibility. "We are taking this very seriously," spokesperson Gabrielle de Vietri said. “Some artists are reconsidering their participation, and others organising different forms of protest from within ... Still other artists have proposed to join with the Biennale team in an effort to develop alternative modes of fundraising." A Boycott the 19th Sydney Biennale Facebook page is gathering support. With the Biennale due to open on March 21, the board members, the 90 participating artists and Sydney's art-loving public have some quick decision-making to do. Here's the full text of their open letter: An open letter to the Board of Directors, Biennale of Sydney 19 February 2014 To the Board of Directors of the Biennale of Sydney, We are a group of artists Gabrielle de Vietri, Bianca Hester, Charlie Sofo, Nathan Gray, Deborah Kelly, Matt Hinkley, Benjamin Armstrong, Libia Castro, Ólafur Ólafsson, Sasha Huber, Sonia Leber, David Chesworth, Daniel McKewen, Angelica Mesiti, Ahmet Ö?üt, Meriç Algün Ringborg, Joseph Griffiths, Sol Archer, Tamas Kaszas, Krisztina Erdei, Nathan Coley, Corin Sworn, Ross Manning, Martin Boyce, Callum Morton, Emily Roysdon, Søren Thilo Funder, Mikhail Karikis all participants in the 19th Biennale of Sydney. We are writing to you about our concerns with the Biennale’s sponsorship arrangement with Transfield.1 We would like to begin with an affirmation and recognition of the Biennale staff, other sponsors and donors, and our fellow artists. We maintain the utmost respect for Juliana Engberg’s artistic vision and acknowledge the support and energy that the Biennale staff have put into the creation of our projects and this exhibition. We acknowledge that this issue places the Biennale team in a difficult situation. However, we want to emphasise that this issue has presented us with an opportunity to become aware of, and to acknowledge, responsibility for our own participation in a chain of connections that links to human suffering; in this case, that is caused by Australia’s policy of mandatory detention. We trust that you understand the implications of Transfield’s recent move to secure new contracts to take over garrison and welfare services in Australia’s offshore immigration detention centres on Manus Island and in Nauru. We have attached for your information, a document that outlines our understanding of the links between the Biennale, Transfield and Australia’s asylum seeker policy. We appeal to you to work alongside us to send a message to Transfield, and in turn the Australian Government and the public: that we will not accept the mandatory detention of asylum seekers, because it is ethically indefensible and in breach of human rights; and that, as a network of artists, arts workers and a leading cultural organisation, we do not want to be associated with these practices. Our current circumstances are complex: public institutions are increasingly reliant on private finance, and less on public funding, and this can create ongoing difficulties. We are aware of these complexities and do not believe that there is one easy answer to the larger situation. However, in this particular case, we regard our role in the Biennale, under the current sponsorship arrangements, as adding value to the Transfield brand. Participation is an active endorsement, providing cultural capital for Transfield. In light of all this, we ask the Board: what will you do? We urge you to act in the interests of asylum seekers. As part of this we request the Biennale withdraw from the current sponsorship arrangements with Transfield and seek to develop new ones. This will set an important precedent for Australian and international arts institutions, compelling them to exercise a greater degree of ethical awareness and transparency regarding their funding sources. We are asking you, respectfully, to respond with urgency. Our interests as artists don’t merely concern our individual moral positions. We are concerned too with the ways cultural institutions deal with urgent social responsibilities. We expect the Biennale to acknowledge the voice of its audience and the artist community that is calling on the institution to act powerfully and immediately for justice by cutting its ties with Transfield. We believe that artists and artworkers can—and should—create an environment that empowers individuals and groups to act on conscience, opening up other pathways to develop more sustainable, and in turn sustaining, forms of cultural production. We want to extend this discussion to a range of people and organisations, in order to bring to light the various forces shaping our current situation, and to work towards imagining other possibilities into being. In our current political circumstances we believe this to be one of the most crucial challenges that we are compelled to engage with, and we invite you into this process of engagement. We look forward to hearing your response and given the urgency of this issue, hope that we can receive it by the end of this week. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Gabrielle de Vietri, Bianca Hester, Charlie Sofo, Nathan Gray, Deborah Kelly, Matt Hinkley, Benjamin Armstrong, Libia Castro, Ólafur Ólafsson, Sasha Huber, Sonia Leber, David Chesworth, Daniel McKewen, Angelica Mesiti, Ahmet Ö?üt, Meriç Algün Ringborg, Joseph Griffiths, Sol Archer, Tamas Kaszas, Krisztina Erdei, Nathan Coley, Corin Sworn, Ross Manning, Martin Boyce, Callum Morton, Emily Roysdon, Søren Thilo Funder, Mikhail Karikis NOTES 1. Please note that in this document we use the name Transfield to refer to three branches of the Transfield brand: Transfield Holdings, Services and Foundation. Please refer to our information sheet for our understanding of how these are linked. Image: Henna-Riikka Halonen, Moderate Manipulations, 2012 (video still).
You probably took it once. Headed for the Powerhouse Museum on a single rail loop, careening across Pyrmont Bridge and taking in some shitty elevator-style 'Girl From Ipanema'-stylin' on the crackly speakers. I remember my last monorail trip, I really do. I jubilantly boarded a Star Wars-themed monorail toward the 2002 exhibition Star Wars: The Magic of Myth, cranking the 'Imperial March' through Haymarket. The days. But those transport times are over. The Monorail is long gone from Sydney's mid-skyline, closed in June 2013, now with only abandoned stations to trigger the probably vague and halfhearted nostalgia Sydneysiders have for the thing. But you could drive the Sydney Monorail back into your life, with a few measly G's. According to Junkee, the Sydney monorail is up for sale on Gumtree (of all places). Advertised just a few days ago, the monorail carriages are apparently being sold for an extremely doable fee. Guessing that means $3000 per carriage. Here's the inventory and they've even created a promo vid: Whether this is a Real Thing or not remains to be seen, but if you're one of those people throwing $3000 down the pokies every week, why not take a different kind of gamble? The gamble that could pay off in obsolete travel devices and sweet, sweet nostalgia. Here's the description by seller Harry Tsoukalas, which absolutely doesn't look like the kind of copy written by one Mr A. Nonymous, 123 Fake Street, Notting Here. Via Junkee. Image: Hpeterswald, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Having enough clean drinking water may not be an issue that plagues you day-to-day. But it is an issue that plagues billions of people around the world and has been at the forefront of news with Cape Town, South Africa, reaching its final 90 days of water. In a scientific breakthrough, Australian scientists have just discovered a way to easily purify water using an ingredient found in vegetable oil — and they tested it using the iconic Sydney Harbour. CSIRO scientists created a small filtration device, a tiny membrane dubbed Graphair, that can quickly purify water in a single step. As it's made from soybean oil, it's also cheap to make. To test the effectiveness of the device, the group of scientists purified water from the Sydney Harbour (which, while known for its beauty, certainly isn't known for its cleanliness). And it worked so well, the resulting water was safe to drink. The scientists published their results overnight in Nature Communications, an open-access journal, and plan to take the product overseas to developing countries next year. Source and image: CSIRO
Is your aesthetic still stuck in the pastels and neons of summer? Well, you should hotfoot it to Precinct 75 — its upcoming design fair will help you transition into winter. On Saturday, July 7, the fair takes over the St Peters creative precinct to celebrate local independent labels. Both Precinct 75 tenants and guests will be there, including The Society Inc, Design Twins, Inartisan, Watertiger, Quercus & Co, Garlands Florist and Burgg. The event is pairing up with the local foodies and farmers markets to keep you fed, while Rice Pantry, Sample Roasters, Willey the Boatman Brewery and Buttercream Bakery will be serving up their wares as well. And, if you want to take something green home with you, The Jungle Collective will be onsite with its latest pop-up plant sale — and you know they always popular. Plus, with free entry for you, your mates and the pooch — yes, pets are welcome — you'll have plenty of money to spend on some new wares.
Food trucks have taken over Sydney in a big way. Redefining culinary culture, food trucks combine quality food with decent prices in a portable automobile of fun. Inside these trucks sit total legends who said hell no to paying exorbitant rents, cooks who enjoy mixing up their menus and entrepreneurial types who refuse to stare at the same scenery every day. Eat Art Truck is one of Sydney's most sought-after food trucks. Inspired by the food truck culture in the States, the team saw a gap in the Australian market for portable American street food. More than just tasty, tasty food (we'll be making and devouring their blue cheese sauce in just a few moments), the team have also provided a blank slate for local artists to decorate one side of the EAT truck. With the demand for food trucks like EAT increasing, entire food festivals dedicated to the humble food truck popping up as well as apps to locate these portable feasts in your area, it was only a matter of time until someone compiled a book dedicated to them. That someone is Erika Budiman, a photographer and graphic designer from Melbourne who understands the simple joy of the food truck. She has sought to translate this joy into a book of recipes, photos and stories from the diverse array of food trucks making their way around Australia. "For me, food trucks make total sense here. They suit our outdoorsy lifestyle, our climate and our landscape," she says, citing their omnipresence as changing not only her eating habits, but also those of the Melbourne community. "If the weather is good, we can spontaneously get together with family and friends, grab a picnic blanket, some drinks and games and head to the nearest truck jam for an easy and guaranteed delicious picnic. And with several trucks to choose from, everyone's tastes and sizes of hunger can easily be catered for." Hungry now? Let's get cookin'. Tender Chicken Bites with Blue Cheese Sauce Recipe Serves 4 1 kg free range chicken thighs Marinade: 850g red onions, sliced 280g garlic, crushed 580g jalapenos 580g shallots 50g fresh ginger 25g fresh thyme 50g ground cinnamon 10g salt 100g chilli paste 6 cups pineapple juice 1 cup buttermilk Light blue cheese sauce: 250ml (1 cup) buttermilk 50g white pepper 50g (1/4 cup) caster sugar 300g blue cheese 300g egg-based mayonnaise Flour mixture: 500g readymade pancake mix (that's right, pancake mix) 500g rice flour 50g white pepper 50g salt Remove the excess fat from the chicken thighs and dice them into approximately 2 cm × 2 cm cubes. Rest in the refrigerator in a container or on a plate covered with plastic wrap. To prepare the marinade, place all the ingredients, except for the pineapple juice and buttermilk, in a blender or food processor. At a low speed, blend until well combined. In a separate bowl add the pineapple juice, buttermilk and the blended mixture. With a whisk mix them together until they are all well combined. Add the chicken thighs and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. To make the light blue cheese sauce mix the buttermilk, white pepper and sugar in a bowl until well combined. Use your hands to crumble the blue cheese into the mix. Add the mayonnaise and mix with a spatula, folding carefully (don’t blend the mixture or mix it too vigorously because the mayonnaise will heat up and may split). Remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Strain it to remove the excess marinade. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and coat well with the flour mixture. Preheat oil to 180ºC in a pot or deep-fryer and fry the chicken in small batches to avoid cooling down the oil. Serve warm, with the blue cheese sauce on top. Via Food Truck Feasts, published by Explore Australia Publishing, RRP $34.95, www.exploreaustralia.net.au.
The fight to keep Sydney's Sirius building is far from over. On Thursday, November 3, the Millers Point Community Association launched a legal challenge against the NSW Government. And it's being paid for by crowdfunding — to the tune of $50,000 provided by 600 citizens. Now, that's some serious people power, right there. The building, which was designed by architect Tao Gofers, is not only an important part of '70s history and a great example of Brutalist architecture, but also public housing. For years and years it has helped to even the score in this expensive, property-obsessed city of ours, by allowing people on low incomes to live in the centre, with harbour views. But back in September, the NSW Liberal Government under Premier Mike Baird floated plans to smash Sirius up and replace it with luxury apartments. A big public rally ensued, in which 1500 people — including the likes of Anthony Albanese, Tim 'Rosso' Ross and Lord Mayor Clover Moore — attended and the CFMEU, in collaboration with Unions NSW, coordinated a green ban. This latest challenge calls on the NSW Minister for Environment and Heritage Mark Speakman to appear in the Land and Environment Court. His and the Government's wrong-doing? Their refusal to list Sirius on the State Heritage register, despite the unanimous advice of the Heritage Council. "This building is a symbol of community values that still exist — values like inclusion and respect for diversity," said Anthony Albanese MP. "Such values are still important to millions of Australians who take pride in living in a nation that cares about all of its citizens, not just those with big bank balances." Lord Mayor Clover Moore pointed out that the Minister's decision sets a "dangerous" precedent. If the challenge is successful, it could "create a valuable new precedent that will confirm the objectives of heritage legislation and discourage the government from acting this way again". The action is just one element in the Save Our Sirius campaign. In addition to the rally and the green ban, twenty ambassadors have been appointed to support the heritage listing of Sirius and the maintenance of social housing in The Rocks. The legal action is currently in progress. Images: Katherine Lu.
From October 4-5 at The Rocks, you will feel like a kid in a candy store. The two-day Festival of Chocolate will see The Rocks transformed into a sea of market stalls, as dessert chefs from all over the country try to win you over with an array of chocolate-inspired concoctions in every mouth-watering form possible. Bar, pastries, ice-cream, crepes, cakes — we're just scratching the surface of the goodies on offer. 2014 is the debut of this festival, featuring as part of Good Food Month. Though some of what we might think of as the big guns of Australian dessert are staying home for this one, Rocks residents Ananas Brasserie, Baroque Patisserie, Bar 100 and La Renaissance will be spruiking their tasty, melty wares, alongside wider NSW choco-talent Sweetness the Patisserie, Chocolarts, Le Pain Quotidien, Adora Handmade Chocolates and Danieli's Fine Foods. Watch the people who have dedicated their life's work to making chocolate — heroes, really — demonstrate on the Chocolate HQ stage. There's also a live music stage, but since this is a Smooth FM-presented event, we wouldn't so much recommend it. Instead, gravitate to the pop-up bar with dessert cocktails, including a chocolate martini and chocolate beer. In celebration of The Rocks transformation into a chocolate haven, restaurants around the Rocks will be showcasing their dessert talents with special menus for the entire month of October. The Smooth FM Festival of Chocolate is on from 10am – 5pm each day.
It's all about the fermented hops, grains and apples on Saturday, September 13, at inner west favourite the Vic in Enmore. The third annual Craft Beer and Cider Festival will be radiating a golden glow over early spring. Last year's event focused on the stellar concoctions that have been brewed locally. This year they have expanded their horizons to include world beers and ciders alongside these local favourites, including 70 unique craft beer varieties from New Zealand, America, Japan and Italy. While you sample the great range on offer, the crafty guys (sorry, had to be done) at the Vic are also including a spit roasting of an animal to be decided. Live music will be played throughout the day. Doors open at noon and entry is free (free!), meaning this great range of unique liquid happiness can be tested without paying a single cent. Because you're worth it.
In the low-budget prison drama Rise, an innocent young man is sentenced to six years in jail after being falsely accused of rape. It's a troubling tale inspired by the real life experiences of first time writer/director Mack Lindon, who himself was incarcerated for more than 18 months before being completely exonerated on appeal. Lindon's lingering sense of outrage is palpable throughout the film, and justifiably so. At the same time, it's difficult not to feel uncomfortable with the way that his screenplay, intentionally or not, plays into false myths about sexual assault. For the record, I have nothing but sympathy for Mack Lindon. Ultimately though, a film has to exist separately from the events on which it is based. To that end, Rise totally fails to acknowledge the fact that, in a vast majority of rape cases, the accused party actually did it. It's perfectly reasonable for Lindon to want to publicly reaffirm his innocence. Yet by dramatising his story for the screen, he has ended up perpetuating the commonly held belief that phony rape complaints occur more frequently than they do. Gone Girl copped flack for a similar issue, admittedly, but there you could argue it was part of a broader social critique. No such defence can be mounted here. Even without the dodgy gender politics, however, Rise is fairly atrocious. Once in lock-up, Lindon's onscreen surrogate Will (Nathan Wilson) learns to navigate prison life, doing his best to stay out of trouble, and eventually bonding with a number of inmates. These secondary characters hold some dramatic promise, particularly hardened criminal Jimmy Cove (Martin Sacks). But the dialogue, though earnest, sounds painfully forced, and frequently lapses into melodrama. When one inmate tells Will he's been in prison "in here" while placing his hand on his head, there's little you can do to suppress a snigger. The self-righteous Christian overtones don't exactly help matters, either. Lindon attempts to inject some additional gravitas via his directorial choices, including an angst-ridden soundtrack and a handful of instances of "arty" slow-motion. Sadly, it's all pretty cringeworthy, particularly when you take into account the movie's strange tonal imbalance that neuters any stabs at dramatic weight. While Will languishes in prison, his bumbling lawyer attempts to recruit the services of Queen's Council Julie Nile (Erin Connor), in a strange comic subplot has no place in such a (supposedly) serious film. That said, it's not nearly as bad as the unintentional comedy of the climax, a contrived courtroom scene with the most ludicrous 'eureka!' moment since the finale of Legally Blonde. At the end of the day, Lindon obviously had some things that he needed to get off his chest. If nothing else, Rise is clearly an intensely personal story, and under the circumstances, perhaps its questionable content can be partially forgiven. But it's a lot harder to overlook the film's basic technical ineptitude. If Lindon has any desire to keep making movies, there's a lot he needs to learn. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Jiq2NTjut8c
Australia's undying affection for Bill Murray has been shown through film tributes the country over— at Sydney's Golden Age Cinema, Brisbane's Catchment Brewing Co. and, most recently, Melbourne's Howler — but now the man himself is set to visit the country. But the actor, comedian and all-round good guy won't be emulating Peter Venkman or Carl Spackler or even Steve Zissou — he'll be performing classical spoken and musical works alongside distinguished German–American cellist Jan Vogler. The show's called New Worlds, which comes from an album of the same name the pair released last year. In it, Murray takes a different turn to how you my have seen him on-screen — he performs vocals to classic American music, and excerpts from American greats like Mark Twain, Walt Whitman and Ernest Hemingway. This will be accompanied by classical scores (think Bach, Schubert and Ravel) by Vogel and his ensemble. The shows will be held at the Sydney Opera House on Friday, November 9, and Saturday, November 10. Image: Peter Rigaud.
Has anyone had a better year so far than Taika Waititi? Likely not. 2022 hasn't even officially hit its halfway point yet and he's already been everywhere, doing everything, and has more to come. He was the subject of the Archibald's Packing Room Prize-winner, with his likeness now an award-worthy piece of art. He has that little Marvel movie called Thor: Love and Thunder in the works, set to hit cinemas in early July. Oh, and he went and co-starred in one of the best new TV shows of the year so far — and that series, Our Flag Means Death, has just been renewed for a second run. No, Taika's time playing a pirate isn't over yet, in supremely welcome news for everyone who sailed through Our Flag Means Death's glorious first season. His latest team-up with fellow New Zealand comedian Rhys Darby (after also working together on Flight of the Conchords, What We Do in the Shadows, Wellington Paranormal and Hunt for the Wilderpeople), it's a swashbuckling comedy that satirises the buccaneering times of the 18th century. As its first season unfurled, Our Flag Means Death also proved to be a sweet and warmhearted romance, as well as essential viewing. HBO clearly agrees, greenlighting the show's second season for its streaming service HBO Max. Exactly when it'll return has yet to be revealed, but fingers crossed that it'll cruise back into your queue — via Binge and in New Zealand via Neon — sometime in 2023. "We felt the show was special while we were making it, but fans' open-armed embrace of the inhabitants of the Revenge makes heading into a second season all the more sweet," said writer, showrunner and executive producer David Jenkins (People of Earth), who conjured up Our Flag Means Death. Based on its concept and cast alone, his series was always going to cement its spot on streaming must-see lists — and speed into comedy-lovers' hearts — and now it'll make a return voyage. If you haven't hopped aboard already, Our Flag Means Death stars Darby stars as Stede Bonnet, a self-styled 'gentleman pirate', a great approximation of Flight of the Conchords' Murray if he'd existed centuries earlier, and a man determined to bring a bit of kindness and elegancy to the whole swashbuckling game. He's based on an IRL figure, who abandoned his cosy life for a seafaring existence. The show is a loose adaptation of Bonnet's tale, though. As for Waititi, he dons leather, dark hues aplenty, an air of bloodthirsty melancholy and a glorious head of greying hair as Edward Teach — the marauder better known to the world as Blackbeard. Also featuring among the show's impressive lineup of supporting characters: Lucius (Nathan Foad, Bloods), Bonnet's righthand man and official scribe; Buttons (Ewen Bremner, First Cow), a seasoned seafarer and source of advice; Black Pete (Matthew Maher, Marriage Story), who constantly claims to have worked with Blackbeard; the fire-obsessed Wee John Feeny (Kristian Nairn, aka Game of Thrones' Hodor); and the initially secretive Oluwande (Samson Kayo, Truth Seekers) and Jim (Vico Ortiz, The Sex Lives of College Girls). Check out the full trailer for Our Flag Means Death below: Our Flag Means Death will return for a second season, with a release date yet to be announced. Our Flag Means Death's first season is available to in Australia via Binge and in New Zealand via Neon. Read our full review. Images: Aaron Epstein/HBO Max.
We don't quite have a poet laureate here. In the UK they get two, one for children, one for grown-ups. The USA has one, and a staccato history of employing poets at presidential inaugurations. While Canada too has a laureate, when it came to get a poet front and centre for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, it chose to bring out local slam champ Shane Koyczan. Koyczan will bring his rattleshot delivery to the Sydney stage, headlining the evening at Outspoken's evening of beat poetry at FBi Social. Beat poetry is a form that never really died, living on in the music of Tom Waits and the Twitter bot that rebroadcasts lines from Allen Ginsberg's Howl on the hour. Accompanying Koyczan in bringing this faded form to Sydney will be the rhythmic Jive Poetic, host at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and the Denver-lurking Ken Arkind. They'll be backed by local poets Alana Hicks, Alia Gabres and Randall Stephens, with visuals by collective Optic Soup. So whatever your poetic roots, the Social offers you a night to leave you lost in fast words.
Remember The Matrix Revolutions? It’s okay if you don’t. The final instalment of the Wachowskis’ groundbreaking trilogy possessed a litany of problems, chief among them being a Matrix film featuring little to no Matrix. It was like setting The Wizard of Oz entirely in Kansas, or Waterworld on land, or Policy Academy on a holiday in Miami (see: Police Academy 5: Assignment in Miami). In the same vein, the most disappointing aspect of Tomorrowland is that it spends the lion’s share of its 107 minutes in Todayland. Under Australian consumer protection law, you might call that ‘misleading and deceptive conduct’. Under film law, you’d just call it a giant shame. If the name ‘Tomorrowland’ sounds familiar, you’ve probably been to Disneyland. Like Pirates of the Caribbean, this is a movie based on a theme park attraction, and while that’s not quite the nadir of creative inception (Battleship surely holds that ignominy), it’s not much of an improvement either. Theoretically, the land of tomorrow is a creative utopia; an alternate universe where all the dreamers — be they artists, inventors, musicians or scientists — can actually change the world free from the negative influences of politics and greed. If it sounds good, it looks even better: a sort of shiny retro future not unlike the one envisaged by The Jetsons. The question, of course, is how do you get there? This forms the basis of much of the film. A young Frank Walker (George Clooney in his later years, Thomas Robinson as the child) attends the 1964 World’s Fair to pitch his homemade jet pack. The judge (a curmudgeonly Hugh Laurie) sends him packing, but his daughter Athena (newcomer Raffey Cassidy) takes a liking to Frank and sneaks him into Tomorrowland. The story then jumps to the present day, where an apparently ageless Athena has turned her attention to the rebellious yet unfailingly optimistic Casey Newton (Britt Robertson). Athena slips Casey a magical pin that grants her a vision of Tomorrowland, fleeting in its duration yet enticing enough to send her on a quest to get there. Standing in her way are some spectacularly unexplained automaton villains and the gruff older Frank, who’s been exiled from Tomorrowland. There’s a sense Tomorrowland needs Casey, but nobody's prepared to say how or why. On the production front, Tomorrowland boasts an impressive team: a Disney vehicle written by Damon Lindelof (Lost) and directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol). No surprise, then, that it looks spectacular and maintains a rollicking pace throughout, with the action sequences offering a terrific blend of thrills and imaginative visuals. The performances, too, are mostly strong, with two-thirds of the leading trio coming in the form of intelligent, capable and determined young women. What lets Tomorrowland down is the heavy-handed messaging, repeatedly ramming its ‘we’re harming the planet’ line down our throats without a trace of subtlety, save for the one amusing Laurie gem: “We have simultaneous epidemics of obesity and famine. How does THAT happen!?" Tomorrowland's other significant problem is the violence. The action sequences contain a surprising level of graphic savagery, including multiple beheadings, innocent bystanders frequently being vaporised and Casey at one point going full Pesci on an automaton with an old baseball bat. Coupled with the clumsy environmentalism, Tomorrowland finds itself too preachy for adults yet too confronting for children. All the ingredients are there for an excellent adventure, and it routinely offers moments of genuine brilliance, but the overall result is something less. The constant product placement, Disney branding and clear merchandising take their collective toll, crippling the Lindelof/Bird creative utopia with the very corporate influences it sought to denounce.
We know it breaks both the first and second cardinal rules, but we need to talk about Fight Club right now. It’s been confirmed that director David Fincher, his long-term musical consort Trent Reznor and OG author Chuck Palahniuk are collaborating on Fight Club the rock opera, for reals. It’s literally going to be the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world (in a good way). Culture journalist Jeff Goldsmith tweeted that Palahniuk confirmed the rumours in an interview, and Palahniuk tweeted a second confirmation the next day that has since been deleted. However Palahniuk did retweet Goldsmith’s tweet (isn’t Twitter such a murky swamp of Chinese whispers) so that’s all the confirmation we need. In April, Palahniuk told MTV that the Fight Club rock opera would take its place alongside previous musical legends Tommy and The Wall, and become the defining rock opera for the current generation. Although anti-materialism, anti-authority anarchist Tyler Durden probably wouldn’t approve of a glitzy, glamorous Broadway show, we sure do. And with Nine Inch Nails legend Reznor involved, it’s sure to be pretty spectacular. Reznor has scored a fair few of Fincher's films — Gone Girl, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Social Network — and invariably his involvement turns whatever it touches to gold. No concrete dates have been mentioned by anyone involved in the project, but if you want more Fight Club while you wait, Palahniuk has released a Fight Club 2 comic book that delves into the backstory of Sebastian and Marla, and examines what Tyler Durden represents to us all. In the same MTV interview, Palahniuk says, "Tyler Durden is kind of an internal meme, a parasitical meme that has found a host or created a host in every generation going back for all of human history ... Tyler really brought Marla and Sebastian together, so they would have a child, in a way kind of bred them together, and that this child would ultimately be Tyler’s next vehicle." Unff. We are Jack’s crazy excitement. Via Spin.
Prepare for another actively sedentary June: the Sydney Film Festival has announced its full program for 2014. It's a canny balancing act between hotly anticipated preview screenings and little known international gems by festival director Nashen Moodley, with the Sydney Film Festival Hub tying things together over a vino at the Town Hall. "We feel this program represents the best of international film in the last 12 months," said Moodley at the program launch, and the best of the best are surely found in the SFF Official Competition. Doing dual duties as the opening night film is 20,000 Days on Earth, the Nick Cave documentary that's said to defy categorisation and won two gongs at Sundance. Formal experimentation is a bit of a theme in this year's competition, which also features Richard Linklater's Boyhood, a family drama which he shot with the same actors (Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette and kids Ellar Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater) over a 12-year period; Iranian director Shahram Mokri's Fish & Cat, shot in a single 134-minute take and based on a real news report; and The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq, starring the controversial author himself in a fictional scenario based on real-life rumours. David Michod's Animal Kingdom follow-up, The Rover, and Amiel Courtin-Wilson (Hail) and Michael Cody's Ruin are also ones to watch. The SFF Hub is not only returning for a third time but expanding its presence at the Town Hall to encompass the Treasury Room upstairs. As well as its scintillating lineup of talks and performances, this year it's decked out with designer furniture showcasing the legacy of the Eameses, a TITLE pop-up shop, Gelato Messina cart, vintage photo booth and the festival's discount ticket booth. A definitive highlight among the Hub's cinematic tangents is the Vladmaster Viewmaster Experience by artist Vladimir, who hijacks the classic toy for art purposes, crafting a story you experience click by click. Also featured are talks Altman on Altman (with son Robert Altman) and Eames on Eames (with grandson Eames Demetrios), film trivia, a film critics death match and Hugh Hamilton's Rosebud exhibition of film star portraits. All the popular streams in the festival return, including Freak Me Out, Sounds on Screen, The Box Set, International Documentaries and Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Australian Documentary. Special presentations at the State Theatre include the much-anticipated/mocked Zach Braff movie Wish I Was Here, Michel Gondry's scribbly Noam Chomsky doco Is The Man Who Is Tall Happy?, and the directorial debut from the writer of Drive, The Two Faces of January. These films you'll be able to see in cinemas later in the year, but this is your chance to see them in stately picture-palace surrounds (and see them before everyone else). The festival closes with What We Do in the Shadows, which is just what you'd expect of such a highbrow event — an NZ vampire mockumentary from the makers of Flight of the Conchords. Check out our top ten picks of the Sydney Film Festival. https://youtube.com/watch?v=7w1E5ibqEd4
To get 2023 started in style, Adelaide scored a brand-new music festival back in January, with the team at Secret Sounds unveiling Heaps Good. The one-day event featured Arctic Monkeys as headliners, and gave the South Australian capital a taste of the summer fest circuit. It clearly went well, because the fest is now tripling its footprint to see out this year and begin 2024. Adelaide Showground will still host the SA stop, this time on Saturday, January 6, 2024 — but Heaps Good will first hit up Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, then Sandstone Point in Brisbane. That's ace news if you live in either city, or plan to be in Victoria or Queensland over the summer. Sydneysiders, it's an excuse for a trip either north or south, too. The Melbourne leg will kick off Heaps Good's three-city, three-state tour in the fest's second year. Need something to do for New Year's Eve? That's now sorted, because that's when the event is coming to town. Sandstone Point in Brisbane gets the nod to usher in 2024, taking place on Tuesday, January 2. Yes, that's all the reason you need to extend your Christmas and New Year break. "The inaugural Heaps Good was such a great day, and we're thrilled to take it on the road to more music lovers around the country over the coming New Year. Heaps Good is all about keeping it simple... single-day shows in convenient locations with great artists and your best mates," said Heaps Good producer Paul Piticco, announcing the fest's new cities. And the lineup? That hasn't been revealed as yet, so watch this space. As well as Arctic Monkeys, Heaps Good's debut fest also featured Peggy Gou, CHVRCHES, Jamie xx, Ocean Alley, Spacey Jane, PinkPantheress, Young Franco, King Stingray, Peach PRC and Ebony Boadu. HEAPS GOOD 2023–24 DATES: Sunday, December 31, 2023 — Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne Tuesday, January 2, 2024 — Sandstone Point, Brisbane Saturday, January 6, 2024 — Adelaide Showground, Adelaide Heaps Good will hit Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide across December 2023–January 2024, with lineup details and ticket sales to come. We'll update you when more details are announced — head to the festival's website for further information in the interim. Images: Dylan Minchenberg.
Macquarie Park will be the site of a huge $2.2 billion residential development — but it's not the high-price high-rise apartment complex that you might have come to expect from Sydney. This new development, which will be partially government funded, will provide a 3000 new homes to Sydneysiders — about 950 of which will provide social housing. A further 128 will be classed as affordable. As part of its Communities Plus project, the NSW Government this week announced the successful tenderers for the Ivanhoe Estate development as the Aspire consortium, which is made up of Mission Australia and developers Frasers Property Australia and Citta Property Group. The consortium will work with the government to develop housing that is affordable and sustainable for those who need it most. "The redevelopment will provide $120 million towards social and community infrastructure and $21 million towards social housing programs within the Ivanhoe estate," said Premier Gladys Berejiklian. "This will see services including tailored and personal plans to connect social housing tenants with education, training and employment." On top of the housing will be a stack of community facilities, including a high school, two childcare centres, an aged care centre, playgrounds, green spaces, gardens and a basketball court. Some commercial interests will be getting a look-in too, with retail shops, a supermarket and cafes all in the plans. Social housing residents will be able to access on-site Mission Australia offices, which will offer social services, including personalised support for tenants and community programs. "Everyone deserves a safe place to call home and everyone who lives in the Ivanhoe community will have the opportunity to fulfil their potential and connect with people in the neighbourhood, as well as having easy access to education, transport, jobs and services in the area," said Mission Australia CEO, Catherine Yeomans. Apart from bringing together people of varied social-economic backgrounds, the development has some pretty weighty sustainability goals. The aim is a six-star Green Star Communities Rating and overall carbon neutrality. To that end, water will be caught and reused, recycled materials will form part of construction, roofs will be green and a photovoltaic system will power a whopping 1.5 megawatts. Ivanhoe Estate — which is located close to Macquarie University and the train station — is part of the government's $22 billion Communities Plus project. Construction is set to start later this year, with the project to be delivered in stages of the next ten to 12 years. It's the first site to be developed; developments in Waterloo, Arncliffe, Telopea and Riverwood are set to follow.
If you wander down to Darling Harbour during Sydney Festival you might catch a glimpse of people dangling precariously from a 19th-century building. However, these daredevils are actually partaking in an optical illusion. Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich allows you to experience the impossible with his interactive work Merchants Store. This delightful work is comprised of a facade lying flat on the ground with a mirror positioned perpendicular, creating the illusion of an upright building. Viewers are free to roam the uncanny architecture, scale the walls or casually lounge inside a window frame for an unmissable photo opportunity. After enjoying success in both Paris and London, this unique public art project invites creative Sydneysiders to defy the laws of gravity. Elrich is a master of 3D optical illusions. His works are visually confounding, creating spaces with unstable boundaries that challenge our understanding of human perception. His practice thrives on the psychological double-take; it is playful and humorous whilst continually provoking the viewer to question what it is we call 'real.' Image by Gar Powell-Evans. Barbican Art Gallery 2013.
The City of Sydney will showcase the 22 best photo entries from their annual Australian Life photography competition from Thursday 15 September. A panel of photographers, artists and curators narrowed down more than a thousand competition entries they received down to the finalists, who are a combination of amateur and professional photographers. All have a shot at winning the overall prize of $10,000, which will be announced on the exhibition's opening night. Afterwards, the images will remain on display until Sunday 9 October in a huge outdoor gallery in Hyde Park as part of Art & About, the City of Sydney's ongoing exhibition of temporary art throughout the city. Images that the entrants captured to represent the essence of Australian life include a double-fronted weatherboard house with several lambs resting on the porch, a truck pushing sand back towards the sea on a secluded beach and, naturally, seagulls stealing chips. Image: Taweechai Iam-Urairat.
Have you spent a lot of time playing mini-golf lately? The popularity of Holey Moley Golf Club would suggest so. Well, here's your chance to make back the money you've spent on 'practising': the inaugural (and, surprisingly, very lucrative) Holey Moley Masters. Holey Moley — which has eight mini-golf clubs across the East Coast, including one in Melbourne, one in Brisbane and two in Sydney — is launching what's set to be the country's biggest ever mini-golf competition. Kicking off with round one on March 28, the tournament will end with the best team from each Holey Moley venue battling it out for national glory and a cool $10k at a Melbourne final. A series of DJ-fuelled competition nights will be held to find the champion team from each Holey Moley course. Then, on April 19, the winners will be flown to Melbourne to represent their states at a huge final celebration, with the winners scoring their own 'Golden Jackets', a home-course party in their honour and, of course, that sweet, sweet cheque. It's all very official for something that is, at its core, a novelty. Nonetheless, it could be an easy way to make some cash. If you want a shot at victory, start working on your golf game and head here to register by March 18.
Future Archaeology, opening just shy of November, is an exciting showcase of work from early and mid-career artists. Future Archaeology pinpoints moments of disruption, taking the somewhat antiquated discipline of archaeology and transforming it into a complex picture of social and political movements throughout Asia and the Middle East. The big themes driving this show are migration, cultural displacement and appropriation. Future Archaeology will present work from Léuli Eshraghi, Nathan Beard, Deanna Hitti, Abdullah M.I. Syed, Andy Mullen, and Claudia Nicholson. Each artist will grapple with a unique sociopolitical phenomenon, whether it is the widespread impact of deforestation in Central America of the fraught concept of masculinity in Pakistan. One of the aims of the exhibition is to rouse cross-cultural and transnational conversation. Image: Claudia Nicholson, Baby I Would Climb the Andes (2014).
The world said goodbye to Amy Winehouse in 2011, but that doesn't mean that the British singer isn't still taking to the stage. The 'Back to Black' and 'Rehab' songstress is the latest celebrity to get the hologram treatment, with a new technologically enhanced performance set to hit the road in 2019 — featuring the late talent crooning her hits accompanied by a live band and on-stage singers. Attendees can expect between 75–110 minutes of Winehouse's music, all thanks to the folks at Base Hologram, who are behind similar shows involving Roy Orbison and Maria Callas. Bringing back dearly departed music icons seems to be their new niche, in a trend that just keeps gathering steam since the Tupac hologram back at Coachella in 2012. Base Hologram states that the Winehouse show will utilise "new state-of-the-art proprietary technology" and feature "digitally remastered arrangements of her classics" as well as "theatrical stagecraft". Exactly where the production will be headed has yet to be revealed, although it's expected to launch towards the end of 2019. The Guardian also reports that the the tour will raise money and awareness for the Amy Winehouse Foundation. Via The Guardian. Image: Rama via Wikimedia Commons.
Fresh flowers. Just-baked cakes. The air just after a storm. Newly brewed coffee. They're all distinctive scents that not only smell nice, but conjure up warm and fuzzy feelings. And if you find that the odour of cracking open a new computer or gadget from a certain popular brand evokes the same kind of reaction, then you're going to want to order a Mac-scented candle. Replicating the smell of a brand new Mac, the hand-poured candles clearly answer an the age-old question: "what do you get the Apple fan who has everything?". They're made from 100% soy wax, cost US$24, and also conjure notes of mint, peach, basil, lavender, mandarin and sage. We have to say, if that's what you're sniffing out when you open your new laptop, you must have super olfactory capabilities. Sure, it sounds like something out of a Seinfeld episode, were the hit sitcom still airing — or a gag one of the many modern-oriented Twitter parody accounts of the show might come up with; however it really isn't a joke. Mac accessories company Twelve South has added the item to their store, alongside their usual lineup of docks, stands, covers, shelves, bass boosters, plug converters and keyboard extenders (you know, the standard computer, tablet and phone gizmos). One US Mac hosting solution outfit put the candles to the test, and decreed that they do indeed emit the apparently much-sought-after "new Mac smell". There must be a fair number of folks looking to fill their home with that particular scent, because the range has already sold out. Don't worry, Mac sniffers: more will be in stock at the end of the month. Via Fast Company.
Sydney's ride-sharing game is about to get a whole lot more competitive, as Estonian company Taxify launches its own rival service, rolling out across the city from 10am today. The fast-growing company announced in October plans to kick-start an Aussie roll-out before the end of the year, having already launched in about 30 other countries worldwide. Now boasting the title of Europe's largest ride-sharing platform, Taxify is all set to hit the streets of Sydney this morning, with plans for a Melbourne launch just weeks away. How do they plan on luring you away from Uber, you ask? Well, to celebrate its arrival in Sydney, Taxify is offering 50 percent off all rides for at least this first month of operation, promising to save you plenty of coin across this party season. Even after the launch period, Uber faces some pretty stiff competition, with Taxify insisting its regular prices will be at least 5 percent cheaper than that of its main rival. While many competitors are charging 20-30 percent commission, Taxify works on a commission of just 15 percent, which is sure to be a drawcard for drivers. It claims over 4000 Sydney drivers have already registered with the platform. "Drivers can expect to earn more when driving with Taxify, and riders can expect to save money at the same time," Australia Country Manager for Taxify Samuel Raciti said. "Our focus as a company has always been providing our drivers with higher revenue-per-ride, as we're firm in our belief that happy drivers means happy riders." The Taxify app is available now on iOS and Android. Jump on board from 10am today, Tuesday, December 12.
As if it wasn't stressful enough to get a ticket to Splendour, this morning potential festivalgoers were faced with an A-grade nightmare on ticketing provider Moshtix involving price glitches and what appeared to be an outside hack. After dutifully logging on at 9am to fight the virtual queues, many punters were led astray by a rogue link advertising tickets at a 50 percent discount. After providing details to finish the purchase, they were met with credit card fees upwards of $3,000. As Moshtix users began to flood the Splendour social media accounts, representatives became aware of the glitch and responded on Twitter in an appropriately panicked fashion. High credit card fees happening on invalid 50% off tickets - DO NOT PURCHASE THESE 50% OFF TICKETS! — SplendourintheGrass (@SITG) May 1, 2014 However there were numerous reports of the exorbitant fees occurring on full-priced tickets too. While some users powered on with the purchase either not seeing the price hike or being blinded with SITG ticket lust, most sensibly cancelled the purchase and attempted to restart the process. Unfortunately — because it's Splendour — by this point the ticket allocation was completely exhausted. Cue bouts of justified internet outrage and quiet weeping. Moshtix owner Harley Evans released a statement soon afterward saying anyone who bought tickets at the increased prices will still be eligible for tickets. "All of these affected orders will be cancelled today, and customers contacted to allow them to purchase at the correct prices," it read. However such actions don't accommodate those who backed out of the purchase and many are calling for an (incredibly unlikely) resale. Though the cause of the glitch is currently under investigation, many claim it could be a hack associated with infamous narcotics website Silk Road. While completing purchases many users cited suspicious links associated with the website, one of which even read 'mosh+hack'. .@moshtix_com_au hacked? Defaced w/ silkroad links, reports of strange credit card fees appearing. Now HTTP 503 #SITG pic.twitter.com/PGvAnsiZ3J — %256x%n (@justinsteven) May 1, 2014 The good news is, Moshtix have confirmed that no credit card information has been compromised during the ordeal so no need to rush off and cancel your cards if you got duped. The bad news is literally everything else. If you somehow got tickets, all your friends will now seethe at you. If you forgot tickets went on sale, it's too late — you will never get to sing 'Hey Ya!' with Outkast. And, if you were affected by the 'technical difficulties' this morning, you can look forward to a wonderfully entertaining complaint line over at their ticket support site.
It's insanely difficult to say no to free pastries at the best of times, but it's impossible when Loulou Bistro, Boulangerie & Traiteur is giving them away. To celebrate the launch of a new sister store, Petit Loulou in Martin Place, the French pastry connoisseurs are hosting a five-day free croissant giveaway, ensuring visitors and lucky passersby experience the taste of Paris in Sydney's CBD. Available from February 10–14, every coffee purchase comes with a free, freshly baked croissant (limited to one per person). It's good news for early risers too, as the offer starts every day at 6.30am and runs until sold out. Plus, each day of the giveaway is focused on a new flavour, so you have the chance to savour a variety of authentic French pastries over the week. On the agenda is Loulou's signature croissant, pain au chocolate, pain suisse and a special Valentine's Day treat. We don't know about you, but we think there are few better ways to start the day than with a flaky, buttery treat.
Any self-respecting Melbourne foodie has knelt at the food altar that is Chin Chin. Kneeling being an appropriate action because, before being granted access, one invariably has to wait in a one or two-hour-long queue. With an infamous no-bookings policy, this is one culinary sanctum where you must first prove your devotion. Now, after unmitigated success in Melbourne, Chin Chin is taking its brand of worshipped, jazzed-up Thai food to Sydneysiders. Chin Chin's owner, Chris Lucas, has locked the restaurant in to a spot at the Sydney Night Noodle Markets in October this year, but he's also looking at possible permanent locations. "The CBD is one of our preferences," he said. "We've [seen sites in] Surry Hills, and looked at Bondi as well. Ideally, we'd like to open next year. We don't want to be too big. If we could have a Chin Chin in Sydney and one in Brisbane, we'd be more than happy." With a menu inspired by Asian hawker-style cuisine, Chin Chin comes from the same breed of restaurant as Sam Christie's Longrain. The large menu is characterised by ornate dishes, bold flavours and quality cocktails to accompany your meal. There's a big focus on communal dishes too which ensures you get to try a smorgasbord of Thai treats (if you bring enough obliging friends). Though much of the planning is still up in the air, Lucas hopes to confirm a new location during his visit this October and is very optimistic about the restaurant's reception. "One of our largest customer bases is from Sydney," he said. No word yet on what their bookings policy will be, but your best bet will be to start lining up now. Via Good Food.
Think you've seen it all when it comes to wedding fairs? Think again — this one's a little less about the dress and a little more suited for, well, suits. Groom Fest will unite around 40 wedding vendors from all over Australia to concentrate on those who need a snappy three-piece suit and a pocket square to top it all off — the grooms of the world. There'll be much to see in the way of men's fashion, not to mention suiting, styling and grooming advice, with a barber setting up shop to do live hairstyling demonstrations. Model and rugby player Luke Casey will play MC for the day, while you wander through the stalls and get that special day sorted. To help you sail even closer to being your smoothest self, live panel sessions will cover everything from delivering a killer wedding speech to nailing that daunting first dance. There'll be plenty of food and drinks on offer, including gin tastings from distillery Archie Rose and live music performances from The White Tree Band (to help settle that band-versus-DJ argument once and for all). The event is open to all (not just grooms), so round up the troops for a two-hour wedding planning power session. All attendees will score a free goodie bag filled with items from Hunter Lab, a free Hello May magazine and the official Pocket Groom's Guide, written and produced exclusively for the event. Groom Fest will take place from 7.30–9.30pm on Thursday, March 28 at The Standard Bowl. Entry is free but RSVPs are essential — and you can add a donation to Movember at check-out if you wish. To reserve your ticket, head this way. Images: The White Tree.
Everyone loves travelling overseas. No one loves the actual travel part. From airport queues to uncomfortable plane seats to lost baggage, getting from A to B is the ordeal you have to endure before the fun begins. Enter Elon Musk, and a plan to change that. In Adelaide for the International Astronautical Conference, the South African entrepreneur advised that he foresees next-generation spacecraft not only ferrying people beyond the earth, but across it as well. With his SpaceX company currently readying a rocket-powered trip around the moon in 2018, and preparing to head to Mars in 2022 and 2024, he wants to be able to use the same types of vessels to journey between continents. It all hinges upon the BFR — or "Big Fucking Rocket" — that's currently in development, and is being designed for multiple uses. Musk said that he envisions the system taking both crew and cargo into space, and then helping folks hop around the globe at 27,000 kilometres per hour. In an Instagram post after his speech, he explained that it would take 30 minutes to fly to most places and 60 minutes at most — all for the same full-fare price as current economy airline tickets. https://www.instagram.com/p/BZnVfWxgdLe/?hl=en&taken-by=elonmusk As futuristic as it might sound now, if anyone can make it a reality, it's probably Musk. He has already promised to revolutionise journeying between cities and across continents thanks to his Hyperloop system, a high-speed vacuum transport setup that'll never stop sounding like a sci-fi movie come to life. And, in preparation for SpaceX's rocket jaunts, he has also sent a zero gravity espresso machine to space. Travel and caffeine go hand-in-hand, after all. Via the ABC / Dezeen. Image: SpaceX.
Just about everyone has a friend or relative who would describe themselves as a "struggling artist". For this most beleaguered of professions, the frustrations of the world's most competitive and highly lucrative industry often turns "struggling artists" into "failed artists". Pippin Barr, one such dejected artist, has found a most unusual way of channelling his grievances and disillusionment with the art world: a part-personal, part-satirical, and entirely addictive online video game, Art Game. The monochromatic, 8-bit game takes place in the cutthroat, dog-eat-dog world of the New York City visual art scene. Players choose between three contemporary artists as their avatar: minimalist painter Cicero Sassoon (with his reference-heavy name), Russian sculptor Alexandra Tertanov, and video artists William Edge and Susan Needle. Within a style of gameplay modelled on the classic video games of Snake, Tetris, and Space Invaders, your task is then to create a piece of art worthy of display in an upcoming show at New York's legendary Museum of Modern Art. Your path to artistic glory is a far from smooth one, however, as before you can have your work showcased you must get past the deliciously snooty MoMA curator. The curator's selection of which of your artworks (if any) make the cut seems to be based on a fairly arbitrary and even random set of criteria, in a quite pointed dig at how "good art" is selected and endorsed within the art scene, with decisions handed down in a series of cliche-enriched tirades (another beautiful touch from Barr). The game is filled to the brim with knowing references to the art scene, from the inane chatter of the MoMA visitors to the stereotypical studio apartments of the artists. It is these details that transform the game from not simply being a form of light-hearted procrastination but also a very clever and totally unique piece of satire. The surprisingly heartbreaking experience of being told that your work is not up to scratch provides a fresh understanding of just how brutal and controlled the art scene can be. To see if you have what it takes to be counted amongst New York's artistic elite, click here to play Art Game. Via Hyperallergic.
If holidaying at sea sounds like your kind of vacation, then cruise ships boast plenty of attractions, including scenic journeys across the ocean, buffet meals, booze and a plethora of spots to laze by — or in — a pool. But there's one thing they haven't featured until now: onboard roller coasters. That's about to change thanks to one cruise ship company. Come 2020, Carnival Cruise Line will debut its Mardi Gras vessel, which will include a 240-metre electric roller coaster called Bolt. The ride will soar nearly 60 metres above sea level, using a two-rider, motorcycle-style vehicle. And, it'll navigate twists, turns and drops at speeds of almost 65 kilometres per hour. Basically, the vessel upgrades cruise ships from floating resorts to floating theme parks — so if you've ever visited Luna Park, Dreamworld or Funfields and wished that all of their attractions were on a boat, now you're in luck. If you're keen on the idea but not so fond of the zooming speed, you'll be pleased to know that the latter is adjustable. No matter how fast you choose to go, you'll have your photo taken mid-ride like on most coasters. Named after the cruise line's first ever ship from back in 1972, the 5200-passenger Mardi Gras will be based out of Port Canaveral in Florida — and just where the vessel's itinerary will take it, and how much a trip will cost, has all yet to be revealed. The company also has two other ships with SkyRide attractions, which involve pedalling around a suspended course in a go-mobile, as well as liners with water slides and aerial ropes courses. For more information, visit the Carnival Cruise Line website. Image: Carnival Cruise Line.
If your 2021 plans could use a little colour and liveliness from one of the best artists that ever lived, you're in luck — because the Art Gallery of NSW is delivering exactly that as part of its newly announced 2021 program. For four months from November 2021–March 2022, the Sydney venue will host the huge Matisse: Life & Spirit, Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou, Paris exhibition. It'll feature more than 100 of Henri Matisse's pieces spanning six decades of his artistry, it's only heading to Sydney and it'll mark the greatest single exhibition of his masterworks that's ever graced the NSW capital. Whether you're keen on Matisse's early efforts, including from his Fauvist phase, or you're more fascinated with how his talents progressed over his considerable career, you'll see something suiting your interests on display — with the exhibition running from November 22, 2021–March 13, 2022. Standouts include Le Luxe I 1907, if you're after one of his first pieces; Decorative figure on an ornamental ground 1925, from the middle of his career; and The sorrow of the king 1952, a self-portrait. If it all sounds a bit familiar, that's because it was originally due to happen in 2020 as part of AGNSW's Sydney International Art Series, but was postponed for obvious reasons. 2021 is now shaping up to be a great year for Australians to see European masterpieces, with Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art and the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra also showcasing works from the region — but only AGNSW will solely focus on Matisse. As well as Matisse's paintings, sculptures and cut-outs — all from the Centre Pompidou in Paris, which boasts quite the collection — AGNSW will also be hosting Matisse Alive, which'll reflect upon Matisse in a modern context. The gallery-wide event will kick off in October 2021, letting art lovers indulge in a free festival of Matisse. Think: art, music, performances and dance, all delving into his life, his creations and how his works have inspired artists today. Textile environments, huge paintings and video works are all on the lineup, including by artists such as Nina Chanel Abney, Sally Smart, Angela Tiatia and Robin White. [caption id="attachment_794669" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Henri Matisse. 'Blue nude II (Nu bleu II)' 1952. Gouache on paper, cut and pasted, on white paper, mounted on canvas, 116.2 x 88.9 cmCentre Pompidou. Musée national d'art moderne AM1984-276. Photo © Service de la documentation photographique du MNAM Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI /Dist RMN-GP. © Succession H Matisse/Copyright Agency.[/caption] Obviously, AGNSW won't be empty for the rest of the year, before all things Matisse hit. Back in mid-2020, it revealed its blockbuster summer 2020–21 exhibitions, so you might already be familiar with Streeton, Pat Larter: Get Axed, Archie Plus, Khaled Sabsabi: A Promise, Real Worlds: Dobell Australian Drawing Biennale 2020 and Joy. Joining them on the full 2021 agenda: the also previously postponed Margel Hinder and The Purple House exhibitions; the food focused The Way We Eat; and Brett Whiteley: Printmaker, featuring Whiteley's lithographs, etchings, linocuts and silkscreen prints. Or, you can scope out Longing for Home, which'll feature works by six Aboriginal artists; and The National 2021: New Australian Art, which will hero pieces from 39 emerging, mid-career and established Australian artists. [caption id="attachment_789423" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Installation view of the 'Streeton' exhibition at Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. Photo: Jenni Carter, AGNSW.[/caption] And yes, after 2020's delays, the Archibald, Wynne and Suleman Prizes are back as well, with the corresponding exhibition displaying from June–September 2021. There's an added bonus, too, with AGNSW also hosting a 100-year-anniversary look at the Archibald. Matisse: Life & Spirit, Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou, Paris will display at the Art Gallery of NSW, in Sydney, from November 22, 2021–March 13, 2022. Matisse Alive will run from October 2021–2. For more information — including about AGNSW's full 2021 lineup — visit the Art Gallery of NSW website. Top images: Sally Smart. 'The choreography of cutting' 2017. © Sally Smart. Photo: Fajar Riyanto, installation view OFCA, Yogyakarta. Henri Matisse. 'The sorrow of the king (La tristesse du roi)' 1952. Gouache on paper, cut and pasted, mounted on canvas, 292 x 386 cm. Centre Pompidou. Musée national d'art moderne AM3279P. Photo © Philippe Migeat - Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI /Dist RMN-GP. © Succession H Matisse/Copyright Agency. Nina Chanel Abney. 'Seized the Imagination', Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, New York, 9 November 9 – 20 December 20, 2017. © Nina Chanel Abney. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.
Playing with light and meticulously showing attention to detail are the biggest lessons to learn from this year's Australian Interior Design Awards. Entering its 11th year as one of Australia's premier design events, the Design Institute of Australia-backed awards handed their highest hospitality accolades to Melbourne's light-filled coffee roasters and Penfolds' stunning flagship outside of Adelaide. Competition was fierce for the Hospitality Design award, with commendations given to Melbourne's Chinese spot Ruyi and Canberra's sleek bakery bar A. Baker. Among the 31 shortlisted entrants were Woolloomooloo's Riley Street Garage, Surry Hills' Single Origin Roasters, Brunswick warehouse venue Howler, rustic Manly spot Donny's Bar, Prahran's Japanese gem Mr Miyagi, the new Sydney CBD chapter of The Local Bar, Bondi's groundbreaking Sensory Lab, buzzing live music venue Newtown Social Club, Degraves St's elegant cafe The Quarter, Southbank Japanese restaurant Gochi and more new additions to the Australian bar and restaurant family. But there can only be two top dogs. Taking out the award for Hospitality Design, Fitzroy's Industry Beans was applauded for turning a factory shell into a light-filled, timber-clad cafe and specialty coffee roastery. "The use of the ubiquitous timber pallet creates a strong and defined interior," said the jury citation. "The pallets give the cafe an overall industrial aesthetic and add a surprising amount of warmth to the design." Use of light won the jury over in the end, with winning design firm Figure Ground Architecture's louvres letting in the final votes for the top spot. "The quality of light in what could have been a dark and dreary space shows a consideration of the connection between the interior and the exterior," said the jury. "The designers have exhibited a simple and clear concept that has realized the interior’s true potential while weaving it into surrounding street life." South Australia's Penfolds' flagship Magill Estate Restaurant took out the restaurant top spot in the Hospitality Design category, with the jury applauding Melbourne-based archtiect Pascale Gomes-McNabb's All Boxes Ticked finish. "Beautiful lighting, sophisticated use of colour and a thoughtful composition of elements create a delightful and intriguing interior at Penfolds Magill Estate Restaurant," said the jury, praising Gomes-McNabb's attention to detail, custom furniture and bespoke glass lighting. "The designer has tailored shapes and forms specifically to the space, creating a refreshing take on a winery restaurant." Co-presented by the Design Institute of Australia, designEX and Artichoke magazine, this year's awards saw more than 400 projects entered; increasing the entrants by 11 per cent from last year. Event manager Jacinta Reedy told The Australian that back to basics was highly favoured this year. “The jury recognised in these projects’ new directions in interior design, including clever use of raw materials, a love of simplicity and restrained approach to design,” she said. Check out the rest of the Australian Interior Design Awards winners over here.
Next time that you grab a drink in Melbourne or Sydney, you might want to get sipping at one of the globe's top watering holes. Those must-visit spots: Melbourne's Caretaker's Cottage and Sydney's Re, which just nabbed rankings in 2022 version of The World's 50 Best Bars extended 51–100 list. Each year, The World's 50 Best Bars does exactly what its name says, picking the best 50 bars on the planet — and 2022's top 50 will be announced on Tuesday, October 4 in Barcelona. But why stop at 50? This ranking doesn't, despite its moniker. That's where the longlist comes in, throwing some love at the next 50 venues worth checking out. [caption id="attachment_871415" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Caretaker's Cottage[/caption] Little Lonsdale Street's Caretaker's Cottage came in at 60th spot, and marked its first year in the list — while Re, Matt Whiley (Scout) and Maurice Terzini's low-waste bar in South Eveleigh, took out 87th position. For the latter, it marks a slip from 46th place in 2021, after opening last year. Caretaker's Cottage and Re are the only Australian bars to make the cut so far — sorry, folks in Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and the rest of the country — with the 51–100 list including tipple-serving spots from 32 different cities in 25 countries, complete with 15 new entries scoring a place. The location with the most must-visit bars in this secondary rundown? Singapore, with eight; however, spots chosen elsewhere include bars in first-timers Kraków, Bratislava, Manchester, Playa Del Carmen and Bogotá as well. [caption id="attachment_871414" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Re[/caption] When the full list drops — being announced outside of London for the first time — here's hoping that Australia is well-represented. In 2021, Sydney's Maybe Sammy took out 22nd place, with The Rocks' venue making the top 50 list for the third year in a row. Fellow Sydneysider Cantina OK! came in at number 23 last year, Melbourne's Above Board earned a spot at number 44 and the aforementioned Re placed, too. In 2021's longlist, Melbourne's Byrdi nabbed 56th spot. Watch this space — we'll run through the winners of the World's 50 Best Bars 2022 list when they're announced next week. [caption id="attachment_871416" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Re[/caption] And yes, if you choose where to drink and eat based on these kinds of rankings, you've got a few spots to visit. So far this year, Melbourne's Gimlet at Cavendish House made The World's Top 100 Restaurant longlist for 2022, while Sydney's Josh Niland placed in 78th spot at The Best Chef Awards 2022. For the full 51–100 list of the World's 50 Best Bars for 2022 (and past years' lists), see the website. The top 50 rankings will be revealed from 8.15pm GMT on Tuesday, October 4 via Facebook and YouTube.
It seems The Cliff Dive owners Alex Dowd, Jeremy Blackmore and Russell Martin have watched us scrape the bottom of too many peanut, popcorn and pretzel bowls at sibling joints Shady Pines, The Baxter Inn and Tio's; they're giving us an expanded food offering with something more substantial for our evening feed. Introducing Yurippi, TCD's South-East Asian island experiment. The owners have hired chef 'Honky' to lead the culinary charge with sweet, sour and spicy flavours combined on more skewers than you can probably handle. Aiming to attract an early evening crowd (kind of necessary given the lockout laws' restrictions on late night), Yurippi will offer signature skewers like wild ginger beef, turmeric lemongrass pork and confit chilli octopus either by themselves or with a healthy dose of vegetables and pandan coconut rice. Yurippi heralds an expanded drink selection too, and new ceramics (if your Tinder date likes that kind of thing) with Michael Chiem (ex Sokyo, Black and Bulletin Place) slipping into the role of the drinks creative director. If you're salivating all over your keyboard at this point, good news: Yurippi has already started searing skewers with good intent to "fill the belly and soothe the soul", as Blackmore prophesises. Yuripee is open now and accepting bookings of ten or more people, Wednesday to Saturday, from 6pm at The Cliff Dive, 16-18 Oxford Square, Oxford Street, Darlinghurst.
Kicking off on June 8, two of Australia's favourite independent bands, Founds and Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire!, will be joining forces for the Gemini Tour — six dates with stops in the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne, and Adelaide. Eclectic, intimate, and hypnotic, Brisbane darlings Founds recently signed a deal with Inertia Records and are hard at work on their debut album, Hadean. With an energy in their spectacular and highly visual live show that's seen them compared to Mogwai, Bjork, and Enya, the sextet are not to be missed. Hard at work on their second album, the follow-up to 2010's Sea Priest, with renowned Welsh producer Gareth Parton (Foals), indie five-piece Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! Have toured in the past with acts like Band of Skulls and British Sea Power.
Keeping plants alive is a struggle many of us have experienced — we get swept up in decorating our homes with beautiful greenery, only to find it looking sad and withered a week or two later. Luckily, Forest Life is coming to the rescue by opening Sydney's first terrarium nursery, where you'll be able to stock up on a range of terrarium plants, which, reassuringly, require minimal maintenance. Despite having been founded 18 months ago, this is the first time Forest Life will open its doors to the public, with the official launch of the Terrarium World Nursery set to take place on April 22 and 23 at their Annangrove location. There will be plenty of plants, soil mixes and decorative pieces available to purchase, as well as vegan and vegetarian eats supplied by Mama Linh's. Terrarium enthusiasts will want to get in quick — the Facebook event page has been inundated with expressions of interest. The Terrarium World Nursery Opening Weekend will take place on Saturday, April 22 from 10am to 4pm and Sunday, April 23 from 10am to 3pm.
In the 18 years that Gelato Messina has been in business, over 4000 special flavours have made their way through its 20 gelato cabinets around the country. To celebrate some of these oldies but goodies, Messina is dedicating an entire week to its top 40 greatest hits. From June 5–11, lucky Sydneysiders, Melburnians and Brisbanites will be able to treat themselves to an entire freezer-full of limited-edition gelato flavours. While last year's greatest hits were a buy-in-shop-only deal, this year it's all preordered tubs — so you don't have to worry about long queues and empty cabinets. You can preorder 500-millilitre tubs of the 40 flavours (we'll get to those in a minute) from 1pm on Thursday, May 21 and pick up from Sydney's Rosebery, Tramsheds, Bondi and Darlinghurst stores, Melbourne's Fitzroy store and Brisbane's South Brisbane store between the aforementioned dates. Individual tubs can be filled with just one flavour and will set you back $16, or you can get three for $45, six for $85, nine for $125 or — if you have the freezer space — 20 for $260. Now, we'll get to what you're all waiting for: the flavours. Jon Snow (white chocolate gelato with dark chocolate mud cake and almond praline), Fairy Bread (toast and butter gelato with 100s & 1000s), Mango Pancake (mango gelato with vanilla cream and pancake crunch), Old Gregg (Baileys and butterscotch sauce) and the Robert Brownie Jnr (milk chocolate gelato, chocolate brownie and chocolate fudge sauce) are all on the lineup. https://www.instagram.com/p/CAMtFiqA7Mp/ You've got two days to make a list of your favourites before preorders open, so we suggest you start making some hard decisions ASAP. Here's the full lineup: MESSINA'S 40 GREATEST HITS Fairy Bread Montgomery's Goldmine Triple Whammy Super Duper Dulce de Leche Hodor Twixed Gorgeous Dave True Romance Derelicte Cremino Old Gregg The Voicemail Have a Gay Old Time Lady of Winterfell Jon Snow The Hat Trick Drop It Like White Choc Mr Potato Head The Maltster Pavlova Super Flan Number Two Sticken To Me Date NYC Plus Milomiso Robert Brownie Jr Iron Born Just Like a Milkshake Musk Finger Bun Peach Bellini Baklava Oreogasm Duke of Earl The Boss's Wife Mango Pancake Messina's Momofukup Red Velvet Molto Bueno Alfajores Gelato Messina's Greatest Hits are available to preorder from 1pm on Thursday, May 21 with pick up between Friday, June 5 and Thursday, June 11 from Sydney's Rosebery, Tramsheds, Bondi and Darlinghurst stores; Melbourne's Fitzroy store; and Brisbane's South Brisbane store.
No plans for Valentine's Day and no interest in making any? You're in luck. Go about your usual business next Thursday — that is, as far as humanly possible away from red roses, schmultzy songs and pashing pairs — and you could still be in for a nice little surprise. That's because Penguin Random House is planning on helping you to escape — by setting you up with a book, instead of a person. After all, books can't talk back and, if they end up being not what you thought they were, you can always put them back on the shelf. Said books will be dropped in bundles on trains and street libraries all over Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Darwin and Launceston this Valentine's Day. The books will be wrapped in nondescript orange paper so there's no way of knowing if you've picked up a new release or a modern classic. The idea is to do away with pre-conceived ideas, promoted by particular genres, authors and cover art. The publishing house is scattering the books in partnership with Street Libraries Australia, Sydney, and Books on the Rail, which launched in Melbourne in early 2016 and regularly circulates books on Melbourne's public transport. If you find one, take it home and read it — just remember to pop it back on the train when you're done.
After the Sydney Opera House replaced its Festival of Dangerous Ideas with Antidote last year, we didn't think we'd see it again. But the festival is about to rear its head for its ninth iteration, this time trading in its Bennelong Point digs for a space at Cockatoo Island. Co-founded by The Ethics Centre (TEC) and the Sydney Opera House back in 2009, FODI 2018 won't just have a new venue, but a new partner as well — teaming up with the UNSW Centre for Ideas for the first time. But the concept will remain the same, again bringing together thought leaders and creative thinkers for a weekend of critical discussion around the most important global issues of today. This year's festival, curated by Festival Director Danielle Harvey and UNSW Centre for Ideas Director Ann Mossop, will examine the theme of Trust and Truth, and will aim to incite debate, push boundaries and inspire intellectual freedom. And it has some big names on its bill. Stephen Fry — the Englishman with many hats: writer, comedian, actor, activist — will be holding a talk on the art of furious oration at Sydney Town Hall, entitled The Hitch after the festival's inaugural speaker: the controversial author and critic Christopher Hitchens. On the topic of controversy, activist Megan Phelps-Roper will be taking the stage to discuss her time at the Westboro Baptist Church. The festival's international lineup also includes Israeli-American writer Ayelet Waldman discussing the benefits of microdosing LSD, and Angela Nagle, author of Kill All Normies, exploring the culture clash between the alt-right and the left. Locally, feminist and author Germaine Greer, who's latest novel On Rape just hit the stands, will chat about outrage, while activist Mick Dodson argues the existence of modern-day European colonialism. A heap of thought-provoking panels are also on the program, including discussions on sex robots, the Australian media, nationalism and whether or not inequality is always bad. Those wanting to experience something a bit different can head to a part monologue, part striptease with artist Betty Grumble — called Sex Clowns Save the World — philosophy workshops and a Counterstrike LAN party (basically, a gaming party), where an electronic sculpture shoots "blood" at gamers. As this year's festival is located on an island, you'll need to catch a ferry across to the insightful talks. Thankfully, festival passes include ferry transport to Cockatoo Island — and start at $89. The 2018 Festival of Dangerous Ideas is coming to Cockatoo Island, with Stephen Fry's The Hitch taking place at Sydney Town Hall, on November 3 and 4. Tickets will go on sale at midday, Tuesday, September 4. You can buy tickets and check out the full lineup at festivalofdangerousideas.com. Images: Yaya Stempler
If you thought Africa's first underwater hotel room was impressive, how about an upgrade? For an additional US$283,500, you can stay in your very own submarine hotel. Titled 'Lovers Deep', it's the latest offering from luxury travel company Oliver's Travels, whose motto is 'Why Do Ordinary?' Indeed. Why put up with terrestrial limitations, when you could be floating 650 feet deep off a Caribbean island of your choice? Making demands on a dedicated butler? Performing ablutions in company in a dual shower? Watching schools of fish swim by while eating their aphrodisiac friends? You can ask Oliver’s to customise an overnight package according to your desires. Options include sunset beach walks, a petal-scattering service, champagne breakfasts-in-bed and fine dining feasts involving caviar, oysters and chocolate fondant. "All of our hand-picked, luxury properties have something unique and quirky about them," says Oliver Bell, the company's co-founder. "But Lovers Deep really stands out as one of our quirkiest yet." Oliver’s, a UK-based company, specialises in highly unusual, once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences. Their stable includes remote, romantic lighthouses, abandoned windmills-turned-hotels, French chateaus and British country mansions surrounded by rolling hills. Via PSFK.
Since hitting Broadway five years ago, notching up 11 Tony Awards, nabbing the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and just becoming an all-round pop culture phenomenon, Hamilton was always going to make the leap to cinemas. So, it's no wonder Disney leapt at the opportunity. The Mouse House was originally meant to bring Lin-Manuel Miranda's historical hip hop musical to cinemas in October 2021 — via a filmed version of the stage production, rather than a traditional stage-to-screen adaptation — but it's doing us all a solid in these rough times and fast tracking it to streaming. And it lands this winter. Hamilton fans around the world will be able to watch the filmed version of the original Broadway production on Disney+ from July 3 (the day before Independence Day in the US). That's a whole 15 months ahead of schedule. Shot at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway back in 2016, this cinematic screening of Hamilton is still a big deal. Actually, given the fact that it features the original Broadway cast — including Miranda in the eponymous role — it's a huge deal. Everyone who missed out on the opportunity to see tale of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton live as it toured the US or on London's West End will be able to do the next best thing, with Hamilton jumping on the popular trend of screening filmed versions of plays and musicals in cinemas. In addition to Miranda — who stars, and wrote the musical's music, lyrics and book — this filmed version of the production features Daveed Diggs (Velvet Buzzsaw) as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, Leslie Odom Jr. (Murder on the Orient Express) as Aaron Burr, Christopher Jackson (When They See Us) as George Washington, Jonathan Groff (Mindhunter) as King George, Renee Elise Goldsberry (The House with a Clock in Its Walls) as Angelica Schuyler and Phillipa Soo (the Broadway version of Amelie) as Eliza Hamilton. Once you've watched the small-screen version, you can get excited about seeing the stage production, too, as it's finally set to arrive in Australia in March 2021. Under the circumstances — and with international travel still banned for the foreseeable future — it's possible that this could be delayed, though. Hamilton is just the latest film to be fast-tracked to streaming, with other big-name flicks, such as Birds of Prey, The Invisible Man and Disney's Onward, also hitting small screens ahead of schedule. You can check out 12 of our favourites over here. While you're eagerly awaiting Hamilton to hit Disney+, you can watch (and rewatch) the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSCKfXpAGHc Hamilton will hit Disney+ globally on July 3, 2020. Updated June 22, 2020.
After screenwriter and TV showrunner Damon Lindelof played a pivotal part in bring Lost to screens, but before he revived Watchmen as a phenomenal miniseries, he was behind HBO's The Leftovers. Based on Tom Perrotta's 2011 book of the same title, the applauded show only ran for three seasons; however, it has been a constant topic of conversation since its 2014 premiere for good reason — namely, because it is thought-provoking, absorbing, exceptionally acted and, well, just excellent. The Leftovers is also grim, too. Starring Justin Theroux, Carrie Coon, Liv Tyler and Christopher Eccleston, it follows the aftermath of a world-changing event, with two percent of the planet's population disappearing in an incident known as 'the sudden departure'. That's 140 million people gone without a trace, and it has quite the impact — including on Kevin Garvey (Theroux), a small-town chief of police. And, while plenty happens in the show that makes it a must-see, the fact that much of its third season takes place in Victoria is a definite point of interest.
Messinaville, aka Messina's Marrickville HQ, is ground zero for all things gelato. Still, its in-house restaurant and wine bar, Erin, takes a slightly more savoury approach, serving farm-to-table dishes using ingredients produced on its regenerative Erindale farm. For the next instalment of its monthly Meet the Winemaker series, the crew is leaning into this holistic perspective, hosting Joel and Pierre from the innovative natty-wine shop DRNKS alongside Daniele Piccinin, a respected natural winemaker swinging through Australia far from his agrarian homebase of Veneto, Italy. Taking a leading role in Italy's natural wine movement, Piccinin's office of choice is Muni — a seven-hectare, calcareous vineyard perched on a verdant hillside. Specialising in durella, pinot nero and chardonnay, each bottle brims with organic and biodynamic methods, showing how winemaking doesn't have to disrupt the earth. From 6.30pm on Thursday, November 20, guests can savour a flight of five Piccinin wines for $20, accompanied by an optional food pairing specially created for the event. Plus, DJs will be spinning tunes in Messinaville's spritz garden, while the full à la carte dining menu is ready and waiting should you feel the need to indulge even further.
Introducing Sketch Chair, a project from London and Lisbon's design studio Diatom. Sketch Chair is a software program allowing anyone and everyone to design their own chairs, regardless of how design-savvy they may be. The program uses a 2-D drawing interface that incorporates a physics engine which automatically tests the stability of a creator's design. Users can even simulate sitting in the chair with a customised virtual version of themselves to guarantee the highest level of comfort. Once a chair design is completed, a cutting pattern for the pieces of the chair is sent to the digital fabrication machine. The parts of the chair are then created and delivered so users can assemble their designs on their own as well. All custom designs come in lightweight but sturdy pieces that are easy to assemble - no glue required. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Q36rJMjM1OU
Remix masters and synchronised dance machines Metronomy have expanded from a 3 piece to 4 since they graced our shores in January, wowing audiences with their candy-pop meets quirky-dance electro for the Sydney Festival.You may remember late last year their hits Hearbreaker and Thing For Me being a staple at any party or club with off-centre faux-fem vocals over the top of cheesey slap bass bounce. They have a new EP coming out late September entitled Not Made For Love which has new tracks and remixes that we should hear when they are back here for the Parklife festival and a smattering of club shows on the side.Since the departure of lanky bass man Gabriel Stebbing (who will be missed for his campy charismatic style) the lineup has incorporated more live instrumentation (including live drums) and less loops; a more dynamic ship for the falsetto croon and songs of main man Joseph Mount. They were really impressive in January and hopefully with the addition of new members and maybe some new dance moves they will be just as much fun. Opening is Danimals, a side project of one of the members of Sydney band Sherlock’s Daughter and Sleater Brockman.Radio Ladio - 2009 version
Returning to Australia with all the flair of a growling octogenarian swirling a glass of wine in one hand, the brilliantly manic Dylan Moran has announced his brand new comedy tour Off the Hook will be stopping at 12 locations across the country this July to August. The Irish comedian, who won our hearts as the creator and star of Black Books, is celebrated across the globe for his brilliant brand of rambling, brutally sharp stand-up comedy. Though you may hear Moran most frequently described as "curmudgeonly", the charm and intelligence of his manic comedy are hypnotic as he bombards audiences with his thoughts on everything from ageing and politics to kids, love and misery. Moran is coming to Australia straight off the back of a stint touring around the less likely locales of Kiev, Moscow and Kazakhstan — as well as becoming the first Western comic to perform in St Petersburg — with his surly ways winning him acclaim along the way. Bringing an always entrancing stage presence of slurring insights and bizarrely poetic complaints, broken by hysterical cackling and sips of wine, Moran's tour promises you comedy of the highest, most unpredictable kind. DYLAN MORAN'S OFF THE HOOK AUSTRALIAN TOUR Tickets on sale 10 March 10am Friday 10 July Riverside Theatre, Perth, WA Tuesday 14 July Civic Theatre, Newcastle, NSW Saturday 18 July Sydney Theatre, Sydney, NSW Thursday 23 July West Point Entertainment Centre, Hobart, TAS Saturday 25 July Princess Theatre, Launceston, TAS Monday 27 July State Theatre, Melbourne, VIC Tuesday 4 August QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane, QLD Saturday 8 August Convention Centre, Cairns, QLD Tuesday 11 August Entertainment Centre, Darwin, NT Saturday 15 August Royal Theatre, Canberra, NSW
