Sweet news: this spring and summer, your lips can taste like Gelato Messina no matter what you're eating. We can't all devour ice cream all day and night, sadly, but we can all slather our smackers with Messina's Lanolips collaboration — especially now that it comes in a dulce de leche version. Back in 2021, Messina and Lanolips first teamed up on their debut gelato-flavoured balm — a salted coconut and mango sorbet number that, yes, was always going to give you a constant craving for a few scoops. The pair have brought that popular version back in 2022, too, as well as the new dulce de leche balm. We said it a year ago and we'll say it again now: if you start eating more gelato as a result, you'll know why. How do you make a dulce de leche balm? It takes its cues from Messina's signature in-house Argentinean caramelised milk gelato flavour, and was inspired by a gelato-tasting session, naturally. As for the salted coconut and mango sorbet flavour, it still nods to Messina's most popular coconut milk sorbet — a flavour that features Murray River salt and Australian Kensington Pride mango salsa. In balm form, the two Aussie-made products are infused with lanolin from local sheep's wool, as well as coconut oil, vitamin E and natural flavour. You'll find the lip-smacking products in all Messina stores, Messina's online store, at Lanolips' website and at Mecca. And, while they're perfect for that obvious purpose, Messina and and Lanolips also advise that the multi-balms have one hundred other uses. Head to Messina to pick some up today, on Tuesday, September 27 — or buy one from Messina's website — and you'll also nab a free scoop while stocks last. For more information about Gelato Messina's new Lanolips balm — and to buy some — head to the chain's website.
Dining out is back in — and it's back with a vengeance. As we cruise to the mid-way point through this gloriously lockdown-free year, Australia's wining and dining scene is returning to its former glory. And it seems the rest of the world is taking notice, too. The esteemed World's 50 Best Restaurants awards unveiled their annual 51-100 list overnight, with one Aussie restaurant named among them — celebrated chef Andrew McConnell's Melbourne diner, Gimlet at Cavendish House. [caption id="attachment_860200" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ben Moynihan[/caption] The CBD restaurant took out the number 84 spot in the Top 100 longlist, on its World's 50 Best debut. It was in good company, too, ranking alongside a diverse spread of lauded venues from Singapore to São Paulo, and Munich to Marseille. If you're plotting an overseas food holiday, this lineup is well worth a look. The awards' 51-100 list was unveiled at a ceremony in the UK yesterday, with the restaurant world now holding its breath for the Top 50 lineup, set to be announced on the evening of Monday, July 18 (UK time). Just two Aussie restaurants claimed spots in last year's awards, both of them Victorian, with Dan Hunter's Brae placing 57th and Ben Shewry's Ripponlea fine diner Attica coming in at number 97. [caption id="attachment_826376" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jo McGann[/caption] Running annually since 2002, the World's 50 Best awards are chosen by a panel of over 1000 culinary experts, guided by a strict voting procedure. They're now hosted by a different country each year, with Melbourne playing host city back in 2017. To check out the full World's 50 Best Restaurants Top 100 list, see the website. Top Image: Earl Carter
Sydney's newest public art installation is best experienced with mates and a picnic lunch, all while appreciating one of the CBD's best harbour views. Created by acclaimed French-Albanian artist and filmmaker Anri Sala as the 33rd Kaldor Public Art Project in partnership with Art & About Sydney, The Last Resort asks observers to reflect on the landscape from a different perspective. Inviting the audience to relax on Observatory Hill, enjoy a picnic and watch the harbour pass by, the installation is unique to Sydney — it's the first time this artwork has been unveiled, having been created with this very location in mind. Through sculpture and sound, the poetic piece set inside the hill's rotunda features a canopy of 38 snare drums, defying gravity and rhythmically responding to a modified, contemporary version of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A Major. The whole experience is created to reflect and bring to life the relationship between the sights, sounds and history of the city's most elevated point. The installation has been set up just in time for daylight savings to kick in and give us a chance to enjoy some rays a bit longer on Observatory Hill. What's more, The Lord Nelson at the bottom of the hill is serving up a special picnic menu for the public art's install. Stop by the iconic Sydney pub before heading up the hill to pack your picnic basket with artichoke salad nicoise or roasted pumpkin with beetroot and goat's cheese, pork and fennel burgers, the hearty ploughman's lunch or one of the other delicious savouries on their exclusive takeaway menu. Don't forget dessert — warm homemade apple pie. Forgot your blanket? Not a problem. Kaldor staff are supplying those at Observatory Hill — for free — too. The Last Resort is a free installation that runs daily from 10am–6pm (Wednesdays until 7.30pm) from October 13 to November 5. Words: Quinn Connors and Jonathan Ford.
A staple of Mosman's main shopping street for years, this family-run florist is well known among the brides and grooms of the area. Even when the store is busy preparing for weddings, the staff are welcoming and helpful, guiding you to pick out seasonal floral bouquets — such as peonies in late winter, tulips in spring and native sprigs all year round. If you find yourself inspired, the store offers a floral design course, so you can learn the tricks of the trade and arrange a bountiful bunch at home.
Since 2019, Netflix's Dead to Me has contemplated endings — starting with a just-widowed woman trying to cope with losing her husband in a hit-and-run incident. Taking a few cues from 2018 film A Simple Favour, the grief-fuelled dark comedy has twisted its way through plenty of chaos from there, including via the unlikely friendship at its centre; however, the fact that everything comes to a conclusion sooner or later has always hung over the show. When it returns for season three on Thursday, November 17, that notion will remain — and Dead to Me itself will wrap up. Back in 2020, after the second season aired, it was revealed that the show would finish after a third and final run. So, get ready for your last swim through its murders, mysteries and cover-ups. The premise, if you missed Dead to Me when it premiered back in 2019: two women meet, become friends despite seemingly having very little in common, and help each other with their daily existence. From there, however, they find themselves immersed in more than a little murky business. Christina Applegate (Bad Moms 2) plays Jen Harding, whose husband has just died, while Linda Cardellini's (Hawkeye) Judy Hale is the positive-thinking free spirit that breezes into her life. They initially cross paths at a grief counselling session, sparking a definite odd-couple situation — which has evolved to feature secrets, lies, complications and cliffhangers galore across the show's two seasons to-date. Season two ended with a big car crash, in fact — and as well as announcing when Dead to Me would return to close out its story, Netflix has just dropped a teaser trailer for season three. Get ready for a glimpse of Jen and Judy in hospital and unhappy about it, as well as a recap of exactly what's brought them to this point. As for where the story will head afterwards, that'll only be revealed when Netflix drops the third season itself. If it's as easy to binge as the first two seasons, you'll know how the show ends quickly. Created by 2 Broke Girls writer Liz Feldman, Dead to Me marked Applegate's first lead TV role since 2011-12 sitcom Up All Night when it debuted. For Cardellini, it saw a return to Netflix after starring on the streaming platform's drama Bloodline — and she also featured in A Simple Favour, too. Check out the first teaser trailer for Dead to Me's third season below: Dead to Me's third season will hit Netflix on Thursday, November 17. Images: Saeed Adyani / Netflix.
Working in Australia's hospitality industry has never been a tougher gig than it is right now. So, why — and how — are bar staff, chefs, publicans and restaurateurs stepping up their game? We're going to find out. Join us on Monday, September 6 at 1pm for Hot Takes & Takeaways, a special virtual event. In partnership with Uber Eats, we're taking a deep dive into the Aussie food scene to find out what it takes to get plates of food on tables (or doorsteps) in 2021. We've enlisted comedian, former Triple J presenter and all-round legend Gen Fricker to host this special lunchtime chat streamed live from Butter in Surry Hills. And she'll be joined by chefs Julian Cincotta (Butter) and Cuong Nguyen (Hello Auntie) for an engaging chat on the highs and the messy lows of working in hospo today. No topic is off-limits — from wild menu hacks to vaccine passports. [caption id="attachment_567132" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Butter Sydney[/caption] Throughout the show, you'll also get to test your foodie knowledge for the chance to score a $25 Uber Eats voucher. Better yet, this virtual lunchtime event is completely free. Simply head to our Facebook event and hit attending to get a reminder just before it kicks off. In the meantime, check out Uber Eats' Enterprise Hub if you'd like to learn more about what restaurants are doing to survive — and thrive — during this tough time. Top image: Kitti Gould
The world's most-famous enigmatic smile is set to beam down on Australia in not one but two locations in 2024, all thanks to the team at Grande Experiences. The Melbourne-based company is the mastermind behind the immersive walkthrough art experiences that've been sweeping the country, both touring them and opening the nation's first permanent digital-only art gallery The Lume. And next year, it's turning its attention to both the Italian Renaissance in general and Leonardo da Vinci specifically — with Mona Lisa featuring prominently in both of its new showcases. Italian Renaissance Alive has already locked in a season on the Gold Coast from March, and will include da Vinci's works. In the same month, The Lume in the Victorian capital will go all-in on the artist and inventor. The site's major 2024 exhibition is Leonardo da Vinci — 500 Years of Genius, with the gallery is calling its "most ambitious, immersive and breathtaking yet". That's quite the claim for a collection that follows a van Gogh celebration, a focus on Monet and his contemporaries and the current First Nations-centric Connection. It also isn't surprising. Connection now has an end date, and is set to close at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre venue on Sunday, February 4, just over a month before Leonardo da Vinci — 500 Years of Genius arrives. The Last Supper will also enjoy the spotlight in a big way, because Grande Experiences' whole setup is making iconic, important and stunning works larger than life, surrounding attendees like never before. The Mona Lisa will also link in with the segment of the exhibition that's all about French optical engineer Pascal Cotte, who invented a multispectral camera and has peeled back the artwork's layers using his research. So, get excited about Mona Lisa Revealed, which will include an exact 360-degree replica — the only one in the world — as created thanks to Cotte's 240,000,000-pixel multispectral camera. That said, Leonardo da Vinci — 500 Years of Genius isn't just about its namesake's well-known works, with the 3000-square-metre multi-sensory gallery also exploring his inspirations and contemporaries. Thanks to the latter, Leonardo da Vinci — 500 Years of Genius and Italian Renaissance Alive will have more than a little in common. Botticelli's The Birth of Venus, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling and works by Caravaggio will feature at both. Melbourne will be home an experience that steps through da Vinci's journey, however, including Florence's streets, Venice's canals and Milan — as brought to life via sight, sound, scent, touch and taste. Also among Leonardo da Vinci — 500 Years of Genius' highlights: 50 of da Vinci's "machine inventions", which will be on loan the Museo Leonardo da Vinci in Rome. Alongside the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper and his anatomical drawings — and more — da Vinci is well-known for his flying machine concepts, with his 15th-century vision of human flight set to score The Lume's attention. This part of the exhibition will hero recreations made in Italy from the artist and inventor's sketches, and also using the materials and techniques he would've at the time. "Leonardo da Vinci's contributions to art, science and innovation are immeasurable and continue to shape our modern world," said Bruce Peterson, Owner and CEO of The Lume Melbourne, announcing Leonardo da Vinci — 500 Years of Genius. "We aim to provide a unique and immersive experience that not only celebrates the genius of Leonardo but also underscores the relevance of his ideas in the contemporary landscape. As a pioneer in bridging art and technology, The Lume Melbourne is honoured to bring Leonardo's legacy to life in a way that engages, inspires and resonates with audiences of all ages." Leonardo da Vinci — 500 Years of Genius opens at The Lume, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, 5 Convention Centre Place, South Wharf, Melbourne, from Friday, March 15, 2024 — head to the venue's website for tickets and further information.
It may be hot outside, but it's not quite 'our city in summer' until the Sydney Festival starts up on January 9, bringing with it a tidal wave of performance, music, art and other festivities. Tonight the Sydney Festival has launched its 2014 program, a massive conglomeration of 104 events, featuring 722 artists from 80 companies across 17 countries. Look out for a much bigger festival garden (so big, in fact, it's now the Festival Village) in Hyde Park, the return of music venue Paradiso at Town Hall and everyone's favourite duck, and a version of Stonehenge that you can bounce on. Yes, bounce on. But let's get the bad news out of the way first: crowd favourite Festival First Night has been shrunk down even further than last year's 'Day One', to the point where it's completely disappeared. This has been blamed on NSW state funding cuts, as the escalating event requires a large amount of dedicated resources. While the loss of Festival First Night is a little hard to swallow — especially when Parramatta gets one (the POP Parra Opening Party features public concerts and 'Boxwars', a street parade/brawl in cardboard costumes on January 10) — but you can understand the festival's insistence on there needing to be proper funding for such an undertaking. We say it's a unrivalled street party that for one day makes Sydney feel like a great, open, international city, and we hope it returns in the future. In the meantime, there are many free, public events to occupy ourselves with. Now, on with the show. Performance Sydney Festival is, above all, a means to get the most appealing, innovative and agenda-setting international performing arts works to visit our town. This year there's nothing topping the already-announced spectacle of Dido & Aeneas. This 'underwater opera' starts with a dance in a 7500L water tank and moves on to sumptuous feats of dance, costume, singing, music and stagecraft. But the one-woman La Voix Humaine promises to floor with conversely little. This Dutch production based on the monologue by poet and film director Jean Cocteau features actor Halina Reijn as a woman pleading with her lover down the phone line after a break-up. There are plenty of other acclaimed international theatre works with experimental, thrilling or just plain WTF twists. Bullet Catch (from the UK's The Arches and Rob Drummond), for instance, is about the notoriously dangerous magician's trick that took the life of William Wonder. We hear if you stay till the end, you may have a very direct part to play in the climax. Less unnerving is Othello: The Remix, a charming "ad-rap-tation" by Chicago hip hop outfit the Q Brothers that uses the words of Shakespeare and obliterates the memory of so many terrible modernisations. Also in the mix is Cadavre Exquis, a game of theatrical Exquisite Corpse played by some truly cool international artists; Tim Crouch's underdog tale I, Malvolio (we recommend going on the adults-only late show on January 18); and Pan Pan Theatre's All That Falls, a radio play you take in communally, while on rocking chairs. Of course, it's not festival time without a Spiegeltent somewhere, and this year's is grounded in some solid and frequently sexy circus. Strut & Fret are back with a follow-up to last year's Cantina, Limbo, which takes as its premise an otherworldly party between heaven and hell. There's also a second travelling tent, which belongs to Belgium's Circus Ronaldo, a genuine line of circus performers six generations long. Their La Cucina Dell'Arte is a more family-friendly brand of buffoonery set in a pizza parlour. They're sharing their tent with rowdier late-night act Scotch and Soda, which includes the stylings of the Crusty Suitcase Band. In the non-funny vein of circus arts, look out for Ockham's Razor, a unique blending of philosophy and acrobatics over three acts taking place at Carriageworks. There are also a few really exciting local productions that shouldn't be eclipsed: Black Diggers is a major new work by Tom Wright built on extensive research into the largely untold history of Aboriginal Diggers in WWI. Directed by Wesley Enoch, it's making its world premiere at the festival. Belvoir and post's Oedipus Schmoedipus will be an epic lark, Am I sees choreographer Shaun Parker and composer Nick Wales venture into a new civilisation, My Darling Patricia's The Piper is one to capture the imagination (and abduct some children), and Forklift required several dancers to get heavy machinery licences. Music This year’s Sydney Festival music lineup doesn’t quite have the ‘wow’ factor of former years, but dig a little deeper and you’ll find a tonne of events that underline why the festival makes Sydney such an exciting place to be in January. The headline event is undoubtedly Amanda Palmer, who will be playing 10 solo shows in the intimate surrounds of The Spiegeltent. Palmer has become an object of much debate after her incredible success at crowdfunding her latest album, but whatever you think of that whole deal you cannot deny she is a fascinating performer. Dating right back to The Dresden Dolls, her shows have always been fascinating amalgamations of pop, cabaret, punk, performance and songwriting, and even the Festival organisers can’t tell you exactly what to expect when Palmer plays solo. Big Star’s Third is an absolute cult classic, with bands as diverse as Belle & Sebastian, The Replacements, The Flaming Lips and R.E.M. citing it as an inspiration. Despite (or perhaps because of) the deteriorating mental health of frontman Alex Chilton, and the fact that the band had totally fallen apart between its recording and its release, it is regarded as one of the great records of all time. And you can hear the whole thing in all its broken, twisted beauty when an all-star band including original drummer and sole surviving member of the band, drummer Jody Stephens, Mike Mills (R.E.M.) and Ken Stringfellow (The Posies) take to The Enmore stage for one night only. Kurt Vile has quietly become a cult guitar hero in recent years, bringing together influences from psych to folk to garage to create beautiful, enchanting music. It might not seem like it sometimes – Vile is so laidback he’s almost horizontal – but the man is a virtuoso guitarist and a compelling performer. And he’s playing in two formats at this year’s festival: a solo “special midnight performance” in the Circus Ronaldo Tent, and again with his band, The Violators, at Paradiso and Town Hall. Not to be missed. And that’s not even mentioning Amadou & Mariam’s Eclipse (a “live, multi-sensory experience in pitch darkness telling the amazing story of the blind couple from Mali that includes scents inspired by Mali and their second home Paris pumped into the building”), performances from ex-Battles frontmant Tyondai Braxton, a collaborative performance with Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) and Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, etc), or dozens of other exciting acts. Even the classical music program is phenomenal. It might not seem like it at first glance, but Sydney Festival is once again putting on the best party of the year. Art Art-wise, the Sydney Festival offerings are incredibly choice. The focus is on large-scale, multimedia and installation-type pieces that pack an impressive visual punch. Christian Boltanski’s mega installation, Chance, on show at Carriageworks (10 January – 23 March), will prove to be a highlight of the program. It will be the first major work ever presented in Australia by the French artist, who is one of the more important figures of the international artworld. The piece will make full use of the architecture and size of Carriageworks and will chart births and deaths across the globe. The award for coolest festival event goes to 100 Million Nights, the collaboration between artist Daniel Boyd and electronic duet Canyons. The musicians have created an original score based on their interpretation of Boyd’s pieces. On 21 January, in the concert hall of the Sydney Opera House, the performance will be staged in front of three large projections of Boyd’s artwork. The show will also include a sight and sound work by former Battles frontman Tyondai Braxton. Hive will blend modular synthesisers, sound design and percussion with custom built “architecturally designed” illuminated platforms. Billed as an “inter-faith minibus tour (with a sonic and visual dreamscape)”, The Calling will take you on a tour of religious architecture and sacred music in Western Sydney. Beginning at the crack of dawn with the Adhan (the Islamic call to prayer), you will explore selected mosques, temples and churches throughout Auburn, Granville and Parramatta. Also thrown into the mix is a delish traditional Lebanese breakfast. Slovakian artist Roman Ondák is teaming up with Kaldor Public Art Projects (the group that brought us 13 Rooms) to present a trio of performative works. The artworld superstar will present Project 28 at Parramatta Town Hall. Swap, explores process of exchange and barter with humour and audience participation. The second work, Measuring the Universe, at first glance looks like hundreds of thousands of black strokes on a white wall. Look closer and you’ll see it’s tiny records of various visitors’ heights and the dates the measurements were taken. The final work, Terrace, will be a brand new work created specially for the Parramatta event. And that bouncy Stonehenge? That's Sacrilege by Jeremy Deller, direct from the 2012 London Olympics cultural program. Frighten off the tiny children and get jumping. Multipacks are available from October 24 at 9am. General tickets are available on October 28 at 9am. For full details see the Sydney Festival website. This year, the festival is offering an interactive, walk-through version of their program before tickets go on sale. A careers-counsellor-like service will help you find the events you most want to see. Take a gander from October 24-27 at Lower Town Hall. By Rima Sabina Aouf, Hugh Robertson and Rebecca Speer.
Located right next to the sands of Narrabeen beach, Cabana Beach Kiosk takes beachfront dining to a whole new level serving up breakfast, lunch and dinner — and uninterrupted ocean views. For breakfast, choose the Italian eggs with feta, cherry tomatoes, avocado and rocket pesto or try the Californian burrito loaded with hash browns, eggs and salsa. On the lunch and dinner menu you'll find smaller sized share plates including bruschetta and mushroom and truffle arancini, as well as larger beachside favourites like tacos, crunchy fish and chips and buckets of fresh prawns. If you stop by on Thursdays to you can nab a burger and beer for $20. As a fully licensed venue, it's available to host and cater your next seaside event including weddings, birthdays, corporate occasions and more. Images: Mel Koutchavlis
When you're relaxing around the house with your pet pooch or cute kitten, you want your four-legged friend to be as comfortable as possible. Yes, all dogs and cats are masters at getting cosy in any given space — boxes, old blankets, your seat on the couch and your bed all included — because that just comes with the territory. But your furry little woofer or meowing companion is certain to dial up the snugness with an item from Big W's new spring pet range. Whether your shar pei would love to relax on a soft faux suede bed, your poodle would absolutely make the most of a pillow bed or your mouser could use a three-level space to scratch and sleep, you'll find it on offer in this new line. It's super-affordable, too, with dog beds starting from $15 and cat beds from $12. More than 400 items are currently available (including various sizes and colours), spanning collars, harnesses and leads, as well as pet clothing, toys and tunnels. The chain's pet line adds further items throughout the year, too — see: its winter collection — because even your doggo's wardrobe or kitty's favourite blanket can change with the seasons. As tends to be the case when it comes to accessories for pets, dogs have a broader range of items to choose from than cats. That said, while felines can be notoriously picky, we're sure your tabby won't notice if its getting some shut-eye on a soft, fluffy bed marketed at canines. Big W's 'Petember' collection is currently available to purchase — including online, with contactless home delivery and pick up available.
Penélope Cruz didn't score an Oscar this year for Parallel Mothers. Her husband Javier Bardem didn't win one for Being the Ricardos, either. And, just a couple of years ago, Antonio Banderas also didn't nab a shiny Academy Award for Pain and Glory — but the three acclaimed actors are all winners at the 2022 Spanish Film Festival. The annual cinema showcase spotlights not just Spanish but also Latin American cinema, and it's back for another Aussie tour throughout April and May — hitting up Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Byron Bay. On the bill: 34 movies that hail from both regions, or tie into them in one way or another, including several with Cruz, Bardem and or Banderas at their centre. Kickstarting this year's Spanish Film Festival with the Cruz- and Banderas-starring Official Competition must've been the easiest programming choice in the fest's history. A filmmaking satire, it casts Cruz as a famous director entrusted to bring a Nobel Prize-winning novel about sibling rivalry to the screen, and enlists Banderas as a Hollywood heartthrob. Throw all of that together and it's clearly film festival catnip, as the movie's berths at overseas fests such as Venice, Toronto and San Sebastián have already shown — and it'll enjoy its Australia premiere as the Spanish Film Festival's opening night pick. The aforementioned — and sublime — Parallel Mothers is also on the lineup after releasing in Aussie cinemas earlier this year, if you missed it then. And, so are two Cruz-Bardem collaborations: Jamón Jamón, the pair's first film together, which marks its 30th anniversary in 2022, and 2017's Loving Pablo, which sees Bardem play Pablo Escobar. Of course, the Spanish Film Festival spans plenty of movies that don't star Spanish cinema's best-known acting names, too — with 2022 Goya-winning political drama Maixabel, fellow Goya-recipient Mediterráneo: The Law of the Sea, psychological horror flick The House of Snails, road-movie comedy Carpoolers, and the coming-of-age-focused Once Upon a Time in Euskadi also on the program. Or, there's Girlfriends, about childhood pals reuniting; dramatic thriller The Daughter, which hones in on a pregnant teen; mother-daughter drama Ama; the Himalayas-set Beyond the Summit; and The Cover, about a pop star impersonator. From the Cine Latino strand, ten films hail from the likes of Argentina, Mexico, Uruguay and the Dominican Republic — including rom-com The Big Love Picture, thriller Immersion, the footballer-centric 9 and Goya-winner (yes, another one) Forgotten We'll Be. Plus, the lineup also includes Language Lessons, which is directed by and starring Natalie Morales (The Little Things), and also features Mark Duplass (Bombshell) — with the pair navigating an online setup to play a Spanish teacher and her student. And, there's sessions of the Spanish-language version of Disney's Encanto as well. SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL 2022 DATES: April 19–May 15: Palace Norton Street, Palace Verona, Palace Central and Chauvel Cinema, Sydney April 20–May 15: Palace Electric, Canberra April 21–May 15: The Astor Theatre, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Palace Balwyn and Pentridge Cinema, Melbourne April 27–May 18: Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Adelaide April 27–May 18: Palace Raine Square Cinemas, Luna Leederville and Luna on SX., Perth April 28–May 18: Palace Barracks and Palace James Street, Brisbane April 29–May 15: Palace Byron Bay, Byron Bay The Spanish Film Festival tours Australia from Tuesday, April 19–Wednesday, May 18. For more information or to buy tickets, visit the festival's website.
During winter, it's mighty tempting to rid your after-work agenda of anything that involves leaving your blanket fort. But this season, we're on a mission to make sure you make the most of the bonus nighttime hours, so we've teamed up with Samsung Galaxy S9 to bring you the After Dark Guide — a series dedicated to the best things to eat, see and do in Sydney when the sun goes down. To celebrate this partnership, we hosted the ultimate winter rooftop party and invited a bunch of you along to join in on the after-dark fun. The nighttime shindig at Sweethearts Rooftop featured an epic spread from The Platter Project and signature concoctions by the Sweethearts team. Throughout the night, DJ Nathan Zammit of the Recess duo provided tunes that made the dancefloor too irresistible to ignore. The fairy light-lined Sweethearts, with its skyline view, put the Samsung Galaxy S9's Super Low Light Camera to the test. Cole Bennetts (photographer for the Samsung x Concrete Playground campaign) was on-deck to share his knowledge on all things photography, helping our party-goers capture these epic moments for the chance to win their own Samsung Galaxy S9 and a restaurant voucher. All the evening antics were photographed by our guests, as seen in this gallery. Feeling inspired to get out and about this season? Check out our guide of the best things to do this winter after dark.
Planning a trip to the Red Centre for NAIDOC Week? The Ayers Rock Resort celebrates the occasion with '50 Years of NAIDOC' — a feast for the senses, where vibrant cuisine and captivating storytelling combine with art, culture and more. Running from Sunday, July 6–Sunday, July 13, Indigenous chef Mark Olive, aka 'The Black Olive', headlines the experience, taking over the resort's Arnguli Grill & Restaurant with a three-course set menu brimming with native bush foods and Indigenous wines. Olive will also host an intimate dinner on Wednesday, July 9, with guests invited to enjoy the exclusive menu sat alongside Olive, who'll recount stories and insights behind each dish and the ingredients' significance. Meanwhile, Olive will also present a complimentary Bushfood Masterclass, where culinary tradition, technique and storytelling blend across various sessions in the Gallery of Central Australia's outdoor amphitheatre. Beyond these gastronomic encounters, the Ayers Rock Resort has also produced a series of art experiences and cultural activities. Aṉangu artists Billy and Lulu Cooley will present their wood-carving talent in the Town Square Circle of Sand. Plus, the Sunrise Journeys encounter sees guests connect to Country at dawn, as three local Aṉangu artists bring the desert landscape to life each day using laser projection, music and the natural environment. On Wednesday, July 9, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park's Cultural Centre Inma Ground offers insight into traditional working tools and ceremonial song and dance, while the Town Square Lawns features the NAIDOC Markets, teeming with community, culture and cuisine on Sunday, July 6. For cinephiles, the Arkani Theatre will host the Indigenous Film Festival, screening free films throughout the week, including Charlie's Country and Bran Nue Day. Images: Carly Earl / Matt Lambley.
That moment when you don't know if a film franchise has become more juvenile, or whether it's you that's grown up. This was the uncomfortable experience of watching Kick-Ass 2, and after days of quiet contemplation, I've come to the conclusion: it's not me. Based on the comics by Mark Millar and brought to the screen by Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust), the first Kick-Ass film was a high point in the 'real superhero' wave — a funny counterpoint to the likes of Watchmen. Catching bits of it on TV recently, I thought it seemed only more razor-sharp. The new Kick-Ass 2 disappoints by pitching way too low. There is, for starters, an insane number of dick biting jokes. And it's not a running gag. It seems almost unbelievable that an objective party read the script and didn't think to say, 'hey, how about we stop at separate dick biting joke no.3'? Impotence, race and sexuality are also targets of choice. It seems new writer and director Jeff Wadlow has decided his audience is teenage boys, and no one else. Plot-wise, Kick-Ass 2 picks up about three years after its predecessor. Dave Lizewski (previously weedy, now hunky Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has hung up the Kick-Ass wetsuit, while the orphaned Mindy MacCready (Chloe Grace Moretz), aka Hit Girl, keeps her ongoing training a secret from her guardian, her dad's good friend, Sergeant Marcus Williams (Morris Chestnut). But when Dave gets restless and Mindy gets obedient, their crime-fighting status is reversed, and for camaraderie Dave instead joins the superhero team calling themselves 'Justice Forever' (led by a well prosthetised Jim Carrey as Colonel Stars and Stripes) to rid the streets of evil. The devoted amateurs are no match, however, for the coming storm from Dave's spoilt and abandoned schoolmate Chris D'Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who's graduated from being Red Mist to the moniker the Motherfucker and who has Kick-Ass obsessively in his sights. It's a unique mix of unimpressiveness at work in this film. On top of the lumpen humour, there's also extreme violence and schlock sentimentality that together are supremely weird. Kick-Ass 2's one redeemer is Hit Girl. If the whole film had been 'Hit Girl Goes to High School', it would have been great. She's always been a special character that challenges every idea we have of girlhood, and the Professional-meets-Mean Girls-like scenes of her dealing with dating, dance club, the popular crowd and bullying are smart, fresh and compelling. The film also deals well with her sexuality, now she's 15. Her costume remains fabulously unsexy and practical, so that's how we view her fights, but she's given room to explore some of her own sexual feelings. In what's possibly the film's best scene, a One Direction replica band plays, and we see that even the disciplined teen warrior is unable to resist their charms. Later, she has a quick perv at a shirtless Dave. This is a character whose impact will carry on, even if there's no Hit-Girl movie in multiplexes. https://youtube.com/watch?v=YWozxV3fsAU
Fifteen years ago this week, in two Los Angeles cinemas, The Room enjoyed its world premiere. Telling the tale of a banker, his adulterous fiancée, his conflicted best friend, a local teen caught up in a drug deal, a mother with cancer, a particularly awkward party, a bunch of guys playing football in tuxedos and the worst apartment decorating scheme you've ever seen, the film wasn't met with applause, acclaim or anything in the way of excitement. And yet, all this time later, it has an avid fan base, still sells out screenings around the world, and has inspired both a behind-the-scenes book and an Oscar-nominated movie. Of course, you've seen The Room, thrown spoons at it and marvelled at how Tommy Wiseau somehow managed to make a movie that's both terrible and enjoyable — but Wiseau and his co-star Greg Sestero aren't done yet. They both played a part in last year's The Disaster Artist, as based on Sestero's book of the same name, and now they're back in something completely unrelated to their big claim to fame. In Best F(r)iends, the pair return as a mortician and a drifter. Yes, you can guess which part the lank-locked Wiseau plays. Sestero's down-on-his-luck LA resident Jon is given the chance to work for Wiseau's morgue owner Harvey Lewis, but neither is being completely honest with each other. Scripted by Sestero but (thankfully) not directed by Wiseau, the black comedy is literally a film of two parts, with Best F(r)iends: Volume One currently touring the world ahead of Best F(r)iends: Volume Two later this year. With Sestero returning to Australia for Q&A screenings of the first film, we chatted to him about not only making another movie with Wiseau, but writing a part specifically for him, among other topics. These are the ten things we learned. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTu9N40E_MI HE WANTED TO MAKE A MOVIE THAT SHOWCASED TOMMY WISEAU'S ACTING TALENTS "For so long, I didn't expect to work with Tommy again after The Room for many reasons. But once I decided to take him seriously, I realised that he really hasn't been utilised properly as an actor. And this is really a chance to really do him right and put him in a part that he could succeed in — while at the same time, I was really genuinely interested in working with again. I really believe that Tommy can be interesting as an actor, but he just hadn't been given the right part." HE NEVER CONSIDERED GETTING WISEAU TO DIRECT "I really wanted to see him focus on being an actor. I'd handle the producing, and put the right team together that would just be there to make a film, and we wouldn't make The Room 2. And I thought he really shines as an actor — and I thought giving him a chance to focus on that. And he really put in the work. We rehearsed a lot. You know, he memorised most of his lines. I wrote the part with him in mind, so the dialogue definitely catered to his strengths, but he put in the work and he showed up ready to do this best." BEST F[R]IENDS IS BASED ON THE TIME WISEAU THOUGHT SESTERO WANTED TO KILL HIM "I took a road trip with Tommy up the California coast back in 2003. I thought we were just going up to have a good time, but Tommy assumed that I was plotting this thing against him, and that I was going to try to kill him. I mean it was just really far out. So when he explained to me why he thought that, and what he was feeling, all these years later when I was sitting down to write this story, I explored that. And I thought 'what if I was, and how would it go down, and what would happen?'. And so it kind of gave me a jumpstart into writing this story." THE FILM ALSO INCORPORATES A VERY REAL BLACK MARKET "The other true event was that my brother is a dentist, and so he told me this very bizarre, underground business that is happening in dentistry, with human teeth. So we use all real teeth in the film. That's all kind of stuff that actually goes on." HE DIDN'T REFERENCE THE ROOM ON PURPOSE, BUT YOU'LL SPOT A FEW NODS "Any reference to The Room, to be honest with you, was accidental or worked its way in. When I wrote the script, there were no references. There was no basketball scene. We shot at a real morgue, so there are bodies that'd come in and out that would interrupt the shoot — and we decided to play basketball as a break, and that ended up being filmed and being turned into a scene. The spiral staircase that was in that office just happened to be there, you know. There wasn't any intention to reference The Room in any way, but the things that did, I feel like if they were organic and worked their way in, it was fine." HE CREDITS THE ROOM'S SUCCESS TO WISEAU "It's just something that is completely unique — because it was made by one man who had creative control, had the money to say 'this is the way we're going to do it', and just sees the world so differently. So people see it and they can't believe that it really exists, and it's just one of those things you want to share with people because it has no business succeeding or even existing. And there's just kind of this magic to it. Because there's nothing else that exists like it, it unites people in a way — they're craving something different — and it just delivers a flavour that you know you can't recreate it. It's just to the power of being original, I think, is what I've learned. Tommy hasn't tried to change himself for acceptance. He just is himself, and I think people like that." IT REALLY ISN'T EASY TO BREAK FREE FROM THE ROOM "I never thought anybody would see The Room — it was kind of something that I was backed into. But I love a challenge, and I think there is something fun and challenging about trying to rework what you're working on I think it started with The Disaster Artist book. When a lot of people thought I was going to write a book about the experience, I think they expected fan service and a quirky making-of, like 'lets look at all these wacky things that Tommy did'. But I really approached it in a way that I thought could tell a story that could become an Oscar-calibre film. At the time I think people thought that was a little far-fetched. It's definitely a challenge for any cult film, but especially with this one — where it's considered the worst movie, and people who see it throw spoons at the screen, and actually get involved in the performance or the film that you're making. You just need to be really aware of what you're trying to say to your audience. I believe your audience will follow you if you approach things properly." HE'D LIKE TO MAKE A BABADOOK-STYLE HORROR FILM NEXT "I want to make a horror film. I definitely have been influenced by The Babadook and these kind of new horror films — and I want to play on the psychological aspect of horror rather than the blood and guts, or to try to combine the two. But definitely horror is the genre that I'd love to go for." HE'S FINE WITH AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION — SO BRING TEETH "People have started showing up with bloody shirts and holding homeless signs, but I think throwing plastic gold teeth would be kind of cool. That could catch on — or maybe plastic lemons or serving lemonade? That could be pretty cool. The audiences that I've seen it with, there's definitely some interaction — but nothing being thrown yet. But I'm sure that people will come up with something." BEST F(R)IENDS: VOLUME TWO IS HIS FAVOURITE THING HE'S EVER DONE "It's completely different. It's insane. I like to think that if this film is Nightcrawler and Double Indemnity, then Volume Two is Psycho meets Breaking Bad. But it's totally different. I think Volume Two is my favourite, but I think it really compliments Volume One — and I can't wait for people to actually get to watch them back-to-back. I really hope they enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it." As well as touring Australia and New Zealand in Q&A screenings, 'Best F(r)iends: Volume One' will open at Melbourne's Cinema Nova on July 5.
For the third time in seven days, the Australian Government has introduced new restrictions on non-essential mass gatherings. On Friday, March 13, a ban on outdoor mass gatherings over 500 people was introduced, and was followed by a ban on non-essential indoor events of over 100 people on Wednesday, March 18. The latest, announced this afternoon, Friday, March 20, by Prime Minister Scott Morrison concerns non-essential indoor events of less than 100 people. A limit of one person per four square metres has been recommended by the Australian Government and Chief Health Minister. Airports, public transport, age care, correctional facilities, law courts, parliaments, food markets, supermarkets, office buildings, factories, mining sites, hotels, motels, schools, universities and transit spots — such as Bourke Street Mall, Martin Place — are considered 'essential', but cafes, pubs, nightclubs, restaurants, bars and cinemas (ones that are not already closed) will need to adhere to the new limits, the Prime Minister has today revealed. It's not clear how and if these limits will be enforced, but it's likely many venues will need to introduce new limits on capacity. With hospitality venues across the country closing and becoming takeaway-only already, it's also likely these new restrictions will lead to even more closing their doors, at least temporarily. The Prime Minister has also encouraged essential gatherings to adhere to the new guidelines, saying if it's done so more broadly we have a greater chance of "flattening the curve" (the term adapted for reducing the exponential spread of COVID-19, as shown by this graph). He has also, once again, pressed Australians to practise social distancing. It's predicted the above measures will be in place for "at least the next six months". For now, the bans on non-essential gatherings are in place indefinitely. A limit on one person per four square metres is now recommended for all non-essential indoor gatherings of fewer than 100 people. The Australia-wide bans on non-essential indoor gatherings of more than 100 people on non-essential outdoor events of more than 500 people are still in place. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Top image: Kitti Gould
Plan a trip to South Australia, and spending time surrounded by grapes is probably on your agenda. In 2022, you can pair all those winery visits with plenty of pumpkins, too, because Yayoi Kusama's pumpkin-focused infinity room The Spirits of the Pumpkins Descended into the Heavens will display at the Art Gallery of South Australia from Friday, April 1. Australia just keeps going dotty for Kusama. Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art's hosted a kaleidoscopic exhibition dedicated to the Japanese artist back in 2017, her Obliteration Room has proven a hit in the Sunshine State several times and, going one better, Canberra's National Gallery of Australia acquired The Spirits of the Pumpkins Descended into the Heavens back in 2018. While the latter is a permanent addition to the NGA's collection, it's also going on the road on — which is why Adelaide is your next place to see oh-so-many dots. The piece was first exhibited in 2015. Comprised of a mirrored cube filled with yellow, dot-covered pumpkins, it's a quintessential Kusama work. Whether you're a devoted fan who considers visiting the artist's own Tokyo museum a bucket-list moment, or someone who has simply placed stickers around one of her obliteration rooms, you would've noticed that dots and the concept of infinity are crucial to her art — "our earth is only one polka dot among a million stars in the cosmos," she says. Inside the cube, the bulbous vegetables appear to create an endless field thanks to the shiny surface. On the outside of the cube, the structure's mirrored exterior reflects the yellow-and-black walls in the surrounding installation room — again, making it appear as though the pattern stretches on forever. The NGA's acquisition was made possible via a gift from Andrew and Hiroko Gwinnett, which is also supporting the infinity room's tour. AGSA hasn't revealed how long it'll be on display, but entry will be free — and it's obviously a must-visit addition to any Adelaide itinerary. The Spirits of the Pumpkins Descended into the Heavens forms part of the gallery's just-announced 2022 program, which also includes the 2022 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art from March, a showcase of Japanese sculptural ceramics from May, and Robert Wilson: Moving portraits from July — with the latter displaying video portraits of international stars such as Lady Gaga, Brad Pitt, Isabella Rossellini, Robert Downey Jr and Winona Ryder, as created by the New York artist, designer and director. Find The Spirits of the Pumpkins Descended into the Heavens 2017 at the Art Gallery of South Australia, North Terrace, Adelaide, from Friday, April 1, 2022. Images: Installation view, THE SPIRITS OF THE PUMPKINS DESCENDED INTO THE HEAVENS by Yayoi Kusama, 2017, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. © Yayoi Kusama, courtesy of Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo/Singapore/Shanghai.
When you think of ghosts and ghouls you most likely think of rickety houses covered in ivy, or old asylums on misty moors. The oceanic paradise of Australia is probably the last place to come to mind. But with waters full of stuff that eats you, and often inhospitable lands teeming with things just as iffy, this land with a darker history than most really does seem the perfect home for things that go bump in the night. So, here is a look at haunted Australia, a list of ten haunted prisons, houses and townships. Reader beware. OLD MELBOURNE GAOL Completed in 1844, the Old Melbourne Gaol is one of the most famous buildings in Australia. Before closing in 1929, the prison housed dangerous criminals among petty offenders, the homeless and the mentally ill. Executions were undertaken, and at least 133 prisoners, including the infamous outlaw Ned Kelly (whose remains were later sent to Pentridge and recently exhumed) and Jack The Ripper suspect Frederick Bailey Deeming, met their end on the hangman’s rope. The Gaol is an imposing building, but despite a bloody history, it isn’t known for its hauntings — though the things are reported, the building is relatively quiet. Some believe Elizabeth Scott, the first woman to be hung at the gaol, still walks the halls. MONTE CRISTO HOMESTEAD Compared to the Old Melbourne Gaol, and most other buildings in the country, the Monte Cristo Homestead is a hive of ghostly activity. Finished in 1885, the double-storey late-Victorian manor sits on a hill overlooking the town of Junee, and claims to be Australia’s most haunted house. Now a museum, it has a bloody past — a caretaker was murdered in the 1960s, a stable boy burned to death, a maid fell from a balcony, a baby was dropped from a stairwell and a man was imprisoned in the dairy. With wall and floors practically running red with blood it’s not exactly surprising that people report seeing ghosts. Supernatural occurrences range from strange voices, phantom lights and invisible forces, to ghostly figures and animal mutilations. Hardly the best place to spend a night. JENNY DIXON BEACH In 1870 a coal schooner called the Janet Dickson ran aground during a storm along the central coast. All on board survived, but others in subsequent years weren’t so lucky. Before the construction of a lighthouse, more than 20 people were killed. The area is famous for its ghosts; there have been many reports over the years, including that of a woman in a flowing dress who walks the beach at night, and the legend of a phantom hitchhiker that haunts a nearby road. STUDLEY PARK Now a country club and home to Rolls Royce enthusiasts, Studley Park was built in the last years of the 19th century, and has had many different uses. A highly recognisable building, it served as a school for nearly four decades, and it was during that time that Ray Blackstone, a fourteen-year-old student, tragically drowned while swimming. Sadly, that wasn’t the only premature death to befall a resident of Studley Park; in 1939 the son of Arthur Gregory, a former director of 20th Century Fox Australia, lost his fight with appendicitis. Visitors to the area report feeling of being watched, and mediums have claimed the presence of several entities, including a soldier who could have called the place home when it served as a command school, and a young girl who was supposedly raped and murdered in a top floor bedroom. THE GUYRA GHOST In 1921 in the town of Guyra events that would come to be mirrored by a cult movie of the same name saw twelve-year-old Minnie Bowen apparently possessed by a violent poltergeist. What began as shaking walls and thrown stones led to the cottage being constantly surrounded by people and international interest. Minnie’s parents did all they could to calm the spirit, but try as they might they could not. Soon the young girl claimed to be possessed by the ghost of a sister that had died just a few months earlier. The terrors continued even when Minnie was moved from the house, but all of a sudden they just stopped. PICTON Founded in 1822, the small town of Picton would appear to have more dead residents than living ones. The tiny St. Mark’s church and pioneer graveyard is the playground of children often seen walking hand in hand. Legend has it the children are Blanche Moon, who was crushed to death by falling sleepers in 1886, and David Shaw, who died from polio in 1946. The old maternity hospital is one of the scariest places in town. Haunted by an unpleasant matron, visitors report hearing the cries of unearthly babies, and waking with spectral hands wrapped around their necks. There are many more stories to be told in the town of Picton. THE STREET WITH NO NAME Believed by locals to be home to inexplicable evil, the area in Sydney's Annandale has served as a dumping ground for numerous mutilated corpses, and is thought to provoke strange behaviour in children and dogs. The street with no name has its share of resident ghosts to go along with the horrific happenings, including that of “Jock”, a railway worker struck while attempting to rescue an injured animal from the same fate. CHANNEL 9 Studio 9 in Willoughby was originally a church that was built in 1858. The building had been converted into a music hall and in the late 1950s it, and the surrounding area and cemetery, was purchased by the future owners of Channel 9 Studios. A new television production centre was built atop the old cemetery, where it’s rumoured the bodies still remain. Perhaps an unusual setting for a haunting, the staff at Channel 9 believe that a World War I soldier called Charlie roams the corridors, and is responsible for many ghostly goings on. Perhaps Charlie’s body still remains somewhere beneath the foundations. THE TEA TREE GULLY HOTEL Named after the trees that thickly dotted the landscape on which it was built, the Tea Tree Gully Hotel was opened in 1854 and since then its walls have played host to horror. Staff at the hotel refuse to visit parts of it alone, complaining of bad atmospheres, whilst others have heard voices, seen lights flash on and off, and heard phantom footsteps all around. Like many hotels of its age this one has seen its share of death, with accidents, suicides and murders all taking place there. Several people have reported seeing and speaking to a cheeky girl in period dress, though no records mention her. ARADALE ASYLUM An abandoned psychiatric hospital preserved as if it were still in operation, the Aradale Asylum is a labyrinth of dead ends and dark passageways, many of which could easily hide a ghost. Made up of 63 buildings, the complex looks imposing, so much so that sceptics sweep aside all notion of paranormal activity. But so many reports of footsteps, loud bands and apparitions by visitors and staff add up.
There are two things that every Sydneysider knows to be true. First: climbing the Harbour Bridge is a rite of passage that everyone must experience at least once in their lifetime (or multiple times — who's stopping you?). And second: Vivid Sydney is crazy busy. Chaotic crowds are an inevitable by-product of the city's vibrant festival of art, music and ideas. But, now in its tenth year, Vivid's lineup is as epic and unmissable as ever. If you want to get among the action but mingling with the masses is not really your jam, we have the perfect solution. BridgeClimb is again running its Vivid Climb experience. Ascending the iconic landmark, you will get access to one of the best vantage points from which to take in the harbour light show. This year, installations will extend from Circular Quay to Barangaroo, Darling Harbour and Luna Park. But the altitude doesn't equal a lack of atmosphere with BridgeClimb installing a multi-coloured dance floor at the summit. As the harbour puts on a show below, you and your mates will don flashing vests and throw a legendary dance party on the 70s-style illuminated platform. Not only will you be ticking two Sydney must-dos off your list, you'll also get to do it while busting some sweet moves. The Vivid Climb experience is taking place on all night climbs between Friday, May 24 and Saturday, June 15, and we have a double pass to give away. To be in the running, enter your details below. If you don't win, nab a ticket here. [competition]717330[/competition]
One Sydney stalwart is set to be replaced by an even older reincarnation this spring. Potts Point's seven-year-old The Fish Shop — which was helmed by the late and great Jeremy Strode — will close its doors this June and reopen as Merivale's bygone bistro and cocktail bar, Lotus. This award-winning venue will make a grand return to its Challis Avenue digs with a revamped menu and an all-star team — with Lotus's original head chef, Dan Hong (Ms. G's, Mr. Wong, El Loco), once again at the helm. Lotus was Hong's first head chef position, which he snagged at just 24-years-old after returning to Sydney from a stint in New York. While most of the menu will be brand new, fans of the original can expect the return of a few favourite dishes, including the cheeseburger, sweet wasabi tuna and hot fudge sundaes for dessert. You can also count on plenty of Hong's signature, creative Asian touches throughout the Mediterranean-style menu. [caption id="attachment_724425" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] Back in the day, Lotus's decadent and lively atmosphere made it a Kings Cross go-to for over a decade, and the team fully plans to bring back these good-time vibes. While it hasn't yet been announced who'll be joining Hong behind the bar or on the floor, the venue was originally home to Sydney bartender extraordinaire Alexx Stuart and Merivale's Chief Food & Beverage Officer Frank Roberts — so expect some equally big names to be announced in the upcoming months. Lotus 2.0 will open in September and exist as an extended pop-up until the new owners take over the building — Merivale CEO Justin Hemmes sold the three-storey property last month, after it had been owned by his family since 1988. While an exact end date has not yet been set, the restaurant will remain open at least into 2020 at this stage. For those keen to grab one last taste of The Fish Shop, you have just about two weeks until it closes up for good on Sunday, June 16. Find The Fish Shop at 22 Challis Avenue, Potts Point until Sunday, June 16. Lotus 2.0 will open this September. Keep an eye on this space for further announcements. Images: Nikki To.
If you like scary movies, then you'll probably already know where Golden Age Cinema and Bar found the title for its latest film season. When a woman is still standing at the end of a horror flick after weathering everything from chest-bursting aliens to psychotic killers — and, when they're the last character left — they're called the final girl. The trope has been around for decades, and it's part of some of the genre's absolute best features. You've seen it in Alien, because Sigourney Weaver's Ripley definitely fits the bill. You saw it in Scream with Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, too. And, now you can see it on a big screen in Surry Hills' lavish boutique cinema in its Final Girls program — with both of those films on the bill. Screening on select Friday nights in March and April, the season kicks off with Scream on Friday, March 12, then dances its way through the original Suspiria on Friday, March 19. A road trip will go awry on Friday, March 26 thanks to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and everyone will be able to hear the Nostromo crew's yells in space when Alien plays on Friday, April 9. Then, a trip to the prom will finish things off, with the original Carrie screening on Friday, April 16 — just avoid the buckets of blood. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2VWfWC-wI4
If you stare at something long enough, you don't just see the obvious. You notice everything, from the details that fail to immediately catch your attention to the way things can change instantly right in front of your eyes. The Killing of Two Lovers is all about this idea, and on two fronts. It puts a fractured marriage before its lens, ensuring its struggles and troubles can't be ignored. It also takes its time to peer at its protagonist, the separated-and-unhappy-about-it David (Clayne Crawford, Rectify), and at all that his new life now entails. In a sparse small town — with the film shot in Kanosh, Utah — its central figure attempts to adjust to living with his ailing widower father (Bruce Graham, Forty Years From Yesterday). His wife Niki (Sepideh Moafi, The L Word: Generation Q) remains in their home with their four children, as they've agreed while they take a break to work through their problems. David isn't coping, though, a fact that's apparent long before his teenage daughter Jess (Avery Pizzuto, We Fall Down) gets angry because she thinks he isn't fighting hard enough to save their family. He's trying, but as Crawford conveys in a brooding but nervy performance — and as writer/director/editor Robert Machoian (When She Runs) and cinematographer Oscar Ignacio Jiménez (Immanence) can't stop looking at in lengthy and patient takes — he can't quite adapt to the idea of losing everything he knows. Not just wed young, but welcoming Jess into their lives when they were basically kids themselves, David and Niki have spent their entire adulthood together so far — and as parents. They've agreed that they can date other people during their time apart, which Niki is doing; however, David just wants what he's always had. Indeed, The Killing of Two Lovers opens with him appearing poised to put that title into effect. He even has a gun, in fact. But nothing is that simple here, or for everyone in the movie's frames, or for anyone. From that very first moment, with the camera lingering on him wrestling with a big decision and radiating pain, anger and uncertainty, this is a feature that's determined to keep staring while its characters grapple with complexities both intimate and commonplace. David can't handle that Niki has started seeing Derek (Chris Coy, The Deuce), who works in the same building. He can't face the fact that she's been promoted at work, which brings more opportunities for her to be independent. And he certainly can't abide by only spending time with his beloved kids — including pre-teen boys Alex, Theo and Bug (Arri, Ezra and Jonah Graham, God Bless the Child) in agreed slots, instead of being there for their every moment. The Killing of Two Lovers watches David rage and fray. It sees him try to be the cool part-time dad, buying his brood toy rockets to send soaring into the sky in the local park, and waking up his sons in the middle of the night to show them he's taken their comedy advice. The film observes as he weathers Jess' anger, fear and disappointment, too, and as he tries to make his date nights with Niki the kind of evening that'll get them back together. It notices his self-centred wish to keep everything frozen in time, his stubbornness to accept any other fate, and his posturing with the unpleasant, jerk-ish Derek. Crucially, though, this is a movie about domestic disharmony that witnesses as much as it can, and lets as broad a spectrum of its protagonist's life as possible tell its tale. The Killing of Two Lovers ensures that Niki's predicament is just as complicated as well. This isn't just a movie that explores what happens when a man could lose everything that's made him who he is; it's also a portrait of a woman torn between a past she knows and a future that's on her own terms. And, it definitely isn't a film that condones David's actions, or offers any neat or predictable answers, explanations or options, but rather it's a snapshot of just how tangled and elaborate life always becomes. There's an element of Scenes From a Marriage at play here, although The Killing of Two Lovers pre-dates the new remake — and so much of the feeling in this gorgeously shot movie comes from its imagery. When it's hard to look away from such rich and enticing visuals, it's impossible not to spot and soak in everything they depict. Each frame is postcard-perfect, not that those pieces of cardboard ever capture such everyday sights, but wide vistas and the snowy mountains hovering in the background are just the beginning. With its long takes, The Killing of Two Lovers forces its audience to glean the naturalistic lighting that never casts David and Niki's hometown in either a warm glow or grim glower. Repeated images of David alone, especially in his car, also leave a firm impression of a man moving and solo. And, presenting most of its frames in the 4:3 aspect ratio, the film also possesses an astonishing and telling sense of space. Nothing is bluntly boxed in here, but everyone is trying to roam within the claustrophobic patch of turf they've scratched out. And, within the feature's square-shaped visuals springs an added fountain of intimacy that cuts to the heart of such close relationships, such as when David and the kids all pile into his truck, or during one of David and Niki's car-bound dates. Of course, without the right actors inhabiting those shots — and the right performances emanating from them — Machoian's stunning sights would ring hollow. Crawford is as soulful as the film's cinematography, and as jumpy as the metallic-sounding audioscape that echoes during its 84-minute running time. He's both masterful and devastating as he, like the overall feature itself, tussles and jostles with David's internal and external chaos. His is a raw and invested portrayal, so it comes as little surprise that he's one of the picture's executive producers. Crawford is aided by spot-on work by his co-stars, though; by smartly penned, stirringly insightful dialogue that most scripts wish they could muster, too; and by a piercing use of silence to let everything sink in. The devil isn't in the detail here — the minutiae is the entire movie, and what an unflinching, evocative and heady vision of yearning and emotionally churning it is.
As you might have heard, the recently rejuvenated Cleveland Street Theatre is now the Giant Dwarf, a Chaser-run space bursting with cheeky antics and defamatory delights. Running alongside regular events such as Erotic Fan Fiction and Story Club is The Chaser's Empty Vessel. Featuring a lively, relaxed atmosphere and a scattering of comic surprises, this freewheelin' talkfest is a monthly event offering up a mix of Sydney's finest (and some of its worst). In the past, the event has been held at various venues about town, surfacing sporadically. However, it's settling into Giant Dwarf for the long haul. After the success of the March kick-off, there's a stack more pollies, comedians, Walkley-winners, and public personalities in store for future editions. If Tony Jones was a less diplomatic mediator and Q&A had a liquor license, it might come close to what The Chaser's Empty Vessel is all about.
A film festival that brings the best and brightest new Japanese movies to Australian cinemas each year is a film festival to cherish. Also ace: a film fest that features a solely digital lineup of flicks and TV shows from Japan that you can check out from your couch. So, while it isn't time for the IRL Japanese Film Festival for 2024 yet — it last hit locations around the country across September–November 2023 — the Japanese Film Festival Online will keep you entertained come winter. Both fests serve up a handy way to view the latest and greatest Japanese fare without hopping on a plane, but only the online version lets you do so from home. Running from Wednesday, June 5–Wednesday, July 3, 2024's version will feature 23 films and two TV dramas, the latter serving up 20 episodes. And, you'll be able to check out for four Japanese horror shorts, too, all of which initially debuted in 2023 at the first-ever Horror Film Competition in Japan. The other big drawcard: Japanese Film Festival Online screens its program for free. Accordingly, this lineup won't test your budget, whether you're keen on I Am What I Am, which stars Drive My Car's Toko Miura; Anime Supremacy!, about a new director and a hotshot facing off while making their own competing anime; Single8, a Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans)-influenced picture about Star Wars-loving teens making their own movie; or classic anime Kimba the White Lion from 1966. Film lovers will be catching the movies on the program between Wednesday, June 5–Wednesday, June 19. Fellow feature options include Father of the Milky Way Railroad, a biopic about poet and novelist Kenji Miyazawa; magazine drama Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction; Baby Assassins, where teen assassins are forced to give up the murderous life; and The Handsome Suit, about a magical outfit. TV fans will be tuning in from Wednesday, June 19–Wednesday, July 3, with 2017's Rikuoh starring Kôji Yakusho (Perfect Days), and stepping inside a traditional Japanese sock company — and 2015's Downtown Rocket based on Shitamachi Rocket novels about an ex-aerospace researcher who leads a factor that he inherited. While you won't pay a thing to watch, you do still need to register via the fest's website. Won't be in Australia at the time? The fest is available in 27 countries. "JFF Online 2024 is not just a film festival; it's a cultural bridge connecting fans of Japanese cinema across the globe," said The Japan Foundation in Sydney's Manisay Oudomvilay. "From the comforts of your home, you can traverse a wide array of genres — from heartfelt dramas and engaging documentaries to captivating anime stories. This festival celebrates the breadth and diversity of Japanese storytelling." "Our lineup includes films that challenge the norms, explore deep human connections, and celebrate the artistry of both seasoned and emerging Japanese filmmakers. We invite cinema lovers and Japanophiles alike from around the world to join us in this unique virtual celebration of Japanese cinematic artistry," continued Manisay. The 2024 Japanese Film Festival Online runs from Wednesday, June 5–Wednesday, July 3. For more information and to register to watch, visit the festival website. Top images: Single8 Film Partners / Jun Ikeido, TBS / Kenji Yamamoto / Anime Supremacy! The Movie Production Committee.
Mexican kitsch shrine and firm placeholder in our list of Sydney's best tacos, Mexico Food & Liquor is moving. The restaurant-bar closed its doors on Sunday, April 6, and promises to reopen in an as-yet-unknown spot. The team is seeking "a more expansive location better suited to its buzzy format which swings from lunch through dinner and with a healthy following for post-work and apres-dinner drinks". That reads a lot like 'CBD', but only time will tell. It's easy to see why the colourful joint would want to move from its entirely romanceless spot across the road from Central Station; however, Mexico was plugging a cool-dining-shaped hole in the area that is now once again gaping. Opening at the end of 2012, Mexico was the casual dream of New Zealand chef and ex-District Dining restaurateur Warren Turnbull. The staple tacos are among the most innovative we’ve come across, combining favourite flavours from other cuisines that make you wonder why you never thought of wrapping it up in a tortilla earlier. For example: blackened duck with mango, coriander and sour tamarind ($7); pork cheek cooked in beer with guajillo chillies, olives and citrus cured apple ($7); and chimichurri fish with bacon and mussels with pickled green tomato and mayo ($7). Come back soon, Mexico. We'll keep our bocas at the ready. By Rima Sabina Aouf and Eloise Basuki.
UPDATE, August 27, 2021: From Friday, August 27, Cruella will be available to stream via Disney+ — and as part of your regular subscription. A killer dress, a statement jacket, a devastating head-to-toe ensemble: if they truly match their descriptions, they stand the test of time. Set in 70s London as punk takes over the aesthetic, live-action 101 Dalmatians prequel Cruella is full of such outfits — plus a white-and-black fur coat that's suspected of being made from slaughtered dogs. If the film itself was a fashion item, though, it'd be a knockoff. It'd be a piece that appears fabulous from afar, but can't hide its seams. That's hardly surprising given this origin tale stitches together pieces from The Devil Wears Prada, The Favourite, Superman, Star Wars and Dickens, and doesn't give two yaps if anyone notices. The Emmas — Stone, playing the dalmatian-hating future villain; Thompson, doing her best Miranda Priestly impression as a ruthless designer — have a ball. Oscar-winning Mad Max: Fury Road costume designer Jenny Beavan is chief among the movie's MVPs. But for a film placed amid the punk-rock revolution, it's happy to merely look the part, not live and breathe it. And, in aiming to explain away its anti-heroine's wicked ways, it's really not sure what it wants to say about her. Here, the needle drops have it. If compiling Cruella's soundtrack involved more than typing "60s, 70s and 80s hits" into Spotify, it doesn't show. A snarling rendition of The Stooges' 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' proves as blatant as it sounds. When a plan comes together to The Beatles' 'Come Together', you'll wonder if the laziest algorithm in the world made that choice. And would it really be a film about someone called de Vil — a naming choice that's spelled out with such force, you could spot it from the moon — if The Rolling Stones' 'Sympathy for the Devil' wasn't given a spin? As the Mouse House keeps exploring its antagonists' nefarious urges (see also: the two Maleficent movies), it routinely just covers the bare necessities, story-wise. Here, it takes that approach in as many places as it can. Indeed, in telling viewers that Cruella is saddled with childhood traumas, too, it seems to think that two-plus over-stretched hours of 70s cosplay will suffice. Before she becomes the puppy-skinning fashionista that remains among Glenn Close's best-known roles, and before she's both a wannabe designer and the revenge-seeking talk of the town played by Stone (Zombieland: Double Tap), Cruella is actually 12-year-old girl Estella (Tipper Seifert-Cleveland, Game of Thrones). Sporting two-toned hair and a cruel that streak her mother (Emily Beecham, Little Joe) tries to tame with kindness, she's a target for bullies, but has the gumption to handle them. Then tragedy strikes, an orphan is born, loss haunts her every move and, after falling in with a couple of likeable London thieves, those black-and-white locks get a scarlet dye job. By the time that Estella is in her twenties, she's well-versed in pulling quick heists with Jasper (Joel Fry, Yesterday) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser, Songbird). She loves sewing the costumes required more than anything else, however. After years spent dreaming of knockout gowns, upmarket department stores and threads made by the Baroness (Thompson, Last Christmas), she eventually gets her chance — for fashion domination, as well as vengeance. It worked for director Craig Gillespie in I, Tonya, but the wry narration that guides Cruella's story quickly overstays its welcome. The knowing tone, obvious observations and taunts of a death that can't stick in a prequel all purely hit the expected beats, as almost everything here does. Co-screenwriter Dana Fox also penned Isn't It Romantic, but trades satirising one genre's tropes for leaning into another's (yes, villain origin stories are their own genre now). Fellow scribe Tony McNamara was nominated for an Oscar for The Favourite and an Emmy for The Great, so the fact that Stone often feels like she has stepped out of the former and into this — right down to her subterfuge and scheming beneath the Baroness' feet — is no surprise. The Devil Wears Prada's Aline Brosh McKenna gets a story credit, too, because Disney isn't attempting to conceal its inspirations. Cruella may stem from Dodie Smith's book, then the cartoon, then the live-action remake, but it has been cut from a clear pattern. There's zero vampishness in the end result, but plenty of botched ideas and muddled themes. When Estella is driven to succeed, rebel against being treated poorly at work and punish the person responsible for her pain, they're far more fascinating aspects of her character than the movie meaningfully examines — perhaps because they don't quite fit her journey to the monochrome side. Empathising with her plight is easy several times over. After an early incident, understanding why she doesn't love dalmatians is as well. Gillespie and company don't come close to selling the leap from ambitious and avenging to future animal cruelty, though. The latter isn't actually a part of Cruella, but in giving its central figure the Joker treatment, the film's character arc is always a stretch. It also undercuts the much more potent notion that some people are just evil, and don't need a sob story as an excuse. If, in all of their eagerness to stick to a template, Cruella's powers-that-be just wanted to pair Stone up with another English acting titan — swapping The Favourite's Olivia Colman for the on-screen treasure that is Thompson — and then let them have at it, that's understandable. It's also as a good enough reason as any for this or any movie to exist. Alongside Beavan's Vivienne Westwood- and Alexander McQueen-influenced costumes, plus Nicolas Karakatsanis' (another I, Tonya alum) constantly moving camerawork, the acerbic Oscar-winning Emmas are the reason that the film has any bite to go along with its empty barks. But the duo's gleeful cartoonishness, flamboyance and winning ability to wear the hell out of their outfits only takes Cruella so far. Even with their obvious commitment, this intellectual property-extending exercise is more filler than killer. After you give it a whirl, you'll put it back on the rack and rarely spare it another thought. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgZgFHDGHrY&feature=youtu.be Top image: Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2021 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Stay tuned. More info on its way.
The couple at the centre of relationship dramedy Before Midnight is one we know oddly well, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy). In a typically Gen X act of slacker romanticism, they spent one night walking and talking around Vienna in 1995's Before Sunrise and were finally reunited for a further afternoon in Paris in 2004's Before Sunset. In the nine years since, it turns out they've stuck with each other, but the insouciance of those early encounters has gone now they're into their early forties. "When was the last time we just walked around bullshitting?" Jesse says in one beautifully self-aware moment, as they rediscover the pastime on holiday in Greece. With this series of films, dialogue is everything. In Before Midnight, it sparkles, dances and defies the bounds we expect of film. All three instalments are the product of a unique collaborative partnership between director Richard Linklater, Hawke and Delpy; from the start the actors have written parts of their own selves into the characters, and the possibility for honest exploration seems to have deepened with the passing of time. Before Midnight is in cinemas on Thursday, July 18, and thanks to Hopscotch Films, we have ten double in-season passes to give away to. To be in the running, sign up to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email hello@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address. Read our full review of Before Midnight here.
'ZomRomComs'. That's what you get when you add zombies to romantic comedies. First came Shaun of the Dead, then Zombieland and now Warm Bodies, a delightful Romeo and Juliet meets Frankenstein tale, in that two star-crossed lovers must overcome deep-seeded family prejudices, and that Romeo is a monstrous zombie. That zombie is 'R' (Nicholas Hoult), and his Juliet is 'Julie' (played by Australian actress Teresa Palmer). R is just your everyday teenage boy, grappling with your everyday teenage problems: a changing body, crippling social isolation and a tendency to grunt instead of speak. He's also a zombie, but instead of being scary that's mostly just a source of embarrassment. R's charming and self-deprecating narration throughout the film provides a constant source of laughter, particularly with self-aware lines like: "……God we walk slowly!" It's a sublime mix of dark comedy and tender romance, centred on a familiar yet infinitely more appealing relationship than Twilight's Bella and Edward. For an adaptation that openly acknowledges its Shakespearean underpinnings, this has somehow still emerged as one of the most original stories of the year. Thanks to Icon Film, we have 10 double passes to give away to see Warm Bodies. To be in the running, subscribe to Concrete Playground (if you haven't already) then email us with your name and postal address at hello@concreteplayground.com.au. Warm Bodies opens nationally on April 11. Read our full review here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=07s-cNFffDM
Unless you took advantage of Australia's trans-Tasman travel bubble with New Zealand while it was open earlier this year, you've probably forgotten what an overseas holiday feels like at this stage of the pandemic. And with the entire states of New South Wales and Victoria currently in lockdown, and plenty of domestic borders closed as a result, the idea of jetting off overseas probably still seems like a dream. Qantas and its discount airline Jetstar are hoping it'll become a reality before the year is out, however. The Qantas Group, the company behind both carriers, is planning for that to happen in fact. Back in February, the airlines were aiming to start flying Aussies around the globe again in October. Then, in May, that idea was pushed back to December. Obviously, the latter is now inching closer, so Qantas has revealed that it's still working towards getting its international flights back in the air before 2022 hits. At present, those plans depend upon Australia's vaccine rollout, and also the National Plan to transition Australia's National COVID Response — which outlines what Aussies will be able to do once the country reaches various jab thresholds. When 80 percent of adults are fully vaccinated, Australians will be permitted to travel overseas again for holidays under the current proposal. At the time of writing, 31.6 percent of people over the age of 18 have had both doses. Previously, Qantas had revealed its intention to recommence flights to 22 of its 25 international destinations — including London, Singapore and Los Angeles — while Jetstar was intending to resume trips to all of its 13 international routes. In a statement today, Thursday, August 26, the Qantas Group have now advised that it'll be focusing on destinations with high vaccination rates, including Singapore, Japan, the US, the UK, Canada and Fiji. Singapore has previously been floated as a possible candidate for a future travel bubble by the Australian Government. Also, Qantas will put flights for Australia–New Zealand routes back on sale, operating on the assumption they'll be able to resume in mid-December. "Key markets like the UK, North America and parts of Asia have high and increasing levels of vaccination. This makes them highly likely to be classed as low risk countries for vaccinated travellers to visit and return from under reduced quarantine requirements, pending decisions by the Australian Government and entry policies of other countries," said Qantas. "This creates a range of potential travel options that Qantas and Jetstar are now preparing for. While COVID has shown that circumstances can change unexpectedly, the long lead times for international readiness means the Group needs to make some reasonable assumptions based on the latest data to make sure it can offer flights to customers as soon as they become feasible." Obviously, a lot still needs to go to plan for the two airlines to have you jetting off to overseas spots this summer. That's Qantas and Jetstar's current target date, though. Hong Kong flights are targeted to restart in February, too. And, if you're interested in trips to other destinations, Qantas has pushed back its expected takeoff dates in places that have low vaccine rates and high COVID-19 cases — including Bali, Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok, Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City and Johannesburg — to April 2022. When overseas flights do resume, Qantas will use digital health passes to verify vaccination and testing status. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has also previously stated that the airline would only allow vaccinated passengers to travel on international flights. Of course, even once international flights are up and running again, you can expect a much lower capacity than pre-COVID travel — Qantas previously said that it's not anticipating a full return to normality until 2024. As part of its efforts to encourage vaccinations — and to help speed up the return to its normal operations — the airline is also currently giving away discounts and frequent flyer points to vaxxed Aussies. To find out more about Qantas and Jetstar's international travel plans, visit the Qantas website.
Celebrity chef Luke Mangan and his meticulous Luke's Kitchen crew at Pitt Street's Kimpton Margot Hotel are doing a luxurious rendition of Mother's Day brunch. Mangan relocated his popular Dank Street eatery into the sleek Art Deco lobby of the Kimpton Margot, but his culinary focus — combining French and Asian influences with fresh local produce, beautifully plated — remains true to his original vision. The menu for Mother's Day Brunch brings it to life in five generous courses. The lineup includes: sashimi of hiramasa kingfish with nam jim, coconut yoghurt wild rice and kaffir lime; onion galette topped with soft poached egg; barbecue spiced king prawns; grilled Brooklyn Valley sirloin; and pear and raspberry crumble with vanilla bean ice cream. A vegan menu is also available for plant-based diners. For $125 per person you'll get the five-course meal and a glass of Taittinger on arrival. There will also be a roving bartender on hand to mix table-side Bloody Marys to your exact specifications, if you're mum is after something with a bit more kick. Seats are limited so book now at the Kimpton Margot website.
Here's some news worth slathering whichever type of food you love in McDonald's coveted Szechuan sauce: in less than a month, Rick and Morty will return for its sixth season. Anything can happen in the animated show's next batch of episodes, because that's the kind of dimension-hopping sci-fi series it is. Don't just take our word for it, though — the just-dropped full trailer for the upcoming season drips with chaos, unsurprisingly, and also paranoia. Well, actually, the sneak peek is set to the sounds of 'Paranoid' by Black Sabbath, but it's also a rather apt theme tune for the show's titular duo. When you're zipping around the galaxy and sliding through time, changing multiple worlds, making a whole lot of enemies and just generally causing interstellar mayhem in the process, being suspicious and mistrustful is bound to come with the territory. As for what'll occur from there, the trailer teases lectures about Die Hard, killer robots, vanishing from reality, alien armies, Wolverine-style claws, using Jerry as a human shield, arcade shootouts and exploding cars. So, just your usual Rick and Morty shenanigans. As always, anyone keen to get schwifty with the episodes can probably expect that Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith (both voiced by show co-creator Justin Roiland, Solar Opposites) will keep wreaking havoc, and that the series will keep zooming between as many universes as it can. And, because that's the way the news goes, Rick and Morty's hijinks will keep drawing in Morty's mother Beth (Sarah Chalke, Firefly Lane), father Jerry (Chris Parnell, Archer) and sister Summer (Spencer Grammer, Tell Me a Story). Everywhere across earth where television is screened and streamed — interdimensional cable, too — Rick and Morty is set to return on Sunday, September 4 in America. That's on Monday, September 5 Down Under, where the series beams into your queue via Netflix. And if you're wondering what kinds of chaos are in store this time around, Adult Swim, the US channel behind the show, has advised that the new season will pick up with its titular pair "where we left them, worse for wear and down on their luck". "Will they manage to bounce back for more adventures? Or will they get swept up in an ocean of piss! Who knows?! Piss! Family! Intrigue! A bunch of dinosaurs! More piss!" the network also teased. Check out the trailer for Rick and Morty's sixth season below: Rick and Morty's sixth season will premiere globally on Monday, September 5 Down Under. It streams via Netflix in Australia and New Zealand.
Perhaps your pooch really loves seeing cars drive across the small screen. Maybe they seem to adore Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs. One day, you might've even come home from work to find your puppy watching the television all by themselves — because they'd stepped on the remote, accidentally turned it on, then gotten comfy. Every pet owner has noticed their four-legged companion staring intently at the tube once or twice — and likely more than that. Usually, though, your TV-loving canine isn't watching a streaming platform that's been designed especially for barking, tail-wagging, bone-coveting viewers. Dog TV is exactly that kind of streaming service: an online channel that's all about entertaining your woofer, and creates videos that are specifically designed to do just that. Now available in Australia, it features content filled with sights and sounds that'll appeal to your pooch. Some programs aim to relax them, focusing on calming and soothing your little fluffball. Others endeavour to keep them mentally stimulated, and feature scenes of dogs and other animals playing. Indeed, making sure that your pupper is fine when you go out is one of Dog TV's big motivations — with its content also made to ease doggo boredom. If you're the kind of person who leaves the television or radio on for your pooch when you head off to work, then you're familiar with the concept. Here, though, your canine can feast their eyes and ears on footage and audio created especially for them, and not be forced to endure whatever daytime TV is currently serving up. Some clips attempt to do more than just relax or stimulate — by helping dogs get used to car rides and ringing doorbells as well. In fact, you could say that the entire streaming platform is designed to help canines cope, given that anyone who has recently transitioned from working from home full-time to venturing back into the office is now forced to leave their four-legged friend in the house alone far more often. Overall, the whole service takes into account a dog's usual daily cycle, including when they're most active, and tailors its content to match. "Three programs, including stimulation, relaxation and exposure, have been scientifically created to keep your dog feeling happy and confident," says Dog TV General Manager, Beke Lubeach. "Each program is scheduled throughout the day, exposing dogs to visual stimuli and sounds that positively impact their behaviour and reduce feelings of anxiety." If you're eager to add another streaming platform to your list of subscriptions (well, to your woofer's list), Dog TV has launched in Australia via Petstock — and if you're one of the retailer's members, you can access a month for free. Monthly subscriptions cost $8.95 otherwise, or you can pay $69.95 for an annual pass. For more information about Dog TV, or to sign up for your pooch, head to the streaming service's website — or to Petstock's website.
Still: motionless, placid, calm, unruffled. Still: a denudation of impossibly complex human relationships, where true desires and needs are explored to a depth beyond the quotidian and lives become overturned by the wild emotions that spring from deep romantic involvement. Independent theatre company Mad March Hare Theatre presents this play by Jane Bodie (This Year's Ashes) at the bohemian warehouse space of the Old 505 Theatre inside Hibernian House. In a series of eight monologues, a motif is made of the idea of wanting, and all the baggage that it carries: sexual tension, anxiety and sheer agony. From the personal humiliation of a failed sexual conquest to the painful state of denial that bumping into your ex-lover and his new partner in the supermarket causes, Still exposes the harsh truth and bloody mess of relationships with searing wit and empathy. This collaborative project is realised through the thinking hats of five established and versatile female directors working collectively on the gritty urban set: Lara Kerestes, Fiona Hallenan-Barker, Cathy Hunt, Scarlet McGlynn and Jessica Tuckwell. Still won its British, Sydney-based playwright the Green Room Award for Best Writing in 2002. Now Head of Playwriting at NIDA, Bodie claimed in 2003 she was a "hopeless romantic" — a debatable claim owing to her nettlesome storylines. Still may have you a little ruffled after all.
Paul Manser really puts himself into his writing. When reading the self-penned adventures and misadventures of the Melbourne-based travel scribe, you experience the destination and surrounds from his singular POV. The scenes he often sets have a shambolic, gonzo feel as though something is about to go terribly awry, with Paul giving huge main character energy as both narrator and observer. Things often do go terribly awry and those breakneck narrative zags make for great stories, many of which are featured in his recently published collection of travel mini-memoirs Life Plans On Dive Bar Napkins, a series of stories that include a profane interlude at San Francisco's disgracefully under-recognised Hunky Jesus Contest, stinking out Pamplona due to an unfortunate case of missing luggage, and other incidents that imply Paul is fortunate to be alive and/or not incarcerated. If you are planning a trip to Los Angeles in the coming months and would be interested in some sound, sensible advice on what to do, please do not read the following guide that Paul Manser kindly compiled for us. [caption id="attachment_875641" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The author Paul Manser on a bike[/caption] PAUL MANSER: Los Angeles is the suggestive, shapely leg that slips out from beneath conservative Middle America's full-length skirt. It is the kind of leg that shows enough skin to let you know there are good times to be had, but that you could have your bank account cleaned out for your indiscretions. Not just a city built for good times, LA is also a magnet for aspiring movie stars who are drawn to the city like a mosquito, drunk on summer's blood, is to a caravan park's fluorescent blue bug zapper. You jump in an Uber and before you know it, you're listening to the CV of an out-of-work actor who played a lactose intolerant lifeguard in Baywatch for two episodes in the 90s, as they take you the long way from Santa Monica to West Hollywood just to make a few extra dollars. With so many people waiting to be 'discovered', it can be a little hard to find the real Los Angeles these days; the city the locals live. To help, here's my guide that you may (or may not) want to follow: [caption id="attachment_875639" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Santa Monica pier by Vincentas Liskauskas via Unsplash[/caption] WHERE TO GO On my first visit to LA I was told don't drink the tap water, avoid hiking Runyon Canyon in flip flops and don't ever, under any circumstances, be out in Downtown LA after dark unless you are so enamoured with acupuncture you're willing to let a teenager poke you with a blunt knife for the contents of your wallet. However, things have changed. These days Downtown LA is so cool the ice wouldn't melt on the sidewalk in a mid-afternoon heatwave. With some of the most innovative restaurants in the city like 71Above, amazing rooftop bars like Upstairs at The Ace, boutique designer hotels and an abundance of skinny-jeaned, bushranger bearded locals, downtown LA is now the place to go to eat, get rowdy and find a drinkable coffee the day after — which is no mean feat in America. [caption id="attachment_875643" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Upstairs at The Ace, The Ace Hotel Los Angeles via The Ace Hotel[/caption] WHERE TO DRINK If New York is the city that never sleeps, LA is where the beautiful people doze in seal-placenta face masks before spending their days doing hot yoga, discussing the latest colonic hotspot and looking fabulously bored poolside at one of the many party hotels of West Hollywood. While the city is undoubtedly glamorous, any self-respecting traveller with a thirst to quench will forgo the latest Insta-famous rooftop restaurant to trawl the city's bars of yesteryear. Sunset Boulevard's infamous Viper Room, Whisky a Go Go and Rainbow Bar and Grill have seen stars come and go and given birth to many a road trip playlist's favourite band, including Guns 'N' Roses. Don't assume that because the venues are a little less polished, that your night will be devoid of celebrities, although the high-profile patrons may be less 'washed' and more 'washed up' these days. That is not to say that you won't be rewarded for seeking out a more sophisticated drinking environment. Located in downtown LA, The Wolves is a spectacularly overindulged Parisian-style cocktail bar featuring Tiffany glass ceilings. The dark, moody bar features more wood and dark leather than you'd find in a friendly neighbourhood BDSM swingers club. The Wolves draws an eclectic crowd on the weekends with a cocktail list as long as the security line at LAX, but if you really feel adventurous let one of the bartenders guide your evening. That way at least you'll know who to blame when you wake up in the morning full of regret. [caption id="attachment_875652" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Wolves at Downtown LA, image via The Wolves[/caption] WHERE TO EAT While sucking down a wheatgrass and kale smoothie next to Billie Eilish as she chews on a raw vegan lasagne at Crossroads Kitchen might seem peak Los Angeles, you're probably going to need something more substantial (and a bit greasier) to soak up the booze. Try the ramen burger at Tatsu Ramen (if it is on the menu at the time.) A glorious artery-clogging delicious patty of beef sandwiched between to ramen noodle buns. Five stars. WHERE NOT TO STAY Last time I stayed in LA, I awoke to sunlight piercing the soft mustard surrounds of a hotel room that self-proclaimed three stars, but that would soon be on the receiving end of a biting TripAdvisor review I was penning in my mind. Four paragraphs alone were to be dedicated to reporting the hotel owner to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague over the fluorescent purple shower curtain that would burn holes into the retinas of small children. Then I decided that a negative review was not enough. No. A parody webpage dedicated to a hotel room that went missing in the 1970's was more fitting. It would include photos and satirical descriptions for how best to recognise the room. "ATTENTION: Be on the lookout for a hotel room with a burn mark in the two-tone green carpet resembling a snake making love to The Leaning Tower of Pisa. A stain that looks like the outline of where a jockey had been murdered with an ice cream scooper. And a bible with a series of stunningly accurate genitalia drawn throughout." Honestly, I'd tell you where this hotel was in LA, but I don't want to be sued. So maybe just avoid every hotel in the city to be safe and stay in an Airbnb instead. This guest house looks pretty good: WHERE TO BE SEEN LA is one of those cities where you go not only to see, but to be seen. With more instantly recognisable faces big screen packed into a few square miles than anywhere else in the world, paparazzi-dodging-people-watching can resemble a bloodsport at times. But what fun is merely watching others get all of the attention? Where can you go to not only watch others, be a part of the action yourself? Chateau Marmont is a place of celebrity legend. It's where Led Zeppelin rode motorcycles through the lobby in the 1960s and one of the first places to ban Lindsay Lohan from entry. These days drinking poolside at Chateau still offers up a decent chance of lounging next to brutally hungover, non-communicative, blood-shot eyed celebrity. If the Chateau sounds like the spot for you, maybe pack a pair of reflective Ray-Bans so you can get a good look at everybody, without coming across as some crazed stalker. AND, WHERE TO ESCAPE TO Los Angeles is a hot mess. The city is impossible to cross at peak hour and realistically you shouldn't attempt using the public transport unless contracting dysentery is on your bucket list. Sometimes it's a city you just need to get away from. But where to? While the internet is plastered with images of celebrities escaping to sun themselves on the beaches of Malibu, those looking for a piece of old Hollywood glamour should head inland to Palm Springs. A playground for the icons of Hollywood in the golden age of cinema, Palm Springs was the place that fabled celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin came to escape Los Angeles. A sun drenched desert Oasis, these days travellers come to Palm Springs to admire its mid-century modern architecture, for mammoth music festivals like Coachella and Stagecoach and relax and people watch poolside in one of the many impeccably styled hotels which appear to have jumped straight out of a photo-spread in a design magazine. [caption id="attachment_875657" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Palm Springs by Cody Board via Unsplash[/caption] Paul Manser's book Life Plans On Dive Bar Napkins is available from various book stores or you can order it from Dymocks. For more of Paul's travel tales visit his website. Main image by Jake Blucker via Unsplash.
UPDATE: 1.19PM, MARCH 29 — Staff have returned to Sydney Airport's Air Traffic Control Tower and all arrivals and departures have resumed. Head to your airline's website to check on the status of your flight. Have an interstate — or overseas — getaway planned for this weekend? Prepare for some possible flight delays and cancellations. A fire at Sydney Airport led to a temporary full ground stop — with no aircraft departing or arriving at midday on Friday, March 29. Air Services Australia reported that the Sydney Air Traffic Control Tower had been evacuated after smoke was detected in the building. While there's no further information as to the extent of the fire at this point, at 12.17pm, the Sydney Airport reported that some arrivals were being processed — but still no planes were leaving. https://twitter.com/AirservicesNews/status/1111437366156115969 With Fridays being one of the busiest days for Sydney Airport, this could lead to delays throughout the afternoon and, possibly, into the weekend. Passengers are being advised to check the status of their flight with their airline. We'll update you as soon as we know more and when services resume. For more updates, head to the Air Services Australia Twitter or to the relevant airline website.
Since 2023, Shadow Baking has seen three current and former Gelato Messina head chefs turn their attention from gelato to pastries. Now the trio is kicking things off a little earlier, with a brand-new breakfast menu served exclusively at Messina's Marrickville HQ. So, what can you expect from this dine-in offering? Croissant loaf french toast with maple butter, crème anglaise and a scoop of gelato will satisfy any sweet cravings, while a pork sausage and egg bun served with a potato rosti and apple cider hollandaise is another brekkie treat. There are fresh takes on classics too, like the avo on toasted focaccia with whipped feta, confit tomato and jammy egg. The drinks menu hasn't been forgotten either, with a well-rounded coffee selection featuring beans from Toby's Estate. The Marrickville HQ will also be serving Nitro Coffee — that's cold brew with added nitrogen for maximum creaminess — and a strawberry matcha topped with pandan foam. Served every Thursday–Sunday from 8am–12pm, Shadow Baking's breakfast menu might just become your new morning ritual. And don't worry, if you're just swinging by for your usual pastry and coffee combo, the full spectrum of baked goods is still up for grabs.
What's better than one stunning glimpse well beyond this pale blue dot we all call home? Several, each as spectacular as the next. If you're a fan of space — and aren't we all? — then this week has been huge for peering past the earth, with NASA releasing a number of images from the James Webb Space Telescope. First came the snap dubbed Webb's First Deep Field, aka the deepest and sharpest view of the universe that's ever been captured. Yes, showing the galaxy cluster SMACS 0723 as it appeared a whopping 4.6 billion years ago, and covering thousands of galaxies, it's quite the sight. NASA then backed that up with more pictures from the space science observatory that's been charged with peering deeply into our solar system and far beyond, and taking images of what it spots. Prepare to be dazzled again. Cosmic cliffs & a sea of stars. @NASAWebb reveals baby stars in the Carina Nebula, where ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds shape colossal walls of dust and gas. https://t.co/63zxpNDi4I #UnfoldTheUniverse pic.twitter.com/dXCokBAYGQ — NASA (@NASA) July 12, 2022 Perhaps the most astonishing has been called 'Cosmic Cliffs', and looks at a star-forming region NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula — around 7600 light-years away. As captured in infrared light by the Webb telescope's near-infrared camera (NIRCam), it shows areas of star birth that have been obscured previously, and also proves the kind of sight that'll inspire a thousand big-screen space operas. Also phenomenal: two looks at the Southern Ring Nebula, a hot, dense white dwarf star, including one at its centre for the first time. One shows jagged rings of gas and dust, with light emanating from it — and, because perhaps the only reference point we have for looks at the heavens this stunning is everything that movies have thrown at us, it blows the best special effects you've ever seen out of the water. [caption id="attachment_861133" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Southern Ring Nebula[/caption] And, the Webb telescope has also captured Stephan's Quintet, a grouping of five galaxies. Again, there's a cinema tie — it's what the angel figures at the beginning of Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life are based on. Located in the Pegasus constellation, it features galaxies located between 40 million and 290 million light-years from Earth: galaxies NGC 7320, NGC 7317, NGC 7318A, NGC 7318B, and NGC 7319. With these jaw-dropping visuals, NASA now has images of a dying star's last hurrah thanks to the Southern Ring Nebula shots, and pictures that'll help scientists explore galactic mergers and interactions, as well as black holes. Indeed, showing the world staggering sights is really just the beginning when it comes to the telescope's output. [caption id="attachment_861135" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Stephan's Quintet[/caption] "Today, we present humanity with a groundbreaking new view of the cosmos from the James Webb Space Telescope — a view the world has never seen before," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "These images, including the deepest infrared view of our universe that has ever been taken, show us how Webb will help to uncover the answers to questions we don't even yet know to ask; questions that will help us better understand our universe and humanity's place within it." Yes, you're allowed to only want to stare at these pics for the next few minutes, hours and days. You're also allowed to summon your inner Keanu and exclaim the only thing that's appropriate right now: "whoa!". [caption id="attachment_861132" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Southern Ring Nebula[/caption] For more information about the James Webb Space Telescope, head to the NASA and James Web Space Telescope websites. Images: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI.
The Somedays gallery/store is making a habit of hand picking the best artistic talent from our southern neighbour state and spoiling/embarrassing us with their brilliance. They have the pleasure of hosting design collaboration Tin&Ed's first solo Sydney exhibition and I will bet my left arm it won't be their last. The exhibition is titled United Eye. It features pieces of 'HOLY-GRAMS' — a recent Tin&Ed installation that drew crowds to the Melbourne festival. There are also risographic prints which continue the HOLY-GRAMS theme of cultural and societal icons and symbols. I'm not going to pretend I didn't have to google 'risograph'. Don't worry — I'll save you the trouble — it's a simplified, rustic photocopier that applies ink to a hot roller which is set on the paper that passes through. Im told it delivers a more authentic result than most traditional mass-produced prints. Hours were spent labouring over the handmade cut-outs that will feature in United Eye. Each cut-out represents one or more recognisable icons that have featured in society's exploration of spirituality, culture and existence. There is a flawless, simplistic flow to them which represents so many ideas but maintains the uniformity of a neatly constructed font set. Looking at the risographs and cut-out silhouettes, I can't help but think of Keith Haring. In my opinion United Eye is an example of what Haring might have achieved if he didn't restrict his subject matter to social causes. Tin&Ed should need no introduction with a condensed CV that is intimidating to say the least (AMEX, Nike, MTV, Vice, MYER to name a few clients). It's little wonder you need to RSVP to opening night.
When a TV show or movie hits the screen adapted from the pages of a novel, maybe you're the kind of person who just has to read the book before watching. Perhaps you prefer the opposite, soaking in every minute of the series or film afresh with no knowledge of what's to come, then devouring the source material to spending more time in its world and fill in the details. Whichever best describes your style of page-to-screen fandom, you're welcome at a new Australian event that's all about streaming hits that started as novels. In fact, it's Prime Video's very own book club. You might've noticed that plenty of the streaming platform's recent fare began on the page. It's true of The Summer I Turned Pretty, which is about to drop its third and final season — and of the Culpable trilogy and also We Were Liars, for instance. So, the service is celebrating that fact in Sydney, putting on Prime Book Club LIVE with a number of authors and actors connected to its lineup as guests. The last season of The Summer I Turned Pretty begins on Wednesday, July 16, with the streamer's most-successful original series releasing episodes through until Wednesday, September 17. So, author Jenny Han — who not only penned the books The Summer I Turned Pretty, It's Not Summer Without You and We'll Always Have Summer that the show is based on and is the series' showrunner, but also wrote the To All The Boys I've Loved Before trilogy — will be in attendance. Stars Lola Tung and Rain Spencer (Test Screening) will also be there. Ahead of Culpa Nuestra (Our Fault), the third and final Culpable trilogy flick after films Culpa Mia (My Fault) and Culpa Tuya (Your Fault), reaching Prime Video in October, author Mercedes Ron will also get chatting in the Harbour City. Taking place from 5pm on Thursday, July 31, 2025 at Machine Hall in Sydney, Prime Book Club LIVE will boast Lucinda 'Froomes' Price as its host, feature a #BookTok panel, and sport an immersive setup spanning interactive experiences, giveaways and more. The event will also cover We Were Liars — which has an Australian connection thanks to Invisible Boys talent and future The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping star Joseph Zada — and others that fit the page-to-screen mould, including upcoming book-to-screen titles. Attendance is free, but you'll either need to register for a ticket in advance from 12pm AEST on Monday, July 14 or try your luck for one of the limited seats that'll be available on the day. "Prime Book Club LIVE celebrates our prolific book-to-screen storytelling and is a chance for our customers and fans to engage with Prime Video's series and films, and hear directly from talent about how these stories were brought to the screen. We're thrilled to have Jenny Han, Lola Tung, Rain Spencer and Mercedes Ron join us in Sydney for this exciting event," said Hwei Loke, head of Prime Video Australia and New Zealand. Prime Book Club LIVE takes place at 5pm on Thursday, July 31, 2025 at Machine Hall, 185 Clarence Street, Sydney, with free tickets available from 12pm AEST on Monday, July 14 and limited seats available on the day. The Summer I Turned Pretty images: Erika Doss © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC / Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Prime Video.
One of the artist statements for Global Gallery's current Russian Artists show proudly proclaims painter, Leeka Gruzdeff, as the "winner of over 100 first prizes in local and country exhibitions." That's a pretty good summation of this show, with most of the five artists' work displaying the sort of technical competence that would fare well at a smaller exhibition, but not necessarily producing much in the way of emotional impact. There's a good deal of fine draftsmanship on show at this small Paddington gallery, with Gruzdeff's musical scenes being one example. A more striking one being Helen Kosenko's finely detailed, vaguely pop-art pieces, which make excellent use of limited palettes and fine detail. But few of the artists have applied their skills in a particularly moving way, with beach scenes, fairly unimaginative collage and some decent but unamazing abstract art making up the rest of the show. Arguably one exception is Edward Galkin. The most stereotypically "Russian" of the artists being exhibited, his series of ostensibly crude paintings of the uniquely snide (or perhaps retarded) East European interpretation of court jestery easily stand out in their concern with more difficult experiences. The stupid, lustful, or (maybe?) cunning wide-eyed grin of Petrushka, the paintings' protagonist, accompanies him on a series of escapes alongside such dour and absurd captions as "I have no mummy," "Death takes Petrushka" and "Petrushka is mocking Malevich." It's vaguely unsettling stuff, which is definitely a plus, but without much in the way of context these mildly sinister scenes lose some of their power, coming across a bit like Itchy and Scratchy's iron curtain counterparts Worker and Parasite. I'd be letting my own East European heritage down if I didn't suggest that this show is still worth seeing — Petrushka's good company, no doubt — but maybe not at the top of your list.
After launching in 2004 — and creating its own womenswear label Alice Underground soon after — Lotus Pod has continued to do things a little differently. The store's styles are recognisable — they're flowy and feminine and feature lots of earthy colours. Plus, they're matched with local jewellery, bags and accessories. And you might be pleased to know that the store is also a charity, and contributes some of its profits towards philanthropic and welfare activities such as food relief, education, and enabling self-sufficiency.
Aim high. Go low. That's the fitting credo of this cocktail bar-slash-eatery-slash-live music venue. And I can tell you, they don't miss the mark. Darlo bar hoppers may not be starved for their pick of small bars, but Low's got a little something the others don't. For one, this place is sexy. Dark leather lounges are set against draping red curtains, with a grand piano tucked in the corner - an open invitation for musos to hammer out a good tune, and for hammered rockers looking for extra stage room. Throw in some low lighting, incense, intimate side rooms and an outdoor sitting that opens out onto Crown Street, and you've got your night off to a very good start. The only thing that's as sophisticated as the digs is Low's bar menu. With things like Octopus Carpaccio ($15) and Twice Cooked Lemon Chicken Wings ($11) on offer, this ain't your usual pub fare. I'd suggest getting stuck into their Short Ribs and keeping an eye out for the weekly specials. Match it with a frosty can of Yebisu ($8.50) or Lord Nelson ($9). If we're talking cocktails, the skilled bartenders are adept at leading the most indecisive of patrons to their new favourite drink. Despite my doubts, I was talked into a classic New York Sour ($16). Unconvincing on paper (bourbon, red wine and lemon juice) but phenomenal in a glass. The wine list features drops from Oz, NZ and France and is reasonably priced, rarely pushing the $45 mark. Having said that, Low probably won't suit those on a shoestring budget. While the no-fuss Brighton Bar is close by, it's worth considering whether you can put a price on dignity. Lastly, don't rock up at Low around midnight and expect to cruise on in. The queue on Friday and Saturday nights is impressive and the bouncer cares little for name-droppers. If you're through the door before 9pm and nab yourself a table, you're laughing. One of the best nights to drop in is Sundays for Low's live music gigs, which have seen some local and international talent tear it up on regular occasions. Aim high, and go Low indeed. Images: Alex Relic [nggallery id=82]
Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras celebrations are coming back in force, but past the parade, fair day and special events popping up over town, there's a special celebration of LGBTQI+ filmmaking that's also making its return: the 33rd Mardi Gras Film Festival, which returns to Event Cinemas George Street and Dendy Newtown from Thursday, February 12 to Thursday, February 26. Queer Screen has announced the full program for this year's festival, packed with 139 outstanding feature films, documentaries and short films sourced from 38 countries — including six world premieres, five international premieres and 64 Australian premieres. [caption id="attachment_1065285" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] 'She's the He', directed by Siobhan McCarthy[/caption] Highlight entries in the program include an opening night screening of Jimpa, directed by Australian filmmaker Sophie Hyde and starring Olivia Colman (The Roses), John Lithgow (The Old Man) and Aud Mason-Hyde (Fucking Adelaide). There's also the steamy, leather-clad Pillion, starring Alexander Skarsgård (Murderbot) opposite Harry Melling (The Queen's Gambit) and closing night film She's the He starring Misha Osherovich (Freaky), Malia Pyles (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin) and Nico Carney. Also featuring in the program is The Chronology of Water, the directorial debut of Kristen Stewart, starring Imogen Poots (28 Weeks Later) as a young woman who escapes a toxic childhood through competitive swimming and sexual experimentation; Love Me Tender, starring Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread) and Antoine Reinartz (Anatomy of a Fall) in a story about a woman maintaining a maternal bond in the midst of a divorce and A Deeper Love: The Story of Miss Peppermint, a look behind the scenes of the RuPaul's Drag Race star's rise to fame. [caption id="attachment_1065286" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] 'The Chronology of Water', directed by Kristen Stewart[/caption] In terms of returning classics, attendees can look forward to a 4k restoration of Lisa Cholodenko's High Art, a 30th anniversary screening of the Australian classic Love and Other Catastrophes, the 50th anniversary of the John Hurt-starring The Naked Civil Servant and a showcase of Castration Movie Anthology II: The Best of Both Worlds, presented in partnership with Pink Flamingo and with director Louise Weard in attendance. "This festival would not be possible without our generous partners, donors, members, community supporters, as well as the festival team and volunteers who have put in countless hours to make it happen. It's an honour to be able to lead the team and carry forward Queer Screen's legacy after 32 years. I warmly welcome you back to the cinema to experience the magic with us," said Queer Screen CEO Benson Wu. [caption id="attachment_1065283" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] 'Love and Other Catastrophes', directed by Emma Kate-Croghan[/caption] Queer Screen Programming and Industry Manager Andrew Wilkie added, "At a time when our community is facing increased persecution both here and abroad – particularly our trans siblings – seeing authentic LGBTIQ+ stories on our screens is more important than ever. Our continued visibility in the face of bigotry sends a clear message: we refuse to hide or be silenced. And that's the theme that permeates this entire program, films all about being unapologetically queer and finding community." Mardi Gras Film Festival will run at Event Cinemas George Street and Dendy Newtown from Thursday, February 12 to Thursday, February 26. For the full program or for more information, visit the website. Lead image: 'Pillion', directed by Harry Lighton. Images courtesy of Queer Screen.
Twenty-six years ago, "do you like scary movies?" stopped being just an ordinary question. Posed by a wrong-number caller who happened to be a ghostface-masked killer with a fondness for kitchen knives, it was the snappiest and savviest line in one of the 90s' biggest horror films — a feature filled with snappy and savvy lines, too — and it's now one of cinema's iconic pieces of dialogue. It also perfectly summarised Scream's whole reason for being. The franchise-starting slasher flick didn't just like scary movies, though. It was one, plus a winking, nudging comedy, and it gleefully worshipped at the altar of all horror films that came before it. Wes Craven helmed plenty of those frightening features prior to Scream, so the A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Hills Have Eyes director was well-equipped to splash around love for the genre like his villain splashed around entrails — and to eagerly and happily satirise all of horror's well-known tropes in the stab-happy process. If you've seen the 1996 film or its three sequels till now, you've bathed in all that scary movie affection. You might've gleaned the horror basics from their rules and references; the OG film even had its characters watch Halloween and borrows the 70s classic's stellar score for key scenes. Geeking out over spooky cinema is the franchise's main personality trait, to the point that it has its own saga-within-a-saga, aka the Stab movies, and its fifth entry — also just called Scream — wouldn't dream of making that over. The famous question gets asked, obviously. Debates rage about the genre, enough other horror films are name-checked to fill a weekend-long movie marathon, cliches get skewered and dissected, and there's a Psycho-style shower scene. 'Elevated' horror standouts The Babadook, It Follows, The Witch and Hereditary earn a shoutout as well, but Scream itself just might be an elevator horror flick. It isn't set in one, but it crams in so much scary movie love that it always feels like it's stopping every few moments to let its nods and nerding-out disembark. In other words, you'd really best answer Scream's go-to query with the heartiest yes possible, and also like watching people keep nattering about all things horror. Taking over from Craven, who also directed 1997's Scream 2, 2000's Scream 3 and 2011's Scream 4 but died in 2015, Ready or Not's Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett task their next generation of slasher fodder with showing their devotion with all the subtlety of a masked murderer who can't stop taunting their prey. It's playful, irreverent, loving and meta but also overdone, even as the film has something savage to say about internet-era fandom and its non-stop demands (especially with big, popular and ongoing franchises like this). A little too often, the new Scream resembles chatting to that one person at a party who won't stop going on about the sole thing they adore, even if you love it with equal passion. One of those cinephile titbits that gets mentioned over and over: that the film considers itself a requel, aka a flick that keeps the same context as its predecessors — same timeline, same world and some legacy characters, too — but introduces fresh faces to give the original a remake. So it is that this Scream dispatches Ghostface upon today's Woodsboro high schoolers, because the fictional spot is up there with Sunnydale and Twin Peaks on the list of places that are flat-out hellish for teens. Scream 4 did the same, but the first new attack by the saga's killer is designed to lure home someone who's left town. Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera, In the Heights) hightailed it the moment she was old enough, fleeing a family secret, but is beckoned back when her sister Tara (Jenna Ortega, You) receives the feature's opening "do you like scary movies?" call. Soon, bodies are piling up, Ghostface gives Woodsboro that grim sense of deja vu again, and Tara's friends — including the horror film-obsessed Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown, Yellowjackets), her twin Chad (Mason Gooding, Love, Victor), his girlfriend Liv (Sonia Ammar, Jappeloup), and other pals Wes (Dylan Minnette, 13 Reasons Why) and Amber (Mikey Madison, Better Things) — are trying to both survive while basically cycling through the OG feature again, complete with a crucial location, and sleuth out the culprit using their scary movie knowledge. Everyone's a suspect, including Sam herself and her out-of-towner boyfriend Richie (Jack Quaid, The Boys), and also the begrudging resident expert on this exact situation: ex-sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette, Spree). The latter is the reason that morning show host Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox, Cougar Town) and initial Ghostface target Sidney Prescott (Skyscraper) make the trip back to Woodsboro again as well. Working with a script by Murder Mystery's James Vanderbilt and Ready or Not's Guy Busick, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are in familiar territory several times over — their ace last release was all about attempting to outwit disturbed murderers, too — and they're well-aware that their audience knows it. "I've seen this movie before," Sidney slyly comments in one pivotal scene, which is this Scream's most telling moment. Just like the thin line between intriguing and unhinged in all those gravelly-voiced phone chats, the line between fun and repetitive is oh-so-slight here. Because this kind of sequel is currently Hollywood's favourite thing, Scream splits the difference between Ghostbusters: Afterlife and The Matrix Resurrections; it's never anywhere near as dull and grating as the first, but it's not as smart and ambitious as the second, either. It is gloriously gory, though. Blood, like horror movie references, flows thick and fast. Indeed, Scream 2022 is at its best when it's doing two things: staging those teased-out kills with stylish flair, which is where the flick's self-referential obsession gets its finest time to shine, and taking another slice at its three franchise mainstays' stories. Sidney and co are supporting players this time, as per requel rules, but they're the callbacks that are worth the price of admission over the Stab chatter and obligatory 'Red Right Hand' needle-drop. The new cast members put in a fair effort — Barrera and Savoy Brown especially; both have had a killer on-screen past 12 months anyway — but the bulk of the movie's first-timers always feel too disposable. Yes, this slasher sequel falls victim to unshakeable tropes far more than it successfully subverts them. It's still mostly entertaining enough, and the franchise had endured other average-at-best chapters (see: Scream 3 and Scream 4); however, looking self-satisfiedly backwards instead of leaping forwards, it's basically running up the stairs when it should be heading out the front door.
Potts Point's new French restaurant Bistrot 916 has been offering up fun and exciting new takeaway options throughout lockdown. It started with the Burger 916, a limited-edition burger which sold out daily. In the last couple of weeks, the team have taken things up a notch with the neighbourhood bistro launching a full takeaway menu that spans from caviar service to cheeseburgers and hash browns. You have two choices when ordering takeaway from Bistrot 916: browse the takeaway menu and swing past its Challis Ave home to pick up your food, or choose from the more extravagant options available on Providoor. Here you can order two-person steak, duck and vegetarian banquets ($120-180). The more reserved duck banquet comes with duck frites, chicken liver parfait, lumache a l'escargot (tomato-braised snails), Valrhona chocolate mousse, plus salad, bread and butter. Not excessive enough? The steak banquet swaps the duck for steak and adds a set of 12 oysters. Each banquet can be ordered alongside an at-home beverage pairing experience that includes four glasses of wine designed to complement the meal. If you're not looking for such a luxe and bank-blowing meal, you can order a set of two next-level cheeseburgers made with Rangers Valley beef patties and topped with Bistrot 916 burger sauce, hash browns and soft drinks for the still-pricey but more reasonable $69. Or, if you're looking to get just a little fancy, order yourself 12 oysters with mignonette, lemon, lime and ginger gelee for $48. Wine and cocktails are available for purchase on their own if you want to pair your cheeseburger with a negroni. Images: Steven Woodburn
According to one urban myth, Sydney's jacarandas are the work of an unknown hospital matron who sent every new mother home with a seedling. Another states that soldiers brought the trees home as gifts on their return from World War II. The problem is that there's no evidence for either. So, no one really knows how Sydney came to have so many of these. What we do know, though, is that, come late October, the city begins to transform into a vision of purple, as hundreds of jacarandas bloom. But they don't hang around for long — the flowers typically peak in mid-November and usually disappear by early December. So, if you're keen to see them, it's time to start planning a day out. Here are a few spots — both in and near Sydney — where you can get your jacaranda fix this spring. Recommended reads: The Best Walks in and Around Sydney The Best Day Trips from Sydney — for Summer The Best Bike Rides in and Around Sydney CIRCULAR QUAY AND THE ROCKS The Rocks' heritage-listed sandstone provides a particularly striking backdrop to see blooming jacarandas in Sydney. Turn your adventure into a lovely walk by starting at the Royal Botanic Gardens and following the Harbour shore line to The Rocks, taking in the sights as you go. And while you're there, make a proper day of it by grabbing some drinks at The Glenmore Hotel's rooftop, a natural wine at Le Foote or a Nashville-style chicken burger at the Circular Quay outpost of Belles Hot Chicken. PADDINGTON Paddington's most famous jacarandas line is Oxford Street, just outside Victoria Barracks. But you'll find plenty more among the suburb's back streets and parks — especially around Five Ways. Grab a coffee and pastry from Funkis Koket Cafe or Padre, and take your time wandering around the neighbourhood streets on a sunny weekend. HUNTERS HILL While you're on the north shore, head a little west to take a stroll through Hunters Hill. For a local's perspective, jump on board a walking tour with the Hunters Hill Trust. But if you prefer to go at your own pace when checking out Sydney's blooming jacarandas, you can take the self-guided tour around Hunters Hill. LAVENDER BAY To see a purple sea against the brilliant blue of the Harbour, head to Lavender Bay on the lower north shore. Other spots to check out nearby include Wollstonecraft, Waverton and Kirribilli's famous (and always packed with photo-takers) jacaranda 'tunnel' on McDougall Street. Follow it up with a venture to The Greens for food, bevs and barefoot bowls in the sun. GRAFTON Located six hours north of Sydney just above Coffs Harbour, Grafton should be top of any Jacaranda lovers' hit list for Spring. The regional town even hosts its own Jacaranda Festival every year, kicking off on Friday, October 27 in 2023. The festivities celebrate the violet-hued blooms and include a float parade, drag bungo and a long lunch underneath the colourful trees. [caption id="attachment_782750" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] Images: Destination NSW.
French Canadian filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallee is famed for masterfully ingraining music into his films. The name of his most recent work comes from the chill out song 'Cafe de Flore' by Matthew Herbert, a song that holds extreme resonance for the characters, connecting them across time and place. The music in the film — dominated by the otherworldly Sigur Ros with a smattering of electro, pop and dance in between — is not merely decorative or utilised to invoke emotion; rather, it galvanises people in the most intense of ways and serves to remind them of the tragedy of love lost. In the world of Vallee's characters, music is life altering and transcendent, a profound expression and experience of love. Vallee presents us with two seemingly distinct stories, tales that will be joined at the end in the most surprising of ways. In modern-day Montreal, DJ Antoine (Kevin Parent) is deeply in love with his partner, Rose (Evelyne Brochu), but is emotionally displaced by his ineffable connection to his teenage sweetheart and ex-wife Carole (Helene Florent), the mother of his two children. Antoine questions during the film how one can have two soul mates in a lifetime. "If it's a soul mate," he asks, "it's not supposed to end, right?" Carole, in turn, is haunted by the disappearance of a love she thought was "written in the stars". The other story, set in an unspectacular Paris of browns and greys in 1969, follows Jacqueline (Vanessa Paradis) and her obsessive devotion to her son, Laurent (Marin Gerrier), who has Down syndrome, along with his fervent attachment to a little girl also with Down Syndrome called Veronique (Alice Dubois). How the two stories converge will be divisive for audiences — some will be in awe of the magnitude of it all while some will walk out and roll their eyes. I was unfortunately in the latter camp. The final revelation let Cafe de Flore down in my opinion, but it didn't take away from the beauty of it as a whole. The film has a hypnotic quality that truly entrances. The use of photos of times past; stunning, ethereal visuals; and the inclusion of scenes showing Antoine and Carole as teenagers bound by love and a shared passion for music infuse the film with a sense of nostalgia and history that renders it dreamlike and sad. It won't be to everyone's taste, but if you appreciate good music and a complex, interesting story, then this might have something for you. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Y3HAgq7aQOk
