There'll be bamboo baskets piled high with steaming dumplings, bowls of soy-covered noodles waiting to be slurped, and Hong Kong/Australian break dance collaborations care of Compartmentalized at the Chinese New Year Markets in Belmore Park. There's live entertainment on the main market stage with a film screenings, martial arts performances and a wee bit of demonstration cooking. Want to belt out a tune? Battle it out at the karaoke competition, and if you're the crowd's favourite, you might end up taking home a swag of prizes. The official festival launch kicks off Friday night with an evening of fireworks to scare last year's baddies away. Want more Chinese New Year events? Check out our top ten picks of the festivities.
There's nothing quite like the thrum of a crowd at a live gig, but we often forget to acknowledge all the incredible work that goes into putting on a show. Australia's live music scene is growing, and we owe so much of that to not only the musicians but also their managers, agents, crew and others working tirelessly behind the scenes. Support Act props up the music industry with mental health and wellbeing initiatives, like the Wellbeing Helpline, short-term financial aid and dedicated First Nations support. On Thursday, November 30, it's asking you to help continue to raise funds for music workers by showing your support on Ausmusic T-Shirt Day. Don your favourite Ausmusic tee on Thursday, November 30 and donate to Support Act to boost Australia's music industry. If you don't have a shirt, you can buy one on the website for $50. Take your pick of designs created by local artists, featuring musos such as Kylie Minogue, Nick Cave, Paul Kelly, Gang of Youths and John Farnham – but get in quick, as stocks are limited. All proceeds go directly to Support Act. You can get additional merch from celebrated stars such as Jess Mauboy, Tame Impala, Tash Sultana, INXS, RÜFÜS DU SOL and Ocean Alley, who are donating a percentage of sale proceeds to the campaign. Find the full list of merch partners at the website. In showing your support, you'll become a part of something bigger. Upholding the cause are some notable names in Aussie music — lead ambassadors Amy Shark, Budjerah and Jimmy Barnes are joined by Alex Lahey, Baker Boy, Client Liason, Gretta Ray, Jet, Josh Pyke, MAY-A, Voyager and more. ARIA, Triple J, Heaps Normal, Gildan Brands and AAMI are also backing the cause. "November 30 is a day where we can all rally together, show our support of Aussie music and raise much-needed funds for Support Act who do amazing work for artists, crew and music workers across the industry," shares Amy Shark. Donate and get involved at the Ausmusic website.
Corruption at the highest level is a timely topic. Rock Surfers' upcoming production The Way Things Work takes characters that are all too familiar (for all the wrong reasons), pits them in a sordid cover-up against each other, and watches the messy trickle-down from public office, through the boardroom scuffles of private enterprise and down to the seedy inner workings of the criminal underbelly. The play is the winner of the inaugural Rock Surfers/CJZ Playwriting commission. Written by Aidan Fennessy and directed by Leland Kean, it's a proudly Australian satirical take on the grubby bedfellows that are politics and big business, following a certain minister through the descent behind the trashy headlines. Kean describes it as "a wonderfully biting, aggressive, corrupt, contemporary, black comedy". Laugh, cringe, be horrified, then leave trying to ignore the sinking sensation that comes with the realisation that it's all a little bit close to home.
Ever tried to have a conversation about the NSW lockout laws but found yourself wanting for hard, easy facts on hand to explain it? The crew at Keep Sydney Open have created a video that spells it all out for you. Released today, the new ad features Sydney legends Joyride, Touch Sensitive and the mad skills from Entropico to lay down the lockout law for you. Highlighting some of the more dramatic stats — night time foot traffic in Kings Cross is down 84 percent, almost 50 bars, clubs and venues have shut down since the lockouts were introduced, our cultural life is being eroded, and our international reputation is on the slide — the video is aimed at explaining the impact the NSW Goverment's lockout laws have had on Sydney with the obvious intent of going viral. "If you wanted to reduce shoplifting, would you lock up the doors of your shop and hide all the stock in the cellar?" says Joyride in the video. "The overwhelming majority of Sydneysiders can have a good time without anyone getting hurt. Going out to see a band, dance in a club, or just have a few drinks amongst friends shouldn't be a crime, in fact, that's what's made Sydney such a great place to live. Other cities around the world have found solutions that tackle the actual problem." Watch the video here, it's already up to 16K views: Keep Sydney OpenIt's simple really: let's tackle the real problems and build a great city at the same time.Thanks to Entropico for coming up with this, Joyride for lending his pipes and Touch Sensitive for being a synth-lord. Posted by Keep Sydney Open on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 Keep Sydney Open are having fundraisers tonight at three Sydney venues. Info over here. Image: Kimberley Low.
It might just be Australia's brightest festival, and it's returning to light up Alice Springs once again. That'd be Parrtjima - A Festival In Light, which delivers its fourth and most expansive annual program so far between Friday, April 5 to Sunday, April 14 — a shift from the event's previous timeslot, moving from spring to autumn. The nation's first indigenous festival of its kind, Parrtjima announced its shift of dates earlier this year, as well as its continued focus on dazzling light installations. Now, the free ten-day public celebration of Indigenous arts, culture and storytelling has started to reveal its lineup. In 2019, as well as a closing night performance by Baker Boy, the festival will feature seven luminous displays gracing both Alice Springs Desert Park Precinct and Alice Springs Todd Mall. While Alice Spring's CBD will light up with new installations and events, just out of town, tourism and conservation facility Alice Springs Desert Park will also come alive with the festival's main attraction. Once again, a huge artwork will transform a 2.5-kilometre stretch of the majestic MacDonnell Ranges, showering it with light from 6.30–10.30pm each night of the festival — and featuring an audio track voiced by Aussie acting legend Aaron Pedersen. Visitors will also be able to immerse themselves in art and storytelling as part of the returning Ahelhe Itethe – Living Sands (Grounded), where installations are projected onto the earth accompanied by a striking soundscape. While Parrtjima's returning slate is strong, new additions to this year's lineup include an illuminated tunnel that'll greet attendees as they enter the festival space, called Angkentye Anpernirrentye-kerte – The Language of Kin; an array of over-sized sculptures that'll relay the social history of First Nations station workers and their language of the land, dubbed Angkentye Stockmen Mape-kenhe – The Language of Stockmen; and a series of sculptured large-scale moths, badged The Language of Moths, which'll brighten up Todd Mall. There'll also be a huge maze for kids and a set-up of three bush taxis displaying works by First Nations artists. As 2019 is the UN's Year of Indigenous Languages, the festival will also have a linguistic edge — as many of the light installations' names make plain. With a theme of 'Language Expressions', the full program will feature many talks and workshops focused on Central Australia's many Indigenous languages, with details to be announced in the coming weeks. Also on the bill is jam-packed program of dance, music, workshops and talks, sharing stories and celebrating First Nations' culture. It's a nice supplement to the area's Field of Light installation, which has been extended until 2020. Parrtjima – A Festival in Light runs from April 5–14, 2019 around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. For more information, visit the festival website. Images: James Horan.
For decades, if you wanted to eat a burger patty topped with cheese, there was only one way to do it. Then a number of hybrid culinary creations started popping up — like cheeseburger spring rolls, that now-popular pub menu inclusion, as well as cheeseburger dumplings and even cheeseburger soup. Or, at Banjo's Bakery Cafe, you can opt for a double cheeseburger pie. Part of the Aussie chain's signature range, it's back on offer to help simultaneously satisfy your cheeseburger and your pie cravings. Yes, the double cheeseburger pie is exactly what it sounds like. Encased in pastry, you'll find layers of burger patty, cheese, onion, tomato sauce and mustard. And, if you're wondering about that most controversial of cheeseburger fillings — yep, that'd be pickles — they're sandwiched inside as well. This isn't the first time that Banjo's, which has stores in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania, has served up this foodie mashup. But when it does offer up items from its signature range — such Tasmanian scallop, bangers and mash, and chicken parmigiana pies — they're only available for a limited time. That's the case here, too, so you'll want to get in quick if you're suddenly, unsurprisingly feeling hungry. In NSW, you'll need to head north to Glendale to get your fix. In Victoria, stores are located in Mornington, Traralgon and Mildura. Queenslanders can pick from ten spots, including Darra, Cleveland, Park Ridge and Redcliffe, while pie-loving SA residents can hit up Glenelg — and there's 29 stores in Tasmania. Banjo's Bakery Cafe's double cheeseburger pie is currently on the menu for a limited time at the chain's store's nationally. To find your nearest location, visit the company's website.
SBS has launched their newest cooking program, The Chef's Line, employing a competition format that gives an inside look at how commercial kitchens really operate. The nightly program follows four amateur cooks and four professional chefs over the course of a week as they battle it out to prove who does it best. Every week, the show features four chefs from a particular restaurant, ranging from the apprentices and the chef de parties, to the sous chef and the head honcho. Each night, the contestants go head to head with one member of the chef's line, and the contestant with the least impressive dish is graciously shown the door. On Thursday nights, the last amateur standing unleashes their skills against the head chef. The dishes are judged blindly by Australian food icons Dan Hong, Mark Olive, and Melissa Leong, who take turns each night to either taste and decide the winner, or get about the kitchen, having a chat with the competitors. The week culminates with program host Maeve O'Meara heading to the restaurant in the spotlight for a behind-the-scenes peak at their chef's line in action. It's a pretty interesting twist on something viewers have seen plenty of lately — aka the contemporary cooking competition — as there's less emphasis placed on drama and things going wrong. Instead, The Chef's Line has the kind of vibe you'd expect when a few mates cook up some wicked food in the kitchen. With the relatively small number of contestants getting a complete refresh each week, there's no time to develop a narrative arc of intrigue and cutthroat competition, so the show relies on simply showing some home cooks making rad dishes while hanging out with chefs who make the same dishes for a living. Which, really, is what a cooking show is all about: good food and good people make for good watching. With a multicultural focus, the program brings a new cuisine to the fore every week, ensuring a swathe of various challenges as contestants aim for authentic, global dishes. Week one ran from April 3, championed Vietnamese cuisine, and took its chef's line from the guys behind Dandelion in Melbourne, as led by Geoff Lindsay. "It's a really wonderful way to celebrate diversity," said the program's creator, Chris Culvenor, calling the unique format a "celebration of the diversity of Australian food culture." The Chef's Line airs on weeknights on SBS at 6pm. If you're keen on the great dishes whipped up on the show, recipes will be made available from sbs.com.au/thechefsline.
There's a difference between embracing the fantastical and making fantasy. As a book since 2018, then a stage production and now a seven-part Netflix series, Boy Swallows Universe knows how to fly in the first direction without becoming the second. Author and journalist Trent Dalton spins a semi-autobiographical 80s-set story, which surveys his childhood and its challenges with clear eyes, but also brims with hope and zero judgement. That's protagonist Eli Bell's (Felix Cameron, Penguin Bloom) approach to everything, including his recovering addict mother Frankie (Phoebe Tonkin, Babylon), his heroin-dealing stepfather Lyle Orlik (Travis Fimmel, Black Snow), his alcoholic and agoraphobic dad Robert (Simon Baker, Limbo), and his elder brother Gus (Lee Tiger Halley, The Heights), who hasn't spoken since a traumatic incident in the siblings' past. It's also how he sees family friend, babysitter, father figure, and no-nonsense but supportive source of wisdom Slim Halliday, as played by Australian acting icon Bryan Brown in Boy Swallows Universe's leap to the screen. The character is one of Dalton's great inclusions and, as with much in the novel, doesn't merely stem from Dalton's imagination. The name, that he spent decades in the Queensland capital's Boggo Road Gaol for the death of a taxi driver, his multiple escapes from the notorious prison: they're all 100-percent real. So is the fact that the young Dalton knew the convicted murderer when he was a boy growing up in Brisbane's west. Casting Brown is like most talent choices in Boy Swallows Universe: a dream pick. Chatting with Concrete Playground about the part and the Brisbane-made series, he's full of praise about Cameron as 12-year-old force-of-nature Eli. "He's a fabulous young kid and he's done a fabulous job," he advises. But Brown's own inclusion, like Tonkin, Fimmel, Baker, Halley, Totally Completely Fine's Zac Burgess as the older Eli, Talk to Me's Sophie Wilde's as Caitlyn Spies and more, is just as pitch-perfect. To Eli, Slim is a man with answers, encouragement and no sugarcoating — someone who believes in him, wants the best for him, but won't skip over life's realities. Try to picture an Aussie actor who'd nail the role and Brown is alone in springing to mind. Boy Swallows Universe joins his almost five-decade-long resume, at a time when Brown jokes that "someone asking me to do a job now is quite a good thing". In the past five months, he's been on-screen almost constantly — in fellow streaming series C*A*U*G*H*T, the recut of Baz Luhrmann's Australia as miniseries Faraway Downs and in US-produced but Sydney-shot rom-com Anyone But You. His career has followed the same path since the mid-70s, and reads like a history of Aussie film and television. For both 1980's Breaker Morant and 1999's Two Hands, he has Best Supporting Actor Australian Film Institute Awards. In the latter as with Boy Swallows Universe, he was paired with up-and-comer: there, it was Heath Ledger. [caption id="attachment_935699" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jono Searle/Getty Images for Netflix[/caption] Brown's credits also span The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith, Newsfront, The Shiralee, Dirty Deeds, Beautiful Kate, Red Dog: True Blue and Sweet Country. The list goes on. Over in Hollywood in the 80s, after TV's A Town Like Alice was a hit overseas as well as at home, he earned Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for The Thorn Birds, led action-thriller F/X, famously mixed drinks with Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One) in Cocktail and starred opposite Sigourney Weaver (The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart) in Gorillas in the Mist. In 2004, he featured in the Ben Stiller (Locked Down)-led Along Came Polly as well. With Boy Swallows Universe, Brown was drawn in as everyone who has come across it in any form has been: by the story. Initially introduced via screenwriter John Collee's (Hotel Mumbai) scripts, he found it as astonishing as readers, theatre patrons and viewers keep doing. The series that results is now streaming — and we spoke with Brown about his first responses to Dalton's tale, his eagerness to play Slim, taking on someone with layers both on the page and in reality, mentoring Cameron, why everyone loves Boy Swallows Universe and more. ON BROWN'S FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH THE BOY SWALLOWS UNIVERSE STORY "The scripts. I hadn't read the book, and the producer Troy Lum (Palm Beach) sent me John Collee's — at that stage — eight one-hour scripts, and I thought they were quite wonderful, the scripts. That then led me to go get the book and read the book, and to thoroughly enjoy it and go 'this is a remarkable story this', given it was basically true. And so to be able to be a part of it, I was only too willing." ON WHAT APPEALED TO BROWN ABOUT PLAYING SLIM HALLIDAY "I think the fact that he was a crim, but we don't meet him doing anything criminal. We hear about what a crim he was, and how he'd been in jail for 30 years and how he'd escaped, but we see him as someone that really wants to help the boys not go the way that he did. So I think it's the fact that he's not as you would expect him to be. When someone says 'I've got a part for you to play, it's a crim, love you to do it' — [but] basically I'm babysitter in this." ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR A PART THAT ISN'T JUST A CHARACTER IN TRENT DALTON'S BOOK, BUT A REAL-LIFE PERSON "Basically I can only play the scripts. So if there's something missing in the scripts, then I go 'this conflicts with something else, I need to know more about it'. But the scripts were so well done, the character was so well-outlined, the relationship with the boy was so clear and it felt quite instinctive to be able to play — I didn't have to research his criminal activity. None of that came into the playing of this piece. So it was about trying to understand why he wanted to be with the boy and behave as he did, and pretty well the scenes answered that for me." ON PLAYING SLIM AS NO-NONSENSE BUT SUPPORTIVE, AND A FATHER FIGURE FOR ELI "Once again, I come back to how well something's written. If a character is written well, you're just pulling the glove on and getting on with it. It's where something comes into conflict or it doesn't make sense that you're at sixes and sevens in trying to play something. But this was so well-written on the page that I was able to play it pretty easily. It was a part that was enjoyable to play." ON HOW BROWN SEEES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SLIM AND ELI "I guess it is a bit father-son, but it's better than that. It's like he doesn't have to be the parent and exercise certain disciplines — he just has to be there as someone that appreciates and would always be there for the boy. And just that knowledge that he gives to the boy, there is someone solid here that believes in me, that's the relationship that I think that Slim brings." ON HOW THAT MENTORING RELATIONSHIP TRANSLATED WITH FELIX CAMERON OFF-SCREEN "People would probably say it did. We got on very well. We had a lot of fun together. He's a cheeky little bugger, and I really enjoyed mucking around with him. But behind all that there's a very bright young fella — and there's a fella who, obviously he's got wonderful parents. There's a boy that appreciates pretty well everything that's going on here. He appreciated doing this. It never went to his head in any way. I'm sure there were areas of confusion for him, but he never brought that to the table." ON WHY BOY SWALLOWS UNIVERSE CONTINUES TO STRIKE SUCH A CHORD "I think it is a story of hope. The boys want and hope that their life will be better, and do everything — they don't judge their parents, there's no judgement in this show about people, but there is the boys who just see that there's a life out there, and hope that they can have a life that's different to the ones that their parents are experiencing. I think that there's a joy in that. It's not a dour story. It's not a dark story. There's darkness in things that happen with the characters, but it's not a dark story. It's a story of hope and desire from the boys to have a real life, and I think you can't help but get affected by it." [caption id="attachment_935703" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Chris Hyde/Getty Images for Netflix[/caption] ON WHAT BROWN LOOKS FOR A ROLE "It's pretty easy. I read it. I go 'do I like the story?'. If I don't like the story, there's no point even thinking about the part. And if I do like the story, then I look at the character and I go 'how does this character contribute to the story?' and 'can I do something of value with that character that makes that story live?'. It's pretty straightforward. I know pretty well straight away if I don't want to something. But if I'm a bit intrigued, then I have to ask myself more questions as I go through it. Once again, it's instinct. I look at it and I go: 'am I there? Can I be there?'. And if I can, the other side of it is, I like to know who else is doing it, and I like to know who the production company is and who the director will be to make me feel confident about that it can be done well." Boy Swallows Universe streams via Netflix, arriving on Thursday, January 11, 2024. Read our review. Images: courtesy of Netflix © 2023.
There's no shortage of ways to celebrate Halloween, whether scary movies, eerie art, a trick-or-treating stint, playing with Lego or themed mini golf is your thing. Here's a particularly tasty one: getting dressed up in costume and scoring a free Krispy Kreme doughnut. The chain is known for giving away its round treats, including handing out 100,000 of them each National Doughnut Day. For Tuesday, October 31, it isn't locking in an exact number of doughnuts that'll be on offer — but it will give one to everyone who turns up to a Krispy Kreme store dressed for the occasion. If that isn't an excuse to don your spookiest outfit, then what is? To snag yourself a signature glazed freebie, head to your closest Krispy Kreme store in Australia or New Zealand on Tuesday, October 31 while wearing a Halloween-appropriate costume. You'll receive one original glazed doughnut per person, and you don't have to buy anything else to nab the treat without paying a cent. That gives everyone a heap of places to flock to: 38 in Australia and six in New Zealand. Sydneysiders able to hit up 17 stores stretching from Penrith to the CBD, Victorians can visit nine locations from Chadstone to Collins Street, and Queenslanders given eight different doughnut shops to pick from (with the most central in Albert Street in the CBD). Residents of Perth can make a date with one of four Krispy Kreme locations. In Aotearoa, all options are in Auckland — including at Newmarket, Chancery Square and the domestic airport terminal. Of course, Krispy Kreme is hoping that you will be possessed by the Halloween vibe while you're in-store — or beforehand — and treat yourself to something from its themed range. On offer until Tuesday, October 31: four different varieties. If you opt for the Spiderweb, you'll get an OG doughnut that's been dipped in chocolate ganache and topped with white truffle. The Jack O'Lantern takes a shell doughnut, packs it with choc crème, then dips it in orange-coloured truffle — what else? — before giving it an eyes and mouth via sugar fondant. The Ghost goes with a white truffle dip, plus white choc flakes and candy for eyes. And the Graveyard fills a shell doughnut with strawberry filling, covers the outside with green truffle, then uses sour gummy worms and ground chocolate crumb as soil. Krispy Kreme's Halloween giveaway takes place in-store on Tuesday, October 31. The chain's Halloween range is available until the same date. To find your closest shop and check its opening hours, head to the Krispy Kreme website.
Having run The Newport since March 2016, Merivale decided it was about time to add something new to the sprawling northern beaches venue. And this weekend it will open Bert's, a brasserie and bar brimming with oysters and lobster. As we've come to expect from Merivale, Bert's won't be doing anything by halves. Getting its inspiration from the 1930s — when hotel dining rooms were grand destinations — the restaurant will be an extravaganza of jade green and coral pink, with an open kitchen as its centrepiece. The menu, sorted out by executive chef Jordan Toft, aims to transport you to some fancy European seaside resort. Look out for a dedicated raw bar, crowded with oysters, mud crab and brioche canapés, and a larder loaded with charcuterie and salads. Among the decadent mains are lobster (straight from the tank, mind you), a few steaks and a whole fish, baked in a charcoal oven or cooked over the grill. "We want to create that sense of relaxed indulgence you experience on a coastal European holiday — to capture the feeling when you decide to order the fresh lobster or relax into the afternoon with champagne and oysters," said Toft. Walking in, you won't be able to miss the cellar of 750 wines, put together by master sommelier Franck Moreau. Its contents include a selection of European drops, an array of rose (including Jeroboam), plenty of Aussie classics and a bunch of left-field bottles from creative labels, such as Lucy Margaux 'Wildman' and Patrick Sullivan 'Windy Cottage'. Meanwhile, Sam Egerton and his team will be hard at work in the cocktail bar, mixing new versions of old classics using seasonal produce. Egerton's favourite is a take on the Royale, with vodka, ginger cordial, Champagne and finger lime caviar. Needless to say, Bert's comes with gob-smacking views, of both The Newport's expansive outdoor area and stunning sparkling Pittwater. This isn't Merivale's only northern beaches venue, either — the group is set to open The Collaroy (which it bought in August last year) nearby very soon. Bert's opened on Sunday, January 21 at The Newport, 2 Kalinya Street, Newport. It's open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. For more information, visit merivale.com.au/thenewport. Updated: January 23, 2018
Do you live in a dog-friendly house? Do you have some spare time on your hands? Do you fantasise about taking a pup to the pub with you? The good folk at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT need you. They're expecting more than 60 puppies to be born between now and Christmas and they're in desperate need of carers to raise them. In other words, they're giving away puppies. If you put up your hand, you'll get a puppy for about a year — from its eight-week birthday to when it turns 14 months. During that time, you'll be responsible for introducing the sights, sounds and smells it'll meet when it starts working as a guide dog (and giving your new friend heaps of cuddles). Of course, it's not all just fun, games and cuteness. You'll have to be responsible enough to take care of regular grooming, house training and exercise, and be available to attend local training days, along with vet checks and Puppy Pre-School. A car and a fenced-in property are mandatory, too. In return, the organisation provides a strong support network, food, vet care and prevention of fleas and ticks. "We are looking for people who are home most of the time, who are interested in putting effort into training and socialising the dog. What you will get in return is a fantastic experience," said Karen Hayter, puppy development manager at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT. Every day, 28 people in Australia get diagnosed with vision impairment, nine of whom can expect to go blind. Guide dogs are provided free to those in need, but each costs $35,000 to raise. "With the demand for Guide Dogs' services increasing due to growing numbers of people having trouble getting around as a result of vision loss, we're incredibly grateful for the support we receive from the community," said Hayter. "Our volunteer puppy raisers make a wonderful contribution in helping to transform a playful puppy into a responsible guide dog that will one day change the life of someone who is blind or vision impaired." Keen? Apply here. And send pics please.
Sydney's Willoughby Symphony Orchestra and Australia's leading physical theatre troupe, Legs On The Wall, are combining forces to fuse aerial stunts with orchestral music for the daring new concert, Next Chapters. Running for two shows only, it's taking place at The Concourse in Chatswood on Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23. The experimental show features gravity-defying aerial stunts set to new works by the orchestra's composer-in-residence Alice Chance — be sure to throw anything you know about orchestral concerts out the window. Plus, the audience will be treated to a saxophone quartet, a Russian number and a score by Elena Kats-Chernin's performed under the baton of Dr Sarah Penicka-Smith. Tickets are $59 for adults, $54 for concessions (including seniors and students) and $29 for under 18s. There are also family and group tickets available so get the whole team together for a night of surprises at a discounted rate. Catch this experimental new show during its limited season in May by booking your tickets here. Images: Robert Catto.
With Moonlight winning last year's best picture Oscar, Call Me By Your Name topping many a 2017 best-of list, and the likes of God's Own Country, Battle of the Sexes and Professor Marston and the Wonder Women also gracing movie screens, it has been a stellar 12 months for queer cinema. For Sydneysiders, that's only going to continue come February, with the long-running Mardi Gras Film Festival back for its 25th year. To mark the milestone, the film-focused sidebar to Sydney's massive LGBTIQ celebration will screen 55 features and 69 short films across 71 sessions, including more than 60 Australian premieres and two world premieres. It's a lineup bookended with star power, opening with Paul Rudd and Steve Coogan playing a bickering couple in Ideal Home forced to take in their grandson, and closing with Freak Show's tale of a a precocious teen starting a new school, featuring The End of the F***ing World's Alex Lawther, Bette Midler, Laverne Cox and Abigail Breslin. From award winners to international standouts to revisiting old favourites, that's not all that's on the bill, however. Running from February 15 to March 1 at Event Cinemas George Street and Golden Age Cinema, plus a selection of other venues in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory throughout March and April, MGFF's other highlights range the world premiere of Aussie documentary Black Divaz, about the inaugural Miss First Nation pageant; to Filipino transgender beauty queen drama Die Beautiful, an award-winner across Asia over the past year; to French AIDS-focused effort BPM, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes last year. Or, audiences can catch homegrown body-swap movie Pulse, intimate Sundance hit Beach Rats, biographical documentary McKellen: Playing the Part, 'punk chick flick' Team Hurricane and Hollywood coming-of-age film Love, Simon, which screens before it hits general cinemas. In addition, the 2018 festival will host a session on the top 25 queer films of all time, speed dating evenings and filmmaking workshops at its festival bar at Event Cinemas, because every good fest is about more than just watching movies. And, because looking back is as much a part of a festival as looking forward, MGFF will rustle up a few current and old favourites courtesy of sessions of classics Desert Hearts and Young Soul Rebels, and more recent titles such as Zootopia and Call Me By Your Name. Mardi Gras Film Festival 2017 runs from February 15 to March 1 at Event Cinemas George Street and Golden Age Cinema and Bar, before touring to other NSW and ACT venues throughout March and April. For more information, visit their website.
For ten weeks Object Gallery is flinging open it's doors and heading into the Surry Hills springtime sunshine with a sequence of 14 collaborative showings with artists, designers, filmmakers and ... cyclists? Not so much exhibitions as events and community interventions, there'll be a ride-on dinner in local, shared and sustainable style, tours of tucked-away studio spaces, a special Kino screening in the gallery, plus Sydney's first PARK(ing) day — a group takeover of concrete spaces with picnicking and inflatable furniture. There are crafting sessions too — which you can help out with a show by donating a pencil — and the specially-designed, cutely-titled Stereotyped, which explores the interaction of sound and typography, for your more take-home urges. The website is very very pretty too, so no excuses for not keeping up with what's going on: take these little windows of opportunity to watch ideas and projects blossom in the balmy months.
Bingo. Rave. Two ends of the spectrum of fine holiday fun and finally — finally — together as one. Bongo's Bingo is a games night like you've never seen before. Part club, part rave, and, of course, part bingo night, this unlikely fusion event has been wildly popular in the UK since 2015. Now, they're taking the show on the road and launching in Australia this June. In partnership with Wats On Events, Bongo's Bingo Down Under is throwing a massive bingo rave in Sydney's Paddington Town Hall on June 23. Patrons can expect all of the debauchery of the original British version of Bongo's Bingo, including rave intervals, dancing on tables and a loose kind of bingo that you definitely never played with your nan (well, maybe you have). The victorious players can win everything from big cash prizes to a Hills Hoist, with a range of some absolutely ridiculous surprises on offer. If you're not sure what you're in for, check out this video for a better sense of this crazy night out: The Sydney launch event will be presided over by founder and comic ringleader Jonny Bongo who, as one would expect, is a character in the truest sense of the word and even holds the world record for the biggest ever pub quiz. Australia is the second international location for Bongo's Bingo, which recently launched in Dubai as well and, based on popularity, we imagine the event will continue to expand around the globe. This blowout party will certainly be a different kind of night out and is especially welcomed in Sydney where the lockout law ridden nightlife has taken such a hit in recent years. Venues, guest lineup and DJ hosts will be announced in coming weeks, and tickets will go on sale at 6pm on Wednesday, May 17. Tickets are $40 and include six games of bingo. Keep an eye on this space for further updates and brush up on those bingo-break down skills in the meantime.
If you ever made it along to one of Donny Benet's dinner-and-show affairs back in 2013, you'll know that the man has an eye for extraordinary talent. Wanting to immortalise the creative collaborations that emerged from those nights, he invited his favourite guests to the legendary Donnyland Studios to write and record an album. Dubbed Weekend at Donny's, it's an epic, multi-dimensional LP featuring some of Sydney's hottest songwriters and performers: Jack Ladder, Kirin J Callinan, SPOD, Geoffrey O'Connor, Isabella Manfredi (The Preatures) and Elana Stone. According to Donny, the album was put together over the course of a year. "Amongst international touring, recording, television appearances and small business openings... love, despair, hope, risk, chivalry, incarceration, marital aids, admiration, love triangles, European fashion and libraries are played out." This Friday and Saturday night, Weekend at Donny's will be launched with a huge show at Brighton Up Bar. The Donny Benet Show Band will lead the evening, with guest slots from Jack Ladder, SPOD, Geoffrey O'Connor and Elana Stone. https://youtube.com/watch?v=6WFOWcqwgH4
Adelaide songsmith Jesse Davidson has been called prodigious and a wunderkind — and those Jeff Buckley comparisons just won't shake. This June and July, Davidson's taking his minimalist acoustics and dreamy vocals on tour, his first solo effort. The tour is set to draw a considerable loyal following who'll want seriously in-grill "I saw Jesse Davidson before anyone" bragging rights. Since being a runner-up in triple j's 2012 Unearthed High competition, the 18 year old has been signed for a Warner development deal, toured with Mac DeMarco and Ball Park Music, co-headlined with Eves, been signed to booking agency Select Music, finished school and released his debut EP Ocean — making you feel really great about having a good few years on him and feeling terribly unaccomplished in comparison. Davidson will play tunes from the Ocean EP, including 'Flaws' and the buoyant 'Big Bois Gotta Eat'. If you can brave the frosty winter nights, his deep baritone — mature beyond his years — is sure to warm you up. https://youtube.com/watch?v=hR4b_JAg7KI
Were Picasso's Cubist portraits of women true to life? It would suggest there were a lot of chicks with displaced eye sockets hanging round Paris in the 1900s. Now a Spanish fashion photographer, Eugenio Recuenco, has reimagined Picasso's Cubist muses as live beings, styling his models in the same surrealist manner that Picasso painted them. Recuenco's portraits are weird, emotional and lovely in their own right. His women subjects mirror the poses of the originals, with elegant silhouettes, painted skin and outlandish costumery all projecting a moody atmosphere. Post-production by Recuenco gave the photographs the same feel as the paintings via color manipulation, while the mysterious spaces he used amp up the dreamlike quality. Recuenco has a large dossier of equally stylised art and fashion projects. Beside this project, which was published in the Spanish weekly SMODA, his website shows fairytale scenes and tableaux vivants that suggest their own narrative worlds channelling the work of artists Goya, El Greco and Zurbaran. Check out a selection of the Picasso-inspired portraits below. Via Flavorwire.
Redfern barbershop Hair by Tommy J has a bit of a rock n' roll edge to it. A self-proclaimed 'greaser style' stylist, it made a bit of itself by offering just one particular style: the classic short back and sides. Run by barber Tommy J Heath, the shop's prices are reasonable — think $50 for a cut, $20 for a beard trim and $40 for a face or head cut throat shave. Uppercut Deluxe products are used liberally — Heath is a brand ambassador. The barbershops offers both men's and women's cuts and attracts a motorcycle crowd, with bikes regularly seen lined up out front. Hair by Tommy J is also a regular at events around the city, having participated in the Rock & Roll Alternative Markets and Sydney's annual Tattoo and Body Art Expo. And, for those located in Sydney's northwest, there's a second shop in Windsor. Images: Cassandra Hannagan
Talk about dreams coming true, or ideas that you've probably fantasised about over a few glasses of vino actually becoming a reality. A town in Italy has installed what's certain to become a tourist attraction, at least with those fond of a grape-centric boozy beverage: a free, 24-hour wine fountain. Because you're probably already booking a trip to the European country, then Abruzzo is the place you want to head to. There, designed to provide refreshments to folks following the Cammino di San Tommaso pilgrimage from Rome to Ortona, inspired by a similar setup on the Camino de Santiago route in Spain, located at the Dora Sarchese vineyard and open to anyone who walks by, you'll find the fontana del vino dripping with the good stuff. Red wine that is, not white. Yes, this is a real thing. No, we'd never joke about something like this. It's better than anything Art vs Science could ever sing about, and up there with the cascade of youth-giving liquid spoken about in legends and nodded to in Darren Aronofsky's Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz-starring 2006 film. Forget bubblers spurting H20 — this is the true holy grail of public drink dispensers. You might recall similar concepts popping up around Italy in the past; however they were once-off affairs. This is permanent: no gimmicks, no time limit, just an all-day-round spring of vino that you can enjoy for zilch. The vineyard does warn that it's not for drunkards, though, so behave yourselves. Via Travel and Leisure.
Unless you're lucky enough to live close by, Watsons Bay isn't a stumble-there-by-accident kind of place. You've either made the journey by ferry, bus or car, or you powered here on two legs. However, it's worth the effort. This picturesque suburb is home to harbour beaches, legendary fish and chip shops, wedding venues and a family-friendly park. It's also where you'll find the one-kilometre South Head Heritage Trail, which snakes through national parkland and overlooks the ocean and city. Together with Adidas, we've picked out seven rewarding pit stops to enjoy next time you tackle the South Head Heritage Trail, starting and finishing at Robertson Park. Take a look, then launch the map below to plan your own adventure. [caption id="attachment_805547" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] GREEN POINT RESERVE From Robertson Park, stroll along Marine Parade looking out to the city beyond. Follow the path around to Camp Cove and you'll soon find Green Point Reserve. Looking out over Sydney Harbour's glistening blue waters, this small patch of grass is the perfect place to stretch your limbs and take in the view. Take a moment to snap a few photos and relax on the grass as you gaze across the water. In your swimmers? There are secluded swimming spots here if you prefer to take a dip away from the crowded beaches. [caption id="attachment_805549" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] CAMP COVE Barely a stone's throw away from Green Point Reserve is the harbour-facing Camp Cove Beach. This strip of golden sand is well known for its calm waters and you'll sometimes spot divers entering the water near the kiosk. Nab a spot by the shore for quick access in and out of the water, or set up a brolly for a picnic before tackling the rest of the walk. Rich in history, Camp Cove is believed to be an important fishing location for the Gadigal people before invasion. [caption id="attachment_805662" align="alignnone" width="1920"] John Yurasek/DPIE[/caption] HISTORICAL CANON After you've brushed off the sand from your swim, follow the trail up the stairs for just 100 metres. Here you'll find a canon. Originally placed to protect the headland from potential attacks, this historic monument has become somewhat of a photo op location for tourists. Take a rest on the sandstone and appreciate the magnificent backdrop. [caption id="attachment_805698" align="alignnone" width="1920"] John Yurasek/DPIE[/caption] LADY BAY BEACH Continue along the path and you'll soon find Lady Bay Beach, also know as Lady Jane Beach. This small, sheltered beach is a popular nudist spot for (mostly male) locals and tourists. If you didn't pack swimmers and you are open to a nudie swim, take the opportunity to plunge right in. While swimwear is accepted here, it's far from the norm. Be respectful and avoid taking photos. And, as always, slip, slop and slap. [caption id="attachment_805550" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] HORNBY KEEPER'S COTTAGE Next stop on the trail is Hornby Lighthouse — the third lighthouse to be built in NSW in 1858 — and the nearby Hornby Keeper's Cottage. Originally built for the lighthouse keeper, of course, this sandstone cottage is a key milestone in the walk. From here you can spend time whale watching in winter, or spotting yachts in the harbour in summer. Swot up on your local history, or use the opportunity to lay down and enjoy South Head's views. From here, turn back around and retrace your steps to Camp Cove. [caption id="attachment_805675" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pexels; Min An[/caption] CAMP COVE KIOSK By the time you've made your way back to the beach, you're sure to have worked up an appetite. For a quick refreshment, head to Camp Cove Kiosk for an ice cream, juice or smoothie. Or, if you're feeling a bit more peckish, opt for one of its sandwiches (tuna, brisket, egg and chicken are usually on offer). Breakfast options include avocado and feta on sourdough and healthy brekkie bowls. Take your snacks to the sand as you refuel by the gentle waves. [caption id="attachment_805556" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Flickr; Marc Dalmulder[/caption] THE GAP After your feed, take the most direct route along Cliff Street for 650 metres to reach The Gap. The stunning ocean cliff has unique rock platforms and the pounding ocean below. Before colonisation, the area was home to the Birrabirragal people. Today it's a lookout point, but it also has a history of being a place where people have taken their own lives. Local man Don 'Angel of The Gap' Richie was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his prevention of more than 160 deaths at The Gap. Take a moment to remember Don and those who've walked here before us. Then, head back down the steps to Robertson Park to mark the end of your run or walk. Want to extend your day further? Enjoy an afternoon drink at Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel. In need of a new pair of runners? Take a look at the new Adidas Ultraboost 21 runners here. Launch the map below to start plotting your own running adventure in and around Sydney. Top image: Andrew Gregory; Destination NSW
The Sydney rock oyster is one of the finest down under — some might even say in the world. It's creamy, briny, sweet and this August, it's taking centre stage at the Western Sydney Oyster Festival in the heart of Rooty Hills. Over 250,000 NSW-grown Sydney rock oysters have travelled from the coastline to West HQ, where they'll star in specials across the precinct's top dining venues. From Sunday to Thursday, score a tray of 13 natural Sydney rock oysters for just $18 around West HQ. Each restaurant is dressing the iconic bivalve up with a signature touch: red wine vinegar dressing at Steak & Oyster Co by Sean Connolly, soy ponzu sauce at CHU Restaurant by China Doll, an Italian vinaigrette at Pizzaperta Manfredi, and a chilli and lime dressing at New Town Thai. [caption id="attachment_1017903" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image supplied[/caption] The Sydney rock oyster farmers at East 33 support and supply the festival. Drop by Eat Street on Sundays (11am–2pm) to catch live shucking demonstrations and insider info on the estuary-to-table process from experts Matt Toan and his colleagues. [caption id="attachment_1017902" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Images: supplied[/caption]
Venturing into Prince Wine Store in Zetland should come with a warning: not only will you come out with a bottle or two more than you expected, but you'll also leave armed with plenty of wine knowledge to impress your mates with after a chat with the knowledgeable staff. The store was gifted to Sydney by our Victorian neighbours who have been enjoying the wine expertise from Prince Wine in its two Melbourne stores for over two decades. The independent wine merchants focus on Australian producers plus a selection of imports from France, Italy, New Zealand and California. In addition to the team exercising their encyclopedic knowledge of wine in the retail space, Prince Wine also run a series of wine education courses throughout the year. These range from introductory courses for oenophile amateurs to formal qualifications for those seeking industry recognition. Images: Kitti Gould
Camperdown's farm-to-table restaurant Acre Eatery is going full Italian for the winter months. The venue has transformed its lofty dining room and al fresco garden into an Italian farmhouse, complete with a spritz bar, a bruschetta menu, hand-rolled pasta and a dessert trolley. Executive Chef Gareth Howard is showcasing regional Italian cooking throughout the venue, while still focusing on the locally and ethically sourced ingredients that the restaurant is known for. Head to the dining room to check out the new feasting menu, which features woodfired focaccia — that you can then dip in a wagyu beef fat candle — and baked cheese with truffle honey. You'll be able to try the best of Italy's many styles of pasta — including Piedemont-style pappardelle, Roman creamy carbonara and a meatball dish unique to the south. You'll be eating all of this surrounded by Tuscan-inspired furnishings and indoor olive and citrus trees, too. Out on the terrace during the day, you can opt for a Sicilian-style brunch with a dedicated bruschetta menu and plates of black pig ham, free-range egg and fried eggplant caponata. Or stop by in the evenings, when the spritz bar will serving lots of cocktails, antipasti, pizzas and homemade breads. And, on weekends, a roaming cart will bring arancini and panini to you, too. A second trolley carrying desserts will roll around the dining room, with a whopping 35 different Italian sweets in tow — including orange polenta cake, glazed fruit tarts, cannoli, tiramisu and seasonal gelato. Apart from the new menus, the restaurant is also hosting two collaborative dinners on Saturday, July 20 and Friday, August 2. The first is a four-course truffle and wine degustation with Bilpin producer 4 Winds; the second is a candlelit Sicilian banquet featuring Hunter Valley-produced Italian wine varieties. Plus, each Friday over the six weeks, Acre Eatery will host ticketed masterclasses run by Howard on how to make porchetta, focaccia and mozzarella. And, because it's not Italian without a few namesake cocktails, there'll be plenty of spritzes and barrel-aged negronis to go around. Images: Trent van der Jagt.
The Central Coast has just gained a massive new hospitality precinct thanks to Australian entrepreneur extraordinaire John Singleton. He's done much to develop the high-end hospitality scene on the Central Coast, with his ventures include the award-winning Pretty Beach House and Bells at Killcare Boutique Hotel. But the latest spot to receive the Singleton treatment is Gosford's 14-storey Bonython Tower, a luxury waterfront mixed-use building at Point Frederick. Singleton has transformed the building into a six-in-one venue, The Bon Pavilion — and it opens today, Friday, April 12. Longtime hospitality partners Brian and Karina Barry (Pokolbin Hunter Valley Resort) are in on the action, having also joined Singleton on Bells at Killcare, Pretty Beach House and the Bluetongue Brewery. In the kitchen is celebrity executive chef Sean Connolly, who is best known locally as the man behind The Morrison Bar and Oyster Room, but also operates highly lauded venues in Byron Bay, Auckland, Adelaide and Dubai. Connolly is all about ethically sourced produce and simple food done well, which will of course be on display across Bon Pavilion's many offerings. And we mean many. The enormous pavilion is split between six 'zones', each with a distinct offering. First up there's Bonfire, the venue's main dining room, which is open for lunch and dinner. Think freshly shucked oysters, seasonal fish and premium cuts of steak, plus an extensive wine list with a strong focus on Hunter Valley drops. For even more wine, head to the Bon Vin cellar door, which offers up premium wines from around the globe — including Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, Spain and South America — with bottles ranging from $38 to a whopping $750. Then there's Bon Bar, open from midday until midnight, and slinging Australian and international craft beer on tap, a wide range of spirits and seasonal cocktails, plus late-night bar snacks. The public bar will be a more casual affair, open each day as well. For more casual fare, Bon Bon Espresso offers breakfast and lunch, along with a selection signature cocktails and house wines — a clear theme across the board. There's also separate private dining and function rooms for booking. Speaking of a many hats, Connolly is also the space's creative director and is also responsible for the fit-out, alongside design practice Alexander & Co. The impressive interior features a palette of burnt orange and sea greens, and diners will be joined by a huge mural by Lisa King of Biripi Nation woman Elsie Stuart. Worth a trip up the coast this weekend — especially as it's only an hour and a half away, both in the car or on the train. The Bon Pavilion is now open at 159 Mann Street, Gosford. The espresso bar will open from 6.30am daily, and the other venues will open from midday. Images: Jacs Powell Photography.
Nicolas Cage is sorely missed in Five Nights at Freddy's, not that he was ever on the film's cast list. He starred in 2021's Willy's Wonderland, however, which clearly took its cues from the video-game franchise that this attempt to start a corresponding movie series now officially adapts. Willy's Wonderland wasn't great, but a near-silent Cage battling demonic animatronics was always going to be worth seeing. Unsurprisingly, he's mesmerising. In comparison, the actual Five Nights at Freddy's feature stars Josh Hutcherson deep in his older brother phase, bringing weary charm to a by-the-numbers horror flick that's as routine as they come no matter whether you've ever mashed buttons along with its inspiration — which first dropped in 2014 and now spans nine main games, a tenth on the way and five spinoffs — or seen everyone's favourite Renfield, Pig and Color Out of Space actor give an unlicensed take a go. Writer/director Emma Tammi (The Wind), the game's creator Scott Cawthon (Scooby Doo, Where Are You? In... SPRINGTRAPPED!) and co-screenwriter Seth Cuddeback's (Mateo) movie iteration of Five Nights at Freddy's doesn't just arrive after a Cage film got there first; it hits after season 16 of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia wreaked havoc on a comparable setting already in 2023. If you're looking for a pitch-black comedic skewering of eateries in the style of Chuck E Cheese, the IRL pizzeria-meets-arcade chain that Freddy Fazbear's Pizza is patently based on, that's the best of the year. So, the Five Nights at Freddy film lingers in multiple shadows. There's symmetry on- and off-screen as result: shining a torchlight around in the movie uncovers sights that its characters would rather not see, and peering even just slightly through recent pop culture shows that this picture isn't alone, either. The concept in Five Nights at Freddy's whether you've got a controller in your hand or you're watching a flick: at the once-popular Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, which was big with families in the 80s, working the night shift at the restaurant's long-shuttered base has killer consequences. That's when the life-sized singing-and-dancing furry robots that performed shows for kids when the place was operational now go menacingly a-wandering, and also make their lack of fondness for visitors brutally known, causing a high staff turnover. Five Nights at Freddy's does explain why, but everything from what's going on to the reason behind it is horror movie 101. The film may take place in an eatery rather than a home — a creepy one, of course — but it's basically a haunted house affair, and happily ticks all of the most standard of genre boxes. Taking the gig from career counsellor Steve Raglan (Matthew Lillard, Scream) reluctantly, Mike Schmidt (Hutcherson, Futureman) doesn't want to be anywhere but his own abode come dark, let alone in a dilapidated old funhouse restaurant with anthropomorphic animal figures as one of its main attractions. But he's in need of work after being fired from his mall security job because he wrongly thought that a dad scolding his son was a man kidnapping a child, and reacted violently — and he has his ten-year-old sister Abby (Piper Rubio, Unstable) to look after. They're all that each other have left since the death of their parents and the abduction of their brother Garrett (Lucas Grant, The Patient) years before that, which Mike feels responsible for, other than the overbearing aunt (Mary Stuart Masterson, Blindspot) who is maliciously suing for custody. Mike normally spends his evenings attempting to find out what happened to Garrett via his dreams, a task he continues at Freddy's, with his preoccupation elsewhere giving the animatronics free rein. The place is inherently eerie in a dusty, overlooked, caught-out-of-time way — and also if you just think that giant teddy bears like Freddy can be ominous anyway — but Five Nights at Freddy's lead hasn't noticed until local cop Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail, You) drops by one night while patrolling her beat. Fuelled by his tragic past and ignoring the key 'don't fall asleep' rule of his overnight gig, he's too busy yawning his way to some shuteye to put dream theory to work to unlock his memories of the incident that shattered his family forever. Constructing a film around an oft-snoozing protagonist can be a double-edged sword, and cuts the wrong way here, reminding viewers that they might prefer to be slumbering as well. All that's endeavouring to keep most of the audience awake is predictable circuitry, from horror's current obsession with examining trauma's impact (and the genre's undying love of overusing any trend in flicks great, average and terrible) to overt nods in Stephen King and Scooby Doo's directions. That Scooby Doo vibe is telling, though: rather than just trying to evoke nostalgia in viewers who can remember their days as kids in arcades, family-themed restaurants or combos of both, Five Nights at Freddy's is as much aimed at adolescents now. Accordingly, Tammi hasn't taken a Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey approach — not that that's a worthy example of blending cuddly critters with horror at all — with her film focusing on mood, anticipation, suggestion and jump scares over anything gory or terrifying. Younger audiences still deserve better than a movie this generic. Everyone deserves something other than a film where more time is expended on the build-up and backstory than with Freddy Fazbear, Foxy, Chica, Cupcake and Bonnie. Created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, the mechanised mascots look the part, but are both under-deployed and then stuck going through the murderous motions. Winking casting that gives away too much is also part of the Five Nights at Freddy's film experience. So is the pointless aunt subplot, which couldn't be more cartoonish. Scenes that do nothing but gush exposition — and ensure that there's zero mystery around who knows more than they're letting on — similarly bog down the movie. Hutcherson and Rubio nonetheless do well enough with pixel-thin characters, especially in a feature that frequently seems as if it has spliced an unrelated flick about sibling trauma into the Five Nights at Freddy's premise. A picture based on the gaming series was always bound to happen, and Blumhouse adding another established well-known horror name to a stable that also includes Black Christmas, Fantasy Island, The Invisible Man, The Craft's sequel, three Halloween movies, Firestarter and the latest The Exorcist entry was just as likely, but it shouldn't play like everything within it and about it is dully inevitable.
You might think you know Richard Ayoade from his time as Maurice Moss in the British comedy The IT Crowd. But did you know he's also an acclaimed director of quirky indie films full of deadpan humour? After smashing it with his debut feature, Submarine, Ayoade's now back with The Double. Based on the novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Double follows Simon James, the timid and nerdy office clerk whose life is completely unenviable. Played by Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), Simon reaches breaking point when new co-worker James Simon appears on the scene. Also played by Eisenberg, James excels in all the ways that Simon cannot, being a daring extrovert with confidence and charm. Simon is both James's double, and as it turns out, his polar opposite. Also starring Aussie actor Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland, Stoker, The Kids are Alright) and Wallace Shawn (Clueless), The Double premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and went on to Sundance. It's been praised in early reviews, including by the Playlist, who wrote: "Totally bonkers, hilarious and wickedly clever, The Double is special and singular filmmaking at its best." The Double is in cinemas on Thursday, May 8, and thanks to Madman Films, we have 15 double in-season passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au https://youtube.com/watch?v=_klCoDTHKGg ',width:'1150',height:'700'" width="1150" height="700" align="" />
On the main drag in Woy Woy, a town on the southern edge of the Central Coast, is a pasta joint and cocktail bar that would be equally at home in Newtown or Surry Hills. It's run by a couple of young guns — Dannielle Mills heading up the kitchen and Bryce Gleeson running the floor — and it's serving up house-made pasta and gelato, using ingredients from the compact garden out the back. The only tip-off as to your location, while inside the restaurant, is the space between tables. You can gesticulate to your heart's content without fear of knocking out your neighbour with a wayward elbow. While it's certainly spacious, it's not lacking in atmosphere. It's filled with locals and out-of-towners alike digging into bowls filled with fat tubes of rigatoni, in a hearty sauce of spicy pork sausage and bitter greens, or soft pillows of gnocchi paired with capers, sugo and stracciatella. But, as good as the mains may look, we suggest beginning your feast with one of the small plates. If they're on offer, order the ham hock and potato fritters. A twist on arancini, the balls arrive hot and crisp, stuffed with molten cheese and potato, atop red pepper salsa and mayonnaise. They pair well with a glass of something natural — a vermentino by Delinquente Wine Co, perhaps — or an Aussie twist on the negroni made with Maidenii vermouth. If you're ready to roll out at this point, resist the urge to do so without ordering gelato. It's more of a palate cleanser, and you won't regret it. You will regret making the journey to Young Barons without making a reservation, however — it packs out most weekends. If you're able to make a midweek sojourn, head in on a Wednesday, when you can snag a bowl of spaghetti and an Aperol spritz for a neat $25.
Adjacent to the ivy's rooftop pool, Uccello is an Italian-inspired diner for the city worker looking to capture those European long lunch vibes. The menu, designed by head chef Ben Sitton (ex-Rockpool Bar & Grill and The Savoy Grill, London), is fresh, flavoursome and brings together some of Italy's best dishes in a relaxed Australian atmosphere. There are antipasti aplenty, with cold and wood-fired offerings ranging from a house-made buffalo ricotta with asparagus and basil to split Yamba prawns with chilli. While Pasta lovers will find solace in the spaghettini with clams and mussels and potato gnocchi with tomato, stracciatella and basil. Plus, the restaurant's stone oven is put to good use, cooking New England lamb saddle with white asparagus and salsa verde, Burrawong chicken with salt-baked heirloom carrots and pistachio and market fish of the day served with smoked pepper trapanese and pipis. If dessert is in order, you'll find the classics, including pannacotta (with strawberry and salted caramel almonds), semifreddo (with passionfruit and salted caramel macadamias) and tiramisu on the menu. Otherwise, grab something exciting off the highly extensive wine list, and head out to the pool to enjoy it in the sunshine.
When New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the two-way trans-Tasman bubble back in April — allowing Australians to travel to NZ without quarantining upon arrival — she noted that it could and would be paused if and when outbreaks occur. Accordingly, with Sydney identifying two locally acquired COVID-19 cases this week, and implementing restrictions and a mask mandate in response, the NZ Government has advised that it's stopping its arrangement with New South Wales for the time being. Today, Thursday, May 6, the NZ Government advised that the quarantine-free travel between NZ and NSW is being suspended, effective from 11.59pm NZ time. "Officials have assessed that with several outstanding unknowns in the situation in Sydney it is safest to pause the quarantine-free travel," it announced in a statement. The NZ Government hasn't specified a timeframe for the pause, but its statement notes that "this will be under constant review". The aim: to give NSW authorities time to investigate the source of the two cases, which have been linked via genome sequencing to a returned overseas traveller — but no physical connection between the current cases and the recent returnee has been identified as yet. Whether you're a Sydneysider on holiday in NZ or a New Zealander who has recently returned from across the ditch, anyone now in NZ who has been at one of the locations of interest in Sydney is required to isolate, then call NZ's Healthline on 0800 358 5453 to obtain advice about getting tested for COVID-19. And, if you're currently in Australia and you've been to one of the Sydney venues identified, you should not travel to NZ. https://twitter.com/covid19nz/status/1390189898209001475 This isn't the first time that the trans-Tasman bubble has been paused, with NZ suspending flights from Western Australia at the beginning of May in response to Perth's recent cases. Flights between NZ and WA were given the all-clear to resume just a day later. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website. To find out more about the virus and travel restrictions in New Zealand, head over to the NZ Government's COVID-19 hub.
If part of you loves the long-haul flights of fancy of Discworld and the dynastic intrigue of The Bold and the Beautiful, chances are, you also love some Gabriel Garcia Marquez. But the author of classic Latin American epics Love in the Time of Cholera and One Hundred Years of Solitude has a stash of lesser-known short fiction you may not have yet uncovered, and fortunately, director Netta Yashchin has dug out one fine example, I Only Came to Use the Phone, and brushed it up for a dashing public outing. Set in the dying years of Franco's Spain, the story homes in on a woman, Maria (Annabelle Stephenson), who is left trying to phone her husband, shelter from the rain and anxiously light damp cigarettes at a rest stop after her car breaks down. Dejected and drawn to join the shrouded women on a passing bus, she winds up inadvertently dispatched to a psychiatric institution, where, of course, no-one believes she only came to use the phone. Her path to escape — or acquiescence — makes up a wry and touching tale that captures the feeling of dislocation and parallels the very real experience of arbitrary imprisonment found under Fascism. Unusually, the story isn't adapted into a play; instead, the original text, rich and written in the third person, is delivered by an ensemble cast while they embody the characters to which the words pertain. The tack itself adds interest, and the result is surprisingly engaging. Stephensen, Julia Billington, David Hansen, Dorje Swallow, Fayssal Bazzi and (only occasionally appearing) Yashchin are all excellent and ultra-committed as they shift into their various roles, including those of inpatients, wardens, a magician and a house cat. It's a world away from a mere dramatic reading, as the story is completely brought to life through the depth of characterisation and physicality, the rich dialogueishness brought to the text, and a set (by Charlotte Lane) that breathes the scungy romance of Catalonia, even in confinement. Most brilliantly, this approach has allowed Yaschin to add cheeky inflections of irony and heighten dark subtexts that aren't the characters' own or aren't present in a surface reading of the material. Throw in the constant serenade of a live Spanish guitar (Damian Wright), and you've got a bewitching night of independent theatre.
Eco-warrior Joost Bakker (Greenhouse by Joost, Brothl) is at it again, acting as creative consultant for what may become the world's most sustainable shopping centre. Teaming up with Frasers Property Australia, Bakker will design a 2000-square-metre rooftop farm and restaurant at the heart of the new Burwood Brickworks development — set to begin construction in mid 2018, just 15 kilometres south of the Melbourne CBD. The rooftop's massive agricultural hub will sit within the complex's 12,700-square-metres of retail and hospitality space, with the urban farm split between greenhouse, external planter box and landscaped growing areas. Some of the sustainable elements Bakker plans to implement include a closed-loop water system, composting capability, and minimal transportation of food and waste. It has yet to be decided which restaurateur will run the space, with Frasers currently seeking expression of interest from established food and drink providores. The rooftop is already sounding like an inner-city gem and we are eager to see which tenant takes this massive project on. "There is such a hunger for this kind of development throughout the world," says Bakker. It really fills a gap in the market to feed and nurture conscious consumers... [that] want to shop, eat and relax in environments that truly support a sustainable world." The design of the wider mixed-use development will also focus on sustainability, using a large solar PV system and an embedded electricity network to target a minimum five-star green rating, with the aim of becoming Australia's first six-star Green Star Design — and to achieve Living Building Challenge accreditation. This accreditation is seriously hard to obtain and means the building must have a net zero carbon footprint, produce more electricity than it consumes, grow agriculture on 20 percent of the site, and prove net water and waste positive. It must also be constructed using non-toxic and recycled materials, and have other social benefits like access to natural daylight and indoor air quality. Once completed in October 2019, the Burwood Brickworks development will join the challenge to determine if they meet the criteria to be considered the world's most sustainable shopping centre. Here's hoping Frasers puts their money where their mouth is.
Since 2017, Biang Biang has satiated cravings of hot, spicy noodles from Haymarket to Liverpool. Bringing a taste of the Shaanxi Province in central China to Sydney, Biang Biang stays true to its name, specialising in biang biang noodles. They're long, hand-pulled noodles made from wheat flour. It can be hard to choose from the nine different dishes that incorporate these chewy noodles — you can get them topped with tomato and egg, eggplant, stewed pork or chicken. But, whatever you decide, expect a chilli bomb. You know, the type that you'll feel in the very back of your brain? Yep, that level of spice. Thankfully, it's a little easier to choose a side: the rougamo is a must-order. This Shaanxi-style 'burger' is a flaky pastry stuffed with pork, cumin beef or spicy potato. It's crunchy on the outside and tender inside, and will quash any doubts you had about staying in and ordering a takeaway. Images: Letícia Almeida.
Forget grey. Come October-November, the Northern Rivers of New South Wales will be covered in 50 shades of purple when the historic town of Grafton gives off big main character energy through its annual showcase of violet-hued blooms. With roots as the oldest floral festival in the country, the Grafton Jacaranda Festival really knows what it takes to celebrate one of Australia's most-loved flowers. And, for one week between Friday, 27 October and Sunday, 5 November, visitors and locals alike will line the main street of Grafton to watch the annual float parade, settle in for a round of drag queen bingo (complete with lavender eyeshadow), enjoy a lazy long lunch underneath a floral lilac canopy or watch the beautiful trees of See Park illuminated as the sun goes down. While the fest will feature a mix of ticketed and free activities, if there's one event which we recommend committing to, it's Jacaranda Thursday. On this day Grafton's main street will close down as people meander throughout the CBD, soak up the atmosphere and simply stop and smell the jacarandas. The Grafton Jacaranda Festival will run from Friday, 27 October and Sunday, 5 November 2023. For the full event program visit their website.
Kicking off the summer festival season at 128 BPM, Stereosonic will take over the Sydney Olympic Park again this November for a heated, fist-pumping day of electro, techno and house music. Maybe 'getting shredded' isn’t your cup of tea, but good techno, dance and house music is — you don't have to be a big ol' douche to enjoy a solid drop. This year's lineup should please unquestioning Stereo devotees and curious newcomers alike, with the likes of Armin Van Buuren, Major Lazer, Diplo and Duke Dumont heading up quite the 2015 lineup. Alongside international big guns like Sweden's Axwell & Ingrosso, French house producer Tchami, Swedish bro Miike Snow's new electro duo Galantis, British electronic foursome Clean Bandit and San Franciscan legend Claude Von Stroke, Stereo has placed an emphasis on local artists this year — and there’s no shortage of genuine talent. Canberran festival favourites Peking Duk will be playing live (they covered 'Sandstorm' at Field Day so expect anything), alongside former Flume duo What So Not (now Emoh Instead's flying solo), Sydney house producer Timmy Trumpet, up-and-coming Sydney lads Carmada, and Perth beatsmiths Slumberjack are all locked in. Sydney's immortal Hot Dub Time Machine is bringing his perpetually popular decade-hopping set to the table (one that overwhelmingly crushed it closing this year's Secret Garden Festival). Stereosonic kicks off at the Sydney Olympic Park on November 28 before heading over to Perth’s Claremont Showgrounds on November 29. Then it's on to both Melbourne Showground and Adelaide’s Bonython Park on December 5 as well, and Brisbane Showgrounds on December 6. Keen to get amongst it? Get a 24-hour headstart on buying Stereosonic thanks to MasterCard — making sure you don't have to watch the festival happen on social media. Pre-register here to get access to the exclusive MasterCard 24-hour presale, starting Monday, July 27. STEREOSONIC 2015 LINEUP: STEREO STAGE Armin Van Buuren Axwell & Ingrosso Major lazer (Live) Showtek Peking Duk (Live) Generik Galantis SONIC STAGE Diplo DJ Snake Duke Dumont (Live) Tchami What So Not Clean Bandit (Live) Carmada Shockone Jauz Slumberjack ATLANTIS STAGE Gareth Emery Andrew Rayel MaRlo Andrew Bayer Emma Hewitt (Live) Mark Sherry Jason Ross Headhunterz THE WOODS STAGE MK Claptone Claude Von Stroke Hannah Wants Patrick Topping Shiba San Cut Snake BEATPORT STAGE Carnage Will Sparks Hot Dub Time Machine Timmy Trumpet Snails Jessie Andrews Tigerlily Image: Stereosonic.
International wallet-friendly chain H&M is set to open its first Sydney store this October, just in time for everyone to dodge the annual Cotton On identical sundress stock-up. Finding a snuggly spot in North Ryde's remodelled Macquarie Centre, the highly-awaited Sydney instalment will cut the red ribbon on October 16. After opening Australia's first ever H&M store in Melbourne's Bourke Street mall this April (with a casual set from Haim), the fashion heavyweights are heading north for a second Australian helping. Apparently the team took three years to find the right spots for H&M's Australian endeavour, choosing Sydney's Eastern Creek for the distribution warehouse. H&M are riding a wave of global domination; the budget-happy chain has approximately 3182 stores in 53 countries — and they're opening a cheeky extra 375 this year. The announcement is the latest in a string of global brand openings in Sydney, from big guns like Uniqlo's Pitt Street mall pop-up to smaller international lines like Denham's Rock's pop-up. With Macquarie Business Park set to be Australia's fourth-largest business centre by 2031, seems Maquarie Centre is looking to become the Pitt Street Mall of the north-western suburbs, allegedly negotiating leases with Victoria's Secret, Zara and Uniqlo. These big name retailer openings usually come with some light eye-gouging and hair-pulling, so if you're that keen to head along, take some advice: wear a mouthguard. H&M's Sydney store will open at Macquarie Centre, North Ryde on October 16. Via PO.
In Europe, it's called the Night of Museums: an annual evening when leading cultural institutions across the continent stay open long after they'd normally shut their doors, welcoming in patrons for after-dark art activities. In Melbourne, a new event is taking that idea, running with it and rolling it out across the city — with everything from gigs and movies to immersive dome projections and after-hours exhibition access on offer. That's all on the just-dropped program for Art After Dark, which was initially announced back in March. Back then, Melburnians heard the basics — that the city would be scoring an after-hours extravaganza in May, with State Library Victoria, the NGV, Federation Square, Arts Centre Melbourne, ACMI and Melbourne Museum all involved. That was all well and good and exciting, of course, but the actual lineup is even more dazzling. Set to run from 6pm–1am on both Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14, Art After Dark will feature limited-time-only experiences — both free and ticketed — that span live music, visual and performing arts, and food and drink. The Social Crew is producing the inaugural event, which is presented by Visit Victoria. And the aim, unsurprisingly, is to get both locals and visitors to the city to play tourist at Melbourne's cultural venues. At State Library Victoria, things will be particularly bright, all thanks to Midnight at Pink Lake. It's a 360-degree immersive projection that'll light up the La Trobe Reading Room — so yes, looking up is well and truly in order. And, it'll be paired with a themed program called Dream State, which features mindful workshops, music, roving performers, giant chess, and food and drinks. Basically, the venue is going all out on a visual and aural experience, calling it "part guided meditation, part poem, part chant, part song". Next, at NGV Australia, Ron Mueck's Mass from the 2017 Triennial will return — giant skulls and all — accompanied by pop-up poetry readings, choirs and DJs. And, at NGV International, light projections will transform its bluestone exterior thanks to QUEER: Stories from the NGV Collection. Also on the bill: Hannah Brontë's video installation EYE HEAR U MAGIK 2020, as well as access to the whole venue itself, with everything free to access across all levels. Over at Fed Square, BRIGGS is headlining Fed Square Live on the Friday night, with Kee'ahn, Soju Gang and Izy in support. And, that's where you'll be able to peer up at Aussie-first art installation Constellations — which'll see artist Joanie Lemercier's monochrome, vector-based aesthetics paired with an electronic soundscape by producer Paul Jebanasam. Also, for something sweet, Fed Square will also be doing free takeaway hot chocolates, coffees, s'mores and glow-in-the-dark fairy floss. Arts Centre Melbourne is also hosting live performances, going nostalgic with Human Nature on the Saturday night. DJs will play from the balcony, food trucks will pop up and the Australian Music Vault will stay open, complete with curators and tour guides diving into the local music scene. At ACMI, drop-in showings of Soda Jerk's phenomenal Terror Nullius will be a big highlight, as will free Oskar Fischinger exhibition Raumlichtkunst — featuring one of the first multimedia projections ever made. The screen-focused museum is teaming up with Collingwood's beloved Bar SK, too, for a room of innovative and interactive entertainment that's all about Aussie game developers. And, it's collaborating with PHOTO 2022 International Festival of Photography on Gillian Wearing: Editing Life, with the British artist in focus. [caption id="attachment_852016" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Triceratops at Melbourne Muserum. Photo by Eugene Hyland[/caption] Last but by no means least, Melbourne Museum is letting folks see its triceratops after dark, and doing projections, hosting food trucks, setting up pop-up bars and inviting DJs to spin tunes. Or, over at IMAX, you'll be able to dive into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with late sessions of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Art After Dark is expected to see thousands of punters descend on the city for a late-night culture fix — a move that's sure to be welcomed by Melbourne's hard-hit creative industries as they continue through their post-COVID recovery phase. Art After Dark takes place at State Library Victoria, the NGV, Federation Square, Arts Centre Melbourne, ACMI and Melbourne Museum from Friday, May 13–Saturday, May 14. Head to the event's website for further details and tickets. Top image: Performers sing with Mass by Ron Mueck, 2017 on display at NGV Triennial 2017 at NGV International, Melbourne. Photo: Eugene Hyland.
Maybe Sammy is no stranger to awards, landing on the World's Best Bar list multiple times. The Sydney institution has now pulled some strings with its fellow acclaimed mixologists to pull together a massive lineup for a new eight-day cocktail festival. Popping up across the Maybe Group's several Sydney spots, the Maybe Cocktail Festival will present free pop-ups from 16 of the world's best bars between Wednesday, April 12–Wednesday, April 19. For the festival, the hospitality group has enlisted the help of 12 international venues that landed on The World's 50 Best Bars 2022, as well as an additional three venues that placed between 50 and 100 on the longlist. Some of the spots you can expect to feature on the lineup include Barcelona's Sips (number three on the list), plus Alquímico from Colombia, Jigger & Pony from Singapore, Mexico's Hanky Panky and BKK Social Club from Thailand, all of which landed within the top 15. Other bars set to feature from across Europe, Asia, North America and South America include Drink Kong, Cafe La Trova, Tres Monos, Line, Overstory, A Bar with Shapes for a Name, L'Aqntiquario, Schofield's, Nutmeg & Clove, Sweet Liberty and Termini. Free events will be held at the OG Maybe Sammy in The Rocks, as well as Dean & Nancy on 22, Sammy Junior, The Strand Hotel Rooftop and Maybe Group's soon-to-open Paddington cocktail bar El Primo Sanchez. "I'm not sure I can think of anything more fun than being able to enjoy a cocktail experience from some of the best bars in the world every night, for a week," the festival's co-director Martin Hudak said. As part of the arrangement with the featured bartenders, the international guests are all encouraged to explore Sydney's bar scene and take in some of the other world-class hospitality venues the city has to offer. "We want this applauded, well-connected group of bar folk to experience just how good our bars are here. It's really challenging for Australian bars to get the same global awareness as bars in Europe and the Americas as it's easier and cheaper for bartenders to travel between those continents," continues Hudak. The full program of guest shifts from the international bartenders will be announced next month. The Maybe Cocktail Festival will take place across Sydney between Wednesday, April 12–Wednesday, April 19. Top image: Steven Woodburn.
Charlie Murphy deserves some serious credit. Trying to forge a career as a professional comedian is pretty tough at the best of times, let alone when your brother is none other than Eddie Murphy. Yet Charlie has not only taken that plunge – he's come out the other side as a top-billed international comedian playing to sold-out audiences around the world. Next month he'll be bringing his act to both Australia and New Zealand, so he took some time to talk to Tom Glasson about comedy, basketball, being Eddie Murphy's brother and even Lamingtons. Charlie Murphy, hello from Sydney! Hey brother - how ya doin' man? Good mate, yourself? Yeah it's all good. I'm just sitting here in Englewood, New Jersey watching the afternoon news you know. Keeping an eye out for new material? Always brother. Got to keep it fresh for you folks in Australia. Well yeah, it's only a little over a month now until you bring your show – the 'Acid Trip Tour' – down our way. You excited? You better believe it man – I've never been to Australia before so this is my first time and I'm super-charged about coming there. First time? Well then you're probably carrying around some serious '80s clichés and stereotypes about us all! [Laughs] Ha, Crocodile Dundee! But you know, I'm looking forward to seeing all that AND the real deal. It's gonna be fun! So what can people expect from your show? Laughs, man! Whenever people ask me that I always tell them the same thing: you should expect to laugh. I mean you ain't going to a basketball game, you ain't going to a magician, you're going to see a comedian. When you see a comedian you should expect to laugh. But yeah, people ask me that a lot because they haven't seen me before – I'm new to most people – and I let them know it's for them to laugh. And you know, this is my first time coming to Australia; I've been to England, Canada, Scandinavia, all over the US and I've been making people laugh and I enjoy doing it. How would you describe your own sense of humour? What makes you laugh? Oh it's adult, man! I leave it raw and you can take it the way you want it. But it's raw and it's adult. I expect my audience to be adult, too. I don't go do lunchtime crowds at high schools, you know – I have an adult show. Who's making you laugh right now? You know man, it's funny - whoever's funny really. All of them can make me laugh, you know what I'm saying? I mean they're all funny guys. I enjoy all of them. Jumping back a few years, you grew up in Brooklyn right? Yeah. I grew up, partially in Brooklyn, 'til I was 13. Then I moved to Long Island and lived there from 13 to 17. And then I went to the military. And your father was almost a 'slashy' wasn't he, in that he was a transit cop but also a part-time actor and comedian? Well, my father was a police officer – a transit officer – and that's what he really was. He did a little stand-up when he was in high school, he did it on the side a bit, but he never really became a professional stand-up comedian. You know, he did talent shows and – my uncle did it as well – he did local stuff but never became professional where it was their way of making a living. Because that's when I think you can say you're a professional comedian; until then you're just dabbling. Where do you think this passion for comedy came from, since you'd almost have to call it a family business now? Ha, yeah. Well, I was already in the business but not as a comedian. You know I was in the business as an actor, I was in the business as a writer, a producer, but I wasn't in it as a comedian because it was obvious to me at that point that I was "Eddie's brother", you know? Eddie Murphy was the comedian, he was the younger brother and so it was always going to be hard for them to accept me as one too. But then The Chappelle Show kind of knocked that door down and I thought: "wait a minute, you can go out now and play with that." You know, that was a free pass to do it because people wanted to see me all of a sudden, and so I started going out, I started developing it and I've never stopped. I've been on the road for ten years straight! [laughs] You just mentioned Chappelle. Did you have any sense at the time that this was your sort of 'shine the light' moment? That this was when it was all going to change, or was it only retrospectively that you came to appreciate how important it all was? Nah I didn't know that this was going to happen. I had no idea and neither did anyone else. What's happened since is actually kind of unbelievable because I started doing stand-up at 42 years old. I didn't start when I was nine like Chappelle or Eddie Murphy or Chris Rock. I didn't start doing stand-up when I was a teenager, or in my twenties or thirties, I started when I was 42 years old…and my brother was Eddie Murphy! I mean he's one of, or rather the, stand-up guy; the recognised God of stand-up, okay? That's my brother, so to have that in front of you, you know what I'm saying, it's very unlikely that you would firstly take a chance to try to get into it, and then secondly - be successful at it, and I've done both those things. And so that's a blessing. I've jumped over those hurdles and I'm now making a presence for myself and beginning to be appreciated for what I do. And now you're coming out to Australia on tour. That's quite an incredible run. Exactly man! And you know, everywhere I've been it's all part of reaffirming that I'm now doing what I'm supposed to be doing; that I made a very smart choice with my life. And I'm doing something special because I can't think of anybody else that's a comedian who can say: "Okay this guy, he did it like this." I think I'm carving a brand new street. I'm curious about your take on comedy at the moment, because – and I'm thinking here about something one of Conan's writers said, a guy called Andrés du Bouchet – his advice to young comedy writers was: "write and perform comedy for 10 years in obscurity then luck out." Do you feel that's a little cynical or pretty reflective of the nature of the industry? No that's kind of true man, because there are guys out there right now who are really really really good and they're not famous. I know who they are because I'm in the world of stand-up, I'm a comedian so I know who the other comedians are. Like the guy I'm bringing with me to Australia, his name's Freeze Love. You've never heard of him, but he's very very funny in his own right and yet he doesn't have a headliner name, a household name yet, so people say: "who's this guy? We came to see Charlie Murphy!" And then this guy comes out and you forget that you came to see Charlie Murphy because he's that funny. When you come to my show I want you to laugh from the moment you get there to the moment you leave. And I'm only on stage for an hour but the show's an hour and a half, you know, so I make sure you get some variety and when you leave your face is hurting. That's my objective – to hurt your face – and I'm not a boxer! There's this idea that comedy runs parallel with the zeitgeist, so in the '60s and '70s it was all about social change, then in the '80s it was the battle of the sexes, in the '90s it was drugs and most recently it's been terrorism and war. And George W Bush! The human punch-line. Exactly! Do you feel like there's a new theme emerging now? Because a lot of the current acts seem to focus on the influence - and perhaps intrusion - of technology in our lives and how dehumanising and lonely it can all be. Totally, that's it man. But at the same time these comics, people like Louis CK, they're sort of embracing that failing aren't they? Embracing their own shortcomings and emerging as anti-heroes. Yeah man, it's all those things! You named almost everything I cover, like my show encompasses all the things you just talked about. We've had the '60s, '70s, '80s…well this is the new millennium and I'm talking about all of it. You're gonna hear about social issues, you're gonna hear about family, politics…all of that in one hour. And it's going to be fun. A few years ago you said you were a huge fan of Obama but just couldn't see him becoming President given the state of things in America. Now that it's happened a lot of people have called this the 'post race' age, but that seems like a bit of a stretch doesn't it? Exactly. That's not true. Things are just different, you know. Racism's still alive and well. Is it as rigid and defined as it was in the '60s? No, but it's still there. That other way, the old way, it wouldn't be able to exist in the climate we've got now, but it's still there. It just adapted. It's gradually leaving though, because if you look at the young people and their intelligence, there's not as much of that ignorance from the old days any more. Actually I was watching that movie the other day, the J Edgar movie with Leonardo DiCaprio - who does an excellent job by the way - but for me that movie was about this man who, before this movie was made and various documentaries were made, he was held up like a God, a man who could do no wrong, a perfect person. And then that movie exposed that not only was he human – that was the first thing – but he was also flawed like all of us. Severely! I really liked that movie. And just finally Charlie, you're a New Yorker and you recently did some promo stuff for Air Jordan with your Leroy Smith character – I'm guessing you've been caught up in the whole Jeremy Lin saga? Oh yeah man – I'm a big time Knicks fan! And my show's called "The Acid Trip" so I'm glad you brought the Knicks up because I point out things that are really really totally unexpected, like if ten years ago you'd said that in 2012 the highest paid rapper would be white, there's going to be a black President and an Asian's gonna be dominating the NBA, nobody would've believed it! An Asian guy from Harvard no less. Exactly! This is all really happening, it's real, see so that's kind of the metaphor for my show because every day of life is another opportunity for you to go: "Oh wow!" Every day something could happen that's never happened in your life before. You could smell something you've never smelled before, taste something you've never tasted before and I don't know how old you are but think about that. If somebody said to me: "How long did it take you to get here?" and – because the first person who did that said "oh it took me 15 minutes" and I replied "Oh really, because it took me 52 years." So that's how you're looking at it, you know? Well it was well worth it Charlie because we can't wait to have you out here. I can't wait to come out there man. And I want you to give me the heads up on what's the first thing I should try to eat? What's an Australian dish, because I've never had Australian food so what would you recommend I eat when I get there? What's it like? Well it's pretty much like American food except sized for humans. But I suppose the Lamington is the go-to option for something sweet, and of course the good ole meat pie. Meat pie? What kind of meat is it? Okay, it might not be 'meat'. Ha, yeah okay. But I'll do it anyway. Just ask for a regular beef pie and if they like you they'll top it off with some ketchup in the shape of Australia. [Laughs] Okay I'm gonna try that man, and I look forward to seeing you all real soon. Thanks brother. Charlie Murphy's "Acid Trip Tour" will hit Melbourne on 19 and 20 April, Auckland on April 23 and then Sydney on April 26. Check for tickets at www.abpresents.com.au and keep up with Charlie via Twitter @cmurphycomedy. https://youtube.com/watch?v=AwgvwFWK_dQ
Sometimes the weeks just fly by (is it almost April already?). But sometimes the work week can be a real slog. So, having a way to celebrate hitting the halfway mark is just what you need. And we've found just the thing. Woolloomooloo's longstanding waterside destination Otto Ristorante is teaming up with Tanqueray for a one-off fine dining experience celebrating all things botanical. The dinner will take place in the luxe Italian restaurant on Wednesday, March 27 from 6.30pm. Guests can enjoy four courses, each paired with a specially crafted gin cocktail. The degustation menu has been designed by Otto's bar manager Lukas Hardy and head chef Richard Ptacnik. Gin, and many other ingredients, will be used liberally in both the eats and the libations in order to provide a seamless culinary experience. You can expect to sip the likes of grapefruit-infused Tanqueray No. 10, the four-botanical London Dry Gin, the zesty Flor de Sevilla and the lime-based Rangpur. To start, there's a canapé of gnocco fritto (deep-fried Italian bread) served with salumi and a green olive sgroppino — an Italian-style cocktail featuring Flor de Sevilla Tanqueray, prosecco, green olive sorbet and charcoal salt. Next up, expect gin-cured salmon with caperberries and green olives served with a wet martini made with London Dry Gin, dry vermouth, fino sherry, orange bitters and more caperberries. For the main, you'll dig into herbed salt-crusted kingfish with two salads, paired with the Herbaceous Gimlet: olive oil-washed Tanqueray No. 10 with edible flowers, verjus (unripe grape juice), herbs and botanicals. And dessert is a passionfruit curd served with gin jelly and topped with coconut and gin ice cream. Finish off your meal with a specialty Tom Collins, which combines toasted coconut-washed Tanqueray Rangpur, lime leaf, passionfruit and sparkling coconut water. This lavish dinner will cost $175 all up, and bookings are essential. To book, head here. Image: Kitti Gould.
Thinking about UK cinema's biggest names brings a wealth of famous talents to mind. Odds are that they're on the 2023 British Film Festival program in one way or another. When the Australia-wide cinema celebration returns for its latest tour, it'll do so with Olivia Colman's latest movie, Ian McKellen's as well, what might be Michael Caine's final role and an Alfred Hitchcock documentary. Ken Loach, Liam Neeson, Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins, Richard E Grant, Timothy Spall, Helena Bonham Carter, Gemma Arterton, Maggie Smith: they're all covered, too. In total, 28 films are on the British Film Festival's 2023 lineup, including both brand-new flicks and retrospective screenings. Audiences can see the results throughout November, with the festival kicking off on Wednesday, November 1 in Sydney — at Palace Norton St, Palace Verona, Chauvel Cinema and Palace Central — and keeping its projectors whirring for four weeks until Wednesday, November 29. Opening night's One Life will begin the 2023 fest, with the Hopkins (The Son)-starring biopic coming to Australia after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival. It tells the tale of Sir Nicholas Winton, whose World War II story includes assisting in the rescue of hundreds of Jewish children, earning him the label of the 'British Schindler'. Johnny Flynn (Operation Mincemeat) plays the humanitarian in his younger years, with Bonham Carter (Nolly) also co-starring. Still on BFF's big festival slots, the Colman- (Heartstopper) and Jessie Buckley (Women Talking)-led Wicked Little Letters will close out the 2023 event. The two actors reunite after both featuring in The Lost Daughter, although this time they aren't playing the same character. Instead, they're in a mystery-comedy that's based on a real-life scandal dating back 100 years And, playing as BFF's centrepiece is The Critic, which is where McKellan (Cats) and Arterton (Funny Woman) come in, and Mark Strong (Tár), Lesley Manville (The Crown) and Nikesh Patel (Starstruck) as well. As the name makes plain, it does involve a critic — a theatre specialist, in a whodunnit that's based on the novel Curtain Call by Anthony Quinn. Also a huge inclusion: My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock, the new documentary from The Story of Film's Mark Cousins. This time, the filmmaker turns his meticulous attention to a director like no other, and to plenty of suspense, including featuring footage from the bulk of Hitchcock's classic films. Among the other highlights, war veteran tale The Great Escaper could be Caine's (Best Sellers) last performance; The Old Oak marks the latest from iconic filmmaker Loach (I, Daniel Blake, Sorry We Missed You); The Lesson features Grant (Persuasion), Julie Delpy (On the Verge) and Daryl McCormack (Bad Sisters) in a literary thriller; and musical Greatest Days features Take That's songs. Or, there's Sweet Sue from Leo Leigh, son of Peterloo and Mr Turner director Mike Leigh; the Irish village-set In the Land of Saints and Sinners, which features Neeson (Retribution), Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Jack Gleeson (Game of Thrones, and also Sex Education); Samuel Beckett biopic Dance First, with Gabriel Byrne (War of the Worlds) as the playwright; Golda, starring Mirren (Barbie) as Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir; Mad About the Boy, a doco about Noël Coward; and Pretty Red Dress, which is set to the songs of Tina Turner. Plus, fans of movies about music can add Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis), which hails from Control's Anton Corbijn and hones in on the titular photo-design company and its contribution to record cover art, to their BFF schedule. And, among the retrospective titles, the Mirren-starring Caligula, rock opera Tommy and drama Howard's End are all playing in 4K restorations — with Smith's (The Miracle Club) Oscar-winning performance in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, plus The Remains of the Day, Women in Love and Morgan — A Suitable Case for Treatment also on the classics list.
How does life go on after not just a global Cordyceps infection, but the chaos that the first season of The Last of Us brought? In 2025, viewers will find out. While the hit HBO series isn't returning until next year, the US network has given fans a glimpse in the interim via the initial two images from the new season. Yes, Joel and Ellie are back — and, in their shoes, so are Pedro Pascal (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent) and Bella Ramsey (Catherine Called Birdy). The pair of first pictures doesn't give away much; however, Ellie has a rifle in hand and Joel is looking as serious as ever, but with longer hair. The Last of Us made the leap from video games to TV in 2023, and was swiftly renewed after proving a massive smash instantly. The series gave HBO its most-watched debut season of a show ever — and its first episode was also the network's second-largest debut of all time. Locking in a second season was also hardly surprising because the 2013 game inspired a 2014 expansion pack and 2020 sequel. For newcomers to the franchise on consoles and as a TV series, it's set 20 years after modern civilisation as we know it has been toppled by a parasitic fungal infection that turns the afflicted into shuffling hordes. Pascal plays Joel, who gets saddled with smuggling 14-year-old Ellie (his Game of Thrones co-star Ramsey) out of a strict quarantine zone to help possibly save humanity's last remnants. There wouldn't be a game, let alone a television version, if that was an easy task, of course — and if the pair didn't need to weather quite the brutal journey. [caption id="attachment_932860" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Last of Us season one[/caption] As a television series, The Last of Us hails from co-creator, executive producer, writer and director Craig Mazin, who already brought a hellscape to HBO (and to everyone's must-watch list) thanks to the haunting and horrifying Chernobyl. He teams up here with Neil Druckmann from Naughty Dog, who also penned and directed The Last of Us games. In season two, Rutina Wesley (Queen Sugar) will also return to the cast alongside Pascal and Ramsey. Kaitlyn Dever (Good Grief), Isabela Merced (Madame Web), Young Mazino (Beef), Ariela Barer (How to Blow Up a Pipeline), Tati Gabrielle (Kaleidoscope), Spencer Lord (Family Law) and Danny Ramirez (Black Mirror) are the season's newcomers, as is Catherine O'Hara (Argylle) as a guest star. There's no clips from The Last of Us season two yet, but check out the trailer for season one below: The Last of Us season two doesn't yet have a release date, other than sometime in 2025. When it returns, it'll stream via Binge in Australia and on Neon in New Zealand. Read our review of the first season. Images: HBO.
Having already wowed the Sydney fine dining scene with the two-hatted Bentley and the one-hatted Monopole, unstoppable duo Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt are about to realise another dream. Today they're opening their new French-style bistro, Yellow, in Potts Point's iconic Yellow House. Driven by a bistronomy approach, the eatery will combine bistro decor with quality cuisine. Fresh, seasonal produce in atmospheric surroundings is the order of the day. There'll be seating for 60, as well as an intimate bar and an outdoor area. “We have been dreaming of opening a French-style bistro for a number of years and we’re thrilled to be bringing the concept to life in Potts Point,” explains Savage. “We feel as though we’ve now encompassed all fields, with Bentley as our restaurant, Monopole as our wine bar and Yellow as our bistro offering. “With Monopole just up the road, we know the locals and visiting diners are food and wine lovers. Yellow is a neighbourhood bistro, easy to drop into any night of the week but with a strong focus on innovative food. Of course, Nick has had fun with the wine list, too.” Entrees include roasted heirloom carrots with spiced crumb and sweet cicely, and slow-cooked ocean trout with young onions, fennel and almonds. Top-tipped mains are lamb belly with broadbean shoots, celery and purslane, and Cape Grim sirloin with mustard leaves and green sauce, while headlining dessert is chocolate parfait with raspberry sorbet. Savage and Hildebrandt have once again called on the talents of Melbourne designer Pascale Gomes-McNabb, who took care of both the Bentley and Monopole. Diners can expect more of her renowned, ultra-atmospheric lighting techniques and idiosyncratic dashes of bright colour. Back in the '70s, when Potts Point was the vibrant centre of the Sydney arts scene, Yellow House was an artists' collective, where the likes of Martin Sharp, Brett Whiteley, Greg Wait, Peter Weir and George Gittoes lived, worked and covered the walls, floors and ceilings in masterpieces. The rumour goes that it was also the likely home of Australia's first ever 24 hour-long 'Happening'. Yellow is at 57-59 Macleay Street, Potts Point. It is open for dinner seven nights and all day on weekends.
If your long-tortured eyebrows are in need of some loving attention, head to Honeytusk Eyebrow Studio's flagship shop in Rozelle. Whether you're sporting a couple of untamed caterpillars or a pair of 90s-style pencil lines, you can figure out your eyebrow future in consultation with these pros. A standard sculpt can be achieved through tweezing, waxing or threading, with colouring and brow lamination (which involves brushing and setting the brows for a more defined look) also on offer. You can give your lashes some love here, too, with colouring and extensions available as well as a lash lift that shapes and curls your natural eyelashes.
Sydney welcomes a new farm fresh market to its inner city area with the launch of the Erskineville Farmers Market — which goes by the mantra 'shop local, eat local, buy local'. It'll take over the front grounds of Erskineville Public School, starting on December 1 and proceeding every Saturday from 9am to 2pm. With a focus on sustainability and environmentalism, the market will be a plastic-free zone, with only keep cups allowed, too. For opening day, Boomerang Bags will be selling reusable grocery bags — which you can snag for a gold coin donation. Artisan food makers and high-quality produce will, of course, be front-and-centre. Expect stalls from Pocket City Farm, Brickfields Bakery, Kristen Allen Cheese, T Totaler and Tonicka Kombucha, plus hot food stalls like vegan Vietnamese from Redfern's Nourishing Corner, toasties from Mister Toast and vegan crepes from Frothin Crepes, to name just a few. Each week will also feature local musicians, DIY workshops and talks on sustainability. After December 22, the market will take a break for two weeks, then resume weekly trading from January 12.
A boat sails across the ceiling, down the wall and across the crisp white hotel bed, into the carpet. This is no projection, no Photoshop and no witchcraft, but the aquarium-like effect of acclaimed photographer Robyn Stacey's recent experiments with a 5th-century BC technology: camera obscura. During a residency at Melbourne's Sofitel on Collins Street and visits to hotels in other cities, Stacey photographed scenes of exterior cityscapes imposed onto hotel interiors using tools from opposite ends of the technological spectrum, a simple camera obscura and a high-tech Hasselblad DSLR. The result is Guest Relations, a new series on show now at Sydney's Stills Gallery. What can you expect to see? Mysterious people, supposedly guests of the hotel, caught in moments of contemplation while the city hangs suspended above their heads or washes over the walls around them in startlingly sharp definition, suggesting a collision of public and private life. During her residency, Stacey recognised that just a photo of the hotel's famous views would constitute nothing more than a postcard. So she turned to camera obscura to solve the creative problem. "I like layers in work," she says. "The room sort of reveals itself to you." Because of the technical constraints of camera obscura — sometimes there'd only be a 40-minute window to shoot a long exposure of a motionless, torch-lit human subject while the sun was in the right spot — surprises would emerge. For example, in one image, there's "the way the war memorial comes in, the angle it comes in, and how [the female subject] is lying under it. So there's all that thing about, what does a war memorial signify, and what about the fact that she's female? It's open then, for people to read into it how they might." Stacey likes the film-still sense of narrative in the tableaux, raising questions of "What's happened in that room, or why are [these people] there?" The beauty of camera obscura, which she's only been working with since February this year, is that "it's magical. Turn on the light and it’s not there. It only happens in the dark." While hers required a laser-cut hole and a diopter lens, she points out that anyone could make one with black cardboard and a pen to punch the hole through it. She hopes to progress to filming these interiorscapes. "What you get in the room that you don’t get in a still image is movement. Sometimes you get these fantastic cloudscapes. They’re just rolling toward you, and they go all over the bed and the floor. It's like you're in the clouds." Stacey's advice to aspiring artists? She cites the quote often attributed to Goethe: Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. "[There can be] too much thinking and not enough doing. But they have to come together. If you have an idea, don't wait, do it now. It might not come out how you wanted, but it will open into something else. The work will lead you, but you've gotta go into it. You can't stand back from it." Robyn Stacey's Guest Relations is on at the Stills Gallery in Sydney until November 9. See more of her photography in her online portfolio.
Normally ugliness is relative and objective, but not if you’re at one of the stranger events taking place during the Basque city of Bilbao’s annual cultural festival Aste Nagusia or ‘Big Week’. Somewhere in between the comparatively commonplace displays of music, art, fireworks and bullfights taking place over the nine-day celebration falls the bewildering Concurso de Feos, which literally translates to ‘The Ugly Competition’. Concurso de Feos was apparently initiated as a spin on the controversial and outdated beauty pageant. Though it is also a great alternative for those not endowed with the skills required to perform the spectacular facial feat known as a gurn (perhaps due to still having at least six teeth) but who continue to dream of having their ugliest mug immortalised on the Internet. The Spanish competition apparently encourages the use of fingers to assist with the distorting process, with entrants stuffing digits into their nostrils, eyeballs and inner cheeks in their quest to perform the most unsightly sneer in all the land. There appears to be no age restrictions on competing, with the event popular amongst both old and young alike. And, obligatory jokes aside, Concurso de Feos can claim the dual merits of providing locals with a comical distraction from the Basque County’s economic woes and the rest of the world with a good boost of self-confidence. via Geekologie
It's easy to hide away from the weather, but another lazy weekend spent at home is bound to get boring before long. With this in mind, it's a good thing Tanuki —Double Bay's chic Japanese-inspired izakaya and bar — is ramping up the cosiness factor with the launch of its new Lounge Lunch every weekend. Developed by the same crew behind nearby neighbour Matteo Sydney, this fresh event is designed as a sultry, slow-burning take on a bottomless long lunch. Guided by Head Chef Ken Wee Lee (Sushi e, Toko), expect bold, cheeky twists on Japanese flavours, like salmon tataki, spicy tuna crispy rice, grilled miso chicken set and matcha tiramisu. Paired with two hours of free-flowing cocktails and wine, Tanuki's alluring lounge and upbeat courtyard are the ideal settings to sip Bandini prosecco and Rameau d'Or rosé alongside a curated selection of vino and tap beers. Plus, if you're really keen to enliven your weekend, you're welcome to upgrade to bottomless margaritas for $20 per person. Served every Saturday and Sunday for groups of four or more, this share-style banquet and beverage package is available for $100 per person. Perfect for when you've been cooped up inside a little too long, trust this inventive Japanese feast to carry the good vibes until the late afternoon and beyond.
Mona Foma, MONA's wild and weird summer music and arts festival, is back for 2018. And this time around, it's set to eclipse all previous incarnations, with the festival adding a program of Launceston events to its usual Hobart lineup. Further to the announcement of the MONA hotel and the move to Launceston back in July, this beefed-up presence also heralds the festival's biggest, most eclectic program to date, thanks largely to funding from the State Government. The Mofo 2018 lineup is a cracker, delivering 11 days of thought-provoking art and music to Tasmania's two largest cities and celebrating creativity and personal expression in all forms. Running from January 12 to 14, the Launceston leg will see singer-songwriter Gotye join the Ondioline Orchestra to pay homage to renowned French electronic composer Jean-Jacques Perrey (January 12 and 13), as well as a dance performance by Canada's The Holy Body Tattoo, scored live by post-rockers Godspeed You! Black Emperor (also January 12 and 13). Mofo's northern run will culminate with a huge, free party on January 14. To follow, January 19 to 21 will mark Mofo's final MONA appearance for a while, so it's exiting with a bang. The museum's outdoor stage will feature performances from the likes of punk poet Moor Mother, all-female Argentinian act Fémina and a collaboration between Tassie bassist Nick Haywood and The Hobart Liberation Orchestra. Martin Blackwell will deliver a 24-hour continuous performance soundtracked by an array of global instruments, while the MONA tennis courts play host to a challenging fashion runway courtesy of SAAKA's Hunger for Gluttony. Elsewhere in Hobart, the Violent Femmes will perform with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, a one-day mini-Mofo will pull together local acts like Comrad XERO, Crypt Vapor and Phillipa Stafford, and the festival's official after-party Faux Mo will take over a huge new waterfront space at MAC2. Mona Foma 2018 will take place at venues across Launceston from January 12–14, at MONA from January 19–21 and across Hobart from January 15–22. Tickets are available here from Monday, October 16.
