Gone are the days when every image that flickered across the screen did so within an almost square-shaped frame. That time has long passed, in fact, with widescreen formats replacing the 1.375:1 Academy aspect ratio that once was standard in cinemas, and its 4:3 television counterpart. So, when a director today fits their visuals into a much tighter space than the now-expansive norm, it's an intentional choice. They're not just nodding to the past, even if their film takes place in times gone by. With First Cow, for instance, Kelly Reichardt unfurls a story set in 19th-century America, but she's also honing her audience's focus. The Meek's Cutoff, Night Moves and Certain Women filmmaker wants those guiding their eyeballs towards this exquisite movie to truly survey everything that it peers at. She wants them to see its central characters — chef Otis 'Cookie' Figowitz (John Magaro, Overlord) and Chinese entrepreneur King-Lu (Orion Lee, Zack Snyder's Justice League) — and to realise that neither are ever afforded such attention by the others in their fictional midst. Thoughtfully exploring the existence of figures on the margins has long been Reichardt's remit, as River of Grass, Old Joy and Wendy and Lucy have shown as well, but she forces First Cow's viewers to be more than just passive observers in this process. There's much to take in throughout this magnificently told tale, which heads to Oregon as most of Reichardt's movies have. There's plenty to glean from its patient static shots of the river and scrubby landscape circa 1820, and from the way that the director's three-time cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt shoots its leafy setting as a place of light and shadow. Most telling, though, is how First Cow constantly views Cookie and King-Lu within their surroundings. Sometimes, the outcast pair actively tries to blend in, but the film makes it clear that they're already consistently overlooked in the local fur-trapper community. Equally pivotal is the frequent use of frames within the feature's already-restricted imagery — sometimes via windows and doorways, as Certain Women did as well, or by peeking through the gaps in slats in the makeshift shack the pair decide to call home. Again and again, First Cow stresses that genuinely seeing these men, their lives, and their hopes, desires and attempts to chase the American dream, is an act of bearing witness to the smallest of details, delights, exchanges, glances and moments. Initially, after watching an industrial barge power down a river, First Cow follows a woman (Alia Shawkat, Search Party) and her dog as they discover a couple of skeletons nearby. Then, jumping back two centuries and seeing another boat on the same waterway, it meets Cookie as he's searching for food. Whatever he finds, or doesn't, the fur-trapper team he works with never has a kind word to spare. But then Cookie stumbles across King-Lu one night, helps him evade the Russians on his tail, and the seeds of friendship are sown. When the duo next crosses paths, they spend an alcohol-addled night sharing their respective ideas for the future. Those ambitious visions get a helping hand after the Chief Factor (Toby Jones, Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom) ships in the region's highly coveted first cow, with Cookie and King-Lu secretly milking the animal in the dark of night, then using the stolen liquid to make highly sought-after — and highly profitable — oily cakes. In its own quiet, closely observed, deeply affectionate and warm-hearted fashion, First Cow is a heist film. Reichardt's gentle and insightful spin on the usually slick and twist-filled genre bucks every convention there is, however. Tension is a regular part of Cookie and King-Lu's lives; they're introduced being denigrated and chased, after all. So, while the pair tests their luck during their surreptitious moonlight rendezvous with the titular bovine, the film's sense of strain only increases slightly. Here, the act of pilfering isn't the main attraction. Those midnight scenes are gorgeous — Cookie chats tenderly to the cow as he squeezes her udders, offering his condolences about the mate and calf that didn't survive the journey — but they're also brief. Reichardt is far more interested in the change that Cookie and King-Lu bring out in each other, their connection as kindred spirits in an inhospitable locale and their small-scale quest to subvert the status quo. With sensitivity and compassion, but also with an unflinching awareness of how the world regards those on its fringes, First Cow examines the home and hope that one person can find in another, too, and interrogates the ways in which America's embrace of capitalism can inspire, lift and crush as well. Bold plans, delicate subterfuge, big successes, fraught chases and sublime snatches of tranquility — all five play out in Reichardt's richly detailed and hauntingly soulful movie. Indeed, only she could've made this film sing as stirringly and bittersweetly as it does, and feel as transporting and resonant as it proves at every turn. Reichardt adapts Jonathan Raymond's novel The Half Life, co-scripting with the writer himself in their fifth collaboration. She's gifted with mesmerisingly soulful performances from Magaro and Lee, who play their parts so vividly and intricately that ten pictures about Cookie and King-Lu wouldn't be enough. But the empathy that seeps into each second is firmly one of the filmmakers's enduring and welcome hallmarks, as is the unwavering commitment to trading in the everyday and the intimate while excavating the perennial myth about the US being the land of opportunity. Reichardt's approach isn't unparalleled, though. Fellow directors Chloé Zhao and Debra Granik have splashed many of the same traits throughout their work, and have also helmed masterpieces as a result; see: Nomadland and The Rider in the former's case, and Leave No Trace and Winter's Bone in the latter's. The three share not just a willingness but an eagerness to chronicle narratives that would otherwise be overlooked, traverse more than the usual patches of land, champion oft-ignored perspectives, and challenge America's values and self-image — and they each make their films feel like their own. With First Cow, Reichardt is leisurely and loving, and also candid and devastating. She ensures that everyone watching her boxed-in frames rides those ebbs and flows, and that they're moved by every moment. Whenever she steps behind the camera, something astonishing always happens, as her filmography just keeps demonstrating — but First Cow is pure cinematic perfection. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jWZ6P1rWy4
The sights and sounds of Italy are heading our way once again, for the latest edition of the Lavazza Italian Film Festival. Hosted in select Palace Cinema locations around the country, this year's festival of more than 30 films will be bookended by two special gala events. Smash-hit comedy God Willing screens on opening night, while a special restoration of Bernardo Bertolucci's 1970 masterwork The Conformist will bring the festival to a close. In between you'll find comedies, dramas and eye-opening documentaries, as well as a number of high-profile titles making their Australian debuts. Heading up our list of must-sees are a pair of films that caused a stir at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Matteo Garrone directs Selma Hayek and John C. Reilly in the surreal fantasy Tale of Tales, while John Turturro stars opposite Italian actress Margherita Buy in the madcap comedy Mia Madre. We're also intrigued by Venice-set comedy Pizza and Dates, about the city's Muslim population searching for a place to build a new mosque, as well as compilation documentary Italy in a Day, made up of hundreds of short videos submitted by people from all around the country. For the full Lavazza Italian Film Festival program, visit their website.
It's Mardi Gras time again, Sydney — and the annual celebration comes not just one festival, but two. When you're not partying, heading to performances and hitting up the parade, you can spend time in a darkened cinema watching the latest and greatest queer movies. Returning for its huge 26th year, and running between Wednesday, February 13 and Thursday, February 28, the Mardi Gras Film Festival is going big in 2019. A lineup that boasts 54 features, 66 shorts, 70 sessions and 75 Australian premieres isn't small by any means. It's also making a sizeable footprint, using Event George Street Cinemas as a base but spreading its screenings around the city too. After opening with the Kyle MacLachlan and Maria Bello-starring Giant Little Ones, MGFF's program includes a little bit of everything. There's the werewolf thrills of Good Manners, plus an award-winning drama about toxic masculinity and sexuality in the form of Slovenian film Consequences — as well as a Paris Is Burning and Rize-style dance doco courtesy of When the Beat Drops, and a restored version of the 1987 Merchant Ivory classic Maurice. Famous figures are in the spotlight thanks to biopics Mapplethorpe, The Happy Prince and Wild Nights with Emily, focusing on photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, playwright Oscar Wilde and poet Emily Dickinson respectively. And when the fest comes to a close, it'll do so with the tender, luminous and important Rafiki, a lesbian love story that was initially banned in its native Kenya.
The team behind some of Sydney's recent major pub revamps is at it again. Just a few months after relaunching Waterloo's George Hotel and the Duke on Enmore Road, James Wirth, Michael Delany and Joel Amos are doing the same to Woolloomooloo's Old Fitz. The Dowling Street stalwart reopened late last week with a fresh coat of paint, British pub eats by a star chef and natural wines aplenty. But, as Wirth is quick to point out, it's still the same old pub at heart. "We wanted to keep the spirit of the place alive," says Wirth. "So we kept the front bar as is, apart from replacing the carpet and updating the furniture." Elsewhere, the upstairs dining room now has a "drinking den meets old man study" vibe and the courtyard has been transformed into a leafy oasis with plenty of group seating. [caption id="attachment_729165" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tanya Saint James[/caption] In the kitchen, Head Chef Nicholas Hill (who's previously worked at Sydney fine diners Sepia and Quay, as well as the lauded Ledbury in London) is dishing up the city's best take on traditional pub food, with a strong focus on nose-to-tail cooking. The succinct menu, which varies slightly at lunch and dinner, includes a scotch egg with pickles, a rissole sandwich with beetroot and cheddar and — Wirth's personal favourite — the raw beef on dripping toast. Pub stables, including schnitzels, steak, and fish and chips (with mushy peas) make the cut, too. Then there are the blackboard specials, which change daily. When Concrete Playground visited, highlights included a pig trotter schnitzel sandwich and a terrine of the day made with chicken liver and pine mushroom. A daily pie for two, most recently with veal neck and pig trotter, has been making the rounds on Instagram, too. Another new and popular Old Fitz dish that's already made its mark on the 'gram is the hot chip butty. It's a DIY sandwich with white bread, golden chips, lots of butter and optional sauce, including the aforementioned drippings or curry. [caption id="attachment_729169" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daily pie for two by Tanya Saint James[/caption] On the drinks side of things, Amos (founder of online and now-IRL wine retailer Drnks) has, of course, brought a natural-wine spin to the pub, but it's not strictly so. "We have a regularly changing wine specials board, that'll focus on two or three bottles from independent producers," says Wirth. "But you can still come in for a sauv blanc before the theatre, too." Speaking of the venue's attached Old Fitz Theatre, that hasn't changed one bit, but now you can get a bottle of orange wine and a really good feed before or after. As well as the wine, there's a brand new cocktail menu, featuring the bars signature Pimm's cup and a black velvet, which is an unusual combo of a stout and sparkling wine. Other concoctions on the list include the Blackberry Bramble (gin, blackberry liqueur and lemon juice), the Penicillin (two types of scotch, honey and ginger syrups and lemon juice) and a G&T with earl grey syrup. Beer is also in the limelight with the bar's 21 taps offering a mix of Aussie pub standards alongside local craft from the likes of Grifter and Yulli's Brews. The Old Fitz is now open at 129 Dowling Street, Woolloomooloo. Opening hours are Monday through Saturday from 11am–midnight and Sunday 11am-10pm. Images: Tanya Saint James
For screen fiends who spend their winters indoors at their favourite picture palaces, there's one surefire way to know that better weather has hit: the arrival of outdoor cinema season. When Sydney's chillier temperatures give way to sunny days and warm nights, the city's spaces set up plenty of openair big screens showing flicks. One such spot: The Rocks Laneway Cinema. As you might know from past runs, this film-loving pop-up sticks around for half the year, screening movies every Wednesday night — and for free. Across the end of 2023 and beginning of 2024, mark Wednesday, October 4—Wednesday, March 27 in your diary for a date on Atherden Street. Also, get ready for different monthly themes. First up: comedy classics in October, which is where Bridesmaids, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Anchorman and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me come in. Then, November will deliver five films that'll get you singing as part of its music strand: School of Rock, The Sapphires, Almost Famous, Pitch Perfect and Mamma Mia!. While exactly what'll be on the bill from there hasn't yet been unveiled, December will naturally showcase Christmas classics and January will capitalise upon vacation vibes with holiday road trip-inspired titles. Then, February will go with a summer of love focus — again, 'tis the season for it — while March is all about 80s favourites. Laneway Cinema's movies screen from 7pm each week — and although entry is free, bookings are recommended because seating is limited. Heading along also means helping a good cause, with the proceeds from every $2 bag of popcorn sold going to charity. The beneficiary changes monthly, too, with Beyond Blue receiving the funds in October, Support Act in November and the rest of the lineup to come. If you're the kind of cinemagoer that needs snacks and sips, the venues around laneway have plenty to eat and drink on offer. That means making a date with spots such as Caminetto Restaurant, P'Nut Street Noodles, El Camino Cantina and The Mercantile Hotel. Obviously, you'll need your wallet for whatever tempts your tastebuds. Images: Anna Kucera / Cassandra Hannagan.
After revealing its December and January programming late last year, Moonlight Cinema has unveiled the next part of its 2018–19 program. As always, one piece of advice bears repeating: pack your picnic basket and get ready to watch a heap of flicks under the summer evening sky. While the outdoor cinema runs until Sunday, March 31 in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, it's latest announcement focuses on February — so if you're keen to catch a movie under the stars while it's still officially summer, take note. As always, plenty of recent favourites are on the bill, plus a smattering of all-time greats and a few sneak peeks at new movies coming out soon. The March lineup will be announced in February. Tried-and-tested highlights include Aquaman, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Bumblebee and The Favourite, plus the return of A Star Is Born and a sing-along session of Bohemian Rhapsody. You'll also be able to catch retro titles such as Crazy, Stupid, Love, The Devil Wars Prada and The Princess Bride, and new nerve-wracking rock-climbing documentary Free Solo just as it hits regular cinemas. In the sneak peek camp, there's gender-flipped rom-com What Men Want, Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic On the Basis of Sex and Natalie Portman as a pop star in the must-see Vox Lux, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMCYE9hKP68 Moonlight's usual food truck and licensed bar offering will continue, as will its reserved bean beds. You can also BYO booze everywhere except Brisbane. And Brisbanites have been benefiting from two big changes, with Moonlight Cinema saying goodbye to Brisbane Powerhouse after a more than a decade and settling in at Roma Street Parkland instead. Even better — it's running all the way through until March 31 for the first time, like its interstate counterparts. MOONLIGHT CINEMA 2018–19 DATES: Sydney: Nov 29–Mar 31 (Belvedere Amphitheatre in Centennial Park) Melbourne: Nov 29–Mar 31 (Central Lawn at the Royal Botanic Gardens) Brisbane: Nov 29–Mar 31 (Roma Street Parkland) Perth: Dec 1–Mar 31 (May Drive Parkland, Kings Park & Botanic Garden) Adelaide: Dec 8–Feb 17 (Botanic Park) Moonlight Cinema runs until March 31. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the Moonlight website.
Is your aesthetic still stuck in the greys and blues of winter? Well, you should hotfoot it to Precinct 75 — its upcoming design market will help you transition into spring. On Saturday, September 14, the market takes over the St Peters creative precinct to celebrate local independent labels. Both Precinct 75 tenants and guests will be there, including jewellery maker Alana Douvros, Taste Kaleidoscope Teas and natural skincare label Oleu Life. The event is pairing up with the local foodies and farmers markets to keep you fed — including Pepita's Ice Cream Van and its vegan, dairy free frozen treats — while St Peter stalwarts Rice Pantry, Sample Roasters and Willie the Boatman Brewery will be serving up their wares as well. And, if you want to take something green home with you, plenty of plants will also be for sale — which can help brighten up your home. Plus, with free entry for you, your mates and the pooch — yes, pets are welcome — you'll have plenty of money to spend on some new wares. While entry is free, you will need to register over here. The Spring Design Market runs from 9am–4pm. Images: Lucy Alcorn
If you hadn't noticed, fermentation is a bit of a thing. One of the driving forces behind the movement is the fact that fermented food and drinks can help promote good bacteria in your gut. So it's not surprising that one of the more popular workshops at Cornersmith — who dish out hearty breakfasts and hold workshops in cheesemaking, pickling and fermenting among others — is the wild soda class, where you learn to make a fermented, fizzy fruit beverage that's both delicious and good for your digestion. On Thursday December 1 we collaborated with the fermentation geniuses at Cornersmith and hosted two wild soda workshops at the Stoneleigh Hotel in Chippendale. The workshops were inspired by our partnership with Stoneleigh, and their philosophy of using wild fermentation to make the wine in their Wild Valley range (it uses a similar fermentation process as wild soda does — read about it here). Head fermenter Jaimee Edwards taught two classes on how to make your own fermented, fizzy fruit drink using wild ingredients. We made a lemon verbena, dianella berry and mint soda which turned out a beautiful bright purple colour and tasted pretty delicious. Alongside Edwards was the Stoneleigh wine ambassador India Munari, offering her insight in the relationship between the process of making wild soda and Stoneleigh's range of wild fermentation wines. Take a look through our photos and see what went down on the night. For those who couldn't attend, you can go DIY and follow Jaimee's instructions in our wild soda feature here. Or, you can head to the Stoneleigh Hotel and sample some tastings of Wild Valley wine — it's open until December 11. Try some Wild Valley wild fermentation wine at the Stoneleigh Hotel, a sandstone house in Chippendale overrun by nature. It's at 48 Kensington Street, Chippendale from November 11 until December 11. Images: Kimberley Low.
Kogarah will be transformed into a bustling outdoor art space as part of a returning three-day festival. Un[contained] is set to take over Belgrave Street from Friday, June 24 until Sunday, June 26 with art, performances, food, drinks and music. From Friday, a series of shipping containers will be situated around Kogarah containing pieces from local and international artists, including new artworks from Joli Vision and Office Feuerman, augmented reality activations and live murals. Food and drink-wise, 2 Smoking Arabs will be on-site with slow-cooked barbecue, Firepop will be serving up its skewered meats and Robbie Bazzino's Muddled will be dishing up non-alcoholic mocktails. There are also plenty of sweet treats on the roster including deep-fried ice cream, loukoumades, doughnuts and fairy floss. The whole event will take over the Kogarah Town Hall and Belgrave Street 4.30–10.30pm each day of the weekend.
Artist Nalini Malani's Mother India: transactions in the construction of pain tackles the violence during the partition of India into India and Pakistan in 1947. Rape and violence by both sides laid the groundwork for a lot of current tensions and traumatised or killed a lot of ordinary people along the way. Mother India is especially interested in what happened to the women of both sides, both before and after the violence. Paid for by money from the Gallery's Contempo program, this video installation consists of five oversize video panels along the back wall. Black and white street scenes pass as voices speak in the background. One voice reassures us, a woman screams "Get off me! Get off me!" Meanwhile we see images of the everyday: everyday men and women on street, everyday protest, everyday blue cows. The violence of partition was horrific, but for an audience neither raised nor schooled with this history, Mother India doesn't suggest enough of everyday life before the violence, which makes it hard for the peace to dissolve into the horror of what had been normal being broken in two. Also in the exhibition is a wall-spanning work by Hema Upadhyay, the fantastic Mute Migration. This work is a giant city map hung sideways on five black panels. It is Dharavi, a Mumbai slum and one of the world's largest slum districts. The houses are picked out as three dimensional tiny models topped with real aluminium rooves in yellow, blue, brown, and bare metal. The minarets of green mosques are dotted everywhere, among tiered apartment blocks and white-roofed official buildings. Another section of the slum has shanties built on shanties built on shanties. Black paint snakes between these low-rise blocks like streets or a river. Like their real life counterparts, these slums are ramshackle, vivacious and seething. Where Mother India alludes at the depravities of nation building, Upadhyay demonstrates. Image: Mother India: transactions in the construction of pain 2005 by Nalini Malani.
Sydney's FBi Radio are about to throw down a whole lot of beats, with their brand new digital station FBi Click set to launch on June 25. Showcasing the sweatiest, fuzziest and catchiest new dance and electronic music, the brand new offshoot station will broadcast beats, drops and build-ups 24 hours a day. "Dance music has always been an integral part of the FBi sound, and we’re stoked to be bringing together the scenes and communities we’ve been collaborating with for 10 years," say the FBi team. The digital sidearm was hinted at earlier this year, as the pet project of longtime legend and General Manager of Music, Dan Zilber. On the menu for FBi Click are ten new flagship programs hosted by some of Australia's favourite dance connoisseurs. Shows from the likes of Astral People, THUMP (by Vice), Good God Small Club, Sweat It Out, Purple Sneakers, Picnic, Halfway Crooks, Motorik, Body Promise (Mealo & Amelia Jenner), Sequence (Stuart Buchanan), Lazy Radio (Tony Chill) and Bare Necessities (Klue) will form the program schedule for the new FBi branch. Fans of FBi Radio's nightly Sunsets program will appreciate the beloved independent Sydney station's savvy with electronic music. FBi Click will see exclusive mixes from the existing roster of DJs and presenters including Simon Caldwell, Stolen Records with Shantan Wantan Ichiban and Mike Who, Kato & Bad Ezzy, Low Motion with Max Gosford, James Taylor & Murat Kilic and Future Classic DJs and more. If you've got a digital radio, FBi Click wil replace the current simulcast of FBi 94.5 on DAB+. Otherwise you can listen online at fbiradio.com/click from Wednesday June 25. For more information on the individual shows on FBi Click and for details on the official launch party at Good God Small Club, head to FBi's website over here. Party on dudes. Via FBi Radio. Image by Erik Bergan.
If your pup has its own Instagram account and you refer to yourself as a 'fur parent', we're fairly certain you'll want in on this competition. Local pet food brand Ivory Coat wants to put your dog on the small screen. The luxe brand is currently running a Dog Search, which will see 20 lucky pooches featured in Ivory Coat's next TV commercial. All you have to do is enter your details here, along with a recent, personality-filled photo of your fur baby. All breeds and cross-breeds of all ages are welcome. Along with being featured on TV, your pup could win a portrait by a professional photographer, a pet profile on the Ivory Coat website and social media pages, and a one-year supply of Ivory Coat food. There is one catch, though: your dog needs to be an Ivory Coat consumer. So, if they've never tried the stuff, it's time to grab a bag online or head to one of your local stockists. If your pooch is a little hesitant about changing brands, Ivory Coat is made in Australia using locally sourced meat with no additives or fillers. Plus superfoods, fruits, veggies and wholegrains are mixed in or there's a grain-free option if you prefer. The pet food brand also has options for dogs (and cats) of every breed, size and age. The 20 lucky winners (humans and pooches) will need to be in Sydney for shoot between July 17–19. While NSW's borders are currently open to all domestic tourists, we suggest checking the Australian Government website before booking flights or locking in a road trip. Your doggo should be well-behaved and friendly, but it doesn't need to be dog show-level trained — understanding simple commands like 'sit' and 'stay' will do. If this sounds like your pup, now's the time to make 'em a star. Head to the Ivory Coat website for entry guidelines and T&Cs. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Yet another ridesharing service is throwing its hat into the ring in Sydney, with China's DiDi platform set to launch across the city next month. The move comes almost two years after the platform first landed in Australia, launching in Victoria back in May 2018. It has since expanded to Newcastle, Perth and Queensland, and is finally heading to the Harbour City on Monday, March 16. The new app promises locals "a safe, reliable and value-for-money rideshare service", as DiDi goes head to head with the likes of Ola and Uber. It'll launch in Sydney with two of its services — Express and seven-seater Max — but not its carpooling service, Share. Uber has that covered, though. And it's sweetening the deal with some pretty tempting launch incentives, for both riders and drivers. Riders who sign up to the service before March 16 will enjoy a tidy 50 percent discount on all DiDi rides for four weeks, and will receive a $20 credit every time they introduce a friend to the platform. If you're a driver and you sign up two or more friends as fellow drivers before March 11, you'll get to keep 100 percent of trip fares for four weeks. The company's promising 24/7 support to both drivers and riders, an itinerary sharing feature for those riding, and a strict driver vetting process. And, it's saying trips can, on average, be up to ten percent more affordable than other Sydney rideshare services. DiDi Chuxing launched in China in 2012 and has quickly become a huge player in the global ridesharing game — it has since bought out Uber's Chinese operations and has stakes in numerous companies, including Ola, Taxify, Lyft and Grab. It'll be interesting to see how its services stack up to what's already on offer and how many drivers will be available at any one time. The DiDi app is now available to download from the app store, with services starting on Monday, March 16. Don't forget to sign up before then if you want to snag a month of half-price rides.
When you can't venture to a crowded pub to watch your favourite sport on the big screen, recreate the best parts of game day in your own home instead. Whether you're into the AFL or NRL, you can take inspiration from these five suggestions to amp up the at-home viewing party to suit your code. We've partnered with leading bourbon brand Jim Beam to bring you tips on entertaining your mates without missing any of the highlights. [caption id="attachment_786097" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] COOK UP YOUR FAVOURITE PUB CLASSICS First thing's first: food. Any good party host knows you need to plan ahead when it comes to feeding your guests, but that doesn't mean you need to spend heaps of cash or lean on the same-old chips and dips combo. Give yourself a theme and opt for handheld, small bites. For example, buffalo wings with blue cheese dipping sauce and loaded potato skins with bacon and sour cream for easy-to-serve snacks that you can prep in advance and your friends can graze on throughout the game. Make a classic hot dog more grown-up with fresh lettuce, jalapeños and mustard, or create a nacho topping station so everyone can serve themselves when they're peckish. [embed]https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7pS5D5MnYe11rtrRcjeMTk?si=d6yoaggsQnaTvog48eh0IA[/embed] CREATE A PUB PLAYLIST Channel the mood of your local, wherever that may be. If yours usually busts out Powderfinger, Crowded House and Paul Kelly, lean into the theme and create your own playlist that's two parts nostalgia and one part fresh Aussie hits. Or, if you want to pretend you're at the Gabba for this year's AFL Grand Final, pull together a playlist that honours the local acts taking to the stage come Saturday, October 24. Brisbane bands Sheppard and Cub Sport will be performing, along with singer-songwriter Thelma Plum and Rockhampton's blues duo Busby Marou. Plus, Sydney's DMA's and Adelaide-based duo Electric Fields. If you're short on time, head to one of the act's own selections, like DMA's Radio above. More of an Amy Shark fan? The indie-pop star is headlining this year's NRL grand final and the Gold Coast artist has a sweet playlist of equally cool Aussie acts like East, Lime Cordiale and Wafia that you can find here. [caption id="attachment_786936" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dan Burton[/caption] PULL OUT THE LAWN GAMES When you're drinking at the pub there's often time for playing games and getting competitive — whether that's around the pool table or facing the dart board. Bring a sense of playful competition into your get-together with bocce, giant Jenga, Finska, Twister — or whatever games you might have stored away at home. Create a break-out zone away from the TV so your friends can dive into an active game whenever the mood takes hold. Don't have any games at home? You'll find a good selection of outdoor games at Opus, which has free delivery if you spend over $75, and at Sunnylife, which has a $12 flat rate for delivery. [caption id="attachment_787026" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kaleidico[/caption] PLAN A SURPRISE PUB QUIZ FOR HALF TIME No one wants to listen to the game analysis come half time, so bring all your sports fanatics together over some brain teasing. Can you name the date of the very first AFL match? What's Daniel Ricciardo's driver number? How many times has Dylan Alcott represented Australia at the Paralympics? Who is Australia's fastest female bowler? No matter what sport you're celebrating on the big screen, you can test your collective knowledge in a quick quiz to lighten the mood. Create one of your own, or hit up the sports quiz of the week from The Guardian, or the ABC's news quiz for a mix of sport and general knowledge. Or, if you want to play along live, Jay's Virtual Pub Quiz runs weekly quiz sessions on YouTube. [caption id="attachment_784939" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] STOCK UP YOUR BAR Rather than making sure there are enough glasses in the house, or having to fight over space in the fridge for cold drinks, make things easier on you and your guests by filling up your bath or a bucket with ice and stocking it with premixed drinks. That way everyone can dip into the bathroom or kitchen for a fresh bevvy when they like, and you don't have to worry about chopping citrus for cocktails, or smashing glasses you don't have time to replace. Jim Beam has a range of premixed drinks to suit all your mates' tastes. You can pick up a pack of seven Jim Beam & Cola cans for $29 at BWS stores. Or go one better and enter Jim Beam's competition to win your own Tiny Stillhouse, which comes decked out with bluetooth speakers, a mini fridge, four bar stools, an esky, bar mats, a Jenga set, a case of Jim Beam and Cola and a bottle of Jim Beam White Label to really up the ante for your next get-together. Top image: Cassandra Hannagan
Ever wanted to be a fly on the wall of your favourite creative artist's studio? Field Trip is about as close as you can get to seeing them in action. Field Trip is a cross between a cooking demonstration and a music festival (minus the sweaty mosh pit) and will see seven artists share the secrets behind their signature work, and also recreate their designs through presentations and live performances. With a line-up that includes 3D paper extraordinaire Benja Harney, airbrusher-turned-digital-artist Nigel Buchanan, the sibling duo known for making embroidery cool again, MaricorMaricar, and font fanatic Gemma O'Brien, expect to walk away from Field Trip with a lot of ‘ah-ha’ moments. If the conference has your creative juices flowing, the Field Trip After Party at The Rose is your best chance to rub shoulders with the artisan of your choice.
If 2021 hasn't already felt like a never-ending horror film, brace yourself for the spookiest night of the year: Halloween is just around the corner. If you're looking for even scarier thrills than what 2021 has delivered — or just a night off from watching the freak show that is the evening news — Luna Park has you sorted. Its festival of spine-tingling thrills, aptly dubbed Halloscream, is returning to the fun park for seven nights of frightening scares. This year's theme is Curse of the Coven and, with the promise of wicked witches descending on the park to cast their spells, that's exactly what you'll be experiencing. For seven spine-tingling nights between Friday, October 22 till Sunday, October 31, Luna Park will open after dark for you and your mates to wander through three scare mazes and seek out even more thrills on eight new rides at the park. This year's mazes include, Outback Slaughterhouse, in which you need to keep away from an evil landlord; DecayMart, an abandoned supermarket overrun by zombies; and Rain Dead, a secret testing facility filled with sinister happenings behind its doors. Be sure to pay a visit to the historic Coney Island, which will be transformed into House of Hex — a petrifying place where witches will conjure up wicked spells, prepare seances and share hair-raising stories. There'll also be a brand-new outdoor escape room-style game where you'll be encouraged to try and crack the code and break the curse of the coven. Your ticket will also include unlimited rides throughout the park, so prepare your vocal chords for a cracking night. Luna Park will be taking extreme safety precautions including enhanced cleaning measures, and masks must be worn while in the mazes. Halloscream 9: Curse of Coven will run from between October 22–24 and October 28–31. For more information and to purchase tickets, head to the website.
This article is sponsored by our partners the City of Sydney. This summer, the City of Sydney's City Art program will light up the William Street side of the Australian Museum with projections of larger-than-life Aboriginal women draped in cloth. These sepia-drenched, architectural bodies speak of the need to reconnect with, and revitalise, Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity. born in darkness before dawn (2013), by Sydney-based Wiradjuri artist Nicole Foreshew, will be launched as part of the City of Sydney's Eora Journey: Recognition in the Public Domain, which recognises and celebrates the ‘living culture of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in Sydney’ under the guidance of curatorial advisor Hetti Perkins. The work is also part of the inaugural Corroboree Sydney, a new festival celebrating Indigenous culture. Cast upon the William Street facade of the building opposite Cook and Phillip Park, the projections will be approximately three hours in duration, combining slow movement and still imagery. In elaborating on the significance of the cloth, which is imbued with traces of mineral and plant specimens, Foreshew explains this is to "emphasise the transition of space, as it is always moving between social relationships which are generated within the logic of place: revolving around people, occupying, owning, seizing, losing or transforming a space". Hence, the translucence and fluidity of cloth can be perceived as evoking the fluctuating historical moments of possession, dispossession and repossession, and their deeply felt social repercussions. Foreshew also states that, "the body is used to perform the absence of place". In this way, she is addressing the subjugated women of colonial Australia and reinscribing them into history. There is a sense of architectural power and stateliness evoked by the textured folds of the women's cloth-garments, as if rivalling the aesthetics of ancient civilisations. The siting of the work is significant as the Australian Museum houses a rich collection of Aboriginal artefacts that complements Corroboree's central theme of 'place' and 'living culture'. The work will engage with personal histories and negotiate a sense of community and belonging. The work responds to Indigenous usurpation, bespeaking the robbery of their status as the original inhabitants of the land. By etching a contemporary and bodily Aboriginal presence into the facade of one of Sydney's iconic landmarks, Foreshew challenges Australia's colonial narrative and promotes the historical and cultural significance of the site for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. For more information, visit the City Art website.
"Nic fuckiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing Cage." That's how the man himself utters his name in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and he knows what he's about. Now four decades into his acting career to the year — after making his film debut in Fast Times at Ridgemont High under his actual name Nicolas Coppola, playing a bit-part character who didn't even get a moniker — Cage is keenly aware of exactly what he's done on-screen over that time, and in what, and why and how. He also knows how the world has responded, with that recognition baked into every second of his his latest movie. He plays himself, dubbed Nick Cage. He cycles through action-hero Cage, comically OTT Cage, floppy-haired 80s- and 90s-era Cage, besuited Cage, neurotic Cage and more in the process. And, as he winks, nods, and bobs and weaves through a lifetime of all things Cage, he's a Cage-tastic delight to watch. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is Cage uncaged, busting out the jazz that is his acting and adoring it, and it's a self-aware, super-meta love letter to its star and all who stan him. It's also a feature that couldn't exist without the thespian who has everything from Guarding Tess and Captain Corelli's Mandolin to The Croods and Pig on his resume; replacing him simply wouldn't work. Again, it's a Cage gem in letting Cage devotees revel in Cage doing every kind of Cage. That said, this Cage comedy is also so overtly designed to inspire Cage mania that it's easy to feel the buttons being pushed. It's the Cage movie that the internet has willed into existence, or film Twitter at least. Case in point: it has Cage realise that Paddington 2 is one of the best movies ever made. It is, but given how well-accepted that is, and how much online attention has stressed that fact — including its once-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score — weaving it into this Cagefest is one of the film's many exercises in stating the obvious. There is narrative around all that "Nic fuckiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing Cage" and his marmalade bear-loving epiphany. Here, the man who could eat a peach for days in Face/Off would do anything for as long as he needed to if he could lock in a weighty new part. The fictionalised Cage isn't happy with his roles of late, as he complains to his agent (Neil Patrick Harris, The Matrix Resurrections), but directors aren't buying what he's enthusiastically selling. He has debts and other art-parodies-life problems, though, plus an ex-wife (Sharon Horgan, This Way Up) and a teen daughter (Lily Sheen, IRL daughter of Kate Beckinsale and Michael Sheen). So, he reluctantly takes a $1-million gig he wishes he didn't have to: flying to southern Spain to hang out with billionaire Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal, The Bubble), who is such a Cage diehard that he even has his own mini museum filled with Cage memorabilia, and has also written a screenplay he wants Cage to star in. Yes, writer/director Tom Gormican (Are We Officially Dating?) and co-scribe Kevin Etten (Kevin Can F**K Himself) task the always-likeable Pascal with playing The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent's on-screen audience surrogate. If you're watching a movie with Cage as Cage — one that begins with a clip from Con Air at that — then you'd likely jump at the chance to spend time with the inimitable figure. Who wouldn't? But that's just one element of the story, because two CIA agents (The Afterparty's Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barinholtz) inform Cage that his new pal is an arms dealer who's keeping a politician's daughter hostage to sway an election. And, they want him to indulge his host — undercover as himself, naturally — until they find the girl. The next key aspect of the tale: during this ruse, Cage and Javi genuinely become CBFFs (Cage best friends forever), including while working on a screenplay about new buddies who bond in chaotic circumstances. If The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent could only be described by referencing a different Nicolas Cage movie — and just one, despite how many references it throws at the screen like it's a Vampire's Kiss-style Cage cavorting in the street — it'd be Honeymoon in Vegas. The 1992 rom-com boasts an ever-watchable Cage performance as most of his work does, but it formulaically flirts with rather than matches his level. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent wants of be plenty of other Cage flicks, though, giddily and entertainingly so; however, the film itself can't meet his most memorable fare. In a Moonstruck-esque move, it's as enamoured with its leading man as he is with Cher in that 35-year-old gem. It plays its core bromance with Wild at Heart-level passion, and covets The Rock-style action mayhem. Cage is unforgettable as Cage here in a dream part for him and viewers alike, but striving for Raising Arizona's madcap antics, Adaptation's multi-Cage movie-industry metaness, Color Out of Space's full out-there Cage and everything in-between is a big ask. How glorious it is that this is the end result, though: a movie that's so unashamedly Cage, more than anything else has every actively tried to be, and yet also isn't quite Cage enough. It's still engaging and amusing enough, but it's noticeably broad and easy with its jokes, and too content to coast by on the nonstop, blatant-as-can-be Cageness of it all. Again and again, that made-for-the-internet feeling twinges, as if Gormican has fashioned a meme of a movie stitched together with gleefully retweeted and reposted Cage clips in mind. While The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent isn't an ego-stroking vanity project — a hefty achievement — or filled with anything but pure Cage dedication, it's the film equivalent of getting a casual line reading from its main man when you know what wild wonders only he's capable of. Indeed, as enjoyable as all this Cage-as-Cage-satirising-Cage is (Cage cubed, basically), the film is also workmanlike beyond the committed Cage and Pascal — both of whom light up the frame with off-kilter portrayals, make their characters' camaraderie feel authentic, and would shine together in a buddy comedy that isn't 100-percent Cage worship. There's fun and oh-so-much nostalgia for the Leaving Las Vegas Oscar-winner's career highs, lows and everything else, but there's also laid-on-thick cheese and little depth. While riffing on its central figure is the aim of the game, it's light when it comes to incisively skewering Hollywood, how it treats talents as distinctive (and massive) as Cage, and why his fame has taken the rollercoaster ride it has. But this sunnily shot, bouncily paced, well-intentioned affair definitely does the two things it needs to above all else: goes all-in on Cage, albeit not to a Mandy-esque degree, and makes everyone only want to watch Cage's work from now on.
A grim historical drama that recreates France's final instance of trial by combat, The Last Duel can't be described as fun. It hinges upon the rape of Marguerite (Jodie Comer, Free Guy), wife of knight Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon, Ford v Ferrari), by his ex-friend Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver, Annette) — aka the event that sparked the joust — so that term will obviously never apply. Instead, the movie is exquisite in its 14th-century period staging. After a slightly slow start, it's as involving and affecting as it is weighty and savage, too. When the titular battle takes place, it's ferocious and vivid. And with a #MeToo spirit, the film heartbreakingly hammers home how poorly women were regarded — the rape is considered a crime against Carrouges' property rather than against Marguerite herself — making it an expectedly sombre affair from start to finish. The Last Duel must've been fun to make from a creative standpoint, however. Damon sports a shocking mullet, and Ben Affleck (The Way Back) dons a ridiculous blonde mop while hamming up every scene he's in (and demanding that Driver drop his pants), although that isn't why. Again, the brutal events seen don't earn that term, but teasing out Marguerite, Carrouges and Le Gris' varying perspectives is fascinating. Director Ridley Scott (All the Money in the World) and his screenwriters — Good Will Hunting Oscar-winners Damon and Affleck, plus acclaimed filmmaker Nicole Holofcener (Enough Said) — have clearly seen Rashomon, the on-screen benchmark in using clashing viewpoints. In their "he said, he said, she said" tale, journeying in the iconic Japanese film's footsteps proves captivating. It must've been an enjoyable challenge for its cast, too, terrible hairstyles and all; as moments repeat, so much of the movie's potency stems from minuscule differences in tone, angle, emphasis and physicality. "The truth according to Jean de Carrouges" proclaims The Last Duel's first chapter, adapting Eric Jager's 2004 book of the same name in the process. (Le Gris and Marguerite's segments, following in that order, receive the same introduction.) Even in his own instalment, Damon plays Carrouges as a scowling and serious soldier, and as petulant and entitled. He's also a victim in his own head. That attitude only grows as Le Gris finds favour with Count Pierre d'Alençon (Affleck), cousin to teenage King Charles VI (Alex Lawther, The Translators), and starts collecting his debts — including Carrouges' own. And when the knight marries the beautiful and well-educated Marguerite, it's purely a transaction. It also deepens his acrimony towards Le Gris long before the rape, after land promised in the dowry ends up in his former pal's hands via the smarmy Pierre. Still, Carrouges is instantly willing to fight when he hears about the sexual assault. That said, it's also just another battle against Le Gris and the Count, after taking them to court and the King over their property squabble. In Le Gris' chapter, where Driver broods with an intensity that's fierce even for him, Carrouges' joylessness and pettiness is given even more flesh. Also explored here: the Count's hedonism, the ambition and greed driving the opportunistic Le Gris, and the fixation he develops with Marguerite. Scott ensures that the rape lands like the horror it is, too, leaving no doubt of its force and coercion despite Le Gris' claims otherwise. When Marguerite's turn comes, the words "the truth" linger for a few seconds longer; what follows is the most nuanced and best third of the film, with immense thanks to Holofcener and Comer. The Last Duel is often blunt movie, but there's a wealth of subtlety to this chapter — and a world of nuance in Marguerite's struggles in general and after her attack at Le Gris' hands. Holofcener doesn't rely upon big speeches, and Comer doesn't trade in big feelings. In fact, they're both economical and poignant, conveying exactly what they need to in as precise a way as possible. Both recognise that the situation, and all that Marguerite endures, is inherently abhorrent and distressing, and let those emotions radiate organically rather than with overstressed compulsion. The film's structure helps enormously, of course. After showing Carrouges glower and pout, and Le Gris pair charm with manipulation, The Last Duel makes its allegiance to Marguerite plain. That happens from the outset, actually, with the film knowingly arriving in a world where gender equality is still far from the status quo. That's why all those tiny tweaks over the three chapters couldn't be savvier or more engaging. Everyone is always the hero of their own story, but The Last Duel commits that idea to film by showing what it means in such horrendous circumstances — a life-and-death matter for Marguerite, Carrouges and Le Gris alike. This is a movie about power that examines how it manifests in broad, societal and overarching ways as well as on an everyday and intimate basis, all through its trio of perspectives. The Last Duel releases 44 years after Scott debuted with 1977's The Duellists. That nice bit of lexical symmetry is also a reminder that history and conflict have long been in his wheelhouse. As his second movie illustrated — that'd be Alien — he's similarly no stranger to tales of female survival in unforgiving conditions. Plus in Blade Runner, his third film, Scott showed his talent for getting contemplative via spectacular imagery. Both opening and closing The Last Duel, the eponymous joust is firmly a spectacle here. Visceral, exciting, tense and thrilling, it's shot and staged with rhythm, flair, grit, gore and an edge-of-your-seat level of anxiety. But this Gladiator-topping scene would ring empty if almost everything around it — not just within it — wasn't so piercing. Come for vain and selfish men brawling on horseback, stay for a compelling interrogation of the kind of world that sees them as its leaders while constantly casting women aside. Image: Patrick Redmond. © 2021 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
When you've been in the movie-slinging game for a whopping 85 years and you're eager to celebrate that huge milestone, how do you go about it? By screening films, naturally. But Ritz Cinemas isn't just commemorating the occasion with a couple of flicks. It isn't even content with a handful, or a week or so's worth. No, this grand Randwick picture house is truly living up to its age with a three-month program spanning 85 different titles. Starting on Sunday, July 24 and running through till Sunday, October 16, the Ritz's 85 Films in 85 Days lineup does indeed feature a little bit of everything, with one movie showing each day. This huge retrospective covers the cross-section of features that've graced the cinema's screens over the years, and is unsurprisingly the venue's biggest retro offering ever. It all starts with the 1937 version of A Star Is Born, harking right back to the Ritz's first year. From there, a different year is covered each night, all in chronological order. There are too many highlights to mention them all — all 85 films are standouts — but The Wizard of Oz helps round out the 30s selection, Fantasia and Citizen Kane kickstart the 40s, and the 50s lineup includes Rashomon, Singin' in the Rain and Rebel Without a Cause. From the 60s, you can check out the OG West Side Story, Clint Eastwood in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey, while the 70s spread boasts Pink Flamingos, Young Frankenstein, Dawn of the Dead and Alien. 80s cinema fans can look forward to Blade Runner, Stop Making Sense, Back to the Future and Blue Velvet; 90s aficionados can make dates with Strictly Ballroom, Clueless, Trainspotting and Fight Club; and 00s devotees have In the Mood for Love, Lost in Translation, Brokeback Mountain and Inglourious Basterds among their choices. From the 2010s, there's also Drive, Frances Ha, Get Out and Parasite — and, obviously, the list goes on. Wrapping things up: the first Aussie big-screen session of The Green Knight, which is worth waiting 85 days for. The Ritz's 85 85 Films in 85 Days program runs from Sunday, July 24–Sunday, October 16. For more information or to book tickets, head to the cinema's website.
With less than a month till New Year's, it's time to start planning for a memorable way to end 2014. But if this year has ended too soon for you, be transported back in time at The Roosevelt. Taking inspiration from the '50s and '60s, yet with a modern twist, the Roosevelt is the place to be for New Year's if you've ever fancied yourself a contemporary incarnation of a cashed-up mid-century eccentric. Buying a ticket to this New Year's Eve party is sure to set you on your way to sophisticated, toe-tapping, thirst-quenching fun — they're offering bottomless champagne, unlimited martinis, canapes, as well as entertainment for the evening, including a jazz band, burlesque dancers and one very cheeky magician. Think this is your year to class it up for NYE? For more info and bookings contact Jamie-Lee on 0423 203 119 or at jamie-lee@theroosevelt.com.au.
Grab your most colourful beach floatie and your most surf-friendly out-there fancy dress — the 15th annual Manly Inflatable Boat Race returns to delight kidults on Sunday, February 23. The charity event will see participants take their makeshift boats and paddles through a one-kilometre course, starting off at Shelly Beach and ending back at shore. You must be at least 12 years old to participate and, of course, be able to swim. Following the race, there'll be a sausage sizzle while token prizes are awarded. The day isn't just for laughs, though, with all proceeds going to Tour de Cure, an Aussie-based fundraiser that benefits cancer research. Even the booking fee will be donated thanks to Humanitix, Australia's first not-for-profit ticketing platform. Early bird tickets have already sold out, but you can still nab $55 tickets online, or pay $60 on the day. The race starts at Shelley Beach at 10.30am — but you'll need to leave enough time to check in and inflate your vessel on South Steyne Promenade (just opposite Royal Far West) beforehand. Here's a chance to enjoy yourself silly while doing some good. May the best floatie win.
For nearly three decades, horror movie lovers have fallen into two categories: those who've dared to say the word 'candyman' five times while staring into a mirror, and those who haven't. That's the kind of impact this spooky supernatural franchise has had over the years, with the film about a fictional urban legend almost becoming an urban legend itself. To the joy of slumber party-throwing teens everywhere, the 1992 original sparked follow-ups in 1995 and 1999 — and, thanks to a new 22-years-later third sequel, that's no longer the end of the story. Given that everything old just keeps coming back again, and that 90s nostalgia is the gift that keeps on giving, another Candyman flick was always going to happen eventually. This one was supposed to release last year, in fact, but then the pandemic scared us all instead. If you're still a little wary — despite its cult status, the initial movie is hardly a masterpiece, and Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh and Candyman: Day of the Dead won the series absolutely zero new fans — Candyman circa 2021 has a few tricks up its sleeves. Firstly, it's directed by Nia DaCosta, whose Tessa Thompson-starring 2018 film Little Woods deserved more attention. Secondly, it's produced and co-written by Jordan Peele, who adds another frightfest to his resume alongside Get Out and Us. And last but by no means least, it features the OG Candyman, Tony Todd, among its cast. As the first trailer back in 2020 initially explained — and now the just-dropped latest trailer expands upon — the new flick focuses on an artist called Anthony McCoy (Aquaman and Watchmen's Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). He decides to start exploring the Candyman legend through his art, a decision that obviously isn't going to turn out well. His girlfriend Brianna (If Beale Street Could Talk's Teyonah Parris), who also runs a gallery, thinks the story is just that. But as Anthony starts investigating the tale, the bee-covered figure starts wreaking havoc again. We all already know why, because that's what happens when folks say his name while looking at their own reflection, but the new sneak peek does offer some more background to the on-screen legend. For Candyman aficionados, Anthony's own name should ring a bell — he's the son of one of the first film's main characters, which might explain just why he's so obsessed with the eponymous ghoul. That said, while he might think he knows what he's getting himself into, Candyman still knows how to unsettle and unnerve. Check out the latest trailer below: Candyman will now open in Australian cinemas on August 26, 2021.
Sydney is home to some serious local distillers, as well as the event to prove it. Returning for its third year, Indie Tasting exclusively features independently-made spirits, and plenty of them. On September 16, Restaurant Hubert will host both local and international makers of craft spirits in a day of talking, learning and, of course, boozing. The event will see 150 boutique spirits on offer from more than 40 suppliers, so you'd best arrive thirsty. It's the type of event that whiskey, gin, rum, vodka and tequila-lover's dreams are made of. We'd keep listing different kinds of spirits, but we're getting thirsty. Each ticket will include a burger and fries, plus three free masterclasses, which include a myth-busting session, a chat about sustainability, and a class called 'Here's a crazy idea — let's open a distillery'. Indie Spirits Tasting is being held as part of Sydney Bar Week 2017, so this tasting is just a highlight of what drinks may come mid-September.
South Sydney neighbourhood Kogarah gets creative every year with the Uncontained Arts Festival. Taking over Belgrave Street from Friday, June 27–Sunday, June 29, the 2025 edition offers another jam-packed schedule teeming with immersive installations, interactive art, live music, delicious food and more. Primed for after-dark visits with the kids, over 25,000 people are expected to attend, seeking out the festival's inventive experiences. From silent discos and live mural-making to neon paint life-drawing workshops and even an LED tunnel, expect artistic expression, imagination and connection throughout this weekend-long event. Although the full lineup is still under wraps, artists Samuel Kim and Lawrence Liang will grab attention with their colourful ANINA installation. Inspired by Tibetan Buddhism, this towering zen cat responds to nearby sound, movement and rhythm. Meanwhile, Anastasia Parmson's I Drew a Line and Called it Home offers an intimate space adorned from top to bottom with 3D black-and-white drawings. A lively community arts event needs the bites and brews to match. Fortunately, the festival presents food trucks in abundance, with Drippin Desserts serving up their famed crispy doughnut fries, while Teta's Pitas offers fresh Mediterranean street-food flavours. With plenty of heating and seating available, Uncontained Arts Festival offers a stellar winter's night out for the entire family.
Sample 500 wines sourced from 120 Australian vineyards, try 100 cheeses and catch your favourite chefs in the flesh when the Good Food and Wine Show comes to Sydney Showground from June 27-29. Whether your passion is wine, coffee, local produce, cooking or travel, there'll be displays, tables, talks and masterclasses to get you working up an appetite. Good Food Theatre will see a bunch of celebrity chefs, including Matt Stone, Sammy and Bella, and Bill Granger whip up a three-course meal right in front of your eyes, revealing some of their secret tips along the way. Paddock to Plate will host a series of presentations, with Matt Moran popping in to chat about various food and wine regions and talk up his favourite producers. Plus, there'll be a grazing garden offering food truck feasts, a creative kitchen from Laucke, wine theatre presented by Riedel, a farmers' market lane and a cheese alley by Tucker's Natural.
Dangerous thinkers, Damn the Man activists and controversial intellectuals will bring their rebellious tales to Sydney Opera House for the sixth year running, with Salman Rushie, Steven Pinkler and Pussy Riot at the fore of this year's Festival of Dangerous Ideas lineup. The annual hootenanny for controversial, groundbreaking and system-shaking thinkers, FODI annually fronts up a killer lineup of the names we consistently include in our opinionated tweets. "This year, we are looking at some of the major threats to life as we know it — mass extinction and existential risk — as well as politics, families and global issues,"says head of talks and ideas at Sydney Opera House and co-curator of Festival of Dangerous Ideas Ann Mossop. "Our guests are both intellects and activists and this will definitely prove a lively mixture. The Festival gives audiences an opportunity to listen to some of the most important thinkers of our time. Ultimately it is the audiences who have the most interesting part to play at the Festival — the tough and absorbing task of deciding what to do with the dangerous ideas of our era." This year's lineup has drawn out some serious intellectual squeals Sydney-wide. Controversial, Booker Prize-winning Midnight's Children writer Salman Rushdie will speak about freedom, sticking to your guns and defiantly standing for untamed expression in his talk Freedom to Write. In one of FODI's most buzzworthy talks, dubbed Russia Is a Penal Colony, former members of activist legends Pussy Riot Nadya Tolonnikova and Masha Alekhina will tell tales of activism, being jailed for 'hooliganism' and setting up their new not-for-profit charity, Zona Prava, while fighting for their own dangerous ideas. Russian journalist, author and member of the democratic opposition to the regime of Vladimir Putin, Masha Gessen will delve further into Pussy Riot's activism in a predicted-to-sell-out conversation with the pair. Experimental linguist, psychologist and eternal nature-versus-nurture writer Steven Pinker will unravel the popular notion that violence is an inevitable consequence of human nature in his talk Stop Trying to Fix Human Nature — also arguing we're enjoying the most significant period of peace in our history. Writer and researcher Kay Hymowitz will delve into women as breadwinners and the supposed decline of male culture in The Rise of Women Has Turned Men into Boys; and surrogacy as a global industry is put under the microscope in journalist, writer and activist Kajsa Ekis Ekman's talk Surrogacy is Child Trafficking. The full program is available on the website. Multipack tickets go on sale on Monday 30 June at 9am before single tickets on Wednesday 2 July at 9am. Festival of Dangerous Ideas 2014 Lineup: Salman Rushdie Pussy Riot Masha Gessen Steven Pinker Malcolm Fraser Lydia Cacho Bradley Garrett Alissa Nutting John Hewson Bettina Arndt Glenn Robbins John Pilger Jane Caro Elizabeth Kolbert Noelle Janaczewska Anne Manne Elizabeth Pisani Jaan Tallinn Ragip Zarakolu Kajsa Ekis Ekiman Dan Ilic Tim Flannery Kay Hymowitz Francesca Minerva Mark Latham David Baker Rebecca Newberger Goldstein Emily Nussbaum Huw Price A Rational Fear Festival of Dangerous Ideas runs 30 - 31 August at Sydney Opera House. Tickets available here.
You can never have too many occasions to eat cheese, but this returning Sydney cheese festival isn't just keen to shower cheese fiends with creamy goodness. A collaboration between Bruny Island Cheese Co. cheesemaker Nick Haddow and the organisers of Pinot Palooza, Mould wants dairy lovers to explore and devour the mild, hard and soft bites that Australia's best cheese wizards have to offer. Returning for a third year in 2021, after a postponed 2020 festival thanks to COVID-19, the cheesy event will paint Carriageworks yellow between Friday, May 21 and Saturday, May 22. Alongside unlimited tastings of Australia's best cheeses — with the lineup yet to be announced — it'll feature flavoursome fare from cheese specialists too. Think of it as a cheese tasting trip around Australia without leaving Wilson Street. Of course, snacking on samples and purchasing slices and slabs to take home with you are just two ways to enjoy cheese. The fest will have cooking demonstrations, masterclasses and talks so you can stretch your cheese knowledge as well as your cheese stomach. And it wouldn't be a cheese festival without beverages to wash it all down with, so expect a bar serving Aussie wines, whisky, beer and sake — all of which match nicely to a bit of cheese. Tickets cost $45, and there'll be three sessions: 4.30–8.30pm on Friday night, 11am–3pm on Saturday morning and 4–8pm on Saturday afternoon. Of course, the event is running at a COVID-safe capacity, so tickets are limited.
Iconic institution, Mejico, has been serving Sydney-siders some of the finest Mexican cuisine and tequila for a decade now. So, what better way to celebrate ten years of hospitality than with a month-long fiesta? The festivities will kick off on Wednesday, February 22 (AKA National Margarita Day) with ten days of $10 Herradura margaritas and tacos. Patrons who visit during this time period can enjoy classic, passionfruit or jalapeno margaritas, and sets of two tacos, all for just $10 each. Then, if you're hungry for more, Mejico is bringing back ten iconic food and cocktail menu items from the past years including a lamb taco with gremolata, pico de gallo and mint mayo which you can pair with a signature Tequila Colada. The popular cocktail combines Herradura Blanco tequila, pineapple, coconut and lime. To wrap up the birthday celebrations, Mejico will be hosting a special birthday dinner on Saturday, March 4, featuring a live DJ, face painters, free tequila tastings plus, a door prize for each guest. Tickets will set you back $125 and include a four-course set menu and a cocktail on arrival. Expect to feast on some Mejico fan favourites. Think tuna tostadas and dulce de leche Churros. And, of course, plenty of their famous table-smashed Guacamole served with plantain chips. So if you're looking for a fiesta like no other, head down to Mejico and join in the celebrations. With live entertainment, delicious food and drinks, and a festive atmosphere, this is a birthday event not to be missed.
Barangaroo's expansive sandstone event space The Cutaway — on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation — is set to host an immersive mash-up of music, spoken word and sound design for two nights this September. Long-standing Bankstown creative company Utp presents Blak Box: Precarities, an electrifying exploration of exactly that — precarity. Defined, precarity is a state of unpredictability. Uncertainty and doubt mixing in with our day-to-day. On Friday, September 2 and Saturday, September 3, these transient fluctuations will be explored via Blakfella-style cabaret, bespoke music compositions and spoken word. Sound artist and journo Daniel Browning has curated a hard-hitting lineup of performers. There's poet and activist Lorna Munro spitting quick-fire spoken word, DOBBY and his superb musical talents and the violin mastery of Eric Avery. Plus, Ancestress will be bringing her creatively charged determination for change and star of ABC's Black Comedy Steven Oliver expanding his creative repertoire. Backdropping the live performances is lighting design from Karen Norris of Bangarra Dance. Not sure what to expect? Think a 60-minute, boundary-pushing, First Nations-driven artistic exploration of where we all sit as we lurch towards the unknown. Blak Box: Precarities is a project commissioned by the NSW Government. To find out more and secure your tickets, head to the website. Image: Rhett Hammerton
It wasn't long ago that the MCA wore no clothes at all. But for the duration of the Biennale, with Lee Mingwei's Mending Project in-house, it's taking a closer interest in the stitched article. And one of its approaches is to take on what was a new idea not too long ago but is now standard: find a group of like-minded fashion-lovers, bone them up on the value of recycling over consumption and get them together for an orgy of swapping stuff they have already. For the Biennale, the MCA is throwing its hat in the ring. To swap for said hat, you're encouraged to bring up to 10 nice-enough and no-longer-loved articles of clothing for the MCA Clothing Exchange, for swapping with other like-minded cohabiters of art and fashion. Will you find the cast-offs of swish fashionistas, or will art lovers' choice of clothes be the strangest cut of all? Read the rest of Concrete Playground's Top Ten Things to See and Do at the 2012 Sydney Biennale.
Degustation menus are an art and an experience, taking diners' tastebuds on a delicately curated journey, as Sydney restaurant NEL lives and breathes all year round. Chef and namesake Nelly Robinson likes pushing the concept further, however, as visitors to the Wentworth Avenue venue know. Maybe you tucked into his KFC-inspired spread in 2022. Perhaps you enjoyed nel's Moulin Rouge!-themed and Christmas degustations, too. Either way, you should now be adding the eatery's latest menu to your must-try list: an 11-course lineup dedicated to native Australian ingredients. On offer from Tuesday, January 17–Saturday, March 25, NEL's current degustation is a collaboration between Robinson and a guest Indigenous chef, with sustainably sourced ingredients from outback Australia at its heart. It's also a concept that's been in the works for some time, and marks NEL's first-ever degustation to hero native Aussie fare. "We are very lucky to have a forager who sources the Indigenous ingredients for us, as well as our suppliers," says Robinson, who notes that the latter work closely with local Indigenous communities. "Being from the UK, discovering these ingredients has been a real learning process. We honour the culinary stories behind them whilst pushing boundaries to continue to be at the forefront of innovation and creativity with all of our dishes," Robinson continues. On the menu: 11 dishes featuring wild barramundi, kangaroo, lemon myrtle, pepper berries, bush tomatoes and more. Some courses include native dill, others bunya nuts — and Kakadu plums get a showing as well. Accordingly, diners can look forward to saltbush mussels in a native curry sauce, scallops with warrigal green salsa and Kakadu lamingtons. Plus, there's also lemon myrtle meringue, wildfire barramundi and bush bread on offer, all immaculately plated as always. Sydneysiders can tuck in for $185 per person, with another $165 each on top for matched beverages. Or, you can sip paired non-boozy drinks for $85 instead. NEL's native Australian degustation is on offer on from Tuesday, January 17–Saturday, March 25 at 75 Wentworth Avenue, Sydney. For more information or to book, head to the NEL website.
In his first stripped-back solo shows since 2005, singer-songwriter CW Stoneking will be touring his much-loved old-timey blues for Heavenly Sounds in June. The short tour — which sees him playing in the grand cathedrals of Melbourne and Sydney — will definitely make for a unique experience. While Stoneking's music is already rooted in soulful storytelling, giving it an intimate reception in a church will no doubt add an extra bit of depth and meaning. For someone who has only two albums to his name, Stoneking has an incredibly dedicated following. Debuting with banjo-heavy blues album King Hokum in 2005, this Australian oddball set himself apart from the local talent by flawlessly delving into the music of America's deep south. Then, his 2008 release of Jungle Blues expanded into the 1920s realms of calypso, hillbilly and jungle jazz. These two shows for Heavenly Sounds will see him preview music from a yet unreleased album. Your guess of the genre is as good as mine. For this tour, Stoneking will be joined by soulful Novacastrian Kira Puru — the former vocalist for The Bruises — who has collaborated with the likes of Illy, The Preatures and Paul Kelly. Inevitably, though, all eyes will be on on the main act. Not only is it rare to see a blues artist take the stage, but Stoneking will be one of the only men on a tour which has so far hosted talented but similar songstresses such as Laura Marling, Sarah Blasko, Julia Stone and Lisa Mitchell. Tour dates: Sydney: Wednesday June 11, St Stephen's Uniting Church, 197 Macquarie Street Melbourne: Friday June 13, St Michael's Church, 120 Collins Street Tickets are available through Ticketek from Monday, April 14, for $62.50 + transaction fees. Members of the Heavenly Sounds mailing list can access pre-sale at 9am on Friday, April 11. Sign up at www.heavenlysounds.com
Sydneysiders venturing outdoors this morning could find the whole breathing thing a little less fun than usual — as you may have noticed, it's pretty smoky out there. As the result of bushfires burning on the north coast and northern NSW, a layer of smoke has made its way across the city and is expected to stick around for the rest of the day. Needless to say, it's affecting air quality, with the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage labelling areas in Sydney's east, northwest and southeast as "very poor" and "hazardous" on the morning of Thursday, October 31. Those further out of the city are affected, too, with the Lower Hunter and Central Coast currently experiencing "hazardous" air quality and areas in the Illawarra "poor" to "very poor". https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1189412830618869762 When the Air Quality Index reaches these levels, NSW Health suggests that everyone cut back on strenuous outdoor activities and those with chronic respiratory or heart conditions avoid all outdoor physical activity and stay indoors where possible. It's also advised that you carry your inhaler, follow your Asthma Action Plan and seek medical advice if you start experiencing symptoms. This follows a smoky Wednesday, too, and the haze is unlikely to lift completely for another 24 hours, with the NSW Rural Fire Service continuing to battle numerous blazes across the state and northeasterly winds bringing smoke down towards the city. https://twitter.com/BOM_NSW/status/1189418802590695424 As of 5pm yesterday, the NSW RFS was fighting 72 fires across the state, with 38 yet to be contained. A blaze near Port Macquarie had burnt more than 2500 hectares and one to the northwest, near Coffs Harbour, over 100,000 hectares. Both are being controlled. https://twitter.com/NSWRFS/status/1189637843783581696 You can keep an eye on the fires burning across the state at the NSW RFS website. For more tips on staying safe during smoky conditions, head to the NSW Health website.
Redfern's much-loved sandwich haven Scout's Honour is expanding into the night as construction of their new small bar gets underway this week. The George Street cafe has recently posted cryptic Instagram posts about their next venture, Bart Jr., with poetic mention of a 'local legend' about all there is to go on. Though little detail has been released so far, we do know that Scout's Honour owner Georgia Woodyard is taking the helm in this project. Their new Pitt Street digs will be named after a notorious ginger cat named Bart, who is "known throughout the hood for impregnating all of the Redfern felines he can get his paws on". Photos of this vagabond cat have been shared through social, as has a menu teaser of ocean trout, autumn plums and almond cream, topped with Yuzukoshō and puffed barley. The menu will be a seasonal one and is still being finalised in the lead up to opening. In a few weeks @bart.jr.redfern will be opening around the corner at 92 Pitt St. We've been working on a constantly evolving seasonal menu which will include things like this guy : Ocean Trout, Autumn Plums, Almond Cream, Yuzukoshō, Puffed Barley. Follow the B A R T Jr. gram & we will keep you updated about our opening date, menu thangs & all the other news 😻 A post shared by Scout's Honour (@scouts_honour) on Apr 19, 2017 at 3:45pm PDT While they do not yet have a firm opening date, we can say that the space is under heavy construction and the team is working busily to get the bar open quickly. For now, keep an eye on this space and on the Bart Jr. Instagram for more updates. Bart Jr. will mark the third venture for the Scout's team, who opened their Paddington cafe Morris on Albion Avenue last year. BART Jr. will open soon at 92 Pitt Street, Redfern. Keep an eye on this space for updates.
Packing the car and heading out on a road trip to a regional festival is a joy that's been missing from our lives for far too long. Whether it's Groovin the Moo, Bluesfest or Splendour in the Grass, the out-of-town festival is always a stellar excuse for a weekend away and a banging road trip playlist. Luckily, a new festival has appeared on the 2021 events calendar, promising all this and a line-up of buzzed-about local talent across four regional NSW cities. Next Exit Festival will take place across two weekends in May, popping up in Tamworth, Gosford, Batemans Bay and Mudgee. Heading out on the statewide tour is Triple J favourites Ocean Alley and Spacey Jane, pop-punk four-piece Dear Seattle, local pop gem Merci, Mercy and indie duo Clews. The festival was originally conceived to help bushfire-affected towns by bringing a tourism boost to the area and hiring local suppliers. Although these plans were pushed back due to the pandemic, the four-date festival run will no doubt be a boost for the regional towns involved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxKuwlnx58g NEXT EXIT FESTIVAL 2021 DATES Friday, May 21 – Bicentennial Park, Tamworth Saturday, May 22 – Westport Park, Port Macquarie Sunday, May 23 – Entertainment Grounds, Gosford Friday, May 28 – Mackay Park, Batemans Bay Saturday, May 29 – Mudgee Showground, Mudgee
If humanity ever managed to cure or circumvent death — or even just stop being despairingly afraid of our own mortality — the horror genre would immediately feel the difference. Lives are frequently in peril in films that are meant to spook and frighten. Fears of dying underscore everything from serial killer thrillers and body horror flicks to stories of zombies, ghosts and vampires, too. Indeed, if a scary movie isn't pondering the fact that our days are inescapably finite, it's often contemplating our easily damaged and destroyed anatomy. Or, it's recognising that our species' darkest urges can bring about brutal and fatal repercussions, or noting that the desperation to avoid our expiration dates can even spark our demise. Accordingly, Saint Maud's obsession with death isn't a rarity in an ever-growing genre that routinely serves it up, muses on it and makes audiences do the same whether they always realise it or not. In an immensely crowded realm, this striking, instantly unsettling feature debut by British writer/director Rose Glass definitely stands out, though. Bumps, jumps, shocks and scares come in all manner of shapes and sizes, as do worries and anxieties about the end that awaits us all. In Saint Maud, they're a matter of faith. The eponymous in-home nurse (Dracula and His Dark Materials' Morfydd Clark) has it. She has enough to share, actually, which she's keen to do daily. Maud is devoted to three things: Christianity, helping those in her care physically and saving them spiritually. Alas, her latest cancer-stricken patient doesn't hold the same convictions, or appreciate them. Amanda (Jennifer Ehle, Vox Lux) isn't fond of Maud's fixation on her salvation or her strict judgements about her lifestyle. She knows her time is waning, her body is failing and that she needs Maud's help, but the celebrated ex-dancer and choreographer does not want to go gently or faithfully in that good night. Instead, she'd much prefer the solace that sex and alcohol brings over her palliative care nurse's intensely devout zeal. Playing out in a hilltop house near the British seaside that could host any number of gothic horror tales, Saint Maud directs plenty of attention towards the push and pull between its two central characters. But Glass isn't solely interested in an adversarial relationship between a pious young woman with her whole life seemingly ahead of her and the ailing hedonist who'll soon have hers cut far too short. The ideological, psychological and emotional dance that Maud forces Amanda into is gripping to watch — and shrewdly and potently handled — but that's just one of the movie's two key clashes. The other: the war raging within Maud herself. Despite her fervour, as well as the stern but feverish way in which she pushes her devotion to her faith upon others, her own story isn't straightforward. Flashes to her past, and to her previous job in a hospital, make it plain that pain, trauma and tragedy all linger in her recent history. That Maud has changed her name from Kate in the aftermath also colours her backstory, as does her alarm when she's approached by a former colleague, and the fact that her sanity just might be fraying. Set to star in the upcoming Lord of the Rings TV series, Clark also has Love & Friendship, Crawl and The Personal History of David Copperfield on her resume; however, her performance in Saint Maud is career-defining. It's one of the best of recent years by any actor, and it isn't easily forgotten. She's subtle but also severe, two traits that can co-exist in a portrayal this exceptional. She wears Maud's devoutness like a second skin, but also conveys how it itches when anything conflicts with the character's forceful but also fragile status quo. Ehle, who is perhaps presently best-known for Contagion despite boasting three decades of credits to her name, is similarly stellar in a vastly dissimilar way. Amanda isn't an object of pity, or meant to get audiences weeping for her misfortune. Her personality, warts and all, remains steadfastly intact even as illness visibly takes its toll. And, she isn't willing to simply nod, smile and acquiesce to Maud's religious zest out of gratitude, either. Most filmmakers can only dream of guiding such powerful and delicately layered performances out of their two stars — and in their very first stint as a writer and director — but again, Glass isn't willing to rest easy. In its narrative, Saint Maud is about control on several levels, as its titular figure attempts to use her faith to keep her own life and her patient's impending death in check. Behind the lens, Glass has crafted a work of supreme mastery, including in its vivid imagery and sinister mood. Whether the film is sinking into realism, embracing horror or getting surreal, the cinematography (by The End of the F***ing World's Ben Fordesman) and production design can't be faulted. As the movie steps further inside Maud's precarious existence, nor can the score, which conjures up as much unease as the overall feature. They each contribute to a swirling sea of tension, culminating in a thunderous final shot that really couldn't be more fitting, affecting, astonishing or memorable. Part of being a horror fan is spotting the genre's webs and threads, and seeing how the best and the worst examples — and everything in-between — build upon all that's come before. Glass evokes Hereditary and Midsommar-esque levels of dread as her anti-heroine is slowly forced to reckon with her beliefs spiritually, emotionally and physically. Focusing on a young woman seen differently by the world around her, her feature recalls The Witch, too. Both as a character study and as a part-religious thriller, part-body horror flick, it also feels like the product of a 70s binge. That said, Saint Maud is firmly its own movie. Awful and average films make you wish you were watching their influences, while excellent pictures leave you ecstatic that their sources of inspiration have given rise to something so stirring — and, as it haunts from start to finish, demanding viewers' reverence, this revelatory feature falls into the latter category. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP2MlPwflX4
On November 3, the Chauvel Cinema will become the most magical place in Sydney, as all nine films grace the Paddington cinema's screens for 20 hours of wizarding wonder. BYO time-turner if you don't think you'll be able to stay awake. Nine films, you say? Yep, this really is a celebration of every Potter-related flick there is, which means the eight movie versions of J.K. Rowling's original seven books, plus the film adaptation of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them as well. Watch Harry, Hermione, Ron and co. spend their first day at Hogwarts, play quidditch, search for the deathly hallows and battle He Who Must Not Be Named. And, then jump back several decades earlier to explore the exploits behind one of their textbooks — as presented in glorious 70mm, too. The marathon will be a nice little catch-up before the Fantastic Beasts sequel (The Crimes of Grindelwald) comes out later in the month. Kicking off at 11am on Saturday and screening through until the following morning, Potterfest will also include plenty of other Potter nerdery, with dressing up in costume as highly recommended as a pint of butterbeer.
There are fewer ideal pastimes than soaking up the sunshine and looking out over the water, all with a glass of champagne in hand. Thankfully, Manly Pavilion is helping you take advantage of Sydney's warm weather with a top-notch food and wine pairing until the end of April. So, head to the venue's Bistro and nab a spot on the stunning outdoor terrace for panoramic views and a bottle of French bubbly matched with tasty Italian cold cuts. For $115, you'll get a bottle of Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial, as well as a complimentary prosciutto board. The pink vino, with its bright, berry-driven palate and subtle notes of pepper, is a great tipple for sunny afternoons — and will add an air of sophistication to any outing. The board is the perfect accompaniment with your luxe drink choice, too. So, grab your date (or mates) and watch on as boats go by on the harbour. Keen for an indulgent day out? Book here.
Watching educational film series such as Back to the Future and Bill and Ted taught me a valuable lesson about the future - it's shiny, flashy and full of danger.Now the boffins at the Live Futures 2020 festival are trying to spread the rumour that the future is actually a wonderful place (time?) in which to live. This year's theme is "A World of Convergences", and its aims are to highlight the tomorrow-building potential generated through interdisciplinary collaboration. The result is a schedule that threatens to tempt everyone in your tribe: presentations from noted futurists, documentary screenings and interactive artworks are on offer for the princely sum of your attention span. Definitely try to get involved in this one, as it's not often that you can tell people you've spent the day acting like a gene, or that you led your own impromptu unconference presentation.Check out 2009's Live Futures 2020 festival and take part in building a better world...for Biff Tanner.
I never thought I would say this, but there’s a serious issue with the programming and funding of independent theatre. Or at the very least, that’s the depressing conclusion I came to when leaving the performance of SEETHrough at the Malthouse. Through the eyes of two young Australian men — one white, one indigenous — the play fails to decide whether it wants to tell a story of cultural disparity or gender expectations. It follows the two as they grow up to face the world in a small town somewhere presumably in the middle of nowhere. They apparently share a strong bond, which is at breaking point when one character, with distractingly strange facial hair, decides to leave for the big smoke. Cue city lights and confusion. There is a forcibly painful push to explore what it means to be a man, with almost no depth to the monologues or abrupt wrestling scenes. This, combined with clichéd culture contrasts (“I was born an Emu”/“I’m an Aquarius”) sets the pace for a confusing and ultimately clunky show. Between lines about water and blood, the stars, and city lights, the script forces a rather obscure and outdated motif in our face. Over and over again. While it is important to explore ideas of masculinity in theatre, the structure of this show was so convoluted that it was almost impossible to redeem any actual meaning beyond 'It’s hard being a guy in a small town, but sometimes we go to the barber'. What the production lacked was solid direction. As a devised piece, both performers (Gavin Walters and Colin Kinchela) were not given any substance to their performances and the blocking was awkward and static. The language was full of flowery hyperbole that made it difficult to access exactly what the motivation or meaning behind the dialogue was. The stage was drab, and though there were moments of well-designed lighting, the overall production design was underwhelming. I was disappointed by the show, and frustrated that it hadn't had further development. What can only be described as a theatrical hot mess, does not bode well for the rest of the Malthouse’s Helium season. This show is part of Next Wave 2014. For more on the festival, check out our top ten picks.
The Shangri-La is spoiling us this winter. First there was an all-you-can-eat Malaysian banquet curated by international guest chefs, and now Altitude, the 36th floor, harbourside dining spot, is hosting boozy Saturday brunches with panoramic views to boot. Buckle up, breakfast lovers. There are waffles, syrupy pancakes, eggs, fresh seafood, salads, desserts and even fine cheeses to accompany free-flowing bellinis and mimosas. Go the whole hog and treat yourself even more with an upgrade to unlimited Chandon or Veuve Cliquot. When your biggest problem is juggling sinking premium bubbles, fighting the urge to inhale your meal, and taking in the resplendent sea view at the risk of letting your delectable Arabian-buttered eggs go cold, you know you're at the right event. This royal brunch kicks off on Saturdays at 11:30am, and runs until 2:30pm. Seatings start at $75pp and bookings are recommended. Check out the menu here — we'll see you there.
First came the Art Gallery of New South Wales' Art After Hours series. Then the City of Sydney's Late Night Library evenings, and the cavalcade of gourmet all-hours food trucks. Now it seems Sydney has a new witching hour institution. The MCA's response to the city's craving for grown-up late nights is ARTBAR, a slate of talks, installations, screenings and one-off performances programmed by guest curators on the last Friday of the month. The all-you-can-eat combo of drinks, DJs, live art and harbour views has proved a winning one: the nights continue to sell out. All these civilised small bars and intelligently curated nights are worlds away from the smokey, brawling pubs and tepid 7-Eleven meat pies of the old city's nightlife. Perhaps Sydney really is growing up. ARTBAR's surprise arrival this month is Nell, whose theme Dead or Alive sits square with the start of the ghostly mini-season of events across Sydney leading up to October 31. Expect live music, bonus boudoirs, dance lessons, t-shirts and the usual Halloween line up of zombies and monsters thrown in for good measure.
Watching television and subscribing to a streaming platform are both cheaper than going to the cinema. Should watching Netflix on your phone be even cheaper still? That's something that the international streaming behemoth is testing out, offering cut-price mobile-only plans — in Malaysia at present, although it has also flagged lower-price subscription options throughout Asia. Malaysia's The Star reports that the mobile-only option is currently available for 17 Malaysian ringgit (approximately AU$5.58) per month, offering unlimited viewing on one handheld device only — be it a phone or a tablet. The content is only available in standard definition, which is good news for anyone with a low data plan but bad news for anyone who loves high-definition viewing. Malaysian residents can only access the new plan by signing up via the Netflix mobile app, or by accessing the Netflix website on a smartphone. Still, it's cheaper than Australia's three tiers, with the basic $9.99 per month package allowing viewing on one screen at a time, including a laptop, tablet or mobile; the standard $13.99 tier upping the simultaneous screens to two and including HD; and the premium $17.99 option including ultra-HD and four screens. Variety notes that the tests are designed to appeal to smartphone-centric users in Asia — so if you do all of your film and television viewing on the smallest of screens (that is, your mobile), then you'll be hoping that Netflix expands its trial Down Under. The company hasn't given any indication that that's the case, but it does love to toy with new options — including, at the other end of the scale, possibly getting into the bricks-and-mortar cinema game. Via The Star / Variety.
Has anyone checked if the team over at Gelato Messina HQ is, in fact, sleeping? Not only has it been whipping up sell-out cookies pies — with new flavours almost every month — it's been dropping specials so frequently you'd think its mantra was a chorus by Snoop Dogg. We've had an Iced VoVo gelato, a super-fancy Viennetta and, now, a collab with long-time friends Hoy Pinoy. Messina has previously teamed up with with the Filipino barbecue and street food experts for Messina Eats events and they're both frequent stallholders at the always-popular Night Noodle Markets. Whether or not the markets will go ahead this spring — with many restrictions on gatherings still in place — is up in the air, but the two food experts are letting you recreate a small part of it at home this winter. They're releasing Messina X Hoy Pinoy dinner packs for $65, which come filled with a heap of sweet and savoury snacks. Inside, you'll find two sticky pork skewers, chicken adobo and sticky rice and popular Messina dessert Coco Phangan. The latter comes with coconut and pandan sticky rice, mango sherbet, salted coconut sauce and toasted coconut flakes, and looks like this: You will need to finish off each dish at home, but there's nothing more difficult than a little boiling, a little baking and a little creative plating. The packs are available to pre-order from 10am on Wednesday, August 12 to pick up from select Melbourne and Sydney stores between Friday, August 14 and Saturday, August 15. The packs are available from Newtown, Parramatta, Penrith, Rosebery, Tramsheds and Bondi in NSW — and from Richmond, Windsor, Fitzroy and East Brunswick (Deliveroo only) in Victoria. If you're in Melbourne, keep in mind you are only allowed to travel five kilometres from your home. Gelato Messina X Hoy Pinoy dinner packs will be available to pre-order from 10am on Wednesday, August 12, for pick up between Friday, August 14–Saturday, August 15 — keep an eye on the Messina website for further details.
You can stay up to date with the developing COVID-19 situation in Sydney, as well as current restrictions, at NSW Health. Truffle lovers are in for a treat this winter with Bondi restaurant Rocker serving a monthly set menu that celebrates the fancy fungus. Chef Darren Robertson's (Three Blue Ducks, Tetsuya) North Bondi spot is serving a truffle-heavy five-course meal with the option of paired wine across three Thursdays this winter. Kicking off on Thursday, June 17 and popping back up on July 15 and August 12, diners can enjoy five expertly crafted dishes ranging from spanner crab to cheesecake. Expect the likes of spanner crab tartlets with parmesan custard, wagyu tartare vol-au-vent, truffled garlic and thyme focaccia, truffle risotto, kipfler potatoes with truffle butter and basque cheesecake paired with truffle honey and rhubarb. The whole affair will set you back $110 per person, with a vegetarian option available for $90. For an extra $65 you can combine your truffle feast with a selection of wines including a glass of 2006 Pommery champagne. The full menu is available online and reservations are essential. [caption id="attachment_635514" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Katje Ford[/caption]
As culture, technology and entrepreneurial spirit intertwine ever tighter, REMIX Summit's Sydney edition is on hand to present the world's most forward-thinking industry leaders and creative minds. From December 7–8, over 100 visionaries will discuss the future of the creative economy, cities and the arts, offering up insight into the companies and individuals shaping the future. Burning Man CEO Marian Goodell headlines REMIX Sydney Summit 2017; the much-loved hedonistic festival that has gone from strength-to-strength as a cultural keystone with more than 70,000 partygoers attending in 2017. There will be too many gifted folks present to name, but to spotlight a few special speakers, you'll hear from Lonely Planet Global CEO Daniel Houghton, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab's Dan Goods and Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Disney Australia Kylie Watson-Wheeler. Plus representatives from the likes of Airbnb, the Royal Shakespeare Company and London's National Theatre will all be in attendance. To celebrate the return of REMIX Sydney Summit 2017, we're giving away a pass valued at $695. We're also offering up a special discount for Concrete Playground readers — head to remixsummits.com/syd/and enter 'concrete25' to save 25 percent on this year's event.
Thirty-six oysters are lined up in front of you. You've got to make those babies disappear quicker than any of the ravenous-looking individuals in the room can. At best, you want to take home the Grand Prix: a night's accommodation at Watson's Bay Boutique Hotel and a dinner for two at The Morrison. At worst, you don't want to end up like Lard Ass in Stand By Me — even if your worst enemy is at hand. How you gonna come out of the Morrison's Oyster Eating Competition with your dignity intact? With these five tips, that's how. Oh, and skip the castor oil/raw egg combo. GO FOR THE FOUR-IN-ONE This might sound kind of scary, but it works. We know because The Morrison chef Sean Connolly — who, really, should be given an honorary PhD in oysters — told us so. Don't even think about swallowing till you've got four molluscs in your mouth. Then, without chewing, send them all down your oesophagus in one gigantic gulp, as though you were a Great Blue Whale going nuts on krill. Whatever you do, don't think about the Walrus and the Carpenter scene in Alice in Wonderland — and keep three oysters in your hand so you don't waste time between acts. TEETOTAL ON THE DAY If you've learnt anything from Mad Men's Roger Sterling and Don Draper's three martini, multiple dozen oyster and 21-storey stair climb lunch, keep off the booze. We know it sounds a bit prim and proper of us, but the fact is that alcohol and oysters, like singing karaoke and approaching your crush for the first time, don't mix. So, take our advice, and save your carousing for your victory party. FORGET ALL THE MANNERS YOUR MAMA TAUGHT YOU Let's face it, things are going to get a little bit ugly. This is not the time to demurely reach for your half-shell with your miniature fork, dilly-dally over sauces and keep up your Bondi beautiful. Throw your oyster etiquette right out the window. Forget the fact that everybody in the room is watching you and focus on the task at hand. That means getting your hands — and face — dirty. TAKE A TIP FROM THE BLACK WIDOW AND JUMP ON THE TREADMILL Sonya Thomas, aka The Black Widow, weighs less than 45 kilograms and is just 5' 2" tall, and yet she's broken more than 12 World Eating Records. On June 1, she won the Acme World Oyster Eating Championship when she consumed 40 dozen oysters in just eight minutes. What's her secret? In a 2013 interview, she said that she spends about two hours a day on the treadmill, keeping her stomach lean so that there's room for it to stretch. She also hangs out at all-you-can-eat buffets whenever she gets the chance. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Winning an eating contest isn't unlike winning any other event. To maximise your chances of taking home the title, you need to put in some serious practise. In other words, you officially have the best excuse ever to treat yourself to loads of oysters between today and The Morrison comp. Every now and again, set your watch and measure how quickly you can down a dozen or so. Don't overdo it, though, especially the night before — otherwise, you'll be all seafood-ed out. The Morrison's Oyster Eating Competition is on Tuesday, August 19, and the fee is just $30 if you want to compete. It's part of the Morrison's Oyster Festival, which runs throughout August. It also includes $1 oyster happy hour daily in the champagne bar and an additional oyster menu in the restaurant with dishes such as carpetbag steak (that's steak, stuffed with oysters).
Big hits of nostalgia are scheduled for Chippendale this September, with a 90s-themed pop-up cinema heading to Central Park Mall. Located in Chippendale Green, the outdoor cinema will be screening all your fave good-timers from the 90s. You'll want to crack out your mum jeans and midriff tops for this. Every Thursday evening in September will see patrons taking a seat on the green, snagging a blanket and a set of headphones (it's a silent cinema affair) and settling in to relive their childhood sleepovers. Kicking off with the absolute banger that is Clueless, the lineup also includes Speed, 10 Things I Hate About You and Pretty Woman. Tickets are $10, and all moviegoers will also receive a $10 voucher to spend on dining in Central Park Mall. And, as well as helping you feel those sweet nostalgia throwback vibes, buying a ticket will, more importantly, support drought-affected farmers with all proceeds going to Rural Aid's Buy A Bale.
The five contemporary photo-artists of Crossroads show just how artistic the camera can be. Oleg Videnin shoots the people of his home town of Bryansk, about 350 kilometres south-west of Moscow. They are ordinary and their portraits, honest and intimate. Aleksandr Gronsky, on the other hand, also shoots reality but his large-scale landscape scenes seem more surreal than real. In hyper-real focus and detail, Gronsky captures an unbelievable (especially for us sunburnt Aussies) landscape where the line between snow-covered ground and sky is blurred. Side-stepping reality, Gregory Maiofis brings together unlikely subjects, and the historical printmaking techniques he uses provide the dusty, soft aesthetic. This aesthetic is mirrored in Andrey Polushkin's photos, also out of focus around the edges, although the imagery here is much more haunting, using found pictures of people during World War II. This overt political tone is also present in Sergey Bratkov's installation, created specifically for this Australian Centre for Photography show, which fuses images of young men at a 2010 nationalist demonstration in Moscow and images of commercial glamour. Image: Gregory Maiofis, Adversity makes strange bedfellows, 2006
