Spanish tapas culture is reimagined with flavours from all over the Mediterranean for Merivale's vibrant new culinary offering, Bar Topa. Open from today on Palings Lane, in the Ivy's dining precinct, the pint-sized tapas bar has just a handful of seats, with standing room for around 40 diners. Perching with a wine in hand and snacks to share is the way to go here, just like in Spain's tapas bars. In the kitchen, Head Chef Lauren Murdoch is heading up a two-part, snack-heavy food offering. Displayed at the counter, you'll find small bites like whipped salted cod, or sliced jamón on crisp bread, while the tapas menu features a heftier selection of dishes hot off la plancha — the Spanish-style grill. Expect plates of sautéed chicken livers, cuttlefish cooked with parsley, garlic and olive oil, whole sardines, and of course, that classic patatas bravas. A modern rustic fitout of terracotta and green terrazzo is authentic yet modern, and a collaboration between stylist Amanda Talbot and designer George Livissianis. There's an innovative approach to drinks, mirroring the food menu of bite-sized snacks, with most cocktails, beer and wine served as half-pours. Meaning punters have the chance to sample more of the menu. A range of $8 half-size cocktails includes sips like the Marques — made with Pali Cortado sherry, Campari and sweet vermouth — and the La Perla, blending Altos Reposado tequila and pear liqueur. Otherwise, match those tapas with sangria from the tap, mini $4 beer or a 100-millilitre serve from the short, snappy wine list. Find Bar Topa at 4 Palings Lane, Sydney, from 12pm–midnight, Monday–Wednesday; 12pm–1am, Thursday and Friday; and 5pm–1am, Saturday. Image: Kopper Finch
As any Sydney seafood aficionado should know by now, The Morrison has a constant focus on the not-so-humble oyster. But in August, when the month-long Oyster Festival takes over, that focus turns into an overwhelming obsession. From Monday, August 1 through to Wednesday, August 31, the Sydney bar will become a shucking shrine to the freshest oysters around, which will be delivered daily. One of the major drawcards is Oyster Hour. Between 6pm and 7pm every single day, you'll be able to eat as many oysters as you can handle at just $1 a pop. Throughout the month, Head Chef Sean Connolly will be conjuring up his favourite oyster dishes, from carpetbag steak and chowder to chicken fried oyster tacos and pork schnitzel oyster mayo sammies. Plus, there'll be special bevs — like oyster shooters, paired cocktails and Champagne (of course) — as well as masterclasses aplenty for those really looking to further their oyster knowledge. Swing by on Tuesday, August 9 for a whisky and oyster masterclass with MasterChef alumni Sean Baxter, or make sure you're at the bar on Tuesday, August 23 to learn how to best pair Champagne with oysters from certified Master of Wine Ned Goodwin. What's the ideal number of times to chew an oyster? Brush up on your knowledge of the mollusc with our Bluffer's Guide to Oysters.
To celebrate the arrival of sunny days and balmy evenings, The Toxteth beer garden has taken on a new personality. Chandon has moved in with a pop-up devoted to Chandon S: a refreshing version of its legendary sparkling wine dashed with orange bitters. Every weekend, the Toxteth team is serving up this concoction in its finest form: over ice with a zesty twist of orange peel. Roll up to the old-school bar cart, order a glass for $14 and take a wander around. Not only have the Chandon folks brought in a new bevvie, they've also redecorated. There's a bright, summery Chandon S mural covering one wall and vines cascading from the roof. You might be in Glebe, but, chances are, you'll feel like you've secretly escaped on some coastal European getaway. To visit the Chandon S pop-up before summer runs away, drop by any Friday, Saturday or Sunday, between 2–5pm. No bookings required. Images: Kitti Smallbone.
A big serve of movie star magic is coming to Canberra this summer; though thankfully you won't need to avoid any film crews or hordes of screaming fans. Rather, it's all happening thanks to the National Film and Sound Archive's exclusive new exhibition Australians & Hollywood, running from Friday, January 21–Saturday, July 17. This blockbuster showcase is set to celebrate Australia's many contributions to the silver screen, both in front of and behind the camera. It invites you to dig in and relive all the best, most iconic bits of Aussie cinema via an intriguing collection of costumes, props, behind-the-scenes footage and screenings. You'll see personal treasures from homegrown cinematic icons including Baz Luhrmann, Mia Wasikowska, Eric Bana and Paul Hogan, alongside scores of movie artefacts. Think art concept books for Romeo + Juliet, the customised steering wheels featured in Mad Max: Fury Road, the clapperboard from 2021 sci-fi epic Dune and more. And once you've explored the collections, you can continue your cinematic adventure by catching one of the National Film and Sound Archive's regular film nights dedicated to Aussie flicks. Book your timed visit to check out Australians & Hollywood here — it'll be open daily from 10am–4pm, as well as Friday nights throughout summer. Top images: 'Lion', by Mark Rogers; 'Extraction', Jasin Boland courtesy Netflix; 'The Prom', Melinda Sue Gordon courtesy Netflix; 'Romeo + Juliet'.
An inventive and highly extravagant dining experience has emerged in Pyrmont's The Star from two acclaimed local chefs. Named ELE, this $255 guided meal takes you on a journey through three different venues as you enjoy an ever-evolving multi-course menu. The exciting new venue is the latest creation from LuMi and LoDe owner Federico Zanellato and his partner in crime at the award-winning Italian restaurant Leo — Karl Firla. Together, the pair have been concocting boundary-pushing Italian dishes at Leo over the past two years, however, ELE is their most innovative offering yet. "ELE is more than our food, we want to appeal to every sense when you dine with us," Zanellato says. "This is a progressive experience where you move around the whole restaurant while you eat, discovering new dishes, sounds and sights each time you sit down." Your meal at ELE will take place across three distinct spaces — The Bar, The Dining Room and The Chefs Table. The menu is constantly evolving, with the goal to always "highlight Australian premium produce". [caption id="attachment_857568" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Frederico Zanellato and Karl Firla[/caption] On arrival at The Bar, you'll be treated to a selection of snacks that can range between wagyu tartare, amaebi prawns, sourdough crumpets and smoked cod brandade. These delightful snacks are paired with a welcome cocktail or a glass of champagne. From there, you'll head to the colourfully mood-lit Dining Room. Here the walls are adorned with immersive luminous displays, setting the tone for your luxurious meal. Food-wise you can expect dishes like dry-aged Murray cod, confit potatoes with pearl meat, glazes marron tail and corn soufflé. Your final stop is at The Chefs Table. The transition can be a bit of a shock as you move from the moody dining room to the stark lighting of the kitchen, but the drawcard of this room is you're given a front row seat to watch ELE's chefs do their magic. As you watch the night's dishes crafted in front of you, you'll be treated to your final set of treats. Concluding the meal is a mix of savoury and sweet, shifting from the likes of Mayura Station wagyu with a marsala beef jus through to desserts like frozen parfait of toasted grains or a chardonnay experience that takes you from fresh grapes through to frozen grape sorbet. The experience is entirely unique, however it will set you back a fair chunk of your paycheque. As mentioned, the food will cost you $255pp, however if you opt for the atmospheric wine pairing, you'll need to add an additional $170 to that price tag. The pairing experience includes seven wines hand-picked to go with each dish throughout the night. And, if you're not looking for an ever-flowing selection of top-notch wines, you can take your pick from the cocktail menu as you pass through each room. Each cocktail is indicative of an element, taking inspiration from the ocean with a Manly Spirits gin, Italicus and white coral creation, or the sun, with sunset gin, Imbroglio bitters, Maidenii Nocturne and lime. [caption id="attachment_857570" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sunrise to Sunset cocktail[/caption] ELE by Frederico and Karl is located at The Star, 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont. It's open 5–11pm Wednesday–Saturday.
If you're of an age to remember burning your friend's So Fresh CD so you could stay up to date with the coolest songs of the season, congrats. You're old now. But also, congrats because you will seriously enjoy this shindig — So Fresh Party. This blast from the past is going down on New Year's Eve at Hudson Ballroom, because there's nothing better than looking to the past on the night that everyone is celebrating the future. Expect bangers strictly of the 2000-2009 vintage, including a disturbing percentage of Channel 10 alums (Australian Idol winners/losers and ex-Neighbours actors), as well as way too much Nickelback for polite company. Also, just throwing this out there: we're desperately hoping for a timely comeback of the Duff sisters duet 'Our Lips Are Sealed.' Tickets will set you back $22.70 and of course it's obviously 18 and over, because if you're under 18 you definitely don't know what So Fresh is. Or CDs, probably.
2020 might just be a mere one month old; however it has already been an eventful year for the British royal family. But if you've been scanning recent tabloid headlines, seeing the chaos surrounding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's decision to step back from being senior royals, and thinking "that'll make a great season of The Crown one day", Netflix has some news for you. While The Crown was originally envisaged as a six-season show — which would've presumably followed Queen Elizabeth II's story up until the present day — creator Peter Morgan has now decided to end the series after its fifth season. As reported by Deadline, the screenwriter said it has become obvious "that this is the perfect time and place to stop". Just how much more of Lizzie's life the show will detail hasn't been revealed. This news doesn't mean that The Crown is ending just yet, though. With the series' third season only hitting Netflix last November, there are still two more seasons to come. The fourth season is in the works at the moment, and will take place during Margaret Thatcher's time as Britain's prime minister — and undoubtedly feature Princess Diana quite heavily. The fifth season is then likely to follow the Queen into the 21st century. One other big change has been announced, too, although it's hardly a surprising one. With the series changing its cast as its story progresses and characters age, Netflix has revealed that Imelda Staunton will play the Queen in The Crown's fifth season. She'll take over from Oscar-winner Olivia Colman, who dons the titular headwear in seasons three and four. Of course, Colman herself took over from season one and two star Claire Foy. Staunton will only spend one season in the top job, but she'll add it to a hefty resume that includes last year's Downton Abbey movie, the Maleficent and Paddington films, her Oscar-nominated work in Vera Drake and the Harry Potter franchise's Dolores Umbridge — to name just a few titles on her resume. Just who'll be joining her in The Crown — aka who'll be playing the older versions of Prince Philip, Princess Margaret, Princes Charles and the rest of the family — hasn't yet been revealed. In case you haven't watched The Crown's third season yet, check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLXYfgpqb8A Via Deadline. Image: Sophie Mutevelian / Netflix
Artist Deb Mansfield’s grandfather was a Hemmingway-esque sea captain and inventor, who worked for the British Navy dismantling ocean mines post WWII. In his later years he designed sea craft, including a fantastical submarine that wasn’t realised until well after his death. Mansfield herself worked as a sailor from 1996-9, and it’s these fascinating family histories that she explores in this solo exhibition at Wellington St Projects. Mansfield is interested in peripheral sites — islands, intertidal zones, space travel — as avenues for investigating the nature of boundaries and borders. For us land-locked lubbers, brace yourselves for a sea change.
UPDATE, September 24, 2020: True History of the Kelly Gang is available to stream via Stan. Parched bushland. Roaring flames. Irate Australians rebelling against the status quo. It's a tragic coincidence rather than a case of making a purposeful statement, but True History of the Kelly Gang's bold, blazing imagery is timelier than director Justin Kurzel could've ever dreamed. It fits, though. It fits perfectly. Adapting Peter Carey's Booker Prize-winning novel via a sharp script by Kurzel's Snowtown screenwriter Shaun Grant, this a work of agitation. Made for a world where 'such is life' tattoos commit Ned Kelly's purported last words to slabs of Aussie flesh, this gritty, galvanising film sets fire to Australia's national identity and stares at the ashes of the country's troubled history — all by re-interrogating a man inescapably engrained in our iconography over the past century and a half. Australia came of age in thrall to Kelly, with the notorious bushranger's Robin Hood-esque story known by everyone. Accordingly, True History of the Kelly Gang needn't wonder what type of nation evolves as a result, because that's the Australia that we already live in. But what has the country mythologised about Kelly, and why — and what does that say about us today? They're questions that Kurzel, Grant and a first-rate cast led by soaring British talent George MacKay (1917) all ponder. Carey's literary work doesn't just excavate the past but toys and tinkers with it, mixing reality and fiction to mirror the present — a task that this wild and daring feature eagerly continues. "Nothing you are about to see is true," True History of the Kelly Gang announces at the outset. Reflecting the film's irreverent, impudent vibe, that's not strictly accurate. But the opening statement sets a playful mood and smashes any expectations of historical accuracy — because, here, anything can happen. So it is that Kurzel begins by peering through a letterbox-style slit in corrugated iron, as pre-teen Ned (excellent newcomer Orlando Schwerdt) watches his mother Ellen (Essie Davis) pay off local Sergeant O'Neil (Charlie Hunnam) by getting intimate. As lensed by cinematographer Ari Wegner (In Fabric, Lady Macbeth), shots recalling Kelly's famous armour keep recurring, peeking through gaps and offering rich and potent visual symbolism. In his boyhood, Ned adores yet also fears his Irish settler mum, who'll do anything for her family — including putting her husband Red (Ben Corbett) in his place. The Kelly patriarch is considered a disappointment by his wife, with Ned dubbed the man of the house instead. Indeed, Ellen has plans for her eldest son. When, through an act of heroism, Ned receives the chance to attend boarding school, his mother refuses. Rather, she gives him to bushranger Harry Power (Russell Crowe) as an apprentice. Learning he's been sold into a life of crime severely shapes Ned's perspective, understandably. Returning home a decade later following a stint in jail, Ned (now played by MacKay) makes a living through bare-knuckle boxing. He fights to entertain the law — such as the suspiciously friendly Constable Fitzpatrick (Nicholas Hoult) — and the upper classes, in a winking inversion of his future path. But his now-grown younger brother Dan (Earl Cave, son of Nick) has taken to horse-rustling, and soon crime is a family business. As their father previously did, they wreak havoc in the bush adorned in dresses, breaking both the law and societal conventions. Immortalised in the first feature-length movie ever made back in 1906, in a Mick Jagger-starring 1970 flick and with Heath Ledger donning the bandit's helmet in 2003, the nuts and bolts of Kelly's story have already been given the cinematic treatment — the Jerilderie letter, the Glenrowan siege and his 1880 hanging among them. While the same minutiae remains here, it's reshaped, reinterpreted and recontextualised, with Kurzel's uncompromising 2015 reworking of Macbeth the best reference point. Think equally ferocious and poetic imagery, an intensity bordering on operatic, a score that's both sparse and jittery, and an all-round punk-ish attitude. Framed through letters penned by Kelly, retelling an oft-told tale isn't True History of the Kelly Gang's main motivation, but rather re-evaluating the legend that's sprung up around him. In stripping bare the bushranger's story, Australia's colonial history and the nation we've become in the shadow of each, two other filmic frames of reference spring to mind: 2018's Sweet Country and 2019's The Nightingale. Ignoring the misstep that was Assassin's Creed, Kurzel's adds True History of the Kelly Gang to a resume already marked by Snowtown and Macbeth — and what an audacious and propulsive trio they make. All three also boast spectacular casts, with MacKay brawny, angry, anarchic and simply brilliant to watch here. Although he's well-supported by the formidable Davis, sly Hoult and raucous Crowe, he's nothing short of electrifying in this brutal yet utterly bewitching picture. The verve and spark in his performance is the same blistering energy that Kurzel burns into every frame of the film — a visually, emotionally, thematically searing movie that strides across the screen like an outlaw, aptly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE7YVZA5YVc
Set in a prime location on Leura's main drag, the Red Door cafe is a homey place with a red and black interior, a large mirror hanging on one side of the wall and green garden vines reaching down towards the floor on the other. It's an ideal spot for those who are seeking a healthy alternative. Standouts include the zucchini and feta fritters with cumin yoghurt and mesclun salad ($16) and the smoked rainbow trout salad with lentils, rocket and a poached egg ($18.50). For something heartier, try the cafe's take on bangers and mash ($19) — Tuscan-style sausages atop creamy mash and caramelised onion — or the steak sanga ($19). While drinks are less inventive (coffee, tea, milkshakes and sodas), they stay true to the cafe's the-healthier-the-better mantra, with both the sodas and coffee being organic and the juices freshly squeezed. Image: Grace Smith
For a genre that's obsessed with killing people off, horror certainly likes to bring things back to life. That applies to dearly departed children and their favourite dolls, and also to series' and spinoffs that would perhaps have been better left alone. All of the above combines in Annabelle: Creation, a prequel to the first offshoot from The Conjuring films, and an exercise in formulaic franchise-building. Alas, a house full of orphaned girls aren't the only victims here. Jumping back to the beginning of the unsettling toy's tale, this instalment also introduces its flesh-and-blood namesake. Nicknamed Bee, the seven-year-old daughter (Samara Lee) of Esther and Samuel Mullins (Aussie actors Miranda Otto and Anthony LaPaglia) is rather fond of her inanimate best friend, a bond that seems to linger even after tragedy strikes. When a parentless group of youngsters — including the polio-stricken Janice (Talitha Bateman), her close pal Linda (Lulu Wilson) and young nun Sister Charlotte (Stephanie Sigman) — are taken in by the still-grieving couple 12 years later, they come to discover just what that means. Needless to say, it involves a certain possessed plaything. Arriving in 2014 in an eager bid to cash in on The Conjuring's success, the initial Annabelle film was a bland affair — and while this second effort improves on its predecessor, that's not saying much. Aware that the standard stalk-and-kill story didn't work the last time around, Lights Out director David F. Sandberg and returning writer Gary Dauberman instead decide that imitation is the best form of flattery and the best approach to the series as a whole, returning to the kids in a creepy home motif that made the main films in the franchise a hit. Had The Conjuring 2 not already been released, this could have stolen its title. Secret rooms taunt curious minds; things go bump in the night; and sinister happenings start spooking everyone in the house. The film's narrative is as routine as expected, and doesn't ever pretend otherwise — with more titles in the series already greenlit, Annabelle: Creation doesn't really need to do anything more than just exist. It's the episodic approach to movie-making that's largely designed to keep the franchise in viewers' minds until the next chapter rolls around. Think of it like TV: every hour of a show isn't going to be a winner, but the powers-that-be know that doesn't matter as long as audiences stay primed for the next one. As calculated and template-driven as Annabelle: Creation may be, the film does have one saving grace: Sandberg. Making his second Hollywood horror movie in two years, the director repeats his Lights Out fortunes, vastly improving a surprise-free plot through his mastery of mood and imagery. He knows how to make unnerving moments count through both patience and quick scares — and how to cultivate a convincing atmosphere of dread and unease with camera placement and lighting choices. Every obvious development, silly character choice and by-the-book performance works against him, but if Annabelle: Creation does one thing, it's make a case for Sandberg to be given much, much better material to work with. Let's just hope he leaves this particular franchise in his rear-view mirror. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPTogn2E3CI
During the pandemic, we all sorely missed the experience of catching live tunes in heaving venues. To get musicians back onstage, the New South Wales government and ARIA launched Great Southern Nights. Following two blockbuster years that saw thousands of gigs pop up across the state, the series is returning in 2024 with a massive 300-plus shows over 17 nights. Live music will ring out throughout NSW between Friday, March 8–Sunday, March 24, with some of the country's biggest musicians and the hottest emerging talent performing in Sydney live music institutions as well as regional hubs including Newcastle, Wagga Wagga, Wollongong, Tamworth and the Northern Rivers. With such a huge lineup, it's hard to know where to start — but let's break it down. ROCK LUMINARIES If you love the classics and have a penchant for the singular sound that is Australian rock, you'll be able to catch sets from Peter Garrett & The Alter Egos, The Church, You Am I, Yothu Yindi, The Whitlams, Black Stump Band, Hoodoo Gurus and Kate Ceberano. BEATS AND BOPS Local hip hop heads can hit up gigs from Barkaa, 360, JK-47, Bliss n Eso, L-Fresh the Lion, Illy, Drapht, YNG Martyr and Jesswar. And if your prerogative is to dance, The Presets, Havana Brown, Tigerlily, Sneaky Sound System, Hermitude and Anna Lunoe are all performing. INDIE FAVES If you're an indie-rock aficionado, Ball Park Music, Sarah Blasko, King Stingray, The Buoys, Ruby Fields, Budjerah, Alex Lahey, Gordi, Gretta Ray, The Vanns, and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers will be coming to a stage near you. AND A WHOLE LOT MORE Plus, there will be shows from Becca Hatch, Cub Sport, Dune Rats, Vika and Linda, A.Girl, Xavier Rudd, David Campbell, Fanny Lumsden, Kasey Chambers, Kate Miller-Heidke, Redhook and Northlane — and also a special tribute to Rowland S Howard. Check where your faves are playing and what shows are happening near you via the full gig guide, then start planning an epic 17 nights of music stat. Great Southern Nights 2024 will run from Friday, March 8, to Sunday, March 24, throughout New South Wales. Tickets are on sale now via the festival's website. Images: Enmore Theatre, Destination NSW
It happened with Cabaret, Chicago, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Grease. With far less enjoyable results, Cats and The Prom did the same, too. West Side Story has already made the leap, and will do so again later this year. In the Heights also belongs on the list but, so far, Hamilton doesn't. We're talking about stage-to-screen musical adaptations, of course. Obviously, the list goes on, and will continue to do so. If something is an song-fuelled hit in the theatre, it's highly likely to get the big-screen treatment at some point. The latest example: six-time Tony-winning smash Dear Evan Hansen. Due to hit cinemas in September, and just dropping its first trailer, Dear Evan Hansen follows the titular anxious teen. He's advised by his therapist to pen letters to himself to highlight the good aspects of his day; however, when one of his notes ends up in a similarly lonely classmate's hands, it sparks a complex chain reaction. Created for the stage by songwriting and composing duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul — who nabbed an Oscar for La La Land's 'City of Stars' — with playwright Steven Levenson (Fosse/Verdon), the musical spins a story about high school struggles and suicide. If you don't know the full details, the film's trailer outlines the gist. Platt, who definitely isn't a teenager, nonetheless reprises his Tony-winning stage role as the eponymous character in the big-screen version, with Levenson also returning to write the script. Also involved: a cast that spans Amy Adams (The Woman in the Window), Julianne Moore (Lisey's Story), Kaitlyn Dever (Unbelievable) and Amandla Stenberg (The Eddy), plus The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Wonder filmmaker Stephen Chbosky. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeIJG8bZHFo Dear Evan Hansen is set to release in Australian cinemas on September 23.
If you haven't noticed already, 2016 is already speeding past to its final months. And with the tinsel and staff parties and family gatherings that come with the end of the year, so does the inevitable last minute dash for Christmas gifts. But if you want to really impress your pals and parents this festive season, we've found the market just for you. Escape the hustle and bustle of the city on Sunday, October 9 and head to Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre in Gymea for their brand new Made by Hand market. From 10am over 70 stallholders coming together for the first large-scale art, design and gourmet food market of its kind. Think handmade ceramic goodies, jewellery, candles, Greek sweets and fresh flowers, plus gallery talks and studio tours to see how the artists work their magic. They'll be artisan choccie from Captain Chocolate and wood-fired pizza to keep the stomach rumbles at bay, plus the beautiful surrounding gardens of Hazelhurst to make the trip worth the drive.
Run by a group of Afghan refugees, Kabul Social brings a taste of Afghanistan to Sydney's CBD. The inner-city takeaway spot is the latest project from Plate It Forward, the employment-based social enterprise that previously brought us Enmore's beloved Sri Lankan restaurant Colombo Social. Each aspect of the restaurant, from the menu to the design, has been a collaborative effort between Plate It Forward and a group of female refugees led by Restaurant Manager Swita, who arrived in Australia in mid-2022. Swita is joined by a team ranging in hospitality experience. Located in the MetCentre right by Wynyard Station, the venue can host up to 25 diners, but takeaway is encouraged. City workers can drop in for a next-level lunch option they can feel good about. For every meal sold at Kabul Social, Plate It Forward donates two meals to people in need — one meal in Australia and one in Afghanistan. So, you're making a real positive impact each time you pick up a Kabul feast. On the menu, you'll find three categories of meals. There are dumplings filled with your choice of spiced lamb or garlic chive, burgers and wraps, and loaded boxes. If you want to wrap two hands around some fresh house-made Afghan bread, you can choose between charcoal chicken, lamb shoulder, fried eggplant or roast pumpkin. Or, opt for a loaded box. Each box starts with either spiced rice, fries, salad or bread and is then loaded with your choice of protein and sauces — there's green or red chilli chutney and Afghan mint yoghurt on hand. Images: Kitti Gould
It feels as though Sydney is on the brink of a new era; plans have been announced to revive the city's nightlife and more cutting-edge venues are exploding onto the scene each day. Not to mention the burgeoning food and wine meccas, like Steam Mill Lane, Spice Alley, Tramsheds and Barangaroo. The city seems like it's slowly getting its mojo back and we couldn't be more pleased. But amid the flurry of new bars and eateries, it can be kind of difficult to keep up. Perhaps, you've got a long list of venues you want to try but no idea where to start. We get it — so much to eat, so little time. Well, we're here to help. We've pulled together some of the best restaurants that opened around Sydney over the last few months to try on your next night out. From unconventional Indian fare that breaks all the rules to canned cocktails and top-notch charcuterie, these eclectic eateries are pushing the boundaries in all the right ways. So, grab your crew or a table for two, it's time to get acquainted with the new kids on the block.
For one decade, the '50s sure saw a seriously impressive amount of social shenanigans happen. With TVs popping up in nearly every living room, disillusioned youth (with their berets and black turtleneck ensembles) creating Kerouac's iconic Beat generation and boppers swinging their way through rock 'n' roll diners, it's an era to make anyone a little nostalgic. If taking a trip down memory lane sounds right up your alley, then the Art Gallery of NSW's 'Boppers vs. Beatniks' party has got you covered. In celebration of their current exhibition Pop to popism, Art after Hours sees the gallery transformed for an evening of hip-swinging, ol' fashioned fun. Choose your side and dress to impress. Those in costume will go in the running for some sweet prizes thanks to event sponsor UNIQLO. Topped off with guest speakers dishing out their top '50s style tips, and even a rockabilly cover band, you'd be a nerd not to get yourself down to this hootenanny.
You just can't keep Denmark's Noma in one spot, much to the delight of hungry diners around the planet. Next stop in their global roaming: Mexico. Chef René Redzepi calls the country his adopted home in a letter on the restaurant's website. After popping up in London, Tokyo and Australia's very own Sydney, Tulum is 2017's must-flock-to destination for gastronomic-minded travellers and Noma fans in general. Need more convincing to jump on a plane between April 12 to May 28? Well, the latest short-term residency from one of the world's best eating establishments — a place that has earned the top spot on the World's Best Restaurants list no less than four times, in fact — will be an outdoor, open-air venture nestled between the jungle and the Caribbean Sea. "Exposed to the climate, it will be hot, steaming and unpredictable. Billowing smoke and the orange glow of flames will define us as all cooking will take place over the fire. It will be wild like the Mexican landscape as we share our interpretation of the tastes from one of the most beautiful countries we've come to know," wrote Redzepi in his online statement. And, if that plus Noma's usual blending of their own contemporary Nordic fare with the local cuisine doesn't sound amazing enough, Redzepi will work with his former sous chef Rosio Sanchez to craft a special series of dishes. To whet your appetite, chilli, seafood and mole were all specifically mentioned in Redzepi's post. Of course, eating at Noma Mexico won't come cheap, with the menu set to cost US$600 per person. Registrations open on December 6 for what's certain to be just one of the Copenhagen-based eatery's exciting new developments in 2017. Don't forget, they're also shutting down their existing digs, moving out of the city and re-emerging with a green-focused menu, an urban farm, a greenhouse, a farming team and a field that floats on a raft.
UPDATE, March 11, 2022: Once Upon a Time In Hollywood is available to stream via Netflix, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Every Tarantino film has one: an image that so impeccably captures its essence, it instantly symbolises the movie as a whole. In Reservoir Dogs, it arrived via a slow-walking crew of criminals. In Pulp Fiction, it came in the form of a twisting Uma Thurman and John Travolta. In Inglourious Basterds, it could only be Melanie Laurent's unflinching act of rebellion. They're the sights that blaze fiercely with the spirit of their respective pictures, all while burning themselves into viewers' retinas. Set in 1969, as the swinging sixties came to an end and Charles Manson altered Los Angeles forever, Once Upon a Time In Hollywood boasts one also. The honour goes to Margot Robbie's stellar portrayal of Sharon Tate as she sits in a cinema, watching 1968's The Wrecking Crew with a paying audience, and delighting at the crowd's response to her performance. Crosscut with the antics of Once Upon a Time In Hollywood's two other sublime leads — Leonardo DiCaprio in charmingly crumbling mode as fading TV star Rick Dalton, and Brad Pitt as his stunt double and best buddy Cliff Booth — the movie-going scene ranks among Robbie's longest in the film. The lack of dialogue she utters throughout the picture compared to her male co-stars has sparked some backlash, but it's unwarranted. This is a flick that cuts to the core of its leading lady again and again. Here, Robbie's version of Tate is excited and radiant as she soaks in her cinema experience. In a savvy touch, Tarantino uses genuine snippets from The Wrecking Crew to let everyone soak in the actual Tate, too. And, as we watch Robbie both playing Tate and watching Tate, we feel the character's nerves and exuberance, and understand what's running through her heart and mind. Moreover, we do so while knowing that her real-life fate couldn't clash more starkly with this moment. It's a startlingly layered scene — all the more so after seeing what comes next — but that's Tarantino's ninth stint as a director in general. It's also warm and thoughtful, in a movie that similarly earns that description. Although such a tone contrasts with the filmmaker's usual hectic, stylised, talky vibe, it shouldn't come as a shock. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood sports a fairytale title, and basks in the glow of Tinseltown from five decades ago. Tarantino fashions a love letter to a period that has definitely passed by, as lensed in sunny hues by his regular cinematographer Robert Richardson. However the picture's feel has another flavour and meaning, as does the energy emanating from Tate's time staring at the big screen. A film of hope, lament, farewell and recognition all in one, it realises that spying the past through rose-coloured lenses and yearning for its comfort amidst upheaval is inevitable. It also knows something just as important: that change is equally inescapable. Long past his prime-time heyday and only just beginning to realise it between drinks, Dalton isn't coping well with his own evolving status. When a producer (Al Pacino) tells him that he keeps being cast as television villains to bolster the next generation of heroes, and that he should get into spaghetti westerns instead, the actor doesn't take the blunt disclosure well. As Dalton tries to prove that he's capable of more (to himself, mainly), Booth rolls with the punches, despite his own bleak professional prospects. Lately, he's a driver, gofer and righthand man to his famous pal, rather than his stand-in, yet little fazes him. When Dalton starts bubbling with enthusiasm over his new neighbours, Tate and her husband Roman Polanski, Booth barely seems to care. And, when he picks up a hippie hitchhiker (a scene-stealing Margaret Qualley) who's part of Manson's (Damon Herriman) flower child entourage, he enters their unnerving world without breaking a sweat. History dictates where Once Upon a Time In Hollywood ends up, in a manner. In the revisionist mode that served Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight so well, Tarantino dictates the specific details within his admittedly slim narrative, as well as the time spent luxuriating in them. With no disrespect to his previous films, he's at his most intricate, mature and laidback, crafting a picture — and people within it — that audiences want to spend as much time with as possible. Filled as it is with movies within the broader movie, comic flashbacks and stars galore (such as Kurt Russell, Zoe Bell, Timothy Olyphant, Bruce Dern, Dakota Fanning, Lena Dunham, Luke Perry and Maya Hawke), it's easy to fall in step with the film's rambling pace, enjoying each moment as it arises. Incessantly keen to splash his affection for celluloid history across the screen as always, Tarantino is in his element recreating Hollywood's golden days, its big names and LA's gleaming sights, and nodding to westerns once again. But, befitting a flick about weathering seismic personal, cultural and societal shifts, Once Upon a Time In Hollywood is a glorious character piece first and foremost. Tate, Dalton and Booth remain the key to the film, and the driving force behind its hangout air. With the often dancing, smiling Tate, Tarantino presents a self-possessed woman content in her skin and life, yet at threat by the darkening tides around her. Through Dalton and Booth, a duo with as many grin-inducing gifts as firm flaws, he finds fractures — some glaring, some hidden — in their facades that mirror the world around them. Exceptional performances assist — including the overflowing delights of pairing up DiCaprio and Pitt for the first time — but perhaps Once Upon a Time In Hollywood's smartest move comes from building such compelling, revealing, deeply felt characters. The film has character, too. Roving leisurely and unravelling shaggily, it waits a beat to notice a woman's bare feet on a sun-dappled car dashboard. It peers down at an ostensibly abandoned ranch once used for western TV shoots, relishing its beauty even in a display of tension and menace. It revels in the humour of showing Booth jump onto Dalton's bungalow roof in just three bounds, and later during his face-off against Bruce Lee (Mike Moh). These types of flourishes give the movie a different kind of character to Tarantino's usual oeuvre. He's more assured and ambitious, less ego-driven and gimmicky, and more judicious with his expertly choreographed violence and witty banter. Again, that's no slight to a fantastic filmography that also spans Jackie Brown, Kill Bill and Death Proof, but the change of pace suits the writer-director, the era he's wading through and his chosen story perfectly. It also shapes what just might be his best work yet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsL_spv4yEw
2025 marks 20 years since Oasis last toured Australia, but that's where the lengthy gap between the band's Down Under shows is ending. There's comeback tours and then there's Britain's most-famous feuding siblings reuniting to bring one of the country's iconic groups back together for a massive world tour — and when Liam and Noel Gallagher start taking to the stage together again, they'll do so at gigs in Sydney and Melbourne. Oasis' reunion tour has been huge news since mid-2024, when Liam and Noel announced that they would reform Oasis — and bury the hatchet — for a run of shows in the UK and Ireland. Since then, they've been expanding their tour dates, also locking in visits to Canada and the US. From London, Manchester and Dublin to Toronto, Los Angeles and Mexico City, the entire tour so far is sold out. That's the story, morning glory. The Manchester-born band is hitting the Harbour City on Friday, November 7–Saturday, November 8, 2025, playing Accor Stadium. [caption id="attachment_975206" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Oasis Knebworth 1996, Jill Furmanovsky[/caption] Oasis broke up in 2009, four years after their last Australian tour, and following seven albums from 1994's Definitely Maybe through to 2008's Dig Your Soul — and after drawing massive crowds to their live gigs along the way (see: documentary Oasis Knebworth 1996). If you're feeling supersonic about the group's reunion, you can likely expect to hear that track, plus everything from 'Live Forever', 'Cigarettes & Alcohol', 'Morning Glory' and 'Some Might Say' through to 'Wonderwall', 'Don't Look Back in Anger' and 'Champagne Supernova' when they hit Australia. [caption id="attachment_975205" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Oasis Knebworth 1996, Photo by Roberta Parkin/Redferns[/caption] Top image: Simon Emmett. Updated Friday, October 11, 2024.
A modern Lebanese restaurant has opened in Surry Hills where a taste of the fresh, authentic mezze will transport you to the banks of the Bardouni River in the shadow of Mount Sannine. Zahli is named after a city in Lebanon famous for food and wine, and draws inspiration from the rich tradition of mezze (small dishes designed to share) popular in the region. Owner Mohammad Issmail welcomes patrons like old friends, yet Zahli skips the overly casual banquet vibe. It retains the lively shared dining experience that comes naturally with mezze, but it's a bit more of a white tablecloth affair. The contemporary open-plan space is fitted with rendered concrete walls, stylish tiled floors, architectural lighting, hints of Scandinavian design and a grand marble bar. The acoustically designed ceiling muffles out the loud chatter at a nearby table and allows the Arabian chill-out music to quietly serenade our meal. The marble bar may be chic, but the dated cocktail list is a little out of touch in a suburb where trendy watering holes pride themselves on bespoke cocktails and crafted beer. With a namesake derived from 'the city of wine', it would also have been nice to see a bottle from the region represented on the menu. Nevertheless, we weren't disappointed too long as a glass of the sharp Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc ($60 bottle) hit the spot. The food, however, is arguably some of the best Lebanese in town. Issmail handpicked head chef Abdul Shams, whose international experience at some of Dubai's 5 star hotels aligned with the vision of a sleek inner east venue. Each dish has the authenticity of a Lebanese grandma's cooking, but with a sophisticated twist. The menu has an abundance of appealing options; so plentiful, in fact, we had trouble deciding. To buy some time, we opted for the mixed dips ($20) and shortly afterwards were presented with a basket of crispy spiced pita and a serving of soft pitas along with an enticing trio of freshly made smokey baba ghanoush, nicely tart labne and hummus. From the cold mezze offerings, the vine leaves ($14) come recommended. Served in an impressive Jenga-style stack, the soft pillows of rice-stuffed vines had a delicate flavour. We naturally progressed to the hot mezze. The entree-sized platter of the mixed finger food ($17) is the ultimate choice for the indecisive diner. It's an appetising selection of fried kibbeh (croquettes of minced meat and burghul), falafel and traditional pastries served with olives, imported Lebanese pickles and tahini sauce. The signature mansaf lamb ($28) is a traditional rice dish often produced at family gatherings, with strips of meat that are succulent and fall apart on your fork and lightly toasted almonds, cashews and pine nuts giving a satisfying crunch. On the side, order the refreshing fattoush ($15), a salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, peppers, onions and toped with crunchy baked pita, dressed with pomegranate molasses. The dessert menu is filled with alluring Middle Eastern sweets. The elegant mhalabiye ($10) is one of the prettiest desserts imaginable — a cold milk pudding scattered with fresh blueberries, edible flowers, juicy golden sultanas and speckles of pistachio and then drizzled with fragrant rose water. Linger over the thick and earthy traditional coffee, simply brewed in a metal pot. Its bitter taste is not to everyone's liking but is nicely balanced with the sticky, gorgeously sweet Turkish delight ($8), and if you shut your eyes tight enough, you might forget you're in Surry Hills.
Does M Night Shyamalan hate holidays? The twist-loving writer/director's Knock at the Cabin comes hot on the heels of 2021's Old, swapping beach nightmares for woodland terrors. He isn't the only source of on-screen chaos in vacation locations — see also: Triangle of Sadness' Ruben Östlund, plus oh-so-many past horror movies, and TV's The White Lotus and The Resort as well — but making two flicks in a row with that setup is a pattern. For decades since The Sixth Sense made him the Oscar-nominated king of high-concept premises with shock reveals, Shyamalan explored the idea that everything isn't what it seems in our daily lives. Lately, however, he's been finding insidiousness lingering beyond the regular routine, in picturesque spots, when nothing but relaxation is meant to flow. A holiday can't fix all or any ills, he keeps asserting, including in this engaging adaptation of Paul Tremblay's 2018 novel The Cabin at the End of the World. For Eric (Jonathan Groff, The Matrix Resurrections), Andrew (Ben Aldridge, Pennyworth) and their seven-year-old daughter Wen (debutant Kristen Cui), a getaway isn't meant to solve much but a yearning for family time in the forest — and thinking about anyone but themselves while Eric and Andrew don robes, and Wen catches pet grasshoppers, isn't on their agenda. Alas, their rural Pennsylvanian idyll shatters swiftly when the soft-spoken but brawny Leonard (Dave Bautista, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) emerges from the trees. He says he wants to be Wen's friend, but he also advises that he's on an important mission. He notes that his task involves the friendly girl and her dads, giving them a hard choice yet also no choice at all. The schoolteacher has colleagues, too: agitated ex-con Redmond (Rupert Grint, Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities), patient nurse Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird, Avenue 5) and nurturing cook Adriane (Abby Quinn, I'm Thinking of Ending Things), all brandishing weapons fashioned from garden tools. When a Shyamalan movie slips into holiday mode, it's more concerned with unpacking revelations than teasing them out Unbreakable-, Signs-, The Village- and The Happening-style. Accordingly, like Old, Knock at the Cabin drops its crucial surprise early. Leonard and company have come a-knocking because they Eric, Andrew and Wen must stave off exactly what Tremblay's book's title promises: the end of the world. All four strangers have experienced unsettling visions leading them to this well-appointed hut, where this very family just happens to be escaping the city, to get its occupants to make a difficult choice. If Wen and her fathers sacrifice one of their number willingly, the apocalypse won't eventuate. If they refuse, first the sea will rise, then a plague will spread, then the sky will fall — then humanity will burn except this chosen three, who'll be forced to watch. What would you do? Shyamalan, taking on a Black List script initially drafted by first-timers Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman, demands that Knock at the Cabin's viewers ask themselves that question. In fact, that query springs several times as the film morphs through multiple horror and thriller situations. What would you do if a gentle giant appeared at your door? If armed attackers stormed your house? If conspiracy-spouting fanatics ordered your allegiance? Yes, Knock at the Cabin is soaked in stranger danger, works as a home-invasion flick and ponders cults. What would you do, too, if you could halt the planet's destruction but at significant cost to yourself? Yes, Knock at the Cabin poses a loaded proposition in these climate change-ravaged and pandemic-afflicted times. Of course, while Tremblay's text predates COVID-19, the movie it inspires needn't ask what'd happen if the earth was crumbling or a disease was decimating swathes of people — we already know. Knowledge is one of Shyamalan's key tools; he's well-aware of the genre boxes he's ticking, and that his audience will spot what he's doing. Leonard's arrival nods to one of the best horror films ever made, after all, and one of the most heartbreaking scenes committed to celluloid — because when there's a towering figure, a flower and a child, James Whale's Frankenstein comes to mind. Knowledge is the source of tension, actually, given that Knock at the Cabin's opening scene and much that follows have played out on screens before. Three things help keep eyes fixed ahead, pulses racing and unease simmering: waiting to see what the kind but quickly concussed Eric, suspicious and homophobia-suspecting Andrew, and sweet and resourceful Wen will indeed do with this prophesy of impending doom; discovering how true, or not, Leonard and company's claims are; and learning if Shyamalan will toy with, twist and subvert everything viewers know has happened in similar fare, or if and where he won't. Knock at the Cabin's creative force gets playful via his lead alone, instantly lacing his movie with unease and uncertainty through Bautista's presence. The heft that's made the wrestler-turned-actor famous, including as Guardians of the Galaxy's Drax the Destroyer, is impossible to avoid — but so is Leonard's polite demeanour, bookish glasses and button-up shirt, each befitting his pre-apocalypse job. Cinematographers Jarin Blaschke (The Northman) and Lowell A Meyer (Servant) repeatedly emphasise Bautista's size, with the film's array of angles frequently framing its literal biggest player to appear as threatening as possible. The actor's portrayal is controlled and restrained, however, which makes for an unnerving contrast. In his most compelling and complex performance yet, Bautista is hypnotic — imposing, ardent, earnest and tender as well — as a man zealously committed yet also visibly pained over what he's doing. Shyamalan certainly doesn't have a casting problem here — Grint keeps flourishing in his projects, as seen in Servant; Groff, Aldridge and Cui make a charming family, even in such tough circumstances; and Amuka-Bird and Quinn invest their characters with heart and sincerity — or any issues sparking interest. He's at the top of his craft, too, with Knock at the Cabin's mix of roving and close-up visuals claustrophobic, disquieting, nimble and handsomely staged all at once. And, while the movie's first two thirds exceed its final act, he's made a mostly single-location affair with as straightforward a plot as he's worked with that's largely gripping. While its questions about what we choose to put our faith in and why are as obvious as one late easy reveal, Knock at the Cabin earns two firm beliefs: in Shyamalan messing with vacations again, and in Bautista at his best.
In the coming years, Sydneysiders will be able to visit the city's Powerhouse Museum in Parramatta, with plans to open a flagship site in the city's west officially getting the final go ahead. Set to spread across 18,000 square metres of museum exhibition and public space, Powerhouse Museum will build its new location next to the Parramatta River — and will become the first of the state's major cultural institutions to be located in area in the process. The New South Wales Government initially announced its intentions to completely move the Powerhouse Museum back in 2015, so the new venue itself isn't fresh news. The plans for the Parramatta site have just been approved, however, and early works are now scheduled to commence in the coming weeks. When it's finished, it's expected that the new venue — which will specifically focus on science and technology — will attract two million visitors per year, with Powerhouse Board of Trustees President Peter Collins AM QC calling it "Australia's very own Smithsonian". If you're wondering what it'll look like when it opens in 2023, Moreau Kusunoki and Genton's winning designs for the new facility were released in 2019. They include seven exhibition spaces, plus 1.5 hectares of public open space, some of which will replace the carpark on the foreshore. Exactly where Sydney's Powerhouse Museum will reside has been the subject of much debate in recent years. Originally, the current Ultimo base was set to close, with everything moving to Parramatta; however, the NSW Government then backflipped on that part of the proposal. So, the museum is now retaining its existing venue and keeping it open, while still forging ahead with the new western Sydney location — which'll become one of four sites used by the museum in the Greater Sydney area. Although staunchly backed by the NSW Government, the Parramatta plan has earned both opposition and controversy since it was first revealed. Concerns have been raised around the cost (which has been earmarked at $645 million, but could hit $1 billion), the fact that St George's Terraces and the heritage-listed 1800s villa Willow Grove will need to be knocked down, and worries that the new Parramatta site could be subject to flooding when wet and stormy weather hits. An inquiry into the government's management of the Powerhouse Museum is also currently underway in NSW's upper house. The Powerhouse Museum is currently located at 500 Harris Street, Ultimo, with the organisation's new Parramatta museum slated to open in 2023. Images: Renders of Powerhouse's Parramatta site.
It's beginning to look a lot like Sydney Film Festival time — or, the start of the official countdown period, at least. The first big capital city cinema showcase of the year might not kick off until June 8, but their initial announcement of titles will have you marking down the days in your diary (there's 34 sleeps until the full program is released, and 62 until opening night, just in case you were wondering). Given the batch of 26 flicks SFF has just dropped upon eager cinephiles in the lead up to the 63rd fest, excitement and enthusiasm is the natural, understandable reaction. Kicking everything off on opening night at the State Theatre will be the world premiere of acclaimed Indigenous filmmaker Ivan Sen's Goldstone, the sort-of sequel to his 2013 film Mystery Road. Described as "outback noir", the Australian film follows the same character, detective Jay Swan, as he investigates the disappearance of a Chinese girl in the remote settlement of Middleton. It includes a stellar cast of Aaron Pedersen, Jacki Weaver and David Wenham, with Sen himself having directed, written, shot, edited and scored the film. Those who caught Mystery Road at 2013's festival will be making a beeline for this one. Maggie's Plan, a rom-com with Ethan Hawke, Julianne Moore and Greta Gerwig; comic drama Demolition, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts; and Everybody Wants Some!!, Richard Linklater's spiritual sequel to 1993's Dazed and Confused, are all certain to top everyone's must-see list. And you thought last week's news about the fest's David Stratton-curated Martin Scorsese retrospective was big. The Commune, Thomas Vinterberg's return to his Dogme 95 roots, also joins the feature slate, alongside Sing Street, a charming '80s-focused offering from Once filmmaker John Carney. So does the Academy Award-nominated coming-of-age effort Mustang, as well as Angry Indian Goddesses, which is essentially India's answer to Bridesmaids. Francofonia combines fiction and documentary to explore the Louvre during and after World War II, while Venezuelan character study Desde Alla (meaning 'from afar') comes direct from winning the Venice Film Festival's prestigious Golden Lion. Genre fans, you're taken care of too, courtesy of heavy metal horror flick The Devil's Candy, Aussie director Sean Byrnes' follow-up to The Loved Ones. Plus, Tehran-set supernatural spookfest Under the Shadow will also be screening, which had Sundance and SXSW audiences buzzing. SFF, with its dedicated award for Australian documentaries, has always done well in the factual realm. While the titles competing for the prize are yet to be announced, the first glimpse of the ripped-from-reality selection is impressive. Heart of a Dog presents artist and musician Laurie Anderson's expressionistic ode to her pet pooch, late mother, and partner Lou Reed, while Janis: Little Girl Blue uncovers the real rock, blues and folk legend. Sticking with all things music-oriented, Sonita tells the story of how a gutsy Afghani refugee's love of rap music changed her life. And then there's Werner Herzog's dulcet tones narrating his internet doco, Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World, the Sundance-winning sexting scandal chronicle that is Weiner, and Chantal Akerman's personal mother-daughter portrait, No Home Movie — the late Belgian filmmaker's final feature. Basically, if you can't find something that you want to see, you're not looking hard enough. Of course, the best news is yet to come, because this is just a sneak peek of SFF's complete 250+ roster of movie wonders. The 2016 Sydney Film Festival will run from June 8 to 19. Feast your eyes on their currently announced titles by checking out the festival website. The full program will be released on May 11. Updated: April 21, 2016.
Avocados: everyone loves them, not just Aussies accused of spending all their cash on smashed avo for brunch. In Amsterdam, one person loves them so much that he opened up a restaurant dedicated to serving the green creamy fruit up in as many ways as possible. Now, he's thinking about taking the show on the road, including to Australia. The Avocado Show, that is — because that's what the eatery is called. It launched in February in Amsterdam's De Pijp district, and calls itself "Europe's first and finest avocado bar". Breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, late at night, any time in between: if you've got a hankering for avo on bread, avo between two pieces of bread (aka avocado sandwiches), burgers made with avocado buns and more, you'll find it here. https://www.instagram.com/p/BZdMi__FQxc/?taken-by=theavocadoshow With the likes of avo roses on toast, avo poke bowls, avo ice cream and avo daiquiris on offer, the venture has been quite a success — unsurprisingly — which is what has prompted thoughts of expansion. MUNCHIES reports that there'll be new sites in Europe, as well as restaurants in North America, Asia and own our shores. Owner Ron Simpson told the publication he had received franchise requests before the first store even opened, so it's little wonder that 15 additional spots are planned over the next year. As you've probably noticed, avocado isn't literally the only thing on the menu, although every item does include it in some shape or form. If that makes you hungry, feasting your eyes on The Avocado Show's Instagram pics will only make it worse. Keep your eyes peeled for more info about their Aussie ventures while your stomach grumbles, though, with just where and when they'll arrive yet to be revealed. Via MUNCHIES
Rooftop bars are so last season. If you're still heroically bracing a trembling Aperol Spritz against a fifth floor Autumn wind-battering on one of Sydney's dying summer days, here's an alternative for you: a new way to get high and party, and this one's much more spectacular. From May 26 to June 17 as part of Vivid Sydney, the Sydney Tower Eye is launching Eye Live Project — a program of live music nights, 250 metres above the city, against a jaw-dropping 360-degree view. Sydney label Etcetc, propelled by ex-Ministry of Sound talent Aden Mullens, will kick things off on May 26 with a lineup featuring infectious sun-soaked house from POOLCLVB, as well as the badass, vintage electro-funk of Luke Million, who caused a stir with his take on the Stranger Things theme. The same weekend will also see The Eye unveiled as a neon Tron-like playground for Discovery — Australia's Daft Punk Tribute show. Touch Sensitive, with his cult-favourite cosmic beats, headlines the rollover into June, alongside electronic DJ sets from vocalists Elizabeth Rose and Annie Bass. An all-nighter with Dr Packer — remix-king of old-school soul, disco, hip hop and reggae — follows on June 3, and sets the vibe for intoxicating club pop DJ KLP's set the following weekend. There'll also be raw, electronic RnB from Thandi Phoenix and beats from one of Australia's biggest names in getting down, Ministry of Sound's DJ Samrai, to see in the final weekend, before Heaps Gay take the wheel for a massive sky-high finale. Headliner Brendan Maclean will perform a live set alongside a host of Sydney DJs and vibrant performers, sending off the Eye Live Project in a whirlwind of glitter and spectacle. Adding to Vivid's already formidable events program, the Eye Live Project is the first of its kind at the Sydney Tower Eye. With a strict venue capacity of 200 and a secret headliner still to be announced, tickets are set to sell fast. The Eye Live Project takes place on Friday and Saturday nights between May 26 and June 17. For more information, head to the event website.
Films with ensemble casts can be a bit like songs from Girl Talk: they're jam-packed with things you love, but the concomitant is diminished time for each. The hallmark of any good thing is to leave you wanting more, but not to the extent you feel shortchanged, and in Shawn Levy's new film This Is Where I Leave You, that's the unfortunate result. Leading the troupe is Jason Bateman as Judd Altman, a radio producer who discovers his wife sleeping with his boss just days before his father passes away. Judd returns home for the funeral (a popular thematic device of late, most recently with The Judge), where his psychiatrist mother Hilary (Jane Fonda) reveals he and the rest of the family must sit shiva — a seven-day period of mourning all together under the one roof. They're a close but dysfunctional group, where good-natured ribbing is the preferred form of communication and their mother's former publication of a bestselling 'family tell-all' unites them in mutual humiliation. That, and her newly enhanced breasts, prone to spilling out of every outfit no matter how high the cut or how tight the strap. The eldest sibling, Paul (House of Cards' Corey Stoll) is the gruff, responsible one who never left town and is desperately trying to conceive with his hyper-clucky wife Annie (Kathryn Hahn). Tina Fey plays Wendy, the sarcastic mother in a loveless marriage who still pines for the cute boy over the road (Timothy Olyphant). Then there's Phillip (Girls' Adam Driver), the reckless tearaway who can't help but do or say the wrong thing whenever the opportunity presents itself. Throw in Judd's ex-girlfriend Penny (Rose Byrne) and Phillip's psychiatrist girlfriend Tracy (Connie Britton) and the stage is set for the inevitable melting pot of unaired grievances, shocking revelations and newfound romances. The setup is far from innovative; thirty years ago The Big Chill used the same conceit to reunite an ensemble of college buddies for an amusing (if also maudlin) trip down memory lane. Here, only one disclosure packs any real punch, with everything else either heavily signposted or plainly insignificant. It's a film of moments more than anything, some amusing, some touching and almost all heavily reliant on Bateman's signature reserved displeasure. Fey is predictably funny, though her scenes are often rounded out with unnecessary punchlines that feel more sitcom than cinema. Driver is the most enjoyable to watch, given his almost gleeful tendency to inflame every situation, and his occasional breaks into genuine emotion are where the film finds its most honest scenes. It's all pleasant and nice and agreeable and, well, there you have it. A film described the same way you'd characterise a microwave soup. This Is Where I Leave You gets the job done, but there are so many better options out there. https://youtube.com/watch?v=fH0cEP0mvlU
Not once but twice each year, the online-only First Nations Film Festival from streaming service FanForce TV delivers a feast of Indigenous filmmaking for your next couch session. The virtual viewing event initially pops up for National Reconciliation Week. Then, it returns for NAIDOC Week. In 2025, there's a few twists, however — welcome ones. Firstly, the online fest's NAIDOC Week collection is sticking around for an entire month, from Sunday, July 6–Wednesday, August 8 — even though the celebration that it's timed to runs for just one week. Also, if you haven't yet caught this year's National Reconciliation Week films, its season has also been extended until the same date. With the NAIDOC Week package, your choices start with Warwick Thornton's We Don't Need a Map, the acclaimed filmmaker's exploration of the Southern Cross as a symbol. Or, catch Here I Am, the feature debut of writer/director Beck Cole (Deadloch) and star Shai Pittman (Around the Block), which follows a woman seeking redemption upon her release from prison. Other viewing options span Over the Edge, Mother's Day and a range of shorts. You can get access to the entire season for $38.
Griffin Theatre Company's 2019 swan song — First Love is the Revolution by Rita Kalnejais — delivers another riff on the tale of doomed lovers Romeo and Juliet, with one very obvious difference: an inter-species pairing. Director Lee Lewis says it's the perfect play to lead into the Christmas season, even though it's gory as hell. In other words, it's a classic tale of adolescent love, just a little harder to see through all the flying blood and viscera. Actually, it's more complicated than that. Rdeca (Sarah Meacham) is a fox, and her mum thinks it's time Rdeca started ticking the 'kills other living creatures' box on her fox resume. With the pressure mounting for her to disembowel a mole, Rdeca finds herself the captive of Basti (Bardiya McKinnon), a boy who is bullied at school and largely ignored at home. It's no small surprise to either of them when they begin to develop intense feelings for each other. Is it animal instinct? Or human empathy? One thing's for sure — a lot of characters' insides are going to be on the outside by the time these star-crossed lovers are through. First Love is the Revolution will run from Friday, November 1 through to Saturday, December 14 every day except Sundays.
As school kids, we're taught to think of art and science as two very different beasts. But neuroscience now shows this dichotomy to be false — when performing most complex tasks, we use both the logical and creative sides of our brain. And this July, at Carriageworks, Japanese artist Ryoji Ikeda will smash this division to smithereens by transforming science into art with two epic installations entitled micro | macro. The work — which Ikeda developed during a residency at the renowned science institution CERN in Switzerland — is divided into two sections. The first, the planck universe [micro], reveals atoms by blowing them up into visible proportions. This mind-bending installation will cover a whopping 172.8 square metres of space inside the Redfern multi-arts institution. The second, the planck universe [macro], is a ten-metre-high projection capturing the natural world in various scales — from the human perspective all the way to the cosmic one. "My work is created by reducing sound, light and the world into sine waves, pixels and data… so that the world can be viewed once more at a different resolution," said Ikeda of his new installations. As you wander through both installations, expect to feel very, very small, while finding yourself asking some big, big questions. What do we know? What can we know? Is what we see really all that it seems? This is Ikeda's third show at Carriageworks, previously presenting Superposition in 2015 and Test Pattern [No 5] in 2013, and it'll be as cutting-edge and immersive as ever. Images: Martin Wagenhan & Zan Wimberley
Legendary French choreographer François Chaignaud is coming to Australia for the first time, and he’s bringing with him his whizz-bang work Dumi Moyi, created in collaboration with French fashion designer Romain Brau. The show is inspired by the monumental costumes and transformative power of traditional religious dances performed in Malabar, India. But it also draws on 19th-century dime theatre, various mythologies and contemporary aesthetics. And the music is a giddying multicultural blend of Ukrainian, Filipino and Sephardic rhythms. Despite this ambitious range of influences, Dumi Moyi is intended for intimate performance. So Carriageworks is opening its Elston Room for the occasion, where audiences can stand in proximity to the dancers. Only 40 tickets will be available per show. Since the work premiered at the 2013 Montpellier Danse Festival, it has appeared in galleries, basements and a chapel. At Carriageworks, it’ll be performed several times a day, allowing viewers to make return visits. Chaignaud is renowned all over the world for exciting, innovative choreography. His previous projects include a giant dance party at New York City's The Kitchen, the transformation of the Tate Modern into a live performance museum and a history of grim music performed at London's Sadler's Wells.
UPDATE, August 24, 2020: American Animals is available to stream via SBS On Demand, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. For most people, a pile of DVDs provides a good night's viewing. For Spencer Reinhard (Barry Keoghan) and Warren Lipka (Evan Peters) in American Animals, it's a how-to guide. Hiring out The Usual Suspects, The Thomas Crown Affair, The Italian Job and more back in 2003, the pair aren't just indulging their love of heist films — they're planning their very own robbery. Alongside Eric Borsuk (Jared Abrahamson) and Chas Allen (Blake Jenner), the Kentucky college students set their sights on the Transylvania University library's rare collection, where specific volumes kept behind lock and key are worth millions. And while watching The Sting and giving each other codenames straight out of Reservoir Dogs mightn't seem like the smartest way to prepare, it illustrates the group's entire handling of their pilfering operation. Motivated by the thrill of disrupting their daily routine, the lure of easy money and the yearning to feel as though they're not simply average, Spencer and his fellow middle-class pals treat their caper like it's a movie. If they realise that the likes of Butch Cassidy and Point Break don't end well for the thieves, they're choosing to ignore it. Astonishingly, theirs is a true story. That said, it proves even more astonishing in Bart Layton's hands. Drawn to another strange slice of reality after 2012's similarly twisty and thrilling The Imposter, the writer-director literally turns the quartet's hijinks into the kind of slick Hollywood flick that they'd love to watch. Incorporating interviews with the actual men behind the larceny as well, Layton also crafts a spectacularly playful and entertaining film that blurs the line between documentary and drama. When Spencer discovers the treasure trove of books sitting within his college library, stealing them just seems so straightforward. Or at least it does to Warren. While art student Spencer is apprehensive, the more outgoing and carefree Warren latches onto the idea like there's no other alternative. And from that moment on, there isn't. Soon the two friends are sketching blueprints, flying to Amsterdam to meet with art dealers, rustling up disguises, and recruiting the apprehensive Eric and Chas. But then the big day arrives, they come face-to-face with the kindly archivist (Ann Dowd) charged with keeping the valuable texts safe, and the group's brush with crime is hardly the glossy heist that they've imagined. If only American Animals could've sat in Spencer and Warren's to-watch pile, showing them what lay ahead. It doesn't, of course, although the notion isn't that far removed from Layton's perceptive and inventive approach. In a supremely clever blend of fact, fiction, fantasy and memory — and a superb display of editing as well — the filmmaker inserts the real-life perpetrators into the proceedings. Along with their parents and teachers, they relay their version of events to the camera, often conflicting with each other. Layton rewinds his recreations in response, unfurling new takes and changing details. More than that, he lets the actual Spencer and Warren step into the drama and interact with their counterparts, stopping the actors playing them when questions arise about what exactly happened, and how, and why. There are heist movies, and then there are heist movies. Despite the many examples viewed by American Animals' protagonists, there's never been one quite like this. It's the product of a filmmaker who's determined to probe and ponder in a savvy and dazzling manner — and it's not only his thoroughly relevant and timely queries that grab attention, but the way he's doing the asking. In an endlessly fascinating film that wonders why four young men from comfortable backgrounds would risk their futures just to prove that they're special, and what that says about society as a whole, Layton lets his stylistic choices offer some of the answers. It's not by accident that American Animals begins with talking heads and naturalistic hues, then becomes fast and sleek when Spencer and company start chasing their fantasy, only to opt for grit and grimness when reality strikes. Serving up resounding proof that The Imposter wasn't a one-off, Layton is at the top of his game — but he also has help. Or, perhaps his nose for a stunning story and his astute ability to spin it in exactly the right way are matched by his knack for casting. Acting opposite the real figures, Keoghan (The Killing of a Sacred Deer) and Peters (X-Men: Days of Future Past) couldn't better convey Spencer and Warren's essence. When the actual Warren proudly shows off his comic tattoo of a tyrannosaurus rex trying to switch off a ceiling fan, Peters instantly matches his wild yet assured vibe. When Spencer shows himself to be a ball of quiet nerves, Keoghan lets the feeling seep out of his pores. Still, the greatest trick that American Animals pulls is turning truth into a yarn and vice-versa, all while demonstrating how flimsy the boundary between the two truly is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlSxrxMYn8A
SXSW (South by Southwest) Sydney brings together thought leaders, artists and trailblazers, fostering an environment where ideas flourish and connections are made. With a diverse lineup of events, SXSW Sydney offers something for everyone, from inspiring keynote addresses to hands-on workshops. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur seeking investment or a creative professional looking to expand your network, this year's conference delivers sessions designed to ignite your passion and propel your career forward. We've picked out the eight must-see events from this year's Conference program you don't want to miss. Get ready to dive into a world of innovation and creativity by adding these to your diary. Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention – and How to Get Your Brain Back with Johann Hari Wednesday, October 16, 10–11am ICC Sydney, Darling Harbour Theatre New York Times best-selling author of Magic Pill and Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention, Johann Hari, joins SXSW Sydney 2024 as a Keynote Speaker. Johann Hari is a British journalist and author known for his thought-provoking work on topics such as addiction, mental health, and societal issues. He gained prominence with his books, including Chasing the Scream, which examines the war on drugs and advocates for a more compassionate approach to addiction. His TED Talks and articles often challenge conventional narratives, encouraging readers to reconsider the underlying causes of societal problems. Hari's writing combines personal anecdotes with extensive research, aiming to foster understanding and empathy. Character Customisation — Identity in Video Games Saturday, October 19, 5–6pm Fortress Sydney, Alienware Arena This engaging discussion explores the complex world of character creation in video games, highlighting how these narratives can empower underrepresented groups. This diverse panel of experts will examine the shift from traditional binary storytelling to the expansive possibilities of inclusive narratives. Dive into the challenges, successes and ethical considerations involved in representing dynamic characters in gaming, aiming to foster empathy, understanding and empowerment in virtual spaces and discover how intentional design and narrative choices can lead to richer, more authentic gaming experiences for all players. How moments create a movement with Katherine Bennell-Pegg Wednesday, October 16, 12–1pm ICC Sydney, Darling Harbour Theatre From the launch of Sputnik to man's first footsteps on the moon, the defining moments of 20th-century space exploration have each radically transformed the ways we, as a species, view our place in the universe. So, what will be the next moment that shifts humanity's perspective and urges us to move beyond? Australian astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg will challenge you to reflect on why Australians need to get involved in the impending global space renaissance. With a background in aerospace engineering, Bennell-Pegg has been involved in various missions, focusing on scientific research and technology development. She is also an inspiring advocate for STEM education, advocating for young Australians to pursue careers in space. Innovation Showcase Monday, October 14–Sunday, October 20 Broaden your horizons and open your mind at Tumbalong Park. With cutting-edge tech demonstrations, unexpected performances on the Main Stage, and a visit to The Dome by The Growth Distillery, visitors can get up close and personal with the bleeding edge of next-gen tech. Highlighting advancements in rocketry, robotics, engineering, and more, this is a must-see for anyone interested in the ways technology will remake the world in the coming decades. AI as Your Next Co-Worker: Transforming Collaboration in the Future of Work with Armand Ruiz Monday, October 14, 3:45–4:45pm ICC Sydney, Cockle Bay 2 Delve into the rapidly changing role of AI in the workplace and how AI Agents are poised to transform collaboration. As AI technology advances, the future of work will include not just human colleagues, but specialised AI that enhances productivity, creativity, and decision-making. This timely discussion on the evolution of AI, the emergence of AI co-workers, and their implications for teams and organisations will feature live demonstrations to showcase real-world applications of AI. Offering insights on how these technologies will revolutionise the workplace, Armand Ruiz will draw on his experiences as an innovative entrepreneur and technology expert known for his work in digital transformation and startup development. The Inaugural Games Jam Showcase Monday, October 14–Sunday, October 20 This new initiative aims to showcase the limitless creativity and innovation of game developers worldwide. Over 30 days, participating teams will work around a unique theme to inspire their game development journey, pushing the boundaries of design and presenting groundbreaking concepts. Selected projects will be featured and rewarded with exclusive opportunities. More than just a competition, this event celebrates creativity, facilitates networking with industry experts, and offers a chance for recognition on a prominent stage. History of Virtual Celebrities Thursday, October 17, 5–5:30pm Fortress Sydney, Alienware Arena Teddy Dief, Co-Designer of Hyper Light Drifter and Game Director of We Are OFK, explores the evolution of virtual identity since the 1960s across television, music and games. He'll then explore the conception and creation of the virtual band OFK, discussing the design principles, techniques, and social priorities that shaped Team OFK and how they continue to operate as a band. Discover the potential and challenges of designing virtual characters and parasocial relationships while learning the right approaches, the pitfalls to avoid, and how to foster positive connections instead of causing harm. The Genomic Transformation of Medicine Venue and date: TBC Driven by significant advances in three key areas, the field of medicine is currently in the throes of a period of rapid transformation. These include recent developments in genomics, which provides high-resolution insights into the human body; data science, which analyses this data to deepen our understanding of disease; and therapeutics, which facilitates precise molecular interventions to prevent or cure illnesses. This panel discussion features leading experts from each of these domains, moderated by Sarah Murdoch, a champion of genomic medicine and child health. Joining her are genomics specialist Daniel MacArthur, DeepMind AI researcher Clare Bycroft, and stem cell therapeutics innovator Enzo Porrello. Together, they will explore the current landscape and future potential of these groundbreaking technologies, addressing critical challenges related to cost, data privacy, and equity in the genomic age. For the full SXSW 2024 Program, visit the website.
One of the bigger local names on this year's festival lineup, the last twelve months have been particularly good to Tom Gleeson thanks to his supporting role on The Weekly with Charlie Pickering. His new show is titled Great, which we hope is prophetic and not just an empty boast. Fortunately, reviews out of the Melbourne and Brisbane Comedy Festivals suggest it's very much the former. Expect plenty of anecdotes about his family life, along with jabs at Malcolm Turnbull and Peter Dutton.
As COVID-19 cases related to Sydney's northern beaches cluster continue to increase, the NSW Government has asked the city's residents to avoid leaving the house for non-essential reasons. In the daily coronavirus update on Saturday, December 19, Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the reintroduction of stay-at-home public health orders for the northern beaches local government area — which will come into effect at 5pm tonight, run through until midnight on Wednesday, and require residents of the region to remain in their houses except for the same four permitted reasons to leave that were in effect during March's lockdowns. But, for Sydneysiders who live elsewhere in the city, she also issued a request. While no official orders have been made for the rest of Sydney, Premier Berejiklian urged everyone in general to "abandon non-essential activity" over the same period. "We are asking you not to undertake any non-essential travel, or non0essential activity. If you are planning a night out tonight, we ask you to consider changing those plans on staying at home," she said. "We want people to stay at home tonight and the next few nights so that we can ensure the virus does not spread." The Premier expanded upon the reasons for the request, explaining that the state is trying to both stop the cluster growing and spreading elsewhere, and to also stop the need for additional lockdowns — in other places, or for longer periods of time. "We do not want the virus to spread outside of the northern beaches. We do not want perhaps unidentified strands of the virus outside of Sydney, outside of the northern beaches, to start getting to an extent which concerns us," the Premier said. "So can I say to everybody in other parts of Sydney outside the northern beaches, please limit your activity... And if there are any fragments of the virus outside of the northern beaches, we also want to make sure that we give all of Sydney the best chance we have two having a good Christmas." At the same time, Premier Berejiklian did note that it's impossible to rule out further restrictions — and that the government "will be considering today, after consulting obviously the relevant people, whether this time tomorrow we do revert back to some restrictions in Greater Sydney". She continued: "I just want to put everybody on notice that that is a possibility, and that will depend on the help advice sent to us during the course of the day". https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1340091759439671298 The request comes as 23 new COVID-19 cases were identified in the past 24 hours, with 21 directly linked to the current cluster. Before the northern beaches cases emerged, NSW had gone almost a month without any locally acquired cases. Yesterday, however, Premier Berejiklian confirmed that all of Greater Sydney was on "high alert". Over the coming days, all Sydneysiders are are asked to frequently check NSW Health's long list of locations and venues that positive coronavirus cases have visited over the past week — and, if you've been to anywhere listed on the specific dates and times, get tested immediately and self-isolate for 14 days after your visit. In terms of symptoms, Sydneysiders should be looking out for coughs, fever, sore or scratchy throat, shortness of breath, or loss of smell or taste — and getting tested at a clinic if you have any. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website.
Combining archival footage, animation, music and text, the bomb is a full-scale immersive experience that drop the audience right in the heart of the history of nuclear weapons. A 61-minute film draws you in to this gruesome, apocalyptic world while electronica rock trio The Acid provide the tense, pulsating soundtrack live in the room. the bomb explores the immense power of nuclear weapons, the perverse appeal they have, and the profound death wish at the very heart of them – a subject that is, depressingly, more relevant today than at any time in the past 30 years.
UPDATE, February 12, 2021: Portrait of a Lady on Fire is available to stream via Stan, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. In Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Celine Sciamma tasks audiences with literally watching paint dry — and it's riveting. Viewers don't merely stare as the pigment settles, and they don't devote the whole film to glaring at a canvas. Still, in this sumptuous, striking romance, observing artist Marianne (Noémie Merlant) as she gazes at her latest creation couldn't be more crucial. She agonises over every brush stroke as if her soul depends on it, because it does, in a way. Her heart does at the very least. On an island in Brittany near the end of the 18th century, Marianne has been commissioned to paint a portrait of the betrothed Héloïse (Adèle Haenel). But how does anyone do justice to the face of the woman they've fallen hopelessly in love with? Hardly a blushing bride-to-be, Héloïse doesn't want to get married to an Italian man that she has never met, and she certainly doesn't want to sit for an artwork marking the occasion. She has previously refused to comply for another artist, making painting her traditional wedding portrait a tricky prospect. Accordingly, Marianne is enlisted by Héloïse's Countess mother (Valeria Golino) to be her daughter's new companion, to scrutinise her closely every chance she can, and then to craft the picture from memory in secret. As the women spend time together, walking by the sea as the wind swirls and slowly sharing aspects of their lives, their feelings simmer, then bubble, then boil heatedly. When Portrait of a Lady on Fire depicts Marianne peering obsessively at her picture of Héloïse — even wiping off the paint and beginning again when she's discontent with what's staring back — it shows her lost in thought and swept up in the throes of affection. And, because Sciamma is a gifted visual storyteller and Merlant a great actor, the film makes clear the significance of these moments without overplaying a single element. Watching paint dry is important, because every speck solidifies into a permanent token of how Marianne feels about Héloïse. Naturally, she's determined to convey those feelings in as precise and perfect a way as possible. Given the period, place, prevailing societal attitudes and expectations placed upon women, this portrait is the only enduring way that she can immortalise their love — and the weight of that truth is always heartbreakingly apparent. Equally beautiful and bold, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a film that balances the reality of impossible circumstances with otherwise hopeful glimmers, as has become the French writer/director's custom. It's that dynamic that made Sciamma's last feature, girl-gang movie Girlhood, simultaneously perceptive, exuberant and emotionally raw, traits that are essential here, too. The solace that Marianne and Héloïse find in each other's arms in stolen blissful moments proves both tender and sizzling. Their yearning, inner awakenings, and struggle to contain their infatuation within such restrictive confines is palpable. And the fact that their lives aren't their own to decide — no matter how fiercely independent Marianne is, and encourages the more pragmatic Héloïse to be — constantly tints their restrained romance with an unflinchingly bittersweet hue. Bringing all of the above to life in a movie that's the epitome of slow-burning — pun intended, although a portrait of a lady does indeed catch on fire in the film — Merlant and Haenel are a dream duo. Their performances are so measured yet still so heaving with feeling, and their interplay so exacting yet still so quietly expressive, that they could escape the entire feature without saying a word. Writing and directing, Sciamma has penned intricate dialogue for them to speak, though. They say much without uttering a thing, and they also swap meaty exchanges about classic tales, memories and harsh truths. Sciamma won this year's Cannes Film Festival Best Screenplay award for her efforts, as well as acclaim and applause since; however her exceptional script wouldn't burn as brightly without her two leads. Thematically, narratively and emotionally, this could never just be a lush romantic drama brimming with uncomplicated passion and desire. In her first period-set tale, Sciamma was always going to confront the minutiae of life for women of the era — it's pivotal to understanding how the requirements placed upon her characters are so incompatible with their happiness, and why they must relish what brief joy they can. That said, Portrait of a Lady on Fire always looks like a lush romantic drama, whether its gorgeous imagery is watching paint dry, enjoying the scenery, or getting as lost in Marianne and Héloïse as they are in each other. Befitting a movie about a painter and a portrait, every frame could be hung on a wall. An exquisite piece in every way and one of the year's very best, this film earns all of the obvious fiery terms, because it sparks, blazes and simply sets the screen alight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn_-YoG69Sw
It was always going to be an intimidating task to adapt the bestselling novel of Japan's most popular contemporary author, Haruki Murakami. Norwegian Wood is one of the most anticipated films showing this year. Directed by Tran Ahn Hung, it's the story of university student Toru Watanabe in 1960s Tokyo. Living a solitary life at university, Watanabe runs into Naoko, the beautiful and broken girlfriend of his best friend who has recently committed suicide. Falling in love with her as she goes into a dizzying downward spiral, he has to grapple with responsibility and the irrational devotion of his own heart, while Midori, the kind of girl who makes him promise to take her to a porn film, a really dirty one, to get her over the death of her father, becomes an increasingly important part of his life. Norwegian Wood is just about my favourite novel. Part of me never wanted a film to be made, but at the same time I wanted the film to match up to the beauty of the novel in my mind. I wanted to love it. And you know what? Norwegian Wood is a spectacularly beautiful film. Some of the shots I wanted to freeze and photograph, frame them and hang them on the wall. The colours, depth of field and structure of each shot evoke perfectly everything that is beautiful in the novel. But there are problems. A lot of the context of the book is lost in the adaptation, so some of the plot seems confusing, and a lot of the cuts between scenes are disorientating. And although the soundtrack was composed by Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, the music often felt bossy and overly sentimental. The most affective scenes are the ones where there's no music at all — one in particular brought me to tears, and I never, ever, cry in films. So while it might help if you've read the book, you should definitely check out Norwegian Wood as soon as you're able. https://youtube.com/watch?v=tqiYXmpb41I
Spraying reboots, remakes, sequels and prequels across cinema screens like a spirit supposedly sprays ectoplasm — gushing reimaginings, spinoffs and seemingly never-ending franchises, too — Hollywood ain't afraid of no ghosts. It loves them in horror movies, obviously, but it adores the spectre of popular intellectual property even more. These phantoms of hits gone by can be resurrected again and again, all to make a profit. They haunt both cinemas and box-office blockbuster lists, making film-goers and the industry itself constantly feel like they're being spooked by the past. With 14 of Australia's 15 top cash-earning flicks of 2021 all falling into the been-there-done-that category in one way or another, looking backwards in the name of apparently going forwards is now mainstream filmmaking 101, and the big end of town rarely likes bustin' a money-making formula. After more than a few pandemic delays, that's the world that Ghostbusters: Afterlife floats into — a world that's made worshipping previous glories one of the biggest cash-spinners show business could've ever dreamed up. The fourth feature to bear the Ghostbusters name, but a new legacy sequel to the original 1984 film, this reanimated franchise entry certainly sports a fitting subtitle; treating its source material like it's nirvana is firmly filmmaker Jason Reitman's approach. To him, it might've been. Although he established his career with indie comedies such as Thank You for Smoking and Juno, he's the son of director Ivan Reitman, who helmed the OG Ghostbusters and its 1989 follow-up Ghostbusters II. To plenty of fans, those two initial comedy-horror flicks were something special as well; however, acknowledging that fact — and trying to recreate the feeling of being a kid or teen watching the first Ghostbusters nearly four decades ago — isn't enough to fuel a new film. To be fair, the younger Reitman isn't particularly interested in making a new movie; Be Kind Rewind's "sweded" Ghostbusters clips are more original than Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Instead, he directs a homage that sprinkles in links to its predecessor so heartily that it's probably easier to name the scenes and details that don't scream "hey, this is Ghostbusters!" as loudly as possible. And, even when Reitman and co-screenwriter Gil Kenan (Poltergeist) appear to shake things up ever so slightly, it all still ties back to that kid-in-the-80s sensation. Sure, Ghostbusters: Afterlife's protagonists aren't adult New Yorkers, but they're small-town adolescents who might as well have ambled out of one of the era's other hot properties: Steven Spielberg-helmed or -produced coming-of-age adventure-comedies about life-changing, Americana-dripping, personality-shaping escapades. Phoebe (Mckenna Grace, Malignant) is one such child, and a new inhabitant of the cringingly titled Summerville, Oklahoma at that. With her mother Callie (Carrie Coon, The Nest) and brother Trevor (Finn Wolfhard, The Goldfinch), she's made the move because the granddad she never knew just passed away, leaving a dilapidated rural property to his estranged family. The townsfolk speak his nickname, "dirt farmer", with mocking and intrigue, but his actual moniker — and all that equipment he's left behind — brings big changes Phoebe's way. While being Dr Egon Spengler's granddaughter doesn't initially mean too much to her, other than giving her love for science a genetic basis, she's soon segueing from testing out ghost traps with local teacher Mr Grooberson (Paul Rudd, The Shrink Next Door) to cracking Egon's secret efforts to stop a world-shattering supernatural event. Who ya gonna call? Reitman and Kenan's teen fantasies, presumably. The pair haven't taxed themselves with their screenplay, which reads like backyard cosplay. That said, when they're not getting characters to utter the obvious — including "who ya gonna call?", of course — or trotting out mini marshmallow men for no good narrative reason, Reitman and Kenan do expend ample energy differentiating Ghostbusters: Afterlife from 2016's Ghostbusters. Wrongly maligned by manchildren who claimed that women bustin' ghosts somehow ruined their childhoods despite the fact they're now ostensibly grown, the latter is a comic gem that's far nearer in tone to the 1984 flick than this new nostalgia dump. But the female-fronted film didn't linger on every Ghostbusters nod it could shoehorn in every 30 seconds or so, and definitely didn't regard all those winks as the sole reason it existed, so Ghostbusters: Afterlife is here to redress that (and, continuity-wise, to flat-out ignore that the last movie was ever made). It seems that Hollywood does want to blast away some spirits after all: the remnants of prior franchise entries that didn't thrill their diehard fans. There's no point asking if this is what blockbuster filmmaking is now, because we've all seen the proof countless times — but even Spider-Man: No Way Home's theme park-esque references to past web-slinging iterations still recognised the movies that weren't universally loved. The Matrix Resurrections plugged into its chequered history even deeper, defiantly making its two worst predecessors indispensable to the latest movie. But Ghostbusters: Afterlife doesn't dare challenge, surprise, or do anything other than pander to and try to evoke claps and cheers from viewers easily pleased by loving what they've always loved. Bringing back familiar faces, blatantly ripping off the original Ghostbusters' ending, tastelessly resurrecting (via CGI) the late Harold Ramis as Egon: there is no inspiration here, only bland, tedious, sentiment-coddling cinematic gruel. If only Reitman approached Ghostbusters: Afterlife less like inevitably inheriting the family business, and more like the smart, sharp and very funny comedies already on his resume. If only he'd brought over just a single proton-pack blast of Young Adult and Tully's disdain for idolising the past. If only he'd given the engaging Grace something more to do than act out his own path — learning to follow in her grandfather's footsteps, just as Reitman does with his dad. There's more where these laments came from, too. If only there really was something strange, unusual, wacky and silly in this movie's neighbourhood, other than Rudd never ageing. If only Ghostbusters: Afterlife wasn't just empty and easy fan service: the movie. If only it wasn't bloated, shot like a parody of an 80s all-ages adventure, far too influenced by Wolfhard's Stranger Things, wasteful of its cast, and determined to remind its audience over and over that better Ghostbusters films exist. This fourquel only has eyes for one movie, it ain't afraid to show it, and it isn't itself — and that's what it leaves you wishing you'd watched again instead.
Alexandros Kouris speaks a lot about alchemy. As the owner and founder of the Nissos Brewery on the island of Tinos, he’s not just talking about the rich golden colour of his beer; he’s talking about what makes a craft beer great. “I can’t explain it chemically to you, but there’s an alchemy,” Kouris laughs. “Happy people make good beer.” Nissos Pilsner has made it to the Australian craft beer market all the way from the sunshine and aquamarine seas of the Greek island of Tinos, 6 nautical miles from Mykonos. It’s a beer craft drinkers will be drawn to not just for its unique taste (a citrusy, refreshing and full-bodied pilsner) but as a winsome example of the craft beer ethos. Nissos beer is brewed and bottled in small quantities by 15 local Tinos islanders, using purely natural, traditional and slow brewing processes, as well as Greek ingredients. For Kouris, this local authenticity is very much the appeal, and why he believes the resurgence of craft beers is well deserved. “I’m a great believer that food and drink should be — it’s not the product, it’s not the commercial product — it’s part of our culture,” says Kouris. “So if I take from your hands the production of food and drink I take part of your identity ... I come here with my beers and taste yours and I take back yours, this is beautiful, this is human. And this is human skill and it keeps the world alive.” Kouris entered the world of craft beer following the Global Financial Crisis, when he decided to sell off what companies he had. He says that while everyone in Greece was afraid and taking money out of the country, he wanted to do the opposite. “I loved beer. I followed the craft beer movement all around the world," he says. "I love the Cycladic island of Tinos and I said, putting the two together that could create a very good business, one that will make me happy and one that will, I hope, inspire people in Greece.” It seems his gamble has paid off. Last year the small brewery came away with silver in the Pilsner category at the European Beer Competition (which Kouris describes as the “Oscars” of beer competitions) against 1613 other international beers. Impressive, given the brewery was only 17 months old and produces only one beer, but hardly surprising for a pilsner whose herbal and citrus aroma and crispness tastes like a liquid advertising campaign for life on a Greek isle. This year, the taste and story of the beer has been discovered by Nick Manettas (of Nick’s Seafood Restaurant), who has embarked on a successful campaign to bring Nissos to the Australian market and into your craft beer-ready glass. “It’s very distinct, it’s very full-bodied as a pilsner and apparently it’s very good, people love it,” smiles Kouris. “And you know, this is alchemy.” You can find Nissos on exclusive release to all of the Nick’s Restaurant and Bar Group venues before it begins wider distribution to a pub near you over the next year. So keep your eyes on your craft beers and a Greek island shanty in your heart.
Catch Left, winner of the 2014 Melbourne Fringe Festival’s People’s Choice Award, while it’s right here in Sydney. An hour-long spectacle of physical theatre performed by seven acrobats, it explores the joy of building human relationships and community, and the experiences of loss, grief and recovery. This is a heart-warming show by Australian circus company Long Answers to Simple Questions.
Rapper, songwriter, and arguably one of music’s most notable controversy magnets, Azealia Banks, is on her way back to Australia for Splendour. Banks's long awaited album, Broke with Expensive Taste, was finally released last year and had many agreeing that it was worth the wait. When Banks charged into house parties worldwide with ‘212’ in 2011 it was clear that this was a force to be reckoned with — everyone loves a killer beat and the chance to yell expletives. She's continued her warpath with ‘Van Vogue’, ‘Ice Princess’ and ‘Yung Rapunxel’ Unfortunately, Banks has been known to cut her sets short (a few times now) during shows in Australia, so we have our fingers and toes crossed that history doesn’t repeat itself. We say take the plunge and grab a ticket, there’s a damn good chance she’s going to blow the roof off.
Spilling out from World Science Festival, Curiocity Brisbane (22 March–2 April, 2023) takes over the wider city of Brisbane. Art meets STEM in a landscape of experiences and installations designed to challenge and enlighten urban explorers. Use augmented reality to bring memory fragments to life, encounter kinetic art through an intense colour spectrum in a changing parabolic curve, interact with playful cybernetics and help teach AI in real time. Take a free curator tour to take a deeper dive into the meaning behind the artworks, which includes the interactive "sound sculptures" T.H.E.M (that's The Handmade Electric Machines, if you're curious — a collection of six sound and lighting mechanisms brought to life by musicians, artists and designers). The free Curious Conversations program offers discussions on topics such as the future of AI, our role in the natural world and First Nations artists' relationship with history, culture and traditional knowledge. [caption id="attachment_804118" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Curiocity 2021, Markus Ravik[/caption] But, Curiocity Brisbane isn't just for the daylight hours. Art installations will be scattered along the streets and South Bank, disrupting the reverie of the river city with thought-provoking displays and unexpected intrusions, both visual and auditory. Curiocity Brisbane pops up around Brisbane from Wednesday, March 22–Sunday, April 2, 2023.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION When Jurassic World Dominion was being written, three words must've come up often. No, they're not Neill, Dern, Goldblum. Those beloved actors reunite here, the trio appearing in the same Jurassic Park flick for the first time since the 1993 original, but the crucial terms are actually "but with dinosaurs". Returning Jurassic World writer/director Colin Trevorrow mightn't have uttered that phrase aloud; however, when Dominion stalks into a dingy underground cantina populated by people and prehistoric creatures, Star Wars but with dinosaurs instantly springs to mind. The same proves true when the third entry in this Jurassic Park sequel trilogy also includes high-stakes flights in a rundown aircraft that's piloted by a no-nonsense maverick. These nods aren't only confined to a galaxy far, far away — a realm that Trevorrow was meant to join as a filmmaker after the first Jurassic World, only to be replaced on Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker — and, yes, they just keep on coming. There's the speedy chase that zooms through alleys in Malta, giving the Bond franchise more than a few nods — but with dinosaurs, naturally. There's the plot about a kidnapped daughter, with Taken but with dinosaurs becoming a reality as well. That Trevorrow, co-scribe Emily Carmichael (Pacific Rim Uprising) and his usual writing collaborator Derek Connolly (Safety Not Guaranteed) have seen other big-name flicks is never in doubt. Indeed, too much of Dominion feels like an attempt to actively make viewers wish they were watching those other movies. Bourne but with dinosaurs rears its head via a rooftop chase involving, yes, dinos. Also, two different Stanley Kubrick masterpieces get cribbed so blatantly that royalties must be due, including when an ancient critter busts through a door as Jack Nicholson once did, and the exact same shot — but with dinosaurs — hits the screen. What do Star Wars, Bond, Bourne and The Shining have to do with the broader Jurassic Park film saga, which started when Steven Spielberg adapted Michael Crichton's book into a box-office behemoth? That's a fantastic question. The answer: zip, zero and zilch, other than padding out Dominion as much as possible, as riffs on Indiana Jones, The Birds, Alien, Mad Max: Fury Road, Austin Powers, the Fast and Furious movies, cloning thrillers, disaster epics and more also do. In nearly every scene, and often at the frame-by-frame level, another feature is channelled so overtly that it borders on parody. And, that's on top of the fact that recycling its own history is just Dominion 101. There's no theme park, but when it's mentioned that dinosaurs are being placed in a sanctuary, everyone watching knows that the film's human characters will get stranded in that spot, trying not to be eaten by a Tyrannosaurus rex and the like. From all of the above, a loose narrative emerges — an overstuffed and convoluted one, too. A few years on from 2018's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, people are endeavouring to co-exist with dinosaurs. Unsurprisingly, it's going terribly. Run by Mark Zuckerberg-esque entrepreneur Lewis Dodgson (Campbell Scott, WeCrashed), tech company BioSyn owns that safe dino space in the Italian Dolomites, although palaeobotanist Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern, Marriage Story) and palaeontologist Alan Grant (Sam Neill, Rams) also tie the firm to giant dino-locusts wreaking existence-threatening havoc. Plus, ex-Jurassic World velociraptor whisperer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt, The Tomorrow War) and his boss-turned-girlfriend Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard, Rocketman) head BioSyn's way when the adopted Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon) — who links back to the first Jurassic Park thanks to Forbidden Kingdom's ridiculous storyline — is snatched. Oh, and mathematician Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum, Search Party) works there, as does cloning whiz Henry Wu (BD Wong, Mr Robot). Read our full review. A HERO With apologies to Bonnie Tyler, cinema isn't holding out for a hero — and hasn't been for some time. The singer's 80s-era Footloose-soundtrack hit basically describes the state of mainstream movies today, filled as screens now are with strong, fast, sure and larger-than-life figures racing on thunder and rising on heat. But what does heroism truly mean beyond the spandex of pop-culture's biggest current force? Who do we hold up as role models, and as feel-good champions of kind and selfless deeds? How do those tales of IRL heroism ebb, flow and spread, too? Pondering this far beyond the caped-crusader realm is Asghar Farhadi, a two-time Oscar-winner thanks to A Separation and The Salesman. As is the acclaimed Iranian filmmaker's gambit, his latest movie is intricately complicated, as are its views on human nature and Iranian society. As Farhadi has adored since 2003's Dancing in the Dust — and in everything from 2009's exceptional About Elly to his 2018 Spanish-language feature Everybody Knows as well — A Hero is steeped in the usual and the everyday. The 2021 Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix-winner may start with a sight that's the absolute opposite thanks to necropolis Naqsh-e Rostam near the Iranian city of Shiraz, an imposingly grand site that includes the tombs of ancient Persian rulers Xerxes and Darius, but the writer/director's main concerns are as routine, recognisable and relatable as films get. One such obsession: domestic disharmony, aka the cracks that fracture the ties of blood, love and friendship. A Hero sprawls further thematically, wondering if genuine altruism — that is, really and wholeheartedly acting in someone else's interest, even at a cost to oneself — can ever actually exist. But it charts that path because of the frayed and thorny relationships it surveys, and the everyman caught within them. When A Hero begins, calligrapher and sign painter Rahim Soltani (Amir Jadidi, Cold Sweat) is no one's saviour, victor or ideal. While he definitely isn't a villain, he's just been given a two-day pass from an Iranian debtor's prison, where he's incarcerated over a family financial feud. Owing 150,000,000 tomans to his ex-wife's brother-in-law, he's stuck serving out his sentence unless he can settle it or his creditor, copy shop owner Bahram (Mohsen Tanabandeh, Capital), agrees to forgive him. The latter is unlikely, so with his girlfriend Farkhondeh (debutant Sahar Goldust), Rahim hatches a repayment plan. She has stumbled across a handbag filled with 17 gold coins, and together they hope to sell it, then use the proceeds to secure his freedom — except, when they attempt to cash in, they're told that their haul won't reach anywhere the sum they need. Instead, with a mixture of guilt and resignation — and at Farkhondeh's suggestion — Rahim decides to track down the coins' rightful owner. Cue signs plastered around the streets, then an immensely thankful phone call. Cue also the prison's higher-ups discovering Rahim's efforts, and wanting to cash in themselves by eagerly whipping up publicity around their model inmate's considerate choice. The media lap it up, as do the locals. Rahim's young son Siavash (newcomer Saleh Karimaei), a quiet boy with a stutter that's been cared for by his aunt Malileh (fellow first-timer Maryam Shahdaei), gets drawn into the chaos. A charity that fundraises to resolve prisoners' debts takes up the cause, too. Still, the stern and stubborn Bahram remains skeptical, especially as more fame and attention comes Rahim's way. Also, the kind of heroism that's fuelled via news reports and furthered by social media is fickle above all else, especially when competing information comes to light. Read our full review. BENEDICTION To write notable things, does someone need to live a notable life? No, but sometimes they do anyway. To truly capture the bone-chilling, soul-crushing, gut-wrenching atrocities of war, does someone need to experience it for themselves? In the case of Siegfried Sassoon, his anti-combat verse could've only sprung from someone who had been there, deep in the trenches of the Western Front during World War I, and witnessed its harrowing horrors. If you only know one thing about the Military Cross-winner and poet going into Benediction, you're likely already aware that he's famed for his biting work about his time in uniform. There's obviously more to his story and his life, though, as there is to the film that tells his tale. But British writer/director Terence Davies (Sunset Song) never forgets the traumatic ordeal, and the response to it, that frequently follows his subject's name as effortlessly as breathing. Indeed, being unable to ever banish it from one's memory, including Sassoon's own, is a crucial part of this precisely crafted, immensely affecting and deeply resonant movie. If you only know two things about Sassoon before seeing Benediction, you may have also heard of the war hero-turned-conscientious objector's connection to fellow poet Wilfred Owen. Author of Anthem for Damned Youth, he fought in the same fray but didn't make it back. That too earns Davies' attention, with Jack Lowden (Slow Horses) as Sassoon and Matthew Tennyson (Making Noise Quietly) as his fellow wordsmith, soldier and patient at Craiglockhart War Hospital — both for shell shock. Benediction doesn't solely devote its frames to this chapter in its central figure's existence, either, but the film also knows that it couldn't be more pivotal in explaining who Sassoon was, and why, and how war forever changed him. The two writers were friends, and also shared a mutual infatuation. They were particularly inspired during their times at Craiglockhart as well. In fact, Sassoon mentored the younger Owen, and championed his work after he was killed in 1918, exactly one week before before Armistice Day. Perhaps you know three things about Sassoon prior to Benediction. If so, you might be aware of Sassoon's passionate relationships with men, too. Plenty of the film bounces between his affairs with actor and singer Ivor Novello (Jeremy Irvine, Treadstone), socialite Stephen Tennant (Calam Lynch, Bridgerton) and theatre star Glen Byam Shaw (Tom Blyth, Billy the Kid), all at a time in Britain when homosexuality was outlawed. There's a fated air to each romantic coupling in Davies' retelling, whether or not you know to begin with that Sassoon eventually (and unhappily) married the younger Hester Gatty (Kate Phillips, Downton Abbey). His desperate yearning to hold onto someone, and something, echoes with post-war melancholy as well. That said, that sorrow isn't just a product of grappling with a life-changing ordeal, but also of a world where everything Sassoon wants and needs is a battle — even if there's a giddy air to illegal dalliances among London's well-to-do. Benediction caters for viewers who resemble Jon Snow going in, naturally, although Davies doesn't helm any ordinary biopic. No stranger to creating on-screen poetry with his lyrical films — or to biopics about poets, after tackling Emily Dickinson in his last feature A Quiet Passion — the filmmaker steps through Sassoon's tale like he's composing evocative lines himself. Davies has always been a deeply stirring talent; see: his 1988 debut Distant Voices, Still Lives, 2011's romance The Deep Blue Sea and 2016's Sunset Song, for instance. Here, he shows how it's possible to sift through the ins and outs of someone's story, compiling all the essential pieces in the process, yet never merely reducing it down to the utmost basics. Some biopics can resemble Wikipedia entries re-enacted for the screen, even if done so with flair, but Benediction is the polar opposite. Read our full review. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on March 3, March 10, March 17, March 24 and March 31; April 7, April 14, April 21 and April 28; and May 5, May 12, May 19 and May 26; and June 2. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Batman, Blind Ambition, Bergman Island, Wash My Soul in the River's Flow, The Souvenir: Part II, Dog, Anonymous Club, X, River, Nowhere Special, RRR, Morbius, The Duke, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbledore, Ambulance, Memoria, The Lost City, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Happening, The Good Boss, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Northman, Ithaka, After Yang, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Petite Maman, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Firestarter, Operation Mincemeat, To Chiara, This Much I Know to Be True, The Innocents, Top Gun: Maverick, The Bob's Burgers Movie, Ablaze, Hatching and Mothering Sunday.
As the drummer for Nirvana and the frontman for Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl doesn't have many mixed bags on his resume. The music superstar has been in the spotlight for three-plus decades now, and boasts success after success to his name, complete with a list of awards and hits bound to make almost everyone else in the industry envious. But all their lives, Grohl and his fellow Foos must've dreamt of being horror movie stars — and the result, the pandemic-shot Studio 666, shouldn't entice any of them to quit their day jobs. A haunted-house horror-comedy, this rockstar lark is gonzo, gory and extremely goofy. It's a clear bit of fun for everyone involved, and it's made with overflowing love for the genre it slips into and parodies. But it's an indulgent and stretched exercise in famous folks following their whims at times like these, too. Achievement unlocked: there's Grohl's mixed bag. Studio 666's setup revolves around Grohl, drummer Taylor Hawkins, guitarists Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear, bassist Nate Mendel and keyboardist Rami Jaffee packing their bags for a live-in recording session at an Encino mansion. As the movie's 1993-set prologue shows, their temporary new home has a dark past, after the last group that inhabited the spot met bloody ends; however, ignorance is bliss for the Foo Fighters. Actually, an obligation to deliver their tenth album to their overbearing manager (Jeff Garlin, Curb Your Enthusiasm) inspires the move, as does the band's creative lull in conjuring up the record otherwise. Grohl instantly falls for the sound of the space as well, to an unhinged degree, and his bandmates begrudgingly agree to the month-long stay to make musical magic happen. Recording an album doesn't usually spark The Evil Dead-style murderous mayhem, cursed book and all, but that's Studio 666's gambit. Its Californian abode isn't just stalked by a grisly ghoul with a love of gut-rumbling tracks — it possesses Grohl with the need to craft a killer song, length be damned, and with satanic bloodlust, cannibal cravings and prima-donna rocker behaviour. Is he monstrous about doing whatever it takes to get the tune because he's bedevilled by the house's resident evil, he's on a power trip or both? That's one of the film's big gags, and also a hefty splatter of the kind of sense of humour it's working with. Winking, nudging, satirising, and sending up fame, egos and the all-devouring nature of entertainment stardom: they're all on the movie's menu, alongside as much gleefully cheap-looking viscera as any feature can manage to splash around. Amid the deaths by cymbal, barbecued faces and projectile-vomited guts — no, what's left of the Foos at the film's end won't be getting their bond back — there's zero doubt that Grohl and company are enjoying themselves. Actors, they aren't, but playfulness has always been part of Foo Fighters' mood. When the band began in 1994, initially as a one-man project by Grohl after Kurt Cobain's suicide the same year, it was instantly perkier and sillier than Nirvana. For the 'Big Me' music video from the group's self-titled first album, they shot an unforgettable Mentos ad parody in Sydney. With the 'Learn to Fly' clip in 1999, they satirised airline flicks — Airplane!, which was already a send-up, plus disaster fare Airport 1975 and Airport '77 — aided by Tenacious D's Jack Black and Kyle Gass. Getting so delightedly bloody might be new, but refusing to take themselves seriously definitely isn't. Surrounded by Lionel Ritchie cameos and Will Forte's (MacGruber) bit-part as a delivery driver-slash-wannabe muso, all in the house where they did actually record 2021's Medicine at Midnight, the Foos are in on all of the jokes — Grohl goes overboard with his eye acting, Jaffee couldn't be more buzzed to revel in New Age-y stereotypes and Smear is gloriously flippant about sleeping on the kitchen bench — but they also overestimate how entertaining their mucking around is for audiences. The ever-longer it sticks around, the more Studio 666 resembles viewing your mates' holiday videos and hearing them relive their in-gags from that trip you didn't take with them. The Grohl-originated story, as scripted by the Pet Sematary remake and latest American The Grudge flick scribe Jeff Buhler with Rebecca Hughes, a veteran of mid-00s sitcom Cracking Up, has more to it than a mere clip for a Foo Fighters song could sustain. There isn't enough for Hatchet III and Slayer music video director BJ McDonnell's 107-minute movie, though. Splitting the difference, a tight half-hour short like the Beastie Boys' 2011 Fight for Your Right Revisited might've hit the mark perfectly, but then no one could've sold cinema tickets. Studio 666 is a tad haunted by those other alliterative American music icons given that the Beastie Boys made ridiculously parodying movie genres an art in their clips for 'Sabotage' — aka the best music video ever made — and 'Body Movin'. This Foos' effort strives for the same vibe, but more is less here. There's a bit of A Hard Days Night to Studio 666, too. Obviously, The Beatles-starring 1964 film doesn't care too much for horror, or at all, but the two movies share a days-in-a-life angle that peers beyond the facade of fame. That's a nice piece of music synergy, in fact, given that Grohl was part of a makeshift band tasked with playing the British group's songs for the Backbeat soundtrack back in 1994, the same year Foo Fighters was born. Not just due to Grohl's flannelette-heavy wardrobe, the Nirvana of it all proves a monkey wrench for Studio 666. In coming up with a story that includes a hit early-90s band's demise after the suicide of their lead singer, it's impossible not to see Grohl's bad-taste cribbing from his own history — a piece of satire that doesn't land for a second, was never going to and is mind-bogglingly ill thought-out. When the film does work, however, it's a screwy, entrails-strewn jape. When it toys with horror fans' knowledge of the genre by using Halloween-style text with an opening theme to match, then reveals the track to be the product of the iconic John Carpenter (who also cameos on-screen), it's knowing in an ideal way. But, when Jason Trost of the cult-fave The FP franchise shows up briefly, Studio 666 lays bare its own demons. This Foo-driven film wants to be the best of that exact kind of midnight movie, but is really just a cover version.
UPDATE, December 23, 2021: Better Watch Out is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. The weather outside might be frightful, but staying indoors is far from delightful. Indeed, in Christmas slasher story Better Watch Out, the gifts and games are of the murderous kind. With his parents (Virginia Madsen and Patrick Warburton) heading out for some seasonal cheer, 12-year-old Luke (Levi Miller) and his pal Garrett (Ed Oxenbould) are left home alone in the suburbs with 17-year-old babysitter Ashley (Olivia DeJonge). If you've seen any kind of horror movie, Christmas-themed or not, you'll know that it doesn't turn out well. Far from walking merrily through familiar territory, however, writer-director Chris Peckover and his co-scribe Zack Kahn have a few surprises in store for fans of festive thrills. Their teenage trio aren't exactly setting booby traps for burglars, but nor are they simply hiding out as a knife-wielding maniac wreaks havoc. Even before the weapons come out, things aren't exactly going smoothly. Luke is soon downing champagne in his desperate attempt to seduce Ashley, despite the fact that she's preoccupied with arguing on the phone with her boyfriend. Oh, and someone is out to kill them. Someone inside the house. If Better Watch Out was a Yuletide beverage, it'd be spiked eggnog: you think you know what you're getting, but after a couple of sips it turns out to be something very different. And while it's best for viewers to experience the movie's twists and turns for themselves, savouring the performances that go with them is heartily recommended. Miller (Jasper Jones), Oxenbould (Paper Planes) and DeJonge (The Visit) embrace their multifaceted roles with relish, playing to type before suddenly veering in unexpected directions. The three local actors are a boon to the US-Australian co-production, which is set in the States but was shot in Sydney. With found footage film Undocumented also on his resume, Peckover has clearly seen more than a few scary movies, and wears his expertise on his sleeve. Better Watch Out is filled with overt nods to genre tropes — but then again, aren't most horror films these days? Here, winking at convention heightens the tongue-in-cheek vibe, although it also occasionally proves to be a crutch. In some moments, the movie's meta-references are smart, inspired and laugh-out-loud hilarious. In others, they mosey a little too close to cartoonish, particularly as the story starts to wind up. But the film fares far better when it comes to its treatment of Christmas flicks, burrowing into the darkness behind the supposedly happiest time of the year. Toxic Yuletide fantasies, toxic domesticity, toxic masculinity — Peckover and Kahn find time to poke and prod all three amidst their nasty pranks, hormonal teens and festive tunes. For fans of horror comedy, Better Watch Out is one seriously warped present beneath the Christmas tree. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b88Z3Xa9v4s
During its eight-season run between 2011–19, Game of Thrones served up more drama than several fire-breathing dragons could whip up. It also delivered HBO huge ratings, plenty of advertising dollars and free-flowing acclaim, so the US cable network is understandably keen to keep the franchise going — and it looks like it has three more GoT-related TV shows in the works. We say 'more' because HBO already has three others in various stages of development. Indeed, just which new programs will spin off from the world created by George RR Martin has been a hefty source of drama in itself over the past few years. Before GoT even finished, there was chatter about what would come next, with the network first announcing that it was considering five different prequel ideas. It then green-lit one to pilot stage, scrapped it and later decided to adapt Martin's House Targaryen-focused Fire & Blood for the small screen as a show called House of the Dragon instead. Next, it opted to also give novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg the TV treatment — and to work on an animated GoT show as well. Now, The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that fans might be able to look forward to 9 Voyages, 10,000 Ships and a third show set in Flea Bottom, the King's Landing slum. So, like residents of Westeros hoping that summer (or at least autumn) will last for ever, you don't need to let go of this highly successful fantasy world anytime soon. Hailing from Rome creator Bruno Heller, 9 Voyages plans to focus on Lord Corlys Velaryon, who is also known as The Sea Snake, Lord of the Tides, Master of Driftmark and head of House Velaryon. If he doesn't yet sound familiar, that's because he's set to appear in House of the Dragon, where he'll be played by Steve Toussaint (It's a Sin). As for 10,000 Ships, it'll be about Princess Nymeria, an ancestor of House Martell who started the kingdom of Dorne. If it goes ahead, the show will tell a tale that takes place around 1000 years before the events in GoT. Then there's the the Flea Bottom series, which doesn't yet have even a working title. But, viewers can expect to spend time in the spot where Davos Seaworth and Gendry Baratheon were born. So far, only House of the Dragon — which will star Olivia Cooke (Pixie), Emma D'Arcy (Misbehaviour), Paddy Considine (The Third Day), Rhys Ifans (Official Secrets), Matt Smith (His House), Sonoya Mizuno (Devs) and Eve Best (Nurse Jackie) — is confirmed to be forging ahead. You can probably pencil in 2022 in your diary, if you're wondering when you might be able to see it. As for the other five GoT-related shows, they're just in various stages of development, so it's too early to say when they might pop up or who'll star in them. As the scrapping of the first proposed prequel illustrates — as mentioned above — the fact that HBO is pondering making new Westeros-set programs doesn't mean that they'll end up coming to fruition. At some point, Martin's saga will also live on in his books, whenever the author finally publishes the long-awaited next instalment of his A Song of Ice and Fire series. Until any of the GoT prequels and spinoffs actually drop, you can always rewatch the original — which is streaming in Australia via Binge — or revisit a trailer from its eighth and final season below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuLUyJdRvSU Via The Hollywood Reporter.
Something delightful is happening in cinemas across the country. After months spent empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Australian picture palaces are starting to reopen — spanning both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney and Brisbane (and, until the newly reinstated stay-at-home orders, Melbourne as well). During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made over the past three months, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtVe_8CS6vU RADIOACTIVE Even without sourcing and quoting an exact number, it's obvious that an immense amount of people owe their lives to Marie and Pierre Curie's research on radioactivity. Without their work — Marie's passion project, which she reluctantly agreed to collaborate on with Pierre after they first crossed paths in Paris — cancer treatment would've likely been vastly different over the past century. The results for scores of cancer patients would've been as well. But the pair's discovery of two new elements, radium and polonium, also led to disturbing side effects and cataclysmic events that changed the course of history in other ways. Radioactive touches upon both, from life-saving oncology usage and the ability to conduct x-rays on World War I battlefields to the bombing of Hiroshima and Chernobyl's nuclear reactor meltdown. Via the inclusion of clips in a 50s hospital, in Japan, in the Ukraine and at a nuclear bomb test in Nevada in 1961, this becomes a far more thoughtful feature than its usual biopic trappings often indicate (and make no mistake, much of the script reads from the biopic-101 playbook). It might seem strange for a film about Marie to leap forward at different moments, jumping to years and decades past her death in 1934, all to show how the physicist and chemist's work made and continues to make a colossal impact upon the world. But that's the most interesting thing about Radioactive: its willingness to contemplate both the significant benefits and proven dangers of Marie (Rosamund Pike, an Oscar-nominee for Gone Girl) and Pierre's (Sam Riley, Rebecca) pioneering discoveries. The latter is tasked with vocalising this battle in his acceptance speech for their shared 1903 Nobel Prize in physics, acknowledging the struggle but opining that "mankind will derive more good than harm". As directed by Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis) and adapted from Lauren Redniss' graphic novel about the Curies, Radioactive film doesn't simply take Pierre at his word, however. It shows his radiation sickness, and Marie's. It touches upon the backlash when news of radioactivity's health effects started becoming widely known. And those aforementioned flash-forwards to both positive and negative applications of the Curies' research keep the same conversation going, because Radioactive doesn't try to offer a right or wrong answer. Something can be two things at once, after all, as this often-probing movie shows in a variety of ways. Read our full review. https://vimeo.com/451401547#at=17 BRAZEN HUSSIES Chatting to activists involved in Australia's women's liberation movement during the 60s and 70s, Brazen Hussies doesn't lack in witty and wise ladies making pivotal points. But it's filmmaker Margot Nash (The Silences) who offers one of this documentary's most telling observations, and the one that crystallises exactly why this movie had to be made. "History has to be told over and over again," she advises. She's a talking head in the film, rather than the writer or director behind it — those roles fall to first-timer Catherine Dwyer — but she couldn't encapsulate Brazen Hussies' purpose any better if she was the doco's driving force. As the feature explains, it's easy for people to overlook this chapter of history, and the fact that it all happened so recently. It's easy to forget that women's lives were drastically different, as was the way they were regarded by the world around them. Brazen Hussies surveys pay inequality, legal abortion, funding for childcare, the way both queer women and Indigenous Australian women are treated, society's abhorrence of female sexuality and the first Advisor on Women's Affairs to a head of government anywhere in the world — plus everything from tackling domestic violence and the victim-blaming that can go along with it, to the simple struggle to survive that single mothers faced as well. But this happens in tandem with a historical recounting of Australia's actual fight for women's liberation, with Dwyer inspired by working on 2014 documentary She's Beautiful When She's Angry (which did the same from a US perspective). She examines what drove the more than 25 women she counts among her eponymous group to act and what they achieved, of course. At every moment, however, she's just as interested in how they battled for that change. Having access to a treasure trove of materials helps considerably in this engaging, informative and impassioned film. If the doco's talking-head lineup is impressive, it's bested only by the immense range of archival images and footage that Dwyer and editor Rosie Jones (director of The Family) splice together. With the rest of the filmmaking team, the pair sifted through more than 4000 photographs, journals, artworks and posters, and 800-plus news clips, documentaries and dramatic movies — and, unsurprisingly, Brazen Hussies is all the more detailed for it. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roo8p8sDX24&feature=emb_logo A LION RETURNS Following the clandestine return of a radicalised Muslim man to Sydney to see his dying mother, A Lion Returns is a film about extreme actions and the consequences they bring. And yet, as written and directed by Serhat Caradee — marking his second feature after 2009's Cedar Boys — it's a movie driven primarily by talk about those actions. Indeed, its opening third takes place in a car outside the Alamein family residence, where brothers Omar (Danny Elacci, Trust) and Jamal (Tyler De Nawi, On the Ropes) reunite in secret while their relatives gather inside. Before academic Omar can work out how to usher Jamal inside without anyone else seeing, especially their father Yusef (Taffy Hany, East West 101) who is likely to call the police, the siblings discuss everything that has led them to this juncture. Omar outlines the grim health predicament their ailing mother Manal (Helen Chebatte, Alex & Eve) faces, with hospice her next step. He also demands answers from Jamal about why he left his own wife (Jacqui Purvis, Neighbours) and young son to fight in Syria, makes his brother explain exactly what he did during his time with the Islamic State and tries to ascertain what he hopes to achieve by making a comeback. A Lion Returns is so dialogue-heavy — and so driven by two- and three-way conversations about bonds of family, faith, the lengths one will go to for both and the repercussions that follow — that it could've easily graced the stage instead of the big screen. But there's an intimacy to this independent, low-budget, shot-in-ten-days Australian drama about ripped-from-the-headline matters that's cinematic. Set in an ordinary vehicle and a just-as-standard suburban home, and unfurling in real time, its visuals mightn't provide an overt spectacle; however, the connection that Caradee evokes with his complicated characters, and with the complex ideas and themes they discuss and sift through, benefits from the film's ability to get literally close to the animated chatter happening within its frames. This is a feature that makes every move possible to place its audience in the heat of the moment with its arguing family members, to share their tension and to confront the same thorny issues with them, and does so with precision. There are few surprises, narrative-wise, as not only Jamal's abandoned loved ones but the defector himself grapple with his choices and the shadows they've left overseas and at home, but A Lion Returns excavates a difficult situation with assurance and poise, as well as with passionate performances. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPie_hKO6pM IP MAN: KUNG FU MASTER It's unlikely that filmmakers will ever get sick of making movies about Ip Man, much in the same way that they never seem to tire of bringing the likes of Sherlock Holmes and Dracula to the screen. Ip Man was a real person, though. A martial arts grandmaster in the kung fu style known as Wing Chun, his life spanned fascinating chapters in both mainland China and Hong Kong, including a stint with the police force and training Bruce Lee — and it has also spawned many a film over the past couple of decades as a result. Ip Man features in movies about Lee, naturally. He has been the driving force behind the Donnie Yen-starring Ip Man, Ip Man 2, Ip Man 3 and Ip Man 4: The Finale, too, and Wong Kar-wai's The Grandmaster as well. And, first in The Legend Is Born – Ip Man, then in Kung Fu League and now in Ip Man: Kung Fu Master, he has been played by wushu champion-turned-actor Dennis To (who actually had a minor role in Ip Man and Ip Man 2). In Ip Man: Kung Fu Master, To steps into the famed figure's shoes during his law enforcement stint in Foshan. First, he's the subject of a revenge scheme by the daughter of a mobster who is killed in police custody despite Ip Man's best efforts to ensure otherwise. Then, he's targeted by the Japanese army as they make their presence known in the period between the first and second Sino-Japanese wars. Both elements of the story intertwine — as does the birth of Ip Man's first son, and his need to protect his family as multiple parties endeavour to hunt him down — but writer/director Li Liming is far more interested in the movie's frenetically choreographed martial arts scenes than its narrative. Indeed, anything that doesn't involve fighting often feels like filler. There's no doubting the impact of Ip Man: Kung Fu Master's balletic displays of flying fists, though, or how stylishly they're shot. They can't substantially lift a film that'll never be the go-to Ip Man movie, or even one of the best flicks about him either, but they're the standout elements of an otherwise average movie. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23 and July 30; August 6, August 13, August 20 and August 27; September 3, September 10, September 17 and September 24; and October 1, October 8, October 15, October 22 and October 29. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Personal History of David Copperfield, Waves, The King of Staten Island, Babyteeth, Deerskin, Peninsula, Tenet, Les Misérables, The New Mutants, Bill & Ted Face the Music, The Translators, An American Pickle. The High Note, On the Rocks, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Antebellum, Miss Juneteenth, Savage, I Am Greta, Rebecca, Kajillionaire, Baby Done, Corpus Christi, Never Rarely Sometimes Always and The Craft: Legacy. Top image: A Lion Returns via Bonafide Pictures.
UPDATE, January 23, 2023: Mister Organ is available to stream via DocPlay. Twitter has sparked many things for many people, good, bad and in-between, a trend that began well before its late-2022 ownership change and resulting fallout. Still, amid all the social-media platform's mayhem across its history, the chaos started by a single tweet by New Zealand journalist and filmmaker David Farrier has few parallels. That may seem a big call given all that's ever unfurled 140 or 280 characters at a time. Mister Organ lays bare why that's accurate in agonising detail, however. 'Agonising' truly is the word for it — not to describe this equally gripping and mystifying documentary, but the twisty tale it tells and the ordeal that Farrier endures. Every director's work lives and dies on their ability to tell a story, especially when they trade in facts, but his work both thrives and astonishes via his uncanny knack to find stories so wild that they can only be the unvarnished truth. In 2013, the Tickled and Dark Tourist filmmaker commented online about a bad customer-service experience, as every social-media user has at some point. Making such complaints is a rite of passage in the digital realm. Commenting after hearing about a pal's woes, as he did, also couldn't be more standard. Nonetheless, where Farrier's story has gone from there, devolving rather than evolving as he'd no doubt agree — his exasperation surges through the film like parody accounts through the current Twitter regime — is something that no one's most bizarre nightmares could've conjured up. Indeed, expect to watch Mister Organ with a jaw that keeps dropping. Expect to think twice the next time you publicly air a grievance, too, lest a local version of the film's eponymous figure pop up. The tweet that started it all was inspired by one of Farrier's friends, who parked their car at Auckland's now-closed Bashford Antiques, then weathered an unpleasant aftermath. Threats of towing and instant abuse are hardly commonplace or acceptable, and neither is an immediate demand for $250 in order to be allowed to leave. Accordingly, it's no wonder that Farrier took to social media in his mate's support. He next began writing articles about the situation, and what seemed like a clamping racket, in 2016. In his first piece, he covered being asked by his employer three years prior to delete his tweet, too. His own ordeal was only just beginning, though, because his ordeal involves Michael Organ. Or, is that Micheal Organ? Michael Organe? MDA Organ? Michael Organ O'Sullivan? Or, maybe it's Count Michael Andrassy-Organe? "You pay a soul tax for every minute you spend with him," Farrier notes of Mister Organ's namesake and man of many names, as well as his own latest disconcerting subject. Watching the documentary about the pair's run-ins, the feeling behind Farrier's observation makes itself starkly apparent — and only keeps solidifying the more the movie goes on. "I feel like I fucked up pitching the film in the first place," Farrier also advises during Mister Organ. It's a candid admission, particularly from a director in their own doco, and it's devastatingly astute. Making this feature forced him to keep interacting with Organ, his interest kept garnering a response from Organ, and the whole process — like time in True Detective — is a flat circle. The emotional and mental turmoil wrought by a tweet that became a few articles, then a film years in the making, is so blatantly evident and so forceful that Mister Organ's audience takes it on themselves during the documentary's 96-minute running time. If you spotted the 'Count' title in one of Organ's monikers, yes, claiming to be royalty is also part of this narrative. That's in addition to helping impose onerous conditions on folks parking outside an antiques store, becoming the owner's constant companion to a seemingly controlling degree and swiftly getting litigious with Farrier about his reporting on the topic. As well as assisting with bringing legal proceedings against others, Organ has also defended himself in serious court cases. As with everything about his life — as told in Mister Organ, at least — the out-there strands and revelations keep snowballing. His web of interpersonal dealings, as fleshed out through discussions with ex-housemates and old acquaintances, brings discombobulated and infuriated interviewees into the doco. Finding someone to say a kind word about him is almost impossible, other than the attention-seeking, energy-draining, endlessly talkative Organ himself. For newcomers to this very real scenario — something that needs stressing thanks to every swerve it takes — it's best to get the ins and outs while viewing, stolen boats and all, because no summary does them justice. The minutiae genuinely needs to be seen to be believed, as does Farrier's time trying to separate fact, fiction, lies, boasts and threats with Organ. Constant surprises come with the territory, even for veterans of the director's past filmmaking, which has never spun straightforward narratives. Of course, those familiar with Tickled and Dark Tourist will easily glean why Farrier was drawn to this tale, including at a visible cost to himself. This is another disturbing, perplexing, larger-than-life yet unshakeably authentic slice of life, and another piece of proof that humanity's worst impulses will always seep out any way they can. Knowing why this is classic Farrier terrain and knowing why he's claimed himself this patch aren't the same thing; the more he appears on-screen in Mister Organ, which is often, the more Farrier makes it clear that he doesn't necessarily understand the latter himself. One of Mister Organ's inevitable feats is getting its audience contemplating the why of it all — why Farrier keeps gravitating towards this space, and why people like Organ repeatedly grace his frames — because why is a persistent sentiment among the hefty list of talking heads that've had the same run-ins with the same man. Also, trying to explain why Organ does what he does is impossible. Endeavouring to make sense of how he's been able to notch up such a sizeable roster of impacted parties is no less simple, but it is both fascinating and revealing. Then there's Mister Organ's other key question: would this tale hit home with such sheer and overwhelming bewilderment if someone else told it? The answer is likely yes — but few people can investigate and interrogate the flummoxing figures of the world like Farrier.
If seasonal change has left you in a dizzy headspin of new colours and fabrics and prints and jackets — or if, y'know, you just like some fancy new clothes now and then — you'll be pretty pleased to know that the Big Fashion Sale is coming back to Sydney for four days this March. The name pretty much says it all. This thing is big. You'll find thousands of lush items from past collections, samples and one-offs from over 50 cult Australian and international designers, both well-known and emerging, including Opening Ceremony, Isabel Marant, Alexander Wang, Phillip Lim, Lanvin, Karla Spetic, Romance Was Born and more. With discounts of up to 80 percent off, this is one way to up your count of designer while leaving your bank balance sitting pretty too. Prices this low tend to inspire a certain level of ruthlessness in all of us, though, so practise that grabbing reflex in advance. This is every shopper for themselves. The Big Fashion Sale will be open 9am–8pm Thursday, 9am–6pm Friday and Saturday, and 10am–5pm Sunday.
