Jaw-dropping ocean views and the stylish Hamptons-esque pool aren't the only reason Sydneysiders and Brisbanites flock to Halcyon House — a luxury boutique hotel on the Tweed Coast. It also boasts hatted restaurant, Paper Daisy, with executive chef Jason Barratt taking the helm from his previous post at Rae's on Wategos. During the North Coast Festival of Flavour, Paper Daisy will be hosting the Halcyon House Lunch, — a four-course share menu for $125 per person. There'll be a wine pairing option and an extensive list of cocktails available, too. Be warned — it'll be hard to resist a visit to the luxe hotel spa or retreating to one of the eclectically styled suites for a night or two during your visit.
Let's just call it here and now: Robert Duvall will be nominated for Best Supporting Actor at next year's Academy Awards. It'll be his seventh nomination, and it'll be entirely deserved. The Man. Can. Act, and in his latest film — The Judge — you get the privilege of seeing that ability up close and incredibly personal. As the title suggests, Duvall is 'the Judge' — an elderly statesman of the justice system who's presided over the legal affairs of a small town in Indiana for over 40 years. When his wife passes away, the judge dutifully farewells his sweetheart only to then find himself accused of a hit-and-run that very same night. Thankfully, his high-flying, big-city lawyer son Hank (Robert Downey Jr) is in town for the funeral. Hank is, at least publicly, master of his domain, king of the jungle, pisser on the pants of his opponents. Privately, however, his marriage is crumbling, his daughter pines for more attention and the death of his mother has done nothing to assuage the chasm of estrangement between him and his father. They can scarcely look each other in the eye, let alone share any form of actual dialogue or physical contact, which makes establishing any form of legal defence markedly challenging. Throw in the attentions of the ex-girlfriend (Vera Farmiga), the grumpy brother (Vincent D'Onofrio), the mentally challenged brother (Jeremy Strong) and the unrelenting prosecutor (Billy Bob Thornton), and Hank's already reluctant return home fast becomes an almost unliveable nightmare. The Judge was directed by David Dobkin, whose previous films have largely fallen into the comedy/action arena (most notably: Wedding Crashers and Shanghai Knights). Here, he wields the direction with a split personality: sometimes hitting home runs, other times swinging and missing with wildly misfiring scenes. When the latter happens (and, regrettably, it's probably more than the former), The Judge descends into by-the-numbers schmaltz and dials up the cheese. Surprisingly this is often in the courtroom scenes where, traditionally, drama is most at home. The revelations are either too insignificant or heavily flagged, meaning the jurors' gasps and gallery's sighs are more comical than convincing. Downey Jr is well-cast as Hank, bringing the swagger of Iron Man without the bells and whistles to protect him. His scenes with Duvall carry the movie entirely, and whether by design or misstep, every other character becomes little more than background noise. It's not a film with a lot to offer by way of innovation, but it knows how to jerk the tears on more than a few occasions and (despite its unjustifiable length) keeps you engaged enough right through to the end. Most of that engagement, though, comes via Duvall, whose layered and moving performance is right up there with the best of the year. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZBvK6ni97W8
"I don't gravitate towards records that keep me in one mood," said Kimbra in a recent Guardian interview, explaining new LP The Golden Echo. "I like to be taken on a journey and that's what I wanted to do with the album." She can say that again. Shifting away from the quirky yet somehow unified jazz-inspired pop sound of Vows, the Kiwi singer's sophomore offering is an ambitious, kaleidoscopic, one-hour long extravaganza through, it seems, every influence that's ever possibly influenced her and every feeling she's ever possibly felt. Rock, R&B, funk, electronica, bizarre sound effects: you name it, you'll find it on there. Perhaps the input of a huge cast of collaborators has something to do with such immense sonic variety. Along the way, Kimbra worked with Daniel Johns, Thundercat, Matt Bellamy of Muse, Van Dyke Parks and John Legend, among many others. To find how it all manifests live, catch Kimbra at one of her three upcoming Antipodean shows, happening in late November, in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland. https://youtube.com/watch?v=4K1hoMlxQmg
Scoring three triple j Hottest 100 tracks from just one album is no mean feat. But Leeds-based band alt-J made it happen after releasing their debut LP, An Awesome Wave, back in May 2012. The Brits loved it, too, awarding it the prestigious Mercury Prize — just casually. And now, on the heels of launching sophomore record This is All Yours, the boys are coming back to woo their sizeable Aussie fan base. Spooky single 'Hunger of the Pine' (and its suitably creepy video) has clocked up more than three million hits, while the more fun and eccentric 'Left Hand Free' has already hit high rotation on many a spring playlist. But you can be sure Enmore crowds will be waiting for that epic 'Breezeblocks' singalong. Alt-J will play just two shows in Melbourne and Sydney ahead of their Falls Festival appearance alongside SBTRKT, Royksopp and Robyn and Big Freedia. Stunning Perth-based singer Grace (Grace Woodroofe) is joining the lads for their two Australian performances, one of the most wanted support slots around. https://youtube.com/watch?v=dCCXq9QB-dQ
If you think 'the quarter acre block' and 'Sydney' are about as laughable a pairing as 'affordable housing' and 'the inner west', then think again. Art & About is upon us, and to kick off the three-week festival of public art is the Quarter Acre Block Party in Martin Place, a new incarnation of launch event Friday Night Live. This year's program for Art & About focuses on things that are 'at risk' or endangered. And what better way to reminisce about the surely extinct Australian dream of the quarter-acre block than to spend an afternoon soaking up the ole fashioned neighbourhood barbecue vibe as you drink up thanks to Cake Wines and dig into a spread by Barrel and Beast owner and sustainable chef extraordinaire Jared Ingersoll. With free entry, it all takes place in one of the CBD's most stunning acreages, Martin Place. Shaun Parker & Company's brilliant new work Trolleys will keep BBQ-goers entertained with performances at 5.30pm and 7pm. Expect breezy tunes from The Morrisons, Bustamento and Hot Potato Band. Even Double J is helping a neighbour out with a special mixtape — cue the awwws. And when the smell of slightly burnt-but-still-good sausages is no more, art can be your dessert, with the City of Sydney providing free 'vintage' shuttle buses from Martin Places to various galleries, who are also staying up past their bedtime. You can duck into the Art Gallery of NSW to finally check out the Archibald Prize, buy some locally crafted knick-knacks at the Artists Market at the State Library of NSW or drop in to the Late Night Library at Customs House for some tactile, architectural learning. The Quarter Acre Block Party is on Friday, September 19, from 5pm - 10pm. The festival continues in Sydney's public spaces until October 12.
Sydney trio Little May could be Australia's answer to folk warblers First Aid Kit. They've certainly been compared to the Swedish duo, and to New Zealand's Tiny Ruins, but at the moment they are carving out their own path. They've recently put out their debut, self-titled EP and just wrapped up an Australian tour with the legendary Rodriguez. But there's no rest for the wicked (or the wickedly charming, in this case). Little May are about to embark on a 12-date national headline tour to promote the EP. They'll be spreading the good vibes around Newtown Social Club on both November 27 and 278 supported by Winterbourne. To find out more, check out our interview. We asked them for their best tips for summer road trips.
A woman enters a theatre, damp from wild weather and flustered from running late. The man she sees is polite but clearly put out from waiting, as his complaints make clear. She is actress Vanda (Emmanuelle Seigner); he is playwright Thomas (Mathieu Amalric); their shared purpose, an audition. From their meeting, Roman Polanski's Venus in Fur lays bare their dramatic tryout. But is a budding stage star simply showing her wares to the person who could make her dreams come true, or are their respective gender positions — sexual, societal and otherwise — on trial? That question and the film's complicated power dynamic stems from a complex, comprehensive history, most plainly its adaptation of David Ives' Tony Award-winning production. Ives took inspiration from author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's semiautobiographical novella, Venus In Furs, the 1870 work credited for coining the term masochism and making it stick. His book is the starting point for Thomas's material within the movie too, the characters attempting to interpret the text on stage in a feature based on a play that does the very same. The sensual themes of the source may shine through as the duelling duo of leads quite literally circle around each other, treading the boards, flitting through the aisles and weaving in and around the backstage ephemera; however, it is the second phase of its evolution that proves most influential to Polanski's film. Blatant describes the setting, and the structure as a dialogue-heavy two-hander more so. In the filmmaker's second effort in a row based on a stage property following 2011's Carnage, and third overall after 1994's Death and the Maiden, only a flurry of camera angles and flashes of visual trickery distinguish the tale as cinematic. Seigner and Amalric generate commandingly clashing energy worlds away from their last pairing in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, endeavouring to overcome the inherently staged nature of the content with their vivid verbal sparring. Fire burns between them in impassioned performances, but the spotlight truly belongs to the erratic wannabe turned formidable temptress, as the narrative demands. Whether the strength of her portrayal stems from a husband offering his wife an exceptional opportunity, or from her flowering under his loving gaze, the married team of Polanski and Seigner make a fine pair. By design, Amalric is cast into the shadows, a suitable everyman foil. In a work teeming with comedy, carnality and cleverness, what threatens to strip Venus in Fur of its potency is its repetitive persistence and overt theatricality. Though the point is entertainingly made, it is done so continually and without subtlety. Intrigue and inertia are the opposing results, contemplating the battle of the sexes in careening fashion yet cobbled by embrace of indulgence. https://youtube.com/watch?v=-gluI5-GLZLw
Under stark lighting and to the beat of a throbbing soundtrack, a dancer and a bodybuilder come together in an unlikely pas de deux that tests the boundaries of physical endurance. This is MAXIMUM, the aptly named piece by Australian choreographer and dancer Natalie Abbott, recently returned from the Festival d’Avignon in France to showcase her performance in Sydney as part of Score season by Performance Space. The unique dance work developed when Abbott began collaborating with bodybuilder Donny Henderson-Smith. "I originally wanted to be lifted off the ground for a 45-minute show and thought it would be a strong contrast to work with a bodybuilder," explains Abbott. "When I began to work with Donny, though, I realised how much more information and personality he could bring to the work. We still include a pretty long and devastating lift; however, the piece is really more about us working together to find unity and a common language for performance. Given such an unexpected collaboration, the differences between dancing and bodybuilding are hard to ignore. Initially, MAXIMUM appears to be a performance of contrasts: light and heavy, small and large, grace and grunt. Despite this, the two performers find a unique harmony through mental focus and physical strength. The challenging choreography tests dancer and bodybuilder equally, and the whole idea of what happens to the human body at physical extremes is what fascinates Abbott. "My training as a dancer was quite intense and I really had to push my body to get through that," she says. "I know that the training is probably even more intense for a bodybuilder and this is why I was interested in exploring the relationship between both practices. Both forms are so intense and focused, yet yield such dissimilar results. I was super interested in exploring the dynamics of placing both bodies next to each other. The connotations of a massive male next to a smaller female, the traditional context of a man partnering a woman and what these images automatically imply for a viewer. My vision was then to override these assumptions and reveal us as humans, rather than performers, a bodybuilder and a dancer." You’d expect the performers to have endured intense physical training to prepare for such a gruelling performance. Not so, says Abbott, who points out “we need to be challenged during the [show]”, and so while the two prepared by tuning their bodies into sync, they avoided additional fitness training. That means the exhaustion we see on stage is real; the charade of a performance is stripped away to reveal the humans behind the choreography, lending the show its raw physicality that has both challenged and captivated audiences. ("Beautifully achieved, exhilarating work," wrote ABC Arts after the premiere at Next Wave.) Maximum plays as part of Performance Space's Score season of works driven by dance, movement, music and noise. Abbott is particularly “curious and excited” to see One Thing Follows Another... by Gail Priest and Jane McKernan, a performance inspired by the 1960s avant-garde that plays on ideas of independence and collaboration between music and dance. Other highlights include the genre-defying fusion piece Keep Everything by critically acclaimed dance company Chunky Move, as well as Psychic Synth, a digital work by Pia Van Gelder that will read your mind. Score is on from August 1 to September 7 at Carriageworks. See MAXIMUM from August 27-30. Single tickets are $25 adult/$15 concession, or you go all out and buy a season pass for $130. See the website for details.
Over his 17-year tenure as the host of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart has become known as one of America’s shrewdest political commentators. From behind his fake news desk, armed with a mix of satire and editorial scorn, the comedian and his team of writers have exposed hypocrisy and corruption, ridiculing dictators, presidents and CEOs alike. You’d imagine, then, that his first foray into filmmaking would be a similarly tongue-in-cheek affair — full of all the snark and cynicism that his viewers have come to expect. Instead, Stewart plays it straight, and in doing so reveals a side of himself that audiences rarely get to see. A powerful true tale told with grace and endless compassion, Rosewater is an outstanding directorial debut. Gael Garcia Bernal plays Maziar Bahari, a Canadian-Iranian journalist detained by Iran’s security forces amid the widespread civil unrest following the country’s 2009 elections. Held for more than four months, Bahari was accused of being an American spy, in part because of a satirical interview he gave on Stewart’s program just a week before his arrest. “Why would a spy have a TV show?” the baffled journalist asks, a question that perfectly encapsulates the absurdity of his situation. For weeks on end, Bahari is beaten and berated, unable to provide the answers that his captors wish to hear. In his moments alone, his memories turn to the plights of his father and sister, both of whom were imprisoned under previous Iranian regimes. Garcia Bernal gives a first-rate performance as Bahari, a man out of his element who discovers a remarkable inner strength. But the standout of the film is Danish actor Kim Bodnia, who plays Bahari’s nameless interrogator. While the man’s actions are often appalling, he’s never depicted as anything less than human. Like Bahari, he’s a person trapped by circumstances; a working stiff with a boss to answer to and a wife who wishes he was home. In humanising Bahari’s captors, Stewart helps us to understand them. The cruelty and stubbornness of those who propagate oppression is not born out of inherent evil, but rather out of fear. Fear of weakness. Fear of change. As the movie progresses, we increasingly come to pity these men, whose desperate attempts to cling to an old way of life seem all but destined to fail.
The acquisition of good vintage clothing can be a difficult feat. Much like the metaphoric fog, sometimes you have to sort through a whole bunch of crap until you find something good. Fortunately for us, the guys behind Foe, Like The Enemy have trawled through Asia and the Americas to source the best vintage clothing they could get their hands on. After a wildly successful first pop-up instalment in Surry Hills, Foe have been staging their second pop-up store in Regent Street, Redfern since September. For a limited time you've been able to walk into a real-live shop and try on vintage clothes in an actual changeroom — we're talking Jurassic Park denim details, well-worn flannos, as many retro sunglasses as you can predict to lose at a music festival. Before they relocate to a fresh new 2015 venue and to celebrate a year of sardine-like parties and pop-ups, the lads are raising a crispy bev to their first year of FOEing. Teaming up with the RUN THE BLVD crew, FOE are staging a Christmas party brimming with free Bulleit Whiskey. Tunes aplenty with Astral People's Mike Who on the decks, alongside Batesy, GCO and FOE residents, Brudo and HUX. Best part, you can shop while you party — all remaining stock will be reduced on the night, including vintage Levis, Nike, Adidas, Harley Davidson and more. Swing down to Regent, get amongst the beats and one-of-a-kind threads and celebrate the worldly fashion travels of one of Sydney's best merchants of vintage. Entry via RSVP only. Words by Natalie Freeland and Shannon Connellan.
Two men stare directly at the screen and tell their stories. Their expressions are open, their tone is matter-of-fact, and they speak of fact, not fiction. They are Palestinian Mosab Hassan Yousef and Israeli Gonen Ben Yitzhak. The tales they share start on opposite sides of the still-raging Middle East conflict, but don’t end there. Modest and unassuming perhaps best describes writer/director Nadav Schirman unfolding of a narrative that could easily furnish a Hollywood blockbuster. The director recognises, however, that the most powerful plots speak for themselves, presenting his film largely unadorned and unembellished. No bells and whistles, nor fancy footage or special effects, dress up a scenario already simmering with thrills and suspense. As the duo interweave their versions of events into one complete, complementary account, Schirman offers sparing glimpses of archival, re-enactment and surveillance vision as a break from talking heads — but in The Green Prince, it is the truth that matters, not the packaging. Mosab is the son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, one of Hamas’s co-founders and most outspoken leaders. Gonen Ben Yitzhak was a Shin Bet agent for the Israeli military, charged with cultivating intelligence and recruiting informants. When the former was a teenager, filled with anger at the treatment of his father in fighting for a cause he believed in, he was detained and approached with an offer to assist the other side. The latter was his handler during much of his decade-long stint colluding with the enemy. Mosab’s nickname in his undercover work: 'The Green Prince'. As the Errol Morris-style documentary relates their combined experiences, it focuses on the micro rather than the macro; this is a film about the impact of lives lived in the war-torn climate, and the deeds done in the name of survival, rather than the broader circumstances. Accordingly, the feature hones in on shame and subterfuge as recurring themes — the fear of disgrace that fuels actions and attitudes on both sides (most notably in driving Mosab to betray his upbringing and struggle with the aftermath) and the duplicity employed by him and Gonen alike. Plenty of questions are raised in The Green Prince, and never does it make the mistake of pretending to present all the answers. To say the film never satisfies is to recognise the unease that drives its real-life details, as Schirman astutely captures. Perhaps the inevitable fictionalised movie version will bring everything together neatly; reflecting actuality, the documentary couldn’t, shouldn’t and doesn’t.
The average Australian household throws out one bag of garbage for every five bags of groceries bought. It's a terrifying statistic. But at least our extravagant wastage has been drawing some attention of late. Even some of the big guys are getting on board, with initiatives like Harris Farm's half-price 'ugly fruit and veg' and Woolworths' ambitious plan to divert all food waste from landfill by next year. At the more micro-level, there's a 23-year-old woman in New York who's made it her personal mission to live trash-free for two years. It's no secret that Christmas, despite its loving, happy, cheery vibes, can be a serious waste-creating machine. We get so enthusiastic on December 25 that many of us are inclined to cook up more than we'll ever be able to eat. The good news is, though, that there's a workshop to help you out. OzHarvest, Australia's first perishable food rescue organisation, in conjunction with the City of Sydney's Green Villages, are hosting a free session where you'll learn tips for reducing your festive waste footprint from edible-garden expert Sarah Brill. Attendance is free, but online registration is essential.
Ariel Pink is one name in music that is often lauded as it is met with absolute derision. He's a bit of a weirdo, and has made some absolutely shocking 'jokes' in the past, but, well, he does make some admittedly catchy pop songs. Despite tracking in at a whopping 17 tracks and more than an hour long, Ariel Pink's newest LP, pom pom, is the artist at his most accessible. Touring off the back of his newest success, he's playing just one Sydney show tonight along with his seven-piece band, with Pond's Nick Allbrook in support. It's going to be a sure-fire night of quality tunes (and antics abound).
Despite recently launching an all-day breakfast menu and ice cream sandwiches, we still think fries are the best thing about Lord of the Fries. And this Saturday, July 13, the vegan fast food joint is giving away free serves of 'em. Free. Fries. The chain is choosing this day to give them away because it's (supposedly) International French Fry Day. While we're not a big fan of 'food days', we are big fans of free food. So, to snag free fries on the day, just head down to any one of the LOTF stores around the nation between 1 and 2pm and you'll be gifted a bucket of deliciousness with a classic sauce of your choice thrown in, too. You don't even have to purchase any vego nuggets to redeem them. If you're in Sydney — which we'll assume you are, reading this post — you can either head along to one of the CBD stores (on Lee or George Street), to the Newtown spot or to the chain's outpost in Parramatta Westfield. Lord of the Fries is giving away free fries from 1–2pm on Saturday, July 13 at all of its NSW stores.
If, when weekends roll around, you look for any excuse to don a nice outfit, sip fine wine and eat delicious food, listen up — Saké Restaurant & Bar Manly is celebrating its first birthday with a very fancy champagne lunch. On Sunday, November 24, the Japanese restaurant is serving up a special 12-dish feast with two hours of endless rosé-themed cocktails, wines and tap beers. To start, you'll receive a glass of Veuve Clicquot (of course) and canapés, which you can enjoy while soaking up the stunning Luchetti Krelle-designed space inside and panoramic ocean views of Manly Cove outside. Then, you'll sit down for the aforementioned 12-dish shared feast by Head Chef Shoji Toru. Salmon sashimi with lotus chips, beef tartare, seared scallops, Japanese-style chicken wings and kingfish with yuzu and jalapeño are all on the Sunday lunch menu. As are bao filled with pork katsu, a crunchy soba noodle salad and wagyu patties topped with cheese. You'll need to wear your fanciest stretchy pants for this. You can pair all this with two hours of never-ending cocktails, wine and beer, too. So, maybe, restock your Berocca supply for Monday. All of this will set you back $139 a head. If you can't make it to the lunch, though, you can still by heading to Saké Manly's bar for $15 cocktails and $99 bottles of Veuve — available all day. To book your table at this birthday lunch, call (02) 8099 7076 or email reservations@sakerestaurant.com.au.
With those mornings getting fresher by the day, you're probably after a little extra motivation to hit the pavement for your pre-breakfast jog. And the inaugural Western Sydney Parklands Trail Run might be just what you need to set your sights on. The brand new event hits the sprawling grounds of Western Sydney Parklands on Saturday, June 22, with distances to suit novices and running fiends alike. Start training for the 35 kilometre, 19 or 11 race, or sign up for the friendlier 4 kilometre Family Fun Run. Affectionately known as 'Sydney's Biggest Backyard', the 5000-hectare bushland site has tracks and trails to suit all degrees of running skill — plus, plenty of breathtaking views for when you need a distraction from your burning lungs. Put away the kilometres as you run between picturesque markers like Moonrise Lookout, Sugarloaf Ridge, The Dairy, and Plough and Harrow.
How long has Charles Boyle been dreaming of Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago's wedding? What did Rosa Diaz do before she was a cop? Who keeps swooping in and taking the Nine-Nine crew's cases? Which one is Scully and which is Hitchcock? If you can answer all of the above — and name Captain Holt's dog, Terry's twins, Gina's dance troupe and Jake's favourite movie — then you're set for the Ess's latest trivia night. Yes, it's all about the hit cop sitcom we all know and love. You know, the one that was cancelled and then resurrected in the space of 36 hours. We'd keep asking Brooklyn Nine-Nine questions and dropping tidbits, but we'll save some for the big night. Ess, if you haven't heard of it already, is the sparkly new(ish) rooftop bar atop Macquarie Park's Governor Hotel. With its neat cocktail list, Japanese robata grill and themed trivia, we're liking it already. The big night in question is free (huzzah) with a heap of prizes up for grabs. The main event will kick off at 7pm on Wednesday, March 27. Book a table — through the website or by calling (02) 9287 1418 — for you and your mates and it may be your night to shine (and that can be the title of your sex tape if you'd like).
Japan meets Mexico in a delicious culinary clash, when contemporary Woollahra izakaya Izy and all-vegan eatery Bad Hombres team up for a two-night 'tacoyaki' pop-up. Happening at Queen Street's Izy Izakaya on Wednesday, February 27 and Wednesday, March 6, and helmed by chefs Jack New (Icebergs, Sokyo) and Toby Wilson (Bad Hombres, Ghostboy Cantina, Duke of Enmore), this is one affordable, tasty and boozy affair you'll want to reserve a spot at ASAP. Clocking in at just $50 per person, the menu takes the form of an eight-course shared feast, filled with plenty of bold flavours. You'll catch dishes like DIY spiced confit duck carnitas, smoked eel teamed with salsa verde, a reworking of Bad Hombres' famed cauliflower dish and, for dessert, a rice pudding with candied cherry blossom. In keeping with Bad Hombres' plant-based ethos, there'll be an all-vegan version of the menu on offer, too, while the bar gets into the spirit with bargain booze like $5 Jamaican draught beer, $3 vanilla-infused tequilas, and a cracking assortment of margaritas (including a yuzu version). To reserve your spot at the one-off dinner, you'll need to message Izy Izakaya on Instagram. A word of warning: this was initially a one-off event, but it proved so popular that Izy and Bad Hombres announced a second date. Expect it to book out quickly. Updated March 2.
It might sound like some bleak apocalyptic scenario, but Hill End's arts, culture and heritage festival The End is anything but. The annual fiesta takes over the historic regional town from April 12 to 14, located just under four hours' drive out of Sydney, but well worth the weekend road trip. You'll catch a diverse program of tunes for free, with the legendary Golden Age stage playing host to a lineup of blues, country and folk acts. Enjoy them while sampling top-notch beers, wines and ciders from the surrounding regions of Mudgee, Bathurst and Orange. Stacks of local food and produce will also be there for you to enjoy, too. Those keen to turn back the clock can try their hand at some traditional trades, with workshops in basket weaving, leather belt making, poetry, tin-type photography and more. Or, explore the town's past, with an eerie ghost tour or hands-on gold-panning experience. Each evening will kick off with a sunset lantern parade through the village, while a jam-packed after-dark program features the likes of a roving theatre production, a square dance and a music-filled opening night gala. Make a weekend of it and stay on site in one of two campsites — you can bring your own tent, or book one stocked with all the trimmings for a comfy outdoor getaway.
The savoury branch of Sydney's cult-favourite gelateria is at it again. Next up on the Messina Eats world tour is the brand's first Italian collab. This time around, it's teaming up with longstanding Brisbane Italian spot Beccofino, which is popping up in Sydney for the first time on Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6. Beccofino head chef Cordell Khoury has been specialising in woodfired pizza for more than 14 years. He also happened to attend chef school with Messina's own head chef Donato Toce (previously at A Tavola), and the duo is looking forward to getting back in the kitchen together after 15 years apart. As usual, the party will go down in the carpark of Messina's Rosebery headquarters, which will, this time, be modelled after 'Nonna's place', complete with red chequered tablecloths. Expect woodfired margherita and cacciatorini salami pizza, handmade pasta — including garlicky mushroom gnocchi and pappardelle in confit duck ragu — and fried calamari. For dessert, always a highlight at a Messina-run event, there'll be tiramisu made with whipped mascarpone and espresso-soaked savoiardi. The pop-up will run from noon until late each day and entry is free, so you can just rock up and chow down.
Fancy yourself a bit of a gin freak? Reckon your blood could be more G&T than plasma? This one-off aperitivo evening is for you. South Australia's Never Never Distilling Co just took home World's Best Classic Gin at the 2019 World Gin Awards, and it's packing up its award-winning bottles and popping up in Bondi for one evening this March. Taking over the recently opened Rosenbaum & Fuller on Wednesday, March 6, Never Never will be serving up three cocktails — each made with one of its gins — alongside a tasting of its coveted Southern Strength Gin. The aforementioned, world-topping gin, according to World Gin Awards officials, tastes like pine leaves and resin, with hints of thyme, cinnamon and tree bark. It also goes for $75 a bottle, so this evening may be a good way to try before you buy. Tickets to the event will set you back $59 and include three Never Never cocktails as well as snacks by Rosenbaum & Fuller — and a chance to chat everything gin with Never Never Brand Director Sean Baxter. Evening Aperitivo will run from 6–8pm. You can book your spot by emailing hello@rosenbaumandfuller.com.
Sydney's beloved Hungarian pop-up is back again, this time taking on the kitchen of Waterloo's plant-based favourite Paperbark. Ételek head chef Adam Wolfers will join Paperbark's Joey Astorga for just one night on Saturday, March 16 from 6–11pm. Ételek's latest installment follows several successful pop-ups at The Gretz, Bar Brosé and, most recently, in Potts Point. This time around, the purely vegan collab menu will span eight courses, and focus on the native ingredients and seasonal produce that Paperbark is known for. While the dishes have not been revealed, we suspect Wolfers' signature parsnip schnitzel and lángos (Hungarian fried bread) will make the cut. To pair with the eats, guests can purchase minimal intervention wines from the Paperbark list, which will include a few special drops from Ételek sommelier Marc Dempsey (Cornersmith Marrickville). Tickets will cost $95 a pop and seating is limited, so get booking while you still can. Images: Hellene Algie and Trent van der Jagt.
Get your fill of the best vegan food in town at the Vegan Day Out. Come March 9and 10, The Cruelty Free Shop is putting together another walking tour of vegan cafes, restaurants and retailers, many of which will be offering discounts, deals and free samples to anyone who stops by. For Saturday and Sunday, socially conscious eaters can stop by The Cruelty Free Shop on Glebe Point Road, and grab a map outlining their route. From there, it's all about making your way to to plant-based delights aplenty — and making a day (or two) of it. Whether you're a dyed-in-the-wool vegan or just curious to give it a go, you'll find a whole world of retailers catering to animal-free eating, offering meal deals, two-for-ones, coffee, wine tastings and savings on vegan groceries. The Cruelty Free Shop will also be running its own tastings throughout the day, as well as offering discounts on some of its 3000+ products. The Vegan Day Out runs from 9am–5pm on Saturday and 10am–5pm on Sunday.
As the sun sets over Bondi Beach on a Sunday evening, the jazz is just getting started at Mamasan. This Japanese eatery — which has a sibling in Surry Hills — hosts free Sundown Sessions from 5pm. Take a seat at the bar or in a cosy booth, and make the weekend last as long as possible. Behind the music programme is double bassist Jonathan Zwartz, who won the 2018 ARIA for Best Jazz Album with Animarum. Every week, he invites a bunch of Sydney's top-notch musicians to join him for a couple of sets of jazz, blues and groove. Designed for sharing, the menu offers tapas, sashimi, maki and mains. Start with steamed dumplings, followed by tuna maki with tenkatsu, coriander and onion or duck pancakes with red miso sauce. There's also a handpicked selection of sake, wine and craft beer, as well as signature cocktails. On a warm evening, try a Lychee Sau Wau (a refreshing concoction of Ketal 1 Vodka, sake, lychees, fresh mint and yuzu) or a Jade Margarita (tequila, Grande Marnier, fresh mint and pineapple).
Making a powerhouse acting debut, Zain Al Rafeea carries the entire weight of Capharnaüm on his slender shoulders. Playing a young Lebanese boy also named Zain, the untrained talent puts in a raw, soulful performance that nearly bursts off of the screen, all while capturing a truth that is rarely uttered. With a weary expression where an impish smile should be, he conveys the toll of simply existing, a burden that nobody initially asks for. Indeed, when Zain is introduced in court, suing his parents for bringing him into a life of relentless hardship, Al Rafeea's exasperated face alone sells the character's existential angst. While Zain's unconventional lawsuit provides Capharnaüm's entry point, writer-director Nadine Labaki (Where Do We Go Now?) is quick to explore the basis for the 12-year-old's legal challenge. In his dismal Beirut home environment, his parents (Kawthar Al Haddad and Fadi Kamel Youssef) make him work to support the family, his baby sibling is kept in chains, and he witnesses his beloved younger sister (Cedra Izam) sold into marriage for a few chickens. More than that, his birth was never registered, so he can't get the necessary identifying paperwork to attend school or to even prove that he exists. Running away, he's soon caught in another difficult domestic situation — taken in by kindly Ethiopian immigrant Rahil (Yordanos Shiferaw), he cares for her infant son (Boluwatife Treasure Bankole) while she works, but is left stranded when she suddenly doesn't return. Scripting the film with four co-writers, Labaki puts the despairing yet resourceful Zain through even further misery — the type that'd be badged 'poverty porn' if it wasn't drawn from reality and told with such empathy. Those traits prove Capharnaüm's main strengths, aside from the highly sensitive work by the movie's non-professional actors. Much of the cast, including the mesmerising Al Rafeea and captivating toddler Bankole, have lived lives that hew much too close to the events seen on screen, while Labaki's commitment to bringing their plights to light shines through in her narrative. Ranging beyond the feel-good charm of Slumdog Millionaire and the tender reunion of Lion, Capharnaüm actively wants viewers not just to engage with its bleak story, but with the truth behind it. From crumbling shanties to overcrowded juvenile jails, this is a fictional tale wrought from the toughest type of real-life pain, and it's designed to feel that way from start to finish. The key word there is feel. Labaki wants audiences to be moved by her gritty, warts-and-all portrait — and given everything that Zain experiences, that's exactly what happens. Alas, although the actor-turned-filmmaker clearly recognises the potency of her material, she doesn't seem to trust it to get the job done alone. Every stylistic decision, from the lingering camerawork to the button-pushing score (by her husband and producer Khaled Mouzanar) to the lurching narrative structure, is calculated to poke and prod viewers. Every choice cajoles those watching not just to react with sympathy, but to respond harder and deeper, eventually to the point of overkill. There's a difference between stressing the point in an earnest and affecting way, wallowing gracefully to truly communicate the enormity of a character's struggle, and hitting people over the head. Bluntly bludgeon someone for long enough, and they might just stop feeling anything. As a result, even with a Cannes jury prize and an Academy Award nomination to its name, Carpharnaüm can't overcome its obvious contradictions. It knows that it's spinning a worthy tale, but isn't confident that anyone will care about the gruelling minutiae without applying force. It possesses two of the most authentic, endearing child performances committed to celluloid in recent times — on par with its thematic sibling, The Florida Project — and yet packages their naturalistic work with overtly manipulative storytelling. It argues that unthinkingly birthing kids into a downtrodden life is a heinous crime, while also championing a boy whose engaging persona and enduring resilience was forged through weathering immense difficulties. Although it's impossible to ignore these clashes, when Al Rafeea lights up the screen, he'll make you wish otherwise. Stirring but never self-assured enough to be subtle, Capharnaüm is a heartbreaking movie that stops well short of being a heartbreaking masterpiece. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBecbs52Fpo
Before 2020 hit, you probably didn't realise just how much you enjoyed sipping drinks while standing. Those were the days. Yes, 'vertical consumption' — as the practice has been dubbed — is one of the ordinary, everyday parts of life that fell by the wayside over the past year, with knocking back brews and cocktails while upright off the cards under COVID-19 restrictions. Until now, that is. In the latest eased rules that came into effect on Wednesday, March 17, Sydneysiders are once again able to stand and drink. And, the Merivale hospitality group thinks that this change is well worth celebrating. Until Sunday, March 21, you can head to select venues — including Ivy Pool Club, The Newport, El Loco Excelsior, The Paddington and Coogee Pavilion's rooftop and ground floor — and nab $7 pints and $12 margaritas. The specials are available all day, so you can enjoy a cheap lunchtime beverage or an after-work brew, or settle in for a long weekend afternoon. Other venues taking part include Allawah Hotel, Angel Hotel, Establishment Bar, Royal George, The Collaroy, The Grand, The Tennyson, Vic on the Park and York 75. You can also go to the ground floor of Hotel CBD and Queens Hotel Enmore, and to The Royal Bondi's front bar.
Do jungle vibes while shopping for greenery sounds like your perfect outing? Do you still need to buy your mum something for Mother's Day? Head along to the Jungle Collective's indoor plant sale on Saturday, May 8–Sunday, May 9, and you can tick both boxes. It's the latest greenery-filled Sydney market from the Melbourne nursery, which stocks all kinds of weird and wonderful species. Yes, it is trucking its way up north again for another venture — and this sale is a 100-percent in-person affair. Whether you're after a hanging pot plant, some palms for the garden or a giant Bird of Paradise, chances are you'll find it here. Does your mother have a reputation for killing cacti or overwatering ferns? Don't worry — there'll be horticulturalists on site on the night to give you advice and chat through any questions you might have. Get inspired by greenery aplenty and learn to incorporate plants into your home and living spaces, all while browsing and soaking up some tunes. Jungle Collective wants you to bring your mother along, too — and if you do, you'll both get $5 off your purchase once you spend at least $20. Best get in quick, though. These markets are always popular, with more than 170 different species usually on offer. Due to expected demand, the sale will be held in 30-minute sessions across both days, and attendees will need to register for free tickets in advance.
Good food and drinks, moseying far and wide, learning new skills, hanging out with your nearest and dearest: that's what exceptional weekends are all about. And, if you're looking for something to do on Saturday, March 13, the brand new Fermenta festival also ticks all of the above boxes. It's dedicated to fermented foods, as the name points out, and it's taking place in Rylstone and Kandos in the Mudgee region, around a three-and-a-half-hour drive out of Sydney. Yes, you'll be heading out of town for this one-day affair, and either satisfying your stomach or adding to your knowledge — or both — while you're there. The big highlight is the twilight picnic, which'll see you sit by the Cudgegong River at the Rylstone Showground and tuck into gourmet hampers filled with produce and wine from the area. For your $85–150 ticket (depending on whether you want a hamper for one or two people), you'll also listen to live tunes. That's how Fermenta will finish up for the day. Beforehand, though, there are plenty of other parts of the program, so you can pick and choose what you'd like to do (and pay accordingly). At the Globe Hotel, the Globe Beer Festival will be in full swing. Or, depending on your area of interest, you can book into a workshop — including sessions on kombucha, honey ginger beer, sourdough crumpets, sauerkraut, pickling and preserving, and chocolate fermentation.
To celebrate its 75th anniversary, The National Trust (NSW) is hosting a bunch of free open days at its properties across New South Wales. This includes Earth and Sky at Old Government House on Sunday, April 18. Set within 200 acres of Burramatta Darug land, this stunning heritage-listed building will be bustling with family-friendly fun. When you arrive, you'll see an Aboriginal sand painting being created by First Nations artist Walangari Karntawarra. Next, head inside and upstairs to discover a new science exhibition, Enquiring Minds, coupled with complementary activities to help deepen your scientific learning experience. Once you've toured the historical house and its collections, head outside for lawn games, which include bowls and a giant Lego set. Then, grab yourself a spot on the picnic rugs to enjoy the music as you usher in the late afternoon with a glass of complimentary wine served at 2pm. If you get hungry, the on-site restaurant Lachlan's will have you covered with its a la carte menu and high tea, too. Earth and Sky at Old Government House will run from 10am–4pm on Sunday, April 18. The event is free to attend but booking is essential. To register, head over here.
Already known for its bottomless vegan pizza and pasta feasts, Italian restaurant chain Salt Meats Cheese is upping its cruelty-free food game across a new food series. Called Soul Meets Cheers, the event consists of two parts: a five-course vegan banquet and a vegan cooking class. At the former, you'll tuck into en entirely plant-based menu, which'll feature vegan versions of Italian classics. Think pizzetta with butternut pumpkin and mozzarella, tagliatelle with Swiss brown mushrooms and porcini jus, and apple and ginger cake with coconut yogurt, almond crumble and a big tuft of fairy floss. The vegan dinner takes place on Tuesday, August 4 at SMC's Circular Quay, Cronulla, Drummoyne and Dee Why venues, with bookings from 5pm — and your $49 ticket also includes a glass of wine upon arrival. At the latter, which is being held on Saturday, August 8 at Circular Quay, you'll learn how to make your own SMC-style vegan dishes at home. In this year of lockdowns, isolation and quarantine, that's a particularly handy skill. If you're keen, tickets cost $89. Salt Meats Cheese's Soul Meets Cheers Vegan Series five-course banquet takes place from 5pm on Tuesday, August 4 at SMC's Circular Quay, Cronulla, Drummoyne and Dee Why, with the cooking class held on Saturday, August 8 at Circular Quay — and bookings are essential.
If you like your chook fried 'n' spicy or charred with loads of toum, here's an event for you. Belles Hot Chicken and Henrietta Charcoal Chicken are teaming up for Birds for Beirut: a finger-lickin'-good event to raise money for those impacted by the devastating Beirut explosion. On Sunday, August 30 from 12–4pm, the two chicken specialists are serving the (socially distanced) masses a limited-edition menu at Henrietta's Surry Hills digs. Available for dine-in or takeaway, the Henrietta X Belle's Hot Chicken menu features a Lebanese twist on Belle's hot chicken burger and a plate with a quarter Lebanese-style charcoal chicken, Belle's fried chicken tenders, garlic toum, Belle's hot sauce and a side. For dessert, Gelato Messina is setting up shop out the front on Crown Street, scooping up a Lebanese-inspired gelato. All funds from the chook and the gelato will be going to the Beirut Crisis Appeal through Aus Relief. Henrietta is walk-ins only, but you can pre-order takeaway by heading over here. Birds for Beirut menu will be available for dine-in and takeaway from 12–4pm on
First-rate cocktail bar Since I Left You is embracing the wintry weather by throwing a boozy Christmas in July party. It's filling its CBD courtyard with mulled wine, music and even snow for a festive brunch on Saturday, July 6. The festivities will kick off with 90 minutes of bottomless cocktails from midday. Make your way through four different Kahlua-heavy espresso martinis — original, cinnamon, peppermint and gingerbread — alcoholic eggnog and the bar's beloved mulled wine. When the 1.5 hours are over, you'll be able to keep drinking these same cocktails, too, you'll just need to pay as you go. To eat, there'll be equally festive fare in the form of SILY's famed waffles, sliders — filled with either roast pork and apple sauce, ham and onion jam or turkey and cranberry — and Christmas pudding-flavoured pikelets with custard. All this food, as well as the 90 minutes of bottomless drinks, will set you back just $50 (we suggest you snag a ticket ASAP). Bringing the festive cheer will be DJ Klasik, spinning hip hop, R&B and disco bangers, as well as some requisite carols, of course. And the cherry on top will be the decor. Expect a heap of Christmas decorations, a tree with lots of presents and a Santa throne — oh, and a snow and fog machine, too. Dress ups are also encouraged, so dust off your ugly jumpers, folks. Kitchmas in July Brunch runs from midday–5pm and tickets are a very reasonable $50 per person.
Some forms of pasta are simply better than others, and one of those is lasagne. Soft flat sheets of the good stuff caked between pork and beef ragu, bechamel sauce, tomato and parmesan — what's not to love? At Fratelli Fresh's Sydney stores, everyone will be falling head over heels for the Italian dish on Monday, July 29. National Lasagne Day will do that, of course. So will $10 servings of the eatery's classic dish, especially given that a helping here normally goes for more than twice that price. It's an all-day deal, too, so you can mosey on in for a hefty lunch, make a cheap dinner date with your other half or sneakily do both. And, given that you'll be saving on food, you can always treat yo'self to a cheeky wine or beer to go with your lasagne. $10 lasagne is on offer all day on Monday, July 29 at all of Fratelli Fresh's Sydney stores.
Three friends, a huge music festival worth making a mega mission to get to and an essential bag of goon: if you didn't experience that exact combination growing up in Australia, did you really grow up in Australia? That's the mix that starts 6 Festivals, too, with the Aussie feature throwing in a few other instantly familiar inclusions to set the scene. Powderfinger sing-alongs, scenic surroundings and sun-dappled moments have all filled plenty of teenage fest trips, and so has an anything-it-takes mentality — and for the film's central trio of Maxie (Rasmus King, Barons), Summer (Yasmin Honeychurch, Back of the Net) and James (Rory Potter, Ruby's Choice), they're part of their trip to Utopia Valley. But amid dancing to Lime Cordiale and Running Touch, then missing out on Peking Duk's stroke-of-midnight New Year's Eve set after a run-in with security, a shattering piece of news drops. Suddenly these festival-loving friends have a new quest: catching as much live music as they can to help James cope with cancer. The first narrative feature by Bra Boys and Fighting Fear director Macario De Souza, 6 Festivals follows Maxie, Summer and James' efforts to tour their way along the east coast festival circuit. No, there are no prizes for guessing how many gigs are on their list, with the Big Pineapple Music Festival, Yours and Owls and Lunar Electric among the events on their itinerary. Largely road-tripping between real fests, and also showcasing real sets by artists spanning Dune Rats, Bliss n Eso, G Flip, B Wise, Ruby Fields, Dope Lemon, Stace Cadet and more, 6 Festivals dances into the mud, sweat and buzz — the crowds, cheeky beers and dalliances with other substances that help form this coming-of-age rite-of-passage, aka cramming in as many festivals as you possibly can from the moment your parents will let you, as well. This is also a cancer drama, however, which makes for an unsurprisingly tricky balancing act, especially after fellow Aussie movie Babyteeth tackled the latter so devastatingly well so recently. Take that deservedly award-winning film, throw in whichever music festival documentary takes your fancy, then add The Bucket List but with teens — that's 6 Festivals. There's a touch of the concert-set 9 Songs as well, obviously sans sex scenes. Spotting the dots connected by De Souza and Sean Nash's (a Home and Away and Neighbours alum) script isn't difficult. That said, neither is spying the movie's well-intentioned aim. Riding the ecstatically bustling festival vibe, and surveying everything from the anticipation-laden pre-fest excitement through to the back-to-reality crash afterwards, 6 Festivals is an attempt to capture and celebrate the fest experience, as well as a concerted effort to face a crucial fact: that, as much as a day in the mosh pit feels like an escape and is always worth cherishing, it only sweeps away life's stark truths momentarily. The film's core threesome have their fair share of stresses; pivotally, 6 Festivals sticks with believable dramas. James faces his diagnosis, treatment and his mother's (Briony Williams, Total Control) worries, all while trying to recruit the feature's array of musical acts for his own dream event. Scoring backstage access comes courtesy of up-and-coming Indigenous muso Marley (debutant Guyala Bayles), who graces most of the lineups and shared a childhood with Summer, united by their respective mothers' struggles with addiction — and, now they've crossed paths again, offers to mentor her pal's own singing career. As for Maxie, his drug-dealing older brother Kane (Kyuss King, also from Barons) is usually at the same fests pressuring him into carrying his stash. They're the only family each other has, so saying no doesn't seem an option. Cemented friendships, last hurrahs, big dreams, substance-addled chaos: all festivals boast these tales, whichever one, six or 1000 anyone happens to pick. Again, it's easy to see how De Souza and Nash have chosen not only their overall plot, but its narrative beats — and it's just as easy to understand why, what they're striving for and how it's hoped that viewers will respond. 6 Festivals' live footage is vivid and authentic in its look, texture and tone, and the story sticks to the same relatable terrain. Of course, the line between clichéd and being predictable because that's simply how life is can be incredibly thin, not to mention subjective. Sometimes, 6 Festivals falls on the raw and immersive side of the been-there-done-that equation, and sometimes on the forced and well-worn — like a well-known song either given a definitive new live spin, or sounding exactly as it does whenever and wherever it's played. Always fresh and lived-in, and never just doing what's done, is the film's impressive young cast — even when the dialogue they're uttering is more than a little clunky. It isn't merely Potter who gets saddled with awkward lines, thankfully, as the worst pictures about ailing characters tend to do. 6 Festivals doesn't push its cancer-stricken character to the side and, with all five of its key figures wading through woes, it smartly doesn't use his deteriorating health solely to gift his pals with life-changing lessons, either. Still, whenever the movie gleans an opportunity to spell out its weighty emotions as overtly as it can, it takes it. It needn't; Potter sells James' plight in his yearning eyes and anxious energy, including when getting drunk feels like the only thing to do, while Honeychurch, Bayles and the IRL King brothers all leave their own imprints. Every festival thrives or falters based on its lineup, and this film that flits between six of them is no different — including via the real-life bands and artists that fill its frames. Some get worked into the narrative in those aforementioned behind-the-action chats, others solely bust out their onstage best, but the full roster provides a stelar snapshot of Australia's music and fest scenes. With the live performances, as well as the general on-the-ground atmosphere, cinematographer Hugh Miller (June Again) and editor Ahmad Halimi (The Bureau of Magical Things) achieve the most vital task 6 Festivals has: making feeling like you're there the easiest feeling in the world. The movie overall is a mixed bag, but wanting to rush out of the cinema — or hop up from your couch, with the film hitting streaming on August 25, a fortnight after its big-screen debut — and into the first festival near you is an instant reaction.
No matter what he's singing, or whether he's crooning tunes as Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane or The Thin White Duke, David Bowie has always been a talent like no other. That isn't just confined to his time behind the microphone, though. On-screen just like onstage, Bowie has always been inimitable, unique and iconic — and he has the filmography to show it. Just this year, there's a fantastic new documentary about that very fact, actually — and Brett Morgen's Moonage Daydream is indeed part of Golden Age Cinema and Bar's current Bowie-worshipping Sound and Vision movie lineup. But that's just one of the program's delights, alongside blasts from the legend's past that deserve to be seen on a big screen. The dates and times vary, but Sydneysiders can discover why Bowie couldn't have been better cast in The Man Who Fell to Earth (the movie, not the TV series sequel from earlier this year). And, you can dance, magic dance along with Labyrinth, aka the 80s gem to end all 80s gems, and one of the most wonderful things that Jim Henson has ever made. Also on the bill: Bowie sinking his teeth into vampire territory in 1983's The Hunger, and playing a centuries-old bloodsucker with effortless cool; and heading to World War II with Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence.
Antidote — the Sydney Opera House's festival of ideas, action and change – will return following an entirely online program of talks in 2021. The festival returns with a mix of livestreamed and IRL talks boasting an impressive lineup of international names including Brian Cox, Jenny Slate and Jarvis Cocker. Fresh from spending three seasons yelling about a business empire on one of television's biggest shows, Succession star Cox headlines the Antidote bill. The iconic actor will make the trip Down Under to chat about his career, including his ability to play characters known for their anger, malicious ways and sinister mood — which, yes, spans more than just the hit HBO series. His discussion is called The Evil in Us All, after all. As for Slate, don't be suspicious. The Parks and Recreation, Obvious Child, I Want You Back and Everything Everywhere All At Once star, and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On author, will hit Sydney to focus on finding joy and laughter in our weird lives. She also has essay collection Little Weirds to her name, so she'll be on topic. Pulp frontman Cocker isn't playing tunes — no 'Common People' or 'Disco 2000' for you, sorry — but he will be showing folks his attic. His livestreamed conversation is called Good Pop, Bad Pop, just like his recently released memoir, and it'll feature him talking through some of the things he's collected, the tales behind them, and what the objects we hide away say about us. Also on the Antidote lineup: bestselling author Mohsin Hamid (Moth Smoke, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Exit West), chatting about white anxiety, privilege and prejudice — and Olivia Laing (The Trip to Echo Springs, The Lonely City, Everybody: A Book About Freedom), with the award-winner talking about oppression, resistance and bodies via livestream. Or, there's an event called Ukraine Has Changed Us, which'll include Ukrainian poet and recent Nobel Prize in Literature nominee Serhiy Zhadan live from Kharkiv. Responding to our times in a different way, The Atlantic's science writer Ed Yong, a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, will discuss global biosecurity and potential pandemics beyond COVID-19. He's the last of the fest's four guests that are appearing via video link — and he'll speak with epidemiologist and UNSW Chair of Biosecurity Professor Raina MacIntyre. Elsewhere, Gunai artist and writer Kirli Saunders will lead a panel with Gumbaynggirr/Bundjalung man and CEO of the Muurrbay Aboriginal Language and Culture Co-operative Gary Williams about preserving and sharing Australia's Indigenous languages. The full Antidote lineup spans 17 talks, conversations and panels, plus four workshops, and an art activation as well — all of which covers chats about storytelling, balancing living with tragedy with retaining hope, Australia's future from a First Nations standpoint, ditching careers in media to become doctors, campaign reporting and China's growing power, too. [caption id="attachment_859192" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jenny Slate, Katie McCurdy[/caption] Top image: Antidote 2020 by Prudence Upton
All plot, all the time: that's how some filmmakers craft movies. Every scene leads to the next, then to the next and so on, connecting the story dots so that event A plus event B (plus event C, event D, event E and more) neatly equals wherever the narrative eventually ends up. Clio Barnard is not one of those writers or directors. Every scene always leads to the next in every film that tells any tale, no matter who's spinning it, but much of what happens in the Dark River and The Selfish Giant helmer's movies doesn't change, shift or drive the plot at all. Indeed, her features often have storylines that seem straightforward, as the tender and tremendous Ali & Ava does. But that uncomplicated appearance — including here, where a man and a woman meet, sparks fly, but complications arise — couldn't be more deceptive. In Ali & Ava, that man and woman are indeed Ali (Adeel Akhtar, Killing Eve) and Ava (Claire Rushbrook, Ammonite), both residents of Bradford in Barnard's native West Yorkshire. He's a working-class landlord — a kind and affable one, noticeably — from a British Pakistani family, and was once an EDM DJ. She's an Irish-born teacher's assistant at the school where one of Ali's tenants' children attends. Frequently, he's on drop-off and pick-up duty, because he is that helpful to his renters. So, when the skies open one day during his school run, Ali offers Ava a ride home rather than seeing her walk to the bus in the pouring rain. They chat, click, laugh, bond over a shared passion for music and slowly let their guards down. But what would a romance be, especially an on-screen one, if the path to love truly was effortlessly smooth? With a lyrical social-realist bent that'd do Ken Loach, living patron saint of British lyrical social-realist filmmaking, proud — see: Loach's I, Daniel Blake and Sorry We Missed You for his two most recent examples — Barnard unpacks everything that roughs up Ali and Ava's tentative courtship. But there's another English director who springs to mind, too, thanks to the way that Ali & Ava can turn from poignant to portentous in a second: This Is England and The Virtues' Shane Meadows. His work finds bliss and joy in ordinary, everyday moments, and also violence and menace as well. One can become the other so quickly that, if it didn't all feel so genuine and authentic, a case of whiplash might be the end result. All three filmmakers possess a commitment to detailing lives that aren't typically fodder for celluloid dreams; all three, including Barnard with The Selfish Giant and now Ali & Ava, make features in the vein that are potent, perceptive, dripping with empathy and as emotionally raw as films come. Ali, friend to everyone, is troubled by more than just regret about no longer hitting the decks. He has a wife, Runa (Ellora Torchia, Midsommar), who no longer loves him or wants to be with him. But he's too proud to tell his family, so they still live together while she keeps studying. That brings judgement his way, with his sister Usma (Krupa Pattani, Ron's Gone Wrong) vocal in her disapproval about his growing closeness with Ava. It makes Ava apprehensive as well, unsurprisingly. She already has enough of her own worries as it is, caring for her five kids — some of which have had kids of their own — as a single mother. One, her son Callum (Shaun Thomas, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children), remains affected by his father's death a year earlier, and also his parents' breakup before that. He's far from welcoming to Ali as a result, terrifyingly so, hating even the idea of him as his mother's potential friend. Writing a devastatingly layered script, Barnard spies the myriad of factors that test her titular twosome. She sees them with unflinching eyes, in fact. Racism is a constant that Ali is forced to live with. For Ava — who has a top arts degree, but needs a secure job that makes ends meet to support her family — classism has long worked the same way. On both sides, someone that Ali and Ava each knows has a strong, instant, knee-jerk reaction. On both sides, the pair's past woes linger like ghosts. Barnard took inspiration for Ali and Ava from people she met while making her other movies, and she knows that there's nothing that's simple about anyone's life, not for a moment. She knows that we're all haunted by everything that's ever pierced our happiness and shattered our fantasies, and she's determined to wade through exactly what that means. Grief, trauma, domestic violence, mental health, the responsibilities of being a parent and grandparent, the expectations of families, the strength it takes to care for others, the weight of forsaking your hopes and wishes for someone else, the complexities of looking for love when a big chunk of your days are behind you: they all have a place in this deeply thoughtful film. So does daring to put yourself first, striving to work past each and every roadblock, being willing to fight for what you want, and braving the unshakeable truth that nothing is ever 100-percent rosy. These themes, ideas and factors all percolate as the movie spends time with Ali and Ava, rather than through purposeful and overt plot point after purposeful and overt plot point. Again, that's the kind of filmmaker that Barnard is. Off-screen, we get to know people through their company; on-screen here, with cinematographer Ole Bratt Birkeland shooting as he did with the director's astonishing 2010 debut The Arbor, that's what Ali & Ava does, too. The picture's namesakes, and the actors behind them, prove exceptional company. They provide wonderfully laid-bare performances as well, which Barnard directs — and Birkeland lights and lenses — with feeling to match. Just as Ali and Ava's existences swing between euphoric and struggling, the movie about them balances its naturalistic, keenly observant approach with a poetic eye. Never is this more apparent than in scenes where Ali, Ava or both are listening to music. Sometimes he dances on top of his car, or on her couch. Sometimes they sit in his vinyl-filed basement. Sometimes they're just driving. Wherever they are and whatever they're listening to, forcefully and dutifully progressing the plot is never the point; learning who Ali & Ava's eponymous figures are, and understanding them as intensely as possible, always is.
This year might've felt like it has dragged on forever, but festive season is right around the corner already. And if you're the kind of person who likes spending this particularly jolly period searching for gifts and goodies at markets, you're about to be in your element. At Entertainment Quarter from 10am–4pm on Sunday, November 29, you'll be able to wander your way through a huge addition to Sydney's market scene: The Ultimate Christmas Market. It'll feature 16o stalls, all spread around the ring in the site's showgrounds — for social distancing reasons, of course. As for what you'll be browsing and buying, it's a hefty list, with plenty of Sydney small businesses selling their wares. Whether you're looking for a present for someone else or you're keen to be your own Santa, you can check out homewares, clothes, arts and crafts, textiles, jewellery and items for pets. And, stock up on Christmas decorations, ornaments and wrapping paper as well. There'll also be food — to take home to celebrate the season, and to eat while you're wandering around.
Since cinemas reopened in Sydney, Dendy Newtown has been celebrating by hosting a number of themed film festivals. So far, it has focused on excellent anime, top-notch queer cinema and big-screen musicals — and now, for its last movie showcase of 2020, it's heading into the obvious festive territory. Don't go thinking that the Naughty & Nice Christmas Film Festival is only playing jolly and merry movies, though. If you like your seasonal cinema shenanigans with a tad more darkness than Home Alone's hijinks, your tastes are catered for, too. Yes, Home Alone is on the bill. Of course it is. But so is Finland's out-there Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, a Die Hard and Die Hard 2 double feature, the Mel Gibson-starring Fatman and musical zombie flick Anna and the Apocalypse. In the more jovial camp, you can also watch The Nightmare Before Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, Love Actually, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and Miracle on 34th Street — plus The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Santa Clause, Elf and The Man Who Invented Christmas. Each title plays at different times on different days during the fest, so make sure to check the session schedule before hopping in your sleigh and heading to Newtown. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ9DDU4R5QI
'Reduce, reuse and recycle' isn't just a catchy slogan. It's a sensible way to help diminish humanity's impact upon the planet — and it's one of the key ideas behind Little Bay's new Looped Festival. Across three socially distanced sessions on Sunday, November 29 (at 10am–12pm, 12–2pm and 2–4pm), this event will focus on the circular economy in a big way, and on getting rid of waste via a range of tactics in the process. Taking place at the Prince Henry Centre, the fest is run by Sydney-based not-for-profit organisation Seaside Scavenge — who are dedicated to shifting from a disposable-driven economy to one where items are made, used, and then reused over and over again. That's their year-round point of focus, but this one-day event will let Sydneysiders chat with folks trying to make the circular economy a reality, including across plastics, textiles and organic waste. As part of your $10 ticket, attendees will learn about the practical tools and services available to help you reduce waste. There'll also be workshops, live music, a Trashy Art exhibition and slam poetry as well. You'll be connecting with brands brands such as Huskee Cup, Sustainable Salons, Zero Co, Farm Wall and Ekoluv — and heading to sessions hosted by OzHarvest, Parva Little Things and Pocket City Farm. There'll also be an onsite thrift shop, and every ticket holder will get two tokens to use at the store (or to pick up a Ben & Jerry's vegan ice cream). [caption id="attachment_700337" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Huskee Cup[/caption]
If you've ever been to a yoga studio with a basketball court below it, you'll have noticed something quite un-zen. During a calming session of yoga, you might hear the piercing screech of a whistle, frequent cheering and the intermittent shrieks of "Great shot Mike!" — or even a marching band procession. Flow After Dark Silent Disco Yoga seeks to give yoga enthusiasts the exact opposite experience, which Sydneysiders can discover on Tuesday, February 9. How exactly does one do silent disco yoga? Quite easily with the introduction of wireless headphones. These bad boys give participants a one-on-one with instructor Kate Kendall, while simultaneously pumping out beats from Sydney DJ James Mack. Also, they're neon. This one-off, 90-minute Vinyasa yoga session will be held at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion and is probably your best (possibly only) chance to show off your best warrior pose while simultaneously jiving to some seriously smooth music. Previous events have sold out quickly, you better snap up some tickets asap if you're keen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_eMNBPaDTg
Japanese cinema's diverse array of wonders can't be confined to one event. Sydneysiders can watch the latest and greatest films the country has to offer at the annual Japanese Film Festival; however, since 2018, cinephiles can also step back into Japanese movie history, too — all thanks to its classics program. Running until Wednesday, October 23 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, this film program explores plenty of old-school big-screen highlights, especially if you're fond of spooky tales. A supernatural anthology telling four ghostly stories, the Academy Award-nominated Kwaidan is one of Japan's undeniable standouts, while The Ghost Story of Yotsuya adapts a kabuki masterpiece about murder and revenge. Also on the bill: The Adventures of Tobisuke, about a puppeteer, a young girl and their trek through the valley of the dead; plus the delightfully named Black Cat Mansion, which adds its own spin to the age-old haunted house premise. If you're keen on some retro bumps and jumps, entry is free, but you'll want to reserve your seat online in advance.
On Wednesday, December 18, there's no need to settle for just one scoop of vegan gelato — or just one vegan gelato burger on a brioche bun, one serve of vegan granita or only a few vegan cannoli either. Cremeria De Luca won't make you limit yourself, or make a hard decision. Instead, from 11am–9.30pm, it's serving up all-you-can-eat vegan gelato and desserts. Your $20 ticket will nab you all of the above, including vegan fried sweet buns and — in case you need something savoury as well — vegan arancini. Basically, it's the Five Docks store's regular menu, but 100-percent vegan and available as an all-you-can-eat session. Wearing something stretchy is probably sensible. This is a dine-in deal only, unsurprisingly — and you will need to nab a ticket in advance as places are limited. And you'll be eating some mighty fine vegan gelato, too, given that the De Luca family first served up scoops in Italy before making the jump to Sydney.
Ending the nine-to-five grind with a beverage can make any working day better. Pair that tipple with cheap seafood, and you'll be counting down the minutes until knock-off time. Fratelli Fresh is clearly keeping that idea in mind this summer — and serving up $2 oysters every day at all of its venues from December 12–January 31. The deal is running every day — yep, including weekends— from 5–6pm, and there's no missing numeral in the price, but you do need buy a drink to get the discounted molluscs. You can order a maximum of six oysters per drink. If you want to go fancy ('tis this season) the restaurants will also be shucking limited-edition golden oysters, sprinkled with gold dust and topped with salmon roe, for $4 a pop. Excitingly, the cheap oysters also coincide with Fratelli Fresh's regular happy hour, running daily from 3–6pm. So, you can pair your oysters with $3 olives, $4 bowls of fries and tomato bruschetta, and $5 zucchini flowers, pints of beer and glasses of wine. Oh, and $6 Aperol spritzes, espresso martinis, negronis and margherita pizzas. Both the happy hour and oyster hour deals are available at all seven NSW Fratelli Fresh stores: Alexandria, Bridge Street, Crows Nest, Darling Harbour, Entertainment Quarter, Westfield Miranda and Westfield Sydney.
One of the original godfathers of dance music is coming to Australia for a five-date nationwide tour. Fatboy Slim, otherwise known as Norman Cook, exploded in the 90s with his brand of big beat that overflowed into the mainstream pop world. From his four studio albums between 1996–2004, he can claim bonafide hits like 'Right Here, Right Now', 'The Rockafeller Skank', 'Praise You' and 'Weapon of Choice'. Fun fact: Cook also holds the Guinness World Record for the most top 40 hits under different names. Sydney audiences can expect the full live show when Fatboy Slim lands next January — hitting up Sydney Showgrounds on Friday, January 31. The UK artist will be supported by 2manydjs, aka David and Stephen Dewaele of Soulwax, with further local support acts to be announced. Image: Fatboy Slim.
The Museum of Contemporary Art remains the place to be on the last Friday of the month when MCA ARTBAR takes over the gallery with an adults-only party of art, music, design and performance. Each month is curated by a different artist, making the series an ever-changing yet constant facet in Sydney's after-dark culture. This month, on Friday, August 30, step into a world of pagan mystery, hypnotic movement and mesmerising music at MCA ARTBAR: Oracle. This adults-only party, which takes over the entire museum, is inspired by the Oracle of Delphi — a priestess of Ancient Greece — who breathed vapours, spoke in tongues and imparted fierce female wisdom. MCA ARTBAR: Oracle has been curated by experimental artists Willoh S Weiland and J R Brennan. They're the duo currently co-directing the after-dark program for next year's MONA FOMA and have created works across the globe, including in Germany, Finland and Poland. So, you can expect lots of immersive and unexpected performance art and music at this month's after-hours art party. Program highlights include an improvised dancing by ex-Bangarra dancer Yolande Brown to the tunes of Ptwiggs; fast-paced life drawing sessions; and the Polyphony Choir singing David Bowie, Björk, Kate Bush and Daft Punk in ways you've never heard before. Head to the rooftop bar and you'll find Stelly G hyping up the crowd. Then, DJ Yung Brujo will be powering the dance floor, backdropped by incredible views of the harbour, too. It all goes down on Friday, August 30 between 7–11pm. Tickets can be pre-purchased for $18–24 online or at the door for $28.
This year is flying by at rapid pace and that means summer is just around the corner — and we all need to get our warm-weather wardrobes in order. Resort and swimwear label Tigerlily is offering something very relevant to your interests: a big four-day warehouse sale to get you some much-welcome bikini bargains. There's never a bad time to treat yourself to some new clothes, especially when you're saving a heap of money in the process. The Aussie brand is known and loved for its timeless prints and unique swimwear, so getting your mitts on some of the goods at up to 60 percent off is a major win. Past-season Tigerlily bikini separates will be on sale for just $29 a piece — and it isn't just swimwear. Dresses, shorts, kaftans and sample pieces will also be reduced to help you prep for the summer months. The Tigerlily warehouse sale will take place at Paddington Town Hall from October 10–13, running from 9am–9pm on Thursday; 9am–5pm on Friday and Saturday; and 10am–4pm on Sunday.
UPDATE: 29 SEPTEMBER, 2019 — The Doggy Day is no longer being held at the Paddo Inn and has had a last minute move to Double Bay's Golden Sheaf. For free medical checks, pet photography and the pooch-only menu head across to The Sheaf. The bottomless brunch, however, will still be going down at the Paddo — more info about that over here. Looking for an excuse to spoil your pup, or just go crazy petting everyone else's doggos? Head over Golden Sheaf this month for its first Doggy Day on Sunday, September 29 from 10am–2pm. The bar will be filled with furry friends and is set up to pamper their fluffy ears off. First up, Vets on Crown will be in the house, offering free medical checks. There will also be pet photography shoots by GoBarkly and personalised accessories by Porters 4 Pets. On the pooch-only menu, meatballs and biscuits will be up for grabs. And the first 30 dogs will receive a complimentary gift bag from Healthy Everyday Pets, too. Humans aren't forgotten either. The kitchen opens at midday with a whole spread of steaks, pizzas, burgers and schnittys — and there are jugs of spritzes and mojitios available if you feel like settling in for a Sunday session. Entry is free, but you can book a table over here. Images: Steven Woodburn
It's beginning to look a lot like the festive season — and at Porteño, that means eating, drinking and shopping. Well, that's what the restaurant will be serving up at its second Christmas market, to be held at its Cleveland Street event space. For a gold coin donation on entry — the proceeds of which will go to Westmead Children's Hospital — attendees will find local designers, creatives and some of Porteño's shop-owning faves all descending upon Cleveland Street for a merry ol' day of gift browsing and buying. Expect all of your canned and pickled goods needs to be taken care of by Continental Deli and Cornersmith, meaning that you can stock up on some edible Christmas essentials as well. Plus, Cork & Chroma will be running a three-hour painting class if you think something homemade will have more resonance. Taking place from 9am to 4pm on Sunday, December 16, the market will also look after your hunger and thirst while you're perusing the stalls and shelves, courtesy of caffeinated brews from 212 Blu, gelato from Redfern's Ciccone & Sons and Porteño kitchen's own bites to eat. As for something stronger, you'll find booze from Jacoby's Tiki Bar and quality drop from Jed Wines — whether you're celebrating once you've wrapped up all your pressie purchasing for the year, or getting some liquid inspiration.
Lusting after an island holiday but lacking the time or funds? The rooftop at The Sheaf is oozing the summer feels you're craving with the Bacardi Rum Shack, a pop-up that's taken over the space until Sunday, January 27. It's open Thursday through Sunday each week and boasts specialty rum cocktails, tropical vibes and a live electronic music lineup. The cocktail list takes a twist on the classics — think watermelon mai tai (Bacardi Carta Blanca and St. Germain elderflower liquor with almond, watermelon and lime), the Mojito Magic (Bacardi Carta Blanca, mint, lime, passionfruit and soda) and the Rum Runner (Bacardi Carta Blanca and Bacardi Carta Oro with blackberry, orange and pineapple). Of course, classic mojitos and piña coladas — festively served in coconut shells — are on the menu, too. Sheaf Sunday Sessions will happen every week as well. UNDR CTRL DJs will play each week and there'll be additional headliners on November 11, December 9 and January 27 — that'll be Running Touch, Total Giovanni and Kilter, respectively. The Bacardi Rum Shack Rooftop is open Thursday to Saturday from 5pm and Sunday from 3pm. For more information, visit The Sheaf's website.
