UPDATE: April 15, 2020: Aladdin is available to stream via Disney+. Let's get the obvious reference out of the way: in remaking the 1992 classic, Disney's live-action Aladdin doesn't venture to a whole new world. Instead, the company's latest rehash of its back catalogue adds literal, visible flesh to everyone's favourite makeover concept (Blue Eye for the Street Rat Guy, basically), as well as a few minor twists and an extra song. Relaying the same tale again isn't necessarily an issue, on paper. Storytellers have been doing the same thing since time began, as have filmmakers for more than a century, with re-interpreting familiar narratives, adapting them to different contexts and seeing them afresh all part of human nature. But what Aladdin lacks is a purpose beyond the obvious. It's a glossy new version with actors instead of animation; a shiny, nostalgic replica that's definitely entertaining enough. However it never tries to soar on its own magic carpet. One line of thinking, of course, is that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Another is that faithful do-overs of beloved hits (including Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast and Dumbo, plus the forthcoming The Lion King) are just Disney's safety-driven success strategy. These are risk-averse filmmaking times, so the latter approach is understandable. When fans mobilise online en masse to cry about women with lightsabers and demand that a television show be remade because it didn't end the way they personally wanted, simply giving viewers what they already like is the all-too-sensible option. Accordingly, Aladdin circa 2019 is exactly what it was always going to be, with all of the expected ups and downs that entails. Yes, it'll make you want to revisit the original. No, Will Smith can't match Robin Williams, but he doesn't always try to. Surprisingly, while there are no geezers spouting Cockney rhyming slang (and no Jason Statham, sadly), director Guy Ritchie's penchant for energetic spectacle generally fits. The story, for those who didn't spend their childhoods rewatching the animated flick endlessly and committing the details to memory, charts Agrabah urchin Aladdin (Mena Massoud), his newfound love for Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) and the lamp-dwelling Genie (Will Smith) who can make dreams come true. Aladdin is merely a kind-hearted petty thief with a cheeky monkey for a best friend, with Jasmine only able to marry royalty — and her sultan father (Navid Negahban) is hardly fond of breaking tradition. Complicating matters even further is nefarious advisor Jafar (Marwan Kenzari), who exerts his own influence — with the help of his all-seeing parrot Iago (voiced by Alan Tudyk) — to try to seize the throne. With Genie's wish-granting assistance, Aladdin pretends to be a prince to secure Jasmine's hand, but securing the kingdom becomes just as pressing a concern. There's a timely female empowerment thread to this version to Aladdin, as seen in its new song, as well as Jasmine's rallying against her lack of agency. Barely tinkering with the initial flick's script, Ritchie and co-scribe John August (Frankenweenie) aren't trying to break the mould — or enchanted lamp — yet it's a welcome albeit fairly obligatory touch. Where the director best exerts his influence is in teaming with cinematographer Alan Stewart (Mary Poppins Returns) to bring Agrabah to vivid, jewel-toned life, watching Aladdin sneakily parkour himself around the city and giving the musical numbers the requisite bounce. Where the tunes are concerned, established crowd-pleasers such as 'Prince Ali', 'Friend Like Me' and 'A Whole New World' prove the high points they're meant to be, which sums up the film's fortunes perfectly: its hits are already known, and making sure they don't crash compared to the original is the primary plan. That could sum up Smith's tactics also, or at least that's how it initially seems. He's less comfortable and convincing when he's overtly mimicking Williams at the outset, but serves up an engaging and amusing Genie once he makes the character his own (and when he isn't sporting a distracting shade of blue). Indeed, if viewers had three wishes for the Aladdin remake, and one of them was for a great cast, that has largely been granted. Crucially, Massoud makes a suitably charismatic rapscallion, and Scott brings poise and radiance to a star-making performance, helping you forget that she was in the awful Power Rangers movie. The true scene-stealer, though, is ex-Saturday Night Live star Nasim Pedrad as Jasmine's handmaiden Dalia. It's a move that'd never happen, but if this adequate yet never arresting Aladdin revival sparked a spin-off about its two main ladies just being great and taking on the world, it'd justify its existence several times over. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foyufD52aog
Dozens of independent arts organisations are looking down the barrel of extinction, after being ditched in the latest round of Australia Council funding. The news makes for depressingly familiar headlines, and marks the latest in a series of significant blows to the country's artistic community since the Federal Government cut the independent funding body's budget to the tune of $60 million over four years. Among the 62 previously funded organisations to miss out are the National Association for the Visual Arts, Melbourne's Red Stitch Actor's Theatre and youth-focused Express Media, and Sydney's Force Majeure dance company and PACT Centre for Contemporary Artists. Organisations lucky enough to receive funding, meanwhile, include Queensland's Metro Arts, Multicultural Arts Victoria, and Carriageworks in Sydney. In total $112 million will be invested between 2017 and 2020. The full list of recipients can be found via the Arts Council website. "In a country with an ever growing population we should be receiving ever greater cultural investment and government support," said Arts Party leader PJ Collins. "Instead we have constant and major cuts to our communities and opportunity in developing and recognising our native talent." A number of the affected organisations also spoke out against the cuts. "This is devastating news not just for Next Wave but for all artists and the Australian community," read a statement from the organisers of Melbourne's Next Wave festival (which is on right now). They also pointed out that the decision to drop funding comes even as the festival is being met "with critical and audience acclaim, and record-breaking box office numbers." Likewise, Kath Melbourne of Sydney theatre company Legs on the Wall told ArtsHub that they and many other organisations were the victims of "political decisions [made] behind closed doors." Australia Council CEO Tony Grybowski tried to put a positive spin on the announcement, stating that "while celebrating the success of the companies forming the new cohort, the Council acknowledges that the outcomes of this highly competitive process will be difficult for some companies and is committed to supporting the sector through this period of change. This support will take various forms, responding to the different needs of both individual organisations and practice areas." Via ArtsHub. Image: Next Wave.
UPDATE, December 23, 2022: The Batman is available to stream via Netflix, Binge, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. When The Batman begins (not to be confused with Batman Begins), it's with the slaying of a powerful Gotham figure. A shocking crime that scandalises the city, it leaves a traumatised boy behind, and couldn't be more influential in the detective-style tale of blood and vengeance that follows. But viewers haven't seen this story before, despite appearances. It isn't the start of pop culture's lonesome billionaire orphan's usual plight, although he's there, all dressed in black, and has an instant affinity for the sorrowful kid. Behold the first standout feat achieved by this excellent latest take on the Dark Knight (not to be confused with The Dark Knight): realising that no one needs to see Bruce Wayne's parents meet their end for what'd feel like the millionth time. The elder Waynes are still dead, and have been for two decades. Bruce (Robert Pattinson, Tenet) still festers with pain over their loss. And the prince of Gotham still turns vigilante by night, cleaning up the lawless streets one no-good punk at a time with only trusty butler Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis, Long Shot) in on his secret. As directed by Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes' Matt Reeves, and co-scripted with The Unforgivable's Peter Craig, The Batman clocks something crucial about its namesake and the audiences that watch him, however. The caped crusader's every move stems from his inescapable grief as always, but no one has to witness its origins yet again to glean why he's become the conflicted protector of his anarchic city. Instead, here he's overtly anguished, upset, broken, broiling with hurt and working his way through those feelings in each affray — a suave, smooth and slick one-percenter playboy in his downtime, he isn't — and it's a more absorbing version of the character than seen in many of the past Bat flicks that've fluttered through cinemas. Why so serious? That question is answered quickly. Also, badging Pattinson's turn in the cape and cowl 'emo Batman' is 100-percent accurate. It's meant to be, because violence isn't just about experiencing or inflicting pain, but also about processing the emotions stirred up. Apply the label to The Batman's unrelentingly dark and rainy aesthetic as well and, once again, it suits. Lensed with such an eye for the absence of light by Australian cinematographer Greig Fraser (a Dune Oscar-nominee) that he's painting with the shadowiest of shadows, this is a grimmer Batman than Christopher Nolan's trilogy, moodier than Ben Affleck's stint, and gloomier than the Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney-starring movies (not to mention the upbeat and campy 60s TV series that gave us the Batusi). Like teen shows, the tone of any given Batman entry reflects the surrounding times, and the tenor here is bleak, bruised and battered. Call the prevailing batmosphere cinema's own bat-signal and that's oh-so-fitting, too. Batman is bruised and battered himself in The Batman. He flinches when jumping from skyscrapers in his winged batsuit, grimaces upon impact and sports contusions beneath his mask before that. In spurts of Taxi Driver-style narration — where he could be one of screenwriter Paul Schrader's lonely men wrestling with the world (see also: The Card Counter) — he seethes about his self-appointed task, past and the state of Gotham, exposing his psychological scars as well. That doesn't change when a serial killer who dubs himself The Riddler (Paul Dano, Okja) and must love David Fincher movies (Seven and Zodiac especially) commits The Batman's opening murder, the first in a chain targeting the city's elite. This other angry mask-wearing vigilante is also waging a war on Gotham's corruption, and leaving puzzles to be solved along the way — with Batman assisting police lieutenant Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright, The French Dispatch), and being aided by nightclub waiter-cum-cat burglar Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz, Kimi) in turn. What makes one man's angst-riddled quest noble but the other's deranged? As The Batman broods over that conundrum, the line between its titular figure and The Riddler is the finest it has perhaps ever been. Reeves isn't interested in another hero-with-a-sob-story spin on Batman, but in surveying the tragedy that seeps through his grimy and dank rendering of Gotham — yes, even dimmer than in Joker — and plotting the choices that spirit its abandoned residents towards either improving or destroying the city. The longer he chases The Riddler, via altercations with crime kingpin Carmine Falcone (John Turturro, Severance) and club-owner Oswald 'The Penguin' Cobblepot (Colin Farrell, The North Water), the more that Bruce/Batman flies parallel to his new foe. Selina slinks along a similar route, too, as coloured by her own history — plus the missing friend she's desperate to find, which is what connects her with Batman to start with. This many different Batman films and shows in, it isn't easy to make the Dark Knight an entrancing and surprising character again — Christian Bale did, Affleck didn't — but Pattinson's casting is exceptional. Since he stopped visibly sparkling in the Twilight saga, his role choices have been near-impeccable as Cosmopolis, The Rover, Maps to the Stars, The Lost City of Z, Good Time, High Life and The Lighthouse have shown, and The Batman slides seamlessly into his enviable recent resume. There's soulfulness and tension to his portrayal of the Gotham crusader's inner turmoil, not just matching the Nirvana's 'Something in the Way'-meets-'Ave Maria'-soundtracked mood of melancholy, but also rippling in every glance, glare, step, jump and thrown fist. There's also a deep-seated intensity; a willingness to play both Bruce and Batman as weird, awkward and unsettled; and a welcome lack of boundaries between his character's two personas. Reeves hasn't just scored a pitch-perfect lead, though. At just a batwing's flap shy of three hours, his film comes packed more convenient plot developments than necessary, but it has time to cement the savvy Kravitz among the most memorable versions of Catwoman — and to refreshingly play up her sexual tension with Batman. It also ensures that the quietly commanding Wright, hypnotically unhinged Dano and prosthetics-laden Farrell all have room to shine, though The Penguin is hardly a big player. It gives the latest Batmobile a helluva revved-up entrance and breathlessly thrilling car chase, and lets wide-framed, rhythmically choreographed action scenes roll long so that viewers feel the toll they wage on the movie's main man. Spotting everything that influenced The Batman isn't an enigma, of course, and The Riddler would be thoroughly disappointed. But the way that everything is spliced and shaken together, and the mood — and it's definitely a mood — makes this weighty, heavy, sublimely shot, excellently cast, always-engaging blockbuster feel new, and all things Batman with it.
First there was Shirt Bar. Then came champagne and sneaker bar Butter. Now, to complete the outfit, Surry Hills has welcomed Soultrap, Sydney's first hat bar. Taking over the old Play Bar space on Campbell Street, new underground venue Soultrap combines mistelle and millinery, or more specifically, fortified wines and feathered fedoras. The hybrid venue was established by small bar specialist Christophe Lehoux who co-founded House of Pocket group, which includes much-loved drinking dens Pocket Bar, Stitch Bar and Button Bar. Lehoux is passionate about small bars and hat making, and rather than choose between his two loves, he thought, "to hell with that, I'm doing both". When he isn't taking orders or pouring drinks behind the bar, you can find him at the back of Soultrap working away in his dedicated hat workshop. His handiwork is displayed throughout the venue and all hats are available for purchase. Headgear aside, the venue functions primarily as an underground small bar and live music venue. The bar is run by Josh Craker (ex-QT Sydney) and the house specialty is mistille, a traditional French drink made from fermented grape juice and eau de vie (fruit brandy). Each region in France has its own variation and Soultrap offers a fair few, either as mistille melanges (mixed mistilles) or mistille-spiked cocktails. For an introduction into the mysterious world of mistille, we recommend the Pinocchio ($17), a simple aperitif combining Pineau des Charente and bitter Campari. The taste is sweet, light and floral, similar to Pimm's or sherry. Alongside mistelle, Soultrap serves a selection of seasonal cocktails, craft beers and organic and biodynamic wines. The cocktails are the real deal, too — strong, subtle and not too sweet. Top tipples include the Australian Fare ($22) a Manhattan made from Australian amaro and a native botanical vermouth, and the Spouses' Sour ($18) a cherry marzipan concoction, made from Aperol, gin, almond syrup and orange blossom. Soultrap's food menu is just as sophisticated as its drinks, with a selection of small French and Italian morsels, which can be combined to create a charcuterie or cheese plate. Options include the jamón serrano ($7), Brillat-Savarin ($8) squid in its ink ($8), peppered fig paste ($4) and baked camembert ($13). For something more substantial, there's also the pissaldiere ($14) a flaky French pastry topped with caramelised onions, anchovies and olives, and a smoked ocean trout dip with crisp endives dippers ($13). The tradition of live music continues with Soultrap hosting a jazz, soul and funk night every Thursday and vinyl-only DJ sessions on Saturday. And for bringing great drinks and live music back to Surry Hills — we take our hats off to them. Appears in: Sydney's Best Underground Bars for 2023
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to anything, we're here to help. We've spent plenty of couch time watching our way through this month's latest batch — and, from the latest and greatest through to old and recent favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue in December. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery opens with a puzzle box inside a puzzle box. The former is a wooden cube delivered out of the blue, the latter the followup to 2019 murder-mystery hit Knives Out, and both are as tightly, meticulously, cleverly and cannily orchestrated as each other. The physical version has siblings, all sent to summon a motley crew of characters to the same place, as these types of flicks need to boast. The film clearly has its own brethren, and slots in beside its predecessor as one of the genre's gleaming standouts. More Knives Out movies will follow as well, which the two so far deserve to keep spawning as long as writer/director Rian Johnson (Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi) and Benoit Blanc-playing star Daniel Craig (No Time to Die) will make them. Long may they keep the franchise's key detective and audience alike sleuthing. Long may they have everyone revelling in every twist, trick and revelation, as the breezy blast that is Glass Onion itself starts with. What do Connecticut Governor and US Senate candidate Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn, WandaVision), model-slash-designer-slash-entrepreneur Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson, Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon), scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr, The Many Saints of Newark) and gun-toting, YouTube-posting men's rights activist Duke Cody (Dave Bautista, Thor: Love and Thunder) all have in common when this smart and savvy sequel kicks off? They each receive those literal puzzle boxes, of course, and they visibly enjoy their time working out what they're about. The cartons are the key to their getaway to Greece — their invites from tech mogul Miles Bron (Edward Norton, The French Dispatch), in fact — and also perfectly emblematic of this entire feature. It's noteworthy that this quartet carefully but playfully piece together clues to unveil the contents inside, aka Glass Onion's exact modus operandi. That said, it's also significant that a fifth recipient of these elaborate squares, Andi Brand (Janelle Monáe, Antebellum), simply decides to smash their way inside with a hammer. As Brick and Looper also showed, Johnson knows when to attentively dole out exactly what he needs to, including when the body count starts. He also knows when to let everything spill out, and when to put the cravat-wearing Blanc on the case. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery streams via Netflix. Read our full review. KEVIN CAN F**K HIMSELF Not once, not even jokingly, does Annie Murphy utter the words "ew, David" in Kevin Can F**k Himself. She's never ever just a little bit Alexis, either. Murphy is just as exceptional and awards-worthy here, however, in a superb show that's a clever and cutting dark comedy — and, perhaps more accurately, offers a clear-eyed unpacking of what sitcoms usually mean (Schitt's Creek excluded, obviously) for women. In its first season in 2021, Kevin Can F**k Himself cast its star as Allison Devine-McRoberts, wife to the manchild of a titular figure (Eric Petersen, Sydney to the Max), and clearly in the kind of TV show about obnoxious husbands and their put-upon spouses that've been a small-screen mainstay for far too long. In those segments of the series, the lights glow, the McRoberts home looks like every other abode in every other program of its ilk, multiple cameras observe the action and viewers can be forgiven for expecting Kevin James to show up. Also, canned laughter chuckles — always unearned. Consider the above setup Kevin Can F**k Himself's starting point, though, because the show itself does. From there, creator Valerie Armstrong (Lodge 49) exposes what life is truly like for Allison — who is considered Kevin's wife first and foremost by almost everyone around her — including by switching looks, hues and camera arrangements whenever its namesake isn't around. The visible change is smart and effective, with this two-season show keeping digging into Allison's bleak situation from there. In the spirit of the series' title, she's trying to rid herself of her horrible marriage, including with help from neighbour Patty (Mary Hollis Inboden, The Righteous Gemstones). Alas, as this second and sadly last batch of episodes shows — as its first did as well — nothing is ever that easy. In a better world, Kevin Can F**k Himself would've had more time to unfurl and interrogate its story, but in this world it doesn't put a foot wrong with the time it's been given. Murphy and Inboden make one of TV's best duos, too; fingers crossed that someone reteams them again sometime soon. Kevin can F**k Himself streams via AMC+. Read our full review of 2021's season one. LADY CHATTERLEY'S LOVER Neither Emma Corrin's nor Jack O'Connell's resumes lack past highlights — The Crown for the former, and Skins, Starred Up, '71 and The North Water among the latter's — but the two actors scorch up the screen in Lady Chatterley's Lover. There'd be a problem if they didn't, given that the film adapts DH Lawrence's famously steamy and even banned 1928 novel. (In Australia, even a book about the British obscenity trial that the tome inspired was censored.) To tell this tale about an upper-class wife, her unfulfilling marriage to a Baronet injured in World War I, and the sexual and emotional yearning she quenches with the family property's gamekeeper, chemistry has to drip from the images, sparks need to fly so furiously that the movie's frames almost ignite, and a feverish and all-encompassing mood is a must. Along with actor-turned-director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre (The Mustang), Corrin and O'Connell bring all of the above to the latest take on Lady Chatterley's Lover, and help the sumptuous erotic period drama itself not just bubble but boil. As lensed with a sensual eye by cinematographer Benoît Delhomme (At Eternity's Gate), this achingly romantic film sees its titular Lady Connie (Corrin, My Policeman) meet her also-eponymous paramour Oliver Mellors (O'Connell, Seberg) following the war, after Clifford Chatterley (Matthew Duckett, A Confession) has returned paralysed and moved his bride into his stately estate. Talk of an heir remains — pre-injury, it was the first thing mentioned in their wedding toast — but Clifford's condition, as well as his focus on writing a novel and then modernising the local mine, prove obstacles. Connie could have a discreet affair for the sole purpose of getting pregnant, however, as Clifford suggests. But it isn't just a head-over-heels clandestine love that springs with Mellors, who's also a veteran. Connie and Oliver are bowled over by the kind of adoration, affection and lust that inspires frolics in the fields and stripping down in the rain, all while their romance also helps interrogate class clashes. As well as woozily heady, vibrantly performed and handsomely shot, Lady Chatterley's Lover also enjoys eating the rich; yes, that's sexy, too. Lady Chatterley's Lover streams via Netflix. NANNY In Nanny, Aisha (Anna Diop, Us) is haunted, both when she's asleep and awake. Her slumbers are disturbed by nightmares, but seeing rising waters and unwelcome spiders isn't just relegated to when the Senegalese woman in New York closes her eyes. A gut-wrenching sense of unease also lingers while she works, after securing a childminding job for rich Upper East Side residents Amy (Michelle Monaghan, Echoes) and Adam (Morgan Spector, The Gilded Age). Their five-year-old daughter Rose (Rose Decker, Mare of Easttown) adores Aisha — more than her parents, it often seems. And, the nannying gig helps Aisha distract herself from missing her own son, who she's desperately trying to bring over to the US. She's haunted by his absence, too, and by the stolen snippets of conversation she gets with him on the phone, constantly juggling the time difference. The supernatural disturbances plaguing Aisha and her feelings about leaving her child in Senegal to chase a better future for them both are clearly linked, although Nanny is atmospheric and insightful rather than blunt and overt. The first horror film to win Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize, this evocative effort hails from writer/director Nikyatu Jusu, who makes her feature-length debut with quite the calling card. 2022 isn't short on affectingly moody and evocative female-focused thrillers with a maternal bent — see: Resurrection, which also debuted at Sundance — but Nanny's addition to the fold is deeply steeped in Aisha's immigrant experience. Thanks to all that otherworldly water, it feels like it's always steeping, in fact, soaking in the troubles and struggles of trying to snatch even a piece of the American dream when you're not wealthy, white and originally from the so-called land of the free. Also prominent: the dispiriting minutiae of Aisha's day, aka exactly what she has to endure to even have a chance of gaining what comes easily and obliviously to her employers. Like its central figure, Nanny is haunted several times over, too. Nanny streams via Prime Video. COLIN FROM ACCOUNTS A girl, a guy and a meet-cute over an adorable animal: that's the delightful and very funny Colin From Accounts' underlying formula. When medical student Ashley (Harriet Dyer, The Invisible Man) and microbrewery owner Gordon (Patrick Brammall, Evil) cross paths in the street one otherwise standard Sydney morning, they literally come to an impasse. He lets her go first, she flashes her nipple as thanks, then he's so distracted that he hits a stray dog with his car. As these circumstances demonstrate, Colin From Accounts isn't afraid to get awkward, much to the benefit of audiences. There's a syrupy way to proceed from the show's debut moments, intertwining sparks flying with idyllic dates, plus zero doubts of a happy ending for humans and pooches alike. If this was a movie, that's how it'd happen. Then there's Dyer and Brammall's way, with the duo creating and writing the series as well as starring in it, and focusing as much on ordinary existential mayhem — working out who you want to be, navigating complex relationships and learning to appreciate the simple pleasure of someone else's company, for example — as pushing its leads together. Just like in the Hollywood versions of this kind of tale, romance does blossom. That Dyer and Brammall are behind Colin From Accounts, their past chemistry on fellow Aussie comedy No Activity and the fact that they're married IRL means that pairing them up as more than new pals was always going to be on the show's agenda. It's how the series fleshes out each character and their baggage — including those who-am-I questions, Ash's difficult dynamic with her attention-seeking mother Lynelle (Helen Thomson, Elvis), and the responsibility that running your own business and committing to care for other people each bring — that helps give it depth. Colin From Accounts lets Ash and Gordon unfurl their woes and wishes, and also lets them grow. Sometimes, that happens by peeing and pooping in the wrong place, because that's also the type of comedy this is. Sometimes, it's because the show's central couple have taken a risk, or faced their struggles, or genuinely found solace in each other. Always, this new Aussie gem is breezy and weighty — and instantly bingeable. Colin From Accounts streams via Binge. Read our full review. DREAMING WALLS: INSIDE THE CHELSEA HOTEL Part of Manhattan since the 1880s, the Chelsea Hotel is as much a New York City icon as the Statute of Liberty or the Empire State Building, and as influential over the cultural landscape as well. It's where 2001: A Space Odyssey was written by Arthur C Clarke and Stanley Kubrick, where Janis Joplin and Allen Ginsburg have resided — Patti Smith, Madonna, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and Leonard Cohen as well — and a key factor in the Andy Warhol co-directed 1966 film Chelsea Girls. It's the last place that poet Dylan Thomas stayed, and where Nancy Spungen, girlfriend of the Sex Pistols' Sid Vicious, was found dead. All of these details could fuel a documentary, or several, but that's not the approach that the Martin Scorsese-produced Dreaming Walls: Inside the Chelsea Hotel takes. As the building undergoes extensive renovations that've been happening for years, upending long-term inhabitants and transforming historic apartments, filmmakers Amélie van Elmbt (The Elephant and the Butterfly) and Maya Duverdier spend time with the people determined not to leave. Everyone who still calls the Chelsea home knows the ins and outs of its past; "the ghosts who haunt it," as one puts it. But Dreaming Walls considers those everyday dwellers — most linked to creative fields in one way or another, of course — the life and soul of the current joint. That might be easy when so much of the place, and its gorgeous gothic architecture, is a construction site in the documentary's frames. The contrast between stripped-bare walls and jam-packed apartments that've been occupied by the same people for decades is haunting as well. It's no wonder that this ethereal and evocative film is largely content to loiter, to listen and to bear witness to the folks who've been there, seen it all, heard what they didn't personally experience and aren't willing to simply move just because a boutique spot is poised to take over. Dreaming Walls: Inside the Chelsea Hotel streams via DocPlay. BUMP Time-jump alert: when Bump returns for its third season, four years have passed in this supremely bingeable Aussie dramedy's on-screen world. Oly (Nathalie Morris, Petrol) and Santi (Carlos Sanson, Sweet As) are no longer high schoolers, or even teenagers. They're also no longer the couple that took a big leap at the end of season two by moving into their own apartment, away from both of their chaotic families, while Oly finished her HSC, Santi started working full-time and both juggled all of the above with caring for baby J. Indeed, this new batch of Bump episodes begins with its central pairing taking the now almost five-year-old Jacinda (Ava Cannon) to her first day of kindergarten. All three are both excited and nervous amid the awkward co-parenting energy between the now-split Oly and Santi — and as Oly's mother Angie (Claudia Karvan, Moja Vesna) surprises them en route. Times and ages may have changed, and situations and appearances as well, but the warmth this series feels for its characters — and the complexity it works through in well-worn scenarios — steadfastly remains. We said it when the first ten-episode season dropped at the end of 2020, and we still stand by it today: Heartbreak High fans, Bump is for you, too. That isn't just because Karvan starred in The Heartbreak Kid, the movie that the OG Heartbreak High spun off from, but due to its dedication to chronicling the ins and outs of growing up and parenting in Sydney — yes, with school a focus as well. Bump has matured as Oly and Santi also have, however, even if the same can't always be said about Angie, Oly's dad Dom (Angus Sampson, The Lincoln Lawyer) and her older brother Bowie (Christian Byers, Between Two Worlds). A key theme in season three: what it means when life already hasn't turned out as planned when you still have so much of it left ahead of you. The show is called Bump, after all, and finds plenty of them paving everyone's paths. With the series also devoting its time to Santi's stepmother Rosa (Paula Garcia, Thirteen Lives) and best friend Vince (Ioane Saula, Preppers) among its broader look at Oly and Santi's support network, it also finds an array of ways to contemplate hopes, dreams, loves, losses, joys and disappointments. Bump streams via Binge from December 26. NEW AND RETURNING SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK ABBOTT ELEMENTARY The Office did it, in both the UK and US versions. Parks and Recreation did so, too. What We Do in the Shadows still does it — and, yes, there's more where they all came from. By now, the mockumentary format is a well-established part of the sitcom realm. Indeed, it's so common that additional shows deciding to give it a whirl aren't noteworthy for that alone. But in Emmy-winner Abbott Elementary, which is currently streaming its second season, the faux doco gimmick is also deployed as an outlet for the series' characters. They're all public school elementary teachers in Philadelphia, and the chats to-camera help convey the stresses and tolls of doing what they're devoted to. In a wonderfully warm and also clear-eyed gem created by, co-written by and starring triple-threat Quinta Brunson (Miracle Workers), that'd be teaching young hearts and minds no matter the everyday obstacles, the utter lack of resources and funding, or the absence of interest from the bureaucracy above them. Brunson plays perennially perky 25-year-old teacher Janine Teagues, who loves her gig and her second-grade class. She also adores her colleague Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph, Ray Donovan), the kindergarten teacher that she sees as a mentor and work mum. Actually, Janine isn't just fond of all of the above — she's so devoted to her job that she'll let nothing stand in her way. But that isn't easy or straightforward in a system that's short on cash and care from the powers-that-be to make school better for its predominantly Black student populace. Also featuring Everybody Hates Chris' Tyler James Williams (also The United States vs Billie Holiday) as an apathetic substitute teacher, Lisa Ann Walter (The Right Mom) and Chris Perfetti (Sound of Metal) as Abbott faculty mainstays, and Janelle James (Black Monday) as the incompetent principal who only scored her position via blackmail, everything about Abbott Elementary is smart, kindhearted, funny and also honest. That remains the case in season two, where Janine is newly single and grappling with being on her own, sparks are flying with Williams' Gregory and James' Ava can't keep bluffing her way through her days. Abbott Elementary streams via Disney+. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN Is every vampire film destined to become a television series? Where Buffy the Vampire Slayer, What We Do in the Shadows and Interview with the Vampire have already tread — the latter just this year, too — Let the Right One In now follows. Originally a devastatingly haunting Swedish novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist, then an entrancing 2008 film in its original language, then an American big-screen remake called Let Me In, this one just keeps drawing audiences in. In its present guise, it takes its tale to New York, where Mark Kane (Demián Bichir, Godzilla vs Kong) and his daughter Eleanor (Madison Taylor Baez, Selena: The Series) are trying to live as normal a life as they can when the latter is a member of the bloodsucking undead. Other changes abound, including the fact that Ellie has been blighted by her condition for just a decade; that NYC is being plagued by a series of brutal but strange killings; and that former pharmaceutical executive Arthur Logan (Željko Ivanek, The Last Duel), his estranged daughter Claire (Grace Gummer, Dr Death) and afflicted son Peter (Jacob Buster, Colony) factor into the narrative. Because everything is a murder-mystery of late — see: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery above, and fellow recent streaming hits Only Murders in the Building, The Afterparty, Bad Sisters and Black Bird — so is Let the Right One In circa 2022 in its way. When Ellie befriends a boy, as has happened in every version of this tale so far, his mother happens to be a police detective investigating those aforementioned deaths. So, while the show chronicles Ellie and Isaiah Cole's (Ian Foreman, The Holiday Switch) affinity as outsiders, with the magic-loving neighbour kid bullied at school, it also charts his mum Naomi's (Anika Noni Rose, Maid) time on the job. And, this Let the Right One In is also a survival quest, chasing a cure for Ellie's predicament. In other words, creator and writer Andrew Hinderaker (Away) has taken the source material, filtered it through thoroughly 2022 obsessions, conjured up there requisite moody vibe and filled it with weighty performances. Sinking your teeth in is recommended. Let the Right One In streams via Paramount+. 2022 CINEMA HIGHLIGHTS WORTH CATCHING UP WITH AT HOME FLUX GOURMET Flickering across a cinema screen, even the greatest of movies only engage two senses: sight and hearing. We can't touch, taste or smell films, even if adding scratch-and-sniff aromas to the experience has become a cult-favourite gimmick. British director Peter Strickland hasn't attempted that — but his features make you feel like you're running your fingers over an alluring dress (In Fabric), feeling the flutter of insect wings (The Duke of Burgundy) or, in his latest, enjoying the smells and tastes whipped up by a culinary collective that turns cooking and eating into performance art. Yes, if you've seen any of his movies before, Flux Gourmet instantly sounds like something only Strickland could make. While it's spinning that tale, it literally sounds like only something he could come up with as well, given that his audioscapes are always a thing of wonder (see also: the sound-focused Berberian Sound Studio). And, unsurprisingly due to his strong and distinctive sense of style and mood, everything about Flux Gourmet looks and feels like pure Strickland, too. The setting: a culinary institute overseen by Jan Stevens (Gwendoline Christie, Wednesday), that regularly welcomes in different creative groups to undertake residencies. Her guests collaborate, percolate and come up with eye-catching blends of food, bodies and art — hosting OTT dinners, role-playing a trip to the supermarket, getting scatalogical and turning a live colonoscopy into a show, for instance. Watching and chronicling the latest stint by a 'sonic catering' troupe is journalist Stones (Makis Papadimitriou, Beckett), who also has gastrointestinal struggles, is constantly trying not to fart and somehow manages to keep a straight face as everything gets farcical around him. Asa Butterfield (Sex Education), Ariane Labed (The Souvenir: Part II) and Strickland regular Fatma Mohamed play the three bickering artists, and their time at the institute get messy and heated, fast — but this is a film that's as warm as it is wild, and stands out even among Strickland's inimitable work. Also crucial: riffing on This Is Spinal Tap. Flux Gourmet streams via Shudder. Read our full review. STREAMING HIGHLIGHTS FROM EARLIER IN THE YEAR WORTH CATCHING UP ON THE LAST MOVIE STARS Filmmakers adoring filmmakers is basically its own on-screen genre. Six-part documentary limited series The Last Movie Stars gives that idea a different spin: actors loving actors. Here, Ethan Hawke turns director, not for the first time — see: films Blaze, Seymour: An Introduction, The Hottest State and Chelsea Walls — to show his affection for the inimitable Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Unsurprisingly, he has a wealth of company, some chatting through their fondness for two Hollywood talents like no other and some contributing by giving voice to interview transcripts. For a memoir that didn't eventuate, Newman and Woodward compiled chats by a who's who of showbusiness during their careers; however, they also had the tapes destroyed. Cue George Clooney voicing Newman's chats, Laura Linney doing Woodward's, and everyone from Oscar Isaac, Sam Rockwell and Mark Ruffalo to Rose Byrne and Zoe Kazan also subbing in for other famous names. That's where The Last Movie Stars' audio comes from, echoing with insightful discussions given the emotion they deserve. Hawke also includes new zoom chats with his players, as well as with Martin Scorsese, his daughter and Stranger Things star Maya and more, but his engrossing and probing series is head over heels for pairing those recreated interviews with archival footage. Staring at Newman and Woodward is easy, as is celebrating them and their relationship. This isn't just a case of deserved worship, though, but shows its subjects as real people rather than just stars — all while exploring Hollywood at the time, stepping through their careers and contemporaries, and overflowing with clear-eyed warmth. Hawke doesn't avoid tricky traits or truths, and this in-depth doco is all the more enlightening and compassionate for it. Whether you already treasure Newman and Woodward or you've always wanted to know more about the two legends, this is a movie buff's pure and utter dream. The Last Movie Stars streams via Binge. MO For three seasons on Ramy, Mohammed Amer has played Mo, the diner-owning cousin to the show's namesake. For those three seasons, including 2022's batch of episodes, he's also been part of one of the best and most thoughtful shows currently streaming, especially when it comes to the immigrant experience and telling Muslim American stories. Instead of just co-starring in an art-imitates-life dramedy inspired by someone else's existence, however, Amer has taken a leaf out of Ramy Youssef's book with Mo — a show with the same underlying concept, as co-created by Amer and Youssef. This time, the pair draw upon Amer's background rather than Youssef's. So, Amer's on-screen alter-ego is a Palestinian living in America. He's a refugee, in fact, who fled the Middle East when he was a child and sought asylum with his family. His US home: Houston, Texas. IRL, every one of these points is drawn from Amer's existence, as fans of his Netflix standup specials Mo Amer: The Vagabond and Mo Amer: Mohammed in Texas will recognise. That's the history behind Mo, with the series' eight-episode first season honing in on its protagonist's attempts to gain US citizenship. Mo Najjar (Amer, Black Adam), his mother Yusra (Farah Bsieso, Daughters of Abdul) and brother Sameer (Omar Elba, Limetown) have been waiting two decades to have their cases heard — another detail ripped from reality — and trying to forge new lives while remaining in legal limbo has long since taken a toll. Spanning losing jobs, trying to find a new one as an undocumented American resident, the Najjars' family dynamic, pain from back home they haven't processed, the weight of cultural traditions and expectations, and Mo's relationship with Mexican and Catholic mechanic Maria (Teresa Ruiz, Father Stu), there's no shortage of detail and drama to Amer's passion project. Indeed, every second of the series feels as personal and authentic as it clearly is, and does far more than merely give Amer his own Ramy. Mo streams via Netflix. Need a few more streaming recommendations? Check out our picks from January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November this year. You can also check out our running list of standout must-stream 2022 shows as well — and our best 15 new shows of the year, top 15 returning shows over the same period, 15 shows you might've missed and best 15 straight-to-streaming movies of 2022.
The white sandy shores and lush subtropical forest of Lord Howe Island can only be explored by 400 lucky visitors at any one time. So, if you want to swim through these aquamarine waters, you'll need to snap up accommodation for your crew, quick smart. Looking for an isolated sanctuary? You'll find a private oasis among a forest of kentia palms and banyan trees at Island House, which accommodates up to eight guests across two villas. These carefully curated, light-filled spaces feature sleek Danish furnishings and kitchens stocked with island-grown and -caught produce, plus a bevy of top-shelf drinks. The venue will also kit you out with all the equipment you need for your explorations, offering everything from fishing gear, snorkels and fins to glass-bottomed paddleboards, pushbikes, yoga mats and trekking accoutrement. The team can also help you book a tour for anything that can't be attempted solo, such as deep sea fishing, scuba diving or hiking more arduous trails like the dizzying Mount Gower ridge. Head here for more Aussie island inspiration. Images: Destination NSW
If there's a time warp we still love stepping into, it's a video store like Dr What. A local Sydney institution, the shop with Australia's largest range of rental titles brings back nostalgic memories of return dates, rewinding tapes and carefully curating the perfect combo of new releases and weeklies for $10. That was the '90s. Today, the shelves at Dr What are largely empty. The Crisford family, owners for 30-plus years, will soon be closing the doors of the iconic Bondi shop with its mad doctor mascot painted above the awning. Although the quirky name is thanks to the original owners who opened the store in 1981, it's the Crisfords who made it what is today. "It was in liquidation, there [were only] about two thousand movies and we had to work hard to build it back up," says Neal Crisford. "Very early it was porn and horror, then the action movies came in." Gradually, Neal, his wife, Carol, and later his son, Daniel, expanded the number of genres to include no less than 40,000 videos, all curated into carefully thought-out categories. "Rather than buying fifty copies of the one movie, we would buy a range," says Crisford. "We concentrate on buying odd stuff and in the early days, I … spent my time going around warehouses and finding little gems." You can hear the passion in his voice as he reminisces about finding these lesser-known movies, a testament to the store's support of the independent film industry. For years, filmmakers, university students and cinephiles have come to Dr What to source the rare and obscure, knowing that, as Crisford puts it, "if its available, there's a good chance you can get it at Dr What." At its peak, video rental was a ritual for most Australian families, with VCRs selling faster here than anywhere else in the world. Crisford considers the late '80s and early '90s as the most successful years, "before cable, before people had internet". "Back then you didn't have a lot of movies at home, they were expensive to buy," he says. "Purchases were probably 10 percent of the market, so most people would rent." But Crisford is also the first to admit the industry has been a roller-coaster. Though the store survived the transition from VHS to DVD, the online availability of films today has meant the store simply isn't profitable. "We're a non-profit organisation", Crisford adds with a wry smile. Until the end of the month, all VHS and DVD stock at Dr What is on sale and the loyal following the store has garnered over the years means "they're all going to good homes". "We worried about breaking up the collection, but people who really appreciate films, who love them and who've been our regular customers … can take a little bit of Dr What home with them". Crisford is also positive these regular customers will follow the store's move to an online platform. Though it may be the end of the bricks-and-mortar Dr What, part of the legendary collection will have an online life through Quickflix, which has bought some of the titles. Plus, Dr What will continue to provide film production services through their own website, and since Crisford has previously moonlighted as a film producer, he is keen to spend more time behind the camera. "That's an area we're going to expand … a TV show about films is one of the things we're looking at doing". In the days left, drop in to the shop for a heady dose of nostalgia and some bargain film finds to boot. Find Dr What at 562 Oxford Street, Bondi Junction, open 10am-9pm Mon-Sat and 11am-9pm Sun. The store closes for the final time at the end of August.
Backyard cricket, barbecues and water sports are all Aussie summer clichés for a reason: they're good, wholesome fun. Another one? Outdoor cinemas. And we're here to tell you the very good news that Canberra's version of this al fresco activity is returning for another season. Sponsored by IMB Bank, Sunset Cinema will take over the Eucalypt Lawn at the Australian National Botanic Gardens from November 28—January 12. Whether you're planning a cosy date night or easy family outing under the stars, this year's extensive program has something for everyone. The nostalgic lineup ranges from cult films like The Big Lebowski and Love Actually to the latest Hollywood blockbusters including A Star is Born and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, plus special advance screenings of Instant Family and Storm Boy. Family-friendly options include Smallfoot, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms and even The Lion King. BYO picnics are encouraged, but if you want to enjoy a sparkling or brew throughout the film, the on-site bar will be serving a range of Grant Burge wine and Young Henrys craft beer and cider. Didn't pack enough snacks? There'll be plenty of the requisite movie treats like popcorn, chips chocolates and lollies, plus an on-site dining menu of bigger bites. Tickets start at $20 for adults, with a premium $40 lawn lounge package on offer, too — it includes entry, a prime-viewing bean bag reserved on the lawn, a beverage of your choice and a box of popcorn. To see the full program and purchase tickets, visit the Sunset Cinema website.
Art Month doesn't just involve looking at art, doing art and dressing yourself in art, it also involves talking about it. Because, let’s face it, as much as art can be good plain fun, it can also be confusing, angering and perplexing. That’s whether you’re a consumer of art who doesn’t always agree with the critics’ picks, an artist who wants to talk about your latest work or a Sydney resident who wonders where the city’s relentless creativity comes from — and what more we can do to foster our artists. So, get yourself along to one of Art Month’s many, many chats. At Who Gets To Call It Art Anyway?, you’ll watch a film about Henry Geldzahler, curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Barry Keldoulis speak. At Ceramics Killed the Video Star, you’ll learn all about how and why ceramics are the hottest thing since Prince’s first music video. And at Starting a Collection 101, you’ll find out what it takes to begin an art collection from scratch. Other talks include Saabia Gallery, What the Kids Think, ACP Beachin, Brock Elbank and Collective Histories: Nostalgia in Contemporary Art.
Get ready Sydney, the overwhelmingly grand-titled Dinner of the Decade is about to happen — literally. Talented chefs, sommeliers and waiters from around the country are coming together to celebrate ten years of Appetite for Excellence at Mojo by Luke Mangan. So who's cookin'? The culinary talents taking care of you on the night come from well-established Australian establishments you may already know. Think Melbourne's Supernormal, Sydney's Est., Flying Fish and Ananas and more. You're even encouraged to grill the chefs and waiters for DIY ideas and insider knowledge to impress your foodie friends afterwards. It's a bit of a pricey night out with tickets sitting at $130pp, but if you're due for a 'treat yourself' moment, this is a pretty decadently delicious option. Each table gets their own chef and waiter who will put their own personal spin on your menu. You'll be able to relive their career through each plate and of course, beverage matching. Appetite for Excellence has put the spotlight on many talents in the hospitality industry over the years and this dinner is like a big high school reunion — without a party pie or sausage roll in sight. To book, call (02) 9002 5346 or email mojo@lukemangan.com.
Over the last year, the champagne brunches at Ananas have been pretty next-level — they've served up every ambitious theme from Mad Hatter to Willy Wonka to Halloween. Then, last December, the team took things to a new opulent level with a decadent lobster and champagne brunch. Now, due to popular demand and marking the first Ananas brunch for 2016, they're bringing the lobster brunch back on Sunday, February 21. Think copious amounts of Maine lobster. Yes, those huge, expensive crustaceans you usually only see on TV shows set in The Hamptons. Expect dishes like mini lobster rolls, chilled lobster gazpacho, oven-baked lobster thermidor, lobster hash benedict, lobster risotto and more lobstery treats. It's a steal at $99 per person for the amount of seafood on offer. Guests can upgrade their experience with a two-hour bottomless Marc champagne package for an extra $55 or the Veuve Clicquot Rose champagne package for $75. If the sound of lobster mac and cheese with a flute of bubbly doesn't bring out your inner hedonist, nothing will. It's time to dig out your stretchiest Sunday best; this is the mother of all brunches for Sydney seafood lovers. Bookings are essential, because lobster waits for no one.
Ever since Gigi switched to their plant-based menu and stopped serving bases adorned with dairy delights, inner west cheese fiends have been looking for a new place to get their pizza slice fix. Now that Rosso Antico has opened it's doors, they're in luck. White tiles and exposed brick walls paired with simple low lighting characterise this new Italian eatery, with the only splash of red a mosaic pizza oven at its cosy heart. The simple menu reflects the pared back space — antipasto, pizza and pasta — while the drinks menu is a little more extensive, showcasing a selection of international and locally sourced beers and wines (though it's hard to pass up the trusty Aperol Spritz or the Rosso Antico). On one of the walls, the words "Pe' fa' e cose bone ce vo' tiemp" are scrawled in black, a statement that roughly translates as "All good things take time". It's a cute sentiment when applied to, say, painting a masterpiece, but not when you're hungry. It's a good thing pizza production only takes the chefs three minutes, because there's only so much politely watching other people devour pizza slices that is physically possible. The quality of a good pizza lies predominantly in its base — and the bases at Rosso Antico are super legit. They have that prefect crispy, chewy balance only true Italians seem to be able to produce, and the toppings that amply adorn those base are on point. We particularly enjoyed the Norma ($19), with generous caramelised slivers of roasted eggplant, tangy sauce, islands of salted ricotta and a generous amount of fior di latte. The Zucchini ($20) — with crispy pancetta, roasted zucchini strips and melted fior di latte and scamorza — was equally cheesy. We found the middle of our pizzas were a little wet in the centre, and we were left with no choice but to eat the pizza folded in half to make up for the lack of structural integrity, which wasn't really an issue because it makes you feel like you're in the movies. The pasta dishes left a little to be desired. Although the house-made fettuccine ($19) was cooked perfectly, the ragu was heavy on the tomato sauce, and we counted only five chunks of the melt-in-your-mouth pork and veal scattered on top. It was also served without the required pile of grated parmesan, which was a shame. It's the one part of the menu you can feel free to pass up. If you've got room for dessert, the Nutella calzone ($13) with its molten chocolate and strawberry centre served with a generous scoop of vanilla gelato is enough to satisfy a party of three, while the Pastiera Napoletana ($9), a traditional baked ricotta tart, is more manageable for one. Images by Diana Scalfati. Appears in: Where to Find the Best Pizza in Sydney
Just six months after opening, JŌJI — the sleek Japanese-inspired rooftop bar and diner perched above the Cartier flagship on Pitt and King streets — is entering a new chapter. Its expansive fifth-floor space has launched a sharp new sushi menu, a broader à la carte offering and a stacked calendar of weekly happenings, from DJ-backed bottomless lunches to live music and midweek entertainment. The culinary revamp is headlined by a considered new sushi selection led by Head Chef Kihoon Kim, who has worked at celebrated omakase restaurants across Korea, Japan and Sydney, including Bay Nine, Besuto and Saké. His precise, elegant style is showcased in new signatures, including a delicate king salmon maki with midori salsa, cucumber and avocado. The new sushi selection sits alongside a larger-format à la carte menu by Executive Chef Erik Ortolani (ex-Itō), whose additions include share plates like miso-glazed Murray cod with dashi butter and thick-cut duck katsu sandos. As part of its expanded entertainment offer, JŌJI has launched Social Saturdays. This reimagining of the classic bottomless brunch includes a shared chef's menu and 90 minutes of free-flowing French rosé or beer, soundtracked by a rotating lineup of live DJs and musicians. Tickets are $120, and there's a $30 cocktail upgrade option if that's more your thing. JŌJI won't wait until the weekend to get the party started, though. Live music on Wednesday nights sets the mood for stylish midweek get-togethers. City workers won't be left out, thanks to the new Shibui Lunch: a $65 set menu available Wednesday to Friday, perfect for the power lunch crowd. "Since opening, JŌJI has been filled with an incredible crowd of regulars whose energy gives the space its soul," says Ibrahim Moubadder, co-founder of ESCA Group. "Watching how people moved through the space made me want to build something even more immersive. So six months in, we're evolving the menu, adding elegant, delicious dishes including sushi and more, determined to making JŌJI one of the best Japanese dining experiences in Sydney — a place where you can come for the best drinks, the music, a dance or an unforgettable meal, all in one electric setting." Find JŌJI on Level 5, 388 George Street, Sydney CBD. For more information, head to the venue's website.
This year's stacked Vivid food program boasts some incredible talent from across Sydney — and South Eveleigh's very own Coyoacán Social has joined the ranks for 2024. For the first time, the local favourite will be popping up for a Vivid residency inside the bustling Carriageworks precinct, slinging an array of Mexican street eats that give back to the community. The Mexican fare will not only make a fine addition to your foodie hit list, but will also contribute donations to community kitchens. Coyoacán Social's Vivid pop-up will continue to follow the ethos of its founding social enterprise, Plate It Forward, while offering a fresh addition to the annual festival's food selection. Think: creating unity and shared dignity through the provision of top-quality meals. You can expect its flavour-packed birria tacos to make a special appearance as part of the vibrant fare. And, with each taco purchase, you'll be helping to provide a nutritious meal to families in need. Head to Carriageworks from Friday, May 31 until Saturday, June 15 to sink your teeth into the South Eveleigh joint's famed street food.
Are you tending to your herb gardens, upcycling or actual cycling? That's some good hood. The Good Hood website, which is part of the the City of Sydney's Green Villages program, is about celebrating the little things Sydneysiders are doing to make the city more green. It's pretty simple: just snap a photo of your 'good' and upload it to the website — or if you're on Instagram, just turn on Photo Map and use the hashtag #goodhood. There's some pretty cool rewards, too, including vouchers for Megan Morton's The School and Clarence Street Cyclery and dinner for eight at Urban Food Market's pop-up restaurant in Chippendale. Kylie Boyd, the sustainability marketing campaign officer for the City, says she's really happy with the way people are engaging with the site. "We've got people making birdhouses and people completely decking out their backyards with boxes that they're planning on growing vegies in," she says. "Someone rescued a chair off the street and upholstered it with some really cute fabric." "We're loving seeing them come in but we're going to reserve judgement until the very end!" The prizes are on offer until September 25 for users who upload pictures of cycling, upcycling and sustainable food, with winners being picked by the City and the prize partners for each category. Tim Elwin, the managing director of Urban Food Market, is helping choose the winners in the food category. Tim says he's looking for entries that make an effort to grow and source local produce as much as possible. "What we’re after is for people to experiment and go out and see how they can eat on a sustainable level, things like, what can people grow at home to add into a meal that they’re doing?" he says. "Even going out and making sure that they source locally and source products that haven’t been treated in a bad way." Urban Food Market are mainly wholesalers of ethical, sustainable produce, but they also run cooking classes and a pop-up restaurant in Cafe Giulia on Friday and Saturday nights. "What we’re trying to teach people is that you might be buying a product that yes, is more expensive, but [you] eat less of it," says Tim. "There’s no need for a big massive steak. Add some vegetables so you get a well-balanced meal. It’s about reducing the demand for growing so much produce when so much gets thrown away. "We’re very excited to be helping promote the Good Hood. It’s a wonderful thing to see [the City] getting behind such a great initiative, to ultimately get people to wake up and review how they’re living their lives, and what effects their eating and living can have on the environment." Want to win one of three $100 vouchers to Urban Food Market's online store? Just share the best picture of a sustainable meal — it can be a meal with organic, homegrown, locally grown or ethically farmed ingredients, served at your own home or at your favourite cafe. Share the image on the Good Hood website or via Instagram by hashtagging #thegoodhood and #concreteplayground. Entries close on September 11. Urban Food Market's online store is a treasure trove of classes, free range meat, sustainable seafood, cooking equipment and dry goods such as Farmer Jo's muesli.
Today, the NSW Government announced which festivals would be impacted by its strict new music festival licensing regime — and four of the 14 named are where young people died from suspected drug overdoses. As well as Defqon.1, Lost Paradise, FOMO and Knockout Games of Destiny — where five festivalgoers died during the past six months — the list includes Laneway, Electric Gardens, Subsonic and Rolling Loud. You can check out the full list below. While the regime will not be officially introduced until March 1, the 'interim guidelines' have already led to the cancellation of two NSW festivals: Mountain Sounds and Psyfari. The festivals highlighted the "newly imposed safety, licensing and security costs" and the inability to pull together an estimated $200,000 to cover 45 police working across a 24-hour period as reasons for the cancellations. Byron Bay's Bluesfest — whose festival director sent a scathing letter to Premier Gladys Berejiklian saying, "Will the last festival to leave NSW please turn out the light of culture in this soon to be barren state?" — was not included on the list. In the statement released today by the NSW Government, Minister for Racing Paul Toole said that only the 14 festivals listed would be impacted by the new licensing regime, but that the list would also be "regularly reviewed". "The NSW Government wants music festivals to thrive – but serious drug related illnesses and deaths have demonstrated that we need to help make a small number of them safer," Mr Toole said in the statement. The licensing regime has already been widely criticised for its lack of transparency and failure to consult with industry bodies, and this latest announcement has only heightened this. The Australian Festival Association said in a statement that the organisers of the 14 festivals were notified "by SMS last night" of their 'high risk' status, saying "the process has lacked integrity and transparency — and there are just as many questions left unanswered by the government's latest announcement". This latest move from the NSW Government follows, the Don't Kill Live Music rally on Thursday, Friday 21, when thousands of Sydneysiders — as well as bands and big-name members of the live music industry — descended on Hyde Park to defend the city's live music scene. Despite increasing calls for pill-testing the NSW Government has refused to consider it as a harm-minimisation technique at festivals. Canberra's Groovin' the Moo, however, has just been given the go-ahead to host Australia's second-ever pill-testing trial. LIST OF HIGHER RISK FESTIVALS Days Like This — Victoria Park, March 2019 Transmission — Sydney Olympic Park, March 2019 Up Down — Newcastle, March 2019 Defqon.1 — Castlereagh, September 2019 Subsonic — Monkerai, November 2019 This That — Newcastle, November 2019 Knockout Games of Destiny — Sydney Olympic Park, December 2019 Lost Paradise — Glenworth Valley, December 2019 FOMO — Parramatta Park, January 2020 Electric Gardens — Centennial Park, January 2020 HTID — Sydney Olympic Park, January 2020 Rolling Loud — Sydney Olympic Park, January 2020 Laneway — Callan Park, February 2020 Ultra — Parramatta Park, February 2020 Image: Laneway, Maclay Heriot
For Melburnians, this long weekend is a little different to most. Lockdown might be over, but a number of restrictions still remain. Heading to a big music festival isn't on the cards, for instance — but, because we now live in a time where virtual fests are becoming the norm, The Long Weekender is bringing six hours of Victorian music highlights straight to your couch. The latest event in the Victoria Together initiative — aka the online program that delivered plenty of things to watch during 2020's lengthy stay-at-home periods — The Long Weekender will stream a heap of past festival sets from plenty of the state's big events. Falls Festival, Meredith Music Festival, Queenscliff Music Festival, Golden Plains and Yirramboi Festival are all covered, as are Summersalt, Share The Spirit, Brunswick Music Festival, Roots Picnic and A Day On The Green. You'll just need to head to ACMI's streaming service, Cinema 3, between 12pm–12am on Monday, June 14, and turn your volume up loud. Myf Warhurst is on hosting duties and, if you're wondering who'll be belting out tunes, it's a hefty lineup. Everyone from Courtney Barnett and Archie Roach to You Am I and Frente! is on the bill — with no clashes, no queues and no worries about rushing between stages. THE LONG WEEKENDER LINEUP: Adalita Alex Lahey Alice Skye Allara feat. Culture Evolves Archie Roach Cable Ties Courtney Barnett Djirri Djirri Dancers The Black Sorrows The Cat Empire The Dirty Three Frente! Hachiku James Henry King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard Loose Tooth Magic Dirt The Meanies Mo'Ju Sampa The Great Spiderbait Simona Castricum Sleep D The Teskey Brothers Total Giovanni You Am I Top image: Falls Festival.
The Upstairs Beresford is certainly a world apart from the main bar downstairs, which on a Friday night you'll find jammed up with after-workers and glammed up 'somebodys' kicking off their weekend: a gaping maze of bars, plants, and food. Instead, pitch yourself down the alley to a discrete door. Winding dark stairs and neon orange arrows lead you up to a glowing amber pocket of glitz, the decadence of a bygone era. To the left, a sizeable stage meets the first of two bars, where sticky passionfruit cocktails are being taken up with earnest. A small dancefloor area gives way to an island of seats and tables that dominates the room. Groups huddle in close, shouting to be heard over the din. The scene is reminiscent of the Babylon Club in Scarface. Indeed, the walls are plastered with grainy black-and-whites of Mr John and the original Merivale, old '70s characters who eyeball from the photos: a homage to Hemmes' heritage. Further down the back is a cushy lounge area for wheelings, dealings and naughty nocturnal dalliances. The soulful tones of Mahalia Barnes give the sound system its first workout and it seems up to the task, the bass throbbing loud and strong throughout the room. However, most people barely even look up. Whether it's a symptom of the launch or the setup of the room, this will be Upstairs Beresford's biggest hurdle. While as a bar it looks set to be a success, its distinct glam cocktail hour atmosphere seems at odds with rough-and-tumble rock gigs and dirty dance nights. It'll be interesting to see how the Upstairs Beresford translates into a legitimate live music venue.
Here's what just might be the tastiest food challenge there is: hunting down Frankenstein's monster-style dessert mashups and tasting them all. Gelato Messina's various ice cream flavours and special treats often fall into this category, frequently turning another beloved dish into gelato. So do plenty of Lune Croissanterie's pastries. Often Krispy Kreme's doughnuts make the cut as well. Actually, right now you can grab a Krispy Kreme doughnut that owed a huge debt to another dessert: the Maxibon doughnut. After proving a hit in 2018, this collaboration with Peters Ice Cream is back for a limited — and tasty — time. And yes, it's a Maxibon in doughnut form. Back when Krispy Kreme joined forces with Reese's for a peanut butter-heavy doughnut earlier in 2023, there were multiple versions available. With the Maxibon doughnut, there's just one. You will still need to be able to eat nuts, though, because this one comes with a hazelnut and vanilla biscuit crumb. So, what makes up a Maxibon doughnut? A Krispy Kreme doughnut filled with Maxibon vanilla kreme, then covered in that crumb over chocolate, plus a chocolate Maxibon bikkie on top. You'll find the Maxibon doughnut on offer from Tuesday, August 1 at Krispy Kreme, 7-Eleven and selected Woolworths stores for a limited time. Trying to pick between ice cream and fried pastries just got a bit easier. We're betting that when Maxibons were first whipped up as a blend between a biscuit and everyone's favourite cold and creamy dessert, no one anticipated this happening as well. Krispy Kreme's Maxibon doughnut is available from Krispy Kreme, 7-Eleven and selected Woolworths stores for a limited time.
Forget everything you thought you knew about eating schnitzel. Forget whatever ideas you have about which other food items can sit atop them, too. Now isn't the time for plain old parmas/parmis/parmys (whichever you prefer), as great as they are — because The Bavarian has dropped a limited-time loaded schnitzel menu that's as OTT as schnitties come. On offer from Monday, March 7–Saturday, April 30, this chicken schnitty range takes the loaded concept super-seriously. There are six different varieties, and they all stack a whole heap of toppings and sauces upon a crumbed piece of chook. Plenty of them also turn this good schnit into another beloved meal — like the avo smash version, which comes slathered with smashed avocado, cherry tomatoes, feta and sesame seeds, plus fries. There's also a bangers and mash version with cheese kransky, creamy mash, caramelised onion and gravy; a pizza-style option with spicy salami, kalamata olives, roasted capsicum, mozzarella and fries; and a nachos option with corn chips, chilli con carne, salsa, jalapenos, cheese and sour cream. Or, go for schnitty topped with cheddar cheese, fries and lashings of gravy — a choice that's been dubbed a hangover cure — or a schnitty decked out with fried calamari, chorizo, roasted pumpkin, crispy potatoes and jalapeno sauce. Prices range from $26–28 for just one schnitty loaded with any of the above options, but you can also go for a one-kilogram schnitzel snack if you really do love this schnit. That'll set you back $80, and put you in the running to win either a $1000 if you finish it faster than anyone else — with winners announced on Monday, May 2 — or one of nine $100 dining vouchers for runners up. Hungry? You can head to any The Bavarian venue to tuck in. There are 16 in New South Wales — including everywhere from Entertainment Quarter and Green Hills to York Street and Chatswood — so you've got options.
Anyone who's been in Sydney over the last few weeks will have noticed that it's been unseasonably warm. Winter's usual chill has been swapped for mild temperatures and, instead of regular downpours, the city has seen a stream of clear sunny days — during the day, you barely even need a light jacket. And this weird weather all came to a head this weekend, with Sydney copping one of the hottest winter days it's ever had. Earlier in the week, Weatherzone has predicted that yesterday — Sunday, July 30 — would come pretty close to topping the highest temperature on record for July: 25.9 degrees (which was set back in 1990). And they were right. At 2.10pm, the mercury hit 26.5 degrees — making it Sydney's warmest July day ever. #Sydney sets new July heat record, 26.0 degrees. Last year it took until October to get this warm https://t.co/sbzHtvvHzG — Weatherzone (@weatherzone) July 30, 2017 It's pretty insane. But while Sydneysiders reaped the benefits of the warm day — and all the warm weather has been undeniably delightful — it doesn't bode well for us in the long run. In fact, if only adds to our ever-present anxiety about global warming, an increase in extreme El Niño events and what that might mean for Australia and the world.
The folks at the Sydney Fringe Festival have unveiled a fresh swathe of 2017 highlights and you should promptly get around them. Among the standouts is this year's opening weekend extravaganza — an enormous 'masqueerade' that promises to turn the brand new festival hub "into a world of mystery and disguise where reality is suspended and art becomes real life". The bash is the brainchild of the team from Heaps Gay so it's sure to be one hell of a good time, with the warehouse party rocking over two nights on September 2 and 3. This year's mysterious dress theme is transform/disguise and, in the party group's usual fashion, the location will be kept secret. Meanwhile, Kensington Street in Chippendale will be the site of the official launch party, taking over shops, bars, restaurants and footpaths with music acts curated by Sydney-based songstress Ngaiire. Other highlights include a world first GIF-iti exhibition from UK artist INSA, a voyeuristic stage experience dubbed Silent Theatre, and a massive musical collaboration at Sydney Town Hall between Lah Lah's Big Live Band and the Sydney Youth Orchestra. SFF has also announced its 2017 festival ambassadors: The Whitlams' lead singer Tim Freedman, Archibald prize-winning artist Ben Quilty, writer and social commentator Benjamin Law, performance artist Betty Grumble and performer, poet and activist Candy Royalle. We previously had a taste of what this year's Fringe had in store when they dropped their first wave of programming back in May. Standouts in that announcement included Digital Dinner — billed as "an immersive dining experience" featuring food, art, music, installations and digital media — and Cirque Africa, an explosive circus show featuring 38 performers from six African countries, all backed by a live African band. And, somehow, there's still more to come, with the full SFF program unveiled on August 1. Yeah, it's going to be massive. The full Sydney Fringe Festival program will be unveiled on August 1. For more information visit the Sydney Fringe website.
Wall to wall books. Books from ceiling to floor, interspersed with communal tables. Gertrude & Alice is what Shakespeare's is to Paris, and provides a welcome haven amongst the surfers and backpackers of Bondi Beach. The food served is fresh and universally excellent, and it's one of the best places to go if you're feeling a bit lonesome, because the welcoming communal tables ensure that you'll always feel at home. Named after Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, the famous expat American couple who encouraged the careers of Hemingway and Henry Miller, amongst others, there's a lot of heart to this place, as well as lovely velvet sofas and delicious chai. They also boast a Hemingway room, quieter and lined with reference books and the perfect place to woo another attractive bookworm. Guzzle down on a honey infused chair and sink into one of the snug sofas. With over 25,000 books at your disposal Gertrude and Alice is the unchallenged coffice for workers with research heavy projects, people addicted to the smell of ancient books or those seeking solace from the cold pinch of traditional libraries. A coffice for readers.
Seek, it's said, and you shall find. While the meaning of this phrase is scriptural in origin, it's accurate in the case of The Corner Shop. A new bricks-and-mortar site opened by the duo behind popular market stall and online retailer The Crown Street Project, you'll be handsomely rewarded for your efforts in getting there. The inviting, airy and newly refurbished space is housed on the ground level of a bright yellow late-1800s corner terrace, along the leafy residential stretch of Henderson Road in Alexandria. It's a location that might usually require a reason to head there, but you'll find plenty in this gallery-style space that showcases a thoughtful edit of vintage designer fashion alongside artist-made studio ceramics and sculptures, handmade jewellery by local designers, vintage homewares, pottery and gift items. Unlike many other vintage stores, the racks here are not cluttered — each has been curated to tell a story through colour and texture. Pieces also come with modern-day measurements where appropriate, ensuring you can find your correct size with ease. As well as issues around sizing that can give false hope to many a vintage shopper, gone too are notions around pre-loved items being less-than: pieces here, which are selected by founders Gavin Dee and Addison Marshall, are restored by hand and treated like you might expect a new item to be handled in a brand-name boutique. The spectacularly bearded gents, who both have fashion and design backgrounds, are also expert stylists and are happy to offer guidance where you might require it. As for what's on the custom-made fixtures, at any given time you can find high-end streetwear next to pre-loved high-fashion pieces from houses including Gucci, Comme des Garçons, Issey Miyake, Kenzo and more. The real gems though are pieces by obscure Australian designers from the 1970s and 80s, an era that delivered some truly iconic looks and about which Dee and Marshall are truly passionate (and knowledgeable to an encyclopaedic degree). The boys will also be collaborating with stylist Joanne Gambale, founder of Slogue, to run sustainable styling workshops — keep an eye out on Instagram to find out more about these.
YCK Laneways, a new cultural precinct that launched in 2021 encompassing the CBD laneways in York Street, Clarence Street and Kent Street, is currently in the swing of six week cultural festival titled YCK Intersections. The festival's lineup of live music, workshops and pop-ups is taking over venues across the three CBD streets, including Since I Left You, Esteban, PS40, The Duke of Clarence, Stitch Bar, Uncle Ming's, Prince of York and many more. Alongside these activations, the YCK team is throwing a three-day party stretching over the ANZAC Day long week at Barrack Street, which features a stacked lineup of live sets and cooking masterclasses. Heading up the music bill over the three days from Friday, April 22–Sunday, April 24 are Wafia, Sneaky Sound System and Day1, with support from the likes of Ula, Kota Banks, A.Girl, B Wise and East Av3, just to name a few. As for the food and drink masterclasses, you'll find Sydney favourites like Maybe Sammy, Cantina OK!, Hickson House and Sydney Oyster Farm Tours running you through skills ranging from crafting the perfect margarita to upping your oyster game. Tickets to each night of the gigs and each masterclass are available for $60 a pop — with masterclasses available in discounted bundles. You can hit up two consecutive classes for $100, or a full day of enhancing your culinary game on the Saturday for $140. Check out the lineup for the Barrack Street party and YCK Intersection's full program at the YCK Laneways website.
Much has happened on Sydney's Cockatoo Island/Wareamah, which has housed a prison, ship-building facilities, a reform school and a wartime boat repair port in its time. In recent years, the patch of land in the middle of Sydney Harbour has also hosted a film festival and haunted history tours — and now Haus of Horror is combining elements of both for its next immersive cinema screenings. The movie-loving outfit has been popping up around the Harbour City for over a year, screening The Exorcist and the OG Scream in a haunted prison with sessions at Parramatta Gaol, taking Beetlejuice to Camperdown Cemetery in Newtown and more. Next comes two evenings of A Nightmare on Elm Street on Cockatoo Island on Friday, February 16 and Saturday, February 17, with attendees catching a themed ferry over, then exploring the site. When sunset hits, Freddy Krueger will start stalking. If you believe the stories about Cockatoo Island's ghosts, you'll be in a particularly eerie place for this date with the horror-movie villain created by the late, great Wes Craven. You'll also be watching the film in its 40th-anniversary year. And, as is Haus of Horror's custom, pressing play on the film in a notable — and notably disquieting — spot is only the start of it. These folks take the immersive part of the setup extremely seriously. Whether or not you choose to don a striped jumper for the occasion, your ticket includes the chartered ferry to over and back, departing from Barangaroo; moseying around not only the island but the unsettling installations that the Haus of Horror crew sets up around the Turbine Hall and Bolt Wharf; listening to a live DJ as part of the pre-show entertainment; and special guests roaming around, and also a photobooth to immortalise your memories. A bar will be serving drinks, and there'll be snacks on offer — but you'll be paying for those separately.
An all-day diner and aperitivo bar has just opened in Bondi from the team behind The Shire's beloved eatery Blackwood Pantry. Blackwood Bondi is the second outpost from the team and is open for breakfast through to dinner seven days a week, just a short walk from Bondi Beach and a few doors down from Beach Road Hotel. The venue welcomes you in with a gentle green and grey fit-out. The food and drink menu will change throughout the day, and has been created by co-owner and Executive Chef Rob Lechowicz. Lechowicz completed his apprenticeship under Tony Bilson who is often called a 'godfather of Australian cuisine', and has honed his skills at Michelin-starred establishments in London and Paris. The brunch menu is available from 7am until 4pm each day and spans from breakfast classics to more hearty options for the lunchtime crowd. Blackwood's version of a big brekkie features scrambled eggs, chorizo, sweet potato, kale, pickled onion, goats cheese, avocado and sourdough; while the spicy bacon and egg roll is topped with sriracha and lime mayo as well as crispy shallots. If you had your morning Weet-Bix hours ago and you're looking for more of a midday spread, there's a curry roasted cauliflower bowl, and a chicken schnitzel sandwich featuring truffle ranch and pickled zucchini, a Moreton Bay bug roll with truffle casarecce. Once the weekend rolls in, dinner is served until late. The curried cauliflower, casarecce and Moreton Bay bug rolls make the cut for the nighttime menu, placed alongside seared snapper fillet, pecorino-crumbed veal cotoletta and chargrilled spatchcock coated in a sage and garlic beurre noisette. There's also a host of snacks for those looking to dip in and for a drink and a nibble. Oysters, warm olives, San Daniele prosciutto, truffle salami and a chef's selection of cheese are all on-hand to accompany the drink menu headlined by an array of signature cocktails curated by award-winning bar Maybe Sammy. Aperol features heavily across the drinks list. For exmaple, the Sebastian Spritz combines peach liqueur, Aperol, prosecco and yuzu soda. You can also opt for a Croissant Martini with almond croissant-soaked vodka, Mr Black and espresso, or the Blackwood Margarita which introduces watermelon and Tio Pepe to the classic combination of tequila and agave. Reservations can be made via the Blackwood Bondi website, or you can swing past the 90-seat venue and nab a table day and night. [caption id="attachment_848562" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Co-owners Paul Pisani, Daniel Sorridimi and Rob Lechowicz[/caption] Blackwood Bondi is now open at 3/87–89 Glenayr Avenue, Bondi, 7am–4pm daily and 5pm–11pm Friday–Sunday. Images: Felix Forest
This homewares shop prides itself on its use of raw materials and contemporary design. Born from a quest to create sustainable materials, Papaya combines ethical production with timeless and innovative designs — and the result is a beautiful (and popular) range of sofas, dining tables and other furniture that'll spruce up your home. Not here for the big house purchases? The store also sells beautifully designed soap dispensers, scented candles, and other, modern lighting, decor and home-building gifts.
It's all well and good to lock in a destination and start booking your itinerary, but when was the last time you thought about the devices and accessories that'll keep your trip running smoothly? Travelling is stressful enough, so make the journey as easy as possible with practical tech gadgets that'll help you deal with the noise of fellow passengers, having to re-wear dishevelled clothes or running out of charge at the worst possible time. From odour-reducing clothing steamers to powerful portable chargers, we partnered with Philips to put together a list of handy tools that'll take some of the hassle out of your next adventure. Philips Handheld Garment Steamer This portable tool will keep you looking (and smelling) your best throughout your holiday, so you can pack light and have plenty of room in your suitcase for shopping and souvenirs. At an affordable $79.95, the Philips Handheld Steamer 3000 Series is compact enough to throw in your luggage and safe to use on all types of iron-safe fabrics, including delicates like silk. As well as getting rid of wrinkles, the nifty gadget also removes odours and eliminates bacteria, which is ideal when you don't have easy access to a washing machine on your travels. Noise-Cancelling Headphones Ditch the tinny audio and discomfort of those complimentary airline headphones and upgrade to a pair of noise-cancelling headphones for your next flight. You might not think it makes a difference, but eliminating the background roar of the plane means that you don't have to crank up the volume and overstimulate your ears, and it also helps your chances of getting some sleep. There are a wide variety of options available, from the fancy Apple AirPods Max ($899) and Bose QuietComfort Ultra ($645.95) or the more affordable Space One by Soundcore ($135.99). And with the incredibly handy Airfly device ($54.99), you can connect to the in-flight entertainment using your own Bluetooth headphones. Portable Power Bank Imagine trying to navigate an unfamiliar city with only a 2% charge. Or arriving at a spectacular view but not having enough battery to take a photo. Don't let your phone add stress to your trip — throw a portable power bank in your bag so you can be out and about for the whole day. With wireless charging, two built-in cables, interchangeable power adaptors and additional cable outlets, the 5-in-1 Universal Travel Power Bank by Snap is worth the splurge ($169.95). You can also go for a cheaper option, like this power bank by Charmast ($47.99). It offers built-in cables and outputs to charge up to five devices at once and can charge your phone multiple times. E-Reader You don't want to waste precious suitcase space by packing multiple books for your holiday, but that doesn't mean your reading goals need to be put on hold. Both the Amazon Kindle and Rakuten Kobo are able to store more than 10,000 books and last over a month with a single charge. You can take notes, highlight important passages, adjust the font size and brightness, and even rent certain titles. At less than 170 grams, you won't even notice you're carrying it around, but it'll be on hand for those quiet moments when you're sipping coffee in a local cafe, lounging in a park or stuck in a long queue. Portable Fan If you're chasing summer in the northern hemisphere, you'll need an easy way to keep the temperature (and tempers) as cool as possible. Keep a handheld fan in your pocket for long days in the sun, like this water-spraying fan from Big W ($29.99) for a chilly boost or this multi-functional gadget from Amazon ($23.99), which includes a flashlight and power bank. There are also wearable options that keep your hands free, like this rechargeable neck fan ($50.99). The convenient tool disguises as a pair of headphones while circulating cool air across your face and back. With no danger of spinning blades, it is a great option for kids. Shop the Philips Handheld Steamer 3000 Series and other products on the website.
Ten venues in Wollongong and surrounding areas, as well as one cafe in southeast Sydney, have been named as potential COVID-19 transmission sites by NSW Health after a returned overseas traveller tested positive to COVID-19 two days after leaving hotel quarantine. The returned traveller tested positive on day 16 of their return to Australia after testing negative twice during their 14-day hotel quarantine. They did not present any symptoms, but were tested again as part of a new precautionary day-16 testing measure introduced by the NSW Government. The test results indicate the person has a low level of infection and their household contacts have all returned negative results, Those who attended Headlands Hotel in Austinmer between 1–3pm on Tuesday, February 2 or Bulli Beach Cafe between 1.30–4pm on Saturday, February 6 are required to get tested and self-isolate until provided with further advice from NSW Health. Visitors to Mootch & Me in Brighton Le Sands between 10.54am–12pm on Tuesday, February 2, the Optus store in North Wollongong between 1–1.15pm on Thursday, February 4 or Officeworks in Fairy Meadow between 3.45–4.05pm on Thursday, February 4 or 2.10–3pm on Friday, February 5 are required to get tested immediately and self-isolate until they receive a negative test result. https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1358362726481817601 Six other venues have been listed as potential venues of concern, with those who visited Bulli Woolworths, Corrimal Memorial Park, Thirroul Beach, Sublime Point Walking Track, Fedora Pasta Factory or Figtree Grove Shopping Centre being asked to closely monitor for symptoms. NSW Health will continue to update the full list of venues that you can find online if more possible exposure sites are revealed. Anyone in NSW that presents symptoms including coughs, fever, sore or scratchy throat, shortness of breath, or loss of smell or taste is urged to get tested and self-isolate until a negative test result is returned. You can find a rundown of testing clinic locations online as well. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website. Top image: Bulli Beach Cafe via Google Maps.
Sydneysiders love a market — especially one that specialises in top-notch pre-loved clothing. There's nothing like finding a quality item at a clothing market. There's the thrill of searching through the racks to stumble upon the piece, plus shopping second-hand and upcycled clothing is more sustainable than buying your clothes new. If this all sounds entirely relatable to you, head to the Second Life Markets, when the popular pop-up returns to Darlinghurst on Sunday, December 4. The event will host 100 pop-up stores boasting vintage, second-hand and upcycled clothing. Nab a Prada purse, vintage Carhartts or a pre-loved 90s tee. The stores will span all ranges of clothing with masculine, feminine and unisex pieces. The Second Life Markets run successful quarterly events across Sydney, Perth and, as of October, Melbourne. The seasonal events bring together local sellers and independent designers, as well as a heavy dose of good vibes. Check out all the exciting stallholders over at the Second Life Instagram. The market will run from 10am–3pm. Entry is $10 and in the sustainable spirit of the market, it's asked that you bring your own reusable shopping bag(s) with you on the day.
When the first and second seasons of Sex and the City spinoff And Just Like That... started streaming, a famous setting made an appearance Down Under. If you'd always wanted to hang out on Carrie Bradshaw's (Sarah Jessica Parker, Hocus Pocus 2), stoop, that became a temporary reality in Sydney and Melbourne. For season three, which is currently working through its episodes on HBO Max, a different spot from the show is on its way to Australia. We hope you're hungry, be it for something sweet or savoury, because Hot Fellas Bakery is about to hit Sydney. Yes, this purveyor of baked goods is usually fictional. The brainchild of character Anthony Marentino (Mario Cantone, Better Things), it lives up to its name in the series. It'll also exist IRL at Darlinghurst's Taylor Square in the Harbour City, but only for one weekend: from Friday, June 27–Sunday, June 29, 2025. Hot Fellas Bakery first made the leap from the screen in New York — where else? — and will do the same in Australia just two weeks after its Big Apple debut. The pastries on offer won't cost you a thing. Neither will the coffee. There'll be limited-edition merchandise up for grabs as well. Equally doing its moniker proud is set to be part of the pop-up, too. On the menu: Vegemite babka, Golden Gaytime cream puffs and AP buttermilk croissants. While Hot Fellas Bakery has locked in a three-day Sydney run, you do only have a brief window of time each day to head by, however. It's operating from 10am–12pm on Friday, June 27, then from 8am–12pm on Saturday–June 28–Sunday, June 29, 2025 — and will close earlier each day if everything is already sold out. [caption id="attachment_1009739" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Craig Blankenhorn/Max[/caption] And if you haven't kept up with the Sex and the City world, And Just Like That... debuted in 2021 to continue Carrie, Miranda Hobbes' (Cynthia Nixon, The Gilded Age) and Charlotte York Goldenblatt's (Kristin Davis, Deadly Illusions) stories — with Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall, How I Met Your Father) largely sitting it out, except for a brief cameo in season two. Other familiar faces abound, including John Corbett (To All the Boys: Always and Forever) reprising his role as Aidan Shaw from season two onwards, plus David Eigenberg (Chicago Fire) and Evan Handler (Power) also returning. Check out the trailer for Just Like That... season three below: Hot Fellas Bakery is popping up at Taylor Square, 191–195 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney from 10am–12pm on Friday, June 27, plus 8am–12pm on Saturday–June 28–Sunday, June 29, 2025 (or until sold out). And Just Like That... streams in Australia via HBO Max. Head to the platform's website for more details.
When Eric Bana (Dirty John) stepped into Aaron Falk's shoes in The Dry, more was always bound to follow. On the screen, the film became a massive Australian box-office hit in 2021 thanks to its twisty mystery, determined detective, stunning Aussie scenery and spectacular cast. It was capitalising, of course, on the story's proven success on the page. And, to the delight of movie producers and audiences, the beloved novel by author Jane Harper was just Falk's first appearance. Accordingly, throw that formula together again and you now have Force of Nature: The Dry 2, the big-screen sequel that hits cinemas in Australia and New Zealand on August 24. This follow-up sees the core duo of Bana and writer/director Robert Connolly (Blueback) return, with the latter again investigating a case. This time, as both the movie's initial teaser and just-dropped full trailer explore, he's looking into the disappearance of a hiker from a corporate retreat attended by five women. Alongside fellow federal agent Carmen Cooper (Jacqueline McKenzie, Ruby's Choice), Falk heads deep into Victoria's mountain ranges to try to find the missing traveller — who also happens to be a whistle-blowing informant — alive. Also featuring in Force of Nature, which has a powerhouse list of Aussie talent just like its predecessor: Anna Torv (The Last of Us) as missing hiker Alice Russell, plus Deborra-Lee Furness (Jindabyne), Robin McLeavy (Homeland), Sisi Stringer (Mortal Kombat) and Lucy Ansell (Utopia). Richard Roxburgh (Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe), Tony Briggs (Preppers) and Kenneth Radley (The Power of the Dog) pop up, too, while Jeremy Lindsay-Taylor (Heartbreak High) is back in the role of Erik Falk. Touting its connection to The Dry right there in its name, Force of Nature: The Dry 2 comes after its predecessor did massive ticket-selling business. Not only did it notch up more than $20 million in Australian ticket sales, but it sat in sixth at the annual Aussie box office two years back after Hollywood franchise titles Spider-Man: No Way Home, No Time to Die, Godzilla vs Kong, Peter Rabbit 2 and Fast and Furious 9. Yes, greenlighting this sequel must've been the easiest decision ever. Yes, you can probably expect Harper's Exiles to get the movie treatment next. Reteaming not just after The Dry, but also fellow 2023 release Blueback, Connolly and Bana make quite the pair when it comes to Aussie crime cinema — with Connolly the producer of one of the best local crime movies ever made, aka 1998's unnerving The Boys, and Bana famously the star of the similarly excellent Chopper. Check out the full trailer for Force of Nature: The Dry 2 below: Force of Nature: The Dry 2 releases in Australian and New Zealand cinemas on August 24, 2023. Read our full review of The Dry. Images: Narelle Portanier.
Packing is no one's favourite part of going on holidays. If you're the kind of traveller who needs to cater for every occasion, stuffing your baggage is a massive task. If you like going light, whittling your outfits down but still ensuring that you've got the basics isn't as easy as it sounds. But, why not ditch all of that, and your suitcase? That's Japan Airlines' new solution thanks to its just-launched clothing rental service. Instead of tourists agonising over what to take to Japan with you — or stressing over what not to take — the carrier is offering a clothing sharing service with Sumitomo Corporation called Any Wear, Anywhere. You reserve a range of clothes, including choosing according to the season, and whether you're after a casual or smarter look. Then, that attire gets delivered to your hotel. When you're heading home, the rental clothes will be collected from wherever you're staying, too. And no, you don't have to do any laundry before handing them back over. The aim: not only to make travelling easier for tourists, but to do the environment a solid as well. If you're hiring clothes, less luggage needs to transported internationally. Japan Airlines will be monitoring the change in checked-in baggage weight thanks to the service, to see how it reduces the carrier's carbon emissions. Also, heroing the circular economy, the outfits on offer will be sourced from pre-owned clothing and excess stock from fashion stores. And, the airline is promoting the service as a way for tourists to support local options — not just for accommodation and food, but also for clothing. At this stage, Japan Airlines is trialling Any Wear, Anywhere from Wednesday, July 5, 2023 to Saturday, August 31, 2024 — and the service is only available for customers travelling to Japan via Japan Airlines. Price-wise, costs start at AU$42 / NZ$45 (¥4000) for a set of summer threads, which covers three tops and two bottoms. The most you'll pay is AU$73 / NZ $79 (¥4000), which gets you a winter range of six tops and three bottoms. You can keep the threads for up to two weeks, and bookings are available from a month before you travel. Wouldn't dream of travelling without a suitcase? Coming home, you can now fill it with souvenirs instead of dirty clothes. Japan Airlines and and Sumitomo Corporation's Any Wear, Anywhere clothing sharing service is being trialled until Saturday, August 31, 2024 — head to the Any Wear, Anywhere website for further details and bookings. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
If you didn't manage to snag tickets to one of The Cure's four Sydney shows this May, we have some good news: the legendary band has announced a fifth show. On Thursday, May 30, the post-punk luminaries, headed by the Robert Smith (with his teased hair, eyeliner and lipstick), will take to the Sydney Opera House stage for another Vivid Live headline performance. The catch? You had to have signed up for the original The Cure ticket ballot back in February to be eligible. If you didn't? There is a pretty decent consolation prize. The Opera House has announced that it'll be streaming the fifth performance live on Facebook and YouTube (below). So, we suggest you start planning your The Cure watching party stat — and stocking up on hairspray. The Cure will be performing their 1989 album Disintegration in its entirety in a world-premiere, and Australian-exclusive, performance celebrating the 30th anniversary of the landmark album. The gothic rock-style record contains hits such as 'Lovesong' and 'Pictures of You', and, according to Smith, is meant to be played at max volume. "This album was mixed to be played loud... so turn it up!", Smith said in a statement about the live stream. Maybe this a good excuse to invest in a new set of speakers. The British band is just one of the big-name performances heading to Sydney for the 2019 Vivid festival. Others include FKA Twigs, Rüfüs Du Soul, folk rock singer Sharon Van Etten and Perth up-and-comer Stella Donnelly. You can check out the full lineup and snag tickets to more shows over here. Check back here to watch the livestream — and Robert Smith in all his eyelinered glory — from 8pm on Thursday, May 30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9uSPf9WDbw The Cure will perform its fifth show in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall on Thursday, May 30. The concert will be live streamed from 8pm via the SOH's Facebook page and YouTube channel (above). For more information about The Cure ballot and live stream, head here. Images: Andy Vella. Updated: May 30, 2019.
At the heart of 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art's new exhibition is a contradiction. The green glass of the sculptures in Ken + Julia Yonetani's What the Birds Knew is radioactive. Alongside the artist text, you are advised that the uranium glass in this show "is not sufficiently radioactive to pose a health hazard to those viewing the glass." But it's the thought of being so close to such a feared substance that is the thrill of this exhibition. What sets your hair on end, and makes you wonder if the exhibit is safe to visit. If the show is safe— which, no doubt, it is — then what happens to the adventure? And if it isn't, then why are you still standing there? USA from Crystal Palace: The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nuclear Nations is a ghostly chandelier, reminiscent of the pale holographic ghosts of Disney World's haunted mansion, turning from ghostly bone to a more snot green when it's hit by light from the street as you open the door. It's one of a series of chandeliers made in the Crystal Palace series representing each of the nuclear nations, proportionate to size. The one at 4A, representing the States, is pretty big. The uranium glass beads are illuminated by UV bulbs, stealing the chandelier's thunder with a brilliant fuzzy glow whose border extends well beyond the bulbs' actual edges. Upstairs, a giant green glowing ant is outlined with the beads. The wireframe textures of the ant hover in mid-air, outlining an underlying black chickenwire body. The ant is on a scale that makes you think of B grade film, and its rear gaster is raised dramatically as if to strike, with its cinematic lineage pushing you meditate on the perils of radioactivity. But, if the exhibition has a flaw, it's that its intended subjects (Australia's own uranium mining, and Fukushima) don't spring immediately to mind.
It's not every festival feels like a country weekend fete that just happens to be headlined by say, Courtney Barnett. Fairgrounds, Australia's country boutique camping festival descends on the small NSW town of Berry each December. Taking over the local Berry Showgrounds, Fairgrounds boasts all the trimmings of a major music festival with the essence of a local fair. And this December, it's back for another two-day round. Running over November 30 and December 1, the two-day festival is making a triumphant return. In a huge coup for the small festival in its third year, they've secured big time festival favourites Courtney Barnett and Vance Joy to headline, alongside local legends Pond, Winston Surfshirt and more. Oh, and British punk poet Billy Bragg, US alternative rock band The Breeders and Zambian hip hop singer Sampa the Great will also join the lineup from across the globe. With a strong focus on the local NSW South Coast area, Fairgrounds isn't just about the tunes. Last year local nosh, market stalls and the local swimming pool played equally starring roles at this multifaceted festival — something we're sure made Berry residents pretty happy. Between dips in Berry's local pool (within the festival grounds), punters feasted on local delights, including fresh rock oysters harvested less than half an hour from the festival site. The festival's super-popular long-table dinners will return, too, which take place overlooking the live music. But we know what you're here for. Here's the full lineup. FAIRGROUNDS 2018 LINEUP: Vance Joy Pond Rolling Blackouts C.F. Saba Body Type Oh Pep! Tia Gostelow Courtney Barnett Billy Bragg Winston Surfshirt The Breeders Sampa the Great The Teskey Brothers Waxahatchee Kevin Morby Maddy Jane Carla Geneve Fairgrounds runs November 30–December 1 at Berry Showgrounds, NSW. Tickets on sale from Moshtix at 10am, Monday, August 13. Festival entry starts at $110, with camping $230. Image: Ian Laidlaw and Gabriel Vallido
When mid-February rolls around each year, a specific feeling starts to sink in: the yearning for these sunny, summery days to keep on stretching on. But autumn will soon be upon us, and cooler weather, too — unless you decide to chase an endless summer by spending time anywhere from the Gold Coast up to Cairns while it gets frosty down south. After a chaotic couple of years due to the pandemic, Queensland holidays have been back on the agenda since late 2021. Just last month, the Sunshine State also ditched all of its remaining domestic border restrictions. And, if you're keen to make an autumn date with plenty of sun, surf and sand — or even to book in a winter getaway, too — Virgin Australia has just dropped a huge Queensland flight sale. Running until midnight AEST on Sunday, February 20 or sold out, whichever arrives first, this sale is solely about trips to and from the Sunshine State — with more than a 1.5 million fares on offer. It might be focused on one part of the country, but you still have options in terms of departure points and destinations. Within Queensland, you can leave or arrive in Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton, Hamilton Island, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Mt Isa and Proserpine. And, around the rest of the country, flights to and from Adelaide, Alice Springs, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Launceston, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth and Sydney are all covered. One-way fares start at $59 — which'll get you from Sydney to the Gold Coast, Launceston to Brisbane, Newcastle to Brisbane and Brisbane to Prosperine (and vice versa). Other sale flights include Sydney–Sunshine Coast from $65, Melbourne–Gold Coast from $69, Melbourne–Townsville from $99 and Sydney–Hamilton Island from $109. If you're wondering when you'll need to travel, the travel periods depend on the leg — but some span up till spring. Only some fares cover seat selection and checked baggage, however, with the airline announcing back in August that it is now splitting its economy flights into three types. Economy Lite doesn't include checking any baggage or picking your seat, but Economy Choice does — and Economy Flex gives you extra flexibility (hence the name) if you have to change your plans later. As we are still in the middle of a pandemic, flying is little different to normal. Virgin has introduced a range of safety measures, including hand sanitisation stations, contactless check-in and face masks provided to all passengers. Wearing masks on flights also became mandatory in Australia in January. Virgin's Great Queensland Getaway sale runs from today, Monday, February 14–midnight AEST on Sunday, February 20 — or until sold out.
For Sydneysiders living in the city's Local Government Areas of concern — aka areas that have experienced higher locally acquired COVID-19 case numbers during this Delta outbreak — tighter rules have been in place for much of this ongoing lockdown. Folks in these spots are currently under an overnight curfew between 9pm–5am, are only permitted to travel five kilometres from their homes unless there are exceptional circumstances, and must wear masks whenever they leave the house. For the past few weeks, residents in hotspot LGAs have only been able to go out of their houses to exercise for one hour per day, too; however, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has just announced that that rule is about to be lifted. Today, Thursday, September 2, the Premier Gladys revealed that LGAs of concern will no longer have a one-hour cap on daily exercise from 5am on Friday, September 3. Instead, residents in these areas will be permitted to go out for as long as they like to work up a sweat — albeit still under the five-kilometre rule, and only between 5am–9pm given that the curfew is still in effect. When it kicks in, the change will apply to people who live in the Bayside, Blacktown, Burwood, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta and Strathfield LGAs, as well as 12 suburbs in the Penrith. So, if that's you, you'll be able to spend more time outdoors this weekend — and moving forward. From 5am tomorrow (Friday) morning, exercise will no longer be limited to one hour in the local government areas of concern. The curfew will still apply, but exercise is unlimited outside of those hours. — NSW Health (@NSWHealth) September 2, 2021 The rule does still only cover exercising. Outdoor recreation — so, "sitting for relaxation, or to eat, drink or read outdoors", as defined by the NSW Government rules — isn't yet allowed in hotspot LGAs. But it'll be back on the cards from 12.01am Monday, September 13, as part of the state's slight easing of outdoor gathering rules. From that point onwards, families with fully vaccinated adults in LGAs of concern will be able to go out together for an hour of outdoor recreation, in addition to your exercise time each day, while still abiding by the curfew and the five-kilometre rule. The change to exercise restrictions in hotspot LGAs was announced as NSW reported 1288 new cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday, September 1. The NSW Government intends to loosen more rules for fully vaccinated people across the state once 70 percent of residents have had two jabs, which is likely to include being able to go to hospitality venues and outdoor events — and is expected to happen around mid-October. That said, the exact details of those relaxed settings hasn't been revealed yet, and neither has how they'll apply in LGAs of concern. Residents in Sydney's LGAs of concern will be able to enjoy unlimited exercise — as long as they abide by the five-kilometre rule and the curfew — from 5am on Friday, September 3. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website.
The Killers are taking a shot at the night, Satellite Stories are letting the lights go low and Cruiser want you to kidnap them. So kick off those work-week blues and listen to these five tracks to soundtrack your weekend. 1. 'SHOT AT THE NIGHT' - THE KILLERS This is a new direction for The Killers. It retains the anthem attributes fans love, but it presents a new element to their sound, courtesy of production by Anthony Gonzalez of M83 fame. It is like the two bands had a sonic love child, and this is it. It is a wonderful way to celebrate the Las Vegas quartet's tenth anniversary and is one of two new tracks to be featured on a greatest hits (so far) album, with 'Just Another Girl' also due to drop soon. The album Direct Hits will be released globally on November 11 so let this tide you over in the meantime. 2. 'BED PEACE' - JHENE AIKO FEAT. CHILDISH GAMBINO This is the smoothest song I have ever heard. Jhene Aiko's gentle vocals perfectly compliment Childish Gambino — otherwise known as Donald Glover — and his playful voice. When layered over the top of the simple R&B vibe it creates a song that is both graceful and sexy. You can play it to fall asleep, when you bring someone home or just on a lazy Sunday. This is an angelic song for all occasions. 3. 'LIGHTS GO LOW' - SATELLITE STORIES Satellite Stories have been receiving a lot of deserved hype lately. The Finnish band's sound has drawn a number of comparisons to Two Door Cinema Club, but there is one difference — they sound like they could be even better. Now that is saying something, as Two Door Cinema Club is this writer's favourite band. However, they just have an excellent understanding of the music they are trying to make, resulting in tracks like this that your ears will love you for offering to them. 4. 'KIDNAP ME' - CRUISER Cruiser is Philadelphia native Andy Stykes and he could not have dropped this summer-sounding track at a better time. So as the sun begins to heat things up, soak up this track's resplendent musical rays and please do not kidnap Cruiser. We need him to continue making music and his ransom would be far too high given how good this new track is. 5. 'DAWN' - CLOUD BEHIND Cloud Behind are a band from Thailand that make truly beautiful music. 'Dawn' is an excellent showcasing of their talent and has perfect timing, starting slowly before building momentum into a heartwarming ending. This is the type of music that accompanies life-changing decisions in indie movies so pop it on and see what epiphanies come your way.
John Pilger's steadfast commitment to Indigenous affairs over the past 30 years has won him international recognition as an investigative journalist and filmmaker. Passionate about communicating the plight of Aboriginal Australians and rallying for change, he returns with new documentary Utopia, which he describes as "one of the most urgent films I have made". Utopia takes its name from the vast region in Northern Australia that is home to the oldest continuous human culture. The film traces the theft of a continent and the subsequent atrocities of the colonial regime. Extreme poverty, death in police custody and concentration camps are just some of the atrocities highlighted. In presenting two clashing portraits of Australia — one of Gold Coast resorts and mining wealth, the other of abject poverty in rural Aboriginal communities — Pilger is out to expose Australia's own secret apartheid, a 'lucky country' stained by human rights violations. With the desperate state of Indigenous affairs, this important film promises an enlightening and moving experience. To get the film seen and spread, there will be a free, open-air screening on Friday, January 17 at The Block in Redfern, a site loaded with Indigenous significance. A series of public screenings will also take place at the MCA, concluding with a special event on Australia Day, otherwise known as 'Invasion Day'.
Word around film circles is that a sequel to Tim Burton's 80s hit Beetlejuice is on its way, and that Wednesday favourite Jenna Ortega is in line for a key role. That's great news for future filmgoers; however, if you're looking for an eerie (and amusing) night at the movies now, horror event fiends Haus of Horror have a solution: a screening of the OG Beetlejuice in a cemetery. Already in March, Haus of Horror has unleashed The Exorcist in a haunted prison with a session at Parramatta Gaol. But that's just one event on the crew's list for 2023. The next jumps forward a decade with its picture choice, gets silly and goes all in on Burton doing what Burton became a famous filmmaker for doing — loving all things spooky and strange — this time at Camperdown Cemetery in Newtown. You don't need a Handbook for the Recently Deceased in your ghostly hands to head along, but you will spend time with a couple with one: Barbara and Adam Maitland (GLOW's Geena Davis and Dr Death's Alec Baldwin). And, you'll see what happens when they start to suspect that they're no longer alive, a new family moves into their house (including Schitt's Creek's Catherine O'Hara and Stranger Things' Winona Ryder) and they decide they need a 'bio-exorcist' (Michael Keaton, Morbius). There's obviously no better place to show this flick, and Haus of Horror are leaning in for the first instalment in their new Graveyard Nights series. There are no prizes for guessing where it'll be screening movies each time this event pops up, starting at 6pm on Saturday, March 25. Also on the agenda: a cemetery tour to kick things off, plus a DJ spinning tunes over sunset, and spots for a bite and a drink. Also, there'll be a photobooth for snaps with Beetlejuice, the usual movie snack range including popcorn, and The Betelspritz Bar pouring non-boozy beverages such as The Miss Argentina (made with green apple sweet syrup, lemonade, grenadine and fresh cherries), The Lydia (grenadine, lemonade, black tea sweet syrup and fresh strawberries) and The Ghost with the Most (black tea sweet syrup again, lemonade, grenadine, green apple sweet syrup and strawberries). Come 8pm, the film will play — and if you'd prefer to pack a picnic, that's also encouraged. You'll also want to bring blankets, pillows and lawn chairs (low ones so you don't block out the view for whoever sits behind you) for getting comfy. Tickets cost $39, or $59 if you'd like to book a large bean bag to sit on. One caveat: attendees are asked to be respectful of the site, including its headstones, trees and buildings. Check out the trailer for Beetlejuice below: Graveyard Nights: Beetlejuice takes place at Camperdown Memorial Rest Park, Federation Road, Lennox and Church streets, Newtown from 6pm on Saturday, March 25 — head to the Haus of Horror website for tickets and further details.
As it continues in a push to produce more inclusive exercise gear, Lululemon has this week launched a new range of workout hijabs across selected international stores. The performance and lifestyle hijabs come in two styles available to buy now across New Zealand and Australia, with a third set to launch later this year. Each hijab is made using the buttery soft, sweat-wicking fabric Lululemon is famous for and offers a series of adjustable fits suited to the gym, a home workout or just those humid days of summer. The pin-free Performance Hijab ($55 AUD/$65 NZD) comes in both black and blue, and features an adjustable drawstring so it stays fitted into place while the user is working out — perfect for runners and HIIT lovers. The more traditional Scarf-Style Hijab ($49 AUD/$55 NZD) comes in soft jersey fabric and can be worn tied, twisted or tucked depending on preference. This one might be more suited to lower intensity styles, like pilates and walks. Lastly, the OTM Pull On Hijab ($49 AUD/$55 NZD) which is set to launch later this year, also has an over the head design and can be worn wrapped around the shoulders or tucked into the front of the shirt. Luluelmon certainly isn't the first activewear company to produce a hijab suited to exercise: Adidas has an option available to purchase online with its famous three stripe logo and Nike also has a monochromatic range. Under Armour also has an option with built-in headphone access. It would be great to see more brands follow suit, including locally made and designed options. The Lululemon performance hijab range launched Monday, June 6 and can be found now in select stores across Australia and New Zealand. For more information, head to the website.
Thirty years' worth of PCBs, as well as heavy metals, sewage and urban runoff, have made the Hudson River a hazard for would-be swimmers for nearly a century. Clean-ups, initiated in the 1960s by Pete Seeger's Hudson River Sloop Clearwater organisation, and enforced since the 1980s by the US Environmental Protection Agency, have improved conditions significantly. Now, a new Kickstarter project, titled + POOL, promises to create a swimming basin in the Hudson's brother, the East River, right on the liquid doorstep of New York City. Fitted with an enormous layered filtration system, the pool will purify as much as half a million gallons of water daily. Consequently, New Yorkers will be able to swim in that part of the river, enjoying a level of cleanliness similar to 19th-century standards. Plus, of course, they’ll have the benefit of a 21st-century view. According to the project's creators, "+ POOL started with a simple goal: instead of trying to clean the entire river, what if you started by just cleaning a small piece of it? And what if you could change how New Yorkers see their rivers, just by giving them a chance to swim in it?" With 17 days of campaigning left to go, + POOL has raised US$120,360 of its initial US$250,000 goal, which will enable the construction of a 35' x 35' ‘Float Lab’ in August 2013. The final project is set to be completed in summer 2016, just before the Olympic Games. Donors receive rewards in the form of pool tiles and, so far, 1,328 people have pledged support. For US$25, you’ll see your name alongside seven others on a 'group tile'. For US$2500, you’ll earn yourself a 'graphic tile', featuring your logo, signature or any single-colour image of your choice, as well as 20 tickets to 'First Dips'. This means that you and 19 friends will be among the first individuals to jump into the pool, in the week leading up to its public opening.
Australia might be working through a few issues, but delivering top-shelf world-class cocktail bars sure ain't one of them, as again proved at last night's World's 50 Best Bars awards in London. Now in its ninth year, the prestigious awards ranked Sydney bar The Baxter Inn at number 45 in the world. Melbourne's Black Pearl came in at number 22, the same spot it claimed in 2016's list. This year, however, the bar backed it up with a few extra accolades, scooping the gong for Best Bar in Australasia and honoured with the title of Legend of the List, for its efforts in making the cut each year the awards have been held. Taking out top spot, along with the title of Best Bar in Europe, was The American Bar at London's Savoy Hotel. This is a win for us Aussies also — the international cocktail icon just announced it'll take over The Black Pearl and Sydney's Eau De Vie for a series of pop-ups later this month. London again proved the most represented city in the list, honoured with eight top 50 placings. The World's 50 Best Bars awards is voted by a group of over 500 industry experts from across 55 countries.
It's the fun side of Wednesday, you've settled in at your favourite bar, and a couple more whisky sours wouldn't hurt. But when the lights come on at midnight you've got limited options this side of Elizabeth Street. Until Saturday, when a new neighbourhood bar and boutique music venue opens for business. The Soda Factory, located in the old home of Tone nightclub, is the latest venture from Graham Cordery of Experience Entertainment and his partner Michael Chase. They've stripped the place back to its industrial bones and, armed with a late-night trading licence, are aiming to bring something different to the 2010 postcode. "I'll go to a bar and what I really enjoy about it is the quirky features of the decor, or the really great service where they'll make me a cocktail customised to my taste," says Graham, "but what I don't enjoy is having to walk out the door at midnight." His solution has been to combine high-end cocktails, restaurant-quality food, and great entertainment under the exposed beams of one lofty roof. As for quirky features, you get that before you're even technically inside. To get in you first walk through Bobby's Boss Dogs, a fully legit fast food joint with neon sign, checkerboard floors, and a shiny chrome bar top. Pull up a stool and eat in, or pull on the handle of the coke machine to reveal the grungier Soda Factory. All the furnishings precede the year 1960, from comfy booths and mid-century furniture to tin chairs and wooden crates that can be moved out the back when things necessitate a dance floor. To have a fully functioning business with a secret door is, as Graham says, "absolutely a first" in the area. So what will you be drinking once you're in? The boys have brought Mitchell Warters over from London, where he spent the last two years mixing drinks at Richard Branson's members-only Roof Gardens to curate a cocktail menu in keeping with the old-school factory theme. Groups can go for share siphons like The Seabreeze Spritz ($35), a mix of cranberry, ruby red grapefruit, and fresh lemon with Ketel One Vodka served sparkling from a real '50s seltzer bottle. There are also ice cream-topped floats ($14) and a 12-strong list of specialty cocktails, including Graham's personal favourite, the Chocolate Passion Martini ($17) with Mozart dark chocolate liqueur, passionfruit, Tuaca liqueur, and Kettle One. Michael is also a trained chef and the guys are planning to make use of the full restaurant kitchen by rolling out a 1950s-inspired Italian share plate menu in April. It's "the kind of place where you can get a feed and a cocktail, as opposed to a purely music venue where you’ve got your standard fare of a VB lager or a vodka soda". Until then, nine gourmet dogs are on offer for $10 each, including the Frank Sinatra (a classic New York street dog with frankfurter, American mustard, pickles, and onion rings) and the Johnny Drama (beef sausage, bacon, sour cream, avocado, and tomato salsa). The entertainment has a slightly more contemporary flavour. Graham has spent over two years curating line-ups at Ivy and has a wealth of electronic music knowledge. He's already locked in Brooklyn's DJ Spinna, influential Manchester producer Greg Wilson, and hip-hop DJ pioneer Grandmaster Flash, but don't expect to only see stuff that requires turntables or softsynths. Michael used to scout talent for MGM Distribution and has already roped in a couple of exciting live acts including Australia's own Electric Empire, and during the week it might be local DJs or up-and-coming indies. "Anything that we feel to be cool [is going to get some airtime], whether it's Grandmaster Flash or a nu-disco DJ or a live band or an indie set," says Graham. "It could be jazz, could be blues, could be soul." But The Soda Factory is "first and foremost a bar", meaning there's only a cover charge when something really exceptional is on. Grandmaster Flash is only $20 and Greg Wilson just $15 on the door. Settle in early and you don't have to pay a thing. And on school nights there's plenty of low-key and free stuff to keep the locals satisfied. "Every Monday is movie Mondays. We're starting off with Ferris Bueller's Day Off on the twenty-fifth, so that should be pretty cool. Tuesday is Dollar Dogs, so just one dollar for a hot dog every Tuesday. Wednesday we're going to do a night with local talent; anything and everything that's on the more relaxed side of things. It could be an acoustic session or soul, but it will be definitely live. After that things get a little more upbeat." Says Graeme, "Anyone's welcome to drop by at any time, but we also have great gigs." Sounds good, guys. We'll see you Saturday. Mon - Wed 5pm - late, Thurs 5pm - 2am, Friday 5pm - 5am, Saturday 5pm - 5am; 16 Wentworth Ave, Surry Hills 2010. Update: The Soda Factory has finished its fit-out. Check out the pictures below.
Sydney is on a hot streak with new swimming spots right now. Fresh areas for a dip have been popping up all across the city, whether it's Barangaroo's new city beach, the restoration and reopening of the historic Dawn Fraser Baths, or zones dotted along the Parramatta River. And, things aren't slowing down, with the Inner West's Callan Park the next location bookmarked to host summer swims. Located along the Bay Run in Lilyfield, the 61-hectare heritage park sits alongside the Parramatta River. Following two years of exhaustive water testing, swimming at the park has just been given the tick of approval, with the Inner West Council announcing plans to transform the waterfront into a swimmer's paradise. Following the approval, a new 50-metre tidal pool will now be built at the site. Significant features of the pool include swimming lanes, an expansive jetty, and two moored pontoons for sunbathing and diving. "With its position at the heart of the Bay Run, the Callan Park tidal pool can become a Sydney icon," Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said. "With our location finalised and all approvals now granted, we are ready to partner with the New South Wales Government to fund the construction of this beautiful new swim site." Alongside the water testing, environmental impact research, river-depth analysis and floor quality testing were all undertaken in order to gain approval. Swimming at Callan Park has been five years in the making, with a plan to clean up the waterways and get the go-ahead first announced back in 2018. The popular Lilyfiled park is set to become the sixth swim spot to land along Parramatta River, joining Bayview Park, Dawn Fraser Baths, Cabarita Park Beach, Chiswick Baths and Lake Parramatta. The Parramatta River Catchment Group (PRCG) is also enquiring into reintroducing swimming to the likes of Bedlam Bay, McIlwaine Park and Putney Park in the future. Callan Park is located on Balmain Road, Lilyfield.
As you're probably aware, the night owls of Sydney are seriously unhappy with the NSW government for a few reasons — the most prominent being the citywide strict and stifling lockout laws. Imposed almost two years ago, the laws have had an unmistakably massive effect on the city's nightlife and its dependants alike. Needless to say, the tension is palpable. And this Saturday, December 12, activist group Reclaim The Streets are planning a multi-stage mobile protest festival in Newtown to take a stand against the restrictive laws that threaten the livelihood of young people, artists and many businesses. The protest project is named ‘A liveable city for all’. They say it's not fair to be locked out of your own city by excessive rents — it's no secret that Sydney is renowned for having insane rent prices — and suffocating curfew laws, which include a 1.30am lockout and 3am last drinks. In their words, the city is "not just an investment portfolio for the super-rich". Damn right. The lockout laws, in particular, have hit young people hard — and it's not just the closure of venues. After all, it's almost exclusively young adults who work tough shifts as bar staff, glassies and DJs. And while statistics say the incident rate of violence has dropped in hotspot areas like the CBD and Kings Cross since the laws were introduced, it seems the same kind of violence has risen in inner-city areas such as Newtown and Surry Hills. Reclaim the Streets says that the government has cost them a dancefloor, so, with a preliminary lineup of a buttload of quality local acts, they’ll be making one themselves. See you on Saturday gang, where we will literally fight for our right to party. The Reclaim The Streets protest will start from Camperdown Memorial Park on Saturday, December 12 at 2pm. For information, see their event page.
Drinking sessions with your mates are a cornerstone of the weekend. But, for those fur baby parents out there, there's nothing worse than getting stuck in and then realising you have to rush out to take care of your pup. For you, the best session is one when your best two-legged and four-legged mates are all there. We've teamed up with American Express to show Sydney dog owners that you don't need to choose between seeing your friends or hanging out with your pup. These American Express-accepting spots offer some of the best food and bevs in the city, all while catering to your doggo with special menus, play areas and outdoor seating. Looking for a spot where your dog is welcomed as much as your, er, human friends? These venues are here for you. Got yourself in another dining situation and need some guidance? Whatever it is, we know a place. Visit The Shortlist and we'll sort you out.
There are a million ways to meet someone in 2023. The options range across physical and digital, making it easier than ever to find the right someone. One of the fastest ways to find the right person is the classic choice of speed dating. It's a great way to speed up the process if you want to cut out the endless swiping and waiting for a match. That's what Cheeky Events Australia is here for with its weekly speed dating series. Running in Sydney and Melbourne and about to launch in Brisbane, the events cater to anyone aged 25-35, 30-45 or 35-49 — Cheeky Events Australia aims to open it up to more age groups and cater to LGBTQIA+ customers in 2024. [caption id="attachment_922332" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] millann via iStock[/caption] How does it work? Simply book your spot for one of the many regular events via Eventbrite or the Cheeky Events Australia app (and use code PLAYGROUND15 to get 15% off ). Once you arrive, your hosts (who are also former speed dating guests) will greet you and supply you with a complimentary beverage to enjoy while mingling with fellow daters before the action begins. Women will stay seated while the men rotate around, with a brief mingling break at the halfway point of the night. Once the time is up, participants will open the app to input their likes, and matches will be finalised via the app later that night. Any matches will be able to find each other's contact details in the app. The odds are in your favour — on average, everyone has one or two matches per night, with many finding a long-term partner by their third event. Keep an eye out for more than just the weekly series — there could be themed boat parties on your dating horizon. To get started with Cheeky Events Australia, follow them on Instagram, download the app or find the next event on Eventbrite. For more information, visit the website.
