Time to bust out your overalls and dust off the shopping cart. A popular monthly market has returned to Canberra and is going to have you picking up way more than the usuals — a jar of local honey and a handmade soy candle, that is. Love Local Markets will take place on the last Sunday of every month between 9am–2pm at The Plot at Pialligo Estate. Here, you'll find a range of vendors offering local produce and products, including fresh food, drinks and lifestyle goods. While you're there, make sure you check out everything the estate and its neighbours have on offer, including the Pialligo Market Grocer, the Farm Shop Cafe, Wren & Rabbit Interiors, Pink Flamingo Interiors and Bisonhome. Plus, being conveniently positioned near the inner south and Fyshwick precincts, the location makes it a great way to start your day before taking on other activities in the Canberra region. Make sure you grab the loose change hanging around the house or swing by an ATM on the way as the stalls are cash only and there aren't any EFTPOS facilities. Love Local Markets will take place from 9am–2pm on the last Sunday of each month (excluding December) at The Plot at Pialligo Estate. For more information, visit the website here.
If you can't get enough of The Grounds of Alexandria, you can now grab a 6.15am workout along with your morning coffee. The Grounds are teaming up with Sweat for the Good Stuff to bring you Yoga at The Grounds. This 45-minute Vinyasa class kicks off on Wednesday, July 19, with five additional dates throughout August. Flow through your sun salutations surrounded by lush greenery in an indoor garden. The classes are held in their light-filled, heated atrium — so you don't have to worry about the winter chill —and all levels are welcome, from experienced yogis to wannabes. Plus, the $15 spent will not only better only your own mind, body and soul, but also go toward helping others do the same. Sweat for the Good Stuff will donate a portion of the proceeds to charity causes including mental health surf therapy, support for the homeless and suicide prevention. It's a workout worth waking up early for.
You've heard of bed and breakfasts. In fact, you've probably even stayed at a couple. They're all well and good; however a new cocktail-focused hotel is offering up something even better than brekkie with your room: a bed and beverage experience. If you're in the vicinity of Los Angeles from September onwards, head to ten-room The Walker Inn to enjoy an intimate and relaxing evening complete with a nightcap or several (and painkillers when you check out). And no, you won't just guzzle whatever's in the mini-bar in your vintage-heavy room. Instead, you'll get the kind of high-quality home bar setup you could only dream of having in your actual house, complete with a recipe book to guide you through the cocktail-making process. You'll be shaking, mixing and stirring your own drinks in no time. Don't think that The Walker Inn isn't for sociable clientele, though. With the '20s-style hotel also boasting its own bar, you'll have plenty of opportunities to sip on a mixologist-made beverage and mingle with other patrons, if that's what you'd prefer. Some rooms even have their own secret staircase leading back down to the shared lounge area. Basically, think of The Walker Inn as accommodation for those who want a couple of options for winding down after a nice meal out with friends, which is exactly how owner David Kaplan describes it. Similar establishments have popped up in Paris and Los Feliz, so it seems like this is part of a growing trend. Fingers crossed that some clever person brings the concept to Australia — and soon. Via PSFK and Skift.
Sake is a drink known by many but — in Australia at least — understood by very few. It's a beverage that's generally relegated to fancy sushi work lunches where your boss is picking up the bill, but, truth is, the fermented Japanese rice wine is much more versatile than that. You can order a bottle to pair with fish at your next dinner party, but you can also pick up a pull-tab can to take to a party or add some to prosecco and soda for a Japanese-style summer spritz. There are many ways into sake, and we've laid them out below. Need a refresher first? Have a read of our bluffer's guide to sake then get started. [caption id="attachment_628082" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sakeshop[/caption] FOR THOSE WANTING AN EASY INTRODUCTION TO SAKE A Japanese sake providore located in both Melbourne and Sydney, Sakeshop is your one-stop shop for all things sake. Here, tastings and internationally recognised sake courses are held and there's even an extensive Japanese beer selection — so there's really no greater place to immerse yourself in the blossoming world of sake appreciation. Pick up one of the Hanamikura Aya 200ml with its cute little ring-pull tab lid, throw it in your beach bag and sit in the sun sipping on the peachy and pear flavours with the sounds of summer echoing in your ears. FOR THOSE SICK OF APEROL SPRITZES The ultimate in spring and summertime drinking is a Japanese yuzushu made with equal parts one-year-old Junmai sake and yuzu juice (a type of native Japanese grapefruit). It's great either on the rocks or in a spritz — the perfect alternative to an Aperol Spritz for 2017–18. It's lively, fresh and zesty with a hint of a jasmine floral and pink grapefruit character on the nose. On the palate, it's delicate and strikes the perfect balance between tart citrus flavours and sweet characters. Try the Heiwa Shuzo Yuzushu in a wine glass filled with ice, 30ml Yuzushu topped with a dry prosecco (the Dal Zotto from Australia's King Valley is always a winner) and a splash of soda with a twist of lemon. Be careful, though — they're so dangerously delicious that you might be wondering where the bottle went in no time. FOR THOSE WANTING TO ADD A BIT OF JAPANESE HISTORY TO THEIR DINNER Hailing from the third-oldest sake brewery in Japan, which was established in 1548, Yoshinogawa is the Rolls Royce of sake: elegant, high quality and impeccably made. Made by the 20th generation of the Kawakami family, Yoshinogawa Ginjo Gokujo is created using a combination of techniques, both ancient and modern, to craft what is considered to be a classic yet modern interpretation of the style. Floral, with just a hint of umami character, it's almost ethereal on the palate. Pop down to the Fish Markets and pick up some salmon, slice it up and make a ginger and soy glaze while lightly searing the fish in a pan, crank The Go-Go's and pour some of this sake chilled for the ultimate trifecta. [caption id="attachment_645960" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Studio Hortenzia.[/caption] FOR THOSE LOVERS OF JAPANESE AESTHETICS Now, not all sakes are from 469-year-old breweries. Some are just brand spanking new, like the newly released Toji Sake from Melbourne couple Yuta and Shar Kobayashi. Distilled with Yuta's childhood memories of drinking sake with his grandfather, this approachable sake draws upon traditional Japanese flavours but modernised for an Australian palate. Crisp, perfumed and well balanced would be a perfect accompaniment to a trip to see the contemporary art collections at Sydney's White Rabbit or GOMA in Brisbane. Plus, the bottle is a work of art in itself — you'll want to keep it. FOR THOSE NEEDING A MEMORABLE HOUSEWARMING GIFT Your friend's just moved into a new place and you want to bring a housewarming gift that's not a plant (that they will inevitably overwater) or a set of cheese knives (that are beautiful but they'll probably never use). Enter the versatile bottle of sake. Grab an all-rounder like the Dewazakura Dewa Sansan Junmai Ginjo — it's great for sipping on a hot day and can also be used as a base for curing fish because of its signature fragrant perfume and delicacy on the palate. It's also available in a 1.5-litre bottle if you really want to earn your place as friend of the year. Top image: Sakeshop.
The Verge Festival has everything. Experimental Cinema, claims of the Best Comedy Ever, great sunset film screenings and croquet. With origins as a festival of experimental art, the Verge has grown into a University-wide arts festival with events ranging from pure weird to straight up drama — but all of them with something that takes their efforts away from the everyday. Opening night is packed with music and art by its hosts, the charity-supporting Major Raiser, who'll be dedicating the night's efforts to youth mental health — a subject close to their heart. Closing night promises a laser maze on the dance floor, while the middle of the fest sports Pride Week Party and night markets. During the rest of the festival, the Uni's flashy promenade, Eastern Avenue, will be taken over by giant shipping containers as part of Uncontainable, as artists decorate the containers' outsides, and fill the insides with pre-made exhibtions. Some occasional Impro playmaking is promised, while Underbelly artists Fetish Frequency offer a DIY audio story to drag you around the Sydney University campus. There will be nights of nice words at Outspoken, and the Story Club's return from the Comedy Festival, starring Playschool veteran Benita Collings. SUDS is getting into the festival spirit by staging the bloody Titus Andronicus, as well in-situ drama like Animals at the University's tiny Roundhouse and and some Strindberg in the tennis courts.
When you head to a gallery or museum, peruse its walls and halls, and stare at a famous work of art, you spend time bathing in visible beauty. If you're peering at a painting, then colours, compositions and brush strokes grab your attention. Should you be looking at a sculpture, it's the lines, shapes and forms that stand out. Even if you're the most dedicated art fan, you're really only engaging one of your senses — that's why it's called visual art. You can't touch something as iconic as the Venus de Milo, for example. You certainly can't taste it either, and it doesn't emit a sound or aroma. But if you have ever found yourself wondering just what the ancient Greek work smells like, or how some of The Louvre's other notable artworks might tickle your nostrils, you can now douse yourself in perfume inspired by eight of the Parisian museum's pieces. For the first time, The Louvre has teamed up with French beauty brand Officine Universelle Buly to create a range of scents that draw upon the gallery's masterpieces — not only for art-lovers to spray over their body, but in scented candles, scented postcards and scented soap sheets too. As well as the world's most famous statue with missing arms — which apparently smells like lilies and musk — the lineup takes its cues from Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres' La Baigneuse and Grande Odalisque, Thomas Gainsborough's Conversation in a Park, Jean-Honoré's The Lock and Georges de La Tour's Joseph the Carpenter. You can also smell like Lorenzo Bartolini's Nymph with Scorpion or, still on sculptures, you can opt for the Winged Victory of Samothrace. If the latter sounds familiar, that's because it featured in Beyonce and Jay-Z's 'Apeshit' video last year. https://vimeo.com/347284474 Buly's collection of The Louvre-themed products doesn't come cheap — ranging from just under €6 for a postcard, to around €17 for soap, to €125 for a candle or perfume. If you don't have a trip to Paris in your future, you can order the artwork-inspired scented products online.
This Sydney Festival classic returns for yet another evening of gorgeous music by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the open night skies. Grab your friends, family, or current flame, pack a picnic basket and a blanket, and relax into the summery dusk for a night of music that will make you feel a bit like you're living in a film. No picnic? No problem: there will be food stalls aplenty on site. It's BYO so, if you're feelin' thirsty, remember to pack a bottle of something chilled. The Crescent, Parramatta Park, 20 Jan. Image: Jamie Williams
Harper Lee wrote one novel. But the novel was To Kill a Mockingbird, and it was enough. Terrence Malick has likewise only directed five films. Pictures that build slowly, like a symphony of long, slow notes. And it's enough. The Palm d'Or winning Tree of Life centres around a father (Brad Pitt), a mother (Jessica Chastain) and their son Jack (Harry McCracken as a boy, Sean Penn as an adult). All of the other characters, the flow of life and nature, and the film's full narrative build around the empty void that the death of Jack's young brother leaves in their family, in his life and in the soul of their mother. Though the film exists in the shadow of a death, its preoccupation is life and how to live it. Jack grows up to be like his dad: a man neither he, nor his father, want to be. Around this, his mother's grief for his brother propels the action. In her imagination she rebuilds the world from nothing, from the big bang to the birth of her son, as though she is searching in the imagination of God, or perhaps only in the world, for some beginning, some end to the reason for his death. Her grief is as big, as cold, as vast, as fiery and pure as these things. It touches everything. Through her, the film constantly talks to God or to nature — it has no preference — and to the totality of the universe, with galaxies endlessly swirling and rock aflame, it poses the question: "What are we to you?" The star of Terrence Malik's film remains the sensual. Everything is touchable. Hands drift through fields of high grasses, hands cup a newborn baby's foot, hands touch rough lawns and sheets, throw stones, throw footballs, hover in prayer over empty dinner plates. This is a great strength of the film, but if Tree of Life has a flaw, it's also this. Despite sharing his characters' dream worlds, grief and inner life, the story in this film is clearly Malik's most of all.
Artists often attempt to picture the world from alternative views and odd angles in order to get a fresh perspective on the quirks and idiosyncrasies of everyday life. For Canadian photographer Laurel Johannesson the world is at its most bizarre and beautiful when viewed through water. While swimming in Lido di Venezia in Italy, Johannesson found herself fascinated by the dream-like world of mirror images, refracting light and warped figures that emerged when she began taking photographs while submerged in water. The resulting photographs provide a mesmerising insight into our world, familiar yet somehow alien in their distortion, with the artist seeing the dream-like vulnerability of the images as alluding to "the equation between desire and voyeurism". And by printing on metallic paper and laminating the images with a thick layer of acrylic, Johannesson was able to enhance the already otherworldly quality of the photographs. For those of us that cannot see the images in the flesh, here is a virtual tour through Johannesson's fascinating new exhibit.
Your worst technological nightmares are returning to your streaming queue. No, we don't just mean forgetting your password, having trouble logging in, getting an error message that your account doesn't exist after you just used it yesterday or being stuck watching buffering instead of the program you're trying to see. First, Black Mirror's Twitter account broke a four-year silence. Next, Charlie Brooker's dystopian sci-fi hit has dropped a sneak peek at its next batch of technological nightmares — aka the first trailer for the show's long-awaited sixth season. This season is being teased as "the most unpredictable, unclassifiable and unexpected season yet", which is saying something given everything that Black Mirror has thrown at the screen in past seasons (and in choose-your-own-adventure-style movie Black Mirror: Bandersnatch). "I've always felt that Black Mirror should feature stories that are entirely distinct from one another, and keep surprising people — and myself — or else what's the point? It should be a series that can't be easily defined, and can keep reinventing itself," Brooker told Netflix about season six. "Partly as a challenge, and partly to keep things fresh for both me and the viewer, I began this season by deliberately upending some of my own core assumptions about what to expect. Consequently, this time, alongside some of the more familiar Black Mirror tropes we've also got a few new elements, including some I've previously sworn blind the show would never do, to stretch the parameters of what 'a Black Mirror episode' even is. The stories are all still tonally Black Mirror through-and-through — but with some crazy swings and more variety than ever before." Wondering when you might be staring at your own black mirror again to watch Black Mirror? The show will return to Netflix in June, ready to add some extra chill to winter Down Under — with an exact date yet to be announced. Cast-wise, the series makes a comeback with another stacked roster of familiar faces, including Zazie Beetz (Atlanta), Annie Murphy (Kevin Can F**k Himself), Paapa Essiedu (Men), Josh Hartnett (Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre), Himesh Patel (Station Eleven), Rob Delaney (The Power), Rory Culkin (Swarm), Salma Hayek Pinault (Magic Mike's Last Dance), Aaron Paul (Westworld), Kate Mara (Call Jane), Michael Cera (Life & Beth), Danny Ramirez (Stars at Noon), Clara Rugaard (I Am Mother), Auden Thornton (This Is Us) and Anjana Vasan (Killing Eve). How exactly will the series manage to be even more dispiriting than reality over the past few years? That's increasingly been one of its dilemmas — and noting that something IRL feels just like Black Mirror has become one of the cliches of our times — but this'll be the mind-bending effort's first round of episodes following the pandemic. No one has ever watched the Brooker-created series for a pick-me-up, though. Since first hitting the small screen in 2011, Black Mirror has spun warped visions of where technology may lead us — and, no matter what tale the show has told so far across its 22 instalments (including that interactive movie), the picture has usually been unnerving. So, imagine what the program will cook up after what we've all been living through since it last aired. Brooker has already riffed on COVID-19 in two Netflix specials, actually: Death to 2020 and Death to 2021, which offer satirical and star-studded wraps of both years with mixed success. For something completely different, he also jumped back into choose-your-own-adventure content with animated short Cat Burglar, which hit Netflix back in 2022, has viewers play through it as a thieving feline called Rowdy and gets you to answer trivia questions to advance the story. Check out the first trailer for Black Mirror's sixth season below: Black Mirror season six will stream via Netflix some time in June. We'll update you when an exact release date is announced. Images: Netflix.
Before the pandemic, when a new-release movie started playing in cinemas, audiences couldn't watch it on streaming, video on demand, DVD or blu-ray for a few months. But with the past few years forcing film industry to make quite a few changes — widespread movie theatre closures and plenty of people staying home in iso will do that — that's no longer always the case. Maybe you've been under the weather. Perhaps you haven't had time to make it to your local cinema lately. Given the hefty amount of films now releasing each week, maybe you simply missed something. Film distributors have been fast-tracking some of their new releases from cinemas to streaming recently — movies that might still be playing in theatres in some parts of the country, too. In preparation for your next couch session, here are 13 that you can watch right now at home. BONES AND ALL To be a character in a Luca Guadagnino film is to be ravenous. The Italian director does have a self-described Desire trilogy — I Am Love, A Bigger Splash and Call Me By Your Name — on his resume, after all. In those movies and more, he spins sensual stories about hungry hearts, minds and eyes, all while feeding his audience's very same body parts. He tells tales of protagonists bubbling with lust and yearning, craving love and acceptance, and trying to devour this fleeting thing called life while they're living it. Guadagnino hones in on the willingness to surrender to that rumbling and pining, whether pursuing a swooning, sweeping, summery romance in the first feature that put Timothée Chalamet in front of his camera, or losing oneself to twitchy, witchy dance in his Suspiria remake. Never before has he taken having an insatiable appetite to its most literal and unnerving extreme, however, but aching cannibal love story Bones and All is pure Guadagnino. Peaches filled with longing's sticky remnants are so 2017 for Guadagnino, and for now-Little Women, Don't Look Up and Dune star Chalamet. Biting into voracious romances will never get old, though. Five years after Call Me By Your Name earned them both Oscar nominations — the filmmaker for Best Picture, his lead for Best Actor — they reteam for a movie that traverses the American midwest rather than northern Italy, swaps erotic fruit for human flesh and comes loaded with an eerie undercurrent, but also dwells in similar territory. It's still the 80s, and both hope and melancholy still drift in the air. The phenomenal Taylor Russell (Lost in Space) drives the feature as Maren, an 18-year-old with an urge to snack on people that makes her an unpopular slumber-party guest. When she meets Chalamet's Lee, a fellow 'eater', Bones and All becomes another sublime exploration of love's all-consuming feelings — and every bit as exquisite as Guadagnino and Chalamet's last stunning collaboration. Bones and All is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THE MENU Getting "yes chef" bellowed his way as Julian Slowik, the head chef at exclusive fictional restaurant Hawthorne, Ralph Fiennes (The Forgiven) is a sinister delight in the vicious and delicious The Menu. With his character terrorising staff and customers alike, but similarly trapped with his employees in the hospo grind, Fiennes is also visibly having a ball in an entertainingly slippery role. He plays the part with the instant presence to make a room of well-paying patrons snap to attention just because he's there, and his facial expressions — his eyes in particular — are a masterclass in passive malevolence. There's a cruel streak in Slowik, as there is in the movie, but The Menu is a black, bleak, vengeful comedy as well. Director Mark Mylod (What's Your Number?) and writers Seth Reiss and Will Tracy (The Onion) know the best thing to eat, aka the rich, and turn their fine-dining factory into a savage, savvy and scathingly amusing satire about coveting $1250-a-head meals but letting the workers behind them slice, steam, stir and sweat through upscale kitchen drudgery. Babbling snootily about mouth-feel before even getting to Hawthorne by boat, Tyler (Nicholas Hoult, The Great) doesn't spare a passing thought for the restaurant's workers. A self-confessed foodie who can't abide by the eatery's no-photography rule for a single course, he's in fanboy heaven after finally scoring a booking — and doesn't his companion Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy, Amsterdam) know it. She's less enthused, and her lack of fawning over her surroundings, Slowik, each plate and the theatre of it all rankles her date. She's the least-excited diner of the evening's entire list, in fact, which also spans status-chasing finance bros (The Terminal List's Arturo Castro, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series' Mark St Cyr and The Now's Rob Yang), a cashed-up couple (Mass' Reed Birney and Julia's Judith Light) who attend regularly, an arrogant food critic (Janet McTeer, Ozark) and her editor (Paul Adelstein, The Greatest Beer Run Ever), and a movie star (John Leguizamo, Encanto) with his assistant (Aimee Carrero, Spirited). The Menu is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. MISTER ORGAN A single tweet has sparked many things for many people; however, the chaos started by a social-media missive from New Zealand journalist and filmmaker David Farrier has few parallels. In 2013, he commented on Twitter about a friend parking their car at Auckland's now-closed Bashford Antiques, then weathering an unpleasant experience: the threat of towing, instant abuse, and an immediate demand for $250 in order to be allowed to leave. Farrier next began writing articles about it all, and what seemed like a clamping racket, in 2016. In his first piece, he covered being asked by his employer three years prior to delete his tweet, too. But his own ordeal was only just beginning, because his ordeal involves Michael Organ. "You pay a soul tax for every minute you spend with him," Farrier notes in the documentary he's made about all of the above, complete with far more twists than anyone can imagine going in — and watching Mister Organ, the feeling behind that observation is starkly apparent. As well as helping impose onerous conditions on folks parking outside an antiques store, and becoming the owner's constant companion in the process, claiming to be royalty is also part of this tale. Organ has defended himself in serious court cases, and assisted with bringing legal proceedings against others, including Farrier. His web of interpersonal dealings, as fleshed out through discussions with ex-housemates and acquaintances, brings bewildered and infuriated interviewees into the doco. Finding someone to say a kind word about him is almost impossible, other than the endlessly talkative Organ himself. For newcomers to this situation, it's best to get the ins and outs by watching, stolen boats and all, because no description does them justice — but Farrier's time with Organ, as he tries to get to the bottom of his story, never fails to surprise. Viewers of filmmaker's Tickled and Dark Tourist will easily glean why he was drawn to tell this tale, though; for starters, it's another disturbing, perplexing, so-messy-it-can-only-be-true slice of life. Mister Organ is available to stream via DocPlay, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. SKINAMARINK Age may instil nocturnal bravery in most of us, stopping the flinching and wincing at things that routinely go bump, thump and jump in the night in our ordinary homes, but the childhood feeling of lying awake in the dark with shadows, shapes and strange sounds haunting an eerie void never seeps from memory. Close your eyes, cast your mind back, and the unsettling and uncertain sensation can easily spring again — that's how engrained it is. Or, with your peepers wide open, you could just watch new micro-budget Canadian horror movie Skinamarink. First-time feature filmmaker Kyle Edward Ball has even made this breakout hit, which cost just $15,000 to produce, in the house he grew up in. His characters: two kids, four-year-old Kevin (debutant Lucas Paul) and six-year-old Kaylee (fellow newcomer Dali Rose Tetreault), who wake up deep into the evening. The emotion he's trading in: pure primal dread, because to view this digitally shot but immensely grainy-looking flick is to be plunged back to a time when nightmares lingered the instant that the light switched off. Skinamarink does indeed jump backwards, meeting Kevin and Kaylee in 1995 when they can't find their dad (Ross Paul, Moby Dick) or mum (Jaime Hill, Give and Take) after waking. But, befitting a movie that's an immersive collage of distressing and disquieting images and noises from the get-go, it also pulsates with an air of being trapped in time. It takes its name from a nonsense nursery-rhyme song from 1910, then includes cartoons from the 1930s on Kevin and Kaylee's television to brighten up the night's relentless darkness. In its exacting, hissing sound design especially, it brings David Lynch's 1977 debut Eraserhead to mind. And the influence of 1999's The Blair Witch Project and the 2007-born Paranormal Activity franchise is just as evident, although Skinamarink is far more ambient, experimental and experiential. Ball has evolved from crafting YouTube shorts inspired by online commenters' worst dreams to this: his own creepypasta. Skinamarink is available to stream via Shudder and AMC+. Read our full review. BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER Black Panther: Wakanda Forever isn't the movie it was initially going to be, the sequel to 2018's electrifying and dynamic Black Panther that anyone behind it originally wanted it to be, or the chapter in the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe that it first aimed to be — this, the world already knows. The reason why is equally familiar, after Chadwick Boseman died from colon cancer in 2020 aged 43. At its best, this direct followup to the MCU's debut trip to its powerful African nation doesn't just know this, too, but scorches that awareness deep into its frames. King T'Challa's death starts the feature, a loss that filmmaking trickery doesn't reverse, no matter how meaningless mortality frequently proves when on-screen resurrections are usually a matter of mere plot twists. Wakanda Forever begins with heartbreak and pain, in fact, and with facing the hard truth that life ends and, in ways both big and small, that nothing is ever the same. Your typical franchise entry about quick-quipping costumed crusaders courageously protecting the planet, this clearly isn't. Directed and co-written by Ryan Coogler (Creed) like its predecessor — co-scripting again with Joe Robert Cole (All Day and a Night) — Wakanda Forever is about grief, expected futures that can no longer be and having to move forward anyway. That applies in front of and behind the lens; as ruminating so heavily on loss underscores, the movie has a built-in justification for not matching the initial flick. The Boseman-sized hole at Wakanda Forever's centre is gaping, unsurprisingly, even in a feature that's a loving homage to him, and his charm and gravitas-filled take on the titular character. Also, that vast void isn't one this film can fill. Amid overtly reckoning with absence, Coogler still has a top-notch cast — returnees Letitia Wright (Death on the Nile), Angela Bassett (Gunpowder Milkshake), Danai Gurira (The Walking Dead), Lupita Nyong'o (The 355) and Winston Duke (Nine Days), plus new addition Tenoch Huerta (Narcos: Mexico), most notably — drawing eyeballs towards his vibrant imagery, but his picture is also burdened with MCU bloat and mechanics, and infuriating bet-hedging. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. BLUEBACK Films about humanity's affinity with animals are films about our ties to the natural world — and doesn't Blueback splash that truth around. Plunging from The Dry into the wet, writer/director Robert Connolly reteams with Eric Bana for another page-to-screen adaptation of a homegrown book; this is another movie inseparable from its landscape, too, again exploring the impact people have upon it. This time, however, Bana isn't the star. He's memorable as larrikin abalone diver and fisherman 'Mad' Macka, and this Tim Winton-based feature would've benefited from more of his presence, but the Dirty John actor is firmly in supporting mode. Set against the enticing Western Australian coast as the author's work tends to be, this is a picture about the sea's thrall, existential importance and inherent sense of connection — as filtered through the bond between a girl and a wild blue groper, plus the evolving relationship between that same child and her eco-warrior mother. Mia Wasikowska (Bergman Island) plays Blueback's fish-befriending protagonist as an adult, with the text's Abel becoming Abby here. Radha Mitchell (Girl at the Window) shares the screen as Dora, her widowed mother, early in the film's year-hopping timeline. Still, in their second of three movies in succession — arriving before upcoming The Dry sequel Force of Nature — Connolly and Bana dip back into familiar territory. Obvious swaps are evident, including a beachside rather than a farming community, and atrocities against the planet and its wildlife instead of crimes against people, but it's easy to see Blueback's appeal as a reunion project. Among the key differences as Abby and Dora fight to save their town and its aquatic treasures, still battling wrongs to strive for what's right: this is an overtly and eagerly family-friendly affair. Blueback is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. SISSY Thanks to everything from The Saddle Club and I Hate My Teenage Daughter to Sweet/Vicious and The Bold Type, Gold Coast-born Australian actor Aisha Dee knows what it's like to live life through screens. She's been acting since she was a teenager, and she's charted the highs of her chosen profession — all in front of a lens. In Sissy, she hops in front of a camera again, naturally, and not only once but twice. In this delightfully savvy and funny Aussie horror film, Dee turns in a wonderfully layered performance as the titular Instagram influencer, whose soaring follower count, non-stop flow of likes and adoring comments, and online fame all stems from her carefully poised and curated wellness videos. Also known as @SincerelyCecilia, the character's sense of self springs from that virtual attention too; however, when she reconnects with her childhood best friend Emma (co-director/co-writer Hannah Barlow), gets invited to her bachelorette weekend and finds old schoolyard dynamics bubbling up, that facade starts to shatter. If Mean Girls was a slasher film set in a remote cabin in rural Australia, it might look something like Sissy — and that's a compliment multiple times over. Every horror movie wants to be smart and savage on multiple levels, but Barlow and fellow co-helmer/co-scribe Kane Senes (reteaming after 2017's For Now) weaponise everything from influencer culture and pastel, rainbow and glitter colour palettes to toxic friendships, all while spinning a clever, cutting and comedic take on the impact of bullying. They also fill their feature with as gloriously diverse a cast as Australian cinema has boasted, and with one helluva lead performance. If Carrie was set in today's always-online world, amid cancel culture and plentiful praise at the press of a button, it'd look like this, too, but this instant Aussie horror classic takes its own bold stab at plenty of genres. Sissy is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. ARMAGEDDON TIME What's more difficult a feat: to ponder everything that the universe might hold, as James Gray did in 2019's sublime Ad Astra, or to peer back at your own childhood, as the writer/director now does with Armageddon Time? In both cases, the bonds and echoes between parents and children earn the filmmaker's attention. In both cases, thoughtful, complex and affecting movies result. And, as shared with everything he's made over the past three decades — The Yards, The Immigrant and The Lost City of Z among them — fantastic performances glide across the screen, too. Here, in a portrait of a pre-teen's growing awareness of his privilege, the world's prejudices, the devastating history of his ancestors, and how tentative a place people can hold due to race, religion, money, politics and more, young stars Banks Repeta (The Black Phone) and Jaylin Webb (The Wonder Years) manage something remarkable, in fact, more than holding their own against a reliably excellent Anthony Hopkins (The Father), Anne Hathaway (Locked Down) and Jeremy Strong (Succession). Repeta plays sixth-grader Paul Graff, Gray's on-screen surrogate, and Armageddon Time's curious and confident protagonist. At his new public school circa 1980, he's happy standing out alongside his new friend Johnny (Webb), dreaming of being an artist despite his dad's (Strong) stern disapproval and disrupting class whenever he can to his mum's (Hathaway) dismay — and outside of it, he's happiest spending time with his doting grandfather (Hopkins). But Paul will start to understand the luck he has in the world, hailing from a middle-class Jewish family, compared to his black, bused-in friend, even if that comfort is tenuous, too. And, he'll keep seeing the way the world has Johnny at a disadvantage in every way possible, from their instantly scornful teacher to Paul's own parents' quick judgement. As lensed with the look and feel of a memory, Armageddon Time is clear about the small moments that leave an imprint, and the small deeds left undone that cause craters. It's a powerful work from a filmmaker surveying happy and sorrowful slices of the past, and doing so with unflinching eyes. Armageddon Time is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THE VELVET QUEEN "If nothing came, we just hadn't looked properly." Partway through The Velvet Queen, writer Sylvain Tesson utters these lyrical words about a specific and patient quest; however, they echo far further than the task at hand. This absorbing documentary tracks his efforts with wildlife photographer Vincent Munier to see a snow leopard — one of the most rare and elusive big cats there is — but much in the entrancing film relates to life in general. Indeed, while the animals that roam the Tibetan plateau earns this flick's focus, as does the sweeping landscape itself, Munier and his fellow co-director and feature first-timer Marie Amiguet have made a movie about existence first and foremost. When you peer at nature, you should see the world, as well as humanity's place in it. You should feel the planet's history, and the impact that's being made on its future, too. Sensing exactly that with this engrossing picture comes easily — and so does playing a ravishing big-screen game of Where's Wally?. No one wears red-and-white striped jumpers within The Velvet Queen's frames, of course. The Consolations of the Forest author Tesson and world-renowned shutterbug Munier dress to blend in, trying to camouflage into their sometimes-dusty, sometimes-snowy, always-rocky surroundings, but they aren't the ones that the film endeavours to spy. The creatures that inhabit Tibet's craggy peaks have evolved to blend in, so attempting to see many of them is an act of persistence and deep observation — and locking eyes on the snow leopard takes that experience to another level. Sometimes, pure movement gives away a critter's presence. On one occasion, looking back through images of a perched falcon offers unexpected rewards. As lensed by Amiguet (La vallée des loups), Munier and assistant director Léo-Pol Jacquot, The Velvet Queen draws upon hidden cameras, too, but so much of Tesson and Munier's mission is about sitting, watching and accepting that everything happens in its own time. The Velvet Queen is available to stream via Docplay, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. GLORIAVALE Exploring the story of the religious community that shares its name, New Zealand documentary Gloriavale makes for stunning, gut-wrenching and infuriating viewing. It's been a booming time for NZ films that earn that description over the past few months — see also: Mister Organ above — but this true tale was always going to stand out and leave an imprint. Given that it involves chatting to survivors of the cult-like organisation, particularly excommunicated members relaying their heartbreaking experiences, being aghast at their ordeals is a natural reaction. Feeling angry that this can happen is, too, including as the film charts legal proceedings to bring Gloriavale's horrors to light. What has gone on behind closed doors, in a closed community, in the West Coast-based sect heartily requires this type of exposé — and with brother and sister John and Virginia as their key interviewees, filmmakers Fergus Grady and Noel Smyth (reteaming after 2019's Camino Skies) are up to the task. The specifics date back to the late 1960s, when the organisation was founded and started drawing in members, who were soon living under the sect's strict beliefs. Here, for instance, women are expected to work all through their waking hours to keep Gloriavale running — not even sitting down for meals — and cramming the group's many families all under one big roof is the norm. Also, when sexual abuse claims arise, including with children as victims, blame is directed everywhere but the accused perpetrators. As Gloriavale steps through details like these again and again, it's unsurprisingly harrowing from the outset. Archival footage from within the community only adds to the distressing mood, and charting the legal cases ups the drama, but the accounts of what's gone on at the titular place would be damning and gripping as is even if Grady and Smyth only had talking-head interviews at their disposal. Gloriavale is available to stream via SBS On Demand, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. WHITNEY HOUSTON: I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY In the decade since her death in 2012, Whitney Houston has proven one of filmmaking's greatest loves of all. No fewer than five movies have told her tale, including documentaries Whitney: Can I Be Me and Whitney — and that's without including a feature about her daughter Bobbi Kristina, a miniseries focused on her ex-husband Bobby Brown and dramas clearly based on her story. All of that attention echoes for obvious reasons. Houston's mezzo-soprano voice, which earned her the nickname "The Voice", soared to stratospheric and literally breathtaking levels. Still holding the record for the most consecutive number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, which she took from The Beatles and the Bee Gees, her career zoomed skyward as well. That swift rise from New Jersey church choir member to one of the biggest bestselling music artists ever was matched by tabloid-fodder lows, however, and that tragic, gone-too-soon passing — and Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody charts it all. Taking its name from one of Houston's most exuberant singles isn't just music biopic 101 (see also: Bohemian Rhapsody, also penned by this film's screenwriter Anthony McCarten). Kasi Lemmons' (Harriet) feature follows the standard Wikipedia entry-like genre template, but the filmmaker wants those titular words to reflect how Whitney (Naomi Ackie, Master of None) just wanted to be herself, to be loved as such, and openly be with Robyn Crawford (Nafessa Williams, Black Lightning), the girlfriend-turned-creative director that her gospel singer mother Cissy Houston (Tamara Tunie, Cowboy Bebop) and stern father John (Clarke Peters, The Man Who Fell to Earth) disapprove of. Instead, after being signed to Arista Records at 19 by producer and executive Clive Davis (Stanley Tucci, The King's Man), Whitney becomes America's princess next door. Ackie turns in a commanding, multi-layered performance as the conflicted singer — even while lip-synching, with the movie smartly using Houston's own vocals — in a film that's impassioned, wisely filled with electrifying performance recreations, yet is happy to just hit every expected note. Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. LYLE, LYLE CROCODILE The Paddington movies did it better. That's a general catch-all statement that can apply to almost anything, zero context required, and it's also the prevailing feeling while watching Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. Instead of a marmalade-coveting bear, a singing crocodile is trying to win hearts — and the similarities don't stop there. The page-to-screen leap from a children's favourite? Tick. An adorable animal winding up in a family of humans who need its unique presence to make their lives complete, bring them together and show them what truly matters? Tick again. The strait-laced dad, creative mum, nasty neighbour and kindly kid? Keep ticking. Also present in both: the titular critter donning human clothing and craving fruity foods, warm colours aplenty, a vintage look and feel to interior spaces, a tense and traumatic capture, and an accomplished star having a whole lot of fun going big, broad and cartoonish (Javier Bardem here, and worlds away from The Good Boss, Dune or Everybody Knows). Bardem's playful turn as magician Hector P Valenti is the best thing about Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, which is breezily watchable but so indebted to Paddington and its sequel — so desperate to be an American version of the charming English franchise — that orange conserve might as well be smeared across the lens. As directed by Office Christmas Party's Josh Gordon and Will Speck, and scripted by Johnny English Strikes Again's Will Davies (adapting from Bernard Waber's books), the film is also a musical, with the eponymous croc (voiced by Shawn Mendes) able to sing but not speak. Those forgettable songs pad out a slight story, after Valenti discovers Lyle, hopes to get famous as a double act and loses his New York City brownstone when his gambit fails. Then the new residents, the Primm family, find the reptile in the attic, son Josh (Winslow Fegley, Come Play) finds a friend and his parents (Hustlers' Constance Wu and Blonde's Scoot McNairy) find their own reasons to get snapped up in the critter's singing-and-dancing vibe — although Mr Grumps (Brett Gelman, Stranger Things) downstairs obviously lives up to his moniker. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH Since arriving in cinemas in 2001, Shrek has inspired three more ogre-centric flicks, a heap of shorts and TV specials, and a stage musical for the whole family. It's also the reason that green-hued burlesque shows exist, plus all manner of parties and raves — none of the last three of which are appropriate for kids, obviously. But beyond the Mike Myers (The Pentaverate)-voiced titular figure himself, only Puss in Boots has become solo big-screen fodder from among the franchise's array of characters. Like much in this series, the shoe-wearing feline hails from fairy tales, but the reason for its ongoing on-screen popularity is as simple as casting. Who doesn't want to see a kitty swashbuckler voiced by Antonio Banderas (Official Competition), basically making this a moggie Zorro? Based on the 2011 Puss in Boots' $555 million at the box office, that concept is irresistible to plenty of folks — hence, albeit 11 years later, sequel Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Pairing the right talent to the right animated character doesn't instantly make movie magic, of course; however, The Last Wish, which literally has Puss seeking magic, is among the best films that the broader Shrek saga has conjured up so far. The eponymous cat begins the picture being his usual swaggering self and caring little for the consequences, including his own dwindling lives. One raucous incident sees him realise that he's died eight times already, though, and knowing this ninth go-around is his last according to feline lore suddenly fills him with existential woe. That's a thoughtful premise for an all-ages-friendly flick, and one that's never dampened by the film's plethora of fairy tale nods, high-energy vibe and usually amusing gags. So, Puss, Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek, House of Gucci) and their new canine companion Perro (Harvey Guillén, What We Do in the Shadows) attempt to find a famed wishing star that can make avoiding death a reality — but Goldilocks (Florence Pugh, The Wonder) and the three bears (Black Widow's Ray Winstone, Mothering Sunday's Olivia Colman and Our Flag Means Death's Samson Kayo) are also after it, as is a no longer 'little' Jack Horner (John Mulaney, Big Mouth). Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Looking for more at-home viewing options? Take a look at our monthly streaming recommendations across new straight-to-digital films and TV shows — and fast-tracked highlights from January, too. You can also peruse our best new films, new TV shows, returning TV shows and straight-to-streaming movies, plus movies you might've missed and television standouts of 2022 you mightn't have gotten to.
Do you remember the last time you scrolled through TikTok without seeing flowing Biscoff waterfalls, chilli crisp-topped anything, or someone splashing pickle juice into things that pickle juice has no right to be in? Us neither — and neither, it seems, has the team at Surry Hills margarita bar Tio's Cerveceria, which has taken these viral ingredients off your FYP and poured them into your glass with a new menu that's both unhinged and undeniably fun. The new Voted & Viral menu is a tribute to the power of the people and six months of outlandish cocktail experimentation. Over this period, the Tio's crew has been creating wild weekly margarita specials — and now three fan favourites, as decided by public vote, have earned a permanent spot on the menu for six months. [caption id="attachment_1005184" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dexter Kim[/caption] So, how outlandish are we talking? Let's start with the Biscoff Margarita, a playfully light, fluffy, cookie-forward riff on a sour that boasts sweetness and depth in equal measure. Next up, the Pickle Margarita is like the love child of a dirty martini and a classic marg, starring a house-made pickle mix and finished with three pickles for good luck. Finally, the Watermelon Lao Gan Ma Margarita does as it says on the tin. Fresh, sweet watermelon is paired with the softly spicy, umami-laden condiment from Guizhou, China, that has fast become a staple of both pantries and social media feeds. If you've never tried watermelon and chilli, consider this your spicy gateway. [caption id="attachment_1005182" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dexter Kim[/caption] Tio's is no stranger to pushing the agave envelope, and this new trio will sit comfortably alongside the likes of choose-your-own-spice-adventure margs and a share-size mega margarita. Naturally, the bar also serves up well-done standards like classic, Tommy's and mezcal margs — which, despite what might trending on your feed, will never go out of style. [caption id="attachment_1005181" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dexter Kim[/caption] [caption id="attachment_952594" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tio's Cerveceria, Dexter Kim[/caption] The new Voted & Viral menu is now available at Tio's Cerveceria, located at 4–14 Foster Street, Surry Hills. For more info, head to the venue's website. Top image: Dexter Kim.
After being cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19, the Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular, better known as GABS, returns to the Sydney Showground from Friday, May 7–Saturday, May 8. From humble beginnings in Melbourne a decade ago, it has now expanded to cover four cities in two countries, and is rightfully considered by most as the best craft beer and cider festival in the Asia Pacific region. Creators Steve Jeffares and Guy Greenstone (The Local Taphouse, Stomping Ground Brewing Co.) will again be wrangling up the best breweries from the region and are offering up hundreds of brews — which will include 120 exclusive festival beers and ciders. These exclusive and often wacky specialty brews are created just for the event and are generally the festival's main draw, giving attendees the rare chance to try brand-spanking new beers while meeting the brewers behind them. Expect collaborations with everyone from coffee roasters and tea houses to gin and whisky distillers. In previous years, brews have also been made with biscuit makers and even an American barbecue smokehouse — so expect plenty of experimental tastes, too. Apart from beer, the event also plays host to a silent disco, live tunes, cornhole, table tennis, giant Jenga and more. The much loved 18-metre-high beer Ferris wheel is always a fixture, as are wandering performances and local food stalls.
It's not a stretch to say that the beer industry is male-dominated. It's also not a stretch to say that the words 'beer' and 'high tea' don't usually appear next to each other. Here's where it all comes together though: a ladies-only beer high tea. Spend the afternoon chatting with some of the women in the industry over nine courses paired with some of Australia's best craft beers. This event is one of our top ten picks of Sydney Craft Beer Week. Check out the other nine.
A lot of doco makers rely on the adage that 'truth is stranger than fiction'. A few supremely lucky ones find a story that is so mind-bogglingly strange that they could sit back and let the film make itself. The Imposter is just such a story, at every stage revealing another layer of the bizarreness of which human beings are capable. British director Bart Layton is no slouch, either; the film is slickly made, metring out its tantalising information and almost single-handedly reviving the use of re-creation as a respected documentary tool. The subject is an incident in 1997 in which a 17-year-old Texan boy, Nicholas Barclay, was returned to his family after having been missing for three years. Except he turned up in Spain, had no physical resemblance to the missing blue-eyed boy, was noticeably older, and spoke with a French accent. He was accepted back into the family regardless. His sister thought she could recognise that smile anywhere. From the relatives to the authorities, everyone around him seemed ready to excuse the differences, taking the 'he's not the little boy you knew' trope to extreme and literal levels. In reality, the boy was French con man Frederic Bourdin, a 23-year-old obsessively seeking the comfort of childhood. At first, it seems the documentary reveals his identity prematurely, almost right from the beginning — but that's just because you don't know, at that point, of all the twists that remain for the story to take. The supremely tense Imposter features sensitive, in-depth interviews with almost all of the major characters in the incident, including Bourdin, the FBI agent who handled his repatriation, the PI whose suspicions uncovered the truth and Nicholas's mother and sister. Without them, no number of re-creations could have carried the story so far or got you close to understanding any of these people's motivations. And as for the re-creations, they're filmed with a keen cinematographer's eye and a sense of enigma, putting them at a long distance from those we're used to on made-for-TV specials. https://youtube.com/watch?v=mENui3UdMOY
Hey everyone, Kanye West is back at his Kanye best — being characteristically mysterious while simultaneously stirring everyone into a frenzy. Today he ambiguously announced on Twitter that he'll casually open 21 "Pablo temporary stores" around the world this weekend. 21 PABLO STORES WORLDWIDE THIS WEEKEND LOCATIONS HERE https://t.co/tYuzqs7kJW — KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) August 18, 2016 He's run this racket before. In 2013, he opened a pop-up shop on Bowery in NYC to commemorate the Yeezus tour and — as you could guess, it went bananas. This time around though the whole world is getting a taste. Life of Pablo pop-ups will open briefly in cities across the globe, including Melbourne and Sydney. It's unclear at this stage exactly what range of merchandise will be available, but Vogue is reporting that each city will be selling custom merch including t-shirts with the city's name spelt out in the custom Life of Pablo font (think of the re-sale value!). At previous pop-ups Kanye's sold copies of the namesake album and associated merch. Other cities that will be graced with a Pablo pop-up are Singapore, Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Cape Town, Toronto, Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, Portland, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, New York and Miami (so we're in pretty good company). He'll announce the exact locations 24 hours prior to their opening, so prepare to stalk, line up (early) and pounce on whatever Kanye's got in store for us. Via Vogue.
Nadine Labaki directs and stars in this amusing modern fable about a group of women in a remote Lebanese village who try to defuse mounting inter-religious tensions by finding obscure ways to distract their menfolk. Lead by the beautiful Amale (Labaki), the women of the village, both Muslim and Christian, band together to find various ways to stop the men from following in the civil strife that has engulfed their country. In an attempt to keep the peace, the women conspire to hire exotic dancers, lovingly drug sweet pastries and remove weapons from the village. However, not all of their extraordinary ideas go to plan, resulting in a serious of comic, and chaotic, incidents. Following on from Caramel, Labaki's second feature film in the director's chair made official selection at Cannes in 2011 and this year at Sundance, as well as making its debut on Australian screens at the recent Sydney Film Festival. Concrete Playground has ten double passes to give away to see Where Do We Go Now? To be in the running to win a pair of tickets, make sure you're subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name and postal address to hello@concreteplayground.com.au
When you're Australia's oldest film festival and you screen hundreds of movies each and every year, how else do you keep standing out after notching up seven decades of cinema celebrations? If you're the Melbourne International Film Festival, you start your own major accolade. That was MIFF's approach in 2022, when it announced the new $140,000 Bright Horizons Award. Adding the gong to its lineup annually, the Victorian capital's major film fest has just revealed its 2023 winner: Senegalese-French love story Banel & Adama. When you're such a long-running event and you show so many flicks year in and year out, how do you highlight newcomers worth knowing about? That's the Bright Horizons Awards' remit. In 2023, 11 titles were chosen to compete again as part of the festival's full lineup, but only one could emerge victorious. That winner hit Melbourne fresh from playing in-competition at Cannes, and marks the feature debut of Franco-Senegalese writer/director Ramata-Toulaye Sy. Banel & Adama follows it titular characters (Khady Mane and Mamadou Diallo), who are happily in love in a rural village in Senegal's north. But when Adama shies away from being the future chief, their romance — which has already been complicated by Banel being married off to Adama's older brother Yero first — sparks repercussions. Sy cast her star-cross'd lovers-focused film not only with first-time actors, but with non-professionals hailing from the region she uses as her setting. She also shot her movie entirely in the Pulaar language, a variant of Fulah from the area. To take out the 2023 Bright Horizons Award, Banel & Adama competed against features such Australian efforts Shayda (MIFF's opening-night film) and The Rooster (starring Hugo Weaving, Love Me); 2023 Cannes Un Certain Regard winner How to Have Sex, about three British teen girls on a boozy getaway; Earth Mama, an A24 release by Grammy-nominated music video veteran Savanah Leaf; and Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, which follows a musical journey across the Vietnamese countryside. Also, Disco Boy stars German talent Franz Rogowski (Great Freedom) and Animalia explores an alien invasion in Morocco. Fellow contender Tótem, which spends a single day with a seven-year-old, earned a Special Jury Mention for Mexican actor-turned-director Lila Avilés (The Chambermaid). Picking Banel & Adama as the winner, and showing Tótem some love: co-jury presidents Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman, who directed 2022's Bright Horizons-winner Neptune Frost; documentarian Alexandre O Philippe (Lynch/Oz, Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist); former Cannes Camera d'Or-recipient Anthony Chen (Wet Season); and Indonesian filmmaker Kamila Andini (Yuni). Announcing their selections, the jury said that Banel & Adama "is a film that speaks directly to the times with a cinematic language and landscape that challenges and confronts while drawing you into its immense beauty. A mysterious and strong first film from a young filmmaker with bright horizons". And about Tótem, it advised that "the rich subtleties and nuance of this circular story draws us in and makes us a part of its family". The MIFF jury also gives out another of fest's prizes: the $70,000 Blackmagic Design Australian Innovation Award. Also first arriving in 2022, it recognises an outstanding Australian creative from one of the festival's movies, and can span span a large number of roles, including the winning flick's director, technical or creative lead, or other craft positions. This year's recipients: Soda Jerk for their latest clip-based satire Hello Dankness, which the jury called "a clear-eyed, sharply satirical take on one of America's most troubling chapters, transformative use of existing footage, and groundbreaking manipulation thereof". The winner of 2023's brand-new First Nations Film Creative Award was also unveiled at the festival's closing night, with directors Adrian Russell Wills and Gillian Moody winning for autobiographical documentary Kindred. And, scoring 2023's MIFF Audience Award: This Is Going to Be Big, about Sunbury and Macedon Ranges Specialist School in Bullengarook staging a John Farnham-themed musical. The 2023 Melbourne International Film Festival runs until Sunday, August 20 in-person, and until Sunday, August 27 via MIFF Play, the fest's online platform.
Gathering the country's best of the best, the annual Melbourne Royal Wine Awards (MRWA) took place on Thursday 27 October at the Victoria Pavilion after receiving a colossal 2,350 entries this year (South Australia submitted the most with 967). Taking home The Champion Victorian Winery Trophy was Yarra Valley's Oakridge Wines led by chief winemaker David Bicknell. On top of its other five gold medals from this year, Oakridge also claimed Best Victorian Chardonnay in 2021. Elsewhere, Scotchman's Hill snagged The Trevor Mast Trophy for Best Shiraz for its 2021 Shiraz, an offering that was also awarded Best Victorian Shiraz. As for the coveted Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy, Barossa vineyard Hentley Farm had the honour of claiming the title this year thanks to its Old Legend grenache featuring a medium body and notes of strawberry, red currant and nutmeg. "The Melbourne Royal Wine Awards recognise and celebrate excellence in Australian winemaking. The Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy was first awarded 60 years ago and is the trophy winemakers from all around Australia want to win. Melbourne Royal congratulates South Australia's Hentley Farm on being the 2022 winner," Brad Jenkins, Melbourne Royal CEO, shared. Meanwhile, for the first time in a number of years, The Francois De Castella Trophy for Best Young White went to a category other than chardonnay—the Macclesfield Grüner Veltliner 2022 by Longview Vineyard in Adelaide Hills. In addition to its Francois De Castella Trophy, Longview Vineyard also earned Best Pinot Gris/Grigio, Best Single Varietal White, and Best Cabernet Sauvignon. You can check out the full list of award winners at the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards website. Top image: Kelsey Knight
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. ALI & AVA All plot, all the time: that's how some filmmakers craft movies. Every scene leads to the next, then to the next and so on, connecting the story dots so that event A plus event B (plus event C, event D, event E and more) neatly equals wherever the narrative eventually ends up. Clio Barnard is not one of those writers or directors. Every scene always leads to the next in every film that tells any tale, no matter who's spinning it, but much of what happens in the Dark River and The Selfish Giant helmer's movies doesn't change, shift or drive the plot at all. Indeed, her features often have storylines that seem straightforward, as the tender and tremendous Ali & Ava does. But that uncomplicated appearance — including here, where a man and a woman meet, sparks fly, but complications arise — couldn't be more deceptive. In Ali & Ava, that man and woman are indeed Ali (Adeel Akhtar, Killing Eve) and Ava (Claire Rushbrook, Ammonite), both residents of Bradford in Barnard's native West Yorkshire. He's a working-class landlord — a kind and affable one, noticeably — from a British Pakistani family, and was once an EDM DJ. She's an Irish-born teacher's assistant at the school where one of Ali's tenants' children attends. Frequently, he's on drop-off and pick-up duty, because he is that helpful to his renters. So, when the skies open one day during his school run, Ali offers Ava a ride home rather than seeing her walk to the bus in the pouring rain. They chat, click, laugh, bond over a shared passion for music and slowly let their guards down. But what would a romance be, especially an on-screen one, if the path to love truly was effortlessly smooth? With a lyrical social-realist bent that'd do Ken Loach, living patron saint of British lyrical social-realist filmmaking, proud — see: Loach's I, Daniel Blake and Sorry We Missed You for his two most recent examples — Barnard unpacks everything that roughs up Ali and Ava's tentative courtship. But there's another English director who springs to mind, too, thanks to the way that Ali & Ava can turn from poignant to portentous in a second: This Is England and The Virtues' Shane Meadows. His work finds bliss and joy in ordinary, everyday moments, and also violence and menace as well. One can become the other so quickly that, if it didn't all feel so genuine and authentic, a case of whiplash might be the end result. All three filmmakers possess a commitment to detailing lives that aren't typically fodder for celluloid dreams; all three, including Barnard with The Selfish Giant and now Ali & Ava, make features in the vein that are potent, perceptive, dripping with empathy and as emotionally raw as films come. Ali, friend to everyone, is troubled by more than just regret about no longer hitting the decks. He has a wife, Runa (Ellora Torchia, Midsommar), who no longer loves him or wants to be with him. But he's too proud to tell his family, so they still live together while she keeps studying. That brings judgement his way, with his sister Usma (Krupa Pattani, Ron's Gone Wrong) vocal in her disapproval about his growing closeness with Ava. It makes Ava apprehensive as well, unsurprisingly. She already has enough of her own worries as it is, caring for her five kids — some of which have had kids of their own — as a single mother. One, her son Callum (Shaun Thomas, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children), remains affected by his father's death a year earlier, and also his parents' breakup before that. He's far from welcoming to Ali as a result, terrifyingly so, hating even the idea of him as his mother's potential friend. Read our full review. AFTER BLUE (DIRTY PARADISE) In his 2017 feature debut, French writer/director Bertrand Mandico took to the sea, following five teens who were punished for a crime by being sent to a mysterious island. Sensual and lurid at every turn, The Wild Boys was never as straightforward as any description might intimate, however — and it proved both a tempest of influences as varied as Jean Cocteau, John Carpenter and David Lynch, and an onslaught of surreal and subversive experimentation several times over. Much of the same traits shine through in the filmmaker's second feature After Blue (Dirty Paradise), including an erotic tone that's even more pivotal than the movie's narrative. Mandico makes features about bodies and flesh, about landscapes filled with the odd and alluring, and where feeling like you've tumbled into a dream most wonderful and strange is the instant response. Tinted pink, teeming with glitter, scored by synth, as psychedelic as bathing in acid and gleefully queer, the fantastical realm that fills After Blue's frames is the titular planet, where humanity have fled after ruining earth. As teenager Roxy (debutant Paula-Luna Breitenfelder), who is nicknamed Toxic by her peers, tells the camera, only ovary-bearers can survive here — with men dying out thanks to their hair growing internally. In this brave new world, nationalities cling together in sparse communities, with roving around frowned upon. But that's what Roxy and her hairdresser mother Zora (Elina Löwensohn, Mandico's frequent star) are forced to do when the former meets and saves a criminal called Kate Bush (Agata Buzek, High Life), who she finds buried in sand, and are then tasked by their fellow French denizens with tracking her down and dispensing with her to fix that mistake. If Dune met The Love Witch, the resulting film still wouldn't be as seductive, kaleidoscopic and phantasmagorical as After Blue — a picture that, as The Wild Boys also proved, has to be seen to be truly understood. Obviously, that's accurate of every movie; again, though, Mandico couldn't be more disinterested in making features that can be neatly summarised or unpacked. He isn't fond of holding back, either, and so After Blue dives straight into its maximalist adventure quest, ramping every sight, sound and performance up to levels that'd do This Is Spinal Tap proud. His latest release isn't a mockumentary, but an exercise in excess over and over that's turned up far past 11. Guns are named after designer brands like Gucci and Chanel; Kate Bush sports a third eye between her legs that sparks stirrings in Roxy; pleasure bots are the only masculine presence sighted, and even then they're forbidden; cigarettes wriggle like insects; and goo drips and oozes whenever it can, for instance. As well as pre-empting the current Stranger Things-inspired Kate Bush mania by almost a year (After Blue first premiered at the Locarno Film Festival in August 2021), Mandico doesn't make brief features. With a sizeable array of shorts to his name dating back to 1998's Le cavalier bleu, he seizes his opportunities when he's playing with long-form flicks. That gives After Blue more than two hours to luxuriate in its look, sound and vibe — a 70s-meets-80s sci-fi/western heaven — but also makes its narrative feel slight. Of course, the tale itself isn't the main attraction, but the style-over-story focus also doesn't scuttle into the background. But whenever the plot lags or zips by, aka Mandico's two pacing struggles, tentacles slide into view, nipples shoot metallic balls, a line of dialogue becomes a hilariously absurd gift, and either cinematographer Pascale Granel (Simple Passion) or composer Pierre Desprats (Olga), or both, deliver a piece of sound and/or vision that's trippy and sublime. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on March 3, March 10, March 17, March 24 and March 31; April 7, April 14, April 21 and April 28; and May 5, May 12, May 19 and May 26; and June 2, June 9, June 16 and June 23. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Batman, Blind Ambition, Bergman Island, Wash My Soul in the River's Flow, The Souvenir: Part II, Dog, Anonymous Club, X, River, Nowhere Special, RRR, Morbius, The Duke, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbledore, Ambulance, Memoria, The Lost City, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Happening, The Good Boss, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Northman, Ithaka, After Yang, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Petite Maman, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Firestarter, Operation Mincemeat, To Chiara, This Much I Know to Be True, The Innocents, Top Gun: Maverick, The Bob's Burgers Movie, Ablaze, Hatching, Mothering Sunday, Jurassic World Dominion, A Hero, Benediction, Lightyear, Men, Elvis, Lost Illusions and Nude Tuesday.
Bad news for Occupy protesters: Bernado Bajana has created a new riot shield which does much more than just shield officers. Inspired by the shell of the armadillo, this has an adjustable visor which allows officers to be protected from any projectiles launched from in front or above. Furthermore, if things get real rowdy, the shield is lined with multiple taser strips. Furthermore, it has a built-in pepper spray which can reach up to 30 feet. Both of these attacks are conveniently trigger-operated. Regardless of your thoughts on protesting and police misuse of power, you've got to admit that this is a pretty nifty piece of design. It would be pretty handy to have one of these when you brave the crowds at the upcoming Boxing Day sales. Those crowds can get pretty pushy. [via TrendHunter]
For one morning, on what might be the only occasion that Sydneysiders can use this phrase and mean it literally, the Vengabus is coming. Getting everybody jumping is the Uber Pride Ride, a party bus that's hitting the Harbour City for Sydney WorldPride, and running across three weekends — but only one special trip will feature Vengaboys. The Dutch pop group are in Australia for the latest So Pop tour, which plays Sydney on Thursday, February 16. That morning, the band will take a tour of the city with a lucky busload of folks, in a VIP experience that you'll have to keep an eye on Uber's Instagram account to win tickets to. If you want to call the Uber Pride Ride the Vengabus for the rest of its run — from Friday, February 17–Sunday, February 19, Friday, February 24–Sunday, February 26 and Friday, March 3–Sunday, March 5, operating from 6.30–10pm daily — then that's up to you. But, whether you're a Sydney local or a visitor hitting the city just for WorldPride's first-ever stint Down Under, you'll have company in the form of a heap of drag queen stars. Each night's trips will feature different talents busting out onboard activities — so you might be in for a ride filled with drag bingo, karaoke or an inner-city disco on wheels with Jojo Zaho, Carla From Bankstown, Coco Jumbo, Cassandra Queen, Karen From Finance, Annie Mation and more. The Uber Pride Ride is also hosting educational talks from First Nations LGBQTIA+SB advocacy organisation Black Rainbow. Like to party on the way to the party? This is the hop-on-hop-off — and free — bus for you. It'll take an hour-long City Circle loop, departing at 6.30pm, 7.45pm and 9pm each evening, starting at Australian Museum on William Street. From there, it'll head to St James Station, Powerhouse Museum, Central Station, Albion Street in Surry Hills, Flinders Street in Darlinghurst, Oxford Street in Paddington, then via Craigend and William streets back to the beginning. Like free Uber Pool trips as well? On one weekend, from 12–10pm Friday, February 24–Sunday, February 26, the rideshare company is also doing $100 off trips. The Uber Pride Ride will take to the Sydney CBD's streets from Friday, February 17–Sunday, February 19, Friday, February 24–Sunday, February 26 and Friday, March 3–Sunday, March 5, running from 6.30–10pm daily, with a special one-off Vengaboys-hosted ride on the morning of Thursday, February 16. The Uber Pool Pride Offer runs from 12–10pm Friday, February 24–Sunday, February 26, offering $100 off trip. For more information, head to the Uber website.
In the midst of the hype of the recent premiere of Season 5 of multi award-winning series Mad Men comes a Mad Men-themed interactive video on YouTube created by The Fine Brothers. Combining gameboy-style graphics with the characters and settings of Mad Men, writer and director Doctor Octoroc allows users to step into the shoes of Don Draper, completing tasks to save Sterling Cooper. With three alternate endings, the future of the company rests in the hands of the user whose decisions will determine which outcome will be reached. With a similar aesthetic to old-school Pokemon games popular back in the '90s, the syncopated music and references to Roger's promiscuity and Don's heavy drinking make for a pretty neat game.
It has won 11 Tony Awards. It's one of the Obamas' favourite musicals. A filmed version of its Broadway production was nominated for several Golden Globes. It was also the hit of Sydney since early 2021, and it's now making its way to Melbourne — and, if you're as keen to see Lin-Manuel Miranda's game-changing musical Hamilton as its namesake was about American politics in the 18th century, you just might be able to nab yourself a cheap ticket. As has happened with The Book of Mormon, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Moulin Rouge! The Musical, a ticket lottery is being held for Hamilton's Melbourne run at Her Majesty's Theatre. And, this one is cheap. Very cheap, in fact. Via Today Tix, you can sign up for your chance to score a ticket for just $10. Yes, that figure is accurate. Obviously, you won't want to throw away your shot to see the most talked-about musical of the decade for less than the price of a cocktail. To take part in the lottery, you will need to download the Today Tix app — which is available for iOS and Android — and submit your entry each Friday. The lottery will go live at 12.01am every Friday morning and close at 1pm the next Thursday, with winners drawn between 1–6pm on that Thursday. If your name is selected, you'll have an hour to claim your tickets from when you receive the good news. The first lottery will open on Friday, March 4, covering performances for dates between March 15–20. From then onwards, you'll be entering on a Friday, then hearing if you're successful on the following Thursday, all for performances that start the next week. And, if you need a reminder, you'll also be able to sign up for lottery alerts via Today Tix, too. The critically acclaimed hip hop musical, for which Miranda wrote the music, lyrics and the book, is about the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, as well as inclusion and politics in current-day America. In addition to its 11 Tony Awards, which include Best Musical, it has nabbed a Grammy Award and even a Pulitzer Prize. After hitting Broadway in 2015, then West End in 2017, Australians have been finally getting their turn — including Melburnians from Tuesday, March 15. Usually, tickets will set you back $70–200 a pop, so the $10 lottery really is an absolute bargain. Thinking about heading south from interstate to be in the room where it happens? A $10 ticket obviously makes that trip to Melbourne a much cheaper option. [caption id="attachment_817298" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hamilton, Daniel Boud, Destination NSW.[/caption] This isn't Miranda's first musical to hit Australia, of course, with his take on the classic 2000s film Bring It On: The Musical hitting Melbourne in 2018 and quadruple Tony Award-winning In The Heights playing a short season at the Sydney Opera House in 2019. While you wait for your lottery shot, you can watch the filmed version of Hamilton with the original Broadway cast on Disney+ — yes, it's as phenomenal as you've heard. Hamilton's Melbourne season kicks off on Tuesday, March 15 at Her Majesty's Theatre. Visit the musical's website for further details. To enter the Today Tix $10 lottery, download the company's iOS or Android app, and head to the company's website for more information — and to set up an alert. Top image: Hamilton, Daniel Boud, Destination NSW.
Take the Fast and Furious franchise's ongoing success and longevity, the current rush to make game-to-movie and -TV show adaptations, and everyone's affection for Stranger Things star David Harbour. Then, throw in the real-life story of a British teen who turned his love of PlayStation racing game Gran Turismo into an IRL racing career. The end result: a movie also called Gran Turismo, which will speed into cinemas this August — taking a Tetris-style approach, too, to bringing a button-mashing favourite to the screen. "Do you really think you're going to take a kid who plays video games in their bedroom, [and] you're going to strap them to a 200-mile-an-hour rocket?" They're Harbour's words, sounding characteristically cranky and unsurprisingly incredulous, in his role as Jann Mardenborough's trainer. Indeed, much of Gran Turismo's just-dropped trailer features Harbour doing his best Hopper schtick while being none too happy about the concept behind GT Academy, which is how the real-life Mardenborough made the leap behind the wheel. For newcomers to the story, and to anything beyond knowing Gran Turismo as a racing game, GT Academy did turn gamers into racers from 2008–16. Players competed through phases, including in real Nissan cars, with each year's winners scoring fast-tracked training to get an international racing license, and usually a competition slot in an international endurance race. In 2011, Mardenborough was one such winner — the youngest, in fact. So, his path from racing virtually to actually hitting the track provides the framework for the Gran Turismo film to offer something more than just speeding cars. They're still a part of the flick, of course, because it wouldn't be a GT movie without them. Alongside Harbour, Gran Turismo features Beau Is Afraid, Voyagers and Midsommar's Archie Madekwe as Mardenborough, plus Djimon Hounsou (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) as his father and Orlando Bloom (Carnival Row) as the marketing executive behind GT Academy. And, although it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-her situation in the trailer, Geri Horner — aka Spice Girl Geri Halliwell — plays Mardenborough's mother. Behind the lens, director Neill Blomkamp adds the high-octane flick to his resume after District 9, Elysium and Chappie. And if you're thinking about past instances of racing video games becoming movies, Need for Speed might've come to mind. Here's hoping that focusing on Mardenborough's story steers Gran Turismo to a better result. Check out the trailer for Gran Turismo below: Gran Turismo releases in cinemas Down Under on August 10.
For the past 37 years, everyone that's wanted good neighbours to become good friends has wished they were living in one spot: Ramsay Street. Since 1985, the cul-de-sac in the fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough has been beamed into homes around Australia, and further abroad, unfurling the always melodramatic, often chaotic, sometimes downright wild antics of residents named Charlene, Harold and Madge and more. Some folks don't have to dream about living on the nation's most famous TV street, though. For a small portion of Aussies, feeling like you're on one of the country's big soap operas just comes with the address. Indeed, if you happen to reside on a Ramsay Street somewhere across the country, the shadow of Neighbours has been inescapable — and now that the long-running series has been cancelled after almost four decades, with its final episode set to air on Thursday, July 28, Ramsay Street inhabitants nationwide can celebrate with a free meal. To mark the last-ever instalment of Neighbours — which is set to see a hefty cast of well-known Aussie names return, including Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Margot Robbie and more — Menulog is giving away free food to folks who really do live on a Ramsay Street somewhere in Australia. If you happen to be in love with someone called Scott, that's obviously a bonus. No, you don't need to have been through an amnesia spell or a shock return from the dead, or know someone who has. [caption id="attachment_844968" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Manon van Os[/caption] You don't need to have been held hostage, been through more than one tumultuous wedding, or managed a bikini store called Bounce — all things, among oh-so-many others, that happened to the one and only Jarrod 'Toadfish aka Toadie' Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney). And if you're wondering why we're bringing him up specifically, that's because he's the face of Menulog's Ramsay Street giveaway, fittingly. Here's how it works: if you have the right address — with or without the Toadie-style Hawaiian shirt — you can head to Menulog between Monday, July 25–Monday, August 1. That's where you'll find a $20 voucher code in the 'For You' section if you're eligible, which you need to redeem within those dates. Also, you have to spend more than $20 in your order. Hey #Neighbours fans 👋 We wanted to confirm when you'll be able to watch the finale in the UK & Australia. Both us here in Australia and our friends @NeighboursTV in the UK will be a spoiler free zone until everyone has had a chance to watch our incredible final episode. pic.twitter.com/fBQRmU10ST — Neighbours (@neighbours) July 4, 2022 Obviously, if you were wondering what to eat at 7.30pm on Thursday, when the final-ever Neighbours episode goes to air on 10 and 10 Peach, now you know. And if you need a dose of Neighbours nostalgia in the interim, you can also check out Toadie revisiting the famed roadway below: Menulog is giving away $20 vouchers between Monday, July 25–Monday, August 1 to folks who live on Ramsay Streets around Australia. If that's you, head to the Menulog app and the Menulog website.
All that ideating of Vivid can really take it out of you. Fortunately, on its second weekend, the Vivid Ideas throws up this two-day event to engage us visually rather than intellectually. Get set to see the cavern of Pier 2/3 in a whole new way. BYOB (Bring Your Own Beamer, not booze) is an international event movement where artists congregate with their projectors in tow, filling every wall space with their latest digital imaginings. Feats of 3D projection mapping, interactive interfaces, animations, games — they all play out on the walls while you circulate the room square-eyed. This local iteration is being put on by the knowledgeable folks from Electrofringe, and they've even roped in original BYOBer Rafael Rozendaal — the New York-based founder and internet artist — for the lineup, along with Kit Webster (Mel), Joe Hamilton (Mel), Optic Soup, Marian Tubbs, Giselle Stanborough, Josh Harle, Pia Van Gelder, La Petite Mort and many others. Fancy beaming a little something yourself? Registration is now open. Electrolapse BYOB is one of our top ten picks of Vivid Ideas. See the other nine here.
Ever since The Great Train Robbery back in 1903, heist films have been a much-loved part of our moviegoing diet. There's something uniquely thrilling about watching a group of smooth-talking outlaws come together for a caper, especially as filmmakers keep finding new ways to inject new life into the genre. Whether it's crime meets comedy like in Snatch or A Fish Called Wanda, or high-octane action a la Heat and Mission: Impossible, Hollywood has shown time and time again that there's more than one way to separate a mark from their money. To celebrate the release of Logan Lucky, we've put together a list of five very different heist flicks. Consider this essential reading ahead of your next movie night… or if you're planning to rob a bank. LOGAN LUCKY The latest film from the chameleonic Steven Soderbergh, Logan Lucky has been billed as a 'hillbilly heist', and based on the trailer it's easy to see why. Channing Tatum and Adam Driver star as Jimmy and Clyde Logan, two dim-witted brothers attempting to pull off an elaborate robbery during a big money NASCAR race. They're joined by the likes of Riley Keough, Katherine Waterstone and Daniel Craig, whose performance as an eccentric explosives expert looks to be worth the price of admission all on its own. If nothing else, we know Soderbergh is adept with this kind of story, which brings us to the next film on our list… OCEAN'S ELEVEN A rare remake that eclipses the cultural cache of the original, Soderbergh's hugely entertaining 2001 hit remains one of the prototypical heist films of the modern era, as stylish as it is funny as it is wholly unpredictable. They say crime doesn't pay, but boy does Ocean's Eleven make it look fun. Oh, and it also features one of the most impressive, big-name casts in modern movie history. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle… need we go on? An all-female spinoff is in the works for next year, and we could not be more keen. RESERVOIR DOGS The low budget indie flick that launched the career of Quentin Tarantino, Reservoir Dogs is a rare kind of heist film in that we never actually get to see the heist. Instead, the story jumps backwards and forwards in time, between the planning stages and the disastrous aftermath of a diamond robbery gone wrong. The film's graphic violence, distinctive dialogue and non-linear timeline has inspired endless imitations of varying quality — it's not an exaggeration to call this one of the most influential films of the 1990s. And yet, like all of Tarantino's movies, it somehow feels utterly unique. INCEPTION "Your mind is the scene of the crime," teased early trailers for Inception, Christopher Nolan's blockbuster version of an M.C. Escher print. Rightfully celebrated upon release as a smart, original property in a sea of unremarkable franchise films, this epic sci-fi caper — about a group of professional thieves who ply their trade in their victims' dreams — confirmed Nolan as one of the most ambitious filmmakers working in Hollywood today. Sure, some of the exposition may be a little bit clunky, but what Inception lacks in nuance it makes up for in excitement, emotion and sense of scale. Most importantly, like all the best heist films, it totally stands up on second viewing. FAST FIVE The best film in the Fast and Furious franchise, it was Fast Five that helped transform this flagging series into a bona-fide global phenomenon. Street racing takes a backseat as Dominic Toretto and fam instead set their eyes on a $100 million score — one that is ultimately realised via one of the greatest action sequences of this decade, involving a massive bank vault being dragged through the streets of Rio at breakneck speed. Inventive and exhilarating, with a charismatic cast at the top of its game, Fast Five is popcorn entertainment at its absolute finest. Logan Lucky is now showing at cinemas nationally.
Ah, the humble loo — a place of peace and sometimes panic when you realise the roll is empty (or was simply never there to begin with). Here in Straya, not only do we have stunning landscapes, amazing surf and adorable native critters, but there are loos with views so sensational that they'll make you forget about the TP entirely. We decided to make a list of a few of the best, and in order to cover as much ground as possible, we asked our readers and social followers to chip in with your reccos. The following list is made up of our favourite submissions. So if you've decided to head off on an adventure this long weekend, here's where you should head when nature calls — plus some nice spots to chill over the weekend with a bev from our mates at The Bottle-O. [caption id="attachment_942303" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mount Wellington, Darren Tierney[/caption] Kunanyi (Mount Wellington), TAS If you fancy a Tassie road trip, head up to Kunanyi (Mount Wellington) for the best bathroom views, according to reader Alan: "There's a public toilet at the top with the best views even on a cloudy day. The window is literally above the sink, so you can look out while washing your hands." Once peak dunny has been achieved, continue on the adventure to Huon Valley or down to Bruny Island, stopping in at local The Bottle-O to grab a haul of evening beers to crack with your road trip buds — ideally over a roaring fireplace. Closest The Bottle-O: Grove [caption id="attachment_942299" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kalbarri Skywalk, Gagliardi Photography[/caption] Kalbarri National Park, WA Are you keen on an outback adventure in WA this long weekend? Explore the dramatic coastline and striking red sandstone gorges of Kalbarri National Park. Take it all in at the Kalbarri Skywalk – and make sure you pay your respects at the toilets next door. Our IG follower Tanya paints a glorious picture: "You step out of the bathroom, and there are just uninterrupted views of the landscape. Just breathtaking." Then, make your way to Dongara's The Bottle-O for a well-deserved beverage to enjoy with your mates at the local campground. Closest The Bottle-O: Dongara [caption id="attachment_942305" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sunset Beach, Penny Britt[/caption] Sunrise Beach and Sunset Beach, Onslow, WA Concrete Playground commenter Laura recommends this spot: "There are bathrooms with showers, so whether you're arriving first thing for a dip at sunrise or chilling in the evening, there's everything you need to get sorted and perfect sunrises and sunsets over the ocean with a bev." If you're WA-bound and the beach is calling you this long weekend, enjoy epic sunrise and sunset views at Sunrise Beach (or front beach, ideal for swimming and chilling) and Sunset Beach (or back beach, perfect for fishing and picnicking) after picking up your drinks at The Bottle-O and snacks at the local grocers at Onslow. Closest The Bottle-O: Onslow [caption id="attachment_942304" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mount Wellington, Nick Clark[/caption] Mount Solitary, Blue Mountains National Park NSW Every Sydneysider has gone to the Blue Mountains at least once. But have you made it over to Mount Solitary? Reader Michael recommends the Mount Solitary walking track for the views and the drop toilets: "There are two toilets and a water tank near Ruined Castle if you need to take care of business. There's never too many people about, and the views are unreal." Keep in mind this walk is for experienced bushwalkers, but once you've successfully completed the journey, nothing will taste better than that first drink back at the campsite once you've kicked off your walking boots. Stock up your dinner supplies at Hazelbrook and drinks at the local The Bottle-O on the way to the track's starting point. Closest The Bottle-O: Hazelbrook [caption id="attachment_942302" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lord Howe Island, A Goyen[/caption] Lord Howe Island, NSW If you're looking for a long weekend adventure with a whole lotta luxury, Lord Howe Island, with its pristine beaches and lush rainforests, make it a straight-up paradise. And apparently, the public toilets stick to the same high standards. Concrete Playground follower Pat confirms: "Everything is lush on this island. There's a stunning view from every window, especially the public toilets at Ned's Beach." There are a few ways onto the island, but unless you and your mates have access to a boat, you'll have to fly over. Regional flights head from Port Macquarie, head there to stock up on supplies and bevs from The Bottle-O toast to island life for the long weekend. Closest The Bottle-O: Flynn's Beach, Port Macquarie [caption id="attachment_942300" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lake Bellfield Toilets, Tracie Louise[/caption] Gariwerd (Grampians) National Park VIC Melbourne-based readers: are the mountains calling you for a long weekend getaway? Trek along the ridges and clicks of the epic mountain range before chasing emus off your campsite at Smith's Mill Campground. Once you've arrived in the Grampians, you're not going to have the opportunity to head down to the local shop for snacks, so get sorted at Sebastopol and head to The Bottle-O there for any campsite brews to enjoy with your mates. David recommends Lake Bellfield for a loo with a view, and sounds like prime real estate: "Just off the main road from Halls Gap, in this large two-storey wooden shelter, you'll find the toilets with views out over the lake, perfect for stretching your legs." Closest The Bottle-O: Sebastopol [caption id="attachment_942306" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, Wirestock[/caption] Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, TAS Want to get a little wild for the long weekend? Head into the wild west of Tassie to the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. According to reader Natalie, the dunnies located near Nelson Falls are among Australia's most scenic: "A perfect sidetrack if you're road-tripping from Cradle Mountain to Queenstown or vice versa. Toilets themselves are nothing special, but the waterfalls are gorge". Once you've finished admiring the scenery, head over to Queenstown to pick up a drink at The Bottle-O and toast to the wonders of the Tasmanian wilderness at the free campsite at Lake Burbury. Closest The Bottle-O: Queenstown Wherever the road leads you on your weekend adventuring, find your nearest The Bottle-O and stock up on some standout bevs. Ready to start planning? Head to the website. Top image: Canva Stock
It's a family affair at Rupert and Ruby; during its stint on Stanley Street, the IconPark's season two winner has become a home away from home for ex-pats and Aussies alike. Staying true to their American roots, the team is kicking off their first Thanksgiving celebration, bringing unwitting Sydneysiders a foodfest frenzy, USA style. Prompted by head chef Eli Challenger's nostalgia for the big family Thanksgivings of his youth, the meal will include all the standard trimmings — think turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing — but "made fancier" in typical Rupert and Ruby fashion. Eli's spin on the classics will include smoked and roasted turkey, candied yams, and roasted Brussels sprouts. The most important rule of thumb for any Thanksgiving banquet is to save room for dessert: Eli's twist will be his spiced pumpkin cheesecake. The holiday, of course, is about more than just good food. "This year I finally have friends and family here," Eli jokes, a clear nod to his wife Ruby and pal/Fat Rupert's business partner Aaron Pearce. The feast will be a kind of culmination event for the restaurant as they enter their last month with IconPark, but patrons can sleep easy as this dynamic trio is already on the search for a permanent space we can all call home. This grand celebration of family, friends and food is selling out fast, so get your tickets here. For those who stuffed up, a few walk-in tables will also be reserved. Image credit: The Vault DFW via photopin cc.
If you've ever worked in a restaurant where you've had to throw out the still-good offcuts the kitchen doesn't need at at the end of a shift, worked at a supermarket where expired food has at to be tossed in the bin or simply opened your crisper to find a browned and shrivelled iceberg lettuce that you bought and promptly forgot about last week, you'll know that food wastage is rife basically everywhere. And even if you haven't been privy to all that, know that roughly four million tonnes of food is wasted in Australia each year. That's why food rescue charity OzHarvest exists — each day, they go around to cafes, restaurants, supermarkets, airports and hotels to collect the food they don't want and deliver it to people who need it. OzHarvest has been hugely successful at doing this. Since its creation in 2004, the charity has been instrumental in changing how food waste is handled in Australia. Led by founder Ronni Kahn, the organisation has successfully lobbied state governments to alter legislation to allow potential food donors (that is, the supermarkets, restaurants, etc.) to legally donate surplus food to charitable organisations. And now OzHarvest has taken their operation to the next level, by opening a 'rescued food' supermarket in Sydney. The OzHarvest Market is a physical store for all the rescued food the organisation collects. Rather than being delivered directly to charitable groups, the market makes some of the produce available to members of the public, and particularly those in need. That's because nothing at the market has a set price — it operates on a "take what you need, give if you can" model. "The OzHarvest Market is our latest innovation to tackle food waste and eliminate hunger," said founder Ronni Kahn. "It supports OzHarvest's purpose to nourish our country, by making sure good food does not go to waste and is available to everyone." The market is located on the ground floor of the Addison Hotel, which is currently being used as a refuge for homeless youth while the building owners TOGA await approval for a development. OzHarvest will inhabit the space for as long as it is available. The OzHarvest Market is open Monday to Friday from 10am till 2pm at 147 Anzac Parade, Kensington, Sydney. For more information, visit ozharvest.org/market.
Since Greater Sydney first went into lockdown towards the end of June, we've all been able to set our clocks by one constant: the 11am press conference that delivers New South Wales' new COVID-19 case numbers for the past 24 hours. For as long as the city — and, for a while, the whole state — has been under stay-at-home conditions, either Premier Gladys Berejiklian or Health Minister Brad Hazzard has fronted the media to chat through the figures and the situation. Sometimes they've both been there, and they've always had NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant or another NSW Health staff member for company. Often, other speakers take the microphone as well, including health workers, emergency services workers, members of NSW Police and other ministers. That all changed today, Tuesday, September 14 — after the Premier flagged last Friday that the NSW Government would be shaking up the usual press conference format. Berejiklian initially announced that it'd change from Monday, September 13; however, the Premier then spoke through the cases and COVID-19 situation as normal that day. Today, however, it was NSW Health's Dr Jeremy McAnulty who did the honours. Wondering what that means for tuning in and hearing the latest — aka that thing we've all been doing with our mid-morning coffees each day for almost three months now? Thankfully, you'll still be able to watch along, with NSW Health still uploading the briefings to its Facebook page. Today's session was still streamed live, actually; however, when the Premier announced the end of her daily involvement in revealing the new cases numbers, she advised that NSW Health would be doing daily videos. So, in the future, that might mean a return to the pre-recorded updates that were the norm before lockdown started — which were uploaded on both Facebook and Twitter. That's where you'll want to keep looking at 11am each day. NSW Health also posts the daily figures on its social media platforms at the same time, so you'll see the numbers there as well if that's all you're looking for. Whenever the cases are delivered via livestreams, you'll still likely find them on various news media outlets' websites, live blogs and YouTube pages, and usually on the ABC News channel as well. NSW recorded 1,127 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. pic.twitter.com/QS809aYxhy — NSW Health (@NSWHealth) September 14, 2021 The Premier has advised that she and/or other ministers will still be doing press conferences "intermittently" on a "needs basis". So, expect that to happen when there's a big announcement — such as future changes to lockdown restrictions, as have already been flagged when NSW reaches the 70-percent and 80-percent fully vaxxed mark. NSW Health posts the daily COVID-19 case numbers on its Facebook and Twitter pages at 11am daily, and you can find its livestreamed briefings on Facebook as well. For further details about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website.
For most of the past two years, Australians haven't had many chances to attend a music festival or escape the mainland. We all know how the festival landscape has fared during the pandemic, and the travel situation as well. But if you've been longing to hear your favourite tunes while surrounded by your friends and to take a trip to a secluded beachside resort in The Whitsundays, Dream Machine has you covered. The brand-new festival was first announced in 2021, and was meant to take place last year as well — but the past 12 months didn't turn out as anyone planned, either. In great news, however, it's been locked in to go ahead this month, and will now occur between Wednesday, January 26–Sunday, January 30. Handily, that news comes just after Queensland revealed that it's ditching its domestic border restrictions from Saturday, January 15. A new venture from the team behind Wine Machine and Snow Machine, the fest will see music lovers travel to The Whitsundays for a stacked lineup of local electronic talent. On up the party-forward lineup: Hayden James, former Triple J House Party presenter KLP, Touch Sensitive, CC:Disco!, Set Mo and Yolanda Be Cool, as well as The Jungle Giants, and Confidence Man hitting the decks for DJ sets. Yes, the list goes on. If the simple activity of grooving to tunes on a tropical island isn't enough motivation for you, festival-goers will also be treated to an island-hopping adventure between Daydream Island, Paradise Cove and a surprise location. Your itinerary can also include kayaking, paddle boarding, jet skiing and waterside cocktails, and, if you stay at Daydream Island Resort, you'll have four restaurants, three bars, a pool and a spa to enjoy as well. Dream Machine will run for three days within its five-day, four-night period. Unsurprisingly, it isn't cheap, starting at $1999 per person — and also to the astonishment of no one, plenty of packages have already sold out, so you'll need to get in quick if you're keen. The extravagant price tag will get you accommodation, breakfast each morning, ferry transport to and from the airport, and tickets to the festival (of course). DREAM MACHINE 2022 LINEUP: Belta Variant CC:DISCO! Confidence Man (DJ set) Client Liason (DJ set) Dena Amy Generik Happiness Is Wealth Harvey Sutherland (DJ set) Hayden James Jimi the Kween The Jungle Giants (DJ set) Juz KLP Kristina Jaman Late Nite Tuff Guy Made in Paris Mell Hall Mira Mira Owl Eyes Pat Stevenson Poof Doof DJs Robbie Set Mo Squeef Stace Cadet Shouse (DJ set) Sneaky Sound System Touch Sensitive Wax'o Paradiso Yolanda Be Cool Dream Machine takes place from Wednesday, January 26–Sunday, January 30 in The Whitsundays, with final tickets available via the festival's website.
It might just be Australia's brightest festival, and it's back to light up Alice Springs once again. That'd be Parrtjima - A Festival In Light, which kicked off for 2020 on Friday, September 11 and runs through until Sunday, September 20. And, while it's being held as a physical event, the fest also has something on offer for everyone who can't be there in person. For the first time, Parrtjima is hosting a virtual tour — via a four-and-a-half-minute video that showcases the event's dazzling, glowing sights. Expect luminous lights and plenty of them, with the tour giving viewers a peek at the Indigenous arts, culture, music and storytelling fest's enthusiastic celebration, including its signature installations and new displays. This year, all of the above falls under the theme of 'lifting our spirits'. Even from afar, via your screen, seeing the Alice Springs Desert Park come alive will do just that. You'll also see the huge artwork that transforms a 2.5-kilometre stretch of the majestic, 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges each year, showering it with light each night of the festival. Yes, it's spectacular — and called The Ebb and Flow of Sky and Country in 2020, it's designed to reflect the colours and movement of the changing seasons. Check out the virtual tour below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=217&v=l0v6l2LeP4E&feature=emb_logo Of course, Parrtjima is just one of Northern Territory's two glowing attractions in 2020, with Australia's Red Centre lighting up in multiple ways. The festival is a nice supplement to Bruce Munro's Field of Light installation, which — after multiple extensions — is now on display indefinitely. And, in good news for everyone who can't head to the NT this year, Parrtjima will be back in 2021 — taking place again from April 9–18. Parrtjima – A Festival in Light's runs until Sunday, September 20. For further details, visit the festival website. Top images: Lachlan Dodds-Watson, Greg McAdam.
Need a little support in your environmental endeavours? Well, if you're an inner west local, help has arrived in the form of the council's new Waste App. The smartphone tool has been launched to assist residents in managing their waste properly, packed with handy information, expert tips and reminders. On it, you'll find features like a bin guide, to get you up to speed on what sort of rubbish goes in each bin; an A to Z list of various items, showing how to properly dispose of them; and even bin day reminders. Users can access their own personalised waste calendar; keeping track of things like gardening, recycling and garbage collection, and clean ups; and search for drop-off locations and recycling centres in their area. The app also features a section filled with information about the waste hierarchy, ways to minimise personal waste, and local initiatives that are helping to foster a 'reuse and repair' culture. The project is part of the NSW EPA Waste Less, Recycle More program, headed up by Inner West Council and funded by the waste levy. The Inner West Council Waste App is available now for iOS and Android Devices. Image: Destination NSW
It's not like we need much more of an excuse than a couple of balmy, sun-drenched days to get out there and enjoy Sydney summer. But if you could use a little extra push, Merivale has it sorted. The hospitality heavyweight — behind venues like The Newport, Felix and Totti's — has launched a new initiative, called This Is Sydney, encouraging locals to head out and enjoy an extra tasty program of discos, free gigs and half-price food. The free gigs will kick off, immediately, with The Preatures and Thandi Phoenix performing at Palings from 6–8pm tonight, Thursday, November 21. Other free shows to come will see Kira Piru play waterside at Pool Club and Brendan Maclean perform alongside a grand piano at Establishment. All that dancing will likely leave you pretty peckish, so it's handy that Merivale is also offering a sweet 50-percent-off all bar snacks in all its CBD bars — available right now until the end of summer. Grab those half-price bites between 11pm and 12am from Tuesday to Saturday, at venues like Little Felix, Palmer & Co, Bar Topa, Pool Club, Charlie Parker's and the soon-to-launch Bar Totti's and Jimmy's Falafel. Some of the discounted snacks you'll be able to dig into include $8 three-cheese toasties at Palmer & Co, $5 patatas bravas and $2.5 gildas skewers at Bar Topa, and $6 sweet potato hummas and $9 burrata at Charlie Parker's. [caption id="attachment_736325" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Little Felix by Nikki To[/caption] This Is Sydney will also see George Street's pint-sized 50-person Will & Co transformed into a miniature party for Disco Espresso, every Thursday and Friday afternoon. Roll by from 5pm each week for wines, beers and tap cocktails, served alongside a sparkly soundtrack from The Dollar Bin Darlings. Melbourne's legendary LGBTQI+ party-starters Poof Doof have also jumped on board.They'll be dishing up a new weekly dance-heavy experience at Ivy, launching this Saturday, November 23. Expect a fierce festival of grooves descending on the venue's Courtyard, Terrace and Den each weekend, starring sounds from the likes of Sveta, James Alexandr and Charlie Villas. All of this coincides quite nicely with the promised rolling back of the lockout laws in the CBD, which will supposedly happen before the year's out. So, you've got quite a few excuses to party, eat and drink around the city this summer. This Is Sydney will run right through summer, with different offers and events at each Merivale venue. Top images: Felix, Bar Topa by Nikki To and Ivy Pool Club.
Australia is getting accustomed to life without single-use plastic bags, but Europe is going one step further, with the European Union today voting to ban ten single-use plastic items by 2021. The European Parliament first drew up the plan in May last year, which is designed to specifically combat the growing amount of plastic that's clogging up the world's oceans. The ban will target ten items that are most frequently found on beaches, including plastic cutlery, plates, cups, stirrers and straws, as well as cotton buds and balloon sticks. This comes after researchers predicted that plastic will outweigh fish in our oceans by 2050. By 2029, all EU members will also be required to collect 90 percent of single-use plastic beverage bottles for recycling, while awareness campaigns will ramp up for the reduced consumption of other single-use products and countries will need to fund the public clean-up of litter — such as tobacco filters and fishing great — from beaches and oceans. A year later, in 2030, the EU is aiming to make all of its plastic packaging reusable or recyclable. You can dive into the nitty gritty of its plan here (if you please). The European Parliament passed the ban on Wednesday, March 27, and member states will have two years years to implement the legislation into their own national law. It is the latest recognition that the war on waste is one that needs serious attention. The British parliament announced plans to go plastic-free early last year, France will ban plastic plates, cups and cutlery from 2020, while Hobart will become the first Australian city to ban single-use plastics. And that's on top of the flurry of supermarkets, big name brands, well-known food chains and furniture behemoths making their own commitments to reduce, recycle or eradicate single-use plastics from their operations. The European Union's single-use plastic ban will be introduced by 2021.
While Christmas is undoubtedly one of the best holidays of the year for most, pulling off said celebration ain’t the easiest of tasks. You’ve done the presents, sent the cards, but this year there’s 15 coming over, two are vegetarian and uncle James is big into wine. Like crazy big. The Solution? WineMarket has made playing sommelier easier than convincing yourself to pop the champers at 11am on Christmas morning, with a wide range of drops to match any menu and suit even the fussiest sniff and swillers. TURKEY:EVANS & TATE CLASSIC SEMILLON SAUVIGNON BLANC Leaving aside the vegetarians for a moment, ain't no one going to say no to some turkey. Similarly, a semillon sauvignon blanc blend is a people-pleaser. The perfect middle ground between semillon structure and weight, and the herbal, punchy fruit highlights of Sav Blanc, it's perfect with white meat and lighter condiments. Try the take on it from Margaret River's Evans & Tate. $150 for a case from www.winemarket.com.au. BBQ PRAWNS: TEMPUS TWO PROSECCO Nothing complements a juicy, flame-grilled prawn or yabby off the barbie like a glass of something cold and sparkling. Prosecco is your go-to here. Try the cool-climate, lemon-zesty Adelaide Hills Tempus Two variety to match seafood. Oh, and don’t forget this fresh and clean Italian-style bubbly makes the ideal pre-dinner tipple, so be sure to stock up. $89.94 for a six-pack from www.winemarket.com.au. CHRISTMAS HAM: BLEASDALE SPARKLING SHIRAZ Unless, of course, you’re super into pork, that hunk of scrumptious piggy steaming on the table usually only comes out once a year. So why not go with the flow and crack open a bottle of sparkling shiraz to give it that extra special-occasion kick? Aussie legends Bleasdale have a great sparkling shiraz (their drops regularly score 90+ points), but it’s not exactly surprising seeing as they’re Australia’s second oldest wine growing family. $135 for a six-pack from www.winemarket.com.au. TURDUCKEN: ALEXIA BY JANE COOPER PINOT NOIR A hybrid of turkey, duck and chicken, this big meaty beast is probably best suited to a slightly lighter bodied red (especially on a hot summer’s day). Jane Cooper's 'Alexia' Pinot Noir will suit game meats with its earthy, dark cherry flavours, plus a dozen of these babies comes in at just $11 a bottle. $132 for a case from www.winemarket.com.au VEGAN TURDUCKEN: GEMTREE GREEN JADE ORGANIC CHARDONNAY Anyone going for a vegetarian or vegan roast (yes, it’s a thing) should think about a chardonnay. We know this poor ol’ drop somewhat went out of fashion, but the pesticide-free, medium-bodied dry Gemtree Green Jade Organic Chardonnay, with a whole bunch of pure fruit flavours sans oak, will add delicious textures to the vego’s delight on your plate. $99 for a case from www.winemarket.com.au. POTATO SALAD: BALLAST POINT 'BIG EYE' INDIA PALE ALE Of course, sides shouldn’t be forgotten, and neither should beer. In the hotter months you’re gonna want something bitter and hoppy (and cold, obvs), and a frosty Ballest Point 'Big Eye' India pale ale has your name, and those creamy carbs, written all over it. $79.99 for a case from www.winemarket.com.au.
Lightyear wasn't the best Pixar movie, but when it flickered across the big screen halfway through 2022, it did something that the Disney-owned animation studio's films hadn't for a couple of years. Due to the pandemic's early days, the Mouse House skipped cinema releases for Soul, Luca and Turning Red between late 2020 and early 2022. It was the time of lockdowns, restrictions, and picture palaces either temporarily closing or having capacity limits, so all three features went straight to streaming platform Disney+. Wish you'd gotten a silver-screen experience while viewing this trio — or any one of them? Enter the new Pixar Film Fest to give you that chance. From Thursday, February 22–Wednesday, March 13, for a week apiece at various locations around Australia and New Zealand, it's debuting Soul, Luca and Turning Red in cinemas for the first time Down Under. Soul sports a premise that resembles Inside Out, which has a sequel arriving on the big screen in 2024. Instead of emotions having emotions, souls do. Rather than Amy Poehler (Moxie) doing voice work, Tina Fey (Mean Girls) does. And director Peter Docter (Up) helmed them both. But Soul is definitely its own feature — and takes quite the existential trip as it follows aspiring jazz musician-turned-music teacher Joe (Jamie Foxx, The Burial) after an accident where his soul leaves his body. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Killer), plus Jon Batiste (The First Wave), won an Oscar. The movie nabbed the Best Animated Feature accolade as well. It's releasing in cinemas from Thursday, February 22–Wednesday, February 28. Next up is Turning Red, which'll get projectors whirring from Thursday, February 29–Wednesday, March 6. The setup: what'd happen if the Hulk was a teenage girl, but became a super-cute red panda? Or, finding a different riff on the ol' werewolf situation, what if emotions rather than full moons inspired a case of not-quite-lycanthropy? Writer/director Domee Shi puts these queries at the centre of Turning Red, her debut feature after winning an Oscar for gorgeous 2018 short Bao. Set in 2002, the film focuses on 13-year-old Chinese Canadian high-schooler Meilin Lee (Rosalie Chiang, American Born Chinese), who has strict but caring mum Ming (Sandra Oh, Quiz Lady), loves boy band 4*Town and soon discovers that she's also a red panda in a puberty metaphor. Rounding out the lineup is Luca, which is similarly about transformation. This one takes place in Italy over a gorgeous summer, also spins a coming-of-age tale and nods to Frankenstein as well. Here, teenage sea monsters Luca (Jacob Tremblay, Orion and the Dark) and Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer, Shazam! Fury of the Gods) just want to fit in, but know that the village they decide to call home wouldn't accept them if they don't take on human form. When they befriend ordinary girl Giulia (Emma Berman, Superkitties) in a quest to win a race to nab a moped, their secret becomes harder to keep — as cinemagoers can see from Thursday, March 7–Wednesday, March 13. Check out the trailers for Soul, Luca and Turning Red below: Pixar Film Fest 2024 Lineup: Thursday, February 22–Wednesday, February 28 — Soul Thursday, February 29–Wednesday, March 6 — Turning Red Thursday, March 7–Wednesday, March 13 — Luca Disney's Pixar Film Fest runs from Thursday, February 22–Wednesday, March 13 at cinemas around Australia and New Zealand, including in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Auckland and Wellington — check out your local picture palace for details. Read our reviews of Soul, Luca and Turning Red.
They played the first game of their 2023 Women's World Cup campaign in Sydney. They took on Denmark there in the round of 16, then England in the semi-final loss. The next reason that the Matildas will hit the Harbour City: a match against China PR on the way to the 2024 Paris Olympics, and also for goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold and coach Tony Gustavsson to take to the Vivid stage. The duo have just joined the already-packed Vivid Sydney 2024 lineup for a Vivid Ideas session at Sydney Town Hall on Monday, June 10. At Champions of Change: Mackenzie Arnold and Tony Gustavsson, the pair will have plenty to talk about — all things Matildas, of course, including the team's achievements over the past year, the challenges along the way, the squad's impact, the pressures and the coach-athlete dynamic. "This Vivid Sydney event is an awesome opportunity to connect with fans and reflect on the incredible ride we've had with the Matildas over the last couple of years. The highs and lows, the pressure and the triumphs, what it means to represent your country on the world stage — this is more than just a game. It's a chance to inspire the next generation and make a difference for women and girls on and off the field," said Arnold about the session. "The Matildas have had an incredible journey over the last 12 months, and it's a proud moment for me as a manager to celebrate and reflect on this at Vivid Sydney alongside Mackenzie," added Gustavsson. "I want to shed light not only our achievements on the field but also the incredible spirit and resilience behind the scenes, how much each of these players gives to this game. This conversation is also a chance to delve into the strategies that shaped our team's success and to touch on the broader implications of our journey for women's sport and society at large." Arnold and Gustavsson's addition to the Vivid lineup comes after Amy Poehler recently also joined the bill, to discuss her career and the upcoming Pixar sequel Inside Out 2. "We're so proud to be bringing two modern-day superstars of sport to the Vivid Sydney 2024 program. This discussion with Mackenzie and Tony will explore humanity through the lens of sport and bring a relatable and inspirational touch to their world class achievements on the field. You do not want to miss this opportunity to hear from two of Australian football's most influential and inspiring figures," said Vivid Sydney Festival Director Gill Minervini. Champions of Change: Mackenzie Arnold and Tony Gustavsson takes place on Monday, June 10, 2024 at Sydney Town Hall, with tickets on sale from 9am on Thursday, May 9, 2024. Vivid Sydney runs from Friday, May 24–Saturday, June 15 at various locations around Sydney. Head to the festival website for further details and tickets.
Cue the nostalgia and prepare to feel positively ancient — Brisbane's last remaining video store is shutting its doors for good. As reported by the ABC, Oxley's Network Video has taken to social media to farewell its legion of loyal customers, many of whom have been trekking from all over Brisbane on the regular (and evidently still own DVD players). Owner Brenton Snell revealed the store's set to close this month, due to family issues. Even still, the old girl held her own longer than anyone anticipated. When Snell bought the store in 2010, the concept of video rentals was already taking a dive, fast succumbing to the popularity of online streaming services. He expected to sell up just a few years later, but DVD fans just kept rolling in and business boomed despite stiff competition from the internet. Those keen for a memento of the good old days — or to snap up a few titles for their home collection — should pay a visit in the coming weeks. Snell plans to start clearing out his 14,000-strong movie collection from Saturday, February 17. After Network Video's graceful departure, the nearest walk-in video stores will be those out in Ipswich and Logan. Network Video is located at Shop 4, 121 Oxley Station Road, Oxley, Brisbane. Its last official date of trade will be Wednesday, February 14 and it will start selling its collection on Saturday, February 17. For more info, visit the Facebook page. Via ABC.
In what was probably the biggest celestial (and perhaps social media) event of 2016, last night the supermoon rose majestically in the sky, like a beacon reminding that, yes, the world will keep turning even if certain world events have us feeling like it will stop dead in its tracks. Token stargazers turned out to coastal and elevated vantage points around the country to catch a glimpse of the bigger-than-normal moon, which would come over the horizon Melancholia-style to take or save us all. Well, perhaps it wasn't quite as dramatic. The moon — while 13 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than usual — looked sort of normal. And that was just to those who could see it. Many parts of Australia had their view of the big piece of cheese obstructed by some very unconsiderate clouds. So if you didn't see it, here's the best photos from Australia and around the world. They should be enough to tide you over until 2034. SYDNEY A photo posted by T Vaclavek (@wayfarerphoto) on Nov 14, 2016 at 1:29am PST A photo posted by Jon Bader (@jon_bader) on Nov 14, 2016 at 12:52pm PST MELBOURNE A photo posted by D. (@ogonbatosan) on Nov 14, 2016 at 12:41pm PST BRISBANE A photo posted by Thiago Pacheco (@thiagopacheco) on Nov 14, 2016 at 3:51am PST A photo posted by Christopher Dakers (@chrisdakers) on Nov 14, 2016 at 12:22pm PST A photo posted by Daily Mail (@dailymail) on Nov 14, 2016 at 10:26am PST UTAH A photo posted by Jonathan Irish (@jonathan_irish) on Nov 14, 2016 at 10:24am PST epa editor's choice 14 November 2016 - https://t.co/XCGNo4r46z pic.twitter.com/MGvfpoS5Sx — epaphotos (@epaphotos) November 14, 2016 LONDON Outstanding photo of the #supermoon & a plane over London (📷 by @photogator96) pic.twitter.com/JgNbcZHKdV — Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) November 14, 2016 SOMERSET, UK A photo posted by Pearl Lowe (@pearllowe) on Nov 13, 2016 at 9:42am PST A photo posted by GreekGateway.com ® (@greekgateway) on Nov 14, 2016 at 9:26am PST Top image: thiagopachec via Instagram.
Being an assistant in a technical field can have something of the Igor about it. The feature photographer goes on with their showy job, while the assistant toils day-by-day providing touch-ups, grunt work and an occasional spark of lightning. Sun Studios has been running an award to bring Sydney's photographic Igors out of the shadows, and is bringing you the results at an upcoming exhibition in its Alexandria gallery. The Sun Studios Assistants Award aims to recognise photographers working their way up through the industry, helping push less established artists on to hopefully greater things. The Award has been open to entries since March, and on Thursday images from the six finalists will be shown some light. 'Uniform' is the theme for this year's competition, be it costuming, camouflage or sameness. The winner and runners-up will be announced at Thursday's opening night (open to the public, but RSVP essential), and all of the finalists stand a chance of turning up in an upcoming issue of sponsor Monster Children. If you can't make it Thursday, the exhibition continues until June 30. Original image by Alexandre Vialle.
2022 isn't over yet, but it has been filled with a huge array of stellar television and streaming shows so far, including both new and returning series. If you're looking ahead to the new year already, though, HBO has just confirmed your first big small-screen obsession of 2023: the game-to-TV adaptation of The Last of Us. Right now, we all fall into two categories. Firstly, there's the hefty group of people who are already devoted to The Last of Us, the hit video game that's been a button-mashing favourite since 2013 and spawned a sequel in 2020. Then, there's the folks that are about to start obsessing over its new HBO adaptation when it arrives on January 16. Whichever camp you fall into, this is bound to be 2023's first big show — and if you're wondering what you're in for, the initial teaser trailer from September sets a moody, creepy, action-packed scene, as expected of a story that dives into a tense and fraught post-apocalyptic version of the US. For The Last of Us newcomers, here's the premise: 20 years after modern civilisation has been destroyed, survivor Joel is hired to smuggle 14-year-old Ellie out of a tough and oppressive quarantine zone. There wouldn't be a game, let alone a television version, if that was an easy task, of course — and if the pair didn't need to weather quite the brutal journey, as well as a nightmarish quest for survival. So far, so intriguing — and while the debut sneak peek does indeed conjure up memories of The Walking Dead, that just comes with the basic concept. The Naughty Dog-created PlayStation game wouldn't be the huge hit it's proven for almost a decade now if it simply cribbed from that TV show, obviously. As a series, The Last of Us also boasts a heap of impressive names — starting with star Pedro Pascal (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent) as Joel, plus Game of Thrones' alum and recent Catherine Called Birdy standout Bella Ramsey as Ellie. Fans of the game will note that Ashley Johnson (Blindspot) and Troy Baker (Young Justice), who voiced the two characters in the source material, will indeed pop up in the HBO show. They'll clearly be playing different characters, however. Also pivotal to HBO's adaptation: co-creator, executive producer, writer and director Craig Mazin, who already brought a dystopian hellscape to the US network (and to everyone's must-watch list) thanks to the haunting and horrifying Chernobyl. He teams up here with Neil Druckmann from Naughty Dog, who also penned and directed The Last of Us games. Alongside Pascal and Ramsey — and Johnson and Baker — the series also boasts Gabriel Luna (Terminator: Dark Fate) as Joel's younger brother and former soldier Tommy, Merle Dandridge (The Flight Attendant) as resistance leader Marlene and Aussie actor Anna Torv (Mindhunter) as smuggler Tess. And, Nico Parker (The Third Day) plays Joel's 14-year old daughter Sarah, Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus) and Nick Offerman (The Resort) feature as isolated survivalists Frank and Bill, Storm Reid (Euphoria) pops up as Boston orphan Riley, and Jeffrey Pierce (Castle Rock) plays quarantine-zone rebel Perry. As seen in the trailer, Yellowjackets' Melanie Lynskey also guest stars. Check out the teaser trailer for The Last of Us below: The Last of Us will start streaming Down Under from Monday, January 16, 2023 — in Australia via Binge and New Zealand via Neon.
Opera has been badged as an art form only accessible to a certain group of people. However, plenty of opera fans and makers are determined to introduce it a broader audience — think Sydney's recent production of Carmen, set on the harbour, or Sydney Chamber Opera's smaller scale, surprising shows. This same drive is behind Opera at the Vanguard, the latest contemporary operatic offering in Sydney. The intimate Vanguard provides its audience with an up-close perspective of the emotional power inherent in opera. Audiences can expect to hear classics such as 'Nessun Dorma' and 'E la solita storia del pastore' from experienced Opera Australia performers Warren Fisher, Katie Stenzel, Agnes Sarkis and Simon Halligan. All costumes in the performance are inspired by the late Alexander McQueen, adding to the grandeur and spectacle of the event. Crucially, Opera at the Vanguard is making opera affordable, with GA tickets just $33.80. It is only on for five nights though, so whether you are an operatic newcomer or a lifelong fan, get in quick.
NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all people of Australia to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In the past, the "National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee" were responsible for organising the events of NAIDOC Week, and since then the acronym has become the name of the event itself. The theme of NAIDOC Week this year is 'Heal Country!'. Grounded in Country, this theme calls for the recognition, protection and maintenance of all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. But in order to achieve this, it's essential that historical, political and administrative settings adapt in order to empower and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Did you know the Aboriginal flag is currently under copyright? Clothing The Gaps are leading the campaign to have the Aboriginal flag freed. Join them for this lunchtime yarn to learn about the Aboriginal Copyright issue and the progress of the Free the Flag campaign. Head to Clothing the Gaps Instagram to keep up-to-date with everything the organisation is doing this NAIDOC Week and view its 'Heal Country!' collection. [caption id="attachment_817386" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Supplied by Clothing The Gaps.[/caption]
When you've had a winter like Sydney's just had, it's easy to feel indifferent about spring's return. But the new season provides a prime opportunity to get outside for an afternoon — especially when all of Sydney's street festivals starting kicking off. Over October and November, Paddington's William Street will be flowing with festivities, Leichhardt's Norton Street will host an Italian feast and Newtown Festival will take over the suburb with gigs, food and picnics. And there's more going on, too. Now, let's just hope for a few hours of sunshine.
Just when you finally upgraded to the Spotify premium package, Apple announces they're bringing iTunes Radio to Australia. In its first international release after a wildly successful run in the US, this goliath music streaming platform is throwing its hat in the ring against already popular services such as Pandora and Spotify. Boasting a wealth of scientific algorithms to curate personalised listening streams, Apple are basically asking you to, please, for the love of God, start using your iTunes again. The main drawcard Apple has here is its huge catalogue. No longer will the infuriating words 'artist not found' pop up under your search bar; iTunes has pretty much everyone on board. There are over 100 stations programmed including both basic genre offerings ('Dance Radio', 'Pop Hits Radio') as well as specific artist streams (the universal: 'Beatles Radio', the good: 'Yeah Yeah Yeahs Radio', and the meh: 'Bruno Mars Radio'). But, as Apple said in a statement yesterday, "The more you use iTunes Radio and iTunes, the more it knows what you like to listen to and the more personalised your experience becomes." That being said, the service still doesn't have the capacity for music on-demand that Spotify offers. Once you skip tracks, iTunes will take note and avoid that genre of music, but ultimately playlists are curated for you according to what's already in your music library. Like its competitors, the service is free with interspliced ads between tracks, with the option of upgrading. An annual subscription will set you back $34.99, as compared to $39 with Pandora or $11.99 per month with Spotify (although that also includes the capability to download music and listen offline). Also, you can guarantee that every track you listen to will have that guilt-inducing 'buy' button hovering right next to it. While many will stick to their current platforms, it's comforting to see a major player like Apple get on board with such services. At the very least, it's an acknowledgement that our listening habits have changed — a step in the right direction for an industry that's been failing for far too long. iTunes Radio was made available to Australians on February 11. You can access it via your iTunes account.
Whether it's dropping Golden Gaytime-inspired Viennettas, cookie pies, Mint Slice-style biscuits, dulce de leche balm or its most-beloved gelato flavours — or just the usual frosty sweets lining its freezer cabinets — Gelato Messina sure does love giving dessert fiends a whole heap of treats. Come December, however, it's busting out 24 of them in the lead up to Christmas. Well, to be precise, you'll be busting them out of Messina's first-ever advent calendar. 'Tis the season to be jolly, and to enjoy opening tiny doors and eating the goodies within. First, the sad news for ice cream lovers: Messina's advent calendar won't need to be stored in your freezer, because it isn't filled with gelato. Next, the still-tasty news: it does come stuffed with Messina's delicious chocolate bites. (And it is recommended that you keep it in a cool, dark place, or in the fridge.) That means that this year, you can spend the first 24 days of December eating your way through mini waffle cone bites, salted cashew brittle, coconut rough, Messinatella biscuits, panned Panettone and other Messina wares. That's all that the chain is officially giving away, because part of the whole advent calendar setup is getting a surprise daily. That said, you can also expect to find little chocolate snowmen figures among the sweets. Handmade by Messina's in-house chocolatiers, every chocolate in the custom advent box is different — and, like all Messina specials, there's only a limited number available. In this case, only 300 calendars have been made. Christmas fiends (and chocolate lovers) will need to order on Wednesday, October 19, for pick up from Friday, November 25–Sunday, November 27. (Yes, that does mean you'll need to exercise some self-control for a few days, to stop yourself breaking open the calendar as soon as it's in your hot little hands.) Also like the brand's other limited-edition treats, this one is doing staggered on-sale times. Accordingly, folks in Queensland and the ACT are able to purchase at 9am, Victorians at 9.30am, and New South Wales customers are split across three times depending on the store (with calendars from Surry Hills, Bondi, Randwick, Circular Quay and Miranda on sale at 10am; Brighton Le Sands, Tramsheds, Parramatta and Darlinghurst at 10.30am; and Darling Square, Newtown, Norwest, Rosebery and Penrith at 11am). Gelato Messina's advent calendar goes on sale on Wednesday, October 19, for pick up from Friday, November 25–Sunday, November 27. For more information, head to the Messina website.
With just three months until we find out who will officially ascend the Iron Throne, Game of Thrones fans are facing a bittersweet farewell as the final season of the cult show looms ever closer. While we may be eagerly awaiting to see who'll ultimately survive the winter, saying goodbye to the show forever will be harder than watching the Red Wedding on repeat. However, living for the thrills that come out of all this Westerosi drama won't be totally lost. Alas, a musical parody (or shall we say homage) is coming to Sydney, gracing the stage of a venue befitting so epic a story: the Sydney Opera House. The A Song of Ice and Fire series from mastermind George RR Martin is given new life in musical form, telling the tale of a group of avid fans preparing to watch the final season. When one reveals they are a GoT virgin, the rest of the group tell the story themselves — with music. From the acclaimed producers at Spark Creative, the brains behind Baby Wants Candy, Shamilton and 50 Shades! The Musical Parody, the show comes to Sydney after selling out in Edinburgh, New York and Chicago. Featuring an original score, a vast array of costumes to cover the forty characters played by the ensemble and wit sharper than Valyrian steel, this show is sure to be a hit with fans and those unknowing John Snows, alike. So call your banners, mount your dragons, blow your horn three times and march down to the Opera House to see whether or not Theon, Grey Worm and Varys have the vocal range their characters should. This 'Long Night' of lust, laughter and lacerations (and surely a few White Walkers for good measure) runs from Wednesday, June 5 to Sunday, June 23. Tickets are on sale now and start at $45.
