It has been more than half a decade since Australia's most ambitious outdoor cinema held its first Sydney pop-up, letting movie lovers catch a flick under the stars while getting cosy in one of its beds (yes, beds). Of course, that type of event hasn't really suited these COVID-19 times so far, so Mov'In has adapted in 2020 — launching Mov'In Car, a pop-up drive-in on Entertainment Quarter's rooftop. Last year, the brand also floated Mov'In Boat into Darling Harbour, too, because there are plenty of ways to watch movies in outside spaces. But this month, for six weeks from Friday, October 29 through till Wednesday, December 1, it's bringing back its automobile-based outdoor film-viewing setup. Returning now that Sydney's lockdown is over and New South Wales' roadmap back to normality is underway, Mov'In Car will screen films every night of the week except Mondays, kicking off with Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. From there, it'll move to horror flicks for Halloween — think: IT and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, so you can choose between eerie and song-filled viewing — and then cycle between classics and recent favourites. Other highlights include Wrath of Man, the latest movie to pair Guy Ritchie with Jason Statham; Oscar-winner Nomadland, which brings its own vehicle theme to the drive-in; Aussie page-to-screen drama The Dry; and Joker, featuring Joaquin Phoenix's applauded lead performance. Black Widow, Raya and the Last Dragon, Free Guy and Jungle Cruise help round out the new-ish releases — and yes, Dirty Dancing is also on the bill, because it's always on every drive-in and outdoor cinema lineup. There'll also be snacks, food and beverages available to buy, complete with all-you-can-eat pizza deals, bottomless popcorn and Nutella calzones. Mov'In Car isn't BYO, so you'll have to purchase all hot food and drinks inside — but you can bring your own non-alcoholic beverages and snacks. Price-wise, tickets for a car with one or two people cost $49.90, while you can head along with three or more people for $59.90 per vehicle. All-you-can-eat pizza costs $49.90 for two as well. Also, Mov'In Car is dog-friendly, although your pet pooch will need to stay in your car. Mov'In Car is returning to Entertainment Quarter's rooftop from Friday, October 29–Wednesday, December 1. For further details or to book, head to the Mov'In Car website.
Aussie summers are made for adventures — and those adventures are even better with a four-legged mate by your side. Whether they're a chill cafe companion, an excitable beach sprinter or a happy homebody, they deserve to look and feel just as good as you do when the mercury starts to climb. And that's where Petstock, the blue one, comes in. The pet megastore's new range for cats and dogs has been designed with the warmer months firmly in mind, combining comfort, practicality and style. You'll find breezy shirts in bright prints, eye-catching bandanas, jaunty bucket hats and even mini backpacks for pets who like to keep their treats or toys close at paw. Whether you're dressing them up for a visit to your favourite pet-friendly pub or heading off on their daily constitutional, these summer accessories will make an everyday outing feel more like a catwalk — or a dogwalk, as the case may be. But there's more to the range than just turning heads, with a heap of practical gear to keep pets calm and happy when the heat is on. There are cooling mats and splash-proof toys to keep them chilled when the temperature soars, scratchers and interactive toys that'll keep indoor cats entertained while you soak up the air con, and adventure-ready walking gear with sturdy clips, lightweight leads and comfy harnesses in a range of fun prints that can handle whatever the day throws at you. Put it all together and you've got everything you need to keep tails wagging and whiskers twitching all summer long — just be prepared for a few extra pats from strangers along the way. For more info on Petstock's summer range, head to the brand's website.
Event curators The Festivalists have a plan, it seems, to take over Sydney's nightlife. They've pulled off an excellent bar and daily program of free events at this year's Sydney Film Festival, taken their Possible Worlds film festival to increasingly immersive levels, and made Goat Island into a Battle Royale for World Movies Secret Cinema. But the jewel in their crown is Jurassic Lounge, one of the breakout hits of the 2011 after-hours scene, now returning for a fifth season from February 12 to April 16 in 2013. Here's the formula: every Tuesday night, the Australian Museum is swamped with a thousand punters partaking in drinks, live music, games, and performance. The intelligently curated programs combine off-kilter stuff like slam poetry, alternative stand-up comedy, DJs from FBi Radio, palm reading, and storytelling from emerging writers. The new season is kicking off with an anti-Valentine's Day spectacular that includes burlesque and tango lessons, matchmaking games, Date Roulette hosted by Michael Hing, and screenings of Green Porno, Isabella Rosellini's short film series about the sex lives of the animal kingdom. There'll be a Snake Party to coincide with Chinese New Year, and a Queer Culture Party during Mardi Gras. Expect the return of old favourites such as Dino Wars (the nerf-gun dinosaur shooting gallery, of course), retro arcade games, Silent Disco, dance-offs, and live reptile encounters, and you can also roam the Alexander the Great: 2000 Years of Treasures exhibition. When it works, Jurassic Lounge is a trip to the other side. And at its worst, it's a very trendy singles night for over-educated under-30s frolicking amidst a Gondwanaland of dinosaur skeletons, fossils, and native maritime animals. Either way, it's pretty fun.
Head to any bar, and you're likely to find a margarita on the menu. The tequila-focused cocktail is a pillar in the drinks world, a staple of Friday nights and weekend celebrations. From sickly sweet pre-made mixes to a spicy marg that sets your mouth on fire, it can take a while to find a margarita that truly impresses. One of the most essential ingredients of the margarita, however, is the salt rim. Get it wrong, and your tipple can taste more Pacific Ocean than refreshing Mexican drink. Get it right, and your tastebuds can dance the perfect line between sweet and salty. Maldon Salt is one of the most reliable salts when it comes time to put that finishing touch on any dish, not just a drink, with flakes that taste refreshing, balanced and ooze flavour into whatever meal or drink they're paired with. These three Sydney venues use Maldon Salt as their secret cocktail ingredient to craft unique margaritas that value quality over quantity. The Boathouse, Rose Bay The Rose Bay Marina outpost of The Boathouse group keeps in tradition with the group's other venues — in that it's a nautical eatery with a view over an iconic Sydney waterfront. Focusing on classic Australian seafood fare and the freshest local produce, the restaurant also serves a margarita that'll surprise you. With pineapple-jalapeño-infused Olmeca Altos tequila, triple sec, lime and Maldon Salt, the Boathouse Margarita is one to put at the top of your cocktail wishlist. The Boathouse also offers the El Tropo – a coconut and mango-infused margarita featuring a Maldon charcoal salt rim for extra flavour, and the La Trajinera, a margarita crafted from mandarin liqueur, key lime, sugar syrup, and the classic Maldon sea salt rim. Pair your margarita with The Boathouse's Yellowfin Tuna Bruschetta, Crab Toast or Crispy Fried Eggplant, and your tastebuds will be thanking you in no time. Alegre Bar and Dining, Darling Harbour If you want the best margarita, head to a Mexican bar. Alegre Bar and Dining is Darling Harbour's premier Mexican restaurant with a menu inspired by Tulum cuisine. Alegre fuses native Mexican ingredients, including poblanos, pasillas chiles, varieties of corn like pozole and Mayan chocolate, with Australian ingredients like finger lime, saltbush, and pickled cumquat. Alegre Bar and Dining offers a number of classic and signature margaritas with tequila upgrades for any willing connoisseurs. The standout, however, has to be the Pepino Picante. It features muddled cucumber and mint, jalapeno-infused El Tequileño reposado, Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur, Cazcabel honey tequila, freshly squeezed lemon juice and a Maldon Salt rim. If you like to keep it simple, opt for the classic margarita with El Tequileno blanco, Cointreau, lime juice and Maldon Salt. The Depot, Bondi You may not look to a Bondi cafe as your first stop on a margarita tour, but The Depot may surprise you. It's open for lunch seven days a week and dinner on Thursday and Friday nights. The cafe's traditional margarita is the classic you know and love. But this time it's served with a Maldon Salt rim, creating a seaside-infused cocktail. Its spicy margarita features finger lime, cucumber, and spice, complemented by native lemon myrtle and Maldon salt for seasoning. The coastal-inspired menu features ceviche of kingfish with fried tortilla guacamole, coconut-crusted prawns with Tajin and Maldon Salt and Sydney rock oysters with smoked Maldon Salt and fresh lime — best enjoyed while taking in a classic Bondi sunset. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mayers Fine Food | EST. 1957 (@fmayerimports) Find the art of the salt rim at Maldon Salt.
When Sydney's first Harry Potter-themed boozy brunches were announced, the city couldn't get on their broomsticks fast enough, with the first set of events selling out quickly. Now, another lot of event-organising HP diehards are bring back the magic for another themed feast — and this time it's for Christmas Expect things to get festive. A historic building in Western Sydney will become the Great Hall for a hearty Christmas spread. Expect a roast with all the trimmings — trimmings here being potato, peas and the requisite pumpkin pasties — wizardy bevs like pumpkin juice and magical cocktails. There'll also be games (hopefully quidditch) and activities (fingers crossed for a bit of divination) and prizes (a snitch, please). If you have been looking for an unconventional way to celebrate Christmas, well, this is it. Tickets are currently on sale for both the lunch and dinner sittings for 79 galleons a head. You better get your robes ready.
Australian playwright Van Badham is known for her political, sometimes violent plays. Now, after a relationship breakdown and drawing on inspiration from a relic of Ancient Greek pottery in the Ashmolean Museum, she has written a romantic comedy. Based on the Minotaur myth, The Bull, the Moon and the Coronet of Stars is the story of two museum staff whose romantic frisson gets them into a bit of a tangle. With a mix of wordplay, humour and romance, Badham believes she's found a feminist way into a traditionally fluffy genre. This co-production between Merrigong Theatre and Griffin has already received glowing reviews following its premiere in Wollongong and is set to woo Sydney audiences in early May. We chat to Van about feminism, classics and the Minotaur. So, you wrote a play! I wrote a play! Tell me a bit about it. So, about two years ago, in 2011, I was asked to write an audio play based on a piece of pottery held in the collection at the Ashmolean Museum. It was an extraordinary commission; it was funded by the Onassis foundation, which supports a program at Oxford that promotes classical Greek literature and drama. I got this piece of pottery that had a man and a bull and I thought 'wow, that's pretty interesting', because I was mad about Greek myth as a child and I decided I would write something about the Minotaur. So you pulled a whole play out of a shard? The hook with the story was the idea of a museum and what a museum represents, which is the bricolage and mess of the past, the discarded remnants. And it's the discarded remnants that tell you a lot more about a civilisation than its official history. I was in the dying days of a long-term relationship at the time so I was thinking about relationships a lot and it all coalesced into this story, about two people who work in a museum, one of whom is married, and the attraction between them conjures a monster. That is what the Minotaur represented to me, a symbol of misplaced desire and a transgression — a mythological exploration of the Minotaur. So can we talk a bit about myth and classics more generally? Obviously in your case you were commissioned to write a play about a Greek myth so there's a clear starting point, but I have a suspicion that playwrights use classics as a way of tacking on intellectual heft to their plays. No, it's not about intellectual heft. The reason why theatre makers do revert to classical drama and adaptations is that it's very fucking hard to write a play and it's hard to write a play structurally. It's very hard to get it right where you combine spoken verbal language that has semiotic heft as well as create that uncanny valley of interpretability for an actor in performance as well as hooks, mysteries, stories and climactic patterning. So using classics is fine then as a helping hand? Yeah, investing an original structure in any form of literature is very hard. That's the actual challenge. And there's that theory that says there are only nine stories and everything else is a variation. Okay, but shouldn't that be taken as read? That classics will inform all new original works, rather than explicitly basing dramas on classics? Yeah, but realistically, one of the reasons that adaptations are so popular is that they sell tickets. I think that's what Australian audiences adore, going to a show and going 'great, I'm getting cultural cache because one, it was entertaining and two, it ticked the intellectual box of being based on a classic.' Well, this is the thing. Now that I work in programming, I can really see that brand recognition is how people make buying choices and the theatre is not spared from that. I wonder if that makes Australian playwrights scared of doing a straight-out original work that could one day be a classic in its own right. I don't think that's the issue at all. I think it gets back to fact that it's really damn hard to write a very good play. I mean my job at the Malthouse is to read plays. And good writing, brilliant writing is rare. In the time that I was at the Finborough, of the two thousand plays I read I recommended three for production. Three! It's really hard to write a classic. So knowing how hard it is as a playwright, what drives you? You're known as a political playwright, but this play is a romantic comedy... Yes it's a romantic comedy but it's a feminist play. It's about a woman whose real journey is about surviving desire and I don't think I've let women down by writing a play about that. It fulfills all the genre obligations of a romantic comedy but at the same time, I hope, based on my rather extreme level of knowledge in terms of the number of plays I've read in the past few years, I'm pretty close to something that is original in form and content. Ariadne is the female romantic lead in your play and she's defined by her romantic relationship first with Theseus and then with Dionysus. How do you balance this identity with your feminist project? Do you know what's amazing? Is that feminists, some of them, have relationships with men! And they can be really complex. And if you look at the genre of a romantic comedy in a patriarchal paradigm, generally it works with a woman having to make herself more attractive to the masculine ideal of what women should be like. And you've found a way around that? Well, this is what I try to do. My feminist project is to attack that [patriarchal] narrative whilst at the same time working within genres that are associated with women and women's enjoyment. It's romantic and funny, there are some language games in it that are clever and funny that I'm really proud of. It's about the subjective experience of desire and of love and that is quite intoxicating. The Bull, the Moon and the Coronet of Stars is at Sydney's SBW Stables Theatre from May 2 to June 8. More information and tickets here.
If you think attending a film fest is just about sitting down with your popcorn in a theatre and watching movies on a big screen, think again. At this year's Byron Bay Film Festival, they're throwing an alternative way to consume films into the mix — they're going virtual. Rest assured, coast dwellers: going to the cinema to catch a few flicks is still well and truly part of BBFF's tenth year. But if you're looking for something a little less traditional — or you want to find out why everyone is talking about virtual reality headsets Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR — then prepare to enter the virtual realm. If Cannes, TriBeCa and Sundance can tackle this new technological frontier, so can Byron Bay. Given that the festival doesn't take place until October, the full details of their VR program, called Ncube8, are still being finalised — however, you can expect head-mounted displays to be a prominent feature. A handful of mainstream movies already have VR components, such as The Martian, The Hunger Games and Star Wars, but BBFF will be encouraging the creation of fresh content. Not only will the fest host virtual reality workshops, but they'll help eight creatives take the leap into this new kind of storytelling, and offer awards for interactive and immersive experiences. The artistic possibilities are endless. That's great news for filmmakers, and for audiences as well — it will be a whole new way to experience a film festival. And given that Festival Director J'aimee Skippon-Volke and Technical Director Osvaldo Alfaro are also the driving forces behind nearby production house Greenhouse FX 3D|VR, expect BBFF to remain active in embracing VR technology. The 2016 Byron Bay Film Festival runs from October 14 to 24. For more information, keep an eye on their website.
Imagine a world where totalitarian forces rule the United States, women are subjugated to the point of being deemed property, protestors rally in response and the authorities try to keep everyone in line. Okay, imagine a fictionalised version of the above dystopian society — or let The Handmaid's Tale help you. Margaret Atwood's book has been doing just that since 1985, but has had a resurgence in popularity since the Elisabeth Moss-starring Hulu series came out last year. Now, the second season is set to air on SBS tonight, and a group of red-clad ladies have been seen on the streets of Sydney to promote it — and it's freaking people out. The handmaids were seen around Park Street and the Sydney CBD and at Sydney University. It's a very similar promo to one that happened at SXSW last year before the first season premiered. As you may know, handmaids walk in pairs, don't say anything, and generally unnerve everyone around them. If you don't, you have some homework to do. If you're up for even more anxiety-inducing tension, cancel your plans — the first two episodes are released on SBS On Demand at 5pm.
If you've ever dreamed of being a muse or walking artwork, the 19th Biennale of Sydney might just be your chance. Artist Deborah Kelly is on the hunt for 19 life-sized nude portraits to come from the Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane public. As part of an exhibition series entitled In All Our Glory, the portraits will be fashioned through a series of collage workshops through mid-October. The Aussie artist is known for politically motivated works that explore notions of power, and In All Our Glory should be no different. So, thankfully, you needn't be Miranda Kerr to fit the bill; Kelly is scouting portrait subjects of varying ages (18+), colours, sizes, genders and abilities. But there's still room for the camera shy to contribute: Kelly's also seeking donations of unwanted picture and reference books in any condition, in colour or black-and-white. So let the wind through your pubes and make the world take you in all your glory for the 19th Biennale of Sydney, themed You Imagine What You Desire for 2014. You'll be scoring the chance to catch yourself — an artwork — in the series from March 21 until June 9. To be the next Mona Lisa all you need to do is volunteer yourself as a portrait subject by shooting a pic of your face (just face) over to kellyproject@biennaleofsydney.com.au by Friday, 11 October 2013. Drop a line to the same email if you’d like to donate books, or join in on the collage workshops by contacting frances@biennaleofsydney.com.au.
This chat about Talk to Me was meant to be with both of Australia's now world-famous filmmaking twins. But amid a whirlwind past year that's taken Adelaide-born pair Danny and Michael Philippou from a hometown premiere to an international debut at Sundance, then saw their first-ever feature part of a bidding war won by A24, Michael might've accidentally slumbered through our planned rendezvous. The energetic, eager-to-natter Danny is apologetic, and also notes that Michael was a week late to Talk to Me's pre-production, after "he got COVID in Hawaii or something, so he was held back and he couldn't get on the plane". When it comes to getting some shuteye, Michael obviously hasn't watched his own movie lately. There's little snoozing done after seeing this deliciously creepy new Aussie horror standout that's rightly getting the globe's genre lovers buzzing. Now helming 2023's eeriest flick, the Philippous cross over from making viral YouTube videos like Harry Potter VS Star Wars and Driving the World's First Underwater Car as RackaRacka, achieving a dream they've had since they were nine and getting filming in the backyard with their mates. Initially, those aspirations were fed by Goosebumps books, then by getting taken to MA-rated horror flicks. "I remember Michael being really terrified and scared of the remake of Texas Chain Saw Massacre — like he ran out of the cinema, he was so scared," Danny shares. Talk to Me spins its terrors around a helluva concept: an embalmed hand passing dead-and-hating-it spirits into the living's bodies as long as they're giving each other some skin. The film's Aussie teens oblige, including 17-year-old Mia (Sophie Wilde, The Portable Door), her best friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen, Joe vs Carole) and the latter's 14-year-old brother Riley (Joe Bird, First Day). More than that, they get high on the experience, turning it into a party game. And, they're as savvy about internet eyeballs as their directors, also turning their possession party footage into social-media content. The movie's irresistible underlying idea initially came from a short film script by Daley Pearson, executive producer of Bluey and Content, although the hand wasn't initially a part of the story. Danny, who co-wrote the feature script with fellow first-timer Bill Hinzman, grasped onto the disturbing limb as a symbol of connection — and it's now impossible to imagine Talk to Me without its cursed appendage. As the film has hopped around the globe leading up to its theatrical release — the Berlin International Film Festival and fellow Germany festival Fantasy FilmFest also screened it, as did South by Southwest in Austin — the response has been anything but damned. Sitting in A24's catalogue alongside The Witch, Hereditary, Midsommar and In Fabric, plus X, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Pearl and Beau Is Afraid as well, is no minor feat, either. "The whole thing has just been so crazy and overwhelming, and feels so unbelievable. It's so odd. It just still feels like we're dreaming. It feels so surreal," Danny advises. With Talk to Me opening in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, July 27, Danny also chatted with Concrete Playground about wanting to direct movies since the twins were kids, crafting a film about connection, the concept of getting possessed to get high, making the leap from YouTube and crew gigs on The Babadook to the big screen, and whether there's more of Talk to Me's nightmares in horror fans' futures. ON THE ORIGINAL FILMMAKING DREAM — AND MAKING IT HAPPEN "It was always our goal from from nine years old, ever since we started making stuff — we always wanted to make films and television. That's always been our dream and our goal and, yeah, you always just picture it and envision it. But it's just happening on such a massive scale now that it still feels unbelievable. I remember we were making stuff all the way through our childhood, and we had this series that we were doing with our best friends. We just did that all the way through high school, like 13 to 18 years old, about ten seasons of this show — and we ended the last couple of seasons with these big movies. On the sixth and final film of this series that we're doing, everyone was losing interest and growing up, everyone was getting jobs, getting girlfriends, doing this, doing that. And then we were just still wanting to do this stuff, and we could only get together on the weekends — and everyone's like 'hey, we don't really want to do this anymore'. So we still needed to find a way to express ourselves creatively, and then we started the internet stuff. Within the first year of RackaRacka, we somehow we we got a million subscribers in the first year, and it just became our careers. But we got carried away doing that. It was so much fun because there's instant gratification of shooting, uploading, shooting, uploading. But we always wanted to return back to the film stuff, and it just happened. In 2018 or 19, we decided to sit down and actually focus on trying to get a film made." ON RECEIVING DALEY PEARSON'S SCRIPT, THEN COMING UP WITH THE HAND "He gave us a short film. It was a comedy-horror about these kids that were having fun with possession, and it was so cool. So I did a pass and made it a bit more serious, and then I inserted the characters that I really loved that I was working on for another project, which was Mia and Riley and Jade. Once I started writing, I couldn't stop — and it was like 80 pages within five days. I sent it over to my co-writer Bill Hinzman. He went through, we started like bouncing back and forth. Probably around the second draft, we found the hand as the device that they're using. Hands and the connections between people was always such a strong motif in the film already, and it fits thematically. I remember this story from when I was 16, and I was in a really bad car accident, and they thought I might have broken my spine. And I had this big cut on my face, I was bleeding everywhere — and I was in hospital, and I was shaking and shaking, and I couldn't stop shaking. And they're putting the heaters on. They're giving me all these blankets. But I just couldn't stop shaking. Then my sister came in to visit me, and she held my hand and the shaking just stopped. It wasn't because I was cold, with the shaking. It was because I was in shock and the touch of someone I loved brought me out of it. And so that always stuck with me, that experience — there was just something powerful to me about human connection. So that was just all the way through the script already, like I'd written so much of it in there. Then we just found that device, in that second pass. It just felt strong." ON THE CONCEPT OF GETTING POSSESSED TO GET HIGH, AND FILMING IT "Another big inspiring point for me was these neighbours we watched grow up. Then one of them, as he was getting older, was experimenting with drugs — and he was on the floor convulsing and having a really negative reaction. And the kids he was with were filming him and laughing at him. I remember seeing that footage, and it really freaking me out. I just tapped into that when I was writing — like, when I saw that footage, that was all the way through this film. And it just feels like what would actually happen. Everyone has such a morbid curiosity and obsession with true crime and the paranormal. People want haunted experiences. They want to do the Ouija board and film it — everything's recorded now. So it just makes sense to me." ON DIVING INTO BUSY HORROR TERRITORY, YET MAKING A MOVIE THAT STANDS OUT "I think that not being scared of the tropes is one thing. And not being ashamed that we're making a horror film — like embracing the horror of it, and embracing the tropes of certain elements and scenes. But also just writing a story that wasn't trying to be a big Hollywood movie, or trying to be like other films. It's writing something that's just personal to me, and to my experience, and my friends' experiences or family's experiences. It's tapping into stuff like my family's history of mental illness, and then exploring that. It was always about writing things that scared me personally. And so that was the way of expressing it, at the table with co-writer Bill Hinzman, it was just tapping at the things that scared us personally. It has to feel unique because it's your own story. And then it has to feel unique with the actors that we got because they were able to put themselves into their characters and completely embody it. It can't feel like anything else, because it's unlike anything else, because it's so personal." ON LEANING INTO SOME HORROR TROPES BUT AVOIDING OTHERS "Even things like their voices changing and and being in a body with someone else, I really love that in in horror. It's even small things like the animal — there's like a trope in horror of the dead animal on the side of the road, and I liked doing our Australian spin on it. And I also like that it just tied so well into the things that we're playing with already. So that's an example of a trope that we embraced. And a trope that we avoided — I didn't want it to get too big and crazy. I didn't want all the lights to go too crazy, be flashing and stuff, be flying around the room, and everyone's hair be blowing everywhere. I wanted the possessions to still be grounded in some sort of reality." ON RACKARACKA AND THE BABADOOK AS PREPARATION FOR MAKING A FEATURE "We had so much experience with so many things, even the makeup effects. Bec Buratto, who would help us with all of our Racka stuff for free, we got on to be the head of department in the film. So it was bringing those people with us as well. But each of those videos, and every project that you do, your experience grows and you learn from everything. So we just learned so much that when it was time to do the film, we'd done VFX before, we'd done special effects makeup, we'd worked with actors, we'd built sets. We know how to communicate what we want to do, and we'd developed our own style. So we weren't going in there not really knowing what we're doing — we'd worked on film sets before, and we'd worked on so many Racka productions that we had a clear voice. We used to do so much work experience and volunteer work on a bunch of different films just to be on set, because we were so obsessed with it. And so when Mike was 19, he'd done a whole bunch of jobs for free, and the producer, one of the line producers, was like 'I'm going to get you a paid job — you can't keep doing this for free'. So he got him his first paid job, which was The Babadook. It was the runner on there, so he drove around Essie Davis and Jennifer Kent. And he was able really able to be on set, and listen and learn, and just to see how sets are navigated and run. Then I was on set just helping out the lighting department. We both, Michael and I, could see how passionate Jen was. And it was one of the first directors, I think the first director that we saw, that cared so much. This wasn't just like a job or just making something to make something. She was making art. And she was putting her soul into it. So that was so inspiring to see someone so passionate, and to live and breathe their project. That rubbed off on us for sure." ON SPENDING MORE TIME IN TALK TO ME'S WORLD "It's so funny — we've written such an in-depth mythology bible about the backstory of the hand, the spirits that are possessing the kids, and there's just so many seeds that we planted. Even when we're writing the first film, I was writing scenes for a second film — and me and the other writer were always discussing it and talking about it. The idea of franchising or doing a sequel is so exciting to us. I'd love the opportunity to do that — that be so, so cool." Talk to Me opens in Australian and New Zealand cinemas on July 27. Read our review.
Though Sydney is filled with some awesome yoga studios, there are very few chances for city slickin' yogis to breathe in fresh air while trying out their best crane pose. Pocket City Farms is connecting mind and body to the actual earth with outdoor yoga classes that overlook their urban farm. From Saturday, July 9, the one-hour classes are open to all levels and will be run by Jivamukti Yoga Sydney. The studio's focus is on compassion for all beings and so it's an especially smart partnership for the farm, which is focused on bringing city dwellers closer to the natural world. For those worried about the winter chill, the practice will be held in a heated pavilion overlooking the market garden, with additional heaters and clear blinds also available for the cooler mornings. You can sign up for both weekday and weekend classes in advance here or just drop in on the day — they've got plenty of space in the great outdoors.
Here's one way to brighten up this supremely frosty winter: rug up indoors, get cosy on the couch and belt out a tune while watching your favourite Disney musicals. Earlier this year, the Mouse House announced that it was bringing sing-along versions of heap of its popular flicks to Disney+, starting with Encanto. If you're done singing about Bruno, you can now look forward to crooning along with The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast as well. The OG animated version of The Lion King — not the recent live-action version — is getting the at-home karaoke treatment, hitting the streaming platform on Friday, August 5. Yes, that's when you'll be able to feel the love (tonight), and celebrate the circle of life as well. It'll be joined by a sing-long version of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, so there's your double feature sorted. Prefer to sing about being someone's guest or tales as old as time instead? Then make a music-filled date with Beauty and the Beast — both versions — on Friday, August 19. So, you can pick between the 1991 animated flick and the 2017 live-action movie, or give your lungs a workout to both back to back. Plus, if you're not done with Disney fairy tales, Tangled will also get the sing-along treatment on the same date. Gone are the days when you had to wait for special cinema screenings to do what everyone can't stop themselves from doing while watching these films anyway — which, depending on how well you can hold a tune or how confident you are singing in public, might be a blessing. If you're new to the whole sing-along setup, as you watch, lyrics will dance across your TV screen when it's time to belt out ballads. So, if you don't know all the words yet (or if you're viewing with someone who thinks they do, but inserts their own mistaken lyrics), they'll all be there for you. Disney+ currently has sing-along versions of Moana and The Little Mermaid available as well — and, as also announced earlier this year, Frozen and Frozen 2 are on their way. The sing-along versions of The Lion King and The Lion King II: Simba's Pride will be available to stream via Disney+ from Friday, August 5 — and sing-along versions of both the animated and live-action versions of Beauty and the Beast, as well as Tangled, will hit on Friday, August 19.
Bingo. Rave. Two ends of the spectrum of fine holiday fun finally came together in Australia this year. Bongo's Bingo is a games night like you've never seen before. Part club, part rave, and, of course, part bingo night, this unlikely fusion event has been wildly popular in the UK since 2015. They took the show on the road, launching in Australia this June and coming back in August. And, it went so well, they're doing it all yet again. Patrons can expect all of the debauchery of the original British version of Bongo's Bingo, including rave intervals, dancing on tables and a loose kind of bingo that you definitely never played with your nan (well, maybe you have). The victorious players can win everything from big cash prizes to a Hills Hoist, with a range of some absolutely ridiculous surprises on offer. Bongo's Bingo comes to 215 Euston Road, Alexandria on October 20 and 21, before heading to the Rooty Hill RSL on October 27.
Anything humans can eat, dogs think that they can munch on as well. But as every responsible pet parent knows, that isn't actually the case. So, we've all weathered those adorable, yearning, pleading looks from our beloved pooches as we've tucked into something that they'd like to taste as well. And, we've all felt the heartbreak at letting our cute critters down — even though it's for their health. Does your doggo get a twinkle in their eye whenever there's a doughnut around? It wouldn't be the first — and, until Monday, September 18, it's in luck. For International Dog Day on Saturday, August 26, Krispy Kreme has announced the return of its limited-edition range of "doggie doughnuts". They're doughnut-inspired dog biscuits, actually, but they sure do look like the real thing. First introduced in 2021, the eye-catching bikkies are a collaboration with Sunshine Coast-based pet treats business Huds and Toke, and they come in six different varieties. If you love Krispy Kreme's original glazed doughnuts, perhaps your pupper will adore the dog biscuit version as well. Or, you could let then go barking mad over choc iced, choc cookie, choc cheesecake, choc sprinkles and strawberry sprinkles varieties. The biscuits aren't made from doughnuts or from chocolate, of course; instead, they use a hard-baked cookie base, as well as frosting made from ingredients like carob that's been designed specifically for dog jaws. The bikkies are also meant to be good for chewing and for dental cleaning — and they're designed to last longer than your usual dog treat. If these round delights will get your four-legged friend's tail wagging, you can buy them in six-packs (for $14.90) while stocks last at Krispy Kreme stores — including via drive-thru. And, they are just for pets. So, just like how Fido or Rover can't have your doughnut, you can't have their version either. Grab some on the weekend of Saturday, August 26–Sunday, August 27 and you'll also score a complimentary pup cup. Krispy Kreme's doggie doughnuts are now available from the chain's stores in Australia and New Zealand until Monday, September 18. Images: Michael Leckie / PinPep.
With graceful, repurposed trolleys and plays in your lounge room, Art & About is making us rethink the familiar. And what's more familiar than everyone's favourite leafy, cafe-on-every-corner suburb of Surry Hills? Mei Tsering's The Hungry Ghost Walk is an immersive theatre app that will open your eyes to a few things about the suburb that was more slum than style in the early 1900s. After downloading the free app on a smartphone and heading to start point Bourke Street Bakery, individual theatre adventurers are introduced to a sleep-deprived Eddie, who is curious to unearth a troubling family mystery. Eddie finds out more about his Chinese ancestry and tries to feed his Hungry Ghost, and with every step, rarely told stories are uncovered about the early Chinese community who called Surry Hills home. Relying on a gripping soundscape by Nick Wishart, The Hungry Ghost Walk app uses binaural technology, meaning you'll hear things from all directions, so a good set of headphones is a must. Post-play pins and needles from sitting still for two hours are likely to be avoided here, but sensible shoes would be, well, sensible. The app also features graphics by world-conquering Sydney artist Matt Huynh and the voice work of actors Charles Wu, Odile Le Clezio and Gabrielle Chan, directed by Susanna Dowling (Girl in Tan Boots). Leave behind the incessant whisperers and loud laughers who annoy you at the theatre, and prepare yourself for a sensory adventure solo. The Hungry Ghost Walk is now available for free download from the iTunes App Store or Google Play for Android. Art & About is on until October 12, though The Hungry Ghost Walk will live on after. Top image by Newtown grafitti via photopin cc.
Bringing a splash of greenery and some of the area's best eats to a Parramatta backstreet, Circa Espresso has carved out a name for itself as one of the best cafes in Western Sydney. Its new sibling venue Lucien Baked Goods continues the team's hot streak but with an increased focus on the sweeter side of life. Lucien brings Circa's passion for top-notch flavours to the world of baked goods, swapping crab fettucini for decadent cheesecake, and trading the train station for the Parramatta ferry terminal. Located down by the river on Phillip Street, the part-bakery part-cafe boasts a hefty sourdough sandwich menu and a range of snacky delights that are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth. If you head in on the hunt for the baked good of your choice, you can expect the likes of croissants, brownies, pistachio scrolls and Persian love cake. As for the sambos, there are seven to choose from including a loaded reuben, a smoked salmon and goats cheese combo, and a confit duck sandwich topped with pickled carrot, onion jam and salted zucchini — plus some classic breakfast faves like avocado toast and a bacon and egg roll. Head Pastry Chef Aeline Ribis and the Lucien team bake several times a day to ensure the goods are as fresh as possible. If you want to make sure you'll get your hands on something specific, including Lucien's range of next-level cakes, you can pre-order online. If you've got a birthday coming up and want to go above and beyond your standard Woolies mud cake, you'll find party-ready black forest cake, choux crown cake and huge share sizes of tiramisu, custard tart and passionfruit meringue tart. Rounding out the offerings is a robust range of drinks. Whether you're a flat white lover or a cold brew fanatic, you'll find Circa's signature in-house coffee, alongside a range of tea from Ms Cattea (the coconut truffle white tea sounds particularly alluring) and other miscellaneous drinks like smoked cola, lemon myrtle kombucha, Egyptian iced tea and iced chai. Lucien Baked Goods is located at 111 Phillip Street, Parramatta. It's open 6.30am–1.30pm Monday–Friday and 7.30am–midday Saturday–Sunday.
Escape the office in time for a game of sunset bowls at Clovelly Bowling Club. Perched right on the cliff overlooking the sea, the bowlo is the perfect place to soak up the last rays of afternoon sun and ogle a glorious summer sunset next to the ocean. Round up the workmates for a $15 (per person) game of barefoot bowls, which also includes a beginner's lesson if needed. Hot tip: stop by the supermarket on the way there to pick up some meaty treats. The club provides free barbecue facilities for bowls players.
Burnham Beeches, an Art Deco mansion and 22-hectare estate in the Dandenong Ranges is getting a major makeover by Six Senses. The international luxury resort group has famous properties in Oman and Bali, but this will be its very first Australian venture. It'll also come with all the lavish trimmings you can expect from Six Senses. This mansion, designed by Harry Norris in 1933, will first open with just 43 guest accommodations alongside a restaurant, library bar, large terrace and rooftop retreat covered in foliage — perfect for its forest location. Six Senses is also planning to have a separate two-bedroom cottage and some glamping sites scattered throughout the property. But this is all subject to planning applications that are still in the works. If the project plan makes it through, it will be one of the best ways to experience the Dandenong Ranges. These campsites will be set with the native forest and conveniently located next to a truffle farm. Design wise, new and old Art Deco features will reign supreme. And the flamboyant nature of this period will be ramped right up. Think of it as an Australian hotel of the Great Gatsby era, made for lavish champagne-filled parties. But there will be a strong sustainable ethos throughout as well. The restaurant will source much of its produce from the on-site farm which will also be used for education purposes around sustainable farming and practices The herb garden is even set to produce healing and aromatic plants for use in the Alchemy Bar workshops and Six Senses Spa treatments. [caption id="attachment_692634" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Keppel Lookout, Mount Dandenong, Visit Victoria[/caption] Guests should also be able to explore the historical, ecological, cultural and indigenous stories from Burnham Beeches and the surrounding region. These lands originally belonged to the Wurundjeri and Kulin nations — and the Six Senses team plan to acknowledge this through the art, architecture, signage, and landscaping throughout the extensive grounds. The Six Senses is putting a uniquely Australian stamp on this property, which is slated to open sometime in 2025. We will be patiently waiting. Check out the Six Senses Instagram page for more updates. Now you can book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips, and discover inspiring deals on flights, stays and experiences.
Since September 2022, Enmore Road has been classified as a Special Entertainment Precinct under a trial from the New South Wales Government and Inner West Council. The classification grants businesses a range of special allowances to encourage live music, al fresco dining and nightlife. It's also the same classification that was first given to Enmore Theatre in 2021. While the trial has already been extended once, and was now set to end in July, the Inner West Council has just voted unanimously at its latest meeting on Tuesday, March 15 to make the precinct permanent. A report released by the council showed that 100 percent of Enmore Road businesses that completed its survey about the precinct classification were in favour of it coming on full-time, while 91.3 percent of visitors indicated support and 63 percent of local residents were in favour. [caption id="attachment_850746" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ben Sanford[/caption] The biggest issue that residents had with the precinct, especially those on streets directly off Enmore Road, was its impact on street parking — one of a few speed bumps that the council addressed at the meeting. "As with any new pilot and any new idea, there are hiccups, there are things to be ironed out, and it's critically important that we are proactive in our response and continue to engage with affected members of the community to bring them along with us," said Inner West Councillor for the Stanmore-Damun Ward Chloe Smith. "If we want this to be a success, it's not just dependant on having the support of the local business community or having the support of visitors, but also having support of residents who live in and around the SEP [Special Entertainment Precinct]." If the precinct classification does become permanent, the Inner West Council is pushing for amendments and concessions that will address any issues with curbside and resident parking, noise, litter and accessibility. This includes a parking impact study that will be brought forward from 2026 to this year, encouragement of public transport use and the 'Good Neighbour' policy — a strategy that the council has previously implemented in scenarios like the recent noise complaints surrounding The Great Club. Under the program, venues that host at least 45 minutes of live music can extend their trading hours by 30 minutes on nights when the music occurs; all noise complaints are being handled by the Inner West Council, which is looking to make the process as streamlined as possible in order to minimise disruption to venues; and footpath dining is permitted until 11pm. "The extended live performance and trading hours is like a stamp of approval, which gave us confidence to keep our shows on for more people to enjoy later into the night," Jacquiline Cunningham, the owner of Secret Garden Bar, said when the precinct's extension until July was announced. "We hired more artists, and with great live bands, drag shows and comedies free of charge, our bar has been ever more popular among punters. This trial has been a win for all." Enmore Road has continued to hold its status as one of Sydney's most exciting streets across the program's early run. Alongside top-notch live music programs from stalwarts of the Inner West street like Enmore Theatre, The Midnight Special and The Duke of Enmore, the thoroughfare has also seen even more vibrant venues open across including Bar Planet, Enmore Country Club, Bar Lousie and Irene's. Find out more information about Enmore Road's Special Entertainment Precinct trial via the Inner West Council. Top image: Enmore Country Club, Angus Bell Young
Saint Cloche gallery on MacDonald Street in Paddington has consistently been a home for some of the most talented and collectible emerging artists in Australia. The latest exhibition from Sydney-based artist Leanne Xiu Williams continues the trend with a stunning collection of her still life paintings, titled 'Vessels'. The show, which runs at Saint Cloche from Wednesday 10 May until Sunday, 21 May, is — as the name of the show suggests — a focus on objects that can hold and contain something. It might sound a little dry but it represents much more. According to Williams's exhibition notes: "[vessels] are wonderful metaphors for the way in which objects in our everyday lives hold meaning. They contain layered histories and stories which are shaped by our engagement with them. Objects can also characterise a place or person - they reveal much about a person's interests and habits." Regardless of the metaphor, Leanne Xiu Williams's paintings are strikingly beautiful and she's a contemporary artist whose work won't date any time soon. [caption id="attachment_899246" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Candle and Match by Leanne Xiu Williams; the image has been edited for use online[/caption] Photography credit: Miki Mikka
Chapters close, but new ones begin, as the Bentley Restaurant Group has announced significant venue news. After 13 years and two hats, Monopole will close, serving its last dinner service on Sunday, September 6. Following eight bustling years as an award-winning wine bar in Potts Point, the restaurant made the move to the CBD in 2020, later reinventing itself as a fine French diner. With the venue's lease ending, owners Nick Hildebrandt and Brent Savage say the time was right to wind things up — at least for now. "We are extremely proud of what we've achieved at Monopole, both in the original Potts Point location and the CDB — an enormous amount of talent has graced both the kitchen and the floor. Monopole was a ground-breaking wine bar when we opened it and has always pushed the envelope, holding two hats for 10 years and winning multiple awards for its wine list, and while we're sad that the lease has finished, we will never say never for a Monopole in the future." [caption id="attachment_971050" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Monopole[/caption] Yet the duo aren't wasting any time before launching into their next venture. Monopole's closure is met with the opening of Watermans — an Eastern Mediterranean restaurant set to move into the recently completed One Sydney Harbour development in Barangaroo. Located just metres from Sydney Harbour, the pair has teamed up with respected chef Darryl Martin (Barzaari), who will lead the kitchen as executive chef. Open daily for lunch and dinner, guests can expect Levant-inspired cuisine produced from top-notch Australian produce. "I'm thrilled to welcome Darryl into The Bentley Group family," says Savage. "[Watermans] has a strong emphasis on vegetable-forward dishes, and it's been fun to collaborate with Darryl, whose cooking I've long admired, especially his work at Barzaari." [caption id="attachment_963691" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Monopole[/caption] With the full details still to be revealed, opening menu highlights span warm hummus with green zhoug; pickled watermelon and raw tuna salad with sumac; and pomegranate-glazed slow-cooked lamb shoulder with pickled radishes and black lime. Served within a 120-seat venue, an outdoor dining area will feature two inviting pergolas immersed in greenery, while the interior offers bespoke lighting and finishes alongside a custom-made woodfired grill and oven. Ahead of Watermans October opening, co-owner and sommelier Nick Hildebrandt reflects on a massive 12 months: "2025 has been a huge year for The Bentley Group. We started the year with the launch of Eleven Barrack and we're ending the year back in Barangaroo with Watermans, right in time for summer." [caption id="attachment_971051" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Monopole[/caption] Watermans is expected to open at One Sydney Harbour in October, while Monopole will close on Sunday, September 6. Head to the website for more information.
Another year has come and gone, and Sydney's cinema community is ramping up for the return of one of its biggest events: the beloved short film festival Flickerfest. If you're not impressed by the slate of Hollywood's full-length film lineup anymore, then you need an evening at this festival of short films, which happens to be Australia's only Academy® Qualifying International short film festival. Returning to Bondi Pavilion for the 34th year running, Flickerfest runs from Friday, January 17 to Sunday, January 26 in Sydney before it packs up to tour screens across Australia. The festival program is comprised of 200 top films (handpicked from over 3500 entries) that will delight audiences while vying for prestigious awards like the Flickerfest Award for Best International Short Film, the Yoram Gross Award for Best International Animation, the Panasonic Lumix for Best Australian Short Film and the Flickerfest Award for Best Documentary - all of which are Academy® qualifying. Flickerfest prides itself on promoting talented, diverse filmmakers of all ages and walks of life. Elements of the program like Rainbow Shorts celebrate the work of LGBTQI+ storytellers; FlickerKids gathers the best of the family-friendly program; FlickerUp showcases the work of young filmmakers and Short Laughs keeps the audience laughing with a focus on hilarious comedy titles. All this, as mentioned, takes place in the stunning Bondi Pavilion. A great location like this means you can enjoy a meal or a swim in Bondi before the show. Then grab a drink from the festivals bar before you take your seat in the comfy indoor air conditioned theatre or outdoors in the Pav's palm tree-lined courtyard and enjoy a night of films under the stars with a drink in hand. After wrapping up its Sydney stint, Flickerfest will embark on its annual nationwide tour, appearing in over 40 venues across the country throughout 2025. The 34th Flickerfest International Film Festival will run from Friday, January 17 to Sunday, January 26. Tickets and the full 2025 program are available now. For more information, head to the website.
In its entire concept, Sydney Opera House's All About Women has always pushed girls, ladies and women to the front. So, when the venue announced that the next version of its key feminist festival would feature riot grrrl pioneers Bikini Kill, it couldn't have been a more perfect way to start its lineup. That in-conversation event is just the beginning of the event's 2023 program, however, with the just-announced complete bill also going big on high-profile guests — such as child actor-turned-I'm Glad My Mom Died author Jennette McCurdy and human rights barrister Jennifer Robinson. Former iCarly star McCurdy will chat through her experiences, including growing up in the spotlight, finding her independence and the events that led to her New York Times best-selling memoir, in an Australian-exclusive conversation. After successfully representing Amber Heard in Johnny Depp's UK libel case, Robinson will feature in a panel called 'The War on Women', about fighting for both rights and lives, alongside Egyptian American journalist Mona Eltahawy, Pakistani author and journalist Fatima Bhutto, and Mununjali Yugambeh and South Sea Islander Professor Chelsea Watego. [caption id="attachment_885156" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jennifer Robinson by Kate Peters[/caption] Running from Saturday, March 11—Monday, March 13, All About Women's 2023 festival marks its 11th, and sees the event held across three days for the first time ever — growing again after it only just expanded to two days in 2022, in fact. And, in another significant change for this year, the event's lineup is guided by four festival co-curators. Doing the honours: author, podcast presenter and gender equality advocate Jamila Rizvi; Gamilaroi academic and Tell Me Again author Dr Amy Thunig; feminist social commentator, novelist and writer Jane Caro AM; and Sydney Opera House's Head of Talks and Ideas Chip Rolley. Their full program includes 25 events featuring 60-plus international and Australian artists, thinkers, and storytellers, starting with an evening of storytelling, poetry, dance and music for the fest's Opening Night Gala, hosted by Clare Bowditch and featuring actor Eryn Jean Norvill (The Picture of Dorian Gray), "mother of African contemporary dance" Germaine Acogny, Iranian Australian singer and instrumentalist Gelareh Pour, and Fatima Bhutto. And, it also spans Cult Classic author Sloane Crosley chatting about modern dating with journalist Maddison Connaughton — and a romance and reality TV-focused discussion between Bachelorette Brooke Blurton, Just The Gist podcaster Rosie Waterland, and Gamilaroi and Torres Strait Islander writer and actor Nakkiah Lui. [caption id="attachment_885157" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brooke Blurton by Jarrad Seng[/caption] In a session about neurodivergence in women and gender-diverse people, 2021 Australian of the Year Grace Tame, Heartbreak High's Chloe Hayden, and research psychologist and activist Dr Jac den Houting will talk with Thunig — and a panel examining trying to achieve justice in sexual abuse claims, and the trauma the process can bring, will feature sexual assault law reform advocate Saxon Mullins, criminal lawyer Katrina Marson, Yorta Yorta woman and survivor advocate Amanda Morgan, and lawyer and author Bri Lee. Or, attendees can look forward to Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies scholar Kylie Moore-Gilbert hosting a session on the women-led revolution in Iran, as joined by Pour, scholar and poet Dr Saba Vasefi, and author and journalist Shokoofeh Azar; plus a panel about the body positivity movement's struggles to be genuinely inclusive, featuring Wadjanbarra Yidinji, Jirrbal and African-American former model Sasha Kutabah Sarago, body love activist and podcaster April Hélène-Horton aka The Bodzilla, fashion editor and queer rights activist Deni Todorovič, disability rights campaigner Elly Desmarchelier, and comedian and broadcaster Tanya Hennessy. [caption id="attachment_844646" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jacquie Manning[/caption] The list goes on, covering Clementine Ford exploring the history of demonising single women, a session on women's activism through a First Nations lens, diving into starting a family in a modern world, unpacking gendered emotions, and turning Eltahawy's FEMINIST GIANT newsletter into a panel. The Girlboss movement, making tough decisions, the shame often imposed on women and girls, leading movements, a Bikini Kill gig: they all get their time in focus, too. Just like in 2022, the festival will host its sessions in-person for Sydneysiders, and will also live-stream to viewers both around Australia and worldwide — which is ace news if you live outside of the Harbour City. [caption id="attachment_874299" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Debi Del Grande[/caption] All About Women 2023 will take place from Saturday, March 11—Monday, March 13 at the Sydney Opera House, with tickets on sale from 12pm AEDT on Thursday, January 19. Head to the festival's website for further details. Top image: Jennette McCurdy by Brian Kimskey.
Reading about Patty Boyd's life in a one paragraph summary causes two basic emotions: polite pangs of envy and sheer out-and-out, green-eyed jealousy. Having made her mark in London modeling for the likes of David Bailey and Mary Quant, Boyd was cast as a Beatles fan in the 1964 film A Hard Day's Night, on which set George Harrison became besotted and asked her to marry him immediately (it happened two years later). From there she would take LSD with the band for the first time and experience all manner of fan-frenzy, and introduce The Beatles to the now revered Indian guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Later she would rebuff Mick Jagger, and marry Eric Clapton, inspiring the song "Layla". To put it simply, Patty Boyd was there. She experienced the swinging sixties, the Carnaby set, the mystical Indian hippy vibes, and yes, the affairs, the addictions and the divorces. Not just a muse, however, Boyd kept her camera close by, taking some of the most intimate portraits of that era known today, free of any press-shot censorship.A large selection of these images — over fifty in fact — are currently on display in Through the Eyes of a Muse - The Photography of Pattie Boyd at Paddington's Blender Gallery. A smattering of those seen in the photos are both Harrison and Clapton in poses so comfortable they may just make you blush, alongside her friends from The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Cream and more. Not mere snapshots, Boyd is an accomplished photographer who managed to use her status and emotional proximity to her subjects to capture them in rarely seen moments of honesty as well as turning the lens back to herself every now and then.
Winter is coming, as Game of Thrones has been telling us for years — but the show's final season is coming first. Before the weather turns cold again in the southern hemisphere, fans of the epic HBO series will be able to discover how the popular series wraps up, with the eighth and final season hitting the small screen at 11am on Monday, April 15. That's next week, friends. Prepare the snacks. And with the final season, will come the death of many more cherished characters. As George RR Martin has shown us, over and over and over again, no one is safe from his murderous pen (or keyboard) — any character's death is fair game. The list of deaths in the first seven seasons is long — longer than even Arya Stark's list — and the fallen are being commemorated in an eerie new Game of Thrones cemetery, which has popped up in Sydney. Yes, right here in Australia. Two mausoleums and many, intricately designed, gravestones have been spread across 2000 square metres of Sydney's sprawling Centennial Park by Foxtel, ahead of next week's series premiere. And each is inscribed with the names of who lays inside. There are the fallen Starks: Eddard, Benjen and Rickon; the Baratheons (or should we say Lannisters): King Tommen, Joffrey and Robert; and the Stark direwolves: Shaggy Dog, slain by Smalljon Umber in S06E09, and Summer, mauled by wights in S06E05. [caption id="attachment_716483" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hodor's grave.[/caption] We'll never forget who else died in that latter episode — 'The Door' — either: Hodor. He has his own gravestone, as do other series favourites: Khal Drogo, the Sand Snakes and Oberyn Martell. Some of the more disliked characters are also remembered here, including Tywin Lannister, Walder Frey and Ramsay Bolton — whose grave is, fittingly, surrounded by barbed wire. Visitors to the cemetery, dubbed the Grave of Thrones, can download a map of the graves and listen to an eerie audio tour of the cemetery. [caption id="attachment_716488" align="alignnone" width="1920"] King Joffrey Baratheon's grave.[/caption] With the final season promising a huge final battle between the living and the White Walkers, we think this cemetery, which features hands and animals emerging from the graves, may also be ominously hinting to something else: we're going to see the return of many favourite fallen characters — as wights. In the offical trailer, dropped last month, you see Arya running through the halls of Winterfell — could she be running from something, newly reanimated, in the crypts? Then, there's this Crypts of Winterfell teaser. We'll let you continue speculating for yourselves, but expect one helluvan emotional Walking Dead-style murdering-of-fallen-friends battle to go down this season. Prepare many boxes of tissues. In the meantime, we suggest you jump on one of those electric Lime E Bikes and head on down to the cemetery in Centennial Park — you'll find it on Grand Drive near the kids' bike path. Maybe you'll find other hints scattered throughout, too. If you're not in Sydney, we suggest you carefully look through the images above, and the rest of the cemetery online here. Find Foxtel's Grave of Thrones at Fearnley Grounds, Centennial Park, NSW. It's open from 7am–6pm from Friday, April 12 till Sunday, April 14. Game of Thrones Season 8 premieres at 11am on Monday, April 15 on Foxtel.
After its Australian debut saw 1000 Sydneysiders board a cruise ship for last year's immersive Titanic Experience, Beyond Cinema has decided to go all in with their fantastical cinematic extravaganzas — having already announced three new events for 2018. Just earlier this month, the immersive cinema company announced it'll transform a Melbourne CBD building into a jail for The Shawshank Redemption experience on June 30, and takeover Sydney's sandstone castle at Curzon Hall, Mansfield for The Great Gatsby version on August 19. Tickets for both events are currently on sale, with tickets including the film screening and additional options ranging from canapés or 'prison food' to bottomless drinks and a full sit-down dinner. Now, the cinematic journey will take a leap down the rabbit hole for a Sydney Mad Hatter's Tea Party. Transcending the boundary between film and imagination, the three-hour Alice in Wonderland-themed immersive experience will of course centre around English afternoon tea, which, like the film, will go insanely awry with bottomless 'potions' and punches. As with other events, fancy dress is required, which in this case will be your most colourful and bizarre outfit. Each attendee will also be assigned a character to gear their dress-up toward. It is unclear what film will be screened with this one, though, of course, there's bound to be some form of wild cinematic entertainment for guests. The location will remain secret for now and the date has not yet been announced, but you can sign up for pre-release tickets and get the latest updates here. Just don't be late. The Mad Hatter's Tea Party will happen in Sydney sometime in 2018. For updates on tickets, register here.
UPDATE: AUGUST 22, 2018 — The final master plan for the GreenWay has been officially adopted by the Inner West Council, which means that design development for the missing links along the path can begin. A development application will be lodged for the 'central links' later this month, and consultation with the community on the 'southern links' will begin in September. The inner west's much-talked-about, long-dreamed-about GreenWay is one step closer to becoming a reality with the draft master plan for the project revealed last week. The car-free pedestrian, cycling and biodiversity corridor, which has been in the works for upward of ten years, will be comparable to other world-class GreenWays in the US, including New York's High Line and the Chicago 606. Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne described the 5.8-kilometre GreenWay, which'll run from Cooks River in Earlwood to Iron Cove in Leichhardt, following the light rail's route, as "an ecological and active transport corridor that facilitates a range of passive and active recreation opportunities and incorporates local places for culture and art." It's set to be a big win for cyclists, connecting popular trails the Bay Run and Cooks River Cycleway, and boasting a mix of parkland, sporting facilities and cultural sites. Key plans for the project include a series of new or improved open public spaces for the light rail corridor in Dulwich Hill and Lewisham West, upgraded road crossings, a new bridge over the Cooks River, and a new accessible shared pathway running the entire length of the Green Way. Heading up the ambitious project is Australian design firm McGregor Coxall, who also designed The Calyx in Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens. The bulk of the project's work will happen between 2019 and 2022, with additional works implemented over the next 15 years, depending on funding. The total project is expected to cost $57 million. Images: McGregor Coxall
Plenty can happen in five years — and, across a time that saw a worldwide pandemic hit, shutdowns and lockdowns sweep the globe, life as everyone knew it change and then normality largely return, plenty did. Something that hasn't occurred Down Under since 2019, however, is music festival Rolling Loud. That'll change in 2024. The world's biggest hip hop fest has finally locked in a return trip to Australia, after debuting on our shores with a Future-led lineup in Sydney in pre-COVID-19 times. Obviously, the delay in coming back is understandable. In good news for festivalgoers, Rolling Loud is doubling its Aussie footprint when it makes it second trip, expanding to Melbourne as well. This is still a summer event, starting at Sydney's GIANTS Stadium on Friday, January 26 before hitting Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne on Saturday, January 27. As for who'll be on the bill, that news is coming on Wednesday, October 25. "We are hyped to come back to Australia for the first time in years," said Rolling Loud co-founders Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif, announcing the event's Aussie return. "The Sydney fans were so passionate in 2019, so we are eager to return Down Under, and bring Rolling Loud to more cities this time. The Aussie shows will be a unique Rolling Loud experience, and we're excited for everyone to see what's in store." Since its first outing in Miami back in 2015, Rolling Loud has expanded to Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, and also to Thailand, Canada, Germany, The Netherlands and Portugal as well. Past sell-out events have seen names like Kendrick Lamar, Cardi B, Lil Wayne, Young Thug, Post Malone and Migos all grace the festival's stage. At 2023's Miami event, Travis Scott, A$AP Rocky and Playboi Carti led the bill, with Lil Uzi Vert, Ice Spice and 21 Savage also on the roster — and Turnstile becoming the first-ever rock band to hit the fest. Whoever is on the Aussie 2024 lineup, they'll be part of a ten-year celebration for Rolling Loud — a period that's seen the brand also span streetwear and merchandise, as well as spreading fests across four continents. ROLLING LOUD AUSTRALIA 2024 DATES: Friday, January 26 — GIANTS Stadium, Sydney Saturday, January 27 — Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne Rolling Loud will return to Australia in January 2024. For more information — plus pre-sale tickets from 10am AEDT on Monday, October 23 and general tickets from 10am AEDT on Thursday, October 26, head to the festival's website. Images: Beth Saravo and Sebastian Rodriguez
Brisbane's craft beer scene is about to score a very high-profile new addition, with legendary Scottish brewer BrewDog opening its state-of-the-art $30 million brewery and taproom in Murarrie next month. First announced in February last year, these new riverside digs, dubbed DogTap Brisbane, are set to be nothing short of grand. As well as a brewing and canning facility, the space will be home to a 485-square-metre patio, a taproom, an arcade games area, a beer cellar in a shipping container, a beer shop and a restaurant. Inside, you'll find blue leather booths and high wooden benches, while a giant wraparound artwork by artist Craig Fisher will star on the building's exterior. The brand's first brewery outside of the USA and the UK, the Brisbane operation will be crafting all of BrewDog's core beers — like the Dead Pony Club pale ale, the Jet Black Heart and the Punk IPA — alongside a selection of small-batch creations designed especially for local beer drinkers. A barrel-ageing facility will also be on site, where a number of Australian-only, wood-aged brews will be created. While the taproom is expected to open in November this year, BrewDog's first Australian-made beers aren't expected to hit the shelves until January 2020. But you won't find just BrewDog at the sprawling riverside spot. Across its 28 taps, the DogTap will also showcase plenty of locally grown hops, including brews from Range Brewing, Currumbin Valley Brewing, Balter, Aether, Brouhaha and Black Hops. A solid lineup of all-Aussie wines will be available, too, as will some local spirits and soft drinks. Alongside the booze, there'll be BrewDog's classic American diner food, such as burgers, hot dogs and buffalo wings, as well as a Brisbane-only selection of Korean-style chicken wings, calamari and barramundi fritters. And, as it's Australia, the brewery will also serve brunch — with the likes of chicken waffles and eggs benny expected to make the cut. DogTap Brisbane is slated to open this November at 77 Metroplex Avenue, Murarrie, Queensland. Its first beers are set to hit the shelves in January 2020.
Constructed in the 1880s, Balmain's Dawn Fraser Baths is the oldest pool in Australia. But it's in danger of closing as the pool requires millions of dollars in urgent repairs. The Inner West Council says the outdoor pool — which was renamed after local Olympian Dawn Fraser in the 60s — needs approximately $6.7 million in repairs, which include the raising of the boardwalk and pavilions to overcome rising sea levels, storm water upgrades and new bathroom and change rooms. These upgrades are all part of a ten-year draft master plan outlined by the Council. A standoff between councillors, however, has left the Council $2.2 million short. Without the extra funding, Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne says the renovations will not go ahead and the pool could close in the 'immediate future'. Liberal and Greens councillors voted against further funding for the pool, with Greens Councillor Rochelle Porteous telling the Sydney Morning Herald that the pool's disintegration was due to climate change — an issue that the state government should be dealing with. "Local councils will be increasingly facing these kind of costs as not just our pools and recreational infrastructure in low-lying areas and on the coast are inundated more severely on a more regular basis, but also our roads, sewerage systems and utilities infrastructure" Cr Porteous told the SMH. "This requires resources which are beyond the capacity of all local councils and the state government needs to step up." At the moment, the Inner West Council has not acquired the extra money it needs to save the baths, and is hosting a rally to save the pool this Saturday, October 13. The Defend Dawny's rally will take place at Elkington Park from 11am–12pm and is headed up by Cr Byrne. So far, almost 2000 people have registered their interest in the event. Find the Dawn Fraser Baths at Elkington Park, Balmain. It's currently open from 7.15am–6.30pm daily, but hours change seasonally and can be checked here. Image: Destination NSW.
Whether you're hopping over the ditch for a winter or summer escape, Queenstown has no shortage of sights and activities to create a jam-packed itinerary. It might be called New Zealand's adventure capital, but that doesn't mean your next holiday needs to be based around high-flying thrills and snow sports — the region is also known for its postcard scenery, backcountry cycle trails, bustling weekend markets and delicious wine. We've done a good ol' search in the area and found the following six activities that are sure to jam-pack your holiday full of fun, flavour and adventure. SHOP LOCAL AT THE REMARKABLES MARKET An unmissable Queenstown weekend destination is the Remarkables Market. Just ten minutes from the city in Frankton, the market is where you'll find locals stopping in for a caffeine hit and lounging about on the grass. Shopping-wise, you can pick up everything from chopping boards crafted out of French wine barrels to the famous Gibbston cheese and handcrafted jewellery. Zamora is one of the most popular stallholders at the market with its infamous pork belly sandwich. We suggest grabbing a spot at one of the communal tables and finishing off your experience with one of Plantera's vegan sweets. FLOAT TO 6000 FEET ON A HOT AIR BALLOON TOUR Sunrise Balloons is a family-owned operation that has been flying in the Queenstown region since 1998. The company's hot air balloon tours rise to altitudes as high as 6000 feet, drifting over the rugged terrain that makes up the incredible region around Queenstown. Expect to see filming locations from The Hobbit and majestic landmarks like the Southern Alps, Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables mountain range. You'll get to help inflate the balloon and then pack it way, before finishing with a celebratory muffin and champagne in the landing field. Flights depart at dawn and last three to four hours. [caption id="attachment_687194" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Julian Apse.[/caption] EXPLORE MORE THAN 75 WINERIES IN GIBBSTON VALLEY A short drive from Queenstown is Gibbston Valley, a region which is home to more than 75 wineries and cellar doors. For great wine in a picturesque setting we recommend dropping by Chard Farm. A visit to the family-owned winery in the Kawarau Gorge will lead you up a windy dirt road that was once part of the main coach link between Queenstown and Cromwell. The vineyard sits at the top and specialises in complimentary pinot noir tastings. Across the road is Penegrine, which feels more like steeping into a futuristic wine lab. Here, tastings are also complimentary and come with the option of choosing particular vintages or leaving your destiny in the hands or the host. If you'd rather leave the car at home, Alpine Wine Tours specialises in personalised excursions. Tours include a three-hour hop between cellar doors and a full-day trip through local vineyards and the Cardrona Distillery. Water, cheese tastings and transport to and from your accommodation are all included. COSY UP WITH A DRINK BY AN OUTDOOR FIREPIT Holiday Inn Express & Suites arrived in Queenstown earlier this year, bringing 227 spacious rooms to the heart of the picturesque resort town. The property's prime central location means that you're never short of breathtaking views and within easy reach of iconic attractions, from popular ski destinations and the Central Otago wine region to extreme outdoor adventures like mountain biking and bungee jumping. The hotel's outdoor firepit lounge is the perfect spot to unwind after a day of exploring — just sit back with a glass of Central Otago pinot in the modern and comfortable lounge and soak in the views of Queenstown's surrounding mountain range. The unlimited, uncapped free wi-fi will also come in handy when planning your next big adventure. [caption id="attachment_688737" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Miles Holden.[/caption] HIT A BACKCOUNTRY CYCLE TRAIL FROM ARROWTOWN TO QUEENSTOWN To really get your legs working, Around the Basin is a company offering both self-guided and supported cycle tours through the Gibbston wine region and backcountry. The Arrowtown to Queenstown tour is a 35-kilometre ride from the historic gold mining village back to the city. After shuttling from Queenstown you'll be left to make your way along the Arrow River Trail along the Kawarau and Shotover Rivers to the shores of Lake Wakatipu. The trail is recommend as a full-day ride, which allows plenty of time for exploring, photo opportunities and refreshment stops. On the trail you'll cover everything from isolated country roads and dirt tracks to swing bridges and pine forests. EXPERIENCE A MODERN INTERPRETATION OF NZ CUISINE AT AMISFIELD Amisfield executive chef Vaughan Mabee enlists expert foragers and charcutiers to ensure he's only using the freshest seasonal produce in his three-hatted restaurant. That dedication to championing the Central Otago region has seen the restaurant use backyard endemic ingredients and produce found no further than 250 kilometres from its dramatic stonework bistro. Previous hyperlocal creations have included everything from paua salami to kawakawa parfait and manuka-smoked blue cod pie. Diners are invited to build their own degustation from a selection of dishes. For lunch, that might mean a starter of eel on toast, smoked raw wild deer with local chocolate or a wild apple and kawakawa tart.
In case you needed a reminder the chain was still around and going strong, Victoria is home to eight TGI Fridays, NSW has a store in North Ryde and the chain's first Queensland store just opened in Robina. The American-inspired diner's mac 'n' cheese bites and loaded potato skins have probably always been at the top of your must-eat list, which is understandable — but on Thursday, April 2, its peanut butter and jelly waffles are what you'll be wanting. On this day, dubbed 'National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day' of course, each and every TGI Fridays is giving away free stacks of this delicious waffle combo to the first 100 people to order $20 worth of food via UberEats, Deliveroo or takeaway in-store. The stacks star a belgian waffle layered with raspberry jelly and peanut butter, and topped with ice cream and chocolate fudge. You'll want to hope you're not located too far from the store for this giveaway. As you do need to spend $20 to get a free waffle stack, here's your chance to try those aforementioned snacks if you haven't already — they're all available for delivery. TGI Fridays' free peanut butter and jelly waffle snacks are available on Thursday, April 2 to the first 100 people to spend $20 at each store via UberEats, Deliveroo or takeaway.
After first spooking out Sydneysiders back in 2017, the unsettling Séance installation is returning to the city. This time around, the set of shipping containers hosting the immersive experience will be set up on The Goods Line outside of the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo — and it'll be joined by a new Sydney-first experience called Flight. Once inside Séance or Flight, expected to be unnerved. If you're not familiar with the installations and didn't have the chance to visit last time, a word of warning: it's aiming to mess with your senses. Between Thursday, April 13–Sunday, May 28, participants at Séance will be able to take a seat inside the space and then put on a headset. You'll next be told to put both hands on the table. The lights go out, leaving the place in absolute darkness and, for 20 uneasy minutes, you'll be taken on an immersive journey led only by touch and sounds. Expect to feel confused, repulsed and struck with temporary claustrophobia. According to organisers, numerous participants have bailed halfway through sittings in the past. You're probably thinking that there's something dark or supernatural about the whole thing — and going by the name, we don't blame you. But the installation's organiser says that 'séance' is simply a French word meaning 'session' or 'sitting'. [caption id="attachment_892114" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Flight, Mihaela Bodlovic[/caption] It's a sensory experience that looks at the psychology of both sensory deprivation and the dynamics of a group sitting together. It's also a scary indicator of how easy it is for confusion, disorientation and information overload to affect our judgement. Then, with Flight, the power is placed in your hands. Taking place in a recreation of an aeroplane cabin, the experience takes you through an equally unsettling experience where you're forced to make choices. At each step of the way there are two possible outcomes, some worse than others. The installation plays on the theory of the multiverse where, if you head down a more unsettling pathway, you can at least find solace in the idea that another version of yourself has made the correct decision. "We invest a lot of time in looking for the right space to house our productions, and so to be presenting these at Powerhouse Ultimo, one of the country's most innovative cultural institutions, feels really special to us," says Realscape Productions' Amy Johnson. "We're truly delighted to be bringing our original production of Séance back to Sydney for those who missed out or are eager to experience it again, and of course, we can't wait to see the reactions of audiences as they experience Flight for the first time." This new iteration of Séance at the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo will mark its first appearance in Sydney in six years after the experience originally appeared in The Rocks back in 2017. It was scheduled to make its return to Sydney in 2021 with an installation in Circular Quay, but was unfortunately cancelled. Artists David Rosenberg and Glen Neath of Darkfield (who have collaborated in other sensory deprivation projects before) are the creative masterminds behind the project, which has been described as 'disorienting' and 'deeply unsettling'. You might've also listened to Darkfield's at-home experiences in 2020, such as Double, Visitors and Eternal, and experienced a few bumps and jumps. [caption id="attachment_852678" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Séance[/caption] Séance and Flight will appear at Powerhouse Ultimo, 500 Harris St, Ultimo NSW between Thursday, April 13–Sunday, May 28. For more information and to buy tickets, head to Darkfield's website.
When Parramatta Lanes takes over Parramatta's hidden spaces for four nights this October, you'll need lots of energy. If you're not running through a giant Pac-Man maze, you'll be playing Bingo Loco, and, if you're not doing that, you'll be gazing at art installations and raising your arms in the air in appreciation of the event's talented DJs. Luckily, everywhere you go, there'll be food stalls a-plenty to satisfy your hunger and quench your thirst. Here, we track down nine of the tastiest eats on offer, from Koi Dessert Bar's colourful delights, which will set up at St John's Cathedral, to Frencheese's oozy raclette, which you'll find in Willow Grove. KOI DESSERT BAR, ST JOHN'S CATHEDRAL Life's short, so eat dessert first. More specifically, dig into a bite at Koi Dessert Bar. Throughout Parramatta Lanes, one of Sydney's most skilful sweet treat masters will be popping up outside its Chippendale headquarters, at St John's Cathedral. Among Koi's most beautiful creations are the Strawberry Pillow, Mango Yuzu and the Little Garden. Also onsite will be Monkey's Corner, with cocktails of both the classic and signature varieties — and look out for Nadia Odlum's mesmerising art installation, Our Intertwining Lives, on the banners above and on KOI Dessert Bar's exclusive Lanes dessert. You could also join in a workshop, whether it involves designing your own dessert or making 'beerings' with Emma Grace, on Thursday and Friday evenings. 2 SMOKING BARRELS, CENTENARY SQUARE Live out the barbecue of your dreams — or something pretty close to it — at Centenary Square. Eight favourite local chefs will join forces to grill, roast and sizzles meats of all kinds under the stars. Travelling up from Wollongong will be 2 Smoking Barrels, a barbecue restaurant and food truck that's been keeping the South Coast full of iron for the past few years. You'll also meet Jamaican Delight and Waroo Lamb, among others. Meanwhile, soundtracking your feast will be live rock and soul acts, including powerhouse vocalist Cass Greaves and Soul of Sydney. TEMASEK, HAWKER LANE Some of the best laksa in Sydney is made at Temasek, a Singaporean-Malay eatery in Parramatta, where locals queue every weekend. During Parramatta Lanes, the chefs will leave their bricks-and-mortar hidey-hole to pop-up in the Roxy Car Park. The piping hot laksa is a tough cookie to beat, but the Hainan chicken rice is a strong competitor. Temasek will be just one stall in Hawker Lane, where you'll also find street food from Bangkok, Seoul, Kyoto and beyond. While you're there, check out Skunk Control's Floating Landscapes, a magical land of suspended, illuminated flowers, as well as Made by Tsuki, a series of 3D worlds inspired by Asia old and new. BERLIN BANGERS, DIRRABARRI LANE Berlin Bangers is responsible for some of the most delicious sausages you can get in Australia right now. This food truck takes its inspiration from traditional German recipes and has consequently scored loads of prizes at the Royal Easter Show, including Sydney's Best Small Good. There's even a bratwurst for vegans. Find Berlin Bangers in Dirrabarri Lane, which will be transformed into Retro Future: a vision of the future, but as we imagined it in the 1990s. Get down to DJs every night, including Bodega and Filter on Wednesday, Poison Abbey and Midnight Pool Party on Thursday, and DJ Levins on Friday. THE BEARDED BAKERS, THE OLD CITY The Bearded Bakers won't just be serving up their famous knafeh, a Middle Eastern pudding that brings together semolina, sweet cheese and crumble. They'll also be turning Parramatta's Horwood Place into Jerusalem's Old City. Step into this alternative world and you'll immediately feel like you're on the other side of the planet. At its heart is an openair market, which your nose will probably find before you do. On top of The Bearded Bakers' fare, there'll be Lebanese dishes by Samaras and Turkish creations by Mr. Shish. And keep an eye and ear out for the dancing and singing. Fair warning: you might end up dancing on a table top. BUTTER, THE ROOFTOP @ EAT STREET CAR PARK Ever since Butter set up its trio of fried chicken, champagne and sneakers in Surry Hills, the hybrid bar, restaurant and retail space has won Sydney's heart. As a result, in December 2017, a second outlet opened in Parramatta. And as part of Parramatta Lanes, Butter will be taking part in the Old Skool Party on The Rooftop of the Eat Street Car Park. Once you've got your mitts on some fried goodness and washed it down with a fine wine, get festive. The rooftop will be home to three epic events: a giant Pac-Man maze, Bingo Loco (that's bingo, but reinvented as a party, with conga lines, dance offs and comedians) and a 90s club. FRENCHEESE, WILLOW GROVE What's better than French cheese? French cheese served as raclette — and accompanied by wine and live jazz. That's what. To indulge in this most excellent trio, make tracks to the dreamy grounds of Willow Grove during Parramatta Lanes. Frencheese will be serving irresistibly oozy raclette, soundtracked by local musicians. On Tuesday night, watch the finals of the western Sydney Poetry Slam; on Wednesday, listen to Australian-born Egyptian vocalist Mariam Sawires; on Thursday, be there for The Asthmatix's unique fusion of jazz, hip-hop, electronica and klezmer; and on Friday, catch jazzy vocalists Esme and Ella Haber. WAFFLO, UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND If ever an eat were created for outdoor adventures, it'd be the waffle. Whether you go for the savoury variety or the sweet, you can count on your cockles being warmed. Representing the mighty dish at Parramatta Lanes will be Wafflo. whose most recent creation is the Grand Daddyo! — a hearty stack of avocado, bacon and egg, between two cheese waffles. When you're not focusing on getting your mouth around it, go exploring the UNE SPACE experience, where live music meets outer space. You'll hear from recorder player Alana Blackburn, the Toy Piano Orchestra, the Network Improvised Performance and The House That Dan Built. O! MOMO NEPALI, RIVERBANK Head to the banks of the Parramatta River during the festival and you'll find yourself surrounded by Little India. Think fairy lights, Bollywood beats, bright colours and spicy foods. One of the must-tries is definitely O! Momo Nepali, a restaurant that's travelling from Randwick. Feast on its authentic Nepali dishes, while soaking up all the sights and sounds, including Plasma by owner and head designer at creative venture Chimera Atelier, Renzo B. Larriviere, and Paul Steven Pena Castro. This rather extraordinary, interactive sculpture doubles as a light show. Once you've walked through it and climbed over it, watch it from the outside. Parramatta Lanes runs from 5pm every night from Tuesday, October 15 to Friday, October 18. Come hungry and discover 50 food stalls across 14 lanes around Parramatta CBD.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas across the country. After months spent empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Australian picture palaces are back in business — spanning 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, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ivHf4ODMi4 JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH The last time that Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield appeared in the same film, Get Out was the end result. Their shared scene in Jordan Peele's Oscar-winning horror movie isn't easily forgotten (if you've seen the feature, it will have instantly popped into your head while you're reading this), and neither is Judas and the Black Messiah, their next exceptional collaboration. With Kaluuya starring as the Black Panther Party's Illinois Chairman Fred Hampton and Stanfield playing William O'Neal, the man who infiltrated his inner circle as an informant for the FBI, the pair is still tackling race relations. Here, though, the duo does so in a ferocious historical drama set in the late 60s. The fact that O'Neal betrays Hampton isn't a spoiler; it's a matter of fact, and the lens through which writer/director Shaka King (Newlyweeds) and his co-scribes Kenneth Lucas, Keith Lucas (actors on Lady Dynamite) and Will Berson (Scrubs) view the last period of Hampton's life. The magnetic Kaluuya has already won a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for his performance, and is bound to be nominated for and likely win an Oscar as well — and if he wants to keep acting opposite Stanfield in movies this invigorating, ardent, resonant and essential, audiences won't complain. It's 1966 when O'Neal falls afoul of the law for trying to impersonate an FBI agent to steal a vehicle. With J Edgar Hoover (Martin Sheen, Grace and Frankie) directing his employees to "prevent the rise of a 'messiah' who could unify and electrify the militant black nationalist movement" — his real-life words — the car thief is offered a deal by actual FBI Special Agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons, I'm Thinking of Ending Things). If O'Neal cosies up to Hampton, then reports back on his comings, goings, political moves and general plans, he'll avoid jail. Initially apprehensive, he acquiesces to keep his freedom. With Hampton's raging speeches earning him a firm following, and his charisma and canny strategies broadening the crowds hanging on his words, O'Neal's task isn't minor. And the further he ingratiates himself into Hampton's confidence, becoming his head of security, the more he's torn about keeping tabs and doing the government's increasingly nefarious bidding. This isn't just a story about one young Black man coerced into bringing down a rising leader and revolutionary, however. It's also a tale about the figure who mobilised the masses as Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X had, until he was shot while he slept at the age of just 21. And, it's an account of the powers-that-be's abject fear of progress, equality, and the crusaders willing to put their lives on the line to fight for justice and a better world. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBjcbZla2cA GIRLS CAN'T SURF Exploring the gender imbalance in professional surfing, especially during the 80s and 90s as women in the sport were starting to attract the world's attention, Girls Can't Surf feels like a floodgates-bursting documentary. Watching female stars of the era talk about their experiences, including the vast disparity in prize money between men and women and how that affected their efforts to make a living, it's easy to see this candid and detailed film setting a template for a wealth of other movies. As fans of any type of women's sport well and truly know, differing treatment, pay, sponsorship and levels of respect aren't restricted to hitting the waves. Indeed, as the doco's high-profile parade of talking heads offer their thoughts and recollections — such as former world champions Frieda Zamba, Wendy Botha, Pam Burridge, Pauline Menczer, Lisa Andersen and Layne Beachley — many of their words could be uttered by any number of female athletes in a wide range of fields. That truth doesn't undercut the doco's power, or downplay what women surfers have been through. Rather, it underscores the importance of continually shining a light on the way the sporting arena has routinely sidelined, undermined and devalued anyone who isn't male. "If you can't see it, you can't be it" is one of Girls Can't Surf's resonant and universal sound bites, and it's easily applicable far beyond the film's specific stories and the sport in focus. Indeed, when Beachley talks about how she used to mill around surfing contests as a teen starting out in the field, and annoy the ladies she'd soon be competing against, you can see those words in action; if earlier generations of women hadn't already been hanging ten, Australia's seven-time champ wouldn't have had any footsteps to follow in. The film is filled with astute insights and telling connections such as these. It all leads to the well-publicised recent development, only back in 2018, of equal winnings for men and women being mandated by the World Surf League from 2019 onwards. That happy ending benefits today's stars, such as Stephanie Gilmore, Tyler Wright and Carissa Moore, but it came too late for Girls Can't Surf's interviewees. Once again, knowing that significant change has finally come to the sport doesn't diminish the potency of hearing about the horrors, struggles and rampant sexism that female surfers endured for decades — with two-time feature surf documentarian Christopher Nelius (Storm Surfers 3D) smartly bringing those tales to the fore, and the people sharing them as well. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb9PBr7Qhec MAX RICHTER'S SLEEP Since first opening its doors back in 1973, the Sydney Opera House has played host to a wealth of performances, spanning far further in genre than just the art form that gives the venue its name. But it was only during Vivid Live 2016 that the iconic locale serenaded visitors into an evening-long slumber, all as part of Max Richter's live recital of his eight-and-a-half hour work Sleep. Across 31 tracks comprised of 204 movements, the German-born British composer's concept album unfurls music based on the neuroscience of getting some shuteye. In its intonation, the ambitious yet soothing piece favours the range that can be heard in the womb for much of its duration. When performed for an audience, it is played overnight, with beds set up — and doing as the work's title suggests is highly encouraged. Attendees recline, listen and let Richter's blend of strings, synthesisers and soprano vocals lull them into the land of nod. If they'd prefer to stay awake, that's fine as well, but soaking in Sleep's ambient sounds while you're snatching 40 winks is all very much part of the experience. In its live version, Sleep has echoed through spaces in London, Berlin and Paris, too; however, it's the first openair performance in Los Angeles' Grand Park in 2018 that takes pride of place in the documentary Max Richter's Sleep. A filmmaker was always bound to be so fascinated with the concept that they'd turn their lens Richter's way, and that director is Natalie Johns (an Emmy nominee for Annie Lennox: Nostalgia Live in Concert), who endeavours to capture the experience for those who haven't had the pleasure themselves. The resulting film doesn't run for more than eight hours, or anywhere close — but those watching and listening will quickly wish that it did. As a feature, Max Richter's Sleep isn't designed to advertise its namesake. Rather, it documents, explores and tries to understand it. Still, the movie so easily draws viewers into the music, and so deeply, that making its audience want to snooze in public while Richter and his band plays is a guaranteed side effect. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZSLvFo0eus COSMIC SIN Reminding viewers of far better movies while they're watching yours isn't a smart or recommended filmmaking tactic, but it's what writer/director Edward Drake (Broil) does best with Cosmic Sin. By casting Bruce Willis in this science fiction slog, it immediately brings The Fifth Element to mind. That influential 1997 movie just keeps inspiring flicks that don't feature Willis of late — see also: Chaos Walking — but it leaves a particularly heavy imprint here. Indeed, it's impossible not to think of the rosier era in the actor's career that The Fifth Element represents as Willis is grimacing his way through scene after scene in Cosmic Sin, and visibly putting in zero effort. It's difficult not to think of 1998's Armageddon, too, a movie that isn't at all great but is certainly better than this new space war-fuelled picture. Drake clearly wants audiences to make these connections, which is why his feature spends far more time than it should watching Willis meander around looking unimpressed and wearing plastic armour, all while playing a disgraced military head honcho on the comeback trail. And, it must be why the film squanders Frank Grillo, who also hasn't had a great run of late (as seen in Jiu Jitsu and Boss Level), but has been screaming for years for a movie that makes the most of his presence. The year is 2524. Earth is now an old hand at attempting to colonise other planets. And when one such celestial body tried to break away five years earlier, Willis' James Ford handled it by committing mass murder. Now, a group of aliens from a just-discovered civilisation is attempting to give humans a taste of their own medicine. Ford is brought back as part of a ragtag team tasked with defending life as everyone 500 years in the future knows it, which also includes General Eron Ryle (Grillo), his nephew Braxton (Brandon Thomas Lee, Sierra Burgess Is a Loser), quantum tech Fiona Ardene (Adelaide Kane, Once Upon a Time) and fellow veteran Marcus Bleck (Costas Mandylor, In Like Flynn). Cue a movie that's never as over-the-top as it needs to be to keep viewers even remotely interested, and a bland affair all-round. The film's fondness for tech jargon-heavy nonsense dialogue doesn't help. Cosmic Sin's vision of the future — including its laughable robot bartenders — also looks as awkward as its narrative and performances feel. And while Drake and his co-writer Corey Large (Breach, and also a co-star here) endeavour to ponder deeper themes, including humanity's historical penchant for exploring the world and conquering everything in sight, that too proves flimsy. It isn't intentional, but Willis' bored look says everything it needs to. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVOH9540Sbg THEN CAME YOU With film distributors playing it coy and cautious when it comes to releasing their hopeful box office hits during the pandemic, movies that mightn't have otherwise made their way into cinemas are currently getting a shot at the big screen. In some cases, that's excellent news for small but exceptional features that would've likely been dwarfed by blockbusters. In others, flicks that no one should have to pay to endure are also reaching theatres. Then Came You falls into the latter category. A vanity project for American talk show host Kathie Lee Gifford, who stars in and wrote the not-at-all romantic or comedic rom-com, it'd test patience even if it was watched with just one eye half-open and after several drinks in the middle of a long-haul flight. As well as lazily using culture-clash tropes to throw obstacles in the way of its chalk-and-cheese central duo — a newly widowed American hardware shop owner (Gifford, Sharknado 5: Global Swarming) and the Scottish Lord (Craig Ferguson, Hot in Cleveland) whose crumbling mansion she books for the first stop on a globe-hopping getaway — this trite affair hasn't met a clunky double entendre it didn't love, or a predictable plot development that can be seen from Nantucket to Scotland. First, Annabelle Wilson and Howard Awd converse via email, which Then Came You has the pair read aloud in its opening moments. Then, she announces to her empty house that she has to make new memories or the old ones will kill her, heads to the UK, is shocked that Scotland has working trains, and alternates between flirting and arguing with her host. He has a sob story, too, and he's also struggling to retain his sprawling, stereotypical-looking estate. He has a high-powered London-based bride-to-be (Elizabeth Hurley, Runaways) as well — but there's never any doubting how Then Came You will end. Rom-coms frequently stick to a template; however, it is possible to liven up a creaky formula with snappy dialogue and warm, charismatic performances. As directed with the forceful gloss of a TV commercial by second-time feature helmer Adriana Trigiani (Big Stone Gap) and often set to the same repeated song (also co-written by Gifford), this film sadly struggles with both its core rapport and its leading lady's overacting. He's worlds away from his own former TV hosting gig on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and from his sitcom tole on The Drew Carey Show, but the fact that the reliably charming Ferguson fares best here, even with the grating material, hardly comes as a surprise. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on November 5, November 12, November 19 and November 26; and December 3, December 10, December 17, December 26; and January 1, January 7, January 14, January 21 and January 28; February 4, February 11, February 18 and February 25; and March 4. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Craft: Legacy, Radioactive, Brazen Hussies, Freaky, Mank, Monsoon, Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt), American Utopia, Possessor, Misbehaviour, Happiest Season, The Prom, Sound of Metal, The Witches, The Midnight Sky, The Furnace, Wonder Woman 1984, Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles, Nomadland, Pieces of a Woman, The Dry, Promising Young Woman, Summerland, Ammonite, The Dig, The White Tiger, Only the Animals, Malcolm & Marie, News of the World, High Ground, Earwig and the Witch, The Nest, Assassins, Synchronic, Another Round, Minari, Firestarter — The Story of Bangarra, The Truffle Hunters, The Little Things, Chaos Walking and Raya and the Last Dragon.
Twenty-five years after a Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette-starring film about small-town murders thoroughly revitalised the slasher genre, the Scream franchise is back to take another stab at cinema glory. Because some things just won't die in the horror realm (see also: the Halloween, Saw, The Grudge, The Ring and Child's Play sagas), the Ghostface killer will once again be stalking Woodsboro, and also terrorising a scary movie that mixes slasher thrills with self-aware laughs. An instant classic ever since the first movie became a box office smash back in 1996, the franchise has already delivered three sequels so far courtesy of 1997's Scream 2, 2000's Scream 3 and 2011's Scream 4 — plus TV spinoff Scream: The TV Series. Now, as announced back in 2020, it's returning with a flick that blends the old and the new. While a different bunch of teenagers are in Ghostface's sights this time, Campell's initial target Sidney Prescott, Cox's reporter Gale Weathers and Arquette's former deputy-turned-sheriff Dewey Riley all feature in this new version of Scream, too. The series' latest flick is keeping things simple with its title, and betting on bringing back original cast members — both of which turned out rather nicely for fellow horror effort Halloween back in 2018. Yes, this series has always had a thing for Sid, and it still does. However, the new Scream is also putting The Boys' Jack Quaid, In the Heights' Melissa Barrera and You's Jenna Ortega in Ghostface's path, as well as Dylan Minnette (13 Reasons Why), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Love), Mikey Madison (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Mason Gooding (Love, Victor) and Kyle Gallner (Interrogation). With filmmaker Wes Craven — who directed all four original Scream films — passing away in 2015, Ready or Not's Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have taken the helm. Based on the just-dropped first trailer for Scream circa 2022, they've also taken more than a few cues from Craven. No one asks if someone likes scary movies in the initial sneak peek, but answering the phone while you're home alone definitely proves perilous. Rules for surviving are also mentioned, and it won't come as a surprise to anyone if the new killer is linked to either one of the past culprits or victims, or to the feature's new characters. Story-wise, this iteration Ghostface brings Sid, Gale and Dewey back together to both confront the mask-wearing murderer and their past. As for where the film goes from there, that'll be revealed when it hits cinemas Down Under on January 13 next year. Check out the Scream trailer below: Scream releases in Australian cinemas on January 13, 2022.
If you've ever felt uncomfortable in Sydney at night, you're far from alone, with a new study by Plan International Australia finding a huge 90 percent of the city's young women share those fears. Of course, this won't be all that surprising to those who've been subjected to some kind of street harassment. But it's statistics like this that have spurred the creation of the NGO's new Free To Be map, which has just launched in Sydney. The interactive map feature is aimed at 15 to 25-year-olds, and allows girls and women using the app to drop 'bad' pins on spots around the city where they feel unsafe. 'Good' pins are also used to show locations they consider safe. While the responsibility to prevent street harassment shouldn't land on the victim, Plan believes, by giving young women a platform to anonymously report incidents and collecting that data, that it can help make Sydney's streets safer. "This data will be provided to city planners, public transport authorities, police and groups responsible for urban safety, so they can make positive changes to make cities safer places for women," said Plan International Australia CEO Susanne Legena. The map is now open for submissions — and while it looks like most people have been taking it seriously, there's already a number of entries that appear to have come from trolls. Plan is now working with police, local councils and Metro trains in tackling issues of harassment head-on. The findings will also be shared with local businesses in an effort to instigate change at that level and make more of the city's spaces safer. The Free to Be map can be found here. You can add to it up until May 28, 2018.
With everyone spending our days, weeks and months inside due to COVID-19, we're all putting that extra time at home to good use in different ways. Perhaps you're streaming your way through anything and everything you can find. Maybe you're playing board games, doing jigsaws and building Lego. Or, you could be cooking up a storm, getting a workout or being practical by learning a new skill (or several). For many folks, home renovation is on the agenda — whether you're finally painting that wall, putting up that shelf, making over your garden or doing all the odd jobs around the place that you've been putting off for far too long. That means that Bunnings Warehouse has been mighty popular, and busy. And if you're eager to pick up hardware supplies while still maintaining social distancing requirements, you're now in luck. The chain has just implemented a new drive and collect service, which is available at 250 of Bunnings' larger stores around Australia — excluding Tasmania. The contactless option is an extension of its existing click and collect option, just adapted so that you don't have to get out of your car. DIY enthusiasts just need to complete their purchase online, wait for notification that their order is ready, and select their preferred pickup date and time. Then, when you drive to the store, you'll park in a designated drive and collect bay, and text or call the store to let them know you've arrived. All you need to do next is wait for a staff member to bring out your goods and put them in your car boot. [caption id="attachment_767993" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Bidgee via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Sadly, drive and collect doesn't apply to Bunnings' sausage sizzles, which have been suspended since mid-March in response to the coronavirus. Drive and collect isn't available at smaller Bunnings stores, so check online to see if your local warehouse is participating. For further information about Bunnings' click and collect service — or to place an order — visit the chain's website. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
With 13 Academy Award nominations, Emilia Pérez has achieved a feat that no other film in a language other than English has ever managed before. The musical crime drama made history by earning the most amount of nods of any non-English movie, more than the ten received by both Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Roma in 2000 and 2018, respectively. When 2025's nominations were announced by Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live) and Rachel Sennott (Saturday Night), Emilia Pérez unsurprisingly topped the list of all contenders this year. By the numbers, competing to take home a shiny statuette on Monday, March 3, Australian and New Zealand time, The Brutalist, Wicked, A Complete Unknown and Conclave all sit next on the list, with ten apiece to the first pair, and eight each for the second duo. This year, the Academy loves post-war explorations of the impact of trauma through architecture, stage-to-screen musicals inspired by classic flicks, Bob Dylan and feuding cardinals, clearly. All five of the aforementioned films are in the running for Best Picture, a field that also includes 2024 Cannes Palme d'Or-winner Anora, sandy sci-fi sequel Dune: Part Two, body-horror gem The Substance, Brazilian political drama I'm Still Here and the page-to-screen Nickel Boys. Thanks to The Substance, this is the sixth year in a row that at least one Best Picture-nominee has been helmed by a female filmmaker. The creative force behind it, Coralie Fargeat, is also 2025's only woman in the Best Director category, somehow marking just the tenth time that a nomination in the field hasn't gone to a man in the Oscars' now 97-year history. From Down Under, The Brutalist's big bag of nods includes one for Best Supporting Actor for Guy Pearce, while cinematographer Greig Fraser is among Dune: Part Two's five nominations after winning for the first Dune. Equally huge local news: stop-motion delight Memoir of a Snail making Harvey Krumpet Oscar-winner Adam Elliot a nominee again, contending in the Best Animated Feature field. Among the other highlights, deeply moving animation Flow's two nods (for Best Best Animated Feature and Best International Feature), Demi Moore backing up her Golden Globe win with a Best Actress nomination for The Substance, Sebastian Stan getting recognised for The Apprentice, the latter's Jeremy Strong battling it out with his Succession brother Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) for Best Supporting Actor, must-see Japanese documentary Black Box Diaries scoring a spot and four nominations for Nosferatu all stand out. Chief among the surprise omissions is the Golden Globe-winning Challengers score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross not making the cut — but, as always, plenty of worth films don't make the cut every year and still remain worthy films. What and who else is hoping for some time in the spotlight at the Conan O'Brien-hosted ceremony in March? Here's the full list of nominations: Oscar Nominees 2025 Best Motion Picture Anora The Brutalist A Complete Unknown Conclave Dune: Part Two Emilia Pérez I'm Still Here Nickel Boys The Substance Wicked Best Director Anora, Sean Baker The Brutalist, Brady Corbet A Complete Unknown, James Mangold Emilia Pérez, Jacques Audiard The Substance, Coralie Fargeat Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Cynthia Erivo, Wicked Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez Mikey Madison, Anora Demi Moore, The Substance Fernanda Torres, I'm Still Here Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Adrien Brody, The Brutalist Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown Colman Domingo, Sing Sing Ralph Fiennes, Conclave Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown Ariana Grande, Wicked Felicity Jones, The Brutalist Isabella Rossellini, Conclave Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Yura Borisov, Anora Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown Guy Pearce, The Brutalist Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice Best Original Screenplay Anora, Sean Baker The Brutalist, Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold A Real Pain, Jesse Eisenberg September 5, Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum and Alex David The Substance, Coralie Fargeat Best Adapted Screenplay A Complete Unknown, James Mangold and Jay Cocks Conclave, Peter Straughan Emilia Pérez, Jacques Audiard in collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius and Nicolas Livecchi Nickel Boys, RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes Sing Sing, Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John 'Divine G' Whitfield Best International Feature Film I'm Still Here The Girl with the Needle Emilia Pérez The Seed of the Sacred Fig Flow Best Animated Feature Flow Inside Out 2 Memoir of a Snail Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl The Wild Robot Best Documentary Feature Black Box Diaries No Other Land Porcelain War Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat Sugarcane Best Original Score The Brutalist, Daniel Blumberg Conclave, Volker Bertelmann Emilia Pérez, Clément Ducol and Camille Wicked, John Powell and Stephen Schwartz The Wild Robot, Kris Bowers Best Original Song 'El Mal', Emilia Pérez, Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard 'The Journey', The Six Triple Eight, Diane Warren 'Like A Bird', Sing Sing, Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada 'Mi Camino', Emilia Pérez, Camille and Clément Ducol 'Never Too Late', Elton John: Never Too Late, Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin Best Cinematography The Brutalist, Lol Crawley Dune: Part Two, Greig Fraser Emilia Pérez, Paul Guilhaume Maria, Ed Lachman Nosferatu, Jarin Blaschke Best Film Editing Anora, Sean Baker The Brutalist, David Jancso Conclave, Nick Emerson Emilia Pérez, Juliette Welfling Wicked, Myron Kerstein Best Production Design The Brutalist, Judy Becker, Patricia Cuccia Conclave, Suzie Davies, Cynthia Sleiter Dune: Part Two, Patrice Vermette, Shane Vieau Nosferatu, Craig Lathrop, Beatrice Brentnerová Wicked, Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales Best Visual Effects Alien: Romulus, Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin and Shane Mahan Better Man, Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft and Peter Stubbs Dune: Part Two, Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story and Rodney Burke Wicked, Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk and Paul Corbould Best Costume Design A Complete Unknown, Arianne Phillips Conclave, Lisy Christl Gladiator II, Janty Yates and Dave Crossman Nosferatu, Linda Muir Wicked, Paul Tazewell Best Makeup and Hairstyling A Different Man, Mike Marino, David Presto and Crystal Jurado Emilia Pérez, Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini Nosferatu, David White, Traci Loader and Suzanne StokesMunton The Substance, Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli Wicked, Frances Hannon, Laura Blount and Sarah Nuth Best Sound A Complete Unknown, Tod A Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey and David Giammarco Dune: Part Two, Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill Emilia Pérez, Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Maxence Dussère, Cyril Holtz and Niels Barletta Wicked, Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson and John Marquis The Wild Robot, Randy Thom, Brian Chumney, Gary A Rizzo and Leff Lefferts Best Documentary Short Subject Death by Numbers I Am Ready, Warden Incident Instruments of a Beating Heart The Only Girl in the Orchestra Best Animated Short Film Beautiful Men In the Shadow of the Cypress Magic Candies Wander to Wonder Yuck! Best Live-Action Short Film A Lien Anuja I'm Not a Robot The Last Ranger The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent The 2025 Oscars will be announced on Monday, March 3, Australian and New Zealand time. For further details, head to the awards' website.
Despite the potential reputational consequences to me as a researcher, I am shocked to report to you that Ken Unsworth does not have a Wikipedia page*. Yes, an Australian artist who has been showing for more than 40 years, is collected in significant public galleries and has shown at Biennales and other important art things does not merit a Wiki entry, but Googling "Unsworth" + "poo on sticks" gets a couple of pages of hits (you know about Stones Against the Sky, that sculpture in the Cross). Luckily Unsworth seems to have a pretty good sense of humour about his art, even subtitling his forthcoming collaborative performance at the Art gallery of New South Wales 'An Evening of Irreverent Entertainment.' This show sees four dancers incorporate the artist's sculpture and installation work with movement, accompanied by a score composed by Jonathan Cooper and performed by cabaret artist Natalie Gamsu, a counter-tenor and some boy sopranos. Humour and drama will be suggested by the artworks and build on them visually as images and dramatically as situations. Additional commentary on the interpretation is to be expected, too, with AGNSW allocating a set of "tweet seats" for commentators on the first night. *I was only there to check dates, okay?
Last year, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced that it would start making space dreams come true, and not just for astronauts. As part of the organisation's increased commercial push, it revealed plans to allow tourists to spend time on the International Space Station. If you've ever wanted to hang out in an artificial satellite that's orbiting the planet — and you have spare piles of cash secreted away to pay for it, of course — you no doubt started getting excited. Now, NASA has unveiled further details, naming just who'll be making the ISS's first habitable commercial module. And, that company — Axiom Space — has announced that it'll not only be creating its own commercial space station at the ISS, but also launching the first fully private human spaceflight mission to the station. Folks with hefty bank balances who like staring down at the earth while travelling in luxury are in luck, with said space digs looking rather luxe. As approved last month, Axiom Space's ISS module is designed by French designer Philippe Starck — and while he actually revealed just what they'd look like back in 2018, now his vision has officially been given the go-ahead. Think gold and cream hues, ample padding and exactly what everyone paying to holiday in space wants: a window with a helluva view. The designer said he wanted a fetal-like space that resembles "a comfortable egg, friendly, where walls are so soft and in harmony with the values of movements of the human body in zero gravity". Axiom Space's ISS pods will host both professional astronauts and ordinary folks, attaching to the station's Node 2 forward port. They're due to join the ISS from the second half of 2024 and, when the ISS reaches its retirement date, Axiom's additions will be able to detach and fly free as its own commercial space station. Also slated as part of Axiom's complex: an observatory with 360-degree views. If you're going to rocket into space, you'll really want to make the most of the view, after all. While Axiom's Starck-designed module isn't due to be completed for four years, the company is aiming to launch its first private spaceflight mission to the ISS — the first ever by a commercial entity — by the second half of 2021. The flight's crew will live onboard the existing station for at least eight days. Afterwards, Axiom is planning to offer up to two flights per year, catering to both professional and private astronaut flights, all as the company builds its own private space station. When NASA's ISS tourism scheme was first announced, it revealed that private astronauts will be able to spend up to 30 days on the station — and that two tourists will be allowed onboard at any one time. Cost-wise, visitors will need to pay US$11,250 a day for use of life support and bathroom facilities, plus an extra $22,500 per day for food, air and medical supplies. They'll also need to fork out for the presumably ultra-expensive trip to actually get there. As for NASA's broader commercial approach, other than opening the ISS to commercial ventures in general — including to private tourist outfits like Axiom Space, who'll arrange the privately funded, dedicated commercial spaceflights for eager visitors, take responsibility for flight crews, and ensure that private astronauts meet the necessary medical and training requirements — the idea is to create "a thriving commercial economy in low-earth orbit". Ideally, businesses will be able to operate out of the station. While more than 50 companies are already involved with the ISS, their work is currently restricted to research and development; however that'll no longer be the case. Images: Axiom / Philippe Starck.
It's a risky and even cheeky move, packaging a film with a song that could be used to describe it. Thankfully, in the case of 2014's The Lego Movie and its instant earworm track, everything was indeed awesome. The animated flick's long-awaited sequel offers another self-assessment in closing credits tune 'Super Cool', however the description doesn't fit this time around. Nor do the words unbelievable, outrageous, amazing, phenomenal, fantastic and incredible, further praise sung by Beck, the Lonely Island and Robyn in the catchy and amusing song. Instead, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is fine, standard, okay and average. Of course, those words don't have the same ring to them, even if they were set to a thumping beat. The Lego Movie left its successors with big shoes to fill — or big bricks to emulate, to be more accurate — and this direct follow-up does so in an entertaining enough but never especially inventive or enthralling fashion. Call it a case of trying to build the same thing with different pieces. Call it constructing a masterpiece and then falling short with the next attempt. Call it a case of sticking too closely to the instructions again and again. Whichever one you choose, they all fit like rectangular plastic pieces stacked neatly on top of each other. You could also call it a case of following Emmet Brickowski's (Chris Pratt) lead, with the mini-figure's fondness for routine already well established in the first movie. He's so comfortable doing the same thing day in, day out that he's even happy to keep doing so in the new dystopian version of his hometown, Bricksburg. He knows that much has changed since alien invaders made from bigger blocks descended from the heavens. His brooding best friend Lucy (Elizabeth Banks) also reminds him all the time. But it isn't until General Sweet Mayhem (Stephanie Beatriz) arrives, bearing an invite from the Systar system's Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi (Tiffany Haddish) and sweeping Lucy, Batman (Will Arnett), Benny (Charlie Day), MetalBeard (Nick Offerman) and Unikitty (Alison Brie) away, that Emmet abandons his blissful monotony and springs into action. Viewers of the initial flick, The Lego Batman Movie and The Lego Ninjago Movie will remember two important aspects of the Lego Movie Universe. Firstly, mile-a-minute jokes and pop culture references are as much a part of the franchise as multicoloured bricks. Secondly, more often than not, the series' animated tales tie into a real-world scenario. While original directors Chris Lord and Phil Miller have handed over the reigns to Trolls filmmaker Mike Mitchell, their humour still bounces through in the movie's fast-paced script. And while The Lego Movie's big twist — that the whole story stemmed from kids simply playing with the titular toys — is old news now, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part builds upon this idea. Once again, the film spends time with now-teenager Finn (Jadon Sand), who's still far from pleased that his younger sister Bianca (Brooklynn Prince) likes Lego as well. Cue The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part's troubles. Lightning rarely strikes twice, after all. The film serves up enough funny gags to keep audiences chuckling, throws in more than a few ace cameos and has the same infectious, anarchic vibe, but it was never going to feel as fresh. It also benefits from a fantastic overall message, but doesn't give it enough emphasis until late in the show. After pondering the divide between rules and creativity in the first picture, the franchise now contemplates collaboration, sharing and the gendering applied to playthings, roles and fandom. That's both smart and relevant, yet here feels underdone. Basically, anything new comes second to everything that's been done before, resulting in the most superfluous kind of sequel. This follow-up is happier rehashing its predecessor's glory days than channelling the ingenuity that made the original so charming. Of course, if The Lego Movie hadn't been such a vibrant, witty delight, then The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part wouldn't feel so familiar. An adequate addition to the series, it still contains plenty to distinguish it from other all-ages animated fare — including an eye-catching and distinctive animation style, enjoyable skewering of Pratt's many non-Lego characters, and Noel Fielding as a sparkly Twilight-esque vampire. But, five years on, viewers are now in the same situation as Lucy: ready to embrace a challenge, rather than falling back on comfortable old habits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvHSlHhh1gk
Dreaming of La Dolce Vita? From Wednesday, October 26 through to Saturday, November 26, Disaronno will be transforming CBD bar Jackalberry into a lush Amalfi-inspired haven — reprieving newly returned Italo-travellers from holiday nostalgia and treating those who stayed on home soil. Expect the watering hole — which sits pretty on the lobby level of Hyatt Regency Sydney — to deliver a not-quite-to-scale Trevi Fountain set against picturesque scenes from some of Italy's most iconic cityscapes, a menu packed with meals you'd tuck into at a traditional trattoria (like homemade gnocchi di manzo brasati) and cocktails that spotlight both the syrupy smoothness of the celebrated amber liquid and the creative flair of Jackalberry's expert mixologist. Plus, with the snap of a pic, visitors can go into the draw to win a chic prize pack that will see them stay at the lush Hyatt Regency Sydney, dine at Jackalberry, and take home two Disaronno fizz glasses and a $1000 Gucci gift card. An excellent example of the sweet life, no? Jackalberry will be transformed into an Italian escape thanks to Disaronno from Wednesday, October 26 till Saturday, November 26. Head to the website for more information and to nab a booking.
Deck your halls with holly, then leave them immediately for a nice holiday. If there's one festive season motto that stands out to us, it's celebrating with family and friends and being thankful for the company. If there's another one, to be honest, it's leaving all that behind and escaping on a holiday on your own, or with a single loved one instead of your entire extended family. Nothing beats the sounds of silence, a cold dip in a pool, and the knowledge that you'll be able to remove your pants immediately after eating a huge Christmas-time meal and nobody will be there to mind. In partnership with Mr & Mrs Smith, here are ten getaway options for the Christmas / New Year period — and if you're stuck for present ideas, you can use the suggestions below (or 1000 more boutique hotels) on a Get a Room! gift card. Strongly suggest they take a you-shaped friend. COMO THE TREASURY, PERTH Como the Treasury was voted the second best hotel worldwide by the Condé Nast Traveler's Reader's Choice Awards this year, and its palatial rooms and incredible views of Perth clearly show why. The building may be 140 years old but the facilities aren't — there's a swimming pool, spa, and full fitness centre including yoga and pilates studios to really wave bye-bye to life stress. The top-floor restaurant Wildflower presides over the eating side of things, touting a menu infused with indigenous ingredients. Can't shake the kids while you're dining and yoga-ing? There are even babysitting facilities available. EMPIRE RETREAT AND SPA, MARGARET RIVER The Margaret River isn't a well-kept secret of a holiday destination, but it's a worthwhile Christmas drive just to stay at Empire Retreat and Spa. A lovely old stone farmhouse, it'll be like going back in time while simultaneously hitting an 11 on the luxury scale: the rustically modern rooms have everything you could need, and there's an on-site vineyard as well as the spa, so you should really consider kicking Christmas on for a few weeks more. Stay in a Luxury Villa, complete with sunken lounge and fireplace, or a Deluxe Balcony Suite – attached to the main lodge by a timber boardwalk. SAL SALIS, NINGALOO REEF Sal Salis is the type of place you evacuate to when your cat has knocked down the Christmas tree for the sixth time and you've lost your car in the car park again. A bush camp by the beach in Cape Range National Park, it's a safari by the sea but not without the trimmings: you might be sleeping in a tent but they're moored on timber platforms with own ensuite and deck, 30 metres from the sea. Sal Salis concentrates on eco-friendliness so expect composting loos and solar power — and unforgettable manta ray hangs when snorkelling. PRETTY BEACH HOUSE, CENTRAL COAST If eucalyptus is your calming scent of choice, consider coming to Pretty Beach House on the Central Coast to get your fix. Beautiful wood-panelled lodges make up this ideal holiday escape – a home away from home among the gumtrees, throwing in a private terrace and plunge pool for an extra warm welcome. There's a resident bar and an Italian restaurant by Stefano Manfredi complete with pizza oven so you'll be well fed and watered, too. For even more serenity there's a spa on premises and no children under 15 allowed — this is one for couples. ALILA MANGGIS, BALI If the options are "go to Bali or don't go to Bali" you should always pick "go to Bali". Find yourself surrounded by coconut groves at the Alila Manggis — a beachside resort located next to the sacred Mount Agung. There's a beautiful pool, a spa, and even the chance to be a mature age student: there's a cooking school on-site. The Alila Manggis also has its own organic veggie garden for extra goodness, so your body and mind will both say "thanks for taking me to Bali". BISMA EIGHT, BALI Another reason to up and get yourselves to Bali, if you needed more incentive, is the Bisma Eight resort in Ubud. A concrete oasis, the modern design isn't what you'd expect from a jungle paradise in Indonesia — but paradise it is. Aussie chef Duncan McCance run the restaurant on-site that puts to good use the hotel's organic garden. There's a pretty fancy pool and all rooms come with a Japanese soaking tub; plus, there's a fiery hot cocktail menu in the bar, so what are you even waiting for? THE CHEDI CLUB, UBUD Excuse us, but there's a butler service over here and also a 35m Balinese water palace pool. "Where do I book", you ask? If you're a guest at The Chedi Club Tanah Gajah in Ubud, you can stay in a Spa Villa, which has your own private spa room and massage beds. There is some mighty interesting culinary goodness happening over here with Singaporean chef Dean Nor working with "Mama Bali" and her local bumbu spices. All the rice comes from the nearby rice paddy fields; tours of these also run, as does the occasional Balinese dance performance. Off you trot, then. SALA, PHUKET Who says you can't relax in Phuket? Sala Phuket is making this a very valid reality for you in your time of need over Christmas and New Year, simply by providing you with a haven featuring multiple pools and much relaxation. Sala Pool Villas have enormous "merman sized" bathtubs, private pools and tropical gardens of their own; you're located near the beach and there's a spa, too, so the beautiful bodies of water never end. The champion of Sala might very well be the bar, with daybeds big enough to sprawl on while drinking a burnt lemon and vanilla margarita. Mmm. THE SAROJIN, THAILAND For a more secluded yet equally as tropical getaway, The Sarojin is a boutique hotel on the coastline of Phang Na set on 10 acres of garden. There's an infinity pool that is infinity types of inviting and has it's own pavilions at its edges. With a cosy seafood shack as well as a restaurant nestled under the huge fig tree that is the centerpiece of the gardens, you'll eat well — or can even charter a cruise to a private island for a romantic dinner for two. A seven-night minimum stay is required over Christmas, so we guess you guys will just have to suck it up. ZABORIN, JAPAN Japan — land of the best things in the world (sushi, good public transport, an island full of cats). It's also home to Zaborin Hotel in the Hanazano woods in Hokkaido, a 15-villa wonderland. Each villa has it's own indoor and outdoor onsen (bath) filled with volcanic water, and once you've soaked to your heart's content head along to the restaurant for a traditional kita kaiseki meal — an 11-course set menu differing with the harvest. Ski slopes are nearby, but we wouldn't be surprised if you lounged around at Zaborin forevermore (or as long as you can get off work). Grab someone you love a Mr and Mrs Smith Get a Room! gift card and send them on a summer holiday — available from $50.
Sleek Nails sits on the upper floor of Newtown Central, just a stumble from the station. Beyond the convenient location, this salon offers expertise across the full range of nail art and care. Whether you're after acrylic nails, gel creations, a dip powder manicure or a statement shellac design, the team has got you covered. Don't be afraid to get wild with nail art either — think frescos of the night sky, intricate florals and careful fades of the colour spectrum. For pedicures, Sleek Nails will prime your digitals after a soak and scrub while you're settled in a sleek massage chair.
When stationery brand Moleskine opened its first permanent cafe in Milan back in 2016, it shot to the top of every notebook lover's must-visit spots. Given the popularity of their products, it should come as no surprise that opening additional eateries is on the company's to-do list, bringing its minimalist aesthetic to more places around the world. First, Moleskine has opened the doors on its second digs, in Beijing in the city's Taikoo Li shopping centre. Boasting neutral colours, plenty of space and ample natural light, as you'd expect given their clean design-loving ways, the open-concept 150-square metre space features both individual and communal tables — both indoors and in an al fresco area as well. Like its Milan predecessor, it's part cafe, part gallery, part library and part store; the kind of place where you can marvel at the decor while you're sipping tea and leafing through a few pages, and then pick up a notebook on your way out. Next on the agenda are cafes in Hamburg, London and New York, which are all due to open in 2018. Digital Arts Online reports that the eateries' menus will combine Italian and local cuisine across breakfast and lunch options, and showcase creativity through exhibitions dedicated to architects, designers, illustrators and film directors. A roster of events, talks and workshops will also be offered. Via Digital Arts Online. Image: Moleskine.
Throughout cinematic history, it's been pretty common for filmmakers to take a normal situation and hype it up to the extreme. It's why the phrase 'based on a true story' exists — realistic experiences often aren't dramatic enough for the big screen. But, when it comes to tackling complex topics — like that of psychological manipulation — overdramatising isn't the most effective or the most responsible way to portray them on-screen. Modern filmmakers seem to be more aware of this than ever before, taking more care to represent victims (and perpetrators) of psychological abuse, manipulation and gaslighting accurately, rather than relying on stereotyped characters and the assumptions society often makes about these fraught situations. More and more, filmmakers are taking on the responsibility to do away with these problematic stereotypes, and talk about themes and nuances of manipulation in a way that doesn't place blame or loathing on the victim. Berlin Syndrome, the new feature from Somersault director Cate Shortland, is the latest film to do just that. It follows Australian photographer Clare (Teresa Palmer) as she explores the streets of Germany, which is where she meets a handsome, charming local teacher Andi (Max Riemelt). But this is not your run-of-the-mill holiday romance — things escalate quickly, and it soon becomes clear that Clare is not able to leave Andi's apartment at her will. She is being kept captive. To say this is a complicated situation would be an understatement. While being kept prisoner by Andi over an extended period of time, Clare finds herself grappling between her desire to escape and her emotions towards Andi. As the name of the film and her behaviour would suggest, Clare starts to experience Stockholm syndrome, a condition where a hostage feels empathy or affection towards their captor. But, unlike many archetypal female characters, Clare is never portrayed as weak — even when she appears to succumb to Andi. This type of psychological manipulation, to a lesser extent, is unfortunately pretty common in real-life abusive relationships. According to a 2012 Australian Bureau of Statistics Personal Safety Survey, one in four women and one in seven men have experienced emotional abuse by a partner. Emotional abuse is rarely portrayed in an accurate way on-screen. Historically, cinema's hostage and kidnap thrillers have painted the perpetrator as overtly villainous — think the Brie Larson-starring 2016 Oscar-winner Room, as a recent example — or as a literal beast, as is the case in Beauty and the Beast (although that's another problem altogether). Often characters that are being manipulated, or stuck in abusive relationships, are portrayed as weak and blamed for not recognising what's happening around them. Berlin Syndrome may be the latest film to portray the victim of abuse as strong, but it seems to be following a pattern of films being more thoughtful in their approach. Last year's Girl on the Train highlighted gaslighting, and how Rachel's husband used her drinking habits to continually manipulate and confuse her, and Netflix's Jessica Jones threw the model on its head, portraying the victim of abuse not only as strong, but with super-human strength. Manipulative situations are never clear-cut. It's possible to still have feelings for someone who treats you badly — to go back and forth between feelings of love, hate and protectiveness. Cinema has shown us that time and time again. In Berlin Syndrome, Shortland makes the situation relatable and, like the examples above, shows that even the 'strong' and 'normal' can be affected by psychological manipulation. But it's easy to see why filmmakers exaggerate these themes — manipulation in its most dramatic form (guns, suicide, violence) can form a compelling narrative. But it's important for us to realise that often it appears in real life in a much more subtle form. In the past, it seemed like filmmakers thought that we wouldn't understand psychological manipulation unless it was shoved in our face. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore. Berlin Syndrome is now showing in cinemas across the country — read our review and watch the trailer here. Words: Kelly Pigram and Sarah Ward.
