There are so many things to love about summer. Warm weather, being able to comfortably cruise around with your windows down and — most importantly for us — a few hours of sunshine after work courtesy of daylight savings. There's nothing quite like soaking up the afternoon sun, realising it's already 8pm and then deciding you may as well kick on well into the night. And after being cooped up inside all winter, we're gearing up for a sun-soaked summer like no other. Luckily, there's a gin seltzer that's going to take your balmy days and nights to new heights this year. Meet Sunny Eddy — Australia's first gin seltzer. Hailing from the northern beaches of Sydney, this new drink comes in three flavours — a cool lime and cucumber; crisp pink apple; and zesty blood orange and grapefruit. So, to ensure your summer is a slam dunk this year, we recommend working your way through this list of quintessential summer activities — with a refreshing Sunny Eddy in hand, of course. [caption id="attachment_805728" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Shelly Beach by Stef2230 via Flickr[/caption] GET POOLSIDE Whether it's in-ground, in the ocean or inflatable, getting yourself poolside is essential in summer. Thankfully, there's no shortage of superb swimming spots in Sydney and surrounds. If you've never been to the Cronulla's stunning Shelly Beach Rock Pool, add it to your summer 2021 bucket list. Not only is it an incredible place to swim, it's also located next to sprawling lawns that are ideal for that post-swim sunset picnic with friends. If you're after something even more secluded, head to the rugged North Curl Curl rockpool on the Northern Beaches or Nuns Pool in Wollongong. Or, if you want to submerge in a natural plunge pool and relax under rocky clifftops until the sun goes down, try Ivor Rowe rockpool in South Coogee. HOST A BEACHSIDE BARBECUE Getting behind the grill is somewhat synonymous with summer. So, why not level up your summer soiree by taking your backyard barbecue beachside this year? Luckily, there are plenty of beachside locations that are equipped with facilities to bring your outdoor cook up to life including The Basin in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. To get there, take the ferry from the Palm Beach wharf. Then, spend the day relaxing on the beach, snorkelling or take it one step further and stay the night at the campgrounds located just around the corner. Cromwell Park in Malabar and Arthur Byrne Reserve in Maroubra are both ideal for day-trippers who want to avoid crowds that beachside barbecue facilities often have. Or, if you want calm waters, sprawling parkland and incredible hikes at your fingertips, take your barbecue and some Sunny Eddy seltzer supplies to the Bonnie Vale picnic area in Bundeena. [caption id="attachment_664635" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Stand-up paddleboarding in Manly.[/caption] HANG OUT IN OUR WATERWAYS Sydney is surrounded by sparkling waterways. And, not only do they provide a stunning backdrop to our lives, there are also plenty of different ways to enjoy them all summer long. Feel like doing something active? Try kayaking in Pittwater Estuary, stand-up paddleboarding at Balmoral Beach or a conquer some of the 80-kilometre coastal trek that stretches from Bondi to Manly. Want a different type of adventure? Take the half-hour ferry trip from Palm Beach to Ettalong. Or, if you feel like going all out this year, hire out a boat for the ultimate harbourside hang out with your mates. Spirit Fleet Boat Charters offers a "bare boat hire" which allows you to bring your own food and drink on board — ideal if you want to sip on your favourite seltzer at sunset. [caption id="attachment_808627" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Overlooking Little Bay.[/caption] GO COASTAL Sydney is spoilt for choice when it comes to beaches. There's the golden sands and pine trees in the north, rugged cliffs and coastal walks in the east and cosy coves hidden in the harbour. To maximise your time in the sun this summer, we recommend ditching your go-to beach destination for the day to explore one of our city's more hidden offerings. Head to Little Bay and Little Conwong Beach — both about 30 minutes south of the CBD — for calm waters and picturesque views. If you don't mind putting in a little more effort to get to your destination, the idyllic Resolute Beach in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park or Burning Palms in the Royal National Park are definitely worth the trek. There's nothing better than feeling like a tourist in your own town to make you fall in love with your home all over again. [caption id="attachment_756337" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Volleyball at Manly Beach.[/caption] BRING ON THE BEACH GAMES Whether you're into soccer, cricket, paddle ball or tennis, all you need is the appropriate ball, an open space and some halftime refreshments to keep you energised. If you're keen to get playing, but want to try something new this summer, order your crew a spike ball kit. It's a bit like volleyball meets handball but most importantly — it's actually fun. For a more low key beach activity where you can keep hold of your seltzer, we can't go past a few rounds of Finska. Or, if some friendly competition is more your thing, check out the volleyball tournaments in Manly or Malabar. Want to win a summer's supply of Sunny Eddy? Enter our competition to do just that here. Learn more about Sunny Eddy by visiting the website here.
There's rarely a still moment in BlackBerry. Someone is almost always moving, usually in a hurry and while trying to make their dreams come true everywhere and anywhere. Those folks: Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel, FUBAR) and Douglas Fregin (Matt Johnson, Anne at 13,000 Ft), who created the game-changing smartphone that shares this movie's name; also Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), the executive they pitch to, get knocked back by, then hire as co-CEO. That near non-stop go-go-go look and feel — cinematography that's constantly roving and zooming to match, too — isn't just a stylistic, screenwriting or performance choice. It's a case of art imitating the impact that the BlackBerry handsets and their tiny QWERTY keyboards had on late-90s and early-00s life. Before the iPhone and its fellow touchscreen competitors took over, it was the key device for anyone with a work mobile. The big selling point? Letting people do their jobs — well, receive and send emails — on the move, and everywhere and anywhere. Should you blame Research in Motion, the Canadian technology company that Lazaridis and Fregin founded, for shattering work-life balance? Dubbed "crackberries", their phones played a significant part in extending the office's reach. Is anyone being inundated with after-hours emails on a BlackBerry today? Unless they have an old handset in their button-pressing hands, it isn't likely — and BlackBerry the film explains why. Spinning on-screen product origin stories is one of 2023's favourites trend, as Tetris, Air and Flamin' Hot have demonstrated; however, history already dictates that the latest addition to that group doesn't have a happy ending. Instead, this immersive and gripping picture tells of two friends with big plans who achieved everything they ever wanted, but at a cost that saw the BlackBerry become everything, then nothing. Like its fellow object-to-screen flicks, it follows a big leap that went soaring; this one just crashed spectacularly afterwards. "A pager, a cell phone and an e-mail machine all in one": that's how Mike and Doug explain the PocketLink, the idea that'll turn into the BlackBerry, when they're trying to drum up investors. It's a winning concept, including in 1996 when the film kicks off, but these two pals know computers, coding and tech better than getting their creation out into the world. Balsillie, after rejecting them in a job he's feeling undervalued in, approaches the pair with an offer to assist. Give him a title, authority and a stake in the company, and he'll put in his own cash, become their business saviour and get their phone out into the world. And he does. BlackBerry devices were everywhere in the 2000s. Then Steve Jobs launched the handset that's become ubiquitous since, RIM responded, and the aftermath is well-known in everyone's pockets. There's a cautionary-tale air to this quickly compelling third feature from Johnson, who doesn't just slip into Doug's shoes while rocking an ever-present red headband — he directs and writes, as he did with The Dirties and Operation Avalanche, co-scripting here with Matthew Miller (Nirvanna the Band the Show, another Johnson-starring and -helmed project). BlackBerry isn't content to merely chart an upswing and downfall, plus a trouncing by a corporate adversary, digging into the perils of at-any-cost perspectives in every frame. Always as glaringly evident as a BlackBerry's buttons: if RIM hadn't made short-sighted choices and shady deals, cut corners, and played everything fast and loose while splashing around cash, the film mightn't wrap up as it does irrespective of the iPhone's success. Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs inspired dramas (see: The Social Network, Jobs and Steve Jobs), but Lazaridis, Fregin and Balsillie have sparked a tragedy meets farce. Stepping through IRL events that concluded badly, famously so, doesn't stop Johnson from staying playful as a filmmaker. Indeed, BlackBerry is firmly a satire. Non-fiction book Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry by journalists Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff provides the movie's starting-off point, the overall rise-and-fall arc sticks to the facts, and the era-appropriate aesthetic and pop-culture references — including The Strokes, Moby and The White Stripes needle drops; The Breakfast Club quotes; and Point Break posters — are spot on, but this flick would also go well with The Office or Office Space. The core character dynamic demands a sense of humour, pairing a smart but socially awkward couple of mates with big hopes with a ruthless and shark-like salesman. Reality demands it, too, with the film taking a "what else can you do but laugh?" approach to capitalism in action at its worst. That restless, shaky, zipping-around cinematography by Jared Raab (also The Dirties, Operation Avalanche and Nirvanna the Band the Show, plus We're All Gonna Die (Even Jay Baruchel)) captures plenty that's ridiculous and yet also never surprising. BlackBerry is an eager parody — it purposefully isn't 100-percent accurate in every single detail, and it's as offbeat in vibe as Johnson's past work — but the peppily paced picture remains affectionate about an undersung chapter of Canadian history. So, it chuckles, boggles and chronicles. It perfects the gist of RIM's journey to great heights and back to earth again so savvily that everything feels authentic (emotionally at least) and winking at once. BlackBerry makes cheeky jokes about the device's name, shows LANs and movie nights that couldn't be further away from the corporate normality, giggles when eye-watering figures are thrown at other company's employees and lets Howerton lean into the cut-throat exec type with visible relish — and always keeps clicking as a portrait of faking it till you make it, chasing a quick win over a long-term plan, tech-industry greed and hubris, and selling out over going with your gut. The cast, especially Howerton, buzz on the film's wavelength on the strongest setting possible. While he'll forever be Dennis Reynolds, as he has on the small screen across 16 seasons so far since 2005, he's also a powerhouse as the relentlessly calculating, hockey-loving, take-no-prisoners figure who knows that he's a predator — and he's equally and astutely hilarious. Sporting a shock of greying hair even while playing a thirtysomething, Baruchel is similarly excellent, and subtler. BlackBerry isn't chortling at Balsillie, or at Lazaridis and Fregin, though. Rather, it's amused by the fact that each does exactly what they were always bound to based on their personalities, taking RIM's tale down the only path they probably could with this trio thrust together at the helm. Blackberry phones were once a character-defining status symbol; this can't-look-away movie is three fascinating character studies inside a comedic corporate horror show.
Backyard cricket, barbecues and water sports are all Aussie summer clichés for a reason: they're good, wholesome fun. Another one? Outdoor cinemas. And we're here to tell you the very good news that Wollongong's version of this al fresco activity is returning for another season. Sponsored by IMB Bank, Sunset Cinema will take over the Fig Lawn at the Wollongong Botanic Garden from December 13—February 23. Whether you're planning a cosy date night or easy family outing under the stars, this year's extensive program has something for everyone. The nostalgic lineup ranges from 90s cult films like Spice World to the latest Hollywood blockbusters including A Star Is Born, Bohemian Rhapsody and Aquaman. Family-friendly options include Mary Poppins Returns, Ralph Breaks The Internet and even a sing-along version of The Greatest Showman. BYO picnics are encouraged, but if you want to enjoy a sparkling or brew throughout the film, the on-site bar will be serving a range of Grant Burge wine and Young Henrys craft beer and cider. Didn't pack enough snacks? There'll be plenty of the requisite movie treats like popcorn, chips chocolates and lollies, plus an on-site dining menu of bigger bites. Tickets start at $18 for adults, with a premium $40 lawn lounge package on offer, too — it includes entry, a prime-viewing bean bag reserved on the lawn, a beverage of your choice and a box of popcorn. To see the full program and purchase tickets, visit the Sunset Cinema website.
He has filled the National Gallery of Victoria with silver bikes, thrown paint over his pals, had quite the public fight with Lego and set up a studio in Lesbos to draw attention to the refugee crisis. And, before he heads to Australia again for the 2018 Sydney Biennale, Ai Weiwei is continuing to contemplate and challenge the way that immigration and security are handled in his latest New York installation. It'll be his largest and most ambitious public exhibition to date, and he's asking for help to make it happen. Due to be unveiled in October, Ai Weiwei's next project is called Good Fences Make Good Neighbors, as presented by the city's Public Art Fund. To assist in the massive effort — which will feature site-specific pieces, plus 2D and 3D artwork, spanning more than 300 outdoor sites in all five boroughs — the Chinese artist has launched a Kickstarter campaign. At the time of writing, it has passed the halfway mark towards his US$80,000 goal. Given the exhibition's title, as well as Ai Weiwei's ongoing political activism, it's far from surprising that Good Fences Make Good Neighbors addresses the plight of migrants and refugees, immigration and border control policies, and the current global rise in nationalism. Drawing upon his own experience in detention, as well as his visits to refugee camps around the world, the project will adapt security fencing in a number of different ways, and in unexpected places, in order to make a statement about division and separation. New Yorkers can expect pieces at street level, on rooftops, between buildings, on lampposts, attached to frame bus shelters and elsewhere in the urban landscape, as well as site-specific installations in the likes of Central Park and Washington Square Park. With the project running through until February 2018, the artworks are designed to act "as powerful metaphors in a city that has long served as a gateway to the United States for millions of immigrants," according to the Public Art Fund website. For those unable to see the end result in person, it's not the only thing the always-busy Ai Weiwei has been cooking up of late. Human Flow, his new documentary about the global refugee crisis, has just premiered at the Venice Film Festival. It'll have its Aussie debut at the Adelaide Film Festival in October, before reaching cinemas around the country on December 7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP5F7-RwVgM Images: Ai Weiwei studio via Kickstarter.
The only thing cooler than stepping out in a pair of Habbot shoes this spring would be stepping out in a pair that you designed yourself. It's not a pipe dream either, now that the Aussie-designed, Italian-made footwear company has relaunched #myhabbot – an online platform where customers can mix and match their favourite materials to customise a pair of the label's must-have shoes. You might have heard about Habbot's "customise a classic" concept when they trialled it last October, with shoe-lovers jumping at the chance to play designer during a series of weekly events at Habbot's Strand Melbourne store. This time around #myhabbot is here to stay, with a new online customisation platform allowing customers across Australia and the world to create footwear magic with just a few clicks of the mouse. Pick from one of four Habbot favourites – the classic derby, the point pump, the mid-heel sandal or a micro sole derby – and a whopping 24 different materials running from suedes and soft nappa leathers to party-ready glitters. After you select your shoe lace colour and decide on the addition of brogueing (that hole-punch detailing), the design is sent off to Habbot's craftsmen in Italy. All in all, the final product should be on your feet within a month. There's also the option of heading into the store for a consultation, if you prefer a face-t0-face approach to your shoe design. Jump over to Habbot's website to create your own one-off pair.
When Steven Soderbergh (Magic Mike's Last Dance) and David Koepp (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) work together, someone on-screen is watching on, listening in or both. With the former helming and the latter penning the screenplays, the veteran filmmakers have joined forces on three features so far: 2022's Kimi, as well as the 2025 duo of Presence and Black Bag. Surveillance plays a pivotal part in each. The first of their collaborations focused on an always-eavesdropping smart speaker, plus the company employee who hears something sinister in its audio streams. The third of their shared projects is a spy thriller that hits cinemas in March 2025. Then there's the duo's ghost story, about a family who moves into a home with an otherworldly existing resident. In Presence, the titular entity is indeed peering on and pricking up its ears. How does this ever-prolific pair, whose careers both date back to separate debut movies that screened at the 1989 Sundance Film Festival — Soderbergh's Sex, Lies, and Videotape and the Koepp-scripted Apartment Zero — not only take on the horror-genre staple that is haunted houses, but give it a new perspective? The answer is that very perspective. Presence adopts the viewpoint of the body doing the spooking, which means that the picture's sound and vision presents what its ghost sees and hears. For viewers, there's no question whether there's a spirit lingering about; that's clear immediately. The film's four key humans — matriarch Rebekah (Lucy Liu, Red One), her husband Chris (Chris Sullivan, a veteran of Soderbergh's excellent TV series The Knick), and their teenage children Chloe (Callina Liang, Foundation) and Tyler (debutant Eddy Maday) — aren't as clued in as the audience when Presence begins. They've simply relocated to a new house in the suburbs and are endeavouring to go about their daily lives. The ghost is there before them. It watches on as they navigate dinners, fights, secrets, romances and everything in-between. It spots how Rebekah favours Tyler, and only Chris treats Chloe with kindness. And soon, it starts to make its presence known. Soderbergh came to Koepp about Presence with the basics: "a handful of pages and a strong aesthetic concept," Koepp tells Concrete Playground. From there, for a director who also lensed and edited the film himself — and therefore, as the cinematographer, basically plays the ghost himself — the screenwriter fleshed out a narrative that's as much as family drama as a haunted-house flick. He's working with elements that he loves, and it both shows and pays off, as does the immersive, patient, long-take ghost's-eye camerawork. Koepp has both Stir of Echoes and Ghost Town on his resume, two other tales of haunting entities that he directed. He's no stranger to one-location setups, either, writing David Fincher's Panic Room. Real life was partly an inspiration for Presence, after strange things started happening in Soderbergh's own Los Angeles home, where he knew that someone had died before he moved in. Koepp has had his own encounter with odd occurrences that could possibly be chalked up to the supernatural — but he also knows the thrill that can and does spring from choosing to believe that something ghostly has happened. Building that feeling in, and also the 'has it/hasn't it?' sensation that everyone has had at least when a door swings open or an item has moved unexpectedly, is also one of his Presence feats. Koepp might find excitement and even a dash of optimism in Presence's concept, but that isn't the case with his other surveillance-heavy films with Soderbergh. "I think with a ghost story, yes," he advises. "But I don't find the idea that someone's watching or listening to be hopeful. I find it to be creepy." He continues: "And it's that sense of paranoia is what we're very consciously playing on. Certainly in Kimi. We're right. We've given permission to these devices to just listen to everything we say and do. Everybody's had the feeling of 'hey, I was just talking about Philadelphia, and now my phone is suggesting hotels in Philadelphia'. Well, there's a reason for that. You're not crazy." "And in this, those same feelings of unease — maybe even in this case dread — were things we wanted to play with." Two movies hitting cinemas within two months would be huge for most screenwriters. Koepp also has a third film on its way to picture palaces mid-2025: Jurassic World Rebirth, which sees him return to the franchise after co-penning the OG Jurassic Park script and The Lost World: Jurassic Park, both for Steven Spielberg. His resume highlights go on; Carlito's Way, the first Mission: Impossible, 2002's Spider-Man and Spielberg's War of the Worlds are all on Koepp's filmography, too, and represent just a selection of his wide-ranging array of projects. We also chatted with the Presence scribe about the intimacy of ghost stories, wanting to believe, working with a director who shoots and edits his pictures himself, the variety of films across his busy career and more. On the Intimacy of Ghost Stories — Including When a Haunted-House Film Is a Family Drama Shot From the Ghost's Perspective "Yes, as you point out, ghost stories are really intimate. I've done other ghost stories. I've done one that's meant to be scary, a comedy and this, and I often notice that in most stories, the person who is able to perceive the ghost is usually in some kind of difficult situation in their home life. And that's probably just because that's what makes for drama. You don't want to pick somebody who has everything going well. But I had this theory that perhaps that's also because having experienced a trauma opens you up to be more sensitive to things you couldn't perceive before. I know that there have been periods in my own life when I've gone through things I'd describe now as traumatic, and I felt much more in tune with the emotions of the people around me, because you're just opened up to the world in that way. And I thought 'if you're opened up to the world, why not the other world?'." On Using Real Life as a Starting Point — and Toying with the Excitement of Wanting to Believe "I think that with all of us personally — I can't speak to Steven's experience, but I know in my own, it's something that may or may not have happened, but I really wanted it to have happened. Because who doesn't want to believe these things? And because the very notion of believing in a ghost is optimistic, in that you believe there's something after we die. Who doesn't want to believe that? In Chloe's case, it quickly becomes pretty inarguable. The books were on the bed. The books are now not on the bed. And I guess she can question herself a little bit, but she's not an older person who can say 'oh, I forgot' — she is 16 years old. She knows very well where she left the books. But I do think that most of us who think something like that happened, it's terribly exciting and interesting. Why wouldn't we want it to have happened? And Chloe even says it to her brother later, she says 'can't part of you admit that this is the most-interesting thing that's ever happened in your life? Are you that scared of it that you can't admit that?'." On Writing for a Ghost — and, for a Ghost Basically Played by Steven Soderbergh as Presence's Cameraman "When I first said 'okay, let's do this' and I laid out the story, and then when I started writing it, at first I thought 'oh, this is going to be terribly limiting' — because I'm writing a four-character piece, but I can't ever cut. I can't, if I need a close-up of something, I can't. If I need a reverse, I can't. If I want to suddenly see another character's face for impact, I can't. I can't intercut between locations for suspense. All these tools that are usually available in writing for cinema were now off limits, and I thought 'how limiting'. Then I realised just a few pages into the writing 'no, no, no, you're not writing a four-character piece — you're writing a five-character piece. The fifth character is the presence, and it's played by the camera'. So when I embraced the presence as a character, it could then have feelings and that dictated what happened. It's anxious. It's restless. We know it's kind of fearful because it retreats into the closet frequently. So that made everything much easier, because now I'm writing for a character and I know how to do that." On Penning a Screenplay for a Film That Audiences Will See Differently the Second Time Around "I know everything before I go in, because I've outlined and I've written a summary of it, so I have a good idea who it is and what they're doing. So I'm dropping clues throughout — and there are a number of clues in the body of the film. From a character standpoint, knowing who the presence is and knowing some specifics about them tells me how they would behave. So I think I'm gratified by how many people fully understood it the first time. And I think it does reward a second viewing in that you see all the signposts that were there for you along the way." On the Importance of Presence Being a Film About a Family Struggling as Much as It Is a Haunted-House Film "That was what made it fun. When Steven told me the idea, he said it all needs to be in one house — I mean the aesthetic idea — he said it all needs to be in one house, and I'd like it to be a family. And it hit three of my top boxes for things that I'm interested in writing. It had a strong concept behind it that limited us in some way, and therefore freed us up or forced us into creative solutions. It was all set in a house. I like stories like that. I've done a few of them. Panic Room some years ago, all in one house. And it was a family drama. And one of the things that I like about the big resurgence in horror films in the last ten or 15 or 20 years, I don't know how long it's been now, is that you can you can smuggle in other kinds of stories in the box of a spooky movie. And so I love writing families. I have four kids, I've known a lot of families. We all have our birth families, and if we're lucky enough to have kids, we know that family — and they're very dynamic groups. And it was great fun to be able to write a family drama." On What Keeps Drawing Koepp to Two of Presence's Key Elements: Ghost Stories and One-Location Films "I don't know psychologically, but I do know practically. I call them bottles, in that there's a container for your wine — and much like the Hays Code of the Hollywood in the 30s, 40s and 50s had very strict rules about what you could do and what you couldn't do in terms of sex and innuendo, so the filmmakers were left to think of ways around it and clever ways to insinuate. And I think when you say 'okay, we can't leave the house', then you're compelled to think of creative solutions to your problems. And 'how do I make this interesting even though I'm stuck in this house for the whole movie?'. And 'how do I make that an advantage instead of a disadvantage?'. For me, when you sit down to write something, there's a sense that the world is too big. If you can go anywhere and have them do anything and have absolutely anyone be in it, where do you even begin? It just makes me want to take a nap. But when I'm limited in terms of who can be in it and where they can be, now suddenly I feel like I'm starting to have ideas. I think da Vinci — I don't want to be too highfalutin, but I think Leonardo da Vinci said that all great art is born out of limitation. I'm not saying we're great art, but I think he's right about that." On the Collaborative Process When Working with a Filmmaker Who Directs, Shoots and Edits — as Soderbergh Does on Kimi and Presence "Well, it's particular to the person. All the great directors I've worked with are very hands-on. They don't all do as many jobs as Steven does, shooting it and editing it. Confident people are easier to work with than people who lack confidence. And Steven is extremely confident and extremely decisive. And therefore, he lets other people do their jobs. I know he can do my job. He's an accomplished writer. So I assume if he wanted to, he'd be doing it. He would write it himself — the way he wants to shoot and he wants to edit, so he takes those jobs himself. So I think I appreciate that he guides me, but doesn't try to do it for me." On Jumping Between Indie Films and Blockbusters, Movies and TV, and Screenwriting and Directing Across Koepp's Career "It's what keeps it interesting. I continue to like all kinds of movies. I'll see pretty much anything in the cinema. So I like to try my hand at writing them. And I have this theory that it's like lifting weights. You're supposed to exercise your muscles to the point of failure. I feel like I've tried to exercise my creative muscles across genres to the point of failure — and I have failed. So you find 'oh, I wish I could do that particular type of movie' — turns out I'm not that great at it. But that's what keeps it interesting. You have to continually try different things. And you have to stay in service to the idea. If you have an idea, you can't try to bend it into the kind of film you're comfortable with. You need to become comfortable with the kind of film that the idea demands." Presence opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, February 6, 2025.
We're happy to announce that, in the name of gender equality, chef Teague Ezard is finally opening the female equivalent to his popular Melbourne Asian fusion eatery Gingerboy in Sydney: Gingergirl. Okay, so it's not really in the name of gender equality, it's more in the name of excellent Thai food — but for whatever reason, the acclaimed restaurant is popping up at The Star until the end of March 2017. Ezard is behind the food at the complex's BLACK Bar and Grill, and Gingergirl will be making her appearance right around the corner. You can expect an earthier twist on Gingerboy's menu, at far earthier prices. Think cold noodle salad with all the trimmings — squid, drunken chicken, sesame, paw paw and bandit dressing — for $16, a yellow curry of blue eye and wagyu brisket with peanut tamarind caramel and hot and sour coconut salad for $22 a piece. They're also doing Vietnamese coffees and bubble tea, and a thom kha creme brûlée for dessert. The dining atmosphere will also err on the side of casual, so it's a good way to taste some damn fine food without the fine dining vibes (or price tag).
Well, this could have gone better. The first leg of Listen Out 2014 has been marred by an unfortunate incident that led to a security guard suffering serious injuries yesterday. Late in the afternoon, a group of gatecrashers jumped the fence at Sydney's Parklands and a 29-year-old security guard rushed to stop them. The intruders then trampled him and ran away. Suffering internal bleeding and a ruptured spleen, the security guard received medical assistance at the venue before being taken to St Vincent's Hospital. He is currently in a stable condition, but police are asking anyone with information about the gatecrahsers to come forward. In particular, they would like to speak to "a man in his late teens or early 20s, with a solid build, and short dark brown hair [who] was last seen wearing a grey t-shirt and red shorts". If you know anyone by that description who also happens to be kind of cheap and incredibly insensitive, time to dob them in. Listen Out is in Perth today and has two more festival dates next weekend for Melbourne and Brisbane. Time to step up your game, people. Do the right thing, look after each other, and there won't be any problems. There are far too many dickheads out there ruining it for everyone. If you have information about the incident call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page.
If you've seen A New Zealand Food Story then you'll already know the backstory behind new downtown restaurant Ahi. The eight-part online series follows acclaimed chef Ben Bayly and his team as they set out to discover what local cuisine is all about and where our produce comes from. It sees him enter rough Fiordland waters to harvest paua and crayfish, stalk deer through the Avon Valley, join a hook-to-plate fishing expedition in Foveaux Straight, and munch an absolutely enormous fig in Marlborough. The end goal is to create a truly unique New Zealand restaurant for the 28 March deadline. Five months later, in this year from hell, it's finally here. Ahi, translating from te reo Māori to 'fire', opened its doors for the first time on 31 August inside the new Commercial Bay precinct. Inside, Bayly and co-founder Chris Martin expand on the concept of fire with an open hearth in the kitchen. The 120-seat, hyperlocal space also features a woven oak ceiling to represent traditional Māori kete baskets, handmade plates from a West Auckland potter and an abundance of native timber which was salvaged by Bayly during the course of construction. Bayly says that Ahi's menu has been devised as a "culinary representation of what it means to be home, celebrating the diversity of the New Zealanders who bring produce to our tables." From whenua and moana, the land and the sea, diners can enjoy oysters by way of Waiheke Island, buffalo cheese from Whangaripo, speared butterfish from Cook Straight and cauliflower from Pukekohe. Snack items include tahr tartare with wild garlic and fermented hot sauce, hāngī pāua with kahawai, sour cream and kawakawa, and an interpretation of the 'Trumpet' made with buffalo ice cream and chocolate from Auckland's Miann. The larger courses complete the nationwide food tour. There's Fiordland crayfish soup with kūmara and saffron ravioli, Gisborne butternut with toasted harakeke flax and māhoe shoots, and 'Boil-up Toast' made with Berkshire pork, watercress and egg. From A New Zealand Food Story comes Bayly's wild-shot fallow deer in loin and cheek form, while the half crayfish you may have seen being charcoaled on the rugged Fiordland coast now comes with green onion and ginger sauce and lemon-sorrel salad. The restaurant comes complete with picturesque views out over the Waitematā Harbour — something which Bayly says is essential so diners know that they are in Aotearoa. Find Ahi on the second floor of the Commercial Bay precinct at 7 Queen Street. It's open 11.30am til late, seven days a week. Images: Manja Wachsmuth.
There are two types of people in this world: people who need a coffee in the morning and the people who don't. We don't know too many people from the latter group, so we're going to say that there's a lot of us who rely on that first whizzbang hit of sweet, sweet caffeine either first thing in the morning or shortly thereafter. But, like the generation we are, we're always looking to get things faster, easier, and in a much cooler form. And we assume that's where the Go Cube came from. Go Cubes are chewy gummy lollies made with real cold brew coffee, and are supposed to give the same — if not an enhanced — effect as an actual cup of the stuff. Each cube is equivalent to half a cup of coffee, and is filled with nootropics, which are supplements and functional foods that help improve some aspects of mental function. In other words, they are supposed to do the same thing that a latte does: get the brain juices flowing. They come in three flavours — latte, pure drip and mocha — and yes, they're vegan. The cubes come from San Francisco-based company Nootrobox, who specialise in these types of 'brain' foods and compounds. At the moment Go Cubes are on pre-order, having raised all their funds through Indiegogo. This could be a good alternative for those who have a penchant for Red Bull or three double espressos in the morning. But for those who enjoy the ritual of getting a coffee — and actually like drinking the stuff — you'll probably get the same effect (and more deliciousness) by sticking to good old liquid form. Nevertheless, chewy coffee lollies are something we can get on board with. Via PSFK.
Paramount Recreation Club — a rooftop dedicated to fitness above the Paramount House Hotel — is gearing up for the festive season. On Saturday, November 23, the yoga mats and gym balls will be swept aside to make way for the club's Holiday Market. If you're on the hunt for locally designed and made gifts, then make sure you add this one to the calendar. The good folks at Paramount have handpicked a bunch of their favourite brands and designers, including textiles from Margot Designs, Japanese basics from nearby store Provider, wellness products from Bear, and bits and bobs from The Plant Society, Maison Balzac and The Locals Market. Anyone who arrives within the first hour (i.e. between 10–11am) will score free coffee, courtesy of Coffee Supreme, while the Rec Club Kiosk will serve healthy eats right up until 5pm.
When you can't be bothered to cook and you're craving something reliable and delicious, Thai food has always had your back. And few restaurants do it better than Dodee Paidang. Dodee Paidang's house special is tom yum noodles — the recipe comes from the hugely popular Dodee Paidang chain in Thailand. Owner Somporn Phosri bought the recipe and opened up Sydney's three outposts — this one in Chatswood, plus Bondi Junction and Haymarket. The legendary soup in question is a sweet and sour broth flavoured with lemongrass, galangal, lime and Thai herbs and jazzed up with seafood and meat. All you have to do is choose how hot you want it: the spice level ranges from 'monster' (level one) to 'super nova' (level seven). Not a big chilli fan? Opt for the no chilli broth, cheekily named 'nursery'. Entrees include classics such as chicken wings, crab and prawn rolls, xsan sausage and fish cake and satay chicken. The fried rice is cooked to perfection and served with king prawns while the pineapples option adds a sweet and sour element which is especially delicious. The ginger and shallot sauce stir-fry is the pick of the bunch while the massaman beef is tender and melts in your mouth. If it's seafood your after, there are numerous whole fish options served up with variations of chilli, garlic, lemon and tomatoes. For something lighter give the som tum and soft shell crab salad a go. Basically, there's an almost never-ending of dishes at Dodee Paidang in Chatswood. You can easily come back over and over again and still find new dishes to try. Images: Cassandra Hannagan
Huge news: Darlinghurst is set to become home to Soho House Sydney, Australia's first outpost for the ultra-exclusive membership club. The much-hyped global brand already has locations across the world from Berlin to Miami, and is now in the process of transforming a building on the corner of Crown and Foley Street above Shady Pines Saloon, with ambitious plans in the works to completely reshape the space. The five-storey development is currently subject to City of Sydney approval, but is set to feature a variety of spaces both indoor and outdoor that are designed to facilitate social gatherings, including multiple restaurants and bars across the various levels. Plans submitted to the city council also show a proposed gym, cabaret facilities, and a rooftop terrace and pool. The plans also reveal anticipated changes to the facade, replacing the building's fairly rundown exterior with a simple, sleek and modern cream and brown design in line with other Soho Houses around the world. Soho House is working with Tonkin Zulaikha Greer (The Old Clare Hotel, Bondi Pavilion) in creating the proposed design. "It's possibly one of the worst-kept secrets, but we're so excited to confirm that we will be opening a Soho House in Sydney in the future," says Soho House Membership Director Dominique Bellas. [caption id="attachment_900975" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tonkin Zulaikha Greer architects[/caption] "While we don't have more details to share at this time, we continue to grow our Cities Without Houses community in Australia and are looking forward to bringing our members a week-long Soho House experience for Sydney's first South by Southwest." As Bellas stated, the Soho House Sydney announcement comes as the internationally renowned brand hits Australia for SXSW Sydney — taking over The Old Clare Hotel in Chippendale. The dreamy accommodation, pub and rooftop bar is being treated to a Soho House transformation for the eight-day festival. Soho House and Cities Without Houses members — whether they be travelling Down Under for the festival, or local jetsetters and creatives — will be treated to daily programming and events designed to be reminiscent of what you'd experience at Soho Houses around the world. Included in the events will be a performance curated by Secret Sounds, a one-night-only dinner from British chef Darren Robertson (Three Blue Ducks, Rocker), an art installation from Paul Davies and an industry event with the not-for-profit Women In Music Australia. If you want to join the Soho House community in preparation for the inaugural Australian outpost to open, you can apply for a Cities Without Houses membership, which will grant you access to the brand's SXSW Sydney takeover of The Old Clare. [caption id="attachment_706208" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Old Clare Rooftop[/caption] Australia's first-ever Soho House was originally set to open on Domain Road in Melbourne's South Yarra, but developers were forced to ditch plans at the direction of VCAT after strong opposition from local councils and a residents' group. The Darlinghurst building earmarked for Soho House Sydney has a storied history, taking many forms over the years including Bolot's Embassy Dancing Academy between 1924–30, the Playbox Theatre and Stanley Twig's auction house in the 1930s and, most recently, housing several retail tenants throughout the 2000s including an espresso bar, convenience store and a nail salon. Now boasting over 40 houses across the globe, Soho House first opened in London in 1995 as a private members club for clientele in the creative sphere. It has since spread throughout Europe and North America, opening restaurants, cinemas, workspaces, spas and bedrooms alongside the traditional clubs. From New York to Istanbul, exclusivity is a common global denominator. [caption id="attachment_613704" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Darren Robertson and Cameron Northway[/caption] Soho House Sydney is set to open at 256 Crown Street, Darlinghurst — we'll update you with an opening date when one is announced. Top image: Soho House Sydney render by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer
1987's Predator is so much better than you remember, even if you remember it being pretty bloody great. Written by Shane Black (who also scribed Lethal Weapon before writing and directing Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Guys), Predator was framed as just another action blockbuster vehicle for Arnold Schwarzenegger, yet proved a surprisingly smart and masterfully constructed thriller with equal measures of horror, science-fiction, eternally quotable lines and laugh out loud comedy. Best of all, its villain was something entirely new: a sneaky, lethal and superior hunting machine that could turn invisible as it hunted humans for sport like the antagonist from an alien version of The Most Dangerous Game. Sequels followed. The first wasn't bad. The rest were. They even tried spinoffs, hoping the success and popularity of the Alien vs. Predator comic book series would translate to the big screen. It didn't. Now, some 31 years after the original, Black returns as both writer and director with The Predator. At the end of the day though, things probably would have been better if he hadn't. If the original Predator defied easy categorisation, The Predator proves even harder, shifting from extreme gore and violence one minute to 80s-style quips and blokey banter the next. The hero this time round is Narcos star Boyd Holbrook, whose vanilla performance matches his vanilla character - a grizzled sniper who finds himself on the wrong side of a shady government agency after inadvertently establishing first contact with Earth's latest predatory guest. He's soon bundled in with a bunch of PTSD-affected military rejects as part of a smear campaign, only to have these so-called loonies become his reluctant allies in a desperate effort to stop the extraterrestrial killer and save his autistic son (whose savant abilities – surely one of cinema's most tired cliches – allows him to read and interpret the alien language). It's a mess of a movie, uncertain from its opening scene whether it wants to make you laugh, wince or hide behind your hands. Black's strength has always been dialogue, so it's no surprise The Predator's less action-oriented scenes are also its strongest. Even in these moments, though, the jokes a wildly inconsistent, with every witty high point undermined by a crude, racist, bigoted or sexist jibe. Yes, soldiers are far from saints and doubtless many speak exactly like those presented on screen. Less so scientists whose behaviour in The Predator is often distinguishable from the soldiers around them thanks only to their white lab coats. Performance wise, Olivia Munn does what she can with limited resources (including having her introductory sequence edited out of the film after she discovered her co-star in the scene was a registered sex offender and raised objections with the studio). She's one of a number of talented actors stuck with thinly-crafted actors, including Moonlight's Trevante Rhodes and Key & Peele's Keegan-Michael Key. Jake Busey also makes a cameo, marking one of the film's many tips of the hat to the preceding films (his father was in the sequel), with playful quotes, musical cues and various props all there to reward long-time fans. The gritty action-comedy genre could well do with a comeback, and nobody would seem better placed than Black to make it happen. With The Predator, however, he falls short, delivering something that's entertaining at times but ultimately feels entirely forgettable. Certainly, it's a far cry from the brilliance of his original. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaG1KZqrLvM
Last year, this Crows Nest favourite swapped out its namesake lobster rolls and dedicated itself to the fried chicken business once and for all. "In the restaurant biz, you don't get to choose your signature dish. Your diners do that for you," said co-owner Tom Baker. "Over 50 percent of the food we sold at Johnny Lobster was fried chicken. So rather than continue to airfreight crustaceans from the North Atlantic, we decided to just go with it." The menu's centrepiece is fried chicken, which is served with sauce — such as Sticky Sichuan or Nashville Hot — and sides, including fried pickles, sweet potato fries and mac 'n' cheese. On top of that, there are burgers — the staple being the Johnny, packed with fried chicken, pickles, coleslaw, tomato relish and chipotle mayo. "Each cut of chicken at Johnny Bird is treated differently. It's a time-consuming process but you can taste it," said head chef Jason Hall. "The wings are cooked sous vide at a low temperature for three hours before frying. Tenderloins are wet-brined in heavily seasoned buttermilk to increase moisture in the final cut and our boneless thighs are soaked in seasoned natural yoghurt for 48 hours." To match such carefully prepared offerings, there's a selection of craft beers from Young Henrys and Moon Dog, plus a bunch of signature cocktails, including the Waist Not (gin, watermelon rind, vermouth, soda) and the Cold Fashioned (Mr Black coffee liqueur, rye whiskey, orange bitters). You'll find Johnny Bird in our list of the best fried chicken in Sydney. Check out the full list here. Appears in: The Best Fried Chicken in Sydney for 2023
The best thing on the menu at Bar Luca has long been their mouth-watering burgers. You know it. We know it. And, evidently, so do they. Because now they've opened BL Burgers, the no-frills Bar Luca takeaway spinoff you've been waiting for. The team at Oxford Street's brand new BL Burgers serve the same selection of burgers as they do at Bar Luca. That includes the Blame Canada, a mountainous concoction of a wagyu beef patty, maple-glazed streaky bacon, American cheddar, poutine and maple aioli that was recently named the best burger in Sydney by The Fatties Burger Appreciation Society. Other creations include a chicken karaage number with wasabi aioli, pickled veggies, coriander and coral lettuce, and a vegetarian option made with chickpea, sweet potato and spiced yoghurt, as well as a weekly special. Extras and sides include fried chicken, a fried cheese patty and shoestring fries with aioli. Primarily a takeout joint, seating in the space is minimal, with narrow benches along two walls. One wall features the menu, while the other boasts an enormous, burger-inspired mural by local artist Brent Smith. Image: Bar Luca.
Voila! The Four Horsemen are hitting Australia, in magical news if you like illusionists and the Now You See Me film franchise. Back in 2018, it was announced that the Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain)-, Woody Harrelson (Last Breath)-, Dave Franco (Together)- and Isla Fisher (Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy)-starring cinema saga was making its way to the stage — and while that's proven the case elsewhere since, the IRL production will make its first trip to Australia before 2025 is out. Now You See Me Live doesn't feature the cast of the films, but gets real-life illusionists demonstrating their skills instead. Their Aussie stop: the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall across Friday, December 19, 2025–Saturday, January 3, 2026. Audiences will be able to see Adam Trent from the US, Enzo Weyne from France, Andrew Basso from Italy and Gabriella Lester from South Africa step into the Four Horsemen's shoes. From Trent, expect plenty of sleight of hand, while Weyne specialises in large-scale magic. Basso prefers death-defying acts and Lester is a master of Houdini's upside down straight-jacket escape. The ensemble have taken to the stage for residencies on Broadway and in Las Vegas, and also in hundreds of other cities. Now, it's Australia's turn. "Hosting an Australian-premiere season at the Opera House is always a thrill, and this show is a spectacle — perfect for anyone with an appetite to be wowed this summer. Now You See Me Live takes movie magic to a whole new level of drama in this high-stakes live experience," said Brenna Hobson, Sydney Opera House Director, Programming, announcing the shows. Added Simon Painter, the production's Creative Producer, "Now You See Me Live pushes the boundaries of stage magic to the absolute edge, making the impossible possible in front of your very eyes. Together we've created a show with truly mindblowing artistry at epic scale and we can't wait for Sydney audiences to experience the magic — live!" 2025 is a big Now You See Me year: a new movie in the franchise is on its way to cinemas, too, with Now You See Me: Now You Don't releasing in Aussie picture palaces on Thursday, November 13, 2025. Check out the trailer for Now You See Me Live below: Now You See Me Live is playing the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall across Friday, December 19, 2025–Saturday, January 3, 2026. Head to the venue website for more information — with presale tickets from 9am on Tuesday, August 26, 2025 and general tickets from 9am on Wednesday, August 27, 2025.
There are a lot of weird food museums around the world, dedicated to everything from potatoes to Jell-O to kimchi. Some of them are a little questionable — others totally genius, like Japan's ramen museum — but there's certainly no question that an ice cream museum would be an important, delicious, 100 percent necessary educational facility. So it comes as no surprise that the announcement that a Museum of Ice Cream is opening in New York City this month has gone down very well with the public — especially as one of its draw cards will be a life-sized pool of sprinkles. Yes, you read that right — a pool of sprinkles. That you can swim in. Well, I don't know if you can technically swim through sprinkles, but you'll be able to fully immerse yourself in them either way. They won't be actual sprinkles, but according to Eater, they'll be made to look and feel just like those colourful little edible dots that make ice cream 10000x more delicious. The Museum of Ice Cream is being brought to life by two ice cream-loving New Yorkers, Maryellis Bunn and Manish Vora, who noticed a severe lack of ice cream-dedicated spaces and sprinkle swimming pools in the world. A pop-up museum, it will open in New York's Meatpacking District on July 19 and run until August 31. Aside from the sprinkle pool, the ice cream playground will also feature edible balloons, an "immersive" chocolate room (!!), an ice cream sandwich swing and a giant sundae. Randomly, there'll also be a room sponsored by Tinder. And because it wouldn't be a true food museum without some eating action, admission will also include tastings of special scoops created by some of the city's best ice cream artisans, including Black Tap and OddFellows. What a day out. Pool of sprinkles https://t.co/rBOQsoYgFK pic.twitter.com/4pbrSt3ray— Serena Dai (@ssdai) July 8, 2016 Via Eater.
It's no secret that Sydney loves its outdoor markets. Markets in May is giving you even more to enjoy about them. The celebration, which lasts the entire month of May, aims to highlight all the great things about markets — from offering locally sourced food to supporting small businesses. The kick-off is happening with a pop-up at Martin Place that will feature vendors from various markets around the city. The pop-up market promises to be a nice respite from the busyness of the CBD and a chance to discover some the best stalls. Arlingtons, Brasserie Bread, Gwydir Grove olive oil, Inside Out Nutritious Goods, Tarlart Thai, and Pod Cuisine are just a sample of the food stands featured at the launch. Free tastings, here we come. The month-long program will see a variety of special activities at your local market. Talks from farmers, cooking demonstrations, discounts, tours and musical performances are some of the events slated for the inaugural Markets in May.
If you're an Uber One member who's headed to the Australian Open, you're in luck. Complimentary rides to the Rod Laver Arena in snazzy EVs are on the cards — and they'll even drop you home. For the duration of the tournament until Sunday, January 28, Kia is serving up a fleet of 30 brand-new EV9s and EV6s, which are available in the 'Kia Electric' option on your Uber app — assuming that they haven't all been snapped up at the time you're looking, of course. Given that Kia is the major partner of the Australian Open, these same types of EVs will be transporting the players to and from the tournament. So you'll have the chance to experience travelling to the matches like a star of the game, even if you get winded going up the stairs. [caption id="attachment_935839" align="alignnone" width="1920"] annieb via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] How do you snag one of these rides? Simple. When heading to the tennis, just pop 'Rod Laver Arena' as your destination. If you're going home, just pop in your address or anywhere else you feel like heading within a five-kilometre radius. If an EV is available between 9am–7pm, from until Sunday, January 28, you can select it and enjoy the ride on Kia's dime. Here's the fine print: it's capped at $100, and only available if you're an Uber One member and booking within a five-kilometre radius of the arena. Free trip to one of the greatest sporting events on the planet, all in the quiet comfort of a slick EV? That's not a bad start to any day at the tennis. The Australian Open is held at Melbourne Park. It runs from Sunday, January 14 to Sunday, January 28. Top image: Tourism Victoria via Flickr.
Whether you're in Singapore for the first time or are lucky enough to have visited before, there's always more to do, see and experience around the Lion City. Rather than just stop in and marvel at iconic attractions, discover local stories and learn something new the next time you're in the city, with a guided tour by local experts. In partnership with Singapore Tourism, we've pulled together some fascinating tours — many of which are free — where you can get access to insider knowledge to uncover a new side to Singapore. Singapore Walking Tours Kick off your Singapore trip with a walking tour to get your lay of the land. There are several tour operators around the city, but Monster Day Tours is one of the few that offers free daily walking tours through different neighbourhoods. Over two-and-a-half hours, you'll be guided through the historic areas of Chinatown, Kampong Gelam or Little India. If you're more interested in the contemporary side of Singapore, there's also tours of Marina Bay and the Singapore City. You can try your luck joining in on the day, but priority is given to those who have booked a spot in advance. [caption id="attachment_976861" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Marklin Ang[/caption] Gardens by the Bay With 1.5 million plants from across the globe spread across over 100 hectares, you could visit the Gardens by the Bay many times over and still not have seen it all. That's why the Gardens offers a series of free sustainability and nature tours around the massive park. Every Saturday and Sunday between 8.30–11.30am, you can learn about topics such as water conservation and sustainable design practices, biodiversity and ecosystems, the sensory features of plants, and the impact of carbon on our climate as a guide takes you through parts of the park. Although it's free to join, you'll have to reserve a spot ahead of time to ensure you don't miss out. Mandai Wildlife Reserve Make some new furry friends when you get a close-up look at local wildlife on a behind-the-scenes tour. Mandai Wildlife Reserve consists of Singapore Zoo, River Wonders, Bird Paradise and Night Safari, and each park offers a range of exciting experiences. Explore Asia's first river-themed animal park with a personal guide or embark on a nighttime adventure through the world's first nocturnal wildlife park. At the Singapore Zoo, you can jump aboard a private buggy for a tour of the orangutans, tigers, KidsWorld and Wild Africa, before you get to meet a giant tortoise and participate in feeding the giraffes. Be sure to add on a backstage experience when you book your ticket. Brass Lion Distillery Brass Lion Distillery is a gin distillery known for its flagship Singapore Dry Gin, along with atypical gins that incorporate local flavours and aromatics, such as osmanthus oolong, butterfly pea and jasmine. For an in-depth experience, book in for the 50-minute distillery tour. Not only will a guide take you through the history of the brand and its production process, but you'll also be treated to a welcome drink and tasting flight of three gins in the upstairs Tasting Room. For a bespoke souvenir, choose your own botanicals and make your own gin to take home at the Brass Lion Gin School. National Gallery Singapore Let's be honest — it can sometimes be a struggle to fully comprehend or appreciate complex works of art. Give the artists the admiration they deserve and delve into major works by Singapore, Southeast Asian and international artists with docent-led tours at the National Gallery of Singapore. There are free tours ranging from deep dives into specific exhibitions and artists to a highlight tour of the whole gallery or building tours of City Hall and the former Supreme Court. Some of these tours require admission passes and you can register for a spot once you're at the National Gallery. Peranakan Museum Explore a significant part of Singapore's history and culture at the Peranakan Museum. 'Peranakan' is derived from the Malay word meaning 'local descendants', and the museum showcases the origins of Peranakan culture in Southeast Asia, as well as contemporary expressions of the culture. Peruse historical artefacts alongside textiles, furnishings and ceramics. The museum also offers free guided tours every day, and you can register on the day once you've paid for admission to the museum. Book your Singapore holiday now with Flight Centre.
Easter is one holiday that can lose its sheen pretty quickly. Usually once your parents decree you're "too old" for Easter egg hunts. But with the four-day break and eating-centred celebrations (because you fasted for the last six weeks for Lent, right?), there's plenty to get excited for, particularly with the nearby Anzac Day turning this into a ten-day holiday for many.* While some venues shut, others turn on the charm. Only the best have made it into this list, our Ultimate Easter Weekend Itinerary. See you at the Fish Markets, Aqua Egg Hunt and hot cross bun burger queue. *Did you notice that we didn't say egg-cited? That took all of our effort. Friday 5am: Easter Feastival at Sydney Fish Market Sydney Fish Market is the place to be if you want some fresh Good Friday seafood. Expect lots of Easter-themed activities and prepare for massive crowds, as this is the market's busiest day of the year. Make your best fish face and tag it #seafoodieeaster. You'll be immortalised in a printed Polaroid available for pick up at SFM's Tag-n-Print box. Sydney Fish Market is open from 5am to 5pm on Good Friday. 1pm: Seafood lunch at The Bucket List It’s all well and good to kick back on the long weekend with a few well-earned brews, but getting home unscathed is always a priority. With this in mind, the helpful crew at The Bucket List in Bondi, a premium location to enjoy the Good Friday fish fest, are offering a courtesy car to five locations around Bondi, as well as the closest public transport hubs, operating all weekend. Ride on. Shuttle available all day. Drop off points include Seven Ways Bondi, North Bondi Bus Terminal, Bondi Junction Bus Terminal, Waverly Council, and the corner of Fletcher St and Bondi Rd. 6.30pm: Cruise around at Shipfaced Sydney is sorely lacking in places to drink on Good Friday. Luckily, a floating festival is there to fill the void, featuring two floors of music. Cruise around the harbour on a boat whilst sipping on cocktails and listening to some tunes. An array of DJs will be on deck to provide music, including Doctor Dru, Touch Sensitive and Triple J's Lewi McKirdy. Boat departs from King Street Wharf at 6.30pm. Buy tickets here. Saturday 8am: The Grounds of Alexandria Easter Market Come Saturday, the Grounds of Alexandria will be filled with fresh foods and handmade crafts galore. Gather ingredients for Sunday brunch and watch little people search for eggs. Enjoy the live music while waiting for your chance to pose for a photo with the resident Easter Bunny. 2 Huntley Street, Alexandria. The Easter Market is open Saturday through Monday from 8am to 3pm. 12pm: Easter chocolate shopping Head to Four Friends Coffee Chocolate & Tea in Crows Next to find some more unique Easter gifts — their chocolate bunnies are organic, and they do a wicked range of vegan chocolate made with all-natural ingredients and super foods like goji berries, sunflower seeds, and nuts. Or take a trip to Banksmeadow for the Haverick Meats Saturday Store and stock your fridge for weekend festivities. They'll be hosting pop-ups from Little General Olive Oil, Fine French Food and Infinity Bakery. 5/29 Holtermann Street, Crows Nest. Four Friends is open on Saturday from 9am to 5pm 2pm: Record Store Day As the music industry gradually moves online, it’s becoming more and more important to recognise and celebrate our local record shops — those guys that have the rare vinyls, the T-shirts and the posters physically in the shop. So, on the third Saturday of April, check out your local guy. Expect crazy specials, in store appearances and live music to accompany your browsing. At Mojo Record Bar, expect special releases, 'hidden' giveaways, a chance to win an oil painting, free play on the jukebox, drink specials and guest DJs. Everywhere they're lucky enough to have a record store. 6pm: See Mikelangelo for free at Shady Pines The Shady Pines Saloon will be getting extra dirtied up this Saturday night, when the dapper crooner, 'Bull of the Balkans' and sometime Amanda Palmer ally Mikelangelo takes to the stage with his perfectly sculpted quiff and rich baritone to soothe the soul. Not that Shady Pines normally lacks for atmosphere, but on this night it may be at its peak. As part of the 'Two-Faced Weekender', Mikelangelo will also appear at Frankie's on Sunday with band. 256 Crown Street. Show starts at 6pm. Sunday 4pm: Aqua Egg Hunt Who says Easter egg hunts are just for kids? Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel is hosting an egg hunt unlike any other on Easter Sunday, with their inaugural aqua egg hunt for children and kids at heart alike. Suit up in your best snorkelling gear to find eggs littered on the sandy floor of Watsons Bay and win prizes like free seafood platters or a weekend stay at the hotel. They've got a whole weekend of festivities happening; this is just the pinnacle. 1 Military Road, Watsons Bay. Egg hunt starts at 4pm 9pm: Strictly Vinyl at Cliff Dive As the UNDER Ctrl crew have so delicately put it, before everybody in the world became a DJ, DJs used to spin records. In a collaboration with music bloggers Stoney Roads, the guys behind Not Another Boat Party are bringing a night of disc jockeys spinning their real-life actual discs to Cliff Dive. 16 Oxford Square, Darlinghurst. Show starts at 9pm. 10.30pm: The Rhythm of the Night at GoodGod It’s a fact universally acknowledged that we all miss the '90s. The style, the tunes, everything. So, if you’ve got ten bucks, head to GoodGod on Sunday night, where they’ll be cranking the very best that the '90s had to offer the music world . Radical. 55 Liverpool Street, Chinatown. Show starts at 9pm Monday 12pm: Recovery Brunch at the Beresford Hotel So, the long weekend was rough. There were drinks on Sunday night, which is just plain crazy. The only logical conclusion is to head to the pub for a brunch and a beer, and revel in the fact that work doesn’t start until Tuesday. To cater for this, the Beresford is hosting a recovery brunch to cure what ails you, which is probably a hangover. 354 Bourke Street, Surry Hills from noon to 5pm. 1pm: Hot Cross Bun Burger Reuben Hills What better way to spend your Monday off than enjoying some good food? If you're still in the Easter spirit grab lunch at Reuben Hills and munch down on the too-good-to-be-true Bugs Burger. It's a beef burger served with pineapple and pickled zucchini. The crowning glory, however, is the fact that it's sandwiched between a hot cross bun, making for an experience that's both sweet and savoury. 61 Albion Street, Surry Hill. Open Mondays from 7am to 4pm By the Concrete Playground team.
Last year was tough for Australia's hospitality industry, but hope is on the horizon thanks to the inspirational ideas submitted by talented bartenders, managers and venue teams in this year's Idea Lab competition. Beam Suntory's competition initiative awarded grants from $5000–20,000 to support hospo legends and their passion projects with a goal to improve the industry as a whole. And the result is a series of new projects that will revitalise the bars you visit week after week, as well as supporting the industry as a whole. Whittled down from 20 finalists, these six ideas were chosen from around the country as 2021's Idea Lab champions. Read on to find out what's coming — or relaunching — in a city near you. A BETTER SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICY FOR HOSPO WORKERS Having spent decades in the Melbourne hospo scene, Nicola Keating (Welcome to Brunswick, Brunswick Mess Hall) is sick of pervasive sexual harassment in the industry. She's joined forces with psychologist Ishma Alvi to launch a sexual harassment and assault policy for Australia's hospitality industry. The duo has been awarded $20,000 to start the project, called The Consent Blueprints, which will create training modules and implement safeguarding tools for venues. The program will also promote risk assessments and risk management protocols for venues and events. The Consent Blueprints is positioned to truly make change in the industry, so watch this space. A MULTIUSE COCKTAIL LAB IN WOLLONGONG Wollongong's escape room bar Breakout Bar is set to expand this year thanks to bartenders Orion Leppan Taylor and Mitchell Bloomfield. The duo want to elevate the local cocktail scene by creating a space that's both a test kitchen for bartenders and a multipurpose event space. The Wollongong Cocktail Lab will include prep islands and high-end equipment, a research and development lab with cocktail-making equipment like centrifuges and rotary vacuums, and a small bar and masterclass section. And the pair has been awarded $20,000 to make it happen. It's not just for hospitality workers either, as on weekends you can expect masterclasses, cocktail-making courses, spirit tastings and other similar events for punters, too. A DEDICATED ICE LAB IN PERTH Western Australian Tom Kearney runs a company called Arctic Fox Ice Co, which supplies quality ice to bartenders and venues across Perth. Alongside providing ice for high quality drinks, Kearney's company aims to offer workshops, training and other cocktail- and ice-related activations. His idea to create a dedicated space for training sessions was awarded a whopping $20,000 from Beam Suntory. If you're a hospo worker in Perth, look out for upcoming details on the Arctic Fox Ice Lab in the near future. A HOSPO DEVELOPMENT NETWORK IN WA There is a lack of personal and professional development available to Australia's expansive hospo community, believes Perth bartender Kaden Pool, from Arcade Palace. Pool says this shortcoming is especially noticeable in WA, so his idea is to create a not-for-profit that provides professional development opportunities for the local hospitality scene. Good Causes will host workshops and training sessions for industry workers and Pool's been awarded $5,000 to make it happen. The not-for-profit will officially launch in 2021, so keep an eye on the Instagram page for more details. A THREE-WEEK CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION IN BRISBANE After a long, difficult year, we were all in need of a little extra Christmas cheer according to Queensland man Daniel Rodriguez. To finish 2020 off with a big ol' bang, Daniel's big idea was to go all out with a Christmas celebration in Brisbane that lasted three weeks. He was awarded $10,000 to bring together the city's live music scene in a series of Christmas-themed events geared toward bringing Brisbanites back into its city venues. A NETWORKING COLLECTIVE IN ADELAIDE Adelaide's hospo elite have bandied together for this one under the name The Pursuit of Hospitality. Maybe Mae's Michael Keogh, Cry Baby's Sean Howard, Bar Torino's Kayla Grigoriou and Jack Booker (Yiasou George, Anchovy Bandit) have joined forces to come up with a mentorship community that supports rookies in the early days of their hospitality careers. The Pursuit of Hospitality are at the top of their game as managers, owners and distillers, and so the group aims to provide industry expertise to the next gen. The team has been awarded $5,000 to provide training and networking opportunities to hospo workers, and it plans to bring together the Adelaide community like never before. Top image: Orion Leppan Taylor, Wollongong Cocktail Lab
Cam Knight gives new meaning to the phrase 'giving 100%', in that he does everything to the fullest. His aptly titled new comedy show, 100 percenter, discusses his goal of saying yes to anything, trying to live in the now and experiencing absolutely everything the world has to offer. Knight is a fixture in the Australian comedy scene, making appearances on Foxtel and The Comedy Channel programs. He has previously hosted two seasons of Stand Up Australia. Knight also performs with Sydney-based band ManChoir. His performance will be in conjunction with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The 25-day festival features some of the best and brightest international and homegrown comedic talent. With venues throughout the city and beyond, MICF is accessible easily accessible to Melbournites that need a little laughter in their life. https://youtube.com/watch?v=vl_nMq_Tt1Q
Update, August 29: Franca's $5 happy hour proved so wildly popular during its limited four-week run that the Potts Point bistro has decided to keep the good (cheap) times rolling — indefinitely. To keep things interesting, Franca will be offering a different $5 cocktail special every week. The Franca cheeseburger will also be on offer, from 5–6pm, for $12. Potts Point's fancy French brasserie Franca is celebrating its fifth birthday with one of the best happy hour deals in the city this month. Until August 25, between 5–6pm, you can treat yourself to Franca's legendary cheeseburger or a serving of rich, decadent chicken liver parfait for just $5 each. Yes, you read that correctly. Are you in need of something to wash that bargain down? Martinis, negronis and schooners of Young Henrys tap beer are also available for only $5 each, which has to be one of the cheapest cocktail offers in the city right now. Joyeux anniversaire mon amis! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Franca Potts Point (@francapottspoint)
Rumour has it Google employees get unlimited “sick” days, but chances are only the most raging of hangovers would convince them to stay at home. The company in charge of ruling the world gave an exclusive tour of their NYC offices, and they make the idea of working from home in your pyjamas flicking tabs between Microsoft Word and Facebook while spilling toast crumbs over your MacBook look dreadfully boring. CEOs everywhere, take note: The way to get employees eager to show up to work is not with fruit box deliveries or permission to cellotape cheesy family photographs to office cubicles. A more effective way to increase workplace morale is with Pac-Man arcades and game rooms where employees can fight brain block with a round of pool. For those who find silence more conductive to creativity the compound also features a Google Library eschewing books (so last decade) in favour of secret rooms. And for days when heating last night’s leftovers in one of the multiple “micro” kitchens (which are incidentally bigger than most people’s apartments) doesn't sound appetising there are cafés dishing up free hot meals. One of them even has a rooftop theme and an interior resembling a wooden sauna. Interesting to think what the disgruntled employees of Facebook would have to say about that wee perk. Evidently the building is also occasionally used for working. This can take place in sleek cubicle spaces housing both actual humans and Star Wars B1 Battle Droid replicas, from the comfort of a lounge chair in a space modeled on an NYC apartment, or in the Broadway-themed New Amsterdam conference room. Scroll through the images, turn green with envy and try to think of one cooler office in which to have Friday afternoon drinks. Google's "computer museum". The game room. One of the many "micro" kitchens, which appears to be connected to the Pac-Man arcade. Free M&Ms in the micro kitchen. The Google Library. A B1 Battle Droid from Star Wars. Inside the Five Borough Café. These walls are a continuous impression of what's behind them, giving the impression of viewing the NYC skyline from a balcony. A room poking fun at a cramped NYC apartment. via Refinery29.
Plenty of great movies made plenty of money at the Australian box office this year. From Black Panther, A Star Is Born and Mission: Impossible — Fallout to A Quiet Place, A Simple Favour and Halloween, Aussies spent many of their trips to the cinema wisely. That said, a wealth of excellent films didn't rake in the cash. Some were small dramas that could never compete with big-budget blockbusters. Some only released on a handful of screens around the country, if that. Some, for a multitude of reasons, just didn't find an audience. Thankfully, we live in an age where watching movies is as simple as pushing a button, especially when it comes to flicks that first hit the big screen a few months back. Yesterday's overlooked cinema gems are today's streaming highlights, waiting for your viewing eyeballs to give them the attention they deserve. With that in mind, here's ten 2018 standouts to add to your watch list — we know that you probably didn't see them at your local picture palace, thanks to their box office results, but they all rank among the year's must-sees. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rsiWB-dhvg HEARTS BEAT LOUD If you didn't want Nick Offerman to be your dad already, then you will after this music-heavy charmer. The Parks and Recreation star plays Brooklyn record store owner and doting father Frank, who's worried that his only daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemons) is about to head off to college — and that, among other things, they'll no longer get to jam together. With dreams of music stardom, he uploads one of their songs to Spotify. When it finds an audience, he tries to convince Sam to take their songwriting sideline seriously. The end result is a sweet, earnest and warmly observed story about a father learning that his daughter has to make her own choices, with Clemons also stellar, the supporting cast featuring Ted Danson and Toni Collette as well, and the film's upbeat titular track certain to get stuck in your head. Rent it on Amazon Prime here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp88Nuci68c A PRAYER BEFORE DAWN Watching A Prayer Before Dawn, two things prove astonishing. The first: that this hard-hitting prison drama is based on a true story. The second: the performance of Joe Cole as British boxer Billy Moore. When Moore was arrested for drug offences in Thailand, and then sentenced to three years imprisonment, his experience was harrowing to say the very least. French filmmaker Jean-Stephane Sauvaire doesn't shy away from the violence, pain and more that comes with life inside two notorious Thai jails, in a film that doesn't let up from the moment it starts — and isn't always easy to watch as a result. As for Cole, he makes the audience feel every fierce blow, every second of claustrophobic anguish, and the enormous physical and psychological toll. Stream it on Amazon Prime here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRlUJrEUn0Y JANE Ever since Dr Jane Goodall took on a job few would — living in the Tanzanian jungle to observe chimpanzee behaviour in the wild — the wildlife activist and conservationist's story has been far from ordinary. That said, it's one thing to read about her feats and quite another to hear her look back on her life herself, with Jane offering the latter. This intimate documentary serves up more than that, however. It views her experiences as they happened, all thanks to mountains of rediscovered archival footage. As he did so commandingly with Cobain: Montage of Heck, filmmaker Brett Morgen once again tells his subject's tale in her own words, with the materials he's assembled proving endlessly fascinating. Stream it on Netflix over here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6U0T3DAyro I AM NOT A WITCH With her debut feature, writer/director Rungano Nyoni tells a tale that's both intricately related to its setting, and sadly universally relatable. An outsider in her own Zambian village, eight-year-old Shula (Maggie Mulubwa) is not only blamed for a series of minor incidents, but deemed a witch and shunned. Here, that means being taken to a camp, tethered to a stick (so that she doesn't fly away) along with her fellow witches, and gawked at by tourists. I Am Not a Witch's portrait of persecution runs deep, although Nyoni does more than make a statement. Hers is both an examination of superstition's influence (and convenient use as a scapegoat) and a portrait of a girl who defies the labels thrown at her, all in a film that's smart, satirical and also surreal at times. Stream it on SBS On Demand here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reMwL8uYXps THE ENDLESS There are two ways to watch The Endless. The first involves going into the moody and inventive movie with fresh eyes, and discovering the details of this cult-focused tale as they unravel. The second involves watching Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson's Resolution in preparation — and don't worry, if you opt for the former, you'll still want to seek their earlier flick out later. The filmmakers direct and star in this sci-fi/horror effort about brothers who've escaped from the compound that gave them a home in their youth, but are drawn back by mysterious videotapes. That might sound like an interesting but hardly unique setup; however, where the picture goes from there is an imaginative and twisty delight. From the siblings' struggles to the way that time passes, little is what it seems in the best and most thrilling way. Stream it on SBS On Demand here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2oTWr9KL7A IN THE FADE Back at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, Diane Kruger went home with the best actress award for In the Fade, and it's a prize that was thoroughly well deserved. The topic of grief is frequently splashed across cinema screens, as is the subject of terrorism in recent years, but the raw pain in Kruger's performance isn't shaken quickly. Indeed, the topical Fatih Akin-directed film is one that lingers long after watching, as a German woman loses her family in a bombing attack, then navigates the emotional fallout as well as the highly publicised legal proceedings that follow. Astonishingly, after becoming one of the most prominent German actresses in Hollywood, In the Fade is also Kruger's first starring role in her native language. Rent it on Amazon Prime here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Hc8tB9uhho THE DAWN WALL There's never been a better time to stare at a big screen while watching fearless folks try to scale great heights. Two recent highlights have done just that — and while likely Oscar contender Free Solo doesn't hit Australian cinemas until 2019, 2018 release The Dawn Wall is just as thrilling. Taking its name from a notoriously difficult rock face in America's Yosemite National Park, this suspenseful documentary charts Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson's world-first bid to reach the top. As well as exploring the personal impact, the film captures their extremely physical, punishing efforts with jaw-dropping cinematography that makes viewers feel like they're making the journey alongside the two determined climbers. Rent it on Amazon Prime here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqnQYsyeehA BEAST Remember the name Jessie Buckley. Based on her exceptional performance in this British thriller, she's someone you'll be hearing more about. In Beast, the Irish actor plays the initially timid Moll, who lives a sheltered Jersey life under the close supervision of her stern mother (Geraldine James) until she meets a charming stranger (Johnny Flynn). Alas, romantic bliss isn't all that it seems, especially with a series of murders blighting her island hometown. The feature debut of writer/director Michael Pearce, this is a dark fairytale, an unconventional crime flick and a psychological portrait of a woman breaking free from expectation that draws viewers in from start to finish. Rent it on Amazon Prime here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6o5WPcCgT0 FOXTROT He might only have two features to his name, but Lebanese filmmaker Samuel Moaz still boasts quite the resume. Perceptive, probing, intimate and political tales are his wheelhouse, and with Foxtrot, he shows that the tank-set Lebanon was no mere one-off. This time around, his story is broader, encompassing a young Israeli soldier's (Yonaton Shiray) experience manning a checkpoint as part of his compulsory military service, as well as his parents' (Lior Ashkenazi and Sarah Adler) plight back in Tel Aviv. Of course, it's not just the narrative that Moaz tells, but the immersive and sometimes experimental way that he tells it. Foxtrot is another testament to his directorial prowess — and a testament to the cast's acting abilities as well. Stream it on Amazon Prime here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubrquR6i0WQ SHADOW With Shadow, Zhang Yimou does what the Chinese filmmaker does best: not only commit striking wuxia scenes to the screen, but pair them with a deeply felt period drama. It's a blend of his finest traits, as previously seen in everything from Raise the Red Lantern to Hero (and it's enough to make you forget that The Great Wall is also on his resume). While the narrative follows an epic tale from China's Three Kingdoms period, about nations warring over a city and a double agent in the thick of the unrest, it's the writer/director's imagery that truly stuns. Usually known for such vibrant splashes of colour, as seen in House of Flying Daggers, Zhang switches to inky, almost-monochrome shades to visually vivid effect.
Spending your days jetting around the world is truly the travel dream. Doing so without paying for flights? Now that's a next-level fantasy. Actually, that's the exact gift that Jetstar is giving one lucky person and their favourite travelling companion to celebrate 19 years of operation. The discount carrier is having a birthday, but it's the one handing out a present. If you're the competition's winner, you'll fill a year zooming about, although there is a limit to how much you can get soaring over the 12-month period. The chosen recipient will receive 12 domestic return flights plus six international return flights, both for two people. So, if you win, your other half / bestie / sibling is going to want to start making holiday plans, too. That equates to three holidays every two months, whether you're keen to hit up your favourite places or try somewhere new. The winner will be able to choose from 86 destinations — and, if you want to be guided by where you would've loved to visit when you were 19, that's perfectly acceptable. Before you can go in the running for the contest, which is only open to over-18s, you will need to start pondering. Jetstar has dubbed the contest 'FEEL 19 AGAIN', and entering requires you to tell the airline in 19 words or less what your absolute dream job be. The specific question: "if you could try any job for a day, what would it be and why?". And yes, plenty of people are bound to answer "travelling the world". After you direct your response to the airline's Instagram, you'll then need to wait to find out if you're chosen as a semi-finalist, which will be revealed on Thursday, June 1. Nineteen folks will get the nod — spot the theme? — and will be picked based on the most creative, funny or quirky answers. They'll then have three days (until 11.59pm on Sunday, June 4) to create and send a short video highlighting why they'd be an ace fit (the best, in fact) for the gig. Following that, Jetstar will shortlist its top entries again, whittling down the contenders. Finally, the company's social-media followers will vote on Monday, June 5. Obviously, you'll want to pick something memorable to stand out. The airline suggests ghost hunting in Adelaide and being a professional mascot in Tokyo, but you can do better than that. Jetstar's 19th-birthday ticket giveaway runs from 6am on Thursday, May 25–11.59pm on Wednesday, May 31. Head to the airline's website and Instagram for further details. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
American funny guy Jim Breuer travels Down Under this week for his first Australian tour as part of the Sydney Comedy Festival. You will recognise Breuer from his four year stint on Saturday Night Live (Goat Boy, anyone?) or perhaps from his role alongside Dave Chappelle in 1998 stoner comedy 'Half-Baked'. Breuer got his start at a Harlem-based television show, Uptown Comedy Club. His audiences couldn't stop laughing, and soon spread the word of Breuer's hilarious sketches which catapulted him from the little-known show to SNL. Currently one of the top-touring comedians in the States, Breuer premiered his one-hour Comedy Central special 'Let's Clear the Air' late last year to an audience of 1 million viewers - which 100% retention rates. It's no wonder he is ranked among Comedy Central's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time. His Australian tour is set to be a knee-slapping good time. To win one of ten double passes to see Jim Breuer, just make sure you are subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name and postal address through to hello@concreteplayground.com.au https://youtube.com/watch?v=FrpgPQAZlUE
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.
While the Gold Coast might be known for its beaches, you don't have to be an ocean person to enjoy the relaxation of the destination. Beyond the sand is a leader in Australia's booming health and wellness scene. Whether you're planning a dedicated wellness escape or weaving a little indulgence into a holiday itinerary, Get Up and Gold Coast to the destination's best spa and wellness experiences for slowing down and switching off. [caption id="attachment_1067919" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Native State[/caption] Bathhouses Bathhouses are all the rage at the moment, including on the Gold Coast. SOL Elements in Mount Tamborine is described as a transformative sanctuary where ancient healing meets modern-day wellness rituals. Enjoy the elemental bathhouse, float caves for weightless stillness, and hands-on massages and treatments. If you can make it midweek, SOL Elements offers a midweek bathhouse session and a private floatation cave session, with a wellness drink on arrival and robe hire, for $150. In Coolangatta, Native State is the Gold Coast's premier bathhouse, offering hydrothermal pools, steam rooms, and quiet spaces to boost your immune system, reduce stress, revitalise your body, and more. Its 90-minute bathhouse sessions are currently available for $49 with code 45ONUS. [caption id="attachment_1067921" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ground Bathhouse[/caption] Worth bookmarking for your hinterland escape are Ground Bathhouse in Currumbin and Greenhouse Bathhouse in Tallebudgera Valley. Both are known for their calming atmosphere, mineral pools, and community-driven approach to modern wellness. Ground Bathhouse offers bespoke facials, hydrotherapy spas, a traditional cedar hot tub, a large wood-fired hot stone sauna, and an outdoor infrared sauna. Greenhouse Bathhouse is the Gold Coast's original bathhouse, having been established in 2017. It offers massages, an on-site restaurant, a magnesium pool, a red cedar sauna, and more to help you unwind and relax in the hinterland. [caption id="attachment_1067922" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Spa by JW Marriott[/caption] Day Spas For those craving hands-on treatments and experiences, the Gold Coast's hotel spas deliver polished, high-end experiences that will have you feeling like a new person. Inside The Star Gold Coast, Azure Spa is a destination for moments of solitude, offering treatments that focus on relieving tension, rejuvenating the skin, and providing full-body restorative treatments. The Babor facial is $160 for 60 minutes, giving you an hour of indulgence and self-care. Over at The Langham, Chuan Spa blends traditional Chinese medicine philosophies with modern spa techniques. Restore your balance with massage, detoxifying face masks, and more. [caption id="attachment_1067923" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Chuan Spa[/caption] If you're looking for a spa destination for a bachelorette party or birthday, the Spa by JW Marriott at Surfers Paradise is ideal for groups. A four-hour pamper package comes to $539 (valued at $702) and includes a one-hour facial, a one-hour massage, high tea, sauna and steam shower, a glass of champagne and more. [caption id="attachment_1067924" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gwinganna Retreat and Spa[/caption] Retreat-Style Wellness Escapes If you're ready to take the (cold) plunge and book an overnight retreat, the Gold Coast hinterland is the perfect place to escape and switch off. For two decades, Gwinganna Retreat and Spa in Tallebudgera Valley has been a leader in holistic wellness retreat experiences. With the principles of organic living, healing spa treatments, and restorative rest in nature, you're guaranteed to feel rejuvenated. Currently, guests can stay five nights and pay for only four, plus experience a massage, facial, $100 wellness therapy credit, and complimentary Gold Coast Airport transfers. Use the code GCSTAYS to redeem and prepare a schedule built around movement, nutrition, rest and reconnection. [caption id="attachment_1067925" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Eden Retreat[/caption] Eden Retreat in Currumbin Valley is designed for those looking to step away from everyday life in a secluded, nature-focused environment. The retreat offers stays that are focused on realignment through holistic wellbeing, meditation, nourishing food, and therapeutic treatments. If you want to experience Eden Retreat without staying overnight, its day spa is also open to guests seeking restorative treatments. Finally, On Eagle Wings Mountain Retreat & Spa in the hinterland is a relaxing retreat set in the rainforest. The two-and-a-half-hour soak spa package, which lets you recharge your body and take in the incredible skyline views from the infinity pool, is currently priced at $159 per person and includes infrared therapy and mineral spas. [caption id="attachment_1067926" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Eagle Wings Mountain Retreat & Spa[/caption] The Gold Coast's wellness scene proves that relaxation here goes far beyond the shoreline. From accessible bathhouse sessions to luxury spa treatments and immersive hinterland retreats, these experiences show just how zen a Gold Coast getaway can be. Image credit: Supplied
Marrickville is turning up the volume this spring, with the return of the Marrickville Music Festival. Taking over Marrickville Road and its adjoining laneways on Sunday, October 12, the annual street party is one of Sydney's biggest free celebrations of homegrown music, transforming the neighbourhood into a bustling hub of sound, food and creativity. Across seven stages, the program will spotlight a broad mix of local talent. Expect headlining sets from pop-punk favourites Yours Truly, indie-rockers The Colliflowers and alt-pop duo No Frills Twins, alongside Southey, The Smashed Avocados, Upside Under and byjaye. The lineup spans everything from high-energy rock and soul to smooth R&B and genre-bending electronica — plus roving performers adding everything from Celtic funk to rhythmic taiko. [caption id="attachment_1027063" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Georgia Brogan[/caption] Beyond the live acts, there'll also be a Koori Radio tent spinning tunes all day long, as well as creative markets and street food curated by beloved local music bar Gasoline Pony and the Inner West Artist Markets. Clear your Sunday afternoon to get involved — the festival runs from 12–6pm, packing in wall-to-wall entertainment and good vibes aplenty. Head to the festival's website for the full lineup and more info, and check out its Spotify playlist to get in the mood. [caption id="attachment_1027064" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Georgia Brogan[/caption]
UPDATE, December 23, 2020: With Sydney's northern regions area currently under stay-at-home orders, Winona Wine is doing same-day deliveries of Christmas purchases if you order before 1pm on Wednesday, December 23. You can order online, and also arrange pick up within the hour if you'd prefer — for folks in the area, or for those elsewhere in Sydney who'd like to support northern beaches businesses. The natural wine craze has made it to the northern beaches in a big way with the opening of Winona Wine. The specialty bottle shop on Pittwater Road focuses on minimal intervention drops, craft beer, Junmai sake and artisanal spirits — and resembles an art gallery more than your local bottle-o. Winona is run by Elli and Cam Walsh, who founded The Funky Bunch in 2016 — a blog and natural wine party that has made its way around Manly — as well as Manly legends Luke Miller (Sunset Sabi, Chica Bonita) and Bo Hinzack (Rollers Bakehouse). "We are all passionate about natural wine, but we couldn't really get it anywhere in the northern beaches," says Walsh. "With The Funky Bunch, we ran these casual makers events that showcased natural wines — Winona is basically an extension of that concept and ethos, with the added expertise of our good friends Bo and Luke." The shop focuses on small producers, specifically working with organic, biodynamic or sustainable vineyards and minimal intervention winemakers. Expect drops from around the country and around the globe, including renowned Adelaide Hills winemaker Lucy Margaux and cult Austrian producer Gut Oggau. "We want to introduce locals to wines they haven't experienced before," says Walsh. "The kinds of wines we're stocking are very new to the northern beaches and we want to help people realise it's not too intimidating to try natural wines." Wild fermentation brewers will also be on show, including Tasmania's Two Metre Tall and Marrickville's Wildflower Brewing. And some very special artisanal spirits will line the shelves — at the moment, those include Syria's Aeijst gin, Mexico's El Jolgorio mezcal and Denmark's Klodsede Bjørn unfiltered vodka. Apart from all the booze, there's an impressive global collection of drinkware and wine accessories on offer, too. Think handblown decanters by Canberra glassblower Annette Blaire; tumblers made using recycled clay by Sydney ceramicist Bryce Malcom; handblown carafes and tumblers by New York artist Chad Davis; brass corkscrews from a small family run operation in Greece called Athanasios Babali; and even a few ceramic pieces from Walsh, who has a background in contemporary art. These pieces add to the art gallery aesthetic of the space, with the wine displayed more as works of art than bottles of booze. To further drive the minimal intervention message home, the team built most of the fit-out themselves, using handmade and natural materials. While the bottle-o is takeaway only, the shop will host regular tastings, meet-the-maker events and masterclasses. Keep an eye on the Winona Facebook for all upcoming event details. Images: Kitti Gould.
Well, this is just as lovely as the name suggests. On the first Thursday of every month, potter on down to the MCA at sunset and take up a seat overlooking our rather aesthetically pleasing harbour, a pencil and sketchpad (provided) and a glass of wine (also provided, also accompanied by cheese). Think you 'can't draw'? Pfft. The Sketch Club is led by MCA artist educator Will French, who'll teach you drawing skills and help you explore your artistic potential. With topics like portraiture, life drawing and unlikely objects as subject matter, the evenings will leave you feeling creative, extended and a little bit tipsy on how delightful it all is. Each instalment of Sketch Club has a new theme. Here's what's coming up: Thu 2 Oct, The Moving Body (Models are replaced with dancers) Thu 6 Nov, Unlikely Subjects (Think stills lifes of decaying fruit and taxidermy animals) Thu 5 Dec, Re-Pose (Male and female models echo each other's forms)
By this point in 2020, the year has served up all manner of challenges and surprises. But in one area at least, it's rolling on as planned. Because the world can't last too long without delivering multiple new film and/or television adaptations of Stephen King's work, viewers are about to score another one — a new miniseries version of the author's 1978 novel The Stand. Hitting Amazon Prime Video in Australia and New Zealand from Friday, January15 — after debuting in America in December — The Stand joins HBO's The Outsider as the two new TV shows bringing King's work to our eyeballs over the past 12 months. Of course, as avid fans will know, this isn't the first time this particular book has made the leap to the screen. Back in 1994, it aired as a big-budget, star-studded, four-part miniseries featuring the likes of Gary Sinise, Miguel Ferrer, Rob Lowe, Ruby Dee, Laura San Giacomo, Molly Ringwald and Ed Harris. Plenty of well-known names are onboard this time around, too, because there's quite the sprawling story to tell. And, quite the timely one, although that's obviously pure coincidence. The Stand is set in a world devastated by a plague. Here, the devasation is caused by a bioengineered super flu strain, which has wiped out 99 percent of the global population. Among those that survive, a battle between good and evil plays out — with the character of Randall Flagg, a common figure in King's work (see: The Eyes of the Dragon and The Dark Tower series), featuring prominently. Alexander Skarsgård plays Flagg, while the rest of the cast includes James Marsden, Whoopi Goldberg, Amber Heard and Heather Graham, as well as Watchmen's Jovan Adepo, Paper Towns' Nat Wolff, IT: Chapter Two's Owen Teague, Arrow's Katherine McNamara, and Australian Shirley and The Daughter actor Odessa Young. Behind the lens, The Stand is the latest project from filmmaker Josh Boone — whose latest movie, The New Mutants, hit cinemas in mid-2020 after years of delays. Check out the trailer for The Stand below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytkZJSzeg7A The Stand will start streaming in Australia and New Zealand on Friday, January 15 via Amazon Prime Video, airing new episodes weekly.
Picture a bustling marketplace of the Indian North. Ornate tapestries line the walls while traditional Indian music plays. Supremely accommodating staff move seamlessly through crowded tables. Few restaurants would appear to run so fluidly in its first month, but this well-oiled machine boasts a crew with decades of experience in India's five-star hotels. They truly know what they're doing. Though located in Circular Quay, The Spice Room is no tandoori tourist trap. Head chef Darbyan Singh specialises in the Peshawari style cuisine of India's north-western frontier; the flavours are distinctive from other regions, heavily reliant on the use of saffron, cardamom and dried fruits. The real distinguisher lies in the unique way Singh has reimagined his dishes for high-end consumption, transforming street food into a fork and knife affair. The beautifully 'deconstructed' samosa chaat ($8.90) is a must try — the crunchy shell is smashed on the plate to reveal curried chickpeas topped with crushed pappadum, balanced by homemade date and tamarind chutney. The variety of chicken tikka options from the Tandoor menu ($12.90 – $13.90 entree; $24.90 – $25.90 mains) are impossibly tender and served with beetroot chutney, an imaginative nod to the Aussie clientele. No need to settle for generic curry dishes here — Singh's menu is comprised of inventive choices you won't find anywhere else. The exotic chicken patiala ($22.90) is a light, dark curry delicately covered with an egg crepe. The creamy Spiced Coconut Seafood Treasure ($26.90) is a medley of fish, prawns, calamari and scallops, which lovingly spill out of a coconut shell. Served with a side of coconut rice and topped with shavings, this truly is a coconut lover's dream meal. As a thoughtful compliment to the uniformly spicy dishes, the menu includes chai ($4.50) and lassi ($5.50 – $6.50) 'stalls'. An authentic Indian favourite, the bhang lassi ($6.50) is an unusual, salty yoghurt drink of ginger and mint. Even the cocktail menu is Indian-inspired, proving what a well-considered menu this truly is. Try the tangy Tamarind Margarita ($15) or the fresh and strong Mango Mojito ($15). The best way to cool the palate, though, is with the extensive dessert menu. The date and walnut samosa ($9.90) is served with a housemade chilli jam and mango cardamom ice cream. The kulfi on a stick ($5.90) is gelato-like ice pop and is a sweet treat after a spicy meal. A menu this well designed and delivered makes the restaurant a true standout among the hordes of Surry Hills joints you're used to and should be on the top of your to-eat list.
Four years after opening its doors, The Calile Hotel keeps attracting holidaymakers to Fortitude Valley, including Brisbanites for staycations and out-of-towners for resort-style getaways — all right in the middle of the city. Come 2026, fans of the venue's sub-tropical look and feel will ideally have a second site to visit, this time in Noosa. Calile Malouf Investments CMI), the group behind The Calile, has announced plans for a second site on the Sunshine Coast. In fact, the company has just lodged development plans for a 2.4-hectare site at 3–7 Serenity Close in Noosa Heads, which'll feature 178 rooms, 12 suites and 15 villas. Yes, it's going to be a sprawling venue, which'll apply within the broader location and in the rooms themselves. That's one of the key points of focus for CMI's plans, alongside soaking in that sub-tropical vibe — complete with gardens, which have helped make The Calile in Fortitude Valley what it is. "The point of difference for the new resort will be the luxury of space. Embedded in a bushland setting, the large site allows for generously proportioned facilities, including multiple swimming pools, [a] tennis court, comprehensive wellness facilities, [a] cinema and function spaces," said CMI Director Michael Malouf. "All hotel rooms will be generously sized with the standard room being 45 square metres, and a range of larger suites. In addition, the three-bedroom villas (complete with private pool) will cater to families or groups of friends looking for a shared hotel experience." Accordingly, your future trip to Noosa should see you roaming around a coastal resort surrounded by lush bushland, taking a dip in several pools, picking up a racquet, chasing your bliss and watching movies — and then relaxing in sizeable rooms, suites and villas. CMI also hopes that guests will be able to get to Hastings Street easily as part of their stays. "We have commenced discussions with Noosa Council to enable hotel guests to be ferried to Hastings Street via a solar powered electric ferry. Not only will this strategy allow visitors to experience the tranquil beauty of the Noosa River, but this also successfully removes the transport burden from the road network," advised Malouf. Sustainability is another core focus, setting a carbon-neutral target for the Noosa hotel's operations and having large-scale worm farms for composting onsite. A benefit of the latter: feeding the soil nutrient rich worm-cast by-product for the rooftop culinary garden. CMI is aiming to commence work on the project in early 2024. Landscape architect Marc Conlon of Conlon Group will be looking after the planting, while the hotel itself will be designed by Richards and Spence, as Brisbane's is. Calile Malouf Investments' new Noosa resort is set to open in 2026 at 3–7 Serenity Close, Noosa Heads. In the interim, find Brisbane's The Calile Hotel at 48 James Street, Fortitude Valley. The Calile Fortitude Valley images: Sean Fennessy. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Lunar New Year is about much more than red envelopes and lion dances. Bring your family and friends together to celebrate the Year of the Dragon with the Chippendale Collective's range of special events this month, as part of the Chippendale Spice Festival. From Thursday, February 8 to Saturday, February 24, Chippendale will come alive with free live music, workshops, bespoke set menus and art exhibits across the inner-city hub. Treat the family to a fortuitous meal at Holy Duck! with the Lucky 88 Menu for $88, or opt for a tableside spectacle with Olio's salt-baked fish, derived from a recipe that dates back 800 years. Afterwards, purchase a Money Bag Cake or Golden Hongbao Cake at beloved KOI Dessert Bar for a chance to win a gift voucher, or try the limited edition chilli mango gelato at Anita Gelato. For some liquid luck, tag along for an entertaining cocktail class at Fortress Sydney, or try your hand at a drawing class paired with spicy margs at one of Sydney's best pubs, The Lord Gladstone. Then, burn it all off with DanceKool Studio's TikTok dance workshops and Asian pop party at Central Park Mall on Saturday, February 24. Culture vultures can drop in for free Chinese contemporary art at White Rabbit Gallery or discover Chinese ornaments at the free Chau Chak Wing Museum. There's also free live music with drinks and food at the Sneaky Possum on Saturday, February 17, and free live gigs by the likes of cellist James Morley, rap star Mulalo and more at the stunning Phoenix Central Park. [caption id="attachment_837008" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jordan Munns[/caption] And of course, there'll be lion dances and family-friendly activities including giveaways, fortune tellers, fairy floss, an eating competition and face-painting at the Kensington Street Lunar New Year Festival on Sunday, February 18. The event is presented by the Chippendale Collective and proudly supported by the City of Sydney. Check out the lineup of events at the Chippendale Spice Festival website.
Experience the fireworks from a one-of-a-kind view at O Bar and Dining. Perched 47 floors above the ground, the sky-high bar takes in an all-encompassing view of Circular Quay, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge as the fireworks light up the Sydney sky. Three packages are on offer if you're looking to spend New Year's Eve here — and they're all going to set you back a paycheque or two. For $695, you'll receive an NV Louis Roederer Brut Premier on arrival followed by a decedent eight-course tasting menu. Taking things up a notch, you can nab yourself the window seat and a paired wine list for $875. Lastly, if you have 11 other friends willing to drop the big bucks on an exuberant New Year's, you can book out O Bar and Dining's private 12-person dining room with all of the above perks plus butler service for $1450 a head. On the menu for the night is poached Tasmanian lobster, Roku gin-cured kingfish, twice-cooked duck breast with caramelised endive, blackberries and black vinegar and flash-seared Rangers Valley wagyu with black garlic and potato gnocchi.
Hey, remember Pokémon Go? That insanely popular augmented reality mobile game that seemingly everyone was playing until suddenly they weren't? Well, it turns out the developers behind said game are branching out into another beloved fictional universe: the wizarding world of Harry Potter. Niantic, which developed Pokémon Go as well as Ingress, will team up with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. According to a Niantic announcement, "players will learn spells, explore their real world neighbourhoods and cities to discover and fight legendary beasts and team up with others to take down powerful enemies." It also said the game "will leverage the full stack of the Niantic Platform while also providing an opportunity to pioneer all new technology and gameplay mechanics." That's about all we know for now – although it does sound as though players may encounter a few familiar faces, with the game's website promising appearances by "iconic characters". Please let it be Dobby (#neverforget). If you're interested, you can sign up for more information about the game via www.harrypotterwizardsunite.com.
Despite years of public rallies, crowdfunding efforts and court action, Sydney's Brutalist, box-like Sirius building is officially up for sale. Although the New South Wales government first announced that the 70s-era structure was on the market back in December, expressions of interest just opened yesterday, Friday, May 25, with Savills Australia now actively seeking buyers for the iconic location. While it's a blow for the vocal Save Our Sirius campaign, the 2-60 Cumberland Street address will apparently be subject to some restrictions. The government "will maintain interest in the site, ensuring any future developments are sympathetic to the surrounding area," according to Savills Australia. And, a proposed State Environmental Planning Policy amendment will apply, imposing new controls regarding the zoning, height, maximum gross floor area, active street frontages and design of the site. It has been a particularly eventful year for the 79-unit tower, which stands tall by the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Final public tours took place in January, a farewell party for the structure's last remaining resident — 91-year-old Myra Demetriou — was held the same month and Save Our Sirius revealed they'd be lodging their own purchase bid. In response to the official launch of expressions of interest, Save Our Sirius restated their quest to retain the building in its current form, ensure it is used as affordable inner-city housing for workers in the area, and to have its historical significance officially recognised. "We again call on the NSW Government to stop the sale, deploy Sirius for key worker accommodation, and list Sirius on the State Heritage Register," the group advised in a statement. Even with the government restrictions, if Sirius is bought by developers, the 79-unit tower is highly likely to be demolished to make room for new apartments. As well as wiping out a crucial part of '70s architectural history, it'll also mean saying goodbye to an important public housing initiative, allowing people on low incomes to live in the centre of this expensive city and enjoy harbour views. With the situation certain to keep developing over the coming months, take a look through our gallery of the building as it currently stands. Images: Katherine Lu / Kimberley Low.
In her fourth feature film, Polish director Malgoska Szumowska attempts to interrogate our traditional sexual mores: Is prostitution only ever an act of female exploitation or can it empower women, financially and socially? Do the sacrifices and compromises involved in maintaining a "respectable" bourgeois marriage actually constitute a form of whoredom? Of course, these uneasy questions have been asked before. On this occasion, Szumowska seeks to unpack them in the context of contemporary French society. The problem is that her exploration tends to simmer on the surface, rather than probe the depths necessary to penetrating such complicated issues. This may well be the consequence of trying to do too much in 99 minutes. Juliette Binoche is Anne, an obsessive, middle-aged journalist, struggling to meet the demands of her job, as well as play mother to two disconnected teenage sons and wife to a dispassionate husband. When asked to research the phenomenon of prostitution among Parisian students, Anne finds herself drawn to a risky yet seductive existence, leading her to question her own. The narrative hangs on Anne's interviews with two call girls: Charlotte (Anais Demoustier), a diminutive brunette who prefers to make quick money through the provision of sexual favours than to work long hours in a casual job, and Alicja (Joanna Kulig), a voluptuous blonde Pole who enjoys living in a spacious apartment and buying fancy clothes. Flashbacks convey their gamut of carnal experiences, which for the most part are portrayed as erotic and thrilling, the exception being a couple of incidents in which clients insist on humiliating and sadistic acts. This potential risk of aggression and its emotional consequences is one of many issues that are touched upon, rather than thoroughly explored, in Elles. The focus is on a plethora of graphic scenes, at the price of the development of the script's philosophical and psychological complexity. Binoche certainly delivers a powerful, poignant, and nuanced performance, even if her character's reactions are simplistic and predictable: the more time Anne spends talking with Charlotte and Alicja, the more she comes to resent the apparent mundane domesticity of her passionless marriage. Her awakening sensuality is represented by some rather obvious symbolism: in one scene, she fondles shellfish while preparing dinner. The (questionable) suggestion seems to be that Anne's life choices represent more of a sell-out than prostitution. Elles features plenty of sex, some intimate camera work, and undoubtedly compelling acting. However, its fragmented, unsettled heart ultimately limits its capacity to resonate.
This burger-centred eatery in Redfern boasts a one-of-a-kind concept that injects a dose of fun into Sydney's familiar surroundings. Upon venturing to Suburgia, you'll find that the menu spans from the Eastern suburbs all the way through to the heart of the West — and you're guaranteed to spot a familiar name. The self-proclaimed "best burger spot in the 'burbs" is home to a huge menu of inventive dishes. Peruse the selection and you'll spot a stacked beef burger with bacon jam assigned to Ashfield; a beetroot and truffle mayo burg for Marrickville; a sweet and spicy chicken burger with gochujang mayo, barbecue sauce, pineapple and bacon in honour of Redfern; and plant-based varieties representing Ingleburn, Petersham, Ultimo and Edgecliff, to name a few. Surburgia's menu doesn't end there — this Chalmers Street locale has the whole shebang. You'll also be met with desserts like apple berry bombs, slices of mud cake and sticky date pudding, alongside a hefty selection of toppings for loaded fries. Plus, there is also a rotating menu of monthly specials that you can pick from. Previous instalments have included the likes of a Turkish-inspired Iskender Surprise, which combined sujuk, za'atar, labne and a tomato relish; the schnitzel-starring BIG Caesar with onion rings, anchovies, bacon and garlic butter; and a seafood-focused riff on a loaded hot dog that paired pepper squid, prawn takoyaki and fish with a chilli seafood salad, miso and yuzu mayo.
Nope, not a how-to for casual meth enthusiasts, the Breaking Bad cookbook is finally on shelves. Filled with 'sugar high' TV show-inspired recipes by a certain Walter Wheat (heh) and prompting "let's cook" hurrahs worldwide, now you can be the one who bakes. Several sites have leaked certain recipes from the book, Baking Bad (out November 6), featuring Walter White specialities like 'Blue Meth Crunch' (sans phenyl-2-propanone) to adorable little underpanted gingerbread men dubbed 'Mr White’s Tighty Whitey Bites' — reminiscent of Season One's epic opening scene — and a disturbingly cute nod to Jesse's gruesome, body-and-roof-dissolving bathtub: 'Jesse’s Jell-O Acid Tub'. Here's a taste of what Walter Wheat has cooked up in the RV: Meth Crunchies Jesse’s Jell-O Acid Tub Mr White’s Tighty Whitey Bites Recurring Pink Bear Bites Walt’s Buried Barrel Dessert Fring Pops Tortuga Tart And of course: Blue Meth Crunch "Let's cook." INGREDIENTS 118ml water 177ml light corn syrup 14oz/350g granulated sugar 2 tsp (10ml) peppermint extract Blue gel food colouring You will need a sugar thermometer. Do not use chili powder. It’s for amateurs DOSAGE 5 people DIRECTIONS 1. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil, or use a heatproof glass tray. Spray with non-stick baking spray. 2. Find yourself a decent accomplice. Underachieving ex-students are a good choice, though psychologically fragile. 3. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup and sugar. Stir the mixture over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then turn up the heat to bring to a boil. Stop stirring and insert the thermometer and use a pastry brush dipped in water to wet the sides of the pan (this will prevent crystals forming). 4. Cook the mixture until the temperature reaches 285F/140C. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and take out the thermometer. Let the mixture stand until all the bubbles have stopped forming on the surface. 5. At some point you’re going to need a distributor. But don’t worry about that now. 6. Add a few drops of peppermint flavouring and enough blue colour to give the correct ‘Blue Meth’ hue. 7. Quickly pour the mixture onto the baking tray, lifting the tray from side to side to spread the mix. Don’t worry if it’s not perfectly smooth or has holes in it. Let the candy cool to room temperature. 8 Once the candy has cooled, use a hammer to break it up. Put into little plastic baggies or serve as is, whichever your clients prefer. Baking Bad by Walter Wheat is being published by Orion on 6 November 2014 in hardback (also available as an eBook). Via Telegraph UK and Buzzfeed. Images: 'Baking Bad' by Walter Wheat, Orion Books.
For fans of George Lucas' sci-fi phenomenon, it's easy to feel the force. More than four decades after Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope first hit cinemas, the space opera has spawned sequels, prequels, spin-off movies and TV series, all manner of celebratory events, and a near-unparalleled type of pop culture frenzy. Now, that humble 1977 movie has also given rise to a dedicated theme park zone, called Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. It's the next best thing to punching it into hyperdrive and zooming to a galaxy far, far away (and, also, it's something that flesh-and-blood folks who aren't fictional characters can actually do). Obviously, the force is particularly strong with this idea. Yes, we've definitely got a good feeling about it as well. First announced back in 2015, Disneyland Resort in California is now welcoming patrons into its 14-acre Galaxy's Edge after a star-studded launch this week — while Walt Disney World in Florida start doing the same at its own similar spot at the end of August. This concept has clearly been in Disney's sights ever since it bought Lucas' company, Lucasfilm, for more than $4 billion back in 2012. Now that it has come to fruition, a world of fun awaits wannabe jedis, rebels and siths (because we all have a dark side). [caption id="attachment_724265" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Joshua Sudock/Disney Parks[/caption] Galaxy's Edge is set on the outpost of Batuu, in village of Black Spire Outpost. It's a hive for smugglers and rogues (naturally), and it's where you'll be wandering around when you're not jumping into the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy and trying to become best buddies with a loveable wookiee. With Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run ranking among the site's top highlights, you really do just that, aka sit in the driver's seat of Han Solo's beloved ship. It's not open yet, but later this year you'll also be able to take part in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, where you'll get caught in the middle of a battle between the Resistance and the First Order. [caption id="attachment_724272" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Kent Phillips/Disney Parks[/caption] The theme park zone's other huge standout is boozy watering hole Oga's Cantina, which brings alcohol to the California spot for the first time. Here, the drinks come with names such as Carbon Freeze, Oga's Obsession and Cliff Dweller, and are served in unique vessels while you sit at the counter or get cosy in a booth. And because every good cantina has its own vibe, this one gets some help from DJ R-3X, the former droid pilot from Star Tours. Relax, sip and try not to shoot first. [caption id="attachment_724271" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] David Roark/Disney Parks[/caption] Elsewhere, if you're a hands-on type, you can construct your own R2-D2 or BB-8-style droids, which you can then take home with you. Or, build your own unique lightsaber, then take a few Jedi lessons so you know how to use it. You can also pick up Resistance or First Order supplies, look for rare goods at Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities and find a new friend at the Creature Stall (if you haven't noticed, plenty of these attractions involve purchasing some merchandise or a keepsake, because of course they do). And if all of this shopping is making you thirsty, the Milk Stand serves up exactly what everyone wants: blue — and green — milk. When you're not giving your Star Wars skills and your wallet a workout, you can enjoy the finest food that Black Spire Outpost has to offer. Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo takes the form of a multi-purpose transport shuttle docked in a hangar, and is basically an intergalactic food truck, with 'Smoked Kaadu Ribs' (aka pork ribs) and 'Ithorian Garden Loaf' (aka a plant-based meatloaf alternative) on the menu. At Ronto Roasters, spit meats are cooked up on a recycled podracing engine, while Kat Saka's Kettle sells street food snacks. [caption id="attachment_724274" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Richard Harbaugh/Disney Parks[/caption] Expect to spy an array of beloved characters roaming around as well — there's certainly room for it, with Galaxy's Edge marking the biggest single-themed expansion to both parks. The guiding concept is to "transport guests to a never-before-seen planet, a remote trading port and one of the last stops before wild space where Star Wars characters and their stories come to life." And, to give this interactive experience the requisite soundtrack, it'll features new Star Wars music by the man behind its iconic score, aka Oscar-winning composer John Williams. If you're going to be on the US West Coast between now and June 23, tickets have already been snapped up; however once the booked-out opening period ends, you'll be able to head to Disneyland's Galaxy's Edge as part of your regular entry. Eventually, visitors in Florida will also be able to spend a night or several in an immersive Star Wars-themed hotel as well, although construction hasn't started yet and an opening date hasn't been announced either. That said, Disney recently revealed that a visit to the hotel will involve boarding a launch pod and taking part in "a fully-immersive, multi-day Star Wars adventure aboard a luxury starship", with high-end dining and cabins that apparently have a space view all part of your stay. For more information about Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland, and to book park tickets, visit the park's website. Via Disney Theme Parks Blog. Images: Disney Theme Parks Blog.
Sydney Cellar Door wants you to curl up under the shade of a Moreton Bay fig and imagine yourself among the vines of Mudgee as Hyde Park is transformed yet again for Sydney Cellar Door, a part of NSW Food and Wine Festival 2015. Featuring the best winemakers, growers, artisans and restaurants from across NSW, this year's Sydney Cellar Door is filled with particularly lovely and intimate touches. You can wander through an urban vineyard as you sample wines and produce and build your perfect picnic basket of fresh bread, Pukara Estate olive oil and Brilliant Food smoked fish in the Producer's Picnic Tent. Along with favourites from past years, including Salt Meats Cheese, Porteno and Bodega, this year brings some new restaurants to the fold, including burger boss Mary's and Rosebery's Clubhouse Bar and Restaurant. But all that you really need to know is that there will be wine and there will be cheese. We know those are your favourite things. Friday 4pm - 10pm, Saturday 11am - 9pm, Sundays 11am - 6pm
When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows dropped its last terrible three words on us at the close of the book, all was not well. It would never be well without Harry, Ron, Hermione fighting the Dark Lord in a series of fantastical and wholly engrossing scenarios. But, little did we know, this would not be the end of the Age of Harry Potter. Thanks to the internet and the sheer demand for all things HP, Harry has lived on through new books, fan website Pottermore, the Fantastic Beasts film spinoff series and all manner of events dedicated to the franchise. One of the biggest things to come of the post-Harry Potter era has been Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, of course — aka the West End play that's essentially the eighth book in the series. It first arrived in Australia in February 2019, hitting up Melbourne's Princess Theatre, and proved unsurprisingly popular. And while it's about to return after the city's latest lockdown — from Thursday, November 18, in fact — the production has just announced that its shows from May 2022 will be a whole lot different. Muggles, if you want to see The Cursed Child in its current two-part form, you'll need to accio yourself along before March next year. After that, from May, it'll be taking to the stage in a single one-session showing — condensing its story into one part. Basically, this'll be The Cursed Child reimagined — and it'll hit Melbourne after making its world premiere on Broadway this month. San Francisco and Toronto are also getting one-part versions of the show as well; however, Melbourne will beat them to it. So what exactly is The Cursed Child about? Well, it picks up 19 years after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and that abominably cheery epilogue on Platform 9 3/4. Harry is now an overworked Ministry of Magic employee, and the play focuses on both him and his youngest son Albus Severus Potter as they grapple with the past and future. Since debuting in London in July 2016, the production has won a swathe of awards and has proven a repeated sell-out — in the West End, on Broadway and in San Francisco, too. In its Melbourne run so far, it has become the most successful play in Australian history, including attracting 325,000 people in its first year. Melburnians — and other Australian Harry Potter and/or theatre aficionados — can access tickets now for the two-part run of the show, which'll remain onstage until Sunday, March 27, 2022. Tickets for the one-session showings of The Cursed Child will go on sale at 9am on Tuesday, November 16. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will return to Melbourne's Princess Theatre on Thursday, November 18 in its two-part form, running until Sunday, March 27, 2022. It'll then switch to a one-session production from May, with tickets for the latter on sale at 9am on Tuesday, November 16. For more information, head to the play's website. Top images: Matt Murphy/Evan Zimmerman for Murphy Made.
The age of the glorious bowling club is nigh, with renovations, refurbs and revamps happening to greens, powder rooms and bistros Sydneywide of late. Following the opening of the Norths Bowlo by the ex-Grounds of Alexandria team as The Greens, there's another long-loved watering hole with a brand new pennants (look it up). One of Bondi's oldest watering holes, the Bondi Bowling Club has reopened after a furious refurbishment; with a focus on craft beer, live music and local produce-lovin' bistro in store. The Bondi Bowling Club has been a central Carlton Draught-lovin' hub for over 80 years. Established in 1933 with three thousand pounds borrowed through Waverley Council from the Unemployed Relief Fund (!), the bowling club has been a solid part of Bondi life — until an unlikely thorn wedged itself right in the club's side. The bowlo reportedly started to suffer after the small bar wave hit Sydney; one of the few groups of Sydneysiders who stood to benefit nothing from the teeny, independent tipple joints we love so dearly. Operator of Panama House and The Corner House, Anthony Kaplan, stepped in to save the ailing club. "There are currently 38 members; in the past 10 years that number was as high as 1000," Kaplan told Good Food. "Our idea is to bring a small-bar mentality to a bigger space. There'll be cocktails, craft beer and live music." The club is spread over four main areas: the pool table-clad, communal clubhouse; the buzzing main bar, a cane couches-flanked Caribbean rum bar called Havana Lounge and the sprawling, sunny patio for long summer afternoon bevs on the picnic tables. Kaplan has chosen a selection of more than 20 craft beers and cider on the menu, handpicked wines and created a full cocktail list. And like any good bowlo, the club has a newly revamped bistro; with your classic steaks and fancy fish of the day to boot. With the live music function of the club stemming from a high-production, 400-capacity band area, staunchly loyal locals could be worried about having to shake a fist at a whole bunch of Beach Road-migrating youths. But Kaplan has a plan to keep everyone happy. "This way they can keep a bowling green for members and we can use the other green to bring in new people with barefoot bowls," he says. Tournaments will remain, as will the clubhouse's achievement boards, pool tables and fireplaces — and the 15 metre main bartop, the main artery of Bondi Bowlo.
When Sydney Film Festival arrives each June to fill the Harbour City's cinemas with the latest and greatest movies, it does so mere weeks after its prestigious counterpart in Cannes. That's always excellent news for local film lovers, with plenty of the French fest's flicks making their way swiftly Down Under. And, it can make an impact with the Sydney Film Prize — Bong Joon-ho's Parasite scored both the Palme d'Or and SFF's gong in 2019, Lukas Dhont's Close earned the Grand Prix at Cannes and then Sydney's top accolade in 2022, and now Asmae El Moudir's The Mother of All Lies has collected the Un Certain Regard Best Director award and SFF's shiny Sydney Film Festival Prize trophy. Sydney Film Festival's 2023 jury, which featured director Anurag Kashyap (Gangs of Wasseypur), actor Mia Wasikowska (Blueback), writer/director Larissa Behrendt (You Can Go Now), filmmaker Visakesa Chandrasekaram (Earth), and film curator and journalist Dorothee Wenner, picked El Moudir's documentary as the best movie in this year's Official Competition. The Sydney Film Festival Prize winner was announced at SFF's closing-night festivities, before the Australian premiere of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, with The Mother of All Lies emerging victorious for its inventive exploration of Morocco's 1981 Bread Riots using doll-like figures. "Commending the courage of choosing a theme perhaps wilfully obliterated from public memory, appreciating the storytelling methods of playful yet calculated visual narration, the jury hails the winning film of SFF which fictionalises the interplay between facts and memories," announced Kashyap and company in a joint statement. "Juxtaposing evidence from barely existent public materials with private family memory, this film reconstructs the history of the state, the family and the individual in three distinct levels." In winning the Sydney Film Prize, The Mother of All Lies joins not only Close and Parasite, but fellow past winners There Is No Evil (2021), The Heiresses (2018), On Body and Soul (2017), Aquarius (2016), Arabian Nights (2015), Two Days, One Night (2014), Only God Forgives (2013), Alps (2012), A Separation (2011), Heartbeats (2010), Bronson (2009) and Hunger (2008). It's also just one of this year's Sydney Film Festival award recipients, with the fest also handing out annual prizes for Australian documentaries, films focused on sustainability and shorts. Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black) won the $20,000 Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Australian Documentary, with the 24-minute-long film following Yankunytjatjara artist Derik Lynch on a road trip back to Country, and adding the accolade to its Silver Bear Jury Prize (Short Film) and Teddy Award for best queer short film at this year's Berlinale. Documentary jury members Christoffer Guldbrandsen (A Storm Foretold), Sascha Ettinger Epstein (The Pink House) and Laurrie Brannigan-Onato praised the film for being "an incredibly evocative, precise and raw film" that's "exploratory and playful in its form" and "tests the line of fact and fiction, and in turn unearths something that sits at the root of the human experience". "The film has a highly accomplished and distinct aesthetic that allows for a powerful contemplation of culture, Country, identity and belonging. Derik Lynch is utterly mesmerising in the way he shares his life experiences, on his country, and in his Yankunytjara language. This is a film that is both deeply affecting and matter of fact in its approach, and although it is short in its duration, the film is so concisely exacted, it only leaves you wanting more," they continued. The documentary jury also gave Kindred, a feature doco about two Indigenous Australian friends who were both adopted into white families, an honourable mention. With SFF's third-ever $10,000 Sustainable Future Award, Against the Tide from Indian filmmaker Sarvnik Kaur did the honours, while the jury also called out Rachel's Farm and Power to Country. "Savnik Kaur's beautiful film Against the Tide is an audacious documentary that spans six years. A thoughtful, nuanced documentary in which the director has clearly earned the deep trust of the subjects as they navigate a rapidly changing world," said the jury featuring Amanda Maple-Brown (June Again), Steven McGregor (Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky) and War on Waste presenter Craig Reucassel. "We appreciated the dedicated undertaking of showing the difficulties of traditional fishing practices in these communities as they are overrun by more modern, unsustainable, and illegal fishing practices, all in an effort to feed their own families and look forward to future films by this director." And, in the Dendy Short Film Awards, The Dancing Girl and the Balloon Man won Best Australian Live Action, and nabbed star Robyn Liu the Rising Talent Award. Teacups earned the Yoram Gross Animation Award for Best Australian Animation, while Linda 4 Eva's Sophie Somerville received the Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Director. Also, the AFTRS Craft Award for Best Practitioner went to Kalu Oji, Faro Musodza and Makwaya Masudi, the screenwriters of What's in a Name?. The 2023 Sydney Film Festival ran from Wednesday, June 7–Sunday, June 18, with the festival screening four days of encores until Thursday, June 22.
When David Bowie starred in 1976's The Man Who Fell to Earth, playing an alien being who crash lands on our planet, it became one of the musician's iconic on-screen roles. It's also one that he returned to nearly four decades later, in a fashion — co-writing the musical Lazarus, as inspired by the Walter Tevis novel that the sci-fi film was based on. Written with playwright Enda Walsh, and one of Bowie's final projects before his passing in January 2016, Lazarus opened off-Broadway in December 2015. The production made the jump to London in 2017 and, in 2019, it'll bring its otherworldly story — and its soundtrack of 18 Bowie tracks — to Australia. The first show announced for The Production Company's 2019 season, Lazarus will make its Aussie debut between May 18 and June 9, hitting the stage at Arts Centre Melbourne. While local cast details won't be revealed until February 19, when ticketing details will also be unveiled, the original production was a suitably star-studded affair. Dexter's Michael C. Hall followed in Bowie's footsteps in the part of Thomas Jerome Newton, while Fargo's Cristin Milioti played the alien's assistant. Those eager for a date with this starman — and to start loving the alien, again — can expect a sequel of sorts to The Man Who Fell to Earth. The enigmatic Newton remains on earth, unable to die; however the arrival of another lost soul might offer the solution that he's been looking for. As for the familiar songs that this story plays out to, it's basically a best-of catalogue of Bowie's greatest hits. 'Heroes', 'Changes', 'Life on Mars?', 'The Man Who Sold the World' and 'Sound and Vision' all feature — as do four of the star's final recordings, including the title track 'Lazarus'. Lazarus will hit the Arts Centre Melbourne stage from May 18 to June 9, 2019. Ticketing details will be available from February 19, 2019 — to sign up for the wait list, visit lazarusthemusical.com.au.
