These days, whenever an old pop culture commodity comes back in a new guise, it's easy to feel complacent. It happens all the time, whether it's a classic franchise receiving its second reboot, a cult 80s movie making the leap to the small screen or a huge TV hit jumping into prequel territory to continue its story. But if you're a fan of a certain undead-killing late 90s and early 00s television show, you'll know that great things can start this way. It's the path that Buffy the Vampire Slayer took, after all. Based on the 1992 movie of the same name, the Sarah Michelle Gellar-starring series might just be the finest example of a film-turned-TV show — well, it's definitely the best example in the high school-set vampire genre — as the world came to learn across seven seasons that initially aired between 1997–2003. Buffy has remained a cult favourite ever since, and plenty of devotees still have the huge DVD collections to prove it. Now, binging your way through the whole show is as easy as heading to Australian streaming platform Stan. As part of a deal with Disney that's also brought How I Met Your Mother, Sons of Anarchy, Grey's Anatomy and Family Guy to the service, all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer are available to stream. Whether you now know what you're doing this summer, have your after-work viewing planned for the foreseeable future or are planning to devote many a weekend to a rewatch, it's all there — from Buffy's arrival in Sunnydale, to her romantic fondness for brooding vamps Angel (David Boreanaz) and Spike (James Marsters), to all the hijinks that the Scooby Gang got up to while living on top of a hellmouth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1v_q6TWAL4 Because this is a series that, fittingly, no one wants to die, a Buffy spinoff was announced back in 2018 — however, to date, it's yet to come to fruition. There's nothing quite like the original Joss Whedon-created show, though, even if it wasn't the very first take on the feisty character. Grab your stakes, line up a range of suitably garlic-flavoured snacks and get ready for a whole world of small-town, high school hell — with vampires, demons, witches, plenty of dark forces, wise watchers like Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) and Wesley (Alexis Denisof), and, of course, Buffy's besties Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon). All seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer are now available to stream on Stan.
A familiar sight to backpackers galivanting across Europe, catching a bright-green FlixBus is one of the cheapest, most convenient and comfortable ways to get across the continent. Now, the long-distance coach company is preparing to launch in Australia, revealing its first two routes hitting the road on Thursday, November 20. Kicking operations off down under, passengers can soon commute from Melbourne–Sydney and Canberra–Sydney. And to encourage people to climb abroad, prices across the network start at just $9.99 until the end of November. While cheap, the FlixBus experience isn't as no-frills as you might imagine. Featuring free Wi-Fi, power outlets to keep charged, plenty of legroom and toilets, passing the time on the journey between capital cities can be surprisingly comfortable. "We're confident that Flix will resonate with Australians by setting a new benchmark for convenient, affordable and sustainable travel powered by technology," says Flix Founder and CEO, André Schwämmlein. For the Melbourne–Sydney route, stops take place in Albury, Canberra, Sydney International Airport, Sydney Domestic Airport and Sydney Central Station. Then, for those making the shorter journey from Canberra–Sydney, expect 12 daily departures hitting the same strategic stops on the way to the Harbour City. "As in every market we enter, we are committed to a long-term presence as a trusted and reliable partner in the travel sector, and we are taking the first steps by opening sales on Australia's busiest travel corridor," says Schwämmlein. Besides the cost benefits, FlixBus says hitching a ride on a coach from Melbourne to Sydney also reduces an individual's carbon footprint by approximately 90 percent. "These new routes embody our commitment to making sustainable travel affordable to everyone travelling in Australia," describes Senior Managing Director of FlixBus Australia, Yvan Lefranc-Morin. FlixBus routes from Melbourne–Sydney and Canberra–Sydney commence on Thursday, November 20. Head to the website for more information.
When game day is on the horizon, you'll likely be in the market for one of the best sports bar in Sydney to catch a game — thankfully, there's no shortage of excellent spots that can accommodate all the sports fans in the harbour city. Sports bars are perfect for simulating the excitement and adrenaline you feel when you're at a game — with the bonus of not having to buy a ticket. So, whether you're looking to catch an international match with your mates or looking for a great spot to pre-game before heading to the stadium, we've got a list of the best sports bars in Sydney. Read on to see if your favourite spot made it to the list and, if not, maybe your new local will be found below. Recommended reads: The Best Pubs in Sydney The Best Bars in Sydney Sydney's Best Beer Gardens The Best Sydney Restaurants
If it takes a bit more than a squirt of sriracha or a spoonful of sambal to satisfy your fiery desires, then you've come to the right place. For those chasing their next chilli hit, we've put together a list of Sydney's spiciest dishes, ranging from the lip-tingling and throat-scorching to surface-of-the-sun hot. Get ready to scream, shake, sweat and swear; here are Sydney's ten best spicy dishes for hardcore heat lovers. FRIED CHICKEN WITH 'HOT AF' SAUCE AT BUTTER, SURRY HILL AND PARRAMATTA This fried chicken, sneaker and champagne joint in Surry Hills and Parramatta is a safe haven where chilli lovers and haters can sit down together and share a meal. While both sides of the argument will adore Butter's crispy cayenne-spiced fried chicken, those who want to up the ante can self-administer from the gradation of sauces, which ranges from naked through to 'OG', 'Fire' and, the most inflammatory of all, 'Hot AF'. Take a bite if you dare; the only thing louder than the crunchy chicken coating will be the sound of your own chicken-muffled screams. PORK BELLY WITH SCUD CHILLI DEATH SAUCE AT CHIN CHIN, SURRY HILLS While much of the menu at this trendy pan-Asian nightspot is accessible to a range of tolerances, for every sweet and mild dish, there's also a stealth bomber, too. The menu's fiercest option is the rotisserie pork belly with fennel, pickle and scud chilli death sauce — however, truth be told, not everybody ends up dying from it. To minimise the injury, Chin Chin has quarantined the sauce to a small bowl on the side, which allows you to carefully eye-drop the amount that you want. In controlled doses, it adds punch and personality to the soft, wobbly pork. Just whatever you do, don't go sloshing it around. BELT NOODLES WITH PORK AND CHILLI AT SPICE TEMPLE, CBD It's hard to leave Neil Perry's famous shrine to spice without suffering at least a little chilli trauma. The whole menu is strewn with bird's eye chillies and, worst of all, there are no symbols to warn you. It's like some kind of frightening (yet still fun) chilli roulette. While there are plenty of dishes with pep and pungency, the most intense is the chewy belt noodles with braised pork and fermented chilli. Sift through the bowl, and you'll find salted and dried chillies cloaked in there, too. A word to the wise, make sure you eat it last, as you're unlikely to taste anything afterwards. REALLY F**KING HOT WINGS AT BELLES HOT CHICKEN, VARIOUS LOCATIONS Well, you can't say you haven't been warned. Nashville-style fried chicken joint, Belles Hot Chicken serves up hot wings that actually live up to their name. Whether at the Barangaroo, Darling Square or Tramsheds outpost, customers can choose from five grades of suffering: from 'Southern' (mild) to medium, hot, really hot and 'Really F**king Hot'. Wings are brined first, then seasoned in smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, onion and garlic powder, while the really f**king hot ones get an extra dusting of ground up habanero peppers. [caption id="attachment_683848" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Parker Blain.[/caption] HOT BUTTER CUTTLEFISH AT LANKAN FILLING STATION, EAST SYDNEY For those up to the challenge, Lankan Filling Station serves some of the hottest Sri Lankan food in Sydney. While there's more than one tongue torturer on the menu, the spiciest is the hot butter cuttlefish, which is deep-fried in turmeric batter then wok-fried in a deadly medley of chilli, garlic and black pepper. Be sure to have the tissues ready, it's a dish that promises to bring more than a few tears to the eye (and chilli sweats to the face). The menu also includes plates to treat the heat, from cooling raita to spongey egg hoppers and O Tama Carey's exquisite rose-scented love cake. CHIANG MAI LARP AT LONG CHIM, CBD You might want to hit up a few of these other hotspots before Long Chim because you're going to need to build up your chilli tolerance. This Thai street food eatery by renowned chef David Thompson (ex-Sailors Thai and Nahm) has a menu to blow your mind — and also possibly your entire head clean off. Arguably the hottest dish in Sydney is Thompson's chiang mai larp of chicken with northern spices and herbs served on cabbage leaves — which, truth be told, do very little to extinguish the incinerating heat. There are no chilli ratings on the menu at Long Chim, but it's fairly safe to assume the larp probably sits at like a hundred. CAMARONES A LA DIABLA AT CHULA, POTTS POINT Let's be honest, Chula isn't quite in the same spicy league as some of the other offerings, but we thought by now you might be craving a little variety. This beautiful terracotta-toned Mexican restaurant in Potts Point specialises in fresh and light regional specialities and many come with their own punch in the gut. One of the hotter dishes on the menu is the camarones a la diabla, a fiery dish of red pepper prawns doused with arbol and guajillo chilli salsa. If it's too tepid for you, you can always turn up the dial with a side of the house-made habanero salsa. DTUM BPHA AT BOON CAFE, HAYMARKET Owned by the Chat Thai dynasty, this all-day eatery serves up northeastern Thai cuisine with a fiery kick. While the breakfast and lunch menu is filled with fresh herb sandwiches and brown rice bowls, playtime ends at dinner when traditional Isaan cuisine sends the whole thing up in flames. While pretty much all the dishes will give you third-degree burns, the most scalding is the dtum bpha — a green papaya salad tossed with field crabs, fermented fish, snails, pork sausage and fermented rice noodle. It may look fresh, green and fragrant, but it's a clever disguise for a whole world of pain. SPICY HOT POT AT SPICY SICHUAN RESTAURANT, VARIOUS LOCATIONS Known for its liberal use of bird's eye chillies and tonsil-tickling peppercorns, Sichuan cuisine is widely considered to be one of the hottest in the world. If you want to test the theory, you'll find an array of options at Spicy Sichuan Restaurant, with three outposts across the city. For those who prefer a long, drawn-out affair, we recommend the spicy hot pot — a glowing cauldron of fiery red soup that's generously swirled with red pepper pain. Not sure you're ready for it? There's also a half spicy version for those who want to test the waters first. KANOM JEEN TAI PLA AT CAYSORN THAI, HAYMARKET Sydneysiders are generally well versed in northern Thai cuisine, however, when it comes to the salty, sour and spicy flavours of the south, many find themselves in foreign territory. Prepare for initiation by fire at Haymarket institution Caysorn Thai, which is known for its fermented rice noodles, chilli-flecked broths and spicy green mango salads. At the chemical warfare end of the scale is the kanom jeen tai pla, a grilled fish curry in a mouth-blistering broth of dried chillies, shrimp paste and sour fish sauce. It'll take more than Thai milk tea and an all-you-can-eat salad bar to undo the damage. Top image: Long Chim.
Forty Licks, a Hanoi-style eatery and cocktail bar, is set to open its 75-seat basement digs next week. It'll be dishing up Vietnamese noodle soups and street food, as well as cocktails with Asian ingredients, underneath York Street from Monday, May 13. Chef Joel Manton is in the kitchen, where he's using his classical French training to recreate dishes he learnt to cook while living in Hanoi. The menu includes the likes of banh da (tapioca crackers) served with blue swimmer crab, young coconut escabeche and betel leaf; and a hot and sour seafood soup (canh chua hai san) of ocean jacket cheeks, scallop and king prawn. A selection of banh xeo (pancakes) also make the cut — with varieties including sautéed king prawn and fried bean curd with hot mint and galangal. A dedicated barbecue and rotisserie section features Lao-style spicy pork sausage served with fermented chilli and fried sticky rice. A spicy lemongrass version of pho, called bun bo hue, is on the menu, too. As is cha ca la vong, a popular Hanoi street snack of grilled kingfish marinated in turmeric and fresh dill, served over noodles. [caption id="attachment_720829" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jason Loucas[/caption] Award-winning Sydney bartender Kurtis Bosley (who has just opened Corrretto Dee Why) is on drinks and has created a Vietnamese-inspired cocktail list to match the menu. On it, you'll find the Lick Me Forty (tequila, dandelion and burdock bitters, vanilla syrup, egg white and lemon), the Hanoi Sour (bourbon and ginger liqueur mixed with a Peruvian purple corn beverage, lemon and pecan bitters) and the Sesamum (Bacardi Carta Blanca, pandan syrup, cucumber and lime). Alongside the cocktails is a biodynamic-focused wine list of Australian and international drops. The venue's golden and bright yellow hues are thanks to local design firm GSBN Studios, which created a tiered dining room that is meant to emulate the look of Vietnam's rice paddies. Expect sculptural bamboo installations as the main feature, along with exposed sandstone and timber aplenty, with a mix of high table and booth seating on offer. Find Forty Licks at 24 York Street, Sydney from Monday, May 13. Opening hours from May 13–17 will be dinner only, then Monday–Friday from 11am–late thereafter. Images: Jason Loucas.
The Swedish village of Harads is home to only 600 people, but houses something truly special. Treehotel is a unique hotel that sits in the undisturbed forest. The hotel has five different rooms, all of which are themed differently and offer much more than your standard bed and complementary chocolate. These rooms created by Treehotel aren't just cool designs; they also contain environmentally-friendly combustion toilets and are built from chemical-free wood. One room uses mirrors on all its outer walls to reflect the surrounding trees, but is coated in infrared film so that birds don't fly into it. Amazingly considerate. Another room is decorated as a giant bird's nest, and according to Treehotel it is 'camouflage so you quickly disappear and become part of the surroundings.' Hopefully you don't get swarmed by feathered Swedish creatures upon entry. While this room sits in harmony with the surrounding nature, another room does the exact opposite as it is shaped as a UFO. Spread over two levels, it can house up to four people and comes with some cute astronomy-themed cushions too. The best part is that you can call your mates staying in the bird's nest and all head to the communal sauna for a good dose of relaxation. According to Treehotel, Greek philosopher Plato 'knew that trees and steam baths together made the perfect stimulus for philosophical thoughts and ideas.' Therefore you might want to read some books before heading up the sauna for some intense discussion about the purpose of human existence. While there are five different rooms avaliable now, a total of 24 rooms have been planned.
This place is an encyclopedia of cuteness. The store is overflowing with Hello Kitty, Pikachu, Totoro, pandas, cats and a whole bunch of sweet little characters. Also, you can take your pick from nail polishes, notebooks, lunchboxes, keyrings, pens, tissue box covers, socks and plush-toy phone holders. If it all becomes a little too overwhelming, retreat into one of the sticker booths in the far back corner, and emerge victorious with a sheet of glittery sticker photos of yourself and friend. Image: Kitti Smallbone.
Dry July may've come to an end, but for those who want to keep the detox going, these are Sydney's top spots for a non-alcoholic tipple. Whether it's for health benefits or you just don't like alcohol, there's nothing limiting about not drinking. And Sydney's extensive array of bars and restaurants offer everything from the norm to the whacky when it comes to mocktails.
Right now, if Australians want to spend a day carving up the snow, there are a few prerequisites. Frosty weather is a must, and so is getting to one of the country's ski resorts — but that could change from 2025. For Sydneysiders, that snowbound routine usually involves jumping in a car for at least five hours, heading to one of New South Wales' ski spots. Jumping on a train to Penrith, where a new $400-million indoor Winter Sports World has been proposed for the city, will be much, much easier. The centre has also received Penrith Council's official endorsement and is now waiting on NSW Department of Planning and Environment approval — and the team behind it has just unveiled how it'll look. The resort's features have been highlighted before, including a 300-metre indoor ski slope, a winter wonderland play area, a competition area for snow spots, and both ice and rock climbing facilities. And yes, to answer the key question, Winter Sports World will indeed use real snow. Visitors will be able to learn to ski onsite, as part of the resort's positioning as a feeder site to outdoor snow fields. The idea: that you'll learn the ropes indoors, then later head out of town to try the real thing. A food and drink precinct featuring bars, restaurants and cafes, and a 120-room hotel have also been included in the proposal — all with snow views. The just-released designs show how Winter Sports World will appear from the outside, however, complete with touches by Sydney architecture firm Collins & Turner to resemble the venue's' alpine inspiration. The 300-metre-plus northern facade is set to glow at night, takes inspiration from snow clouds on a hill and will apparently look like a blizzard, while the centre's public area and curved lower-level facade will resemble melting ice. Ice shard details are also set to feature. Due to be built in Jamisontown on the corner of Jamison Road and Tench Avenue, Winter Sports World will include water streams, networks of paths and eight-metre-high message sticks as well, with telling First Nations' stories about living on Dyarubbin part of the design. After winning the design competition for the gig, Collins & Turner collaborated with local First Nations artist Jamie Eastwood, landscape architecture JLA Landscape Architects, environmental design consultant and engineers Atelier Ten, facade/structural engineer Eckersley O'Callaghan and lighting design Electrolight. The development, which sought public feedback in 2020 and is being put forward as a new major attraction for the area, is part of the Penrith City Council's plan to double visitors and tourism revenue in the area by 2025. Once built, the facility is hoped to provide a boost to Australia's Winter Olympians and their training, providing a venue for alpine skiing, freestyle skiing and snowboarding. The Winter Olympics haven't traditionally been one of Australia's sporting strong suits — the national team first competed in 1936 and didn't win its first medal until 1994. The proposal for Winter Sports World has been in the works since November 2018, with site owner and developer Peter Magnisalis lodging a development application with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment this month. For more information about Winter Sports World, head to the proposed venue's website. Images: artists' impressions of Winter Sports World.
The Historic Houses Trust's service-entrance festival Sydney Open 2012 invites Sydneysiders to have a look behind the scenes at private spaces and buildings around Sydney for a Friday to Sunday three day weekend of upcoming sanctioned nosiness. The festival throws in its first free event this year, indulging in a Festival First Night-style Sydney Open Night on Friday night, turning the key on five buildings at no charge. Parliament House, the Barracks, On Seven at DJs, St James Church and the Chief Secretary's Building (backdrop to the Chaser's accidental APEC over-achieving) will be the first venues to be thrown open to the looming crowd, with the rest of the festival's 50 plus venues to follow over the weekend. Saturday sees a series of smaller-grouped Focus Tours. These single-serving jaunts take detours to more narrow, private or subterranean parts of Sydney, including the iconic Tank Stream, old favourite the Central Station Ghost Tunnels, the cavity around of the QVB dome, Catalanista Rosly Street Commerical and the colour-coded, sparse Strelein Warehouse. Sunday opens the CBD to the wandering multitude, as the bulk of the properties open their doors at the price of a city pass, including the newly-circular 1 Bligh Street, Hong Kong House, the Tetsuyas-fronting Old Judge's House, Government House, the Great Synagogue and a repurposed Woolloomooloo sewer. On the move, you can orient yourself with a mobile site or a new, handy-looking iPhone guide. Like the Biennale, Underbelly Arts and the better seasons of True Blood, this city-wide show pops up only once every two years. Tickets are on sale already, and they regularly sell in advance. (Some tours are already sold out.) So, if the Saturday or Sunday legs of this look behind the city-wide curtain grabs your interest, get booking. Sydney Open is part of the Sydney Architecture Festival.
Blam-blam-blam! That's the sound of Belvoir, Sydney's 'other' major theatre company, lining them up and knocking them down. They've announced a 2013 season that's filled end to end with heart-starting productions, each one either a loved text, starring theatre's leading lights, directed by powerhouse Simon Stone, or some combination of the three. Perhaps the centrepiece of the season is Angels in America, Tony Kushner's seven-hour, two-part play that's an icon of the queer canon but also became the most watched TV cable movie in the US in 2003. Directed by Eamon Flack and starring, among others, Robyn Nevin, Paula Arundell, and Mitchell Butel, it will play in repertory as two separate, full-length shows, which you'll have the option to see back-to-back on Saturdays and Sundays. For durational performance fans, it's a theatre marathon to relish. Meanwhile, Simon Stone, the company's resident director (who's created The Wild Duck and Strange Interlude there already) will direct Jacqueline McKenzie and Ewen Leslie in Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Toby Schmitz, Emily Barclay, and Robyn Nevin in Shakespeare's Hamlet. He'll also be adapting August Strindberg's Miss Julie for Leticia Cáceras to direct and Brendan Cowell to star in (both of 2011's unforgettable The Dark Room), a compelling release of control after his string of successes directing his own dramatic rewrites of classics. On the funnest note, the season kicks off in the early days of January with Peter Pan, a perfect fit for this festive time of year. Under the eye of artistic director Ralph Myers, the ensemble cast will rescue the original JM Barrie text from the saccharine clutches of Disney. Also in the Upstairs Theatre will be two Australian-history-inspired new works: from Love Me Tender writer Tom Holloway, Forget Me Not (directed by Anthea Williams), a fictionalised take on the very real tragedy that befell some 7000 Forgotten Australians who endured forced child migration that separated them from their families, and a co-production with Ilbijerri, Coranderrk that pays tribute to an 1881 inquiry in which the people of Coranderrk Aboriginal Reserve campaigned for their self-determination. Downstairs, much-performed playwright Lally Katz (Neighbourhood Watch, Smashed) has written a thing she's actually not keen to hand over to actors for interpretation and will step onto the stage to deliver herself. Zaniness is guaranteed, touching humanity expected. Other new works featuring Downstairs are The Baulkham Hills African Ladies Troupe, documentary theatre that communicates hardship, survival, and celebration, and Kit Brookman's Small and Tired, a story ripped from Greek mythology, now sitting in a bar. Belvoir again and again works with Australia's favourite theatre-makers in an environment where collaboration and conversation flow freely. The fruits of this approach can be seen in their solid plans for season 2013, which we'll be savouring piece by piece. Full information and subscription packages are available from the Belvoir website.
What's better than one of the Attenborough siblings marvelling over our planet's ancient creatures? None other than David Attenborough following in his brother Richard Attenborough's footsteps, of course. While the latter showed dinos some love back in Jurassic Park — with the now-late actor and filmmaker even uttering the iconic words "welcome to Jurassic Park" — his broadcaster, biologist and natural historian sibling has largely surveyed the rest of the earth's living creatures in his iconic documentaries. In David's next series, however, he's solely focusing on prehistoric critters. That show is Prehistoric Planet, a five-part natural history doco that's coming to Apple TV+ — and yes, fittingly, it's arriving on the small screen just before new Jurassic Park franchise instalment Jurassic World Dominion reaches cinemas in June. Even better: after revealing a few sneak peeks earlier in the month, the streaming platform has just dropped the full Prehistoric Planet trailer. Here, you'll hear David Attenborough talk through everything you need to know about dinosaurs. And, while peering back at what the earth was like 66 million years ago, he'll give the fascinating creatures the same treatment he's rolled out in past shows The Living Planet, State of the Planet, The Blue Planet, Frozen Planet, Blue Planet II, Our Planet, Seven Worlds, One Planet, A Perfect Planet and Green Planet (as well as Planet Earth and Planet Earth II, plus documentary David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet). Basically, if you're always wanted to see a David Attenborough series about dinosaurs, life just found a way. And, it's clearly a must-see if you'd listen to him narrate anything and you're always awed by dinos (both of those apply to pretty much everyone). Get ready to discover little-known and surprising facts of dinosaur life, step through the environments of Cretaceous times, see how the Tyrannosaurus rex parented, and explore the ancient creatures of both the sea and sky. That's what Prehistoric Planet will cover across five episodes, which'll drop daily on Apple TV+ across Monday, May 23–Friday, May 27. Unsurprisingly, CGI will feature heavily in Prehistoric Planet — David Attenborough can do many things, but time travelling isn't one of them — but the show's special effects-created dinos will be combined with wildlife filmmaking and paleontology learnings. While the broadcaster's voice is always music to anyone's ears, Hans Zimmer will be adding rousing score to the show — fresh from winning his latest Oscar for Dune. And, if you're wondering about the photorealistic imagery that's bringing dinosaurs to life, filmmaker Jon Favreau is one of the Prehistoric Planet's executive producers. Also, the effects company behind his versions of The Jungle Book and The Lion King is doing the CGI honours. Check out Prehistoric Planet's full trailer below: Prehistoric Planet will hit Apple TV+ across Monday, May 23–Friday, May 27, with a new episode available to stream each day.
You could probably make a mildly amusing SNL skit out of the idea behind The House. A full-length movie? Not so much. It's safe to say that no one wins big in this decidedly unfunny comedy, which marks the directorial debut of Bad Neighbours writer Andrew Jay Cohen. Not stars Amy Poehler, Will Ferrell, Nick Kroll and Jason Mantzoukas, and definitely not the audience. Poehler and Ferrell play Kate and Scott Johansen, proud parents to college-bound teen Alex (Ryan Simpkins) — until a town-sponsored scholarship falls through, that is. When their recently-separated gambling addict pal Frank (Mantzoukas) suggests turning his home into an illegal casino to cover Alex's tuition fees, they're wary. But helping their daughter pursue her dreams soon wins out, even with a suspicious local cop (Rob Huebel) and city councillor (Kroll) wondering just what it is they're up to. As anyone who's ever seen Parks and Recreation knows, Poehler is a comedic treasure, who frankly should be on our screens much, much more often. Ferrell's movie track record mightn't be stellar as of late, but when he's at his Ron Burgundy best, it's easy to forget his less successful efforts like Get Hard and Daddy's Home. Kroll and Mantzoukas, meanwhile, were both great on The League. The point is, if you're a fan of any of these funny folks, you'd have hoped that together they could deliver at least a handful of chuckles. On paper, it doesn't seem like much of a gamble. Sure, watching middle-aged suburbanites behaving badly doesn't sound particularly new or exciting, but skilled performers can make anything better, right? Yet, in a breezy, montage-heavy flick that thinks overt nods to Casino, The Sopranos and Terminator 2 are enough to garner giggles, there's little they can do. A hip hop heavy soundtrack can't liven things up, and neither can YouTube-like sketches or a big-name cameo in the final act, no matter how much the movie tries to prove otherwise. At one point in The House — immediately after the main trio ponders "what if we were the house?", in case the premise wasn't already clear — a character makes a speech about clichés. Unfortunately, it doesn't do anything to make the ones in the film any less obvious or infuriating. It's never a good sign when a movie's best moments come during the obligatory over-credits blooper reel, as viewers are left to wonder why the stuff that did make the cut was so routine and uninspired. Maybe the producers made a bet that they could squander their cast with as bland a so-called comedy as possible? If that's the case, then they've really hit the jackpot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx9s-jbSG2s
When things supposedly go bump and jump in the night, Professor Philip Goodman (Andy Nyman) calls bullshit. But then his childhood hero (Leonard Byrne) comes calling, asking the professional paranormal debunker to investigate three cases — and warning that they just might challenge his long-held scepticism. That's the crux of British horror film Ghost Stories, which understands two important truths. Firstly, there's a little bit of wonder buried in every cynic, even if they won't or can't admit it. Secondly, the only thing that's more thrilling than a spooky tale told well is a number of them strung together. Goodman's trio of supernatural incidents all involve strange and downright disturbing sightings, which he works through one by one. Employed in a deserted former asylum for women, nightwatchman Tony (Paul Whitehouse) just thinks that the power is flickering one evening, but that's soon the least of his worries. Driving through woodland in the thick of night with no one else in sight, the jumpy Simon (Alex Lawther) is involved in a hit and run with an unusual victim. As for wealthy banker Mike (Martin Freeman), who takes Goodman walking around his countryside property, he spins an account of personal woe and potential ghosts — all set in his sprawling mansion as his wife is about to give birth to their first child. At first, these three vignettes all seem quite slight and standard, of the type that you might share around a crackling fire with marshmallows and a happy suspension of disbelief. That's by design, with the horror genre frequently drawing its power from appearing simplistic when the reality proves otherwise. Adapting their 2010 stage production of the same name for the screen, writing and directing duo Nyman and Jeremy Dyson keep the superficial details purposefully straightforward, while having fun playing with tropes and littering clues within each narrative within the narrative. This is an unnerving anthology that perfects the nuts and bolts of haunted storytelling, and yet also subverts expectations, offers enjoyable nods to horror greats gone by, and builds towards a big finale. Where it eventually lands is a little silly and obvious, but each individual segment — and its bookending framework — is staged in an impeccable and stirring manner. The idea that Ghost Stories is 'staged' has multiple meanings, some that are best discovered by watching. Even if you're unfamiliar with the production in its original form — that is, literally on the stage — it's easy to see how it would work in the theatre. Crucially, however, this isn't a talky work that feels out-of-place on the screen. Rather, it's a broodingly gothic affair that's just as disquieting when it's toying with darkness, shadows and startling sounds as when it's giving its supernatural forces more concrete shape and form. Moving the tale to the cinema gives Nyman and Dyson plenty of room to revel in the movie's mood and imagery, creating a gloriously rich spookhouse — think bleak Yorkshire exteriors and thoroughly creepy interiors. Ghost Stories is also a well-acted scarefest, with Nyman and Freeman the clear standouts. One plays a devout rationalist with conviction, the other rattles chains (albeit verbally, not physically) — and if you notice that the film is dominated by men with secrets, that's on purpose also. Being assaulted by the inexplicable is unsettling, as is being expected to just grin and bear life's ills, a trait that the movie's characters all share. The notion of hiding from pain provides thematic texture, deepens this entertaining take on the familiar, and helps Ghost Stories achieve what all anthology efforts strive for: leaving the audience wanting more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh9KCVdx33I
You know those muggy, dusky nights in the height of summer when all you can hear is cicadas? The heat of the day's subsided but something about it lingers, and relief only sets in when the massive southerly that hits after dark raises goosebumps on your skin, and weirdly you find yourself reaching for a jumper. Well, Sport for Jove are about to launch into their sixth season of outdoor summer theatre, with a double bill of magic and the spirit world that seizes that summer twilight feeling and runs with it, through the foreboding setting of the 200-year-old Bella Vista Farm. Susanna Dowling directs Shakespeare's cautionary fairy story A Midsummer Night's Dream. The characters — young lovers and dreamers — enter a forest world between sleep and waking, on the shortest night of the year. The fragile bonds of family, friendship and love are broken, while the Fairy Kingdom is upended and entangled with the human world in a war over a mortal child. And with Arthur Miller's parable of mass hysteria, The Crucible, director Damien Ryan creates a haunting site-specific production of the modern classic, entirely within the old farm shed. Drawing a parallel between the Salem witch hunt of 1692 and the McCarthyism griping the US in the '50s, this play is a timeless (and timely) reminder of the evils of ignorance, and the deadly combination of hatred and power. If the season trailer's anything to go by, this will be some seriously edge-of-your-seat, immersive, electric-as-the-summer-evening-air theatre.
As it turns out, there's now an upside to forking out heaps of money on road tolls — it could help you earn money back on your car registration. Yes, you could be paid money to drive through the Harbour Tunnel thanks to the NSW Government's Toll Relief program. After introducing the scheme earlier this year, the government has announced that it will expand its offer next year — and even more drivers will be eligible to receive a heavy (or even full) discount on their rego. If you're handing over $15 or more for tolls each week — which is about four trips through the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, five through Lane Cove Tunnel or three on the Eastern Distributor — $780 over the financial year, from July 1, 2019, you'll be able to claim a 50 percent discount when you next register your car. It's expected almost 300,000 of the state's drivers will benefit from the new eligibility criteria. If you're handing over $25 or more for tolls each week, or $1300 over the financial year, you'll now save up to $715 when renewing your vehicle registration. Which, for some, will result in free rego. As an added bonus, the government will be backdating the toll spend from July 1, 2018, which means you can still reap the benefits of all that money you spent during the past year. While the half-priced rego for those who spend $15 a week on tolls won't be introduced until July 1, 2019, the government is already giving discounted rego to those who spend $25 a week — so, if you're a regular toll road user, don't forget to check if you're eligible next time you renew. To access the reduced rego, and find out how much you're eligible for, next time you're doing your rego renewal just add in your licence plate number and toll account. The rego discounts depend on the size of your car — which coincides with rego fees costing more, the heavier the car — with a full list of savings and sizes listed on the NSW Government website. To find out more about the Toll Relief program and see if you're eligible, head to service.nsw.gov.au.
That whole car ownership caper can now be a little less stressful, thanks to the arrival of Melbourne's new car subscription service. Operating a bit like Netflix, only with cars, Carbar+ can hook users up with a vehicle based on their needs, for a minimum one-month period. Prices currently run between $169 to $400 a week and cover all insurance, services and expenses, such as rego. If you want to opt out, a simple two weeks' notice is required before returning a car. To hire a car, you'll also need to hand over either $2000 as a bond or $495 for a lifetime membership. It works out to be cheaper than renting a car and way more flexible than leasing one, with customers able to swap between car models depending on the sort of driving they're doing. So one week you could drive around the city in an Audi A4, the next go off-road with a Jeep Grand Cherokee. The group's new program Carbar Connect, which will launch later this month, also offers users extra fuel savings and benefits for servicing. Car subscription services have already proved popular overseas, though Carbar is the first to operate on Aussie shores. After tackling Melbourne, the group has got plans to roll out its program across Sydney and Brisbane. That said, it could face competition further down the track, as international car companies claim a piece of the local action — Audi On Demand is already set to launch here by 2020. Pitched as a "vehicle owning experience", Carbar's four founders — Desmond Hang, Davie Saw, Richie Chen and Kenneth Teo — launched the company three years ago as a car sales website that allowed users a three-day road test period when buying a new or used car online. For more information and to sign-up for a car, head to the Carbar website.
She'll be back: Linda Hamilton, that is, and on the small screen sometime in the near future. The Terminator franchise star, who came to fame in the humans-versus-AI saga in the 80s, is making the leap to Netflix's favourite ode to that very decade. Yes, the actor who made Sarah Connor an icon is joining Stranger Things. When season five of the hit sci-fi series arrives, it'll bring with it a big ending, wrapping up the Netflix hit after the next batch of episodes. Everything from Succession to Barry has also said goodbye of late, and Stranger Things is next. It's clearly going out in style with help from its huge new addition to the cast, which the streaming platform just announced at 2023's Tudum — A Global Fan Event. 🚨Breaking News From #TUDUM🚨 Linda Hamilton is joining the cast of Stranger Things 5! pic.twitter.com/qYJMeGS700 — Netflix (@netflix) June 17, 2023 "I don't know how to be a fangirl and an actress at the same time," she Hamilton in a video played at the Netflix festivities. "I'm gonna work on that." Hamilton's casting marks the first mention of any new actors for the upcoming fifth and final season of Stranger Things; however, there's no news yet on who she'll play, where she'll fit in, what relationship she'll have with the usual Hawkins crew, how many episodes that she'll feature in or if she'll be visiting the Upside Down — or how pivotal she'll be to the show's big farewell. Hamilton, who also has everything from Children of the Corn, Dante's Peak and 80s series Beauty and the Beast through to Chuck and Claws on her resume, is the latest figure from four decades back to grace Stranger Things' frames. Winona Ryder (The Plot Against America) has been around since day one, of course, and Matthew Modine (Operation Varsity Blues), Sean Astin (Perry Mason), Paul Reiser (The Boys), Cary Elwes (Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre) and Robert Englund (Choose or Die) have all popped up as well. While the show will finish with season five, that isn't the end of the Stranger Things universe. Back in 2022, creators Matt and Ross Duffer revealed that their sci-fi show was working towards its endgame, but also said that they had more stories to tell in this fictional realm. Instantly, we all knew what that meant. Netflix doesn't like letting go of its hits easily, after all, so the quest to find a way to keep wandering through this franchise was about as surprising as Jim Hopper's (David Harbour, Violent Night) usual gruff mood. "Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things. At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four, but — as you'll soon see for yourselves — we are now hurtling towards our finale," the Duffers said at the time. "There are still many more exciting stories to tell within the world of Stranger Things; new mysteries, new adventures and unexpected heroes," the Duffers continued. Already that includes an animated Stranger Things series, which was also announced in 2022, doesn't yet have a name, but will boast the Duffer brothers as executive producers. Obviously, it's headed to Netflix. There's no sneak peek at Stranger Things season five yet, but you can check out the trailer for season four below: Stranger Things season five doesn't yet have a release date, but we'll update you when one is announced. You can the first four seasons now via Netflix — and read our review of season four. Images: Terminator: Dark Fate / Netflix.
Feel like you're in a weekend activity rut? Run out of ideas for your next mini break? While we adore lazy brunches and home movie nights, sometimes you need an injection of leisure time adrenaline to break into new worlds of fun. Happily, there are plenty of unusual adventure avenues to explore in New South Wales. Whether you're looking to ride camels into the sunset or fling yourself from extraordinary heights, we've found a bunch of NSW activities that will redefine your comfort zone.
Before the opening credits roll on the first of its eight season-one episodes, Binge's new Australian sitcom Colin From Accounts explores some of life's big questions. When two strangers cross paths and literally come to an impasse, who should proceed off into their regular lives to begin with — and who should hang back out of their way till they're gone? Also, what's the appropriate way to interact? Are smiles, nods, waves, and mouthing "you go" or "after you" acceptable? And, if you're the person who scores right of way, how do you show your gratitude as you're merrily venturing forward? These may seem like trivial matters, as everyday and relatable as they clearly are, but the right moves might just inspire a life-changing meeting. They could also have serious consequences, and bond you in a complicated situation for around 12 years with someone you wouldn't have otherwise met. Or, both could occur. That's how it pans out in Colin From Accounts, with the rom-com spying the familiarity, comedy and chaos in bumping into another person on the street. Medical student Ashley (Harriet Dyer, The Invisible Man) and microbrewery owner Gordon (Patrick Brammall, Evil) do just that one otherwise standard Sydney morning. He lets her go first, she flashes her nipple as thanks, then he's so distracted that he hits a stray dog with his car. A girl, a guy and a meet-cute over an adorable animal: that's this delightful and very funny series' straightforward underlying formula. But as the circumstances surrounding Ash and Gordon's initial run-in demonstrate, Colin From Accounts isn't afraid to get awkward, much to the benefit of audiences. There's a syrupy way to proceed from the show's debut moments, intertwining sparks flying with idyllic dates, plus zero doubts of a happy ending for humans and pooches alike. If this was a movie, that's how it'd happen. Then there's Dyer and Brammall's way, with the duo creating and writing the series as well as starring in it, and focusing as much on ordinary existential mayhem — working out who you want to be, navigating complex relationships and learning to appreciate the simple pleasure of someone else's company, for example — as pushing its leads together. Before Ashley becomes 'Flashley', she's a 29-year-old medical student reeling from an unexpected breakup with a colleague (Tai Hara, Underbelly: Vanishing Act). Before Gordon is forced to ask his ex Yvette (Annie Maynard, Playing for Keeps), a vet, to do him a favour, he's a fortysomething who has been single for a unicycle-buying amount of time. By the time the day of their first encounter is out, they'll be sharing a hefty debt and a Sydney home — the former for the dog's treatment and the latter because pets aren't allowed at Ash's sharehouse. She's in his phone as 'Ashley $12k', the amount they're on the hook for. He's in hers as 'Dog Car Guy'. They joke about being each other's weird mate, and openly wonder if two people can be friends once exposed mammary glands get involved. Just like in the Hollywood versions of this kind of tale, romance does blossom. That Dyer and Brammall are behind Colin From Accounts, their past chemistry on fellow Aussie comedy No Activity and the fact that they're married IRL means that pairing them up as more than new pals was always going to be on the show's agenda. It's how the series fleshes out each character and their baggage — including those who-am-I questions, Ash's difficult dynamic with her attention-seeking mother Lynelle (Helen Thomson, Elvis), and the responsibility that running your own business and committing to care for other people each bring — that helps give it depth. Colin From Accounts lets Ash and Gordon unfurl their woes and wishes, and also lets them grow. Sometimes, that happens by peeing and pooping in the wrong place, because that's also the type of comedy this is. Sometimes, it's because the show's central couple have taken a risk, or faced their struggles, or genuinely found solace in each other. There's more than a touch of Catastrophe to Colin From Accounts, in its thrusting of two strangers together by a twist of fate that sees them sharing caring duties — for a dog rather than children, however. In lesser hands, there'd be an initial dose of New Girl as well, but Ash is no manic pixie dream girl singing her way through Gordon's life or unleashing a big bag of quirkiness. Credited with penning four episodes apiece, Dyer and Brammall bring sharpness and authenticity to their scripts, especially when confronting the truth that neither Ash nor Gordon know what they truly want. There's a clear-eyed feel to Colin From Accounts' still-light embrace of one of life's immutable realities: that we're all just moseying forward, being spontaneous, coping with the fallout, colliding with other people — and critters — and hoping for a content-enough outcome. Watching Dyer and Brammall bounce off of each other, dog in tow, is easy. Even when things are at their most strained between Ash and Gordon, and even when Colin From Accounts is swinging for its broadest grabbag-style laughs, their rapport always feels grounded. The script layers in gags about the pair's age difference, and contrasts the distinctive brands of Millennial and Generation X chaos, but the series is never in laugh track-heavy sitcom territory. Neither actor's impressive work should come as a surprise, of course, and nor should their ability to find drama as well as comedy in the show's premise. See: their respective resumes, including Dyer's work in Killing Ground and Wakefield, and Brammall's on Offspring and Glitch. Colin From Accounts may focus on Ash and Gordon's ups and downs, and on Dyer and Brammall as its driving forces, but it also mines a wealth of other talent. Thomson is a scene-stealer, as part of a subplot that examines the lifelong hurt that can spring when no one actually says what they mean. As Gordon's brewery colleagues, Genevieve Hegney (Doctor Doctor) and Michael Logo (Why Are You Like This) each have their moments to shine, and the same applies to Emma Harvie (Frayed) as Ash's fellow med-student bestie. Behind the lens, directors Trent O'Donnell (another No Activity alum), Matt Moore (The Great) and Madeleine Dyer (Monster of Many Worlds) keep the series both breezy and weighty — and instantly bingeable. Check out the trailer for Colin From Accounts below: Colin From Accounts streams via Binge. Images: Lisa Tomasetti / Tony Mott.
When the daylight hours shorten, the potential for after-dark fun swells. So, as we march toward the shortest day of the year — June 21 — it's time to start planning the extended evening antics. Enter Sydney Solstice — a two-week event celebrating Sydney's vibrant hospitality, music and creative communities — which kicks off next month. From Tuesday, June 8–Sunday, June 20, you can catch live music, immerse yourself in art installations and even explore a winter wonderland across 150 venues throughout four inner city Sydney precincts. Darling Harbour will host a craft beer festival; a pop-up winter wonderland, complete with an ice-skating rink and an arctic ice slide; and night-time sea kayaking. Across the harbour, Heaps Gay will take over Town Hall for The Queen's Feast – A Last Supper for all the Senses — with chefs Sarah Tiong, Anna Polyviou, George Woodyard and Claire Van Vuren on the tools. Music fans can visit small bars, pubs and performance venues for the inaugural Country and Inner Western, which will showcase established and emerging artists in the country and country-adjacent music scene. And, FBi Radio will transform Golden Age Cinema and Bar for a live broadcast of its flagship electronic music program, Sunsets. The Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said, "There's never been a more appealing invitation to eat out, see a show, have a drink or embark on a new adventure in Sydney." [caption id="attachment_814270" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Paddington[/caption]
The World's 50 Best Restaurants for 2013 have just been announced, and it seems the trend towards all things natural and sustainable is here to stay, along with a speckling of Australian culinary talent working here and abroad. The Acqua de Panna award for Australasia's best went to Attica in Melbourne, a Ripponlea gem helmed by Patrick Shewry. The New Zealand-born chef has brought a certain sensitivity to his kitchen and earned a reputation for sustainable practice that showcases natural flavours and textures. Breaking into the list at no. 21, Attica was also honoured with the highest placed new entry. Peter Gilmore's usual suspect, Quay, came in at no. 48 to secure its fifth consecutive year on the list and rounded out our national presence. The result of 900 food journalist, restaurateurs, gastronomes and chefs working across the planet, the World's 50 Best Restaurants named Catalonia's El Celler de Can Roca as this year's premier international culinary destination. Run by the three Roca brothers — Joan (chef), Jordi (pastry chef) and Josep (sommelier), pictured — it has sat at no.2 for the last two years behind Denmark's Noma, which left the number one ranking for the first time in three years to slip to no.2. The United States and France confirmed their ascendancy with six restaurants in the top 50 each, including the celebrity-magnet Per Se in New York. Homegrown talent working abroad also nabbed a few spots, with Brett Graham's Notting Hill restaurant, The Ledbury, finishing at no. 13 and ex-Sydneysider David Thompson coming in at no.32 with Nahm in Bangkok. Thompson became the Sydney authority on Thai cuisine during the '90s with his well-remembered Darley Street Thai.
"If you don't see it, you're mainstream." Blerg. Don't let the tagline from this cringe-inducing local promo campaign divert you from seeing the wondrously singular Holy Motors, which has been gathering such rapturous/bemused word-of-mouth as to render even good advertising redundant. After its premiere in competition at Cannes, June's Sydney Film Festival rushed to add Holy Motors to its scheduled programme. August's Melbourne International Film Festival ran a retrospective of the works of its director, Leos Carax, a slim oeuvre comprising five feature films over 28 years, the high point of which was 1991's Lovers on the Bridge, starring a young Juliette Binoche. In Holy Motors Monsieur Oscar (Denis Lavant) is driven around Paris to a series of appointments, each its own separate setpiece. Applying elaborate costume before stepping out of his limousine-cum-dressing room, he becomes a dowager's-humped old woman begging in the street, a thuggish hit man sent after his own doppelganger, and an odd little troll who emerges from the underground to crash a fashion shoot, among other transformations. Why is he employed to do any of these things? Who could possibly be a client or beneficiary of this bizarre service? Some hints of the superstructure that explains his existence appear, but they're just that: hints. What matters to Holy Motors is the condition of human beings within the world it has invented, and the loose poetry it spins on the performative aspects of our contemporary lives. Weirdness affected for weirdness's sake can get tired fast. But Holy Motors' kooky anti-narrative isn't for the hell of it, and it definitely isn't boring. There's a two-step test it passed to justify its rampant weirdness to me: First, it threw up utter beauty, often. I can't let go of the image of two improbably agile motion-capture-suited artists meeting for an erotic dance in the dark, of a naked and aroused imp posing for a Rococo tableau with a chartreuse-silk-wrapped Eva Mendes. Second, you might not know exactly what's going on, but you have the sense that Carax does (although he and his stars are being notoriously tight-lipped). That feeling of a fantasy world following its internal logic keeps incredulity at bay. It means when Kylie Minogue appears to sing a melancholy ballad, you go with it. See Holy Motors. See it see it see it see it. Relent and go down the rabbit hole. Holy Motors won't save you from the mainstream, but it will remind you of the sheer possibilities of cinema and the pulchritude we've yet to dream up. And if you're thinking that all sounds like Holy Motors is too hepped up on its own self-importance, rest assured, there are talking cars that will dispel any chance of that. https://youtube.com/watch?v=WTNUPcb9YuQ
Open the cinema doors, HAL, because a new film festival is heading to Australian screens. You won't need someone to strap you to a chair and force your eyes open with a specula to get you to watch this fantastic movie lineup — and you won't have to wander around a maze-like haunted hotel to get there either. Hot on the heels of the Alfred Hitchcock Film Festival, Sydney's Hayden Orpheum and Melbourne's Cinema Nova are turning their attention to celebrating another movie master. This time, the one and only Stanley Kubrick is in the spotlight. From October 6-19, the two cinemas will unleash all 13 of the British filmmaker's full-length features upon eager cinephiles. That means everything from his under-seen anti-war debut Fear and Desire to the controversial Lolita to his final completed effort, the Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise-starring erotic thriller Eyes Wide Shut. Discover why "I am Spartacus!" became such a famous cinema phrase, find out how Dr Strangelove learned to stop worrying and love the bomb, and plunge into the horrors of the Vietnam War with Full Metal Jacket — and even catch special screenings of A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, which Kubrick started developing in the '70s before handing the project over to Steven Spielberg in the '90s. Sure, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange and The Shining pop up in retrospective programs around the country quite often, but there's never a bad time to see these classics the way they were meant to be seen. Plus, catching every one of Kubrick's features in one lineup is quite rare. So rare, in fact, that the fest is calling itself a world premiere. The Stanley Kubrick Film Festival runs from October 6-19 at the Hayden Orpheum in Sydney and Cinema Nova in Melbourne. For more information, head to the Orpheum and Cinema Nova websites.
Film festival opening nights aren't just about red carpets, a jam-packed guest list, plenty of photo opportunities and oh-so-much buzz. They're also about launching a cinema celebration as the event means to go on. So, with SXSW heading Down Under for the first time in 2023, hosting SXSW Sydney from Sunday, October 15–Sunday, October 22, exactly which flick gets pride of place at the fest's Screen Festival is a particularly massive deal. The pick: The Royal Hotel, the latest film from Australian director Kitty Green. Green will bring her second fictional feature and fourth full-length effort to the Harbour City's first-ever SXSW, with the movie enjoying its Australian debut fresh from world-premiering at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. The Royal Hotel also marks the second collaboration in a row between Green and star Julia Garner, who was as stunning in the filmmaker's The Assistant as she was in Ozark and Inventing Anna. This time, the Casting JonBenet helmer and her current go-to star are teaming up on a tale about US backpackers who get jobs at an outback Australian pub — and also stay there. Amid the heat, the lack of wifi and drinking wine out of a cask, Hanna (Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) also cross paths with the town's male residents, including Hugo Weaving (Love Me) as the watering hole's owner, plus Toby Wallace (Babyteeth) playing charming and Daniel Henshall (Mystery Road: Origin) getting chilling. "Kitty Green's The Royal Hotel is a deft reworking of the Aussie outback thriller, reoriented with a female gaze, and we could not be more thrilled to open the inaugural SXSW Sydney Screen Festival with Kitty in attendance," said SXSW Sydney's Head of Screen Ghita Loebenstein, announcing the opening-night selection. "The film takes deliberate stabs at the more toxic shadows of the genre, and our culture, in sophisticated but ever entertaining ways. Kitty is a local luminary gaining international acclaim as a writer-director with a fearless vision for nuanced storytelling and this film is the perfect opener to the Screen Festival, which seeks to amplify and celebrate bold voices in film." The Royal Hotel joins ten previously announced titles on the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival lineup from Sunday, October 15–Saturday, October 21, with more to come. Also a big local title on the bill: documentary Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles, which will enjoy its world premiere at the fest. And, among nine flicks revealed in July, everything from flicks starring Indonesian rappers and documentaries about Tokyo Uber Eats rider to movies featuring viral Chinese dance crazes will pop up. Can't wait to watch your way through the fest? SXSW Sydney Screen Festival wristbands go on sale on Friday, August 25, starting at an early-bird price of $240 and getting people wearing one into unlimited screenings. [caption id="attachment_910715" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Netflix[/caption] The SXSW 2023 Sydney Screen Festival also features an array of speakers, with Queer Eye star Tan France set to hit Australia to get chatting. Indigenous filmmakers Leah Purcell (The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson), Kodie Bedford (Mystery Road: Origin) and Jub Clerc (Sweet As) will also take to the stage; Osher Günsberg is on the SXSW Sydney bill recording an episode of his podcast Better Than Yesterday with a yet-to-be-announced special guest; and Gone Girl, The Nightingale, The Dry, Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers producer Bruna Papandrea and Binge's Executive Director Alison Hurbert-Burns will also appear. As well as showering viewers with movies and TV shows, with more titles to come — including First Nations Screen Festival programming by Winda Film Festival founder Pauline Clague — SXSW Sydney's film- and TV-focused strand will feature red-carpet premieres; digital and social content; an XR showcase; Q&As and panel discussions; parties and mentoring; and a screen market for industry deals. Free outdoor screenings are also slated, alongside indoor sessions at The ICC's Darling Theatre, Palace Cinemas Central and other yet-to-be-advised venues. SXSW Sydney will run from Sunday, October 15–Sunday, October 22 at various Sydney venues, with the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival running from Sunday, October 15–Saturday, October 21 at The ICC's Darling Theatre, Palace Cinemas Central and more venues to be announced. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for further details. If you're keen to make the most of Australia's first SXSW, take advantage of our special reader offer. Purchase your SXSW Sydney 2023 Official Badge via Concrete Playground Trips and you'll score a $150 credit to use on your choice of Sydney accommodation. Book now via the website.
Whether sweet, dry or draught tickles your tastebuds, there's nothing quite like a glass of ice-cold cider on a nice spring day. Come September 2, that's exactly The Tudor is serving up, with the Redfern pub throwing their first-ever cider festival. Aiming to showcase cidery goodness of both the local and international kind, there's no prizes for guessing what's on offer — think apple and pear tipples from the likes of Young Henrys, Batlow Cider Co, Black Brewing Co, The Hills Cider Company, Willie Smiths and even Spain's Sidra Del Verano. Tasting as many as possible is what the afternoon shindig is all about, with five available for $15 and ten for $25. If all that sipping works up an appetite, pairing your beverages with pork — spit-roasted on rolls, or of the sausage hot dog variety — is also on the menu. And, it wouldn't be a cider fest without a stint of bobbing for apples, now would it? As well as showing off their apple-grabbing prowess, participants can win more cider, naturally.
The idea of sustainable eating has become a prominent feature on menus around Sydney, with more and more restaurants taking a marked step away from fine dining towards a communal, local approach to food culture. As the world widens, we’re becoming more conscious of our immediate surroundings and how we can benefit from them. Enter The Farmed Table — Brendan Cato's pop-up venture, hosted by Bangbang cafe in Surry Hills, aiming to provide good, sustainable food in a community environment. Each week, Cato (previously of Sean’s Panaroma) devises a new menu from ingredients sourced from one, single region. Excluding salt and pepper, everything on the menu is farmed within 30 kilometres of everything else. The initial reaction is to find this idea limiting and potentially detrimental to the quality of the meal, so it was all the more sweeter to find out that this reaction was entirely wrong. The first dishes on the menu, this week from the Hunter and Hawkesbury region, are designed to share, and they’re perfect for that. The ingredients definitely taste fresh, from beetroot that has an appealing hint of earthiness to it to delicate cauliflower that retains a crunchy texture. The beetroot is helped along by a crumbling feta, providing a salty kick to the relatively sweet vegetable. The most interesting thing to note about the food, however, is the levels of texture and flavour represented in each dish. Take the sea mullet with sweet corn, for example. The creamed corn provides a soft and sweet base to the dish, and then the fish is added to it. The fish is the main feature of the dish, and it’s texture is firmer than the corn and it’s taste more savoury. It’s all then topped off with crisp greens that add a slight bitterness and crunchy texture to the other element. The three layers of flavour and texture work together perfectly to construct a really well-rounded dish. The duck dish, too, provides an intriguing experience in taste and texture. Three parts of the duck were cooked three ways, all of which showed off how each cut is best prepared. The roast breast was succulent and rich, and the leg was cooked to a cracking perfection. The desserts follow the same rule of threes, with a clear winner in the rhubarb and strawberries. The rhubarb is stewed until most of the fibres have broken down. The strawberries have been cooked a far sight less, so add more body to the dish, with the interesting inclusion of a fennel meringue adding a crisp texture. The flavours range from the sweet strawberries to the sour rhubarb, rounded out by the almost-savoury fennel. Although the movement to a more farm-to-table approach to cooking is on the rise, the term 'sustainable' can sometimes mean food that wasn’t bought at Woolworths. Cato’s food at The Farmed Table, however, proves that there is merit to the movement, and it can be done properly. Cato provides a well cooked, tasty and intriguing meal, and it comes with the guarantee that it truly is sustainable. The unique flavours and ingredients from the regions don’t limit him as a chef, they instead give the menu a wholesome and satisfying edge. The Farmed Table is $55 for food only and $80 for matching wines.
In the United States, Deadpool is officially the second highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, coming in just behind The Passion of the Christ. It's a point made directly to the audience during one of Deadpool 2's many fourth-wall-shattering moments, at once justifying the movie's own existence and letting us know that it knows that sequels usually suck. This particular follow-up, however, is definitely one fans were clamouring for. And they'll be delighted to find it once again delivers an outlandish blend of deeply meta comedy and ultra-violent action. Returning to don the Deadpool mask/burn victim makeup is Canadian newcomer and former Corrs percussionist Ryan Reynolds, whose talent for switching between dry sarcasm and affecting sincerity makes him perhaps uniquely qualified to steer such an unconventional character and film. This time round his alter-ego Wade Wilson finds himself on the cusp of parenthood, only to have the chance tragically wrenched away during the film's unexpected opening scenes (a surprise neatly reflected in the James Bond-style titles sequence featuring credits such as: 'Written By: the real villains of this film' and 'Starring: someone who clearly doesn't like sharing the limelight'). Seeking redemption, Wade first tries (and fails) to join the X-Men Who Aren't Popular Enough To Be Official X-Men, before finding himself tasked with protecting a troubled orphan named Russell (Julian Dennison) from the time-travelling assassin Cable (Josh Brolin). On paper, at least, it's a fairly conventional plot for a franchise that altogether mocks convention – to say nothing of the fact it also largely mirrors the storyline from last year's critically-acclaimed and patently better Logan (starring the unforgettable Hugh Jackman). But Deadpool 2 navigates this issue by peppering its script with literally hundreds of in-jokes, 80s references and endless winks to the audience. Admittedly they don't all land, but as the Inuit saying goes: swing at every pitch and you'll at least hit a few out of the park. Alongside Reynolds are most of the original film's key cast members, including Karan Soni, Leslie Uggams, Morena Baccarin and T.J. Miller. Opposite them, Marvel's current villain-du-jour Josh Brolin delivers the same reserved menace as Cable that he did as Infinity War's Thanos, albeit without the chin scars that make it look like he fell asleep on Roger Federer's racquet. Zazie Beetz of Atlanta fame also joins the team as the scene-stealing Domino, whose superpower is pizzas delivered fresh within 30 minutes or your money back, guaranteed. The challenge for director David Leitch (Atomic Blonde, John Wick) is to make fun of comic-book movies while still delivering one worth watching. As an exercise in subversion Deadpool 2 doesn't quite achieve the same level of success as the first film, opting too often to undermine its genre staples by prefacing them with glib one-liners. More successful are the jokes that take place during those sequences, or – even better – the darker twists this film puts on them without an accompanying gag. At one point, for example, Deadpool blocks a gun shot with his hand, only to then slide his now-gaping wound along the barrel and turn it on its handler to shoot him in the head. It's the kind of shocking violence you'll never see in a conventional Marvel movie and yet perfectly conforms to this character's unique, twisted style of problem solving. Thankfully, there are more than enough examples of this kind of gory comedy to keep Deadpool 2 comfortably in the successful column, right down to the closing credits scenes that sit amongst the movie's funniest moments. It may not be the romcom we deserve, but it's the one we need right now, and it's definitely worth your time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D86RtevtfrA
The Royal Botanic Garden is known for its serenity and breathtaking scenery during the day. But there's a spookier side to the garden that people rarely get to see. Twice a month, Ghostly Garden will open up the gates after hours for an exclusive night of frights. Prepare yourself for creepy tales of the garden's past as you walk through the eerie grounds. After the sun goes down, a guide will take you on an adventure through the garden and tell you about the spirits that haunt your surroundings. BYO torch. This is a rare chance to see the Royal Botanic Garden in another light — or lack of. Ghostly Gardeners will meet at the Woolloomooloo Gates where they'll start a twilight journey with the ghosts of the garden. And we suggest comfy shoes so you're ready for any amount of walking through — or running away on — uneven terrain. Updated: June 22, 2019.
Ask a few people when they fell in love with David Attenborough documentaries and you might receive an array of answers. Or, everyone might point to Planet Earth. The landmark 2006 series won both awards and love aplenty when it had the world's most-famous natural historian and broadcaster narrate a look at this pale blue dot we call home. Indeed, it was such a success that Planet Earth II followed in 2016, and now Planet Earth III arrives this year. In Australia, the third instalment in the franchise (because everything is now a franchise) starts screening and streaming from Sunday, November 26. Viewers heading to Channel 9 and 9Now can look forward to more spectacular glimpses at the rock from the sun, more time getting to peek at its creatures and more of Attenborough's guiding voice. Eight episodes will peruse the planet, each sending viewers to a different environment or focusing on a specific topic. The series starts with a look at the earth's coasts, including what happens where the land meets the sea, before diving deep into the ocean. From there, it's onto vast deserts and grasslands, then to the place where a tenth of all species live: freshwater. Next up is a wander through forests, before Planet Earth III embraces the extremes that its namesake has to offer. In episode seven, humanity's impact upon the planet is in the spotlight. Then, the series wraps up with a chapter devoted to meeting some of the folks in conservation who are fighting to save the earth. "In this new series of Planet Earth, we travel to the most astonishing wild places, see mysterious creatures, witness rare, spectacular wonders and reveal breathtaking animal dramas," said Attenborough during production, on location near Down House, Charles Darwin's family home. "The natural world continues to surprise us, but since Darwin's time it has changed beyond recognition, being transformed by a powerful force — us. We will see how animals are adapting in extraordinary ways to survive the new challenges they face. At this crucial time in our history, we must now look at the world through a new lens." Five years in the making, and boasting Planet Earth II and Prehistoric Planet's Mike Gunton as an executive producer, the latest must-see from BBC Studios Natural History Production also brings back a big name for its music: Hans Zimmer (The Creator), who has teamed up with Bleeding Finger Music's Russell Emanuel and Bastille's Dan Smith on the show's score. And those astonishing visuals, as glimpsed in the trailer for the series (and expected if you've watched Planet Earth and Planet Earth II)? You've got everything from drones and deep-sea submersibles to high-speed cameras, as placed in the oceans, in deserts, inside caves and in jungles, to thank. Check out the trailer for Planet Earth III below: Planet Earth III will start screening and streaming via Channel 9 and 9Now from 8pm on Sunday, November 26.
For two weeks only, Grey Goose Vodka, Luxe Bakery and Yellow will be partnering up for La Boulangerie — a bakery bar with a French twist. By day, Yellow will be a French-inspired bakery with pastries made from the same winter wheat as Grey Goose, and in a Batman-like move, it'll serve a five-course modern French menu with matching vodka cocktails when the sun goes down. This tasting menu showcases the best of the spirit and is crafted by head chef Brent Savage. Not keen on starting dinner on an empty stomach? Head over to Salon de Martini in Yellow House. A bespoke martini bar, it is sure to help you start your night deliciously. The bar is only open for three nights, from August 27–29, so you may want to pencil that into your calendar right now. This collaboration is set to shake (not stir) the Sydney foodisphere.
If you're sick of bringing crackers and dip to the party, but get cheese blind when faced with a fridge full of fromage, then read on. There's no need to taste everything in the deli (although that isn't ever a bad idea), and we've a little something for you to ensure cheese no longer becomes such a pandemonium requiring social etiquette. Soon you'll be able to tell everyone how nutty but sweet the prima donna is.The Dutch-style gouda, that is. So, fromage fans, listen up: here's Concrete Playground's bluffer's guide to cheese. 1. Cheese 101: How is Cheese made? Apparently, the process of cheese making was an accident. The story goes that milk overheated in a storage container of some sort, soured and created curd. Now don't squirm, but rumour has it that the said 'container' was either an animal's internal organ or an inflated animal skin. Nowadays, it's more of a civilised process. The milk (from a cow, sheep, goat or buffalo) is pasteurised (heated then cooled to remove harmful pathogens) then starter cultures and rennet are added. This causes the milk to coagulate into an attractive custard-like mess. Miss Muffet then separates the curds and whey (milk serum) and appropriately ripens to enhance the variety of textures and flavours. 2. Varieties Stefano De Blasi of Salt Meats Cheese providores in Alexandria, advises that varieties of cheese are distinguished according to a range of criteria. "The age, texture, fat content, country of origin and animal milk all makes a difference," he says. So how can one identify all those cheeses at the deli? It is possible to judge a cheese's character by its rind; the texture, taste, strength of flavour, and even maturity. However, for us cheese novices, it's best to just remember these types to get the mozzarella ball rolling. Fresh cheese: feta, cottage, ricotta and cream cheese Soft white cheese: brie and camembert Washed rind (warning: stinky): tallegio and langres Blue: roquefort, gorgonzola, stilton Semi-hard: cheddar, manchego and gruyere; and Hard (robust flavour): parmesan. And lest we remind you that there's always the 'try before you buy' option. 3. Storing cheese The common rule of storing cheese is to store in its original wrapping. Failing that, plastic wrap is fine. If left unwrapped, the cheese will dry out and lose flavour. Harder cheeses have a longer shelf life than fresher types, such as a cream cheese or feta. These should be kept in their container with the lid on so no air can get in. If you start to smell something funkier than the cheese should, toss it. Make sure blue cheese and rind cheeses are kept tightly wrapped and separate to other food as their odour is quite strong. Again, you don't want your housemates to think something died in the fridge every time they open it up to get their milk. Mozzarella and bocconcini should be kept in their water, and don't get turned off if the water starts to get mirky coloured. It's just the milk in the water as the cheese releases its salt. But, as Stefano says, "to be honest, I never store. I always open and finish what I eat!" So shame on you if there are leftovers. 4. The perfect cheese board When preparing a cheese board, Stefano suggests not having more than three cheeses on offer and only one or two accompaniments per cheese. It's also best to bring the cheeses to room temperature in order to appreciate their full flavour. As a guide, you generally want a soft white cheese (such as brie), a blue (Ra Roquefort from France) and a firmer type (such as vintage cheddar). But don’t be afraid to ask your cheesemonger for recommendations. Encourage guests to cut wedges 'nose to tail' and cheese with rinds from centre to the edge. And don't forget to allow a few knives for cutting. You can't have the Stinking Bishop on the Jean de Brie. In terms of accompaniments, "definitely sliced pear, fig jam, quince paste or even orange marmalade, muscatel grapes and honey. And olives of course!" says Stefano. 5. Matching cheese with wine Cheese and wine. They're a perfect match. Complimenting the two requires a bit of time and experiment, but lest we forget to remind you that one without the other is a social faux pas. You can't go too wrong, however, if you follow the golden rule: the whiter and fresher the cheese, the whiter and crisper the wine; the darker and stronger the wine, the darker and stronger the cheese. For instance, brie is best matched with a dry sparkling or chardonnay; edam is great with a shiraz, grenache or pinot noir; and camembert's delicate 'mushroomy' character would be nicely offset with a sparkling white. Stefano highly recommends manchego for a dry white, and a simple cheddar for any red. He also emphasises that "any cheese will be good!" Cheese to that, we say. 6. Best melting cheese for pizza Mozzarella is originally from Italy, so it goes without saying that it would be the most ideal cheese for a pizza. "I love the buffalo mozzarella, just because of its white colour", says Stefano, "my pizza is just red and white. The tomato and the mozzarella." Bocconcini (any type is good) goes down a treat on pizzas too; its semi-soft elastic texture is mild, yet a little sweet. Stefano recommends cherry bocconcini. "The small balls are easy to slice and melt beautifully," he says. 7. European vs Australian ... similarities and differences With over 45 countries producing their own varieties of different cheeses, how on earth are we meant to decipher the difference ourselves? Basically, the flavour is affected by its origin. So essentially this comes down to what grass the cows or sheep are grazing on. For example, all blue cheeses are named so because of the mould Penicillin that is added, however, each has their own flavour and characteristic. A Bleu de Gex from Germany may be richer than a gorgonzola from Italy. The Greek's tend to add more salt to their varieties too. Think haloumi and feta (compared to a creamier Danish type). Most cheeses are named so after their place of origin. Fine examples include Gruyere, (Switzerland), Brie (region in France), Cheddar (England), Fontina (Italy), Havarti (named after a Danish farm called Havarthigaard) and Jarlsberg (Norway). 8. Cheese on a budget This can be done. Visit your local deli and suss out what's on special. Don't be shy to ask for a taste too. if you're going to be spending your pennies on cheese, it has to please. Stefano says that camembert, manchego, local vintage and smoked cheddar are generally going to be the more affordable varieties and "will always go down a treat no matter what". Pricier cheeses don't necessarily indicate that they will knock your socks off either, as it is a matter of preference. The price is just an indication that it's from a smaller farm and/or imported. Artisan cheeses are often more expensive as they are made by hand using traditional methods. 9. Talk like a pro Before you go forth and preach the gospel of cheese to your friends, brush up on these decorative phrases to raise a few brows ... "Wow, the camembert has a very pronounced, 'mushroomy' flavour." "This pecorino grated on the pasta is quite piquant and not too acidic. It’s not as strong as Parmesan Reggiano and seems to add a strong dimension to the dish." "I like semi-soft cheeses such as Monterey Jack, for its mild and buttery flavour. It goes perfectly with a good lager." "Epoisses is quite voluptuous with a well-rounded flavour." "I'm after something a little nutty, yet mild and pleasant. Nothing too earthy and pungent please." 10. Sydney's best cheese stores Salt Meats CheeseThis wholesale warehouse is open to the public and packed full of gourmet items that are imported from top suppliers around the world. There is an entire cold room dedicated to cheese and a mozzarella lab where you can watch them (and soon learn) make the goods. 41 Bourke Street, Alexandria; 02 9690 2406. Formaggi OcelloSpecialising in Italian cheese, they also hold cheese and wine pairing nights and also sell a wide selection of olives, antipastos and cold meats. Shop 16/425 Bourke Street, Surry Hills; 02 9357 7878. Gourmet Grocer BalmainA food lover's emporium stocking cheese and charcuterie delicacies. Many a cheese award under the belt. 332 Darling Street, Balmain; 02 9818 3354. Blackwattle DeliWith a huge amount of cheese on display, it can get very overwhelming, but they’re all lovely enough behind the counter to offer up good advice and tastings. Shop 8A, Bank Street, Sydney Fish Market; 02 9660 6998. Simon Johnson PyrmontCheese, homewares, recipes, you name it. Simon Johnson is a stalwart gourmet grocer here to service our every need when it comes to home entertaining. The on-site cheese room at Simon Johnson Pyrmont is definitely work checking out. 181 Harris Street Pyrmont; 02 8244 8240. Smelly Cheese ShopIf you're out and about in the Hunter Valley, The Smelly Cheese Shop has an impressive selection of local, imported and Smelly's own cheeses, as well as gourmet deli goods. 3/188 Broke Rd, Pokolbin; 02 4998 6960.
UPDATE: June 5, 2020: Judy & Punch is available to stream via Stan, Google Play, YouTube and iTunes. Sometimes, a film lives and thrives thanks to its casting, benefiting from stellar actors who melt into their roles. That's the case with Judy & Punch, with Mia Wasikowska and Damon Herriman breathing life, depth and a roguish attitude into characters best known as wood, string and fabric. As the title makes plain, they're playing Punch and Judy, the puppet-show figures that date back more than three centuries. Still, while writer/director Mirrah Foulkes tasks her stars with fleshing out the marionettes' wholly fictional origin story, she doesn't rely on the duo to do all of the movie's heavy lifting. Her interpretation of the tale — the bold, subversive directions she takes it in, and the feisty, cheeky vibe the film adopts in the process — makes as much of an impact. Jumping behind the camera after acting in Animal Kingdom, Top of the Lake, The Crown and Harrow, Foulkes ensures that her filmmaking debut isn't the kind of feature that lights up screens often. The movie starts with two versions of Punch and his other half: one cavorting on stage, the other pulling the strings behind the curtain. The crowd roars as the perpetually drunken Punch (Herriman) and the long-suffering Judy (Wasikowska) manoeuvre and manipulate their inanimate counterparts, with the pair packing in shows in Judy's insular (and curiously inland) hometown of Seaside. Judy is actually the more dexterous and talented of the two, but Punch gets all the fame and acclaim — partly, reflecting his brutish personality, by making their puppet show literally "punchier". He makes their daily life punchier as well, and thinks nothing of treating Judy and their infant daughter with contempt, whether he's seeing another woman, complaining whenever Judy says a word or showing that he's the world's worst father. With the real-life Punch and Judy famously based on the former's slapstick violence towards the latter, you can be forgiven for feeling cautious about how a live-action version will play out. It sounds strange and inappropriate, but Foulkes is keenly aware of the material she's working with. In her hands, Judy & Punch takes puppet-show savagery and lets it loose in live-action, then rightfully questions why it's considered entertainment. And to really hammer home her point, she needs to unleash a flurry of physical and metaphorical blows. The filmmaker isn't subtle, but neither is a guy bashing his wife and child, which has happened in P&J since the 1600s. So, when Judy is the only person in the town to speak out against the communal stoning of women deemed witches — and, later, when a tragic turn of fate sees her seek solace among the local female outcasts, then plot her revenge — it's thoroughly designed to make a statement. Kudos to Foulkes for not only reclaiming P&J's problematic narrative for Judy, calling out Punch's boorishness and asking why women have so often been treated so poorly — by their partners, by complicit communities and by mobbish societies as a whole — but for clearly having fun while she's doing so. Where this year's thematically comparable and similarly excellent fellow Australian film, The Nightingale, leaned into bleakness and pain, Judy & Punch veers the other way. The movie is styled like a gothic fairytale, with its crumbling castle, sprawling woods and Elizabethan-era costuming, and it takes that look and feel to heart. Dark, fanciful, perceptive, often comic — this mix of elements mightn't sound like a natural fit on paper, but it works. Judy & Punch's tone definitely wavers, although that's on purpose too. And when François Tétaz's percussion-heavy score keeps echoing, it constantly reminds viewers of the thuds, shoves and worse that have long been baked into Judy and Punch's abusive romance, while also proving audibly playful. Given all of the above, you can excuse Judy & Punch for including a big speech at its climax; again, Foulkes isn't doing anything by halves. Nor is her cast, including the likes of Benedict Hardie (Upgrade), Tom Budge (Bloom) and Gillian Jones (Mad Max: Fury Road), who all help populate Seaside's chaotic masses. Wasikowska and Herriman are dream leads, though. She draws upon an ever-growing resume filled with fascinating and formidable women (Jane Eyre, Stoker, Tracks, Madame Bovary, Piercing… the list goes on), while he's having quite the malevolence-dripping year after stepping into Charles Manson's shoes in both Mindhunter and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Judy & Punch firmly tells Judy's story, so this is Wasikowska's film, but it highlights both of its main characters for a good reason. This thoroughly feminist hero doesn't just give a historic narrative a much-needed update and champion a timely cause — with their dynamic back-and-forth, she endeavours to cut Herriman's misogynistic weasel down to size, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63NAagrKOcc
We've all been there. It's 6pm on a Wednesday. You've just commuted home from a long day at the office, and all you want is to switch your brain off with a good doom scroll. The temptation to tap your trusty delivery app in this moment is high. What could be easier than having a takeaway arrive straight to your door? But we all know the truth. From missing items to cold meals and soggy cardboard, the dream of a takeaway is often tastier than the reality. That's why we've partnered with MasterFoods™ to give you three quick and easy midweek dinner ideas that'll curb your cravings and save some precious dollars (and time) without compromising on flavour. Keep reading (and save this article) to have some easy mid-week meals in your kitchen arsenal. [caption id="attachment_1027005" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Supplied[/caption] Zesty Chicken Wrap Rather than ordering a Greek wrap via delivery (which, realistically, will end up a soggy, mushy mess), this 25-minute dish will have you eating a fresh and flavoursome meal before the delivery driver has even left the restaurant. Ingredients: 500 grams of chicken breast MasterFoods™ Lemon and Pepper Seasoning 1 tbsp of olive oil 4 pitas or flatbreads Sliced red onion Sliced tomato Shredded Lettuce Crumbed Feta (optional) MasterFoods™ Zesty Lemon & Herb No Rules Sauce Method: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breast and MasterFoods™ Lemon and Pepper Seasoning. Cook until cooked through. Heat the pita in a dry pan or wrap in foil and warm in the oven for a couple of minutes. To serve, spread a generous spoonful of MasterFoods™ Zesty Lemon & Herb No Rules Sauce onto the warm pita, add your chicken, then top with lettuce, tomato, onion, and feta. Fold, serve and enjoy. [caption id="attachment_1027006" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Supplied[/caption] Smokey BBQ Beef Burger Is there anything worse than a cold burger after a long day? (And dropping $30 for the privilege?) This Smokey BBQ Beef Burger takes just 30 minutes, makes four serves, and guarantees a hot, mouth-watering meal. Ingredients: 500g regular minced beef 1 tbsp MasterFoods™ All Purpose Seasoning 1 tbsp MasterFoods™ Smokey Barbecue Sauce ½ cup panko breadcrumbs 2 white onions, thinly sliced 1 egg 2 tbsp of olive oil 1 large tomato Iceberg lettuce Pickles Method: Add the minced beef, MasterFoods™ All Purpose Seasoning, egg and panko breadcrumbs into a bowl and mix until combined. Thinly slice the onions and squeeze out excess moisture to ensure extra crispiness. Divide the seasoned mince into four balls and set aside while you preheat the barbecue — no need to chill. Turn your barbecue flat plate or griddle to high and place the meatballs down, ensuring you have space between each to smash flat. Each meatball should be loaded with a generous handful of sliced onion before being smashed as flat as possible into the pan or barbecue plate. Cook for 3-4 minutes and flip. After another one to two minutes, add cheese, let it melt and remove from the heat. Toast your buns and load up with salad: tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, pickles, etc. Don't forget the MasterFoods™ Smokey Barbecue Sauce to top it off. Hot tip: If you're a huge fan of sauce, why not also add a squeeze of MasterFoods™ No Rules Zesty Lemon & Herb Sauce as well? [caption id="attachment_1030078" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Supplied[/caption] Chipotle Mushroom Tacos A guaranteed crowd pleaser, this vegan recipe will spice up your midweek dinner rotation. Featuring MasterFoods™ Taco Seasoning Mix of paprika, oregano and cumin, this four-serve recipe packs a punch and will be on your plate in just 30 minutes. Avoid the takeaway tax (and time) and turn your week around with these delicious mushroom tacos. Ingredients: 400g king oyster mushrooms 4 tbsp MasterFoods™ Taco Seasoning Mix 1 small white onion, finely diced 1 tsp tomato paste 2-3 tbsp soy sauce or tamari (for GF version) ¼ cup water 3 tbsp olive oil 1 ripe avocado MasterFoods™ Smokey Chipotle No Rules Sauce 2 limes, halved Pickled red onion Vine-ripened tomatoes, diced Lettuce Vegan sour cream 8 tortillas (flour or corn) Method: Rinse the mushrooms and remove and finely slice the caps. For the stems, make incisions with a fork and pull them apart with your fingers to resemble pulled pork. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan, add the chopped onion, and cook gently for about 10 minutes until translucent and lightly browned. Add the minced garlic and sauté for another 2-4 minutes until fragrant. Stir in four tablespoons of MasterFoods™ Taco Seasoning Mix and cook for one minute. Mix in the mushrooms, soy sauce, and water, cooking until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Season with pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes, then remove from heat. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Spread the pulled mushrooms on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 15 minutes to add a nice crunch. Assemble the tacos with pulled mushrooms, chopped lettuce, diced tomatoes, pickled onions, and add lime and vegan sour cream or MasterFoods™ Smokey Chipotle No Rules Sauce as a topping. Craving more flavour-packed ideas? Head to MasterFoods™ for inspiration. MasterFoods™ — You Made It. Lead image: Getty Images
The city's oldest green space is set to be transformed into a lit-up wonderland when the sun goes down and Vivid Sydney kicks off its 2019 edition this Friday, May 24. The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney will this year play host to an immersive and mesmerising Vivid set-up, featuring 15 captivating installations. Peppered throughout the site will be a colourful assortment of characters, from giant bees and a field of fireflies to exotic birds. And you can expect plenty of food and drink options to fuel your after-dark adventures, including glowing gin cocktails and mulled wine served up from the old school fisherman's wharf- inspired bar. Here's a peek at some of what you can expect to encounter on a Botanic Gardens jaunt during this year's festival. First up, take a stroll through the gardens to the multicoloured satellite, KA3323, which interacts with sounds from outer space. In the background here, you'll cop a glimpse of the Sydney Opera House, which will be lit up with hypnotic images of Australian flora from LA artist and video maker Andrew Thomas Huang (who has previously created music videos for Björk). Then wander through these giant glowing green blades of grass in the Dancing Grass installation. Or visit the magical shimmering Firefly Field, made up of 500 individual lights, that will transport you to the Australian forests and mangroves in which they live. Equally impressive is the sprawling River of Light, which you can cruise along between installations. Next stop is the bee hotel at Beetopia. Here, you can pat a buzzing — giant — bee, without fear of it stinging you. You'll find it located under trees decked out with colour-changing lights. Finally, stop by the garden's audiovisual installation. I Hear You (But Do You Hear Me?) features a field of interactive LED light poles that react to voices, changing colour and playing sounds to make a colourful, layered 'conversation'. Vivid Sydney will run from Friday, May 24 until Saturday, June 15. The Royal Botanic Garden and HMAS Royal Archie will be open and lit-up every night of the festival until 11pm.
It isn't the first movie about the Tham Luang Nang Non cave incident to reach screens, thanks to the underwhelming The Cave. It won't be the last project to focus on the 12 Thai schoolboys and their soccer coach who were trapped in the Chiang Rai Province spot for 18 days back in 2018, either. Ron Howard (Hillbilly Elegy)-directed dramatisation Thirteen Lives hits cinemas next year, a Netflix limited series executive produced by In the Heights filmmaker John M Chu is also set to debut in 2022 and, to the surprise of no one, more are bound to follow. Still, The Rescue earns another worthy honour. The documentary isn't just an inspirational recounting of a miraculous effort that thwarted a potential tragedy, as told by the brave people who pulled off the feat, although it's certainly that. In addition, this gripping film falls into a genre that always needs more entries: celebrations of skilled people doing difficult things with precision, passion, persistence and prowess. If documentarians Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin have a niche, it's this. As co-directors, the married couple has now made three films, all valuing hard work, expertise and when the former leads not only to the latter, but to extraordinary achievements. With 2015 Sundance award-winner Meru, they documented Chin's efforts with two other climbers to scale Meru Peak in the Indian Himalayas. Then came Oscar-winner Free Solo, the exceptional doco about Alex Honnold's quest to free-climb Yosemite National Park's El Capitan. The Rescue swaps clambering up for diving deep, and hones in on an event that captured international headlines as it happened, but still belongs in the same company as the duo's past two releases. Here, viewers start the film with an understanding of what happened thanks to all that non-stop news coverage, but finish it in profound awe of the talent, smarts, dedication and unflinching competence involved. Vasarhelyi and Chin spotlight the divers who extricated Tham Luang's 13 unwilling inhabitants, aka the Wild Boars soccer team — and did so as the world watched, as hours became days and then weeks, and as monsoonal waters flooded the cave despite a desperate pumping initiative. Thai Navy SEALs initially attempted the task, yet struggled in the ten kilometres of sprawling and narrow tunnels. In fact, due to the murky water and the constant deluge from the fast-falling rain, they weren't able to get far. To assist, civilian hobbyists including Brits Rick Stanton and John Volanthen were brought in — experts in their field, and volunteers for the biggest diving quest of their lives. When their crew found the boys and their coach almost four kilometres from the mouth of the cave, they then faced another dilemma: how to get them back out alive. With its ending already well-known, The Rescue starts at the beginning, letting those who were there talk through each step, and also weaving in footage from the rescue mission itself. No re-enactments — not the small amount The Rescue uses, as noted in its credits; not The Cave's awful docodrama approach; and not all the future dramatisations set to flow from Hollywood — can ever be as nerve-wracking as seeing this remarkable feat actually happen. That said, the film's interviews are also significant. While the on-the-ground and in-the-water clips show the immense level of skill at work and the enormous dangers faced, the accompanying discussions offer keen insights into the thought processes involved. And, they draw out Stanton, Volanthen and their team's distinctive personalities, ensuring that these heroes are always flesh and blood. In all that chatter, much of the tension springs from one point: not just the logistics of extracting the kids and their coach from the cave, but the possibility of sedating them during the dive. The Rescue's most chilling moment comes from Australian anaesthetist and cave diver Richard Harris, who likens that option to euthanasia in his frank initial assessment — a goosebump-inducing comment, even though everyone watching knows that the boys were all rescued safely. Vasarhelyi and Chin make films about survival and endurance, too, and those notions thump away in The Rescue like a heartbeat. Still, as much as it pays tribute to the individual and collective efforts behind something astonishing, and its success, the film never forgets the stakes or cost, including the death of ex-Thai Navy SEAL Saman Kunan during an early attempt. Enthralling, suspenseful and vivid — and with more time for the moral and ethical implications of the rescue than is ever likely to be committed to the screen elsewhere — this documentary has been made to emulate its subjects. Indeed, that precision, passion, persistence and prowess shines through again and again both on- and off-screen. The Rescue's meticulous splicing is particularly finessed, for instance, with editor Bob Eisenhardt (another Free Solo alum) maintaining the movie's pulsating sense of intensity while stitching together an array of talking-head interviews, plus that wealth of archival materials. The heartstring-tugging score by Daniel Pemberton (The Trial of the Chicago 7) isn't quite as convincing, however, but it's one of the film's rare weak links. There is a gaping cavern at the heart of The Rescue, though, and one that's far wider than the rock shelf where the Wild Boars sheltered for almost three weeks. Those boys and their coach aren't among the movie's interviewees, and noticeably so. National Geographic, who produced the film, was only able to secure the rights to the divers' stories — with Netflix snapping them up for the soccer team. It leaves The Rescue absent key perspectives, but Vasarhelyi and Chin have filled that chasm savvily. Indeed, the documentary's edge-of-your-seat, ticking-clock, heart-in-your-throat tribute to skill, hard work and the global team of thousands that spanned Thais, Americans and Australians, too, mightn't have sported the same focus otherwise. Once more, the movie mimics the incident at its centre, turning sheer necessity into something stunning.
Darlinghurst has just scored its own little slice of New Orleans as the doors open to new cocktail bar The Big Easy. Kitted out in deep greens, pastel pinks and lush foliage aplenty, the two-level space will have you feeling as though you've been whisked away to the French Quarter or even the raucous surrounds of Bourbon Street. This ode to colourful New Orleans comes courtesy of owner Doug Laming (The Smoking Panda, Brix Distillery and Rabbit Hole Bar), who set out to create a fitting homage to the city's famed music, food and bar scenes. A couple of lively murals help set the tone — one by Sydney artist Kentaro Yoshida gracing the outdoor courtyard, the other a Voodoo-inspired piece by Brisbane's Natty B, jazzing up the upstairs space. Each drink from the expansive cocktail lineup nods to one of the Louisiana city's classics, including the signature Big Easy Fizz – a fusion of rye, Southern Comfort Black, burnt orange, Peychaud's bitters and ginger ale, finished with a sprig of rosemary. There's also a mostly-Aussie wine selection, a strong contingent of bourbon and rye on the back bar, and a beer list ruled by American drops — think, Pabst Blue Ribbon or perhaps Deschutes' Mirror Pond pale ale. The food sticks to the same theme, with a lineup of Creole- and Cajun-inspired fare. For snackier sessions, there are bites like homemade beef jerky, charred giant shrimp and sweet potato fries doused in rosemary and paprika. Up the bigger end, you'll spy jambalaya with andouille sausage and shrimp, and a blackened Atlantic cod sided with corn cream and toasted buckwheat. A Wednesday to Friday happy hour (4.30–6.30pm) offers a little midweek fun with $5 PBRs, $5 glasses of wine and $10 cocktails. And each Sunday, you can kick back with live tunes courtesy of The Big Easy's weekly Sessions in the Sun rotation. Find The Big Easy at 77 Stanley St, Darlinghurst. It's open from 4pm Wednesday to Friday and 12pm Saturday and Sunday.
The 2021 Tokyo Olympics will kick off after the game's official opening ceremony on Friday, July 23. If you've already binged your way through your favourite shows, swap the channel and sit down to watch our country's best and brightest athletes compete on the world stage. It'll also be great planning prep for 2032 when Brisbane will host the Olympic Games. Of course, when you're enjoying some world-class sport on TV, it's vital to have the perfect drink on hand. Here are six sports that you can catch over the next two weeks based on your favourite cocktail choice, which will perfectly complement these feats of athleticism. You can watch the 2021 Olympics via Channel 7, 7two and 7mate or stream it on 7plus. NEGRONI & LONG JUMP On the surface, a negroni seems like a reasonably simple set-up — just mix gin, campari and vermouth. But it's incredibly easy to mess up the balance and finding the perfect mix takes a decent amount of bartending experience and skill. In a purely theoretical sense, long jump seems like the kind of event that should be easy. In theory. But anyone who's been tormented with high school athletics can attest to its difficulty and appreciate the sophistication that goes into perfecting what seems like a straightforward event. When can I catch it? The men's qualifiers kick off on Saturday, July 31 at 8.10pm, while the women's qualifiers begin on Sunday, August 1 at 10.50am. Can I catch any Aussies? Yes, Brooke Stratton and Henry Frayne will both be competing. How can I get negronis delivered: Maybe Sammy, Earl's Juke Joint, PS40 PIMM'S & TENNIS Pour yourself a Pimm's and pretend you're watching the tennis live from Tokyo. The light refreshing drink is a tennis staple for good reason, radiating warm summer energy, despite how gloomy the weather might be here at home. When can I catch it? The tennis kicks off at 12pm on Saturday, July 24 and runs until Sunday, August 1. Can I catch any Aussies? Yes, world number one Ash Barty will be competing alongside nine other Australian competitors including Sam Stosur and John Millman. How can I get Pimm's delivered: Jimmy Brings MARTINI & DIVING Sophisticated, elegant and a little dangerous. These are all words that describe both James Bond's signature martini and diving. Sip this classic cocktail as you watch the astonishing aerial acrobatics of the Australian divers. Plus, after a few of Sydney's best martinis, you won't know whether the drinks or the diver's backflips are causing you to feel a touch lightheaded. When can I catch it? The diving will run from Sunday, July 25 until Sunday, August 7. Can I catch any Aussies? Yes, seven divers will represent Australia in this year's Olympics include previous medal winners Anabelle Smith and Melissa Wu. How can I get martinis delivered: Continental, RE-, Catalina ESPRESSO MARTINI & ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS If you feel like life is best enjoyed with a healthy mix of enthusiastic energy and class, you're bound to enjoy both an espresso martini and the range of gymnastics events on offer throughout the Olympic Games. Whether it's the beam, vault, bars or floor, Australia's top-tier gymnasts will inject a burst of energy to match the caffeine hit in your espresso martini. When can I catch it? The artistic gymnastics will begin at 11am on Saturday, July 23 and run until Tuesday, August 3. Can I catch any Aussies? Yes, Australia has three artistic gymnasts competing this year as well as six rhythmic gymnasts and two athletes competing in the trampolining. How can I get espresso martinis delivered: Redfern Surf Club, Totti's, The Oxford Tavern A SHOT & 100 METRE SPRINT As the Olympics marquee event is over in under ten seconds, you'll need a drink that's consumed equally quickly. Luckily a heap of Sydney bars are delivering shots to the doors of locals to bring a bit of fun into lockdown. Pair a Jameson or Beefeater shot with your Sunday roast from The Taphouse, or pick up one of The Duke's signature picklebacks. When can I catch it? The women's 100 metre will take place on Saturday, July 31 with the final taking place at 10.50pm. The men's 100 metre will then take over next Sunday, August 1, with the final occurring at the same time. Can I catch any Aussies? Yes, Hana Basic and Rohan Browning will both compete. How can I get shots delivered: The Taphouse, The Duke of Enmore LONG ISLAND ICED TEA & MODERNS PENTATHLON The modern pentathlon is a mix of five different sports: running, swimming, fencing, shooting and show jumping. Just like the long island iced tea, it's the perfect event if you're a bit indecisive about what you want to watch (or drink) and are just happy to enjoy the experience. When can I catch it? Both the men's and women's modern pentathlon will run from Thursday, August 5 until Saturday, August 7. Can I catch any Aussies? Yes, we have two competitors in the modern pentathlon, Ed Fernon and Marina Carrier. How can I get long island iced teas delivered: Cheers Sweetie You can watch the opening ceremony of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics on Channel 7, 7two and 7mate or 7plus from 8.30pm on Friday, July 23. Top image: Kitti Gould
For most filmmakers, Isabel Wilkerson's Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents would've screamed for the documentary treatment. A non-fiction text published in 2020, it works through the thesis that racism in America isn't just the product of xenophobia, but is an example of social stratification. The journalist and author — and, in 1994, Pulitzer Prize-winner — examines how categorising populations into groups with a perceived grading is at the heart of US race relations, and how the same was true in Nazi Germany and still does in the treatment of the Dalit in India. A doco could spring easily from there. If it happens to in the future, no one should be surprised. Ava DuVernay, who brings Wilkerson's prize-winning tome to the screen now, has demonstrated again and again with Selma, The 13th and A Wrinkle in Time that she's not most directors, however. Make the points in Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents via a documentary, if and when that occurs, and they'd be accurate and powerful. Express them through cinema's function as an empathy machine, via personal tales including Wilkerson's own, and they resonate by getting audiences stepping into a range of shoes. Watching isn't merely investigating and learning in Origin, as Wilkerson as a character — played by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (The Color Purple) in a phenomenally passionate and thoughtful lead performance — does in a movie that's also a biopic about her life and work. Sitting down to DuVernay's film is all about feeling, understanding what it's like to be a range of people who are forced to grapple with being seen as less than others for no reason but the fact that urge to judge that keeps proving inherent in human nature. Accordingly, viewing Origin means walking in the footsteps of Black teenager Trayvon Martin (Myles Frost, All In) in the US in 2012, when he was shot by a Hispanic man solely for strolling in a white neighbourhood. It means spending time with Black nine-year-old Al Bright (Lennox Simms, Abbott Elementary), who wasn't permitted in a public pool with his white Little League teammates in the 50s. And, it means charting the efforts of Black anthropologists Allison and Elizabeth Davis (Fear the Walking Dead's Isha Blaaker and Blindspotting's Jasmine Cephas Jones), who went undercover with white colleagues Burleigh and Mary Gardner (Doom Patrol's Matthew Zuk and Pain Hustlers' Hannah Pniewski) in Jim Crow-era Mississippi. Their work resulted in Deep South: A Social Anthropological Study of Caste and Class — a book that now sports a forward by Wilkerson. Following Origin's narrative also involves being immersed in the tale of a Jewish woman and German man, August Landmesser (Finn Wittrock, American Horror Story) and Irma Eckler (Victoria Pedretti, You), falling in love in the Third Reich. In a famous photograph from 1936, he's considered to be the lone person not saluting in a Nazi crowd. Origin plunges into reality for a group in India once dubbed "untouchables", too, a title given due to their place in the pecking order. It's a literal term, and one of exclusion and segregation — and it dictates what those deemed at the bottom of the Hindu caste ranks can and can't do and interact with. DuVernay weaves in everything beyond Wilkerson as recreations, making such tales far more tangible and pivotal than mere slices of the past — recent and not-so — providing examples for Caste. In other words, it's one thing to know something or even witness it, and another to feel as if you're experiencing it yourself. That's DuVernay's approach — and it's in line with her focus on Wilkerson, getting Origin's audience empathising not only with everyone in its vignettes, but with her while she's sifting through this history. Sensitive, savvy, sincere, supremely smart: they all describe the way that this film, which its director penned and helmed, is built. DuVernay doesn't ever lose sight of Wilkerson, though, as she pursues her book amid several rounds of loss. Facing individual and societal heartbreak in tandem is also a thread in the feature. So are the echoes that the concept of caste has had on her mother Ruby (Emily Yancy, Sharp Objects), who has lived the reality of avoiding provoking backlash for simply existing — and also on Wilkerson's relationship with her doting husband Brett (Jon Bernthal, The Bear). As a confidant, friend, much-needed support and sounding board, DuVernay includes Isabel's cousin Marion (Niecy Nash-Betts, Never Have I Ever) into her retelling as well. That move gives the film and its protagonist a third tender relationship to navigate, and viewers to identify with. It's also another way that DuVernay expands her long-running push to explore the emotions simmering within Black women, and how they're influenced by the place that they're allowed in the world. Before Selma gave Coretta King prominence alongside her husband, and before A Wrinkle in Time, DuVernay's last non-documentary picture prior to now, charted a Black teen's quest aided by astral travellers, I Will Follow and Middle of Nowhere also traversed this terrain. Indeed, the question with Origin isn't why its director took this path with the material — it's how could she have done anything else? Is Origin ambitious? Bold? Unfailingly intelligent? Lensed with texture and intimacy by Matthew J Lloyd (Spider-Man: Far From Home)? Remarkably acted, especially by Ellis-Taylor, Bernthal and Nash-Betts? A film where feeling deeply is the only response? Does it take a route that no one else would've dreamed of contemplating with Wilkinson, her book, grief, power structures and subjugation? Is it a journey of one woman and of humanity in tandem? DuVernay's movie is all of these things — and it's a chronicle of the jumping-off points and discussions along the way to Caste coming to fruition, such as listening to the 911 call by George Zimmerman, who murdered Martin; having editors (The Nun II's Vera Farmiga and Harlan Coben's Shelter's Stephanie March) ask for her thoughts on it; her romance with Brett; caring for Ruby; chats with Marion; and even talking to a Make America Great Again hat-wearing plumber (Nick Offerman, Dumb Money). Yes, among all of the above, Origin is also a piece of cinema that only DuVernay could've made.
When Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson made his movie debut back in 2005 with the excellent Brick, he did so with a mystery. That's a genre he hasn't strayed far from since, as Looper, Knives Out and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery have all shown. Accordingly, it should come as no surprise that his new TV show Poker Face is also a whodunnit — this time getting Natasha Lyonne sleuthing. In not one but two seasons of Russian Doll, Lyonne has tried to solve mysteries, too. As the Netflix show's sweet birthday baby, she's stalked around various time loops, periods and cities endeavouring to work out why she's reliving the same night over and over again — or how and why she can head into the past. Of course, one show featuring the Orange Is the New Black star getting playing detective is all well and good, including over multiple seasons; however, two is even better. There's a feeling of déjà vu about Poker Face for multiple reasons, clearly, and has been since its first sneak peek dropped in 2022. And, as the new full trailer for the ten-part series also demonstrates, that happens in the best possible way. Solving mysteries is 100-percent the focus here, with Lyonne playing Charlie Cale, who works her way through resolving a series of crimes — a mystery of the week each week, in fact — while she's on the road in a Plymouth Barracuda. Cale has an uncanny ability to tell if someone is lying, a skill that's going to come in handy as she encounters a hefty roster of other familiar faces. Adrien Brody (See How They Run), Chloë Sevigny (The Girl From Plainville), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Pinocchio) and Ron Perlman (Nightmare Alley) are all set to pop up in Poker Face as well, and that's just the beginning of the show's stacked guest cast. Also on the list: Benjamin Bratt (DMZ), Ellen Barkin (Animal Kingdom), Nick Nolte (The Mandalorian), Cherry Jones (Succession), Judith Light (The Menu), Lil Rel Howery (Deep Water), Jameela Jamil (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law) and Danielle MacDonald (The Tourist). Again, there's more where they came from. Australian audiences will be able to stream the end result via Stan from Friday, January 27. And yes, Stan did also release a Russell Crowe- and Liam Hemsworth-starring movie in 2022 called Poker Face that's unrelated to this — so keep that in mind while you're scrolling through its catalogue. Check out the full trailer for Poker Face below: Poker Face streams in Australia from Friday, January 27 via Stan.
Nobu is a brand recognised worldwide for its high-class Japanese dining. With restaurants in New York, Cape Town, Dubai, Nobu's latest outpost can be found in Sydney at the Crown in Barangaroo. A truly international affair, Nobu headlines local produce while always heroing its core Japanese leaning with some Peruvian influences. Head Chef Harold Hurtada was transfixed by Japanese cuisine from an early age. He began working as a sushi chef in his home city of Manila before joining the worldwide Nobu Restaurant Group. We sat down with Hurtada to discuss his journey to Sydney and his passion for Japanese cuisine. As you arrive at Nobu Sydney, you are greeted with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over Darling Harbour and sleek cordoned-off table settings, creating intimate dining experiences within the large open space. Walk past the marble bar and find the main omakase room. Here, you can witness Chef Hurtado's and his team's skills up close and personal. The omakase menu is one of the core offerings at Nobu Sydney. It is an opportunity for Chef Hurtada to showcase the skills he has perfected in his years of training. Alongside the ever-changing omakase menu, Nobu Sydney offers extensive lunch and dinner menus that feature signature Nobu hot and cold dishes, bento boxes, tacos, tempura, sushi maki and more. If you're here for the premium wine and sake offerings, you can enjoy a sumptuous bar snack menu that includes sushi, Nobu tacos, and classic Nobu share plates like the iconic yellowtail jalapeño dish. Diners can also imbibe in signature cocktails like the Midnight Old Fashioned made with Suntory Toki Whiskey, Talisker 10yo, hojicha and black sesame syrup and orange bitters or a Sado Island Iced Tea with black tea-infused Haku Vodka, Licor 43, peach schnapps and peach syrup. Images: Jude Cohen and Finley Jones
Hear that? It's the sound of the collective population shutting windows, zipping up jackets and switching the AC setting from cool to warm. Summer is officially over. You may have bemoaned what felt like an endless summer after one too many sunburns or sleepless nights. You also may have excitedly unpacked your winter coat and thought giddily of cosy nights in with Netflix and hot chocolate for company. But truthfully, for us coastal-dwelling folk who thrive in the great outdoors, the appeal of winter can wear off before it has even truly begun. And soon enough, you'll be plotting ways to escape to sunnier pastures. Well, lucky for you, we've teamed up with Coopers to handpick some the best destinations around Australia where summer never really ends. Just like the new Coopers Session Ale, a fresh and fruity brew, these spots keep the summer dream alive all year long. [caption id="attachment_605628" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Petra Bensted via Flickr.[/caption] RUN TO PARADISE IN THE WHITSUNDAYS Imagine this: rather than a blaring alarm, you're woken by the call of a native bird or lapping waves. Rather than woolly socks and slippers, you sink your bare feet into glorious white sand. This is Whitehaven Beach, one of the most popular spots in the Whitsundays. The picturesque surroundings and tropical climate (no frosty mornings here — temperatures sit pleasantly in the mid-20s during winter) are enough to please even the most cynical of campers. A maximum of 36 people is permitted at the beach's campsite, so the morning is yours to explore the oasis in relative seclusion before the day-trippers arrive. Time your 1.3-kilometre walk to the Hill Inlet viewing platform at Tongue Point to coincide with low tide, and witness a stunning display of swirling silica sands. The vista is the ultimate reward for 'roughing it', as is returning to the campsite for a cool beer as the sun sets. Winter blues be gone. EXPLORE FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND Tropical North Queensland is the perfect distraction from your wintery reality. Average water temps sit at a very acceptable 24-degree mark, and low rainfall vastly improves water visibility in the Great Barrier Reef, which will please both scuba and snorkelling enthusiasts. If donning a wetsuit is not your style, there are plenty of land-based activities around to keep you active, too. Cape Tribulation, where Daintree Rainforest meets the ocean, offers plenty of exploration options: foot, horseback, kayak, four-wheel drive or flying fox among them. Whichever you choose, the area has a real 'untouched' vibe to it, with pristine beaches, lush plant life and native wildlife waiting to be discovered. [caption id="attachment_619578" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Field of Light: Bruce Munro. Photo by Mark Pickthall.[/caption] VISIT OUR RED CENTRE Arguably our most famous natural icon, Uluru is a bucket list item for many. Witnessing a kaleidoscope of colours cross the sacred rock as the sun sets over the horizon — it's truly something to behold. Winter is actually the preferred time to visit as temperatures are milder — around the mid-20s during the day — which makes trekking the 10.6-kilometre base circumference a more achievable task. As night falls, so does the temp. Avoid shattering the summer illusion, and jump onto a helicopter tour for a birds-eye view of the spectacular Field of Light installation. Extended until December 2020, the artwork uses 50,000 glass spheres to transform the arid plains into an illuminated, multi-coloured blanket. It may help you temporarily forget the winter chill but you'll remember this magical experience forever. [caption id="attachment_669247" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Broome Visitor Centre.[/caption] RIDE A CAMEL AS THE SUN SETS IN BROOME Nestled along the coastline in the Kimberley region's far west, Broome is completely unique and yet quintessentially Australian. It's where the beach meets the outback with a tropical climate that encourages an itinerary of strictly outdoor activities. Start the day by hunting for dinosaur prints at Gantheaume Point before venturing to Willie Creek Pearl Farm for a boat cruise across crystal waters, complete with lessons on pearling. After you've properly explored the clear waters and rugged coastline, head to Cable Beach to watch a stunning sunset atop a camel — cliché be damned, it's an unmissable tourist attraction for a reason. Finish off the day with a visit to the over 100-year-old Sun Pictures, the world's oldest outdoor cinema still in operation. Those chilly nights will be a distant memory. TRAVEL TO AUSTRALIA'S TOP END Darwin may be the oft-forgotten state capital, but in recent years it has established itself as a hot destination (pun intended) — particularly for younger travellers due to its thriving art and nightlife scenes. If you weren't quite ready to say goodbye to summer sundowners, waterside Darwin Ski Club will ensure your beers-by-the-bay quota is met. Kakadu National Park is usually a drawcard for visitors when up north. But if you're short on time or want to try something a little more off-the-beaten-track, the less-frequented Tiwi Islands provide an equally rich indigenous experience. There are two main islands, Melville and Bathurst, plus nine other smaller, uninhabited islands which are all just a 30-minute scenic flight from Darwin. Art is a hugely important part of the culture here and is best appreciated at morning tea with some local ladies from the Wurrumiyanga community. Over a snack of billy tea and fresh damper, you can watch the Tiwi ladies weaving and painting. Finish off your day trip with a scenic drive around the island exploring the lush tropical gardens, plus a visit to a Tiwi burial site. Grab a Coopers Session Ale and make the most of summer, all year round. Top image: Coral Beach, Gareth McGuigan.
Picture this - Greece, rattling along the dusty, unsealed roads of a sleepy village in the north of Zakynthos. My driver is a fisherman who can barely speak English, and yet we manage to start a conversation. He's very excited to learn that I'm from Sydney:"Oh, you must know Mary Quill!"Mary Quill? "Yes, Mary Quill, very famoos, very big, in Sydney!"I tried to explain that I didn't know everyone in Sydney, because you know, I'm a jerk who thinks that all people in villages are backwards. And that was when the Euro cent dropped... this heavily accented man was talking about Marrickville.It is no wonder that Marrickville has become a global phenomenon, cultural melting pot that it is, and likewise it's not stretching the imaginary friendship too far to say that it's the perfect place for a Cultural Festival.Come and join Mary Quill and her worldly friends throughout the month of September; revel on the rabble streets, fight censorship with underground films, save the world with homemade sustainability and burn your rubber soles for gypsies and nightwalkers.Remember, the more you do, the greater your chance of immortality in a Greek fisherman's tale.Photo of Lolo Lovina, performing September 25thVideo of "Red Frogs" by Cuthbert and the Nightwalkers, performing September 27thhttps://youtube.com/watch?v=amWoC8DlCJU
The quiet, leafy north shore suburb of Wahroonga has always been attractive, with its verdant, tree-lined streets and blossoming parks — but now it's even more appealing. The Butcher's Block is a sleek cafe that's serving the community an impressive breakfast and lunch six days a week. Formerly a butcher's shop for more than 70 years, its customers are now getting their wagyu beef on a brioche bun and flocking from all directions in order to get it. The team behind this popular noshery is father and son duo George and Anthony Karnasiotis. Together they've done a fine job in recreating the pre-existing business, albeit making it a smart and chic eatery this time. Black-and-white tiles line the walls right throughout the long space, opening up to the light-filled shaded terrace out the back, and meat hooks, knives and sharpeners are suspended from the wooden beams above — salutations to its history. Waiters' aprons are the classic blue-and-white stripes, and an original butcher's knife is wedged into the bathroom door to act as a handle (don't fret, it's wedged in quite well). In keeping with this butcher theme, the menu lends itself to good, hearty fare. The All Press coffee packs a punch (from $3) and a ruby sipper serendipiTea is a warming brew ($4.50). Young hearts will love the milkshake menu: suck down a snickers bar ($8) that's been whipped into a sweet, milky oblivion. Hungry breakfast patrons will either eye off the 'feel good' bircher ($12) or go all out for a butcher's feed, complete with black pudding, spicy sausage and bacon ($22). Brasserie bread is good but steps up a notch in our books once you spread it with Pepe Saya butter and jam ($6). Lunch time is when the place really heats up; despite it seating 80, expect to wait for a table if you've arrived on the weekend. Albeit the staff are deeply rueful for the inconvenience and kindly set up your cutlery and napkins after you've ordered — preparation perhaps for those who've ordered the wagyu beef burger ($20). The sizeable mountain oozes with smoky BBQ sauce— praise to the serviette. Same goes for the pumpkin risotto ($25) — wipe that truffle oil and Persian feta from your chin please. Salad lovers will rejoice: a zesty lemon dressing jazzes up a quinoa salad of pumpkin and tomato ($17) and the Butcher's chicken Caesar salad is utter egg yolk porn ($17). Our pick of the sandwiches ($10) is the smoked salmon and cream cheese — not your average high tea version, that's for sure. Don't forget to order a side of chunky chips ($8), crispy and golden — just how they're meant to be. If you've come either side of a mealtime, spoil yourself with the dark chocolate mousse with orange brulee ($9.90): a chocoholic's melting point. It might be further afield than your local favourite, but The Butcher's Block is worth a place at the top of your list — the mousse cake alone is worth the trip. Just make sure your companions are in a good mood. What with all those knives hanging about, it could get nasty. Is that why the staff were so friendly?
Amongst the perfectly manicured lawns, Lucky’s Liquors, Wal-Marts and red front doors of American culture, Alan Ball sees something both deeply disenchanting and incredibly optimistic. It’s these conflicting sensibilities that make his screenplays so hauntingly eloquent, whether they deal with a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, a family-run Los Angeles funeral home or a race of vampires living uneasily in small-town Louisiana. His candidly provocative television series True Blood, for instance, is not so much about Twilight-esque resistance as it is about indulgence, hate crimes, bloody murders and mass orgies. On September 8 Alan Ball will lay bare his own brutally cynical and achingly romantic mind through a talk at the Sydney Opera House. ‘Alan Ball: Vampires, Death and the Mundane’ is a discussion of Ball’s creative process, and promises to be no less seductive and no less engaging than a naked Mena Suvari writhing around in a bunch of roses. And to inject some straight up hilarity into his idiosyncratic brand of black humor, Ball will be conversing with comedian, writer and super fan Wil Anderson. Make a night of it with a pre-theatre dinner and drinks — and be wary of those not indulging.
According to Dean Sewell — Moran Prize winning photographer and part of the Oculi collective — there was this duffel bag. Inside it was a banner a hundred foot long, decorated with two words. This was on the maiden voyage of the Sydney to Hobart ship, the Spirit of Tasmania. There was strict security. Four passengers waited to get on as that security looked at the huge lump of canvas inside their bag. It was a spinnaker for a yacht, claimed the four men, and time consuming to fold back up. The security guards considered if it was worth unrolling for a closer look, squeezed it a little, and let it through. As the ship pulled out, most passengers and security wandered upstairs. Amid empty decks, the four men clipped themselves onto the boat, jumped over the side and unfurled their banner. The four had spent months preparing for the stunt, doing photo recon on the boat and practicing abseils down the side of a car-park at the University of New South Wales. They had even made sure the banner's font matched the writing on the side of the ship. And as they unrolled the result, Dean Sewell was across the harbour on a water taxi taking photos for the Sydney Morning Herald. He had been covering these men, part of the activist group the Lonely Station, since the previous year. A highly-skilled successor to BUGAUP, the group would meticulously rework ads into satire, leaving a much more political message in their place. As time went on Sewell became involved in the group's actions, and his photos form the basis of a new exhibition at the Museum of Sydney, Culture Jammers. Dean recently sat down with Concrete Playground to talk about the Lonely Station, photography and the usefulness of good rope skills. What happened after the banner dropped? They ripped the four Lonely Station guys off the boat. A police launch met up with the pilot launch, took 'em back and processed them. They wore a $6,000 fine for it. Who were they? The Lonely Station was a pretty loose collective of artists, environmental activists and legal minds, about 2004 to 2007. I think it was really born out of the environmental movement. A couple of them were arborists, highly skilled abseilers. So that allowed them to pull off all these actions. You can search globally for culture jamming, you'll be hard pressed to find anything the size of the works these guys were doing: they were hanging off building tops, off boats, all sorts of things. I think they were just looking at giving people a moment of pause. Being that circuit breaker. The spin cycle was in overdrive and they just really wanted to stop it, if only just for a moment in time, to let people recalibrate. Did you have a go at it? I did partake in some things. I think there were times when I was behind the camera, and other times I was taking an active role in producing work. What sort of things were done? One my favourites was a Vodafone billboard at Kingsford Smith Airport. They used that now infamous image from Abu Graib. They climbed up in early hours of morning, abseiled off, put it on, even had ropes dangling off the fingers. It looked very authentic. There was a sub quote under the main slogan, How are you? Underneath that they wrote "Liberated!" They got to hammer the telco company, and at the same time send a message straight to Canberra. It was on the evening news on Channel Ten. Vodafone got hauled over the coals. Vodafone had pulled a stunt, maybe twelve months earlier, where they'd had a guy arrange secretly to run onto a football match naked in New Zealand. It was great. So, the question put to them was "Is this a stunt you guys did? Because if so, it's in really poor taste." You've said that, as a photographer you look for 'the extraordinary in the ordinary.' For me that's the challenge in photography. Exacting something special out of the mundane, ordinary situations. A lot of people think that photographers chase around incredible things. We do sometimes, fantastic and incredible situations. But also it's the ordinary that attracts us. So becoming a full time paparazzo doesn't appeal? The interesting people are real people. The people living out in the middle of nowhere. Living quite humble lives, just in suburbia. Mostly no-one ever hears of these people. You go sit in a pub in outback Queensland or go up to the Corner Country. That's where you find really interesting people. They're normally not in front of you walking a red carpet. One of the images I got, I was just coming back from Cockatoo Island with my friends. We went to the Biennale on Cockatoo Island. And I took a picture on a the ferry. I won the Moran photographic prize with that. You'll see a lot of photographers take flight, chasing this and that. "Oh, it's too boring here, nothing happens here." And they want excitement or thrills or something. I just think I have a certain level of responsibility to document the issues here. You got these interesting, cosmopolitan suburbs of bustling, thriving places. They've got character. You know, you go to Auburn: where all these enclaves of culture exist. And for me, the most interesting cultural scene here is the Inner West, Marrickville, those areas. All the artists collectives. Underground stuff. It's thriving. Leading image of Dean Sewell (c) Tamara Dean. Images Spirit of Tasmania and Helping You Communicate Better (c) Dean Sewell.
As anyone who has booked a flight, had to suddenly change their trip and been stuck paying handsomely knows, travel and flexibility haven't always gone hand in hand. But with the entire idea of making firm and definite plans undergoing quite the shift in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Virgin Australia is responding to this uncertain period by scrapping its change fees until next year. Make a reservation to travel between now and January 31, 2021 and, if life gets in your way and you need to rearrange your trip, you'll be able to make unlimited changes to your booking without being charged extra. It's worth noting, however, that this only applies to the usual change fee — that is, the amount travellers can be slugged with just for the act of altering their itinerary. If changing your flights involves a difference in fare, you will still have to pay any shortfall amount. The idea, unsurprisingly, is to encourage Australians to get booking — even knowing that little is certain when it comes to leaving the house, interstate borders or just life in general in these coronavirus-afflicted times. Virgin is calling the move its 'Passenger Promise', which spans a number of other measures designed to make travellers feel safer and more confident about taking to the skies. Also included: contactless check-in, pre-flight health screening questionnaires for all travellers when checking in, staggered boarding as part of social-distancing measures, distancing between passengers onboard where possible and minimising movement during the flight. Passengers will also receive free face masks and hand sanitiser kits, and be asked to scan their own boarding passes to limit their contact with crew, while increased cleaning protocols are also in place. To find out more about Virgin Australia's new change fee policy, visit the airline's website.
There's something oh-so-relaxing about staring at the sea, even if you're feasting your eyes on the water via the big screen. That's the concept behind the Ocean Film Festival Australia. You can't always spend all your time at the beach, by the river or in a pool — but you can spend an evening peering at the next best thing in a cinema. On select dates in March, screening at 7pm, the festival will unleash a cinematic feast of water-focused wonders onto the silver screen at various venues around Sydney. Head to the Randwick Ritz Cinemas from Tuesday, March 2–Wednesday, March 3, to the Hayden Orpheum in Cremorne from Wednesday, March 3–Friday, March 5 and the Seymour Centre in Chippendale from Wednesday, March 10–Thursday, March 11. Film-wise, viewers will spend time both above and below the ocean's surface thanks to a compilation of shorts from around the world. Expect to chase big waves, explore a range of sea life and get a hefty ocean rush, plus a heap of other sea adventures. The program is united by a love of the ocean, an appreciation of the creatures who dwell in its waters and a curiosity to explore the substance that comprises more than two-thirds of the earth. It's the next best thing to diving in, all without getting wet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo-qXf5sXAw&feature=emb_logo Image: Travis Burke.
Snapping street art is old hat now, with the halls of Instagram strewn with the point-and-shoot documentation of many a Banksy, Shepard Fairey Obey knock-off and epic East London murals. But the only real reward is a couple of likes from your buds back home, what if you could gain kudos from the artist themselves? Beloved Parisian street artist Invader has launched a brand new game for snappers, the perfect complement to his celebrated '70s 8-bit video game-inspired critters hanging about on walls worldwide. With the brand new app Flash Invaders, you're encouraged to find the artist's iconic little Space Invader installations, take a shot (or 'flash'), upload it to the app and earn points for each successful snap. The Flash Invaders app doesn't accept imposters, comparing your photo with a database of images to match it up. If you've found a genuine Invader, you earn points for that particular work. And don't try to trick the app with phony Google-searched photos either, as the software has been designed to only allow users to 'flash' the Invader works when you're actually in front of it — your bedroom-bound GPS location gave you away. But where can you find these little critters (and how can you tell if it's the real deal)? Head to Invader's website to check out the international locations of his official installations. Unfortunately, there's not too many in Australia, one in Perth and this one in Melbourne: Your best bet is to casually head to the artist's hometown, Paris, where there are over 1000 Space Invaders lurking in alleyways, atop buildings and along stairwells. These are the thumbnails from Invader's website, to get the picture: Or try Rome: Maybe Vienna: Perhaps Varanasi: Start playing Flash Invaders here. Via Vandablog.
