Fancy soaking in Sydney's expansive coastal surroundings while putting one foot in front of the other? Then head to the city's newest attraction. Stretching between the two titular beaches, the just-launched Bondi to Manly Walk spans 80 kilometres along the east coast and harbour foreshore — connecting the existing tracks in the area into one epic, super-scenic seaside trek. First announced in November 2018 and now open for Sydneysiders to stroll along, B2MW meanders past all of the expected highlights; think secluded coves, spectacular views, bushland, clifftops, and landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. As the name makes plain, it starts and ends at Bondi and Manly beaches, but there's plenty to see in-between. You'll also wander everywhere from the Hornby Lighthouse and Mrs Macquarie's Chair to the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and Curlew Camp. Specifically winding through Bondi, Watsons Bay, Rose Bay, Darling Point and Kirribilli, past Taronga Zoo, over to Spit Bridge, then through Manly Wharf to Manly Beach, the track combines a host of already-popular trails. Stroll along the South Head Heritage Trail, Green Point Walking Track, Hermitage Foreshore Track, Bradleys Head Walk and Georges Heights Walk, then head through the Manly Scenic Walkway, North Head Sanctuary, Australian Memorial Walk and Fairfax Track. Emphasising the people of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the land through which the B2MW travels, the trail also journeys past significant Indigenous sites such as an Aboriginal People's midden between Fisher Bay and Sandy Bay, Aboriginal engravings at Grotto Point, and the ancestral reburial site and rock art at Reef Beach. Plus, while you're moseying, you'll follow 350 Aboriginal Whale Symbol signs along the mega trail's lengthy expanse — with an app also available to help you plan and track your walk. Sixty kilometres of the massive track runs over public land, including bushwalking paths, while the other 20 kilometres takes walkers along footpaths — with the trek coming about after considerable co-operation between the relevant local, state and federal government bodies. And if you're wondering how long it takes, suggested itineraries split the walk into four, five and seven-day routes, although you can obviously make the journey however you see fit. The Bondi to Manly Walk is now open. For more information, visit the walk's website. Images: Destination NSW.
Following several years of successful activations as part of Vivid Sydney, Aria has announced it is opening its snack bar in a long-term capacity. The Aria Snack Bar found success as part of the beloved festival as a chance for diners to taste Matt Moran's renowned fine dining in a more casual and accessible format. It is not surprising that the snack menu features lush ingredients such as caviar, truffles and artisan cheeses. Start with Sydney rock oysters, truffle tarts with smoked cheddar, and tuna tartare with white soy. Savour a glass of Krug alongside a fried quail leg with kombu cream and caviar, and K'gari spanner crab with smoked roe, lemon cream and flat bread. Fill up on a wagyu smash burger with melting cheese and beer onions, and finish the night off with an ice cream sundae dripping with sherry caramel and pecans, all as you take in your spectacular surroundings. The snack bar allows visitors to experience Aria's elegance in a more casual way, perfect for a pre-theatre pop-in or a late-night rendezvous. Reservations are available from 8pm, with walk-ins welcome at any time. Images: Supplied. Aria Snack Bar is now open. Find out more about the menu and reserve your table now.
What happens when two cousins played by Kieran Culkin (Succession) and Jesse Eisenberg (Fleishman Is in Trouble) honour their grandmother and explore their family's past by heading to Poland? Eisenberg himself asked that question, then turned the answer into the Sundance-premiering and now Jewish International Film Festival-bound A Real Pain. The actor not only co-stars but writes and directs the dramedy, his second feature behind the lens — and Australian audiences can see the results when JIFF returns for 2024. This year's festival is back to finish out the year, screening in seven cities — Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and Canberra — across various dates between Sunday, October 27–Sunday, December 22. Just like its fellow major cultural film fests, such as its French, Spanish, Italian, Scandinavian and Japanese counterparts, JIFF's 2024 slate is jam-packed. Movie lovers can choose between 41 features, two TV shows and a showcase of short films, with the festival's titles hailing from 17 countries. Eisenberg and Culkin aren't the only big names on the lineup. Closing night's Berlin-set The Performance, which is adapted from an Arthur Miller short story and tells of a Jewish American tap dancer, stars Jeremy Piven (Sweetwater). The fest's centrepiece pick Between the Temples features Jason Schwartzman (Megalopolis) as a cantor and Carol Kane (Dinner with Parents) as his former elementary school music teacher. And in White Bird, which hails from a book by the author of fellow page-to-screen effort Wonder, Helen Mirren (Barbie) and Gillian Anderson (Scoop) pop up. In Sydney and Melbourne only — it's playing the Brisbane International Film Festival in the Queensland capital instead — The Brutalist is on the JIFF bill as well. It shows Down Under after winning Venice's Silver Lion-winner for Best Director for actor-turned-filmmaker Brady Corbet (The Childhood of a Leader, Vox Lux). Starring on-screen: Adrien Brody (Asteroid City), Felicity Jones (Dead Shot) and Guy Pearce (Inside), in a flick that follows architect László Toth and his wife Erzsébet to America from Europe after the Second World War. Well-known folks are also in the spotlight in documentaries Janis Ian: Breaking Silence, Diane Warren: Relentless and How to Come Alive with Norman Mailer — and acclaimed director Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, The Trip movies) is on the lineup via British Mandatory Palestine-set historical thriller Shoshana. Then, there's TV series Kafka, arriving a century after the death of its namesake. Highlights across the rest of the program include documentary The Commandant's Shadow, about The Zone of Interest-featured Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss' son Hans Jürgen Höss meeting with survivor Anita Lasker-Wallfisch; Tatami, following a female Iranian judo athlete played by Arienne Mandi (The L Word: Generation Q), with Guy Nattiv (Golda) and Zar Amir Ebrahimi (last seen on-screen in Shayda, and also co-starring here) co-directing; television's Auckland-set Kid Sister; and Aussie doco Pita with Vegemite: An Israeli Australian Story. "Our 2024 program showcases stars and change makers, offering audiences a rich tapestry of stories that explore the depth and diversity of Jewish life," explains JIFF Artistic Director Eddie Tamir. "We are excited to present films that span thousands of years of history and culture, reflecting on both the ancient traditions that have shaped our world and the contemporary challenges we face today." Jewish International Film Festival 2024 Dates and Locations Sunday, October 27–Wednesday, December 4 — Classic Cinemas (full dates), Lido Cinemas (Monday, October 28–Tuesday, December 3) and Cameo Cinemas (Saturday, November 9–Wednesday, November 13), Melbourne Monday, October 28–Thursday, December 5 — Ritz Cinemas (full dates) and Roseville Cinemas (Thursday, November 7–Wednesday, November 20), Sydney Thursday, November 7–Sunday, November 17 — New Farm Cinemas, Brisbane Thursday, November 7–Sunday, November 17 — The Piccadilly, Adelaide Thursday, November 7–Sunday, November 17 — State Cinema, Hobart Saturday, December 7–Sunday, December 8 — Dendy Cinemas, Canberra Saturday, December 14–Sunday, December 22 — Luna Leederville, Perth The 2024 Jewish International Film Festival runs from October–December. For more information, or to buy tickets, head to the festival's website.
One of the biggest Australian art exhibitions of the year is currently on display in Brisbane, with Patricia Piccinini's weird and wonderful creations taking over an entire floor of the city's Gallery of Modern Art. Among its many eye-catching delights, a massive room packed with more than 3000 flower sculptures is the undoubted centrepiece — and, come September, it's coming to Sydney. Called The Field, Piccinini's immense installation turns the gallery space into a flora-filled landscape, both immersing viewers in its sheer size and asking them to peer deeper at each of the individual sculptures that comprise the artwork. From September 13–16, Sydneysiders will get the chance to walk through and stand inside its wonders at Carriageworks as part of this year's Sydney Contemporary Art Fair. Given that The Field has never been seen outside of Brisbane, it's a rather big deal — and the version coming to Sydney will be re-imagined to specifically adapt to its new location, Carriageworks' Elston Room. As well as The Field, Sydney Contemporary Art Fair will present works from more than 70 Australian and international galleries, spanning six continents and including artists from 32 countries. If you're keen to get a look at Piccinini's piece, prepare to have company — over the past three years of SCAF, more than 60,000 visitors have attended. Image: Installation view 'Patricia Piccinini: Curious Affection' at Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art, 2018, featuring The Field 2018. Photograph: Natasha Harth, QAGOMA
It's blast from the past time, again — and time to spend a couple of nights journeying back a few decades just by hitting the dance floor. Whether you lived through the 90s rave scene, spent every weekend enjoying club life in the 00s or just wish you were old enough to have ticked both boxes, Ministry of Sound will take you there when its huge Testament parties return for 2025. Ministry of Sound itself was around through both eras, so you couldn't be in better hands to get retro via old-school 90s and 00s bangers. The Testament events also toured Australia in 2023 and 2024, and will return for another year — including for three nights in Sydney on Friday, April 4–Saturday, April 5 and Saturday, April 12. Each evening is devoted to either the 90s or the 00s, so you'll need to attend two of them if you want to make shapes to tunes from both decades. But it's a choose-your-own-adventure type of affair, which means that fans of late 20th-century beats can hit up the session dedicated to 90s house, rave, trance and garage tracks if that's all that you're keen on, while lovers of 00s electro and breaks get their own shindig. The DJ lineup is headlined by international acts such as Paul Oakenfold, Roger Sanchez, Felix Da Housecat, Graeme Park, Krafty Kuts, Plump DJs, Smokin Jo and Utah Saints. Australia's own John Course, Sgt Slick, Minx and Mark Dynamix are also on the bill, alongside over 60 other names across the tour. Your destination: White Bay Power Station, with the 90s night taking over on April 4 and 12,and the 00s evening on the April 5. Updated Friday, December 13, 2024.
One of world's biggest bubble tea chains, CoCo originated in Tamsui, Taiwan back in 1997 and now boasts over 4000 stores worldwide — across countries like Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, the UK, the US and, of course, Australia and New Zealand. Yet, despite the brand's magnitude, each shop still serves up a quality product every time. The tea is made using fresh seasonal fruit and whole tea leaves, sourced both locally and abroad. Expect flavours like pandan, taro and salty cream, plus signature white pearl varieties. You can also add pearls to any and all flavour combinations, as well as additional toppings like aloe vera, lychee jelly and 'cloud' — which is a whole heap of cream floating on top. At the moment, there are 18 Sydney locations, including nine in the CBD.
Sydney has Lune fever. In the lead-up to the world-renowned Melbourne bakery finally opening a pair of Sydney stores — one in Darlinghurst and another in Martin Place — excitement for the renowned croissants is at fever pitch. Now, Sydneysiders will be able to get their hands on the flaky baked goods for three days before the two official stores swing open their doors. Lune Croissanterie has teamed up with Koko Black to unveil a limited-edition new croissant collaboration named The Belgian Truffle. Why? To celebrate World Chocolate Day on Friday, July 7. This decadent creation takes Lune's signature pastry and adds a gooey Koko Black cocoa frangipane and Guanaja fondant centre. It's also topped with tempered chocolate shards, salted cookie crumb, mascarpone chantilly and Koko Black Belgian truffles. In Sydney, this delectable treat will be available at selected Koko Black stores, and at a special one-off Lune pop-up that's coming to the QVB for the weekend. If you want to get your hands on a croissant, Friday, July 7–Sunday, July 9 are the dates to mark down in your diary. You can either head to the Lune pop-up in the QVB, or Koko Black's stores at Westfield Pitt Street, The Strand Arcade and David Jones Bondi Junction. "This pastry is a classic for a reason. Our traditional croissant, elevated to celebrate Koko Black's Belgian truffle. It's the ultimate, decadent chocolate treat," said Lune founder Kate Reid. These pastries are set to be in high demand, so it's best to head down early to avoid disappointment. The Strand, Westfield Sydney and the QVB stores will all open at 8am on Friday, and 9am on Saturday and Sunday. Over at the Bondi Junction outpost, it'll open at 9.30am on Friday, 9am on Saturday and 10am on Sunday. If you missed it, Lune has confirmed that it will be opening a pair of permanent shopfronts in Sydney. The first is set to land on 60 Oxford Street, functioning as the brand's expansive 300-square-metre flagship Sydney store. Following this, a second spot will arrive at 1 Elizabeth Street, Martin Place as part of the new Sydney Metro Martin Place tower. Lune Croissanterie is popping up at the QVB between Friday, July 7–Sunday, July 9. You can also get the bakery's collaboration with Koko Black with the chocolatiers' Westfield Sydney, The Strand Arcade and Bondi Junction stores across the three days.
Reasons abound to love Bondi in winter; you can park within a 10k radius of where you actually need to be and not have to queue behind a bevy of excitable tourists to grab a coffee at a cafe that boasts glimpses of the ocean, for a start. But like a Jamaican new to bobsledding, Sydney’s little beachside gem suffers in winter, and while it may be a local residents' paradise, the beach is barren and business is slow. This year, rather than cower beneath the chill of winter's icy ocean winds, Bondi Beach is embracing the colder months like a Swiss Ski resort in peak season. As part of the Alpine Winter Festival, Bondi will transform from the sun-soaked, beachside hub of all things hot to … a Bergstation. A bergstation is the highest spot reachable by snow transports (ski lifts, cable-car, etc) in Alpine Ski resorts in Austria, Switzerland and Germany. Although the humidity's a few notches higher than the Alps and the only peaks in sight are of frothy sea salt and not of snowcapped mountains, who says Bondi can't be a bergstation? And why can't it erect a ginormous ice-rink for two weeks in July to demonstrate the fact? Yes. you read correctly, from July 16 to 25, snow deprived Sydneysiders will have the opportunity to skate on a 600 square-metre lake of ice alongside the sprawling white sands of Bondi Beach. And to really confuse the senses, keen skaters can cap off a day on the ice with a few cocktails at the St. Moritz bar or a hot meal beside an open fire overlooking the ocean in the Alpine Ski Hut. So, in these challenging economic times, you need not choose between your winter or summer holiday; Bondi Bergstation puts the ocean on ice for an all-rolled-into-one mid-year vacation.
It's almost obvious when you think about it. The vibrator did not first appear in history to bring women sexual pleasure; it appeared to make them manageable. It took some private revelations and a mass revolution before the device was reclaimed for its rightful purpose. In the Next Room, or the vibrator play is set in the late 19th century, when the advent of electricity led physicians to upgrade the previously manual technique of 'pelvic massage' they used to treat female 'hysteria', an umbrella illness whose symptoms could include faintness, nervousness, irritability, insomnia and/or "a tendency to cause trouble". The eventuating 'hysterical paroxysm' (ahem) would cure all lady ills. In this environment, the wide-eyed, restless and maternally troubled Catherine Givings (Jacqueline McKenzie) begins to listen at the door of her husband Dr Givings' (David Roberts) office. She finds the sounds coming from it most compelling. Drawn to meet the patients within — the soon rejuvenated Mrs Daldry (Helen Thomson); the rare male hysteric, an artist who's lost the use of his paintbrush, Mr Irving (Josh McConville) — she makes discoveries about her body, her relationship and the nature of intimacy. It's a period of history that holds a rich seam of material — a perfect junction of women's oppression, scientific subjectivity and the general quirks of Victoriana — and In the Next Room mines it using the weight of dramatic irony carried in by the clued-in postmodern audience. As you'd expect, watching a person have an orgasm on stage when they don't know what's happening to them is funny. Stuffy doctors showing off their inadvertently sexy inventions are funny. Double entendres are funny. A theatrical audience has never laughed this hard. The pleasant surprise, though, is that uncannily perceptive and heavily awarded young American playwright Sarah Ruhl has bestowed beautiful, random, entirely non-sex-related humour, too, and a warm, open meditation on the role of sex in society and in our inner lives. Only poor wet nurse Elizabeth (Sara Zwangobani) is given short shrift, culminating in an odd and overwrought clash with Mrs Givings. With its charming heroine, its lush and zeitgeist-containing costumes ('buttoned up' could have been coined just for referring to the Victorians) and its ornate, painterly set (Tracy Grant Lord) where walls blend into curtains, lights pointedly flicker and zap and you're enveloped in a living room fit for Jane Austen herself, In the Next Room is an incredibly fun and accessible work, and still a bit illuminating for its 21st-century onlookers.
This travelling boat bar is one of Sydney's latest and most dynamic ways to take in the harbour. It's a ticketed experience, but you can think of it like buying a ferry pass; from just $9 (for a short time only), you have entry to the boat and bar, hopping aboard from Circular Quay or King Street Wharf. Once you're aboard the revamped boat there are two areas in which you can kick back to enjoy drinks and snacks, while taking in the ever-changing unbeatable harbour views. On the lower deck, you can hang out on lounges and listen to live music, ordering cheese and charcuterie plates, all while working your way through the new cocktail list. On the upper deck, it's slightly more formal with table service and a restaurant menu of miso barramundi, Thai-style tuna and apple salad, and chicken karaage with lemon mayo. Plus, you can order indulgent desserts through the QR code menu, wherever you sit, such as the tiramisu tower.
You've just sat down on the couch with Aunty Donna's new $30 bottle of wine. You're done reading the Always Room for Christmas Pud picture book, however, and you've already watched Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun — aka one of 2020's best new shows — more times than you can count. What's a comedy fan left to do while they sip their $30 vino, other talk about it a heap? From sometime early in 2023, you can feast your eyes on new ABC sitcom Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe. Morning brown, morning brown, this bit of news is better than a cup of morning brown — because Aunty Donna is heading back to your TV, and to the ABC, as initially announced earlier in 2022. Yes, Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly and Zachary Ruane are heading to Aunty, in a return of what just might be Aussie television's most fitting pairing. This isn't the first time that the two have joined forces, after all, with Aunty Donna's Fresh Blood hitting iView back in 2014. This time, though, Bonanno, Kelly and Ruane are starring in a Melbourne-set comedy. The premise: three best mates run a cafe in one of Melbourne's laneways. Their coffee-slinging establishment is trendy, but the stretch of pavement it's in on isn't. You can expect cups of morning brown to be served, clearly. Hopefully, the song about them will get a whirl. Will the cafe be open on Christmas and serve up a little bit of pud, too? You'll have to watch to find out. From the just-dropped sneak peek, which sees Bonanno, Kelly and Ruane chat through what's in store and also includes snippets of footage, Aunty Donna's absurd sense of humour is firmly intact. Sniffing pastries, wearing Batman costumes, donning crowns, jumping on counters, cults, and guest appearances by Miranda Tapsell (Christmas Ransom), Pia Miranda (Mustangs FC) and Richard Roxburgh (Elvis) — they're all included. "This is a heightened, ridiculous sitcom about three friends who are trying to run a cafe. They get up to bizarre adventures, and we really hope it's going to be the latest, greatest addition to Australia's incredible history or ridiculous, stupid comedies," Bonanno says in the clip. "We cannot wait to make you laugh on ABC and ABC iView early next year" adds Ruane, before cutting a clip of him in-character asking "how is this going to sit on a Wednesday night on ABC"? Exactly when the show hits hasn't been revealed, other than that early 2023 timeframe, but you can check out the first teaser for Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe below: Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe will hit ABC and ABC iView sometime in early 2023 — we'll update you when an exact release date is announced.
Escape to the picturesque Mayfield Vineyard in Orange, where an abundance of comfortable accommodation options awaits. From a heritage-listed homestead to cosy cottages, this is the perfect spot to unwind and indulge in award-winning wine. The largest of the accommodations is The Homestead. Dating back to 1910, it boasts five bedrooms, four bathrooms, and two fireplaces. With a formal dining area, three living areas, and a large kitchen, it's perfect for large groups or families. The Homestead can also be combined with the Garden Flat — a fully self-contained cottage with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a private entrance — to create seven bedrooms, providing ample space for larger groups. Experience country-style charm at the two-bedroom Settlers Cottage built in 1886, or the quaint three-bedroom Overseers Cottage set among the vines, overlooking the lake and tree-lined walks into the vineyard. Something more romantic can be found at the Rose Cottage, with two bedrooms, one bathroom, and stunning views of the 100-year-old arboretum and rose garden. Relax with a glass of Mayfield's award-winning wine in the private front garden. For something even more compact, there's the aptly named School House, originally built as a schoolhouse for the staff's children (back in the past), a one-bedroom cottage with stunning views of the lake and vineyards. It's the perfect choice for a romantic getaway or solo retreat. Whether it's a cosy retreat for two or a large gathering, Mayfield Vineyard has something to offer. With a history that dates back over a century and award-winning wines, this is a must-visit destination in Orange.
Back in 2021, news arrived that Round the Twist was joining The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Muriel's Wedding, Strictly Ballroom, Starstruck and Moulin Rouge! in making the leap from Australia's screens to its theatres as a stage musical. If you've ever, ever felt like you needed to see the classic 90s and early 00s Aussie children's TV series with singing and dancing, the end result finally has a debut date. Your destination if you want to catch it first: Brisbane, with Round the Twist The Musical making its world premiere as part of Queensland Theatre's 2024 season. The homegrown gem is going the screen-to-stage route in a production that hasn't yet unveiled its cast, but already has the entire country well-acquainted with its characters. It'll hit QPAC's Playhouse from Tuesday, November 12–Sunday, December 1, closing out Queensland Theatre's 2024 run. We bet you're now more excited right now than a Twist family member in a lighthouse. Airing for two seasons between 1990–93, then another two from 2000–01, Round the Twist adapted Paul Jennings' popular books into an offbeat fantasy series. If you were the right age, it was must-see TV — and now it's your next must-see musical. Here's hoping that the new stage production not only does justice to the show that absolutely every Aussie kid watched in the 90s and 00s, and more than once, but that it taps into its balance of humour, strangeness and scares. There's definitely a big lighthouse involved, because of course there is. Obviously, we all know which song absolutely has to be included — and multiple times, ideally. Yes, it's the theme tune by Andrew Duffield that you've now got stuck in your head and will keep singing to yourself for the rest of the week. (And no, we're not sorry for putting it there.) Writer/composer Paul Hodge and director Simon Phillips (Muriel's Wedding: The Musical, Ladies in Black) are guiding the show, which will focus on single father Tony Twist; his children Pete, Linda and Bronson; and their efforts to save their home from the Gribble family while also attempting to solve a 200-year-old mystery. Expect haunted spaces, ghosts, smelly feet and a crystal ball as well, and songs. "Round The Twist The Musical is iconically Australian and it is our absolute pleasure to bring these characters, these stories and these songs to the stage for the first time ever," said Queensland Theatre Artistic Director Lee Lewis, announcing the 2024 program. "This has been a giddy labour of love for all of us here at Queensland Theatre for years now, and we're beyond excited to finally see this production come to life." Where Round The Twist The Musical will play after its Brisbane debut hasn't yet been announced, if you're hoping to see the production elsewhere around the country. Back in the Queensland capital, Queensland Theatre will also stage versions of Gaslight and Medea in 2024, the latter by Kate Mulvany and Anne-Louise Sarks. Football drama 37 will enjoy its world premiere, while Pulitzer Prize-winner Cost of Living and the Veep-style POTUS, Or Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying To Keep Him Alive will make their Australian debuts. If you need something Round the Twist-related to watch until November 2024 hits, all four seasons of the show are streaming on Netflix. You can also check out the trailer for Round the Twist's first season below: Round the Twist The Musical will premiere at the QPAC Playhouse, South Bank, Brisbane from Tuesday, November 12–Sunday, December 1, 2024 as part of Queensland Theatre's 2024 season — head to Queensland Theatre's website for further details. Top image: Round the Twist filming location Split Point lighthouse, Natalie Maguire via Wikimedia Commons.
UPDATE, April 26, 2021: Sorry to Bother You is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, Amazon Video and iTunes. How do you make a movie about the perils of apathy and complacency? A film that holds a mirror up to today's gleefully consumerist, corporation-driven society? A portrait of a world where money means power, and where both mean exploiting the many to enrich the few? If you're The Coup frontman turned first-time filmmaker Boots Riley, you also make a satirical comedy set in an alternate version of present-day Oakland, and a science-fiction fantasy that combines surreal images and scenarios with a savage message. You expose and skewer the status quo when it comes to race, class and wealth — and you tap into the anxiety that's become the prevailing mood of the 21st century. In short, you make Sorry to Bother You. Discussing the state of the world with with pals Salvador (Jermaine Fowler) and Squeeze (Steven Yeun), Cassius 'Cash' Green (Lakeith Stanfield) is offered a nugget of wisdom about the reason that nothing ever changes. "If you get shown a problem, and you have no idea how to control it, then you just decide to get used to the problem," he's told. Consider Sorry to Bother You the counterpoint — an audacious, absurd, amusing and highly entertaining rebuttal of simply accepting, assimilating, trying to conform and aiming to please. Riley takes Cash down a path that he can't merely grin and bear, in a picture that recalls Get Out and BlacKkKlansman in a vital way: it refuses to be shrugged off, ignored or overlooked. Get comfortable, because it's a wild ride. That said, being comfortable and content is a thorny notion in a film that paints the masses as workhorses for the rich, has everyone loving a reality show called I Got the S#*@ Kicked Out of Me!, and makes its protagonist rap for the braying approval of a largely white party. When viewers first meet Cash, he's anything but comfortable. In fact, he's waving about a fake 'employee of the month' plaque at a job interview, living in his uncle's (Terry Crews) garage with his artist girlfriend Detroit (Tessa Thompson) and barely managing to get by. He still gets the telemarketer gig, because they happily admit they'll hire anyone, but hawking encyclopaedias by phone is as soulless and soul-destroying as it sounds. Then a colleague (Danny Glover) gives Cash a tip: "use your 'white' voice". Taking his advice, he starts smooth-talking customers with tones that resemble Arrested Development's David Cross. Success follows, with Cash skyrocketing through the ranks to join the company's elite employees on the luxuriously appointed top floor. While his basement-dwelling ex-coworkers strike for better conditions, Cash is earning more cash than he's ever dreamed of, as well as the attention of hard-partying frat-boy CEO Steve Lift (Armie Hammer). He's also making multi-million dollar sales spruiking Lift's WorkFree concept, which promises ordinary folks a roof over their head and three meals a day if they sign a lifetime labour contract. Corporatised slavery is just the beginning of Cash's trip down the rabbit hole, and Stanfield is the perfect guide. On a resume that boasts Get Out, Atlanta and being one of the most memorable things about The Girl in the Spider's Web, Sorry to Bother You stands alongside Short Term 12 as the actor's best work. Here, he's everyone, including the marginalised and overlooked, and the minority communities forced to adjust to the prevailing world order. He's the everyday man unwillingly thrust into the spotlight, or laying awake worrying about existence, or just attempting to do what's right. For a while, he's also someone who gets shot from the bottom to the top and is willing to stomach his Faustian bargain. He's in great company, with Thompson, Yeun and Hammer all standouts. But Stanfield is Riley's anchor in a sea of chaos. And what chaos there is. Energy, zeal and fury, too, with the movie jam-packed with ideas, anger, insights and off-the-wall inclusions. Indeed, when a Michel Gondry-esque claymation sequence pops up, it's just one of the picture's stunning sights. Within such busy frames, there's little about modern society that Riley doesn't dissect and lambast, because, unlike the masses, he's not willing to look the other way. His lead character might adopt a white voice to survive and thrive, but the writer-director's voice is all his own (it's also literally heard on the soundtrack, which is partly supplied by The Coup). Like Cash, who's visually dropped into the lives of the people he calls, Sorry to Bother You's audience is submerged in the impassioned mindset of the film's creator. And Riley's not sorry to bother anyone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQKiRpiVRQM
Childhood snaps aplenty are filled with Australia's big things, including pictures with The Big Pineapple as a backdrop if you've ever visited the Sunshine Coast. As an adult, there's another way to make memories at the famous Woombye site: hitting up The Big Pineapple Festival, which is finally returning in 2024 after a three-year absence and has just dropped its jam-packed lineup. The Queensland fest announced its comeback earlier this year, and also its 2024 date: Saturday, October 19. Now comes who'll be taking to the stage while you dance in the shadow of a giant piece of tropical fruit. The Amity Affliction, Bliss n Eso and Peking Duk lead the bill, alongside Tones and I, Golden Features, Vera Blue, Thornhill and Dune Rats doing a DJ set. There's a heap more acts where they came from, too, on what's set to be a massive spring day in the Sunshine State. [caption id="attachment_964826" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Tom Barnes[/caption] 2024's event will also add a World Eats and Beats precinct, which is where you can grab a bite and listen to global tunes; the Lantern Parade lighting up the site, aka pineapple fields; the Skate Jam, where top Aussie skaters will on their decks; and Burlesque L'amour doing a festival stint. Or, you can enter the Best Dressed at the Fest contest, with prizes for both solo and team attire — and likely a range of pineapple-inspired outfits getting a workout — or try your stuff at The Great Australian Pineapple Toss competition. On the nation's list of big things, The Big Pineapple is among the most famous. It's big. It's a pineapple. It's heritage-listed Queensland icon. It's surrounded by those pineapple fields. It now has a new cafe and viewing platform. Basically, what's not to love? Since 2013, however, it's no longer merely a reason to go to Nambour to gawk at over-sized fruit — because that's when it also became home to a music festival, which ran annually until its current three-year break. As well as live music, the fest includes two days of camping. Accordingly, if you hadn't already, start looking forward to an event that'll take over its iconic location's natural amphitheatres, get folks pitching a tent at the 4000-person campground, and also span workshops and art installations in a relaxed setting, too. The Big Pineapple Festival's return is welcome news at a time when the Australian music scene has been seeing cancellations, rather than comebacks. Tasmania's Mona Foma said farewell forever after its 2024 event, both Splendour in the Grass and Groovin the Moo scrapped their 2024 festivals mere weeks after announcing their lineups, Falls Festival took summer 2023–24 off, Summergrounds Music Festival at Sydney Festival was cancelled and This That hasn't gone ahead for a couple of years now. The Big Pineapple Festival 2024 Lineup: The Amity Affliction Tones and I Bliss n Eso Golden Features Peking Duk Vera Blue Thornhill Dune Rats (DJ set) The Dreggs Drax Project SLUMBERJACK Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers Ocean Grove Kinder South Summit No Money Enterprise Day We Ran Betty Taylor Toby Hobart Hellcat Speedracer Raw Ordio Ishan Larynx Karlou Rhino Tess Fapani Earth Sign Unearthed winner [caption id="attachment_964825" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Billy Zammit[/caption] [caption id="attachment_944026" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Big Pineapple, Alpha via Flickr[/caption] The Big Pineapple Festival will return on Saturday, October 19, 2024. Ticket presale signups start from 8am on Monday, July 8, with presales beginning at 8am on Wednesday, July 10 and general sales from 8am on Thursday, July 11 — head to the fest's website for more information. Images: Claudia Ciapocha / Charlie Hardy.
If you're a dessert fiend, you've probably spent much of the pandemic satisfying your sweet tooth with a little help from Gelato Messina's long list of specials. The chain is clearly known for it frosty scoops, but it also likes to dabble with Iced VoVo cakes, cookie pies and sticky scrolls, among other dishes. If you're eager to try its latest treat, however, you'll need to place an order with online bakery Black Cream. Messina now makes its own couverture chocolate, so Black Cream is putting it to work in its new Messina Chocolate Basque cheesecakes. There's no gelato in sight — but if you order one of these beauties, which has been dubbed 'The Black', you'll be able to sink your teeth into a cheesecake made with Messina's 65-percent dark chocolate. Don't like choccies? This obviously isn't for you. Love chocolate more than most things? Then we've just found your next excuse to treat your tastebuds. The Black costs $65, with the 18-centimetre cheesecake designed to serve between six and eight people — and, given the time of year, that screams festive season. "We use only the best Australian ingredients in all our cheesecakes. Messina chocolate brought a bold richness of flavours to our cakes. There was no choice but to create the Messina Chocolate Basque cheesecake," explains Black Cream's Ant Sandler and Lucie Bertiau. When they started their cheesecake business in 2020, the pair actually sought inspiration from Messina. And, after taking a tour of Messina's HQ, they were inspired to start experimenting with its couverture chocolate in their cheesecakes. Given the bakery's online setup, Sydneysiders can get The Black delivered to their doors, too. You do need to order at least two days in advance, so take that into consideration if your stomach is now rumbling. To order Black Cream's Messina Chocolate Basque cheesecakes, head to the online bakery's website.
Run by the same folks at Sydney Park Hotel in Newtown, The White Cockatoo is a beloved pokies-free pub and accommodation in Sydney's Petersham. On the ground floor, you'll find the public bar and dining room as well as a vine-covered beer garden that's simply made for summer drinking seshes. Grab a parmy, some cheesy poutine chips, burgers and some craft beers or go a little fancier. Taste your way through some of The White Cockatoo's impressive selection of wines, pairing the drops with a great cut of steak or some crispy skin barramundi. [caption id="attachment_904456" align="alignnone" width="1920"] KW Photography[/caption] Alternatively, make all your decisions based on the daily pub deals. Mondays are for 'pint parties' when all schooners are automatically supersized to pints. Tuesdays are all about cheap tinnies. Trivia is hosted here every Wednesday. On Thursday nights, pub members go in the draw to win a cash prize. And Fridays see the locals pack in for the free meat raffle. You can even live at The White Cockatoo. Not behind the bar, but in one of the 20 recently renovated pub-style rooms — each kitted out with a queen bed, flat-screen TV, wardrobe and lounge. Plus, they have access to a fully equipped kitchen, laundry and shared facilities. Call this top-notch neighbourhood pub home for the night, or even a couple of weeks. It's one of our personal favourites for a reason. Appears in: The Best Pubs in Sydney
When it opens in May 2023, SEA SEA looks set to be much more than your usual coastal hotel in New South Wales. Co-owners George Gorrow (co-founder of Ksubi fashion label and creator of The Slow hotel in Bali) and Cisco Tschurtschenthaler (a model, keen surfer, raw food chef, yoga teacher and founder of Cisco & The Sun Home) will use this new Crescent Head site to host art exhibitions, a fashion line and a homewares collection. And yeah, you can spend a few nights there as well. In terms of design and functionality, the 25-room hotel will take inspiration from Australia's 70s surf culture. Each room will be filled with bespoke, artisan-produced furniture and crafts paired with bold pieces of artwork. If it's anything like The Slow in Bali, it will be a visually stunning space where patrons can really relax. The food and drinks offerings will be a big part of the experience, too. The venue is teaming up with Sydney's much-loved P&V Wine & Liquor Merchants and mixologist Antonello Arzedi (who has previously worked at Icebergs Dining Room and Bar) to level up the drinks menu. Food will be looked after by Daniel Medcalf of Cabarita's No 35 Kitchen and Bar and, previously, The Dolphin Hotel and The Slow Kitchen and Bar in Bali. Guests and visitors can also make their way over to Room 13, where Gorrow's passion for art and design will keep taking centre stage. This 90-square-metre project space will house a rolling series of art exhibitions, changing every six weeks, and also play host to musical performances curated by Wesley Heron, the hotel's Music Director. You can even tune into the venue's in-house radio station from your room — curated by Reverberation. [caption id="attachment_878246" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Wesley Heron, SEA SEA's Music Director.[/caption] Also a feature: Gorrow's new fashion label Non-Type, which will be sold at the hotel. That venture sees him team up with another Ksubi co-founder, Gareth Moody — keep an eye out for the label's tailored pants, board shorts, wetsuits and leather blazers. Cisco Tschurtschenthaler's aforementioned homewares range Cisco & The Sun Home will be sold at the hotel as well, with the owners clearly putting a lot of themselves into this venture. And, of course, the new boutique hotel will be right by the beach. In fact, SEA SEA will be just 400 metres away from a must-surf Crescent Head point break. So, grab your surfboard (or boogie board) and prepare for an epic seaside vacay down in this laidback town. SEA SEA will open in Crescent Head, New South Wales on May 1, 2023, and will start taking bookings from the beginning of December. Head to the hotel's website for further information. Now you can book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips, and discover inspiring deals on flights, stays and experiences.
Ever wondered what happened to the Yogurtberrys and froyo joints of the world? So did we. Fortunately for those who partake, frozen yoghurt has once again entered the chat and is now cooler than ever with the arrival of this newly opened frozen yoghurt store (and its competitive counterpart, Yo-Chi). It's called Freo and it's bringing to an array of entirely gluten-free froyo and gelato to CBD-goers with top hospo talent at the forefront of its process. LuMi Dining and Lode Pies & Pastries' chef Federico Zanellato has partnered with Andy Siauwidjaja, Daniel Lubarda and Munas van Boonsta (three industry-leading innovators) to launch the new spot. Located on Bathurst Street, the slick venue is open from 11am to 10pm daily, following the familiar pay-by-weight standard of this particular category of dessert. Take your pick from more than ten Asian-inspired flavours of natural pot-set yoghurt — including Japanese strawberry, mango and taro — and 35-plus toppings from an array of mochi and in-house baked goods to fresh fruit and a sauce selection curated by chef Frederico himself, all of which guarantee the use of 100% natural ingredients and are completely gluten-free. There are also plant-based gelato flavours for the vegans wanting to get in on the action, from organic coconut and matcha to 70% Belgian dark chocolate. You'll find Freo open from 10am to 11pm daily at 115 Bathurst Street in Sydney.
Superheroes are generally a special breed; they're physical or genetic mutants seeking revenge or protecting the world (often both). What if, however, a superhero was just the guy who has a locker a few doors down from yours, the kind of teenage dude who obsesses over internet porn and caped crusaders, the kind who doesn't have any powers per se. So opens the new film based on the comic book series by Mark Millar. Reading of the derring-do of superheroes while being beaten up by local thugs, seventeen year old Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson, last seen portraying John Lennon in Nowhere Boy) orders a wetsuit, sets up a few online accounts and hits the streets looking for action. He gets stabbed. Of course, a near-fatal stabbing doesn't keep a good superhero down, and he returns to civilisation to locate a little, lost kitten and get a dude to lay off the girl he likes. Chaos, much blood and a pint-sized female wonder named Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz) ensue. As does her superhero father Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage), a few laugh-it-up-fuzzball friends, a fauxmo/romantic subplot and a surplus of weaponry. The film crosses genres knowingly, with winks scattered throughout aimed at pop history, but has far too many nods to contemporary culture that will feel dated by the time you run out of popcorn. Kick-Ass is bloody, violent and bloody violent, as all good superhero comics are. It never quite translates to screen, however, and what feels immersive in an inked panel eventually grows tiring in the cinema. It's mostly fun, occasionally charming and sporadically funny (Johnson's scenes with Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Red Mist are particularly good). When everything is working, the film is a total thrill but this doesn't happen nearly enough; if there's a sequel it'd better be called 'Hit-Girl' because this film is already hers. https://youtube.com/watch?v=jE7y-OuYqs4
The Butler tells the story of Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), an African American man who grew up on the cotton fields of the South only to then serve for decades as a butler in the White House. His tenure lasted from the administrations of Eisenhower all the way through to Reagan, and through his eyes director Lee Daniels shows us the intimate, unseen moments behind some of America's most turbulent periods. From Jackie Kennedy sitting alone, blood-soaked and weeping, to Richard Nixon foraging for snacks in the kitchen, Gaines dutifully tended to their needs — at once indispensable and yet imperceptible so as to not even seem present in the room. While presidents came and went, however, the issue of race relations remained ever-present and increasingly divisive in the United States, and it is that which forms the focus of Daniels' film. This subject is explored not just through Gaines' story as butler to those most possessed of the power to effect change but through his son, Louis (David Oyelowo), who became a passionate black rights activist, travelling on the Freedom Bus, working alongside Martin Luther King and even becoming a Black Panther. This use of concurrent plot lines occasionally hits home, most notably when a lavish state dinner at the White House is intercut with the infamous Woolworth's diner sit in, during which black customers were bashed and abused for ignoring segregated seating. More often, though, the White House scenes feel like they're from an entirely different movie; a cavalcade of celebrity impersonations ranging from the impressive (Alan Rickman as Reagan) to the outright bizarre (John Cusack as Nixon). Given the poignancy (if also Forrest Gump-esque convenience) of the son's civil rights vignette, it's tough not to feel The Butler would've been better served by excluding the presidents entirely, perhaps save for the occasional use of archival footage. Gaines is based on the former White House butler Eugene Allen, and in bringing him to life, Whitaker turns in arguably the performance of his career. He masterfully demonstrates the 'two faces' worn by African Americans during the decades of racial tension: one that's real, vulnerable and angry, the other that's designed to calm white people and keep them from feeling threatened. Oprah Winfrey also puts in a powerful performance as Gaines' wife — her first film role in 15 years since Beloved. Theirs is a marriage no less turbulent than the world around it, but its foundation is sound and their tenderness is genuinely moving through both the highs and the lows. Around them, the supporting cast is enormous, including Robin Williams, James Marsden, Cuba Gooding Jr, Lenny Kravitz, Liev Schreiber, Jane Fonda, Vanessa Redgrave and Terrence Howard. The Butler may at times stray into sanctimonious territory, even veering towards parody, but its honest depiction of some of America's darkest days and the performances by its leads make it more than worthwhile, delivering an ambitious, powerful and emotional two hours of cinema. https://youtube.com/watch?v=DUA7rr0bOcc
My my, how can you resist this? MAMMA MIA! The Musical is bringing its Greek-set onstage party back to Australia in 2023 — and if you're a musical fan, an ABBA devotee or perennially keen to indulge in 70s nostalgia, you'll want to be there. By now, the hit production is well-known around the world, including from previous Aussie runs. It has spawned not one but two movies, too. And, its tale of a young bride-to-be's quest to find her father before her wedding will liven up Sydney Lyric from next autumn. So far, only a Sydney season has been locked in for MAMMA MIA! The Musical's Australian return, starting in May 2023. For folks outside the Harbour City, cross your fingers that this restaging of the popular 2017 production will also take its romantic chaos and 22 ABBA tracks around the country — or, you'll need to take a chance on a Sydney trip. Here we go again with one of the biggest jukebox musical hits of the past quarter-century, as seen by over 65 million people worldwide so far. The story, as theatre audiences have enjoyed since 1999, follows 20-year-old Sophie, who is about to marry her fiancé Sky on the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi. It's her dream for her dad to walk her down the aisle, but courtesy of her mother Donna's old diary, she learns that her father could be one of three men: Sam Carmichael, Bill Austin or Harry Bright. Calling all dancing queens, obviously — with that track, the titular number, and everything from 'Money, Money, Money', 'Thank You for the Music', 'Super Trouper' and 'The Name of the Game' to 'SOS', 'Does Your Mother Know', 'Waterloo' and 'Knowing Me, Knowing You' featuring (and 'Take a Chance on Me', 'The Winner Takes It All' and, of course, 'I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do', too). The new Australian run hails from producers Michael Coppel, Louise Withers and Linda Bewick, plus Helpmann Award-winning director Gary Young, choreographer Tom Hodgson and musical supervisor Stephen Amos. Exactly who'll be playing Sophie, Donna, Sam, Bill and Harry hasn't yet been revealed — but if you already know and love the show and the soundtrack, that won't matter. MAMMA MIA! The Musical plays Sydney Lyric from May 2023, with tickets on sale from Thursday, November 24. For further details or to join the waitlist, head to the production's website. Images: James D Morgan.
If you ever needed a reminder of why people run, the Blackmores Sydney Running Festival is a fine justification — beautiful morning views of our favourite city, actually running on Australia's most iconic bridge and, of course, the seemingly endless health benefits from the heart-pumping act itself. And with four events (Marathon, approx. 42.2km; Half Marathon, approx. 21km; Bridge Run, 9km; and the Family Fun Run, 3.5km), it doesn't matter whether you are a seasoned athlete or have just pushed past that beginner, clutching-at-the-heart feeling. Entry fees cover your event kit and the various administrative costs that make it possible for everyone to run safely without beeping city cars. Alternatively, you can fundraise for a good cause, meet your target and run for free. In previous years, the Sydney Running Festival saw over 4000 participants and raised $2 million for charitable organisations. Planners are hoping to top both of these figures this year.
A longstanding pillar of Sydney's queer community and nightlife, Oxford Street nightclub ARQ closed its doors during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. While Sydneysiders had become accustomed to beloved bars closing down following the lockout laws, it was still a huge blow when ARQ didn't reopen post-restrictions. Thankfully, the club will finally be making its grand return following its (nearly) three-year hiatus. 23 years on from originally opening its doors, ARQ will return to Oxford Street following a multimillion-dollar renovation on Friday, December 16. The nightclub returns in time for next year's WorldPride Sydney with a new and improved entertainment setup including fresh sound equipment and visuals including Australia's first moving lighting truss. Staples of the ARQ experience including the spa and sauna, Bodyline, Trash Alley and the revolving doors have all been maintained and refreshed, while the venue also welcomes a new arcade-style games room and a cocktail lounge. "We have all come together again to not only revitalise ARQ, but the entire Australian nightlife industry," ARQ owner Shadd Danesi says. "We believe we are finally in a position to revitalise Australian entertainment, starting with ARQ, reclaiming its position as the jewel in Oxford Street's crown." While you can expect an ongoing program of DJs, drag performers, pyrotechnics, aerialists and live musicians gracing the ARQ stage, the team has pulled together a stacked program of talent to relaunch the venue. The opening night on Friday, December 16 will feature a performance from none other than star of stage and screen Natalie Bassingthwaighte alongside drag queens and DJs ensuring the party is pumping from 10pm until late. Throughout the rest of the weekend, you can expect packed dance floors and more entertainment showing off the venue's new state-of-the-art sound and visual equipment — including appearances from Jack Vidgen, Zoe Badwi and SGT Slick. ARQ will reopen at 16 Flinders Street, Darlinghurst on Friday, December 16. Tickets for the opening weekend celebrations go on sale at 10am on Wednesday, December 7.
In Spider-Man: No Way Home, everyone's favourite friendly neighbourhood web-slinger still does whatever a spider can. (Don't expect the catchy cartoon theme song, though.) To be precise, Spidey's latest outing — starring Tom Holland (Chaos Walking), as every live-action film in the ever-sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe that's featured the superhero has — sees him do whatever spider-men have for decades. The masked crusader shoots webs, flings them about New York and swings around the city. He helps people, battles crime, literally hangs out with his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya, Dune) and saves the world, too. As the movie's trailers revealed, Spider-Man also fights whoever his on-screen predecessors fought. The twist that isn't a twist because it's part of the flick's marketing: that villains from Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's stints as Spidey show up here. Those familiar faces, including Willem Dafoe (The Card Counter) as the Green Goblin, Alfred Molina (Promising Young Woman) as Doctor Octopus and Jamie Foxx (Soul) as Electro, aren't Peter Parker's initial problem, as viewers of 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming and 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home will already know. No Way Home picks up immediately after the latter, after Spidey's secret identity has been blasted across the internet by online conspiracist J Jonah Jameson (JK Simmons, Ride the Eagle). The media swiftly make Peter "the most famous person in the world", the public get hostile and his college prospects — and MJ and Ned's (Jacob Batalon, Let It Snow) as well — take a hit. The only solution he can see: asking Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog) to cast a spell to make everyone forget who he is. With drastic magic comes drastic consequences, hence those recognisable nefarious folks who know Spidey — and definitely know that he's Peter Parker — yet don't recognise the MCU's version. Marvel's next flick after this one is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so the franchise is about to go big on alternate worlds, but No Way Home still doesn't actually jump into that domain first. It's a curious choice on the whole huge saga's part to take cues from the animated delight that is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which relished having multiple spider-realms, got inventive with both its concept and visuals, won an Oscar and is easily the best spider-flick to-date, all without sitting within the MCU itself. Indeed, the live-action franchise's third stand-alone Spider-Man movie can't shake the feeling that it's playing catch-up. Directed by Jon Watts, as all three recent web-slinging films have been, No Way Home does more than give flesh, blood and spandex to an ace idea already brought to the screen a mere three years back. It also delivers the heftiest helping of fan service that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever dished up. The franchise has long enjoyed hitting all the obvious crowd-pleasing notes, but Martin Scorsese's 2019 comment that compared MCU fare to theme parks rings particularly true here — unsurprisingly given this Spider-Man outing wants to elicit the loudest of screams and shouts from its audience. Buy the ticket, take the cinematic ride, ooh and aah over every clear spin and foreseeable twirl: amid the stock-standard CGI-packed action scenes and triple-layered Spidey nods to iterations past, not all that long ago and present, that's what No Way Home seeks from its viewers. And, it takes the rollercoaster approach to evoking that reaction, rolling its story down the most glaring of tracks. You can anticipate each jolt and shake on any given amusement ride, see every up and down coming, and still relish the experience — and that's what No Way Home is hoping for. It wants to be the fun flick that gleefully makes Spidey fans' dreams come true, and to coast on the buzz of all those fantasies fulfilled. That's all busy and nostalgic and undemandingly entertaining but, even though No Way Home isn't short on twists that haven't been laid out in the trailers, this is one of the least surprising MCU films yet. Three-time Spider-Man screenwriters Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna make every expected move they can with this greatest hits package, both within the usual Marvel formula and with the parts of their script that are meant to startle and astonish. As a result, No Way Home's best moments swing in one of two directions: weighty or silly. Much of the movie hovers in the middle, resembling the empty space between an arachnid's silky threads, but when it either burrows deep or keeps things goofy, there's enough that sticks. Pondering the cost of being Spider-Man, the film doesn't fling itself into new territory — and yet it manages to add extra strands to the 'being a superhero is tough' scenario by recognising how such woes keep recurring. Finding laughs in the whole situation isn't unique either, and No Way Home isn't as funny or as loose as Homecoming or Far From Home. Still, that's the vibe that suits Holland; in his stretch in the red-and-blue suit, he's always played Peter like an excited, awkward and overwhelmed teen who's daffily grappling with what it all means, which is particularly pivotal here. There is one brief glorious moment during No Way Home's climax — a trio of shots, all edited together rapidly and framed to match each other — that perfects what Watts is aiming for overall. It's astute, amusing, enjoyable and, although still undeniably obvious, thoughtfully taps into the existential Spidey struggle while simultaneously proving loving and playful. It's the full web, even spanning just seconds, but that term doesn't fit the bulk of the feature that sprawls around it. No Way Home isn't without its charms — Holland and Zendaya's chemistry still sparkles, it's a definite treat to see Dafoe and Molina back in the fold, and, as blasts from the pasts keep popping up, Watts cleverly juggles the varying tones of all three different web-slinging franchises — but this spider-sequel is always happiest when it's trying to catch the audience's claps and cheers just like flies.
It's been a long time coming, but the Speakeasy Group's hotly-anticipated Parramatta rooftop bar finally has a launch date — just a casual 18 months after it was first announced. Set to open its doors early next month, way up on the 26th floor of the V by Crown development, Nick & Nora's will mark the group's sixth venue, joining a stable that includes hospitality hits like Eau de Vie, Mjolner and Melbourne's Boilermaker House. Pulling inspiration from Dashiell Hammett's novel The Thin Man and its fictional sleuthing characters Nick and Nora Charles, the sophisticated space is an homage to the roaring 30s. The site is still under construction, so expect an opulent fit-out, lavish art deco touches and a whole lot of Champagne. There will be room for an impressive 300 people, with a sprawling terrace boasting views across the CBD and Sydney Harbour. Even so, you can rest assured booze isn't taken lightly — the back bar selection will run to a hefty 900 spirits, while climate-controlled fridges are stocked with over 50 Champagnes from the world's most celebrated houses. The cocktail offering will be as tight as you'd expect from these pros, with a 30-strong list featuring multiple variations of martinis, sours and Champagne-infused sips. And we can't wait to see what delicious mischief the bar gets up to with its five liquid nitrogen stations. As for the food, expect an offering that holds its own against the plush vibe and ritzy drinks lineup — fine cheese and charcuterie, top-quality oysters and some of the world's best caviar promise an all-round opulent affair. The bar is part of Parramatta's huge V by Crown complex, which features a luxury 72-suite hotel, residential apartments and restaurant Husk and Vine. It's a big opening for the area — and one that may kick off a bar boom. Nick & Nora's will open at Level 26, 45 Macquarie Street, Parramatta, from early September. We'll let you know when we have an opening date.
In 2022, beloved social enterprise Two Good Co opened a cafe and convenience store in Darlinghurst's Yirranma Place. The venue provides Sydneysiders with tasty breakfast and lunch options, as well as products from local ethically minded businesses such as The Bread & Butter Project, Kua Coffee and Gelato Messina — all while raising funds to help Two Good's goal of supporting vulnerable women by providing pathways out of crisis living. Each month at the cafe, the crew brings in a well-known and well-loved chef or culinary team to create special one-off menu items. Kylie Kwong, Maggie Beer, Peter Gilmore and Matt Moran have all been on curating duties in the past, and the month of August 2023 sees the pleasure fall on food writer and stylist Lucy Tweed. Tweed is known for her ever-popular cookbook series and online recipe brand Every Night of the Week. A purveyor of all things fresh, hearty and not overly complicated, Tweed brings the spirit of Every Night of the Week to Two Good Co's monthly menu. Available throughout August, the menu features two no-fuss vegetarian lunch items and a little sweet treat. Item number one is the scrap burger, which piles up two beetroot and haloumi patties with house pickles, cheese and a honey mustard mayo on a seeded milk bun. Also available: a rustic tomato canned bread soup with cannellini beans and parmesan. Rounding out the offerings is a little lunchtime dessert in the form of a heart-shaped berry-mallow shortcake topped with coconut and strawberry jam. If you want to sample the menu, just head over to 262 Liverpool Street at some point in August.
Is there any such thing as bad gyoza? Wrapping tasty fillings in pastry is a rather straightforward concept, after all. Australia's Japanese chain Harajuku Gyoza does the basics well, as you'd expect with its dumpling-celebrating name — but it also knows that this simple dish is teeming with possibilities. Home to Nutella gyoza and salted caramel gyoza, Harajuku Gyoza clearly likes getting creative with its sweet treats. The brand is fond of trying out new things with its savouring dumpling range, too, as its experiment with mac 'n' cheese and pepperoni pizza versions showed. But, it obviously has a soft spot for the kind of desserts you won't find on any old menu — already whipping up lemon meringue gyoza and marshmallow gyoza so far in 2022, and now going with a Ferrero Rocher version. Don't like, can't eat or are allergic to hazelnuts? You'll already know that Ferrero Rocher aren't for you, and neither are these Ferrero Rocher dumplings, sadly. Otherwise, expect exactly what this food mashup sounds like. They come dipped in chocolate and topped with crushed hazelnuts, with an actual Ferrero Rocher inside. The home of raindrop cakes and Japanese air cheesecakes is doing three Ferrero Rocher gyoza for $12, if your stomach is already rumbling. And if you fancy tucking into the new dumplings after devouring two old favourites — cheeseburger gyoza, which is stuffed with burger pieces, aged cheddar, onion, pickles, mustard and tomato sauce; and mozzarella gyoza, which is filled with the obvious, then deep-fried and sprinkled with Twisties salt — that's up to you. Harajuku Gyoza's Ferrero Rocher gyoza are available at all Australian stores — at Darling Harbour in Sydney; at South Bank and the CBD in Brisbane; and in Broadbeach on the Gold Coast — from Tuesday, November 1.
Immersive and Instagrammable art has been all the rage in Australia for a few years now. Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Room has taken up permanent residence in Canberra, Sugar Republic's "dessert museum" keeps popping up, both multi-sensory playground Imaginaria and Van Gogh Alive have been touring the country in 2021, and Melbourne now has its own permanent digital art museum. And, after first hitting our shores in Sydney in 2020, Happy Place is about to jump back on the must-photograph list. Dubbed the "world's most Instagrammable exhibit", the multi-room installation had already travelled across the US and Canada before its first Aussie stop, and now it's heading to Crown Melbourne from Thursday, December 2–Sunday, January 30. Once inside the exhibition, you'll find many OTT rooms to explore, including a rubber ducky bathtub room, a cookie room that actually smells like freshly baked cookies, a room filled with 40,000 golden handmade flowers and a giant rainbow with a golden ball pit (no leprechauns though, sorry). If that doesn't have you reaching for your smartphone, there's also a mind-bending upside-down room and the "world's largest indoor confetti dome". When it was on display in the northern hemisphere, more than one million snap-happy folks visited Happy Place — including, supposedly, celebs such as Adele, Hilary Duff, Kerry Washington, Olivia Wilde and Sarah Michelle Gellar — and we're guessing it's going to be equally popular during its return Down Under. While the exhibition is "on a mission to spread happiness around the world", thankfully it isn't actually like The Good Place. Obviously, it's likely to sell out — and fast. Happy Place will be operating under COVID-safe guidelines in Melbourne, which means that all patrons over the age of 16 will need to be double-vaccinated — and there'll be contact tracing in effect, as well as increased sanitisation measures. Find Happy Place at Crown Melbourne, Level 1 Metropol Precinct, 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank from Thursday, December 2–Sunday, January 30. Adult tickets start at $24.99 and are on sale now.
Brett Whiteley is considered one of the most prominent Australian artists of the 20th century. So it's a little surprising to learn that there has never been an exhibition specifically dedicated to his drawing — until now. Across summer, the Art Gallery of NSW is hosting a retrospective solely focused on this element of Whiteley's work and the pivotal role it played in his wider practice, titled Brett Whiteley: Drawing is Everything. You'll get to experience rarely seen works dating from the early days of his career through to his later years as one of Australia's most beloved and internationally successful artists. With an impressive 116 pieces on display, expect to see an amazing variety of drawings, ranging from portraits and nudes to interiors, lyrical landscapes and abstracts. The exhibition also showcases some of Whiteley's most significant paintings and sculptures, aiming to highlight the way in which drawing — which Whiteley once described as an "un-rehearsable and unrepeatable visual truth" — habitually planted the seed for his broader artistic practices. As always at the Art Gallery of NSW, there's a bunch of related workshops, talks and special events to get involved in. Over weekends during February and March, you can hop on a free shuttle between the Gallery, the Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills and Wendy Whiteley's Secret Garden in Lavender Bay (if you've never been, you're in for a treat.) Plus, when you visit the exhibition, you'll be given a pencil and drawing booklet so you can record your own creative response. Even if you're not much of a drawer, give it a go and don't overthink it. In Whiteley's own words, "It is better to have drawn and lost than never to have drawn at all." Brett Whiteley: Drawing is Everything is open at the Art Gallery of NSW until Sunday, March 31. For more information on the associated public programs and to purchase tickets, visit the website. We also have five double passes to the exhibition to give away. Enter with your details below. [competition]705901[/competition]
Turning in for the night? That shouldn't stop you from getting turned up. Presented at W Sydney in partnership with Belvedere, this lavish hotel in Darling Harbour is hosting a month-long martini celebration for guests staying in its premium suites. Available from Monday, June 1–Monday, June 30, guests booked in the hotel's Fantastic Suite, Marvelous Suite, five Wow Suites and the Extreme Wow Suite will receive the Turn Up Service — a handcrafted martini experience presented right in the comfort of your suite. Transforming your room into a private martini bar, this turndown service goes far beyond fluffed pillows and a sweet treat on the side table. For this special event, a W Sydney bartender will arrive with a cocktail tray in tow, ready to shake the perfect mini martini using Belvedere vodka. Tailored to your tastes — dry or wet, dirty or clean, shaken or stirred — this complimentary service comes with moreish snacks, like martini-infused sour cream, gourmet crisps and stuffed Manzanilla olives. Beyond this indulgent service, guests are also invited to visit the BTWN Bar — W Sydney's in-house restaurant — to sip three limited-edition martini cocktails centred on Belvedere Organic Vodka. Paired with inventive snacks, the options include the oyster martini with an Appellation oyster; the saltbush martini with a saltbush and lamb shoulder scrumpet and pickles; and the salt and vinegar martini with a fish and chips-inspired coating, cod roe and potato chip. Plus, if you happen to check in on World Martini Day — that's Saturday, June 21 — you'll receive a free mini martini at the bar. So, make your luxury stay even more luxe with this special collaboration throughout June. The Turn Up Service runs from Monday, June 1–Monday, June 30 at W Sydney, 31 Wheat Road, Sydney. Head to the website for more information.
What music goes best with turning eight-million Lego bricks into the largest collection of life-sized Lego Star Wars models ever assembled? 'Luke's Theme', aka the franchise's main tune? 'The Imperial March' when things get tricky? 'Parade of the Ewoks', just because? That's a question for Ryan McNaught aka Brickman, who has been spending time turning plastic rectangles, squares and other shapes into a recreation of a galaxy far, far away. The end result: Lego Star Wars: The Exhibition, which is a world-first showcase of Lego models based on the George Lucas-created space saga. It'll arrive in Australia in 2025, making its global premiere — and it sparks another question for attendees: which tracks will pair well with walking through this Lego Star Wars wonderland? The force is strong with this one — the Lego-building force, that is. Exactly where all of those millions of Lego bricks will display hasn't been revealed as yet, and neither have exact exhibition dates, but you can start getting as excited as a Skywalker learning how to first use a lightsaber. The full list of models that'll feature also hasn't been unveiled so far, but battle scenes between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader will be on display, plus Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul duelling, and also Emperor Palpatine's throne flanked by two Royal Guards. If you're in Melbourne and Sydney, you can also get a sneak peek right now — with the first two at Westfield Doncaster from Wednesday, May 1–Monday, May 6, and the third at Sydney Arcade's huge Lego store (the world's largest, in fact) for the month of May. As it constructs an immersive experience and follows in the footsteps of the Jurassic World franchise, which has also scored the Lego treatment from Brickman, Star Wars: The Exhibition has plenty of material to draw upon. On-screen, the series spans the initial film trilogy that released from 1977–83, then the prequels from 1999–2005, then the sequels — including The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker — from 2015–2019. Rogue One, Solo, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, Ahsoka: the list goes on across the big and small screens. There's also TV's The Acolyte, which arrives in June 2024, plus the wealth of animated efforts in the saga. "Building real people and characters is one of the hardest things you can possibly make out of Lego bricks. Each model not only has to represent who it is in incredible detail, but also needs to capture the moment, the emotion, the struggle, the tension," said McNaught about Lego Star Wars: The Exhibition. "Translating those epic scenes, iconic characters and spacecraft from Star Wars into little bricks is really hard and that's why they are rarely done, and even more so on this scale. Nobody has ever recreated these fight scenes at this scale out of Lego before — and I'm excited to be able to help premiere this in Australia for the first time in 2025." Lego Star Wars: The Exhibition will hit Australia in 2025, with when and where still to be revealed — we'll let you know more when it is announced. Head to the exhibition's website to sign up for updates in the interim.
Think about the satisfaction of an epic growing out of the tiniest, most humble of origins. Whether it's the highbrow whiff of Proust's madeleine or the spunk'n'egg cocktail of human history, the romantic notion of 'from little things great things grow' is an appealing motif. In the case of Life and Times, the current mega work by New York-based theatre company Nature Theater of Oklahoma, the starting point was a phone conversation between co-artistic director Pavol Liska and company member Kristin Worrall. Worrall's brief was simple — tell her life story — and yet in the years since that first request in 2007, the verbatim results of her conversations with Liska have expanded into 15 hours worth of theatrical performance out of an anticipated 24. The art of conversation The casual language of phone conversations has formed the basis of two previous NTOK productions, No Dice (2008) and Romeo and Juliet (2009), and Liska and his partner, co-artistic director Kelly Copper, regularly chat with an impressive cohort of international artists in their podcast, OK Radio. The art of conversation it seems is, for now at least, a recurring principle of the company's process. "My education comes from my encounters with all different types of people," says Liska. "As a child you grow up and you meet this person and this person and this person, and I don't want to shut that process down. I know that I can't talk to everybody, so the people I do choose to talk to, I try to talk with them as deeply as possible. I use conversation as a springboard to unbalance myself, to derail myself. Ultimately, I could just lock myself in the closet and talk to myself, but there would be no resistance. So I use the other person to question my own ideas, to unbalance me and derail my own train of thought, and I do that to them as well." It is this deep process of conversation that provides the wealth of material for NTOK's Life and Times, of which Episodes 1–4 (out of an eventual ten) will be performed at this year's Melbourne Festival. Worrall's life story is not a chronologically linear autobiography, but rather a stream of recollection that fabricates a self-aware state of cause-and-effect as she links events through talking with Liska. The result is, for Liska, a kind of language that "does not belong in the theatre", and one that requires transformation before it is fit for an audience. Bringing theatre to the everyday "The more loose the text is, if it's a meandering conversation about something, the harder we have to work in the opposite direction [to formalise it], otherwise it's invisible," says Liska. A clear example of NTOK's approach to adapting conversational brain-dumping for the stage can be found in the earlier work Romeo and Juliet, which emerged from Liska and Copper calling friends and recording their attempts to recount the plot of Shakespeare's famous tragedy. "In order to make [these recordings] pop and to open them up, we felt like we needed to use a really formal mode of presentation, that over-the-top, cliched Shakespearean performance style," recounts Liska. As a contrast, after the show's curtain call the company then performed Shakespeare's original version of the balcony scene — in the dark, and understated, as the language was already so theatrical. “It just wouldn't be enough to present a phone conversation,” says Liska, “maybe some people who work with documentary theatre are okay with that, but ultimately I sit in rehearsal and I go to every performance and I have to find that it's opening something up for myself. It's not a purely humanistic effort — we're not just presenting the conversation and saying, hey, look at how wonderful people are — it's an aesthetic manifesto and an exploration.” Audiences and the clap Liska is genuine when he talks about the company exploring language through experimentation with aesthetics, and Life and Times already features a manic diversity in its presentation styles from episode to episode, including a couple that depart from traditional audience-actor theatre experiences altogether. "Obviously the audience doesn't talk back," says Liska, "but I want the exchange in the room to be a conversation, and my goal is never to allow the audience to forget that they are playing a role in the event. That's why it's so long — so that all these preconceived notions fall away. Something else happens." While Melbourne audiences will be able to see individual episodes separately, the ideal experience is to front up for the ten-hour marathon and in some way merge meaningfully with Liska, Copper and the gang. “If I have a conversation with you, I don't want you to clap for me at the end,” says Liska. Although there will be a curtain call at the end of the Melbourne marathon session, it's more because the actors end the fourth episode onstage and to not have applause would just feel weird. However, in between each episode, the cast can be found serving food in the foyer. “People can actually talk to them,” says Liska, “rather than do this — CLAP.” The Great Nature Theater of Oklahoma is calling you! There is poetic resonance in this idea of Liska's, given that the Nature Theater of Oklahoma first appeared in Franz Kafka's unfinished novel Amerika as a theatre company that had a place for absolutely anyone who came along. It also rings true with Liska's experience of Eastern European theatre-makers taking action for their community — not simply making art to be consumed. For Liska the important thing is to "stay open and playful and flexible. I wouldn't say that I'd never do a Chekhov play again, or a Greek tragedy — there just has to be a really strong reason to do something, I think that's what the audience finds inspiring.” For now such inspiration may dwell in a humble, late-night phone conversation, but it's anyone's guess under which pebble NTOK's next epic may be found. Life and Times is on at the Arts Centre Melbourne from October 22-26. Tickets are available from the Melbourne Festival website.
Owner Rod Jones divulges on Revolver's website that he is fascinated with all things revolving, and the cogs motif is ever-present inside this charismatic café — from the carved-wood divider to the mural behind the counter. But Revolver is hardly reinventing the wheel, delivering simple, well-executed fare with a focus on freshness and friendliness. Get in early on a weekend to snare a cosy, leathery nook, or be prepared to wait. Staff are ever-polite and pleasant and will offer you a coffee ($3.20 and respectably creamy) while you loiter about the threshold. With its leisurely location, steampunk-style fit-out and organic free-range menu, it's little wonder Revolver has become the (delightfully poorly-kept) secret haunt of locals. The mismatched china and barbershop music highlight the old-world charm of the building. Glass cake stands showcase glorious homemade treats. And it is this balance of classic comfort food with a contemporary edge which sets Revolver apart from the other cogs in the café-scene machine. The big brekkie comes in an iron pan, stuffed with still-bubbling homemade beans, pork fennel sausages, mushrooms, two eggs and honey-cured bacon ($16.50). It is good and greed-gratifying, and despite its reminiscence to the hangover fry-up one might do at home, the salty-sweetness and perfectly-cooked eggs elevate it to excellent. The vegie option ($16.5o) is resplendent with freshly-made hummus and generous slabs of avocado. The ricotta hotcakes are impossibly fluffy and arrive drenched in compote and maple-scented ricotta ($14.50). If your late-morning wait for a table lingers toward lunchtime, you could do worse than grab the cheeseburger; it comes with smoked mozzarella, pickles and rosemary-salted lemon chat potatoes ($14.5). It is unfussy and luscious and up there with the best burgers in Sydney. Revolver is a well-oiled machine, celebrating great coffee, generous food and a homely milieu.
Give Lunar New Year the send-off it deserves for another 12 months at the Campsie Lantern Festival in Canterbury-Bankstown. On Saturday, February 8, Campsie's Anzac Mall and Anzac Square will burst to life with colourful lanterns, delicious Asian cuisines and a chock-a-block program of cultural entertainment. The star of the show is Yunnan Arts Troupe director Bo Yang, whose renowned group will celebrate China's ethnic minorities from the stage with diverse dances, costumes and musical performances. Meanwhile, traditional fan veil ribbon dancers, taiko drummers, lion dancing and fireworks displays will add to the jam-packed schedule. There's a lot to take in, but don't miss the Campsie Catwalk, where each traditional outfit offers symbolic significance through its fabric, embroidery and colours. If you're bringing the family, the kids can also get involved through free face-painting and lantern-making workshops. Plus, Korean corn dogs, Japanese pizzas and New Year noodles will keep the crowds satisfied. If you happen to be born during the Year of the Snake – perhaps in 2001 – you've got the chance to evoke plenty of love, wealth and wisdom heading into the New Year. For the best results, consider following Bo Yang's suggestion: "My advice to people who were born in the Year of the Snake is that they should wear something red every day of the year to ensure they have good luck."
Welcome to the world of wild speculation surrounding the destination for The White Lotus season three. According to Variety, the next season will be set somewhere in Thailand. HBO hasn't confirmed this news, but it does seem to be the likely home of Mike White's next murder mystery. But the predictions don't end there. Variety has sourced — from multiple folks close to the publication — that The White Lotus team might also stick with filming at Four Seasons resorts. They have doubled as the titular fictional hotel chain for two seasons so far, meaning it isn't a stretch to think they'll be used again. That puts four possible Thailand spots on the list: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui and the Golden Triangle. And we've done some digging around our own travel booking website, Concrete Playground Trips, to come up with an even juicier theory. As it stands, you can book three of these lavish hotels and resorts through Concrete Playground Trips, but one of them is unavailable for many months. Has Mike White already placed his reservation? Or are we simply grasping at straws? Read on to get a closer look at each of the Four Seasons hotels we think might be the next filming location for The White Lotus — three of which can be booked with us right now. FOUR SEASONS HOTEL BANGKOK This opulent Four Seasons hotel is located within Thailand's bustling capital city. You can enjoy views over the Chai Phraya River and of the surrounding cityscape from one of the 299 rooms, the three outdoor pools or the six restaurants and bars. Within the hotel, there are clearly heaps of luxe filming locations where guests could meet their untimely end. The local galleries, boutique stores, restaurants and cafes would certainly need to make an appearance — as well as many of Bangkok's other superb travel destinations. This would be the first city location for The White Lotus, which may be an interesting change of pace for the show, too. FOUR SEASONS TENTED CAMP — GOLDEN TRIANGLE (CHIANG SAEN) A series of luxury treehouses and lodges scattered around the jungle in Chiang Saen — in the north of Thailand, right near Myanmar and Laos — would be a pretty epic setting for the next series. We can already hear the ominous The White Lotus music playing now, as guests wander around the remote landscape in designer clothes. Want to visit? You'll wake up in your own glamping tent fitted out with bamboo furniture, free-standing bathtubs and large private balconies overlooking the nearby river and lush rainforest before exploring more of the area. FOUR SEASONS RESORT KOH SAMUI Thailand's island of Koh Samui is an incredibly popular tourist destination. People flock here all year long, exploring the gorgeous beaches backed by tropical vegetation and some of the nearby islands where you can either party or totally escape from the rest of the world. The Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui offers up access to all of this, with ridiculous levels of comfort — expect bespoke travel experiences, a glamorous spa, pools aplenty and a long list of places to eat and drink within the property's grounds. FOUR SEASONS RESORT CHIANG MAI This Four Seasons is currently unavailable to book, so we're wildly speculating that Mike White has something to do with it. White hinted about the next series of The White Lotus focusing on traditional Eastern culture and religion, making this remote location absolutely perfect. At Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, several villas and residences are spread out amongst rice fields and wild countryside. Guests can play tennis, join yoga classes, walk to hidden waterfalls, learn local crafts or simply swim about their private pools overlooking the property. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world. Top images: Four Seasons Tented Camp — Golden Triangle
After teasing its 2019 lineup over the past few weeks, St George OpenAir Cinema has finally given Sydneysiders what they want — its entire new program. Actually, when the outdoor screening season returns to Mrs Macquaries Point between Tuesday, January 8 and Saturday, February 16, it'll keep that trend going. Keen for sneak peeks of high-profile flicks before they hit regular cinemas? Want to catch up on hits you've missed — or revisit a few recent favourites? Perhaps you'd like to attend a couple of premieres with local connections? Whichever one takes your movie-loving fancy, OpenAir delivers. Newly announced highlights include the premiere of Destroyer, with an almost-unrecognisable Nicole Kidman as a LA cop; a first look at French drama Non-Fiction, starring Juliette Binoche; and early screenings of the Steve Carell-starring Welcome to Marwen, Clint Eastwood crime effort The Mule and Oscar candidate Green Book. On the Basis of Sex also joins the lineup before its general release, marking the second film about US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in as many years, but this time dramatising her early career. And rom-com What Men Want serves up a gender-swapped remake of 2000's What Women Want. While they've been on the bill for a while, Cold Pursuit and The Front Runner also rank among OpenAir's star-studded titles — the former featuring Liam Neeson dispatching with his enemies while driving a snowplow (yes, really), and the latter starring Hugh Jackman as a real-life former American presidential candidate. Throw in a heap of flicks that'll still be virtually brand new — like the Melissa McCarthy committing literary forgery in Can You Ever Forgive Me? and Kiera Knightley also picking up a pen in Colette, as well as gorgeous Polish romantic drama Cold War and darkly devious period drama The Favourite (as directed by The Lobster's Yorgos Lanthimos) — and it's looking like a film-filled summer. And one with gorgeous views of the city behind the big screen, too. The always-popular season will release tickets at 9am on Tuesday, December 11, and they always sell quickly, so consider yourself warned. And if you're wondering what you'll be snacking on while you're there, OpenAir is again partnering with Matt Moran's Chiswick — and selling beers, wines and cocktails at its Kirin Bar. St George OpenAir Cinema 2019 runs from January 8 to February 16, 2019. Tickets are on sale from 9am, Tuesday, December 11.
If you need proof that a lot can change in a decade, look no further than DMA's. From writing indie tunes in a rundown Newtown flat to conquering the world's biggest stages, the band is officially returning home for a nostalgic one-off Sydney show. Held at The Metro Theatre on Friday, March 27, this special 10th anniversary performance celebrates where bandmates Johnny Took, Matt Mason and Tommy O'Dell's journey really began — the release of their debut album, Hills End. Performing the album in full, DMA's are also making this show an unforgettable experience for diehard fans. That means you can expect tracks they've never previously played live, alongside a selection of fan favourites from across their acclaimed catalogue. Coinciding with the release of the Hills End 10th Anniversary Edition, featuring previously unreleased original demos, you have the perfect excuse to jam to 'Delete', 'Lay Down' and 'Step Up The Morphine' while reminiscing about where you were and what you were doing ten years ago. Pre-sale tickets are available from 10am on Wednesday, February 4 to 9am on Thursday, February 5, or until allocation is exhausted. If you miss out, general public tickets are on sale from 10am on Thursday, February 5. Head to the website for more information. Top image: Mclean Stephenson.
Gluten conscious and cruelty free foodies, we bring you tidings of great joy. No longer will you be deprived of doughnuts, thanks to the good folks at Nutie. After a year hopping from market to market around town, the Nutie Donuts team is opening a permanent location in Balmain next month where they can sling their sweet treats full time. Opening on Saturday, March 4 at 13 Beattie Street, Nutie Donuts will bake their doughnuts daily in an open kitchen using premium gluten-free ingredients. They'll also offer a variety of vegan and dairy-free options because doughnuts are for everyone. Speaking of options, let's talk about their flavour combinations. Among the extravagant creations that have popped up on their Instagram account in recent times are pink Champagne, black sesame and green tea, and beetroot with dark chocolate ganache. Oh, and don't worry: despite there being not a gluten protein in sight, they assure us that they taste just like the real thing. Double Choc? So 2016. Choc 5ways is where it's at! 🍫🍫🍫@lunarmarkets 📷@bellatimar A post shared by Nútie Donuts (@wearenutie) on Feb 3, 2017 at 10:09pm PST To give you a little added incentive to pay them a visit, Nutie will be giving away free doughnuts to the first 100 customers on their first day of operations, while a dollar from every subsequent doughnut sold that day will be donated to the local Police Citizens Youth Club. "We want Nutie Donuts to be a strong part of the Balmain community, not just a shopfront," said owner Sina Klug. "That means [doing] everything we can to make a positive difference to the people around us." Nutie Donuts will open at 13 Beattie Street, Balmain from 10am on Saturday, March 4. For more information visit them on Facebook.
Four decades back, and three as well, Clown in a Cornfield would've stood out on a video store's shelves. It would've proven an instant hot rental, in fact. The slasher film just has that kind of title. The immediately evocative name comes from the page, where this tale of a killer jester sparking bloody mayhem rather than big laughs in a rural Missouri community initially appeared courtesy of author Adam Cesare. Not just for its moniker, the book won the 2020 Bram Stoker Award for Best Young Adult Novel. Eli Craig, the director of Clown in a Cornfield as a film — and its and co-screenwriter with Carter Blanchard (G vs E) — is no stranger to terrific titles himself. He was initially interested in this as his third feature due to its name, because who wouldn't be? That tracks across his career, however; his first two movies also had marvellous monikers. Fifteen years ago, Craig's Tucker and Dale vs Evil started earning horror- and comedy-loving devotees, and now is deservedly considered a 21st-century classic. When Little Evil arrived in 2017, it also had a title that stood out. How much stock does Craig put in a great name for a movie? "I think a great title is what gets people's attention more than almost any marketing. And it's very fun to me to mashup a title in a way that feels provocative — like you say, and unique. And feels like it tells the story," he tells Concrete Playground. "But then when you go see the movie, it actually has a lot more depth and complexity than the title gives you. So for Tucker and Dale vs Evil, it seems kind of silly and goofy — and, of course, it is a very heightened comedy. But it also has these layers of things it's about, and that is much deeper than you would think." "And it's the same with Clown in a Cornfield," Craig continues. "I think once people see it, they'll be like 'oh, this is actually saying a lot of things. It's not just a goofy movie about a clown and a cornfield'." Clown in a Cornfield is definitely a flick about a clown and a cornfield. It makes good on that promise. It also pushes horror further to the fore than Craig's past features did. This is equally a slasher that uses that high-concept premise to dig into generational divides, economic uncertainty, and both capitalism and the American dream gone wrong, though. As it follows high schooler Quinn Maybrook (Katie Douglas, Ginny & Georgia) and her widower father (Aaron Abrams, Children Ruin Everything) to Kettle Springs, where the latter is about to be the new town doctor — and where the existing resident adults, such as Sheriff Dunne (Will Sasso, George & Mandy's First Marriage) and Mayor Arthur Hill (Kevin Durand, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes), yearn for the locale's past, while teens such as Arthur's son Cole (Carson MacCormac, Shazam! Fury of the Gods) are looking forward instead — it has societal bite to go along with its blood and gore. In Clown in a Cornfield, the character that lives up to the movie's moniker is Frendo, the mascot for the local Baypen Factory, which once kept much of the town employed. Since the corn outfit closed down, its harlequin has become a symbol of happiness and prosperity corrupted, embodying everything that Kettle Springs has lost — and sparking that chasm between its authority figures and everyone of their age with the next generation. In both the picture's 90s-set opening and its present-day bulk, a slicing-and-dicing Frendo is hardly a pal, then. It's positively homicidal, with dispensing with Quinn and her peers its aim. Craig himself has a phobia of them — "I'm terrified of clowns," he shares — but these makeup-adorned figures have long been both jovial and creepy characters in pop culture. His isn't the first feature to play up their eerie side, of course, including in the last decade. IT and IT: Chapter Two became huge box-office hits in 2017 and 2019, and a TV prequel is on the way to HBO. The currently three-strong Terrifier franchise has been getting gruesome on-screen since 2018, with a fourth flick in development. Is making a movie about a murderous clown cathartic when you're already afraid of them? Our chat with Craig started there. Also covered: Clown in a Cornfield's clear love for other slasher and horror films, what goes into a great scary-flick kill, and how the gulf between the film's younger and older characters also provides inspiration for some of its humour, including a pitch-perfect moment with a rotary phone — plus why Douglas was the right choice for Quinn, and fleshing out Sasso and Durand's parts. What does the affection now held by horror-movie lovers for Tucker and Dale vs Evil 15 years on, even if it wasn't the success that Craig was expecting when it released, mean to him, too? That was part of our discussion as well. On Being Afraid of Clowns While Making a Movie About Murderous Jesters — and No, It Isn't Cathartic "I've always found them to be very duplicitous and very not-trustworthy. And I always thought it was kind of funny that clowns would go to kids' birthday parties. I find magicians kind of scary, too. And we once had a magician to my son's birthday, but we elected not to have a clown. But in my last film Little Evil, I had a scene with a clown that spontaneously combusted on fire, because the kid had superpowers — and I really was thinking 'I have to do more with these clowns because they are just naturally disconcerting'. You'd think that maybe I'd have less fear of clowns now, but it's actually the opposite. I think Frendo has surprised me at various publicity events already, where he sneaks up behind me — and I'm always the one that's like 'aah'. So I haven't gotten over my fear of clowns, but there is something quite magical and fun about them, too. So it's that mixture of fear and loathing." On Clown in a Cornfield's Societal Bite — aka Making a Killer Clown Flick About Generational Chasms, Capitalism Gone Wrong and Economic Uncertainty "That was in the book, and that's why I wanted to make the movie, because I was really surprised at what Adam Cesare was able to get at about this generational anger, I think — and this divide between a younger generation that's more progressive and maybe cares about the earth and cares about their future, and maybe an older generation that just feels like they're just harvesting the earth for their own greed. And I thought that frustration is just really apropos to our time. And also, I would say the thing that's so interesting about using a clown to tell that story is that originally clowns were like court jesters, and they were the only ones that were kind of allowed to tell truth to power and to tell the king what maybe was really up — but they had to do it with a sense of humour and satire. So this movie, in a way, it's fun because it has these layers of truth underneath it, and it's a clown telling that story to people. That isn't necessary to love the movie. You could love the movie and not really care about anything deeper. But I think through humour and entertainment is a lot of the ways we get some of our ideas that break through the walls to meet us. So that was quite fun to play with." On Balancing the Film's Evident Love for Slasher and Horror Greats That've Gone Before with Being Its Own Addition to the Genre "I just want to embrace all the movies I saw as a kid. I grew up in the 80s and early 90s, and watched everything from the Halloween movies, Friday the 13th, all of Freddy Krueger stuff — and I also loved the comedy-horror movies like Evil Dead 2. And so a lot of it, to me, just lives in like this bouillabaisse inside my brain, and I don't necessarily know when I'm picking a trope from this movie or that, but they kind of live there. And it's funny to watch other people pick them out and say 'oh, you did this here and this here'. I just kind of feel the tropes and I start writing them, and I don't necessarily pick them all out. The one thing is Jaws, I did play directly to Jaws in this movie, because that is probably my favourite horror movie that goes under the radar as not really being a horror movie — but it definitely is. It scared the pants off me." On What Makes a Memorable Slasher-Movie Kill for Craig — and How Easy or Difficult That Is to Achieve "Well, I think a lot about how to heighten it, how to make it just a little bit more than say — I always love the Scream movies, but I find that Ghostface with this knife gets a little repetitive, so I'm trying to come up with a new way for each kill to be just slightly different. And what are the tools this farmer-type Frendo the clown might use? And so you come up with pitchforks and chainsaws and axes and sledgehammers and all kinds of tools, and then you just try to heighten that and make it something people will grin at and laugh and cheer, and also be freaked out about, all at the same time." On Skewing More on the Horror Side of the Scale Than Comedy Compared to Craig's Previous Features "I did a real comedy-first horror with Tucker and Dale, and then I did almost just a comedy with horror elements with Little Evil. And I really wanted to dive back into horror and do kind of a hard-R, gritty in some ways, horror film — but with some levity because that's just the way I am. I'm not a really dark person — and I like humour in my stories. And I think there's just humour in the darkest parts of life." On Layering the Film with Comic Touches That Also Get to the Heart of Its Generational Clash "When you have the opportunity to nail a joke that also is just inherent in the theme, it really makes me smile. It makes me really excited when I'm sitting there writing and I go 'oh, oh, this is going to be really good' — because you're not breaking out of the story to make a joke. It's just very much within the context of the film. So it's really exciting when those present themselves. I don't feel like I'm making a joke. I feel like comes to me out of the ether. And it just presents itself to me, and then that's the opportunity to do it. There's a few points in this movie that grabbed the theme and make a joke out of it." On Knowing That Katie Douglas Was Clown in a Cornfield's Lead "You'd be surprised — I wanted to cast her before even auditioning her. I had watched a ton of her work. I saw that she had been working since she was about six years old, and she actually has a ton of work under her belt — and all of the stuff I saw from her from, like Ginny & Georgia and also this show called Pretty Hard Cases, and she did some Lifetime movies and she did some short films, and I literally went in and I watched them all. And I just always saw this sort of grounded, natural performance with the toughness and an edge to her, and sort of a sarcasm to her, that I felt just was Quinn. She auditioned for it, and completely nailed the audition. And I couldn't have been more blessed to have somebody that was so ready for being number one on the call sheet. She was so ready to lead this film. And she carried the film — and she does a fantastic job." On the Kind of Guidance That You Give Actors Like Will Sasso and Kevin Durand When They're Tasked with Fleshing Out Horror-Movie Characters That Could Be Cartoonish in Other Hands "I tell them kind of exactly what you just said. I wanted this character to be deeper, and we talk about what their motivations are. So usually they're not thinking about the characters being a villain — they're thinking about them being justified. So every good actor is always justifying their hatred or villainy for their character, and it make has to make sense to them. So anytime it doesn't make sense, we have to work on it. But those guys are so talented. They brought so much of themselves to the role. Will Sasso, as the sheriff, was just fantastic because he's threatening and creepy, but he's also just funny. He just brings a sense of humour and life to everything he does. And Kevin Durand, I don't think I could get an actor that could be this role without playing into something that we've seen before. He really created a new character. And that was really important that we weren't like the Joker or something. He was really, really his own — and very grounded and more gritty and real — character." On the Response to Tucker and Dale vs Evil 15 Years on — and What It Means for It to Be So Beloved as a Horror-Comedy Cult Classic "It actually means I'm not crazy. So when I first made that film, I just believed in it naively, like with all of my heart. And I thought 'well, this is just going to be the biggest hit since Evil Dead 2'. And it wasn't that way. It didn't come out as a big hit. I thought I was making the next Shaun of the Dead or Evil Dead 2 — and it went to some great film festivals, but then once we came out, it kind of disappeared for a while. And then over the years, people discovered it, and it truly became what I always believed it would be by now. And it's kind of validated my own feeling of art and my feeling of 'what entertains me should entertain other people'. Because I'm just ultimately trying to make a film that that I want to go see. And if people start telling me they don't like what I would want to go see, it becomes much harder to make a movie. And now I feel like 'wait a minute, maybe, maybe my sensibility is a sensibility a lot of other people share'. So that means a lot." Clown in a Cornfield released in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
With so much to see, do and eat around Singapore, you might be feeling a little lost on how to best navigate the city. While Singapore's streets are renowned for being spotless, the humidity sometimes makes it difficult to wander long distances on foot. Get around by hopping on the efficient — and air-conditioned — Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system instead, which runs from Changi Airport in the east to Tuas Link in the west and through major stops such as Marina Bay, HarbourFront, Chinatown and Little India. The trains operate every 2–8 minutes from 5.30am–12.30am each day and are often conveniently connected to large shopping malls, hawker centres or other attractions through covered passageways. Simply use your existing contactless card or Apple Pay to tap on, or purchase a Singapore Tourist Pass (if you're staying for less than 3-5 days) or EZ-Link Card (if you're staying for longer). With the help of Singapore Tourism, we're spotlighting five MRT stops worth hopping off for along your commute, and what to do near each station. [caption id="attachment_981017" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Afur Wong[/caption] Maxwell Located in the heart of Chinatown, Maxwell is a stop along the Thomson–East Coast line. Jump off here to explore Chinatown and some of the city's top hawker centres as you're travelling from Gardens by the Bay towards Orchard Road. You'll find the famed Maxwell Food Centre right next to the station, which boasts over 100 stalls, including the renowned Tian Tian Chicken Rice. If you're still feeling peckish, the Chinatown Complex Market and Food Centre, which is the largest hawker centre in Singapore with 260-plus stalls, and the renovated Lau Pa Sat are both a short walk away. After lunch, take a stroll through historic Chinatown with a self-guided walking tour to see sights such as the Sri Mariamman Temple, Masjid Jamae mosque and Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, with breaks for sweet treats and coffee in between. Marine Parade Further along the Thomson–East Coast line is Marine Parade, where you can walk or cycle through East Coast Park, refuel at Marine Parade Central Market and Food Centre, shop at Parkway Parade, and discover Peranakan culture at Katong-Joo Chiat. East Coast Park offers a range of activities for the whole family, from walking and cycling trails to windsurfing, paddleboarding and skateboarding, as well as a plethora of dining options. Katong-Joo Chiat dates back to the early 19th century and was a hub for Eurasian and Peranakan communities. Step back in time and learn about the neighbourhood's rich history at The Intan (a home-turned-museum), Eurasian Heritage Gallery and Katong Antique House, before snapping some photos at the iconic pastel-hued shophouses along Koon Seng Road. Finish up your day of discovery with Peranakan cuisine at Kim Choo Kueh Chang, 328 Katong Laksa or Old Bibik's Peranakan Kitchen. Bayfront You can't go to Singapore without visiting the iconic Marina Bay area. Stop at Bayfront on the Circle or Downtown lines to explore the whole precinct. At Marina Bay Sands, you can sip a sky-high drink at CÉ LA VI, enjoy a free light and water show at the Event Plaza and dance the night away at MARQUEE nightclub. For a more laidback night, take an evening stroll around Marina Bay to snap a photo at the Here is SG sculpture and explore Merlion Park, which is adjacent to the buzzing Fullerton precinct. While you're in the area, make sure to check out other unmissable attractions, such as the sprawling Gardens by the Bay and innovative ArtScience Museum. [caption id="attachment_980376" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Danny Santos[/caption] Little India From ornate temples to vibrant street art and plentiful shopping and food options, Little India is an energetic cultural hub that's worth a stop on the North East or Downtown lines. Follow the self-guided map and visit landmarks such as the Indian Heritage Centre, Tan Teng Niah House and Sri Veerakaliamman Temple. Along the way, you'll be able to browse for Indian homewares, ornaments, jewellery and textiles. If you're really ready to shop, head to Mustafa Centre, which is open 24/7 and sells everything from home appliances and electronics to camping goods, perfume, vintage collectibles and snacks across six levels. Once you've worked up an appetite, sample some local fare at Tekka Centre, which is Singapore's largest indoor wet market and a hawker centre. Other notable eateries in the area are Podi and Poriyal for cocktails and contemporary takes; The Banana Leaf Apolo, which has been serving North and South Indian cuisine since 1974; and Bismillah Biryani, which has been awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand for eight years straight. [caption id="attachment_980381" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paris Chia[/caption] HarbourFront If you continue on the North East or Circle lines until the final stop, you'll end up at HarbourFront. Alight here for outdoor expeditions to Sentosa or Mount Faber Park, with a break for bites at Seah Im Food Centre. Mount Faber Park is one of the oldest parks in the city and looks out across the southern coast of Singapore. With well-paved pathways, you can easily hike or cycle up to the highest peak at Faber Point. Other sites in the park include a rainbow-coloured stairway, two restaurants, cable car rides to Sentosa, a mini Merlion and even a famous public bathroom with views across the harbour. If heights aren't your thing and you'd rather not take a cable car to reach Sentosa, not to worry — you can also reach the island via car, bus, bike, monorail, or even on foot. You're in for an action-packed day once you're there, with attractions ranging from beaches and an aquarium to a waterpark, go-kart track, adventure park, Universal Studios Singapore, WWII fort and role-playing city for kids. Book your Singapore holiday now with Flight Centre. Top image: Paris Chia Photography. All images courtesy of Singapore Tourism Board.
Cosmo's Midnight is the playful moniker for the much-adored Sydney-based production duo made up of twins Cosmo and Patrick Liney. The pair have been writing and producing feel-good jams since 2012, with their ever-evolving sound and clear natural talent seeing them only continue to rise in popularity across the globe. For the uninitiated, their songs are eclectic and yet instantly recognisable: dance tracks heavy on the instrumentals, floaty lyrics and sky-high vibes. After a 2022 chock-full of buzzing festival crowds and tours here and abroad, Cosmo's Midnight are getting ready to take to the For The Love stage on the Gold Coast (Saturday, February 25) followed by legs in Wollongong (Sunday, February 26), Melbourne (Saturday, March 4) and Perth (Sunday, March 5) — along with a stacked lineup. Joining them are legendary pop and dance icons Charli XCX and Duke Dumont, plus Budjerah, Sonny Fodera and Snakehips to name a few. Ahead of their tour with For The Love (curated by renowned party-throwers from Untitled Group), we caught up with Cosmo and Patrick to chat about their summer highs, creative influences and how they're feeling ahead of the waterside gigs. First up, how are you both? Enjoying summer? You've spent the warmer months hitting festival stages here and abroad — there must be some exhaustion in there! "Doing very well, it's nice to finally have a summer where we aren't dodging flood waters. After pretty extensive touring for the last half of 2022, it's been so good to recoup and hit the beach in between writing sessions. We're currently writing some of the best music we've ever put together and can't wait to show some of the stuff Pat and I have been working on." On and off the stage, what have been your summer highs? "Hitting Hobbiton in New Zealand was a massive highlight, we've been massive fans of LOTR and Tolkien as a whole our entire lives. It was so magical walking through the set and having the opportunity to get turpsed at The Green Dragon, the pub from The Shire. Also just touring with our band is so fun, they've been good mates of ours since before we started doing shows together and we spent one torrential day in Auckland go-karting in inch-deep water. No one else was on the track so the people running it just let us have free reign, trying to destroy each other and doing our best to recreate Tokyo Drift." Amazing! What's it like touring with your sibling? "It's really easy despite the fact we have little sibling tiffs every now and then — they're always quickly resolved and never spiral into something sinister. Luckily we both enjoy the same general things outside of music, so there's no massive vote required to figure out what the band is going to do when we're not on stage." You both exude such a positive energy when performing, how does it feel to be on stage? "We both love performing, as far as music goes it's the biggest payoff of writing and developing a live show. Seeing how people respond to your music is the truest review you can get in this age of music streaming, where it's hard to tell what people think immediately — where we more so just watch the play counts rack up." For The Love is about to kick off its run of music events to see out Australia's summer, how are you both feeling ahead of taking the stage? "Really excited, we're keen to debut some new music and renditions of old songs to up the ante even further. It's been a while since we've hit a national tour in Australia so it will be great to see some familiar spaces and faces!" How do you prep for a gig? Any non-negotiables in the lead up? "Always rehearse really close to show day. Despite all the touring we did last year, we made sure to go through everything again with the band before we hit a tour. We all got so familiar with our live set last year after touring through Europe, UK, USA that I think we got a bit cocky and thought it might be okay to skip it... luckily we decided against it. Always gotta break out the WD-40 even when nothing sounds rusty." Whose set on the For The Love lineup are you most excited to catch? "I'm so excited to see Charli perform, we've been big fans of hers throughout her career and the ebbs and flows she's had as she explores different genres and styles. Unfortunately we've never caught her live, so it's going to be a massive highlight to see her at FTL — I hope we get to meet her!" I have everything crossed for you! Do you have a favourite track to perform? "It changes as time goes on but currently we have a really fun extended version of CUDI that is just so satisfying and exciting to play. I feel like if your song doesn't give you tingles when you're performing it, you've got to work on it until it does and we've reached that sweet spot with CUDI." You've got a unique and recognisable sound — inherently upbeat with a little eighties-disco edge. What are you influenced by creatively? "You're entirely right, we do listen to a lot of disco for inspiration. Before every new musical endeavour we do a massive amount of listening to kind of figure out the palette and sound for our next project. These last two years, we've extended our listening into more recent decades like the nineties and two-thousands to see both how the natural progression of disco leaned to house and pop — and what we can take from those eras that is so timeless and exciting." I've had a good old internet dig, and gleaned that your third album is well on its way to ears — how are you feeling about it? What can we expect from Cosmo's Midnight in the near-ish future? "Solid investigative work you've done there! It's well on the way, some would even say its getting wrapped up soon! We're feeling really excited and confident for the new project, it's some of the most upbeat and fluid writing we've done to date and we're really looking forward to dripping them out so everyone can get across them all." Are you taking any time off after the For The Love run? "We're going to take some time off to plan the rest of the year music and touring-wise. We're also going to use some downtime to work on other artists' projects, maybe do some writing camps and holidaying! It's always a good time mid-year to see what is happening up in the northern hemisphere." And finally, what are your three favourite places to eat and drink in Sydney? "Shameless plugs for friends: I love visiting my mates over at Baba's Place in Marrickville for a bite to eat! Then Naija Jollof has really good West African food just up the street from me, which is really hearty and spicy. Cafe Nho in Marrickville has the coffee with the closest taste to that in Vietnam, if you've travelled there and miss the coffee I'd strongly recommend trying it out!" Cosmo's Midnight are set to take the For The Love stage on the Gold Coast (Saturday, February 25) and in Wollongong (Sunday, February 26), Melbourne (Saturday, March 4) and Perth (Sunday, March 5). For more info and to nab your tickets, head to the website.
When Wine Machine and Snow Machine first popped up, pairing vineyards and alpine settings with live tunes, one of each event's big drawcards was right there in their names. Dream Machine's moniker isn't quite as descriptive; however, it still sets the scene. Fancy hitting up a music festival in a tropical setting? That's on the bill at this dream event — including in 2023. Dream Machine first took place early in 2022, at a secluded beachside resort in The Whitsundays, after initially planning to go ahead in 2021 but getting waylaid by the pandemic. For its next event from Thursday, June 8–Monday, June 12, it's still going tropical, this time in Nusa Dua in Bali. If you've been longing to hear your favourite tunes while surrounded by your friends and while taking a trip to a beachside resort in Indonesia, this fest has you covered. 2023's dest will take place over a five-day, four-night run again, too, and bring together a hefty lineup of must-see talent. On up the party-forward bill: 1300, Boy & Bear, Client Liaison, Girl Talk, San Cisco, Spacey Jane, Sycco and Vera Blue, as well as Harvey Sutherland and Peking Duk hitting the decks for DJ sets. Yes, the list goes on. If the simple activity of grooving to tunes in tropical surroundings, including by the pool and ocean, isn't enough motivation for you, festival-goers will have a range of resorts to choose from in the fest's ticket package options. Keen to treat yo'self to a beachfront stay? You can add that to your itinerary. At the 2022 event, you could also enjoy other activities, such as kayaking, paddle boarding, jet skiing and waterside cocktails — fingers crossed they're on the roster as well. [caption id="attachment_873059" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sam Hendel[/caption] Unsurprisingly, this isn't a cheap festival to attend, but accommodation, transfers and festival tickets are all included in the fest packages. Folks feeling particularly flush can also upgrade their tickets to gain VIP access to the festival's compound to watch the main stage shows, where there'll be a cocktail bar, chill zone, table service, fancy toilets and sit-down dinner options. And, you'll score luxury airport transfer upgrades and access to an exclusive pool party at Manarai Beach Club, complete with special guest DJs. DREAM MACHINE 2023 LINEUP: 1300 Boy & Bear Client Liaison Girl Talk (USA) Groove City Harvey Sutherland (DJ Set) Holy Holy Hot Dub Time Machine Illy Jimi The Kween Ldru Mell Hall Northeast Party House Peking Duk (DJ Set) San Cisco Sideboob Spacey Jane Stace Cadet Sycco Tori Levett Tyson O'brien Vera Blue Winston Surfshirt Dream Machine takes place from Thursday, June 8–Monday, June 12 at Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, with pre-sales from 6pm AEDT on Tuesday, October 18 and general sales from 12pm AEST on Wednesday, October 19 via the festival's website. Dream Machine images: Brittany Long / Pat Stevenson. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world. That includes a Bali escape surrounded by nature, if you're keen to extend your stay around Dream Machine,
Although reincarnation seems appealing if you were to you come back as, say, a lion, it's perhaps slightly less so when you consider that you might end up a cockroach. This is the story of Animal Kingdom: a pitiful tale of someone who had the misfortune to end up where no-one deserves to be. Our cockroach here is J (James Frecheville), a pubescent and generally unappealing young man. When his heroin-addict mother dies, the only person he can think to call is his grandmother, Smurf (Jacki Weaver), the grand dame of an underworld family. Drawn by default into a life of criminality, J quickly becomes caught up in a showdown between corrupt cops and his not-so-innocent relations. Forced to recognise his status as a little fish in a huge pond by a mustachioed senior cop — aka Guy Pearce looking straight off the set of Crime Investigation Australia — J makes tough decisions in order to survive. James Frecheville is chillingly convincing portraying J's naive, blase acceptance and cleverly resists presenting the character in a more complex, empathetic light than is necessary. The cinematography and the soundtrack to this film are exceptional, working with the slow pace of the film's beginning to make this 'not just another Aussie crime drama'. Beyond the halfway mark, however, the film begins to fall into the same traps: while tension still runs high, a strange combination of too cinematic and too 'real' makes the plot slightly unconvincing. Nevertheless, Animal Kingdom is an unusually stylish crime flick. https://youtube.com/watch?v=R5BsYRmMfus
When Disney+ made its way into the world back in 2019, it gave viewers — including folks in Australia and New Zealand — access to a huge range of Disney, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars and National Geographic movies and shows. What it didn't do is bring Hulu, which the Mouse House owns the majority stake in, to audiences Down Under. And, with Disney+ focused on family-friendly fare, it didn't deliver the kinds of series and films that Hulu screens, either. Hulu still isn't heading our way. But, come Tuesday, February 23, Disney+ is expanding to include a new section that's basically an international equivalent of Hulu. It's called Star and, when it was first announced late in 2020, film and TV fans were advised that it'd screen "an additional 1000 unique titles... in the first year". Wondering exactly what that'll include? Well, now Disney has revealed which series and flicks will be available when Star launches. Prepare to add 159 TV series and 447 movies to your streaming options — with four of those television shows falling into the 'Star Originals' category, meaning that they'll be brand new to viewers Down Under. Three of the four newbies are Hulu shows, too, so if you've been wanting to watch Love, Victor (the spinoff from 2018 movie Love, Simon), Helstrom (which forms part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe) or Solar Opposites (an animated sitcom co-created by Rick and Morty's Justin Roiland), then you'll be able to. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh-IaEaEdE0 From Star's big list of classics, plenty of titles stand out. Among the film selection, you'll find the Alien, Planet of the Apes, Die Hard and Omen franchises, plus the Predator and Taken flicks as well. And, you can also pick between older movies like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Fly, Never Been Kissed, Office Space, Pretty Woman and Moulin Rouge, or more recent fare such as Black Swan, Eddie the Eagle, Logan, The Favourite and Jojo Rabbit. A heap of Wes Anderson films, including Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, are also featured. On the television front, you'll be able to binge your way through every episode of Angel, Alias, 24, Felicity, Firefly and Glee — or opt for New Girl, Prison Break, Scandal and The X-Files instead. The list goes on and, like the existing Disney+ range, you'll find a hefty focus on older shows over new titles. Star draws upon Disney's studios, such as Disney Television Studios, FX, 20th Century Studios, 20th Television and Touchstone. And it doesn't everything that Hulu does, because plenty of Hulu's series and films pop up elsewhere Down Under — like The Handmaid's Tale, for instance. That said, it's safe to expect that some of the rights deals that deliver Hulu content to other networks and streaming platforms in Australia and might change after Star's hits, moving where you can catch certain flicks and programs in the process. As you might've already guessed, Disney+'s expansion to include Star comes with a price increase. Australian subscriptions will go up to AU$11.99 per month or AU$119.99 per year, while New Zealand subscriptions will go up to NZ$12.99 per month and $129.99 per year. If you're already a subscriber, the new price won't kick in for six months, though — so whenever your next renewal hits after August 22. Star joins Disney+ in Australia and New Zealand on Tuesday, February 23, with Disney+ subscriptions costing AU$11.99 and NZ$12.99 per month or AU$119.99 and NZ$129.99 per year from that date.
Why, exactly, do people start sentences with the qualifier, “I’m not racist, but...” only to continue with some kind of preposterous generalisation in which a particular race is linked to a particular trait or behaviour? If you’ve been wondering the same thing and wanting to talk about it, here’s an event for you. Titled I’m Not Racist But..., it’ll be an interactive evening during which four speakers give top-speed ten-minute talks before host Tom Tilley opens up the floor for discussion. The special guests are comedian Ronny Chieng, Australian Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson, Co-Chair of the National Congress for Australia’s First Peoples Kirstie Parker and John Safran, who recently published his first book Murder in Mississippi. Presented by the NSW Reconciliation Council in conjunction with Sydney Ideas, the event hopes to inspire open, critical discussion concerning racism in Australia.
This article is sponsored by our partner lastminute.com.au. Ah, New York City. 'The City that Never Sleeps'. 'The Big Apple'. 'The Capital of the World'. Whatever you call it, you know it. Recognised as the cultural capital of America, NYC is a melting pot of peoples from all over the world. It's home to some of the best arts, eateries, events and scenes in the world. Its impressive landmarks make it impossible to be mistaken for any other city. We all know the Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State Building, and of course, Lady Liberty — even if only from our living rooms. Shows like Sex & the City, movies like When Harry Met Sally and songs such as 'Empire State of Mind', have enraptured most of us with the thrill of New York City. If you've every wanted to see what the hype is all about but haven't the slightest idea where to go in the mega-metropolis, travel and lifestyle site lastminute.com.au has you covered. They've scouted out a variety of hotels in the city's many unique neighbourhoods, from the Upper East Side's Gossip Girl style to the low-key, artsy Brooklyn vibe. Here are their favourites. (They're also offering an opportunity for Aussies to 'Win NYE in NYC', so don't miss that.) The Surrey Stars: 5Best for: Classic Upper East Side elegance Once home to some of New York's most high-profile celebrities — including JFK, Bette Davis and Claudette Colbert — the Surrey is valued for its excellent service and discretion. The hotel also offers the finest amenities, including a private rooftop garden, spa service and gourmet dining. Venture out of your room into the nearby Central Park or shop along Fifth Avenue; the best of Manhattan living is right outside your door. Affinia Manhattan Stars: 3.5Best for: Apartment living in the heart of the mid-town scene Have bad FOMO? Then this is the place for you. Spot on in the middle of the city, the Affinia Manhattan is centred around all the action. Madison Square Garden, the Empire State Building, Broadway, Times Square, Fifth Avenue shopping and Chelsea art galleries are all just a step away. The Affinia has all the old-school charm of a New York hotel, but with a modern update. So when you’re exhausted from a big day out, relax and enjoy the skyline view from your room. Sohotel New York Stars: 2Best for: Funky slice of downtown with reasonable rates Located in a unique area of lower Manhattan, the Sohotel is in a prime location for urban adventure. Enjoy world-class shops, historic cultural landmarks, delectable eats or vibrant nightlife on the historic Bowery Boulevard. Or discover the quirky neighbourhoods of Nolita, China Town and Little Italy that give the area some cultural flair. You can enjoy it all because the Sohotel offers some pretty affordable rates. Comfort and style are not compromised though — the hotel is a quirky mix of old and young New York style, which in our opinion just adds to the experience. The Greenwich Hotel Stars: 5Best for: Oasis of calm and luxury in the heart of Tribeca Planted in the heart of Tribeca, the Greenwich Hotel is a stone's throw from Wall Street, SoHo, the Meatpacking District and Chinatown. But it could be hard to leave the hotel. A true haven for relaxation, the Greenwich features an authentic Japanese spa with a lantern-lit swimming pool, luxurious lounge and treatment rooms — you might start to believe you’re at a retreat rather than a city. Also, the rooms are all so unique, comfortable and liveable that you might want to think about an extended stay. The Box House Hotel Stars: 3.5Best for: Quirky cool in Brooklyn If you're looking for something a little more offbeat, check out the Box House Hotel in Brooklyn. Located in the industrial chic area of Greenpoint, this hotel offers a variety of quirky and brightly decorated apartments (be sure to request one with a patio or terrace for views of Greenpoint or the Manhattan skyline). A short walking distance to some of Brooklyn's best restaurants and bars, the Box House Hotel offers an authentic Brooklyn experience that's anything but boring.
