UPDATE: OCTOBER 09, 2020 — Pearsons Floristry's Darlinghurst store is temporarily closed but the school is still open and accepting enrollments. A third-generation family business that originally opened in Bondi Junction, Pearsons has dutifully served Sydneysiders' flower needs for decades. The Pollack family still run the collection of stores today, including this one in Darlinghurst. Its gorgeous Oxford Street location is a colourful, bright addition to the strip, so if you're a sucker for a posey, a cactus or a native floral bunch, this is the ultimate treasure trove. Plus, to pass on the matriarch's knowledge and expertise, the Darlinghurst space is now also used as an accredited floristry school. Pearsons School of Floristry has trained more than 2000 florists to date, and offer both short courses and one-day classes, for those flower fiends who arrange for fun.
Anyone who has spent time in an outback Australian pub will recognise The Royal Hotel's namesake watering hole, even if they've never seen this particular bar before. The filming location itself doesn't matter. Neither do the IRL details of the actual establishment that stands in for the movie's fictional boozer. What scorches itself into memory like the blistering sun beating down on the middle-of-nowhere saloon's surroundings, then, is the look and the feel of this quintessentially Aussie beer haven. From the dim lighting inside and weather-beaten facade outside to the almost exclusively male swarm of barflies that can't wait to getting sipping come quittin' time, this feature's setting could be any tavern. It could be all of them. That fact is meant to linger as filmmaker Kitty Green crafts another masterclass in tension, microagressions and the ever-looming threats that women live with daily — swapping The Assistant's Hollywood backdrop and Harvey Weinstein shadow for a remote mining town and toxic testosterone-fuelled treatment of female bartenders. Making her second fictional feature after that 2019 standout, and her fourth film overall thanks to 2013 documentary Ukraine Is Not a Brothel and 2017's Casting JonBenet before that, Green has kept as much as she's substituted between her two most recent movies. Julia Garner stars in both, albeit without breaking out an Inventing Anna-style drawl in either — although comically parroting the Aussie accent does earn a brief workout. Green's focus remains living while female. Her preferred tone is still as unsettling as any scary movie. The Royal Hotel is another of her horror films, but an inescapable villain here, as it was in The Assistant, is a world that makes existing as a woman this innately unnerving. This taut and deeply intelligent picture's sources of anxiety and danger aren't simply society; however, what it means to weather the constant possibility of peril for nothing more than your sex chromosomes is this flick's far-as-the-eye-can-see burnt earth. Backpacking Down Under by partying their way through Sydney, Hanna (Garner, Ozark) and Liv (Jessica Henwick, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) swap boat shindigs on the harbour for a rust-hued expanse for one reason: money. With their cash drying up, the only option available to make more is a gig where the local pool is equally dusty. "Will there be kangaroos?" is their main initial question. If this pair have seen Wake in Fright, it hasn't left an imprint. They'll soon be living in their own version. Dirt, dirt and more dirt greets them fresh off the bus, then no-nonsense pub cook Carol (Ursula Yovich, Irreverent) and gruff drunk owner Billy (Hugo Weaving, Love Me), then a trial-by-fire night behind the taps to send off English tourists Jules (Alex Malone, Colin From Accounts) and Cassie (Kate Cheel, The Commons), who they're replacing. The Royal Hotel as the picture's prime locale might double for every typically Aussie watering hole, but both the setting and The Royal Hotel as a film take their cues from one specific pub. Western Australia's Denver City Hotel was immortalised in Hotel Coolgardie, the fly-on-the-wall documentary about two Finnish women who worked behind its bar and experienced the very worst of Australian drinking culture — and seeing that movie inspired writer/director Green to dive into this aggressively misogynistic world. "Fresh meat" adorns the boozer's chalkboard after Hanna and Liv arrive. Billy has barely spoken multiple sentences to them before he's dropping "cunt" with belittling force. Sexist jokes from the sozzled and arrogant customers rain down among eerie stares, brazen pick-up attempts, predatory demands and arguments between blokes over which woman they're claiming as theirs, like The Royal Hotel's latest faces have no say in it. To most of the pub's patrons, they don't. The comments, jibes and advances come from a cross-section of culprits, with Green and co-writer Oscar Redding (Van Diemen's Land) purposeful in showing that there's not only one kind of stereotypical guy whipping up discomfit. Toby Wallace's (Babyteeth) Matty knows how to charm, and how to rile up the male crowd by making women the butt of the gag. While James Frecheville (The Dry) plays the quieter, protective Teeth, those traits don't buff away his edges. With Daniel Henshall's (Mystery Road: Origin) Dolly, menace doesn't need words — and sinister entitlement drips from almost everything that he says or, to be precise, orders. There isn't just one way that women can be made to feel uneasy in male-heavy environments where they're expected to be at every guy's beck and call, and in general, as The Royal Hotel meticulously demonstrates. There definitely isn't a lone version of this gut-wrenching nightmare, nor a single way of coping when every waking minute is an exercise in monitoring your behaviour to get a job done, and just exist, without attracting the wrong attention. It's there in Hanna and Liv's varying reactions to the pub's clientele and their manners, or lack thereof; the difference between Hanna's distress and Jules and Cassie's carefree approach; and the range of factors that get Matty, Teeth, Dolly, Billy and company inciting alarm: the array of ways that Green's exceptional cast pack The Royal Hotel's powderkeg, that is. Only two things spark a straightforward read in Green's feature. The first is the eponymous everypub where nothing regal has ever graced its peeling walls and sticky floors. The second is the dread that pours out faster than visiting bartenders can pull pints. Actually, there's a third, because Kylie Minogue bopping through the soundtrack is a glorious choice. The uncertainty of this jittery environment otherwise — that someone can seem like a friend in one light and a sleaze in another, or a perturbed reaction can feel wholly justified by one of the bar's visiting women and overkill to another, for instance — only heightens the film's agitated mood. There's no one better at conveying this storm than Green, or at ripping it from reality and into her films. To watch Hanna especially is to achingly apprehend when and how often you've stood in her shoes. Green should keep Garner standing before her lens in as many movies as possible. With The Assistant and now The Royal Hotel, they're a dream team. Garner's flawless knack for conveying how life in Green's chosen scenarios is an incessant navigation and negotiation is as finely tuned as the director's; it's what made her so outstanding at playing Anna Delvey as well. As Green's now four-time cinematographer Michael Latham roves over blazing landscapes and gets claustrophobic in the tavern's dank indoors, and as composer Jed Palmer (back from Ukraine Is Not a Brothel) sets his score to faintly but still formidably jarring, that sense of steering your way through fraught terrain while trying to secure your survival proves as familiar as the outback venue at the centre of it all. With episodes of TV series Servant on her resume, Green can embrace horror traditionally, but the terrors that she digs into on the big screen aren't just frightening tales — they're piercing reflections of too much that's easy to recognise.
This popular Chinese restaurant serves up regional flavours from China's far northwestern Xinjiang province, which is home to the Uyghur ethnic group. You won't find your typical westernised Chinese meal here, so don't go looking for a bowl of classic chow mein or pot of steamed xiao long bao. Expect a fusion of Central Asian and Turkic flavours influenced by the many cultures that surround the Silk Road. Indulge in lagman — traditional handmade noodles served with diced meat, sichuan pepper and cabbage — and cumin-spiced meats. Images: Cassandra Hannagan
It's the frostiest of Australia's annual film festivals for two reasons — the time of year it arrives, and the region it showcases — and it's back for 2022 with another round of recent and retro flicks. That'd be the Scandinavian Film Festival, which naturally hits cinemas around the country each winter. Well, winter Down Under, that is. This year's fest will play 19 titles, primarily hailing from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, with the program touring the nation between Tuesday, July 12–Wednesday, August 10. That gives film buffs in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Byron Bay around a month — three weeks in some places — to get their Nordic movie fix, whether you're keen on a historical epic or a dive into Scandi cinema history. Yes, blasts from the pasts are a feature of the 2022 lineup — starting with opening night's Margrete — Queen of the North. Starring Trine Dyrholm (The Commune) and directed by Charlotte Sieling (Lovecraft Country, Homeland), the historical drama is set in 1402, and hones in on Denmark's Queen Margrete, who oversaw the Kalmar Union that brought together Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Also peering backwards: the Scandi Screen Sirens selection, which celebrates leading ladies from times gone by — all in classics. So, you'll catch Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca, Greta Garbo in Queen Christina and Britt Ekland in The Wicker Man. There's also two Liv Ullmann films: The Serpent's Egg, directed by iconic Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman; plus The New Land, the 1972 gem in the festival's closing night slot. Elsewhere, the program includes Dyrholm again in A Matter of Trust, which heads to Australia straight from premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival; Finnish effort The Woodcutter's Story, which played the 2022 Cannes Film Festival Critics' Week; and The Emigrants, a new adaptation of Vilhelm Moberg's novels. The latter first hit the screen in 1971, in a film of the same name — to which the aforementioned The New Land was a sequel. From a selection of 19 flicks all up, there's also the Danish boarding school-set Pretty Young Thing, which will have its world premiere at the fest; psychological drama Quake from Iceland; Berlinale Crystal Bear Award-winner Comedy Queen, about a 13-year-old girl who wants to be a stand-up comedian; and documentary Nordic by Nature, which was filmed in the Faroe Islands, including in its seafood industry, and also covers two-star Michelin restaurant KOKS. And if Scandinavian talent has you thinking of Game of Thrones' Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, he's accounted for A Taste of Hunger from Denmark. It's about the quest for a Michelin star, actually, with the drama following a couple determined to get one for their restaurant. SCANDINAVIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2022 DATES: July 12–August 7: Palace Norton Street, Palace Verona, Palace Central and Chauvel Cinema, Sydney July 13–August 7: Palace Electric, Canberra July 14–August 7: The Astor Theatre, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Palace Balwyn and Pentridge Cinema, Melbourne July 19–August 10: Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Adelaide July 20–August 10: Palace Raine Square Cinemas, Luna Leederville and Luna on SX, Perth July 20–August 10: Palace Barracks and Palace James Street, Brisbane July 22–August 10: Palace Byron Bay, Byron Bay The Scandinavian Film Festival tours Australia from Tuesday, July 12–Wednesday, August 10. For more information or to buy tickets, visit the festival's website.
In the era of streaming, you might be surprised to learn there is still a DVD store of all thing in Sydney's inner city. Nevertheless, Film Club has cemented itself as one of Darlinghurst's most beloved shops. Rather than stocking any old new release like a 00s Blockbuster, Film Club's purpose is to provide a place where one can go to find those films that are unfindable. Owner Ben Kenny specialises in finding copies of arthouse, foreign and indie films, and also holds an unbelievably impressive range of classics, such as silent movies from the 20s and cult films from the 60s. This shop is nirvana for film buffs, and the friendly folk behind the desk are happy to chat movies to you all day long. Image: Trent Van der jagt.
Perth, our most westerly neighbour, has long been celebrated for its natural beauty — the sea, sand and endless sunshine. But, hey, there's a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking. Over the past few years, Perth has switched gears and turned into a vibrant, cultural hub with the personality to back up its good looks. Now it's an ideal destination for a long weekend getaway. So you don't miss out on all that Perth has to offer, we've teamed up with the folks at QT Perth to bring you ten top-notch things to eat, see and do while visiting this magical city. The urban-chic boutique hotel is situated within the heart of Perth and boasts luxe amenities — like something called a 'signature QT Dream Bed', retro-glam black and gold furnishings, a minibar full of surprises and even complimentary pilates classes — all perfect for those explorers who relish the finer things. And what's more, this summer, you can stay at the swish hotel for free. QT Perth is giving away an epic trip to WA, which includes three nights' accommodation for two, plus flights, VIP passes to the Ice Cream Factory Summer Festival and $200 to spend at the festival bar. So, pack your bags; it's time to get acquainted with the new Perth. TUCK INTO PASTRIES AT MARY STREET BAKERY, HIGHGATE Baked goods mecca Mary Street Bakery sits just a 20-minute stroll from QT Perth. With four outposts around the city, the bakery has become a firm favourite among locals and visitors alike. Those with a proclivity for savoury can tuck into slow-cooked eggs with buttery toast ($13) or kimchi pancakes with beef brisket ($22), while the sweet tooths can enjoy some next-level treats, like pandan pannacotta with puffed rice, lime gel, almonds and mango ($16) or perfectly baked escargot ($5) — the pastries, not the snails. Wash it all down with a single origin cold brew or an organic cold-pressed green juice if you want to pretend you're healthy after that hefty dose of sugar. PERUSE THE GOODS AT FREMANTLE MARKETS, FREMANTLE Just 30 minutes from Perth's CBD, you'll find the uber trendy suburb of Fremantle. Renowned for its burgeoning art and music scene, Freo's streets are abuzz with creativity. Arguably the best way to get a glimpse of this vibrant culture is to hit up the Fremantle Markets. Running for over than 100 years, the markets have everything from Aboriginal art and Aussie opals to fresh fruit and coffee beans. There's even a shop which solely sells Barnesy t-shirts, because everybody loves Barnesy. The markets also have a regular busker schedule, so you can shop to the sweet sounds of Perth's up-and-coming musicians. GO GAMING AT PALACE ARCADE, CBD Arcade bars have been popping up all over the Eastern Seaboard — and now the neon-lit trend has spread to the west. Last September, Perth's first arcade bar opened its doors to the delight of all the kidults in WA. Boasting more than 100 machines from the 70s, 80s and 90s, Palace Arcade is a great place to go if you want to play like a kid for the day. There's nothing quite like getting a good dose of nostalgia along with your beer (or Cheat Mode cocktail). Should hunger strike, Mack Daddy's New York Pizza is available whole and by the slice. The best part? It's only a short, seven-minute stroll — or waddle depending on the pizza slices consumed — back to the hotel. CATCH A FLICK IN THE CLOUDS, NORTHBRIDGE As if openair cinemas weren't cool enough — this one's on a rooftop, six levels above the city and with panoramic views of Perth. Rooftop Movies is open now until March 30, 2019, with a program that places new films, like Bohemian Rhapsody, alongside old gems à la The Parent Trap and Romeo + Juliet. They've even dusted off 90s classic Home Alone just in time for Christmas. Grab yourself a Pimm's cup from the bar, settle into your comfy beanbag and watch as a babyfaced Macaulay Culkin physically and emotionally destroys two grown men. Oh, and even if the movie blows, you've got that skyline. [caption id="attachment_701027" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Adam Selwood.[/caption] TOUR THE LITTLE CREATURES BREWERY, FREMANTLE It'd be remiss to visit the West Coast and not have a pint of Little Creatures. The beer was born when a group of mates started brewing in a huge shed (and former crocodile farm) on the water's edge in Freo. Doesn't get more Aussie than that. Touted as the 'Grandfather of Perth's craft breweries', Little Creatures has been slinging beers since 2000 and operates like a well-oiled machine. To gain insight into the inner workings, jump on a brewery tour with a resident 'hop head' and learn about the brewing process, as well as the Little Creatures story. Tours run daily at 12, 1, 2 and 3pm, and cost $20 per person — that includes a guided tasting of the full range of beers. SNEAK INTO SNEAKY TONY'S, NORTHBRIDGE This elusive little speakeasy can only be accessed with a secret password, 'open sesame' style, which immediately makes you feel as though you're in some kind of prohibition-era gang. The bar's dim lights and moody aesthetic further adds to this 1920s underworld vibe; it's at once thrilling and mysterious. Ready yourself for a throng of punchy cocktails that make use of the bar's colossal rum collection. We suggest ordering the Sour Power, a refreshing blend of Cuban rum and watermelon, or the apple pie mojito. Just make sure to check Sneaky Tony's Facebook page to find out the magic word each Friday and Saturday night. Bottoms up, bootleggers. CATCH A FERRY AND HANG WITH THE QUOKKAS, ROTTNEST ISLAND Just look at that little guy, do we really need to convince you? Jump on a ferry to Rottnest Island and see the world's largest population of quokkas. There are thousands of them and, best of all, they're not camera shy. (Get ready for some seriously cute quokka selfies — these guys even smile for you.) Beyond the little brown floofs, 'Rotto' is a pristine, natural wonderland that's ripe for exploration. Go for a surf at one of the stunning white-sand beaches or explore the island by foot via one of the scenic hikes. Once you're tuckered out, catch the ferry back to the QT, enjoy a relaxing rain shower and spend the night curled up watching complimentary in-room movies. GET YOUR AUSSIE MODERN ART FIX AT PICA, CBD WA has a spate of great galleries — big and small — but to see some truly progressive work, head to the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts. Housed in a picturesque heritage building, smack bang in the middle of town, PICA has become a focal point for those keen to experience the very best Australian contemporary art. The program extends beyond visual arts to also incorporate performing and hybrid arts. Since it's free entry and only an eight-minute walk from QT Perth, it's a prime no-fuss activity to tackle when you need some downtime. ROTISSERIE CHICKEN AT TINY'S, CBD Perth's food and wine scene has gone into overdrive, with a spate of new venues bursting onto the city streets. And one of the best newcomers has to be Tiny's. Headed up by hospo heavyweights Paul Aron and Michael Forde — the brains behind Mary Street Bakery, Greenhouse, El Publico and Ace Pizza — the multifaceted venue features a restaurant, specialty bottle shop and bar. So, Tiny's is actually rather big. Head along for dinner and opt for the banquet ($54 per person) to sample some top-notch rotisserie meats. The chook, which takes two days to prepare and cook, is served with nduja bread sauce and potatoes roasted in chicken drippings — and it's by far the standout. Oh, and if you enter and win the QT Perth competition, you'll also get a free dinner at Tiny's. GO FOR A LATE-NIGHT BOOGIE AT LUCY'S LOVE SHACK, CBD The folks behind Jack Rabbit Slims opened this venue last September, and it's already won the hearts of Perth's late-night revellers. Lucy's is a bona fide party spot, with a generous daily happy hour, late-night pizza, live music and karaoke. The drinks menu is packed with a whole heap of beer, a few decent wines and a collection of reasonably priced cocktails (from $13). There's even Lucy's take on a Long Island iced tea available on tap. Did we mention it's only a one-minute walk from your home base? Partying has never been so easy. Spend your weekend exploring some of the very best things around Perth, and when you need a place to recoup, find your home away from home at QT Perth. Even better, enter the competition and win a trip to the city and a stay at the hotel for zero dollars. Plus, you'll get access to the most summery of events — the Ice Cream Factory Summer Festival.
Michael Gow really likes Bertolt Brecht. In Once in Royal David’s City, the protagonist Will, a theatre director, delivers an impassioned homily on political theatre and the tenets of Brecht’s Marxist project. Gow’s adaptation of Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children, directed by Eamon Flack, is similarly reverential towards Brecht, staying faithful to the play, with the addition of original music composed by Stefan Gregory. Robyn Nevin is in fine form in the lead role of Mother Courage, belting out Gregory’s music with gusto and leading her family through the capitalist marketplace. She tows one of the more spruced-up wagons I’ve seen in a production of Mother Courage, more food truck than dinky cart. Designer Robert Cousins has opted for bright red with rainbow lights and shiny domestic cleaning products cover the walls inside. Paula Arundell playing the opportunist sex worker Yvette delivers an excellent comedic performance, and we’re reminded that she’s also a fantastic singer. Anthony Phelan as the chaplain is a calm, steady presence in among the rough and tumble of the action, as is Emele Ugavule, playing Mother Courage’s mute daughter, Kattrin. This is a great cast, doing great acting, in a slightly beige production. I’ve always found Mother Courage a bit stuffy and believe that didactic theatre is best consumed like a bitter pill — quickly. But much like Gow’s Once in Royal David’s City, his adaptation of Mother Courage is heavy with meaning and lengthy. Michael Gow’s adaptation and Eamon Flack’s direction are perfectly good, but the production’s relevance or novelty in 2015 is elusive. Flack purports that the play is timely because we live in a capitalist society with wars in Syria, Ukraine and Iraq, but that’s as much current-day commentary as we get. In Royal David’s City, Gow writes that the face of today’s capitalism has changed; that there “are no more men in top hats smoking cigars and driving the workers into their satanic mills” and yet Flack’s production of Mother Courage could easily be from 1970s East Germany. If the class war has indeed changed shape, its new identity is not to be found in this production.
There is a lot of hype surrounding the remake of Stephen King's It, an adaptation of the 1986 novel (and 1990 Tim Curry-starring mini-series, of course) in which a murderous clown terrorises a group of Maine children, due on September 7. If you can't wait until then to get your Pennywise fix (if you're into terrifying clowns), and if you happen to be on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Los Angeles, you'll find a two-storey replica of 'where IT lives' open to the public and totally free. Groups of seven will be guided by 'Georgie' through the 464 square-metre house, room by room, through immersive film-inspired scenes complete with authentic set props, "disorienting images", jump-scares and shit-your-pants terror, for what will probably be the longest 20 minutes of your life. What's the catch? There isn't one, really. But visitors are advised to "be prepared to be scared" and enter at their own risk. They also have to sign a waiver beforehand. "People with medical and emotional conditions should not enter The IT Experience: Neibolt House Hollywood including, without limitation, those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, anxiety or emotional disorders, fear of enclosed spaces, medical sensitivity to dizziness, movement or disorientation, and expectant mothers." You know those crappy haunted houses you get at run-down theme parks where the animatronics don't work and the scariest thing you might find is a used condom? We've got a feeling this will not be one of those things. From August 14 until September 10, 1–11pm. See 'The IT Experience' for more information.
Guys, Topshop is here! It’s big (1,800 metres spread over four levels), it’s shiny (lots of cool lighting) and it opened its doors at 9am this morning at 45 Market Street in the City. But before you transfer all your money out of your high interest savings account or do something totally crazy like try to infiltrate the premises without closed-toe footwear, prepare yourself mentally and try to know what you're in for. Then arm yourself accordingly, go forth and immerse yourself in full-blown retail hysteria. DO be prepared to wait. Imagine the queue at Bourke Street Bakery on a Saturday morning except approximately 195 metres longer and predominantly made up of teenage girls hungry for affordable fashion, which is even more unpredictable than yuppie mums hungry for a carb. DON’T be deterred. Like good carbs, good fashunz are worth waiting for. DO head straight for JW Anderson. Topshop/Topman Sydney will stock all the megastore’s exclusive designer collaborations, including the one by Alexa Chung favourite and perennial lover of kilts, JW Anderson. DON’T forget about the make-up and accessories. Especially don't forget about the make up capsule collection from Louise Gray, which has just dropped globally and is like an explosion of pop art for your face. DO come back on a regular basis. According to Creative Director Kate Phelan new styles will be arriving twice a week to refresh floor stock. DON’T try to coincide your visit with stock drops. They happen randomly so you can find new wares each time you shop. DO embrace embellishment. Topshop/Topman Sydney features more sequinned hotpants than the Mardi Gras Parade, the shininess of which are emphasised further by all the groovy neon lighting. Above is the aptly named "Firework Short", which your eyeballs will find to be far more sensational in real life. DON’T neglect other trends in the process. Kate Phelan feels equally strongly about "pyjama dressing". DO clash your prints. Phelan is particularly fond of a good silky floral shirt and JW Anderson's paisley printed skirts, especially in combination with one another. Adding a pair of tartan pants underneath for kilt effect is optional. DON’T forget to also take a step back and go minimal. The Sydney store will also stock the Topshop Unique range, which has shown at London Fashion Week for the past four years and has lately taken a sophisticated (though still shiny) turn with more timeless pieces. DO feel free to drop some cash. Price points are not ridiculously inflated and spending over $100 in store will get you an exclusive Topshop pouch or tote bag while stocks last. On the other hand you can spend nothing and still score an in-store makeover, and if you're extra pleased with the results you should probably take a #lovetopshop selfie to get a chance at winning a $500 shopping spree. DON’T forget about the little guys in all the excitement. The gospel of good style, according to Phelan, is mixing high and low, so support local designers in your quest to be best dressed.
How many movies can you watch in 12 days? That's the question that Sydney Film Festival asks every June. Of course, when this annual showcase of international cinema takes over many of the city's theatres for nearly two huge weeks of exciting flicks, it isn't just about quantity, but quality. Indeed, some of the year's best films regularly make the fest's 300-plus title lineup. 2019 proved business as usual in this regard — although, given the diverse array of movies on offer each and every festival, there's no such thing as a usual SFF. Last year, we were all excited about intimate father-daughter dramas, fiery race-relations comedies and bleak Polish love stories. This year, it's all about semi-autobiographical Spanish fare, blistering Aussie documentaries and a rightfully lauded South Korean thriller that plays with genre, class and expectations. The standouts just keep coming, but we've whittled them down to ten. After an epic fortnight spent soaking up the silver screen's wonders, here's our pick of the best, weirdest and most unexpected films of the fest to keep an eye out for at cinemas and on streaming services. BEST https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_0KJAzyUJc PARASITE In three of the absolute best films of the past 12 months, exceptional Asian filmmakers have explored society's growing class clashes in unique, exciting and moving ways. Two such movies won the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or two years in a row, and two of them also hail from South Korea. That said, while SFF prizewinner Parasite shares its focus on a grifting, struggling family with Hirokazu Kore-eda's Shoplifters, and its tonal flips and slipperiness with Lee Chang-dong's Burning, there's no mistaking Bong Joon-ho's dark, devious and delightful latest feature for anything else. The writer/director behind The Host, Snowpiercer and Okja takes a broad scenario, massages it into an intricate puzzle box of a movie and lets its secrets unfurl — and does so with astonishing performances from the Song Kang-ho-led cast, commanding jumps between genres, incisive visual precision and the kind of purposeful yet artful production design that most films only dream of. Oh, and with an expert blend of laughs, thrills, commentary and horror, too. Make no mistake and believe the hype: Parasite is an all-out masterpiece. Parasite hits Australian cinemas on Thursday, June 27. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQaycqyjLFw PAIN AND GLORY Antonio Banderas has a rich, multi-decade filmography across both Spanish and Hollywood cinema to his name, including his previous work with auteur Pedro Almodovar. And yet, he's never been better than in Pain and Glory, which won him this year's Cannes Film Festival Best Actor award. Almodovar hasn't been in as fine a form in years either — not since he took Banderas into completely different territory with The Skin I Live In. With Penelope Cruz also featuring, re-teaming with his original stars and lightly drawing from his own past is clearly working for the celebrated director. There's such a quiet, thorny and tender core to this account of an ageing filmmaker (Banderas) rueing love lost and choices made, all while trying to manage his failing body, reconnecting with an old acquaintance, and falling back into memories of his mother (Cruz). There's such a glorious command of colour and movement in the film's evocative imagery, too. This is a film to get lost in, and in its sumptuously, sweepingly handled titular emotions as well. Australian cinema release date TBC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcHB6eE3I1k PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE Every obvious fiery term applies to Céline Sciamma's lush romantic drama. It simmers carefully, burns slowly and, after waiting for its embers to spark, sets the screen alight. Stepping back to 18th-century Brittany, the assured French filmmaker spins a yearning tale of passion and desire — of knowing that your greatest needs can only be satisfied fleetingly, grappling with that fact and relishing what brief happiness you can. Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) is a betrothed woman who refuses to sit for a traditional wedding portrait, much to her mother's (Valeria Golino) dismay. Marianne (Noémie Merlant) is the painter called in not just to commit the bride-to-be's likeness to canvas, but to do so surreptitiously while acting as her companion. As friendship and more blooms between the two, Sciamma's exquisite feel for unspoken emotion and inner awakenings blazes brightly, as it did in Water Lilies, Tomboy and Girlhood. Also evident is the writer/director's masterful way with her actors, and with stirring visual compositions. Keep an eye out for this on streaming services JUDY & PUNCH Writing and directing her first feature, Mirrah Foulkes gives a violent, slapstick puppet show a flesh-and-blood backstory. The Australian actor-turned-filmmaker also turns her fairy tale-esque affair into a tonal rollercoaster, and it works. Here, Mia Wasikowska and Damon Herriman play the eponymous couple, who win applause for their Punch and Judy marionette performances in her insular hometown of Seaside. While she wants a stable life in their crumbling castle with their infant daughter, he wants fame and fortune — and booze and other women. What Judy must go through, how she reacts and her plans to regain her power all drive a movie that's both comic and tragic, depicts brutal misogyny while championing a thoroughly feminist hero, and proves both delightfully gothic in its look and feel, and completely subversive in its outcome. And while they've always impressed across their respective careers, Wasikowska and Herriman are in particularly fine form in complex roles. Australian cinema release date TBC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVPp9t9aFpk RAY & LIZ British filmmaker Richard Billingham casts aside sentimentality, leans into grittiness and recreates his past in his debut feature Ray & Liz, which focuses on his mother and father (played by Ella Smith and Justin Salinger), their tumultuous relationship and its impact on his Thatcher-era childhood. Call it a cinematic memoir, or call it a photo album come to life (Billingham is also a photographer) — whichever one you choose, it understates the searing detail of this family portrait. As the Billinghams' woes fill the screen, including much drinking, arguing and questionable parental decisions, the stunningly shot film feels like the work of someone not only observing and excavating but re-evaluating his formative years. There's kitchen-sink social realism, and then there's taking an unfettered look at your own experiences — and this drama journeys through the former to land into the latter category. Keep an eye out for this on streaming services https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9C8JaJxoYU THE FINAL QUARTER A deserving recipient of a standing ovation at its sold-out SFF world premiere, The Final Quarter doesn't cast fresh eyes over a familiar, shameful story. That's part of its point. As directed by Australian documentarian Ian Darling, this AFL-focused film recounts the ordeal endured by ex-Sydney Swans footballer Adam Goodes solely through materials recorded at the time, capturing the backlash to his eloquent pleas against racism, the needless booing that followed him for more than a season, and the vile media commentary that painted him as a villain for embracing his Indigenous heritage. While these incidents throughout the final years of his champion career were harrowing and heartbreaking to watch as they happened, they're just as infuriating now. The same applies to what his treatment says about Australian attitudes towards race, and how little has changed since Goodes hung up his boots, which The Final Quarter doesn't sugar-coat — and nor should it. The Final Quarter will air soon on Network 10. WEIRDEST https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fhjqvb60LLw BACURAU After winning SFF's official competition with 2016's Aquarius, Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho returns with a movie of equal passion about the state of the world, including class inequality. After first wowing the festival with 2012's Neighbouring Sounds, he has crafted another layered and wide-ranging look at Brazilian life in a microcosm. But, even with its thematic similarities to the director's past work, Bacurau couldn't be further removed from its predecessors — thanks, in no small part, to its distinctive wild streak. This time, Filho co-helms and writes with Juliano Dornelles, with the pair cooking up a politically potent western-horror mashup that unleashes violent havoc on its titular outback setting. The chaos starts with the passing of the village's matriarch, who local doctor Domingas (a stellar Sonia Braga) gleefully attacks during the funeral; however, this near-hallucinatory film really kicks into gear when a bunch of wealthy Westerners arrive wielding weapons. Keep an eye out for this on streaming services https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmTsmAJPpPs COME TO DADDY Following a map to a remote waterside location, Norval Greenwood (Elijah Wood) knocks on his father's door, reuniting with the man he hasn't seen for more than 30 years. It's a tense, awkward scene, with more of the same following — and, in a movie that segues from reunion drama to unsettling mystery flick to crime thriller, things only get unhinged and deranged from there. Marking the feature directorial debut of New Zealand producer-turned-filmmaker Ant Timpson (The ABCs of Death, Turbo Kid, Deathgasm), Come to Daddy proves an anarchic, unruly and very amusing ride, complete with committed performances not just from Wood, but from Martin Donovan, Michael Smiley and The Breaker Upperers' Madeleine Sami as well. It's also inspired by reality, although to say more would be to reveal too much about a movie that revels in its twists and turns. And in it's ample splashes of gore and blood, too. Australian cinema release date TBC MOST UNEXPECTED https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCKO84ViyxA DIRTY GOD How we cope with trauma is one of the traits that truly define us — and in Dirty God, the acid-scarred Jade (Vicky Knight) endeavours to overcome a vicious tragedy in a plethora of ways. Sensitively directed by Sacha Polak, this emotional drama follows the young British mother as she attempts to recover from an attack that not only changed her life, but has changed her appearance and sense of self to a devastating degree. As Jade struggles at home, at work, in court and to find someone to connect with, this isn't a portrait of a woman in free fall. Rather, it's a snapshot of someone trying, failing, picking herself up again and repeating the messy process, all to reclaim her own space in the world. A Dutch director making her English-language debut, Polak has delved into the fragile and tactile inner state of a female protagonist before in 2012's Hemel, and does so again here with delicacy and insight. But the star of the show is the astonishing Knight, who turns in a performance that warrants widespread attention. Keep an eye out for this on streaming services https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs5ZOcU6Bnw THE DEAD DON'T DIE No matter what Jim Jarmusch decides to take on — westerns, vampires, midlife crises and samurai-influenced hitman included — his films never turns out as anyone could ever expect. That's the case with the Only Lovers Left Alive and Paterson director's star-studded zombie comedy The Dead Don't Die, which corrals Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloë Sevigny, Tilda Swinton, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits and Iggy Pop into an apocalyptic, meta joke-filled satire that leisurely but pointedly takes aim at apathy, aimlessness and the reality that we're all mindlessly shuffling towards our own vices. What surprises most in The Dead Don't Die, however, is its laidback yet rich world and characters. The best sitcoms, such as The Simpsons and Parks and Recreation, build bustling realms overflowing with fascinating major and minor players that viewers just want to spend more time with, which Jarmusch also perfects here. As a result, when Driver's small-town cop tells everyone over and over again that this won't end well, don't believe him. The Dead Don't Die hits Australian cinemas on Thursday, October 24. This year's SFF served up plenty of other highlights — and we've covered many of them over the past few months. From our rundown of Australian titles to check out this year, The Nightingale, I Am Mother and Emu Runner all screened at the festival, while The Souvenir, Synonyms, Varda by Agnes, Amazing Grace, Ghost Town Anthology and Skin ranked among our Berlinale recommendations. We also reviewed High Life, as part of its general release. And, pre-festival, we took an enthusiastic look at In Fabric, Booksmart, In My Blood It Runs, Scheme Birds, Her Smell, Happy New Year, Colin Burstead and Cold Sweat as well.
A co-production with ILBIJERRI Theatre Company, Coranderrk will come to the Belvoir stage in December. The year is 1881. The scene is set at a Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry. Indigenous men and women gather, taking on the Aboriginal Protection Board. Their aim? Simple: to be allowed to continue their personal experiment in self-determination. Coranderrk features an all-Indigenous cast, recreating this inquiry for stage. In what is set to be a wonderful piece of theatre and an effective history lesson for all Australians, Coranderrk is an indication of the power of the written word, reviving the voices of those past, those fighting for a better future for Australia.
Petersham's The Oxford Tavern is going full sour this spring — and not just with its beers. The Rise 'N Brine festival will return for a second year, taking over the pub for three days of pickle-themed food, booze and even entertainment from Saturday, October 3 to Monday, October 5 (a public holiday). To start off, the bar will offer a few pickle-flavoured beers, which have been brewed for the day by local craft legends Batch, Yulli's Brews and the pub's own Oxford Brewing Racket. Other booze options include a pickle-y cocktail menu, which includes a slushie version of the classic pickleback — aka a shot of Jameson chased with pickle juice. And the pickling doesn't stop there, either. The pub has also created a special menu of pickle-inspired eats to tuck into — think jumbo pickle poppers, Cuban sandwiches, reuben spring rolls and pickle pops. A pickle eating competition hosted by local favourite McClure's Pickles and a pickle toss are also on the docket. With COVID-19 restrictions, the bar has limited capacity and booking are essential. Tickets will cost you $10 a pop, which includes a beer or pickleback slushie on arrival. Rise 'N Brine has sessions running from 12–2pm and 2.30–4.30pm across all three days.
Launching in the first week of February, one of Bondi Junction's historic public bars is rediscovering its roots with the arrival of Billy the Pig. Taking up residence in the former Eastern Hotel for the next 17 months, punters can expect a lively late-night haunt where drinks flow into the early hours. Meanwhile, a revamped lineup of counter meals and pub classics is complemented by live bands and DJs gracing the stage from week to week. Led by renowned restaurateur Maurice Terzini (Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, Purple Pit), this reimagined space serves as a love letter to no-frills public bars. The veneration starts with the residency's name – a direct homage to when this spot was called Billy the Pig's in the '90s. That name itself was a reference to the pub's gruff original owner from the 1950s, who had a reputation for treating his customers a bit like swine. Fortunately, when you cast your eyes over Terzini's latest incarnation, it's easy to see that the service has been given a little more thought. Here, classic Australian counter meals like chicken schnitzel, lasagne with beef ragù, and 250g minute steak are presented with a subtle Italian flair. Meanwhile, Terzini has also leant into nostalgia through enduring desserts like pavlova with banana cream, and golden syrup pudding with vanilla custard. There's also a tasty assortment of playful snacks adding to the sentimental theme, including party pies and Jatz with cheddar. To drink, expect a mix of Australian draft beers and craft creations, with varying happy hours reviving the six o'clock swill. Terzini also puts his deep knowledge of modern and minimal intervention wines to good use through a hand-picked selection of Australian and Italian varieties. Finally, an inventive cocktail list offers plenty of choices, with four classic, four modern and four late-night options certain to spark your interest. Made with high-end ingredients and no post mix, highlights include a lychee martini alongside a colada featuring three types of run. For a modern concoction, the No 207 combines Ketel One with Campari and ruby grapefruit, while you can level up the after-dark vibe with the fruit tingle's blend of Don Julio, blue curaçao, raspberry and lemonade. Whichever you choose, it's bound to pack a good punch. [caption id="attachment_681230" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The former Eastern Hotel, Katje Ford[/caption] With a license letting Billy the Pig run wild until 3am, Bondi's weekends and weeknights will get a boost thanks to top-notch creative programming, spanning live bands, local producers and even the occasional exhibition. Drawing on the area's immense history, Terzini's latest residency is proud to take cues from its predecessors, searching for ways to give back to the community and foster the same edge that made these public bars so special. "This venue is an old deco pub with an incredible history as a pumping Eastern suburb venue," explains Terzini. "Residencies allow me the opportunity to explore less structured models … a bit like when I started my career more on gut feelings and creativity than budgets. I find this energy translates positively to my other projects, bringing a breath of fresh air." [caption id="attachment_681233" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The former Eastern Hotel, Katje Ford[/caption] [caption id="attachment_681232" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The former Eastern Hotel, Katje Ford[/caption] [caption id="attachment_681234" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The former Eastern Hotel, Katje Ford[/caption] Billy the Pig launches at 500 Oxford Street, Bondi Junction in February 2025. Top image: Nikki To.
UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 — White Rabbit's And Now exhibition has been extended until January 2021. To celebrate its tenth anniversary last year, Chippendale's White Rabbit Gallery launched a huge two-part retrospective. The first half, dubbed Then, featured giant pink fibreglass undies, a porcine car with an 11-metre gold tongue and 30 life-sized naked figures. Now, the follow-up exhibition has been announced. Called, fittingly, And Now, it showcases 15 key works from the second part of White Rabbit's life: 2011–2019. Come Wednesday, March 11, the three-storey gallery will be filled with videos, giant sculptures, paintings and performative pieces. A three-part video installation by Liu Chuang will see Stephen Spielberg, Zhou Dynasty bells and bitcoin come together (figuratively) to explore issues of displacement in Bitcoin Mining and Field Recordings of Ethnic Minorities, while Zhu Jinshi's The Ship of Times — made from 14,000 sheets of xuan paper, 1800 pieces of fine bamboo, and 2000 cotton threads — will symbolise spiritual transformation. The latter recently travelled to the National Gallery of Victoria for an impressive White Rabbit exhibition. You'll also find a tall pillar of red glass by ceramicist Liu Jianhua, a performative video piece by Patty Chang in which she washes a rotting whale carcass, and two works by provocative artist, and former Ai Wei Wei studio assistant, Zhao Zhao. Images: Kimberley Low
Looking for something to dazzle? Head to Courtesy of the Artist in the Strand Arcade, where you will find an expansive collection of contemporary jewellery and objects. Split across three galleries, the store's modern and ever-evolving offering is designed to command attention and combat mass production. Since launching in 2005, Courtesy of the Artist has grown to represent 80 artists who champion unexpected creations. Celebrating a big anniversary or birthday? Browse the array of ready-to-wear pieces or speak with one of six handpicked fine jewellers to create your own custom design. More of an artist collective than a simple shop, Courtesy of the Artist holds community workshop events in its airy upstairs space, The Loft, so local jewellers and artists can come and learn new skills. Images: Kimberley Low.
For every boarded-up venue there’s a group of musically shrewd Sydneysiders doing great things to nurture our city’s really-very-thriving live music scene. One of the most game-changing is The NOW now, a community-run organisation responsible for two regular gigs a month throughout the year and one massive festival in January. Now in its 12th year, the festival is a five-day unpicking of that intriguing musical category marked ‘other’. A huge array of Australian acts and overseas imports will be flying the flag for sound sculpture, improv, composed music, new collaborations, trash rock, shitcore and other exploratory genres. Sydney producer Jon Hunter commands time the way other artists wield guitars, Peter Blamey’s ‘open electronics’ explore the neglected material potential of e-waste, and Berlin-based NOW co-founder Clare Cooper demos her rhythmic chops on something called a guzheng. Also unconventional are the ticket prices, which range from $15 for one night to $65 for a five-day pass.
Even when you put your mind to it, cutting down your kitchen waste can be a challenging undertaking. But with the help of Cornersmith — ethical food producer, cafe and professional pickler — you won't have a problem turning the sad looking vegetables at the bottom of your fridge into something hearty and delicious. Head along to this hands-on workshop hosted at the MCA on Saturday, June 1 and you'll quickly find out the best way to make a rich stock made entirely from kitchen castaways. You'll also learn how to make versatile apple cider vinegar that's great for pickling or turning basic salads into something a little fancier. Once you've completed this 90-minute class, take home your hard work and find a new appreciation for your downtrodden produce. Cornersmith's workshop will take place on Saturday, June 1 across three sessions: 11am–12.30pm, 1.30–3pm and 4–5.30pm. Tickets cost $80 per person ($64 for members) and booking is required. This event forms part of the Museum of Contemporary Art's Conversation Starters 2019: Temperature Rising program. To see the full program, head this way. Image. Steve Woodburn.
In a case of common sense prevailing — and, a cinema realising that charging more during peak times wasn't going to lure movie-goers in — Village Cinemas has cancelled their surge pricing trial on movie tickets. The theatre chain issued news.com.au with a statement, advising "we were running pricing variation trials over the summer period which we appreciate may have caused angst and concern to our customers." The company continues, "we can now confirm that all pricing variation trials have been stopped effective immediately... Our goal is to ensure movie going remains as an affordable entertainment choice for our guests." As first reported on Reddit, Village had been increasing ticket costs after 5pm on Fridays and Saturdays, to the tune of between 50 cents and $1 more per movie — and ramping up candy bar prices by between 30 cents and $1 per item as well. Yes, it's the same concept that Uber users hate during busy periods, on trial at multiplexes including Crown, Fountain Gate, Doncaster, Jam Factory, Southland and Werribee during the summer school holidays. While the idea of variable movie ticket prices isn't new — student discounts, cheap Tuesdays and the like — charging more during peak cinema-going slots was never going to be well-received given that Aussie ticket costs rose 31 percent in the decade to 2016. And though Village Cinemas was ramping up the cost in popular periods, it wasn't decreasing them for slow sessions and times. Via news.com.au
Calvin Klein Swim has found its way to Australian shelves, landing a little late in the season, but just in time to see the end of summer. Launching across Australia today, the men's and women's swim collections deliver waterproof versions of those iconic logo waistbands made popular by Kate Moss and Marky Mark Wahlberg in 1992. Throughout both menswear and womenswear swim collections, it's all about the bold, high-impact and cutting-edge with the use of bright primary colours, blocks of black and white, and ultra modern cuts. Ladies, strength and femininity combine with provocative zip-front one-pieces, sleek black, white and gold one-shoulder numbers, and classic thin strap cozzies with 'Calvin' emblazoned down the side. It's your choice if you want to play Bond Girl, Olympian or both, but slipping into that logo-banded red bralette and matching split waistband bottoms, you'll undeniably feel as if you've entered some '90s mashup of Baywatch meets TLC video — move over Bondi Rescue. For the guys, there's a fair share of logo waistbands for your boardies, plus styles with a choice of one big 'Calvin' down the side or several little 'Calvin Kleins' dotted among surfboards. Along with swimwear, the brand brings with it a collection of sporty, beach-ready accessories including a branded towel and branded slides: right foot 'Calvin', left foot 'Klein'. As we ride out the rest of summer, everyone will certainly know who you're repping at the beach as you layout your towel, slip off your slides and show off your new mid-summer swimmers. Beach body by Calvin Klein. The Calvin Klein Swim menswear and womenswear collections are available from today at select David Jones stores, and online and in Calvin Klein stores nationwide from next week. Prices range from $59-199.
Another beloved film is heading to the theatre — this time, iconic Australian effort Starstruck. It follows in the footsteps of a growing number of Aussie flicks-turned-musicals; think Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Muriel's Wedding and Moulin Rouge!. Like its predecessors, it's easy to see why the film is getting the stage musical treatment. In fact, given the movie's storyline, it's a wonder that a large-scale production of hasn't been made before. Directed by Gillian Armstrong and first released in 1982, the comedy-drama tells the tale of Sydney teenager Jackie Mullens, who works in her mum's pub by the harbour but wants to become a rock star — and her cousin Angus, an aspiring manager, plans to get Jackie on a national TV talent series to help her dreams become a reality. An all-singing, all-dancing affair that'll be filled with 80s pop just like the movie, Starstruck — The Stage Musical will see RGM Productions, the folks behind the Priscilla, Queen of the Desert musical, team up with the National Institute of Dramatic Art. For the show's initial run at Sydney's Parade Theatre in 2019, it'll showcase NIDA's graduating class; however the production will also act as pilot for future commercial seasons. Dates haven't yet been announced, but it's expected to take to the stage towards the end of next year. As well as Priscilla Queen of The Desert, The Musical producer Garry McQuinn and his partner Rina Gill, the behind-the-scenes talent includes director Simon Phillips (Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Ladies in Black, Muriel's Wedding) and choreographer Andrew Hallsworth (Anything Goes, Sweet Charity), with the book by actor, singer, writer and director Mitchell Butel (Two Hands, Gettin' Square, Holding the Man). "It'll be an exciting adventure to see this warm-hearted little Australian film take shape on the stage," says Phillips. "The story about a couple of self-invented Ozzie kids trying to save their family pub is full of joy and adolescent energy, and NIDA feels like the perfect place to road-test its charms." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucf3bzv-e9M
Already this year, the Biennale of Sydney has filled the city with dazzling art. In its long-awaited return this winter, Vivid Sydney did the same, too. The next event set to get the Harbour City all creative: Sydney Contemporary, which'll make a comeback at Carriageworks in September for the first time since 2019. The reason for that gap is obvious. When the art fair returns for its sixth edition from Thursday, September 8–Sunday, September 11, it's understandably going big to celebrate. More than 90 galleries will take over the multi-arts centre, featuring works by 450 artists from 34 countries — including a specific focus on large-scale artworks. Galleries making their presence known — emerging and established alike, and spanning both Australian and New Zealand institutions — include Melbourne's Neon Parc and Niagara Galleries, Station and This Is No Fantasy; Edwina Corlette from Brisbane; Sydney's own Sullivan+Strumpf, Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery and Martin Browne Contemporary; and Gow Langsford Gallery and Michael Lett from Auckland. APY Art Centre Collective, which operates across Adelaide and Sydney, will also hit the fair, as will Singapore and Sydney's Yavuz Gallery. [caption id="attachment_859304" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jacquie Manning[/caption] The list goes on — with Sydney Contemporary newcomers Mangkaja Arts (from Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia), C Gallery (Melbourne), N Smith Gallery and Formist Editions (Sydney), and A Secondary Eye and Onespace Gallery (Brisbane) also set to be represented. And, in terms of the art that'll be on display, it'll hail from artists from Australia, NZ, the UK, the US, China, Germany and Indonesia, as well as Japan, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Turkey — among other nations. [caption id="attachment_859309" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation view: Callum Morton, The End #3, 2020, polyurethane, timber, steel, glass, synthetic polymer paint, lights, sound, 240 x 360 x 50 cm. photo: Luis Power, courtesy the artist and Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney.[/caption] As just announced, the newly renamed Installation Contemporary lineup — now called Amplify — will be a hefty feature, focusing on large-scale pieces. Annika Kristensen, Visual Arts Curator at Perth Festival and Associate Curator at Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, curates the selection. Like most things at Sydney Contemporary, her program isn't holding back. Peta Clancy's Undercurrent, a photographic series, will be projected across Carriageworks' exterior facade; Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro have made a huge papier-machè representation of the moon's surface; and Callum Morton's sizeable wall sculptures are actually exact-scale replicas of the iconic Sirius Building's window frames. 2020 Archibald Prize-winner Vincent Namatjira will display The Royal Tour (Diana, Vincent and Charles), while Catherine O'Donnell is set to create a drawing directly onto one of the fair's walls — that'll prove specific to the site and stay for Sydney Contemporary's duration. That's just a taste of the Amplify lineup, of course. [caption id="attachment_859312" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Claire Healy & Sean Cordeiro, ごめんえ素直じゃなくて GOMEN NE SUNAO JANAKUTE (Sorry, I'm not straightforward), 2021, papier machè and styrene core, metal strap, metal plates, 256cm in diameter. Courtesy of the artists and N Smith Gallery.[/caption] Elsewhere across the fair, the Performance Contemporary program will focus on artists WeiZen Ho, Rakini Devi, Salote Tawale and Alli Sebastian Wolf — and the Talk Contemporary rundown will be announced in August. Whatever catches your eye, expect to have company. More than 112,000 visitors have attended in past years, and more than AU$85million in art sales have been notched up. "Sydney Contemporary has been firmly established as the most influential fair in the region, and the sixth edition of Sydney Contemporary promises to be our strongest fair yet," said Sydney Contemporary founder Tim Etchells. "The fair provides the largest concentration of art sales annually in Australia and we expect 2022 to be no exception." [caption id="attachment_859307" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jacquie Manning[/caption] Sydney Contemporary 2022 runs from Thursday, September 8–Sunday, September 11 at Carriageworks. For further information and to buy tickets, head to the art fair's website. Top image: Zan Wimberley.
A lush beer garden has arrived in The Hills just in time for summer. Located out the back of the Bella Vista Hotel, Bella Garden is scattered with booths, lounges, greenery and a repurposed bath and a piano bursting with plants, which make it a great spot to laze about in the sunshine. To fit with the garden vibe is a menu of flower-inspired cocktails. Starting at $14, the vivid drinks on offer include a rose and gin concoction made with house-made raspberry syrup and the Marigold, which combines Aperol, pink grapefruit juice, lychee and rose syrup. On the food menu, you'll find Neapolitan-style pizzas, pastas, salads and a huge lineup of sharing dishes, which feature everything from lamb kofta to clams in 'nduja-spiked tomato sauce and buttermilk-fried chicken wings. While it's suitably summery, the beer garden is appropriate for all seasons, as it has a retractable roof. And Sundays are when it's liveliest, with live acoustic musicians, DJs, $9 cocktails and $20 carafes from 2pm. The bar in the beer garden is only open on Friday nights and from 11am on Saturdays and Sundays, but the space is open all week — you'll just need to order food from inside the hotel.
If more good music and more delicious food are among your New Year's resolutions, then the CBD's Restaurant Hubert is ready to give you a helping hand. Nightly throughout January, the French eatery will be serving up a three-course dinner, soundtracked by live jazz. But, if you're not that hungry, you can go a la carte. Put together by Hubert's resident jazz man Stefan, the program will bring you jazz of all kinds — from vocalists and duos to hard-swinging bands. If you're into singers, be sure to catch jazz-soul powerhouse Virna Sanzone on January 16, singer-songwriter Emma May (who you might've seen on Love Child) on January 22 and Nic Jeffries (who you might've seen on The Voice in 2016) on February 1. Among the offerings on the three-course menu are stracciatella with stretched cow's curd, tomato and dill; chicken fricassée (a deeply comforting French-style stew); and the Floating Island: meringue with creme anglaise and seasonal fruit. Reservations are required, and Le Jazz January runs from 7–11pm each evening. Image: Daniel Boud.
It's not often that you're holding out hope that the temperature drops even further in winter. But a bunch of Sydney pubs are encouraging you to do just that this chilly season. As the temperature drops, beer lovers turn to their go-to winter stout, Guinness, and the iconic brewery has enlisted the help of a group of beloved Sydney stalwarts to give away free pints as the mercury falls. The concept is simple. If the temperature drops below nine degrees during the month of June, there are free pints of Guinness on offer. To claim your complimentary beer, head to one of the participating venues and show the bartender Guinness' Brewery of Meteorology site which will display the temperature. Some of the pubs taking part in the promotion include The Carrington and Keg & Brew in Surry Hills; The Dog Hotel, Jimmy's Bar and Horses Hotel in Randwick; The Village Inn in Paddington; Woollahra Hotel and Lord Dudley Hotel in Woollhara; Grand Hotel, Tea Gardens Hoel and Beach Road Hotel in Bondi; Charing Cross Hotel in Waverley; Clovelly Hotel; Coogee Beach Club; and Woolloomoolloo's East Sydney Hotel. [caption id="attachment_681981" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Beach Road Hotel[/caption] Adding to this celebration of the colder months, Guinness has also created a set of merino-wool thermals covered in the iconic Guinness harp. If your passion for the historic beer extends far enough that you want to represent it on your body, you can win a pair of the limited-edition thermals via the Brewery of Meteorology website. "As the weather gets cooler, there's nothing better than rugging up and enjoying a Guinness," said Guinness' appointed meteorologist, beloved celebrity chef Colin Fassnidge. "I'll be keeping an eye on the temperature this winter, and when it drops I hope to see plenty of Guinness fans donning their Guinness thermals and heading to a cosy pub to enjoy a pint." For more information on the Guinness giveaway and to enter to win the Guinness-branded thermals, head to the Brewery of Meteorology website. Top image: Cassandra Hannagan
This year, grab the fam' or a group of mates and enjoy rockin' around Darling Harbour with a plethora of free activities including Saturday fireworks, the much-loved Christmas festival and guaranteed good vibes, as well as paid pedal boat rides. From Monday, November 18, 2024, through to Wednesday, December 25, 2025, Darling Harbour will come alive. And in true Christmas spirit – the best bit is that it's mostly free. Christmas Festival A Darling Harbour fan favourite, the Christmas Festival will take place from Saturday, December 14 – Sunday, December 15 in Tumbalong Park. You can expect live performances from Samantha Jade, Anthony Callea and, of course, Santa. There will also be kids performers, including The Beanies, The Quokkas and Jayden Rodrigues' Dance Party, as well as a choir singalong to all your favourite Christmas tunes. Christmas on the Water Head down to Darling Harbour's picturesque foreshore, where the festivities will kick off with a quintessentially Aussie arrival from Santa Claus himself on Friday, December 6, on a jet ski. Stick around and check out the towering, sparkling floating Christmas tree at Cockle Bay, or watch the Christmas firework displays over Cockle Bay on December 7, 14 and 21 at 9pm. However, the thing we're most looking forward to has to be the pedal boats, which will be running from Saturday, Novemeber 30 2024 until Monday, 27 January 2025. Perfect for a cloudless Sydney summer day, enjoy the harbour's scenic views from the water with friends and family. Christmas-themed Entertainment The festive season is the ultimate time to get out and about with friends and family, and the International Convention Centre Sydney has got the perfect thing for you to do, hosting a range of live orchestra performances that will bring everyone's most cherished holiday films to life. Yes, you will be able to witness The Holiday in Concert on Saturday, December 14, or, if you're more of the Love Actually type, head down on Saturday, December 21 to get your fix. Plus, at Darling Quarter, you will find large-scale vertical garden boxes dressed in red bows from Saturday, November 16 – Thursday, December 26. Not only are they pretty cool to look at, but they make the perfect backdrop for an insta. The Harbour Village The Darling Quarter Village Green will be the place to be from Saturday, December 21 – Sunday, December 22. You will find Christmas Storytime with children's entertainers Emily Who and Nyssa and the Outback Band. The Harbour Village also offers Santa's Workshop, a free crafting station where kids can create their own paper wreaths with a unique native floral twist. Families can also enjoy a playful break with life-size lawn games like Connect Four and Wreath Ring Toss, because there's nothing like a bit of friendly competition. Santa Fun Run It's that time of year again when all of the Santas in Sydney come together for one epic run on Saturday, November 30. In support of Vision Australia, the run kicks off at 8 am at Metcalfe Park in Darling Harbour. Plus, you don't have to dress up to be part of the fun—anyone is welcome. It's all about helping raise funds for Carols by Candlelight and its Life Ready children's fundraising program. Food and Drinks Just to top it all off, in the true spirit of indulgence, you can count on Darling Harbour's many restaurants, cafes and bars to give you the energy you need to check everything out that Darling Harbour has to offer. You will find something for every craving, whether you're longing for Asian-inspired flavours at Darling Square, al fresco dining at Darling Quarter or an Italian feast at Fratelli Fresh. Visit the Darling Harbour website to find out more. Images: Anna Kucera, supplied.
Acclaimed internationally by the likes of the Rolling Stone, Billboard and Nylon, Los Angeles darlings Electric Guest will be stopping off at Oxford Art Factory during the peak of their world tour. Released earlier this year in April, Electric Guest's debut album Mondo has been described as a seamless fusion of Motown, '70s daytime radio funk lite, indie rock and '60s French pop, with comparisons made to the likes of Hall & Oates, Gnarls Barkley, Danger Mouse and Scissor Sisters. Separate from the feel of the album, the duo's live show has an enormity to it, easily contradicting the "shoegaze" label that has, in the past, been put upon them. Electric Guest's soulfully electric hooks are bound to make the girls swoon, and their R&B inspired grooves will get even the stiffest of guys moving. Electric Guest will be supported by YesYou, a dance-pop two-piece from Brisbane. https://youtube.com/watch?v=nVSiwMVaKe4
Investigated in this show is the 'perfect woman' as a construct, both psychically and as an assemblage. Out of dissected dolls, furnishings, often-strange appliances and household products from the '40s, '50s and '60s, O'Doherty makes mordant visual puns: a set of scales as torso in The Perfect Weight, a light-bulb as a head in Bright Spark and the fairly self-evident Baby Machine. Such caustic obviousness is applied not so much to ideas of femininity generally, but to self-evaluation in relation to other women; in Roses and The Male Gaze bouquets of skewered Barbie heads represent a sense of rivalry and interchangeability as a basis for social relationships. Medical home remedies in the open cabinet-torso of Mother's Little Helper and cosmetics filling the equivalent shelves in Glory Box suggest that family life trains girls to view maturing as a sickness. Wear and tear on the figures, and flaking peach, teal and cream in the roughened but well-fitted wood-panel backdrops speak of exposure, but this critique is an 'inside job', domestic and anatomical. There is sympathetic irony as well as cruel absurdity to its literalisations.
Take a journey into the past at the InterContinental Sydney, with the launch of the unique Oldest Lift Bar Experience. Making the most of one of the hotel's most fascinating features – the Southern Hemisphere's oldest working lift – this particular spot is found hidden in The Treasury bar, which itself has a few remarkable stories to tell since being built in 1851. With the lift carefully protected ever since, it's now hosting a special cocktail hour to celebrate the building's enduring heritage. Flooded with natural light from the hotel's original cortile – an impressive atrium and gathering space – this precise spot was once home to the first colonial vineyard. Now, guests can step inside the lift to indulge in micrococktails made by resident mixologists as they ascend and descend through the hotel. Serving as an elegant nod to the InterContinental Sydney's immense past, this experience evokes an intimate ambience and centuries-old charm. As for the tipples, there are four creations to explore. The Georgian Gimlet celebrates The Treasury's impressive architecture and features Four Pillars Yuzu Gin, citrus, sugar and sencha tea. The Treasury's subterranean coffer inspires the Vault Martini, with Beluga Noble Vodka mixed with dry curacao, hibiscus and citrus, while the Atrium Negroni reflects the light-filled dome through Four Pillars Dry Gin, Campari, vermouth and lemon myrtle. Finally, the 1851 Old Fashioned nods to the building's origins with Dalmore Double Oak, sugar, bitters, and macadamia. "The Treasury Bar is a vault of Sydney's best-kept secrets and we're thrilled to unveil the southern hemisphere's oldest lift bar," says Mattia Arnaboldi, director of bars at InterContinental Sydney. "It will allow guests to immerse themselves in a part of Sydney's rich history, journeying through time and taste, as they sip on cocktails that reflect the heritage and charm of The Treasury." Once you've enjoyed your inventive drink in the lift, the experience continues at The Treasury bar. Here, a second cocktail selected from a curated menu is served alongside two delicious small plates, including betel leaves with caramelised pork and crisp vegetable herbs, and beef skewers with tonnato sauce and fried baby capers. Running until March 29, the Old Lift Bar Experience operates on Fridays and Saturdays from 4–6pm, and costs $69 per person. The Oldest Lift Bar Experience is happening at InterContinental Sydney, 117 Macquarie Street, Sydney. Head to the website for more information. Images: Steven Woodburn.
Spring has officially sprung, which means it's time to pack away your slow cooker, unpack your picnic hamper and get ready for entertaining and dinner parties galore. Darlinghurst's Studio Enti wants to help you prepare for all this hosting — or just lots of fancy al fresco dinners for one — with its annuals seconds sale. The semi-hidden ceramics studio is offering up to 80 percent off a huge range of its tableware, lighting and accessories on Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20. Pop by and score yourself one-off, sample and seconds plates, cups, vases and fancy lighting without burning a hole in your wallet — saving a few coins here and there is always a good thing in the lead-up to the busy summer holiday season. Studio Enti's ceramics are all made to last from Australian porcelain, which means they have more chance of surviving an accidental knock after a couple of spritzes. As it goes with all sales, the good stuff often goes first, so make sure you head in early. The Studio Enti annual seconds sale runs from 10am–4pm. Image two: Steven Woodburn
Give Netflix the night off and invest generously in your local art scene by rolling down to The Old Fitz Theatre for dinner and a show. With a number of fearless and dynamic performances, Red Line Productions programmes some of the most challenging theatre in Sydney, and in light of recent art funding cuts, these young writers, actors and producers could use all the spare dimes they can get. So why not throw them a money bone and catch them on a Tuesday? You'll score cheap tickets and a hearty bowl of pasta for less than $50, which we think is a pretty sweet deal.
Ever wanted to learn how to swing dance? Head on down to CBD cocktail bar The Swinging Cat for their free monthly swing lessons and learn yourself a handy new crowdpleasing skill. One free 30-minute class will be held on the first Tuesday of every month at 6pm, with a live band and taught by the Sydney Swing Katz. You'll be the best dancer at your second cousin once-removed's wedding in no time. In case you're yet to visit this basement bar, The Swinging Cat is NOLA-inspired, so you can expect plenty of live jazz, classic cocktails (a French 75 should get you going) and moody lighting, so stick around for a vintage-style tipple afterwards with your new friends from class. It's alright if you're shy, down a daiquiri and let loose. Go on, Charleston your way into hearts Sydneywide.
With pioneers of avant-garde electronica and general oddity, Kraftwerk already announced as the headline act of Vivid LIVE 2013, the bar has been set stratospherically high for the Vivid LIVE Studio Parties. But it will come as no surprise to those of you who raised the Opera House's iconic sails at last year's celebration of underground nightlife that 2013's lineup is again jam-packed full of club-shakin', dance-till-your-feet-hurt talent. Over four nights four of Sydney's most innovative dance collectives will be lighting up the Opera House's Studio and Western Foyers. On Saturday, May 25, the house music disciples Future Classic will showcase the stylings of UK beatmaker Lapalux, Norway's bombastic fusion of hip hop and house Cashmere Cat and Van She founder Michael Di Francesco's genre-hopping Touch Sensitive. Next up are the purveyors of basement partying Goodgod Danceteria! whose biggest drawcard is the skeezy, greasy social media sensation RiFF RAFF. With his highly addictive brand of chest-beating hip hop and dirty-as-hell beats, RiFF RAFF has earned himself a whopping 33 million YouTube views and guest spots from the likes of Snoop Dogg and Skrillex. If musical innovation and trippy acid-house-techno-minfuckery are more your style (and whose isn't?) then your best bet is Detroit's Omar S and his extended Astral People set. The night will also feature a healthy dose of drum 'n' bass in the form of Britain's John Corvex and off-kilter robotronics of Africa Hitech. While the final event, featuring Sydney's premiere queer institution Club Kooky, has already sold out, the rest of the events are on sale now, so head to the Vivid LIVE website to get your hands on the hottest after-hours party Sydney has to offer this winter.
Nothing says weekend quite like a market, so why wait till Saturday morning? Get in on the game early — in other words, Friday lunchtime — at The Rocks Friday Foodie Market. Take your time wandering through Jack Mundey Place and the adjacent laneways, where you can sample handmade, dried, baked, whipped and roasted products from all over the city and further afield. You name it, you'll get your hands on it – from BBQ skewers to some of the best gozleme in Sydney, okonomiyaki, roast pork roll, plus cupcakes and handmade chocolates for dessert.
Three-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone has done it again with his 2012 film Savages. Based on Don Winslow's bestselling crime novel, it is a brutal, ferocious and sexy look into the lives of two marijuana growers. Taking place in glamorous Laguna Beach California, this crime thriller film follows two best friends' successful and homegrown marijuana business, where they produce some of the best marijuana ever developed. When the powerful Mexican Baja Cartel finds out about their business, a war breaks out. The two best friends, played by Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson, must take part in a savage battle against the cartel to save the girl (Ophelia, played by Blake Lively) that they both love and, oddly enough, share. Savages has elements of just about every film genre, including crime, drama, mystery, suspense, thriller and romance. The star cast includes Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Johnson, Demian Bichir, Benicio del Toro, Salma Hayek, John Travolta and Emile Hirsch. Thanks to Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, we have five DVD copies of Savages to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to Concrete Playground (if you haven't already) then email us with your name and postal address at hello@concreteplayground.com.au.
There's just about a Gelato Messina on every corner now, right? Well, with their Newtown store opening last week, there kind of is. And while King Street ice cream lovers haven't exactly been starved for choice, what with the 'best gelato in the world' at Cow & the Moon, 100 percent vegan scoops at Gelato Blue and chewy Turkish ice cream at Hakiki nearby, it was probably only a matter of time before the ice cream lords opened up there. And now they've done it — Messina has come to Newtown. Messina announced they would take over the Gelatomassi store at 262 King Street back in July and last week they opened their doors. According to a statement on Messina's website, Gelatomassi had apparently "been looking to move on...for some time now" and sold the store to concentrate on their other businesses. They passed the store onto Messina after a massive 14 years of operation. The Newtown store is be Messina's ninth in Sydney and 13th Australia-wide — although they've just opened another newbie at Tramsheds. "We've always liked Newtown as a potential destination, but the truth is it felt a bit crowded with gelato operators, so the time was never quite right," said Messina's Nick Palumbo on their website. "With the boys now moving on, it felt like a nice transition for everyone. We move into a site with a bit of history and take over from someone that's been a true local in the Newtown food scene for years." Gelato Messina Newtown is now open at 262 King Street, Newtown. For more info, visit gelatomessina.com.
This month we commemorated 11 years since the devastating events of September 11, 2001. The events of that morning were beamed on to every television and front page across the globe and those images have come to define a generation. Phrases like the "war on terror" and "suicide bomber" became part of the vernacular of the Western world and international politics, the American identity and the concept of warfare were changed forever. The images of that day were of unthinkable devastation and destruction: billows of smoke shrouding lower Manhattan, people jumping from the skyscrapers to escape the inferno of glass and metal and all of New York joined together in mourning at the death of more than 3,000 of their brothers and sisters. Yet amongst the rubble there were incredible stories of hope, of the very best of human nature, of firefighters running into the fire and of a nation binding together, steadfastly and resolutely, during its darkest hour. An image may be able to tell a thousand words, but the most iconic images, the 'where were you when' images, can tell us so much more about humanity. About its creativity, its innovation and its potential but also about its ability to love and, often more powerfully, its ability to hate. So here are ten images that have stopped the world and ten stories that have shaped the course of history. Moon Landing, 1969 Almost undoubtedly the most famous 'where were you when' moment of the 20th Century, the landing of Apollo 11 on the moon was initially just a pipe dream of President Kennedy's. When in May 1961 Kennedy proclaimed that he wanted to land a man on the Moon "before this decade is out" it was seen as being exactly the sort of political point-scoring and voter-pandering that we have come to expect from our politicians, just on a much grander scale. But on 20 July, 1969 the dream of every science fiction geek became a reality when images of Neil Armstrong setting foot on the Moon were broadcast to every television across the globe. Tiananmen Square Massacre, 1989 The story of the Tiananmen Square Massacre is one of shocking brutality, with estimates of up to 2,500 people, mainly students, being senselessly slaughtered by the Chinese military for protesting against the dictatorial and corrupt communist regime. Yet it was not images of bloodshed and brutality that captured the attention of the world, but instead a startlingly powerful photograph of resistance and hope. An unknown student, armed only with a couple of shopping bags, refused to budge when four Chinese Type 59 tanks approached Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989, the morning following the military's forcible removal of the one million protestors. The event was captured by a number of foreign journalists and photographers and distributed to newspapers across the globe, giving birth to a remarkable symbol of democracy and defiance. Migrant Mother, 1936 This is the image that gave a face to the Great Depression of the 1930s. This 32-year-old Californian widow had just sold her tent and the tires off her car in order to afford food for her seven children. This is one of many photographs captured by Dorothea Lange from her tours of rural California, which eventually helped convince the US government they were not doing enough to help field workers. While this farmworker's heartbreaking story was not dissimilar to millions of others across America, it was her story and her expression sitting somewhere between defiance and despair as she clutched her starving children that has endured as the Great Depression's most iconic image. Execution of a Viet Kong Guerilla, 1968 The Vietnam War was infamously the first televised wartime conflict and more than the rising death tally or the lack of military success, it was the images capturing the brutality of guerilla warfare that turned public opinion against the war. This Pulitzer Prize winning image depicts South Vietnam's national police chief, Nguyen Ngoc Loan, executing a Viet Kong captain in the middle of a street in Saigon. It was with this photograph that the shocking realities of modern warfare, that for so long had been shrouded in mystery, became tangible for every American. The Beginning of Life, 1965 Lennart Nilsson began taking photographs with an endoscope, an instrument that could see inside the body, as early as 1957 but it wasn't until 1965 when LIFE Magazine did a 16 page spread on his photographs that the world first saw a child inside the womb. Initially the editors of LIFE could not believe that these images were real, spending several months confirming their legitimacy before creating a worldwide sensation when they were published. Lynching, 1930 It is hard to believe but this image was not taken to condemn the barbarity of the racial hatred of the South but was in fact used as a postcard in order to promote white supremacy. The photograph was taken in Marion, Indianapolis and depicts the lynching of two black men accused of raping a white girl who were hauled from a country prison by a 10,000 man lynch mob bearing sledgehammers. Perhaps most frightening about this image is not the the men hanging from the trees but the smiling crowd of revelers who seem to be taking great joy in the horrific affair. Lynches were often seen as big community events, like a carnival or fair, and from the late 1800s to the 1960s more than 5,000 lynching cases were documented and endorsed as a legitimate means of justice. Betty Grable, 1942 Forget Marilyn Munroe and Rita Hayworth, Betty Grable was the original pin-up girl, and rather than being simply a form of cheap thrills, this iconic photograph of Grable represented the only connection that many American WWII soldiers would have with their homeland while serving overseas. With her girl-next-door charm, million-dollar legs and oodles of sex appeal Grable was the perfect antidote for the wartime depression and homesickness suffered by many soldiers. Even if she hasn't been as well remembered as some of her more voluptuous kinsmen, the enormous success of Grable's pin-up is responsible for kick-starting one of the world's most lucrative industries and every pouting, pruning model you see plastered all over your department store should pay a debt to Grable, the woman who started it all. Nagasaki Atomic Bomb, 1945 The effect that the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs dropped in August, 1945 had on the course of history is hard to overstate. The numbers alone are staggering, with more than 200,000 dying as a direct result of the blast and countless more dying as a result of the nuclear fallout. While there are countless photographs taken from WWII that capture the inhumanity of the war, this image of the mushroom cloud swirling hundreds of kilometres above Nagasaki perfectly captures the sheer enormity of this event, providing the US and USSR with a stark warning against the awesome and terrible power of nuclear weapons in their the five decade Cold War stand-off. Hindenburg Disaster, 1937 The day the Hindenburg catastrophically and spectacularly came crashing to Earth, was meant to be the day that zeppelins became the world's favourite form of air travel. The Hindenburg's parent company in German had engaged in a massive PR blitz before the voyage into Lakehurst, New Jersey such that 22 photographers, reporters and cameramen were there the day of the crash resulting in the Hindenburg being the most well-documented disaster of the early 20th Century. While rumours still circulate as to why the zeppelin ignited and turned into a deadly fireball, the crash effectively sounded the death knell for the airship business with commercial flights ceasing following the Hindenburg disaster. Dali Atomicus, 1948 While this surrealist photograph may not have stopped the world, the world did seem to stop for this photograph. It took Latvian-American artist Phillipe Halsman six hours, 28 jumps, three angry cats, a roomful of assistants and bucketloads of water to capture this genre-defining portrait and homage to Salvador Dali. One of the most famous pieces of photographic art ever captured, the work explored the idea of "suspension" as inspired by the recent scientific discovery that all matter hangs in a constant state of suspension. While the end result was as bizarre and surreal as many of Dali's mind-boggling paintings, it could have been a whole lot weirder if Halsman had stuck with his original idea which involved exploding a cat in order to capture it "in suspension". Leading image credit: 010914-N-1350W-005 New York, N.Y. (Sept. 14, 2001) -- A fire fighter emerges from the smoke and debris of the World Trade Center. The twin towers of the center were destroyed in a Sep. 11 terrorist attack. U.S. Navy Photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Jim Watson. (RELEASED). From Navy.mil.
El Jannah has earned cult status for its Lebanese-style charcoal chicken and god-tier garlic sauce, but if you've been living anywhere between the Sydney Harbour Bridge and northwest Sydney, your closest locale is Newtown or Burwood. Until now. Glorious news for North Chore chicken heads: El Jannah Crows Nest will open its doors on Saturday, March 2, introducing a whole new region of Sydney to the joys of its beloved charcoal chicken plates, ultra-crispy (and possibly underrated) fried chicken, and standout burgers and rolls. The new North Shore chicken haven will be located on the corner of Willoughby Road and Burlington Street, right by Bravo Trattoria, Kickin'Inn and The Stoned Crow. If you're new to El Jannah, the best way to attack the menu is by finding a partner in crime and ordering a whole chicken meal between the two of you — the all-star lineup of a butterflied charcoal chicken, hot chips generously sprinkled with chicken salt, the all-time great garlic sauce, warm Lebanese bread, mixed pickles and drinks. Heaven. [caption id="attachment_749503" align="alignnone" width="1920"] El Jannah[/caption] The El Jannah fried chicken is also up there with the city's best. And the crispy chilli chicken burger is a truly levelled-up version of a certain Colonel's fan-favourite burger. The growing chain of chicken shops started with a Western Sydney store in 1998 and has since grown to almost 30 locations — with that number expected to hit 50 at some point next year. If you want to be the first to get your mitts on the cult-classic feeds in Crows Nest, head along to the grand opening on Saturday, March 2. El Jannah Crows Nest will open at 34 Willoughby Road, Crows News on Saturday, March 2. Head to the restaurant's website for more information.
Sleek Nails sits on the upper floor of Newtown Central, just a stumble from the station. Beyond the convenient location, this salon offers expertise across the full range of nail art and care. Whether you're after acrylic nails, gel creations, a dip powder manicure or a statement shellac design, the team has got you covered. Don't be afraid to get wild with nail art either — think frescos of the night sky, intricate florals and careful fades of the colour spectrum. For pedicures, Sleek Nails will prime your digitals after a soak and scrub while you're settled in a sleek massage chair.
Whether you've got a big event coming up, your post-lockdown locks are in need of some TLC or you just want to reinvent your look, picking the right salon is something of a fine art. Fortunately, Mosman's Hair Colab makes it an easy choice due to the team's passion and attention to detail when it comes to all things hair. Owner Biba Binks worked at various high-end salons for many years before opening her own salon. It offers personalised consultations and shiatsu head massages at the basin. The salon is a Kérastase ambassador, and also uses and sells products from GHD and Olaplex.
Sydneysiders are now allowed back into the pub, so live music is beginning to return to the city. One of the first cabs off the rank is beloved Merivale pub Vic on the Park, which has set up a killer lineup of free live music for Sydney's first weekend out of lockdown. As part of Merivale's live sessions program, there will be local bands blaring from the band room at Vic on the Park on both Friday, October 15 and Saturday, October 16. Kicking off the weekend is indie rock five-piece The Phazes with singer-songwriter Sam Marks in support. Come Saturday, exciting upstarts Jet City Sports Club will be bringing their heartfelt guitar-driven anthems to The Vic, with inner west cowboys Big Dog and their blend of country, folk and rock providing support. While you're there, you can also soak in the atmosphere out in the beer garden and enjoy a pub feed. The pub's new deck menu features spicy lobster rolls and thick-cut porchetta with roasted potatoes and salsa verde. Seats in the band room are first-come-first-serve, so get down early.
Your mates at Concrete Playground know how much you guys love Nutella. Sydney went nuts over those damn Tella Ball milkshakes, Melbourne eats so much of the stuff they caused a temporary nation-wide shortage back in 2015, and Australia lost its collective shit when a toaster-shaped Nutella food truck started rolling around the country. Long story short, the food truck will be hitting the road again this month, embarking on a road trip from Sydney all the way over to Perth. We figured you'd want to hear about it — especially as all the goodies on board will be free. Alistair Fogg, the man behind Sydney's Nighthawk Diner (which has just opened a permanent store in Chippendale) must have had excess Nutella lying around, because he's once again devised the menu for the food truck. This time, he'll be drizzling Nutella on pancakes, crumpets, bagels, waffles and even acai bowls. And, yes, it's all free — although there is a limit of only one item per customer per day,. The nine-stop road trip will spend two days in Sydney, pulling up at Chatswood's pedestrian mall from 7–10am on Friday, May 11 and Peryman Square on the Cronulla Foreshore the morning after from 8–11am. From there, the truck will head to Griffith before going down to Adelaide and across to Perth.
Sydney's degustation doyen, British-born chef Nelly Robinson, has often championed the flavours of his motherland, the UK, at both his Surry Hills fine diner NEL and his Glebe gastropub Winstons at The Nags Head. However, the annual return of his Native Australia menu embraces the culinary riches of the Land Down Under, which the visionary restaurateur has called home for more than a decade. "This menu is a true celebration of the incredible native ingredients of this fine nation," Robinson says of the latest iteration of his multi-course antipodean-inspired feast. "As always, each menu curation at NEL is a passage of discovery and marrying of flavours. Our wonderful and attentive floor staff will play an integral part in taking our diners on this culinary journey." Not only is the produce sourced for this menu Australian, but some of the cooking techniques employed are also Aussie-coded, such as a wildfire Murray cod, marinated and charred to perfection on the barbie before being served with a mushroom ana. Other highlights of the menu include a rich crab curry dressed with native thyme and oregano, and folded into a soft spinach taco. Rounding out the meal, diners can tuck into a sweet treat shaped like Australia inspired by that most Aussie of biscuits, the Tim Tam. Flavoured with wattleseed and salted caramel, it's a prime example of the whimsy and wonder that have become the hallmark of NEL's degustation experiences. For the first time, NEL is expanding its degustation format from 11 courses to 12 for $185 per person. Matching beverages, perfectly paired by NEL's sommelier, cost an additional $155 per person.
Nick Enright's Daylight Saving knocks over the pedestal of professional bliss in Pittwater. It's a play that premiered in the late '80s, but remains relevant. Head to the Darlinghurst Theatre Company to see past the fine wine and grilled lobster of the northern beaches... these successful characters are actually confused and alone. The play pries into the tribulations of uber-successful Sydney couple, Felicity and Tom. Right from the start, many foreboding details indicate the drain down which their marriage is going. Tom (Christopher Stollery) is constantly on the move, has forgotten their anniversary and receives a phone call every time his wife needs to talk. Meanwhile, Felicity (Rachel Gordon) blushes at the word 'fidelity' and decides she'll have her anniversary dinner with her high school sweetheart Joshua (Ian Stenlake) instead. The watertight facade constructed by Gordon is quite heart-wrenching. She portrays the long-suffering wife who pleases everyone and is selfless till breaking point. She's utterly lonely, and willing to do anything to rediscover intimacy/sensation. This desperation is echoed by the supporting characters whose intrusions are equal parts hilarious and painful. Felicity's Mum Bunty (Belinda Giblin) needs to be needed, next-door neighbour Stephanie (Helen Dallimore) falls in love with all the wrong men, and tennis hotshot Jason Strutt (Jacob Warner) craves praise and paternal influence. All the technical elements of the production run seamlessly, and inconspicuously, in order to pull off this domestic Aussie drama. Quirky '80s nostalgia can be seen in Tom's unwieldy brick of a mobile phone and VHS recordings. The centrepiece of the set is the balcony window, where a brilliant sunset fades into night, almost in real time. The majority of the action, and Felicity's moral dilemma, take place on the evening before daylight saving. The diminishing rays of sunlight (of Gavin Swift's lighting design) tantalise Felicity to commit indiscretions during that 'extra hour'. Daylight Saving reveals some aspects of our society: ordinary men suffer sport-gasms over professional athletes, and everyone is too busy talking about themselves to listen to anyone else. The characters have no time for self-awareness or reflection; they employ clairvoyants for that. We learn to hate the presence of that obnoxious telephone — constantly ringing and making meaningful connection impossible. It's a well-timed re-staging of Nick Enright's play, made possible through the support of his family. It made me consider those couples you see out to dinner — each partner completely absorbed in a smart phone. Daylight Saving forces us to ask: how often are we really, properly listening to someone else? Will we prioritise the important people in our life before it's too late?
As first announced back in 2018, Melbourne's Australian Centre for the Moving Image will soon look rather different, with the screen culture-focused Federation Square site currently undergoing extensive $40 million renovations. When it reopens in 2021, visitors can expect revamped exhibition spaces, new immersive experiences and added interactive activations, including a permanent ode to Mad Max. Also part of the huge makeover: increasing the ways that everyone can engage with ACMI digitally, both when heading by in-person and from home. As revealed back in October, ACMI will usher in a heap of new ways for folks to interact with its exhibitions. That includes giving visitors a handheld device made out of compressed cardboard, which they'll be able to while they're wandering around the place — and when they go home as well. ACMI's fresh additions also span online exhibition space Gallery 5, which is up and running already, and its own video-on-demand service called Cinema 3. Of course, 2020 has already seen a very lengthy list of new streaming and VOD options hit the market, all competing for film and TV fans' eyeballs in a year that's seen us all spend more time on the couch — such as horror streamer Shudder, architecture and design-focused platform Shelter, short-form platform Quibi (which'll actually call it quits in December), female-focused service Femflix, and platforms from cinemas such as Palace and Golden Age, plus the team behind Sydney's Ritz and Melbourne's Lido, Classic and Cameo venues. Accordingly, ACMI joins a very busy space, but it's doing so with a tightly curated range of classics and new movies that's selected by its Director of Film Programs Kristy Matheson, and is updated fortnightly. Available since Thursday, November 19, Cinema 3 currently features a digital restoration of Claire Denis' 1999 standout Beau Travail, plus 2019's acclaimed Romanian flick The Whistlers — neither of which you can currently watch in Australian cinemas. In the classic camp, it has grouped a number of movies into themes. So, you can check out 'fine films for grown-up tastes' such as The Two Faces of January, Our Little Sister, The Deep Blue Sea and The Third Wife, or opt to delve into cinema history via Berberian Sound Studio, Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché, Last Man in Aleppo and Parasite. Cinema 3 also presently features an Aussie-focused section as well, showing Noise, The Darkside, and documentaries Jill Billcock: Dancing the Invisible and Defiant Lives. The idea is that each area of the service acts as a shelf — for you to peruse and pick from at your leisure, depending on what piques your interest. Films are available on a pay-per-view rental basis, with the current titles ranging from $4.99 to $14. To check out ACMI's Cinema 3 video-on-demand service, head to the platform's website.
They're acting icons with four decades of work to their names. They also each played a part in the delightful Paddington movies — but in different films. We're talking about Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, who finally share the screen in six-part mini-series The Undoing. As married couple Grace and Jonathan Fraser, a renowned psychotherapist and a celebrated children's oncologist respectively, they seem to have the perfect New York City life. The drama's title tells you that change is coming, though. When a woman connected to the ultra-expensive school attended by their teenage son Henry (Noah Jupe) turns up dead, the Frasers' existence begins to unravel. Or, as Big Little Lies writer David E Kelley and The Night Manager director Susanne Bier make clear, perhaps it was already unfurling but Grace and Jonathan just didn't realise. Also starring Donald Sutherland as Grace's father and Edgar Ramirez as the police detective with many a suspicion about the Frasers, The Undoing serves up twist after twist as it investigates not only a crime and a marriage, but the lives of the wealthy and privileged.
Once the exclusive domain of snap-happy tourists, 360 Bar and Dining has been reborn and relaunched into the local dining scene with a hearty, Italian-style menu brought to life by Ashley Hughes, former owner of Surry Hills’ Alio. On arrival, you can’t help but be blown away by expansive views of a sprawling city that will surprise you with her beauty no matter how well you think you know her. Arrive at dusk to sip an aperitif while sunset colours glint against the harbour and all the way out to the Blue Mountains before melting into the night to make way for the city lights. The decor overflows with old-school grandeur and a comforting nostalgia that conjures up that time you visited Sydney Tower as a child and were blown away at how the cars looked just like ants. But even as the restaurant (literally) revolves, the staff will encourage you to “pretend we’re just a regular restaurant on the ground”; to forget the gimmicky surroundings (while remembering to keep an eye on that view), and to focus on the simple but dynamic food, the carefully curated wine list and the attentive, personal service. To do so is easy. Hughes’ commitment to showcasing fresh, sustainable ingredients simply and honestly makes the new menu as impressive as it is charmingly unassuming. Unsurprisingly, the seasonal Alio-style degustation menu is the clear way to go. A highlight of the winter degustation is a scrumptious rotolo of baby spinach, ricotta, porcini mushrooms, aged parmesan, crispy sage and fleshy chestnuts. Also impressive is the roasted rack of lamb, cooked to perfection and carefully balanced with parsnip puree, mixed mushroom ragu and thyme jus. Sweet-toothed diners won’t be disappointed with a dark chocolate tart, sticky and crunchy in all the right places and punctuated with fresh raspberries. A glass of Ramos Pinto 10 year old Quinta da Ervamoira tawny port marks the time for a sigh of satiated contentment at the end of a thoroughly delectable meal. Also recently relaunched is an inviting bar section, with a sprawling back bar that offers ingenious concoctions perfect for an elegant post-work few. The deliciously girly Scarlet Letter matches Tanqueray gin and elderflower liqueur with hibiscus flower syrup, citrus and vanilla ($19). Or, for a more serious libation, opt for a bacon-infused bourbon, steeped in-house and served neat or enlivened with dark chocolate bitters ($20). An extensive range of by-the-glass wine options, boutique beers and elegant aperitifs and digestives guarantee a tipple for every taste. 360 Bar and Dining has reinvigorated one of the stalwarts of Sydney’s skyline. But as you look out over the city, martini glass in hand, you’ll still be amazed at how the cars really do look just like ants.
This time last year, everyone was watching one thing — and talking about it too. Now, twelve months since Netflix's '80s-set sci-fi/horror series Stranger Things became everyone's favourite new show, the streaming platform has released the full-length trailer for its second season. In the words of Hawkins police chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour), "nothing is going to go back to the way it was." Managing to dose up on even more nostalgia and find a clever way to work the ultimate '80s horror-themed track into the mix — yes, we're talking about Michael Jackson's 'Thriller', complete with Vincent Price's iconic voiceover — the trailer shows that the Upside Down isn't done with this band of bike-riding kids yet. Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) can't stop seeing all things creepy, everyone is definitely on edge, and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is reaching out to find her way home. Throw in some '80s arcade games, the expected unsettling vibe, that instant-classic theme tune and Winona Ryder, of course, and the scene is set for quite the second run. The trailer premiered as part of San Diego Comic Con's current explosion of pop culture, with the full series due to drop on Netflix on October 27 — just in time for Halloween, naturally. Watch it and try not to get goosebumps.
Combining modern art, live performance and philanthropic fundraising, the MCA Social has been likened to 'a killer New York museum party without the fancypants elements'. Yes, the dress code is 'Cocktail Glamour', but don't let that fool you. We have been assured that the evening will transform the contemplative art space into a loud and young party house. Overlooking one of the world's most ridiculous rooftop views, party-goers will be privy to tunes from Melbourne synth-pop-sensations Client Liaison, Alaska Projects' orchestral-concoction Musical Alaska and DJ Annie Conley. The night will also feature a site-specific installation by local sculptor/inventor/cucumber-wearer Tully Arnot. It will be a brilliant opportunity for modern-art-loving young professionals to connect, make pithy comments and enjoy the open bar. Oh yes, there's an open bar. Tickets are a little exy, but rest assured in the knowledge that all profits from the social will support Primavera, the MCA's annual exhibition for creatives under 35. In the past, Primavera has helped launched the careers of Australian artists David Griggs, Nell and The Kingpins. In a city where young artists struggle to break through (and break even), initiatives like Primavera are an absolute godsend for our local creative culture. In fact, attendees of the MCA Social will not only gain access to the live music, performance art and open bar but receive an exclusive sneak preview of Primavera 2013. Tickets are on sale now at the MCA website.
Bayswater Road has a new edition in the form of Turkish fine diner Izgara. From the team behind Above Par and Malika Bakehouse, the sleek Potts Point eatery arrived in late June with share plates and grilled meat at the heart of its menu. The restaurant is the handy work of co-owners Efe Topuzlu and Ozgur Sefkatli of Wondrous Entertainment. The pair wanted to emulate the ocakbasi restaurants of Istanbul, where Topuzlu's family ran a similar eatery during his teenage years. Ocakbasi restaurants refer to venues where chefs cook in front of the diners — an intimacy that Izgara has created by placing the kitchen in the centre of the dining room. Topuzlu and Sefkatli have been working on Izagara over the last year, investing over $1 million into the fit-out for the elegant eatery. With just 35 seats in the venue, diners are provided with an intimate dining experience, elevated by the restaurant's spacious booths, muted tones, red curtains and marble tabletops. Izgara means grill in Turkish, a fitting name for a venue where the grill is always firing. Meat-lovers can opt for reserved mains like 250-gram scotch fillet or shaved lamb backstrap served in iskender, a regional west-Turkish dish in which the lamb is placed on top of fried pita bites with butter and yoghurt; or let loose with 800 grams of mb3+ rib-eye on the bone for a cool $160. The real highlights of the menu, however, are found on the Wild, Snacks and Oven Baked sections of the menu. The best way to tackle the meal is to order a selection of plates to share. Once you kick the meal off with oysters or kingfish, top picks from the starters include a creamy smoked eggplant, maras pepper and garlic yoghurt dip; fried zucchini flowers stuffed with harissa ricotta and aged kasar cheese; and the Yamba tiger prawns which are lit up by a flavourful spiced prawn butter. Plus, the fresh gavurdagi salad combining olives, walnuts, tomato and pomegranate is a mush-try addition. The drinks list is also impressive. Cocktails are short but sweet, with just four options on the menu including a tasty dried apricot sour. The wine list on the other hand, is expansive — reaching from around the country and all over Europe including Turkey. If you're reaching for a bottle to share with the table, it's hard to go past the Doluca from Ankara, Turkey. It's easy to spot Topuzlu and Sefkatli's addition to Bayswater Road thanks to its bright neon-red sign. The diner adds to the ever-growing list of exciting venues in the once-bustling Potts Point/Kings Cross area. While you won't find the packed streets and booming nightclubs of old, the area has emerged as a hotspot for food and drink. Alongside classics like Ezra and Cho Cho San, Izgara joins Bones Ramen, Parlar, Diana and the revamped Piccolo as new additions to the area. Izgara is located at Shop 2, 9-15 Bayswater Road, Potts Point. It's open Tuesday–Saturday, 5.30–10pm. Images: Scott Ehler
When late October rolls around in Australia, Monopoly will no longer just be a game: it'll be a theme park as well. Already open in Hong Kong, Monopoly Dreams is heading Down Under, setting up its second Monopoly attraction in Melbourne Central. On the agenda: feeling like you've just stepped into the board game IRL in a 1700-square-metre space filled with all things Monopoly. Expect to hear the word Monopoly a whole lot — right now while reading about this news, and in general at this Monopoly haven. Monopoly Dreams launching in the Victorian capital isn't a new development, but the official opening date is. If you're keen, mark Saturday, October 21 in your diary. Also, you can start buying tickets now, too. It's the game that's caused many a childhood dispute, and plenty more between adults as well. Thanks to its ever-growing range of themed versions, it has let players buy everything from Game of Thrones' King's Landing to AFC Richmond's Nelson Road Stadium from Ted Lasso. And, it's now going the IRL bricks-and-mortar route on Melbourne Central's lower ground level. If you're wondering what a Monopoly theme park entails, that's hardly surprising — and the answer isn't just a life-sized version of the game that everyone has played more than once. Rather, the venue is taking a chance on bringing Monopoly elements beyond the board, building a Monopoly city that includes water works, the electric company, the bank and Mr Monopoly's mansion. And yes, there's a jail. Presumably you don't go directly there upon entering, but you can get your mugshot taken within its walls. When you walk through the doors, you'll also find carnival games. It wouldn't be a theme park based on a board game if playing games wasn't a big part of the attraction, of course. Expect challenges as well — and, in the mansion, there'll also be a vault and gallery, alongside a 4D cinema screening a movie about Mr Monopoly and his dog Scottie touring Melbourne locations — plus the opportunity to create your own customised Monopoly title deed. [caption id="attachment_918250" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tony Gough[/caption] For bites to eat, patrons can hit up the Monopoly cafe. And if all this Monopoly talk has you wanting to play Monopoly or buy Monopoly merchandise, Monopoly Dreams will also feature Australia's first and only dedicated Monopoly store. Catering for audiences of all ages — so, you'll have kids for company, but it's open for adults without children in tow — Monopoly Dreams will take visitors around 60–90 minutes to enjoy the full experience. "Our team has worked tirelessly to create an immersive experience that captures the essence of Monopoly and transports guests into a magical world of excitement and imagination," said Monopoly Dreams General Manager Mark Connolly. "We are thrilled to announce that tickets are now available, giving fans the opportunity to be a part of this extraordinary adventure." Monopoly Dreams will open on Saturday, October 21 at Melbourne Central, Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. Head to the venue's website for tickets and further details. Top image: Tony Gough.
