When your nine-to-five plays out like a well-oiled machine, it can sometimes feel like each week is a little same-same. But Sydney is brimming with a fine bounty of things to experience and explore each and every day. So aside from casual laziness and a little lack of inspiration, there's really nothing stopping you from squeezing some adventure and spontaneity into your schedule. We've teamed up with Mazda3 to help you celebrate the little things that bring a sense of adventure to life. Shake things up, as we give you seven different detours to take each week in Sydney. From Monday to Sunday, enrich your everyday with one completely achievable activity that inspires you to take the scenic route as you go about your daily routine. This week, try an F45 class (then go eat ramen), go to a near-empty museum instead of the races and watch the doggo awards at the Newtown Festival. Plus, we've got your future detours sorted for the new few weeks here. All require no more effort than a tiny break from the norm — what's your excuse for not trying them all?
The foundations of wine are relatively simple — find a fertile patch of land, plant extraordinary grapes, and make the best wine you possibly can. In Australia, we grow more than 100 different grape varieties scattered across the country, in 65 distinct wine regions, and in each region we celebrate our unique climate and landscape by crafting some of the most exceptional wines in the world. Knowing the differences between them all is not so simple, which is why we've pinned down the six varieties you should get to know better — from dry, crisp rieslings to that spicy shiraz you like to crack open at a summer barbie. Winemakers, grape growers and viticulturists all work with Australia's varied climates and our ancient soils to plant classics like riesling, chardonnay, pinot noir and shiraz alongside newer varieties like vermentino, fiano, nebbiolo and sangiovese. Unlike other winemaking countries in Europe, Australia's not beholden to any rules or boundaries, which means we've fostered a creative and innovative wine scene. Our winemakers are pushing boundaries by not only experimenting with new grape varieties and unusual blends but also by toying with new winemaking techniques, such as partial berry ferments, carbonic maceration and skin-contact wines. Start taste testing the classics and progress from there. [caption id="attachment_673382" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Manly Wine[/caption] RIESLING Riesling is one of the most exciting and elegant dry white wines in the world. The grapes produce aromatic light- to medium-bodied wines with high acid presence and Australian rieslings tend to lean on the drier, crisp end of the spectrum. They are generally unoaked to highlight the wines zippy, acid lines, and while it's drinkable when it's very young, some wines can mature for decades. Where it's grown: Clare Valley, Eden Valley, Tasmania, Great Southern (WA) and Canberra District. What it tastes like: It's got so many expressions: jasmine florals overlaid by lime cordial and lemon meringue pie with a backbone of acidity and structure that will complement dishes like pork dumplings or sweet-and-sour chicken. SAUVIGNON BLANC Even though it's a white varietal, sauvignon blanc is the parent grape to red grape cabernet sauvignon. Hailing from France's Loire Valley, the grape was first grown in Australia in the 1800s but didn't become popular until 160 years later when our friends across the ditch started generating buzz about this little aromatic variety from the Marlborough region. Sauvignon blanc suits a more 'hands-off' approach; it's often picked when ripe and then fermented in stainless steel tanks to maintain freshness and vibrancy. Where it's grown: Adelaide Hills, Margaret River, Tasmania and Orange. What it tastes like: Australian Savvy Bs tend to take on a more tropical fruit expression — think pineapple, mandarin and guava — with bright citrus notes that scream for a bucket of prawns or fish and chips by the beach. CHARDONNAY Chardonnay is an excellent representation of the vineyard in which its fruit was grown, and it allows for experimentation — winemakers can choose what barrel it's fermented in, for example. Australia makes lean and light-bodied wines in cooler climates up to fuller-bodied, rich and ripe versions in our warm climates. Where it's grown: Adelaide Hills, Yarra Valley, Tasmania, Margaret River, Hunter Valley and Mornington Peninsula. What it tastes like: Ripe stone fruits like white peach, balanced with fruits like pink grapefruit or apples and pears, rounded out with vanilla notes (from the oak it's fermented in). ROSÉ There are a few different ways to make rosé, but the most common is the practice of 'free run' juice. The grapes are crushed and all the liquid freely drains from the skins to the tank before the squeezing process begins. This process produces wines that are balanced in acidity and display high levels of purity in fruit aroma and flavour. Where it's grown: Yarra Valley, Tasmania, Langhorne Creek, plus most other wine regions. What it tastes like: Depending on the style of rosé, you could have florals, pomegranate and wild strawberry characters with fleshy savoury flavours (like dried herbs) on the other end of the spectrum. Dunk one in an ice bucket and enjoy with an antipasti platter for summer grazing. [caption id="attachment_731347" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] PINOT NOIR All over the world pinot noir is regarded as one of the hardest grapes to grow and requires extra attention in every step of its development. A common winemaking strategy when handling pinot noir is to do an 'early press'. Pressing is the process that separates the red juice from its skins. Flavour and structure are extracted during this process by pressing early, before fermentation is completed. Where it's grown: Adelaide Hills, Yarra Valley, Tasmania, Mornington Peninsula, Gippsland, Geelong and Macedon Ranges. What it tastes like: It runs the full gamut of flavours from raspberry and crushed blueberries to savoury expressions like hints of clove, cinnamon bark and wet earth. With its complexity and versatility, pinot noir is the ultimate team player — an all-rounder that can fit into any culinary occasion. SHIRAZ Shiraz thrives in the heat and requires a warm growing season (something we're not short on here in Australia). However, the most aromatic, elegant styles of shiraz are grown in regions with high diurnal temperature ranges (warm days/cool nights). In more temperate areas, shiraz shows jammy, dark berry and plummy fruit characters and less of the delicate aromas. Where it's grown will affect how shiraz is processed and fermented, allowing the winemaker to create a particular style and to build character and complexity into the wine. Where it's grown: Barossa, McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek, Heathcote, Hunter Valley, Canberra District, McLaren Vale, Eden Valley and Mount Barker. What it tastes like: Punnets of berries dusted with black and green peppercorns, usually medium-bodied in style with drying tannins that call for barbecued meats. WHO'S DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY? Australia's winemakers are always looking for new ways to develop, and even our more established wineries are open to experimentation in crafting new and exciting wines. The Wolf Blass Makers' Project range is all about celebrating the artistry of winemaking and showcasing the unique properties of each grape variety grown at a particular site. Experimental wines, like this range, are a way of developing and fostering new talent too, as the opportunity encourages the next generation of winemakers to think outside the box. The Wolf Blass Makers' Project wines showcase textures and freshness from the grapes to create fun and easy-to-drink styles like the pink pinot grigio, which is crafted with 'free run' juice, and the pinot noir, made using early pressing techniques to create a smooth and silky wine that's bursting with berry fruit characters. And then there's the reserve shiraz, which uses whole berry fermentation so that more full-fruit and robust flavours are extracted with gentle spicy characteristics. Explore the range that celebrates the processes of skilled winemakers, here. Love to wine and dine? Learn about your favourite flavour matches in our series Encyclopedia of Wine in collaboration with Wolf Blass. Top image: Hunter Valley, Destination NSW.
Here we go again. Fred again.. is currently on one of the most exhilarating and spontaneous tours of Australia we've ever seen. The UK sensation has performed at the Sydney Opera House, Rod Laver Arena and is currently in the middle of a run of shows at Qudos Bank Arena — plus, he's done surprise and pop-up sets at Club 77, Revolver, The Timber Yard, Hotel Brunswick and Doug Jennings Park. But he's not done yet, with another show just announced, this time taking over The Domain in Sydney on Saturday, March 16 for a night of DJ sets. "Okayyyy Sydney," Fred posted to his Instagram on Wednesday, March 13. "We're going to do a big fat sorta end of shows week party at the main on Saturday. Imma be DJing wit some friends." The beloved producer will be joined by his close friend JOY (ANONYMOUS), plus local superstars Sam Alfred and Dameeeela for the inner-city dance party. As with the first Sydney Opera House show, tickets have been dropped with no warning and are on sale now via Tiketek. The tour came out of nowhere, after a post to Fred again..'s Instagram showing him boarding a flight with JOY (ANONYMOUS), teasing that they'd be performing wherever the plane landed. Next thing we knew, he popped up on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, announcing that ultra last-minute performance at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. Before now, Fred was last in town for Laneway 2023 alongside Haim, Joji and Phoebe Bridgers, at which time he created pandemonium by performing at a slate of pop-up DJ sets around Australia and New Zealand alongside his festival appearances. As with his famous Boiler Room set, and the DJ-style pop-ups he did while in the country for Laneway, Fred again.. will be hitting the decks with a USB filled with his own hits — from cult classics 'Delilah (pull me out of this)', 'Marea (we've lost dancing)' and 'Rumble' to his new single 'stayinit' with Lil Yachty and Overmono — as well as plenty of broader dance music bangers. Fred again.. Australia 2024 Tour Remaining Dates: Wednesday, March 12–Thursday, March 14 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Saturday, March 16 — The Domain, Sydney Fred again.. is DJing alongside JOY (ANONYMOUS), Dameeeela and Sam Salfred at The Domain on Saturday, March 16. Tickets are on sale now. Live images: Maclay Heriot / Daniel Boud, Laneway 2023.
Beyond: Two Souls is a staggering achievement in gaming. If you're a semi-regular gamer, you already know that. But it's if you don't include games in your current recreational repertoire that the information is most pertinent. Because Beyond is quite unlike your Grand Theft Autos, Call of Dutys, Wii tennises and nearly every other blockbuster title on the market, and it might be the one that sucks you in. Made for a reputed $28 million, Beyond stars Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe in leading roles and screened its demo at this year's prestigious Tribeca Film Festival. It sits somewhere between cinema and what we think of as games, crafting an interactive drama that you play in the first person. French studio Quantic Dream, who explored a similar form with Heavy Rain (2010), are really concerned with the possibilities of immersive storytelling using new technologies. Curious? Here are a few reasons to give Beyond: Two Souls a go. Because you like film and TV Let's face it, of all the screen arts, video games are not the ones known for their complexity of story, character or emotion; they're known for their abundance of things to shoot at. But storytelling comes first in Beyond: There are some action scenes, but they happen in the broader context of the life of one specific girl, Jodie Holmes (Page), who is blessed/cursed with various psychic powers that make her valuable to the CIA and government research departments but chilling to her parents and peers. Her whole life she has felt a connection to the invisible 'entity' Aiden, and much of the tension in the game comes from the love/hate relationship she has with her constant companion. As the player, you see Jodie from the ages of six to twenty-one, though you play the chapters out of chronological order, piecing together the puzzles of her life. "We tried to create an interactive experience, more than just another video game," said Beyond's writer/director David Cage at a recent game preview in Sydney. He takes his cues from the world of cinema, adding elements from the game designers' toolkit to make you even more invested in the story. Because you want to see Ellen Page's Oscar-worthy performance There are so many sub-reasons it's great to see Ellen Page in the main role in Beyond, and the fact that she's not some 'sassy' and pneumatically boobed animation — she's Ellen Page — is just the tip of the iceberg. "A mix of technology and talent" is Cage's catch cry for Beyond, which would've been a far lesser game without the perfect female lead to embody your journey. And embodying it really is — Page is not just lending her voice or her face; she and the rest of the cast acted out this 2000-page script in a bare room kitted out in the latest in performance capture technology. They even developed a new method of capturing eye movement, placing small markers all around the eye to track minute muscle contractions and so basically eliminating that 'cold dead eyes' effect that has long plagued computer-generated imaging. The process is truly a sight to behold. In this sometimes testing, sometimes liberating environment, Page puts in an entrancing performance as Jodie, a character who's a pretty intense contradiction of feelings over many years of her life. "It's really bare acting," says Cage. "It's just you in this silly suit and all you can trust is your imagination, the script, the director helping you and, of course, the other actors. But it's really about acting in its pure, pure form." Because you think emotional journeys are the core of story "The idea is really to make you feel emotions that are usually rarely found in video games," says Cage. Specifically, rather than stress, competition and (a hopefully cathartic) rage, there's more hurt, mourning, nervousness, pride and love. Beyond's emotional palette is that of growing up, moving forward and mourning (Cage was inspired to write the story after the death of someone close to him). While there's plenty of this kind of exploration going on in indie games, such as That Game Company's phenomenal Journey, Beyond is perhaps the only big-budget, high-production-value game with this agenda. "We really tried to put you in the shoes of this young woman," says Cage. "You will feel like you've known her since she was a kid because you've been with her in the happy and difficult moments of her life, you know what she went through and where she comes from. My hope is that by the time you are done with the game and you turn off the console you will be a little bit sad, because you may never see her again." Because you won't get stuck on level 6 Or any level before or after. Beyond is all about the consequences your actions have on a life. And just like life, there are no do-overs. Instead, the game will funnel you on to the next chapter, via a slightly different road. Get caught by the cops? Maybe your invisible friend can help you out of those cuffs. Asphyxiate in a fire? Here's that 'come toward the light' sequence you were definitely going to see at some point. You will not keep dying at that one tricky spot in perpetuity. That means no matter your skills, Beyond will take you about 12 hours to play through. The control scheme is also a bit different and quite simple — an annoyance to some regular gamers but great for newbies. Quantic Dream have carefully designed the gameplay to be so integrated into the story that it's basically invisible, and at its best moments, it's very elegant. The goal is not to pull you out of the story with the trials of a complex controller dance but to allow you to lose yourself in it. And if it's the controller itself that unnerves you, Beyond even allows you to sync up your Android or iOS device and use familiar swipes and taps instead. Because you won't be able to help it Beyond has its successes and failures it's true, but its single-minded inventiveness is so inspiring, film and new media makers are lapping it up. It's a bold step in the direction of 'convergence', which sees film and games blend, borrow from each other and sometimes forge something completely new. Don't play it now and you'll instead see some flicker of it, in some medium, some time in the future. Beyond: Two Souls is out now on PS3.
Two actors are situated in the middle of a room that becomes the intimate stage for Ross Mueller's Construction of the Human Heart. Performed at the TAP Gallery in the Upstairs Theatre and presented by the independent Apocalypse Theatre Company, the play focuses entirely on the words of the characters. Centred around two playwrights named Him and Her, Construction of the Human Heart examines loss and grief, and how these two people use words to shield themselves from these feelings. The play glimpses into their psyches and looks at the meaning behind what they say, creating a dark and surreal comedy. Director Dino Dimitriadis's goal when conceiving his staging of the play was to be able to properly compensate actors Michael Cullen and Cat Martin, playing Him and Her respectively. From there, the crowdfunding campaign for Construction of the Human Heart was born. Using Pozible, they reached their funding goal on March 6.
For fans of anime film director Hayao Miyazaki, the good news is that his new film, The Wind Rises, will be released in Australian cinemas next year. The bad news is, he's confirmed that this will be his last full-length feature film. Miyazaki's animation career has spanned over 50 years, but he's best known for the studio he co-founded, Studio Ghibli, and its films Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle and Ponyo — dreamy, whimsical movies that are a lot more progressive than the average Disney number, addressing things like feminism, environmentalism and pacifism. The Wind Rises is a semi-fictional biopic about aeroplane designer Jiro Horikoshi, who designed the A6M Zero (a deadly aircraft used in World War II) but started out as a young boy who dreamed of making and flying beautiful planes. Set in pre-war Japan, the film depicts events including the Depression, the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, the tuberculosis epidemic and Japan's role in WWII. It's attracted a lot of controversy in Japan, having been released in the middle of a nationwide debate about the Japanese government's proposed changes to the military. Despite this, The Wind Rises has still been at the top of the Japanese box office for seven consecutive weeks and has been getting some pretty good reviews. Miyazaki announced his retirement from feature animation in a media statement on Friday, 6 September. He said that while he will continue working in other capacities, he will not direct another full-length film — and that includes scripting and supervising as well as the pen-to-paper animation Studio Ghibli painstakingly produces. The latest film took five years to finish, and at that rate, the anime legend says, "the studio can't survive." The Wind Rises will be released in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment in 2014.
HBO — the makers of Game of Thrones, Girls, Veep, The Newsroom, True Detective and everything else you love — have just announced they are launching a web-only streaming service in 2015. The service will be sold as a stand-alone product, meaning you won't need a cable subscription to access it. Just think: this time next year you could legally be watching Game of Thrones. Well... sort of. Not really. Like all things excellent, access will be a little tricky for Australians. Though details are still vague, we do know that the service will only be offered to those in the US. But, just like what happened with Netflix, that premise seems unlikely to stop Australian viewers. Though blocking your location to pay for these services remains largely untested in the eyes of the law, it's thought that around 200,000 of us are using it to get our greedy little hands on the latest season of Orange Is the New Black. Australian problems aside, this move is a huge step for the cable TV industry. Showing an understanding of our selective viewing habits that are increasingly moving online, this new service will allow people to pay for the shows they want to watch without purchasing a big expensive bundle. "[This] is a large and growing opportunity that should no longer be left untapped," said HBO CEO Richard Plepler. "It is time to remove all barriers to those who want HBO." Using what we hope was an intended pun, he said the company was about to go "beyond the wall". As this has only just been announced, details are scarce. We don't know yet how much the service would cost or how it would handle its programming. When the idea was discussed before by analysts, it was suggested that HBO should stagger their quality content by making shows available online six months after their original air date. Speaking for every GoT fan out there with a basic understanding of torrenting, I would like to say on the record that that's a bad idea. Either way, it's an encouraging step in the right direction that's bound to result in a hefty debate. Hopefully it's a conversation that catches on in Australia too. Though ABC's iView and SBS On Demand are proving super handy — SBS just gave us access to a catalogue of 400 free films! — it's going to be a while until we get something as amazing as totally legal online HBO down under. Via Recode and The Guardian.
To celebrate their first birthday, Petersham nostalgia hub Daisy's Milkbar is hosting a sundae eating competition. These are the real hunger games; a fight to the death to prove yours is the stomach of steel and brain most resistant to freeze. In one year, Daisy's has made a home in our hearts as one of Sydney’s most fun cafes, a homage to retro treats like milkshakes, candy, burgers and banana splits. If the potential title of sundae champ isn't incentive enough, all entrants get a free sundae to slam, and Daisy's is promising "a bunch of cool prizes" for the winner. Register your interest ASAP at hello@daisysmilkbar.com as places are limited. You've got one icey fight ahead of you. May the odds be ever in your favour.
If you've been lusting after this Twisties burger and you live in Sydney's northwest, do we have some news for you. Burger Head, the Penrith-based burger joint responsible for the monstrous creation and some all-round top burgs, has popped up in Beaumont Hills. The temporary eatery is open seven days (for dinner every day and lunch Thursday to Sunday) and will be hanging about for about three months. So you can consider your burger needs for spring more or less taken care of. The same trio who run the Penrith eatery — that's Tim Rosenstrauss (previously of the now-closed Master), Richard Borg (ex-Momofuku) and Joshua DeLuca (ex-Quay) — are overseeing the Beaumont Hills incarnation. They've has a busy 2017, after opening in January, they've also made appearances at Burgapalooza and the Sydney Royal Easter Show. On the menu you'll find all the tasty morsels that've had Penrith salivating, from the cheeseburger (Angus beef patty, onion, pickles, cheese, Burgerhead sauce, mustard mayo) to the Clucker (buttermilk fried chicken thigh, pickled onion, mayo) and — needless to say — the Twisties burger. The pop-up is open 6–9pm Monday to Wednesday and 1130am–2.30pm and 6–9pm Thursday to Sunday.
Hump day: when your memories of the weekend past have well and truly faded away and you can do nothing but visualise Friday arvo. The solution? Gather your fellow long-suffering colleagues and head out for a mid-week lunch. In fact, getting out of the office for an hour or two can cure chronic workitis. We promise. To help you do just that, we've teamed up with our mates at Heineken to bring you six of the best lunch spots to hit this hump day. And, because you'll be needed back in the office, a Heineken 3 is the ideal accompaniment. From the depths of the CBD to sunny harbourside spots, our picks will give you the bounce you need to make it through to the weekend.
Feeling warm, Sydney? There's a very good reason for that. Seeing in 2019 with a spate of toasty weather, the city has been sweating through an extended run of warm temperatures — the kind that the city hasn't experienced in 70 years. With the mercury already hitting 36 degrees by 10.40am on Saturday, January 5 — on its way to a 28-degree maximum, too — Sydney has now sweltered through a nine-day span of temps over 28 degrees. As reported by Weatherzone reports, the hot spell matches a record that's stood since way back in February 1949. The historic feat sees 2019 continue 2018's weather trend — that is, continuing to be both newsworthy and unpredictable. The city endured devastating drought and had more than its fair share of heatwaves, including the second hottest day ever in January, a casual 40-degree day in March, an unusually warm day in early September and a scorcher in November. And then there's the huge downpour in early October, Western Sydney getting 70mm of rain in just own night, plus a heap of wet weather and storms to close out the year. In good news, the Bureau of Meteorology has forecast an afternoon change, predicting a high chance of showers for this afternoon and evening. And Sunday, January 6 will bring some much, much milder (and incredibly welcome) weather, hitting a maximum of just 23 degrees. https://twitter.com/BOM_NSW/status/1081275492538425344 Until the temperature dips, you'd best make friends with your fan or air-con, or head to your nearest pool or beach. Via Weatherzone. By Sarah Ward and Lauren Vadnjal.
If you had plans to see Childish Gambino in Australia and New Zealand in 2025, you were likely paying close attention when he announced in early October that he was cancelling the remainder of his North American tour, and also his UK and European dates. A trip Down Under was meant to follow, and wasn't scrapped at the time; however, it's officially no longer going ahead. There'll be no summertime magic after all, then, after the musician that you also know as Donald Glover first announced four Australian shows for 2025, then expanded his local dates before general ticket sales even started. For the rapper, hip hop talent and Mr & Mrs Smith actor, this was set to be his first trip to these shores since 2019. Dates at Auckland's Spark Arena in January, then at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena, Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena and RAC Arena in Perth are all now cancelled. When Gambino's shows elsewhere were scraped, he advised on social media that he'd been "to the hospital in Houston to make sure of an ailment that had become apparent" after a show in New Orleans. "After being assessed, it became clear I would not perform that night, and after more tests, I could not perform the rest of the US tour in the time asked. As of now I have surgery scheduled and need time out to heal," the statement continued. "My path to recovery is something I need to confront seriously. With that said, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the remainder of the North American tour and the UK and European dates. Tickets will be refunded at point of purchase." [caption id="attachment_955315" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Eli Watson via Flickr.[/caption] This situation might sound familiar. When Gambino last headed this way — complete with a headline spot at Splendour in the Grass — it was after initially announcing a 2018 Australian tour, then cancelling it due to an ongoing injury. Before that, he performed at Falls Festival in 2016. Gambino mightn't have been on Aussie stages for a spell — and still won't be anytime soon — but Glover had the final two seasons of Atlanta, both in 2022, reach screens since he was last Down Under. Voice work on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, producing TV series Swarm, the aforementioned Mr & Mrs Smith: they've all joined his resume as well. He'll also be heard as Simba again in Mufasa: The Lion King, the prequel to 2019's photorealistic version of The Lion King, before 2024 is out. [caption id="attachment_955317" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Eli Watson via Flickr.[/caption] Childish Gambino 'The New World' Tour 2025 Australia and New Zealand Dates Tuesday, January 28 — Spark Arena, Auckland — CANCELLED Saturday, February 1 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane — CANCELLED Tuesday, February 4–Wednesday, February 5 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney — CANCELLED Friday, February 7–Saturday, February 8 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne — CANCELLED Tuesday, February 11 — RAC Arena, Perth — CANCELLED Childish Gambino is no longer touring Australia and New Zealand in January and February 2025. Head to the tour website for further details. Top image: The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas via Flickr.
Respected science writer, and former Economist correspodent, Matt Ridley was chairman of UK bank Northern Rock in 2007, having resigned near the start of its spectacular Global Financial Crisis journey from apparent private wealth into government hands. Now, years after that experience, he’s written a book on the future of humanity, flush with optimism called The Rational Optimist. Which takes balls, or blithe single-mindedness, depending on your point of view. He's talking about his optimism live on stage at the Sydney Opera House, spilling over from his keynote at the Melbourne Festival of Ideas. He won't be talking about his time at the Rock on stage (his employment contract apparently forbade it), but he will be talking about his thesis which suggests that despite the problems facing the world, modern tech and systems have made life better. To say that Ridley likes the free market is a bit of an understatement. If you're a fellow free market fan, then his opinions on the need for optimism will be a refreshing change of pace; if — more likely these days — you're not, then his intelligent pro-market belligerence might get you thinking angry thoughts, but hopefully interesting ones to boot. Image by John Watson.
Sydney's nightlife scene is having a renaissance right now. Multi-arts festivals, restaurant and bar openings and summer music events are all bringing life back to the city after dark. Then in steps Paddo Night Out to bring even more of this cracking summer evening fun to Sydney. From 4–8pm on Thursday, October 27, businesses all over Paddington are doing things differently. [caption id="attachment_874148" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Paddo Inn[/caption] 100+ shops, restaurants, hotels, galleries and salons throughout the suburb are all taking part this year — each with their own unique menus, specials, sales, offers and activations. Take, for example, Tequila Mockingbird, where street tacos and $15 classic margaritas take centre place. The Paddo Inn is hosting a live jazz night with a $12 cocktail special, and there will be a tea tasting and meditation advice at Hälsa Health. And excitingly, Defiance Gallery will be creating a buzz before crowning the winner of the $30,000 Paddington Art Prize. [caption id="attachment_874147" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Tequila Mockingbird[/caption] The night is set to have the entire neighbourhood buzzing — and offers the perfect occasion for exploring the whole Paddington area. Paddo Night Out takes over Paddington on Thursday, October 27. For more information on the evening's events and all the local business activations, head to the Visit Paddington website.
If you're lucky enough to now be working from home, it probably means you have a little more time to make yourself breakfast in the morning. Instead of throwing a banana in your bag (never a good idea, really) or chugging a glass of Nippy's breakfast juice before running out the door, you can cook yourself some blueberry pancakes or scramble some eggs. Or, you can really take your brekkie to the next level with this new breakfast box. A collaboration between Australia's famous cultured butter maker Pepe Saya and arguably the country's best crumpets (don't @ us) Crumpets by Merna, the boxes are available for delivery to next-day delivery zones across NSW, Victoria and Queensland. Setting you back $35 a pop (plus a $20 flat rate for shipping), they come filled with a six-pack of golden crumpets, six 15-gram packets of Pepe Saya's lush butter, a pot of crème fraîche and a limited-edited, extremely lush topping. At the moment, you'll find boxes with lemon curd, strawberry jam, stewed rhubarb or Four Pillars marmalade, as well as chocolate crumpets, which the team describes describe as a cross between a crumpet and a chocolate brownie. But expect other flavours to drop regularly, too. If you're wondering just what exactly you'll be making with those ingredients, take a look at this: Yes, the mother of all breakfast crumpets. Hopefully this provides you with the motivation you need to roll out of bed and flip open your laptop on the couch. The new brekkie boxes are available to order on both the Pepe Saya and Crumpets by Merna websites, so, while you're there you can also tack on a six-pack of blueberry or vegan coconut crumpets ($15), perhaps, or a fancy butter knife. Plus, if you spend over $50 on either site, you'll get free shipping. Pepe Saya and Crumpets by Merna Breakfast Box is available for delivery in NSW, Victoria and Queensland. Order online via Pepe Saya or Crumpets by Merna.
Sometimes, it's the little things that motivate us. That's why we savour a coffee when we get out of bed each morning, and love a Friday afternoon drink after a week at the 9-to-5 grind. And, it can work when it comes to getting vaccinated, too. Indeed, plenty of companies have been offering up small rewards to encourage getting the COVID-19 jab — and, if you like your meals with a side of chips, Deliveroo is joining them. The delivery platform's vaccination incentive is open to everyone, but there's a big catch: it only kicks in when 60 percent of eligible folks in your state or territory have received both their COVID-19 shots. When that happens, Deliveroo will add a free large serve of fries to orders from Hungry Jack's and other participating eateries for three days — on the following Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Yes, you would like fries with that. You do need to order something to get the freebies, so you can't just get a large fries by itself without buying anything else. But, hey, free chips makes every meal better. And, it'll be added to your order automatically, so you won't need to do anything. Exactly when this giveaway will kick in around Australia obviously depends on vaccination numbers in each state and territory. Keen to keep an eye on vax rates? We've rounded up the websites helping you do just that. Deliveroo will add a free large serve of fries to each order from Hungry Jack's and other participating restaurants in a particular state or territory when that state or territory hits the 60-percent double-jabbed mark. For further details, head to the Deliveroo website.
For the summer season Opel Moonlight Cinema offers advance previews, and contemporary, cult and classic movie screenings on the darkened lawns of Centennial park. With onsite catering offering everything from pulled pork to nachos and steak sandwiches, the open air environment offers cinema goers a refreshing alternative to the cramped and stuffy theatres in town. Over the next few months a varied program of movies will be offered, with great films like Skyfall, Ted, Looper, The Hobbit, Taken 2 and The Master. You can even bring along (well behaved) dogs, provided they're on a short leash. So, if your Shitzu enjoys the comedy of Seth MacFarlane, or your Great Dane can’t get enough Daniel Craig, they're as welcome as you are. Entry is via Centennial Park's Woollahra Gates, on Oxford St.
Well folks, it’s that time of year again, when the rising mercury sends us outdoors en masse, pumping our concrete playground with an energy of revelry and renewal. The spirit of summer is a celebration of what it means to be alive. We rediscover our joie de vivre with sandy toes, burnished skin, BBQs by the beach, and one too many margaritas. But with so much going on at this time of year it’s hard to know where to begin, and what is supposed to be some well-deserved chill time can become a full-blown panic attack. So, what do you do when overwhelmed with options? Welcome to the inaugural Concrete Playground Summer Guide, a comprehensive shortlist of the best this city has to offer over the next three months, from rooftop bars to beaches to picnic spots to outdoor dining and much more. With two different formats — iPad/iPhone and softcover book — of the Summer Guide on offer, you’ll never be without access to the best of everything, because the year’s too long and summer’s too short to waste time on the mediocre. Now slap on your invisible zinc and get out there, blue skies wait for no one (and don’t we know it). Summer, we salute you. Buy the iPhone/iPad edition here for $5.40, or buy the softcover edition here for $14.95. Concrete Playground is giving away ten copies of the softcover edition of Sydney: The Summer Guide. To go in the running, just make sure you're subscribed to Concrete Playground, then email your name and postal address to hello@concreteplayground.com.au Preview The Summer Guide
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to watching anything, we're here to help. We've spent plenty of couch time watching our way through this months latest batch — and, from the latest and greatest to old favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue from November's haul of newbies. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL RIGHT NOW THE GREAT Huzzah! The best satirical comedy about Russian history there is has returned for another run, and proves as much of a delight this time around as it did in its first batch of episodes. The concept was already there — following the rise and reign of Catherine the Great, including her marriage to and overthrowing of Emperor Peter III, with only the slightest regard for the actual facts — but The Great definitely doesn't suffer from second-season syndrome. Indeed, while the series has always been supremely confident in its blend of handsome period staging, the loosest of historical realities and that savage sense of humour (it does spring from Oscar-nominated The Favourite screenwriter Tony McNamara, after all), this season it feels even more comfortable in its skin. Smoother, too, yet just as biting. In fact, its ability to seesaw tonally is as sharp as a shot of vodka — or several. Following the events of the first season, Catherine (Elle Fanning, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) is still waging war with Peter (Nicholas Hoult, Those Who Wish Me Dead) — via soldiers on the battlefield to begin with, and then in the royal court in the aftermath of her bloody coup. Her pregnancy is also ticking along, the couple's various hangers-on have chosen sides, and changing Russia into a progressive nation isn't going to be an easy task. This time around, Gillian Anderson (The Crown) joins the cast as Catherine's acid-tongued mother, but both Fanning and Hoult continue to turn in the performances of their careers. Devastatingly witty and entertaining — and addictive — The Great has lived up to its name for two seasons now. Season two of The Great is available to stream via Stan. BURNING "This could be the new normal," a snippet from a news report comments early in Burning. The reason for the statement: Black Summer, the Australian bushfire season of 2019–20 that decimated large swathes of the country, sent smoke floating around the world and attracted international media attention. Australians don't need a documentary to confirm how horrific the situation was, and this is now the second in months — after the gripping first-person accounts in A Fire Inside — but this powerful film from Chasing Asylum's Eva Orner also lays bare all the factors that coalesced in the tragic events of just two years ago. Accordingly, this is a doco about inaction, government indifference to the point of failure, and the valuing of fossil fuels over their destruction of the environment. It's a movie about climate change as well, clearly, because any film telling this tale has to be. Orner, an Oscar-winner for producing 2007's Taxi to the Dark Side and an Emmy-winner for 2016's Out of Iraq, takes a three-pronged approach: providing context to the bushfires, including charting the Australian government's choices before and after; amassing expert and experienced testimonies, spanning activists and those on the ground alike; and bearing witness. Facts — such as the three billion animals killed — sit side by side with personal recollections and devastating images. The latter includes not only the fires and their ashy aftermath, but political arguing and Scott Morrison's Hawaiian holiday; all hit like a punch to the gut. The result is urgent, important and stunning — and absolutely essential viewing. Burning is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video. MR MAYOR Here are five of the most glorious words you're ever likely to read: Ted Danson plays the mayor. The sitcom stalwart (see also: Cheers, Becker, Bored to Death and Curb Your Enthusiasm) has hopped from The Good Place into Mr Mayor, actually, and into the latest TV comedy created and/or produced by Tina Fey. Fans of the latter's other shows — 30 Rock, obviously, and also Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Great News and Girls5Eva — will know the sense of humour her series tend to work with, and it's a fabulous match for Danson. So too is Mr Mayor's setup, which sees a wealthy, clueless but amiable businessman decide he can improve a post-COVID-19 Los Angeles, and get elected. Firmly a workplace comedy, the series chronicles the ups and downs in the mayor's office as Danson's Neil Bremer tries to do a job he clearly isn't qualified for. Naturally, with the arrogance of a rich, white and otherwise successful man of a certain age, he believes otherwise. Mr Mayor is firmly an ensemble comedy as well, however, and both Holly Hunter (Succession) and Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live) are comedic gems as Bremer's over-enthusiastic deputy mayor and bumbling communications director, respectively. The series is a tad less successful when it endeavours to be a family comedy, too, bringing the mayor's teenage daughter Orly (Kyla Kenedy, Speechless) into the mix. But when its gags land — and whenever Danson and Hunter share the screen, which is often — it's smart, hilarious and all-too-easy to binge. Season one of Mr Mayor is available to stream via 9Now. FINCH There's a sweetness to Finch that transcends its easy-sell concept — because tasking the always-likeable Tom Hanks with navigating a solar flare-ravaged earth was always going to be inherently watchable. Perhaps Turner and Hooch meets Cast Away meets Chappie meets The Road was the elevator pitch? Maybe seeing not just America's on-screen dad, but the world's, play father to a cute pooch and a teenager-like robot was the key selling point? Either way, filmmaker Miguel Sapochnik (Game of Thrones) and first-time feature screenwriters Craig Luck and Ivor Powell tap into a tender and selfless existential quest in their post-apocalyptic drama. The titular Finch isn't attempting to survive, but trying to ensure that the dog that's been his only flesh-and-blood companion for a decade or so can live on after he's gone. In Hanks' second protective father-figure role in as many features, following News of the World, he also plays Geppetto to a robot Pinocchio or Victor Frankenstein to a new mechanical life, too. Jeff, the wiry being born of his labour, is far from perfect — and Finch's slow, initially begrudging acceptance that he can't mould and control everything about his creation ranks chief among the movie's touching emotional journeys. The film's musings on mortality, leaving a legacy and being a better person are also layered and thoughtful, and never feel well-worn even though science-fiction can't stop pondering such ideas. In an excellent motion-capture performance, Caleb Landry Jones (Nitram) also leaves an imprint as Jeff. Unsurprisingly, however, Hanks is always Finch's key source of texture and empathy. Finch is available to stream via Apple TV+. COWBOY BEBOP A TV show can live or die based on its casting alone. With Netflix's live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop, it frequently seems as if it only exists because some immensely clever person had the stroke of genius to cast John Cho (The Grudge) as Spike Spiegel. While being the best thing about a series or a movie isn't always a good thing — on the big screen, both Jungle Cruise and Venom: Let There Be Carnage haven't managed to match their ace lead casting in recent months — Cho always makes Cowboy Bebop much more than watchable. Well, Cho, his effortless swagger, sleek costumes, and the film's overt eagerness to look and feel as much like anime come to life as it possibly can. It isn't on the same level as its source material, and it doesn't even try to improve it, but it's still an exuberant, stylish and frequently engaging piece of sci-fi television. As anyone familiar with the 90s anime will know, Spike is just one of Cowboy Bebop's bounty hunters on the spaceship Bebop. After a disaster has scattered humanity across the solar system, chasing down criminals is Spike and Jet Black's (Mustafa Shakir, The Deuce) way of making a living. That's true both before and after they cross paths with Fay Valentine (Daniella Pineda, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), with the series as concerned with the sitcom-esque odd-threesome vibe between its key figures as it is with their quests. Everyone has their complications, but almost everything is madcap and manic here — and when it works it works, with particular thanks to Cho, naturally, as well as Shakir and Pineda. Season one of Cowboy Bebop is available to stream via Netflix. NEW AND RETURNING SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK YELLOWJACKETS When Yellowjackets begins, it's with an intriguing mystery, a killer cast — led by the compulsively watchable Melanie Lynskey (Mrs America), Juliette Lewis (Breaking News in Yuba County) and Christina Ricci (Percy vs Goliath) — and a deep valley full of trauma. In their high-school years, Shauna Sheridan (Lynskey, and also The Kid Detective's Sophie Nélisse as a teenager) and Natalie (Lewis, plus The Tomorrow Man's Sophie Thatcher) were key players on the titular high-achieving New Jersey soccer team, while Misty (Ricci, as well as Shameless' Samantha Hanratty) was the squad's frequently bullied student manager. Then, en route to a big match in Seattle on a private plane in 1996, they entered Lost territory. That crash saw the survivors stranded in the wilderness for 19 months, and living their worst Lord of the Flies lives, too. As established in a tremendous first episode directed with the utmost precision by Destroyer's Karyn Kusama, Yellowjackets isn't simply interested in an inherently disturbing experience that'd change anyone's life. It's just as obsessed with that transformation itself — with how, after falling from the sky, learning to endure in such remote surroundings and plummeting into a horror movie, someone copes when normality supposedly comes calling afterwards. Flitting between the two 25-years-apart time periods, it's about tragedies endured, paths taken, necessities accepted and the echoes that linger from all three. Even just a handful of episodes in, this instant must-see is chilling, perceptive, resonant and potent. Yellowjackets is streaming via Paramount+, with new episodes dropping weekly. CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM There's no one on television quite like Larry David. Famously, the Seinfeld creator was the inspiration for George Constanza, but that comparison will never do justice to the on-screen version of David himself. The writer and comedian has played that fictionalised, satirised version in Curb Your Enthusiasm for 11 seasons over the course of more than two decades now, and he's a character that overflows with complexities and contradictions. He's notoriously and excruciatingly petty. He has zero tact or sensitivity. He's constantly in everyday situations that seem him forced to navigate social codes and conventions, and he's always putting them to the test. When he's wrong, he's the king of cringe comedy. When he's right, he's the champion of everyday grievances. In this HBO comedy, they don't just get aired at Festivus around a pole. Setting up a spite store — opening a coffee shop next door to an identical cafe purely for malicious reasons — anchored Curb Your Enthusiasm's tenth series. In season 11, David is trying to make TV again. He has an idea for a Young Rock/Everybody Hates Chris-style show called Young Larry which he's shopping around to streaming platforms but, as always, he's his own worst enemy. The episode featuring the great Albert Brooks as himself is one of the show's best ever, and also a delightful tribute to the late Bob Einstein, a former CYE regular and Brooks' real-life brother. Watching David at his best and worst is always this discomfort-courting series' core, though, and he's as stellar as he's ever been. Season 11 of Curb Your Enthusiasm is streaming via Binge, with new episodes dropping weekly. HAWKEYE Another month, another reason to direct your eyeballs towards Marvel. 2021 hasn't quite played out like that, but only just — there's been three MCU movies so far (Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Eternals), three streaming series before now (WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki), and there's still Spider-Man: No Way Home to come. And, Hawkeye has just started bringing the franchise's arrow-slinging hero to the small-screen. Jeremy Renner (Mayor of Kingstown) returns to the eponymous character, aka Clint Barton, but he isn't actually the main attraction in this miniseries. That'd be Hailee Steinfeld (Dickinson) as Kate Bishop, who has taken inspiration from from Barton, is just as handy with a bow and arrow, and finds herself becoming his protege. There's a lot of scene-setting in the series' first episodes — establishing Bishop's story, including links back to The Avengers in 2012, and also stepping inside Barton's ordinary life with his family (the presence of which, even as just a background detail, has always made the character stand out). Nonetheless, Steinfeld's addition to Marvel's ever-growing on-screen realm provides just the spark that Hawkeye needs, and that the broader MCU could use as well. The fact that Florence Pugh is set to reprise her Black Widow favourite Yelena Belova in the show, too, firmly thrusts it towards the future — and hopefully, finally and welcomely sets the scene for a different generation of heroes. Hawkeye is streaming via Disney+, with new episodes dropping weekly. EXCELLENT RECENT CINEMA RELEASES TO CATCH UP WITH IMMEDIATELY NITRAM It's terrifying to contemplate something so gut-wrenchingly abominable as the bodies-in-barrels murders, which director Justin Kurzel and screenwriter Shaun Grant depicted in 2011's Snowtown, and to face the fact that people rather than evil were behind them. Nitram courts and provokes the same response. Exploring the events preceding the Port Arthur massacre, where 35 people were murdered and 23 others wounded in Tasmania in 1996, it focuses on something equally as ghastly, and similarly refuses to see the perpetrator as just a monster or a Hollywood horror movie-style foe. It too is difficult, distressing, disquieting and disturbing, understandably. In their third collaboration — with 2019's bold and blazing True History of the Kelly Gang in the middle — Kurzel and Grant create another tricky masterpiece, in fact. That Nitram is about a person is one key reason for its brilliance. The film's core off-screen duo don't excuse their protagonist. They don't justify the unjustifiable, explain it, exploit it, or provide neat answers to a near-unfathomable crime. Rather, they're careful in depicting the lone gunman responsible for Australia's worst single-shooter mass killing, right down to refusing to name him. In an exacting movie in every way possible, they also benefit from exceptional performances by Caleb Landry Jones (Finch) as the film's namesake, Judy Davis (Mystery Road) as his wearied mother, Anthony LaPaglia (Below) as his father and Essie Davis (The Justice of Bunny King) as his lottery heiress friend. Nitram is available to stream via Stan. Read our full review. BECOMING COUSTEAU He's been parodied in a Wes Anderson film and mentioned in a Flight of the Conchords song. His red beanie, and those worn by his fellow crew members on his research ship Calypso, are an enduring fashion symbol. He won the second-ever Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or — becoming not only the first filmmaker to receive the prestigious prize for a documentary, but the only one to do so for almost half a century afterwards. When he started making television in the 60s, he turned his underwater-shot docos about the sea into truly must-see TV. He helped create undersea diving as we know it, and he's the most famous oceanographer that's ever lived. He was also one of the early voices who spoke out about climate change and humanity's impact upon the oceans. He's a rockstar in every field he dived into — and he's Jacques Cousteau, obviously. Becoming Cousteau touches on all of the above — except The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and Flight of the Conchords' 'Fou de Fafa', of course — and makes for a a riveting splash into its namesake's life and career. There's just so much to tell, to the point that it frequently feels as if director Liz Garbus (an Oscar-nominee for What Happened, Miss Simone?) could've filled an entire series instead. This isn't just an affectionate ode, though, even with ample praise floated Cousteau's way. Garbus knows that Cousteau's achievements, and the glorious archival footage that comes with it, elicit an awe-struck reaction, but doesn't shy away from thornier aspects, the tragedies and struggles among them. Becoming Cousteau is available to stream via Disney+. Read our full review. Need a few more streaming recommendations? Check out our picks from January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September and October this year — and our top straight-to-streaming movies and specials from 2021 so far, and our list of the best new TV shows released this year so far as well.
Singer, songwriter and all round rock demigod J Mascis is one of the most crucial figures in the international rock scene. He's also the definition of hair envy, the lead guitarist of Dinosaur Jr and pretty rad skater. Now, as one of the most in-demand musicians of our time, he’s heading to our neck of the woods to show off some crazy good guitar and swish his hair around like it’s nobody’s business. J Mascis is to Dinosaur Jr what Sting is to The Police, The Slash is to Guns N' Roses and George Michael is to Wham (yep, Wham comparison, right there). As a separate entity, he rocks a unique sound that ranges from the loud and riff-heavy, to something far more fine-lined and docile. This 2015 tour comes off the back of his second and latest solo album, Tied to a Star. He'll be fittingly supported by longtime Aussie rocker Adalita for the Brisbane, Melbourne, Gold Coast and Sydney legs of his Australian tour.
The epic, Western-tinged two-plus hours of John Carter flew by. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the film, which makes it odd that I'm about to spend most of this review digging into it. It's because I love you, John Carter people, and you were less than the sum of your parts. Edgar Rice Burroughs' series of books about the exploits of teleported US Confederate soldier John Carter on the planet of Mars are legendary among fantasy fans. Like, Tolkien legendary. It paints a picture of Mars — Barsoom in the local language — as ridden with civil war that is killing the planet. The enlightened city of Helium is on the defence against the creeping, consumptive city Zodanga, but it will take the involvement of Carter and the hitherto neutral tribe of Tharks to tip things in their favour. What happens on Barsoom is complicated, which is part of what makes it an absorbing, convincing, full world. Suffice it to say, there are good guys — Carter (Taylor Kitsch), Princess Dejah (Lynn Collins) of Helium, self-sacrificing Thark Sola (voiced by Samantha Morton) — and bad guys: Prince Sab Than (Dominic West) of Zadonga, the god-like Therns (led by Mark Strong), the tyrannical Thark Tal Hajus (voiced by Thomas Haden Church). The bad guys have all the tech, but the good guys have all the righteousness. Studios have been trying to make John Carter into a movie for decades, and ultimately, that might be the problem. Even when it's fantastic, it feels old. It's not the fault of the visual effects, which, although they might not have the majesty of Avatar, are still rich, seamless and alive (oddly, only the make-up required to turn the humanoid Barsoomians red looks fake). There's just a different sensibility to the action/adventure/fantasy genre these days, and dream team director Andrew Stanton (WALL-E, Finding Nemo) and cowriters Michael Chabon (author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, The Yiddish Policemen's Union) and Mark Andrews (another Pixar luminary) chose not to invoke it. This is most apparent in characterisation. Despite the occasional charms both actors bring to the roles, crusaders and lovebirds Carter and Dejah are a little too perfect, a little too staid, a little too archetypal. They speak in grandiose non-communications. They are never tongue-in-cheek or self-referential. Perhaps that means John Carter will age handsomely, but in the present, it doesn't fit. And that brings us to another gaping anachronism: No-one left on Earth thinks there may be life on Mars, now or anytime in the last 100 years. Space probes since the 1960s have told us so. When Burroughs wrote the series (1912-43), Mars hung heavy with possibility, but it no longer captures our imaginations in the same way. In fact, popular theories going around the internet suggest movies made about Mars are doomed to commercial failure, and Disney clocked on too late. Audiences are keen to suspend reality, but only when led into a compact by a tenable proposition. In this case, John Carter is saddled with a ridiculousness it doesn't deserve. For those who prefer their adventure stories set in space, there's much to enjoy in John Carter, and you might even get original-trilogy-Star Wars-level tingles. But with a few key tweaks, it could have carried so much more critical and box-office weight, and that's the disappointment.
Not content with doing big business in cinemas over the past decade, Marvel is bringing its superhero tales to the small screen, as part of Disney's already-announced plans to broaden out the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That was always going to be the case once the Mouse House moved into the streaming realm. In fact, producing a slew of high-profile titles for Disney+ was on its agenda right from the beginning. But, while Star Wars fans have already been able to enjoy The Mandalorian — which aired one season in 2019, and will launch its second season in October — Marvel aficionados have had to hold out a little longer to get their episodic caped crusader fix. By the time that 2020 is out, that wait will be over — for one of the MCU shows that's been announced for Disney+, at least. While an exact release date hasn't been revealed as yet, WandaVision will hit the streaming platform by the end of the year, with the spinoff series obviously focusing on Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany). Story-wise, the show follows its titular characters in their home lives. As a sneak peek back in February initially teased, and the just-dropped first trailer demonstrates in a little more detail, that premise definitely isn't as straightforward as it seems. At first, Wanda and Vision appear to be stranded in a classic 50s sitcom and experiencing the epitome of suburban living. To really stress that feeling, these scenes are rendered in black and white, too. Of course, as anyone who remembers the path the characters' arcs took on the big screen will guess, this seeming domestic bliss will come with a twist. As well as Olsen and Bettany, the trailer also features Kathryn Hahn (I Know This Much Is True) — while Kat Dennings is set to reprise her Thor and Thor: The Dark World character of Darcy Lewis; Randall Park will reprise his Ant-Man and the Wasp role as FBI agent Jimmy Woo; and Teyonah Parris (Mad Men) will play Monica Rambeau, an older version of Maria Rambeau's daughter from Captain Marvel. WandaVision's six-episode season was actually originally due to hit Disney+ after The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which focuses on Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) and Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie), but it appears that plan has changed. The latter doesn't currently have a release date — and as for Loki, starring Tom Hiddleston, it's supposed to drop in 2021. Check out the WandaVision trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy0DLVQfL_I&feature=youtu.be WandaVision will hit Disney+ sometime later in 2020 — we'll update you with a release date when it is announced.
With the end of daylight savings time fast approaching, now's the time to make the most of our extended sunshine hours. Slipping into the calendar just before the change is A 2021 Night Out, a one-night-only event celebrating the best of Paddington (postcode: 2021), in the year 2021 (see what they did there?). On Thursday, March 25, the streets of Paddington will come to life as over 100 local businesses in the area host an evening of fashion, food and festivities. There'll be happenings at sites in the main zones of Oxford Street, Five Ways, The Intersection and William Street. A 2021 Night Out is a partnership between Woollahra Council, City of Sydney Council and Visit Paddington. It's no secret that Paddington is home to some of the best hospo venues in town, so be sure to come hungry. Whet the appetite at subterranean cocktail den Charlie Parker's, which will debut two brand-new, Paddington-inspired cocktails on the night. Both drinks will showcase Paddo-based spirits company Buckley's Rye Whisky: Buckley's Rye 'n' Dry is a refreshing highball topped with house ginger soda, while Banana Buckley's is an intriguing mix of rye, banana mead and Pedro Ximénez. [caption id="attachment_652491" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Italian Bar, Kitti Gould[/caption] Kick on down the street at Italian Bar, which will be putting on a pizza party (sidebar: why isn't every party a pizza party?). Come for the $30 pizza degustation and stay for the vibes, with a free house drink and live DJ setting the mood. Cutting the carbs? Glenmore Road stalwarts — and sibling restaurants — Eat Thai and Vino e Cucina will be grilling up a storm. Eat Thai will be putting on a Thai barbecue for the night, while Vino will plate up delicious grilled lamb skewers. End the night with an outdoor barbecue fiesta at the cosy Cafe Fiveways. In addition to its all-day menu, the venue will be offering marinated skewers, salads, wine, cocktails and cold beer, available for both dine-in and takeaway. For more information on all participating businesses and their exclusive offers for A 2021 Night Out, head here. Top image: Charlie Parker's
Maybe Sammy is no stranger to accolades, landing on the World's Best Bar list multiple times and even taking out the number one spot on last year's Top 500 Bars for 2023 list. The Sydney institution has now pulled some strings with its fellow award-winning mixologists to put together another massive lineup for the return of its huge cocktail festival dubbed Maybe Cocktail Festival, which first debuted in 2023. Presenting free pop-ups starring over 30 of the world's top bartending talent between Tuesday, April 9–Sunday, April 14 across Sydney, this is one not to miss. The lineup spans several inner-city venues including the OG Maybe Sammy in The Rocks, as well as Dean & Nancy on 22, Sammy Junior, The Strand Hotel Rooftop and Paddington's crowd-favourite, El Primo Sanchez. Throughout the festivities, the guest bartenders will arrive at venues, usually for three-hour shifts demonstrating their world-renowned mixology skills. Each guest appearance will be accompanied by its own special one-off cocktail menu, with all cocktails priced between $20–25 throughout the festival. [caption id="attachment_949451" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Julio Bermejo, creator of the Tommy's Margarita from Tommy's Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco.[/caption] For the festival, the hospitality group has enlisted the help of international venues that joined the ranks of The World's 50 Best Bars 2023 and also placed between 50 and 100 on the longlist. Some of the spots you can look forward to on the lineup include Handshake Speakeasy (number three on the list), plus Argo from Hong Kong, Freni e Frizioni from Rome and Edinburgh's Panda & Sons, all of which landed within the top 35. [caption id="attachment_949453" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Edinburgh's Panda & Sons crew.[/caption] Other bars set to feature from across Europe, Asia, North America and South America include Bar Leone, Origin Bar, Trick Dog, Bar Nouveau, A Bar with Shapes for a Name, Dante, Like Minded Creatures, Gucci Guardino and La Punta Expendio de Agave. Alongside these international appearances, there will also be a celebration of our own top-notch bartenders via The Best of Australia event, featuring members of the Cantina OK!, The Waratah and Bondi Icebergs Dining Room & Bar teams. Plus, the recently-opened Caterpillar Club will be hosting an official opening afterparty to kick off the festivities on Thursday, April 11 — the only event which will not require an RSVP as it'll operate on a 'first come, first serve' basis. Rounding out the program is the All-Star Maybe Masterclass where four of the international bars will descend upon Castlereigh Street. Tickets for all other events are free, however this one requires a $30—70 spend to secure a spot. Head to the Maybe Sammy Cocktail Festival website to check out the full rundown of who will be appearing where and at what time across the jam-packed six days. [caption id="attachment_932655" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Caterpillar Club[/caption] Top image: Maybe Sammy, Steven Woodburn.
Southeast Asian eatery Hey Chú is turning one this year. In commemoration of this milestone, the bustling late-night restaurant is launching an enticing 'Happy Endings' menu. From Wednesday, April 24, stop in for a post-work feed between 5–6pm daily and enjoy a range of six dishes priced at $10 and under when you pay with cash. Diners can enjoy a pre-payday meal that won't break the bank, with plates such as fried octopus balls for $1, prawn skewers for $3, spring rolls for $5, and even a dry-aged beef burger for $10. Wash it down with a $10 cocktail of elderflower, strawberry, vodka and lemon. If you dine at Hey Chú on Wednesday, April 24, you'll also be in with a chance to score one of 100 free burgers, which will be given to the first 100 people to book in at the website or buy a drink. There's more — the restaurant is revamping its full menu of Australian and Southeast Asian fusion fare. Standouts include a chicken katsu burger with nambam sauce, a lobster agnolotti with lardo, and a tonkatsu pork and morel conchiglie. Of course, their signature dry-aged steak with pho fat vinaigrette remains a highlight. Images: Chad Konik
Locking gazes across the room, staring intently with a deep fascination that feels fated, seeing oneself in the sparkle of another's eyes: when these moments happen in a movie, it's typically to fuel the first flushes of romance. When they occur early in Passing, however, it's because former childhood friends Irene (Tessa Thompson, Westworld) and Clare (Ruth Negga, Ad Astra) have spied each other in a swanky Manhattan hotel. The pair peer back and forth, intrigued and attentive. That said, it isn't until Clare approaches Irene — and calls her Reenie, a nickname she hasn't heard in years — that the latter realises who she's been looking at. It's the immaculately styled blonde bob that fools Irene, as it's meant to fool the world. As becomes clear in a politely toned but horrendously blunt conversation with Clare's racist husband John (Alexander Skarsgård, Godzilla vs Kong) shortly afterwards, Irene's long-lost pal has built an entire life and marriage around being seen as white. Passing's eponymous term comes loaded not just with meaning, but with history; adapted from Nella Larsen's 1929 novel of the same name, it's set in America's Jim Crow era. This introductory scene between Irene and Clare comes layered with multiple sources of tension, too, with Irene only in the hotel because she's decided to flirt with visiting a white establishment. Still, she's shocked by her pal's subterfuge. When she initially spots Clare, the film adopts Irene's perspective — and its frames bristle with a mix of nervousness, uncertainty and familiarity. Irene rediscovers an old friend in a new guise, and also comes face to face with the lengths some are willing to go to in the name of survival and an easier life. Friendships can be rewarding and challenging, fraught and nourishing, and demanding and essential, including all at once, as Passing repeatedly demonstrates from this point onwards. Irene can't completely move past Clare's choices and can't shake her fears about what'd happen if the vile John ever learned Clare's secret; however, she's also quick to defend her to others — to her doctor husband Brian (André Holland, The Eddy), who swiftly warms to Clare anyway; and to acclaimed white novelist Hugh Wentworth (Bill Camp, News of the World), who's her own entry point into an artier realm. Indeed, in household where talk of lynchings is common dinner conversation, Irene recognises far more in Clare's decision than she'll vocally admit. Almost everyone she knows is pretending to be something else as well, after all, including Irene in her own ways. Largely confined to Irene and Brian's well-appointed Harlem home and other parties in the neighbourhood — after that first hotel rendezvous, that is — Passing is an economical yet complicated film. It may seem straightforward in charting Irene and Clare's rekindled acquaintance, but it's exacting and precise as it interrogates both societally enforced and self-inflicted pain. Its Black characters live in a world that pushes them aside and worse merely for existing, with its central pair each internalising that reality. Their every careful move reacts to it, in fact, a bleak truth that actor-turned-filmmaker Rebecca Hall (The Night House) never allows to fade. That's one of the reasons she's chosen to shoot this striking directorial debut in elegant, crisp and devastatingly telling monochrome hues: both everything and nothing here is black and white. Hall doesn't appear on-screen here herself, but she still gifts Passing the same intensity and nuance that's always been part of her performances. In the film's lingering frames, intimate close-ups of Thompson and Negga, and all-round eagerness to see the space that surrounds them — that often separates them, too — she proves as astute a director as she is an actor. It helps that she has enlisted two leads who exude the same traits, and Passing couldn't be more perfectly cast as a result. Thanks to Sylvie's Love and Loving, both of the movie's stars have grappled with race relations in America already in their careers. They've done so to affecting and astonishing effect, too. Here, while never repeating themselves, both Thompson and Negga are just as exceptional as they've ever been. It was always going to take intricate, complex and sensitive portrayals to tell this story, and Passing's talented leads just keep delivering. The whirlwind of emotions that flickers through Irene again and again, as evident in her gaze, posture and tone far more than she's openly trying to convey, is nothing short of masterful on Thompson's part. And the determination and sorrow fighting inside Clare — the yearning to connect with the background she shunned out of what she felt was necessity, and the unwillingness to be judged for her choices as well — echoes through a hypnotic turn by Negga. Showy yet thoughtful, it's the kind of performance might've just stuck to the confident and ostentatious character's Roaring Twenties flapper-style surface notes in other hands. With meticulous assistance from cinematographer Eduard Grau (The Way Back) and editor Sabine Hoffman (Juliet, Naked), Hall also turns Passing into an exercise in looking; this is a feature about perception and authenticity, and it repeatedly pushes those concepts to the fore in every image. It observes quietly and intently, giving Irene and Clare the type of unfettered, unguarded and earnest attention that they're clearly so rarely able to enjoy as they wrestle with racial identity in their daily existence. It truly sees them, including their strengths, struggles, dreams, desires and flaws. And, it refuses to redirect its gaze when the tragedy it has always been building towards makes its presence known — an outcome that shocks and feels inevitable at the same time. The jazzy score might play things gently, but Passing uses its polish, poise and patience, and its superb performances, to pack probing and pain into every delicately rendered moment. Passing screens in select Sydney cinemas from Thursday, October 28, and streams via Netflix from Wednesday, November 10.
Gumboots at the ready: after a pandemic-enforced break, then a smaller tour in 2022, Groovin the Moo is returning in 2023 with a full nationwide run. The large-scale touring music festival will head to six different states and territories across April and May, finally marking a comeback in Western Australia, South Australia or Queensland — and returning to New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria as well. In the Sunshine State, it's also stopping at a new location — one closer to Brisbane, which is ace news for southeast Queenslanders. That destination: the Sunshine Coast. When it hits the state, and WA and SA as well, GTM will host fests in each of those parts of the country for the first time since 2019. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Groovin the Moo (@groovinthemoo) For folks in Queensland's north, GTM is sad not to be coming to Townsville in 2023, but had to adjust to pandemic-era logistical challenges and increased financial pressures. "We are so happy to be able to do a full tour across the country in 2023. We have missed you terribly and can't wait to bring back the good times around the country, said GTM's Steve Halpin. "Whilst we are very sad not be returning to Townsville, we look forward to bringing GTM to the Sunshine Coast." [caption id="attachment_885444" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ash Caygill[/caption] It's a tad too early for a lineup announcement as yet, but cross your fingers for another impressive roster of talent when the festival bill does drop. For reference, 2022's included everyone from Peking Duk, Montaigne, Masked Wolf and Middle Kids through to Hilltop Hoods and Spiderbait, plus New Zealanders Broods and Chai, Germany's Milky Chance, and Wolf Alice, Thomas Headon, Riton and Snakehips from the UK. [caption id="attachment_885447" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jordan Munns[/caption] GROOVIN THE MOO 2023 DATES AND VENUES: Friday, April 21 — Adelaide Showground, Kaurna Country, Wayville, SA Saturday, April 22 — Maitland Showground, Wonnarua Country, Maitland, NSW Sunday, April 23 — Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC), Ngambri and Ngunnawal Country, Mitchell, ACT Saturday, April 29 — Bendigo's Prince of Wales Showgrounds, Dja Dja Wurrung Country, Bendigo, VIC Sunday, April 30 — Kawana Sports Western Precinct, Kabi Kabi and Jinibara Country, Warana, QLD Saturday, May 6 — Hay Park, Wardandi Noongar Country, Bunbury, WA Groovin the Moo will tour Australia in April and May 2023. We'll update you with lineup details when they're announced. For more information in the interim, head to the festival's website. Top images: Ruby Boyland, Ash Caygill and Chloe Hall.
Now in their fourth decade, Novocastrian stalwarts The Screaming Jets, also widely-known as 'the last great Aussie Pub Rock band', is bringing their much-loved brand of hard rock back to the masses. Led, as they have been since the band's formation in 1989, by frontman Dave 'Gleeso' Gleeson, the group spent their time in lockdown reworking and rerecording five of their most iconic tracks, including 'Shivers' and 'Helping Hand', and releasing the new versions as a new EP entitled Bitter Pill. You can head to either a homecoming show at The Camberidge Hotel, lovingly known as The Cambo, on Friday, November 27, or a beachside performance in Towradgi on Saturday, November 28. Or, if you're a real Jets tragic, why not both? For the latest info on NSW border restrictions, head here. If travelling from Queensland or Victoria, check out Queensland Health and DHHS websites, respectively.
After bringing Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban back to the big screen with a live orchestra soundtrack, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra is giving the fourth film in the franchise the same movie-and-music showcase. Across six sessions between Wednesday, August 15 and Sunday, August 19, the Sydney Opera House will come to life with the sights and sounds of the Yule Ball, the Triwizard Tournament and the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, because JK Rowling's boy-who-lived and his pals are never far away from a theatre — or a concert hall. And tickets are now on sale. This time around, viewers can expect something a little different. While the event will run as usual, it's the score itself that'll stand out. After doing the honours on the first three HP flicks, veteran composer John Williams stood aside for the fourth film, with two-time Oscar nominee Patrick Doyle (Hamlet, Sense and Sensibility) in charge of whipping up a wondrous wizarding soundtrack.
Doughnut Time, Damien Griffiths' cult-like doughnut franchise, has conquered he final frontier of the culinary world: the vegan market. As of right now, they're offering a vegan doughnut named Vegan Las Vegas for $6 dollarydoos a pop — so no one with dietary restrictions may go without doughnuts, not even for even a second. That's the kind of world we want for our children. Their vegan doughnut creation has a coconut and raspberry glaze and is topped by a pistachio crumb. It’s also gluten-free (the second gluten free doughnut on the menu at this point), which begs the question: what is this thing made of? Well, we have no idea. Don't ask, just devour. This vegan news is a double edged sword, though; it's delightful for those who’ve taken up veganism in 2k16 and don’t want to miss out on delicious doughnuts, and terrible for pre-existing vegans who, like the rest of us, struggle to resist the onslaught of gourmet doughnuts coming at you all day long via social media (not really though, we're leaning in to the craze and bleeding the country dry of Nutella). Doughnut Time has been so successful in its home state of Queensland that it now has multiple stores in Sydney and one in Melbourne, with another on the way soon. So prepare your phone cameras and insulin shots — it's about to get sweet up in hurr. For locations and opening hours across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, visit doughnuttime.com.au.
Greater Sydney is currently under stay at home orders so, while you can't visit these pubs in person, you can still show your support with takeaway and online orders. You can stay up to date with the developing COVID-19 situation in Sydney, as well as current restrictions, at NSW Health. Whether you're there for an honest, heartwarming meal or a pint next to a cosy fireplace, there's nothing quite like the great Aussie tradition of spending an evening (or afternoon) at the pub. And those relaxed, homely vibes are even more pronounced when there's live music playing. Thankfully, there's no shortage of Sydney pubs with excellent gig lineups. We've teamed up with Guinness to showcase five cosy Sydney pubs where you can get a perfectly poured pint — once pubs reopen, of course — soundtracked by great live tunes. [caption id="attachment_816379" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Arvin Prem Kumar[/caption] HERO OF WATERLOO Live tunes, an award-winning steak sandwich and a ghost tour, anyone? All three are on offer at this historic Millers Point pub, which also boasts toasty log fires and hand-chiselled sandstone walls. Musically speaking, things get funky on Friday and Saturday nights with the in-house band playing a range of styles, from blues and funk to rock and reggae. Saturday and Sunday afternoons, meanwhile, are a swingin' good time thanks to The Old Time Band and their interpretations of traditional Irish folk and swing classics. Find the Hero of Waterloo at 81 Lower Fort Street, Millers Point. [caption id="attachment_816380" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Arvin Prem Kumar[/caption] COACH AND HORSES Open until 4am on weeknights (and 6am on Friday night), this Avoca Street watering hole has been serving Randwick locals for nearly 150 years. Age hasn't slowed this corner spot, with a regular series of gigs and things to do from weekly poker nights, sports, and live music. There are gigs every Thursday and Saturday night, as well as Sunday arvos. Feeling inspired? Swing by on a Friday from 9pm, when the Coach hosts weekly karaoke jams. Find Coach and Horses at 147 Avoca Street, Randwick. THE MERCANTILE To be sure, this pub in The Rocks has been serving up perfect pints of Guinness with warm Irish hospitality for over a century. In fact, The Mercantile is believed to be the oldest Irish pub in Australia. As well as a solid menu of old and new pub classics, including dishes from the Emerald Isle like a hearty Irish stew and bangers and champ, this lively pub also hosts regular live gigs, and lots of them — music kicks off on Thursday night, continues from Friday afternoon and starts on weekends from 1pm. It's the perfect pub soundtrack, too, with tunes ranging from traditional Irish to classic Aussie rock. Find The Mercantile at 25 George Street, The Rocks. THE RIVERVIEW This Balmain boozer might not have the vista its name would suggest, but it has a lot going for it regardless. The excellent food menu includes daily menu specials, while weekends bring a popular bottomless lunch and a charming high tea. There's also live music every Thursday to Sunday — the regularly rotating lineup sees everything from reggae and country, to disco and Irish folk. On Friday nights and Sunday arvos, you can enjoy the tunes with $30 cocktail jugs. Find The Riverview at 29 Birchgrove Road, Balmain. Food is available to order online here, from 5–8:30pm, Monday–Saturday. FORTUNE OF WAR This heritage-listed Rocks watering hole is Sydney's longest continuously licenced pub (it's been slinging schooners since 1828), and remains a favourite for Sydneysiders and visitors alike. While the inside retains a stately sense of old-world charm and is always a good idea for a pitstop, the real action takes place out the front in the George Street beer garden. The spacious outdoor area hosts acoustic gigs five nights a week (from Wednesday to Sunday), which you can enjoy in the historic surrounds of The Rocks while sampling one of the 15 beers on tap. Find Fortune of War at 137 George Street, The Rocks. Thirsty? Find your closest place for a pint over at the Guinness Pub Finder.
Courtney Barnett has amassed a far-reaching international fanbase thanks to her endlessly laidback and relatable brand of indie-folk. With three solo albums, a Kurt Vile collaborative LP, a nomination for Best New Artist at the Grammys and spots on just about every major music festival across the globe, Barnett is set to make a triumphant return to Sydney stages in support of her most assured album to date, Things Take Time, Take Time. You can catch Courtney and her band on stage at the newly renovated Enmore Theatre as part of Great Southern Nights on Friday, March 25, with support from Wergaia and Wemba Wemba singer-songwriter Alice Skye, who's 2021 album I Feel Better But I Don't Feel Good arrived with all the charm and honesty of Barnett's music. If you're looking to make March an even more Courtney Barnett-filled month, there's also a documentary on her called Anonymous Club, playing at Palace and Ritz Cinemas across NSW. The film follows Courtney on tour for three years between the release of her second and third album, providing intensely personal insight into her inner monologue and mental health through an audio diary she kept at the time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUXvlpS0TvE Great Southern Nights is facilitating a heap of gigs across Sydney and regional NSW, ranging from icons like Jimmy Barnes popping up in western Sydney or Archie Roach performing in Wagga Wagga, through to emerging acts like hyped young R&B singer Liyah Knight headlining a night of local music and DJs at Zetland's 107 Projects. You can find the full program at the Great Southern Nights website.
Sipping on a bespoke cocktail while the new season's couture is unveiled in realtime on a mammoth screen is, believe it or not, a life experience open to you this week. Style gawkers can watch all the Fashion Week catwalk action, live-streamed direct from Carriageworks to the purpose-built screen at Martin Place, while having their thirst quenched by a pop-up bar care of Double Bay's Pelicano. Hosted by Pelicano's Tim Holmes a Court and Daimon Downey, the Fashion Week Australia Bar will have a grazing menu as well as drinks and will be soundtracked by live DJ sets. The screening of the runway is a joint venture between Jasu.com and the City of Sydney, bolstering Lord Mayor Clover Moore's push to broaden public engagement with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia. Democratising MBFWA in this way will certainly add some sparkle to the city air as homegrown designers like Lisa Ho, Ginger & Smart and Romance Was Born (full show schedule here) flaunt their new wares, while everyday Sydneysiders get to strut their own stuff, drinks in hand, and enjoy a spectacle normally witnessed only by fashion industry insiders.
Anyone who has ever worked in hospitality will tell you the same thing about their customers: they're awful. For some cruel and arbitrary reason, all human decency tends to go out the window when someone is wearing an apron. Sure, this isn't true of all customers, but definitely an alarming majority. Now, a cafe on the NSW south coast is doing something to change the etiquette game. The Seven Mile Beach Kiosk in Gerroa has been displaying a sign for the past few months advertising cheaper coffee for polite people. "A coffee: $5. A coffee please: $4.50. Good morning, a coffee please: $4," the sign reads. Though intended as more of a gimmick than a serious rule, the sign does pose some interesting questions. Is this problem so bad that we actually need to introduce incentives for general manners? Owners of the cafe Kev Chilver and Kylie Pickett told the Daily Mail that they created the sign to curb some of the rude interactions (read: caffeine-addled demands) they were receiving from their customers. Apparently, despite living in a small town on an idyllic strip of surf beaches, Gerroa coffee-lovers are just as abrupt and demeaning as those in the major cities. "Common courtesy is ... becoming less and less common, and we're trying to bring it back," said Mr Chilver. "We are in service industry but we’re not servants. We deserve as much respect as anyone else." The cafe owners are not alone in this frustration. In fact, you might remember similar initiatives taking place in Europe last year. Last January, a photo from an cafe in Italy stirred up the initial buzz by offering a €2 discount to those giving proper greetings. The idea then reached France where a cafe on the Riveria knocked that discount up to €5.60 (FYI French coffee is crazy expensive). The story gained notoriety online, on television and in newspapers being shared tens of thousands of times; at one point a French government minister even spoke out in favour of the concept. While it's a lovely idea, it's also an easy way to get already grumpy customers further offside. It's not hard to see why most venues don't properly enforce the policy — I'd hate to be the person behind the till asking some rude dude to fork out more cash for his weak decaf soy latte because he didn't smile at me enough. That's just asking for trouble. We think the real solution is something bigger. At some point in everyone's life, they should be forced to work in the hospitality industry. Clearing plates, getting covered in warm frothy milk on a hot day, and having to slap that 'I'm actually dead inside' smile on your face all day will give you a lifelong appreciation of your wait staff. Failing that, you could just skip the years of grief and torment and just find it within yourself to be a decent human being to the guy making your coffee. Via Daily Mail.
As a teen rom-com about two high schoolers working through their attraction for each other as they're also trying to work out what to do with their lives and how to simply be themselves, there's a strong sense of familiarity about Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt). It's the kind of movie that viewers will initially feel they've watched before. Audiences will spot the tropes and conventions, the scenarios and exchanges they've seen in other tales about adolescent troubles and related affairs of the heart, and the kinds of characters that typically populate classrooms and families in seemingly similar films. Here, however, this isn't a sign of laziness. Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt) wants you to register how much it resembles other entries in its genre — because it wants you to notice what it's doing differently. Of course, unfurling a queer romance within such well-worn confines shouldn't be such a remarkable act (and an Australian teen queer romance at that), but it still currently is. There's a purposeful sense of clumsiness about Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt), too. Again, that's by design. Studious school captain Ellie (Sophie Hawkshaw, Love Child) has a simmering crush on the far cooler, calmer and more collected Abbie (Zoe Terakes, Janet King), but is struggling to stump up the courage to ask her to the school formal. In fact, she even goes as far as willingly and uncharacteristically getting detention so that she spend more time with Abbie, all to try to muster up the motivation to pop the quintessential high-school question. And when the pair do slowly start becoming closer, Ellie doesn't know exactly what to do, or what's expected, or how to be the person she wants to be in her first relationship. Complicating matters is the distance she feels from her mother, Erica (Marta Dusseldorp, Stateless), as she navigates such new emotional terrain — oh, and the fact that, as the title gives away, Ellie's dead aunt Tara (Julia Billington) suddenly starts hovering around and dispensing advice about following her feelings. So far, so sweet. Whether you think of Tara as a queer fairy godmother or a lesbian guardian angel, her wisdom-imparting presence is tender and thoughtful — and funny and often awkward, as you'd expect when the ghost of a dead relative pops up every now and then to try to help someone through situations they don't inherently know how to deal with. First-time feature writer/director Monica Zanetti plays the scenario affectionately and humorously, and also to reflect how having a guiding light is usually a purely fantastical concept for uncertain teens. And, if the filmmaker had left Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt) there, that would've been understandable. The film would've been entertaining and understanding, cute and creative with its teen romance, and proudly celebratory of LGBTQIA+ perspectives. It's still all those things, but Zanetti's decision to open the door to a deeper contemplation of Australia's historical treatment of the queer community gives considerable depth and weight to a movie that mightn't have earned those terms otherwise. If Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt) was being shot a few months from now, when Sydney is slated to become home to an 90-metre-long rainbow footpath through Surry Hills to commemorate Australia's marriage equality legislation — and to mark where more than 30,000 Sydneysiders gathered together to hear the results of the country's postal vote survey on the matter — the brightly coloured stretch of pavement would've surely featured in the film. Zanetti's brightly shot movie has a strong sense of place, but without including all of the usual landmark shots that make many features feel like tourism campaigns. More importantly, it has a clear understanding of what LGBTQIA+ Sydneysiders have weathered in past decades. That activism is layered throughout the film in an overt subplot and, while it's hardly treated with nuance, it's a powerful inclusion. Simply by reaching local cinema screens, Zanetti's feature makes a statement, but it also pays tribute to all the statements made in big and bold ways — and with tragic and painful outcomes, too — to get to this point in Australian queer history. Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt)'s intentions, approach and even the importance of its very existence can't completely patch over its weaker elements, however. That lack of subtlety is pervasive, and occasionally the deliberate use of cliches and clumsiness can feel just as forceful. Some lines and ideas — Tara tells Ellie to ask Abbie if she likes AFL to get a read on her sexual orientation, for instance — are cringe-inducing rather than satirical or amusing. And despite spirited efforts by the three actors playing its titular characters, those eponymous figures are never as fleshed out as they could be, with their personalities deeply tied to and dictated by the needs of the plot. But Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt) is still a charmer, and still gives Aussie cinema something that it has long been missing. That'd be a proud, contemplative and engaging teen queer rom-com with heart, humour and a heavy awareness of the need for the kind of tale that it's telling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq1F1opr_FE&t=2s
The Barossa Valley's wineries, Glenelg's beaches, Whyalla's LED-lit circular pier — whichever South Australian spot takes your fancy, you'll be able to visit it from Tuesday, November 23 if you're double-vaccinated. Today, Tuesday, October 26, SA Premier Steven Marshall announced South Australia's reopening roadmap. And, as well as outlining when the state's residents will be able to have more people over to their homes, it locks in the date that SA will welcome back double-vaxxed travellers from all other Aussie states and territories. The key milestone: reaching the 80-percent double-jabbed threshold among SA inhabitants over the age of 16, which is expected by that mid-November 23 date. There are a few caveats, however. While double-vaccinated Aussies travelling to SA won't have to quarantine in general, that'll change if you're coming from a Local Government Area with local cases and a double-vaxxed rate of less than 80 percent. Also, that November reopening date won't see quarantine scrapped for overseas visitors just yet. Instead, double-jabbed international arrivals will be required to do a seven-day stint, and unvaxxed international arrivals will still quarantine for 14 days. It isn't until SA reaches the 90-percent double-vaccinated mark among all residents aged of 12 that there'll be no quarantine at all for double-jabbed visitors from both interstate and overseas. That's expected to happen before Christmas, Marshall advised. SA's COVID-Ready Plan safely eases restrictions over the coming months and coordinates the health response to manage COVID-19. It's important to continue to get tested for COVID-19 if you have any symptoms, physical distance, wash your hands, and stay home if you are sick. pic.twitter.com/khu0Tbvfkr — SA Health (@SAHealth) October 26, 2021 So, if you're a double-vaxxed Aussie who's hankering for a a wine-fuelled venture into South Australia, you now know when you can pack your bags. SA's news follows similar announcements by the Queensland and Tasmanian governments, meaning that Australians who've had both COVID-19 jabs will soon be able to venture around most of the country again. If you're now eager to start planning an SA getaway, we have suggestions — whether you're eager to hit up Adelaide, or sip and sightsee your way around the Fleurieu Peninsula, the Limestone Coast or the Clare Valley. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in South Australia, and the state's corresponding restrictions, visit its online COVID-19 hub. Top image: d'Arenberg Cube.
Every October and November, Tokyo hosts its annual film festival, celebrating the latest and greatest in Japanese cinema. We can't all take a ten-ish hour flight to Asia to enjoy the best and brightest flicks that Japan has to offer — and everything else that its thriving, sprawling capital boasts, too — but, if you're a movie-loving Sydneysider or Melburnian with a hankering for the country's big-screen gems, you can let a whole heap of these flicks come to you. Thankfully, around the same time of each year Australia's own Japanese Film Festival starts doing the rounds, screening a heap of movies around the country. Old classics, new hits, colourful animation, sweet rom-coms, brooding gangster films, cult favourites — they're all part of the event's busy lineup. And, so are our five must-see picks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7HtNsJdMDw RIDE YOUR WAVE Calling all Your Name and Weathering with You fans — while Ride Your Wave hails from a different director, aka Masaaki Yuasa, it falls in the same heartfelt, gorgeously animated, emotionally sweeping realm. It also has an element of the supernatural to it, too, and focuses on a star-cross'd romance. Hinako (voiced by former Japanese pop idol Rina Kawaei) is a surfer who has just moved to the seaside. Minato (fellow local pop star Ryota Katayose) is a kindly and charming firefighter who isn't as skilled on the waves, but saves Hinako from a blaze. Love blossoms, as does tragedy and a few twists, with Hinako weathering more than just watery waves. The result is a sweet, charming and sensitive film that's especially thoughtful when it ruminates on loss. A word of warning: a song by Katayose's pop group Generations from Exile Tribe features heavily, and it's quite the melodic and persistent earworm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXc_JlCqQE4&feature=emb_logo JUST ONLY LOVE Based on Mitsuyo Kakuta's novel, Just Only Love reaches the screen as a live-action romantic drama, but there's an anime-style flood of emotion bubbling within Rikiya Imaizumi's film. Perhaps its because, like a raft of Japanese animated movies of late (including Ride Your Wave and the others mentioned above), love, its impossibilities and their impact on life are all pushed to the fore. Here, romance of the unrequited kind takes centre stage. Teruko (Yukino Kishii) is fond of colleague Mamoru (Ryo Narita), but he's keen on keeping things casual. Her pal Yoko (Mai Fukagawa) has a friend, Nakahara (Ryuya Wakaba), who's smitten with her in the same way. Then Mamoru starts seeing Sumire (Noriko Eguchi), who isn't one for a traditional romance. As things get messier, Just Only Love dives deeper with endearing and insightful results. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH3viviJJlE MELANCHOLIC It's a thoroughly modern set-up: Kazuhiko (Yoji Minagawa) graduates from Japan's prestigious University of Tokyo, can't get a job in his field and still finds himself living with his parents. As a way of earning cash, he takes a gig at a bathhouse — and that's when, despite seeming very familiar otherwise, Melancholic confidently takes its own turn. By accident, Kazuhiko discovers that his new place of employment is a front for yakuza executions. Soon, he's immersed in that bloody, gruesome world. An award-winner on home soil, this is an engrossing crime film that's also an adult coming-of-age drama, as well as a moving character study. The debut feature from writer/director Seiji Tanaka, with star Minagawa also acting as the movie's producer, Melancholic is a supremely well-made indie flick from a country that makes plenty of them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVc4YevwX2A THE LEGEND OF THE STARDUST BROTHERS If there's one piece of trivia that you need to know about The Legend of the Stardust Brothers, it's this: writer/director Makoto Tezuka is the son of Osamu Tezuka, who happened to create Astro Boy. So, it's only fitting that the younger Tezuka's 1985 cult classic also references space in its title — although the movie's story is very much grounded on earth. Actually, another detail is vitally important. Makoto's movie came about when, as a 22-year-old film student, he decided to make a feature to accompany a soundtrack that already existed, sans-film. The result is this rock musical set in the 80s Japanese music scene, following wannabe stars the Stardust Brothers, and inspired in part by The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Cast-wise, it's filled with musicians from the time, manga figures and even director Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Daguerrotype). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbTig5Aclpw&feature=emb_logo NOISE Wander through Tokyo's Akihabara district today — in search of anime, manga, gaming, electronic gadgets or Japan's idol pop music scene — and you wouldn't know that, in 2008, it was the site of a devastating massacre. Noise heads to the popular area to follow the lives of three people who are still impacted by the incident eight years afterwards. While the film's three stories are fictional, the movie is inspired by first-time writer/director Yusaku Matsumoto's own profound response to the tragedy, which occurred when he was in high school, as well as the ripples such an event inevitably leaves on a city and society. Playing an underground idol (aka an aspiring pop star who performs at underground venues, rather than big stadiums) and teenage masseuse, watch out for real-life Japanese idol Kokoro Shinozaki, who also draws on her own similar background. The Japanese Film Festival screens at Sydney's Event Cinemas George Street from Thursday, November 14 to Sunday, November 24, and at Melbourne's Capitol and Treasury theatres from Thursday, November 21 to Sunday, December 1. For more information, visit the festival website.
Nothing says Christmas like some great night markets, and nothing says Sydney markets quite like Paddington. The folks that have been running the iconic Saturday markets since 1973 (yep, that long) are once again treating locals to a twilight Christmas edition complete with Christmas pudding and other yummy Yule-inspired treats. For one night only, stalls packed with hand-picked pieces by talented local designers such as Samantha Robinson and Kor Creations and artists like Live Art Studios and Beau Wylie Illustrations will fill the grounds around the historic Uniting Church on Oxford Street. The Church will also be operating its own stall — with all its proceeds going to good causes, so you can spend your money and feel good about it at the same time. Also, who else is excited about doing their last-minute Christmas shopping outside listening to great tunes? Surely that humid summer breeze beating against your defeated face is better than some crazed shopper's elbow as they race you to the cash register at Myer. 'Tis the season after all.
When Barry said farewell, it brought one of the best supporting performances in recent years to an end with it. Star, creator, writer and director Bill Hader wasn't the only talent scoring awards for the hitman dramedy, with Henry Winkler also earning plenty of love — and nabbing his first Primetime Emmy win more than four decades after he was first nominated in the 70s for Happy Days. That's quite the story from a career full of them, given that Winkler will always be known as Arthur 'The Fonz' Fonzarelli, for scene-stealing parts in Arrested Development and Parks and Recreation, and for popping up everywhere from the Scream franchise and The French Dispatch to multiple Adam Sandler movies as well. And, Winkler will tell those tales when he heads to Australia in 2024 on a speaking tour to reflect upon his time in Hollywood. [caption id="attachment_918614" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andrew Eccles[/caption] Jumping sharks might not be on the agenda, but chatting about doing so more than once — and changing TV history when he made the leap the first time — likely will be. Acting classes also won't be on the itinerary, but hearing about half a century spent performing definitely is. Winkler's tour will follow the release of book Being Henry: The Fonz... and Beyond in October, which will also step through playing Fonzie, Barry Zuckercorn, Dr Saperstein, Gene Cousineau and more. On a six-stop visit, Winkler will head to Sydney Town Hall on Tuesday, February 6. Hopefully also getting a mention: his role in helping develop the original MacGyver back in the 80s. Top image: HBO.
Since the 1980s, Sydney collective Erth has been pushing the boundaries of innovative theatre with its much-loved puppetry performances. Erth's work educates while it entertains and Duba — as well as its sister show Badu at the Maritime Museum — is no exception. Ticketholders will venture into a living underworld to learn about rare, endangered creatures, meet living fungi and encounter the world that lives beneath our feet. Developed in conjunction with international conservation zoos, Duba highlights the vulnerability and fragility of our land-based ecosystems and the creatures that inhabit it. It's set to be a ground-breaking and unforgettable experience at Carriageworks for Sydney Festival. Images: Yaya Stempler
If you, like us, enjoy spending your weekends and holidays hiking through Sydney's national parks, you'll be happy to hear that one of the state's most popular hikes is getting a multimillion-dollar upgrade. The NSW Government is dropping $10 mil on a refresh of Blue Mountains' Grand Cliff Top Walk, which runs from Govetts Leap to Evans lookout. The hike passes many waterfalls and lookouts and offers up some of the most stunning views of the national park and its many eucalpyts. It's just one of the upgrades planned for NSW's many national parks with the government promising $150 million in upgrades to sites across the state. Following news of a 43,000-hectare statewide national park expansion announced last October, the Southern Highlands will also be getting a new national park of its own, spreading almost 3680 hectares around Tugalong Station. Located about 25 kilometres northwest of Bowral, the site is home to some of the area's best koala habitat, so the plans will go a long way to helping protect your favourite tree-dwelling marsupials. [caption id="attachment_574861" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Govetts Leap Lookout, NSW National Parks.[/caption] Elsewhere in NSW, the government's multi-million dollar upgrade package will be put to good use improving things like accessibility, safety and facilities. A major focus will be upgrading accessibility at a number of lookout points to meet mobility impaired access standards, and making existing walking tracks and trails both safer and more accessible. A hefty $38.7 million will go towards improving and adding picnic areas, barbecues and facilities, while $45 million is being used to boost support for visitors with restricted mobility. If you're looking for new places to go hiking or camping in the meantime, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has just released a new, free mobile app that provides guides to more than 225 national parks. You can check it out here. There's no word yet on when the Grand Cliff Walk's upgrade will begin, but we'll let you know as soon as there is. Image: Simone Cottrell.
In February 2012, on the eve of the release of Polica's debut album Give You the Ghost, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver's frontman) told Rolling Stone, 'They're the best band I've ever heard'. A month later an appearance at SXSW inspired The Huffington Post prediction: 'This band is going to be huge'. Now Polica, originally from Minneapolis and formed out of soft rock group Gayngs, are bringing their dreamily melodic and percussively exhilarating live show to the Antipodes. While so many indie beats-based acts fall prey to monotony, a refreshingly creative energy drives Polica's sound. Vocalist Channy Leaneagh glides over undulating synths, deft bass lines and compelling polyrhythms, delivered through a combination of R&B-influenced electronica and two drum kits. The product is a constantly shifting and exquisitely melancholic, yet uplifting, soundscape that certainly has Bon Iver addicted. https://youtube.com/watch?v=h6WgWCIkH9U
Elton John summed it up perfectly: when Marilyn Monroe died in 1962, her candle burned out long before her legend ever would. Six decades since her passing, the actor remains a Hollywood icon. Like Elvis, she may as well be mononymic. Her face is instantly recognisable, and still everywhere. Ana de Armas just received an Oscar nomination for playing her, after Michelle Williams earned one back in 2012 for also stepping into her shoes. And, the Some Like It Hot, Gentleman Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire star is also the subject of a sizeable exhibition heading to Australia for the first time: Marilyn: The Woman Behind the Icon. This Marilyn celebration will make its Aussie premiere at Sydney Town Hall, in the Lower Town Hall, from Saturday, July 1–Sunday, September 24. On display: more than 200 artefacts spanning Monroe's life, including handwritten notes, personal letters and other possessions. This is the largest Marilyn collection of its kind. Indeed, the objects set to grace the showcase stem from Ted Stampfer, owner the world's largest range of Marilyn items. With Marilyn: The Woman Behind the Icon, he's aiming to share insights into Monroe as a person, not just a celebrity — spanning her time in the spotlight, of course, but also back when she was Norma Jeane Mortenson. [caption id="attachment_905881" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Joseph Jasgur, Ted Stampfer[/caption] Stampfer will be on hand on opening day providing a curator's tour, as part of an events program accompanying the three-month memorabilia exhibition. Friday-night sessions will feature music and entertainment, and film screenings will also be part of the lineup, letting attendees experience Marilyn's movie magic for themselves. As it celebrates the woman who scaled the heights of fame, became a household name, but received horrific scrutiny for her sex-symbol status and her love life — focusing on her hard work, not the stories spun about her — this'll be the only time that Marilyn: The Woman Behind the Icon will open to the public in this form. [caption id="attachment_905878" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ted Stampfer[/caption]
If you missed out on The Jungle Collective's previous warehouse plant sales, be sure to clear the weekend of July 7 and 8. Because there's another one on its way. The Jungle Collective is a Melbourne nursery that stocks all kinds of weird and wonderful species. After holding many wildly successful Sydney markets last year, it's tracking down new plants and throwing another two-day indoor plant party. This time, it's Christmas in July–themed, so wear ugly sweaters, Santa suits and elf ears. If you do, you'll get a $5 discount off of your purchase. While plenty of rare plants and indoor favourites will be on offer, with everything from hanging pot plants to palms to a giant Bird of Paradise, so prepare to welcome a few into your home. Have a reputation for killing your cacti? Overwatering your ferns? Don't worry — there'll be horticulturalists on site on the night to give you advice and chat through any questions you might have. This time round, the plant sale is being hold in a new location — and as part of Precinct 75's Winter Design Market. The good stuff tends to go first, so we recommend booking a morning session on the Saturday. Winter Wonderland Plant Sale will run from 10am–2pm on Saturday, July 7, and Sunday July 8. Tickets will be available from midday, Monday, July 2, via the Facebook page. Images: Alexandra Cohen
Calling all dancing queens – it's time to dust off those tambourines and head to the annual Trundle ABBA Festival. Australia's only festival dedicated to the Swedish supergroup, the Trundle ABBA Festival is the perfect opportunity to pay homage to Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid and the endless good times their pop tunes bring. Tribute band Björn Again will make you think you're watching the real deal, when they put on an outstanding performance of all your favourite ABBA hits while dressed to the nines in glitzy 70s ABBA-inspired attire. You'll also be able to compete in a disco-dancing competition or step aboard the ABBA train, a colourful 1930s-carriage with a bar that travels from Parkes to Trundle.
One does not simply walk into Sydney Fringe. With more than 300 events spanning comedy, theatre, visual art, circus, music, picnics, crafternoons and gender critiques set to Beyonce, the whole thing requires some research and recommendations. Here are the main events we'll be seeking out during the Fringe's takeover of September. Laneway Hubs: Foley Lane as Montmartre Last year the Fringe had Emerald City garden hub, and we thought that was pretty good. This year the Fringe’s ambitions stretch to taking over three Sydney neighbourhoods for three separate laneway hubs over three weekends in Darlinghurst, Newtown and Sydenham. The first (and probably our most highly anticipated) is at Darlinghurst's Foley Lane, which will be decked out in Montmartre style with street performers, swing bands, Parisian crepe stands and tiny cinema screenings. Newtown’s weekend promises night markets, music, talks and an abundance of local artists, while the Fringe’s final weekend will be set in Sydenham. Foley Street will be decked out September 5–7, 6pm–12am Fri & Sat, 4–10pm Sun. The Newtown night market sets up for September 20–21, 12pm-midnight Sat & 12pm–10pm Sun. Faversham Street’s party runs September 27–28, 6pm to midnight Sat & 12pm–10pm Sun. Fast Times at FilChil High Fast Times at FilChil High is brought to you by The Filthy Children Collective, a homegrown electronic outfit. Think of Fast Times as an all-inclusive party for the senses — we're talking a mix of music, visual art, retro video games and dancing. Basically, if teen-you were jigging school, this is where they'd go. Saturday, September 13, from 4pm at Freda's (107-109 Regent Street, Chippendale). Free. The Campground The Fringe is making over its own headquarters at 5 Eliza Street into a key venue — and a vertiginous one at that. The three-level hub has been moulded around a campground theme. You can drop by here anytime; downstairs ('the Tent') plays host to traditional hub activities, like a bar and the odd exhibition, while the upstairs 'Campfire' offers up a program of talks and crafternoons (crochet and knitting Mondays, sketching Tuesdays and snow globe making Wednesdays). The ballroom has been transformed into the Emerging Artist Annex, a 60-seat, friendlier theatre space for the Fringe's newest artists. 5 Eliza Street, Newtown All the Single Lad(ie)s at PACT You love Beyonce. You love a spot of gender critique. Then you are also most definitely the target audience for All the Single Lad(ie)s, a work that juxtaposes the music of proudly feminist Queen Bey with surreal scenes laying bare various conundrums of gender and sexuality. From experimental Perthians The Cutting Room Floor, All the Single Lad(ie)s premiered at the Perth Fringe World Festival, where it won much adoration but also prompted the West Australian to say, "We were warned that All the Single Lad(ie)s was 'grotesque', but that was probably not enough of a warning for what we witnessed." Sounds like perfect Fringe material. September 24-27, 6.30pm at PACT Centre for Emerging Artists (107 Railway Parade, Erskinville). $15. The Lab Art Pharmacy is all about getting emerging artists’ works on sale at affordable prices. They’ve done a number of pop-ups over the last couple of years and for this year’s fringe they’re throwing up the Lab for two weeks on the edge of Oxford Square. The Lab will feature free artist talks and an introduction to starting your own art collection, but the highlight of the Lab is likely to be the art itself. The Fringe selection includes work from Mulga the Artist and Will Coles, probably best known for his ambulant, grey mobile phone sculptures. September 5–14 from 11am – 7pm most days at 20 Oxford Square, Darlinghurst. Opening night is Thursday, September 4 from 6pm. RSVP here. Free the Beats The Free the Beats project aims to give electronic enthusiasts an opportunity to release their beats for free in what is a very community approach to creating music. The result is experimental, imperfect and always refreshingly different to thudding techno beats. In time for the release of volume 12, this Fringe event is about music in all its varied, experimental glory. Musical selections will include soul vocals, live drummers, analogue synths, laptops and gadgets galore. Thursday, September 14, 6pm at Venue 505 (280 Cleveland Street, Surry Hills). Free. In the Night Garden: Vespertine ‘Vespertine’, it’s a fancy word for saying “things that happen at night”. Since its first appearance in 2011, In the Night Garden has consistently been one of the Fringe’s nicest little nights out. It's an evening that sees a collaboration from a bunch of back-lane, St Peters’ artistic residents, tied together by local artmakers Tortuga Studios. This year will bring more of the same. And for this night of light art, more of the same is a pretty good thing. For a single night, from sunset the back lanes behind Tortuga light up with projections, strange light art and music, as local artists collaborate to create their annual odd-lit, nocturnal wonderland. September 26, 6.30pm at Applebee and Hutchinson Streets, St Peters. Free. The Bookbinder This is an adult and kid-friendly show, but just elbow the little tykes out of the way and you'll be privy to a magical little work that unfolds in a dimly lit bookshop (specifically: Better Read Than Dead on King Street). From New Zealand company Trick of the Light Theatre, The Bookbinder is an amalgamation of forms and DIY special effects — you'll find shadowplay, paper art, puppetry and musical interludes intertwined in a mystery and cautionary tale of what happened to the bookbinder's last, overly cocksure apprentice. September 11-13, 7pm at Better Read Than Dead (265 King Street, Newtown). $25/20. Yes Dance Dance choreographer Rennie McDougall starts off with the jazz ballet moves of the '90s, but by the end of these 45 minutes, you won't be able to look at a grapevine the same way again. Here, the Chunky Move and Conversation Piece performer presents a dance routine that goes past the aesthetic beauty of dance to explore the human body and its capacity for individuality, impulse and error within a choreography. He has performed many times in Sydney, but yes dance is McDougall's much-anticipated choreographic debut. September 16-20, 8pm at Dickson Street Space (35–39 Dickson Street, Newtown). $20/16. Genevieve Fricker – Trying Comedy is probably the Sydney Fringe's strongest suit. Australian comics emerging and established each seem to take their turn on stage, so you're bound to stumble into someone who makes the corners of your mouth lift. And don't just see your friends and friends of friends; see our friend of a friend Genevieve Fricker. The comedian, writer and occasional singer has featured in The Roast and Spicks and Specks. Her new show, Trying, blends songs and funnies — not limited to unexpected breakouts in song, weird impressions and occasional sentence deconstructions. September 10 at 8.15pm and September 24 and 26 at 6.45pm at the Factory Theatre (105 Victoria Road, Marrickville). $14/9. By the Concrete Playground team.
Antidote — the Sydney Opera House festival of ideas, action and change – will return for its fourth year with both in-person and live-streamed talks, workshops and performances. This year's program, curated by Head of Talks and Ideas Dr Edwina Throsby, has been shaped by the unprecedented events of 2020, with speakers and artists reflecting on the year that's been and looking to the future. Running from 10am on Sunday, November 29, the 2020 program will kick off with the Tom Tilley-hosted Resetting the World, a discussion on how to rebuild the world with fresh perspectives featuring Indigenous-led design advocate Jefa Greenaway, climate change social researcher Rebecca Huntley and economic journalist Jessica Irvine. Later in the day, you can join discussions with the author of the book Such a Fun Age, Kiley Reid on race, class and privilege and The New Yorker writer Jill Lepore on what the US will look like post-Trump. Closing out the day will be an optimistic talk from Dutch historian Rutger Bregman and Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney Jess Scully titled Reasons to be Cheerful, and national LGBTQIA+ storytelling project and podcast Queerstories. Workshops on learning your local Indigenous Australian language, improving your home's plant game and sustainable rug-making will be taking place throughout the day if you're looking for a more interactive experience. The Indigenous language workshops, lead by Darug woman Aunty Jacinta Tobin and Gadigal man Joel Davison, are free to attend at both 11.15am and 4.15pm. Ticket prices differ from event to event and on whether you'll be attending in person or online. You can find the full schedule and information on the tickets at the Sydney Opera House website. [caption id="attachment_791603" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Aunty Jacinta Tobin by Caroline Hide[/caption] Top Image: Patrick Boland
The lineup for the inaugural The Plot festival has been announced today, and there sure isn't any shortage of stars. The Plot is the city-side little brother of Groovin the Moo, bringing electronic and dance tunes from all around the country (and from overseas) to Sydney on December 14 and Melbourne on December 15. Following a Facebook post from 22-year-old sensation Flume concerning the unique stylings of Australian electro musicians, The Plot has included a spate of artists Flume name checked as the future. From Wave Racer to Willow Beats to Elizabeth Rose, all those tiny sub-genres of Aussie dance and electronic are represented at the fresh festival at the end of the year. https://youtube.com/watch?v=GJ2GcNs_aXI The Plot is the brainchild of Cattleyard Productions, who seem to be going from strength to strength. In a climate where festivals are losing sales and even closing down, Cattleyard have not only managed to pull together a new festival but also expand the existing Groovin the Moo to South Australia for next year. Which ain't too shabby. If it's something about the vibe, then that's something the folks at Cattleyard will hope to pull out of the country and bring to the city when Australia's finest electro-stars take to the laser-lit stage in December. For the full lineup, tickets and more, head to The Plot.
Fancy a dip with a difference? Boutique hotel connoisseurs Mr & Mrs Smith have a bunch of seductive watery wonders. From awe-inspiring views and cater-to-every-whim butler service, these shimmering stretches will have you flapping your water wings in excitement (Speedos optional). Hotel Crillon le Brave, Provence Where: Rue Église, 84410, Crillon-le-Brave, Vaucluse, France What: Stone-built hilltop hideaway Perched high on a peachy-hued Provencal hilltop, Hotel Crillon le Brave is made up of seven houses clustered around a 16th-century church. After a quick bonjour to the hotel’s namesake — a mustachioed statue of the real Crillon le Brave — follow the discreet grey signs on pale stacked-stone exteriors to this hip hostellerie. A maze of footpaths leads down stone steps and over cobbled terraces to the separate maisons: charming sleeping quarters that look out over pale terracotta roof tiles, neatly coiffed vineyards and limestone-topped hills. The Cezanne-worthy panorama continues poolside; swimmers can catch glimpses between strokes as they work off a lion's share of croissants, pastries and crisp local rosé. Perivolas, Santorini Where: Oia Santorini, 847 02, Cyclades Islands, Greece What: Dream lava Plucked straight from the pages of a glossy spread, Perivolas is a supermodel in hotel form. Poised high on the hills of Santorini above the Aegean sea, this is the sort of hideaway that inspires spontaneous marriage proposals. A soundtrack of distant lapping waves fills whitewashed-walled rooms that peer out over the caldera (the proper name for the volcanic crater-cum-bay, if you please), while sunlounger-graced terraces provide the postcard-perfect spot to stare out into the brilliant blue. A resplendent infinity pool is the jewel atop Perivolas’ crown: seamlessly merging with the endless azure horizon and offering a spectacular setting to sup sundowners and watch the sun melt into the sea. Masseria Torre Maizza, Puglia Where : C.da Coccaro, 70015, Savelletri di Fasano Brindisi, Italy What: Spacious and gracious A 16th-century coastal estate set in olive groves with ocean views, Masseria Torre Maizza is sister to Masseria Torre Coccaro — good looks clearly run in the family. There’s no cause to fret about countryside isolation: days here are spent ambling between the spa, cookery school and golf course. Water babies should head straight for the outdoor pool, surrounded by vine-dressed columns, hammocks and more sunbeds than you can poke a crostino at. When a growling stomach interrupts, make for Ristorante delle Palme, where black-lacquered chairs and white-linen-topped tables spill onto the poolside terrace. Rayavadee, Krabi Where :214 Moo 2, Tambon Ao-Nang, Amphoe Maung, Thailand What: Sand-circle garden pavilions Flanked by dramatic limestone cliffs and glittering beaches, Rayavadee is accessible only by boat from Krabi. Picturesque pavilions are tucked between towering tropical palm trees; it's a look befitting a tribal jungle village with a penchant for Jacuzzis, spa treatments and homemade cookies. The sapphire-coloured waters of the sprawling lagoon-style infinity pool offer uninterrupted views of the Andaman Sea and respite for those weary from jungle treks. If you can be coaxed from your plumped sunbed, adventure-junkies can pursue rock-climbing, kayaking and scuba-diving; land-lubbers should seek out the spa for an hour (or more) of towel-cocooned pampering. Raas, Jodphur Where :Tunwar ji ka Jhalra, Makrana Mohalla, Gulab Sagar, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India What: Achingly hip haveli Set in the shadow of the majestic Mehrangarh Fort, Raas is a modern-day Maharaja’s mansion. A cluster of four heritage rose-red sandstone buildings make up this refashioned family manor, decorated with sprawling terraced gardens, boutiques, spas and restaurants. Beyond the hotel walls, the city is a frenetic blend of colour and chaos. Inside, your only disruptions are birds trilling and water tinkling. An at-your-service butler-attended infinity pool brings a splash of Ibiza to the Indian desert; expect white-canopied sunloungers, chilled tunes and poolside yoga. Ace Hotel & Swim Club, Palm Springs Where :701 East Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, California, United States What: Hipster’s canyon commune Seducing the young and young at heart, Ace Hotel & Swim Club marries sleek architecture and low-key luxury with a smattering of vintage design accents. Sun-seekers can brave the heat by renting a candy-coloured Vespa or booking a horseback riding lesson, leaving those attached to air-conditioned comfort to languidly laze in a hammock and work through the hotel bar’s cocktail menu. An eclectic soundtrack of indie rock, '70s and '80s hits, top-40 numbers and spinning DJs provide the poolside playlist. The King’s Highway restaurant (once a roadside Denny’s) dishes up classic American fare with splashes of the unexpected — try the harissa lamb and pan-seared tilapia. Eagles Nest, Bay of Islands Where: 60 Tapeka Road, Russell, New Zealand What: Modern, minimal, magical Prepare to be hypnotised at Eagles Nest, a hotel where pampering means private chefs, peaceful pools and a Porsche at your disposal. From its perch atop a private peninsula, this North Island retreat has sweeping views over the Bay of Islands and 75-acre grounds that are ripe for exploration. Villas are cool and contemporary, tucked away in the middle of lush native bush; all are self-contained with a gourmet kitchen and private deck. Each villa has its own heated infinity-edge lap pool (except the First Light, which has a Jacuzzi), fringed by sleek white day-beds and romantic lanterns for moodily lit evenings. Alila Villas Uluwatu, Bali Where: Jl. Belimbing Sari, Banjar Tambiyak, Desa Pecatu, Bali, Indonesia What: Minimalist eco-glam From the lobby at Alila Villas Uluwatu you’ll catch your first glimpse of the hotel’s 50m infinity pool and the Indian Ocean beyond, and we challenge any paddling professional not to be impressed. With each villa replete with its own pool and butler, it’s quite possible that you’ll be the only guests at the hotel’s main watering hole. With a cliff-edge perch and cantilevered cabana, a few languid strokes is enough to have you feeling like you’re floating above the world. When hands and feet become sufficiently wrinkled, retire to Spa Alila, a holistic heaven where local therapists use traditional Asian healing techniques and age-old beauty recipes. Shoreditch Rooms, London Where: 1 Ebor Street, Shoreditch, London, United Kingdom What: Cool crash-pad club Dust off your hipster specs and dig out your coolest ‘resting designer’ attire: it’s time to mention Shoreditch Rooms. An outpost of the media-savvy SoHo House members’ club, glamourpusses and hip creative types have long flocked to this converted warehouse to let off some steam. With breathtaking views across the city, the heated rooftop pool is where it’s at. The bar’s close by, as are gardens complete with open fires, double day-beds and a herb plot. Closer to earth, the ground-floor Cowshed spa has famous facials and massages tailored to your mood. Hotel Habita, Mexico City Where: 201 Avenida Presidente Masaryk, Colonia Polanco, Mexico City, Mexico What: Modern minimalist classic Bang in the middle of posh Polanco, Hotel Habita is a favourite with Mexico City’s fashion-forward and in-the-know elite. Follow in their well-heeled steps by ascending to the rooftop. A glistening pool is overlooked by the hotel’s mezzanine bar, flanked by curvy white loungers, dark wooden decking and complete with a wet bar. Upstairs, the full lounge boasts tables, chairs and a crackling fireplace for cosily cool evenings; films are projected on to the walls of nearby buildings on clear nights. If you prefer dinner a deux to designer-clad crowds, the lobby restaurant offers Mexican bistro cuisine and huge windows prime for people-watching. Feeling hot under the collar? Cool off by taking a dip at other Mr & Mrs Smith pool hotels or browse more hotel collections .
When Quentin Tarantino first formed a film production company back in 1991, its name came from movie history. With A Band Apart, the then-fledgling director paid tribute to filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, to 1964 picture Bande à part and to the French New Wave, and nodded to the imprints that cinema's past always leaves on its future. Godard, François Truffaut, Agnès Varda, Jacques Demy, Alain Resnais, Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin, Jacques Panijel, Jacques Rozier and company didn't need QT's ode to cement their greatness, or that of the movement they brought to life in the 50s and 60s, of course — but that recognition is just one example of how far their influences spread. Indeed, watch any film that falls into the Nouvelle Vague and you'll spy the inspiration for countless more from around the globe in the seven decades since it sprang up. That's the impact that the movement's group of French film critics and cinephiles-turned-filmmakers have had. And the Art Gallery of New South Wales wants you to watch, dedicating its latest movie season to these crucial and significant gems. Screening from Wednesday, July 9–Sunday, September 7, 2025 in the Domain Theatre, the venue's Nouvelle Vague lineup is packed with masterpieces that sparked more — from Truffaut's coming-of-age great The 400 Blows and ménage à trois flick Jules and Jim to Godard's crime drama Breathless, Varda's thoughtful Cléo From 5 to 7 and the technicolour wonders of Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. You can head along from 2pm on Wednesdays and Sundays for a middle-of-the-day movie, or at 7.15pm on Wednesday evenings. Whichever you pick, attendance is free, but those complimentary tickets can be booked online or collected at the door from one hour before each screening.
