As if you wouldn't be excited: Clueless is set to make a comeback, with a new streaming series featuring Alicia Silverstone (Y2K) reprising the role of Cher Horowitz reportedly in the works. How is life treating one of pop culture's favourite 90s Beverley Hills teenagers three decades later? Who else from her high-school life will feature? What tale will the new small-screen sequel tell? These are all valid questions; however, none of them have answers just yet. Variety has revealed that the show is in development, with NBCUniversal's US streaming service Peacock behind it. Behind the camera, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (The OC, Gossip Girl, Nancy Drew) are writing and executive producing the new series, alongside Jordan Weiss (Freakier Friday). Amy Heckerling (Vamps), who helmed the big-screen hit in 1995, is also an executive producer. If one of your most-pressing queries involves Paul Rudd (Death of a Unicorn), there's no word yet if the ageless actor will be back. Stacey Dash (Four.), Donald Faison (Extended Family), Jeremy Sisto (FBI), Elisa Donovan (NCIS), Breckin Meyer (Good Girls), Dan Hedaya (The God Committee) and Wallace Shawn (Evil) were also among the movie's cast, as was the late Brittany Murphy. And if this news sounds familiar, that's because reports also circulated back in 2020 that the same streamer was diving back into the world of Clueless with a series focusing on Dash's Dionne — but the new project with Silverstone is something different. This isn't the first time that Clueless has made the jump to TV, but it is the only small-screen series with Silverstone returning as the film's main character. After the movie's success, a Clueless television show ran for three seasons from 1996–1998, with Rachel Blanchard (The Summer I Turned Pretty) taking over the role of Cher, but everyone from Dash, Faison, Donovan and Shawn to Murphy, Meyer and Rudd either co-starred or popped up as guests. Another example of beloved 90s fare returning — Buffy the Vampire Slayer is also reported to be returning for a sequel series — the new Clueless isn't just an excellent development for fans of the OG flick, of course. It's equally great for Jane Austen devotees, too, given that the movie loosely adapts the author's Emma. There's obviously no sneak peek yet for the new Clueless, but check out the trailer for the original film below: There's no release date for the new Clueless TV series yet — we'll update you when more details are announced. Via Variety.
No matter where you are in the world, air travel is always a pretty uniform experience. But there's a new kid on the airline block that's looking to shake things up a little — and it's tailored specifically to millennials. Joon, a lower-cost spin-off of Air France, is out to give air travel a bit of a shake-up, offering a 'new generation travel experience' to a 'young working clientele'. In other words: it's not a regular airline, it's a cool airline. The planes — which will start flying from December — will be set up with all the things Air France reckons will make millennials feel right at home: organic ingredients in the food, Rick & Morty on the screens, phone charging outlets in the seats, and fruit smoothies and organic French wine on the menu. Instead of prim uniforms, fresh-faced attendants will be kitted out in sporty threads and white kicks, while bold branding sees electric blue splashed across the seats, the uniforms and just about everything else. I guess millennial pink would have been too obvious. According to Joon's launch campaign, the whole flying thing is just one part of the equation, with the airline also likening itself to 'a fashion brand, a rooftop bar, and a personal assistant'. Fitting, given how much we millennials apparently love to multitask (and drinking at rooftop bars). Joon kicks off five medium-haul routes out of Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport this December, with plans to add long-haul flights to destinations like Seychelles and Brazil mid-2018. It's hard to say if staff wearing sneakers will make a budget flight any less of a drag, but it's nice to see an airline do something different for once. One to try if you're travelling into or out of Paris next year.
This Sunday night in Los Angeles, Hollywood's top tier will come together, pat each other on the back, and go home with little gold men and $150,000 gift baskets. That’s right, the Oscars are finally upon us, set to launch their 87th ceremony on Sunday, February 22 at the Dolby Theatre (or Monday, February 23 for us). Get ready for red carpet specials, awkward presenter gaffes and all the bitter celebrity reaction shots your heart could possibly desire. This year, we’ll be rooting for underdogs like Whiplash and Wes Anderson, while keeping our fingers crossed that American Sniper wins absolutely nothing at all. We’ll also be partaking in our annual Oscars drinking game, ensuring that when our favourite film inevitably gets snubbed for Best Picture, we won’t actually remember it happened. Here are our predictions for who’ll take home the gold, as well as our own winner picks — who really should win. BEST PICTURE This year’s main list featured eight nominees, because apparently they just couldn’t get to ten. In reality, it just comes down to two: Richard Linklater’s 12-year indie epic Boyhood and Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu’s one-take showbiz satire Birdman. Both films are formally ambitious and have won their fair share of industry gongs already. We’re leaning towards Birdman based on subject matter — two of the past three Best Picture winners (The Artist and Argo) have been about the film business, so why buck the trend now? WHAT WILL WIN: Birdman WHAT WE'D LIKE TO WIN: The Grand Budapest Hotel BEST DIRECTOR Take what we wrote about the Best Picture contest and copy-paste it here. This comes down to two very different directing styles, both of which push technical boundaries in a way we rarely get to see. Again, we’re giving Innaritu a slight edge, although don’t be surprised if there’s a split between Picture and Director. WHO WILL WIN: Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, Birdman WHO WE'D LIKE TO WIN: Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel BEST ACTRESS Of all the awards, this one’s probably the easiest to pick. It’s been quite a good year for female performances, and we’re particularly fond of Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl and Marion Cotillard in Two Days, One Night. That being said, Julianne Moore looks to have it all locked up, for her brilliant performance as an Alzheimer’s patient in indie drama Still Alice. WHO WILL WIN: Julianne Moore, Still Alice WHO WE'D LIKE TO WIN: Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night BEST ACTOR While the Best Actress race appears to have already been run, the men’s competition is still wide open. Birdman’s Michael Keaton appeared to be an early favourite, but has been losing steam to Eddie Redmayne as Steven Hawking in The Theory of Everything. Then there’s the matter of Bradley Cooper in controversial dark horse American Sniper. In the end, we suspect it’ll go to Redmayne. The Academy loves inspiring true stories, especially when they involve disability. WHO WILL WIN: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything WHO WE'D LIKE TO WIN: Michael Keaton, Birdman BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Whether or not Boyhood takes home the top prize, they can take some consolation in Patricia Arquette’s likely win for Best Supporting Actress. This category is a relatively weak one, particularly when you take away the obligatory Meryl Streep nomination — although admittedly she’s one of the few good things about Into the Woods. WHO WILL WIN: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood WHO WE'D LIKE TO WIN: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR This is another easy pick, and one that’s hard to argue with. 60-year-old J.K. Simmons has been a jobbing character actor for decades, popping up everywhere from Spiderman to Juno to HBO’s Oz. It’s always great when someone like Simmons gets the mainstream attention they deserve. His performance as a dictatorial jazz conductor in Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash is undoubtedly one of the best performances of the year. WHO WILL WIN: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash WHO WE'D LIKE TO WIN: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Birdman and Boyhood will both make a decent showing here, but we’re predicting this is the category where Wes Anderson gets some well deserved love. The American indie darling has previously scored writing nominations for The Royal Tenenbaums and Moonrise Kingdom, and seems like a decent chance to finally take home a win with The Grand Budapest Hotel. Note that if either Birdman or Boyhood do manage to nab it, it’ll bode very well for their chances later in the night. WHAT WILL WIN: The Grand Budapest Hotel WHAT WE'D LIKE TO WIN: The Grand Budapest Hotel BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY Maybe the hardest of the major categories to pick, the only certainly is that Paul Thomas Anderson’s baffling stoner detective film Inherent Vice has zero chance of winning (even though it’s awesome). Whiplash ended up in this category because it’s technically based on a short film by the same director, and it may have a slight edge over other nominees The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything and American Sniper. When it doubt, we say give it to the indie movie. WHAT WILL WIN: Whiplash WHAT WE'D LIKE TO WIN: Inherent Vice or Whiplash. Watch the 87th Academy Awards this Monday, February 23. The live broadcast itself begins at 12.30pm and will be replayed in primetime at 8.30pm on GEM.
Forget taking the hobbits to Isengard. In March 2023, Airbnb wants to take you to Hobbiton instead. In news that's better than second breakfast, more precious than a certain glimmering piece of jewellery, and worth journeying there and back again for, you can live your best Lord of the Rings-loving life on the New Zealand sets where the original LOTR film trilogy and The Hobbit movies were shot — and slumber like one of Middle-earth's shortest residents on the very property as well. You shall pass — and enjoy the enchanting place's first-ever overnight stays — but only if you're lucky enough to score an Airbnb booking. 2022 marks a decade since the first of The Hobbit flicks, An Unexpected Journey, hit cinemas, if you're wondering why the accommodation-sharing platform is now offering the one vacation to rule them all. Actually, there are three different two-night stays available, all in 2023: from March 2–4, March 9–11, and March 16–18. To nab one, you'll have to try to make a booking at 8am AEDT / 7am AEST / 10am NZDT on Wednesday, December 14 via the Airbnb website. And, you'll need to pay the hobbit-sized fee of AU$10 per night, to further pay tribute to The Hobbit films' tenth anniversary. This once-in-a-lifetime stay will take you and up to three friends to the set, which includes both Hobbiton and The Shire, that helped make such entrancing movie magic in Peter Jackson's flicks. That means you'll be trekking to New Zealand's Waikato region, and to a 2500-acre working farm owned by Russell Alexander. Seeing why the iconic director and his crew realised it had to be their on-screen backdrop instantly comes with the territory. While walking in Bilbo Baggins' footsteps, you'll score a private tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set's 44 hobbit holes, The Millhouse and The Green Dragon Inn, as well as a range of other sites inspired by JRR Tolkien's books. Get ready to spend a heap of time in those locations, too, courtesy of your own personal hobbit hole, a writing nook at The Millhouse, and an evening banquet at The Green Dragon Inn complete with beef and ale stew, whole roast chickens, freshly baked breads and plenty of ale. And yes, second breakfast and elevenses will be served each day. "For more than two decades, we've welcomed millions of passionate fans to Hobbiton Movie Set, but never before has anyone had the opportunity to spend a night in Middle-earth," said Alexander said, announcing the stay. "I am delighted to share the beauty of my family's farm and pleased to be hosting this iconic location on Airbnb for fans from around the world." One big caveat: while the stay itself will only cost you AU$10 per night, you will be responsible for your transport to and from Auckland, flights and all. From there, a round-trip drive to the set is included, covering the two-hour journey between the airport and Hobbiton. Also, whether you're a hobbit, elf, wizard or Sauron — ideally not the latter — you'll need to have a verified Airbnb profile, a history of positive reviews and be aged over 18. Hobbiton joins Airbnb's growing list of movie and TV-inspired getaways, including the Bluey house, the Moulin Rouge! windmill, the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine, The Godfather mansion, the South Korean estate where BTS filmed In the Soop and the Sanderson sisters' Hocus Pocus cottage just in 2022 alone. For more information about the Hobbiton listing on Airbnb, or to apply to book at 8am AEDT / 7am AEST / 10am NZDT on Wednesday, December 14, head to the Airbnb website. Images: Larnie Nicolson.
First dropping anchor with its debut season in 2022, Our Flag Means Death didn't wash up on streaming's shores like an unexpected message in a bottle. With a treasure chest of impressive talents involved, it arrived with definite fanfare, as expected of a Rhys Darby (Uproar)-led and Taika Waititi-executive produced series that also features the Thor: Love and Thunder filmmaker as a key co-star — and the director of its premiere episode. But the feeling of watching, especially as Our Flag Means Death cruised through later chapters in its initial ten-episode run, resembled discovering a new world. What started out as a kindhearted and satirical 18th century-set pirate comedy also became a sweet and earnest queer rom-com. Folks on-screen waiting to walk the plank weren't the only ones all a-quiver. Our Flag Means Death's ensemble runs deep, with Samson Kayo (Bloods), Ewen Bremner (Creation Stories), Joel Fry (Bank of Dave), Kristian Nairn (Game of Thrones), Matthew Maher (Hello Tomorrow!) and Nat Faxon (Loot) adding to the familiar faces, plus Vico Ortiz (The Sex Lives of College Girls), Con O'Neill (The Batman), David Fane (The Messenger) and Samba Schutte (Forspoken) also among the regulars. As guest stars in season one, Leslie Jones (BMF), Fred Armisen (I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson), Will Arnett (The Morning Show), Tim Heidecker (Miracle Workers), Kristen Johnston (The Righteous Gemstones), Nick Kroll (Big Mouth), Kristen Schaal (What We Do in the Shadows), Claudia O'Doherty (Killing It), Angus Sampson (Bump) and Rory Kinnear (Men) made their presence known. Under creator David Jenkins (People of Earth), this group of actors helped the show find a mooring among the best new series that the year had to offer, and a renewal for a keenly anticipated second season. Now back from Thursday, October 5 via Binge in Australia and Friday, October 6 via Neon in New Zealand, Our Flag Means Death's return go-around is still a refreshing breeze and gleaming trove of gold. The premise has always glinted brightly itself, following Darby as self-styled 'gentleman pirate' Stede Bonnet. Born to a life of privilege, he felt that seafaring and swashbuckling was his calling, leaving his life on land behind to hop on a ship — details that all spring from reality. Jenkins isn't interested in telling the exact IRL tale, however. Consider those basics merely Our Flag Means Death's departure point. On-screen, Stede gets caught up in both a workplace comedy and a boatmance. The first springs from his certainty that there has to be a nicer way to glide through a pirate existence, and the second from his blossoming feelings for feared marauder Edward Teach (Waititi), aka Blackbeard. When season one wrapped up, Stede and Ed had found love in a buccaneering place, but also felt splashes of uncertainty about what their relationship means, leading to heartbreak and a breakup. Season two picks up with the show's motley crew of characters torn in two, with Stede and his loyal faction marooned on the island tourist destination that is The Republic of Pirates — fantasy is as much a part of Our Flag Means Death as comedy and romance — and Blackbeard back to his robbing and murdering ways on The Revenge. The series' attracted opposites will find their way onto the same deck again, but choppy waters are in store for their emotions. Similarly floating their way: rivalries, curses, old pals, new foes, betrayals, forgiveness, glorious silliness, trauma, lopped limbs and a merman. Before Our Flag Means Death, Darby and Waititi had teamed up on everything from Flight of the Conchords and the What We Do in the Shadows film to Wellington Paranormal and Hunt for the Wilderpeople. In what continues to be a dream pairing, the upcoming Next Goal Wins comes next. As Stede and Ed here, they're cutlass-crossed lovers learning how to genuinely be themselves, including going beyond easy archetypes. And, they're navigating complicated terrain in season two. Although joy still beams through Our Flag Means Death's second swim, warmth in its heart to hearts and laughs in general, darkness also lingers. If the first go-around was all about taking exuberant plunges, this follow-up is a season of yearning, coping, and directing hard gazes in Bonnet and Blackbeard's own directions in the always-complex pursuit of sincere happiness. That journey is shared around in Our Flag Means Death, as each member of Stede and Ed's crews — plus everyone that they cross paths with along the way — endeavours to carve out a space where only freedom swells. See also: the other romances that shimmer throughout the series like the waves, such as the Blackbeard-worshipping Black Pete (Maher) with Stede's offsider Lucius (Foad); and the nonbinary Jim (Ortiz) with their best friend Oluwande (Kayo) in season one, then with new crew member Archie (Madeleine Sami, Deadloch) in season two. Working out where everyone can belong beats at the heart of the show's workplace storylines, too. Whether fighting for better conditions or simply to avoid the worst of plundering the sea, the quest to truly feel at ease and at home keeps bobbing up. When Minnie Driver (Starstruck) and Rachel House (Heartbreak High) join the series as ex-pirates now selling antiques and poisoning each other to retain their amorous spark, the same notion sways through as well. It proves accurate again in the storyline surrounding Ruibo Qian's (Servant) Zhang Yi Sao, a soup seller who is more than what she seems — and takes a liking to Olu. While Our Flag Means Death constantly charts a course back to Stede and Ed, its exploration of identity, freedom and comfort spreads across its entire map. In season two, the series also dives deeper into not just subverting ideas of masculinity within the pirate realm, but into the experiences of women wanting to claim their own authentic lives. Parodying pirates with Darby and Waititi was reason enough to tune in when Our Flag Means Death first appeared, with a rewarding voyage resulting. Now that the show has locked in its ideal route, the delights keep coming. Waititi continues to demonstrate his knack for TV comedies, and for shows that fly like the wind in their own distinctive grooves. Reservation Dogs may've wrapped up perfectly with its sublime just-aired third season, but here's hoping that Our Flag Means Death joins What We Do in the Shadows in enjoying a hearty future. Check out the trailer for Our Flag Means Death season two below: Our Flag Means Death season two streams from Thursday, October 5 via Binge in Australia and Friday, October 6 via Neon in New Zealand. Read our review of season one. Images: Nicola Dove/ HBO Max.
It happens all the time in movies and TV shows: someone stays in a swanky hotel in a gorgeously sunny locale, then spends their time lazing by the pool, swimming up to the bar for mid-splash sips and, when they're out of the water, walking straight down to the beach. It's now happening at the Gold Coast's newest addition, too, with The Langham opening its third Australian site in the Queensland getaway spot. Welcoming in holidaymakers since Thursday, June 23 — and making its home inside the Jewel towers between Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach — The Langham Gold Coast joins the brand's existing Australian hotels in Sydney and Melbourne. It's also part of a worldwide portfolio that dates back to 1865 in London. But, as first revealed back in May, the new five-star venue's two big drawcards are all about the water, drinks, sand and surf: direct beachfront access, a rarity for new towering places to stay in the tourist destination; and a pool bar you can swim up to while still staring at that ocean view. Being able to mosey directly from the hotel to the beach — without having to cross any roads — is obviously as straightforward as it sounds. As for the pool bar, it's serving up light snacks, as well as champagne, rosé and spritzes. There are low-alcohol cocktails, too, to either sip in the water or on one of the 60 loungers around the edge. Also included among The Langham Gold Coast's range of food and beverage venues: Palm Court, a 74-seater that goes big on pastries and pool views, with signature cocktail service from 4pm. Here, you can tuck into an 11-option afternoon tea daily, or pair drinks with oysters, sesame-crusted fried salmon and camembert, truffle fries, and caviar with waffle-cut chips by night (the latter if you're feeling particularly decadent). Or, there's all-day dining spot Akoya, a casual eatery serving meat, fish and poultry over cocktails, as well as the requisite seaside vistas. For lunch, the menu switches between set options from Monday–Wednesday and a buffet from Thursday–Saturday, and also includes champagne brunches on Sundays. Seating 235 inside and out, it also goes heavy on seafood for dinner. For drinks and small bites, The Langham Gold Coast's lobby bar is your destination. On the beach, there's 26 & Sunny, too, which does fish and chip katsu sandos, Korean barbecue chicken burgers, halloumi fries, coffees, shakes and other casual fare. And, still in the works is Coral Moon, another openair bar that'll seat 50, and hero cocktails made with Asian spirits and Aussie herbs and botanicals grown onsite. Food-wise, it'll serve up crispy pork belly mantou, prawns with XO sauce and peking duck pancakes. Due to open in spring, T'ang Court will focus on Cantonese dishes — think: peking duck again, this time with Cantonese-style barbecued pork; crispy salty chicken; and baked seafood rice that's paired cream sauce and served in crab shell. It'll also give the hotel a sister venue to the brand's Michelin-starred restaurants overseas. As for actually slumbering between all that swimming, drinking and eating, the hotel has 17 different types of rooms and suites across its 339 places to stay. They're decked out in coastal hues, and with a huge emphasis on luxury. Gorgeous sea views are a big feature, but if you find yourself in a room on the other side of the building, you'll be peering out over the Gold Coast hinterland instead. Between zipping into the waves and knocking back beverages, guests will soon be able to hit up Chuan Spa, The Langham's wellness centre. There, traditional Chinese medicine will guide the treatment selection — and leaving you feeling blissed out is the number-one aim. A health club with a gym, plus yoga, pilates and meditation sessions are all part of the onsite offering as well, and — as the pool bar makes plain — places to swim besides the ocean. There's two pools, in fact, one indoors and the other outdoors. You'll need to be outside for those lagoon-style swim-up drinks, though. Find The Langham Gold Coast at 38 Old Burleigh Road, Surfers Paradise. For more information or to make a booking, head to the hotel's website.
Steamy, sunny days are still upon us, making afternoons around the pool an enduringly high priority — and a surefire reason to leave the office inappropriately early. While swimming a few laps satisfies the large majority of water babies, there are those of us yearning for the playful days of yesteryear; when fighting your siblings on the back of inflatable dragons was the ultimate, when diving for sunken rings was the best of times, when blow-up alligator time had to be shared out and rostered by your tired-but-practical Aunty Jane. But pool toy companies haven't forgotten you. There's a huge market for pool toys to suit all ages, with plenty of stylish, weird and genius inflatable ideas on offer. From floating poker and ping pong tables to giant floating birds and watermelons, these are our favourite inflatables to make any pool party that little more Instagrammable — and your summer that extra bit more nostalgic. THE GIANT FLAMINGO/SWAN One of the most Instagrammable pool accessories around: the giant swan (or pink flamingo, if you're feeling more flamboyant). According to the Giant Swan website, the swans are "popular in fashion shoots", so for $99 you can nab your very own oversized aquabird and get yourself a perpetually summery profile picture. POOL SHOOTBALL If you like shooting hoops but find the asphalt a little too steamy in summer, this genius little game brings the court to the water. For just $40 with free shipping, this one's perfect for pool parties or sorting out sibling rivalries. AQUA ZORBS With the increasing popularity of Zorb Bumper Soccer and Human Zorb Bowling, Aqua Zorb water walkers could be of the most epic additions to home pool toy collection. One of the more exxy pool toys on the market, the Zorbs are $595 each — and obviously you're going to need two for battle reasons. One for the truly dedicated pool fiends. FLOATING POKER TABLE Now here's a truly grown-up pool toy. Bestway are responsible for the world's first pool poker set, complete with inflatable poker table, chairs, cards, chips and most importantly, drink holders. It's just $39.95 for the set, however a day of poker in the pool may end up costing you more. THE LAKE TRAMPOLINE You're going to need a bigger pool for this one, preferably lake-sized. Remember all those hours you spent as a youngster doing precarious trick jumps from your trampoline into your pool? Now your adult self can get some solid (and somewhat safer) air jumping off a giant lake trampoline, priced from a rather steep $1800 to $3700. With a price tag like that, might be worth getting your crew to chip in. MOTORISED BUMPER BOATS Yep, motorised bumper boats. Longtime aquatic toymakers Hammacher Schlemmer have created these floating vehicles for long afternoons spent crashing into your loved ones at four kilometres per hour. For $100 each, these bumper boats can also be used to ferry your summer snacks from one end of the pool to the other, or could be used as a flimsy excuse for a jetski in a lake situation. FLOATING POOL PING PONG Never chase ping pong balls around your garage again. Yours for around $60-90, depending where you buy it, this floating ping pong table is as summery an activity you can get. You're going to want to take this to the shallow end though; treading water and playing ping pong sounds like one hell of an exercise. AQUAGLIDE REVOLUTION If you're looking to make other people jealous (or highly confused) of your toys, this'll do the trick. Priced at $4500, the six-foot-high Aquaglide Revolution has it all: slides on one side, some form of extreme seesaw on the other, climbing walls aplenty. The Revolution allows up to ten people on board at once, and will have you outrageously exhausted and immeasurably happy by the end of the day. URBAN OUTFITTERS POOL FLOATS Another much more realistic and adorable option to brighten up any pool party. From watermelons, Monaco bars, snakes, suns, smiley faces to floating beer pong, American retail giants Urban Outfitters have a variety of novelty pool inflatables on offer for just $25 to $50 each. By Tommy Codling and Shannon Connellan.
Sydney's love affair with escape rooms has reached an all time high. These interactive experiences will transport you through films, history, space and time — and it's up to your team to solve the puzzles and make it back to reality within 60 minutes. Become a post-war spy, a Mexican cartel leader, Sherlock Holmes, a pirate or an CIA agent, or enter someone's dreams Inception-style, get locked in an asylum and embrace the world of the paranormal. With so many options to choose from, we've made it a bit easier by narrowing it down to our favourite. Here are Sydney's best escape rooms — how many can you solve? THE CIPHER ROOM, NEWTOWN This post-war, spy-themed escape room has been a staple in Newtown since back in 2016. The Cipher Room is the brainchild of husband and wife duo David Vella and Marise Watson, who channeled their love of puzzles into one of Sydney's most-loved immersive experiences. All of the props and materials have been sourced from local vintage shops, which gives the space a real old-school feel. At the moment, The Cipher Room offers three different experiences, each suitable for groups of two-to-eight. The first is called Espionage: it's set in 1945 and the mission is to track down the mysterious Agent M. The second is set in a 1950s New York hotel, where players are the private investigators in their own black and white film noir. In the third, you're a team of detectives investigating a serial killer in an abandoned cabin. How much? $40–47 per person. EXPEDITION ESCAPE ROOMS, REDFERN The Expedition brand expanded from Canberra to Sydney in 2018, snatching up Cope Street digs and launching with The Forgotten Son. One of Sydney's more unique escape room experiences, the journey lead players on a dangerous trek through the Australian outback. The room's historic theme follows a distinguished character from Australian folklore. It promises to transport your group from the inner city straight back in time to the door of an old tin shack — through which the eerie sound of a sobbing child can be heard. As with most escape rooms, players will have up to one hour to follow clues and complete the course, with a maximum of six players allowed in at once. Two more rooms — dubbed The Nuclear Decision and Return of the King (it'll be medieval themed) — will open in Expedition soon, too, so keep an eye on this space. Expedition Escape Rooms Redfern (reopening soon) and Gladesville (reopening October 1) are currently closed for renovation, with brand new rooms coming soon. Head to the website for updates. How much? $42–48. SOCIAL ESCAPE, ALEXANDRIA Social Escape's four different rooms are filled with the usual riddles, puzzles, mind games and mysteries. Start with the Paris Escape in which you have one hour to find your passport and plane tickets within the confines of a gorgeous Parisian hotel. Then there's a Sherlock Holmes murder-mystery room (set in Victorian-era London, of course), a bank heist with a diamond-filled vault and one called Ransom, where you'll need to decipher a ransom note in order to save a kidnapped loved one. How much? $45 a person. [caption id="attachment_778497" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Temporal Tangle Online[/caption] ENIGMA ROOM, CBD Pitt Street's Enigma Room offers two immersive experiences that promise to transport you into the middle of films like Looper and Inception. The former is titled Temporal Tangle, in which players are employed by the Future Directions Bureau to track down agent Fox and preserve the 21st-century timeline. The latter, In Memorandum, sees your team try to save a woman in a coma by travelling into her consciousness — while trying to avoid being permanently stuck in her memories. How much? $35–45. NEXT LEVEL ESCAPE, CBD This CBD favourite doesn't just offer an escape room experience along O'Connell Street. It also designs and build custom escape rooms for pop-up experiences — including for movies, week-long activities and school outings. Those include Enigma Room's Temporal Tangle, which Next Level Escape designed and now also offers as an online experience through its own website. Not surprisingly, its in-house experiences are impressive in their own right, too. At the moment, you can investigate an alien artefact with the CIA, join a TV game show and go head-to-head with other players, or immerse yourself in the world of literature — with this room duplicated into two, allowing 16 players at once. How much? $45–55. PANIQ ROOM, THE ROCKS Paniq Room puts participants in some seriously precarious situations. There's even one that splits your group up from the start, called Supercell 117, in which you'll begin in two separate (and very smoky) prison cells, all hand-cuffed and blindfolded. It's one eerie experience — especially if there are just two of you playing. You can also navigate the secrets of a famous magician's mansion, trying not to fall for the many tricks around the corner. There's one inspired by The Godfather and another similar to Jumanji, too. The rooms are designed for all ages, but not for those who get spooked easily. How much? $40–47. PARRAPARK, MACQUARIE PARK For those who are into the spooky side of immersive theatre, it's time for a group trip to northern Sydney. ParraPark's namesake escape room, Paranormal, sends players to rescue possessed captives from a very creepy abandoned building. Yep, this one will renew your belief in ghosts. If you're looking for a less nightmarish option, the mysterious Crime Scene room will have you acting as police detectives who are taking on an epic cold case. Parrapark hails from Budapest and has become a favourite among Sydneysiders since opening, so is a must visit for escape room fanatics. How much? $37–50. LABYRINTH, PARRAMATTA Obsessed with Narcos and love to imagine what the dangerous lifestyle of a cartel leader is really like? Parramatta's Labyrinth escape room has capitalised on the popularity of the Netflix mega-series by creating its own 'real-life' version of the show — where you can immerse yourself in the show's themes without actually being in harm's way. If this is a little too real for you, other options include a cursed circus with a well-kept (and ghoulish) secret. Or you can get locked inside the confines of an asylum with a convicted murdered on the loose. These are all quite intense, but will definitely get that adrenaline going. How much? $40. BREAK THE CODE, HAYMARKET Movie-lovers will want to opt for Break the Code in Haymarket, where all of the escape rooms are loosely based on film and television. There's the Da Vinci Code room, where you explore the secrets within a cryptic mansion; an Indiana Jones-themed room, in which your group will search the Guatemalan jungle for a lost relic within a Mayan temple; an Avatar room that'll transport you to 2090, in the midst of a deadly Ebola-X virus; and a Lost room, which will see you as passengers needing to escape from the plane wreckage. Each room allows two-to-eight players and ranges from easy to difficult, so choose your team wisely. How much? $40. Top image: Expedition Escape Room
Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck trying to save the world from an asteroid? That's so 1998. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence attempting to stop a comet from wiping out life as we know it? That's the premise of Netflix's new disaster comedy Don't Look Up, which thankfully isn't a sequel to the aforementioned Armageddon. Instead, it's the latest film from The Big Short and Vice director Adam McKay — and it's set to hit the streaming platform in December. If it sounds familiar, that's because Don't Look Up was one of the big-name movies on Netflix's lengthy list of new flicks heading its way in 2021, as it start teasing back in January. And yes, while plenty of the films named back then have already hit the platform given the year is now nine months in — movies such as Malcolm & Marie, The White Tiger, The Dig, The Woman in the Window, Army of the Dead and Moxie — the streamer really is making us all wait for its starriest picture of 2021. DiCaprio (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) and Lawrence (X-Men: Dark Phoenix) play astronomy professor Dr Randall Mindy and his grad student Kate Dibiasky, who discover that a Mount Everest-sized comet is orbiting our solar system — and that it's on a direct collision course with earth. So, with just six months left until impact, they endeavour to tell everyone they can about the planet's impending demise, all by embarking upon a media tour. But the President (Meryl Streep, The Prom) and her son and Chief of Staff (Jonah Hill, The Beach Bum) barely seem to care, and neither does the public. Also featuring on-screen as the former "king of the world" and Katniss Everdeen try to save the world: Timothée Chalamet (Little Women), Cate Blanchett (Where'd You Go, Bernadette), Mark Rylance (The Trial of the Chicago 7), Tyler Perry (Those Who Wish Me Dead), Ron Perlman (Monster Hunter), Himesh Patel (Tenet), Melanie Lynskey (Mrs America), Kid Cudi (Bill & Ted Face the Music) and Ariana Grande. Yes, as seen in the just-dropped teaser trailer, this film does have quite the cast. Don't Look Up will hit Netflix just in time for your Christmas break, dropping on Friday, December 24. It'll also screen in some cinemas before that, if you'd like to see it on the big screen. And if you're wondering how the film will fare tonally, McKay looks like he's in The Big Short and Succession mode, rather than harking back to his Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Step Brothers days. That said, Blanchett does play a TV host, so maybe the filmmaker will have audiences thinking about Anchorman as well. Check out the teaser trailer for Don't Look Up below: Don't Look Up will be available to stream via Netflix on Friday, December 24, and in selected cinemas earlier in December. Image: Nico Tavernise/Netflix.
The last time that Timothée Chalamet and Luca Guadagnino joined forces, the best film of 2017 was the end result — and what a swooning, moving delight Call Me By Your Name proved to be. The 1980s-set romance nabbed Chalamet a Best Actor Oscar nomination, and Guadagnino a Best Picture nod, too. So, arriving five years later, it's safe to say that pair's second collaboration is among 2022's most eagerly anticipated movies. That film is called Bones and All, and it'll premiere at this year's Venice Film Festival at the end of August/early September — and it boasts another key factor that'll pique viewers interests. Once again, Chalamet and Guadagnino collaborate on a love story, although this one comes with an extra bite. Forget peaches; here, Chalamet plays one half of a cannibal couple. "You don't think I'm a bad person?" he says as Lee, speaking to Taylor Russell's (Waves) Maren, in Bones and All's just-dropped first teaser trailer — which the Dune, The French Dispatch and Don't Look Up actor himself unveiled via Twitter. The response is exactly what you'd expect: "all I think is that I love you," she replies. While Bones and All will follow its cannibal lovers as they road trip across America, at 28 seconds, this first sneak peek is big on mood rather than plot — and the vibe is yearning, swooning again, but also unsettling. When Mark Rylance (The Phantom of the Open) pops up, he has his finger to his lips in a gesture of warning. Bones and All marks Guadagnino's first feature since 2018's Suspiria remake — after a detour to television with HBO series We Are Who We Are — and sees the director bring Camille DeAngelis' novel of the same name to the screen. Also set to feature in the film: Chalamet's Call Me By Your Name co-star Michael Stuhlbarg, We Are Who We Are alums Chloë Sevigny and Francesca Scorsese (yes, the daughter of filmmaker Martin Scorsese), plus André Holland (Passing), Jake Horowitz (The Vast of Night), filmmaker David Gordon Green (Halloween Kills), and Jessica Harper from both the original Suspiria and Guadagnino's version. Bones and All will release in the US on November 23, but doesn't currently have a release date Down Under — fingers crossed that that changes sooner rather than later. Check out the trailer for Bones and All below: Bones and All hits US cinemas on November 23, but doesn't currently have a release date Down Under — we'll update you when one is confirmed.
A staple of New Zealand's hospitality scene for more than a decade, Botswana Butchery brought its expansive menus and luxe style to Sydney with the opening of its first Australian restaurant in Martin Place's new dining precinct back in 2022. The huge multi-storey venue houses 940 guests including 350 on its openair city rooftop. Botswana Butchery's menu is all about presenting Australian and New Zealand meat, seafood and wine in the best possible way. Depending on when you head to the restaurant, you'll be presented with a menu spanning several pages of entrees and mains before you even get to the main attraction — the Butcher's Block — a selection of exclusive cuts of meat from some of the country's best producers. Here, you'll find the likes of black opal wagyu rump, whole slow-roasted lamb shoulder and 1.6-kilogram servings of mb5+ Jacks Creek wagyu tomahawk. If the Butcher's Block is a bit intimidating, there's plenty of more approachable options on offer. Start your meal with beef tartare, char grilled Yamba prawns with XO sauce or some duck liver pate. Highlights from the mains include the Berkshire pork cutlet with compressed apple or the dry-aged duck breast with preserved baby figs. If you're looking to recline with a view rather than experience a meal to end all meals, the rooftop offers an array of snacks, nibble and charcuterie perfect for a catch up with friends. The interior of the restaurant tries to balance a sense of playfulness with the premium price-point of its food. Plush and colourful furniture is paired with muted tones and floor-to-ceiling windows revealing the surrounding cityscape. Images: Sander Dalhuisen
Legendary architectural historian and photographer, Richard Nickel, once famously said that "great architecture has only two natural enemies: water and stupid men". Private developers, whom are often viewed as the modern equivalent to the Biblical tax collector, seem to sit fairly squarely in this latter category. Derided and debased by society, private developers are seen as men who value profitability above productivity, men who look at an architectural treasure and only see it's potential for money-making and who with one foul swoop of a wrecking ball can reduce cultural icons into rubble and dust. While this characterisation may not be entirely fair, these photographs commemorate the destruction wreaked by private developers. They provide a vision of beautiful buildings being demolished and the modern monstrosities that are often left in their wake. Here are seven stories of stunning theatres transformed into multi-storey carparks, modernist masterpieces replaced with multi-lane highways, and sandstone sanctuaries turned into apartment blocks. Have a closer look at these fascinating photographs and the stories behind them to see how the price of "progress" often appears to be the destruction of a rich and beautiful architectural history. Garrick Theatre - Chicago, Illinois Formerly known as the Schiller Theatre Building, the Garrick Theatre was one of the tallest buildings in Chicago upon its completion in 1892. Despite quickly gaining a reputation for being one of the city's premiere cultural centres, housing everything from German operas to traveling theatre productions to television studios in its 68-year-history, the theatre was demolished in 1960 after a long battle with Chicago residents and preservationists. While Richard Nickel attempted to honour the theatre's legacy by hording and collecting hundreds of artifacts and ornaments that adorned the iconic building, the site now plays home to a car parking facility. The Wabash Terminal - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania The demolition of the Wabash Terminal provides a snapshot into the incredible destruction that was Pittsburgh's post-WWII urban development project. 1,500 businesses were forced to relocate, more than 5,000 families were uprooted and more than 3,700 buildings were razed. The Wabash Terminal was one of the centrepieces of robber baron, Jay Gould's elaborate (and ultimately failed) plans to construct a transcontinental railroad empire at the turn of the 20th Century. Its demolition, beginning in late 1953, was a long and brutal process with workmen armed with crowbars and sledgehammers taking down the building brick by brick. Biltmore Hotel - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma These images, taken from a live video broadcast in 1977, played a significant role in sparking public outrage and subsequently bringing to an end the "Urban Renewal program" in post-war America. The 26-story, 300-room Biltmore Hotel was one of the largest buildings to be demolished in this nationwide program to eliminate urban slums. These startling images, for many Americans, brought into sharp focus what terms like "redevelopment" and "restruturing" actually meant: widespread and often indiscriminate destruction of major cities. Before and after shots of the US Post Office - Boston, Massachusetts The majestic US Post Office was located in the heart of Boston and was an architectural centrepiece of the city upon its opening in 1870. Only half a century later, the building fell victim to the wrecking ball with very little explanation given as to why this beautiful building was seen as requiring demolition. Pennsylvania Station - New York, New York On July 14, 1966 Pulitzer Prize-winning architectural critic, Ada Louise Huxtable wrote this "obituary" of New York's iconic Pennsylvania Station in the New York Times: “Pennsylvania Station succumbed to progress this week at the age of 56, after a lingering decline. The building’s one remaining facade was shorn of eagles and ornament yesterday, preparatory to leveling the last wall. It went not with a bang, or a whimper, but to the rustle of real estate stock shares. The passing of Penn Station is more than the end of a landmark. It makes the priority of real estate values over preservation conclusively clear. It confirms the demise of an age of opulent elegance, of conspicuous, magnificent spaces, rich and enduring materials, the monumental civic gesture, and extravagant expenditure for esthetic ends.” Pruitt-Igoe Public Housing Complex – St. Louis, Missouri Depending on who you speak to, the demolition of this massive 33-building public housing complex designed by George Hellmuth and World Trade Center architect Minoru Yamasaki represents either the death knell of Modernist architecture or the rebirth of St Louis as a modern metropolis. Initially built to combat the problem of St Louis' ever-growing slums, the buildings experienced a rapid and dramatic deterioration upon its unveiling in 1956. By the late 1960s the overcrowded complex became a hotbed for gang violence and crime and Pruitt-Igoe, St Louis' shining example of the wonders of urban renewal, was a national embarrassment and a global symbol of American poverty, crime and racial tensions. When it was torn down in the mid-1970s, St Louis may have been able to say goodbye to an embarrassing icon, this was little consolation for the thousands of poor and disadvantaged Americans who woke up one morning to find they were now homeless. Astor House - New York, New York Through much of the 1800s Astor House was considered to be America's most luxurious 5-star hotel, with the likes of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Abraham Lincoln (on his way to his inauguration no-less) frequenting the iconic Broadway hotel. By the early 20th Century however Astor House gained a reputation as an "old-fashioned" establishment and in 1913 the building began its long drawn-out demolition, with subway constructions and a transportation building eventually replacing the decadent hotel.
It's never been a better time to go no-alc than right now. Today, it's not odd to be going dry, it's accepted, celebrated and understood. Alcohol isn't for everyone or every occasion, but no one really wants to be excluded from the fun. The underwhelming or straight-up bland alcohol-free options of the past have evolved. Bartenders are getting creative with mocktails, there are numerous no- and low-alcohol brands now on offer, and even traditional alcohol brands are getting involved with alc-free versions to shift with the changing times. If you're booze-free, reducing your boozing or just curious about what's available out there, we've teamed up with Edenvale Wines — a premium alcohol-removed wine range — to create this list of our best takes on the top alternative alcohol-free beverages in the market today. WINE — EDENVALE WINES It's tricky to make non-alcoholic wine that doesn't taste just like grape juice. With lots of research — and some tinkering to the custom spinning cone column technology which removes the alcohol — Edenvale is constantly perfecting its range. The beauty of Edenvale Wines is that the alcohol is removed after the wine is made, meaning it retains all the flavours, tannins, complexity and aromas of traditional wines. The winemakers are slinging both Aussie and international wines to offer a range that is true-to-varietal and expressions of the regions they are grown in. So whether you want a semillon sauv blanc from Frankland River, WA, a GSM from Barossa or even a verdejo from Spain, Edenvale Wines have options for you. If you are a wine drinker looking to make a change or sober curious and wondering if you could dupe your mates with a non-alc version of their favourite varietals, Edenvale is recognised as being one of the best non-alc versions out there. The sparkling shiraz was just awarded a gold medal at the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC), London 2023 and is an excellent match for red meats like a juicy steak. BEER — HEAPS NORMAL Many of our favourite beer brands are putting out their own non-alcoholic ranges of beers, but few are primarily dedicated to creating a quality booze-free beer option. Enter Heaps Normal, which has solidified itself as a top beer choice with its considered range that includes an XPA, hazy pale ale, lager and — most recently — a stout. The team behind Heaps Normal are champions of the no-alcohol and low-alc movement and mindful drinking and aim to serve great-tasting beer without the potential downsides. WHISKEY — THE GOSPEL Whisk(e)y is a tricky spirit to create a satisfying non-alc version of, as most bonafide whiskey fiends love to drink it straight. The trademark burn at the back of your throat satisfies those who love a dram. And that burn is alcohol. Australia's first-ever dedicated all-rye distillery, The Gospel, (recently named the maker of Australia's Best Whiskey) is now one of the first to produce non-alcoholic rye whiskey: Responsible Rye. Under the guidance of its Sommelier and R&D distiller Ellie Ash and over a year in development, the rye-lovers at The Gospel have perfected the non-alc alternative to a dram. It is made using de-alcoholised rye whiskey — a similar process to alcohol removal used by Edenvale Wines — to ensure the liquid is full of the classic rye whiskey flavours: underlying smokiness, candied nuts, cardamom and cola. GIN — LYRE'S SPIRIT One of the first non-alc offerings on the market was non-alcoholic gin. Numerous brands duped G&T lovers with bottled non-alc spirits that emulated the alcoholic brethren on the shelves. Craft spirits lovers assumed they were the latest craft gin on the market, only to discover that they were all flavour and no hangover. One such brand is Lyre's Spirit. An innovative brand pumping out non-alc spirits — they even have a bitter orange liqueur so you can enjoy a summer spritz free from booze. The Lyre's London Dry is a take on the traditional gin style. Expect juniper flavours, peppercorn and citrus. Ideal for a dry G&T or not-so-classic classic Tom Collins. And those that like a bitter orange spritz can opt for the Italian Orange and Aperifit Rosso for their day-time summer sipping. TEQUILA — DRUMMERBOY MEXICAN AGAVE SPIRIT Another dedicated spirits brand pushing out award-winning versions of our favourite sips is Drummerboy and its Mexican Agave Spirit, ideal for those that love a margarita but not the alcohol. Like Edenvale Wines, it has also been recognised by the International Wine and Spirits Competition. A bright and zesty alternative to your traditional tequila that is perfect in cocktails or by itself. Edenvale Wines is a premium range of alcohol-removed wines that are available to purchase directly from the website or at most major supermarket retailers. Top image: Moira Vella Photography
There is nothing like drenching yourself in (fake) blood, stalking your friends (and people you have never met before) and yelling whilst confidently charging your gun-wielding prey. That is why Zedtown, the University of Sydney Verge Arts Festival's version of a live-action game commonly known as Humans vs. Zombies, has grown from 80 players to 300 in just a single year. It is more than just a game; Zedtown is an arena for performance, a realm where fans can enact their favourite zombie fantasies. Under Zedtown's rules, humans must survive a zombie epidemic using only Nerf guns and balled-up socks as weapons. If tagged by a zombie, they must hunt their former kind either until all are undead or a human somehow survives. At the game on Saturday, October 12, 2013, almost 300 human survivors staked out quarantine in the hope of defeating three original zombies (OZs) and containing the virus. Like all epidemics though, this number snowballed despite the arsenal of balled-up socks and foamy ammunition fired by a group of adults holding toy guns. More precisely, a group of proud adult nerds holding toy guns. You see, whilst the game began with only a few hand-selected undead, the OZs did not have to reveal themselves immediately. Humans and zombies are generally differentiated by their respective orange and green headbands and regular zombies are not permitted weapons. However, at the beginning of play OZs are dressed and armed the same as survivors, waiting for their moment to tag survivors and infect them. Yours truly was zombified this very way, declaring that my friend was "too nice to betray us" before she infected my team and ran away. We were forced to yield our childlike artillery and begin hunting for brains. That was when the real fun began. "I think everybody has watched a zombie film at some point and wondered 'how would I do in that world?'", says event curator David Harmon. "Zedtown is a chance for people to live out all the tropes and cliches of zombie horror films. You form a ragtag group of survivors. You ration food and ammunition. You keep watch, you trust no-one. You build a movie story with you and your friends as the stars and you watch as the world goes to hell around you." Looking around the quarantined sandstone structures you can see these storyboards unfold. Survivors dressed in full army fatigues, cowboys sacrificing themselves to save their friends, an unstoppable zombie witch leaving terror in her wake and even a gun-wielding bride. People are performing, taking on characters, which is what the game is for. Renegades run rampant, heroes emerge and legends are born. "Zedtown is about storytelling", Harmon says. "It's about immersive multiplayer collaborative world building. We give players a very simple set of rules that govern how people can live, die and become zombies. After that it's up to them to take that framework and help us build a world out of it." The framework provided is incredibly immersive and significantly aids this construction. From survivor radio to ammo drops to missions to mad scientists, you cannot help but get lost in the world, survivor or zombie. You are pulled in — fear is genuine and you will find yourself peering around corners, back to the wall up to 28 days later. People love this game due to the oldest cliche in the book; it is not about winning, it is about taking part. Through participation, players create narratives they will discuss for years, narratives usually borrowed from films but this time lived. Thankfully we will not have to wait too long for the chance to do it all again. "We've just announced a game we'll be running at Secret Garden Festival 2014 — our first game outside of Sydney University," Harmon says. "That's in February ... and it's going to be a lot of fun." In the meantime, Harmon says that games are "all dependant on finding exactly the right location for zombie horror — so if you happen to own a deserted industrial park, run-down carnival or abandoned hospital please let us know!" Just remember rule number one: cardio. You need it. Words by Matthew Watson. Images by Lindsay Smith. Look out for the next game of Zedtown at the Secret Garden Festival in 2014.
An exciting new culinary precinct has arrived in western Sydney. Taking over a heritage building on the banks of the Georges River, The Paper Mill Food houses four different eateries, open for morning coffees, dinner feeds and everything in between. While the development was first announced back in 2017 as part of a broader cultural and community development, The Paper Mill Food officially launched in August 2019. Its lineup is diverse and multicultural, with offerings for all budgets and cravings, as well as both dine-in and takeaway options. Georgie's Pizzeria & Bar is serving up Neapolitan-style pizzas ($20–26), while casual restaurant Firepit showcases dishes cooked over charcoal or in one of two woodfired ovens. Here, expect corn-fed chicken breast with miso ($36), barbecue-glazed charcoal pork ribs ($59) and even charcoal lobster served ($89) with fermented hot sauce butter and chips. Over at Shepherd's Lane, you'll find a patisserie and cafe during the dar and a dessert bar after dinner, with dreamy sweet treats, house-made gelato and decadent cocktails. Highlights include the morning mezze plate ($24–31), Nutella waffles ($18–24), manoush ($6–15) and a passionfruit curd tart ($12). And at Charcoal Joe's, expect a modern take on Lebanese charcoal chicken ($7–23), alongside a menu of mezze, meat skewers, burgers and fried chicken. The backdrop is an impressive one. Once home to Australia's largest paper mill, the building has been brought into a sleek new phase of life. Dating back to 1868, it's now sporting a contemporary makeover at the hands of DS17's Paul Papadopoulos, with the original brickwork and saw-tooth roof offset by a modern assembly of stone, steel and glass. Visitors will spy lots of custom joinery and a sprawling handmade mosaic tile floor as well.
Maybe G&Ts are your favourite tipple and, if you're sipping drinks at your favourite bar, you always have one within reach. Perhaps you've never found a vodka cocktail that you haven't loved, or you've made it your life's mission to try all the whiskies (yes, spanning both whisky and whiskey) that you can find. Or, you could simply like broadening your horizons when it comes to knocking back the good stuff, and supporting independent producers while you're at it. Since 2015, the boozing sipping party that is Indie Spirits Tasting has covered all of the above — and it's back in 2022 after a couple of pandemic-affected years. Move over, craft beer — at this east coast event, which'll return to Melbourne in May, Brisbane in July and Sydney in September, it's craft spirits' time to shine. Everyone has been to plenty of days dedicated to brews, brews and more brews, but this touring shindig is solely about all the whisky, gin, vodka, rum, tequila, vermouth and mezcal you could ever want. More than 30 exhibitors and master distillers are on the bill, showcasing over 200 craft spirits. Clearly, your booze-loving tastebuds will be in heaven. As well as tasting away, attendees will also be able to chat to the folks behind the craft and independent tipples on offer, listen to talks on booze-related topics — Melbourne options include learning what it takes to start your own alcohol brand, celebrating Aussie whiskies and understanding all the different styles of gins — and buy bottles to take home with you. "We started the Indie Spirits Tasting events back in 2015 as a way for a few smaller distilleries and brands to be able to showcase their products to the trade," explains founder David Spanton. "Thanks to the enthusiasm of curious consumers who want to know about the latest bar and drinking trends and who are passionate about local and truly handmade craft products, the event has expanded to include both thirsty drinks enthusiasts and the bartenders that serve them." This year's events will feature brands such as Never Never Distilling Co, Poor Toms, Boat Rocker, Wolf Lane and Archie Rose, some of which will be pouring limited-edition tipples. And while the big focus is on homegrown spirits, a few international names will be on the bill as well — taking your tastebuds on a trip, including through French cognacs and American gins. INDIE SPIRITS TASTING 2022: Sunday, May 8 — The Craft & Co, Collingwood, Melbourne Sunday, July 17 — Lefty's Music Hall, Petrie Terrace, Brisbane Sunday, September 4 — Potts Point Hotel, Kings Cross, Sydney Indie Spirits Tasting starts its 2022 events in Melbourne in May, before heading to Brisbane in July and Sydney in September. For further information or to buy tickets, head to the Indie Spirits Tasting website.
Sit down to dinner at Arthur and you'll have some idea of how chef-owner Tristan Rosier best remembers his grandfather. The original Arthur, with his love of getting friends and family together over food, was the main inspiration behind Rosier's 35-seat restaurant, which is he launched with partner Rebecca Fanning. It opened its doors in the old Bar Baretto space on Bourke Street in October. The space has been given new life with modern light fittings, brass and timber tables and more windows that make the dining room glow in the afternoon. It marks the first solo venture for the chef (ex-Farmhouse and Dead Ringer), whose focus here is on using interesting, seasonal ingredients in unexpected ways, through dishes as elegant as they are exciting. As much as possible is done in-house from scratch, from the breads and preserves, to a raft of pickled things. Food at Arthur is enjoyed as part of a $70 a head shared "dinner party"-style feast of around 11 set dishes — a move Rosier says is designed to allow punters space to really enjoy that good eating and company, rather than worrying about the whole decision-making and ordering affair. Dinners are done in sessions — two a night, plus a lunch session on weekends — and the menu will be an oft-changing one, though there'll always be at least one raw dish making an appearance and two desserts sweetening the finish. The starting lineup includes dishes like mozzarella with broad beans and green tomatoes, fried artichokes, King prawns with romesco and hazelnut and beef short rib served with mash. And for dessert: a chocolate delice with mandarin and macadamia. Even though it's a set menu, vegetarian, vegan and other dietary requests can be catered for with notice. The wine offering is entirely Australian, showcasing "easy-to-drink wines" with brightness, balance and crunch.
Buying a famous pop culture house can be a solid life choice. Cruising home to your San Diego Top Gun beach house, stealing your parent's car from your Ferris Bueller pad. But for anyone who's ever watched David Lynch's Twin Peaks, there's a certain creepy, foreboding vibe to this new real estate option. Welcome To Twin Peaks has reported that the fictional Twin Peaks-located home of Laura, Sarah and Leland Palmer is up for sale. Sitting at a super reasonable asking price of $549,950, the iconic, not-so-picture-perfect home of the Palmers served as the interior set for the Twin Peaks pilot (as well as the interior/exteriors for the film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me). Lynch used different digs for the Palmer house during the series, but these are some pretty woah-inducing interiors for TP fans. You'll find the Palmers at 708 33rd Street in Everett, Washington (the other house is also in Washington, but in the town of Monroe). The real estate blurb for the freaky fortress of Lynch makes no mention of Twin Peaks in their listing. Charming 1930s home in the heart of Historic Rucker Hill. This home features hardwood floors, crown molding, oversized rooms & timeless character. A grand entryway leads into circular main floor layout that is warmed with natural light. Four bedrooms upstairs surround open staircase & two bedrooms have access to an enclosed sun room. Basement has space for a rec room and den. The large lot spans two streets. Detached two-car garage. Close proximity to Rucker Hill Park. This is a must see home! While the bedrooms don't come with additional BOB space or storage for boring, boring James-shaped boyfriends, this house is one creepy investment. Here's a little mash-up the legends at Welcome to Twin Peaks put together — pointing out Laura Palmer's rocking chair, which actually lives in the house. Yeesh. Via Welcome to Twin Peaks and The AV Club.
Tinker on your motorbike and slurp your way through bowls of ramen on the same premises at Rising Sun Workshop's permanent Newtown digs. For the uninitiated, Rising Sun is a social enterprise that serves two purposes. On one hand, it provides its motor-revving members with a communal space for repairing and polishing up their bikes. On the other, it's a café, serving coffee, cookies and seriously killer ramen. The independent organisation was started by three friends who love riding bikes, working on bikes and chatting about bikes while also drinking coffee. They decided that Sydney needed an open, friendly, affordable space where this could happen more often. So, in 2013 they turned to Pozible and ran crowdfunding campaign, and soon discovering that 160 other people felt the same way. The 90-day campaign raised a cool $40,000. This gave them enough cash to launch a pop-up. In 2014, they hung out in a "barely legal" space in Camperdown, building an elite Hill Fighter, cooking up ramen and gathering friends. Needless to say, the finding of a solid, full-time home has come as a major relief. You'll find Rising Sun's new workshop at 1C Whateley Street. It used to house a century-old hardware store, so there's oodles of space. Also, the menu has scored a serious upgrade. You can now get nosh at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and you'll find some Southern influences mixing with Japanese tradition. One of the new star dishes is a Japanese-style breakfast, served on a tray. It's worth getting up early for.
The director of Seven, Fight Club and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, David Fincher has made a career out of stylish, devilishly entertaining pulp. His latest film, Gone Girl, is absolutely no exception. Adapted from Gillian Flynn's bestselling novel of the same name, it's a dark and twisting tale that presents itself as both a biting commentary on relationships and media frenzy, and a subversion of procedural film conventions. And at the same time, it fully embraces the sleaze and exploitation of that which it critiques. Despite his superhero physique, Ben Affleck looks decidedly schlubby as Nick Dunne, an out-of-work writer from a small town in Missouri whose wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), goes missing on their five-year anniversary. Signs of a struggle indicate she might have been abducted, and before long the entire country is following the case. But as more and more evidence comes to light, including a six-figure life insurance policy and a string of expensive credit card purchases, suspicion is soon cast upon her husband. And as a series of flashbacks told from Amy's perspective expose a marriage that had begun to turn sour, we're forced to confront to possibility that Nick may be a killer. Of course, it's nowhere near as simple as all of that. Gone Girl is the sort of movie that is very difficult to review, because so much of what makes it interesting lies in its second and third act revelations — each more deliciously silly than the last. Viewers unwilling to suspend their disbelief may struggle with the film, which really pushes the boundaries of plausibility. Then again, lurid, outlandish plot twists go part in parcel with the genre, as Fincher fans would well know. Although the movie plays fairly straight, there is definitely an element of subversion here, along with a jet-black sense of humour that manifests itself in unexpected ways. For example, it's hard not to snort when Nick complains, with a completely straight-face, that he's tired of "being picked on by women." The film's representation of gender and marriage could be the subject of an essay in and of itself. Suffice it to say, any movie that can be read as both a bloody tale of female empowerment and a twisted fantasy that implicitly exonerates domestic abusers is worthy of critical attention. Affleck, to his credit, gives what is probably the best performance of his career. One suspects that the casting choice was a self-aware one, given how much of the actor's life has been scrutinised in the tabloids. In a film full of unlikeable characters, the most repugnant are the likes of talk-show host Ellen Abbott (Missi Pyle), quick to condemn Nick's awkward, emotionless television appearances as evidence of his guilt. The film is very much a double-edged sword though. It condemns us for our obsession with violence while funnelling it down our throats. Once again, Fincher is dressing up trash as serious art, wanting to have his cake and eat it too. And frankly, we wouldn't take it any other way. https://youtube.com/watch?v=2-_-1nJf8Vg
Right now, we all fall into two categories. Firstly, there's the hefty group of people who are already devoted to The Last of Us, the hit video game that's been a button-mashing favourite since 2013 and spawned a sequel in 2020. Then, there's the folks that are about to start obsessing over its new HBO adaptation when it arrives in 2023. Whichever camp you fall into, the just-dropped first teaser trailer for the streaming series sets a moody, creepy, action-packed scene — as expected of a game-to-TV show that dives into a tense and fraught post-apocalyptic version of the US. For The Last of Us newcomers, here's the premise: 20 years after modern civilisation has been destroyed, survivor Joel is hired to smuggle 14-year-old Ellie out of a tough and oppressive quarantine zone. There wouldn't be a game, let alone a television version, if that was an easy task, of course — and if the pair didn't need to weather quite the brutal journey, as well as a nightmarish quest for survival. So far, so intriguing — and while the debut sneak peek does indeed conjure up memories of The Walking Dead, that just comes with the basic concept. The Naughty Dog-created PlayStation game wouldn't be the huge hit it's proven for almost a decade now if it simply cribbed from that TV show, obviously. As a series, The Last of Us also boasts a heap of impressive names — starting with star Pedro Pascal (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent) as Joel, plus Game of Thrones' alum Bella Ramsey as Ellie. Fans of the game will note that Ashley Johnson (Blindspot) and Troy Baker (Young Justice), who voiced the two characters in the source material, will indeed pop up in the HBO show. They'll clearly be playing different characters, however. Also pivotal to HBO's adaptation: co-creator, executive producer, writer and director Craig Mazin, who already brought a dystopian hellscape to the US network (and to everyone's must-watch list) thanks to the haunting and horrifying Chernobyl. He teams up here with Neil Druckmann from Naughty Dog, who also penned and directed The Last of Us games. Alongside Pascal and Ramsey — and Johnson and Baker — the series also boasts Gabriel Luna (Terminator: Dark Fate) as Joel's younger brother and former soldier Tommy, Merle Dandridge (The Flight Attendant) as resistance leader Marlene and Aussie actor Anna Torv (Mindhunter) as smuggler Tess. And, Nico Parker (The Third Day) plays Joel's 14-year old daughter Sarah, Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus) and Nick Offerman (The Resort) feature as isolated survivalists Frank and Bill, Storm Reid (Euphoria) pops up as Boston orphan Riley, and Jeffrey Pierce (Castle Rock) plays quarantine-zone rebel Perry. As seen in the trailer, Yellowjackets' Melanie Lynskey also guest stars. The Last of Us doesn't have an exact 2023 premiere date yet — it'll be available in Australia via Binge and in New Zealand via Neon when it does — but you can check out the trailer below: The Last of Us will hit streaming in 2023, including in Australia via Binge and New Zealand via Neon— we'll update you with an exact release date when one is announced.
Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis, Hit-Monkey), Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham, Smurfs), Keeley Jones (Juno Temple, Venom: The Last Dance) and Leslie Higgins (Jeremy Swift, Snow White) all sit in a diner booth looking adoringly at each other: that's it, that's your first glimpse at Ted Lasso season four. The heartwarming Apple TV+ hit comedy is now officially back in production, after a new season was locked in earlier in 2025. And no,"we're not in Richmond anymore" — at least initially. The streaming platform has unveiled a first image from the series' fourth season, and also dropped a "now in production" video that matches the filming of the moment that the still is from with some behind-the-scenes audio. On YouTube, the clip comes with that Wizard of Oz-paraphrasing note about the setting, too, aptly given that Lasso is famously from Kansas. If you've been believing that more Ted Lasso would be on the way ever since the kindhearted show seemed to wrap up its storyline for good at the end of the third season, that faith has proven well-founded — and here's more proof. Sudeikis is back in his two-time Emmy-winning role, donning the American college football coach-turned-English soccer manager's moustache again. While only Waddingham, Temple and Swift are also in the debut image from season four, they're not the only fellow returning cast members. As The Hollywood Reporter confirms, Brendan Hunt (Bless This Mess), aka Coach Beard, is back both on-screen and among the new season's producers — a behind-the-camera role he also held in the first three seasons — and Brett Goldstein (Shrinking) is also doing double duty, reprising the part of Roy Kent and executive producing. These familiar Ted Lasso faces will have company from a number of new cast members, with Tanya Reynolds (The Decameron), Jude Mack (Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning), Faye Marsay (Andor), Rex Hayes (getting his first screen credit), Aisling Sharkey (Jurassic World Dominion), Abbie Hern (My Lady Jane) and Grant Feely (Chicago PD) all joining the series. The latter is now portraying Ted's son Henry. And no, that "we're not in Richmond anymore" description won't prove true for long, with Ted Lasso season four set to chart its namesake's Richmond comeback to coach a second-division women's team. As Sudeikis noted when the new episodes were announced, "as we all continue to live in a world where so many factors have conditioned us to 'look before we leap', in season four, the folks at AFC Richmond learn to leap before they look, discovering that wherever they land, it's exactly where they're meant to be". There's no trailer yet for Ted Lasso's fourth season, but check out Apple TV+ "now in production" video below: Season four of Ted Lasso will stream via Apple TV+ — we'll update you when a release date is announced. Read our full review of season two and season three, our interview with Brendan Hunt and our chat with Bill Lawrence, who co-developed the series.
When Steven Soderbergh (Magic Mike's Last Dance) and David Koepp (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) work together, someone on-screen is watching on, listening in or both. With the former helming and the latter penning the screenplays, the veteran filmmakers have joined forces on three features so far: 2022's Kimi, as well as the 2025 duo of Presence and Black Bag. Surveillance plays a pivotal part in each. The first of their collaborations focused on an always-eavesdropping smart speaker, plus the company employee who hears something sinister in its audio streams. The third of their shared projects is a spy thriller that hits cinemas in March 2025. Then there's the duo's ghost story, about a family who moves into a home with an otherworldly existing resident. In Presence, the titular entity is indeed peering on and pricking up its ears. How does this ever-prolific pair, whose careers both date back to separate debut movies that screened at the 1989 Sundance Film Festival — Soderbergh's Sex, Lies, and Videotape and the Koepp-scripted Apartment Zero — not only take on the horror-genre staple that is haunted houses, but give it a new perspective? The answer is that very perspective. Presence adopts the viewpoint of the body doing the spooking, which means that the picture's sound and vision presents what its ghost sees and hears. For viewers, there's no question whether there's a spirit lingering about; that's clear immediately. The film's four key humans — matriarch Rebekah (Lucy Liu, Red One), her husband Chris (Chris Sullivan, a veteran of Soderbergh's excellent TV series The Knick), and their teenage children Chloe (Callina Liang, Foundation) and Tyler (debutant Eddy Maday) — aren't as clued in as the audience when Presence begins. They've simply relocated to a new house in the suburbs and are endeavouring to go about their daily lives. The ghost is there before them. It watches on as they navigate dinners, fights, secrets, romances and everything in-between. It spots how Rebekah favours Tyler, and only Chris treats Chloe with kindness. And soon, it starts to make its presence known. Soderbergh came to Koepp about Presence with the basics: "a handful of pages and a strong aesthetic concept," Koepp tells Concrete Playground. From there, for a director who also lensed and edited the film himself — and therefore, as the cinematographer, basically plays the ghost himself — the screenwriter fleshed out a narrative that's as much as family drama as a haunted-house flick. He's working with elements that he loves, and it both shows and pays off, as does the immersive, patient, long-take ghost's-eye camerawork. Koepp has both Stir of Echoes and Ghost Town on his resume, two other tales of haunting entities that he directed. He's no stranger to one-location setups, either, writing David Fincher's Panic Room. Real life was partly an inspiration for Presence, after strange things started happening in Soderbergh's own Los Angeles home, where he knew that someone had died before he moved in. Koepp has had his own encounter with odd occurrences that could possibly be chalked up to the supernatural — but he also knows the thrill that can and does spring from choosing to believe that something ghostly has happened. Building that feeling in, and also the 'has it/hasn't it?' sensation that everyone has had at least when a door swings open or an item has moved unexpectedly, is also one of his Presence feats. Koepp might find excitement and even a dash of optimism in Presence's concept, but that isn't the case with his other surveillance-heavy films with Soderbergh. "I think with a ghost story, yes," he advises. "But I don't find the idea that someone's watching or listening to be hopeful. I find it to be creepy." He continues: "And it's that sense of paranoia is what we're very consciously playing on. Certainly in Kimi. We're right. We've given permission to these devices to just listen to everything we say and do. Everybody's had the feeling of 'hey, I was just talking about Philadelphia, and now my phone is suggesting hotels in Philadelphia'. Well, there's a reason for that. You're not crazy." "And in this, those same feelings of unease — maybe even in this case dread — were things we wanted to play with." Two movies hitting cinemas within two months would be huge for most screenwriters. Koepp also has a third film on its way to picture palaces mid-2025: Jurassic World Rebirth, which sees him return to the franchise after co-penning the OG Jurassic Park script and The Lost World: Jurassic Park, both for Steven Spielberg. His resume highlights go on; Carlito's Way, the first Mission: Impossible, 2002's Spider-Man and Spielberg's War of the Worlds are all on Koepp's filmography, too, and represent just a selection of his wide-ranging array of projects. We also chatted with the Presence scribe about the intimacy of ghost stories, wanting to believe, working with a director who shoots and edits his pictures himself, the variety of films across his busy career and more. On the Intimacy of Ghost Stories — Including When a Haunted-House Film Is a Family Drama Shot From the Ghost's Perspective "Yes, as you point out, ghost stories are really intimate. I've done other ghost stories. I've done one that's meant to be scary, a comedy and this, and I often notice that in most stories, the person who is able to perceive the ghost is usually in some kind of difficult situation in their home life. And that's probably just because that's what makes for drama. You don't want to pick somebody who has everything going well. But I had this theory that perhaps that's also because having experienced a trauma opens you up to be more sensitive to things you couldn't perceive before. I know that there have been periods in my own life when I've gone through things I'd describe now as traumatic, and I felt much more in tune with the emotions of the people around me, because you're just opened up to the world in that way. And I thought 'if you're opened up to the world, why not the other world?'." On Using Real Life as a Starting Point — and Toying with the Excitement of Wanting to Believe "I think that with all of us personally — I can't speak to Steven's experience, but I know in my own, it's something that may or may not have happened, but I really wanted it to have happened. Because who doesn't want to believe these things? And because the very notion of believing in a ghost is optimistic, in that you believe there's something after we die. Who doesn't want to believe that? In Chloe's case, it quickly becomes pretty inarguable. The books were on the bed. The books are now not on the bed. And I guess she can question herself a little bit, but she's not an older person who can say 'oh, I forgot' — she is 16 years old. She knows very well where she left the books. But I do think that most of us who think something like that happened, it's terribly exciting and interesting. Why wouldn't we want it to have happened? And Chloe even says it to her brother later, she says 'can't part of you admit that this is the most-interesting thing that's ever happened in your life? Are you that scared of it that you can't admit that?'." On Writing for a Ghost — and, for a Ghost Basically Played by Steven Soderbergh as Presence's Cameraman "When I first said 'okay, let's do this' and I laid out the story, and then when I started writing it, at first I thought 'oh, this is going to be terribly limiting' — because I'm writing a four-character piece, but I can't ever cut. I can't, if I need a close-up of something, I can't. If I need a reverse, I can't. If I want to suddenly see another character's face for impact, I can't. I can't intercut between locations for suspense. All these tools that are usually available in writing for cinema were now off limits, and I thought 'how limiting'. Then I realised just a few pages into the writing 'no, no, no, you're not writing a four-character piece — you're writing a five-character piece. The fifth character is the presence, and it's played by the camera'. So when I embraced the presence as a character, it could then have feelings and that dictated what happened. It's anxious. It's restless. We know it's kind of fearful because it retreats into the closet frequently. So that made everything much easier, because now I'm writing for a character and I know how to do that." On Penning a Screenplay for a Film That Audiences Will See Differently the Second Time Around "I know everything before I go in, because I've outlined and I've written a summary of it, so I have a good idea who it is and what they're doing. So I'm dropping clues throughout — and there are a number of clues in the body of the film. From a character standpoint, knowing who the presence is and knowing some specifics about them tells me how they would behave. So I think I'm gratified by how many people fully understood it the first time. And I think it does reward a second viewing in that you see all the signposts that were there for you along the way." On the Importance of Presence Being a Film About a Family Struggling as Much as It Is a Haunted-House Film "That was what made it fun. When Steven told me the idea, he said it all needs to be in one house — I mean the aesthetic idea — he said it all needs to be in one house, and I'd like it to be a family. And it hit three of my top boxes for things that I'm interested in writing. It had a strong concept behind it that limited us in some way, and therefore freed us up or forced us into creative solutions. It was all set in a house. I like stories like that. I've done a few of them. Panic Room some years ago, all in one house. And it was a family drama. And one of the things that I like about the big resurgence in horror films in the last ten or 15 or 20 years, I don't know how long it's been now, is that you can you can smuggle in other kinds of stories in the box of a spooky movie. And so I love writing families. I have four kids, I've known a lot of families. We all have our birth families, and if we're lucky enough to have kids, we know that family — and they're very dynamic groups. And it was great fun to be able to write a family drama." On What Keeps Drawing Koepp to Two of Presence's Key Elements: Ghost Stories and One-Location Films "I don't know psychologically, but I do know practically. I call them bottles, in that there's a container for your wine — and much like the Hays Code of the Hollywood in the 30s, 40s and 50s had very strict rules about what you could do and what you couldn't do in terms of sex and innuendo, so the filmmakers were left to think of ways around it and clever ways to insinuate. And I think when you say 'okay, we can't leave the house', then you're compelled to think of creative solutions to your problems. And 'how do I make this interesting even though I'm stuck in this house for the whole movie?'. And 'how do I make that an advantage instead of a disadvantage?'. For me, when you sit down to write something, there's a sense that the world is too big. If you can go anywhere and have them do anything and have absolutely anyone be in it, where do you even begin? It just makes me want to take a nap. But when I'm limited in terms of who can be in it and where they can be, now suddenly I feel like I'm starting to have ideas. I think da Vinci — I don't want to be too highfalutin, but I think Leonardo da Vinci said that all great art is born out of limitation. I'm not saying we're great art, but I think he's right about that." On the Collaborative Process When Working with a Filmmaker Who Directs, Shoots and Edits — as Soderbergh Does on Kimi and Presence "Well, it's particular to the person. All the great directors I've worked with are very hands-on. They don't all do as many jobs as Steven does, shooting it and editing it. Confident people are easier to work with than people who lack confidence. And Steven is extremely confident and extremely decisive. And therefore, he lets other people do their jobs. I know he can do my job. He's an accomplished writer. So I assume if he wanted to, he'd be doing it. He would write it himself — the way he wants to shoot and he wants to edit, so he takes those jobs himself. So I think I appreciate that he guides me, but doesn't try to do it for me." On Jumping Between Indie Films and Blockbusters, Movies and TV, and Screenwriting and Directing Across Koepp's Career "It's what keeps it interesting. I continue to like all kinds of movies. I'll see pretty much anything in the cinema. So I like to try my hand at writing them. And I have this theory that it's like lifting weights. You're supposed to exercise your muscles to the point of failure. I feel like I've tried to exercise my creative muscles across genres to the point of failure — and I have failed. So you find 'oh, I wish I could do that particular type of movie' — turns out I'm not that great at it. But that's what keeps it interesting. You have to continually try different things. And you have to stay in service to the idea. If you have an idea, you can't try to bend it into the kind of film you're comfortable with. You need to become comfortable with the kind of film that the idea demands." Presence opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, February 6, 2025.
Bali is bursting with all kinds of romantic accommodations, be they hidden up in the jungle surrounded by rice terraces or an oceanfront spot down on one of the region's countless beaches. It offers an embarrassment of riches for those looking to honeymoon, pop the big question or just run away with their special someone. Stay in a treehouse overlooking the Indian Ocean, take part in a small wellness retreat, find your own patch of paradise in luxury bamboo homes or go all out and really spoil yourselves at the most luxurious of resorts. The options are endless — and stupid-beautiful. Camaya Bali, Sideman Romance is built into every part of Camaya Bali. They have a series of private villas dotted throughout the property, each with its own unique design (made for taking advantage of the view across open planes and rice fields). They can come with pools of varying sizes and shapes as well as those netted hammocks you see all over Instagram. Thankfully, even if this place is flooded with influencers you won't see them – each villa offers absolute seclusion for guests. You can wander the grounds as much as you'd like, or let their team organise a whole host of activities for you. There are nearby whitewater rafting tours, temples and palaces, yoga centres and small villages to explore. If you're after a Big Moment, you can take a hike up into the jungle and rice fields to find the perfect proposal vista. The Korowai, Uluwatu Each of Korowai's wood-framed rooms are carved into the limestone cliff overlooking Bali's famous Impossible Beach (known for surfing, not partying). Marvel at the ridiculous uninterrupted 180-degree views across the ocean from the privacy of your own little balcony adorned with traditional Balinese décor. It's romantic and unpretentious. The glitz and glam of other Uluwatu resorts doesn't exist here. Instead, you and your partner will feel as if you've found your own hidden oasis. But, when or if you do want to get into town, the hospitable resort staff will rent you a scooter or organise a taxi ride. Plus, there are a few walkable restaurants nearby if you somehow get tired of dining at their restaurant overlooking the beach. Hangin Gardens of Bali, Payangan The Hanging Gardens of Bali sits far away from the crowds, up in the lush rainforest surrounded by local wildlife and charming rice terraces. The luxury resort has also won so many international accommodation awards thanks to the breathtaking views, super luxurious villas and warm service. Staying here, it's obvious to see why the island is at the top of so many people's travel bucket list destinations. Take the private villas for example. This high-end resort has 44 of them, each perched high atop wooden pillars overlooking the private valley below. Wake up and enjoy this view from your extra-large canopy bed before rolling out into your own private plunge pool — it's paradise on stilts. And each villa is full of character. Couples can also lean into the romantic vibes with massages, private dining experiences in the valley and breakfast served on a floating wooden boat in your own plunge pool. Desa Eko, Munduk Sometimes, a romantic getaway doesn't mean spending the entire week alone as a couple. Desa Eko is the place to come and feel a part of something bigger than yourself. It's a wellness retreat made for nature lovers, located in what the owners describe as 'the village above the clouds'. It's set in stunningly serene surrounds. You can book huts up in the trees, tents on stilted platforms or opt for the more conventional studio accommodation. But, as oasis-like as these rooms are, you will be drawn away for yoga by the river, dinners at their bamboo-clad restaurant and group hangs and hikes throughout the rainforest. It's a bit hippie. And we are all for it. Padma Resort Legian, Kuta If you're wanting a romantic place to stay in Bali, but want to be closer to the action, then the five-star Padma Resort Legian is for you. It's located near Kuta, a notorious party town with stacks of bustling beaches and places to shop — but it's far enough away that you can easily escape it all. Like Hannah Montana, you'll get the best of both worlds. Spend the day jumping from pool to pool (there are four here) and sipping on cocktails made at one of the seven bars. It's a huge resort, meaning you can carve out your own patch of tropical calm in countless nooks. You're also right on the beach. Cross the hotel lawns and set up home on this quiet sandy shore. You can do a bit of everything from here. Amarta Pesagi Retreat, Tabanan This is your quintessential romantic remote Bali accommodation. Small multi-level bamboo villas are located amongst within the jungle, surrounded by rice fields and all manners of wildlife. You feel cut off from the rest of the world, in all the best ways. Sit out on your private balcony looking into the wilderness while your partner swims in your own plunge pool below. Slide on some sandals and make your way to the restaurant for lunch or dinner. And, if you dare leave this paradise, you actually aren't that far from the outside world. Taman Ayun Temple and local villages are just a short bike ride away — and the Amarta Pesagi Retreat team will help you get there so there's no chance of getting lost in the jungle Six Senses, Uluwatu This is the place to go if you have a large budget and want a holiday where you can live in total luxury. This impressively sustainable resort is located at the southernmost tip of Bali (where you'll find most of the more high-end resorts), looking out over the ocean. The Six Senses rooms are just about as glam as you could imagine but it's the extras that make this spot even more romantic. The staff will organise floating breakfasts in your private plunge pool, quaint cinema nights under the stars, dinner for two on the beach, couples' massages, cooking classes and private tours to anywhere on the island your heart desires. Expect a superb level of service to match the views and incredible lodgings. Segara Village Hotel, Sanur This luxury hotel is set in the quiet beach town of Sanur. Head to the pool surrounded by palm trees and overgrown gardens for some solitude (or to hit up the swim-up bar. Or walk down to the beach and nab yourself one of the hotel's lounge chairs and spend the day hanging out on the beach with your loved one. The nearby town is also full of things to do — without being overly populated by swarms of tourists. Spend your days wandering along Sanur's restaurant-lined boardwalk, stopping off for a bite to eat and a cocktail (or two) and soaking up the laid-back island atmosphere before returning to Segara Village Hotel. Now you can book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips, and discover inspiring deals on flights, stays and experiences. Top image credit: Desa Eko
Don't you wish you could spend two-plus weeks closing out summer and welcoming autumn at the first WorldPride ever held in the southern hemisphere? In 2023, that's set to become a reality, all thanks to Sydney WorldPride. Don't you wish you could see a feast of big-name talent take to this stage for what's basically a mega Mardi Gras? That's coming true, too — and if you now have 'Don't Cha' stuck in your head, Nicole Scherzinger has just joined the bill. The Pussycat Dolls lead singer will headline the already-announced Bondi Beach Party on Saturday, March 4, which will turn the famed stretch of sand into an openair club. For one afternoon and evening only, a casual 12,000 people can dance by the water from dusk to the aforementioned 'Don't Cha', 'Buttons' and more tracks from across her career. As well as Scherzinger, the massive party will feature Australian DJs dameeeela, Jarred Baker, Jacqui Cunningham, DJ Charlie Villas and DJ Dan Murphy — taking to the decks and the sand. Unsurprisingly, the event already proved a hot ticket before the lineup announcement; however, there's a last batch of tickets on-sale now. Scherzinger's addition to the Sydney WorldPride bill slots in alongside Kylie Minogue and Charli XCX opening the festival, MUNA and G Flip closing it, Kelly Rowland headlining the Domain Dance Party and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade will return to Oxford Street. Also on the lineup from Friday, February 17–Sunday, March 5 around Sydney: more than 45 rainbow artworks all around town and a monumental pride march with 50,000-plus people walking across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, as part of a hefty program boasting more than 300 events over 17 days. This is the largest-ever LGBTQIA+ festival ever held in the region — and yes, it just got bigger. Sydney WorldPride will run from Friday, February 17–Sunday, March 5, 2023, with Bondi Beach Party happening from 3pm on Saturday, March 4. For more information, head to the event's website. Top image: Destination NSW.
Each year in cinema, the big screen delivers plenty of must-sees. Thanks to streaming, the small screen does, too. But there's a truth that lingers whenever you sit down to watch a movie: they can't all be great. That's a fact that the just-announced Razzie nominations for 2021's worst films well and truly recognise, as the Golden Raspberry Awards have for 42 years now. Yes, cinema's award season is upon us again, but that doesn't just mean celebrating the best flicks of the past year, which is what the likes of the Oscars and the Golden Globes aim to do. Also getting some love, albeit of the unwanted kind, are 2021's terrible movies. Leading the pack among the 42nd Razzie nominations is the Netflix version of Diana the Musical — aka the Princess Diana-themed movie of the past year that wasn't the much, much, much better Spencer — which picked up nine nods. It's joined by Karen, a film that matches its name, with five nominations; the needless Space Jam sequel Space Jam: A New Legacy with four nods; and straight-to-streaming Mark Wahlberg vehicle Infinite and abysmal heist flick The Misfits with three apiece. Other movies getting some attention: the Amy Adams-starring The Woman in the Window and Dear Evan Hansen, with the actor also earning a Worst Actress nomination for the former; House of Gucci, with Jared Leto's awful efforts recognised in two different categories; and no fewer than eight Bruce Willis flicks. That's how many titles he starred in last year, and the Razzies have even made their own field for them to compete against each other. Like any awards, the Razzie nominations are subjective, of course. Donning a ridiculous blonde mop while hamming up every scene he's in, Ben Affleck turns in an entertaining performance in The Last Duel, but this year's Razzies' Best Supporting Actor category clearly doesn't agree. The 2021 Razzie Award winners will be announced on Sunday, March 27, Australian and New Zealand time. Check out the full list of nominees below: GOLDEN RASPBERRY NOMINEES 2022: WORST PICTURE Diana the Musical Infinite Karen Space Jam: A New Legacy The Woman in the Window WORST ACTOR Scott Eastwood, Dangerous Roe Hartrampf (as Prince Charles), Diana the Musical LeBron James, Space Jam: A New Legacy Ben Platt, Dear Evan Hansen Mark Wahlberg, Infinite WORST ACTRESS Amy Adams, The Woman in the Window Jeanna de Waal, Diana the Musical Megan Fox, Midnight in the Switchgrass Taryn Manning, Karen Ruby Rose, Vanquish WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR Ben Affleck, The Last Duel Nick Cannon, The Misfits Mel Gibson, Dangerous Gareth Keegan (as James Hewitt, the muscle-bound horse trainer), Diana the Musical Jared Leto, House of Gucci WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Amy Adams, Dear Evan Hansen Sophie Cookson, Infinite Erin Davie (as Camilla), Diana the Musical Judy Kaye (as both Queen Elizabeth and Barbara Cartland), Diana the Musical Taryn Manning, Every Last One of Them WORST PERFORMANCE BY BRUCE WILLIS IN A 2021 MOVIE Bruce Willis, American Siege Bruce Willis, Apex Bruce Willis, Cosmic Sin Bruce Willis, Deadlock Bruce Willis, Fortress Bruce Willis, Midnight in the Switchgrass Bruce Willis, Out of Death Bruce Willis, Survive the Game WORST SCREEN COMBO Any klutzy cast member and any lamely lyricised (or choreographed) musical number, Diana the Musical LeBron James and any Warner cartoon character (or Time-Warner product) he dribbles on, Space Jam: A New Legacy Jared Leto and either his 17-pound latex face, his geeky clothes or his ridiculous accent, House of Gucci Ben Platt and any other character who acts like Platt singing 24-7 is normal, Dear Evan Hansen Tom and Jerry (aka Itchy and Scratchy), Tom & Jerry WORST DIRECTOR Christopher Ashley, Diana the Musical Stephen Chbosky, Dear Evan Hansen Coke Daniels, Karen Renny Harlin, The Misfits Joe Wright, The Woman in the Window WORST REMAKE, RIPOFF or SEQUEL Karen (inadvertent remake of Cruella deVil) Space Jam: A New Legacy Tom and Jerry Twist (rap remake of Oliver Twist) The Woman in the Window (ripoff of Rear Window) WORST SCREENPLAY Diana the Musical, script by Joe DiPietro, music and lyrics by DiPietro and David Bryan Karen, written by Coke Daniels The Misfits, screenplay by Kurt Wimmer and Robert Henny, screen story by Robert Henny Twist, written by John Wrathall and Sally Collett, additional material by Matthew Parkhill, Michael Lindley, Tom Grass and Kevin Lehane, from an "original idea" by David and Keith Lynch and Simon Thomas The Woman in the Window, screenplay by Tracy Letts, from the novel by AJ Finn
In 1985, Agostinho Ferreira and his family moved from Lisbon to Sydney and brought something truly remarkable with them — an original recipe for Pasteis de nata, also known as Portuguese tarts. It didn't take long for word to spread and, eventually, thousands of the flaky, silky pastries that Agostinho had crafted years ago were being sold across the city. Fast forward over three decades, and Agostinho's wife Lucia and son Diogo now manage the business, hand-making and selling the same tarts from Tuga Pastries in Clovelly and Alexandria. Diogo is also the owner of Village on Cloey, a classic European-inspired cafe a few doors down from Tuga. And now he is bringing the best of both worlds together in Tuga x Village, an update and rebrand of the Village on Cloey space that is now aiming to deliver the most authentic Portuguese food in Sydney. Now a combined bakery and cafe, Tuga x Village will still be selling the beloved pasteis de nata and will also be baking traditional Portuguese recipes like Pão Alentejano (a crispy sourdough-style bread), Bolo do caco (a sweet potato bun) and Torricado (chargrilled sourdough rubbed with garlic and olive oil and served with toppings). Beyond the baked goods on offer, you can also tuck into breakfast and lunch options aplenty. The classic bacon and egg roll isn't going anywhere. In fact, it's being joined by gourmet sandwiches and toast with decadent Portuguese toppings. None of the qualities that you love about Tuga or Village on Cloey are changing. It's just a mixing of the old and the new at Tuga x Village. This isn't the only thing exciting on the horizon for Tuga either. A little birdy told us that a huge flagship store will be opening somewhere in Sydney's southwest but you'll have to wait a little longer for the full story on that. Watch this space... Tuga x Village can be found at 231 Clovelly Road, open seven days a week from 6am - 2.30pm.
First, Good Things confirmed that it would be back in 2025, and also announced its dates. Now comes the next key detail: where the festival is heading this year. Music lovers already knew that the event is returning to its three annual stops — Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane — but now organisers have locked in the specific venues in each city. There's no change in the Victorian capital, with Flemington Racecourse again playing host to Good Things. In the Sunshine State, Brisbane Showgrounds is doing the honours again, too. But Sydneysiders will be hitting up Sydney Showground instead of Centennial Park, in a move made to increase capacity, shelter, transport options and accessibility. As it has in past years, the fest will play all three cities across one huge weekend. So, you can mark Friday, December 5 in your diaries for the Melbourne, then Saturday, December 6 in the Harbour City and Sunday, December 7 in Brisbane. As for who'll be on the bill, that still hasn't been revealed as yet, but it's safe to expect it soon. While 2022's lineup dropped in June, 2023's and 2024's each arrived in August. Last year, Korn, Violent Femmes and Billy Corgan were on headlining duty, with Electric Callboy, Mastodon, The Gaslight Anthem, L7, Kerry King, Jet, The Living End, The Butterfly Effect and Killing Heidi among their company. 2023's fest featured Devo, Limp Bizkit, Corey Taylor, Pennywise, Bullet for My Valentine, Taking Back Sunday, I Prevail, Enter Shikari, Pvris, Behemoth, Sepultura, Spiderbait, Frenzal Rhomb, Jebediah and Eskimo Joe, among other acts. In 2022, the reunited TISM, Bring Me the Horizon, The Amity Affliction, NOFX and Millencolin led the roster. Good Things 2025 Dates and Venues Friday, December 5 — Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne Saturday, December 6 — Sydney Showground, Sydney Sunday, December 7 — Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane Good Things will hit the Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in December 2025. We'll update you when the lineup is announced and tickets go on sale — head to the festival website for more information and to sign up for the event's mailing list in the interim. Images: Kane Hibberd.
UPDATE, MARCH 25, 2020: Due to cinema closures and other concerns around COVID-19, In the Heights will no longer release on its initially scheduled date of Thursday, June 25, 2020. At present, a new release date has not been announced — we'll update you when one has been revealed. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Over the past five years, Hamilton has become a cultural phenomenon — and, thanks to its fame and acclaim, so has the hip hop musical's creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. But that's not the only stellar stage show to the multi-talented composer, actor, singer and playwright's name. Before he took on US history (and before he helped bring Bring It On to the theatre, too), Miranda turned life in Manhattan's Washington Heights into four-time Tony-winner In the Heights. While every Hamilton fan dreams of the day that it's turned into a movie, In the Heights is actually making the leap to the big screen first — in 2020, with a stacked cast, with Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M Chu behind the lens, and via a film primarily shot on location in its titular spot. Quiara Alegría Hudes, who wrote the text for the stage version, has also written the feature's screenplay. And Lin-Manuel Miranda is involved, naturally, producing the movie, overseeing the music and popping up on-screen as well. On Broadway from 2008–11, Miranda played the lead role of bodega owner Usnavi de la Vega. In the film, that honour goes to Anthony Ramos — an alumnus of the original production of Hamilton who has also featured in Patti Cake$, A Star Is Born and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Usnavi works hard, saves everything he earns and strives for a better life. He also sits at the centre of a vibrant community just beyond the 181st Street subway stop, with In the Heights charting the lives, loves and dreams of the Latinx neighbourhood through colourful, energetic and — as seen in the just-dropped trailer — exquisitely choreographed song and dance numbers. Joining Ramos and Miranda (who plays Piragua Guy, the owner of a shaved ice dessert stand) are Corey Hawkins (Straight Outta Compton), singer Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera (Vida), Dascha Polanco (Orange is the New Black), Marc Anthony and Jimmy Smits — plus original In the Heights stage star Olga Merediz, Rent's Daphne Rubin-Vega and Matilda the Musical's Gregory Diaz IV. Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Stephanie Beatriz also features, after Miranda made an appearance on the hit sitcom earlier this year. Check out the full trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0CL-ZSuCrQ In the Heights was due to open in Australian cinemas on June 25, 2020; however it'll now release on a yet-to-be-revealed date — we'll update you when one is announced.
Marrickville locals and Sydneysiders who love sweet treats, we've got devastating news: Donut Papi has announced that it'll be shutting its doors at the end of July. Renowned for its inventive flavours and extremely high turnover rates, the Marrickville Road spot will no longer be slinging its coveted Asian-leaning doughnuts, which have secured a spot on our best doughnuts in Sydney list many a time. Kenneth Rodrigueza, the man behind the spot, and the Donut Papi crew announced the heartbreaking news on Thursday, June 13 via Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by DONUT PAPI SYDNEY DOUGHNUTS & COFFEE (@donutpapi) "To be completely honest, it's a tough game out there," said Kenneth via Instagram. "I am very proud of Donut Papi for making it to nine years and for obvious reasons why we are closing, I think we want to celebrate this little donut business of ours." Including from its former home in Redfern, the beloved eatery has made its way into the hearts of Sydneysiders since 2015. Its wide-spanning doughnut selection — which isn't afraid to be bold, raunchy and boundary-pushing — stars flavours from calamansi poppyseed to pandan coconut and Thai milk tea, as well as the classic cinnamon-dusted variety and an original glazed option. Plus, Donut Papi's energetic social media presence has catapulted its popularity, with weekly flavour launches gathering further excitement among its fans. To honour its final days, Donut Papi will continue to drop its weekly specials, but will bring back popular flavours from the graveyard. This range will include the likes of its Indomie-starring creation, and has been titled as the dessert eatery's greatest hits. Find Donut Papi at 139 Marrickville Road, Marrickville, open from 10am–5pm Wednesday–Sunday, until the end of July 2024.
No man is an island entire of itself. Except maybe Peter Thiel, co-founder of Paypal. Working in tandem with the Seasteading Institute, the Silicon Valley billionaire is making plans for the first floating city to be launched off the coast of San Francisco next year. As an organisation experimenting in the creation of floating island states, the institute is a hub of design and innovation in offshore communities. What can be best described as 'oil-platform like structures' will operate according to Mr. Thiel's ideas of a "more efficient, practical public sector model", unfettered by minimum wage, welfare, restrictions on weapons and tight building codes. Quite a list you say. The icing on the cake is Mr. Thiel's US$1.25 billion pledge, calling upon Seastead to 'open a frontier for experimenting with new ideas for government'. In an interview with Details magazine, founder of the Seasteading Institute has estimated the project to start small with 270 residents, and rapidly upscale to support over ten million by 2050. For those averse to the idea, Margaret Crawford, Professor of Architecture at UC Berkeley, cites it as particularly shortsighted, and "without any urban-planning implications whatsoever". And she has a point. Many other concerns that have been raised, namely "What about pirates?" and "Are seasteading enthusiasts just a bunch of rich guys wanting even more freedom?" are also addressed as perfectly legitimate in the Institute's FAQ section.
Visit Alice Springs at any time of year and you'll find plenty to see and do in Australia's Red Centre, including making the trip to Uluru, marvelling at Bruce Munro's Field of Light, and checking out the Tjoritja gorges and Kings Canyon. Here's a spectacular reason to head by every April, including from now until Sunday, April 16 in 2023: Parrtjima — A Festival In Light. The region's luminous Indigenous arts festival is back for another year and, set against the 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges, it looks stunning as always. This event celebrates First Nations arts, culture and storytelling, and just might be Australia's most luminous event — with installations in breathtaking surroundings leading the show alongside music, talks, films, workshops and more. [caption id="attachment_896332" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sisters at Watarru by Noreen Dixon, Grounded.[/caption] 2023's focus: 'Listening with Heart'. That's what this year's light-heavy installations, which were announced late in 2022, are focusing on. Parrtjima's theme is inspired by the artwork surrounding the Statement from the Heart, with that piece depicting Uluru-Ku Tjukurrpa, the Uluru story of connection, as created by a group of artists from Multijulu as led by Maruku artist Rene Kulitja. So, Kulitja has worked with other of artists for Parrtjima to turn the Statement from the Heart artwork into a large-scale immersive light and sound installation. Accordingly, Parrtjima attendees are currently getting plunged in the world of the Aṉangu people of the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands surrounding Uluru. This year's festival installations feature ancient songlines, plus Indigenous viewpoints on Country, as well as connecting to First Peoples' strong links with the land, water and sky. Two things that are also on the bill: two of the festival's regular annual attractions, aka a huge artwork that transforms a 2.5-kilometre stretch of the majestic ranges, showering it with light each night of the festival; and Grounded, the installation projected over the red dirt at tourism and conservation facility Alice Springs Desert Park. As for the music program, it is overflowing with First Nations talent, including Docker River Band, Eastern Reggae Band, Emily Wurramara, JK-47, KAIIT, Karnage and Paul Ah Chee. They're joined by Radical Son, Richard J Frankland, Discovering Leerpeen Mara, Rowdy Birds, The Andrew Gurruwiwi Band and The Merindas across the ten days — and with a range of dazzling backdrops. The talks lineup features actor Steven Oliver, marathon hero Charlie Maher, media identity Naomi Moran, scientist Corey Tutt, Olympian Nova Peris and more, such as musicians Richard Frankland, KAIIT and Paul Ah Chee — doing double duty on stage and having a chat. Movie-wise, attendees can look forward to Westwind: Djalu's Legacy, Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky, Araatika: Rise Up and The Australian Wars. And, the workshops schedule includes dance, art and pottery. Parrtjima – A Festival in Light runs until Sunday, April 16, 2023 around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. For more information, visit the festival website. Images: Parrtjima – A Festival in Light. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
In a bustling city like Sydney, it's easy to lose your "village". With its sprawling suburbs and fleeting inner-city hot spots, the community feeling in towns and regional suburbs can often be missed. In the Eastern suburbs of Randwick, however, one community is ensuring the spirit of the "village" isn't one from a bygone era. "The Spot is one of those rare Sydney areas that still feels like a true village, full of character, culture, and community charm," says Marianne Poirey, General Manager of the local Four Frogs Crêperie. Marianne is referencing Randwick's dining and entertainment event, Spot On. Presented by Randwick City Council in association with the NSW Government's Open Street Program, the event encourages locals to enjoy a vibrant night-time culture, local performers, eateries and bars, and a fun and inclusive space for all ages every second Thursday between August 7 and November 27, 2025, from 5.30pm to 9pm, making it an easy date night or family-friendly destination post-work. "You've got everything within a few steps," says Marianne. "Incredible restaurants with international cuisines (French, Italian, Japanese, you name it), a historic cinema showing everything from new releases to film festivals, and street events that bring everyone together." Local businesses can take advantage of the council-approved road closure and extend dining out onto the street, into the spring sunshine. "There's an energy in the air when the restaurants are full, people are gathering outside, and the lights of the Ritz Cinema glow across the square. That mix of local charm and energy makes every evening special," says Marianne. Marousa Polias, the general manager of Randwick's accommodation destination, Sydney Lodges, agrees. "There is a village-type feel to The Spot, which is very special and unusual in such a busy and thriving suburb." If you head down to Spot On, Marousa recommends the newly opened Taste Baguette, a French-Vietnamese bakery, for a snack or lunch. For dinner, the authentic Italian restaurant, Dolce Fiori. Afterwards, she encourages visitors to head to Gaia Gelato to refresh the palate with their innovative flavours. "The Spot is unique because it has many long-standing businesses that service and contribute to the local community," says Marousa. "Witnessing people of all ages and backgrounds enjoying themselves out and about on a weeknight is heart-warming." Bombay Bloomers opened in 1987 and is now a Randwick culinary institution. Varinder Singh, the owner and chef of Bombay Bloomers, shared why Spot On is so important to the suburb. "The Spot is a one-of-a-kind pocket of Randwick, where history, culture, dining, and entertainment all come together. It's vibrant yet relaxed, making it the perfect place to eat, drink, and enjoy the cinema in one setting." Varinder recommends trying out Bombay Bloomers' "crowd favourite" dish. "Our signature dish is the Butter Chicken, a true crowd favourite. Paired with freshly baked garlic and cheese naan and a chilled mango lassi, it's the perfect pre- or post-movie meal." The chef notes that Spot On is a chance to connect with new guests, celebrate with the community and showcase the Indian flavours that Bombay Bloomers is passionate about. "Spot On puts Randwick on the map as more than just a dining or cinema destination," says Varinder. "It highlights the area as a cultural hub." While Spot On is a chance for locals to commune, the event also aims to bring together people from all over the city, and Randwick's Mayor, Dylan Parker, says that Spot On aims to unite Sydneysiders through food and music under the stars. "Whether you're a long-time resident or visiting Randwick City for the first time, Spot On is a chance to experience the warmth and vibrancy of Randwick." By transforming the main streets into pedestrian-friendly spaces filled with music, performance, and outdoor dining, Randwick is helping creatives and local businesses to thrive while giving people a fun and family-friendly mid-week outing. Intrigued to try it for yourself? Spot On takes place on St Pauls Street, Randwick, every second Thursday between August 7 and November 27, 2025, from 5.30pm to 9pm. Bring your family and friends for a great night of food, fun and entertainment at Spot On.
Captain Sustainability and brains behind Silo Joost Bakker has relaunched his cafe as a soup kitchen. Of course, it's no ordinary cooking-with-groceries soup kitchen; the stocks for the soups are made from bones that go unused by high-end eateries such as Rockpool, Attica and the European. It's called Brothl, the kind of pun that might have been best made and forgotten but is now the legitimate name of a place we'll be spending plenty of time in. Bakker, originally a florist and a designer, had been doing the flowers at Rockpool for years when he finally asked Neil Perry if he could take the discarded bones for soup stock. Perry did not hesitate to give them away. The result is four nutritious broths packed full of flavor: A Cape Grim beef stock simmered for 48 hours, a 24-hour chicken stock, 12-hour seafood stock made from marron and crab, and a vegetarian stock made using kelp foraged from the Bellarine Peninsula. On top of that, all of the broths are made with rainwater from Monbulk. If that’s not some thrifty practice, we’re not sure what is. For those who are both sustainability- and health-conscious, the menu includes details of which nutrients, vitamins and minerals each broth will bring you. Getting involved with this Brothl is going to be good for you in more ways than one, it seems. It will cost you a tenner for a hearty bowl of broth, and once you’ve got the base down you can add extras, such as sea bounty muscles, poached chicken, house-made soba or spelt noodles and seasonal vegetables. They even have chicken feet if you’re craving it. If you want to know more on this no-waste venture, just make sure you type Brothl exactly like that into your Google search; it will save you from seeing all the things you can’t unsee.
After playing their first show Down Under since 2013 in Sydney, Tenacious D have scrapped the remainder of their Australian and New Zealand dates on the two-man comedy rock group's The Spicy Meatball tour. The duo, aka Jack Black and Kyle Gass, kicked off their visit in Sydney, where a joke about the attempted assassination of former US president Donald Trump by Gass sparked controversy. In the aftermath, their next gig in Newcastle was initially postponed, then the entire tour cancelled. Black has also put the band on hold, advising in a statement on social media that he was "blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday". "I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form. After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold. I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding," the Instagram post continued. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jack Black (@jackblack) Tenacious D last performed Down Under in 2013, and were set to play July dates in seven cities. The Grammy-winning pair, which first came together in the 90s as theatre students in Los Angeles, were due to hit up arenas in Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Wellington and Auckland fresh from sellout gigs in the US, UK and Europe in 2023. Their Sydney show at the ICC Sydney Theatre on Sunday, July 14 fell on Gass' birthday, with the musician presented with a cake onstage by The Super Mario Bros Movie star Black, then asked to make a wish. He replied with "don't miss Trump next time". [caption id="attachment_939742" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sven Mandel via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Gass has also made a statement on social media. "The line I improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake. I don't condone violence of any kind, in any form, against anyone," he said on Instagram. "What happened was a tragedy, and I'm incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgement. I profoundly apologise to those I've let down and truly regret any pain I've caused." Ticketholders for Tenacious D's cancelled Australian and New Zealand shows will automatically receive refunds. [caption id="attachment_939746" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Raph_PH via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Tenacious D The Spicy Meatball Australia and New Zealand Tour 2024 Dates: Sunday, July 14 — ICC Sydney Theatre, Sydney Tuesday, July 16 — Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle — CANCELLED Thursday, July 18 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane — CANCELLED Saturday, July 20 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne — CANCELLED Monday, July 22 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide — CANCELLED Wednesday, July 24 — TSB Arena, Wellington — CANCELLED Friday, July 26 — Spark Arena, Auckland — CANCELLED [caption id="attachment_939740" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Travis Shinn[/caption] Tenacious D are no longer touring Australia and New Zealand across July 2024, with all tickets set to be automatically refunded. Head to the tour website for further details. Top image: Raph_PH via Wikimedia Commons.
It's meant to be a relaxing getaway go-to — gathering the gang, hightailing it to an impressive spot, getting into party mode and ignoring all your troubles, that is. But what happens if there's a hurricane, then a power outage, then a series of murders? As new Pete Davidson (The Suicide Squad) and Amandla Stenberg (Dear Evan Hansen)-starring horror-comedy Bodies Bodies Bodies shows, you can instantly forget that all bliss. That's the setup behind this slasher satire, which sees a group of twentysomething friends — and one of the gang's 40-year-old boyfriend — celebrating a big storm. They've got the company, drugs, glow sticks and massive mansion for the occasion, and the party game that gives the movie its title, too. Here's how Bodies Bodies Bodies, the game, is meant to work: everyone picks a piece of paper, one of which marks the person who has it as the murderer. The lights then go out, the victim gets tapped on the shoulder, and everyone starts guessing who's behind it. It's supposed to be fun — but it depends on who the crew's finger is pointing at. Making this on-screen stint of Bodies Bodies Bodies more chaotic is those actual bodies, bodies, bodies, and plenty of blood. As the just-dropped new trailer shows, no one handles the situation well — with the cast also including Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan Oscar-nominee Maria Bakalova, Shiva Baby's Rachel Sennott, Generation's Chase Sui Wonders and Industry's Myha'la Herrold. And, playing that two-decades older interloper is Pushing Daisies and Halt and Catch Fire favourite Lee Pace. Dutch filmmaker Halina Reijn (Instinct) directs, and the result looks brutal, wild and hilarious all at once. Something that makes everyone's efforts to survive a murderer a struggle: bickering among themselves, digging up old baggage and not being able to get past their simmering resentments. If you're keen to sleuth (and laugh) along with it, the film will hit Australian cinemas on September 15. And yes, Bodies Bodies Bodies joins a hefty list of recent movies and TV shows that don't find getaways all that enjoyable, including The Resort, Sundown, Old, Palm Springs, The White Lotus and Nine Perfect Strangers. None of the above are also slasher flicks, though. Check out the latest Bodies Bodies Bodies trailer below: Bodies Bodies Bodies opens in Australian cinemas on September 15. Images: Erik Chakeen / Gwen Capistran.
UPDATE, Friday, March 15, 2024: The Aqua with Special Guests tour has changed venues, dates and lineup. 2 Unlimited are now the only support act. The new dates and venues are: Thursday, March 21 — Metro City, Perth Saturday, March 23 — Hindley Street Theatre, Adelaide Sunday, March 24 — Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane Tuesday, March 26 — Enmore Theatre, Sydney Wednesday, March 27 — Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne For the past year, we've all been living in a Barbie world, with Greta Gerwig's Margot Robbie-starring Barbie film the biggest thing in pop culture over the past 12 months. What happens when you combine the planet's love for the pink-hued hit with the never-ending trend that is 90s nostalgia? Aqua touring Australia to bust out 'Barbie Girl' at a big throwback party, that's what. Life in plastic will be fantastic when the Danish-Norwegian band make their first trip Down Under since 2019. Back then, the group responsible for still having their best-known single stuck in your head, plus 'Doctor Jones' and 'Turn Back Time' as well, toured on a bill filled with other acts from the era. This time, they're doing the same thing. Joining Aqua in March 2024 in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth: Belgian-Dutch dance duo 2 Unlimited, British boy band East 17, R&B group Big Brovaz, and English dance acts Phats & Small, Booty Luv and Urban Cookie Collective. Hitting up stadiums, these gigs will be a house of love with no limits. Expect everything from Get Ready', 'Twilight Zone' and 'Alright' to 'Stay Another Day', 'Turn Around' and 'The Key the Secret' to get a whirl. Your latest excuse to keep celebrating all things Barbie-related — and to get a big blast from the past — comes after Aqua popped up on the movie's soundtrack with rapper Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice on the tune 'Barbie World'. Also heading to Australia in the first few months of 2024 to party like it's the 90s on separate tours, because nostalgia will never die: TLC and Blink-182. AQUA 2024 TOUR WITH SPECIAL GUESTS LINEUP: Aqua 2 Unlimited East 17 Phats & Small Big Brovaz Booty Luv Urban Cookie Collective AQUA 2024 TOUR WITH SPECIAL GUESTS DATES: Thursday, March 21 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Friday, March 22 — John Cain Arena, Melbourne Sunday, March 24 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Tuesday, March 26 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Thursday, March 28 — RAC Arena, Perth Aqua is touring Australia in March 2024 with special guests 2 Unlimited, East 17, Phats & Small, Big Brovaz, Booty Luv, and Urban Cookie Collective — with ticket pre sales from 10am local time on Tuesday, January 23 and general sales from 10am local time on Thursday, January 25. Head to the tour website for more information
It’s a sad news day for all the swashbuckling pirates among you. Australian film company Village Roadshow has started a court action to shut down movie streaming website SolarMovie. After the Federal Government passed a bill to amended Australia’s copyright right laws in June of 2015, we were all expecting the worst. We’re sorry to say that while it’s taken eight months to affect any change, the laws are finally being utilised to our disadvantage. We’re assuming that half of you reading this zoned out, opened IMDB in a new tab and are now slowly finding torrents to download every film in the top 1000 while you still can. Graham Burke, co-chief executive of Village Roadshow told the ABC they’ll be targeting SolarMovie, because they’re a “vicious bunch of thieves.” Burke went on to say the site's advertising was harmful to children “If your kids go to that website, they're encouraged to gamble with no age limit; there's sexual ads there." For the record, it’s called ad-blocker dude, look it up. SolarMovie will most likely be black-listed for Aussies using DNS blocking, whereby the the DNS (domain name system), which connects readable site addresses with their internet address (IP address), is diverted and unable to connect the site name and the IP address. It's the simplest way to block sites but doesn't take the site offline at the source, so thankfully there are some easy ways around it. A VPN will do the trick, or there are more comprehensive (and free) services like TOR, which allows you browse anonymously but can seriously slow down your internet speeds as protects you by rerouting your web browsing over an encrypted network It’s only the first in a series of court actions aimed at decimating our human right to watch Broad City for free. Foxtel is expected to announce in the coming days that they will seek to block four of the biggest piracy websites, including dear friend to all poor students, The Pirate Bay. People around the world are up in arms about harsh anti-piracy legislation, often because it errs on the side of media conglomerates, can strip people of their autonomy and doesn’t address the problem at the core of it all ($14.95 for an overnight release from Blockbuster was too much, damn it). Australians have shown that they’re willing to spend money on legit streaming services (hello Netflix, Stan, maybe Presto) if easy and available and studies keep turning up the same data: people who pirate often spend more on media than people who don’t. Sigh. Guess it’s a good time to start shopping around for a VPN that works, guys. Via ABC.
Thirty-six oysters are lined up in front of you. You've got to make those babies disappear quicker than any of the ravenous-looking individuals in the room can. At best, you want to take home the Grand Prix: a night's accommodation at Watson's Bay Boutique Hotel and a dinner for two at The Morrison. At worst, you don't want to end up like Lard Ass in Stand By Me — even if your worst enemy is at hand. How you gonna come out of the Morrison's Oyster Eating Competition with your dignity intact? With these five tips, that's how. Oh, and skip the castor oil/raw egg combo. GO FOR THE FOUR-IN-ONE This might sound kind of scary, but it works. We know because The Morrison chef Sean Connolly — who, really, should be given an honorary PhD in oysters — told us so. Don't even think about swallowing till you've got four molluscs in your mouth. Then, without chewing, send them all down your oesophagus in one gigantic gulp, as though you were a Great Blue Whale going nuts on krill. Whatever you do, don't think about the Walrus and the Carpenter scene in Alice in Wonderland — and keep three oysters in your hand so you don't waste time between acts. TEETOTAL ON THE DAY If you've learnt anything from Mad Men's Roger Sterling and Don Draper's three martini, multiple dozen oyster and 21-storey stair climb lunch, keep off the booze. We know it sounds a bit prim and proper of us, but the fact is that alcohol and oysters, like singing karaoke and approaching your crush for the first time, don't mix. So, take our advice, and save your carousing for your victory party. FORGET ALL THE MANNERS YOUR MAMA TAUGHT YOU Let's face it, things are going to get a little bit ugly. This is not the time to demurely reach for your half-shell with your miniature fork, dilly-dally over sauces and keep up your Bondi beautiful. Throw your oyster etiquette right out the window. Forget the fact that everybody in the room is watching you and focus on the task at hand. That means getting your hands — and face — dirty. TAKE A TIP FROM THE BLACK WIDOW AND JUMP ON THE TREADMILL Sonya Thomas, aka The Black Widow, weighs less than 45 kilograms and is just 5' 2" tall, and yet she's broken more than 12 World Eating Records. On June 1, she won the Acme World Oyster Eating Championship when she consumed 40 dozen oysters in just eight minutes. What's her secret? In a 2013 interview, she said that she spends about two hours a day on the treadmill, keeping her stomach lean so that there's room for it to stretch. She also hangs out at all-you-can-eat buffets whenever she gets the chance. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Winning an eating contest isn't unlike winning any other event. To maximise your chances of taking home the title, you need to put in some serious practise. In other words, you officially have the best excuse ever to treat yourself to loads of oysters between today and The Morrison comp. Every now and again, set your watch and measure how quickly you can down a dozen or so. Don't overdo it, though, especially the night before — otherwise, you'll be all seafood-ed out. The Morrison's Oyster Eating Competition is on Tuesday, August 19, and the fee is just $30 if you want to compete. It's part of the Morrison's Oyster Festival, which runs throughout August. It also includes $1 oyster happy hour daily in the champagne bar and an additional oyster menu in the restaurant with dishes such as carpetbag steak (that's steak, stuffed with oysters).
The idea behind theme parks is simple. If someone loves something enough — superhero movies, TV shows, video games, animation studios, a huge entertainment brand or Italian food, for example — they'll be willing to pay money to indulge that affection. And, they'll be particularly keen to roam around an entire site dedicated to their favourite thing, celebrating it all day long. With that in mind, if you're someone who simply can't get enough bubble tea, you'll want to head to Japan's latest theme park. There are no prizes for guessing what patrons will be drinking at Tokyo Tapioca Land; however, that's not all they'll be doing. Attendees will also be able to work their way around various tapioca-themed photo booths, and try different tapioca foods and beverages, including from some of the country's big brands. Based on sketches on the theme park site, as well as a report by Sora News 24, they may also be climb onto tapioca-themed rides. Just what most of above will entail is being kept rather vague — and yes, it sounds a more than a little like the incredibly Instagram-friendly food-focused sites that've been popping up around the place, such as Australia's Sugar Republic. Tellingly, Tokyo Tapioca Land is a temporary attraction, setting up shop outside of the station in Harajuku train station from August 13 to September 16. [caption id="attachment_707444" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Gotcha Tea[/caption] If you're going to be in Tokyo at the time, pre-sales have already sold out, but there will be tickets available on the day for 1200 yen (around AU$16) — if you're willing to brave what'll likely be some significant queues. For those who don't have a trip to Japan on the cards, perhaps trying to drink away your envy by indulging in a bubble tea or several will help. Tokyo Tapioca Land will be open at jing, outside the Harajuku train station at 6-7 Jingumae Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, from August 13 to September 16. For further details, visit the website. Via PR Times / Sora News 24.
For the uninitiated to World Time Attack Challenge, let's get the basics out of the way — we're talking motorsport. Specifically, high-performance supercars. Brought over to Australia from its spiritual home of Japan, the WTAC is a little like a Formula 1 qualifying session where the aim is to set the fastest one-lap time. However, very much unlike Formula 1, modifications aren't just allowed — they're encouraged. This creates a thrilling, gloves-off motorsport where fans can see the true potential of these souped-up, expertly engineered machines. The WTAC is a two-day event across August 30–31 at Sydney Motorsport Park with plenty of other things to see. Highlights include the Turbosmart Flying 500, where cars race side by side, the Garrett International Drifting Cup (one of the biggest drifting events in the Southern Hemisphere) and the Shannons Stylized Show 'n' Shine, where you get the chance to purr over the finest pieces of art on four wheels. It has everything a petrolhead could ever wish to see. Image: World Time Attack Challenge
Usually, a new year heralds big travel plans. After the past 12 months, however, your suitcase is probably now caked in dust. Thankfully, even with physically venturing far from home still off the agenda for the near future, you can easily treat yourself to an on-screen trip any time you like. Your first destination: the UK. Australians have always been more than a little obsessed with British movies and TV shows, so it's one of the easiest places to head to while you're still sitting on your couch. Whether you're keen to step back into the country's history, venture into its halls of power or see it through an American-in-London's perspective, streaming service Binge has an array of options. In collaboration with the platform, we've selected five British films and programs that'll whisk you to the other side of the globe. They're all available to stream now, and you can check them out via a 14-day free trial for new customers.
Something delightful is happening in cinemas across the country. After months spent empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Australian picture palaces are starting to reopen — spanning both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney and Brisbane (and, until the newly reinstated stay-at-home orders, Melbourne as well). During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made over the past three months, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6sISEQ4qZs THE SWALLOWS OF KABUL When French-made, Cannes-premiering animation The Swallows of Kabul first introduces aspiring artist Zunaira (Zita Hanrot), she's drawing images of herself and her historian husband Mohsen (Swann Arlaud) on their apartment walls. Secreted away behind a curtain, her charcoal sketches join others just like them and, in the process, this opening moment makes a clear and determined statement. Depicting humans in art is cautioned against in the hadith, the record of words ascribed to the prophet Muhammad, after all, and Zunaira lives in Kabul in 1998, when her homeland is under Taliban rule. She's breaking their laws, which she knows; however she's not the only one being rebellious. In using a medium that's frowned upon in the Islamic faith to tell a tale of life in Afghanistan, and to paint a powerful portrait of its sorrows and oppression, directors Zabou Breitman and Eléa Gobbé-Mévellec are being just as defiant with their big-screen adaptation of the novel of the same name. Zunaira and Mohsen, their modest existence, and their dreams of fleeing and becoming teachers all form one half of The Swallows of Kabul's narrative. Also earning the film's focus: elder pair Atiq (Simon Abkarian) and Mussarat (Hiam Abbas). He's the warden at the local women's prison, and has long been conditioned to adhere to the regime, while his ex-nurse wife is terminally ill. The two couples are brought together by tragedy, with Breitman and Gobbé-Mévellec — and author Yasmina Khadra (a pseudonym for Algerian writer Mohammed Moulessehoul) before them — refusing to shy away from the brutality of their everyday routines in a place where failing to conform even for a second has harsh repercussion. As splashed across the screen with sensitivity, and via eye-catching scenic watercolours, this is a memorable and moving exploration of its Afghani characters' plights, and of the reality of everyone subjected to such a forbidding way of life. Its scenes of capital punishment aren't easily forgotten, nor is the glee evident in officials' and onlookers' eyes, but the film's lattice-impeded views of the world — mimicking peering out from a burqa — leave as much of an imprint. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX74m8y5yyQ LOWDOWN DIRTY CRIMINALS A decade ago, New Zealand actor James Rolleston burst onto cinemas screens with a cheeky grin and an earnest and engaging presence, as seen in his starring role in Taika Waititi's Boy. And while he has only added a handful of roles to his resume since, he always demands attention — in drama The Dark Horse, in Maori action-adventure epic The Dead Lands, in the acting school-set The Rehearsal and in hilariously funny female-driven rom-com The Breaker Upperers, for example. You can add Lowdown Dirty Criminals to the list, too, albeit with a strong caveat. Playing a pizza delivery guy who dreams of a better life and, after his latest job gone wrong, willing to employ drastic means to improve his situation, Rolleston is the best thing about this crime comedy. His is an understated but always supremely watchable performance; however nothing about the purposefully scrappy but always struggling movie around him earns the same description. Rolleston's Freddy and his dimwitted best mate Marvin (Samuel Austin) want to get 'high on the hog', as they repeat over and over, and they see local shady nightclub owner and crim Spiggs (Scott Willis) as their gateway to riches. Soon enough, they're trying to prove themselves to their new boss, including by agreeing to kill the man (Min Kim) sleeping with his wife (Fingal Pollock). Given that Lowdown Dirty Criminals starts with all the film's main players in a Quentin Tarantino or Guy Ritchie-style standoff, the fact that Freddy and Marvin's plan doesn't go smoothy never comes as a surprise — and, thanks to clunky dialogue and laboured scenarios, never plays as amusing either. Director Paul Murphy (Love Birds) and screenwriter David Brechin-Smith (TV's Doubt: The Scott Watson Case) may nod to their influences at every opportunity (hint: they really love 90s and 00s crime capers), but their feature suffers terribly from the comparison. Also missing the mark: the supporting cast, which includes Rebecca Gibney as a vicious heavy called The Upholsterer, and the use of a disjointed narrative structure to attempt to make a slim plot seem more complicated than it is. SEQUIN IN A BLUE ROOM Sequin in a Blue Room may be a coming-of-age movie, but it definitely isn't a coming-out one. Its titular protagonist (Conor Leach), who uses the name Sequin on the queer dating app that he can't stop swiping his way through day and night — his pseudonym reflecting his love of wearing a glittering halter top — isn't hiding his sexuality or his search for instant gratification from anyone. Rather, the 16-year-old is so keen to experiment that he ignores the high-school classmate (Simon Croker) who is clearly trying to get his attention. He has implemented a once-only rule for his anonymous online-fuelled tumbles between the sheets, too. When the older and married B (Ed Wightman) endeavours to convince him that they should hook up again, however, he finds himself being pursued to the point of being stalked — all while Sequin also finds himself pining for a repeat encounter with another guy that he gets physical with at an orgy. Filmmaker Samuel Van Grinsven made Sequin in a Blue Room as his Australian Film, Television and Radio School masters project, with the feature then going on to screen at local and international film festivals over the past year — for a good reason. This is an immensely confident work from a writer/director (co-scripting with Jory Anast) with a clear, firm and vivid vision, and with a knack for equally evoking erotic thrills and conveying the ins and outs of gay adolescence. It's also a movie with a compelling central performance by first-timer Leach, and with an affectionate awareness of queer cinema history that never veers into overly, obligingly copying its predecessors. Crucially, too, Sequin in a Blue Room is always stylish, expressive and immersive, with Van Grinsven proving both assured and commanding with his aesthetic sensibilities, and skilled and successful at using every frame, angle, shot, sound and set — including the plastic sheet-clad, moodily lit, alluring blue room also mentioned in the film's moniker — to align his audience with Sequin's experiences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwNJVxuTYhU&feature=emb_logo SAINT JUDY Inspiring true tale, average movie: too often when it comes to recreating real-life stories about impressive folks, that proves the case. It certainly is with Saint Judy, which has a very worthy figure as its subject. A public defender turned crusader for detained immigrants fighting to stay in the US — and often desperate to avoid returning to their home countries where they face maltreatment and even death — Judy Wood is credited with bringing about a significant change to America's asylum laws. Before the case that the film focuses on, women who were oppressed and punished for fighting for the rights of their gender in nations that treat females poorly were not recognised as the victims of persecution by the US. Wood strove to ensure that the judicial system saw the error of that viewpoint, using the case of Afghani teacher Asefa Ashwari as her example, and obviously this movie wouldn't exist if she hadn't managed to have an impact. But Saint Judy remains content to relay her experiences in standard legal-drama fashion, and to come off as a lesser version of Erin Brockovich along the way. As directed by Sean Hanish (Return to Zero) and scripted by debutant Dmitry Portnoy, this film cycles through all of the stock-standard plot points seen in many a movie in this genre. While the minutiae here is based on truth, the feature's approach (including its beige colour scheme) makes the details of Wood's life feel routine. She's a single mother who has moved to the other side of the country, starts working for a jaded boss (Alfred Molina), and immediately finds the system against her and her first client (Leem Lubany). Indeed, even if you've never heard of Wood or her achievements, you'll be able to predict every twist and turn that the feature serves up. It feels like a wasted opportunity as a result, with top-notch legal flicks able to both move and inform when they're done well — take this year's Just Mercy, for instance. Monaghan, who has been getting better roles on TV than in cinema of late (see: True Detective, The Path and Messiah) puts in a strong performance though, one that makes you wish the movie's script tried harder. Also potent in limited screen time is Common as a surprisingly empathetic lawyer on the other side. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas, check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23, July 30, August 6 and August 13 — and our full reviews of The Personal History of David Copperfield, Waves, The King of Staten Island, Babyteeth, Deerskin and Peninsula.
Wearable technology has been around for a few years now, but hasn't really taken off. Google Glass tried to get everyone to stick a computer on their face, while the Apple Watch attempted to move smartphones onto everyone's wrists — but, as cool and suitably futuristic as both are, they're hardly must-have gadgets. That's where Snapchat comes in. A few months ago they announced they would make their first foray into the hardware realm with Spectacles, a pair of sunglasses that can capture ten-second bursts of video. And now they're officially available to the public. But you can't just go online and order a pair. Oh no — that'd be way too easy. Instead, Snapchat will be selling the specs from a roaming yellow vending machine (that doesn't look unlike a Minion). Punters have to check the Snapchat website to see where it will be set up each day. Earlier today it was at Venice Beach in LA. pic.twitter.com/ECQhbYZBPa — Spectacles (@Spectacles) November 10, 2016 So what do the Spectacles actually do? Well, they're basically a cheaper version of Google's eyewear with one specific function: to take Snapchats. But as well as turning the act of taking photos into a mostly hands-free task (unless you can press buttons with your mind, you're still going to have to lift a finger to the frames to start each clip, sadly), Spectacles boast two major drawcards. Firstly, they look like regular glasses, rather than Robocop-like attire, complete with black, teal and coral styles. And even better, they're going to be affordable, at $130 USD a pair. Other features include a 115-degree lens designed to mimic the human field of vision, as well as the ability to capture circular images to approximate our natural perspective. And yes, everything you record with your new toy will then upload to your Snapchat account, after connecting to your phone via wifi. No word as yet regarding a local release date. By Sarah Ward and Lauren Vadnjal.
The world is a big place. Making decisions is stressful. Choosing a place to holiday is hard. But if you're really in a bind — or a standoff with your holiday partner — Lonely Planet's latest travel list might be able to help you lock in your next destination. The travel publication has just released its annual Best in Travel list. Topping the list for the best country to visit in 2019 is Sri Lanka. This might not come as much of a shock — if you haven't already been yourself, you most likely have mates that have been over there on a surf trip, to hike through the tea fields or to visit family. According to Lonely Planet's editors, the island nation was given its number one place due to its "mix of religions and cultures, its timeless temples, its rich and accessible wildlife, its growing surf scene" and its affordable nosh. It recommends catching some surf at Arugam Bay, kayaking through the lagoons of Marakolliya Beach, catching the scenic train to Ella, getting some culture in Kandy and visiting the ancient ruins of Anuradhapura. Sri Lanka is still in relative infancy when it comes to tourism; the country's civil war only ended ten years ago, but tourism continues to grow at a rapid rate. The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority estimates that the number of tourist arrivals has grown from 448,000 in 2009 when the civil war ended to over two million in 2017. This has seen major hotel chains scramble to open properties in Sri Lanka and improved access to parts of the country that were previously harder to access. Lonely Planet calls it a "country revived" and, we predict, one that's likely to change rapidly with the fast growing tourism industry. Other countries on the list include Germany — which is set to score new museums in 2019 — as well as Zimbabwe, Panama and another new tourist spot, Kyrgyzstan. Unlike last year when New Zealand was ranked number five on the best countries list and Canberra came in as the third best city, neither Australia nor NZ made it onto the lists.
Go big for your next date night at Willo Restaurant & Bar: a hatted restaurant plating up striking dishes with Mediterranean and Australian influences. The glamorous space in central Parramatta boasts a grand indoor dining room and bar that spills onto the foyer outdoors. The Tiny Bird's Nest is a must — a delicate brioche filled with chorizo cream and topped with Italian meringue. Follow it up with Hokkaido scallops with artichoke and chilli oil, or crispy pork ribs with pesto. Bigger mains include a Venetian duck ragu pasta, girasoli stuffed with blue swimmer crab and prawns, and slow-roasted lamb with harissa and pomegranate. Top Images: Nikki To
This is one of the most recognisable dumpling haunts in Haymarket. Many would attribute this to the plastic grapes drooling from the ceiling, but we reckon it's got something to do with this place's authenticity. As classic as you'll get, Chinese Noodle Restaurant serves up fast and almost unchallengeable pork and cabbage dumplings ($8.80 for 12), while the miniature maitre d' flits around giving commands to her staff. The handmade Xinjiang stir-fried noodles with beef ($9.50) are a definite must, too; the product of the noodle aficionado on display behind a glass window who slaps and wraps the fresh dough for your viewing pleasure.
Perched along the New South Wales coast and boasting 20 kilometres of shoreline, Jervis Bay is known for its spectacular beaches. Because it's around a three-hour drive from Sydney, it's also a popular holiday spot for anyone keen to get out of the city, get splashing and soak in some stunning sights. But, in news that might come as a surprise to Sydneysiders, the area known as Jervis Bay Territory isn't actually part of NSW — which means that, under current COVID-19 restrictions, folks from some parts of the state aren't presently permitted to visit. Jervis Bay Territory, a small peninsula section of Jervis Bay encompassing Booderee National Park, is actually a Commonwealth-administered territory, and has been since 1915. It also falls under the laws of the Australian Capital Territory as a result — and the ACT has restrictions in place people who've been in the Greater Sydney, Central Coast and Wollongong areas. Those border rules apply to Jervis Bay Territory, too, so if you're thinking about heading south for a beach trip, you may need to adjust your plans. For much of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jervis Bay Territory has had Public Health Emergency Directions in effect, which are designed to "protect residents and minimise risks to visitors". The latest, from December 21, 2020, makes it clear that anyone from a place deemed a hotspot by the ACT is not allowed to enter Jervis Bay Territory. While that list is updated frequently, with the last change coming into effect yesterday, Monday, January 11, the Greater Sydney, Central Coast and Wollongong areas are still considered 'COVID-19 affected areas'. [caption id="attachment_796806" align="alignnone" width="1920"] A map of Jervis Bay Territory[/caption] As detailed in a government update to start the new year, if you try to enter Jervis Bay Territory without an exemption, you'll be turned away. If you're a resident of the area and you're returning home from a hotspot, you'll be required to self-isolate at home for 14 days. And, if you're wondering how checking these details works, when you're entering the region, you're required to provide information — including photo ID — if asked by an emergency services officer. The penalty for failing to comply with the border restrictions is hefty, with fines up to $8000. Exemptions to enter the ACT and Jervis Bay Territory "will only be granted in highly exceptional circumstances" according to the ACT's Public Health (COVID-19 Interstate Hotspots) Emergency Direction 2021 — and you're considered an 'affected person', and therefore unable to access the region, if you've been in a COVID-19 hotspot within the past 14 days. For more information about Jervis Bay Territory border restrictions, head to the Commonwealth Government website. Top image: Kristina Kl. via Flickr.
Like the presence of a cute dog or a warm sunny day, a new rooftop bar in Sydney is always welcome. This city loves to sip a cocktail while high above the ground — and a dreamy new spot has just opened in Barangaroo. Situated above The Sussex Hotel, The Sussex Rooftop is a Mediterranean-inspired bar boasting a lush leafy al fresco courtyard and a cosy indoor space, all just 400-metres from Wynyard Station. The Sussex Hotel is a heritage-listed site originally built in 1915. Sonenco Hotels, the owners of St Leonards Tavern and Suriya Thai, took over operations at the historic venue in 2008, just as Barangaroo was beginning to transform. Interior Designer Emilie Delalande from Studio Etic, who previously worked on Barangaroo House's equally lavish rooftop, has turned the 120-capacity, 200-square-metre rooftop bar into a flora-filled oasis accompanied by silver travertine tiles and natural tones. Patrons looking to soak in the sun with a cocktail in hand can take their pick from the bar's signature mixes. The La Vida is summer-ready, combining Rosa Gin, grapefruit, rose water and aquafaba, and the Sundown Fizz takes a fresh take on the Moscow mule, pairing Absolut Vodka with creme de cassis, ginger ale and lime. The Sussex Hotel's Executive Chef Anthony Ornelas has moved away from the pub classics of the lower-level kitchen, opting for a Mediterranean menu of bar snacks headlined by meze plates and kebabs. Dig into a chicken shawarma kebab or grilled swordfish skewers, or order a crowd-pleasing spread of share plates like spiced chicken wings, falafel with tahini, salted cod fritters with saffron aioli and crispy squid. "Despite the fact we're in the middle of a highly populated area the rooftop is surprisingly quiet and serene so we wanted to create a sanctum from the buzz of below," Sonenco Hotels Director Garry McGrath says. "We've been holding off opening for over a year but with the return of corporates to Barangaroo and the CBD and with more travellers and Sydneysiders enjoying our city, it feels like the right time to launch." The Sussex Rooftop is located at The Sussex Hotel, 20 Sussex Street, Sydney. It's open midday–10pm Tuesday–Wednesday, midday-midnight Thursday–Friday and 4pm–midnight Saturday. Images: Steven Woodburn
