Sydney isn't lacking Mexican joints — we've recently acquired a Chica Bonita in the CBD, Rosa Cienfuegos opened a permanent tamaleria in Dulwich Hill in 2018 and Carbón is pumping out some great bottomless taco brunches in Bondi. But, still, it's gotten yet another dose of unapologetic neon-lit Tex-Mex thanks to El Camino Cantina's fourth Sydney outpost, which has opened in Moore Park. El Camino already has spots in The Rocks, Manly and Cronulla — and now Brisbane and Melbourne, too — and is part of Rockpool Dining Group, which also owns Sake, Rosetta, Burger Project and, of course, Rockpool Bar & Grill. If you've been to the venue already, you'll know this casual dining venue is loud and filled with over-the-top with giant cocktails, rock 'n' roll jukeboxes, lively Tex-Mex fare. The new El Camino — which is located opposite Fratelli Fresh in the Entertainment Quarter — consists of a rowdy 220-seat neon-lit dining room, as well as an outdoor area that has room for another 130 to spill out around the restaurant. Slushie machines signal big nights and brain freezes. El Camino's margaritas come in multiple sizes and renditions, including a tropical Red Bull flavour, which really says it all. Other options include a host of beers from near and far, and a 100-plus collection of mezcals and tequilas. The food lineup is as fun and casual as the drinks. Think fiery buffalo wings, sizzling fajitas, plump burritos, soft shell tacos loaded with punchy flavour combinations and unlimited complimentary corn chips and salsas. It'll also have El Camino's signature specials, including $2 tacos on Tuesdays, ten-cent wings on Wednesdays and half-price fajitas on Thursdays. Given its location, it'll make a good option if you've got tickets to see Cirque du Soleil's new show at the Entertainment Quarter, or you're heading to a gig at the Hordern or maybe a game at the SCG.
There's only one thing better than a long, lazy brunch with free-flowing cocktails. And that's a brunch with free-flowing cocktails, plus spectacular Sydney Harbour views. The Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney's Altitude Restaurant now doing weekend brunch, with an extended, three-hour session on Sundays, so you can take your brunch game to the next level — literally. Located on the hotel's 36th floor, Altitude's brunch takes place every Saturday and Sunday. Book yourself a table and settle in for hours of endless food and drink. On Saturdays, you can opt for a two-hour sitting, from either 11am–1pm or 1.30–30pm. On Sundays, the brunch will run from 11.30am–2.30pm. Priced at $95 per person, the brunch includes food and as many bellinis and mimosas as you like. Or, if you'd prefer Veuve Clicquot, you can upgrade. In between sips, head to the buffet for mountains of fresh seafood, including Sydney Rock oysters and poached prawns, plus meats like mortadella, Berkshire ham and prosciutto. There's also a generous selection of breads, pastries, handcrafted local cheeses and honeycomb. On top of all that, you get an a la carte dish, too. Choose from smoked salmon with orange, chat potatoes and labneh or pancake soufflés with banana, cocoa, almond and ice cream. Come dessert time, you'll be heading back to the buffet for Anna's Sweet Garden, named after the hotel's executive pastry chef (and former guest judge on Masterchef Australia) Anna Polyviou. Here, you'll find a sugary heaven of lollipops, macarons, chocolates, banana bread, caramel slice and seasonal fruits. Altitude's brunch happens twice on Saturdays, from 11am–1pm and 1.30–3.30pm. On Sundays, you can indulge for three glorious hours, from 11.30am–2.30pm. To see the full menu and make a booking, head this way.
The Newtown General Store packs plenty into its single shopfront on the northern stretch of King Street. Shelves are lined with a curated edit of pantry staples, ceramics and low-intervention wines, while the counter turns out hefty, flavour-packed sandwiches that draw a steady local crowd. It's a decidedly casual and quality-driven operation, with Estrella Damm on tap, an all-Aussie wine list — with most available by the glass — and a $3 oyster happy hour from 4–6pm Tuesday through Saturday, and all day Sunday (until sold out). There's also a selection of stacked deli sandwiches on offer — including rotating specials by guest chefs from other Inner West venues — as well as tapas-style small plates and a selection of cheese and charcuterie. But that's only half the story. Slip past those shelves and you'll discover Huelo, a speakeasy‑style cocktail bar hidden upstairs (and, when the weather permits, in the courtyard out back). This intimate but lively watering hole takes its name from the Tongan word for 'sun rays', which is reflected in the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the space. The venue serves punchy, fruit-forward cocktails alongside a tight menu of Mediterranean-inspired bar snacks — and a late-night sandwich service running until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays, making it a top-tier spot to refuel after a gig, shift or spontaneous night out. Open late and walk-in only, this neighbourhood double-act is built for spontaneity — the kind of place you swing by for a snack and end up staying at well past sunset.
Summer in Sydney is always an amazing time for live music given the ridiculous number of bands that come out for Sydney Festival, Big Day Out, Laneway and more, as well as all those bands that are just here independent of a festival. We're totally spoiled for choice. And being able to see so many of the world's biggest bands in the same city at more or less the same time is a real treat. But there are so many great bands that aren't headlining anything, or whose tour announcements you simply haven't heard about thanks to Christmas madness and end-of-year planning. But lucky for you, we've been keeping our ear to the ground and have a put together a list of ten gigs that you should seriously consider selling a body part to get along to. If I could give one piece of advice to all of you about summer shows, it's this: get to the gig early and see the support band; they could be awful and you might wish you had your time back, but every now and again you will find yourself in a room with only a dozen people watching a scintillating set from a band that are clearly going places, and it's one of the most exciting feelings in the world. https://youtube.com/watch?v=1U3q9zgYaUA TALIB KWELI & DEAD PREZ Celebrate the new year in style with two absolute legends of hip hop. You might know Talib Kweli from the amazing album he made with Mos Def in the late '90s — Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star — but he has been making intelligent, insightful and lyrically rich music for almost two decades. Joining him on this massive double bill is Dead Prez, one of the most respected outfits in the history of the genre, who follow in the footsteps of Public Enemy, KRS-One and 2pac by using brilliant, banging tunes to address the impact of unthinking consumerism, rampant sexism and homophobia in hop hop. Their signature tune 'Hip Hop' is an incredible example of their fiercely intelligent art. Saturday, January 4; Metro Theatre; Tickets $49 https://youtube.com/watch?v=U6-3j4_bfIo ELODIE SABLIER If you have ever been walking around the Queen Victoria Building and heard a gentle cascade of piano music falling from the upper levels, you've already heard Sablier play. Born in France, she studied at world-famous conservatoires in Lyon and Paris before moving to Australia a few years ago, and her own compositions sit somewhere between old-world French Romanticism and a decidedly modern Australian attitude. If you find yourself burnt out by summer's heat, or perhaps just overstimulated from all the parties and sugar, this show will be an absolute oasis of calm and beauty. Wednesday, January 15; The Basement; Tickets $24.10-100.80 JAGWAR MA Following the release of their debut album Howlin' earlier in 2013, Jagwar Ma have been on some kind of rampage of touring across Europe, playing all the biggest festivals and establishing themselves as a live act that you simply have to see. Their last Australian shows were at Splendour in the Grass in July, but reports out of the northern hemisphere suggest that this band has gone to a whole other level in just a few short months. And summer in Sydney is the perfect setting for their highly danceable tunes, full of great grooves and an irresistible energy. Friday, January 17; Metro Theatre; Tickets $33.70 BIG STAR'S THIRD Third has become one of the most important and influential records in history, described by Peter Buck from REM as "a Rosetta Stone for a whole generation" — which becomes clear when you look at the amazing lineup of guest musicians that have signed on to perform this tribute as part of Sydney Festival. The 'house band' is pretty amazing, including Big Star's original drummer Jody Stephens, Mike Mills from REM and Ken Stringfellow from The Posies. Joining these motley all-stars will be vocalists such as Sydney Festival headliners Cat Power, Kurt Vile and Edwyn Collins, as well as local legends Tim Rogers from You Am I, Kim Salmon and Dave Faulkner from Hoodoo Gurus. Thursday, January 23; Enmore Theatre; Tikets $71-89 https://youtube.com/watch?v=fSVwJyxeVYI TORO Y MOI & PORTUGAL. THE MAN A killer double-bill of artists on the Big Day Out lineup which will be a fascinating, energetic mishmash of styles. Toro Y Moi is one of the leaders of the whole 'chillwave' thing, his live shows nothing but joyous, summery good times. But whatever you do, don't miss Portugal. The Man. Portugal are like the best covers band in the world; it sounds like music you've always loved but with a new kinda kick to it. They are gradually picking up a following in Australia after touring here a few times in the last couple of years, and you'd be crazy not to get down early to catch them. Wednesday, January 29; The HiFi; Tickets $55 EARL SWEATSHIRT & DANNY BROWN & RUN THE JEWELS An absolute monster of a lineup and a special treat for anyone who missed out on Laneway tickets, with three of 2013's hottest hip hop acts set to tear the roof off the Enmore. Earl Sweatshirt came into the spotlight as part of the Odd Future crew but missed much of the group's huge first year of tours and releases, and no one knew quite why — was he in prison? At boarding school in Samoa? At a military academy? Whatever it was, Earl has been making up for lost time with his debut album, Doris, both a critical and commercial smash hit, and featuring on countless end-of-year lists. Danny Brown also had a big year with the release of his third album, Old, a throwback album that wears its love for old-school hip hop proudly on its sleeve, while Run the Jewels is a new name, but the two names behind it are anything but: El-P and Killer Mike. Tuesday, February 4; Enmore Theatre; Tickets $69.95 OLIVER TANK Sydney boy Oliver Tank has been absolutely killing it in the past couple of years since winning FBi Radio's Northern Lights competition in 2011, which saw him fly to Iceland to perform his first overseas show. Comparisons to Bon Iver and James Blake were perhaps inevitable, and to a certain extent Tank exists in that same broad 'electronica with emotions' sub-genre that those two artists dabble in. But Tank's electronica goes far deeper than a passing association to create intricate, densely layered music that has more in common with Boards of Canada or Jon Hopkins. Saturday, February 15; Metro Theatre; Tickets $17 https://youtube.com/watch?v=n7UeGBULQ7Y OKKERVIL RIVER Is there a better songwriter in the world than Okkervil River's Will Sheff? There might be a few his equal, but surely no one surpasses his wit, his emotion and his way with words — it's not unfair to suggest that Sheff is almost more a prose writer whose work is then set to music, rather than a musician writing lyrics specifically for a song. (Lines like "When I've been fixed I am convinced that I will not get so broke up again", from 'Unless Its Kicks', just amaze me every time I hear them.) They really are a wonderful band, and I can't wait to see them in a room as small as Oxford Art Factory. Friday, February 21; Oxford Art Factory; Tickets $52 JURASSIC 5 I've been dreaming of this moment for years, but I don't know that I ever truly believed it would happen. But one of the most-beloved hip hop ensembles of all time are reuniting to return to Australia six years after their breakup. With four MCs and two DJs (including the wonderful, world-famous Cut Chemist) the ensemble is incredibly versatile, and their chemistry and the speed of their overlapping wordplay gives the impression of one single, unified organism rather than a series of individuals. Combining incredible lyricism with huge party tunes (like 'What's Golden', 'Quality Control' and 'Concrete Schoolyard'), there ain't no party like a J5 party. Wednesday, March 19; Enmore Theatre; Tickets $89.90 https://youtube.com/watch?v=unNa-9qGkfI NEKO CASE So I know that March isn't technically summer, but you're mad if you think I'm leaving the incredible Neko Case off this list. If you have never heard her before, you are missing out on one of the great singer-songwriters of our time. With a voice as clear as a bell and a knack for writing gorgeous, emotionally rich songs, Case has released one amazing album after another. Her latest, The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You, could well be her best. Monday, March 3; Sydney Opera House; Tikets $50-70
Getting your collective sweat on in a Pilates, yoga, or reformer class is one of the best ways to feel good—but turning up the heat and making it a hot one? Now, that's the 2025 energy we need. Luckily for us, beloved Pilates and yoga studio CorePlus has finally opened its first Sydney outpost in Darlinghurst. To celebrate, they're gifting you your first class for free. With over 30 studios across Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia, CorePlus prides itself on offering a diverse range of classes led by dedicated instructors. The studio is all about inclusivity, community, mindfulness, and movement. You can choose from three heated mat Pilates classes (Hot Mat, Hot Strength, and Hot Strength Cardio), three yoga variations (Hot Yoga Flow, Warm Slow Flow, and Warm Yin Yoga), and four reformer class styles (Athletic, Strength, Cardio, and Pre and Postnatal). To redeem your free first class, download the CorePlus app for free and use code CONCRETEPLAYGROUND on your booking before Thursday, July 31. By Elise Cullen
After almost a year of redevelopment and upgrades, The Oaks is finished. After opening its new pop culture-heavy sports bar Taffy's back in September, the historic Neutral Bay site has just revealed the final stage of its multimillion-dollar makeover — and it's a pretty important piece of the puzzle. This week, the venue has opened the doors to a cellar door and bottle shop, a takeaway kitchen and garden conservatory bar Alala's. Together, the changes mark the biggest redevelopment in The pub's 133-year history. Named after Alala Thomas — matriarch of the pub's third-generation family owners — bar and eatery Alala's takes its cues from a French country cottage. Taking pride of place in the venue is a cast iron oven is turning out roasted meats, vegetables and hot breads. The space is a surprisingly elegant addition to the well-worn watering hole, featuring natural light aplenty, walls of art and a bar pouring cocktails such as the white negroni with gin, Suze (a French liqueur made from gentian root) and Lillet. Seats spill out onto a new back terrace, where you can pull up a leafy spot under the famed 80-year-old oak tree. This has more of a cafe feel — you can kick back with coffee and fresh pastries from 10am each morning — and has its own entrance from Ben Boyd Road. A nod to contemporary picnic fare, the food lineup features a range of tartines — a fancy way of saying open sandwiches — starring toppings like blue mackerel with chermoula and fresh figs with honey and goat's cheese. Fresh scallops are served on the shell with finger lime, chorizo spice and lobster oil, while rotisserie cauliflower comes sided with pumpkin hummus, mojo verde and ras el hanout. Head down the hallway and you'll find the new Oaks Bottle Shop, complete with communal tasting table where you can sample drops fresh from the taps, before you decide what you're taking home. Meanwhile, a new rotisserie has appetites sorted with a range of hot roast rolls on offer till 1am — including the pork belly porchetta with salsa verde and the spiced cauliflower and pumpkin hummus number. Much like The Paddington's offering on Oxford Street, there's a selection of grab and go dinner options, like a whole rotisserie chook and crunchy rosemary potatoes. The pub's upper levels scored their own makeover back in 2016, reimagined as The Oaks Upstairs. Alala's, Taffy's and The Oaks Bottle Shop and Takeaway are now open at The Oaks, 118 Military Road, Neutral Bay. Images: Madeleine Ryan, Papaya.
Almost two months has passed since Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness first hit Netflix, sparking a worldwide obsession with Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin and the duo's strange intertwined story. Over that time, Tiger King-related news has just kept coming, including details about competing dramatised series — one with Kate McKinnon as Baskin, another with Nicolas Cage as Exotic. And now, in a hardly surprising development, another season of the Tiger King docuseries is also reportedly on the way. As revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix is reteaming with the filmmakers behind the popular documentary. This time, though, they're turning their attention to a different big cat-related tale. Audiences are already going to be hearing about Joe Exotic and his blonde mullet in various guises for years and years to come, so the next Tiger King series will focus elsewhere: on the 2003 mauling attack at a Siegfried and Roy show. The incident happened in Las Vegas on Roy Horn's birthday, when a seven-year-old white tiger named Montecore attacked Roy during a performance. It left the magician and entertainer with permanent injuries, with the tiger biting his neck and dragging him off stage. The news comes just days after Horn passed away on May 8 at the age of 75. [caption id="attachment_770551" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Carol M Highsmith via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] No firm details have been announced by Netflix as yet, so when more Tiger King might hit your streaming queue isn't yet known. And yes, it's likely that wild documentaries about tigers, as well as other big cats and exotic animals, will become the next big viewing trend. Via The Hollywood Reporter. Top image: Netflix.
UK garage superstar Sammy Virji is turning things up in Australia, following the announcement of his largest-ever tour on our shores with the reveal of a landmark performance at the Sydney Opera House. Taking over the revered stage on Monday, March 9, it marks the premiere of his debut live show, pairing an electrifying experience with an iconic venue. Tailor-made for the SOH, this milestone sees Virji step beyond the DJ booth into a one-of-a-kind live environment for the first time. [caption id="attachment_999595" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Underworld at Sydney Opera House.[/caption] Bringing infectious energy with his boundary-pushing selections, Virji has been on quite a roll in recent times with the release of his second album, Same Day Cleaning. Crowning his monumental rise to the top of the UKG scene, Virji has also collabed with the likes of Chris Lake, Skepta, Flowdan and Giggs as his global profile continues to soar. With virtually no stage in Australia more significant than the Sydney Opera House, be among the first to experience Sammy Virji's live show, where high-energy, club-first tunes make history for one night only. Tickets are on sale from 12pm on Friday, January 30 — presale registration is now open. [caption id="attachment_871453" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Flaming Lips at Sydney Opera House.[/caption]
Hall Street really has it all. The bustling Bondi Street adds to its string of recent new openings, with Henrietta, the beloved Middle Eastern charcoal chicken chain, setting up shop just in time for the summer. Henrietta has already won over hearts in Surry Hills and Parramatta with its smoky flavours and fresh ingredients, and with its healthy food and feel-good energy, it's sure to be an easy fit for Bondi. Ibrahim Moubadder, Co-founder of ESCA Group, says, "Bondi has always been a natural fit for Henrietta; we've just been waiting for the right location. Now we've found it, right in the heart of Hall Street. Henrietta is approachable and the menu is vibrant, fresh and delicious; perfect for the Bondi lifestyle. We can't wait to bring a taste of Henrietta beachside." Henrietta's hero is its charcoal chicken, which has been amped up with a new secret 24-hour marinade, that Executive Chef Ibrahim Kasif says, "really celebrates the flavour of the charcoal. It's all about honouring simplicity and elevating it with craft." Alongside the charry chicken, Kasif showcases Lebanese cuisine with Aussie flair, with an array of mezze, salads, bowls, sides, wraps and burgers. Start with their renowned hummus, smoky baba ganoush, and fresh cucumber labneh, all mopped up with Lebanese bread. Snack on eggplant fatteh, kibbe nayyeh, crisp falafel, fattoush salad and barbecued corn with Aleppo butter and shanklish cheese. For mains, alongside the mandatory charcoal chicken, there's also lamb kofta, and lamb or chicken shish skewers, accompanied by cous cous with za'atar roast beetroot, cauliflower with tahini, lentil Mujadara rice and plenty of other salads and vegetables. You can also get your chicken in a wrap, or try it fried in a burger with slaw and chilli sauce. Suited for the Bondi audience, Kasif has introduced a paleo bowl, with chicken breast, kale, spinach, sweet potato, broccoli, pickled zucchini and cranberries. He says, "Our new range of salads are vibrant and healthy, designed to balance the richness of the charcoal and make the table feel abundant; they might even steal the show!" Images: Supplied.
Here we are, about to farewell 2013 and broach the year we're tentatively calling '2014'. On the one hand, how did it go by so fast? On the other hand, we had to debate whether Silver Linings Playbook came out this year or back in the Cretacious period because it was definitely forever ago. That's right, we've come to end-of-year list time, that fraught period of reflection and ranking stuff. Concrete Playground Sydney's editors and writers have weighed in with their favourite five picks across bars, restaurants, music, art, theatre and movies. We hope it sends some kudos to the people who fed, watered and entertained us all year. How'd we go? Bars & Restaurants Bars & restaurants - Eloise Basuki, Food & Drink Editor Mr Wong Step into Colonial China at Merivale's two-level Cantonese food palace. A few words of advice: get there early and don't forget to order the pork hock. Chinese Noodle Restaurant Crazy decor and sharp service aside, this sardine-tin restaurant has some of the best (and cheapest) fried dumplings and handmade noodles in Sydney. Lobo Plantation With more rum than you can throw a coconut at, this cool underground Caribbean watering hole is a must-visit for a cocktail or three. Shenkin A favourite spot for breakfast club gatherings (the shakshuka is unreal) or a quick lunchtime bite. Order one of their wraps and I promise you won't be leaving hungry. Mary's This year, Newtown got a healthy dose of cheeseburger. With an excellent beer to beard ratio, it's a cool and trendy spot for dinner with friends. Top Five Bars - Jack Arthur Smith, Writer Bulletin Place My absolute favourite little bar complete with expert table service, an ever-changing cocktail list (heaven) and a suitably hidden away location that just the right amount of people know about. The Barber Shop You've got to have some mystery in life and the sliding door separating plain white barber shop and dark, warehouse-style bar is delicious — almost as delicious as the Martini you can have with a haircut. Lobo Plantation Another CBD treasure, this sugar-sweet hangout might get packed pretty quickly, but if you can nab yourselves some seats, with enough friends to guard 'em, a good time is guaranteed. The Gay Bar There’s nothing better than a good boogie, especially when the party continues across all floors. Plus, there's enough space to actually get served and the tunes are hot. The Hide This very, very newbie on the Sydney scene above the Flinders is probably one of the coolest additions to the area in a long time. All you need to know is it serves good food and it's open until late. Very late. Top Five Restaurants - Jack Arthur Smith, Writer Foley Lane This absolute gem serves delicious tapas, employs staff with a thorough understanding of all things booze and finally gives Taylor Square something to be proud of again. Cafe del Mar Not the biggest fan of Darling Harbour but damn Cafe del Mar knows how to feed you, look fabulous and fix a drink. The hosts also look stunning in their Camillas. The Sailors Club When the sun's out in Rose Bay, The Sailors Club is a colourful oasis of fresh food, innovative desserts and buzzing atmosphere like no other in the area. Can't go wrong here on a summer Sunday. Mary's Genuinely delicious burgers, cold beer and shots of Jack Daniels in Newtown? Probably one of the most obvious no-brainers. Apollo If you can grab yourself a table at the bar, there really is nothing better than sharing a bottle of fizzy pink and tearing into the lamb here. Theatre Top Five Shows - Jessica Keath, Writer Small and Tired (Belvoir) Kit Brookman's Small and Tired was my favourite show of the year. A bonsai version of the Orestia, with a superb performance from Luke Mullins, it was detailed, heartbreaking stuff. Secret River (STC) Andrew Bovell's adaptation of Kate Grenville's The Secret River was the sort of main stage triumph that STC can justify its existence with. A large, talented cast brought the seminal piece of Australian fiction to life and Bruce Spence made a memorable appearance as a kangaroo. Mrs Warren's Profession (STC) Sarah Giles' deluxe production of George Bernard Shaw's 1893 morality play was proof that Helen Thomson is the best goddam actor in Sydney. The Light Box (Fat Boy Dancing/we do not unhappen) This production makes the top five mainly because of a charismatic toucan costume fashioned by designer Dylan Tonkin. Natalia Savvides' mesmerising script and James Dalton's forensic direction also contributed. Stories I want to Tell you in Person (Belvoir) Belvoir commissioned Lally Katz to write a play, which she didn’t quite manage, so instead she did a piece of effervescent stand-up featuring her famous apocalypse bear and it was hilarious. Top Five Shows - Rima Sabina Aouf, Editor-in-chief Angels in America (Belvoir) It went for seven hours, so my deep love for Angels in America is part critical esteem, part Stockholm syndrome. The Secret River (STC) Every nation tells itself stories. It means something that this large-hearted, unflinching historical fiction is now one of ours. This Heaven (Belvoir) The full-length debut from Sydney playwright Nakkiah Lui gripped, entertained and made this complacent, bourgeois reviewer feel that rioting was a good move. Little Mercy (Sisters Grimm/STC) This is the year Sydney stole 'trash-tastic' DIY group Sisters Grimm off of Melbourne. Their stuff is joy and impudence, bottled. The Light Box (Fat Boy Dancing/we do not unhappen) I almost didn't include this on my list because my partner worked on it. But so did many talented young theatre makers, and it was just wow. Art Top Five Art Exhibitions - Rebecca Speer, Art Editor JANIS II An ongoing initiative dedicated to promoting the work of female artists, curators and writers, JANIS II thrilled us with an exceptionally talented power cabal of women. Tracey Moffatt at Roslyn Oxley Moffatt reminded us that she's an artist at the top of her game with five new series of visually spectacular photographic works. Sydney Moderns If there was a 'visitor's choice' award for exhibitions, this all-star show looking at Sydney in the '20s and '30s would have taken it out. Sydney Contemporary Our newest and biggest art fair started with a bang, attracting many of Australia's top galleries in a whirlwind weekend of art, air kissing and champagne. Yoko The diminutive star flew Down Under to open War is Over! (if you want it), an exhibition filled with wonderful conceptual art and a decent serving of peace and love. Top Five Art Exhibitions - Lauren Carroll Harris, Writer Project Home, Abdul and Abdul-Ramahn Abdullah, Underbelly Arts Festival With their meditation on the nature of contemporary Australian-Muslim identity, these brothers showed that even in this super media age, beautiful paintings can still be staggering. Bingo Unit - Team Mess Audiences traipsed around a fake backlot for a fake cop show, as all the usual TV conventions unravelled: the UV lights on fingerprints, the crim lineup, the chase scene, the post-mortem dissection. Many artworks profess to crucially involve the viewer, but this one succeeded. Ryoji Ikeda's Test Pattern No [5] Ambitious and minimalist, austerely conceptual yet accessible, massively scaled yet deeply intimate, Test Pattern No [5] appealed to kids and adults, artists and audiences alike, like an installation art version of 2001: A Space Odyssey. 13 Rooms, Kaldor Public Projects The true blockbuster of 2013, a year when performance art busted into the Gaga mainstream, 13 Rooms' exhibition of 'living sculptures' showed that contemporary art can be big, exciting and accessible to a broad audience. Ben Quilty, After Aghanistan, National Art School Gallery Politically fraught but visually and emotionally compelling, Quilty's melting pastels showed us mauled fighter vehicles, black-holes in the desert, and a non-stoic side of traumatised soldiers we scarcely ever see. Movies Top Five Movies - Rima Sabina Aouf, Editor-in-Chief Silver Linings Playbook Forget American Hustle; this January release was David O'Russell's big 2013 success. Not only is it funny and moving, it's a sensitive, generous portrayal of mental illness that means a lot to many people. The Act of Killing Your jaw just drops further and further with every minute of this documentary about the 1965-66 Indonesian genocide and the ongoing exaltation of its perpetrators. Upstream Color There is no filmmaker quite like Shane Carruth, and there is no forgetting the experience of watching Upstream Color, wondering what the fuck is happening and then letting go and running with it. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire It kicks so much arse. Short Term 12 The best Boxing Day release you've probably never heard of, Short Term 12 will make you feel all the feelings. Top Five Movies - Tom Glasson, Writer We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks A surprisingly sensitive inquiry into Wikileaks and the two men responsible for its overnight infamy. Complex and impressively even-handed, it's also far more compelling than last month's The Fifth Estate. Zero Dark Thirty People often forget (or simply don't realise) that Kathryn Bigelow directed Point Break. Fact is, she's arguably the best director of action right now, and Zero Dark Thirty was a sublime example, combining heart-pumping combat with deeply personal drama. Red Obsession Rightly described as a 'wine thriller', this documentary offered an enthralling, passionate and consistently amusing perspective on the extraordinary price boom of 2011, followed by its equally dramatic crash and China's growing obsession for the iconic Bordeaux reds. Moonrise Kingdom Perhaps the darkest of the Wes Anderson oeuvre, Moonrise Kingdom is also somehow his most romantic. Quirky, whimsical and wickedly funny, it's a delightful tale of young, forbidden love. The Gatekeepers Like the Shin Bet agents it scrutinised, this gripping documentary grabbed you by the throat from the opening scene and never let go. A remarkable and candid examination of one of the world's most secretive organisations. Top Five Movies - Lauren Carroll Harris, Writer Mystery Road Both bleakly beautiful and staunchly optimistic, and with an Indigenous cultural perspective that's rarely represented in the mainstream, I'm convinced that we'll look back on it as something important in Australian cinema. The Great Gatsby Luhrmann’s 21st-century bastard iteration of the sham-American-dream classic made me cry like a small child. I don't care how uncool it is to admit — this was the first version that made me feel the true tragedy of Gatsby (a perfect, shiny-eyed Leo DiCaprio) and Daisy's predicament. Behind the Candelabra Steven Soderbergh went beyond the cliches of both a 'gay film' and a biopic to deliver touching, if typically unsentimental, twin portraits: one, a dysfunctional, tragic relationship, and the other, a destructive American addiction to consumerism and celebrity. The Act of Killing A film that changed the documentary genre and terrified and transfixed audiences more than any fiction could. If it helps the victims of Indonesian war crimes achieve justice, it may even be one of the most effective documentaries. Top of the Lake Challenging, gorgeously shot, with difficult characters and deft observations of crimes against women and the relationship between childhood and adulthood — it had everything I expect from great film. It counts. *Tom and Rima would like to go on record with the actual no.1 film they've seen this year, Spike Jonze's Her. Unfortunately, it's not out till January 16. Look for it then, and on our 2014 lists. Music Top Five Albums - Matthew Watson, Writer Days Are Gone – HAIM Best album of 2013, hands down. Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Haim for giving the world your excellent daughters. Steal The Light – The Cat Empire A fine return to form for Australia's most popular animal inspired band. When The Night – St. Lucia If you saw anybody dancing or smiling in 2013 whilst listening to music, chances are this was the album they were experiencing. Sunday Gentlemen – Spit Syndicate There were far too many Aussie hip-hop contenders for a spot on this list but Spit Syndicate claims the glory with an album perfect for every Sunday barbeque I've hosted this year. This Is…Icona Pop – Icona Pop This is the soundtrack for quitting your job, finding yourself halfway across the world and never growing up. Top Five Songs - Matthew Watson, Writer The Wire - HAIM Choosing my top five songs of the year was tough; choosing one was simple. ‘The Wire’ is hands down the best song of the year and I cannot wait to lose my HAIMginity when I see them perform at Laneway. Pompeii - Bastille We learnt a brand new way to pronounce ‘close your eyes’ and a defining moment in history got the anthem it deserved. Let Go – RAC The greatest house party track released this year. Fact. A World Alone – Lorde A mesmerising melody to accompany late night philosophising. Riptide – Vance Joy This is the ukulele hit of 2013 (I assume; I must admit uke doesn’t feature prominently on my iTunes library). Events Top Five Sydney Events - Rima Sabina Aouf, Editor-in-Chief Golden Age Cinema & Bar opens Credit where credit's due; Right Angle Studios and the Brothers Barton have given Sydney a precious place to hang out, eat sundaes and watch exclusive films. 13 Rooms People queued, profusely, to see performance art. Stranger things have basically not happened. Underbelly Arts The finest and funnest day out on Cockatoo Island. Sydney Film Festival Hub The cherry on the top of a strong festival generally. Opera on the Harbour Tickets are exxy, but it's the most spectacular and well-run outdoor event in Sydney.
Early in The Super Mario Bros Movie, pop culture's go-to red-capped plumber (Chris Pratt, Thor: Love and Thunder) sits down to dinner with his brother Luigi (Charlie Day, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and the rest of their family. Pasta is on offer for the Italian American brood, but it comes with something that the Nintendo favourite and gaming mainstay since 1981's first-ever Donkey Kong title quickly advises that he hates: mushrooms. Fans know that more fungi are in his future. In this animated take on the beloved character, his sibling, and their pals and adversaries, a trip to the Mushroom Kingdom is inevitable. And, while there, Mario will meet Toad — a pint-sized humanoid with a toadstool for a head, who is part of a whole race of such folks also called Toads. From the titular brothers through to Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy, The Menu), the fire-breathing Bowser (Jack Black, Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood) and even big gorilla Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen, The Fabelmans), The Super Mario Bros Movie stacks together the bulk of the gaming franchise's best-known figures — and Toad is one of them. It also assembles an impressive voice cast to help bring its players to life, including Keegan-Michael Key as its main mushroom man. Here, the actor and sketch-comedy great's tones prove as elastic as his face and limbs long have, especially in iconic skit series Key & Peele. How do you voice a diminutive critter who is as perky as he is tiny? Someone who Key likens to a golden retriever? With ample energy, as The Super Mario Bros Movie's viewers hear. While fellow Key & Peele namesake Jordan Peele followed up that five-season 2012–15 show with a jump behind the lens, helming Get Out, Us and Nope — and earning an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the former — Key has remained a constant on-screen. The pair also share Fargo, Keanu, Toy Story 4 and Wendell & Wild on their resumes, teaming up in front of the lens or through voice work on all four; however, Key's list of credits spans everything from Parks and Recreation and Schmigadoon! to The Predator and Dolemite Is My Name. He's broken out his vocal talents in Archer and Bob's Burgers, too, and in the photorealistic version of The Lion King as well. But signing on for The Super Mario Bros Movie couldn't have been an easier choice for the OG Donkey Kong aficionado. That instant enthusiasm comes through in a perky, peppy performance — a voice that's squeakier than viewers are used to from Key, but slides easily into a career that keeps bounding in every on-screen direction possible. During his Key & Peele days, he brought audiences President Obama's anger translator Luther, substitute teacher Mr Garvey and his creative pronunciations, a "Liam Neesons"-loving valet, one of the brilliant 'Aerobics Meltdown' sketch's fierce lycra-clad competitors and more. Of course he's been bouncing here, there and everywhere since. With The Super Mario Bros Movie now in cinemas, Concrete Playground chatted with Key about jumping at the part, finding his Toad voice, preparing for the part, drawing upon his improv background and what he looks for in a role. ON TURNING DONKEY KONG FANDOM INTO A SUPER MARIO BROS ROLE Do you need to be a Super Mario Bros fan to press start on being in one of the game's leaps to the screen? Bob Hoskins, who played the titular character in 1993's live-action movie, famously wasn't. But Key was — and instantly said yes to being involved in the second film bringing Mario and the game's characters to cinemas. "I was a fan of Super Mario, or Mario Bros in the beginning, from Donkey Kong. I was a big Donkey Kong fan way back in the day," Key advises. "So when they approached me and asked me to do Toad, I was like 'I'd be more than happy. I don't even need to see the script! I'm happy. I'm in. I'm your guy. Whatever you want, whatever you need, I'm your guy'." ON FINDING THE RIGHT VOICE FOR TOAD While Key sits among The Super Mario Bros Movie's well-known names, his vocal work stands out from Pratt, Day, Taylor-Joy, Black, Rogan and company. Listen to Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser and DK, viewers immediately recognise the actor behind them. That isn't the case with Toad and Key. "What I did is, I was impersonating a friend of mine and trying to get his vocal patterns and vocal rhythms. And I brought that to the table, and then the directors [Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic] and I both worked on the pitch, and trying to find where the right pitch would be — and if I could get the voice higher and higher, then higher and higher," Key notes. "And I finally got him some place up here [Key's voice gets higher], until we then got him even higher than that [Key's voice returns to its usual pitch]. Then, mostly the biggest trick was trying to figure out how to maintain that voice while I was in the booth — because sometimes you'd be in the booth for three-to-six hours, and you're trying to figure out how do you maintain that." "So I would just pretend I was — you know, I'm like: 'what would it be like if I was sucking on a helium balloon? How do I make my voice sound like that?'. And then I'm like: 'what else can I do? I don't know — wear tight pants? I'll wear tight pants!'. Anything to keep that voice at that high register." ON PREPARING FOR PLAYING A HUMANOID WITH A MUSHROOM FOR A HEAD The Super Mario Bros Movie starts in reality — animated reality, but in Brooklyn. Here, there aren't mushrooms as far as the eye can see, or coin blocks, or rainbow roads to race on Mario Kart-style. And there definitely aren't mushroom men like Toad. All it takes is a warp pipe to transport Mario and Luigi into the realm seen in Nintendo games for four decades now. That's where Toad comes in. Asked how you prepare for such a part — playing a toadstool-topped humanoid, specifically — Key is all about creativity and being upbeat (and one of humanity's favourite pets). "I think it's just making sure that you're sparking your imagination on any given day. Because what I did — I knew what Toad looked like, but I would just sometimes look at pictures of him and just go 'what am I getting from this picture? What am I getting about how I can portray this?'," he says. "There's something about him that's snappy and positive. He's also like a mushroom-man version of a golden retriever. I wanted him to have that kind of sensibility when I portrayed him." ON DRAWING UPON HIS SKETCH-COMEDY BACKGROUND In the sketch-comedy game, Key is a legend. Before Key & Peele, he spent six seasons on Mad TV, too, also often opposite Peele. And, prior to that, he's among the long list of comedy names to have come through improv troupe The Second City — as Peele also did, and Bill Murray, Mike Myers, Catherine O'Hara, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as well. That background came in handy with The Super Mario Bros Movie, including getting into character. "I did get to improvise. I got to improvise quite a bit. A lot of it ended up on the cutting-room floor, but I like to use the improvisation to get into the spirit of it more than anything else," Key explains. "Sometimes I would just improvise right before the line and then jump into the line, and that would give the line the feeling I wanted it to have, the sense and the spirit that I wanted it to have." "Sometimes, you can just use improvisation in that way and it still helps." [caption id="attachment_896345" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] ON WHAT HE LOOKS FOR IN A PART Key's time on-screen dates back a couple of decades, including a one-episode stint in ER in 2001, plus 00s roles in Role Models and Due Date. What appeals to him now, after Pitch Perfect 2, Tomorrowland, Win It All and The Disaster Artist as well, and also Friends From College, Veep, No Activity and Reboot? Movies and TV shows that stand out. "I look for something in the project that's a little different. Something that catches my eye is always going to be something that I've never seen before. So, if you take a project like Schmigadoon!, I go 'oh god, I've never seen anything like that — if they're interested in me doing that, I want to do that'," Key says. "And the same thing with Super Mario Bros. I figured it would make a lot of sense — I understand what the movie looked like in 1993, when they made the live-action one, but I'm like 'what would it look like if it were this animated movie with the technology that we have today to make animation?'. I thought 'this thing's going to look amazing'." "So I try to jump onboard things that have a little twist to them — some kind of fun, clever twist that makes them different than whatever your run-of-the-mill project might be." The Super Mario Bros Movie released in cinemas Down Under on Wednesday, April 5. Read our full review.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. 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, including new releases, 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. SHE SAID Questions flow freely in She Said, the powerful and methodical All the President's Men and Spotlight-style newspaper drama that tells the story behind the past decade's biggest entertainment story. On-screen, Zoe Kazan (Clickbait) and Carey Mulligan (The Dig) tend to be doing the asking, playing now Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey. They query Harvey Weinstein's actions, including his treatment of women. They gently and respectfully press actors and Miramax employees about their traumatic dealings with the Hollywood honcho, and they politely see if some — if any — will go on the record about their experiences. And, they question Weinstein and others at his studio about accusations that'll lead to this famous headline: "Harvey Weinstein Paid Off Sexual Harassment Accusers for Decades". As the entire world read at the time, those nine words were published on October 5, 2017, along with the distressing article that detailed some — but definitely not all — of Weinstein's behaviour. Everyone has witnessed the fallout, too, with Kantor and Twohey's story helping spark the #MeToo movement, electrifying the ongoing fight against sexual assault and gender inequality in the entertainment industry, and shining a spotlight on the gross misuses of authority that have long plagued Tinseltown. The piece also brought about Weinstein's swift downfall. As well as being sentenced to 23 years in prison in New York in 2020, he's currently standing trial for further charges in Los Angeles. Watching She Said, however, more questions spring for the audience. Here's the biggest heartbreaker: how easily could Kantor and Twohey's article never have come to fruition at all, leaving Weinstein free to continue his predatory harassment? In a female-driven movie on- and off-screen — including director Maria Schrader (I'm Your Man), screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz (Small Axe) and cinematographer Natasha Braier (Honey Boy) — She Said details all the moments where the pivotal piece of reporting could've been forced to take no for an answer, something that Weinstein wasn't known for. At the NYT, assistant managing editor Rebecca Corbett (Patricia Clarkson, Sharp Objects) and executive editor Dean Baquet (Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine) are always supportive, starting when Kantor picks up the story, and continuing when she brings in Twohey fresh off an investigative article into Donald Trump's sexual misconduct. But, unsurprisingly, the women made victims by Weinstein are wary. Many also signed non-disclosure agreements. Kantor and Twohey's pitch: by speaking out and ideally going on the record, they can assist in ensuring that what they endured doesn't happen to anyone else. Knowing the end result, and the whole reason that She Said exists, doesn't dampen the film's potency or tension. Instead, it heightens the appreciation for the bravery of those who spoke out — at first and afterwards — and the care with which Kantor and Twohey handled their task. The two reporters knew that they were asking women to revisit their darkest traumas, make their worst ordeals public and take on a man who'd been untouchable for decades (with the spate of NDAs and settlements with many of his targets to prove it). Even Rose McGowan (voiced by The Plot Against America's Keilly McQuail) is hesitant; she's mentioned but not quoted in the final piece. Persevering to bring Weinstein's crimes to attention, Kantor and Twohey keep digging, and keep trying to persuade their potential interviewees — and She Said doubles as a lesson in compassionately and respectfully doing just that. Read our full review. BARDO, FALSE CHRONICLE OF A HANDFUL OF TRUTHS Everyone wants to be the person at the party that the dance floor revolves around, and life in general as well, or so Alejandro González Iñárritu contends in Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths. In one of the film's many spectacularly shot scenes — with the dual Best Director Oscar-winning Birdman and The Revenant helmer benefiting from astonishing lensing by Armageddon Time cinematographer Darius Khondji — the camera swirls and twirls around Silverio Gama (Daniel Giménez Cacho, Memoria), the movie's protagonist, making him the only person that matters in a heaving crowd. Isolated vocals from David Bowie's 'Let's Dance' boom, and with all the more power without music behind them, echoing as if they're only singing to Silverio. Iñárritu is right: everyone does want a moment like this. Amid the intoxicating visuals and vibe, he's also right that such instances are fleeting. And, across his sprawling and surreal 159-minute flick, he's right that such basking glory and lose-yourself-to-dance bliss can never be as fulfilling as anyone wants. That sequence comes partway through Bardo, one of several that stun through sheer beauty and atmosphere, and that Iñárritu layers with the disappointment of being himself. Everyone wants to be the filmmaker with all the fame and success, breaking records, winning prestigious awards and conquering Hollywood, he also contends. Alas, when you're this Mexican director, that isn't as joyous or uncomplicated an experience as it sounds. On-screen, his blatant alter ego is a feted documentarian rather than a helmer of prized fiction. He's a rare Latino recipient of a coveted accolade, one of Bardo's anchoring events. He's known to make ambitious works with hefty titles — False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths is both the IRL movie's subtitle and the name of Silverio's last project — and he's been largely based in the US for decades. Yes, parallels abound. While dubbing Bardo as semi-autobiographical is one of the easiest ways to describe it, simplicity isn't one of its truths, even if the film champions the small things in life as existential essentials. Another easy way to outline Bardo: Silverio faces his choices, regrets and achievements as that shiny trophy looms, and ponders where his career has taken him, who it's made him and what that all means to him. From the filmmaker who first earned attention for telling narratives in a fractured, multi-part fashion (see: his debut Amores Perros, plus 21 Grams and Babel), and lately has loved roving and roaming cinematography that unfurls in the lengthiest of takes (see: Birdman and The Revenant), this was never going to be a straightforward affair, though. And so he weaves and wanders, and has the silver-haired Silverio do the same, while weighing up what's brought them both to this point. Bardo opens by visibly recalling Birdman, with a bounding force casting a shadow upon an arid land, but it's an early glimpse at a house from above that encapsulates Iñárritu's approach best. The home initially resembles a miniature, which Silverio then flits through — and, given its lead often segues between places and times like he's stepping through a doorway, the movie functions in the same manner. Sometimes, he's in a hospital corridor as his wife Lucía (Griselda Siciliani, The People Upstairs) gives birth to a baby boy who whispers that the world is too broken for him to want to live in, and is then pushed back into the womb. Or, he's picturing how a big TV interview with a bitter ex-colleague could go wrong, or shrinking down to childhood size to chat with his deceased father. Sometimes, Silverio is in Los Angeles holding a bag of axolotls, or striding through Mexico City streets that are empty except for corpses. Read our full review. GREENHOUSE BY JOOST When Joost Bakker helped pile 3000 kilograms of clothing waste in Melbourne's Federation Square in April 2022, all to draw attention to fast fashion, he viewed the project with his usual optimism. "Even if it's just one person who walks through that structure and gets inspired and comes up with a solution — that's what's so exciting," the renowned zero-waste campaigner noted. Those exact words could've been uttered about the venture at the centre of Greenhouse by Joost, too. A three-storey home made entirely out of recyclable materials that don't generate waste, and designed to operate as a closed food system with everything catered for onsite and not a scrap spared, it predates his spotlight on the textile industry. Clearly, it boasts the same sustainability focus. In fact, Bakker could've said the same thing about past pop-ups in the same spot over more than a decade, including fellow waste-free eateries also called Greenhouse since 2008. Scratch that — it isn't merely likely that the Dutch-born floral designer and activist could've expressed the same sentiments; it's certain he must've. Eliminating waste is Bakker's passion. Not wasting any time trying to put that aim into action is just as much of an obsession. His work doesn't merely talk the talk but walks the walk, and attempts to help the world see how crucial it is to reduce humanity's impact upon the earth. The habitable Greenhouse is quite the undertaking, though, given its purpose: building an abode that two people can get shelter, food, water and energy from, all in one cosy and clever self-sustaining ecosystem. Chefs Jo Barrett and Matt Stone (ex-Oakridge Wines) agreed to do the residing, and to put Bakker's Future Food System to the test. They were named among the world's 50 best next-generation hospitality leaders in 2021 for their efforts, for what's a vital, pioneering and fascinating enterprise. It's no wonder that filmmakers Rhian Skirving (Matilda & Me) and Bruce Permezel (The Obesity Myth) — both directing, the former writing and the latter lensing — were driven to document it. Shot since the conception and building stage, then chronicling the COVID-19 setbacks, the logistical and setup woes, and the daily reality of living in the structure, it's also no wonder that the resulting Melbourne International Film Festival Audience Award-winner makes such compelling viewing. Greenhouse by Joost is both a record and an aspirational tool: it shows what can and has been done and, as Bakker always hopes, it wants to get everyone watching following in his, Barrett and Stone's footsteps. Of course, for most, money will be a very real and practical obstacle. There's no doubting that Greenhouse stems from considerable resources, both in finances and time. But that's the thing with ambitions: they have us shooting for the stars, breaking our goals down into everyday pieces and finding ways to make even small parts of them happen. Evoking that exact response when it comes to making life's basics sustainable — what we eat and drink, where we stay and sleep, and how we power it all — is Bakker's aim, too. With Bakker as the film's on-screen guide, Greenhouse by Joost does just that itself as well, stepping through the idea and the execution like it's laying out a roadmap for its audience to chart. Viewers won't walk out of the doco ready to move into their own such dwelling, but learning plenty about the ingenious design, the bits and pieces that go into it, and the work required — to get it up, ready and operating smoothly, and also to have it function as a small-scale restaurant — comes with simply watching. Although the cooking, serving, welcoming in eager diners and sharing the titular building comes later in the movie, obviously, it's a crucial piece of the project overall and of Skirving and Permezel's feature. How much more doable does just living in the Greenhouse and taking care of yourself seem compared to running it as a mini eatery? Oh-so-much. How much easier does putting some of its principles to use in your own home seem, too? The answer remains the same. Read our full review. MILLIE LIES LOW A scene-stealer in 2018's The Breaker Upperers, Ana Scotney now leads the show in Millie Lies Low. She's just as magnetic. The New Zealand actor comes to the part via Wellington Paranormal, Shortland Street, Educators and Cousins — and the film first debuted at festivals before her role in God's Favourite Idiot — but it's an exceptional calling card. It isn't easy playing someone so committed to making such utterly questionable choices, yet remaining so charmingly relatable; however, that's Scotney's remit and achievement in this canny, savvy and amusing comedy. It also isn't easy to pull off the timing needed to highlight the hilarious side of Millie's hijinks, while ensuring that her woes, hopes and everything that's led her to lie low but lie about living it up remain understandable; consider her entire portrayal a masterclass in just that. Scotney plays the film's eponymous Wellington university student, who panics aboard a plane bound for New York — where a prestigious architecture internship awaits — and has to disembark before her flight leaves. She says she isn't anxious. She also says it isn't an attack. And by the time she realises what she's done, she's alone in the airport, the aircraft has departed and her own face beams down at her from a digital billboard. Even getting that Big Apple opportunity had made her the toast of the town, and huge things were meant to await, hence the ads and publicity. Now, a new ticket costs $2000, which Millie doesn't have. Admitting that she hasn't gone at all — to her family, friends, teachers, school and the NZ capital at large — wouldn't cost her a thing, but it's a price she isn't willing to pay. First, Millie endeavours to rustle up the cash from her best friend and classmate (Jillian Nguyen, Hungry Ghosts), and then her mother (Rachel House, Heartbreak High). Next, she hits up a quick-loan business (run by Cohen Holloway, The Power of the Dog) but is still left empty-handed. Millie's only solution, other than admitting the situation and facing the fallout: faking it till she makes it. As she searches for other ways to stump up the funds, she hides out in her hometown, telling everyone that she's actually already in NYC. To support her ruse, she posts elaborate faux Instagram snaps MacGyvered out of whatever she can find (big sacks of flour standing in for snow, for instance) and scours for every possible spot, building feature and poster that can even slightly double for New York. There's a caper vibe to Millie's efforts skulking around Wellington while attempting to finance the ticket to her apparent dreams. Sometimes, she's holed up in a tent in her mum's backyard. Sometimes, she's putting on a disguise and showing up at parties in her old flat — eavesdropping on what her mates are saying in her absence, and spying on the boyfriend (Chris Alosio, Troppo) she's meant to be on a break from. While she's doing the latter, she's also reclaiming the car she sold pre-trip to use as loan collateral, because she's that determined to get to America and leave her nearest and dearest none the wiser. Making her feature debut, director and co-writer Michelle Savill has more than just a laugh and a lark in her sights, though, as entertaining as Millie Lies Low's namesake's antics are. There's a caper vibe to the picture of Millie's supposedly perfect existence that she's trying to push upon herself as much as her loved ones as well, like she's selling herself on an unwanted fantasy. Read our full review. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on August 4, August 11, August 18 and August 25; September 1, September 8, September 15, September 22 and September 29; October 6, October 13, October 20 and October 27; and November 3 and November 10. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Bullet Train, Nope, The Princess, 6 Festivals, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Crimes of the Future, Bosch & Rockit, Fire of Love, Beast, Blaze, Hit the Road, Three Thousand Years of Longing, Orphan: First Kill, The Quiet Girl, Flux Gourmet, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Moonage Daydream, Ticket to Paradise, Clean, You Won't Be Alone, See How They Run, Smile, On the Count of Three, The Humans, Don't Worry Darling, Amsterdam, The Stranger, Halloween Ends, The Night of the 12th, Muru, Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, Black Adam, Barbarian, Decision to Leave, The Good Nurse, Bros, The Woman King, Sissy, Armageddon Time, The Wonder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and The Velvet Queen.
It was once known as the Glittering Mile — Sydney's dazzling nightlife heartland and red light district where finding a good (if somewhat sleazy) time was always guaranteed. But since its heydays in the 70s, 80s and 90s, much has changed in Kings Cross. The introduction of NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell's lockout laws in 2014 had a profound impact, leading to the closure of ten late-night venues along Darlinghurst and Bayswater Roads. Despite this legislation being repealed in 2021, Kings Cross has struggled to reclaim its former glory as Sydney's go-to destination for a big night out. That could soon change, however, thanks to a recent influx of hospitality and nightlife ventures aiming to revive the dormant hedonism that was once such an essential part of Kings Cross' identity. [caption id="attachment_973045" align="alignnone" width="1920"] (L-R) Designer Mike Delany with David and Amy Spanton[/caption] David and Amy Spanton have been at the forefront of this revival with their trio of venues. Each is a time capsule, preserving a shade of the area's rich hospitality legacy. Piccolo Bar, an icon of The Cross for more than six decades, almost joined the list of businesses destroyed by the lockouts, until the Spantons stepped in to rescue the beloved hole-in-the-wall, reimagining it as an aperitivo bar in 2021. They also rescued Cafe Hernandez, which had been serving freshly roasted coffee 24/7 for fifty years before closing in 2022. The Spantons reimagined it as the vermouth bar Vermuteria the following year. Their latest venture, The Hook on Bayswater Road, is a tribute to the Bayswater Brasserie, once renowned as "the hottest cocktail bar and restaurant in Australia" during its peak in the 90s and 00s, according to David Spanton. Located just 50 meters from The Bayz's former site, The Hook is one of three significant new arrivals on this storied street, echoing the vibrant Kings Cross of old. These include Mirage KX, a collaboration between queer party collective House of Mince and hospo heavyweight Maurice Terzini of Bondi Icebergs, which much like Terzini's wildly popular Potts Point pop-up Snack Kitchen, is making use of a disused building awaiting redevelopment. Risqué cabaret was once one of Kings Cross' signature entertainments at venues like the ahead-of-its-time drag revue bar Les Girls and the infamous Carousel Club. Mirage KX is showcasing its own unique take on the dinner-and-a-show cabaret concept, with avant-garde performances, a joyously subversive edge and top-notch service. House of Mince creator Peter Shopovski notes that reviving this form of entertainment in The Cross is a way to reconnect with the vivid history that once defined this area. "Kings Cross has always been a hub of creativity, diversity, and bold expression. Restoring that essence feels like honoring its legacy—celebrating the past while infusing it with new energy to ensure the spirit of Kings Cross continues to thrive and inspire," he explains. Another Bayswater Road icon set for a rebirth is Hugos Lounge. The six-time winner of Australia's best nightclub became one of the most prominent casualties of the lockouts when it was forced to shutter in 2015 after takings dropped by 60 percent due to the crushing restrictions imposed on trading hours. Just shy of a decade on, the man behind top Sydney fine diners Parlar, Franca and Armorica, Andrew Becher, is preparing to welcome punters back to the old Hugos digs when he opens Pelicano restaurant and nightclub in October. Becher's ambition for Pelicano reaches beyond merely repairing Kings Cross' standing with locals. "The double hit of the lockout laws and then COVID has disrupted the nightlife economy for an entire generation of young Sydneysiders. This has a massive impact on Sydney's standing with tourists and visitors. We love this city, and we want to see it compete with the likes of London, New York and Paris where both day and night have a vibrancy and a culture to them — most people in their 20s today don't know a Sydney that truly champions its nightlife," he shares. "It's not a surprise that those who cherish their memories of Sydney and long for that vibrant energy are the ones spearheading its revival." [caption id="attachment_535967" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Hugos Lounge[/caption] New arrivals to the area's dining scene are likewise taking their cues from yesteryear, such as Arms Length, a day-to-night bar and restaurant which took over the same Kellett Street address as the now-closed Dean's Lounge in early September. As an homage to its predecessor, the famous late-night jaffles that were an ever-popular staple of Dean's remain on the menu. Nick and Kirk Mathews-Bowden, the hospitality power couple behind Ezra and the dearly departed Raja, which closed in May, have made their own singular contribution to the retro renaissance with Teddy, a playfully kitsch neighbourhood diner serving elevated riffs on old-school classics. [caption id="attachment_971718" align="alignnone" width="1920"] (L-R) Kirk and Nick Mathews-Bowden[/caption] For Nick Mathews-Bowden, looking back for inspiration is about celebrating the best qualities of that history, while leaving the less desirable aspects of the past behind. "There have been so many eras and iterations of Kings Cross over the past 70 years, but there was certainly a time when there was a lot of vibrancy and excitement and Bohemian culture here. There was also lots of crime and danger — it was far from perfect. But it was full of life and that's what we love about what we're seeing in the area right now — that life is coming back." Top image: Dean Tirkot
Salomon is turning things up in Sydney with another free community event, this time featuring TikTok-viral DJ and producer Disco Lines. And in more good news for broke boys, this immersive no-phones gig is completely free. Taking over Moore Park's Liberty Hall Courts from 6.30pm on Wednesday, March 4, there's no need to worry about capturing the moment. Instead, Salomon is pulling up with a team of photographers, with a photo album shared with all attendees the following day. View this post on Instagram What's more, those who arrive in their own Salomon kicks have the chance to score priority entrance. Just get down early to be among the first 100 guests, and you'll secure a prime position for the show. Colorado-born Thadeus Labuszewski, aka Disco Lines, has been on a meteoric rise in recent years, driven by huge social media buzz and a string of dance-floor hits. So, get ready to party to tech house bangers, like 'No Broke Boy' and 'Baby Girl' as part of this unforgettable midweek session.
You're in the supermarket, everyone's preoccupied with getting their shopping and getting out. You walk up to the avocados, not wanting to waste your hard-earned cash on something that's more rock than fruit. So, what do you do? You pick one up and give it a quick squeeze. It's okay, you can admit it — you're certainly not the only one. But it's time to change these habits. According to Australian Avocados, more than half of Aussies admit to squeezing the middle of the avocado to test ripeness. At the same time, two in three say they'll handle up to three avocados every shop. It might seem like no big deal, but all these squeezed, bruised avocados that no one wants add to the huge amount of food waste in Australia. While your everyday awareness campaign was an option, the team at Australian Avocados have come up with something slightly different to get people to stop squeezing the good stuff. Joining forces with two-time Australian Strongman champion Eddie Williams, also known for his soulful appearance on Australia's Got Talent, a new jingle is helping educate the masses. Titled "Are You Bruisin' While Choosin'?" Williams has taken a break from pulling monster trucks and lifting gigantic rocks to deliver this crucial message on the mic. And it comes with a little advice too, perfect for when you're next tempted to squeeze an avo in the supermarket. Just remember this one simple rule: "don't squeeze the middle, the neck is where to check." "I spend my time competing all over the world, lifting hundreds of kilos, so I know what real strength is. But avocados don't need that kind of force. Squeezing the middle of the fruit is actually what can bruise them before they're even eaten. It's a simple mistake, but an easy one to fix," says Williams. Who are we to keep up our bad habits? And let's be honest, you wouldn't want to let Eddie catch you squeezing one, either. Instead, the correct way to pick an avocado that's ripe to eat is to gently press the neck near the stem. This is where the fruit naturally softens first, with ready-to-eat fruit yielding slightly under gentle pressure. Better avos and less food waste. What's not to love? Head to the website for more information. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox. Images: Supplied.
Some music festivals head on tour, be it the nation or the world, to share their fun. Others livestream. Tomorrowland ticks both boxes, hopping between countries and broadcasting live. The electronic dance music fest that first started in Belgium in 2006 also has a different way of spreading the love: taking its CORE stage to other locations, including to Australia in 2026. After expanding to Colombia for two editions so far, CORE has confirmed bigger plans for next year, embarking upon a global festival tour. First comes a return to Medellín in February, before making its US debut in Los Angeles in May, then hitting up Melbourne for its first-ever trip Down Under in November. While the two other cities will get a two-day CORE experience, its Aussie stint will make the most of just one: Saturday, November 28. So far, there's no other details on offer, including venue or lineup; however, the latter is due to be revealed in early 2026. This is the first time, too, that CORE will host standalone festivals on a trio of different continents — growing from its beginnings within Tomorrowland. It started as part of the overarching event back in 2017, but think of it as a fest within a fest that's now expanded to become its own unique experience, host its own dates and take on its own tour of the globe. So, the full Tomorrowland production isn't journeying to Australia — but CORE, one of its most-beloved stages, popping up in Melbourne is still huge news. The Aussie jaunt is a collaboration with agencies Framed and Pitch Control, and promises attendees "a natural, enchanting setting" for its alternative house and techno tunes, as paired with vivid multisensory staging. Think: lights, an immersive audiovisual approach and even scents. "We are thrilled to bring the iconic CORE stage to Australia. As one of the signature experiences of Tomorrowland, CORE represents the essence of our music, art and stage design. We look forward to sharing this unique atmosphere with fans in Australia and around the world," said Debby Wilmsen, spokesperson for WEAREONE.world, which is behind CORE and Tomorrowland. CORE Melbourne is taking place on Saturday, November 28, 2026, with venue details yet to be announced and the lineup set to be revealed early in 2026. Head to the event's website for more information and to pre-register for tickets.
For every Australian that was a toddler from the 90s onwards, and their counterparts worldwide as well, heroes wear blue, yellow, red and purple skivvies. Since the early 90s, The Wiggles have been one of the biggest Aussie names in children's entertainment, and one of the country's most-successful global hits. Alongside Bananas in Pyjamas and Bluey, they're part of a trio of homegrown icons in pop culture's early-childhood space, all thanks to the decision by Anthony Field, Jeff Fatt, Greg Page and Murray Cook to turn their university studies in the area, plus their experience in music — Field and Fatt were part of The Cockroaches, while Page was in Dead Giveaway and Cook in Bang Shang a Lang — into an album for kids. The rest is history, which The Wiggles just keep making. In Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2021, three decades after the group's self-titled debut album, they topped the poll with a cover of Tame Impala's 'Elephant'. Also among the troupe's recent achievements and highlights: appearing at the Mardi Gras parade, playing Falls Festival, earning some love from Lil Nas X and bringing the OGs back together for adults-only shows. Premiering at the first-ever SXSW Sydney, documentary Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles — which is now streaming via Prime Video — has joined their resume as well. Onstage for today's toddlers — plus every batch of preschoolers since 'Get Ready to Wiggle' and 'Dorothy the Dinosaur' first started echoing — The Wiggles serve up business as usual. Whether playing at home or around the world, the Aussie entertainers put on a child-pleasing live show. Other than Field, the folks donning the skivvies have changed, with the troupe becoming bigger, more culturally diverse and championing gender balance. At gigs specifically focused at 90s and 00s kids who are now well past The Wiggles' prime demographic, Field, Fatt, Page and Cook have reformed for reunion tours. As seen in Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles, both types of concerts draw huge crowds. For Field, Fatt, Page and Cook, life has been shaped by wearing bright colours, singing to fans young and older alike, and getting 'Hot Potato' and 'Fruit Salad' lodged in everyone's brains — and lives have been moulded by their efforts in turn. Early-childhood teaching philosophies have always sat at the forefront of The Wiggles, which the OG four attribute to their success. Young devotees who dance along to their tunes then become adults who still think fondly about their first-ever favourite group. Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles clearly has much to cover, then, all within a 104-minute doco that does much more than trade in nostalgia: as directed by Valerie Taylor: Playing with Sharks and David Stratton: A Cinematic Life filmmaker Sally Aitken, it chronicles how four friends started a phenomenon that's taken them everywhere from small Aussie shows to Madison Square Garden, and sparked a beloved group that shows no signs of stopping. With the movie now delighting audiences, Field, Fatt, Page and Cook spoke to Concrete Playground about all things Wiggles, including reflecting upon their careers via the doco, the whirlwind last few years for the OGs and why they're so beloved. And if you're wondering if Fatt, Page and Cook wear skivvies or their famous colours now, Page bought yellow sneakers just for the film's premiere "to have something yellow in my wardrobe", Fatt says he "definitely avoids the purple" and Cook does "have some skivvies though, but they're black". ON THEIR RESPONSE TO A DOCUMENTARY BEING MADE ABOUT THE WIGGLES Anthony: "This New Zealand company approached us about doing it. So they were filming us for the last couple of years and being with us, and then got all this archival footage, and got fans to send in a whole lot of stuff — and just got all these incredible photos right through our career. We were all a step away from the actual creatives of it, and the storytelling. It was pretty well Sally [Aitken] and Fraser [associate director Fraser Grut] with the guys in New Zealand who put it together. But I was a bit scared to see it. I found it very emotional and beautiful — and sad and happy, all that stuff. A lot of great memories." Murray: "When someone's going to make a documentary about you, you're not involved in the decision-making. There's a bit of trust involved and you just hope that they do the right thing. But once we met the filmmakers, Fraser and Sally, we got to know them a bit, and I felt very trusting that they'd tell the story honestly. You don't want to whitewash — you just want the the truth to be told, I think." Jeff: "And Fraser grew up with The Wiggles. So, he held us in very high esteem." Greg: "I think, too, that because he did, because he was a fan as a child, he got the essence of what the documentary is, and that is showing that connection between us and the children, and that connection that continues on today with the new Wiggles. I think that really sums it up beautifully. And I think the overall tone of the picture is one — can you believe I said picture, like moving picture? — the tone of the documentary is one of joy and happiness. Really, that's what it's about. And I think he's done a great job, and so has Sally." ON REFLECTING ON THEIR CAREERS VIA THE FILM Greg: "It must have been such a challenge to try and cram 30 years into probably 100 minutes or so. But they've done a really good job at capturing those high points and the low points along the way — the milestone moments of The Wiggles. To sit there and watch it back for us, I know personally it was really interesting because living it from the inside, you see it very differently to how other people have seen it. But then to step outside of that now and watch it in a different perspective, it's really quite fascinating." Anthony: "You see little bits on YouTube of things we did 15 years ago, but this was like a line of just what happened. And just at the end of it, I was overwhelmed by it all." Murray: "I thought it was quite moving at at times. There was a lot of joy there, but there were a few tears. It does give you an opportunity to reflect on what it was that we achieved and what we created. I think it's really great for the world to see the people behind The Wiggles — that it's not just four goofballs, although we are that — but that there's theory and philosophy behind it. But also just seeing the journey that we went on together, it was really lovely to be able to see that." Greg: "It's interesting because when people ask us questions like they did in the documentary, they're asking questions that we probably never asked each other. And a lot of things we kind of took for granted that we're on the same page about, or we just felt that we would all feel the same way about, but I think there were some differences — not major differences at all. It's kind of funny, like we never sat around and shared a lot about our own feelings about things. A lot of the time, we were talking about the show, the production that we were going to do, there was a lot of that stuff. So I think for me it was really a chance to hear the other guys' perspective on what The Wiggles was to them." ON REALISING THAT THE WIGGLES WERE BECOMING A PHENOMENON Anthony: "In Australia, we went from birthday parties to playing fundraisers for the Nursing Mothers Association, which was really good. They'd sell the tickets and get a percentage of the tickets, they were fundraisers for them and it was great because, basically, it just was word of mouth. The Wiggles in those days, we weren't on television and we weren't on the radio. But the big step up in America, when I knew that things had changed, was when we went over and the people in customs recognised us — not in a bad way. That's when I went 'things have changed here'. It was because Disney took our TV series and put it on four times a day on their channel. And we became massive in America and Canada, and it was amazing." Murray: "I don't think we thought it would go around the world until we actually spent a bit of time in America. For us in the 2000s, from about 2002 on, America was a fairly big focus because it was very successful there. Once we started doing things like playing Madison Square Garden and doing the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, it became a little bit surreal, for me anyway. We'd be sitting on buses going to these cities in America that in a lot of cases we've heard of but never been to, and it was a great adventure but it was also a little bit hard to get your head around." Jeff: "From the early days, for example, when we put out the first video and it really made a connection with our audience — and just little steps like that. We'd quite often play for the Nursing Mothers Association in little halls, and that started getting traction. So the audience was continually building in those regional areas and in the city. So there were these little steps along the way, so it wasn't like a huge leap — it was a very gradual thing for us." Greg: "I think, too, it's interesting that people use words like 'global phenomenon' or 'global empire'. For us, it was never about that. It was just about being able to do something that we loved and do it well. And for that reason, every time we had a little bit of success, it felt like we had achieved so much more than what we ever set out to do. And every step along the way, it just kept building and building. So on reflection, I think that was probably the biggest thing about the doco — to sit back and watch those milestone moments be played back. It's like 'well, god, I can't believe we did that because we never set out to do it' — it was just all these happy bonuses that came along. We've had a a blessed time and I think, I hope, that people take away from the doco the fact that when you do something in life that you really enjoy, if it brings joy to other people and that joy is something that's shared both ways, and if everybody's life can be filled with joy, then it's a really great thing." ON THE WIGGLES' ONGOING SUCCESS Murray: "I think that what made The Wiggles successful in the first place is a few things. One of them is that we had this philosophy that was being child-centred, which is a philosophy from early-childhood education where you put the child first and you think about where they're at in terms of their development. We tried to use that in The Wiggles, I think quite successfully. Also just things like we're pretty genuine about it. We're very genuine about what we're doing and what we're trying to achieve. And the songs are good, I think, and really connect with the audience. What's happened after we moved on is that mostly Anthony's seen to it that those things are intact, that the philosophy's still there, that the way of speaking to the audience is still there, the songs are there. So I think that has carried on through the decades and kept The Wiggles in the forefront." Anthony: "I think the bottom line for us is that we have to entertain, and keep children interested and educate them if we can. We're more about pro-social skills, and I think that we've kept the early-childhood philosophies at the forefront, and we haven't gotten too carried away with too many bells and whistles. When we play a live show, we can go off the script at any time, as opposed to a lot of children's shows that are taped. We can, if a child calls out something, we can go with it. That keeps it interesting for us as well. I think that for all those reasons we still love it. I love it still." ON THE WIGGLES' TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC GROWING UP, BUT REMAINING WIGGLES FANS Greg: "I think for those fans, it's the connection to their childhood, when they were young — hopefully carefree and innocent. It's a time of your life where, if you can connect to that inner child when you're in your 20s or 30s, it's something to celebrate. And if The Wiggles are that connection for people, it's a great channel to be able to play music for them and come to our shows, and it's great for us too, actually." Murray: "Oh it's fantastic." Greg: "Because it connects us to that time of our lives as well, when we were doing something that we absolutely loved doing and very privileged to be a part of so many people's lives in a way where they did embrace us and they still do." Jeff: "And for Australian fans, us topping the Triple J, Hot 100, that certainly boosted things with our older audience now." Anthony: "We get told that it was a positive part of their childhood. And when those shows, when we do those adult shows, we don't change our show at all. I mean, pretty well, we're just the same — in the documentary, Paul Paddick, who plays Captain Feathersword, thought it was going to be a chance to swear on stage. And we said 'no, it's got to be exactly how it was or we're going to ruin what these people think about us'." ON THE HOTTEST 100, LIL NAS X AND THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE LAST FEW YEARS Anthony: "It's been awesome. I'm still going with The Wiggles, so the eight Wiggles, and I'm loving that we've had Jeff come on stage, Murray come on stage, Greg come on stage with us — and it just proves that we're all part of the Wiggles family. Lil Nas was amazing. He made a couple of fun tweets that he'd like to do a collaboration — I really did think it was tongue in cheek — but we did get to meet him at Falls. Falls Festival was just the best, and hanging out with Australian bands that are in their 20s that grew up with the Wiggles, it's just been great. The Hottest 100 was surreal. And musically, it was great because I got to experience Tame Impala, who I knew nothing about — so it was educational for me." We're ready to wiggle with you! 💛💜💙❤️ — The Wiggles (@TheWiggles) April 27, 2022 Murray: "It's funny that so much of what we've done over the years, like going to America, quite a lot of the things we've done have been uncharted. And we've always had this sense of doing things for the adventure of it — and I think this is again something that we never expected. We never expected the initial success that we had, and we never expected that 30 years later we would be playing for those kids who grew up — and no one ever thought that we'd be on Triple J at all, let alone topping the Hottest 100. So it's just wonderful. It's like some sort of icing on the cake, I guess, that we can still get together and have fun with our audience, but also to spend time with each other, and really go back and do this thing that we loved and this amazing thing we created together. Jeff: "At the time we didn't even know who he [Lil Nas X] was. I was totally out of touch with all. But looking at it now, it's crazy." Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles streams via Prime Video. Read our review.
Taking design cues from Everything Adorable Ever works a treat for Edwina Sinclair. The 22-year-old Brisbane designer behind Australian label Soot counts Emojis, kiddie terrycloth beach ponchos and post-swim towel huddling as the triggers for her SS14/15 collection 'Splash'. A beachworthy assortment of flowing, wide-leg pants, summery tunics and her signature knitted bubble print, Soot's spring/summer collection is a pastel-lover's paradise. An unfathomably recent graduate from Queensland University of Technology (we're talking a couple of years), industry favourite Sinclair took us through her pretty-as-blazes looks for next season. On Fusing the '30s with Emojis Soot's impossibly summery SS14/15 collection 'Splash' found its beginnings in Sinclair's enthusiasm for both structured '30s beachwear and her own Australian beach-bound childhood. "I wanted to incorporate humour, luxury and texture which are values that I aim to include in all Soot collections," she says. "Inspirations came from looking at 1930's beach loungewear and vintage pyjamas. I am all about comfort so this is subconsciously incorporated into the garments shapes." In an adorable move that reflects Sinclair's age, she found further inspiration right under her thumbs. "I further looked at Emoji's for the prints to incorporate another playful element and develop my 3D textures." On Getting Back to Aussie Roots Full of flat, flowy tunics, wide-leg pants, 'Splash' gives a firm nod to Sinclair's Australian heritage. Remember those 'ball gowns' you and your tiny crew used to make out of towels on the beach, perfect for a parental parade? Sinclair's taken those makeshift moments of Roxy towel-made haute couteur and made them into Actual Garments. "I love the beach, I am there almost every weekend!" she says. "The homage to my Aussie roots comes from the colour, the water references and some literal references too! Such as the linen towel dress — the shape came from wrapping a towel around you after a swim and the droplet jersey dress silhouette came from the terry toweling ponchos children wear at the beach!" On Her Signature Knitted Bubble Design Sinclair's signature knitted bubble bags and dresses popped up at every turn at this year's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, with many a front rower swanning by with SOOT's most recognizable items in tow. Trending at MBFWA is a dream for most up-and-coming designers, and while Sinclair is flattered by the design's success she can see the pressure such hoo-ha can create. "It is great to have other people respond so positively to an idea that has come from a concept to a physical object," she says. "When something does have a good response it does put the pressure on to create something that will be as well received the following season." On Teaming Up With the Fam Edwina isn't the only talented sibling in the Sinclair family. 'Splash' is the first SOOT collection to feature her sister Tilly's jewellery designs. Fusing the strengths of the Sinclair sisters in one gorgeous collaboration, 'Splash' is a beautifully-executed family affair. "It is fun! Also it is very easy to talk openly about our ideas and if we disagree on something it is easy to resolve and compromise," says Sinclair. "It is really great that Tilly wanted to come on board to collaborate this season. I think the jewellery has added a nice touch to the collection." On Hanging at Home in Brisbane So where does one of Brisbane's best exports hang out when she's at home? "I like Shady Palms, Tipplers Tap and Lefty's for a drink with friends. I usually go to Jamie's Espresso Bar or Reverends to get my coffee (both in Fortitude Valley just near my studio). I shop at my favourite store which also happens to be Soot's Brisbane stockist, Blonde Venus in Fortitude Valley." Now for more pretty pictures, here's Soot's SS14/15 'Splash' collection. Check soot.com.au for stockists.
More than just a movie about robots battling monsters, Pacific Rim is one of the past decade's big-budget gems. It's a creature feature that isn't afraid to feel, or to match its big action scenes with big ideas and a big heart. Considering that the film was directed by Guillermo del Toro, that's hardly a surprise. As The Shape of Water demonstrated, the Oscar-winning filmmaker excels at telling rich, intricate tales that contemplate fantastic beasts and the relatable reactions they inspire. Viewers were treated to the same thing in Cronos, Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth as well. With del Toro opting to produce rather than direct Pacific Rim Uprising, however, it's hardly surprising that the sequel doesn't reach the same winning heights. Where the first film turned its Transformers-meets-Godzilla concept into a blend of earnest emotion and smart spectacle, the follow-up is content to adhere to mindless blockbuster formula. If the initial flick built a textured and thoughtful world, this one just rampages through it. Sadly, it does so with the same force as its jaegers, the human-powered giant robots at the movie's centre — and the same bluster as its kaiju, the alien creatures that emerge from the earth's core. Set ten years after the events of its predecessor, Pacific Rim Uprising shifts its focus to Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), son of Idris Elba's "cancelling the apocalypse" hero from the last movie. Jake is happy partying in the ruins of Los Angeles and scavenging old jaeger parts to sell on the black market, but when one scrounging mission attracts the attention of the authorities, he's forced to re-enlist as a jaeger pilot. He has company thanks to orphaned teenager Amara Namani (Cailee Spaeny), whose pint-sized homemade machine got them into trouble in the first place. With no kaiju to fight, their service under the stern Nate Lambert (Scott Eastwood) should be routine. Then, just as corporate head Liwen Shao (Jing Tian) is pushing for jaeger drones, a rogue robot pops up in Sydney and starts wreaking havoc. Don't worry, kaiju play their part — but people-piloted jaegers pummelling remote-controlled jaegers comprise a large portion of Pacific Rim Uprising. First-time feature director Steven S. DeKnight ramps up the action scenes, sticking with what he does best given his background on TV's Spartacus: Blood and Sand and Daredevil. And, to his credit, he does it well. Unlike Michael Bay's aforementioned fighting-robot franchise, the film's set pieces impress. They're smoothly choreographed rather than distracting and chaotic, even if Brisbane (where the movie was largely shot) can't convincingly sub in for Tokyo. Still, what Pacific Rim Uprising lacks is anything more than a boilerplate story or run-of-the-mill characters. Just a couple of decades ago, flicks like this were commonplace — sequels that jettisoned most of their main cast and creatives, trotted out a flimsy approximation of their predecessors, and didn't take things too seriously. Pacific Rim Uprising might have a US$150 million budget, but it still feels like an '80s and '90s-era, direct-to-video sequel in the vein of Tremors 2 or From Dusk Till Dawn 2 — right down to the cartoonish performances from its handful of returning players (Rinko Kikuchi, Burn Gorman and Charlie Day). And like those films, it's not without its very modest pleasures. Boyega oozes the same charm that served him so well in Attack the Block, The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, while one character's arc is so ridiculous that it can only be entertaining. If only we could say the same thing about the movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rU5wYV6X8s
Have you heard? There's a great, wide world waiting for you out west. A place where the sun sets over crystal blue oceans, rivers cut through hills and valleys are stocked full of agricultural abundance, vineyards and gourmet artisan goods. A place of fascinating early convict history and an even deeper Aboriginal presence running through millennia right up to the vibrant culture of the present day. A place of unfamiliar flavours and exhilarating experiences, where you can get away from it all on an island paradise or immerse yourself in the hustle and bustle of beachside locales. For the foodies and wine-lovers, seasiders and surfers, adrenaline junkies and wildlife-seekers — together with Western Australia, we've curated a definitive guide to an exceptional trip to Boorloo (Perth). There's a list of standout activities plus some standout dining digs and a few luxe accommodation options. Pack your bags and book your tickets: we've curated your next holiday. And it's a big one. [caption id="attachment_896158" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Duncan Wright[/caption] DINE DELICIOUSLY First things first, all your adventuring is sure to work up an appetite — so it's lucky that Perth is a top foodie destination. Before you plan how to spend your time, plan where you're going to eat. Teeter Bakery, run by pastry wizard Natasha Brownfield, is brand-spanking new but already making waves, with the spot dishing out hand-crafted specialty cakes — like a light-as-air grapefruit and olive oil chiffon or scorched-top basque cheesecake. Swing by on a Friday or Saturday when the pastry-shop door is open for all your viennoiserie and gourmet sandwich needs. Chubby Boy is a Japanese-influenced cafe and bar. Think sandos, matcha lattes and sweet and savoury shokupan toppings like garlic and cheesy corn or salted caramel. In the middle of traditional wine country, Nieuw Ruin is boldly "packed to the rafters with weird wine". Fun, unusual, rare and just damn delicious drops are paired with the seasonal wine-bar fare, alongside classic and house cocktails. Lucy Luu brings Asian fusion to the Perth scene. Here, you can expect local produce and playful twists, like a kinilaw-topped tostada bite, a spicy tiger-prawn toast on brioche, truffle fried rice and the umami-sweet bite of miso parfait. Plus, of course, more cocktails. If you're a craft beer fan, make the trip to Gage Roads Brew Co in Freo. Open seven days a week for all your frothy desires, the brewpub's got a solid menu of fresh seafood, tacos, empanadas and pizzas — essentially, everything you'd want alongside good beer by the water. For a menu that taps into a Mediterranean summer, go to Bathers Beach House. White sands, white walls, blue sky, blue sea — the backdrop to olives, oysters, seafood platters and pasta. Perfect. [caption id="attachment_893737" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] DISCOVER ROTTNEST ISLAND One word: quokkas. If that's somehow not enough to convince you to book flights immediately, Wadjemup (Rottnest Island) has plenty of other wildlife-adjacent attractions making a visit worth your while. Just a short ferry ride (or an air charter, if you're feeling particularly flush with cash) brings you to this renowned island paradise. A nature-soaked haven, it's also home to some of the most pristine crystal-clear waters in the west. Snorkel, swim, scuba, surf or hire a boat and take to the seas on your own adventure, getting up close to marine life. Alternatively, you can get around the island by bike, peddling from art exhibitions to clothing boutiques, restaurants and enviable spots for epic views. Stay at the campgrounds, and cottages or opt for something swanky with beachside accommodation at Samphire. The next morning? Start with breakfast at Dôme or old-school baked goods at Rottnest Bakery, and finish your day's explorations with sunset cocktails at Pinky's. [caption id="attachment_893738" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] TAKE A CRUISE DOWN THE SWAN RIVER What's better than food and wine? A curated tour of both on a Swan Valley river cruise. Opting for this stellar package will see you depart Perth on a gastronomic cruise with an award-winning tour operator as your host. You'll see the beautiful Swan Valley by boat, disembarking to visit some of the area's most exciting wineries. Learn about everything from vine to grape to glass as you sip your way through a guided tasting — with snacks, of course — before lunch at Homestead Brewery. No gourmet foodie tour would be complete without dessert, so expect to stop in at The Margaret River Chocolate Co for sugar-sweet tastings and the chance to grab a few treats on the way out (might we suggest Chokka the Quokka?). On the ride back, settle in for a leisurely journey serenaded by live music. [caption id="attachment_893730" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] EXPLORE THE HISTORIC STREETS OF FREMANTLE Once an industrial centre, Fremantle (Walyalup) or 'Freo' as the locals affectionately call it, is now a delightful little port city, just 30 minutes from Perth. You'll find street food, microbreweries and buskers throughout this bustling spot. As well as exquisite fresh produce and artisan goods at Fremantle Markets (established in 1897; pictured above) and an entirely caffeinated zone known as Cappuccino Strip. While you're here, why don't you book a tour of Running with Thieves on South Beach — the largest operational independent brewery and distillery in WA? It might be big, but it still crafts everything on-site and by hand: that's beers, gins, cocktails and seltzers. Discover convict history at the World Heritage-listed Fremantle Prison, with day tours, night tours and journeys into the winding tunnels below. We'll admit, that barely scratches the surface of Freo — there are all kinds of excursions on offer, from a shipwreck museum to a working fish market and even a place to flex your cocktail-making muscles. Can't decide where to start? Trust a knowledgeable local on the Two Feet & A Heartbeat tours. [caption id="attachment_893735" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] GET UP CLOSE WITH LOCAL WILDLIFE Want to dive into an award-winning dolphin swim? Absolutely. Perth Wildlife Encounters is the biz that's been giving people the opportunity to swim with wild dolphins in their natural habitat since 1989, spending years building a relationship with this pod, and promoting ethical, respectful eco-tourism. Just 45 minutes from Perth, you'll be hopping off your boat on an underwater adventure to encounter a community of more than 200 wild dolphins. During the three-to-six-hour swim, you'll be immersed in the salty environment of these truly special creatures — they might even come up close and play, tumbling and twirling under the water. No snorkel? No worries. Take a lesson beforehand and borrow the gear. Itching for more close contact with the wild? There are penguin encounters and sea kayak tours, too. DISCOVER THE AREA WITH AN ABORIGINAL GUIDE Discover the oldest living culture and the true flavours of Australia. A proud Wardandi Bibbulmun woman, Dale Tilbrook (pictured above) leads on-Country cultural experiences in bush tucker, art and spirituality. The bushfood experience is more than just ingredients: you'll learn about the six seasons of nature plus the unique qualities and medicinal properties of native fruits, seeds, nuts and herbs — like quandong, sandalwood nuts and greens foraged from the coast nearby. Touch and sniff the fresh produce from the onsite garden and taste fresh bushtucker dishes. Warrang-Bridil — meaning 'enlighten to acknowledge' in the Nyoongar language — is the tour business helmed by Mervyn (Nick) Abraham. With connections to the Whadjuk, Yued, Ballardong, Wilmen, Wardandi and Binjerup peoples, he aims to close gaps in Australia's knowledge of First Nations culture and bring people closer to the Nyoongar way of life. On a 60-minute walking tour through the traditional country along the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River), you'll learn about pre-colonial ways of living, traditional language and present-day cultural survival. [caption id="attachment_893733" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] CLIMB HIGH ABOVE THE CITY See the Swan River differently — perhaps from 72 metres above? Matagarup Zip+Climb is not for the faint of heart, but well worth the effort of scaling a bridge. Yep, it's a proper climb up Matagarup Bridge to reach the Skyview platform. Not just steps and ladder — climbing gear, grappling, shimmying, the whole shebang. Reach Skyview for, well, a true sky view looking out over the sprawling expanse of Perth and the shimmering river through the glass floor below. All that before jumping on a 400-metre-long zipline that can see you reach speeds of up to 75 kilometres per hour. Epic. The full experience takes two hours and includes free pics of your adventure. There are three ways to complete the climb: Zip and Climb (you climb 314 steps up to the 72m high SkyView glass viewing platform and then zipline back to the start from the 35m high zipline launch and viewing platform), Express Zip (you climb 150 steps up to the 35m zipline launch and viewing platform and zip back), or the Bridge Climb where you forget the zipline and climb. up to the 72m SkyView glass platform and walk down the other side (and watch as others speed down the zipline). Want an extra challenge? Go by night instead and climb through the darkness. [caption id="attachment_893727" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] HEAD TO THE BEACH Perth's beaches are legendary, some of Australia's most pristine. Check out the white sands and clear blue waters of Cottesloe — or 'Cott', as it's known — just a 15-minute drive from the city. Spend the whole day swimming and snorkelling, taking pine-shaded walks and stopping in at cafes along the strip for coffee and brunch (or for an evening bev at a stellar bar or restaurant). If you're out Fremantle way, visit Bathers Beach in the West End. It's a gentle little protected swimming bay perfect for a day of relaxation — and the on-sand cocktail service from Bathers Beach House definitely adds to that. Leighton Beach is famous for its dog-friendly north side if you find yourself with a pup in tow. Here, you can snorkel or kitesurf the glassy waves, or hang out with a picnic. Fifteen minutes from Perth's streets you'll find City Beach, which owes its calm, idyllic waters to the fact that it's sheltered by two purpose-built groynes. Play volleyball, splash around, hit the beachside restaurants then watch the sun go down over the glistening sea. STAY SOMEWHERE LUSH A stay at QT Perth (pictured above) offers a boutique, designer base for your getaway that's perfect for those who love to travel in style. Luxe design features, elegant furnishings, warm tones and plush fabrics, all with a sleek mid-century aesthetic. For another gorgeous view, head to the Rooftop Bar to gaze over the city, cocktail in hand. For something with a bit more history, stay in the limestone cottages of Warders Hotel. As the name suggests, these were built in 1851 for prison warders. Now, they're the epitome of cottage comfort, with a modern minimalist fit-out and rustic original timbers. It's also smack bang in Freo's cultural district — just moments to all the galleries, cafes and bars you could want. Or, you could head to Gimlet — the spot's bar, or the courtyard of Emily Taylor — the onsite restaurant. If you'd rather be in wine country, and only half an hour from the city, The Colony is the luxury accommodation overlooking the 19th century vines of Mandoon Estate. Staying right near the cellar door, you'll find it easy to live the good life. Whichever part of Western Australia beckons you over, Concrete Playground Trips is the ideal place to start planning. Ready to go? Head to the website. Top images: Tourism Western Australia, Little Salmon Bay; QT Perth; Duncan Wright, Teeter Bakery; Tourism Western Australia, Quokka; Tourism Western Australia, Fremantle Prison (fifth, last); Tourism Western Australia, Perth Wildlife Encounters.
In Stay of the Week, we explore some of the world's best and most unique accommodations — giving you a little inspiration for your next trip. In this instalment, we go to Lomani Island Resort on the small Fijian island of Malolo Lailai. Scroll down to get a preview of what's in store once you set your clock to island time. We've also teamed up with Lomani Island Resort to create the ultimate week-long romantic Fiji getaway —with two massages, a three-course dinner on the beach and all your transfers included. Head to Concrete Playground Trips to book your spot now. WHAT'S SO SPECIAL? This small beachside resort is for adults only, meaning you can relax in total peace no matter what time of year you decide to visit Fiji's famous Mamanuca Islands (which makes our list of the best Fiji islands for a tropical escape). THE ROOMS The Lomani Island Resort has three kinds of rooms. The Deluxe Suite is the most affordable option and comes with a separate living room and bedroom overlooking the water as well as a private balcony or patio. The other options step up the luxury levels a little more. There are two kinds of beachfront bures (little bungalows) — one with a plunge pool and one without. These won't cost you that much more than the suites, but they do give you a greater sense of privacy. The large outdoor rain showers are a big win, too. FOOD & DRINK There are stacks of dining options at this Fiji island resort. The Flame Tree Restaurant serves a range of cuisine options from steak and chips to pasta and traditional Fijian Kokoda. Either dine on local dishes (always recommended) or try something a little more familiar. It's all up to you. And if you're looking for something a little extra, ask the team to set up a private dinner on the beach. It's romantic without being overly cheesy and staged — the Lomani team will place a small table out on the sand dunes and let you dine with uninterrupted sunset views. [caption id="attachment_877271" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cloud 9 by Brook Sabin[/caption] THE LOCAL AREA The Lomani Island Resort is located on one of the popular Mamanuca Islands — a small archipelago located near the main island of Fiji. From the resort, you can easily get around to all the best parts of this region by chartering a small boat for the day or jumping on a ferry. Hit up the famous Cloud 9 floating bar or simply do some island hopping, snorkelling around coral reefs and lounging beneath palm-lined beaches. THE EXTRAS Overall, this Fiji resort is for a laid back holiday full of lounging and swimming. But you can also get the best out of this tropical destination by joining a few of the resort's extra activities. There's a sunset cruise which costs less than $80 and includes your first drink as well as roaming canapés during the trip. The resort also offers a 'Sunset Serenader' for which the team will direct you to a private part of the beach where you will be serenaded by a local musician for an hour and includes a platter of canapés and a bottle of wine. We've teamed up with Lomani Island Resort to create the ultimate week-long romantic Fiji getaway —with two massages, a three-course dinner on the beach and all your transfers included. Head to Concrete Playground Trips to book your spot now.
You already use DoorDash to get your favourite food delivered, and now, the app is flipping the script and giving you perks for actually dining out. It's thanks to a new feature on the app called Going Out, which is rewarding you for doing exactly that. Here's how it works: fire up the DoorDash app, hit the Going Out tab and pick an in-store offer from one of the participating restaurants. When you get to your chosen venue, tap your phone on the DoorDash tile to check in and then score your discount (of up to $25 off) on the spot. You'll also be rewarded for loyalty — the more you visit a participating restaurant, the more rewards you can unlock. Curious minds might wonder why a food delivery app is actively encouraging you to now dine out. It's all about supporting our still-recovering hospitality sector, while also giving diners a bit of budget relief. "We've heard from our restaurant partners that bringing more customers in-store is a top priority," says Simon Rossi, Vice President, DoorDash APAC. "We're thrilled to offer our platform, reach, and technology to make it simpler than ever to drive foot traffic when they need it most — whether it's filling tables during slower periods or building consistent demand. We are always working to provide our partners with the tools and support they need to grow and keep their businesses strong – by encouraging people to dine out, and rewarding repeat visits, we're helping restaurants build more lasting relationships with their guests." For now, the Going Out feature is only available on iOS in Sydney and Melbourne, but you can already use it to dine out at restaurants like Royal Stacks in Melbourne, as well as Chat Thai and Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers in Sydney. There'll be more spots added as the feature rolls out nationally, so whether you're curious about trying something new or sticking to your go-to order, you've now got another reason to book that table. DoorDash's new Going Out feature is now available on iOS in Sydney and Melbourne. For more details on participating restaurants, download the DoorDash app via the App Store.
The latest addition to Merivale's portfolio, Palmer & Co. is a gorgeous hiding place. Tucked into the underground level of what was once a throbbing, sticky nightclub in the heart of Sydney's CBD, the venue has been transformed beyond recognition into a glowing little cove that exudes the sumptuous glamour and devilish secrecy of the 1920s prohibition era. Whilst perhaps not the most inspired of concepts, every detail of Palmer & Co. speaks of Merivale's signature polish, and the bar's clandestine feel echoes the theme of secrecy. Embraced by exposed brick walls, heavy timber surfaces and the intimacy of low, golden lighting, you are enveloped immediately by a sense of sophistication as your enter Palmer & Co. This is a bar for grown-ups. You are invited by the staple Merivale beauties, in flapper dresses and all, to make your selection from the extensive menu of spirits and cocktails, embellished by photographs harking back to days of dapper criminals in three-piece suits and girls who could neck a bottle of bourbon and look graceful doing it. Palmer & Co. offers a small selection of bar snacks, including spicy chipolatas ($12) and charcuterie share boards ($18 for 2), but this is not really a dinner spot. I suggest you eat beforehand because, if you are anywhere near as susceptible to Palmer & Co.'s hypnotic sway as I was, it will be hours before you emerge again. Appears in: Sydney's Best Underground Bars for 2023
One of Potts Point's beloved diners enters a new era, with Franca Brasserie evolving simply to Franca. With an abbreviated name and a renewed focus, Franca will move towards a more relaxed rhythm of hospitality, while maintaining its philosophy of generous cooking and convivial dining. "Our clientele has always guided our approach. The original concept was classical, individual courses. But somewhere along the way, almost every table became shared. We've been watching our guests for seven years, and this is us following their lead," says founder Andrew Becher. The slight name change reflects a return to the original meaning, 'lingua franca', being the shared language that historically connected cultures across the Riviera. Under Becher's guidance, the next stage in Franca's offering is considered a refinement rather than a reinvention. Executive Chef José Saulog leads the kitchen with a menu that blends classic technique with coastal Euro influences. "The flavours and spirit of coastal Europe, crystallised through classical French technique — that was always the vision for Franca. We feel the time is right to rediscover this, and we have drawn in flavours from Spain, Italy, North Africa and beyond. The result is generous, confident food that we feel suits this city and suits this space," says Saulog. Diners will snack on the likes of crab toast and mushroom parfait, before sharing generous plates of duck lasagne with foie gras, béchamel and preserved tomato and Bonito with confit ratatouille. Group dining will become the focal point with two shared menus designed for parties of eight or more to sample the best the menu has to offer. Drinks are no afterthought in the Euro-inspired dining room. The wine program, curated by Waldeck Ray and Riley O'Doherty, moves confidently between Europe and Australia and is built around the table, rather than the individual, with a focus on bottles rather than glasses. The signature aperitif, an ice-cold mini martini with wakame vermouth, a fresh oyster and caviar, is the ultimate way to start a meal at Franca, setting the tone for an elegant yet relaxed evening out. Images: Supplied. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
Without a shadow of a doubt, Surry Hills is one of the most varied suburbs in Sydney. You'll find a sneaker shop serving fried chicken and champagne alongside an underground saloon bar complete with taxidermy elk and endless whisky — it's creative, pushes the boundaries and is always two steps ahead — in glitter stilettos, no less. So, whittling down a long list of must-see spots to just ten essentials was never going to be an easy process. In fact, it felt a little like Sophie's Choice. But, with the help of City of Sydney, we got there. If you're ready to see the very best of Surry Hills, don your most fashion-forward threads, make sure you have an empty belly and get set to tick off some stellar spots. Plus, for a few more hot tips, check out our video above for owner of Yulli's Karl Cooney's favourite spots around the suburb.
Whatever chatter and controversy surrounds them — whoever hosts, whichever wild moves the Academy makes before the ceremony even arrives, and no matter how much it tries to reinvent the broadcast to appeal to more people — the Oscars are always about ace films and the people who craft them. A sizeable list of flicks vie for recognition, a smaller number win and a heap of talented folks earn their time in the spotlight. That's it, that's the heart and soul of these coveted accolades. Whether everything you wanted to win actually managed the feat or not, and despite one instance of the kind of behaviour that only belongs in films, the 94th Academy Awards still delivered upon its basic aim. It celebrated the hard work that goes into making movie magic, and the features and shorts that result. And across the night's speeches, exactly how much that means to some winners truly resonated. "There is indeed a place for us," West Side Story's Best Supporting Actress winner Ariana DeBose exclaimed. "You see a queer, openly queer woman of colour, an Afro Latina who found her strength in life through art. And that's what I believe we're here to celebrate," she continued. Winning Best Supporting Actor for CODA, Troy Kotsur's signed speech was equally as moving. When he paid tribute to the power of communication while becoming the first male actor who is deaf to win an Oscar — and in a movie about a family with three members who are deaf that won Best Picture as well — it was a potent and important moment. They're just some of the highlights of this year's Academy Awards — and the best way to champion DeBose and Kotsur's efforts, the films they won for, and all of the other flicks that also picked up gleaming trophies, is to see those very movies. That's the best way to celebrate Jane Campion making history as just the third female filmmaker to win Best Director as well, and Dune's swag of technical gongs. With that in mind, here are 11 newly minted Oscar-winners that you should watch right now. (And if you're after a full list of recipients, we've put that together, too.) CODA When CODA screened at the Sundance Film Festival back in January 2021, it made history. Film distributors always clamour to snap up the event's big hits, and this four-time award-winner — which received the fest's US Grand Jury Prize, US Dramatic Audience Award, a Special Jury Ensemble Cast Award and Best Director — was picked up by Apple TV+ for US$25 million. Even though the sophomore feature from writer/director Sian Heder (Tallulah) remakes 2014 French hit La Famille Bélier, that's still a significant amount of money; however, thanks to its warmth, engaging performances and a welcome lack of cheesiness, it's easy to see why the streaming platform opened its wallet. Fans of the earlier movie will recognise the storyline, which sees 17-year-old Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones, Locke & Key) struggle to balance her family commitments with her dreams of attending music school. She's a talented singer, but she's only just discovered just how skilled she is because she's also the child of deaf adults (hence the film's title). At home, she also plays a key part in keeping the family's fishing business afloat, including by spending mornings before class out on the trawler wither her dad Frank (Troy Kotsur, No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie) and older brother Leo (Daniel Durant, Switched at Birth). Heder helms this still sweet and moving feature with a distinct lack of over-exaggeration, which plagued its predecessor. The fact that Kotsur, Durant and Marlee Matlin (Entangled), the latter as the Rossi matriarch, are all actors who are deaf playing characters who are deaf really couldn't be more important. Their portrayals are naturalistic and lived-in, as is much about this rousing but gentle crowd-pleaser — including tomboy Ruby's blossoming romance with fellow wannabe musician Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Sing Street). OSCARS: Won: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Troy Kotsur), Best Adapted Screenplay Where to watch: CODA is available to stream via Apple TV+. Read our full review. THE POWER OF THE DOG Don't call it a comeback: Jane Campion's films have been absent from cinemas for 12 years but, due to miniseries Top of the Lake, she hasn't been biding her time in that gap. And don't call it simply returning to familiar territory, even if the New Zealand director's new movie features an ivory-tinkling woman caught between cruel and sensitive men, as her Cannes Palme d'Or-winner The Piano did three decades ago. Campion isn't rallying after a dip, just as she isn't repeating herself. She's never helmed anything less than stellar, and she's immensely capable of unearthing rich new pastures in well-ploughed terrain. With The Power of the Dog, Campion is at the height of her skills trotting into her latest mesmerising musing on strength, desire and isolation — this time via a venomous western that's as perilously bewitching as its mountainous backdrop. That setting is Montana, circa 1925. Campion's homeland stands in for America nearly a century ago, making a magnificent sight — with cinematographer Ari Wegner (Zola, True History of the Kelly Gang) perceptively spying danger in its craggy peaks and dusty plains even before the film introduces Rose and Peter Gordon (On Becoming a God in Central Florida's Kirsten Dunst and 2067's Kodi Smit-McPhee). When the widowed innkeeper and her teenage son serve rancher brothers Phil and George Burbank (Spider-Man: No Way Home's Benedict Cumberbatch a career-best, awards-worthy, downright phenomenal turn, plus Antlers' Jesse Plemons) during a cattle-run stop, the encounter seesaws from callousness to kindness, a dynamic that continues after Rose marries George and decamps to the Burbank mansion against that stunning backdrop. Brutal to the lanky, lisping Peter from the outset, Phil responds to the nuptials with malice. He isn't fond of change, and won't accommodate anything that fails his bristling definition of masculinity and power, either. OSCARS: Won: Best Director (Jane Campion) Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Benedict Cumberbatch), Best Supporting Actor (Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee), Best Supporting Actress (Kirsten Dunst), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Where to watch: The Power of the Dog is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review. DUNE A spice-war space opera about feuding houses on far-flung planets, Dune has long been a pop-culture building block. Before Frank Herbert's 1965 novel was adapted into a wrongly reviled David Lynch-directed film — a gloriously 80s epic led by Kyle MacLachlan and laced with surreal touches — it unmistakably inspired Star Wars, and also cast a shadow over Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Game of Thrones has since taken cues from it. The Riddick franchise owes it a debt, too. The list goes on and, thanks to the new version bringing its sandy deserts to cinemas, will only keep growing. As he did with Blade Runner 2049, writer/director Denis Villeneuve has once again grasped something already enormously influential, peered at it with astute eyes and built it anew — and created an instant sci-fi classic. This time, Villeneuve isn't asking viewers to ponder whether androids dream of electric sheep, but if humanity can ever overcome one of our worst urges and all that it brings. With an exceptional cast that spans Timothée Chalamet (The French Dispatch), Oscar Isaac (The Card Counter), Rebecca Ferguson (Reminiscence), Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Josh Brolin (Avengers: Endgame), Javier Bardem (Everybody Knows), Zendaya (Spider-Man: No Way Home) and more, Dune tells of birthrights, prophesied messiahs, secret sisterhood sects that underpin the galaxy and phallic-looking giant sandworms, and of the primal lust for power that's as old as time — and, in Herbert's story, echoes well into the future's future. Its unpacking of dominance and command piles on colonial oppression, authoritarianism, greed, ecological calamity and religious fervour, like it is building a sandcastle out of power's nastiest ramifications. And, amid that weightiness — plus those spectacularly shot visuals and Hans Zimmer's throbbing score — it's also a tale of a moody teen with mind-control abilities struggling with what's expected versus what's right. OSCARS: Won: Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Nominations: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design Where to watch: Dune is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies and Prime Video. Read our full review. WEST SIDE STORY Tonight, tonight, there's only Steven Spielberg's lavish and dynamic version of West Side Story tonight — not to detract from or forget the 1961 movie of the same name. Six decades ago, an all-singing, all-dancing, New York City-set, gang war-focused spin on Romeo and Juliet leapt from stage to screen, becoming one of cinema's all-time classic musicals; however, remaking that hit is a task that Spielberg dazzlingly proves up to. It's his first sashay into the genre, despite making his initial amateur feature just three years after the original West Side Story debuted. It's also his first film since 2018's obnoxiously awful Ready Player One, which doubled as a how-to guide to crafting one of the worst, flimsiest and most bloated pieces of soulless pop-culture worship possible. But with this swooning, socially aware story of star-crossed lovers, Spielberg pirouettes back from his atrocious last flick by embracing something he clearly adores, and being unafraid to give it rhythmic swirls and thematic twirls. Shakespeare's own tale of tempestuous romance still looms large over West Side Story, as it always has — in fair NYC and its rubble-strewn titular neighbourhood where it lays its 1950s-era scene. The Jets and the Sharks aren't quite two households both alike in dignity, though. Led by the swaggering and dogged Riff (Mike Faist, a Tony-nominee for the Broadway production of Dear Evan Hansen), the Jets are young, scrappy, angry and full of resentment for anyone they fear is encroaching on their terrain. Meanwhile, with boxer Bernardo (David Alvarez, a Tony-winner for Billy Elliot) at the helm, the Sharks have tried to establish new lives outside of their native Puerto Rico through study, jobs and their own businesses. Both gangs refuse to coexist peacefully in the only part of New York where either feels at home — but it's a night at a dance, and the love-at-first-sight connection that blooms between Riff's best friend Tony (Ansel Elgort, The Goldfinch) and Bernardo's younger sister María (feature debutant Rachel Zegler), that sparks a showdown. OSCARS: Won: Best Supporting Actress (Ariana DeBose) Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Steven Spielberg), Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Where to watch: West Side Story is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. DRIVE MY CAR Inspired by Haruki Murakami's short story of the same name, Drive My Car's setup couldn't be simpler. Still recovering from a personal tragedy, actor and director Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima, Silent Tokyo) agrees to helm a stage version of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima — but the company behind it insists on giving him a chauffeur for the duration of his stay. He declines, yet they contend it is mandatory for insurance and liability reasons, so Misaki (Toko Miura, Spaghetti Code Love) becomes a regular part of his working stint in the city. Friendship springs, slowly and gradually, but Murakami's name is one of the first signs that this won't follow a standard road. The other: Japanese filmmaker Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, who makes layered, thoughtful and probing reflections upon connection, as seen in his previous efforts Happy Hour and Asako I & II. Drive My Car doesn't hurry to its narrative destination, clocking in at a minute shy of three hours, but it's a patient, engrossing and rewarding trip. It's a gorgeously shot and affectingly performed one, too, whether taking to the road, spending time with its central pair, or chronicling Yusuke's involving auditions and rehearsals. Another thing that Hamaguchi does disarmingly well: ponder possibilities and acceptance, two notions that echo through both Yusuke and Misaki's tales, and resonate with that always-winning combination of specificity and universality. Drive My Car is intimate and detailed about every element of its on-screen voyage and its character studies, and also a road map to soulful, relatable truths. OSCARS: Won: Best International Feature Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Ryusuke Hamaguchi), Best Adapted Screenplay Where to watch: Drive My Car is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review. THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE Not for the first time, the eyes have it, but then they always have with Tammy Faye Bakker. Not one but two films called The Eyes of Tammy Faye have told the 70s and 80s televangelist's tale — first a 2000 documentary and now this new Jessica Chastain-starring dramatisation — and both take their monikers from one of the real-life American figure's best-known attributes. In the opening to the latest movie, the spidery eyelashes that adorn Tammy Faye's peepers are dubbed her trademark by the woman herself. They're given ample focus in this biopic, as OTT and instantly eye-grabbing as they they are, but their prominence isn't just about aesthetics and recognition. This version of The Eyes of Tammy Faye hones in on perspective, resolutely sticking to its namesake's, even when it'd be a better film if it pondered what she truly saw, or didn't. In the path leading to her celebrity heyday and the time she was a TV mainstay, Tammy Faye's life saw plenty. It began with an unhappy childhood stained by her stern mother Rachel's (Cherry Jones, Succession) refusal to be linked to her at church, lest it remind their god-fearing Minnesotan townsfolk about the latter's sinful divorce. But young Tammy Faye (Chandler Head, The Right Stuff) still finds solace in religion, the attention that speaking in tongues mid-service brings and also the puppets she starts using as a girl. Come 1960, at bible college, her fervour and quirkiness attract fellow student Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick… Boom!), with the pair soon married even though it gets them kicked out of school. Unperturbed, she keeps seeing their calling to the lord as their way forward, first with a travelling ministry — puppets included — and then with television shows and their own Praise the Lord network. OSCARS: Won: Best Actress (Jessica Chastain), Best Makeup and Hairstyling Where to watch: The Eyes of Tammy Faye is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. ENCANTO Five years after Lin-Manuel Miranda and Disney first teamed up on an animated musical with the catchiest of tunes, aka Moana, they're back at it again with Encanto. To viewers eager for another colourful, thoughtful and engaging film — and another that embraces a particular culture with the heartiest of hugs, and is all the better for it — what can the past decade's most influential composer and biggest entertainment behemoth say except you're welcome? Both the Hamilton mastermind and the Mouse House do what they do best here. The songs are infectious, as well as diverse in style; the storyline follows a spirited heroine challenging the status quo; and the imagery sparkles. Miranda and Disney are both in comfortable territory, in fact — formulaic, sometimes — but Encanto never feels like they're monotonously beating the same old drum. Instruments are struck, shaken and otherwise played in the film's soundtrack, of course, which resounds with energetic earworms; the salsa beats of 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' are especially irresistible, and the Miranda-penned hip hop wordplay that peppers the movie's tunes is impossible to mentally let go. Spanning pop, ballads and more, all those songs help tell the tale of the Madrigals, a close-knit Colombian family who've turned generational trauma into magic. This is still an all-ages-friendly Disney flick, so there are limits to how dark it's willing to get; however, that Encanto fills its frames with a joyous celebration of Latin America and simultaneously recognises its setting's history of conflict is hugely significant. It also marks Walt Disney Animation Studios' 60th feature — dating back to 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs — but its cultural specificity (depictions of Indigenous, Afro Latino and Colombian characters of other ethnicities included) is its bigger achievement. OSCARS: Won: Best Animated Feature Nominations: Best Original Score, Best Song Where to watch: Encanto is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Disney+,Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. SUMMER OF SOUL (...OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED) Much of Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) involves stunning archival footage, as recorded more than five decades ago, capturing live performances by an astonishing lineup of musicians. At the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, a free series of gigs that rolled out across six weekend and saw around 300,000 people head along, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, BB King, Sly and the Family Stone, the Staples Singers, Mahalia Jackson and Gladys Knight & the Pips all took to the stage — and the newly unearthed reels that immortalised their efforts are the stuff that music documentary dreams are made of. For his filmmaking debut, Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson could've simply stitched together different songs from various sets across the festival, and let those music superstars lead the show. He could've taken the immersive, observational approach and jettisoned context, too. But The Roots frontman and drummer doesn't make that choice, and he ensures that two words echo strongly throughout the film as a result: "Black Woodstock". Also in New York — upstate in the town of Bethel, 100 miles north of Harlem — Woodstock itself took place in the summer of 1969 as well. The Harlem Cultural Festival kicked off before and kept playing after its better-known counterpart ended, but comparing the two events makes quite the statement. Why has one endured in public consciousness and proven pervasive in popular culture, but not the other? Why did footage of one quickly get turned into a film, with the Woodstock documentary first reaching cinemas in 1970, but recordings of the other largely sat in a basement for half a century? Why did television veteran Hal Tulchin, who shot the entire Harlem Cultural Festival from start to finish on four cameras loaded up with two-inch videotape, get told that there was little interest in releasing much from a "Black Woodstock"? (One New York TV station aired two hour-long specials at the time, but that's all that eventuated until now.) These questions and the US' historical treatment of people in colour go hand in hand, and whenever the words "Black Woodstock" are uttered, that truth flutters through Summer of Soul. OSCARS: Won: Best Documentary Feature Where to watch: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. NO TIME TO DIE James Bond might famously prefer his martinis shaken, not stirred, but No Time to Die doesn't quite take that advice. While the enterprising spy hasn't changed his drink order, the latest film he's in — the 25th official feature in the franchise across six decades, and the fifth and last that'll star Daniel Craig — gives its regular ingredients both a mix and a jiggle. The action is dazzlingly choreographed, a menacing criminal has an evil scheme and the world is in peril, naturally. Still, there's more weight in Craig's performance, more emotion all round, and a greater willingness to contemplate the stakes and repercussions that come with Bond's globe-trotting, bed-hopping, villain-dispensing existence. There's also an eagerness to shake up parts of the character and Bond template that rarely get a nudge. Together, even following a 19-month pandemic delay, it all makes for a satisfying blockbuster cocktail. For Craig, the actor who first gave Bond a 21st-century flavour back in 2006's Casino Royale (something Pierce Brosnan couldn't manage in 2002's Die Another Day), No Time to Die also provides a fulfilling swansong. That wasn't assured; as much as he's made the tuxedo, gadgets and espionage intrigue his own, the Knives Out and Logan Lucky actor's tenure has charted a seesawing trajectory. His first stint in the role was stellar and franchise-redefining, but 2008's Quantum of Solace made it look like a one-off. Then Skyfall triumphed spectacularly in 2012, before Spectre proved all too standard in 2015. Ups and downs have long been part of this franchise, depending on who's in the suit, who's behind the lens, the era and how far the tone skews towards comedy — but at its best, Craig's run has felt like it's building new levels rather than traipsing through the same old framework. OSCARS: Won: Best Original Song Nominations: Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Where to watch: No Time to Die is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. BELFAST Warm, cosy, rosy, charming, feel-good: typically when a film spins its story during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, none of these words apply. But with Belfast, Kenneth Branagh has made a movie set in its eponymous city when the Protestant-versus-Catholic violence was a constant sight, and also helmed a feature that's about a childhood spent with that conflict as a backdrop. It's an approach that only works because Branagh draws from his own experiences — the film isn't a play-by-play memoir, but it's also clearly personal. Here, it's 1969, when the actor-turned-filmmaker would've been nine years old. The movie's protagonist, Buddy (first-timer Jude Hill), is that exact age, in fact. And with the beginnings of a three-decade-long sectarian fracas bubbling and boiling around him, he navigates the usual age-appropriate antics, such as school, crushes, doting grandparents with ailing health and a potential big move. The Troubles are a constant sight in the largely monochrome-hued film, too, and the reason Buddy's that parents are contemplating relocating to England, something they wouldn't have dreamed of otherwise. Pa (Jamie Dornan, The Tourist) already spends most of his time working there as a joiner, leaving Ma (Caitríona Balfe, Outlander) at home with Buddy and his elder brother Will (Lewis McAskie, Here Before) — with assistance from the boys' Granny (Judi Dench, Six Minutes to Midnight) and Pop (Ciarán Hinds, The Man in the Hat) — and he's been offered a new job that comes with a house. The violence swirling through Belfast has already made it to the family's street, to their hounded Catholic neighbours and, when Pa refuses to join the fray, put them on their fellow Protestants' hit list. Shifting to London (or perhaps further, to Sydney or Vancouver) would provide a new start and a safer future, but leaving all they've ever known isn't a simple decision. OSCARS: Won: Best Original Screenplay Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Kenneth Branagh), Best Supporting Actor (Ciarán Hinds), Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench), Best Sound Where to watch: Belfast is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review. CRUELLA A killer dress, a statement jacket, a devastating head-to-toe ensemble: if they truly match their descriptions, they stand the test of time. Set in 70s London as punk takes over the aesthetic, live-action 101 Dalmatians prequel Cruella is full of such outfits — plus a white-and-black fur coat that's suspected of being made from slaughtered dogs. If the film itself was a fashion item, though, it'd be a knockoff. It'd be a piece that appears fabulous from afar, but can't hide its seams. That's hardly surprising given this origin tale stitches together pieces from The Devil Wears Prada, The Favourite, Superman, Star Wars and Dickens, and doesn't give two yaps if anyone notices. The Emmas — Stone, playing the dalmatian-hating future villain; Thompson, doing her best Miranda Priestly impression as a ruthless designer — have a ball. Oscar-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan is chief among the movie's MVPs. But for a film placed amid the punk-rock revolution, it's happy to merely look the part, not live and breathe it. And, in aiming to explain away its anti-heroine's wicked ways, it's really not sure what it wants to say about her. Before she becomes the puppy-skinning fashionista that remains among Glenn Close's best-known roles, and before she's both a wannabe designer and the revenge-seeking talk of the town played by Stone (Zombieland: Double Tap), Cruella is actually 12-year-old girl Estella (Tipper Seifert-Cleveland, Game of Thrones). She sports two-toned hair and a cruel that streak her mother (Emily Beecham, Little Joe) tries to tame with kindness — and she's also a target for bullies, but has the gumption to handle them. Then tragedy strikes, an orphan is born, loss haunts her every move and, after falling in with a couple of likeable London thieves, those black-and-white locks get a scarlet dye job. By the time that Estella is in her twenties, she's well-versed in pulling quick heists but loves sewing the costumes required more than anything else. And, thanks to the Baroness (Thompson, Last Christmas), she eventually gets her chance — for fashion domination, as well as vengeance. OSCARS: Won: Best Costume Design Nominations: Best Makeup and Hairstyling Where to watch: Cruella is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. Looking for more Oscar-nominees to watch? You can also check out our full rundown of where almost all of this year's contenders are screening or streaming in Australia.
When that big city life feels like it's getting a little bit much, there's no better antidote than to whisk yourself away for a dose of countryside. Lots of fresh air, an abundance of nature and a slower pace that's guaranteed to relax and revive. And you can find all of that just a quick hop out of the big smoke, with idyllic country cottages, wilderness huts and secluded farm retreats dotted all across the state. Places where you can wake up to nature and spend your days lounging by the fire or exploring acres of surrounding bushland. Well, we've done the hard work for you and pulled together twenty of the most unique country stays you can book right now in NSW. Choose a favourite, pack those bags and get set for a taste of rural living. Recommended Reads: The Best Places to Go Glamping in NSW The Best Tiny Houses You Can Book Around NSW The Best Hotels in Sydney The Best Places to Stay in the Blue Mountains Wilderness Hut Studio, Worrowing Heights Embrace the best of country and coast, at this secluded, self-contained cabin. It's a modern beauty, surrounded by nature and crafted from reclaimed timber. From $335 a night, sleeps two. Casa Del Casson, Smiths Lake A little slice of Mexico in the coastal village of Smiths Lake. With a wood fireplace and dense wilderness surrounds, this log cabin is endlessly cosy. From $250 a night, sleeps six. Billabong Cottage, Termeil This secluded cottage for two overlooks its own lush billabong. Enjoy a cosy fireplace, sunny verandah and complete serenity throughout. From $160 a night, sleeps two. Laguna Sanctuary, Upper Colo A Balinese-inspired cottage, bordered by a freshwater lagoon. This one's got a firepit, heated outdoor spa and sun-drenched overwater deck. From $390 a night, sleeps four. The Stables, Holgate A secluded country escape, just minutes from the beach, this modern cabin is primed for relaxing and romancing. And that bath features incredible views. From $250 a night, sleeps two. JR's Hut, Nangus Escape the world at this mountaintop eco-hut, complete with 360-degree views. It's entirely off-grid, with a fire to keep things extra snug. From $660 a night, sleeps two The Shed at Broger's End, Upper Kangaroo River This former machinery shed is now a stylish cottage, cleverly built with reclaimed materials and boasting its own outdoor pizza oven. From $600 a night, sleeps seven. Japanese Studio, Fitzroy Falls Enjoy your own private Japanese-style retreat set among the lush surrounds of Fitzroy Falls, which is on the doorstep of both national parkland and wine country. From $250 a night, sleeps two. Nearest Neighbour Cabin, Cambridge Plateau Unplug at this charming, off-grid couples' cabin, backing onto heritage-listed rainforest and rolling green acreage. It's as private and peaceful as they come. From $80 a night, sleeps three. Spiral House, Robertson This unique tiny home comes complete with alfresco tub, sweeping views and 33 acres as your private backyard. From $277 a night, sleeps two. Warramba, Glen Alice A contemporary country cottage with styling that'll make you swoon. Unplug, recharge and soak up a taste of rural life. From $805 a night, sleeps six. Romantic Guesthouse, Foxground Recapture the romance at this private studio, overlooking rolling green hills. Enjoy cosy nights around the firepit and sunny days in the infinity pool. From $514 a night, sleeps two. Strikes 2, Eurunderee Enjoy an epic outlook and serenity aplenty when you book a stay at this eco-friendly couples' cottage, set high above the Eurunderee Valley. From $357 a night, sleeps two. The Treehouse, Kangaroo Valley Nab your own treehouse paradise, overlooking the Kangaroo River. This group-friendly retreat is enveloped in nature, featuring a firepit and sun-drenched deck. From $508 a night, sleeps four. The Shearing Shed, Cowra This stylishly repurposed shearing shed makes for a dreamy couples' escape, complete with log fire and loads of farm-style charm. From $250 a night, sleeps two Black Rose Cottage, Mudgee A sweet country cottage with room for ten, this stylish retreat sits just minutes from the heart of Mudgee and is surrounded by wine country. From $375 a night, sleeps ten. Kookawood, Rydal A quaint farmhouse cottage perched high overlooking the Blue Mountains. Enjoy the cosy log fireplace and some truly breathtaking views from the outdoor bath. From $550 a night, sleeps four. Loughmore Cottage, Kangaroo Valley Load up on country-style tranquility at this revamped Irish settler's hut, complete with comfy furnishings and a library full of books. From $250 a night, sleeps two. Barrington Eco Hut, Cobark An eco-friendly tiny home that's primed for an unplugged getaway, featuring a hot shower, cosy fire pit and delightfully remote wilderness setting. From $230 a night, sleeps two. Practice Ground, Glen Davis Surrounded by the rugged cliffs of the Capertree Valley, relax and unwind in this architectural wonder nestled on a 20-acre plot of bushland. From $455 a night, sleeps four. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy. Images: courtesy of Airbnb.
Let's, for a moment, step around the "is file sharing piracy?" debate. The internet is awash with free, legal movie options — if you know where to look. We've curated a quandry-free ethical zone of movies that will be up online for the next few months at least. For other online cinematic freebies, the SBS and ABC sites are worth checking regularly; feature films, not just television programs, are uploaded for a couple of weeks at a time. Recent gems have included the classic Errol Morris doco The Thin Blue Line and French romantic comedy Hunting and Gathering with Audrey Tautou (let’s face it, French rom coms are just classier than Hollywood ones). 1. The Tunnel (2011) A super low budget, mockumentary-style Australian horror movie set in an abandoned web of tunnels beneath Sydney’s railway system. It's steers away from the slasher genre, towards that of a psychological thriller with a slow-building and genuinely eerie climax. 2. Shopgirl (2005) "Shopgirl" is what happens when Hollywood tries to do a smart, offbeat rom com. It’s a Steve Martin vanity trip - he wrote it, produced it and stars as a slightly creepy, rich, older guy who courts the lovely but quietly unhappy Claire Danes, who is torn between him and a cooler but less dependable Jason Schwartzman. Why would Claire Danes interested in Steve Martin? It’s a bit weird and unclear. But if you want something a bit silly and a bit entertaining to tune out to for a couple of hours, this is the one for you. The trick is not to think too much. 3. Night of the Living Dead (1968) This old school zombie classic by George Romero is available online thanks to it’s recent inclusion in the US Library of Congress’ National Film Registry. It spawned five Living Dead sequels and two remakes. An essential one for horror maniacs. 4. Ozamu Tezukis’ Metropolis (1949) You probably know Ozamu Tezukis not by his name, but as “the guy who made Astro Boy”. This is his 1940s take on a dystopian, robotic future. It’s a quiet classic, as impressive as any olden day Disney cartoon, and a must for anyone who’s in love with out-of-this-world Japanese animation (think Spirited Away). 5. Enduring Love (2004) A psychological thriller and twisted love story starring Daniel Craig, Rhys Ifans (in unhinged stalker mode) and Samantha Morton and directed by Roger Michell, the guy who made Notting Hill (who really is not as bad as he sounds). It doesn’t reach the mad heights of Ian McEwan’s original novel, but the performances and the opening sequence of a tragic giant red balloon crash in the picturesque countryside are great. 6. The Wild One (1954) The 1biker drama that helped cement Marlon Brando’s icon status. It’s a golden era Hollywood flick big on tragedy and postwar aimlessness. 7. Midnight Express (1978) A “Serious Movie for Adults” with an Oscar-winning script by Oliver Stone. This one’s a heavyweight drama set in Turkey - it depicts the brutality of prison life for an American sentenced for drug-smuggling. 8. Gattaca (1997) New Zealand director Andrew Niccol’s slick film is equal parts sci-fi thriller, film noir and melodrama. It’s lovely to look at, if not a little predictable, and depicts a future where humans are genetically optimised against disease and ill-health. 9. El Mariachi (1992) This is a Spanish-language, Pulp Fiction-era, indie crime movie that’s heavy on the blood, leather and guns. It’s little wonder director Robert Rodgriguez ended up collaborating with Quentin Tarantino - they’re a cinematic match made in heaven/hell. 10. The Rage in Placid Lake (2003) Another quirky indie romance with an unlikely pairing (Rose Byrne and Ben Lee?!?! Really?) and boundless whimsy. Ok, it’s a bit twee, but perfect for anyone feeling a nostalgic for early 2000s Australiana. Follow it up with a Triple J Hottest 100 album for full effect. Leading image by NCM3.
Sydney is world renowned for its beauty, which can be easy to overlook when you live and commute in the city every day. And, our city skyline also makes for the perfect backdrop for a gorgeous burnt-orange Australian sunset. So, why not combine the two and enjoy the simple pleasures of seeing out the day with good company, great food and free flowing cocktails? We've partnered with Captain Cook Cruises to bring you a reminder of some of the places in Sydney where you can enjoy stunning sunset views with a decent drink in hand.
Though there is certainly no lack of Yum Cha options in Sydney, few reach the towering proportions achieved by Haymarket's The Eight. Experience a modern fusion of Cantonese cuisine on the top floor of the Market City complex in this cavernous restaurant that can seat 750. And don't worry, the quality of restaurant's cuisine is just as great. Its name originates from the combination of eight schools of traditional Chinese cuisine used at the restaurant. Founder Henry Tang embraces a contemporary take on Cantonese dining while still keeping the heart and principles of his Hong Kong roots. Presented by the Zilver group, The Eight celebrated its ten-year anniversary last year and has truly come of age. If Zilver sounds familiar to you, it was the name of a similar restaurant owned by the group of the same name, which closed after three decades along with a long string of other Chinese restaurants within Sydney, including legends like Golden Century and Marigold. For those who were able to visit Zilver before its closure, The Eight could be described as its polished, less traditional cousin. The stylish dining area is lined with LED lights and plush furniture, and complete with a wall made up of entirely screens. The venue can be converted for large events, and any of the five private dining rooms offers a space for more intimate gatherings. Don't let the grandeur distract you from the cuisine. The extensive list of traditional fare is well worth its affordable price, and the live seafood standout. Whether you choose banquet style or a la carte, anything off of The Eight's lacquered menu will impress. Choose from live Lobster, King Crab, or Mud Crab (market price) served with whichever sauces you prefer for a must-try dining experience. However, their Yum Cha is the undisputed start of the show, offering the classics you expect and love at a reasonable price. With over sixty choices from their menu and a wide range of desserts, choose from classics like prawn or scallop dumplings and BBQ pork buns. While you're there, don't forget to order their renowned roast duck, and top it off with delectable mango pancakes.
"I'm lost already," said my partner about a minute after we'd turned left (or was it right?) past yet another steel cluster of hutches otherwise known as the residences of Zetland. Some minutes later, we entered a mall across the road from an Audi dealership and were seated inside the Zetland edition of the Darlinghurst legend Lucio Pizzeria. Believe it or not, it's not (pure) snobbery that wonders how the cosy, brusque bustle of the Darlinghurst restaurant would translate here. The clientele are different. They are both younger and older than the Darlinghurst mob and also include the lunchtime business crowd (selling cars is hard work). It was good thinking then, on the part of owner/chef Lucio De Falco not to attempt a direct translation of his original Italian masterpiece but rather to reinterpret it. And that reinterpretation includes some fine additions that bring the food of the south of Italy to the fore. Before I go any further, I will confirm that after sampling the 'Lucio' ($20), a half calzone half margherita combination, the famous pizza is here in all its silky, blistered glory. But if I can tear you away from the pizza for even a moment, you must, I mean must try the lasagne ($22.50). Unlike its northern counterpart, this one has no bechamel, very little cheese and pulled beef instead of mince. It arrives with a prettily charred edge like a the lacy hem of a gypsy's skirt, a tomato sauce richer and more velvety than a cardinal's cloak, and silky sheets of handmade pasta that slip and slide with an unctuousness that is more satisfying than any bechamel. Also wonderfully southern is the thoughtful selection of mozzarella and accompanying cured meats that make up the 'mozzarella bar' part of the menu. An excellent waiter isn't hesitant about recommending a burrata ($14) accompanied by prosciutto ($12.50). Good on him. The neat little white cloud of burrata that hails from the Caserta region of Campania gives out at the pull of a fork, breaking and tearing into sublimely subtle, milky wisps of cheese. The southern beauty that closes is the Pastiera Napoletana ($12.50). A cake made of ricotta and cooked wheat grains, its flavour is made bright and warm with the addition of orange (not far off the spiced fruitiness of panettone) and a flaky shortbread base. As we leave, we notice two young fellow diners heading home across the street, clutching their leftovers in a box. I look a little harder into the greys of the steel hutches and see the odd pot plant, soft toys suctioned to windows and curtains filtering the glow of bulbs. After a meal that so firmly referenced its home, even if it was eaten opposite a car dealership, such tiny signs are proof enough that no matter the place, home is where there is heart.
If you haven't been to Barrington Tops, a lush NSW getaway spot four hours north of Sydney, then lose no time in making it your next vacay spot. Verdant greenery, intrepid trails to explore, beautiful native flora and fauna, and plenty of adventurous activities make Barrington Tops the ultimate underrated getaway spot, whether you're going with your significant other, your whole family or a big group of mates. Okay, so we know we're spoiling it a bit by writing about it, but we just couldn't keep this one to ourselves. To help streamline the plethora of awesome things to see and do in the region, we've teamed up with Wild Turkey to bring you a few of our faves. [caption id="attachment_843191" align="alignnone" width="1920"] MidCoast Water (Flickr)[/caption] TAKE A BUSH WALK THROUGH THE WORLD HERITAGE-LISTED BARRINGTON TOPS NATIONAL PARK You simply cannot go to this part of the world without checking out the massive national park for which it is perhaps best known. There's a lot of ground to cover — literally — so we recommend doing an overnight hike to explore this diverse terrain. The best way to see as much as you can is to start on the Gloucester River walking track, where you'll see the majestic namesake river (pictured above), gullies and impressive views as well as all manner of native wildlife. Make sure you pack lunch and something to swim in, as you'll have access to idyllic spots for riverside picnics and river swims along the way, too. Spend the night surrounded by ancient rainforest in the Gloucester River campground and set off the next morning on the Sharpes Creek walking track, where you can spot platypus and eastern water dragons. If you're pressed for time (or don't love the idea of camping overnight in the bush), then there are a number of tracks you can easily complete in the space of a day or less. [caption id="attachment_843945" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Elliot Kramer[/caption] CHALLENGE YOURSELF ON THE CORKER TRAIL If you fancy yourself a bit more of an adventurer, tackle the Corker trail, a challenging walking track recommended for experienced bushwalkers only that runs all the way from the Lagoon Pinch picnic area right across to Careys Peak on the Barrington Plateau. Be warned, it's not called the Corker for nothing, so expect a pretty tough slog through challenging terrain. It's well worth it at the end, though, as you'll be rewarded with a scenic lookout over the snow gums, swamps and wide open grass plains of the Barrington Plateau for a view that will leave you as breathless as the hike did, if not more. The hike will also take you by Wombat Creek campground, a perfect spot to set up camp and spend a night under the stars. [caption id="attachment_843943" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Elliot Kramer[/caption] TAKE A 4WD TRIP TO THE REMOTE GUMMI FALLS CAMPGROUND High in the sub-alpine region you'll find the remote Gummi Falls Campground, which is well and truly out there in the wild. You'll need to take a 4WD to access this untamed, natural bit of country, but don't worry, there are barbecue facilities and toilets once you're there. Spend your day mountain biking or horse riding through the many trails that surround the bewitchingly beautiful region, and try to spot elusive native fauna like the long-nosed potoroo, spotted-tail quoll and powerful owl. If you fancy a different angle, drop a line in the crystal clear Manning River, known for its abundant supply of freshwater bass. [caption id="attachment_843187" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Doug Beckers (Flickr)[/caption] MOUNTAIN BIKE ALONG THE BARRINGTON TRAIL If you've read this far, you may have already surmised that Barrington Tops is a great spot for mountain biking — and the vast array of rugged terrain and beautiful scenery are arguably even better experienced on two wheels. While you're spoilt for choice in terms of which path to take, we recommend starting with the Barrington trail, a well traversed dirt and gravel road spanning nearly 15 kilometres and, running from Mount Barrington past Brumlow Top and on to Polblue Mountain. On this trail, you'll have access to incredible views, a diverse spread of forest habitats and perfect mountain air. [caption id="attachment_843949" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Elliot Kramer[/caption] TACKLE THE BLUE GUM LOOP TRAIL, AND COOL OFF WITH A DIP IN A SECLUDED RIVER AFTERWARDS The idyllic Blue Gum Loop trail runs alongside a pristine river and showcases some of the region's finest plant life — the trail is named for the towering blue gum trees that dominate the landscape here and bestow this place with an ethereal beauty. Immerse yourself in their majesty on a leisurely 3.5-kilometre looped trail, which will give you a bird's-eye view of the cascades of the stunning Williamson River from a high steel span bridge, easily accessible from the walk. There's a great spot to stop for a picnic at Fern Creek cascades, and, if you're feeling a bit hot after all that walking, wander down one of the many short detours to find a secluded spot by the riverbank to cool off with a refreshing dip. [caption id="attachment_843198" align="alignnone" width="1920"] MidCoast Water (Flickr)[/caption] GO WHITE WATER KAYAKING ON THE BARRINGTON RIVER RAPIDS If you're chasing more of a thrill from nature, check out the white water kayaking along the surging rapids of the mighty Barrington River. Fed by the pristine, fresh waters that run from Barrington Tops, these rapids rush after periods of heavy rainfall, when the river swells to cover ground it ordinarily wouldn't. Kayaking and rafting tours are readily available, but are subject to rainfall prior, so keep an eye on the weather and get booking when the rain falls. [caption id="attachment_843189" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Russell Street (Flickr)[/caption] TAKE IT ALL IN FROM ONE OF THE REGION'S MANY LOOKOUTS With all of this natural beauty surrounding you, it can be hard to get a sense of the region as a whole. So it's definitely worth your while to check out one, if not several, of the many scenic lookouts that offer an all-encompassing view of this stunning landscape. Devils Hole lookout sits at an altitude of 1400 metres and offers breathtaking views of the dense forestry and undulating mountains beyond. The nearby, and epically titled, Thunderbolts lookout showcases the gorgeous plateau region between Scone and Gloucester, dense with Antarctic beech trees and moss-covered forest floors. Elsewhere, Careys Peak is at the end of an invigorating walking track that will take you through heavily wooded country before giving way to a peak in the Williams Range, where you can survey the ground you've just traversed from a cracking lookout spot. Find out more about Wild Turkey's Discovery Series at the website. Top image: Russell Street (Flickr)
Shopping for people you know intimately can be a challenge, so when you're required to buy a gift for someone outside of your inner circle it can be downright intimidating. But it doesn't have to be. Bookmark this page for future gift-giving inspiration, because, in partnership with American Express, we've gathered a selection of options that'll cover you for any personality type and scenario requiring a present. We'll even let you take the credit for having an excellent eye for products. Bonus: none of the following options are all that demanding on your wallet and they can be found online or inside the doors of independent shops worth seeking out in a neighbourhood near you.
Beginning in Narrabeen and finishing up at Queenscliff Beach (or vice versa) the Bicentennial Coastal Walk is a 10km trek encompassing the northern beaches' awe-inspiring views of sweeping beaches, lagoons, headlands and rock pools. The well-formed track also includes steps and some sections of beach walking. Highlights along the coastal walk include the Collaroy War Memorial, Long Reef Wildlife Protection Area, Dee Why Headland and the Duke Kahanamoku Statue and Memorial Park in Freshwater — the place where Duke first introduced surfing to Australia back in 1914. A perfect half-day walk, the Bicentennial Coastal Walk will take you about five hours one way — or twice as long if you plan to return on foot. Images: Mel Koutchavlis
Australia's most prestigious portrait award is just around the corner, and its finalists have been announced today. Every year crowds speculate who will be awarded the coveted prize and, more often than not, the Archibald winner causes much-heated debate. From last year's five-time Archibald finalist Yvette Coppersmith's first win — for her vibrant, almost Cézanne-inspired Self portrait, after George Lambert — to Craig Ruddy's 2004 win with his sketch of Indigenous actor David Gulpilil, it's hard win to pick. All that's really assured is that it'll be a portrait of person by an Australian. Held at the Art Gallery of NSW every year, the Archibald runs in conjunction with the Wynne and Sulman Prizes — recognising the best landscape painting of Australian scenery, or figure sculpture and the best subject painting, genre painting or mural project, respectively. This year, running from May to September, the Archibald is sure to attract a massive crowd, with some exceptional artworks to feast your eyes upon. Vietnamese-Australian artist, actor and writer Anh Do has made the cut, as have Melbourne-based stencil artist Kirpy with his portrait of Paralympic champion Dylan Alcott, Carla Fletcher's cosmic work of Del Kathryn Baron and a hyperreal self-portrait of a pregnant Katherine Edney. Tessa MacKay has also taken out the coveted 2019 Archibald Packing Room Prize, chosen by the packing room tea, for her hyperreal portrait of actor David Wenham, called Through the Looking Glass (above). As there are so many outstanding portraits this year (as there are every year), it's impossible to know which of the 51 is going to take home the $100,000 prize. Regardless, here are some of our favourites — and some we think may have a good chance of winning. [caption id="attachment_719640" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Luke Cornish, Cato, Callie and Comet. Photo: AGNSW, Felicity Jenkins.[/caption] LUKE CORNISH — CATO, CALLIE AND COMET Prolific Australian street artist Luke Cornish has subdued his edge a bit for his portrait of Sue Cato — a media commentator and businesswoman as well as a board member of Carriageworks and a member of Sydney Contemporary's advisory council. Cornish initially wanted to paint her two dogs, Callie and Comet, but as per the Archibald rule, Cato was included and is the subject of Cato, Callie and Comet. In 2012, Cornish was the first street artist to ever be an Archibald finalist and he's back again with this accurate, and slightly moody, depiction of a powerful woman in the intimacy of her own living room. [caption id="attachment_719642" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Laura Jones, Nakkiah in her dressing room. Photo: AGNSW, Mim Stirling.[/caption] LAURA JONES — NAKKIAH IN HER DRESSING ROOM Sydney-based artist Laura Jones has made quite the name for herself in recent years, having exhibited in some of Sydney's top contemporary galleries as well as a past finalist in the Portia Geach Memorial Award, the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship and the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize. Now, she is a finalist in Australia's biggest art award for the first time. Nakkiah in her dressing room is an intimate work of Nakkiah Lui, an Australian actress of Gamillaroi/Torres Strait Island background. The portrait depicts Lui's wit, strength and warmth and is a highly expressive piece for an Archibald first-timer. [caption id="attachment_719644" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Blak Douglas, White shells, black heart. Photo: AGNSW, Felicity Jenkins.[/caption] BLAK DOUGLAS —WHITE SHELLS, BLACK HEART Blak Douglas is no stranger to the Archibald, having been a finalist in 2015 and 2018, and also a finalist in this year's Wynne Prize for a collaborative work. So, the man means business, even though his works may seem somewhat simple at first glance. His portrait is of Esme Timbery (or as he refers to her, Aunty Esme) — one of the longest-practising Aboriginal artists. The two worked together back in 2000 for Eorascapes — an exhibition in the Sydney Opera House foyer for the Olympics. The colourful multimedia work is both venerate and familial, a testament to Blak Douglas and his personal-yet-political artistic practice. [caption id="attachment_719646" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anh Do, Art and war.[/caption] ANH DO — ART AND WAR You may know Do for any number of reasons. The actor, writer, comedian and artist is an Australian household name and is no Archibald newbie. Having won the 2017 People's Choice award for his portrait of actor Jack Charles and a finalist back in 2014 for a portrait of his father, Do has now painted a fellow artist — George Gittoes. Gittoes has witnessed adversities in Somalia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Afghanistan and is known for his raw, brusque depictions of human suffering (with glimmers of hope and resilience). Emanating Gittoes' grit, Art and War is a close-up portrait looking straight down the barrel into the eyes of someone who's seen much of the world. [caption id="attachment_719647" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Shane Bowden, Self-portrait sitting in a red chair, Avalon. Photo: AGNSW, Mim Stirling.[/caption] SHANE BOWDEN — SELF-PORTRAIT SITTING IN A RED CHAIR Shane Bowden's work may not look the most technically impressive but he sure doesn't hold back. His self-portrait errs on the grotesque, with demented lines, a disproportionate use of scale and muddled colours — it has an overall first-day-of-kindergarten appeal. Upon first glance that is. Having undergone heart surgery last year, Bowden has channelled this personal catastrophe into Self-portrait sitting in a red chair, Avalon. The neo-expressionist work represents the artist as both child and adult, distilling "all the emotion and confusion of the last 40 years as I tried to find my true self," as put by Bowden himself in his official Archibald statement. A finalist in the 2010 Archibald Prize with a collaborative work as well as a finalist in the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize in 2010 and 2011, Shane Bowden is not one to overlook. All of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prize finalists will be on display at the Art Gallery of NSW from May 11–September 8. The Archibald finalists well then head to various galleries across regional NSW and Victoria. Top image: Tessa Mackay, Through the looking glass. Photo: AGNSW, Mim Stirling.
Back in 2012, Ananas made a name for its glamorous French brasserie, pairing plenty of champagne with an eclectic fitout that was part Parisian flea market, part Art Nouveau time capsule. Yet just four years later, the bustling restaurant shifted its famous pineapple lamps — ananas is French for the sweet, spiky fruit — from The Rocks to Darling Harbour. Now, Hunter St. Hospitality (24 York, Sahtein, Bar Patron) is bringing Ananas back to its original stomping ground, building on the initial concept with a few fresh ideas. Leading the kitchen will be executive chef Mike Flood, who previously helped Felix become one of Sydney's more admired French brasseries. Alongside head chef Christian Jones, diners can expect the reimagined Ananas to lean a little more casual than its inaugural fine-dining appeal. "This isn't about recreating a Paris corner exactly as it is," says Flood. "The menu draws from across France and shifts with the seasons. For launch, the menu leans more towards a classic Paris brasserie mood — deeper sauces, butter, a bit more richness on the plate. As we move towards spring, it lightens and leans south, with olive oil stepping in and dishes becoming brighter." That means diners should expect a series of signature year-round plates, such as fruits de mer, soupe à l'oignon and steak au poivre with frites. Yet when the seasons allow, dishes like King George whiting grenobloise and confit duck leg finished with gastrique will bring new elements to the menu. For drinks, France is the focus as you'd expect, featuring an expansive wine list of at least 800 bottles with a strong emphasis on champagne. Likewise, the new-look Ananas' design is carefully considered. Perched above Hunter St's Lebanese-inspired Sahtein, the interior will evoke the restaurant of old. Layered in harmonious and contrasting materials, two-toned Bentwood chairs sit alongside comfy banquettes, while marble and timber tables are dressed in paper or cloth. Meanwhile, a communal high-top harkens back to the original restaurant, while indoor plants and golden pineapple lamps will once more punctuate the space. "Ananas was a concept I believed in," says Hunter St Hospitality CEO Frank Tucker. "It was ambitious and had a clear point of view, but the original space was simply too large to operate comfortably. We've been looking for the right environment to bring it back for years. This room has the same sandstone bones and warmth, but in a footprint that allows it to function properly. We're taking what people responded to and refining the experience so it works for today." Ananas is expected to open at 18a Argyle Street, The Rocks, on Thursday, May 7, serving lunch and dinner daily. Head to the website for more information. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox. Images: Steven Woodburn.
The Efendy group transformed the former Tombik digs into Baharat — a triple-threat venue that is either cocktail bar, casual eatery and spice shop or all three. Taking its name from the Turkish word for 'spice', Baharat is headed up by renowned chef Somer Sivrioğlu, bar manager Emre Bilgin (ex-Geyik), and assistant bar manager Berk Abdullahoglu (ex-Kaia). The venue's layout, decor, music and rustic interior (refreshed by Jordan Design Studio), all pull inspiration directly from the spice shops and street bars in Taksim square. Upon entry, you'll spot jars of spices adorning the wall behind the bar, alongside bottles of house-made alcoholic liqueurs and syrups, and strings of deep red chillis. Paired with the psychedelic Turkish music from the 70s, the tone for your night is set, transplanting you to the bustling streets of Istanbul. When you visit, you'll want to try a little of everything, so start off with the snacks section of the menu. You can try the stone baked bread, which pairs well with the hummus, babaganoush, or the pastirma and condiments. Or opt for the ox tongue with kokorec spices and flatbread, or the Muvjer — the Turkish equivalent of a zucchini fritter — combined with feta, haloumi and dill. For mains, cast your eyes over the pide selection. Pick from crowd favourites like the lahamacun — flatbread topped with minced meat or vegetables, the zaatar, walnut and muhammara flatbread, the three Anatolian cheese pide or the pastirma and kashar cheese pide. Then there's the restaurant's signature dish: the lamb tandir is slowly roasted in a stone oven, and served with flatbread and pickles. When it comes to the drinks, pick from Baharat's specialty cocktails which put a Turkish spin on the classics with inspiration from the restaurant's own Spice Bazaar. Look out for the pickled shalgam Bloody Mary, the sumac and black salt margaritas and the barrel-spiced negroni. The house cocktails also include a range of spice-infused cocktails including the Belly Dancer — featuring mezcal, grapefruit, allspice dram and raki — and the Fisco Misco — featuring Pisco and maraschino with cumin, coriander and sumac. There are also Turkish beers and wines, plus non-alcoholic drinks on offer, including Efes' fruity non-alcoholic malts. Those who are curious, or who simply enjoy watching their food being made, can peer through the window into the kitchen and enjoy the view. And if you can't dine in, all menu items are available for takeaway.
Powerhouse Museum Ultimo is set to look a whole lot different thanks to a $500-million makeover — and the plan for the revamp has just been given the green light. The approval for the concept that won 2022's design competition is the latest step towards kicking off construction on the project. "Planning consent allows us to move into the next important phase of the project and to get on with the job of reinvigorating one of Australia's most revered museums, securing its future for many generations to come," Powerhouse Trust President Peter Collins AM KC said. "We will now continue to consult with the community and stakeholders as we refine the final design of the museum and ensure the community provides input into the renewal during the next phase of the planning process." If you'd like to have your say, you can participate in the consultation on the design by completing the online survey before Friday, March 10. Celebrating the current strengths of the building while providing it with a major transformation, the concept has been designed by Australian team Architectus, Durbach Block Jaggers Architects, Tyrrell Studio, Youssofzay + Hart, Akira Isogawa, Yerrabingin, Finding Infinity and Arup. This team's design was unanimously selected by the jury following a design competition. Included in the transformation are expanded exhibition spaces, a new urban space connected to the neighbouring Goods Line that will work as a public square, revitalised creative studios at the Harris Street end of the building and increased outdoor spaces throughout the museum. "The new building casts a reimagined lens on the heritage fabrics and cityscapes from multiple levels of this escarpment – from uses, circulation, terraces and gardens," said Design Director Camilla Block. "Respectful and immediate, the reimagined building lives alongside the Powerhouse core, a powerful embodiment of both geography and backdrop." Aesthetically, the renders reveal a new facade of concrete and red brick emerging from the heritage-listed elements of the museum. "Congratulations to the team for their deeply considered response to the Ultimo site, honouring the history and heritage of the Powerhouse museum whilst simultaneously reimagining how we can continue to engage our communities into the future," Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah said. The revamped museum will also feature a new rooftop learning camp called Powerhouse Academy. This space will offer secondary and tertiary students from regional NSW and around the country the opportunity to come to Sydney and participate in immersive learning experiences. The project has undergone a rocky history to get to this point. Back in 2015, Powerhouse Museum Ultimo was earmarked for closure, as part of a move to shift the entire facility to Parramatta. Then, when that idea didn't prove popular, the New South Wales Government committed to revamping and revitalising the existing site, allocating $480–500 million to the makeover. The other Powerhouse Museum location will still be established in Parramatta and is under construction at the moment. Head to the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo's renewal homepage for all the information on the site's transformation. Images: Powerhouse Ultimo renewal concept design created by Architectus, Durbach Block Jaggers Architects, Tyrrell Studio, Youssofzay + Hart, Akira Isogawa, Yerrabingin, Finding Infinity and Arup.
If you don't like anything to stand between you and the sea, here are your new plans for Sunday, March 1. At 8am the third Sydney Skinny will be kicking off, as hundreds of people disrobe and dive into the calm waters of Cobblers Beach at Mosman's Middle Head for a nude swim. For those of who you didn't hear about last year's event, basically it's a ticketed swim (and the largest nude ocean swim in the world, apparently; on a similar scale to Hobart's Dark Mofo winter solstice swim) that raises money for the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife's conservation work. In 2014 more than 700 totally starkers Sydneysiders took part, and by all accounts it was a pretty liberating, joyous experience for all involved. All participants must be over 18 and capable of swimming at least ten laps of a 50-metre pool. If you're a bit of a novice, choose the 300m option, while the more confident can plump for the 900m swim. Lifeguards will be stationed out on the water, and only people with tickets to swim get access to the beach, so you don't have to worry about creepy clothed spectators watching you disrobe. There will even be a festival area with refreshments and post-plunge freebies from event partners like Nudie juice. Non-participants are welcome to join in this portion of the event for free. You can organise to swim with a group of friends, or go solo. Whatever works. Just be mentally prepared for the possibility of running into your old high school physics teacher or your ex-boyfriend's dad.
Taco Bell, Wahlburgers, Five Guys and Wendy's all did it. Now, Chuck E Cheese is as well. Big-name American food chains keep making the leap to Australia, with this US restaurant-slash-entertainment centre brand first announcing its Down Under plans in 2024, and now backing it up by confirming that it'll launch in 2025. Yes, Charles Entertainment Cheese is heading this way, ready to delight kids, families and Australian adults who've always wanted the Chuck E Cheese experience. The children's birthday-party go-to is set to open its first Aussie venue in the coming months, in Perth. Exactly where in the Western Australian capital will be revealed in April. Chuck E Cheese's jump Down Under is a result of the WA-based Royale Hospitality Group signing a master franchise partnership for the country, adding to a stable that also includes Outback Jack's and Milky Lane. It's helping extend the chain as it closes in on five decades of existence — launching in 1977 — and as Asia and Europe also become a global focus. On offer: the place to eat slices, play games and watch animatronics that's been parodied in the likes of Five Nights at Freddy's and Willy's Wonderland, but obviously without the horror. And yes, that spans the company's characters. Yes, Charles Entertainment Cheese is Chuck E Cheese's mouse mascot's full name. Patrons can look forward to pizza, arcade games, climbing walls, an interactive dance floor and other play areas, plus VIP birthday party rooms and a space for parents to kick back sans kids. On the menu, smoothies and milkshakes will also be a feature, as will healthy options. "Perth has a strong culture for family entertainment, so bringing Chuck E Cheese to Australia is incredibly exciting — we can't wait for families to experience the fun, games and great food that have made it famous around the world," said Royale Hospitality Group General Manager Christian Beaden, announcing that Perth will play host to the chain's first Aussie store. If you live elsewhere around the nation, you'll need to keep waiting to find out when you'll be able to take your nieces and nephews to Chuck E Cheese in other Australian cities. Chuck E Cheese will start opening in Australia in 2025, starting in Perth, but exactly when and where hasn't yet been revealed — keep an eye on the chain's website, and we'll update you with more details when they're announced.
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 back in business — spanning both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney and Brisbane. 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=j_jjELPpKkk HAPPIEST SEASON Heading home for the holidays and stepping into a sea of interpersonal dramas is a familiar on-screen set-up, as a new movie every Christmas or so reminds us. By now, then, we all know the formula. Adult children make the pilgrimage to their parents' place, rivalries and animosities flare up, secrets are spilled, chaos ensues and, by the end of the film's running time, everyone has learned something. Happiest Season fits the template perfectly. With the merriest time of the year in full swing, the Caldwells converge on the Pennsylvanian family home, with their celebrations given an extra edge due to patriarch Ted's (Victor Garber, Dark Waters) mayoral campaign. His fastidious wife Tipper (Mary Steenburgen, The Book Club) insists on snapping every moment for his Instagram feed, all as stern eldest daughter Sloane (Alison Brie, GLOW) arrives with her husband (Burl Moseley, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), two children (Asiyih and Anis N'Dobe) and plenty of unspoken tension in tow; zany middle sister and aspiring fantasy writer Jane (Mary Holland, Between Two Ferns: The Movie) is largely ignored; and Pittsburgh-based political journalist Harper (Mackenzie Davis, Irresistible) returns with the girlfriend, Abby (Kristen Stewart, Charlie's Angels), that none of her relatives know about because she hasn't come out to them yet. If someone other than The Faculty, Girl, Interrupted, Veep and The Handmaid's Tale actor-turned-filmmaker Clea DuVall had made Happiest Season, the above paragraph would accurately reflect the feature's character hierarchy — because Sloane would take centre stage, and Harper and Abby would hover around the narrative's edges. But DuVall did make Happiest Season and, with co-writer Holland, she flips the movie's focus, even while still sticking with a well-worn general premise. Accordingly, this festive flick resembles a comfy sweater that often gets a wear, but seems welcomely different on this particular occasion. It shouldn't be so subversive to take an overused genre that's heavy on recognisable tropes, then strip away the engrained heteronormativity, but it is. Amid the sibling struggles, the re-emergence of old flames both male (Jake McDorman, What We Do in the Shadows) and female (Aubrey Plaza, Parks and Recreation), and the always hectic whirlwind that surrounds every seasonal family affair — and every attempt to run for political office, too — Happiest Season also explores two crucial themes in a meaningful way. First, it unpacks the performative nature of human existence, where too often we're all trying to match other people's perceptions and expectations without consistently remaining true to ourselves. And, it also interrogates how coming out isn't a simple or straightforward act, even in seemingly loving circumstances. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97nnV0fNd30&feature=youtu.be AMERICAN UTOPIA There may be no catchier lyric in music history than "same as it ever was", the five words repeated in Talking Heads' 1981 single 'Once in a Lifetime'. As uttered again and again by the band's inimitable frontman David Byrne, it's a looping phrase that burrows into your skull and never leaves. So when American Utopia opens with the musician sat at a table holding a brain and talking about what its various parts do, it feels as if Byrne is acknowledging what everyone already knows in the deepest recesses of their consciousness: that Byrne long ago got cosy in our craniums and has been nattering away to us ever since. As he stares at grey matter while wearing a grey suit — a perfectly fitting one, unlike the famed big number he wore in iconic 1984 Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense — he has something else on his mind, however. American Utopia starts with the part of our bodies where we all mentally reside, but slowly and smartly evolves from the cerebral to the communal. It segues from one man alone on a stage lost in his own thoughts to 12 people singing, dancing, playing instruments and connecting, and also pondering the state of the world and how to better it in the process. And it takes its titular concept seriously along the way, confronting America's political and social divisions in Byrne's witty, wise and impassioned between-song chats, but never satirising the idea that the US could be improved to the benefit of everyone. American Utopia is a concert film like its predecessor but, as that masterpiece proved, the whole notion means more to Byrne than merely standing in front of a camera and busting out well-known hits.From the sublimely soothing 'This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)' to the punchier 'Burning Down the House', plenty of Byrne's best-known songs do grace American Utopia. 'Once in a Lifetime' is among them, of course, as are 'Road to Nowhere' and 'Everybody's Coming to My House', with the film's playlist spanning his career with Talking Heads and solo. Across a range of styles and tempos, each track is a wonder, and not just in the way that fans already know. As should be obvious from the way in which Byrne has conceptualised this stage performance — which he toured in 2018, then adapted for Broadway in 2019, and has now turned into this standout movie directed by Spike Lee — this is a meticulously crafted work. Basking in the glory of Byrne and his band is inevitable and would happen regardless, but soaking in everything that American Utopia does is another marvel entirely. Before the film forces you to do so, you probably won't have realised how enlivening, wondrous and cathartic it is to see the act of connecting so firmly thrust to the fore. It takes an incredible amount of work to make something so tightly constructed seem so loose and natural, and that's just one of the reasons that American Utopia is yet another of the star's masterpieces. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFqCTIdF7rs&feature=youtu.be POSSESSOR In Possessor, technology permits assassins to hijack the bodies of people close to their targets, letting them assume not just their identities but their physical presence to fulfil their murderous missions. Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough, The Grudge) is one such killer, and she is so exacting and accomplished at her job that her no-nonsense boss and handler Girder (Jennifer Jason Leigh, Annihilation) keeps trying to push her further. Such work comes with consequences, though, with Tasya slowly estranging herself from her husband (Rossif Sutherland, Catastrophe) and young son (Gage Graham-Arbuthnot, Becky). During the luridly shot undertaking that opens the movie and the assignment that the often neon-hued flick spends the bulk of its time on, Tasya also begins to realise that separating herself from the folks she's temporarily inhabiting is becoming difficult. In the first job, Tasya's consciousness takes over a woman called Holly (Gabrielle Graham, On the Basis of Sex) to gun down a high-flying lawyer at a swanky hotel party. Every mission should end with extraction via suicide — the possessed person's, as forced by the possessor, who then returns to their own bag of bones, flesh and blood — but Tasya can't pull the trigger on her host body. When she's later sent into Colin (Christopher Abbott, Vox Lux), the fiancé of the daughter (Tuppence Middleton, Mank) of a ruthless business mogul (Sean Bean, Snowpiercer), she similarly struggles to retain control. As depicted in gory detail, being able to stick a probe into your head and mind-hop into someone else's may be pure science fiction, but writer/director Brandon Cronenberg intentionally apes The Matrix when he shows how the tech behind his premise operates. Our present analogues to Possessor's body-jumping concept exist in the online world, virtual reality, avatars, catfishing, trolling and even just anonymous commenting while you're tapping at your keyboard or phone, and this film makes it ferociously clear that it all has a significant cost. Cronenberg isn't just taking cues from his father David — whose 1999 film eXistenZ, also starring Jason Leigh, toyed in somewhat similar territory — or from a beloved sci-fi franchise. As many works that reflect upon humanity's true nature via dystopian futures tend to, the writer/director adds an entry to both the body horror and science fiction canons that seems like it might've appeared in a feverish dream after a life spent consuming those exact types of tales. But Possessor also always feels like a unique creation, and never a film puppeteered by its influences in the same way that Tasya pulls the strings of her marks. Cronenberg's feature boasts far too much of its own chilliness, daring and determination, as well as the filmmaker's fondness for particularly gruesome imagery, to merely be the sum of its various sources of inspiration. Possessor also has its own wellspring of nihilism pumping through its veins, not only tackling big notions in a bold and ultra-violent way, but proving deeply, gut-wrenchingly, existentially dark. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp3WjuJJYB8 MISBEHAVIOUR The fact that it took 50 years to bring Misbehaviour's true tale to the screen is nothing less than remarkable. Following the protests staged by the women's liberation movement at the 1970 Miss World Pageant in London, it harks back to a noteworthy and important chapter of history — so much so that you would've expected filmmakers to have been clamouring to give it the cinematic treatment. A plethora of compelling topics are baked into this story, after all, including calling out the gross sexism inherent in objectifying women and ascribing their worth according to their looks, questioning society's narrow view of beauty and making plain the racial prejudice that's also frequently in play. But you don't need a movie about all of the above to tell you the obvious, and also the reason that a film about this incident hasn't existed until now. Much may have changed in the past half-century, but the feminist quest for recognition, fairness and equality in every way isn't over yet. Indeed, it's galling how many of Misbehaviour's observations about the way women are treated — and how women of colour fare on top of that — continue to ring true in 2020. Director Philippa Lowthorpe (Swallows and Amazons) and screenwriters Rebecca Frayn (The Lady) and Gaby Chiappe (Their Finest) are eager to pay tribute to pioneering feminists, but they're also very keen to make a feel-good, cheer-inducing movie that fits a clear formula. So it is that a seemly mismatched group comes together, united by the shared goal of improving how women are regarded by society, and decides to target the giant, glitzy and televised spectacle that is the Miss World Pageant — which 100 million people will watch. The two main instigators, aspiring history academic Sally Alexander (Keira Knightley, Official Secrets) and graffiti-spraying anarchist Jo Robinson (Jessie Buckley, I'm Thinking of Ending Things), are initially worlds apart, but squaring off against a common enemy has a way of bringing people together. Also earning the film's attention: contestant Jennifer Hosten (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Farming), pageant founder Eric Morley (Rhys Ifans, Berlin Station) and the year's host Bob Hope (Greg Kinnear, Strange But True). The result is a rousing, overt and easy movie that ticks all the boxes it has placed on its own checklist, but doesn't do anything more — and it definitely could. Getting caught up in Misbehaviour's plot, purpose and impressively staged climax is almost a foregone conclusion. Being happy that it's hitting screens and telling this tale at all after all of these years is as well. But so is knowing that this is the most standard and clearcut rendering of this story possible. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tibarzGOUSk LET HIM GO Hell hath no fury like a grieving mother and grandmother in Let Him Go, an involving drama that shows that few actors can convey quiet anger and unflinching determination quite like Diane Lane. The Unfaithful and Under the Tuscan Sun star plays Margaret Blackledge, a Montana rancher with a way with horses, and with strong, silent ex-sheriff George (Kevin Costner, Yellowstone) for a husband. Soon after the family's rural idyll is first established, she not only loses her adult son (Ryan Bruce) to a tragic accident but, just a couple of years later, is shocked to discover that her newly remarried daughter-in-law Lorna (Kayli Carter, Bad Education) has left the local town in a hurry one night with Margaret's three-year-old grandson Jimmy (Bram and Otto Hornung). Determined not to see more of her family members ripped away, she convinces George that they should set off on their trail. Complicating their plans is he fact that Lorna has wed into the Weboys, who hold significant — and criminal — influence over their patch of America's north. As the Blackledges learn after finally tracking down their new relatives-via-nuptials, brash Weboy matriarch Blanche (Lesley Manville, Misbehaviour) isn't keen to relinquish her claim on the only link Margaret has left to her dearly departed child. Adapted by writer/director Thomas Bezucha (screenwriter of 2018's The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society) from the novel of the same name, Let Him Go follows a straightforward narrative with a smattering of hits and misses — but its two main female roles are so superbly cast, and the film's handling of tension so finely tuned, that it proves gripping for the bulk of its running time. The last time that Bezucha dabbled with complicated family antics, in 2005's The Family Stone, he was in far lighter territory; however, he's more than adept at handling the fierce confrontations, simmering and overt suspense, and pulpy revenge-fuelled setpieces that are pivotal here. And, he does so in a fittingly pared back but forceful manner; Let Him Go takes its time and doles out only the necessary details, butt does so with maximum emotional impact in mind. While Costner is also solid as a man trying to deal with his own heartache and disappointment in his own way, and Booboo Stewart (The Twilight Saga) leaves a lasting impression as a Native American teen the Blackledges cross paths with on their journey, Let Him Go is at its best when it cedes the screen to the potent Lane and the gloriously overt Manville. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqEQyL8prJg&list=PL6F30AC1F68415FCE IN THE NAME OF THE LAND In We'll End Up Together, French filmmaker and actor Guillaume Canet directed a sequel to his friendship-driven drama Little White Lies, this time ruminating on his characters' choices and struggles years latter. In La Belle Époque, he played the man behind a company that lets anyone pay to recreate the place and time of their choosing, whether to enjoy a life they didn't get to live, temporarily try to correct past wrongs or revel in happier memories. His third release to reach Australian cinemas this year, In the Name of the Land is a vastly different film — but it too is about someone grappling with his chosen path and wondering what might've been. Here, Canet steps into the shoes of Pierre Jarjeau, who returns to his dad's (Rufus, Amelie) modest farm in 1979 after a stint on a vast Wyoming cattle ranch and, with a 25-year-old's hope for the future, instantly agrees to take over the family property. Fast-forward to the mid to late 90s, when the majority of the movie takes place, and Pierre is saddled with debt and trouble. He's still repaying his father, the price he earns for his produce just keeps dropping and, despite his wife Claire's (Veerle Baetens, The Broken Circle Breakdown) disapproval, he's certain that expanding and taking on bigger loans is the only way forward. Pierre's plan requires building a coop to house 20,000 chickens — livestock he doesn't currently farm — and getting into bed with a giant agriculture company to do so. First-time feature writer/director Edouard Bergeon bases In the Name of the Land on his own father's story, and it's a grim one, as every move Pierre makes seems to place the Jarjeaus in a worse situation with ever-increasing stress and higher stakes. Given that this is a personal tale and topic for the filmmaker, it's hardly surprising that he draws such nuanced and authentic performances from Canet, Batens and Rufus, and from young actor Anthony Bajon (The Prayer), who is virtually playing the director's on-screen surrogate. The prominence given to the gorgeously shot landscape, including golden and green fields that stretch as far as the eye can see, isn't the least bit astonishing either. And, neither is this solemn but passionate movie's unshakeable condemnation of the current state of French agriculture, and of the very real toll that the push towards corporations and mass production is taking on those who dedicate their life to working the land. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23 and July 30; August 6, August 13, August 20 and August 27; September 3, September 10, September 17 and September 24; October 1, October 8, October 15, October 22 and October 29; and November 5, November 12 and November 19. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Personal History of David Copperfield, Waves, The King of Staten Island, Babyteeth, Deerskin, Peninsula, Tenet, Les Misérables, The New Mutants, Bill & Ted Face the Music, The Translators, An American Pickle, The High Note, On the Rocks, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Antebellum, Miss Juneteenth, Savage, I Am Greta, Rebecca, Kajillionaire, Baby Done, Corpus Christi, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, The Craft: Legacy, Radioactive, Brazen Hussies, Freaky, Mank, Monsoon and Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt).
On a future visit to Hoyts cinema in Australia, you might be catching your movie of choice not just on the big screen, but in IMAX. The two companies — Hoyts and IMAX — announced a partnership in July with the goal of launching up to five state-of-the-art IMAX with Laser systems around the country. First stop was Hoyts Melbourne Central, now we know the next four locations to follow. Before 2025 comes to an end, timed before Avatar: Fire and Ash arrives, Hoyts Chadstone will add IMAX to its offering in mid-November, before Hoyts Carousel in Perth, Hoyts Melbourne Central and Hoyts Blacktown in western Sydney open in mid-December — hopefully before the third Avatar film releases on Thursday, December 18, 2025. This isn't the first time that Hoyts and IMAX have joined forces, but they haven't worked together on an IMAX site since 2019. There could still be more additions to come, since the chain operates in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory, too. So, if you live in those states, start crossing your fingers. Wherever else Hoyts rolls out its new IMAX with Laser systems, viewers will enjoy 4K images displayed via an optical engine with custom-designed lenses — and showing the widest range of colours in IMAX yet — plus precision audio. "Hoyts is delighted to partner with IMAX to introduce four new screens across Australia, giving movie lovers even more ways to enjoy blockbusters on the big screen," said Hoyts Group CEO and President Damien Keogh. "The release of Avatar: Fire and Ash in December — and a tremendous 2026 slate behind it — represent a golden opportunity for IMAX and its exhibition partners around the world," added IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma1x7ikpid8[/embed] Fittingly, Australia is currently embracing IMAX in a big way. From just four locations earlier in 2025 — in Carlton in Melbourne, in Sydney, and also on the Gold Coast and in Canberra since late 2024 — the country is the tenth market box-office wise for the format around the globe. Expanding the country's super-sized cinema options, this is the third round of new IMAX locations announced in the last year. Another new Melbourne venue has been confirmed as well, launching at Village Cinemas Fountain Gate the end of 2025. Plus, EVT, the hospitality company behind Event Cinemas, has a quartet of IMAX screens on the way at venues yet to be revealed. Three will welcome in movie lovers in 2026, with the fourth arriving before 2027 is out. Hoyts' new IMAX locations are set to start rolling out in November and December of 2025. Keep an eye on the Hoyts website for more details in the interim.
The long, lazy days of summer bring opportunities to hit up some of the best beaches in and around Melbourne. These spots are great for days of relaxing in the sun and cooling off in the calm waters, hanging out with a bunch of mates and getting the dusty boogie boards out for a little more adventure. We've teamed up with Jim Beam to pick out everything from popular bayside stretches just a quick drive from the city to secluded coves worth making a day trip for. Here's where to take your crew this summer for an adventure best enjoyed together. Recommended Reads: The Best Outdoor Pools in Melbourne The Best Swimming Holes in Melbourne The Best Waterfalls That You Can Swim Under in Victoria The Best Day Trips from Melbourne to Take in Summer [caption id="attachment_923234" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ain Raadik for Visit Victoria[/caption] St Kilda Beach Ever-bustling and never boring, St Kilda Beach is one of Melbourne's most beloved coastal spots, pulling a solid crowd of tourists and locals alike. Ideal for beach trippers after a little more than just sea, sand and sun, St Kilda Foreshore is peppered with options for eating, drinking and people-watching, and all the buzz of Acland Street lies just a short stroll from the water. Mostly flat and sheltered from ocean swell, it's a prime spot for activities like windsurfing or waterskiing, or those days when you just feel like floating around in a big sunny bathtub. [caption id="attachment_879792" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Titus Aparici (Unsplash)[/caption] Dendy Street Beach, Brighton Famed for its iconic row of brightly hued bathing boxes, Brighton's Dendy Street Beach is a picture-perfect beachscape parked just 14 kilometres from the CBD. Boasting minimal swell and a wide stretch of sandy foreshore, it attracts an eclectic mix of families, tourists and locals. It's dog-friendly too, with pups allowed on-leash at certain times of morning and night. In between dips, you'll find plenty to explore, eat and drink along the beach's namesake street, while a quick hike up nearby Green's Point will score you some excellent bayside views. [caption id="attachment_651717" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Robert Blackburn for Visit Victoria[/caption] Lorne Beach, Great Ocean Road Torn between getting in a great surfing session and playing around on the sand with your pup? Enjoy the best of both worlds with a trip down to the famed surf spot Lorne. About two hours from Melbourne down the Great Ocean Road, this area's got a beach situation for just about everyone. There's a dog-friendly northern stretch where pooches are allowed off-leash at all times, while the swimming beach further south sits just metres from the town's main splay of cafes, restaurants and shops. What's more, there's a variety of surf breaks up and down the coast, so you'll easily find a spot to suit your skill level. Check out the best places to stay along the Great Ocean Road while you're at it. [caption id="attachment_923230" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jesse Hisco for Visit Victoria[/caption] Sorrento Front Beach, Mornington Peninsula If you don't mind sharing the beach with a hefty crowd of holiday-makers, then the ever-popular Sorrento Beach should be high up on your coastal hit list. Located by one of the Mornington Peninsula's biggest and most popular tourist towns, this one comes with no shortage of wining, dining and post-swim options. Take a stroll along the 200-metre-long jetty, enjoy a leisurely swim in the protected waters, or try your luck with a spot of sea kayaking. Williamstown Beach For a beach day that doesn't require too much in the way of car time, head 20 minutes southwest of the CBD and land yourself on the sandy shores of Williamstown. Williamstown Beach, one of the best beaches in Melbourne, is sparkling clean and patrolled, with minimal waves to wrangle, though a balmy day will likely find you battling the crowds for a prime spot on the sand. When it's time for a feed, there are picnic facilities close to the esplanade, or you can nip up to the main drag to take advantage of one of the area's top-notch fish and chip shops. The Basque-inspired Sebastian is also ideally located right on the beach itself, perfect for long lunches and dinners overlooking the beach. [caption id="attachment_651724" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ian Cochrane via Flickr[/caption] Half Moon Bay, Black Rock An idyllic patch of coastline, located just south of Sandringham, Black Rock's Half Moon Bay deserves a spot on high rotation this beach season. The secluded, crescent-shaped bay stays nice and protected from the weather, so it's perfect for some laidback paddling or an easy jaunt out on the boat. The HMVS Cerberus has been sunk as a breakwater about 220 metres offshore, which means you'll also find plenty of great spots here for snorkelling. In fact, it's one of the best snorkelling spots in Melbourne. For that post-swim feed, treat yourself to a table at Cerberus Beach House, or opt for a classic fish and chips fix from the downstairs beach kiosk. [caption id="attachment_651725" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lin Padgham via Flickr[/caption] Waratah Bay, South Gippsland If you're making a weekend of your beach getaway, you'll find a picture-perfect paradise in Waratah Bay, a 15-kilometre sandy expanse along the South Gippsland coastline. The exposed beach cops all sorts of waves and breaks, making it a popular spot for surfers of all experience levels. It's a fairly chilled-out corner of the world, with the namesake town boasting little more than a caravan park, proving the perfect antidote to city life. While you're there, be sure to take a stroll along the bush fire walking track and revel in some sweeping coastal views. [caption id="attachment_651727" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nick Carson via Flickr[/caption] Somers Beach, Mornington Peninsula A holiday family favourite, Somers is a picturesque beach spot stretching three kilometres along the Mornington Peninsula's southeast edge. It's a little more low-key than its Portsea and Sorrento counterparts, with sleepier surrounds and a swell that's usually pretty kid-friendly. While there's not a whole lot in the way of nearby food and drink options, it's gold if you fancy catching a feed of your own, with great fishing off the beach or the surrounding rocks during high tide. Home to the Somers Yacht Club, this one's also a popular sailing destination. Keep your eyes peeled and you'll likely spot a frolicking dolphin or two. [caption id="attachment_923236" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Robert Blackburn for Visit Victoria[/caption] Anglesea Beach, Great Ocean Road A popular pit-stop along the Great Ocean Road, the small surf town of Anglesea feels far removed from the city hustle and bustle (as well as the increasingly busy Torquay), though you can knock out the journey in an hour and a half by car. The adjacent river mouth makes for an excellent fishing spot, while the easy conditions offshore prove popular with beginner surfers. It's fairly safe and patrolled throughout the summer, and the town centre plays host to a tidy array of restaurants, shops and cafes, located just a short stroll from the sand. It's an easy addition to this list of the best beaches in and around Melbourne. [caption id="attachment_651726" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Russell Street via Flickr[/caption] Flinders Beach, Mornington Peninsula A white sandy strip along the bottom of the Mornington Peninsula, Kennon Cove in Flinders is guaranteed to charm your socks off with its quaint, seaside feel. Here, you can do it all — get some air with a dive off the old-school pier, explore the assortment of critter-filled rock pools, enjoy a spot of snorkelling through the reefs, or take to the calm waters for a cruisy swimming session. There are loads of great spots here to fish from, or you can leave dinner to the professionals and buy ocean-fresh mussels directly from the fishermen at the pier. Like Jim Beam, surfing and other outdoor adventures are all about bringing people together, so get out there this summer and find your tribe in the great outdoors. Top image: St Kilda Beach by Ain Raadik for Visit Victoria
It's been a long 15 years since NSW beer-lovers have been able to crack open a tinnie of Reschs pilsener, that much-loved can affectionately coined the Silver Bullet. Producer Carlton & United Breweries replaced these venerable vessels with an arguably inferior bottled version in 2005, and fans have been mourning the loss ever since. But all is right in the world once again, with CUB finally responding to the public's thirsty pleas and putting the legendary tins back into production. From next week, Reschs Silver Bullets will be gracing your local bottle shop once more, reclaiming their rightful place in beer fridges across the state. What's more, the relaunched can has scored a tick of approval from the Reschs Appreciation Society — a crew of hardcore fans that was founded a decade ago and includes some of the Silver Bullet's strongest advocates. The new tin design features the same silver tones and map of NSW worn by the original, but with a more modern finish. There's also an added shout-out to the Society on the bottom of each carton. [caption id="attachment_778022" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Reschs Appreciation Society members[/caption] "We stopped making Silver Bullets 15 years ago because sales were down," explained Reschs Marketing Manager Hugh Jellie in a statement. "But the Society's passion has helped us realise this was a mistake." The new 375-millilitre Silver Bullet cans will replace the equivalent pilsener stubbies, but you'll still be able to get your hands on the 750-millilitre glass longnecks. The beer recipe itself remains unchanged. The Society is celebrating the return of their beloved brew with a live-streamed knees-up at Paddington's Imperial Hotel on Saturday, August 15. Access is for members only, but you can sign up for free here. Reschs Pilsener's revamped Silver Bullet cans will start rolling out from the start of August. Find them at your local NSW bottle shop.
Sydneysiders love to boast about their good weather, pristine harbour and many beaches, with over 100 beaches scattered around the New South Wales capital. So, when it comes to picking Sydney's best waterside brunch spot for your next day out, the options are basically endless. Luckily for you, we've tackled the tough assignment of narrowing down Sydney's best waterside brunch spots. Whether it's an airy cafe perched on the beach or a local harbourside haunt, they all have one thing in common – good coffee and tasty food, with a side of impressive waterfront views. Don't be fooled, these cafes aren't limited to summer brunch sessions either. With Sydney's crisp, clear blue skies during the cooler months simply begging for a day by the water to get rid of any winter blues, many of Sydney's best waterside brunch spots will offer warm blankets and indoor heating. But, really, if good food and even better scenery aren't enough to get you going in the morning, what is?
With every year, Pyrmont Festival gets bigger and bigger... and bigger. In 2026, the festival returns with a classically massive program that contains a little bit of literally everything. From hot food and produce, art classes and art prizes, live music, jumping castles and even licensed mini golf. If all that sounds like your kind of party, then keep the weekend of Saturday, May 23 and Sunday, May 24 free and head down to Pirrama Park and take part. Get started with a browse of the regional produce vendors for some take-home goodies — including miso, salami, chocolate, olives, jewellery, candles, fashion, leather goods, spice rubs, sauces and even pet-friendly mocktails. Then you'll be ready to sample wines, beers, whiskies and gins from the many NSW winemakers and distillers represented. Keep a lookout for Slow Fox Wines, who'll be travelling in from Mudgee; De Beaurepaire Wines, which does fabulous French-style wines in Rylstone; award-winning artisan gin from Karu Distillery; the famous South Coast sips of Cuppits Estate and many more. Once you've got souvenirs and refreshments in order, it's time to get a proper bite to eat from the food vendors, which could include luxurious barbecue bites and canapes from Wagyu Blacks, a plate of the hearty Spanish good stuff from Sofrito Paela, the legendary doughy delights of The Famous Berry Donut Van, Vietnamese-latin fusion tacos from Saigon Birria and deluxe Neaopolitan-style sandwiches from Eat Ozzo. As far as entertainment goes, there's almost too much to choose from. Join an art class with Jane Bennett, TAP Art Gallery, or Sydney Visual Arts Academy; putt a round of mini golf with a glass of wine in hand; catch live music on two stages; and treat the kids to a jumping castle, face painting or giant outdoor game. Festival Director Alex Gibbs said, "Every year, we champion bright, bold flavours from across the state. Sydneysiders can leave the keys at home and go on a statewide road trip, enjoying a splash of Hunter Valley, an aperitif of Orange, a nip of Mudgee and a tasting of the South Coast—meeting the people behind these brilliant products along the way." Images: Tim Pascoe Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
After a long morning in the office — or a long night on the beers — sometimes what you really need is a sneaky lunchtime nap. You could have this nap in a park, in a meeting room or even in the loo (if you're desperate) — or you could catch some shut-eye at Sydney's new dedicated nap studio. Called Mynd, the Barangaroo studio is calling itself Australia's first purpose-built meditation and nap studio, and it's here to help city-workers get some downtime during their working day. Opening its doors to the public on Monday, February 8, Mynd promises to be a "pocket of peace in the city". It's been designed by Tom Mark Henry with plenty of soft greys, blonde wood and calming light. You can book into one of 30 different multi-sensory meditation classes — designed to be either relaxing, motivating or energising — which come complete with soothing soundscapes and scents. Or, you can chill out in the post-meditation lounge or book into a session in one of the nap pods. Yes, nap pods. The futuristic-looking pods have different vibrations and light settings, which are said to "maximise rest", and can be booked out for 25-minute sessions. You can pay $25 for a one-off nap session, and $14–20 for a meditation, or you sign up for a $40-a-week membership if you think you'll be wanting some regular mid-week shut-eye. Opened by two former "sleep-deprived city workers" James Harris and Sam Thornton, the studio is hoping to make meditation mainstream and more accessible. "We have ambitious plans," Harris said in a statement. "It's our aim to eventually scale Mynd Studios in a similar way to F45 — but think fitness for the mind, not body." Find Mynd Studios at 12 Shelley Street, Barangaroo from Monday, February 8. It'll be open from 6.45am–8pm Monday–Friday.
We're all guilty of visiting the same old haunts week in, week out. Given that Sydney is teeming with new places to while away a summer's day, though, it's time to get out and explore. Next destination: Balmoral Beach. Even if Balmoral is your local, when's the last time you've paid a visit to some different spots from your norm? To help you out, we've curated a sunrise to sunset itinerary to show how to pack the most into an excursion to Balmoral Beach. From sunrise on the wharf to breakfast at the iconic Balmoral Boatshed, stand up paddleboarding to bushwalking on the foreshore, you can have an active, nature-drenched, food-filled (and sun-safe) day all at once down at one of Sydney's cleanest, most idyllic harbour beaches. Plus, it's only a fifteen-minute drive from Sydney's CBD. Grab your sunnies, slip into some clothes that'll protect that delicate skin of yours, slap a hat on your noggin and slop some SPF 30+ all over — it's time to explore. 6AM: CATCH SUNRISE FOLLOWED BY A BEACH WALK AND OCEAN SWIM You know what feels wholesome? Kicking off a summer's day watching the sunrise with a stroll down Balmoral Beach. Sure, it means getting up early, but it also means catching some sweet, sweet natural phenomena before the day gets hotter and the crowds descend. Once the sun is up and things start to get hot, cool off with an ocean dip. For swimming, opt for the north end (to your left if you're facing out to sea) where the water is always crystal clear and you'll be away from docked boats and the naval base down at the southern end of the beach. 8AM: BREAKFAST AT THE BOATHOUSE BALMORAL A visit to Balmoral really isn't complete without a stop at the iconic Boathouse. Designed to a T with the sea in mind, the cafe is a nautical aesthete's wonderland, where even their cappuccinos come with a dusting of chocolate in the shape of an anchor. Open from 7am, order some breakfast from their seasonal menu at the counter, and snag a seat over the water on the deck outside — but make sure you grab a spot under an umbrella. An honourable mention goes to their green eggs and ham with grilled leg ham and basil pesto and the matcha, turmeric and masala chais — of which the masala comes on a wooden serving board with the honey and cinnamon separated to add according to taste, so that's fun. 10AM: STAND UP PADDLEBOARDING After breakfast, wander around the wharf ten metres to Balmoral Boatshed and hire a stand up paddleboard. Balmoral is a prime SUP boarding location because the water is almost completely flat. It's technically a harbour beach, so there are no waves to contend with. They say SUP boarding is a good workout for your oblique muscles, but that'll depend on whether you treat your paddle out as a leisurely splash or an athletic pursuit. Remember to wear a hat, some SPF 30+, sunnies and some kind of rash vest when out on the water since the sun will enter its strongest point, and the water reflects those UV rays back up at you. 12PM: LUNCHTIME FISH AND CHIPS FROM BOTTOM OF THE HARBOUR Bottom of the Harbour is a Balmoral institution. Their fish and chips is the thing to order, but if you're not feeling seafood, they have a solid selection of burgers on offer including The Full Monty and a chargrilled eggplant vegetarian option. Order to take away, and head across the road to the benches along The Esplanade, Balmoral Beach's foreshore walkway. With UV radiation at peak strength at this time of day, take a seat in the shade — hat and sunnies on, sunscreen reapplied — as you chow down. 1.30PM: BUSHWALKING ALONG THE FORESHORE One of the unique things about Mosman is that despite its relative proximity to Sydney's CBD, it's shrouded in nature. This is partially because Sydney Harbour National Park lays claim to a decent proportion of Mosman's total land mass. After lunch, be sure to re-apply that SPF, and head down to the south end of Balmoral to link up with the Harbour Bridge to The Spit Bridge foreshore walking track. If you walk about 2.7 kilometres, you'll hit Chowder Bay, which then turns into the Chowder Bay to Bradleys Head walk. Stroll along the bush track and simply turn back towards Balmoral when you've had your fit fix for the day. Once you reach Balmoral again, check out an Aboriginal rock shelter occupation site open to public view at the southern end of The Esplanade, opposite The Boathouse. 3.30PM: HAVE A COFFEE ON 'THE ISLAND' THEN GO FOR A DIP Just before it closes at 4pm, grab a cheeky afternoon pick-me-up from the Bather's Pavilion Kiosk where they use beans from Alexandria's The Grounds. There's a sweet, little council-owned rotunda across from the kiosk, which points you to Rocky Point Island, or what's known simply as 'the island' locally. Cross the small bridge, and snag a spot in the grass or on its small rocky cliffs where you can chill looking out to sea at North and South Head while sipping on your coffee. Now that the strongest time of day for the sun has passed, head back onto the sand for another dip in the water before the sun sets. If snorkelling's your thing, make sure to pack your gear so you can pay a visit to the critters living in the water around the island. You'd be wise to stick around this area either way as Bather's Pavilion has public change rooms and showers you can use post-swim, which is highly convenient since dinner's at Bather's. 6PM: DINNER AT BATHER'S PAVILION Winddown your day with dinner at Bather's Pavilion. For formal dining, there's the Restaurant and for something more casual, there's the Cafe. Both serve up Mediterranean-inspired cuisine to match the seaside vista, with the one-hatted Restaurant boasting an extensive wine list and seasonal cuisine. For both the Restaurant and Cafe, it's recommended that you book. If you've never been to Bather's, the building alone is worth checking out. The heritage-listed, art deco pavilion was the product of the surge of interest in swimming that began in the 1890s. In response to this emerging beach culture, during the affluent 1920s, councils built new sea walls, tidal walls, sea pools, change rooms, kiosks and facilities which have become a big part of the identity of their locations, Balmoral being no exception. This culminated with the grand pavilions of the 1930s, such as those at both Balmoral and Coogee, and now these pavilions have become iconic seaside eateries. As you explore Balmoral Beach this summer, make sure to stay sun safe — slip, slap, slop, slide, don't forget to reapply and seek out that shade. For more information on how to protect your skin from the sun visit Pretty Shady and join the generation that's putting an end to skin cancer. Lead image: Anton Leddin.
UPDATE MAY 13, 2020 — I Maccheroni is reopening for private functions of up to ten people from Friday, May 15. You'll get a three-course sharing menu and a $500 bar tab. To book, head to the website or call (02) 9327 1416. All you need to so is to pay 1K to lock your session For the past two years, I Maccheroni's hearty and accessible nature has acted as a warm welcome for Rose Bay locals. Now, the modest Italian eatery will do the same for Woollahra, with the Italian restaurant having recently relocated to take over the old Buzo site along Jersey Road. Head chef, caterer and owner Marcello Farioli (ex-10 William Street, Fratelli Paradiso, Otto and Pendolino) will continue to serve up the locally sourced, seasonal Italian fare that the venue is known for, with breads and pastas made in-house and prepared fresh each day. Open for dinner six nights a week, the vibe is akin to eating at Nonna's house (whether you have a nonna or not). The menu continues to focus on Italian staples. Its signature pasta dishes have been carried over, including the burnt butter and sage spinach tortelli with 24-month aged reggiano cheese ($32) and the namesake rotating maccheroni, which at the moment is a lamb ragu with sundried tomatoes, Italian kale and asiago ($29). Regular blackboard specials are still on offer, too — as is expected with truly seasonal fare. The venue is a big upgrade from its former tony digs — the Jersey Road space spans two floors with a bar on the ground floor. While communal dining was the focus in Rose Bay, only one of the original polished concrete long tables has made its way into the new space. In Woollahra, it's a much more intimate atmosphere with smaller tables, bar seating and even a couch in the main dining room. The BYO policy has also been left at Rose Bay — that's because the restaurant is now fully licensed, as depicted by the expansive wine rack adorning one of the walls. Come by on Tuesdays when it's regional dinner night, with each week focusing on a different side of Italian cuisine. The meal is a bargain at $39 per person, which gets diners a three-course meal and a glass of wine to boot. Images: Steven Woodburn.
Joseph Bekele first opened his Ethiopian restaurant Jambo Jambo in Crows Nest in 2012 in a bid to share his passion for the cuisine and culture with Sydneysiders. In 2018, Bekele set up new digs for the restaurant in Glebe, where it has been delighting locals with its spice-laden stews ever since. In keeping with Ethiopian tradition where everyone eats from a communal plate, Jambo Jambo's menu is mostly built around platters for two. The combination platter includes your choice of three dishes for $75 or six dishes for $95 — think misr wot (spicy split lentil vegetable stew), key wot (slow-cooked goat stew) and kitfo (lean beef warmed in spiced butter and hot chilli and served rare). Bekele imports the spices used directly from Ethiopia. These stews are served atop injera — a spongy and slightly tart bread made with teff (an Ethiopian grain). The suggestion is to tear off pieces of the injera and use it to scoop the food directly into your mouth — no cutlery required. The platters also come with a mixed entree and freshly roasted Ethiopian coffee or ice cream. If there are more people in your group, you can up the servings by just $30 per person. Images: Terence-Kent Ow
