This Woollahra Village institution has been serving its community for the past four years. The salon is situated within a sunny rustic loft filled with leafy greenery, so expect a true escape from the bustling streets below where you can switch off and relax in the care of the trustworthy team. Willomina's stylists provide specialised services in all things cutting, colour and styling. Bonus: they know how to handle curls. A simple blow-dry starts at $50, while more complicated styling ranges from $80–160.
"If you don't see it, you're mainstream." Blerg. Don't let the tagline from this cringe-inducing local promo campaign divert you from seeing the wondrously singular Holy Motors, which has been gathering such rapturous/bemused word-of-mouth as to render even good advertising redundant. After its premiere in competition at Cannes, June's Sydney Film Festival rushed to add Holy Motors to its scheduled programme. August's Melbourne International Film Festival ran a retrospective of the works of its director, Leos Carax, a slim oeuvre comprising five feature films over 28 years, the high point of which was 1991's Lovers on the Bridge, starring a young Juliette Binoche. In Holy Motors Monsieur Oscar (Denis Lavant) is driven around Paris to a series of appointments, each its own separate setpiece. Applying elaborate costume before stepping out of his limousine-cum-dressing room, he becomes a dowager's-humped old woman begging in the street, a thuggish hit man sent after his own doppelganger, and an odd little troll who emerges from the underground to crash a fashion shoot, among other transformations. Why is he employed to do any of these things? Who could possibly be a client or beneficiary of this bizarre service? Some hints of the superstructure that explains his existence appear, but they're just that: hints. What matters to Holy Motors is the condition of human beings within the world it has invented, and the loose poetry it spins on the performative aspects of our contemporary lives. Weirdness affected for weirdness's sake can get tired fast. But Holy Motors' kooky anti-narrative isn't for the hell of it, and it definitely isn't boring. There's a two-step test it passed to justify its rampant weirdness to me: First, it threw up utter beauty, often. I can't let go of the image of two improbably agile motion-capture-suited artists meeting for an erotic dance in the dark, of a naked and aroused imp posing for a Rococo tableau with a chartreuse-silk-wrapped Eva Mendes. Second, you might not know exactly what's going on, but you have the sense that Carax does (although he and his stars are being notoriously tight-lipped). That feeling of a fantasy world following its internal logic keeps incredulity at bay. It means when Kylie Minogue appears to sing a melancholy ballad, you go with it. See Holy Motors. See it see it see it see it. Relent and go down the rabbit hole. Holy Motors won't save you from the mainstream, but it will remind you of the sheer possibilities of cinema and the pulchritude we've yet to dream up. And if you're thinking that all sounds like Holy Motors is too hepped up on its own self-importance, rest assured, there are talking cars that will dispel any chance of that. https://youtube.com/watch?v=WTNUPcb9YuQ
Swifties, listen up. A new Darlinghurst food joint is celebrating the build-up to Taylor's Eras tour arriving in Sydney with three weeks of Taylor Swift-themed bottomless brunches. The boozy affair will be popping up at Harry's by Giuls on Saturday, January 13 and 27 and Saturday, February 10, 17 and 25. The Stanley Street restaurant is the second venue from the Giuls team, opening at the tail end of 2023. A few months after swinging open its doors, the charming Italian restaurant is proclaiming "welcome to Darlinghurst" with a new tune-heavy bottomless brunch. Don an outfit representative of your favourite era from Ms Swift and settle in for 90 minutes of free-flowing drinks and tasty Mediterranean snacks. The menu sticks closely to your classic brunch affair, with a few Taylor Swift puns thrown in for good measure. You'll kick things off with a mystery Lavender Haze cocktail and some Getaway Carbs (arancini balls and Harry's pizza bread). You'll then be treated to antipasto, green olives, shoestring chips, burrata la stella, and a selection of pizza and pasta to share. Throughout the hour and a half, you can take your pick from espresso martinis, Aperol spritzes, house wine and mimosas — but that's just the start of the fun. There will also be friendship bracelets (a regular occurrence on the Eras tour), a life-sized cutout of Taylor for photo ops and a DJ playing exclusively TS tracks.
According to the BucketFeet philosophy, "Art is not meant to hang in an expensive gallery, it is meant to travel and be seen." Why hang paintings on your wall when you can wear them in the street? BucketFeet, a Chicago-based company, sells artist-designed footwear. Every one of their products is a unique piece, envisioned by an artist and realised through ethical production methods. The artists involved collect royalties from every shoe sold. Launched in spring 2011, they're now selling in 12 countries, and the best news is, they've just hit Australian shelves. Co-founders Raaja Nemani (who doubles as CEO) and Aaron Firestein (chief artist) first met in Argentina, where Raaja was escaping the world of finance via extended international travel and Aaron was working as a photographer with a sideline in putting Sharpie to sneaker. "[Aaron] designed a pair of shoes for me that inspired a pair of shoes we later launched with BucketFeet called 'Cuadras', based on the city blocks of Buenos Aires," says Raaja, who went on to wear the shoes across six continents and gather the attention of footwear lovers at every stop. "I think what made the shoes special were the stand out colours he used, which you wouldn't necessarily think go together. They were so unique and original, and while I'm not the craziest dresser, I always like to wear a unique piece — usually a cool pair of shoes or a cool hat. Lately, it's been BucketFeet!" Now launching their SS14 line, they've clocked up more than 100 shoe designs by 70 artists. And those artists are a diverse bunch. "It doesn't matter where you're from or what social class you fit into," says Aaron. "For example, we have worked with artists from the favelas of Rio who work jobs as pizza delivery boys during the day and paint at night, just because they love it so much. We've also worked with people who get artwork commissioned by big companies like Disney, Dr. Pepper or Sony for their marketing campaigns. Art is the unifying factor and, if the person has talent, we want to work with them. Everyone's got a story." The artists involved earn US$250 upfront for their work and then $1 per pair of shoes as well as royalties for as long as the shoes are sold. The payment system is the same no matter how many shoes are sold, or through which channels. "On a global scale, our give-back is substantial," says Raaja. "More than the financial element, we drive awareness and exposure to our artists. We think this is more important than money. There's something to be said about applying artwork to shoes and then having a person walk around in those shoes. The art travels, it is seen by new people, and I think that is what matters most. To get into a pair of Bucketfeet, check out their website or their Australian stockists, Monster Threads.
For nearly three decades, Sydney's annual Mardi Gras Film Festival has given the city something that's not always available elsewhere: a wealth of vibrant, eclectic, heartfelt and important queer cinema from around the world. That's a crucial task, but the 27-year-old fest still has room to blaze new trails. Indeed, in 2020, it's opening with an Australian flick for the first time in the event's history. That'd be lesbian love story Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie's Dead Aunt), which was shot in Sydney and features Marta Dusseldorp (Janet King) and Rachel House (Hunt for the Wilderpeople). It's also one of MGFF's six world premieres in 2020 — and 57 feature-length films and 75 short films on the jam-packed bill overall, too. Taking over Event Cinemas George Street, Dendy Newtown and Hayden Orpheum from Thursday, February 13–Thursday, February 27, other big-screen highlights include Georgian drama And Then We Danced, which is set in a dance school; Aniara, a Scandinavian sci-fi thriller; and tightly-wound Aussie effort Sequin in a Blue Room, another Sydney-shot effort. Or, keep an eye out for Monsoon with Crazy Rich Asians' Henry Golding, page-to-screen adaptation Tell It To the Bees starring Anna Paquin and Matt Bomer as a lonely TV weatherman in Papi Chulo. Plus, if you like true crime tales reframed with a feminist gaze, make a beeline to Lizzie — it revisits the infamous story of Lizzie Borden, starring Chloe Sevigny and Kristen Stewart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylfEsqKDgKI&feature=emb_logo This year, MGFF will also be focusing on queer horror — such as transgender and lesbian vampire flick Bit, which plays like a 90s throwback, as well as documentary Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm St, about the movie that's been dubbed 'the gayest horror film ever made'. On the factual front, check out films about queer-focused performance collectives, the folks behind West Hollywood's best-known adult bookstore and Israeli adult film star Jonathan Agassi, as well as docos on the American HIV epidemic during the 80s, the use of crystal meth in New York's queer community and the representation of queer women on-screen.
It's been four years since Los Angeles-based philosophy student Romana Gonzalez (a.k.a. Nite Jewel), then an undergraduate, started experimenting with an eight-track cassette recorder. A mellow, richly textured, lo-fi electronica emerged, over which Gonzalez's lyrics floated in obscurity. With her second LP, One Second of Love (her first release on Secretly Canadian) Gonzalez has developed a cleaner, sleeker, more minimalist pop sound. Where before we were watching shadows in the mirror, we're now peering through sun-kissed glass. However, on her first Australian tour, Gonzalez will be travelling with a four-piece band who will undoubtedly inject a healthy dose of rhythmic fervour into the live experience. They'll be performing originals at Goodgod on 31 January ahead of their appearance at Laneway, and fans of Kraftwerk won't want to miss Nite Jewel's interpretation of Computer World at the Famous Spiegeltent for this year's Sydney Festival. https://youtube.com/watch?v=3YMmX1f5sQI
Ash Grunwald is back, ready to tour his unique sound to the ears of Australians nationwide. He won't be alone though, having teamed up with bass-straddler Scott Owen and drumming maverick Andy Strachan of The Living End fame. The unlikely trio have been jamming and have created a heavier sound than Grunwald fans may be used to, but it is well suited to his rustic vocals and if the first product of their activity in the studio is anything to go by, the live show promises to be electric. The dreadlocked talent and his band of misfits will be taking to the stage at the Metro Theatre on Friday, June 21. Who knows how long this collection of Australian musical talent will band together for, so why not let them surprise you while they can.
Sculpture in the Vineyards brings an artistic bend to the Hunter Valley with its annual arts and cultural festival, held throughout four independent vineyards in the Wollombi Valley from October 28 through December 3. This free public exhibition features site-specific, large scale sculptures which transform the boutique vineyards into exhibition parks. The celebration combines art, food and, of course, wine throughout the month, with tastings happening at each of the vineyard cellar doors. Visitors can also take guided tours, attend artist talks and workshops, learn about local Aboriginal history and feast at a wine and food degustation. Events will also take place at the nearby historic Wollombi Village. Entry into the exhibitions along the Wollombi Valley Wine Trail is free and open daily from 10am–6pm, with additional special events happening across the month.
When the Australian Government announced its three-step road map to a COVIDSafe Australia last month, it included a 100-person cap on gatherings in step three, which is set to be introduced in July. Today, Friday, June 12, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has lifted this cap and replaced it by a blanket four-square-metre rule. This means that bigger venues will be able to have bigger gatherings — and more than 100 people at events as long as they don't exceed one person per four square metres. The Prime Minister also announced that outdoor venues, such as stadiums, with a capacity of up to 40,000 will be allowed to open at 25 percent capacity, but events must be ticketed and seated. As the Prime Minister said, this means music festivals and nightclubs are still off the cards: "Large folk festivals where people are roaming around from tent to tent, from gathering to gathering, that is not something we're talking about here." Larger events that would be allowed as part of step three, according to the Prime Minister, include funerals, cultural performances and sports. [caption id="attachment_635708" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Letícia Almeida[/caption] Exactly when this will be allowed, though, is up to individual state and territory leaders. As has been the case throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the roadmap is a guideline and it's up to individual leaders to implement the steps — and amend the state laws — as they see fit. The Prime Minister did say, though, that the country was on track for the three-step process to be completed by July. Queensland has already outlined what step three could look like, and plans to introduce it on July 10. Victoria has plans to ease more restrictions on June 21 and again in mid-July. NSW is easing some restrictions tomorrow — including opening gyms and allowing gatherings of up to 20 people — but Premier Gladys Berejiklian said yesterday that more on the government's plans for July would be announced "imminently". To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
It's beginning to look a lot like summer — or, as we may as well call it in Sydney, outdoor movie-watching season. While St George Openair Cinema won't announce their full program until early December, they have revealed their very first title for their 21st season. If you like watching homegrown films under the stars, get excited. The 2017 program will kick off with a preview of Lion, starring Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara, David Wenham and eight-year-old newcomer Sunny Pawar. Based on a true story you might've seen splashed across the local media over the past few years, it tells the tale of Saroo Brierley. He became separated from his older brother at the age of five, first ended up nearly 1,500 kilometres away from home, and then forged a new life in Australia — before taking to Google Earth more than two decades later in an attempt to find his long-lost family. If it sounds more than a little moving, that's because it is, with awards buzz following the movie since it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. And, while it releases in Aussie cinemas on January 19, this is your chance to see it early. Just what else will grace St George Openair Cinema's 350-metre screen might still be anyone's guess; however we do know that they'll be running a 39-night season between January 7 and February 17, and featuring more than a dozen premieres and previews. The other thing we know is that it'll be busy: more than 1500 patrons per evening are expected to flock to Mrs Macquaries Point adjacent to Royal Botanic Gardens. St George Openair Cinema 2017 runs January 7 to February 17. Tickets are on sale at 9am on December 9, 2016. Visit the website for updates, or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
Winter — with its plummeting temperatures and early nights — has arrived, casting a bit of a damper on the everyday. But not everyone's suffering. We all have that mate who has somehow managed to wrangle a vacation to some sunshine-y corner of Europe and is living it up while you're over here piling on extra layers of outerwear. If you're at the stage where looking at yet another pic of a beautiful meal on your mate's 'I'm-in-Italy' Instagram is going to drive you round the bend, it's time to take matters into your own hands. How, you ask? With a quick visit to one of the city's impeccable Italian spots that dish up pizza so good, it easily rivals the original. To steer you in the right direction, we've partnered with American Express to round up the city's top pizza joints — ranging from the understated to the extravagant. Plus, these pizzerias all accept American Express so you can stock up on points to use towards your future European vacay at the same time. Throw in a glass (or two, or three) of Italian vino and that FOMO will evaporate in record time. Got yourself in another dining situation and need some guidance? Whatever it is, we know a place. Visit The Shortlist and we'll sort you out.
At various points, the past has promised that by now we’d have robot servants, flying cars, men on Mars, time travel, teleportation and designer babies (of the genetic kind). But whilst those ideas are still slowly chugging through the endless pipeline of human dreams, many more exciting possibilities have come to light. The International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA) descends on Sydney this month to present some of the most exciting new ideas in science and technology as thought of by some of the world’s leading contemporary artists. Here are five places to go to see amazing art for free while it's still in town. 1. Souped-up holograms Venue: COFA Remember holograms? Those stickers you put on your year five school diary that were eyes opening and closing or planets rotating depending on what angle you looked at them from? Well. Welcome to 2013, the land of computer-generated laser holograms, digital holographic prints and stereoscopic animations. Holoshop: Drawing and perceiving depth showcases collaborative holographic and stereoscopic video artworks developed by Associate Professor Paula Dawson in collaboration with the Holoshop research team. Do your eye muscle exercises before attending because this will be a journey of lush optical candy. Image: Paula Dawson, 2013. Production still for digital holographic print, created using Holoshop haptic interface. 2. Robots, for real Venue: Artspace There are two cool awesome sick things happening at Artspace. The first is a suite of projects focusing on robotics. Artists Petra Gemeinboeck & Rob Saunders (Sydney), Mari Velonaki (Sydney) and Simon Ingram (Auckland) all present works that consider the material structures, functions and alterations that automated machines can generate. This is, like, even better than Furbies. The second cool sick awesome thing happening at Artspace is This Is Video curated by Stephen Jones, which charts a history of video art in Australia, pulling together archival work used in a 1981 exhibition titled Video Art from Australia and topping it up with some more contemporary gems. Check out the website for exhibiting artists. Image: Simon Ingram, Drunken walk machine, 2008 (detail) 3. Interactive Introspection Venue: 107 Projects There is actually so much going on at 107 Projects that you might need to bring along an extra brain. If A System Fails In A Forest… is curated by COFA PhD candidate and academic Scott Brown and explores the ubiquitous systems that shape and govern our lives. A host of interactive artworks by local and international artists will reveal what these systems really look like, how we subliminally interact and communicate with them, and whether we can even exist without them. Also at 107 Projects is Electrolapse a video art exhibition about video art(!) presented by Electrofringe that addresses themes of system failure, manipulation, distortion and opportunity. Image: WildPark by Yiwon Park and Peter Wildman 4. Viewing images, not with your eyes Venue: Kudos Gallery Where does the virtual world end and the real world begin? When your fingers swipe the screen and transfer electromagnetic pulses into digital actions, are you temporarily a virtual entity, too? Depends on your Point of View, also conveniently the title of this exhibition going down at Kudos Gallery. Curator Volker Kuchelmeister has selected works that use electronic media to investigate the limitations that traditional ocular optics put on our perception of mediated imagery, while also exploring and exploding the boundaries of the cinematic image. Image: Lightbridge (Machines Studies) by Chris Henschke. Photo of screen, courtesy of the artist. 5. Building, not with our hands Venue: Tin Sheds If 'art-chitecture' was a word, then this is where it would belong. Three major projects will be exhibited at Tin Sheds, forming part of the Emercen/City urban interventions and research project. DisSentience, curated by Lian Loke, speculates on a future where digital technology has pervaded all aspects of daily life, infiltrating even the most mundane and intimate of domestic rituals. The Generative Freeway Project by Matthew Sleeth is a self-generating sculptural installation that populates itself over the exhibition period by way of a prototype 3D printer. It is part robot, part performance and part durational installation. And Transpotage by Spanish architectural duo Selgas Cano is a moveable and translucent garden, the second phase of the ongoing laboratory-project aimed at transferring new technologies borrowed from other disciplines into the sphere of architecture. Image by Matthew Sleeth (courtesy of Claire Oliver Gallery, New York) Honourable Mention Also check out the Electronic Art at The Rocks Pop-Up.
Summer days are back, and along for the ride is the free-of-charge open-air cinema at the Beresford Hotel. After last year's festival went down like a frosty on Friday arvo, it's once again time to while away the longer days and warmer nights with weekly cinematic classics in the great outdoors. Well, the courtyard at the pub, at least. Running on Monday nights from the October long weekend through to April, the weekly movies are divvied up by genre, like Soundtrack Season in December (think Jaws and West Side Story) and Love & Cheese in February (Notting Hill and Dirty Dancing, of course). The whole shebang is rounded out with Action in April, featuring everyone's favourite cop classic, The Departed. With the cheap as chips vino and $15 lasagna from the in-house trattoria thrown in for good measure, summer is really set to heat up in Surry Hills. https://youtube.com/watch?v=SGWvwjZ0eDc
Butter is expanding its streetwear and fried chicken empire and opening a third location on the lower north shore. Set to launch just days before Christmas, the Chatswood Chase location will have Butter's signature combo of fried chicken, sneakers and serious champagne. But, it'll also have something entirely new for the brand: charcoal chicken. It's been a big year for charred chook already, with Henrietta opening in Surry Hills and both Frango and El Jannah launching their first-ever drive-thrus. Now, the lower north shore is getting in on the action. Like Butter's existing Surry Hills and Parramatta stores, the Chatswood Chase shop will have a lineup of hard-to-find sneakers from brands such as Raised by Wolves, Hypebeast and Smile + Wave, as well as Butter's own branded merch. It'll have a full bar, too, with cocktails and huge range of champagne. Executive Chef Julian Cincotta is bringing the original Butter food menu over to the lower north shore but with a few added extras — so you'll be able to order the same chicken sandwich with pickles and the '3 Pac' box of fried chicken and hot sauce. But there'll also be new menu items, such as a bigger range of beef burgers, salads and charcoal chook. The smoky chicken will be rubbed with Butter's signature red spiced pepper, marinated for 48 hours and cooked over fire. Whether this new charred chook will be served with garlic sauce (like El Jannah), chilli sauce (like Frango) or something completely different is still unknown, but we're keen to find out. We're also keen to find out exactly how you order these new dishes. Supposedly, they won't be on the 'normal' menu and you'll need to "put in some work to find them". To be the first to try, you can enter the draw to win an all-expenses-paid ticket to the invite-only launch party over at the Butter website. Butter is opening inside Chatswood Chase sometime in the week beginning Monday, December 21. We'll let you know when an exact date it announced.
You're juggling a lot right now: morning video calls with the office, Zoom parties with your mates, evening Skypes with the parents to make sure they're following the new self-isolation rules. It's a lot. And you'd be forgiven for wanting someone else to take the lead on planning breakfasts, lunches and dinners instead of diving into another packet of instant noodles as you screen a virtual yoga class from the sofa. Well, that someone could be food delivery service Soulara. Why reach for the frozen bread when you could be eating choc hazelnut and chia seed pudding for brekkie, mexican red beans and rice for lunch, and coconut lentil soup for dinner? All without falling off the wagon on your health and fitness goals for 2020. Soulara will bring you a week's worth of plant-based meals, all created by chefs and nutritionists, packed with vital nutrients. Gluten free? There are options for you too, as well as for your soy-free housemates. All the meals are packed fresh, not frozen, and you don't have to sign for delivery or worry about the extra packaging waste (the box is recyclable). It's also got bliss balls, kombucha and cold-pressed juice packs that you can tack onto your order, avoiding the need to nip to the shops when you're feeling peckish. Plus, if you opt for 12 meals a week (its most popular subscription), your meals work out at $9.95 a feed. Picky? You get to choose your meals from the planner each fortnight and no one will judge when you opt for the jungle curry every single time. As all the meals are pre-portioned and ready-to-eat, you don't need to plan in any cooking time either, which gives you more downtime for when you need it most. Soulara delivers across Australia. For more details of its Sydney and Melbourne delivery times, as well as meal planners, head here.
Good morning to 2022's newly minted batch of Academy Awards nominees, and to fantastic news for the past year's very best film. The Power of the Dog leads this year's list of contenders with 12 nods, including three for filmmaker Jane Campion — who is now the first woman in history to receive two nominations for Best Director (after also being nominated for The Piano back in 1993), and could become the second female filmmaker in a row to win the coveted field (after Chloé Zhao's 2021 win for Nomadland). The Power of Dog's cinematographer Ari Wegner is also just the second woman to be nominated in her category, while the film's main cast all scored nods — including a Best Actor nomination for Benedict Cumberbatch, a Best Supporting Actress nom for Kirsten Dunst, and Best Supporting Actor nods for both Jesse Plemons and Australian talent Kodi Smit-McPhee. For real-life couple Dunst and Plemons, they nabbed their first-ever Oscar nominations together. For Smit-McPhee, if he wins, he'll become the second-youngest actor to score the shiny statuette in his category. That's the power of The Power of the Dog, clearly. Following Campion's exceptional New Zealand-shot western at the top of the 2022 Oscar nominations list is Dune with ten, including for Best Picture — although the film must've directed itself, with Denis Villeneuve missing out. After the sci-fi epic sits Steven Spielberg's new version of West Side Story and Kenneth Branagh's black-and-white memoir Belfast with seven apiece, also including Best Picture slots in a field that spans The Power of the Dog (obviously), CODA, Don't Look Up, Drive My Car, King Richard, Licorice Pizza and Nightmare Alley as well. Inspired by Haruki Murakami's short story of the same name, Drive My Car is now the most-nominated Japanese film in history, thanks to its Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay nods for filmmaker Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, and its spot in the Best International Feature and Best Picture categories. Also making history: astonishing animated documentary Flee, which became the first movie to nab a spot in the Best International Feature, Best Animated Feature and Best Documentary Feature fields. Other standouts nods: Kristen Stewart's Best Actress nomination for playing Princess Diana in Spencer; Penélope Cruz's place in the same field for Parallel Mothers; Troy Kotsur's nod for CODA, becoming just the second actor who is deaf to be recognised by the Academy; both Olivia Colman (Best Actress) and Jesse Buckley (Best Supporting Actress) getting nods for sharing the same part in The Lost Daughter; Questlove earning some love for Best Documentary Feature for Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised); and The Worst Person in the World picking up places in the Best International Feature and Best Original Screenplay fields. Licorice Pizza's strong showing — including a Best Director spot for Paul Thomas Anderson — is also well-deserved, although the Oscars couldn't find room for Alana Haim's glorious lead performance. Oddities and omissions come with the territory every year, of course. The Academy went big for the average-at-best Being the Ricardos performance-wise, including nominating Nicole Kidman for Best Actress — and Don't Look Up's Best Picture nod probably at least means that filmmaker Adam McKay won't make a followup about how people ignored a movie that riffs on the response to climate change because they were more interested in better features. Also, despite a big public campaign, Spider-Man: No Way Home was only recognised in the Best Visual Effects category. That's a reflection of the film itself, though, and not of any supposed anti-superhero/supervillain flick bias, given that Black Panther scored seven nominations in 2019 and Joker picked up 11 in 2020. From all of this year's nominations, movie lovers will learn who'll emerge victorious on Monday, March 28, Australian and New Zealand time. And if it feels like we just went through all of this, that's because 2021's awards were held a little later than usual due to the pandemic — and because chatter about who's won Oscars and who'll win next, aka the sport of the film world, has become a year-round affair. The 94th Academy Awards will take place on Monday, March 28, Australian and New Zealand time. Here's the full list of nominations: OSCAR NOMINEES 2022 BEST MOTION PICTURE The Power of the Dog West Side Story Belfast Dune Licorice Pizza King Richard CODA Don't Look Up Drive My Car Nightmare Alley BEST DIRECTOR Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza Steven Spielberg, West Side Story Kenneth Branagh, Belfast Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye Kristen Stewart, Spencer Penélope Cruz, Parallel Mothers PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE Will Smith, King Richard Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick... Boom! Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Ariana DeBose, West Side Story Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard Judi Dench, Belfast Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog Ciarán Hinds, Belfast Troy Kotsur, CODA Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog JK Simmons, Being the Ricardos BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Licorice Pizza, Paul Thomas Anderson Belfast, Kenneth Branagh King Richard, Zach Baylin Don't Look Up, Adam McKay (story by McKay and David Sirota) The Worst Person in the World, Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY The Power of the Dog, Jane Campion The Lost Daughter, Maggie Gyllenhaal CODA, Sian Heder Dune, Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth Drive My Car, Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM Drive My Car (Japan) The Worst Person in the World (Norway) Flee (Denmark) The Hand of God (Italy) Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (Bhutan) BEST ANIMATED FEATURE Encanto Luca The Mitchells vs the Machines Flee Raya and the Last Dragon BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) Flee Ascension Attica Writing with Fire BEST ORIGINAL SCORE The Power of the Dog, Jonny Greenwood Dune, Hans Zimmer Don't Look Up, Nicholas Britell Encanto, Germaine Franco Parallel Mothers, Alberto Iglesias BEST ORIGINAL SONG 'No Time to Die', No Time to Die (Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell) 'Dos Oruguitas', Encanto (Lin-Manuel Miranda) 'Be Alive', King Richard (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Dixson) 'Down to Joy' Belfast (Van Morrison) 'Somehow You Do', Four Good Days (Diane Warren) BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Dune, Greig Fraser The Power of the Dog, Ari Wegner The Tragedy of Macbeth, Bruno Delbonnel Nightmare Alley, Dan Laustsen West Side Story, Janusz Kaminski BEST FILM EDITING Dune, Joe Walker The Power of the Dog, Peter Sciberras Don't Look Up, Hank Corwin King Richard, Pamela Martin Tick, Tick... Boom!, Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN Dune, Patrice Vermette and Zsuzsanna Sipos Nightmare Alley, Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau West Side Story, Adam Stockhausen and Rena DeAngelo The Tragedy of Macbeth, Stefan Dechant and Nancy Haigh The Power of the Dog, Grant Major and Amber Richards BEST VISUAL EFFECTS Dune, Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor, Gerd Nefzer Free Guy, Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis, Dan Sudick Spider-Man: No Way Home, Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein and Dan Sudick Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Noel Walker and Dan Oliver No Time to Die, Charlie Noble, Joel Green, Jonathan Fawkner, Chris Corbould BEST COSTUME DESIGN Cruella, Jenny Beavan Dune, Jacqueline West and Bob Morgan West Side Story, Paul Tazewell Nightmare Alley, Luis Sequeira Cyrano, Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh Dune, Donald Mowat, Love Larson and Eva von Bahr Cruella, Nadia Stacey, Naomi Donne and Julia Vernon Coming 2 America, Mike Marino, Stacey Morris and Carla Farmer House of Gucci, Goran Lundstrom, Anna Carin Lock and Frederic Aspiras BEST SOUND Dune, Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett West Side Story, Tod A Maitland, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson and Shawn Murphy No Time to Die, Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, James Harrison, Paul Massey and Mark Taylor Belfast, Denise Yarde, Simon Chase, James Mather and Niv Adiri The Power of the Dog, Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie and Tara Webb BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT Audible Lead Me Home The Queen of Basketball Three Songs for Benazir When We Were Bullies BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM Affairs of the Art Bestia Boxballet Robin Robin The Windshield Wiper BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM Ala Kachuu — Take and Run The Dress The Long Goodbye On My Mind Please Hold Top image: Netflix.
There's an air of inevitability about Escape Room. A strong feeling of familiarity, too. Hollywood was always going to turn the popular pastime into a scary movie — a matter of when, not if — but this first major attempt just rebadges a horror film staple. Long before people were paying to sleuth their way out of a locked space, audiences have been watching the same concept on the big screen. It's there in countless haunted house flicks, in 1997's stylish and twisty thriller Cube, and in the gore of the Saw franchise as well. All that Escape Room adds to the mix is an obvious moniker, and a clear desire to start a new Final Destination-style series. The setup is as straightforward as expected, with six strangers receiving mysterious invitations to visit a new Chicago space. If they can find their way out of the high-tech escape room, which no one has been able to manage so far, they'll win $10,000 for their troubles. But as shy college student Zoey (Taylor Russell), supermarket slacker Ben (Logan Miller) and finance whiz Jason (Jay Elis) wait to enter the puzzle alongside dedicated gamer Danny (Nik Dodani), the high-strung Amanda (Deborah Ann Woll) and the older Mike (Tyler Labine), it becomes apparent that this isn't any old immersive experience. From the moment that the lobby starts getting warmer than it should be, these competitors aren't just angling for a cash prize — they're endeavouring to stay alive. Thanks to an unrelated, barely seen 2017 film that's also called Escape Room, plus a 2018 TV movie called No Escape Room, director Adam Robitel (Insidious: The Last Key) and screenwriters Bragi Schut (Season of the Witch) and Maria Melnik (TV's Counterpart) aren't treading new filmic ground in any sense. Rather, they're merely jumping into territory that's recognisable in several ways, just with a bigger budget and audience reach. Still, while there's much that remains well-worn about 2019's Escape Room, Robitel and company don't always stick to painting by the numbers. Although their picture won't wow viewers with its twists, or surprise many with its tricks and riddles, it does succeed in the most crucial area: making its escape room sequences stand out. There's more than one literally killer space to flee here, and each proves inventive and clever — whether stranding Zoey, Ben and the gang in an upside-down pool bar, or thrusting them into a place that resembles a hellish acid trip. Indeed, watching the group navigate each complicated chamber never fails to entertain and impress, with full credit due to the movie's production designers. It's a strange sensation, to view characters fighting for their lives as their surroundings attempt to assassinate them, and to completely understand the appeal of the escape room craze. This isn't an ad for the real thing or an accurate representation of it, obviously, however by making its spaces so intriguing and engaging, the film aptly conveys why they've become so popular. Alas, at almost every other turn, Escape Room is a rare picture that could've benefited from fewer details, not more. When you're filling your film with stereotypical characters, giving them standard personality traits and cliched traumatic backstories doesn't add depth — it just highlights how paper-thin everyone is. Similarly, while witnessing the sextet's battle for survival is suitably unsettling and suspenseful, attempting to explain why they're stuck in this predicament feels overly contrived, even for such a high-concept premise. It also feels utterly unnecessary, and smacks of attempting to set up a sequel. When Escape Room lures audiences into its murderous maze, more of the same may sound like a treat. But when the movie is happily ticking boxes, it serves up a firm reminder that many horror flicks can barely sustain their own running time, let alone a franchise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dSKUoV0SNI
Inside the Sydney Fringe Festival is another mini festival, the Festival of Weird Spaces. Things kick off on September 12 with the Artcore Guerilla Artfair at the Imperial Hotel (5-10pm and free entry). It'll be an art-fair of local, emerging artists in the basement, complete with an oh so secret feature band and lucky door prizes (for those of you who love a good freebie). On September 14 (also part of all things strange), will be some venues that you all know and love like The Duke, The Water Horse, RaBar, The Warren View and The Sly Fox, which will be subjected to what they’re calling 'Decoration Wars.' Hopefully nothing like The Block, you’ll need to grab a map and a voting card before taking a turn of these bars. Yes - kinda like a pub crawl and art class combined. There’s also a Pop up Festival on Saturday – and don’t we all just love a pop-up? Held at Camperdown Park will be The Collective Project Unit & Friends – Ska Band, whose influences include 1960s Jamaican party music and Skatalites. Other tunes include the barbershop style four-part harmonies of Tuxedo Vocal Harmony Quartet and Nathanial Pyewacket, an experiemental cross-platform performer (who builds his own electronic and electro-acoustic instruments). Apparently there’s more to be announced, but they can say that there will be a balloon artist there. Balloon dog anyone?
Quay's three-month long renovation is nearly upon us and the closing of its doors will also mark the end of a dessert era. That's right, Sydneysiders — this month is your last chance to taste the famous Snow Egg before it's gone forever. One of Australia's most awarded restaurants, the three-hatted venue will close its doors on Sunday, April 1, to undergo a major facelift, reopening in mid-2018 with a new state-of-the-art kitchen facility and a revamped dining room. Executive chef Peter Gilmore is again teaming up with TZG architects (who designed other Fink Group restaurants Bennelong and Otto Brisbane) and the fit-out will mimic Gilmore's approach to food — with elements of texture, nature and intensity in the design. Seating with views of the Harbour Bridge will open for the first time and the existing 100-person dining room will be reduced to a more intimate affair, with small dining spaces featured around the restaurant. Likewise, the menu will be completely reimagined — sans Snow Egg — and only tasting menus will be available at both lunch and dinner. The service model will also change to offer a more interactive culinary experience for guests. "After 16 years of Quay in its current form, this new incarnation will give me the opportunity to fulfil even greater aspirations for my food," says Gilmore. "This new chapter will facilitate a long-held desire to take the diner on an even more personal dining experience." With the new menu comes teary-eyed goodbyes to some of Quay's most iconic dishes, most notably the Snow Egg. Making fan-crazed waves as the star dish in the 2010 Masterchef finale, the dessert's decade at Quay has seen over half-a-million made in more than 20 flavours. For the final version, Gilmore is offering up a custard apple and mangosteen Snow Egg, served with pear granita and custard apple ice cream. "The Snow Egg has graced our menu for over a decade, but this is a time of change and I want to be looking forward," says Gilmore. "It was a tough decision but removing it gives me the opportunity to grow and evolve the menu to give guests a new dining experience." As a farewell to the Quay of old, the restaurant is holding a super-pricey retrospective dinner on Wednesday, March 28. It will showcase some of Gilmore's most defining dishes over his 16-year tenure — including the original pork belly and sea scallops from 2001 and Gilmore's decadent sea pearls from 2006, along with mud crab congee and free-range chicken with truffle — and finished off with the beloved Snow Egg. The $500 per-person dinner also includes a premium wine pairing by renowned sommelier Amanda Yallop. If you can't quite fork up this amount of cash but are still keen to nab one last taste, the Snow Egg is also available on the regular lunch and dinner menus through till April 1. In the lead-up to its retirement, expect to see S(no)w Egg posters, like the below, pop-up around Sydney. <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BgPOJpqHkrY/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.5% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BgPOJpqHkrY/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">🚨 PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨 The Snow Egg is retiring when we pauses service for renovation on April 1st, this is no yolk. Don't be a fool, reserve your experience today. Link in our bio for details. #SnowEgg #Desserts #QuayRestaurant #RestaurantAustralia</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/quayrestaurant/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> QUAY</a> (@quayrestaurant) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2018-03-12T21:13:07+00:00">Mar 12, 2018 at 2:13pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote> <script async defer src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script> Quay will close on April 1 and reopen in mid-2018. This month is your last chance to nab a taste of the famous Snow Egg before it is off the menu for good.
Recently returned from a run at the Edinburgh Fringe, the Seymour Centre's one-woman A Solitary Choice stars Tamara Lee as the sheep-contemplating Ruth. Ruth has a problem. In fact, Ruth has many problems — she has a husband lost in an interminable PhD, she's stuck working in the unsympathetic world of finance and is unexpectedly pregnant. The story of Ruth slowly discovering her child within is run in parallel to the story of her husband Christopher looking for unlikely pleasure in the world of real-estate and also running into his own inner tyke. The set of the play is sparse. A bench, a chair, a table, a newspaper and a small, checked-green suitcase. Lee cuts Ruth and her world cleanly from these spare ingredients, creating places as easily with the set as her voice carves out silhouettes of Ruth's loved-ones. Lee's effervescent face and bell-like song are engaging, and she draws sympathy for Ruth's life and yearnings. But it's not a happy story. For Ruth, the world seems split into people living safe in boxes, and wilder creatures with the ferocity to live a harder life. Her fantasies are bleak dreams of far away places, welling-up into a torrent of words and joie de vivre bursting to escape into her day-to-day life. The twin themes of choice and inevitability dominate Sheila Duncan's play. The author of the epic Sandman once said that the eight-year saga came down to a single decision its protagonist makes late in the piece. A Solitary Choice is also about a choice — ostensibly an abortion — but her decision comes down to something even more significant. Ruth is torn fiercely between her loves and her needs, and at the end of the play it's hard to tell whether she chooses the right things. But the path she takes to get there is persuasive and watching her is no mistake.
In 2014, the ultimate celebration of French cinema in Australia will mark its silver anniversary with one of its most impressive programs yet. Lighting up Palace Cinema locations around the country, the 25th annual Alliance Francaise French Film Festival has film-faring Francophiles covered, with light-hearted comedies to searing dramas, as well as hat-tips to two of France's most legendary filmmakers. The festivities kick off on opening night with a screening of Nils Tavernier's inspiring sports drama The Finishers, followed by a post-film cocktail party. Other big tickets include the bloody Palme d'Or-nominated epic Michael Kohlhaas, Bruno Dumont's lauded biopic Camille Claudel 1915 and the Monaco-set espionage thriller Möbius starring The Artist's Jean Dujardin. Lighter options can be found in the festival's romance and comedy streams. Stylish indie ensemble 2 Autumns, 3 Winters has garnered plenty of positive buzz internationally, while Bright Days Ahead offers something for the older crowd, recounting the tale of a newly retired senior who strikes up an affair with a much younger man. Patrons can also preview the works of France's future filmmaking elite, with a program of short films from renowned Parisian film academy La Fémis. At the other end of the spectrum, fans of the classics might enjoy a retrospective of the works of new-wave pioneer Francois Truffaut, including his medium-shifting masterworks Jules and Jim and The 400 Blows. Closing night serves up another iconic slice of French cinema, in the form of Jacques Tati's wonderful 1958 comedy Mon Oncle. For the full Alliance Française French Film Festival program, visit http://www.affrenchfilmfestival.org/ https://youtube.com/watch?v=_0ENuOOgY2Y
The weather is cooling down, a heap of public holidays are just around the corner and getting cosy on your couch seems like the best way to spend a day (or several). Yes, April is here. With autumn well underway and Easter giving everyone a few days off, it couldn't be a better time for one specific activity: feasting your eyes on a whole heap of movies and television shows. Flick on your TV, fire up your chosen streaming platform and prepare to watch everything from sitcoms based on excellent movies to perhaps the best action film triple bill there is — plus dazzling nature documentaries, revived sci-fi anthologies and the most anticipated returning show of the year (you know the one). And, prepare to do so without spending much too long scrolling through a seemingly endless array of viewing options. From the latest and greatest to old favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue for April. NEW STUFF TO WATCH NOW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfBbSwX6kEk WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS A bunch of vampires. One share house. Ample undead hijinks. It worked well in 2005 short film What We Do In the Shadows. It worked hilariously in 2014 mockumentary movie What We Do In the Shadows. And it's working mighty fine in new TV spinoff that's also called What We Do In the Shadows, too. Adapted for television by original creators and stars Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi (with the first episode written by the former and directed by the latter), this Staten Island-set version focuses on a new set of vamps and new supernatural problems, and the laughs keep coming. Unsurprisingly, Matt Berry's English bloodsucker Laszlo is a highlight, but this is a great ensemble effort, complete with ace turns from Kayvan Novak as Ottoman Empire-era soldier Nandor the Relentless, Natasia Demetriou as Romani vamp Nadja, Mark Proksch as 'energy vampire' Colin Robinson and Lady Bird's Beanie Feldstein as a live-action role-play fan who falls in with the undead crowd. What We Do In the Shadows is available to stream weekly on Foxtel Now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQaTa5eTxnk THE CASE AGAINST ADNAN SYED It has been five years since much of the world first heard the name Adnan Syed, delving into his case in the first season of Serial. And just like the hugely popular true crime podcast, Syed's is a tale that just keeps fascinating audiences. Murder and the possible miscarriage of justice will do that, as will the grim circumstances surrounding the death of Baltimore high school student Hae Min Lee in 1999. Enter The Case Against Adnan Syed, the four-part documentary TV series that has been in production since 2015 and promises to answer — and pose — more questions. Yes, it delivers. As well as boasting a compelling subject, the series also has an impressive pedigree, with filmmaker Amy Berg adding another top effort to her resume after Oscar-nominated 2006 doco Deliver Us from Evil, 2012's West of Memphis and 2014's An Open Secret. The first episode of The Case Against Adnan Syed is available to stream now on SBS On Demand, with subsequent episodes available weekly on Sundays. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t39E5xMD5I THIS TIME WITH ALAN PARTRIDGE Last month, it was Get Krack!n. This month, ABC iView is skewering breakfast TV with This Time with Alan Partridge. Credit where credit is due, of course — without Steve Coogan's iconic alter ego, who's been hitting the airwaves since 1991, there'd be no Get Krack!n or many other supremely awkward TV industry spoofs either. This time, the fictional inept broadcaster has been tapped to co-host a morning magazine and chat show — and the world's collective stomach muscles instantly feel the strain of oh-so-much cringing. If you've laughed and grimaced along to Knowing Me, Knowing You, I'm Alan Partridge and movie Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, then you'll do so again. If you're new to the character, who was co-created by Coogan with The Thick of It and Veep's Armando Iannucci back in the 90s, prepare for quite the introduction. This Time with Alan Partridge is available to stream now on ABC iView. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_51UsTDBAE UNICORN STORE Just last month, Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson shared the screen in Captain Marvel, which happens to be this year's biggest grossing film so far. As you might recall, they also co-starred in 2017's Kong: Skull Island. And, in-between the two, they made a third movie: Unicorn Store. Directed by Larson in her filmmaking debut, this indie fantasy couldn't be more different from the duo's big-budget pairings. It follows a young art student who has always loved unicorns, doesn't fit in anywhere, and is offered the chance to own her very own one-horned animal (by a pink suit-wearing Jackson, no less) just when her life is at its lowest point. It's all as twee, quirky and offbeat as it sounds — and as filled with rainbows and glitter — but Larson's take on arrested development from a rare female perspective isn't without its charms. Unicorn Store is available to stream now on Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytB8xNQ18_c MIRACLE WORKERS Existential comedy is having a moment — and add Miracle Workers to the already great pile that includes The Good Place and Russian Doll. Based on the novel What in God's Name and adapted for TV by the book's author Simon Rich, the series asks a very important question: what if God was a slacker played by Steve Buscemi? The amusing questions keep coming. What if heaven was a huge company charged with making Earth run smoothly? What if two employees were responsible for all of the world's miracles? What if said miracle workers made a bet with God, and he's planning to blow up the planet if they lose? It all makes for ace viewing, complete with a stellar cast, including Daniel Radcliffe and Australian actress Geraldine Viswanathan (Emo the Musical, Blockers) as the duo trying to save humanity by performing one heavenly feat: making a shy couple fall in love. The first season of Miracle Workers is available to stream now on Stan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aETNYyrqNYE OUR PLANET Prepare your ears for one of the best sounds in the world: the sound of David Attenborough narrating a nature documentary. He has a whole heap to his name, including The Living Planet, State of the Planet, The Blue Planet, Frozen Planet and Planet Earth, and now he has Our Planet as well. The eight-part Netflix series explores Earth's remaining wilderness areas and their animal inhabitants, and delivers an array of simply astonishing natural sights in the process (given it has been made in conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund, that's hardly surprising). Wildebeests in the Serengeti, penguins in their icy climes, elephants trekking across continents and the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef — they're just some of the wonders in store. Our Planet is available to stream now on Netflix. ONES TO WATCH OUT FOR LATER IN THE MONTH https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=rlR4PJn8b8I GAME OF THRONES Finally. After an almost two-year wait, the time has come for Game of Thrones to unleash its final season. And, naturally, to unleash more battles, bloodshed, bickering, living and icy dragons, undead hordes, revenge-seeking Stark children, scheming Lannisters, Daenerys looking fierce and Jon Snow knowing nothing as well. Just where the enormously successful hit series will end is anyone's guess, especially since its narrative has long overtaken the tale told in George RR Martin's books, although we all know that the fight for the Iron Throne will continue until the show's very last moments. Get ready to start saying your goodbyes — to your favourite characters (not all of whom will survive, we're guessing) and to the show as a whole. Also worth remembering: this farewell is going to be quick, because the season only runs for six episodes. Game of Thrones will available to stream weekly on Foxtel Now from Monday, April 15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29_gA_GDGvE THE TWILIGHT ZONE The Twilight Zone is back, and it's in the best possible hands. After wowing horror movie lovers with Get Out and Us, Jordan Peele takes on the task of presenting, narrating and redeveloping the legendary sci-fi anthology show for the 21st century. Picking up where Rod Serling's original five-season 50s and 60s show left off (and short-lived revivals in 1985 and 2002, too), the eight-episode first series blends the old with the new — both remaking previous episodes and coming up with fresh, thrilling stories. It's as entertaining as you'd rightfully expect, and it comes with a huge cast, including Adam Scott, Kumail Nanjiani, Tracy Morgan, Steven Yeun, Zazie Beetz, Taissa Farmiga, Greg Kinnear, John Cho, Rhea Seehorn, Jessica Williams, Jacob Tremblay, Allison Tolman, Betty Gabriel, Ginnifer Goodwin, Chris O'Dowd and Seth Rogan. Put simply, it's must-see viewing. The Twilight Zone will be available to stream weekly on 10 All Access, with the first four episodes available on Friday, April 19. CULT CLASSICS TO REVISIT AND REDISCOVER https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC86WzMhuSw NICOLAS CAGE FILMS Back in 1995, Nicolas Cage won an Oscar for alcoholic drama Leaving Las Vegas. For many actors, that'd be the pinnacle of their career. But Nicolas Cage isn't any old star, so he followed it up with three consecutive action movies — all of which prove supremely entertaining by themselves, but make for one hell of a triple-feature. We're talking about The Rock, Con Air and Face/Off. All three released one after each other in 1996 and 1997, and movie fans everywhere are still thanking Nicolas Cage for them. All three are also now streaming on Stan, and you just know you want to watch them back-to-back-to-back as soon as possible. A number of other Nicolas Cage flicks are also available, including the terrible Aussie-shot Knowing and the twisty recent black comedy Mom and Dad, should you need more Nicolas Cage fun. The Rock, Con Air and Face/Off are available to stream on Stan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfVyDegH1wk JACKIE CHAN COLLECTION Perhaps you're a Jackie Chan fan from way back, and will take any excuse to revel in his martial arts and action-comedy mastery. Perhaps you've always wanted to delve into his filmography — further than Rush Hour, at least — and just didn't know where to start. In both situations, SBS On Demand has you sorted with a ten-movie lineup of the Hong Kong star's finest. Head back to 1980 with The Young Master, which he also directed. Catch the first two films in the stunt-filled Police Story franchise, or see him jump back to the 19th century in Project A. The list goes on, and promises plenty of fast-flying fists, cheesy gags and exceptional work from a movie master. Ten Jackie Chan movies are available to stream now on SBS On Demand.
In 2021, the Golden Globes are taking place more than a month later than usual. The awards are also staging a different kind of ceremony than normal, with hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler steering the show from separate cities, and Zoom certain to feature heavily. Still, the first big event of this year's film and television awards season definitely knows how to get everyone talking — about its achievements and inclusions, as well as its snubs. The nominations for the 2021 Golden Globes were announced in the early hours of Thursday, February 4, Australian and New Zealand time, and they made history. For the first time ever, three women were nominated for Best Director, with Nomadland's Chloe Zhao, One Night in Miami's Regina King and Promising Young Woman's Emerald Fennell all getting a nod. If you're wondering how monumental this is, the Globes has never nominated more than one woman in the category in a single year, and it has only given out seven nominations to female filmmakers — yes, in total — in its 77-year history before now. David Fincher's Mank picked up the most amount of nods in the film categories, with six, but other highlights include Chadwick Boseman's nod for Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Riz Ahmed's nomination in the same category for Sound of Metal, the filmed version of Hamilton picking up two nods in the comedy fields (including Lin-Manuel Miranda's nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Comedy), and Sacha Baron Cohen getting a look for both Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (in the Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Comedy category) and The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Best Supporting Actor). Borat's breakout star Maria Bakalova also earned a nomination (for Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Comedy), too, becoming the first Bulgarian actor to do so. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rsa4U8mqkw The Globes also recognise TV, which is good news for the likes of Unorthodox, The Great and The Mandalorian, all of which received some love. There's a big omission in 2021's nods, however, with Michaela Coel's exceptional I May Destroy You — the best new show of 2020 hands down — absolutely nowhere to be seen. Instead, The Crown came out on top with six nominations, and everything from Normal People and Small Axe to Lovecraft Country and The Flight Attendant earned some attention. Aussie actors Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett also scored nods in the television fields, thanks to The Undoing and Mrs America. Every list of nominees for every awards ceremony has gaps, of course, and I May Destroy You isn't alone in missing out at this year's Globes. In the movie fields, Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods was also completely overlooked — as was Zendaya's performance in Malcolm & Marie and the entire cast of Minari. In the TV categories , the Globes didn't sink its teeth into What We Do in the Shadows at all, and barely paid Better Call Saul any attention either. If you're wondering who else is actually up for an award, though, you'll find the full list of nominees below. And, as for who'll emerge victorious, that'll be announced on Monday, March 1 Australian and New Zealand time. GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINEES 2021: BEST MOTION PICTURE — DRAMA The Father Mank Nomadland Promising Young Woman The Trial of the Chicago 7 BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE — DRAMA Carey Mulligan — Promising Young Woman Frances McDormand — Nomadland Vanessa Kirby — Pieces of a Woman Viola Davis — Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Andra Day — The United States vs Billie Holiday BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE — DRAMA Riz Ahmed — Sound of Metal Chadwick Boseman — Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Anthony Hopkins — The Father Gary Oldman — Mank Tahar Rahim — The Mauritanian BEST MOTION PICTURE — MUSICAL OR COMEDY Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Hamilton Music Palm Springs The Prom BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE — MUSICAL OR COMEDY Maria Bakalova — Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Kate Hudson — Music Michelle Pfeiffer — French Exit Rosamund Pike — I Care a Lot Anya Taylor-Joy — Emma BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE — MUSICAL OR COMEDY Sacha Baron Cohen — Borat Subsequent Moviefilm James Corden — The Prom Lin-Manuel Miranda — Hamilton Dev Patel — The Personal History of David Copperfield Andy Samberg — Palm Springs BEST MOTION PICTURE — ANIMATED The Croods: A New Age Onward Over the Moon Soul Wolfwalkers BEST MOTION PICTURE — FOREIGN LANGUAGE Another Round La Llorona The Life Ahead Minari Two of Us BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE Jodie Foster — The Mauritanian Olivia Colman — The Father Glenn Close — Hillbilly Elegy Amanda Seyfried — Mank Helena Zengel — News of the World BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ANY MOTION PICTURE Sacha Baron Cohen — The Trial of the Chicago 7 Daniel Kaluuya — Judas and the Black Messiah Jared Leto — The Little Things Bill Murray — On the Rocks Leslie Odom, Jr — One Night in Miami BEST DIRECTOR — MOTION PICTURE David Fincher — Mank Regina King — One Night in Miami Aaron Sorkin — The Trial of the Chicago 7 Chloe Zhao — Nomadland Emerald Fennell — Promising Young Woman BEST SCREENPLAY — MOTION PICTURE The Father Mank Nomadland Promising Young Woman The Trial of the Chicago 7 BEST ORIGINAL SCORE — MOTION PICTURE The Midnight Sky Tenet News of the World Mank Soul BEST ORIGINAL SONG — MOTION PICTURE 'Fight for You' — Judas and the Black Messiah 'Io Si' — The Life Ahead 'Speak Now' — One Night in Miami 'Hear My Voice' — The Trial of the Chicago 7 'Tigress & Tweed' — The US v Billie Holiday BEST TELEVISION SERIES — DRAMA Ratched Ozark The Crown Lovecraft Country The Mandalorian BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES — DRAMA Emma Corrin — The Crown Olivia Colman — The Crown Jodie Comer — Killing Eve Laura Linney — Ozark Sarah Paulson — Ratched BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES — DRAMA Jason Bateman — Ozark Josh O'Connor — The Crown Bob Odenkirk — Better Call Saul Al Pacino — Hunters Matthew Rhys — Perry Mason BEST TELEVISION SERIES — MUSICAL OR COMEDY Emily in Paris The Flight Attendant Schitt's Creek The Great Ted Lasso BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES — MUSICAL OR COMEDY Lily Collins — Emily in Paris Kaley Cuoco — The Flight Attendant Elle Fanning — The Great Catherine O'Hara — Schitt's Creek Jane Levy — Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES — MUSICAL OR COMEDY Don Cheadle — Black Monday Nicholas Hoult — The Great Eugene Levy — Schitt's Creek Jason Sudeikis — Ted Lasso Ramy Youssef — Ramy BEST TELEVISION LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION Normal People The Queen's Gambit Small Axe The Undoing Unorthodox BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION Cate Blanchett — Mrs America Daisy Edgar-Jones — Normal People Shira Haas — Unorthodox Nicole Kidman — The Undoing Anya Taylor-Joy — The Queen's Gambit BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION Bryan Cranston — Your Honor Jeff Daniels — The Comey Rule Hugh Grant — The Undoing Ethan Hawke — The Good Lord Bird Mark Ruffalo — I Know This Much Is True BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION Cynthia Nixon — Ratched Gillian Anderson — The Crown Helena Bonham Carter — The Crown Julia Garner — Ozark Annie Murphy — Schitt's Creek BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TV John Boyega — Small Axe Brendan Gleeson — The Comey Rule Dan Levy — Schitt's Creek Jim Parsons — Hollywood Donald Sutherland — The Undoing The 2021 Golden Globes take place on Monday, March 1 Australian and New Zealand time. For further details, head to the awards' website. Top image: The Crown, Des Willie/Netflix.
"It's a shock to the system. It's a change to the everyday, regular routine. It's where the unhappy gene comes out — and it's a sign of the times today." That's the gloriously candid and empathetic Sandra Pankhurst on trauma, a topic she has literally made her business. Later in Clean, the documentary that tells her tale, she describes herself as a "busy nose and a voyeur"; however, that's not what saw her set up Melbourne's Specialised Trauma Cleaning. For three decades now, her company has assisted with "all the shitty jobs that no one really wants to do," as she characterises it: crime-scene cleanups, including after homicides, suicides and overdoses; deceased estates, such as bodies found some time after their passing; and homes in squalor, to name a few examples. As she explains in the film, Pankhurst is eager to provide such cleaning services because everyone deserves that help — and because we're all just a couple of unfortunate turns away from needing it. The 2008 movie Sunshine Cleaning starring Amy Adams (Dear Evan Hansen) and Emily Blunt (Jungle Cruise) fictionalised the trauma-cleaning realm; if that's your touchstone at the outset of Clean, prepare for far less gloss, for starters. Prepare for much more than a look at a fascinating but largely ignored industry, too, because filmmaker Lachlan Mcleod (Big in Japan) is as rightly interested in Pankhurst as he is in her line of work. Everything she says hangs in the air with meaning, even as it all bounces lightly from her lips ("life can be very fragile", "every dog has its day, and a mongrel has two" and "life dishes you out a good story and then life dishes you out a shit one" are some such utterances). Everything feels matter of fact and yet also immensely caring through her eyes, regardless of the situation that her Frankston-headquartered employees are attending to. Sometimes, STC does confront harrowing and grimy messes that could be ripped straight out of a crime drama, but ensuring that the families don't have to swab up themselves after a gory incident is a point of pride. Sometimes, it aids people with disability or illness by playing housekeeper when they can't, or sorts through a lifetime of possessions when someone has turned to hoarding. There's no judgement directed anyone's way, not by Pankhurst or the crew of committed cleaners who've formed a family-like bond under her watch. It takes a particular sort of person to do this gig, everyone notes, and the group is as sensitive and considerate as their boss because most have experienced their own hardships. They can also see what she sees: "everyone's got trauma; it's not the demographic, it's the circumstance". Pankhurst's company and tale isn't new to the public eye, thanks to Sarah Krasnostein's award-winning 2018 book The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay and Disaster — and both there and here, the role she has played and the fortitude she has displayed while sifting through her own personal traumas earns merited attention. Mcleod keeps his focus on STC for the film's first third, aided by Pankhurst's frank insights, but the many layers to the business, its workers and its clients are paralleled in her own multifaceted story. Clean takes her lead, though; never within its frames does Pankhurst offer up a simple assessment of herself, other than saying she'd liked to be remembered "as a kind human being — nothing more, nothing less". As a transgender woman who was adopted at birth, grew up in an abusive household, married and had a family, performed as a drag queen, undertook sex work, survived rape and drugs, transitioned, and became one of Australia's first female funeral directors, nothing about her can be deduced to a few mere words. The raw honesty, quick wit and spirited sense of humour continues as Pankhurst mentions many of these details, largely in passing or onstage when she becomes a motivational speaker after health woes stop her from cleaning. It's due to her medical conditions that she's vigilant about staff wearing PPE on the job — Clean's naturalistic, on-the-ground shoot, with cinematographer Louis Dai (Hakamada: The Longest Held Death Row Inmate in the World) behind the lens, began in 2019 well before the pandemic. There it is again: that unfaltering, highly moving, deeply inspirational compassion for others, whether they're the vulnerable struggling or employees lending the former a hand day in, day out. Clean looks upon Pankhurst with as much industrial-strength humanity as she sees in the world around her, even one where "people die in horrific ways every day", but never smoothes away her faults, doubts, rough experiences or tough edges. Mclean and Dai both double as the doco's editors and, as they begin splicing Pankhurst's time away from the business together with her team's everyday duties across the feature's second two acts, a touch of movie magic does filter in. To provide a wider array of imagery for the film's two strands, Mclean adds a number of brief recreations of Pankhurst's childhood and younger years, and of reconstructed crime scenes. They're unnecessary, and also don't suit the already affecting and absorbing tone that springs from Pankhurst and her employees telling it plain but with brimming understanding. There's a tender tenor in Patrick Grigg's (Australiana) score, too, that finds a better balance. Those dramatisations don't jumble the film by any means; they're just superfluous. Another reason that Clean's reenactments don't sit well: the feature has such a wealth of narratives to follow anyway, including time spent with specific members of the STC crew such as Brian Gaciabu, Rod Wyatt and others. Pankhurst gets the chance to search for her birth mother, her health gets pushed further to the fore, and some of the clients that the company helps also get a glimpse of the spotlight. Mcleod could've made several documentaries or a series about the overall situation, and even simply about the no-nonsense but endlessly entertaining Pankhurst; that COVID-19 impacted his timeline is apparent. This energetic but thoughtful tribute still cleans up, though — and that it has its imperfections fits every tale that it unfurls.
When 12.01am hits on Monday, September 13, a few lockdown rules will ease across New South Wales. They're small changes, but if you're eager to spend a bit more time out of the house, they're welcome ones. As announced back in late August, the New South Wales is slightly relaxing the restrictions around outdoor recreation — aka "sitting for relaxation, or to eat, drink or read outdoors" as defined by the NSW Government rules. Back in August, Premier Gladys Berejiklian revealed that because NSW had hit the six-million-jab threshold, the restrictions would loosen for both residents of Sydney's Local Government Areas of concern, and for everyone else in lockdown across the state. For the former (so, in the Bayside, Blacktown, Burwood, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta and Strathfield LGAs, as well as 12 suburbs in the Penrith), outdoor recreation is back on the cards again for families with fully vaccinated adults, as long as it's between 5am–9pm given the nighttime curfew. And, because there's a strict five-kilometre rule in place in these LGAs, you'll need to abide by that requirement for your picnics there as well. For people who live outside of the hotspot LGAs, you'll be to enjoy outdoor recreation in groups of five, as long as all adults are fully vaccinated. There's a distance limit, though, so it'll still need to be within your LGA or within five kilometres from home. They're the changes that everyone is looking forward to — and they're actually getting a tweak before they come into effect. Today, Friday, September 10, the Premier advised two changes, affecting everyone across Sydney. In LGAs of concern, the time limit is now going up to two hours. So, you'll now get twice as long to picnic. (And yes, picnics have been specifically mentioned.) Outside of LGAs of concern, the five-person total has been clarified. Originally it included children, but only adults had to be fully vaxxed. Now, it doesn't include kids under 12. That means that five adults who've had both their jabs can enjoy outdoor recreation together, and bring any amount of kids under 12 as well. or within 5km of home. Children under 12 will not be counted in this total. For those who live in the LGAs of concern, a household with all adults vaccinated will be able to engage in outdoor recreation (including picnics) for up to 2 hours within the existing rules — NSW Health (@NSWHealth) September 10, 2021 Have picnic plans from next week onwards? You can now either lengthen them, or spend time with more of your pals and their kids. The announcement comes as NSW recorded 1542 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday, September 9, and a day after the Premier announced what'll be permitted when 70 percent of eligible NSW residents have had their jabs — a target that's expected to hit by mid-October. The rules regarding outdoor recreation for fully vaccinated adults across NSW will change at 12.01am on Monday, September 13. For further details about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website. Top image: Destination NSW.
Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel wonder about days gone by, while Rachel Weisz and Jane Fonda deliver verbal tirades designed to awaken the ageing men from their apathy. All four spend their time in an expensive Swiss spa, and in a film as visually luxurious as their lush surroundings. So unravels Youth, its seasoned cast and opulent images its obvious selling points. Musings about life, love and legacy have rarely looked as exquisite, even if the movie's charms remain somewhat surface level. Youth is an inescapably familiar effort from writer-director Paolo Sorrentino, who covered similar territory — contrasting internal emptiness with external splendour — in his Oscar-winning last feature, The Great Beauty. Alas, the same magic doesn't strike twice, though in some ways that's rather apt. There's obvious symmetry in a filmmaking repeating the past by depicting characters stuck in theirs. Caine's Fred Ballinger is a retired composer, so renowned that he's asked to conduct his most famous creation for the queen, and so haunted by his troubles that he can't agree to participate in the performance. His discussions with Keitel's Mick Boyle, a filmmaker trying to finish a new script, largely focus on former glories, the ailments of being elderly, and their feuding children. Fred's daughter, Lena (Weisz), is married to Mick's son, Julian (Ed Stoppard), until Julian announces that he's leaving her for another woman. Others wander around the retreat, including an actor (Paul Dano) worried about being typecast and a fading screen siren (Fonda) Mick wants to re-team with for his next movie. In slivers and glimpses, Youth casts its net even wider, with a famous footballer, a beauty queen, and a motley crew of fellow guests also featuring. Together, they paint a universal picture of the ebbs and flows of existence, and of the contrast between the sublime and the grotesque. Sadly, most come across as diversions and distractions, directing attention away from the flimsiness of the film's supposedly wise dialogue. That's not to say that Youth doesn't have its pleasures — just that they're saddled with less successful elements, which is an appropriate outcome for a movie that tasks its characters with attempting to find the joy beyond their own sorrows. Watching Caine and Keitel chat and ponder is as enjoyable as it sounds — and while their conversations aren't as profound as they're clearly meant to be, the performances are moving nonetheless. Coupled with a strong score, Sorrentino's aesthetic flair ensures the feature offers a sight to behold and a soundscape to revel in, whether fashioning a music video for a pop star, taking a trip down memory lane or just staring at the folks reclining by the pool. It all makes for a suitable spectacle of mortality and melancholy; however the filmmaker's greatest feat is also his greatest undoing. He makes Youth feel exactly as it should, but always like an imitation. It's a decadent picture about watching the world go by, rather than really experiencing it.
When the end of January rolls around in Australia, folks get a-counting. The nation loves working through the top 100 tunes of the past year thanks to Triple J's huge annual music poll, and has for decades. And, it loves celebrating the brews everyone is likely sipping while listening to that countdown, too — aka the yearly GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers list. This yeasty ranking does for beer what the other Hottest 100 does for bangers, and it has just anointed its best tipple from 2022's brews. Coming out on top is Mountain Culture's Status Quo pale ale, with the New South Wales brewery from the Blue Mountains giving the GABS countdown a new winner for the first time in a few years. In both 2020 and 2021, Canberra's Bentspoke Brewing Co did the honours with its Crankshaft American IPA. In 2022, that brew came in third instead Mountain Culture also bested 2017 and 2018 winner Balter Brewing Company, which notched up second position with its Balter XPA. And, it beat out Stone & Wood's Pacific Ale, the winner of the 2011, 2015, 2016 and 2019 polls, and 2020's second-place getter, which nabbed fourth position this year — as it did in 2021. Your Mates Brewing Co came in fifth with its Larry pale ale, while Better Beer's zero carb variety sits in sixth. Rounding out the top ten are Young Henrys' Newtowner pale ale in seventh, Coopers' original pale ale in eighth, Bridge Road Brewers' Beechworth pale ale in ninth and Black Hops Brewery's GOAT hazy IPA in tenth. Mountain Culture, which is run by husband-and-wife team DJ & Harriet McCready, also placed 15th and 31st with other tipples — and clearly had ample company. 2022's hottest 100 was whittled down from 311 vote-receiving breweries and 2140 of their beers, with more than 60,000 folks having their say about Australia's best craft beers. As a result, the top ten was the most closely contested in GABS history, and a record-equalling 58 breweries made the full list of 100 brews. That includes 28 beers from NSW, 26 from Queensland and 18 from Victoria, plus 11 from Western Australia, nine from the ACT and eight from South Australia. Run by GABS — or the annual festival also known as the Great Australian Beer SpecTAPular, which returns for 2023 this May and June — the countdown is a people's-choice poll decided by booze lovers around the country. If you're thinking "less background, more beer", here's what you've been waiting for: the rundown of the best beverages from the past year that just keep tempting tastebuds. Working your way through the whole 100 isn't just a great way to show your appreciation for locally made brews, either — consider it research for the 2023 countdown. GABS HOTTEST 100 AUSSIE CRAFT BEERS OF 2022: 1. Mountain Culture — Status Quo Hazy Pale Ale 2. Balter Brewing Balter — XPA Pale Ale 3. BentSpoke Brewing Co — Crankshaft American IPA 4. Stone & Wood Brewing Co — Pacific Ale Australian Pale Ale 5. Your Mates Brewing Co — Larry Australian Pale Ale 6. Better Beer — Better Beer Zero Carb Australian Pilsner 7. Young Henrys — Newtowner Australian Pale Ale 8. Coopers Brewery — Original Pale Ale Australian Pale Ale 9. Bridge Road Brewers — Beechworth Pale Ale American Pale Ale 10. Black Hops Brewery — G.O.A.T. New England IPA 11. Gage Roads Brewing Co — Single Fin Australian Pale Ale 12. Capital Brewing Co — Capital XPA Pale Ale 13. Pirate Life Brewing — South Coast Pale Ale American Pale Ale 14. Revel Brewing Co — Strawberries & Cream Sour Ale Kettle Sour 15. Mountain Culture — Cult IPA New England IPA 16. Brookvale Union — Ginger Beer 17. Philter Brewing — Philter XPA Australian Pale Ale 18. Beerfarm Royal — Haze Hazy IPA 19. Balter Brewing — Hazy IPA 20. Black Hops Brewery — East Coast Haze Hazy Pale Ale 21. Balter Brewing — Eazy Hazy Hazy Pale Ale 22. Little Creatures — Little Creatures Pale Ale American Pale Ale 23. Heads Of Noosa Brewing Co — Japanese Style Lager 24. BentSpoke Brewing Co — Barley Griffin Australian Pale Ale 25. 4 Pines Brewing Co — 4 Pines Pacific Ale Australian Pale Ale 26. Coopers Brewery — Sparkling Ale Australian Pale Ale 27. Hawke's Brewing — Hawke's Patio Pale American Pale Ale 28. Brick Lane Brewing Co — One Love Pale Ale American Pale Ale 29. Grifter Brewing Co — Pale Australian Pale Ale 30. Modus Brewing — Modus Cerveza Lager 31. Mountain Goat Beer — GOAT Very Enjoyable Beer Lager 32. Better Beer — Better Beer Ginger Beer 33. Heaps Normal — Quiet XPA Pale Ale 34. Capital Brewing Co — Coast Ale California Common 35. Blackflag Brewing — Rage Juicy Pale Pale Ale 36. Mountain Culture — Be Kind Rewind New England IPA 37. Matso's Broome Brewery — Matso's Ginger Beer 38. Your Mates Brewing Co — Tilly Ginger Beer 39. Coopers Brewery — Coopers XPA American Pale Ale 40. Balter Brewing — Bucket Full Of Nothin' Hazy IIPA 41. CBCo Brewing — Pale Ale American Pale Ale 42. Capital Brewing Co — Hang Loose Juice Blood Orange NEIPA New England IPA 43. 10 Toes Brewery — Pipeline Pale Australian Pale Ale 44. Balter Brewing — Captain Sensible American Pale Ale 45. Ballistic Beer Co — Hawaiian Haze Hazy Pale Ale 46. Bright Brewery — Alpine Lager Lager 47. KAIJU! Beer — KAIJU! KRUSH Australian Pale Ale 48. Grifter Brewing Co — Serpents Kiss Fruit Beer 49. Feral Brewing Co — Biggie Juice New England IPA 50. White Rabbit — White Rabbit Dark Ale 51. Big Shed Brewing Concern — Boozy Fruit New England IPA 52. Green Beacon Brewing Co — Wayfarer Tropical Pale Ale Australian Pale Ale 53. Range Brewing Co — Disco Hazy Pale Ale 54. Stomping Ground Brewing Co — Gipps St Pale Ale American Pale Ale 55. Young Henrys — Hazy Pale Ale 56. Willie The Boatman — Albo Australian Pale Ale 57. Burleigh Brewing Co — Twisted Palm Australian Pale Ale 58. Hawke's Brewing — Hawke's Lager Australian Pilsner 59. Akasha Brewing Co — Super Chill Australian Pale Ale 60. Dainton Beer — Equalizer Hazy Pale Ale 61. 4 Pines Brewing Co — 4 Pines Pale Ale American Pale Ale 62. Kosciuszko Brewing Co — Kosciuszko Pale Ale American Pale Ale 63. Black Hops Brewery — Black Hops Pale Ale Australian Pale Ale 64. Brouhaha Brewery — Strawberry Rhubarb Sour Kettle Sour 65. Moon Dog Craft Brewery ‚ Old Mate American Pale Ale 66. Blackman's Brewery — Juicy Banger Lager 67. Capital Brewing Co — Trail Pale Ale American Pale Ale 68. Hop Nation Brewing Co — J-Juice New England IPA 69. Blackflag Brewing — Astro Punk XPA Pale Ale 70. Gage Roads Brewing Co — Side Track All Day XPA Pale Ale 71. Your Mates Brewing Co — Sally American IPA 72. Bodriggy Brewing Co — Speccy Juice Session IPA 73. Burleigh Brewing Co — Bighead No-carb Lager Lager 74. Coopers Brewery — Coopers Pacific Pale Ale Australian Pale Ale 75. Eumundi Brewery — Eumundi Alcoholic Ginger Beer 76. Rocky Ridge Brewing Co — Jindong Juicy Hazy Pale Ale 77. Young Henrys — Natural Lager Lager 78. Dainton Beer — Blood Orange NEIPA New England IPA 79. Hop Nation Brewing Co — Rattenhund Pilsner 80. Capital Brewing Co — Rock Hopper IPA American IPA 81. Little Creatures — Pacific Ale Australian Pale Ale 82. Diablo Co — Diablo Ginger Beer 83. Stone & Wood Brewing Co — Cloud Catcher Australian Pale Ale 84. BentSpoke Brewing Co — Sprocket American IPA 85. Gage Roads Brewing Co — Hazy As Hazy Pale Ale 86. Wayward Brewing Co — Raspberry Berliner Weisse Berliner Weisse 87. Young Henrys — Motorcycle Oil Porter 88. Mismatch Brewing Co — Session Ale Session IPA 89. Little Creatures — Rogers Amber Ale 90. One Drop Brewing Co — Double Vanilla Custard Pancake Imperial Nitro Thickshake IPA Milkshake IPA 91. 4 Pines Brewing Co — Hazy Pale Ale 92. Balter Brewing — Balter IPA American IPA 93. Coopers Brewery — Best Extra Stout 94. Hawkers Beer — West Coast IPA American IPA 95. Gage Roads Brewing Co — Pipe Dreams Coastal Lager Australian Pilsner 96. Range Brewing Co — Lights + Music TIPA 97. Dainton Beer — Jungle Juice Hazy IPA 98. Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel — Three Sheets Australian Pale Ale 99. Bad Shepherd Brewing Co — Peanut Butter Porter Porter 100. One Drop Brewing Co — We Jammin' Sour For more information about the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of 2022, head to the GABS website.
The pandemic has given us all new pastimes, from baking sourdough and piecing together all the puzzles to watching every Nicolas Cage movie ever made and mixing up top-notch cocktails at home. For the past few months, we've all added something else to our list, too: keeping an eye on Australia's COVID-19 vaccination rates. We all know why we're all currently fascinated with jab percentages. Back in July, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that Australia will tie its efforts to manage COVID-19 to vax rates moving forward. So, as the country reaches certain vaccination milestones — 70 percent of Aussies over the age of 16 receiving two doses, and then 80 percent — the way that Australia handles the pandemic will evolve. Restrictions will start to ease, lockdowns will be less likely, international travel will open back up and people who've been fully vaxxed will live life under loosened rules. As both New South Wales and Victoria have dealt with COVID-19 outbreaks this year, vax rates have continued to be thrust into the spotlight. Both NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and her Victorian counterpart Daniel Andrews have highlighted specific jab thresholds, and announced that lockdown rules will begin to change when they're met. Accordingly, that means that we're all now paying extra attention to those vaccination figures and noting every milestone — with Australia just hitting a big one. Today, Friday, September 24, Australia has officially hit the 50-percent fully vaxxed mark, based on all eligible Australians over the age of 16. That's nationwide, and it's big push towards hitting those 70-percent and 80-percent marks. Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt revealed that 50.1 percent of eligible Aussies are now double jabbed, and 74.8 percent have had their first dose. In total, more than 26 million jab have been given so far, including two million this week. We have also passed the 50% double dosed mark (50.1%) for the eligible population (74.8% for first dose). And a record primary care day of 211,335. Please keep coming forward to be vaccinated. — Greg Hunt (@GregHuntMP) September 24, 2021 Wondering why you might be interested in the Aussie rate, and not just vax numbers in your own state or territory? As part of that plan announced by the PM — the National Plan to transition Australia's National COVID Response — vaccination rates have to reach the 70-percent and 80-percent fully jabbed marks across the entire country before an individual state or territory can start easing the rules. That state or territory also has to reach those thresholds itself before it can do anything, of course, but that isn't the only important figure. So, this news inches us all closer to those target vax thresholds — and that's obviously the kind of news we could all use. You can keep an eye on the jab rates at a number of different websites and, if you still need to get vaccinated, these helpful maps show you where in NSW, Victoria and Queensland. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
Come July 2021, ten years will have passed since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 reached cinema screens, wrapping up the big-screen story about a certain Boy Who Lived. But, to the delight of wannabe wizards and witches everywhere, the franchise hasn't faded away. The Fantastic Beasts films have kept it alive in cinemas, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has done the same on the page and stage, Harry Potter events have been a common occurrence, dedicated stores sling merchandise related to the saga and a Harry Potter theme park is in the works. Soon, you might be able to add a TV series to the long list of HP spinoffs — because it looks like one might be heading to the small screen. Discussions are in the works about a live-action HP show, according to The Hollywood Reporter, with streaming service HBO Max involved. There are few other details available at this point, however. So, what it'll be about, who it'll star, who'll be guiding it behind the scenes, when it'll release and where it'll screen Down Under if it happens are all obviously yet to be revealed. In fact, THR's report comes as a result of "multiple conversations with potential writers exploring various ideas that would bring the beloved property to television" — so it really is early days at present. The same report also notes that HBO Max and Warner Bros have said in a statement that there's nothing in development as yet, if you're wondering just how early the conversations about a HP show are. Of course, that bringing this wizarding world to the small screen is under consideration is hardly surprising news. The same is happening with the Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, after all, because no huge pop culture phenomenon ever disappears these days. To bide your time until further Harry Potter news comes to hand, Australian fans can stream the eight original films as they've just hit Binge. And, for a refresher on how the movies wrapped up, you can also check out the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mObK5XD8udk&utm_keyword=referral_bustle Via The Hollywood Reporter
A new 94-seat bar and restaurant serving Mediterranean eats and oysters with ocean views has officially opened its doors as of Friday, October 15. Lola's Level 1 is the venture of Sydney hospitality mainstays Marco Ambrosino (Fratelli Paradiso) and Manny Spinola, and will serve a mix of small and large plates along with a cocktail and wine-heavy drinks menu, breathing delicious new life into Bondi's Pacific Building. Ambrosino and Spinola pulled together an all-star team for Lola's. Running the pass is head chef Paula Pantano, who has previously played a key role in the kitchen at five-star hotels like Crown Sydney and the Mandarin Oriental Group. To quench your thirst, Louis West (Bentley Restaurant Group) and Mon Ditbunjong (Dear Sainte Eloise and Ragazzi) are joining forces as sommeliers. "Lola's is all about fun and we've assembled one of the best restaurant teams in Sydney that will be able to deliver that," Ambrosino says. "We want Lola's to be approachable – a place where you can drop in for a drink and some oysters; a place for a dinner with the family; or a long lunch on the balcony overlooking Bondi." Oysters are a big focus of the menu, with three types on the menu (natural, with vermouth granita or with Lola's mignonette), all shucked at the bar. If you're dropping in for a drink and you're looking for a snack, you'll find citrus and basil burrata, pan tumaca, and chicken pate with a Pioik baguette on the small plates menu. [caption id="attachment_828622" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pan Tumaca[/caption] For more filling feeds, spiced lamb skewers and peri-peri chicken prepared on the plancha grill can satisfy your carnivorous yearnings, and large plates like saffron socarrat and lasagnetta topped with osso buco ragu and gremolata. A tightly edited wine list mixes artisanal producers from warmer European climates alongside local Australian drops. And those looking for something stronger can hit the cocktail list which features two type of martinis and twists on the Bloody Mary and Rosita. Lola's location in the Pacific Building means balcony-seating promises a panoramic view of Bondi Beach and the surrounding park. So, come summer, its sure to be a hit with beachgoers for a pre- or post-swim drink (and then some). Lola's Level 1 is located at Level 1, 180-186 Campbell Parade, Bondi. It will be open midday 12pm–10pm, Monday–Sunday. Images: Nikki To
Start making Easter plans: Bluesfest is returning for 2023. From Thursday, April 6–Monday, April 10, the iconic annual festival will hit up Byron Events Farm at Tyagarah for its 34th event — with Elvis Costello, Mavis Staples, Bonnie Raitt and Gang of Youths leading the bill. Also heading to northern New South Wales as part of the five-day lineup: Jackson Browne, Tash Sultana, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Jimmy Barnes with The Barnestormers, and Talib Kweli, GZA and Big Freedia as special guests of The Soul Rebels. As usual, Bluesfest's roster of talent spans a hefty array of music genres — blues and roots, obviously, but also soul, rock, hip hop, R&B and more — with Beth Hart, Buddy Guy, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle and The Dukes, The Cat Empire and Xavier Rudd also set to take to the stage. Rockwiz Live will be doing its thing, too, in the perfect setting. And, would it be a Bluesfest without Michael Franti & Spearhead? In 2023, you won't need to find out. While all of the above and more were named in Bluesfest's first announcement, the second added Allison Russell, The Doobie Brothers, Counting Crows, Vintage Trouble, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats and St Paul & the Broken Bones. Organisers are calling the 2023 fest "the first original-style Bluesfest since the world's borders re-opened". While the event went ahead in 2022 after two years of pandemic cancellations (and a thwarted temporary move to October for the same reason), it showcased a primarily Australian and New Zealand lineup. With the return of international travel, Bluesfest can welcome top-notch acts from around the globe again. BLUESFEST 2023 LINEUP — FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT: 19-Twenty Allison Russell The Barnestormers Beth Hart The Black Sorrows Bonnie Raitt Buddy Guy The Cat Empire Chain Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram Counting Crows The Doobie Brothers Elvis Costello & The Imposters Eric Gales Femi Kuti & The Positive Force Gang of Youths Greensky Bluegrass Jackson Brown Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit Joe Bonamassa Joe Camilleri Presents: A Star-Studded Tribute to the Greats of the Blues Jon Stevens Kaleo Keb' Mo' Band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Lachy Doley and The Horns of Conviction Larkin Poe Lp Lucinda Williams Marcus King Mavis Staples Michael Franti & Spearhead Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats Nikki Hill Robert Glasper Rockwiz Live The Soul Rebels & Friends with special guests Talib Kweli, GZA and Big Freedia Southern Avenue Spinifex Gum featuring Marliya Steve Earle & The Duke St Paul & The Broken Bones Tash Sultana Vintage Trouble Xavier Rudd
There's not many a cover artist can teach David Bowie about music. But when the art-glam-rock king heard Seu Jorge perform his hits acoustically, in Portuguese, for The Life Aquatic, he said he heard a whole "new level of beauty". That's certainly no easily-earned praise. Jorge, who cut his deep yet irresistibly tender voice in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will make his debut Australian performance this summer at Sydney Festival. He’ll be playing an array of his famous, unique interpretations, as well as a bunch of originals, accompanied by a delicious mix of Latin and Caribbean beats, in both live and electronic form. We checked in with Jorge just before the new year rolls around and he starts making his way to Australia, delving into those Bowie covers, teaching his daughters to sing, thinking up the perfect song while washing your face and finding your feet from homelessness in Brazil. Will this be your first visit to Australia? Yes. Everybody knows Australia is such a nice country and I’m so excited to come and play for you. It's so far away – I never imagined all my life that I’d play in Australia... It’s a great test for me, a very important test for me, to see how I can work my music. What will you be playing at Sydney Festival? My music is Brazilian: samba, afro-pop and Brazilian songs. I want to make a different experience for people... We'll do my [original] songs, but we’ll do covers, too. People like these works and I want to play the David Bowie songs in Portuguese. When you compose songs, what topics do you write about? In Brazil, we have a lot of topics to sing about. My favourite is looking at the lives of every day people and trying to chronicle what happens to them: funny things and some of the complexities around my culture. I'm from the suburbs — the ghetto. I don't talk about it all the time, but I do talk about things happening there. On my last album, there's one song about a girl affected by depression and another about two people who have spent their lives side by side. I try to make drama around my lyrics with these stories... Sometimes I need to send a message. I worry about the future or the kids or my country and I need to send a hopeful message for people — or show my point of view — my critique of what's happening in my community. I hope that, one day, I can make music that everyone understands. I'm working on my English, but it's not ready yet [laughs]. Do you ever find it difficult to come up with ideas for new songs? No. I think for composing, you need your spirit to be free. Music is a completely different science. Sometimes, you spend three hours jamming and then for five minutes you compose. Sometimes you spend eight hours in a jam session and you don't find anything. Another moment, you go into the bathroom and you're washing your face and the music's coming so quickly. You need to be focused... I can't explain where inspiration for composing comes from. I have great musicians on my side and we have fun always. You need to laugh. Do you write music every day? Yeah, I try to make contact with music at all times — sometimes solo, sometimes with my band. Who are your favourite songwriters and composers? I have a lot. In Brazil, there's Anton Jobim and Caetano Veloso. Ray Charles is great, Stevie Wonder — all of these composers touch me so much. Ennio Morricone writes beautiful things for beautiful movies. I find a lot of inspiration from all over the world. I try to be worldwide. I want to touch people with my language, but it's really, really hard, to explain me, about myself. You spent some time homeless in Brazil. How does it feel, now to be so successful? I don’t think so much about that. I'm just playing and it's something good. For me, the thing is to make my music with rhythm and make it touch people. This is a great thing for me... If I have a great, great success, one song, it's not a guarantee that I will have it all the time. Every album is a new start. Every album, when you record, you need to be starting again. I’m thinking like that — always, it's a new process. I prefer to be working on the best qualities I can. When you’re not playing music, what do you do in your spare time? I'm trying to be a father. I'm working a lot, so sometimes I don't have much time with my family. Whenever I'm not playing shows, I try to stay with my family. I have three children, three daughters. They're 11, 10 and 8. They’re great singers. I'm so proud of them. So will you ever take them on tour? Maybe one day. It's really hard, being on the road with the kids — all the hotels and all the hours. Maybe not so much in Australia, but in Brazil, the shows start so late at night — midnight and 1am. Catch Seu Jorge on January 10, 8pm in The Domain (free) and January 11, 8pm at The Star Event Centre. Tickets $45-89 and available here. Seu Jorge is one of our top ten picks of the Sydney Festival. Check out our other favourite events over here.
Get ready to feel insecure about your age. That dynamo 17-year-old with the Grammys and the dance moves and the best friend named David Bowie is set to hit our shores in April. Lorde has announced six shows across the country including Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, Newcastle and Brisbane. After a heartbreaking cancellation earlier in the year, this will be Lorde's first Australian stadium tour after playing smaller clubs and the Laneway circuit. And while we're sure to get the full royal treatment from her 2013 breakthrough album Pure Heroine, this 2014 tour is said to have some surprises in store. It's been announced there will be a huge light show component, but we're keeping our fingers crossed for a cameo from Ziggy Stardust. In good news for wunderkinds nationwide, every show on the tour will also be all ages. Stands to reason, really — if the main act is underage why should you have to flash ID? General tickets go on sale 9am on Friday, March 21, but if you're a Frontier member you should get excited — pre-sale is available for just 24 hours from 2pm Thursday, March 13. See the Frontier Touring website for more details. Lorde April/May Australian Tour Dates (supports yet to be announced) Thursday April 24 — Melbourne, Festival Hall (All Ages) Sunday April 27 — Adelaide, EC Theatre (All Ages) Tuesday April 29 — Perth, Challenge Stadium (All Ages) Friday May 2 — Sydney, Hordern Pavillion (All Ages) Sunday May 4 — Newcastle, Entertainment Centre (All Ages) Tuesday May 6 — Brisbane, Riverstage (All Ages)
Legendary electronic music duo Groove Armada are returning to Australia for their hotly anticipated November tour taking them across the country from Sydney to a billing on the excellent Harvest Rock festival lineup and over to Perth. The tour has completely sold out — until today with the announcement of one final show. Bringing their full live band experience as part of their 25 Years farewell tour, the British duo have added a second Sydney show on Wednesday November 16 at the Horden Pavilion. That's your last chance to catch them and experience their sensational live shows... possibly ever. If you miss out again, we might just have your back but you'll need to move fast. Groove Armada are also headlining Spring City in Auckland at the Auckland Domain on Saturday, November 26. We've got some of the only remaining tickets as part of an incredible curated trip that includes VIP access to watch the band from side of stage and entry to the VIP tent, staying in one of Auckland's most primo hotels and a gin tasting tour by helicopter. Numbers are extremely limited and are selling fast, so get your hands on one here. If you need a little music history 101, Tom Findlay and Andy Cato established Groove Armada while at university in the 90s. Since then, they've become one of the world's biggest dance acts and have gone on to have three UK Top 10 albums, three Grammy nominations, a BRIT nomination and a succession of hit singles. They've been taking their farewell tour around the UK this year. The tour comes off the back of new single 'Hold A Vibe' and the forthcoming release of GA25, a box set featuring all their iconic jams out November 11. For tickets to the final Groove Armada show in Australia head to the Secret Sounds website or preorder GA25 here.
Director Terry Gilliam goes back to the future in the third and final chapter of his so-called Orwellian triptych. An existential tragedy in the guise of a sci-fi black comedy, The Zero Theorem explores many of the same dystopian concepts seen in Brazil in 1985 and 12 Monkeys a decade later. This is unmistakably the weakest of the trio, although in fairness the other two are amongst the best science fiction films of each of their respective decades. It's a messy and sometimes frustrating film, full of big ideas that don't always get the treatment they deserve. You certainly can't fault Gilliam's ambition though, nor the quality of the pieces with which he's working. Christoph Waltz, minus his eyebrows, plays an agoraphobic computer programmer by the name of Qohen Leth. Employed by the omnipresent ManCom Corporation, Leth's sole duty is crunching the numbers on the Zero Theorem, an intricate mathematical equation that, if solved, will prove that life in inherently meaningless. For the shut-in Leth, whose nightmares are already dominated by a terrifying black hole, the task soon transforms into an obsession. Theorem sees Gilliam, a satirist at heart, aim his guns squarely at the commercial establishment. Bucharest masquerades as futuristic London, a city in which advertisements will literally chase you down the street. Visually, the director draws on everything from Metropolis to Lewis Carroll, not to mention, of course, a healthy dose of Nineteen Eight-Four. The world he creates is full of absurd whimsy, yet a lingering sense of oppression always remains. It an environment we only see in glimpses, however. The bulk of the film takes place in Leth's home, a dank, rat-infested, fire-damaged church. It's here that he toils, the Quasimodo of the future, observed via surveillance camera perched atop a headless statue of Christ. It's not what you'd call a subtle visual, but then again, no one ever accused Gilliam of being subtle. Nor would you call him a particularly focused filmmaker. At times there's a sense he's throwing everything at wall in the hope that some of it will stick. Questions of faith, purpose and reality are interesting in their own right, but never quite coalesce into an entirely satisfying whole. In his first true starring role, Christoph Waltz gives a fantastic performance that's quite different to what we've seen in his collaborations with Tarantino. French actress Melanie Thierry, meanwhile, seems likely to break out as Leth's potential love interest, a mysterious cyber-seductress named Bainsley. Their dynamic gives the film some much-needed emotional stakes. Yet the plot that surrounds the relationship remains oddly lacking in momentum. The Zero Theorem is nowhere near Gilliam's best. At the same time, in a lot of ways it feels like his most definitive film, in that it represents all of his good and bad tendencies simultaneously. It's as bold and intriguing as it is cluttered and confused. In the end, it contains just enough interesting elements to justify the cost of a ticket. https://youtube.com/watch?v=rae7_O_6EtU
Buildings that feed on pollution, skyscrapers constructed from rubbish – what's next for the future of the world's trash? North American environmental solutions company Waste Management has recently made significant investments in energy companies Agnion, Enerkem and Agilyx, all of which provide solutions to turning waste into something more useful. Enerkem can produce transportation fuel from garbage, and Agilyx creates crude oil from unwanted plastics. A small-scale device created by Agnion could be used by supermarkets, hospitals and shopping centres to make the most of the waste they create. The technology can transform trash (affectionately known as "solid biomass feedstock") into gas, which in turn can be used to provide heating.
The Song Hotel in Sydney's CBD has a brand new kitchen and bar, and they're putting all of their profits towards supporting victims of domestic abuse. Located on Wentworth Avenue in the recently renovated YWCA-owned hotel, The Song Kitchen is helmed by chef Charlotte Gonzales, who has previously worked in the kitchen at Merivale's Felix and was briefly sous chef at Fred's. She's put together an a la carte menu with a subtle French influence and a strong focus on local produce. Entrees, including charred octopus salad and pork terrine with apricot and pistachio, sit alongside mains such as duck breast, lamb shoulder, and house-made gnocchi with pepper, sweet corn, ricotta and pecorino. As for dessert, your options include lavender crème brûlée, crêpe Suzette and a chocolate and coconut tart. Punters will be able to order from a truncated version of the menu at the bar, where you'll also find a healthy selection of spirits, beers and wines. Sommelier Sophie Otton has kept things mostly local, with more than half of the wine list produced by female winemakers or estate owners. Best of all, 100 percent of profits from The Song Kitchen will go towards funding the YWCA's NSW programs and services that support women and children escaping domestic violence. The Song Kitchen is now open at 5-11 Wentworth Avenue, Sydney. For more information visit songkitchen.com.au.
If chant-like voices and anthems of "go, go, go, go" do in fact get you going, then The Presets live is just the ticket. Yup, those crazy kids are back on our fine shores belting out songs from Pacifica as well as less recent albums Beams and Apocalypso. Last year they were industry-voted Best Live Act at the 2012 In The Mix Awards, and this February will be joined by dancey locals Parachute Youth and Light Year. This can only mean good things for your ears and your feet: Just remember to wear shoes that enjoy a bit of movement. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Di5AT4MI6BY
Sydney is dotted with delicious breakfast spots. Whether your thing is fresh, organic produce or pancakes with a side of bacon, whether Bondi beach or the inner west is your local, or whether you're up at 7 on a Sunday or more likely to roll out of bed at midday, Concrete Playground's list of the best breakfasts in town has got you covered. 1. bills Where: 433 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst 2010 It seems almost ridiculous to introduce bills: these cafes are an institution. The first, in Darlinghurst, introduced the concept of communal dining to our nation, reputedly as a way to get around council restrictions. Bill Granger, namesake and chef, is well-known in his own right, with more than one signature dish under his belt and a plethora of cookbooks in stores worldwide. It's Saturday morning in the Darlinghurst edition, and I'm glad we've decided to come early. Within five minutes of our arrival, the entire room is buzzing with breakfasters. The small room, sparsely decorated, is filled with warm sunlight. We sit at a large table in the centre of the room (the famous communal table), and begin our meal with Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice ($6.50) and a Flat White ($3.90). For review and details, click here 2. Cafe Sopra Where: 7 Danks Street, Waterloo 2017 Cafe Sopra, literally 'above' the original Frat Fresh in Waterloo, is another level of deliciously fresh delights. Take the stairs inside and to the right of this converted warehouse, and head upstairs to an airy room with marble columns and tall windows, where the sunlight casts delicate shadows across the tops of the wooden tables. Chef Andy Bunn's policy is menu items that emphasise the best that Fratelli has to offer, focusing on fresh produce. The resulting dishes are light, fresh and exciting: a mix that is perhaps at its best in the morning hours. A highlight of the breakfast menu is the Pancakes with Lemon Curd and Strawberries: the 'pancakes' are closer to crepes, and there's a good balance of savoury and sweet. For review and details, click here 3. Three Blue Ducks Where: 143 Macpherson Street, Bronte 2024 While Bronte could be dubbed Bondi’s shy kid sister, Three Blue Ducks borrows little from the quiet beach suburb’s gene pool. It may be the vision born of a pair of local surfers (a mere mile from the sandy coast), but the restaurant captures an air that’s more street chic than shore shack and everyone — from beanie-capped twenty-somethings to suit and tie execs — seems to be digging it. Nab a table along the peaceful, sunny street side window panel or cozy up in the back nook where you’ll be in on the action amongst the five young chefs bobbing to funky background beats, pounding coffee grinders and exchanging jovial backslaps over searing flames. It’s clear people have embraced this funky slice of paradise and take their time in doing so, graduating from cappuccinos to glasses of white wine at noon and sipping straw stuffed coconut concoctions in between courses. For review and details, click here 4. Clipper Cafe Where: 16 Glebe Point Road, Glebe 2037 It’s hard not to fall a little bit in love with Clipper Cafe. Occupying the lower floor of an adorable whitewashed terrace house, fitted out with bright green doors, hanging flower baskets and a bunch of paraphernalia that adorns the walls, Clipper is a breath of fresh air on the Glebe Point strip. The space is frequently abuzz with caffeine-crazed uni students, well versed in the art of procrastination. Clipper’s pulling power can be explained by its incredibly reasonable prices and drool-worthy menu. The food is rich, the servings ample and the presentation is simple and elegant. The chefs use high quality, locally sourced ingredients and aren’t stingy when it comes to the good stuff - even the humble slice of Banana Bread ($8) is served with ricotta, berries and honey. Must-try breakfast options include the Arabian Style Bircher Muesli ($8), with pistachios, poached fruit and yoghurt, and their Baked Eggs ($11), served with spinach, feta, chorizo and herb toast. For review and details, click here 5. Porch & Parlour Where: 100-102 Brighton Boulevard, Bondi Beach 2026 Nestled between a florist and a yoga school, ‘Porch’ is a cafe, retail shop and gallery rolled into one. The space itself is rustic and laidback. Spacious wooden tables and comfy antique chairs provide ample room to kick back with a group or to power through some work, with knitted blankets and heaters on hand for those willing to brave it outside during winter. Porch’s approachable vibe and pet-friendly policy contributes to its universal appeal, made apparent by the diverse crowd it welcomes through its doors. Worth a nod is the Veggie Breakfast ($16) served with piping hot roast tomatoes, smashed eggs (a Porch original recipe), spinach and whopping big mushrooms. Add healthy lashings of bacon for those who want it both ways. Other highlights include the daily Soupe de Porch, served with your pick of the Sonoma breads on offer. Their green juice (cucumber, fresh apple and spirulina) also deserves a shout-out for being the best hangover cure this side of town. For those on the go midweek, Porch’s generous bacon and egg one-handers ($5) or fresh salad wraps ($9.50) do the trick nicely. For review and details, click here 6. The Bunker Where: 399 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst 2010 The Bunker is an appropriate title for this hole-in-the-wall, blink-and-you'll-miss-it Darlinghurst cafe. Once you've sampled the goods, however, you'll never be able to walk straight past again. The intimate feel is carried through with casual, friendly and familiar staff, and the kitsch, second-hand crockery. I can't go any further without mentioning the coffee, which (judging by the rate of take-aways) is the main appeal of the Bunker. Stretch out a bit further though, and you'll find a great range of simple menu items. Breakfast is the key meal here, with the basics often outshining the more complex offerings. You can't go past the Googs: soft boiled eggs with soldiers of toasted Sonoma bread. If you're after something a bit heartier, I'd recommend the home-style Baked Beans on Toast. For non-coffee drinkers, there's a great range of teas by the pot. My pick is the novelty Rosebud tea. For review and details, click here 7. Jed's Food Store Where: 60 Warners Avenue, Bondi 2026 The scene here is pure laid-back Bondi. Away from the ‘scene’ that is Hall Street and Campbell Parade, locals rule at Jed’s Food Store, and they come here for delicious long breakfasts (with a Mexican edge), healthy snacks and lunch throughout the day. Regulars come early in the morning for their coffee fix, perching on milk crates and mismatched chairs outside in the sun, or reading the papers at small tables inside where there is plenty of action in the open kitchen. For breakfast, try Poached Eggs with Mexican Beans and Chorizo, or a take on Huevos Rancheros, a toasted tortilla with scrambled egg. There are wholesome options like Porridge and Bircher, as well as healthy Smoothies made with the wonder-fruit-of-the-moment, Acai Berries. Coffee is intense and rich - it's worth having a second. For review and details, click here 8. Le Petit Creme Where: 116 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst 2010 The French have a reputation for being, how do you say, outrageous? Le Petit Creme fits the genre perfectly: it has a reputation and it is most certainly outrageous. If it's service you're after, this tiny cafe might not be your first pick - the waitstaff tend to be casual at best. However, if you're searching for an absurdly luxurious breakfast feast, you've found the right place. The Eggs Benedict is the star attraction. Deliciously runny eggs, rich hollandaise and your choice of ham or salmon on freshly toasted brioche. The omelettes are another firm favourite, particularly the gruyere, served up with garnish and a warm baguette. Coffee or hot chocolate is best served in 'Le Bol', a literal and very French bowl of milky delight. Consider yourself warned: after a breakfast like this, you may need to revisit bed. For review and details, click here 9. Brown Sugar Where: 106 Curlewis Street, Bondi 2026 On another one of these hot sticky days that keep exhausting us Sydney-siders, we traipse down to the dimly-lit people-packed Brown Sugar. A café-by-day, a bistro-by-night, our 7.30pm table will be for the latter fare. Sitting on Bondi’s Curlewis Street it is a perfect spot for a post-dip bite. However, the chances of one stumbling across a free table are slim. We are thankful Brown Sugar takes bookings. In an attempt to relieve myself from the stifling heat I order the special of beetroot cured ocean trout with green tahini, baby radish and fresh herbs. The beetroot curing makes the ocean trout taste more earth than ocean, yet it is sweet and refreshing. For review and details, click here 10. Bar Indigo Where: 6/15 Cross St, Double Bay 2028 Situated in the picturesque Transvaal Avenue, Indigo has a European cafe vibe complete with year-round alfresco dining. The tables on the pedestrian island are the most sought after when the sun’s out, which is almost always - thanks Sydney! It’s especially popular as a brunch or lunch spot, and you can expect to wait a little for a table on weekends. That said, they get you seated quickly and serve you even faster without ever making you feel rushed to finish. In fact, service is one of their real strengths. The team is young, friendly and very switched on. Morning favourites include the generously portioned Breakfast Bruschetta ($19.90), Bircher Muesli ($14.90) and Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes ($17.90), while the extensive lunch menu offers countless crowd-pleasers, such as the Pan Roasted Wagyu Beef Burger ($21.90), Roasted Butternut Pumpkin, Prawn and Pancetta Linguini ($29.90) and the Lemon Marinated Chicken Salad ($23.90), with avocado, Persian fetta, pine nuts and baby spinach. Everything’s prepared on-site and the freshness comes through no matter what you order. For review and details, click here
It's a sweltering summer's day in 19th century Russia. Languishing in the heat are a group of twenty-somethings, a teacher with pretensions toward greatness, his wife, a widow about to lose her estate, her stepson, an old flame, a doctor, a grocer, a criminal, a student and various others. All of them are exhausted; plagued by various existential crises. All of them have a general disregard for what happens next. Welcome to Chekhov's first serious crack at playwriting. This adaptation of Platonov by Anthony Skuse (who also directed the play) has mercifully cut two hours from the original, not to mention six characters. Although it's still a sizeable cast, everybody pulls their weight. Charlie Garber's Platonov is especially good. He strolls around the casually and mercilessly rebuking his friends as "small, useless people" and then watching in amusement as they fall over themselves to impress him. They cling to him, beguiled by his talk of a better life. What they fail to notice is that Platonov, a schoolteacher, is just as firmly mired in middle-class torpor as they. Sam Trotman's Sergei, the emptiest of several empty shirts which inhabit the play, is very entertaining with an almost canine desperation for affection and a propensity for spontaneous tears in the face of problems large and small. Sasha, Platonov's thoroughly ordinary and completely satisfied wife, is skilfully performed by Matilda Ridgway. The scene in which she finally confronts her philandering husband is devastating. The set (designed by Skuse), is a sea of wooden chairs of all shapes and sizes. They begin pleasantly clumped in small groups, prepared for a garden party. A chess board and a bottle of vodka are suggestive of the lazy afternoon to ensue. As night falls and despair and desperation take the characters one by one, the chairs are shunted to the side of the stage to form a knot, twisted and chaotic. It's somehow malevolent. Although unquestionably pacier than its parent text, there are still an inordinate number of subplots to sort through over the play's three-hour running time. More than once I found myself wondering whether another two or three characters might have been given the chop without making too much of a dent in the overall narrative. It's a shame, too, that more has not been done to tone down Chekhov's ending. As it stands, the last 15 minutes sacrifice a great deal of excellent character work by veering alarmingly into melodrama. Platonov has plenty to offer, though, particularly as the world regresses to diplomatic attitudes reminiscent of the Cold War (shirtfronting, anyone?). Chekhov's exploration of the Russian, and human experience may have been hauled into the 21st century, but it's still a potent reminder that we're all just "so many wretched souls beneath this heavy moon".
Every Mac user the world over knows the scenario: you save up, invest in a shiny new Apple product and take it home just in time to discover a newer, better version has been released. So too comes the biopic Steve Jobs, released just a few short years after 2013’s JOBS starring Ashton Kutcher. Sleeker, slicker and definitely better designed, Danny Boyle’s film is undoubtedly the kind of superior upgrade that this compelling story demands. Written by West Wing creator and Social Network scribe Aaron Sorkin, and based on the book by Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs is an intense three-act drama of such fervid dialogue and minimal action that it would not feel at all out of place on a stage instead of a screen. Each ‘act’ takes place in the minutes preceding one of Jobs’ iconic product launches, and each is filmed in an appropriately coeval format – 16mm film stock for 1984’s Mac launch, 35mm for the introduction of 1988’s NeXT 'Black Box’ and digital for 1998’s iMac. The staging is an effective device, giving the film a persistent tension by combining the inherent pre-launch nerves with heated backstage conversations between all of the key figures in Jobs’ life. Portrayed magnificently by Michael Fassbender, we find in Steve Jobs a flawed visionary, as opposed to the saccharine, almost messianic figure found in the Kutcher version. Fassbender extracts and develops every foible nestled within Sorkin’s crackling screenplay – the obsessive preoccupation with seemingly trivial details, the isolating stubbornness and the unyielding belief that he was always right (resulting in a beautifully placed third-act beat when he’s confronted by an inescapable mistake of his own making). The supporting cast is equally strong, with three outstanding performances from Jeff Daniels as Jobs’s father figure-cum-foe John Sculley, Seth Rogen as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Kate Winslet as Jobs’s confidant Joanna Hoffman (sporting a terrific, if also inconsistent, Polish accent). Daniels, Rogen and Winslet each get their time in the light, exchanging witty quips and stinging admonitions with Fassbender. Says Jobs at one point: "It’s like five minutes before every launch everyone goes to the bar and then tells me what they really think of me.” It’s an overly convenient conceit, certainly, but one that also helps ground the story in the personal (rather than technological) demons confronted by its protagonist. All the usual Sorkinisms are there, and the script does at times feel overwritten, with its hyper-theatrics and laconic wordplay labouring to convince you it's cleverer than it actually is. Still, the performances transcend the shortcomings and allow Steve Jobs to provide a balanced and often critical perspective of a man whose determination to change the world did, for the most part, actually succeed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEr6K1bwIVs
Stay tuned. More info coming soon.
When the first Wednesday in June rolled around this year, something was missing. Usually, that's Sydney Film Festival's night of nights — the annual cinema showcase's opening night ahead of 11 more days of movies. But, due to COVID-19, that wasn't the case in 2020. Back in March, SFF cancelled its physical event, then announced an online replacement a month later. Dubbed Sydney Film Festival: Virtual Edition, the digital-only event isn't quite the same as watching film after film (after film after film) at the State Theatre or Event Cinemas George Street, of course. Still, running from June 10–21, it's a chance to watch 33 movies that you mightn't otherwise get the chance to see — and for audiences Australia-wide to join in. This time, you're just doing so from the comfort of your couch. That should be a familiar feeling thanks to the past few months; however, you're not going to find SFF's 2020 batch of films in your current Netflix queue. On the agenda: ten movies made by female filmmakers from Europe, ten Australian documentaries covering a broad range of topics and 13 shorts — including three as part of SFF's regular Screenability program that highlights the work of filmmakers and creatives with disability. That's a sizeable at-home offering, so we've watched and reviewed ten titles from the feature lineup. Now, all you need to do is nab an online pass, pop some popcorn and get viewing yourself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFJxW46F0YQ SEA FEVER With Sea Fever, first-time feature director Neasa Hardiman gifts viewers a richly atmospheric thriller set within the claustrophobic confines of an Irish fishing trawler. It's a film with a clear cinematic lineage, tracing back to everything from Alien and The Thing to The Abyss. It's also a movie with a timely premise purely by accident, with this isolation and contagion-focused affair first premiering in 2019 long before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. More importantly, though, this is an unflinching, smart and suspenseful examination of not only extreme behaviour in close quarters, or of an attack by a monstrous organism from the ocean's depths, but of the discomfort humanity feels when easy answers aren't forthcoming. Also impressive: Hermione Corfield (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi) as student scientist Siobhan, whose arrival on the Niamh Cinn-Oir coincides with a treacherous decision by its captain Gerard (Dougray Scott). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fXQm4ZLlFg FORCE OF HABIT The most striking thing about Force of Habit, a Finnish anthology film that interweaves six shorts into one potent portrait of everyday female life, is just how commonplace its scenarios are. In one, a teenager on a bus is harassed by loutish, entitled boys. In another, a young woman is forced to fend off unwanted sexual attention from a male friend. In yet another, a husband reacts more strongly to his wife's response to being groped publicly by a stranger than to the latter altercation itself. Also examining workplace politics and gossip, legal and bureaucratic barriers, and the normalisation of women as victims that's perpetuated by entertainment, this powerful feature is so filled with recognisable situations that he overall point stressed by filmmakers Alli Haapasalo, Anna Paavilainen, Reetta Aalto, Jenni Toivoniemi, Kirsikka Saari, Elli Toivoniemi, and Miia Tervo — that, for society, instances like these have just become habitual and accepted — proves absolutely searing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-Npj2cIbYs MORGANA Many a big-screen drama has stepped into the existence of a middle-aged woman unhappy with the state of her life. But fiction couldn't conjure up anything as distinctive, empowering and intriguing as Morgana Muses' tale — with the Albury housewife leaving her husband and small town behind in favour of a feminist pornography career that's earned her acclaim and attention from Melbourne to Berlin. Indeed, it's no wonder that filmmakers Isabel Peppard and Josie Hess were eager to document Morgana's story and share it with the world, including her resolute determination to bravely put herself first, express her own desires, and create both sex-positive and age-positive erotica. Candid and complex, Morgana is the type of subject that all filmmakers wish they could stumble across, as Peppard and Hess continually show in their engaging film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwQAqW9GW0k&feature=emb_logo CHARTER In Norwegian disaster films The Wave and The Quake, Ane Dahl Torp battled natural forces. As Alice in tense Swedish drama Charter, she battles with the natural maternal instinct to spend time with and protect her children — fighting against her soon-to-be ex-husband (Sverrir Gudnason) who, in an act of retaliation for her unhappiness, won't let her even see her distressed young son Vincent (Troy Lundkvist) or angry teenage daughter Elina (Tintin Poggats Sarri). Amanda Kernell's sophomore feature after the similarly involving Sami Blood, Charter tasks its protagonist with making drastic and difficult choices while trying to evaluate what's right for both herself and her kids. Following Alice's exploits from Sweden's rural climes to the sunny surroundings of Tenerife, this deeply felt film offers not only a blistering showcase for its lead actor, but a perceptive exploration of a parent's continual quest to do what's best even when faced with imperfect options. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roAM3tZvJvU&feature=emb_logo THE SKIN OF OTHERS Douglas Grant was an ANZAC soldier, a prisoner of the war and, during his time in Germany's Halbmondlager camp during World War I, a driving force in helping his fellow detainees. He was a draughtsman, radio journalist and human rights activist as well, fighting for the fair treatment of his fellow Indigenous Australians almost a century ago. As a child he was also taken from the scene of a North Queensland massacre during the frontier wars, brought up by a Scottish couple and, though treated well by his adoptive parents, considered an 'experiment' outside of his home. Alas, Grant's story isn't as widely known as it should be, so Tom Murray's comprehensive and informative documentary The Skin of Others recounts the crucial details — as aided by lively recreations of Grant's life starring late Australian actor Balang (Tom E.) Lewis (Spear, Goldstone, The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith) in his final film role. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsB8RFnFFGM A PERFECTLY NORMAL FAMILY In her sensitive and affecting debut feature, writer/director Malou Reymann examines a situation that's close to her heart. Following the pre-teen Emma (Kaya Toft Loholt) as her father Thomas (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard) becomes a woman, the Danish filmmaker draws upon her own story, with Reymann standing in her protagonist's shoes when she was the same age. Dramatised on-screen, the result is a thoughtful and intimate drama that charts the sudden change to Emma's world, and to the soccer-loving girl's relationship with the now football-abhorring Agnete. As well as serving up nuanced, naturalistic performances that convey the full emotional spectrum traversed by Emma and her older sister Caroline (Rigmor Ranthe) as life as they know it changes, A Perfectly Normal Family purposefully refuses to simplify the complicated family dynamics that arise from Agenete's transition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-m8HSGrQMM&feature=emb_logo ZANA Also informed by its director's own experiences, Antoneta Kastrati's Zana interrogates the fallout of life-shattering conflict, specifically the lingering impact left by the Kosovo War. A decade afterwards, Lume (Adriana Matoshi) still struggles to cope — particularly with the expectation that she'll bear her husband Ilir (Astrit Kabashi) more children after their young daughter was killed during the combat. Her overbearing mother-in-law (Fatmire Sahiti) shuffles Lume between various healers and mystics, blames superstitions and the supernatural, and even endeavours to motivate her fertility by encouraging Ilir to take a second wife; however, Lume's scars of loss and pain run deep. Matoshi is exceptionally moving as a woman haunted several times over — by her grief, the war, societal expectations and her lack of agency — while Kastrati and Casey Cooper Johnson's script doesn't shy away from Lume's all-encompassing trauma. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d37ZkjGDSks&feature=emb_logo WOMEN OF STEEL SFF's annual showcase of Australian documentaries often skews locally not just on a national but a more intimate level. That's the case with Women of Steel, which heads to Wollongong, to the city's steel industry and into a monumental battle for equality — with women forced to fight for their right to be employed at the steel works after being routinely told that there were no jobs available for them. Through both recent and past interviews, as well as a treasure trove of archival clips, director Robynne Murphy steps through the ups, downs, ins and outs of a movement that she was a part of forty years ago, which gives her film an impassioned and vital feel. In addition to chronicling a chapter of local history that many mightn't be aware of, her documentary also sets Wollongong's Jobs for Women Campaign in context in terms of societal norms and changes, both at the time and over the decades since. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLF2zVhsLMg A YEAR FULL OF DRAMA For theatre aficionados, being paid to watch every stage production performed over the course of a year is the stuff that dreams are made of. For 21-year-old Estonian resident Alissija, it's a job — one that specifically advertised for someone who'd never been to the theatre, that requires her to move away from her family to live in Tallinn, and that thrusts her not only into a new field but also firmly outside her comfort zone. It's easy to see why filmmaker Marta Pulk wanted to document this unique story; however she couldn't have predicted Alissija's revelatory reactions to her year-long gig, her existential malaise and her overall journey as she traipses between 224 shows in 365 days. A documentary that's intricately tied to one person, one industry and one country, yet also overwhelmingly universal in its coming-of-age themes, A Year Full of Drama more than lives up to its title. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tABY6w6py6Q&feature=emb_logo THE LEADERSHIP From gender equality to climate change, The Leadership charts a course through a sizeable array of topical subjects. While this jam-packed documentary touches upon everything from toxic workplace behaviour to the destruction of the natural world, it actually focuses on the Homeward Bound program — which takes talented women working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics on a 20-day intensive leadership course while sailing around the Antarctic, with its maiden voyage overseen by Australian leadership expert Fabian Dattner. That trip was notable in a plethora of ways, as Ili Baré's debut feature documentary lays bare. There's so much to cover, so many viewpoints to explore and such a wealth of data to share that The Leadership often feels like it could go in any direction; however when it unpacks the challenges facing Homeward Bound's first participants and facilitators, it does far more than serve up familiar messages amidst scenic icy landscapes. Sydney Film Festival: Virtual Edition runs from June 10–21, with all films available to stream online. For further information — and to buy virtual tickets — visit the festival's website.
Bon Iver is on their way to Australia for their first national tour in 14 years with the trailblazing indie rock act hitting stages across Sydney, Hobart, Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide in February and March of 2023. The tour will kick off on Friday, February 17 in Sydney at the Aware Super Theatre next to the ICC Sydney. Brisbane and Melbourne will also receive standalone shows on the tour — Melbourne's first Bon Iver show in 11 years — with shows popping up at the Riverstage on Thursday, March 2 and Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Saturday, March 4. There will also be three festival appearances on the tour — Tasmania's Mona Foma on Tuesday, February 21, Perth Festival on Sunday, February 26, and WOMADelaide Festival on Friday, March 10. [caption id="attachment_746634" align="alignnone" width="1920"] MONA/Rémi ChauvinImage courtesy of the artist and MONA Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia[/caption] Bon Iver is one of three acts revealed to be heading up next year's edition of WOMADelaide. Alongside the blissful falsetto of the Wisconsin band, Florence and the Machine and Gratte Ciel's Place des Anges will be appearing at the festival which is returning to Botanic Park in Adelaide between March 10 and 13. Florence will also be appearing in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland throughout March as part of her world tour supporting her latest album Dance Fever. It's exciting news for Bon Iver fans after the band was forced to pull out of a run of shows originally slated for 2020 due to the pandemic, as well as a headline appearance at the cancelled Bluesfest 2021. This tour will mark the first time for Australian fans to catch Bon Iver's latest album i,i live and marks the influential artist's first return to Australian shores since a run of four sold-out shows at the Sydney Opera House as part of Vivid 2016. Presale tickets are available from 9am, Thursday, August 25 with the code JELMORE. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bon Iver (@boniver) Bon Iver's Australian tour will take place between Friday, February 17–Friday, March 10. Presale tickets will be on sale from 9am, Thursday, August 25 through Handseom Tours and general sale tickets will be available from 9am, Friday, August 26. Top image:danieljordahl
If you wanted to use Studio Ghibli's name as an adjective, it could mean many things, including beautiful, playful, moving, heartwarming, thoughtful and bittersweet. Thanks to the overwhelmingly delightful combination of these traits in the company's work to-date, everyone knows a Ghibli film when they see it, as has proven the case for almost four decades. But, seven years after When Marnie Was There, its last solo production — and five years since its French co-production The Red Turtle — the beloved Japanese animation house has released a movie that doesn't slide instantly and easily into its gorgeous and affecting catalogue. The studio's first film made solely using computer-generated 3D animation, Earwig and the Witch immediately stands out thanks to its plastic-looking visuals. And, despite the fact that it's about a determined young girl, features a witch, and even includes a talking cat and other helpful tiny critters, it never completely feels like a classic Ghibli film either. Earwig and the Witch boasts plenty of other ingredients that link it to the studio's past. It's based on a novel by English author Diana Wynne Jones, who penned the book that Howl's Moving Castle was based on. It's directed by Gorō Miyazaki, who helmed fellow Ghibli films Tales from Earthsea and From Up on Poppy Hill, and happens to be the son of the great Hayao Miyazaki. Also, the elder Miyazaki initially planned the project, even if he didn't ultimately write the script or step behind the camera. On-screen, the eponymous Earwig (Kokoro Hirasawa) follows in the footsteps of Spirited Away's Chihiro and Kiki's Delivery Service's titular figure. The witch referred to in the film's name recalls Spirited Away's Yubaba, too, and the movie's food-fetching little demons bring My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away's susuwatari to mind as well. Indeed, despite eschewing hand-drawn animation for CGI, almost everything about Earwig and the Witch is designed to scream Ghibli — calculatingly so — but that isn't enough to give the movie the depth or heart that has become synonymous with the company's cinematic output. Viewers first meet Earwig as a baby. After trying to shake off the dozen other witches chasing them along a highway, her mother (Sherina Munaf) leaves her on an orphanage's doorstep, promising to return after her never-explained troubles subside. Ten years later, Earwig still roams the facility's halls. She brags to her offsider Custard (Yusei Saito) that she knows how to get its staff and its residents to bend to her will — and whip up shepherd's pie on demand — and she actively doesn't want to be adopted by the couples who stop by looking to expand their families. But when Earwig is chosen by witch Bella Yaga (Shinobu Terajima) and sorcerer The Mandrake (Etsushi Toyokawa), she has no option but to relocate to their enchanted cottage. Bella Yaga doesn't want a daughter, however. Instead, she's after an assistant to cook, clean and crush rat bones for her spells. And so, seeing a chance to learn magic herself, Earwig isn't willing to acquiesce easily. A by-the-numbers Ghibli movie is still better than many other films, especially of the family-friendly variety. Earwig and the Witch is average rather than awful, too, but there's no escaping that the picture is trying to do two competing things at once. Ticking off as many of the studio's recognisable traits as possible is one of the movie's clear aims. Trying to squeeze Ghibli's sensibilities into the broader anime mould is the other. Accordingly, even with so much of Earwig and the Witch drawing upon the company's own earlier work, the picture's pace, energy and heavy use of theme song 'Don't Disturb Me' seem inspired by recent non-Ghibli hits such as Your Name, Weathering With You and Ride Your Wave. It's an odd mix, as is the feeling that the studio is both treading water and chasing its competitors, rather than blazing forward and carving its own path. Also doing Earwig and the Witch few favours is its thin narrative, which is as straightforward as it sounds, including in the simplistic message of acceptance that's geared towards its younger audience members. Indeed, this might be Ghibli's most child-oriented film yet — skewing firmly to one end of the all-ages spectrum, rather than layering in the texture and detail that has regaled the studio's works to adults as much as kids. Interesting plot points arise but go nowhere, for instance. A backstory involving a witchy rock group begs for more attention, as does Bella Yaga's business selling spells to townsfolk to stop rain and win hearts, and The Mandrake's secret but never sinister activities in his hidden den. There's no faulting Earwig and the Witch's fondness for talking cat Thomas (Gaku Hamada), who becomes Earwig's ally, but the movie frequently teases far more than it's willing to deliver in its 82-minute running time. It also comes to an end abruptly, making its storyline feel half-finished. That said, when Earwig and the Witch does shine, Ghibli's usual magic starts to peek through. Viewers just have to look harder than normal to uncover the film's modest charms, rather than be gifted with a non-stop, free-flowing array of the studio's wonders. More vivid and hyperreal than the company's regular nature-inspired palette, the movie's colour choices prove a highlight. So do the short flirtations with darkness and weirdness, which all centre around The Mandrake, a character who could've used more screen time. Its central tune is a welcome earworm, and when the picture leans into its sense of humour, it's all the better for it. Perhaps those joys are harder to notice, though, because so much of watching Earwig and the Witch involves spotting how different it looks. The smooth, glossy animation couldn't sum up movie better, however, appearing as generic as almost everything in this slight, bright, likeable but rarely memorable addition to Studio Ghibli's filmography. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZg2iEf-fTA&feature=youtu.be
For foragers, the chillier months of the year are all about one of the most valuable things you can find in soil: black diamonds, earth nuts, tartufo. It's truffle season, people. The time of the oh-so-aromatic ingredient that's practically an edible precious metal at its peak market price. With supplies in abundance from June to August, you'll see a lot of it at venues across Sydney, including Bar Infinita, the North Shore's most buzzing Italian eatery. From now until mid-August (truffle season, like any produce peak, doesn't have a hard end date), Bar Infinita is serving a dedicated truffle menu to celebrate this legendary fungi flavour. With fresh truffles from The Truffle Farm in Canberra, you can tuck into five sweet and savoury dishes that put truffle front and centre. Starting with a delicate gnocco fritto with truffled mortadella and buffalo taleggio cream, you'll move to the house favourite woodfired pizzetta, now served with a molten pool of parmesan fondue, before a main of deliciously decadent house-made gnocchi with truffle butter, porcini mushrooms and chestnuts rounds out the savoury courses. Save room for the finale: trufflemisu, a light and creamy dessert with coffee, mascarpone and truffle combined with surprising results. Every dish gets a shaving of fresh truffle at the table, too. To wash it down, sip on a truffle negroni — made with truffle butter-washed olive leaf gin blended with rare dry gin, orange curaçao, dry vermouth and Suze. If you prefer truffle as an accompaniment, you can get a side of 2g of black truffle for just $4 with any meal on a Friday night throughout the special's availability. Images: Take Studios
UPDATE Thursday, May 18: Due to overwhelming demand, the Sydney seasons of 'Séance' and 'Flight' have been extended until Sunday, July 2. After first spooking out Sydneysiders back in 2017, unsettling installation Séance is returning to the city. This time around, the set of shipping containers hosting the immersive experience will be set up on The Goods Line outside of the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo — and it'll be joined by a new Sydney-first experience called Flight. Once inside Séance or Flight, expected to be unnerved. If you're not familiar with the installations and didn't have the chance to visit last time, a word of warning: it's aiming to mess with your senses. Between Thursday, April 13–Sunday, July 2, participants at Séance will be able to take a seat inside the space and then put on a headset. You'll next be told to put both hands on the table. The lights go out, leaving the place in absolute darkness and, for 20 uneasy minutes, you'll be taken on an immersive journey led only by touch and sounds. Expect to feel confused, repulsed and struck with temporary claustrophobia. According to organisers, numerous participants have bailed halfway through sittings in the past. You're probably thinking that there's something dark or supernatural about the whole thing — and going by the name, we don't blame you. But the installation's organiser says that 'séance' is simply a French word meaning 'session' or 'sitting'. It's a sensory experience that looks at the psychology of both sensory deprivation and the dynamics of a group sitting together. It's also a scary indicator of how easy it is for confusion, disorientation and information overload to affect our judgement. [caption id="attachment_852678" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'Séance'[/caption] Then, with Flight, the power is placed in your hands. Taking place in a recreation of an aeroplane cabin, the experience takes you through an equally unsettling experience. At each step of the way there are two possible outcomes, some worse than others. The installation plays on the theory of the multiverse where, if you head down a more unsettling pathway, you can at least find solace in the idea that another version of yourself has made the correct decision. This new iteration of Séance at the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo will mark its first appearance in Sydney in six years after the experience originally appeared in The Rocks back in 2017. It was scheduled to make its return to Sydney in 2021 with an installation in Circular Quay, but was unfortunately cancelled. Artists David Rosenberg and Glen Neath of Darkfield (who have collaborated in other sensory deprivation projects before) are the creative masterminds behind the project, which has been described as 'disorienting' and 'deeply unsettling'. You might've also listened to Darkfield's at-home experiences in 2020, such as Double, Visitors and Eternal, and experienced a few bumps and jumps.
May Barrie is 93 and takes delight in bare existence — the boulders that surround her Calderwood property, Callemondah, represent the way her internal and external worlds interconnect. She has passed her passion for shape and form onto her daughter, Tori de Mestre, who lives with her in simplicity and seclusion. May studied sculpture during the Australian Modernist period of the 1950s and has been shaping hulky rocks into abstract, sensual forms for more than fifty years now. Her hefty, three-metre-tall Moruya granite carving was awarded the Balnaves Foundation Sculpture prize at the Sculpture by the Sea judging at Bondi in 2009. It received widespread praise and David Handley, the founder of the annual exhibition, bemoaned the fact that May has been hidden literally under a rock. This grandmother of stone sculpture is what you might call a compulsive artist; she believes her art practice informs her self-actualising process. Tori, who has recently made her foray into the medium of sculpture with the Farmgate series, shares her mother talent for allegory and metaphor; land and mythology. Image: Tori de Mestre, Farmgate 7
A literal underdog tale about scrappy canines, a plucky orphan and a pooch-hating politician with an evil scheme, Isle of Dogs isn't just Wes Anderson's latest movie. Filled with heart, humour and witty dialogue, this doggone delight is the most Wes Anderson-esque movie the acclaimed filmmaker has ever made. Anyone who's seen any of his previous flicks knows exactly what that means, with the writer-director's work almost comprising its own genre. Think quirky quests about spirited characters following their own paths, set in worlds that cleverly expose humanity's desires and fears. Then there are his signature visuals, complete with symmetrical compositions that look like they belong in a gallery, and distinctive colour palettes anyone would love to plaster all over their own walls. Constructed with the tail-wagging enthusiasm of man's best friend, all of these familiar components fall into place in the stop-motion animated wonder that is Isle of Dogs. And that's before Anderson trots out his other trademark: an A-list cast. For this walk around the block, he's joined by regular collaborators Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Tilda Swinton, Bob Balaban, Harvey Keitel, Frances McDormand and Edward Norton, plus Anderson newcomers Bryan Cranston, Greta Gerwig, Scarlett Johansson, Liev Schreiber, Yoko Ono and Ken Watanabe. Throw in a story written with The Darjeeling Limited co-scribes Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman as well as The Grand Budapest Hotel actor Kunichi Nomura, and the end product couldn't feel more like an Anderson movie if it tried. Set 20 years into the future, Isle of Dogs begins in the fictional Megasaki, as the Japanese city faces a difficult doggy dilemma. Its howling furballs are infected with dog flu and snout fever, sparking fears that the virus could soon spread to humans. Hailing from a long line of cat fanciers and hardly keen on pooches, Mayor Kobayashi (Nomura) decides to banish all canines to Trash Island. To demonstrate his commitment to the cause, he even exiles his own family pet: a short-haired oceanic speckle-eared sport hound by the name of Spots (voiced by Schreiber). That's the setup. But Anderson's film really starts barking once the action moves to its offshore garbage pile — the actual isle of dogs. There, abandoned pooches fight for food, form packs and try to survive, as the mayor's orphaned 12-year-old nephew Atari (Koyu Rankin) discovers on his mission to find Spots. He's assisted in his task by Rex (Norton) and a ragtag gang of misfit mutts, including ex-baseball mascot Boss (Murray), one-time dog food spokesdog King (Balaban) and admitted gossip Duke (Goldblum). Gruff outsider Chief (Cranston) isn't thrilled about helping the boy they dub 'the little pilot', but he knows a lost puppy when he sees one. With a former show dog (Johansson), an oracle pug (Swinton), robo-hounds, and a crusading American exchange student (Gerwig) also playing their parts, Isle of Dogs isn't short on antics. Anderson fills his narrative to the brim like an overflowing bowl of dog treats, spoiling viewers like he'd spoil his own animal companion. It's an approach that matches his lovingly detailed images, which surpass even Fantastic Mr Fox's animated splendour. Aesthetically, every second of the movie delivers something gorgeous and glorious — be it the lifelike puppetry of its central canines, a particularly meticulous sushi scene, or fond odes to Japanese filmmaking icons Akira Kurosawa and Yasujirō Ozu. Indeed, even if Isle of Dogs hadn't paired its eye-catching contents with smart, timely parallels — a power-hungry leader, discarded population and trash-filled land mass make it impossible to miss the film's political, social and environmental commentary — it'd still make an ace addition to Anderson's oeuvre. That said, there's one area where the director shows his own limits. While Anderson is a seasoned master at combining exquisite visuals, lively voice work, an engaging story and a memorable message, a couple of his choices give pause (not paws) for thought. Isle of Dogs oozes affection for its location in every intricate element and never uses Japanese culture as decoration – but translating canine chatter into English while offering Japanese dialogue without subtitles threatens to marginalise the country the film is paying tribute to. Similarly problematic is Gerwig's character, who swoops in to help Megasaki's residents battle the mayor's nefarious plan, and sticks a little too closely to the white saviour trope in the process. Thankfully, she's never the main attraction, in what proves an otherwise charming tale about a determined boy, his undying love for his beloved pet, and a whole island of adorable dogs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlakrjfzCig
Whether he's co-writing and starring in sketch comedies, directing two of the best horror films of the past few years, producing an Oscar-nominee or reviving a science-fiction classic, Jordan Peele has amassed an impressive resume. So, whenever he adds a new project to the lengthy list, it's worth paying attention. After Key & Peele, Get Out, Us and The Twilight Zone — and producing BlacKkKlansman, too — he's now lending executive producing skills to upcoming Amazon Prime Video series Hunters. It stars Al Pacino, it's about hunting down Nazis in the 70s and it's inspired by real events. As first glimpsed in the show's initial teaser back in November and now explored in further detail in its just-dropped first full trailer, Pacino plays Meyer Offerman, the leader of a group of Nazi hunters who are intent on stopping a Fourth Reich taking hold in America. They've discovered that hundreds of escaped Nazis are not only living in the US, but have genocidal plans — and Offerman and his vigilante pals plan to thwart this conspiracy by any means necessary. Expect violence, tensions, action, thrills, and a fight between good and evil. Not just calling out oppression, injustice and hatred, but tackling it through film and television is firmly in Peele's wheelhouse, as his filmography shows. Accordingly, Hunters slots in nicely, with a ten-episode first season due to drop on February 21. Fresh from his excellent turn in The Irishman — his first collaboration with Martin Scorsese, somehow — Pacino is in less theatrical, more nuanced mode here. He's also joined by a well-known roster of co-stars, which includes Logan Lerman (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), Carol Kane (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother), Lena Olin (Vinyl) and Australian actress Kate Mulvany (Lambs of God) as a kick-ass nun. Check out the full trailer for Hunters below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBGkjmfIzAw Hunters will hit Amazon Prime Video on February 21.
