Spring is well and truly here, and with longer days and warm (but not too hot) nights, now is the perfect time for head outside and enjoy the sunshine and flowers. For the month of October, Hendrick's Gin has teamed up with Paddo Inn to celebrate its small-batch Midsummer Solstice gin. The venue — renamed Paddo Ginn throughout October — will be transformed into a floral paradise, courtesy of local florist Dr Lisa Cooper. With a host of magical spring-themed events happening both at the eastern suburbs pub and across Sydney, there's plenty to look forward to — and lots of opportunities to score a free drink. This Saturday, October 5 is one of them, when Hendrick's hosts Stem for a Spritz. Head to one of three flower-filled spots across Sydney and you can enjoy your very own Midsummer Soltice spritz, featuring the limited-edition spirit, tonic water and sparkling wine, and garnished with orange and cucumber, for zero dollars. Yep, free. All you need to do is look out for one of the Victoriana-style characters that'll be roaming around Paddo Ginn, The Winery, or Bucket List on foot or atop a penny-farthing. They'll be handing out rose stems which you can exchange for a free spritz at the bar If you can't make it, never fear. You can still head down to Paddo, relax with some gin, and enjoy the floral installations all through October. Image: Paddington Inn by Nikki To.
Dangerous thinkers, Damn the Man activists and controversial intellectuals will bring their rebellious tales to Sydney Opera House for the sixth year running, with Salman Rushie, Steven Pinkler and Pussy Riot at the fore of this year's Festival of Dangerous Ideas lineup. The annual hootenanny for controversial, groundbreaking and system-shaking thinkers, FODI annually fronts up a killer lineup of the names we consistently include in our opinionated tweets. "This year, we are looking at some of the major threats to life as we know it — mass extinction and existential risk — as well as politics, families and global issues,"says head of talks and ideas at Sydney Opera House and co-curator of Festival of Dangerous Ideas, Ann Mossop. "Our guests are both intellects and activists and this will definitely prove a lively mixture. The Festival gives audiences an opportunity to listen to some of the most important thinkers of our time. Ultimately it is the audiences who have the most interesting part to play at the Festival — the tough and absorbing task of deciding what to do with the dangerous ideas of our era." This year's lineup has drawn out some serious intellectual squeals Sydney-wide. Controversial, Booker Prize-winning Midnight's Children writer, Salman Rushdie, will speak about freedom, sticking to your guns and defiantly standing for untamed expression in his talk Freedom to Write. In one of FODI's most buzzworthy talks, dubbed Russia is a Penal Colony, former members of activist legends Pussy Riot, Nadya Tolonnikova and Masha Alekhina, will tell tales of activism, being jailed for 'hooliganism' and setting up their new not-for-profit charity, Zona Prava, while fighting for their own dangerous ideas. Russian journalist, author, and member of the democratic opposition to the regime of Vladimir Putin, Masha Gessen will delve further into Pussy Riot's activism in a predicted-to-sell-out conversation with the pair. Experimental linguist, psychologist and eternal nature-versus-nurture writer Steven Pinker will unravel the popular notion that violence is an inevitable consequence of human nature in his talk Stop Trying to Fix Human Nature — also arguing we're enjoying the most significant period of peace in our history. Challengers to underlying systems and Damn the Man enthusiasts like fearless journalist, feminist and human rights activist Lydia Cacho uncover some horrible truths in our messed up world. Cacho investigates the alive-and-well slave trade — something we see as a Civil War era past wrongdoing, but is a still a globalised, multi-billion dollar industry by way of the sex trade and international trafficking — in Slavery is Big Buisness. Writer and researcher, Kay Hymowitz will delve into women as breadwinners and the supposed decline of male culture in The Rise of Women Has Turned Men into Boys; and surrogacy as a global industry is put under the microscope in journalist, writer and activist Kajsa Ekis Ekman's talk Surrogacy is Child Trafficking. The full program is available on the website. Multipack tickets go on sale on Monday 30 June at 9am before single tickets on Wednesday 2 July at 9am. Festival of Dangerous Ideas 2014 Lineup: Salman Rushdie Pussy Riot Masha Gessen Steven Pinker Malcolm Fraser Lydia Cacho Bradley Garrett Alissa Nutting John Hewson Bettina Arndt Glenn Robbins John Pilger Jane Caro Elizabeth Kolbert Noelle Janaczewska Anne Manne Elizabeth Pisani Jaan Tallinn Ragip Zarakolu Kajsa Ekis Ekiman Dan Ilic Tim Flannery Kay Hymowitz Francesca Minerva Mark Latham David Baker Rebecca Newberger Goldstein Emily Nussbaum Huw Price A Rational Fear Festival of Dangerous Ideas runs 30 - 31 August at Sydney Opera House. Tickets available here. UPDATED WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25: Sydney Opera House have decided to remove Uthman Badar's talk 'Honour Killings Are Morally Justified' after a huge collective WTF from the public.
If you've ever had the urge to rummage through someone else's suitcase, here's your chance. Suitcase Rummage is coming to Melbourne, and luckily for you it'll be less old socks and more vintage treasures. Happening on Sunday, September 30, the mini-scale market will bring together numerous trunk that aren't just filled with clothing. The suitcases will contain everything from art to records, shoes and jewellery — so, come and bargain, buy or swap to score that old Joni Mitchell vinyl you've been wanting. Those who wanting to sell their wares must register — and it'll cost $25 for a 'stall'. You can bring up to three suitcases, so you can lug in all those shoes you've been promising to wear but certainly will not. Suitcase Rummage will run from 11am–4pm. Image: Yan Chen
Sydney Festival is heading over the hill this year and what better way to celebrate than with 40 portraits of the event's movers and shakers. Created by London-based Eva Vermandel, this stunning collection of images will hang at UNSW Galleries for the festival. And it's not just the big guns who'll be getting the attention. When we say movers and shakers, we mean all the folk who make things happen — from the likes of Kate Champion and David Byrne to volunteers, staff and audience members. After all, there'd be no places for artists to strut their stuff without those invisible-fairy-people who set up fences, ferry food and drinks about, and sell you those must-have tickets.
Brogan Galceran – who goes by the stage name of Big Dumb Kid – has been pushing the boundaries of Australian hip hop since he first surfaced in 2011. One EP (Vanilla) and a debut album (Chocolate) later, he is hitting the road to launch his single, Somebody Else. The Sydney-based producer/rapper/singer has a penchant for dark, glitch pop rap songs tied together with colourful synth work. This unique brand of electronic/hip hopseparates him from his predecessors and has seen him receive plenty of attention on the airwaves. 2012 also saw the formation of Australian hip hop outfit Dead City Zens, which includes members from Old Men Of Moss Mountain, Deadbeat & Hazy and Subsketch. Supporting duties for the evening go to Rapaport,Subsketch and Future Love Hangover.
Sydney's spicy food lovers will be glad to know that a Sichuan Food Festival is coming to the Shangri-La Sydney for a full week from April 6 to 13. The five star hotel's restaurant, Cafe Mix, will offer a buffet style meal that focuses on the cuisine's signature green and red Sichuan peppers, which give a distinctive numbing sensation to the palate — a taste true spice fiends can't get enough of. Joining the hotel's head chef Bo Sorensen are guest chefs Li Tok Fan and Yu Guang Peng of Shangri-La Chengdu, located in the Sichuan province capital. This means guests will be getting the real deal — authentic Sichuanese dishes like spicy dan dan noodles, steamed fish with fresh Sichuan peppercorn and simmered Mandarin fish in spicy chilli oil. The buffet will also include cold dishes like the vinegar-infused jellyfish head salad. To cool the palate, a designated dessert station will finish the meal off with sweet treats like glutinous rice dumplings stuffed with sesame paste. The Sichuan Food Festival is presented in partnership with Xiamen Airlines and The Chinese Consulate of Sydney. The buffet lunch is available from noon to 2:30 pm at $55 per person, and the buffet dinner is available from 6pm to 10:30 pm at $85 per person. Click here to book now.
If you’re familiar with Cat Power (aka Chan Marshall), then you know how badass she is. Her singer-songwriter meets rock star persona sets her apart as one of the more unique musicians out there. Those who saw her at Golden Plains Music Festival this past March know what we’re talking about. Don’t fret if you missed her then, because you’ll soon have another chance. Cat Power is crossing the pond again for an Australian tour this summer. Cat Power’s ten-show tour will kick off this January at the Sydney Festival. It was just announced that she would be a guest performer at the festival’s Big Star tribute show alongside Jody Stephens, Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Ken Stringfellow (The Posies), Chris Stamey (The dB’s), Mitch Easter (Let’s Active), Edwyn Collins and Kurt Vile. Power’s Sydney shows will continue the day after at the Circus Ronaldo Tent with a matinee and midnight show. After, she’ll continue down the coast, performing in Milton, Canberra, Melbourne, Menniyan and concluding in Perth. So if you haven’t heard Cat Power in a while, it’ll be worth your hitting up one of her shows. Her newish album, Sun, is freshly awesome and and her blonde coif is shocking, but that’s why we love Cat. She always keeps you coming back for more.
Butter just keeps giving Sydneysiders more reasons to go absolutely crazy for it. The cult favourite is already a palace of fried chicken, sneakers and champagne — and every now and then it adds ramen to that list as well. If you're particularly fond of slurping down its brothy bowls, then you'll be immensely excited about its returning celebration of all things warm and soupy. Once again in 2022, the chain won't just be serving up one type of ramen, but lining up six limited-edition versions. The series of ramen creations begins with Executive Chef Julian Cincotta, naturally, who is whipping up Butter's super-popular fried chicken ramen. It combines fresh thick-cut ramen noodles, a marinated soft-boiled half egg and enoki mushrooms in a chicken and dashi-based broth, and Butter's crispy fried chicken tenders. There will be a limited number of bowls available everyday until Monday, May 16 at each Butter venue. After that, a different ramen created by a different chef will feature each month until October. Among the chefs jumping on board are Ume Burger Head Chef Kerby Craig with a miso-based tare, corn and Butter's chicken broth from Tuesday, May 17–Monday, June 20 — and also Rising Sun Workshop Director Nick Smith, who will be bringing a bowl filled with Butter's fried chicken with a burnt-ends glaze from Tuesday, June 21–Monday, July 18. Then, from Tuesday, July 19—Monday, August 22, Cincotta will be back with a brand new creation: The Impossible Ramen. Louis Tikaram from Stanley in Brisbane will give Sydneysiders a taste of his five spice fragrant ramen, too — which'll be available from Tuesday, August 23–Monday, September 19, and use a mix of Cantonese and Japanese flavours, plus Butter's fried chicken. To wrap it all up, Cincotta returns from Tuesday, September 20–Monday, October 17 with a French dip ramen fried chicken sandwich. Whichever of Butter's venues you head to, they'll be plating up a limited number of ramen each day. Still, if you're fond of both ramen and fried chicken — and who isn't? — it's an easy way to pick what you'll be eating each month.
For all the logicality of urban planners and architects, we often end up with some pretty weird conglomerations of concrete and steel around town. Once in a while, we all end up staring at a nonsensical urban nook while waiting at the traffic lights and thinking, 'why?'. Austrian choreographer Willi Dorner and his company take that reverie one step further with Bodies in Urban Spaces. They see an odd little city space and think: human Tetris. So how does it work? Dorner enlists a group of movement artists (whose skills are not solely focused on dance — he also hires climbers, martial artists and circus performers) and choreographs a performance that sees these 20 human bodies, clad in bright colour-blocked clothes, gracefully shove themselves into any sort of architectural gap they can find, hold their positions for several minutes and then effortlessly wriggle out of the tight spot and move on to the next. What it means for the passer-by is that your eyes fall on brightly colour-blocked human staying perfectly, magically still in an otherwise dead space." Bodies in Urban Spaces is an invitation to let go, to take the time for a new look at the city, an opportunity to think so that we can form opinions about what makes a city a liveable space, and eventually make changes to achieve that goal," says Dorner. Bodies in Urban Spaces premiered in 2007 and has been co-produced by festivals and venues across Europe and the US ever since. It will be appearing in Sydney for Art & About on Friday, October 11, and Saturday, October 12, from 12.30-2pm. Check out more of their cheeky and surreal appearances around the world in the images below.
Guess who's blowing out the candles this coming Saturday? In the three short years they've been on the Sydney music scene, Astral People have become synonymous with sourcing burgeoning local talent and curating club nights to remember. In the past, they've brought out international stars who otherwise could not have made it to our shores, amongst them acid-house visionaries Phuture, co-founders of London's innovative Night Slugs label (L-Vis 1990, Bok Bok), and the enigmatic Laurel Halo. But birthdays are always remembered best by the company of our nearest and dearest. And this time, Astral People are gathering a host of Sydney's finest musicians to celebrate with us in a full venue takeover of Goodgod Small Club for the night. The (huge) line-up includes Alba, Ben Fester, Black Vanilla, Cliques, Collarbones, Cosmo's Midnight, Dro Carey, Huggs, Jonti and the Astral Kids, Levins, Modern Fairytale, Moon Holiday, Preacha and Rainbow Chan. If Astral People's past events were anything to go buy, this massive birthday shindig should be one to mark in the diary. Dancing shoes, check; good times, check. https://youtube.com/watch?v=_W0SaUlGUS0
Shopping around for Sydney music? The annual Surry Hills Festival is back this September in a celebration of everything there is to love about the inner-city suburb. Dropping its music line-up earlier today, this year's festival promises to be a big one. Headlining the pack is Donny Benet, his eccentric tunes harking back to a time of kitschy disco meets funk (his new track with Kirin J. Callinan is everything you'd expect from the duo; an '80s throwback to perfection). Also headlining are Sydney psychedelic rockers, The Laurels, who have recently toured alongside the likes of Tame Impala and The Black Angels. There's also Spookyland — helmed by Marcus Gordan — aptly named thanks to their haunting folk tunes. For dancing after dark, Sydney electronic outfit Canyons will be playing a DJ set, as will Goodgod's rock 'n' roll dancehall favourites, Yo Grito!. Indie-pop band The Lulu Raes, electro-rock two-piece Tales In Space, singer-songwriter Little Fox, and the fantastic genre defying Spirit Valley (think Brian Jonestown Massacre but with chaotic drone) will also be bringing good vibes to the 'hood. For a chance to support local up-and-comers, AIM will be showcasing some of the best musical talent from its tiers. If you still can't think of an excuse to come down, proceeds raised will go towards a fundraiser for the Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre for vital community projects to keep the suburb alive and going. But also, Donny Benet. Come on.
Twelve of Australia's best chefs are getting together at OzHarvest's HQ over ten nights to, firstly, bring you delicious feasts and, secondly, raise money for people in need. Each evening a new chef will take over the kitchen to create three courses (matched with wines) for just 40 ticket holders. A seat at the table costs $200 — and every sold out event will provide 16,000 meals for others. Choose from a whole slew of chefs from Sydney's best restaurants. See the full delicious lineup below. Bennelong's Rob Cockerill (10 October) Sixpenny's Aaron Ward (11 October) Otto's Richard Ptacnik (12 October) Nomad's Jacqui Challinor and Ash St Cellar's Zac Ahrens(13 October) Paper Daisy's Ben Devlin (14 October) Firedoor's Lennox Hastie (17 October) Oakridge's Matt Stone (18 October) OzHarvest's Travis Harvey (21 October)
Do you wish you could mix up an Old Fashioned like Don Draper? Do the words “Tiki Safari” make your mouth water in anticipation of the magical Mai Tai? Do you spend your days weighing up the pros and cons of gin and vodka or pondering how tequila can break free from the shackles of salt, lemon and shot glasses? Whether you answered “yes” to all of the above or whether you just like to enjoy the odd cocktail, you will probably be excited to hear about Bar Week. The formerly trade only drinks show is now throwing its doors open to the thirsty public after a decade of showcasing the best in brews, bottles and fancy garnishes to industry professionals. Sunday, 23 September is when the week’s flagship event will be staged in the form of Drinks Fest (tickets $25 for either the morning or afternoon session). Amongst those happenings stirring up connotations of the word “seminar” are a pre-noon Tiki Safari, an Irish Whisky Tasting, masterclasses on libations ranging from Cuba’s Mojito to Don’s Old Fashioned and a hands-on lesson in creative mixology intended to break rules and introduce cocktails back into Aussie households. Many of the day’s events are aimed at breathing new life into spirits commonly brought down by false stereotypes. A class called ‘Why Everyone Should Love Tequila!’ will take skeptics on a taste-test south of the border. To celebrate the broadening of mind and palette, the day will culminate in a sunset BBQ at Cruise Bar next door, offering free entry to all ticket holders. Plenty of other boozy events will be taking place outside of the Overseas Passenger Terminal too. Saturday’s CBD Speakeasy Tour will take you back to the 1920s for three hours as you’re escorted from one secret small bar to the next, whilst Tuesday's Sailing With Single Malts cruise offers whisky lovers the chance to enjoy their favourite tipple on the high seas. Saturday night will also see the festivities kicked off with a night of sophisticated slurping doused in New York hospitality at the freshly overhauled Morrison (read: fresh oysters, live jazz and classic bespoke cocktails). Concrete Playground has 10 double passes to give away to Drinks Fest on Sunday, 23 September. For a chance to win, make sure you’re subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name and postal address to hello@concreteplayground.com.au Sydney Bar Week will run from 22 to 25 September 2012. For the full timetable of Bar Week events visit www.barweek.com.au/timetable.
Update: December 14, 2018 — This event has unfortunately been cancelled and tickets are being refunded. Originating as part of Vivid Sydney 2017 and 2018, Ignite sees a symphony orchestra perform popular dance anthems from the 90s–now alongside electronic musicians and live vocalists — all synchronised to a light, laser and fireworks show. Taking place at the Enmore Theatre on Saturday, December 15, the show will feature recreations of well-known house and trance songs, such 'Sandstorm' by Darude, 'One More Tim' by Daft Punk and 'Children' by Robert Miles — along with current pop singles by the likes of Sia, Lorde and Beyonce. Sydney's Ensemble Apex chamber orchestra will act as the show's backbone, with surprise local and international guests taking the stage throughout the performance. Dance floor tickets start at $89.95 and will certainly be the best spot in the house, though seated tickets are also available, starting at $69.45.
Whether you're a stirrer or a shaker — or a sipper or a slurper — World Class Cocktail Festival is dedicated to you. For ten glorious days between Friday, September 9–Saturday, September 18, cocktail events will be taking place throughout Sydney's inner city, with dozens of different drinks on the menu. If you're a whisky fan, you can head to Quay for a series of cocktails presented by London's Lyaness with award-winning bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana (aka Mr Lyan) playing host and Peter Gilmore providing the snacks. More of a margarita fan? Hickson Road Reserve will be hosting the Don Julio Food Truck Fiesta, with cocktails from Cantina OK! and food trucks from Ricos Tacos, Beatbox Kitchen and Taco Truck Dos. And, from The Connaught in London, aka the world's best bar for 2021, martini maestro Ago Perrone is hitting up Bennelong for one night, too. Also on the lineup: Norwegian bartender Monica Berg of Tayer + Elementary flexing her stuff at Shell House; Re's sustainability champion Matt Whiley doing a tour of the city, creating cocktails at hotspots like PS40 and Old Mate's Place using food and bar waste from other CBD venues; and all sorts of events popping up at local favourites like Earl's Juke Joint, Frankie's Pizza, Maybe Sammy, Hickson House and Dean & Nancy on 22. You can browse everything that's been announced so far at the festival's website, with even more events set to slide into the schedule closer to the date — and also pop-up unannounced during the festival. [caption id="attachment_814399" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dean and Nancy on 22, Steven Woodburn[/caption] Top image: Maybe Sammy, DS Oficina.
Pop-up bars are no stranger to Sydney's streets — and neither is Trash Tiki. Operating waste-free, endeavouring to draw attention to over-consumption and single-use ingredients in the craft cocktail industry today, and travelling the world showing customers and bar owners how to do it too, it's the brainchild of UK bartenders Kelsey Ramage and Iain Griffiths. And, the pop-up is coming back with its eco-conscious message. Once again, Trash Tiki aims to be a launchpad for a conversation on waste as it continues its global tour, with Europe, Asia, South America and the US among its previous destinations. Returning to Sydney after a stint serving up drinks last December, this time more than just beverages are on the menu. In fact, it comes with dinner. In celebration of World Bartender Day, the duo will settle in at the Four in Hand Hotel on February 28 and host a four-course meal that comes complete with four anti-waste cocktails. The drinks selection will be created using a combination of fresh local ingredients and things from the kitchen or bar that'd otherwise end up in the bin, including a special one-off Wild Card concoction that uses waste items from the dinner itself. Also on the menu: the Black & Tan Sour, which features Jim Beam Black Label, honey cream, lemon juice and stock, wattle seed syrup, whey, lemon husks and egg yolks. Image: Steven Woodburn.
Okay, everyone, get out your Laura Marling Cliche Bingo cards: Precocious! Songstress! Wise beyond her years! Waiflike! Preternatural! Used to date that Mumford guy! Ethereal! Joni Mitchell! Stripped-back! Wise beyond her years again for good measure! Now we've got all that rubbish out of the way, we can write about Marling as the serious, wonderful, once-in-a-generation songwriter and performer she is. Her new album, Once I Was An Eagle (yes, it's a Bill Callahan shout-out) is, like both its predecessors, already being chiselled onto Best of 2013 lists everywhere. It is indeed wise, but it's also guileless and sweet and true and the best possible kind of gut-punching. She's performing in Sydney on July 22, 23 and 24 as part of the Heavenly Sounds series, at St Stephen's Uniting Church on Macquarie Street, and there are still a handful of tickets available for the third show. If, for some reason, you haven't copped tickets, please allow this video — and her voice, with its clean-sheets clarity and woody warmth — to convince you.
Toby Schmitz — actor, playwright, director, darling of Australian theatre scene — is taking a break from his life in South Africa playing pirates to take the helm (ha ha) of the Sydney Independent Theatre Company and Red Line Productions' production of Irish play Howie the Rookie by Mark O'Rowe (writer of Terminus). The play is a sometimes hilarious, often grotesque tale of the bizarre feud of honour between two friends/enemies, set in a Dublin of nightmares. The Howie Lee and The Rookie Lee get themselves into some absurdly amusing situations — from the scabies-infested mattress that starts it all off to the murder of a prominent and terrifying gangland figure's pet fish. And, to transport you all but literally and physically to the streets of the Irish capital, The Old Fitzroy Theatre will be serving Irish beer and Irish whiskey and playing host to a string of bands who all hail from the land of leprechauns, stodgy food — and did we mention whiskey?
After spending time at Gelato Messina Rosebery, Rocker and Grifter Brewery, Toby Wilson and his adored Sydney taco truck Ricos Tacos have found a permanent home in Chippendale. Located on Meagher Street, the new bricks-and-mortar outpost sees Ricos expand its always-reliable menu, and allows Wilson to experiment with new dishes and flavours. If you're looking for a recovery dinner from your Easter long weekend, the new Chippendale restaurant is hosting an al pastor party on Tuesday, April 19. Wilson and co will be bringing out the rotating meat to create al pastor tacos alongside hash browns and corn chips for a special one-night feast. For those out of the loop, al pastor is spit-grilled, marinated pork that is often found at street food vendors in Mexico. The tacos will be available for dine-in or takeaway from 5pm until they are sold out, so it's best to head over for an early dinner to make sure you get to try these tasty creations.
Is there a better way to round out your work week than hitting the pub? What about hitting the pub for a Friday lunch and scoring a free beer? Surry Hills stalwart Forrester's is facilitating just that with 100 free pints for International Beer Day. The first 100 people to head to Riley Street from 1pm on Friday, August 4 will score a free pint of Hawke's Brewing Co's Patio Pale Ale. That's right, head to the pub this Friday for a late lunch and the first round is on the house. The promotion is limited to one beer per person for the first 100 patrons to order a Hawkes after 1pm, but if you miss out (or you arrive too early), don't worry. You can score pints for schooner prices at Forrester's all day on August 4. So, you can knock off work and save a few dollars on your Friday beers in Surry Hills. Head to the Forrester's website for all the details and to make a booking. Top image: Kitti Gould.
Somewhere in the multiverse, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is terrific. In a different realm, it's terrible. Here in our dimension, the 28th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe teeters and twirls in the middle. The second movie to focus on surgeon-turned-sorcerer Dr Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog), it's at its best when it embraces everything its director is known for. That said, it's also at its worst when it seems that harnessing Sam Raimi's trademarks — his visual style, bombast, comic tone and Evil Dead background, for instance — is merely another Marvel ploy. Multiverse of Madness is trippy, dark, sports a bleak sense of humour and is as close as the MCU has gotten to horror, all immensely appreciated traits in this sprawling, box office-courting, never-ending franchise. But it stands out for the wrong reasons, too, especially how brazenly it tries to appear as if it's twisting and fracturing the typical MCU template when it definitely isn't. Welcomely weirder than the average superhero flick (although not by too much), but also bluntly calculating: that's Multiverse of Madness, and that's a messy combination. It's apt given its eponymous caped crusader has always hailed from Marvel's looser, goofier and, yes, stranger side since his MCU debut in 2016's plainly titled Doctor Strange; however, it's hard to believe that such formulaic chaos was truly the plan for this follow-up. Similarly, making viewers who've long loved Raimi's work feel like their strings are so obviously being pulled, all for something that hardly takes creative risks, can't have been intentional. It's wonderful that Multiverse of Madness is clearly directed by the filmmaker who gave the world Army of Darkness and its predecessors, the Tobey Maguire-starring Spider-Man movies and Drag Me to Hell. It's fantastic that Raimi is helming his first feature since 2013's Oz the Great and Powerful, of course. But it's also deeply dispiriting to see the filmmaker's flourishes used like attention-grabbing packaging over the same familiar franchise skeleton. Multiverse mayhem also underscored Multiverse of Madness' immediate predecessor, for instance — aka 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home. That's the last time that audiences saw Stephen Strange, when he reluctantly tinkered with things he shouldn't to help Peter Parker, those actions had consequences and recalling Raimi's time with Spidey came with the territory. Strange's reality-bending trickery has repercussions here as well, because Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen, Sorry for Your Loss) isn't thrilled about her fellow super-powered pal's exploits. Yes, Multiverse of Madness assumes viewers have not only watched all 27 past MCU movies, but also its small-screen offshoots — or WandaVision at least, where the enchantress that's also Scarlet Witch broke rules herself and wasn't still deemed a hero. Multiverse of Madness begins before its namesake and Wanda cross paths after their not-so-smooth moves, actually. Strange's latest escapade kicks off with monsters, moving platforms, a shimmering book, and a girl he doesn't know and yet wants to save. It's a dream, but said teen — America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez, The Babysitters Club) — is soon part of his waking life. Hailing from another dimension and possessing the ability to hop through the multiverse, she's still being chased. Interrupting Strange's brooding at his ex-girlfriend Christine's (Rachel McAdams, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga) wedding, rampaging critters reappear as well, while a sinister tome called The Dark Hold also factors in. The mission: save the girl and all possible worlds, aided by Strange's old friend and now-Sorcerer Supreme Wong (Benedict Wong, Nine Days), and via a run-in with nemesis Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor, Locked Down). An evil book, basically being dragged to hell, reanimated corpses, a scrappy young adventurer, wisecracks, a leading man with the initials BC: they're all Raimi staples, and they're all accounted for in Multiverse of Madness. So is a signature casting move that's to be thoroughly expected, and remains as delightful as ever. Michael Waldron, the writer/producer behind Loki, has scripted the feature with its filmmaker firmly in mind — or tinkered with the screenplay after OG Doctor Strange helmer Scott Derrickson left the sequel — and Raimi has taken those nods and run with them. But magic isn't about conjuring up the easily apparent, as the flick's cloak-wearing protagonist has learned over his time. Off-screen, that's something Marvel rather than its creatives-for-hire need reminding of, and what makes Multiverse of Madness a strategic exercise above all else. (It doesn't help that an inventive, clever and bold blast of multiverse movie, unrelated to the MCU, has beaten the latest Doctor Strange to cinemas by mere weeks. Everything Everywhere All At Once is inescapably chaotic, but gloriously, entertainingly and revealingly so, and never in a checklist-marking way.) Marvel has a pattern, though. It hires directors with distinctive styles and vibes, uses them to differentiate any given MCU instalment from the last, and hopes that counteracts the formula at work. And, it can. Even this many pictures in, great films eventuate that don't completely feel squeezed through an assembly line in every frame; see: Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok, Ryan Coogler's Black Panther, Cate Shortland's Black Widow and Chloé Zhao's Eternals. If Multiverse of Madness wasn't also saddled with other well-used, patently recognisable Marvel tactics, that might've proven true here, too. If only it had. But when a new MCU entry leans on multiple versions of its main figure (again), plus wholly fan-servicing cameos (again) — going for more is more several times over (yes, again) — and then attempts to freshen itself up by splashing around a famed director's beloved touches (again), it's always going to struggle to be convincing. Gleefully pushing obvious buttons and trying to incite easy cheers was No Way Home's main aim as well; Multiverse of Madness fares better, thankfully. It's a lesser auteur-helmed MCU movie and a lesser Raimi-directed film, but it still benefits from the latter doing what he's able to within company-controlled confines. Danny Elfman's (The Woman in the Window) moody score always sets the right tone, and the kaleidoscopic imagery has its dazzling moments — albeit with too many pixels showing in the name of serving up a shiny spectacle. And, in all of its key roles, Multiverse of Madness is still extremely well-cast. Indeed, the scenes that linger are those shared by Cumberbatch with either Olsen, McAdams, Wong or Gomez that call for genuine emotion rather than dwelling on superhero schtick, nefarious villains, multiverse mechanics, incursions, surprise guests and the like. Alas, being gifted more of that, and more of anything that doesn't have to tick 75,000 of Marvel's usual boxes along the way, sadly and frustratingly isn't a reality for this film in our caped crusader-worshipping universe.
Turning 30 isn't so much a birthday as it is the crossing of a threshold. With the clear-cut idealism of your 18-year-old self nowhere to be found and nothing but the joyful wreckage of your 20s to show for three decades on the planet, the occasion can seem more like a mugging by Father Time than a celebration of maturation. So it is with the characters in Griffin Theatre's last play for 2018. Written and performed by Susie Youssef and Phil Spencer, The Smallest Hour is a romantic comedy about two people quietly mortified by the lives they lead. Shelly's running the quiz for a hen's night and Chris is a stripper who's ashamed of his body. When they reconnect many, many years after high school, shared disappointments and missed opportunities pile together to create another chance for both of them. Velcro pants also come into it at some point — we're not quite sure, either. Griffin Theatre's going out on a heartwarmer and Youssef and Spencer are just the performers for this oddball love story. See it before 2019 sneaks round and reminds you that you're another year closer to (or further from) the big 3-0. The Smallest Hour will run nightly (except Sundays) from Wednesday, December 5 to Saturday, December 15. All tickets cost $35 per person, plus there'll be $20 Monday rush tickets (available from noon for that evening's performance).
In need of some new procrastination material? Well, you're in luck. Google image search 'Banff' and spend a few minutes (or half an hour) taking in the gorgeous pictures of snow-capped mountains, aqua water and towering pines. It's impossible to not daydream about holidaying somewhere far-flung and exciting while ogling these picture-perfect views, as we're sure you'll agree. Thankfully, you'll have the opportunity to slip into this magical world without ever leaving Sydney. A selection of venues are hosting Banff Mountain Film Festival's 2021 tour — the event's latest stopover, after beginning back in 1976. Its stunning cinematography attracts film buffs and adventurers alike, making the festival mighty popular across the world today. Every November, hundreds of films enter the competition with the cream of the crop chosen to entertain and amaze festival goers. Some of the featured flicks battled it out in categories including Best Film on Mountain Sport, Best Film on Mountain Environment, Best Film on Mountain Culture, Best Film on Exploration and Adventure, People's Choice Award and more. Check out nine of them at Cremorne's Hayden Orpheum between Wednesday, May 4–Friday, May 6, the Randwick Ritz on Wednesday, May 11 and Chippendale's Seymour Centre between Wednesday, May 26–Friday, May 28.
The Liverpudlian indie pop stalwarts have returned to our shores to showcase their latest album Glitterbug, which was released in April. There's plenty of Australian love for these marsupial-inspired lads; this is not the loveable Liverpudlians first trip to Australia this year. In February, they played a handful of secret gigs to offer up a taste of Glitterbug, and needless to say the response was overwhelmingly positive. Haven't heard the album yet? The Wombats' new material sounds fresh and intricate while still maintaining their infectious and hook-ridden sound; look out for tracks such as ‘Give Me A Try’ and ‘Greek Tragedy’. For purists out there who can’t let go of memories of thrashing around a house party to ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’, don’t fret. You can bet your right hand they’ll be keeping the party going with their dancefloor fillers from days of yore such as ‘Jump into the Fog’, ‘Moving to New York’, and ‘Kill the Director’.
For those who like cruising around on two wheels, this year's Sydney Festival could prove just as much a cycling adventure as a cultural one, thanks to the release of a nifty new hop-on, hop-off bike map. Available via Google Maps, the free Sydney Festival Moon Map takes you past six lunar-themed installations and galleries that are part of this year's festival. The 7.8-kilometre bike path stops at key sites like the Sydney Observatory, where punters can check out free attractions and visit the Planetarium, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales, which has its fair share of moons hidden throughout its collection. Stick to the Moon Map route and you'll also get to explore an assortment of Sydney Festival installations. There's the Fly Me To The Moon at World Square — where cyclists can engage in some more pedal power on the Lunar Velocipede flying bike sculpture — as well as the mind-bending Moon Drops work at Darling Harbour, featuring super-sized bouncy droplets that'll send you floating through the air. [caption id="attachment_704105" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Moon Drop, Shake Lee.[/caption] And then, there's the series of eleven free artworks and interactive lunar-inspired experiences dotted through the Barangaroo Dining Precinct, as part of a city-wide homage to Apollo 11 and the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. To make your ride count, register at Love To Ride for Sydney Festival's Fly Me To The Moon challenge. You can 'donate' kilometres from individual bike rides, which'll count towards an attempted 384,400 kilometre cycling effort — the distance from earth to the moon — and put you in the running to win a prize. If you don't have your own bike, you could jump on one of the green Lime E electric-assist bikes dotted around the city. Moon Map participants can also pick up a Lunar Passport at World Square, Darling Harbour or Barangaroo and tick off the stops — the first 100 to do so, and to present theirs to the World Square ticketing booth, will score a free Sydney Festival bag of treats. You can check out more free things to do at Sydney Festival here. Image: Fly Me to the Moon; Apollo 11; Moon Drops, Shake Lee.
In an entirely virtual meeting on Monday, March 30, Councillors at the City of Sydney voted on a new financial assistance package specially created for cultural and creative industries. Lord Mayor Clover Moore says the grants are to ensure the creative community is "ready for the renaissance" following the COVID-19 crisis, when we're all ready to see live music, go to the theatre and attend arts and culture festivals again. Though it feels like we're a world away from packing out a sweaty gig venue or sitting side-by-side in the cinema, that time will come and when it does we'll want to get out and support our local arts community — which means they need cash now in order to develop new work, pay supporting workers and keep the lights on for when we're ready for a socially intimate world. As part of a two-round relief package worth $72.5 million, the City of Sydney has set aside $3.25 million for local arts organisations, individuals, sole traders, artist collectives and small businesses. So who can apply? The new Cultural Sector Resilience Grants provide up to $10,000 for sole traders, and up to $20,000 for not-for-profit arts organisations with less than 20 full-time employees. That means performing arts organisations, creative producers, arts festivals, dance schools and galleries can apply for support with wages, admin costs or training and professional development. Artists, creative producers and other creative workers can apply for support from the Creative Fellowships Fund. Individuals and artist collectives who can demonstrate a significant loss of revenue during COVID-19 — such as cancelled events or closed venues at which they were due to perform — can apply for up to $20,000 to pay for materials or equipment, to pay themselves for their time to develop future projects, and to pay additional workers. The City of Sydney says they're looking for "innovative ways to keep creative professionals collaborating and working during restrictions on public gatherings," as well as other initiatives. When's the deadline? Applications close at 5pm on Monday, April 27 for both grants. The Council will meet on May 18 to discuss the grant applications and funds will be available from June 1, 2020. Is that all? No, there are more relief grants available to individuals and small businesses that have quicker pay-out times, too. The Quick Response Grants are available to individuals, community groups and organisations that can provide innovative, speedy responses to the COVID-19 crisis. You can apply for between $2000–5000 for programs that support vulnerable groups, deliver performances or classes online, or help people feel connected. These grants are available now until funds are allocated so get in quick if you're able to take action right now. There are also Community Service Grants of up to $50,000 per application. Not-for-profit organisations and social enterprises, or individuals and groups, can seek funds to help provide food, digital assistance and social connection to vulnerable people during the current crisis. The City has also made donations of $250,000 to Support Act NSW, the Artists Benevolent Fund and the Actors Benevolent Fund, who provide emergency relief and mental health support for cultural workers. It's provided $1 million-worth of rental support for artists and childcare tenants by waiving rent for the next six months. And it has donated $1 million to non-profit OzHarvest to help adapt its service model to continue to feed people reliant on the food rescue program. Where has the money come from? The Lord Mayor says the City will experience a significant financial dent from the crisis but that the aid has come as a result of 16 years of "sound financial management". Find out more about the City of Sydney's COVID-19 grant and how to apply, here. Top image: Destination NSW
Sydney-based artist, designer and musician Annie Hamilton recently spent two months in Iceland on an artist's residency. Immersed in frosty mornings, low sunlight, isolation and incredible natural beauty, she found inspiration for her new clothing collection, Equinox. And this week you can see it in the flesh at Annie's pop-up shop, which will be taking over Blank Space Gallery in Surry Hills. As always, the pieces feature her signature hand-illustrated prints — but, this time, their shapes, feel and intricate details come from Icelandic wildflowers. There's also a collection of silk and woollen garments to keep you warm through winter. Every piece in Equinox is made ethically and sustainably in Australia, and is designed to last. Annie is a passionate advocate of local, ethical fashion, having co-founded Locally Made, an online platform dedicated to growers, makers, designers and menders, in 2016. The pop-up shop will be open from 10am till 6pm between June 2 and 6.
The Historic Houses Trust's service-entrance festival Sydney Open 2012 was launched this week by HHT Director Kate Clark at the minimalist Strelein Warehouse in Surry Hills. The festival invites Sydneysiders to have a look behind the scenes at private spaces and buildings around Sydney November 2-4, for a Friday to Sunday three day weekend of upcoming sanctioned nosiness. The festival throws in its first free event this year, indulging in a Festival First Night-style Sydney Open Night on Friday night, turning the key on five buildings at no charge. Parliament House, the Barracks, On Seven at DJs, St James Church and the Chief Secretary's Building (backdrop to the Chaser's accidental APEC over-achieving) will be the first venues to be thrown open to the looming crowd, with the rest of the festival's 50 plus venues to follow over the weekend. Saturday sees a series of smaller-grouped Focus Tours. These single-serving jaunts take detours to more narrow, private or subterranean parts of Sydney, including the iconic Tank Stream, old favourite the Central Station Ghost Tunnels, the cavity around of the QVB dome, Catalanista Rosly Street Commerical and the colour-coded, sparse Strelein Warehouse itself. Sunday opens the CBD to the wandering multitude, as the bulk of the properties open their doors at the price of a city pass, including the newly-circular 1 Bligh Street, Hong Kong House, the Tetsuyas-fronting Old Judge's House, Government House, the Great Synagogue and a repurposed Woolloomooloo sewer. On the move, you can orient yourself with a mobile site or a new, handy-looking iPhone guide. Like the Biennale, Underbelly Arts and the better seasons of True Blood, this city-wide show pops up only once every two years. Tickets go on sale Thursday September 27, and they regularly sell in advance. So, if the Saturday or Sunday legs of this look behind the city-wide curtain grabs your interest, get booking. Image: Queen Victoria Building Dome, Photograph courtesy The Queen Victoria Building.
While Sydney's bars are empty, Monkey Shoulder is bringing cocktails to the streets. The scotch brand has created Australia's biggest cocktail mixer truck called Monkey Mixer — which looks a little like a cement mixer truck, but shiny — and is delivering free cocktails to homes across the city. The giant orange and silver truck will hit the road in time for World Cocktail Day on Wednesday, May 13, and will roll around Sydney until Sunday, June 7. It'll park itself at a different bar for five days at a time, starting at The Roosevelt in Potts Point (May 13–17), moving on to Paddington's The Unicorn (May 20–24), then Donny's Bar in Manly (May 27–31) and finishing at the award-winning Maybe Sammy in the CBD (June 3–7). Each bar is able to supply free cocktails to the surrounding suburbs during its stint with the truck. On the menu: The Espresso Monkey — a scotch-spiked take on the espresso martini — and a boulevardier, which is made with Campari, sweet vermouth and Monkey Shoulder. To get your hands on a free cocktail, you'll need to head to the partner venue's website on the week the Monkey Mixer is there and enter the code #madeformixing. MONKEY MIXER The Roosevelt, May 13–17 (Potts Point, Double Bay, Rose Bay and Bondi) The Unicorn, May 20–24 (Paddington, Redfern and Waterloo) Donny's Bar, May 27–31 (Manly, Fairlight and Queenscliff) Maybe Sammy, June 3–7 (CBD, Surry Hills and Newtown)
While for some clowns are the stuff of nightmares, the black-nosed trio in The Long Pigs take the horror stakes to new heights, leaving their red-nosed cousins quite literally for dead. In this debut production from physical theatre group We3 (Clare Bartholomew from Die Roten Punkte, Derek Ives-Plunkett and Nicci Wilks), playing as part of the Sydney Festival, the darkest side of human nature is explored. Inspired in equal parts by the Three Stooges, Samuel Beckett and George Orwell, the performance mixes traditional moments of carnivalesque buffoonery and slapstick with the grim and gruesome. An eerie soundtrack and dim lighting set the scene for suspense, as the murderous gang begins to turn in on itself in a fatal and funny climax.
Say hello to my little friend, Australia. Academy Award winning Director Oliver Stone, the maestro behind such influential films as Scarface, Midnight Express, Platoon, Wall Street, Natural Born Killers, JFK, Nixon, and The Doors, is coming to Australia, appearing exclusively at Vivid Sydney. The highly respected director will join the Vivid Ideas Game-Changer talks series (already featuring street art icon Shepard Fairey), and join the Semi Permanent lineup while he's at it. Not one to veer away from controversial subjects, Stone will be joining equally no-bullshit Australian legend Margaret Pomeranz AM on stage at City Recital Hall on Sunday, May 28 for a rare, behind-the-scenes insight into Stone's career and his polarising films. "Interviewing Oliver Stone?" says Pomeranz. "One of the most significant filmmakers of the past 40 years to trawl through our political and cultural history! It's intimidating, exciting and absolutely unmissable. If I weren't on the stage with him I would be in the audience." Stone will also be speaking 'in conversation' at Semi Permanent at Carriageworks on Friday, May 26 — you'll need a full-day festival pass for that. In the meantime, we'll be playing Smokey Robinson all day: Image: Getty Images.
This month you'll struggle to find cheaper fried chicken in Sydney than at NeNe Chicken's Brookfield Place outpost. The beloved chicken chain is offering up $1 Korean-style original-flavoured wingettes and drumettes from 3pm on weekdays for the duration of March. To sweeten the deal, the restaurant is also pouring $3 beers from 4pm to 7pm each day of the promotion, meaning you can you can enjoy a few wingettes, drumettes and a beer for under a tenner. The deal is available at NeNe's new opening that's opened as part of a four-in-one venue alongside a Papparich, Hokkaido Cheese Tart and Kurimu. The four stores have all cut the opening ribbon inside the multimillion-dollar Brookfield Place Sydney that also houses a huge Romeo's market, the multi-storey mega venue Shell House and a Gojima and Edition Coffee.
Great news, comedy-loving cheapskates: some of our favourite Aussie comedians are bringing their very best jokes to a one-night-only gala event, and tickets are only $25. Presented by best mates Becky Lucas and Cameron James — of being funny on the internet fame — Comedy(ish): The Bits We Kept will feature the likes of Matt Okine, Demi Lardner, Susie Youssef, Tom Walker, Bonnie Tangey and Jen Carnovale. Over two hours, they'll run through the funniest bits from their most recent festival shows, before retreating back into the dark, damp caves they all live in ten months out of every year. It all goes down on Friday, June 13 at Giant Dwarf in Redfern. Doors open at 7:30pm for an 8:30pm start ‚ and if you don't nab a $25 in advance, they're $30 on the door.
When Riceboy Sleeps charts the passage of time from 1990 to 1999 partway into the movie, the Canadian film does so with Dong-hyun at its centre. As a six-year-old (played by debutant Dohyun Noel Hwang) navigating his initial taste of school from behind his large round glasses, he's shy, sensitive, and constantly reminded that he's different by teachers and classmates. As a 15-year-old (Ethan Hwang, The Umbrella Academy) with bleached-blonde hair and faux blue eyes, he's adopted a coping mechanism: trying to blend in. Riceboy Sleeps isn't just about Dong-hyun, who takes the anglicised name David in his attempts to assimilate. It's as much about his mother So-young (fellow feature first-timer Choi Seung-yoon), who relocates him from South Korea to North America after his soldier father's suicide. Writer/director Anthony Shim's sophomore release after 2019's Daughter hones in on the act of seeing, too — gleaning what's around you, who, why, the past that lingers, the stories that echo — as Dong-hyun and So-young survey where they are, where they've been, and how their history keeps dictating their present and future. In that aforementioned time jump, Shim — who helms, pens, edits and acts — and cinematographer Christopher Lew (Quickening) make eyes the focus. When Riceboy Sleeps dwells in the first year of the 90s, Dong-hyun's spectacles are frames within the frame, giving the boy his own windows to the world that he fidgets with, seems burdened by and, in an act of bullying by his peers, has dinged up and taken away. When the movie hits the end of the decade, Dong-hyun is putting in his contacts, therefore making the lens with which he perceives his existence invisible. Semi-inspired by his own childhood as a South Korean arrival to Vancouver Island in the 90s, including attending a school where he was the only Asian student, Riceboy Sleeps is this thoughtful at every level. The movement, and later lack thereof, of Lew's camerawork is just as loaded with meaning: in Canada, it's restless in long wide shots, careening around gracefully but noticeably and finding points to fixate on; back across the Pacific Ocean in the picture's bookending segments, it's still but just as observational. Riceboy Sleeps' opening unfurls a tale, with narration in Korean explaining that a baby girl was found at a temple in 1960. She'd grow up to be strong, flee the orphanage as soon as she was old enough, then fall for the son of a rice farmer. When her love took his own life, she had a newborn, wasn't married and attracted social stigma for both, hence shifting across the sea. The mountains and water that take centre stage during the film's introduction are dreamy and hazy. In Canada, even though greenery instantly awaits, the view is sharper and crisper. Again, Shim layers his 16-millimetre-shot feature with symbolism and significance everywhere that he can, ensuring that how So-young and Dong-hyun feel sweeps through every moment whether or not they're in sight — and especially when they're doing what settlers beyond their homeland do often, holding back their true thoughts and emotions. Inhabited with steeliness and deep-seated sorrow in equal parts by Choi, a dancer- and choreographer-turned-actor, So-young takes a job at a factory in her quest to give Dong-hyun the best life in their new surroundings that she can. She sends him to school with flavoursome Korean lunches. She makes his favourite kimchi at home. She's also anything but withdrawn when it comes to being treated fairly, reprimanding sexist colleagues at work and rallying against discriminatory decisions by Dong-hyun's principal. But with her son, she avoids answering when he asks about his dad. Alone, she scolds herself for her tears. She advises the younger Dong-hyun that there's only three times in a man's life that it's permissible to cry; being taunted by other kids in the playground, then singled out for punishment afterwards, isn't one of them. Shim spies the effort that's always coursing through So-young: to hide her pain, persevere, make the most of her new life, bring her boy up right, fit in but not be a victim and perhaps cement a fresh family dynamic with Korean Canadian Simon (Shim himself). He also spots the uncertainty streaming just as potently within Dong-hyun, who wants desperately to make sense of his place in the world, but isn't sure who he sees when he reflects upon himself. There's stubbornness to the boy as a child, as he ignores his mum when he's not getting what he wants and has tantrums in the car. Rebelliousness swirls in his teens, when getting stoned and tussling with fellow students are his forms of acting out. Riceboy Sleeps is patient in its pacing and visuals, even the latter frequently roams, and yet it's also a jittery film in its midsection to again mirror So-young and Dong-hyun's internal states. The Farewell, Monsoon, Minari, Everything Everywhere All At Once and Past Lives have probed the immigrant experience eloquently, expressively and weightily, not to mention recently, putting Riceboy Sleeps in excellent company rather than making it overly familiar. That the first two titles listed above also explore homecomings, complete with the intricacies and whirlwind of complicated emotions when the place that you're returning to isn't the place you really know, has the same impact. As with The Farewell, Monsoon, Minari and Past Lives particularly, this touching film never feels anything less than personal. That's accurate in its third act as well, when tragic news hits, South Korea becomes the movie's setting again and lingering hurt is confronted. There's a vast difference between trading in cliches and accepting life's inescapable reality — and when a feature is this lived-in, there's no tropes, just universal sensations. Riceboy Sleeps' dénouement is exceptionally affecting for its willingness to sit and contemplate. It's impossible not to garner that the frame stops roving and searching, as the characters do — and that valuing connection, time with the ones you love and small details, including in tough circumstances, comes tenderly to the fore. Of course, minutiae is important in every second of Shim's movie. Indeed, thematically, this is also a film about valuing what you have, and who, but mightn't properly understand or appreciate. It's a picture of acceptance and gratitude, too, and of realising when you're finally seeing the whole picture constructed from its various parts.
Iconic images of David Bowie, photography that revolutionised the pages of Vogue and a series that documents Sydney's city beaches through three heatwaves are just three of the many exhibitions you'll need to check out at this year's Head On Photo Festival. The free photography exhibitions will take place in various galleries from Bondi to Manly between May 4 and 19 — and while they are certainly must-sees for avid photographers, the range of subjects (from La Sape fashion subculture in The Republic of Congo to the Rohingya refugee crisis) make them interesting and topical for any viewer. To complement this, a program of artist talks will take place at Paddington Town Hall. Since it started in 2008, the non-profit festival has traveled to 98 countries worldwide promoting photographers of all ages through several awards evaluated anonymously to promote equity across the board. The festival's annual awards draw a large number of entries from grade-school students to seasoned professionals filling three categories: portrait, landscape and mobile. It all kicks off after work on Friday, May 3 with a party and official opening at UNSW in Paddington. It's free but you'll have to register before heading along. Images: Roni Ben, David Dare Parker, Muchael Jularu Torres, Paul Blackmore, Helmut Newton.
Yabun Festival is an annual event held on January 26 at Victoria Park in Camperdown, on Gadigal Land. It's the largest one-day celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in Australia. This year's festival will be a closed event due to COVID-19 gathering restrictions. Despite this, it'll be more accessible than ever, as it will be live streamed online, allowing people from across Australia and the world to tune in. This year, Yabun (which means "music to a beat" in Gadigal language) is taking place across three venues. The Yabun Stage, located at the Seymour Centre, will host performances from 12–5pm, featuring the likes of Vic Simms, Barkaa, Emma Donovan and Kobie Dee. As well as being live streamed, the event will have a small crowd in attendance — tickets can be won in the lead up to the event via Koori Radio. At its usual home of Victoria Park, Corroboree will feature a Welcome and Smoking Ceremony, as well as dance performances from groups Gawura, Koomurri, Buuja Buuja, Gomeroi Dancers and Ngaran Ngaran. It'll be live streamed from 11am–4pm. The Speak Out stage will be live streamed from the New Law Building at the University of Sydney from 12.30–4.30pm. Speak Out will host three panel discussions on themes of love, justice and success, with panelists including Pastor Ray Minniecon and Lynda June Coe. Another core part of the annual festival is the market stall, which have been taken online, too. Here, you can shop for art, jewellery, food and drink from storeowners that would usually set up within the festival. You can also shop for merchandise from the past three years of Yabun and support the festival and Koori Radio by donating to help ensure both continue to operate for years to come. To access the live-stream, head to yabun.org.au. Top image: Yabun Festival 2017
Two distinct visions lifted from the endless possibilities of science fiction invade Roslyn Oxley9 gallery over the next month. These concurrent exhibitions feature totems and armour, letters from the dead and cardboard boxes, money plants, dirt and reclaimed materials in affirmations of strength and attempts to survive the future.Mikala Dwyer’s Outfield is a collection of symbols arranged in a circular ‘safe space’: tools, forces and memories to protect against the uncertain and threatening world. These pieces are highly tangible and filled with exploratory details, while appearing to be both immense and miniature at the same time. Most materials and objects are reused and reinvented - a protest against a culture that throws away and destroys what it needs to survive. While Dwyer focuses on protection, Justene Williams’ FEMMZOIL is a manifestation of triumph and victory. What appears to be armour or the shell of a robot is manipulated by overlayed images and motion to become fluid, hypnotic and heavenly.Image: Justene Williams Femmzoil legs: Roslyn Oxley9
White rabbits, tea parties, royal megalomaniacs — outside Lewis Carroll's gloriously twisted imagination, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is meant for the stage. And this year, you'll be able to see this dark, surreal and twisted tale as a ballet. Headlining the Australian Ballet's 2017 program, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland will complete the season in Melbourne in September and Sydney in December. Spearheaded by legendary choreographer Christoper Wheeldon and scored by Joby Talbot, Alice will be brought to life by the Australian Ballet in what they're calling "magnificent detail". Think Broadway-level. Designer Bob Crowley will throw as many immersive digital projections, wigs and masks, puppets and intricate costumes as he can at this one. Alice is one of three mainstage shows for the Ballet's 2017 season featuring female leads, joined by the return of artistic director David McAllister's highly opulent production of The Sleeping Beauty and radical modern reworking of Nutcracker – The Story of Clara. "It's a season defined by exquisite performance and the adventures of three extraordinary women," says McAllister. "We fall down the rabbit hole with Alice in Christopher Wheeldon's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, we follow the life of a Russian ballerina who arrives in Australia in Graeme Murphy's Nutcracker – The Story of Clara, and then Princess Aurora leads a cast of fairytale characters as she searches for her Prince in The Sleeping Beauty."
After first setting up shop in Brisbane last year, and then announcing plans to open more Australian stores last month, Taco Bell has revealed the location of its second Australian outpost: Robina on the Gold Coast. The US Tex-Mex chain is headed to a spot adjacent to Robina Town Centre later in 2018, with construction currently underway on its new digs. While the exact opening date hasn't yet been revealed, fans of burritos, quesadillas, nachos and, of course, tacos, can expect to start munching away before summer hits. Taco Bell's Queensland expansion will come as no surprise to anyone who's seen the lines at the company's existing Annerley store, and it doesn't look as though the company is done with the region yet — with job listings presently open for not only Robina, but for Brisbane and the surrounding suburbs. In good news for those eager for a Mexican-inspired bite in Sydney and Melbourne, more Australian shops are planned by the end of the year. It'll be a case of out with the old and in with the new, actually, with previous reports indicating that Taco Bell will take over old Sizzler spots. Find Taco Bell at a to-be-confirmed Robina location near Robina Town Centre later this year. We'll keep you updated on the opening.
Under the rubric 'Read, Rethink, Respond' this year's Sydney Writers' Festival brings together authors across cultures and continents to cast a light on what's happening right now, and they seem to be a pretty confronting and contentious lot. It's not a competition to see who's the most ink-stained, it's about interesting and well-expressed opinions and what light they cast on what's important culturally and socially and politically. The masses of events are roughly categorised according to a set of five icons, symbolic Sydney landmarks tying the sessions together as events and to the city itself as a discursive site. Walsh Bay will be full of poets and economists and polemicists and historians and Christopher Hitchens and a guy who knows Woody Allen really well. There'll be talks, launches, panels, readings, workshops and basically any other format that involves words, plus a whole bunch of other people who will totally elbow you to make it into the free sessions and then ask really long questions that end up being statements. (It might be worth bearing in mind that area restaurants have deals going so you can at least be sufficiently well-fed and wined that your satiated look might be confused with wisdom. Just saying.) See more of our Festival picks at our blog. https://youtube.com/watch?v=0MUgS5x8R3k
It seems unlikely that David O. Selznick, the legendary Jewish filmmaker who produced Gone With The Wind, and Nazi Germany’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, would agree on much. That both were avid fans of Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin is a testament to the film’s raw emotional power. A pure slice of pre-Stalinist Soviet propaganda, this silent film pioneered new editing techniques in order to elicit maximum sympathy from audiences, and is universally acclaimed as a cinematic masterpiece. Considering the recent Russian revival, few films could be a more appropriate next step in the Sydney Symphony’s Movies Over Music series.The posthumous soundtrack is supplied by Shostakovich: another brilliant Russian who was fascinated by the film. While this doesn’t strictly sit with Eisenstein’s rules – that the soundtrack should be rewritten every 20 years in order to stay relevant and hip – it will be, perhaps, more appropriate to the current cultural climate than the version composed by the Pet Shop Boys. In honour of, if not quite according to, Eisenstein’s wishes, conductor Frank Strobel presents a newly arranged score for the occasion.
Got the HSBC Sydney 7s in your calendar for Saturday, February 1 and Sunday, February 2? This year, the action will take place at the Bankwest Stadium in Parramatta, and, if you and your mates are serious about making the most of it, then locking in a staycation is your best bet. You can surround the two full days of rugby with Parramatta's many delights — think small bars with top-shelf cocktails and 360-degree views, local eateries dishing up delicious international fare and outdoor adventures galore. Here are seven reasons to get planning — before every hotel room in Parramatta books out. [caption id="attachment_687981" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lil Miss Collins[/caption] EAT YOUR WAY AROUND THE LOCAL CAFES AND RESTAURANTS Being smack bang in the middle of the Sydney metropolis, Parramatta is an international banquet. Launch into your day at Circa Espresso, with a strong coffee and a Middle Eastern-inspired feast, like ottoman poached eggs with crumbed eggplant, garlic labneh, burnt chilli and sage butter with house-made focaccia. Other worthy brunch contenders include the sleek Black Seed Eatery, laneway joint White Henry Espresso Bar and shipping container set-up Lil Miss Collins. Come lunchtime, dive into a steaming bowl of laksa at laneway eatery Temasek or visit Lebanese-inspired cafe Meraki Merchants for The Sultan's Jaffle, which features cheese, sujuk and olives with a side of smoky capsicum relish. And for dinner, you can enjoy cracking Vietnamese at Pho Pasteur, excellent fried chicken and champagne at Butter or classic Greek fare, including melt-in-your-mouth slow-roasted lamb, at Kouzina Greco. [caption id="attachment_703446" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jeffrey Drewitz / Destination NSW[/caption] GO WILD SWIMMING AND HIKING AT LAKE PARRAMATTA When you're not watching the Sevens teams get active, give your own fitness a boost at Lake Parramatta. Surrounded by 70 hectares of bushland, this wild swimming spot is one of western Sydney's secret oases. Take a refreshing dip (yes, the water's officially been clean enough since January 2015), climb into a rowboat or go hiking on one of three trails, such as the Lake Circuit, which follows the shoreline for 4.2 kilometres. There are barbecues to cook up a storm on, plus plenty of cleared spots to roll out a picnic blanket and position your esky. [caption id="attachment_691230" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jiwon Kim[/caption] CHECK OUT SOME COOL BARS Parramatta has always had great pubs — including an excellent craft brewery — but over the past few years, quite a few swanky bars have joined the drinking scene. For jaw-dropping 360-degree views — all the way to Sydney Harbour — linger over a beverage on Nick and Nora's spectacular terrace. For creative cocktails made with top-shelf ingredients (and a moreish reuben sanga), hunt down Uncle Kurt's, a graffiti-splashed small bar hidden away in a car park. And, to mix your drink with calming views of the Parramatta River, swing by Alex & Co., a rather magnificent 350-seater bar and restaurant. Get some more ideas over here. [caption id="attachment_752830" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] CATCH A SHOW AT RIVERSIDE THEATRES Perched on the banks of Parramatta River, Riverside Theatres is the place to get your arts fix — be it a dance show, an original new play, a touring opera or a stand-up comedian. On the HSBC Sydney 7s weekend, you'll be treated to musical comedy Bran Nue Dae, which you might know as a 2010 film starring Jessica Mauboy and Ernie Dingo. The show tells the story of a teenager who hitchhikes from a mission boarding school to his hometown of Broome. This production is a collaboration between Riverside Theatres, Sydney Festival and Opera Australia, and tickets start from just $59.90. [caption id="attachment_756994" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Getty Images[/caption] ENJOYING THE GAME AND FESTIVAL VIBES AT HSBC SYDNEY 7S If you've never been to HSBC Sydney 7s tournament before, take note: it involves way more than rugby games. It's actually more like a mini festival. There's a huge music program planned, featuring Aussie DJ LDRU, DJ Tigerlily (who was a smash hit at last year's Sydney 7s) and Yolanda Be Cool (aka DJs Andrew Stanley and Matthew Handley). These artists are just the tip of the iceberg — loads more music announcements are on the way. And since you're going with your crew, we suggest investigating one of the packages, which will score you all guaranteed seats and, in the case of the 7s Social Club, food and drinks all day. [caption id="attachment_748134" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] SQUEEZE IN SOME CULTURE AND HISTORY Parramatta and its surrounds have been the backdrop for many of Australia's most important historic moments — from the Battle of Parramatta, in which fierce Eora warrior Pemulwuy led a 100-strong attack on Government Farm, Toongabbie to the founding of the Female Factory, which imprisoned thousands of female convicts. So there's plenty of history and culture to soak up during your weekend staycation. Pay a visit to Elizabeth Farm (one of Australia's oldest European homes), wander around Old Government House (the Georgian-inspired mansion that served as a country residence to NSW's early governors) and explore local Indigenous history in the Arrunga Bardo Aboriginal Bush Food Garden near Lake Parramatta or on a Warami Mittigar Cultural Walk. STAY AT A LUXE BOUTIQUE HOTEL WITH VIEWS However you spend your downtime during the HSBC Sydney 7s, you'll need somewhere glorious to rest. That's where SKYE Hotel Suites comes in. This fancy boutique stay is right in the middle of the Parramatta CBD, which is just a 15-minute walk from Bankwest Stadium. Rooms range from studios to two-bedroom suites, and every single one is decked in luxe interior design — think plush furnishings, cloud-level comfy beds and dreamy soft towels. Most also come with epic panoramas of Parramatta and beyond, and you can also enjoy the onsite pool and gym. SKYE Hotel is also home to a rooftop bar, so you can end every day with a cocktail and some of the best views in town. To purchase tickets to HSBC Sydney 7s, visit Ticketek, and for event updates follow @Aussie7s on Instagram. Then, find more ways to make the most of your weekend below.
Do you live in a dog-friendly house? Do you have some spare time on your hands? Do you fantasise about taking a pup to the pub with you? The good folk at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT need you. They're expecting more than 40 puppies to be born between Christmas and New Year and they're in desperate need of carers to raise them. In other words, they're giving away puppies. If you put up your hand, you'll get a puppy for about a year — from its eight-week birthday until it turns 14 months. During that time, you'll be responsible for introducing the sights, sounds and smells it'll meet when it starts working as a guide dog (and giving it heaps of cuddles). Of course, it's not all just fun, games — it's a lot of commitment and hard work. You'll have to be responsible enough to take care of regular grooming, house training and exercise, and be available to attend local training days, along with vet checks and Puppy Pre-School. A car and a fenced-in property are mandatory, too. In return, the organisation provides a strong support network, food, vet care and prevention of fleas and ticks. "We are looking for people who are home most of the time, who are interested in putting effort into training and socialising the dog. What you will get in return is a fantastic experience," said Karen Hayter, puppy development manager at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT. Every day, 28 people in Australia get diagnosed with vision impairment, nine of whom can expect to go blind. Guide dogs are provided free to those in need, but each costs around $50,000 to raise over two years. If you can't afford to sponsor a pup or donate to the charity, but you've got a bit of flexibility and time on your hands, this could be your calling. Keen? Apply here. And send pics, please.
We've certainly had some fun with Mexican spirits this month and the revelry is set to continue in March at Tio's Cervecería. The whole month is dedicated to mezcal, the smoky agave spirit that — despite popular assumption — is more akin to whisky than tequila. Tio's will be serving a mezcal-themed menu all month, but on Sunday, March 31, is when the real festivities will take place. The Surry Hills drinking den to host its fourth tasting event of over 50 notable mezcals all handpicked by the talented team. The tasting session is free so we recommend heading there early to secure a spot at the bar. Doors open at 3pm. As well as trying tasty sips from the likes of Don Amado, Mezcal Vago and Los Danzantes, you'll also have the chance to chat to some of Australia's top mezcal experts — and find out what the difference really is between tequila and mezcal. The merriment continues from 5.30pm when chef Rosa Ciefuegos (whose Marrickville Market stall and new Dulwich Hill store create quite the queue) will be in the kitchen dishing out authentic Mexican tacos and tamales. And an affordable cocktail menu will be on-hand, too, to keep the agave-fuelled fun going well into the evening. Images: Letícia Almeida.
Prancing through fields laced with the charm of provincial France? Casual Saturdaying during Sydney Festival time. So Frenchy So Chic in the Park, one of the annual highlights of one of the most anticipated festival seasons on the Sydney calendar, is waltzing back to St John's College on Saturday, January 17. An entire afternoon of French-inspired niceties — think gourmet picnic hampers, tortes and terrines, offensively good wine, quaint puppet shows, furious outdoor chess, casual bongo drum lessons — So Frenchy hinges around a solid lineup of some of France's best: Emile Simon, The Dø, La Femme and Francois and Atlas Mountains will crank out live sets on the lawn this year. Formidable. Don your best floral-headband-and-sundress-combo and gear up for un merveilleux après-midi. Tres bloody chic. So Frenchy So Chic is on Saturday, January 17 at St John's College, University of Sydney. Thanks to So Frenchy So Chic, we have a super special shiny double pass to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address.
3D imaging has come a long way since the first experiments in the early 1900s. Take James Cameron's Avatar, which used multiple cameras to produce a three-dimensional visual masterpiece. Plus a blue alien race and the beautiful world they inhabit. 3D doesn't just make for larger-than-life films. This innovation in 3D imaging could enhance scientific research. Researchers from Ohio State University have created the first single, stationery lens to create microscopic 3D images by itself. Usually multiple lenses are required to produce a 3D image, making the invention quite incredible. The prototype lens is around the size of a fingernail and was cut by a computer-programmed ultraprecision milling device. The lens will allow more accurate viewing of microscopic objects, Associate Professor of Integrated Systems Engineering at Ohio State University Allen Yi said. "For us, the most attractive part of this project is that we will be able to see the real shape of micro-samples instead of just a 2D projection." [Via Fast Company]
The MCA has been really hitting it out of the park lately, and their newest exhibition, string theory: Focus on contemporary Australian art, is no exception. The exhibition celebrates the work of over 30 Indigenous artists and artist collectives including Tony Albert, Jean Baptiste Apuatimi , Boolarng Nangamai Aboriginal Art & Culture Studio, Frances Djulibing, Robyn Djunginy, Lola Greeno, Dale Harding, Evelyn McGreen, Lipaki Marlyapa, Dhundhunga 2 Munungurr, Noongar Doll Makers, Laurie Nilsen, Alison Page, Regina Pilawuk Wilson, Jimmy Pike, Yarrenyty Arltere Artists, Tasmanian Shell Necklace Makers, Tjanpi Desert Weavers, Vicki West, and the Yirrkala Printmakers. The exhibition’s curator, Glenn Barkley, explains: "string theory is a scientific principle that posits a theory of everything. In the exhibition it implies expansion and connection across time and space, porous and open-ended embracing diverse approaches to the idea of ‘fibre’ or craft-based disciplines." Yirrkala artist Lipaki Marlaypa’s traditional handmade woven string works act as a sort of conceptual jumping off point for the exhibition. Many of the featured pieces are united by a focus on texture. Regina Pilawuk Wilson’s marvellous painted canvases look like stitched tapestries. Jimmy Pike’s colourful felt-tip pen on paper works pulse with such energy you’ll half-expect them to hop off the wall. One of the larger galleries inside the exhibition space has been taken over by the Tjanpi Desert Weavers. The collective has installed large-scale installations of otherworldly figures and trees made of fabulously disparate media such as emu feathers, native grasses, raffia, fabric and sheep’s wool. The innovation present in many of the works is remarkable, as artists knit together millennia-old cultural traditions with Western media and artistic approaches. Tony Albert offers a series of photographs showing a young man in various situations, both bush and urban, carrying a traditional straw bag on his back. In some photographs, the bag is used to carry ceremonial objects, in others, his mail, his groceries and sports paraphernalia. The photographs perfectly sum up the relationship between old and new, traditional and contemporary. The most memorable works in the exhibition are the minimalist, abstract pieces by Dale Harding. His small-scale installations explore the traumas visited upon Aboriginal women and children in the first half of the 20th Century. bright eyed little dormitory girls (2013), white collared (2013) and of one’s own country (2011) are executed with a staggering pathos and eloquence. string theory is a wonderful articulation of how incredibly rich and vibrant Australia’s cultural heritage is. The lucky country, indeed. Image: Little Dingi (still) DVD photograph, Yarrenyty Arltere Artists. Courtesy MCA.
Erskineville is unusual. Sandwiched in its golden triangle between three train stations, strange things happen there. The strangest thing of all is probably the PACT theatre: unprepossessing supporter of emerging arts and artists, it's been getting away with its Tiny Stadiums festival of performance and art for full on four years now. Previous years have seen the debut of cool new art like the Experts Project, which graduated from inner-west to harbourside after its run in this Erko sideshow. This years' is the first under the guidance of the Groundwork Collective, with an expansive line-up including some theatrical love from Next Wave and a more parental production. But the heart of the festival remains the weekend of live art on Erskineville's streets (June 2-3), with some sober dance in the Rose of Erskineville, pop-up Vietnamese street stalls, endurance meditation and a cardboard arena in the PACT courtyard. With toasties.
The World Rice Festival is headed to Sydney from December 1–2 to celebrate the diversity of this global food staple. Rice-heavy dishes are found all over the world, from the Philippines and Thailand to India and Spain — and you'll get to taste it all under one roof here, alongside cooking demonstrations, live music and cultural performances. Expect around 20 vendors in all — think Japanese taco bowls (with umami mince, renkon crisps and rice crackers) from the Ume brand, fried ice cream (including a sticky rice ice cream sandwich) by Duo Duo and Filipino rice burgers by Mate Burger, plus pop-up stalls by Crows Nest's HaNa Ju-Rin, The Rocks' Shiki Japanese and Redfern's Donut Papi. Each stall will serve a special rice dish for the occasion, along with other signature menu items. The cherry on top is a rice dessert cooking demo by MasterChef's Hoda Kobeissi. To drink, Sydney Sake Society will be serving up three different types of sake (and free tastings) as well as ice-cold Orion draft beer. If you're looking to learn a bit more about the Japanese rice wine — and learn the difference between junmai-shu and ginjo-shu — head to a sake masterclass. The festival is set outdoors in the Entertainment Quarter's Showring and entry is free. Word Rice Festival is open from 12–5pm on both days.
Sydney’s oldest community festival, held over a kilometre of Glebe Point Road (between Parramatta and Bridge Roads), is back on Sunday, November 18, with more than 200 food, fashion, books, and antique stalls, plus music stages and family entertainment. In its 29th year, the bohemian street festival attracts more than 100,000 people every November, filling the car-free road with produce from all over Australia. Amid a long day of stalls and gigs, Triple J Unearthed band Belle and the Bone People (pictured), from Sydney’s inner west, will be performing on the Parramatta Road Stage.
