Something delightful has been happening in cinemas across the country. After months spent empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Australian picture palaces are back in business — spanning both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vdaJcoKk0s PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN Promising Young Woman would've made an excellent episode or season of Veronica Mars. That's meant as the highest compliment to both the bubblegum-hued take on the rape-revenge genre and the cult-status private detective series. Writer/director Emerald Fennell clearly isn't blind to the parallels between the two, even casting Veronica Mars stars Max Greenfield (New Girl) and Chris Lowell (GLOW) in her feature debut. Don't go thinking the Killing Eve season two showrunner and The Crown actor is simply following in other footsteps, though. At every moment, the brilliant and blistering Promising Young Woman vibrates with too much anger, energy and insight to merely be a copycat of something else. It's a film made with the savviest of choices, and provocative and downright fearless ones as well, in everything from its soundtrack to its weaponised pastel, peppy and popping Instagram-friendly imagery. You don't include Italian quartet Archimia's orchestral version of Britney Spears' 'Toxic', Paris Hilton's 'Stars Are Blind' and an abundance of vibrant surface sheen in a movie about a woman waging war on the culture of sexual assault without trying to make a statement — and Fennell succeeds again and again. She has also made the smart decision to cast Carey Mulligan, and to draw upon the acclaimed actor's near-peerless ability to express complex internalised turmoil. Mulligan's fierce lead performance scorches, sears and resounds with such burning truth, and so does the feature she's in as a result. When Mulligan's character, Cassie Thomas, is introduced, she's inebriated and alone at a nightclub, her clothing riding up as she slouches in her seat. Three men discuss women over beverages by the bar, and notice Cassie while talking, with one commenting, "they put themselves in danger, girls like that". No woman brings sexual assault upon themselves, with this whole intelligent and astute revenge-thriller rebuffing the bro-ish bar guy's early observation in every way possible, and meting out punishment to those who think similarly. As viewers see in the film's opening sequence, Cassie is offered help by one of the chatting guys, Jerry (The OC's Adam Brody), who is concerned she could be taken advantage of by men who aren't as nice as him — but then takes her home, makes sexual advances, and learns that the medical school dropout-turned-coffee shop employee he's trying to bed has a lesson for him. Colour-coded names and tallies scrawled in a notebook illustrate this isn't a first for Cassie. The script drip-feeds details about its protagonist's motivations for her ritualistic actions; however, the specifics aren't hard to guess. Cassie's central vigilante quest is forced to adapt after she hears news about someone from her past, and the movie takes her to bold places, boasting a relentlessness that mirrors the persistence of grief and pain after trauma. Promising Young Woman never lets its protagonist's rage subside, proving furious from start to finish — and sharing that feeling even in the film's most overt setups and obvious scenes (which are also some of its most entertaining) is a foregone conclusion. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4gSLP9Smlg SUMMERLAND Opening in the mid-70s, Summerland begins with Alice Lamb (Penelope Wilton, Downton Abbey) tapping away at her typewriter and scaring away the children who come knocking at her door. Rewind to the 40s, and the younger Alice (Gemma Arterton, Their Finest) does much the same. She's been labelled a witch by the kids in her seaside village, and she's hardly happy when the pre-teen Frank (Lucas Bond, The Alienist: Angel of Darkness) arrives on her doorstep as part of a government program to evacuate the next generation from London. In fact, Alice demands that he be rehoused instead of interrupting her work; however, she's told that'll take a week. Moving to the big screen after stage success as a playwright and theatre director (and making short film Leading Lady Parts, also starring Arterton), debut feature filmmaker Jessica Swale penned the original script, so Summerland isn't based on an existing text or property — but everyone watching knows Alice and Frank have ample time to overcome their initial animosity, and that that's exactly what'll happen. Indeed, exploring an unexpected connection between a misanthrope and the young boy placed in her care, tackling multiple types of trauma, and espousing the enduring need for hope, this primarily World War II-set drama proves standard, straightforward and predictable in many ways. And yet, it also demonstrates that a feature can be neat, obvious, heartfelt and rivetingly acted all at once. When it spins a story about a woman given a new lease on life via an unanticipated bond that's thrust upon her, Summerland rarely flirts with surprise, let alone delivers many. Again and again, Swale's screenplay makes easily anticipated choices, and yet it also tells a resonant tale in the process. The film feels as if it has been built around Arterton, and it's definitely better for it. Thanks to her lived-in performance, Alice is able to navigate a formulaic emotional journey and still staunchly feel like her own person at the same time. Other than Arterton's memorable efforts, Summerland also benefits from two specific aspects: the backstory behind Alice's demeanour, and the way it unpacks her outsider status. Inescapably, the movie includes an almost-cringeworthy, far-too-convenient twist — but when it leaps back to the 20s, to Alice's immediate attraction to and subsequent time with Vera (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Misbehaviour) during her university studies, it doesn't just add a love story to the narrative. In its flashbacks and the shadow they leave on Alice's WWII-era life, the film also invests depth and emotion that isn't as strong otherwise, unleashes unexpected elements that aren't evident elsewhere, and offers a quiet yet potent undercurrent of subversion as well. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxGXbsiDhw0 SPREAD YOUR WINGS Whether they're about people helping other creatures find a way back home, spin stories about connections between different species that change everyone involved, or combine the two in one setup, films about humanity's bond with cute critters comprise a hefty genre. French family-friendly drama Spread Your Wings doesn't just belong in this category, but heartily embraces everything that audiences have come to expect from features that fit the above description — and it also shows how charming movies about humans and animals can be when done simply but well. Sharing a storyline similar to 1996 American film Fly Away Home, but actually based on the real-life exploits of meteorologist Christian Moullec, the latest effort from filmmaker Nicolas Vanier (Belle & Sebastian, School of Life) follows a scientist who is certain that he can save an endangered species of wild geese by teaching them a new migration route, even if his superiors scoff at his idea. With the flying waterfowl's usual path filled with hazards, such as airports, powerlines and light pollution, Christian (Jean-Paul Rouve, I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere) plots an alternate course, raises a new gaggle of goslings from birth, then plans to take to the skies in a homemade ultra-light aircraft to show them the way. Working with a screenplay written by Moullec and Matthieu Petit, then adapted by Vanier and Lilou Fogli (Blind Date), Spread Your Wings recognises the strength of its story. Crucially, while it tells Moullec's tale via fiction rather than as a documentary, it doesn't overcomplicate or overdramatise the narrative. Sent to stay with him for three weeks, Christian's teenage son Thomas (Louis Vazquez, In Her Hands) becomes as engaged in the project as his dad, even taking the lead when authorities in Norway try to scupper their flight — and while everything in the plot charts the expected course, including Thomas' involvement and the firm bond he forges not only with all the geese in his care, but with one white waterfowl from a different species, Spread Your Wings always feels as if it's telling a timeless story, rather than a cliched and well-worn one. The lively efforts of Rouve and a tender performance from Vazquez helps immensely, as does the scenic cinematography, which heads above the earth as much as it can. Vanier is obviously well aware that he's soaring into busy territory, and opts for a classic approach — which pleasingly works for viewers of all ages. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6iXpyVQf5Q&feature=youtu.be BUDDY GAMES When Adam Sandler factored into Oscar consideration for his phenomenal performance in Uncut Gems this time last year, he said that if he didn't receive a nomination from the Academy, he'd make a movie that was downright terrible on purpose. He doesn't star in Buddy Games, and this flat-out awful comedy actually premiered six months before Uncut Gems did (yes, even though it is just reaching Australian cinemas now); however, it's the kind of film one would imagine that Sandler was talking about. Directed, co-written by and starring Transformers: The Last Knight actor Josh Duhamel, this oppressively unfunny flick feels like the product of a bet to turn Jackass into fiction, to make it as awful and obnoxious as possible, and to give Duhamel both a cruisy filmmaking credit and the easiest on-screen role of his career. The premise: for years, a group of male friends have gathered together over a boozy summer weekend to compete in challenges, obstacle courses and games, with bragging rights the ultimate prize. Then one of their get-togethers goes wrong, the tournaments are shuttered and everyone loses touch. Jump to five years later, when ringleader Bobfather (played by Duhamel, of course) is convinced to restart the festivities by his struggling pal Shelly (Dan Bakkedahl, Space Force) — and, at the urging of the rest of the gang (Entourage's Kevin Dillon, Psych's James Roday Rodriguez, CHiPS' Dax Shepard and The Wrong Missy's Nick Swardson), to put up $150,000 for the winner. Duhamel and his fellow first-time feature screenwriters Bob Schwartz and Jude Weng must find testicle jokes and cocktails made with semen hilarious, because that's comedic level that Buddy Games operates on. Also covered: men strapping slabs of meat to their head, then trying not to get attacked by a wild reptile; and a chauvinist contest to see who can pick up a woman at a bar, dance with them and land a kiss, all after just taking laxatives and straining to avoid defecating. While meant to garner laughs, the film simply serves up sad middle-aged men trying to assert their masculinity and hold onto their youth in a puerile way — and says plenty about the folks who thought it was a movie worth making. Unsurprisingly given the alpha male traits aggressively on display, women barely feature, and are either stunning but still one of the guys when they do (with The Predator's Olivia Munn the only female cast member with any real screen-time) or painted as the object of no one's real affection. Homophobic references abound, too, and the fact that one of the group is secretly gay (his only character trait) is as cliched and flimsily thought-out as it sounds. Not even the cast appears particularly committed to their parts, other than Duhamel, obviously, and an over-acting Bakkedahl. Adam Sandler didn't end up getting an Oscar nomination for Uncut Gems — but whatever he thinks will be his absolute worst film is bound to be better better than Buddy Games. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas — or has been throughout the year — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23 and July 30; August 6, August 13, August 20 and August 27; September 3, September 10, September 17 and September 24; October 1, October 8, October 15, October 22 and October 29; and November 5, November 12, November 19 and November 26; and December 3, December 10, December 17, December 26 and January 1. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Personal History of David Copperfield, Waves, The King of Staten Island, Babyteeth, Deerskin, Peninsula, Tenet, Les Misérables, The New Mutants, Bill & Ted Face the Music, The Translators, An American Pickle, The High Note, On the Rocks, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Antebellum, Miss Juneteenth, Savage, I Am Greta, Rebecca, Kajillionaire, Baby Done, Corpus Christi, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, The Craft: Legacy, Radioactive, Brazen Hussies, Freaky, Mank, Monsoon, Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt), American Utopia, Possessor, Misbehaviour, Happiest Season, The Prom, Sound of Metal, The Witches, The Midnight Sky, The Furnace, Wonder Woman 1984, Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles, Nomadland, Pieces of a Woman and The Dry.
Nicolas Winding Refn might've only made three films this decade, but they've all left an imprint. With Drive, Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon each boasting glistening neon hues, pulsating electronic soundtracks and grim, gritty underworld stories, how could they not? It has been three years since the Danish filmmaker's last movie, and while he doesn't have another big-screen release on the horizon just yet, he does have something else in store. Come mid-June, viewers will be able to watch new Amazon series Too Old to Die Young. Even better — all ten episodes are reportedly feature-length. As well as co-creating and co-writing the show with comic book writer and cartoonist Ed Brubaker, Refn directed every instalment, so fans can basically expect the equivalent of ten new movies from the Pusher, Bronson and Valhalla Rising helmer. In the series' first sneak peek, a cop (Miles Teller) talks about killing someone, Los Angeles' criminal underworld features prominently, the city gleams by night, John Hawkes and Jena Malone look secretive, and Cliff Martinez's distinctive beats kick in. Story-wise, hit men, Yakuza soldiers, Mexican cartel assassins and Russian mobsters all pop up as well, as does plenty of violence. Yes, it seems like Refn is in very comfortable territory. Chatting with The Hollywood Reporter last year, Brubaker described Too Old to Die Young as "the most Nicolas Winding Refn thing that ever existed, honestly". Billy Baldwin, Callie Hernandez, Cristina Rodlo (Miss Bala), Augusto Aguilera (The Predator), Nell Tiger Free (Game of Thrones), Babs Olusanmokun (Black Mirror), video game creator Hideo Kojima and Aussie actor Callan Mulvey help round out the cast. Check out the initial trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5ebyEQLYCI Too Old To Die Young hits Amazon Prime Video on June 14.
Under the theme of Only One Earth, the 2022 edition of World Environment Day lands on Sunday, June 5. An annual occurrence since its inception in 1973, the United Nations Environment Programme initiative calls on people from all walks of life to consider the impact they have on the planet, and works to raise awareness, inspire change and celebrate action. One such action is the NSW Government's Return and Earn scheme, which provides an action-based solution for anyone to responsibly dispose of the bottles, cans and cartons we all generate as our thirst is quenched during day-to-day escapades. And it couldn't be more simple, either. First step: collect your recyclables (after making sure they're accepted). Next: find a return spot near you (there are over 600 throughout NSW), transport yourself there and get returning. Choose between a refund or charitable donation and that's it — you're taking steps towards making the planet better for all. At the time of writing, 7,504,250,101 drink containers have been returned via the program — and over $30 million has been received by charities and community groups. These whopping numbers are illustrative of the powerful impact of small actions. And if you wanted some slightly more personal stats, check out the handy impact calculator, which allows you to see the direct impact your returning has on water, energy and landfill. What better time to start doing good with your recyclables than World Environment Day? Head to the website to find out more.
Longrain and Spice I Am, you'd better look out. Chef and Thai food expert David Thompson is officially making a return to Sydney, where he'll be opening another branch of Long Chim, his fun-loving eatery that has already won over hungry hordes in Perth and Singapore. Whether you've spent many years living in Bangkok or have simply had a one-night stopover on your way elsewhere, you'll know that eating in Thailand isn't just about what's on your plate. It's also about revelling in — or at least surrendering to — the city's freneticism. There are so many people, so many lights, so many noises and so many smells coming from so many directions. It's hard to take it all in. And that's a big part of Long Chim's appeal. Its atmosphere is a bit of recreation of Bangkok's streets; an open kitchen sends out all manner of delicious smells, sounds of crashing woks and clattering utensils, and service at lightning speed. In Sydney, the eatery will be taking over a multi-level, 190-seater space in an old basement underneath Martin Place, which Thompson has developed in collaboration with FJM Property and designer Kelly Ross from The Gentry. You'll have a choice of seating, from communal tables to counter stools to out-of-the-way alcoves, and there'll be original artworks from both Thai and Australian artists. "At Long Chim we want to capture all the excitement and tastes of the streets of Bangkok," said Thompson, who returns to the Sydney hospo scene after 15 years. "Long Chim is intended to be fun — 'sanuk', as the Thais say — with food and drinks that everyone loves. Our menu will have the dishes that many Thais miss the most when away from home." Long Chim Sydney plans to open in August this year. It will be located in a basement beneath 10-14 Martin Place, accessible through Angel Place. To keep updated on the restaurant's progress, follow them on Instagram.
Animals are better than people, so this double header is as good as sold out. Brendan Cowell has written The Dog, about the love triangle created when two men share a dog, and Lally Katz has created The Cat, about sharing a talking, smart-arse cat with your ex. Directing both is Ralph Myers, outgoing Belvoir artistic director, friend to all animals and real-life co-parent of Cowell's dog. Two plays, one night, funny, furry. Book it.
What's more difficult a feat: to ponder everything that the universe might hold, as writer/director James Gray did in 2019's sublime Ad Astra, or to peer back at your own childhood, as he now does with Armageddon Time? Both films focus on their own worlds, just of different sizes and scales. Both feature realms that loom over everyone, but we all experience in their own ways. In the two movies, the bonds and echoes between parents and children also earn the filmmaker's attention. Soaring into the sky and reaching beyond your assigned patch is a focus in one fashion or another, too. In both cases, thoughtful, complex and affecting movies result. And, as shared with everything he's made over the past three decades — such as The Yards, The Immigrant and The Lost City of Z as well — fantastic performances glide across the screen in unwaveringly emotionally honest pictures. In Armageddon Time, Gray returns to a favourite subject: the experience of immigrants to New York. With a surname barely removed from his own, the Graff family share his own Jewish American heritage — and anchor a portrait of a pre-teen's growing awareness of his privilege, the world's prejudices, the devastating history of his ancestors, and how tentative a place people can hold due to race, religion, money, politics and more. The year is 1980, and the end of times isn't genuinely upon anyone. Even the sixth-grader at its centre knows that. Still, that doesn't stop former Californian governor-turned-US presidential candidate Ronald Reagan from talking up existential threats using inflammatory language, as the Graffs spot on TV. Armageddon Time also takes its moniker from a 1977 The Clash B-side and cover; despite the film's stately approach, the punk feeling of wanting to tear apart the status quo — Gray's own adolescent status quo — dwells in its frames. Banks Repeta (The Black Phone) plays Paul Graff, Gray's on-screen surrogate, and Armageddon Time's curious and confident protagonist. At his public school in Queens, he's happy standing out alongside his new friend Johnny (Jaylin Webb, The Wonder Years), and disrupting class however and whenever he can — much to the dismay of his mother Esther (Anne Hathaway, Locked Down), a home economics teacher and school board member. He dreams of being an artist, despite his plumber dad Irving's (Jeremy Strong, Succession) stern disapproval, because the elder Graff would prefer the boy use computing as a path to a life better than his own. In his spare time, Paul is happiest with his doting, advice-dispensing, gift-bearing grandfather Aaron (Anthony Hopkins, The Father), who's considered the only person on the pre-teen's wavelength. Gray fleshes out Paul's personality and the Graffs' dynamic with candour as well as affection, as seen at an early home dinner. There, Paul criticises Esther's cooking, orders dumplings even after expressly being forbidden and incites Irving's explosive anger — and the establishing scene also starts laying bare attitudes that keep being probed and unpacked throughout Armageddon Time. Indeed, Paul will begin to glean the place he navigates in the world. Even while hearing about the past atrocities that brought his grandfather's mother to America, and the discrimination that still lingers, he'll learn that he's fortunate to hail from a middle-class Jewish family. Even if his own comfort is tenuous, Paul will see how different his life is to his black, bused-in friend, with Johnny living with his ailing grandmother, always skirting social services and constantly having condemning fingers waggling his way. And, Paul will keep spying how Johnny is at a disadvantage in every manner possible, including from their instantly scornful teacher and via Paul's own parents' quick judgement. Filmmakers diving into their own histories is one of the prevailing flavours of recent few years, including Alfonso Cuarón's Roma, Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza and Kenneth Branagh's Belfast — all Oscar-nominees, with Roma and Belfast also Oscar-winners. Don't call the trend navel-gazing, though. As much as these movies, and now Armageddon Time as well, are products of personal experience, all four films are also time capsules steeped in specific places and confronting corresponding realities. In Gray's addition to the fold, he doesn't like, love or appreciate everything that he surveys, with the director delving into happy and sorrowful slices of the past with wide-open eyes. There's another movie to be made that hones in on Johnny instead, but Armageddon Time knows what its audience does, and what Paul doesn't see as clearly but Gray can thanks to the passage of time: that small moments leave an imprint, small deeds left undone cause craters, and everyday aggressions and acts of oppression allowed to run rampant make the world shatter. That soul-searching hindsight explains Armageddon Time's overall neatness; when someone reflects upon what's come before and what it really meant, it's easy to spot intricacy and complexity that went unnoticed at the time, and to also simultaneously view the bigger picture. Still, while the film's conclusions might be blatant, this is a layered and subtle feature, as any coming-of-age contemplation set against a fraught social and political backdrop must be. With cinematographer Darius Khondji behind the lens as he was on Gray's The Immigrant and The Lost City of Z — and adding a different vision of New York to his resume compared to the frenetic Uncut Gems — Armageddon Time brings that texture to its visuals, which always have the look and feel of a memory. Painting in shades of brown is a straightforward, instantly evocative and significant choice; nothing in this powerful feature is ever rose-tinted. There's nothing simple about Armageddon Time's performances, either. In fact, Repeta and Webb manage something remarkable, more than holding their own against the reliably excellent Hopkins, Hathaway and Strong. The young pair's camaraderie shines, whether Paul and Johnny are getting sent to detention, bonding over space and Sugarhill Gang's 'Rapper's Delight', skiving off from a school excursion or smoking the joint that'll get Paul moved to his older brother's snobbish private school — where racism and classism is overt among the offspring of rich Republicans, and where then-Assistant United States Attorney Maryanne Trump (Jessica Chastain, The Good Nurse), Donald Trump's sister, addresses assembly. In Hathaway and Strong's work, complications and contradictions abound, with the former getting the thinner-written role and the latter the best redemptive moment, but the two combining to offer a snapshot of being seemingly progressive in a country engrained with intolerance. As for Hopkins, he's so naturalistic and effortless that even the harshest truths feel digestible in his presence. Armageddon Time is largely that sensation in filmic form, too — tenderly, poignantly and unflinchingly.
Stay tuned. More info coming soon.
There's yoga and then there's yoga while surrounded by koalas. On a rooftop. At sunset. For a good cause. The latter is exactly what you can do at Wild Life Sydney Zoo's two Koala Sunset Yoga sessions, which it's hosting on its openair Koala Rooftop on Tuesday, December 10 and Wednesday, December 11. You'll be shavasana-ing and tree posing surrounded by ten of the extremely adorable marsupials, with the beginner-appropriate classes run by Kiin Yoga and Flow Athletic. They'll also be providing the mats, so just rock up in comfy clothes and get ready to get stretchy. Tickets to each class will set you back $45 will 100 percent of proceeds going to Koalas in Care and WIRES Bushfire Emergency Fund, both which are helping rescue and care for wildlife injured during the catastrophic bushfires across NSW. According to WIRES, 850,000 hectares of land has been destroyed so far and, with 90 fires still burning (at time of publication), this number is expected to continue growing. There'll be raffles held on both nights, too, with prizes including yoga memberships and breakfasts on the Koala Rooftop. Tickets are $5, so bring cash if you're keen.
If you love movies and the magic that goes into making them, it's easy to get spirited away when you head to the cinema. Come late August, however, that will definitely prove the case, because Studio Ghibli's moving castles, cat buses and cute balls of fluff are taking over screens across Sydney. From August 24, the acclaimed and adored Japanese animation house will be floating across movie theatres thanks to a month-long Celebrate Studio Ghibli showcase. The jam-packed program spans all 22 of their gorgeous flicks plus a behind-the-scenes documentary. Yes, that means devouring everything from Hayao Miyazaki's early efforts such as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Laputa: Castle in the Sky, to perennial crowd-pleasers My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away, to later efforts like Ponyo and The Wind Rises. Of course, while Miyazaki might've become synonymous with the studio he helped build, he's not their only filmmaking force — as doco The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness demonstrates. Ghibli's other stars also get their time to shine, with the likes of Isao Takahata' Grave of the Fireflies, Only Yesterday and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, Tomomi Mochizuki's Ocean Waves, Hiroyuki Morita's The Cat Returns, and Gorō Miyazaki's Tales from Earthsea and From Up on Poppy Hill also on the bill. Basically, whichever Ghibli movie is your favourite, you'll get the chance to revisit it on the big screen.
If you haven't experienced a sweat-inducing, VHS-style aerobics class made popular by the likes of Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons, we recommend you change that ASAP. Luckily, we've got you covered. In partnership with Good Food Month, we're hosting a series of Monday morning retro aerobics classes — and we've got six double passes to give away. Whip out the hot pink and turquoise lycra, tease up your hair and get ready for fitness queen Shannon Dooley's Retrosweat, Palm Springs edition. Dubbed 'Not Another Manic Monday', these classes will get your heart pumping as you high-kick your way into a new week with beats and moves from one of the most outlandish decades — when bum bags, acid wash and power suits were king. What's more, the Good Food Month version of the '80s workout will bring out the So Cal vibes that'll make you crave a whiz down Venice Beach with your skates, high cut leotard and pastel leg warmers. Why's that? Because this year's Good Food Month will see Hyde Park transform into Hyde Park Palms, a Palm Springs-inspired food, drink and party hub. Feeling a bit intimidated by this much energy exertion on a Monday? Don't worry, after the 50 minutes of high intensity, '80s moves, you'll be given a 'naughty' takeaway brekkie courtesy of Black Star Pastry and cake creative Katherine Sabbath, to keep you buzzing the rest of the day. What's on the menu? Think a bacon bread twist, quiche lorraine and mini custard flan from Black Star Pastry, and a cheeky cactus cookie by Sabbath. Enter our competition below to win a double pass to a Not Another Manic Monday session on Monday, October 16 or Tuesday, October 17. See you and your lycra there. [competition]638001[/competition] Words: Quinn Connors and Jonathan Ford.
If you're a fan of Gelato Messina and its sweet treats, 2020 and 2021 have been years that just keep on giving. That saying doesn't apply to much at all of late, but it definitely fits in this situation. The dessert chain has released all manner of one-off specials, launched a new range of chocolate-covered ice cream bars in supermarkets, dropped a new merchandise line and brought back its Christmas trifle, for starters — and, after taking care of your summer drinks list, it's now moving on to Easter cocktails. Teaming up with Cocktail Porter, Messina has a new DIY kit that'll let you make your own boozy beverage — this time using its dulce de leche, and pouring it inside an Easter egg. Basically, it's the answer to a familiar dilemma, especially at this time of year. No one likes choosing between tucking into an orb of chocolate or having another boozy beverage, after all. The Messina dulce de leche and coffee cocktail packs come with the brand's popular topping, as well as Baileys, cold-drip coffee and Mr Black Coffee Liqueur. You'll also receive chocolate Easter eggs, which you'll pour your mixed liquids into, as well as pieces of salted caramel popcorn to pop on top. You can pick between two different-sized packs, with the small kit costing $80 and making five drinks, and the large costing $140 and making 12. A second type of seasonal kit is also available, without Messina products, but featuring espresso martinis served out Lindt milk chocolate bunnies. This one also comes with vodka, cold-filter coffee, sugar syrup and Mr Black Coffee Liqueur, and the prices for both small and large batches are the same. Cocktail Porter delivers Australia-wide, if that's your Easter drinking plans now sorted. To order Cocktail Porter's Easter cocktail kits, head to the Cocktail Porter website.
This article is sponsored by our partners Thredbo. The first-ever Efterski Festival is shaping up to be Australia's most comprehensive snow-inspired event. Whether you're a pro who can’t keep off the white stuff, an amateur who isn't afraid to get your fancy dress on, or a filmmaker with a secret inkling that you could be the David Attenborough of extreme sports photography, you'll find a way to get involved. Running over five days from September 10, Efterski centres around the Toyota One Hit Wonder Big Air, the only gold ranked AFP (Association of Freeskiing Professionals) event in the Southern Hemisphere. The world’s most skilled (and least frightened) freeskiiers spend four days showing the judges (and us — the whole thing happens in the sky, so it's visible for free) exactly what they can do with 100 feet of time in the air. Australia's biggest freeskiing cash prize is their inspiration. The winners are announced at the Saturday night afterparty, held in Thredbo Village and sponsored by Rekorderlig. Efterski's second major event is the Atomic Alpine Knockout, a dual giant slalom. To be held on Friday, September 13, it's a new addition to the alpine competition calendar, boasting a $10,000 prize pool. Gun skiiers and snowboarders are still welcome to enter and, if sufficient snowboarding pairs show interest, a snowboarding division may well be on the cards. Saturday, September 14, will be witness to the most universally friendly event of the week — the Rhythm Skim Showdown. Anyone can enter ("skier, snowboarder or snoller-blader"), as long as they're committed to turning up in fancy dress and risk getting wet in a 'pond skim'. Prizes go the Best Outfit and the Best Wipe-Out, with DJs providing some inspiration. Finally, if you prefer to record the action, as opposed to becoming a participant, the Efterski's Contour Rookie Film Comp would love to see your work. They're looking for three-minute action sports short films that are viewable by a PG13+ audience, including at least one shot set in Thredbo and feature at least one point-of-view shot. Of course, if all of that is sounding like too much action, you can always spend the weekend in the village, immersed in the 'Big Beats' dimension of the Efterski programme.
From Four Pillars to Archie Rose and Poor Toms, Australia is home to some of the world's best gin. Now, a new player is about to emerge, with a new distillery set to open in the shadow of the Sydney Harbour Bridge later this year. Hickson House Distilling Co is the new distillery opening in The Rocks this June. The distillery is the new venture from Mikey Enright and Julian Train (The Barber Shop, The Duke of Clarence), as well as former Manly Spirits distiller Tim Stones. The distillery's first products will be a range of gins made using all locally sourced ingredients, including native botanicals from The Loch farm in Berrima. As well as creating gins, and eventually whiskies, aperitifs and specialist spirits, Hickson House will also be open to the public for a range of tours, tastings and dining experiences. [caption id="attachment_798830" align="alignnone" width="1920"] A render of Hickson House[/caption] You'll be able to purchase bottles of the house-made spirits from an on-site store or visit a cocktail bar, which will sit above the distillery floor, serving tasty creations that champion the Hickson House spirits alongside a complementary menu of botanical-inspired food. While the menu for the bar and dining experience is yet to be revealed, we've been told it'll feature Enright and Train's take on modern Australian cuisine. The 450-square-metre warehouse is the former parking garage of the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi. The garage is currently being transformed into the bar and distillery with the garage roller doors proposed as the planned entrance. Designed by Sydney agency Steel + Stitch and UK designer Sara Mathers, the bar will feature twin chandeliers and will retain much of the aesthetic nature of the original warehouse. Hickson House Distilling Co is slated to open on Hickson Road, The Rocks in June 2021. Top image: Mikey Enright, Julian Train and Tim Stones
Those keen to jump in their car — or on a plane — and explore another Australian state or territory may be able to do just that this winter, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison hinting that interstate travel could be back on the cards by early July. After a national cabinet meeting today, Tuesday, May 5, the Prime Minister said he was hopeful interstate travel would be a possibility by the next end-of-term school holiday, which is June 26 in Queensland and Victoria, and July 3 in the ACT and NSW. "It's part of the road back that national cabinet is considering," the Prime Minister said in response to a question about interstate travel. "Hopefully, by the end of term school holiday, if [Australians] are able to go and have a holiday on the Gold Coast or in South Australia or in — wherever it happens to be out of one's home state — let's hope that is possible because that will be great for those places in terms of the tourism impact." This does, of course, depend on some Australian states and territories reopening their borders. Queensland, Tasmania, WA, SA and the NT have all suspended non-essential cross-border travel and require interstate arrivals to quarantine for 14 days. The possibility of interstate travel resuming this winter was a sentiment echoed earlier today by Qantas, too. In a statement released this morning, the Australian airline group said, "the initial easing of government restrictions suggests some domestic travel may start to return before the end of July". When domestic travel does ramp up, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said Melbourne-Sydney flights on Jetstar could drop as low as $19. The airline also announced that it had extended flight cancellations from the end of May through to the end of July, but that "some capacity can be added back in if domestic and Trans-Tasman restrictions ease in coming weeks". New Zealand is another travel possibility that's been flagged for Australians the near future, with Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy previously saying it could be allowed by within the next three-to-four months. The Prime Minister also said that he'd been discussing a Trans-Tasman travel bubble for "several weeks" with NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who joined today's national cabinet meeting, and that, in terms of international travel, it was "the most obvious place to start" but that was "still some time away". It's expected a clearer look at the "road out" and some possible easing of restrictions will be announced on Friday, May 8, after this week's second national cabinet meeting. Top image: Numbananga Lodge by MVandavee for NPWS.
Looking to escape winter? We hear you. That's why we've teamed up with the wild child of luxury Cairns hotels, Crystalbrook Flynn, to give one lucky CP reader — and a plus one — the chance to win the ultimate tropical getaway. If you're looking for a big dose of sunshine and the rush of adventure, pop your details below to go into the running to score a Thrill and Chill package. The getaway includes two nights in the spacious Flynn's Suite (which features unbeatable views of the Coral Sea) with a Wolf Lane negroni on arrival; return private transfer between the airport and the hotel; daily breakfast for two at Flynn's Italian; a scenic helicopter flight over the Great Barrier Reef or Wet Tropics rainforest; 60-minute signature spa treatment for two at Eléme Day Spa; and a fully stocked cabana for a seriously lavish pool day including champagne, charcuterie, fresh seasonal fruit, poolside lunch and bottomless sparkling water and soft drinks. To sweeten the deal, we'll also throw in a $500 flight voucher to get you there and back. The five-star hotel is located in the heart of Cairns, just footsteps from Cairns Esplanade. And with so many incredible ways to experience Tropical North Queensland, you'll be perfectly positioned for the ultimate escape from winter — if you even want to leave the hotel. It's time to channel your inner thrill-seeker, and jet set to the tropics. [competition]859968[/competition]
UPDATE, October 9, 2021: Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is available to stream via Disney+, and is also screening in Sydney cinemas when they reopen on Monday, October 11. Much of Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) involves stunning archival footage, as recorded more than five decades ago, capturing live performances by an astonishing lineup of musicians. At the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, a free series of gigs that rolled out across six weekend and saw around 300,000 people head along, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, BB King, Sly and the Family Stone, the Staples Singers, Mahalia Jackson and Gladys Knight & the Pips all took to the stage — among others — and the newly unearthed reels that immortalised their efforts are truly the stuff that music documentary dreams are made of. For his filmmaking debut, Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson could've simply stitched together different songs from various sets across the festival, and let those music superstars lead the show. He could've taken the immersive, observational approach as Amazing Grace did with Aretha Franklin and her famed gospel gigs, and jettisoned context. But The Roots frontman and drummer doesn't make that choice, and he ensures that two words echo strongly throughout the film as a result: "Black Woodstock". Also in New York — upstate in the town of Bethel, 100 miles north of Harlem — Woodstock itself took place in the summer of 1969 as well. The Harlem Cultural Festival kicked off before and kept playing after its better-known counterpart ended, but comparing the two events makes quite the statement. Why has one endured in public consciousness and proven pervasive in popular culture, but not the other? Why did footage of one quickly get turned into a film, with the Woodstock documentary first reaching cinemas in 1970, but recordings of the other largely sat in a basement for half a century? Why did television veteran Hal Tulchin, who shot the entire Harlem Cultural Festival from start to finish on four cameras loaded up with two-inch videotape, get told that there was little interest in releasing much from a "Black Woodstock"? (One New York TV station aired two hour-long specials at the time, but that's all that eventuated until now.) These questions and the US' historical treatment of people in colour go hand in hand, and whenever the words "Black Woodstock" are uttered, that truth flutters through Summer of Soul. Here's another query that belongs with the others: why was such an important event left to fade in memories, and in broader awareness, to the point that many watching Questlove's exceptional doco won't have heard of it until now? Consider Summer of Soul an act of unearthing, reclamation and celebration, then. It's a gift, too. The archival materials that are so critical to the film are glorious, whether a 19-year-old Wonder is tickling the ivories; a young Staples is singing with Jackson, her idol; The 5th Dimension are breaking out matching outfits while crooning their 'Aquarius' and 'Let the Sunshine In' medley; or Simone is delivering her anthem 'To Be Young, Gifted and Black' with fierce passion. Powerful moments featuring immense talents like these keep popping up, including The Temptations' David Ruffin singing 'My Girl', and Reverend Jesse Jackson introducing Jackson and Staples' rendition of 'Precious Lord, Take My Hand' by giving a eulogy for Martin Luther King Jr. These are slices in time that everyone — every music lover, every fan of every single artist featured and everyone in general — needs to see, and now can. Savvily, Questlove also weaves through an exploration of the whys and hows not just behind the Harlem Cultural Festival, but also surrounding its lack of attention since. Where he can, he chats to the musicians, canvassing their recollections and reactions. Just as crucial: his interviews with attendees, many of whom were kids that were taken along by their parents. These festival-goers reflect upon how strong the event remains in their childhood memories; how it shaped them, their music tastes and their personalities afterwards; and the sense of togetherness that floated through the shows with the summer breeze. Their reminiscences tie into the broader discussion into New York City at the time, America's political climate — MLK was assassinated a year earlier, and Black Panthers acted as the festival's security — and the determination within the Black community to champion itself at every turn. Journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault even shares her fight to get The New York Times to print the term 'Black' as pride around it grew. Also covered: the moon landing, and the conflicting sentiment about whether it was a giant leap for humankind or a wasteful step that spent money that could've been better put to use on earth (and specifically in Harlem). Indeed, this is a portrait of an era, a neighbourhood and its people as much as it's a window into one essential and historic festival. As its subtitle notes, it's also a snapshot of a revolutionary mood. If there's one misstep here, and it's just one, it comes from a few contemporary snippets of commentary that don't add anything beyond the obvious. Most movies can be improved by getting Lin-Manuel Miranda involved, but the Hamilton and In the Heights visionary's insights into the potency of music aren't needed here — because the footage, and the tales from the people who went to the Harlem Cultural Festival, say it all anyway. Questlove finds plenty of time for shots of the crowd, showing their response to the sets playing onstage, and all those jubilant faces and swaying bodies paint the strongest picture there is. Unsurprisingly, Summer of Soul captures their joy with an impassioned rhythm. Its director is also a DJ and music director, after all (including at the 2021 Oscars), and he knows where to bob in and out of tracks, vibes and refrains. When the film ends with one festival attendee watching footage from the event and exclaiming "I'm not crazy!" because he now has proof that this oft-overlooked "Black Woodstock" was real, it's the ultimate mic drop. Wanting to devour every second of material that Tulchin shot all those years ago is a clear side effect, though.
When winter blows her icy breath on our pale, dressing-gown-clad bodies, it can be all too tempting to stay indoors on the couch with a cup of tea and some mindless TV. Put down your Earl Grey because getaway experts Mr & Mrs Smith want you to embrace the chill and explore your own extended backyard with these ten deals and one killer competition celebrating Victoria's hidden charms. Whether you're keen to wander the countryside or draw near to the beating heart of the city, Mr & Mrs Smith will get you out of your Ugg boots and knee-deep into Victoria. As the frost sets in, Melbourne comes into its own, enchanting you with an abundance of cosy cafes and busy bars nestled in cool hidden laneways. Get your warm winter wardrobe at the unique boutiques and fashion strips on Chapel Street or get a healthy dose of culture at the many art, music and theatre shows on offer. Venture just an hour or two out of the city and you'll be swept away in the beauty of the Victorian countryside. Sip a batch of the freshest cider from the Yarra Valley and go on a tasting trail on your bike of locally grown wine and produce. Explore the natural beauty as you hike through the Grampians. Get your wetsuit on and forget about your goosebumps as you surf some world-famous beaches along the Great Ocean Road or be treated like royalty in the luxurious hotels of Daylesford. Mr & Mrs Smith have selected only the most standout boutique hotels and smart self-catering stays to tempt you off your couch and get you ensconced in a Victorian winter getaway. Win the Ultimate Victorian Adventure Mr & Mrs Smith are offering a chance to win the ultimate Victorian winter wonderland holiday for two. You'll be spoiled in the city with two nights at the Prince in St Kilda, where you can treat yourself to dinner at the top-rated Circa restaurant. Then head to Daylesford, spending two nights in the luxurious spa at the Lake House. Finish your trip off with two nights at the Mornington Pensinula’s beachside Big Blue Backyard and get the blood pumping with a dip in the ocean. You'll feel like a rockstar with a BMW X Series car ride to get up close and personal with the sights of Victoria. Return Qantas flights for two will get you to Melbourne from your closest Australian capital city. Enter the competition via their website. Exclusive Offers from Mr & Mrs Smith Can't wait? Check out all of Mr & Mrs Smith’s exclusive offers for Concrete Playground readers. 1. Big Blue Backyard, St. Andrews Beach Exclusive to Mr & Mrs Smith and Visit Victoria travellers; Stay three nights but only pay for two on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula. 2. The Cullen, Melbourne Exclusive to Mr & Mrs Smith and Visit Victoria travellers; save 20 per cent on Studio Suites and experience all the sights of trendy Prahran and Chapel Street. 3. Lake House, Daylesford Exclusive to Mr & Mrs Smith and Visit Victoria travellers; stay three nights but only pay for two and soak up Daylesford and the spectacular spa country. 4. Lyall Hotel and Spa, Melbourne Exclusive to Mr & Mrs Smith and Visit Victoria travellers; discover the secrets of South Yarra and the sights and delights of Chapel Street and save 20% off the usual rates. 5. Mansion Hotel & Spa, Melbourne Exclusive to Mr & Mrs Smith and Visit Victoria travellers; savour the historic surrounds, wine delights and zoo experience all within reach of this iconic hotel and save 20% off the usual rate. 6. Mollisons, Kyneton Exclusive to Mr & Mrs Smith and Visit Victoria travellers; stay three nights but only pay for two and experience historic Kyneton and surrounds. 7. Mt Sturgeon, The Grampians Exclusive to Mr & Mrs Smith and Visit Victoria travellers; stay three nights but only pay for two in the beautiful Grampians. 8. Ovolo Hotel Melbourne Exclusive to Mr & Mrs Smith and Visit Victoria travellers; visit Melbourne during winter and save 20% off rates. 9. The Prince, Melbourne Exclusive to Mr & Mrs Smith and Visit Victoria travellers; trendy St Kilda is yours to explore on this special winter offer and save 20% off the usual rates. 10. Royal Mail Hotel, The Grampians Exclusive to Mr & Mrs Smith and Visit Victoria travellers; stay three nights but only pay for two in the beautiful Grampians. To take advantage of these exclusive offers, book through the Mr & Mrs Smith website. Top image courtesty of Mr and Mrs Smith. Other images courtesy of Tourism Victoria.
The first day of March marks the first day of autumn, but when you’re at El Loco it’s never not summer. So if you are a fan of spicy tortilla, colourful flags, icy margaritas, floral oilcloth or general happiness, chase the ephemeral form of Sydney’s favourite Mexican cantina to its new home in the Slip Inn courtyard. If you made to the pop up at Sydney’s Opera House you’ll know the deal: Kitschy décor, a killer snack menu featuring Dan Hong’s infamous tacos and cheese-drowned hot dogs, and a “secret taco” that always tends to increase in appeal as the bucket of Coronas diminishes. Everything is priced around the $6 - $10 mark, including a few additional items made exclusively for the CBD’s brightest pop up. Between Wednesday and Saturday there will be live entertainment kicking on until last Coronas are called, which on weekends will be well after midnight. El Loco at Slip Inn will be open Monday to Thursday, from midday til midnight and Friday & Saturday, from midday til late.
As part of this year’s Art & About Festival, the extremely agile members of the innovative Shaun Parker & Company (Happy as Larry, The Yard) will be turning three different Sydney playgrounds into their temporary stages for SPILL. Treat your inner child to what is guaranteed to be a memorable (and free!) 30 minutes of cutting-edge choreography performed by four very talented people. I mean, come on, when have you ever seen brightly coloured professional dancers leaping, swinging, jumping and rolling their way across swings, seesaws and climbing frames? Even better, this crazy street dance-meets-child's play is accompanied by the intriguing music of Nick Wales. For a glimpse of what you’re in for, check out this video. And more good news: after every show you can do an audience participation workshop with the performers. So start limbering up now. SPILL takes place at 10.30 am and 12.30 pm at the following playgrounds: Victoria Park, 20-23 September Wentworth Park, 26-30 September Sydney Park, 4-7 October
This long weekend sees The Dolphin Hotel fire up for a huge all-day NYC-inspired party on Sunday, June 9, marking the eighth edition of the Italo Dining & Disco Club run by restaurateurs Maurice Terzini (The Dolphin, Icebergs, Bondi Beach Public Bar) and Giovanni Paradiso (10 William Street, Fratelli Paradiso). And every corner of the Surry Hills boozer is getting involved in a different way. It all kicks off in the dining room (12–5pm), where the kitchen will be whipping up a generous Italian-American menu, headlined by a range of NYC-style 20-inch pizzas, available as whole pies or by the slice. You'll also spy a selection of pasta, fried calamari, fresh salads and a chicken parma sub, which can be paired with a hefty lineup of wines. Award-winning bartender Matt Whiley has also knocked up a snazzy list of cocktails, featuring drinks like the Rome and Stormy, starring Amaretto, ginger and lemon myrtle kombucha. When you're done with lunch, head upstairs to the top floor cocktail bar Scout (2–7pm) for even more inventive Italo sips, including the strawberry gum-infused Miami Vice negroni. A special edition of Delfino Aperitivo will then take over the Dolphin's Wine Room from 5–7pm, offering Italian snacks (and most likely Jatz) by Mitch Orr (of the soon-to-close Acme), alongside a menu of American and Italian wines and other libations by sommeliers Marie Sophie and James Hird. From 7pm, the party really heats up, as the dining room is transformed into a dance floor and New York-based DJ Mike Simonetti takes the decks for a free disco-drenched evening, running until late. Itali Dining & Disco Club runs from midday–10pm.
These days, travel trends shift in the same way as food, music or fashion. Destinations that were popular a few years ago don't always stay that way, and as you scroll through Instagram, you'll often see your friends all hitting up the same travel hotspots. Instead of chasing the same locations, travelling in 2026 is about going somewhere that feels fresh, exciting and a little unexpected. Thanks to Singapore Airlines' Early Bird Fare Deals, you can book ahead to the cities that are sure to fuel your curiosity, from Manchester to Johannesburg to Ho Chi Minh City. Manchester, England London will always be a classic holiday destination and a popular gateway to Europe, but Manchester has a lot more to offer than you might think. Known for its legendary music history (responsible for bands like The Smiths and Oasis), the city has evolved over the years into a hive of live gigs, design festivals and one of the UK's most exciting dining scenes. Football fans already know Old Trafford and the Etihad are must-visit stadiums for a game, but Manchester's neighbourhood bars and galleries are just as worthy of your time. With Singapore Airlines' Early Bird fares, you can fly Perth to Manchester from $1,555 return. Brussels, Belgium Belgium's capital is full of beautiful architecture and public spaces, but it's also fast emerging as Europe's creative hub, where street art and digital design combine with the city's old-world charm. Between modern art galleries, neighbourhood breweries and its reputation as the birthplace of fries, there are so many reasons to go and visit. It's also perfectly positioned for day trips to Bruges, Ghent or Antwerp, if you feel like taking your travel plans even further. Early Bird fares from Adelaide start at $1,473 return, proving that booking ahead pays off. Istanbul, Türkiye Few cities are as interesting as Istanbul right now. Straddling Southeastern Europe and Western Asia, the city is buzzing with a new wave of restaurants, rooftop bars and contemporary art spaces that sit alongside ancient mosques and markets. Stay in Sultanahmet if you want to be right in the historic centre. For something a bit less touristy but still trendy, find a place in the Beyoğlu neighbourhood. You can spend your days wandering through the Grand Bazaar, cruise along the Bosphorus and sample modern Turkish cuisine in Karaköy. Lock in your 2026 flights now and you'll have first pick of this ever-changing city. Frankfurt, Germany When most people plan a European trip, they think of Italy, Greece or Paris. But Frankfurt has quietly become one of Europe's most exciting cities, and it's worth adding to your list. Beyond its skyscrapers and reputation for delicious sausages, it's also home to leafy riverside parks, food halls that champion local producers and some of Germany's most active nightlife districts, offering everything from old school German pubs to trendy wine bars. With Singapore Airlines' and Lufthansa's joint network, you can also connect from Frankfurt to other European cities seamlessly, making it easy to hit multiple destinations in the one trip. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam On the Southeast Asia front, Ho Chi Minh City (still known locally as Saigon) is a place of constant movement. Once you touch down, you won't need any plans other than setting out on foot to explore. Street food stalls sit beside cocktail bars, while French colonial buildings stand near cutting-edge coworking hubs. Block out an afternoon to visit the historical Notre Dame Cathedral and Central Post Office buildings, or check out the city's many stores stocked with locally sourced streetwear, jewellery and antiques. It's energetic and chaotic in the best way, and it's impossible to visit without wanting to return again and again. Johannesburg, South Africa For those wanting to go further afield, South Africa's largest city is an eye-opener. Over the years, the city has reinvented itself with a thriving arts district, an innovative restaurant scene and a proud emphasis on heritage as the home of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. It's also the perfect launchpad for safaris or road trips across South Africa, making it a destination that feels equal parts unique and inspiring. Copenhagen, Denmark Copenhagen is one of those cities that feels old and new all at the same time. There's colourful harbour front houses and cobbled streets alongside sleek architecture, bike-friendly paths and world-leading restaurants. In 2026, plan your visit for summer to make the most of the city's long, warm evenings — perfect for rooftop drinks, open-air festivals and cycling along the canals. Book with Singapore Airlines' Early Bird Fares and you'll have first pick of the best travel dates to soak it all in. For Aussies looking to head overseas, 2026 is shaping up to be a year of fresh horizons. Thanks to Singapore Airlines' Early Bird Fare Deals, you can book now and secure your seat to over 100 destinations worldwide. Singapore Airlines' Early Bird Fare Deals end September 30, 2025, so get in early and make your next adventure one to look forward to. Find out more and book your Early Bird fare for select travel dates in 2026 here.
Most people know the tonal nuances of Ira Glass' voice better than they know they know their own family's birthdays, but, chances are, they don't know him like this. The prolific This American Life host and producer is coming to Sydney and Melbourne this July — but not to do a live broadcast of the seriously popular NPR show or to speak in conversation. He'll be performing as part of a contemporary dance stage show. Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host combines live radio with dance. You may think that these two disciplines have "no business being on stage together" (Glass' words, not mine), but somehow the public radio king manages to pull it off. Collaborating with veteran dancers Anna Bass and Monica Bill Barnes, the 90-minute, three-act performance pulls in Glass' knack for storytelling, staging radio interviews as dance pieces and weaving in anecdotes from the performers' own lives. "I know this whole thing sounds a little nuts but I swear it's pretty great. Huge laughs. Big emotions," said Glass. "Dance is all visuals, no talking. Radio's all talking, no visuals. But what the stories on This American Life have in common with dance is music." The radio-dance spectacular will visit both Melbourne and Sydney this July, with two shows at both the Sydney Opera House and the Arts Centre's State Theatre. After initially debuting as a ten-minute test run back in 2013, the show has gone on to be performed all over the U.S. It will tour through California, New Hampshire, Alabama and North Carolina, before finishing up in Australia. Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host will visit the State Theatre at the Arts Centre Melbourne on July 14 and 15, before going to the Sydney Opera House for two performances on July 17 and 18. Tickets for the Melbourne show go on sale on Friday, March 11 at 9am here, while the Sydney show will go on sale at 9am on Friday, March 18 here. Image: David Bazemore.
It's been an unusual year, and so it would make sense that one of the annual events we look forward to each year is shaking (or stirring) things up in 2020. Negroni Week, sponsored by Campari, is back from September 14–20 — and this year you can support your local bar from a distance, by learning to make your own at home. Campari has collaborated with 50 leading bartenders across Australia — including Black Pearl's Matt Linklater, PS40's Michael Chiem, Nick & Nora's Kayla Reid and Old Mate's Brittany Rowe — to create a free Negroni Cocktail Book that you can download and follow to recreate some of your favourite twists on the classic negroni. The Negroni Cocktail Book is a gift from the bartenders who've invented new ways to serve us during lockdown. There are two parts to the book; the first has ten classic recipes, like an americano, a coffee negroni and a kingston, and the second has 50 cocktail recipes from the masters, think one influenced by the bullet coffee trend, one that tastes like french toast, and heaps of others inspired by the cocktails in the negroni family. And, as those bartenders have done so much for us over the years, it's also good to give something back. This year's Negroni Week is raising a glass to the hospo industry, which has faced months of legislation, uncertainty and waves of financial instability, by partnering with Help Out Hospo. You can pay it forward to those workers hit hard by the pandemic by making a donation to Help Out Hospo, here. The initiative was created during the pandemic with all profits going to out-of-work hospitality staff. So far it's raised nearly $60,000. Download the free Negroni Cocktail Book here. Remember to Drinkwise.
The Black Phone didn't need to star Ethan Hawke. In a way, it doesn't really. Fresh from Moon Knight and The Northman, Hawke is definitely in this unsettling 1978-set horror film. He's also exceptional in it. But his top billing springs from his name recognition and acting-veteran status rather than his screen time. Instead, superb up-and-comer Mason Thames gets the bulk of the camera's attention in his first feature role. After him, equally outstanding young talent Madeleine McGraw (Ant-Man and The Wasp) comes next. They spend most of their time worrying about, hearing rumours of, hiding from, battling and/or trying to track down a mask-wearing, van-driving, child-snatching villain — the role that Hawke plays in a firmly supporting part, almost always beneath an eerie disguise. Visibly at least, anyone could've donned the same apparel and proven an on-screen source of menace. There's a difference between popping something creepy over your face and actually being creepy, though. Scary masks can do a lot of heavy lifting, but they're also just a made-to-frighten facade. Accordingly, when it comes to being truly petrifying, Hawke undoubtedly makes The Black Phone. He doesn't literally; his Sinister director Scott Derrickson helms, and also co-wrote the script with that fellow horror flick's C Robert Cargill, adapting a short story by Stephen King's son Joe Hill — and the five-decades-back look and feel, complete with amber and grey hues, plus a nerve-rattling score, are all suitably disquieting stylistic touches. But as the movie's nefarious attacker, Hawke is unnervingly excellent, and also almost preternaturally unnerving in every moment. Whenever he opens his mouth, his voice couldn't echo from anyone else; however, it's the nervy, ominous and bone-weary physicality that he brings to the character that couldn't be more pitch-perfect. Everyone is tired in The Black Phone, albeit in varying ways. At first, that comes as a surprise — it's a looser, more laidback time, and the film happily rides the vibe in its opening Little League game. Still, that relaxed air comes with its own sense of anxiety. What's better, an era when kids escape their homes during daylight, roaming the streets as they like but also instilled with a festering sense of stranger danger, or a period where such unsupervised freedom seems utterly unthinkable? This movie lurks in the former, obviously, and there is indeed a dangerous stranger prowling around north Denver's suburban streets. To 13-year-old Finney Blake (Thames), his younger sister Gwen (McGraw) and their schoolmates, that monstrous figure is known as The Grabber, and he's abducted several of their peers so far. Finney and Gwen are also exhausted at home, where their alcoholic father Terrence (Jeremy Davies, The House That Jack Built) is hardly hands-on — unless his hands are flying in anger their way. At school, Finney has a trio of bullies to deal with, too; luckily, if his pal Robin (first-timer Miguel Cazarez Mora) isn't around to save him, the plucky and sweary Gwen usually is. She's zapped as well, courtesy of dreams of events that haven't quite happened yet. The pair's mother had the same ability, which is why their dad is so sozzled, and also so hard on the two of them. Fatigue is well and truly in the air, thick yet invisible, although The Grabber's (Hawke) is the flimsiest. After taking Finney, he's drained by his need to kidnap and kill. That doesn't stop him from terrorising the neighbourhood, of course — but if his latest target has his way, aided by advice whispered down the disconnected basement telephone by past victims, the masked assailant might soon be far worse than simply weary. If you didn't know that The Black Phone came from Hill's pen, or that his father is the most famous horror author alive, you'd likely guess it the moment that The Grabber uses balloons to lure his prey. Those decorations are black, not red. The Grabber is a part-time magician instead of a demonic clown. No one dwells in a sewer here, but the trapped Finney does peer out of a basement window — and looking at him from the outside has a Pennywise-in-a-storm-drain appearance to it. The Black Phone isn't an IT do-over; however, it always feels like it has been moulded not just from memories of growing up in the 70s (Derrickson and Hill are the right ages, as is Hawke), but by minds that have also internalised King's brand of horror. Stranger Things does the same, but with the 80s. And as with the Netflix hit, that loving, knowing, nodding sensation doesn't stop The Black Phone from drawing viewers in — or keeping them immersed, engaged, entertained and unsettled. If you also didn't know that The Black Phone was a short story on the page, you'd swiftly pick that by watching, too. The film can't be called economical or slight, but it jumps speedily from forebodingly setting the scene with gripping unease (that weariness is palpable) to getting close to wrapping everything up, all without lingering much in the middle. The sense that connecting the dots is happening a tad too fast can't be shaken, although it doesn't confine The Black Phone to the cellar where terrible, half-baked, by-the-numbers horror flicks should go to rot. (Also, The Black Phone isn't any of those things.) Rather, for such an escape room of a movie — a picture that's all about a teenage boy who isn't the typical hero using his brains and even his fears to hopefully puzzle together the necessary pieces to escape a room, with some supernatural help — it just seems too eager to flee. Wishing there was more teasing and loitering to Derrickson's return to horror after helming the first Doctor Strange, and Hawke's as well, is the right kind of problem to have, though. There's plenty about The Black Phone that keeps audience hooked — and, unlike Finney, we'd be happy to remain that way a little longer. Derrickson's film is big on mood, and on crucial details. Almost every character feels lived-in, from its two key kids through to The Grabber, Terrence, and other victims fleshed out in small scenes and flashbacks. (Performances obviously play a pivotal part in the latter, not just from the superbly vicious Hawke and the impressive Thames and McGraw, but right down to IT: Chapter Two's James Ransone showing up and getting unhinged quickly.) There's always a dripping sense of tension, much of the picture's imagery is perturbing all on its own, and the well-executed jump scares do exactly what they're supposed to. The Black Phone doesn't always know when to stay on the line, but the chilling flick is still a horror-movie call worth taking.
There are art fairs – and then there is The Other Art Fair. The celebrated global event returns to Sydney for the fifth time this March. From March 14–17, the fair will showcase a lively collection of emerging artists in the stimulating surrounds of Eveleigh's creative hub, Australian Technology Park. Presented by Saatchi Art, this year's fair is bigger than ever before. The creative works of more than 120 carefully chosen artists, each selected by a prominent panel of art industry experts, will be up for sale. From the ornate to the inexpensive, The Other Art Fair 2019 offers thousands of artworks starting at as little as $100. Plus, all of the artists will be on-site, so you can chat with them and hear the stories behind your chosen piece. The vast four-day event is complemented by an eclectic array of art activations, workshops and immersive performances, plus street food and DJ sets. And good news, art-lovers — we've got a bunch of tickets to The Other Fair Sydney to give away. For the prize details, and to be in with a chance, see below. [competition]707414[/competition]
It's almost obvious when you think about it. The vibrator did not first appear in history to bring women sexual pleasure; it appeared to make them manageable. It took some private revelations and a mass revolution before the device was reclaimed for its rightful purpose. In the Next Room, or the vibrator play is set in the late 19th century, when the advent of electricity led physicians to upgrade the previously manual technique of 'pelvic massage' they used to treat female 'hysteria', an umbrella illness whose symptoms could include faintness, nervousness, irritability, insomnia and/or "a tendency to cause trouble". The eventuating 'hysterical paroxysm' (ahem) would cure all lady ills. In this environment, the wide-eyed, restless and maternally troubled Catherine Givings (Jacqueline McKenzie) begins to listen at the door of her husband Dr Givings' (David Roberts) office. She finds the sounds coming from it most compelling. Drawn to meet the patients within — the soon rejuvenated Mrs Daldry (Helen Thomson); the rare male hysteric, an artist who's lost the use of his paintbrush, Mr Irving (Josh McConville) — she makes discoveries about her body, her relationship and the nature of intimacy. It's a period of history that holds a rich seam of material — a perfect junction of women's oppression, scientific subjectivity and the general quirks of Victoriana — and In the Next Room mines it using the weight of dramatic irony carried in by the clued-in postmodern audience. As you'd expect, watching a person have an orgasm on stage when they don't know what's happening to them is funny. Stuffy doctors showing off their inadvertently sexy inventions are funny. Double entendres are funny. A theatrical audience has never laughed this hard. The pleasant surprise, though, is that uncannily perceptive and heavily awarded young American playwright Sarah Ruhl has bestowed beautiful, random, entirely non-sex-related humour, too, and a warm, open meditation on the role of sex in society and in our inner lives. Only poor wet nurse Elizabeth (Sara Zwangobani) is given short shrift, culminating in an odd and overwrought clash with Mrs Givings. With its charming heroine, its lush and zeitgeist-containing costumes ('buttoned up' could have been coined just for referring to the Victorians) and its ornate, painterly set (Tracy Grant Lord) where walls blend into curtains, lights pointedly flicker and zap and you're enveloped in a living room fit for Jane Austen herself, In the Next Room is an incredibly fun and accessible work, and still a bit illuminating for its 21st-century onlookers.
A fan of multi-colored dreadlocks and intergalactic funk so energetic it can only be described as 'musical Viagra', George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic are back to give a rollercoaster of a funk performance with their three-hour P-Funk Feast, so dig in. Seasoned funk artist George Clinton has been releasing albums since 1967 and helped to revolutionize the funk genre alongside the legendary James Brown and Sly Stone, and he hasn't lost his groove. He's since teamed up with modern musicians The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Snoop Dog. and was recognised when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted 16 members of his group the P-Funk Collective in 1997. His big hits include 'Maggot Brains', 'Atomic Dog' and 'Mothership Connection', and he shows no sign of slowing down, touring 200 days per year. Now that's some pretty strong stuff. 26 of the Parliament Funkadelic crew will be tearing up the stage alongside Clinton this April.
Alcoholic champagne icy poles might've been 2016 and 2017's must-eat frosty treat, but they just might have a challenger for the summer of 2018–19: boozy frosé sorbet. National ice cream chain Gelatissimo has launched the new flavour to mark the first official day of the season, with the chilled dessert made using Chandon Sparkling Brut Rosé and strawberries. Why drink pink while eat fruit when you can combine the two in this icy pink concoction, clearly. The gelato fiends have also launched a second summery variety, this time pairing with Aussie swimwear brand Speedo and taking inspiration from the ocean. Yes, that means Eyre Peninsula sea salt and plenty of it, in a sea salt butterscotch blend that's a creamy blue shade. Gelatissimo's new flavours are available at all of the ice creamery's stores around the country throughout December, unless they sell out before the end of the month. For more information, visit Gelatissimo's website.
Chippendale's newly opened Peach Black Gallery is rolling out an eclectic program for its first series this winter. The Winter Collective will see the art gallery host a trio of concerts in partnership with Cadencia Productions, each taking place on the last Wednesday of the month. Up first on June 26 is a performance by La Yumba, which fuses Argentinian tango with Colombian folklore music. Then, on July 31, the Miriam Lieberman Trio will take the stage with a West African kora (a 21-string harp). Rounding out the program is the award-winning Flamenco trio Arrebato Ensemble on August 28. Each concert will run for one hour from 6.30pm, making it easy to sneak in a bit of after-work culture before heading home or out around town. Tickets cost just $30 a pop and include your first drink, or snag entry to all three performances for $80. Run by Sydney artist Matteo Bernasconi, Peach Black Gallery opened in February and is set to become a welcomed addition to the suburb's already thriving small gallery scene. Image: Miriam Lieberman.
UPDATE, March 12, 2021: She Dies Tomorrow is also now available to stream via Stan. When She Dies Tomorrow splashes Kate Lyn Sheil's face across the screen, then bathes it in neon flashes of pink, blue, red and purple, it isn't easily forgotten. It's a vivid, visceral, even psychedelic sight, which filmmaker Amy Seimetz lingers on, forcing her audience to do the same as well. Viewers aren't just soaking in trippy lights and colours, though. They're staring at the expression beneath the multi-hued glow, which seethes with harrowing levels of shock, fright, distress and anxiety. That's understandable; this is the look of someone who has just had the most unnerving realisation there is: that she is going to die tomorrow. In her second stint directing a feature after 2012's Sun Don't Shine, Pet Sematary, Lean on Pete and Alien: Covenant actor Seimetz does indeed serve up a straightforward concept that's all there in the title. In She Dies Tomorrow, her protagonist — who is also called Amy (Kate Plays Christine's Sheil) — believes that her life will end the next day, plain and simple. But it's how the on-screen Amy copes with the apocalyptic news, and how it also spreads virally from person to person, that fuels the movie. Initially, she responds by searching for urns, researching how leather jackets are made and roaming aimlessly around the new home she has recently purchased, and by brushing off her worried but sceptical friend Jane (Twin Peaks' Jane Adams). If Amy is merely being paranoid, that persecution-driven delusion soon proves contagious, with the feature's cast also including Katie Aselton (Bombshell), Chris Messina (Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)), Josh Lucas (Ford vs Ferrari), Tunde Adebimpe (Marriage Story) and Jennifer Kim (Mozart in the Jungle). Among of the joys of She Dies Tomorrow is that it's never one for obvious or easy answers, or for explaining any more than it needs to. Indeed, how it morphs from exploring one woman's fears to cataloguing a shared nightmare that spreads like a pandemic is best discovered by watching; however Seimetz crafts a gloriously smart and unsettling thriller that toys with surreal Lynchian moments yet always feels disarmingly astute. The film was made prior to COVID-19 and was originally slated to premiere at this year's cancelled SXSW, so it pre-dates our coronavirus-afflicted world — but it's hard not to think of the real-life parallels. Earning ample buzz when it surfaced in the US in July, currently available to stream in Australia until Sunday, August 23 as a late addition to this year's online Melbourne International Film Festival, and hitting local video-on-demand platforms on Wednesday, September 2, She Dies Tomorrow isn't afraid to think big, tackle a difficult topic or do so in a thoroughly disquieting manner. Interrogating the messy horror that comes with knowing you'll die isn't easy, after all, and the film evocatively conveys that sensation. This is a movie that doesn't just want its audience to passively peer on as characters grapple with the possibility that their life is about to be cut short, but one determined to ensure that viewers feel as uncertain, anguished and chaotic as everyone on-screen. With her tension-dripping images, and a score by Mondo Boys that's equally bold, operatic and needling, Seimetz wholeheartedly achieves that aim. In the process, the writer/director ponders humanity's reaction to life-shattering news both on an individual and collective basis, the way that panic and doubt spreads oh-so-quickly, and how one idea can soon overtake entire communities. They're all very relevant notions at present, as is the idea of living every day as if there is no future, which the feature overtly, cleverly and even humorously toys with. But most perceptive here is how She Dies Tomorrow reflects the recognisable reality of passing each and every second with the knowledge that one day you'll no longer be alive. That's a situation we're all in, and that we all generally do our best to overlook as much as we can — and it's downright impossible to ignore here. She Dies Tomorrow also doubles as a moving exploration of confronting your mortality on a tangible and immediate level, too; forget the weepy schmaltz of stereotypical terminal illnesses dramas, because this haunting film couldn't be steeped any deeper in existential terror. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNZQ2GG833o She Dies Tomorrow is currently available to stream online in Australia as part of MIFF 68 1/2, the Melbourne International Film Festival's 2020 online festival, until Sunday, August 23. It'll also be available to watch digitally via iTunes, Google Play, YouTube Movies, Amazon and other video-on-demand platforms from Wednesday, September 2, and via DVD then as well.
Calling all lovers of vino: the new app FreeWines offers up a free bottle of award-winning wine when you dine at participating restaurants across Australia. Currently, FreeWines is working with 200 restaurants to reward you with quality tipple and the list of participating restaurants grows weekly, with the aim of reaching 500. This is no attempt for restaurateurs to get rid of their less-than-desirable drops, either. All wines featured have either won international wine awards or have scored highly with James Halliday — think Hugh Hamilton 'The Rascal' Shiraz, Elephant Hill Syrah and First Creek Verdelho. The restaurants already involved are a mix of hatted venues, local favourites and popular spots, including The Hill Eatery, Boscage and Red Lantern on Riley in New South Wales; Chow City, Ebenezer and Romulus & Remus in Victoria; and Cove Bar and Dining, Deer Duck Bistro and Mecca Bah in Queensland. So if free, delicious wine sounds like something you can get down with (so, that’s most of us?) the first step is to download their app (also free and available on iOS and Android devices). Once you have found a participating restaurant, mention that you are a FreeWines member on arrival and when you order. Then select your desired bottle via the app, and Bob’s your uncle, free wine for you. The wine is compliments of both the vineyard and the restaurant to say thanks for dining, although to be honest, we feel that we should be thanking them at this point. Like most great clubs, membership is limited for this app, so make sure you get on board sooner rather than later. For more information head to their website and download the app. Here’s to top-quality wine and fantastic food.
Of all the things that Kristen Stewart can teach us, what it's like to shout into the void — what we expect to happen, why we do it, and the simple fact that we do it — might be the most surprising. Welcome to Personal Shopper, a ghost film haunted several times over, and haunting in just as many ways. Reuniting Stewart with her Clouds of Sils Maria director Olivier Assayas, this is a movie that takes full advantage of the actress' minimalist acting style. The former Twilight star is known, and has often been lambasted, for seeming distant and fidgety in her on-screen interactions. But in an age when most people spend hours staring at their iPhones waiting for three grey iMessage dots to turn into a connection, aren't we all guilty of the same thing? Here, Stewart is well and truly one of us – distracted and disconnected, glued to her phone, waiting and wondering what comes next. Her character Maureen, a medium who works as the assistant to a celebrity starlet, spends much of the movie texting back and forth with a mysterious unknown number, answering probing questions and slowly revealing her secrets. At the same time, she tries to reach out to her recently deceased twin, who died of a congenital heart defect that she's afflicted with as well. With everything from the not-quite-vampire flick Irma Vep, to the complex crime biopic Carlos, to the melancholy student drama After May on his extensive resume, writer-director Assayas is a master filmmaker attuned to the subtleties and ambiguities of life. Still, no matter how well shot, paced and structured his latest film may be, it'd be a shadow of itself without its lead actress. Stewart is perfectly cast in a role that Assayas wrote specifically for her. Her relatable blend of awkwardness and yearning, as she tackles the existential malaise that spooks us all, is the main reason the movie works so well. Personal Shopper is a moody, enigmatic horror flick; a spine-chiller that unfolds one text at a time. But that's not all it is. It's also a recognisable portrait of how difficult it is to stomach mundane daily tasks when you're grieving, even when you're working in a seemingly glamorous job. It shows what everyday communication is really like, without resorting to cutesy ways of throwing text messages around the screen. Finally, it contrasts physical mortality with the eternal virtual realm. Blend all that together and you're left watching an immersive, intriguing film that demonstrates how modern life has become a conversation with ghosts of the digital variety. That's what a truly contemporary scarefest is really all about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSqMpkGOW9g
Spending more time at home is much easier to stomach with a hefty rage of desserts on hand, or at least that seems to be Gelato Messina's pandemic motto. Over the past few months, the gelato fiends have served up plenty of tasty specials, including cookie pies in choc chip, red velvet, choc-hazelnut, and peanut butter and jelly varieties; 40 of its best flavours; and full tubs of Iced VoVo gelato. Up next: a Messina version of that vanilla and chocolate-layered ice cream cake everyone considered the height of extravagance as a child. Yes, we're talking about Viennetta. If you've been indulging your sweet tooth over the past few months — frozen desserts were subject to strict item limits back in March, so plenty of folks clearly went big on sugary comfort food — then consider your tastebuds primed for this super-fancy take on the nostalgic favouritte. It's another of Messina's limited releases, with tubs of the rippled gelato creation available at all its stores for a very short period. Wondering what exactly Messina's Viennetta — or Messinetta, as it has been dubbed — entails? It combines fior di latte gelato with choc chips and chocolate fudge, then covers it all with piped vanilla chantilly as well as a chocolate velvet spray. And yes, the end result looks like the dessert you know and love. If it didn't, it just wouldn't be as exciting. The latest release in Messina's new 'Hot Tub' series, Messinetta gelato can only be ordered online on Monday, August 10, with a one-litre tub setting you back $30. You can then go into your chosen Messina store to pick up your tub between Friday, August 14–Sunday, August 16. If you're in Melbourne, remember that you can only venture to shops within five kilometres of your house — and only once a day — to get essentials, including food. Gelato Messina's Messinetta gelato tubs will be available to order on Monday, August 10, for pick up between Friday, August 14–Sunday, August 16 — keep an eye on the Messina website for further details.
Never been game enough to set foot inside The Gaelic Club, the Surry Hills drinking hole of questionable repute opposite Central? Neither had we — that is, until Green Lights Comedy set up shop on the top-floor of the Irish pub on the last Friday of every month. Run by long-time friends and self-proclaimed 'adorable as ever MCs' Alexei Toliopoulos and Nikko Malyon, Green Lights has one of the best set-ups of any room in Sydney. To the right of the pokie-strewn façade, up some anonymous-looking stairs decorated with rugby league paraphernalia from a bygone era, past a table of possibly the last remaining (or certainly the oldest) card-carrying communists in Sydney, and through the green door, you'll find yourself in the little-known top bar of The Gaelic Club. Green Lights feels like stepping into someone's living room, and the hosts emulate this warmth perfectly. If you feel like seeing decent comedy in a friendly, homey setting over a dirt-cheap pint of Kilkenny, look no further. Image: Green Lights Comedy.
Whether you've got a dinner party, picnic or trip to a BYO restaurant lined up, two Sydney venues are offering an unbeatable booze deal right now. Solotel favourites The Erko and The Abercrombie are making the most of their wines on tap by offering one-litre squealers of vino for just $25. Just head into either of the Sydney pubs, or The Abercrombie's attached wine bar Lil Sis, and you can purchase one litre of pinot grigio, rosé or grenache to take away for $25. If you want that deal sweetened, return the jug once you're finished with it, and you can purchase a refill for just $20. The Abercrombie and Lil Sis are even offering a special skin-contact drop in the squealers for all of those natty wine lovers. Both venues use a mix of bottled and kegged wines, with the latter being delivered thanks to a collaboration with local producer Alpha Box & Dice. Using kegged wines means that over 5000 bottles are diverted from landfill and recycling per venue per year. It also helps to keep the wine fresher for longer. [caption id="attachment_887494" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lil Sis[/caption] The takeaway wine deal comes at a busy time for both venues. The Erko has just revitalised its menu with a new hyper-seasonal selection of eats that utilise produce from a local community garden. Ex-Chiswick chef Ethan Robinson is behind the revamp — with the new offerings including zucchini fritti, kingfish ceviche, octopus salad, a standout chicken schnitzel and $2 oysters on Sundays. Over at The Abercrombie, the pub, nightclub and rooftop bar is officially celebrating one year since it reopened under the guidance of Solotel. After sitting vacant for years, the Chippendale stalwart reemerged last summer, quickly returning to its place as a cornerstone of the city's party and music scenes. [caption id="attachment_924567" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Erko, Steven Woodburn[/caption] Head to The Erko, The Abercrombie or Lil Sis to score a takeaway squealer of wine for $25.
Lobster has long been the fancy champagne of the seafood world. For most of us, it's the kind of dish that you can only justify having when you really feel like going all out and treating yo'self — but, this month, the indulgent crustacean-based meal is gracing Betty's Burgers' menu. Combining fresh lobster meat, the chain's special mayonnaise, shallots, chives, lemon and spice, Betty's new lobster roll will be on offer at all of its 22 Australian stores from Thursday, February 13. If your stomach is already rumbling, you can tuck into one for a reasonable $23 (which includes a side of fries). You'll need to get in quickly, though, as the lobster roll only available for a couple of weeks — or until sold out. It's worth noting that last time the roll was on the menu, it only lasted less than a week. So if you're particularly keen, it's best to go sooner, rather than later. Known for its Shake Shack-style burgs and frozen custard desserts (called concretes), Betty's is making a foray into lobster to celebrate its beachy roots. While you can now grab a Betty's burger at nine Sydney outlets, four Melbourne spots, five Brisbane outposts, one Toowoomba eatery and one location in Adelaide, the company first began in Noosa, and then expanded to the Gold Coast. Betty's Burgers' lobster roll is available at all 27 Australian stores from Thursday, February 13. For more information and to find your nearest store, visit Betty's Burgers' website.
For those who don't feel like braving the hordes of people at Tropfest in the Domain this Sunday, an excellent alternative may be catching Evil J & Saint Cecilia at Low Bar. Their Sydney gig, alongside Griffith Goat Boy, is a warm up in preparation for hitting the road to support Eddie Vedder, the gravelly-voiced troubadour of Pearl Jam fame. Evil J & Saint Cecilia are an Australian folk-pop outfit based sometimes in the US, with one of the most intriguing and unrevealing artist bios I've yet to read. Written in the form of a poem, it explains that "as girls they had sung together/The songs of olden days/Saint Cecilia from the ocean shallows/Howled with the soul that dwelled in the branches shadows/After centuries of hiding in the forest shade/The Evil J had taken on a plant like form." Make of that what you will. Their single 'Silver Spoons' has been doing the rounds at FBI Radio of late, and it's definitely worth a listen. Incidentally, the band features Eliza Jane Barnes, and while she's probably sick to death of having it talked about, her dad is Jimmy Barnes. And she's inherited some damn fine vocal chords.
As work continues on Manly Wharf's $9 million dollar makeover, its two second-storey restaurants — initially announced in 2016 — finally have an opening date. Yet another instalment of Rockpool Dining Group's Fratelli Fresh and Sake Restaurant and Bar are set to open in the brand new space in August this year. This opening marks the fifth Sake location — with a sixth expected to open in Paramatta's Phillip Street precinct in 2020 — and the eight location for Fratelli Fresh, with another set to open in Darling Harbour this June. They'll join Hugos and Queen Chow when it opens this year to replace Papi Chulo in the always-busy Manly Wharf dining precinct. The revamped spaces will boast floor-to-ceiling harbour views and al fresco dining, along with new lifts, a private staircase and a joint lobby. The group — which was formed when Urban Purveyor Group acquired Neil Perry's Rockpool Group — has certainly made good on its promise of rapid expansion. It currently has 57 venues to its name, and over the past 90 days alone, has signed more than 15 new leases. Eleven venues are expected to open across Australia before August this year, including Munich Brauhaus in Brisbane, six new Bavarian outposts across New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland and a new "premium" burger concept called Burger Project Black Label, which is slated to open in the Sydney CBD this May. Another (currently unannounced) eight openings are expected before the end of the year. So if you think these restaurants are everywhere already, you'll only be seeing more of them. Fratelli Fresh and Sake are expected to open at Manly Wharf in August 2018. We'll keep you updated on any new details. Image: Hpeterswald via Wikimedia Commons.
'Whip' Whittaker (Denzel Washington) wakes up in a hotel room, disentangles himself from last night's paramour, Katerina (Nadine Velazquez), surveys the wreckage of liquor bottles, does a line of cocaine, argues with his ex-wife, then heads to his day job. As a commercial pilot. While his co-pilot, the straitlaced Ken Evans (Brian Geraghty) thinks something is amiss with Whip, it is smooth sailing as Whip pulls off an audacious move to get the plane through some bad weather then rewards himself with a mid-flight vodka and orange juice. Then things start to go very, very wrong. In one of the most gripping set pieces seen on the big screen in years, the plane finds itself in trouble and not responding to any of the usual fixes. It is soon plummeting towards earth and the passengers and crew resort to panic and prayer. Whip, however, remains cool and in a brilliant piece of quick thinking, inverts the plane to take much of the force out of the landing. The manoeuvre mitigates what could have been complete calamity and when the wreckage is surveyed, only six people have lost their lives. After such a bold start, the film moves into the more familiar territory of addiction drama, but there is far too much complexity and moral nuance here for the film to be anything less than intriguing. It is revealed the plane wasn't properly maintained and was an accident waiting to happen. Whip's audacious actions were not performed in spite of his state of inebriation but actually because of it. Another pilot, one free of drugs and alcohol, could not have done what he did and saved as many lives as he did. He meets heroin addict Nicole (Kelly Reilly) in hospital, and the pair are soon shacked up at a secluded cottage, hiding from the world. But when the legal ramifications of the crash ramp up after Whip has a testy meeting with Hugh (an excellent Don Cheadle), a driven criminal lawyer who is confident he can have Whip's toxicology report thrown out as evidence, he falls back off the wagon, skulling vodka with a vengeance and hatching plans to escape to Jamaica in a small plane. Whip's actions become increasingly pathetic as his supporters try to curb his powerful self-destructive streak and keep him from having a public meltdown before the hearing that will hopefully clear his name for good. Still, he insists he drinks because he wants to. He's had years of practice at getting away with it and finds himself on the brink of freedom. If Flight loses its nerve somewhat in the closing minutes, it only serves to cast the truthful and arresting drama that has come before in an even brighter light. Featuring one of the best performances in Washington's career, it's a tough and taut film which asks questions that linger long after its closing credits.
Having recently spent a crazy couple of months living in Berlin, the news of East Berlin club Salon Zur Wilden Renate installing a real life maze in the two-storey abandoned building comes as no surprise. With the intention of creating an other-worldly, ethereal experience, the Peristal Singum labyrinth uses confined spaces to confuse your sensory perceptions, where one visitor at a time is forced to crawl, duck, and slide to their salvation. Prepare for a lucid mind where your whole metaphysical being is questioned while disproportionately-sized objects create the illusion of fantasy characters that roam rooms that seem smaller than they actually are. There is no marked pathway, so drinking too much prior to entering may not be the wisest of ideas. Peristal Singum
We think, as humans, that our past is behind us, our future is in front of us and our present is with us, when in fact it is all in flux and with us at the same time. This realisation is one of the first to occur to Melita Rowston's characters in Crushed, currently on at New Theatre's Spare Room in association with Chester Productions. Kelly (Lucy Miller) — known as Jelly Kelly in her youth due to her, uh, weight issues — has returned to her home town to reignite the campaign to find her best friend, Susie, who went missing 22 years ago. She meets with two former high school lovers and friends, Jason (Jeremy Waters) and Dazza (Sean Barker), to form the worst kind of high school reunion. The interesting part of this play is how it explores the functioning of memory. Malleable white matter changes the past in our minds — and for these three, it changes their plea. Kelly remembers her best friend Susie differently from how the boys do. Arguing over Susie's favourite flowers and her favourite band and discovering that she set up her first sexual encounter, Kelly sees things come to light that she had never imagined. There is a lot to be said in this play and it doesn't fully deliver, from the inquest to the unrequited love and, of course, the running-away-from-the-past motif. I found it hard to empathise with the characters and their hardships. Whether it was to do with perhaps forced or rushed development or the fact that the characters were themselves confused, I didn't truly feel for them. That said, the actors were focused the whole time and entertained the audience (especially the front row). There's also a beguiling set that morphs between a memory landscape, a bus stop and a police interrogation room, and makes interesting use of screens. I did find myself wanting to know what happened to young Susie, merely a sweet 16-year-old offering her cherry on a late night. Running for 90 minutes without an interval, Crushed is short, sweet and does the independent theatre scene proud.
Newtown lamington revolutionary Tokyo Lamington is collaborating with Sydney coffee roaster Stitch Coffee to celebrate International Coffee day on Friday, October 1. The two beloved locals are coming together to offer International Coffee Day goodie bags that feature two new flavours of lamingtons and a sneak peek at Stitch's new drip coffee bags. The limited-time lamington flavours are a cinnamon coffee cake with cafe latte cream, cinnamon coffee jelly, vanilla sponge, white chocolate and cinnamon dip and gingerbread cookie crumbs; and a mandarin coffee lamington made with natsu-milkan curd, whipped caramel coffee, a mandarin coffee-soaked sponge, meringue and mandarin zest. Both flavours use Stitch's brand new Colombian cinnamon and mandarin coffee. Inside the $20 packs, you'll find one of each of these special-edition lamingtons and two drip coffee bags, one of each of the new flavours. Head to either Tokyo Lamington on Australia Street or Stitch Coffee's Broadway store from Friday until Sunday to try the new lamingtons and coffee.
For 31 years, the Woodford Folk Festival has been a staple of south-east Queensland's event calendar, gifting the region with an annual array of music, arts, culture, creativity, camping and mud. As other festivals have come and gone around the country, it has remained an end-of-year mainstay, as well as a must-attend event for fest lovers; however that might not always be the case. Just days after the 2016/17 event wrapped up, Festival Director Bill Hauritz has announced that Woodford faces an uncertain future as a result of the strain being placed on the fest's infrastructure. This year saw audiences grow by more than five percent to reach 132,000 patrons over six days, with patrons flocking to see more than 2000 acts, performers and speakers across 438 events, including Paul Kelly, Gang Of Youths, Adalita, Amanda Palmer and Methyl Ethel. "It has been a most beautiful festival in almost every way but our future is unclear," said Hauritz in a statement. "This festival is becoming a hub for creativity attracting some great minds. It's been an inspiration for many of us," he continued. However, with growing crowds comes growing problems, as he also explained. "Raw water storage, and dusty and broken roads took the edge off what was a truly wonderful event. Dust was a big problem we have to fix, and the roads – they're just not up to required standards. That's just the beginning of our infrastructure issues." What happens next is yet to be determined, though given the massive amount of love and support Woodford Folk Festival receives — including from interstate attendees, with a third of festival visitors hailing from outside of Queensland — it's certain that everyone involved will be working to ensure the fest continues. The festival certainly has the backing of Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Allan Sutherland, who has called for more government funding. "With such a successful year of festival attendance and camping numbers – it has never been more important for all levels of Government to provide funding support and certainty to Woodfordia Inc. to turn Woodfordia into a destination worthy of ongoing national and international acclaim," he said. "Funding will be vital to ensure this site receives much needed infrastructure upgrades including permanent staging, toilets and amenities, dust control, roads, and camping space for this iconic Australian festival and Woodfordia itself to grow and flourish." Image: Woodford Folk Festival.
Like karaoke? Fond of singing in public in general, whether you're solo or in a group? Then it's time to up your crooning game. Pub Choir is exactly what it sounds like — aka a gathering of folks belting out a tune, together, in a bar. It's basically what happens whenever someone puts 'Wonderwall' or 'Weather With You' on the jukebox, but in a more organised fashion. Specifically, each session features a particular song, which attendees learn in three-part harmonies. Talented professionals are there to show you the ropes and lead the way, and if you're wondering what you'll be singing, it's usually announced 24-hours beforehand. Doing the rounds of Brisbane venues since early 2017, Pub Choir has become mighty popular — and now it's headed to Sydney. Come Wednesday, September 11, the Enmore Theatre will come alive with the sound of plenty of folks singing and sipping, because both go hand-in-hand here. It'll also feature Ben Lee leading away, plus a selection of other special guests. And, if you're not usually the type of person to unleash their inner Beyonce in front of the masses, don't worry. The great thing about choirs is that everyone is singing, so you are literally a voice in the crowd. In fact, you might just find joining in the fun cathartic. If you can't feel free when you're crooning along with hundreds of others, when can you?
More than 40 firefighters have flocked to put out a fire at Surry Hills barbecue joint Porteno. Reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, the blaze started on the roof of the Cleveland Street restaurant. Cleveland Street is shut down from Crown to Elizabeth Street, with the public warned to stay away from the area. For now, it appears the blaze has been contained. Update, 9pm: The SMH is reporting that 21 staff were in the building at the time the fire broke out, and all evacuated it unharmed. Duty Commander for City of Sydney Kernin Lambert said that about 80% of the restaurant was saved, but the fire was in the kitchen and is believed to be related to the kitchen exhaust. "It's going to be out of service for a long time," he said. You can show your and your stomach's ongoing support for Porteno at their Double Down Diner pop-up with Gelato Messina in Hyde Park. Image: Rima Sabina Aouf.
The Bright Autumn Festival is a ten-day celebration of the changing of the seasons and the explosion of colours and flavours that accompany it. The festival, on from April 27 to May 6, brings together a programme of events dedicated to the autumnal produce of the High Country's valleys and the alpine scenery as the trees change from green to vivid gold and amber. Are you nuts about nuts? Then the Wandiligong Nut Festival is your opportunity to join in with the growers celebrating the harvest. On April 28 you can wander their market stalls picking up new-season nuts, fruit, wines, oils and other treats. It's the only nut festival in Australia, and the smell of the ultimate autumn nut — the chestnut — fills the air as it roasts on open cookers. Not sure what to do with your Wandi nut haul? The festival also hosts talks on how to peel and cook chestnuts, how to make chestnut hummus and pancakes, and lots of other nut-related topics. Any good road tripper knows you need souvenirs for family, friends and your fine self. For that, the Wandiligong Autumn Craft and Produce Market has got you covered. Open every day of the festival between 10am and 4pm, it showcases locally grown produce and handcrafted goods — think hand-dyed scarves, cushions, blankets, handmade cards and jewellery, along with edible souvenirs (which somehow never seem to make it home?) like homemade jams, preserves and fudges. For a real country experience, get along to the Gala Day on Saturday, May 5, when the streets of Bright are closed for one of the region's biggest community festivals, or wander 17 of the area's usually private gardens, which are opened up from April 27 to May 6 so you can appreciate their autumnal aesthetic. To plan your trip to the Bright Autumn Festival and the High Country region beyond, head to the Wander Victoria website and explore what's on this season.
It just got a whole lot harder to pick your weekend yum cha spot, with the newly opened Duck & Rice announcing its own regular breakfast dumpling session. This one, however, is bottomless. The 500-seat Cantonese restaurant sits high on the top of Westfield Sydney in Pitt Street Mall. Opening its doors in June this year, it boasts an expansive outdoor terrace, Asian-inspired cocktails and, now, a very tempting weekend yum cha deal. Running every Saturday and Sunday from September 7, the bottomless yum cha menu will constantly change, but you can expect to catch loads of delicious treats to the tune of roast duck, Szechuan-style cuttlefish, Yangzhou fried rice, garlicky kai lan (chinese broccoli) and a selection of dim sum and desserts. The all-you-can-eat sitting is restricted to one hour, between 11am–3pm each day, and will set you back $50 a pop. To make a booking, head to the Duck & Rice website. Images: Steven Woodburn
Along with delivering quintessential Southern hospitality, Memphis is the destination that allows you to walk the brick-lined streets that witnessed the astronomical talent — and unprecedented ascent to fame — of Elvis Presley. The birthplace of rock 'n' roll, and home of blues and soul, is all electrifying energy and originality. This June, Baz Luhrmann is bringing the bright lights, creative flair and distinct directorial prowess he's known for to the euphonious history of Memphis with Elvis. The energetic and emotionally charged film charts the rise (and rise) of Elvis Presley (Austin Butler), celebrating the inimitable musician's music and life against the backdrop of an evolving cultural climate in 1950s and 60s America. Using the lens of Presley's relationship with his enigmatic manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), the bold picture tells a story of musical self-expression and monumental stardom — and the coinciding loss of innocence that was broadcast on a global stage. As hips shook, money was made and a rock 'n' roll icon immortalised. https://youtu.be/xSbQ_ERfmFQ To celebrate the release of Elvis in cinemas Thursday, June 23, Memphis Tourism is giving you the chance to win two tickets to the Australian premiere on the Gold Coast — which is where the feature was shot — on Saturday, June 4. To be in the running to rock and roll your way to the red-carpet experience, enter below. [competition]851551[/competition] Top images: Hugh Stewart (first two); Courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures (third) © 2022 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved.
In the underworld of street art, few events can match the adrenalin-charged battle that is Secret Wars. Drawing battle lines between rival artists, this once secret tournament has made a dash for the surface to host the upcoming final between two of Sydney's most skilled street artists. After a furious rise to the top, both artists Houl and Creon have let paint fly, leaving nothing but a broken brush in their wake and for the last time are ready to step up and make their mark. But if you haven't been paying attention, here is how it works: two artists are placed side by side, whether in a hotel foyer or an abandoned meat factory. They battle with black acrylics on a fresh white canvas. Their time is 90 minutes — no pencils, no preparation. The winner is crowned by two guest judges and the all-important crowd vote. You can imagine it's like watching Michaelangelo at work, that is if he painted in the local tavern against his enemy Bramante surrounded by hooligans dissing his brush-stroke. We saw the paint fly with Houl in the semi's, but can he pull it off against Creon for the title of Secret Wars champion?
