Experience the breathtaking beauty of the Dharawal National Park, on a new kind of nature tour that invites you to make use of more than just your eyes. Held on Saturday, December 16 and again on Saturday, January 20, the Summer Series Sensory Walks will be led by a qualified park ranger and will call on each of the five human senses. Over the course of the 90 minute walk, guests will take in the sounds of nature, smell and touch the vegetation, and chow down on a number of tasty bush treats. In addition to the Sensory Walks, the little-known nature park – which is located roughly 90 minutes outside of central Sydney – also offers indigenous walking tours on the second Saturday of every month between February and November.
If your wardrobe is filled with pop culture-themed attire, odds are that you're a fan of Brisbane's BlackMilk Clothing. Star Wars outfits, Harry Potter activewear, Avatar threads, Squid Game tracksuits, The Witcher dresses — the company has released them all. Next on its list: a new range of Stranger Things-inspired pieces. This isn't the first time that BlackMilk has teamed up with Netflix to pay homage to the 80s-set sci-fi hit; however, given that the series finally returned for season four this year — and that Halloween is almost upon us, too — the brand has whipped up another collection. Need something to run up that hill in? Not sure what to wear while battling Vecna? Just keen on a new trick-or-treating outfit? Consider all of those boxes ticked. Whether you've spent the last few years wishing you went to Hawkins High or you just want to wear clothing decked out with demorgogons, there's something here for you, too. The new 17-piece line spans includes Hawkins Demogorgons varsity jackets, Upside Down-themed dresses and leggings that look like Vecna's lair. A hoodie features the gang riding their bikes the right way up and all that evil lurking below, while a few particularly ace-looking items include Stranger Things movie posters. Another standout: a shirt paying tribute to Eddie Munson, name-checking his band Corroded Coffin. And, because the range really is timed for the spookiest period of the year, cartoon pumpkins also feature. The past few months haven't been short on ways to indulge your Stranger Things love, ranging from Spotify playlists to themed burgers — and, of course, that giant rift that arrived temporarily on Bondi Beach. A full preview of BlackMilk's new Stranger Things collection is available on its website — and if you're as keen to pick up a few pieces as Eleven is about Eggos, they go on sale at 7am AEST on Thursday, September 8. Getting in quickly, like a demon is chasing you, is recommended; items are available until sold out, and, yes, that often happens quickly. BlackMilk Clothing's new Stranger Things collection goes on sale at 7am AEST on Thursday, September 8. For more information about, head to the brand's website.
Spending New Year's Eve without a plan is not cool. Do it, and you'll be the person with no taxi to hail (I dare you to try); do it, and you'll be the person left wondering how it's 2014 already, cursing yourself for all the things you haven’t done. Know what else you haven't done? You haven't listened to Concrete Playground and headed on out to one of the events we've lined up for you. Don't be that person. Here are some of the ways we thought you might like to spend your last moments of 2013 and first of 2014. New Year's Eve The Island Lounge on Clark Island We all know how crazy Sydney can get on New Year's Eve. With everyone trying see the amazing fireworks, it can be quite a pain to find a decent spot. So why not get out of the city for a better view? Clark Island is the perfect location to watch the city shine from afar. With plenty of seating areas, guests at the Island Lounge won't have to fight for a spot. Cosy up and enjoy the stunning panoramic views of the Sydney Harbour in a relaxing atmosphere of live music and entertainment. You won't have to worry about anything because at this luxury event, food, cocktails, entertainment and ferry transfers are all taken care of and included in your ticket. Tickets are priced at $440 per person. The event lasts from 5.30pm-12.30am. 18+ NYE On The Harbour If it's firework views you’re after with the chance of a good boogie (join the queue, pal), the King St Wharf’s Cargo Bar a better destination at NYE than at any other time of year. Art vs Science, Van She, Gold Fields and DJ sets from Alison Wonderland and Bag Raiders will bring in 2014 with cheer — and with no screaming children in sight. The event sells out year after year, so nab your tickets and BYO flippers in order to get down. Tickets range from $89-$180 per person. The event starts at 7pm. 18+. Image from Cargo Bar's NYE 2011 party NYE Festival at Wet'n'Wild Northern Hemisphere residents will lament their white Christmas when they see what we’ve got going on Down Under. While they’re putting on their earmuffs, we’ll be sipping a cold cider down a water slide in style to 'We No Speak Americano.' You heard me. Sydney’s newly opened Wet'n'Wild theme park is throwing an NYE party away from the harbourside crowds. So put your hands in the air from a water slide, or dance to Will Sparks, Yolanda Be Cool, Uberjackd, Faydee, Gtronic, Haezer and more on Australia’s largest artificial beach. Dayum. Tickets cost $110-$200 per person. 7pm till late. Image via Wet'n'Wild Sydney Animal House Toga Party at The Vanguard If paying $500 to live like a sardine just ain't your thang (we feel you), try out The Vanguard this New Year's. Because the resident movie buffs are chucking an Animal House-themed do, togas and all. To keep us and our garlands entertained, The Vanguard have curated an all-star soul band that includes Mojo Juju, Jeremy Davidson of The Snowdroppers and three of the guys from Gay Paris. Price: $63.80. Time: 7pm till late. Image via University of Wisconsin Archives Harbour Fireworks The Sydney Harbour fireworks are iconic, the Sydney Harbour Bridge is iconic, and this year’s creative ambassador Reg Mombassa (or the ‘Mombassador’) is iconic. Okay, it's safe to say that the annual event will once again be, um, iconic. The Sydney Harbour foreshore is visited by 1.6 million visitors each NYE, this year themed 'Shine'. Sure, nobody likes a crowd, but if you can't beat them, join them. So make like a sardine and head to Embarkation Park, Arthur McElhone Reserve, Mrs Macquarie Park or one of many less congested suburban parks (do we need to draw you a map?) to catch a glimpse of the fireworks. They set off at 9pm for the youngsters and then again at midnight. Price: free. 9pm and midnight. NYE Party at the House This is the ultimate. Combine New Year's with the 40th birthday of the country's most iconic landmark and you've got a massive banger on your hands. Located in the heart of the NYE action, this waterside resort-lounge setting on the western boardwalk of the upper concourse of Sydney Opera House is the perfect backdrop to celebrate. Partygoers will have a front row seat to the illustrious Sydney Harbour fireworks as well as to this year’s most extravagant light show, designed by artist and musician Reg Mombassa. Entertainment will be provided with live music from 14-time ARIA–nominated Sneaky Sound System, all-girl DJ duo The Faders and DJ RobKAY. Also, be sure to come hungry, because celebrity chef Matt Moran is putting together a special menu just for the event. As SSS' Connie Mitchell says, "Opera House – check. New Year’s Eve – check. Fireworks – big check. Banging new party outfit – definite check! Killer set? You bet.” Sounds like quite the bash. Tickets are priced at $554.95 per person and include all food and select cocktails. 7pm-1.30am. 18+. End of Year Party at The Bar at the End of the Wharf This event isn't only a verbal mouthful. For those of you who enjoy stuffing your faces on your day off, this NYE party is a feast of delicacies by the talented team from Fresh Catering. There will be heaps of canapes and champagne on hand when you need a break from all the dancing. Oh yes, there will be lots of dancing, with live entertainment from The Kundalini Experience (DJ Marc 'Kundalini' + live sax & percussion). On top of all of this, you'll have a bird's eye view of the Sydney Harbour fireworks display. Get ready for a spectacle of the senses. Tickets are priced at $350 per person. The party kicks off at 7pm. 18+ Image via Fresh Catering NEW YEAR'S DAY Field Day Have a field day and show 2014 who’s boss with a New Year's Day marked by dehydration, selfies and shared sweat from a mosh pit. Wiz Khalifa, A$AP Rocky, Flume, Solange, The Wombats, London Grammar, Ta-ku, Hermitude, Chet Faker and Flight Facilities will be playing into the night at the Domain event. Neatly tucked between the city and the Botanical Gardens, Field Day is one of the best for New Year's Day. So make use of your public holiday and put your hangover on the backburner. Price: $118-185. Time: 12noon till 10:30pm. NYD at Newtown Hotel If you're still functioning after the previous night's festivities and craving some more action, then head over to the Newtown Hotel on New Year's Day. With a wacky lineup of unique performers such as human cannonball/'One Man Guitar Party' Bob Log III and Italo funk disco poster-boy Donny Benet, it's safe to say this will not be a dull event. The party kicks at 3pm, so grab a bloody mary and shake off that hangover. This free event is 18+. Free entry. Image via Voodoo Rhythm Soul of Sydney: Secret NYD Block Party This exclusive New Year's Day event is keeping the party going, literally. With a variety of tunes including soul, funk, disco, boogie and house house, DJs and friends of Soul of Sydney will keep you movin' and groovin' into the new year. That's all we can tell you about this hush-hush event. You'll have to find out the rest for yourself if you're lucky enough to get an invite to this limited capacity event. Hopefuls can sign up on their waitlist and RSVP for more information. Image via Soul of Sydney. You Am I Ramblin' Gamblin' RoadStop Revue If you've been looking for a New Year's event that won't break the bank, you owe You Am I big time. The Aussie rock outfit are staging a car park takeover at The Vic for a free one-off gig coined The Ramblin' Gamblin' RoadStop Revue. Aside from welcoming the New Year, the day is for You Am I and the Addison Road venue to cheers their fans and patrons for their support. And cheers them you shall, because Young Henry's limited-edition Brew Am I pale ale will be on offer with a spit roast barbeque to line your stomach. Snowdroppers, Abbe May, Courtney Barnett, Phil Jamieson, Love Junkies and The Mountains will also be taking to the stage. From noon. Free. Sneaky and Icebergs present NYD 2014 Sneaky and Icebergs Dining Room and Bar are being ultra sneaky, keeping their NYD 2014 party very hushhush. The star-studded event — now in it’s 12th year — is back for one last time in this form. There’s no invitation for this one, you have to be a friend of a friend for the Maurice Terzini (Icebergs), Angus McDonald (Sneaky Sound System) and Dan Single (Ksubi)-founded event. We’re told there’ll be a few surprises on the day while you’re partying to Sneaky with celebs and drinking Belvedere by the glass. Holla at me, 2014. By Madeline Milani and Rachel Eddie.
All hail the new kid on the block — Chaotic Social is here to shake things up. If your current adult life has begun to feel monotonous, uneventful or (dare I say) lonely — or if it has simply been lacklustre for some time now — here's your chance to change that. As the name suggests, this social club aims to add some creative flare and organised fun to your current schedule. Founded by Sydney's former 'Sausage Queen', Chrissy Flanagan, the vibrant organisation hopes to not only forge new friendships between attendees, but also to spruce up social calendars everywhere. Previously the co-owner of The Sausage Factory restaurant and the Queens Of Chaos brewery, Chrissy has taken to this new venture which was birthed from her personal frustrations with the difficulty of forming new friendships as an adult. "It's often said Sydney is a particularly tricky place to make friends as an adult," Chrissy said. "If you miss out on doing any of the big four — high school, uni, work, kids — locally or at all, it's hard to bridge the gap, leaving many of us lonelier than we would like." She continues: "As adults, we're embarrassed or too self-conscious to use modern tools such as friend networking apps to solve this problem. Chaotic Social is seeking to bridge that gap, in the form of classes and panels on weird crafts, mad skills and naked ambition, where you're encouraged to roll solo and go home with a few new mates in your phone." At its core, Chaotic Social aims to solve the struggle of making new friends in adulthood by hosting a bunch of fun events in a safe space. From creepy doll-making classes and 'speed mating' parties to sausage classes (naturally) and an online book club, you'll find activities that, at the very least, pique your interest. Head over to Petersham and you'll be greeted with the bold neon sign out front, before entering a room completely enveloped by orange. Whether you choose to hit up the event of your choice solo or in a group, you are guaranteed a good time — and your future self will thank you for it. Do keep in mind that participation in activities is not optional — no spectators! So if you're planning to attend, be prepared to get involved. You can find Chaotic Social at 256 Stanmore Road, Petersham. If you're keen to head in and check it out, take your pick from the social club's upcoming events at their events page.
NSW has now gone two weeks with no cases of community transmission of COVID-19. As a result more restrictions are easing. As well as gyms and tattoo parlours reopening this Saturday, June 13, Sydneysiders will be allowed to have gatherings of up to 20 people in their homes and outside. While hospitality venues have been allowed to have up to 50 people since June 1, gatherings in homes have been restricted to five visitors, with outdoor gatherings limited to ten. At a press conference this morning, Thursday, June 11, Premier Gladys Berejiklian made the announcement, saying despite the lack of community transmission Sydneysiders should not yet let their guards down. "We cannot forget the virus is still among us, the virus is deadly, it's contagious and while these restrictions are being eased let's be vigilant." As well as allowing Sydneysiders to have 20 guests in their homes and gather in groups of up to 20 outside, from Saturday, food courts will also be allowed to reopen for diners "in a socially-distanced" way, the Premier said. The Premier also hinted to more restrictions being eased "imminently". "We'll have a whole lot more to say in the next few days — in the next week — about what July looks like," the Premier said. When gyms open on Saturday, class sizes will be restricted to ten people, with a maximum of 100 people per venue, and tattoo and massage parlours will be allowed to have up to ten clients at a time. Indoor pools and saunas will be able to reopen with restrictions, too, following the reopening of outdoor pools and ocean pools back on May 15. As announced yesterday, adult — and kid — community sport is set to kick off again on July 1, but the government is yet to outline restrictions for spectators. For more information about what you can and can't do in NSW under current COVID-19 restrictions, head to the NSW Government website. CORRECTION: JUNE 11, 2020 — This article previously stated that gatherings in homes are currently limited to ten, but this is incorrect. You may currently have up to five visitors in your home — outdoor gatherings are limited to ten. It has since been updated.
Raise a glass to your next four must-visit vino spots: the winners of the 2022 Wineslinger Awards. Every year since 2018, these hospitality gongs have singled out the best places to get sipping, including via a Top 50 list and handing out four trophies. And for this year, ready to help shape your bar choices for 2023, all of the above is now here. Wineslinger isn't actually about vino itself, or bars in general. As the name makes plain, it's focused on watering holes that specialise in wine. Only four awards are handed out each year, covering the best Wineslinger, Best New Haunt, the Maverick prize for venues that push the limits and the People's Choice gong. While the first three awards are voted on by more than 100 industry experts, the latter stems from vino aficionados at home. [caption id="attachment_623526" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To.[/caption] Nabbing the big prize this year: Sydney's Dear Sainte Éloise, which was recognised for its focus "on organic and biodynamic producers who work with as little winemaking intervention as possible", as well as its hefty 550-plus wine list. "Over the last five years, owners Matt Swieboda and Nate Hatwell have firmly cemented a new institution to pair with their legendary wine bar, Love, Tilly Devine," said the Young Gun of Wine team, which runs Wineslinger, announcing the win. "There's a by-the-glass list of about 25 – plus saké and fortifieds – with new or featured wines chalked up daily. There's also a low-waste, sustainable undercurrent to the venue that extends to the menu where whole beasts are sourced to utilise every last piece of the animal. And the produce, like the wine, is organic or biodynamic, except for the rare exception." [caption id="attachment_623522" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To.[/caption] The Potts Point spot took out the gong after Melbourne's Embla nabbed it in 2021, and the Carlton Wine Room in 2020. In 2022, Victoria's wine spots made a showing courtesy of the Best New Haunt prize, a rather self-explanatory field, which went to Bar Merenda in Daylesford. In the Maverick category, Perth's Tetsun emerged victorious, marking the second year in a row that the award has gone to a venue in the Western Australia capital. It got the nod for being "a wine bar that steps away from rigid formality to add a splash of fun," the awards advised. "Styling itself as a neo-Italian neighbourhood osteria, the room has a lively, loud and rambunctious atmosphere, which made an immediate impact since opening in the heart of inner-Perth nightlife hub Mount Lawley in mid-2022." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Young Gun of Wine (@younggunofwine) And, the People's Choice went to an Adelaide venue, also for the second year running. The winner: bottle shop and tasting room Bowden Cellars. Just like in 2021, all four winners hailed from different cities. The Wineslinger Awards were created by Rory Kent, who also founded the Young Gun of Wine Awards. Where the latter prize aims to recognise stellar up-and-comers, the former is all about excellent and innovative places where vino lovers can enjoy an ace drop. Wineslinger also releases a list of top places to drink wine across the country each year, with 2022's rundown revealed back in November. The 50 spots span everywhere from Sydney's 10 William Street, Monopole and Poly to Melbourne's Bar Liberty, Old Palm Liquor and Public Wine Shop — plus Brisbane's La Lune Wine Co, Maeve and Wineism as well. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Young Gun of Wine (@younggunofwine) For further details about the 2022 Wineslinger Award winners, visit the awards' website. Top image: Dear Sainte Eloise, Nikki To.
If you're after a hearty meal to keep you toasty on a cool night, look no further than Shubhakamana. Its selection of curries, momos, noodles and rice dishes can keep you and your achingly cold bones company. Hailing from Rockdale, Shubhakamana has become a local hotspot for Nepalese cuisine and is known for giving a home-cooked touch to the nation's most renowned dishes. A meal here absolutely must include a plate of momos — we recommend ordering the platter so you can try a few of the different styles. These Nepalese-style dumplings come stuffed with spicy chicken or buffalo mince and, regardless of whether they're steamed, fried or doused in a tangy sauce (or all three), they're served with a super spicy tomato dipping sauce. Elsewhere on the menu, you'll find hearty curries, Chinese-style chow mein noodles, thali (a platter featuring black lentil soup, veggies, papadums and rice), biryani and thukpa (a Nepalese-style vegetable noodle soup). Images: Cassandra Hannagan
It has been over three years since Australia's most ambitious outdoor cinema held its first pop-up, letting movie lovers catch a flick under the stars while getting cosy in one of its beds (yes, beds). After four fast-selling seasons in Sydney, Mov'In Bed has announced its first national tour, bringing its comfy setup to three other capital cities. Cinephiles in Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria, it's your time to hop into one of 150 beds and stare up at the silver screen. Mov'In Bed will make its way around the nation this year, going to Perth and Brisbane before making its Melbourne debut at St Kilda Beach in January and February 2020. It'll return to Sydney for a summer season at the Entertainment Quarter, too, from January till March. While the film program hasn't been announced yet, audiences in each city can expect the same experience — the same number of beds, around 30–50 screenings, and just generally grabbing a buddy you're comfortable to share a blankie with (or make a bold first date move) for a unique night at the movies. In Sydney across previous seasons, Mov'In Bed has hosted themed and party nights too, so here's hoping that's also on the agenda. The outdoor cinema also features the usual range of movie snacks — beer, lollies and popcorn, of course — and has seen Burger Project and Fratelli Fresh bring food directly to Sydneysiders' beds. If you don't want to shell out for a bed (which have ranged from $40 for a single person to $74 for a couple in the past), it also lets patrons bring a picnic blanket and chill out on the grass. MOV'IN BED 2019–20 SEASON Perth, Ozone Reserve — October 18 – December 8, 2019 Melbourne, St Kilda Beach — January 3 – February 23, 2020 Sydney, Entertainment Quarter — January 17 – March 8, 2020 Mov'In Bed will pop up from October 2019, and tickets will go on sale later this year. For more information, keep an eye on movinbed.com.au. Updated: September 3, 2019.
If you're one to picnic on Australia Day, this one's for you. Load up your basket with Tim Tams, Caramello Koalas and a possibly-homemade-probably-not pavlova and head for Sydney's sandstone waterfront park for roving performers, floating concerts and one heck of a sunset. See the demolition of Sydney Festival's Ephemeral City in the Cutaway, catch the end of the Ferrython under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, then ooh and aah at the Tall Ships. There'll be floating concert barges cruising past all day, then you'll be front and centre to see one of Sydney’s most spectacular sunsets at Nawi Cove.
Tim Burton's obsessively anticipated adaptation of Alice in Wonderland finally hits cinemas in all its three-dimensional glory. Burton has transformed Lewis Carroll's Alice Kingsley into a 19-year-old dreamer (played by Australian Mia Wasikowska), who flees a claustrophobically staged engagement to follow one of her flights of fancy and ends up falling down the proverbial rabbit hole. This is not to say that Alice is a stranger to Wonderland; indeed, she dreams of it constantly, though remains unaware of her childhood adventure to 'Underland'. And so Alice and the audience are reintroduced to all the old favourites: the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), the White Queen (Anne Hathaway), the Rabbit (Michael Sheen), Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Matt Lucas), the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry) and the trippy Blue Caterpillar (Alan Rickman). While Burton and screenwriter Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast) do a laudable job reinventing the literary heroine, they don't quite manage to breathe new life into her. In fact, apart from a spirited scene or two, Alice is a rather flat, meek character who literally sits on the sidelines of scenes to allow Depp and Bonham Carter to dish up their quirk. That his muse and his wife would run away with the production was always going to be the risk of Burton's Alice; if they do just manage to restrain themselves, Burton isn't able to convert this into a winning emotional journey for his heroine. Despite these distracting characterisation flaws, Alice in Wonderland is a well-paced, beautifully crafted visual spectacle that makes good use of 3D for a cracking cinematic experience. Alice's costumes are particularly delectable, and, as ever, Burton's signature gothic stamp is a resplendent, atmospheric addition to this latest world he's set his sights on. https://youtube.com/watch?v=9POCgSRVvf0
If you want to catch a bus in Sydney, the Opal card has been the main way to pay for your trip for a while now. But that's about to change. After rolling out card payments on light rail and ferries back in March last year, and on trains in November, Transport for NSW has announced that contactless card payments — and devices that have the service enabled — will be rolled out across all Sydney buses this August. Yep, you can leave your Opal in your wallet/on your desk/down the side of the couch — with this new technology, you can just tap your card or phone (Visa, Mastercard and American Express are all accepted in credit or debit) right onto the regular Opal scanners. Doing this will charge you for an Adult Opal single trip ticket, and if you use the same card each time you travel, the daily, weekly and Sunday caps will automatically be applied to your fare. It's expected that all buses will be able to accept credit and debit cards by the end of September. In another win for commuters, other fare discounts will now be available on all credit card transport payments for the first time, too. Which means if you transfer between services, travel off-peak, usually qualify for the Weekly Travel Reward (where, after eight trips in a week, you get half-price fares) you'll get those discounts on your credit card across the train, light rail, ferry and bus network (when the latter is rolled out, of course). Moving away from dedicated transport cards — or adding other payment options — will make things easier for tourists and travellers (and people who, god forbid, leave their Opal at home), who shouldn't have to buy a new piece of plastic just to catch a bus or train (or pay extra for a paper ticket if they don't) when they're visiting. However, if we're moving towards a contactless future, ensuring the new system remains accessible for anyone that doesn't have a smartphone, smartwatch or bank card remains a concern. Contactless and credit card payments will be rolled out across Sydney buses from August, and it's expected all buses will accept it by the end of September. Top image: Stephen Rees via Flickr. Updated: August 29, 2019.
Australia has reared a host of fashion luminaries, from Akira Isogawa to Sass & Bide. And while it's hard to imagine these creative titans as students, there was indeed a time before they made it. For 20 years the Powerhouse Museum has staged an annual exhibtion of Student Fashion. It shows work by the most accomplished tertiary fashion graduates, providing a taste of the upcoming design talent brewing in our own backyard. Twenty years. Think of the metamorphoses the fashion world has undergone since 1993! The exhibition showcases styles by last year's standout fashion students, as well as the latest from more seasoned alumni of the last two decades, including Toni Maticevski, Gabriel Lee, Timo Rissanen and Alana Clifton-Cunningham. Image shows Topographical Complexities by Alan Clifton Cunningham.
The acclaimed culinary trio behind Potts Point French eatery Bistrot 916 is gearing up to open their second restaurant. Dan Pepperell (Alberto Lounge, 10 William Street and Frankie's), sommelier Andy Tyson (Alberto Lounge) and longtime Rockpool Dining Group chef Michael Clift are set to open Pellegrino 2000, a new neighbourhood Italian restaurant focusing on the flavours from Rome and Florence in Surry Hills. Clift says the restaurant will be inspired by the trio's most-loved Italian trattorias. Located on the corner of Campbell and Foster Street in Surry Hills, the eatery will house the main dining room and a candle-lit wine cellar in the basement. The three Sydney hospo mainstays at the helm of the venue have stripped back the former residence of Bar H to reveal a historic corner terrace built in 1905. Bringing the building to life will be a double-sided espresso bar and shelves of canned tomatoes and anchovies lining the walls. Bistrot 916's success was built around presenting French classics and more inventive takes on Parisian cuisine in a way that was new for Sydney. Diners at Pellegrino 2000 can expect a similar approach to Italian food. "The menu will consist of the Italian staples we love, handmade tortellini, pappardelle bolognese, fritto misto and tripe in all shapes and sizes," says Pepperell. [caption id="attachment_801367" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bistrot 916, Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] As with all good Italian restaurants, good wine will also be on hand. "The wine list will be a grand selection of the Italian classics, mostly old Barolo, old Chianti, and a few prized bottles of the greats like Soldera and Valentini," according to Tyson. Playing a support role will be the cocktails. Expect a selection of amari, negronis, caffe shakerato and Bellini's reminiscent of Harry's Bar in Venice. An official open date hasn't been announced for Pellegrino 2000, with the restaurant's Instagram promising its "coming soon". Pellegrino 2000 will open at 80 Campbell Street, Surry Hills.
Sydneysiders, the future isn't so bright that you need to wear shades — it's light, at least as far as public transportation is involved. No one can miss the construction work that has been transforming the CBD in the name of better ways of getting around in the coming future, but it's not the only part of town benefiting from extra infrastructure. In 2023, the city's west will also join the fold. Premier Gladys Berejiklian has revealed the new route anyone going west — or coming from that direction — will traverse, which features 16 stops between Westmead and Carlingford. The 12-kilometre stretch of track will glide through the centre of Parramatta in its travels, will cost a cool $1 billion, and should operate services every seven and a half minutes once it is up and running. Yes, heading out that way is about to become much quicker and easier. That's the good news. In not so great tidings for anyone needing to visit Sydney Olympic Park and unhappy about the current, far-from-convenient methods of doing so, it's a notable omission among the list of stops, after originally being part of an earlier plan announced in 2015. Now, it's due to be included in the yet-to-be-revealed second stage of the project instead, which doesn't yet have a timeline. Transport Minister Andrew Constance told The Sydney Morning Herald that it will happen, though. "We want to get the station locations right, and the design of the route right," he said. Here's hoping. Via The Sydney Morning Herald / ABC. Image: Parramatta Light Rail.
It could potentially be the final film for Studio Ghibli. And by gum, it looks like our hearts will be firmly in our hands. Set for limited release across Australia on May 14 for two weeks only, When Marnie Was There could be the last Ghibli feature film ever; after the Japanese animation legends announced the possibly permanent closure of their film division last year. Spirited Away creator and Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki retired from filmmaking before the 2013 release of The Wind Rises, and fellow Ghibli head Isao Takahata's Academy Award-nominated film The Tale of the Princess Kaguya didn't fare too well at the box office outside Japan. So we've got big hopes for the studio's last wild feature-length ride, directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi (The Secret World of Arrietty). When Marnie Was There following the life of a lonely girl, Anne, whose foster parents decide to send her to the country to stay with distant family. After stumbling across a strangely familar old mansion, she meets Marnie, the mysterious girl who lives there. Ghibli magic ensues. Check out the trailer here: When Marnie Was There is set for limited release across Australia on May 14 for two weeks only, screening in both original Japanese language and English dubbed versions. Check your local cinema listings.
Since beloved Turkish restaurant Stanbuli closed in April, you may have been waiting to hear who would be taking over its Enmore Road digs with bated breath. Thankfully, it's now been revealed that the Porteno team will be maintaining its ownership of the space, opening Bar Louise, a new Spanish tapas bar at 135 Enmore Road, with a name that honours the history of the building. Named after the Marie-Louise salon that occupied the building from the 50s through until the 90s, the bar will be opening in mid-September behind the iconic Marie-Louise facade. A fresh Bar Louise sign has been added to the historic shopfront, and the Stanbuli grill has been kept on-site to use for vegetable and seafood dishes. A tentative open date of Monday, September 12 has been floated — if all goes well. Porteno Foundr Elvis Abrahanowicz says the food offerings will be based around fresh seafood brought from the market each day, with the menu changing daily depending on that morning's haul. "We just want to make it a fun place everyone can come and drink wine and eat great food — open seven days a week," Abrahanowicz told Concrete Playground. Continental Deli Co-Owner and Manager Michael 'Mikey' Nicolian is also involved, helping pull together the menu that will feature a staple of both Porteno and Continental — curing and preserving. "We'll be doing a lot of house-cured things and preserved seafood ... making our own chorizo. We usually do that at our other places," says Abrahanowicz. Bar Louise will open down the road from Porteno's new Australia Street pop-up. The team recently opened a temporary Humble Bakery in Newtown. Located next to Continental and 212 Blu, the pop-up is serving up its renowned finger buns and almond croissants just two days a week (Saturday and Sunday) until the end of the year. And, fans of Stanbuli will still be able to enjoy the food of former Head Chef Ibrahim Kasif, with the renowned hospitality mainstay now teaming up with NOMAD to open a new manoush restaurant and wine bar later this year. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bar Louise Salon De Tapas (@barlouise_enmore) Bar Louise is slated to open in mid-September at 135 Enmore Road, Enmore.
It seems strange that street art comes with a press release these days. Its creation was once banished to the darkest hours of the night to be carried out by wanted dudes in hoodies and runners; now it gets its own fanfare. Is it even still a crime? Regardless, it makes sense that this one was delivered to our inbox today. After being the star of zillions of Instagram posts in downtown LA, Colette Miller's Wings installation is coming to the streets of Melbourne and Sydney. Brace yourselves, this is sure to trend in no time. Originally created in 2012, the now-famous installation was imagined as a way for people to start interacting with art in urban spaces. As it encouraged people to take photos with it, this multi-colour paste-up was a hit — an instant classic to the growing list of must-see artworks around the streets of LA. Since then, it's been brought to Washington, Nairobi and now Australia. It appears that the desire to be a giant neon angel is universal. Melbournians and Sydneysiders can experience this strange privilege for a limited time this month. Flying over to Sydney first as part of Arts Brookfield, the wings will be plastered at World Square and King Street Wharf from September 5 'til October 9. At two metres high and three metres wide, they'll be hard to miss — not to mention the crowd of happy snappers that will invariably surround them. The wings will be appearing in Melbourne from September 15 to October 15 at Southern Cross Lane near the corner of Bourke and Exhibition Streets. And, with such a central CBD location, the artist's point is pretty clear. "Cities bring humans together and Wings is accessible art that aims to capture the imagination of workers as they transverse the city," said Miller. "My Wings are a universal archetypal symbol of humanity and its divine self." While we think the latter point is reaching a little far, we wholeheartedly agree with the former. Everyone deserves some sprawling, neon art to admire on their lunch break and it's well worth taking the time for a selfie.
When December hits in Sydney, 'tis the season to be jolly. From Friday, December 2 onwards, 'tis the time to sip BrewDog's beers, too. That's when at the Scottish craft beer giant will open its long-awaited first-ever Sydney bar, a 910-seater space in the old locomotive workshop in South Eveleigh. Sydneysiders have been waiting for this to happen for some time, given that BrewDog launched its first Australian brewery and taproom in Brisbane in 2019, and just threw open the doors at its second Brissie venue as well. The South Eveleigh location was announced back in September, after the company previously advised that it was teaming up with hospitality group Australian Venue Co (AVC) to set up new beer bars around the country. Indeed, when Sydney's debut spot opens its doors, it'll be the brand's fourth nationwide, with a Melbourne site in the historic Pentridge Prison launching at the end of November. The Harbour City mightn't claim bragging rights for BrewDog's first, second or even third Aussie outposts, but there'll still be much to boast about in South Eveleigh. Settling into a precinct that already hosts Lucky Kwong and Re, the $3.2-million venue will literally be huge, for starters, spanning a large indoor dining space, a bar and a beer garden. It'll seat 720 beer aficionados inside and 190 outside, and pour 40 brews through its taps. Those beverages will cover the brand's own beers, of course, as well as 'BrewDog & Friends' guest beer tap takeovers and collaborations with local breweries. Don't feel like a brew? Cider, wine, spirits and cocktails will also be on offer, alongside a range of non-alcoholic options. All of the above will help wash down a food menu that'll feature burgers and pizzas, and do all-you-can-eat wings every Wednesday. BrewDog South Eveleigh is embracing vegetarian and vegan dishes in a sizeable way, too, dedicating half of its range to plant-based bites — including two-for-one vegan eats on Mondays. Given the location, the beer behemoth's first Sydney spot will pay respects to the site's history, with the architects at Studio Y designing the venue around the original workshop machinery collection. You'll be able to peer at it as you drink, in fact, truly turning your day, afternoon or evening sinking pints into a unique experience. Also inside, punters will find neon signs, plus fittingly industrial-style decor and lighting; think: polished concrete floors, as well as a concrete bar and kitchen countertop. Seating-wise, booths, low and high tables will fill the beer hall. BrewDog's Sydney welcome comes via that new partnership with AVC, aka the group behind spots such as Cargo, Kingsleys and The Winery. It sees the world's largest craft beer bar operator join forces with one of Australia's big pub operators, and will span multiple sites — but exactly where and when any venues beyond South Eveleigh and Pentridge will open hasn't yet been revealed. BrewDog currently operates over 100 beer bars worldwide and, if you need an extra incentive to head to South Eveleigh on its opening day, it'll be giving the first 200 customers through the door on that date — and that date only — the chance to win free beer for a year. BrewDog South Eveleigh will open in Bays 1 & 2, Locomotive Workshop, South Eveleigh, 2 Locomotive Street, South Eveleigh from Friday, December 2 — operating from 11am–10pm Sunday–Wednesday and 11am–12am Thursday–Saturday.
There are blockbusters like Yoko, established pros like Erwin Wurm and the yet-to-be-famous talents at play in our ARIs. But before our artists are even up and comers, many of Sydney’s best make their first public splash by pinning something to the walls at annual best-of, HSC exhibition ARTEXPRESS. This year’s collection includes the usual: ceramic cloud atlas, winged books, tower of architecture and a bit of a religious tribute to Gorillaz' Jamie Hewlett. Which is to say: art that’s unusual, challenging, magnificent and probably among the best you’ll see all year. Some of these artists will go on to greater art world success. Others will disappear from view. But, for now, it’s just an show full of first-of-a-kind ideas, stunning aesthetics and a lot of great art. ARTEXPRESS’ young artists will also be popping up at the gallery for three weeks of Art After Hours March 12, 19 and 26. Details on the Art After Hours site. Image: Losing our religion by Romy Lester.
"A woman. A dog. A campervan. And 4,500km of wide open road." That isn't the tagline for the latest homegrown drama series to hit streaming services. It's the description for the newest production showing at Wyoming's Laycock Street Community Theatre, Highway of Lost Hearts. The show is one night only, taking place on Saturday, May 18. In it, Mot, the protagonist, awakes one day to find she's lost her heart — literally. This revelation takes her on a trip across the outback and invites us to ask questions about what we'd do in her situation, as well as ponder whether we, as a country, have also lost our hearts. Written by award-winning Darwin playwright Mary Anne Butler, Highway of Lost Hearts is presented in collaboration with Bathurst's interdisciplinary arts organisation, Lingua Franca and Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre's Local Stages program. It promises 70 minutes of thought-provoking entertainment, includes music from Central West artists Smith & Jones and is led by seasoned theatre star Kate Smith.
Sacrilege is a life-size inflatable recreation of Stonehenge. That’s right. The enigmatic monument that’s perplexed historians for years has been "reimagined" as a bouncy castle that all and sundry can hop around on. Commissioned in 2012 by the Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art and the Mayor of London for the Cultural Olympiad, this work by Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller has proven to be a smash hit. Deller’s work frequently deals with British history and he is known for engaging the public in innovative and quirky ways. Both adults and children are allowed to engage with this fun installation that's 34 metres long and 5 metres tall. Take your shoes off and head to the Festival Village in Hyde Park any time from 9am to 9pm, Tuesday to Sunday. As the artist himself says, “You haven’t lived until you’ve bounced on Stonehenge.” Image courtesy of Mayor of London/ICON.
What kind of holidaymaker are you? Do you seek sun and sand on your break from the daily grind? Country-hopping and site-seeing? Or just comfortable surroundings and a cold brew or two? Those keen on the latter can now put their feet up at the ultimate accommodation for beer lovers from Monday, August 27. In fact, The DogHouse is so steeped in yeasty tipples, it's attached to and run by a brewery. After a successful crowdfunding campaign, Scottish outfit BrewDog has set up the boozy venture, which lives next to its US facility in Columbus, Ohio. So, what does the world's first craft beer hotel entail? In addition to a sour brewing facility, it includes beverages and lots of them, of course. Visitors sleep in beer-themed rooms, eat craft beer-infused meals with brews tailored to every course, take brewery tours and check out the onsite beer museum. In-room beer taps are also on the agenda, as well as shower beer fridges. And, when you check in, the concierge gives you a beer — naturally. There are 32 rooms in total, including eight deluxe suites and four that are dog-friendly, should you find yourself in America with your pooch in tow. And if you're not going to be in that neck of the woods any time soon, BrewDog is also opening a second hotel at its Scottish headquarters in 2019. The company is also heading to Australia to launch its first $30 million Aussie facility in Brisbane; however that won't have a hotel attached. Images: BrewDog.
One of Australia's top restaurants has finally landed in Sydney. But, Orana in Residence — the local outpost of Adelaide's Restaurant Orana — is only here for a month. Taking over the former Longrain site, the pop-up headed by chef and owner Jock Zonfrillo is serving up a very involved 22-course dinner. It's not a typical meal, but instead more like a very detailed, very tasty journey through Australia. On it, you'll try Tasmanian mountain pepper leaf, Port Lincoln bluefin tuna and buffalo milk from Myponga. You'll also try lots of native ingredients — which aren't a tokenistic nod to Australia's Indigenous culture, but a pillar of Orana. Ten percent of all profits from the $350-a-head dinners go to Zonfrillo's charity The Orana Foundation, which helps foster and preserve Australia's Indigenous food culture. Zonfrillo has also worked with local growers and Eora Nation Elders to source the ingredients. It's groundbreaking Australian dining — some are even calling it life-changing. And you've got three more weeks to make a booking. If you can't make it (or can't afford to splash at least $350 on dinner) we've distilled the 22-course experience into 22 easy-to-consume emojis. [caption id="attachment_738736" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Potato damper and lamb butter[/caption] 1. 🦘 On Commonwealth Street, there's currently a luminescent 'Orana' sign out the front of the otherwise fairly nondescript Orana in Residence building. While at first glance it may look like it's made of rabbit fur, it's actually kangaroo — something I'll be eating a lot of throughout the dinner. 2. 🐕 Inside, I take a seat on a custom-made chair, at a custom-made charred wood table under a sea of native plants hanging from the ceiling. This isn't Longrain anymore, Toto. 3. 👩🏻‍🍳 Despite the meal costing $350, I help prepare the first course. Well, just rotate the potato damper, which is wrapped around a stick of lemon myrtle and cooking on a bed of coals on the table. Once baked, I dip it in an umami-rich lamb butter. This is the only type of bread I ever want to eat again. 4. 🍞 But wait, there's more (*insert bread emoji*). It's on the table in front of us, proofing under glass domes. One of the Orana team members — some flown over from Adelaide, some Sydney hospitality stalwarts — comes to pick it up and take it back to kitchen to bake. They casually mention it's made with wattleseed and wholewheat flour from the Clare Valley. Of course. 5. 🤯 Have you tried emu eggs? As a custard? Topped with bunya nut miso, bunya nut cheese, crispy salt bush, long yam and trout roe? No, neither had I. And it blew my mind. 6. 🍷 The first wine of the evening — carefully selected by Orana wine director Kyle Poole and a handful of top Sydney sommeliers — is not red. But there's not an emoji for that. It's a Deviation Road brut from the Adelaide Hills, created exclusively for Orana. 7. 👽 Wines that follow include a magnum of skin-contact Tangerine Dream by Smallfry, a 2010 cabernet sauvignon from Wynn's, a Lucy Margaux pét-nat and something very tasty and red poured out of a giant harp-shaped decanter. Impressed, I am. 8. 🍺 Speaking of alcohol, the South Australian icon that is Coopers Sparkling Ale also makes it onto the menu — but not in liquid form. (I'll let you know more about that later.) 9. 🍔 The next dish, I kid you not, tastes like a Macca's cheeseburger. Although I'm sure it wasn't what Zonfrillo was going for when he created the roti sandwich filled with veal tongue and leek mayo, it's what he has achieved. And it's definitely not a bad thing. 10. 🐊🐊 Two emojis? Yes, for the 'soup soup' — so good they named it twice. And it is. A crocodile broth with lemon myrtle, aniseed, cinnamon myrtle and Tasmanian mountain pepper leaf, it makes a convincing case for ditching chicken soup in favour of croc. [caption id="attachment_738744" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] 11. 🎵 These two cubes of Port Lincoln blue fin tuna and Millicent beef cheek berry sauce — aptly called Surf and Turf — are so juicy, they almost deserve their own song. 12. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Despite trying to diligently track details of all the courses, I falter. A note in my phone reads: "kangaroo, potato, red wine, goat, decanter". The G.O.A.T dish? A goat carrying a decanter of red wine? Your guess is as good as mine. 13. 🍗 The next dish, however, is impossible to forget. A whole quail, carved at the table. Pick it up and eat it with your hands. Finger lickin' good. I think the Colonel would approve. 14. 🌒 It's 10.30pm. I'm about three hours and 17 (15? 20?) courses in. I hope it never ends. 15. 😭 Confirmed: only two more savoury courses to go. 16. 🍩 Oh, and five desserts. 17. 🤠 !! 18. 🍵 Thankfully, there's a short tea break to digest before we move onto sweets. A tannic jilungin dreamtime tea, harvested by the Nyul Nyul people of Western Australian. 19. 🍦 Remember that SA icon I mentioned? Instead of being served in a long neck, the Coopers Sparkling Ale is served as ice cream inside a paper bark sandwich. Hopefully this makes its way onto the Exeter menu. 20. 🕺 On the topic of Aussie icons, one of them created the playlist: Jimmy Barnes. Thankfully it's not just ten hours of screaming, but a very impressive genre-spanning, 524-song list — and you can listen to all 35 hours of it here. 21. 👵🏻 Finally, the oldest surviving dish on the Orana menu: set Wyponga buffalo milk with strawberry juice and eucalyptus. I can see why they haven't taken it off. 22. ⏮ It's done. I'm finished. I'm full. And I want to do it all over again. Orana in Residence is located at 85 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills, from August 16–September 15. It's open for lunch and dinner Thursday–Sunday and you can make your reservation via the Restaurant Orana website.
This year's music program is SXSW Sydney's most dynamic to date, showcasing a rich mix of talent from both local and international artists. Through an eclectic range of genres, innovative performances and opportunities for emerging artists to shine, live performances are the bedrock of the Fest. Over four electrifying nights, October 15–19, acts from more than 15 countries will perform at venues across Chippendale and its surrounds. With a lineup that includes internationally revered stalwarts, up-and-coming talent and unique collaborative projects, Sydney's music lovers can expect a thrilling experience that reflects the evolving landscape of the music industry. From live showcases to thought-provoking panels and workshops, the program explores the intersection of music and technology, diving into topics such as streaming, artist empowerment, and the future of live performance. Whether you're a passionate music fan, an industry professional or an aspiring artist, SXSW Sydney's 2024 Music Festival offers a chance to connect, learn, and be inspired by the transformative power of music. The Kid LAROI Keynote Address Saturday, October 19, 2–3pm ICC Sydney, Darling Harbour Theatre Featuring an in-depth conversation with the 21-year-old artist about his journey from Redfern to becoming a global star with over a billion streams, the Kid LAROI's keynote session will be one of the defining moments of this year's music lineup. SXSW Sydney will also be collaborating with LAROI to offer a series of professional development workshops and performance opportunities for the First Nations community in Waterloo and Redfern. The Kid LAROI is an Australian singer-songwriter known for his genre-blending sound, which combines pop, hip-hop, and R'n'B. Rising to fame with hits like 'Stay', he has quickly become a global sensation, celebrated for his emotional lyrics and relatable themes, capturing the attention of audiences worldwide 87dance You'll no doubt be familiar with K-pop, but Korea's Indie scene is just as vibrant. 87dance — from Seoul, South Korea — are known for their distinctive loft-funk-chill sound. They gained prominence in the K-Indie scene with their 2019 EP Palchilldance and refined their style in the 2022 EP Soldout Smile. Their singles 'How Can I Forget You Girl', 'Saffron', and 'Ghosts Are Bored' earned them a spot as an Apple Music UP NEXT artist and strong support from Spotify's Fresh Finds. Like many Korean music groups, fashion is an important part of 87dance's identity. The band blends eclectic styles from streetwear to vintage fashion, collaborating with brands like Fred Perry. J-MILLA x Yung Milla — Same Blood Hailing from the Northern Territory, artists J-MILLA and Yung Milla have carved their own paths to success, rising from the lean streets of Darwin's southern suburbs to national attention. For the first time, these two Marranunggu rap king bruthas join forces for an electrifying collaboration of rhyme, dance, and style. Happy Mag describes J-MILLA as "a dominant force in hip hop," while triple j labels Yung Milla as "hot shit," so you can expect Same Blood to be a watershed moment for Aussie hip hop. Voice of Baceprot This boundary-busting trio have been described by Metal Hammer as one of the greatest heavy metal power trios ever, declaring them "the metal band the world needs right now". Widi (bass), Siti (drums), and Marsya (guitar and vocals) first met in 2014 while they were junior high school students in Singajaya, a small village in Garut, West Java, located an eight-hour drive from Jakarta. Their teacher introduced them to their instruments and inspired the band's name; "Baceprot," meaning "noisy" in their native Sundanese. The band gained international attention in 2017 when their performance of 'The Enemy of Earth Is You' went viral. Since then, they have taken the stage at prominent events like Wacken Open Air (2022) and Glastonbury Festival 2024, as well as headlining shows in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, and embarking on two European tours (2021 and 2022) and a US tour in 2023. Their debut album, Retas, has also been recognized by Kerrang as one of the 50 best metal albums of 2023. Jeshi This Australian artist has been building an impressive legacy since releasing his debut album, Universal Credit, in May, 2022. This record is known for its multidimensional blend of personal, relatable and humorous themes, earning widespread acclaim from critics and fans. He has collaborated with notable artists like Sad Night Dynamite, Celeste, and Obongjayar, and his music has garnered support from leading fashion and music publications, including Hypebeast, Dazed, and The Guardian. Jeshi has captivated festival crowds at Glastonbury and other major festivals around the world, while also headlining a show in Tokyo and partnering with brands like Nike Air Max and Dr. Martens. I'mdifficult This multilingual, culturally diverse quartet — featuring Ernest (vocals, keyboards), Dotzio (vocals, synths), Eason (vocals, guitars), and Jason (drums) — fuses various styles and languages, reflecting their eclectic backgrounds growing up in both Taiwan and the US. The foursome's 2021 EP, 25, earned significant attention, amassing over two million Spotify plays and reaching 23rd on the Spotify Taiwanese charts. Their latest self-titled debut album, released in late 2023, showcases a mature, cinematic soundscape that critics have dubbed "sophisticated pop". Ixaras This queer indie pop-rock artist and songwriter from Brisbane got her break in 2023, when she made a significant impact on the scene as a triple j Unearthed High finalist, performing at BIGSOUND and Valley Fiesta alongside artists like Mallrat and Miss Kannina. Her track 'sprouts' has racked up 250,000 organic streams to date. Ixaras's music features melodic earworms and thought-provoking lyrics about the complexities of youth and love. Through her all-ages DIY gig company, Anti-Dismal, she has hosted multiple sold-out shows across Brisbane, creating an inclusive space where phones are refreshingly banned. Phoebe Rings This dream-pop quartet from Auckland, New Zealand, is led by songwriter Crystal Choi. Their debut single 'Cheshire' topped BFM's most played tracks in 2020 and hit number one on several student radio stations and alternative charts. Hot on the heels of this success came their self-titled EP, showcasing the band's mercurial mix of avant-pop, shoegaze, city pop and jazz. Their most recent releases have proven just as popular, with their latest single, 'Mandarin Tree', ranking on the Hot 20 NZ singles chart. For the full lineup of the 2024 SXSW Sydney Music Festival, visit the SXSW website.
Creativity never dies. In its tenth year, HIDDEN will showcase over forty sculptures installed all over the historic Rookwood Cemetery. The exhibition features artists from all over the country and overseas. Tasked with celebrating history, culture, remembrance, and love, each artist has contributed to this outdoor sculpture walk that hides creativity amongst gardens and graves. The exhibition is free to explore and runs for the entirety of September, kicking off with a launch party at 3pm on Saturday, September 1. Highlights of the unique (and slightly spooky) exhibition include a short film competition — with 10 different flicks — a floating "stairway to heaven" and a performative piece, which takes place every Saturday and Sunday from 12pm. For those wanting to know some of the stories behind the art pieces, there'll be free tours running throughout the exhibition led by HIDDEN curator Cassandra Lawrie. You can check out the full list of times and book your space here.
If the start of your long weekend plans include a trip on a train, it may take longer than expected. A police incident at Redfern Station saw the inner-city train station close for over an hour, which has led to major delays across most of Sydney's train network. While the station reopened and services were restored around midday on Thursday, April 18, Transport for NSW is reporting that there are still delays across T1 Northern, Western and North Shore Line; T2 Inner West & Leppington Line; T3 Bankstown Line, T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line; T8 Airport & South Line; Blue Mountains Line; Central Coast & Newcastle Line; and South Coast Line. https://twitter.com/T1SydneyTrains/status/1118701361606959105 Those hoping to travel on any of the impacted lines are being told to visit the Transport for NSW website for updates or check indicator screens if they are already at the station. The SMH is reporting that the closure was prompted by an alleged trespasser, with police then shutting off overhead power to the station. To stay up-to-date with delays, check the Transport for NSW website and real-time apps. Image: Wang-Hsin Pei via Wikimedia Commons.
After months of speculation, it seems Amazon's much-hyped Australian launch finally has a start date. And that date is tomorrow. As business information researchers IBISWorld confirmed, emails were sent out to a bunch of Amazon Marketplace sellers on Tuesday, suggesting that the online retail giant would be kicking off an 'internal testing phase' here in Australia at 2pm Thursday, November 23 — just in time for that hectic, pre-Christmas retail rush. There's not a whole lot of info to go on, though sellers are being told to ensure their pricing and stock is up-to-date, and that their accounts are ready for purchases from the start of this soft launch. They're also being given the opportunity to opt out of the testing phase, by temporarily deactivating their account. It looks like the rest of us will have to wait until tomorrow to see which, and how many products are available during the launch period — though if we know anything about Amazon, it's that they don't do things by halves. According to Senior Industry Analyst for IBISWorld Kim Do, Amazon's arrival in Australia is set to give the local retail industry a solid shake-up. "The company intends to challenge domestic retail prices by offering items for 30 percent less than domestic retailers," she explained, adding that technology products are expected to be Amazon's highest selling category. Let the retail therapy begin!
Get ready to embark on a captivating journey come Saturday, July 8. Burramatta NAIDOC Day is helping us embrace, honour, and celebrate Australia's many rich and vibrant First Nations cultures. The theme for this year's event is 'For Our Elders', paying tribute to the vital role that Elders play within Indigenous and Australian communities. Expect captivating storytelling, and a celebration of both traditional and contemporary Indigenous cultures. So get friends and family together to immerse yourselves in an array of captivating performances – including live music sets featuring artists like Dean Brady, Stiff Gins and Akala Newman. Look out for the dance showcases by Jannawi Dance Clan and Muggera Cultural Enterprise. If you are looking to get a little more involved, you can get hands-on with some traditional arts and crafts. Or browse the market stalls for something special to bring home. Burramatta NAIDOC Day is an occasion not to miss. Come together as a community for an opportunity to connect, celebrate and learn. Burramatta NAIDOC Day is running on Saturday, July 8 from 10am to 4pm. For more information, visit the website.
Marty. De Niro. Leo. Enough said. That's the basic maths behind Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese's first film since 2019's The Irishman. Premiering at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival before hitting cinemas Down Under in October and then Apple TV+ after that, it's also his first feature to star two of his long-serving collaborators: Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. De Niro and DiCaprio have been in so many of the legendary director's movies that it's rare for any of his titles to not include one or the other. The former's run gave viewers gangster masterpieces such as Mean Streets, Goodfellas and Casino; also spans the iconic Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and The King of Comedy; and covers musical New York, New York and thriller remake Cape Fear, too — and, of course The Irishman. The latter began leading Scorsese's films in the early 2000s, kicking off with Gangs of New York, then starring in The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island and The Wolf of Wall Street. Yes, that's a helluva resume for both actors, and for their favourite helmer. Enter Killers of the Flower Moon — which is actually the second time that De Niro and DiCaprio have joined forces for Scorsese, but their debut together in one of his full-length features (they played themselves in the director's 2015 comedy short The Audition). The actors have a past on-screen beyond that, however, thanks to the non-Marty helmed This Boy's Life in 1993, back when DiCaprio was still a teen. That's the Scorsese–De Niro–DiCaprio history, with Killers of the Flower Moon also jumping backwards into the real-life of murders of oil-wealthy members of the Osage Nation in Osage County, Oklahoma a century back. Scorsese also co-wrote the screenplay with Eric Roth (Dune, and an Oscar-winner for Forest Gump), adapting David Gann's 2017 non-fiction book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. As the just-dropped first trailer for Killers of the Flower Moon shows, DiCaprio (Don't Look Up) and Certain Women standout Lily Gladstone play a couple caught up in the investigations surrounding the mounting killings. Also co-starring: not just De Niro (Amsterdam), but Jesse Plemons (Love & Death), John Lithgow (Sharper) and newly minted Best Actor Oscar-winner Brendan Fraser (The Whale). Check out the trailer for Killers of the Flower Moon below: Killers of the Flower Moon will release in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, October 19, then stream via Apple TV+ at a later date — we'll update you with streaming details when they're announced.
Up your midichlorian count and get your eyes all over this new trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. This is the second look we've had of the seventh Star Wars instalment, after the first trailer dropped in November. Don't get cocky. The film isn't out until Christmas — December 17, 2015. But never tell us the odds.
When millennials reach their twilight years, Zac Efron might be singing his way through Retirement Home Musical, Blue Ivy Carter could win an Oscar for cinema's latest big hit musical biopic — about her mother, naturally — and the Stranger Things kids may've become the go-to grizzled crackpots in every sci-fi film and TV show around. No offence meant to any of them, but that's what popular culture does. Nostalgia never dies, so the entertainment industry keeps recycling the same things for the same audience, just in an era-appropriate fashion. And it'll keep doing so, long past the point when Fast & Furious 89: Now We're Fast, Furious and Fragile zooms into theatres. For a current example — a predecessor to an elderly Vin Diesel and The Rock still doing what they do, perhaps — look no further than the old geezer heist genre. In recent years, it keeps serving up veteran actors reliving their heydays with varying degrees of success. When it's done in a smart, soulful and insightful manner,the Robert Redford-starring The Old Man and the Gun is the end result. When ease, laziness and cashing in are the aim of the game instead, you get Michael Caine's two latest jaunts across Australia's big screens: 2017's Going In Style and now King of Thieves. In the former film, Caine played a desperate Brooklyn resident who robs a bank with his usually law-abiding pals (Morgan Freeman and Alan Arkin). In the latter, he's a seasoned cockney crim doing what all seasoned crims do eventually, or so the movies tell us. Reuniting with his fellow retired crook friends (Tom Courtenay, Jim Broadbent, Ray Winstone and Paul Whitehouse) after the death of his wife, Caine's Brian Reader plans one last London job over the Easter long weekend. Their target is a Hatton Garden safe deposit facility filled with cash, gold and jewels to the tune of £14 million, and they've got help from the much younger 'best alarm specialist in London', aka Basil (Charlie Cox). There's a moment early in King of Thieves that epitomises the film's bland, routine approach. The movie's five main elderly Englishmen stand around in a workshop, plotting their high-stakes scheme and rallying against today's high-tech ways — the internet is overrated, most of them decide. Then Basil walks in. The mood instantly turns frosty, complete with shots of horrified faces from Winstone's hard man, Broadbent's wildcard, Courtenay's doddering gent and Whitehouse's outsider. Caine abstains, but only because it's his character that's brought the newcomer in on the plan. In mere seconds, director James Marsh summarises the entire picture: old dogs, an aversion to new tricks and a story that keeps emphasising both. There's a few narrative twists, a dose of duplicity and treachery, and plenty of greed complicating matters, however there's never any doubt about where the whole thing is going. You'd never guess that Marsh has a duo of excellent documentaries to his name in Man on Wire and Project Nim, before he started turning true tales into standard dramas with The Theory of Everything, The Mercy and now King of Thieves. Similarly, that screenwriter Joe Penhall created stellar serial killer series Mindhunter will thoroughly escape your attention based on the dull material at hand. And King of Thieves is so broad and formulaic that you simply won't realise or care that it's based on reality, with the actual robbery carried out by geriatric criminals in 2015, and marking the largest theft in British history. The fact that the film flits awkwardly and unconvincingly between comedy and thriller doesn't help, and nor does its visually drab images, or some of the least exciting robbery scenes ever committed to celluloid. Caine and his cronies, whose numbers also includes a dishevelled Michael Gambon looking far removed from his Dumbledore days, aren't blowing the bloody doors off anything either. How can they be when they're tasked with groan-inducing one-liners like "I don't care about prison life; it's the afterlife that worries me"? Indeed, when King of Thieves resorts to inserting brief clips of the silver-haired main crew in their younger, sprightlier years — taken from older, much better works on the actors' respective resumes — the result is as creaky as the cast's joints. They deserve better, as do the viewers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeQAY_9vG8M
It was announced this week that the City of Sydney would be continuing their efforts to grow Sydney's nighttime economy. The council said they would be committing funds and support to the State Government, local businesses, artists and performers in order to facilitate more live music and performance in town. The argument could be made, however, that it's not red tape and lack of funds that's the major contributor to the slow decline of live music after dark, and the culprit is really the state government's lockout laws that have forced many major music venues to shut down. It would appear that the City of Sydney is aware of this, as their Live Music and Performance February 2017 status report would illuminate. The report covers all the initiatives in the City's June 2014 Live Music and Performance Action Plan — which identified that live music, unsurprisingly, brings significant cashflow to the local economy (we're talking $353 million in 2016 alone) — and details on their progress. February marked the halfway point of the plan, and the report states that 82 percent of projects are either already underway or completed. One of the more interesting aspects of the report is its repeated emphasis on "working collaboratively with the NSW Government". While this is to be expected, the report also makes reference to the recent extension of trading hours for venues, saying "this measure, while an incremental and symbolic move in the right direction, is not at all sufficient and we will continue to advocate for more to be done". The report also makes mention of the impact the laws have had on "city reputation and audience motivation", and how these impacts have "required more focus on this work [than] originally anticipated". Research conducted by the City shows that they valued the contribution made to Sydney's economy by live music at $353 million in 2016 alone, and the February Status Report would, we think, show that the lockout laws are stopping that figure from being substantially higher. One of the 29 actions that have already been implemented, and is mentioned in the status report, is a "pilot research study into alcohol consumption in live music venues", which is currently being finalised — results of this study are sure to have an impact on the State Government's stance on the lockout laws, as this study by Dr Anne Fox, published in 2015. It shows that live music in venues tends to lower alcohol-related incidents (although, it must be noted that the research was initiated by Lion, which owns alcohol brands like Hahn and Little Creatures). Or, as Kerri Glasscock, festival director and CEO of Sydney Fringe, told The Sydney Morning Herald in February last year, "people come in and have a drink, then bar sales drop while the band is performing". Glasscock also said in this week's announcement that venues around Sydney would be "feeling the pressure ease" with the City of Sydney's Action Plan. The real strain of state legislation might not be lifted overnight, but the next action item in the February status report is to deliver regulatory reform around devlopment and noise that will "help improve trading conditions for venues", which is another step in a positive direction. You can read the full action plan here and the status update here.
Sydneysiders will soon have another option for getting around the eastern suburbs, with an on-demand bus service set to launch on Monday, August 20. After launching in Sydney's west in June, Bridj will launch a small trial fleet of buses to initially service Rose Bay, Dover Heights, North Bondi and Bondi Beach, between 6am–9am and 3pm-9pm, Monday to Friday, and 8am–8.30pm on Saturday and Sunday. The areas and routes included are designed to cover gaps between existing transport hubs in the eastern suburbs, predominately functioning to transport passengers to and from the Rose Bay ferry during peak hours. This is the second round of good news eastern suburb commuters have received this week, with Transport for NSW also announcing plans to run buses every three-minutes during peak hour, from North Bondi to the CBD, from September 23. Bridj works a little bit like Uber, combining both fixed route and on-demand transit. To book a trip, jump on the smartphone app — which you can download for free for IOS and android — input your destination and when you want to go, and a booking confirmation will be sent through with a nearby pick-up spot and estimated drop-off time. The Bridj micro-buses travel different routes depending on where passengers are headed, and like an Uber, can be tracked in real-time via the app. The technology even looks at things like congestion to work out the shortest possible routes and best pick-up spots. From August 20 through August 31 the service will be free, after that adult fares will cost $3.10 with concession card holders paying $1.50. You can pay either via credit card through the app, with cash on board or with your Opal card. And don't forget to thank the bus driver. There are plans to incorporate another 27 of the buses across Sydney in the coming years, as Bridj continues to analyse customer needs and evolve its offering to suit. There's no word yet on how long the trial will run for, but we'll update as soon as we have more info. The Bridj service will launch in Sydney's eastern suburbs this Monday, August 20. To learn more about it, head to the Bridj or Transport NSW websites.
Art/Work is a new Concrete Playground series where we take some time to chat with our local creatives in an attempt to unravel the daily grind behind being an artist. This week we speak with Kate Mitchell, a Sydney-based endurance artist represented by Chalk Horse. She is also one half of the paper cut crazy duo, Greedy Hen. Beware, jealousy pangs coming up, no more day job for this lovely lady! Most days you'll find me having some good times working at the Greedy Hen studio in Surry Hills. Greedy Hen is essentially a multi-disciplinary studio functioning partly as an art collective and partly as a design studio, housing the collaborative works of Katherine Brickman and myself. We make artwork, mostly collage/illustration heavy and it ends up in a whole variety of industries. We share our studio with some top notch people like Elke Kramer, Mikie Inglis and Benja Harney. It's non stop action in there! When I am not there I am having good times working/making from my studio at home. Otherwise I'm at the beach or on a bike. For the most part I spend my week bouncing ideas around with Katherine Brickman in Greedy Hen HQ, nutting out plans of attack and then getting them done the best way we can. We never know what will be in our inbox each morning, but usually there is some job waiting patiently for us! From time to time I work from my studio at home, it's quite a good balance. At the moment I am working on a solo Greedy Hen show which opens on May 5th at Lamington Drive in Melbourne. And currently I have some video works in a splendid group show called Social Sculpture on at Anna Schwartz Gallery at Carriage Works. It's on until May 14th. If money wasn't an issue I'd sail around the world, live on an island, climb some mountains, raft some rapids, make travel documentaries, meet some serious locals, learn to tie knots properly, never live through another winter and just wholesomely get out there and get involved. And realise all art dreams! Being an artist in Sydney is delightful and relentless in equal measure. My neighbourhood is Bronte. There's the beach and the RSL, what could possibly go wrong? I'm quite a fan of sneaking in a good body surf at Bronte beach in the mornings, and then I can't resist a dance off at Good God Small Club. It never fails to deliver.
We have waited two whole years to see Mitch Cairns' third solo show, Bass Principles with his representative gallery, BREENSPACE. Having first joined the stable in 2008 - as a wee child of 24 - Cairns has repeatedly proven that he is no flash in the pan. And Bass Principles is no different. Cairns presents a mature and decidedly restrained outpouring consisting of a collection of paintings supplemented by six small cartoons. Bass Principles is somewhat of an unpacking show, a going back to the start. During the time that Cairns was thinking about his upcoming show he carried out two technical courses. The first, a short course at the Tom Bass Sculpture Studio School. The second, the Alan Moir Advanced Cartoon Class. Both are instrumental in attempting to understand the work of Cairns in his bid to deconstruct the way in which artists create work. The framed cartoons in the show are obvious references to his extra-curricular study although the lines of the cartoon are also found in his paintings. In Smokey Sad Square (2012) Cairns has deconstructed the face – eyes float across a dark abyss like some early analogue Italian animation. It is absurd, but highly constructed at the same time. I have been looking at Cairns’ paintings for five years or so now. They are often riddles to unravel. A couple of things to remember when trying to step into the world of Cairns is that he consistently investigates a small number of themes. Firstly, we are always looking at the artist looking at himself, in his studio, his cellar door of Cartoon VIII (2011). Secondly, there is always some discussion of class as in the constant references to smoking and/or drinking - the burning pub of Cartoon XIV (2011) or the collector with his pieces in Collector with ‘Bass Principles’ (2011). Thirdly, in order to come along for the ride, one must have a sense of humour – Cairns teases us with low-grade Benny Hill-esque gags in Cartoon VI (2011) or Man Impersonating a Hat Stand (2011). Most importantly of all, we must view Cairns through the prism of an artist trying to figure art out. He deconstructs painting, essentially the frame, and asks how is that we construct? What do we leave in and, ultimately, what are we leaving out?
Sweltering through increasingly toasty temperatures, the Earth keeps breaking and matching records — ones the planet doesn't want to continue. After notching up its hottest year in recorded history back in 2016, this spinning rock we call home equalled it in 2020. The past six years are now the hottest six on record, too, while the past decade is also the warmest ever recorded. The news comes via the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), which tracks data about the climate now and the past to contemplate the future — not just for Europe, but also for the rest of the world. Compared to the period between 1981–2010, which is commonly used as a reference, 2020 was warmer by 0.6 degrees Celsius. In comparison to pre-industrial times, from 1850–1900 specifically, it was hotter by 1.25 degrees Celsius as well. That mightn't sound like a huge amount, but it made a big difference in some parts of the globe. Europe experienced its hottest year ever recorded, even beating 2016 by 0.4 degrees Celsius. And in the Arctic and Siberia, temps reached more than six degrees higher than average. That meant that Arctic sea ice was significantly lower than average in the second half of the year — the lowest sea ice extent on record in July and October, in fact. Announcing the data for the past year, C3S Director Carlo Buontempo said that "2020 stands out for its exceptional warmth in the Arctic and a record number of tropical storms in the north Atlantic. It is no surprise that the last decade was the warmest on record, and is yet another reminder of the urgency of ambitious emissions reductions to prevent adverse climate impacts in the future." https://twitter.com/CopernicusECMWF/status/1347438880551800832 The unwanted milestone also came about as the northern hemisphere mostly experienced higher than average temperatures for the year, while parts of the southern hemisphere had below average temperatures due to cooler La Niña conditions. C3S also advised that 2020 matches the 2016 record despite the cooling effect of La Niña, while 2016 started with a warming El Niño event. With climate change continuing to show its effects, the news shouldn't come as a surprise. It's still a stark reminder of the current state of the planet, however. Locally, the Bureau of Meteorology has already advised that Australia sweltered through its fourth warmest year on record in 2020, and ended its hottest decade ever as well. For more information about the 2020 data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), head to the C3S website.
Chasing Smoke is, like all circus shows, built around the spectacle. Presented by Casus Circus, this show pushes the form to incorporate narratives exploring what Aboriginality means to each of the group's performers. This exploration soon explodes beyond the realm of the personal and delves powerfully into tens of thousands of years of culture and identity. Since its beginnings in 2011, Casus has built a reputation for political and emotionally charged circuses. With its debut show Knee Deep, the ensemble explored the notion of human limits, before turning its attention to issues of gender and power in Driftwood. In Chasing Smoke, the personal and political dart between physical feats that are weighty with metaphor. Chasing Smoke demands that the art of circus be no less malleable or agile than its performers. By presenting six unique portraits of contemporary Indigenous experience, Casus encourages us to rethink not only our concept of Aboriginality but also our expectations of what takes place under the big top. Chasing Smoke will run from Tuesday, July 9 to Saturday, July 13 as part of Bondi Feast 2019. For more information and to purchase tickets, head this way. Image: Rob Blackburn.
Whether you're suffering from full-blown insomnia or just have trouble winding down after a big day, everyone knows the feeling of lying in bed, praying for sleep but failing to drop off. If counting sheep isn't working — or any number of other snooze-inducing tips, because there are plenty — then perhaps you need to listen to a list of Swedish furniture names. While a hefty walk around any IKEA store usually helps make anyone sleepy (and the crowds, decisions and meatballs too), the huge retailer thinks that the sounds of its product titles will really do the trick. Enter the IKEA Sleep Podcast. It simply features two company employees rattling off words such as sommaraster (a quilt cover), leirvik (a bed frame) and hidrasund (a spring mattress), plus everything else in the Australian catalogue's current bedroom and storage range. Two versions are available, so you can choose between hearing Sara Eriksson utter product monikers — and their English descriptions — or opt for her husband Kent Eriksson. Each under 30-minute podcast also offers a brief introductory explanation about the philosophy behind IKEA's furniture names, should you be wondering why a fyresdal (day bed) or pax (wardrobe) have the titles they have. The podcast's release is timed to coincide with the end of daylight savings in many Australian states, as well as across New Zealand — aka a time when our usual rest patterns are disrupted. Whether you'll dream about letting loose in an IKEA store, walking around a huge warehouse or kitting out your bedroom with new sheets and curtains — and whether you'll wake up with a burning desire to buy new furniture — well, that's something you'll only discover by listening. To listen to the IKEA Sleep Podcast, visit the IKEA website.
When Roxane Gay released Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People's Business in 2023, the American author and academic gave readers a tome that stepped through ten years of her non-fiction efforts. With that milestone in mind, it feels apt that Gay's 2024 trip to Australia will also mark a decade since 2014's Bad Feminist first had everyone reading the commentator's books. Expect both texts to earn more than a small mention in Sydney and Melbourne come August. Gay will make just two stops Down Under this winter, both at festivals: at Sydney's Festival of Dangerous Ideas and Melbourne's Now or Never. The Harbour City will welcome Gay first — she's the first speaker announced for FODI 2024, in fact, ahead of the event's full program being released on Tuesday, June 25 — before the Victorian capital beckons. "Roxane Gay is one of the world's most-brilliant social commentators. Ten years on since her book Bad Feminist caught the world's attention, she is still unafraid to call out privilege, hypocrisy, and entrenched social injustice. But today, speaking up can come at a huge cost. I can't think of anyone else more credentialed than Roxane to talk to FODI audiences about the importance of rocking the boat and facing criticism head on," said FODI Director Danielle Harvey, announcing the news. Gay will appear as a keynote speaker, discussing the topic of being a dissenter in the age of tribal warfare, at the 12th Festival of Dangerous Ideas. The event was established in 2009 to discuss difficult issues, push boundaries and inspire debate, putting both its initial guest and her topic right in its usual remit. 2024's FODI runs from Saturday, August 24–Sunday, August 25 at Carriageworks, focusing on the theme 'sanctuary'. As well as getting Gay chatting about her work live and in person, the fest will enlist the New York Times-bestselling author on panels, too. In Melbourne, the writer that's also behind Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body and Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture — and also Ayiti, An Untamed State, Difficult Women and The Banks in fiction — will get talking about having complicated views in complicated times with Jan Fran at Melbourne Town Hall on Tuesday, August 27, in a session also presented by The Wheeler Centre. "The Wheeler Centre is thrilled to present Roxane Gay in Melbourne and celebrate this incredible compilation of her work. Roxane communicates complex ideas with honesty and power, and this is a rare opportunity to hear her in conversation," said The Wheeler Centre CEO Erin Vincent. Roxane Gay will appear at Carriageworks in Sydney as part of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas from Saturday, August 24–Sunday, August 25 — and at Melbourne Town Hall on Tuesday, August 27 presented by The Wheeler Centre and Now or Never. Presale tickets for the Festival of Dangerous Ideas go on sale on Tuesday, June 25, with general sales from Wednesday, June 26. Tickets for The Wheeler Centre are on sale now. Top image: Reginald Cunningham.
Most of Australia might've spent the bulk of 2020 at home, but that doesn't mean that we didn't notice the temperature. And if you were feeling rather toasty across the 12 months, there's a reason for that — with the Bureau of Meteorology revealing in its just-released Annual Climate Statement 2020 that we just lived through one of country's warmest years since records started being kept. Only three years on record were hotter than 2020, with the past 12 months ranking fourth. Australia's warmest year on record came the year prior, in 2019, while 2013 ranks second. If you're wondering what that means for temperatures in 2020, the overall averaged mean temperature for the entire country across the year sat 1.15 degree above average. In all states in 2020, as well as the Northern Territory, both the mean maximum and minimum temperatures were also higher than average. BOM reports that days were especially warm in Sydney, Hobart and Darwin, and nights were toasty in the same three cities, plus Canberra and Brisbane. Yes, we know that Australia is a sunny place, and has sweltering summers. But that warmth was also spread across the year, with January, February, April, June, August, September and November sitting in the ten warmest on record when it comes to a variety of markers — such as the mean, maximum and minimum temperatures for those months. November 2020 was also the warmest November on record, before summer even hit, while the entirety of spring earned that status as well. If you noticed that the three of the top four warmest years listed above all fell in the last decade, there's a reason for that as well. "The mean temperature for the ten years from 2011 to 2020 was the highest on record, at 0.94 degrees above average and 0.33 degrees warmer than the previous ten years," said Senior Climatologist Dr Lynette Bettio. Dr Bettio also notes that increasing temperatures is a worldwide trend. "Globally, every year from 2013 onwards has been among the ten warmest on record, with 2016 and 2019 being the hottest," she says. "2020 was among the top three" on a global scale, she advises, which happened "despite the onset of La Niña, which has a suppressing effect on global temperatures". In Australia, La Niña usually means more rainfall, cooler daytime temperatures south of the tropics and warmer overnight temperatures in the north. In terms of rain, 2020 was actually close to average, BOM says; however, the western parts of Western Australia, southeastern Queensland and western Tasmania all received below average rainfall. For more information about the Bureau of Meteorology's Annual Climate Statement 2020, head to BOM's website.
It's safe to say that nobody is playing the long game like Marvel Studios. When they put together individual films for Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Captain America and Thor, the endgame they had in mind was The Avengers, in which all the heroes teamed up to take on one gigantic threat. Guardians of the Galaxy is something different: taking place almost exclusively in outer space, it eschews the interconnected universe — save for a small hints for fans with long memories — in favour of a decidedly stand-alone adventure. And what an adventure it is. Kidnapped from Earth as a child, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) — preferred nom de plume 'Starlord' — is a roguish figure in the vein of Han Solo or Mal Reynolds, who recovers exotic treasures to sell to seedy figures. But his latest acquisition brought him some unwanted attention: he is hunted by green-skinned assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana), foul-mouthed raccoon Rocket (Bradley Cooper), and sentient tree Groot (Vin Diesel). When all four are thrown into a hellish prison alongside vengeance-minded muscle-creature Drax (Dave Bautista), this group of misfits realise they're the only ones who can stop a powerful madman from destroying the galaxy. Sound pretty uninspiring? Don't be fooled. The film is full of inventive, fun ideas: writer/director James Gunn has crafted a rich and engaging universe that feels infinitely more expansive and detailed than your run-of-the-mill sci-fi film. And that's not even its biggest selling point. Guardians of the Galaxy is funny. Like, laugh-out-loud funny, and for its entire running time. While far too many Hollywood comedies can barely raise more than one or two laughs per hour, Guardians of the Galaxy puts them to shame with an extraordinarily high number of quips and gags that always feel completely natural to the story and characters. What really sells it is the casting. Pratt (Parks and Recreation's Andy Dwyer) is a natural leading man, embracing the goofy in a way that far too many stoic action stars are afraid to. Saldana (Avatar) again proves she's unparalleled at grounding blockbusters even when playing an improbably hued alien warrior. Wrestling star Bautista reveals a substantial gift for comic timing, and it's no backhanded compliment to say that Diesel and Cooper have never been better. A wealth of supporting turns come from Glenn Close, John C Reilly, Peter Serafinowicz, Lee Pace, Djimon Hounsou, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan and a couple of cameos we shan't spoil. Guardians of the Galaxy is a weird, risky prospect for a studio that's all about relatable humans in recognisable settings. Maybe that's why it works: faced with a tougher sell, they've gone the extra mile to make something special. And boy does it work. https://youtube.com/watch?v=3CqymRQ1uUU
It's been 17 years since Hae Min Lee was tragically killed. And 16 since Adnan Syed went to jail for her murder. But now, almost two decades later, a Baltimore judge has granted Syed a re-trial. His lawyer, Justin Brown, tweeted the news earlier this morning, which was around 4.30pm on Thursday, June 30, Baltimore time. WE WON A NEW TRIAL FOR ADNAN SYED!!! #FreeAdnan — Justin Brown (@CJBrownLaw) June 30, 2016 Syed was, of course, the subject of Sarah Koenig's true crime podcast Serial, which had every man and his dog weighing in on complex legal evidence when it aired back in late 2014. Since the podcast's circulation, Syed — who has always maintained his innocence — has been able to push his case for post-conviction relief. In February he was granted a post-conviction hearing, in which it was argued that his original defence lawyer, Cristina Gutierrez, was negligent in the way she conducted the case. And on Thursday, Judge Martin Welch granted Syed a new trial on his defence counsel's failure to cross-examine a cell tower expert about the reliability of the data that placed him near the burial site. Anyone who's listened to the podcast knows that the cell tower data was one of the most complicated (and bloody confusing) pieces of evidence in the trial. This is Judge Welch's order, as posted by Serial about an hour ago: So what does this mean? Well, it means Syed's defence counsel have a lot of evidence to gather before an undoubtedly lengthy trial, which hasn't been given a date yet. And, surely, it means another season of Serial? Via The New York Times.
Australia's hospitality industry scene has done it tough over the past year — again — but it still boasts some of the best bars on the planet. Don't just take our word for it; according to this year's just-revealed World's 50 Best Bars list, we're home to four of the top 50 watering holes worldwide. Our highest-ranking spot to get sipping in 2021: Sydney's Maybe Sammy. It's the third year in a row that the innovative bar in The Rocks has made the list, taking 22nd place. That's a drop from 2020, when it came in at number 11, but higher than in 2019, when it sat at 43rd. Coming hot on its heels is another World's 50 Best Bars list veteran, Cantina OK!, which moved up from number 28 last year to number 23 in 2021. Next, Melbourne's Above Board earned a spot at number 44, while Sydney newcomer Re jumps in at number 46. So, whether you're a Sydneysider, Melburnian or a future visitor to either city, you now have an excuse to hit up a globally acclaimed venue. [caption id="attachment_714475" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cantina OK!, Kimberley Lo[/caption] For those yet to be acquainted with Maybe Sammy, its luxurious styling nods to old-school Vegas glamour, all blush pink velvet banquettes and lush indoor greenery, while the list of theatrical signature drinks pays homage to the classics. At Cantina OK!, you'll find a pint-sized mezcal bar in an old garage down a service laneway — complete with bright pink and purple walls, Mexican vibes and laneway seating. Collingwood's minimalist Above Board skews super-intimate, boasting only 16 seats and with no standing permitted — while Re, which is located in Sydney's ever-growing South Eveleigh precinct, hails from hospitality stars Matt Whiley (Scout) and Maurice Terzini (Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, Ciccia Bella). The latter also has a zero-waste focus, and nabbed The World's Best 50 Bars 2021's Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award as well. [caption id="attachment_836460" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Above Board[/caption] While Sydney was better represented in the top 50 than Melbourne, the Victorian capital was the only Australian city to feature in the 51–100 list, which was announced late last week. Cocktail haven Byrdi scored a place on the extended rundown for the second year in a row. The annual World's 50 Best Bars awards are voted on by bar industry experts from around the world, including bartenders, consultants, drinks writers and cocktail specialists. And if you're wondering what topped the list worldwide, that'd be London's Connaught Bar, which emerged victorious for the second year in a row — so there's somewhere to add to any future UK itineraries. For the full World's 50 Best Bars 2021 rundown, head to the list's website — and you can check out the 51–100 list online as well. Top image: Maybe Sammy.
With venue restrictions easing and your bank account beginning to recover from Christmas, it's time to get out and about before winter returns. And the seaside suburb of Cronulla is the place to be when the sun goes down. New Shire establishments have opened over the past couple of years and there are some golden oldies worth returning to a second (or third or fourth) time. Here are our top picks for the best places to eat and drink in and around Cronulla after dark. Think ocean views, seasonal menus and tropical cocktails aplenty.
The Daughter might be the latest local film to reach cinema screens, but it's no typical Aussie movie. Writer/director Simon Stone and the bulk of the film's cast — including Geoffrey Rush, Ewen Leslie, Anna Torv, Miranda Otto and Odessa Young — ensure that the feature's Aussie credentials remain intact, as does its New South Wales shoot. However the drama of family secrets and lies actually finds its basis in Henrik Ibsen's The Wild Duck. Accordingly, Stone transports a 19th century Norwegian classic to modern Australia, and not for the first time. As theatre fans will no doubt know, the stage wunderkind turned filmmaker earned rave reviews for his stripped-back take on the tale, which played in Sydney, Oslo, Vienna and London. Now, he endeavours to do so again with his film version. In fact, it seems like his involvement in The Daughter was meant to be, though the same could be said for rising talent Young as well. In the titular role of Hedvig, the Looking for Grace star plays her second complex, compelling teen character in as many movies, and holds her own against an accomplished cast. So what drew Stone and Young to the story, how did they approach its characters, and how did Stone craft more than just the usual Aussie movie? With The Daughter now screening in Australian cinemas, we spoke to the duo about the film. ON THE APPEAL OF HENRIK IBSEN'S THE WILD DUCK Simon: "I guess the beautiful thing about the story is that it's a whole heap of people who have made various mistakes in their life, and it is [about] the vulnerability and the attempt to do the right thing. I'm very attracted to stories where you can't find the villain. So I love constellations of characters with a tragedy that kind of evolves out of the mistakes that the people are making — it doesn't evolve out of being able to blame anyone, it is just people falling into the traps that fate has set them, kind of. And it's the random confluences, confluences of various different people's motivations that are in conflict with each other. That creates the tragedy. You know, if you can blame anything, you can just blame bad luck." Odessa: "I was really attracted to the story by the integrity with which Simon wrote the character, and the insight that he seemed to have on her teenage personality and emotions, and just the complexity with which he wrote the teenage character. Because, I mean, I've read a lot of teenage characters — as you can imagine being a teenager auditioning for roles — and it's so rare that you actually come across a character that isn't just used as a buffer for the adult characters to take anger out on. Or they're quite often used as scapegoats. It is a really interesting kind of thing when you read something that isn't like that — when it is actually creating some autonomy for the character. That's really what gripped me about the role in the first place." ON ADAPTING THE STORY FOR A SECOND TIME Simon: "I had a series of instincts about the way I thought that it should look, but those instincts changed as I changed, in my mind, what kind of genre of movie it should maybe be in order to be most successful. I mean, if it had been just an incredibly realistic portrait of these events happening to this family like it was in my stage play, in a kind of inner-city environment like it was set in in my version of the play, then I think it would've been inconceivable at certain points. People would've gone, 'Actually, if you're pretending that all of these coincidences just take place in Surry Hills in a casual week in the casual lives of these people, then I'm not going to buy that.' "So I started looking for a genre for the movie that was going to be take advantage of the kind of mythological nature of the story in Ibsen's original play. It was just about finding the right genre, the right kind of references for myself, because I'm in love with every single genre of cinema. I love everything, so it kind of could've been anything." ON THE COMPLEX CHARACTERS AT THE HEART OF THE FILM Simon: "I don't believe in that moral absoluteness. I don't actually think it exists in the real world. I think it is a storytelling motif that people invented to express the fighting within someone's own soul. I think the classic villains and the classic gods versus devils stories that have existed in all the mythology since the beginning of religions, and in spiritual storytelling since humans painted stories on caves with pictures, the source of that was actually an expression of human instinct. The instincts within a human person, and the personification of those people was the kind of way of literalising and turning that battle into a figurative battle of two sides of the human personality. And I think people have kind of forgotten that." Odessa: "Even after I got the role, it was really heavy for me. I didn't know whether I could do it. I didn't know if I had the skills and the knowledge to play a character like this — that was so far opposite to what I am. So much of my character development was Simon's direction. We created a very important, easy shorthand quite early on in the process where it was all about paring back my own experiences as a teenager, not letting them filter through into the character, and creating a new set of experiences that would influence Hedvig's decisions and decision-making and her actions." ON MAKING A MOVIE THAT'S MORE THAN JUST THE SUM OF ITS AUSTRALIAN PARTS Simon: "I wanted the film to reflect all of the Australian stories that are not the clichéd Australian stories. Australia seems to have this real love of the idea of white working class stories or Asian stories or indigenous stories. But [I like] the idea of melding of all of the influences, the idea of actually taking a Scandinavian story, making it a little bit Australian, keeping it a little bit Scandinavian, and letting it be universal. Getting rid of the notion of what is the Australian-ness of this project, other than that it is being made by a whole heap of Australians. "And so the source material is part of the canon that Australia is kind of stealing from everywhere in the world, always. Because other than the indigenous stories and the dreaming, there is no Australian canon. It is just a series of other people's work, other culture's work, that kind of magpie culture where we are of just pilfering and making a beautiful and mangled mess. That's the kind of aim of the movie. And its a celebration to a certain extent that maybe we can eventually stop needing to ask questions about Australian-ness at some point." The Daughter is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review.
When the first motion pictures flickered across the big screen 120-plus years ago, audiences were reportedly scared. The line between truth, embellishment and fiction has become muddled over time, but the idea viewers were astonished and startled when they watched the Lumière brothers' famous The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station makes one hell of an urban legend. That was back in 1896. As we know all these years later, cinema hasn't stopped causing bumps and jumps since. The world's first horror film is thought to have released the same year — Georges Méliès' three-minute short called The House of the Devil — and plenty of folks have taken his lead afterwards. Today, that means horror's on-screen cup truly runneth over. Thanks to streaming, a wealth of unnerving flicks linger at everyone's fingertips. If you prefer celebrating Halloween by dimming the lights, popping some corn and getting cosy on the couch for a marathon of unsettling movies, we've put together ten classic recommendations — from creepy vampire films that are almost a century old to more modern must-sees. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hQ40cI5C0E NEAR DARK Before she took Keanu Reeves surfing in Point Break, tasked Jeremy Renner with defusing bombs in The Hurt Locker and dramatised the international manhunt for Osama bin Laden in Zero Dark Thirty — and before she became the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar, too — Kathryn Bigelow sunk her teeth into the vampire genre. Near Dark, her 1987 sophomore film, takes elements of the western genre, throws in a clan of roving bloodsuckers and lets atmospheric horror thrills ensue. Bigelow's work has always been lean but weighty, and her dance with the fanged undead is no different. In fact, it's a flat-out vamp classic. Near Dark is available to stream on SBS On Demand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX5SG_2n4sM TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME As 2017's Twin Peaks revival proved, no one conjures up unsettling imagery quite like David Lynch. He's been thrusting eerie visuals out into the world since 1977's Eraserhead — but if you like your Lynchian unease with some damn fine coffee and a slice of cherry pie, there's nothing better than 1992's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Set in the lead-up to Laura Palmer's (Sheryl Lee) death, the prequel flick burrows deep into the sinister forces at play. It's a movie of sheer dread, even though viewers know what's going to happen. As only he can, Lynch steeps every frame in the pain, terror and suffering of his doomed protagonist, all while baking in his usual surrealist touches. No wonder it lingers long after watching, like the two seasons of Twin Peaks before it and the belated third season that followed 25 years later. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is available to stream on Stan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyW5YXDcIGs THE EXORCIST Back in 1973, the horror genre was possessed — and it has never truly recovered. That's not a criticism; The Exorcist is a landmark piece of spine-tingling cinema, with William Friedkin's film leaving a heavy imprint on everything that's followed. It even became the first horror flick to score an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, a feat that's still much more rare than it should be. When a movie spends the bulk of its time with a 12-year-old girl (Linda Blair) whose body has been overtaken by a demon, as well as with the two priests (Max von Sydow and Jason Miller) trying to cast the devil out and save her soul, it's going to make an impact. The fact that the film was based on a William Peter Blatty novel inspired by real-life exorcisms also helped, as did Friedkin's handling of Blatty's script, which gives the supernatural details a raw, visceral feel. The Exorcist is available to stream on Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-daIHTY4NQ BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER How funky is your chicken? How loose is your goose? And, to keep the questions going, how well do you remember the original Buffy? Before Sarah Michelle Gellar stepped into her shoes in the cult TV show, everyone's favourite vampire slayer shouted the above cheers, took guidance from Donald Sutherland, battled Rutger Hauer and romanced Luke Perry in the 1992 big-screen comedy. The Joss Whedon-scripted flick still takes its premise seriously, but there's a looser vibe to the movie than the television series. And a thoroughly early 90s vibe, as well. While you're enjoying the undead-killing antics, keep an eye out for everyone from Hilary Swank to Thomas Jane and Ben Affleck among the cast, too. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is available to stream on Foxtel Now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmvQ_ii42mc HALLOWEEN This time last year, the latest Halloween film hit cinemas. In 2020 and 2021, sequels Halloween Kills and then Halloween Ends will reach the big-screen in late October. But, when it comes to the absolutely best franchise for this time of year, 2019 is unfortunately an anomaly. While Michael Myers isn't terrorising a theatre near you at this very moment, John Carpenter's original 1979 flick is always worth revisiting — in the slasher-thriller realm, it's an utter masterclass. From Jamie Lee Curtis' pitch-perfect performance as formidable babysitter Laurie Strode, to the pervasive air of unease looming over suburbia and Carpenter's own exceptionally unnerving score, the original Halloween is both supremely scary and sublime. Halloween is available to stream from the Apple Store. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJew_11l6n8 HOUSEBOUND Scaring cinemagoers while simultaneously making them laugh isn't as easy as it might sound. Plenty of films call themselves horror-comedies, but they're usually just comedies with horror theming — and they're about as sinister as clown without makeup. While 2014 New Zealand picture Housebound falls into the tried-and-tested sub-genre that is haunted house flicks, writer/director Gerard Johnstone finds the ideal balance between spooks and giggles, all by following a small-time criminal placed on house arrest. Kylie (Morgana O'Reilly) would rather be anywhere but stuck at home for eight months with her mother (Rima Te Wiata); however she soon discovers that they have company in a movie that serves up jumps and chuckles in tandem. Housebound is available to stream on SBS On Demand and Tubi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NOipA99GxY NOSFERATU It's the best Dracula film that doesn't actually mention the word "Dracula". In fact, when FW Murnau adapted Bram Stoker's gothic classic in 1922 without getting permission to do so, a court ordered that the movie be destroyed. Thankfully, a few prints survived, which is how we can still soak in the wonders of Nosferatu. Even with a few changes (the famed bloodsucker is now called Count Orlock, for example) the story lures viewers in, but it's not just the plot that's captivating. As proves the case with all German Expressionist cinema from the 1920s, it's how the tale is told in a visual sense that makes an enormous impact. Also significant today, almost a century later, is how free Nosferatu is from everything that's since become a vampire cliche — with the film cutting to the heart of Stoker's disquieting narrative instead. Nosferatu is available to stream on Tubi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyWuHv2-Abk TRAIN TO BUSAN Forget Snakes on a Plane — if you want to see what happens when something scary is let loose in a confined space, but you don't want to cringe the whole time, opt for zombies on a train instead. Yeon Sang-ho's instant classic doesn't use the obvious moniker; however this frenetic thrill ride definitely fits the description. It's far, far better than that simplistic outline might seem to suggest, though. As well as forcing a father (Gong Yoo) and daughter (Kim Su-an) to fend off the shuffling hordes while they're in mid-transit, and fleshing its protagonists out more than most zombie flicks manage, Train to Busan also paints a probing picture of modern-day South Korean society. It's part of a franchise, too, with animated prequel Seoul Station exploring another aspect of the outbreak, and a sequel is also in the works. Train to Busan is available to stream on Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWin2LZkvrA THE CRAFT Is a horror classic really a horror classic if it hasn't spawned a remake? In The Craft's case, no one will need to ponder this question for much longer. A new version is currently in the works, but that doesn't mean that the 90s original is going anywhere — and if you like your retro horror fun packaged with teen goth witches, then you'll always want to go back to where it all began. Starring Neve Campbell, Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk and Rachel True, the 1996 hit charts the fallout when a group of high-schoolers start messing around with the occult and using it to rule the school. It owes a significant debt to Heathers, just with added witches, but The Craft still casts its own enjoyable spell. The Craft is available to stream on on Google Play. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7hLdktC_jY THE STUFF If you ever come across a gooey substance on the ground, don't eat it. Things don't turn out well when this exact scenario happens in 1985 satirical horror/sci-fi The Stuff — especially after the titular substance is sold in supermarkets, marketed as being calorie-free and starts a huge food craze. Where it goes from there is best discovered by watching, but don't expect anything in the way of subtlety or realism. Larry Cohen sits in the director's chair, and this is the kind of playful horror fun that the prolific B-movie filmmaker was known for. Everyone needs their spooks with a dose of silliness now and then, after all. The Stuff is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
It's been five years since Robert Rodriguez turned in Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, and a full decade since James Cameron directed Avatar. Now, though, they've teamed up to create Alita: Battle Angel, a $200+ million sci-fi blockbuster based on Yukito Kishiro's iconic 90s cyberpunk manga of the same name. Set-up wise, it's a very familiar tale. We're deep into the future (2563, to be exact), and the world continues to reel from The Fall, aka the war to end all wars. Earth's remaining cities are massively overcrowded slums resembling the favelas of modern-day Sao Paulo, whilst high above them floats Zalem — the luxurious haven for the super wealthy and elite. In that sense, Alita is alota like 2013's Elysium and the recent Netflix series Altered Carbon, although for a refreshing change the inhabitants of the lower city aren't presented as weary, ravenous scum fighting one another for every last consumable. There's even a blue sky, regular sunlight, fresh fruit and delicious chocolate. Sure, there are the usual scavengers and rogues of various forms, but for the most part the community is exactly that — a harmonious, multicultural confederacy of peoples just trying to eek out a new life for themselves in the post-Fall world. The hero, too, enters the story with a very familiar backstory. Alita, a damaged cyborg rescued from the trash piles of Zalem, has no memory of her past. When push comes to literal shove, however, she discovers she's possessed of extraordinary martial arts abilities and highly lethal tendencies. In other words, Jason Bourne with robot limbs. Very quickly, Alita's childlike naivety gives way to a revenge-fuelled blood lust as she seeks out those who would do her (and her loved ones) harm. Gradually, too, the memories of her previous life (and mission) begin to resurface, setting her upon a seemingly-inevitable path towards Nova, the mysterious entity pulling all the strings from high above in Zalem. Portrayed by a digitally-enhanced Rosa Salazar, Alita is literally a wide-eyed wonder to behold. The special effects wizadry of Cameron's team has rendered her believable enough to not be distracting, yet different enough to do justice to the story's sci-fi legacy. Indeed, the majority of the film's characters carry some form of technological enhancement, ranging from simple mechanical arms to fully-fledged mech suits, most notably those 'worn' by the cyborg assassin Grewishka (a terrific Jackie Earle Haley). The myriad enhancements are gleefully displayed by Rodriguez during several scenes of motorball, a violent and frenetic sport that feels like the bastard offspring of NASCAR, Quidditch and roller derby. Basically, picture Mario Kart, but instead of spinning your opponent out with a banana, you rip their face off with a chainsaw. In supporting roles, Christoph Waltz delivers the best and most nuanced performance as Ido, the kindly surgeon who discovers, repairs and cares for Alita. Less convincing are Jennifer Connelly as Chiren, Ido's ex-wife, and Mahershala Ali as Vector, the kingpin of motorball. Keean Johnson, who'd comfortably double for a young Colin Farrell, plays the part of Alita's would-be love interest Hugo, however their dialogue (and indeed almost all of the film's dialogue) feels punishingly awkward and unnatural. Only Ido and Alita achieve a believably tender relationship, helped by the fact that they also have the film's only fleshed out backstories. Lack of originality notwithstanding, Alita: Battle Angel still delivers an engaging experience thanks to Rodriguez's nimble and full-throttle direction. The film's fight scenes are its strongest asset, with Alita's balletic combat offering the perfect counterpoint to her opponents' brute force. She's a terrific heroine to get behind — surefooted in her abilities, noble in her intentions and charming in her wisecracking. Whilst a sequel hasn't been confirmed, the film's ending all but demands one, and with a little more work on the scripting front, it could easily deliver a white-knuckled gangbuster of a sci-fi franchise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7pYhpJaJW8
Navigating Australia's vaccine rollout hasn't been easy or straightforward throughout 2021 so far, thanks to changing messages around who can get jabbed and when, as well as the Federal Government's frequently shifting plans and timeframes. And, when it's your turn to roll up your sleeves, booking in isn't always simple either — especially if you're looking for a Pfizer appointment. Every state has their own booking system, although residents in New South Wales are first directed to the Federal Government's online vaccine eligibility checker. You answer its questions, and the site then points you in the right direction if you're eligible. Well, it directs you towards a list of individual spots where you can get the jab — state-run hubs and GPs alike — and then leaves you to contact them all and work things out from there. That's not the most efficient or convenient system, which is where new website Covid Queue comes in. Purely directed at Sydneysiders, it aggregates data regarding available vaccination slots at the RPA Hospital, St Vincent Hospital, Sydney Olympic Hub and Westmead Hospital. All you need to do is hop in line — virtually, by pressing a button on the site — and it'll sound a bell when an appointment is available. If you hear one bell, there's a single appointment on offer. If two bells ring, there's two appointments available within three weeks apart. You can then click through to register from there, although it is recommended that you log in to the RPA Hospital, St Vincent Hospital or Sydney Olympic Hub sites beforehand. That way, when you go to book because an appointment has popped up, you'll already have gone through that step. At present, the Pfizer vaccine is available to folks aged between 40–59 years, and to people between 16–39 in certain circumstances. The latter applies if you're from an Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander background; are an NDIS participant, or care for NDIS participants of any age; are pregnant; work in quarantine, health care, aged care, disability care or as a border worker; live in aged care or disability care; or have an underlying medical condition or significant disability — and if you're deemed a critical or high-risk worker because you're employed in defence, police, fire, emergency services and meat processing. The Pfizer vaccine is recommended for everyone under the age of 60, but Australia's vaccine rollout hasn't reached the stage of jabbing everyone under 40 yet. If you'd like to get the AstraZeneca vaccine, that's recommended for folks over 60 — but it's also open to all ages if you're informed about possible side effects. For more information about Covid Queue, head to the online tool's website.
A thriving garden of fruits and vegetables in the middle of a city isn't something you come across very often. Thornton Budgens supermarket in North London argues that this shouldn't be so, and is taking steps towards a more sustainable future with produce. Thornton Budgens along with project leader Azul-Valerie Thome has created Food From The Sky, a rooftop permaculture garden of organic fruits, vegetables and herbs. The ultimate goal of the project is to prove that produce can be grown in cities and sold locally in a manner that is efficient and not wasteful. The grocery store began the project in May 2010 with only 10 tons of compost and 300 recycling boxes, but with care from employees and over 20 volunteers the garden now yields enough produce to sell every Friday. Any fruits or vegetables that are not sold, instead of simply being thrown away at the end of the day, become compost that will enhance the soil for the next batch of produce. What makes a rooftop garden a great idea? The warmth from the store's heating and lighting systems heat the floor of the roof, preventing the plant seeds from freezing during the colder months, and is free of the slugs and snails that cause pigeons to dig up the soil during vital growth periods. Why didn't we think of this before? In addition, the grocery store is offering courses about this alternative approach to food production in order to instill the power in others to sustain produce gardens in the city while being conscious of the planet. The Food From The Sky project aims to extend its influence to other supermarkets and be a template for other rooftop permaculture gardens in cities. "One day, I want to see supermarket roof-gardens all over the country," said Thome.
As music, spandex and glitter fans everywhere already know, the Eurovision Song Contest didn't go ahead this year. It's one of the many events worldwide that have been affected by COVID-19, alongside SXSW, Glastonbury, Coachella and Splendour in the Grass — but it's the only one to leave a huge Europop-shaped hole, of course. In Australia, broadcaster SBS attempted to make up for Eurovision's absence by spending a week celebrating the annual contest. And, globally, Netflix is also doing its bit. The latter is helping out in a much less serious fashion, however, all thanks to its new Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams-starring comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. Due to hit the streaming platform at the end of June — and just dropping its first trailer this week, too — the film follows two small-town Icelandic singers who've always wanted to represent their country at the famed sing-off. Lars Erickssong (Ferrell) and Sigrit Ericksdottir (McAdams) aren't particularly well-liked in their homeland, or considered popular. But when they're named as the next Eurovision contestants, they're determined not only to win but to show that chasing their lifelong dream was worth it. Directed by Wedding Crashers, The Change-Up and The Judge filmmaker David Dobkin, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga looks set to feature plenty of Ferrell's over-the-top comedy — as the initial sneak peek makes plain. It also boasts icy backdrops, a song called 'Volcano Man', a fierce rivalry between Fire Saga and fellow competitor Alexander Lemtov (Legion's Dan Evans), and a cast that also spans Pierce Brosnan and Demi Lovato. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q6Co-nd0lM Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga hits Netflix on Friday, June 26. Images: John Wilson and Elizabeth Viggiano, via Netflix.
