Yabun Festival is an annual event held on January 26 at Victoria Park in Camperdown, on Gadigal Land. It's the largest one-day celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in Australia. This year's festival will be a closed event due to COVID-19 gathering restrictions. Despite this, it'll be more accessible than ever, as it will be live streamed online, allowing people from across Australia and the world to tune in. This year, Yabun (which means "music to a beat" in Gadigal language) is taking place across three venues. The Yabun Stage, located at the Seymour Centre, will host performances from 12–5pm, featuring the likes of Vic Simms, Barkaa, Emma Donovan and Kobie Dee. As well as being live streamed, the event will have a small crowd in attendance — tickets can be won in the lead up to the event via Koori Radio. At its usual home of Victoria Park, Corroboree will feature a Welcome and Smoking Ceremony, as well as dance performances from groups Gawura, Koomurri, Buuja Buuja, Gomeroi Dancers and Ngaran Ngaran. It'll be live streamed from 11am–4pm. The Speak Out stage will be live streamed from the New Law Building at the University of Sydney from 12.30–4.30pm. Speak Out will host three panel discussions on themes of love, justice and success, with panelists including Pastor Ray Minniecon and Lynda June Coe. Another core part of the annual festival is the market stall, which have been taken online, too. Here, you can shop for art, jewellery, food and drink from storeowners that would usually set up within the festival. You can also shop for merchandise from the past three years of Yabun and support the festival and Koori Radio by donating to help ensure both continue to operate for years to come. To access the live-stream, head to yabun.org.au. Top image: Yabun Festival 2017
Two distinct visions lifted from the endless possibilities of science fiction invade Roslyn Oxley9 gallery over the next month. These concurrent exhibitions feature totems and armour, letters from the dead and cardboard boxes, money plants, dirt and reclaimed materials in affirmations of strength and attempts to survive the future.Mikala Dwyer’s Outfield is a collection of symbols arranged in a circular ‘safe space’: tools, forces and memories to protect against the uncertain and threatening world. These pieces are highly tangible and filled with exploratory details, while appearing to be both immense and miniature at the same time. Most materials and objects are reused and reinvented - a protest against a culture that throws away and destroys what it needs to survive. While Dwyer focuses on protection, Justene Williams’ FEMMZOIL is a manifestation of triumph and victory. What appears to be armour or the shell of a robot is manipulated by overlayed images and motion to become fluid, hypnotic and heavenly.Image: Justene Williams Femmzoil legs: Roslyn Oxley9
The sun is peeking out from behind the clouds, the birds are thinking about swooping, and now we really know winter will soon be out of here because summer's Sydney Festival 2015 has made its first lineup announcement. It's a show called Tabac Rouge by acclaimed circus mastermind James Thierrée, and in true festival style, it's a medium masher. The dance, theatre and acrobatics fusion is described as a "feast of visual poetry" by Sydney Festival director Lieven Bertels, who saw it in London earlier this year. "The show explores a world somewhere between the silent cinema classic Modern Times and a Jeroen Bosch painting — sometimes dazzling and funny, sometimes alienating and grotesque, but always hypnotic," he says. An adventurous recent work with a thumbs up from Europe (less so the UK), Tabac Rouge revolves around a disillusioned dystopian king trying to make sense of the world. Frenchman Thierrée plays the lead role, surrounded by a cast of agile performers, a junk shop aesthetic, an imposing scaffold set and plenty of smoke, mirrors and dramatic lighting effects. It sounds weird and enigmatic, but hopefully not quite so weird and enigmatic as this year's mostly impenetrable signature event, 'underwater opera' Dido and Aeneas. The grandson of Charlie Chaplin and great-grandson of Eugene O'Neill, Thierrée was raised in his parents' circus troupe, Le Cirque Imaginaire. Needless to say, his understanding and flexibility with the circus arts is right up there. He's a Sydney Festival veteran too, having brought us Junebug Symphony (2003), Bright Abyss (2006) and Au Revoir Parapluie (2008). You won't be able to miss Tabac Rouge; it plays at the Sydney Theatre for the whole duration of the festival. Tickets for the Australian exclusive start at $85/$72 concession, and premium tickets ($119/$109) are on sale now through the Sydney Festival website. https://youtube.com/watch?v=VH2MmpE9THc
White rabbits, tea parties, royal megalomaniacs — outside Lewis Carroll's gloriously twisted imagination, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is meant for the stage. And this year, you'll be able to see this dark, surreal and twisted tale as a ballet. Headlining the Australian Ballet's 2017 program, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland will complete the season in Melbourne in September and Sydney in December. Spearheaded by legendary choreographer Christoper Wheeldon and scored by Joby Talbot, Alice will be brought to life by the Australian Ballet in what they're calling "magnificent detail". Think Broadway-level. Designer Bob Crowley will throw as many immersive digital projections, wigs and masks, puppets and intricate costumes as he can at this one. Alice is one of three mainstage shows for the Ballet's 2017 season featuring female leads, joined by the return of artistic director David McAllister's highly opulent production of The Sleeping Beauty and radical modern reworking of Nutcracker – The Story of Clara. "It's a season defined by exquisite performance and the adventures of three extraordinary women," says McAllister. "We fall down the rabbit hole with Alice in Christopher Wheeldon's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, we follow the life of a Russian ballerina who arrives in Australia in Graeme Murphy's Nutcracker – The Story of Clara, and then Princess Aurora leads a cast of fairytale characters as she searches for her Prince in The Sleeping Beauty."
It may be hot outside, but it's not quite 'our city in summer' until the Sydney Festival starts up on January 9, bringing with it a tidal wave of performance, music, art and other festivities. Its 2014 program is a massive conglomeration of 104 events, featuring 722 artists from 80 companies across 17 countries. Look out for a much bigger festival garden (so big, in fact, it's now the Festival Village) in Hyde Park, the return of music venue Paradiso at Town Hall and everyone's favourite duck, and a version of Stonehenge that you can bounce on. Yes, bounce on. But above all, Sydney Festival is about getting the most appealing, innovative and agenda-setting international performing arts works to visit our town. This year there's nothing topping the spectacle of Dido & Aeneas. This 'underwater opera' starts with a dance in a 7500L water tank and moves on to sumptuous feats of dance, costume, singing, music and stagecraft. But La Voix Humaine promises to floor with conversely little — one woman pleading down the phone line to an ex-lover. There are plenty of other acclaimed international theatre, dance and circus works with experimental, thrilling or just plain WTF twists. Magic/theatre show Bullet Catch calls for you to pull the trigger, Othello: The Remix is a charming "ad-rap-tation", Tim Crouch's I, Malvolio puts a Shakespearian underdog in the limelight (we recommend going on the adults-only late show on January 18), La Cucina Dell'Arte comes from a sixth generation carnie clan, and Forklift features dancers who also hold heavy machinery licences. Leading the music program, Amanda Palmer will be playing ten solo shows in the intimate surrounds of The Spiegeltent, in the middle of all-hours hangout the Festival Village. Palmer has become an object of much debate after her incredible success at crowdfunding her latest album, but whatever you think of that whole deal you cannot deny she is a fascinating performer. Another headline event is Big Star’s Third, where the cult album will be played in all its broken, twisted beauty by an all-star band for one night only. Guitar hero Kurt Vile is playing in two formats at this year’s festival: a solo “special midnight performance” in the Circus Ronaldo Tent, and again with his band, The Violators, at Paradiso at Town Hall. And then there's Amadou & Mariam’s Eclipse (a “live, multi-sensory experience in pitch darkness telling the amazing story of the blind couple from Mali that includes scents inspired by Mali and their second home Paris pumped into the building”), a collaborative performance with Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) and Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, etc), and dozens of other exciting acts. Even the classical music program is phenomenal. Finally (and almost entirely free!) is the visual art program. The focus is on large-scale, multimedia and installation-type pieces that pack an impressive visual punch. Christian Boltanski’s mega installation Chance will make full use of the architecture and size of Carriageworks and will chart births and deaths across the globe. Slovakian artist Roman Ondak is teaming up with Kaldor Public Art Projects to present a trio of performative works, including his 13 Rooms hit Swap. And that life-size bouncy Stonehenge hogging Hyde Park? That's Sacrilege by Jeremy Deller, direct from the 2012 London Olympics cultural program. For full details and to buy tickets see the Sydney Festival website. And don't get despondent if your show of choice is sold out — last-minute $25 tickets to nearly all events are available at the Tix for Next to Nix booth on the day. Want more Sydney Festival events? Check out our top ten picks of the festival. Or follow what we're seeing as we see it in our Sydney Festival Diary. By Rima Sabina Aouf, Hugh Robertson and Rebecca Speer. Image by Prudence Upton.
After first setting up shop in Brisbane last year, and then announcing plans to open more Australian stores last month, Taco Bell has revealed the location of its second Australian outpost: Robina on the Gold Coast. The US Tex-Mex chain is headed to a spot adjacent to Robina Town Centre later in 2018, with construction currently underway on its new digs. While the exact opening date hasn't yet been revealed, fans of burritos, quesadillas, nachos and, of course, tacos, can expect to start munching away before summer hits. Taco Bell's Queensland expansion will come as no surprise to anyone who's seen the lines at the company's existing Annerley store, and it doesn't look as though the company is done with the region yet — with job listings presently open for not only Robina, but for Brisbane and the surrounding suburbs. In good news for those eager for a Mexican-inspired bite in Sydney and Melbourne, more Australian shops are planned by the end of the year. It'll be a case of out with the old and in with the new, actually, with previous reports indicating that Taco Bell will take over old Sizzler spots. Find Taco Bell at a to-be-confirmed Robina location near Robina Town Centre later this year. We'll keep you updated on the opening.
Under the rubric 'Read, Rethink, Respond' this year's Sydney Writers' Festival brings together authors across cultures and continents to cast a light on what's happening right now, and they seem to be a pretty confronting and contentious lot. It's not a competition to see who's the most ink-stained, it's about interesting and well-expressed opinions and what light they cast on what's important culturally and socially and politically. The masses of events are roughly categorised according to a set of five icons, symbolic Sydney landmarks tying the sessions together as events and to the city itself as a discursive site. Walsh Bay will be full of poets and economists and polemicists and historians and Christopher Hitchens and a guy who knows Woody Allen really well. There'll be talks, launches, panels, readings, workshops and basically any other format that involves words, plus a whole bunch of other people who will totally elbow you to make it into the free sessions and then ask really long questions that end up being statements. (It might be worth bearing in mind that area restaurants have deals going so you can at least be sufficiently well-fed and wined that your satiated look might be confused with wisdom. Just saying.) See more of our Festival picks at our blog. https://youtube.com/watch?v=0MUgS5x8R3k
It seems unlikely that David O. Selznick, the legendary Jewish filmmaker who produced Gone With The Wind, and Nazi Germany’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, would agree on much. That both were avid fans of Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin is a testament to the film’s raw emotional power. A pure slice of pre-Stalinist Soviet propaganda, this silent film pioneered new editing techniques in order to elicit maximum sympathy from audiences, and is universally acclaimed as a cinematic masterpiece. Considering the recent Russian revival, few films could be a more appropriate next step in the Sydney Symphony’s Movies Over Music series.The posthumous soundtrack is supplied by Shostakovich: another brilliant Russian who was fascinated by the film. While this doesn’t strictly sit with Eisenstein’s rules – that the soundtrack should be rewritten every 20 years in order to stay relevant and hip – it will be, perhaps, more appropriate to the current cultural climate than the version composed by the Pet Shop Boys. In honour of, if not quite according to, Eisenstein’s wishes, conductor Frank Strobel presents a newly arranged score for the occasion.
Got the HSBC Sydney 7s in your calendar for Saturday, February 1 and Sunday, February 2? This year, the action will take place at the Bankwest Stadium in Parramatta, and, if you and your mates are serious about making the most of it, then locking in a staycation is your best bet. You can surround the two full days of rugby with Parramatta's many delights — think small bars with top-shelf cocktails and 360-degree views, local eateries dishing up delicious international fare and outdoor adventures galore. Here are seven reasons to get planning — before every hotel room in Parramatta books out. [caption id="attachment_687981" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lil Miss Collins[/caption] EAT YOUR WAY AROUND THE LOCAL CAFES AND RESTAURANTS Being smack bang in the middle of the Sydney metropolis, Parramatta is an international banquet. Launch into your day at Circa Espresso, with a strong coffee and a Middle Eastern-inspired feast, like ottoman poached eggs with crumbed eggplant, garlic labneh, burnt chilli and sage butter with house-made focaccia. Other worthy brunch contenders include the sleek Black Seed Eatery, laneway joint White Henry Espresso Bar and shipping container set-up Lil Miss Collins. Come lunchtime, dive into a steaming bowl of laksa at laneway eatery Temasek or visit Lebanese-inspired cafe Meraki Merchants for The Sultan's Jaffle, which features cheese, sujuk and olives with a side of smoky capsicum relish. And for dinner, you can enjoy cracking Vietnamese at Pho Pasteur, excellent fried chicken and champagne at Butter or classic Greek fare, including melt-in-your-mouth slow-roasted lamb, at Kouzina Greco. [caption id="attachment_703446" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jeffrey Drewitz / Destination NSW[/caption] GO WILD SWIMMING AND HIKING AT LAKE PARRAMATTA When you're not watching the Sevens teams get active, give your own fitness a boost at Lake Parramatta. Surrounded by 70 hectares of bushland, this wild swimming spot is one of western Sydney's secret oases. Take a refreshing dip (yes, the water's officially been clean enough since January 2015), climb into a rowboat or go hiking on one of three trails, such as the Lake Circuit, which follows the shoreline for 4.2 kilometres. There are barbecues to cook up a storm on, plus plenty of cleared spots to roll out a picnic blanket and position your esky. [caption id="attachment_691230" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jiwon Kim[/caption] CHECK OUT SOME COOL BARS Parramatta has always had great pubs — including an excellent craft brewery — but over the past few years, quite a few swanky bars have joined the drinking scene. For jaw-dropping 360-degree views — all the way to Sydney Harbour — linger over a beverage on Nick and Nora's spectacular terrace. For creative cocktails made with top-shelf ingredients (and a moreish reuben sanga), hunt down Uncle Kurt's, a graffiti-splashed small bar hidden away in a car park. And, to mix your drink with calming views of the Parramatta River, swing by Alex & Co., a rather magnificent 350-seater bar and restaurant. Get some more ideas over here. [caption id="attachment_752830" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] CATCH A SHOW AT RIVERSIDE THEATRES Perched on the banks of Parramatta River, Riverside Theatres is the place to get your arts fix — be it a dance show, an original new play, a touring opera or a stand-up comedian. On the HSBC Sydney 7s weekend, you'll be treated to musical comedy Bran Nue Dae, which you might know as a 2010 film starring Jessica Mauboy and Ernie Dingo. The show tells the story of a teenager who hitchhikes from a mission boarding school to his hometown of Broome. This production is a collaboration between Riverside Theatres, Sydney Festival and Opera Australia, and tickets start from just $59.90. [caption id="attachment_756994" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Getty Images[/caption] ENJOYING THE GAME AND FESTIVAL VIBES AT HSBC SYDNEY 7S If you've never been to HSBC Sydney 7s tournament before, take note: it involves way more than rugby games. It's actually more like a mini festival. There's a huge music program planned, featuring Aussie DJ LDRU, DJ Tigerlily (who was a smash hit at last year's Sydney 7s) and Yolanda Be Cool (aka DJs Andrew Stanley and Matthew Handley). These artists are just the tip of the iceberg — loads more music announcements are on the way. And since you're going with your crew, we suggest investigating one of the packages, which will score you all guaranteed seats and, in the case of the 7s Social Club, food and drinks all day. [caption id="attachment_748134" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] SQUEEZE IN SOME CULTURE AND HISTORY Parramatta and its surrounds have been the backdrop for many of Australia's most important historic moments — from the Battle of Parramatta, in which fierce Eora warrior Pemulwuy led a 100-strong attack on Government Farm, Toongabbie to the founding of the Female Factory, which imprisoned thousands of female convicts. So there's plenty of history and culture to soak up during your weekend staycation. Pay a visit to Elizabeth Farm (one of Australia's oldest European homes), wander around Old Government House (the Georgian-inspired mansion that served as a country residence to NSW's early governors) and explore local Indigenous history in the Arrunga Bardo Aboriginal Bush Food Garden near Lake Parramatta or on a Warami Mittigar Cultural Walk. STAY AT A LUXE BOUTIQUE HOTEL WITH VIEWS However you spend your downtime during the HSBC Sydney 7s, you'll need somewhere glorious to rest. That's where SKYE Hotel Suites comes in. This fancy boutique stay is right in the middle of the Parramatta CBD, which is just a 15-minute walk from Bankwest Stadium. Rooms range from studios to two-bedroom suites, and every single one is decked in luxe interior design — think plush furnishings, cloud-level comfy beds and dreamy soft towels. Most also come with epic panoramas of Parramatta and beyond, and you can also enjoy the onsite pool and gym. SKYE Hotel is also home to a rooftop bar, so you can end every day with a cocktail and some of the best views in town. To purchase tickets to HSBC Sydney 7s, visit Ticketek, and for event updates follow @Aussie7s on Instagram. Then, find more ways to make the most of your weekend below.
Do you live in a dog-friendly house? Do you have some spare time on your hands? Do you fantasise about taking a pup to the pub with you? The good folk at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT need you. They're expecting more than 40 puppies to be born between Christmas and New Year and they're in desperate need of carers to raise them. In other words, they're giving away puppies. If you put up your hand, you'll get a puppy for about a year — from its eight-week birthday until it turns 14 months. During that time, you'll be responsible for introducing the sights, sounds and smells it'll meet when it starts working as a guide dog (and giving it heaps of cuddles). Of course, it's not all just fun, games — it's a lot of commitment and hard work. You'll have to be responsible enough to take care of regular grooming, house training and exercise, and be available to attend local training days, along with vet checks and Puppy Pre-School. A car and a fenced-in property are mandatory, too. In return, the organisation provides a strong support network, food, vet care and prevention of fleas and ticks. "We are looking for people who are home most of the time, who are interested in putting effort into training and socialising the dog. What you will get in return is a fantastic experience," said Karen Hayter, puppy development manager at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT. Every day, 28 people in Australia get diagnosed with vision impairment, nine of whom can expect to go blind. Guide dogs are provided free to those in need, but each costs around $50,000 to raise over two years. If you can't afford to sponsor a pup or donate to the charity, but you've got a bit of flexibility and time on your hands, this could be your calling. Keen? Apply here. And send pics, please.
We've certainly had some fun with Mexican spirits this month and the revelry is set to continue in March at Tio's Cervecería. The whole month is dedicated to mezcal, the smoky agave spirit that — despite popular assumption — is more akin to whisky than tequila. Tio's will be serving a mezcal-themed menu all month, but on Sunday, March 31, is when the real festivities will take place. The Surry Hills drinking den to host its fourth tasting event of over 50 notable mezcals all handpicked by the talented team. The tasting session is free so we recommend heading there early to secure a spot at the bar. Doors open at 3pm. As well as trying tasty sips from the likes of Don Amado, Mezcal Vago and Los Danzantes, you'll also have the chance to chat to some of Australia's top mezcal experts — and find out what the difference really is between tequila and mezcal. The merriment continues from 5.30pm when chef Rosa Ciefuegos (whose Marrickville Market stall and new Dulwich Hill store create quite the queue) will be in the kitchen dishing out authentic Mexican tacos and tamales. And an affordable cocktail menu will be on-hand, too, to keep the agave-fuelled fun going well into the evening. Images: Letícia Almeida.
Prancing through fields laced with the charm of provincial France? Casual Saturdaying during Sydney Festival time. So Frenchy So Chic in the Park, one of the annual highlights of one of the most anticipated festival seasons on the Sydney calendar, is waltzing back to St John's College on Saturday, January 17. An entire afternoon of French-inspired niceties — think gourmet picnic hampers, tortes and terrines, offensively good wine, quaint puppet shows, furious outdoor chess, casual bongo drum lessons — So Frenchy hinges around a solid lineup of some of France's best: Emile Simon, The Dø, La Femme and Francois and Atlas Mountains will crank out live sets on the lawn this year. Formidable. Don your best floral-headband-and-sundress-combo and gear up for un merveilleux après-midi. Tres bloody chic. So Frenchy So Chic is on Saturday, January 17 at St John's College, University of Sydney. Thanks to So Frenchy So Chic, we have a super special shiny double pass to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address.
3D imaging has come a long way since the first experiments in the early 1900s. Take James Cameron's Avatar, which used multiple cameras to produce a three-dimensional visual masterpiece. Plus a blue alien race and the beautiful world they inhabit. 3D doesn't just make for larger-than-life films. This innovation in 3D imaging could enhance scientific research. Researchers from Ohio State University have created the first single, stationery lens to create microscopic 3D images by itself. Usually multiple lenses are required to produce a 3D image, making the invention quite incredible. The prototype lens is around the size of a fingernail and was cut by a computer-programmed ultraprecision milling device. The lens will allow more accurate viewing of microscopic objects, Associate Professor of Integrated Systems Engineering at Ohio State University Allen Yi said. "For us, the most attractive part of this project is that we will be able to see the real shape of micro-samples instead of just a 2D projection." [Via Fast Company]
The MCA has been really hitting it out of the park lately, and their newest exhibition, string theory: Focus on contemporary Australian art, is no exception. The exhibition celebrates the work of over 30 Indigenous artists and artist collectives including Tony Albert, Jean Baptiste Apuatimi , Boolarng Nangamai Aboriginal Art & Culture Studio, Frances Djulibing, Robyn Djunginy, Lola Greeno, Dale Harding, Evelyn McGreen, Lipaki Marlyapa, Dhundhunga 2 Munungurr, Noongar Doll Makers, Laurie Nilsen, Alison Page, Regina Pilawuk Wilson, Jimmy Pike, Yarrenyty Arltere Artists, Tasmanian Shell Necklace Makers, Tjanpi Desert Weavers, Vicki West, and the Yirrkala Printmakers. The exhibition’s curator, Glenn Barkley, explains: "string theory is a scientific principle that posits a theory of everything. In the exhibition it implies expansion and connection across time and space, porous and open-ended embracing diverse approaches to the idea of ‘fibre’ or craft-based disciplines." Yirrkala artist Lipaki Marlaypa’s traditional handmade woven string works act as a sort of conceptual jumping off point for the exhibition. Many of the featured pieces are united by a focus on texture. Regina Pilawuk Wilson’s marvellous painted canvases look like stitched tapestries. Jimmy Pike’s colourful felt-tip pen on paper works pulse with such energy you’ll half-expect them to hop off the wall. One of the larger galleries inside the exhibition space has been taken over by the Tjanpi Desert Weavers. The collective has installed large-scale installations of otherworldly figures and trees made of fabulously disparate media such as emu feathers, native grasses, raffia, fabric and sheep’s wool. The innovation present in many of the works is remarkable, as artists knit together millennia-old cultural traditions with Western media and artistic approaches. Tony Albert offers a series of photographs showing a young man in various situations, both bush and urban, carrying a traditional straw bag on his back. In some photographs, the bag is used to carry ceremonial objects, in others, his mail, his groceries and sports paraphernalia. The photographs perfectly sum up the relationship between old and new, traditional and contemporary. The most memorable works in the exhibition are the minimalist, abstract pieces by Dale Harding. His small-scale installations explore the traumas visited upon Aboriginal women and children in the first half of the 20th Century. bright eyed little dormitory girls (2013), white collared (2013) and of one’s own country (2011) are executed with a staggering pathos and eloquence. string theory is a wonderful articulation of how incredibly rich and vibrant Australia’s cultural heritage is. The lucky country, indeed. Image: Little Dingi (still) DVD photograph, Yarrenyty Arltere Artists. Courtesy MCA.
Erskineville is unusual. Sandwiched in its golden triangle between three train stations, strange things happen there. The strangest thing of all is probably the PACT theatre: unprepossessing supporter of emerging arts and artists, it's been getting away with its Tiny Stadiums festival of performance and art for full on four years now. Previous years have seen the debut of cool new art like the Experts Project, which graduated from inner-west to harbourside after its run in this Erko sideshow. This years' is the first under the guidance of the Groundwork Collective, with an expansive line-up including some theatrical love from Next Wave and a more parental production. But the heart of the festival remains the weekend of live art on Erskineville's streets (June 2-3), with some sober dance in the Rose of Erskineville, pop-up Vietnamese street stalls, endurance meditation and a cardboard arena in the PACT courtyard. With toasties.
The Slew is a project started by the quirky turntablist Kid Koala and Dynomite D. It started as a collaboration to make music for an upcoming film; the film went bust but the two producers had become attached and loved the music they had made — psychedelic rock mixed with turntable cuts and bits of hip hop. Dynomite D has remixed the Beasties, among others, but Kid Koala's the one who's always got my attention; he makes consistently interesting music, musical and experimental, and existing way outside the spectrum of traditional hip hop (check out his tune 'Drunk Trumpet' for an example). When American Dynomite D and Quebecer Kid Koala decided to take the Slew on the road, they enlisted none other than the former Wolfmother rhythm section of Chris Ross and Myles Heskett, who obviously knew a thing or two about psychedelic rock. You've probably heard It's All Over on the radio, with it's scratched up distorted blues guitars and heavy beat, narrated over by some guy talking about evolution and democracy. After peeping some YouTube footage, I think this will be a fun show, with the ex-Wolfmother boys bringing some serious muscle to the sound and enjoying emancipation from the big-haired shackles while the two DJs shred it out on the six turntables. https://youtube.com/watch?v=a_RFtRmRP7E
The World Rice Festival is headed to Sydney from December 1–2 to celebrate the diversity of this global food staple. Rice-heavy dishes are found all over the world, from the Philippines and Thailand to India and Spain — and you'll get to taste it all under one roof here, alongside cooking demonstrations, live music and cultural performances. Expect around 20 vendors in all — think Japanese taco bowls (with umami mince, renkon crisps and rice crackers) from the Ume brand, fried ice cream (including a sticky rice ice cream sandwich) by Duo Duo and Filipino rice burgers by Mate Burger, plus pop-up stalls by Crows Nest's HaNa Ju-Rin, The Rocks' Shiki Japanese and Redfern's Donut Papi. Each stall will serve a special rice dish for the occasion, along with other signature menu items. The cherry on top is a rice dessert cooking demo by MasterChef's Hoda Kobeissi. To drink, Sydney Sake Society will be serving up three different types of sake (and free tastings) as well as ice-cold Orion draft beer. If you're looking to learn a bit more about the Japanese rice wine — and learn the difference between junmai-shu and ginjo-shu — head to a sake masterclass. The festival is set outdoors in the Entertainment Quarter's Showring and entry is free. Word Rice Festival is open from 12–5pm on both days.
Sydney’s oldest community festival, held over a kilometre of Glebe Point Road (between Parramatta and Bridge Roads), is back on Sunday, November 18, with more than 200 food, fashion, books, and antique stalls, plus music stages and family entertainment. In its 29th year, the bohemian street festival attracts more than 100,000 people every November, filling the car-free road with produce from all over Australia. Amid a long day of stalls and gigs, Triple J Unearthed band Belle and the Bone People (pictured), from Sydney’s inner west, will be performing on the Parramatta Road Stage.
If laughter is the best medicine then you'll never find a better time to fall ill. From Monday, April 18, over 200 local and international comedians will descend upon the harbour city for the 12th annual Sydney Comedy Festival, ready to fill your prescription of chuckles, giggles and guffaws. Stretching across more than four weeks at venues all around Sydney from the Opera House to Parramatta, it's just what the doctor ordered. Of course, comedy is a notoriously hit-and-miss form of entertainment, so picking the right shows is key. Fortunately, the organisers at this year's festival have knocked the program out of the park. International stars including David O'Doherty, Ross Noble, Paul Foot and Sarah Callaghan will join local legends like Anne Edmonds, Demi Lardner, Michael Workman and Lawrence Leung. Alternatively, you could go and watch a bunch of people reading erotic fan fiction. The choice is entirely yours.
Located in Paddington, Fleur de Lys Medispa offers an array of luxe packages for singles, couples and even groups, ranging from standard spa treatments to the more indulgent pampering and beauty services. Above all else, Fleur de Lys staff are experts in skin, leading the way in revitalising and rejuvenating one's complexion through the latest skin scanning technology to tailor the experience specifically to your needs.
Following an extensive renovation, Manly's Wharf Bar reopened at the end of last year, with a new cocktail bar The Tropic attached. Come the Easter long weekend, The Tropic will be hosting a roaming oyster cart for four days from Sydney rock oyster producer East 33. Northern beaches residents can head down to Wharf Bar for harbourside oysters from Friday through to Monday, with two luxurious options available. Patrons can choose between half a dozen oysters accompanied by two glasses of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label for $65, or go all out with a bottle of champagne and a full dozen oysters for $180. The Tropic's regular Sunday live music session is also returning with the Big Wheels Duo performing live from 3pm at the bar. Wharf Bar is also hosting a special lineup of DJs for Easter Sunday including Australia's beloved Daft Punk tribute act Discovery.
Speedsters of Australia, it's time to don your best red cap, slide into a pair of overalls and jump behind the wheel. If you want to take part in Mushroom Racing, the outfit isn't optional — although, if that's not your style, you could pick a green hat or a dinosaur costume instead. Not content with zipping through the streets of Tokyo and causing quite a stir, a real-life version of Mario Kart is headed to Sydney. On five Sundays between September and December, participants will dress up as their favourite character, get cosy in a go-kart, race till their heart's content and collect stars to win prizes. While Tokyo's MariCar lets racers zoom along the city's actual roadways (yes, really) that won't be what will happen here — while the location is still a secret, the organisers stress that it won't be on the street. We're certain that throwing shells or bananas at your opponents won't be happening either. Sure, that's all well and fun when you're mashing buttons and trying not to fall off the Rainbow Road while you're playing one of Nintendo's many console versions (or counting down the days until the first Mario Kart smartphone game is released), but it's definitely not cool in real life. Tickets are $85 and include your zooming, costume hire, a snack and transport to and from the CBD. It's all happening on Sundays in September, October and November, with five sessions running each day. Do note that the drop-off and pick-up times are four hours apart, so it'll be a half-day activity. Organisers are calling it "the rally of a lifetime", and while that's definitely overstating the significance of driving around pretending you're Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Wario or whichever other character you like, you know you're eager to give the novelty a go. And, let's face it, it's not quite as ridiculous as human bowling.
Originally formed in 1985 under the name 'Virulence', Fu Manchu exploded onto the hard rock scene with their 1990 single 'Kept Between the Trees'. Since then, this Californian band has accrued a loyal 'stoner rock' fan base. This May, Fu Manchu will bring its own catchy and unpretentious brand of hard rock to Sydney audiences in celebration of the 15th anniversary of their 1997 hit album The Action Is Go. Get going and go get your tickets before it's too late. https://youtube.com/watch?v=_Zko7pBeHkk
One of the many 80s comedies on Tom Hanks' resume, Turner & Hooch has already been remade in 2021 as a low-stakes streaming series with nothing worth wagging one's tail about to show for it. Still, it gains a big-screen spiritual successor in Dog, Channing Tatum's return to cinemas after a five-year absence (other than a brief cameo in Free Guy, plus voice-acting work in Smallfoot and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part). Sub out a police investigator saddled with a canine witness for an Army Ranger transporting a dead colleague's ex-working dog; swap Hanks' uptight everyman for Tatum's usual goofy meathead persona, obviously; and shoehorn in a portrait of America today that aims to appeal to absolutely everyone. The result: a good boy of a movie that Tatum co-directs, isn't without its likeable and affecting moments, but is also a dog's breakfast tonally. Like pouring kibble into a bowl for a hungry pooch each morning, Dog is dutiful with the basics: a man, a mutt, an odd-couple arrangement between seeming opposites with more in common than the human among them first thinks, and an emotional journey. Comedic hijinks ensue along the way, naturally, although Turner & Hooch didn't involve anyone getting cock-blocked from having a threesome with two tantric sex gurus by its four-legged scamp. Given that Tatum's Jackson Briggs needs to take Belgian Malinois Lulu 1500 miles from Montana to Arizona by car — she won't fly — Dog is also a road-trip film, complete with episodic antics involving weed farmers and fancy hotels at its pitstops. That's all so standard that it may as well be cinema's best friend, but this flick also reckons with combat-induced post-traumatic stress disorder of both the human and animal kind, and ideas of masculinity and strength attached to military service. When Dog introduces Briggs, he's working in fast food by necessity — think Breaking Bad's fate for Saul Goodman, with Tatum even channelling the same stoic demeanour — as he waits to get redeployed. All he wants is to head back on active duty, but his higher-ups need convincing after the brain injury he received on his last tour. But his direct superior (Luke Forbes, SWAT) throws him a bone: if Briggs escorts Lulu to their former squad member's funeral, after he drove himself into a tree at 120 miles per hour, he'll sign off on his re-enlistment. Lulu has also been changed by her service, so much so that this'll be her last hurrah; afterwards, Briggs is to return her to the nearest base where she'll be euthanised. Given that Dog is exactly the movie it seems to be, its ending is never in doubt. Accordingly, fretting about Lulu is pointless. The journey is the story, of course, so Tatum and co-director/screenwriter Reid Carolin — also making his helming debut, and reteaming with the former after penning Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL (and the upcoming Magic Mike's Last Dance) — endeavour to make the small moments matter. That's a line of thinking on par with Briggs' readjustment to civilian life, and similarly howling through his burgeoning bond with Lulu past simply playing chauffeur. Yes, Dog is that obvious. An emotional throughline doesn't need to be novel to strike a chord, though, and this film yaps the message loud and clear. That said, it also trades more in concepts than in fleshed-out characters, making an already-broad story even broader. Some films see the universal in the specific (see: 2008's also pooch-centric masterpiece Wendy and Lucy starring Michelle Williams), but Dog isn't one of them — it's too eager to please, and widely. So, when it attempts to rove beyond a feel-good person-and-pupper road-trip heartwarmer, it still goes broad and blatant. Here, caricatures of Portland women sneer at Briggs for his service, military camaraderie and purpose is his be all and end all, and dialogue riffs about "getting our murder on" on deployment. The armed forces are adamant about checking the boxes required for Briggs' return, but care little about his post-war life otherwise — and see Lulu as expendable. And, this is a feature where a gag involving Briggs pretending to be a person who is blind segues into an attack on a Middle Eastern man, as Lulu was once trained to do, which sparks congrats from a racist cop and Briggs' horror. Dog presents rather than significantly interrogates most of the above, however, proving jumbled in both mood and meaning. Tatum, Carolin and co-screenwriter — and former soldier — Brett Rodriguez are far more careful with depicting the effects of war on Briggs and Lulu. Sharing a 14-year history with the subject dating back to 2008's Stop-Loss, which Tatum acted in, Carolin helped produce and Rodriguez worked on as a military consultant, the trio have been building to Dog; they also collaborated on 2017 documentary War Dog: A Soldier's Best Friend, too. Perhaps that's why, even playing a character with plenty of complications but little texture, Tatum still makes Briggs feel lived-in. He's long been great at unpacking and softening engrained notions of machismo — the Magic Mike films dazzle for exactly that reason — and he's as charismatic and graceful at it here as he's ever been. Tatum also conveys the simmering desperation driving Briggs, who only knows how to fight, and the leap it takes to see open himself up to his new barking bestie. Affable, thoughtful, sometimes muddled, a bit adrift: they all describe Dog, and apply to Briggs and Lulu as well. Indeed, it'd be half the movie it is without Tatum, and benefits from a fine supporting turn by Ethan Suplee (The Hunt) as another veteran and dog handler — plus the always-welcome Jane Adams (She Dies Tomorrow) and ex-wrestler Kevin Nash (a fellow Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL alum) as the aforementioned pot-growing duo — as well as never-overplayed canine acting. A familiar but still poignant score from Thomas Newman (The Little Things) also does its part, and the expectedly scenic yet nonetheless vivid cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel (Da 5 Bloods) with it. Dog mightn't convincingly teach its underlying formula new tricks, doesn't always have much bite and rarely knows what to stop shaking its tail at; however, even just for its 101 minutes, it's an easy-enough movie to sit and stay with.
What happens when a bunch of Aussie celebs and personalities jump on the cocktail shakers and have a crack at playing bartender? You're about to find out when the Tiny Tails Bar pops up in Campbells Cove from Thursday, May 4–Saturday, May 6. The pint-sized bar and its adjoining cocktail lounge are here to shake up your after-work drinks game, serving sips made by a roster of unlikely guest bartenders. The bar itself has room for just one customer at a time — they'll get to chat one-on-one with whoever's on the tins that night while their free drink is being whipped up, and take a few happy snaps, too. [caption id="attachment_898587" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Millie Ford[/caption] The guest lineup includes the always iconic Courtney Act, TikTok star Millie Ford and actor Remy Hii (Wellmania, Spider-Man: Far From Home). And you needn't worry too much about their bar skills, since they'll be working with Tails' line of ready-to-shake batched cocktails, spanning classics like a whisky sour and a gimlet. You can jump online to reserve one of the limited spots at the bar, while the pop-up's Main Lounge will be open for walk-ins across all three nights, serving up plenty more free Tails cocktails to thirsty Sydneysiders.
The shock of unkempt hair, the Irish brogue, the misanthropic attitude: there's no mistaking Dylan Moran for anyone else. It was true in beloved British sitcom Black Books, when his on-screen alter ego abhorred mornings, ate coasters and claimed that his oven could cook anything (even belts). And it's definitely true of the comedian's acerbically hilarious live shows. Moran is no stranger to Australia, but if you haven't guffawed at his bleak wit live, he's coming back to Sydney — to the State Theatre, in fact — in 2023 to give you another chance. As always, expect the kind of deadpan gags, wine-soaked insights and blisteringly sharp one-liners that've kept him in the spotlight since 1996, when he became the youngest-ever winner of the Edinburgh Fringe's Perrier Award. On Thursday, May 11 and Monday, May 15, Moran will roll out his latest show We Got This, bringing his grumpily lyrical musings on love, politics, misery and the everyday absurdities of life to the Harbour City. This marks his first full standup show since 2019's Dr Cosmos, which also came our way — and was available to stream earlier in the pandemic, too. Given this tour's title, it's hardly surprising that Moran will be reflecting upon these chaotic times. That might sound like a standard comedy gig these days, but nothing about Moran's comedy is ever standard.
Art Month returns for a fourth year of art, and this time around it's rocking some alternative credentials. Art performance duo Penelope Benton and Alexandra Clapham — best known for their papery, dinner party concoctions — have gone from side dish to chef, co-artistically directing this year's extravaganza of art, performance, and exploration. It's a long table of artistic talent that they've laid out, running from returning favourites Art at Night and Two-Wheeled Tours to new-addition adventures west and behind-the-scenes at local art schools. Not to mention all the galleries running shows on the side. It's a big, broad, and city-spanning program. Sampling the whole menu could be the business of a month in itself, so to help you out, we've compiled 10 of the tastiest morsels for you to sink your teeth into.
UPDATE: March 10, 2022 — Due to recent flooding in northern NSW, North Coast Festival of Flavour has been postponed. We will update you when new dates have been confirmed. Perched within World Heritage-listed rainforest at the base of Wollumbin (Mount Warning) in the Tweed Valley, you'll find the picturesque Mavis' Kitchen and Cabins. The sustainable and holistic venue contains a much-loved restaurant, an organic kitchen garden and eco-friendly cabins surrounded by 25 acres of stunning farmland. And, it's hosting an immersive food and art experience as part of the North Coast Festival of Flavour in March. On Saturday, March 26, Mavis Kitchen and Cabins will transform into an immersive dining destination bringing food, nature and art together at Mavis' & The Night Garden. Wander through the sparkling forest and explore a myriad of colours and art across the grounds including luminous light sculptures courtesy of artist Kit Webster. As you explore the grounds you can enjoy delicious canapés and cocktails concocted by the brains at Byron Bay Bees. Then, indulge in a three-course fire-cooked dinner. And, if one food- and art-filled event isn't enough, consider planning a whole weekend loaded with tasty eats and visual treats throughout the Tweed Valley. Mavis and the Night Garden will take place on Saturday, March 26, as part of the North Coast Festival of Flavour. For more information and to book your ticket, visit the website.
Every show wants to go out with a bang. But the Sydney Festival's Bullet Catch is guaranteed to each night — when a member of the audience fires a gun at performer Rob Drummond. A mix of theatre and magic show, Bullet Catch casts Drummond (who also wrote and co-directed) as William Wonder, a magician reflecting on the notorious trick that involves catching a bullet between the teeth and that (surprise surprise) is said to have killed several who've attempted it. In particular, he looks back on the case of one William Henderson, whose death in front of 2,000 people in 1912 was rumoured to have been a suicide. And that's where Bullet Catch evolves into something bigger, as its series of warm-up illusions meanders into a philosophy lecture on free will, scientific endeavour and existentialism. Apparently Drummond is a hugely engaging performer, who spurred Stephen Fry into tweeting, "Wow! Bullet Catch, what an experience at The Shed. Rob Drummond is utterly spell-binding. Shoot someone in the face for a ticket." Want more Sydney Festival events? Check out our top ten picks of the festival. Image by Niall Walker.
As Vivid Sydney turns five, it's vastly extending its brightly coloured reach to cover more physical ground and generate more creative ideas. In 2013 Fort Dennison, Walsh Bay and the Inner West will also get a heavy splattering of neon light and artistic innovation as the festival adds more precincts to the Vivid family. Sydney's own Spinifex Group will be the artists behind the Lighting of the Sails, the jewel in Vivid's dazzling crown, with the rest of the foreshore welcoming a global assemblage of lighting designers to the walkable stretch spanning Campbells Cove to Walsh Bay. Interactivity is key this year, with Customs House featuring a dance floor so visitors can make the building move. The festival's LIVE section will celebrate the Opera House's increasingly enthusiastic approach to popular music, populating the Kraftwerk-headlined lineup with homegrown and international acts. Empire of the Sun are premiering their second album Ice on the Dune, which was announced in true theatrical style with a bizarre video last week. Other acts include legendary soul crooner Bobby Womack, Underworld's Karl Hyde, the Sunnyboys, Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon, folk-rock tribute Sounds of the South and the 45-piece Heritage Orchestra — performing the Bladerunner score. More will be announced in the upcoming weeks. And hosting a mammoth 136 events this year is the Jess Scully-curated Vivid Ideas. Level six of the MCA will be taken over by 100 of them, with further talks and workshops spread through the Overseas Passenger Terminal, Seymour Centre, Sydney Museum and more. Semi-Permanent, Sydney Writers’ Festival and the Australian International Design Festival are getting involved in 2013, along with a slew of events supporting this year's film and photography motif. Reportage and Sydney Film Festival are two exciting additions, and a talk by Chris Ying of Momofuku-McSweeney's foodie mag Lucky Peach should give discerning ramen enthusiasts plenty to get psyched about. Want more Vivid? School up on our ten best ideas to visit at Vivid Ideas and read what Vivid Ideas festival director Jess Scully told us about Sydney living. And of course, check out the Vivid website for the full program of events.
El Camino Cantina is known for its colourful interiors, cheap Tuesday tacos and giant margaritas. This August and September, its outpost in The Rocks is celebrating the latter with a month-long celebration of the frozen cocktail. From Tuesday, August 25 to Saturday, September 12, the inaugural Ritapalooza will feature 15 limited-edition margaritas, as well as margarita tasting paddles and food and drink specials. Nerd, Hubba Bubba and Coco Loco margaritas will be on offer alongside classics like mango, strawberry and tropical, as well as one-metre-long, 13-flavour paddles. Tacos will be going for $7 — and just $4 on Tuesdays — throughout the three weeks, and the ten-cent Wing Wednesday tradition will be on offer, too. If you're happy to risk it for a 'rita, you can spin a wheel — one spin for $2, three for $5 — with prizes including a Tex-Mex Fiesta voucher, a metre-long tasting paddle and a bottle of premium 1800 Tequila to take home.
Never forget that the first American version of Godzilla thwarted the titular behemoth by using "an internet". That's the ridiculously awful 1998 film's legacy (well, that and fruitlessly trying to follow in Jurassic Park's footsteps more than its own Japanese predecessors). Deploying the same logic, Reddit should probably be the saviour in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. It isn't, but that might've proven more interesting. Continuing the new US-made series that began with 2014's Godzilla and will link up with Kong: Skull Island once next year's Godzilla vs Kong comes around, this 'MonsterVerse' sequel actually does take a few cues from its late-90s American counterpart — more than any movie should, and not to its benefit. Some come through in the story, including a routine finale in a sporting arena. Others are evident at the human level, corralling yet another array of dull, feuding characters scrambling all over the place. But the main similarity is something that all US Godzilla reboots have struggled with: not knowing what to do with its hulking star. It's unsurprisingly strange to watch people quaking in the famous kaiju's shadow, whether in awe, fear or both, while the film they're in focuses on their reactions instead of the towering figure. King of the Monsters ups the creature factor considerably, giving Godzilla friends (Mothra), frenemies (Rodan) and foes (King Ghidorah) amongst a 17-strong cohort of havoc-wreaking 'titans'. At a narrative level, it doesn't just lean into the idea that more of these giant, city-levelling critters exist — it makes that very notion its premise. Alas, the film prefers to explain that supersized lizards, insects, pterodactyls, mammoths and three-headed dragons are frightening via clunky dialogue and pained faces, rather than offer much monster-on-monster action. Taking over from Godzilla's Gareth Edwards, writer-director Michael Dougherty has a background in horror thanks to Trick 'r' Treat and Krampus, but misappropriates one of that genre's key elements. Watching scared folks react to mysterious bumps and jumps in the night works a treat, all thanks to the powers of suggestion and imagination, however the same isn't true when your whole movie screams "Aaaaaaah! Fucking huge monsters! And so many of them!" Five years after Godzilla emerged from the earth's depths to battle a massive unidentified terrestrial organism, humans are basically yelling the aforementioned line. The government wants to know how many titans exist so that it can exterminate them. Shadowy outfit Monarch, led by scientists Ishirō Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) and Vivienne Graham (Sally Hawkins), plead that people and Godzilla can live together, and that maybe good ol' Zilly could even save us all. Also working for Monarch in a Chinese facility, paleobiologist Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga) appears to feel the same way, creating a bioacoustics system that can communicate with the creatures. When she's kidnapped, along with her technological breakthrough and her teenage daughter Madison (Millie Bobby Brown), another group enters the fray. Overseen by British soldier turned eco-terrorist Alan Jonah (Charles Dance, because every movie has to feature someone from Game of Thrones), their aim is to let all of the titans loose, watch as they do their worst and hope that the ravaged planet is reborn in the aftermath. Thanos would be proud. Also popping up is Emma's kaiju-hating ex-husband Mark (Kyle Chandler), who once worked at Monarch, has a bone to pick with Godzilla and loves yelling about it while trying to rescue his daughter. And so everyone fights over what to do, with the shouting getting louder as Jonah keeps awakening more and more titans. Human noise isn't what anyone wants from King of the Monsters, though. And if someone does want to watch people squabble in the face of literally existence-shattering critters, the last live-action Japanese Godzilla, 2016's Shin Godzilla, delivered just that in a smart, thoughtful and engaging way. Here, the paper-thin, consistently cliched story doesn't justify so much chatter. Indeed, it feels as if it's been written to slot in beside the big beasty battles, then hurriedly padded out and over-extended when those massive monster melees didn't turn out as planned. Godzilla and Ghidorah do go head-to-head, more than once. Mothra and Rodan get to flap their wings, and brief clips of other creatures are glimpsed as well. King of the Monsters doesn't completely shy away from its prehistoric giants, but they're never the main attraction — or even much of an attraction at all. There's welcome reverence and respect directed Godzilla's way, however the movie barely acknowledges the character's metaphorical significance, preferring to show its love via a few impressive wide shots instead. And while simply pairing it with its fellow iconic figures in the same picture is inherently exciting, King of the Monsters essentially rests there. When it comes to the film's frays, they arrive packaged in dim, dark, Game of Thrones-esque lighting, blighted by ugly special effects and hardly serving up a spectacle. In fact, the battles feel rushed, busy, and never as fun and lively as you'd expect given the whole titan-versus-titan situation. Hollywood is never going to admit that it just doesn't quite get Godzilla, but perhaps it should. Or, maybe it should stop trying to style American Godzilla flicks after whatever else happens to be popular recently — Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a clear influence on King of the Monsters, as is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it isn't a coincidence that the film taps Stranger Things' Brown for her big-screen debut. 65 years after the enormous lizard-style gargantuan made its initial appearance in the first Japanese Godzilla, it deserves better than by-the-numbers franchise-extending entries. The kaiju genre deserves better too, but at least it has Guillermo del Toro's great Pacific Rim. The fact that King of the Monsters delivers its most thrilling aspect in its credits — the sounds of the original, exceptional, still rousing Godzilla theme, not the obligatory post-reel stinger — screams louder than the movie's humans, and than Godzilla's own roars as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW3xYYJ6NoE
The Last Supper, created and performed by Belgian theatre company Reckless Sleepers, is a haunting theatre experience. Simultaneously an homage to some of history's most famous and infamous deaths and a tribute to 13 death row victims, it shines a spotlight on final words and last meal requests both chilling and humorous. The set is minimal, just four long, white-clothed dining tables arranged in a square in the middle of Carriageworks' cavernous Bay 8. Upon entering, each audience member pulls a number out of a hat, is ushered to a seat at the table, and poured a glass of red wine. Three actors (Mole Wetherell, Leen Dewilde, and Tim Ingram) sit along one table like a panel of wine-drinking, cake-eating, cigarette-inhaling judges and weave together a narrative of final moments and last words, both true and muddled by the path of history. From Marylin Monroe's mysterious overdose ("Say goodbye to Pat, say goodbye to the president, and say goodbye to yourself, because you're a nice guy") to Andy Warhol ("Eh, yeah, you know, eh"), Beethoven ("Friends applaud, the comedy is over"), Jesus ("Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do"), and Eva Braun (who said, "I do"). With each quote written on tabs of rice paper, the performers then swallow their words, literally embodying each final utterance. Intermittently an inmate's case number is read out and, like a game of dinner roulette, a solemn waiter delivers a meal in a silver cloche to the corresponding audience member. The anticipation during these moments in the play is palpable, as the audience cranes to see whether it will be a chocolate cake or liver and goat's cheese or two hamburgers with battered deep fried eggs and French fries all drizzled in syrup, or a large plate of fruit. The concept is affecting, but the work's aesthetic elements, including the sound and set design, don't add much to the performance. Moments where the actors turn the pages of the scripts on their table also hamper the dramatic effect. The best part is the audience's response to the familiar dining-table setting, taking the opportunity to talk during the brief interval (where wine is topped up), to share their meals (in this performance people started to pass their plates around for others to try), and to continue once the show has officially finished, with the actors still in tow. The Last Supper concocts a potent mix of human ritual to leave you marvelling at how succinctly a meal or a single quote can sum up a life. The Last Supper is part of Performance Space's Matters of Life and Death, a program of Aussie and international works that look at that scary ol’ thing called death and our fear of it. Included is dance work Performance Anxiety, not-so-funhouse Unsettling Suite, an Eddie Sharp-curated instalment of NightTime, and the Death Knocks Supper Club of impolite dinner table conversation. Read what the artists had to say in our feature 'Seven Positive Ways to Think About Death at Performance Space'. Image by Heidrun Lohr.
There are plenty of ways to throw your support behind important cancer research, but come Saturday, April 6, there's one that's set to really stand out. Your pals at Sydney burger institution Mary's and Newtown brewery Young Henrys are once again teaming up with Cure Cancer, to host their annual fundraising barbie, BarbeCURE. Taking over Young Henrys' inner west digs from noon, the event will be a rollicking session of great eats, drinks and company — all for an excellent cause. The brewery will be slinging its legendary range of craft beer, cider and Noble Cut gin, while burgers, fries and a few surprise barbecue treats come courtesy of the Mary's crew. Last year, there was a jerked chicken burger, so expect something equally tasty. All food and drink proceeds will head to support the work of those innovative researchers at Cure Cancer — and you can help raise a few more much-needed dollars by snapping up one of Young Henrys' limited-edition Cure Cancer t-shirts on the day. BarbeCURE will run from midday–7pm.
The Act of Killing is one of those movies that in its very form is something new. While filming survivors of the 1965-66 Sumatran massacre, Joshua Oppenheimer discovered that the perpetrators, now elder statesmen, remain openly proud of their crimes — and eager for fame. So he takes the project in a new direction (the survivors, for good reason, weren't keen to appear on camera anyway). Oppenheimer has the perpetrators join the film, scripting and starring in re-enactments of their murders. They jump at the chance; they're fans of American movies. The Act of Killing then becomes a documentary with fictionalised elements that, by virtue of what they reveal about their subjects, are a mode of deep-digging documentary in themselves. It's chilling but also achieves a surprising effect, leading Werner Herzog to say "I have not seen a film as powerful, surreal, and frightening in at least a decade...it is unprecedented in the history of cinema." He signed on to executive produce, along with documentary king Errol Morris. No synopsis can quite convey how extraordinary this all is. We in Australia, Indonesia's closest neighbours, have barely any memory of the genocide that took 1 million lives. The current Indonesian government still has links to the militias of 50 years ago, and in a speech by a senior politician, we see him further the ideology of the 'gangster', a libertarian delusion that alleviates the war criminals' consciences. They're welcomed on a daytime TV show as if they were pop stars, while the cheery host recognises their achievements in finding "a new, more efficient system for killing Communists". There are so many of these extraordinary scenes — too many, probably. It's hard to figure out what could have been cut, but there is a point in the middle at which it becomes a catalogue of bewilderment rather than a purposeful trajectory — and the running time is 159 minutes, so. US-born, Copenhagan-based Oppenheimer's real strength is his knowledge of Indonesia — he's spent a lot of time there, speaks the language without an interpreter and was able to really relate to his subjects as human beings. They're comfortable and candid around him, without his having to trick them into participating. He's also proved to have a great eye for character, as his main focus, Anwar Congo, is both charismatic and very easy to empathise with. Those spotlighted around him, too, serve to elucidate other sides of his character. It's challenging. We're made to wonder, who is more evil, the murderer who is an ostentatious true believer in the cause? The pragmatist quietly living out his days in great wealth? Ultimately, it's hard to believe there are evil people at all — just crazy, heightened situations with patterns that repeat all over the world. The Act of Killing is deeply humanist that way. There's no point dwelling on some minor drawbacks; The Act of Killing is the film of the year, if not the decade, if not documentary history. Just go see it already. It's simultaneously being disseminated in Indonesia via private screenings and sparking, you can imagine, a big conversation. Proof that sometimes, art changes everything. Read our interview with director Joshua Oppenheimer here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=zJ5_JAgoZ5Q
A Johnny Cash show, to be held inside Parramatta Gaol, is on the bill for the 2015 Sydney Festival's Parramatta program. Aussie rocker Tex Perkins will take on the role of the legendary singer-songwriter, recreating his groundbreaking 1968 Folsom Prison shows, framed by looming, razor-wired limestone walls in what was once the jail's exercise yard. The 19th-century jail is now out of commission but will make a suitably moody backdrop for Perkins' Far From Folsom, which also involves The Tennessee Four and Rachael Tidd doing the the vocals of June Carter. The one-night only spectacle is but one of five world premieres to which Western Sydney audiences will be treated. At the Parramatta Opening Party (POP), scheduled for January 9, Paul Kelly will bring his new collaboration, The Merri Soul Sessions, to the stage for the first time ever, for which he’ll be joined by a bunch of our best local soul performers, including Dan Sultan, Clairy Browne, Kira Puru and Vika and Linda Bull. The free event, which kicks off from 6pm at Parramatta Town Hall, will also feature Radical Son, Christine Salem, New York City DJ, $mall ¢hange, the Waratah Drumcorps and 'Uptown' Brown. Elsewhere in Parramatta, there’ll be a rooftop performance from the Stiff Gins and a block party hosted by the fine Soul of Sydney folk.
Minimalist Aussie clothing designer Assembly Label opened up a permanent surplus store in Beaconsfield earlier last year where you can nab discounted threads on the reg. Thankfully, it still hosts regular warehouse sales there, too, and its next one is happening just in time to stock up on threads for spring. The four-day warehouse sale is running this weekend, from Thursday, August 22 through to Sunday, August 25. This means the warehouse's samples and pieces from past seasons will be going at up to 70 percent off. That includes much needed swimwear, dresses and basic tees for the coming warm months, plus denim, shorts, jackets and accessories in both men's and women's designs. The label is known for its linen basics and relaxed coastal vibes that makes up the wardrobe of many a Sydneysider. Once the sale is finished, the surplus store will return to its daily trade of discounted signature basics and seasonal releases, with styles restocked weekly. The warehouse sale will be open on Thursday 8am–9pm, Friday 9am–7pm, Saturday 9am–5pm and Sunday 10am–5pm.
Mainstay Waterloo pub The George is the next Sydney pub in line for a major revamp, thanks to new owners who, collectively, are behind The Duke of Enmore, Ghostboy Cantina and natural wine retailer Drnks. Together, they'll relaunch the Elizabeth Street pub as a new-age venue with three faces: a late-night pub, an authentic taco joint and a natural wine bottle shop. Co-owners James Wirth and Michael Delany are known for their epic revamps — previously, they bought and made over The Norfolk, The Flinders, The Carrington and The Oxford Tavern, before selling them all in 2016. Most recently, they overhauled the The Duke on Enmore Road. The George, on the other hand, has never been renovated before. "I had my eye on [The George] for over a decade — I always liked the kind of ugly look of it, it's almost like a Commonwealth Bank from the outside" says Wirth. "It's a rare pub because it was built in the 60s, unlike the typical 1800s or 1920s era you see in Sydney." To keep some of the pub's history in-tact, the team will focus on reupholstering and repurposing the pub's original features — including vintage wood panelling found in the basement, which will now adorn the walls. Apart from that, the place will get a new coat of paint and the concrete beer garden will get a refresh. https://www.instagram.com/p/BvIbBYbAxce/ For this venue, Wirth and Delany have got chef Toby Wilson (Bad Hombres, Ghostboy Cantina) and Drnks founder Joel Amos on board as co-owners, too. Amos will head up a brand new natural wine bottle shop. That means lots of natural wine from independent producers and "interesting stuff that people would bother travelling for". The bottle-o's labels will be available for both takeaway or dine in, with an additional $20 charged for the latter. And if you don't feel like dropping $35 on a bottle pét-nat, Wirth says that cheap cases of beer will be available for takeaway, too. Otherwise, at the bar, there'll be eight taps with Aussie classics like VB and Resch's alongside local craft brews from Grifter, Philter and the bar's own Waterloo Lager. For food, Wilson has created a new concept, Taco King, which promises to be one of the chef's most expansive offerings yet. "We've wanted to do a natural wine bar and taco joint for a while, so when The George came up, we decided to just plug in the concept there," says Wirth. "Mexican is kind of everywhere in Sydney but there's not heaps of great Mexican, and Toby is really committed to making it authentic." https://www.instagram.com/p/BvJDipHghmL/ At the centre of the food offering is the al pastor, a Mexican specialty that's based on the Lebanese immigrant version of shawarma spit-grilled meat — and is a rare find in Sydney. Other specialties include spicy kingfish ceviche tostadas, battered fish tacos and zucchini flower quesadillas with salsa verde, along with Mexican-style sandwiches and hamburgers. The cocktail list will also have a South American edge, like the Mexican French Martini made with tequila, the Brazilian-style caipirinha and the michelada, made with Mexican beer, tomato juice and lime. And it'll all be available until late on the weekend. These hospitality heavyweights aren't stopping there, either — the same crew has also snatched up The Old Fitzroy in Woolloomooloo. The team has already begun rolling out a new English-style pub menu, but will fully relaunch the pub in about 6–8 weeks. We'll keep you updated on that one. The George will reopen in early April at 760 Elizabeth Street, Waterloo. We'll keep you updated you with an exact opening date soon.
One minute Sydney's Johnny Took, Matt Mason and Tommy O'Dell were writing nostalgic garage pop in a Newtown bedroom. The next, they were on high rotation on triple j, applauded by Splendour in the Grass-goers and basking in Channel V praise along the lines of "terminally infectious". With comfortably breezy tunes that could rival Oasis, DMAs are Australia's answer to Brit-rock — and they have the wardrobe of Adidas to match. The trio's sweet acoustic sound first hit the ears of influential label I OH YOU (Violent Soho, DZ Deathrays) in September 2013. "A good friend (who I guess I owe a beer to now) called me up and began barking down my phone about an amazing young band from Newtown," explained I OH YOU director Johann Ponniah, who released the trio's debut EP earlier this year. Their debut single 'Delete' swept across social media and dominated radio rotation, then the lads were one of the highlights of Splendour in the Grass this year, prompting many a singalong to 'Feels like 37' and 'The Plan'. Living well up to the significant hype, DMAs played their Britpop-loving butts off, as frontman Johnny Took steered the crew with his Gallagher-like pipes and tambourine stick. After a few smaller, low-key shows to promote their debut EP, the Sydneysiders are now embarking on their first ever national tour; playing shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Fremantle. If you haven't seen DMAs live yet, get amongst it at Oxford Art Factory this Friday and Saturday. Adidas trackies optional. Supported by The Creases. Words by Molly Glassey and Jasmine Crittenden. https://youtube.com/watch?v=vKSWC5r1tYg
At some point in the 1800s, a group of convicts escaped Port Arthur. For nearly one hundred years, they survived in a wild, remote part of Tasmania, completely isolated from the island's growing European presence, until, in 1939, they were found. This isn't just the basis of Louis Nowra's The Golden Age. It's a true story. Drawing on a blend of history and folklore, Nowra imagines the culture — and dialect — that this group might have developed. His play depicts their attempted re-entrance into European society, plagued not only by their decades in exile, but also the physical debilitation of old age. The Golden Age first hit Australian stages in Melbourne in 1985, then premiered in Sydney the following year, under Neil Armfield's direction. This time, it's the STC's resident director Kip Williams (Suddenly, Last Summer) who'll be taking charge, alongside a cast starring Sarah Peirse (Switzerland), Ursula Yovich (Love and Information) and Brandon McClelland (The Present).
What would Thor do if he built a badass carvery and whiskey bar today? That's the exact question master barman Sven Almenning asked himself as he opens his latest boozy business venture, Mjølner. Owner and director of The Speakeasy Group — which operates Eau De Vie and The Roosevelt as well as Boilermaker Housee in Melbourne — Almenning is no stranger to fancy digs. Still, it's safe to say that Mjølner is his most audacious project yet. Opening tonight — 'Thorsday', March 30 — in an old tobacco factory on Cleveland Street, Mjølner takes its name from the thunder god's mighty hammer, with Almenning describing the venue as "contemporary Viking luxe". "Imagine that The Avengers are real," Almenning said when we spoke to him last year. "One of the Avengers is Thor, the Norse God, and he's the protector of human kind. So he fights down on earth, but he misses home. So he builds this bar, to recreate the feasts and merriment of Valhalla. And that, my friend, is what we are doing." As for the drinks list, think whiskey — they'll have around 600. "My business partner and I have been wanting to do a heavily whiskey-focused bar in Sydney after we opened Boilermaker down in Melbourne [in 2015]," says Almenning. But as great as that much whiskey sounds, what we're really excited about is the food. "We're running with a carvery, which will kind of happen in your face in the restaurant," he says. "So you'll be able to sit there and we'll have the chefs out with big-ass knives cutting up big bits of meat. It's going to get bloody." The rotating menu will feature one red meat, one white meat, one fish and one vego dish, as well the whole animal, like a whole suckling pig (if you're lucky). When you order, you'll be presented with a leather-bound selection of hunting knives to choose to eat your dinner with. This is just one of the quirks of the venue — you can also drink your beer out of one of the communal horns that sit on the table or purchase a piece of meat and store it in one of their meat lockers for return visits. The 300-square-metre venue, which is part of a new development, will be open from 5pm Tuesday through Saturday and then from midday on Sundays. "Closing at midnight unfortunately, because it's Sydney," says Almenning ruefully. "I'd love a 3am license." Mjølner will open at 267 Cleveland Street, Redfern from 5pm on Thursday, March 30. For more info and to book a table, visit mjolner.com. Images and video: Steven Woodburn.
Growing up in a tiny town on NZ's North Island, the Popstrangers made "the music [they] wanted to make, without thinking too much about who was going to hear it." Fortunately, their psych pop reached the ears of the decision makers at Carpark Records and last month saw the US release of their debut LP, Antipodes. Popstrangers are not the only Antipodean musicians making waves on the international scene right now. With new EP Over Easy set to drop on April 19, Bearhug is soon to jet to Austin to play the SXSW Festival. Even though they continue to describe themselves as "pathetic as ever", the good people at Spunk Records have certainly found something in the group's airy indie pop that's worthy of global promotion. Meanwhile, Cooperative Music is anything but bored by Bored Nothing's emotive compositions and lo-fi production, and will release the group's new EP internationally in April. Before they hit the big time, catch all three acts, all on one night, when they share a triple headline bill at Goodgod on March 7. https://youtube.com/watch?v=UQs6rGE_1cc
The festive season is upon us. While a lot of good things accompany that truth — parties, presents and a well-deserved break from work — it also has the potential to fill you with dread. It could be that most of your favourite people are too far away to celebrate with. Perhaps nobody in your crew is willing to volunteer playing host. Or maybe you just really, really hate washing up. For those of you that want a bit of a break from being Santa's little helpers, Oceans at Coogee Beach is hosting an adults-only Christmas barbecue to solve your woes. From midday, you can celebrate the big day on the Ocean Terrace soaking up the stellar sea views. Get ready to feast on an assortment of hot and cold menu items that embody Christmas Down Under. There'll be a grazing table of cured meats, cheeses and fresh seafood, plus the barbie will be fired up for barbecued king prawns, vegetable skewers, smoked brisket and a whole roasted suckling pig. To wash it all down, there's a three-hour drinks package including a creamy espresso martini on arrival, tap beer, wine and mocktails. And with Coogee Beach right on your doorstep, you can also fit in a spot of cricket. How's that for a Christmas feast? Bad Santa's Backyard Barbecue and Spit will run from 12–3pm on Christmas Day. Spots are limited, so get in quick and book here.
For 19 days next January, a giant inflatable labyrinth will take over Darling Harbour's Tumbalong Park— and Sydneysiders can wander through it for free. Featuring towering domes and lengthy corridors, the hefty pop-up comes courtesy of Nottingham's Architects of Air, who are bringing their multi-coloured Dodecalis Luminarium to town for Sydney Festival. Heading our way after a recent visit to Melbourne, as well as an upcoming stop at Mona Foma, it's understandably one of the huge arts event's big highlights. Unveiling its full lineup for 2020, Sydney Festival boasts plenty more standout shows, performances, installations and gigs on its bill, too. When you're not getting lost in a maze on purpose, you'll be spoiled for choice between Wednesday, January 8 and Sunday, January 26 — especially if you love inventive theatre, memorable music, eye-catching dance and top local and international talent. Falling into the first category are two of the fest's must-sees: live stage versions of Joan Didion's The White Album and John Cassavetes' Opening Night. One takes the celebrated essayist's powerful 1979 piece of the same name and turns its views on 1960s-era American counter-culture into an experimental performance, complete with audience participation every evening. The other not only stars French acting superstar Isabelle Adjani, but tasks her with starring in a recreation of one of the great movies of the 1970s. For those keen on treating their ears to Sydney Festival's program, you'll be able to hear masked cowboy Orville Peck croon his soulful country tunes, catch Berlin-based US musician Holly Herndon as she performs live with an AI baby, take actual babies to Regurgitator's kid-friendly show, and both watch and listen to a French opera-ballet. Or, maybe you'd like to lose yourself to dance thanks to Stephanie Lake's Colossus, which'll see 50 bodies move as one in quite the symmetrical performance. Also showcasing fancy footwork, large-scale Canadian work Frontera combines dance with an impressive light component. [caption id="attachment_747761" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Colossus by Mark Gambino[/caption] Putting a firm focus on Indigenous Australian stories, creators and artists, the festival's Blak Out program is particularly strong — featuring everything from Opera Australia's new production of Bran Nue Dae to Archie Roach bringing his life story to the stage and a massive tribute performance to Gurrumul Yunupingu with Yolngu dancers, songmen and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. In its world premiere season, Black Ties sees Maori and Aboriginal Australian cultures join forces for a wedding, with the production marking a collaboration between two First Nations theatre companies. And, in the art realm, Kudjala/Gangalu artist Daniel Boyd explores the infinite nature of time via an otherworldly and colourful video installation, while a large-scale piece at Barangaroo Reserve will fly 250 flags to examine Australians' different views on this country of ours. Elsewhere, Sydney Festival favourites Strut & Fret return with their latest show, which is called Life – The Show; long-demolished dance hall The Rivoli gets an immersive dance tribute; and the outside of Carriageworks will be engulfed in a kaleidoscopic array of colour and light. The UK's Bryony Kimmings will perform her acclaimed musical I'm a Phoenix, Bitch, a Parisian hip hop dance crew will join forces with their Sydney counterparts for a rhythmic display, and festival-goers can eat a candle-lit dinner with mentalist Scott Silven. Plus, as part of family-oriented circus piece Air Play, there'll also be a giant snow globe. Over at the Sydney Opera House, West End hit Six the musical will reimagine the story of Henry VIII's six wives, pulling inspiration from today's pop queens: Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Adele and Rihanna. And, as always, opera lovers can head along to a free outdoor performance in The Domain, while classical music fans can hear the SSO unleash their best at a free gig in Parramatta Park. Love watching ferries zoom to Shark Island and back? You can do just that, too, because Ferrython is back as well. Sydney Festival 2020 runs from January 8–26 at venues across the city. For further details and to buy tickets, visit the Sydney Festival website. Tickets go on sale at 9am on Thursday, October 31. Top image: Dodecalis Luminarium by Architects of Air, image by Alan Parkinson; Air Play by Florence Montmare.
Don't miss Sydney's latest artist-led show. Curators Orson Heidrich and Jarryd Lynagh bring together works of their own and by Anna Pogossova, Siena White, Mark Booth and Patrick Cremin to explore the edges and intersections of different artistic mediums: expanded photography, painting, and sculpture. It's on at Down / Under space, a multi-arts space in the basement underneath Freda's that's run by artists, curators and filmmakers. All of the artists are contributing to a contemporary aesthetic that can be difficult to find — especially all in one place. The curators have focused on bringing together works that focus on "a succinct and powerful use of materials to create an experience of occupied space and object presence". All of the artists create work that's not just about producing an image — they're about capturing a mood. The exhibition, like Lilac City Studio's Recreation II show by Kyra Henley, is another example of the trend towards artist-run initiatives and artist-led programming in Australia and internationally. It's sure to spark conversations about not only the works and the artists themselves, but also the creativity that goes into finding space for making and showing art in high-pressure environments like Sydney. Signal opens on Wednesday, December 19 at 6pm at DownUnder space, in the basement under Freda's. If you miss the opening you can also visit the show nightly from 6-9pm until Saturday, December 22.
At the beginning of this year I had the great pleasure of working in the city. To most of you that might be a little strange to hear since you probably beat the dark path most 8am timeslots of the year. Yet being a part of the independent arts scene we are generally shafted to the outer suburbs, never venturing much past the cheaper rents and eats of periphery Sydney. However, the horizon appears to be shifting with the City of Sydney inviting itself to the party and slowly but surely helping to create a creative CBD worthy of our southern sister but also, truly our own. The Paper Mill, an artist-run gallery/workshop/library especially committed to works on paper, will be swinging open its doors in downtown suit country very, very soon. But before that happens the guys and girls at The Paper Mill are kindly letting us all in for the Das Superpaper The Critical Issue launch and a sneak peak at their space in Angel Place. The crew at Das Superpaper — if you haven’t heard — are only the busiest volunteers on the planet. With thirteen issues of art-based writing behind them this free publication has already added the Das Cinema feather to their cap and will now introduce Das 500, another online venture featuring bite-sized (500 words or less) critical reviews of exhibitions around Australia. So who could say no to a cheeky bevvie after work on Thursday to double whammy on Australian independent arts in the city?
Everyone loves Gelato Messina's creative ice cream concoctions; however, believe it or not, there is a way to make their chilled sweet treats even better. You know how dessert takes oh-so-divine when it caps off an amazing meal? Yep, that's how to amplify your Messina experience. At the fourth instalment of their Messina Eats pop-up series, Burn City Smokers are in the spotlight. Following in the footsteps of Huxtaburger and Mr Claws, Wonderbao and Hoy Pinoy, they're serving up eight-hour smoked beef short rib, brisket burgers and smokey beans until they run out. PS40 will be taking care of the bar, while you know who will be serving up your final course courtesy of a mouth-watering pumpkin pie and choc soft serve combo. That's what happens when Messina meets meat. The word you're looking for is yum. Messina Eats runs from noon until sold out on October 7 and 8 in the carpark at Messina's Rosebery HQ.
The inaugural Chinese Film Week is happening in Sydney this month, taking over Event Cinemas George Street from February 27–March 3. You'll be able to catch the latest hits in Chinese cinema without spending a dime — every screening is absolutely free. Curated by the China Cultural Centre, you'll have the chance to watch critically acclaimed Chinese films from the past few years, across action, drama and comedy genres. The festival will open with a screening of Lost, Found (2018), which is from the Oscar-nominated director Lü Yue and follows a single mother's search for her missing daughter. Other highlights include Hello Mr. Billionaire (2018), a comedy following one man's goal to spend one-billion dollars in order to win 30 billion; Animal World (2018), starring Li Yifeng and Oscar-winner Michael Douglas and following a young gambler who tries a clean slate with a thrilling game of chance (set on a disused warship); and Go Away Mr. Tumour (2015), which is based on a cult manga series that explores the dark reality of cancer treatment. Each film will only screen once during the festival week, so be sure to mark your top picks. To see the full schedule and reserve seats, head to the festival website.
How many dumplings can you eat in one sitting? Would you like to find out? On three Saturdays in August, Old Town Hong Kong at Barangaroo is putting your stomach to the test by offering up bottomless servings of dim sum. Here's how it works at their Unlimited Dumpling Feast on August 12, 19 and 26: you arrive and you eat, with three 90-minute gorging windows available from 12.30pm, 5.45pm and 7.30pm. Devour as many siu mai and har gow (aka prawn dumplings) as you can, plus pan-fried vegetable dumplings and barbecue pork buns as well. And, while this is definitely a delicious dumpling-tastic meal, there'll also be selected mains on offer too. Your food-filled sitting will set you back $43, and booking in advance is recommended. Plus, because making your all-you-can-eat dumpling dreams come true is part of Barangaroo's month-long Eats on the Streets series, 10% of all ticket proceeds will be donated to OzHarvest.
Getting into the bottomless brunch game, Munich Brauhaus is embracing all-you-can-eat mid-morning meals in the appropriate fashion: German-style. That means pretzels, schnitzel, sauerkraut and apple strudel — and as much as you can handle for two hours — at the Bavarian-themed beer hall's new Das Brunch. Also on the menu at the monthly event: meat and cheese platters, plenty of bread with a traditional cheese spread called obazda, roast pork belly with onion and sage stuffing, hash browns, sausages, bacon, plus Munich-style slaw and potato salad from the salad bar. Leave room for käsespätzle, which is a creamy mac 'n' cheese-style dish that's rightfully considered a favourite back in its homeland. Dessert-wise, gingerbread men, black forest cake and blueberry cheesecake are also on offer, with the unlimited food spread costing $65 per person. Or, because brunch and booze go hand in hand, pair it with sparkling, rosé, house beer, wine and spirits for $99. Das Brunch runs monthly, kicking off from 11am on Sunday, March 22. Each smorgasbord will also be themed, with the first one taking inspiration from autumn — complete with flower crowns and floral displays.
