Despite the shared disappointment that our after-work hours are a little less sun-filled, our clocks turning back an hour means there's more time for fun — and cultural explorations — after dark. This is something Sydney Living Museums knows all too well. The historic collective is bringing another instalment of After Dark, the late-night series that welcomes live music and art to the Hyde Park Barracks. This April, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed site will play host to a swathe of creatives. Be wowed by the concentrated skill of Mark Eliott as he blows fantastical glass creations, or watch on tentatively — or excitedly — as WT Norbert and CP Martin (of Tattoo Rosie's) ink their designs live. Joe Glover will bring music to your ears with his handcrafted banjo (and then teach you how to make one) and Tarni Eastwood will showcase the craftsmanship of our Traditional Owners with a weaving tutorial. Take in some history as you wander the Barracks collection with Living Museums' curators, or settle in for some olfactory delight courtesy of perfumer and scentsmith Ainslie Walker. FBi Radio will keep vibes high with a lineup of DJs and live acts, and your tastebuds will stay happy with Nighthawk Diner's feel-good eats and Archie Rose's gin-laced cocktails. It's a night of tradition with a contemporary twist that you won't want to miss. And if you're a member of Sydney Living Museums (or you sign up at the checkout), you can score a sneaky discount on tickets too. After Dark will hit the Hyde Park Barracks from 5–9pm on Thursday, April 28. Head to the website to book your tickets. Top images: James Horan
The northern beaches aren't famous for their burgeoning art scene. Not yet, anyway. Enter Fifty-One: it's a monthly event founded with the purpose of uniting creatives on the northern beaches and developing the art scene. Promising pizza, beer, music, local art, and plenty of people with whom you can hold an interesting discussion, there are huge things that can be expected of Fifty-One. December's Fifty One: Havana Nights donates its proceeds towards Cuban surf-charity Royal 70. Surf + philanthropy might seem like a strange combination, but it's an approach that's already been successfully mooted by Aussies abroad elsewhere in Latin America. Art support this month comes from the likes of Paul Rodger and Jimi May, while Lime Cordiale cover the music front.
Facade at Artereal Gallery will feature current and past artists in residence at Parramatta Artists Studios, an important space set up to nurture the new generation of creatives. Tackling the divide between interior and exterior are artists Liam Benson, Linda Brescia, John Spiteri, Hossein Ghaemi, Leahlani Johnson, Mason Kimber and Tom Polo. Each artist will explore how meaning is concealed, constructed and obstructed. This group exhibition will represent a versatile range of art practices, from Tom Polo’s ceramic conversation piece through to Linda Brescia’s uncanny painted body suits. On the whole, it’s an enticing curatorial vision and a solid lineup of talent.
In the middle of the year, Melbourne received one of the city's rare pieces of good news for 2020, all thanks to the opening of Cannoleria's huge dedicated cannoli factory. If you love Sicilian sweet treats but you live elsewhere around the country, the dessert joint is now sharing the love your way, too — delivering its DIY cannoli kits around Australia. Fans of crunchy pastry tubes piped full of fresh ricotta, rejoice. The nationwide expansion is a collaboration with Co-Lab Pantry, and sees the kits available in New South Wales, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. And, you have two options: a 12-cannoli kit, using mini shells, or a six-cannoli kit with full-sized shells. Whichever you choose, you'll be paying $24 — and you'll receive your chosen type of shell, a 450-gram piping bag of ricotta filling from Cannoleria's sibling venue That's Amore Cheese, and crushed pistachio and icing sugar as a garnish. Extra shells, in the large size, are also available to purchase for $9 (because no one can eat just a couple of cannoli). Also, because there's never a bad time to pick up new skills — but 2020 has certainly been the year for it — Cannoleria is also hosting a virtual cannoli class. Run by chef and co-owner Dario Di Clerico, the Zoom session will teach you how to make the traditional Sicilian dessert, from whipping up the dough and turning it into tubes to filling it with sweet ricotta, at 11am on Saturday, October 17. Tickets cost $65, which includes a Cannoleria school bag filled with cannoli-making ingredients delivered to your door. To order Cannoleria's DIY cannoli kits, visit the store's website.
Liberty Equality Fraternity, currently playing at the Ensemble Theatre, is a friendly farce about internet security and bureaucratic incompetence at ASIO. Looking to Kafka and referencing The Matrix, Geoffrey Atherden of Mother and Son fame has written a spy story meets existential crisis. Designer Michael Hankin has created a fittingly bland setting for the ASIO headquarters, with a beige office housing a pot plant, table, and chairs and a large smart screen on the wall. Sound designer Stephen Toulmin has successfully sourced the world’s most annoying waiting room music to set the scene. Left-leaning mother of two Orlagh (Caroline Brazier) has found herself in an interrogation room only to be worn down not by torture but by the bumbling ineptitude of trainee interrogator Alex (Andrew Ryan). Orlagh doesn't know why she's there and nor, it seems, does he (despite the vast amount of data he has gleaned from the internet about her). His willful stupidity drives us and Orlagh to the edge. Ryan has characterised Alex as a sort of David Brent who by some recruitment miracle has found employment as a spy. The sheer length of his dim interrogation is almost too much to bear, and while comic moments offer some respite, the first half of the play is endurance viewing. Brazier as Orlagh makes a believable eastern suburbs mother, but her journey from terrified to triumphant is slightly off kilter. We're never quite sure how high the stakes are as she shifts between panicked concern for her children and delirious but always friendly banter with Alex. Helmut Bakaitis's entrance is a welcome reprieve from Alex, and we find him playing the same type of well-healed sage he played in The Matrix Reloaded. Just as he explained the Matrix to Neo, he calmly explains the much less glamorous situation to Orlagh. This moment of parody is dramatically satisfying and Bakaitis's performance is beautifully polished. Structurally the play is slightly wonky; Atherden's writing takes itself too seriously to amount to a wicked comedy, and the fluid reality set up by Shannon Murphy's direction is not fully realised. It's an interesting topic but the bones of the play are not solid enough for it to be fulfilling. Photo by Heidrun Lohr.
Originally commissioned and devised as part of STC’s Rough Draft program in 2012, The Vehicle Failed to Stop premiered last week at Carriageworks as part of the 2013 Artistic Program there. A multimedia firestorm of live video, live music, ululation and machismo, this combination of verbatim and physical theatre (and one hell of an exploding car designed by Dillon MacEwan) is exhilarating and smart. The work uses original texts from hearings and firsthand accounts of the 2007 controversy surrounding the deaths of two Iraqi women, Marou Awanis and Geneva Jalal, who were killed by employees of Unity Resources Group, an Australian-owned private security company that still operates in Iraq. Version 1.0 have luxuriated in the vastness of the Carriageworks cavern, even opening up a backstage area, which elevates the space to an industrial scale, fitting for a story about unaccountable mercenaries. Video artist Sean Bacon has set three screens in the space: one behind the car, which shows scenes from a moving vehicle through Fallujah streets; a small thin screen on high displaying the source of the various texts and a whopper of a screen on the opposite side. As the piece begins, we peer down the length of the stage at performer Irving Gregory standing frozen in military fatigues. A toy soldier in a painting, he ever so gradually transforms into a living breathing body. With physical and vocal exactness, Gregory executes a perfect crescendo. It’s not clear when he got louder or closer but suddenly he’s down stage centre and it is mesmerising. In the sequences that follow, Gregory is joined by performers Olivia Stambouliah and Jane Phegan, who play pumped-up soldiers as well as Marou Awanis and Geneva Jalal. Stambouliah and Phegan are finely attuned to each other and their macho, air-punching sequences on top of the car to composer Paul Prestipino's aggressive music are concentrated and tight. The three performers’ physical control and sense of ensemble keeps the work at a riveting level of storytelling, which is no mean feat given the breadth of the subject matter and size of the space. Version 1.0’s combination of so many elements is impressive and there’s an attractive open-endedness that attends this kind of collaborative work. Rather than presenting one, grand master’s vision, The Vehicle Failed to Stop pays witness to some important history, and you should too. Image by Zan Wembley.
As a piece of stand-up comedy, Stories I want to Tell You in Person is faultless; rich, hilarious and warm. But considering Lally Katz is one of Australia's best playwrights, it is slightly odd that she's doing stand-up in one of Australia's best theatres, about the fact that Belvoir never staged the play they commissioned her to write, ostensibly because Simon Stone was too busy to direct it. No matter how charismatic her performance, at the end of the day I was frustrated that we weren't watching the play she wrote instead. Katz arrives on stage in front of a glittery gold curtain designed by Ralph Myers, and she is thrilled to be there. She bursts through with aggressive enthusiasm and promptly finds her place on stage on top of a mark saying 'Stand Here'. She tells us a bit about herself — she grew up in the US and then moved to Canberra, hence her interesting accent. What follows is a farrago of stories about psychics, love, her subconscious and a commission from Belvoir to write a play about the Global Financial Crisis. She strikes a handsome balance between the sincerity of her beliefs in magic and acknowledging how ridiculous they are. Her accents are accurate and she wisely opts out of doing a Pakistani accent as she admits she is incapable of it. Her karaoke rendition of 'Don't Cry for me Argentina' will make you cry if you have the remotest sense of pitch. She admits she is tone deaf and belts it out anyway. The joy of the piece is Katz's famous Apocalypse Bear, who appears in many of her plays and is a kind of theatre mascot. As a piece of entertainment, it is idiosyncratic, good, clean fun. As a piece of programming, it appears narcissistic and short-sighted. The work does not show Belvoir in the best light, making the company look unsupportive of new work. Gifted as she is at stand-up comedy, her skills and talent as a playwright have been wasted. I look forward to seeing her GFC play on the main stage soon.
Patrick White's 1947 play, The Ham Funeral has dated, and that's a good thing. Seeing the piece in all its mothbally shabbiness is a history lesson in Australian theatre. White was one of the first Australian playwrights to start experimenting with form, and the metanarrative of the Young Man protagonist may seem twee now but was innovative for its time. The play is also full of glorious, carnal language. White's ability to combine narrative drive alongside arresting poetry is satisfying. Our protagonist, the Young Man (Rob Baird), is a floundering poet boarding in the greying, linoleum-floored and dank boarding house of Mr and Mrs Lusty. Mr Lusty (Zach McKay) is a truculent sort who, seeming half dead to begin with, delivers some fabulous vitriol to his bawdy wife before promptly expiring fairly early on in the piece. McKay's performance here is suitably sour and we believe Mrs Lusty (Lucy Miller) when she tells him his "mouth is foul with silence". Mrs Lusty declares they must have a ham funeral, and so begins the vulgar, dark comedy. Miller playing the "smudgy, sludgy" Mrs Lusty is tawdry yet poised, but the hideousness that the Young Man and Mr Lusty ascribe to her never comes to the fore. The performances are generally strong and director Phillip Rouse has given the text a clear shape, though I might pretend that the dancing before interval never took place. I'm at a loss to find who designed the stage in the program notes, but whoever it was, props to them (update: it's director Phillip Rouse himself, what a skillset). Because the New Theatre stage is such a barn, too often productions truncate it into a shallow downstage strip presumably to make it more manageable. This designer has used three levels and maximised the depth of the space so that the stage looks positively three-dimensional for once. Sian James-Holland's lighting design is presumably aiming for some sort of edge-of-reality-type shadiness but is just plain dim for much of the show. Rouse's straightforward interpretation of the play gives us a view of the past and a sense of Australia's theatre legacy. The play is seldom performed, and though it didn't make it onto a Melbourne stage until 2005, it's part of the canon of Australian plays (if we can really talk of such a thing) because it's a great piece of literature.
The YouTube film Innocence of Muslims is one the modern marvels of the internet. So shoddy is its sound that one moment characters appear to be speaking underwater, the next they emulate chipmunks. The green screen studio work is amazingly bad, and the acting is some of the funniest you’ll see this year. It's also evidently one of the most religiously offensive things on the net at the moment, if we go by the worldwide protests it provoked in September this year. Writer CJ Johnson has taken Innocence of Muslims and its impact on the recent US election as his topic for Hollywood Ending (Or, How a Washed Up Director Made a Crappy Movie that Almost Destroyed the World), showing as part of Griffin's independent season. Production company Arts Radar have employed their Rapid Write format so that topical plays are still topical by the time they reach the stage. By working speedily with director Tim Roseman and dramaturg Lee Lewis, as well as workshopping at length with the cast, Johnson has ended up with an audience-ready script that can still claim relevance. Johnson’s central focus is on his protagonist, Don (Terry Serio), modelled on the film's director, a former porn director named Alan Roberts. As such, the play's topic is more midlife crisis than Middle East crisis. There are a few nods to world events, but they are not really the core of the play. Don has two scenes in which he gropes for an understanding of the politics of the situation. First, his left-leaning lesbian daughter, Laura (Caroline Craig), advises him that the screenplay is hate speech. Secondly, when he confronts the film's Republican producer, Amy (Briallen Clarke), she makes an impassioned defence of free speech and tells him to man up. There is also a cute political props placement in one of the final scenes. A small book about Paul Ryan's libertarian high priestess, Ayn Rand, is placed next to a chair leg, for the front row or optically gifted to see. It remains at the chair leg for the scene and is then removed. There's a general rule in theatre that unless a prop is going to be used, don’t put it on stage, but in this case it is a charming little treat for those who can see it. The show is very funny, and the performances are excellent, but the potential for political commentary is not realised because the discussions are too simple. For instance, Laura likens the film to Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses, which is both a huge insult to Rushdie and high praise for Innocence of Muslims. Johnson's writing and Serio's characterisation of Don portray a loveable halfwit who should never have strayed from the set of a porn film. As Rushdie said on the Daily Show in September, "even jerks have the right to free speech, but they're still jerks." Photo by Patrick Boland.
Inspired by real events, Sarah Doyle’s Anaconda poses the hypothetical question of how those implicated in a high school sex abuse case would live with their guilt as adults. The answer is, pretty poorly. One commits a homicide, others and their wives practice expert denial and one onlooker, Matty Buttiker (Damian de Montemas), tries to redress his past cowardice by offering unhelpful pro bono legal counsel. Tom Bannerman and Lauren Brincat have designed a set of three large triangles in a row, which are neither pretty nor meaningful. They belong at Arq bar at Taylor Square, where some of the play is set, or in a '90s high school production of a Greek tragedy. Max Sharam’s sound design is filmic and mostly good but he misleadingly introduces the play in the opening sequence as some kind of thriller. While Anaconda's main focus is atonement, Doyle’s writing and direction strays into some irksomely conservative territory, where homosexuality is on trial rather than the initial case of abuse. Matty’s wife, Bivva (Leeanna Walsman), is more horrified at the prospect of discovering gay porn magazines under her husband’s bed than that of living with injustice. Walsman plays Bivva extremely well, and in her plea to Matty to drop the case, she delivers a compelling emotional collapse. But because this scene is so good, the play becomes a conventional domestic drama, in which the greatest injustice is Bivva’s loss of social standing. It's an ugly portrayal of upper-class Paddington 'professionals' that may not be too far off the mark. Apart from this politically pongy scene, the rest of the play hangs together well and performances from Walsman, de Montemas and Simon Lyndon playing Phil Walker are on point. Martin Broome playing the flamboyant barman Tove is either pulling off an accurate portrayal of a very awkward man or he is a very awkward actor. At any rate his scenes are uncomfortable and his timidity contrasts well with the brashness of Bivva and Matty. De Montemas’ performance is bold and clear, but he slips (presumably unintentionally) into a gruff Hollywood-blockbuster-trailer voice at times, particularly when talking legal options with Walker. It’s amusing but misplaced. Simon Lyndon playing Walker has a head of hair that would make Donald Trump weep; a devil-may-care presence and a voice like honey. They don’t make 'em like him anymore and you should see the play for his performance alone. Image by Damon Wilder.
Mariage Blanc is not for the faint hearted. It tells the story of the fraught sexual awakening of Bianca (Paige Gardiner); a young woman kept in the dark about the birds and the bees towards the end of the 19th Century. The more she learns about sex the less she likes it, so she demands a non-physical arrangement with her husband, Benjamin (Gig Clarke). To be fair, the meter-long penises and enormous aureola on stage are enough to put anyone off copulating for at least one evening, if not longer. Be warned this is not a date night play, unless you are wooing a virile nudist with a taste for the grotesque. Polish playwright Tadeusz Rózewicz wrote the play in 1975 and its setting in the sexually timid 19th century makes it a sort of ode to the sexual revolution of the 70s. Putting it on in today’s sexually permissible culture means that the dichotomy of repression versus liberation is not as relevant as the other more interesting themes of asexuality and feminism. Bianca is certainly no triumph of independence, but her attempts at holding power over her body and gender are admirable and Gardiner manages to pull off the frigid, awkward character with suitable detachment. Sarah Giles’s direction is detailed and structured, but there comes a point where the vulgarity turns into noise and loses effect. A few moments break this up, such as an effective freeze of all characters in their nude suits leaving Bianca in the spotlight to explain her plight to the audience as well as some beautiful silences. These moments of stillness give the production some of the gravity it needs, but not quite enough. Macabre only works if the play is as serious as it is funny, but the balance here is tilted towards hammy revue.
For the last four years or so, the Blue Mountains' Russell Fitzgibbon and Doug Wright aka Fishing have been shaking up the Sydney electronic music scene with Hookz mixtapes, applaudable live shows and a killer debut album Shy Glow, featuring members of Cloud Control (lead singer Alister Wright is Doug's brother), Collarbones and Guerre. In June, the Sydney duo held an audiovisual overload of an album launch party at The Basement as part of VIVID; now they're trekking through the country's major cities to showcase their much-anticipated debut LP. Fishing's style has been self-described as 'RAVE' and their most recent music video (featuring several shirtless males, strobe lights and lots of lasers) is testament to this. They've supported the likes of local faves like Elizabeth Rose, Safia and the now-disbanded Snakadaktal, and are set to play OutsideIn later in the year. If their massive raver set at Splendour in the Grass this year is anything to go by, you're in for a humdinger of a party. https://youtube.com/watch?v=HwgWQBLdUwk
UPDATE: Wednesday, September 8 — This event has moved from Saturday, September 11 to Saturday, September 18. The article has been updated to reflect this. Have you been feeling a little languid lately? Have the long days in lockdown taken a toll on your wellbeing? If you're looking for something to help pull you out of hibernation and bounce you right into spring, this one's for you. On Saturday, September 18, you can join Naomi Ingelton from Beechworth's Farmacy Co Clinic for Home Herbalist, a 90-minute, interactive natural remedy workshop. Ingelton has a background in organic horticulture and is a qualified Ayurvedic lifestyle practitioner and herbalist. In this workshop, she'll show you how to make an elderberry tonic that helps to support the immune system, a 'focus tea' to promote sleep, digestion and reduce stress, and a 'cooling tea', too. To make sure you've got everything you need to create these concoctions, Farmacy Co Clinic will send you a remedy kit with all the essentials. Inside the pack you'll find 20 herb sachets, an apothecary bottle, two apothecary jars, herb function information, apple cider vinegar and more. All you need to add are some household items including saucepans, a teapot, colander, mixing bowl, four jars, honey and some water. Sound like the the lift you need to get you through lockdown? Home Herbalist with Farmacy Co will kick off at 4.30pm on Saturday, September 18. For more information and to book, visit the website.
In news that won't come as a surprise to anyone in Sydney, it's currently wet. And, as the Bureau of Meteorology has been warning this week, this current patch of rainy weather isn't going anywhere over the weekend. This isn't just a few drops from the sky, though, with huge and heavy downpours forecast. Accordingly, Premier Gladys Berejiklian is asking Sydneysiders to reconsider their plans for the next few days, especially if hitting the road was on your agenda. Speaking at a press conference today, Friday, March 19, to announce the rollout of New South Wales' $25 Dine & Discover vouchers statewide — something that is 100-percent designed to get everyone out of the house — the Premier advised that folks should be staying indoors this weekend. "Please know that this weekend is going to be quite severe in terms of weather conditions. Please follow the warnings, please stay home where you can — so use your vouchers next week when the weather is better," she said. "Normally we're telling people to travel around New South Wales, but this weekend is an exception," the Premier continued, nothing that "there have been literally hundreds of callouts overnight". "If you did have plans to travel on the roads, please reconsider. We just want everybody to stay around and close to their home and to be safe," she said. The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast up to 50 millimetres of rain in Sydney today, getting particularly heavy this evening, while between 60–120 millimetres is expected tomorrow, Saturday, March 20. Yes, that's a lot of rain, thanks to wet conditions further north now moving south. On Sunday, up to 20 millimetres of rain is predicted, with Monday possibly experiencing up to 25 millimetres and Tuesday receiving up to 35 millimetres. Come Wednesday and Thursday, the wet weather should reduce to just a shower or two, with up to ten millimetres and eight millimetres expected. As well the strong likelihood of all of that water streaming from above, there's also a chance of thunderstorms both today and on Saturday. And, it's expected to be windy too. Strong southeasterly winds are predicted to hit 20–30 kilometres per hour today, then get up 25–40 kilometres per hour in the same direction tomorrow, before turning easterly and hitting up to 30–45 kilometres per hour. Those winds are forecast to hover between 20–35 kilometres per hour on Sunday as well, and between 15–25 kilometres per hour on Monday — when they'll turn northeasterly. They'll then hang about and retain the same range of speeds through until at least Thursday. https://twitter.com/BOM_NSW/status/1372697241870344196 BOM has issued a heap of warnings, unsurprisingly, including a strong wind warning for the Coffs coast, Hunter coast and Sydney coast for today, and a gale warning for the Macquarie coast, Hunter coast and Sydney coast for tomorrow. It has also put the mid-north coast, Hunter and parts of Sydney on flood watch, including the city's north and south. At a press conference on Thursday, March 18, BOM also advised that there is a road weather alert for Sydney, spanning all suburbs — so if you do have to drive, you're advised to take extreme care. And, another press conference today, Friday, March 19, it also warned Sydneysiders to "be mindful about reconsidering their plans and potential changes to driving conditions". And, it advised that "the rainfall we have seen over the past few days, really what we'll see tomorrow will be substantially heavier and potentially more dangerous". The conditions are being caused by a high-pressure system in the Tasman Sea, which is creating a coastal trough and bringing heavy rain to Sydney, as well as to the Hunter Valley and northern NSW from Friday and into Saturday. So, that's why heavy rainfall, strong and gusty winds, large waves and a chance of thunderstorms are all forecast for the NSW coast across the weekend. If you do need to head out, don't forget to pack your umbrellas and raincoats — and keep an eye on the warnings. As usual with potential flooding, the state's State Emergency Service recommends you don't walk, drive or ride your bike through flood water. As the weather conditions continue to develop, stay up to date with the latest forecast and weather warnings via the Bureau of Meteorology.
Perhaps your 2023 is off to a gorgeous start. Maybe you've broken your resolutions already. Whichever fits, a ray of sunshine is coming your way if you like Gelato Messina's decadent specials, the chain's frosty treats in general and all things red velvet. Behold Messina's new red velvet hot tub, aka its latest OTT creation — which is arriving just in time to add something sweet to your Valentine's Day. Messina's hot tubs are the brand's extra-special, always limited-edition treats. No, the word 'hot' doesn't reflect the required temperature. Indeed, in this case, the tub comes with layers of cream cheese gelato with red velvet cake and red velvet fudge, all to be eaten cold. On top: toasted red velvet cake crumbs, plus piped cream cheese chantilly. While the dessert is timed for the supposedly most romantic day of the year, who you share it and your Messina love with is up to you. Grab a spoon with your significant other, go all in for Galentine's Day instead, or treat yo'self to multiple days of pink- and red-hued gelato, cake and fudge — the choice is obviously yours. Tubs cost $40 each, and you'll need to place your order online on Monday, January 30. Because Messina's specials always prove popular, the brand now staggers its on-sale times — so folks in Queensland and the ACT are able to purchase at 9am, Victorians at 9.15am, and New South Wales customers are split across three times depending on the store (with tubs from Bondi, Miranda, Randwick, Circular Quay and Surry Hills on sale at 9.30am; Darlinghurst, Brighton Le Sands, Parramatta, Tramsheds and Manly at 9.45am; and Darling Square, Newtown, Norwest, Rosebery and Penrith at 10am). Wherever you live, you can then pick up the red velvet hot tubs between Saturday, February 11–Tuesday, February 14. Fans of Messina will know that the gelato fiends are quite fond of making these kinds of indulgent — and supremely tasty — specials, after previously serving up everything from its the chain's take on the Viennetta, Iced Vovo gelato and lamington sticky scrolls to a scoopable Ferrero Rocher flavour, Basque cheesecake gelato and fairy bread cookie pies. Gelato Messina's red velvet hot tub will be available to order from on Monday, January 30, from 9am local time in Queensland and the ACT, 9.15am in Victoria and between 9.30–10am in New South Wales.
Sydneysiders, it's time to make plans. IMB Bank Sunset Cinema is back for more than two months, and you've got plenty of movies to see. Fancy a romantic evening under the stars with your special someone? A relaxed hangout with the gang? A night of family fun with the littlies? That's the joy of heading to an outdoor cinema — there's truly something for all. Screening at North Sydney Oval from Thursday, January 17 to Saturday, March 30, this year's Sunset Cinema delivers all of the essentials. Those beanbags aren't going to get cosy by themselves — and those bubbles and brews aren't going to drink themselves either. All that's left is for you to pick the right flick and make a stress-free night of it. From all-ages delights to date night picks to films made for watching with friends, here are your next four nights at the movies sorted. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywkF1lj5wyI MATES NIGHT: A STAR IS BORN Just when you thought that Lady Gaga had done everything that she possibly could, she sheds her over-the-top persona and becomes a star — again. Playing a waitress who's thrust into stardom after a chance encounter with Bradley Cooper's booze-soaked rocker, her performance in A Star Is Born remains a revelation. It's not her first stint in front of the camera by any means, but it is her most powerful and affecting. Those two words also describe this tale of love, fame and the cost of both, which marks the fourth time a flick of this name has told this story. As for Cooper, he turns in his best work in years in front of the camera, while also stepping behind it to make his directorial debut. Be prepared to belt out Shallow with your mates for the rest of summer. Showing: Saturday, January 19, Wednesday, February 6 and Thursday, February 14 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14ZHRBfpeNg FRIEND DATE: CRAZY RICH ASIANS A word of warning, movie-goers: watching Crazy Rich Asians will make you want to do two things. Firstly, you'll start craving plates upon plates of delicious Asian food. Secondly, you'll have a hankering for a Singapore getaway — so maybe invite your favourite travel buddy to come along for the show. Bringing Kevin Kwan's book of the same name to the screen, this feel-good charmer follows Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) and her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding) when they jet to the bustling island country for a wedding that doubles as a meet-the-parents visit. It's a rom-com, a drama about being yourself, a Singaporean travelogue and a hangout flick — the latter coming courtesy of the movie's hilarious scenes between Rachel and her college bestie (a film-stealing Awkwafina). Showing: Wednesday, January 30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMe7hUb3TpI FAMILY NIGHT: MARY POPPINS RETURNS More than five decades ago, a spoonful of sugar helped the medicine go down — and supercalifragilisticexpialidocious was a word to sing about. Now, it's time to trip a little light fantastic and remember that a cover is not the book. Yes, Mary Poppins is back, as played by a pitch-perfect Emily Blunt, and cinema is all the better for it. If you grew up watching the 1964 classic, this is a nostalgic blast from the past that still manages to enchant on its own merits. If you're introducing a whole new generation to the magical nanny who floats in on an umbrella, croons about stuff and nonsense, and teaches engaging life lessons, prepare to watch their faces light up with joy. Showing: Friday, February 15 and Saturday, February 23 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCWHr6AUxwI DATE NIGHT: INSTANT FAMILY Rose Byrne, Mark Wahlberg and a trio of kids. That's Instant Family. When thirty-something couple Ellie and Pete Wagner start taking comments about their childless lives to heart, they also start thinking about helping kids in need; however becoming a foster parent isn't as easy as it sounds. Drawn from the real life of Daddy's Home director Sean Anders, a foster parent himself, this broad comedy charts the ups and downs of suddenly caring for three tykes — and benefits from being made by someone who's been there and done that. It also lets Aussie star Byrne show off her comedic talents once again, so if you loved her work in Bridesmaids and Bad Neighbours and its sequel, you'll love her here as well. Showing: Saturday, February 16 Sunset Cinema will take over North Sydney Oval from Thursday, January 17 to Saturday, March 30. Check out the full film program and book tickets here.
Murder-mystery Only the Animals begins with a killer opening image: of a live goat being worn like a backpack. The animal is slung over the shoulders of a cyclist as he rides through the streets of the Côte d'Ivoire city of Abidjan, and the unique picture that results instantly grabs attention — for viewers, even if it doesn't appear to interest anyone in the vicinity on-screen. This French-language thriller doesn't explain its attention-grabbing sight straight up, though. Instead, it jumps over to the Causse Mejean limestone plateau in southern France, where snow blankets the UNESCO World Heritage-listed site and — unrelated to the weather — a number of locals are icily unhappy. Indeed, farmer Michel (Denis Ménochet, Custody), his insurance agent wife Alice (Laure Calamy, Call My Agent!) and Joseph (Damien Bonnard, Dunkirk), one of her clients, are all far from content before word spreads of a shock death in the area; however, the news has implications for all three. Doing house calls is part of Alice's job in her small, close-knit community, and it sees her embarking upon an affair with the awkward Joseph, who has shut himself off from everything beyond his property after mother passed away a year prior. The surly Michel barely seems bothered about his marriage or its possible downfall, spending all his time in the office attached to his cattle-feeding shed ostensibly working on the farm's accounts. Adapting the novel Seules Les Bêtes by Colin Niel, writer/director Dominik Moll (News from Planet Mars) and his frequent co-screenwriter Gilles Marchand switch between Only the Animals' characters and relay the details from their perspectives. First, Alice's take on the situation graces the screen. Next, it's Joseph's turn. Waitress Marion (Nadia Tereszkiewicz, The Dancer) earns the third chapter, which charts her hot-and-heavy rendezvous with Evelyne (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Let the Sunshine In), the woman who'll turn up dead — while the final and longest segment belongs to Armand (debutant Guy Roger 'Bibisse' N'Drin), without the goat, as he tries to catfish his way to riches, success and the girl of his dreams. A whodunnit, Only the Animals tasks its audience members with sleuthing their way through its fractured tale, all to discover who is responsible for Evelyne's demise and why. Thanks to its multiple parts, it also gets viewers guessing about events that initially appear unrelated, and how they'll end up linking into the broader story. But the film is filled with other questions, too, ruminating on the primal nature of love and pondering the ways in which pursuing it — or chasing a mere moment, however fleeting, with someone else — can lead down immensely complicated paths. It's here that Only the Animals' narrative structure proves more than just a way to make its plot seem more complex. That can happen with nonlinear yarns; try as many of them might, they can't all be Rashomon, the Akira Kurosawa-directed 1950 Japanese masterpiece that has become a shorthand term for movies with narratives unfurled from different but overlapping viewpoints. As effectively as Moll maintains the tension throughout the film — and keeps his viewers wondering, even as its strands start to converge — Only the Animals isn't Rashomon, either. No other movie is. Still, as the feature's four segments chronicle its characters' varying quests to connect, each one builds upon its predecessors in both a storytelling and an emotional sense. Piece by piece and layer by layer, Only the Animals' chapters combine to paint an intricate and involving portrait of potential, waning, stolen and fake romances, and of the ways in which the decisions of any one person can end up impacting others. Realising that almost everyone always acts in their own self-interest, regardless of whether they're pursuing a grand romance or just a brief fling with someone else, couldn't be more crucial. So is knowing the bliss that can spring when it feels like someone truly sees you, and how that sensation can inspire bold choices and terrible decisions alike (including seeking out the help of a gangster shaman, the film's weakest inclusion). Back in 2000, Moll made a splash with darkly comic thriller Harry, He's Here to Help — and while there are few laughs to be had in Only the Animals, a twisty tone still shines through. The film's plot developments and vignette-esque portions aren't the only elements that leap in sudden directions; love can be strained, strange, glorious and desperate here, for instance, and the movie's impressive actors all engagingly convey a wide range of feelings and reactions, including when only actions rather than words suit. That said, it just might be Moll's use of Benedikt Schiefer's (Exile) enticingly twinkling soundtrack against cinematographer Patrick Ghiringhelli's (Eden) naturally lit, cool-hued imagery that sums up the film best. Only the Animals doesn't just unravel a mystery, or several, but also recognises that sometimes enigmas and uncertainties arise simply because different things clash together and no one is quite prepared for the aftermath. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5Fr1M2fjY0&t=26s
If your idea of a perfect summer involves drinking spritzes, spritzes and more spritzes, then you've probably spent many a sunny day sipping every variety imaginable. And, you might just think you've tried them all — but Fratelli Fresh wants to put that idea to the test. In the lead up to Christmas, starting on Wednesday, December 2, the chain is celebrating 25 Flavours of Spritzmas. Unsurprisingly, that involves pouring 25 different flavours of spritzes both by the glass ($14) and the jug ($29). They'll all be available at Fratelli Fresh's Crows Nest, Darling Harbour, Entertainment Quarter, Manly, Miranda and Westfield Sydney stores, so you'll have multiple options in several different ways. Choose between mandarin and thyme, green apple, peach and rosemary, and lychee. Obviously, they're just some of the varieties available. You can also gather the gang, settle in for a couple of hours and enjoy the three-course Fratelli Fresh Fiesta for $79. It pairs a two-hour drinks package featuring Aperol spritz, espresso martini, house wine and craft beers with an antipasti board, a pizza, a choice of two pastas, salad, and two scoops of house-made gelato. Images: Michael Gribbin.
It’s not just when buying real estate that you have to consider location, location, location. ‘Cause what’s better than seeing a great show in a stuffy theatre is seeing a great show on a former convict prison with complete with an island bar and nada over your head but the night sky, which is why Cockatoo Island Film Festival and The Keystone Group have seen it fit to transform one of our coolest World Heritage sites into an outdoor music venue boating two stages of eclectic musical acts. Over the last weekend in October two areas of the island will be transformed into two alfresco music venues labeled Island Life and The Precinct. The former will he headlined by purveyors of socially savvy music Arrested Development, downtempo island-appropriate locals Bluejuice and Jinja Safari and luxuriously bearded singer-songwriter Matt Corby. And if you’re not ready to go home at 10pm pop-up nightclub The Precinct will keep on kicking on with the aid of some of the country’s best DJs, including Halfway Crooks, Future Classic and DJ Huwston, with Gossling and Saskwatch easing you in to the Friday and Saturday night revelry with their own groovy beats. Organisers have also taken note of the fact that Cockatoo Island is indeed inaccessible by land and arranged some handy after-midnight ferrys to get you back to dry land safely. Cockatoo Island Film Festival 2012 musical lineup: Thursday 25 October Island Life: Arrested Development with Alison Wonderland The Precinct: Halfway Crooks Friday 26 October Island Life: Bluejuice and Jinja Safari The Precinct: Gossling with Future Classic DJs Saturday 27 October Island Life: Matt Corby The Precinct: Saskwatch with DJ Huwston Tickets on sale now through Moshtix.
In the wake of the unprecedented success enjoyed by blockbuster performance art installation 13 Rooms, earlier this year, Kaldor Public Art Projects in collaboration with Sydney Festival presents its 28th project, featuring internationally acclaimed artist, Roman Ondak. The project installed in Paramatta's historic Town Hall, will comprise of three installation and performance works. Measuring the Universe, first exhibited at MoMA in 2007, was subject to immense public and critical acclaim. Astounding in its simplicity, the viewer enters the space and is invited to have their name, height and date of attendance recorded on the wall. Over time, a mass of sharp black lines evolves, resembling a swarm of bees, thousands of people having literally made their mark on the installation. Swap is a performance work featuring an interactive chain of barter and exchange that was a hit at 13 Rooms. Presented with a performer, an object and a table, the viewer is given the opportunity to swap the object with anything else they would be willing to exchange. Whether you part with a sentimental object or gain someone else's, Ondak is pondering patterns of ritual and modes of interaction. The third work to be unveiled is Terrace, a new work featuring a reproduction of the artist's home in Bratislava, Slovakia. The merging of art and everyday life is at the heart of Ondak's practice, which frequently invites a high level of audience participation. His installations are humorous and thought-provoking musings that question how we interact with the world.
If you've yet to explore Mudgee's 40 or so wineries, September is the time to do it. On the 12th, the 10,000-strong country town launches into its 37th food and wine festival. For four delicious, autumnal weeks, there'll be wine schools, bubbly breakfasts, cocktail parties, tours, street festivals, farmers' markets and decadent chocolate morning teas. Every Saturday will see a major event, definitely worth escaping Sydney for. Head up on September 12 for Go Tasting at The Stables, where you'll be able to sample the more than 130 entries into the 2015 Mudgee Wine Show. Then on September 19, Mudgee Racecourse will host Go Grazing, an epic food and wine experience, during which local wineries in collaboration with local producers present you with two courses matched with wines — and you vote on who's doing the best job. And on September 26, the town will turn itself over to Flavours of Mudgee, a free street festival, offering wine tasting and local produce, accompanied by local music and local artists in motion.
It has been 85 years since a patch of Milsons Point was turned into a Sydney amusement park, and much has changed in the city over that time. Plenty has changed at the heritage-listed Luna Park itself, too, including multiple closures and reopenings between the late 70s and early 00s. Now, the site is undergoing a big revamp — which'll add nine new permanent rides as part of a $30 million facelift. As announced on Tuesday, November 24 by New South Wales Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres, Luna Park will update and refresh its facilities, and introduce new reasons for Sydneysiders and tourists to stop by. It'll mark the biggest makeover the park has had since it permanently reopened back in 2004, although the site will need to temporarily close from late-January 2021 to get everything done. Wondering what you'll be able to hop on? Six of the new rides will be specifically for children, so unless you have littlies in tow, they mightn't excite you all that much. Also, just what they'll entail hasn't been revealed. But the other three fresh additions include a family coaster for all ages, some type of thrill ride and a new version of The Big Dipper. Luna Park has been home to rollercoasters called The Big Dipper before, but this latest ride will be smaller than its predecessors — and also faster, with a top speed in excess of 70 kilometres per hour. It'll also be an inline seating launch roller coaster, which means that it'll be just one seat wide. [caption id="attachment_792212" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] A render of how the revamped Luna Park will look[/caption] Exactly when you'll be able to take a whirl on the new rides hasn't yet been announced, but it's expected that you'll be able to walk though Luna Park's big face gates again after its January shutdown by the middle of 2021. Luna Park will close down for its latest upgrades from Wednesday, January 27, 2021, reopening sometime mid-year. For more details about the revamp, visit the park's website.
The 90s were great. That shouldn't be a controversial opinion. Whether you lived through them or have spent the last couple of decades wishing you did — aka binging on 90s pop culture — this shindig at the Oxford Art Factory will indulge your retro urges. Drinks, tunes, fashion — expect all of the above at the No Scrubs: 90s and Early 00s party from 10pm on Friday, May 3. Of course, it's up to you to make sure the clothing side of thing is covered, and to get into the spirit of the season. If you want to use Mariah Carey as a style icon, it'd be fitting. Expect to unleash your inner Spice Girl and Backstreet Boy too. TLC, Destiny's Child, Savage Garden, Usher, Blink-182, No Doubt — we'd keep listing artists, but you all know what you're getting yourselves into. Entry costs $20, with the fun running through until 3am.
Bell Shakespeare is rounding out the year with a play about the varied benefits of displaying personal responsibility, i.e. one which will undoubtedly cause both boomers and millennials to assure the other group that it was written with them in mind (before they both Google it and discover it predates them by 400 odd years). Bassanio is desperate to have a crack at wooing Portia, but to do so he needs 3000 ducats. He's broke, but his friend Antonio, a merchant, has always come up with the goods before. He does so again, but this time the money comes from Shylock, a moneylender happy to take anatomical reparations. Somehow we end up in a courtroom arguing semantics with Portia who is dressed up as a man. With Mitch Butel as Shylock and Jess Tovey as Portia, The Merchant of Venice is the rollicking birth of the courtroom drama and definitely worth a squiz.
Bust out that vintage dress and Nan's old sunglasses — the Central Coast is bringing its retro festival back to town at the end of October. A tribute to classic America — rock 'n' roll, hot rods and all — ChromeFest will unite a whole lot of rockabilly goodness into one big weekend of throwbacks. Start the day by browsing over 70 market stalls laden with vintage goods and numerous food stalls. If you feel like you really did belong in the 50s, you can sign up for a workshop to help you achieve that 'vintage glam' look — or if you've already got the styling and posing down-pat, you can take part in the fashion parade. For the more sit-back-and-observe type, there'll be the Pin-Up Doll Australia competition on the go, vintage cars cruising around and a Parkes Elvis Festival Tribute Artist (we told you it'd be a real throwback). The live music lineup also includes Mescalero, Midnight Drifters, Itchy Fingers, The Lincolns and Narelle Evans and the Jetbacks. Meanwhile, The Sydney Swing Katz dance troupe will perform everything from the charleston to the lindy hop to swing. A fair warning here: audience participation is expected. While the bulk of the action is going down around The Entrance, the entire region is getting involved with pubs and bowling clubs throughout the Coast hosting retro bands across the weekend. If you're planning to make a weekend of it and stay on the Coast, free shuttle buses to ChromeFest will be running hourly from Tuggerah, Toukley and Bateau Bay. For more info and to check out the full lineup of acts, head to the ChromeFest website.
Benedict Hardie says the only way he could write a play about the dire state of affairs in Australia’s immigration debate was to write a comedy. He’s dubbed The Boat People a black comedy, and it does have the structural elements of a farce. But at its core The Boat People is a poetic elegy for those whose lives have been destroyed by inhumane policies. Christian refugees from Iraq, Sarah and Karl Abboud (Susie Youssef and William Erimya) arrived in Australia as teenagers and met at Villawood Detention Centre. As adults they build a small fortune from a restaurant chain, Safina, whose point of difference in the dining landscape is the commodification of their identity as refugees, with offerings such as the 'Manus Meal' or the 'Chop Morrison' — it’s "true blue reffo tucker". The Boat People opens with Verity Hampson’s lighting gradually revealing a shimmering mound of silver rock (or perhaps the underside of a small boat), the light falling in dappled patches as if through water — a dream state reference to the pasts of the now wealthy and secure Abbouds. Michael Hankin’s set is an enclosure of vertical windows, which serves both as the impressive floor to ceiling glass of the successful couple’s waterfront home and as a reminder of the pair’s previous lives in detention. Hardie’s comedy hinges on the Abbouds using their minority status to make money from white middle class guilt, while compounding stereotypes in the process. Those boarding Sarah's harbour tours in repurposed people smuggling boats can enjoy the postcard-worthy view knowing Australia has given refugees a 'fair go' if the Abbouds have succeeded. Bleeding-heart journalist, Melanie (Emily Rose Brennan), embodies the middle class guilt in the play — starting out by seeking the truth, then ultimately committing to selling a refugee success story at any cost (ostensibly for the good of all asylum seekers). Youssef and Brennan drive the show with masterful focus, allowing Erimya and Luke Joseph Ryan (as the halfwit personal trainer-turned-bodyguard, Shane) to dance around the edges of the action. Ryan successfully channels Will Arnett with his slapstick bravura. Erimya’s off kilter comedic timing can take a bit of getting used to, but his awkwardness begins to make more sense as it's revealed that Karl is a trauma victim and not just a bumbling fool. Youssef’s closing monologue about a childhood in detention is chilling and Hardie’s writing here is plain and to the point — the farce is stripped back and we’re left with the facts at hand. Hardie isn’t using comedy in The Boat People as a device to trick the audience into thinking about darker truths; he’s deploying humour as a completely appropriate response to a political reality we all wish was a bad joke.
Sydney, it's officially picnic season. It's spring, yes, but also lockdown rules have eased to allow outdoor gatherings of up to five fully vaccinated adults in all parts of the city — as long as you stick within your Local Government Area, or within five kilometres from home. Until the end of October, it's also boozy picnic season, as long as you live near a few particular parks. Sipping on the grass is already allowed at Centennial Parklands, Parramatta Park, Western Sydney Parklands, and Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney and Mount Annan. Until Sunday, October 31, it's now also permitted in 18 more locations during daylight hours. New South Wales Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes has announced the temporary change, advising that "Sydneysiders can now toast to the weekend with a drink at some of our favourite parks and public spaces." "Vaccinated Sydneysiders have embraced the easing of restrictions and are out picnicking in record numbers. After an incredibly tough winter, people who followed the rules and received both jabs deserve to enjoy a glass of wine or a beer," the Minister said. "We only ask that all COVID-19 rules continue to be followed, that everyone drinks responsibly, [and that everyone] disposes of all rubbish and enjoys our beautiful parks." Sydneysiders can now toast to the weekend with a drink at some of our favourite parks and public spaces to say thank you for getting vaccinated. For the full list, visit https://t.co/0r5l2A3vsY pic.twitter.com/wBbljeYOam — Rob Stokes MP (@RobStokesMP) September 24, 2021 The places you can say cheers to your mates in, as long as the sun is out? They include Bligh & Barney Reserve, Dawes Point Reserve, First Fleet Park, MCA Lawn and Hickson Rd Reserve in The Rocks; the Jill Berry Lawn / ICC Lawn and Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour; and Cadi Park, Waterfront Park and Pyrmont Bay Park in Pyrmont. Or, there's Ballarat Park and Metcalfe Park in Darling Island, and Ballast Point Park in Birchgrove — plus Bicentennial Park, Blaxland Riverside Park, Cathy Freeman Park, Newington Armory and Wentworth Common in Sydney Olympic Park. Just remember to abide by all other COVID-19 rules while you're picnicking and drinking — which includes the aforementioned five-adult cap if you're all fully vaxxed, and the distance requirement. For more information about the 18 parks where drinking alcohol is permitted during daylight hours until Sunday, October 31, read New South Wales Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes' announcement. Top image: Destination NSW.
When good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye, George Washington was distilling his own at Mount Vernon, and Boardwalk Empire and Mad Men fuelled our unquenchable single malt hankerings; The Glenmore was gearing up for their latest winter venture. Sipping the American Classic atop The Rocks' Argyle Cut, The Glenmore is offering exclusive masterclasses in the art of rye, whisky, whiskey and scotch appreciation. The furthest thing from a soapbox-inducing dry month, The Glenmore are hosting their very first Rye July. "We have seen a huge increase in the popularity of whiskey lately as people are re-discovering the ‘water of life’. So much so that experts are warning that there’s a potential world shortage on the way," gushes Glenmore general manager Nick Beath. "So we’ve teamed up with the team at Bulleit to celebrate the golden drop and offer all whiskey lovers the chance to learn from the best at a range of exclusive masterclasses that will leave everyone thirsty for more." A one-off series of appreciation classes on wintry Thursday evenings, Rye July takes over the snuggly lounge level of The Glenmore with whiskey tasting sessions, tips on food pairing (with canapes to nibble) and how to make actually decent DIY pre-batched cocktails. Sounds like a much better whisky-fuelled idea than the time Jim Beam thought Mila Kunis was the perfect brand face. Most importantly, on 10 July, the crew will lay it down — once and for all — the difference between a whiskey, a whisky and a rye; so you can jaw-drop your mates at Baxter's Inn or The Wild Rover next time you're ordering a snifter. Limited tickets for each event are available at $30 per person. For more information or to just jump in and book, email info@theglenmore.com.au or call (02) 9247 4794.
We normally associate Boxing Day releases with feelgoodery, dogoodery, comedy and special effects. Which is why it seems sort of hilarious when a film like Short Term 12 pops up at that time of the holiday season, determined to make its quiet realism heard. The SXSW Film Festival winner was number one on Buzzfeed's list of 'movies you probably missed in 2013 but definitely need to see', so if you get in quick, you can make it the no.1 movie you outsmarted Buzzfeed on instead. Short Term 12 is the kind of film that feels like a well-edited version of real life — though probably not a life that is familiar to you, if you grew up in safe, loving circumstances. Compulsively watchable and super emotional, it revolves around the kids and their barely adult supervisors at a temporary foster care facility. The plot is nebulous, but the anchor is social worker Grace, played by Brie Larson, who you probably remember from United States of Tara and who puts in an incredible, name-making performance here. Short Term 12 is funny, heartbreaking and brave filmmaking. Writer and director Destin Cretton is able to leap tall towers of everyday humour and humanity and then drop you into a pit of total, gut-wrenching sadness in a single bound. A definite must-see — so you may as well see it on us. Short Term 12 is in cinemas on December 26, and thanks to Madman Films, we have ten double in-season passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au https://youtube.com/watch?v=rETaWDZ57v0
The monster in this show is very different from those you might have seen haunting the city for Halloween. This clever show from director Robert Chuter explores the self-sabotage of affluent Aussie millennials and the dangers they face in idolising their heroes. If that wasn't already enough to identify with, die-hard fans of The Smiths will delight in the seminal band's lyrics that are brought to life. This is the sequel of the highly-successful Half A Person: My Life As Told By The Smiths so, if you (like me) didn't see it, be prepared for Morrissey to meet Broadway on stage. As well as general generational concerns, Alex Broun's script reflects on the concept of 'disability' through its two main characters: William and Felice. Though Felice is confined to a wheelchair with cystic fibrosis and only present in William's reenactments, it's William's life choices that incite the most thought. Making us laugh and cringe, his performance eventually makes us question 'is it actually this fully-abled guy who keeps shunning happiness who's really disabled?' The joy is in the details of this production, like the 'Wonka' shirt William wears, suggesting a kind of Peter Pan Syndrome — a commentary on the 21+ dependency common to Gen Y? I saw more charisma in Wright’s improv due to a botched sound cue and his underhanded asides than in some of the scripted narration. It would be wonderful to see him play more as the season progresses and infuse his natural charm/cheekiness into the script and songs. As it is, Wright nails the balance of nostalgia AND connection to the audience, allowing William to energetically impersonate the people in his life, and unwittingly reveal his own ignorance and privilege. Having missed its prequel, I found the crossbreeding of The Smiths with a Broadway musical style sometimes jarring from the story — made worse by the thin, karaoke feel of some backing tracks. When William finds himself actually singing in a karaoke bar, the effect is great. Perhaps this is Chuter's intention all along: to reflect a young man’s delusions of grandeur and infatuation with fame. The presence of live music in this show would greatly enhance it. At the very least, the sound team should crank up the speakers and Wright's microphone for the songs. Benjamin Brockman’s set and lighting design creates a stylised, yet private space for William's memories. It simply, but effectively maintains the feel of a young man’s bedroom, even when it’s jumping from wealthy Toorak to debaucherous Chapel street. Brockman works closely with the script; his lighting creating the 'glows' that underpin much of Broun's writing. Mortality hangs over the stage, thanks to Brockman’s ghostly neons and the black soil crunching underfoot. His pièce de résistance is the use of vertical space: a cluster of fluffy clouds utilised for moments of epiphany, at once wonderfully magical and kitsch. November Spawned a Monster runs as part of a double bill at the Old Fitz. You shouldn't miss the second act: the hilarious one-woman show V.D.
Restaurant Hubert is taking its classic French fare for a spin, launching a new dinner series that explores the cuisine in different corners of the world. La Belle France is a four-part soirée that will run on Monday nights, with dates dotted from the end of March to mid-November. The best part is that the dinners will be set in the restaurant's Theatre Royale — the 120-seat space is normally available for private events and bookings only, so it's a good opportunity to take a squiz. Decked out with lush red velvet carpets and curtains, the old-world theatre will host guests at long tables while live music takes the stage. Each shared banquet has its own culinary theme: French Canadian on March 26, French Vietnamese on June 4, French Moroccan on August 27 and French Polynesian on November 19. Tickets are a pricey $120 per person for each single event, so it will definitely be a splurge — but we suspect one well worth it. Images: Daniel Boud.
From January 20, the 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art will present an exhibition of the work of influential and pioneering Korean conceptual artist, Lee Kun-Yong. Curated by Michael Do and Mikala Tai, Equal Area presents photographic documentation of performances that span Lee's nearly six-decade career. Lee's work, which has shaped the nature of global contemporary performance art, explores the connection between logic and action through performance and re-performance. Equal Area will open with a performance of one of Lee's most critically acclaimed works, Snail's Gallop, followed by live interventions and a series of performances by contemporary Australian artists Huseyin Sami, Daniel Von Sturmer and Emily Parsons-Lord. Over the five-week exhibition, the performances will develop as will the collaboration with these three Australian artists. The exhibition opens on Saturday, January 20 with a Korean barbecue, which guests can attend (with Lee) for $30. As part of the Lunar New Year Celebrations, the 4A team will also be hosting a congee breakfast tour of Chinatown and a private viewing of the Equal Area exhibition on February 17 for just $20. Image: Lee Kun-Yong, Snail's Gallop, performed at the 7th ST Exhibition in 1980. Courtesy of the artist and Gallery Hyundai, Seoul.
If your new year celebrations are often filled with unrealised expectations and warm beer, this could be the year you vow to make it different — and the perfect solution might be Sydney's Harbour Hoopla, held in the stunning Royal Botanic Garden. It's all going down inside the garden at the Tarpeian Precinct Lawn, meaning it has some of the best views in the city. So, it's the perfect location to see the NYE fireworks, with incredible views of both the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Plus, there'll be plenty of carnival-style and interactive entertainment, as well as a DJ once the night gets into swing. Tickets will cost you a casual $350 a pop, but you can't really beat those multimillion-dollar views. You'll also get a picnic hamper, filled with dip, frittata, a chicken or vegetarian main and a cheese platter. For dessert, you'll get a flourless chocolate, Nutella and popcorn torte. And, to get you suitably soused (and well hydrated), there'll be a number of pop-up bars — just make sure you bring cash as there are no e-sales at this shindig. Perhaps what's most exciting though is the fact that — unlike the rest of Sydney — you won't have to head to the CBD early to get the best seats in the house. Gates open at 6pm and the party will continue till 1.30am. It's a BYO rug situation, so make sure you come prepared — and ready to dance your way into the next decade. Harbour Hoopla is happening on New Year's Eve, from 6pm–1.30am. To nab yourself a ticket, head here.
Alfie's Kitchen, creators of vegan masterpieces, are teaming up with the Sydney Fringe Festival to bring you a candle-lit, animal-free feast. Taking over the festival's 7,000 square-metre warehouse hub in Alexandria on September 10, the event will see diners wind up their weekend with eight courses of plant-based beauty and deliciousness. "It is such a unique opportunity to have access to such an amazing space, not to mention to highlight how great plant based food can be," said Joey Astorga of Alfie's Kitchen. If you're familiar with Alfie's Kitchen's approach, you'll know they're big on colours, textures and native ingredients. Some dishes to look out for are paperbark-smoked leek and finger lime; rhubarb, beetroot and hazelnut pate; ginger-cherry blossom lollipops; and miso-caramel-chocolate apple. Tickets are $150 per person and must be booked online by Wednesday 6 September. Drinks will be available at the Sydney Fringe Festival's onsite bar. Images: Hellene Algie
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
Spring is well underway and that means that the Rugby World Cup is just around the corner. While Japan's hosting this year's matches, Aussie fans don't need to start booking flights to get in on the action. Instead, head down to Coogee Bay Hotel, where you can catch a live stream of each thrilling match. There are only two Sydney pubs that are Heineken Rugby World Cup Live Sites and Coogee Bay Hotel's one of them — so expect match after match, in real time, for the whole series. Plus, the hotel is celebrating the footy with games and giveaways, plus food and drink specials aplenty. There'll be a menu of nation-themed burgers and Japanese eats, offering everything from shepherd's pie burgers to sashimi and ramen. So, don your team's jersey and head down to the hotel's Sports Bar and its music venue, Selina's, on Saturday, September 21 — or any day a game is on — for the chance to win some epic prizes, too. With it all winding down on Saturday, November 2, Coogee Bay Hotel will wrap things up with a closing party, with DJs, games, a mechanical football (yes, like a mechanical bull, only rounder) and more, so you can celebrate (or commiserate) the victorious team.
The MCA's free music series Sounds on the Terrace is back for the seventh year running. And, once again, the gallery is teaming up with Young Henrys. The Newtown brewers will curate the music lineup and, you guessed it, add a healthy dose of craft beer to the drinks list. The next rooftop session on Wednesday, June 5 coincides with Vivid 2019 and will welcome Sunshine Coast due Sametime and a 90s nostalgia-inducing set from Melissah Marie, aka Moody Beach. It's no coincidence that Sounds on the Terrace is concurrent with the MCA's weekly Lights on Later program, either. In between sipping on Young Henrys lageritas — a combination of beer and tequila — and snacking on bites from Cornersmith at the MCA Cafe. You can also take a wander through the gallery's two current exhibitions: Janet Lawrence's blend of art, nature and science, and the MCA's curation for citywide biannual exhibition The National. More dates will no doubt be added soon. Updated: May 15, 2019.
For just about every Sydneysider on the silver side of forty, summer tends to mean one thing: summer festivals. Yet few Sydney festivals offer less shirtless ab-crunchers and more laidback classiness, fine wine, and alfresco dining than the Sydney Cellar Door wine festival in Hyde Park South. The feather in the cap of the NSW Wine Festival, Sydney Cellar Door is Sydney's biggest outdoor wine event with over 90 wineries from across NSW setting up camp in Hyde Park with all their favourite drops in tow. Tailor-made for both seasoned experts and casual drinkers alike, each of the wineries would love the chance to guide you through their sumptuous collections. Bring a picnic blanket as well, as there are also 20 restaurant stalls for you to tuck into, from cheese and pastry snacks to meatballs and Chinese. Adding to the ambience is an impressive line-up of musicians to serenade your journey from Brokenwood to Tamburlaine to Tyrrell's, with a laidback mix of jazz, blues, and acoustic (think groovin' reggae with the My Ty's and a constant stream of smooth jazz and you'll kind of get the picture). Book your own $25 tasting package on the Sydney Cellar Door website, which will get you an official tasting glass along with five wine-tasting tokens (with each token entitling you to one 60ml glass or two 30ml tastes) and you'll have yourself the perfect recipe for a late summer's afternoon.
Though the availability of good Mexican food in Sydney has increased over the years, the Latin cuisine still seems to hold the reputation that it's all about cheap tacos and a salty margarita or Corona topped with a lime. Most of us love a cheap night out on the tacos and margs, but it would be remiss not to try out the many more eats Mexican cuisine has to offer. Redefining expectations, Coogee's ROCA Mexican Cantina is the brain-child of three Mexican natives, including owner Gerardo Macip (responsible for Calaveras Mexican Cantina & Tequila Bar in Newtown) along with chefs Jonatan Romero and Daniel Gomez — a team passionate about serving authentic dishes showcasing traditional Mexican flavours and ingredients. Perhaps you've stuck with tacos for so long because you're not too sure what else you should be ordering. Well lucky for you, the trio behind this latest Coogee restaurant has curated a selection of dishes from their menu and paired them with cocktails to help expand your knowledge on Mexi-eats and take the guess work out of ordering. CEVICHE DE PESCADO AND A CLAMATO To get things rolling, start with the ceviche de pescado. This zesty cured fish is served on crispy corn tortillas, along with a cheeky side of chipotle salsa. The vibrant acidity of lime 'cooks' the fish, all while packing the dish with mouthwatering flavour. To top it all off, ROCA's homemade pico de gallo with Tajin chilli seasoning adds that final kick to really get your tastebuds singing. Wash this one down with the Clamato: a classic cocktail with fresh lime juice, tabasco, seasoning and Clamato juice, floated with a splash of Mexican beer. QUESO FUNDIDO AND A DEATH IN TIJUANA Up next is the cantina's queso fundido, aka the stuff dreams are made of. Baked and served in a traditional Mexican-style clay pot, this cheesy dip of dreams consists of a simmering bed of pinto beans covered with gooey mozzarella, topped with smokey chorizo and served alongside flour tortillas for good measure. The decadent starter definitely gives the classic fondue a serious run for its money. Help cut through all that cheese with the smokey mezcal-based Death in Tijuana. Mixing together tangy lime juice and bittersweet pink grapefruit with a dash of pomegranate, this is the drink to throw back amidst a cheese-induced coma. ENCHILADAS RANCHERAS ROJAS AND A PASSION SESIÓN A night at ROCA wouldn't be complete without a plate of their enchiladas rancheras rojas. This spicy number serves up corn tortillas filled with pulled marinated chicken, drenched in hot red ranchera salsa and finished with crumbled feta, coriander and Spanish onions. Pair this one with the killer Passion Sesión made up of Sesión Tequila Blanco, lime juice and passionfruit shaken together and served in a chilli-rimmed glass. A pairing for those who don't mind a whole lot of spice. FAJITA ASADAS AND A MEXICAN MELON SOUR Be warned: this one's gonna get messy. ROCA's fajitas asadas features spicy chipotle-marinated beef strips, sautéed Spanish onion and capsicum atop a bed of rice and finished with zesty guacamole. Meant to be put together by you, scoop this saucy goodness up with one of the provided flour tortillas, but first make sure you have some serviettes nearby. Soothe any burning from the spice with a Mexican Melon Sour — melon liquor mixed with lime juice and poured over a frozen lemon margarita. And yes, it comes served in a chilli salt-rimmed tiki glass. FLAUTAS DE POLLO AND AN EL DIABLO Coming to you all the way from Sinaloa in northern Mexico, these crispy hand-rolled taquitos, typically covered with cheese, cream and guacamole, are famous across the Central American country. ROCA delivers their own take on the Mexican favourite, filled with spicy pulled Guajillo chicken and topped with salsa ranchera, crumbled feta and coriander. Feeling brave? Have your flautas with the 'El Diablo', a cocktail created using Mexico's hottest chilli. Not for the faint hearted, house-infused habanero tequila is mixed with agave nectar and finished with pineapple juice for a sweet tipple with a definite kick. Dig into these iconic Mexican dishes and wash them down with some tequila and mezcal-based cocktails at ROCA Mexican Cantina & Tequila Bar.
Where would we be without movies during the pandemic? Even when cinemas were closed during lockdowns, we all still sought out the joy and escapism of watching a flick — and truly appreciated how cathartic it is. Still keen to queue up a big heap of movies, and a hefty dose of couch time, even though heading to the big screen is well and truly back on the agenda? Enter Movie Frenzy, the returning week-long online film rental sale. From Friday, February 10–Thursday, February 16, it's serving up a sizeable lineup of popular flicks from the past year, all from $3 per movie onwards. On the lineup: Jordan Peele's latest standout horror effort Nope, Tom Cruise indulging a new (and better) need for speed in Top Gun: Maverick, Baz Luhrmann's hip-shaking bio Elvis and star-studded rom-com Ticket to Paradise. Or, if you like scares, you'll find plenty in Smile, Bodies Bodies Bodies and Orphan: First Kill. The action-packed Bullet Train, adventure-romance The Lost City and game-to-screen sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 2 are also on the list — and while some of these flicks are more worth your attention than others, we'll let you do the choosing. You can nab the cheap movies via your digital rental platform of choice, including Apple TV, iTunes, Fetch, Google Play, the Microsoft Store, Prime Video, Fetch and YouTube Movies — although just what's available, and the price, will vary depending on the service. And you won't need a subscription, unless you decide to join in the fun via the Foxtel Store.
After introducing its cookie pies to the world last week, Gelato Messina is bringing the OTT dessert back for a second round. This time, the pie in question is red velvet and it looks just as decadent as it sounds. Hang on, a cookie pie? Yes, it's a pie, but a pie made of red velvet cookie dough with white chocolate chips. And it serves two–six people — or just you. You bake it yourself, too, so you get to enjoy that oh-so-amazing smell of freshly baked cookies wafting through your kitchen. While no longer free, these pies are now available for preorder — so if you missed out last week, here's your chance to get yourself a piece of the pie. On its own, the red velvet dessert will cost $20. But to sweeten the deal, the cult ice creamery has created a few bundle options, should you want some of its famed gelato atop it. For $28, you'll get the pie and a 500-millilitre tub, while with a one-litre tub or a 1.5-litre tub, it'll cost $34 and $39 respectively. A handful of the bake-at-home goods will be available via Deliveroo from Wednesday, April 29 for those who can't or don't want to leave the house. But your best bet of getting your hands on one is by peeling yourself off the couch and picking it up from your local Messina store. You can place your preorder now via Bopple, with pick up times available between Wednesday, April 29 and Sunday, May 3. You can preorder a Messina cookie pie via Bopple to pick up from all NSW, Vic and Queensland Gelato Messina stores (except The Star) from April 29–May 3 or you can order delivery via Deliveroo on April 29.
Two new exhibitions will be opening at Alaska Projects on April 29. The first features the work of Alair Pambegan. Originally from Aurukun in far north Queensland, Pambegan works out of a studio in Sydney, using ochre and charcoal to create compelling works that reflect the landscape of his home. The second is a collection of photographs from Samuel Hodge, Buzzkill. Drawing from 15 years of practice, Hodge has put together works from his archive that are arranged not according to chronology but according to their potential inspiration for future projects, and for their representation of innovative approaches to image production. During the past few years, Hodge has been a regular contributor to Butt magazine and, in 2009, published his book Pretty Telling I Suppose, which was distributed internationally. Opening night will be held at Alaska Projects on April 29 between 6 and 8pm. The exhibitions will run till May 10.
Fans of photography have the whole summer to scuttle into Joy Before the Object, a display of works spanning 150 years from 23 different artists at the Art Gallery of NSW. The gallery's own photography curators have selected their pick of the most arresting, interesting images in the collection from both Australian and international photographers. From what the photographer initially intends to say about the world through the captured object, through to its final transformation in the eyes of the viewer receiving the finished product, Joy Before the Object proposes to question the objectivity of the medium of photography itself. In what sounds like an exhibition full of contrast, you’ll be able to peruse artists ranging from Roger Fenton, founder of what is now the Royal Photographic Society and one of the world’s first war photographers, to Weimar-era German photographer Albert Renger-Patzsch, from whose writings the exhibition takes its title, to contemporary Australian photographers Emma White and Catherine Rogers. Drop by on Wednesdays at 5.30pm to hear talks from featured artists. View the full talks program here. Image: Catherine Rogers Cups (2007) from the series The culture of the table
Fugitive Structures is a pretty big departure from the usual exhibitions at Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation. Instead of displaying works by blue chippers (Ai Wei Wei, Yang Fudong etc.), they’re taking a stab at starchitecture. An awesome new initiative between SCAF and BVN Donovan Hill — one of Australia’s largest architectural practices — Fugitive Structures is an annual, invitation-only competition for emerging to mid-career architects. The winner is given the opportunity to create a small, temporary structure in an urban setting. The project takes its cue from the Architectural Pavilion at London's Serpentine Gallery. "Over the years I have been inspired by the creative energy and simplicity of execution behind the annual Serpentine Gallery Pavilion project," says Dr Gene Sherman, SCAF's executive director. "I wanted to reference, but not imitate the concept, preferring to concentrate on young architects in our region, and giving them the opportunity to freely explore architectural ideas and space without focusing on a utilitarian outcome." Andrew Burns, a Sydney-based architect, is the competition's inaugural winner. He’s already made a big, minimalist splash with Australia House, a gallery, studio and atelier commissioned by the Australian Embassy in snowy Niigata Prefecture, Japan. Burns' structures sit somewhere between architectural form and art object, making him an ideal choice for the Fugitive Structures project. Crescent House is a precise, understated construction sitting in the SCAF Zen Garden — the super chilled area between the Foundation's exhibition space and their theatre and library annexe. Light streams through small holes in the front wall of the building. They are placed irregularly and the beautiful patterns cast on the floor reminded me of the glowing stars I stuck up around my room as a kid. It's a magical effect. The pavilion itself is quite dark, but it's open enough that it lets in a considerable amount of light. The end result is a gloriously meditative, tranquil space. It's hard to leave. En route to Crescent House, you'll cruise past an Olafur Eliasson installation in SCAF's main gallery space. Eliasson's The cubic structural evolution project (2004) is a huge mess of white Lego. You’re encouraged to get your paws on the blocks — which is good as they're ridiculously inviting — and help turn the rubble into a cityscape. Although not related to Burns' Crescent House, it’s a terrific counterpoint to the Fugitive Structures project with their shared emphases on construction and the blending of art and architecture. For the Crescent House, I'd recommend a visit during the week, as much of the effect gets lost when you're climbing over people to get in. SCAF is open Wednesday to Saturday, 11- 5. Image: Brett Boardman Photography.
After a tumultuous start to the year, Australia's arts and cultural industries are finally — albeit slowly — starting to come back. Over the past few months, the Australian Government's ban on non-essential gatherings, social distancing rules and the mass closure of indoor venues saw many major art events and exhibitions around the country cancelled or postponed. Now, life is looking a little more normal for Sydneysiders. As well as being able to head on a regional holiday and hit up our favourite restaurant, pub, bar or cafe, we're allowed to visit many of the city's cultural institutions in real life. Yep, you no longer have to get your cultural fix from the couch. As of this June, you can catch citywide arts festival the 22nd Biennale of Sydney, head to a free exhibition at Casula Powerhouse, ogle the best wildlife photographs of the past year and check out a blockbuster exhibition of contemporary Chinese art, just to name a few. Similarly to restaurants and cafes, cultural institutions need to adhere to strict social distancing guidelines and will be allowed one visitor per four square metres. So, capacity is limited and booking ahead — even for free exhibitions — is recommended. Here are our top picks for the month, so you can get planning.
The Paper Mill is somewhat of an experiment. A little taster of what the City of Sydney is capable of when it puts its arts grass roots boots on. And yet here is the catch — the council is not The Paper Mill. Rather, The Paper Mill is led by a committee and a board of directors, all of whom are living, breathing, volunteering artists. And they need your help! Before The Paper Mill officially launches on Tuesday 7 September they require a few extra dollars to whiten those walls and polish those windows. So what better way to lend a hand than by lending an ear and an eye to two massive midweek nights of music and performance. Here is the drill: Day 1 | Oxford Art Factory Wednesday 25 August 2010 7.30pm – 12pm A stellar line-up with Lucy Hall, Eye to Eye, Bird Automatic, Dara Gill and The Paper Scissors. Get your $15 tickets now at Moshtix or $18 on the door Day 2 | The Paper Mill Thursday 26 August 2010 6.00pm – 9.30pm A theatrical performance spectacular at The Paper Mill with Scott Sandwhich, Zoe Norton-Lodge, Sam Pettigrew, Friends with Deficits and Zoe Coombs-Marr. $12 on the door (with a generous discount for your charity if you attend both nights!) Once up and running The Paper Mill will be a festival of paper with an exhibition space dedicated to paper-based works, a library chock-full of local and international zines, workshops and classes as well as a studio residency program. And the best thing of all? It is an artist-run gallery in the city. No hidden agenda. Just there. And if there is one, then that is only just the beginning.
Book-to-film adaptations can go either way. Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather was so good that the novel's author, Mario Puzo, said he wished he'd written a better book. Conversely, The Cat in the Hat made you want to push sharp, salty popcorn into your eyeballs. It's usually when a film makes artistic changes from the source material that the ire of the book's fans is most extreme, and (arguably) nobody feels more passionately about the fundamentals of their favourite book than Christians. Now, I'll admit it's been a while since I read the Bible, but — try as I might — I simply cannot remember the bit about Transformers. Maybe it was in the Book of Michael? Or was it Bay? Suffice it to say, it was more than a touch surprising to see them turn up in the opening scene of Darren Aronofsky's highly anticipated film Noah. Rather than Autobots, however, these giant fallen angels (not to be confused with 'The Fallen' from, yes, Transformers) are called 'The Watchers'. Made ostensibly from stone and speaking with about as much clarity as an underwater Bane, they mark the first of several major departures from, or least reinterpretations of, one of the best-known stories of all time (the next being Noah's propensity to dispatch entire gangs of men with nothing but a tiny blade like he was some sort of biblical Jason Bourne). Thankfully, for Aronofsky, these embellishments and emendations contribute to, rather than detract from, what is literally the epic tale of good and evil. With a budget of US$125 million, Noah has the resources of a blockbuster and a narrative from scripture yet avoids many of the trappings of both. Cerebral and unsanctimonious, it is, in Aronofsky's words, "the least biblical film ever made". God is only ever referred to as 'the Creator', and themes of environmentalism and survivor's guilt outweigh those of sin and the downfall of man. As the film's eponymous lead, Russell Crowe is simply excellent. With his eyes alone he can sparkle with joy or threaten with burning menace, and in Noah that menace increasingly captures the character's singular, unwavering fidelity to his divine cause — culminating in a horrifying personal choice. Alongside him, Jennifer Connelly and Emma Watson play the loyal yet conflicted wife and adopted daughter, while Anthony Hopkins offers an amusing turn as Methuselah. Rounding out the ensemble is Ray Winstone as Tubal-cain, a descendant of Adam's son inserted into the plot to provide the film with a specific antagonist rather than relying simply on the generality of 'all sinful humanity'. Cinematically, Noah is every bit the sumptuous spectacle the story deserves, with the highlight being an enthralling time-lapse chronicle of the 'first seven days' from the Book of Genesis (albeit with an amusing cross-fade just as evolution progresses to the point of simians, whereupon — cue dissolve — man pops separately into existence). No matter your faith (or even the absence of), this is an accomplished piece of direction and a powerful story of belief, devotion and — perhaps — obsession. https://youtube.com/watch?v=UAfJulXFYlc
It's famed for dishing up generous vegetarian feeds at pay-as-you-feel prices, with four volunteer-run eateries across Melbourne and Sydney. And now, Lentil As Anything has launched a grocery built around the same philosophies. Opening at the back of Lentil's Thornbury restaurant, The Inconvenience Store is the state's first-ever pay-as-you-feel supermarket. The shelves here will be stocked with goods rescued as part of the group's Food Without Borders initiative, which collects quality food from shops and markets which is otherwise destined for landfill. With a Foodprint Project report estimating that Melburnians alone turf more than 900,000 tonnes of edible food each year, this promises to be a great way for locals to do their bit in the war against food waste. The supermarket has no set prices, with customers instead asked to contribute simply what they can afford. Those keen to lend a hand can donate, or even volunteer to work at the store. Lentil As Anything says contributions will go towards keeping its food rescue operations running, covering things like electricity bills, transport costs and storage. Last year, Australian food rescue charity OzHarvest opened a supermarket in Sydney based around a similar concept, it stocks food rescued from supermarkets and restaurants and customers can pay what they like. While everyone is welcome, it's aim is to help people in need. Lentil As Anything's Inconvenience Store is now open 11am–3pm Friday to Monday at 562–564 High Street, Thornbury. Updated: July 25, 2018.
Freda's, Chippo's idiosyncratic neighbourhood bar, has added yet another happening to its program. From October through until February, the crew is hosting weekly film nights every Tuesday — and they won't cost you a cent. Presented by Afterhours, the films are screening in Down/Under Space, Freda's underground gallery. The selection spans four decades of ace flicks, including 20,000 Days On Earth, Jane Pollard and Iain Forsyth's part-drama, part-doco feature depicting 24 fictitious hours in the life of Nick Cave; Jean-Luc Godard's Masculin Feminin, which captures the story of Paul, a young, disillusioned man whose girlfriend pursues a career as a pop singer; and Jonathan Auf Dur Heide's Van Diemen's Land, which tells the true tales of Alexander Pearce, a convict who escaped Macquarie Harbour with seven others, only to spend years in the Tasmanian wilderness. Other highlights include some Aussie horror on Halloween thanks to Body Melt, ever-rewatchable high school satire Heathers and the original animated Ghost in the Shell. All films start at 7pm, but bookings aren't possible, so if you're hearts set on your flick pick, arrive early. There's room for 50 people, comfortably, and 80, if they're incredibly friendly.
The premise of Between Two Ferns couldn't be more simple. Zach Galifianakis interviews other famous folks, all while sitting in the middle of two leafy plants. Staged to look like a no-budget community television show, it's purposefully silly and surreal, whether Galifianakis is nattering with Natalie Portman, Brad Pitt, Justin Bieber, Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Starting off as a short film, then becoming one of Funny or Die's hit webseries over the past decade, the wholly improvised show satirises the Hollywood publicity machine by making fun of the polished promotional chats that are so common whenever a big star has a new movie or TV series to plug. In its latest incarnation, Between Two Ferns will jump on another trend, turning its anarchic antics into a Netflix film. If you're wondering just how the Between Two Ferns concept can sustain a whole movie, there's a story to go with it. Embarrassed by the viral mockery he received when Will Ferrell uploaded his original series, Galifianakis — well, the show's version of Galifianakis — tries to track down a heap of celebrities in attempt to restore his reputation. That involves hitting the road, sitting down with everyone from Paul Rudd to Keanu Reeves and Tessa Thompson, and even momentarily killing Matthew McConaughey. Calling Jon Hamm an idiot and getting propositioned by Chrissy Teigen are also on the agenda. The list of high-profile figures making an appearance goes on — and includes Brie Larson, Peter Dinklage, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Letterman, Adam Scott, John Cho, Chance the Rapper and Rashida Jones. Based on the just-dropped trailer, all of the above folks are in for a rather ridiculous experience — as are Netflix viewers, too. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjljgkCQv5c&feature=youtu.be Between Two Ferns: The Movie hits Netflix on September 20. Image: Adam Rose.
