If you're a vegetarian, worshipper of eggplant or just a keen home cook, chances are Yotam Ottolenghi has had some impact on your life. In fact, we bet you've got at least one of his bestselling cookbooks in your cupboard. In 2023, you'll be able to learn a few more tips and tricks from the renowned Israeli chef as he heads to Down Under for a speaking tour. The trailblazing chef, author, TV personality and restaurateur whose name has become its own cooking style is touring the country off the back of his book Ottolenghi Flavour, which builds on his love for innovative vegetable-based recipes — and his new Ottolenghi Test Kitchen title Extra Good Things, too. And yes, this'll sound familiar, as he was planning to head Down Under in 2021 and at the beginning of 2022, but we all know what got in the way. Yotam Ottolenghi — Flavour of Life will hit ICC Sydney for two shows at 3pm and 7pm on Sunday, January 22. As well as dishing up a few spicy secrets behind his mouthwatering hits (his miso butter onions and spicy mushroom lasagne are always favourites), the show will provide an opportunity to hear directly from the man himself about his influences and experiences. It also promises to delve into Ottolenghi's experience as the owner of famed London restaurants Nopi and Rovi, how he approached home cooking during the COVID-19 pandemic and how you can dial up the flavour in your own kitchen. And, chatting with author and broadcaster Alice Zaslavsky, expect Ottolenghi to discuss food pairings, next-level cooking methods and more. Plus, Ottolenghi and Zaslavsky will get cooking, using ingredients selected by each show's audience. Have a stash of burning questions for the chef? The speaking events will end with a Q&A.
Sometimes the weeks just fly by (is it almost April already?). But sometimes the work week can be a real slog. So, having a way to celebrate hitting the halfway mark is just what you need. And we've found just the thing. Woolloomooloo's longstanding waterside destination Otto Ristorante is teaming up with Tanqueray for a one-off fine dining experience celebrating all things botanical. The dinner will take place in the luxe Italian restaurant on Wednesday, March 27 from 6.30pm. Guests can enjoy four courses, each paired with a specially crafted gin cocktail. The degustation menu has been designed by Otto's bar manager Lukas Hardy and head chef Richard Ptacnik. Gin, and many other ingredients, will be used liberally in both the eats and the libations in order to provide a seamless culinary experience. You can expect to sip the likes of grapefruit-infused Tanqueray No. 10, the four-botanical London Dry Gin, the zesty Flor de Sevilla and the lime-based Rangpur. To start, there's a canapé of gnocco fritto (deep-fried Italian bread) served with salumi and a green olive sgroppino — an Italian-style cocktail featuring Flor de Sevilla Tanqueray, prosecco, green olive sorbet and charcoal salt. Next up, expect gin-cured salmon with caperberries and green olives served with a wet martini made with London Dry Gin, dry vermouth, fino sherry, orange bitters and more caperberries. For the main, you'll dig into herbed salt-crusted kingfish with two salads, paired with the Herbaceous Gimlet: olive oil-washed Tanqueray No. 10 with edible flowers, verjus (unripe grape juice), herbs and botanicals. And dessert is a passionfruit curd served with gin jelly and topped with coconut and gin ice cream. Finish off your meal with a specialty Tom Collins, which combines toasted coconut-washed Tanqueray Rangpur, lime leaf, passionfruit and sparkling coconut water. This lavish dinner will cost $175 all up, and bookings are essential. To book, head here. Image: Kitti Gould.
What is taught at schools, and how it's tested, is oft a topic of debate. A quick Google search will tell you that everyone from Richard Branson to Mark Wahlberg, Shannon Bennett to Aretha Franklin either failed at or dropped out of school. So, does the current system really work for all kids — or just those who are academically minded? At this Vivid Ideas talk, five of Australia's great minds will deep dive into the topic: are schools and society fostering or stifling imagination? And they're doing it in honour of another great mind: the great, late Australian journalist Mark Colvin. During Colvin's four-decade career he worked at the ABC Radio, Four Corners, Double J and Triple J and reported from pivotal events across the globe, including the Iranian hostage crisis and the aftermath of Rwanda's genocide. In the spirit of Colvin's unbridled curiosity, songstress Megan Washington, screenwriter and columnist Benjamin Law, Guardian Australia senior editor Lucy Clark — and author of Beautiful Failures: How the Quest for Success is Harming Our Kids — Professor Robyn Ewing AM and TV presenter Julia Zemiro will take to the stage to debate the current schooling system. It's rumoured that Washington, who'll be discussing how she found her voice through music, might even perform a song or two. The lively debate will be held at the City Recital Hall on Sunday, June 3 at 11.30am. To purchase tickets, head to the website.
He wrote, directed, financed and starred in the best worst movie ever made, showed up as himself in the enormously funny making-of dramatisation of his biggest flick, and re-teamed with his best-known co-star for a two-part comedy-thriller based on their friendship — and now, like he was always destined to, Tommy Wiseau is saying "oh hi" to space. Once again working with The Room and Best F(r)iends' Greg Sestero, the distinctive Wiseau has loaned his voice to animated sci-fi series SpaceWorld, with the pair playing rival intergalactic bounty hunters. If you're naturally thinking the obvious, the company behind it has already made the blatant comparison, with Octopie calling the show "what happens when you merge The Room with Star Wars". In SpaceWorld's nearly six-minute pilot episode, Wiseau's TX battles it out with Sestero's Drogol, who — continuing a trend across their work together — happens to be his lifelong nemesis. Created by Brock LaBorde, the debut clip is suitably bizarre, even with its clear self-referential tone. As Wiseau's career just keeps proving, that's just what happens when he pops up. LaBorde is no stranger to Wiseau's orbit, having produced, co-written and starred in the 2011–12 series The Tommy Wi-Show — where Wiseau was abducted by aliens, shuttled off to a base on the mood and made to play video games. In addition to his better-known work, including his involvement with The Disaster Artist, Wiseau is no stranger to on-screen weirdness either. If you've ever come across his 2014–16 sitcom The Neighbours, which is set in an apartment building and combines the exact storylines you'd expect with his inimitable style, then you'll know exactly how odd his work can get. Whether SpaceWorld will progress beyond its pilot is yet to be seen, although it's definitely not the worst thing on Wiseau's resume. Check out the first episode below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAv4ceFJH3U SpaceWorld is distributed by Octopie, and is currently available via its YouTube channel.
It wasn't just a Twitter thread — it was the Twitter thread. Whether you read Aziah 'Zola' King's viral 148-post stripper saga live as it happened back in October 2015, stumbled across the details afterwards as the internet lost its mind or only heard about it via Zola's buzzy trailer, calling this stranger-than-fiction tale a wild ride will always be an understatement. Its instantly gripping opening words, as also used in Janicza Bravo's (Lemon) savvy, sharp, candy-hued tweet-to-screen adaptation, happen to capture the whole OMG, WTF and OTT vibe perfectly: "you wanna hear a story about how me and this bitch fell out? It's kind of long, but it's full of suspense." In the film, that phrase is uttered aloud by Zola's eponymous Detroit waitress (Taylour Paige, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom). Still, the movie firmly embraces its origins. For those wondering how a filmmaker turns a series of tweets into a feature, Bravo handles the task with flair, energy, enthusiasm and a clear understanding of social media's role in our lives. Much of the phrasing that the real-life Zola used has made its way into the conversational script, which was co-written by playwright Jeremy O Harris. Each time that occurs, the film echoes with tell-tale swooshes, whistles and dings. But those words and alerts are just the starting point; as Zola's chaotic narrative unfurls, it comes to life with a mix of the hyperreal, the loose and the dreamy. It doesn't merely tell a tale taken from the tweetstorm to end all tweetstorms, but also uses every aesthetic choice it can to mirror the always-on, always-posing, always-sharing online realm. The other person that Zola refers to in her initial statement is the cornrow-wearing, blaccent-sporting Stefani (Riley Keough, The Lodge), who she serves at work, then joins on a jaunt to Florida. They immediately hit it off, which is what inspires the invite to head south — a "hoe trip" is how Zola describes it — however, what's meant to be a girls' getaway for a stint of lucrative exotic dancing in Tampa soon gets messy. The drive is long, and Stefani's boyfriend Derreck (Nicholas Braun, Succession) quickly dampens the mood with his awkward, try-hard schtick. Then there's X (Colman Domingo, Candyman), who, while introduced as Stefani's roommate, is actually her pimp. Trafficking Zola into sex work is the real plan of this working holiday, she discovers, but she's ferociously adamant that she won't be "poppin' pussy for pennies". As the woman both relaying and riding Zola's rollercoaster of a story, Paige is fierce and finessed. It's a tricky part; making the dialogue sound authentic, and also like it could've just been rattled off on social media with a mix of emojis and all caps, requires a precise tonal balance, for starters. So does ensuring that Zola always feels like a real person, especially given the tale's ups and downs. That said, Paige is guided by Bravo at every turn, with recognising how things play online and how they pan out in reality — and the frequent disconnection between the two — one of the filmmaker's biggest masterstrokes. That's exactly what a flick that's based on a Twitter thread should offer, rather than just mining posts for punchy content that's already proven popular. Using the platform as source material definitely doesn't equal an endorsement here. Instead, it sparks a brash and bouncy feature that interrogates its inspiration and the mechanism that turned it into a whirlwind, rather than serves up a cinematic retweet. Zola also draws upon David Kushner's Rolling Stone article 'Zola Tells All: The Real Story Behind the Greatest Stripper Saga Ever Tweeted', because 148 tweets can't cover everything. Nonetheless, plenty of the film's success emanates from its almost-surreal 16mm imagery and its airy, eerie-scored atmosphere, too. Its namesake's early words aren't misleading: this is a narrative filled with suspense. The waves it surfs in its mood and stylistic decisions cause just as must jitteriness, though — in a fantastic way. Zola hangs together immaculately, and it constantly feels as if Bravo, cinematographer Ari Wegner (The Power of the Dog), editor Joi McMillon (If Beale Street Could Talk) and composer Mica Levi (Monos) could go anywhere. That's a powerhouse lineup of talent, after all, with the latter trio's resumes spanning some of the killer films of the past decade: Lady Macbeth, In Fabric, True History of the Kelly Gang, Moonlight, Under the Skin and Jackie all included. Alongside Paige, Zola's cast is equally impressive, even if it initially appears as if a few might simply stick to type. Keough could've stepped off of American Honey's set and onto this one, and not just because they're both road-trip movies, yet adds another tricky yet memorable performance to her filmography. Written into her character, and conveyed in her portrayal as well, is a dissection of cultural appropriation. Stefani acts like she's Black in lieu of forming her own identity, is wilfully ignorant of that fact while being openly racist, and provides a pinpoint-precise portrait of oblivious, exploitative, all-devouring whiteness. Similar ideas bubble through Braun's work as the gangly and bungling Derrek — a twist on his acclaimed Cousin Greg persona, but with far less cash — and the concept of adopting a part and facade also lingers in Colman's scarily compelling and icily charming efforts. These are layered performances, befitting the rich and multi-faceted film they're in. Nothing in any movie is ever just one thing, but Zola demonstrates that notion with commitment and command. It's there in the feature's bold approach, including its eagerness to unpack its genesis on several levels. It's there in the film's gleaming yet never glamorous appearance as well, which almost pitches itself into the world of fantasy while steadfastly recognising that nothing about its story is seductive or alluring. And, it echoes in the tiniest of choices. Take an early moment, in a bathroom, where both Zola and her new pal take a leak. Shot from above, this is the smartest peeing scene you're ever likely to see, and expresses so much about its central duo purely by peering at their urine. Turning tweets and piss into a must-see movie? That's cinematic alchemy.
Many Hands (previously named Popup Ethical) will be launching their new concept on May 9 with a nasties-free pop-up restaurant at the Paddo Uniting Church. For one evening, you can forget all about unknown supply chains and unethical manufacturing practices. That's because everything you'll see, taste, smell and hear will have been handcrafted, handmade and/or organically grown. The event is promising a truly multisensory experience, with tapas created by chef Steven Zielke, tunes from muso Sten Pittet and live art conjured up at the hands of Sally Reynolds. Plus, there'll be an array of photographs, bespoke fine jewellery, ceramics, textiles and floral arrangements. The Many Hands team is bound by a love of "entertaining and ethical gourmet food" and have been bringing their magic to various Sydney pop-ups, including two sold-out evenings at Good Food Month. $20 will buy you two tapas plates and the freedom to wander as you wish, while $50 will purchase a five-course sit-down feast and a beverage of your choice.
The fly in the soup has finally been noticed, the question uttered: is experimental music as boring as bat shit? We're familiar with both sides of the problem. On the one hand we feel it in our gut, it's bodily, it cleaves the ears from the head, it leaves us feeling impatient/annoyed/uninformed/conservative/hungry. On the other hand, it offers a spontaneous surge of attention/appreciation — it's that very rare, very unexpected experience that suddenly opens the world like a can; irreversibly illuminating. Part of Serial Space's NEXT NEXT: Mini-Festival of Exploratory Sound and Music, The Great Music Debate is the 5th edition in the reputable Great Debate Series. Assembling informed and poised sides, together with performances/case studies by Potato Masta, Kusum Normoyle, Lucas Abela & DJ Hot Balls, the event promises to be revealing, informative, and anything but boring.
Keep your eyes peeled for Hendrick's Gin's hot air balloon flying over Sydney today. The floating gin bar, which offered free gin-filled balloon flights late last year, will be taking off as part of a fleet of balloons from Parramatta and floating across Sydney the city throughout today, Monday, March 15. The flight is part of a week-long series of activations Hendrick's is running across the city titled the Week of Wonders that will see free G&Ts offered up throughout the week. Unfortunately, Hendrick's isn't offering free flights in the balloon this time around, but if you catch glimpse of the hot air balloon and manage to snap a pic, you can take that picture to select venues in Parramatta and the city and exchange it for a free gin and tonic. The participating venues include Potts Point Hotel, Frisco Hotel, The Tilbury, Hotel Palisade, Glenmore Hotel, Nick & Nora's and Heritage Lounge. If you miss out on seeing the balloon, there are plenty more chances for free gin throughout the week, too. A pop-up gin bar will be residing at Campbells Cove, The Rocks between Thursday, March 18 and Saturday, March 20. The pop-up will be open 2–8pm each day and will be serving up free cucumber sandwiches and G&Ts. Between 4–7pm from Wednesday, March 17 and Saturday, March 20, you may also see Victorian-era characters riding around the CBD on penny-farthings. If you approach the riders, they'll offer you a cucumber which you can redeem for a Hendrick's Gin cocktail at a selection of Sydney venues including PS40 and The Barber Shop. More information will be available throughout the week via the Hendrick's Gin Facebook page. Hendrick's Gin's 'Week of Wonder' runs from Monday, March 15 until Saturday, March 20.
Warm, cosy, rosy, charming, feel-good: typically when a film spins its story during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, none of these words apply. But with Belfast, Kenneth Branagh has made a movie set in its eponymous city when the Protestant-versus-Catholic violence was a constant sight, and also helmed a feature that's about a childhood spent with that conflict as a backdrop. It's an approach that only works because Branagh draws from his own experiences — the film isn't a play-by-play memoir, but it's also clearly personal. Here, it's 1969, when the actor-turned-filmmaker would've been nine years old. The movie's protagonist, Buddy (first-timer Jude Hill), is that exact age, in fact. And with the beginnings of a three-decade-long sectarian fracas bubbling and boiling around him, he navigates the usual age-appropriate antics, such as school, crushes, doting grandparents with ailing health and a potential big move. The Troubles are a constant sight in the largely monochrome-hued film, too, and the reason Buddy's that parents are contemplating relocating to England, something they wouldn't have dreamed of otherwise. Pa (Jamie Dornan, The Tourist) already spends most of his time working there as a joiner, leaving Ma (Caitríona Balfe, Outlander) at home with Buddy and his elder brother Will (Lewis McAskie, Here Before) — with assistance from the boys' Granny (Judi Dench, Six Minutes to Midnight) and Pop (Ciarán Hinds, The Man in the Hat) — and he's been offered a new job that comes with a house. The violence swirling through Belfast has already made it to the family's street, to their hounded Catholic neighbours and, when Pa refuses to join the fray, put them on their fellow Protestants' hit list. Shifting to London (or perhaps further, to Sydney or Vancouver) would provide a new start and a safer future, but leaving all they've ever known isn't a simple decision. Belfast's adult characters are only known as Buddy would know them, such is Branagh's commitment to seeing this story, time and place through a child's eyes as he once did. And, while there's much debate to be had between Pa and Ma about whether to go or stay, the film is filled with its young lead's joys and worries — with the prospect of never again seeing the Catholic classmate he swoons over high among the boy's concerns. Belfast isn't short on context, however, though there's zero chance that it could be mistaken for a meaty interrogation of The Troubles. Branagh weaves in examples of how the push-and-pull of the conflict that's inescapable in his neighbourhood every day, Molotov cocktails, broken windows, blazes, riots and all, puts Buddy and his family in the middle. Still, a magical view of childhood remains, including when Buddy gets thrust into the thick of the fray — where, after he returns home with looted supermarket wares, his mother marches him back to return the stolen products amid the chaos. Branagh also indulges in an origin story, perhaps inspired by his stint in the Marvel Cinematic Universe directing the first Thor film back in 2011 (Buddy is even seen reading a Thor comic). Escaping The Troubles as much as anyone can in Belfast, the writer/director's on-screen surrogate adores seeing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and A Christmas Carol also features — scenes that come to life in colour, unlike the bulk of the picture around them. In the process, Branagh helps trace the early steps of his own desire to become a thespian and filmmaker, which has led to everything from Shakespeare adaptations such as Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet, to doing double duty in front of and behind the lens with Hercule Poirot duo Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile. He's played Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' Gilderoy Lockhart, helmed Disney's live-action Cinderella, gotten villainous in Tenet, and of course, enjoyed an applauded on-stage career as well, all stemming from those first rapturous experiences watching when he was growing up. You could also call Belfast Branagh's Roma moment, after Alfonso Cuarón also gave cinema a black-and-white vision drawn from his own childhood, although that comparison fades quickly — even with Oscar love likely to come this film's way, in nominations at least, as it did for its predecessor. Here, the Dutch angles have it, with one of Branagh's go-to stylistic moves visually reinforcing Belfast's skewed perspective. Everything that viewers see is gorgeously lensed by his regular cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos (a mainstay on everything except All Is True since 2007's Sleuth), and also fondly nostalgic as cherished memories of formative years always are, with the lean firmly towards Buddy and his subjective view. As often set to a Van Morrison soundtrack, there's no doubting that this is a portrait of the big and small moments remembered and given a tender glow far more than it's about matters of politics and religion. As carefully and sentimentally conjured up and constructed as it is, Belfast's message remains timely as it gazes five-plus decades back. Horror and conflict stalk Buddy's working-class turf, his routine and life are shaken and upended, but hope — and the reality that life does go on — shines through. The opposing forces of comfort and change jostle around him, and this boy and his loved ones endeavour to make their way through it. Indeed, it should come as no surprise that this was Branagh's pandemic project, or that he peers back with such affection. In one of the movie's least successful touches, he even finds a way to convey that process on-screen, starting with a glossy shot of Ireland today, then literally peeking beyond a wall to venture into the past. Branagh's best choice: his magnificent cast, although an actor who also directs guiding marvellous performances out of his key players also doesn't surprise. What's especially glorious about Hill, Dornan, Balfe, Dench and Hinds is how much their portrayals tell us about their characters in the beats between dialogue, with wide-eyed enthusiasm radiating from wonderful newcomer Hill, and Dench and Hinds perfecting Granny and Pop's world-wise lived-in dynamic, for instance. Dornan and Balfe are also exceptional; whether bickering heatedly about tax debts and far-off places or taking to the dance floor — or, in Dornan's case, belting out a big-hearted rendition of 'Everlasting Love' to give his Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar crooning a companion — they're a picture of that unceasing emotion that Branagh infuses into every element of the film. Yes, as its showcase number trumpets, that's love, which leads to a sweet, neat and light but still vivid and soulful snapshot of growing up amid swelling uncertainty. Image: Rob Youngson / Focus Features.
In 1978, modernist photographer Max Dupain left Australian shores for his first trip to Europe. His mission? To capture architect Harry Seidler’s Australian Embassy, constructed the year before. The two had become friends over their shared passion for form and light. Dupain spent time exploring Paris’s many monuments and architectural features, taking photographs that varied from formal compositions playing with scale, such as a shot of Napoleon’s state on Les Invalides balcony, to candid portraits. Now, for the first time ever, 21 of those images will be revealed to the public. Dupain originally gave them to Seidler, accompanied by a handwritten note stating, “I owe you so much. For nearly twenty-five years I have dwelt on your philosophy of architecture. We register alike about clear thinking, logic of application, poetry of form, etc etc. [sic].” Penelope Seidler donated the photos to the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 2012. In addition to the Paris private portfolio, 15 of Dupain’s architecturally and botanically inspired photographs will be shown, mostly taken around Sydney and covering a 50-year span of his career.
This winter, Barangaroo House is embracing the winter chill on all of its three levels. Today, July 3, the waterside venue launched Bring the Heat — a multi-storey winter wonderland with luxe rooftop igloos, spiced martinis, magnums of Champagne and fondue pots aplenty. The outdoor terrace of Smoke (the venue's rooftop cocktail bar) is where you'll find those opulent igloos — they come complete with cosy cushions, blankets, hanging greenery and lanterns. Here, you can order cheese or chocolate fondue and baked truffle camembert straight to your igloo. For drinks, there's Champagne, hot bloody marys and 'cauldrons' of mulled wine that serve six. The igloos fit up to ten and can be booked for two hours — though you'll need to commit to a minimum spend of $500 (that's only $50 each if you round up your mates). The best time to book is on weekends when bottomless Champagne and alpine-inspired snacks are on offer from noon–3pm — drink all the Champagne you can handle while enjoying wagyu bresaola, pork skewers, toasties and hot chips for a reasonable $95 all up. Or stop by right at 5pm on weekdays, when the first five 1.5-litre magnums of Veuve Clicquot will be sold for just $145 per bottle. Over at Bea restaurant, Head Chef Tom Haynes is dishing up woodfired dishes — think charred tiger prawns or spatchcock chicken with green rice stuffing — alongside a selection of $10 mini martinis. If you're keen for the whole hog, book into one of Bea's winter wine degustations, which will take place on July 4, 17 and August 29. For $95–150 per person, you'll be treated to a feast and a few drops from winemakers Cullen Wines, Cloudy Bay and Michael Hall Wines. And, down on the ground level, House Bar is offering its own range of spiced martinis, including a chilli choc espresso, a smoked rosemary and a spiced apple version. You'll be able to DIY garnishes and bitters with these, too. All of these deals will only be available through to the end of August, though, so don't wait on it. Images: Alana Dimou
As part of the Opera House's recent haul-in of contemporary acts, indie-rock veterans and virtuosos, Yo La Tengo, will be performing a unique two-part show that divulges the 'soft' and the 'loud' on March 13, 2014. Labelled "the quintessential critic's band", they have remained versatile yet reliable: an institution of high-calibre indie. For this performance, the seminal trio will draw from a catalogue spanning 30 years. Their repertoire spans immersive bossa nova lullabies through to clanging punk-rock freakouts, not to mention an encyclopaedic repertoire of covers, heralding a generation's love of the classic mix-tape. Lately, it seems the sleepy romance of their softer tracks has taken precedence with the recent release of Fade. The 2013 album is serenely melodic, dipping into surfer rock, motown, and '60s soul. It is a cohesive and beautifully melded arrangement of sounds, bespeaking a band that has truly come into its own. Yo La Tengo will also be swinging down Victoria way for Golden Plains Festival in March, performing alongside hip hop legends Public Enemy. Tickets will go on sale this Friday, November 1, from the Sydney Opera House website. https://youtube.com/watch?v=GRyeTCibkbE
It's not beyond the realms of possibility that V/H/S/2 contains a reference to every horror film ever made. Child ghosts, zombies, cult victims, alien abductions: you name it, you'll find it haunting, taunting, tormenting or terrorising someone in there somewhere. However, in attempting to pack more gore and perversity into 90 minutes than Quentin Tarantino could dismemberments into four hours of Kill Bill, the directors too often lose their grasp on the most devastating weapon in their repertoire – compelling storytelling. Created by seven directors who, collectively, list The Blair Witch Project, You're Next, Hobo with a Shotgun and The Raid in their filmography, V/H/S/2, the sequel to V/H/S, is, like its predecessor, an anthology of found-footage style vignettes. We view them through the eyes of two private investigators. After breaking into the home of a missing college student, they find themselves drawn into his demon-possessed, VHS-obsessed world. We meet a gentleman saved from blindness by a bionic eye, only to discover that the technology enables the infiltration of bloodthirsty ghouls; a pair of cyclists whose innocent, sun-kissed forest ride ends in zombie attack; a team of intrepid journalists risking their safety for an inside story on an Indonesian cult; and a party of out-of-control teenagers whose sex-fuelled teasing gets serious under threat of alien invasion. Of the four encounters, the third, Safe Haven, is the stand out. Directed by Timo Tjahjanto and Gareth Huw Evans (of The Raid: Redemption), its depiction of a suicide cult deluded by a deranged, megalomaniacal leader is deeply disturbing in its implication that the most nightmarish of our imaginings are not necessarily far removed from the extremities of human cruelty. Well-controlled gradations in suspense and incorporation of character-driven drama give potency to the horror when it hits. Unfortunately, the other three shorts are less effective in eliciting a genuine scare — physical or psychological. Shaky motion, erratic angles and a Go Pro camera (affixed, at one point to a family pet) aim to suggest a hand-held, home-videoesque authenticity, but, for the most part, are too self-conscious and persistent to allow suspension of disbelief. The violence is too relentless to provoke any chills and we don't learn enough about the characters to care much about why, how or when their demons deposit of them. Even though V/H/S/2 is, unusually enough for a sequel, an improvement on the original, it still feels as though there's too much of a focus on being demented, merely for being demented's sake. https://youtube.com/watch?v=8Rto5cyknzU
Since the mid-90s, Paul Rudd has been a constant presence on both big and small screens. First, he won over Beverly Hills' coolest teen in Clueless, joined horror royalty in Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers and somehow became the unattractive romantic alternative in Romeo + Juliet. Then, he helped deliver San Diego's news in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, ran for office against Leslie Knope in Parks & Recreation and became the world's smallest superhero in Ant-Man. The list goes on, spanning a trip to camp in Wet Hot American Summer, as well appearances on Friends and Veronica Mars. But it's Netflix's new series Living With Yourself that's finally giving the world what we want — all the Paul Rudd that anyone could ever ask for. Yet another existential comedy to join the likes of The Good Place, Russian Doll, Forever and Undone, Living With Yourself follows an ordinary guy struggling through an average life, until he discovers an unusual solution. Miles (Rudd) heads to a day spa expecting to come out feeling refreshed — and that happens, in a way. The new and improved version of Miles couldn't be happier, but the old version is still hanging around. Two Paul Rudds is most people's dream, of course. In Living With Yourself, however, the two versions of his character cause quite the chaos. How the pair handle their shared life, wife Kate (Aisling Bea), career and identity fuels this eight-episode show, as do weighty questions, including trying to be a better version of ourselves. Hitting Netflix mid-October, the series was written by Emmy Award-winning The Daily Show producer Timothy Greenberg, and directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (The Battle of the Sexes, Ruby Sparks, Little Miss Sunshine). Check out the trailer for Living With Yourself below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w54yW2Ur50 Living With Yourself drops on Netflix on October 18. Images: Netflix.
What's Attica without Ben Shewry? The team at Gelinaz! are about to find out. The Melbourne-based head chef of 'Australia's best restaurant' is packing his bags for a huge global chef swap this July. Created by Gelinaz! — the international chef collective responsible for wild, collaborative cook-off stunts — the event will see 37 chefs from around the globe jump on a plane, travel to a new country and serve up their best in another chef's kitchen. They'll even be living in each other's houses, just like that terrible, terrible Wife Swap. It's called the Grand Gelinaz! Shuffle and it's going down on July 9. Shewry is joining one humdinger of an international chef lineup, repping our culinary nation alongside Adelaidean chef Jock Zonfrillo (of Orana). The pair will put their names in the hat with Parisian chef Alain Ducasse (La Plaza Athenee), Tokyo's Yoshihiro Narisawa (Narisawa), Copenhagen's René Redzepi (Noma), NYC's Sean Gray (Momofuku Ko), Charleston's Sean Brock (McCrady's) and San Francisco's Dominique Crenn (Atelier Crenn) to name a few. The chefs know where they're going, but ticketholders won't know which chef's delights they'll be enjoying until the day. So you could be dining on a Noma or Momofuku-style dish at Attica if you're lucky. Tickets are available to the public, so if you're keen to head to Attica or Orana on July 9 you'd better plan ahead. Tickets go on sale on May 13, but prices haven't been unveiled just yet. Check over here for more details. Here's all 37 Grand Gelinaz! Shuffle participants. Who'll be your chef for the night? Ben Shewry, Attica, Melbourne — Australia Jock Zonfrillo, Orana, Adelaide — Australia Danny Bowien, Mission Chinese Food, New York — USA Sean Gray, Momofuku Ko, New York — USA Sean Brock, McCrady's, Charleston — USA David Kinch, Manresa, Los Gatos — USA Daniel Patterson, Coi, San Francisco — USA Dominique Crenn, Atelier Crenn, San Francisco — USA Carlo Mirarchi, Blanca, New York — USA Blaine Wetzel, Willow's Inn, Lummi Island — USA Colombe Saint-Pierre, Chez Saint-Pierre, Le Bic — Canada Claude Bosi, Hibiscus — England Magnus Nilsson, Faviken, Järpen — Sweden Peter Nilsson, Spritmuseum, Stockholm — Sweden René Redzepi, Noma, Copenhagen — Denmark Paul Cunningham, Henne Kirkeby Kro, Henne — Denmark Kobe Desramaults, In De Wulf, Dranouter — Belgium Mehmet Gurs, Mikla, Istanbul — Turkey Yoshihiro Narisawa, Narisawa, Tokyo — Japan David Thompson, Nahm, Bangkok — Thailand Bertrand Grebaut, Septime, Paris — France Alain Ducasse, La Plaza Athenee, Paris — France Yannick Alleno, Le Doyen, Paris — France Inaki Alzpitarte, Le Cheateaubriand, Paris — France Mauro Colagreco, Mirazur, Menton — France Alexandre Gauthier, La Grenouillere, Montreuil/Mer — France Ana Ros, Hisa Franko, Kobarid — Slovenia Davide Scabin, Combal Zero, Rivoli — Italy Fulvio Pierangelini, Hotel de Russie, Rome — Italy Riccardo Camanini, Lido 84, Gardone Riviera — Italy Massimo Bottura, La Francescana, Moderna — Italy Massilmillano Alajmo, La Calandre, Venice — Italy Andoni Luis Aduriz, Mugaritz, San Sebastian — Spain Albert Adria, Pakta, Barcelona — Spain Alex Atala, D.O.M., San Paolo — Brazil Rodolfo Guzman, Borago, Santiago — Chile Virgillo Martinez, Central, Lima — Peru Via Grub Street.
Just in time for Christmas — and well-timed for last-minute present shopping, too — the Marrickville Makers' Market is making its debut. Forget about buying your loved ones whatever's filling department store shelves. Here, you'll find one-of-a-kind art gifts crafted by artisans and local creatives. Would your mum like some handmade jewellery? Perhaps your bestie's living room could use an original print? Maybe your dad would love a piece of woodwork — and who doesn't like ceramics? Or, you could find give everyone the gift of slow fashion. Artists selling their wares include Dan O'Toole aka Ears, Birdhat, Eliza da Collage and Hause of Glassborow, while Babe Rave and other DJs will be spinning tunes to get you in the buying mood. Just head to Join the Dots at 102 Victoria Road, Marrickville on Saturday, December 22, with the market running from 10am–5pm.
This month, galleries and creative spaces across Sydney will throw open their doors for a massive celebration of contemporary art and artists for Art Month Sydney's milestone tenth anniversary. As part of this year's jam-packed lineup, Art Month Sydney is hosting a series of after-work tours of the city's most prolific art precincts. On Thursday, March 21, it's time to check out galleries and art spaces around east Sydney for a sunset art tour. Whether you've wandered past but not ventured in, know the precinct's galleries well, or have never heard of them, tonight is a chance to enjoy what's on offer. Galleries that'll be keeping their doors open for the evening include Stacks Projects, Artspace, Emerson, the Australian Design Centre and Chalk Horse. To take part, simply explore the Art Month Sydney map here, pop on some comfy shoes and start your tour at 6pm. You can hit the pavement in any direction you like, but make sure you end things at Firstdraft. From 8pm, the venue — which is Australia's longest-running artist-run initiative — will be hosting an end-of-night party. There'll be a lineup of performance art and DJs curated by Performance Space's Tulleah Pearce. The lineup includes an installation by Jodie Whalen, video work by Su Yu Hsin and performances by artists JD Reforma, Eugene Choi, Alyx Dennison and Bonnie Stewart. Plus, DJs Marcus Whale and Sovereign Trax will provide the soundtrack to the party. And while you're there, you can also check out Firstdraft's latest exhibitions, featuring solo shows from Roberta Rich, Mojgan Habibi and Cindy Yuen-Zhe Chen. For more information on the Art at Night: East Sydney, or to check out the full Art Month Sydney program, head this way. Image: courtesy of Art Month Sydney.
No one celebrates their birthday just once in any given year, especially if you're hitting a big milestone. Where's the fun in that? Yes, that proves true of cinemas as well, including the Ritz in Randwick — which is marking 85 years of screening movies, movies and even more movies with not one but two huge retrospective programs. The first, called 85 Films in 85 Days, is showing a different film from each of the venue's 85 years on each and every day until mid-October. That's a hefty effort, but the cinema's Australia on Celluloid program has it beat, at least in terms of duration. Again, that title is descriptive. In this retro showcase — which runs from Saturday, July 30, 2022–Monday, July 24, 2023 — the Randwick picture palace is diving back into Aussie movie history, and also screening each and every flick on its list in glorious 35mm. So, you're getting a blast from the past in two ways: in what you're watching and via how it's being shown. The program is filled with gems, unsurprisingly, kicking off with 1978's Newsfront — which is set in the 1940s, and follows two Cinetone newsreel company employees (Bill Hunter and Chris Haywood) covering news stories in the days before TV. Also on the list: the original Storm Boy, Aussie war dramas such as Gallipoli and Breaker Morant, and everything from They're a Weird Mob and The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith through to Love Serenade and The Last Days of Chez Nous, plus Jedda, Shame, Don's Party, The Man From Hong Kong and The Coca-Cola Kid as well. Almost every genre is covered — and if it's an Aussie film released between the 50s and the 90s, odds are it'll flicker across the Ritz's screens at some point during this lineup. Among the many highlights, expect to see plenty of Aussie stars in their early days — including Bryan Brown in 1980's Stir, Noni Hazelhurst and Michael Caton in 1982's Monkey Grip, Colin Friels in 1986's Malcolm, Ben Mendelsohn and Claudia Karvan in 1990's The Big Steal, and Hugo Weaving and Russell Crowe in Proof the same year. Sessions run on Saturday afternoons weekly, with encores on Monday evenings.
It's been eight years since Yeah Yeah Yeahs released the still totally exciting self-titled EP (seriously, dust off Art Star!). A whole lot of time and tours have passed since then, but not the wide expanse of albums one might expect, which only makes each one all the more of a thrill upon arrival. That's not to say they haven't been busy. Singer Karen O just received a Grammy nomination for scoring Where the Wild Things Are. Guitarist Nick Zinner has released three monographs of his photographic work, the latest with an introduction by Jim Jarmusch; and drummer Brian Chase is involved with a band that is described as playing "klezmer-fusion" music. What's more, this year's YYY album It's Blitz is one of their best. Live, Karen O's delivery is somewhere between banshee beat and rock'n'droll, as faithful as her outfits by Christian Joy are bonkers. On stage, she's an unpredictable delight, though that time she danced off the stage at the Metro Theatre in 2003 was more former than latter (I'm still wincing). Here's hoping the wider boards of the Hordern Pavillion she'll be treading this time help prevent such a showstopper. Supporting the Sydney show will be local act Circle Pit, who are getting to be worth the ticket price alone.
Underlying all symposiums is a question: how do we know what we know? What seems like a straightforward question is in fact difficult to answer. How does knowledge accumulate? How is it shared? Why is it useful? Certainly we know its fundamental to how we perceive current situations and positions, but what is our current situation and position? The 5th Pacific Thought Symposium promises to offer us a chance to think about such questions under the theme proposed by MAU Artistic Director Lemi Ponifasio, Bringing Forth The Ancestors. With a panel of speakers ranging from artists, cultural leaders, and intellectuals from the Pacific, Australia and Asia, this will be the first time the symposium has been held on this side of the Pacific and is an important step in acknowledging our wider environment and diverse histories. With a focus on Indigenous issues, both in Australia and abroad, as well as the presentation of a range of differing philosophies and propositions, this looks conducive to some necessary and needed thinking.
In the film that brought her global acclaim, Australian filmmaker Jennifer Peedom climbed up in the world — and she hasn't looked back. Sherpa explored tense times on Mount Everest, while her next documentary Mountain pondered the world's highest peaks, their beauty and their allure. With River after that, Peedom didn't stare at towering land masses. But she does peer from great heights at waterways that snake across continents. And, she once again teamed up with none other than Willem Dafoe (Poor Things), who narrates this poetic musing on just how rivers shape the planet. Watching River itself is a meditative experience, because looking at absolutely stunning sights shot in 39 countries, listening to lyrical narration, and hearing a stirring score featuring Bach, Ravel, Jonny Greenwood, Radiohead and more has that effect. Making the movie even better is River Live in Concert with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, which returns for another nationwide tour in 2024, this time with Indigenous Australian didgeridoo player and vocalist William Barton joining in. The ACO and Barton will play the film's soundtrack right there in front of you as you watch. Sydneysiders can get in on the action on Saturday, February 10, Tuesday, February 13 and Wednesday, February 14 at City Recital Hall — and on Sunday, February 11 at Sydney Opera House. Event images: Nick Walker.
The last time the pantsguys put on a Simon Stephens play, they won a Sydney Theatre Award for Best Independent Production. So you can see why they'd be keen to follow up Punk Rock with another work from the UK playwright's oeuvre, On the Shore of the Wide World. It puts them two for two, as On the Shore is a gorgeous stroke of melancholia showcasing some powerful performances. Again, we're visiting Stockport, the town Stephens grew up in and seemingly has some issues with. Centrestage in the kitchen-sink drama is the Holmes family: caring grandfather Charlie (Paul Bertram), is not so sweet to his wife, Ellen (Kate Fitzpatrick), after a few ciders; marrieds Peter (Huw Higginson) and Alice (Amanda Stephens-Lee) don't need much prodding to go from coasting to crisis; and their teenage sons, Christopher (Alex Beauman) and Alex (Graeme McRae), face an ongoing battle against boredom. For Alex, though, the world is newly full of possibility now he's in love with girlfriend Lily (Sarah Black). The play is not direct about plot or theme, but what comes to the fore is the ways in which the men of the Holmes line are damaged. And the dead-end town's not the only thing at fault. Worked on by violence, expectations of masculinity and war wounds passed on and on again, they are unable to express themselves as they so need to. In Stephens' hands, this is bleak but not torturous; there's a lot to like about spending time with this family, and director Anthony Skuse brings out that warmth. The actors here have not just finesse but charm, and Higginson in particular is super simpatico as the well-meaning, pulled-in-all-directions, quietly anguished Peter; you kind of just want him to play all the dads from here on in. Black's Lily is another highlight, raising the stakes in each scene she's in. One slight disappointment is the set design, which is appropriate in theme (canvas dropcloths, for painting and renovating) and aesthetic (sad and grey) but just not very polished or pleasant to look at. It weighs on the already small stage of the Stables Theatre, though designer Gez Xavier Mansfield's work is usually so strong and detailed. On the Shore of the Wide World is a standout piece of new(ish) international writing done smoothly, and it sets the bar high for the Griffin Independent season in 2014.
If you resolved to spend the New Year getting a handle on today's topical issues, we've got just the event to get things started. Directed by TEDxSydney's Remo Giuffre and curated by Jess Miller, General Thinking on The Streets of Barangaroo will see the precinct's Wulugul Pop-Up welcome 12 months of free talks, debates and panel discussions on some of the globe's most pressing social concerns. Australia's best and brightest minds are set to challenge audiences with monthly sessions that both engage and entertain. Each month, expect to question your assumptions on life's bigger things, and even let out a cheeky chuckle or two. And with the program covering everything from hard-hitting political debates to the latest tech gadgets and the science of love, General Thinking on The Streets of Barangaroo offers up solid brain food for everyone. Pull up a deck chair by the water and enjoy some good ol' fashioned debate under the stars, outdoor-cinema style. The next event in the series, entitled 'Australia, I love you but...' brings local and international voices to the stage to unpack our country's skewed, debated and highly polarised sense of nationalism — essentially, what we dearly love about Australia, and what's making us a little disappointed. Confirmed speakers include emerging independent choreographer Amrita Hepi, a celebrated performance artist descending from the Ngapuhi tribe in Northern New Zealand and the Bundjulung people in northern New South Wales, and Australian Poetry Slam 2014 finalist Troy Wong. Importantly, this one's paired with gelato from RivaReno, so could potentially be the best date option Sydney's offered up in an age. Then in February, just in time for Valentine's Day, it's a speed dating event 'Love on The Streets of Barangaroo'. This time, you'll be delving into the psychology of modern dating with a professional love doctor (expect a few handy tips on how to make a good first impression, Tinder fans). And after all this deep deliberation, you'll be able to feast on some scrumptious offerings from the likes of Gin & It, Belle’s Hot Chicken, Mamak and Edition Coffee Roasters. Arrive at 6.30pm for a 7pm start and switch your brain on. But get on it ASAP, as tickets are limited and going fast. For more information on other events in the General Thinking on The Streets of Barangaroo series, visit the website. Image: Rob Mulally.
Love live music? What about when you can experience it for free? Well, drop into Misfits, Redfern's much-loved neighbourhood bar, on the first Thursday of the month, and you're in for a treat. Beyond the bar's secret bookcase lies a 70s-style lounge room, where you'll find live music and cheap Aussie beer. Dubbed 'Locals in the Lounge', this free gig series is a collaboration between music lovin' Misfits and Pirate Life, a brewery based in Adelaide. Misfits is one of the few live music spots in the area. So, this gig series is a way to support emerging artists affiliated with well-known platforms such as Triple J or FBI radio. Plus, it celebrates Pirate Life's new Port Local Lager — a cold, crisp brew, which you can nab for just five bucks a schooner on the night. On Thursday, September 5, you'll be kicking back to the sounds of soul and R&B singer Jeremy Gregory. His tune 'That's What's Going Down' spent three weeks in Australia's Top 40 upon its release. He's also recorded with Disco Montego and The Rockmelons. Plus, since 2011, he's been a member of Perth-based band Village Kid. There's only one catch to all this excitement. Misfits' gig venue is pint-sized. And, because the gig costs zero dollars, you can't book. So, make sure you don't miss out by rocking up early.
We know what you're thinking: Darling Harbour, not your usual no.1 pick for a day or night out in Sydney. But consider that the area is bordered by Barangaroo to the north, and new precinct Darling Square to the south, meaning your every meal can be catered for by a parade of top restaurateurs. Think about how easy it is to catch a ferry from here, and enjoy a day trip out onto the harbour. And entertain the idea of a night at the theatre without the cold schlep home. It all adds up to one thing: you're due a staycation in Darling Harbour. Here's your guide to living a luxury weekend of food, wine, culture and revels, harbourside. EAT AND DRINK To experience some of the most exciting cooking being done in Sydney, you'll want to follow the waterfront around to Barangaroo. The precinct only began opening its first completed sections in 2015, and already there's more life here than you might expect from a masterplanned development. Mainly, people come for the food and drink. At the fancier end of the spectrum, there's seafood-focused Cirrus Dining, the new offering from local food scene celebs Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt of Bentley. It's the spot for a quintessential Sydney blow-out lunch of oysters, trevally tartare and roasted king prawns with koji butter. Lotus Dumpling Bar and Turkish joint Anason are two more casual options that still wow. Alternatively (or afterwards), head to 12-Micron, a contemporary-Oz affair that stands out for its focus on dessert. They even offer a three- or five-course dessert degustation, with flavour combinations like Pyengana Cheddar, milk chocolate, plum and honeycomb all bundled together into one dish. Also note their use of native ingredients on every plate — it's something you don't see often enough in Australia. Follow all this up with some appropriately refined drinking. One luxe spot in this area is small bar Solera, with it's lush decor (think green velvet couches and flashes of marbles). Another good option is Banksii, where the specialty is vermouth and everything just sings. Back in Darling Harbour proper, Sofitel Darling Harbour's Champagne Bar is perfect for an indulgent nightcap after a long day of exploring. Over 20 different types of Champagne are on offer, from Carnard-Duchene and Pol Roger to a 2009 Louis Roederer vintage in collaboration with artist Philippe Starck. If you prefer brews over bubbles, Pumphouse has one of the best beer selections in the city, from easy-drinking lagers to heavy-going stouts. In this area, you'll also find one of Sydney's most well-known fine-diners, Sepia. This is still a great special-occasion spot, where your dinner looks like a procession of miniature landscapes and sculptures. A more casual option in this area is the Ternary at the Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbour, a crowd-pleasing bar and restaurant with three distinct offerings: Grill Kitchen, Asian Kitchen and Wine Bar. They know how to do winter too — they've scheduled a five-course, whisky-paired degustation on Thursday, August 30 for $189 per head. If dining isn't the headline act for this evening, drop by the newly launched Pier St Kitchen at the Novotel Sydney Darling Square. They offer a pre-theatre menu of one or two courses with matching wines from $30 — a good call given major venues like the International Convention Centre and The Capitol and State Theatres are a short stroll away. Or, take a stroll along The Goods Line to the new Darling Square food precinct Steam Mill Lane — here, you'll find a bevy of casual food options including famed Melbourne burger joint 8bit and poké place Fishbowl. DO You're in Sydney's theatre district right now, so you might as well make the most of it. The critically acclaimed and audience-adored British touring production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is on at the Roslyn Packer Theatre, just up from Barangaroo, until the end of July. After that there's Ruth Park's great Australian novel The Harp in the South, given a new adaptation by Kate Mulvany. Meanwhile, Capitol Theatre down in Haymarket begins its run of Jersey Boys at the end of August. Or, head in the other direction and into Pyrmont, where big musicals land at the Lyric Theatre. This winter, that's The Book of Mormon — the Broadway hit that also manages to be hugely offensive to just about everyone. There's a treat for lovers of high fashion in this part of town too. The Powerhouse Museum is hosting Reigning Men, the world's biggest exhibition of men's fashion, with garments pulled from aristocrats of the 18th century as well as the runways of today. Divine. If you don't mind doing a little learning on your mini break, stop by the Australian National Maritime Museum, which is currently hosting James Cameron: Challenging the Deep. This immersive exhibition centres on the filmmaker's oceanic explorations. You will be able to virtually explore the Titanic and Bismarck shipwrecks and see props from Cameron's films, including the Heart of the Ocean diamond. Your final foray in Darling Harbour should be to Barangaroo wharf, where you can catch a ride on the F3 ferry to UNESCO World Heritage-listed Cockatoo Island. It used to be a penal colony, then a dockyard, and the mix of natural beauty and industrial ruin here is quite special and poetic. It's a great spot to just wander around and photograph — though there's also a haunted night tour if you just have to get intense about it. SLEEP Back to the mainland, where you've been smart enough to book yourself more deluxe lodgings. The Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour is pure 5-star indulgence, with an infinity pool offering stunning views of the Sydney skyline and the aforementioned Champagne Bar. If you're celebrating on this trip, get a Luxury Room with Darling Harbour view, where you can enjoy harbour views from your freestanding bathtub through floor-to-ceiling windows. Another option is the home of the aforementioned Ternary restaurant, the 4.5-star Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbour. Its rooms have just been refreshed, with dark feature walls, light wood accents and oversized art creating a contemporary yet cosy feel. Go for the executive rooms and suites if you want to bask in those city panoramas. The 4.5-star Novotel Sydney Darling Square, meanwhile, is comfortably situated equidistant from the ICC and Chinatown, making it a good option if you're partial to a mid-afternoon nap before heading out into the action again. Go to the AccorHotels website to book your stay in Darling Harbour, and to discover more of NSW, check out Visit NSW.
If you needed a new reason to make the journey to Palm Beach, we have it here. After six months of renovations from new owners The Boathouse Group, longstanding Palm Beach venue Barrenjoey House has reopened — just in time for the summer holidays. The heritage-listed restaurant and guesthouse is the eighth venture by the Sydney hospitality group, which, headed up by husband and wife team Pip and Andrew Goldsmith, runs various Boathouse venues around Sydney. Most recently, the group opened the Boathouse Hotel just across the way in Patonga. Barrenjoey House has retained its original name, but follow a similar blueprint to the new Patonga venue. The restaurant will offer table service for lunch and dinner, and seven small guest rooms will be available to book from early 2019. That said, the group has has paid homage to the old building and its waterside location by refreshing the interiors with its signature coastal feel — think shell mirrors, wooden furnishings, banquette seating and local art. The menu has a focus on fresh local produce and seafood takes centre stage. The casual nature of the restaurant means that you can pop in for a snack — maybe kingfish ceviche or fried calamari — after a swim at the beach or you can book in for lunch or dinner. Main dishes include rare yellowfin tuna spaghetti, a Murray Cod with fennel, orange and cucumber, and an Eye Fillet with good old-fashioned mashed potato and green beans. Sweet tooths will be pleased with the dessert options that include a strawberry sundae and a peanut butter parfait. The drinks list continues with the seaside atmosphere, with cocktails like a coconut mojito and a cucumber cooler on the menu. Beer, cider and non-alcoholic beverage options are available, too, and the extensive wine list could easily see you lose a lazy summer's afternoon. And seeing as you've ventured this far north, make a day of it and walk up to Barrenjoey Lighthouse for panoramic ocean views, or take the 15-minute ferry ride across to Patonga for more coastal vibes. Find Barrenjoey House at 1108 Barrenjoey Road, Palm Beach. The restaurant and bar are open Tuesday to Sunday from noon till 9pm.
Merivale is currently throwing Beer Oh Beer!, a huge month-long festival celebrating all things beer. The Sydney hospitality giant is dedicating all of September to frosty cans and perfect pours of everyone's favourite golden ale. Highlights of the festival include Dan Hong and Michael Fox's Biru & Yakitori Party and a beer and pizza pool party, but things have just been taken up a notch with Merivale announcing a new week-long happy hour that will be offering nearly half-priced beers at venues across Sydney. Between Monday, September 12 and Sunday, September 18, all Merivale pubs and bars will be taking 49-percent off the price of all schooners of beer bought between 5-7pm. This means that you can enjoy a discounted frothy in the Vic on the Park's beer garden or on the deck at The Newport. Other Merivale venues that will be taking part in the promotion include the newly opened beer garden Backyard at The Alex, as well as Coogee Pavilion, The Grand Hotel, The Royal Bondi, Wynyard Hotel, The Paddington and The Beresford, just to name a few. This isn't the first time Merivale has offered 49-percent off drinks. Last week it celebrated the opening of the new Allianz Stadium — where it is overseeing the food and drink programming — by offering discounted pre-match beverages. And in 2019, the hospo powerhouse discounted all drinks across all of its venues for 31 days. Outside of the schooner promotion, there are plenty of other events and pop-ups taking over Merivale venues throughout September. Every Tuesday during the festival, The Beresford is turning its first-floor room into the Barrel O Laughs comedy club. For $20, comedy fans will be treated to comedy sets from the likes of Dave Hughes, Matt Okine and Al Del Bene, with a schooner of Hahn Super Dry to match. Elsewhere, a beer-based game of shuffleboard will be touring Merivale's venues, the founders of Balter will be hosting a dinner at The Collaroy and Merivale has created its own beer in collaboration with Camperdown's Malt Shovel. Dubbed The Good Tap, the brew will be served at Vic on the Park, The Newport, The Royal, The DOG, Excelsior and Queens Hotel, with proceeds from each pour going to charity.
After announcing its dates earlier this year, Moonlight Cinema has revealed the first part of its 2018–19 program. In short: pack your picnic basket and get ready to watch a heap of flicks under the summer evening sky. Kicking off on Thursday, November 29 in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and on Saturday, December 1 in Perth, this initial lineup boasts plenty of this year's favourites, a smattering of all-time faves and a few sneak peeks at new movies coming out soon. If you're wondering why it's just the first section of the program, that's because it covers the outdoor cinema's screenings until the end of January. A February and March lineup will be announced in January. Tried-and-tested highlights include A Star Is Born, A Simple Favour and Crazy Rich Asians, plus Halloween, Bad Times at the El Royale and Venom if you're after something darker. And it wouldn't be a movie season under the stars (or a pre-Christmas lineup) without Love Actually, Elf and Dirty Dancing, now would it? You can also catch pre-release sessions of twisted period drama The Favourite, from The Lobster filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, as well as Transformers spin-off Bumblebee. Or, opt for Viggo Mortensen-starring likely Oscar contender Green Book, or Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan battling it out in Mary, Queen of Scots. Heist flick Widows, amusing sleuths Holmes and Watson and the wizarding antics of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald are all also accounted for — as is Moonlight's usual food truck and licensed bar offering, and its reserved bean beds. You can also BYO booze everywhere except Brisbane. Brisbane's season is actually benefiting from two big changes, with Moonlight Cinema saying goodbye to Brisbane Powerhouse after a more than a decade and settling in at Roma Street Parkland instead. Even better — it'll run all the way through until March 31 for the first time, like its interstate counterparts. MOONLIGHT CINEMA 2018–19 DATES: Sydney: Nov 29–Mar 31 (Belvedere Amphitheatre in Centennial Park) Melbourne: Nov 29–Mar 31 (Central Lawn at the Royal Botanic Gardens) Brisbane: Nov 29–Mar 31 (Roma Street Parkland) Perth: Dec 1–Mar 31 (May Drive Parkland, Kings Park & Botanic Garden) Adelaide: Dec 8–Feb 17 (Botanic Park) Moonlight Cinema kicks off on November 29. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the Moonlight website.
If Circular Quay wasn't already flush with top-notch dining options — whether it's Matt Moran's takeover of Opera Kitchen, waterfront French bistro Whalebridge or the new Quay Quarter Lanes Precinct — the picturesque harbourside suburb is set to receive a swath of new restaurant openings in 2023, thanks to a new dining precinct titled Sydney Place. Not to be confused with Central Place, the set of billion-dollar tech towers currently being built on top of Central Station, Sydney Place will be compromised of three eat streets at the base of its 55-storey office tower. Across these three laneways — Crane Lane, Rugby Place and Underwood Street — you'll find new spots from renowned Sydney chefs and outposts from beloved local restaurants. While longstanding laksa specialist Malay Chinese Takeaway's Hunter Street outpost is set to be demolished alongside Frankie's Pizza to make way for the new metro station, fans of the Sydney stalwart can rejoice in the news that it will be opening Malay Chinese Noodle Bar in Circular Quay as part of Sydney Place. [caption id="attachment_782074" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Toastiesmith, Kera Wong[/caption] Elsewhere in the precinct, you'll find the second outpost for Morgan McGlone's rotisserie chicken eatery Sunday, a new Toastiesmith, loaded pie shop Lode Pies from ELE and LuMi's Federico Zanellato's, and a Japanese whiskey bar and diner by Joel Best. Rounding out the precinct will be an array of restaurants and cafes offerings dumplings, sushi, ramen, burgers, sandwiches, coffee and Middle Eastern dinners, plus a new studio from Thirteen Feet Tattoo. [caption id="attachment_880803" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sydney Place tenants, Nikki To[/caption] Alongside these newly announced tenants and the 263-metre office tower is the revamped Jacksons on George. Maurice Terzini (Icebergs, RE-, Ciccia Bella, Belongil Beach Italian Food) has taken over the longtime Circular Quay favourite which is currently undergoing a venue-wide transformation. The new iteration of the pub will span three levels, including a gastropub, a restaurant, and an open-air rooftop bar overlooking the planned public plaza and laneways. Designed by award-winning, Sydney-based architecture firm Stewart Hollenstein, the space will feature active edges and open frontages, all of which are designed to enhance social interaction within the venue and with the city below. Jacksons on George is now set to open in mid-2023, while the hospitality tenants at Sydney Place are set to open from March next year. [caption id="attachment_654432" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jacksons on George[/caption] Sydney Place is located at 180 George Street, Sydney. It's set to open in 2023. Top image: Sunday
Can a city with a fiercely dark past be repackaged and sold for tourist consumption? This is the question posed in Seven Kilometres North-East. Created and performed by Kym Vercoe, Seven Kilometres North-East first played in 2010 and met with much acclaim. It's a story both political and personal: an attempt to reconcile an idyllic experience of Bosnia with a country’s brutal past. What begins in a spa hotel in Višegrad leads to an exploration of Bosnia’s history, and a play that combines live song with stunning video visuals. Seven Kilometres North-East is a real highlight from the always interesting Version 1.0 — the same group behind documentary theatre works such as The Table of Knowledge, Beautiful One Day and The Vehicle Failed to Stop. A recent winner at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, and with nifty video projection by Sean Bacon, this is an emotionally captivating performance exploring a deeply relevant dilemma.
It's been three years since Australia's cinema scene welcomed the American Essentials Film Festival — and while a fest dedicated to US flicks might seem obvious, this event sets its sights much further than Hollywood's usual suspects. Given that mainstream, megaplex-friendly movies reach our shores every week, the Palace-run showcase instead curates a lineup of other American titles, delving into films from the US indie realm. Touring Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra from May 8 to 20, the 2018 fest has a particular fondness for emerging practitioners, with artistic director Richard Sowada noting "the obvious talent from some of the filmmakers in the early stages of their feature film careers," as well as "the deep and obvious respect even some of these newer filmmakers have for the traditions of storytelling in American cinema." With that in mind, this year's event kicks off with The Boy Downstairs, a Zosia Mamet-starring effort from debut feature writer-director Sophie Brooks, which proved a hit at the 2017 TriBeCa Film Festival. The opening night pick also highlights one of the festival's other trends — thanks to its focus on American cinema, it boasts plenty of familiar faces on screen. Standouts include Nicolas Cage and Selma Blair battling a murderous rage in horror-comedy Mom and Dad, Helena Bonham Carter and Hilary Swank recreating a landmark '80s case for patients' rights in 55 Steps, and war effort The Yellow Birds, featuring Solo: A Star Wars Story's Alden Ehrenreich, Ready Player One's Tye Sheridan, plus Toni Collette and Jennifer Aniston. There's also two star-studded flicks about sons and their fathers: Humour Me, which pairs up Jemaine Clement and Elliott Gould in a deadpan comedy, and Kodachrome, which takes Jason Sudeikis and Ed Harris on a road trip to a photo processing laboratory. Other notable titles range from Stuck, which brings the train-set off-Broadway musical of the same name to the cinema; to Outside In, director Lynn Shelter's latest featuring Edie Falco as an ex-high school teacher; to mob drama Gotti, starring John Travolta as the mob boss and screening in Australia just hours after its Cannes Film Festival premiere. On the documentary front, How They Got Over takes a far-reaching documentary into African-American gospel quartets in the '30s and '40s, while RBG examines the life and career of US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. For the fest's retrospective section, Los Angeles is in the spotlight courtesy of classics Chinatown, Heat and Shampoo, as well as '70s masterpieces Killer of Sheep and Wattstax. The American Essentials Film Festival tours Australia from May 8, screening at Sydney's Palace Central from May 8 to 20, Brisbane's Palace Centro from May 9 to 20 and Melbourne's Kino Cinemas and The Astor Theatre from May 10 to 20. For more information, visit the festival website.
Like the evil twin of the Biennale, Momentum:Sydney will be lurking around your neighbourhood this week. You'll find him in all your favourite warehouses, galleries and bars, trying to start trouble. This guy's not into gold, ornate frames — we're talking contemporary video, new media, performance and sound art here. With tons of international art stars and key gems of the local scene hanging around, you'll want to be where he is. One event to take note of is a performance by .Tatumi Orimoto, aka the Breadman. In Oil Can, Orimoto will enlist fifteen innocent bystanders to stand in said oil drums in an art event typical of his signature style. Meanwhile, Sumugan Sivanesan's ruminates on cannibalism and otherness in his lecture, What's Eating Gilberto Gil?, on Friday, May 14 — to be followed by a cake-based performance. Taking another angle on the 'other' is Afghani artist Lida Abdul, whose video works will be exhibited at Anna Schwartz Gallery. It all ends with one last hurrah at Melt Bar on Saturday eve, with DJ Mieko Suzuki from Tokyo/Berlin alongside infamous VJ Tim Gruchy. Take the plunge and choose your own adventure. Details are scarce, so track down a program and don't let go until it's over. Image by Tatsumi Orimoto.
It's been two years since Gelato Messina first introduced its cookie pies to the world, much to the delight of tastebuds across Australia. Over that time, the dessert chain has kept bringing the OTT dish back, too, especially when we all needed an extra dose of sweetness during lockdowns. It has whipped up different flavours as well, including choc hazelnut, fairy bread and red velvet. And, in addition to its one-off specials that are designed to share — whether or not you do is completely up to you, of course — Messina started serving up one-person versions last winter. That's all well and tasty, and it's about to be again — because those single-serve cookies pies are back. But, there's a caveat this time around: as well as only being available in stores on Mondays and Tuesdays, this round of pies is popping up at different Messina joints each week. No wonder the gelato fiends are calling it Le Tour De Cookie. Hang on, a cookie pie? Yes, it's a pie, but a pie made of cookie dough. If you're new to the concept, that's all you really need to know. And, yes, this cookie pie really is just for one person — and not just because you're not willing to share. The smaller-sized desserts come ready to eat as well. They're also topped with a scoop of gelato, because of course they are. To pick up one of these single-serve desserts, you'll need to keep an eye on the Messina website, which will list the stores dishing them up each week. To start things off, the Rosebery outpost in Sydney will be doing the honours on Monday, June 20–Tuesday, June 21 — and the Fitzroy shop in Melbourne will get the nod on Monday, June 27–Tuesday, June 28. Don't worry about pre-ordering, as that isn't required. With these small desserts, you just need to show up. Expect to pay $12 with a scoop, or $10 if somehow you don't want gelato on top. Gelato Messina's single-serve choc chip cookie pies are available on Monday and Tuesday nights at select stores during winter. Keep an eye on the Messina website for further details.
Admit it. Everyone has dreamt, at least once, of starring in their own song and dance extravaganza. This, friends, is your chance. For one weekend only, Sydney's legendary Trocadero will rise from the ashes as the Trocadero Dance Palace. And all you need do is step out in your dancing shoes: as if in a dream, the rest has been taken care of. The dance floor has been cleared, the swing bands are booked, the bar is stocked up and the set is, well, set. Your lindy-hopping is not quite as rehearsed as you'd like? Dancers will be on hand to take you through the steps in a pre-evening dance class. All that is required is your attendance. Image: Royal Crown Revue, courtesy of Sydney Festival
Messina's never-ending love affair with collabs has hit a new high. The Messina Creative Department's head chef Remi Talbot has teamed up with Brix Distillers' head chef Ivan Sanchez (Bodega, Porteño) and head bartender Jai Lyons to create an eight-course gelato degustation menu. It'll all go down on March 8–9, when Messina takes over the Bourke Street distillery — winner of the Best New Bar: People's Choice at Concrete Playground's Best of 2018 Awards. The two chefs have combined their Colombian and Japanese/French influences with this one. Expect smoked crisp-skinned duck breast with dark chocolate mole gelato and fois gras-filled turnips; mud crab and abalone with fermented shiitake mushrooms, white garlic gelato and roti bread; and, for dessert, a spiced and smoked molasses gelato with fermented pineapple reduction in a buckwheat cone. To pair with each course, Lyons has created eight rum cocktails. The duck breast will be paired with a chocolate and coffee negroni using barrel-aged rum; the mud crab served alongside a rosemary-infused white daiquiri with ginger kombucha float; and the molasses gelato cone gets a spiced rum, pineapple vinegar, lime and cinnamon smoke concoction. There will be two sittings on each night at 6pm and 8.30pm, with groups of 2–12 welcome. It's definitely a pricey dinner at at $210 a pop — but, if you have the extra cash to splash, we reckon this one will be well worth it.
When the second Tuesday of each month rolls around, Camperdown's The Lady Hampshire lives up to its name. Called See You Next Tuesday, their ladies night isn't your usual female-focused shindig — and for their February event, they're bringing cake. Come February 13, cake baker Katherine Sabbath is in the spotlight, sharing her secrets to conquering the dessert world. Her journey is bound to spark not only inspiration, but also likely hunger, so prepare for an array of rainbow treats as well. Be warned: arriving early is recommended. Also on the bill is local artist Caitlin Harnett's folk-inspired music — and to complete the fun, what's a girls night without a movie? Thelma & Louise will be screened in the beer garden, topped off with drinks supplied by the female-run Sparkke Change Brewery. Plus, the gloriously named Vadge Draw will be back once again as well. $5 will get you entry into the monthly prize pool, with prizes for the month including more of Katherine Sabbath's goodies. Yum. Image: Charlotte Koch.
Set on Cleveland Street, Rococo Flowers offers handcrafted bouquets that really set it apart from other local florists. The flower shop specialises in events and weddings, putting on one seriously impressive display. But you can also shop for one-off bouquets here. Seasonal bunches at the moment include all-white — filled with cuttings like orchids and hyacinths — a pastel bunch and a 'vibrant' bunch. Since all bouquets are assembled with what's fresh and in season, the actual flowers will change regularly. Think pink and orange roses and purple phalaenopsis (moth orchid) blooms. Each bunch is sure to bring joy, whether it's for your partner, your mate or yourself.
From an art blog highlighting female talent, to a Surry Hills gallery show, to art-loving premises of their very own. Tough Titties has come a long way in a short time. Nestled in one of the City of Sydney's new Darlinghurst creative spaces, their freshly-christened Oxford Street Design Store takes broad inspiration from McSweeney's 826 Valencia project. That San Francisco project mixes youth writing programs with stunning-to-visit fronts of house. While Sydney already has a more traditional approach taking place at Redfern's Martian Embassy, Tough Titties have taken it upon themselves to put together a variation that grown-ups can play in too. The Oxford Street Design Store comes in two halves. In front its a shop, curating contributions from local designers, artists, writers and other creative venturers as long as said item has a price which at $20 or under. Out back, it plays host to cheap space for creation and salon-like events by artists and designers. Open already, the store is holding its launch party Tuesday night, giving you the chance to nose around the creative space, guzzle arts-supporting cake wine, and promise yourself you're really not going to buy too many of their wonderful things. No, really. Especially not that one. The Oxford Street Design Store is open Wednesday to Sunday from midday. Submissions are still open to sell, volunteer or use the workspace at the store. Details via oxfordstdesignstore.com.au
The legends behind Hashtag Burgers have been all over the place lately — but they're not done bringing you burger goodness just yet. Following the massive hype around their Campbelltown pop-up and their masterfulBurgapalooza festival, Sydney's new-age burger heroes are teaming up with the former Mr. Crackles Head Chef Sebastien Cens to launch an In-N-Out-inspired pop-up in Sydney's CBD. Smartly dubbed Down-N-Out — not to be confused with the actual In-N-Out pop-ups that polarise Sydney every couple of months — the pop-up will run from Wednesday, June 8 until Tuesday, June 21 at the Sir John Young Hotel on Liverpool Street. As it's a homage to In-N-Out's classic combo of beef, bread and American cheese, the menu will be a simple one — but rest assured it will include a few Aussie twists (namely a vego option, which we're quite happy about). On the drinks side of things, shakes aren't the only way to go. Murray's Brewing Co. — a small brewery on the NSW north coast — is also getting involved, and offering the age-old pairing of burgers and beer with their Angry Man Pale Ale on tap. Keeping with the In-N-Out theme, 'secret menu hacks' are also promised, giving patrons the options to make their burgers animal- or protein-style if they choose. We're not quite sure what this means, but we'll happily head along to find out. The surprises don't end there either, with the pop-up being the first of many changes for the Sir John Young Hotel, in an attempt to revitalise the lock-out ridden area. American-inspired burger joints seem to be a reoccurring theme in Sydney's food scene, with the Shake Shack spin-off Jack's Newtown opening late last year. We just hope a Five Guys-inspired eatery is next on the list.
You may not have heard of the club-shakin', bass-droppin' record label Grizzly. Yet with the ever-growing lineup of club icons that have joined its ranks since it was kickstarted by British DJ Graeme Sinden in 2010, you may well have heard (or danced to) some of their mixes and mash-ups. Grizzly are unlike other independent labels who have found their niche in specific genres and sub-genres of dance and electronica. Instead, Sinden and his team have given themselves the ambitious task of finding, promoting and representing the sort of artists and producers that slip through the cracks that exist between musical genres and styles. According to Sinden, music makes the Grizzly cut if, and only if, it is "quality and fun bass music". We're talking tunes that are as original and unexpected as they are danceable and club-ready. And now the Grizzly boys are heading to Australia with some of their favourite artists, producers and DJs in tow. Headlining the tour is Mr Grizzly himself, Graeme Sinden, whose work with SBTRKT launched him into the club-scene stratosphere and whose collaborations with Aussie darling Elizabeth Rose have emphatically confirmed his local street cred. Joining him is fellow DJ and headliner, Brenmar, whose glossy yet rugged beats have endeared him to ravers, headbangers and pill-poppers across Europe, Japan and the US. To see these guys along with a host of other Grizzly stars, head to Chinese Laundry on April 6.
If you're ready to share a deep, dark, dirty secret that you've been harbouring your entire life, there's only one way to do it: on a stage, in front of a crowd. Well, that's the idea behind Confession Booth, anyway. Once a month at Giant Dwarf, writers, musos, actors, comedians and all-round creative types spill the beans on their most embarrassing, outrageous and top-secret moments. And if you've got a story you're dying to share, you can divulge during the audience confession segment — dig deep enough and you might find yourself carrying home a prize. In the hosts' chairs, you'll find AH Cayley and Matt Roden.
Books: Blood and Thunder Rozelle's Blood and Thunder was originally put together by Kernow Craig, Leigh Ragozzi and Mickie Quick (who is also involved with the Big Fag Press). Ragozzi is more in the background these days, editing Blood and Thunder's eponymous Anthology. Blood and Thunder tends to run commissions for larger organisations like the Perfomance Space, or commission books under their own imprint. Publishing is their love, but they pay the rent with design. As well as owning a two-colour Riso machine, the studio can spit out etched or foiled covers from their Heidelberg, letterpress, offset proof printing and more. It's an interesting time to be a small printer right now, according to Craig. "If we were a large print company we'd be having a lot of trouble now. But we're not. We're a design studio that has a very specific and precise way of coming about its designs. [In] many ways that death of print or the death of the publishing industry is what makes this [niche of ours] possible. So, it's the most interesting time to be a very small organisation." One of the competitive advantages for Blood and Thunder is the difficulty of the printing process. They learned their trade through trial and error, and help from former printers. As well as giving them pretty solid printing skills, it means that as designers they're able to tailor their designs to the strengths and weakness of their printing machines, which they operate themselves, printing on the Riso, the offset or producing foils (gold and silver inks) and die-cut pages on the Heidelberg as necessary. Apart from their book imprint, they very rarely put their name on their work. As a consequence, says Craig: "Often we'll get clients bringing our work to us, saying We really like this. Could you do something along these lines?" Blood and Thunder usually does work for cultural organisations, the public sector, fashion and small business. They also publish books as co-publications or collaborations. They can be contacted via their website. < Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Next >
The extensive 2019 Sydney Festival program at Carriageworks spans culinary delights this year. Heavy-hitting Australian celebrity chef and caterer Darren Taylor (founder of Quay, ex-Fine Bouche, to name a few) is taking over the space with a Spanish-inspired restaurant between January 9–31. The pop-up, dubbed Cosecha by Darren Taylor, serves up Spanish-style dishes and drinks for lunch, arvo snacks and dinner each day. For lunch, think crumbed chicken tenderloin ($15.50) or potato tortilla ($12.50) bacadillos (baguette sandwiches), plus kale salad with chorizo, manchego, roasted tomatoes and sherry vinegar dressing ($11.80). For afternoon snacks, there's meat and cheese boards ($12.50–$29.50) — with terrines, pates, jamon and aged Spanish cheeses — up for grabs, along with white anchovies with olive tapenade and potato croquetas with romesco dipping sauce ($9.50 each). Dinner includes sizzling garlic prawns ($16), roasted fish of the day with white beans and chorizo ($25.50), and two paella stations with seafood, vegetarian or chicken and chorizo options ($18 each). And specialty drinks range from jugs of red and white sangria ($22), to chilli-salt margaritas ($16.50) and classic mojitos ($16.5o), too. The full food and drinks menu is available online, and make sure to call ahead for reservations.
The Sydney Opera House's groundbreaking Festival of Dangerous Ideas is being replaced in 2017 by ANTIDOTE, a new festival that will not only explore ideas and art — but how we can turn them into action and positive change. The new festival will take place at the Opera House over the weekend of Saturday, September 2 and Sunday, September 3. ANTIDOTE is a replacement for the eight-year-old FoDI, taking it to the next level by celebrating artists, thinkers and doers who have spearheaded change with a program of immersive performances, speeches and workshops. Curated by Danielle Harvey (who was also behind last year's inaugural Bingefest), the new festival responds to the time we live in. Featured in the inaugural program is a performance of Cherophobia by Noëmi Lakmaier, which wowed onlookers in London earlier this year. In the performance, Lakmaier is lifted by 20,000 party balloons over nine hours. The experimental artwork aims to unite the audience in shared suspense while exploring the conflicting emotions of control, desire and restraint. Other international heavyweights include transgender rights activist Janet Mock and the satirists behind The Onion, along with Tamika D. Mallory (national co-chair of the Women's March on Washington) and Reni Eddo-Lodge (author of Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race). The festival also features local change makers such as Indigenous figures Uncle Jack Charles and Archie Roach, as well as LGBTQI+ rights activist Julie McCrossin (Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras '78er), and blogger Celeste Liddle (Rantings of an Aboriginal Feminist). A focus on interactive performances will immerse the audiences throughout the two-day festival — these will include sketches by UK interactive theatre groups Kaleider and Blank Placard Dance, as well as a performance by choreographer Anne Collod, who will revisit Anna Halprin's legendary dance movement that took place in 1950s–80s San Francisco. Plus, storytelling favourite Women of Letters returns to the Sydney Opera House, with special guests including ARIA-winner Sarah Blasko, Mystery Road star Tasma Walton, veteran comedy performer Jean Kittson, journalist and author of Beyond Veiled Cliches: The Real Lives of Arab Women Amal Awad and more. ANTIDOTE is about fostering hope and change in a time when a lot of us are angry and anxious about what's happening in the world. If you want some action point, tickets go on sale at 9am on Thursday, July 6 and free registrations for Cherophobia are now open. Image: Cherophobia, Noemi Lakmaier, shot by Grace Gelder.
Oxford Arts Factory has just announced its new 2019 curators for its arts space, The Cube. Orson Heidrich and Jarryd Lynagh of Signal will be putting on monthly shows, revamping The Cube into an art space to focus more on installation, sculpture and physical art works within the bigger music venue. The first one features work by Rosie Deacon, who's shown around Australia and the UK, and recently created the installation Fashion Forest Seduction as part of this year's Mona Foma. Deacon works with sculpture and installation to "engage with the spectacle of obsession and realms of the absurd". Her technicolour immersive work plays with the surreal and the real, with layered, lush forms and references to flora and fauna remembered from a childhood in rural New South Wales. It will open with a special opening party this Wednesday, April 3 from 6pm — the first of a series of events that will open each new installation. Signal has been invited to curate the space for a year, including takeovers from other groups. Watch this space for future events. Rosie Deacon's work at The Cube will run until 20 April. Image: City of Sydney.
Over in the US, August 4 is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. While this isn't a nationally recognised holiday here in Australia, there's never a bad excuse to eat cookies, so Sydney's favourite cookie-maker Bennett St Dairy is bringing the celebration of gooey choc chip goodness down under with a uniquely Australian twist. Not satisfied with just stealing the American day, Bennett St is injecting some quintessential Australiana into the celebration by unveiling a new choc chip vegemite cookie sandwich. The sandwich combines the bakery's classic cookie dough with a vegemite caramel and whipped butter. The adventurous culinary mash-up will be available for those that head down to its flagship store on Thursday, August 4. "There's nothing more Australian than a Vegemite sandwich, so when we decided we were going to bring Chocolate Chip Cookie Day Down Under, we got to work seeing how we could blend the two flavours together," Bennett Street Dairy co-founder James Meek said. The first 100 people to visit the Bondi venue between 9am and midday on Wednesday will receive a free slice of the enormous vegemite cookie sandwich Bennett St is cooking up. If you don't make it down on your own, you can also create it yourself with the range of Bennett St Dairy cookie dough rolls that are available at Woolworths and the recipe that has been posted online for everyone to use.
Tropfest, "the world’s largest short film festival", is returning to Sydney this December. The festival, which features the newest and best Australian-made short films, is a must for film lovers and makers. With it, is the return of Roughcut, a day of insightful talks and lessons of the cinematic process from award-winning filmmakers. Each session of the day focuses on different aspects of the filmmaking process and will feature a star-studded lineup of some of the brightest talents of the Australian film and television industry. Guests include director Gracie Otto (The Last Impresario, La Meme Nuit, Broken Beat), director Kriv Stenders (Red Dog, Kill Me Three Times) and producers Imogen Banks and John Edwards (Tangle, Offspring, Puberty Blues). Oscar Winner Adam Elliot (Harvie Krumpet, Mary and Max) will also be in attendance, sharing his experiences and creative processes of creating with claymation. From the television side, the team from Foxtel's new Australian drama miniseries Devil's Playground will talk about the making of their highly anticipated psychological thriller. The panel includes producer Helen Bowden, EP/lead actor Simon Burke, writer/show runner Blake Ashyford and actor Matt Levett. Whether you’re a huge fan of these films and shows or are dying to break into the industry, don’t miss out on Roughcut. Tickets are just $25 for the whole day, all sessions included.
Whether you're a lover of gin, a noodle fanatic or just pining for a trip to Japan, Kid Kyoto in the CBD is hosting a week-long pop-up that you're going to want to nab a seat at. Kyoto gin distillery KI NO BI is coming to Sydney for a six-night takeover of the Bridge Lane restaurant that's spotlighting two heroes of the menu: gin cocktails and nagashi-sōmen noodles. Nagashi-sōmen is a unique Japanese style of eating with a participatory twist. The thin noodles are delivered to your table via little bamboo waterslides that the noods shoot down for you to catch and then dip in a bowl of broth. If you need a visual representation to wrap your head around it check out this nagashi-sōmen vlog on YouTube. A favourite in Kyoto, this playful way of enjoying noodles will pop up at Kid Kyoto courtesy of KI NO BI alongside a four-course menu and gin cocktails. It's not just noodles on the menu. You'll also enjoy dynamite snacks like charred edamame, ocean trout sashimi, chicken tsukune, braised lamb rump and a white chocolate Japanese custard pudding with rhubarb sorbet dessert. When it comes to the cocktails, expect combinations spotlighting various KI NO BI gins paired with the likes of green tea and sake, Tio Pepe Fino sherry and Bianco vermouth, or grapefruit, ginger and yuzu. Rounding out the menu is three special flavour-packed broths that have been created to pair with the noodles as you collect them from your bamboo chute. The dining experience is running from Tuesday, June 6–Sunday, June 10 with two sessions on each weekday (6–8pm and 8.30–10.30pm), three on Saturday (12–2pm, 5–7pm and 7.30–9.30pm) and two on Sunday (5–7pm and 7.30–9.30pm). Tickets will set you back $150. [caption id="attachment_903772" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Christopher Pearce[/caption] Top image: Christopher Pearce
Three adult siblings are confined to an attic in their childhood home, devising plans for the murder of their parents and acting out scenes of succeeding and of being found out, of their past life and the ways the crime might be discovered. All three shift rapidly between attitudes and characters as they fight for control of the scenarios that are playing out, seemingly endlessly. The shifts are rapid and jarring, with the audience having to catch up and read a lot into the changes, which heightens the anxiety of the essentially ambiguous actions. It's never spelled out whether the murders have happened or will happen or are a coping method that has taken over the siblings' lives, and the ability with which the characters shift between stories and roles is both engrossing and shocking as it develops into a narrative that has a logic of madness rather than of fact. The seemingly practised nature of the 'game' in which the three are engaged evinces intense mental control in the ability to manage and engage with the fast-moving and disparate play, but there's also a sense of compulsion in the re-enactment of scenes of abuse that constitute abuse themselves. The atmosphere of The Criminals, as adapted by Adrian Mitchell from Cuban playwright José Triana's 1965 Night of the Assassins (La noche de los asesinos) is psychologically sweltering. This state is signalled from the outset by a set design by Dylan Tonkin and Emma Kingsbury that looks exactly like you would imagine a 1960s Cuban attic would look, and Jonathan Hindmarsh's costumes are slightly constraining, making the characters appear just a little bit uncomfortable and overheated in a childlike gentility they have literally outgrown. As the three siblings Lalo, Cuca, and Beba, and their various imaginings of parents and visitors, and the police, actors Rosanna Easton, Emily Morrison, and David Valencia are fascinating to watch. There's a dynamic pull between the trio such that each one's movement almost seems to physically cause the others to respond and makes the set pieces of the drama they're enacting at times seem ritualised, an effect underpinned by the songs and music interspersed in the mainly naturalistic action. This element of ritual seems to speak to the allegorical nature of the play, which was banned in Cuba for 30 years due to its implicit criticism of the political situation out of which it emerged. The themes of dominance and rebellion, oppression and struggle, identity and the loss of it that resonate through The Criminals make this specific critique one that can apply more broadly to a number of contemporary political situations but also function successfully as the bounded fictional world of these invented characters. Under the direction of James Dalton, this production manages to be faithful to its origins without becoming a period piece, and it is deeply troubling and really quite confusing and fascinating all the same. Image by Lucy Parakhina.
An odd couple to some, a truly remarkable couple to others. Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and multi-instrumentalist St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) will be unleashing their brass-heavy collaborations at one of the classiest joints around town — the State Theatre — as part of Sydney Festival 2013. The New York-based duo will be accompanied by a brass band on the evening to ensure every quirky interjection from their debut release, Love This Giant, is executed live. Together, they have created an album oozing with eccentric musical ideas, swamped in the obscurities of jazz, pop and funk. The two artists are like kindred spirits, seamlessly creating a record that stays true to each artist's musical identity yet morphs into an entirely new musical beast of its own. When brought to life, this giant will no doubt take on greater sonic measures for an enthralling live experience. Read our list of the 12 best things to see at the Sydney Festival in 2013. https://youtube.com/watch?v=hpPYKJAnwUo
