It's the orchestra, Jim, but not as we know it. ACO Underground is the temporary stage name of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, which is reforming as an electro-acoustic collective for one night only. Next Sunday Australia's most talented classical musicians will be swapping the concert hall for the beer-stained stage of New York loft-style venue The Standard. With the assistance of former Midnight Oil guitarist Jim Moginie, they'll be playing a setlist more pleasantly bizarre than when Nelly and Tim McGraw teamed up in 2004. And, ranging from Radiohead's dreamy rock and Nick Drake's melancholy folk to the spellbinding Italian baroque of Vivaldi, the evening will traverse across as many decades as it will genres. Clearly this is not your average gig, so don't be thinking you can take the 7pm doors time as an invitation to rock up three hours later. Preceding the show will be a video montage installation by surf cinematographer Jon Frank, projected onto the walls and set to specially chosen audio, and that's an opening act you don't want to miss.
Food, glorious food! You can take your music festivals, writing festivals, mountain, flower and tree festivals — give me a food festival every single day of the week. Taste stands alone as the king of travelling food festivals, because not only can you taste a vast array of delicious food, it offers you the opportunity to get behind the scenes with some of Sydney's most illustrious chefs and try their more amazing creations (without the usual corresponding bill). See Manu Feildel, Tony Bilson and Peter Kuruvita create their dishes live on stage, right before you head to the Jaguar Wine Theatre to swish it down with a fine drop and learn more about what you drink. And that's not all. The Festival also includes the artisan's producers markets for the best morsels to take home, an exploration from percolator to pot with Nespresso's Journey Through Coffee, the Sensology Art of Cocktail Making courses to learn how to mix the classic drinks, and for those of you with a sweet tooth don't miss out on the De Dietrich cooking school where you'll learn how to make the finest French pastries with chef Vincent Gadan. So pick up your fork, dust off your chopsticks and prepare your buds for the Taste sensation this festival will bring.
Anyone can make a zine, right? Just cut some things and glue some stuff. How hard can it be? Well the answer is: really super very hard. Have you actually tried to cut something out and stick it onto a page? Have you? Cutting out is hard. And then pasting it down in a visually pleasing way is also really hard. And on top of that you have to choose things to cut out that are sufficiently whimsical or thought provoking or left field but trendy like beards or obscure '80s TV shows. It’s a hard task. Imagine how gluey your fingers would get. And the paper cuts? Forget about it. And then there’s the task of photocopying the lopsided mess, which opens a whole new can of Pandora’s worms. Where do I put my money again? Where do the pages come out? How do I do a double-sided copy? My advice is: leave the zines to the pros. Luckily, they’ve all agreed to assemble for your picking and/or choosing pleasure at the MCA for the third annual MCA Zine Fair. There’ll be other creative bits there too, so if zines aren’t your thing why not buy a badge or twelve? Swapping zines is also welcome! And you can catch Sydney Writers' Festival panels on Graphic Novels vs Illustrated Texts and FBi's Out of the Box with guest Tom Cho.
Throwing open the doors after spending almost four months in lockdown is a rather huge deal, both for Sydneysiders keen to venture out of the house for whatever reason they like and for venues eager to welcome patrons back in. So, Ultimo's Powerhouse Museum is marking the occasion in a big way — by launching five new exhibitions. Back in February, when the site announced its plans for 2021, it unveiled a list of exhibitions to fill its walls and halls for the entire year. Of course, the pandemic changed that. Now, when it reopens on Monday, October 11 in line with New South Wales' roadmap out of stay-at-home conditions, it'll unleash everything from party photographs and electric keyboards to art about eucalypts and stunning design work. Thanks to an exhibition called Eucalyptusdom, the venue will explore stories surrounding gum trees, including their importance to Indigenous Australians. Expect to see pieces from Powerhouse's collection across a lineup of more than 400 items, as well as new works by Dean Cross, Luna Mrozik Gawler, Julie Gough, Vera Hong, Anna May Kirk, Nicholas Mangan, Yasmin Smith, Sera Waters and Damien Wright with Bonhula Yunupingu. [caption id="attachment_828027" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Zandra Rhodes, Autumn / Winter 1981-82, London. ©Robert Rosen[/caption] Australian portrait and social pages photographer Robert Rosen is also in the spotlight, all thanks to Glitterati: 20 years of Social Photography. This showcase hones in on Rosen's vivid snaps, covering more than 300 images, including from his early career in London and Paris. Here, famous faces will grace Powerhouse's walls, spanning the likes of Paul McCartney, Elle McPherson, Divine, Nina Simone, Yves Saint Laurent and Andy Warhol, plus Grace Jones, Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman, Luciano Pavarotti, Elton John and Michael Hutchence. With Electric Keys, the venue will also contemplate the influence of electric keyboards on soul jazz, blues, rock, progressive rock and pop. Twenty keyboards will be on display, dating back to mechanical instruments from the 17th century — including a Virginal plucked string keyboard with a compass of four octaves that was made in Italy in 1629, aka the Powerhouse's oldest instrument. A 1974 electric piano 'Wurlitzer 200A', as heard in Queen track 'You're My Best Friend' also features, as does a 1982 Roland SH-101 monophonic synthesizer that produced the baseline in Eurythmics' 'Sweet Dreams'. Powerhouse is also highlighting 20th-century designers in an exhibition called Graphic Identities, focusing on the likes of Douglas Annand, Frances Burke, Gordon Andrews, Arthur Leydin, Dahl Collings, Shirley de Vocht and more. And, in Clay Dynasty, over 400 pieces from the Powerhouse collection will be on display, highlighting different ways of working with the medium across 50 years of Australian studio ceramics — including works from 160 Aussie artists. [caption id="attachment_828029" align="alignnone" width="1920"] View of Electric Keys showing keyboard instruments from the collection. A Hammond B3organ from 1955 is in the foreground and the oldest keyboard instrument in the country, a Virginal from 1629, can be seen on the right. Photographed by Zan Wimberley.[/caption] That's what's launching now, but more is in store across the rest of the year. Come December, the Five Hundred Arhats exhibition will showcase a selection of the 300 statues found in the ruins of Changnyeongsa Temple in Yeongwol in Gangwon-do Province, South Korea, back in 2001. The stone sculptures are thought to date back 500 years, and depict arhats, aka followers of Buddha who've achieved the enlightened state of nirvana. And, Powerhouse still has a number of other delayed exhibitions in the works as well. They include The Invisible Revealed, which'll let visitors see nuclear-beam scans of objects from Powerhouse's collection; Microcars, focusing on more than 17 tiny automobiles from Europe, Japan, the UK and Australia; and the climate change-centric 100 Conversations, spanning an exhibition and talks program. Powerhouse Museum reopens on Monday, October 11 at 500 Harris Street, Ultimo. For further details, visit the venue's website. Top image: View of Eucalyptusdom showing commissioned work Pyriscence: After Fireby Anna May Kirk. Photographed by Zan Wimberley.
UPDATE, March 12, 2021: Slender Man is available to stream via Netflix, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Forget Slender Man's thin body, faceless head and eerie vibe. Sure, the character's unsettling appearance was designed to frighten people; however the scariest thing about the lingering internet meme is the fact that it still exists. It's been nine years since Something Awful forum user Eric Knudsen came up with the macabre figure as part of a photoshop contest to create paranormal images, and not only is it still doing the digital rounds, it's making the leap onto the big screen as well. Longevity is one thing. Flogging a nearly decade-old creepypasta — the online equivalent of telling ghost stories around a campfire — is something else entirely. In the film that shares its name, Slender Man has a knack for timing, but Slender Man the movie definitely doesn't. In fact, this flimsy horror effort doesn't have a knack for much, other than sticking to the dullest of formulas. A group of teenage girls view an unnerving video, begin to notice weird occurrences and then start disappearing. If you'd like us to wake you up when it stops sounding generic, then you're in for quite a lengthy snooze. When Massachusetts pals Katie (Annalise Basso), Chloe (Jaz Sinclair), Hallie (Julia Goldani Telles) and Wren (Joey King) get bored at a slumber party, they decide to switch from watching porn to discovering what this Slender Man character is all about. A week later, Katie goes missing during a class trip to a cemetery, and her drunken dad blames her newfound obsession with the occult. That sparks the rest of the gang into action, taking advice from a mysterious online source and trying to offer Slender Man an exchange to get their missing friend back. To their surprise (but not to the audience's), that plan doesn't pan out well. Slender Man isn't someone to be bargained with, it seems. Given that Ringu and The Ring already exist (with several sequels to both), you might expect Slender Man to reach beyond an already well-worn premise. Given that The Craft exists as well, you might expect more than just a group of goth-leaning besties trifling with ominous forces, too. Sadly, we can keep playing this game, and the outcome remains the same. The film follows terrorised, victimised girls in the same US state that's infamous for the Salem witch trials, but it draws zero modern-day parallels. And, while it stems from the pen of screenwriter David Birke — the scribe behind the vastly superior Isabelle Huppert-led rape-revenge thriller Elle — Slender Man boasts no signs of complexity either. Along with by-the-numbers performances, bland shots of spooky forests and a paper-thin message about the corruptive power of going viral, among Slender Man's many missteps is the squandering of its eponymous villain. The elongated figure is literally yesterday's news now, but the film does little more than point out that it looks creepy and thrust it at the screen for a few jump-scares. That's the kind of laziness that usually plagues direct-to-video sequels, arrogantly believing that name recognition will do half of the work, and that occasionally pointing the camera at something sinister will do the rest. In that spirit, it should come as no surprise that director Sylvain White also has derivative threequel I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer on his resume. If there's one positive aspect to Slender Man, though, it's this: thankfully, it doesn't try to capitalise upon the real-life stabbing committed in the titular entity's name. Back in 2014, two 12-year-old girls attacked one of their friends in an effort to impress the internet's favourite boogeyman, adding an extra level of discomfort to the Slender Man saga. The case was covered in 2016 documentary Beware the Slenderman, which is straightforward but still vastly more intelligent and engaging than this fictional take on the meme. Still, watching Slender Man, viewers get the feeling that the film might've once cribbed a few cues from reality, then cut them from the final version — the movie is so drab and cobbled-together that it seems like the work of filmmakers trying to salvage a bad situation. Or, that could just be the kindest way to look at this scare-free, intrigue-free mess. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Jc0ez0IZ4k
UPDATE, September 16, 2021: Streamline is available to stream via Stan from Thursday, September 16. Chasing a dream can feel like swimming through cool water on a hot summer's day — gliding, splashing and laidback paddling all included — with each refreshing stroke propelling you closer towards your own personal finish line. That's when everything is going well, of course, and when whatever your heart and mind desires seems as if it's waiting at the end of the pool. Otherwise, when you're bogged down by everyday minutiae and nothing seems to inch forward, working towards a set goal can also resemble treading water. It can mirror repetitively doing laps, too, when your destination seems out of sight despite all the hard work you're putting in. And, if you're tired and fed up with all the effort needed to even keep afloat — and when your heart is no longer in it — it can feel like floundering and drowning. In Streamline, all of these sensations and emotions bubble up for 15-year-old Benjamin Lane (Levi Miller, A Wrinkle in Time), as he pursues a professional swimming career, a spot in a prestigious squad in Brisbane and, ideally, an Olympics berth and all the glory that goes with it. Indeed, one of the delights of this Australian movie, which boasts Ian Thorpe as one of its executive producers, is how evocatively it sprinkles these swashes of feelings across the screen. Written and directed by feature first-timer Tyson Wade Johnston, Streamline is a sports drama as well as a small town-set family drama — and it's also a portrait of that time when you're expected to dive headfirst into adulthood, and into knowing what you want to do with the rest of your life, but you're also inescapably wracked with uncertainty and apprehension. Teenage awkwardness and angst aren't simple states to capture on-screen, although enough coming-of-age movies have been buoyed by both; however, Streamline opts to plunge deep into the existential stress that goes beyond feeling out of place with your peers or being annoyed at your parents. Its protagonist, who everyone just calls Boy, only really connects with his girlfriend and best friend Patti (Tasia Zalar, Mystery Road) at school. And, he's definitely mad at his mother and father. He resents his single mum Kim's (Laura Gordon, Undertow) efforts to keep him focused, which he sees as controlling rather than nurturing. He's doing tumble turns internally over his dad Rob (Jason Isaacs, Creation Stories), who's just been released from prison and has never been a positive influence in his life. Boy is also furious at his surrogate father figure, Coach Clarke (Robert Morgan, The Secrets She Keeps), for all the cajoling that coaches tend to give. But, mostly the swimming prodigy is unsure — about what he wants, what he's been told he wants and what to do next. Streamline takes ample cues from sports flicks and the usual formula behind them, with big races, the pressure to succeed and the push to impress the right people to score the best opportunities driving much of the narrative alongside training and its tussles. But as this emotionally astute film explores the tension and trepidation swelling inside Boy — the kind that only worsens whenever his dad is mentioned, let alone turns up, and also ramps up as he spends time self-destructing with his hard-drinking, loutish older half-brothers Dave (Jake Ryan, Savage) and Nick (Sam Parsonson, Operation Buffalo) — it taps into themes that've been washing through Australian cinema with increasing frequency over the past decade or so. In movies such as Animal Kingdom, Snowtown, Buoyancy and 1%, young men struggle to carve their own paths, or even just to survive or avoid following in damaging footsteps, all in the lingering shadow of violence. Shades of late-90s great The Boys also filter through when Streamline's Boy is with his siblings, but this measured and moving picture is never merely the sum of its influences, even as it adds more flawed and fractured males to the nation's cinematic canon. Navigating this sea of toxic masculinity, Miller manages to convey many traits that fit the mould — Boy can be arrogant, reckless, careless with other people's feelings, moody, unwilling to express what's simmering within and combative — and also show his character's pain, conflict, yearning and vulnerability. It's a stellar performance, as well as a difficult one; the best work of the young actor's career so far, it's also likely to keep the Pan, Better Watch Out and Jasper Jones star in weightier roles moving forward. There isn't a weak link among the cast, though, but the film's standout moments all come when Miller is in front of the lens. A particular sense of power emanates in his scenes with Isaacs, and therefore with the man that Boy has been devastatingly hurt by and yet still finds himself drawn to. The two actors both played the same person but at varying ages in the vastly dissimilar Red Dog: True Blue, but now they play different points on a spectrum that neither wants Boy to slide down. Contrasting the rigours of seeking perfection with the toll it takes, Streamline submerges itself in its lead character's journey visually as well. This is a melancholy movie in tone and appearance, with hues of blue hovering in frame after frame. Those shades often emanate from the water, obviously, given that it has such a pivotal part in Boy's days and dramas — but when they continue to pop up elsewhere, they also exude the sorrow of a teen who realises he doesn't know how to either keep or to stop doing what he's doing. Cinematographer Michael Latham shot the aforementioned Buoyancy, too, and gave The Assistant, Island of the Hungry Ghosts, Strange Colours and Casting JonBenet their exacting, evocative and also piercing looks, with his efforts here continuing the trend. Indeed, watching Streamline feels like plummeting into a brooding well not only emotionally, thematically and narratively, but aesthetically. Sometimes chasing a dream is like that, too, as this excellent Aussie drama also recognises.
UPDATE, February 1, 2021: Hail Satan? is available to stream via DocPlay, Stan, Google Play, YouTube Movies and Amazon Video. Between Australia's last election, the ongoing mess over Brexit and the trashfire that is the American political landscape, conflict thrives in today's society. Perhaps satanism is the answer? Such a solution is guaranteed to polarise, especially at a time when right-wing Aussie factions are trying to excuse homophobia as an expression of religious beliefs, and when conservative US groups are using their faith as a reason to eradicate women's reproductive rights. But, as the thoroughly engaging and informative documentary Hail Satan? explains, challenging and tearing down outdated attitudes like these is The Satanic Temple's main aim. Partial to a title with punctuation, as her 2016 doco Nuts! demonstrated, filmmaker Penny Lane astutely places a question mark at the end of Hail Satan?. By the conclusion of her latest seemingly gimmick-driven movie, you can be forgiven for wondering if you actually agree with the two-word phrase — or, at least, with the people seen uttering it. Lane takes her attention-grabbing subject, sheds the demonic stereotypes and cartoonish uproar, and examines the reality of worshipping at The Satanic Temple's altar. Founded in 2013 as a headline-seeking means of calling out the legislated introduction of Christian prayer in Florida schools, the Salem-headquartered organisation agitates for true religious freedom, and takes its social activism seriously. Sure, members sometimes wear goat horns and don fetish outfits, and plenty call themselves heavy metal fans, however it's the quest to keep all churches away from matters of state that really lights their fires. Lane is never seen on-screen, but her jauntily spliced-together film shares the wry smile that must've been plastered across her face as she was making it — the grin of someone aware that she's not only unpacking a fantastic, thought-provoking area, but a topical and provocative one that makes a meaty statement about the modern world. Seen in talking-head interviews and on-the-ground footage, The Satanic Temple's co-founder and spokesman Lucien Greaves sports the same look and certainty about his cause, with an extra glint of mischief. Given his organisation's many stunts, his expression is understandable. "Performing a "pink mass" designed to turn the dead mother of Westboro Baptist Church founder Fred Phelps into a lesbian — a response to the hate-mongering church's plans to picket the funerals of Boston marathon bombing victims — is just one of the Temple's high-profile exploits. The After School Satan project, an alternative to Christian-based class activities, is another. And then there's the passionate fight to counter statues of the Ten Commandments placed outside of government buildings by applying to erect satanic monuments next to them. While there's no doubting where Hail Satan?'s sympathies reside (even with its purposeful question mark), the film builds its case in a clever and witty manner. Simply showing what The Satanic Temple stands for, and insightfully exploring how it uses Satan as a subversive symbol against government-mandated theology, conveys much of the documentary's point. It doesn't escape attention that the group's outreach and protest actions, and crusade against religious doctrine triumphing over justice and intelligence would receive emphatic support if they were performed by a less divisive body. Or, that they'd likely be championed for their pursuit of equality and freedom on all grounds, too. Of course, that's one of the movie's incisive messages. If the road to hell is indeed paved with good intentions, these occultists heartily embrace both parts of that phrase. Life battling injustice with brimstone isn't all a bed of roses, which Hail Satan? doesn't overlook. As The Satanic Temple has expanded, reaching 50,000 members worldwide in its first three years, controversy and squabbles have followed. Displaying the playful tone that makes the film such an enjoyable watch, the doco doesn't avoid its counterpart's own internal turmoil either — rightfully contending that the Catholic Church's continuing and widespread sexual abuse scandal eclipses any troubles linked with contemporary satanism. That's the type of faith-based corruption and hypocrisy this anti-Christ outfit is attempting to combat. If you like that satanist brand of activism, rebellion, openness and inclusion, then Hail Satan? will sweep you over with the right kind of satanic panic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amB2Ol6wihg
If your morning caffeine hit is always over too soon, get an extension at Mr Black's second annual Grindhouse pop-up. Taking over Three Williams in Redfern this weekend, the event is an a paean to glorious, glorious coffee. Not a single item on the menu will escape coffee-cation, from the whizz-bang drinks list to the brew-infused snacks. Specialising in their celebrated cold drip liqueur, the Mr Black crew will be delivering their twist on a bunch of signature cocktails, including a Bentley's cold-drip negroni, a cold-brew martini from Melbourne's Bad Frankie, and Rockpool's Ryeball (Mr Black coffee liqueur, rye whisky, Campari, chocolate bitters). Plus, numerous classics will be revamped for coffee crazies — think gin + tonic + coffee, and a spiced ice coffee (Mr Black, Sailor Jerry's rum, milk, agave syrup). Meanwhile, Young Henrys has been working on a special, super-smooth coffee-beer. The Three Williams chefs will be whipping up a menu to keep up to speed with the beverages. Co-owner Toby Laccarino said, "We love Mr Black and jumped at the chance to turn our venue into a coffee cocktail pop-up with their crew. Our team has designed a menu pairing the food with the delicious drinks, which will, of course, feature our famous coffee roasted beef brisket sliders." Grindhouse is taking over Three Williams on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October, from 6pm to midnight both nights. Tickets are $37 (+bf) a pop, and that includes two cocktails and eats all night long.
Ukiyo — most often translated as ‘the floating world’ — refers to hedonistic Edo Japan, in particular the ‘pleasure quarters’ of Yoshiwara where brothels, chashitsu tea houses, sumo wrestling rings, geisha houses and kabuki theatres were frequented by the growing middle classes. Kitagawa Utamaro was a master ukiyo-e (woodblock prints, literally ‘pictures of the floating world’) artist in the second half of the eighteenth century, best known for his bijinga (‘images of beautiful women’). Under his prolific chisel, fashionable Edo women were depicted as sensual, self-restrained and pensive, usually in private interior settings. At the AGNSW until May, 80 original Utamaro prints are on show, including some gorgeous bijinga, as well as a selection of his animal and insect studies and a clandestine cabinet of explicit erotica prints. Coinciding with the exhibition is a symposium on Edo Japan, a lecture series, traditional printmaking demonstrations and a free ‘floating world’ film program. Get floaty. Image: Utamaro and his five women (dir: Kenji Mizoguchi 1946), screening at the AGNSW March 31 and April 4. Courtesy Shochiku and Janus Films.
Considering the abundant landscapes found throughout the Sapphire Coast, it's hardly surprising Merimbula and beyond is home to scores of world-class makers, producers, brewers, distillers and more. Celebrating the best of the best is EAT Festival – an annual three-day event kicking off on Thursday, March 6, where locals and visitors alike can experience remarkable local flavours. From the Fishpen's scenic waterside surrounds, the festival proudly showcases how cuisine from this part of the world is one of Australia's rising stars. To do so, they've brought together a host of much-loved names, like Valentina, North of Eden, Bar Monti and Umiko. Best of all, every dish is capped at $15, so visitors can feast on more for less. Meanwhile, the event also offers several one-off partner experiences to ensure you make the most of this foodie long weekend. Head to the North of Eden Gin School to learn the dark art of distillation, or master oyster shucking like a grizzled old salt at the Broadwater Shucking School. No matter what, EAT Festival makes savouring the finest regional cuisine a breeze. Images: David Rogers
Come January next year, one of western Sydney's train lines will be no more. The T6 Carlingford Line, which runs from Carlingford to Clyde — where commuters can change onto the T1 North Shore & Western Line and T2 Inner West & Leppington Line — is set to close on January 5, 2020, to make way for the Parramatta Light Rail. The light rail will connect Carlingford to Westmead via Camellia and Parramatta's CBD, but it isn't set to launch until 2023. So, in the interim, Carlingford residents wanting to board the T1 or T2 will need to jump on a bus — the soon-to-launch 535, which will travel from Carlingford to Parramatta. Thankfully, it's set to be a lot more frequent than the T6 train, with Transport for NSW promising buses every 15 minutes during peak hour, compared to the current two trains per hour. [caption id="attachment_745583" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Parramatta Light Rail Stage One map[/caption] Commuters wanting to travel from Carlingford to Clyde will need to bus to Parramatta then jump on a train. Once complete, the $2.4 billion Light Rail is expected to be a 'turn-up-and-go' service, and will connect surrounding suburbs to the Bankwest Stadium and new Powerhouse Museum. A second stage of the project would see the rail extended from Rydalmere to Sydney Olympic Park. The T6 Carlingford line is set to close on January 5, 2020 and will be replaced by the 535 bus until the Parramatta Light Rail opens in 2023. You can find out more about the Light Rail project over here.
Sydney artist Perran Costi has always been fascinated with the idea of worlds within worlds - his previous works include a snowstorm at FBi Turns 10, a galaxy in a suitcase and creating a new society on Cockatoo Island. But his latest exhibition, Permasabi, takes the concept to a whole new level. It might sound like a certain spicy condiment, but 'Permasabi' is actually a word Costi uses to describe the worldview that influences him. It's a blend of wabisabi, a Japanese philosophy that's all about transience and imperfection, and permaculture, a design concept focused on sustainability. The exhibition consists of three giant mirrored cubes containing a galaxy, a desert and a rainforest, seemingly infinite worlds contained in small spaces. Visitors can step into the cubes one at a time and explore each of the different worlds. The project was created by a team of artists, and took a year and a half to complete. Continuing the 'infinite worlds' theme, Costi will also be running free terrarium-making workshops in the COFA courtyard every Saturday of the exhibition.
For almost two decades, Love Actually has been everyone's go-to British rom-com with festive flavour. This year, Last Christmas wants to give the star-studded classic a run for its money. And, given that it pairs Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke with Crazy Rich Asians' Henry Golding, is directed by Bridesmaids and A Simple Favour's Paul Feig, and features the music of George Michael — including the Wham! tune that shares the movie's title, obviously — this new dose of cinematic sweetness might just achieve that aim. Admittedly, Last Christmas sounds a little like the result of overlapping Venn diagrams mapping things that absolutely everyone loves. Its leads hail from one of the biggest shows of this century and one of the huge film hits of the past year, respectively. Its director has a following of his own. Even folks who aren't all that fond of Christmas manage to find a soft spot for festive flicks. And, there's never a bad time for George Michael's music — or, as Always Be My Maybe demonstrated earlier this year, for upbeat rom-coms that take their title from a beloved pop track. But, based on the just-released first trailer, this Christmassy movie doesn't just hit obvious crowd-pleasing beats. It also has plenty of charm. The fact that it's co-written by Emma Thompson, who has an Oscar for screenwriting (for Sense and Sensibility) and also co-stars in the flick, clearly helps. And, if Michael's existing hits didn't provide enough of a soundtrack, the film will also feature new, previously unreleased tunes by the late singer. Story-wise, the movie follows the cynical, Scrooge-like Kate (Clarke), who works as an elf in a year-round Christmas shop but has a distinct lack of seasonal cheer herself. She has ample reasons for her unhappy demeanour, including her stern boss (Michelle Yeoh), although she might also have some motivation to start feeling more jovial when she keeps running into the endearing Tom (Golding). Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9CEIcmWmtA Last Christmas releases in Australian cinemas on November 7.
A three-tiered breakfast platter would normally result in a day of food coma-ing and napping, but the geniuses at the Boatshed have a solution: kayaks and canoes for hire. The Woronora River runs through a sleepy, bush-clad oasis in the Shire and it's a pretty sweet spot to spend a morning. The aforementioned breakfast platters include bits of every fathomable breakfast item to share — waffles, hash browns, smoked salmon and eggs cooked two ways (just to name a few). Therefore your only morning decision need be whether you opt for a post-brekky stand-up paddle board session or a relaxing river glide on a kayak.
If you're a garlic girlie, then you should make your way to the fresh eatery Birdie Bar and Brasserie located in the foyer of the recently opened Novotel City Centre on York Street. The new spot boasts a fusion of British and modern Australian fare on its menu that champions local produce and celebrates Aussie fauna of the feathered variety. The charming space has an avian theme throughout, from its colourful wallpaper and nest lampshades to its cocktail list. British Head Chef John Lyons is at the helm of the kitchen. Lyons cut his teeth working in Michelin-starred and AA Rosettes-earning establishments back in the UK, and now he's here to put his own stamp on Sydney's hospo scene with a menu best described as playful with plenty of British elements, and with local suppliers and producers championed throughout. Some menu items that exemplify this philosophy are the Fremantle octopus with koji sourced from Keiko Ikeda in Bondi and the black sesame dessert, which is a take on a classic British sponge cake and includes the rare citrus fruit poorman's orange. And it wouldn't be a British spot without Sunday roast with all the trimmings, including the mandatory Yorkshire puddings and lashings of gravy. You can tell Lyons and his team are having a lot of fun with this menu, with entrées like The Duck — duck liver parfait shaped into two little duckies — and the cheeky The Bird — bumps of caviar Paris with shots of Grey Goose vodka in wooden shot cups and a polaroid snap of you and your dining guest. Don't leave without trying the garlic bread that does not skimp on the butter, garlic or bread — lots of texture and plenty of garlic flavour. The mains don't skimp on flavour either, with options like the equally garlic-forward allium risotto with comte and chervil, the massive one-kilogram t-bone steak with a side of house-made mustard (of course), and smoked ocean trout with cucumber and horseradish. The fun continues on the dessert menu with the not-so-appetisingly named Dogs Dinner, which literally comes plated in a dog's bowl and features chocolate "kibble", mini biscuits, moose and nuts with an oat biscuit in the shape of a bone. If you can't decide on your mains, there is a chef's choice menu called 'Canary in a Coal Mine' — a minimum of four people required — that features eight plates to share from the mains sides and desserts. The portions are big, so you definitely won't be going hungry for days. You can level up this chef's choice with a pairing for four sips for $30 per person. The drinks menu takes the venue's theme to a new level, each inspired by an Aussie native bird. There's the Sulpher-Crested Cockatoo, with gin lemon, meringue foam, and shortbread crumble; the Satin Bowerbird, with Irish whiskey, lemon, blackberry and hibiscus; and the Galah, with strawberry gin, guava liqueur and sparkling rosé. Each cocktail comes with a cute description of the beverage, with the bird theme extending into these stories. The wine list includes drops from across Australia, Europe and South America, while the beers include Birdie's very own lager and bevs from local breweries Young Henrys, Atomic Brewery and Lord Nelson.
Mounting a production of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew is a brave move. Central to the plot is the eponymous shrew, Kate, and the process through which she is trained into submission by her chauvinistic husband, Petruchio. Surrounding this are the citizens of Padua, whose mercantile concerns weigh human life against gold ingots. At the very least, Sydney's theatre-going population will find this topic controversial.Director Marion Potts has thus cast the die with her production for Bell Shakespeare. Yet, in an effort to stave off a riot in the dress circle, she has populated her Padua with an all-female ensemble. Not only does this playfully invert the tradition of all-male casts, but Potts hoped that this would make it easier for audiences to look beyond the sexism of the text and engage with its deeper political satire.It seems that only half of her plan succeeded. Potts' production is entertaining, with Jeanette Cronin's Petruchio and Sandy Gore's Baptista standing out as strong comic performances. The smaller roles are all filled with funny moments and the clowning slapstick is tightly executed. The audience's reaction to even some of the darker sequences, such as Petruchio's efforts to tame Lotte St Clair's Kate, were continually punctuated with laughter.And this is where my problem rests. This production does not properly engage with an important, underlying human rights issue; characters are abused throughout this play. Seeing a woman being cruel to another woman should be just as moving as that of a man doing the same. Even the attempts to satirise merchants with too much money did not completely undermine them, because their victims were equally drawn as caricatures. For example, at the close of the play Kate's infamous speech is delivered with honesty; she lectures without irony on why a woman should be subservient to her husband. The only retort offered is by her sister, Bianca (Emily Rose Brennan). But up to and including the moment of her interjection, Bianca has done nothing but chug back glasses of champagne and act the drunken fool. The audience's response was to laugh at her slurred voice of dissent.Perhaps this says more about the audience on the night I attended, but it still makes me ask why stage a controversial play and then neuter it? Shakespeare has written plenty of other romantic comedies that are lighter in their political touch. When you do go to see this production, sit back and enjoy yourself. But afterwards, take note of what you laughed at and give thought to the people in this world for whom such dreadful conditions are anything but 400 years in the past.
The City of Sydney is opening up a historic structure for small-scale community events right by one of the city's most sprawling parklands. The interior of one of the towering brick kilns that sit on the Saint Peters side of Sydney Park is set to undergo a series of restorations so that the local community can utilise it for arts events and other gatherings. Located just off Sydney Park Road, the brick kiln known as Down Draught Kiln 2 will be subject to major work including increased parking, waterproofing, accessibility improvements, stabilisation of the structure and aesthetic changes that will ensure it's a welcoming space. Plus, there will also be a raised lawn and plaza area introduced for outdoor gatherings. Construction is set to begin in the next 12 months, with the tender process to appoint a contractor for the project currently underway. Once these restorations and improvements are complete, you can expect to see intimate indoor and outdoor gatherings being to pop up at that corner of Sydney Park. [caption id="attachment_731570" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alexandria Velovotee; Flickr[/caption] "This is the largest intact precinct of brick kilns in the state and opening up a small part of it for art exhibitions and other community events is a fantastic result for our communities," says Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore. "I can't wait to see what our team and communities have in store for this vitally important part of our industrial heritage, which is now part of our cultural future." The decision by the council comes during a big push for increased community and arts spaces in the Harbour City. Several areas across the state have been marked as Special Entertainment Precincts, providing them with privileges that assist in fostering a thriving nightlife and live music culture, following the successful Enmore Road trial. The Inner West Council is also pushing to use eight Town Halls as arts hubs across the area. All very positive stuff for the city's cultural footprint and arts communities. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Clover Moore AO (@clovermoore) The Sydney bark brick kilns are located just off Sydney Park Road at the meeting of Alexandria and Saint Peters. You can find more info on the restoration project via the City of Sydney website.
As the weird and wonderful program of the Sydney Fringe Festival takes over the Harbour City, potential attendees need help determining which events to attend. If you're looking for a physical theme, consider the acrobatic skills of Head First Acrobats and the three shows the group is putting on across the festival. First, some context. Head First Acrobats is a Melbourne-based group of performers that specialises in a blend of circus acrobatics and physical comedy. They have won awards and found fringe festival fame worldwide. The contributions to this year's Sydney Fringe Festival are split across three shows, each very different from the last. First up is the current flagship performance: GODZ. It's been raking in awards from fringe festivals nationwide and is now bringing its signature style of hedonism to Sydney. The stars are the gods of Ancient Greece, setting the scene for "the biggest party to hit Mount Olympus since 500 BCE". Said party involves muscles, stunts, skills and laughs of a godlike scale. GODZ is showing at Spiegeltent Festival Garden – The Vault until Sunday, October 1. [caption id="attachment_916818" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Tenae Francis[/caption] Another headline show is Créme de la créme, a variety show that combines the impressive stunts and displays of the circus with the cheeky fun of cabaret and burlesque. Attendees can look forward to world-class acrobatics that's as gritty as it is glammed and a fair warning to expect a spot of nudity. Créme de la créme is showing at Spiegeltent Festival Garden – The Vault from Tuesday, September 12 until Sunday, September 24. Finally, if you're planning to bring some younger attendees along with you, grab tickets to Prehysterical. The physical performances continue but this time even further back in history, following the antics of three Neanderthals just trying to get by in a dangerous world. Expect good old fashioned slapstick humour and some tongue-in-cheek jokes for the adults. Prehysterical is showing at Spiegeltent Festival Garden – The Vault until Sunday, October 8. Head First Acrobats are performing several shows across September and October, each in Spiegeltent Festival Garden – The Vault, for more information on GODZ, Créme de la créme or Prehysterical, visit the respective websites. Images courtesy of Head First Acrobats.
Sydney, your obsession with food has really peaked in the last few years — and as a result of your devotion, all festivals worth their salt are courting favour with a killer food lineup. And this year Spectrum Now Festival have taken it even further, announcing that they’re collaborating with some of your favourite foodie haunts to create bites exclusively for the festival. The bar has been raised, y’all. Spectrum Now, just ICYMI, is series of concerts and one-day festivals held across Sydney from March 1-16. There'll be a mixture of free and ticketed shows and a tight 11-day music extravaganza held at The Domain from March 3-13, which includes a huge free opening night with Hayden James, Wave Racer and Paces, as well as gigs from The Jesus and Mary Chain, Birds of Tokyo, Missy Higgins, Something For Kate, Augie March, Hot Dub Time Machine and about a million more. But enough of that — let us tell you about the nightly food offerings. Oh, the food! Burgers (the perfect one-handed festival snack, by the way) are the star of the show, with Burgers by Josh being served up alongside the creators of the ramen burger, One Tea Lounge. Other notables include Wing Kingdom, Langos Love, Rangers Texas BBQ, Urban Pasta, Tsuru and Dainty Dumpling House. You will literally have no time to watch the shows — there’s that much to get through. Helping you wash all that down will be a Little Creatures Beer Garden with ice-cold bevs, and Hendrick's Gin will provide Messina cucumber gelato G&Ts, fortune tellers and a whole range of peculiar performances at their Emporium of Oddities. And on Friday nights the LATAM Friday Fiesta will serve up traditional South American dishes. Just remember to shake your groove thang at the free Latin dance class before you gorge. However, it’s the dessert menu that’s got us all hot under the collar. Gelato Messina have curated a Milk Bar menu full of frozen treats based on your favourite chocolate bars. The Twixed is made with milk chocolate gelato, shortcrust crunch and caramel; the Malt Tease consists of four malt gelato balls with malt crunch and chocolate shell; the Munchie — do stop us if this is becoming too much — is a Crunchie-style bar made with wildflower honey gelato and honeycomb with a chocolate shell; and, last but not least, the Rocky Roadie blends peanut gelato with raspberry puree, marshmallow and a choc-peanut shell. And for those of you who can’t be bothered with all that chewing, Gelato Messina’s three-scoop thick shakes are also available. If that weren't enough, Black Star Pastry are collaborating with N2 Gelato on a plethora of indulgent, exclusive desserts as well. Phew. So, you know, probably give up on your plans of going sugar free for the time being and just lean right on in to the cornucopia of sugary delights that await you at Spectrum Now. Spectrum Now Festival will take place from March 1-16 across Sydney, with gigs happening at The Domain from March 3-13. Here are our must-see gigs and top arts events picks. For the full program and to buy tickets, visit spectrumnow.com.au.
UPDATE, October 2, 2020: Official Secrets is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. When Keira Knightley came to fame kicking a soccer ball in Bend It Like Beckham, her steely determination played a considerable part. The English actor does purposeful and plucky with aplomb — earning Oscar nominations in Pride & Prejudice and The Imitation Game — and they're traits that keep serving her well nearly two decades after her big break. In fact, they're perfect for her latest role. Stepping into Katharine Gun's shoes in Official Secrets, Knightley is the epitome of dedicated and purposeful, as a British security services agent-turned-whistleblower needs to be. That focus keeps shining, too, as her version of Gun weathers the personal, professional and legal repercussions for her actions in trying to thwart the 2003 invasion of Iraq, including breaching the United Kingdom's Official Secrets Act. Yes, there's no doubting where Official Secrets found its title. Even if you weren't across this fairly recent incident, there's no guessing where the film is headed, either. But, working in the same tense mode as he did with 2015's Eye in the Sky, director/co-writer Gavin Hood still treats Gun's rousing true tale like a thriller with good reason — the ins and outs are stirring and gripping. His clear-eyed procedural also proves riveting because it remains immensely relevant, as do the reasons behind Gun's leak of classified documents to start with. While it was once rightfully considered scandalous, politicians, governments and leaders routinely lying to the public has become a regular part of life today; but daring to speak truth to power — and to force those in power to speak the truth — is still rare. It's an ordinary day for Gun when, during her usual translation and analysis duties for British intelligence, she receives an extraordinary email. Sent from a National Security Agency chief, the communication requests help gathering information about United Nations diplomats, in the hope of convincing the seven non-permanent members of the UN Security Council to vote for military action. Her superiors say that nothing is amiss, but using blackmail to send the world to war doesn't sit well with Gun. Once she sends the document to a friend, who then passes it on to a journalist, it doesn't sit well with Observer reporter Martin Bright (Matt Smith) either. After his front-page story hits newsstands, global outrage naturally follows. So does a spiteful investigation by Britain's powers-that-be, who'd rather attack Gun than admit any wrongdoing. As pieced together with workmanlike precision by Hood, who clearly understands the significance of the story, Gun's plight has many moving parts. Her Turkish husband Yasar (Adam Bakri) is seeking asylum in England, something that's unsurprisingly used against her. After she enlists a veteran human rights lawyer (Ralph Fiennes), she's told that she's not allowed to discuss her work with anyone, including legal counsel, or she'll face further charges. When Bright convinces his pro-war Observer editors to run with the story, an innocent internal error gets conspiracy theorists on the attack as well. Gun is an average Brit calling out wrongdoing in her workplace — wrongdoing with worldwide consequences — and she faces her government's wrath for doing so, but she's steadfast in standing by her actions. Gun is tenacious, courageous and committed — and yet, crucially, she's just a regular person. That's another reason that Official Secrets resonates so strongly. The film's subject is employed by British security services to gather intelligence, so on paper she's a spy, but she's really just someone sitting behind a computer, doing her job, and daring to challenge the status quo when it conflicts with her sense of right and wrong. Indeed, for all of Knightley's skill at playing insistent, dogged and earnest, she also captures this truth, as does Hood's polished yet never slick direction (a Bourne or Bond-style flick, this isn't). Official Secrets lurks in nondescript offices and watches everyday folks go about their work, while managing a delicate balancing act in the process, ensuring that Gun is a flesh-and-blood figure rather than a simplified martyr. This is also a movie with a clear outcome in mind and an overt emotional path, although that comes both with the territory and with telling this tale today. Many of the film's supporting players are tasked with underscoring the story's importance — Smith, Fiennes, Matthew Goodes and Rhys Ifans as other journalists, and Jeremy Northam as the public prosecutor eager to put Gun in her place — however Knightley utters the line that couldn't sum up Official Secrets better. Her character is yelling at the TV while watching the news and, yes, it feels relatable as it sounds. "Just because you're the Prime Minister, it doesn't mean you get to make up your own facts," she notes as Tony Blair talks about Iraq. Try not to injure yourself nodding forcefully in agreement. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IVuxnXFrl8
A few weeks ago, The Basement's future was looking seriously shaky. In a Facebook post on April 3, the venue's management explained the current site was no longer suiting their needs and that they were looking at finding a new home. But yesterday it was announced that musical entrepreneur Albert Dadon will ensure The Basement won't be lost forever. Dadon — who runs Melbourne's Bird's Basement — snapped up both the name and assets of the long-running Sydney jazz club, and is now on the hunt for a new CBD location to house it. He's even taking suggestions from the public. ''I was saddened to see The Basement close its doors," Dadon said. "It was a loss to the cultural health of the city and Australia. I hope that with the help of those who are committed to retain and reinvigorate Sydney's music scene we will find an ideal new location of The Basement." It's not the first time this guy's flown to the rescue of Australia's jazz scene — back in 2000, he played a major role in the resurrection of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, wrangling government funding and then growing audience numbers by 195,000 in just nine years. Dadon, who also happens to be a leading jazz guitarist himself, opened Bird's Basement in Melbourne's CBD in 2016. He's aiming to create a similar venue with this latest project, saying he "would love to provide Sydneysiders with a wonderful 21st century experience" similar to his Melbourne venue. The Basement is now closed. We'll let you know when a new location has been confirmed.
UPDATE, Friday, November 10: The Killer screens in select cinemas from Thursday, October 26, and streams via Netflix from Friday, November 10. A methodical opening credits sequence that's all about the finer points, as seen in slivers and snippets, set to industrial strains that can only stem from Trent Reznor, with David Fincher and Andrew Kevin Walker's names adorning the frame, for a film about a murderer being chased. In 1995, Se7en began with that carefully and commandingly spliced-together mix — and magnificently. Fincher and Walker now reteam for the first time since for The Killer, another instantly gripping thriller that starts in the same fashion. It also unfurls as a cat-and-mouse game with a body count, while sporting an exceptional cast and splashing around (exactingly, of course) the full scope of Fincher's filmmaking mastery. This movie's protagonist is detail-obsessive to a calculating degree, and the director bringing him to cinematic life from Matz's graphic novels of the same name also keeps earning that description. The Fight Club, The Social Network and Mank helmer couldn't be more of a perfectionist about assembling The Killer just so, and the feature couldn't be more of a testament to his meticulousness. Fincher's love of crime and mysteries between Se7en and The Killer has gifted audiences The Game, Panic Room, Zodiac, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl and Mindhunter, which have always felt like different books from a series rather than a director flipping through the same tome over and over. So it is with Michael Fassbender's long-awaited return to the screen after a four-year absence — X-Men: Dark Phoenix was has his last credit before this — which sees Fincher and his star aping each other in an array of ways. As well as being oh-so-drawn to minutiae, as the eponymous character reinforces in his wry narration, this duo of filmmaker and fictional assassin-for-hire are precise and compulsive about refashioning something new with favourite tools. For The Killer, it's fresh avenues to fulfill his deadly occupation. For the man who kicked off his feature career with Alien³ and now collaborates with a Prometheus and Alien: Covenant alum, it's plying his own trade, too. As Le Samouraï and Haywire have before this — Fassbender also appeared in Haywire, aptly — plus the John Wick franchise, The Killer finds someone in a shadowy line of work getting even murkier folks literally gunning for their demise. But first The Killer meets its namesake in Paris, camping out in an abandoned WeWork office, sleeping, people-watching, working through complicated yoga poses and grabbing a meal from McDonalds while dressed to resemble a German tourist, who he's certain that the French will avoid. Also on his to-do list: listening to every well-known song by The Smiths there is throughout the course of the film, because heaven knows he'll be miserable when his City of Light gig goes awry. And, as he waits, he coolly and calmly talks viewers through his highly disciplined, runs-like-clockwork, empathy-free approach to both life and death. It all goes smoothly for the hitman until it doesn't, however. The Killer quotes Popeye to say "I am what I am" about his way of making a living and his penchant for it, but fellow tautophrase "it is what it is" also comes to mind when a painstakingly lined-up shot from afar doesn't hit its target. His reaction: "WWJWBD?" or "what would John Wilkes Booth do?", he opines. Really, the screen's latest contract killer hops continents, countries and cities in an existential and mortal bind not just because he's flubbed a job, but because he's soon tracking down the other villains who've made cleaning up his misfire brutally personal. So, while his first port of call from Paris is the Dominican Republic, New Orleans, Florida and just outside of New York are among the destinations that follow. Most folks that The Killer crosses paths with get a similarly succinct moniker, including The Lawyer (Charles Parnell, Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One), The Brute (Sala Baker, Jungle Cruise), The Expert (Tilda Swinton, Asteroid City) and The Client (Arliss Howard, Mank). When Fassbender was once in everything everywhere for most of a decade, he too tinkered with many of the same traits that he's called upon to roll out in The Killer, from unrelenting in Hunger and single-minded in Shame to literally soulless in his Alien franchise stints and utterly consumed in Macbeth. His portrayal here is all killer, no throwbacks or filler, and it slays. He's as deadpan as he's ever been, as Fincher needs, but he's also exceptional as someone forced to realise that his rigid facade and detached air hides more than an all-business executioner inside. It's a mesmerisingly layered performance with fastidious subtleties, and that says as much without a word as all of those voiceover words. And, crucially, Fassbender knows and owns the tone: sardonic, and gleefully so. It isn't just the mix of Reznor and Atticus Ross' latest ominous Fincher score — their first, for The Social Network, won them an Oscar — with Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce's lyrical 80s yearning but anti-yearning that's funny in The Killer. And whether 'How Soon Is Now?', 'Bigmouth Strikes Again' or 'There Is a Light That Never Goes Out' is echoing, there's no doubting the humour behind the movie's main music choice as it helps bring viewers into the mercenary's mind (American Psycho's use of Huey Lewis and the News tapped its toes in the same territory, but The Killer isn't asking anyone if they like The Smiths). Fincher and Walker litter comedic touches everywhere, from aliases straight out of classic sitcoms to pointed statements about well-known brands. It's there in the sly internal monologue that their central figure keeps uttering around "stick to the plain", "anticipate, don't improvise" and other rules; the cycle of repetition that comes with it; altercations and their corresponding commentary; and, unshakeably and purposefully, the bigger picture. In look and efficiency, The Killer is also sharing what Swinton is selling in her scenes; both are icy, particular and sleek, with the film never wasting an emotion or moment. Fincher's frames glean as crisply as Swinton's blonde-topped David Bowie-channelling aesthetic, with help from Mank and Mindhunter cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt. The Killer is unsurprisingly rigorously pieced together as well, aided by the director's now six-time film editor Kirk Baxter (since The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). Welcomely stripped back, this a focused picture that's eager to be as streamlined as possible in a field, aka hired-gun flicks, where it's anything but a lone hand. Standing apart amid the murder-for-money masses is what The Killer wants, too, despite blending in being a professional must. As Fincher hones in on an assassin and the conscience that he says he doesn't have — including when noting that the amount of births and deaths each day means that his contribution to mortality rates barely registers — this riveting, reflective, slinkily engaging, expertly and finely pared thriller hits the bullseye in leaving an impression.
Last Easter, when social distancing and public gathering rules were in place across the country, KFC did everyone a solid by offering up free home delivery for the first time ever Down Under. While this year's four-day break will look quite different for much of the country — and hopefully for Brisbanites, with the city's current lockdown due to end at 5pm on Thursday, April 1 — the fried chicken chain is bringing back the deal anyway. Yes, joining the Easter Bunny this year to spice up this long weekend is another famous figure: The Colonel. So, it's time to round up your housemates again and tuck into those 11 secret herbs and spices. The limited-time offer is available nationwide and kicks off on Friday, April 2, then runs through until Monday, April 5. To get your hands on some finger lickin' good chook with no extra cost, head to Menulog's website or use the Menulog app. No promo code is needed this time — and there is no minimum spend either. And, while your food is on its way, you can meditate with KFChill, a wellness website that lets you unwind to the sound of chicken frying, gravy simmering or bacon sizzling away in a pan. Obviously, it'll make you hungry. KFC is offering free delivery across Australia on all orders via Menulog from Friday, April 2–Monday, April 5. To order, head to the Menulog website or app.
Neil Watkins' latest performance is a contemporary Irish story that resonates with audiences globally through an exploration of the universal themes of loneliness and hope. Oh, and it's about wanking. But this story doesn't just rely on our natural curiosity towards graphic material, as clearly it's not that difficult to hold an audience's attention for 60 minutes when you're talking about whacking off to internet porn. What makes The Year of Magical Wanking unique is its promise to be as hauntingly sad as it is hilariously charming. The leading performance artist — and former Alternative Miss Ireland — plays Maverick, a 33-year-old homosexual with a Jesus complex. A self-confessed wanker from the beginning, his monologue addresses his self-destructive struggle with foul sexual fantasies after a life of being subjected to intolerant parents, HIV and abusive sexual relationships. Performing barefoot with no mask save for a warrior-like streak of makeup beneath each eye, he's literally laid bare before the audience as he takes them on his journey towards self-acceptance. Director Phillip McMahon has a long association with The Abbey Theatre, who brought us Terminus last year, and was named a person to watch in 2012 by the Irish Times. The play itself was nominated for Best New Play and Best Performer at Dublin Fringe 2011. Presented by both Mardi Gras and daring queer Irish theatre company THISISPOPBABY, The Year of Magical Wanking will give audiences something more enduring than just a good laugh. Though there will, no doubt, be plenty of those, too.
No longer confined to children's birthday parties, bouncy castles, inflatable obstacle sources and blow-up labyrinths are currently hot property for adults (and their inner kids, of course). And the next blow-up event to hit Australia is big. Really big. Dubbed 'The Big Bounce Australia', it's an inflatable theme park made up of Guinness World Records-certified world's biggest bouncy castle, a 300-metre long obstacle course and a three-part space-themed wonderland. You're going to need a lot of red cordial to bounce your way through all of this. Set to hit Sydney between January 25 and February 9, The Big Bounce is open to both littl'uns and big'uns — but there are a heap of adults-only sessions, so you don't have to worry about dodging toddlers on your way through. Tickets for adults will set you back $55, which gives you a whole three hours in the park. You'll need it. Inside, you'll encounter the aforementioned bouncy castle — aptly named The World's Biggest Bounce House — covering a whopping 1500 square metres and, in some spots, reaching ten metres off the ground. In this house, you'll encounter a heap of slides, ball pits, climbing towers, basketball hoops and (if you can believe it) a stage with DJs, confetti cannons and beach balls. Then, there's The Giant, with 50 inflatable obstacles, including giant red balls and a monster slide. [caption id="attachment_749668" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Big Bounce AirSpace[/caption] Before you hit the final, three-part section of the park, you may need to pause, down some red frogs and maybe even have a nap. Or not, you do only have three hours to explore it all. Next up, is AirSpace, where aliens, spaceships and moon craters collide with a five-lane slide, some more ball pits and an 18-metre-tall maze. Now, you'll certainly need a nap. This extremely OTT theme park is hitting Sydney's St Ives Showground before going to Adelaide (February 14–March 1), Brisbane (March 6–22) and Perth (April 3–19).
Olympic gold medallist Matthew Mitcham isn't known for his comedic capabilities. That's not to say he doesn't have them, just that most people just tend to know him better for his skills in diving off a plank into water. But Mitcham will soon be joining a whole list of other well-known Australians and taking to the stage in the annual improv comedy event, Celebrity Theatresports. The public figures will be stepping out of their respective varied domains and putting on their comedy hats, ready to entertain in what promises to be a rollicking show. Most people can't think of much worse than having to improvise in front of an audience, but this multitalented bunch isn't just doing it on a whim — the event is in aid of Australian kids' cancer organisation CanTeen, so they all earn props for bravery and for general do-gooderness. Honorary Australian Queen of Eurovision and RocKwiz host Julia Zemiro is presiding over the evening of on-the-spot comedy games. All in all, it's kind of a done deal that you'll leave with muscles sore from chortling, as well as having helped out some needy kids.
Ah, The Soda Factory — that haven of the hot dog, mismatched vintage furnishings and grown-up ice cream floats. Continuing their tradition of livening up your weeknights with events put to soundtracks from bygone days, the next offering in their quarterly Covers for a Cause series pays homage to '60s icon and source of bouncy, poppy, toe-tapping soul, Motown Records. Previously, Covers for a Cause has honoured Amy Winehouse, Fleetwood Mac and The Beatles. Each time round, the Soda Factory chooses a different local charity and donates a gold coin to that good-doing organisation whenever you order a food or drink item. This time your dollars will be going to Youth Off The Streets, a community organisation that has been working with Sydney's homeless (or otherwise disadvantaged) young people since 1991. It's a plenty good excuse to eat and drink up, and bop along to Soda Factory regulars' interpretations of Motown classics. We do love a side of philanthropy with our Wednesday night entertainment.
As part of the flurry of streaming services always competing for our eyeballs, FanForce TV joined the online viewing fold during the COVID-19 pandemic as a pay-per-view platform. The service runs all year round, of course, but it goes the extra mile for both National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week, which is when it hosts the First Nations Film Festival (previously known as the Virtual Indigenous Film Festival) — yes, twice each year. In 2023, the fest enjoys its second run between Sunday, July 2–Monday, July 31, stretching the celebrations across almost an entire month — all solely online. The returning event will show six features that you can view whenever you like, plus three shorts, pairing the latter with a live discussion on one specific night. On the features bill: Ella, a powerful documentary about Ella Havelka, the first Indigenous dancer to be invited into the Australian Ballet in its half-century history; The Saltwater Story, following Bundjalung canoemaker Kyle Slabb taking a group of men to North Stradbroke Island by sea; and Homeland Story, which heads to the small Indigenous community of Donydji in northeast Arnhem Land. Or, there's also Etched in Bone, Angels Gather Here and Journey West. The first focuses on Washington DC's Smithsonian Institution returning stolen human bones, and the Aboriginal elder who crafts a ceremony to restore his ancestors' spirits afterwards; the second charts Jacki Trapman's trip to Brewarrina for her parents' 60th wedding anniversary; and the third sees a walk that hadn't happened for almost three decades reenacted. 2023's NAIDOC Week theme is 'for our elders, which drives this film fest's selections as well. Viewers can tune in on a film-by-film basis, or buy an all-access pass to tune into everything. And for the First Nations short film program, it livestreams at 8pm AEST on Wednesday, July 5, with actor, broadcaster, comedian and musician James Williams chatting with The Fred Hollows Foundation's Director of Social Justice and Regional Engagement Jaki Adams afterwards. Top image: The Australian Ballet Production Vitesse with Ella Havelka and Christopher Rogers-Wilson. © Jeff Busby
Circular Quay is ushering in the Year of the Dog with the unveiling of five new lanterns in its Lunar Lanterns exhibition, which runs from February 16 through February 25. The complete artwork includes all 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac, with the free exhibition spanning from the Sydney Opera House all the way to Chinatown. The five larger-than-life new lanterns include an animated dog, designed by Chinese-Australian artist Song Ling and situated on the Opera House's western boardwalk; a massive 13-metre tall dragon that sits on the front lawn of the MCA; a resting tiger atop the Circular Quay ferry terminal; a pig lantern constructed from 1000 individual pigs, located at Cadman's Cottage in The Rocks; and two additional four-metre-tall dog lanterns that guard the entrance to Chinatown's Dixon Street Mall. Sydney's 22nd annual Chinese New Year Festival is the largest outside of Asia, with an estimated 1.4-million people expected to join the festivities from February 16 through March 4.
Sydney nightlife precinct YCK Laneways, which encompasses 15 bars located across York, Clarence and Kent streets, will be popping up in Sydney's historic GPO building for two evenings this October. Making its home in The Fullerton Hotel Sydney, favourites including Since I Left You and Stitch Bar have teamed up to create a 1920s-inspired cocktail bar, complete with a bespoke drinks menu. Expect the likes of a Premier Cru French 75 with Bombay, lemon juice, sugar syrup and bubbles. Visitors will also be able to enjoy art from the likes of visual creator George Rose, Melbourne muralist Justine McAllister and illustrator Sarah McCloskey while they sip. Live music will fall to house music vocalist Arrnott Olssen with The Potbelleez's DJ Dave Goode, as well as Angela Rosero from Sydney dance band Cumbiamuffin. The initiative is in partnership with real estate group CBRE and Bacardi. It will form part of Wynyard's Flow and Glow event program across October 13-14, which is free to attend and includes access to pop-up art galleries, immersive experiences and panel talks on creating conscious cities. [caption id="attachment_805685" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Since I Left You on Kent Street[/caption] YCK Laneway's pop-up will run from 5pm on Thursday, October 13 and Friday, October 14.
If you're looking for a new bottomless brunch with a view this summer, Regatta Rose Bay has you covered. The beachside restaurant is hosting its version of the morning meal, complete with free-flowing rosé, every Sunday until March 31. The brunch will take over the deck of the venue's Blue Room — which boasts views across Sydney Harbour — each Sunday for one sitting from 10am. For two hours, guests will be treated to endless pours of Rogers & Rufus rosé, along with seven dishes designed to complement the wine. Between sips, you'll sample truffle and taleggio arancini, mini smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels and ham and gruyere croissants, along with piquillo pepper and potato frittata and buffalo mozzarella bruschetta. On the sweeter side, there'll be seasonal berry-topped granola and caramel muffins, too. The brunch costs $80 per person and includes two hours of bottomless rosé and seven dishes. Reservations are essential so, to make a booking, visit the website.
New Year's Day can be a tough one. Resolutions to vaguely commit to, missed midnight pashes to mourn, dusty bear heads to nurse. There's only one real cure for the escapades of New Year's Eve: salt water, free-flowing Veuve Cliquot and one of Sydney's most ostentatious parties. The top spot for 'who dat, who dat' people-watching and jealousy-inducing Instagramming, Bondi Icebergs has announced the 2015 edition of their infamously exclusive Icebergs New Year's Day Party. Set atop one of Bondi's most postcardy venues, Icebergs' NYD pool party is the Field Day for punters who want things a little more high-heeled and beachside. For a cheeky four hundy (yep, that's a casual $400 per ticket), you can compare New Year's resolutions with Bondi's chia-lovin' party people and throw back as much Veuve, Ciroc Vodka and head chef Monty Kulodrovic-crafted canapes as your NYE regrets require. Hosted by Icebergs' Maurice Terzini and musically curated by Angus McDonald (one half of Sneaky Sound System), the lineup is still yet to be announced. Recent instalments have welcomed the first glorious day of the new year with the likes of Flight Facilities, Frankie Knuckles, Aeroplane and The Cuban Brothers, so you can bet the lineup will be infused with a colossal quota of beats and furious discussions surrounding the moment the bass is likely to drop. "The 2015 event promises to be our best yet, with our recently refreshed interior design, a belter of a line-up and a pumping sound system, the place is going to be rocking," says Terzini. "It's my favourite day of the year — we strip out all of the tables and chairs and turn what is on a normal day, one of Sydney's top restaurants, into one of the world's most energetic beach clubs." Exclusive beach parties with four-hundy price tags obviously aren't the easiest things in the world to chuck your name on the door for. Ticket registration is rather mysterious, opening at 9am on November 1 through an email submission process via NYD2015@idrb.com. VIP packages will also be available if you've got cash to drop, hit up the team at VIP2015@idrb.com. https://youtube.com/watch?v=WL1PjxEKQB8
Come mid-2022, if you're in the Sydney CBD, you've got a hankering for a burger and your tastebuds are particularly tempted by US burg joints, you'll have options. It's been raining American burger chains around town of late, with both Five Guys and Wahlburgers starting to sling their wares — and now, after initially launching in Penrith in 2021, Five Guys has finally confirmed that its first inner-city outpost is on the way. This stomach rumble-inducing news will have burger-lovers heading to 383 George Street, which is where Five Guys will be serving up burgs, fries, hotdogs, sandwiches and shakes before the second half of 2022 hits. The new store doesn't yet have an exact opening date, but it'll be calling the heritage-listed Spiden House home. More shops are in the works, too, in both Sydney and Melbourne before 2022 is out. Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group, aka the folks behind The Meat & Wine Co, Hunter & Barrel, 6 Head, Ribs & Burgers, Italian Street Kitchen and Butcher and the Farmer, hold the master franchise for Five Guys in Australia and New Zealand — and while it hasn't revealed where more burgs will be coming everyone's ways just yet, setting up plenty of locations has always been the company's plan. When news that Five Guys was launching stores Down Under first hit in 2020, at least 20 spots were earmarked for Australia alone. Decked out in a red-and-white colour scheme, the popular chain already has more than 1600 stores to its name across America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia since starting back in 1986 in the Washington, DC area — and has amassed quite the reputation in the process. Even given the number of big-name US burger chains with hefty followings, such as Shake Shack and In-N-Out, it stands out. If you're wondering why, the fact that its made-to-order burgers skew in the classic rather than oversized, jam-packed direction is one good reason. These burgs come with two hand-formed patties on toasted buns, with your choice of free toppings (including pickles, grilled mushrooms and jalapeños). Five Guys also does bacon cheeseburgers that add two strips of bacon and two slices of Kraft American cheese as well. Prefer hotdogs, sandwiches (in veggie, cheese or BLT varieties), hand-cut fries (with or without Cajun spices) and vanilla milkshakes? They're all on the menu as well. Don't go thinking that the latter are boring, though — you can add bacon, bananas, peanut butter, salted caramel and even Oreo pieces to your design-your-own beverage. As anyone with allergies should note, though, Five Guys only cooks its fries in peanut oil. Find Five Guys' second Sydney store at 383 George Street, Sydney, from sometime mid-2022 — we'll update you when an exact opening date is announced.
UPDATE, Friday, November 3: Fingernails screens in select cinemas from Thursday, November 2, and streams via Apple TV+ from Friday, November 3. In the world of Fingernails, 'Only You' isn't just a 1982 pop song that was made famous by Yazoo, is easy to get stuck in your head, and is now heard in this film in both French and English. It's also the philosophy that the first English-language feature by Apples filmmaker Christos Nikou has subscribed its characters to as it cooks up a sci-fi take on romance. In a setup somewhat reminiscent of Elizabeth Holmes' claims to have revolutionised blood testing (see: The Dropout), Fingernails proposes an alternative present where love can be scientifically diagnosed. All that's needed: an extracted plate of keratin, aka the titular digit-protecting covering. At organisations such as The Love Institute, couples willingly have their nails pulled out — one apiece — then popped into what resembles a toaster oven to receive their all-important score. Only three results are possible, with 100 percent the ultimate in swooning, 50 percent meaning that only one of the pair is head over heels and the unwanted zero a harbinger of heartbreak. When Fingernails begins, it's been three years since teacher Anna (Jessie Buckley, Women Talking) and her partner Ryan (Jeremy Allen White, The Bear) underwent the exam, with the long-term duo earning the best possible outcome — a score that's coveted but rare. Around them, negative results have led to breakups and divorces as society's faith is placed not in hearts and souls, but in a number, a gimmick and some tech gadgetry (one of the sales pitches, though, is that finding out before getting hitched will stop failed marriages). Even folks who've obtained top marks aren't always content to stop there. Some seek to reaffirm their positive result years down the track. To boost their chances of nabbing a love certificate, other couples take courses to amplify their amorous feelings for each other. Sessions include watching Hugh Grant movies ("nobody understands love more," exclaims the cinema marquee), tracking your paramour's scent, getting breathless underwater while staring into your other half's eyes and the adrenaline rush of tandem skydiving. As their friends go the retesting route — satirising the need for certainty in affairs of the heart pumps firmly through this movie's veins — Anna hasn't been able to convince Ryan to attend The Love Institute as a client. She's soon spending her days there, however, feeding her intrigue with the whole scenario as an employee. When she takes a job counselling other pairs towards hopeful ever-after happiness, she keeps the career shift from her own significant other. Quickly, she has something else she can't tell Ryan: a blossoming bond with her colleague Amir (Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal). As the operation's head Duncan (Luke Wilson, Fired on Mars) steps her through the official details, including the fact that it is biologically impossible for one person to be in love with two people according to the testing method, Anna starts feeling sparks fly with the co-worker assigned to show her the ropes. Amir has his own girlfriend (Annie Murphy, Black Mirror), but clearly reciprocates. Haddaway's Saturday Night Live- and A Night at the Roxbury-adored 1993 tune 'What Is Love' doesn't get a spin in Fingernails, but that's the question that Nikou and co-screenwriters Stavros Raptis (returning from Apples) and Sam Steiner (a feature first-timer) probe. The Greek writer/director and his collaborators contrast fondness as a contrived series of sensations with affection as a lived-in routine and passion as a butterflies-in-the-stomach response. So, Nikou's picture sees the mechanics, the comfort and the involuntary swirl — and sees Anna torn between everything that she's told, what she's supposed to be satisfied with and the yearnings that she's not meant to be experiencing. The filmmaker also makes a flick that pairs well with fellow new release Foe, exploring what technology can and can't tell us about love, and what will always remain innate, although Fingernails is never as dystopian, nor a thriller — and trades a definite future date for an undetermined era where mobile phones are welcomely absent. When he made his full-length debut with 2020's Apples, Nikou also sought love in an offbeat place, amid a pandemic of amnesia. In the process, he dived into the Greek Weird Wave that's become synonymous with The Favourite's Yorgos Lanthimos, whose own breakout Dogtooth was nominated for the Best International Feature Oscar. Fingernails' helmer was the second assistant director on Dogtooth, in fact, and now adds a picture to his resume that follows in the wonderfully absurdist footsteps of Lanthimos' The Lobster. Both are deeply romantic movies at their core, as well as sharply shrewd and witty flicks about human nature and societal norms. Both rally against conformity and expectation, too, and make physical the pains and struggles that come with the pursuit of affection. That said, Fingernails takes a more tender approach to its scenario. Dispelling the fascination with chasing one definitive perfect match by flouting that itself, it'd also make a great double with Celine Song's Past Lives, where there's nothing simple about a heart torn in two directions. Nikou's knack for casting is no different to Lanthimos' supreme skill in the same domain; what a quietly pining duo that Buckley and Ahmed make. Never seeming at risk of demanding that "yes chef!" be yelled his way, White gets myopic about relationships rather than cooking in a canny supporting role as someone who's blissfully emotionally oblivious — but, like Anna and Amir themselves, viewers are desperate to spend more time amid the real heat. Buckley and Ahmed turn in vulnerable portrayals that sear, even when the pacing unfurling their tale and the hues splashed around them are both muted. Nikou knows how feelings can both explode and simmer, serving up each. As he did in Apples, he also provides more memorable and meaningful dancing, this time as Amir cuts loose, Anna watches on, everything is evident and nothing needs to be said. The film looks away from the actual ripping out of nails — the idea remains suitably squirm-inducing, yet is never seen in gory detail because the audience flinches at the very notion anyway — but cinematographer Marcell Rév (Euphoria, The Changeling) utterly adores peering at Buckley and Ahmed. With different stars, he demonstrated the same focus in Malcolm & Marie with similarly intimate results. The premise here might be as high-concept as plots come, but seeing the longing, loneliness, melancholy, uncertainty, desire and revelations in Fingernails' two key performances couldn't feel more real. This is a movie that tingles with emotion — in its fingertips and everywhere.
UPDATE, January 31, 2023: Skinamarink streams via Shudder from Thursday, February 2. Age may instil nocturnal bravery in most of us, stopping the flinching and wincing at things that routinely go bump, thump and jump in the night in our ordinary homes, but the childhood feeling of lying awake in the dark with shadows, shapes and strange sounds haunting an eerie void never seeps from memory. Close your eyes, cast your mind back, and the unsettling and uncertain sensation can easily spring again — that's how engrained it is. Or, with your peepers wide open, you could just watch new micro-budget Canadian horror movie Skinamarink. First-time feature filmmaker Kyle Edward Ball has even made this breakout hit, which cost just $15,000 to produce, in the house he grew up in. His characters: two kids, four-year-old Kevin (debutant Lucas Paul) and six-year-old Kaylee (fellow newcomer Dali Rose Tetreault), who wake up deep into the evening. The emotion he's trading in: pure primal dread, because to view this digitally shot but immensely grainy-looking flick is to be plunged back to a time when nightmares lingered the instant that the light switched off. Skinamarink does indeed jump backwards, meeting Kevin and Kaylee in 1995 when they can't find their dad (Ross Paul, Moby Dick) or mum (Jaime Hill, Give and Take) after waking. But, befitting a movie that's an immersive collage of distressing and disquieting images and noises from the get-go, it also pulsates with an air of being trapped in time. It takes its name from a nonsense nursery-rhyme song from 1910, then includes cartoons from the 1930s on Kevin and Kaylee's television to brighten up the night's relentless darkness. In its exacting, hissing sound design especially, it brings David Lynch's 1977 debut Eraserhead to mind. And the influence of 1999's The Blair Witch Project and the 2007-born Paranormal Activity franchise is just as evident, although Skinamarink is far more ambient, experimental and experiential. Ball has evolved from crafting YouTube shorts inspired by online commenters' worst dreams to this: his own creepypasta. Driven more by mood than story — sleepwalking more than driven, perhaps — Skinamarink sees its two pint-sized protagonists react to their parents' absence by embracing a childhood staple: camping out in front of the TV, where those animated shows play, with cereal, blankets and toys to help comfort them. It isn't Saturday morning, though, and they can hear odd noises echoing from the floor above. Also, those cartoons seem to be looping. Plus, this unnerving spin on Home Alone also involves doors and windows vanishing in glitches, then the toilet disappearing. Household items, such as chairs, dolls and video tapes, suddenly become attached to the ceiling and walls as well. And, amid the ASMR-style whispering that the film's central siblings utter at each other, there's a disconcerting voice attempting to get Kaylee to venture upstairs into her parents' bedroom — and to do the one thing that kids know they shouldn't at night, aka look under the bed. Has something horrific happened, leaving Skinamarink's two tots on their lonesome? Is this a case of parental neglect, abandonment or abuse? Has divorce disrupted the family unit ("I don't want to talk about mom," Kaylee says at one point), and this is the fraught and fractured aftermath? Or, are supernatural forces — demonic even — at work? Is it just panic, but in that innocent-minded way where everything seems scarier and more catastrophic in a young brain and heart that trusts in its guardians as a main source of comfort, safety and protection? And why is there no end to the agitated night, and to the accompanying atmosphere of fright? Writing plus directing, and leaning on first-time cinematographer Jamie McRae heavily, Ball lets all these questions and thoughts flow through his disorientated audience's heads. As Skinamarink sparks queries but gleefully eschews clearcut answers, saying that it sees Kevin and Kaylee isn't quite accurate. The slow-cinema effort does indeed focus on two kids alone at night when weird things occur, but that narrative summary can't cut to the movie's heart without being paired with a description of how the picture tells its tale. An exercise in precise framing and just-as-meticulous editing, it flits between patient glimpses around the potentially haunted house, all at angles as off-kilter as the events being captured. The feature peers ahead from low to the ground, mimicking a preschooler sitting — or stares upwards, spotting what someone with their eyes trained at the ceiling while they can't sleep might. It cycles between shots frequently, with little in the way of logic. And, in these barely lit snippets, faces are non-existent. Rather, legs and backs place people in sight, any glance someone's way feeling stolen, surreptitious and another signal that all isn't right. Even in its most blatant examples, and even exploring existential themes applicable to us all as the whole genre repeatedly does, horror flicks have always been a Rorschach test. What upsets one person when it's splashed across a screen mightn't raise a goosebump in another — but Skinamarink takes that concept a step further, building it into the entire process of watching its artificially grained-up imagery. Plenty that lurks in this always-flickering film is dim, fuzzy and hardly distinguishable. Scattered Lego blocks, a toddler's chatter telephone, corners of walls and ceilings, narrow hallways, fragments on the TV screen: they're among the movie's most distinctive visuals. What else one makes out in the coloured static is often up to them, although Ball does deploy some shots as jump scares. He uses the same approach to audio as well, with parts of the sparse dialogue indecipherable and almost inaudible, and not all of it earning on-screen subtitles. Most viewers of Skinamarink likely won't be watching it in their own childhood homes, but Ball wants to transport his audience there anyway: flailing around in the dark, hazily unsure of what's happening or why, stress stretched far further than one would like, and firmly anxious and alarmed. His film smartly understands how our imaginations can conjure up our biggest fears from nothing but the unknown, and gets ample mileage out of putting that idea into practice. And, when it can be seen in dark houses, it'd make a spectacular double with fellow recent horror flick We're All Going to the World's Fair. Both get creepy in everyday abodes, reflect upon screens, know the inescapable power of perturbing images, couldn't exist without online horror and feel like festering collective nightmares — insidiously and unshakeably so.
Some farewell tours seem to last forever — and, thanks to the pandemic, Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour is one of them. Since September 2018, the music star has been saying goodbye all around the globe, including making the trip Down Under already. But what was meant to be his final trip our way resulted in some rescheduled gigs, so he's back again, playing two last-ever Sydney shows. It's been a big few years for the singer, not only with the huge tour — which spans more than 300 concerts across five continents — but with his life story hitting the big screen in biopic Rocketman. He had a massive first round of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour in Australasia, too, with over 705,000 tickets sold to gigs a three-month period that spanned 34 Australian and six New Zealand dates from November 2019. Missed out then? Keen to go again? In Sydney, he'll light up Allianz Stadium on Tuesday, January 17 and Wednesday, January 18. Fans can expect to feel the love through all of his hits, including 'Rocket Man', 'Tiny Dancer' 'Bennie and the Jets', 'Crocodile Rock', 'I'm Still Standing' and 'Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting'. The concerts will also feature never-before-seen images and videos show from John's 50-year career — well, never seen before the tour — which'll be displayed throughout the show. When the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour comes to an end, John will retire from touring after five decades on the road. If that all sounds rather massive, that's John's career in a nutshell. He's played more than 4000 shows across his career, sold more than 300 million records worldwide and holds the record for the biggest-selling single of all time thanks to the 1997 version of 'Candle in the Wind'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtVBCG6ThDk Image: Ben Gibson.
Usually when a festival dedicated to espresso martinis pops up, it takes over one place. Such boozy fests only tend to run for a day or so, or a weekend, too. But one of Australia's big hospitality chains is ditching both of those norms, because this drink needs a whole week and more than 200 pubs countrywide to truly get buzzing. Who needs sleep when there's caffeinated cocktails to sip and celebrate? The event: ALH Hotels' Espresso Martini Festival, which'll take over venues in a heap of states including New South Wales from Monday, March 13–Sunday, March 19. If you're wondering why, the reason is the same that most food- or drink-themed fests pop up. Yes, there's an occasion dedicated to the beverage in question, with World Espresso Martini Day upon us on Wednesday, March 15. For the week around the espresso martini-fuelled date, ALH Hotels will pour $14 Grey Goose espresso martinis no matter what time you drop by. Fancy a pick-me-up over lunch? After-work bevvies with your colleagues? A cruisy weekend session giving you some extra perk? They're all options — just don't expect to be tired afterwards. Among the venues taking part in NSW, Sydneysiders can hit up the Summer Hill Hotel, Kirribilli Hotel, New Brighton Hotel, The Ranch and Harlequin Inn.
So, you've successfully smashed all the walks and hikes in town and you're looking for some fresh tracks to conquer? We reckon you'll be kept pretty busy with Sydney's new — and utterly enormous — walking trail, known as the Great West Walk. Clocking in at 65 kilometres, the walk runs all the way from Parramatta to the foot of the Blue Mountains in Penrith. As Western Sydney's longest walk, the trail traverses a lot of residential streets (and even the Great Western Highway at one point), but you'll still have plenty in the way of nature opportunities — no matter how much of it you're tackling at once. Near the start, it runs along the river through Parramatta Park, by the likes of the Old Government House and The Old Dairy, and a new 1.2-kilometre track along Toongabbie Creek. You can take in the Lost Rogans Hill Railway Line at Northmead, Seven Hills' International Peace Park and the scenic surrounds of Chang Lai Yuan Chinese Gardens in Western Sydney Parklands. [caption id="attachment_745897" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Great West Walk map, courtesy of the City of Parramatta.[/caption] As you get further out, The Great West Walk passes through the heritage-listed Rooty Hill Historic Site and the 900-hectare Wianamatta Regional Park. It finishes at the Nepean River, where you can either kick back enjoying views of the Blue Mountains in the background, link up to the existing eight-kilometre Great River Walk or venture a few more metres into the Penrith CBD for a hard-earned coffee and feed. You probably won't be knocking the whole thing out in one go, but it can easily be done in parts over a couple of weekends. The track intersects with the train line at multiple points, too, so you'll be able to get there and back without much hassle. Plus, it might even save you a drive to a national park and help you explore your own backyard a bit more. The whole thing has been brought to life with the help of hiking group the Walking Volunteers (who also helped create the 760-kilometre Sydney Harbour and Coastal Walking Network), along with almost $500,000 from the NSW Government and support from the likes of local councils, NSW Parks and Wildlife Services, and Western Sydney Parkland Trust. The Walking Volunteers are the first to put the Great West Walk through its paces. They set out to tackle the whole 65 kilometre stretch on Friday, and are expected to end in Penrith this evening, Tuesday, October 15. The Great West Walk starts at Parramatta and ends in Penrith. To plan your walk, view the map here. Image: Western Sydney Parklands.
UPDATE, Friday, October 27, 2023: Pain Hustlers screens in select cinemas from Thursday, October 19, and streams via Netflix from Friday, October 27. There's never been any need to be subtle about Emily Blunt's talents as an actor. A resume filled with My Summer of Love, The Devil Wears Prada, Sunshine Cleaning, Looper, Edge of Tomorrow, Sicario, Mary Poppins Returns, A Quiet Place and its sequel, plus The English on the small screen, keeps proving a helluva showcase. With those versatile roles and others — Oppenheimer and Jungle Cruise are her most-recent big screen credits — Blunt gives audiences a very particular and highly welcome present. Every part for every actor sees them play characters that are constantly adjusting to their situation, given that's just what life is all about, but watching Blunt convey that experience is quite the gift. As her filmography repeatedly demonstrates, she knows better than most how to weaponise a stare and a pause, convey uncertainty with a shift and a gesture, and use both tone and pace to dig in — and, in a long line of excellent Blunt performances, that knack is on full display in Pain Hustlers. This pharma drama's best star — Chris Evans (Ghosted), Catherine O'Hara (Elemental), Andy Garcia (Expend4bles), Brian d'Arcy James (Love & Death) and Chloe Coleman (Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves) all leave an imprint as well, but Blunt is the movie's knockout — steps into the shoes of Liza Drake. Relentlessly adapting is the Floridian's normality; she's a single mother to teenager Phoebe (Coleman), who has epilepsy that requires surgical treatment that Liza can't afford, and also lives in her sister's garage while stringing together cash from whichever jobs she can find. It's at one such gig as an exotic dancer, where her talent for sizing up a scenario and making the most of it is rather handy, that Pete Brenner (Evans) crosses her path. He wants more than her barside banter, proposing that she comes to work for him. If he didn't want her to genuinely take it up, he shouldn't have made the offer. Also apparent in Pain Hustlers: the latest on-screen takedown of the pharmaceutical industry and corresponding interrogation of the opioid crisis, aka one of pop culture's current topics du jour. Indeed, in only his second non-Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts film since 2007 (the other: The Legend of Tarzan), director David Yates happily relies upon the fact that this realm is common ire-inducing knowledge no matter whether you've read journalist Evan Hughes' coverage of Insys Therapeutics — including 'The Pain Hustlers', a New York Times Magazine article, then The Hard Sell: Crime and Punishment at an Opioid Startup, the non-fiction book that followed. First-time screenwriter Wells Tower draws upon both, but similarly knows that his fictionalisation rattles around a heavily populated domain. Stunning documentary All the Beauty and the Bloodshed earned an Oscar nomination, miniseries Dopesick picked up an Emmy, and both Painkiller and The Fall of the House of Usher have hit Netflix in 2023 — as will Pain Hustlers — while diving into the same subject. In reality, Insys marketed a fentanyl spray called subsys for pain management, then came under legal scrutiny for adopting a whatever-it-takes approach to encourage doctors to champion the fast-acting, strong and addictive opioid. That's the Pain Hustlers story as well, as intercut early with faux documentary-style chats with the film's characters to make it plain from the outset that there's comeuppance in store for their unscrupulous and infuriating actions. Pete is a hotshot at Zanna, a pharmaceutical startup under the guidance of widower doctor Jack Neel (Garcia) that's spruiking its own mist. In his strip-club employment pitch, Pete doesn't tell Liza that the company's days are numbered if medical professionals keep steering clear of their drug lonafen. During that chat, he also doesn't glean how determined that the ever-enterprising Liza is when she sets her mind on something. From a starting point of zero, Liza boosts lonafen's market penetration to 86 percent quickly in the rise portion of Pain Hustlers' tale. Again, viewers are well-primed that the fall will come, but this is a hustling-fuelled, capitalism-indicting, "what would you do?" type of telling. An amalgamation of a few IRL folks, Liza is the only person who finds an angle into medicine cabinets, getting lonely pain-clinic doc Lydell (James) over the line in no small part thanks to paying him attention. She's also the only character with questions about the corporate-sanctioned move into bribes, false claims, and flouting regulations in the pursuit of more and more success ("grow or die," implores Neel). Hollywood neatness lingers in her arc, as someone with an urgent need for money to help her family and sincerity in her belief that she's slinging a worthy product, while also enamoured with the upgrade from motel living to a palatial apartment, even hiring her mother (O'Hara), and proving exceptional and influential at her task. That's where Blunt, who is also one of Pain Hustlers' producers, couldn't be more crucial — selling every slippery, driven, desperate, calculating, American dream-chasing and well-meaning choice alike. In a version of this film that didn't feature Blunt, everything would suffer, including her co-stars. From Evans in Knives Out- and The Gray Man-esque skeezy terrain (so, worlds away from Captain America) to Garcia getting hopped up on greed, everyone in Pain Hustlers is at their best when they're reacting to her — and, of course, she's equally formidable whether she's in the centre of the glossily shot frame alone or flanked. Making workmanlike contributions, Yates and Tower prescribe only the expected otherwise. Apart from stressing that their movie isn't advocating pushing pills (well, sprays in this instance), their doco-leaning segments are gimmicky, even when they survey patients with horror stories. Pain Hustlers is still engaging enough, though, but it's the picture's terrifically cast lead that's compulsive to watch. When Liza, Pete and company — Jay Duplass (Industry) and Amit Shah (Happy Valley) are among Zanna's other employees — are making bank, the lonafen playbook isn't far removed from their competitors. In a film that recalls The Big Short and Martin Scorsese's work, there's a raging case of like plot, like movie as blatant as a bright-orange pill cylinder. Pain Hustlers doesn't just tread in Dopesick et al's footsteps, but in Goodfellas and The Wolf of Wall Street's as well. Liza could be a sibling to Erin Brockovich's namesake, too, with the performance to match. And, as it trades in horrific details yet never goes full horror like The Fall of the House of Usher, Succession also lingers. In one of Evans' great scenes, in fact, he takes to the stage in costume and raps the drug's praises. He's decked out like a lonafen spray, but he's firmly and gleefully in Kendall Roy territory. It's an entertaining moment, but also underscores the difference between watchable and spectacular.
Right now, it's the 2020s, not the 1920s. If you'd like to jump back a century while sitting in a cinema, however, Babylon is here to help. And, if you'd like to see the latest film from jazz-loving, Oscar-winning La La Land director Damien Chazelle before everyone else — at the Australian premiere no less, and with stars Margot Robbie and Diego Calva in attendance — you can on Monday, January 16. Because big premiere screenings aren't just for Hollywood — aka the place where Babylon is set, right in the middle of its Golden Age — Sydney's State Theatre is rolling out the carpet for Robbie and Calva. And, for Sydneysiders as well. These kinds of famous folk-filled screenings aren't often open to the paying public, but you can indeed nab a ticket to this one. Babylon follows Robbie, Calva and Brad Pitt as they wreak havoc throughout Tinseltown when the silents were in full swing, then try to navigate the jump to talkies. Robbie (Amsterdam) plays Nellie LaRoy, a 1920s actor. After winning an Oscar for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood — set in a different era of Los Angeles' past — Pitt (Bullet Train) plays Jack Conrad, an industry veteran. And Calva (Narcos: Mexico) joins them Manny Torres, who desperately wants to be in the industry. As the decade comes to an end and Hollywood changes, these three characters have much to grapple with in this tale of ambition and excess. Expect decadently staged parties galore in the process — the kind that look right out of The Great Gatsby, or at least as if Chazelle is channelling his inner Baz Luhrmann. And if you weren't already thinking that anyway, up pops Tobey Maguire in only his fifth movie role since The Great Gatsby. Tickets to head along to Babylon's Australian premiere cost $55.94. Dress your 1920s best, obviously. Images: Paramount Pictures.
Pork party. Yes, you heard right. With the explosion of everything kale across Sydney as of late, this is practically a godsend for the hungry carnivores among us. For one day, Petersham's Oxford Tavern is getting its smoke on with a strictly pork affair — no vegetarians allowed. The Oxford Tavern may just be another pub jumping aboard the American BBQ meat train (is there a single restaurant in Sydney which doesn't serve pulled pork?) but thanks to their double chamber vertical smoker — adorably dubbed Black Betty — they're bringing a little touch of authenticity to the scene. Behind the grill will be executive chef Jamie Thomas, whose cooking you've probably tasted before at the (now deceased; RIP) Carrington, Forresters, Queenies and other Drink N Dine venues. Oxford Tavern don't kid around when it comes to their protein. Some of the finger-lickin' goodness available on Saturday will be smoked pork belly, pulled pork, maple-glazed ribs, char-siu pork neck, pig tails, sausages, bacon beans and bacon mash-n-cheese. Pork party indeed.
As a reliable rule of thumb, the number of stars promoting a movie often proves inversely proportional to the numbers of stars that movie should receive in a review. It's like a Hollywood Hail Mary, a last-ditch effort by studios to dazzle audiences into thinking their film is anything other than a steaming pile of 'been there, done that'. But sometimes Hollywood surprises us. Sometimes a star-studded cast actually can manage to harmonise and shine rather than drown beneath layer upon layer of gratuitous cameo. Horrible Bosses is one such film. It is, in a word, funny. Really funny, and despite its top-heavy cast it works because everyone plays their part to perfection. Leading the way are Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day – three friends who decide their lives would be significantly better off if their respective (and repulsive) bosses were dead. Fuelled by frustration and alcohol, the trio hastily devises a plan to kill each other's tormentor under the tutelage of an ex-con whose name is as hilarious as it is unprintable (here's a clue - two words, first one: 'mother'). Played by Jamie Foxx, it's a master class in how cameos can work and a fine example of Stanislavski's 'no small parts, only small actors' mantra. Equally impressive are the three secondary leads as the eponymous 'horrible bosses'. Kevin Spacey excels as the uncaring and exploitative businessman working Bateman into the ground with no prospect for advancement; Colin Farrell is almost unrecognisable as Sudeikis' overweight, coked-up and combed-over shop manager; while Jennifer Aniston thoroughly sheds her 'girl next door' image (along with her clothes) as a nymphomaniacal dentist determined to sleep with the recently-engaged Day. They're all entirely detestable and our desire to see them knocked off is as much a credit to the actors' performances as it is to director Seth Gordon's ability to tap into the all-too-familiar feeling of loathing the people we work for. It's that same feeling of familiarity that drives the entire story home, most importantly in terms of the interplay between the three protagonists. Bateman, Day and Sudeikis clearly enjoy each other's company in real life, meaning their on-screen friendship feels instantly comfortable and sincere. They achieve the kind of chemistry every director dreams of, and whether scripted or improvised their lines offer up some of the funniest laugh out loud moments seen in cinemas this year. Horrible Bosses is definitely an adult comedy, though it thankfully manages to remain dark without being offensive, fast without feeling frantic and silly without descending into farce. https://youtube.com/watch?v=mh9cG5dzs-U
As one of Melbourne's most lauded fine diners, Attica has become quite the shapeshifter of late. Earlier this year, Ben Shewry's Ripponlea restaurant executed a classic COVID-19 pivot, launching a pop-up bakeshop in the space next door and diversifying with its first-ever take-home food offering. Last week, it was announced its post-lockdown comeback would take the form of a month-long venue pop-up called Attica In Between, hosting intimate ten-person dining experiences with a brand-new menu. Now, the team's revealed plans for the biggest shake-ups yet: a whole new Attica restaurant. Embracing fresh air and open skies, Attica Summer Camp is set to descend on the Yarra Valley from this December. At this stage, the finer details are still being plotted, though we're told to expect a casual, all-day affair, popping up for a five-month stint at dedicated site in Seville. Labelled "a significant departure from Attica", the new venture will feature a playful, informal vibe, as well as a sprawling countryside setting that nods to the rural backdrop and camping adventures of Shewry's own childhood. "It's going to be a super fun, high-energy, casual place that's been inspired by this time we've all been through," Shewry told Concrete Playground. "And wanting to just break free from that feeling, and look towards something that's more optimistic and positive." Yes, it's worlds apart from the globally renowned fine-diner concept, and the chef admits, "I never would have done this before". But with hospitality restrictions and capacity limits posing a challenge to the OG Attica, he's accepted that rolling with the punches will call for some big moves. "It's another step in saving Attica, our restaurant and our staff's livelihoods," he says. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ben Shewry (@benshewry) Above all, Shewry wants Attica Summer Camp to be somewhere "playful and fun" — an out-of-town destination where people can bask in some goodness after a less than idyllic year. There'll be a feel-good lineup of simple food and drinks, with a menu full of local produce enjoyed across the site's various indoor and outdoor spaces. The wine offering looks set to feature some collaborative efforts from long-time Attica friend and renowned winemaker Mac Forbes, who Shewry says has been an integral part of the whole project. Huge covered outdoor dining pavilions are ready for whatever Melbourne's sketchy weather decides to throw down, and a vine-covered pergola sounds primed for private picnic lunches. An on-site retail store will even be slinging goodies like Attica merch, house-made produce and take-home picnic hampers, so you won't be leaving empty-handed. Rounding out the offering is what the team's calling "the best and most uplifting soundtrack that a restaurant has ever heard". After the year Melbourne's had, that all sounds like exactly what the doctor ordered. Find Attica Summer Camp at 45 Davross Court, Seville from this December. We'll share more details as they drop and you can register your interest over at the website.
Fast-expanding hospitality collective The Point Group is adding a spacious Greek restaurant and bar to its far-reaching catalogue of Sydney venues that already includes the beloved Dolphin Hotel, the multi-storey venue Shell House and the soon-to-open Fort Denison wine bar and restaurant. Topikos Dining Room and Bar will open on Campbell Parade from Thursday, April 14, offering traditional Greek spreads. "We're staying true to Greek cuisine, calling on traditional recipes, cooking techniques and flavours, combined with incredible Aussie produce we're presenting our contemporary take on classic Greek dining," says The Point Group's Culinary Director Joel Bickford. "At the heart of the menu are the essentials; an olive oil program and house made pita, a simple base to build out our menu from." The menu takes full advantage of the restaurant's seasonal produce and both the charcoal grill and woodfire ovens that you'll find in the kitchen. Meze plates are a big part of a menu that is built to encourage shared dining, with other exciting additions including souvlaki, king prawn saganaki, feta and sweet pepper filo pie and gyros made with that in-house pita. As with all of The Point Group's venues, the drinks list is a main feature and not an afterthought. "We want to create the very best quality wine and cocktail bar whilst embracing the bohemian spirit of Bondi," says restaurateur Brett Robinson. Accompanying an exciting wine list are memorable cocktails like a baklava old fashioned and Topiko's iced coffee. The expansive venue can seat over 200 people across the dining room, 100-seat bar and outdoor terrace. Open from midday to midnight, it offers a new spot in the bustling eastern suburbs suburb for a snack, a catch-up over a wine or a group feast. Robinson calls it: "The perfect social meeting point, a pre/post-lunch or dinner drink and reliable place for friends to relax or celebrate no matter what time of day or night". View this post on Instagram A post shared by @topikos__ Topikos Dining Room will be open on Thursday, April 14. You can find it at 180 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach midday to midnight seven days a week.
Any time is a good time for a getaway in the Hunter Valley, though that statement is going to be particularly true this June. That's when the Cheese Lovers Festival returns for its second year, and you can try as much dairy as you can stomach for just $20 entry ($15 for early birds). This cheesy, cheesy festival will showcase over 50 cheese, wine and craft beer stalls with tasting opportunities. Tasting opportunities. There's an amateur 'fancy cheesecake' competition, cheesemaking classes and workshops with White Rabbit Brewery to help you pair beer and cheese like a pro. This year there will also be the opportunity to attend a special dinner or lunch with a three-course cheesy menu designed by cheesemaker and founder of Bruny Island Cheese Company, Nick Haddow. Basically, if you can't find a reason to make the trip, you're not looking hard enough. And that's just the official side of things. With more than 150 wineries in the area, taking a few detours is to be expected.
Online retailer of beautiful things to put on your body My Chameleon is having a warehouse sale. They stock a list of leading and emerging designers that will make the timeless-chic-loving part of your little heart sing, and with up to 70 percent off clothing, shoes and accessories, your bank account may too. Score. There's something highly satisfying about warehouse sales (despite the queues and the hell that is the communal change room). It's most likely to do with that feeling you get, emerging triumphant from the swathes of silk and similarly delicate and expensive garmentry, previously exorbitantly priced sweater in hand, and handing over a mere fraction of that exorbitant price. You feel so clever. Consumerism has such sweet joys. Don't be the fool who misses out. The sale is open from noon - 7pm on Thursday, 10am - 6pm on Friday, and 10am - 4pm on Saturday. Brands featured include Apiece Apart, Cacharel, Christopher Esber, Camilla Skovgaard, Dieppa Restrepo, Dion Lee and MM6 Maison Martin Margiela.
The Social Outfit opened the doors of their south King Street storefront a year ago. Since then, their shelves have been stocked with vibrant, ethically-made statement pieces created by people from new migrant and refugee backgrounds in Sydney. The store doubles as a sewing school and manufacturing house, so they’re able to provide education, training and employment opportunities in design, production, retail and marketing. To celebrate the big uno, and all the talent, skill and hard work of the people behind the clothes, they’re throwing a birthday bash (in fashion show form) on July 22 at Redfern Town Hall. Complete with food, drinks and good people, the show will feature new prints by Sydney designer and creative producer Eloise Rapp and the Burmese-Karen community. Tickets were available through the crowdfunding campaign for their new digital design training program, which has now has closed (sad emoji). Good news is they reached their goal (HURRAH!) so it’s likely this won’t be the last time you hear from them.
