Only one female filmmaker has ever been nominated for the Best Director Oscar twice. That woman: Jane Campion. The New Zealand talent won the coveted prize in 2022, for the phenomenal The Power of the Dog — and, while her exquisite revisionist western was the absolute best movie of 2021, it's not the only highlight on her resume. Campion's filmography is packed with must-sees, and see them you must — on the big screen at the Art Gallery of NSW at the 2023 Sydney Film Festival. The fest's retrospective for this year is Jane Campion: Her Way, a lineup that will step through the New Zealand director and screenwriter's career, and also feature Campion in-conversation with David Stratton. [caption id="attachment_847709" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kirsty Griffin/Netflix[/caption] On the bill: The Power of the Dog, because watching it via streaming is nowhere near the best way to revel in its wonders; The Piano, the 1993 Oscar-winner that nabbed Campion her first Best Director nomination; In the Cut, a tremendous erotic thriller starring Meg Ryan; and Holy Smoke, with Kate Winslet starring opposite Harvey Keitel. There's also everything from 1986's Two Friends, 1989's Sweetie and 1990's An Angel at My Table through to 1996's Nicole Kidman-starring The Portrait of a Lady, 2009's Bright Star about poet John Keats and his romance with Fanny Brawne, and Campion's short films Peel, A Girl's Own Story, Passionless Moments, After Hours and The Water Diary. SFF runs from Wednesday, June 7–Sunday, June 18, with Campion chatting with Stratton on Saturday, June 10 following a showing of the new documentary Jane Campion, The Cinema Woman. Top image: Kirsty Griffin/Netflix.
Canberra's light rail, the swish new(ish) north-to-south route that delivers passengers into the heart of the city, is more than a commuter line. It's an easy — and cheap — way for visitors to get around town between 6am and 11.30pm (or 1am on Saturday nights). Yep: no designated driver, no ridesharing, just you and the open rails. Well, 12 kilometres of them, anyway. Make your Canberra weekend away as simple as possible, and leave yourself with more money to spend on food and fun, by touring the capital via the light rail. Some of Canberra's best eats, well-stocked bars and intriguing curiosity shops (plus a surprising nighttime sports hub) are waiting to be explored along the light rail line. Here, we've got the ultimate hop-on-hop-off adventure for a day out in Canberra. Please stay up to date with the latest ACT Government health advice regarding COVID-19.
The rare and precious ability to inhale more hot dogs than anyone else in five minutes could score you both fame and fortune at The Dip this week. To celebrate its second birthday, Goodgod's canteen is hosting a hot dog eating contest with prizes including 100 bucks (think how many Chupa Chups that could buy you) as well as a punch jug and a frankly amazing commemorative T-shirt to let the world know about your special talent. Observe the mingled joy and pain on the faces of last year's spicy wing eating contest entrants. Those seeking more inspiration need look no further than one of the competitive eating world's most legendary face-offs, Kobayashi versus a giant bear. The night sounds like lots of fun for non-entrants, too, since new weekly hip hop party Dip Hop is launching at the same time and deep-fried birthday cake will be on the menu. Email do@thedip.com.au to register for the comp.
Just one day after NSW introduced a range of new eased restrictions — allowing for regional travel, 50 people in hospitality venues and the reopening of cultural institutions and beauty parlours — the Government has announced another change. From Saturday, June 13, Sydneysiders will once again be able to go to gyms, fitness centres, dance studios and tattoo and massage parlours. Class sizes will be restricted to ten people, with a maximum of 100 people per venue, and tattoo and massage parlours will be allowed to have up to ten clients at a time. Indoor pools and saunas will be able to reopen with restrictions, too, following the reopening of outdoor pools and ocean pools back on May 15. A second set of eased restrictions will be introduced from July 1, when community sports will kick off, starting for those 18 years and younger. The reopening announcement was made today, Tuesday, June 2, by Deputy Premier John Barilaro who said, "we all know that physical fitness is important to, of course, your mental fitness and that's why it's timely that we've made this announcement". NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard was also at the announcement and addressed concerns Sydneysiders may have about the delay in reopenings. "The community might say 'why can't you do everything today?'... we want to see how each of these opening up moves impact on the transmission rates. It's wise to be careful," Hazzard said. The state has had an increase in six new cases over the past 24 hours, with all of them from travellers who are currently in hotel quarantine. Hazzard once again encouraged Sydneysiders to download the COVIDSafe app and anyone with even mild symptoms to go and get tested. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Government website.
The music industry often takes itself too seriously. Funny photos of serious musicians are scarce, but hilarious. Take a took at these photos of (usually) serious musicians. We've got everything from Dallas Green (City and Colour, above) in underwear with an umbrella, Elvis Costello in a fedora hanging with Elmo, and the always intimidating post punk band Swans squatting awkwardly in a swimming pool. Even the deepest and darkest of musicians have a soft side (or at least a somewhat funny side). Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson Elvis Costello Ian Anderson John Cage Radiohead Elliott Smith Iron Maiden Jeremiah Greene and Jim Fairchild of Modest Mouse Swans Hans-Joachim Roedelius
Calling all gadget fiends, the Sydney Science Festival is back and has brought the Mini Maker Faire with it. It's like the large-scale 'Show and Tell' of our primary school memories, except this chapter goes for two days, includes robots and we don't have to sit cross-legged on the floor. Various 'Makers' will be showing their latest innvations at the Faire, and there'll be plenty of workshops where you can learn how to do crazy things like playing with robots and controlling real world objects using code. There's pretty much something for everyone here, from 3D printers to banana pianos and laser harps. Yep, LASER HARPS. The Maker Movement is a recent one, embracing innovation and invention, so you're sure to see something pretty damn cool (and possibly completely weird) on the day. Whether you're a tech head, amateur scientist or long-time tinkerer, there'll be something to pique your interest at the Faire.
If you've never really spent much time contemplating the world of T-shirts, then here's your chance. The Galeries, aMBUSH Gallery and Eddie Zammit (founder of T-world journal) have joined forces to create an event that focuses on that thing you often use to cover the top half of your body: the humble T-shirt. Yes, you've most likely got one on right now, or have a few in your dirty washing pile. What's this all about then? Well, there will be a T-shirt installation (of 200 T-shirts), an I love T's exhibition (curated by Zammit and aMBUSH Gallery, at Lane Four) and a live screenprinting of T-shirts by 6 designers, including Sydney-based Natalie Wood and Los Angeles outfit HIT+RUN themselves (you can also score one if you're lucky). For those still struggling to make the link between the words HIT+RUN and T-shirts (fair enough), you need to look at what these two southern Californian lads, Brandy Flower and Mike Crivello, used to do. The small silkscreening parties in their homes seem to have grown quite a bit since 2005. HIT+RUN runs from 6-9pm on Thursday, September 20. The Lane Four I love T's exhibition runs until November 26.
Some cocktails feature both gin and whisky. Usually, though, if you're sipping one then you're not sipping the other. That means you're either enjoying the citrus and juniper taste that comes with gin, or indulging in the malty flavour that whisky is so well-known for. Or, you can now opt for Never Never Distilling Co and Sullivans Cove's newest release. The two Australian distilleries have teamed up on a tipple they've named Jennifer, and the South Australian gin outfit and Tasmanian whisky fiends really have combined the best of both worlds. This flavoursome spirit takes its cues from Dutch Genever, which is all about blending malt wine and botanical flavours. The aim here: to make a new concoction that nods to both gin and whisky, and works in cocktails that normally feature either. Taste-wise, you can expect notes of pine fresh coriander, spicy cinnamon scroll and pepperberry. You'll smell malt, toasted cereal and warm spice scents, too and also coriander and juniper. So, it's both rich and fruity — and it's part of Never Never's limited-edition Dark Series. Jennifer also marks the first time that two trophy winners from the World Gin Awards and World Whiskies Awards have joined forces to make to hybrid spirit style, and it's also quite the rare tipple. Only one batch has been made so far, and getting your hands on some will set you back RRP$92 for a 500-millilitre bottle. "We wanted to create something that was generous in flavour and luxurious in mouthfeel that will be appreciated by enthusiasts in both camps," said Never Never Head Distiller Tim Boast. "It was a perfect candidate for a Dark Series release, which are exciting experimentations in flavour that push the boundaries of the spirit category." "Our aim is to present, in the most delicious way possible, the most authentic expression of our ingredients and people," said Sullivans Cove Distillery Manager Heather Tillot. "An innovative mindset is vital for this, and centres around perspective, approach and detail." Jennifer will be available to purchase via the Never Never Distilling Co website from Wednesday, September 15, and from Never Never's McLaren Vale Distillery Door. Images: Meghan Coles.
Seven years ago Dustin Hoffman, himself a former chemist, issued a stinging rebuke of the increasingly 'dumb' science fiction movies making their way onto our screens. Laziness was at the heart of his complaint, as he accused writers of opting for meaningless techno-babble instead of taking the time to invent intelligent solutions to their characters' scientific problems. Hoffman even went so far as to help sponsor the Science and Entertainment Exchange in order to promote films deemed to respect scientific principles and debunk those which are unrealistic. It wasn't that sci-fi movies couldn't have action in them, he explained, they just needed to ensure the sci remained the prevalent part. Arrival, the new film by Sicario and Prisoners director Denis Villeneuve, is a movie of which Hoffman would be proud. Beginning conventionally in the vein of an Independence Day or The Day The Earth Stood Still, the film opens with the sudden arrival of twelve mysterious alien spaceships in various locations around the world. Yet rather than launch an attack, they sit curiously idle, as the humans debate their origin and intent. Rather than focusing on action, Arrival instead veers much more towards the themes of Sphere (which starred Hoffman) or Contact, in that the world's scientists, rather than its soldiers, form the core team around which the story revolves. Fronting the US team are Dr Louise Banks (Amy Adams), America's foremost linguistics expert, and Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), a theoretical physicist. Their goal is singular, yet phenomenally complex: figure out how to communicate with the aliens and convey one simple, critical question: "what is your purpose here on earth?" What follows is a fascinating study in language, history and non-verbal communication, where variables and complexities in even the most rudimentary grammatical expressions become seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Add to that the paranoia of military and CIA liaisons (Forest Whitaker and Michael Stuhlbarg, respectively) whose focus rarely extends beyond fears of an invasion, along with the vicissitudes of international diplomacy wherein sharing and cooperation are considered hallmarks of weakness, and you find in Arrival an intensely engaging, cerebral and often gripping sci-fi thriller. Based on the cult novella "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang, Arrival blends sumptuous cinematography with weighty abstractions that, for the most part, land with an assured touch. Glimpses into Louise's personal life raise questions about time and our linear perception of it, and only rarely does the script indulge in the kind of corny musings traditionally found in freshman philosophy essays. Adams's performance is the clear standout, around which her supporting cast plays it with impressive reserve. The score by Jóhann Jóhannsson, meanwhile, shifts effortlessly between beautiful and bombastic. Intelligent and restrained, Arrival is a welcome addition to the sci-fi canon that wows you with its brains rather than simply its special effects. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFMo3UJ4B4g
Would you call yourself a hepcat, doll, groover, or lover of rockabilly? Do you love playing dress-ups, recalling the poise and etiquette of a '50s 'lady' by wearing a waist cincher and poodle skirt (as you bake a cake, of course)? Or, if you're a fella, do you practice your "oh golly, oh gosh, oh gees" while wearing some incredibly high-waisted pants that your grandpa would be proud of? If you lean toward yes, it might be time to check out the annual Fifties Fare. Rose Seidler House plays host (as only the perfect open-plan party house can), and all things that involve quiffed hair, '50s-style cars to cruise in, and retro Americana food will make an appearance. The ReChords and Scotty Baker & the Pat Capocci Combo will provide the vintage tunes to make you get your swing on, and specialist market stalls will stock authentic kit that you an carry on home.
If there's one thing Sydneysiders like, it's watching Studio Ghibli films. Understandably, a whole heap of cinemas and bars around town have been happy to oblige, hosting their own events dedicated to the Japanese animation house. Now, the Art Gallery of NSW is getting on board. Fans will get yet another chance to catch Studio Ghibli's gorgeous features, when the gallery hosts weekly screenings in its Domain Theatre every Saturday afternoon between January 11 and February 8. Yes, you'll feel like you've been Spirited Away once again. Other Hayao Miyazaki favourites on the program include Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke and My Neighbour Totoro. Pom Poko, by Studio Ghibli director Isao Takahata, also makes an appearance on the lineup. If you've missed these films in their limited cinema runs or fest appearances in the past, consider this your chance to catch up (and at only $12 per session).
Luigi Esposito, the pizzaiolo who helped ignite Sydney's love of woodfired pizza through his wildly popular Surry Hills institutions Via Napoli and Pizza Fritta 180, has added yet another venue to his mozzarella-topped empire. With his first two restaurants on Crown Street, Esposito told the story of Neapolitan pizza — both the traditional iteration and its flash-fried street-food cousin. Now, with his latest venture, he's shifting the narrative away from Naples to focus on the cuisine of Rome. Located on the corner of Crown and Foveaux streets (in the former digs of Pizza Fritta 180, which has moved in next door to Via Napoli, just up the road), 170 Grammi is so named for the exact amount of dough — just 170 grams per 13-inch pizza — required to create the thin and crispy base that distinguishes Roman slices from their Neapolitan counterparts. Rather than the pliant, doughy chew and bubbly, charred crust that Sydneysiders are familiar with, 170 Grammi's pizzas are all about the crunch, and the counterpoint of textures between the molten toppings and the crisp base beneath. "We've made them using the traditional 'la tonda scrocchiarella Romana' or round style that was popular in the 1950s," Esposito said, although with a few of the 13 variations on the menu, he's also breaking with tradition. Transcribing the flavours of Rome's most-beloved pasta dishes, toppings include the simple crowd-pleaser of cacio e pepe — and the silken yet salty combo of egg, guanciale pork and pecorino romano of the a'carbonara. The restaurant's signature dish is the porchetta di ariccia, featuring slow-roasted porchetta alla Romana and smoked scamorza mingled with roasted rosemary-kissed potatoes, and showcases a family recipe passed on to Luigi from his father-in-law Tonino Toscano. "I'm so pleased to be able to recognise my wife and her family in one of our pizzerias," Esposito said. The menu also features the best Roman-style antipasti, including suppli (the Italian capital's riff on arancini) and trippa alla Romana — tripe in a piquant tomato sauce — as well as an affordable wine offering with no bottles priced over $65. And it's not just 170 Grammi's pizzas — each cooked at 300 degrees for just three minutes in the kitchen's custom-built woodfired oven — that will have Sydneysiders queuing around the block, just as they did when Pizza Fritta 180 first opened in 2020 at the same address. A classic Roman-style dessert, the maritozzi, which features a soft brioche-style bun filled to bursting with sweetened whipped cream, is sure to become the new obsession of sweet-toothed Sydneysiders everywhere. Find 170 Grammi at 428 Crown Street, Surry Hills, open 5–10pm Wednesday–Sunday — head to the venue's website for more details. Images: Trent van der Jagt.
Barbecue shapes. Fried chicken. Together in a crunchy combo at last. In terrible news for aspiring dieters everyone, Arnott's has teamed up with some of the best chicken joints in the country to create a taste combination of a very different feather. For the next three weeks, hungry residents of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane can order fried foul coated in crushed Arnott's Barbecue Shapes. And before you ask, yes, they're using the original flavouring. Sydney's Juicy Lucy, Melbourne's Phat Chicks and Brisbane's Seoul Bistro have all gotten on board, with each restaurant offering their own unique take on the brief for $8–15. The whole thing is part of a promotion by Deliveroo, so you'll only be able to get the creations delivered. They'll be available via Deliveroo until Sunday October 7. No word on whether they're planning on doing a pizza shapes variant, but we'll keep our fingers crossed.
The blockbuster film is well and truly implanted in our imaginations. But what about the art shows of our time? Last year saw hundreds of thousands of Sydneysiders worship the massive installations of Anish Kapoor, the pacifist embraces of Yoko Ono (both at Museum of Contemporary Art), and the bright-light/electro space odyssey of Ryoji Ikeda at Carriageworks. 2014 is a Biennale year — the blockiest of all Australian blockbuster shows. Here we look at a further raft of shows pitched at the everyday art lover that could never be construed as lowest-common-denominator popcorn shows — they embrace the perception-warping ellipses of conceptual art, the political upheavals of new China, and the “messy machinery of human nature”. 19th Biennale of Sydney This is the big one. Artistic director Juliana Engberg’s theme, ‘You imagine what you desire’, will focus the imaginations of contemporary artists on alternative worlds and possible societies. Angelica Mesiti, Mikala Dwyer, Deborah Kelly and Zhao Zhao are among these artists, and Cockatoo Island, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and Art Gallery of New South Wales are among the locales. It’s a promising theme that can hopefully connect audiences' most pressing aspirations with the loftier question, what kind of world do we want for the future? 21 March - 9 June at various locations Sol LeWitt If 2013 was the year of performance art led by Kaldor Public Projects’ 13 Rooms, perhaps 2014 is the year of conceptual art. 2013 was also a lull year for the Art Gallery of New South Wales, but in Sol LeWitt they have a serious boon. The American artist was one of the most influential early conceptual artists (in fact, he founded the term), removing all human traces of his hand from his work and elevating the pure idea or concept above the execution and aesthetic outcome. LeWitt’s highly abstracted, geometric and optically illusive works will sit alongside his ‘scribble drawings’ and unrealised ‘concrete structures’, as well his collection of linear and colour-based works of Indigenous artists Emily Kam Ngwarray and Gloria Tamerre Petyarre. 20 February – 3 August at the AGNSW SAFARI 2014 Think of this as the anti-blockbuster art show, popping up in small galleries and venues littered across the city. The little sibling of the Biennale of Sydney has come of age, with a reputation of curating some seriously forefront emerging artists. Pitched as an artist-run fringe event to the more above-ground and institutional BoS, SAFARI has the nimble, back-street keenness to program an interesting and experimental slate of young artists from across Australia. Last SAFARI brought the work of pristine, white toilet-paper art of Rachel Park to a wider audience than ever before. This time round, keep Liam Benson’s poetically futile video works, Emma Hamilton’s unconventional Australian landscapes and Gemma Messih and Ally Bishop’s elegantly abstracted extractions from nature high on your radar. 14 March – 4 April, various locations, free Reformat10n, White Rabbit Rewind five years and imagine Sydney’s gallery scene without White Rabbit. It’s tough. This tenth exhibition of the contemporary Chinese art gallery revolves around the idea of reformation — the succession of a new wave, the establishment of fresh ideas, a complete overhaul of the old ways of doing and thinking. White Rabbit’s shows rotate different parts of the Neilson family’s private collection, which includes Ai Weiwei’s huge mound of tiny ceramic sunflower seeds, and Shi Zhiying’s oil painting of an all-consuming, horizonless, grey-scale ocean, High Seas. The gallery consistently minimises the ‘shrug factor’ — that moment upon entering a gallery, glazed-eyed, when you have no idea how to engage with the work. White Rabbit doesn’t replace the shrug factor with shock factor, it just curates some of the most adventurous contemporary artists working in China and smashing together the political and the personal, history and present, today. 6 March - 3 August 2014 at the White Rabbit Gallery ??????, MONA Details of the Museum of Old and New Art’s coming show (its current one, The Red Queen, closes April 21) are still on downlow, but in the gallery’s first few years, it’s established a reputation of bold, adventurous exhibitions that lead rather than follow art trends and appeal to those who think they don’t ‘get’ contemporary art. Owner, internet gambler and art mogul David Walsh has created a small, self-contained universe dedicated to sex and death (it’s hard to believe that such a gallery hadn’t been done before) and a great place to get lost in. The art world, and the world at large, eagerly awaits MONA’s next moves.
Sydney's dining scene is not only well-known across Australia, it has a reputation around the world as being one of the best. And that's, in part, thanks to a handful of legendary dishes. Our fair city is home to pancakes regularly eaten by the Japanese Prime Minister and a dessert The New York Times described as "the world's most Instagrammed cake". With the help of American Express, we've rounded up the dishes that helped put Sydney on the map — and still hold up today. Bookmark this list and start ticking them off.
After what feeleth like an eternity, the hotly anticipated Globe — an exact replica of the theatre where Shakespeare's plays were performed in the 1600s — has at last popped up in the Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park. The Pop-Up Globe is dedicated to presenting Shakespeare's plays truly traditionally — as fun, unpredictable, boisterous parties, where you're encouraged to laugh, cheer and take part. Wherever you sit or stand in the 900-seat theatre, you won't be more than 15 metres from the action. We're as excited as you are about this authentic Shakespearean experience, so, in partnership with the Pop-Up Globe, we've secured five double passes to Macbeth (aka 'The Scottish Play') performed by resident mixed theatre company Southhampton on Thursday, September 6. This timeless tragedy sees the mighty Macbeth fall prey to a trio of prophetic witches, become obsessed with ambition and murder his way to the top, helped in no small way by the ruthless Lady Macbeth. Enter your details below for a chance to snag a spot in the crowd. [competition]686955[/competition]
Your mates grabbed the snags, sauce, bread and all the extra trimmings for a successful Aussie barbecue. There's just one thing missing and it's up to you to supply it: the beer. There's quite a lot of pressure when you're tasked with bringing the beers. Do you go for the safe mainstream beer at the risk of looking painfully boring? Or do you grab the most expensive European craft beer you can find in the hopes you'll seem interesting (and clear out your bank account in the process)? The answer: find something that sits perfectly in the middle. We've teamed up with BWS to showcase a bunch of Aussie craft beers that will have both your VB-loving mates and your spent-two-years-abroad-in-Berlin buddies nodding along in approval. Cheers to being the favourite person at the party. NEWTOWNER PALE ALE — YOUNG HENRYS Sure, Newtowner may not be the most out-of-the-box suggestion. But chances are even your most mainstream beer-loving mates have heard of it. Named after the suburb in which Young Henrys was born, Newtowner has become somewhat of a Sydney icon. The brewery was founded with a simple idea: to brew beer the community would enjoy and be proud to call their own. And it's safe to say, Newtowner nailed the brief. At 4.8-percent ABV, it's a sessionable beer with light, smooth and malty notes with a slightly dry finish. This Australian pale ale is not too sweet and not too strong — and is a crowd-pleaser for a reason. XPA — PHILTER BREWERY While you impatiently wait for Philter Brewing's new Marrickville brewery to open, use this time to get your mates into its brews so they're as excited as you are. If you're looking for the best tipple to tantalise them with, look no further than the legendary XPA. This easy-drinking pale ale is as refreshing as they come — and it's ideal for a beachside barbie. So, it's no wonder the XPA is the brewery's golden child both literally and figuratively — it scooped up Champion Pale Ale at the 2017 Craft Beer Awards just months after launching. Expect tropical fruit aromas in this sessionable brew, thanks to its mix of mosaic, galaxy, simcoe and citra hops. BIG HEAD NO CARB LAGER — BURLEIGH BREWING CO Craft beer often brings with it high levels of carbs and calories, so it's not a terrible idea to have a lighter option in the esky to help minimise the post-barbecue bloat. Well never fear, 'cause Big Head No Carb is here. This lager may have zero carbs — the first in Australia to do so — but it certainly doesn't lack flavour. This light, clean and dry brew is ideal on a hot day and will go well with any feed — and even your Tooheys-loving dad will like it. PASH THE MAGIC DRAGON — BATCH BREWING CO The legends behind Marrickville's Batch Brewing Co are handcrafting funky, small-batch brews for their uber-creative inner west community — they even have a second space behind Public House Petersham dedicated precisely to this experimental ethos. And, boy, do they know how to have some fun with it. Take Pash the Magic Dragon — this funky brew mashes together passionfruit and dragon fruit flavours to create a tart but fruity combination. You won't find this sweet-but-sour beer at any ol' pub, making it a top-notch choice for when you want to rock up with something a little different. Plus, it's an ideal beer to kick things off on a hot day. ZESTY PALE ALE — ZYTHO BREWING The Zytho Brewing Zesty Pale Ale lives up to its name. With passionfruit and fresh citrus notes, this brew has a real zing to it. It's crisp, easy-drinking but with a hint of bitterness, so it'll pair well with snags and burgers. Brewed out of Tribe Breweries in New South Wales, this newcomer is worth adding to your list of new beers to try. Plus, you won't miss that bright yellow can as you pass it in the bottle-o. SINGLE FIN SUMMER ALE — GAGE ROADS BREWING CO Single Fin Summer Ale celebrates Australian summer in a bottle (or can). The beer is brewed near Gage Roads in Western Australia, the strip of ocean between Rottnest Island and Fremantle. So it makes sense that Gage Roads Brewing Co team makes beers with this beautiful and relaxing location in mind. Blow the froth off with this slightly bitter, clean and light-bodied brew at your next barbecue. Update: Due to the current situation, we understand that throwing or attending parties may not be a possibility right now. But there's a silver lining — you can still order all of these drinks online to enjoy at home. Head to the BWS website to browse the full range.
Everyone needs a hobby — and if adding to your gin shrine is how you pass the time, Four Pillars has launched yet another tipple to boost your collection. After recent collaborations with Melbourne venue Arbory Afloat and the national QT Hotels chain, the award-winning distillery has teamed up with Qantas on a celebratory drop called QF100. The reason: last year, the Australian airline turned 100, so this new gin is designed to mark that hefty milestone. And, to reflect the carrier's ties to Longreach in Queensland — where it was born, and where the Qantas Founders Outback Museum is based — QF100 is made with botanicals sourced from the central western Queensland spot. Accordingly, when you say cheers to Qantas' centenary with you next cocktail, you'll be tasting lemongrass, macadamia and lemon myrtle. The botanicals were foraged in the area under the guidance of local Indigenous elder Suzanne Thompson — and lemongrass features heavily because it was growing in the region in abundance at the time. Like Four Pillars' other collabs, this one is a limited-edition affair — and, its 700-millilitre bottle bottles have already sold out via the distillery's online store. But, Qantas is still selling it online, and serving it in new signature centenary cocktails at its lounges. You can sip the 'Longreach Fizz' at its Qantas International first lounges in Sydney and Melbourne, the Brisbane International lounge and the brand's six domestic chairman's lounges. Four Pillars and Qantas' QF100 gin has sold out via Four Pillars' online store, but it's still available to buy via Qantas for $90 for a 700-millilitre bottle.
If you're the kind of bar patron who picks their next boozy go-to based on accolades, then this week is the gift that keeps on giving. Not only have four Australia bars earned places among the World's 50 Best Bars for 2021, but the Wineslinger Awards has announced its top picks for this year's Aussie wine-sipping spots — calling out another four spots. Wineslinger isn't about vino itself, or bars in general. As the name makes plain, it's about watering holes that focus on wine. Only four awards are handed out each year, covering the best Wineslinger, Best New Haunt, the Maverick prize for venues that push the limits and the People's Choice gong. While the first three awards are voted on by more than 150 industry experts, the latter stems from vino aficionados at home. Nabbing the big prize this year: Melbourne's Embla, which marks the second year in a row that the Victorian capital took out the Wineslinger award — and the second year it did so despite a hefty stint in lockdown. Announcing Embla's win, the Young Gun of Wine team — which runs Wineslinger — said that "Embla has become a Melbourne icon in quick time, a dogma-free temple to wine that is made from the ground up, by hand and with minimal tinkering, and all paired with Dave Verheul's breathtakingly simple fire-fuelled cooking." [caption id="attachment_836612" align="alignnone" width="1920"] P&V Merchants Paddington[/caption] In the other fields, Sydney's P&V Merchants in Paddington nabbed the Best New Haunt prize. Yes, that gong is rather self-explanatory. In the Maverick category, Perth's Si Paradiso emerged victorious for being "a venue that takes its wine as seriously as it does its quest for good times". And, the People's Choice went to Good Gilbert in Adelaide, meaning that all four winners hailed from different cities. The Wineslinger Awards were created in 2018 by Rory Kent, who also founded the Young Gun of Wine Awards. Where the latter prize aims to recognise stellar up-and-comers, the former is all about excellent and innovative places where vino lovers can enjoy an ace drop. Wineslinger also releases a list of top places to drink wine across the country each year — and the 2021 list expanded from 50 to 100. It was revealed back in November, if you still need a few more places (or 96 more, because all of this year's prize-winners are on it) to add to your vino-drinking itinerary. For further details about this year's Wineslinger Award winners, visit the awards' website. Top image: Embla.
It's a nice feeling to bring a little something into the world. Feeding it, taking good care of it. A plant is just like a pet, or even a child – just half the trouble. But if you live in an apartment, there's not always the room to undertake extensive horticultural projects. If your green thumb is itching to get gardening, IDEA award-winning Simple Garden will tickle your fancy. They've created a gardening 'starter kit' with everything you need to cultivate your own piece of earth. They even throw in the earth itself – just add water and the NutriRich soil brick will be just the stuff to raise your seedlings into healthy plants. Gadgets like the Lite Stick help provide enough natural light to indoor plants, while the colourful plastic pots are specially designed to improve air flow, water circulation and nutrient absorption. Sweet and self-contained, this is one hell of a city-living solution. [Via Cool Hunting]
Each year we anticipate the arrival of December 25. Because of the day off, the promise of an afternoon spent dozing in a hammock — and the arrival of Gelato Messina's annual Christmas cake. This year, the gelato chain is bringing back its version of the quintessential Australian dessert: the trifle. Yes, The Christmas Coma, which made its debut last year, is back. But this year it'll even more decadent. The epic ice cream creation will feature layer upon layer of everything that is good about Christmas — but instead of being soggy and slightly regrettable, this one will have you licking the glass bowl. So what's in it? Well, Messina has switched out the vanilla gelato for a rich chocolate number, and will be slathering it with its house-made dulce de leche mousse. Then it will be layered with — here we go — red velvet cake, vanilla Chantilly cream, chocolate-coated biscuit crumbs, meringue, sour cherry jelly and lime gel. Plus, it'll come with some chocolate-coated nuts and Messina brandy custard to douse all over the mess. The trifle, which serves 18–20 (or less if you really commit), costs $150 and can be ordered for pickup between December 20 and 6pm on Christmas Eve. In Sydney you can pick one up from Rosebery, Darlinghurst, Bondi, Miranda, Penrith, Tramsheds and Parramatta. If you're in Melbourne, you can get one from the Fitzroy or Windsor outposts — and the South Brisbane store will be making them too. Hopefully nan won't take it personally. The Christmas Coma will be available to order from Wednesday, November 14 — you can add your name to the waitlist here.
The Sydney Comedy Festival is back for its ninth year and has today announced a program chock-a-block full of artists ready to leave you rolling on the floor laughing. This year's festival, running from Monday, April 22, until Saturday, May 11, features more than 150 side splitting shows. This has been made possible by the addition of new venues including Harold Park Hotel, the Concourse Theatre and a Container room at the popular Factory Theatre. Filling all this space is an eclectic arrangement of solo shows and showcases that dish up an extra large serving of both international and local acts. Gracing our shores for the first time is Tracy Morgan, star of Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock, who will be at the Enmore for one night only. Also premiering at the festival are Jarred Christmas, Alex Williamson of YouTube fame, and the masked Mexican wrestling marvel El Jaguar who will try to (metaphorically) powerbomb you into laughter. Sons of Singapore, Singapore's best new comics, continue the celebration of comedy from around the world and feature alongside Two & A Half Lebs and a multicultural lineup at the Ethnic Comedy All-Stars. Australians abound, with the Pajama Men bringing their unique physical comedy to the Seymour Centre in Pajama Men: Just the Two of Each of Us. Everyone’s favourite purple comedian Randy will be gracing the festival, this time sans Sammy J, in his first Sydney solo show. Our festival favourites are also back, with musical wizards the Axis of Awesome, handlebar-moustache-toting comedian Chopper, Canada's comedy crusader Arj Barker, and the dapper Stephen K. Amos all returning. The ever-popular showcases including the literal laugh a minute Sixty in 60, and Cracker Night is back, as is the Yalumba Wine Bar in the Enmore Theatre, a place where you can casually bump into your favourite acts and tell them that great joke you have. There are always hidden gems amongst the headliners as well, and that is the case once again this year. Steen Raskopoulus is ready to take this year's festival by storm, appearing in his excellently titled solo show Bruce SpringSTEEN Live in Concert as well as in The Bear Pack. MotherFather, the reigning Cranston Cup Champions, present their debut show PartyDinner whilst also competing for the TheatreSports National Championships, and Tom Ballard puts a face to the Triple J voice we all know in Tom Ballard: My Ego Is Better Than Your Ego. Gen Fricker is also back with her guitar and Michael Hing continues to storm up the comedy ladder with Michael Hing: Occupy White People. The laughs are back Sydney. Get your happy faces ready and check out the full program at the Sydney Comedy Festival website.
In recent times, the mainstream media trend has been to closely follow the debate surrounding same sex marriage laws. However, what is happening in the rest of the LGBTQI community? The Walkley Media Talk features a panel of award-winning media personnel — including Monique Schafter (ABC 7.30/Hungry Beast), Sethorun Raj (Sydney Law School) and Elias Jahshan (Star Observer) — and will look at why some issues crack the mainstream while others (bullying, suicide, STIs, etc) remain on the outer. An absolute must for the media savvy and socially aware. This event is free, but bookings are essential. Want more Mardi Gras events? Check out our top ten picks of the festival.
Haunting strains of bluegrass music flow through Belgium's tear-jerking entry to last year's Academy Awards. Such mournful melodies are a fitting accompaniment to the story, about two musicians whose marriage begins to crumble after their daughter succumbs to terminal cancer. Despite the miserable subject matter, writer-director Felix Van Groeningen eschews unchecked histrionics for honest, bittersweet emotion. Actors Johan Heldenbergh and Veerle Baetens have devastating chemistry as shell-shocked parents Didier and Elise. A banjo-playing cowboy and a music-loving tattoo-artist respectively, they're a free-spirited pair brought crashing down to earth by six-year-old Maybelle's unexpected diagnosis. The best moments in the movie are undoubtedly the songs; a mix of classics and original compositions performed in key scenes by Didier, Elise and their band. In these moments in particular, Van Groeningen finds his harmony between beauty, sorrow and joy. Read our full review here. The Broken Circle Breakdown is in cinemas on Thursday, May 15, and thanks to Entertainment One, we have ten double in-season passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au https://youtube.com/watch?v=raaHRyBtIEo
This article is sponsored by our partner The City of Sydney. Since the 1960s, Newtown has been a haven for mavericks of all stripes — from bohemians and old-school rockers to skate punks and glam goths. In fact, they're all still there. While the melting pot has not fully escaped gentrification's whitewash in the interim, it has fiercely fought to stay in character. Irreverently genuine. Warts and all. Oh, Newtown. These days, King Street often feels like a sort of historic catwalk for Sydney's malcontent — a 3km kaleidoscope of weathered leather, tacky tartan and electric hair. And the City of Sydney have decided that it's about time you celebrated this non-uniformity. Hence, Newtown is Fashion, a three-week style extravaganza beginning on Thursday, 22 August and part of the city council's Sydney is Fashion festival. For three Thursdays in a row, the velvet merchants, DIY artisans and vintage treasure troves of Newtown will be launching a fashion blitz with free in-store champagne, next season exhibitions, interactive workshops, one-off clearance sales, jewellery-making masterclasses, and festival-only pop-ups. Each night has a different focus: 22 August is 'Mainstream, Vintage, Retro, Collectibles'; 29 August is 'Designer, Designed, DIY, Artisan'; and 5 September is 'The Wildlife of Newtown – Alternate, Burlesque, Goth, Punk, Tatts'. Dendy Newtown is even presenting a sartorial series of films every week, including Breakfast at Tiffany's, The September Issue and Bill Cunningham New York. If fashion's your 'thang', or if you're just a lover of all things Newtown, then head over to the Sydney is Fashion website to find out more. Nonconformists, unite. Image: Noddy’s on King.
If you're looking for a practical gift for your wine-loving dad this Father's Day, look no further than Good Pair Days. This year, the personalised wine delivery service has joined forces with sustainable retailer Manrags to bring you four wine and socks boxes — each of which was created with dad in mind. The man behind the wine offering is Sommelier Banjo Harris Plane (ex-head sommelier at Attica and co-owner of Melbourne's Bar Liberty), so you know you're getting some extra special drops for your pop. If your dad is well into his reds, go for the deluxe box ($164) — which boasts a New Zealand pinot noir, an Italian dolcetto and a Victorian shiraz mencia blend — or the the wine lover box ($123), with a malbec, a Barossa GSM (grenache, syrah and mourvedre blend) and cabernet merlot from Southern Highlands' Tertini. There's also a classic box ($84) and one solely dedicated to shiraz ($39). Along with the extra special bottles, each box also includes three pairs of Manrags socks, which are made from super-soft Egyptian cotton and are printed with funky Australian designs, as well as tasting notes, details on the winemaker, food pairing suggestions and a matching recipe card for each bottle. Shipping is included in all boxes and the packaging is 100-percent compostable to boot. And, for those last minute gift givers, Good Pair Days ships quickly within one-to-two business days. To order one of Good Pair Days' dad packs, head on over to goodpairdays.com. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Digital nomad visas and remote working have never been more attainable, so if you've ever toyed with the idea of taking your skills abroad, Tourism Authority of Thailand is giving you the chance to try before you fly (away forever) with its Live Your Best Digital Nomad Life competition. Up for grabs is a Concrete Playground Trips voucher valued at $3000 (covering return flights to any major airport in Thailand and accommodation for any hotel in Thailand hosted on the CP Trips website), a $500 Klook voucher to spend on top experiences, activities and travel essentials such as transport and SIM cards, as well as $1500 worth of Visa travel vouchers which should cover you for long-tail boat rides along Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, trekking in Chiang Mai's Doi Inthanon National Park, hopping on island escapades in Phuket or Krabi and all the Tom Kha Kai you can consume in a week. That's a total prize value of $5000. And who knows — at worst you can enjoy a change of WFH scenery. Or after a week you might love the Thai hospitality, your digital nomad life (and affordable living) so much, that you'll decide never to come back. Want to find out more about remote working in this incredible part of the world? Here's what you need to know to get yourself set up for a working holiday in Thailand. [competition]885290[/competition]
Australians haven't had many chances to attend a music festival or escape the mainland in the last twelve months. Festivals around the country have been few and far between, with even approved large-scale events being called off last-minute. And, as for travel, a lot of the nation's usual island getaways have been off limits due to domestic border closures. But, if you've been longing to sing along to your favourite tunes while surrounded by your friends and to take a trip to a secluded beachside resort, a newly announced festival has you covered. Dream Machine, the new venture from the team behind Wine Machine and Snow Machine, will see music lovers travel to The Whitsundays this October for a stacked lineup of local electronic talent. Heading up the party-forward lineup is the fan-favourite combo of Flight Facilities and Hayden James — and they'll be joined by the likes of former Triple J House Party presenter KLP, Touch Sensitive, CC:Disco!, Set Mo and Yolanda Be Cool. The Jungle Giants, Confidence Man and Cosmo's Midnight are also onboard, hitting the decks for DJ sets. If the simple activity of grooving to tunes on a tropical island isn't enough motivation for you, festival-goers will also be treated to an island-hopping adventure between Daydream Island, Paradise Cove and a surprise location. Your itinerary can also include kayaking, paddle boarding, jet skiing and waterside cocktails, and, if you stay at Daydream Island Resort, you'll have four restaurants, three bars, a pool and a spa to enjoy as well. Dream Machine will run from Wednesday, October 6–Sunday, October 10, with festival events running for three days within that five-day, four-night period. Unsurprisingly, it isn't cheap, with packages starting from $1899 per person for a yacht stay and $2099 for a stay in the resort. The extravagant price tag will get you accommodation, breakfast each morning, ferry transport to and from the airport, and tickets to the festival (of course). DREAM MACHINE 2021 LINEUP: Flight Facilities (DJ set) Hayden James CC:Disco! Cosmo's Midnight (DJ set) Confidence Man (DJ set) Dena Amy Fleetmac Wood Generik Happiness is Wealth Jimi the Kween KLP Kristina Jaman Made in Paris Mira Mira Owl Eyes (DJ set) Poof Doof DJs Set Mo Squeef The Jungle Giants (DJ set) Touch Sensitive Wax'o Paradiso Yolanda Be Cool Dream Machine takes place from Wednesday, October 6–Sunday, October 10 in The Whitsundays. Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, April 7 — visit the festival's website to sign up for pre-sale access.
Putting the spotlight on the weird and wonderful world of science each year, Sydney Science Festival brings together global and local legends in science to celebrate, analyse and challenge all aspects of the field for 13 days' worth of performances, demonstrations and workshops. Back for its third year, running from Tuesday, August 8 to Sunday, August 20, the whopping 172 registered events span venues across Sydney and delve deeper into the questions weighing on today's leading scientists. The program begins with a free launch at the Powerhouse Museum for MAASive Lates: Science on August 10. The launch showcases a taste of what's to come during the festival, where guests get to tour the museum after hours, drive a Mars rover, play with virtual reality and 'speed date' famous scientists. If that Mars rover drive and the human colonisation of the planet catches your interest, join a panel of NASA experts at the Sydney Opera House on August 17 for Life on Mars: NASA's 2020 Rover Mission — speakers include Australian astrobiologist Dr Abigail Allwood and Mars Exploration Program scientist Dr Mitch Schulte. Also on the schedule, on August 16 at the Opera House, the government's role in climate change will be debated in The Madhouse Effect: What is Stopping Action on Climate Change by an all-star international team including U.S. climatologist Michael E. Mann, psychologist Stephan Lewandowsky and advocate Anna Rose. And for a lighter look at science in our everyday life, learn how plants influence your favourite cocktails in Botany Distilled at the Botanical Gardens Restaurant on August 16, and discover how science can improve your baking skills at Science of Cake: A Hot Mess held by Alexandria's Thrive 360 on August 19. The Sydney Science Festival is part of National Science Week, which runs from August 8 to August 20. The festival is led by the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS) and the Australian Museum, in partnership with Inspiring Australia.
It's a romantic, classy affair at the Cottage Point Inn. Set against Cowan Creek in an old boathouse-turned-restaurant, this is not your average country drop-in-and-get-on-the-road kind of venue. Executive Chef Guillaume Zika hails from London's Hibiscus and has created a seven-course degustation menu. At $150 per person, it will cost you a pretty penny — but if you're going to do it, do it right. It's a lavish, three-hour ordeal that includes dishes like a citrus Moreton Bay bug covered in lemon hollandaise and a wagyu aiguillette served with ratatouille, sorrel puree and lemon thyme. The menu is balanced and focuses on bright, fresh flavours that add to the delicate decadence of the entire experience.
Something delightful is happening in cinemas across the country. After months spent empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Australian picture palaces are starting to reopen — spanning both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney and Brisbane (and, until the newly reinstated stay-at-home orders, Melbourne as well). During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made over the past three months, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gnTuWEKSXw BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC When it comes to goofy and sweet movie concepts handled with sincerity, the Bill & Ted franchise has always proven most triumphant. In 1989's Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, the big-screen comedy series introduced the world to Californian high schoolers Bill S Preston, Esq (Alex Winter) and Ted 'Theodore' Logan (Keanu Reeves), who are apparently destined to write the rock song that unites the universe — if they can first pass their history exam by travelling back in time in a phone booth to recruit famed past figures like Beethoven and Socrates to help, that is. The idea that Bill & Ted's affable, air guitar-playing slackers would become the world's salvation was a joke that the film itself was in on, and the movie struck the right balance of silliness, earnestness and affection as a result. So, the end product was joyous. And, it inspired two follow-ups: 1991's even loopier but still entertaining Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, and now Bill & Ted Face the Music's affectionate dose of warm-hearted lunacy almost three decades later. Bill (Winter) and Ted (Reeves) are back, obviously. They're older, definitely not wiser, and yet again take a few leaps through time. The fate of life as everyone knows it is still at stake. And, as always, the loveable pair's motto — "be excellent to each other" — is pivotal. Combine all of the above with marital malaise, chip-off-the-old-block daughters Theadora (Ready or Not's Samara Weaving) and Wilhelmina (Atypical's Brigette Lundy-Paine), multiple Bills and Teds, and a 77-minute deadline to write the tune the changes the future, and Face the Music saunters casually forward with a purposeful sense of familiarity. Thankfully, though, this film isn't merely trying to relive past glories. In fact, the very notion that some dreams don't come true sits at the core of this tender and loving movie. Naturally, it's a delight to see Winter and Reeves reprise their roles. They step back into Bill and Ted's shoes with ease, expertly conveying the characters' lingering immaturity, middle-aged malaise and ever-present kindness. They're also clearly having a blast as different versions of the duo, and their enthusiasm is infectious. But when Face the Music finds a plethora of ways to illustrate the merits of their characters' optimistic and warm mindset, it's at its best. Far from bogus, the heartfelt happiness it brings is 100-percent excellent. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO2rvCCVQLQ ADAM From its opening frames, Moroccan drama Adam is both tender and determined, with neither trait subsiding for a moment. Its focus: the unmarried but visibly pregnant Samia (Nisrin Erradi), who tries to find both work and a place to stay in Casablanca as the birth of her baby approaches. Met with the type of attitudes she's already running from, and demonstrating her society's overall disdain for births outside of wedlock, she's turned away at every single door — including, at first, by baker and bereaved single mother Abla (Lubna Azabal). But when the latter spies Samia sleeping on the street across from her home and shop that same evening, she gives her a bed for the night. It's just a once-off, Abla insists; however after Samia hits it off with Abla's pre-teen daughter Warda (Douae Belkhaouda), shows that she's experienced at making pastries (popular ones, too, as the store's customers attest) and starts to share her story with her initially begrudging host, that arrangement is extended. If the above narrative sounds simple, that's because it is, with first-time feature filmmaker Maryam Touzani never resorting to needlessly complicating matters. There's enough that's complex about both Abla and Samia's situations as it is, including the way that they're treated by the world simply for existing and cycling through the usual life events that women face, that Adam really doesn't require any big twists or turns to heighten its emotional impact. A fine-tuned, observational, always heartfelt script, also by Touzani, helps considerably, as does the movie's naturalistic visual style — which suits a drama that makes clear the high stakes in play for its two characters, as well as the huge choices they're confronted with for their children, but allows its plot to unfurl in a low-key way. One playing resourceful but uncertain, the other stern and wounded, both Catch the Wind's Erradi and Mary Magdalene's Azabal turn in stellar performances, too. The film could easily watch the ebbs and flows of their relationship for far longer than its 98-minute running time, in fact. As a result of all of the above, add Adam to the ever-growing collection of features that thoughtfully, carefully and unwaveringly unpack the plights endured by women around the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgA8DMzjzlk SLIM & I As documentary Slim & I conveys more than once, there's little in this life that's ever been more Australian than Slim Dusty. But, as the film's title also informs viewers, this survey of more than a half-century of Aussie country music stardom isn't just about the man known for 'A Pub with No Beer', 'Duncan' and 'G'day G'day', among other tracks. For all of those years, and spanning more than 100 albums and oh-so-much time on the road playing the country's outback towns, Joy McKean was by Slim's side — as a performer in her own right on tour with him at first, then as his wife, musical partner and driving force, as well as the person responsible for penning most of his tunes. Joy won the first ever Golden Guitar award for writing Slim's 'Lights on the Hill', and her lyrical impact has inspired as many Aussie performers as her husband. Indeed, to make that point plain, Slim & I assembles a lineup of talking heads that spans Paul Kelly, Keith Urban, Missy Higgins, Troy Cassar-Daley, Kasey Chambers and Bill Chambers. As directed by Red Dog and The Go-Betweens: Right Here filmmaker Kriv Stenders — blending the unshakeable Australiana of the former with the music acumen of the latter — this affectionate doco also ensures that Joy herself does plenty of talking. Looking back on her life at the age of 90, she's sprightly, no-nonsense and generous as she chats through her and Slim's intertwined story, including the struggles as well as the highlights, and spanning both professional and personal details. An impressive treasure trove of archival footage is splashed across the screen to help, meaning that there's always a new and interesting piece of material to catch the audience's attention. It's all set to the obvious soundtrack, and the result is as loving, engaging, informative and well put-together as you'd expect from an endearing portrait of Aussie icons. While there's much about this celebratory effort that lingers, however, seeing Slim and Joy's commitment to taking their music to the country in action leaves a firm impression. It's never difficult to understand why this movie was screaming to be made, and why Joy deserves as much public acclaim as her husband, but watching the adoring response from the remote Indigenous communities they visited again and again isn't easily forgotten. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6fssT03sSw BECKY If, in Becky, its eponymous 13-year-old protagonist was to exclaim "keep the change, ya filthy animal" — or, to be precise, to play a videotape of a movie where a gangster utters those words — it wouldn't be surprising for a second. That doesn't happen but it easily could've, given that Becky (Ready Player One's Lulu Wilson) is charged with fending off the villains who've encroached upon her family's lake house. That said, she isn't home alone. Her widower father Jeff (Joel McHale) is onsite as well and, much to Becky's displeasure, he has invited along his new girlfriend Kayla (The Handmaid's Tale's Amanda Brugel) and her young son Ty (Random Acts of Violence's Isaiah Rockcliffe). Alas, after a knock at the door, a group of Nazi prison escapees led by the tattooed and menacing Dominick (Kevin James) also make their presence known. Searching for a hidden key on the secluded property, they quickly take Jeff, Kayla and Ty hostage, leaving Becky to fight back. Like Kevin McCallister, Becky is eager to use every means at her disposal to mess with these interlopers — in a far more brutal and bloody fashion than this film's obvious predecessor, though. No one will be screening Becky to families at Christmas for decades and decades, that's for certain. Making their third feature after 2014's Cooties and 2017's Bushwick, filmmakers Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion don't ever pretend that they're in new territory here. Instead, they take their given concept, soak it in violence and embrace as much nasty carnage as they can fit in. The end result is repetitive, but it's also filled with a host of gorily entertaining and nicely choreographed B-movie moments. And although enlisting James to play wildly against type is blatantly supposed to be the big casting drawcard, it's Wilson who steals every scene as the calculating, clever, fierce and often fearsome teenage girl who won't let anyone — the dad she's initially angsty at, the future stepmother she doesn't want to give a chance or the very unpleasant men with equally unpleasant plans who spoil her weekend — get in her way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bovE44LgBv0 AFTER WE COLLIDED The worst movie of 2019 now has a sequel, and it's on track to claim that exact same title in 2020. Originally penned as Harry Styles fan fiction, the After series takes a leaf out of Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey's books by holding up a thoroughly toxic relationship as the ultimate in epic romances — this time focusing on the on-again, off-again exploits of two college students. In After, Tessa Young (Josephine Langford, the Wolf Creek TV series) and Hardin Scott (Hero Tiffin Fiennes, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) met, opposites attracted and a hot-and-heavy affair kicked off, although the rebellious Hardin sought after the virginal Tessa with shady intentions. Accordingly, when After We Collided meets back up with the duo, they're no longer seeing each other. But the brooding Hardin is still unhealthily obsessed, and the supposedly smart and conscientious but actually overtly insecure Tessa can't help but make reigniting their bond the latest entry on her lengthy (and expanding) list of bad decisions. This time around, the plot uses Tessa's new internship as its reason for a fresh spate of terrible dialogue, as well as its source of drama. It's in publishing, in case 50 Shades didn't already spring to mind, and it's one of those fantasy jobs where the lowest person in the company's hierarchy gets their own office to sit around and read manuscripts in all day. Shameless and steamy wish fulfilment is exactly this franchise's aim, of course — but the big dream that author and After We Collided co-screenwriter Anna Todd pushes is constantly insulting, with the series repeatedly telling its audience that being loved by a moody, erratic bad boy, and taking the breakups, fights and stalking with the gifts and shower sex, is the ultimate fate. This sequel also throws a romantic rival into the mix, courtesy of Tessa's straight-laced colleague Trevor Matthews (Dylan Sprouse, twin brother of Riverdale's Cole Sprouse), and where that narrative strand goes proves as predictable as everything else in the film. Although he has Cruel Intentions on his resume, director Roger Kumble only adds superficial gloss and no signs of interest or excitement; however given that two more After books exist — After We Fell and After Ever Happy — it's highly likely two more movies will, too. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas, check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23, July 30, August 6, August 13, August 20 and August 27 — and our full reviews of The Personal History of David Copperfield, Waves, The King of Staten Island, Babyteeth, Deerskin, Peninsula, Tenet, Les Misérables and The New Mutants.
If your normal intake of art plateaus out at a monthly round of the AGNSW and a field trip during the Biennale, March is here to turn things up a notch. The instigators of Art Month Sydney want you to see the smallest of private galleries scattered through our city and to know that you can walk in without being expected to buy anything or perform a secret society ritual of entry and sacrifice. Those already au fait with the monde de l’art will find their familiar spaces all gussied up, with local artists, workshops and galleries preening their finest plumage. To make it even easier for us to focus our energy, Art Month Sydney have designated each week on their calendar to a particular precinct: first Paddington and Woollahra; then Darlinghurst, Potts Point and Surry Hills; Waterloo; and Redfern, Chippendale and the CBD. During the precinct’s special week, you can catch free buses in between its locales and enjoy extended gallery hours on Thursday nights, winding down with spirits both creative and alcoholic at the night’s nominated bar. On top of the stellar exhibitions waiting in each gallery, Art Month Sydney will also feature a series of ‘Creative Collaborations’, where you can witness first-hand the coming together of different art forms as Romance Was Born talk to Del Kathryn Barton (art-meets-fashion), Hossein Valamanesh meets Chris Drummond (art-theatre) and Leo Robba synergises with Professor Tony Capon (art-science). Of course, the Month could not be deigned complete without a hefty serving of gallery talks and artist studio tours. Also keep an eye out for collaboratively crafted store windows (including Sass & Bide, Incu, Fairfax & Roberts and Camilla and Marc) that may transform your regular shopping trip into something extraordinary. The month will wrap up with Speed Dating for Emerging Artists, where not yet solo–exhibited artists can find their perfect gallery match. This is the first Art Month Sydney — embrace it and it might visit us again soon. Image by Tara Marynowsky.
The Sydney Fringe Festival will be transforming its own headquarters as part of the 2014 program, turning it into a three-level bar, theatre, info point and communal crafternoon gathering space. 'The Campground' at 5 Eliza Street, Newtown will serve as one of the hubs for a full month of comedy, cabaret, circus, theatre, music, art and out-of-the-ordinary events. The other hub? Well, for that you'll have to go exploring. "[Last year's hub] Emerald City was great but this year we moved to a new creative vision for the festival that we feel suits the geography and energy of Sydney better," festival director Kerri Glasscock tells us. "Instead of creating the traditional static festival garden [or] hub we wanted to create a roaming hub that moved throughout the festival, highlighting a number of different precincts and encouraging festival-goers to explore more of the city and keep it fresh." To that end, laneway hubs will take over a different part of town each weekend. We're particularly looking forward to seeing Darlinghurst's Foley Lane come over all Montemartre, with jazz and swing music, street performers and crepes, but Newtown's King Street and Sydenham's Faversham Street are also scheduled to throw multi-day bashes. Back at the more stationary Campground, each of the three levels has been given a mission and a name — 'the Tent', 'the Campfire' and 'the Annex'. Downstairs in the Tent is where to hide away to drink, view the exhibition on the walls and gather Fringe-related information, while upstairs at the Campfire is the place to tell stories, with artist talks, performances and sketching and snow globe-making workshops the order of the day. On the top floor is the Emerging Artist Annex, a 60-seat pop-up theatre for some of the festival's newcomers. "We wanted a space where the general public could come and experience art making, no matter what your skill level, be it hobby or master," says Glasscock. "So we have created mini spaces within the Campground where you can come and draw, knit or participate in a crafternoon." The four weeks of the program revolve around loose themes — Inner City in week one; Community, Ideas and Laughs in week two; family in week three; and something juicily titled 'The Final Frontier' in week four. "We wanted to engage as many practising local artists as possible and encourage as many partnerships and collaborations as possible," says Glasscock. "The festival offers a unique opportunity to try out an idea that has been brewing or work with a fellow artist you have wanted to collaborate with." Unlike some of the big fringe festivals of the world, the Sydney Fringe has always been open to anyone who wants to put on a work, which has sometimes resulted in a mixed bag of experiences for people. But Glasscock thinks they may have a solution to that, while still keeping the festival's open-access ethos. "We like to say that we don't curate the art but we curate where it goes," she says. "This is a new approach to the festival this year and has so far worked really well. It means that care has been taken to place the right content in the right venue so hopefully it is a better experience for the artists, the venues and the punters." Venues this year range from the perennial Factory Theatre to Freda's, Giant Dwarf, the Glebe Justice Centre, Rookwood Cemetery, the Record Crate and Venue 505. Opening the festival is the Ignite Launch Party on August 31, curated by Potbelleez Ilan Kidron and winding its way down Crown Street. The Fringe continues until September 30, and its full program is now available on the festival website.
Some actors possess voices that could narrate almost anything, and Willem Dafoe is one of them. Move over Morgan Freeman: when Dafoe speaks, his dulcet vocals echoing atop gorgeous imagery of the world's waterways as happens in River, being entranced by the sound is the only natural response. He's tasked with uttering quite the elegiac prose in this striking documentary, and he gives all that musing about tributaries and creeks — the planet's arteries, he calls them at one point — a particularly resonant and enthralling tone. Australian filmmaker Jennifer Peedom (Sherpa) knew he would, of course. She enlisted his talents on her last documentary, Mountain, as well. Both films pick one of the earth's crucial natural features, lens them in all their glory at multiple spots around the globe, and wax lyrical about their importance. Both make for quite the beguiling viewing experience. Thanks to writer Robert Macfarlane, Dafoe has been given much to opine in River — and what he's asked to say is obviously even more crucial than the fact that it's the Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Card Counter, The French Dispatch and Nightmare Alley star expressing it. The subject is right there in the title, but the film's aims are as big and broad as an ocean, covering the history of these snaking streams from the planet's creation up until today. "Humans have long loved rivers," Dafoe announces, which seems like a self-evident statement; however, not one to trade in generalisations without evidence, River then unpacks exactly what that means. It also uses that idea as a foundation, but paired with another, which Dafoe also gives voice to — this time as a question: "as we have learned to harness their power, have we also forgotten to revere them?". The answer is blatant, lapping away at the souls of everyone who lives in a river city and passes their central watercourse daily without giving it a second thought. Indeed, that plain-as-day response ripples with even more force to anyone who has been struck by the waterways' power when natural disasters strike, a fact that hits close to home after Australia's disastrously flooded summer across Queensland and New South Wales — timing that the movie isn't overtly trying to capitalise upon, given it first started doing the rounds of film festivals in 2021, and has had its March 2022 date with Aussie cinemas booked in for months. A documentary doesn't have to tell viewers something wholly new to evoke wonder, though. Conveying well-known truths in unforgettable and affecting ways has always been one of cinema's key skills, whether working in fact or fiction. River's sentiments won't come as a surprise, but it still feels like a fresh splash of water upon a parched face. Dafoe's narration and the film in general hone in on the importance of rivers to human civilisation since its very beginnings, starting with the unshakeable reality that rivers have made much in our evolution possible. Also just as pivotal: the devastation we've wrought in response since we learned to harness all that water for our own purposes, irrigate the land far and wide, and take an abundance of H2O for granted, which River doesn't ebb away from. The prose is flowery, but never overdone; its eager quest for potent poetry, or to be mentioned in the same breath as Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life, always feels attuned to the awe it holds for its eponymous streams. It's also on par with Dafoe, Peedom and Macfarlane's work back in 2017 on Mountain, which was similarly hypnotic — and became the highest-grossing non-IMAX Australian documentary ever made, a claim to fame it still holds today. This time joined by co-director/co-scribe and feature debutant Joseph Nizeti, River's veteran trio don't simply paddle into familiar waters like they've easily charted this course — or climbed this peak — before, however. They repeat much of what they did last time, including pairing dazzling sights with a score by the Australian Chamber Orchestra, but it's fitting that there's a keen flow to this film that makes it an especially majestic and moving watch. It's there in the pace of the cinematography, as lensed by a five-strong team that includes Sherpa and Mountain's Renan Ozturk. It's evident in the rhythms of the feature's editing, too, with The Babadook, Spear, Martha: A Picture Story and The Nightingale's Simon Njoo doing the honours. As fast as a cascading waterfall at times, and as patient as a barely babbling brook at others, River couldn't take the job of honouring its subject in as many ways as it can more seriously. Thanks to those arresting visuals — spectacular footage that demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible — and the accompanying score, River was always going to earn flowery terms slung its own way. The vision is that remarkable as it soars high and wide across 39 countries, and peers down with the utmost appreciation. The swirling orchestral music, which includes everything from Bach to Radiohead, adds amply to the journey as well (even if it does occasionally leave viewers yearning for sounds as natural the movie's sights). Here, a picture truly is worth a thousand of those Dafoe-uttered words, but the combination of both is something exceptionally special. It's interesting, then, that River is the achievement it is thanks to all of its moving parts coming together so fluidly, but its imagery is also always second to none. While the combination mesmerises, only the film's visuals could tell the same tale alone — and what a story they tell. There's a cohort of documentaries that have attempted the same observational feat without any sense of spoken narrative, an approach seen at its best in the Qatsi trilogy of Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi and Naqoyqatsi, also in Baraka and Samsara, and even in recent Oscar-nominee Ascension; River reaches the same immersive and insightful levels. What a joy it is to be the film that doesn't need Willem Dafoe's narration, but is all the better for it. Even better: what a joy it is to watch that movie. And, in just-as-fantastic news, Peedom sees River as the second part of a trilogy. Top image: Pete McBride.
Brunch is the pinnacle of a good weekend — but hosting your own brunch party can feel like a huge effort. However, gathering your friends for a tasty start to the weekend is well worth it when you get to pick out the best pastries from your favourite local bakery, purchase top-shelf booze for fancy bloody marys and spin your favourite tunes. It'll impress even the most hungover of your besties. Here to help you deliver an elevated brunch party, we've partnered with premium French vodka Grey Goose to give you five simple tips that'll turn your weekend get-together into an elegant affair. [caption id="attachment_704266" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] SET UP AN INTERACTIVE BAR Let's be real, the most important part of brunch is not the food but the drinks, and anyone who tells you otherwise obviously hasn't experienced the healing powers of a good bloody mary before noon, and that's their loss. So getting the booze portion of the morning right is a must. To turn a slow party into one with a purpose, set up an interactive bar for people to experiment with their drinks and get creative. Ensure you've stocked the best liquor — and keep it simple. Purchase a bottle of Grey Goose vodka as a premium base for a mood-lifting spritz, and, of course, the humble bloody mary. Having a French themed do? Order the limited-edition Maison La Biche bottle for a chic upgrade. PAIR YOUR FOOD AND DRINK FOR PERFECT HARMONY The symphony of food and booze is all you need for a really great brunch, so it's worth thinking about what cocktails go with which breakfast foods. For what it's worth, we reckon the classic bacon and eggs fry up with a bloody mary is always a winner, but if you really want to win at brunch, try making a Morning Mule (Grey Goose vodka, orange juice, ginger beer) with buttermilk pancakes, or a Breakfast Martini (Grey Goose vodka, orange marmalade, cointreau and lemon juice) with freshly baked pastries. And for the health-conscious, opt for a Provence Spritz (Grey Goose vodka, French rose and pink grapefruit juice), always fantastic with an açaí bowl. Experiment a little! It'll elevate the whole party, plus you get to drink while doing 'research'. [caption id="attachment_752451" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Flickr/Creative Commons[/caption] OPT FOR AN EASY SELF-SERVE SET-UP Who amongst us isn't a little particular about our brekkie? Given it's often the first meal of the day, and one with the power to make-or-break your weekend, even the most relaxed guests can be fussy when it comes to breakfast food. So, in the spirit of diplomacy — and let's be honest, convenience — design a help-yourself table with grab plates and bowls and mountains of brunch staples (such as fresh fruit, yogurt, granola and juice) and plop them on the table. You're done with the serving part of the morning before it's even begun, plus it makes catering to dietary needs a breeze. [caption id="attachment_735735" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria/Josie Withers[/caption] SPLURGE ON THE GOOD STUFF Don't be afraid to spend a little on the best produce you can afford. Good produce means less work for you, and brunch is the most decadent meal of the day so it's worth sourcing fruit and veggies from the farmers' markets, or forking out for some really fancy orange juice from the supermarket. Be comforted by the fact that a good artisan bakery haul can save any meal and you can top it off with premium spirits for those cocktails, it makes all the difference when you're catering at home. [embed]https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1x0bE4Gh2POCIMIpzP4dot[/embed] DON'T FORGET THE TUNES A good soundtrack can elevate your brunch party from a casual affair to an all-out party for the ages. Spend a bit of time ahead of the event thinking about your playlist of laidback tunes and singalong anthems (nostalgia is a quick pick-me-up in any occasion). Hit play and, with a healthy serving of hangover-busting cocktails, your guests are sure to find themselves dancing around the living room. Special shoutout to the likes of Angus and Julia Stone for chilled vibes, Jack Johnson for a retro feel, Nina Simone if it's THAT kind of morning, San Cisco for some light-hearted fun or any of the peppy indie supergroups from the last ten years. Feeling uninspired? Check out the Brunch Playlist above. It's your party, so pick whatever you feel will turn your brunch into an arvo dance party. Upgrade your brunch by choosing premium vodka Grey Goose. Each bottle is distilled in France, and the high quality vodka has a 100-percent traceable production process, from crop to cork.
The past year has seen the film industry embrace streaming in a far bigger way than anyone could've imagined just 12 months ago. If you'd told even the most avid of movie buffs that a heap of cinema chains would be setting up their online viewing services, and that film festivals would be delivering their programs online, you might've been accused of wishful thinking. But, that's now the world we find ourselves in, and Event Cinemas is the latest Australian outfit to join the digital realm. It isn't turning its back on bricks-and-mortar picture palaces, of course. Neither did Sydney's Golden Age, or the teams behind the city's Ritz and Melbourne's Lido, Classic and Cameo cinemas when they did the same thing. Rather, the Aussie chain and its predecessors are all giving viewers more options, while also adapting to current movie-watching behaviour. Called Cinebuzz On Demand, Event Cinemas' service operates on a pay-per-view basis. So, it's more like YouTube Movies or Google Play than Netflix or Stan. You simply pick what you'd like to watch from its 1000-plus launch library, then pay accordingly per title — with prices starting at $4.99 per film. You won't find brand new, just-released blockbusters on the platform, or even the same movies that you can see if you head to one of Event Cinemas' physical locations and sit in a theatre. That said, the current catalogue does include plenty of flicks that have been brightening up the big screen over the past six months or so, such as Tenet, An American Pickle, The Personal History of David Copperfield, Wonder Woman 1984, Bill & Ted Face the Music, Antebellum and Baby Done. If you're particularly keen on comedies, horror movies, superhero flicks or Aussie titles, Cinebuzz On Demand lets users search by genre and theme. Or, you can simply browse through the entire library from A to Z. The service takes its name from Event Cinema's existing loyalty program, with members also earning points for their online rentals. And, viewing-wise, Cinebuzz On Demand is available on iPhones, iPads and Apple TV, plus Android and Chromecast, and on Windows and Mac devices as well. Cinebuzz On Demand is available via the service's website, with titles available to watch on a pay-per-view basis.
Anyone who has ever tried to organise an office Christmas party will know it's ideal to lock that thing in months in advance. By the time September rolls around and the smell of summer is on the horizon, it feels like it's too late. Trying to make a booking in actual December? You're dreaming. So, what to do when you decide late in the game that you want to get the gang together, share some eggnog and spread the Christmas cheer? Well, luckily the Merivale team has you covered with a whole bunch of restaurants offering last minute reservations for all your festival meals this December. Here are some of the best.
Oscar Wilde once said, "Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative." Well, maybe, if Wilde had been in Western Sydney last night when an epic downpour delivered more than a month's worth of rain in just one hour, he might feel differently. The rain is all we can talk about, understandably — it was one helluva storm. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Penrith was hit with 69.6mm of rain in just 60 minutes — blowing the October rainfall average of 51mm out of, well, the water. https://twitter.com/BOM_NSW/status/1052481594404065281 The severe downpour sparked flash flooding across the area. According to the ABC, the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) received 63 calls for help in 24 hours across Western Sydney — one person even needed to be rescued from a car that was stuck in floodwaters on Castlereagh Street. Certainly doesn't sound like unimaginative hogwash to us, Wilde. And, it looks as though the weather will keep tongues wagging a little while longer, with thunderstorms predicted for the rest of the week. Andrew Haigh from the BoM told the ABC, rain was likely to continue in the east of the state and said people should watch for severe thunderstorm warnings. Around 20mm is expected to hit this Sunday, October 21 — we suggest braving the rain and heading to one of Sydney's fireplace-equipped pubs, there's nothing quite like sipping a dark 'n' stormy while it's quite literally dark and stormy. Unfortunately, we'll need more than a few downpours to help the 100 percent of the state that's currently in drought. So, don't complain — grab your poncho and welcome the rains.
The lineup for everyone's favourite New Year's Eve party has just landed, and it's a doozy. Way back in 1993, a tiny one-day concert was held in Lorne, a beautiful coastal town on Victoria's Great Ocean Road. Over 10,000 people showed up, far more than were expected, and a great Australian tradition was borne. In 2003 the festival (now known as Falls) celebrated hitting the big 1-0 by spreading its wings and setting up across the Bass Strait in Marion Bay; and now, to celebrate their 20th instalment, the Falls team are bringing the New Year party to Byron Bay for the first time. And they will be celebrating in style with the greatest house band in the world, The Roots, who haven't played in Australia since the Great Escape festival (RIP) in Sydney in 2007. They always bring the party, and we should thank Jimmy Fallon for lending them to us even if just for the weekend. The other headliners include festival favourites The Wombats, the always-interesting Grizzly Bear, 2013 Album of the Year contenders Vampire Weekend, R&B star Solange and The Violent Femmes. And there's an excellent contingent of local acts, too, including Hermitude, Pond, Chet Faker and Big Scary. Tickets will be allocated via a ballot, which is currently open via the Falls website. Registrations close on midday, August 26. Ballot-winners will be able to purchase up to four tickets from August 29, 9am. There will also be an allocation of tickets set aside for general sales starting on September 4, 9am. Prices will be released soon. Falls Festival first announce line-up: !! (Chk Chk Chk)AstaBig ScaryBombinoBonoboThe Cat EmpireChet FakerCrystal FightersCyril HahnFlight FacilitiesGosslingGrizzly BearHanni El KhatibHermitudeJames Vincent McmorrowLondon GrammarMGMTNeil FinnPondThe Preatures The RootsRüfüsSolangeTom Odell Vampire WeekendViolent FemmesWhite DenimThe Wombats Event dates: Lorne, Victoria (18-plus): December 28–January 1Marion Bay, TAS (all-ages): December 29-January 1Byron Bay, NSW (18-plus): December 31–Jan 3
On Thursday nights, Yulli's Brews in Alexandria transforms into a jazz den with the arrival of the Tilly Street Trio. Long-time friend of the Yulli's team, Tilly sings jazz standards, accompanied by her two loyal band members. You can usually count on a surprise guest or two, too. Tilly gets started at 6.30pm and finishes up two or three sets later. In between listening to her smooth vocals, taste your way through Yulli's own drops, from the Norman Australian Ale to the Margot Dry Apple Cider. Meanwhile, the food menu is completely vegan. Start with steamed miso cabbage dumplings, before moving onto gyros, which comes in four varieties: The Australian, The Greek, The Korean and The Vietnamese.
Need yet another utterly worthy excuse to indulge this silly season? Well, we've got one — you can stay and play at one of the city's most luxe boutique hotels, West Hotel on Sussex Street, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton. Located in Barangaroo, this hotel is right in the heart of Sydney — so you're always just a walk away from all the goings on about town. So, if you're in need of a little festive cheer this December, you're in luck. Should you get your mitts on this glorious prize, you and a lover (or a buddy) will be spending two nights in one of the King Waratah Premium Rooms at West Hotel. With breakfast for two and a complimentary mini bar included. It's a treat worth a cool $1,200. West Hotel is perched just a hop, skip and a jump away from the city's best cafes, bars and restaurants — think Skittle Lane, Shortstop, PS40, Banksii and Anason — and has a chic modern aesthetic, with incredibly luxe rooms. In a King Waratah room, you'll be on one of the hotel's top floors, with views over the Barangaroo skyline. You can claim your prize at any point until the end of December (subject to availability), whether you want to use it as a base for exploring the city or to stay put for an ultra-relaxed staycation. This is one prize that's sure to make your mates jealous — unless you can convince them to join you. To enter, see details below. [competition]748583[/competition]
To help Sydneysiders keep cool this summer, the team at Gin Lane has blended boozy, grown-up flavours with a tidy hit of nostalgia for its new line of cocktail-inspired 'soft serves'. Teaming up with Australia's own soft serve and gelato expert David Lopresti of Aussie frozen treats specialist Florentia, Gin Lane founder and bartender Grant Collins has created three new treats guaranteed to get a serious workout during the warmer months. On the lineup, you'll find a riff on the Knickerbocker Glory made with a gin, tonic and lemon aspen soft serve, gin-macerated fruit and wafers; the citrusy Gin Fizz with cider, candied apple and popping candy; and the Rosella Sling, which combines rosella purée, mint, candied orange and hundreds and thousands. All of the frozen newcomers will be on rotation at the Chippendale gin bar over summer, all crafted on cold-pressed juices with fun garnishes and hefty infusions of alcohol. Alongside the frozen treats are some limited-edition cocktails, too. These include a refreshing watermelon G&T and an extravagant concoction called Up with rose petal syrup, gin, cold-pressed lemon oil, chartreuse and tonic served in a bucket with a scented helium balloon. It'll set you back $38, but it's made to be shared between two. Gin Lane's Soft Serve Bar is located at 16A Kensington Street, Chippendale and will open throughout summer from Monday–Wednesday 4–6pm and Thursday–Saturday 2–5pm. The soft serves are available in cups ($9) or in classic waffle cones ($12).
If you're a fan of basketball, talented Aussies shooting hoops and one of the biggest local names in the game in the 21st century, then this one's a slam dunk: Patty Mills is coming home to chat about his career. The Brooklyn Nets point guard returns to Australia for the first time since helping score the Boomers their first-ever Olympic medal — and shooting 42 points himself in the crucial bronze-winning match — to tour the nation throughout September. Whether you're keen to hear the man himself discuss his success, life, learnings and everything in-between in the flesh, or you know some budding basketballers who are eager to follow in the Indigenous Aussie's footsteps, you have options. There are two parts to the tour: basketball camps for young up-and-comers and in-conversation gigs. Yes, the four-time Olympian will be present at both. [caption id="attachment_867421" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Erik Drost via Flickr[/caption] The camps will hit up the Gold Coast, Logan, Sydney, Thursday Island, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne in one-day stints, starting on Wednesday, September 7 — but players do need to be aged between 12–17 to head along. If that's someone you know, they'll get time with the some of the top basketball coaches and volunteers in each area, and also nab an up-close-and-personal experience with Patty Mills himself. Plus, basketball clinician DJ Sackmann will be leading the fun. The onstage component of Mills' tour will make four stops, kicking off on Monday, September 5 at The Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane, then heading to ARA Darling Quarter Theatre in Sydney, Astor Theatre in Perth and the Palais Theatre in Melbourne. That's where the star player will speak from the heart about his journey — which has taken the Kokatha, Naghiralgal, Duaureb-Meriam man from growing up in Canberra to rising through the basketball ranks, and also becoming Australia's first Indigenous Olympics flag bearer. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Patty Mills (@balapat) "The Patty Mills Unearthed Tour is the realisation of a dream that I have had for some time now. Home really is where the heart is, and this homecoming trip fulfils a desire in me to connect with the communities and supporters who have been by my side, no matter where my career has taken me," said Mills. "It's been a huge couple of years and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to go back to my roots to deliver an immersive experience to be felt and enjoyed both on and off the court. It was also important that this tour allowed me to share parts of me that I've never been able to share before. Getting up close and personal with my own hopes, challenges and achievements has allowed me to embrace opportunity to the fullest and by sharing my own journey, I hope to inspire others out there, especially our youth, who are on their own path of self-discovery." PATTY MILLS UNEARTHED AUSTRALIA 2022 TOUR DATES: SPEAKING MY LANGUAGE — PATTY MILLS IN HIS OWN WORDS Monday, September 5 — The Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane Sunday, September 11 — ARA Darling Quarter Theatre, Sydney Friday, September 16 — Astor Theatre, Perth Tuesday, September 20 — Palais Theatre, Melbourne PATTY MILLS BASKETBALL CAMPS WITH DJ SACKMAN Wednesday, September 7 — Gold Coast Thursday, September 9 — Logan Saturday, September 10 — Sydney Tuesday, September 13 — Thursday Island Saturday, September 17 — Perth Monday, September 19 — Adelaide Wednesday, September 21 — Melbourne The Patty Mills Unearthed Tour heads around Australia throughout September 2022, with tickets to both the on-court and speaking events on sale now.
Stop what you're doing. Get out of bed. Cancel that mid-morning meeting. Whatever it is — it can wait. Because this is happening again: In-N-Out Burger is back in Sydney for one of their late-notice pop-ups. Jimmy's Burgers posted a video announcing the pop-up this morning, confirming Darlinghurst's Li'l Darlin on Victoria Street as the temporary burger joint location for Wednesday, January 18. It's been almost bang-on a year since the LA fast food legends set up shop at Dead Ringer in Surry Hills last January, and almost two years since they whipped together a few burgers out at Parramatta Mixology Lounge, so you can bet that burger aficionados will be desperate so get their hands on one of those buns. Last time they were doling out hamburgers, regular cheeseburgers and some double cheese lovelies until they sold out, so we hope they're on the menu today as well. And cheese fries. Please say there's cheese fries. If you've been to one of In-N-Out's previous Sydney pop-ups though, you'll know those burgers sell like, well, cult-status burgers — so you'll have to get there early. Now is probably a good time. Go. The In-N-Out burger pop-up will run today at Li'l Darlin, 235 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst. Opening time TBC, but you should probably just start moving now.
There's something undeniably charming about wandering through an outdoor market on a crisp weekend morning. This month, the folks at Cambridge Markets are giving you a chance to do just that with its Ultimate Autumn Market, which lands in the Entertainment Quarter on Sunday, May 29. Head down from 10am to get your fix of hot food, artisanal goods, gifts, clothing and homewares, with a focus on Sydney-based small businesses. There'll be over 100 stalls to explore, giving you plenty of opportunity to shop, sample and stroll through the historic site of the former Sydney Showground. Among the highlights of the European-inspired market is Arye Studio, which will be showcasing a range of its stunningly minimalist 18-carat gold-plated and sterling silver jewellery made from recycled materials; Knit for Life, a social enterprise and purveyor of children's clothing, toys and accessories that are handmade from naturally grown cotton yarn; and Moore Park-based Verve Candles, which stocks an impressive selection of natural soy wax candles, homemade soaps and body products. Looking to pimp your pantry? Pick up a boutique wine from Hunter Valley faves Savannah Estate or Hanging Tree Wines, flavour-packed chilli sauce and condiments from Old Bones Chilli Co, a hefty loaf of sourdough from Maison Cafe Bakery or honey from The Honey Library. There'll be all manner of food and drink to keep you fuelled as you browse, from gozleme and handmade bao, to plant-based hot chocolate and loukoumades. It'll be a perfect family day out, with live music, face-painting and other entertainment keeping the vibes high. Plus it's a dog-friendly affair, with a range of pet treats, accessories and all-natural dog food on offer. Entry to the market is free, and there's two hours of free on-site parking. Cambridge Market's Ultimate Autumn Market takes place on Sunday, May 29 from 10am–3pm. For more info, head to the website.
After being cancelled just days out from its usual Easter slot, then postponed to October, Bluesfest has announced its new 2021 lineup. The festival's first event in more than two years will once again take over Byron Events Farm (formerly Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm) just outside Byron Bay. And, on- and off-stage, it won't be lacking in company. Leading the bill between Friday, October 1–Monday, October 4: Midnight Oil, Paul Kelly, Tash Sultana and Jimmy Barnes. They'll each headline a different night of the now four-day fest, and will be joined by a lengthy list of familiar homegrown names. Ocean Alley and Ziggy Alberts will also be taking to the stage, as will everyone from Xavier Rudd, Kate Ceberano and The Church to Barnes' Cold Chisel bandmate Ian Moss, Briggs and Kate Miller-Heidke. A number of the newly announced acts were initially due to play at the festival in April, until a COVID-19 outbreak saw NSW Health sign a public health order to cancel the event. This is the second year that Bluesfest has been forced to adapt its plans, after its 2020 fest was completely scrapped due to the pandemic. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bluesfest Byron Bay (@bluesfestbyronbay) Season tickets to the rescheduled 2021 festival will go on sale at 9am on Thursday, May 20, with one- and three-day passes set to follow at a yet-to-be-announced date. Folks with tickets for the April festival will be contacted by Moshtix with all the necessary information about the new dates, rolling your existing tickets over and getting a refund if you can no longer attend. BLUESFEST OCTOBER 2021 LINEUP: Midnight Oil Paul Kelly Tash Sultana Jimmy Barnes Ocean Alley Ziggy Alberts John Butler Xavier Rudd The Cat Empire Pete Murray Mark Seymour & The Undertow Kate Ceberano Kasey Chambers The Waifs The Church Jon Stevens Ian Moss The Living End The Angels Ross Wilson And The Peaceniks Russell Morris Troy Cassar-Daley Briggs Tex Perkins The Man In Black Hiatus Kaiyote Kate Miller-Heidke Weddings Parties Anything The Black Sorrows The Bamboos Chain Backsliders Ash Grunwald Melbourne Ska Orchestra Vika & Linda Jeff Lang Nathan Cavaleri Mick Thomas' Roving Commission Kim Churchill Henry Wagons JK-47 Garrett Kato Mama Kin Spender Dami Im Pierce Brothers Emily Wurramara The Buckleys Fiona Boyes & The Fortune Tellers Ray Beadle Pacey, King & Doley All Our Exes Live in Texas Hussy Hicks Roshani Declan Kelly Daniel Champagne Little Georgia Lambros. Round Mountain Girls The Regime Electric Lemonade Palm Valley Byron Busking Competition Bluesfest 2021 will now run from Friday, October 1–Monday, October 4 at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, Byron Bay. Season passes will go on sale at 9am on Thursday, May 20, with one- and three-day passes set to follow at a yet-to-be-announced date. For further information, head to the Bluesfest website. Top image: Andy Fraser
With a young man immersed in underworld dealings and learning life lessons along the way, there's no mistaking Son of a Gun's fondness for standard crime caper cliches. The film begins with prison hierarchies, navigates a jailbreak and daring heist, and dallies with ruthless Russian mobsters. It also traverses romance and a complicated mentor-protegee relationship, just in case its adherence to formula wasn't apparent. And yet, in wholeheartedly embracing genre basics, complete with the accompanying twists, Julius Avery's debut focuses on execution and performance over plot and story to exceed the sum of its obvious parts. That's not to say that the movie's narrative isn't engaging; however, it is in its eye for action and its finessed portrayals that Son of a Gun best impresses. Nineteen-year-old JR (Brenton Thwaites) enters his six-month stay in a maximum-security facility with a warning to keep out of trouble, though the resident bullies have other plans. Veteran inmate Brendan (Ewan McGregor) becomes his saviour, but his help has consequences: JR must return the favour upon his release. Extricating Brendan and his right-hand man (Matt Nable) from prison is the first step. Next, assisting the convicted armed robber in doing what he does best. Writer/director Avery came to fame courtesy of his 2008 short Jerrycan, a Cannes Film Festival award winner. His first feature has been eagerly awaited since, and in its bright lensing of the Western Australian landscape, moody score from Snowtown and The Babadook's Jed Kurzel, and sustaining of tension, it proves worthy of such anticipation. Avery shows a knack for set pieces and a mastery of pace and tone that keeps Son of a Gun moving, patching over its lack of surprises and extended length. From the sombre drama of its jail-set opening to the cat-and-mouse chases that follow in helicopter hijackings, car chases, boat rides and stand-offs, the filmmaker crafts a competent, compelling thriller. Otherwise, casting is the film's biggest strength, from Thwaites' second role in succession as a naive pawn awakening into a position of influence after The Giver, to A Royal Affair's Alicia Vikander as his potential love interest. Of course, it is the star power of McGregor, complementing his usual cheeky grin with a menacing glint in his eye, that rightfully commands attention. Although appearing to play against type, his charming wrongdoer isn't that far removed from his morally dubious breakout role in Trainspotting, complete with his natural accent. Indeed, McGregor's fate mirrors that of the film, never straying far from the familiar, but doing so with energy and aplomb. Son of a Gun may be another gritty Australian crime offering, but it is also an enthusiastic, expressive and engrossing example of its genre. https://youtube.com/watch?v=eTOBcelRo9M
If you're missing travel as much as we are, you're probably spending your days dreaming of faraway destinations — and binge watching every single travel show on Netflix. But, Australian intrastate borders are beginning to open, which means it's time to start planning a local getaway. And we found a way to do this that won't cost you a cent. Surf fashion brand Roxy is giving two Aussies the chance to win a free trip to absolutely any beach in the country. Maybe you could head to New South Wales' Cabarita Beach — Tourism Australia's best beach for 2020 — or The Whitsundays' Whitehaven Beach, which has been named one of the best beaches in the world (multiple times). Whether you're after white sands and sparkling blue waters, secluded spots hidden away from the hustle and bustle or legendary stretches of surf, Australia has it. You just need to choose the beach you want to visit. [caption id="attachment_785976" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Whitehaven Beach in The Whitsundays[/caption] To enter, head over to the competition website and describe, in 25 words or less, your all-time favourite Aussie beach, and what makes it so bloody great. You'll also have to subscribe to the Roxy mailing list, but we reckon that's a small price to pay. If you win, Roxy will organise the flights, accommodation and hire car to your chosen destination — and you'll get a $500 gift card to spend on some new beachy threads. And don't worry about COVID-19 restrictions when choosing your beach — Roxy will honour the prize until it's fully safe to travel anywhere in Australia. The competition closes on Saturday, October 31, though, so best get on it. Roxy's Request a Beach competition run until Saturday, October 31. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
If you're fond of staring at the heavens with your own two eyes to see a stunning sight, you'll want to spend Wednesday, September 18, 2024 looking up. A supermoon is upon us, with the best time to see it arriving just after sunset Down Under — so if you train your peepers upwards this evening, you'll be in for a glowing show. While super full moons aren't particularly rare — several usually happen each year, and one occurred just last month — there is a good reason to peer upwards this time around. If you're wondering why, we've run through the details below. [caption id="attachment_769713" align="alignnone" width="1920"] NASA/Joel Kowsky[/caption] What Is It? If you're more familiar with The Mighty Boosh's take on the moon than actual lunar terms, here's what you need to know. As we all learned back in November 2016, a supermoon is a new moon or full moon that occurs when the moon reaches the closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit, making it particularly bright. They're not all that uncommon — and because September 2024's supermoon is a full moon (and not a new moon), it's called a super full moon. It's also a harvest moon, too, which refers to the time of year in the northern hemisphere, because this is when the autumn harvest tends to begin in the other half of the world. Of course, that doesn't apply in the southern hemisphere, but the name still sticks. When Can I See It? As mentioned above, your best time to look at the harvest supermoon is from sunset on Wednesday, September 18, 2024. The moon always appears full for a few days, however, so if you already thought that the night sky looked a little brighter this week, that's why. To catch a glimpse, you'll want to peek outside when it gets dark to feast your eyes on a luminous lunar sight. Head over to timeanddate.com for the relevant moonrise and moonset times for your area. In Sydney, the moon rises at 6pm on Wednesday and sets at 6.19am on Thursday. Those times for Melbourne are 6.26pm Wednesday and 6.43am Thursday, while Brisbane's are 5.53pm Wednesday and at 6.13am Thursday. In Perth, it's 6.26pm Wednesday and 6.44am Thursday, while Adelaide's are 6.23pm Wednesday and 6.40am Thursday. Where Can I See It? You can take a gander from your backyard or balcony, but the standard advice regarding looking into the night sky always applies — so city-dwellers will want to get as far away from light pollution as possible to get the absolute best view. Also, if you've heard about the supermoon partial lunar eclipse, sadly that's not visible from Australia — but you can watch it online from 11am AEST Down Under. Via NASA / timeanddate.com. Top image: Andrew C.
Running fanatics, assemble — Ultra-Trail Australia is here. The out-of-town trail running event takes place over four days in May in the stunning world heritage-listed Blue Mountains National Park. The main event is a 100-kilometre run (yes, you read that correctly) with an elevation gain of 4,400 metres and a lot of stairs, this one certainly isn't for the faint-hearted. Those not quite up to the 100 can take part in the 50-kilometre race, which follows the second half of the 100-kilometre route through the Kedumba Valley; the 22-kilometre event, which starts at the Queen Victoria Hospital and ends at Scenic World; or the new 11-kilometre run, starting at Leura's Fairmont Resort. If you're into something short but sweet, try your hand at the Scenic World UTA951, where you'll only have to run for 1.2 kilometres, but up the (in)famous Furber Steps. If the name wasn't a dead giveaway, the climb is a 951 winding stairs. It's all good if your legs feel like jelly at the end — your entry fee includes a ride down the Scenic Railway, the steepest incline railway in the world. Tickets for the UTA100, 50, 22 and 951 stair climb are currently on sale. Tickets for the UTA11 go on sale at 11am on Tuesday, February 26.
