Now that daylight saving has come to an end, there’s no denying that winter is on its way. And with it an array of unwelcome bugs. In our efforts to stay healthy, we'll usually juggle some combination of sensible vaccine, stare-attracting surgical mask and eating All the Oranges. But how's this for a practical (and fashionable) solution? A team of US-based entrepreneurs has come up with Scough, "the germ and pollution filtering scarf". The Scough looks straight off the boutique rack but features antimicrobial technology, direct from the US Ministry of Defence’s section for chemical warfare. You do have to wear the scarf over your nose and mouth to stave off infection though, so you'd better hope the Wild West look is 'in'. It’s the flu sufferer's ultimate in revenge. Just pull the scarf up around your face and it fights the flu for you. Activated carbon — demonstrating a high level of microporosity (one gram covers a surface area of 500 square metres plus) — traps viruses before killing them unawares. Simultaneously, a silver ion-impregnated filtration system dismantles the complex structure of bacteria, turning them into nothing but harmless, powerless specks. There’s a Scough design to match your daily outfit, from super soft plaid cashmere to chequered flannel, herringbone, paisley and faux fur. There's even a Scough with its own inbuilt moustache. Prices start at US$39 and for every scarf purchased the company donates a life-saving vaccine to a child via shotatlife.org. So you'll feel better in more ways than one. Via Springwise.
I remember thinking country music was mega uncool when I was a teenager. And I suppose it is, if you judge it by, say, Garth Brooks or Lee Kernaghan — you know, douche bags in stupid hats. Brooks is the worst of them all. I picked up this amazing book from an op-shop about him, which is full of great slogans like "The greatest conflicts are not between two people but between one person and himself.” Douche. Anyway my point is, thank the lord Jebus (to use the correct vernacular) a friend of mine introduced me to Johnny Cash, Gram Parsons and contemporaries like Gillian Welch and Ryan Adams — people that made music that tapped into the rich history of blues, bluegrass, dixie sounds and folk and combined these with the provincial simplicity and purity of real country music. Some of them still had stupid hats, but they didn't bullshit. Wilco embody this alternative approach to country music. After 16 years of making amazing records, they are absolute legends. The two original members — head honcho Jeff Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt — along with a cast of others, have brought country to a lot of younger people that may have never have listened to it otherwise. They are stopping in Australia, still touring their seventh record, Wilco, which came out in June 2009. The album is hailed as one of their most accessible, and the State Theatre will be an amazing setting to see these luminaries. As a just-announced bonus, Liam Finn will open the proceedings.
Time travel is complex. There’s always the danger of being your own grandfather, being Eric Bana or being ethically puzzled. At the MCA, the current show by Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro touches on the more complicated aspects of couriering a time machine. In sympathy, as part of its regular Thursdays Late program, the gallery’s Time Travel Bazaar will host a series of talks across November where speakers will hold forth on the metaphysics, cinematics and art practices of time and travel. It’s exactly the sort of engaging ideas fest to make you come back from December and recommend it to yourself. Don’t be late for this short season. Image by Kaja Kozlowska.
With Australia banning non-essential events with more than 100 people due to COVID-19 — and mandating that everyone arriving from overseas self-isolate for 14 days, too — Melbourne's arts and cultural scene has started to go into shutdown mode. The city's major institutions have already announced temporary closures, and now the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is joining them. While MSO has announced that it's suspending all concerts with audiences in attendance from Monday, March 16–Monday, April 13, it's planning to host an online concert series — because, even if audiences can only watch and listen online from their couches, the music must go on. The series kicked off with a live-stream of Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade at Hamer Hall on Monday, March 16, followed by MSO's Beethoven & Mendelssohn gig on Thursday, March 19. Then, the series will show recordings of past performances that have never been seen online before every Thursday night and Sunday afternoon. Music lovers can check out the performances via MSO's YouTube channel. https://youtu.be/MCBYvd5LKa4 Updated: Monday, March 30, 2020
If you're of an age when you can remember burning your friend's So Fresh CD so you could stay up to date with the coolest songs of the season, congrats. You're old now. But also, congrats, because you will seriously enjoy this So Fresh shindig. The old-school get-together to end all old-school get-togethers is coming to El Topo's basement on Saturday, September 14, and it'll be playing bangers strictly of the 2000s vintage. You can expect a disturbing percentage of Channel 10 alums (Australian Idol winners/losers and ex-Neighbours actors) as well as way too much Nickelback for polite company. Also, just throwing this out there: we're desperately hoping for a timely comeback of the Duff sisters duet 'Our Lips Are Sealed'. This time around, the retro tunes will come with plenty of party fun, including face-painting, free fairy floss and lollipops. Of course, it's obviously 18 and over — because if you're under 18 you definitely don't know what So Fresh is. Or CDs, probably.
Lorde is back. After five years away from music and touring, the New Zealand pop sensation has returned with the first taste of her next album and dates for a massive tour of Australia and New Zealand. The tour will run from Saturday, February 26 through until Saturday, March 19. Australians are scoring four dates across Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, while New Zealanders can choose from six shows. Accompanying the tour news is an announcement that Lorde's third studio album Solar Power will be unveiled to the world on Friday, August 20. The album comes five years after her critically acclaimed sophomore release Melodrama and is "a celebration of the natural world, an attempt at immortalising the deep, transcendent feelings I have when I'm outdoors," Lorde says. The Australian and New Zealand tour will begin at Christchurch's Electric Avenue on Saturday, February 26. From there the 'Royals' singer will make her way around New Zealand throughout late February and early March, and arrive in Australia on Thursday, March 10 for a show at the Brisbane Riverstage. Australia's east coast will be treated to two more shows at Melbourne's Sidney Myer Music Bowl and the ICC's Aware Super Theatre in Sydney before the tour wraps up at Perth's Belvoir Amphitheatre on Saturday, March 19. The last time either country was treated to Lorde's live show was her headline set at Splendour in the Grass 2018, a full circle moment for the singer as she returned to the stage of one of her first ever performances as a last-minute replacement for Frank Ocean back in 2013. A year prior, in 2017, Lorde also toured some of Australia's largest and most iconic outdoor venues including the Sydney Opera House Forecourt. Tickets to The Solar Power Tour are sure to be snatched up quickly and there are a few ways to get your hands on them if you're looking to belt out all the words to 'Ribs' or 'Green Light' early next year. Telstra customers will receive first dibs as part of a Telstra Plus pre-sale on Monday, June 28. If you sign up to be a Frontier Member you'll receive pre-sale access on Wednesday, June 30, before general public ticket sales begin on Monday, July 5 at noon. Head to the Frontier website for all the details. Lorde The Solar Power Tour Saturday, February 26 – Electric Avenue, Christchurch Saturday, February 27 – Neudorf Vineyards, Upper Moutere Tuesday, March 1 – Days Bay, Lower Hutt Wednesday, March 2 – Black Barn Vineyards, Havelock North Friday, March 4 – TSB Bowl of Brooklands, New Plymouth Saturday, March 5 – Outer Fields Western Springs, Auckland Thursday, March 10– Riverstage, Brisbane Saturday, March 12 – Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne Tuesday, March 15 – Aware Super Theatre, Sydney Saturday, March 19 – Belvoir Amphitheatre, Perth Lorde's The Solar Power Tour will take place between Saturday, February 26 and Saturday, March 19. Head to the Frontier website for all info on tickets. Top image: The Come Up Show
From this Saturday, September 2, you'll be able to sit back with a gin cocktail at Busby's Bar in Sydney's picturesque Royal Botanic Garden. The pop-up bar — which will run all summer next year — will serve brunch, lunch, snacks and drinks Thursdays through Sundays. Start with a coffee and a pastry at breakfast, move on to a picnic box at lunch and end with a charcuterie board and draught beer at dinner. Named after 19th century viticulturist James Busby, the bar will be situated in the garden's historic Victoria Lodge with sprawling views across Sydney's sparkling harbour. If the crowds at the other harbourside venues are anything to go by (hello, Opera Bar), you'll have to get in early to nab a seat. To get there, enter through Victoria Lodge Gate via Mrs Macquaries Road. The bar is currently open from Thursday to Sunday from 10am till 6pm. From October 1, the bar will extend its opening hours until 7.30pm. Updated: September 14, 2017.
Australia's much-loved cook, author, restaurateur and The Great Australian Bake Off host Maggie Beer is helping you become a culinary whiz while you're spending more time at home. So, next time you're reaching for the instant noodles, do yourself a favour and turn to Maggie. Dubbed Cooking with Maggie, the series features the cooking legend whipping up delicious dishes in her Barossa home. She'll be putting up a new video every day via Instagram or Facebook, showing you how to make an easy rustic-style dish in under 20 minutes. From eggplant and eggs to a caramelised onion and Persian feta side dish and Maggie's take on a panzanella salad, every recipe uses simple ingredients, which you probably already have most of sitting in your pantry. Otherwise, a quick trip to your local grocer — or your garden if you've a green thumb like Maggie — will sort you out. But perhaps best of all is watching Maggie in her own kitchen, offering up little wisdoms. Her enthusiasm and charm is undeniable and will warm your soul. So, even if you're not looking for dinner inspiration, you may want to watch the affable cook anyway. Because, we're all in need of a little comfort — food or otherwise — right now. https://www.facebook.com/OfficialMaggieBeer/videos/242070486919378/
The lower north shore will see a fast food staple back in action when Chargrill Charlie's reopens its Willoughby store this Saturday, November 10. The much loved chicken and chips shop has been under renovation for the past two months, and, to celebrate the reopening, it's giving out quarter-chicken-and-chip combos for free. The comfort food giveaway will happen from noon–1pm this weekend, so go ahead and leave your wallet at home. While you wait in the inevitable line for your eats, you can catch a glimpse of the fully refurbished and expanded shop — which is the entire reason for the freebie, after all. The Willoughby reopening comes just two months after the launch of Chargrill Charlie's Frenchs Forest store, bringing the brand's northern Sydney total to six.
Muogamarra Nature Reserve, a hidden oasis of native wildflowers located near Cowan, is closed to the public most of the year in order to protect its fragile ecosystem and its Aboriginal cultural heritage. But, every now and then, it opens for everyone to enjoy for a limited time. That time is about to arrive for 2023, with the reserve welcoming guests for six weeks in August and September this year. The reserve is a thing of beauty, playing home to more than 900 species of native wildflowers that fill the area with a sea of vibrant colours when they bloom. Waratahs, angophoras, old-man banksias, pink boronias and native orchids — they're all here among the site's expansive bushlands and rainforests. You can also catch a glimpse of Aboriginal rock engravings and take in expansive views of Hawkesbury River, Berowra Creek, Bar Island, Milson Island and Spectacle Island. If this all sounds right up your alley, you've got a couple of options when planning a trip to Muogamarra Nature Reserve. You can book one of four different guided tours led by experienced NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) volunteers, who will take you through the reserve, teaching you about the floral wonders surrounding you. The tours each cover different sections of the park, and range from three to ten kilometres of walking. Or, if you want to tackle the reserve by yourself, you can also reserve a time slot for a self-guided tour. Slots for both are limited, so the NPWS is encouraging anyone keen to explore the wildflower haven to get in quick. Each of the four guided tours and the self-guided tours are available to book at different dates and times between Saturday, August 12–Sunday, September 17. Head to the NSW National Parks website to see the selected dates and to make a booking. Muogamarra Nature Reserve is located three kilometres north of Cowan Station, on the western side of the Pacific Highway. It will reopen to the public for 2023 across selected dates between Saturday, August 12–Sunday, September 17.
Catering to our fierce love of seafood over the holiday period, Sydney Fish Market is once again pulling its annual all-nighter so you can get your hands on the freshest ocean treats for Christmas lunch. Each year, the Fish Market — which will be relocated to a $250 million new site come 2023 — capably serves over 100,000 buyers looking to snag a deal. Between 5am on Wednesday, December 23–5pm on Thursday, December 24, the market is yours to scout out the most sumptuous fish, king prawns, oysters and calamari. Even better: it's all Australian-sourced. It's not only fish here, though. You can also peruse cold meats and cheeses at the deli for a grand charcuterie platter or stop by the onsite bakery and greengrocer. Or, if you're more of a Northern Hemisphere traditionalist, you can even pick up a turkey from the butcher. They sell basically everything here. If you're stuck for gifts, there are plenty of opportunities for that last-minute find. Head to the gift shop, florist, bottle shop or even grab a voucher for a cooking class at the popular Sydney Seafood School. Like most things, the seafood marathon will be a little different this year, however. To keep things COVID-19-safe, there'll be a single point of entry (on the corner of Bank Street and Pyrmont Bridge Road) — and you'll need to register upon arrival via QR code and get your temperature tested. Social distancing will be enforced, too, including queuing 1.5 metres apart. And wearing a mask is strongly encouraged.
Underground Cinema — Melbourne-born innovators of secret immersive film experiences — have announced their latest Sydney instalment: La Guerre. These are the people who take cinema out of the cinema and into boatyards, beaches and after-hours schools, creating a world in sync with the evening's film though real-life actors, evocative food, intricate sets and costumes. It's all themed to set the scene and get guests guessing, because the film, of course, is a secret. So what do we know? We know that UGC La Guerre will transport guests back to the 1940s, for a cinema event that's more like walking onto a film set than anything else. Think World War II, sepia tones, pin curls and la Resistance. Wear your '40s best. The dates confirmed for Sydney are Friday, July 18, and Saturday July 19, at 7.30pm, as well as Sunday, July 20, at 5pm. Whatever the film is, viewers can expect immersion bordering on camp. In the past they've taken toga-clad cinema-goers to ancient Rome (for Life of Brian) and given out white jumpsuits, student cards and medical examinations before filing people into a snow-covered Swedish academy (Let the Right One In). As distinct from World Movies Secret Cinema, the focus is really on interactivity, immersion and theatricality, quite like the UK institution Secret Cinema. Sometimes the screening location takes a back seat (the Life of Brian space was in Moore Park; the screening, Hoyts). Because of the popularity of their previous vintage-themed events, UGC have added an extra Sydney show this time around, but predictions are they'll all sell out anyway — so depechez-vous! Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, June 24, at 1pm sharp. There's a cash bar and hot food on site, and all ticketholders will be sent details of the location via SMS on the day. Keep an eye on the UGC Facebook page for more details. https://youtube.com/watch?v=r9GufI42bLI
A few years ago, many drinkers would have thrown out their beers after the first sip if they were sour. But 2017 saw a rise in the prevalence of — and preference for — these tart and acidic brews that are bound to get your tastebuds tingling. While it seems to be a relatively new style of beer, its origins can be traced back to the first beers ever brewed, where wild yeast and spontaneous fermentation were key. Fast forward a few hundred years and sour beers exist in many different varieties, with American wild ales, berliner weisse, gose and lambics being those favoured in the Australian craft beer scene. Today in Sydney, most craft breweries have either a limited release or core range sour. Wayward Brewing Co's 'Sourpuss' Raspberry Berliner Weisse was one of the first sours to become widely available on tap in venues across Sydney. Then came Batch Brewing Co's range of 90s hip-hop themed sours. These beers — such as Plum DMC, Mango Mathers, 2Peach Shakur and the charmingly named Pash The Magic Dragon passionfruit and dragonfruit sour — helped to secure the sour ale as an idiosyncratic fixture on Australia's brewing scene. Perhaps the biggest development in terms of sour beer, however, is Wildflower Brewing & Blending in Marrickville. Not a brewery as such — the beer is brewed at Batch nearby — Sydney's first 'blendery' has captured the hearts and tastebuds of sour lovers with its unique and tart ales, which feature Australian botanicals in their yeast cultures. Wildflower has released a number of beers since opening in 2017, but its standout brew is the sour Wildflower Amber. Released in batches (each one with a slightly different development in flavour) and aged in French oak barrels, this amber ale sits at six-percent ABV and features a complex palate of malt-accented notes with a light acidity. The most recent release, Wildflower Amber #10 ($22 for a 750-millilitre bottle), is available from the cellar door at 11–13 Brompton Street in Marrickville or online. SHOPPING LIST Wayward Brewing Co Sourpuss Raspberry Berliner Weisse, 330ml, $5.50 each or $17.99 for four (also available at the brewery) Batch Brewing Co Pash The Magic Dragon, 640ml, $12.50 each (also available at the brewery) Wildflower Amber #10 and #11, 750ml, $22 each Hop Topics is our new bi-weekly beer column keeping you up-to-date with the latest beer trends happening around the country. Dominic Gruenewald is a Sydney based actor, writer and self-proclaimed beer snob. Between gigs, he has pulled pints at all the right venues and currently hosts Sydney's longest running beer appreciation society Alestars at the Taphouse, Darlinghurst.
Looking to do something a little different this weekend? Sick of the usual coffee, brunch and bev plans? Make tracks to Glebe. This inner west gem has a lot more on offer than just your standard bars, coffee spots, restaurants and shops (though there are quite a lot of good ones). To spice up your weekends, we've joined forces with Sydney's newest escape room, Myst, to hunt down all of the more sensory experiences you can have around this part of town. A Dracula-themed escape room, a brisk bayside jog, live music gigs and artisan finds galore — these ten places, dotted throughout Glebe and its surrounds, are sure to awaken your senses. So go on, skip the usual long black and eggs benny breakfast routine and get to Glebe. GATHER YOUR CREW TO SLAY VAMPIRES AND HUNT FOR GOLD Glebe is now home to Myst — a brand new and kinda spooky escape room complex. Yes, complex. Here you'll find not only the three themed escape rooms but several board game rooms and an immersive multi-room theatre experience, too. Slay a vampire in Dracula's Dark Awakening, search for hidden treasure in Pirates' Gold or escape from an ancient crypt in the Cursed Tomb room. If that's not enough, your crew can also join a three-hour, case-cracking murder mystery theatre, centred on the Qiang Dynasty. Myst doesn't skimp out on the details, either. Each room has custom-designed props and quality interactive technology to make for a fully immersive (and fully spooky) experience. EAT YOUR WAY AROUND THE WORLD Glebe's main drag is dotted with cuisines from all over the world, many of which are under-represented in other parts of inner Sydney. Here, you can eat with your hands at Ethiopian restaurant Jambo Jambo, with its mix of meat and vegetable curries atop plate-sized injera (fermented, spongy buckwheat flatbread). Plus, you can get pots of Ethiopian coffee roasted tableside for a tenner. Or, east from Ethiopia and dig into street food straight from Colombo at Dish Sri Lankan Street Food — the a la carte version of the Toongabbie namesake. You'll get curry and egg-topped hoppers, lamb and sambal murtabak (stuffed pancake), fish dosa and short rib and goat biriyani, just to name a few. And if you're after a quick bite, make your way even further east to Tea Square Cafe, a hole-in-the-wall spot dishing up traditional street eats from Hong Kong, like curried fish balls, red bean mochi French toast and bubble teas. SCORE ARTISANAL FINDS AT THE GLEBE MARKETS One of the best markets around town, The Glebe Markets take over Glebe Public School every Saturday, from 10am–4pm. Each week, the markets host more than 50 stalls selling everything from handmade jewellery and vintage and second-hand threads to house plants and antique homewares. For food, think vegan cupcakes, cane juice, arepas, dumplings and, of course, gozleme galore to fuel you as you sift through all the artisanal goodies. Plus, local musicians take over the lawn from noon–3pm with live tunes. And if you really want a refresh, you can even Marie Kondo your wardrobe and set up your own stall with your mates. FIND YOUR INNER BALANCE AT A YOGA CLASS To awaken your senses from the inside out, head down the road to Balance Yoga. This studio on Glebe Point Road offers classes every day of the week and even has a donation class on Wednesdays from 12.30–1.30pm for those trying to get your dose of hatha on a budget. Housed within a beautiful heritage building, Balance Yoga seeks to make yoga accessible to all. Mats are provided for each practice and classes range in difficulty, suitable for all levels. The studio also hosts regular workshops and yoga retreats throughout the year. CATCH A FREE GIG Being close to both Sydney Uni and UTS, Glebe is a lively hotspot, with a few places where you can catch a live gig — plenty of which are free. Start off at Sappho Books, Cafe and Wine Bar for one of its regular evening gigs and poetry readings in the backyard garden. Occurring a few days a week, Sappho gigs are perfect for kicking back with a glass (or two) of wine, a couple plates of tapas and engaging with an eclectic mix of acts. And if you're in the area on Sundays, don't skip The Little Guy, which hosts live music under the stairs every week, from 6–9pm, with drink specials all day and night. GET CREATIVE AT THIS CO-WORKING SPACE If you're looking to get creative, there is plenty going on at The Works Glebe — a three-storey warehouse that is both a co-working hub and showroom for artists of all kinds. With The Works Showroom, the space is as much a retail spot for designers to exhibit their works, as much as it is a creative space, with exhibitions showing regularly. There's also a pop-up store run by local brands and makers on premise. Open seven days a week, it's a go-to for one-of-a-kind and locally made gifts. Basically, any day you head to this multi-purpose creative hub, there'll be something going on. [caption id="attachment_653289" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kitti Gould.[/caption] SEEK OUT GREENER PASTURES AND WATER VIEWS FOR DAYS The Glebe Foreshore Parks offer a very choice way of shaking up your routine. From Blackwattle Bay Park to Jubilee Park, you'll be surrounded by pleasant water views, grassy areas for a picnic and many a pooch to pet. The scenic trail is a popular spot among locals for strolling, jogging or biking. Come for the views; stay for the vibes. The tranquillity you'll find here truly feels like you've left Sydney and found your way to some coastal town by the bay. FEAST AT THE SYDNEY FISH MARKETS The largest seafood market in the southern hemisphere, the Sydney Fish Markets is a local go-to for freshly shucked oysters, grilled mornay lobster, fresh-as fish and chips and even sushi doughnuts — not to mention all the ultra-fresh seafood to cook at home. Open from 7am, the market sees nearly 55 tonnes of fresh seafood auctioned each day. If you're here to dine in, hit up one of the many stalls selling ready-to-eat dishes and opt for one of the outdoor tables for views across Blackwattle Bay or head upstairs for yum cha with a seafood focus and water views. GO FOR A (HEATED) DIP IN THE MIDDLE OF A PARK Victoria Park Pool is a favourite for inner-city locals who don't want to make the trek all the way to the beach. And hey, the 50-metre outdoor pool is also heated, so it's even better for winter swims. The pool is open from 6am on weekdays and from 7am on weekends, with entry starting at $6.60 for adults and $5 for students. Plus, there's a poolside gym that offers yoga sessions and group classes aplenty for an extra jolt of pre- or post-dip exercise. TRACK DOWN NICHE HOMEWARES Besides The Glebe Markets, the suburb has plenty to offer in the way of unique homewares, including its disproportionate (and very welcomed) number of bookstores with books both new and used. Of course there's Sappho and the neighbouring Gleebooks but there's also a bookshop dedicated to all things plants Florilegium. After you've stocked up on books to help you grow a green thumb (or just pretty coffee table literature), head to Mosir Life where you can nab handcrafted Japanese designs and trinkets to wear and display. Open only on Saturdays, this boutique stocks a range of wares — from delicate jewellery to homewares in ceramic, wood, glass and metal — all crafted by Japanese artisans. Shake up your routine starting at Glebe newcomer Myst escape room, then hit one of the above to continue your full refresh. Top image: Glebe Point Road by James Horan via Destination NSW
The hospo legends behind Darlinghurst mainstay Love, Tilly Devine are teaming up with celebrated sommelier Dan Simmons (Grafted Wines) for the next in its Tilly Takeover series, taking place on Tuesday, March 25 from 6pm. This month's wine night theme is 'things on skins', a celebration of natty wines in all their glory. On the night, Simmons will be pouring a primo selection of low-fi and skin-contact wines from around Australia. Expect to see labels like Sabi Wabi's Sugi Semillion, Jilly Wine Co's Lone Ranger Chardonnay, Momento Mori's Fistful of Flowers Vermentino blend, drops by producer Frankly, plus Bob and Simmons' own Balmy Nights Amber. You can nab wines by the glass, bottle or as a flight of five for $65. Complementing the wines are two menu specials, courtesy of the restaurant's Head Chef Brent Wilson. Created to match the vibe of the night, punters can look forward to golden fried potato skins topped with cashew cream, chives and chilli oil, or pork crackling bites with aioli and Old Bones hot sauce. Get in early for happy hour from 5pm-6pm, with $4 gildas, $8 sardine sambos, $7 pilsners and $15 negronis on offer. Bookings for the night are encouraged, but not required. [caption id="attachment_995476" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bruno Stefani[/caption]
The cast, the filmmaking, the directors, the complicated crime tales, the fact that it informed the world that time is a flat circle (and tasked Matthew McConaughey with delivering the news, naturally) — for all of these reasons and more, True Detective is something special. It's never better than in its first season, where McConaughey and Woody Harrelson partner up on a troubling serial killer case, try to one-up each other performance-wise, and knock it out of the park. But this neo-noir thriller created by writer, producer and director Nic Pizzolatto still consistently delivers in its second and third go-arounds. In season two, the action jumps from Louisiana to California, with Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch, Kelly Reilly and Vince Vaughn doing some hefty on-screen heavy lifting. And in season three, two-time Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali leads the charge, this time in the Ozarks.
The countdown to the 2022 Sydney Fringe Festival is underway, with the city's huge independent arts finally set to return for its first physical fest since 2019 from mid-August. And while the full program hasn't been unveiled as yet, here's something that you can block out in your calendar now: spending six weeks enjoying everything from cabaret and drag to comedy and live tunes in First Fleet Park in The Rocks. From Tuesday, August 16–Sunday, September 25, Runaway Gardens will return to Sydney for Sydney Fringe — and the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent along with it. Amid the impressive pop-up venue's stained-glass windows, velvet aplenty and, yes, mirrors, you'll be able to watch boundary-pushing burlesque, laugh at big comedy names and sip your way through a mimosa-fuelled drag brunch club. [caption id="attachment_861860" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Chris Pavlich Photography.[/caption] Headlining the program is the previously announced Bernie Dieter's Club Kabarett, which'll unleash its second 2022 season upon Sydney — sword swallowing, hair hanging, Cirque Du Soleil aerialists and all. German kabarett superstar Bernie Dieter leads the charge, and she's been described as "an electrifying cross between Lady Gaga, Marlene Dietrich and Frank-N-Futer in sequins", if you're wondering what you're in for. Also on the lineup: the Poof Doof Drag Brunch Club, which is exactly what it sounds like. Spend your Saturdays drinking while checking out an array of drag, comedy, burlesque and cabaret performers, with your beverages included in your ticket. If you're keen on checking out the live music bill, Runaway Gardens is focusing on legendary performers playing intimate gigs, with Daryl Braithwaite, Kate Ceberano, Diesel, Renee Geyer, Richard Clapton, Ross Wilson & The Peaceniks, and The Black Sorrows doing the honours. And if you're eager to get giggling, the comedy lineup includes Arj Barker, Jimeoin, Akmal and Lawrence Mooney, as well as a Multicultural Comedy Gala featuring Dilruk Jayasinha, Georgie Carroll and Tahir. Merrick Watts will talk you through vino in the Idiot's Guide to Wine, too — and, across two Friday Up Late gigs, Odette and Jack Ladder will unleash their musical talents. Plus, there's a gin-fuelled Festival Club running a best of the fest program every Thursday night, covering comics, cabaret, circus and musos, wit help from the house jazz band. As well as all the action in the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, Runaway Gardens will boast an outdoor bar and pop-up restaurant, all with views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The precinct will operate from 4–10pm Tuesday–Thursday, 12–11pm Friday–Saturday and 12–10pm on Sundays. And if you're wondering about the rest of the Sydney Fringe Festival lineup, that'll drop on Monday, August 1. [caption id="attachment_861862" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andre Castellucci[/caption] Runaway Gardens will take over First Fleet Park in The Rocks from Tuesday, August 16–Sunday, September 25. For more information, or to buy tickets, head to the event's website. Top image: Andre Castellucci.
If you're doing Fringe Fest on a budget (and you have a lot of stamina when it comes to keeping awake) All (H)ours is the show for you. As you might've guessed from the name, this one doesn't close — you have 24 hours to drop by and catch the action. The show will see creatives from multiple states come to together to take over George Place Foyer for a whole day and night. Expect to watch and listen to a dancer, musician and video artist, who will constantly shifting between movement, sound and vision. You're welcome to swing by whenever — for as long or as brief a time as you like. All (H)ours is a brand new production by House of Sand, a creative partnership between siblings Charley Sanders and Eliza Sanders, whose shows and performances aim to "gather people and ideas and build epic imaginative creations". Image: House of Sand
Landscape fans will want to visit Casula Powerhouse in February for Cultural Landscape, a group exhibition of leading contemporary artists that takes the traditional medium and determinedly turns it on its head. Featuring a diverse collection of work from Richard Goodwin, Yvonne Koolmatrie, Stephen Birch, Anne Zahalka, Joan Ross, Rodney Pople, Jon Cattapan, Rosemary Laing, Claire Healy and Sean Codeiro (whose video sculpture Homecoming Queen is sure to intrigue), the exhibition takes a 21st century perspective to explore "the emotive, political, social and economic impact man has made on our landscape". You'll see everything from photography to weaving to installation to expressionist painting, in a show that sets out to provide a fresh artistic take on the complicated — and not necessarily idealistic — connection between humans and the contemporary Australian landscape. Expect less sublime, less serene, and more uneasy, complex and thought-provoking. You can check out Cultural Landscapes between February 10 and March 18. While you're there, why not have a squiz at the artists of tomorrow in NEXT2018, a showcase of talented young South Western Sydney artists selected from local high schools. Image: Claire Healy and Sean Codeiro, Homecoming Queen, 2017, video sculpture 2017, duration 11 minutes. The artists wish to thank Martumili artist in Parnngurr WA for the creation of this work.
If there's one thing the past couple of years have taught us, it's that sometimes, the best times can be had when you slow things down. That's why we've teamed up with American Honey to create The Slow Lounge: an exclusive, invite-only hideaway curated to help you and your mates disconnect from the outside world and stay connected in the moment. At this top-secret Bondi location, you won't need to wait around for the best intimate nook to open up — every seat is the best in the house. If you're on the list, you'll unwind in style with your favourite people, sip deliciously smooth American Honey, soda and fresh lime, and enjoy a soundtrack of golden hour live jams from some of the hottest emerging Aussie musical talent of the moment. The lineup includes the smooth vibes of DJ Shollywood on the decks, and live golden-hour sets by indie pop darling Essie Holt (pictured above) and acclaimed singer-songwriter Carla Wehbe. Each guest will be gifted a swag bag with all the ingredients you need to enjoy the perfect American Honey drink at home, plus a bespoke honey-scented candle and a set of conversation coasters. The Slow Lounge is taking place from August 27–28, making it perfect for a golden end-of-winter gathering. The only way in is to enter our competition, which you can do right here. Top image: Every Last Second
Despite spending two weeks in lockdown now, the number of people with COVID-19 in the Greater Sydney, Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour regions has continued to rise during this current outbreak. So, in response to the increasing cases, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has today, Friday, July 9, announced that the stay-at-home conditions in these areas will be getting much stricter — bringing in tighter limits on how far from home you can venture, what you can do when you're out of the house and who you can spend time with. Just two days ago, on Wednesday, July 7, the NSW Premier extended the lockdown for another week; however, case numbers have continued to jump since then — and, of particular concern to the authorities, many of those cases have been out in the community while infectious. Today, 44 new cases have been reported, and "29 of those were either partially or fully exposed to the community — and that is the number that is really concerning us we always," said the Premier. Accordingly, everyone in Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour can still only leave the house for four specific essential reasons: to work and study if you can't do it from home; for essential shopping; for exercise outdoors in groups of ten or fewer; and for compassionate reasons, which includes medical treatment, getting a COVID-19 test and getting vaccinated. Exactly what you can do if you're following the above advice is being limited considerably, however, effective from 5pm today, Friday, July 9. https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1413307516591566848 Previously, folks could exercise with up to ten people outdoors. That's changing to just two people together at once — or a household, but only if there are parents and kids who need to be together. You can also only exercise within your local government area, or within ten kilometres of where you live. You're also not permitted to carpool with anyone outside of your household when it comes to exercising, or in general. If you need supplies, only one person from each household will be allowed to go out shopping each day to buy essential items. Still on shopping, browsing is now prohibited, too. "Whether you are in a supermarket or anywhere else buying essential items, have a think before you leave the home: 'can I get online? Do I need to leave the house to a shopping?' If you are leaving the house, you have to plan your visit. Think: 'what do I need to get and how can I get those essential items without coming into contact with a lot of people?'" said the Premier. Also, the Premier clarified the rules around how many people you can have to your house — which is zero. "Nobody is allowed into your house — nobody outside your household is allowed into your house. The only exception is if you are receiving care by people, one person, dropping off essential goods or for health reasons or exceptional circumstances," she said. "But nobody should be coming into your home. Nobody out of your household. And household means whoever lives there normally." Funerals will also go back down to ten people, with that rule taking effect from Sunday, July 11. https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1413301890658422790 Announcing the news, Premier Berejiklian said that "the strongest message is: do not leave your home unless you absolutely have to." She continued: "we are facing the greatest threat that we have faced in New South Wales since the pandemic started. And it is up to all of us to turn things around, because at the moment the numbers are not heading in the right direction." Understandably, the Premier also noted that next week's target lockdown end date — Friday, July 16 — is unlikely to remain in place. "Unless there is a dramatic change, unless there is a dramatic turnaround in the numbers, I can't see how we would be in a position to ease restrictions by next Friday, and that is why all of us need to work together," she advised. "It is a real concern. The message is do not leave your home. Do not leave your home unless you absolutely have to. That is what lockdown is." As always, Sydneysiders are also asked to continue to frequently check NSW Health's long list of locations and venues that positive coronavirus cases have visited. If you've been to anywhere listed on the specific dates and times, you'll need to get tested immediately and follow NSW Health's self-isolation instructions. In terms of symptoms, you should be looking out for coughs, fever, sore or scratchy throat, shortness of breath, or loss of smell or taste — and getting tested at a clinic if you have any. Lockdown rules in Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour will tighten at 5pm on Friday, July 9. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website.
DesignEx is Australia's leading design exhibition, and this year the Office for Good Design has curated a unique seminar series called 7 Kinds of Happiness to open an otherwise industry-focused event to the general, design-loving public. Seven seminars with major industry heavyweights explore how happiness impacts the practice of leading local and international designers. Each seminar is held within the 'Happy Place', an area created specifically for this seminar series constructed entirely of doonas. Sounds like our sort of lecture. Concrete Playground has a double pass to giveaway to each of the seven seminars. To win, just make sure you're subscribed to Concrete Playground then email us at hello@concreteplayground.com.au with your preference of seminar from the list below. Happiness 1: Alice Rawsthorn, Monday 14th 12.30pm Happiness 2: Ilse Crawford (UK), Monday 14th 5pm (digital) Happiness 3: Stefan Sagmeister (USA), Tuesday 15th 10am (digital) Happiness 4: Broached Commissions, Tuesday 15th 12.30pm Happiness 5: Rotor (Brussels), Tuesday 15th May 5pm (digital) Happiness 6: Work AC (USA), Wed 16th 10am (digital) Happiness 7: Australian Creative Directors of the Venice Architecture Biennale Anthony Burke and Gerard Reinmuth with TOKO (Panel Discussion) Wed 16th 12.30pm
Local creperie Four Frogs prides itself on providing Aussies with delicious and authentic French crepes. Since 2012 when the first outpost popped up in Sydney, Four Frogs has been building a cult following of French expats and Sydney locals addicted to their crepes and galettes. Currently, you can find three Four Frogs scattered across Sydney in Circular Quay, Randwick and Lane Cove. Mosman used to also be home to its own creperie, however the building was demolished, taking the crepe specialist with it. Luckily, Four Frogs has found a new home in Mosman and to celebrate it's throwing a grand reopening party with free crepes. Now located in an 80-seat venue at 155 Middle Head Road, the new addition to the Four Frogs family will be hosting the reopening celebrations on Monday, December 6, with the free crepes on offer from 3–5pm that day. If you just can't wait until the Monday, the new Mosman spot is officially reopening from Friday, December 3. Throughout its reopening weeks, you can head along for French martinis, cider and illustrated postcards from Four Frogs' illustrator Gill Cameron.
As a prodigy of sorts, with his work One and Three Chairs in 1965, Kosuth began a career of questioning the nature of art. He and his peers (the conceptual artists) championed not the formalist aesthetics and craftsmanship of the previous decades, but the notion that the idea behind a work was to be revered. Throughout Europe and North America, Kosuth’s work has served in a series of retrospectives; now, in his first solo show in Australia (may I say, a few decades late), Kosuth will occupy both Anna Schwartz’s gallery space and the cavernous halls of CarriageWorks. The works exhibited serve as a dialogue between the evolutionary theories of Charles Darwin and the survival-of-the fittest perversion of those theories by Friedrich Nietzsche. Darwin’s tree-of-life sketch’s logical conclusion is found in Nietzsche’s famous adage, “creating — as selecting and finishing the selected”. Despite your knowledge of Kosuth, Darwin, or Nietzsche, the cold white neon lights against the pale grey gallery walls will strike you; these are enlightenment thoughts, real light bulb moments.
Here's what it will look like when the Sydney Light Rail finally launches into action in 2019. The brand new trams, dubbed the Citadis x05, are the world's longest light rail vehicles to date and we're the very first city to nab 'em. Built in France and Spain by Alstom, the trams ring in at 67 metres and can carry 450 passengers, which is nine times the capacity of a bus. The new schmick design was unveiled in Randwick on Tuesday, August 1 by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Andrew Constance, Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. "It is a really exciting day to be standing here with the first of our world-class light rail vehicles and offering the people of NSW a glimpse of this innovative, modern vehicle," said Premier Berejiklian. Despite its behemoth size, the Citadis x05 is pretty efficient. Compared with your average bus, it uses four times less energy, as well as ten times less energy than a car. It's also very, very wheel-friendly — think loads of room for prams and wheelchairs, double doors, low floors and easy-to-reach intercoms. All in all, there will be 30 tram sets operating in the CBD and South East Light Rail, which will run from Circular Quay and the CBD through Surry Hills, Moore Park and Kensington, ending in Randwick and Kingsford. You can expect to see the Citadis x05 getting some test runs around town later this year. Sure, from the outside the tram basically looks like every other modern light rail vehicle we've seen. But, even though Sydney is still obviously behind Melbourne on the tram scene —and, let's be honest, in a lot of ways — we can finally firmly lay claim to having the best of something other than beaches. Which are amazing and unbeatable.
The first of Red Rock Deli's Secret Suppers in Melbourne has been and gone, with Lover's head chef Paul Turner creating a feast in a rustic Richmond warehouse. The exclusive supper series — running until October at secret locations across Sydney and Melbourne — sees some of Australia's most talented chefs whipping up mouth-watering, three-course feasts inspired by Red Rock Deli's range of Premium Crisps. And when we say exclusive, we mean it — only 20 lucky guests get to tuck into each lavish dinner. On Thursday, September 19, top Melbourne chef Paul Turner put up a feast. After guests were picked up from Richmond Station and whisked away to a mystery location, Turner dished up plates inspired by Red Rock Deli's Deluxe Crisps flavour: parmesan and truffle oil. Across all three courses, Turner incorporated native Australian and seasonal ingredients — the entree featured burrata with maple-glazed pumpkin, buttermilk and saltbush and the main of braised short rib featured fresh truffle, nettle, goats curd and parmesan crisp. Meanwhile, the dessert featured roast white chocolate parfait, grilled pear and wood sorrel. Sounds like a meal that shouldn't have been missed but, if you did — or you went and want to recreate the magic at home — check out Turner's recipe for the braised short rib here. If Turner's dinner is anything to go by, the final Melbourne supper will be quite something. Giorgio Stefano from Cremorne's celebrated Ms. Frankie is up next. The dinner will take place on Thursday, October 19 and will be inspired by Red Rock Deli's Deluxe Crisp's chilli, roast garlic and lemon oil flavour. To nab tickets for Melbourne's upcoming Red Rock Deli supper, enter the ballot here to be given the chance to purchase tickets. Images: Kate Shanasy.
Last year, Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist brought her hypnotic 30-year retrospective to the MCA. The mesmerising and immersive artworks, dubbed Sip My Ocean, only hung around for four months, but now you can catch another one of her works in Sydney — every night. Sparkling Pond, Bold-Coloured Groove & Tender is Rist's new dazzling artwork, which has just been unveiled beneath Park Lane, one of Central Park's residential towers. Colours and gently animated videos are projected onto three different areas — looking a bit like 'urban electronic bonfires' — every night from sunset till 11pm. As well as colours and images evoking Sydney plants and vegetation, the projections use algorithms of waves to create a 'watery world'. The colourful artworks are free to visit, and touching, sitting and even lying in them is encouraged. Pipilotti Rist: Sparkling Pond, Bold-Coloured Groove & Tender can be viewed from sunset to 11pm every night. Images: Pipilotti Rist: Sparkling Pond, Bold-Coloured Groove & Tender, 2018, courtesy the artist, Hauser & Wirth and Luhring Augustine. Photos by Mark Pokorny.
You might not know the name Eddie Marsan, but odds are you'd recognise his face. With a list of film credits that includes The World's End, War Horse, V for Vendetta as well as the Mission: Impossible and Sherlock Holmes franchises, he's the kind of unflashy, underappreciated character actor who disappears into whatever role he's given. Still Life, the new film from Full Monty producer Uberto Pasolini, marks a rare opportunity for Marsan to take centre stage. The result is so beautifully affecting you'll wonder why it doesn't happen more often. Indeed, Marsan's part in Still Life feels like the one he was born to play. A middle-aged London municipal officer, John May's job is to see to the affairs of people who have recently died. He goes about his work with minimal fuss and in return gets little thanks for his efforts. He's a quiet man, dignified but lonely, and seemingly more comfortable around the dead than he is the living. Early on in the film, May's smarmy new boss calls him into his office and informs him that he'll be downsized out of a job. May, being the man that he is, doesn't protest, only asking that he be able to finish his last case: tracking down the relatives of a grizzled military serviceman who just happened to reside in the same crumby apartment block as he does. As the title suggests, Still Life isn't particularly fast paced. Concerned with the sad, solitary minutiae of everyday life, Pasolini's direction is intentionally reserved — the drab whites, greys and blues of May's office and empty flat a reflection of his unremarkable life. Yet the film is not boring or bleak; on the contrary, Still Life possesses a tenderness and humanity that is extraordinarily powerful. It's a film that celebrates selfless acts of kindness, and going beyond the call of duty because it's simply the right thing to do. A few moments skew towards mawkishness, admittedly, but for the most part the balance is just right. In a turn that pays tribute to thousands of unremembered lives, Marsan's performance could hardly be more perfect. It's in large part thanks to his wonderful work that Still Life resonates to the degree that it does. If more filmmakers entrusted their projects to actors like Marsan, their movies would be all the better for it. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Gt9CsXrlO8Y
Rallies and marches take place every January 26, not only addressing concerns about the date of Australia's national celebration, but also protesting the ongoing discrimination that has been faced by Indigenous Australians since white settlement — a topic that covers a large number of issues. In 2021, events will take place all around the country; however, heading along in-person isn't the only way to take part. In Brisbane, a rally and march will be held from 10am AEST, starting at Queens Gardens on the corner of George and Elizabeth streets in the CBD. But if you're not able to attend, you can stream it from home. There are a number of reasons why you mightn't be able to make it physically, whether you're avoiding large gatherings during the pandemic — the march and rally is asking attendees to wear masks and abide by social distancing, though — or you're located out of town. So, watching along is as simple as heading to Get Up!'s Facebook page from 9.50am AEST/ 10.50am AEDT, with the whole event streaming live.
For the past five years, Qantas has been promising to eradicate one of the worst things about international long-haul air travel to and from Australia: the dreaded stopover. First, it announced and then implemented non-stop 17-hour flights from Perth to London; however if you live on the east coast, you still have to get to Western Australia. So, the airline revealed that it was exploring direct routes from Sydney, not only to London but to New York as well, with a launch date of 2022. Since then, Qantas has been pursuing the idea enthusiastically, widening their plan to also include departures to and from Melbourne and Brisbane. This weekend, the Aussie carrier is taking the next step by piloting its first ultra long-haul research flight from New York to Sydney. Initially announced a couple of months back, it's the first trial as part of the airline's Project Sunrise scheme. It's also the first flight by a commercial airline to ever make the huge 19.5-hour journey — and will use a Boeing 787-9 to soar the 16,200 kilometres, all with 50 passengers and crew on board. While the Boeing 787-9 hasn't been designed for such a mammoth trek, when it departs New York's John F Kennedy Airport at 9pm on Friday, October 18 New York time (midday in Sydney on Saturday, October 19), it'll do so with a maximum fuel contingent, a restricted passenger and baggage load, and no cargo. Indeed, almost half of the flight's weight will be fuel, and it's expected to use all but 6000 kilograms of its 101,000 kilogram load during the trip. No members of the public are making the voyage, though, with the flight's passengers comprised of crew and Qantas employees. Given that the aim of the journey is to gather data about inflight passenger and crew health and wellbeing, they'll be fitted with wearable technology devices to monitor their monitor sleep patterns, food and beverage consumption, physical movement and use of the entertainment system during the flights. The results will then be assessed by scientists and medical experts from the Charles Perkins Centre, with minimising jetlag, and helping identify optimum crew rest and work patterns part of their research. The flight's four pilots will also take part in studies, working with CRC for Alertness, Safety and Productivity researchers to record their melatonin levels before, during and after the flights, as well as their brain wave patterns and alertness — again, to help ascertain the best work and rest routine when they're commanding those long-haul services. While spending nearly a day on one single plane to get to the USA or Europe is definitely better than jumping on and off different vessels multiple times, it's still a seriously long slog. Yes, you'll avoid the sometimes long, always painful stopovers, but the lengthy journey isn't without its physical, mental and emotional toll — as anyone who has made the Perth to London trip knows — which is what makes this testing so important. Two more trail flights are planned in November and December, including one that'll travel direct between London and Sydney. That trek has actually been made before; however the last time the latter happened was back in 1989, when Qantas made the journey on a Boeing 747-400 with just 23 people onboard. Qantas is expected to announce whether Project Sunrise will progress to making commercial flights, rather than just trial flights, by the end of December 2019. If it proceeds, it'll eclipse the current record for the world's longest direct flight — which clocks in at over 19 hours on Singapore Airlines' 15,322-kilometre Singapore-to-New York route. Image: Qantas.
Operating for over a decade now, Capella Lodge is one of Australia's most well-known hotels — and, thanks to a cheeky $4 million makeover a few years ago, it's also one of the country's most lavish. It's on Lord Howe Island, too, which is a UNESCO World Heritage-listed spot off the coast of NSW. You'll be treated to inspiring views of the island's twin peaks, Mount Gower and Mount Lidgbird, as well as the world's southernmost coral reef in the Pacific Ocean. The beach is only a stone's throw away when you feel like a swim, though the plunge pool is just as refreshing. Plus, you can do this epic hike and then head straight to the spa for a hot stone massage that'll have you feeling stress-free for weeks. [caption id="attachment_720482" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Couresty of Capella Lodge.[/caption] Top image: Peter Aitchison and Baille Lodge, courtesy of Destination NSW.
There's been a big, fat question mark hanging over the future of The Midnight Shift, ever since Sydney group Universal Hotels snapped up the beloved gay bar for $12 million back in July. But now, it's been confirmed that the Oxford Street pub will be resurrected this October — with a three-day launch party, no less. But things will be a little different. For one, the new venue will be called Universal, with the new owners leaving the name to rest in peace. "Universal will be an evolution of the Midnight Shift, rather than a revolution," explained owner Jim Kospetas. He did, however, confirm that the group — which conducted an online survey to gauge what the community wanted them to do with the venue — plans to respect the "special role that it has played for the LGBTIQA+ community" and continue its and long-held legacy of inclusivity. While the full suite of Universal offerings is yet to be revealed, the jam-packed opening program — which lands on the October long weekend — should give you a pretty good hint of the fun to come. On Friday, September 28, catch a sneak preview of new monthly party FAB, featuring live performances, DJs and drag shows, while new weekly event Satori launches with a bang on Saturday, September 29, promising a healthy dose of creativity in all forms. And on Sunday, September 30, the entire venue's set to fire up for Heaps Gay Resurrection, with a lineup of the city's finest queer talent helping to simultaneously wrap up Sydney Fringe Festival and welcome Universal to the 'hood. In the past 18 months, Universal Hotels has not only bought The Midnight Shift, but Darlinghurst haunts The Brighton Hotel, Kinselas and The Oxford Hotel, too. These make up its already-large 11-venue stable, which also includes Civic Underground and Middlebar. It's clear that the group has big plans for the area — we just hope that it tries to keep Oxford Street's spirit alive, rather than trying to reinvent it. Universal will open on Friday, September 28 at 85-91 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst. We'll keep you updated on any more details or parties that are announced.
Recognising a gap in Rozelle's retail offerings, The Well Store was established in 2008 as a bastion for the health-conscious. Come here to peruse the curated selection of natural and organic body products covering make-up, skincare, wellness and homewares. With a steadfast commitment to education, the team vets each product, ensuring compliance with stringent standards for safety and sustainability. The Well Store proudly champions cruelty-free alternatives, advocating for animal welfare. As a trusted local purveyor of health-conscious goods, it helps its customers make informed choices for a more health-conscious lifestyle.
Great renewal news for fans of Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez, The Dead Don't Die), Oliver Putnam (Martin Short, Schmigadoon!) and Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin, It's Complicated) usually means bad news for the folks that the trio know on-screen. Only Murders in the Building viewers get more episodes, but that means more deaths within the hit murder-mystery comedy's narrative. That's exactly the case right now, with the series just wrapping up its Paul Rudd (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania)- and Meryl Streep (Don't Look Up)-guest starring third season, then revealing that there's more in store — with the show locked in for season four. More instalments, more killings and more amusing antics are all on the way, then, for the series that first got Gomez, Short and Martin sleuthing in 2021's season one (aka one of the best new shows of that year), then followed it up with 2022's season two (aka one of the best returning shows of that year, too) before arriving for its third go-around in 2023. Details of when the series will return, who else will pop up and the like haven't yet been announced, but expect to spend more time in Only Murders in the Building's world. The show started with three residents of the same New York apartment building crossing paths after a murder in their building — hence the title — then bonding over true-crime podcasts. Next, they did what everyone that's jumped on that bandwagon knows they would if they were ever in the same situation, starting their own audio series that's also called Only Murders in the Building. That's how season one kicked off — and continued, proving a warm, funny, smart and savvy series at every step along the way. In the show's second season, another death needed investigating. That time, it was someone the main trio were all known not to be that fond of, so suspicions kept pointing in their direction. Indeed, every season, another death has given aspiring artist Mabel, Broadway producer Oliver and actor Charles-Haden another case to dive into. In season three, that involved looking into who caused Ben Glenroy (Rudd) to shuffle off this mortal coil at the opening night of Oliver's latest show. "Is this really happening again?" asked the theatre figure in the first teaser trailer for season three. "Yes, yes it is" was the answer from Only Murders in the Building's audience then — and still now. "The trio's journey is far from over," US streaming platform Hulu, which produces the show, announced on social media. There's no sneak peek at season four as yet, but you can check out the full trailer for Only Murders in the Building season three below: Only Murders in the Building's streams Down Under via Star on Disney+. Read our full reviews of season one, season two and season three. Images: Hulu.
So far, 2018 has been a bit of a rollercoaster for both drivers and patrons of Sydney Trains. Employees have been dealing with problems with overtime and vehicle conditions since a new, more extensive timetable was introduced late last year, and commuters have been directly impacted by this through a string of delayed and cancelled services. Earlier this week the Rail, Bus and Train Union (RBTU) called for a 24-hour strike on all rail services this coming Monday, January 29 if it could not reach a negotiation with management. The union then announced that it would be placing a ban on overtime, which saw Transport NSW implement a reduced timetable across the long weekend. Naturally, the NSW Government was not on-board with the strike. The government submitted an application to suspend the industrial action to the Fair Work Commission, which has this afternoon ruled in its favour, citing that the strike threatens to endanger the welfare of Sydneysiders (as seen in the doc below). This essentially bans the union from going ahead with a lawful strike. #sydneyTrains decision pic.twitter.com/x87Bnjjjna — Ursula Heger (@ursulaheger) January 25, 2018 "We have to respect the process, "NSW union secretary Alex Claassens said today, as reported by SBS. "We are a law-abiding union. We've always followed the rules, and we will continue to do that." The order comes into place at 6pm tonight, so it's possible services could resume as usual as soon as this evening. Minister for Transport Andrew Constance has said in a press conference that trains will run as usual on Monday — so looks like you'll be able to go to work, after all. We're still waiting for an official update from Transport NSW, so we'll update this post when we get one. Via SBS. Image: Wikimedia Commons.
Another week, another Gelato Messina special. That's been the dessert chain's contribution to making lockdown a little more bearable over the past 18 months, and it isn't changing that tactic now. So, if you're under stay-at-home conditions in Sydney and Melbourne, you now have another decadent sweet treat to look forward to. For folks in southeast Queensland, you've got an excuse to eat dessert even now that the region's latest lockdown is over. On the menu this time: the return of the brand's sticky brioche snails, complete with plenty of caramel. Basically, it's Messina's interpretation of a Cinnabon-style scroll, and it's another limited release. It also comes paired with a tub of cheesecake gelato — because Messina always likes to team up its baked goods with the frosty dessert it's known for, obviously Wondering what exactly Messina's latest sticky snail entails? It comes stuffed with caramel custard and choc chips, and covered in malt caramel — and the latter is oh-so-gooey. As for the accompanying tub, it's filled with layers of vanilla custard gelato and cheesecake mousse, and then topped with cheesecake crumble. Dubbed a 'lockdown snack pack', this special can only be ordered online on Monday, August 16. It will set you back $69 for both the snail and the tub of gelato — and, because Messina's specials always prove popular, the brand is staggering the on-sale times. Accordingly, folks in Queensland and the ACT are able to purchase at 9am, Victorians at 9.30am, and New South Wales customers split across three times depending on the store (with pies from Circular Quay, Surry Hills, Bondi, Randwick and Miranda on sale at 10am; Brighton Le Sands, Tramsheds, Parramatta and Darlinghurst at 10.30am; and Darling Square, Newtown, Rosebery and Penrith at 11am). The catch? You'll have to peel yourself off the couch and head to your local Messina store to pick up your order. They'll be available for collection between Friday, August 20–Sunday, August 22. Sydneysiders, remember to abide by lockdown restrictions when it comes to picking up your pie — with a ten-kilometre limit in place for picking up food in most lockdown areas, and a five-kilometre limit in place in Local Government Areas of concern. Melburnians, if lockdown is extended again until then, you'll also only be permitted to travel within a five-kilometre radius to pick up food. Then, after you've got the sticky snail safely home, you just need to whack it in the oven for 20–25 minutes at 160 degrees and voila! You can preorder a Messina lockdown snack pack from Monday, August 16, to pick up from Friday, August 20–Sunday, August 22.
A fly is buzzing so loudly that the fine hairs on my ears prickle. Irritated, I go to swat at something in the air. These are some convincing sound effects. Tight production elements mark this staging of the William Golding classic Lord of the Flies (adapted by Nigel Williams). Marooned on an island during the Cold War, a bunch of prepubescent boys struggle with all matters relevant to the replication of civil society: democracy, defence, housing, food acquisition and rituals. Yet when the conch is stolen, the war paint spreads and hunting takes precedence, any common decency becomes swallowed by the impossibly thick scrub of the island and the mercilessly blinding sun. The minimalist raked stage, partly surrounded by water, becomes a canvas upon which the boys’ performance paints a pulsing morass of hysteria, mind-wrenching confusion and throttling rugby scrums and the Beastie's presence can be felt, presiding over them, egging them on. Director Anthony Skuse brings an innovative approach to this canonical narrative as a chorus of boys feature side-stage wearing large oversized heads like fragile cocoons containing dead flies. The giant heads behave like a Greek chorus, wobbling and mocking Piggy (Samuel Rushton) and Ralph's (Andrew Ryan) attempts to protest the irrational decisions of the group and nodding solemnly when Simon (Stephen Lloyd-Coombs) makes the terrifying realisation of his own madness. In the darkness, a body appears, bloody and wretched, crawling across the stage, its wet flesh flogged, its matted head slung forward and its pained face concealed. Simon yells accusations at the crawling mess. He growls in a deep menacing voice at the body then jerks his neck to accommodate another small voice that giggles and refutes the angry man inside. Once the voice of reason and philosophical inquiry, Simon is having another 'turn' yet he is terrified of having another turn. The fine line between sanity and insanity is blurred and the ability to control oneself when left to one's own devices is put into question. His tortured performance left my eyes glittering with cold tears.
Maybe you're the kind of film lover who wouldn't dream of navigating Oscar season without seeing every movie that you possibly can as the accolades approach. Perhaps you wait to find out who wins big before deciding what to watch that you haven't caught already. Either way, the 2024 Academy Awards have now happened, taking place on Monday, March 11, Down Under — and a new batch of pictures, and the folks behind them, now have Hollywood's most-coveted cinema trophy to their names. We've been along for the ride since these pictures hit the big and small screen. So, if you need the full rundown, we have the list of winners, the nominees before that, our picks for who we predicted would and should win, exactly where you can see 2024's nominees in Australia and a drinking game designed to go with with this year's ceremony. Now, we also have all the details on nine films that have just been anointed Oscar-winners at the 96th Academy Awards that you can check out right now. Watch them. Rewatch them. Either way, you're in for some stellar viewing. And if you're wondering where The Boy and the Heron and Godzilla Minus One are — aka two of the very best recipients of the night — they sadly aren't currently in cinemas or streaming Down Under, but keep an eye out for them when they hit digital. Oppenheimer Cast Cillian Murphy and a filmmaker falls in love. Danny Boyle did with 28 Days Later and Sunshine, then Christopher Nolan followed with Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception and Dunkirk. There's an arresting, haunting, seeps-under-your-skin soulfulness about the Irish actor, never more so than when he was wandering solo through the empty zombie-ravaged streets in his big-screen big break, then hurtling towards the sun in an underrated sci-fi gem, both for Boyle, and now playing "the father of atomic bomb" in Nolan's epic biopic Oppenheimer. Flirting with the end of the world, or just one person's end, clearly suits Murphy. Here he is in a mind-blower as the destroyer of worlds — almost, perhaps actually — and so much of this can't-look-away three-hour stunner dwells in his expressive eyes. As J Robert Oppenheimer, those peepers see purpose and possibility. They spot quantum mechanics' promise, and the whole universe lurking within that branch of physics. They ultimately spy the consequences, too, of bringing the Manhattan Project successfully to fruition during World War II. Dr Strangelove's full title could never apply to Oppenheimer, nor to its eponymous figure; neither learn to stop worrying and love the bomb. The theoretical physicist responsible for the creation of nuclear weapons did enjoy building it in Nolan's account, Murphy's telltale eyes gleaming as Oppy watches research become reality — but then darkening as he gleans what that reality means. Directing, writing and adapting the 2005 biography American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin, Nolan charts the before and after. He probes the fission and fusion of the situation in intercut parts, the first in colour, the second in black and white. In the former, all paths lead to the history-changing Trinity test on July 16, 1945 in the New Mexico desert. In the latter, a mushroom cloud balloons through Oppenheimer's life as he perceives what the gadget, as it's called in its development stages, has unleashed. Oscars: Won: Best Picture, Best Director (Christopher Nolan), Best Actor (Cillian Murphy), Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr), Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score Nominations: Best Supporting Actress (Emily Blunt), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Production Design, Best Sound Where to watch: Streaming via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. Poor Things Richly striking feats of cinema by Yorgos Lanthimos aren't scarce. Sublime performances by Emma Stone are hardly infrequent. Screen takes on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein couldn't be more constant. For Lanthimos, see: Dogtooth and Alps in the Greek Weird Wave filmmaker's native language, plus The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer and The Favourite since he started helming movies in English. With Stone, examples abound in her Best Actress Oscar for La La Land, supporting nominations before and after for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) and Lanthimos' aforementioned regal satire, and twin 2024 Golden Globe nods for their latest collaboration as well as TV's The Curse. And as for the best gothic-horror story there is, not to mention one of the most influential sci-fi stories ever, the evidence is everywhere from traditional adaptations to debts owed as widely as The Rocky Horror Show and M3GAN. Combining the three results in a rarity, however: a jewel of a pastel-, jewel- and bodily fluid-toned feminist Frankenstein-esque fairy tale that's a stunning creation, as zapped to life with Lanthimos' inimitable flair, a mischievous air, Stone at her most extraordinary and empowerment blazing like a lightning bolt. With cascading black hair, an inquisitive stare, incessant frankness and jolting physical mannerisms, Poor Things' star is Bella Baxter in this adaptation of Alasdair Grey's award-winning 1992 novel by Australian screenwriter Tony McNamara (The Great). Among the reasons that the movie and its lead portrayal are so singular: as a character with a woman's body revived with a baby's brain, Stone plays someone from infancy to adulthood, all with the astonishingly exact mindset and mannerisms to match, and while making every move, choice and feeling as organic as birth, living and death. In this fantastical steampunk vision of Victorian-era Europe, London-based Scottish doctor Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe, Asteroid City) is Bella's maker. Even if she didn't call him God, he's been playing it. But curiosity, the quest for agency and independence, horniness and a lust for adventure all beckon his creation on a radical, rebellious, gorgeously rendered, gloriously funny and generously insightful odyssey. So, Godwin tries to marry Bella off to medical student Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef, Ramy), only for her to discover masturbation and sex, and run off to the continent with caddish lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law). Oscars: Won: Best Actress (Emma Stone), Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Yorgos Lanthimos), Best Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score Where to watch: In Australian cinemas, and streaming via Disney+, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. Anatomy of a Fall A calypso instrumental cover of 50 Cent's 'P.I.M.P.' isn't the only thing that Anatomy of a Fall's audience won't be able to dislodge from their heads after watching 2023's deserving Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or-winner. A film that's thorny, knotty and defiantly unwilling to give any easy answers, this legal, psychological and emotional thriller about a woman on trial for her husband's death is unshakeable in as many ways as someone can have doubts about another person: so, a myriad. The scenario conjured up by writer/director Justine Triet (Sibyl) is haunting, asking not only if her protagonist committed murder, as the on-screen investigation and courtroom proceedings interrogate, but digging into what it means to be forced to choose between whether someone did the worst or is innocent — or if either matters. While the Gallic legal system provides the backdrop for much of the movie, the real person doing the real picking isn't there in a professional capacity, or on a jury. Rather, it's the 11-year-old boy who loved his dad, finds him lying in the snow with a head injury outside their French Alps home on an otherwise ordinary day, then becomes the key witness in his mum's case. Also impossible to forget: the performances that are so crucial in telling this tale of marital and parental bonds, especially from one of German's current best actors and the up-and-coming French talent playing her son. With her similarly astonishing portrayal in The Zone of Interest, Toni Erdmann and I'm Your Man's Sandra Hüller is two for two in movies that initially debuted in 2023; here, she steps into the icy and complicated Sandra Voyter's shoes with the same kind of surgical precision that Triet applies to unpacking the character's home life. As Daniel, who couldn't be more conflicted about the nightmare situation he's been thrust into, Milo Machado Graner (Alex Hugo) is a revelation — frequently via his expressive face and posture alone. If Scenes From a Marriage met Kramer vs Kramer, plus 1959's Anatomy of a Murder that patently influences Anatomy of a Fall's name, this would be the gripping end result — as fittingly written by Triet with her IRL partner Arthur Harari (Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle). Oscars: Won: Best Original Screenplay Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Justine Triet), Best Actress (Sandra Hüller), Best Film Editing Where to watch: In Australian cinemas. Read our full review. The Holdovers Melancholy, cantankerousness, angst, hurt and snow: all five blanket Barton Academy in Alexander Payne's The Holdovers. It's Christmas in the New England-set latest film from the Election, About Schmidt and Nebraska director, but festive cheer is in short supply among the students and staff that give the movie its moniker. The five pupils all want to be anywhere but stuck at their exclusive boarding school over the yuletide break, with going home off the cards for an array of reasons. Then four get their wish, leaving just Angus Tully (debutant Dominic Sessa), who thought he'd be holidaying in Saint Kitts until his mother told him not to come so that she could have more time alone with his new stepdad. His sole company among the faculty: curmudgeonly classics professor Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti, Billions), who's being punished for failing the son of a wealthy donor, but would be hanging around campus anyway; plus grieving head cook Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Only Murders in the Building), who is weathering her first Christmas after losing her son — a Barton alum — in the Vietnam War. The year is 1970 in Payne's long-awaited return behind the lens after 2017's Downsizing, as the film reinforces from its opening seconds with retro studio credits. The Holdovers continues that period-appropriate look in every frame afterwards — with kudos to cinematographer Eigil Bryld (No Hard Feelings), who perfects not only the hues and grain but the light and softness in his imagery — and matches it with the same mood and air, as if it's a lost feature unearthed from the era. Cat Stevens on the soundtrack, a focus on character and emotional truths, zero ties to franchises, a thoughtful story given room to breathe and build: that's this moving and funny dramedy. Christmas flicks regularly come trimmed with empty, easy nostalgia, but The Holdovers earns its wistfulness from a filmmaker who's no stranger to making movies that feel like throwbacks to the decade when he was a teen. Oscars: Won: Best Supporting Actress (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Paul Giamatti), Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing Where to watch: In Australian cinemas, and streaming via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. American Fiction Here's Thelonious 'Monk' Ellison's (Jeffrey Wright, Rustin) predicament when American Fiction begins: on the page, his talents aren't selling books. Praise comes the Los Angeles-based professor's way for his novels, but not sales, nor attendees when he's part of writers' festival panels. And even then, publishers aren't fond of his latest manuscript. Sick of hearing that his work isn't "Black enough", and also incensed over the attention that fellow scribe Sintara Golden (Issa Rae, Barbie) is receiving for her book We's Lives in Da Ghetto, he gets a-typing, pumping out the kind of text that he vehemently hates — but 100-percent fits the stereotype of what the world keeps telling him that Black literature should be. It attracts interest, even more so when Monk takes his agent Arthur's (John Ortiz, Better Things) advice and adopts a new persona to go with it. Soon fugitive convict Stagg R Leigh and his book Fuck are a huge hit that no one can get enough of. Because of the story spun around who wrote the bestseller, too, the FBI even wants to know the author's whereabouts. Deservedly nominated for five 2024 Oscars — including for Best Picture, Best Actor for Wright and Best Supporting Actor for Sterling K Brown (Biosphere) as Monk's brother Clifford — American Fiction itself hails from the page, with filmmaker Cord Jefferson adapting Percival Everett's 2001 novel Erasure. Wright is indeed exceptional in this savvy satire of authenticity, US race relations and class chasms, and earns his awards contention for his reactions alone. Seeing how Monk adjusts himself to a world that keeps proving anything but his dream is an utter acting masterclass, in big and small moments alike. As the film dives into the character's personal chaos, that's where Brown's also-fantastic, often-tender performance comes in, plus Leslie Uggams (Extrapolations) as Monk's mother and Tracee Ellis Ross (Candy Cane Lane) as his sister, and also Erika Alexander (Run the World) as a neighbour who is a fan of his — not just Stagg R Leigh's — work. Don't discount how excellent American Fiction is beyond its literary hoax setup, in fact; as a character study, it's equally astute. Oscars: Won: Best Adapted Screenplay Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Jeffrey Wright), Best Supporting Actor (Sterling K Brown), Best Original Score Where to watch: Streaming via Prime Video. Read our full review. The Zone of Interest Quotes and observations about evil being mundane, as well as the result when people look the other way, will never stop being relevant. A gripping, unsettling masterpiece, The Zone of Interest is a window into why. The first film by Sexy Beast, Birth and Under the Skin director Jonathan Glazer in more than a decade, the Holocaust-set feature peers on as the unthinkable happens literally just over the fence, but a family goes about its ordinary life. If it seems abhorrent that anything can occur in the shadow of any concentration camp or site of World War II atrocities, that's part of the movie's point. It dwells in the Interessengebiet, the 40-square-kilometre-plus titular area that comprised and surrounded the Auschwitz complex, to interrogate how banal genocide was to those in power; commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel, Babylon Berlin), even gloats that his name will be remembered and celebrated for its connection to mass extermination. Höss was a real person, and the real Nazi SS officer overseeing Auschwitz from 1940–43. His wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall) and five children are similarly drawn from truth. But The Zone of Interest finds its way to the screen via Martin Amis' fiction novel of the same name, then hones its interest down from the book's three narrators to the Höss family; a biopic, it isn't, even as it switches its character monikers back to reflect actuality. This is a work of deep probing and contemplation — a piece that demands that its viewers confront the daily reality witnessed and face how the lives of those in power, and benefiting from it, thrived with death not only as a neighbour but an enabler. Camp prisoners tend the Höss' garden. Ashes are strewn over the soil for horticultural effect. Being turned into the same is a threat used to keep the household's staff in line. All three of these details, as with almost everything in the feature, are presented with as matter-of-fact an air as cinema is capable of. Oscars: Won: Best International Feature, Best Sound Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Jonathan Glazer), Best Adapted Screenplay Where to watch: In Australian cinemas. Read our full review. 20 Days in Mariupol Incompatible with life. No one should ever want to hear those three devastating words. No one who is told one of the most distressing phrases there is ever has them uttered their way in positive circumstances, either. Accordingly, when they're spoken by a doctor in 20 Days in Mariupol, they're deeply shattering. So is everything in this on-the-ground portrait of the first 20 days in the Ukrainian port city as Russia began its invasion, with the bleak reality of living in a war zone documented in harrowing detail. Located less than 60 kilometres from the border, Mariupol quickly segues from ordinary life to an apocalyptic scene — and this film refuses to look away. Much of its time is spent in and around hospitals, which see an influx of patients injured and killed by the combat, and also become targets as well. Many of in 20 Days in Mariupol's faces are the afflicted, the medics tending to them in horrendous circumstances, and the loves ones that are understandably inconsolable. Too many of the carnage's victims are children and babies, with their parents crushed and heartbroken in the aftermath; sometimes, they're pregnant women. Directed by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mstyslav Chernov, and narrated by him with the grimness and soberness that can be this movie's only tone, 20 Days in Mariupol even existing is an achievement. What it depicts — what it immerses viewers in with urgency, from shelled hospitals, basements-turned-bomb shelters and more of the city destroyed day after day to families torn apart, looting, struggling to find food and bodies of the dead taken to mass graves — needs to be viewed as widely as possible, and constantly. His footage has also featured in news reports, but it can and must never be forgotten. Doctors mid-surgery demand that Chernov's camera is pointed their way, and that he shows the world the travesties taking place. The Ukrainian reporter, who has also covered Donbas, flight MH17, Syria and the Battle of Mosul for the Associated Press, does exactly that. He's doing more than ensuring that everyone bears witness, though; he makes certain that there's no way to watch 20 Days in Mariupol, which shows the vast civilian impact and casualties, and see anything but ordinary people suffering, or to feel anything other than shock, anger and horror. Oscars: Won: Best Documentary Feature Where to watch: Streaming via DocPlay. Barbie No one plays with a Barbie too hard when the Mattel product is fresh out of the box. As that new doll smell lingers, and the toy's synthetic limbs gleam and locks glisten, so does a child's sense of wonder. The more that the world-famous mass-produced figurine is trotted through DreamHouses, slipped into convertibles and decked out in different outfits, though — then given non-standard makeovers — the more that playing with the plastic fashion model becomes fantastical. Like globally beloved item, like live-action movie bearing its name. Barbie, the film, starts with glowing aesthetic perfection. It's almost instantly a pink-hued paradise for the eyes, and it's also a cleverly funny flick from its 2001: A Space Odyssey-riffing outset. The longer that it continues, however, the harder and wilder that Lady Bird and Little Women director Greta Gerwig goes, as does her Babylon and Amsterdam star lead-slash-producer Margot Robbie as Barbie. In Barbie's Barbie Land, life is utopian. Robbie's Stereotypical Barbie and her fellow dolls (including The Gray Man's Ryan Gosling as Stereotypical Ken) genuinely believe that their rosy beachside suburban excellence is infectious, too. And, they're certain that this female-championing realm — and the Barbies being female champions of all skills, talents and appearances — has changed the real world inhabited by humans. But there's a Weird Barbie living in a misshapen abode. While she isn't Barbie's villain, not for a second, her nonconformist look and attitude says everything about Barbie at its most delightful. Sporting cropped hair, a scribbled-on face and legs akimbo, she's brought to life by Saturday Night Live great Kate McKinnon having a blast, and explained as the outcome of a kid somewhere playing too eagerly. Meet Gerwig's spirit animal; when she lets Weird Barbie's vibe rain down like a shower of glitter, covering everything and everyone in sight both in Barbie Land and in reality, the always-intelligent, amusing and dazzling Barbie is at its brightest and most brilliant. Oscars: Won: Best Original Song ('What Was I Made For?', Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell) Nominations: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Ryan Gosling), Best Supporting Actress (America Ferrera), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song ('I'm Just Ken', Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt), Best Costume Design, Best Production Design Where to watch: Streaming via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar After stepping into a play as a live production in a TV show in Asteroid City, and also flicking through a magazine's various articles in The French Dispatch before that, Wes Anderson gets an author sharing his writing in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. The 39-minute short film features Ralph Fiennes (The Menu) as Roald Dahl, who did indeed pen the tale that gives this suitably symmetrically shot affair its name — the book it's in, too — with the account that he's spilling one of several in a film that enthusiastically makes Anderson's love of layers known in its playful structure as much as its faux set. So, Dahl chats. The eponymous Henry Sugar (Benedict Cumberbatch, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) does as well. And, Dr Chatterjee (Dev Patel, The Green Knight) and his patient Imdad Khan (Ben Kingsley, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) also have a natter. The stories within stories within stories (within stories) share the fact that Khan has learned to see without his eyes, Chatterjee couldn't be more fascinated and Sugar wants to learn the trick for himself — to help with his gambling pastime. In his three decades as a filmmaker, Anderson has only ever made both features and shorts with one of two people responsible for their ideas: himself, sometimes with Owen Wilson (Haunted Mansion), Noah Baumbach (White Noise), Jason Schwartzman (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) and/or Roman Coppola (Mozart in the Jungle) contributing; and Dahl. With the latter, first came Anderson's magnificent stop-motion Fantastic Mr Fox adaptation — and now The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar sits among a series of four new shorts, all of which released in September 2023, that are based on the author's work. This is still a dream match, with the director's beloved jewel and pastel colours, dollhouse-esque visuals, moving sets, love of centred framing and dialogue rhythm all proving a treat in this account of personal and spiritual growth. The cast is as divine on-screen as it sounds on paper, too, especially Cumberbatch and Patel. The next in the set, the 17-minute The Swan, pushes Rupert Friend (High Desert) to the fore in a darker tale about a bully. With The Ratcatcher and Poison, too, the only quibble is with the decision to release all four shorts separately, rather than package them together as an anthology film. Oscars: Won: Best Live-Action Short Where to watch: Streaming via Netflix. Read our full review. Looking for more Oscar-nominees to watch? You can also check out our full rundown of where almost all of this year's contenders are screening or streaming in Australia.
Gorman. Oh, Gorman. The source of literally everyone's fancy first date outfits has just gone and announced that, this Friday, August 25 they'll be giving out thousands of free t-shirts to anyone who proves they've registered to vote. And while you can vote however you feel, the initiative is proudly and loudly in support of the 'yes' vote. In their own words: "Love is love. All people are equal". Damn right. To share in the love, make sure you've verified and updated your enrolment details today — you have until midnight to do so. Then head to your local Gorman store tomorrow and flash the Gormie staff a screenshot of your verified enrolment details to receive a limited edition (and cute as heck) 'love is love' tee for free. The design is based on an earlier collaboration with Monika Forsberg and there are only 5000 of them. Gorman fans are Gorman fans, so we presume you'll have to get in early to nab one. Most importantly, you can check your enrolment details here.
George Bernard Shaw's 1893 play Mrs Warren’s Profession is an excellent study of money and power in the prostitution business, which needs no translation into the current day. It makes sense, then, that Sarah Giles' production at STC's Wharf 1 is a straightforward period piece. Her creative team has exercised restraint in all areas and her directorial hand is light — this is a more refined offering from her than the interesting but crass Mariage Blanc playing late last year. Designer Renee Mulder has adorned the stage with an intricate rose-covered brocade backdrop symbolising the pretence of feminine fragility that both women are expected to exhibit but plainly find too daft to maintain. Its removal midway is a fitting reflection of their very different but similarly defiant choices to disregard society's expectations of them. Composer and sound designer Max Lyandvert uses sound effectively to provoke moments of rupture during scene changes rather than creating an emotional soundtrack. This is a feminist play in so far as it portrays two savvy female heroes who recognise and criticise hypocrisy. The real feminist statement of the night was Helen Thomson as Mrs Kitty Warren. Voice coach Charmian Gradwell has some serious dialect chops if we go by Thomson's brilliant negotiation between Received Pronunciation and Kitty's native London accent. There are few actors performing at Thomson's level in Sydney at the moment — she hits the ball out of the park and it is riveting to watch. Her ability to glide from cavalier brashness to feigned superiority to child-like devastation is masterful and very moving. Her tumult is contrasted by Lizzie Schebesta's cool performance as estranged daughter Vivie Warren. While the two are emotional opposites, they are well matched as intellectual sparring partners. Shaw's dramatic device of the errant mother shocking her pious daughter takes the shape of a balanced argument occurring inside a compelling plot rather than an abstracted lecture. Both women are unsentimental in their views on prostitution, and while Vivie takes the higher moral ground, it is not out of naive idealism but rather out of self-respect, which is conversely Kitty's defence for her own decision to continue in her profession. The play's triumph is that neither woman is at any point a victim. Giles' production seems to reflect the same commonsense that the Warren women share. Shaw's play has all the elements of a histrionic domestic soap, but thankfully we are presented with a direct, sharp narrative. Giles has put Shaw's text front and centre and has given each scene clear definition. This is a smart show and a must-see for Helen Thomson's performance alone. Mrs Warren's Professional is back for a return season from July 4-20, 2013.
We’ve all had moments when we feel like fashioning a bed under the desk at work a la George Costanza or locking ourselves in a cupboard to get away from it all, but few of us have the chutzpah to actually do it. Paul Gilchrist's Cristina in the Cupboard follows the trajectory of someone who does. Cristina (Sylvia Keays) comes from a middle class family and has had a pretty normal life so far, until she decides to withdraw from the world to contemplate life. There’s some confusion about why she's doing this — she uses Jesus and Buddha as the precedents to defend herself to her family and then talks of searching for Leviathan. She’s certainly no Ahab, driven to distraction in search of the white whale; in fact she doesn’t seem to have a driving force to speak of. Her rejection of the world is quiet rather than adventurous and Keays portrays an alarmingly self-contained unit. Gilchrist has no qualms presenting the themes in his plays in binary simplicity; Rocket Man played out the opposition between artistic fulfilment and usefulness, in Lucy Black we saw an argument between reason and intuition and in Cristina in the Cupboard the debate is between isolation and engagement. This straightforward rhetorical structure is a charming trademark of subtlenuance’s work, but the arguments in Cristina in the Cupboard do tend towards repetition and there’s only so much philosophising we can digest before something dramatic needs to happen. Gilchrist reveals his writing process with lines like, "you’re mixing metaphors" and "why would the leviathan have claws?". These notes in the margin don’t have much of a place in the final script. While the script may amble somewhat, Gilchrist's direction of the cast is tight and the actors all seem to be having a ball. Helen Tonkin playing Cristina’s pragmatic mother is a standout, making light work of a number of dense monologues. Her wry humour and direct delivery will snap you out of any ascetic compulsions you might be harbouring.
Seeing people at their worst on stage is never fun, but it is the prerogative of theatre to show the full gamut of human behaviour. The Share by Australian playwright Daniel Keene is a glance at the punishing lives of three young men, Tex (Scott Marcus), Sugar (Thomas Conroy), and the Kid (Tim Spencer). It's a slice of life more than a drama; there's very little context, not much at stake, and no real dramatic drive. If it's meant to be more of a documentary snapshot than a drama, it succeeds. But the leanness of the play is not a strength. Not knowing who these characters are or what drives them makes it difficult to understand their behaviour. It feels at times as if the script has been too severely edited. As an example, there is no immediate reaction to the Kid's admission of having committed a sexual crime, so Tex's subsequent treatment of him seems purely cruel rather than retributive. Director Corey McMahon's handling of the Kid's confession monologue is excellent. Spencer delivers it with bare simplicity as Tex and Sugar stand with backs turned to him. But as gutting as the monologue is, it is not supported structurally by the rest of the play. There's not much leading to and from that critical moment. Keene uses banter between Tex and Sugar as a dramatic device to attenuate the horror, but because it's so obviously a device, it seems tacked on. It's perhaps unfair to compare a one-hour play to a two-hour film, but what Justin Kurzel's Snowtown manages to do with similar subject matter is to incorporate the characters' humanity into the terror, such that John Bunting's charm is integral to his psychopathy. Tex, on the other hand, in The Share, is one moment meek and mild, the next properly sadistic. It doesn’t make sense. This is a function of the writing, but Marcus playing Tex also struggles to carry a consistent character. Conroy playing Sugar is the warm, beating heart of the production, and without him it would be all icy winds over the tundra of human destitution. Thank goodness he's there. McMahon's production is solid but falls short of weaving any magic over a script that is not in control of its subject. The play was presumably chosen for its 'gritty raw edginess', but it lacks gravity and is too compact to be affecting. Photo by Lauren Smeaton.
Tamarama Rock Surfers' artistic director Leland Kean has done something striking with David Williamson's 1971 play, The Removalists, currently playing at the Bondi Pavilion. He has interpreted it as a psychological drama, emphasising the play’s darkness over its comedy. It’s an interesting take and a solid production, but there are two reasons it doesn't quite work. The first is that without charm, the ocker Aussie male is unfamiliar, and the second is that the comedy of the first act is essential for the second act's violence to be a dramatic shift. Designer Ally Mansell has set the scene beautifully, sourcing bona fide '70s carpet, filing cabinets and glassware to send us back in time. She’s succeeded in turning the large Bondi Pav into a space of stifling domesticity. Impressively, she’s gone down to the detail of creating a believable longneck of Melbourne Bitter from the time. Costume designer Rita Carmody has also triumphed in her fidelity to the era, with the standout costume being Kenny Carter's circulation-limiting footy shorts and mighty Hawks jersey. We're introduced to small-time policeman Sergeant Dan Simmonds (Laurence Coy) explaining the lay of the land to new recruit Constable Neville Ross (Sam O'Sullivan). Simmonds's standard operating procedure is to only take cases if they look interesting. Interest arrives in the form of impeccably dressed upper-class socialite Kate Mason (Caroline Bazier), reporting an incident of domestic violence against her meek younger sister Fiona Carter (Sophie Hensser). The debacle that follows is certainly not dull for Sergeant Simmonds or the audience. Williamson's 1971 play belongs to a group of works that began testing the edges of the Aussie bloke, an uncouth but basically benign figure in Australian culture. Along with Jack Hibberd's play White with Wire Wheels (1967) and Ted Kotcheff’s film Wake in Fright (1971), Williamson's play identifies the cardinal violence underneath the ribald, relentlessly hospitable surface of the 1970s breed of Aussie male. Crucial to each of these works is the initial congeniality of the breed. Just as the protagonist of Wake in Fright encounters oppressive hospitality at every turn, Constable Ross in The Removalists fails to resist an aggressive interest in his personal life from his superior; a power play disguised as affection. Kean's direction of this opening sequence is slow and stern, and the power that Simmonds gains here over Ross is never fully established, preventing the satisfying status flip between the two in the second act. Simmonds presents as an oddball rather than tolerable buffoon, and while the characterisation of abusive husband Kenny Carter (Justin Stewart Cotta) is a powerful depiction of a nasty man, he’s not the dangerously charming husband we can imagine Fiona falling for. Williamson defines the Aussie male as a mix of charisma and violence, but this production doesn’t quite balance the two traits. Comedy is a lure to devastation. And because this device is so key to The Removalists, the omission of the play's humour flattens the dramatic arc. Sam Atwell playing the Removalist hits a peppy note that lifts the production to a more engaging level. Being confronted with violence is more upsetting and informative if carried out by characters we care about.
Wintery bohemia has a new home this month, and it's not Melbourne. With self-frying Brits and power walkers in off-season retreat, Bondi will be transformed into a carny playground of comedians, theatre types, musicians and foodies, all sipping restorative mulled Batlow cider from July 13-27 for Bondi Feast. It may even be an opportune time to celebrate the one-month anniversary of the Dark Mofo nude swim (nothing is planned, but it is my humble suggestion that you all take your clothes off). Curated by Phil Spencer and Zoe Norton Lodge and presented by the Tamarama Rock Surfers, the festival features a selection of short plays and storytelling events from leading local writers such as Kate Mulvany, Jessica Bellamy, Lachlan Philpott, Nick Coyle, Nakkiah Lui and Kit Brookman. Comedians Asher Trevealen, Jennifer Wong and Michael Hing will be doing shtick galore, and if they're not funny enough you can head along to a $10 dollar '80s Physique Aerobics class on July 20 and laugh at yourself in lycra. After an auspicious start last year, the festival is taking the 'feast' side of its mantle even more seriously, with a different Bondi stalwart, food truck or catering superstar making a pop-up offering each night from 6pm. Veggie Patch, Misschu, Fuego de la Tierra, Bondi Harvest, Food Adventura and the Beach Burrito Co. are all in the mix. The entertainment side of things, too, comes in courses. Each performance clocks in at an hour or under, so you still have time and appetite to fit in one or two more the same evening. There's even some food-performance crossover for good measure, with shows like Shabbat Dinner (from the exciting team-up of writer Jessica Bellamy and director Anthony Skuse), which serves up said dinner while deconstructing the role of women, food and family in Jewish culture. With over 100 artists and 40 performances occurring in the one place over ten days, Bondi is growing some serious artistic balls. For the frugal consumer of culture, tickets are available at bargain prices of $15 per show or $40 for a festival pass, and the general glow of festival cheer is free, as is the music in the Bondi Pav bar from Thursday to Saturday.
Songs for the Fallen is one of those excellent finds that gives you faith in human ingenuity. It is one of many artistic imaginings of the life of Marie Duplessis, the 19th-century Parisian courtesan best known as the protagonist of Moulin Rouge. Sheridan Harbridge has devised the original piece with fellow actors Ben Gerrard and Garth Holcombe, director Shane Anthony, and composer/musican Basil Hogios. The team is obviously dynamite together as the result is a hilarious, self-aware piece of sophisticated debauchery. We enter the dinky Old Fitz Theatre to find designer Michael Hankin has decked it out with a luscious, satin-covered bed of sin in front of a gorgeous red velvet backdrop and theatrical 19th-century music hall facade. There is of course also a fourth wall, but this is taken down pretty quickly, as Harbridge declares to delighted audience member Linda that she's "taken it down and it's not going up again!" Self-reference in theatre can sometimes be painful and indulgent, but here any references to the show itself are pointed and funny. For example, as Harbridge switches from a French accent to posh Australian, she tells us she simply can't be bothered keeping the French up. Fair enough, she has a lot else keeping her busy. Men, in particular — many men. Gerrard takes the lion's share of playing the gentleman customers, while Holcombe narrates nobly from upstage, translating the words pomme and frites ad infinitum. This farrago of a show has pop tunes galore, most of which have been composed by Hogios with Harbridge's lyrical input. Using a microphone bound in pink velvet and white satin ribbon, Harbridge bursts into song in many awkward positions and is supported royally by Hogios at his little musical station in the corner. His opening sequence is particularly clever, as he morphs his way seamlessly between baroque interpretations of Nirvana and Blondie on what sounds like an electronic harpsichord. Like the burlesque master Meow Meow, Harbridge has a gift for being at once vulgar, intelligent, and elegant. It's a rare thing. She and her gang of bohemians have produced a triumph of indie theatre.
Bloodhound Espresso, based on the corner of Palmer and Liverpool Streets, is precisely the type of reliable cafe you'd like to call your local. It's set a little away from the hustle and bustle of Darlo's busier thoroughfares, while still being easily accessible. It has a decent amount of both indoor and outdoor seating — particularly useful if you've got your doggo in tow — plus a window set up beside the coffee machine for takeaway brews. The brekkie menu, available until 11.30am and all day on weekends, is simple but covers all bases. The Turkish Breakfast is a highlight — hummus, dukkah, falafel, salad, boiled egg and turkish toast. And the brekkie burger is a winner, particularly if load it up with an extra hash brown and avo. Images: Terence-Kent Ow
Watching famous faces star in TV dramas about taking luxe holidays is 2021's current trend, and fans of The White Lotus and Nine Perfect Strangers are definitely here for it. Getting a big dose of travel envy while you're binge-watching? Fancy doing more than spectating via your screen once border restrictions and lockdowns lift? If you're particularly keen to spend some time hanging out in a scenic Byron Bay retreat that's been doubling as the fictional Tranquillum House — and playing host to Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon and Luke Evans — you're in luck. In Nine Perfect Strangers, the real-life Somo Retreat doubles for Tranquillum — and it's now available to rent via Airbnb. So, your next getaway could see you literally following in Kidman and company's footsteps. We're talking about heading to the lavish location, and obviously not about navigating all of the show's twists and turns in real life. Soma is indeed all about heath and wellness just like its fictional counterpart, though, with the retreat stemming from technology entrepreneur Peter Ostick and wellness and meditation practitioner Gary Gorrow. You'll find it in Ewingsdale in New South Wales, and just a ten-minute drive outside of Byron Bay — and it has hit Airbnb as part of the platform's 'Luxe' offering of super swanky and expertly designed homes. If you've seen Nine Perfect Strangers, you'll know what you're in for in terms of facilities. The retreat comes complete with ten bedrooms all decked out with king-size beds, ensuite bathrooms, rain showers, and either their own balconies or direct access to the terrace — and there's also a freshwater infinity pool, communal fire pit and 22 acres of bamboo forest. Yes, that geodesic yoga dome exists, too, or you can soak in some calm in the zen garden. [caption id="attachment_823169" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Vince Valitutti/Hulu[/caption] Unsurprisingly, this is a real treat yo'self kind of spot — and the type of getaway that'd need to involve gathering the gang for one hefty hangout — with bookings for the entire place costing a whopping $6279.43 a night. You can also opt to pay extra to include massages, meditation courses, and breath and bodywork sessions as part of your stay, or Ayurvedic meals made by a specialised chef. You can book a stay at Soma in Ewingsdale, New South Wales, via Airbnb. Head to the platform's website for further details. The first four episodes of Nine Perfect Strangers are available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, with new episodes dropping weekly. Soma Retreat images: Romello Pereira. 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.
While getting together at someone's house for a bring-a-plate lunch is a Christmas tradition for many, it may not be your thing this year. Sometimes it's just too hard to cook and sometimes you want to treat yourself to a meal out. Although many restaurants shut for Christmas Day, a select few that are ready to welcome you with open arms for a well-priced holiday lunch or a lavish smorgasbord of seasonal treats. So that you're not scrambling to find somewhere to eat after realising the shops are shut, we've done the hard yards for you and collected some of Sydney's best Christmas lunches in one easy list. Share a seafood platter as you overlook the ocean or book a banquet of green lip abalone, bang bang chicken and stream pork gyoza. Get in early though as bookings are sure to fill up fast.
After much hype and anticipation, The Lansdowne is officially back in business. If you still haven't had a peek at the renovated space, swing by this evening to check out the new pool table, light-up dance floor, DJ booth and Playboy wall collages. Once you've had a poke around, grab a table and order the Mary's Pizza. Yes, you read right; The Lansdowne has taken Sydney's most iconic burger and done it in pizza form — with a crispy base topped with a beef patty, cheese, onion and pickles, then drenched in Mary's special sauce. Once you're satisfactorily stuffed, head downstairs for a go on the shiny new rock 'n' roll pinball machines.
