Throw those GoPros, bubble bottles and novelty gumboots in your rucksack, Splendour in the Grass is returning to North Byron Parklands for another year of festival merriment. After a fake lineup posted was 'leaked' prior to the official triple j announcement to catfish all us suckers eagerly awaiting the list of acts that will be appearing, the details for Splendour 2016 are finally here. In what is the best news we've heard this year, The Strokes (The Strokes!!!) will be Splendouring for their only Australian show. It also seems the predictions for The Cure were incredibly, amazingly correct — meaning that we'll be seeing both The Strokes and The Cure this July. It's almost too much to handle. Joining them is one heck of a lineup that includes The Avalanches — who haven't played a gig (that wasn't a DJ set) in over ten years. Fingers crossed the show coincides with new music. Iceland's Sigur Rós and Irish artist James Vincent McMorrow will also being doing one-off Australian shows at the festival, Courtney Barnett will make her first appearance at Byron, while James Blake and At the Drive-In will return, as will locals Flume and Sticky Fingers. Anyway, we know what you're here for. We'll cut to the chase. SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS 2016 LINEUP The Strokes (only Aus show) The Cure Flume The Avalanches (only Aus show) James Blake At The Drive-In Violent Soho Hermitude Band of Horses Sigur Ros (only Aus show) Santigold Matt Corby Sticky Fingers Boy & Bear Courtney Barnett Jake Bugg The 1975 Leon Bridges Duke Dumont (DJ set) James Vincent McMorrow (only Aus show) The Kills The Preatures What So Not Years And Years Gang Of Youths Illy Peter, Bjorn & John Golden Features Crystal Fighters Ball Park Music Tegan & Sara DMA'S Jack Garratt Hayden James City Calm Down Snakehips Mark Lanegan Michael Kiwanuka Jagwar Ma King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard The Jungle Giants The Internet Motez Marlon Williams Lido Emma Louise Kim Churchill Nothing But Thieves Lapsley Kacy Hill Slumberjack Robert Forster (10 Years On) Beach Slang Urthboy Little May Boo Seeka Ganz Spring King Melbourne Ska Orchestra Fat White Family Total Giovanni Methyl Ethel Slum Sociable L D R U In Loving Memory of Szymon Blossoms High Tension Roland Tings Sampa The Great The Wild Feathers Harts Ngaiire montaigne Tired Lion Green Buzzard Jess Kent Gold Class Lucy Cliche Opiuo Mall grab Dom Dolla Paces Just A Gent Dro Carey Running Touch Wafia World Champion Suzi Zhen Remi Nicole Millar Dreller Feki Kllo Banoffee Plus... Moonbase Comander The Meeting Tree Twinsy Purple Sneaker Djs Human Movement Panete Swick Amateur Dance Ribongia Splendour will return to North Byron Parklands on Friday 22, Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 July. Onsite camping will once again be available from Wednesday, July 20. Image: Bianca Holderness.
The Daughter might be the latest local film to reach cinema screens, but it's no typical Aussie movie. Writer/director Simon Stone and the bulk of the film's cast — including Geoffrey Rush, Ewen Leslie, Anna Torv, Miranda Otto and Odessa Young — ensure that the feature's Aussie credentials remain intact, as does its New South Wales shoot. However the drama of family secrets and lies actually finds its basis in Henrik Ibsen's The Wild Duck. Accordingly, Stone transports a 19th century Norwegian classic to modern Australia, and not for the first time. As theatre fans will no doubt know, the stage wunderkind turned filmmaker earned rave reviews for his stripped-back take on the tale, which played in Sydney, Oslo, Vienna and London. Now, he endeavours to do so again with his film version. In fact, it seems like his involvement in The Daughter was meant to be, though the same could be said for rising talent Young as well. In the titular role of Hedvig, the Looking for Grace star plays her second complex, compelling teen character in as many movies, and holds her own against an accomplished cast. So what drew Stone and Young to the story, how did they approach its characters, and how did Stone craft more than just the usual Aussie movie? With The Daughter now screening in Australian cinemas, we spoke to the duo about the film. ON THE APPEAL OF HENRIK IBSEN'S THE WILD DUCK Simon: "I guess the beautiful thing about the story is that it's a whole heap of people who have made various mistakes in their life, and it is [about] the vulnerability and the attempt to do the right thing. I'm very attracted to stories where you can't find the villain. So I love constellations of characters with a tragedy that kind of evolves out of the mistakes that the people are making — it doesn't evolve out of being able to blame anyone, it is just people falling into the traps that fate has set them, kind of. And it's the random confluences, confluences of various different people's motivations that are in conflict with each other. That creates the tragedy. You know, if you can blame anything, you can just blame bad luck." Odessa: "I was really attracted to the story by the integrity with which Simon wrote the character, and the insight that he seemed to have on her teenage personality and emotions, and just the complexity with which he wrote the teenage character. Because, I mean, I've read a lot of teenage characters — as you can imagine being a teenager auditioning for roles — and it's so rare that you actually come across a character that isn't just used as a buffer for the adult characters to take anger out on. Or they're quite often used as scapegoats. It is a really interesting kind of thing when you read something that isn't like that — when it is actually creating some autonomy for the character. That's really what gripped me about the role in the first place." ON ADAPTING THE STORY FOR A SECOND TIME Simon: "I had a series of instincts about the way I thought that it should look, but those instincts changed as I changed, in my mind, what kind of genre of movie it should maybe be in order to be most successful. I mean, if it had been just an incredibly realistic portrait of these events happening to this family like it was in my stage play, in a kind of inner-city environment like it was set in in my version of the play, then I think it would've been inconceivable at certain points. People would've gone, 'Actually, if you're pretending that all of these coincidences just take place in Surry Hills in a casual week in the casual lives of these people, then I'm not going to buy that.' "So I started looking for a genre for the movie that was going to be take advantage of the kind of mythological nature of the story in Ibsen's original play. It was just about finding the right genre, the right kind of references for myself, because I'm in love with every single genre of cinema. I love everything, so it kind of could've been anything." ON THE COMPLEX CHARACTERS AT THE HEART OF THE FILM Simon: "I don't believe in that moral absoluteness. I don't actually think it exists in the real world. I think it is a storytelling motif that people invented to express the fighting within someone's own soul. I think the classic villains and the classic gods versus devils stories that have existed in all the mythology since the beginning of religions, and in spiritual storytelling since humans painted stories on caves with pictures, the source of that was actually an expression of human instinct. The instincts within a human person, and the personification of those people was the kind of way of literalising and turning that battle into a figurative battle of two sides of the human personality. And I think people have kind of forgotten that." Odessa: "Even after I got the role, it was really heavy for me. I didn't know whether I could do it. I didn't know if I had the skills and the knowledge to play a character like this — that was so far opposite to what I am. So much of my character development was Simon's direction. We created a very important, easy shorthand quite early on in the process where it was all about paring back my own experiences as a teenager, not letting them filter through into the character, and creating a new set of experiences that would influence Hedvig's decisions and decision-making and her actions." ON MAKING A MOVIE THAT'S MORE THAN JUST THE SUM OF ITS AUSTRALIAN PARTS Simon: "I wanted the film to reflect all of the Australian stories that are not the clichéd Australian stories. Australia seems to have this real love of the idea of white working class stories or Asian stories or indigenous stories. But [I like] the idea of melding of all of the influences, the idea of actually taking a Scandinavian story, making it a little bit Australian, keeping it a little bit Scandinavian, and letting it be universal. Getting rid of the notion of what is the Australian-ness of this project, other than that it is being made by a whole heap of Australians. "And so the source material is part of the canon that Australia is kind of stealing from everywhere in the world, always. Because other than the indigenous stories and the dreaming, there is no Australian canon. It is just a series of other people's work, other culture's work, that kind of magpie culture where we are of just pilfering and making a beautiful and mangled mess. That's the kind of aim of the movie. And its a celebration to a certain extent that maybe we can eventually stop needing to ask questions about Australian-ness at some point." The Daughter is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review.
There's a big, white container sitting down a back alley in The Rocks. Black letters on the side spell out 'séance' so it's obvious that this container's not transporting furniture. And the dark curtains that hang across the entrance make it look kind of ominous. Séance is actually a new installation that aims to mess with your senses. Participants take a seat inside the tiny space, put on a headset and are told to place both hands on the table. The lights go out leaving the container in absolute darkness and, for 15 uneasy minutes, participants are taken on an immersive journey led only by touch and sounds. Expect to feel confused, repulsed and struck with temporary claustrophobia. According to organisers Darkscape, numerous participants bailed halfway through sittings during the recent Melbourne sessions. You're probably thinking that there's something dark or supernatural about the whole thing — and going by the name, we don't blame you. But the installation's organiser assures us that 'séance' is simply a French word meaning 'session' or 'sitting'. Did we mention that the velvet seats date back to 1913 and were pulled from an abandoned theatre? And so Séance is a sensory experience that looks at the psychology of both sensory deprivation and the dynamics of a group sitting together. It's a scary indicator of how easy it is for confusion, disorientation and information overload to affect our judgment. Artists David Rosenberg and Glen Neath (who have collaborated in other sensory deprivation projects before) are the creative masterminds behind the project, which has been described as 'disorienting' and 'deeply unsettling'. We're serious when we say it's not recommended for the claustrophobic, the easily frightened or those afraid of the dark. After a hugely successful residence in Melbourne, the installation is in Sydney for another few weeks. A stint in Brisbane may also be on the cards for next year. Séance is open daily until December 10 at Atherden Street, The Rocks. Tickets cost $20 each and you can purchase them through the website.
Nothing says Christmas like a bit of big-screen movie magic — even more so when you can embrace all the feel-good Yuletide cheer with others. This year you can get your festive fix with a free — and very special — screening of a new flick set to become an instant Christmas classic. Spirited is Apple TV+'s new musical take on A Christmas Carol starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds, and it's headed for your streaming queue mid-November. If you think you've heard the story before, think again. This adaptation and updating of Charles Dickens' well-known tale has a few things that most others don't — plus a twist. Reynolds plays the "level-20 pain in the Dickens" visited by the Ghost of Christmas Present (Ferrell), to hopefully spark him to reform his ways. The twist with Spirited, other than the songs? The film unfurls A Christmas Carol's narrative from the perspective of the ghosts. By the look of the trailer, it's set to be a rollicking good time — and we've got the inside word on where you can catch it. Apple TV+ is taking over the newly renovated Bondi Pavilion on Bondi Beach in November with a special Spirited screening for a few lucky Sydneysiders. Because no movie-watching experience is complete without snacks, there will be complimentary drinks and popcorn on arrival — along with Instagram opportunities aplenty. And while our southern hemisphere Christmas isn't usually a winter wonderland, this year there will be snow — a Spirited snow cone truck will be slinging free cones to passers-by on Bondi Beach from 1.30pm (until they run out!) To score a pass to this special screening, you'll need to register ASAP — there's a limited number of seats and it's set to fill up quickly. If you're one of the lucky attendees, make sure you're down at the Bondi Pavilion from 4.15pm on Sunday, November 20 — the film is set to kick off at 5pm sharp and latecomers will be getting coal in their stockings this year. If you do miss out — or you just want to get another viewing in— Spirited will be available to stream on Apple TV+ from Friday, November 18, giving you plenty of chances to learn all the songs for a Christmas singalong. Feel like broadening your movie repertoire? There are more than 140 other Apple TV+ originals on the streaming platform to choose from, so take your pick. Head to the website to secure your seat at the screening. Watch the trailer and learn more about Spirited on Apple TV+.
Choosing a beer to drink should be simple. But even if you're determined to drink local and support Australian brewers, there are just so many beverages and brands to pick from. That's the dilemma everyone faces when they go to the bottle shop — so imagine how difficult it is to select the top brews at the Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show Beer Awards. The folks behind the annual accolades have managed to pick their preferred beverages for 2021, with the results announced on Wednesday, March 3. The awards span a heap of categories, with more than 480 individual beers submitted (and if you're now thinking that choosing the winners sounds like your dream job, that's understandable). Sydney Brewery earned the biggest gong of the awards, the Grand Champion Beer, for its pilsner — and that wasn't the only major field it topped. It was also named the best small/medium brewery and, in the minor categories, won for its lager. If you're a Sydneysider looking for some motivation to visit its Surry Hills site, you've just found it. Obviously, if there's a category for smaller brewers, there's one for larger outfits, which the Gold Coast's Black Hops Brewing won. And, there's also a best new brewery field, with Stomping Ground Brewing Co in Melbourne doing the honours. As for the champion brewpub, that went to Moffat Beach Brewing Co on the Sunshine Coast. [caption id="attachment_684633" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Sydney Brewery[/caption] Being held in the Sunshine State, the awards also anoint a best Queensland beer, with Aether Brewing's Hop Skip Jump IPA Draught getting the nod — and winning the strong beer field, too. Other breweries to pick up a trophy include Gypsy Fox Brewing Co from Grose Vale in New South Wales, which makes the best amber dark ale; Brisbane's All Inn Brewing Co, who do the best porter or stout; and fellow Brisbanite Felons Brewing Co, with its Dark Side Bourbon Barrel Stout claiming the hybrid beer field. For more information about the 2021 Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show Beer Awards winners, head to the show's website. Top image: Stomping Ground, David Hyde.
Musical theatre fans and opera lovers may be tempted by the upcoming Sydney Season of Cho Cho, the award-winning offering from The National Theatre of China and PlayKing Productions. Starring Chinese pop singer/composer Wang Zheng (whose piano-playing and TV judging skills have landed her comparisons to Delta Goodrem) and Aussie musical theatre star Scott Irwin (Hairspray, They’re Playing our Song), Cho Cho will appeal to anyone who likes their theatre on the musical side with a dash of puppetry. Set in 1930s Shanghai, the show is a reworking of Cho Cho San, Australian playwright Daniel Keene's own retelling of Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly. You know the story: handsome young American lieutenant meets beautiful young Chinese girl, doomed love, tragic ending. As Australia's first bilingual musical, it features new work from Chinese composer Cheng Jin and is directed by Peter Wilson (puppetry director of King Kong and most recently the STC’s Storm Boy).
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME In Spider-Man: No Way Home, everyone's favourite friendly neighbourhood web-slinger still does whatever a spider can. (Don't expect the catchy cartoon theme song, though.) To be precise, Spidey's latest outing — starring Tom Holland (Chaos Walking), as every live-action film in the ever-sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe that's featured the superhero has — sees him do whatever spider-men have for decades. The masked crusader shoots webs, flings them about New York and swings around the city. He helps people, battles crime, literally hangs out with his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya, Dune) and saves the world, too. As the movie's trailers revealed, Spider-Man also fights whoever his on-screen predecessors fought. The twist that isn't a twist because it's part of the flick's marketing: that villains from Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's stints as Spidey show up here. Those familiar faces, including Willem Dafoe (The Card Counter) as the Green Goblin, Alfred Molina (Promising Young Woman) as Doctor Octopus and Jamie Foxx (Soul) as Electro, aren't Peter Parker's initial problem, as viewers of 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming and 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home will already know. No Way Home picks up immediately after the latter, after Spidey's secret identity has been blasted across the internet by online conspiracist J Jonah Jameson (JK Simmons, Ride the Eagle). The media swiftly make Peter "the most famous person in the world", the public get hostile and his college prospects — and MJ and Ned's (Jacob Batalon, Let It Snow) as well — take a hit. The only solution he can see: asking Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog) to cast a spell to make everyone forget who he is. With drastic magic comes drastic consequences, hence those recognisable nefarious folks who know Spidey — and definitely know that he's Peter Parker — yet don't recognise the MCU's version. Marvel's next flick after this one is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so the franchise is about to go big on alternate worlds, but No Way Home still doesn't actually jump into that domain first. It's a curious choice on the whole huge saga's part to take cues from the animated delight that is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which relished having multiple spider-realms, got inventive with both its concept and visuals, won an Oscar and is easily the best spider-flick to-date, all without sitting within the MCU itself. Indeed, the live-action franchise's third stand-alone Spider-Man movie can't shake the feeling that it's playing catch-up. Directed by Jon Watts, as all three recent web-slinging films have been, No Way Home does more than give flesh, blood and spandex to an ace idea already brought to the screen a mere three years back. It also delivers the heftiest helping of fan service that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever dished up. The franchise has long enjoyed hitting all the obvious crowd-pleasing notes, but Martin Scorsese's 2019 comment that compared MCU fare to theme parks rings particularly true here — unsurprisingly given this Spider-Man outing wants to elicit the loudest of screams and shouts from its audience. Buy the ticket, take the cinematic ride, ooh and aah over every clear spin and foreseeable twirl: amid the stock-standard CGI-packed action scenes and triple-layered Spidey nods to iterations past, not all that long ago and present, that's what No Way Home seeks from its viewers. And, it takes the rollercoaster approach to evoking that reaction, rolling its story down the most glaring of tracks. Read our full review. THE LOST DAUGHTER Watching Olivia Colman play a complicated woman is like staring at the ocean: it's never the same twice, even just for a second; it couldn't be more unpredictable, no matter how comfortable it appears; and all that surface texture bobs, floats, swells, gleams and glides atop leagues of unseen complexity. That's always been true of the British actor's absolute best performances, which could fill any body of water with their power and resonance. It's there in her acidic work in The Favourite, which won her an Oscar, and also in The Crown's more reserved turn as a different English monarch. It flowed through the devastating Tyrannosaur, which perhaps first truly showed the world exactly what Colman could do — and has marked her Academy Award-nominated supporting part in The Father, plus TV standouts Peep Show, Broadchurch, The Night Manager and Fleabag. It's fitting, then, that The Lost Daughter tasks Colman with glaring at the sea, and doing so both intently and often. A necessity of the narrative, as penned on the page by My Brilliant Friend's Elena Ferrante and adapted for the screen by actor-turned-filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal, it's a touch that washes through the movie with extra force due to its star. Colman plays comparative literature professor Leda, who fills much of her time peering at the ocean as she summers on a Greek island — and also people-watching thanks to the loud, entitled Queens family that keep invading her chosen patch of sand. While both gazing at the waves and taking in the onshore domestic dramas, Leda sees her own ebbs, flows, thorns and flaws reflected back. Vacationing alone, Leda isn't on a getaway as much as she's escaping — not actively, but because that's her default mode. She's never willing to stray far from her work, shuffling through papers as she sunbathes and flirtatious young resort manager Will (Paul Mescal, Normal People) moves her lounger to keep her in the shade; however, as flashbacks show, the urge to flee all markers of apparent normalcy has long gushed in her veins. Leda tells anyone who asks that she has two daughters (Bianca is 25 and Martha is 23, she frequently offers), but they're heard via phone calls rather than seen as adults. She's prickly when mum-to-be Callie (Dagmara Domińczyk, Succession), of those noisy interlopers, asks if her extended group can take over Leda's beach umbrella. But in Nina (Dakota Johnson, The Nowhere Inn), the raven-haired mother of frequently screaming toddler Elena (debutant Athena Martin Anderson), she spies more of herself than she's been willing to confront for decades. The Lost Daughter's title references an incident one sunny day when Elena disappears as Callie, Nina and company — the latter's shady husband Toni (Oliver Jackson-Cohen, The Invisible Man) as well — idle by the water's edge. The Americans react with distress, but Leda calmly strides forth amid the chaos, all while battling memories of being a young mum (Jessie Buckley, I'm Thinking of Ending Things) searching for her own absent child. Indeed, loss and escape are serpentine concepts here, winding through Leda's past, her affinity for the clearly unhappy Nina and the second wave of mayhem that erupts when Elena's beloved doll also goes missing. The concept of trouble in paradise proves just as layered, infecting idylls scenic and, in pondering the supposed bliss that we're all told motherhood brings, societally enforced. Read our full review. THE SCARY OF SIXTY-FIRST When Succession roves over New York's skyline — in its opening credits, as set to that bewitching theme tune, or just during its episodes — it gleams with wealth and privilege. Depiction doesn't equal endorsement, however, with the stellar HBO satire sharply cutting into its chosen world at every chance it gets. As one of the show's supporting cast members, Dasha Nekrasova slides into that realm, too, but that's not her only dalliance with the city's architecture, power brokers and all that both represent. The Scary of Sixty-First, the Red Scare podcast host's feature directorial debut, also savages the rich and seemingly consequence-free. It clasps onto a real-life story that's made that case inherently, abhorrently and monstrously. There's no gentle way to put it, but the fact that Nekrasova plays a woman investigating if a bargain Upper East Side duplex was one of Jeffrey Epstein's "orgy flophouses" says much about this purposefully provocative conspiracy thriller horror-comedy. College pals Addie (Betsey Brown, Assholes) and Noelle (the film's co-screenwriter Madeline Quinn) can't believe their luck when they find the cheap property, even if it does visibly need a clean — and have mirrored ceilings, as well as some questionable lock choices — and even if they don't appear completely comfortable with committing to live together. But from night one, the literal nightmares begin. Soon they're spying blood stains, scratched walls and eerie tarot cards, and feeling unsettled in a variety of ways. Enter Nekrasova's stranger, who comes sporting a dark-web rabbit hole's worth of paranoia and bearing the Epstein news. Addie and Noelle take the revelation in vastly different fashions, with the former seeming possessed by one of Epstein's child victims, and the latter diving deep into potential theories with her unnamed new friend. Letting a headline-monopolising sex offender loom large over the plot is an instant attention-grabber — and, while The Scary of Sixty-First doesn't lunge straight down that path, it feels like Nekrasova and Quinn's starting point. Their movie smacks of conjuring up a controversial premise, then fitting parts around it; thankfully, they have more than one target in their sights, plenty to ponder, and Nekrasova's bold vision bringing it all together. From the outset, there's much to mine about the hellishness of finding somewhere to live in your twenties, and in NY especially. The things you'll settle for in that situation clearly also earns the feature's focus. The same rings true of post-college life and its intrinsic awkwardness in general — and being expected to act like a fully functioning adult, and make pivotal decisions, without yet amassing the experiences to match. By contemplating the hostile real-estate market and the ordeal that is trying to find your place in the world (emotionally, intellectually and physically), The Scary of Sixty-First immediately unpacks power, money and privilege. If Addie and Noelle could afford somewhere else or had other support at their disposal, there wouldn't even be a story. When Nekrasova appears and drops Epstein's name, that excavation digs down several levels. Again, there's no shortage of ideas, directions or tangents to explore, and the script explodes as many as possible. This is a movie about a dead billionaire paedophile, the wealth of theories that've sprung up around him and the 24-hour news cycle that's made his tale inescapable. It's also about how doomscrolling has become routine, the grim routes incessant web searches can take you down, the normalisation of true-crime obsession, the proliferation of conspiracy-driven rhetoric and relentless chaos as the natural state of the world. Read our full review. UNDINE For the second time in as many films, German writer/director Christian Petzold teams up with Paula Beer and Franz Rogowski, but you could never accuse the trio of doing the same thing twice. Back in 2018, they turned Transit into a war-torn romance that mused on conflict's lingering scars. With Undine, they reinvent a German myth about a water spirit who can only turn human via love, but has to kill her paramour if he's unfaithful. A familiar chemistry lingers, though, as it's meant to. Whenever directors and actors keep collaborating — especially when directors retain multiple actors across different movies — that's built into the fabric of the film. As viewers, we can't help recalling our knowledge of their shared history, as that's just how we respond to art, people and connections. A movie not only about romance, longing, obsession and their consequences, but about the impact of the past on the present, Undine provokes and rewards this reaction. In her 2020 Berlinale Silver Bear-winning role — taking home the prize for for Best Actress — Beer (Never Look Away) plays the film's titular character. Before the influence of folklore kicks in, this Undine is a historian who guides museum tours about Berlin's origins. When her boyfriend Johannes (Jacob Matschenz, Babylon Berlin) breaks up with her suddenly before work one day, however, she warns that she'll have to kill him. It sounds like a heat-of-the-moment threat, a plea to get him to change his mind and the kind of exaggeration that arises when romance ends in tears, but there's more to her words than mere histrionics. Indeed, even as a new love blossoms with industrial diver Christoph (Rogowski, Great Freedom), who she meets that very day at the same cafe where her relationship with Johannes ends — in a spectacular meet-cute involving an aquarium, fittingly — Undine's past isn't easily overcome. Petzold is no stranger to pondering the tides of history that just keep ebbing, flowing and swelling. His filmography is filled with contemplations of the subject, including in the Nina Hoss-starring Barbara and Phoenix, and also with Beer and Rogowski in Transit. In Undine, he's at his most haunting, with recognising the fluidity of life — and that it keeps repeating, alongside humanity's most inherent instincts — a key point of interest. While the movie never drops its shroud of mystery, Petzold is also at his most overt with another of his familiar fascinations: the way that love provides the trusty banks that both ordinary and seismic woes keep rushing across. That's literally Undine's tale, as drawn from fable. Without romance, she loses her place on dry land; as she notes in a lecture about the Berlin Palace, and about the evolution of the city over its lifespan, it's as if "progress were impossible". When he's enraptured with an actor or several, no one should want Petzold to move too far forward. Bathing in Beer and Rogowski's rich chemistry is an experience to linger in, and linger Undine does. Always a meticulous filmmaker, Petzold soaks in every second his two stars spend in each other's company, with the pair's magnetism so potent that it almost drips through the movie. He luxuriates in Beer's presence in general, too, letting her cast her spell over the audience as Undine does with Christoph — and once did with Johannes. She's one of cinematographer Hans Fromm's favourite points of focus, unsurprisingly. A Petzold regular, he gifts the film not just an enchanting and beguiling look to suit its mood, but the chance for viewers of this giddy fantasy to fall head over heels for its blend of the surreal, sweet, supernatural and soul-stirring. Undine is screening in Sydney and Melbourne. ONE SECOND Any new film by Zhang Yimou deserves eyeballs the world over, but One Second, the Raise the Red Lantern, Hero and House of Flying Daggers director's latest, hasn't charted the smoothest route to screens. Pre-dating the filmmaker's Cliff Walkers, which reached Australian cinemas earlier in 2021, it was originally scheduled to show at the 2019 Berlinale. But after the festival began, it was removed from the lineup — and while a "technical problem" was cited as the official reason, Chinese censorship was floated as the real cause. One Second eventually surfaced on home soil late in 2020, and elsewhere around the globe in the last few months of 2021. It's now an immensely timely movie, although purely by coincidence. Every great feature by a great director inherently pays tribute to the medium of film, so that's hardly new for Zhang — but celebrating the silver screen, and the pandemic-relevant yearning to bask in its glory when life conspires to get in the way, isn't just a side effect here. It's 1975 when One Second begins, and crowds are flocking to makeshift small-town picture palaces to see propaganda films. The specific movie drawing in the masses: 1964's Heroic Sons and Daughters, which prison-camp escapee Zhang Jiusheng (Zhang Yi, Cliff Walkers) is desperate to catch. Alas, after finding his way into one village through mountains of sand that wouldn't look out of place in Dune, the fugitive discovers that he's already missed the showing that the night. Worse still, the film's canisters are being packed onto a motorbike to be driven to their next destination. And, he isn't the only one keen to make the movie's acquaintance, with the orphaned Liu (Liu Haocun, another Cliff Walkers alum) swiftly stealing its sixth reel before it departs town. An unlikely pair seeking the same thing for different reasons — he's heard that his estranged daughter appears in newsreel footage in the feature, while she wants the celluloid to make a lamp for her younger brother — Zhang and Liu are soon following the rest of the film through the desert to its next stop. That's where Mr Movie (Fan Wei, Railway Heroes) awaits, courting profit and glory compared to Zhang's desperation to glimpse his family and Liu's resourcefulness (that said, sporting a mug calling himself the 'World's Greatest Projectionist', the man behind the travelling cinema that's screening Mao-approved fare to entertainment-starved locales does still love his a clear fondness for his job). But the reels don't return intact, sparking a homemade restoration campaign that needs the entire town's help. Yes, loving film is also a tactile experience here. Zhang has always been able to make any kind of movie he's put his mind to, and has the four-decade-long resume to prove it. With 2009's A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop, he even remade the Coen brothers' Blood Simple. One Second sees him masterfully blend film-adoring melodrama with a Cultural Revolution-era portrait that's laced with just the amount of commentary that managed to escape the censors. He revels in sight gags and chases that could've been lifted out of silent comedy greats from a century back as well, giving cinema yet another ode. The end result mightn't be Zhang's absolute best — his resume isn't short on highlights — but it easily ranks among his most endearing. One Second makes exceptional use of its dust-swept setting, too, and its trio of chalk-and-cheese main players; plus, in celebrating an artform that's both tangible and an illusion, Zhang still makes a clear statement. One Second is currently screening in Melbourne, and will release in Sydney and Brisbane on January 20, 2022. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on August 5, August 12, August 19 and August 26; September 2, September 9, September 16, September 23 and September 30; October 7, October 14, October 21 and October 28; November 4, November 11, November 18 and November 25; and December 2 and December 9. For Sydney specifically, you can take a look at out our rundown of new films that released in Sydney cinemas when they reopened on October 11, and what opened on October 14, October 21 and October 28 as well. And for Melbourne, you can check out our top picks from when outdoor cinemas reopened on October 22 — and from when indoor cinemas did the same on October 29. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Suicide Squad, Free Guy, Respect, The Night House, Candyman, Annette, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Streamline, Coming Home in the Dark, Pig, Big Deal, The Killing of Two Lovers, Nitram, Riders of Justice, The Alpinist, A Fire Inside, Lamb, The Last Duel, Malignant, The Harder They Fall, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, Halloween Kills, Passing, Eternals, The Many Saints of Newark, Julia, No Time to Die, The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick... Boom!, Zola, Last Night in Soho, Blue Bayou, The Rescue, Titane, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, Dune, Encanto, The Card Counter, The Lost Leonardo, The French Dispatch, Don't Look Up and Dear Evan Hansen.
Adoration opens with the seaside funeral of Theo, an event which doesn't seem to have particularly bothered anyone. His wife, Lil (Naomi Watts), and her best friend, Roz (Robin Wright), are altogether content with their lot; they live in a Garden of Eden-like seaside town and enjoy a friendship so enduring and close that people in the small community whisper that they are "lezzoes". When Roz's husband, Harold (Ben Mendelsohn), leaves for a job teaching drama in Sydney, the path is clear for them to give into temptation as each takes the other's gym-toned surf-loving son, Ian (Xavier Samuel) and Tom (James Frecheville), as lovers. At a preview screening, there were scattered laughs throughout, a worry for a film aiming for thoughtful adult drama rather than comedy. Adoration takes itself very seriously, though there are some potentially interesting ideas bubbling away underneath the slick surface, not least a sense that Lil and Roz are taking up these younger lovers for deeper reasons than a simple desire for their attractive sons — they are grasping at the memory of their own faded youth and seeking to be even closer with each other, the young men acting as substitutes for their own sublimated love. But too often the film wastes the dramatic potential of its material and settles for clunky symbolism rather than nuance; a scene where the characters sit down to eat an apple for no particular reason apart from the obvious biblical symbolism is particularly galling. Perhaps a director as versed with melodrama as Pedro Almodóvar could have made a great film out of Adoration, but this version stubbornly refuses to embrace the essential soapy silliness at its core, instead stretching for serious drama. Cue Lil looking off into the middle distance and intoning "We've crossed a line here" as she and Roz ponder their latest transgressions. A baffling development sees Tom, previously a monosyllabic lunk, declare his ambitions of working in theatre and temporarily move to Sydney, where he meets an aspiring actress, Mary (a scene-stealing Jessica Tovey), who also gets dragged into their web of adultery and deceit. Meanwhile, Lil's hapless suitor Saul (Gary Sweet) trails after her like a despondent puppy, dimly unaware of the fraught emotions of the group he longs to be part of. Blessed with a paradisiacal backdrop and shot with a stylish malevolence, Adoration is a kind of interesting failure. It isn't as bad as unintended guffaws would suggest, but it's hard to escape the feeling of missed opportunity here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=4xYrRsZpoxI
Sydney’s beloved Surry Hills barbecue restaurant Porteno has found a new pop-up home in Rushcutters Bay, following the fire that broke out last Friday in their Cleveland Street digs. Co-owner Elvis Abrahanowicz told Gourmet Traveller that while the Surry Hills fire and subsequent water damage hasn’t affected the dining area of the restaurant, repairs to the ruined areas in the upstairs bar and roof could take up to two months. So they’re popping up for a while as the adorably named Popteno, a separate endeavour to their Double Down Diner Messina team-up at the Sydney Festival Village. According to GT, Porteno's new pop-up will occupy the space formerly home to Rushcutters and Neild Avenue. The crew will no doubt be serving up a variation on the existing Porteno menu, so we're guessing a meaty, meaty Argentinian focus is in store. Poptento will launch on January 28. If you’re pining for Porteno until then, get down to the Double Down Diner at Sydney Festival village for all your American-style barbecued, fried and sauced up needs. Find Popteño at 10 Neild Avenue, Rushcutters Bay from January 28, open Wednesday to Saturday from 6pm. Via Gourmet Traveller.
The Roxbury Hotel has been synonymous with Sydney comedy for decades. So when the pub was taken over by new management a few years back, news that comedy would no longer have its ancestral home in Glebe was met with dismay and despondence. But, luckily, the dark days are over, with the launch of Rox Comedy every Wednesday night. Run by Sydney comedy veteran Ray Badran and emerging talent Gerard McGeowan, each week this room boasts some of the best comedians in Australia. Having only launched a few months ago, this room is still hitting its stride — but expect big things.
A new summer exhibition at S.H. Ervin Gallery showcases 30 female Australian artists who travelled to Paris for study, work and inspiration. Featuring works from renowned artists including Dorrit Black, Margaret Preston, Grace Crowley, Stella Bowen and Margaret Olley, Intrepid Women celebrates the creative expansion and freedom from convention gained from time spent in the rich Parisian milieu. Highlighting both the courage and determination required to make such a move during the first half the 20th century (it took South Australian artist Marie Tuck ten solid years of working and saving before she was able to travel) the exhibition explores the impact Paris had on the careers of these women as they studied, exhibited in Paris salons and left bank galleries, and won awards, with some – like Dorrit Black – returning home to Australia to shake up the local scene with their first-hand understanding of the modernist movement. Head along for an inspirational show celebrating 30 truly intrepid women. Image: Dorrit Black, Nude with cigarette [cropped], 1930, oil on canvas on board, Private Collection, Sydney.
The Keystone Group has confirmed speculation regarding the establishment of a new restaurant at 10 Neild Avenue, Rushcutters Bay. Officially set to open in mid-October, the venue will feature the latest culinary creations of renowned chef Martin Boetz. After 20 years at Longrain, his name is synonymous with the East Coast's finest Thai offerings, but this time he'll be turning his hand to a Northern European menu, and bringing in farm-fresh produce from his Hawkesbury-based Cooks Co-Op. "Over the past two years we have broadened our offering through collaborations with exciting industry talent," commented John Duncan, Keystone Group's managing director and partner. "The concept of this venue and Martin's influence brings a dynamic new perspective to our business and allows us to continue evolving the Sydney food offering." Though the menus are still in the finalisation process, we do know that there'll be an array of dining experiences available, all day long, seven days a week. Seasonal availability will play a crucial role, with the emphasis firmly on quality and freshness. "We are excited to join forces with Martin to support local farmers," Duncan explained. "They have been doing it tough of late and this project is the perfect way to support them while offering our guests the best produce possible on the plate in Sydney." Launched in 2000, the Keystone Group runs 15 venues across Sydney, each of which focuses on "unique drinking, dining and entertainment experiences". Kit & Kaboodle, Sweethearts, Sugarmill, Wine Suites, Gazebo Wine Garden, Bungalow 8 and theloft are all in the stable.
Josh Niland has had a busy few years. He opened his new Fish Butchery takeaway eatery in Waterloo, and announced that he will be taking over The Grand National Hotel while moving his signature restaurant Saint Peter into the space. Plus, he was named in the world's top 100 best chefs, won the James Beard Book of the Year Award and was listed among the world's 50 best next-generation hospitality leaders. If all this wasn't enough, he's still got time to do adventurous pop-ups around Sydney. His latest is a collaboration with Scotch whisky brand Talisker. Across two days in October, Niland and Talisker brought a culinary pop-up at a picturesque view-heavy North Head boathouse that was being erected at the Q Station in Manly. Now, it's being brought back for one last pop-up on Monday, December 12. [caption id="attachment_870812" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Talisker and Saint Peter pop-up.[/caption] On this exclusive menu, you'll find four must-try dishes for any seafood enthusiast. Things will kick off with salt and vinegar garfish bathing in its own oil with Kamut sourdough for dipping and yoghurt-cultured butter. From there, you'll be served coal-fried calamari cut into thin pasta-like pieces and paired with yellowfin tuna salami and a chilli oil — all combining to create a seafood dish reminiscent of a next-level spag bol. The headline dish is whole butterflied King George whiting complimented with a finger lime and tapioca sauce that will burst in your mouth. "I wanted to capture the wild spirit of the sea paired with key aromas of Talisker — smoke, spice and a sense of sea salt spray in the morning after a storm," said Niland. "Years of maturation made by the sea has lent a full flavour to this bold dram and this menu celebrates Talisker's rich flavours while honouring the sea in a sustainable and ethical way." Tickets for the dinner will set you back $195 per person and are limited. [caption id="attachment_870810" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Talisker and Saint Peter pop-up.[/caption]
Rumbling through the streets of Sydney's city and inner western suburbs, you might have spotted a bright red bus adorned with a pop-culture mural. That'd be Frank's Original Philly Cheesesteak & Dogs, the latest venture from local restaurateur Antonio Tarzia. Back in 2012 while living in Philadelphia, the home of the cheesesteak, Tarzia was struck by the community's love for the cheesy roll that first created by Italian immigrants back in the 1930s. Given Australia's recent obsession with burgers and deep fried chicken, Tarzia wanted to give his hometown another North American late-night food alternative. "Antonio wanted to bring this to Australia as an Italian-American alternative to a kebab," says Frank's co-owner Carmelina Catanzariti. "And the response has been phenomenal." The first Frank's store opened in Wetherill Park in July 2017 – right next door to Tarzia and Catanzariti's restaurant Grano and cafe The Factoria. Just ten months later, Frank's went mobile with the addition of the vintage Mercedes bus. There are also plans in the works to open a second Sydney storefront and expand to Melbourne by year's end. Philly cheesesteaks are serious business in the States, and Tarzia and Catanzariti wanted to make sure that everything was done the right way when bringing the concept to Australia. While they use premium Australian rib eye for the steak, a great cheesesteak also relies on its bread and cheese. Frank's imports the original hoagie rolls direct from Philadelphia, while also flying in the infamous Cheez Whiz straight from the USA. On the menu, the signature sandwich is the mushroom cheesesteak with Cheez Whiz and onion. You'll also find hot dogs and trumped up cheesesteaks such as the Pizza Cheesesteak, which adds mushrooms, peppers and bolognese sauce to the mix. Staying true to the American fast food mantra, you'll also find loaded fries and deep fried Oreos on the menu, too. Keep an eye on Frank's Facebook and Instagram to find out where the bus is setting up shop next, or visit the permanent shopfront at 1003 Canley Vale Road, Wetherill Park.
In New York in the 1980s, artists such as Kenny Scharf and Robert Indianna inspired Absolut Vodka to connect with contemporary art. For over 30 years the company has combined art and alcohol in unique ways with their colorful advertising campaigns, including contributions by artists Andy Warhol, Louise Bourgeois and Francesco Clemente. Turns out, Absolut has some more tricks up its sleeve. This March, Absolut will promote their premium products with the eye-catching Absolut Art Collection at the Ray Hughes Gallery in Surry Hills, with Warhol, Bourgeois and Clemente only a few of the 20 contributing artists. But here's the twist: the night time only gallery will morph into a Absolut cocktail bar for the duration of the 10 day showcase, complete with a separate late-night lounge. The fun and funky event will run from 6pm to 11pm each night, featuring live music from local and international DJs as well as installations by local artists. Browsing an edgy collection of contemporary art while sipping on an Absolut cocktail — now that's what I call culture.
"Isn't she LVLY," Sydneysiders will be crooning about emergency gifting saviours LVLY from August 1 onward. The same-day gift delivery service is expanding their Melbourne operations to offer their cheeky selection on both sides of the bridge. LVLY wants to buck cliches with its floral gift range featuring seasonal posies in their trademark You LVLY F*cker floral jars (with non-sweary options available for Mum-bound gifts). There's also succulents to combat a drab desk or body care items like the Soft Hands Strong Hearts hand cream if self-gifting is your thing — which it absolutely should be. Things get a bit saucy in the chocolate section thanks to Tall Dark and Handsome and Dreamy and Creamy dark chocolate. And, their gifts often sneak in a life affirming message; take the You Da Bomb ginger cookie or You LVLY Hottie canvas beauty bag, for example. LVLY also packages gifts in bundles, as seen in the Day Maker with all of their signature items, Legend with artisan beer and nuts to relish, and the espresso martini-laden Pick-me Up. And, making a great service even better, they partner with local businesses for limited edition gifts; Melbourne was treated to a Short Stop Donuts collaboration (drool), so keep your fingers crossed. Originally Bondi Beach housemates, co-founders Hannah Spilva and Verity Tuck are excited to bring the service home after growing its base out of their kitchen in Melbourne. Hannah says the gifts are designed help you celebrate the good days, bad days and everything in between. Gifts start at $39, and you can select same day delivery if ordering before 1pm (it'll get to you by 6pm) or pre-order for a future date. Their delivery zone doesn't disappoint, spanning from Barrenjoey to Parramatta and beyond. Delivery prices differ based on suburb so plug in your postcode to check what's what, with shipping free for orders over $79. For more information about LVLY, head to their website.
I kind of thought 'childlike wonder' was a lame cliche until I found myself with a tiny nephew who is constantly amazed by things like "it's an object that's red!" and "hey that's my hand!" That's kind of the feeling one gets from this show, with every single act who comes on having some kind of "OH MY GOODNESS HOW DO THEY EVEN?!" factor. Developed by the performers behind La Clique, it's cabaret/variety show on the trademark tiny circular stage, and it is totally clap-your-hands-with-glee escapist oohs and ahs. There's a performer with a voice that manages to uphold the promises of a serious Gown all over in gold sequins, men in pinstripes who perform feats of acrobatic strength and newspaper-reading, someone climbing dangerously high up a pile of chairs and balancing there, a contortionist who twists his body into soi-disant "rude and amusing shapes", someone in the bath, Shakespeare, things to shout and sing along to, a lady who sings and does some rather startling things with red satin handkerchiefs, and things done in land and in the air with hula hoops that you would not believe. Some deeply covetable makeup, too, where they do something that makes it look like your lips are made of the same stuff as is used for Easter Show/Schools Spectacular-style novelty sparkly bowler hats. Totally eye-widing.
Get your cat-eye sunnies at the ready, Sydney’s Fifties Fair is set to hit town this August for its 18th year running. For all you retro rookies, the annual event is held at the Rose Seidler House of Wahroonga, a Bauhaus time capsule made easily accessible by a free shuttle bus to and fro Turramurra station. The fair will be kicking off at 10am, with plenty of rockabilly acts to get you jiving, beauty parlours, smokey barbecue by the crew from Porteno, burgers from Nighthawk Diner, as well as dreamy '50s furnishings, fashion, trinkets, photography exhibitions and the like for you to ogle. So hit the road to Rose Seidler House in your Buick, 'cause August 24 is coming around faster than Betty Draper can spark up a curling iron.
Remember that five-piece indie rock band from Sydney? You know the one — their 2009 album 'Zounds' was a critically acclaimed release, nominated for ARIA and AIR Awards, and gained a cult-like success culminating in US and UK tours? Yeah, Dappled Cities! Well, they're back! Having just announced the release of their first new single in three years and East Coast headline shows, they're coming to Sydney next week. Their new single 'Run with the Wind' is said to have the potential to become their most loved track to date, and predicates how special the upcoming fourth studio album will be for them. But don't take our word for it. Coming to Sydney in late May, their new single will be played for the first time in the intimate Oxford Art Factory. And if their past work is anything to go by, this single launch will be a fun precursor to a whole new wave of fandom. https://youtube.com/watch?v=whoqSk4qVIg
Imagine if your quick trip to the convenience store was even faster and more convenient? Well, this could soon be a reality, as 7-Eleven Australia launches its new cashless, cardless concept store, where transactions are all processed via smartphone. The app-based technology was first trialled alongside the regular point-of-sale system at the group's Exhibition Street store in the CBD, but this new Richmond store will be the first in Australia to rely on it entirely. Operating similarly to Amazon's groundbreaking, fully automated grocery store, which opened in Seattle last year, 7-Eleven's new process ditches physical checkout counters in favour of a smartphone app. Customers scan barcodes of their selected items as they move through the store, then pay via the 7-Eleven Mobile Checkout App, which is linked to their credit card. 7-Eleven launches Australia's first cashless and cardless convenience store in Melbourne's inner suburb of Richmond where customers use their smartphones to complete their transactions. https://t.co/AH8jNCtwjU pic.twitter.com/szMtsszQG9 — 7-Eleven Australia (@7ElevenAus) May 29, 2019 According to 7-Eleven, the payment process has been honed to be as quick and user-friendly as possible. And with zero queues, it means means less time waiting to sink your teeth into that late-night sausage roll. Like Queen Lizzie, we're guessing people will cheat the self-service system — putting pricey Ben & Jerry's tubs through as $1 Slushies — but 7-Eleven says there'll be plenty of staff on hand to greet, assist and keep an eye on the customers. While no more check-out free stores have been in Melbourne or interstate just yet, the company says it is exploring more "ultimate convenience" options, such as delivery and micro store formats. We'll let you know if it decided to launch any more. You can find 7-Eleven's new app-driven concept store at 2/658 Church Street, Richmond. You'll need to download the 7-Eleven store app from the Apple Store or Google Play before you shop.
It's beginning to look a lot like summer — or, as we may as well call it in Sydney, outdoor movie-watching season. One of Sydney's favourite (and most dramatically panoramic) outdoor movie events, St George Openair Cinema, has a killer 21st season in store. If you like watching homegrown films under the stars, get excited. Already announced, the 2017 program will kick off with a preview of Lion, starring Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara, David Wenham and eight-year-old newcomer Sunny Pawar. Based on a true story you might've seen splashed across the local media over the past few years, it tells the tale of Saroo Brierley. He became separated from his older brother at the age of five, first ended up nearly 1,500 kilometres away from home, and then forged a new life in Australia — before taking to Google Earth more than two decades later in an attempt to find his long-lost family. This year's a 39-night season, running between January 7 and February 17, and featuring 20 premieres and preview screenings and a selection of 2017 Oscar contenders including Jackie, Manchester by the Sea, Loving, Gold, Hidden Figures and the long-awaited sequel T2 Trainspotting. This summer's anticipated new releases are on the bill too, including La La Land, Why Him?, A United Kingdom and Passengers, as well as 2016 highlights like Nocturnal Animals, Arrival, The Founder, Allied, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Plus, on Australia Day, you can catch a preview of David Stratton's Stories of Australian Cinema. More than 1500 patrons per evening are expected to flock to Mrs Macquaries Point adjacent to Royal Botanic Gardens, so get your tickets locked down. UPDATE DECEMBER 20, 2016: St.George OpenAir Cinema has extended its season program to meet popular demand. From 9am on Wednesday, December 21, you can buy tickets to the Australian premiere of Martin Scorsese's Silence (Jan 22) and the highly anticipated Australian coming of age film Jasper Jones (Feb 19). Extra screenings of Lion (Feb 20), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Feb 21) and one of our ten favourite films of 2016, La La Land (Feb 22), have also been scheduled.
Sure, we may be known across the globe as a summer city, but winter is when we get to swap our swimmers for scarfs, hit the town and get a little bit cultured. Luckily, the Sydney Opera House has kickstarted an offering for Sydneysiders, featuring two-for-one ticket deals, just in time for the chilly season. The deal riffs on similar last-minute ticket programs offered by the likes of London's West End theatre set and on Broadway in New York. But, unlike last-minute ticket programs that cater to tourists, SOH is giving us locals more of a reason to engage in what our city has to offer. Much like its two-for-one Wednesday deal last year, the deal will mean you can enjoy any number of acts for a serious steal — but this time around you can go any day of the week. All you have to do is sign up to email updates to find out what events have some cheap tickets going. To give you a hint of what to expect, this winter could see you score two-for-one tickets to side-splitting Game of Thrones spin-off, Thrones! The Musical Parody, or a comedic cabaret show from Will and Grace star, Megan Mullally and her band: Nancy and Beth. Or you could potentially snap up some cheap seats to Bangarra's 30 Years of Thirty Six Thousand or even a production of Puccini's Madama Butterfly (if there are any seats left, that is). Head to the iconic white sails and catch a gig for any reason. Being a two-for-one deal, it's the perfect chance to treat your mum on the cheap, impress your date or to just get a little bit of culture with a mate on a random night out. Sydney Opera House's two-for-one deals will be made available to email subscribers. To sign up, head to the Sydney Opera House website.
On Sunday, June 9, things are getting hot at The Bank Hotel. Tongue-tinglingly hot. Face-meltingly hot. Homer Simpson running, screaming and waving his hands around hot. That's what happens when you spice up your Sunday with a chilli festival, after all. Adding some zest to the long weekend and to Sydney in general, the King Street pub is hosting its third annual Newtown Chilli Festival from midday. There'll be beers — from local brewers Young Henrys, 4 Pines, Sauce Brewing and more — heaps of homemade chilli sauce and chilli barbecue specials. Aka chilli galore. And yes, there'll definitely be enough hot hot heat to help you turn several different shades. Of course, it wouldn't be a chilli festival without the spiciest event of them all: a chilli-eating competition. If you're currently thinking "I can consume anything!", there are vouchers, hot sauce and beer on offer if your tastebuds emerge victorious. To enter you'll need to submit a short statement on why you love chilli — you'll find all the details here. Our tip, and we think you'll need it: remember that milk is a chilli-lover's best friend. Newtown Chilli Fest runs from midday–7pm.
It's a great time to be a horror film fan. Get Out won an Oscar earlier this year, scary franchises — such as Insidious, The Purge and Unfriended — keep piling up the sequels and movies like Truth or Dare and Upgrade hit the big screen almost every month. And, of course, this October has seen iconic slasher franchise Halloween return with its 11th instalment — and it's a welcome return to form. That's because the film's producer, Jason Blum, is experienced in this kind of stuff — in fact, he's the person to thank for the current big-screen scary movie revival. Since he worked on 2007's surprise found-footage hit Paranormal Activity, Blum's name has been attached to many of the genre's big hits, including everything that we've just mentioned. The Joel Edgerton-directed thriller The Gift is also on his resume, and not-so obvious efforts like TV series The Jinx, Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman and Whiplash (which, Blum jokes is the "Sundance version of a horror movie"). During a recent trip to Australia to promote Halloween's release, we chatted to the prolific producer about different types of horror, helping to bring the genre back to prominence and restoring the Halloween series to its former glory — and what he'd like to revive next as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL_I2vNwkXQ BRINGING BACK HALLOWEEN 40 YEARS AFTER THE ORIGINAL "The first movie was one of the great horror movies of all time, and there've been nine sequels — some better than others, none too great. We make movies in a very specific way at Blumhouse, and I wanted to see if our system would work on this intellectual property that's been around for so long, and produced one spectacular movie and nine less spectacular movies. I wanted to see if we could make something great, so that was kind of a challenge that I was excited about. And in terms of now, I think because the first movie was so good, there's just been a desire from fans to try to see another Halloween that is as good as that one. I don't think ours is better than the first movie — I think no one's going to beat John [Carpenter, the writer and director of 1978's Halloween]. But I think ours is definitely second, and that's obviously very satisfying to me." AND BRINGING BACK JOHN CARPENTER AND JAMIE LEE CURTIS "I didn't want to do the movie unless John would agree to executive produce it. That was the only requirement for me — that I wasn't going to go forward unless John agreed to do the movie. I really don't believe that you can make successful sequels to movies without the person who made the success in the first place involved. And I went to John, and we had a meeting, and I got him to say yes — he initially said no, for quite a while, but I'm very convincing and persuasive so I twisted his arm and got him to agree. When he came on board, we hired David [Gordon Green, Halloween 2018's director and co-writer] and Danny [McBride, Halloween 2018's co-writer]. And they came up with the idea for what the movie is, which is this continuation of the story from 40 years ago. Then David met with Jamie Lee Curtis, and Jamie also was kind of reticent to join us. But I think it was the combination of John being back, and of her really responding to David's take on the movie, and that her godson in Jake Gyllenhaal — and Jake had just done Stronger, which David had directed, and Jake gave it very very high marks. It was all those things that got Jamie involved in the movie." FINDING THE RIGHT APPROACH TO MAKING THE 11TH FILM IN THE FRANCHISE "The storytelling is a continuation to the first movie, but there's a lot of nods in the movie to the other nine movies. I think the trick with making a sequel is making it feel original and entertaining to fans who've never seen a Halloween movie before, but also having it share enough DNA with the first movie so there's a reason to call it Halloween, and so that fans who've seen all other ten movies are also satisfied. The way that we approached that was to get John and Jamie involved — Jamie not just as an actress, but as an executive producer. So getting them involved as creative sources in the mix — and then add the new generation, which is David and Danny, who are very super talented guys in their own right but have never done a Halloween movie before. I really thought that by mixing those four creative forces together, you really get the best of both worlds. And I really think that they achieved it, so I'm very proud of that." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHEl7Pji0f8 WHERE BLUM FINDS HIS SCARES "I like to define the work that Blumhouse Productions does through the lens of what scares us. Clearly, mostly that's horror movies, but that isn't all that scares us. There's nothing scarier, certainly to me, than the Klu Klux Klan, and that's what BlacKkKlansman is about. Sharp Objects is not horror, but it's a clearly super dark-themed subject matter about a psychotic, overbearing mother. And even Whiplash — to me, these movies squarely fit under the umbrella of what scares us. That's what I look for — first and foremost, things that are great, but I like them to fit under the moniker of what's scary to us, and what's scary to me." HIS PART IN RESTORING HORROR TO GREATER MAINSTREAM PROMINENCE "I think our approach to the way that we make these movies has resulted in horror being more in vogue. I think there are directors who would have never done horror movies, who are now looking at horror as a way to reach young people through movies in a movie theatre — and to get what they want to say out to younger audience. But I think the thing that did the most for it was kind of the Academy's recognition of Get Out. That changed people's idea of what horror can be currently. Horror goes in and out of fashion, and has since the beginning of cinema, but I think right now it's getting more and more in fashion — and if I think there's one biggest reason, I would say it is because of Get Out." "I think we kind of have a unique way that we approach filmmaking, and I think it pays off. I think that cynical people approach horror movies by reverse engineering — they think about what should the scares be, and then figure out the story after that. We do it the opposite way. I really impress upon the executives at the company and the filmmakers we work with to be storytellers first and scary movie makers second, and I think as a result of that the movies are much more scary." SO, DOES HE HAVE PLANS TO RESURRECT OTHER HORROR ICONS? "I'd love to resurrect Friday the 13th. I have a pretty specific idea about it, but I haven't tried yet. I'm waiting for Halloween to come out, but after Halloween comes out I'm going to talk to the rights holders of Friday the 13th and see if I can talk them into it." Halloween is in cinemas now. Read our full review here. Top image: Alex J. Berliner, ABImages.
Concrete Playground favourite Freda's will celebrate Australia Day by extending their regular happy hour to a whopping six hours, and cheap drink specials will be on offer from midday to 6 pm. In addition to house beers and wines for $5, you'll also find prawns and oysters at reasonable prices. Furthermore, they promise to host a handful of surprises on the day, so you never know what may eventuate. Seafood and schooners? Sounds like a win-win situation.
UPDATE, September 14, 2020: Custody is available to stream via SBS On Demand, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. If Kramer vs. Kramer met The Shining, it would look like Custody. That's filmmaker Xavier Legrand's own description of his bleak and tough domestic thriller, and it's one that firmly fits. The French writer-director initially styles his debut movie as a social realist drama, following a divorcing couple fighting over their 11-year-old son. But as courtroom arguments give way to the family's daily reality, Custody understands the devastating terror that comes from living in fear. As strained civility is replaced by deep-seeded turmoil, the film turns the trauma of a dissolving marriage and the accompanying fallout into an unwavering portrait of horror. Everyone in Custody is afraid of something and, crucially, they know it. Anxiety overwhelms the movie, with Legrand mirroring the Besson family's shattered nerves in the film's relentless mood. Miriam (Léa Drucker) is clearly frightened of her husband Antoine (Denis Ménochet), who she has left suddenly with their two children in tow. The duo's pre-teen son Julien (Thomas Gioria) and nearly 18-year-old daughter Joséphine (Mathilde Auneveux) share her concern, although Julien is also worried that he can't protect his mother from his father. An imposing figure even when he's attempting to be calm, Antoine can't face the lack of control and power that comes with his new situation. Panicked anguish and agitation radiates from his pores, gaze and stance, turning every gesture into an act of hostility. After spending its first 15 minutes scrutinising Miriam and Antoine's court battle — she claims that he's violent, he says that she has turned their kids against him — Custody charts the aftermath of the judge's decision. Julien must stay with Antoine on alternating weekends, but the boy visibly doesn't want to go. Dread and distress build with each scene, as Julien tries to stay composed while Antoine's thin facade of restraint just keeps cracking. Every moment is weaponised, be it a hug where Julien remains blank-faced and limp, a tussle over the kid's mobile phone, Antoine's bullying determination to find out where Miriam and the children are living, or the man's overbearing behaviour when he arrives unannounced on more than one occasion. Following the same characters first seen in his Oscar-nominated short Just Before Losing Everything, Legrand canvasses the whole family's reactions and perspectives — but Julien remains the film's quivering heart. In a masterstroke of casting, first-time actor Gioria conveys the internalised pain and stress of being literally caught in the middle of a parental tug-of-war. More than that, even when he's keeping silent, he shows how terror shapes Julien's entire existence. As a result, the boy's time with Ménochet is impossible to look away from, even though it's crafted to evoke maximum discomfort. Meanwhile, the disarmingly naturalistic Ménochet never plays Antoine as a simplistic villain, although he's always a threat. Legrand purposefully cast someone who physically fills the frame, and constantly uses the hulking talent to push his other stars to the edge of the image. Indeed, it's Legrand's visual approach — particularly in his depiction of his menacing antagonist — that speaks to his film's true brilliance. The director doesn't merely want to tell a brutal tale about divorce, fear and violence. He doesn't just want his actors to express their characters' complex emotions with each breath and blink, either. And he doesn't simply want to chronicle the destruction that springs from domestic abuse, although that's one of his aims. Rather, the filmmaker is intent on trapping viewers in this incredibly fraught scenario with his protagonists, and using every means at his disposal to make the audience feel that same all-encompassing horror. Sometimes, that means shooting a scene from ground level, solely focusing on feet beneath a toilet stall. At one point, Legrand lets a rare musical moment — one that should be a celebration — swell with almost-unbearable tension. Over and over again, in his placement of the camera, he makes every composition bristle with claustrophobia. Rhythmically, as things in the narrative get increasingly out of hand, his fast and abrupt takes grow looser and longer, but no less urgent. Legrand won the best director award at the 2017 Venice Film Festival for his efforts, and it's easy to see why. Every meticulous move he makes in Custody is heartbreakingly effective, in a film that's already downright heartbreaking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8mJT7wEtkA
Picture this: you're driving in a 4WD through a desert. There's nothing but emptiness — just sky and sand — for as far as you can see. No signs of life. Then suddenly, something emerges in the distance like a mirage. It's a collection of buildings that resembles a small village. If you think it sounds like a scene out of a movie, you're on the right track. The place we're talking about, Tin City, was actually used as a set in the legendary Australian film Mad Max (1979). The site is thought to date back to the early 20th century with two structures built for shipwrecked sailors to seek shelter in. It was expanded in the 1930s as a squatter settlement with over 36 huts and used primarily as a fishing village. The dunes fall under the remit of Worimi Conservation Lands, while the remaining 11 huts, including the old pub, are 'passed down' through families and friends. You can visit Tin City with Port Stephens 4WD Tours (though they're currently on hold due to COVID-19 restrictions). Across the two-hour tour, you'll venture to the shantytown in its purpose-built 4WD buses, plus visit some important WWII sites and try a little snowboarding. The tour costs $55 per person. Images: Destination NSW
What family dynamic holds greater prospect for drama than the one between a boy and his mother? From Norman Bates to Only God Forgives to Alex Winter's stepmum in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, movies are full of memorable mother/son pairings, not all of which have been entirely healthy. It's enough to make you think Freud might have been on to something. The latest picture to plumb the depths of maternal relations is Calin Peter Netzer's Child Pose out of Romania. Actress Luminita Gheorghiu gives a towering performance as Cornelia, a wealthy, overbearing mother who attempts to subvert justice after her negligent adult son Barbu (Bogdan Dumitrache) runs over a 14-year-old boy. As Cornelia bribes and bullies her way through the country's corrupt legal system, oblivious — or indifferent — to the pain that she leaves in her wake, viewers are offered a cynical portrayal of wealth and class in post-Stalinist Romania. Clad in expensive furs, Cornelia cuts an imposing figure, particularly in comparison to the impoverished family of the deceased teen and the overworked rural police force assigned to investigate the case. In both theme and style, Child's Pose is very much in keep with the emerging Romanian New Wave — currently all the rage amongst highfalutin film fans. Netzer adopts a minimalist approach to the drama that's acidified by bitter black humour. Handheld camerawork enhances the sense of realism, along with our feelings of outrage and discomfort. The truth is, it's an extremely unpleasant experience being trapped in the same room with Cornelia. Plenty of films manage to succeed in spite of their unpleasant protagonists, but Child's Pose isn't one of them. You can understand and to an extent even sympathise with Cornelia's actions, all of which are born out of a deep — if frequently controlling and occasionally downright creepy — love for her son. But that doesn't change the reality of her behaviour, which is appalling by any reasonable standard. The pacing, meanwhile, is unyieldingly slow, while also missing that sense of creeping escalation that makes the better films of the Romanian art house moment — Beyond the Hills, the unreleased Everybody in Our Family or the masterful Four Months, Three Weeks, Two Days — so dreadfully effective. Ultimately, Child's Pose has some insightful observations, but lacks the compelling quality of its contemporaries. https://youtube.com/watch?v=wQUh3hoGSfI
Brilliantly unique Australian artists Emma Davis and Brian Campeau having been working together for years, ever since Brian agreed to produce Emma's first album. This November, the pair is set to light up the east coast on their Best of Friends Tour. London-born Emma was described by triple J as one of "the quiet achievers of the Sydney scene" and has been quietly achieving national radio and television time since 2011. In September, she headed into the studio with Mark Myers (The Middle East) to record another offering of her soulful, honest tunes. Brian Campeau has done pretty much everything — performing, composing, producing — and he's been critically acclaimed for all of them. Known for his originally individual arrangement and instrumentation, he's been a success both on his own and with his band, The Green Mohair Suits. Both Davis and Campeau have singles out this month, and so set off to entertain the country as colleagues and the very best of friends. https://youtube.com/watch?v=CjlE9bhwhsE
Extinction isn't permanent, apparently. Sydney's Night at the Museum-like party, Jurassic Lounge is being resurrected for a one-off event to celebrate Dia de los Muertos — the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead. Returning to the Australian Museum in collaboration with the new Aztecs exhibition, The Festivalists' beloved after-hours event will once again take over the entire museum on Saturday, November 1. Hinged around the epic Aztecs exhibition, the return of Jurassic Lounge ties Halloween-like Dia de los Muertos celebrations to their historic roots. "Day of the Dead celebrations date back to an Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl," explains programming consultant Lupita Feint. "The festival traditionally gathers family and friends to remember those who have died and unfolds as a costumed fiesta. It has now spread around the world as a colourful cultural celebration." Scattered throughout the shadowy rooms of the museum you'll find Lady of the Dead performances by Pickled Tink and 2014 Miss Burlesque NSW winner Memphis Mae and an exhibition from Mexican photographer Roberto Duran. Mexican artist Sergio Plata is crowdsourcing a traditional ofrenda — a collection of objects placed on a ritual altar for the Day of the Dead — while you can make chocolate skulls and get your Dia de los Muertos facepaint in the arts and craft market. Jurassic Lounge favourites like Silent Disco and Date Roulette will return, alongside papel picado and piñata workshops and a Mexican dance-off — fuelled by the delights from the Mexican cantina. The one-night-only ressurection of Jurassic Lounge is most excellent news from The Festivalists, the Sydney-based, non-profit company who just opened their brand new after-hours night, Hijinks, at Sydney Aquarium. In true Festivalists style, there's sure to be plenty of happenings and Easter Eggs planned for the night. "Jurassic Lounge is back by popular demand for one night only,” says programmer Karina Libbey. "We’re putting together a huge line-up, inviting local artists and audiences to seek inspiration in Mexican culture for what should be a spectacular celebration. Expect lots of surprises on the night!" Jurassic Lounge returns to the Australian Museum on College Street on Saturday, November 1 from 6.30 to 9.30pm. Tickets are $16 (includes complimentary access to the AZTECS exhibition). Find more information and tickets here.
In Nude Tuesday, you can take the unhappy couple out of their daily routine — and slip them out of their clothes in the process — but escaping to a mountainside commune, ditching the dacks, palling around with a goat and gleaning relationship advice from the author a book called The Toothy Vulva just can't solve all woes. What that list of absurd plot points and experiences can do is fill out a film that's gleefully silly, often side-splittingly funny, and also just as perceptive as it is playful. The basic premise behind this New Zealand sex comedy borrows from plenty of fellow movies and TV shows about stuck-in-a-rut folks seeking bliss and renewal, plus solutions to bland marriages, with a gorgeous change of scenery. But helping make Nude Tuesday such a winner is every offbeat choice that's used to tell that tale. Getting naked is only part of it, given that not a lick of any recognisable language is spoken throughout the entire feature — although plenty of words and sounds are audibly uttered. Nude Tuesday understands one key point, as everyone watching it will: that relationships are all about communication. The film is also well aware that so much about life is, too — and storytelling. Here, though, expressing emotions, connections and narrative details all boils down to gibberish and bodies. This amusing movie from writer/director Armağan Ballantyne (The Strength of Water) and writer/star Jackie van Beek (The Breaker Upperers) does indeed strip down its performers in its last third, living up to its name, but it saddles them with conveying almost everything about their characters via body language before that. Each piece of dialogue spoken echoes in unintelligible nonsense, using completely made-up and wholly improvised terms. Even covers of 'Road to Nowhere' and 'Islands in the Stream' do as well. And while subtitled in English by British comedian Julia Davis (Camping), that text was penned after shooting, in one of the film's other purposefully farcical twists. The result is patently ridiculous, and marvellously so — and hilariously. It's such a clever touch, making a movie about marital disharmony and the communication breakdown baked within that's so reliant upon reading tone and posture, as couples on the prowl for the tiniest of micro-aggressions frequently hone in on. Initially, the feature needs a few scenes to settle into its unfamiliar vernacular, which takes cues from The Muppets' Swedish Chef in its cadence. Via an opening map, which situates the story on the fictional pacific island of Zǿbftąņ, Nude Tuesday's language also resembles an IKEA catalogue. But once Ballantyne, van Beek and the latter's co-stars find their groove — with a literally bloody attempt to make adult nappies sexy, a supermarket tantrum involving tossed cans and a tense anniversary dinner — everything, including the movie's chosen tongue, clicks into place. Van Beek and Australian The Tourist actor Damon Herriman play Nude Tuesday's central pair, Laura and Bruno. In the first but not last example of just how compellingly they use their physicality, the talented lead twosome paints a picture of relatable malaise from their introductory moments together. Laura and Bruno are bogged down in a dull cycle that revolves around working at jobs neither loves — she spruiks those mature-age diapers, he sells bathroom fixtures — then trudging home exhausted and exasperated to deal with their kids, and later crumbling into bed knowing they're going to repeat it all the next day. Sex doesn't factor in, and neither is content with that, but resolving their troubles themselves is out of reach. Then, they're gifted a getaway to ẄØnÐĘULÄ to assist. But this woodland getaway, run by charismatic and lustful sex guru Bjorg Rassmussen (Jemaine Clement, I Used to Go Here), wants its new guests to expose all in multiple ways. Unfurling among gorgeously lensed New Zealand scenery (with Australian Babyteeth and High Ground cinematographer Andrew Commis behind the camera), that starkers setup keeps proving savvy. It also keeps saying plenty beyond the silliness. Nude Tuesday isn't just absurdity for the sake of it, although it'd remain perfectly and thoroughly enjoyable — if slight — if it was simply that. Evoking laughs still comes fast and easily, of course, including getting giggling about coming too fast and too easily. Davis' witty subtitling fires off gags a minute, and the frequent preposterousness of it all — with orgies, drugs, a Twin Peaks-style love of logs and a penchant for ponchos all factoring in — is constantly entertaining. But there's as much heart and smarts throbbing within Nude Tuesday as there was in van Beek's also-great The Breaker Upperers, which similarly found a nifty balance between chuckle-inducing ridiculousness and insight. Here, there are as many observant layers to Nude Tuesday's dance through married misery as there are clothes shed by its cast, too — a list of performers that spans everyone from Black Comedy's Ian Zaro and Down Under's Chris Bunton to Wellington Paranormal's Karen O'Leary and Shortland Street's Yvette Parsons. Accordingly, amid the sight gags, word play, slapstick, jokes about anatomy, plus the other wonderful lashings of ludicrousness, sits a canny undressing of Laura and Bruno's deep-seated struggle to get emotionally bare-assed. At the outset, they're the strait-laced stiffs amid the unburdened and aroused. They're outsiders in this cosy, free-thinking little community of fellow A-frame cabin-dwellers, adding to the film's familiar elements. Unpacking what that means, why, how the couple became that way and what ẄØnÐĘULÄ can gift them is never a by-the-numbers journey, however. It's revelatory several times over, even if the end destination is also hardly surprising. Whether decked out head to toe or disrobing, it'd be tough to find a situation where Van Beek, Herriman and Clement didn't delight, particularly when bouncing off of each other in an anything-goes situation. Nude Tuesday's biggest names are that adaptable, that innately comedic, and that able to smoothly zip between the off-kilter and the astute. Clement doesn't have to plumb many depths, but he always plays Bjorn with the exact right dash of charm and eccentricity. Actually, Ballantyne's film itself achieves that latter feat — while finding ample emotional nooks and crannies to explore. Nude Tuesday mightn't have quite hit the spot if it had played out in English, but not because it relies upon gimmickry; rather, by peeling away the chatter, it's a sharper, savvier and funnier picture of communication struggles, and what it truly means to bare it all.
Is there anything Mx Justin Vivian Bond can't do? In a career spanning more than 20 years, the cabaret hero has played Huck Finn as a tranny prostitute; reinterpreted the likes of Radiohead, Kate Bush, and Tracy Chapman; and written an award-winning autobiography (Tango: My Childhood, Backwards and in High Heels). Along the way, Bond has picked up an Obie Award (2001), a Bessie Award (2004), an Ethyl Eichelberger Award (2007), and a Tony nomination (2007). On a return visit to Australia in late February, Bond will present a new show: Justin Vivian Bond is Mx America. Audiences can expect songs (both originals and classics), spoken word, poetry, audio-visuals, and, of course, Bond's curious mixture of outrageous humour and fragility. Needless to say, there's also bound to be a whole lot that we can't predict!
The World's 50 Best has just unveiled its long list, ranking the best restaurants in the world from 51 to 120 (expanding, for the first time, beyond 100). And there are quite a few dramatic changes. Melbourne's Attica — which was last year's top ranking Aussie restaurant at number 20 — has dropped 64 places, coming in at 84. Fellow Victorian Brae, which last year ranked 58, has this year missed out on the top 100, coming in at 101. The surprising changes don't seem to have just affected Australia's entries, either, with Eater noting that Thomas Keller's famed NY restaurant Per Se had dropped 35 places, down to 115 from last year's 81. This could mean, in seemingly sad news for Australia, that no national restaurants will feature in the top 50. But, hope is not completely lost. Seeing as it hasn't made an appearance in the long list, the 50 could, possibly, feature Sydney fine-diner Quay. This year will be the first time the restaurant, which has previously featured in the top 100 list nine years in a row between 2009 and 2017, has been reviewed by the World's 50 Best since its extensive renovations in 2018. [caption id="attachment_677791" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Quay by Nikki To[/caption] While the World's 50 Best is exceedingly popular, it's not without controversy. The awards have copped much criticism for prioritising "expensive European-esque tasting-menu restaurants run by men", as stated by Eater, and for its separate 'Best Female Chef' award. Famed chef Dominique Crenn, of the acclaimed Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, won the award in 2016 and has long been critical of the list's lack of diversity. Crenn slammed the female-specific award in an interview with the Washington Post, saying, "It's stupid. A chef is a chef." The late and great Anthony Bourdain also questioned the award's modern-day relevance — way back in 2013. https://twitter.com/Bourdain/status/319441022688051200 The World's 50 Best will be announced at a ceremony in Singapore next Tuesday, June 25. Get ready for some big changes here, too — this year, there will be an equal gender balance across the award's 1000-plus global voting panel for the first time. Plus, the awards have this year barred any former winners from being on the list, so there'll be no Eleven Madison Park nor Osteria Francescana. You can check out the full list of the World's 50 Best top 50–120 restaurants here. The top 50 will be announced on Tuesday, June 25. Top image: Attica
If you've missed out Sydney's previous warehouse plant sales, be sure to clear Saturday, August 18 and Sunday, August 19 immediately. Because there's another one on its way. The Jungle Collective is a Melbourne nursery that stocks all kinds of weird and wonderful species. After holding a few wildly successful Sydney markets earlier this year, it's gathering the leftover plants, tracking down new ones and throwing a two-day indoor plant party. While we don't know what plants will be available this time, previous sales have had everything from hanging pot plants to palms for the garden to a giant Bird of Paradise. Have a reputation for killing your cacti? Overwatering your ferns? Don't worry — there'll be horticulturalists on site on the night to give you advice and chat through any questions you might have. This one will be held in St Peters. Due to expected demand, the sale will be held in four sessions on Saturday (8–10am, 10am–12pm, 12–2pm and 2–4pm) and two on Sunday (10am–12pm, 12–2pm). Attendees will need to register for free tickets from 12pm on Monday, August 13, and best get in quick for an early session though — the previous Sydney markets were incredibly popular.
Get into the festive spirit with The Makers and Shakers Christmas Gift Market, which takes over Rozelle's White Bay Cruise Terminal from December 13–14. From 10am to 4pm, more than 140 local makers, crafters and designers will showcase Australian-made homewares, slow-fashion pieces, artisan food and drink and unique gift ideas — and free on-site parking to boot. Among the stallholders, you'll find small-batch ceramics from ThroughGood Pottery, minimalist jewellery by Mill Foundry, crystal-studded candles by Three Suns, colourful textile art by Loop LAB and sustainable kidswear by ArchieBee. Foodies can pick up pantry staples from Drunken Sailor Canning Co., Japanese-style chilled chocolate ganache from Mamé Cocoa and festive-ready spirits from Karu Distillery. Beyond the stalls, the market will also feature drop-in creative workshops, a dedicated kids zone, awkward Christmas portraits and small-scale tastings from select producers. With the terminal's breezy, light-filled setting and harbour views, it's an easy place to while away a few hours — and a tidy way to tick off your gifting list. Top image: Jacquie Manning.
Dust off your sombreros, amigos. The latest international excuse for a good time to reach our shores is Cinco de Mayo — a celebration of all things Mexican (which, if we’re being nit-picky, is really more of an Americanisation than anything but shh, let us party). In celebration, the folks at Corona and Beach Burrito Company Fitzroy are putting together a fiesta, complete with face painting by local street artists and the first ever Taco Time Trials Eating Contest. For the less competitively inclined but equally taco-happy, Cinco de Mayo falls conveniently on a Tuesday, and Beach Burrito Co’s regular $3 taco deal applies, so your pesos’ll stretch further. With what you’ve got left, you can sip salt-rimmed margaritas, down trays of tequila shots (not recommended) or share a bucket of ice-cold Coronas. And, of course, come prepared to smash and whack your way to glory, because they wouldn’t be doing Mexico right without pinatas.
Back in 2000 and 2003, the world probably didn't need a couple of films based on Charlie's Angels, with Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu taking on the hit 1976–81 television series. Almost two decades later, the world doesn't really need a third Charlie's Angels movie about a private detective agency, its formidable ladies and their globe-trotting hijinks, either. But the franchise is back anyway — with a few new faces. Also called Charlie's Angels, the latest flick both revisits the franchise's familiar scenario with a fresh cast, and reportedly continues on from both the TV show and the the first two films. Star-wise, it features Kristen Stewart, Aladdin standout Naomi Scott and British up-and-comer Ella Balinska. Elsewhere, Elizabeth Banks sits in the director's chair, co-wrote the script and plays Bosley. Well, one of them — Patrick Stewart and Djimon Hounsou both pop up as Bosley, too. Like her Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson, Stewart has made some savvy film choices since farewelling the vampire romance saga, including Clouds of Sils Maria, Certain Women and Personal Shopper — and while this upbeat action flick about kick-ass ladies saving the world clearly shares little else in common with her recent dramatic roles, here's hoping it continues her good run. She certainly seems to be having plenty of fun in the two Charlie's Angels trailers so far, with the latest combining ample espionage antics with a shout-out to day drinking. Music fans can also look forward to the new movie's soundtrack, with Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey all collaborating on the song 'Don't Call Me Angel' — and Grande featuring on four other tracks. The film's big collaborative tune is a bit of a throwback of its own, given that 2000's Charlie's Angels also featured a killer hit, aka Destiny's Child's 'Independent Women'. Catch the latest glimpse of the new Charlie's Angels in the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VTg3YWqHuQ&feature=youtu.be Charlie's Angels releases in Australian cinemas on November 14, 2019.
One of the enduring joys of staring at a screen, big or small, is the nifty knack that movies and TV shows can have for delivering treasures viewers didn't know they needed. We should've realised we had to see Michelle Yeoh hop across dimensions to save the world before Everything Everywhere All At Once arrived, for instance. We should've gleaned that Timothée Chalamet would make a compelling cannibal prior to Bones and All, too. And, it should've been obvious that Adam Scott plunging into an office nightmare would be instantly addictive viewing, but it took Severance to make it plain. Now, Shrinking joins the list by giving the world what we've truly been lacking: a delightfully gruff Harrison Ford co-starring in a kind-hearted sitcom. Creating this therapist-focused series for Apple TV+ — with its first two episodes hitting on Friday, January 27, and the remainder of the ten-episode first season dropping week by week afterwards — Bill Lawrence, Brett Goldstein and Jason Segel didn't miss Shrinking's immediate potential, though. Lawrence and Goldstein add the show to their roster alongside Ted Lasso, which the former also co-created, and the latter stars in as the also wonderfully gruff Roy Kent to Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning effect. It too bathes in warmth amid chaos, all while understanding, exploring and accepting its characters as the flawed folks we all are. As for Segel, he's no stranger to playing the type of super-enthusiastic and super-earnest figure he inhabits again here, as seen in Freaks and Geeks and How I Met Your Mother. If Ted Lasso downplayed the soccer, instead emphasising the psychologist chats that were a pivotal part of season two, Shrinking would be the end result. Also, if Scrubs, another of Lawrence's sitcoms, followed doctors specialising in mental health rather than working in a hospital, Shrinking would also be the outcome. It's worth remembering that Scrubs featured a very funny and clever nod to Ford, which likely makes his casting here a dream come true for Lawrence. Round up all of these familiar elements, details brought over from elsewhere and past references, and Shrinking turns them into a series that's thoughtful, supremely entertaining, well-cast and well-crafted — and an engaging and easy watch. Ford is the biggest name among Shrinking's many recognisable faces, because a career forever tied to the Blade Runner, Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises will do that, but he's in supporting mode. Segel (Windfall) leads the show as Jimmy Laird, a therapist who is initially seen waking up his empty-nester neighbour Liz (Christa Miller, a Scrubs alum and also Lawrence's wife) in the deep of night while hanging out with sex workers and self-medicating around his backyard pool. She's not mad, however, because he's been like this for some time — and she's been helping keep his life running, primarily by being a surrogate parent for his teenage daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell, Generation). A year back, Jimmy's wife Tia (Lilan Bowden, Murderville) passed away; saying that he's struggling to cope is an understatement. As overused and irritating as the dead-wife trope is — men can flounder all by themselves without a deceased spouse to blame — Shrinking thankfully unpacks the concept. It explores how Jimmy's all-or-nothing attitude has always been part of his persona, questions his idealised view of his marriage, and establishes that his faults weren't suddenly sparked by going through what nobody ever wants to. Co-scripting as well, Lawrence, Goldstein and Segel also ensure that Shrinking examines how loss affects more than just middle-aged white men unexpectedly without wives, courtesy of not just Alice but also Jimmy's colleague and Tia's best friend Gaby (Jessica Williams, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore). And, while never underplaying the existence-altering weight of grief, it spies how everyone is the sum of their best and worst experiences, including Jimmy and Gaby's boss Paul (Ford, The Call of the Wild), Liz, Jimmy's estranged pal Brian (Michael Urie, Younger) and Jimmy's patients. Shrinking isn't called Shrinking without capturing its therapists in action; add it to the pile of recent fare, such as The Patient and The Shrink Next Door, that jump on and off the couch. Shrinking's twist: after taking his Liz-interrupted evening as a wakeup call, and attempting to work through his mourning and be an attentive dad again, he decides to ignore ethics, get frank and shower his patients with tough truths. Tired of discussing their woes endlessly without seeing changes, and suffering from compassion fatigue, he makes drastic moves — threatening not to be Grace's (Heidi Gardner, Saturday Night Live) shrink any longer if she doesn't leave her abusive husband, for example, and taking new patient Sean (Luke Tennie, CSI: Vegas), a young war veteran with anger issues who'll soon be living in Jimmy's pool house, to box out his feelings in the ring. Both sweetness and melancholy linger in Shrinking as it finds as many ways as it can to layer in one of therapy's key takeaways: that working through everything that life throws your way, and also working on yourself in the process, is never simple. Talk reigns supreme, whether Jimmy is desperately trying to get back on Alice's good side, Alice is confiding in Paul instead, Paul makes what he says count, Gaby gets drawn deeper into Jimmy's dramas or Sean is endeavouring to move on from his military service while avoiding confronting its impact. An embracing, cosy, feel-good vibe radiates, too — in a series that's another hearty hug, as Ted Lasso is, but one that's sharper about the pain that everyone carries for their own multitude of reasons. Shrinking could've just gifted viewers Ford's second-ever regular small-screen role in his almost six-decade career — arriving swiftly after his first in Yellowstone prequel 1923, in fact — and been happy coasting on Ford's presence. He's unsurprisingly exceptional, and wanting more of his no-nonsense but soft-hearted veteran shrink if a second season eventuates springs exactly as expected going in. He's pitch-perfect as the show's resident grump, and at fleshing out the reasons why. He's fragile when diving into Paul's own troubles and regrets, warmly wise dispensing advice to Jimmy and Alice, and hilarious when he's getting blunt and also singing terrible tunes. And he's just one terrific component that makes Shrinking click, alongside knowing that being alive is constantly juggling an array of components and making the most of whatever you can. Check out the trailer for Shrinking below: Shrinking streams via Apple TV+ from Friday, January 27.
Mov'In didn't invent seeing movies somewhere other than indoor cinemas or at home. But for the better part of a decade, it's been giving the concept as many twists as possible. First, it let film lovers catch a flick under the stars while getting cosy in one of its beds (yes, beds). And, it has also floated Mov'In Boat on Darling Harbour, too. Mov'In Car, a pop-up on Entertainment Quarter's rooftop, is its take on drive-ins — and it's coming back again in 2023 with a planet-conscious angle. This autumn, for four nights from Thursday, May 4–Sunday, May 7, Mov'In's automobile-based outdoor film-viewing setup is all about electric cars. In fact, this is Australia's first EV drive-in cinema, and you do indeed need to rock up in a pure electric vehicle to gain entry. Try to roll in driving anything but a full electric vehicle with zero tailpipe emissions — so, attempt to arrive in any car with an internal combustion engine, including hybrids — and you won't be permitted entry. Ticketed spots are available to drivers of all EV brands; however, because the cinema is sponsored by Polestar, owners of the Swedish car brand's Polestar 2 can score free entry. As for what you'll be watching, the lineup starts with Guy Ritchie's latest Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre, then goes blue with Avatar: The Way of Water. Next up is the nostalgic animated fun of The Super Mario Bros Movie, before retro openair cinema staple Dirty Dancing closes out the program. Yes, it's always on every drive-in and outdoor cinema lineup. There'll also be food and beverages available to buy, complete with pizzas and bottomless popcorn. Mov'In Car isn't BYO, so you'll have to purchase all hot food and drinks inside — but you can bring your own non-alcoholic beverages and snacks. Each film kicks off after last light each night, so around 7.30pm, with gates opening at 6pm. Price-wise, tickets for a car with up to five people cost $49.90. Also, Mov'In Car is dog-friendly, although your pet pooch will need to stay in your electric vehicle. Mov'In Car EV Cinema presented by Polestar screens at Entertainment Quarter's rooftop from Thursday, May 4–Sunday, May 7. For further details or to book, head to the Mov'In Car website.
It's no secret that when it comes to cocktails, Melbourne can mix it with the best. In the past year alone, the Victorian capital has been named among Punch's top five global drinking destinations for 2023, Bar Liberty's Nick Tesar took out the title of Australia's Best Bartender and CBD bar Caretaker's Cottage nabbed a spot in the latest edition of The World's 50 Best Bars extended 51–100 list. So what more fitting place to host Australia's groundbreaking new immersive cocktail exhibition, Art of Mixology? Transforming Southbank's Kingpin into an interactive gallery space from Friday, March 3–Sunday, March 12, the showcase is set to serve up a heady fusion of art and drink design that'll shine a fresh light on the world of cocktail making. It's being brought to life with the help of award-winning production agency VANDAL and R L Foote Design Studio. [caption id="attachment_888883" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kingpin[/caption] Gracing the adults-only exhibition are works by six renowned local artists, who've each been commissioned to reimagine a different cocktail as a signature installation, complete with striking visuals, soundscapes and other interactive elements. Among them are interdisciplinary digital artist Mikaela Stafford (whose vibrant works have appeared at the Tate Modern), celebrated artist and food designer Ryan L Foote, and projections maestro and White Night regular Nick Azidis. [caption id="attachment_888877" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mikaela Stafford[/caption] Making your way through Art of Mixology, you'll encounter their creative interpretations of various Kingpin cocktails, resulting in everything from large-scale sculptures and visual illusions through to aromatic bubbles floating through the space. Highlighted drinks include a lychee rose martini, the Zombie and the elegant Butterfly Flower. The exhibition is designed to be explored as you would a giant interactive cocktail menu, pondering each concoction and its ingredients before settling on your chosen sip. Of course, along with the visuals and other sensory details, your tastebuds are in for a treat here — each of the six featured cocktails will be available for visitors to enjoy while they're soaking up the art. Tickets come in at $20, which includes your choice of one signature cocktail (or booze-free alternative). You can purchase more drinks while you're there, too. [caption id="attachment_888884" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kingpin[/caption] [caption id="attachment_888879" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kingpin's Butterfly Flower[/caption] Art of Mixology will run from Friday, March 3–Sunday, March 12 at Kingpin, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank. Tickets are $20, available online.
For the third year in a row, the Sydney Opera House has undergone its seasonal transformation into a Summer Playground. The official 2015 program has been announced today and heading it up is an alfresco beach bar, courtesy of The House Eatery by George. Open from 9am till late, seven days a week, the pop-up brings a laidback, coastal vibe to the harbourside. Kick back in a low-slung cabana chair under a beach umbrella and sample the cocktail menu, which includes the rapaska (vodka, fresh raspberry and passionfruit puree, fresh cloudy apple juice, orange juice) and the San Francisco-invented Tommy's margarita (Olmeca Altos Plata tequila, fresh lime juice, agave syrup). Food-wise, the menu is of the classic, summer-inspired variety, featuring healthy salads, finger sandwiches and hearty burgers. For a more posh option during SP, there's the Veuve Clicquot Airstream Pop-Up Bar, where you can indulge in a 2004 vintage champagne, pints of prawns, seafood platters and oysters. Meanwhile, the Opera Bar will be going troppo, with coconut cocktails, fruit-flavoured slushies and beach-hut-inspired décor. Following a recent revamp, the venue is now in the hands of the Solotel Hospitality Group, with fresh Aussie produce champion Matt Moran taking care of the menu and Goodgod’s Adam Lewis managing the live entertainment. Get to the Summer Playground ticket kiosk at midday each day to score $25 tickets to selected Summerhouse shows. Big names on this year's lineup include Tim Minchin, Roxette and Angus and Julia Stone. Finally, there'll be loads of family-style fun. Kids are invited to create LEGO sculptures, which will be turned into original musical compositions and broadcast in the Opera House's Western foyers, hang out in onsite sand pits and get along to more than sixty free and friendly-priced live performances. For more info, check out the Summer Playground program here.
Vivid Sydney today let loose their second major program announcement with their plans for Vivid Creative Sydney 2011. Creative Sydney will run from 30 May to 12 June, with over 50 global and local creative leaders coming together to explore the power of creative industries to transform society. And like everything else under the Vivid banner, it aims to bring the best of the world's ideas to Sydney and inspire the hell out of you. This year Creative Sydney is expanding to include more free sessions and for the first time a presence at the Opera House. The program includes short and snappy show and tell presentations, in-depth conversation sessions, and creative futures, where artists and entrepreneurs present their vision of the ideas that will shape society in the future. Over the next week the full range of live music showcases, debates, film screenings and parties will be unveiled, but already the lineup of speakers looks pretty awesome. Key speakers include Matthew Stinchcomb, EU director of Etsy, and will mark Etsy's first official engagement with their third largest market, and Fabian Rigall, founder of Future Shorts and Secret Cinema. Also lined up are Murray Bell and Andrew Johnstone, the founders of the internationally successful Semi-Permanent conferences, swimwear brand We Are Handsome and Ben Briand, winner of the Cannes Young Director Award and Best Narrative Video at the 2010 Vimeo Awards. Registration for the events opens 9am on Monday 2 May, and it's recommended you get in quickly with over 15,000 people expected to attend.
Not every Sydneysider has the luxury of being able to nab a cheeky beach dip in Tamarama after work. The words "hectic traffic", "epic trek", "generally CBF" start a long list of pretty solid excuses. If you're an inner-city dweller, chances are you've found your nearest community pool for cooling off and doing mad laps in. Luckily, the City of Sydney's built a fair few aquatic centres around town — five in all. And summer's the perfect time to try 'em all. For free. Over a series of Saturdays, the City of Sydney is hosting a series of free open days in their swimming pools, inviting locals to try out everything each 50-metre pool has to offer — from the insanely pretty Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool located on the edge of the harbour, to the $40 million Harry Seidler and Associates-designed Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre. There'll be a range of activities for all ages on the day, including tours, fitness classes, aquatic inflatables, learn-to-swim information, barbecues and face painting. Plus, you get to swim for free. The idea behind the open days is to give you a chance to test out the facilities associated with the City of Sydney's 360 card — $53.40 a fortnight for access to all five of the City of Sydney's aquatic centres across the city, and their adjoining fitness facilities. CITY OF SYDNEY SWIMMING POOL OPEN DAYS Prince Alfred Park Pool: Saturday, October 21 from 10am–3pm Victoria Park Pool: Saturday, October 28 from 10am–3pm Cook + Philip Park Aquatic and Fitness Centre: Saturday, November 4 from 10am–3pm Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool: Saturday, November 18 from 10am–3pm Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre: Saturday, November 25 from 10am–3pm
The reclusive E is sneaking back to our shores, bringing with him a new album and a new style. Since first appearing in the mid-'90s, his band, Eels, have swung from grunge to hip hop, folk to electronic under the more constant guise of low-fi indie. It feels somehow dirty just to label them, even with such a long list of genres, as no style can do justice to their eclectic sound. One can never be sure of what to expect at an Eels gig; in fact, I can't even be sure E will be there after recently being questioned by police under suspicion of terrorism. However, this is more a testament to E's unruly facial hair than anything else, and I hear he's been released on good behaviour. The new album, End Times, is a bit more autobiographical, perhaps as a result of E's recent introspective journey into the realm of novel-writing, and fans shouldn't miss the chance to get a bit closer to the elusive music man getting back to basics with an album that returns to old-fashioned rock 'n' roll. https://youtube.com/watch?v=YHd9-ymWvxU
Three years ago, a group of five local artists came together to realise their dream of a legal warehouse-style performance venue. The Red Rattler was born, an alternative space containing a full PA, stage, LED lighting rig, projector and screen, licensed bar, three non-residential artist studios, and a rooftop garden — all without the stress of high rent and developers. To celebrate the establishment and running success of this space, the Red Rattler Theatre Inc is throwing itself a third birthday party. The five original 'Rats', as they call themselves, dug deep into their pockets to fund the conversion of this building into the creative playground it is today. The Red Rattler Theatre Inc is a not-for-profit entity; entry to the party is by donation, which goes toward running costs and the fund to hire a part-time general manager (all current Rats work on a voluntary basis). No matter how much or how little you can contribute, stop by this event to congratulate the theatre on promoting a DIY artistic space in Sydney. Alternative donations are also accepted. Check out the website to see how to contribute.
The adage ‘never let the truth get in the way of a good story’ is an old one. But it is the exact opposite in The Legend of King O'Malley, as fallacy threatens to overshadow the true story of one of the kookiest characters in Australian political history. The play was hugely influential when it was first staged in 1970. Originally directed by John Bell, written by Bob Ellis with Michael Boddy and starring Robyn Nevin, it's a decidedly off-kilter diversion from theatrical realism that made a huge impression at the time. It's now being revived by director Phil Rouse for Don’t Look Away, a company dedicated to digging up underappreciated works of Australian theatre from the past. The play’s protagonist — King O’Malley, a Kansas insurance salesman turned bishop turned MP for Tasmania — is undoubtedly an improbable character. He is renowned not only for his contributions to Australia’s political development — as Minister for Home Affairs, he sank the first peg in the site that would become Canberra, he was instrumental in setting up the Commonwealth Bank and, adamant that American spellings would become the accepted norm, he infamously convinced the Labor Party to drop the ‘u’ — but also as a seller of pork pies. Next to his nationality (in order to run for Parliament, O’Malley falsely claimed to have been born in Canada, a Commonwealth country), one of his best-known fabrications concerns his arrival in Australia. Suffering from advanced tuberculosis, he claimed to have been befriended by an Aboriginal man who took him to a cave and nursed him back to health. Historian David Headon said of O’Malley that "He was a showman … and he knew it and he exploited it for everything it was worth." The rich subject matter was not enough for writers Boddy and Ellis, who chose to include a bizarre recurring plot in which O’Malley (James Cook) is plagued by a demon (Alex Duncan) to whom he has sold his soul. The device allows him to converse frankly and give voice to his internal moral struggle, but it is a seriously odd way to help an audience climb inside a character’s head. Regardless, Rouse and cast have held nothing back in resurrecting O’Malley. The first half doesn’t quite make it over the line and, between an entire gospel choir feigning blindness and a spot of pantomime tuberculosis, feels like it could have been cut down considerably. The second half, though, is a different beast entirely. And it is a beast; a feral and unrelenting satire which rips through Australia’s first parliament. Wild beasts in suits struggle to stand, cackling drunkenly as the earnest O’Malley seeks to join their ranks before falling foul of the petulant boy-king, Prime Minister Billy Hughes (an obnoxious and charged turn by Matt Hickey) At its best, O’Malley is reminiscent of Keating: The Musical. Though a little rough around the edges, the energy output of the cast is staggering and infectious. No doubt O’Malley, a man careful to manage his own mythology in life, would have welcomed such a song and dance in his honour.
What could be better than cracking a crisp, cold cider? Cracking one while breathing in the crisp, cool air of the Great Dividing Ranges, that's what. Cider-lovers, get ready to get your hands on some of Australia's premium fermented apple drops at the Batlow CiderFest. It's a street party of great proportions, with locals and visitors alike coming together to celebrate the end of the apple harvest and the best boutique ciders the region has to offer. There will also be gourmet food and other locally grown goodies on offer to satiate your hunger. Batlow's main street will host two stages where local talent will entertain you as you sit back, relax, bask in the refreshing mountain air and enjoy the glorious autumn leaves. There'll be buskers and street theatre performers, including a local troupe called the 'Wacky Apple Tarts' (yes, we're serious). And for those keen to learn more about the nitty gritty of the cider world, there's a cider industry conference the day before.
If it works for KFC and Moulin Rouge!, it can work for Christmas: that's Sydney fine-diner nel's approach in 2022. Earlier in the year, it served up a luxe 11-course degustation that riffed on the Colonel's finest. And, when Moulin Rouge! The Musical first arrived in town, it also went with a decadent nine-course array of dishes dripping with French nostalgia. Now, with the festive season upon us, the restaurant is getting merry. Nel is no stranger to Christmas spreads — or to themed degustations in general; see also: its Disney offerings — but it is celebrating 2022's jolliest time of year with a specific range of treats. The new menu takes its cues from the traditional story behind Christmas. It's also filled with festive culinary traditions, like roasts and gingerbread, but not as you know them. Available from Wednesday, November 9–Friday, December 23, the CBD institution's new Christmas menu features a turkey dinner in miniature stack form, for instance, plus a savoury gingerbread house and a spin on the Aussie favourite that is the shrimp cocktail. There's also a dish featuring lamb rolled in gold, leek hay, myrrh oil and smoked pea puree that nods to the nativity story — yes, it comes with gifts from three wise men — plus a flaming 'Santa's Beard' and a snowy 'Walking in the Air' scene. Nel's chef and namesake Nelly Robinson has found 11 ways to interpret Christmas food staples from around the world, while still giving them his usual creative spin. His menu heroes seasonal and sustainable produce, as always, and there's a matching wine journey with vino from nel's cellar to go along with it. Sydneysiders can tuck in for $165 per person, with another $165 each on top for the booze. Or, there's a non-alcoholic matching drinks selection for $85 per head. Nel will also be opening for lunch on Saturdays in November, and Friday and Saturdays in December, to give diners extra options.
On Friday, June 25, four Local Government Areas in Sydney went into lockdown in response to Sydney's latest cluster of locally acquired COVID-19 cases. From 6pm today, Saturday, June 26, all of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong will also be under stay-at-home orders — with the entire area, including the four LGAs already in lockdown, required to stay at home for the next fortnight. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the new stay-at-home orders in her second press conference today, noting that "if we're going to do this, we need to do it properly. There's no point doing a three-day lockdown and then having the virus continue to bubble away in the community." That means that the lockdown will be in effect until at least 11.59pm on Friday, July 9. Accordingly, everyone in Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong will be under the same conditions that've been in place in the City of Sydney, Woollahra, Waverley and Randwick LGAs for the past day — and were in effect when the state went into lockdown back in March 2020. So, you'll only be able to 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. Otherwise, everyone must stay at home. That said, there are no restrictions on when you can go shopping or go out for exercise, and there's no curfew. https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1408641709429301251 Retail stores can remain open, but people are only permitted to go out for essential buying — not to browse or loiter. Hospitality businesses can open for takeaway and deliveries only. Regarding weddings, they can proceed tomorrow, Sunday, June 27. After that, they can't take place. Funerals will still be able to go ahead, though, with a maximum of 100 attendees and density caps of one person per four-square-metres indoors. New restrictions will also come into effect at 6pm today, Saturday, June 26, in all other parts of NSW. If you're anywhere in the state beyond Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong, you will only be able to have five people over to your house (including children), and you'll need to wear a mask in all indoor non-residential settings and at outdoor events. Also in the regions, dancing is banned, vertical drinking is off the cards, dance and gym classes are limited to 20 people per class, and seated, ticketed events outside can only operate to 50-percent seated capacity. And, the one person per four-square-metre rule is back in all indoor and outdoor settings. Unsurprisingly, if you've been in Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong since Monday, June 21 and you're now elsewhere in the state, you'll still need to follow the stay-at-home orders. So, regardless of where you are right now in the state, if you've spent any time this week in an area that is either currently in or about to go into lockdown for the next fortnight, you will need to go into lockdown as well. https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1408592352818601987 Announcing the expanded stay-at-home orders, Premier Berejiklian said that "there's two things going against us on this one — that is the fact that it is very difficult to geographically shut down various suburbs without people who are working and living having infected or transmitted the virus elsewhere; and, secondly, the best advice I've had from health experts today is that the transmissibility is at least double previous variants that we've seen." She continued: "so those factors have led to the health advice that we've been given and that's why we must act." Regarding the duration of the lockdown, the Premier noted that "the best health advice today is that it should be for two weeks, but if there is any massive improvement ahead of that time, of course, we'll evaluate that." She explained that shortening the stay-at-home period was unlikely, however. "We could assess after seven days, but I want to be very upfront with the public: this will be for all intents and purposes a two-week lockdown." Today's new restrictions come after 29 new cases were reported in the 24 hours until 8pm yesterday, Friday, June 25, making a total of 82 locally acquired cases since Wednesday, June 16. 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. All of Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and Wollongong will be under stay-at-home orders from 6pm on Saturday, July 26 until 11.59pm on Friday, July 9. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website.
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on. Picture yourself face to face with David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust 1972 bodysuits, Kansai Yamamoto’s trouser suits for the '73 Aladdin Sane tour, the Union Jack coat designed by Bowie and Alexander McQueen for the '97 Earthling album cover, props from Jim Henson's Labyrinth. We know, you're sweet to start freaking out. Opening next July, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) will play host to the acclaimed David Bowie is exhibition, celebrating the kickass career of the man himself. Created by London's Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), the exhibition is a Bowiephile's dream — an unprecedented collection of over 50 stage costumes alongside tour sets (including the designs for the '74 Diamond Dogs tour), handwritten set lists and lyric sheets, Bowie's own sketches, rare live and interview videos, musical scores and diary entries, photographs and album artwork. Basically, if you're a Bowie fan, this is next level squealworthy material. "The mystery of David Bowie as an enigma is so lovingly explored in this incredible immersive exhibition you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped inside the mind of this astonishing cultural and pop icon," says ACMI Director & CEO, Tony Sweeney. "Bowie is a figure whose social and creative influence and significance far exceeds his status as a pre-eminent rock performer and in David Bowie is, his incredible career is showcased in glorious detail." Presented exclusively in Australasia by ACMI as part of Melbourne Winter Masterpieces, the exhibition explores Bowie's influences and legacy in a lengthy narrative layout (tracing Ziggy Stardust through Berlin and Thin White Duke phases), delving into his career as a musician, of course, but also reminding fans of his top notch cult film career, stints as a writer and his lifelong ability as a stage performer. V&A curators and brains behind the whole Bowie show, Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh, handpicked over 300 objects and films for the exhibition — a research process we're pretty damn jealous of. "The exhibition looks in-depth at how Bowie’s music and radical individualism has both influenced and been influenced by wider movements in art, design, film and contemporary popular culture over an incredible 50-year career and demonstrates how Bowie has inspired others to challenge convention and pursue freedom of expression," they said. The exhibition comes to Australia under a furious amount of buzz — its world premiere this March in London became V&A's fastest selling exhibition ever, recording record numbers of over 311,000 visitors. As the exclusive venue for David Bowie is, ACMI have crafted a specially-curated program of talks, screenings, live performances and special events to pair with the Major Tom-a-thon. David Bowie is will open at ACMI on 16 July 2015 as part of the Victorian Government’s Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series. Tickets go on sale to the general public in November 2014. To register for exclusive pre-sale ticket opportunities, visit acmi.net.au/bowie.
