If you're after a cure for your Christmas meat-and-beer hangover, don't be put off by the hordes of children swarming the Moana showings. This Boxing Day, if you can block out their shrieks, you'll be rewarded with one of Disney's best animated films to date. Although to be honest, when you look at the team behind the film, that's not really that surprising. At the helm are The Little Mermaid directors John Musker and Ron Clements, kickin' it old school and revisiting a narrative structure as old as time. Moana (Auli'i Cravalho), the title character and daughter of a Polynesian prince, is launched on a quest to save her people after a curse threatens their island. After she's chosen by the ocean (who turns out to be a major source of comedic relief), she defies her sea-fearing father and seeks out Maui (Dwayne Johnson). Maui, a shape-shifting demigod, is the one who originally put the curse on the islands by stealing the heart of the goddess Te Fiti. Once Moana finds and wrangles Maui into submission, the pair travel together to recover his magical fish hook and restore the heart. Along the way, Moana discovers something about her people – they weren't always bound to their islands. Her quest isn't about seeking family honour, love, or personal development – she's an island chief with bigger concerns. The complete lack of any romantic notions is also refreshing. Moana is a cocktail of all of the best elements of the Disney princess tropes – a desperate quest, charismatic supporting cast, catchy tunes and an animal sidekick – but with one subtle but important difference. Unlike most Disney princesses, Moana doesn't need a training montage to become a boss bitch, because she's strong to begin with. Not only is she a dutiful and diligent chief-in-training, she respects her parents, listens to her grandmother, champions the underdog and walks to the beat of her own drum. She's superficially goofy, but not in a way that undermines her capability or authority. She's a beautiful role model, and maybe the best Disney princess so far. Moreover, the movie's score, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina, and Opetaia Foa'i, is the music its heroine deserves. Prepare your ears to hear the main refrain 'How Far I'll Go' more than that damn 'Let It Go' song from Frozen. We ain't mad, though, because it's the perfect summer jam. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKFuXETZUsI
Nine months after Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu's passing, the Indigenous musician has posthumously achieved a historic feat with his final album. Released this week, Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow) now sits at the top of the Australian charts, becoming the first record in an Indigenous language to do so. A project that took over four years to come to fruition — and was completed only weeks before Yunupingu's death — Djarimirri presents 12 traditional Yolngu songs and harmonised chants with orchestral arrangements, with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra providing the latter. "This album is a testament to this great Australian and his family, all Yolngu and the greater Aboriginal population," said Skinnyfish Music's Michael Hohnen, Yunupingu's friend, collaborator and producer. "The history he has made taking a true Australian language and heritage to number one proves the strength of the underlying cultural identity of this nation." Born blind on Elcho Island off the coast of Arnhem Land, Yunupingu was already Australia's highest-selling Indigenous artist before Djarimirri's release. His three previous studio albums — 2008's Gurrumul, 2011's Rrakala and 2015's The Gospel Album — all peaked at third position on the ARIA album charts, with Gurrumul earning triple-platinum status and Rrakala also going platinum. A documentary about Yunupingu's life, which premiered at last year's Melbourne International Film Festival and also screened at this year's Berlinale, opens in Australian cinemas on April 25. Image: 6 Seasons Productions.
If you're someone who loves indulging in a few G&Ts on a summer evening but doesn't love waking up to dehydrated, hungover skin, Four Pillars Gin and Go-To Skincare have you covered. The beloved Aussie brands are bringing back their extremely limited-edition Go-To Gin — a spirit that sent fans of Go-To founder ZFB (that's Zoë Foster-Blake for the uninitiated) into a frenzy upon its initial release in 2021, and again in 2022. When we say frenzy we mean it. The first two batches of My New Go-To Gin sold out in mere hours. So, it's time to start preparing your gin-buying fingers for 2023, with the second release dropping on Wednesday, November 22. Ready for cocktail mixing and shaking, the flavours in this coveted drop include quandong, aka native Aussie peach, plus yuzu, lime, coriander seeds and lemon myrtle. We hope you like particularly peachy sips, because this year's gin goes heavier on the quandong. And yes, the familiar peach-pink Go-To label means that you could probably add a bottle to your bathroom counter's lineup and nobody would notice anything out of the ordinary. Four Pillars co-founder and distiller Cam Mackenzie said in a statement he was aware gin and skin are an "unlikely duo". "But we knew we were onto a good thing with Go-To when we sold out faster than Taylor Swift tickets (almost). This year we've amped up quandong, freshness and a bit of peachiness to to add an extra layer of complexity," Mackenzie continued. To celebrate the launch, the skincare brand is also expanding where My New Go-To Gin will be available. For folks in Melbourne, you can hit up the Four Pillars pop-up store inside the Bourke Street Myer, and also to Lotte Duty-Free at Melbourne Airport for the first time. For everyone else, you're still headed to the Four Pillars' Sydney Laboratory and Healesville Distillery, and online. If you pick up some My New Go-To Gin from Bourke Street or Melbourne Airport, then sip a few too many drinks the night before another event (hello, festive season) you're in luck: every bottle from those two locations comes with a Go-To 'Transformazing' sheet mask to soak your skin in much-needed moisture. If last year is anything to go by, we imagine this gin is going to sell out pretty quickly, so signing up for the 2023 waitlist is highly recommended. While you're there, you'll also find a few cocktail recipes. And if you miss out, or peach isn't really your gin infusion of choice, you've got options however you choose to imbibe — Four Pillars has brought back its annual cult-favourites Bloody Shiraz Gin and Christmas gin for your festive cocktail needs. The 2023 Four Pillars Go-To Gin will go on sale online and in-store on Wednesday, November 22. Head to the Four Pillars website to sign up to the waitlist.
Tumbarumba, with Snowy Mountains peeking in the distance, gurgling streams and picturesque greenery, is a wine lover's fairy tale with crisp days, beautiful sights and remarkable wines. Thanks to its cool climate and pure mountain air, the region produces some standout chardonnays (2016 was a good year) and pinot noirs — the two key grapes for good sparkling wines. Though the fine Tumbarumba grapes are often sold to bigger wineries, there are still some producers keeping things local and opening their own cellar doors at the foot of the mountains. Courabyra Wines is a favourite, winning best small cellar door in Gourmet Traveller Wine's 2019 awards. Courabyra was established in 1992, but didn't open its cellar door and restaurant until 2014. Here you'll find cool-climate chardonnay, pinot noir, reisling and sparkling alongside more Euro-style varieties such as grüner veltliner and pinot meunier. The cellar door has a roaring fire in winter and you can match your vino tasting with a ploughman's board ($26 per person). Otherwise you can get some seasonal dishes likes homemade gnocchi ($26), slow-cooked beef brisket ($30) and a pot pie ($22) from the onsite restaurant. Bookings for the cellar door and restaurant are recommended, particularly for groups. Images: Destination NSW
Sydney isn't typically a crowd-averse city, as anyone who has tried to move around town during a huge drawcard like Vivid knows. But, in 2020, gathering en masse hasn't been on the agenda due to COVID-19 — including at sporting events in the state's big stadiums. Today, Thursday, September 17, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced that's changing — for major ticketed and seated events at select venues. As the Premier explained, "the health advice now says that major stadia in NSW are able to go to 50-percent capacity rather than 25 percent". "In many ways, a large venue, so long as it has tickets and seats and zones, and very specific caveats, is available to be a managed and controlled event — and especially given it's outdoors, it also reduces the further risk," Premier Berejiklian noted. In terms of those caveats, the four-square metre rule applies, as does allocated chequerboard seating, clearcut zones splitting up the crowd's seating, and separate entry and exit areas. Also, for everyone attending, "there will be an expectation for people to wear masks when they're going to their seats," the Premier advised. She explained that once folks are seated, they won't have to keep their mask on; however "in getting to the venue and getting out of the venue, there is an expectation that everyone will be wearing a mask". https://www.facebook.com/gladysnsw/videos/335682434300669/?__xts__[0]=68.ARD5Ykoj1gaBxoq2OEObm1HZOxWHsIke2k7BAb8ohxhzy2Q_zqQSrM6i8vbXRkYHTGI0vLhJCSrEzOOiItPzMQ3PGMFb2qAJABhjkyg6hhpm49THd9LUTjqDP-gIiNK27GN-wRdYtPsgZGxQW-kAWfbX5g4PPR2yCrQxSmBUN_TPmgHXH2Q6LfBpBPi1N56GY3isoa8KAalcJmpGtsGWsv4DUW7mwWfYq2AbmcNZEnx8PelI18gUvP0kAI4Xbgf3x4zYW8hl2w3laO7-rYms29ASzEnngZKlmcujhGTw-cl2MxmsfPtA6G6-KNMBRsnjnhVerGVL9uoFt_tuvHe53PxFwoKXh-_B-ncTUQ&__tn__=-R The above changes, which come into effect from Thursday, October 1, mean that Bankwest Stadium will be able to host 15,000 people, while up to 40,000 folks can go to Stadium Australia. COVIDSafe plans for both venues have been supplied and approved, with the SCG's currently under consideration by NSW Health. If it is given the go-ahead, 23,000 will be able to head to the stadium. And if you're wondering why these capacities are being altered right now — and only for major events at major outdoor stadiums, rather than other events and types of venues — it's worth remembering the current time of year. Sure, it's spring, but NRL finals season is also approaching. It's due to kick off on Friday, October 2, with Sydney set to host the grand final on Sunday, October 25. On Wednesday, November 11, the city will also welcome one of this year's delayed State of Origin games. Indeed, it seems that the newly announced changes are wholly geared towards these major sporting events, rather than anything else. No word has been given as yet regarding whether NSW stadiums will also be able to fill to 50-percent capacity for cultural performances and concerts, with Premier Berejiklian specifically advising that she assumes "that outside of major annual events, the stadia won't be anywhere near that capacity. For ordinary matches or ordinary events, that capacity will not be achieved at all". Accordingly, it's great news if you're a Sydneysider keen to go to a big footy match in the coming months. If you're eager to attend a different type of outdoor event, like a gig or music festival, you'll have to cross your fingers that the same rules will soon apply to them as well. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Top image: Destination NSW.
It's a tale as old as time: feuding siblings, an envy-fuelled rivalry, and an attempt to survive in harsh conditions. All three elements drive Icelandic effort Rams, as do the titular animals. Yet there's little about this perceptive examination of the bonds of blood, the struggles of farming life, and the importance of finding hope and humour in even the bleakest of circumstances, that feels routine or overly familiar. Perhaps focusing on the woolly creature's importance to rural townships helps, with the feature's narrative following brothers Gummi (Sigurður Sigurjónsson) and Kiddi (Theodor Juliusson) as they operate neighbouring sheep farms. Perhaps the measured pace, meticulous detail and observational atmosphere does as well, all stemming from writer/director Grímur Hákonarson's documentary background. Indeed, though Rams is a work of fiction, in exploring the hardships of working the land it seems ripped straight from reality. After entering their prized beasts into an annual competition, Kiddi emerges victorious, but a bitter Gummi is convinced that something is awry. Secretly inspecting the winning critter, he spies signs of a highly contagious disease that could wipe out Kiddi's flock, infect his own and cripple the entire village's livelihood. The duo hasn't spoken in four decades, exchanging messages via sheepdog to communicate when needed. However only by working together can they hope to save their animals and their community. While compromise might be called for within the story, as the bickering brothers are forced to unite to fight a shared cause, the movie itself prefer to dwell upon contrasts rather than find common ground. Hákonarson doesn't try to soften the difficulties he depicts, even when he's giving them the quirky comic treatment. Instead, he endeavours to present both tough times and happy moments, and demonstrate the importance of taking the good with the bad. Accordingly, Rams becomes not just an empathetic tale of striving to triumph over adversity, but an intricate exercise in balance. The film shows amusing attempts to outwit the agricultural authorities one minute, and the fearsome impact of the unforgiving Icelandic environment the next. But it never lets the former overpower the latter or vice versa. Of course, when a feature revolves around squabbling siblings, more than a bit of to-ing and fro-ing is to be expected. What makes the film soar isn't its determination to delve into opposing sides, but the way in which it embodies those underlying divides in everything from its visuals to its performances. Cue images that jump between vast sights and intimate interiors, and portrayals that similarly pit bold and subtle traits against each other. In Hákonarson's hands, the many juxtapositions prove not just effective in conveying the story, but insightful as well. Here, the extremes of existence exist as part of a continuum, constantly coming into conflict and yet still managing to coexist. That's the core of Rams, and the secret to making a film feel both immediate and timeless.
Frontrunners in the ever-brewing (sorry) craft beer scene in Sydney, Young Henrys have banded together, drunk many a Newtowner and created their very own ode to the inner west, the Small World Festival. The brand new festival features some of Sydney's best local bands and culinary wizards on the bill; set to thrown down a day-long celebration of the vibrant cultural hub that is Sydney's inner west. Scheduled for September, Small World promises to be the ultimate Sydney-centric festival, featuring music, food and the life force that inspired it all — beer — all proudly locally produced. The one-day festival will take over the beating heart of the inner west, Marrickville, the suburb where diversity is celebrated and enjoyed by locals. Marrickville remains the 17km stretch of land where you can pick up some authentic pho, take in some solid jazz tunes and enjoy the ambience of some of Sydney's sunniest cafes. Marrickville reps the essence of the inner west community, so it seems fitting to hold the festival along its beloved Jabez Street. "The idea started to take shape during a conversation over a beer, as all good ideas do. We were talking about all the amazing things that people put into the world from the inner west," explain Oscar Preston-Stanley and Rich Adamson from Newtown's YH brewery. "The conversation steered towards music of course, and we were in agreement that the music of the inner west isn't celebrated as much as it deserves to be." So who's playing? The music lineup has been handpicked by the Young Henrys crew, who are of the firm belief that music and beer should always be closely interlaced. Confirmed to headline the bill is legendary stoner rock band Tumbleweed (in tribute to their brother, bassist and friend Jay Curley), alongside garage-punk-pop trio Bloods, hip hop outfit True Vibenation, seven-strong Little Bastard, rascally rock and rollers The Snowdroppers as well as the beloved likes of Delta Riggs, Steve Smyth, The Upskirts, Pat Capocci, Royal Tennyson and Richard in Your Mind. Now that's a solid Sydney-heavy lineup. Booze will be plentiful and varied — just how we like it. Brewed to perfection, Young Henrys will be serving their golden oldies alongside some intriguing newcomers. Of course, their exclusively local Newtowner Ale will be on offer, as will their crowd-pleasing Cloudy Cider. Excitingly, the Young Henrys crew have expanded their horizons and brought something new to the table: gin. Festivalgoers will be among the first to try it. Makers have described the gin as "uniquely Australian, yet reminiscent of a classic London dry," and incorporates the combinations of juniper, oris root, Australian native bush tomato, pepperberry and Tasmanian grown hops to create a gin that is "both floral and dry, complex and smooth." Food will be served up all day, with the cream of the inner west crop getting involved in the fun. Newtown's Bloodwood will be plating polenta and gorgonzola sauce and spice BBQ squid. Recently doubled-hatted Porteño will be cranking out homemade pork chorizo or blood sausage on a roll with BBQ peppers, onions and chimichurri. Newtown burger monarchs Mary's are offering the answer to the ol' "What's in a Mary's Burger?" question: three cuts of beef patties with cheese, onion, lettuce, tomato and their house special 'Mary's Sauce' topped with a savoury seasoned pickle. Finally, Marrickville's Cornersmith are serving up a seasonal spring salad, two cheese and pickle sandwich, toasted almonds with paprika and rosemary, a blood orange sparkling cordial and pear and macadamia brownies. Then there's traditional hand spun Levantine style icecream from Booza Icecream. Needless to say, you won't go hungry. Art-wise, there'll be live demonstrations on the day from Local Artist Division (L.A. Division), a collective of some of the inner west's most talented artists including: Apeseven, Ben Brown, Glenno Smith, Keo Match, Mulga, Lachlan Bruce, Sindy Sin, UD3 and Warrick McMile. Then you'll just have to keep an eye out for roaming puppeteers by Umbrella Theatre. This chilled out community festival will be held on September 20. Enjoy a crisp beer (or a spot of gin) in the sun, savour some local fare, take in some great local tunes and take a moment or two to appreciate the top notch cultural development that has come to define the inner west. The Small World Festival will be held in Jabez Street in Marrickville on September 20. Tickets are $59 +BF and $13 +BF for kids under 13 and can be purchased here.
To celebrate its 11th birthday, Sydney-founded restaurant chain Ribs & Burgers has added a premium birthday slider to the menu. The star of the burger is a wagyu beef patty accompanied by pink sauce, red onion, pickles, American cheese, barbecue sauce and mustard. The burger is available for a limited time and can be picked up for $8.90 on its own, with chips for $13.90 or with a serving of pork ribs for $19.90. On Tuesday, November 8, Ribs & Burgers is taking the celebrations up a notch offering the sliders for $5 each —for one day only. To get your wagyu fix for just $5, head into your local store or order online on November 8. Ribs & Burgers has outposts across Australia, including The Rocks, Chatswood and Bella Vista in Sydney, Craigieburn and Hawthorn in Victoria, and Fortitude Vallery and Woolloongabba in Queensland. You can find your local store at the Ribs & Burgers website. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ribs & Burgers (@ribsandburgers) FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Everyone wants to look their best for Mardi Gras. You’ve been hitting the gym, upping your cardio, and generally sculpting, toning, and tightening your little tushy off in preparation for being the hottest, buffest, most fabulous person on the Mardi Gras Party dance floor. Want to put all that hard work to a philanthropic use while you’re at it? Why not take part in the annual Little Black Dress Run? Organised by Sydney Frontrunners the charity run raises much needed money for twenty10 to provide support to LGBTIQ youth and their families. Looking good and feeling good? Too good.
In 2018, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a controversial change to the Oscars: creating an award for most popular film. The backlash was strong and swift, with the category quickly put on hold — and the fresh slate of Oscar nominees show why the new gong really isn't needed. From the Lady Gaga-starring fourth take on A Star Is Born, to Black Panther's comic book antics, to Bohemian Rhapsody's love letter to Queen, plenty of last year's huge box office hits are now multiple nominees for the 91st annual Academy Awards, which will be held on Monday, February 25 Australian time. They're joined by a heap of critical and audience favourites from 2018, including Alfonso Cuarón's highly personal drama Roma, deliciously dark historical effort The Favourite and Dick Cheney biopic Vice, plus two very different films about race relations: BlacKkKlansman and Green Book. By the numbers, Roma and The Favourite lead the charge with ten nods apiece, while A Star Is Born and Vice each scored eight, Black Panther received seven, BlacKkKlansman nabbed six, and Bohemian Rhapsody and Green Book took five each. Of course, the figures only tell part of the story — some of the biggest highlights from the list of nominees are hidden behind the numbers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp_i7cnOgbQ For only the sixth time in 91 years, a black filmmaker has been recognised in the best director category, with Spike Lee picking up his first-ever nomination across his lengthy career. Plus, for the first time since 1977's ceremony, two of the five best director contenders are for flicks in languages other than English — with Cuarón the favourite for Roma and Cold War's Pawel Pawlikowski a deserving but unexpected inclusion. Among the best picture field, Black Panther became the first Marvel movie to ever score a nod for the coveted award. And a movie star was born in Lady Gaga, who made history by becoming the first person to nab noms for best actress and for best original song in the same year (the latter of which, for A Star Is Born's heart-swelling banger 'Shallow', she's a shoo-in to win). On the surprise front, among Roma's huge haul, sit nods for two of its main on-screen talents, with Yalitza Aparicio in the best actress category and Marina de Tavira in the best supporting actress field. The Netflix title wasn't the streaming platform's only big contender, with the Coen Brothers-directed western anthology The Ballad of Buster Scruggs also picking up three nods. Of course, there are always gaps. After Greta Gerwig became just the fifth woman to be nominated for best director last year, the category went with an all-male lineup this time around — and among the exclusions, Can You Ever Forgive Me?'s Marielle Heller directed stars Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant to acting nominations, but didn't make the Oscar cut herself. And the list is light for Australian talents, with The Favourite landing the country's only contenders in the form of screenwriter Tony McNamara and production designer Fiona Crombie. The 91st Academy Awards will take place on Monday, February 25, Australian time. Here's the full list of nominations. OSCAR NOMINEES 2019 BEST MOTION PICTURE Black Panther BlacKkKlansman Bohemian Rhapsody The Favourite Green Book Roma A Star Is Born Vice BEST DIRECTOR Alfonso Cuarón, Roma Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favourite Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman Adam McKay, Vice Pawel Pawlikowski, Cold War PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE Yalitza Aparicio, Roma Glenn Close, The Wife Olivia Colman, The Favourite Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me? PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE Christian Bale, Vice Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born Willem Dafoe, At Eternity's Gate Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody Viggo Mortensen, Green Book PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Amy Adams, Vice Marina de Tavira, Roma Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk Emma Stone, The Favourite Rachel Weisz, The Favourite PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Mahershala Ali, Green Book Adam Driver, BlacKkKlansman Sam Elliott, A Star Is Born Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me? Sam Rockwell, Vice BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY The Favourite First Reformed Green Book Roma Vice BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY The Ballad of Buster Scruggs BlacKkKlansman Can You Ever Forgive Me? If Beale Street Could Talk A Star Is Born BEST ORIGINAL SCORE Black Panther BlacKkKlansman If Beale Street Could Talk Isle of Dogs Mary Poppins Returns BEST ORIGINAL SONG 'All the Stars', Black Panther 'I'll Fight', RBG 'The Place Where Lost Things Go', Mary Poppins Returns 'Shallow', A Star Is Born 'When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings', The Ballad of Buster Scruggs BEST FILM EDITING BlacKkKlansman Bohemian Rhapsody The Favourite Green Book Vice BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM Capernaum (Lebanon) Cold War (Poland) Never Look Away (Germany) Roma (Mexico) Shoplifters (Japan) BEST ANIMATED FEATURE Incredibles 2 Isle of Dogs Mirai Ralph Breaks the Internet Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Free Solo Hale County This Morning, This Evening Minding the Gap Of Fathers and Sons RBG BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Cold War The Favourite Never Look Away Roma A Star Is Born BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN Black Panther The Favourite First Man Mary Poppins Returns Roma BEST VISUAL EFFECTS Avengers: Infinity War Christopher Robin First Man Ready Player One Solo: A Star Wars Story BEST COSTUME DESIGN The Ballad of Buster Scruggs Black Panther The Favourite Mary Poppins Returns Mary Queen of Scots BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING Border Mary Queen of Scots Vice BEST SOUND MIXING Black Panther Bohemian Rhapsody First Man Roma A Star Is Born BEST SOUND EDITING Black Panther Bohemian Rhapsody First Man A Quiet Place Roma BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT Black Sheep End Game Lifeboat A Night at the Garden Period. End of Sentence BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM Animal Behavior Bao Late Afternoon One Small Step Weekends BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM Detainment Fauve Marguerite Mother Skin
Need a gift at short notice? Flowers are usually a pretty safe option, but the thing about flowers is…they die — and sometimes pretty quickly too. Cacti, on the other hand, last practically forever, no matter how badly you neglect them. That's the practical reasoning behind new Sydney-based startup Little Succers anyway, who launched their same-day succulent delivery earlier this year. And now, they've launched a same-day cactus delivery, delightfully dubbed Little Pricks. Little Pricks will offer same-day delivery to the inner suburbs of Sydney — from Pyrmont to Rushcutters Bay and down to Redfern and Alexandria. Place your order by 11am (Monday to Friday only) and it'll arrive at your chosen destination by 6pm. $35 gets you a nine centimetre wide by nine centimetre tall potted cactus with neon packaging along with a handwritten card. "Fact: Love hurts," says the Little Succers team. "Pricks are among us. Maybe your BFF just got dumped and you want to send them a little prick to remind them of their ex-bae's failings? Or maybe you're just a fan of a good-lookin' cactus? Either way, these little pricks are the ballz. Get on it." To order a Little Prick, visit littlesuccers.com.au.
Australia's clash-free, one-day summer festival is back for a fifth year at Parramatta Park. This year, it's bring out flute-playing babe Lizzo ('Truth Hurts and 'Juice') plus Texas-via-California rap collective Brockhampton. If you missed out on tickets to US rapper Lizzo's Sydney Opera House gig (which sold out in minutes) you can still catch her singing tracks from her album Cuz I Love You at the January festival. Modern-day boyband Brockhampton headline the bill, bringing their troupe of rappers, directors, photographers, engineers, producers, graphic designers and DJs to Sydney once again with their catchy pop-led tracks 'Sugar', 'No Halo' and 'Bleach'. Joining Brockhampton and Lizzo is Canadian producer Kaytranada, who's set to drop a new album any day now. Other big names on the lineup include French singer Madeon, UK rapper Octavian and, from the local contingent, hip-hop artist Chillinit and Sydney producer Ninajirachi.
Martin Scorsese has given the world many things. He made Robert De Niro's film career, and also made sure Leonardo DiCaprio isn't just that guy from Growing Pains, Romeo + Juliet and Titanic. He's crafted some of the most influential movies of the last five decades, chronicled music over the same timespan and championed the history of cinema, too. There's a reason that you only need to refer to him by his last name. He's a creative force to be reckoned with — and, though many have tried, there's no one quite like him. In addition to all of the above — or, more accurately, because of it — he's the focus of a whole strand of this year's Sydney Film Festival program, Essential Scorsese. Curated by none other than David Stratton, SFF will present a showcase of ten of Martin Scorsese's essential films. In Melbourne, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image is also focusing on the legendary filmmaker in their latest four-month showcase, SCORSESE. So there's a lot of Scorsese going around at the moment. Of course, that's not all there is to the Scorsese experience — and no, we're not just talking about watching his movies. Before you get tickets to the SFF retrospective, we have a few pieces of Scorsese homework to get you well and truly prepared. Visiting New York and becoming besties with De Niro and DiCaprio isn't on our list, but if you want to try and make that happen, we're not going to stop you. LISTEN TO A SCORSESE PLAYLIST Scorsese has been quote as saying: "Music and film are inseparable. They always have been and always will be." And his career is a testament to that statement. From the moment 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' starts playing in Mean Streets to the way 'I'm Shipping Up to Boston' is used in The Departed, the soundtracks to Scorsese's movies have always proven as important as the narratives. The list goes on — and that's not even including references to his films in songs, as heard in the Arctic Monkeys' 'Knee Socks', for example. If you don't know where to start, try working through the back catalogues of The Band, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and George Harrison, all of whom have featured in Scorsese-directed documentaries and concert films. You'll also find more than one Scorsese playlist on Spotify. DISCOVER THE MOVIES THAT SHAPED HIS TASTES Filmmakers don't just make films — they watch them, too. They've grown up watching them, as Scorsese did, starting as an asthma-afflicted child who would go to the cinema because he couldn't take part in more active pursuits. That could be why he has always been so eager to rattle off his favourite flicks, with the internet overflowing with lists of his horror, must-see and all-time picks. Working your way through his selections is a good way to brush up on your movie history in general, but why not take it a step further? Scorsese has also directed and hosted two documentaries — A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies and My Voyage to Italy — that step through his thoughts and feelings about the cinema both hailing from his US homeland and linked to his Italian heritage. COOK HIS MOTHER'S RECIPES Back in 1974, Scorsese made a 49-minute documentary called Italianamerican. His parents, Charles and Catherine, feature heavily, chatting about their experiences as Italian migrants living in New York as they eat dinner. Catherine — who also pops up in Mean Streets, The King of Comedy, After Hours, Goodfellas, Cape Fear, The Age of Innocence and Casino — also talks through her meatballs recipe, which Scorsese then listed in the credits of the film. If you can't track down a copy of the movie, you can buy Italiamerican: The Scorsese Family Cookbook and then make it and 250 other Scorsese family dishes for yourself. Back in 1990, Catherine also shared the recipe for the pasta she cooks up in Goodfellas, where she played the mother of Joe Pesci's character. BINGE-WATCH HIS TELEVISION SHOWS Maybe Boardwalk Empire was your favourite TV show during its five-season run. Or perhaps you were counting down the days until Vinyl premiered back in February 2016, and then proceeded to devour every second of its '70s-set sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll fun, gratuitous name-checking and sometimes badly-cast nods to icons of the period. Whether you're an existing fan of either show, or you've been meaning to catch up with both, here's your chance to enjoy every single minute of each. Scorsese not only executive produced both series, but directed their first episodes (which explains why the Boardwalk Empire pilot reportedly cost $18 million). Yep, that's two extra pieces of Scorsese-made fare you mightn't have realised that you needed to watch. CHECK OUT HIS FILM CRITICISM Scorsese doesn't just make films, set up organisations to restore them and make lengthy programs dedicated to classics of years gone by, though he's done plenty of that. Once, back in 2000, he also guest hosted Roger Ebert & the Movies, the review television show Ebert made after the death of his former on-air partner Gene Siskel. The topic of conversation was the best movies of the '90s — and while we won't spoil Scorsese's picks, we will mention that Ebert chose Goodfellas as his number three film of the decade. Of course, Ebert and Scorsese weren't just linked on screen, with the film critic also writing Scorsese by Ebert, a book filled with essays about and interviews with the director. Essential Scorsese: Selected by David Stratton runs as part of Sydney Film Festival from June 11-19 at the Art Gallery of NSW. See the full program of at the SFF website.
Any frequent travellers will tell you that the friendships you develop on the road can be some of the most life altering. So imagine, as a budding painter venturing out into the world, you encountered and befriended some of the artists who were to become the most famous of their generation. That's the exact scenario Australian painter John Russell found himself in while living and studying in London and Paris in the 1880s and 90s. As well as developing a close friendship with Vincent van Gogh, Russell also taught Henri Matisse colour theory, dined with Claude Monet and — amazingly — was even temporarily stranded at sea with Auguste Rodin. It's quite the crew — and one in which Russell found his place as a French Impressionist. Now, the first major survey of Russell's work in 40 years is at the Art Gallery of NSW. Open now and on view until Sunday, November 11, John Russell: Australia's French Impressionist showcases more than 100 of the 'lost' impressionist's paintings, drawings and watercolours drawn from major international and Australian art institutions and private collections. Fittingly, these are accompanied by works of his contemporaries: Claude Monet, Auguste Rodin, Henri Matisse and Vincent van Gogh. It was within this creative circle that exhibition curator Wayne Tunnicliffe says Russell "found his artistic voice". Russell was one of our first truly international artists, but — compared to his contemporaries — largely flew under the art radar. So don't worry if you hadn't yet heard of him. This exhibition offers Sydneysiders an opportunity to engage directly with his time spent abroad, and his subsequent evolution as an artist, and they follow Russell's journey through impressionism and experimentation with pure colour, right through to his later vibrant watercolours. Highlights include Russell's 1886 portrait of Vincent van Gogh, as well as six of his blossom paintings from 1887, which are said to have inspired the famous Dutch painter. To accompany the exhibition, AGNSW will also host a number of guided tours and talks to further delve into Russell's works and the themes explored in them. John Russell: Australia's French Impressionist will be held at the AGNSW from July 21 to November 11, 2018. Tickets are $20 per person ($16 for members) and can be purchased via the AGNSW website. We're also giving away ten double passes to the exhibition. To enter, see details below. [competition]679817[/competition] Images: John Russell, Mrs Russell Among the Flowers in the Garden of Goulphar, Belle-Île, 1907; John Russell, Rough Sea, Morestil, c1900; John Russell, The Garden, Longpré-les-Corps-Saints, 1887.
It has finally happened again, Sydneysiders. The city's projectors remained silent, its theatres bare and the smell of popcorn faded during the city's almost four-month-long lockdown; however, Sydney's picture palaces are now back in business. When stay-at-home restrictions are in place, no one is ever short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made over over the last year or so, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent more time than usual in the past 18 months 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 films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that. And, after checking out the best new movies that you could only see on the big screen when picture palaces reopened, we've now rounded up, watched and reviewed the new movies that have just arrived in theatres this week. THE LAST DUEL A grim historical drama that recreates France's final instance of trial by combat, The Last Duel can't be described as fun. It hinges upon the rape of Marguerite (Jodie Comer, Free Guy), wife of knight Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon, Ford v Ferrari), by his ex-friend Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver, Annette) — aka the event that sparked the joust — so that term will obviously never apply. Instead, the movie is exquisite in its 14th-century period staging. After a slightly slow start, it's as involving and affecting as it is weighty and savage, too. When the titular battle takes place, it's ferocious and vivid. And with a #MeToo spirit, the film heartbreakingly hammers home how poorly women were regarded — the rape is considered a crime against Carrouges' property rather than against Marguerite herself — making it an expectedly sombre affair from start to finish. The Last Duel must've been fun to make from a creative standpoint, however. Damon sports a shocking mullet, and Ben Affleck (The Way Back) dons a ridiculous blonde mop while hamming up every scene he's in (and demanding that Driver drop his pants), although that isn't why. Again, the brutal events seen don't earn that term, but teasing out Marguerite, Carrouges and Le Gris' varying perspectives is fascinating. Director Ridley Scott (All the Money in the World) and his screenwriters — Good Will Hunting Oscar-winners Damon and Affleck, plus acclaimed filmmaker Nicole Holofcener (Enough Said) — have clearly seen Rashomon, the on-screen benchmark in using clashing viewpoints. In their "he said, he said, she said" tale, journeying in the iconic Japanese film's footsteps proves captivating. It must've been an enjoyable challenge for its cast, too, terrible hairstyles and all; as moments repeat, so much of the movie's potency stems from minuscule differences in tone, angle, emphasis and physicality. "The truth according to Jean de Carrouges" proclaims The Last Duel's first chapter, adapting Eric Jager's 2004 book of the same name in the process. (Le Gris and Marguerite's segments, following in that order, receive the same introduction.) Even in his own instalment, Damon plays Carrouges as a scowling and serious soldier, and as petulant and entitled. He's also a victim in his own head. That attitude only grows as Le Gris finds favour with Count Pierre d'Alençon (Affleck), cousin to teenage King Charles VI (Alex Lawther, The Translators), and starts collecting his debts — including Carrouges' own. And when the knight marries the beautiful and well-educated Marguerite, it's purely a transaction. It also deepens his acrimony towards Le Gris long before the rape, after land promised in the dowry ends up in his former pal's hands via the smarmy Pierre. Still, Carrouges is instantly willing to fight when he hears about the sexual assault. That said, it's also just another battle against Le Gris and the Count, after taking them to court and the King over their property squabble. In Le Gris' chapter, where Driver broods with an intensity that's fierce even for him, Carrouges' joylessness and pettiness is given even more flesh. Also explored here: the Count's hedonism, the ambition and greed driving the opportunistic Le Gris, and the fixation he develops with Marguerite. Scott ensures that the rape lands like the horror it is, too, leaving no doubt of its force and coercion despite Le Gris' claims otherwise. Read our full review. THE HARDER THEY FALL Idris Elba. A piercing gaze. One helluva red velvet suit. A film can't coast by on such a combination alone, and The Harder They Fall doesn't try to — but when it splashes that vivid vision across the screen, it's nothing short of magnificent. The moment arrives well into Jeymes Samuel's revisionist western, so plenty of stylishness has already graced its frames before then. Think: Old West saloons in brilliant yellows, greens and blues; the collective strut of a cast that includes Da 5 Bloods' Delroy Lindo and Jonathan Majors, Atlanta's Zazie Beetz and LaKeith Stanfield, and If Beale Street Could Talk Oscar-winner Regina King; and an aesthetic approach that blasts together the cool, the slick and the operatic. Still, Elba and his crimson attire — and the black vest and hat that tops it off — is the exclamation mark capping one flamboyant and vibrant movie. Imaginative is another appropriate word to describe The Harder They Fall, especially its loose and creative take on American history. Where some features based on the past take a faithful but massaged route — fellow recent release The Last Duel, for example — this one happily recognises what's fact and what's fantasy. Its main players all existed centuries ago, but Samuel and co-screenwriter Boaz Yakin (Now You See Me) meld them into the same narrative. That's an act of complete fiction, as is virtually everything except their names. The feature freely admits this on-screen before proceedings begin, though, and wouldn't dream of hiding from it. Team-up movies aren't rare, whether corralling superheroes or movie monsters, but there's a particular thrill and power to bringing together these fictionalised Black figures in such an ambitious and memorable, smart and suave, and all-round swaggering film. After proving such a commanding lead in HBO series Lovecraft Country, Majors takes centre stage here, too, as gunslinger Nat Love. First, however, the character is initially introduced as a child (Anthony Naylor Jr, The Mindy Project), watching his parents get murdered by the infamous Rufus Buck (Elba, The Suicide Squad). A quest for revenge ensues — and yes, Nat shares an origin story with Batman. Samuel definitely isn't afraid to get stylised and cartoonish, or melodramatic, or playful for that matter. One of the keys to The Harder They Fall is that it's so many things all at once, and rarely is it any one thing for too long. This is a brash and bold western from its first vividly shot frame till its last, of course, and yet it's also a film about the tragedies that infect families, the violence that infects societies, and the hate, abuse, prejudice, discrimination and bloodshed that can flow from both. It's a romance, too, and it nails its action scenes like it's part of a big blockbuster franchise. As an adult, Nat still has Rufus in his sights. It'll take a few twists of fate — including a great train robbery to free Rufus en route from one prison to the next — to bring them face to face again. The sequence where the outlaw's righthand woman Trudy (King) and quick-drawing fellow gang member Cherokee Bill (Stanfield) take on the law is sleek heist delight, and the saloon clash with marshal Bass Reeves (Lindo) that gets Nat back on Rufus' trail is just as dextrously handled. Nat also has bar proprietor and his on-again, off-again ex Stagecoach Mary (Beetz) on his side, plus the boastful Beckwourth (RJ Cyler, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl), sharp-shooting Bill Pickett (Edi Gathegi, Briarpatch) and diminutive Cuffee (Danielle Deadwyler, P-Valley). Everyone gets their moments, and every one of those moments sashays towards a blood-spattered showdown. Read our full review. MALIGNANT Nearly two decades have passed since a pair of Melbourne talents made a low-budget horror flick that became a franchise-starting smash, sparking their Hollywood careers. Thanks to Saw, James Wan and Leigh Whannell experienced every aspiring filmmaker's absolute fantasy — a dream they're still living now, albeit increasingly on separate paths. Wan's latest, Malignant, is firmly grounded in those horror roots, however. Most of the Insidious and The Conjuring director's resume has been, aside from recent action-blockbuster detours to Fast and Furious 7, Aquaman and the latter's upcoming sequel. With Malignant, though, he shows how strongly he remains on the same page as his former collaborator. Anyone who's seen Whannell's excellent Upgrade and The Invisible Man will spot the parallels, in fact, even if Malignant is the far schlockier of the three. Malignant is also an exercise in patience, because plenty about its first half takes its time — and, when that's the case, the audience feels every drawn-out second. But after Wan shifts from slow setup mode to embracing quite the outrageous and entertainingly handled twist, his film swiftly becomes a devilish delight. Heavily indebted to the 70s-era works of giallo master Dario Argento, David Cronenberg's body-horror greats and 80s scary movies in general, Malignant uses its influences as fuel for big-swinging, batshit-level outlandishness. Most flicks can't segue from a slog to a B-movie gem. Most films can't be saved by going so berserk, either. Wan's tenth stint behind the lens can and does, and leaves a limb-thrashing, blood-splattering, gleefully chaotic imprint. Perhaps it's a case of like name, like approach; tumours can grow gradually, then make their havoc felt. Regardless, it doesn't take long within Malignant for Dr Florence Weaver (Jacqueline McKenzie, Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears) to proclaim that "it's time to cut out the cancer" while treating a locked-up patient in the film's 1992-set prologue. This is a horror movie, so that whole event doesn't turn out well, naturally. Jump forward a few decades, and the feature's focus is now Seattle resident Madison Mitchell (Annabelle Wallis, Boss Level), who is hoping to carry her latest pregnancy with her abusive husband to term. But then his violent temper erupts again, she receives a head injury, and childhood memories start mixing with visions of gruesome killings linked to Dr Weaver's eerie hospital — visions that Madison sees as the murders occur. Bearing telepathic witness to horrific deaths is an intriguing concept, although hardly a new one — and, that aforementioned first scene aside, it's also the most interesting part of Malignant's opening half. Wan and screenwriter Akela Cooper (Grimm, The 100) play it all straight and obvious, including when the cops (Containment's George Young and Songbird's Michole Briana White) are skeptical about Madison's claims. That leaves only her younger sister Sydney (Maddie Hasson, Mr Mercedes) believing what's going on, and leaves the movie a plodding psychological-meets-supernatural thriller predicated upon routinely predictable but improbable character decisions. It makes the second half feel positively electrifying in contrast, when the big shift in tone comes, but also makes viewers wonder what might've been if that lurid look and kinetic feel had been present the whole way through. Read our full review. ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN When Anthony Bourdain strode around the world, and across our screens, in food-meets-travel series A Cook's Tour, No Reservations, The Layover and Parts Unknown, he was as animated as he was acerbic and enigmatic. Beneath his shock of greying hair, the lanky New Yorker was relatable, engaging to a seemingly effortless degree and radiated a larger-than-life air, too. The latter didn't just apply because he was a face on TV, where plenty gets that bigger-than-reality sheen, but because he appeared to truly embrace all that life entailed in that hectic whirlwind of travelling, eating and waxing lyrical about both. Arriving three years after his suicide in 2018, documentary Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain captures that. It's so filled with Bourdain thanks to all that time he'd spent in front of the camera, it'd be near-impossible for it not to. But it also lurks under a shadow due to its now-infamous choice to use artificial intelligence to add dialogue that its subject didn't speak. Watching the film, there's no way of knowing which words Bourdain merely penned but didn't utter; the technology truly is that seamless. It still resounds as an unnecessary move, though, especially when such lines might've been incorporated in ways that wouldn't sit at stark odds with his visible liveliness. Roadrunner delves behind the facade that Bourdain presented to the world, of course. It notes his death immediately and goes in search of the sorrow and pain that might've led to it, as mulled over by friends such fellow chefs David Chang and Éric Ripert, and artist David Choe; crew members on his shows; and his second wife Ottavia Busia. Still, once you know about the AI, there's a sense of disconnection that echoes through the doco — because it surveys all that Bourdain was, compiles all of this stellar material and still resorted to digital resurrection. Thankfully, the passion and curiosity that always made Bourdain appear so spirited — yes, so alive, as compared to being vocally recreated by AI after his death — still makes Roadrunner worth watching. That's true for Bourdain fans and newcomers alike, although director Morgan Neville (Oscar-winner 20 Feet From Stardom) doesn't use his two-hour-long film as a birth-to-life primer for the uninitiated. Crucially, as also proved the case with his 2018 Mr Rogers documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor?, Neville jumps through the details of Bourdain's life in a way that also muses on what his success and popularity said about the world. Why he struck such a chord is as essential an ingredient in Roadrunner as how he went from cook to celebrity chef, TV host, best-selling author and travel documentarian. The footage of Bourdain — from his shows, obviously, as well as from a plethora of TV interviews, behind-the-scenes clips and home videos — is edited together with the same restlessness that the man himself always exuded. You don't spend most of your year travelling if you can be easily pinned down, after all. It's a wise choice on Neville and editors Eileen Meyer (Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution) and Aaron Wickenden's (Feels Good Man) parts, but Neville has long had a knack for making his films feel like his subjects. Talking-head chats are spliced throughout, offering further details and grappling with how Bourdain's story ends; however, Roadrunner is repeatedly at its finest when it's peering at him and showing how his work encouraged us all not just to watch, but to eat, travel, think, talk and live. Read our full review. BECOMING COUSTEAU He's been parodied in a Wes Anderson film and mentioned in a Flight of the Conchords song. His red beanie, and those worn by his fellow crew members on his research ship Calypso, are an enduring fashion symbol. He won the second-ever Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or — becoming not only the first filmmaker to receive the prestigious prize for a documentary, but the only one to do so for almost half a century afterwards. When he started making television in the 60s, he turned his underwater-shot docos about the sea into truly must-see TV. He helped create undersea diving as we know it, and he's the most famous oceanographer that's ever lived. He was also one of the early voices who spoke out about climate change and humanity's impact upon the oceans. He's a rockstar in every field he dived into — and he's Jacques Cousteau, obviously. Becoming Cousteau touches on all of the above — except The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and Flight of the Conchords' 'Fou de Fafa', of course — and makes for a a riveting splash into its namesake's life and career. There's just so much to tell, to the point that it frequently feels as if director Liz Garbus (an Oscar-nominee for What Happened, Miss Simone?) could've filled an entire series instead. Her big-screen tribute to Cousteau doesn't suffer from packing so much into its slice of celluloid, however. It simply makes the most of its time, leaving viewers wanting more because they've loved what they've just experienced. Becoming Cousteau is the cinematic equivalent of having a splash, gazing fondly at the sea's blue expanse, or peering deeply at the ocean's underwater wonders, all activities that beg for as much of your attention as possible. This isn't just an affectionate ode, though, even with ample praise floated Cousteau's way. When Garbus includes vision of wide-eyed children beaming up at her subject with wonder splashed across their faces, you could call it a case of a director telling audiences how they should feel — or signalling how she's looking his way, or both. But she knows that Cousteau's achievements, and the glorious archival footage that comes with it, elicits that reaction anyway. She also doesn't shy away from the thornier aspects of his personal and professional lives, tragedies and struggles among them. This is a film about a man who lived a life like no one else's, especially when he kept plunging beneath the sea, but it's also a movie about a man first and foremost. That's why Garbus sticks to a familiar biographical documentary format, as tempting as it might've been to take a more playful route. By chronicling Cousteau's existence in a chronological fashion — from naval officer to icon, with help from his own words as read by French actor Vincent Cassel (The World Is Yours) where footage doesn't exist — she emphasises who he becomes as he spends more and more time in, atop and contemplating the ocean. Yes, her title is that straightforward; however, neither the simplicity of Becoming Cousteau's structure nor the descriptiveness of its moniker can sum up this fascinating and thoughtful documentary. There's nothing standard about the way it charts his evolution or examines how he used his fame, either, or about the glorious way it selects, curates and compiles its wealth of clips — or about the movie's transfixing ebb and flow. SOME KIND OF HEAVEN If you didn't know that Some Kind of Heaven was a documentary, you might think that it was a skit from I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson. The same kind of social awkwardness that makes the Netflix sketch comedy such an equally savage and hilarious watch is present in this factual look at the retirement community also dubbed "god's waiting room": The Villages, Florida, the world's largest master-planned, age-restricted locale of its kind, and home to more than 120,000 people. This is a place for folks aged over 55 to live in multiple senses of the world. Couples tend to move there, then sign up for some of the thousands of activities and clubs that get them out dancing, kayaking, cheerleading, swimming and more. If a resident happens to be on their own — usually after their partner's passing — they can get involved in the local singles club, too. Around since the early 80s, and also described as "Disney World for retirees", this community is meant to be a dream. It was specifically designed to resemble the kinds of small towns its inhabitants likely grew up in, right down to the shop-filled main street and the large town square, and locals aren't ever meant to want to leave. But as Some Kind of Heaven follows four folks who've made The Villages their home — including one ex-Californian import that's just squatting — it demonstrates the reality that lingers behind the busy facade and glossy sales pitch. Requiem for a Dream's Darren Aronofsky is one of the doco's producers and, while Mother!-style horrors never quite pop up, this isn't a portrait of bliss by any means. Many of The Villages' residents are clearly happy. In his first feature-lengthy documentary, filmmaker Lance Oppenheim trains his gaze at people who aren't likely to appear in any of the community's brochures, however. Every shot lensed by cinematographer David Bolen (1BR) and boxed into the film's square frame is scenic and striking — Some Kind of Heaven sports an exquisite eye for visual composition — but much of what the movie depicts feels like stepping into a surreal alternative realm. (In one sequence, the camera meets a room filled with women called Elaine, all of whom introduce themselves one after one — and it's a scene that could've come straight out of any one of David Lynch's visions of suburban horror.) Approaching their 47-year wedding anniversary, Reggie and Anne think they've found the place for them. That's what they're both saying, at least, but The Villages means different things for each of them. Reggie has used the move to embrace his love of drugs and doing whatever he wants, and Anne has once again been forced to stand by his side, including when he's sent to court and admonished for his rudeness while representing himself. Then there's Barbara, a widow from Boston who didn't ever plan to live in Florida alone. She still works full-time, a rarity among her fellow residents, and she yearns for the company she thinks a margarita-loving golf cart salesman might bring. Rounding out the interviewees is the sleazy Dennis, an 81-year-old living in his van until he can find an attractive and rich woman to marry. Some Kind of Heaven doesn't judge him, or anyone else in its frames, but it lets these stories speak volumes about a place positioned as a fantasy land and yet really just bringing out the chaotic teenager inside everyone. LOVE YOU LIKE THAT She's alive, wrapped in seaweed. When a woman with amnesia washes up on the beach in Love You Like That, no one makes that Twin Peaks-esque comment. That's the most surprising thing about this Australian rom-com, because it doesn't skim on the obvious inclusions from that point onwards — and it isn't shy about swimming through an ocean of cliches, either. Indeed, by the time its big finale arrives to the sounds of John Paul Young's 'Love Is in the Air', blatantly trying to bring Strictly Ballroom to viewers' minds seems like the next natural step for a movie that's as generic and derivative as it comes otherwise. It's a misguided move, though, reminding audiences of what they would've been better off watching. Seafront Sands' mysterious new arrival (Allira Jaques, Charlie's Farm) claims she can't remember anything, including her name; however, she gravitates towards Mim, after the beach where she was found. People are drawn towards her in return, with the fictional coastal town swiftly influenced by her presence. Romance and kindness seem to follow in her footsteps — leaving Harrison (Mitchell Hope, Let It Snow), the local ladies' man who also runs a dating agency, intrigued. Of course, Mim has made her appearance on a day when the council is trying to woo developers, a big beach festival is scheduled and a policeman is pondering popping the question, and has an impact upon all three. There's a twist to Love You Like That, pegging the film firmly in the realm of sappy, soapy fantasies — although it lurks in that territory well before the big revelation arrives. That said, this is a tonally chaotic film. It's schmaltzy from start to finish, but also tries to stitch in middle-aged siblings mending their squabbles, a local cafe owner confronting her grief over her missing-in-action soldier husband, Harrison's parent issues thanks to an ailing dad and mum he never knew, and the raucousness of his assistant Emily (comedian Steph Tisdell) and her forcefully outgoing personality. Mostly, Love You Like That plays as if debut writer/director Eric C Nash has thrown everything he can at the screen to see what sticks. Alas, all that lingers is ridiculousness. The twist earns that description, and so does the seesawing mess that both precedes and follows it. A cast that includes well-known Aussie faces such as John Jarratt (Wolf Creek) and Chris Heywood (Dirt Music) — both in wasted parts — can't improve the careening screenplay. They also can't anchor a mood that changes in an instant like it's bobbing and weaving on the surf, including the jerky lurching from overblown sweetness (whenever Mim has an effect on people) to over-amped comedy (because Emily seems like she's come hurtling in from a completely different movie). Love You Like That is sunnily shot, but it's impossible to plaster over the film's many struggles with warm hues, beach imagery and wide smiles. Or, with 'Love Is in the Air' — which'll also get viewers thinking about how little this flick conjures. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas, check out our rundown of new films released in Sydney cinemas when they reopened on October 11, and what opened on October 14. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of movies currently screening, such as In the Heights, Black Widow, Nine Days, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Old, Jungle Cruise, 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), Pig, The Killing of Two Lovers, Nitram, A Fire Inside and Lamb.
Hordes of imitators have spilled ones and zeros claiming otherwise, but the greatest move The Matrix franchise ever made wasn't actually bullet time. Even 22 years after Lana and Lilly Wachowski brought the saga's instant-classic first film to cinemas, its slow-motion action still wows, and yet they made another choice that's vastly more powerful. It wasn't the great pill divide — blue versus red, as dubiously co-opted by right-wing conspiracies since — or the other binaries at its core (good versus evil, freedom versus enslavement, analogue versus digital, humanity versus machines). It wasn't end-of-the-millennia philosophising about living lives online, the green-tinged cyberpunk aesthetic, or one of the era's best soundtracks, either. They're all glorious, as is knowing kung fu and exclaiming "whoa!", but The Matrix's unwavering belief in Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss is far more spectacular. It was a bold decision those two-and-a-bit decades ago, with Reeves a few years past sublime early-90s action hits Point Break and Speed, and Moss then known for TV bit parts (including, in a coincidence that feels like the product of computer simulation, a 1993 series called Matrix). But, as well as giving cinema their much-emulated gunfire-avoidance technique and all those other aforementioned highlights, the Wachowskis bet big on viewers caring about their central pair — and hooking into their chemistry — as leather-clad heroes saving humanity. Amid the life-is-a-lie horrors, the subjugation of flesh to mechanical overlords and the battle for autonomy, the first three Matrix films always weaved Neo and Trinity's love story through their sci-fi action. Indeed, the duo's connection remained the saga's beating heart. Like any robust computer program executed over and over, The Matrix Resurrections repeats the feat — with plenty of love for what's come before, but even more for its enduring love story. Lana goes solo on The Matrix Resurrections — helming her first-ever project without her sister in their entire career — but she still goes all in on Reeves and Moss. The fourth live-action film in the saga, and fifth overall counting The Animatrix, this new instalment doesn't initially give its key figures their familiar character names, however. Rather, it casts them as famous video game designer Thomas Anderson and motorcycle-loving mother-of-two Tiffany. One of those monikers is familiar, thanks to a surname drawled by Agent Smith back in 1999, and again in 2003 sequels The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. But this version of Thomas Anderson only knows the agent from his own hit gaming trilogy (called The Matrix, naturally). And he doesn't really know Tiffany at all, instead admiring her from afar at Simulatte, their local coffee shop. Before Reeves and Moss share a frame, and before Anderson and Tiffany's awkward meet-cute, The Matrix Resurrections begins with blue-haired hacker Bugs (Jessica Henwick, On the Rocks). She sports a white rabbit tattoo, observes a scene straight out of the first flick and helps set the movie's self-referential tone. As a result, The Matrix Resurrections starts with winking, nodding and déjà vu — and, yes, with a glitch, with Lana and co-screenwriters David Mitchell (author of Cloud Atlas) and Aleksandar Hemon (Sense8) penning a playful script that adores the established Matrix lore, enjoys toying with it and openly unpacks everything that's sprung up around it. Long exposition dumps, some of the feature's worst habits, explain the details, but waking up Anderson from his machine-induced dream — again — is Bugs' number-one aim. The Matrix Resurrections' main task: reteaming Neo and Trinity, and getting them to realise that they even are Neo and Trinity. Once more, Wachowski knows where the saga's heart resides, that its existential dramas are about people, and that the bonds that bind us are our lifeblood. But now that Neo and Trinity inhabit a realm where a game series with the exact same plot as the first three Matrix movies is Anderson's livelihood, the path to simulation-dismantling love is unsurprisingly paved with difficulties. Here are three: the demands by Anderson's business partner (Jonathan Groff, Hamilton) for a sequel to the games, the blue pills prescribed by Anderson's analyst (Neil Patrick Harris, It's a Sin), and Tiffany's husband Chad (played by the John Wick franchise's director Chad Stahelski, who was also Reeves' stunt double in the first Matrix flick) and all he represents. Reviving a romance last seen on-screen 18 years ago, raising its main players from the dead, bringing back other characters in altered guises, liberally weaving in clips from past films — stitched together as it is from oh-so-many familiar parts, you could call The Matrix Resurrections a Frankenstein's monster of a movie. Wachowski has found a rare way to make that a positive more often than not, however, because deprogramming the notion that anything is just one thing alone couldn't be more crucial here. That truth pulsates through the film's action, too, which can't live up to the original and doesn't particularly seem to try. Enough of the movie's fights and chases and sci-fi trickery still look stunning, but The Matrix Resurrections wants audiences to go "whoa!' over its ideas, emotions and meta-philosophising above all else. Even the warmer colour scheme — sorry, fans of futuristic green — casts this new tumble down the rabbit hole in multiple lights. A film can be daring, evolve its franchise while mining nostalgia with care and savvy, and make the utmost of its biggest strengths — Reeves and Moss, clearly, who could melt faces with their chemistry. It can be both fun and funny, and also skewer the company resuscitating it (that'd be Warner Bros, with The Matrix Resurrections doing a superior job of making the joke than the studio's horrible Space Jam: A New Legacy). It can offer a sincere ode to love, human connection and perseverance, too, and transform old parts to make them feel different in the process. Still, while so much about The Matrix Resurrections dazzles — Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Candyman) joining the fold and rocking magnificent suits among them — sometimes it's just clunkily new and clumsily self-referential rather than fresh. Believing in Reeves and Moss remains its biggest superpower, though. If the energy from their timeless on-screen romance can help the world forget how underwhelming The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions both proved, it can fuel this mostly thrilling, almost-always-entertaining look back in the sci-fi mirror.
The unfortunate thing about genre movies is how often they’re judged solely by way of comparison against their own kind. Action movies undergo the Die Hard test, romcoms are stood alongside When Harry Met Sally or The Seven Year Itch and every sci-fi flick must inevitably endure the 2001: A Space Odyssey comparison instead of being considered purely on its own merits. The problem is that anybody who’s not a fan of a particular ‘type’ might easily overlook a film they’d otherwise wholly enjoy, just as critics might dismiss a movie simply because of its genre. This was perhaps never more obvious than with the furore following the 2009 Academy Awards when The Dark Knight was ignored for Best Picture on the grounds it was ‘just a superhero movie’ – a miscalculation now widely acknowledged as the reason the number of nominees has since been increased from five to ten. It’s therefore disappointing but unsurprising to find Moneyball being analogised to baseball staples like Bang The Drum Slowly and The Natural rather than critics simply asking: is it a good movie? That’s because the answer is a resounding “yes” – and it goes far beyond anything that might simply be termed a ‘baseball movie’. Instead, Moneyball is an exceptional movie that just happens to be about baseball. Adapted from the book Moneyball: the art of winning an unfair game, it tells the true story of the Oakland Athletics baseball team and its general manager Billy Beane. When Beane (Brad Pitt) realises his small team can never hope to match the enormous budgets of clubs like the New York Yankees ($41 million vs $125 million) he embarks upon a radical overhaul of the system that eschews more than 120 years of prevailing ‘baseball wisdom’. Assisted by a young Yale economics graduate named Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), Beane sets out to identify and recruit undervalued players in the market by way of a rigorous and objective statistical approach known as ‘sabermetrics’. It’s effectively ‘sport by spreadsheet’ and the approach sets forth a fascinating David and Goliath season that threatens to completely change Major League baseball forever. Directed by Bennett Miller (Capote) and co-written by Aaron Sorkin (pretty much everything), Moneyball is fundamentally a movie about the birth of an idea and the quixotic crusade of two men determined to see it through. The performances are excellent throughout, with Pitt and Hill ably supported by Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Robin Wright. The dialogue’s definitely heavy on jargon but not prohibitively so, and the story manages to achieve an excellent level of suspense regardless of whether you’re familiar with how the season played out in real life.
It's no secret that the last few years have seen the hospitality industry need make some swift changes to its modus operandi. Businesses had to adapt or run a very large risk of not making it through. Although this free fall-like state has surely been clear to all, Uber Eats has taken it a step further and surveyed hundreds of restaurant operators nationwide to co-produce Pulse Check: Restaurant Report 2022, a piece of analysis highlighting key areas of challenge and opportunity for the industry as it continues to manage the shockwaves brought upon by the pandemic. Interestingly, the data revealed a whopping 92% of restaurants remodelled their business in some way during lockdown. Of course, the industry took a lot of hits, but more than a few businesses have come out in better shape than they could've imagined. One such business is El Jannah, the widely loved — and continually expanding — charcoal chicken joint. Together with Uber Eats, we sat down to chat through the ins and outs of the hospitality industry with Brett Houldin, El Jannah's CEO. Our mission? To find out how he and his team work, what they focus on and why he thinks they've thrived during an obstacle-ridden time. Have a watch below, and read on for the low down. https://vimeo.com/756994014 AUTHENTICITY IS FRONT AND CENTRE Houldin puts authenticity front and centre — El Jannah does what it knows and does it well. (Some would even say it does it perfectly). Of course, some pivots were made — especially as orders via delivery services exploded — but the chicken aficionados held true to what customers love and expect in every visit, no reinvention in sight. How that was possible? Houldin reckons it's thanks to an unwillingness to compromise on "the food quality, the ingredients and the healthy attributes". THE EXPERIENCE Something else that relies on authenticity (and contributes greatly to a diner's experience) is an environment that's friendly and memorable. When expertly executed, this generates a deep loyalty in a customer base — an all too familiar situation where El Jannah's concerned. "[Our customers] treat it like an extension of their friends and family," Houldin shares. "They know people by name, they can tell you a lot about their last food occasion, their first experience. They want to tell their friends and family about what that looks like and how that felt. And I think that, in turn, brings a lot of people coming through." "CULT-LIKE BEHAVIOUR" What's certain is that El Jannah has created a dining experience (even when delivered to your home) that keeps people coming back. And without well-trained staff giving friendly, top-quality service, that probably wouldn't be achievable. "That cult-like behaviour is growing with us as we expand into more locations across Sydney and Melbourne," says Houldin. "That's what's made us stand out." All this chat put you in the mood for El Jannah chicken? Head to the website to find a location near you, or place your order via Uber Eats. Top image: Jarrad Shaw
For the past five years, gin lovers across the country have tripped over themselves to get their spirit-loving fingers on a bottle of Four Pillars' Bloody Shiraz Gin — and that's before they've even had a sip of alcohol. The limited edition shiraz-infused concoction really is that good, so we thought you'd like to know that the next batch goes on sale on Saturday, July 4. If you haven't come across the gin before, it's basically what it says on the label: gin infused with shiraz grapes. This gives the spirit a brilliant deep cerise colour and some sweet undertones (without a higher sugar content). That, along with its higher alcoholic content — 37.8 percent, compared to an average 25 percent in regular sloe gin — makes the Bloody Shiraz Gin a near-perfect specimen. It can be used to make a G&T or in cocktails where you'd usually use your regular gin, but, if you're feeling craft, the Four Pillars team suggests making a Bloody & Lemon (pour 45 millilitres of shiraz gin and 100 of lemon bitter or lemon tonic over ice and garnish with a wedge of ruby grapefruit) or a Bloody Spritz (pour 30 millilitres of shiraz gin and 30 of ruby grapefruit juice into a champagne flute and top with sparkling wine). Four Pillars created the game-changing gin back in 2015 when it came into a 250-kilogram load of shiraz grapes from the Yarra Valley. Experimenting, the Victorian distillers then steeped the grapes in their high-proof dry gin for eight weeks before pressing the fruit and blending it with the gin, and hoping like hell it would turn out well. It did. This year — after selling 50 percent of the company to beer behemoth Lion last March — Four Pillars has acquired more grapes from other Victorian wine regions to make more of the gin than ever before. The gin will go on sale on Saturday, July 4 at selected bottle shops, in the Four Pillars online store, at its Yarra Valley distillery and at the new Four Pillars Laboratory in Sydney (where the bar will also be serving it in cocktails). If you're lucky, you'll also be able to find it served at bars around the country. Godspeed. The 2020 Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin will go on sale around the country for on Saturday, July 4. Head to the Four Pillars website to buy a bottle.
Travel is at the top of nearly everyone's 'to-do' list, and we all know one of the best parts of travelling is food. Discovering new cuisines and flavours in another pocket of the world is among life's greatest pleasures and yet life itself can get in the way — not to mention the stresses of navigating the airport and seeing the credit card bill upon your return. Shangri-La, Sydney has the perfect solution that will take your taste buds to a world of spice and satisfaction without hopping on a flight. For eleven days this August, guest chefs from Shangri-La Hotel, Surabaya will be taking over the kitchen at Cafe Mix to serve up sensational Southeast Asian cuisine for a dining experience dubbed A Taste of Indonesia. For $65 on weekdays or $85 on weekends, you can indulge in a plethora of dishes, like a hearty beef rendang with hints of coconut and ayam goreng kalasan (a popular Indonesian fried chicken meal). Be sure to leave room for dessert: klepon (sweet rice balls with grated sugar), dadar gulung (pandan pancakes with sweet coconut filling) and other treats from chef Anna Polyviou. You can book a table for A Taste of Indonesia for lunch (12–2.30pm) or dinner (6–9.30pm) between August 16–26.
If there's a great Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie aching to be made, it's the one that Elizabeth Banks thinks she's in. Playing the villainous Rita Repulsa in the latest big-screen instalment of the franchise, she can barely contain her glee as she struts around the small Californian town of Angel Grove caressing faces, ripping out teeth, croaking lines about her love of gold and even devouring the shiny substance. If only the rest of the film enjoyed the same sense of fun. The '90s series didn't take much seriously – and how could it, when it featured overdubbed action footage from Japan's Super Sentai? Alas, the bulk of this reboot seems to have forgotten that. Admittedly, given that one of this new movie's first scenes involves a teenager chatting about pleasuring a bull, it initially seems that director Dean Israelite (Project Almanac) and screenwriter John Gatins (Kong: Skull Island) haven't ditched the goofiness entirely. Appearances can be deceiving, though. Just as a group of diverse high schoolers can turn out to be colour-coded superheroes, so too can a film that features a wise-cracking robot (voiced by Bill Hader), Krispy Kreme as the source of life on earth, and monsters fighting robot dinosaurs prove a bland addition to an all-too-familiar genre. Gritty origin stories — we've been there and done that over and over again. Adolescent angst, outcasts bonding in detention and kids learning that everything's better when they're part of a team — yep, we've seen that before too. That's what happens when troubled but charismatic quarterback Jason (Dacre Montgomery), "on the spectrum" nerd Billy (RJ Cyler), ostracised cheerleader Kimberly (Naomi Scott), show-off Zack (Ludi Lin) and perennial new girl Trini (Becky G.) cross paths at an abandoned mine, find glowing coins and acquire new superpowers. Thankfully, the former Ranger turned talking wall that is Zordon (Bryan Cranston) is on hand to fill them in on their mission to save the world from Rita, who has just been fished out of the ocean after 65 million years. Most of the movie is happy to watch the diverse new quintet hang out, talk about their problems, test out their skills and bond — because, if there's one thing that Hollywood loves more that zero to hero stories, it's setting the scene for future flicks. Even if it hadn't just been revealed that the producers have a six-film story arc ready and raring to go go, those intentions are evident from the outset. One day, making sure each movie is engaging on its own, rather than acting as filler for more to come, might become a priority again. Unfortunately, that's not the case here. Indeed, by the time the fighting rolls around, you could be forgiven for feeling like it's too little, too late. The final battle against Rita and her giant metallic minion Goldar offers a welcome albeit messily-shot burst of energy, as well as a glimpse of the type of tone the powers-that-be might want to adopt if five more flicks do come down the production line. It's just a shame you have to watch Power Rangers morph from The Breakfast Club to Chronicle to Fantastic Four to Transformers in order to get there. Still, at least it's better than 1995's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, which is only worth revisiting if you want to see the Rangers roam through Sydney.
First Nations artist and dancer Shana O'Brien brings her exhibition, Inner Landscapes, which tells stories of the land and our connection to it, to the Gosford Regional Gallery and Edogawa Commemorative Garden from Friday, May 24, to Monday, June 3. O'Brien uses her art to give insight into the lives of her ancestors. Her use of colours and shapes evokes her emotional journey. As a proud Darkinjung woman, O'Brien feels a particular connection to the area where this performance will take place. As a dancer and graduate of NAISDA College, Australia's premier performing arts institution specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, O'Brien has worked with some of New South Wales' best choreographers and artists. She's also performed with Sydney's famous Bangarra Dance Theatre and participated in the Banff Indigenous Dance Lab in Canada. Shana O'Brien brings a real artistic pedigree, so go to Gosford at the end of May and let her take you on a journey to the land and beyond. Top Image: Shana O'Brien, Inner Landscapes
UPDATE, December 2, 2020: Disobedience is available to stream via Netflix, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. There's a moment in every Sebastian Lelio film that cuts to the core of the writer-director's protagonists; that lets audiences peer into their hearts and souls. As seen in Gloria and A Fantastic Woman, it's usually a contemplative pause amidst a hectic frenzy — one heightened not only by the filmmaker's empathetic gaze, but by the stellar talent he's always pointing his lens towards. In Disobedience, this moment comes early. Photographer Ronit Krushka (Rachel Weisz) segues from busy days taking pictures to frantic nights finding comfort in bars, clearly masking her true feelings behind a carefully controlled facade. And so she sits for mere seconds, catching her breath, her eyes darting around as she looks towards the camera, and her hands ripping at her shirt with frustration and yearning. If Ronit is inwardly restless just going about her regular New York routine, then she's almost jumping out of her skin when she's called back to North London upon the death of her rabbi father. The Orthodox Jewish community she once belonged to is barely cordial, with the traditional greeting "may you have a long life" cutting like a weapon. But childhood friends Dovid (Alessandro Nivola) and Esti (Rachel McAdams), now married and still devout, welcome Ronit into their home, black sheep though she may be. Grief about her dad and guilt over their estrangement aren't the primary source of Ronit's distress, however. Nor is the rebellious, defiant reputation she's instantly given upon her homecoming. Rather, it's the torrid relationship that Ronit shared with Esti when they were teenagers — and the rekindled feelings sparked by her return. Adapted by Lelio and co-writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz (Ida) from Naomi Alderman's 2006 novel of the same name, Disobedience isn't a film about romance with religious tension layered on top, or one about religion with romance thrown in. Matters of affection and matters of theology are both involved, but characterising this complex, nuanced and soulful movie as one or the other does it a disservice. This is a story that recognises the many competing factors that shape a person's identity and choices, as well as the ongoing tussle between being true to oneself and meeting the expectations of others. Accordingly, desire, duty and faith intertwine in a picture that charts the influence each has had upon each member of its central love triangle. And make no mistake: while the film follows its two female protagonists as they try to follow their hearts amidst oppressive circumstances, Disobedience is a love triangle as much as it's a lesbian love story. The sensitivity Lelio brings to the forbidden romance is also applied to Dovid, a rabbi-in-training who embodies the fundamentalist principles blocking Ronit and Esti's bliss, yet proves just as torn about what's right. A lesser film would paint him as the villain, but that's the kind of easy depiction Disobedience shies away from at every turn. Although the movie delves into a cloistered world that's set in its ways and unwilling to change, nothing about its characters, their emotions or their struggles is anywhere near as straightforward or clear cut. There's a reason that Lelio favours shades of grey, visually, after all. Weisz, McAdams and Nivola are similarly multifaceted — so much so that, in the ultimate compliment to each actor, their respective characters feel as though they could walk right off the screen. The blend of steeliness and vulnerability Weisz brings to the bulk of her work courses through Ronit's veins, with the star also one of the movie's producers. Nivola plays Dovid as decent but conflicted, weathering every narrative beat with quiet poignancy. But it's McAdams who is in rarely-seen form. Earlier this year, she stole the show while showcasing her comedic chops in the vastly dissimilar Game Night. Now, she dons a kosher wig to lay bare the devastating pain of a woman torn between her head and her heart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnCLTbLKfv4
When a decent drink costs almost $20 and a restaurant main is at least $30, it might seem like $100 can't get you very far in Sydney. But we've set out to show you that you can still enjoy a night out without breaking the bank, thanks to Forage The Rocks. The Rocks is chock-full of lively bars, restaurants and pubs offering exciting deals throughout the month of August. From happy hour tipples to decadent dinners, these are the top venues around the historic precinct where you can take advantage of exclusive specials and discounts that happen even when Forage the Rocks isn't on. Consider your next group hang sorted. Pre-Dinner Aperitifs Start the night off right with happy hour at two of the most elegant venues in The Rocks. Enjoy a drink with views of Sydney Harbour at Bar Lulu, the upstairs bar of Asian fusion restaurant Luna Lu. Every Sunday to Thursday between 3–6pm, you can get a beer for only $10 or wine and cocktails for $15. If you're feeling peckish, check out Le Foote's daily happy hour from 5–6pm, which includes a martini, negroni or sbagliato (with prosecco in it, if you know, you know) for $12, a glass of wine for $7 and the signature fish sandwich for $15. Dinner Once you've whet your appetite, it's time for a hearty meal to accompany your drinks — and we've found two deals under $30. Opt to keep the winter chills at bay with a satisfying beef and Guinness pie at The Mercantile Hotel, which is paired with a pint of Guinness for just $25. Meat lovers should head to The Orient on Friday to tuck into a rump steak with chips and slaw for $26 — get in early, as they are only available until sold out. Wash it down with a cocktail at the pub's terrace bar, Mrs Jones, which will set you back only $15 during happy hour from 5–7pm on Mondays to Wednesdays. Dessert No night out is complete without a sweet treat, so we've compiled two options that come in at less than $20. For a hit of nostalgia and comfort, dig into stacks of fluffy buttermilk pancakes at Sydney establishment Pancakes on The Rocks. Go classic with the Lemon Meringue or Apple Crumble, or indulge in chocolate decadence with the Coco Berry, topped with coconut, cream, chocolate sauce and raspberry coulis. Each option is served with a generous helping of ice cream and costs $15.95. If you're after something more luxe, meander along Kendall Lane to reach Pony Dining. The modern Australian restaurant offers house-made truffles for $4 apiece, which you can pair with David Franz Botrytis semillon or Gundog Estate muscat for $12 a glass. Post-Dinner Drinks and Dancing Now that you're full and fed, it's time to keep the night going strong — and maybe even throw on your dancing shoes. Step back in time when you grab a drink at Sydney's oldest licensed pub. Dating back to 1828, The Fortune of War boasts beer on tap, glasses of wine starting from $9.80 and cocktails for $20, as well as live music from Wednesday–Sunday. Next door, you'll find The Fortune of War Lock Up, which is the venue's newly opened, more refined sibling, serving the same drinks and pub fare with table service in a refurbished police station from the 1800s. You can't go to The Rocks without soaking up a view of the harbour, and what better place to do it than with a cold one in hand on the rooftop of The Glenmore Hotel? The Rocks institution hosts DJs on Saturday night and acoustic sets on Sunday, with daily meal and drinks specials, trivia and live sports during the week. It's beats and bass until the early hours at The Argyle. The versatile venue has been a mainstay of Sydney's nightlife for over 15 years, housing six bars, a courtyard and a nightclub within its heritage digs. There's a $20 cover charge for headline DJs on Friday and an RnB club night on Saturday, or you can drop in during the week to avoid the entry fee. Find more ways to Forage the Rocks at the website. Top image: Kristoffer Paulsen
Florist Sarah Cowley of Haven and Sarah loves putting together beautiful bouquets of seasonal flowers. And with a selection of homewares and related products for sale in her shop as well, all your Mother's Day, engagement, and birthday gift needs are well looked after under Cowley's artistic eye. Since opening in 2014, Haven and Sarah's bright, cheerful displays have been decorating the street and calling in passersby. Whether you are lucky enough to live locally or are just passing through, it's worth picking up a bunch and taking a moment to browse the shelves stocked with gorgeous ceramics, candles and cushions.
A young British soldier gets separated from his regiment and has to make his way back to safe terrain amid the height of the Troubles in Belfast. That’s the basic set-up of war-time thriller '71, a film that epitomises the murkiness of the conflict that it depicts. Performance, character, cinematography and story are cloaked in an air of uncertainty and mistrust, with people on both sides of the camera keeping their cards held close to their chests. The result is a film that’s heavy on atmosphere but never quite comes together as a compelling whole. The movie begins with a squad of British soldiers being dispatched to the Northern Irish capital. Their assignment is to help quell growing unrest in the city, where clashes between Protestant loyalists, Catholic nationalist and various factions of the IRA have transformed entire neighbourhoods into war zones. The magnitude of the conflict is made clear on the platoon’s first mission, when a house search sparks a riot. In a hasty retreat, Private Gary Hook (Jack O’Connell) is accidentally left behind — trapped in dangerous territory and surrounded by people who want him dead. Director Yann Demange does great work establishing the look and feel of Belfast circa 1971. The empty grey streets leave you feeling queasy during daylight hours, and hum with danger at night. It’s a quality reminiscent of John Carpenter’s Escape from New York, a comparison driven home by David Holmes’ pounding score. Handheld camerawork further enforces the sense of immediacy, particularly during the film’s sudden, unflinching moments of brutal violence. Unfortunately, the docudrama approach comes at cost. O’Connell, recently seen in Unbroken, does a lot with very little dialogue, but ultimately we know almost nothing about his character. That goes double for the people hunting him, and triple for the double agents and soldiers trying to coordinate his rescue. For the most part, the ancillary characters — the reluctant young revolutionary, the unscrupulous spy — feel more like archetypes than they do real people. Screenwriter Gregory Burke hints at more complex plot machinations concerning people further up the food chain, but it never amounts to anything of substance. So the film fluctuates between gripping and strangely uninspiring — commanding your attention during certain key sequences, but leaving very little impression after the fact.
It's a film about searching for treasure, and it is indeed a treasure. La Chimera is also dreamy in its look and, while watching, makes its viewers feel as if they've been whisked into one. There's much that fantasies are made of in writer/director Alice Rohrwacher's fourth feature, which follows Corpo Celeste, The Wonders and Happy as Lazzaro — God's Own Country breakout and The Crown star Josh O'Connor leading the picture as a British archaeologist raiding tombs in 80s-era Italy chief among them. Thinking about Lara Croft, be it the game, or the Angelina Jolie (in 2001 and 2003 flicks)- or Alicia Vikander (2018's Tomb Raider)-led movies, is poking into the wrong patch of soil. Thinking instead about the way that life is built upon the dead again and again, and upon unearthed secrets as well, is part of what makes La Chimera gleam. Rohrwacher's latest, which also boasts her Happy as Lazzaro collaborator Carmela Covino as a collaborating writer — plus Marco Pettenello (Io vivo altrove!) — resembles an illusion not just because it's a rare mix of both magical-realist and neorealist in one, too (well, rare for most who aren't this director). In addition, this blend of romance and drama alongside tragedy and comedy sports its mirage-esque vibe thanks to being so welcomely easy to get lost in. As a snapshot of a tombaroli gang in Tuscany that pilfers from Etruscan crypts to try to get by, it's a feature to dig into. As an example of how poetic a film can be, it's one to soar with. The loose red thread that weaves throughout La Chimera's frames, intriguing folks within the movie, also embodies how viewers should react: we want to chase it and hold on forever, even as we know that, as the feature's 130 minutes tick by, the picture is destined to slip through our fingers. Wearing his crumpled linen suits and residing in his makeshift shack, O'Connor's Arthur knows what it's like to not be able to grasp tightly onto what you want. Just as the movie that he's in transports its audience four decades back, he's stuck in the past, obsessing over the missing Beniamina (Yile Yara Vianello, The Beautiful Summer). Stolen Italian artefacts are his trade, with friends to help with the excavations but his own divining methods (rod included) locating where an invisible X marks the spot. When he's not dowsing and delving, or offloading the loot he extracts to antiquities dealers who profit from and perpetuate the cycle of tombaroli thievery far more than Arthur and his pals, the mansion of Beniamina's mother Flora (Isabella Rossellini, Spaceman) is his frequent pilgrimage. It was equally true of The Wonders and Happy as Lazzaro: a movie by Rohrwacher, and with cinematographer Hélène Louvart (Disco Boy, The Lost Daughter, Never Rarely Sometimes Always) behind the lens, is a movie that looks ethereal and earthy at once. Shot on a mix of different film stocks (35-millimetre, 16-millimetre and Super16), La Chimera's imagery virtually floats, but it similarly sees the dirt and the grit. Arthur's journey couldn't better live and breathe that contrast as he illicitly uncovers riches in a marvellous setting, but not without the grime and the risk that goes with it. He also starts the feature freshly released from jail for his grave-robbing manner of making a living, then spends his time chasing more 2000-year-old pieces — pottery, statues and such — that mysterious broker Spartaco will pay for, as punctuated with chats with Flora and a burgeoning connection with her housekeeper Italia (Carol Duarte, Segunda Chamada). The language of archaeology, whether taking from the dead or studying history through its physical remains, is the language of discovering and seeking — and mine, disinter and pursue, Arthur does, including with his feelings and hopes. He pines for his lost love while burrowing down where valuables, secrets and lives gone by are kept; he's navigating his own Orpheus and Eurydice as well. He's haunted, plunging literally to where such torments spring from in humanity's eternal grappling with mortality, and also emotionally and psychologically into memories that gnaw as if they too are possessed. A mastery of symbolism is among Rohrwacher's many skills as a filmmaker; however, so is a command of effortlessly lingering in the realm, as La Chimera does, between the tangible and intangible. Here's another talent to her name: casting, especially with O'Connor standing in front of the camera. While Rossellini's involvement is a magnificent touch — only she can switch to marauding from warm, and back, so naturalistically and so quickly; also, the link with Italian cinema history that she brings via her director father Roberto Rossellini, the neorealist great, is so wonderfully apt — O'Connor is an exquisite choice as La Chimera's lead. Rumpled charm, lost-soul melancholy, drifting and yearning, a hold on his temper that's flimsier than a deal on the relics black market: as Arthur, he conveys or has them all. A picture as enigmatic as this needs someone at its centre that's able to both go with its flow and be grounded — and again, in a role that joins Mothering Sunday, Emma, Hope Gap and Challengers on his post-God's Own Country resume, that's O'Connor. As La Chimera proves evocative and expressive, and loose and playful, it takes its audience on an adventure so layered and distinctive that Rohrwacher could be the only one guiding it. Thoughtful and contemplative as her film also is, it has clear eyes to stare daggers at social inequality, and towards those who think that they can own the past. Forming a trilogy with The Wonders and Happy as Lazzaro — one about beekeepers, the other about sharecroppers, each fascinated with communities that are far from the everyday now, as with the tombaroli — La Chimera almost feels as if it has pulled off a heist itself, then. In ensuring that every single element of the movie works perfectly, this gem steals itself a place as an unforgettable piece of cinema; long may it keep being cherished.
Of course Tim Burton did a Dumbo remake. How could he not? For a director who's built his career around tales of misunderstood misfits, outcasts and oddities, an orphaned and absurd-looking circus elephant must've been all but irresistible. 'Edward Aero-Ears', if you will. And yet, this is more of a reimagining than a remake, melding modern themes of gender equality, animal welfare and anti-corporatisation with Burton's trademark touch of the macabre. The first notable difference between this version and the animated original from 1941 is its timeline, set now in post-war 1919. Burton certainly doesn't shy away from the bleak realities of the WWI era. His protagonist, Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell), is a traumatised veteran who's lost an arm to the War and a wife to influenza. Finding work scarce and his injury an added obstacle to employment, Holt rejoins the old circus where once he dazzled as a horseback entertainer, but now merely shovels elephant manure. It's there, though, where he and his children (Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins) discover Dumbo, the baby elephant with enormous ears, whose appearance sees him mocked by audiences and dismissed by the circus owner (Danny DeVito). In one of the film's more heartbreaking scenes (and there are few; this is definitely a tissues-at-the-ready situation), Dumbo's mother Jumbo is wrenched from her son and hauled away after she kills her torturous trainer and handler (a suitably loathsome Phil Zimmerman). It's not the only grim moment in the film, either. With his mother now gone, and amidst grief and despair, Dumbo's miraculous ability to fly becomes apparent, launching him into stardom and attracting the interests of an unscrupulous Walt Disney-esque theme park owner named V. A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton). From there, predictably, the circus's seemingly golden ticket reveals itself to be a far darker deal from which escape offers up all manner of perils. The live-action remake is Disney's new cash card (as if it needed one). Having already made bank with Beauty and the Beast, the studio is now poised to release both Aladdin and Mulan, followed later in the year by the Lion King, which will doubtless eclipse all manner of box office records. Where Disney has been successful so far is in melding human actors with their digital counterparts, and Dumbo, if you'll forgive the pun, soars in that respect. His enormous blue eyes and delicate expressions imbue him with almost more emotion than any of the actors given speaking parts, and when he flies so too does the film. Sadly, however, too much of the remainder feels entirely lacklustre, despite its exaggerated colourful palette. The characters, aside from DeVito and, to a lesser extent, Farrell, are woefully underwritten, while the performances are borderline pantomime. And in a movie named after him, not nearly enough focus is placed on Dumbo himself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocWpGdITSR4
Natasha Khan, aka Bat For Lashes, is a willowy enigma wrapped in feathers and furs. The musical world of the Brighton-based singer-songwriter is one of full moon's, fairytales and sparkling things, all composed with the kind of delicate intensity that inspires obsessive devotion from people sitting in their bedrooms wearing headphones around the world. Nominated for a collection of Brit Awards and Mercury Prizes, Bat For Lashes' reputation rests on two albums — Fur And Gold and Two Suns — a handful of cover-versions, including The Cure's 'A Forest' and Depeche Mode's 'Strangelove,' and 'Let's Get Lost', a collaboration with Beck, which is the one solitary thing that convinces me the Twilight franchise can't be as bad as all that. Although frequently likened to Kate Bush, Bjork and PJ Harvey, the similarities are drawn mostly because her powerful voice and echoing melodies mark her out as completely unique amongst other contemporary female artists. Which is why Bat For Lashes is one of the most highly anticipated acts set to perform during this year's Vivid Live Festival. Bringing with her a modest orchestral contingent to accompany her, and a whole lot of creative energy from the new album she's currently working on, you can count on Bat For Lashes to deliver the sort of magical performance to match the kaleidoscopic sails of the illuminated Opera House. https://youtube.com/watch?v=n1wnOUH2jk8
Before it was a ten-part Prime Video series, Daisy Jones & The Six was a book. And before Taylor Jenkins Reid's 2019 novel jumped back to the 70s rock scene, Fleetwood Mac lived through, stunned and shaped the era. No matter where or when an adaptation popped up, or who took to the microphone and guitar in it, bringing Daisy Jones & The Six to the screen was always going to involve leaning into Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, John McVie, Christine McVie and company's story. Reid has said that she took loose inspiration from the band; "it's a Fleetwood Mac vibe," she's also noted. Those parallels are as obvious as a killer lyric in Daisy Jones & The Six. Creators Scott Neustadter and Michael H Weber have a recent history of riffing on true and classic tales, too — their last two projects were The Disaster Artist, which they co-scripted based on Greg Sestero's memoir about making Tommy Wiseau's The Room; and Rosaline, a retelling of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet from the titular Romeo-spurned character's perspective. With directors James Ponsoldt (The End of the Tour), Nzingha Stewart (Inventing Anna) and Will Graham (A League of Their Own), the duo approach Daisy Jones & The Six exactly as that pedigree brings to mind: it's heightened, impressively cast, and well-versed in what it's tinkering with and recreating; it also isn't afraid of romance and tragedy, or of characters going all-in for what and who they're passionate about. On the page, this melodramatic tale of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll unspools as an oral history. On streaming, it's framed by two-decades-later documentary interviews where key figures — Daisy Jones (Riley Keough, Zola), members of The Six and other pivotal folks in their careers — share memories to-camera. The eponymous musicians burned bright but flamed out fast together, opening text on-screen informs the audience before anyone gets talking. A huge stadium gig at Chicago's Soldier Field late in 1977 was their last, coming at the height of their popularity after releasing hit Rumours-esque record Aurora. Viewers immediately know the ending, then, but not what leads to that fate. Introduced in the show's flashbacks as the ignored child of wealthy parents, Daisy couldn't be more obsessed with music. A childhood spent internalising her mother's cruel comments that she doesn't have the voice or talent to follow her dreams holds her back in Daisy Jones & The Six's first episode, however, even as she couldn't spend more time hopping between Sunset Strip's venues. Cue another piece of IRL rock history, of course, thanks to Keough's pitch-perfect casting. She doesn't play her part like she's playing Elvis Presley's granddaughter — aka herself — but she makes fantastic use of her rockstar genes, including in her energy, swagger, stare, volatile temperament, and all the ferocious singing that the American Honey, The Girlfriend Experience and The Lodge star does herself. Daisy Jones & The Six takes its time putting the two parts of its moniker together, but follows The Six's origins from the outset as well, when Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin, Book of Love) agrees to front his younger brother Graham's (Will Harrison, Madam Secretary) high-school band. The full group initially spans guitarist Eddie Roundtree (Josh Whitehouse, Valley Girl), drummer Warren Rojas (Sebastian Chacon, Emergency) and bassist Chuck Loving (Jack Romano, Mank). But when dental school and the security it represents beckons the latter, and British keyboardist Karen Sirko (Suki Waterhouse, The Broken Hearts Gallery) joins their number, there's still just five band members moving from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles to make a proper go of it after tour manager Rod Reyes (Timothy Olyphant, Amsterdam) tells them that's where the serious action is at. Aspiring photographer Camila (Camila Morrone, also a Valley Girl alum) is the sixth person with The Six; she's Eddie's crush but Billy's girlfriend, then his wife and the mother of his child. She's also one of the reasons that the love-hate pull he feels towards Daisy earns two oft-used words: it's complicated. As much as Daisy Jones & The Six is a portrait of a band and a snapshot of an era, it's firmly a love triangle, too. Does great art only spring from deep feelings? Does faking it till you make it apply to discovering your artistic groove with someone and selling a bond that'll sell albums? What's the difference between finding a soulmate and seeing your own reflection peering back in another's eyes, struggles and life? They're all queries the series ponders. Fleetwood Mac's tumultuous relationships and breakups are a matter of history, which no one needs to know when sitting down to Daisy Jones & The Six. As Keough twirls onstage, adores shawls and lengthy sleeves, glares pure determination and fire, and self-medicates heavily, though, consider this a condensed fictionalisation. The Buckingham to her Nicks is Claflin, obviously, as duelling lead singer-songwriters Daisy and Billy keep circling around each other from the moment that ace record producer Teddy Price (Tom Wright, True Story) puts them together. She's desperate to make it big and not just be her lyric-stealing ex-boyfriend's, or anyone's, muse, but seeks solace all day with pills and booze. He's sober and trying to get his band another shot after a tussle with drink and drugs derails their first tour, almost ruins his marriage and sees him miss his daughter's birth. No one needs to have seen Almost Famous, either, to know where Daisy Jones & The Six heads. Still, this quickly engrossing series engages in the moment like a catchy refrain. Spinning a familiar but nonetheless involving story of chasing dreams, fame's excesses and troubles, and learning whether someone is a mirror or a kindred spirit, it looks the part in every wardrobe choice — including the disco attire worn by Daisy's pal Simone Jackson (Nabiyah Be, Black Panther), who gets close to her own episode about trying to make it in an industry unwelcoming to Black and queer artists, and the embrace she finds in New York with DJ Bernie (Ayesha Harris, Abbott Elementary) instead. Daisy Jones & The Six's songs are earworms as well, whether the show is giving the suite of 70s-style tunes written by Phoebe Bridgers, Marcus Mumford, Jackson Browne and more a whirl, or dropping a soundtrack of other cuts that, yes, even features Fleetwood Mac. Check out the trailer for Daisy Jones & The Six below: Daisy Jones & The Six streams via Prime Video.
UPDATE, April 9, 2021: The Gentlemen is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, Google Play and YouTube Movies. When in doubt, they say to go back to your roots. Given that Guy Ritchie's last two films were Aladdin and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, it's fair to assume that doubt had squarely reared its head. As a director whose name alone evokes the sound of cockney rhyming slang and the image of grimy London back alleys, dancing bedazzled elephants were about as off-brand as it gets. So he goes back to his roots with The Gentlemen — and it's a warm and welcome return. Boasting an enviable cast, The Gentlemen is a Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch-style crime caper centred upon Mickey Pearson — a marijuana kingpin looking to exit the UK's drug trade at the height of his career. Played by Matthew McConaughey, Mickey is a charming but ruthless American expat whose fondness for the London lifestyle sees him decked out in tweed, cavorting with the aristocracy and taking tea whenever the opportunity calls for it. When word of his impending retirement begins to spread, however, its sets off a series of secret alliances and double-crosses that puts the entire deal at risk, as well as a number of lives. There's a lot to like about The Gentlemen, but the highlight is surely its unofficial narrator, Fletcher (a delightful turn by Hugh Grant). Fletcher is a seedy private detective who digs up dirt for the tabloids. Rather than dish said dirt on Mickey, he decides it would be more profitable to offer to lose it in exchange for a healthy payout. The film structures its story around Fletcher as he makes his case to Mickey's bodyguard and consigliere, Raymond (Charlie Hunnam) — which he does by laying out the details as if he's writing a screenplay. The meta nature of it all could've been right on the nose, but Ritchie pulls it off thanks in no small way to Grant's giddying and likeable performance. Where Ritchie rediscovers his mojo by returning to his roots, Grant does so by ditching, the foppish hair and awkward humility, and replacing it with homoerotic innuendo and sleazy hubris. He goes completely against form — it's a joy to behold. So too is Michelle Dockery as Mickey' wife, Rosalind. Every shred of her time on Downton Abbey is abandoned as she struts and swears her way through The Gentlemen like an Essex-based Lady Macbeth. By contrast, Colin Farrell plays one of the most understated characters of his career, but the result is just as compelling. Known simply as Coach, he trains local youths in boxing to help rehabilitate them from a life of crime. Sporting his real-life Irish accent and a selection of remarkable tracksuits, Farrell lights up his scenes with equal parts controlled menace and lyrical wordplay. Against such terrific supporting roles (Succession's Jeremy Strong also deserves mention for his amusing, albeit also cartoonish turn), the film's two leading men are far less memorable. That's not to say they don't deliver the goods — it's just that their goods are less sparkly. Hunnam doesn't quite nail the reserved tough guy routine, although he does land the film's best line. As for McConaughey, he forever feels like the odd man out, with his southern drawl at odds with the abundant cockney. Overall, The Gentlemen is fun, to put it in the simplest of terms. It's certainly not without its faults — the patchwork of styles, from action film to hip hop music video and everything in between is constantly jarring — but the general experience is an agreeable one. Like the scotch enthusiastically consumed by Fletcher throughout, The Gentlemen is a little rough at first, but smoother with every sip until you're silly drunk and smiling like a fool. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je22_P3Qm7U
The Pride opens with a good murder, and spends the rest of its running time waiting for the next. It plays out a cruel dining-room drama about failure, usurpation and suburban masculinity, wrapped in the absurd, animal tension that its actors are all in lion onesies. Lion Bruce (Brendan Ewing) is a murderer. And at the same time, clumsy, inadequate, unsuccessful and living in the suburbs. He seems to start the play by usurping a previous alpha male lion's place in the affections of fellow lion Linda (Adriane Daff). The two bounce around an '80s-era domestic kitchen, excited at their newfound domesticity and new, joint answering machine message. But his pride of place doesn't look like it will last for long. The play's miniature world of creepy domesticity and big-cat dynamics blur as a litter of cubs brings with it the prospect of Linda's sisters moving in for child-minding duties. Linda demands Bruce renovate the house. And he, in turn, constantly demurs from this blokey duty, in a show of both ineffectiveness and reluctance. Enter James (Russell Leonard), new lion in the neighbourhood. He sees himself at first as the enthusiastic new apprentice to this elder lion. But Bruce seems to know what happens with old male lions, and feels more and more threatened as the play rolls on and he himself begins to age. James is merely needy, but Linda's disappointment feeds Bruce's resentment of the new interloper. Despite their posturing and enthusiasm, none of these lions are particularly cool. Social climbers at best — the 'pride'; in the title isn't about collective nouns — each draws a sense of importance from the others to try to fit in their lion world. These are dork lions, obsessed with consumer products, like clap-on light fittings. And what starts as a dorky comedy gets its sense of foreboding from its lion suits and the constant tension around when their animal instincts will re-emerge. As you wait, director Zoe Pepper seems to favour the identities the characters project a bit more than what they're feeling, while Nathan Nisbet's sound and Lucy Birkinshaw's lighting sit neatly with the production in simple yet effective understatement. Esther Sandler has also created some appropriately expressive onesies. In fact, what would be a darker play is by turns sad or funny because: lions. But, given this story's darker theme, with its protagonists' posturing and suffering played more for comedy than for sympathy, it would have been great to get to more murder in a little earlier in the evening. Photo by Skye Sobejko. https://youtube.com/watch?v=1zbvgR2H5Y0
It's been five years since Robert Rodriguez turned in Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, and a full decade since James Cameron directed Avatar. Now, though, they've teamed up to create Alita: Battle Angel, a $200+ million sci-fi blockbuster based on Yukito Kishiro's iconic 90s cyberpunk manga of the same name. Set-up wise, it's a very familiar tale. We're deep into the future (2563, to be exact), and the world continues to reel from The Fall, aka the war to end all wars. Earth's remaining cities are massively overcrowded slums resembling the favelas of modern-day Sao Paulo, whilst high above them floats Zalem — the luxurious haven for the super wealthy and elite. In that sense, Alita is alota like 2013's Elysium and the recent Netflix series Altered Carbon, although for a refreshing change the inhabitants of the lower city aren't presented as weary, ravenous scum fighting one another for every last consumable. There's even a blue sky, regular sunlight, fresh fruit and delicious chocolate. Sure, there are the usual scavengers and rogues of various forms, but for the most part the community is exactly that — a harmonious, multicultural confederacy of peoples just trying to eek out a new life for themselves in the post-Fall world. The hero, too, enters the story with a very familiar backstory. Alita, a damaged cyborg rescued from the trash piles of Zalem, has no memory of her past. When push comes to literal shove, however, she discovers she's possessed of extraordinary martial arts abilities and highly lethal tendencies. In other words, Jason Bourne with robot limbs. Very quickly, Alita's childlike naivety gives way to a revenge-fuelled blood lust as she seeks out those who would do her (and her loved ones) harm. Gradually, too, the memories of her previous life (and mission) begin to resurface, setting her upon a seemingly-inevitable path towards Nova, the mysterious entity pulling all the strings from high above in Zalem. Portrayed by a digitally-enhanced Rosa Salazar, Alita is literally a wide-eyed wonder to behold. The special effects wizadry of Cameron's team has rendered her believable enough to not be distracting, yet different enough to do justice to the story's sci-fi legacy. Indeed, the majority of the film's characters carry some form of technological enhancement, ranging from simple mechanical arms to fully-fledged mech suits, most notably those 'worn' by the cyborg assassin Grewishka (a terrific Jackie Earle Haley). The myriad enhancements are gleefully displayed by Rodriguez during several scenes of motorball, a violent and frenetic sport that feels like the bastard offspring of NASCAR, Quidditch and roller derby. Basically, picture Mario Kart, but instead of spinning your opponent out with a banana, you rip their face off with a chainsaw. In supporting roles, Christoph Waltz delivers the best and most nuanced performance as Ido, the kindly surgeon who discovers, repairs and cares for Alita. Less convincing are Jennifer Connelly as Chiren, Ido's ex-wife, and Mahershala Ali as Vector, the kingpin of motorball. Keean Johnson, who'd comfortably double for a young Colin Farrell, plays the part of Alita's would-be love interest Hugo, however their dialogue (and indeed almost all of the film's dialogue) feels punishingly awkward and unnatural. Only Ido and Alita achieve a believably tender relationship, helped by the fact that they also have the film's only fleshed out backstories. Lack of originality notwithstanding, Alita: Battle Angel still delivers an engaging experience thanks to Rodriguez's nimble and full-throttle direction. The film's fight scenes are its strongest asset, with Alita's balletic combat offering the perfect counterpoint to her opponents' brute force. She's a terrific heroine to get behind — surefooted in her abilities, noble in her intentions and charming in her wisecracking. Whilst a sequel hasn't been confirmed, the film's ending all but demands one, and with a little more work on the scripting front, it could easily deliver a white-knuckled gangbuster of a sci-fi franchise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7pYhpJaJW8
When King Richard III was killed in battle in the 15th century, did anyone wonder about a public holiday? Given the era and its working conditions, likely not. There's also the hardly minor fact that the monarch was slain by the forces of Henry Tudor, who promptly became England's ruler, so downing tools for a day of mourning probably wasn't a priority. The world has a frame of reference for grieving a British sovereign, though, and recently. When Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022, pomp and ceremony reigned supreme. Dramatising the discovery of Richard III's remains, The Lost King wasn't made with the queen's passing in mind. Actually, it world-premiered a day afterwards. But the Stephen Frears (Victoria & Abdul)-directed, Steve Coogan- and Jeff Pope (Philomena)-scripted drama benefits from audiences knowing what's done now when whoever wears the crown is farewelled. The Lost King isn't about chasing a parade, pageantry, and a day off work for the masses in Britain and further afield. Charting the true tale of Richard III's location and exhumation 527 years after he breathed his last breath, it follows a quest for recognition and respect. When the film opens, Philippa Langley (Sally Hawkins, The Phantom of the Open) wants it for herself, as a woman over 40 overlooked for a promotion at work in favour of a younger, less-experienced colleague — and as someone with a medical condition, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, who's too easily dismissed due to her health. She's also newly separated from her husband John (Coogan, This Time with Alan Partridge), adding to her unappreciated feelings. It's no wonder that Richard III's plight catches her interest thanks to a production of Shakespeare's Richard III, aka one of the reasons that the king was long seen as a hunchbacked villain. Swiftly an amateur historian, Philippa objects to the characterisation of the last Plantagenet sovereign as monstrous, a usurper and a murderer, and the connection between this dim standing in the annals of history and being a person with a purported disability. As she researches via piles of books, zoom chats and the Richard III Society, aka the Ricardians, she questions what's fact and fiction — not just due to Shakespeare, but also Tudor propaganda from five centuries earlier. Arguing the case, including with dismissive academics, is one thing; however, taking on the search to find the monarch's long-lost skeleton is another. It's a two birds, one stone situation in The Lost King's neat screenplay: restore the denigrated ruler's reputation and put his remnants to rest, and show Philippa's own naysayers — or even just herself — what she can achieve. Yes, she follows a hunch. Yes, there's an obligatory gag about it British cinema loves an everyperson taking on the establishment, and underdogs in general. The past two years have also delivered The Dig and The Duke, after all. The first chronicled another extraordinary find by someone not deemed an expert, and the second delighted in its working-class protagonist's antics with Goya's Portrait of the Duke of Wellington — and, in a case of tonal seesawing, The Lost King recalls both. There's clearly a fascinating IRL story behind this flick, which ripples with intrigue whether or not you already know the details (or you've merely seen the trailer, which spells everything out). There's also a tussle between positioning the film as a bit of a caper and something more serious. Having Philippa see Richard III (Harry Lloyd, Brave New World) — being haunted by the play's version of him and talking to him, in fact — wavers between the two moods depending on the scene. Buried within The Lost King is a sense that Frears, Coogan and Pope — who all collaborated on Philomena, too — aren't always sure how they want the movie to land with audiences. They're patently keen for it to inspire rousing support for everyone who's ever been downplayed, cast aside or ignored, including for their gender and health. They're eager for the same emotions to spark up for anyone ever saddled with a pre-judged narrative about themselves that isn't accurate, as both Richard III and Philippa are, as well. And yet, there's also an air of not quite trusting that the true tale being relayed innately evokes those responses. It does, so everything feels simplified and smoothed out here, given too many quirks and rendered a tad cartoonish. Also noticeable: using the contemptuous academics as easy adversaries, perhaps as conveniently as Shakespeare is said to have demonised Richard III. Getting angry at seeing Philippa pushed aside and underestimated again and again is easy, but so is spotting how The Lost King itself is constructing its story. Thankfully, Frears does trust in Hawkins, the feature's MVP alongside its real-life details (and an on-screen treasure in everything from Happy-Go-Lucky and Submarine to The Shape of Water and the Paddington movies). The two-time Oscar-nominee serves up a winning, earnest and relatable blend of vulnerability, warmth, curiosity and determination, plus the kind of persistence that arises when someone has spent too long being forced to fight just to be seen, let alone valued. Indeed, even when The Lost King is at its slickest and most straightforward — or when it inexplicably focuses on whether John will get a new car — she's its anchor and heart. With Philomena in 2013, The Lost King's key creative trio also unearthed the past. As they do now, they similarly told of addressing secrets and redressing wrongs. And, they centred on a mature woman, enlisted a phenomenal leading lady to play the part, gave Coogan a prime role and set it all to an emphatic Alexandre Desplat (Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio) score. There's no doubting why their latest collaboration has a formulaic feel to it, then, despite the intriguing slice of history it brings to the screen. No one needs the type of intuition that guided Philippa to the Adult Social Services department's car park in Leicester, to a space marked 'R' for reserved, to spy those parallels. No one needs as much force and fantasy as The Lost King deploys, either, to understand that this is a rare and meaningful tale that's told with all the subtlety of the world's latest royal goodbye — so, very little. Richard III and Queen Elizabeth II's deaths mightn't have much in common but, via this still engaging-enough film, they do share that.
Western Sydney could use a love letter right now, and that tribute arrives in Here Out West. The product of eight up-and-coming screenwriters from the area, it celebrates a place that has spent much of the past year garnering attention for a reason no one wanted: thanks to the tighter rules applied to the region during Sydney's four-month stretch of stay-at-home conditions in 2021, it was home to New South Wales' strictest lockdown of the pandemic to-date. Thankfully, COVID-19 isn't this movie's focus. Instead, as told in nine languages — Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, Kurdish, Tagalog, Turkish, Vietnamese, Spanish and English — and helmed by five female filmmakers, Here Out West dwells in everyday lives. It champions by seeing and recognising, and by trumpeting voices that have always been there but are infrequently given a microphone. Of course, as thoughtful and meaningful as Here Out West is — and as welcome a move it makes with sincere multicultural representation in Australia — it really shouldn't stand out as much as it does. There shouldn't have needed to be a concerted effort to champion western Sydney voices to make a film like this. It shouldn't grab attention as a rarity, either, and it shouldn't feel so timely because of the events of the last 12 months. Here Out West does all of these things because it's an outlier in Australia's homegrown filmic output, but it also clearly makes a case that's already apparent and inherent anyway: that presenting more than just the stereotypical image of Australia, and opting for a genuine picture of the country as it actually is instead, should always be the baseline and status quo. Opening shots of suburban houses and looping highways set the scene: viewers aren't journeying to an Aussie beach or the nation's parched outback expanse, aka two of the prevailing visions of this sunburnt, sea-girt continent on-screen. Rather, Here Out West unfurls its octet of intertwined vignettes in spaces far more ordinary — not to downplay the importance of surveying western Sydney, but to clearly note that these are its daily playgrounds. It's here that mothers have babies, neighbours look after the kids next door, grandmothers worry about their grandchildren, dads struggle to connect with their sons, and sport and food are among the ways that people come together. It's here that adults bicker among themselves over love, and with their parents about their futures. It's where lives begin and end, and where folks with dreams both big and modest also try to start anew. And yes, all of these scenarios are covered by the film's narrative. Initially, Here Out West spends time with Nancy (Geneviève Lemon, The Tourist), who takes care of her eight-year-old neighbour Amirah (debutant Mia-Lore Bayeh), but wasn't actually planning to help out today. She has a newborn granddaughter to meet — one that the authorities are planning to take away, so Nancy makes a drastic decision that'll ripple throughout the community across the movie's one-day timeframe. In the film's second segment, hospital carpark security guard Jorge (fellow first-timer Christian Ravello) is brought into the wider story, and also gets a snapshot chapter of his own. His instalment then intersects with friends Rashid (Rahel Romahn, Moon Rock for Monday), Dino (Thuso Lekwape, Book Week) and Robi (Arka Das, Babyteeth), who run through the streets arguing about Rashid's cousin. Next, their section links in with Ashmita (Leah Vandenberg, The Hunting) and her dying Bengali-speaking father back at the local hospital. Returning to specific spots comes with territory, because it comes with living anywhere; paths cross, people are drawn to the same busy and central locations, and some facilities — such as Here Out West's pivotal hospital — are always a hive of activity in any community. That truth continues to drive the film as it meets Kurdish refugees Keko (De Lovan Zandy) and Xoxe (Befrin Axtjärn Jackson), who are hoping to make a new beginning that still involves his penchant for music and her skills hand-weaving carpets, before jumping to Tuan (Khoi Trinh) and his brother Andy (Brandon Nguyen), who possess varying ideas about what it means to be Vietnamese Australian. Then comes a glimpse at nurse Roxanne's (Christine Milo, It's a Cult!) day as she works a double shift and misses her family in The Philippines. And, there's also Winnie (Gabrielle Chan, Hungry Ghosts) and Angel (Jing-Xuan Chan, Neighbours) as the mother and daughter close their Chinese restaurant for the last time. The common threads linking Here Out West's chapters are the ties that bind everyone: family, place and hope. But writers Nisrine Amine, Das (who acts as well as pens his section of the film), Bina Bhattacharya, Matias Bolla, Claire Cao, Dee Dogan, Vonne Patiag and Tien Tran find their own takes on the movie's common elements, sometimes by drawing from experience — and, unsurprisingly, the feature frequently feels personal. That sensation connects each of the picture's segments, too, with every section peering intimately at western Sydney residents, their lives and their emotions, and showing both the specific and the universal in the process. That isn't a revolutionary overall approach, and has long made so many stories strike a chord on pages, stages and screens, but the way that Here Out West uses such sparks of recognition is equally astute and moving. As directed by feature first-timers Fadia Abboud, Lucy Gaffy and Julie Kalceff, as well as the more seasoned Ana Kokkinos (Blessed) and Leah Purcell (The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson), Here Out West also charts a route that most anthologies do — because not every part matches the last or next. Each of its eight vignettes bring engaging people to the screen, and function as perceptively drawn character studies, but there's more to some than others. That's as fitting as the movie's naturalistically shot look, however, because that too reflects the reality that Here Out West so determinedly channels. Some tales are slight, others are immense and plenty sit in-between, but in this powerful, authentic, diversity-celebrating ode to western Sydney, they're all worth telling and sharing.
Vivid is back in town for 2023 and the lineup couldn't get much bigger. From the festival's first dedicated program of food events to a massive live music contingent across venues the Sydney Opera House, Carriageworks and The Abercrombie, the 23-day festival is filling Sydney with a massive array of events from Friday, May 26–Sunday, June 17. The headline happenings include a two-week residency from New York chef Daniel Humm at Matt Moran's Aria, a live chat between The White Lotus' Mike White and Jennifer Coolidge and Devonté Hynes (also known as Blood Orange) performing selected classical works with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra — but these will set you back a pretty penny. While everyone's feeling the pinch of inflation, we've compiled a list of the best free and affordable things you can catch at this year's festival. Here are our picks for the 14 best things to do at Vivid 2023 for under $50. Top image: Daniel Boud.
Don't let anyone ever tell you that audiences aren't fond of kick-ass women doing spectacular things. And, if someone ever dares to try, refer them to the two biggest phenomenons in Australia right now: Barbie and the Matildas. In cinemas, the former has been busting records both locally and worldwide. On TV, the national women's soccer team has been making history, too. The latter has also being doing the same on the field, as everyone knows — because we've all been watching the Sam Kerr-led team, helping their 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup matches kill it in the ratings. When Australia played France on Saturday, August 12, Australia's eyeballs followed every move from the first whistle through to the 7–6 penalty shootout in the Matildas' favour. How many eyeballs? Every single one belonging to more than 7.2-million people according to the Seven Network's ratings data. The Matildas' Women's World Cup games are available to watch via the Seven Network and 7plus, and also Optus Sport, so exact figures get a bit tricky — and also OzTAM, which captures broadcast audience numbers, doesn't factor in folks watching in pubs, clubs, sports venues, at AFL grounds before Aussie rules matches and at other out-of-home venues. Plus, at the time of writing, OzTAM hasn't yet covered the game's 30 minutes of extra time or penalty kicks, thanks to the nil-all draw when regulation time was up. Still, Seven has made an educated estimation, starting with the fact that an average of 4.17-million people watched the match either via its free-to-air station or its streaming service. Thanks to the latter, the network also advises that the game was the country's biggest streaming event ever. View this post on Instagram A post shared by CommBank Matildas (@matildas) To put the Matildas' TV feat in context, 2022's AFL and NRL grand finals didn't hit the 4.17-million figure — or come close. Last years' AFL numbers? 3.06-million viewers nationally. Unsurprisingly, as the ABC reports, Australia's quarter-final defeat of France enjoyed the biggest TV audience of the year. The Guardian notes that it was likely the biggest audience since Cathy Freeman's iconic 400-metre race at the 2000 Olympics. All up, Seven advises that its coverage of the Women's World Cup so far has reached 11.9-million broadcast viewers, then another 2.3-million folks via 7plus — all while the bulk of the tournament's games, especially those that don't feature the Matildas, are only on Optus Sports. How many people will watch the Australia v England game at 8pm on Wednesday, August 16? We're a competitive nation — surely we want to not only beat the Lionesses, but smash the France match's ratings as well. The Matildas' 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup games are available to watch via the Seven Network and 7plus, and also Optus Sport — with select other games also on Seven, and the entire tournament streaming via Optus Sport. The FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 runs from Thursday, July 20–Sunday, August 20 across Australia and New Zealand, with tickets available from the FIFA website. Top image: Liondartois via Wikimedia Commons.
Something delightful is happening in cinemas across the country. After months spent empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Australian picture palaces are starting to reopen — spanning both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney and Brisbane (and, until the newly reinstated stay-at-home orders, Melbourne as well). During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made over the past three months, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLV63nrXYSY&feature=youtu.be DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: A LIFE ON OUR PLANET Since the early 1950s, David Attenborough's stunningly shot documentaries have been awash with revelatory sights and detailed insights from the natural world, sharing the kind of wonders that eager audiences would be unlikely to see or discover themselves otherwise. Seven decades later, after becoming a constant, respected and beloved presence in the field, the now 94-year-old's passionate and vibrant work has earned its place in history several times over — but it might also become a record of a world, and of natural history, that's lost due to climate change. With this in mind, and to motivate a response to combat both global warming and the catastrophic loss of biodiversity blighting the environment, the great broadcaster presents David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet. On offer: an urgent and far-ranging exploration of how our pale blue dot evolved to its current state, what might be in store if we continue down this path, and how and why things could and should change. Determined in his tone, the veteran natural historian calls the documentary his witness statement several times within its frames, and it's as powerful and devastating as intended. Bookended by scenes in Chernobyl that are initially designed to illustrate what can happen ecologically when bad planning and human error combine — a situation that, Attenborough posits, applies to climate change as well — A Life On Our Planet is both broad and intricate, and personal and political too. Cycling through the earth's life to-date to provide a snapshot of the planet's predicament, it delivers a comprehensive overview, a raft of telling facts and figures, and a plethora of reflections from its central figure. It also features the now-requisite array of eye-catching footage that Attenborough's hefty body of work has long become known for, served up here to not only revel in its glory and showcase his exceptional career, but to demonstrate what's fading away due to humanity's impact upon the globe. Accordingly, it's impossible not to be moved by the film. If viewers won't listen to Attenborough on this topic, and as he explains what he's seen and where he sees things heading, then they probably won't listen to anyone. In the documentary's latter third, A Life On Our Planet follows in the footsteps of Australian doco 2040, too, by pondering how the world might adapt for the better — and again, if that doesn't motivate action, what will? David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet opens in Australian cinemas on Monday, September 28, with a chat between David Attenborough and Michael Palin screening with the film. The documentary only hits Netflix on Sunday, October 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAxtH_xwlnM THE HIGH NOTE With 2019's Late Night, filmmaker Nisha Ganatra stepped inside the world of television, contrasting the journeys of a hardworking woman just starting out and a celebrated but stern female veteran of the field who is unsure of what she wants for the future. Switch the setup to the music business, then swap Mindy Kaling's smart Late Night screenplay for a thoroughly by-the-numbers affair by first-timer Flora Greeson, and The High Note is the end result. In this overtly formulaic feature, lifelong music buff Maggie Sherwoode (Dakota Johnson) is a committed and overworked personal assistant to 11-time Grammy-winning R&B superstar Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross). She's also an aspiring producer who's working on a record with up-and-coming musician, David Cliff (Kelvin Harrison Jr), on the side. Maggie toils away at a demanding gig, albeit for a legend, but clearly dreams of more than merely ferrying her idol around town, picking up her dry cleaning and administering enemas on tour. With Grace's latest string of shows wrapping up, a live greatest hits album in the works and no new music released for some time, the singer herself also wants something different; however long-time manager Jack (Ice Cube) is trying to push Grace towards the easy money of a ten-year Las Vegas residency. There's much that's likeable here, including the soundtrack and the cast. The former spans both new tracks and vintage hits (including an appealing singalong to TLC's 'No Scrubs', and Harrison Jr crooning 1957 classic 'You Send Me' by the king of soul Sam Cooke), while the latter is The High Note's best asset. If only the impressive roster of on-screen talent were working with better material. As well as hitting every obvious note and delivering an awful (and predictable) soap opera-esque twist late in the game, The High Note lacks the resonant commentary that made Late Night as clever and savvy as it was amusing and affecting. The fact that it isn't easy being a woman in music isn't ignored here, but it's pointed out via generic lines of dialogue that simply sound like throwaway soundbites. The reality that both ageism and racism blight the industry too, and that a hugely successful Black woman over 40 still gets ignored by those calling the shots, receives the same cursory treatment. Indeed, The High Note is more content to keep any statements as superficial and easy as a disposable pop song, and to serve up as standard a feel-good fairy tale about chasing one's dreams as an algorithm would probably spit out. Read our full review. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas, check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23 and July 30; August 6, August 13, August 20 and August 27; and September 3, September 10 and September 17. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Personal History of David Copperfield, Waves, The King of Staten Island, Babyteeth, Deerskin, Peninsula, Tenet, Les Misérables, The New Mutants, Bill & Ted Face the Music, The Translators and An American Pickle.
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. ELVIS Making a biopic about the king of rock 'n' roll, trust Baz Luhrmann to take his subject's words to heart: a little less conversation, a little more action. The Australian filmmaker's Elvis, his first feature since 2013's The Great Gatsby, isn't short on chatter. It's even narrated by Tom Hanks (Finch) as Colonel Tom Parker, the carnival barker who thrust Presley to fame (and, as Luhrmann likes to say, the man who was never a Colonel, never a Tom and never a Parker). But this chronology of an icon's life is at its best when it's showing rather than telling. That's when it sparkles brighter than a rhinestone on all-white attire, and gleams with more shine than all the lights in Las Vegas. That's when Elvis is electrifying, due to its treasure trove of recreated concert scenes — where Austin Butler (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) slides into Presley's blue suede shoes and lifetime's supply of jumpsuits like he's the man himself. Butler is that hypnotic as Presley. Elvis is his biggest role to-date after starting out on Hannah Montana, sliding through other TV shows including Sex and the City prequel The Carrie Diaries, and also featuring in Yoga Hosers and The Dead Don't Die — and he's exceptional. Thanks to his blistering on-stage performance, shaken hips and all, the movie's gig sequences feel like Elvis hasn't ever left the building. Close your eyes and you'll think you were listening to the real thing. (In some cases, you are: the film's songs span Butler's vocals, Presley's and sometimes a mix of both). And yet it's how the concert footage looks, feels, lives, breathes, and places viewers in those excited and seduced crowds that's Elvis' true gem. It's meant to make movie-goers understand what it was like to be there, and why Presley became such a sensation. Aided by dazzling cinematography, editing and just all-round visual choreography, these parts of the picture — of which there's many, understandably — leave audiences as all shook up as a 1950s teenager or 1970s Vegas visitor. Around such glorious centrepieces, Luhrmann constructs exactly the kind of Elvis extravaganza he was bound to. His film is big. It's bold. It's OTT. It's sprawling at two-and-a-half hours in length. It shimmers and swirls. It boasts flawless costume and production design by Catherine Martin, as his work does. It shows again that Luhrmann typically matches his now-instantly recognisable extroverted flair with his chosen subject (Australia aside). Balancing the writer/director's own style with the legend he's surveying can't have been easy, though, and it doesn't completely play out as slickly as Presley's greased-back pompadour. Elvis is never anything but engrossing, and it's a sight to behold. The one key element that doesn't gel as convincingly: using the scheming Parker as a narrator (unreliable, obviously) and framing device. It helps the movie unpack the smiling-but-cunning manager's outré role in Presley's life, but it's often just forceful, although so was Parker's presence in the star's career. In a script by Luhrmann, Sam Bromell (The Get Down), Craig Pearce (Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby) and Jeremy Doner (TV's The Killing), the requisite details are covered. That includes the singer's birth in Tupelo, Mississippi, and extends through to his late-career Vegas residency — with plenty in the middle. His discovery by Parker, the impact upon his parents (Rake co-stars Helen Thomson and Richard Roxburgh), his relationship with Priscilla (Olivia DeJonge, The Staircase), Graceland, America's puritanical reaction to his gyrating pelvis, the issues of race baked into the response to him as an artist: they're all featured. Thematically, those last two points thrum throughout the entire movie. Elvis questions why any hint of sex was such a shock, and why it was so easy for a white man who drew his songs, style and dance moves from Black culture, via his upbringing, to be dubbed a scandal. Read our full review. NUDE TUESDAY 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. Read our full review. LOST ILLUSIONS Stop us when Lost Illusions no longer sounds familiar. You won't; it won't, either. Stop us when its 19th century-set and -penned narrative no longer feels so relevant to life today that you can easily spot parts of it all around you. Again, that won't happen. When the handsome and involving French drama begins, its protagonist knows what he wants to do with his days, and also who he loves. Quickly, however, he learns that taking a big leap doesn't always pan out if you don't hail from wealth. He makes another jump anyway, out of necessity. He gives a new line of work a try, finds new friends and gets immersed in a different world. Alas, appearances just keep meaning everything in his job, and in society in general. Indeed, rare is the person who doesn't get swept up, who dares to swim against the flow, or who realises they might be sinking rather than floating. The person weathering all of the above is Lucien Chardon (Benjamin Voisin, Summer of 85), who'd prefer to be known as Lucien de Rubempré — his mother's aristocratic maiden name. It's 1821, and he's a poet and printer's assistant in the province of Angoulême when the film begins. He's also having an affair with married socialite Louise de Bargeton (Cécile de France, The French Dispatch), following her to Paris, but their bliss is soon shattered. That's why he gives journalism a try after meeting the equally ambitious Etienne Lousteau (Vincent Lacoste, Irma Vep), then taking up the offer of a tabloid gig after failing to get his poetry published. Lucien climbs up the ranks quickly, both in the scathing newspaper business — where literary criticism is literally cash for comment — and in the right Parisian circles. But even when he doesn't realise it, his new life weighs him down heavily. Lost Illusions spins a giddy tale, but not a happy one. It can't do the latter; exactly why is right there in the title. As a film, it unfurls as a ravishing and intoxicating drama that's deeply funny, moving and astute — one that's clearly the product of very particular set of skills. No, Liam Neeson's recent on-screen resume doesn't factor into it, not for a second. Instead, it takes an immensely special talent to spin a story like this, where every moment is so perceptive and each piece of minutiae echoes so resoundingly. The prowess behind this seven-time César Award-winner belongs to three people: acclaimed novelist Honoré de Balzac, who wrote the three-part Illusions perdues almost 200 years ago; filmmaker Xavier Giannoli (Marguerite), who so entrancingly adapts and directs; and Jacques Fieschi (Lovers), who co-scripts with the latter. There's more to Lucien's story — pages upon pages more, where his tale began; 149 minutes in total, as his ups and downs now play out on the screen. When Louise decides that he doesn't fit in, with help from the scheming Marquise d'Espard (Jeanne Balibar, Memoria), spite rains his way. When Etienne introduces him to the realities of the media at the era, and with relish, he's brought into a dizzying whirlwind of corruption, arrogance, fame, power, money and influence. When Lucien starts buying into everything he's sold about the whys and hows of his new profession, and the spoils that come with it, Lost Illusions couldn't be more of a cautionary tale. Everything has a price: the glowing words he gleefully types, the nasty takedowns of other people's rivals and the entire act of spending his days doing such bidding for the highest fee. Read our full review. MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU What's yellow, round, inescapably silly and also just flat-out inescapable? Since 2010, when the first Despicable Me film reached screens, Minions have been the answer. The golden-hued, nonsense-babbling critters were designed as the ultimate sidekicks. They've remained henchman to malevolent figures in all five of their movie outings so far, and in the 15 shorts that've also kept telling their tale. But, as much as super-villain Gru (Steve Carrell, Space Force) would disagree — he'd be immensely insulted at the idea, in fact — Minions have long been the true drawcards. Children haven't been spotted carrying around and obsessing over Gru toys in the same number. The saga's key evil-doer doesn't have people spouting the same gibberish, either. And his likeness hasn't become as ubiquitous as Santa, although Minions aren't considered a gift by everyone. At their best, these lemon-coloured creatures are today's equivalent of slapstick silent film stars. At their worst, they're calculatingly cute vehicles for selling merchandise and movie tickets. In Minions: The Rise of Gru, Kevin, Stuart, Bob, Otto and company (all voiced by Pierre Coffin, also the director of the three Despicable Me features so far, as well as the first Minions) fall somewhere in the middle. Their Minion mayhem is the most entertaining and well-developed part of the flick, but it's also pushed to the side. There's a reason that this isn't just called Minions 2 — and another that it hasn't been badged Despicable Me: The Rise of Gru. The Minion name gets wallets opening and young audiences excited, the Rise of Gru reflects the main focus of the story, and anyone who's older than ten can see the strings being pulled at the corporate level. Gru's offsiders are present and cause plenty of chaos, but whether he gets to live out his nefarious boyhood dreams is director Kyle Balda (Despicable Me 3), co-helmers Brad Ableson (Legends of Chamberlain Heights) and Jonathan del Val (The Secret Life of Pets 2), and screenwriter Matthew Fogel's (The Lego Movie 2) chief concern. His ultimate wish: to become one of the Vicious 6, the big supervillain team of 1976, when Gru is 11. That sinister crew happens to have an opening after some infighting and double-crossing among Belle Bottom (Taraji P Henson, Empire), Jean Clawed (Jean-Claude Van Damme, Haters), Nun-Chuck (Lucy Lawless, My Life Is Murder), Svengeance (Dolph Lundgren, Aquaman), Stronghold (Danny Trejo, The Legend of La Llarona) and Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method). Accordingly, when Gru receives an invite to audition, he's as thrilled as a criminal mastermind-in-training can be. The Minions are hired as Gru's assistants and, after his tryout for the big leagues ends in him stealing the Vicious 6's prized possession, quickly spark the usual Minion antics. Of course they lose the pivotal object. Of course the Vicious 6 come looking for it. Of course the Minions do everything from learning kung fu (from Master Chow, voiced by Everything Everywhere All At Once's Michelle Yeoh) to virtually destroying San Francisco. There's more calculation than inspiration behind their havoc, however; rather than Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton-esque heights, their slapstick hijinks feel as structured and obvious as the film's nods to a wealth of genres (martial arts, spy, road trip, blaxploitation and more) and its hefty list of blatant era-appropriate needle drops ('Funkytown', 'Fly Like an Eagle', 'Born to Be Alive' and the like). It also plays like colour and movement around Gru, rather than the central attraction viewers want it to be. Also, something can't be surreal if it's so thoroughly expected, as the bulk of Minions: The Rise of Gru is. It isn't clever enough to be gloriously ridiculous, either. 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 March 3, March 10, March 17, March 24 and March 31; April 7, April 14, April 21 and April 28; and May 5, May 12, May 19 and May 26; and June 2, June 9 and June 16. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Batman, Blind Ambition, Bergman Island, Wash My Soul in the River's Flow, The Souvenir: Part II, Dog, Anonymous Club, X, River, Nowhere Special, RRR, Morbius, The Duke, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbledore, Ambulance, Memoria, The Lost City, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Happening, The Good Boss, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Northman, Ithaka, After Yang, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Petite Maman, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Firestarter, Operation Mincemeat, To Chiara, This Much I Know to Be True, The Innocents, Top Gun: Maverick, The Bob's Burgers Movie, Ablaze, Hatching, Mothering Sunday, Jurassic World Dominion, A Hero, Benediction, Lightyear and Men.
Saturday September 24 sees the closure of William Street to cars and the spilling of fun and frivolity onto the tar for the annual William Street Laneway Festival. All of the shops along this strip have events, special prices, drinks, food and deals galore to lure you away from the mega-complexes and back to the simple joy of wandering and shopping in Paddington's home of unique boutiques. Not just a day for the girls (although you could bring your fella and dump him at The London when he starts to stare blankly at your 'What do you think?') there will be a ping-pong tournament at Nudie Jeans, live music at Di Nuovo, a sausage sizzle at bams & ted and plenty of lounge areas scattered up and down the street for sitting and drinking and soaking up the atmosphere. The whole day has a decidedly carnivale feel with a circus extravanganza at Poepke (with an incredible 70% off sale), tarot readings at Tigerlily, fairy floss at Lucette and free evil eye charms for those who spend over $300 at Pierre Winter Fine Jewels. And if you are lucky you might catch a glimpse of Mr. Darcy, the resident Russian Blue at Pierre Winter. And you will know him by the pearls he wears.
Any Questions for Ben is much better than it sounds, and it sounds pretty good. Ben (Josh Lawson) returns to his old school to speak at a careers night, smugly sure that his success as a “strategic brands consultant” will be well-received by scores of students. After all, at 27, he’s already ticked all the obvious boxes: he’s got money, mates, a sweet pad in Melbourne, and sex on tap with Melbourne’s leggiest models. Still, there’s nothing like seeing his high school crush Alex (Rachel Taylor), now a United Nations lawyer, talk about international aid work to suddenly make rebranding vodka and selling billboards seem kinda meaningless. Even worse, the high school students are conspicuously under-awed by Ben. None of them ask him how they, too, can achieve success in advertising. Ben starts to fret that he’s all style, no substance – what exactly is a “strategic brands consultant” anyway? He free-falls into a quarter-life crisis. This film, the third full-length feature from Frontline’s Rob Sitch and rookie Australian production company Working Dog, is not without its flaws. Many of the romantic scenes misfire due to a total lack of fizz between Lawson and Taylor (possibly, while we’re being shallow, due to the hideous shoes worn by Taylor in a crucial romantic scene). It’s a love letter to Melbourne that occasionally feels like it was commissioned by the Victorian Tourism Board, and quite frankly, Ben’s life never seems all that bad. Skiing in New Zealand, dating Russian tennis stars, and short-term stints in high-paying jobs? Oh Ben, stop moaning and enjoy the clichéd ride. It’s saved, however, by the strong supporting cast and the fact that it never claims to be anything other than shallow — after all, that’s what the storyline’s all about. Ben’s dawn of realisation is well drawn, and although the film could be shorter, it’s funny, irreverent, and may make you question: well, what’s your own definition of success? Perhaps the opening card, quoting Ernest Hemingway's warning not to confuse motion with action, sums Ben’s journey and this film up best.
On the hunt for a new look or want to touch up your tresses? Located on Jaques Avenue just a few hundred metres from the ocean, Chop Shop is one of the very best barbershops in Bondi. And we're not just saying that because you can get a drink with your new 'do (although that certainly doesn't hinder the situation). Since opening in Bondi in 2008, owner Dan Dixon and his team of talented stylists have been committed to using 'professional only' products, and have built up quite a customer base as a result. Men's cuts start at $39 and include a full shampoo and a beverage, while a women's shampoo, cut and blow-dry starts at $92, and comes with your choice of tea, espresso or a cheeky glass of wine. Making small talk with your hairdresser is a hell of a lot easier when you're juuuust that little bit tipsy.
SXSW Sydney is back for 2024 in a big way — and even if you're only planning to hit up its Screen Festival across Monday, October 14–Sunday, October 20, a stacked program awaits. When the event kicks off for this year, it's doing so with a movie that bowed at its Austin counterpart, heads back to the 90s, sports a Saturday Night Live alum behind the lens and boasts plenty of well-known faces on-screen, including the Harbour City event's music keynote speaker for 2024. The film: A24's Y2K, the directorial debut of Kyle Mooney (No Hard Feelings), with Rachel Zegler (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes), Julian Dennison (Uproar), Jaeden Martell (Arcadian) and The Kid LAROI starring. The storyline: it's New Year's Eve in 1999, a heap of folks are at a high-school party and the Y2K bug strikes. The fest's small-screen highlights span debuting and returning fare, as well as a new show that's the latest version of a popular hit that just keeps being remade. Plum, which stars Brendan Cowell (The Twelve) as a footballer who learns that his concussions have led to a brain disorder, and also features Asher Keddie (Fake) and Jemaine Clement (Time Bandits), is premiering at SXSW Sydney before airing on ABC. Apple TV+ delight Shrinking with Jason Segel (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty) and Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) is showing a sneak peek of its second season, and the new Australian take on The Office joins the program via a panel discussion featuring lead Felicity Ward (Time Bandits) with executive producers and writers Jackie van Beek (Nude Tuesday) and Julie De Fina (Aftertaste). Back on movies, Matt Damon (The Instigators)- and Ben Affleck (The Flash)-produced sports drama Unstoppable will enjoy its Australian premiere. Telling Anthony Robles' true tale, it stars Jharrel Jerome (I'm a Virgo) as the wrestler born with one leg — plus Bobby Cannavale (MaXXXine), Michael Peña (A Million Miles Away), Don Cheadle (Fight Night) and Jennifer Lopez (Atlas). Also on the film list: the world premiere of the Chicago-set Pools, which features Odessa A'zion (Ghosts) as a college sophomore at summer school; Messy, another summer-set flick, this time featuring Alexi Wasser (Poker Face), Ione Skye (Beef) Adam Goldberg (The Exorcism); First Nations coming-of-age tale Jazzy, with Lily Gladstone (Fancy Dance) as a star and executive producer; and They're Here, a documentary about UFO fanatics. Or, from acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Before We Vanish) comes both Cloud and Serpent's Path — the first of which is Japan's submission for 2025's Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars, with the second remaking the director's own 1998 revenge film in French. There's also headliners Saturday Night, Smile 2, Nightbitch, The Front Room and Pavements — and everything from cults, cat-loving animation and Christmas carnage thanks to Azrael, Ghost Cat Anzu and Carnage for Christmas. Movie buffs can also look forward to Ilana Glazer (The Afterparty)-led mom-com Babes; the maximum-security prison-set Sing Sing with Colman Domingo (Drive-Away Dolls); and Inside, which features Guy Pearce (The Clearing), Cosmo Jarvis (Shōgun) and Toby Wallace (The Bikeriders). Documentary Omar and Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird spends time with At the Drive-In and The Mars Volta's Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala; Teaches of Peaches goes on tour with its namesake; the Lucy Lawless (My Life Is Murder)-directed doco Never Look Away is about CNN camerawoman Margaret Moth; Peter Dinklage (Unfrosted) and Juliette Lewis (Yellowjackets) lead western-thriller The Thicket; and Aussie doco Like My Brother is about four aspiring AFLW players from the Tiwi Islands. The list goes on, with The Most Australian Band Ever! about the Hard-Ons, That Sugar Film and 2040 filmmaker Damon Gameau's Future Council, and Slice of Life: The American Dream. In Former Pizza Huts from Barbecue and We Don't Deserve Dogs' Matthew Salleh and Rose Tucker also screening.
"Sometimes I think the only way to be truthful is to say nothing at all," says Thuso Lekwape's Johnny, reflecting on an evening spent with Charlotte's (Contessa Treffone) parents. The sentiment may not completely sum up Darlinghurst Theatre Company's latest production, but there is a sense that the play says an awful lot without conveying much of anything. The Mystery of Love and Sex, written by Bathsheba Doran, centres around Charlotte and Johnny, two American college students who have been friends for an age. Their relationship is easy, comfortable, solid — a bond that romance would only confuse. Charlotte's parents (Deborah Galanos and Nicholas Papademetriou) can't get their heads around this and try to nudge the pair into something more clear-cut. But Charlotte's in love with a girl from college. And Johnny has slept with a number of men he can't stand. Both are confused and as things get more complicated, the friendship starts to fray. The cast, directed by Anthony Skuse, are engaging, but the script seems to have a set-'em-up-knock-'em-down approach to the issues it explores. It tries to juggle questions about how friendship changes as we age, friendship versus marriage and how we come to terms with our sexual identities, but ends up flitting between them without ever stopping to pinpoint exactly what it's getting at. Except for an intimate scene shared by Charlotte and her mother, the second half quickly descends into an unsatisfying fairy tale. That said, Galanos' Lucinda is fantastic, pulling off a transition from quietly crumbling nicotine addict to a revolutionary for the hedonist cause within the space of the intermission. Lekwape's Johnny is understated, but he ages very convincingly over the course of the play. Papademetriou's Howard is amusingly and frustratingly paternal throughout, despite the script affording him very little development and Truffone manages a fine line with Charlotte, whose self-righteous streak might have been grating in other hands. Emma Vine's set runs pleasant interference on the naturalism of the text — a giant upside down tree sits menacingly to the side in the dusky pre-show light, while the majority of the action takes place on a large white wedge, its wonkiness geometrically jazzing up a few of the talkier scenes. "Weird is good," says Lucinda, attempting to comfort her daughter during the play. "Weird is life." The Mystery of Love and Sex, while performed capably, needs a few more doses of weirdness before it can be mistaken for the real thing.
We've teamed up with Motel Molly to offer an exclusive rate via Concrete Playground Trips. Sign up for free to get 10–20% off room rates. Book now from AUD $313. Set your OOO and escape to Motel Molly in Mollymook, where you can spend your days soaking in the sunshine by the pool, on the beach or at a golf course between excursions to nearby wineries and top-notch restaurants. Here are a few of the features that make it worthy addition to our collection of Stays of the Week. The converted motel brings retro coastal vibes with Moroccan-inspired decor, Mediterranean tiling and pastel pops of colour. Choose from seven different room types — the Oceanside Garden Suite has an outdoor patio and is only a two-minute walk to Mollymook Beach, while the Spa Suite boasts an in-room sunken bath. There are also one, two and three-bedroom apartments with a kitchenette available for bigger groups and families. Each room comes with luxe Le Labo toiletries, a bluetooth speaker and smart TV with complimentary Netflix access. There are surfboards and bicycles available to rent, as well as free onsite parking. After a dip in the pool, you're welcome to cook up a feast on the communal barbecue and enjoy a meal al fresco in the outdoor cabana. If you can tear yourself away from the facilities, you'll find that the boutique hotel is conveniently located only a block from Mollymook Beach and within walking distance to Mollymook Golf Club. Local towns Ulladulla, Narrawallee and Milton are a five-minute drive away, while epicurean experiences at the likes of Rick Stein at Bannisters, Hayden's Pies, GWYLO or Cupitt's Estate are also close by. If you're after a boutique stay that offers charm, style and carefully considered detail, get booking now.
The newly redeveloped Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) is launching a nocturnal program ARTBAR. Held on the last Friday of every month, ARTBAR aims to overhaul your experience of the art institution with an artist-curated evening of art, music, performance and, most importantly, booze. First cab off the rank is Sydney-based artist Justene Williams, whose work, Crutch Dance (2011) is currently showing as part of the Volume One: MCA Collection exhibition on level one. Her performance videos are notably outrageous, and as such her curated night is sure to be an eclectic evening of irrational and bizarre sights and sounds. The Jurassic Lounge program at the Australian Museum has proved to be a highly successful get-cool-young-kids-in-the-door model and, although ticketed, at least the regular door entry was only $15 and included one free drink, ARTBAR is $20. I am all for experiential extra-curricular museum programs, and especially those of the late night variety (yay for the MCA finally staying open late on Thursdays!), but it seems a little pricey for a program that so far (as of this writing) hasn’t released any act or content details. All rants aside, I am sure ARTBAR will prove to be a mystery-filled journey into the creative worlds of our artists. We wait with bated breath. Update: Since the writing of this article, the MCA has released the evening's list of DJs (Charlie Chux, Perfect Snatch, Touch Sensitive, Tyson Koh), as well as promises of performance art, karaoke, hot shaves for the itchy-faced, and the plausible suggestion that watching the first night of the Vivid lightshow from their balcony might be a nice thing. Still from Crutch Dance by Justene Williams.
When SXSW Sydney first started revealing details of its 2025 lineup, it promised more free programming on this year's bill. If you're keen to head along to the event's third year — after making its Harbour City debut in 2023, then returning in 2024 — without spending a cent, you'll want to make a date with Tumbalong Park, then. Again, the spot is playing host to the fest's budget-friendly activities, including everything from live music to movies, as well as DJ sets, talks, fashion showcases, pop-ups and more. Free sessions have always been a component of SXSW Sydney, but adding more was never not going to be a welcome move. Accordingly, after outlining that there'd be a significant expansion of its free programming, the festival has upped its Tumbalong Park lineup to 85-plus hours of events. At SXSW Sydney Unlocked, as the hub has been dubbed, there'll be more than 200 options to engage in the fest between Monday, October 13–Sunday, October 19. This part of the lineup runs every day, but will feature extended hours from Thursday–Sunday. Weekday lunch breaks are a particular focus, spanning programming from 12–1.30pm Monday–Friday, as are happy-hour sessions from 4.30pm Tuesday–Friday. So, SXSW Sydney clearly wants the city to join in whenever suits everyone's daily schedules — and via everything from guest appearances to surprise hosts, too. Highlights include the return of FOMA: Fabrics of Modern Australia on the runway; gigs by Indonesian hip hop stars Tenxi, Filipino folk-pop singer Angela Ken, J-Pop boy band Psychic Fever and Chinese Tencent singer Tia Ray; and Blak to the Future: A Celebration of First Nations Creatives' celebration of Indigenous filmmaking. Or, hit up twilight gigs in the Seymour Centre courtyard, get line-dancing lessons and see a range of country talent — Max Jackson, The Washboard Union, Lewis Love and Big Wheels — at Tumbalong Honky Tonk, and explore the Australian Space Agency's space-themed hub. There's also Small Fry Rock for families, with Grinspoon's Phil Jamieson and Little Birdy's Katy Steele taking to the stage. The Rubens are set to celebrate ten years of 'Hoops', while K-pop is also getting a moment. On the Saturday, if you fancy attending the Games Showcase and Innovation Expo without bothering your wallet, that's also on the agenda. Images: Jess Gleeson, Paul McMillan and Ben Gibson.
Hanami and Japan go hand in hand, but what if you could indulge in the art of flower viewing a bit closer to home? Well, that's where the Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival comes in. It's an annual celebration of everyone's favourite pink flora in Sydney's west. Between Saturday, August 19–Sunday, August 27, the Auburn Botanic Gardens will transform its Japanese Gardens into a beautiful, blooming wonderland for 2023. Across the nine days, you'll be able to ramp up your appreciation of the fleeting natural phenomena that is cherry blossom season by viewing the eye-catching blooms in the leadup to spring. Tis the season, after all. Taking in the spectacular scenery isn't the only thing you'll be doing. There'll be a Japanese food village serving up an array of bites inspired by the country's culinary culture. Also on offer: a nine-hole mini-golf course, traditional Japanese musical performances, origami workshops, flower-arranging demonstrations and DJs spinning Japanese city pop tunes. Each day, you can choose between three different sessions depending on when you want to explore the festival. Tickets are free for Cumberland City Council residents — or else entry will set you back $15.30 for an adult, $6.65 for kids aged between five and 16, or $41.85 for a family. Children under five are also free if you want to take your little ones. Images: Destination NSW.
The team at Sydney Harbour Kayaks is running a special series of after-dark kayaking tours ($155) for Sydney Solstice. Your tour of the harbour will paddle off at sunset — perfect for a pic or two — then, as the stars come out, you'll cruise past naval warships and the impressive 1874-built James Craig ship. You'll take in the sights of Glebe Island Bridge and the Anzac Bridge, before stopping for snacks and drinks. The tour starts and ends at Darling Harbour, which means you can pop over to the ice rink or food market at Darling Harbour Winter Festival when you're done. Two birds, one stone.
If you're looking to blow off some steam after a chaotic couple of years (and that's putting it mildly), you'll soon have a brand-new outlet for unleashing that pent-up frustration. Popular Viking-themed axe-throwing venue Maniax is opening the doors to its second Sydney outpost, this time in Marrickville — and this one's going to be even heftier. In fact, Maniax's new joint will be its largest yet — not only in Sydney, but across its seven sites Australia-wide. The company is going big in 2022, and not just here, with five other new hatchet-hurling spots set to pop up around the country before the year is out. For now, though, the focus is all on Marrickville. For Sydneysiders keen to get chucking in fresh surroundings, the new venue will launch sometime in April, and will become the brand's flagship site. Perched behind a large roller door on Jabez Street, it'll cater to 350 punters at full capacity, including for casual throws – if there's anything casual about chucking bladed weapons — and for events such as pre-wedding shindigs, birthday parties and date nights. Decor-wise, the new digs will be playing up the theme; think: leather banquettes, an antique mercury mirror, a huge antler chandelier and chalet-style fireplace. Oh, and a throne. Horns, shields, runes and helmets will all feature, plus ropes, furs and hides. And axes, naturally, with Alex Zabotto-Bentley and the AZB Creative team on interior-design duties. An on-site kitchen will be serving a menu of pizza and grazing platters, as well as slow-cooked meats and burgers — and banquets for pre-booked groups of eight or more. Also, since launching axes at targets can be thirsty work, the Maniax bar will be pouring a range of Viking-themed cocktails and craft brews to match. As with its siblings, the venue is designed to be enjoyed by axe-throwing junkies and total novices alike, manned by highly trained staff who'll happily coach you in the art of hurling weapons. Throwing is open to anyone over the age of 13. There are various sessions to choose from, depending on your skill level — ranging from the speedy one-hour Quick Chuck through to those aforementioned date-night packages featuring coaching for two. Annual memberships are also available. And once you've got a few throws under your belt, who knows? You might even be tempted to flex your newfound skills by joining the Maniax Axe-Throwing League. Find Maniax at 9–11 Jabez Street, Marrickville, from some time in April. For more information and bookings, head over to Maniax's website.
