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.
Ayam Goreng 99 has been an eastern suburbs mainstay since opening way back in 1998. Its 20-year career of serving authentic Indonesian eats to Kingsford locals has continuously centred around the fried chicken — which happens to be the English translation of ayam goreng. The marinated chook is served with a signature sambel terasi sauce, which combines spicy chilli and prawn paste. It's cooked in a wok for several hours to achieve a true depth of flavour that diners cannot get enough of. To accompany your fried chook, order plates of nasi goreng, fried egg noodles and stir-fried greens. Be sure to make tracks before December 16, as the restaurant will close down for one month over the holiday period. It will re-open on January 16, 2020. You'll find Ayam Goring 99 in our list of the best fried chicken in Sydney. Check out the full list here. Appears in: The Best Fried Chicken in Sydney for 2023
The DC Extended Universe is dead. With Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the comic book-to-screen franchise hardly swims out with a memorable farewell, hasn't washed up on a high and shouldn't have many tearful over its demise. More movies based on the company's superheroes are still on the way. They'll be badged the DC Universe instead, and start largely afresh; 2025's Superman: Legacy will be the first, with Pearl's David Corenswet as the eponymous figure, as directed by new DC Studios co-chairman and co-CEO James Gunn (The Suicide Squad). Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom ends up the 15-feature decade-long current regime about as expected, however: soggily, unable to make the most of its star, and stuck treading water between what it really wants to be and box-ticking saga formula. Led by Jason Momoa (Fast X) — not Adrian Grenier (Clickbait), as Entourage once put out into the world — the first Aquaman knew that it was goofy, playful fun. Its main man, plus filmmaker James Wan (Malignant), didn't splash around self-importance or sink into seriousness in giving DC Comics' aquatic hero his debut self-titled paddle across the silver screen (after Momoa played the same part in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League). Rather, they made an underwater space opera that was as giddily irreverent as that sounded — and, while it ebbed and flowed between colouring by numbers and getting winningly silly, the latter usually won out. Alas, exuberance loses the same battle in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. In a film that sets sail upon a plodding plot and garish CGI, and can't make an octopus spy and Nicole Kidman (Faraway Downs) riding a robot shark entertaining, any sense of spirit is jettisoned overboard. Having spent its existence playing catch-up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DCEU does exactly that for a final time here. It isn't subtle about it; see: calling Aquaman's imprisoned half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson, Insidious: The Red Door) Loki and ripping off one of the most-famous throwaway MCU moments there is. As with 2023's fellow Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, there's also such a large debt owed to Star Wars that elements seem to be lifted wholesale from a galaxy far, far away (and from a competing company, although it was still terrible when Disney was plagiarising itself). Just try not to laugh at Jabba the Hutt as a sea creature, as voiced by Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building), introduced reclining in a familiar pose and, of course, surrounded by a school of amphibious ladies. Not intentionally by any means, it's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom funniest moment. 2018's initial Aquaman used past intergalactic flicks as a diving-off point, too, including Jupiter Ascending, but with its own personality — no trace of which bobs up this time around. Wan helms again, switching to workman-like mode. While he's co-credited on the story with returning screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (Orphan: First Kill), Momoa and Thomas Pa'a Sibbett (The Last Manhunt), there's little but being dragged out with the prevailing tide and tonal chaos on show. Worse: ideas from abandoned spinoff The Trench, which was first floated as a horror effort about a villainous Atlantean kingdom but later revealed to be a secret Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Ambulance) movie, get clunkily flushed in. While this should be Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring alum Wan's wheelhouse, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom feels like the narrative equivalent of pouring the dregs of whatever's in Arthur Curry's liquor cabinet into one tankard. Now king of Atlantis as well as a father to Arthur Jr — the water-controlling Mera has become his wife, too, but that doesn't mean that Amber Heard (The Stand) says more than 50 words — the half-human, half-Atlantean best-known as Aquaman has another tussle with pirate David Kane to face. Bumped up to chief baddie, Black Manta is aided by dark magic manifested in the black trident, as found by a marine biologist (Randall Park, Totally Killer) who's endeavouring to prove that Atlantis exists. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom's evil threat is also climate change, as exacerbated by its nefarious enemy on his vengeance mission after the events of the first movie. With the human and undersea realms alike beginning to boil, only Aquaman teaming up with Orm will give the planet a chance to survive. Pairing Momoa and Wilson odd-couple comedy-style like they're Hobbs and Shaw would've been one of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom's best moves if the material was up to it. Their escapade amid the foliage on a volcanic South Pacific island — where the film wants to be a tropical creature feature, and also a Journey to the Centre of the Earth- and Jumanji-esque jaunt — is certainly the most promising visually. But here as across the entire flick, relying upon Momoa's charm to do the heavy lifting appears to be the number-one approach. In some pictures with some stars, that can work. Rom-com Anyone But You manages it thanks to Sydney Sweeney (Reality) and Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick), for instance. In Aquaman, Momoa had a mischievous ball and was a delight to watch. What everyone involved in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom hasn't factored in is that this version of Arthur has swapped underdog roguishness for the overblown kind. Momoa remains visibly enthusiastic as the wettest of the DCEU's world-saving cohort, but Aquaman's cockiness is laid on as thickly as a kelp forest. Although there's no doubting that the movie's star can handle the part, it's a less-engaging, more one-note turn than his last jump into this ocean, and sells him short. Momoa commits, though, with the kind of gusto that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom lacks virtually everywhere else. What happens when a film that clearly wants to be as ridiculous as it can be, or as dark, clashes with staying within the genre's routine lane? This shipwreck, which ends the franchise it's in and the saga's busiest year — after Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash and Blue Beetle — with one of its worst entries. At least it didn't have to worry about setting up sequels or connecting to other DCEU fare, aka a welcome lifeboat.
As it turns out, not even an electrical fire can keep Nomad down. Al and Rebecca Yazbek's acclaimed Surry Hills Mediterranean diner suffered extensive damage after a fire broke out in the restaurant's ceiling in early September, but the show's far from over. While the Foster Street restaurant site undergoes a hefty rebuild and some much-needed repair work, Nomad will keep chugging along, albeit in a slightly different format, when it pops up around the corner at 85 Commonwealth Street for a three-month residency. This new space was previously home to modern Thai institution Longrain and most recently the much-hyped Orana in Residence pop-up, so it's safe to say Nomad is joining some pretty good company. [caption id="attachment_738741" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Orana in Residence by Nikki To[/caption] Nomad Up The Road — as the pop-up is called — will take the form of a sophisticated 140 seater, decked out with much of the original restaurant's artwork and furniture. It'll have front-row seating along the open kitchen, as well as roomy, group-friendly tables, and a private dining area for 24. Chef Jacqui Challinor will continue to head things up in the kitchen, but without Nomad's famed woodfired oven you can expect a few changes to the food. On the menu, long-standing favourites like the kingfish ceviche, duck mortadella and that creamy cannellini bean hummus will join a slew of new inventions. And, who knows, maybe some of the new Commonwealth Street hits will win permanent menu residency once the original restaurant's back up and running again. Set to open its doors on Friday, November 1, Nomad Up The Road will be dishing up lunch and dinner from Monday to Saturday, as well as a new weekly edition of Saturday's ever-popular bottomless rosé sessions. Nomad's Foster Street space will open with a suite of upgrades early in 2020. Find Nomad Up The Road at 85 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills, from November 1. The OG Foster Street restaurant is slated to reopen in early 2020.
Stay tuned. More info on its way.
When Michael Crichton put pen to paper and conjured up a modern-day dinosaur-filled amusement park, he couldn't have known exactly what he'd done. The author easily imagined the story making its way to the big screen, because the Jurassic Park novel started out as a screenplay. He could've also perceived that a whole film franchise could follow, and that folks would be quoting the movies for decades. And yet, we're guessing that he didn't predict the latest development: a recreation of the Jurassic World movies, which started with fourth flick in the series back in 2015, made completely out of Lego. Jurassic World by Brickman first popped up in Melbourne in 2021, and now Sydneysiders will be able to wander through it, too — and peer at more than 50 dinosaurs, props and scenes from the Jurassic World movies that have all been fashioned out of the popular plastic bricks in the process. That'll all be on display at the Australian Museum from Saturday, March 5–Sunday, May 29, as part of the exhibition's tour of the country. More than six million Lego blocks have been used in the exhibition, to create the four-metre-tall park gates, the lab where the dinosaurs are genetically engineered, those instantly recognisable jeeps, a petting zoo, a heap of creatures and more. Welcome to... your Lego Jurassic World fantasy, basically. Lego dinosaurs are obviously the main attraction and, yes, this event is going big. There'll be a life-sized brachiosaurus that weighs more than two tonnes, a huge tyrannosaurus rex, two life-sized velociraptors (Blue and Delta), and everything from a stegosaurus to a triceratops, too. Just for Sydney, there'll also be a new 400-kilogram baryonyx that spans 4.8-metres in length. Plus, you'll see some prehistoric creatures in the baby dinosaur enclosure, encounter more on the loose and learn how to track them over the exhibition's recreation of Isla Nublar (while using your imagination a whole heap, obviously). If it all sounds rather sizeable, that's because Jurassic World by Brickman is the largest Lego exhibition in Australia. And, Lego aficionados will also be able to get building while they're there, with 2.5 million bricks to play with. Obviously, this'll be a family-friendly affair, so expect to have plenty of small dinosaur fans for company.
The fact that we are already mid-way through November is a cold slap in the face — 2022 has simply flown by. The sole relief? Christmas is almost here, and the city is starting to come alive with celebrations. The Entertainment Quarter is joining the festive list with its Ultimate Christmas Market, a one-day-only event on Sunday, December 4. As a one-off market, there's no point in dilly-dallying about whether to attend — you'll miss out on all the food and festive goodies. Plus, imagine being delightfully smug when you tick everything off your list in the one day. With over 130 stalls — selling everything from wrapping paper, wreaths, decorations and trees, to puddings and cakes aplenty — you're well and truly sorted. [caption id="attachment_879004" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Anna Kucera[/caption] There's a dedicated kid's precinct, too — so you can divide and conquer. Team one can keep them entertained with rides and activities (sand art, hair braiding, face painting, Mr Claus himself and more await), while team two can browse the aisles for a gift that'll make the early start on Christmas day worth it. The EQ Ultimate Christmas Market will hit the Entertainment Quarter from 10am to 4pm on Sunday, December 4. For more information, check out the website.
Sebastián Lelio's A Fantastic Woman has been unexpectedly popular with the pundits, which is great for two reasons. For starters, it's always encouraging when foreign language films are financially successful. But what's even better is that the film offers a sensitive, uplifting portrayal of a transgender protagonist. After taking home a deluge of awards, there's no doubt that A Fantastic Woman is a serious contender to win Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Academy Awards. Frankly, it's just a shame it wasn't nominated for Best Picture The story follows Marina Vidal, played by trans actress Daniela Vega. We meet her partner Orlando, played by Francisco Reyes, on the evening of her birthday, and get a glimpse into their tender, hopeful relationship before it all comes crumbling down. Orlando, who is a fair bit older than Marina, wakes up feeling sick – and although she rushes him to the hospital, it's all too late. The bulk of the film takes place in the aftermath of Orlando's death, as Marina is forced to deal with his family as they tear strips off her from all angles. It can't be overstated how wonderful it is to see transgender representation on the big screen (no offence Eddie Redmayne, but this is how it should be). Vega's performance as Marina feels authentic, in no small part because it is authentic. Every movement, every delivery is subtle, considered and real. To convey the character's mental state, Lelio oscillates between realism and magical realism, maintaining an elegant balance that ensures neither style feels heavy or overdone. And all the while, his leading lady is mesmerising in every scene. One of the most heartwarming elements of this film is the relationship between Marina and Orlando. It's sweet, romantic, sexy, like a healthy relationship should be. It's neither fraught nor kept secret – and while the depiction of it shouldn't feel remarkable, it absolutely does. A Fantastic Woman does great work capturing a spectrum of light and shade, love and grief, without relying on excessive violence or grim stereotypes that are so common in cinema about marginalised groups. That's not to say that this film doesn't contain disturbing scenes. Marina experiences more than her share of abuse and menacing microaggressions, enough to set your teeth on edge. And yet she's never portrayed as a helpless victim. Leilo's narrative realism and restraint, coupled with Vega's captivating performance, are proof that you don't need to use shock and awe tactics to have an impact. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJHex4ZitgA
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, we've got you covered. Beloved Aussie brands Four Pillars Gin and Go-To Skincare 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 on its release last spring. When we say frenzy we mean it — the inaugural batch of My New Go-To Gin sold out in just five hours. This year you've got some time to gather yourself — the second release drops on Thursday, November 17. Ready for cocktail mixing and shaking, flavours in this coveted drop include native Aussie peach, lemon myrtle, pink peppercorns and ruby grapefruit. The familiar peachy pink Go-To label means you could probably add it to your bathroom counter's line-up and nobody would notice anything out of the ordinary. And if you sip a few too many the night before another event (hello, festive season) you're in luck: Every bottle comes with a Go-To 'Transformazing' sheet mask to soak your skin in much-needed moisture. Four Pillars co-founder and distiller Cam Mckenzie said in a statement he was aware gin and skin are an "unlikely duo". "But after a G&T or two (or three) with the Go-To team we realised there was a lot we had in common. We're both champions of using best-in-class ingredients, we're both sticklers for quality and, speaking personally, we both have a thing for Sunday night face masking." To celebrate the launch, the skincare brand is taking over the gin garden at the recently revamped Four Pillars Distillery in Healesville for a series of cocktail workshops and skincare tutorials on November 18–20. Melbourne readers (or fans willing to travel) can find out more about that here. If last year is anything to go by, we imagine this gin is going to sell out pretty quickly, so sign up to the waitlist here — you'll also find a festive cocktail recipe. 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, or you can opt for a ready-to-pour bottled gin martini. The 2022 Four Pillars Go-To Gin will go on sale online on Thursday, November 17. Head to the Four Pillars website to sign up to the waitlist and to register for the launch weekend at Four Pillars' Victorian distillery.
Some film festivals take audiences to corners of the globe they won't visit in the multiplex, shine a spotlight on different cinematic voices, and showcase the wealth of talent working beyond the English-speaking realm. That's not the British Film Festival's remit. Here, you'll find recognisable names and faces aplenty as the best new movies Old Blighty has to offer embark on a tour of the antipodes. Taking place between late October and early November, this year's lineup includes Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy in opening night film Breathe, which marks the directorial debut of The Lord of the Rings star Andy Serkis, as well as Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning in the eagerly anticipated How to Talk to Girls at Parties. The former tells a true tale of a couple striving to overcome a death sentence from polio, while the latter is a queer sci-fi rock-punk comedy based on a Neil Gaiman short story and directed by Hedwig and the Angry Inch's John Cameron Mitchell. Yep, this program might speak the same language as Australians, but it's serving up a variety of stories. If you're going to put one flick to put on your must-see list, make it The Death of Stalin. It's the latest from The Thick of It and Veep creator Armando Iannucci, and features everyone from Steve Buscemi to Jeffrey Tambor to Michael Palin. Other highlights include Fanning again in Mary Shelley, a biopic about the writer behind Frankenstein that's helmed by Wadjda director Haifaa Al-Mansour, as well as England is Mine, with Dunkirk's Jack Lowden playing none other than Morrissey. Elsewhere, Saoirse Ronan stars in On Chesil Beach, her latest Ian McEwan adaptation after coming to fame in Atonement, while true story 6 Days recreates the 1980 storming of the Iranian embassy in London with Mark Strong, Jamie Bell and Abbie Cornish. BFF also boasts docos about Manolo Blahnik and Eric Clapton, a biopic about AA Milne and the genesis of Winnie the Pooh, and one of the last films to feature the late John Hurt in That Good Night. Looking back as well as forward, a selection of Agatha Christie adaptations round out the lineup. Timed to coincide with the new version of Murder on the Orient Express, the program includes the 1974 take on the same tale, plus three other classics. The 2017 British Film Festival will screen at Sydney's Palace Norton Street and Palace Verona from October 24 to November 15, Melbourne's Palace Cinema Como, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay and The Astor Theatre from October 26 to November 15, and Brisbane's Palace Barracks and Palace Centro from October 25 to November 15. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the festival website.
Spare a thought for the screenwriters of origin stories. Sure, at first glance, it might seem like they have it made: an enormous built-in audience, a clearly defined universe steeped in history, and pre-existing characters so beloved across multiple generations that all their quirks, mannerisms and catch-phrases are already fully fleshed-out. All the writers have to do is join up a few narrative dots and cue that memorable theme song. But what about tension? How do you place your heroes in deadly peril when the audience already knows they survive? How do you make a character's emotional growth even remotely interesting when the audience already knows who they become? And what possible story can you tell when the audience already knows how it ends? The solution is recalibration, shifting the audience experience from one of wonder and surprise to anticipation. Much like a movie based on real events, origin films focus not on what, but on how, why and when. Back in 1995 director Ron Howard masterfully applied that technique to create the tense final moments of Apollo 13. Now, with Solo: A Star Wars Story, he again shows how waiting for something to happen can be just as exhilarating as wondering if it will happen at all. This is a movie of firsts: the first time Han acquires his surname, the first time he sets foot on the Millennium Falcon, and the first time he encounters his lifelong friend and ally Chewbacca. It's entirely accessible for newcomers, and an even bigger treat for fans. Solo: A Star Wars Story is the second of the Star Wars Spin-offs, and like Rogue One takes place somewhere in between the timelines of the larger, better known chapters (in this case, after Revenge of the Sith but before A New Hope). It is an age of lawlessness, the opening tells us, and nowhere is that more prevalent than the distant planet of Corellia, where the long arm of the Empire is less feared than the gangs that lurk in its shadows. It's here that we meet the young Han (Alden Ehrenreich), a wannabe pilot forced to boost speeders and run errands for a slug-like criminal matriarch and her cronies. Han and his girlfriend Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke) have dreams of escaping to explore the universe. But when their plans fall apart, Han reluctantly joins the Empire to secure his way off planet, vowing to return as soon as humanly possible to liberate his great love. Fast forward a few years, though, and Han finds himself stumbling from one calamity to the next, convinced like all good scoundrels and conmen that his next score will be the big one – the one to set everything right. The beloved nature of the Han Solo character is largely down to actor Harrison Ford and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan – the latter of whom wrote both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The master scribe returns for Solo, delivering a story that's less galactic opera and more small-scale heist movie in the vein of an old school Western. Solo's swagger, the gun on his hip, and even the iconic outfit all fit perfectly with that space cowboy aesthetic, while Ehrenreich makes the wise call to embody the character rather than impersonate. He doesn't begin as Solo, but instead neatly and incrementally becomes him over the course of two action-packed hours. On the other end of the scale, Donald Glover's portrayal of the iconic charmer Lando Calrissian scarcely evolves from his first line to his last, yet is so note perfect that it scarcely matters. Clarke's contribution is equally nuanced, especially in the film's latter stages. The roster is rounded out by fun turns courtesy of Thandie Newton, Woody Harrelson and Paul Bettany as the assorted rogues Han encounters on his travels. Focussed, fun and faithful to the lore, Solo: A Star Wars Story comfortably shrugs off the production woes that seemed destined to leave it in ruins and instead delivers us a fine and worthy expansion of the wider Star Wars universe. Oh, and if you had any lingering doubts, let it be finally laid to rest: Han shot first. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPEYpryMp2s
In King Richard, Will Smith does more acting than expected with his back to the on-screen action. He does more acting in general — while the Ali and Concussion star can be a transformative performer, here he feels like he's overtly playing a part rather than disappearing into a role — but the way his eponymous figure handles his daughters' matches instantly stands out. Richard Williams is a tennis parent who despises the usual tennis parent histrionics. At the time the film is set, in the early 90s, he has also coached Venus (Saniyya Sidney, Fences) and Serena (Demi Singleton, Godfather of Harlem) since they were four years old, and penned a 78-page plan mapping out their futures before they were born. He's dedicated his life to their success; however, he's so restless when they're volleying and backhanding that he can't bring himself to watch. These scenes in King Richard are among Smith's best. He's anxious yet determined, and lives the feeling like he's breathing it, in some of the movie's least blatantly showy and most quietly complex scenes as well. The Williams family patriarch has wisdom for all occasions, forged from a tough childhood in America's south, plus the hard work and hustle of turning Venus and Serena into budding champions, so he'd likely have something to say about the insights gleaned here: that you can tell oh-so-much about a person when they're under pressure but nobody's watching. If he was actively imparting this lesson to his daughters — five of them, not just the two that now have 30 Grand Slam singles titles between them — and they didn't glean it, he'd make them watch again. When they see Cinderella in the film, that's exactly what happens. But his courtside demeanour is teachable anyway, recognising how all the preparation and effort in the world will still see you tested over and over. King Richard mostly lobs around smaller moments, though — still life-defining for the aforementioned trio, matriarch Oracene (Aunjanue Ellis, Lovecraft Country) and the rest of the Williams brood, but before Venus and Serena became women's tennis superstars. It unpacks the effort put in to even get them a game, set or match and be taken seriously in a sport that's whiter than the lines marking out its courts, and the chances, sacrifices and wins of their formative years. From cracked Compton courts and homemade hype videos to seizing every hard-earned opportunity: that's the tale that King Richard tells. But, despite making a clear effort to pose this as a family portrait rather than a dad biopic, it still shares an approach with Joe Bell, director Reinaldo Marcus Green's prior film. It bears one man's name, celebrates him first and makes him the centre of someone else's exceptional story. In screenwriter Zach Baylin's debut script, Richard's aim is simple: get Venus and Serena to racquet-swinging glory by any means. His DIY tapes are bait for a professional coach, but attracting one is easier said than done for a working-class Black family without country club connections facing America's inbuilt racism and class clashes, and tennis' snobbery — even if Richard knows his daughters will reach their goals. A turning point comes when, after strolling into a practice match between Pete Sampras and John McEnroe, Richard convinces renowned coach Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn, Scandal) to watch his kids play and take on Venus for free. While she's swiftly impressing on the junior circuit, her dad becomes concerned about her psychological and emotional wellbeing, so he next works his persuasive act on Florida-based coach Rick Macci (Jon Bernthal, The Many Saints of Newark) — with a strict no-competition rule. One of the keys to King Richard, as witnessed in its namesake's decisions about his daughters that he unyieldingly makes alone, also proves an ace when he's looking away courtside. This is a movie about how Richard put Venus and Serena on their path to becoming two of the greatest sports women ever, but it's also about imperfections, struggles and contradictions in the pursuit of excellence. That said, it's an authorised account with the tennis legends and their sister Isha Price as executive producers, so it only dives as deep as that whole situation allows. When it focuses on difficult instances where the overbearing and stubborn Richard blazes ahead but Oracene, Venus and Serena call him out and demand their say, it's a better film, although that happens less often than it should. There's texture, weight and complication here, but also a crowd-pleasing smoothing of rough edges that undercuts the feature's power. The Williams sisters deserve multiple movies about their extraordinary achievements, obviously. Their careers stress that inherently. The standout scenes they're given here — including Serena's unhappiness when put second to her sister; today, she's the one that's considered the greatest of all time — also dynamically make the case for more of their tale to reach cinemas. While always in Smith's shadow, both Sidney and Singleton are phenomenal, but the film has been designed to be the former's show. With a hunched posture and pronounced Louisiana accent, Smith is an inescapable force surrounded by far more naturalistic portrayals, including from the terrific and grounded Ellis; however, he grows into a rhythm that matches the film's message. He calls upon the charm that's been a part of his game since his Fresh Prince days, too, and pushes because Richard had to to succeed "in the champion-raising business," as the character describes it. For all the sunny hues splashed around by cinematographer Robert Elswit (a veteran of Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Inherent Vice and more), King Richard doesn't opt for gloss with the clashes working against the Williams' dream. Although Venus's professional debut in 1994 at the age of 14 and her pivotal match against then-world number two Arantxa Sánchez Vicario provides the picture's climax, it's sparing with its tennis bouts, but the battles of race and class in Venus and Serena's way are in the draw from the get-go — discussed, and also made so visible that no line calls are needed. It took a flawed yet dogged king to navigate such relentless serves of engrained prejudice and disadvantage and ensure that the world received two queens, the film posits, and does so convincingly. King Richard is still an easy win, though, rather than an all-timer.
Saporium, the urban marketplace connected to Rosebery's Cannery food precinct, is expanding yet again. This time it's with a weekly market day, which, like the precinct itself, celebrates all things organic and quality produce. Each Saturday, some of Sydney's best market stalls will join forces, including fan-favourite venders from Mr Bao Buns and Brooklyn Boy Bagels to Wild Kombucha and Little Creek Cheese. The Saporium and Cannery tenants will of course also represent, with artisan butchers Kingsmore Meats manning the barbecue, while pizza connoisseurs Da Mario toss Neapolitan pizza from their new food truck — a Naples imported shipping container with three-tonne wood burning oven to boot. Other Saporium tenants will offer up tastings and one-off workshops, which we suspect will include special market offerings from their newest addition, The Red Spoon Co. Add live music into the mix and you've got your new Saturday go-to. The Saporium Market Day will be held every Saturday from 10am – 3pm, adjacent to The Cannery at 61 Mentmore Avenue Rosebery.
On the lookout for a dope new denim jacket? Or do you want to be rid of that weird-looking lamp taking up space in the living room? Then, by golly, you're in luck. The Garage Sale Trail works with local council partners Australia-wide to get as many trash-and-treasure troves happening on the same day as possible. More than 15,000 garages are expected to open their doors to bargain hunters, selling two million items, when the event returns for its ninth time across the weekend of October 20 and 21. Aside from the retro goodies up for grabs, the Trail is all about sustainability. Instead of ending up in landfill, unwanted clutter becomes a fantastic find. So get that tight pair of sunnies for peanuts and help the environment at the same time. The Garage Sale Trail began humbly in Bondi in 2010 and is growing bigger every year. There'll be a right slew of sales happening all around Sydney, so keep your eyes on the event website — or register online to make a quick buck from your old junk and hang out with the friendly folks in your hood.
"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear," Buddy (Will Ferrell, The Boys) tells Jovie (Zooey Deschanel, Physical) in end-of-year staple Elf. The musical version of the hit festive flick takes that idea to heart. Debuting on Broadway in 2010, it brings the beloved movie to the stage with a swag of merry songs. Fourteen years later — and 21 years since cinemas first discovered Elf's seasonal fun — Elf: The Musical is finally making its Australian premiere. Sydney Opera House's Concert Hall is standing in for both the North Pole and New York City across Thursday, December 19–Sunday, December 29, 2024, as Buddy goes on a journey of self-discovery. If you've seen the film, as almost everyone has, you'll know the storyline already; however, unless you've caught Elf: The Musical overseas, including a West End season in 2015–16, you haven't seen it like this before. Buddy isn't an elf, but he was raised by them — and he doesn't realise that he isn't like Santa's other helpers until he grows up. Cue his trip to the Big Apple to discover who he is, and also who he wants to be, as first told in a movie directed by actor-turned-filmmaker Jon Favreau before he helmed Iron Man, The Jungle Book and the photorealistic version of The Lion King. The stage adaptation's Aussie debut comes courtesy of Sydney's most-famous venue and John Frost for Crossroads Live, with the pair serving up the ideal way to get jolly in the Harbour City this festive season (as well as a gift of an excuse to take a festive-season trip to the New South Wales capital if you reside elsewhere across Australia). Elf: The Musical boasts a book by Tony Award-winners Thomas Meehan (who also helped bring The Producers, Hairspray, Cry-Baby and Young Frankenstein from picture palaces to theatres) and Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone), plus songs by Tony Award-nominees Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin (more film-to-stage veterans courtesy of The Wedding Singer). Starring Gareth Isaac (Grease the Musical) as Buddy, Simon Burke (Wicked) as Walter Hobbs, Brianna Bishop (Grease the Musical) as Jovie and Lara Mulcahy (MAMMA MIA!) as Santa, the Australian run is being staged as a concert production, in a presentation designed for Sydney Opera House's Concert Hall. Images: Daniel Boud. Updated Monday, December 16, 2024.
If there's ever a month in Sydney with no shortage of art, it's March. This is the month that's called Art Month. With that mind, these five wall-splashes, colour-dashes, veiled helmets, time capsules and ghost ships are just the tip of the iceberg.
Now in its fourth year, Sydney 's annual French Christmas market is a celebration of Gallic culture, food and artistry, offering a diverse blend of local and imported goods. This year's event will feature charming wooden chalets filled with artisan Christmas gifts, pop-up French wine bars — including a champagne and oyster bar — ooey-gooey raclette stations and twinkling festive lights. Best of all, entry is completely free. Taking over Haymarket's Belmore Park between December 13–22, visitors can enjoy freshly baked croissants, macarons and crepes while exploring stalls featuring French-themed homewares, clothing, and accessories. In addition to the food and shopping, Jolly Market offers a festive, family-friendly atmosphere with live music and cultural performances, making it a fun outing for all ages. Whether you're looking to indulge in French culinary delights or find a special gift, this yuletide fair provides a taste of France in the heart of Sydney.
North London’s latest incarnation of alternative rock and roll is about to roll into town, and we’re certainly happy to have them. They've just released their debut album, My Love Is Cool, in June this year, with producer Mike Crossey (Arctic Monkeys, Foals, Black Keys) at the grungy helm. Haven't heard 'em yet? Single ‘Moaning Lisa Smiles’ is particularly dark and seductive, and ‘Giant Peach’ has us positively hooked on Ellie Rowsell’s vocals. We have a feeling that out of all the newcomers coming to Splendour this year, Wolf Alice are going to be one of those gigs you’ll kick yourself in years to come for missing out. So don’t.
If the team behind the Insidious franchise could have their time again, we're betting they'd make a significant change. You don't need supernatural abilities to pick what they'd fix, with their decision to kill off Lin Shaye's parapsychologist Elise Rainier in the first movie something they clearly regret. In the second film, they brought her back via the spirit world, while the series' third and fourth instalments have gone down the prequel route. It's easy to understand why — as the plucky otherworldly expert tasked with helping ordinary folks battle literal demons, Shaye is the best thing the horror saga has going for it by far. Indeed, thanks to the veteran actress, the Insidious flicks deserve a little more credit than they generally get. After all, how many franchises can say they have a 74-year-old woman as their star? A genre veteran with everything from A Nightmare on Elm Street to Critters to the Ouija movies to her name, Shaye remains as committed to her role as Elise as ever, including this time around. That said, pushing a septuagenarian front and centre can't make up for the series' largely by-the-numbers construction, which grows increasingly apparent with each new chapter. It would take serious mystical abilities to breathe life into the formulaic effort that is Insidious: The Last Key, for example. Directed by Shaye's 2001 Maniacs co-star Adam Robitel, this derivative outing keeps its protagonist around by taking a tried-and-tested path: an origin story. Anchored in Elise's childhood, the movie could easily be subtitled "this time, it's personal". As an introductory segment explains, she was once a girl (Ava Kolker) with special abilities, living near a prison, with a stern executioner father (Josh Stewart) who didn't approve. In the modern-day storyline, Elise is called back to her former home by its current resident (Kirk Acevedo), who's having some paranormal troubles of his own. Set in New Mexico's Five Keys and featuring a ghoul by the name of KeyFace, Insidious: The Last Key is anything but subtle. The paranormal villain also has keys for fingers, and doors and locks are prominent throughout the film. Although he created the series and has penned every instalment to date, Australian actor and screenwriter Leigh Whannell appears to be going through the motions with the flimsy narrative, even when he tries to step into more thematically interesting territory. Part of the movie focuses on abuse and the cycles of violence it can create, but it's treated with the same clunkiness as the supposedly-comic romantic subplot that sees sidekick characters, played by Whannell and Angus Sampson, hitting on a couple of much younger women. Of course, depth isn't something the franchise has ever counted among its strengths. Nor, for that matter, is comedy. Other than Shaye's presence, it has always fared best as a genre exercise. When The Conjuring's James Wan was at the helm of the first two films, what the series lacked in smarts and story, it almost made up for with its well-executed bumps, jumps, shadowy images and unsettling atmosphere. Nodding affectionately to (and borrowing liberally from) iconic horror flicks has always been part of the package too, but Wan's handling of demonic spirits and haunted houses still struck a stylistic chord. Sadly, as this trying, generic effort demonstrates, Robitel doesn't have the same talents with aesthetics or with scares. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV7tKm6JCCU
If Pitch Perfect 2 taught us anything, it's that bigger isn't always better. The so-so 2015 sequel didn't exactly make the original look like a one-hit wonder, but in trying to repeat the same beats (only louder), it couldn't find quite the same catchy refrain. Still, it's a toe-tapping triumph compared to the third instalment in the a cappella-focused franchise. Like mid 2000s-era Britney Spears, whose 'Toxic' the film trots out more than once, Pitch Perfect 3 is desperately trying to recapture some old magic with very little success. Britney's track is actually the best thing about the movie, which is why it keeps popping up. As the Barden Bellas sing, dance and channel their inner pop star, they're doing what they love — and it shows. Sadly, director Trish Sie (Step Up 5), returning screenwriter Kay Cannon and franchise newbie/co-writer Mike White (Brad's Status) insist on overcomplicating matters again and again. And so it is that our heroes find themselves belting out the tune on a boat that's suddenly besieged with action and explosions. If you're thinking that the franchise has completely run out of ideas, then you're right. The singing silliness starts when record producer Beca (Anna Kendrick), pals Chloe (Brittany Snow) and Aubrey (Anna Camp), outspoken Australian Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) and the rest of the gang wrangle their way into a gig entertaining American troops — which then turns out to be a competition to support DJ Khaled at the finale of the tour. Unhappy in their adult lives now that college is but a distant memory, the experience sees the group back in their aca-element, hopping across Europe and riffing off against bands with actual instruments. Commentators John (John Michael Higgins) and Gail (Elizabeth Banks) tag along to make a documentary, while Fat Amy also has to deal with her estranged Aussie father (John Lithgow). While Britney gives Pitch Perfect 3 its high point, it heads in the opposite direction every time Lithgow opens his mouth. Like Quentin Tarantino in Django Unchained, it's another case of an American actor completely missing the mark when trying out an Australian accent — not that he seems to be trying that hard. The fact that it'll stick in your mind says just as much about the film around it, however, with the movie brightly shot and zippily paced but unable to rise above a bland screenplay. It doesn't help that the main cast seem barely interested, as they trot through the expected motions, jokes and character tics. At least they give the various jukebox-like musical numbers the requisite energy. Everything else in the film feels like exactly what it is: filler. The end product is a movie that, much like its characters, is happy just to relive past glories. Ironically, the film's message — about moving on and letting go of the past — is one that it seems incapable of taking on board. As a result, while Pitch Perfect 3 is packaged as the Bellas' last hurrah, no one will be surprised if we end up with a fourth instalment. If it forces the group onto a reality TV singing show — and, really, where else can they go? — then it really will be scraping the bottom of the barrel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rv_aNPMRv0
No one plays with a Barbie too hard when the Mattel product is fresh out of the box. As that new doll smell lingers, and the toy's synthetic limbs gleam and locks glisten, so does a child's sense of wonder. The more that the world-famous mass-produced figurine is trotted through DreamHouses, slipped into convertibles and decked out in different outfits, though — then given non-standard makeovers — the more that playing with the plastic fashion model becomes fantastical. Like globally beloved item, like live-action movie bearing its name. Barbie, the film, starts with glowing aesthetic perfection. It's almost instantly a pink-hued paradise for the eyes, and it's also a cleverly funny flick from its 2001: A Space Odyssey-riffing outset. The longer that it continues, however, the harder and wilder that Lady Bird and Little Women director Greta Gerwig goes, as does her Babylon and Amsterdam star lead-slash-producer Margot Robbie as Barbie. In Barbie's Barbie Land, life is utopian. Robbie's Stereotypical Barbie and her fellow dolls genuinely believe that their rosy beachside suburban excellence is infectious, too. And, they're certain that their female-championing realm — and them being female champions of all skills, talents and appearances — has changed the real world inhabited by humans. But there's a Weird Barbie living in a misshapen abode. While she isn't Barbie's villain, not for a second, her nonconformist look and attitude says everything about Barbie at its most delightful. Sporting cropped hair, a scribbled-on face and legs akimbo, she's brought to life by Saturday Night Live great Kate McKinnon having a blast, and explained as the outcome of a kid somewhere playing too eagerly. Meet Gerwig's spirit animal; when she lets Weird Barbie's vibe rain down like a shower of glitter, covering everything and everyone in sight, the always-intelligent, amusing and dazzling Barbie is at its brightest and most brilliant. This film has much to do, as a Mattel- produced affair that also skewers the brand, and both dotes on and parodies all things Barbie, must. The more askew it gets and revels in it, the better. Indeed, in a movie that not only overflows with a feminist perspective, but pokes glorious fun at the patriarchy — plus 90s male-fronted rock, car and horse obsessions, and men competing and one-upping each other (side note: do Kens have genitalless bulge-measuring contests?) — it throws in a glaring clash that couldn't serve the picture better. Barbies can be anything, be it President (Issa Rae, Insecure), a doctor (Hari Nef, Meet Cute), a diplomat (Nicola Coughlan, Bridgerton), a Nobel Prize-winning physicist (Emma Mackey, Emily), an author (Alexandra Schipp, tick, tick... BOOM!), a Supreme Court justice (Ana Cruz Kayne, Jerry and Marge Go Large), a journalist (Ritu Arya, Polite Society), a lawyer (Sharon Rooney, Jerk) and a mermaid (Dua Lipa, making her movie debut). They can also nearly have the film stolen from them by a Zoolander-esque himbo Ryan Gosling (The Gray Man) at his absolute funniest as Stereotypical Barbie's yearning Ken. Before Ken's stunning late-film, go-for-broke, 50s-musical-adoring song-and-dance number that deserves all of the awards, including for Gosling putting his crooning to use again post-La La Land and loving it, Barbie has to derail the Barbies' constant rotation of best days ever. Gerwig and her Greenberg, Frances Ha, Mistress America and White Noise helmer Noah Baumbach, who co-writes here, wouldn't have a storyline otherwise. Together and apart, the duo has a stellar pedigree in conveying the disappointments of simply being, a notion they pull back out of the box. For Stereotypical Barbara Millicent Roberts, her idyll shifts when her giant blowout party with all the Barbies, planned choreography and a bespoke song sparks thoughts about death for the first time. Next comes messy hair upon waking, burnt breakfast, a fall from her DreamHouse to her car — rather than floating down like a hand is airlifting her — and suddenly unarched feet that can't handle high heels. Only Weird Barbie has an inkling of what's going on, guiding Stereotypical Barbie to the real world to seek out whoever's playing with her, discover why they're less than blissful and fix that human to fix herself. Los Angeles, here she comes — to rollerblade in neon as everyone has known since 2022, and with Ken tagging along. Gosling's Ken is only one Ken, of course. Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Kingsley Ben-Adir (Secret Invasion), Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education) and Scott Evans (Grace and Frankie): they're other Kens. John Cena (Fast X) is a Ken mermaid. Michael Cera (Black Mirror) is Alan, and he's unique. In Barbie Land, everyone who isn't Barbie — even Midge (Emerald Fennell, The Crown) — sits in the Barbies' shadow. When, as they meet Mattel employee Gloria (America Ferrera, Superstore), her teen daughter Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt, 65) and the company's CEO (Will Ferrell, Spirited), Barbie and Ken learn that reality doesn't mirror that setup, their glossy polymer bubble bursts. Weathering a surreal existential crisis or not, and even being the butt of one of narrator Helen Mirren's (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) many wry jokes by name, Robbie is sparkling, warm and sincere. There's nothing PVC about her performance, which is equally light and heartfelt — and still gives Gosling all the room that he can thrust his spray-tanned chest into to deliver a hilarious physical comedy masterclass (and, although Robbie led Babylon, sometimes sashay like he's in Hollywood's Golden Age). Robbie, and Gosling also, keep shimmering when the film feels a touch careful, or falls slightly and briefly flatter. They're the sublime antidote when Barbie stresses that it's lampooning, rather than just doing it. And, though playing characters with painted-on fridge contents (her) and "just beach" as a job (him), they're what makes the movie feel wonderfully real and earnest even when — especially when — it's at its goofiest and silliest. Gerwig has directed a lively, zany, oh-so witty and pretty Barbie flick that's perfectly cast, a costuming showcase and, in Barbie Land, a production-design dream. With Baumbach, she's penned a knowing, mile-a-minute, meta-but-meaningful film that's a tribute and a takedown — happy celebrating Barbie's aspirational role and place in history since 1959, while calling out corporatised girl power, mainstream beauty standards, the ridiculous expectations placed upon women (basically dropping a sequel to Gone Girl's "cool girl" speech, in fact) and capitalism's intellectual property-hungry quest for control. Sometimes, the fingers that are moving Barbie's pieces are a touch too evident, pushing hard instead of just playing hard. Sometimes, they're a tad timid. Thankfully, these are minor issues, like choosing who Barbie should be when the possibilities are endless. This film's charms aren't quite infinite, but they're as ever-present as pink, pink and more pink in an ambitious, inventive and joyously entertaining movie that gave the world a fuchsia paint shortage.
A certain global pandemic might have limited Melbourne's creativity fix last year, but come May, the city more than make up for that artistic dry spell. Launching with the total lunar eclipse on Wednesday, May 26, the city is set to welcome Rising, a brand new festival of arts and culture and an ambitious celebration of place. Running for 12 nights and descending on venues and public spaces all across the city, it's set to deliver a huge 133 different projects and events involving more than 750 Victorian artists. Expect a large-scale celebration of music, art and performance, in what organisers are pushing to become the major cultural event for the entire Asia-Pacific region. After being forced to postpone its planned 2020 debut, Rising is now more than two years in the making. Its expansive program has been very much steered by the artists involved, with an impressive 36 specially commissioned works set to make their world premiere during the event. "We went to the artists of Victoria and asked them for bold and ambitious ideas of what a festival can now be," Co-Artistic Director Hannah Fox explained to Concrete Playground. "So that's really informed how we've programmed it. It's as much the vision of the artists of Victoria and Melbourne as it is ours. And they really were well ahead of us in understanding how to make work for a post-COVID world." Taking place across five distinct districts within the city, Rising will serve up a broad-ranging mix of music, large-scale public art, grand installations and site-specific performances, intertwined with a healthy sprinkling of food and wine. As Fox says, it's "very much about creating an experience in Melbourne that's completely unique to this place." [caption id="attachment_805136" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Patricia Piccinini by Pete Tarasiuk[/caption] And there truly is something in this lineup for everyone to sink their teeth into. Excitingly, renowned Aussie artist Patricia Piccinini returns with her first major Melbourne project in almost two decades, with A Miracle Constantly Repeated unveiling a multi-sensory art experience housed within the rarely spied spaces on the top floor of Flinders Street Station. The festival's Chinatown precinct will play host to everything from a naked disco called Club Purple to technology-driven laneway art takeovers and soaring visual projections. At its heart, the Golden Square car park building will be transformed into a multi-faceted pop-up gallery, showcasing new works from the likes of Reko Rennie, Parallel Park, Lucy Bleach and more. Over at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, it'll become a supernatural forest for The Wilds, complete with light shows, supersized sculptures, mirrored illusions and a pop-up ice-skating rink. The Capitol Theatre will play host to a performance lecture by Emmy-winning filmmaker Lynette Wallworth — and, at the Comedy Theatre, you'll catch a series of collaborations and special performances to tempt music fans of all persuasions, featuring New Zealand's Marlon Williams, Julia Jacklin, The Saints founder Ed Kuepper and loads more. Also embedded firmly throughout the Rising program is a focus on the city's connection to First Peoples' culture. "One thing that we wanted to be really clear on and committed to was about our place, and really thinking about Melbourne's history in terms of deepening the understanding of First Nations stories and living culture," Fox says. Accordingly, there'll be no shortage of opportunities to dig in deep, including works like storytelling sound pavilion Blak Box and The Lantern Company's community-made Wandering Stars — a 200-metre-long glowing eel undulating its way along the Yarra, to be enjoyed by audiences on the riverbank as they share First Peoples' knowledge of the space. Or, there's Tjanabi, one of the diverse food and wine experiences happening within the Melbourne Town Hall's Mess Hall pop-up precinct. Led by N'arweet Dr Carolyn Briggs AM, the event will see diners connecting with First Peoples' food culture as they feast their way through a multi-course dinner built around long-held techniques and much-honoured ingredients. "It's about the community coming back together again in a really major way, taking advantage of the freedom that we have and bringing the city back to life after being the hardest hit city in Australia," explains Fox. "It's a very significant kind of moment... and we feel very fortunate to be launching this now. I think audiences are absolutely ready." Rising runs from Wednesday, May 26–Sunday, June 6 at various locations around Melbourne. Head to the festival's website to check out the full program and grab tickets. Images: Wandering Stars; Blak Box, 2019, photographed by Teresa Tan.
It's distilled in a rainforest, and it features native botanicals foraged from said rainforest. Yes, that's enough to make Brookie's Dry Gin stand out. A hit since first appearing on the scene back in 2016, Brookie's is made from 25 botanicals — 17 of which stem from its Northern Rivers surroundings, such as Byron sunrise finger limes, native river mint and native raspberry. This is the gin to drink when you want to feel like you've made the journey to Byron Bay, where Cape Byron Distillery is unsurprisingly located, but can't actually head out of town at the moment. A labour of love for co-founder Eddie Brook, the distillery is actually part of his family property in Byron Bay's hinterland, where he grew up. Cape Byron Distillery hosts public tours every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It includes a gin tasting of Brookie's two gins, a G&T on arrival and a tour of the surrounding rainforest.
It seems we can definitely forget about the promised 2019 completion date for Sydney's new southeast light rail system, with the consortium behind the project advising the New South Wales Government that it'll take an extra year. March 2020 is now the projected completion date for the project, which will run from Circular Quay to Randwick and Kingsford. As reported by the ABC, the news comes just a week after the NSW Government first found itself embroiled in a legal battle with the Spanish subcontractor heading up the build, slowing down progress considerably. At the time, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian declined to share details about the delays, though said the state would "not be held to ransom" by builder Acciona, which is taking Transport for NSW to court for the tidy sum of $1.2 billion. The company is demanding the extra money because it claims it was misled about the complexity of utility work involved in the project. The two have lodged documents with the NSW Supreme Court, highlighting a particular issue with underground electricity infrastructure, which they contend pose a "critical part and key delivery risk." Acciona is proceeding with a go-slow on work at present, though Transport Minister Andrew Constance told parliament "we are not going to tolerate a go-slow so that we write a cheque to hit the accelerator". Testing on a stretch of the new 12.7-kilometre route began in February. Via the ABC. By Libby Curran and Sarah Ward.
As Pedro Almodóvar sees it, every aspect of life is filled with emotion and mystery. Sentiment and suspense ooze through his movies – although it's not just his narratives that inspire intrigue, or speak volumes about desire, loss, longing and guilt. With a command of style that matches his storytelling abilities, each shade of colour, each textured surface, each intimate close-up and each patient pause reveals and teases, too. The writer-director asks audiences to do more than watch; he wants viewers of his films to probe, to question and — above all else — to feel. It's little wonder, then, that Almodóvar's career has been built upon affairs of the heart and matters weighing on the mind, with his twentieth feature sticking to familiar territory. After sky-high camp comedy misfire I'm So Excited, Julieta unpacks the life of its eponymous figure with hints of the darkness that made the horror-tinged The Skin I Live In so thrilling, and with ample doses of the contemplation and inner drama that have served the Spanish filmmaker so well. First glimpsed in middle age, Julieta (Emma Suárez) is preparing to leave Madrid with her boyfriend (Darío Grandinetti) when she crosses paths with an old friend of her now-estranged daughter. Memories of other times swirl up, derailing her plans and motivating a move into a building the two inhabited years earlier. There, as she comes as close as she can to living in the past, she puts pen to paper to recount her tale. The film brings her recollections to the screen, as a younger Julieta (Adriana Ugarte) meets fisherman Xoan (Daniel Grao) on a train, settles in a seaside village, and forges a happy but short-lived existence. Complex relationships, contentment stolen away by a painful fate, and previous tragedies colouring future decisions – yes, Julieta proves a classic Almodóvar effort through and through, as it fuses three separate short stories from Alice Munro's 2004 book Runaway into one vivid and involving whole. Of course, from the moment the movie opens with the sight of the red fabric of one of Julieta's dresses, its visuals fall into the same category. And while there's little about Julieta that challenges its director or will surprise his fans, it still offers an evocative example of a craftsman doing what he does well. That Julieta largely unravels as expected in both its narrative and in Almodóvar's approach doesn't dampen its vibrancy. Indeed, appearing to so closely follow his own formula might just be by design. That increasingly seems the case whenever the film's performances capture attention, with both Suárez and Ugarte demonstrating devastating nuance. Not only do they provide two different takes on the titular character, but, in the process, they also represent the present and past of Almodóvar's long line of on-screen women. He's long been recognised for exploring female-centric stories and drawing potent performances out of his actresses. As he lets his two leads energise and complicate the film as necessary, he showcases their talent as well as the quiet evolution of his various heroines.
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. When the change arrives — with exactly why and how clearly one of those horror-movie details best discovered by watching — Malignant proves deliriously riveting. It sports a creepy yet slinky vibe, as well as a surging and hypnotic sense of physicality, all attuned to an inventive revelation that's all its own. The script's huge surprise isn't actually hard to pick, but Wan's execution is masterful and mesmerising. Here, the film becomes gloriously slick and pulpy, instead of relying upon the usual gradual zoom-in shots or sticking with an almost-house style (cinematographer Michael Burgess also lensed the Wan-produced Annabelle Comes Home, The Curse of the Weeping Woman and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It). It also evolves from a formulaically jangling score and soundscape to one with nervy purpose, embraces the kind of ridiculousness that'd be downright silly if it wasn't so well done, and adds a fresh sense of spirit to the possession-fuelled side of the genre. Wan has rarely made dull movies, after all, which is another reason that Malignant's long-gestating first section feels like a drag. Indeed, when the sagas his movies have sparked have been at their most generic, he hasn't been at the helm. That said, the fact that Malignant truly needs to grow on its audience, that it's firmly a picture of two halves, and that it starts with the unrestrained, lets it fall away, then sneaks up on the unsuspecting — that really couldn't be more apt once the film spills its narrative secrets. While Malignant isn't a character study by any means, Wallis breathes as much depth as she can into Madison in the movie's flatter half — and, in her third appearance in a Wan-related flick after The Conjuring spinoffs Annabelle and Annabelle: Creation, commits to the lunacy when it hits. Her co-stars have a much more standard time, including acclaimed stuntperson and Quentin Tarantino regular Zoe Bell (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) in a brief appearance, but this isn't a performance-driven film, either. It also isn't all that scary. Although Malignant can be sublimely off-kilter, that isn't the same eliciting genuine bumps and jumps. Still, when a horror flick shocks, delights and takes viewers on the type of wild and audacious ride that Malignant eventually serves up, it stands out. And yes, like much of Wan's work, it'll undoubtedly spawn a franchise.
Since popping up over the last decade, the term 'elevated horror' has always been unnecessary. Used to describe The Babadook, It Follows, The Witch, Get Out, Hereditary, Us, Midsommar and more, it pointlessly claims that such unsettling flicks have risen above their genre. Each of these movies is excellent. They all boast weight and depth, trade in metaphors with smarts and savvy, and have style to go with their creeps and thrills. But thinking that's new in horror — that pairing unease with topical woes or societal fears is as well — is as misguided as dubbing Michael Myers a hero. With a name that makes its #MeToo-era point plain, Men has been badged 'elevated', too, yet it also does what horror has at its best and worst cases for decades. That the world can be a nightmare for women at the hands of men isn't a fresh observation, and it's long been a scary movie go-to. Still, Men stresses that fact in an inescapably blunt but also unforgettable manner. The film's setting is an English manor, where Harper Marlowe (Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter) hopes for a solo stint of rest, relaxation and recuperation. Processing a tragedy, shattering memories of which haunt the movie as much as its protagonist, she's seeking an escape and a way to start anew. The initial hint that she won't find bliss comes swiftly and obviously, and with a sledgehammer's subtlety. Arriving at an idyllic-looking British countryside estate, Harper is greeted by an apple tree. She plucks one from the abundant branches, then takes a bite. Soon, she's told by her host Geoffrey (Rory Kinnear, Our Flag Means Death) that it's forbidden fruit. He also says he's joking — but in this garden, a woman will again shoulder a society's blame and burdens. As overt and blatant as this early exchange is, there's an intensely unnerving look and feel to Men from the outset. Returning to the big screen after excellent sci-fi TV series Devs, writer/director Alex Garland isn't a stranger to visually stunning, deeply disquieting films that ponder big ideas; see: the complex, eerie and sublime Ex Machina, plus the similarly intricate and intriguing Annihilation. Oscar Isaac doesn't turn up this time, let alone dance. Buckley and Kinnear do turn in mesmerising and magnificent powerhouse performances amid the perturbing mood and spectacular imagery. Gender expectations also get probed and challenged, as do genres. And, things get strange and insidious after Harper tries to lap up her bucolic surroundings. Those blood-red walls sported by Harper's atmospheric centuries-old home-away-from-home? That's another glaring warning. Also discomforting: the jump-scare glitch when she video chats with her best friend Riley (Gayle Rankin, GLOW), after being told by Geoffrey — who is polite but never direct, perfectly satirising both stiff-upper-lip Britishness and the fine line between being courteous and patronising — that reception isn't the best. And, when Harper ventures out of the house, she discovers scenic treasures alongside hardly hospitable locals. She's a woman plagued by troubles that don't begin as her own, and she's forced to devote everything she has to moving past them and surviving. That Harper is played with such instinctive and physical feeling with Buckley, who just keeps going from strength to strength thanks to Beast, Wild Rose, Chernobyl, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, Fargo and her Oscar-nominated efforts in The Lost Daughter, is one of Men's biggest assets. First, there's the naked man who follows Harper through the wilderness, after she wanders through a cavernous tunnel with ethereal acoustics that's a delight one moment and boarded up the next. Then, more and more townsfolk spark alarm. There's the cop who barely believes Harper's stalker story, dismissively so. There's the teen who asks curious questions, demands attention and gets abusive when he isn't indulged. Also, there's the vicar who enquires about Harper's woes, then apportions responsibility her way for her struggles with husband James (Paapa Essiedu, I May Destroy You), while also putting his hand on her knee. The town pub's patrons are wary of her encroachment on their turf, while Geoffrey keeps making his presence known in his civil but passive-aggressive fashion. And, these men — yes, they're all men — share something beyond an unpleasant, off-putting and entitled attitude. Kinnear is also fantastic in Men because he's all men (including in scenes that make it clear that Garland saw his exceptional efforts as Frankenstein's monster in Penny Dreadful). Toxic masculinity deserves to be torn down repeatedly, and nuance needn't be part of that dismantling. The misogyny women can face openly and daily, and the way that simply existing can bring threats in the most ordinary spaces, also demands calling out loudly and strongly. Men does this. It ponders its key idea in different ways, too, including within religion and marriage. It shows how views can fester from adolescence, and within social and supposedly comforting confines. It demonstrates that just being can be fraught with distress for women, taking that reality to surreal, violent and fleshy extremes that'd equally do David Lynch and David Cronenberg proud. Also, it toys with how women are victimised in horror cinema. Garland's take on the topic is vivid and chilling — and as evocative as his past releases, plus his stellar screenplays for 28 Days Later and Sunshine — but Men also dives about as deep as noting that its namesake can be the worst, everyone knows it, and movies and life prey upon it. Still, as a piece of immersive cinema, Men is entrancing. It might be too kind to think its thematic bludgeoning is completely on purpose, but feeling like you're trapped in the same hell as Harper — in the film's present day, and in her orange-hued, positively apocalyptic, just-as-disturbing memories — is by design. Garland's work is that meticulous and sensory, and adept at conjuring up gut- and heart-wrenching reactions. It has been since he started out as the author behind The Beach, in fact. Here, he's aided by the intricate splendour, leafy and shadowy alike, lensed by his now usual cinematographer Rob Hardy (Mission: Impossible — Fallout), as well as the ominousness echoing in the choral-heavy score by fellow regular collaborators Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury (Archive 81). That all elevates the movie, although not because it's a higher form of horror, which it isn't. Men is as glaringly direct, primal and surface-level as a bar pickup line, and says nothing new, but its visceral and unshakeable menace still digs in hard, fast, tight and piercingly.
This winter, 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art is bringing together five artists to explore both our fascination and relationship with technology, but also the concerns of a world depended on this uncontrollable — and all-seeing — force. In The Invisible Hand, artists Simon Denny, Exonemo, Sunwoo Hoon, Mijoon Pak and Baden Pailthorpe will pose questions and alternative concepts to our current digital landscape. With artists from Australia, New Zealand, Korea and Japan, they will explore what this interconnectedness, reliability and data collection could mean for the East Asia region. The curators and gallery have put together a series of public programs that aim to challenge and expand on these ideas, including one of the gallery's congee breakfast gallery walkthroughs, which will take place on Saturday, July 20.
Something delightful has been 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 back in business — spanning 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, 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?time_continue=4&v=87RIVAc6MJU&feature=emb_logo SYNCHRONIC Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead made a significant splash in genre circles with 2014's horror-romance Spring and 2017's excellent cult thriller The Endless, but they aren't currently household names. If the duo keep writing and directing mind-bending sci-fi like Synchronic, though, they will be sooner rather than later. The pair actually appear destined to become better known via Marvel. They're slated to helm one of the MCU's many upcoming Disney+ TV series, the Oscar Isaac-starring Moon Knight, in fact. But, they've already worked their way up from the US$20,000 budget of their 2012 debut Resolution to making movies with Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan. Here, with Marvel's own Falcon and Fifty Shades of Grey's leading man, they play with time, relativity, fate and brain-altering substances. They ponder the shadows that the past leaves on the present, the way that progressing through life can feel far more like a stumble than following a clear path, and how confronting loss and death can reframe your perspective on living, too. Those temporal jumps and existential themes aren't new, of course, and neither is the film's steely look and feel, and its willingness to get dark. That's the thing about Benson and Moorhead, however: few filmmakers can twist familiar parts into such a distinctive, smart and engaging package in the same way, and with each and every one of their movies. Synchronic shares its title with a designer drug. In the film's vision of New Orleans, the hallucinogen can be bought in stores — and plenty of people are doing just that. Shift after shift, paramedics Steve Denube (Mackie) and Dennis Dannelly (Dornan) find themselves cleaning up the aftermath, as users keep overdosing, dying in unusual ways and getting injured in strange mishaps. And, these aren't your usual drug-fuelled incidents. One, involving a snakebite, happens in a hotel without even the slightest sign of slithering reptiles. That's enough to arouse the world-wearied Steve and Dennis' interest, and to give them something to talk about other than the former's attachment-free life and the latter's marriage. Then Dennis' teenage daughter Brianna (Ally Ioannides, Into the Badlands) goes missing, and the two EMTs are instantly keen to investigate any links that the popular pill might have to her disappearance. Cue a film that initially drips with tension, dread and intensity; uses every tool at its disposal to take viewers on a trippy journey; and grounds its surreal imagery and off-kilter atmosphere in genuine emotions. Each of Benson and Moorhead's four films so far are strikingly shot and astutely written, and rank among the best horror and sci-fi efforts of the past decade, but they're also as thoughtful and resonant as they are intelligent and ambitious — and that's an irresistible combination. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5R46NgopPw&feature=emb_logo ANOTHER ROUND Even the most joyous days and nights spent sipping your favourite drink can have their memory tainted by a hangover. Imbibe too much, and there's a kicker just waiting to pulsate through your brain and punish your body when all that alcohol inevitably starts to wear off. For much of Another Round, four Copenhagen school teachers try to avoid this feeling. The film they're in doesn't, though. It lays bare the ups and downs of knocking back boozy beverages, and it also serves up a finale that's a sight to behold. Without sashaying into spoiler territory, the feature's last moments are a thing of sublime beauty. Some movies end in a WTF, "what were they thinking?" kind of way, but this Oscar-shortlisted Danish film comes to a conclusion with a big and bold showstopper that's also a piece of bittersweet perfection. The picture's highest-profile star, Mads Mikkelsen (Arctic), is involved. His pre-acting background as an acrobat and dancer comes in handy, too. Unsurprisingly, the substances that flow freely throughout the feature remain prominent. And, so does the canny and candid awareness that life's highs and lows just keep spilling, plus the just-as-shrewd understanding that the line between self-sabotage and self-release is as thin as a slice of lemon garnishing a cocktail. That's how Another Round wraps up, in one the many masterstrokes poured onto the screen by writer/director Thomas Vinterberg (Kursk)) and his co-scribe Tobias Lindholm (A War). The film's unforgettable finale also expertly capitalises upon a minor plot detail that viewers haven't realised had such significance until then, and that couldn't typify this excellent effort's layered approach any better. But, ending with a bang isn't the movie's only achievement. In fact, it's full of them. The picture's savvy choices start with its premise, which sees the quiet and reserved Martin (Mikkelsen) and his fellow educators Tommy (Thomas Bo Larsen, Veni Vidi Vici), Peter (Lars Ranthe, Warrior) and Nikolaj (Magnus Millang, The Commune) all decide to put an out-there theory to the test. Motivated by real-life Norwegian psychiatrist Finn Skårderud, they conduct an experiment that involves being permanently sauced. Skårderud has hypothesised that humans are born with a blood alcohol deficit of 0.05 percent, so, with some cajoling needed on Martin's part, the quartet work that idea into their daily lives. Ground rules are established, and the shots, sneaky sips and all-hours drinking swiftly begins — and so splashes a tragicomic look at coping with mundane lives and the realities of getting older in an extreme fashion that's frank, unflinching, and yet also warm and sometimes humorous. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNkmnVd9wHM&feature=emb_logo ASSASSINS On February 13, 2017, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, a man was assassinated in broad daylight. While standing by the self check-in kiosks at around 9am, he was approached from behind by two women. After they each rubbed their hands across his face, he was dead within the hour. For a plethora of reasons, the attack garnered global news headlines. Such a brazen murder, carried out not only in public but also in full view of the Malaysian airport's security cameras, was always going to receive worldwide attention. The use of extremely deadly chemical weapon VX obviously demanded scrutiny — and so did the fact that the victim was Kim Jong-nam, the estranged elder half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. But, despite the onslaught of newsprint, pixels and airtime devoted to the incident when it happened, the full details behind it took time to unfurl. As Assassins explores, those facts are fascinating, gripping and distressing in equal measure. Indeed, if a Hollywood screenwriter had cooked up the story at the centre of Ryan White's (The Keepers) meticulously documentary, they would've been told that it's too far-fetched. Not that the world needs any additional reminders, but real life really is far stranger than fiction here. Across 104 minutes that relay an unmistakably and inescapably wild tale in an edge-of-the-seat yet never sensationalistic fashion, White asks the question that was on everyone's lips four years ago: why? That query has many layers. It starts with wondering why two women in their 20s — one from Indonesia, the other from Vietnam — with no clear political affiliations would kill an exiled North Korean who was once expected to lead his nation. From there, it expands to contemplate why Malaysian law enforcement officers and prosecutors were so content to believe that culprits Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong acted without any involvement from North Korea, and why a number of the latter country's citizens were interviewed, but then released and allowed to return home without facing any legal repercussions. Aisyah and Huong certainly weren't afforded the same treatment. Charged with Kim Jong-nam's murder, they were put through a long trial, and faced the death penalty if convicted. The pair, who didn't know each other beforehand, pled their innocence from the outset. Both women were adamant that they had each been hired to make prank videos for a YouTube show and, as far as they knew, their efforts in Kuala Lumpur were part of their latest production. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZNN9AttdBQ LONG STORY SHORT The type of guy who is always too busy to both make plans and stick to them, Teddy (Rafe Spall, Just Mercy) has a slippery relationship with time. He never seems to have enough to commit to anything right now, including setting a date to marry to his girlfriend of four years and new fiancée Leanne (Zahra Newman, Neighbours). Ever the procrastinator, he's always saying that he'll do everything later, too. Then, after an odd cemetery run-in with a mysterious woman (Noni Hazelhurst, Ladies in Black) that results in his wedding occurring just weeks later, Teddy's life starts slipping away in an unexpected fashion. Everything is normal when he climbs into bed on his wedding night but, when wakes up, he realises that it's suddenly a year later. Leanne hasn't skipped the past 12 months with him, although she does think that he's acting strangely (and, that he's simply freaking out because he forgot their anniversary). Teddy's best friend Sam (Ronny Chieng, Crazy Rich Asians) also doesn't believe that anything is amiss with the calendar, but plenty has changed. When another year glides by a few minutes later, everything changes yet again. Now, Teddy's claims that he doesn't have enough time take on much greater urgency, as he tries to work out what's going on, how to stop it and how to save his disintegrating marriage in the process. Writing, directing and appearing on-screen as a psychiatrist who exacerbates Teddy's frustrations, House of Lies and Superstore actor Josh Lawson turns filmmaker again with Long Story Short. He's still sticking with comedy, as he did with The Little Death, his last effort behind the camera. He's still happy to sketch out his narratives via broad strokes, too, and to pile on implausible details as well. Here, he starts with the supposedly romantic idea that a man will kiss any woman who wears the same dress as his girlfriend. That mistaken situation inspires Teddy's meet-cute with Leanne, and somehow sparks their whole relationship. It's about as believable as the beachfront Sydney house the apparently ordinary couple buy as their first marital home — so, when Teddy starts jumping through time, that seems feasible in comparison. From there, Long Story Short packages the expected manchild and relationship cliches with familiar temporal-hopping tropes, and can't hide that fact by shouting out to Groundhog Day. Physically resembling his director more often than not, Spall plays rattled well enough. Newman does her best in a thinly written role that simply has Leanne reacting to Teddy's chaos. But being suddenly whisked through time and missing this flat movie wouldn't be a bad outcome for audiences, unless you're the type of viewer who loves Aussie flicks filled with all the usual tourist-courting visuals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4mxHlXBy_g THE PEOPLE UPSTAIRS A film like Spanish comedy The People Upstairs lives and dies on the strength of its performances. That's not a criticism of the movie's script; rather, it's recognition that its conversation-fuelled dramas and sudden, drastic twists and turns need the right actors to sell everything that unfurls across its brief 82-minute running time. Thankfully, writer/director Cesc Gay (A Gun in Each Hand, Truman) has amassed a top-notch cast. That's hardly surprising — he has worked with his male leads Javier Cámara (Narcos) and Alberto San Juan (Advantages of Travelling by Train) before, and his female leads Belén Cuesta (Money Heist) and Griselda Siciliani (Morir de Amor) boast considerable resumes. But, had any of the quartet missed even the slightest of beats, the whole film could've crumbled, and badly. As the long-married Julio and Ana, Cámara and Siciliani are asked to convey years of unhappiness that's long threatened to push the couple apart, but to still find enough of a spark in their wearied relationship to explain why they're still together (and not just via the smoke that radiates from their frequent arguments). As the upstairs-dwelling Salvo and Laura, San Juan and Cuesta are tasked with looser roles; however, they also have to roll with the punches when their characters keep shocking and surprising their downstairs neighbours. For Julio, the Friday night that attracts the movie's attention should just be an ordinary evening. Coming home from his music teaching gig, he has papers to grade and doesn't plan on doing much else. Alas, after mentioning in passing the day prior that she'd like to invite Salvo and Laura over, Ana has followed through — and they arrive not long after Julio walks in the door, notices the new rug and starts an argument. From there, The People Upstairs stays within Julio and Ana's apartment and follows their awkward get-together with Salvo and Laura. The latter pair notice the tension immediately, and they have very specific ideas about how to ease it. Plenty of comedies of manners have stepped into comparable terrain, to the point that dinner party movies have become their own subgenre, but Gay and his cast never let the situation feel too familiar. While the film makes the most of its nicely appointed set, which helps, how its stars deliver the lively content of Julio, Ana, Salvo and Laura's chats remains crucial. The movie's comedy, and the pondering of changing societal norms that's baked into it, wouldn't work otherwise. That's not to say that The People Upstairs always hits its targets; although short, some of its conversations become not only purposefully circular, but also repetitive. But when the tightly written script and the cast performing it all sparkle, so does the feature. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c85aXHth_uQ&feature=youtu.be UNSOUND In Unsound, Finn (feature first-timer Yiana Pandelis) and Noah (Reece Noi, When They See Us) meet by chance. When the latter wanders into the club for Sydneysiders with hearing impairments that the former runs in the city's northern beaches, a connection springs, although both enter the relationship with other things on their mind. Attendance at the neighbourhood centre has been waning, and the locals complain about Finn's weekly dance parties. Tucking his long hair up under a cap while he stands behind the DJ decks by night and helps children learn Auslan by day, Finn is also slowly taking steps to cement his identity as a transgender man. As for the British-accented Noah, he's just arrived in Australia after touring the UK with his pop singer mentor Moniqua (Christine Anu), and his mother Angela (Paula Duncan, Neighbours) has hardly given him a warm welcome. So, Unsound follows Finn and Noah's romance, but that's just one of the things the film is interested in. While both lead characters receive ample screen time, Finn's experiences as a person who is deaf and with his transition are frequently thrust to the fore. That's a welcome move — not because Noah's efforts to step out of his absent father's shadow, take his career seriously and cope with his often-dismissive mum don't deserve attention, but because inclusive movies about trans men and people who are hearing impaired are rarely this thoughtful (and rarely exist at all, really). Directed by TV veteran Ian Watson (Heartbreak High, Home and Away) and penned by Ally Burnham (Nice Package), Unsound might bring both 52 Tuesdays and Sound of Metal to mind, which are excellent movies to even remotely resemble; however, this small feature with big ambitions and a heartfelt impact is always its own film. Absent touristy Sydney shots that constantly remind you where it's set, and favouring a low-key, lived-in aesthetic instead, it dedicates its running time to plunging into Finn's life and portraying it authentically, a task that it doesn't lose sight of even for a minute. The texture and detail in Burnham's script, especially in fleshing out the movie's characters, isn't just admirable but essential. It's little wonder, then, that Pandelis always makes Finn feel as if he could walk off the screen — although the performer also deserves ample credit. Noi also more than does his part justice, in a well-cast film all-round (see also: scene-stealer Olivia Beasley as one of Finn's colleagues, and a grounded turn from The Boy From Oz star Todd McKenney as Finn's father). And, the use of sound to convey the joy that Finn and his friends feel at their Saturday night dance parties is one of the picture's many astutely calibrated touches. Unsound is currently screening in Melbourne cinemas, and will open in Sydney and Brisbane cinemas on March 18. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb7iVXzGics&feature=youtu.be ESCAPE FROM EXTINCTION As well as introducing the world to Joe Exotic and his out-there story, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness initiated many viewers into the horrors of roadside zoos and exotic animal menageries. Consider Escape From Extinction the counterpoint, then. Focusing on the other end of the zoo and aquarium industry — the professional, well-funded, properly run type — it sings the praises of establishments worldwide that have been doing their part to help save threatened and endangered species from disappearing. The figures, which the film quotes often (and repeats frequently, too), speak volumes. It's impossible not to be moved by the numbers of species already lost, others teetering on the brink, the dwindling populations left in some cases and, after successful conservation programs, the hard-earned upswings as well. But, it's also impossible not to see this feature as a prolonged advertisement, and an attempt to redress the criticism of keeping animals in captivity stoked by not just Tiger King, but animal activism in general, including high-profile campaigns to release creatures such as Keiko, the orca from the Free Willy films. American Humane produced the movie, so the latter is hardly surprising — but even if you didn't know that when you stepped into the cinema, you'd easily guess. With Helen Mirren's calm but no-nonsense voice providing its narration, Escape From Extinction largely operates in two modes: bigger-picture overviews and individual case studies. If you've delved into the ever-growing subgenre that is animal-focused environmental documentaries before (such as 2020's David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet), you'll have heard many of the movie's main overall messages. If you've paid any attention to news coverage of recent disasters, including Australia's bushfires, you'll also be familiar with its top-level details. When first-time director Matthew R Brady gets specific, however, the film endeavours to find its own niche — and to pad it with its clear viewpoint at the same time. Accordingly, there's more than a little awkwardness to some segments, especially when you compare the section about sharks being unfairly maligned by popular culture (yes, Jaws gets a mention) and the black-and-white footage and sinister soundtrack used whenever activists are shown protesting. Of course, the fight to save animals from extinction is a worthy one. The view that many zoos play an important part is worth espousing, too. And the experts, wildlife veterinarians, scientists, zookeepers and other industry figures assembled as taking heads are all clearly passionate about their work and about conservation. But, as Escape From Extinction shows, a film can make a plethora of valid and important points and still clumsily and forcefully push an agenda at the same time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIxq3UCcJmw LOVE, WEDDINGS & OTHER DISASTERS Filmmaker Garry Marshall passed away in 2016, ending his career with three terrible movies focused around specific occasions: Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve and Mother's Day. As well as being awful, all three took star-studded ensemble casts, split them across separate but eventually interlinked vignettes, and told tales relating to the celebrations in each feature's title. While Marshall clearly didn't helm it, Love, Weddings & Disasters takes its cues from his aforementioned films. It's directed by Dennis Dugan, though, who otherwise has the Adam Sandler-starring Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Grown Ups and its sequel, Just Go With It and Jack and Jill on his resume. Sandler doesn't show up here, though, because he's made a decision far wiser than Jeremy Irons (Watchmen), Diane Keaton (Poms), Maggie Grace (Fear the Walking Dead) and Diego Boneta (Monster Hunter). Indeed, it's difficult to see what anyone appearing on-screen saw in Dugan's script, other than the filmmaker himself — who plays the obnoxious host of a TV dating show called Crash Couples that sees strangers literally chained together in an attempt to win $1 million. Yes, the clips involving the latter are as excruciating as they sound but, in fairness, so is everything else about this supremely unfunny and unromantic supposed rom-com. Putting the word 'disaster' in this movie's moniker couldn't be more apt. Nor could its opening scene, where the ultra-competitive Jessie (Grace) drops her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend while skydiving. She also crashes into a lakeside ceremony, with the footage going viral and earning her the nickname 'wedding trasher' — which is a problem given that she wants to work in the industry. Just eight days before a Boston mayoral candidate and his bride-to-be are due to get hitched, Jessie scores her big chance. Trying to play nicely with veteran Lawrence Philips (Irons) while planning the ceremony isn't easy, though, especially when he's preoccupied after being set up on a blind date with Sara (Keaton), a woman with a visual impairment. More of Love, Weddings & Other Disasters' bite-sized tales link in with these narratives from there, involving musicians, buskers, Crash Couples and tours of the city, and they're all just as cliched and thinly thought-out. That's one of the movie's problems, but it's also near-incoherently shot and edited, and looks as if all of its budget went to paying Irons and Keaton. It's hard to say they were worth the money, because he's just asked to be prim, proper and uptight, and she somehow agreed to play a woman who is blind and trips over all the time. That's Dugan's idea of prime romantic-comedy material, and it's enough to harden even the softest of hearts in dismay. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas — or has been lately — 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; September 3, September 10, September 17 and September 24; October 1, October 8, October 15, October 22 and October 29; and November 5, November 12, November 19 and November 26; and December 3, December 10, December 17, December 26; and January 1, January 7, January 14, January 21 and January 28; and February 4. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Craft: Legacy, Radioactive, Brazen Hussies, Freaky, Mank, Monsoon, Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt), American Utopia, Possessor, Misbehaviour, Happiest Season, The Prom, Sound of Metal, The Witches, The Midnight Sky, The Furnace, Wonder Woman 1984, Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles, Nomadland, Pieces of a Woman, The Dry, Promising Young Woman, Summerland, Ammonite, The Dig, The White Tiger, Only the Animals, Malcolm & Marie, News of the World, High Ground, Earwig and the Witch and The Nest.
Everyone's favourite uncle has moved to Sydney — and what's more, he bought cake. With over 70 stores worldwide, Australia has finally made the cut for the world famous, best-selling Uncle Tetsu's Japanese cheesecakes. So stick a spoon in your back pocket, fashion yourself a paper napkin pocket square and get in line for a slice of the action. The queue, of course, is long. Stupid long. There are crowd control barriers set up and dedicated staff with clipboards managing the flow. Sounds like overkill, but the precautions are necessary. People can do crazy things when made to wait for cake. On my first visit, I'm invited to join a pre-line a few doors down. A line to join the line? Sydney, take a good look at yourself. Ordering is straightforward. There are just two items on the menu: the famous Uncle Tetsu cheesecake ($17.99) and the honey madeleines ($4). If you had planned to stock up wartime-style on cheesecakes, think again — these babies are strictly limited to one per person. Like all serious foodies should — and if you've just waiting in two lines, chances are you're dead serious — we take our box immediately to the park to enjoy a still-warm slice. We carefully free the cake from its sheath of protective paper — inside is a snow-white cake with a golden burnished top, branded with the signature Uncle Tetsu stamp. We gasp. We clap. The cake is revealed to be incredibly light and fluffy. There is no biscuit base, as the style dictates, and having been baked in a water bath, the sides are moist like pudding. As for the taste, it's eggy and pancakey, with little sweetness. Resist the temptation to eat it all at once. When you cool it in the fridge it grows denser and crumbly, with a soft, sweet cheese flavour. In my humble opinion, it improves. One thing that will strike you is how overwhelmingly understated it is. It's refined and pure — a real backlash to the more is more, over-the-top desserts that Sydney has grown accustomed to (*cough* cronut *cough*). Butter, milk and eggs become distinct and delicious flavours, while complexity is delivered in the form of its ethereal lighter-than-air cotton consistency. Uncle Tetsu, methinks you're going to need another store. Image: Ryan La.
Bestselling literary heroine Lisbeth Salander may play with fire, but unfortunately the film sequel will leave uninitiated audiences entirely in the dark. Truth be told, few will attempt this Swedish thriller who aren't already familiar with Stieg Larsson's books or the hugely successful first film adaptation The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. But be it the convoluted storyline, the clunky direction or the division of Salander (Noomi Rapace) and Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), The Girl Who Plays With Fire is disappointingly lacklustre. Looking much more like a stodgy TV crime procedural than a piece of cinema, the story picks up after rogue hacker Salander has been living the high life with her stolen millions. Blomkvist has returned to his newspaper Millennium, and has no contact with Salander save the knowledge that she keeps tabs on his computer. But when both Salander's seedy guardian and Blomkvist's newly hired writer wind up dead, the two set on separate paths to solve the crime and clear Salander's name. Though Rapace throws herself into another committed performance, much of the spark is lost where she no longer shares scenes with Nyqvist. Combined with dense, overly long scenes and a laborious set up, The Girl Who Played With Fire lacks the tension of the original. Fans of the book will probably revel in the film's attention to detail, but for the rest it will feel like a lot of unnecessary filler. https://youtube.com/watch?v=2nuLvrhuydo
Hidden Sydney is Concrete Playground's personal tour of Sydney by the locals we trust. After all, true locals know. They just know. On our latest trip to the other side of our city, we asked street artist Numskull to mark 'X' on five spots on his map of Sydney. Numskull works out of Higher Ground Studio in Annandale ("It's a private studio, but if you ask nice, we accept visitors"), and his Sydney is a mix of old and new Inner West hangouts - the kinds of places where you can grab lunch for a fiver, stock up on recycled art supplies or discover the work of a new young artist. 1. The Tate Gallery My brother Marty Routledge and Chris Loutfy run this gallery in Glebe above the Toxteth Hotel. They show a great mix of both established and emerging artists in Sydney, in a relaxed and friendly environment. Photo courtesy of Strobed Sydney 2. Redfern Skatepark Aka 'Russel Crowe' or 'Skate Sculptures', this is my favourite place to skate in the whole of Sydney. It's situated right next to the Waterloo football oval and basketball courts inside Waterloo Park. The most relaxing place for me to skate terribly but still enjoy myself. Highlights for me would be landing a heelflip, then sitting down to watch with a cold Carlton Draught longneck. Inner city paradise. 3. Marrickville Pork Roll This is one of my favourite spots to get food in the Inner West. It's cheap and without a doubt one of the tastiest pork rolls in Sydney. Whilst there, walk around and check out all the old shop signs in the area. Marrickville has the best collection of vintage sign-painting styles in Sydney. Make sure you look up when you're on Illawarra Road. There's a giant sculpture of a banana dude chilling in a hammock. 4. The Bower After I finish off my pork roll I normally roll past Reverse Garbage to visit The Bower in Marrickville. Or more specifically, the back area of The Bower. They have a great collection of salvaged tools and wood. I always walk away with at least one bit of wood. 5. Johnny Wong's Dumpling Bar Just on Taylor Square, between Kinselas and Lo-Fi. This spot is fairly new, but is definitely one place I'll be visiting quite a bit. Also known as the Wong-Tang Clan.
Every couple has in-jokes, a valuable currency in all relationships, but only Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer-Camp have turned a cute private gag into Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. The Parks and Recreation actor and the Fraud director are no longer together romantically, marrying and divorcing in the 13 years since they first gave the world the cutest talking shell anyone could've imagined; however, they've now reteamed professionally for an adorable film based on their 2010, 2011 and 2014 shorts. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On also gave rise to two best-selling children's picture books, unsurprisingly, following a familiar internet-stardom path from online sensation to print and now the big screen. Neither Slate and Fleischer-Camp's faded love nor their joint project's history are ignored by their footwear-sporting seashell's cinematic debut, either; in fact, acknowledging both, whether subtly or overtly, is one of the things that makes this sweet, endearing, happily silly, often hilarious and deeply insightful movie such an all-round gem. That inside jest? A voice put on by Slate, which became the one-inch-high anthropomorphic Marcel's charming vocals. In Marcel the Shell with Shoes On's initial mockumentary clips, the tiny critter chats to an unseen filmmaker chronicling his life, with earnestness dripping from every word. ("My name is Marcel and I'm partially a shell, as you can see on my body, but I also have shoes and a face. So I like that about myself, and I like myself and I have a lot of other great qualities as well," he advises in his self-introduction.) The same approach, tone and voice sits at the heart of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On's feature-length leap, of course, but so does a touching meditation upon loss, change and valuing what's truly important. Fleischer-Camp plays the movie's documentarian, mostly off-camera, who meets Marcel and his grandmother (voiced by Isabella Rossellini, Julia) after moving into an Airbnb following a relationship breakup — and, yes, their work together becomes a viral phenomenon. With Fleischer-Camp directing IRL, plus co-penning the warmhearted script with Slate and Nick Paley (who has helmed episodes of Broad City and Inside Amy Schumer), Marcel the Shell with Shoes On spends its opening third initiating viewers into its namesake's world. Clever sight gags abound — inventive uses of everyday objects, too, with honey helping Marcel walk on walls, sneakers (not Marcel's) forming part of ziplines and a tennis ball repurposed as a mollusk-appropriate car. As rendered with a combination of stop-motion animation and live-action, the film's central setting is a delight of details, and each item that's essential to Marcel and Nanna Connie's lives says plenty about them. Theirs is a modest but resourceful and curious existence, and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On's production design screams its love for that combination even when no one is speaking. Here, the movie's main figure plays tour guide, as he did in the shorts, outlining how everything operates. Dean records and asks questions, paying Marcel more attention than any of the abode's previous guests ever have. But melancholy underscores the shell's every response, with Marcel and the ageing Connie missing the rest of their family thanks to their home's owners' (Undone's Rosa Salazar and Halloween Kills' Thomas Mann) own split (aka the reason the house is an Airbnb to begin with, bringing Dean to their door). From there, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On sends its characters, human and talking, walking, kicks-adorned shells alike, on a quest to reunite Marcel and Connie with their lost relatives. That's the narrative arc, but Fleischer-Camp, Slate and Paley also keenly understand the need to accept the ebbs and flows that simply living brings everyone's way, even as their film scurries in eager search of a happy ending. The delights are in the details everywhere that Marcel the Shell with Shoes On looks, including in its slicker but still low-key visuals. A handcrafted appearance, from Marcel's single googly eye through to cinematographers Eric Adkins (SpongeBob SquarePants) and Bianca Cline's (Belly of the Beast) keen use of perspective, couldn't be more crucial to the movie's cosy allure — and those careful and caring images do feel lived-in. This is a movie about coping with seismic shifts to one's comfortable status quo, too, so the snug, homely sheen assists in communicating why Marcel isn't so fond of change. He wants to see his family again. He's interested in the world around him. He's set in his busy daily routine. And he's worried about the ailing Nanna Connie, who tends to her window garden, adores the US version of 60 Minutes and its veteran host Lesley Stahl, and has an accent explained by being from the distant location that is the garage. Marcel really just wants what we all yearn for, though: happiness we've known and lost. Ensuring that family-friendly animation is genuinely adult-friendly is a rarer skill than it might seem; just because all-ages-courting flicks reach screens with frequency, that doesn't mean they all keep both older and younger viewers equally engaged. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On has the kid-centric cuteness down pat inherently — just look at Marcel, as millions have since those first shorts — but its mature and layered storyline is just as much of a wonder for everyone else. While the picture's midsection savvily and amusingly skewers internet attention, aka the type that's followed this seashell for more than a decade (and Slate's career as well), getting the room to create something this thoughtful out of a viral hit is one of its spoils in this specific instance. Slate and Fleischer-Camp have channelled their inner Marcel, clearly, making the most of the situation and its ups and downs — and making a soul-refreshing marvel. Don't be suspicious: an online-famous critter that sprang from an in-joke about a funny voice has indeed sparked this sincere and soothing — and impressively, intelligently meta — film. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On's achievements are many, including offering a far cheerier alternative to Barbarian when it comes to folks unexpectedly sharing the same Airbnb, but its biggest might be its deceptive simplicity. Yes, it's a movie about a chattering shell dressed in footwear. Yes, it knows what worked in Marcel's early screen appearances and doesn't shy away from it. Fleshing all of that out to feature length proves just like putting your ear up to a seashell here: you can see and hear the world in this delicate, tender and disarmingly beautiful film. You can also listen to the iconic and inimitable Rossellini serve up a rich, smooth and enchanting vocal effort with an impeccable sense of comic timing, which is exactly the kind of treat that Marcel would want everyone to revel in.
Experimentation and creative flair have been at the forefront of Sydney's diverse culinary space, with a plethora of venues breaking into new, exciting ground. An exciting eatery spearheading this shift is Lima Nikkei in Dawes Point. The shiny addition to Hickson Road has rebranded, changing its name from Folkor to Lima Nikkei and zeroing in on Nikkei cuisine. Residing just opposite Lotus Dumpling Bar, Lima Nikkei heroes a blend of Japanese and Peruvian dishes, drawing inspiration from Executive Chef and co-owner Hector Chunga's culinary journey and heritage — including his time at a leading culinary school in Lima. This 100-seat outpost is the sibling venue to Surry Hills' much-loved locale, Warike. Blending the aesthetic of Lima's Barranco bars and Sydney's sleek CBD, Lima Nikkei features dark interiors paired with colourful LED lighting decorating its walls. The elegant bar is adorned with a ring of cherry blossoms and an intricate mural spans across its feature wall, creating an alluring ambience perfect for intimate dining. When perusing Lima Nikkei's menu, you'll immediately be met with the expansive range of ceviche, tiraditos (Peruvian-style sashimi) and anticuchos (charcoal-grilled skewers), leaving you spoilt for choice. Of the many options available, the El Trio ceviche, starring cured salmon, tuna and kingfish, is a highlight. Other starters on offer include the chicken- and prawn-filled dumplings, pulled pork bao buns and sushi in the form of nigiri or rolls — and you won't want to skip the deep-fried Furai Crab Roll. Accompanying the starter selection is a variety of heftier mains. A standout is the charcoal-grilled beef paired with ponzu and huacatay sauce, while the noodle-heavy tallarin saltado is coated in a citrus-forward lomo sauce. For dessert, take your pick from the chocolucuma cake or the Lima special — a rice pudding with coconut and a chicha morada (a native purple corn drink). There are also a pair of set menus starting from $75 per person for those eager to sample the menu. And for sips, partner your meal with a crisp pisco sour, a fragrant gin cocktail or a chilled beer. Images: VJB Group
"We shall fight on the beaches," Winston Churchill told British parliament on June 4, 1940, as World War II raged in Dunkirk. "We shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender." His impassioned words came at the end of a heated speech, after a heated month of political debate, in the heated early days of the global conflict. Churchill had been Prime Minister of England for mere weeks, and spent that entire time caught up in arguments about the country's response to Hitler. His colleagues wanted to negotiate, but he refused. It certainly seems as though filmmakers have taken Churchill's words to heart over the past 12 months. They won't give up on bringing this tense period to the big screen, whether in movies about Churchill, the Battle of Dunkirk or both. With Their Finest, Lone Scherfig came at it with a light, romantic drama about morale-raising movies. With Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan delivered a stunningly immersive account of war at sea, in the air and on the shore. Australian director Jonathan Teplitzky took a slightly different approach, with intimate biopic Churchill focusing on the lead up to the D-Day landings in 1944. It's not hard to see echoes of the latter film in Joe Wright's Darkest Hour, however, which recreates the cigar-smoking, whiskey-swilling politician's other crucial moment in power. With Gary Oldman in the lead role, Darkest Hour steps through the turbulence that awaited Churchill when he took on the nation's top job in such troubled times. With colleagues Neville Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup) and Lord Halifax (Stephen Dillane) certain that a peace treaty with Nazi Germany is the only way to save Britain from bombing, mass casualties and catastrophe, he has a considerable fight on his hands. The film includes glimpses of the ordeal at Dunkirk, but speeches, rather than bullets, are the main focus. In between verbal scuffles, Churchill seeks support and advice from his wife Clementine (Kristin Scott Thomas), has cautious lunches with King George (Ben Mendelsohn) and initially overwhelms his young secretary (Lily James) with his erratic nature. While both Churchill and Dunkirk are clearly no strangers to cinemas of late, Darkest Hour has one particular weapon all of its own: recent Golden Globe winner Oldman. The veteran actor gives a captivating performance, even coming hot on the heels of Brian Cox's excellent work in Churchill just months ago. Lured out of retirement by Oldman, special-effects makeup artist Kazuhiro Tsuji creates flawless prosthetics; however it's the man beneath them who always commands attention. Rumbling through terse confrontations, showing Churchill's tender side at home and letting his anxieties seep out in brief, quiet moments, Oldman delivers a vibrant and complicated portrayal not only marked by its impressive imitation, but by the immense range on display. The film as a whole doesn't prove quite as consistent. Tackling Dunkirk for the second time following 2007's Atonement, Wright serves up several acutely judged and thoroughly engrossing scenes, as well as an array of inventively composed shots. Frustratingly though, he also wades into moments of easy comedy and unconvincing sentimentality — most egregiously in a sequence where Churchill takes public transport without his minders and receives some down-to-earth wisdom from his constituents. In his defence, the filmmaker is partly trapped by the straightforward script, with The Theory of Everything screenwriter Anthony McCarten checking all of the expected boxes. Thankfully, Darkest Hour can always rely on Oldman, whose performance stands out above the formula. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpKvpSr7p1g
