Oh bother! After Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey arrived in cinemas in early 2023, turning AA Milne's loveable bear into a horror-movie villain, the great public-domain rampage through everyone's beloved childhood stories is only beginning. That flick sparked so much interest before it even hit screens that a sequel was always inevitable — and that locked-in followup will also have plenty of company. Screens big and small — most likely small — aren't quite set to boast enough slasher takes on classic stories to fill the Hundred Acre Woods, but more than a few are on their way. While Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey's second effort hasn't yet started shooting or unveiled its plot, it has already locked in distribution Down Under, as per The Hollywood Reporter. So, viewers in Australia and New Zealand will get to see what happens after the first film sent its titular character and Piglet on a serial-killer rampage, slicing and dicing whoever crossed their paths because they'd been left behind by Christopher Robin after he grew up. The initial film was exactly the one-note movie it was always bound to be — a feature that exists purely because of its premise — and couldn't be further away from the cartoon iterations of the usually cuddly bear, or recent films like Goodbye Christopher Robin and Christopher Robin. It'll now also always be known for fuelling a low-budget trend, whether or not that's a welcome development. Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey director Rhys Frake-Waterfield will also turn his attention to a certain flying boy thanks to Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare, as part of a whole universe of movies that'll massacre their way through typically family-friendly stories. Bambi: The Reckoning has also been discussed — and, yes, so has teaming up this cinematic realm's various characters Marvel Cinematic Universe-style. Then, as Variety reports, UK horror production outfit Red Shadow Studios is jumping in, including giving some of the aforementioned figures its own spin. That's where Winnie-the-Pooh: Death House comes in, which will apparently be The Strangers meets The Purge — plus slasher flick Peter Pan Goes to Hell. Fancy getting gory with Cinderella? Cinderella's Curse from ChampDog Films is making that a reality as well, as per Bloody Disgusting. None of these upcoming titles have sneak peeks yet, but you can check out the Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey trailer below: Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey's sequel, Peter Pan's Neverland Nightmare, Bambi: The Reckoning, Winnie the Pooh: Death House, Peter Pan Goes to Hell and Cinderella's Curse don't yet have release dates Down Under — we'll update you when that changes. Via Variety / The Hollywood Reporter / Bloody Disgusting. Images: Jagged Edge Productions.
The cultural renaissance in Canberra continues its unfurling across the dining and arts scenes, bringing more interest from interstate — and international — visitors than ever before. The standard of options for places to stay has also leapt vertically in the past five years, and among the list is the East Hotel. The family-owned boutique hotel is located in the increasingly happening suburb of Kingston. It's stand-out characteristics are warm accommodating service, handsomely-appointed contemporary rooms with all the important details considered (the fluffy white guest robes well and truly pass the comfort test), and the onsite options for drinking and dining. East Hotel's lobby bar, Joe's Bar, has an eclectic, jewel toned fit-out and a generous lineup of creative cocktails (if you have a yen for a good martini try the Tokyo Martini or the signature Joe's Martini). There's also a decent selection of Italian and Australian wines and a showcase of local Canberran beers on tap, bottled and by the tin. Soak up some of those martinis with Italian-inspired bar snacks or pizzas. Calamari fritte and a particularly excellent focaccia served hot and fresh from the enormous clay pizza oven. The clientele of Joe's Bar is a mix of East Hotel guests having a pre-dinner drink but but it's also highly populated with the after-work crowd of Canberra locals, particularly on Thursday and Friday evenings once 5pm has rolled past. The other dining option is Agostini's. It's a relaxed and super-buzzy Italian diner that's focused on creating the atmosphere and dining experience of an authentic Italian family restaurant. As such, you'll find a multi-generational crowd here, from white collar long lunchers to holidaying family tables. The pasta is very good and made fresh daily. The real hero here is the pizza though. The 'Salsiccia' layered with Italian sausage, 'nduja and Fior di Latte mozzarella on a fluffy wood-fired dough with just the right hint of char is excellent. Or if you're feeling a little less traditional, give the 'Granchio' of crab meat, rocket and cherry tomato a whirl. Finish things off with the house tiramisu and an amaro, or sample the negroni selection. Just bring an appetite and a loud voice to cut through the rowdy buzz of an extremely well-attended restaurant.
The impression I had of The Spectacular Now before seeing it was that it was another teen movie about a cool guy falling in love with a dorky girl — but this time genuine and refreshing. 'Not possible!', thought I, as I anticipated counting off all the ways that the film failed. Cool guys and dorky girls don't mix, and if they do, Hollywood filmmakers cannot be counted on to explain it. Now I'm forced to eat my words. The Spectacular Now definitely is that genuine and refreshing take on the cool-guy-falls-in-love-with-the-dorky-girl story. It succeeds by focusing secondarily on the romance, and primarily on the shambolic and troubled life of its protagonist, Sutter Keeley (Miles Teller). Sutter is cool not because he's a jock, a leader, a looker or a bully — he's just the most fun. He and his girlfriend, Cassidy (Brie Larsen), are the life of every party. And that's in good part because Sutter has no self-worth, no ambition and knows how to drink without cessation. The Spectacular Now is unique in its portrait of what alcoholism can look like in adolescence, beyond the usual hysteria over binge drinking. Cassidy leaves Sutter when she realises that, even though their chemistry is the stuff of legend, she wants more out of life. Sutter then meets Aimee Finecky (Shailene Woodley, last seen in The Descendants) — a quiet, swotty girl whose interests include manga and French club (the type who's going to own the college campus soon enough) — when she finds him passed out on a neighbour's lawn in the wee hours. Remember, Sutter is good and fun; he has no ulterior motive for hanging out with Aimee afterwards, besides that he likes her company. But, aided by his inebriation and her infatuation, that friendship quickly escalates. The Spectacular Now has ten times the nuance and complexity of the previous film from the writing duo of Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, (500) Days of Summer. It might be that they had strong source material in the book by Tim Tharp, or that they've simply matured as writers. The Spectacular Now is a standout achievement that makes you care for its characters and leaves you with plenty to think about afterwards. It's true the character of Aimee is sidelined, but she's not just a cipher; she's a multidimensional character who is only known to us through Sutter's eyes, because he's who the film is really about. The relationship between the two characters is strong, interesting and believable, with their complicated mothers being a particular source of commonality. Woodley and Teller really help to sell the roles with their incredible performances. "When you look at her, you really see her," Sutter tells his buddy at the halfway point of the movie, and much the same can be said of the two actors. They add so much depth with their mere presence. The Spectacular Now is a beautiful surprise package. High school has never looked so worth revisiting. https://youtube.com/watch?v=wceaLzbtuDY
Far from being abstract paintings of dragon scales or elaborate curves and textures, Andre Armolaev has captured incredible aerial images of Iceland's twisting rivers meandering across the black, ashy volcanic sand. With over 30 active volcanic systems, Iceland is host to one of the world's most 'explosive' areas. Armolaev describes the bird's eye view over the river and volcanic systems in this country as "an inexpressible combination of colors, lines, and patterns." He is fascinated by the contrast the land and water make against each other and the organic and incomparable shapes they create. These stunning photographs capture the beauty that can be created from natural disasters and demonstrate the unparalleled power and allure of Mother Earth. Take a look at the collection of aerial photographs of Iceland's volcanoes taken from thisiscolossal.
Sydney-based Eat Art Truck was one of the first food trucks to really take off, with its American barbecue street food infused with fine dining, and bright, colourful trucks that feature the work of local artists. It's quality food, but instead of being artfully plated up on ceramics, the chefs lean down and hand you your meal in a paper tray. Specialities on the menu are the eight-hour smoked pulled pork bun, the slow-roasted beef brisket bun and the crispy fried chicken bun. There are nachos, salads, fancier dishes like the kingfish entrée, and desserts like flourless chocolate cake. Once a month an artist will paint a piece on the side of the truck, and at the end of the month the piece is auctioned off for charity — so you get a serving of culture along with your fries. Brenton Balicki, founding chef of Eat Art Truck, cooked us up a three-course feast last week to celebrate the launch of the KitchenAid Mini in Australia. All three courses were inspired by Brenton's work experience as a chef — he spent his formative chef years working at Tetsuya's and moved to Quay before becoming one of the founding chefs of Eat Art Truck. His professional background instilled in him the importance of good produce, so Brenton rode down to the Sydney Fish Markets and picked up the fresh fish, meat, vegetables he would be using. The first course was a beautifully plated entree of beetroot-cured hiramasa kingfish — a dish that relies on quality produce above anything else. The second course was a classic Eat Art Truck burger. Brenton wouldn't give us the exact ingredients that he needed to make the patty, or the sauce (can't give away all Eat Art Truck's secrets) but there's enough there to make your version of their classic burger. The third course was a flourless, sugarless chocolate cake. He's given us his recipes so you can re-create them at home. Burgers for dinner tonight? BEETROOT-CURED HIRAMASA KING FISH INGREDIENTS 1 fillet of hiramasa kingfish 1 large beetroot 1 lemon 1 bunch baby radish 1 tablespoon of sugar 1 tablespoon of salt 1 poached octopus crème fraîche rice wine vinegar olive oil METHOD Marinate the fish in grated beetroot, lemon zest, sugar and salt overnight. This will begin the curing process Wipe off marinade with paper towel and slice the fish as thinly as possible. Lay it out on the plate and decorate with thinly sliced octopus, baby herbs and thinly sliced radish Create a dressing with the vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil. Once you're happy with the presentation, dress the fish with plenty of the vinaigrette and finish with some crème fraîche and sea salt EAT ART TRUCK BURGER INGREDIENTS 3 of your favourite cuts of meat (ours are a secret) your favourite sauces (also a secret) your favourite bread — we used brioche tomato caramelised onion lemon thyme chorizo sausage your favourite cheese — we used smoked cheddar METHOD Dice your chosen meat into small cubes ready to be minced Use the KitchenAid Mini meat grinder attachment on the coarse setting so you have a unique texture. Add chopped thyme and mix everything together with hands thoroughly until everything is combined Heavily season the burgers and then begin grilling along with the chorizo and onions. Once you have everything cooked just the way you like it, begin building your custom burger just the way you like it FLOURLESS, SUGARLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE INGREDIENTS 5 egg whites 3 egg yolks with 2 whole eggs 1 block of your favourite chocolate 200g butter 200g almond meal honey seasonal fruits ice cream dulce De Leche METHOD Melt the butter with the chocolate in bowl A. Use a KitchenAid Mini to whisk the egg yolks and whole eggs with the honey in bowl B. In bowl C, whisk the egg whites until firm Add the almond meal, bowl A and bowl B together and mix until smooth. Finish by folding in the egg whites from bowl C until a nice mixture forms Gently pour this into a non stick baking dish and cook at 160 degrees until firm in the centre Garnish with fruits, chopped nuts, dulce de leche, ice cream and some grated chocolate Images: Samantha Hawker.
After two years in its heritage-listed King Street digs, Maiz Newtown is closing. One of Sydney's best restaurants, the beloved Mexican eatery will wrap up its stint on south King at the end of 2023 — but never fear, it'll be open again before you know it. After a couple of weeks off, you can expect to find it serving up all of your favourites over on Enmore Road, taking over the former home of Hartsyard. The Maiz team is taking the reins of 33 Enmore Road from Jarrod Walsh and Dot Lee after the pair closed their beloved Inner West diner to take control of the food and drink offerings at The Old Clare Hotel, and also open the sleek new seafood restaurant Longshore. [caption id="attachment_891895" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 33 Enmore Road as Irene's between Hartsyard and Maiz's time in the space.[/caption] The new space is being created with the help of GURU Projects, who worked on Longshore, as well as other Sydney stunners like Londres 126, Maydanoz, Mille Vini, Shaffa, Ezra and Marrickville Metro's Panetta Mercato. Together, GURU and the Maiz crew are building a restaurant that promises to boast all of the charm of the original with more space for the staff to get creative. Expect a sleek but simple fitout, with Mexican art bringing the space to life. "We're really looking forward to staying here for five-plus years," says Maiz's Owner and Head Chef Juan Carlos Negrete. The heart of the Newtown menu will remain at Enmore, but with some tweaks and a few added elements. Brunch is back, with favourites from Maiz's 2021 menu like tlacoyos Divorciados and tortas set to be available in the am. [caption id="attachment_817101" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Maiz by Debbie Gallulo[/caption] And a more robust drinks list is also on its way to accommodate people popping in before or after a show at Enmore Theatre — including a collaborative beer with beloved Alexandria brewery Yulli's. "As a chef and as a creative, I'm definitely one to shake up things a little bit and play with new things," continued Negrete. "It's been quite challenging because we have so many good ideas and want to implement them all but, obviously, there is a limit of dishes you can put on a menu." Maiz as you know it will continue to operate until the end of 2023 before Maiz 2.0 arrives in mid-January. Keep your eye on the restaurant's Instagram account for updates. Maiz is currently located at 415 King Street, Newtown. It'll reopen on Enmore Road in January 2024.
For the dessert fiends at Gelato Messina, it isn't enough to sit in the chain's brand-new Marrickville headquarters in Sydney and dream up every kind of wild and delicious ice cream flavour that anyone could possibly think of. The Messina crew do that, and often, of course. But they also apply their sweet treat-loving minds to creating next-level limited-edition specials, often taking a beloved dish, adding gelato and then giving it another twist. Here's the latest: Messina's Vovovroom, aka its frosty version of Iced Vovo biscuits, which it has indeed made before. This time around, it's adding mango. Why? The better question is: why not? So, first everyone's favourite childhood biscuit is getting the gelato treatment — again. But because that's already been on Messina's menu, it's now adding in a flavour that most folks love just as much. Wondering what exactly the end result entails? It comes filled with layers of toasted coconut and mango gelato, plus mango salsa and shortbread. Then, it's topped with piped Italian meringue and desiccated coconut. Yes, the end result looks like the bikkies you know and love — but in a mango hue, obviously, and in a scoopable form. Messina's mango Vovovroom gelato tubs can only be ordered online on Monday, April 17 for collection between Friday, April 21–Sunday, April 23 Messina now opens its orders at various times for various places, so you'll want to hop online at 9am for Queensland and Australian Capital Territory stores, 9.15am for Victorian shops, and at either 9.30am, 9.45am or 10am depending on where you are in New South Wales. Gelato Messina's Mango Vovovroom gelato tubs will be available to order on Monday, April 17, for pick up between Friday, April 21–Sunday, April 23 — head to the Messina website for further details.
For almost two decades, Love Actually has been everyone's go-to British rom-com with festive flavour. This year, Last Christmas wants to give the star-studded classic a run for its money. And, given that it pairs Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke with Crazy Rich Asians' Henry Golding, is directed by Bridesmaids and A Simple Favour's Paul Feig, and features the music of George Michael — including the Wham! tune that shares the movie's title, obviously — this new dose of cinematic sweetness might just achieve that aim. Admittedly, Last Christmas sounds a little like the result of overlapping Venn diagrams mapping things that absolutely everyone loves. Its leads hail from one of the biggest shows of this century and one of the huge film hits of the past year, respectively. Its director has a following of his own. Even folks who aren't all that fond of Christmas manage to find a soft spot for festive flicks. And, there's never a bad time for George Michael's music — or, as Always Be My Maybe demonstrated earlier this year, for upbeat rom-coms that take their title from a beloved pop track. But, based on the just-released first trailer, this Christmassy movie doesn't just hit obvious crowd-pleasing beats. It also has plenty of charm. The fact that it's co-written by Emma Thompson, who has an Oscar for screenwriting (for Sense and Sensibility) and also co-stars in the flick, clearly helps. And, if Michael's existing hits didn't provide enough of a soundtrack, the film will also feature new, previously unreleased tunes by the late singer. Story-wise, the movie follows the cynical, Scrooge-like Kate (Clarke), who works as an elf in a year-round Christmas shop but has a distinct lack of seasonal cheer herself. She has ample reasons for her unhappy demeanour, including her stern boss (Michelle Yeoh), although she might also have some motivation to start feeling more jovial when she keeps running into the endearing Tom (Golding). Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9CEIcmWmtA Last Christmas releases in Australian cinemas on November 7.
Show us a guy with a drum machine or a girl with a guitar who purports to never having wanted to be a rock star and we'll show you a liar-liar-pants-on-fire. Thankfully, you don't have to release a Pitchfork-approved debut album or sell out a stadium to live the life of a travelling troubadour. Boutique travel experts Mr & Mrs Smith, admittedly slightly more Elvis Costello and Diana Krall than Kurt and Courtney, have scoured the globe to find the greatest music-inspired and inspiring getaways. 1. Geejam Where: Lot 122 Skippers Boulevard, San San, Port Antonio, Jamaica If you've been planning to record your own Is This It or My Generation for some time now, you might want to check out the facilities at Geejam boutique hotel in Jamaica. Not simply a cluster of heavenly Caribbean villas and cabins blanketed by rainforest with ocean views, Geejam also has its own recording studio. Book Drum & Bass, a junior suite on the ground floor of the studio, and start strumming - or tinkling on the ivories at the piano overlooking the sea. If it's good enough for No Doubt and Gorillaz, it's good enough for you. 2. The Drake Where: 1150 Queen Street West, Toronto, Canada The bunk-ups are hip at Toronto budget-boutique hotel The Drake. A sock doll on your pillow may greet you on check-in, indie rock is on a loop on the flatscreen TV, and photographs of guitars and other gear hang on the walls. But it's the dining, drinking and entertainment up for grabs that will edify the party animal within. Start your evening with a cocktail at rooftop Sky Yard, follow it with steak frites in a banquette at the Dining Room, then head downstairs to the Underground, the hotel's basement club that's seen performances by everyone from the Killers to MIA. 3. Establishment Hotel Where: 5 Bridge Lane, Sydney, Australia An acquaintance of Mr & Mrs Smith once confessed to being tucked in to her huge bed at Establishment Hotel in Sydney, completely unaware that in one of the bars Jamiroquai's Jay Kay was DJing up a storm. Don't be caught napping when you check in to this multi-tasking pleasure palace. It's the premier destination for visiting rock royalty in the Harbour City. Who knows who you might be rubbing shoulders with, when Robbie Williams, Scissor Sisters and Outkast have all partied hard within its four walls. 4. Le Royal Monceau Where: 37 Avenue Hoche, Paris, France Arty, classy boutique retreat Le Royal Monceau hotel in Paris is definitely not the sort of place where hair metal bands throw televisions from windows. But the more contemplative singer-songwriter side of your soul will love the acoustic guitars in each room. Draw inspiration from the City of Love and express it in a tune. Loving your next big hit sick? The hotel has a mobile sound studio available to musos of all descriptions. 5. Hotel San Jose Where: 1316 South Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas, USA Music fans will feel right at home at retro-hip boutique digs Hotel San José in Austin. Originally built in 1939 as a ‘motor court’, it’s been given a stucco overhaul and now nestles in happening 'hood SoCo buzzing with bars, stores and cafés. The mellow rooms – pea green is a favoured hue – are hung with vintage gig posters, their floors covered with cowhide rugs. Get into some tunes by borrowing one of the iPods stocked with Americana classics then head to the courtyard. During the day, beardy guys and tattooed gals knock back espressos; after dark musicians and DJs play alfresco. 6. Karma Kandara Where: Jalan Villa Kandara, Banjar Wijaya Kusuma, Bali, Indonesia Sure, the super-sized villas with vast plunge pools and views of the azure Indian Ocean at Bali boutique hotel Karma Kandara are private and impressive enough to suit even the most outrageous behaviour. Want to bake naked in the sun? No issue whatsoever. But you might prefer to get your togs on to check out what many people consider the best beach club in south-east Asia. Nammos is accessed via a cliff-front inclinator. Book one of the shady day-beds and settle back for chilled choons, icy cocktails and intermittent seaside splashing. 7. Shoreditch Rooms Where: 1 Ebor Street, Shoreditch, London, UK The skinny-jeaned massive frequents converted warehouse-turned-members’ club Shoreditch Rooms hotel in East London. There’s a rooftop pool, a bowling alley on the fourth floor and a Cowshed spa (perfect for overcoming night-before excesses), but the compact rooms are, most importantly, within staggering distance of Shoreditch’s coolest clubs and music venues, and grungy, bar-packed Dalston. Plus, because this is an outpost of Soho House, the see-and-be-seen crowd drapes itself around the Square Bar and on the roof, so there’s always action aplenty. Both Madonna and Harry Styles have celebrated their birthdays here. 8. Ace Hotel & Swim Club Where: 701 East Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, California, USA All those youngsters who like to declare that vinyl is dead, well, you’re probably not going to find them at Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs. Thankfully. Vintage furniture, swathed fabrics on the walls, full-size bottles of spirits in the minibar and handicrafts in all the rooms scream hipster heaven. Plus, if you book a Patio room – go for one with a garden – or one of the more expensive boudoirs, your digs come with a record player and a selection of retro vinyl that could range from Dylan to Zeppelin. When the temperature rises, though, it’s all about the pools. Yoga classes, bands and impromptu dance parties take place regularly by the water’s edge and, unlike many hotels, you can hang here until 2am. 9. Atzaró Where: Ctra San Joan km 15, Ibiza, Balearic Islands, Spain Sometimes even rock stars need downtime, and family-run Atzaró finca in Ibiza, the world’s most famous party island, delivers with a soothing blend of white-washed surrounds, day-bed-circled pool (and neighbouring cold-water Jacuzzi) and luxury spa. Recovering from the night before? The breakfast room is open until an incredibly civilised 1pm, after which a 90-minute Zen Shiatsu massage should improve your outlook enough to consider the evening once again – perhaps starting with mojitos at the Music & Sushi Lounge. 10. Dar Darma Where: 11/12, Trik Sidi Bohuarba, Medina, Marrakech, Morocco There wasn’t a Sixties rock icon worth his leather pants that didn’t get on the opium in exotic Morocco. Now, we’re not going to pretend that Jim Morrison, Keith Richards, Jimi Hendrix or Neil Young sucked the hookah at Marrakech boutique hotel Dar Darma, but you can easily imagine they did. In the heart of the medina, this darkly exotic five-suite guesthouse partners 300-year-old zouak ceilings and faded antique textiles with Versace-esque velvet settles, distressed metallic stripes and leopardskin rugs. Don your best boho-chic threads, head up to the plunge pool on the roof terrace and imagine you’re Talitha and John Paul Getty.
Trying new wines can be a stressful pursuit. There are just so many vinos to choose from, hailing from such a wide array of wineries, that it's hard to know where to start. Fresh Blood simplifies that process for you — by doing the choosing for you. That means that you can sit back, take whichever glass comes your way and get sipping. It's no wonder that the concept was a hit in London, or that it made its Australian debut in 2021. Returning to Sydney on Sunday, November 12, Fresh Blood's latest Aussie event will focus on 15 emerging Australian winemakers — and also show some love to a producer from New Zealand as well. Wondering what you'll be knocking back? From SA, Lust for Life, State of Nature and The Mysterious Mr Black are among the labels. The list goes on, with Victoria's Allevare and Di Renzo from New South Wales also on the bill. The event takes place at Odd Culture Newtown, with tickets costing $69, which covers entry, tastings from 12–3pm, a take-home tasting glass, $10 worth of snacks and $10 off any bottle for the first 100 tickets sold.
Bringing a taste of Manhattan to Marrickville, Brooklyn Boy Bagels is teaming up with Maple Social Club to fly the stars and stripes for Bagels & Bands — a free Fourth of July shindig. Featuring an all-American specials lineup teeming with feel-good foods, these limited-edition treats are available all weekend long. Yet the main event is undoubtedly happening from 10am–12pm on Saturday, July 5, when the club's community brings the party vibe. Combining NYC-style bites with an upbeat, but low-pressure social setting, Brooklyn Boy Bagels' Marrickville HQ will host an energetic Independence Day celebration. Headlined by Charley Castle & The Boys in the Well, their brand of country and bluegrass tunes will provide the ideal soundtrack for toasting s'mores around the firepit, complete with authentic graham crackers, jumbo marshmallows and milk chocolate. Then, it's time to tuck into other Fourth of July specials. The Bagel Dog features a NY-style hot dog wrapped in bagel dough and topped with everything seasoning. There are also stacked half-pound burgers, featuring a super-thick patty and melted cheese on a Brooklyn Boy Bagels potato bun. Made-to-order fresh from the barbecue, this Americana special is bound to leave you stuffed. As for the drinks, this mid-morning party has got you covered. Order a Dr Brown's Soda, a New York deli classic, with black cherry, celery, and cream varieties up for grabs. Meanwhile, the festive flavours of a Puerto Rican coquito latte hit hard on a winter's day, brimming with cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg notes. RSVP via Maple Social Club, then break out your best boot-scootin' outfit for this star-spangled day.
A trio of performances, Concord is dramatic, charming and sharp, occasionally all at once. Annually, the Australian Ballet presents a triple-bill to display both important repertory or reworked pieces and new works in a diverse setting. The three presented in Concord could not be more disparate, and yet their differences were never jarring, but a pleasant surprise.Opening the production is Por vos muero (For Thee I Die), a work steeped in the romantic darkness of Spain's Golden Age. Choreographer Nacho Duato was inspired by the music and dance of the sixteenth century. Poetry lies at its core, with the texts of Garcilaso de la Vega acting as a comma between the individual dances. The choreography, abetted by dark, flowing costumes switched between sweeping statement and clean movement — akin to the ebb and flow of life and death it represents. Set to a beautiful medieval score, Por vos muero is such a rich ballet, I found myself willing it to continue long after the dancers had relinquished their masks to the curtains.Smartly situated in the middle is Scoula di ballo, a story ballet set in a dance school filled with characters with whom most of the audience could identify — the boorish stage mother, the opportunistic instructor, the terrible-but-trying-anyway student — all performed so gleefully. Though beautifully executed and incredibly charming, I don't often connect with the pantomimish behaviour of these sorts of works. The rest of the audience around me, however, was in fits and giggles and offered much applause.Waking the audience from merriment is the final ballet Dyad 1929, performed for the first time in August this year. With choreographer Wayne McGregor at the helm, this work is part of his Dyad diptych, the other, Dyad 1909 to be performed in London. Abstract in its style, Dyad 1929 exists free from the flowing movements of the first two parts of Concord, inspired by the aviation advancements of the age for which it is named. This work is clean and incredibly tight. The set is simple and terrifically effective with its use of light. Dedicated to the memory of seminal choreographer Merce Cunningham who passed away earlier this year, Dyad 1929 shares a kinship with the energy of his work.Ultimately, the most impressive element of Concord is the dancers at its heart, able to so swiftly move between not just roles, but immense changes in style and aesthetic. Concord is a collection of short stories so diverse that it should and will endear the notion of attending the ballet to more than just its loyal subscription base. The current magic of the Australian Ballet certainly deserves it.* If you are under 26 - you are eligible for massive savings. See The Australian Ballet website for ticketing details.Stephanie Williams & Andrew Killian performing Dyad 1929. Photo: Jim McFarlane
Where each new year will take you can be an existential question. If travel is one of your resolutions, it can also be literal. Will 2024 see you basking in Shibuya's glowing lights in Tokyo? Sipping drinks in the pool by sunset in Bali? Finally taking in the wonder that is Uluru? Enjoying an island break on Hamilton Island? They're all options if you use Virgin's latest big sale as your guide. A hefty 500,000-plus fares are up for grabs as part of the airline's Holiday After the Holidays sale sale, covering a range of Aussie and international spots — the carrier's entire network, in fact. Sticking with home turf, you can head to Byron Bay, the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast, Cairns, Hamilton Island, Uluru, Hobart, Broome and more. And, if you're eager to journey overseas, you can hit up Bali, Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Tokyo and Queenstown as well. One-way domestic fares start at $49, which'll get you from Sydney to Byron Bay. As always, that's cheapest route. Other discounted flights include Melbourne to Launceston from $59, Brisbane to either Cairns for $105 or Hamilton Island for $115, Brisbane to Uluru from $139, Adelaide to the Gold Coast from $119 and Perth to Hobart from $239. Internationally, the return deals start with Brisbane to Vanuatu from $419, then include Sydney to Queenstown from $435, Melbourne to Bali from $559 and Cairns to Tokyo from $679 among the options. If you're wondering when you'll need to travel, there's a range of dates from Monday, January 29–Saturday, November 30, 2024, all varying depending on the flights and prices. As usual when it comes to flight sales, you'll need to get in quick. Virgin's discounted fares are now on offer until midnight on Monday, January 22 or sold out, whichever arrives first. Virgin's 2024 Holiday After the Holidays sale runs until midnight AEST on Monday, January 22 — or until sold out. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols should never be far from anyone's ears — but there's listening to the iconic 1977 punk album, the only studio record from Sex Pistols, and then there's hearing it played live in full. Down Under in 2025, Australian music lovers will be treated to that very experience, with the group locking in a tour. Band members Paul Cook, Steve Jones and Glen Matlock are heading this way in April, as part of a project dubbed Sex Pistols Featuring Frank Carter. As the band's moniker makes plain, this is a case of punk figures joining punk figures, as first happened back in August 2024 for fundraiser gigs in London. Clearly the setup worked. This will be Sex Pistols' first trip this way in almost 30 years, since 1996 — this time pairing drummer Cook, guitarist Jones and bassist Matlock with Gallows, Pure Love and Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes alum Carter on vocals. The group have announced seven stops, including at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion on Tuesday, April 8. John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, the band's well-known former lead vocalist, was last part of their lineup in 2008 — which is when Sex Pistols last toured before 2024. Hearing Never Mind the Bollocks live and in full almost five decades since its original release means hearing 'Anarchy in the UK', 'God Save the Queen', 'Pretty Vacant', 'Bodies', 'Holidays in the Sun' and more. If this feels like an incredibly rare chance to experience a slice of music greatness, that's because it is — and if you need any more motivation, Sex Pistols Featuring Frank Carter's UK gigs earned rave reviews. Top image: Henry Ruggeri.
Easter is right around the corner which means it's time to get ready for everyone's favourite rabbit to hop into town — and we're not talking about Peter, Roger or Bugs. If you're looking for a way to celebrate the long weekend without leaving the city, be sure to head to the Sydney Family Show this April. The annual event will be running from Saturday, April 9 till Monday, April 25 at the Entertainment Quarter, and there's plenty to see and do. Check out the action-packed motorcycle and bike show, turn yourself upside down on carnival rides, cuddle some adorable furry friends in the animal nursery and, of course, take home a showbag or two on your way out. New to the Show this year is a ferris wheel, so make sure you hop on to score a bird's-eye view of the festivities below. Tickets are $20 per person for adults and $10 for kids aged 3–15, or you can grab a family pass for $50 for four people. If you still have Parent and Discover NSW vouchers burning a proverbial hole in your pocket, you can use these for at-gate purchases. The Sydney Family Show will be happening at the Entertainment Quarter from Saturday, April 9 till Monday, April 25. For more information and to grab tickets, visit the website.
In the world of stand-up, getting a gag off the ground and inspiring some true belly-aching laughter doesn't come easy. Even those at the top have to start somewhere. For those with the gift of the gab (both locally and abroad), Giant Dwarf is putting on Comedy(ish), a night for comedians to test the waters with some of their latest and (hopefully) greatest lines. Tom Ballard plays host the January 21 event, which features Scott Dooley, Michael Workman and Becky Lucas, among many others. It all goes down at Redfern's Giant Dwarf. Established by the boys from The Chaser, this space is no stranger to some pretty talented creative folk. Bringing never-before-seen material to eager ears, Comedy(ish) guarantees nothing but promises everything. Or, at the very least, a decent chuckle.
The saying "all good things come to an end" doesn't apply that often on TV anymore. Whenever a show wraps up, there's usually a chance that it could return in some shape or form, whether as a prequel such as House of the Dragon, a sequel series like That '90s Show or a revival as Party Down is currently doing. But when Barry finishes its run after its upcoming fourth and final season, this really might be it for Bill Hader's (Lightyear) military sniper-turned-hitman-turned actor. If you've watched season three, which was characteristically phenomenal, you'll know why — but, also, a show about an assassin trying to be an on-screen star in Hollywood can't keep its main figure away from the law forever. So, in the just-dropped first trailer for Barry season four, HBO teases an "arresting final act". Barry is incarcerated, his mentor and veteran thespian Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler, Black Adam) is being hailed as a hero, but this turn of events is clearly going to have consequences. In the initial sneak peek, Barry is seeing his friends and acquaintances as he wanders around the yard in prison — including Cousineau, his former handler Monroe (Stephen Root, Succession) and his ex-girlfriend Sally (Sarah Goldberg, The Night House) — which doesn't bode well for his already-fragile mental health. Is this where the killer-for-hire will be when the eight-episode season concludes? Will Chechen gangster Noho Hank (Anthony Carrigan, Bill & Ted Face the Music) somehow intervene? What's happening with Sarah's career after season three? These are all natural questions to have about the Emmy-winner's return. Answers will start coming soon, with Barry season four set to start streaming via Binge in Australia and Neon in New Zealand from Monday, April 17. If you're new to all things Barry, Hader not only stars but created the show, has directed a heap of episodes, and also co-wrote others. The initial setup: when Hader's Barry Berkman heads from Cleveland to Los Angeles for his job, he discovers a previously unknown passion for acting after he stumbles into a class held by veteran thespian Cousineau. The catch? Barry kills people for money, and that isn't a line of work that you can leave easily, especially when you become caught in the Chechen mafia's violent and deadly dramas. Check out the first trailer for Barry season four below: Barry's fourth season will start streaming via Binge in Australia and Neon in New Zealand from Monday, April 17. Top image: Merrick Morton/HBO.
In 2023, Australia's east coast joined New York, Hawaii, Mexico and Croatia as a host of Palm Tree Music Festival, the fest filled with folks hitting the decks that was co-founded by Kygo. With one of the event's guiding forces himself leading the lineup — and Tiësto also on the bill — the Down Under debut went down well, so much so that a second spin is on its way. Mark your calendars for December 2024, then, because the festival is returning for round two. 'Stole the Show', 'Here for You', 'Stay' and 'It Ain't Me' talent Kygo isn't on the lineup this time, but The Chainsmokers happily lead the charge instead, ready to bust out 'Closer', 'Something Just Like This' and more. The Grammy-winners' spot on the bill marks Drew Taggart and Alex Pall's first trip to Australia in five years — and get excited about the festival's rendition of 'Don't Let Me Down' because Daya is also on the Palm Tree Music Festival roster. For company, Swedish DJ and producer Alesso, the San Francisco-born Gryffin and Harlem's Austin Millz round out the first announcement of acts. Accordingly, everything from 'Words', 'Remedy' and 'If I Lose Myself' to 'Woke Up in Love', 'You Were Loved' and 'Cry' — and also 'Lovely Day', 'Inside Out' and 'Bad Behaviour' — could echo through Palm Tree Music Festival's three 2024 Aussie stops. Just as with its premiere run in Australia, the festival has a date with Sydney, hitting up Sydney Showgrounds on Friday, December 6. With its holiday-friendly name, it should come as no surprise that Palm Tree Music Festival takes inspiration from Kygo's stints touring the world. Expect a cruisy vibe set to EDM's greatest and latest, too — this time with the bonus of a summer berth. Palm Tree Music Festival 2024 Australian Lineup: The Chainsmokers Alesso Gryffin Austin Millz Daya Images: Jared Leibowitz.
While the end result might not be particularly impressive, you have to hand it to the folks behind Goosebumps, the film version of R.L. Stine's best-selling book series that everyone read as a kid. Director Rob Letterman (Gulliver's Travels) and writer Darren Lemke (Turbo) not only manage to capture a sense of nostalgia, but they also solve what must've been one of the biggest problems of the adaptation process. With 62 initial novels and more than 100 spin-offs published, choosing which tale to bring to the screen can't have been easy. Their solution? Bundle together as many as they can, then wrap them all up in a big meta-textual package. Indeed, Goosebumps both follows the formula set out on the page — i.e. a few kids find themselves in a scary situation — while still providing plenty of twists. The latter come in a couple of forms, including inserting Stine himself into the mix. Given that each of the printed volumes followed different characters, he's the series mainstay, after all. Here, played by Jack Black, he's a seemingly eccentric neighbour with a daughter, Hannah (Odeya Rush) he doesn't let wander far, and a bookshelf filled with locked manuscripts. When high-schooler Zach (Dylan Minnette) moves in next door to Stine with his widowed vice principal mother (Amy Ryan), he's more interested in Hannah than her father. In fact, he has no idea who Stine is, though he gets curious when the author tells him to stay away. After hearing screams, Zach thinks something sinister is afoot and is determined to investigate. With his new pal Champ (Ryan Lee) in tow, he breaks into Stine's house, opens some of his books and accidentally unleashes their spooky contents onto the world. Enter Slappy the living dummy, the abominable snowman, a giant mantis, a pink blob, an invisible boy and a whole host of garden gnomes to terrorise Zach and the gang. Yes, Goosebumps goes for the more is more approach to their monsters. Unfortunately, here, it doesn't really pan out. Fans of the novels might be pleased that their favourite foes make their way into the movie; they're less likely to be impressed with the scattershot and over-the-top way in which that's achieved. If it feels like the filmmakers have thrown everything they can at the screen, that's because they have. It makes for a jam-packed 103 minutes, with no time wasted jumping from one creepy encounter to the next. However it also makes for a chaotic array of set pieces and little else. Some scenes hit the mark, including the kitchen-set gnome attack. But they do so at the expense of fleshing out the characters, establishing a mood of anything other than silliness, and thoughtfully exploring themes of loss and inner turmoil. When Black hamming it up is among the feature's few highlights — doing double duty as the voice of Slappy, and saddled with some terrible one-liners as a result — then you know you're in trouble. Rereading the books would be a much more enjoyable alternative.
It's been almost five years since Australian viewers scored a dedicated platform to indulge their love of British television. When Britbox launched towards the end of 2020, back when new streaming services kept popping up every month — or so it seemed — it brought shows new and old from two English networks, the BBC and ITV, Down Under. If that's been your TV-watching niche since, then you'll be interested in its next plans, expanding its range and adding dedicated channels. The idea: to boost the hundreds of hours of British fare that's already available to view, on a service that launched with the likes of Doctor Who, Absolutely Fabulous, The Office, Blackadder, Pride and Prejudice, Prime Suspect, The Vicar of Dibley, Luther, A Confession, and David Attenborough's Blue Planet and Planet Earth. And, if you're the kind of person that wants the act of choosing taken out of your hands, the blast-from-the-past format that is linear channels will always have something on. Yes, after streaming attracted eyeballs away from traditional TV and changed how everyone watches the small screen, adding non-stop old-school television-style channels to online services has cemented itself as a trend in recent years. Britbox will have three, dedicated to drama, documentaries and general entertainment, respectively. So, expect Agatha Christie murder-mysteries, comedy quiz shows like Would I Lie To You? and Attenborough docos, for starters. On BBC First, then, you'll be checking out Call the Midwife and getting sleuthing with Towards Zero, the latter of which stars Anjelica Huston (The French Dispatch) and Matthew Rhys (Saturday Night). Head to BBC Entertain for Richard Osman's House of Games, QI and 8 Out of 10 Cats, among other similar shows. And on BBC Select, fiends for factual viewing will find Life Below Zero, Frozen Planet and Africa on the lineup. "Our customers told us they wanted more — more of the latest series, more quality dramas, comedies and mysteries, as well as more variety across genres. We've expanded the service with the aim of continuing to delight our existing fans and appeal to new customers," said Moira Hogan, Executive Vice President of International Markets and General Manager of BritBox Australia. "Our team has crafted a user experience that combines the best of on-demand viewing with a curated channel experience. So when you're not sure what to watch, you can easily switch to one of our three streaming channels and the choice is instantly made for you." In June, Britbox in general is adding a must see for Cunk on Earth fans to its catalogue, too: Mandy, also starring Diane Morgan. Or, check out docos Blue Planet, The Hunt and The Planets, plus the ninth season of Shetland. The Cleaner, Professor T and Karen Pirie will all be back on the platform this year as well. For more information about Britbox, head to the service's website.
The most expansive exhibition of pop art Australia has ever seen, Pop to Popism is the latest offering in the Sydney International Art Series' wonderful lineup of shows. It's a true blockbuster exhibition. One of the largest shows ever staged by the Art Gallery of NSW, and requiring two years of planning, it takes up an entire floor. Pop art tends to be quite polarising. Kicking off in the '60s, pop artists sought to make art inspired by popular culture and the exploding post-war consumerism of the time. Pop art borrowed slick media techniques to create bright, glamorous, often celebrity-obsessed works. However, not everyone agreed that galleries were appropriate places for Campbell's soup cans and Marilyn Monroe. It was an incredibly radical idea, bringing everyday objects and popular culture into the domain of high art, and pop art forever changed traditional conceptions of high and low culture. Love it or hate it, it was one of the defining art movements of last century. Wayne Tunnicliffe, the exhibition's senior curator, has nabbed a bunch of superstar works for the show, many of which made their way down under accompanied by armed guards. Warhol's Marilyn is there in all her hypercolour glory, Lichtenstein's first ever cartoon work is on show behind glass, and Keith Haring's energetic figures are almost jumping off the walls. Pop to Popism brings together over 200 works by more than 70 of the world’s greatest pop artists. Richard Prince, Robert Indiana, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Claes Oldenburg, David Hockney, Gilbert & George, Jeff Koons, James Rosenquist, Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg are all there, too. Everyone has come to the party. The exhibition is curated from a decidedly Australian point of view and includes works by Peter Powditch, Martin Sharp, Brett Whiteley, Howard Arkley, Imants Tillers and Jenny Watson. It's the most in-depth exploration of the development and influence of Australian pop art ever staged. Pop to Popism does a wonderful job of placing Australian art in the context of what was an internationally significant art movement. Previously left out of most scholarly investigations of the movement, the contribution female artists have made to the trajectory of pop art is put into focus. Several of Cindy Sherman's photographs are on show, along with works by Rosalyn Drexler, Marisol and Bridgid McLean. Perhaps one of the best works of the entire exhibition is Masterpieces (Warhol) by Maria Kozic, which depicts a shattered Campbell’s Soup can rendered in the style of Andy Warhol. Kozic was a member of the younger generation of pop artists working in the late '70s and '80s who reappropriated pop art's vocabulary to suit the ever-evolving consumer culture. Pop to Popism is slick and glossy and a tremendous amount of fun. Just like pop art should be. Image credit: Roy Lichtenstein, In the car 1963, oil and manga on canvas. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein.
It can seem like when summer disappears, so do our social lives. A bit dramatic? Perhaps. But you have to admit that when the temperature drops, your free time becomes a little less about beach days and barbecues and a little more sweatpants and streaming. But when you've only got limited daylight hours at your disposal, why would you want to spend them all inside? Sydney still gets plenty of sunshine at this time of year and, when a day like that comes along, the best place you can be is by the water with a glass of wine in your hand. So, we've found special lunch deals at two well-loved Sydney restaurants that'll get you out from behind that Netflix queue and soaking up a little more vitamin D. First up, there's Ripples Chowder Bay — the Italian-style restaurant set in a heritage listed building overlooking Sydney Harbour. Throughout autumn, the restaurant is running a special weekday lunch — choose any two courses from the a la carte menu, plus a side and glass of Cape Mentelle wine for just $49 per person. You could stick with an entree and main — think king prawns with smoked paprika aioli and whole market fish — or opt to swap your starter with dessert and have the belly-warming combination of beef fillet with truffle mash and banoffee pie. Whatever you decide, we recommend nabbing a seat on the deck to enjoy your meal al fresco. Meanwhile, Manly Pavilion is skipping the side and offering its two-course lunch menu, with a glass of either Cape Mentelle sauvignon blanc semillon or cabernet merlot, for $45. This decadent long lunch will be on offer Tuesdays to Fridays in the slick bistro dining space. The menu features squid ink linguine with stewed calamari, smoked angus beef brisket, tiramisu and more. And, in some very good news for you (and your somewhat bare social calendar), we're giving you and three mates the chance to enjoy one of these luxurious long lunches. Enter your details below for a chance to win. [competition]714822[/competition]
When coming up with his visionary paintings, Brett Whiteley drew inspiration from all over the place. First, there were other artists, which included the likes of Francis Bacon, Henri Matisse and Vincent van Gogh. But equally important were Whiteley's revered legends of music and literature, like French poet Arthur Rimbaud and, of course, Bob Dylan. His many intimate portraits of these influences are now on show at the Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills, in an exhibition titled Brett Whiteley: Tributes. The collection includes Whiteley's Portrait of Joel Elenberg (1980), painted in the very year that the well-known sculptor died at just 32. There are also several impressions of writer Patrick White, including Patrick White Flaws in the Glass (1981), and a portrait of Lloyd Rees. Meanwhile, Rimbaud's poetry and life are explored in The Rimbaud pages, a series of manipulated photographs, viewed through drawing, text, collage and screenprinting. And van Gogh's impact is demonstrated in the immense The starry night (1982), which is a deconstruction of the Dutch artist's famous swirling patterns. You can check out these works, among others, for free until August 28. The Brett Whiteley Studio is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 10am until 4pm. Image: Brett Whiteley Getting quite close, 1982. Brett Whiteley Studio Collection © Wendy Whiteley.
Sydney Zoo is currently only open from Friday–Sunday, and every day during the school holidays. Before you head in, it's suggested you book a ticket online. First the first time in 100 years, Sydney has a major new zoo. First announced back in 2015, Sydney Zoo, which is located in the city's west in Bungarribee, near the Great Western Highway, finally launched in December 2019. With more than 2000 animals, Sydney Zoo is home to lions, cheetahs, African painted dogs, hyenas, spider monkeys, tigers, zebras, 11 chimpanzees and 13 baboons (almost every Lion King star), as well as Aussie wombats, echidnas, dingos, emus, koalas, Tasmanian devils and kangaroos. You can check out all these animals from pram and wheelchair-friendly raised boardwalks, too. It doesn't stop there either, with the zoo also home to the country's largest reptile and nocturnal house — with 60 different species, including the world's most venomous snakes, ghost bats and giant grasshoppers — and an aquarium with fish and penguins. As most zoos do, Sydney Zoo also has a focus on conservation, participating in education and breedings programs for endangered animals. Ir also worka with the local Darug people to offer Bungarribee Dreaming experiences, where you can learn about local Aboriginal history. Tickets to the Sydney Zoo are $46 for adults (and $99.99 for a family of four). You can also sign up for annual memberships, which get you unlimited zoo access, discounts on food and free parking.
From a field of 52 finalists — including, for the first time in its history, an equal number of works from both male and female artists — the 2021 Archibald Prize has been awarded to Melbourne-based artist Peter Wegner for Portrait of Guy Warren at 100. An unanimous decision by this year's judges, Wegner's portrait of the centenarian and fellow artist won the gong in a fitting year, with the Archibald turning 100 in 2021 as well. "Guy Warren turned 100 in April — he was born the same year the Archibald Prize was first awarded in 1921," Wegner said. "This is not why I painted Guy, but the coincidence is nicely timed." "I have been working on a series of drawings of people who have turned 100, beginning with my Aunty Rita seven years ago. I've gone on to draw more than 90 centenarians," Wegner continued. "I chose to paint Guy Warren because he is one of the most incredible centenarians l have ever met. This portrait honours Guy in the 101st year of his productive and meaningful life." [caption id="attachment_814783" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Winner Archibald Prize 2021. Peter Wegner, Portrait of Guy Warren at 100. © the artist. Photo: AGNSW, Jenni Carter.[/caption] Winning for the first time, Wegner was also a finalist in the 2020, 2016, 2011, 2004 and 2000 Archibalds. Warren won the prize himself in 1985 with a portrait of artist Bert Flugelman — and became an Archibald subject for the seventh time with Portrait of Guy Warren at 100. Wegner's win comes after 2020's history-making recipient Vincent Namatjira, who became the first Indigenous artist to receive the prize. In 2019, when Tony Costa emerged victorious, he did so with the first portrait of an Asian Australian to ever win the award. In 2021's main field, two artists also received high commendations: Sydney artist Jude Rae, who was recognised for her self-portrait Inside out; and Brisbane artist Pat Hoffie, who submitted Visaya in a c-collar, a portrait of her daughter. [caption id="attachment_814782" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Winner Wynne Prize 2021. Nyapanyapa Yunupiŋu. Garak – night sky. © the artist. Photo: AGNSW, Mim Stirling.[/caption] The winners of the Wynne and Sir John Sulman prizes were similarly revealed today, Friday, June 4, spanning a number of other pieces. Yolŋu painter and printmaker Nyapanyapa Yunupiŋu took out the former — which awards the best landscape painting of Australian scenery or figure sculpture — for Garak – night sky. The piece represents Djulpan, the Seven Sisters star clusters that are also known as Pleiades, and marks the second time that Yunupiŋu has been a Wynne finalist. This is also the sixth year in a row that an Indigenous Australian artist has been awarded the Wynne prize. The category also hands out three other gongs, with Tjungkara Ken receiving the 2021 Roberts Family Prize for Seven Sisters, Noel McKenna winning the Trustees' Watercolour Prize for South Coast headland (2), Ottoman rose, and Leah Bullen awarded the John and Elizabeth Newnham Pring Memorial Prize for Arid garden, Wollongong. [caption id="attachment_814779" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Winner Sulman Prize 2021. Georgia Spain, Getting down or falling up. © the artist. Photo: AGNSW, Mim Stirling.[/caption] The Sir John Sulman Prize goes to the best mural, subject or genre painting, and was this year awarded to Georgia Spain for Getting down or falling up. Limbs feature heavily in the piece, which was selected as the winner from 21 finalists by fellow artist Elisabeth Cummings. Across the three prizes, 2144 entries were received this year — the second-highest number ever after 2020. And, the three prizes received the highest-ever number of entries from Indigenous artists. The winning portraits and finalists will be on display at Sydney's Art Gallery of NSW from tomorrow — Saturday, June 4 — up until Sunday, September 26. If you don't agree with the judges, you can cast your own vote for People's Choice, which will be announced on Wednesday, September 1. ARCHIBALD PRIZE 2021 DATES Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney, NSW — June 4–September 26, 2021 Gippsland Art Gallery, Sale, Victoria — October 8–November 21, 2021 Hazelhurst Regional Gallery & Art Centre, Gymea, NSW — December 3–January 16, 2022 Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Maitland, NSW — January 23–March 6, 2022 Cowra Regional Art Gallery, Cowra, NSW — March 18–June 22, 2022 Manning Regional Art Gallery, Taree, NSW — July 8–August 21, 2022 If you can't make it to any of the above dates, you can check out the award winners and finalists of the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes on the Art Gallery of NSW website. Top image: Winner Archibald Prize 2021. Peter Wegner, Portrait of Guy Warren at 100. © the artist. Photo: AGNSW, Jenni Carter.
As both a comedian and a dramatic actor, Bob Odenkirk has earned a lifetime's worth of well-deserved praise. Writing for Saturday Night Live and starring in Mr Show with Bob and David each sit on his resume, as does his pivotal part in Breaking Bad and lead role in the exceptional Better Call Saul. But in Nobody, Odenkirk highlights a facet of his work that's easy to overlook. Jumping into a new genre, he makes viewers realise a truth that cuts to the heart of his talents. Every actor wants to be the person that can't be replaced, and to turn in the type of performances that no one can emulate; however, only the very best, including Odenkirk, manage exactly that. A movie so forged from the John Wick mould that it's penned by the same screenwriter — and boasts the first film's co-director David Leitch (Atomic Blonde) as a producer, too — Nobody could've featured any existing action go-to. It could've been an easy knockoff of well-known hit, joining the swathe of direct-to-video and -streaming titles that use that very template. It could've given Bruce Willis his next role to sleepwalk through, added yet another Taken-style thriller to Liam Neeson's resume or proven one of Nicolas Cage's more straightforward vehicles of late. Thankfully, though, Nobody is all about the ever-watchable Odenkirk and his peerless and compelling ability to play slippery characters. When Nobody begins, Hutch Mansell's (Odenkirk) life has become such a routine that his weeks all unfurl in the same fashion. Plodding through a sexless marriage to real estate agent Becca (Connie Nielsen, Wonder Woman 1984), and barely paid any notice by his teenage son Blake (Gage Munroe, Guest of Honour) and younger daughter Abby (debutant Paisley Cadorath), he catches public transport to his manufacturing company job every weekday, always puts the bins out too late for the garbage truck on Tuesday mornings, and usually earns little more than polite smiles from his family while he's cooking them breakfast that they fail to eat. Then, the Mansells' suburban home is randomly burgled. Hutch confronts the thieves in the act, has a chance to swing a golf club their way, yet holds back. But when Abby notices that her beloved cat bracelet is missing in the aftermath, he decides to take action — a choice that leads him to an unrelated bus filled with obnoxious guys hassling a female passenger, and eventually sees unhinged Russian mobster Yulian Kuznetsov (Aleksey Serebryakov, Leviathan) threatening everything that Hutch holds dear. Derek Kolstad's script — his first feature screenplay beyond the John Wick franchise — teases that there's more to its protagonist's story right from the outset. He communicates with his in-hiding brother (RZA, The Dead Don't Die) via radio, for starters, and his elderly father (Christopher Lloyd, I Am Not a Serial Killer) has a gun and multiple forms of ID stowed away in the closet at his retirement home. But Nobody isn't a twist-filled thriller that snakes, weaves and tries to keep its audience guessing. Lean and economical across its swiftly flowing 92-minute running time, it instead pairs frenetic action scenes with a character study. Yes, the stellar John Wick movies do the same, but don't underestimate the difference that Odenkirk makes. Cartoonishness can come with the territory when a film unleashes punch after punch, and Nobody is rarely subtle, except where its star is involved. On the small screen, he's currently part of the best tragedy there is, with viewers watching as the enterprising Jimmy McGill becomes Breaking Bad's shady Saul Goodman. Here, he gives the same amount of flesh to a seeming mild-mannered everyman with a complicated background, simple dreams and a formidable battle to reconcile the former with the latter. Also helpful: Odenkirk's ability to deliver the line "give me the kitty-cat bracelet" without it ever sounding like a joke. With dialogue like that, Nobody could've quickly slid into parody, but that's never Kolstad and director Ilya Naishuller's (Hardcore Henry) vibe. While there's a knowing undercurrent to the film as it keeps thrusting its various frays to the fore, that mood — like so much in this cinematic cavalcade of violence — is intricately tied to Odenkirk. Indeed, Nobody constantly has fun with its casting, riffing on its star's unlikely addition to its genre in multiple ways. Some are visual and blatant. Odenkirk doesn't resemble Hollywood's typical action hero, after all. Nobody isn't a particularly contemplative movie, but it also emphasises how dismissively Hutch is treated by everyone in his orbit, despite secretly possessing skills that his detractors can only fantasise about. Of course, fans already acquainted with Odenkirk's knack for complex characters will instantly spy the texture to Hutch, who thankfully never joins the ranks of toxically pent-up men stereotypically pushed to their supposed breaking points. Hutch is barely interested in being a vigilante, in fact. He doesn't snap in a frenzy. Rather, he just wants to return to the one thing that he's always been good at, especially after spending a couple of decades in a rut. Again and again, Odenkirk is both essential and crucial to Nobody — but its fight choreography was always going to stand out. In line with its central character, all of the movie's attacks prove resourceful instead of slick. They're exceptionally, elaborately and engagingly executed, including by its star, who does most of his own stunts; however, they're also somehow both scrappy and dynamic. Naishuller doesn't skimp on bloodshed or style, though. He wants every over-the-top showdown to strike a chord, and he gets his wish. But it's the first big confrontation, on that bus, that Nobody will forever be remembered for. As well as being kinetically yet tightly shot and staged, it manages what Odenkirk does so well, and repeatedly: anchoring this gleefully OTT symphony of brutality in the everyday and commonplace. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngy7grwzFTw
When four Frenchmen came to Australia for the beautiful weather and friendly people, they missed their daily fill of French-style mouth-watering crepes and galettes, so they decided to make their own. Four Frogs Creperie plates up authentic savoury galettes made with buckwheat flour and topped with ham and cheese or garlicky snails, and sweet crepes that range from traditional butter, sugar and lemon to the Grand Marnier crepe, which is set on fire before being delivered straight to your table. You can eat in at the licensed cafe, and the staff loves to celebrate a birthday with messages written in Nutella.
Seeing the South Pole is a bucket-list dream at the best of times, and even more so in 2020. But, if you have a bit of spare cash to burn, it's actually achievable — including while Australia's borders are closed to international travel. Eager to head overseas just for one day? Then you'd best get in quick to score a seat on the upcoming Antarctica flights out of Australia. As it has in previous years, sightseeing group Antarctica Flights is taking bookings for a series of rare, sky-high charter tours. And if you're wondering how the day trips can go ahead during COVID-19, that's because they're classified as domestic flights. You won't even need to take your passport with you. Departing Melbourne (November 15 and December 31, 2020), Sydney (November 22, 2020 and February 21, 2021), Perth (January 26, 2021), Brisbane (February 7, 2021) and Adelaide (February 14, 2021), these flights will cruise above the dazzling Antarctica Treaty area for around four hours. Each flight path is carefully chosen to maximise viewing from both sides of the plane and to ensure the best views should the weather turn nasty, while some passengers will rotate seats to allow everyone an equal shot at the spectacular scenery below. Travelling on a Qantas 787 Dreamliner, the whole trip clocks in at around 12.5 hours — depending on your departure city — during which you'll hear from expert Antarctic explorers, talking about the polar environment and its fascinating history. All that, while enjoying some better-than-average QANTAS plane food, full bar service and, in the lead-up to the views, a spot of in-flight entertainment — classic flick Happy Feet, or some Antarctic docos, of course. As expected, this kind of plane trip doesn't come cheap — you're looking at $1199 to be seated without direct access to a window. Other options, including the Economy Class Standard ($2199), the Economy Class Superior ($3199) and the Premium Economy Class ($3999) involve seat rotations throughout the flight, so passengers can spend time both close to the window and further away. Of course, you and your favourite travel buddy could drop $7999 each on Business Class Deluxe tickets to have a window seat and the one next to it all to yourselves for the entire flight. Regardless of which type of seat you fork out for, COVID-19 safety measures will be in effect — including temperature testing and pre-flight health and safety forms; providing disposable masks, sanitiser and disinfectant wipes; enhanced cleaning procedures; and not selling all seats in Economy Class. Antarctica Flights' 2021–21 season is open for bookings now, with flights out of Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide between November 15, 2020–February 21, 2021. Images: Antarctica Flights
If you've been kicking yourself because you can't make Billy Bragg's rare solo showcase in Sydney this weekend, you can now give your legs a rest. The maverick song writer has just announced that he'll be back in March 2014. For a national tour. With his entire band. That's right, every State and one of the Territories (sorry, NT) will be treated to a show, and he'll also be popping over to New Zealand for a couple of appearances. In Sydney, he'll be playing the Opera House for the first time ever. The tour is largely about bringing Bragg's new LP, Tooth and Nail, to Antipodean audiences. Bragg's first album since 2008, it was recorded in California last year. He was invited to the basement studio of Grammy-winning producer Joe Henry, where he holed up with some of the world's most in-demand session musicians — Greg Leisz (Bon Iver), Patrick Warren (Lana Del Rey), Jay Bellrose (Regina Spektor) and David Piltch (Ramblin' Jack Eliott) — and was urged to sing live. Bragg has described the album as "the follow-up to Mermaid Avenue I never made". Influenced by soul, folk and country, Tooth and Nail is more personal than some of his previous offerings. "Most people, when they hear my name, think of polemical anthems born in struggle," Bragg says. "I often find myself having to remind people that I am also the Sherpa of Heartbreak, writing songs about the struggle to maintain our relationships with those we love the most." Tickets are on sale on Tuesday, 16 September, at 9am. The full tour dates are: Sunday 8 March – Perth Concert Hall – Perth www.ticketek.com.au Monday 10 March – Womad Festival – Adelaide www.womadelaide.com.au Wednesday 12 March – Federation Hall – Hobart www.tso.com.au Tuesday 13 March – Palais Theatre – Melbourne www.ticketmaster.com.au Sunday 16 March – Sydney Opera House – Sydney www.sydneyoperahouse.com Wednesday 19 October – Canberra Theatre – Canberra www.canberratheatrecentre.com.au Thursday 20 March – Tivoli – Brisbane www.ticketmaster.com.au
An expansive venue open from breakfast until late has opened in the former Jet Cafe site of Sydney's century-old Queen Victoria Building. The historic George Street building constructed in 1898 is a popular thoroughfare for commuters travelling to and from Town Hall Station and is home to boutique retail tenants and a wide range of food and drink offerings ranging from cheap and cheerful takeaway to fine dining. The latest restaurant to take up residence in the QVB is Manon, an all-day European brasserie from Marco Ambrosino (Fratelli Paradiso) and Manny Spinola, the team behind Bondi's new 94-seat Mediterranean restaurant and bar, Lola's Level 1. "I have walked past the site for 24 years, dreaming of opening a grand cafe," Spinola says. "I am so thrilled to be in partnership with Marco to bring a French brasserie to the QVB. Manon will be a place to sit and people-watch while enjoying French cuisine, giving customers a taste of the European lifestyle whether it's at breakfast before work, a long lunch or an ambient dinner." [caption id="attachment_858433" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Monon team, Nikki To[/caption] Starting with breakfast, takeaway coffee and pastries are available from 6am. Visitors can also nab a table and enjoy a seated breakfast full of a mix between French and Australian morning favourites. There's a range of viennoiseries and baguettes, including pain au chocolate croissants and croque monsieur — plus breakfast hits like avocado and feta toast, bloody marys, buckwheat crepes or crab on toast with remoulade, avocado and a poached egg. [caption id="attachment_858435" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] Come lunchtime, you can choose from The Classics range that includes highlights from the breakfast menu and French bistro standouts like steak frites. There's also a raw bar with oysters, kingfish tartare and scallop carpaccio; and extravagant mains ranging from pan-fried coral trout to whole lobster and one-kilogram rib-on-bone côte de boeuf. From 5pm dinner follows a similar trajectory. The raw bar returns with the addition of caviar service. The array of entrées includes bone marrow tartine, snail meurette and grilled scampi. And the mains add beef wellington and cheesy crab souffle to highlights from lunch. [caption id="attachment_858436" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] Each Friday and Saturday, Manon offers up its services to those looking for a late-night feed, with weekend supper on offer following dinner. As expected for a luxe European brasserie in one of the city's most glitzy buildings, the fit-out is a sleek French-inspired design. The interior was a return to collaborator Chris Grinham who also worked on Lola's. "Marco and Manny's vision coupled with this site is a dream for us to work with and create something," Grinham said. "There's an alluring romanticism set within this design — so too a heady dollop of unique 'French' appeal." [caption id="attachment_858434" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] Manon is located in the Queen Victoria Building, 55/455 George Street, Sydney. It's open 7am until late Monday–Friday and 8am until late Saturday and Sunday.
Last year, an unlikely duo gave Sydneysiders a sarnie worthy of their finest hangover. Now, it's coming back — and it'll be available Australia-wide. Two indulgent favourites, PappaRich and Belles Hot Chicken, are pooling their resources to create a Malaysian-style fried chicken sandwich of your dreams. On offer for both lunch and dinner, this spiced-up sandwich features Belles' signature fried chicken, plus Malaysian slaw with coconut vinegar and secret sauce, all between PappaRich's toasted Hainan-style sweet bread. Belles Hot Chicken chef Morgan McGlone is the man behind this creation, so you know it'll be damn tasty. It will be available from Monday, March 25 at all 30 PappaRich restaurants around the country. If you're in Sydney, that means you can grab one in Bankstown or on your lunch break at the express outlet inside Westfield in the city; in Melbourne, pop by Chadstone, Southern Cross or QV; and PappaRich in Wintergarden and Coorparoo Square will be selling them in Brisbane. There are a heap more locations though, so check the website if you're looking for one closer to you. The sandwich will be available for lunch and dinner from March 25 until May 15 at PappaRich locations across the country. Find more details on the Facebook event.
Whether you started getting emails about it before Christmas even hit, you just know that February is almost here, or you've spotted pink and red hues — and roses and chocolates — at your local shops, yes, Valentine's Day is almost upon us again. And if your sweetheart has a sweet tooth and a love of Gelato Messina, the ice cream chain has whipped up some of its favourite non-gelato treats for this year's romance-fuelled occasion. Never one to miss an opportunity to experiment with new ways to inhale desserts, Messina has been cooking up novelty treats for Valentine's Day for a couple of years, and it's going with a twist on a tried-and-tested option for 2022. That'd be its bon bons, which it usually serves up for Mother's Day — but hey, fancy choccies are a go-to on plenty of occasions for good reason. An important note, though: while Messina's chocolate bon bons were filled with gelato to begin with, the chain has been doing all-chocolate versions for a couple of years now. And, that's what's on offer again this Valentine's Day. They come in three nutty varieties all in the same box, all in shades of red and pink — and, with Messina recently stepping up its in-house chocolate-making capabilities, you'll be tasting some of the gelato chain's new wares. Each box features with four versions of each of the three different flavours: peanut praline, which fill a milk-chocolate shell with milk chocolate, wafer and salted peanut praline; macadamia and coffee praline, which opt for a white-chocolate shell, plus roasted and caramelised macadamia and coffee praline; and hazelnut praline, again with the white chocolate exterior, but this this time with milk chocolate, roasted hazelnut and wafer praline inside. So, your special someone will have a variety to feast on. And hey, if they don't like one of the flavours, maybe they'll share it with you. Boxes cost $45 each for 12 bon bons and you'll need to place your order on Monday, January 31, with times varying depending on your state. You can then pick up the choccies between Sunday, February 13–Monday, February 14. Gelato Messina's Valentine's Day Bon Bons will be available to order on Monday, January 31, from 9am local time in Queensland and the ACT, 9.30am in Victoria and between 10am–11am in New South Wales.
When Freaks and Geeks first aired on Australian TV, it was one of those series that you had to actively search the television guide for. If you were devotedly scouring the listings at the time, then you already knew that the Paul Feig (Another Simple Favour)-created show was instantly among the coming-of-age greats, and also destined for a cult following. The past quarter century has proven that true of this glimpse at 80s-era suburban high-school life, but here's something that viewers back in the late-90s and early-00s couldn't have foreseen: a 14-hour marathon featuring all 18 episodes of the series screening at SXSW Sydney in 2025. Feig has already been announced as SXSW Sydney's Screen Festival keynote speaker and its first recipient of the new SXSW Sydney Screen Pioneer Award. When that was revealed, so was the news that the Harbour City fest would pair his visit, chat and accolade with a retrospective of his work this year. That lineup has now been unveiled, spanning three key titles from across the filmmaker's career, including that all-day stint with Freaks and Geeks. If you're keen to binge-watch the Jason Segel (Shrinking)-, Linda Cardellini (Nonnas)-, Seth Rogen (The Studio)-, Busy Phillips (Girls5eva)-, John Francis Daley (Game Night)- and Martin Starr (Tulsa King)-starring show on the big screen, that's on the agenda at the Ritz Cinema in Randwick on Saturday, October 18, kicking off at 9.30am. Or, a few days earlier, you can see the cinematic comedy sensation that is Bridesmaids, complete with Feig in attendance and taking part in a Q&A. If you have any burning questions about the Maya Rudolph (Loot)-, Kristen Wiig (Palm Royale)- and Rose Byrne (Physical)-led flick, Wednesday, October 15 is your chance to ask them. For the film's wedding-themed chaos, you'll also be heading to the Ritz Cinema. The third part of the retrospective program is a Sunday, October 19 session of The Heat, Feig's odd-couple buddy-cop comedy with Sandra Bullock (The Lost City) and Melissa McCarthy (Only Murders in the Building), also at the same venue. Beyond its tribute to the director, writer, producer and actor who also helmed Unaccompanied Minors, Spy, Ghostbusters, A Simple Favour, Last Christmas, The School for Good and Evil and Jackpot! — and co-starred in the OG Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and has The Housemaid with Sydney Sweeney (Echo Valley)-, Amanda Seyfried (Long Bright River) and Brandon Sklenar (Drop) on the way — SXSW Sydney's Screen Festival lineup already includes six other features. So, as announced earlier, you'll be able to catch By Design, $POSITIONS, Dead Lover, Zodiac Killer Project, The Last Sacrifice and Bokshi. Among that group, body-swap effort By Design features Juliette Lewis (The Thicket), Mamoudou Athie (Kinds of Kindness) and Robin Tunney (Dear Edward); horror-comedy Dead Lover is a SXSW Austin award-winner; Charlie Shackleton (The Afterlight) digs into a famed serial killer; and everything from comedy to folk horror features. [caption id="attachment_1010540" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Frank Micelotta[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1015902" align="alignnone" width="1920"] NBCU Photo Bank[/caption] SXSW Sydney 2025, including the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival, runs from Monday, October 13–Sunday, October 19 at various Sydney venues — with the Paul Feig retrospective showing from Wednesday, October 15–Sunday, October 19. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for further details and tickets.
The last time the pantsguys put on a Simon Stephens play, they won a Sydney Theatre Award for Best Independent Production. So you can see why they'd be keen to follow up Punk Rock with another work from the UK playwright's oeuvre, On the Shore of the Wide World. It puts them two for two, as On the Shore is a gorgeous stroke of melancholia showcasing some powerful performances. Again, we're visiting Stockport, the town Stephens grew up in and seemingly has some issues with. Centrestage in the kitchen-sink drama is the Holmes family: caring grandfather Charlie (Paul Bertram), is not so sweet to his wife, Ellen (Kate Fitzpatrick), after a few ciders; marrieds Peter (Huw Higginson) and Alice (Amanda Stephens-Lee) don't need much prodding to go from coasting to crisis; and their teenage sons, Christopher (Alex Beauman) and Alex (Graeme McRae), face an ongoing battle against boredom. For Alex, though, the world is newly full of possibility now he's in love with girlfriend Lily (Sarah Black). The play is not direct about plot or theme, but what comes to the fore is the ways in which the men of the Holmes line are damaged. And the dead-end town's not the only thing at fault. Worked on by violence, expectations of masculinity and war wounds passed on and on again, they are unable to express themselves as they so need to. In Stephens' hands, this is bleak but not torturous; there's a lot to like about spending time with this family, and director Anthony Skuse brings out that warmth. The actors here have not just finesse but charm, and Higginson in particular is super simpatico as the well-meaning, pulled-in-all-directions, quietly anguished Peter; you kind of just want him to play all the dads from here on in. Black's Lily is another highlight, raising the stakes in each scene she's in. One slight disappointment is the set design, which is appropriate in theme (canvas dropcloths, for painting and renovating) and aesthetic (sad and grey) but just not very polished or pleasant to look at. It weighs on the already small stage of the Stables Theatre, though designer Gez Xavier Mansfield's work is usually so strong and detailed. On the Shore of the Wide World is a standout piece of new(ish) international writing done smoothly, and it sets the bar high for the Griffin Independent season in 2014.
Trips to the flicks in Sydney are about to get big again. Huge, even. Massive, in fact. After closing down back in 2016 when the entire building was demolished, the IMAX in Darling Harbour will finally reopen in its newly rebuilt form before 2023 is out. Initially, the venue was meant to relaunch in 2019, then in 2021; however, that clearly didn't happen. Giant nights at the movies are coming to all film lovers who wait, however, complete with a hefty 693-square-metre screen to peer at. That screen really is large. It'll also be part of IMAX's most-advanced theatre experience so far, spanning 4K laser projection using a system with a new optical engine and custom-designed lenses. Thanks to a range of proprietary technology, viewers can apparently expect the images gracing the screen to be brighter, too, with increased resolution, deeper contrast and the widest range of colours that IMAX has seen. As for the sound, that'll be piped through a 12-channel setup. Running the site will be EVT, the hospitality company behind Event Cinemas, Moonlight Cinema, the Skyline Drive-In and the State Theatre, a heap of bars and restaurants, plus QT Hotels, Rydges and other hotel chains. The organisation also has three other IMAX venues to its name: in Auckland and Queensgate in New Zealand, and IMAX Karlsruhe in Germany. As well as that enormous screen, the luxe IMAX Sydney upgrade will include a choice of different seating, such as recliners, couples' lounges and private pods. There'll be 430 seats in total, on par with the old venue. And, the food and beverage range is getting a revamp courtesy of a marketplace experience. "We're thrilled to partner with EVT to bring audiences a world-class movie going experience at the new IMAX Sydney theatre in The Ribbon," said Giovanni Dolci, IMAX's Chief Sales Officer, announcing the news. "We're confident that this iconic venue will become a cultural landmark and will instantly join the ranks of our most celebrated and successful flagship cinemas around the world, from New York, Cannes and Tokyo to Los Angeles, Seoul and London," Dolci continued. View this post on Instagram A post shared by imaxsydney (@imaxsydney) "At EVT, our vision is to be leaders in creating experiences and properties that escape the ordinary. Our research tells us that audiences want choice," added EVT's Director of Entertainment Australia Luke Mackey. "We've created multiple ways to experience IMAX, featuring Australian first premium seating options — full recliners, couples' lounges and private pods. The location also leverages experts from across EVT to deliver elevated food and beverage and an innovative venue for conferences and events. We believe that IMAX Sydney located in the heart of Sydney will be the best IMAX in Australia, attracting locals and tourists alike". There's no word yet as to which massive blockbusters will be gracing the new IMAX screen when it reopens, or an exact date — but Sydneysiders, you'll soon have a new huge spot to see huge flicks. IMAX Sydney will reopen at Darling Harbour sometime in 2023 — we'll update you with an exact date when one is announced.
In 2019, Taco Bell returned to NSW following failed attempts in 1981 (when it was to taken to court by Sydney store Taco Bell's Casa) and 1997. And, where the US Tex-Mex chain is concerned, it seems that the third time is indeed the charm. It opened two more stores in 2020, and now it's slated to add another this year — from Tuesday, May 4 in Green Square. Yes, Sydney is finally getting its second Taco Bell, so Blacktown will no longer be the closest place to get your fix (with the company's other spots located at Newcastle, Albion Park and Ballina). The new eatery will be part of the Infinity by Crown Group retail precinct and sit above Green Square train station. So, you can pick up a Cheesy Chipotle Burrito or Crunchy Taco before you hop on or off public transport — or on your way to or from the new aquatic centre or still-recent library. If the chain's past menus are anything to go by, you can assume that quesadillas, burritos, Crunchwraps, nachos, power bowls and, of course, tacos (including the Gordita Crunch with both a crunchy and soft tortilla) will all be the lineup. It'll be doing dine-in, takeaway and delivery, with the latter particularly great news if you live in the area. Patrons can also expect a dedicated entrance just for picking up deliveries, a self-serve music kiosk and a street-art inspired interior by graffiti artist Simon Murray. And, to celebrate the opening, it'll be doing merchandise giveaways on launch day. Taco Bell still has plenty more stores in the works, too, with the chain saying it'll open a minimum of 40 locations across NSW and the ACT in the next three years — we'll let you know when other spots are announced. Find Taco Bell at Infinity by Crown Group, Green Square, 301–303 Botany Road, Zetland from Tuesday, May 4 — open daily from 10am–10pm.
The Grounds of Alexandria has proven a coffee haven for Sydneysiders for five years and now they're breaking into the craft brew game. The beer, a collaboration with the longstanding Lord Nelson Brewery, pairs a bold American brown ale with The Grounds' signature, in-house roasted espresso. 'The Lord of The Grounds Brown' is quite the mouthful in name and in drinking practice — unlike some coffee-beer pairings, this is not simply a coffee-flavoured brew. Instead, a mug of the brown ale, with its rich malt flavour, pine hop aroma and slight bitterness, is served alongside a smooth shot of espresso ($13 for the two). This is truly a collab for both beer and coffee lovers — which, more often than not, are already one in the same. The brew is currently on offer, exclusively at The Potting Shed for the duration of winter, along with share plates, snacks, a full bar menu and regular live music, all in The Grounds' expertly overgrown garden setting. The Potting Shed at The Grounds of Alexandria is located at 41/43 Bourke Rd, Alexandria. Open Monday through Friday 11.30am to late and Saturday through Sunday from 11am to late.
Lil Miss Collins started out, well, lil'. The team hosted two pop-ups around town, then, once popularity was established, moved onto a spacious, grassy site, five minutes' walk from Parramatta station. The cafe's adorable (and permanent) home is a combination of shipping containers and recycled timber, which owner Tony Moussa, with the help of his family, transformed into a cafe. Once there were chickens, too, but Council regulations brought their residency to a swift end. The good news is there's no shortage of animal company: pets are welcome. In between patting dogs and maintaining his DIY digs, Moussa roasts his own coffee beans. Choose from a house-blend or a single origin, before perusing the hearty, healthy menu. Among the seasonal offerings, you'll find roasted pumpkin with poached egg, feta, labneh, broccolini, chilli and kale on sourdough, as well as slow-cooked lamb shoulder with rosemary, roasted potatoes, roasted pumpkin, lentils, fennel, béarnaise sauce and crisp bread.
Stadium food isn't normally anyone's favourite part of a trip to the football, cricket or whichever other sport takes your fancy, but that's about to change at the Sydney Cricket Ground and Sydney Football Stadium. In its latest big move, hospitality giant Merivale has just announced that it's taking over the dining options at the two venues — starting next month, just in time for cricket season. Come Sunday, December 5 — when the Big Bash pops up at the SCG — Merivale's food and drink offerings will be on the menu. That'll include dishes from acclaimed Merivale executive chefs such as Danielle Alvarez (Fred's), Jordan Toft (Mimi's, Bert's Bar & Brasserie) and Dan Hong (Ms.G's, Mr. Wong), as well as Mike Eggert (Totti's), Ben Greeno (The Paddington, Hotel Centennial) and Vincenzo Biondini (Vinnie's Pizza). Hong's spring rolls will definitely be up for grabs, as will pizza and gelato from Vinnie's, hot dogs from El Loco, dumplings and noodles by Queen Chow, and a range of options from The Chicken Shop. At the SCG, there'll also be a space called The Pavilion that'll serve up dishes from Coogee Pavilion-inspired outlets — as well as Bistro 1886 in the Members Pavilion, which'll take its cues from Felix's. Then there's the Smokehouse, a sports bar that'll pour craft beer and plate up Papi Chulo's smoked dishes, as well as paninis, salad bowls and Hong's aforementioned (and beloved) dish. That said, if you are still after pies, regular hot dogs and hot chips — those trusty stadium faves — they'll still be available, too. Merivale won the tender to become the SCG and SFS's exclusive hospitality experience partner for almost six years, with its tenure in the Moore Park precinct currently set to run until September 2027. "This is an incredible and truly unique opportunity for Merivale; we are humbled to be a part of Sydney's sporting and entertainment history," said Merivale CEO Justin Hemmes. "I want to sincerely thank Venues NSW for sharing our vision. This new partnership will see us bring together Merivale's wonderful talent pool, diverse restaurant brands, quality service and inherent love of Sydney to help deliver a world-class experience to every person who steps into the stadium." Merivale's food and drinks lineup will start being served at the Sydney Cricket Ground and Sydney Football Stadium from December 2021. Images: Phil Hillyard.
Whether you're planning a big event or just want to brighten up your (or someone else's) day with a small arrangement, Wild Bunch is a must-visit. The florist, run by Saskia Havekes, has been part of the Potts Point community since 1995. Each and every morning, Havekes is up bright and early to hit the flower markets and handpick the best blooms of bunch, from muted natives to vibrant hydrangeas and roses. As a result, stepping inside this tiny store on Macleay Street is sensory overload. Over the years, Havekes has extended her floral expertise into the publication of four books on flower arranging and foliage and the launch of Grandiflora Fragrance, a tightly curated range of floral-driven perfumes.
A new takeaway restaurant run by Afghan refugees has brought a taste of Afghanistan to Sydney's CBD. Kabul Social is the latest project from Plate It Forward, the employment-based social enterprise that previously brought us Enmore's beloved Sri Lankan restaurant Colombo Social. Each aspect of the restaurant, from the menu through to the design, has been a collaborative effort between Plate It Forward and a group of female refugees led by Restaurant Manager Swita who arrived in Australia six months ago. Swita is joined by a team ranging in hospitality experience. "Our hope with Kabul Social is to not only highlight the issues for Afghan people and refugees by bringing forward these voices, but also to encourage people to see how simple it can be to start creating change, and create meaningful impact through something as simple as buying your lunch," Plate It Forward co-Founder Shaun Christie-David says. Located in the MetCentre right by Wynyard Station, the venue can host up to 25 diners but takeaway is encouraged. City workers can drop in for a next-level lunch option they can feel good about. For every meal sold at Kabul Social, Plate It Forward donates two meals to people in need — one meal in Australia and one in Afghanistan, meaning you're making a real positive impact each time you pick up a Kabul feast. On the menu, you'll find three categories of meals. There are dumplings filled with your choice of spiced lamb or garlic chive; burgers and wraps; and loaded boxes. If you want to wrap two hands around some fresh house-made Afghan bread, you can choose between charcoal chicken, lamb shoulder, fried eggplant or roast pumpkin. Or, opt for a loaded box. Each box starts with either spiced rice, fries, salad or bread, and is then loaded with your choice of protein and sauces — there's green or red chilli chutney and Afghan mint yoghurt on hand. "Plate it Forward is a truly inspiring social enterprise, and the Human Rights Commission was proud to name it last year's Community Human Rights Champion in our annual Human Rights Awards," Australian Human Rights Commission President Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM said. "We are delighted to see its next incarnation in Kabul Social. The great value of Plate It Forward goes beyond the incredible meals it serves – the organisation provides community and connection, which are such important foundations for refugees seeking to start a new life in Australia." Kabul Social is located at Shop 15, MetCentre, 60 Margaret Street, Sydney. It's open 11am–3pm Monday–Friday. Images: Kitti Gould
Formula 1 weekend in Melbourne has long blurred the lines between sport, fashion and spectacle — and in 2026, beauty is firmly back in the race. MECCA is returning trackside at the Formula 1 Qatar Airways Australian Grand Prix with a full-scale Beauty Pit Stop — a pop-up beauty garage inspired by the lightning-fast pit stops that keep cars race-ready. [caption id="attachment_1072206" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 2025's MECCA MAX Beauty Pit Stop Activation.[/caption] Set up in the Melbourne Junction precinct at Albert Park and open to fans of all ticket types, the activation reimagines the mechanics of race day for humans instead of cars. Think less tyre changes, more touch-ups: race-goers can drop in between sessions for complimentary express eye services designed for speed, impact and endurance — the kind of glam that can survive sun, crowds and 58 laps of racing. The Pit Stop format is deliberately fast-paced. Rather than lingering makeovers, it's about quick turnarounds and high-performance results — a concept that mirrors the rhythm of the race itself. Alongside the express services, a curated edit of MECCA MAX products will be available to shop trackside, including a limited-edition Formula 1-inspired eye set created exclusively for the 2026 Grand Prix. This marks the third consecutive year MECCA has gone trackside at the Australian Grand Prix, but the scale and ambition of the Beauty Pit Stop has grown with each return. Last year's activation proved a crowd favourite, offering shaded reset zones, complimentary touch-ups and bold, race-ready colour — and this year's iteration leans even harder into the idea of beauty as part of the event experience, not just an afterthought. With Melbourne's Grand Prix consistently attracting one of the highest proportions of female fans on the global Formula 1 calendar, the Pit Stop also reflects a broader shift in how major sporting events are being designed — not just for spectatorship, but for participation, self-expression and culture beyond the track. The MECCA MAX Beauty Pit Stop will run throughout the Formula 1 Qatar Airways Australian Grand Prix, from March 5–8, 2026. Consider it your quickest stop of the weekend — no booking required. Images: MECCA | Groblox
Current world events don't make the prospect of international travel seem particularly appealing at the moment. The truth is though, cinema has been taunting travellers for decades. Whatever holiday you might have planned, there's a horror movie just waiting to convince you otherwise. Heading to a cabin for a quiet weekend? The Evil Dead and The Cabin in the Woods have news for you. Venturing across the Australian outback? That's where Wolf Creek comes in. Seeking out a gorgeous beach? Whatever you do, don't watch The Shallows. Stopping at a roadside hotel? Didn't turn out so well in Psycho. Bound for Europe? Hostel made a whole trilogy about what you can expect. With a name that combines Germany's largest city with the connection that can arise between hostages and their captors, Berlin Syndrome initially appears to traverse similar terrain as the movies mentioned above. Indeed, the film starts with Brisbanite Clare (Teresa Palmer) arriving abroad, chatting to fellow backpackers and wandering the streets. An aspiring photographer, she snaps everything from famous buildings to everyday folks along the way. Then she meets Andi (Max Riemelt), a German schoolteacher who opens with a line about strawberries, takes her for a scenic walk, and intrigues Claire enough that she changes her plans to jump to her next destination. They have a fun night out together, go back to his apartment, and...things go south from there. It should all sound familiar, of course. That's Berlin Syndrome's aim, for two reasons. Based on the book of the same name, directed by Australian filmmaker Cate Shortland (Somersault), and adapted by screenwriter Shaun Grant (Jasper Jones, Snowtown), the film's entire premise relies on several elements that many movies have already covered — a dream vacation gone bad, and a romantic spark that turns sinister. But the movie also takes scenarios that have been done to death and thrusts them into unexpected territory. It's not a spoiler to say that Clare awakes the next morning to find that she's locked in Andi's flat, and that he's removed the SIM card from her phone. Nor does it give the game away to reveal that he has trapped her on purpose. After spending its setup revelling in the excitement and openness of travel, Berlin Syndrome dedicates most of its running time to the opposite extreme with an expert command of tension. At the same time, the film unpacks Clare's complicated response, as she seesaws between fighting back and slowly settling into a twisted version of domesticity. Behind the camera, Shortland crafts a film of juxtapositions, both in terms of tone, and in the sites of Andi's apartment versus the city outside. But there's no one better at getting to the heart of the film's internal conflict than Palmer. The Aussie actress has had a huge year or so, popping up in everything from the bad Point Break remake to the locally made war flick Hacksaw Ridge. But she's in career-best form here as she conveys Clare's inner turmoil. Likewise, it takes considerable skill for Riemelt to make Andi more than a straightforward villain. Welcome to Berlin Syndrome, a murky, confronting trip. Deep dive into Berlin Syndrome's core themes and read our feature examining how modern filmmakers like Cate Shortland are tackling complex issues of psychological manipulation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceVBDJNHL0k
They call it Tina — The Tina Turner Musical, oh Tina — The Tina Turner Musical — and it's finally coming to Australia. After premiering in London back in 2018, this stage ode to the music icon that's had Aussies dancing to 'Nutbush City Limits' for decades is making its way Down Under, locking in its first local stint in Sydney from May 2023. No, it isn't taking to the stage in a church house, gin house, school house or outhouse — or on highway number 19, either. But Tina — The Tina Turner Musical will obviously have Theatre Royal Sydney enjoying Turner's greatest hits in one massive show. The list of musical numbers includes 'Nutbush City Limits', naturally, as well as everything from 'River Deep, Mountain High' and 'Proud Mary' through to 'Private Dancer' and 'What's Love Got to Do with It?'. Tina — The Tina Turner Musical will open on Thursday, May 4, 2023, heading our way after also playing Hamburg, on Broadway, and in Utrecht and Madrid — and touring North America in 2022. Penned by Tony Award-nominee and Pulitzer Prize-winner Katori Hall, plus Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins, and directed by fellow Tony-nominee Phyllida Lloyd, Tina — The Tina Turner Musical clearly has quite the story to tell. The show steps through Turner's life and fame, including growing up in Nutbush, Tennessee, the hard work that led to her career, all of those aforementioned hits, her 12 Grammy Awards, her volatile time with Ike Turner and her huge solo success. If you're a fan, Turner herself summed it up — yes, it's simply the best. Images: Daniel Boud.
While nearly every Australian is surely familiar with the quintessential Aussie portrait of the beachgoer — Max Dupain's 1937 black-and-white icon The Sunbaker — not so many are familiar with Dupain’s mentor, the British/Australian photographer Cecil Bostock. Now's your chance to get to know him with a comprehensive exhibition of Bostock's work currently showing at Manly Art Gallery & Museum. Having moved to Australia in 1888 at the age of 4, Bostock became enchanted with Sydney's Northern Beaches and was to later document his love for their pristine beauty in his photography. Taking to the art form in 1915, Bostock was a pioneer of art photography in Australia, producing visionary images of nudes, landscapes and urban scenes. He was also a founding member of the Sydney Camera Circle, which would meet and organise photography trips around the city and its suburbs. From documentary to portraiture, Bostock's work encompasses a range of themes and approaches and his skill behind the lens is most evident in those images that appear to be flippant holiday shots. He depicts his children playing by the water and captures both the spontaneity of his family along with the constancy of the landscape. Not only was Bostock making a document of the city and its glorious features, but he was, and still is, allowing the viewer front-row access to intimate moments. Guided tour Sunday 27 February, 3 pm Image: Cecil Bostock, Manly Beach opposite Dungowan (Mary, Joyce and Peter), 1927
Imagine that you had become an international superstar playing Harry Potter, then spent more than a decade as the beloved character in one of the biggest movie franchises there is. Once your wizarding time was over, you'd probably want to take on a whole range of weird, wonderful and vastly different projects. Daniel Radcliffe, the only person who fits the above description, certainly seems to be following that path — and his latest action-comedy might just be the wildest entry on his post-Boy Who Lived resume so far. Since the HP films wrapped up back in 2011, Radcliffe has played a man who wakes up with horns protruding from his head in the aptly titled Horns, as well as Victor Frankenstein's apprentice Igor in the terrible movie that's conveniently named Victor Frankenstein. He also transforms into a corpse in Swiss Army Man — a corpse whose farts make it skim across the ocean like a jet ski. And, in the first season of great TV sitcom Miracle Workers, he's an angel trying to save the world from a slacker God (Steve Buscemi). Next, though, Radcliffe is stepping into the shoes of a snarky video game developer — one who is forced into a real-life fight-to-the-death game. His ordeal is also being live-streamed as part of an illegal death-match fight club channel called Skizm. Oh, and he has guns bolted to his hands. That's the premise of Guns Akimbo, which seems to combine elements of Battle Royale, Man of Tai Chi, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Nerve into one clearly, gleefully over-the-top package. As seen in the movie's just-dropped new trailer, Radcliffe's character, Miles, has to try to survive when he's thrust into the city-wide game — and navigate a world where brutal gladiator-style fights have become mass entertainment. The film also stars Ready or Not's Samara Weaving and Flight of the Conchords' Rhys Darby, with New Zealand filmmaker Jason Lei Howden (Deathgasm) behind the lens. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOFatKD0Vzo&feature=emb_logo Guns Akimbo will start screening around Australia on February 28 at special event screenings.
Artist Antony Youssef's latest immersive artwork is here for a good time, but not a long time. Otherworldly installation Breach has arrived at Babekuhl's basement gallery, transforming the subterranean space into a technology-driven, interactive dream realm filled with smoke, light and sound. Though you'll have to be quick to score a taste of the alternate reality, as it's set to disappear after this Sunday, April 25. To access the multi-sensory installation, venture down the gallery's stairs and along a boardwalk surrounded by haze. Then, you'll find yourself right in the heart of the artwork itself, where you'll play conductor — by using your hands to control Breach's central pressurised sphere of pulsating music and sound. It's a bit like playing some fantasy instrument from another planet. The piece uses Youssef's own custom software to track your hand movements, guiding the unique soundtrack of audio, synths and rhythms each visitor is able to create. A thick blanket of low-lying mist helps to elevate the experience, also upping the eeriness factor.
It started with a twist: Severance, that is, as the Apple TV+ hit serves up one helluva take on work-life balance. In the streaming sci-fi mind-bender, employees at Lumon Industries — such as Mark S (Adam Scott, The Monkey), Helly R (Britt Lower, Darkest Miriam), Dylan G (Zach Cherry, Fallout), Irving B (John Turturro, The Room Next Door) and Burt G (Christopher Walken, Dune: Part Two) — seemingly live the clocking-off dream, although it turns out to be a nightmare. They have no choice but to leave their job at the nine-to-five grind each day, because they're physically incapable of thinking about it at home. Each has signed up for the show's titular procedure, where their personality and memory is split between their professional and personal spheres. Innies, as the series dubs them, navigate the corporate labyrinth with no awareness of what exists elsewhere. Outies, aka workers come quittin' time, have zero knowledge of what they get up to for a paycheque. The best new TV show of 2022, already proving one of the best returning television series of 2025 thanks to its stellar second season and a key reason that Apple TV+'s catalogue is among streaming's finest, Severance offers plenty more twists beyond its premise. One of them is right there in its core casting. The hair, the voice, the gaze: to see Walken on-screen — and to hear him echoing from it — is to experience all three, as remains the case here, but he's also in rare territory. It's "a different kind of part for me to play, the romantic interest, especially at my age", the acting icon and octogenarian tells Concrete Playground. "Also the fact that he's a decent, good person. I don't play a lot of those." Walken has rarely been out of the camera's gaze or away from the stage since he was a child. His first theatre credit came when he was just nine, followed by his debut TV appearance at ten. His famed way with monologues, a hallmark of his filmmography, springs from "a lot of big parts in Shakespeare", he notes. He has an Oscar for The Deer Hunter, a BAFTA for Catch Me If You Can and two Emmy nominations, one for the first season of Severance and the other three decades earlier for television movie Sarah, Plain and Tall. Busting out psychic powers in The Dead Zone, playing a Bond baddie in A View to a Kill, getting nefarious in Batman Returns, spouting Quentin Tarantino-penned dialogue in True Romance and Pulp Fiction, Saturday Night Live's viral 'More Cowbell' sketch, putting his dance training to great use for Fatboy Slim in unforgettable music video for 'Weapon of Choice', several acting parts in Turturro-directed films such as The Big Lebowski sequel spinoff The Jesus Rolls, his other excellent recent TV turn as an ex-conman in British dramedy The Outlaws: they're just a handful of his fellow standout parts. Severance's Burt G — Burt Goodman in his outie guise — is a wonderful showcase of a supporting role for Walken. Inside Lumon's fluorescent-lit walls, romance blossoms as the head of the company's Optics and Design department and Macrodata Refinement division employee Irving are drawn to each other, no matter how their employer's workplace setup attempts to place obstacles in their way. Walken's performance is tender, heartfelt and caring. Watching him light up with Turturro as their characters realise and process their feelings, and also dive into the idea that perhaps love transcends everything including having your brain severed, is one of the great joys of the series. When Irving is distraught and adrift without Burt after the latter's retirement, then driven to find his outie with his own, viewers feel that loss as well, so strong is Walken's imprint. It might be a part with a clear difference from most to his name, but he's as mesmerising as ever. History isn't irrelevant to Walken's Severance portrayal, though. His performance isn't just glorious because it allows him to step into shoes that he hasn't often been seen in, of course, but there's also no escaping that fact. Indeed, if viewers find themselves thinking about everything else that has brought Walken to this point in his career seven decades in — spying the contrasts to work lately and further back — while watching him in Severance, the man himself completely understands. He knows that an actor is never just seen as the one role that they're currently playing, and never can be, unless they've only ever played that one single role. What initially excited Walken about entering Severance's world, portraying a part that'll go down as one of his greats and making a rare return to TV, other than The Outlaws? How does the duality of the show's premise track with being an actor? What else on his filmography helped him with playing Burt? We chatted with Walken about all of the above, too, and also about his Shakespearean days, taking Burt beyond Lumon, working closely with Turturro and more. On What Initially Excited Walken About Severance — Especially with TV a Rarity, Outside of The Outlaws, on His Resume Since His Earliest Days as an Actor "Well, being with John Turturro and Ben Stiller. The script — you could see that it was a good part. Interesting, quite original, different. Also a different kind of part for me to play, the romantic interest, especially at my age. Also the fact that he's a decent, good person. I don't play a lot of those. Yeah, it was a lot to like." On Severance's Premise, the Similar Duality That Comes with Being an Actor, and the Idea in Burt and Irving's Storyline That Perhaps Love Transcends All "The premise is not something I ever thought about. And of course, being an actor, there's that dual-personality thing anyway. You are who you are, and then you're the guy who you are when you put the costume on. So that's kind of built in. I thought it was very interesting. I thought it was a little bit spooky and scary, not knowing — a little bit vampirish, almost, that you have this life at work and you have this life at home. It's sort of like you're alive at night and you're in a box somewhere during the day. Who knows? I didn't think about that part much, but I do think that that idea of love transcends all is probably true, and it certainly was useful in this case." On Meeting the Outie Version of Burt, and Stepping Into His Life, Expanding Beyond Burt's Time at Lumon "It was very interesting to have this new life, to see my house, to see the clothing that I wear, to see Fields, my husband — all of that was interesting. But I have to say that I have not seen the second season. You have, I guess. So I really, I can't really talk about it much — I don't know." On Whether Anything Else in Walken's Career Helped, Including Indirectly, with Playing Both Versions of Burt — Even Though This is Quite a Different Type of Character for Him "No, I haven't. I played, in a movie called The Dead Zone, I played a guy who has an accident and he kind of gets disconnected from his own mind because of being hurt in an accident. And it gives him certain qualities that he never had before. So I suppose that might be the closest I ever came." On Knowing That Audiences Always Bring Their Knowledge of an Actor, and the Baggage From Their Past Parts, to Any New Performance "Oh, absolutely. I think that when people talk about what it is to be an actor, to talk about, even think about what you doing when you're an actor, it doesn't get mentioned much, what you just did. But whenever you show up, you're not only showing up as the person you're playing, you're showing up as all the things that they've seen you in before. And things that they've heard about you, seeing things that maybe they've read in an interview or something that they've seen, like what we're doing right now. This interview that we're doing informs any part I might do in the future. It's all part of it. And as you use the word 'baggage', that can be good baggage and bad baggage. But it's always there. I don't think that anybody looks at an actor, particularly one who's been around a long time, and sees them as the word 'virgin'. I mean, there's no seeing things for the first time again, it's always with all that stuff." On How Working with John Turturro for Years, Including in Films That He's Written and Directed, Helped with Building Burt and Irving's Chemistry "Oh, very much. The fact that John and I know each other so well, I think shows up on the screen. You can tell — you know, you can't tell what they think of each other, but you can tell that they know each other. And that's very valuable in a case like this. Like how you see two people and you know they're married. I mean, they may not get along, but you know they're married. And in the case of John, I love John. He's my old pal." On How Walken's Way with Monologues Across His Career Stems From His Early Shakespearean Days "Early in my career, for some reason I got to play a lot of big parts in Shakespeare. And I had absolutely no background or qualification to do it. I just got these parts. I played Hamlet twice. I played Romeo twice. I played Iago. I played all these parts. I was part of a Shakespeare company and, as a result, I had to learn and perform these enormous monologues. Iago, I think, is the longest part in Shakespeare. You'd think it was something else. So I spent the early part of my career learning these big speeches. Now, I was never very good in these parts, but I did learn the lines and said them in front of a live audience to varying degrees of success. But it taught me how to do that. I think that's why I get all those big speeches." Severance streams via Apple TV+. Read our review of season one.
Attention all wannabe heroes: something big is coming. This March, much-loved comic company Marvel will bring its world-class Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. exhibition to Melbourne. The immersive exhibition, held at Federation Square, will give would-be caped crusaders the chance to delve into the history, engineering, genetics and technology behind Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man and the rest of their superhero team. Visitors will also undergo training, as if they were learning to become agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and can explore bespoke equipment and costumes including the Hulkbuster suit, Captain America's uniform and shield, Iron Man's MK armor and Thor's hammer, Mjölnir. Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. combines complex science and technology, developed by Marvel to help bring the successful film franchise to life. Space agency NASA have also contributed to the interactive experience, helping to enhance its scientific authenticity. After successful stints in cities including New York, Seoul and Paris, the exhibition will now head Down Under for the very first time. It'll be open 11am–6pm Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 11am–10pm Thursdays, 10am–10pm Fridays and Saturdays, and 10am–6pm Sundays between March 16 and July 15. Last year Marvel broke records when it brought its Creating the Cinematic Universe exhibition to Brisbane, drawing in close to 270,000 fans. Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. is expected to be even bigger.
If a traditional, British-style afternoon tea experience is what you're after, this gem nestled into the back of a heritage-listed building in The Rocks should fit the bill. Pots of tea here are incredibly good value at $5 a pop — try the caramel whiskey or apple pie varieties to feel like you're being hugged from the inside. For $14 you can get two giant fluffy scones, your pick of jam, double cream and a pot of tea of your choice — they come served with a fluffy tea cosy and with delicate patterned porcelain to up the quaint factor. The owners here are like tea sommeliers and will expertly talk you through their wares — we tried gunpowder green on their recommendation and may have a new favourite herbal tipple.
