Anton Chekhov famously said that if a gun appears onstage in the first act, it has to go off in the second. The same could be expected of teenagers. We might not have thought things through as a society when we decided that humans still soft, still semi-formed, with hormones that fly like ping pong balls socked by the racquets of sex and existentialism should be forced to sit one exam that will determine so much of their futures. The stress is fierce. It's inevitable that some will snap from the force. Punk Rock, by English playwright Simon Stephens, leads us to question who it will be among its class of sixth formers (year 12s to us) about to take their A-level mock exams (that'd be HSC trials). Will it be the larrikin whose play can tilt into true bullying? The victimised nerd who feels the world coming to its doom? The quirky girl whose mum will "kill" her if she gets a 'B'? The play is misrepresented by both its title and its sometimes tagline, "The History Boys on crack". These teens are not rebellious or angry; they're anxious. Lilly (Darcie Irwin Simpson), William (Sam O'Sullivan), Bennett (Graeme McRae), Cissy (Madeleine Jones), Nicholas (Owen Little), Chadwick (Gabriel Fancourt) and Tanya (Rebecca Martin) are a particularly British public school (er, private school) breed of high achievers who gather in a secluded part of the library to study and socialise. They're searching for a real way to live in the 21st century, though not as real as it's about to get. The brilliance of Punk Rock lies in its vibrant, funny, confessional conversations that ring true without calling on a single 'like' or 'OMG' so often used to mark teens in contemporary texts. You're so subtly drawn in that you barely notice the undercurrents of power constantly at play, and when real menace surfaces, it's chilling. The masterful script has been staged with care and controlled energy by director Anthony Skuse (Lord of the Flies) and the pantsguys team. The sum is an unpatronising acknowledgement of the complexities of teenagerhood and a powerful reminder of why our schooldays are rarely the best of our lives. Due to popular demand, Punk Rock's season has been extended to August 18.
Attention aestheticians, minimalists and lovers of Tumblr, this is a public service announcement: there's Pantone-themed café just opened in Monaco and it’s fifty shades of beautiful. The eatery, named Pantone Cafe (keepin’ it simple, classic Pantone), has been set up on Avenue Princesse Grace overlooking the Côte d'Azur and against the vibrant backdrop of the Mediterranean Sea. They'll be serving up treats and drinks that perfectly match Pantone’s famed hues. You know what this means, people. Bring your goddamn cameras. Everything at Pantone Cafe has been matched to a Pantone shade — even the staff uniforms. The menu reads like summer incarnate: ice creams, eclairs, granitas, soft drinks, 'fruit alcohol', cold sandwiches and juice. Try the in-vogue Pantone 13-0221 Pistachio Green éclair or the Pantone 13-2804 Parfait Pink ham sandie. A ham sandie has never been so lux. In case you hadn't guessed from the Côte d'Azur/Mediterranean location, Pantone Cafe has a summer theme and is therefore only open for the summer months until September 9. That is still ample time to quit your job, leave your family, bail to Monaco and really focus on your Tumblr aesthetic. But you better crack your piggy bank wide open because according to 2014 stats from the World Bank, the Monegasque are the richest people on earth. A Pantone 15-5534 green salad will set you back $13, so all you poor colourphiles might have to stick with a $3 croissant instead. Find the Pantone Café at Grimaldi Forum, 10 Av. Princesse Grace. Open from 10am-8pm daily, until September 9. Images: Pantone Cafe.
The second relatively prominent Aussie horror film of the year, Damien Power's Killing Ground sits alongside Hounds of Love in terms of brutality, bone-chills and its capacity to inspire feelings of nausea in its viewers. Where it doesn't match up, however, is in doing something new with the disturbing violence that it pedals. The film tells the story of a camping ground from three different perspectives. First up is a young couple, Ian and Sam (played by Ian Meadows and Harriet Dyer), who embark on a New Year's Eve jaunt away from the city, only to find there's already a tent set-up in the remote place they thought they'd have to themselves. Number two are the owners of said tent: a family of four complete with teenager and a toddler named Ollie. Three is a pair of reprehensible men, German and Chook (Aaron Pederson and Aaron Glenane). By the time the penny drops and Ian and Sam figure out that the tent is empty, the audience has already cottoned on: the three storylines aren't happening consecutively, and bad things have already occurred. It's a clever plot device, but the cleverness runs out there. The film succeeds, in part, in setting up an environment that for all its sun and lake views will make you feel bitterly cold inside. Aaron Pederson's German is a terrifying, unpredictable vision of unhinged male violence, and the sight of a distressed Ollie wandering around alone is both sickening and chilling. Once Sam and Ian have gauged that all is not well with Ollie's parents, the film quickly descends into a tale of violence, rape, and a whole lot of frustration on the part of the audience. The couple take a truly infuriating amount of time to realise they should just leave and call the police – Ian even willingly accompanying Chook on a search mission to the nearby falls which will "only take 15 minutes", even though there's a sign that says the falls are 4km away. I mean come on Ian, you're a doctor, you're supposed to be smart. But even more frustrating is that ultimately, it all feels as though it's for naught. For all its atmosphere, the film ends up being an unrelenting exercise in gratuitous violence with no apparent novelty or meaning. By the time the gruesome two hours are up, viewers will be left with not much more than a funny tummy and a reluctance to go camping for a while. Although if you do head out into the woods after this film, you'll be sure to check any neighbouring tents. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3ePiwb0NxQ
Feel like going out to eat tonight but don't have much cash left post-weekend debauchery? Well, we've got a solution to that conundrum — as long as you can scrounge up a gold coin. For the next three nights — that is, June 25–27 — Spice Alley's new Shanghai Dumpling Bar is serving up four dumplings for just $1 between 6pm and 7pm. That's a plate of four for $1, which might include pork and chive, chicken and mushroom, or beef and Chinese greens. There is a limit of one plate per customer, so if you're hungry you might have to purchase something else from the menu (which, to be fair, is kind of the point). Nonetheless, there's no obligation to stick around — you could pop in for a quick four, then head home to eat your ration of dinner toast.
Hidden is definitely not your average sculpture walk. Why? It's set in Rookwood Cemetery. A lot of us may think that cemeteries are spooky, but the whole point of Hidden is to prove us wrong. You're invited to explore the cemetery, and with over 40 artworks scattered among the gardens and graves, you may find yourself pleasantly surprised. Each artist has interpreted the concept of history, culture, remembrance and love differently, and it shows in the wide range of pieces on display. From a caravan Museum of Childhood Memory to a wooden mountain sculpture, there's something to captivate everyone. There's also a Hidden tour that is led by a curator who will give you interesting facts about some of the works on display. This sculpture walk turns the country's largest and diverse cemetery into an art gallery that doesn't fit into the box. Hidden is open from sunrise to sunset.
Heading out of the house for a drink, meal, coffee or night away isn't just about getting away from home. As the past two years have reinforced, it's also about soaking in gorgeous surroundings. You can get sipping and snacking anywhere, but when you're doing so in a spot that truly stands out (and not just because it isn't your own kitchen or dining room), it makes the experience all the more special. The Eat Drink Design Awards clearly agree, devoting its annual hospitality design accolades to Australia's most stunning spots — places where chefs, signature dishes, creative cocktails, stellar coffee and comfortable beds aren't the only attractions. Surveying the past year's haul of breathtaking places, the 2021 list of winners is characteristically filled with eye-catching charmers, spanning locations all around the country. Melburnians, your city is now home to the Best Bar Design recipient, with IF Architecture's work on Little Prince Wine earning the nod. The wine bar beneath St Kilda's Prince Hotel off Acland Street scored plaudits for its intimate space, its blend of the old and the new, and its eye for detail — including its fibreglass champagne tub, mirrored specials board and art deco-inspired light fittings. And, it also picked up the Best Retail Design gong for its cheese, cold cuts, wine and dry goods counter. [caption id="attachment_836689" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Little Prince Wine by Sharyn Cairns[/caption] The Best Restaurant Design field was so competitive, two winners were picked — which is great news for Sydneysiders and Brisbanites alike. Parramatta Square's Ciccia Bella, designed by Fiona Lynch Interior Design, got some love for its use of materials — with a particular shout out for its unexpected textures — while Fortitude Valley's Agnes, as designed by Amok, was rewarded for turning a late 19th-century warehouse into a haven for wood-fired food. Brisbane also emerged victorious in the Best Cafe Design category, thanks to Industry Beans Newstead and its light, airy coffee-slinging space. Designed by Platform by DesignOffice, the judges called it "the quintessential Queensland daytime eatery". And, if you're looking for a sumptuous place to stay, add Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street to your list. Thanks to its combination of a new 16-storey tower and the heritage Equity Chambers building, as well as its restaurant Luci and cocktail bar The Douglas Club, it's this year's Best Hotel Design winner. [caption id="attachment_787549" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ciccia Bella Parramatta by Nikki To[/caption] The 2021 Eat Drink Design Awards also named the 2020 NGV Triennial's outdoor pavilions by Board Grove Architects the Best Installation Design, and Melbourne restaurant Hazel the winner of this year's Best Identity Design gong. For its Hall of Fame Award, Bill's Darlinghurst — designed by Brian Kiernan, with later additions by Tyrone Dearing and Meacham Nockles — got the nod. This year's Eat Drink Design Awards also named commendations in various categories. Among the venues also receiving some praise: Redfern's Atomic Beer Project and Freshwater's Harbord Hotel in Sydney; Richmond's Midi and Piccolina Hardware Lane in Melbourne; and McLaren Vale's Never Never Distillery in South Australia. [caption id="attachment_836686" align="alignnone" width="1920"] NGV Triennial 2020 Outdoor Pavilions by Rory Gardiner[/caption] 2021 EAT DRINK DESIGN AWARD WINNERS Best Restaurant Design: CicciaBella by Fiona Lynch Interior Design (Parramatta, New South Wales) and Agnes by Amok (Fortitude Valley, Queensland) Best Cafe Design: Industry Beans Brisbane by Platform by DesignOffice (Newstead, Queensland) Best Bar Design: Little Prince Wine by IF Architecture (St Kilda, Victoria) Best Hotel Design: Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street by Bates Smart (Melbourne, Victoria) Best Installation Design: NGV Triennial 2020 Outdoor Pavilions by BoardGrove Architects (Melbourne, Victoria) Best Retail Design: Little Prince Wine by IF Architecture (St Kilda, Victoria) Best Identity Design: Hazel by One&Other (Melbourne, Victoria) Hall of Fame: Bill's Darlinghurst by Brian Kiernan with later additions by Tyrone Dearing & Meacham Nockles (Darlinghurst New South Wales) For the full list of winners and commendations, head to the Eat Drink Design website. Top images: Industry Beans Brisbane by Andy Macpherson, Hilton Melbourne Little Queen Street by Sean Fennessy, Agnes by Cathy Schusler and Little Prince Wine by Sharyn Cairns.
Had enough of public transport? Too tired to cycle? How about cruising from A to B by waterslide? Last Sunday May 4, UK artist Luke Jerram turned every kid’s dream into an adult reality when he set up a 90-metre water slide on Park Street, Bristol. Titled Park and Slide, the project playfully suggested new ways of navigating our clogged up city streets — part of the Bristol Art Weekender and Make Sundays Special programmes. A whopping 96, 573 individuals registered for a ‘ticket to slide’, but only 360 got lucky. Showing good sportsmanship and a furious need to Instagram, a crowd of over 65,000 locals turned out to watch the fortunate make their soapy descents. Based on video footage, average speed was calculated at 18km/hr and the age of sliders varied from 5 to 73. “This massive urban slide transforms the street and asks people to take a fresh look at the potential of their city and the possibilities for transformation,” reads Jerram’s site. “Imagine if there were permanent slides right across cities.” Jerram was offered significant corporate sponsorship for Park and Slide, but rejected it, deciding instead to stick with local support networks. "[It] was not an opportunity to advertise fizzy drinks, swimming trunks or holidays to anyone," the artist pointed out on his site. Unfortunately, there are no plans for an international tour of Park and Slide. But Jerram will soon be publicly posting instructions, enabling communities around the world to DIY 'urban slide'. For updates, you can follow him on Twitter. Via Inhabitat. Images by Colin Rayner and Luke Jerram.
If you didn't have a great time watching some of cinema's many sequels, remakes and riffs on well-known characters in 2023, you weren't alone: franchise fare and flicks linked to familiar figures scored big among the nominations for the 44th Golden Raspberry Awards. These annual accolades include a specific category for Worst Remake, Ripoff or Sequel, but perusing its current list of contenders means seeing titles that continue sagas and the like everywhere — including all five movies vying for Worst Picture. Up for the award: The Exorcist: Believer, Expend4bles, Meg 2: The Trench, Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey. Among the rest of the fields, they have company from Fast X, Magic Mike's Last Dance, Ant Man & the Wasp: Quantumania and Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny. As everyone already knows, last year was a great year to be Barbenheimer, which showed that films that weren't follow-ups could amass a massive audience. The same can't be said for movies that arrived with a been-there-done-that vibe already baked in. Obviously, not all flicks can be excellent. Some are, and gongs like the Golden Globes and Oscars reward them accordingly. For those that aren't, the Razzies make its choices — and from 2023's releases, Expend4bles leads the way with seven nominations, including for Worst Supporting Actor (Sylvester Stallone), Worst Supporting Actress (Megan Fox), Worst Screen Couple (for any two "merciless mercenaries"), Worst Director (Scott Waugh), the aforementioned Worst Remake, Ripoff or Sequel, and Worst Screenplay. If you're wondering where Fast X was recognised, Vin Diesel received a Worst Actor nod. Magic Mike's Last Dance picked up nominations for Worst Actress (Salma Hayek) and Worst Screen Couple (Hayek with Channing Tatum). Ant Man & the Wasp: Quantumania has two contenders for Worst Supporting Actor in Michael Douglas and Bill Murray — plus director and sequel — and Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny pops up in the sequel and screenplay camps. Among the other big-name actors, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas are on the list for action-comedy Ghosted, and so is Russell Crowe for The Pope's Exorcist (exorcism movies were big in 2023, and with the Razzies). Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu got the nod for Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Jennifer Lopez for The Mother and Jason Statham for Meg 2: The Trench, while Megan Fox picked up a second nomination for Johnny & Clyde. Sometimes, films receiving the Razzies' attention also earn some Oscars love, as Elvis and Blonde did last year. That seems less likely in 2024, but the Golden Raspberry Awards are always timed to make the comparison. Its nominations drop the day before the Oscars do the same and, when it anoints its winners on Sunday, March 10, Australian and New Zealand time, it'll also do so the day before the Academy Awards ceremony. Check out the full list of Razzie nominees below: Golden Raspberry Nominees 2023: Worst Picture: The Exorcist: Believer Expend4bles Meg 2: The Trench Shazam! Fury of the Gods Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey Worst Actor: Russell Crowe, The Pope's Exorcist Vin Diesel, Fast X Chris Evans, Ghosted Jason Statham, Meg 2: The Trench Jon Voight, Mercy Worst Actress: Ana de Armas, Ghosted Megan Fox, Johnny & Clyde Salma Hayek, Magic Mike's Last Dance Jennifer Lopez, The Mother Helen Mirren, Shazam! Fury of the Gods Worst Supporting Actor: Michael Douglas, Ant Man & the Wasp: Quantumania Mel Gibson, Confidential Informant Bill Murray, Ant Man & the Wasp: Quantumania Franco Nero (as The Pope), The Pope's Exorcist Sylvester Stallone, Expend4ables Worst Supporting Actress: Kim Cattrall, About My Father Megan Fox, Expend4bles Bai Ling, Johnny & Clyde Lucy Liu, Shazam! Fury of the Gods Mary Stuart Masterson, Five Nights at Freddy's Worst Screen Couple: Any two "merciless mercenaries", Expend4bles Any two money-grubbing investors who donated to the $400 million for remake rights to The Exorcist Ana de Armas and Chris Evans (who flunked screen chemistry), Ghosted Salma Hayek and Channing Tatum, Magic Mike's Last Dance Pooh and Piglet as blood-thirsty slasher/killers in Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey Worst Director: Rhys Frake-Waterfield, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey David Gordon Green, The Exorcist: Believer Peyton Reed, Ant Man & the Wasp: Quantumania Scott Waugh, Expend4bles Ben Wheatley, Meg 2: The Trench Worst Remake, Ripoff or Sequel: Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania The Exorcist: Believer Expend4bles Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey Worst Screenplay: The Exorcist: Believer Expend4bles Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Shazam! Fury of the Gods Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood & Honey The Golden Raspberry Awards will be announced on Sunday, March 10, Australian and New Zealand time. For further details, head to the awards' website.
If you're a fan of true-crime stories, then you'll know a disturbing truth: that there's no shortage of real-life tragedies that films and series in the genre can draw upon. White House Farm's inspiration comes from the notorious killings known as the White House Farm murders, which took place outside an Essex village and saw five members of the Bamber-Caffell family lose their lives, and continued to garner headlines intermittently in the decades since as appeals were lodged and reviews took place. Across six episodes, the show not only heads back to August 6, 1985, but also follows the investigation into the case. Feeling tense is part of the package, even if you're already familiar with the details. Cast-wise, Snatch's Stephen Graham and Game of Thrones' Mark Addy play the detectives trying to get to the bottom of the traumatic and complex situation — and fellow GoT alum Alfie Allen also pops up.
Gallery A.S. is a moveable feast and its new exhibition is setting up shop in what was once the Sydney headquarters of Paramount Pictures in Surry Hills. Motion / Pictures explores the junction of art and the moving image, highlighting the common roots of cinema in art. The slow, show-all charm of early art on film never really went away; matte-painting masters and their digital successors kept you looking at the painted image on the screen, even if their art was hidden in the illusion. Motion / Pictures is taking filmic inspiration from its art-deco Paramount surrounds to present work from artists that sits with the building that it stands in. The exhibition promises to cover, allude to and explore all the facets of movie culture, be it sci-fi, art-deco or video tape. Curated by Joseph Allen Shea, the show will feature the time-shaping Daniel Askill, along with Andrew Long and Mel O'Callaghan. Jacob Ciocci will present the low-key video Dark Green, while Anthony Lister's rough-edged super heroes will make a showing. Also contributing are slick embroiderer Tim Moore, immersive environmentalist Dan Moynihan and the graphite-loving Sam Smith. The opening reception will take place on Thursday, August 25 from 6pm.
While we love watching our mates' attempt to grow facial hair (with varying degrees of success) for Movember every year, we especially love that's it's for a good cause: raising funds for mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. And if your inability to grow a mo has stopped you from getting involved yourself, we've got news for you. Move for Movember is a Movember challenge, supported by major partner Lululemon, and there's still time to get involved. Move encourages participants to cover 60 kilometres across the course of a month by either walking or running. That distance was chosen to represent the 60 men that are lost to suicide every single hour across the world. Let's not beat around the bush(-y moustache) — 60 kilometres is some ground to cover in a month. So, if bushwalks bore you or you don't have the time (or the inclination) to smash out a few multi-day hikes, we've come up with a list of more creative ways to hit you that step count goal this month. And it's super easy to get started. Just register to Move via the Movember website or download the app, start collecting donations from your friends and family, pop your comfiest pair of shoes on and get moving. Oh, and make sure you have a smartwatch or your phone on you to make sure every step is counted. [caption id="attachment_781135" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Wildflower Brewing, Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] DO A BREWERY CRAWL The glorious spring weather already makes a brewery crawl an excellent way to spend a Saturday, but when the crawl counts towards your monthly goal? Even better. The obvious location for your beer hop is the inner west, which boasts over a dozen craft breweries (including six in Marrickville alone). To get you started, we've mapped out a route of some of our favourites, which will total six kilometres of stomping. Just remember the two golden rules. First: pace yourself. This is a marathon, not a sprint. You want to get to the end so those kilometres count towards your goal. And second: despite what your mates at uni used to chant, eating is not cheating. And with the plethora of excellent food trucks and pop-up food stalls that frequent these breweries, you're not going to want to skip a feed anyway. PLAY A FEW ROUNDS OF GOLF Some may say golf is a good walk spoiled. But if what you're looking for is a way to break up the monotony of a long walk with short bursts of action and some friendly banter with your mates, then a session on the green is the answer. Across a standard 18-hole course, players will walk an average of nine kilometres, which is a pretty sizeable chunk of your target — and you could clock up even more if your ability to stay on the fairway is, ahem, lacking. Encourage your friends to walk the course with you and donate the money they would've spent on cart hire to your Movember Move challenge instead. And don't worry if you don't know anyone with a club membership. Sydney has plenty of public courses that you can access, stretching from Long Reef in Collaroy to The Coast in Little Bay, both of which offer epic coastal views that'll take the sting out of your last double bogey. [caption id="attachment_788212" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] TURN WORKING INTO WALKING Have a desk job? You probably already spend way too much time sitting down. And, if you're still working from home, it's even more likely since all the incidental walking you'd normally do throughout the day — commuting, popping out for lunch and heading to meetings — isn't happening as much. Whatever your situation, it can't hurt to inject a little more movement into your working day, so use this month's goal as an excuse. This could mean forgoing public transport and running to the office for the month. We suggest using the app Runhunters, founded by running coach and Lululemon ambassador Matty Abel, to explore suitable run routes, so you're not covering the same ground every day. Another popular option is to implement walking meetings if the conversation doesn't require a laptop, or it could be a simple as standing up and pacing around the room every time you take a phone call. [caption id="attachment_518293" align="alignnone" width="1150"] Skyzone[/caption] FILL YOUR WEEKENDS WITH KIDULTING ACTIVITIES It's not hard to see why kidulting activities have seen such a surge in popularity recently. These days, the line between work and personal life is more blurred than ever, so switching off for an hour, forgetting all responsibilities and just playing like you did as a kid feels like a huge treat — almost as big as the double scoop ice cream your nan would buy you on the sly. Treat your inner child to a trip to Sky Zone in Alexandria, which has more than 100 interconnected trampolines to bounce, flip and tumble between. You can also work up a sweat next door at Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq chasing your frenemies around in a game of laser tag, or, if you're looking for a kidult activity you can do on a more regular basis, check out False Grip. The studio on the northern beaches specialises in adult gymnastic classes, so you can pick your childhood hobby up again (or finally get to try it if you didn't as a kid). With the help of the experienced coaches, including Lululemon ambassador Tori Hand, you'll learn to tumble, do a handstand and even use the rings. You'll be having so much unbridled fun, you won't even notice how quickly those kilometres are ticking over. [caption id="attachment_786433" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Q Station Sculpture by Tania McMurty[/caption] COUNT YOUR STEPS WHILE DOING YOUR CULTURAL CHORES The arts community really came through for us during lockdown with virtual gallery tours and events, as well as releasing archival material. But there's nothing quite like experiencing art IRL, so now that Sydney's art institutions have opened their doors again, you have a lot of catching up to do. It may not get your heart rate up (unless you're really moved by one of the artworks), but we think it's totally acceptable for wandering around an art gallery to count towards your goal. This month, you can explore an outdoor exhibition by the harbour of artworks that were not selected for Sculpture by the Sea, admire the works of Van Gogh at Moore Park's multi-sensory experience, come face-to-face with famous Australians at AGNSW's Archibald Prize exhibition and visit a living exhibition of over 20,000 plants at the Royal Botanic Garden. There's still time to sign up to Move for Movember, and change the face of men's health. To learn more or register to complete 60 kilometres, visit the website. Top image: Skyzone
Kumiko (Rinko Kikuchi) is a superfan. Joel and Ethan Coen's Fargo is the object of her excessive attention, and she doesn't just fixate over it, she believes it. In particular, she believes there's a briefcase filled with money buried in the Minnesota snow. To understand why she's so intent on thinking the movie is more than fiction is to understand her largely solitary existence in Tokyo. Kumiko is 29 years old and still working as an office lady, a position her boss thinks she should've well and truly outgrown. Her mother only calls to scold her about her dismal personal life, and her only friend is her pet rabbit, Bunzo. So when she happens across a VHS copy of Fargo, embracing its tall tale as truth adds purpose to her days, and trekking across America to find the stack of cash it tells of becomes her destiny. Filmmakers David and Nathan Zellner delve into an urban legend that sprang up around the death of a Japanese woman in the US, first chronicled in 2003 documentary This Is a True Story. Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter makes its own fable out of diving into the strangeness that can stem from both truth and fiction, as well as the tenuous relationship between the two. Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter is in select cinemas on April 29, and thanks to Palace Films, we have 15 double in-season passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter and then email us with your name and address. Read our full Kumiko review here. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au
In one of her most memorable performances of the past decade, Nicole Kidman turned villainous, playing a not-so-friendly taxidermist who'd like to add a certain marmalade-loving bear to her collection. That was in the delightful Paddington, and she has stepped into plenty of other parts over the last ten years, too — in Stoker, Grace of Monaco, Lion, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Beguiled, Destroyer, Boy Erased, Aquaman and Bombshell, just to name a few — but it seems that the Australian actor is getting a little creepy again in her next miniseries role. As the just-dropped first teaser trailer shows, Nine Perfect Strangers casts Kidman as a wellness guru. She's unlikely to leave anyone feeling relaxed, though. Her character Masha oversees a resort that promises to transform nine city dwellers — but, although the sneak peek so far is brief, you can bet that things aren't going to turn out as planned for the show's titular figures. If the name sounds familiar, there are two reasons for that. Firstly, Nine Perfect Strangers is based on a 2018 novel of the same title, which was penned by Liane Moriarty. She also wrote Big Little Lies, which was also turned into a Kidman-starring TV series. Secondly, Nine Perfect Strangers was filmed in Byron Bay in the latter half of 2020, and received plenty of attention over that period given its star-studded lineup. Also set to feature in the new eight-part series: Melissa McCarthy (Thunder Force), Michael Shannon (Knives Out), Luke Evans (Crisis), Bobby Cannavale (Superintelligence), Regina Hall (Little), Samara Weaving (Bill & Ted Face the Music), Melvin Gregg (The United States vs Billie Holiday), Asher Keddie (Rams), Grace Van Patten (Under the Silver Lake), Tiffany Boone (The Midnight Sky) and Manny Jacinto (The Good Place). As with Big Little Lies — and with The Undoing, too, another of Kidman's recent projects — David E Kelley (LA Law, Ally McBeal, Mr Mercedes) is leading the charge behind the scenes. He's the show's co-writer and co-showrunner, with Long Shot's Jonathan Levine directing every episode. Exactly when Nine Perfect Strangers will start airing is yet to be revealed, but it'll stream via Hulu in the US — with details of how folks will be able to watch it Down Under also yet to be advised. And yes, Byron Bay seems to be quite the TV hub at the moment, given that Stan's upcoming mystery-drama series Eden also shot in the area, and that Netflix is working on a docu-soap about Byron Bay influencers. Check out the teaser trailer for Nine Perfect Strangers below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4nwFSSTUZc Nine Perfect Strangers doesn't yet have an air date Down Under — we'll update you when one is announced.
We've all been there. You've just finished off a delicious meal at a restaurant or bar and the waiter asks if you can be tempted by dessert or a digestif. But why not have both? We're big believers in treating ourselves guilt-free, which is why Glenmorangie's latest collaboration with Smoke caught our attention. The scotch label has partnered with Barangaroo House rooftop bar to celebrate the launch of its new cake-inspired whisky, A Tale of Cake. Designed by Glenmorangie's Director of Whisky Creation Dr Bill Lumsden, A Tale of Cake is aged in dessert wine casks, which gives it a distinct, candy-like flavour. To prove how well this new tipple would pair with a dessert, Glenmorangie had world-famous pastry chef Dominique Ansel (creator of the legendary cronut) design a special dessert to be enjoyed with A Tale of Cake cocktails, dubbed a Caketail. Now, to launch the spirit Down Under, Glenmorangie has done the same here, by teaming up with Smoke Bar to create its very own Caketail. The cocktail, designed by Smoke's bartender Pauric Kennedy, pairs the whisky with sweet vermouth, chocolate bitters and orgeat syrup for a rich cocktail with notes of marzipan and spice. The dessert, created by Chef Tom Haynes, explores those flavours, too. It consists of a hard chocolate shell filled with a chocolate almond mousse that's been spiked with coffee and marzipan liquor, and it's served with hazelnut ice cream (infused with Tale of Cake) and a nut crumble. The end result is an extremely decadent cocktail and cake pairing that's perfect for the festive season. Smoke's Caketail cocktail and dessert pairing is available from Monday, November 23 to Monday, December 21. To make a booking, head this way. Images: Kimberley Low
Humanity's love for Nutella truly knows no bounds. We've had Nutella deep-fried ice cream, frozen custard, arancini, jaffles, calzones and doughnuts, among other edible items. There's a day dedicated to it, as well as a festival, food truck, dessert bar and restaurant. Here in Australia, we've even caused a country-wide shortage of the good stuff. And now, McDonald's in Italy is selling Nutella burgers. Given that burgers are one of the only others food items that are as popular as everyone's favourite hazelnut spread (alongside doughnuts and pizza), this really is the culinary mashup we had to have. And Maccas isn't messing around. Their Sweety con Nutella only features two ingredients: Nutella and a burger bun. In the words of the McDonald's Italy Facebook page, it's "soft bread with a creamy, indulgent centre". We can understand their thinking. Why complicate something as amazing — and simple — as the delectable substance we all love on bread? We can also understand why you might be contemplating an overseas trip right about now. Alas, as yet, there's no news of a local launch for this must-have addition to Maccas' menu.
Slow living and handmade craft has metamorphosed from bewitching alternative trend to a totally plausible way of life. In what seems to be some kind of conscious resistance to the speed and churn of internet culture, mass production and memes, there's an uptake in the kind of hands-on activities all about a quality time investment and a quality result at the end. Think sourdough starter, knitting, home ceramics kits... hell, even elaborate cocktail-making all fall into this category. Nonna's Grocer, an online concept store that popped up this year is the brainchild of Wollongong-based designer, Madeleine Hoy, and it's all about embracing the 'perfectly imperfect' principles of hand made. Right now, the hero produce on Nonna's Grocer's virtual shelves is a range of beautiful candles made the size, shape and appearance of the fruit and vegetables from your local fruit shop. Lemons, oranges and a family of heirloom tomatoes look so realistically juicy you'd be forgiven for being duped into taking a bite (Madeleine told us that no one's admitted doing that yet). For her next addition to the store, she's teamed up with Marrickville-based studio Defy Design on a fresh product line made from recycled plastic. Tell us a bit about the inspiration behind Nonna's Grocer and the ethos behind the store. Nonna's Grocer evolved about a year and a half ago, the day I learned that my Great Grandparents ran a grocery store in Daylesford Victoria. My dad was showing me these beautiful images of my Great grandfather Giuseppe in front of his shop and I was so inspired by this moment in time, and couldn't believe I hadn't known about it sooner. I immediately began thinking about a way I could combine my design background (I was a set designer) with this beautiful business that was a part of my family history. Thus Nonna's Grocer was born, a conceptual studio where I develop designs that harness the era of a simpler time with a modern twist. A 'Perfectly imperfect' handmade aesthetic is my focus, as well as creating special pieces for humans to encourage them to slowww it down. Whether that's having a bath, a dinner date with your dog, or stretching a hammy, light a candle and enjoy the moment. Your current range is a selection of incredibly true-to-life fruit shaped candles. How do you make them look so life-like? I found a maker in Sydney who casts objects for sculptures and pitched the idea of getting them to cast fruit. We were a bit unsure at the time how well it would work as fruits decompose quickly when encased, so we had to be smart about which fruits could work well. (Turns out peeled fruits don't work well, just so you know). I then started hitting the supermarkets (back in the day when one could tread slowly) and would study 100 lemons at a time to find the perfect one, and my range grew from there. I've got to ask: have you encountered any instances of people accidentally taking a bite? Oh ha, look no one has informed me they have tried to eat one as of yet, but is that really something you would tell people if you accidentally ate a candle? What kind of shopper do you want Nonna's Grocer to appeal to? I like to think Nonna's Grocer appeals to anyone that is interested in quality produce and a slower paced lifestyle. Particularly people that appreciate craftsmanship, design, and looking for creative ways to make their day more playful. What are the craftspeople, brands or concept retailers that you admire and take inspiration from? Oh dear, I love homeware stores that scream 'good quality'. The Provider Store in Surry Hills is pretty special as it celebrates the history and craftsmanship of Japan. Delicious! The New Zealand store KauKau [based in Wellington] is also beautiful, highly recommend checking them out. I am a big fan of designers like Sabine Marcelis and Gustaf Westman who design various pieces in their own aesthetic, never following a trend. I take inspiration from a million different places, but Stephanie Stamatis the art director began styling food in a way that really resonated, and the interior designers from Paris called Studio Classico have a lovely touch when it comes to materials. Oh, and the cheese shop Formaje in Madrid, their packaging and cheese selection is to die for... Honestly, I could go on and on. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Stephanie Stamatova (@stephanie_somebody) You've started with fruit but you've hinted at 'more to come'. What else can we expect to see hit the virtual shelves of your store? I am so excited to share with you what is coming next, but they are all at the back end of development so I am not quite ready to spill the cannellini beans just yet. I can give you a sneaky hint though: one of my pieces will be manufactured at Defy Design in Marrickville, who collect local plastic waste, hand separate them by colour, and then melt them down into new objects. I'm very excited! Discover more about Nonna's Grocer and have a browse at the website or follow on Instagram.
Melbourne's arts calendar never fails to keep us busy, however, it's always had a bit of a lull in winter before Melbourne International Arts Festival and Melbourne Music Week take over the city in spring. But, from next year, that's all set change. The Victorian Government has this morning announced that it will launch a huge new citywide arts festival in the winter of 2020. It's a big shake-up to the Melbourne arts calendar as the new festival will merge the aforementioned Melbourne Festival and arts all-nighter White Night and move them into a winter timeslot. Since its inception, White Night has been held on a hot February night — however, in September last year, it was announced that it would move to August for 2019. Melbourne Fest, which was established in 1986, is usually held in October. [caption id="attachment_650235" align="alignnone" width="1920"] White Night Melbourne[/caption] Exact timings and details are yet to be revealed, but the new "global" festival — as it's being billed by the Andrews Government — will take over the city for several weeks, much like Melbourne Festival usually does in October. While it will no doubt combine the best bits of the two existing festivals, a new creative team will come on to develop a new program and vision. We're told the the 2020 program will feature a "diverse program of visual and performing arts" coupled with with "large-scale takeovers of precincts" after-dark. Hopefully that means more immersive installations like last year's Fire Garden at Melbourne Festival. The inaugural festival — which is yet to be named — will kick off with a 'transitional' year in the winter of 2020. It's set to support Melbourne's tourism and hospitality industries in the quieter months and, no doubt, provide a Melbourne equivalent to Sydney's popular Vivid festival, which kicks off this month. Both White Night and the Melbourne International Arts Festival will go ahead as planned this year, on the weekend of August 22–24 and October 2–20, respectively. The new winter festival will hit Melbourne in winter 2020. We'll keep you updated when new details or dates are announced. Image: Fire Garden from Melbourne International Arts Festival 2018, by Vincent Muteau.
It has been 87 years since Perry Mason first started sleuthing his way across the page, 86 since the defence attorney character initially hit the big screen, 77 since he made the leap to radio serials and 63 since he made his TV debut. In other words, this is a fictional figure with more than a little history — but 2020's version, starring Matthew Rhys, just might be the best yet. Brooding, moody, slinky, and making the most of thematically fitting, visually stunning inky black tones and lingering shadows, the HBO series heads back to 1932, when Los Angeles and the US in general are struggling with the Great Depression. Traumatised from World War I and grappling with a tough divorce, Mason is struggling as well. Then he's hired on a missing-child case as a private detective, and this star-filled series — think: John Lithgow, Robert Patrick and Tatiana Maslany, among others — kicks into quite the compelling gear.
A simple and surprisingly affecting love story set against the stunning summery glow of rural New South Wales, Love Is Now is the feature film debut of writer-director Jim Lounsbury. The story concerns Dean (Eamon Farren) and Audrey (Claire van der Boom), two young photographers who embark upon a romantic holiday cycling along the NSW harvest trail. Lounsbury's screenplay suffers from a lot of the familiar shortcomings of first-time film outings, including patches of dodgy dialogue and a distinct lack of self-awareness. Nevertheless, the film is made worthwhile thanks to its sympathetic characters and some gorgeous cinematography, not to mention an absolute gut-punch of an ending. The weakest section of Love Is Now is definitely the first half-hour. The prospect of yet another indie film romance about an artistically sensitive guy and the free-spirited girl who changes his life isn't exactly electrifying, especially when it never manages to convince you that she'd want to get with him in the first place. Even by that low standard, Dean and Audrey's meet-cute is seriously unconvincing, although credit to the actors for doing what they can with the stilted getting-to-know-you banter. Van de Boom, in particular, is fantastic in the film, recalling the screen presence of a young Rachel Griffiths. And while it's a little hard to believe that Audrey would fall head-over-heels with Dean, Lounsbury's screenplay does an excellent job capturing the feelings that accompany such a sudden and unexpected romance. The spontaneity. The excitement. And, of course, the jealousy. Once you accept them as a couple, Dean and Audrey begin to grow on you, to the point that, when things start to turn sour, it's easy to find yourself caught up in the melodrama. The climax of the film sheds a whole new light on their relationship, and your visceral emotional reaction more than makes up for the fact that, narratively, it's sort of a ridiculous cliché. Love Is Now also earns big points in the technical department. The quintessentially Australian landscape is captured beautifully by cinematographer Anthony Jennings using digital SLR cameras – Nikon helped foot part of the film's bill, and as a showcase of what their products can do, it appears to be money well spent. Shots of long roads and eucalyptus trees at sunset aren't exactly a new direction for local cinema, but still, you can't deny it looks good.
Mecca, aka the Melbourne-born beauty and cosmetics chain that has won fans the country over since it launched in the 90s, has been opening stores around Australia for the last 20 years. And it's currently hosting a huge online sale with 50 percent off a heap of products. That's good news for everyone, including your bank balance. If you haven't jumped on the Mecca bandwagon yet, then prepare to nab all those prestigious international brands you can't get elsewhere — as well as its own line of products. It's a makeup mecca, and more than a 100 different products are currently on sale. You can nab half-price Urban Decay highlighter, Nars eyeshadow, Too Faced concealer and Bare Minerals products — just to name a few of the items on sale. If this is the excuse you needed to boost your makeup bag, the sale runs online — on both Mecca Australia and Mecca NZ websites — from 7am on Tuesday, June 30 until 6.59am on Tuesday, July 14 (or till stocks last).
It's no surprise that many of us are looking to upgrade our home comfort level at the moment. Aussie furniture brand Koala is keen to help you do just that with its Boxing Day sale where you can nab up to 20 percent off mattresses, sheets, sofas, desks and armchairs to help you upgrade your pad or improve your night's sleep. A heap of products from across the brand's range are on sale from Thursday, December 24 to Sunday, January 3 including the popular Koala mattress. Also on offer in the sale is the WFH desk, which is made in Ballarat from hand-sanded timber, easy to assemble and designed with home office use in mind. If you've found yourself working from home a lot more this year, you can pick up the desk for a sweet 15 percent off. Comfy Koala sofa beds, TV units, pillows, bed bases and more are going with a 20 percent discount, too, so you can give your whole house a makeover. And everything comes with a 120-night trial — though, it might be hard to give any of these up after four-months of comfort. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
For a week each year, the town of Maryborough honours one of its most famous former residents: Pamela Lyndon Travers, the author of the Mary Poppins books. The week-long Mary Poppins Festival celebrates Travers and her works with unusual activities that bring her beloved characters to life. Think chimney sweep challenges, kite flying competitions, costume parades and, of course, the Great Nanny Race, during which 20th century-dressed 'English nannies' push prams to the finish line. The festival kicks off with a steampunk afternoon tea and a good old fashioned street party, and culminates a week later in a community day in the park, complete with carnival rides, roving performers, sidewalk artists, workshops, activities and a grand parade. Next year's festivities will take place in July, leaving plenty of time to plan your trip to the Fraser Coast region — complete with a visit to Fraser Island and a dip in the pristine waters of Hervey Bay. We'll let you know when the exact dates are confirmed.
International travel might be off the cards for the next little while, but that means it's time to soak up all the goodness in your own backyard. Australia and New Zealand are chock full of world-class travel opportunities, with lush rainforests, dazzling coastline, pristine outback and more, just waiting to be explored. And one lucky local will get to hit the road and see part of it for free, thanks to a bumper new competition from Surf Stitch. The fashion retailer has joined forces with campervan hire crew Travellers Autobarn to give away a two-week road-tripping adventure of a lifetime. The winner will score 14-day van hire — with the chance to go cruising around either New Zealand or Australia with their besties, kicking off from a location of their choice — as well as a $1500 wardrobe worth of fresh threads from Surf Stitch, to keep you all looking extra good on tour. Where and when your adventure will unfold, is entirely up to you — and COVID-19 restrictions, of course. At the moment, there are restrictions on travelling between states and territories in Australia, all of Victoria is in lockdown and you can't fly between Australia and NZ — so, if you do win, be sure to check the laws before heading off on your adventure. Restrictions aside, you could go tripping along NSW's north coast, splitting your time between sandy beach and rainforest. Touring the untouched wilderness of Tassie. Or maybe gallivanting your way around the famed Fiordland National Park and Milford Sound on New Zealand's south island. Whatever your local travel bucket-list looks like, this prize is sure to help you tick off a few gems, while giving that holiday itch a good scratch. To be in with a shot at winning your ultimate road trip, simply jump on the competition website and enter your details. Then, decide just which part of this grand old backyard is calling to you the loudest. You can enter the competition by filling in your details over at the Surf Stitch website. Entries close at 11.59pm AEST on Friday, August 14. The competition is open to citizens and permanent residents of Australia and NZ. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
It's not all about the New Year's Eve party — you can't forget about the recovery session on the first day of 2020. Luckily, Manly Wharf Hotel has it covered with two days of harbourside festivities. On New Year's Eve, the party kicks off at 6pm, so get down early for a few cocktails, nab a spot to watch the fireworks and enjoy local talent on the decks before headliners Friendly Fires take it up a notch. The English indie-dance trio will be playing an exclusive DJ set of disco, pop, yacht rock and vintage rave jams to take you into the roaring 20s. When New Year's Day rolls around, return to the scene of the crime for complimentary canapés and sips of Chandon and Heineken from 3–5pm. That should get you back on your feet just in time for some sun-soaked bangers when locals Set Mo take to the decks. First release tickets for each day are $35 or $60 for a two-day pass.
This show is curated by Bev Shroot and Louise Thoeming, winners of the Dominik Mersch Gallery Curator Award, an inaugural prize developed to support emerging curators. In bringing their winning concept to life, Shroot and Thoeming will be presenting Outsiders, Imposters and Aliens, which will explore the idea of ‘otherness.’ The exhibition features seven artists whose work examines marginalised individuals and groups living in the shadow of the mainstream. Each artist will explore a different facet of alienation and detachment, dwelling on the difficult-to-draw line between insider and outsider.
In New York all the best parties involve unconventional hours and unconventional venues. I know this because I’m currently in The City So Nice They Named It Twice, recovering from one that ended at 8am with a subway commute in the company of six barefoot teenaged ravers followed an overpriced breakfast under the neon lights of Kellogg’s Diner. But as I deliberated over a deluxe burger or blueberry pancakes, I started thinking — the experience isn’t as unique to the city that never sleeps as people tend to believe. In Sydney we’ve got more than our share of bars that shut down at the stroke of midnight due to things like neighbours and laws, but when this happens it definitely doesn’t mean home time. Here are some of the top places to hit if you like to stay on your feet past the small hours (just don’t do so barefoot because that’s gross and dangerous). 1. SLOWBLOW Once a month party duo Slowblow take over the front room of Goodgod, transforming a scene already likely to result in a sunrise kebab into an all-night sonic escapade through funk, disco, house, techno and into the beyond. Resident DJ’s include Dreamcatcher, Junglesnake and Softwar, with more local acts helping to keep you on your feet until the wee hours. When and where: 11pm - late; Goodgod Small Club 2. TIKI DISCO Our newest after-hours frolic takes the vinyl joyride from the basement to the tropics. You don’t know which ones exactly yet because it’s kept a secret, but what you do know is that there will be bamboo, pina coladas, great DJs and other various manifestations of jungle madness. Keep you eye on the internets for the next event then email tikidiscoretreat@gmail.com for the location. When and where: Secret locations and various times 3. ONE NIGHT STAND Monotony of ordinary nightlife experiences leading to high stress and pent-up tension? Let it all out via a One Night Stand with local events company Picnic in an secret inner-city warehouse location. These monthly parties are BYO and themed, which means you can get sloshed and wear a costume, plus they round up some of the city’s best DJs to play sets from the moment the gates open until whatever time everyone decides to go home. When and where: 10pm - late; Secret inner-city warehouse 4. WORMWOOD This late night fringe fusion of music and art is headed up by Octopus Pi. The umbrella brand’s general aim is to create events that stimulate the mind and projects that occupy time, space and a third dimension in the brain. Wormwood might even occupy a fourth. Normally hosted in art spaces like Marrickville’s Dirty Shirlow’s or Red Rattler, Wormwood intersperses musical offerings with projections, portraits and other twisted visuals. When and where: 9pm – late; Marrickville 5. MAD RACKET Mad Racket has been throwing mad parties since 1998, and after briefly infiltrating Bondi Junction they’re back at their original location of Marrickville Bowling Club. Snagging a different headlining artist each event, Mad Racket has seen late night revelers getting down to the tunes of Moodymann, DJ Levon Vincent and Dutch heet nieuw ding Tom Trago under the bowling club’s copper ceiling. Check their website for upcoming shows. When and where: 10pm - late; Marrickville Bowling Club 6. MOTORIK! If techno gets your juices flowing then chances are you’re quite familiar with Motorik!, and if your experience with the genre stops at Simian Mobile Disco then get ready to have your expectations stamped out with a reverberating electronic beat somewhere in a dark inner-city warehouse. Motorik! takes techno back to its purest form, which means taking you into the early hours with one heaving pop-up party. When and where: 10pm - late; Secret inner-city warehouse 7. HAHA INDUSTRIES Put a bunch of twentysomethings in a BYO-policy warehouse and fun stuff is bound to happen, but HAHA’s real draw is the consistently great DJs. Dean Dixon and Dave Fernandes are two guys with a self-proclaimed heavy petting fetish for vinyl only, and a policy of only playing music that will make you dance. Adding to this eclectic mix are guest artists specialising in anything from electronic to African drum sets. When and where: 10pm – late; Secret warehouse location
This is the top ten for 2012. Click here to see our top picks of 2013. Melbourne Cup frenzy is on the horizon with the biggest day in Australia's racing calendar fast approaching. We think it's about time you decided where it should be spent. Fear not if you can't be at Flemington racecource, because Concrete Playground is here to suggest a few of the best alternatives. Brave the bookies, get your frock on and be at the ready to lunch, because November 6 is almost upon us. 1. The Grounds of Alexandria Many Sydneysiders already make a pilgrimage to The Grounds for its superb coffee, and now the heritage warehouse cafe in Alexandria is making its mark as a top destination for Melbourne Cup day too. At $120 a head, the cafe is hosting a grazing table garden party, including a delicious spit roast, from 1pm. Full details on The Grounds of Alexandria website. 2. The Carrington The Hills' hipster hangout with a distinct Spanish flavour, the Carrington, is putting on a fiesta for Melbourne Cup day. For $90 per person, The Carrington is cooking up a four course banquet plus a three hour drinks package from midday to 3pm. Full details on The Carrington website. 3. The Sailors Club Sydney's new harbourside favourite in Rose Bay is hosting a Melbourne Cup lunch for $129 per person, including a three course meal and choice of champagne or cocktail on arrival. There'll be a bookie to place your bets, sweepstakes, fashions 'on the field' and a big screen to watch the race. Full details on The Sailors Club website. 4. The Abercrombie Home of the deep fried Gaytime and mac and cheese balls, The Abercrombie in Chippendale is where you'll want to be for a more informal Melbourne Cup lunch. They're taking bookings for the beer garden and inside the pub for $70 a head, including a four course feast and drinks. Full details on the Abercrombie Hotel website. 5. The Winery With many Surry Hills venues already sold out for Melbourne Cup, it'd be wise to book tickets for The Winery's laneway BBQ ($120 per person) or for the four course seafood lunch in the restaurant ($130per person) while you still can. Both options include bubbles on arrival, screens to watch the race, best dressed comps and plenty of ways to place your bets. Full details on The Winery website. 6. Palmer & Co In keeping with the prohibition-style speakeasy bar, the dress code for Palmer & Co's Melbourne Cup lunch is 'roaring twenties' (and we do like a good theme!). The small bar is celebrating from midday, and for $90 per head they're offering canapés, drinks and four big screens to catch the action. Full details on the Palmer & Co website. 7. East Sydney Hotel While the East Sydney usually holds firm to a no television, no pokies rule, the one and only annual exception is the Melbourne Cup. The mix of old-world and local charm makes this country-style pub one of the best spots in Sydney to enjoy a no frills Cup experience. Full details on the East Sydney Hotel website. 8. The Norfolk If it's tacos, a cool drink in hand and a sunny beer garden that you're hankering for this Melbourne Cup day, then put your trust in the Norfolk. From 1pm to 3pm, the pub is offering a four course Melbourne Cup lunch for $80 per person, including beer and wine and screens and TAB are close by. Full details on The Norfolk website. 9. BLACK If money ain't a thing, or if you're planning on winning it all back at the casino later anyway ... one should book a table with million dollar views, no? BLACK by ezard is offering a five course menu with matched wines by chef Teage Ezard. For $150 per person, the menu options include foie gras carpaccio, grain-fed wagyu and grilled snapper. Watch the race live, then head to Rock Lily for the Sneaky Sound System after party. Full details on the Black by Ezard website. 10. El Loco Reading this list on Monday 5 November? Then you're in luck, dear last-minute reader. Tickets will sell like hot cakes for many venues, but El Loco is strictly a no bookings cantina restaurant. Which means you can turn up when doors open at 11am to secure yourself authentic tacos, icy margaritas and a spot to watch the race. Arriba! Full details on the El Loco website.
Since 2019, witnessing David Tennant utter the word "angel" has been one of the small screen's great delights. Playing the roguish demon Crowley in Good Omens, the Scottish Doctor Who and Broadchurch star sometimes says it as an insult, occasionally with weary apathy and even with exasperation. Usually simmering no matter his mood, however, is affection for the person that he's always talking about: book-loving and bookshop-owning heavenly messenger Aziraphale (Michael Sheen, Quiz). With just one term and two syllables, Tennant tells a story about the show's central odd-couple duo, who've each been assigned to oversee earth by their bosses — Crowley's from below, Aziraphale's from above — and also conveys their complicated camaraderie. Also since 2019, watching Tennant and Sheen pair up on-screen has been supremely divine. The actors clearly realised it themselves, spending lockdown making comedy Staged as versions of themselves, which they then continued for two more seasons. Great double acts feel like they've always been a twosome. They seems so natural that you expect them to continue the same routine off-screen as innately as breathing. They can be playfully parodied by themselves, as Staged does, and still just as winning. And, they're often the heart and soul of whatever project they're in. Good Omens, which hails from Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's award- and fan-winning 1990 novel Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, was always going to be about Aziraphale and Crowley. And yet, including in its second season on Prime Video from Friday, July 28, it's always been a better series because it's specifically about Sheen as the former and Tennant as the latter. In the first season, the end of the world was nigh (the fact that Good Omens debuted the year before the pandemic arrived and life began to feel ominous in reality was pure coincidence). In the show's narrative, Aziraphale and Crowley faced their biggest test yet after observing humans since biblical times: the always-foretold birth of the antichrist and, 11 years later, cosmic forces rolling towards snuffing out the planet's people to start again. Hell, where Beelzebub (Anna Maxwell Martin, The Duke) led the forces, was primed for a fight to claim power. As guided by the archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm, Confess, Fletch), heaven was up for the fray, too. But in a comedic fantasy involving satanic nuns, witch hunters, prognostications, hellhounds, the four horsemen, seances, and also the simple pleasures of two pals bickering and bantering, the crisis to end all crises was ultimately averted. In the long-awaited second season, neither Aziraphale nor Crowley are beloved by their higher-ups or lower-downs thanks to their thwarting-the-apocalypse actions. One fussing over his store and remaining reluctant to sell any of its tomes, the other continuing to swagger around like Bill Nighy as a rule-breaking rockstar, they've carved out a comfortable new status quo, though, until a naked man walking through London with nothing but a cardboard box comes trundling along. He can't recall it, but that birthday suit-wearing interloper is Gabriel. He knows he's there for a reason and that it isn't good, but possesses zero memory otherwise. And, in the worst news for Aziraphale and Crowley, he has both heaven and hell desperate to find him. Returning for a second season saddles Good Omens with a considerable obstacle: when you've already told the tale that was laid out in print, what comes next? Thankfully, Gaiman is back as executive producer and co-showrunner, building upon his text with the late Pratchett by enlisting John Finnemore (That Mitchell and Webb Look) as his new co-scribe — and with director Douglas Mackinnon (a Doctor Who veteran) again helming every episode. The approach? A mystery, as Aziraphale and Crowley try to discover what's behind Gabriel's terrestrial visit. Gaiman crafts a missing-person search as well, including by the demon Shax (Rams' Miranda Richardson, switching into a new role from season one), and archangels Michael (Doon Mackichan, Toast of Tinseltown) and Uriel (Gloria Obianyo, Dune). Good Omens season two also takes a few sizeable trips elsewhere, spending time with Job (Peter Davison, Gentleman Jack) in the Land of Uz, during the Victorian era when robbing graves was a key way that surgeons advanced medicine and among undead Nazis in the Blitz in 1940s England (Finnemore solely scripts the Job segment, Ten Percent's Cat Clarke the body stealing, and Ghost Stories' Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman the zombies.) Also crucial: a few romances, commencing with Aziraphale and Crowley trying to get coffee shop proprietor Nina (Nina Sosanya, His Dark Materials) and record store owner Maggie (Maggie Service, Life) to fall in love by cribbing from Jane Austen and Love Actually filmmaker Richard Curtis. Any future season of Good Omens that purely regales audiences with Aziraphale and Crowley's past escapades would be a certain winner, but weaving such jaunts into season two still works a treat. For all of the show's drawcards — the irreverent battles for the fate of the universe, the heaven-versus-hell hijinks, the gleeful satirising of organised religion, the Paddington-esque aesthetic, the fact that anything and everything can occur (and does) in a comedy about angels and demons — Gaiman knows that Sheen and Tennant are its biggest. Cue more eager digging into Aziraphale and Crowley's bond, and more of Sheen and Tennant bouncing off of each other brilliantly. In the process, cue more unpacking the fact that Aziraphale isn't just pious and dutiful beneath his halo, nor fallen angel Crowley simply evil. And, also cue more examining what Aziraphale and Crowley mean to each other as an ever-wonderful chalk-and-cheese pair. Sheen and Tennant are visibly having a ball again, with both expressing oh-so-much through gazes, glorious line readings and the vibe that sparkles during their patter. They aren't the only ones enjoying their Good Omens stints, with Hamm leaning into his comic side — see also: 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Toast of London, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, Childrens Hospital, Medical Police, Angie Tribeca, The Last Man on Earth, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp and Confess, Fletch — with gusto. Richardson is as much of a scene-stealing marvel as she's kept proving since her Blackadder days, Bridgerton's Shelley Conn relishes playing Beelzebub's new guise and Quelin Sepulveda (The Man Who Fell to Earth) is joyous as a daffy lower angel. Indeed, even when season two overtly puts the wheels in motion for a third spin, its cast ensure that too is a great and welcome omen. Check out the trailer for Good Omens season two below: Good Omens streams from Friday, July 28 via Prime Video.
As music, spandex and glitter fans everywhere already know, the Eurovision Song Contest didn't go ahead this year. It's one of the many events worldwide that have been affected by COVID-19, alongside SXSW, Glastonbury, Coachella and Splendour in the Grass — but it's the only one to leave a huge Europop-shaped hole, of course. In Australia, broadcaster SBS attempted to make up for Eurovision's absence by spending a week celebrating the annual contest. And, globally, Netflix is also doing its bit. The latter is helping out in a much less serious fashion, however, all thanks to its new Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams-starring comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. Due to hit the streaming platform at the end of June — and just dropping its first trailer this week, too — the film follows two small-town Icelandic singers who've always wanted to represent their country at the famed sing-off. Lars Erickssong (Ferrell) and Sigrit Ericksdottir (McAdams) aren't particularly well-liked in their homeland, or considered popular. But when they're named as the next Eurovision contestants, they're determined not only to win but to show that chasing their lifelong dream was worth it. Directed by Wedding Crashers, The Change-Up and The Judge filmmaker David Dobkin, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga looks set to feature plenty of Ferrell's over-the-top comedy — as the initial sneak peek makes plain. It also boasts icy backdrops, a song called 'Volcano Man', a fierce rivalry between Fire Saga and fellow competitor Alexander Lemtov (Legion's Dan Evans), and a cast that also spans Pierce Brosnan and Demi Lovato. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q6Co-nd0lM Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga hits Netflix on Friday, June 26. Images: John Wilson and Elizabeth Viggiano, via Netflix.
Ever feel like you deserve a prize for just how much you love your wine? Are your efforts as an amateur sommelier yet to be properly rewarded? WineMarket are ready to make your dreams come true with a truly massive giveaway. Every case of wine you buy from WineMarket this February will put you into the running for a five-night getaway on the West Coast, complete with a wine lover's experience of Margaret River and a chance to explore Perth in style. Along with flights and four-star accommodation the lucky winner and a friend will win a tour of a Margaret River winery, a fancy dinner for two in Perth, a scenic tour around the city, five days' car hire and more (to the value of $4500+). The more cases you buy and the more friends you get involved, the better your chances, so now's the time to stock up your cellars for a rainy day. Or if you've already got a healthy supply, get an entry just for signing up to WineMarket's newsletter. Check out the WineMarket website for all the details and to enter. Just hurry — the competition closes on Saturday, February 28, 11.59pm. To all you wine lovers, we salute you and wish you luck.
We've heard of moving-out parties; however Barack Obama's version of a final celebratory shindig is about to put everyone else's to shame. What do you do when your time as the most powerful man on the planet is just about up, and you're about to vacate the world's most famous home? You bring SXSW to the White House. Obviously. The event is called SXSL, with the last two letters referring to the south lawn of Obama's not-so-humble presidential abode. As announced on the White House blog, South by South Lawn will bring together creators, innovators, and organisers for a one-day shindig on October 3. And as far as heading along is concerned, eager attendees can apply online. Yep, the Pres is throwing his very own festival, complete with interactive, film and music components. SXSL-goers will listen to panel discussions and learn about new technologies, watch shorts at the 3rd Annual White House Student Film Festival, and groove along to live performances by well-known and emerging artists. While there's no word on a lineup just yet, Obama's summer playlist could possibly provide a few clues. Clearly, both the US commander-in-chief and First Lady Michelle Obama had a mighty fine time when they attended and spoke at SXSW earlier this year. And clearly, once Obama out of office, nothing quite like this is likely to happen anytime soon. Image: Zach Rudisin.
Last year's inaugural Antidote, Sydney Opera House's new festival of ideas, action and change, saw an impressive lineup of LBGTQI+, Indigenous and feminist rights activists — and 20,000 balloons — fill the iconic building last year. For its second weekend-long run on September 1 and 2, the festival is bringing in a host of international heavyweights to inspire and incite positive change in this crazy messed-up world. Leading the list is investigative journalist Ronan Farrow, whose exposé on Harvey Weinstein in The New Yorker — along with The New York Times' piece — won him a Pulitzer Prize and triggered the start of last year's global #MeToo movement. He'll speak alongside WikiLeaks whistleblower, trans activist and US Senate candidate Chelsea Manning and Black Panther comic writer Ta-Nehisi Coates. These high-profile American voices will be joined by a pretty diverse list of thought-provokers, including Syrian urban planner Marwa Al-Sabouni, South African storyteller Sisonke Msimang and Liz Jackson, the founder of disability self-advocacy organisation, the Disabled List. You'll also be able to settle in for a night of queer stories with Maeve Marsden and get Benjamin Law and his mum to answer some of your most embarrassing questions. Extending its practical positioning, the festival will also feature a few workshops this time around — you'll be able to learn how to fillet a fish with Saint Peter's sustainable fishmonger Josh Niland and Kirsty Mootz will show you how to make your own organic skincare with things you find in your house. Antidote comes at a time when a lot of us are angry and anxious about what's happening in the world. Hopefully you can take away some action points — and if you don't, well, talking it out should at least prove cathartic. Antidote will take place at the Sydney Opera House on September 1–2, 2018. Tickets will go on sale at 9am on Friday, June 22 here.
Perhaps you're a diehard Tetris fiend. Maybe you just can't get enough of Mario Kart. Or, you could be an avid Untitled Goose Game devotee. Whichever video game takes your fancy, it has likely robbed you of more than a little precious slumber — so you might as well lean into it and enjoy your next overseas getaway in a video game-themed hotel. Catering for folks who really do want to eat, sleep and breathe the button-mashing pastime, old-school gaming company Atari is getting into the accommodation business. Launching its own line of places to stay, it's planning to open at least eight hotels across the US. Construction on the first — in Phoenix, Arizona — is due to start in the middle of this year, with other sites in Las Vegas, Denver, Chicago, Austin, Seattle, San Francisco and San Jose set to follow. Keeping to the theme, guests can expect plenty of gaming — obviously. That'll apply to the hotel's look and feel, as well as to the activities on offer. Design-wise, the aim is to make you feel like you're staying inside an Atari console. The Atari Hotels website calls the hotels "a unique lodging experience", and notes that they'll combine the brand "with a one-of-a-kind video game-themed destination". That'll include both virtual reality and augmented reality, while some sites will also feature venues and facilities to host esports events. Given that Atari has been around since the 1970s, was one of the industry's pioneers, and is known for a hefty range of games — spanning classics like Asteroids, Centipede, Pong and even Rollercoaster Tycoon — it's safe to assume that the company's big-name titles will all pop up in some shape or form as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnfvlqjvk7A Other than that, just what the Atari hotels will entail is being kept pretty close to the organisation's chest for now. Opening dates haven't been announced yet either, if you're eager to make travel plans. Atari Hotels' first site will begin construction in Phoenix, Arizona in mid-2020. Visit the chain's website for further details.
It's fair to say we all like giving a polemic, but rarely do we like to receive one. Yet when that polemic comes via the wit and deadpan metre of stage star Toby Schmitz, whose new play about plays is brazenly titled I Want to Sleep with Tom Stoppard, we’re inclined to listen with ease. The show takes place within the confines of a family dinner to which fledgling actor Luke (Tom Stokes) has unexpectedly brought his rather more mature, capricious, and uncompromisingly sardonic girlfriend, Sarah (Caroline Brazier), to meet his bourgie parents, Tom (Andrew MacFarlane) and Jackie (Wendy Strehlow). They want to redirect him into a more income-generating, useful, or at least existent job; she's weathered a couple of decades' worth of such masked contempt and proudly claims to write 'theatre' in the religion box of the census. The four's bickering and underhanded games soon overwhelm the pasta and salad, though pair exceedingly well with some 12 bottles of wine. With Tom Stoppard, Schmitz wanted to put aside theatrical metaphor and resurrect the straight-out 'issues play', a genre that's frequently derided, largely due to the habit of its entrants to become one-dimensional or didactic. He certainly succeeds in making the issues play fashionable again. But does he succeed in making it good? That's up for debate. The jokes are great, and performances, particularly Braziers', transcendent, but the play is missing something. It has a little to say about theatre in contemporary society, and connects with few things broader, but what a show like this is crying out for above all is a powerful grounding in humanity. If the characters are having realistic arguments on stage, those arguments have to reverberate in their realistic behaviour and story. And I too frequently didn't believe these characters. That's the best way I can account for the alienation I felt at some points I was meant to be laughing. Who are these people who are so extreme, mean, hyper-combative, and baffling in their actions as to make them inhuman? I still don't know. The riff on female versus male power that eventually emerges is similarly jarring. It may be that in weaving all its self-referentiality, Tom Stoppard couldn't avoid getting tangled. However, I'm clearly in the minority, particularly on opening night, when the crowd is 100 percent theatre people, who are the best possible audience for this play. We could all write 'theatre' in the religion box. The repartee, one-liners, and particularly the stage-culture references have seemingly everyone in stitches; the silence when Tom offhandedly dismisses Sarah's life's work is thick with recognition. It's something that does strike a chord with any theatre disciple, even if we ultimately worship at different altars.
As was the case with recent release The Walk, Lance Armstrong scandal pic The Program is a film burdened by having the documentary that preceded it set a near-impossible standard for anything better. Comprehensive, compelling and absolutely exasperating, Alex Gibney's The Armstrong Lie was an exceptional piece of honest and meticulous journalism in which Lance Armstrong’s own performance proved to be a breathtaking piece of dramatic fiction. What The Program does offer, however, is a peek inside the conversations and moments that not even Gibney could record – despite his unprecedented access. Why? Because even Armstrong knew better than to let his own videographer record all the actual doping sessions and illegal deals. How the steroids were obtained, how they were snuck into France, how the cyclists took possession, used and then disposed of them - all of this is covered in great detail in The Program, as are as the methods used to defeat the drug testing that followed. As Armstrong, Ben Foster is note perfect. Beyond his remarkable physical similarity to the disgraced cyclist, Foster absolutely nails the camera-ready smile and rehearsed laugh used by Armstrong to mask both his rage and unrestrained ego. Practising in front of a mirror, we see Foster repeating again and again that he “has never tested positive for steroids”, a technical truth amidst a monumental lie that perfectly demonstrates the semantic and psychological art behind what officially became “the most successful doping program the sport [had] ever seen”. Perhaps the only great disappointment with The Program is the lack of time given to the largely unheralded role played by David Walsh – the Sunday Times sports journalist who doggedly and almost single-handedly pursued the Armstrong deception amid unbelievable resistance from every imaginable corner. Played by Chris O’Dowd, Walsh endured manifold lawsuits, professional humiliation and even abandonment by his closest friends and colleagues for investigating a fairytale that was plainly too good to be true. But while O’Dowd receives far too little screen time, The Program still does a good job of explaining why few were eager to question Armstrong’s mythic success. Given his contribution to the global expansion of the sport and the inspiration he provided for cancer sufferers via the Live Strong foundation, it's not hard to understand why we were all so keen to believe the lie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXfp859pcM0
Western Sydney Parklands is Australia's largest urban park, comprising over 5,000 hectares of green space, all for public recreation. You could spend months exploring all the paths, trails and loops this gorgeous area has to offer, but here we've partnered with Adidas to map out one particularly rewarding route. Plus, we've picked out some highlights where you can stop for a respite along the way. Start off at Shale Hills car park (within Shale Hills Dog Park) and head north towards Bungarribee Park. Take a look, then plan your own adventure using the map below. [caption id="attachment_802885" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pexels; Brett Sayles[/caption] CALMSLEY HILL CITY FARM You might be right in the heart of western Sydney, but you can still experience a slice of rural life. After an hour or so of walking, you'll come to Calmsley Hill City Farm where there's not only an opportunity to pet a range of cute farmyard animals, but also the chance to watch a sheep shearing show or join a cow milking demonstration. If you've got a bit more time on your hands, relax in the grounds with a picnic or take advantage of the free public barbecue facilities. With its focus on sustainability and education, the farm is the perfect pit stop if you're walking with the whole family in tow. SUGARLOAF RIDGE AND MOONRISE LOOKOUT An ideal spot to recharge your batteries, Sugarloaf Ridge on Border Road has large grassy areas where you can lounge to your heart's content. Just a few minutes' walk away is Moonrise Lookout: a picturesque spot that affords you views over western Sydney and, on a clear day, even as far as the CBD, 40 kilometres away. Both Sugarloaf Ridge and Moonrise Lookout are part of the Moonrise Loop, one of the Western Sydney Parklands' most-loved routes and a tramp that will make you forget you're in the middle of Australia's most populous city. [caption id="attachment_803675" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pexels; Kampus Production[/caption] LIZARD LOG MARKETS Lizard Log is a nature-themed playground loved by young and old alike and, if you time it right, you can be lucky enough to be there at the same time as Mickey's ice cream van, which does a mean selection of soft serve favourites. If you pop down on a Saturday, you can also have a wander around Lizard Log Markets — a showcase for urban farmers and local producers to sell their wares. There are plenty of stalls selling everything from crafts to pre-owned goods, and it's also a fantastic place to grab a feed with a range of different cuisines on offer each week. SALUTI Named after an Italian greeting, Saluti is a cafe, a woodfired pizza restaurant and a wine bar. However, if you're journeying through the parklands and don't have time for a full sit-down meal, there's an extensive takeaway menu for you to get your teeth into. There are a range of sandwich filling options, available on turkish bread, in a wrap or in a panini, plus mouth-watering pastries and muffins and burgers jam-packed with extras. For those keen to keep moving, there's no better place to get a quick takeaway coffee or juice on this route. BUNAGARRIBEE PARK Bungarribee Park covers 200 hectares, contains native wildflower and tree life in abundance, and has an award-winning playground for the kids. It's also home to the Warrigal Dog Run, one of Sydney's largest off-leash dog areas and, if you're a fan of our four-legged friends, the perfect setting to meet a whole host of pawsome pals. Dogs are happiest when they have space to run around, a group of playmates, and enthusiastic humans to lavish attention and treats upon them, all of which means Warrigal is practically puppa heaven. Your pats, ear scratches and belly rubs will certainly be appreciated. STALLION BURGERS Located just next to the Warrigal Dog Run is Stallion Burgers, a killer joint that, unlike a lot of burger places, opens early and acknowledges that burgers are great at any time of day. Everything on the menu is served on soft milk buns and, really, your main issue is choosing where to start. For breakfast, it's hard to look beyond The Kingston which features a chorizo patty, egg, cheese, tomato and mayo. The house specialty, though, is The Stallion, comprising of two beef patties, two types of cheese, whisky sour pickles, onion, tomato, lettuce and — like many a burger emporium — a super-secret sauce. The shipping container outlet also serves hot drinks, soft drinks and water to keep you hydrated. SYDNEY ZOO When you think of zoos in Sydney, you probably think of Taronga. But its younger cousin is well worth your time. Founded in 2015, almost a century after Taronga Zoo opened, Sydney Zoo bills itself as Australia's most advanced zoo. Entry will set you back $39.99 right now and inside you'll find over 1000 species as well as the country's largest reptile house. In addition to sustainability and welfare, the zoo has a strong focus on innovation and technology; it uses the latest techniques to optimise visitor engagement and habitat design. It's the ideal place to see and learn about animals — local and foreign — in an environment tailored to their needs. Time your run to end here and you can spend the rest of the day exploring. It's open from Wednesday to Monday, 9am–5pm. In need of a new pair of runners? Take a look at the new Adidas Ultraboost 21 runners here. Launch the map below to start plotting your own running adventure in and around Sydney. Top image: Western Sydney Parklands
Mosman has officially handed in its Fun Police badge, embracing the people's love for partying down and lifting the ban on outdoor balloons. An untameable menace to the streets of Mosman and a taboo at outdoor shindigs since July 2011, balloons have not danced merrily in the breeze in the Northern Sydney suburb for a few joyless years. More than 50 events found their balloons (metaphorically) popped as the council slammed down a cynical fist on balloon litter. Now, after a glittering review of the No Fun Allowed policy revealed Mosmanites know how to party responsibly, the Mosman council has changed their minds. Last Tuesday's council meeting declared joy back on the Mosman menu, with outdoor balloons allowed to roam free at hootennanies Mosman-wide. The obvious and environmentally-friendly catch: don't let 'em go. Cr Carolyn Corrigan told the Mosman Daily it was high time the council stopped spending their time gaining a rep as the "balloon police". “Kids love balloons and it is lovely to have them at parties," she said. "We need to make sure we are encouraging people to be responsible and think about the way they dispose of the balloons.” Local party businesses had reason to throw their own shindigs in store after last week's announcement. Born To Party owner Shannon Kilford told the Mosman Daily she was pleased to see the council finally changed their fun-hating minds after balloon sales saw a catastrophic decline in the area. “It was frustrating, I didn’t understand the ban in the first place because the balloons we use are biodegradable,” Mrs Kilford said. “So I’m all for the change, it’s amazing and nice to see someone has listened and understood that maybe they got it wrong in the first place.” So ner, take that haters. Sadly the all male strip revue is taking the brunt of the Fun Police now, with all-male show Hotshots under fire by Mosman residents for being too risque for Mosman RSL. You win some, you lose some. Via Mosman Daily.
A major hotel rebrand and redesign has completed its first stage, as Courtyard by Marriott Sydney-North Ryde officially relaunches as Crowne Plaza Sydney Macquarie Park. Featuring a new guest experience, expect a host of modern updates – with more planned for the near future. More of a refresh than a revolution, this initial phase has seen rooms, various public spaces and the culinary offering given a thoughtful uplift. From the restaurant and bar to conference and event spaces, a light restoration has given these amenities a little more polish than before. Whether you're staying for work or leisure, a more refined experience awaits. The rooms have also received early enhancements like 55-inch Smart TVs, while organic and vegan skincare by Antipodes will soon be added to guest bathrooms. What comes next is more significant, with a second phase seeing guest rooms and public spaces transformed to reflect Crowne Plaza's upscale reputation. In the works is a complete makeover of the lobby and welcome area, with design changes bringing chic furnishings and a contemporary ambience. All 196 rooms will also undergo an update to create more comfortable and flexible accommodations, with both corporate types and holidaymakers in mind. Bistro, the on-site restaurant, hasn't been overlooked either. In the coming months, executive chef Sahil Sabhlok will unveil a gourmet dining experience, building upon the venue's modern-Australian cuisine. As a sneak peek, one dish on the menu is Sabhlok's signature slow-cooked beef short ribs with celeriac, pickled white onions and mustard. Now with sleeker decor and an al fresco dining area, Bistro will make for a refined feast. "This is an exciting time for the Crowne Plaza Sydney Macquarie Park as we start to welcome our first guests. Our vision for the hotel is to create a place that appeals not just to hotel guests, but also to the local community and business hubs in Sydney," says Crowne Plaza Sydney Macquarie Park hotel manager, Toby Paul. Making this aspiration a reality is undoubtedly possible considering the hotel's central location. Offering easy access to Sydney CBD, Sydney Olympic Park and Lane Cove National Park, the property is also easily within reach of several key business hubs, shopping destinations and outdoor attractions. In fact, Crowne Plaza Sydney Macquarie Park is just around the corner from the new Metro line, making a trip to the city a breeze. Crowne Plaza Sydney Macquarie Park is located at 7/11 Talavera Rd, North Ryde. Head to the website to find out more.
Fast and furious, wet and wild. No, it’s not an ad for a summer roller-coaster ride; it’s the frantic dash in a 12m-long painted boat known as the Dragon Boat Races. Dating back 2000 years, the race was traditionally held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month of the Chinese Calendar to encourage rains for prosperity — the dragon, the symbol of water, was the object of worship for the ancient Chinese. Today, it’s a heart-thumping sport boasting crews of roughly 20 rowers. Grab a waterside seat and watch some of Sydney’s best dragon boat teams battle it out in this highly competitive, thrilling sport.
We've had our eyes on talented multidiscplinarians and conductors of happenings zin for some time. But as they've plied us with shots at the Sydney Festival and induced us to party at Underbelly Arts, we've wondered, when are they going to stop with these shenanigans and go pro? Finally, the duo of Harriet Gillies and Roslyn Helper is listening to the demands of the public and synergising to optimal efficiency. With their one-night only art event Really Professional, they are announcing to the world that they are truly, properly, really professional. If you are in any doubt as to their professionality, just look at them in the picture above with power suits on and what looks like hair that is brushed. Such professional. Much sponsorship prospects. Clearly, we know nothing of what we're in store for on Tuesday, May 27. Just count us in.
If your end-of-summer plans usually involve hitting up St Jerome's Laneway Festival for a day of tunes, rejoice: the beloved annual event is here with a new round of dates for 2024. Actually, it wants you to mark your calendar not once but twice. Exactly when and where it'll take place next year has been revealed, and so has when the lineup will drop. If you're all about who'll be playing, you will still need to wait until Tuesday, September 5 to get the details. So, for now, just know that Laneway has locked in returns in Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth and Auckland, all in February. There's a bit of stability to next year's list of venues, after 2023 took Laneway to a heap of new spots. The festival started by Danny Rogers and Jerome Borazio in the mid-00s will kick off at Brisbane Showgrounds on Saturday, February 3, then head to Sydney Showground on Sunday, February 4 — so, exactly where it took place this year. Still in Australia, Laneway also has a Friday, February 9 date with Bonython Park in Adelaide on the agenda, then a Saturday, February 10 run at The Park, Flemington in Melbourne and a Sunday, February 11 wrap-up show in Wellington Square in Perth. Again, these are all the same locations that 2023's fests hit up. Over in New Zealand, the event will take over Western Springs in Auckland on Tuesday, February 6. That date means that it's moving to Waitangi Day. And 2024's venue comes after 2023's Auckland Laneway stop was cancelled due to due to the Auckland floods. As for the lineup, start guessing. In 2023, HAIM, Joji and Phoebe Bridgers headlined, in what marked a comeback for Laneway for the first time since the pandemic began. Before that, in 2020, the roster of talent was headed up by the likes of The 1975, Charli XCX and Earl Sweatshirt, as well as a host of local favourites like Ruel, DMA's and Ocean Alley. LANEWAY FESTIVAL 2024 DATES: Saturday, February 3 — Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane / Turrbal Targun Sunday, February 4 — Sydney Showground, Sydney / Burramattagal and Wangal Land Tuesday, February 6 — Western Springs, Auckland / Tāmaki Makaurau Friday, February 9 — Bonython Park, Adelaide / Kaurna Yerta Saturday, February 10 — The Park, Flemington, Melbourne / Wurundjeri Biik Sunday, February 11 — Wellington Square, Perth / Whadjuk Boodjar St Jerome's Laneway Festival will tour Australia and New Zealand in February 2024. Head to the festival's website for further details, and to register for ticket pre sales (which kick off at 11am local time on Tuesday, September 12) — and check back here for next year's lineup when it drops on Tuesday, September 5. Images: Daniel Boud / Maclay Heriot / Cedric Tang.
Spring is here, and the weather's notionally improved enough for outdoor sports. With winter receding and some fitful glimpses of the perhaps over-glorious summer to come, one film festival is giving you some excellent reasons to get active outdoors before the local climate is ready for it. This year's Sydney Bicycle Film Festival has a week of screenings, rides, markets and art, weaving in and out of a freshly minted Sydney Rides Festival that promises to take this year's cycling festivities to a truly city wide scale. From the harbour to the beach, this year's Festival launches with a Taylor Square street fair Saturday October 8, following on with a halloween ride from Surry Hills, Bicycle art at Somedays Gallery and some sprinting at the Standard. Cinematic highlights include Richard Press' Bill Cunningham, New York on octogenarian photographer Bill Cunningham who turned early work in women's fashion to a lifetime using his camera as a notebook for the New York Times, biking shorts from Ghana and Indonesia and first all-female BMX vid Chick Flick. Most screenings are at the Opera House, but you can ride with the festival from city to surf towards the final sessions at the Bondi Pavillion. Image by Sylvia Robles. Tickets for Bondi sessions can be found at Moshtix.
He's the horror and thriller author responsible for bloody proms, haunted hotels, possessed cars, sewer-dwelling clowns and spooky animal resting grounds, not to mention literary stalkers, depression-era death row prisoners, a town plagued by unexplained fogginess and another trapped under a dome. Indeed, since coming to fame with Carrie back in the 70s, Stephen King has never proven unpopular — but the world sure loves the writer's work right now. The viewing world in particular seems to adore King at the moment, with page-to-screen adaptations of his books popping up thick and fast. In 2019 alone, a new version of Pet Sematary hit cinemas, as did IT: Chapter Two and The Shining sequel Doctor Sleep — while In the Tall Grass recently arrived on Netflix. On the small screen, Mr Mercedes is up to its third season, Castle Rock unfurled its second and Creepshow's first recently landed. Next year will see three more TV shows join them, too, all based on King's books — and if you like the author in murder-mystery mode, you might want to add The Outsider to your viewing list. HBO's addition to the fold is a ten-part mini-series taking inspiration from King's 2018 novel of the same name, which focuses on the gruesome death of an 11-year-boy. Little League coach Terry Maitland (Jason Bateman) is suspected of the shocking murder, with his fingerprints all over the scene; however, video footage places him 60 miles across town at the time the crime went down. Unravelling just what happened is a task for police detective Ralph Anderson (Ben Mendelsohn), who's also mourning the death of his own son. When nothing seems to add up, he brings in unconventional private investigator Holly Gibney (Widows and Bad Times at the El Royale's Cynthia Erivo) to help, despite him professing to have "no tolerance for the unexplainable". In case you're thinking that this all sounds like one of King's more straightforward tales, "an insidious supernatural force" is also involved according to the official HBO synopsis — it is called The Outsider, after all. And, while the show's first teaser focused on the murder case, its just-dropped full trailer plays up the creepiness, coincidences and the fact that something beyond the bounds of normal logic just might be going on. Mendo, Australia's favourite current acting export, also produces the show, as well as seemingly getting a rare chance to play something other than a blockbuster baddie of late (see Rogue One, Ready Player One and Robin Hood, for example). As for recent Emmy directing winner Bateman, he executive produces and jumps behind the lens on the series' first two episodes. Check out the new trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNDKWr3Xmjk The Outsider starts airing on Sunday, January 12 in America — we'll update you once viewing details for Down Under have been announced.
If your wildest dreams right now are all about getting in on Taylor Swift's Eras tour, then the pop superstar comes bearing gorgeous and enchanted news. The singer will play Melbourne and Sydney in early 2024, but she's splashing her massive show across cinema screens first, confirming that Taylor Swift: The 'Eras' Tour Concert Film will show Down Under when it rolls out worldwide this spring. Look what the world made Swift do: turn her current smash-hit tour into a movie that's hitting picture palaces and sharing all things Eras with the globe. The film was first announced a few weeks back, when it dropped a trailer, but only North American screenings were locked in at the time — and, it was feared that the flick mightn't play Australia and New Zealand until Swift visited this part of the world in February. Thankfully, Swift isn't making Aussie and NZ cinemagoers wait for this big-screen view of her huge show. "The tour isn't the only thing we're taking worldwide," the singer announced via social media. Taylor Swift: The 'Eras' Tour Concert Film will roll out across more than 100 countries, most on Friday, October 13 — including Australia and Aotearoa — and some in early November. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) Fans are in for a money-can't-buy view of the 'Shake It Off', 'We Are Never Getting Back Together' and 'Bad Blood' musician's gig — working through her entire career so far, playing tracks from each of her studio albums in a three-hour, 44-song, ten-act spectacular. The Eras Tour kicked off in March in the US, ending that run in August. Swift also headed to Mexico in August as well. Brazil is her last stop in 2023, before playing Japan, Singapore, France, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, the UK, Ireland, The Netherlands, Poland, Austria and Australia until August 2024. She'll then return to the US, and then visit Canada next November. Check out the trailer for Taylor Swift: The 'Eras' Tour Concert Film below: Taylor Swift: The 'Eras' Tour Concert Film will hit cinemas worldwide, including in Australia and New Zealand, from Friday, October 13 — head to the film's website for further details and bookings.
For palaces of glamorous consumption, Apple Stores sometimes play host to the occasional quality cultural moment. Overseas, they're regularly graced by authors and filmmakers. Here in Sydney, the Presets, Wolfmother and even the Wiggles have found space on the George Street's store's stage, before 2011 Sydney Film Festival directors like Joshua Marston started turning up as well. This year, they've teamed up with Aussie design community INfront to put on a series of talks from local creative types who have something interesting to explain to the world at large. For August, Interacting with the Past: Museums for the Next Generation brings you the Powerhouse Museum's new technologies guru Seb Chan, who is bound to take you to a digital place you hadn't imagined finding culture in before. A star of Sydney's first round of TEDx talks, until recently Chan also edited the electronic music buffet that is Cyclic Defrost, having earlier been at the centre of the early Sydney rave scene. So while its army of discreet cleaners may often make it more polished than your average venue, there can be some unquestionable substance to go with this Apples Store's shine.
There's no such thing as an ordinary dish to chef Nelly Robinson, namesake of and driving force behind Sydney restaurant NEL, as his degustation menus keep demonstrating. KFC? Lamingtons? French onion soup? Pots of honey? They can all be given a fine-dining twist, and have. Paddington Bear's marmalade sandwiches? They're next. For the Harbour City restaurant's latest 11-course feast, it's going all in on dishes inspired by England. The theme: great British memories. So, of course everyone's favourite talking bear and his sandos get a nod. So do beef wellingtons, scampi and beer, Sunday roasts and chocolate orange. This limited-time special hits NEL from Wednesday, August 16–Saturday, September 30 — and, like all of the eatery's degustations, is a bucket list-worthy meal for Sydneysiders and visitors alike. That nod to Paddington Bear? It's made with Davidson plum marmalade, and dished up in a suitcase. And those NEL-style beef wellingtons? They're whipped up from slow-cooked stout beef cheeks, which come wrapped in cime di rapa, then topped with carrot puree and English peppercorn sauce. The pub grub-esque scampi and beer is a prawn-filled tart mayonnaise seasoned with and tajin, also featuring avruga caviar, and paired with a sarsaparilla-flavoured drink. As well as the chocolate orange — which doesn't resemble the Terry's supermarket-sold version — and the riff on a roast, spins on gammon and eggs, cheese and onion, fish and chips, korma scallops, and rhubarb and custard feature. Robinson is drawing upon his own formative years. "The team knew exactly where I was coming from when crafting of this menu began. It was really special to create a whole new menu honouring my childhood and roots," the chef advises. "As always, we have paired it with some sensational wines, too." Patrons can tuck in for $185 per person, with matched beverages starting at $85 each on top. NEL's great British memories degustation is on offer on from Wednesday, August 16–Saturday, September 30 at 75 Wentworth Avenue, Sydney. For more information or to book, head to the NEL website.
Looks like it's time to throw An Unexpected Party; The Hobbit now has its own beer. Set to be released as a trio of microbrews, the Hobbity bottles will be available in the coming weeks, brewed to promote the next Tolkien-penned chapter of Peter Jackson's epic film series, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (out this December). With chilli-infused Smaug Stout on the line, this is a branding exercise we can get behind. Created far over the misty mountains cold by Washington state-based microbrewery Fish Brewing (backed by an army of investors including New Line Productions, Warner Brothers, BevLink and Ocean Brands), the three Hobbit-themed beers take on the personas of three of the series' most villainous characters in 650ml bottles. First off the rank, the Gollum Precious Pils, golden and somewhat bitter like its namesake. Then there's the ol' Smaug Stout named for our fiery treasure hoarder, a black imperial stout infused with chillies (classic dragon beer) and the perfect companion for lengthy, Orc-pursued journeys to Lonely Mountains, if you will. Finally, the Bolg Belgian Style Tripel is a robust beer embodying the evil Orc leader, crafted with enough dark strength to lead an army of goblins, Wargs and Bats in the Battle of the Five Armies. While we're yet to learn whether the Hobbit beer will make its way to Australia, the trio will be available in the US (here's hoping some nifty Australian boutique bottle shops get importing). For now, we'll just have to take a trip to the real life Green Dragon. Via Grub Street and Beer Pulse.
Since the Australia Government introduced an effective and indefinite ban on international travel back in March to help stop the spread of COVID-19, no one has been heading overseas for a holiday. There has been plenty of talk since about what the future of global trips might hold over that time, of course. It's expected that the country's international borders unlikely to reopen until next year, for instance, while the entire international tourism industry isn't predicted to return to normal until 2023. If you plan to jet overseas via Qantas once you're able to, the airline's chief has advised one requirement you'll have to adhere to as well: you'll need to have had a COVID-19 vaccination. Speaking on A Current Affair on Monday, November 23, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said that the airline is "looking at changing our terms and conditions to say, for international travellers, that we will ask people to have a vaccination before they can get on the aircraft". "Certainly for international visitors coming out and people leaving the country, we think that's a necessity," Joyce said. But when asked if the requirement would also apply for local flights, he wasn't certain. "Whether you need that domestically, we'll have to see what will happen with COVID-19 and the market," he advised. https://twitter.com/ACurrentAffair9/status/1330788260856131584 That means you'll need to add one more thing to your pre-travel checklist — with Joyce's statement coming at a time when a COVID-19 vaccine looks closer to becoming a reality. In the past few weeks, the companies behind three different vaccine candidates have announced positive results from their ongoing clinical trials, covering potential immunisations developed by Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca. As a result, there is currently hope that vaccines might be able to start being rolled out in the new year. When you are able to receive a jab, it won't cost you a cent, as Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison flagged back in August. Obviously, the government won't provide further details about how everyone will get vaccinated until a working vaccine actually exists. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Australia, visit the Australian Government Department of Health website.
2020 will forever be known as the year everyone wore an extra groove into their couch. And because the past 12 months have just been so chaotic, you probably haven't managed to do everything you wanted to — even working through your streaming queue. You've been distracted by quite the hectic circumstances, so that's perfectly natural. Now that life slowly seems to be returning to normal — and now that holidays are upon us, too — you're probably wondering which series you should catch up on. 2020 delivered a heap of stellar new shows, however, so that isn't a straightforward question. Thankfully, in collaboration with streaming service Binge, we're here to help. Here are five of the year's absolute must-sees, all of which you can binge in full now — including via a 14-day free trial for new customers.
The art onslaught of September is behind us. Sydney Contemporary and its fellow art fairs have packed up, Chippendale's BEAMS have stopped shining, and the MCA's Primavera remains as a token of the art storm that blew threw something. But October is no slouch. Here are six exhibition opening in this fine tenth month that have got our attention. Top image: Ben Williams Photography.
