In a glorious era where phones can be unlocked using facial recognition, what are we still doing slumming it with pesky plug-in chargers? Well, chaining your smartphone to a power point and fumbling with tangled cords could soon be a thing of the past, when San Francisco company Pi releases what it says is the world's first ever contactless, wireless charger. The brainchild of a pair of MIT alumni, this little guy does away with the cords, the charging pads and even the need for your phone or tablet to be touching anything at all. Instead, Pi harnesses groundbreaking electromagnetic charging technology developed by the founders, John MacDonald and Lixin Shi, over more than three years. That's a whole lotta math problems. The cone-shaped Pi can simultaneously charge four devices within around 30cm, at full speed. It can charge additional devices on top of that, albeit at a slower pace. Perhaps most enticing, you can use your phone and move it around while it's juicing up. Of course, this kind of modern day witchery doesn't come easy. As MacDonald explains, "creating this technology required solving one of the most difficult mathematical problems in electromagnetics, and that's why no one has done it before." It sounds like Pi will be available sometime next year, although you can reserve yours right away. MacDonald and Shi believe it will retail for under US$200. The first 314 people in the world to order will score a $50 discount.
If soaring down a snowy mountain is your idea of fun, then Switzerland's icy peaks have long been on your bucket list. And if you've always wanted to zip down the country's famous frosty alps but don't all have the coordination and dexterity to ski or snowboard — which is perfectly acceptable — then you can now enjoy the trip via train on one of the world's steepest railways. Opening in mid-December after a 14-year construction period — and 52 million Swiss francs (AU$68 million) in funds — the Stoos Bahn journeys from the town of Schwyz to the nearby village of Stoos, carrying 34 people at a time in less than five minutes. Replacing an older funicular railway, aka a cable-attached railway used near cliffs and on inclined surfaces, it not only spans a distance of 1738 metres, but a height difference of 744 metres. Overall, it boasts a maximum gradient of 110 percent. That makes the Stoos Bahn the steepest funicular railway in Europe, the steepest in the world that regularly ferries passengers and second on the planet overall. If you're wondering which other dizzy-inducing train track pips it for the top spot, that honour goes to an Australian tourist attraction. First created for mining purposes in 1878 and now operating as part of Katoomba Scenic World, the Katoomba Scenic Railway in the Blue Mountains holds the Guinness World Record for the steepest railway gradient, clocking in at 128 percent over its 310-metre expanse. Via Lonely Planet. Image: Stoos-Muotatal
If you're the sort of person who likes to eat meat until you start shaking with the meat sweats and can (m)eat no more, then a festival very relevant to your interests is coming to town. Meatstock Festival, a two-day celebration of all things animal, is setting up its smoky self in the Sydney Showgrounds on the weekend of May 4 and 5. Not just your regular food festival, bands on the Meatstock lineup include Henry Wagons, The Sweet Jelly Rolls, Frank Sultana, Mojo Juju, Adrian Eagle, The Little Quirks, Busby Marou Benny Walker, with more to be announced. Sure, there'll be less music than there is at Woodstock, but there will be 200 percent more tasty meat-related foods. The food stars of the show are Burn City Smokers, Black Bear BBQ, Rangers Texas BBQ and more. Try some of each, or make your way through all of the food stalls and then fall into a sweaty, cholesterol-heavy heap — don't say we didn't warn you. Finally, for a little old-fashioned rivalry, the festival will be running its Butcher Wars, which will basically be a bunch of hopefully unbloodied people running around competing and wielding various knives. There's also Barbecue Wars too, heating up the grill in more ways than one. What a weekend.
Will Dune movies just keep getting better and better? Here's hoping that's as natural an outcome as spying sand as far as the eye can see across Arrakis. When Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049) followed in David Lynch's footsteps with 2021's Dune, he made a new version of one of the most unfairly maligned sci-fi films ever crafted, and managed what Alejandro Jodorowsky sadly couldn't (see: excellent documentary Jodorowsky's Dune) — and a new science-fiction cinema classic arrived and stunned. Villeneuve's picture, which scored ten Oscar nominations and six wins, only told part of Dune's story. Cue Dune: Part Two to keep the tale going. War has arrived on the franchise's spice-laden planet, and Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet, Bones and All) and the Fremen are ready to fight. The former doesn't just want to face off against the folks who destroyed his family, but for the sandy celestial body, with Zendaya's (Euphoria) Chani at his side. That's the tale teased in not one but two trailers for the Dune sequel, with the second just dropping and filled with swirling tension. "This world is beyond cruelty," says Paul in the latest sneak peek, surveying the grim status quo. But he has a plan: "he who can destroy a thing has the real control of it." The first film had Paul head to Arrakis because his dad Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac, Moon Knight) had just been given stewardship of the planet and its abundance of 'the spice' — aka the most valuable substance in the universe — and then get caught up in a bitter battle with malicious forces over the substance. It also saw Paul meet the population of people known as the Fremen, including Chani, plus Javier Bardem's (Lyle, Lyle Crocodile) Stilgar, which is who he and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson, Silo) are with in Dune: Part Two. Expansive desert landscape, golden and orange hues (again, Villeneuve helmed Blade Runner 2049), sandworms, the director's reliable eye for a spectacle and Hans Zimmer's (The Son) latest likely Oscar-winning score: they've all shown up in the new film's two glimpses so far. So have some of the franchise's new players, with Austin Butler ditching his Elvis locks as Feyd Rautha Harkonnen, the nephew of Stellan Skarsgard's (Andor) Baron Harkonnen. Christopher Walken (Severance) and Florence Pugh (The Wonder) also join the saga as Emperor Shaddam IV and his daughter Princess Irulen. From the first film, Josh Brolin (Outer Range), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Beau Is Afraid) and Charlotte Rampling (Benedetta) return, while Léa Seydoux (Crimes of the Future) also joins the cast. Off-screen, Villeneuve has brought back not just Zimmer, but Oscar-winning Australian director of photography Greig Fraser (The Batman), Oscar-winning production designer Patrice Vermett (Vice), Oscar-winning editor Joe Walker (The Unforgivable), Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert (First Man) and Oscar-nominated costume designer Jacqueline West (Song to Song). Check out the latest Dune: Part Two trailer below: Dune: Part Two will release in cinemas Down Under on November 2, 2023.
Every kid dreamed about stepping inside their favourite TV show or movie, whether you were an 80s child who wanted to dance magic, dance through Labyrinth, a 90s teen saying "as if!" to life outside of Clueless — or keen to stake vampires with Buffy — or a 00s Gossip Girl wannabe. Now that we're all adults, those kinds of fantasies keep becoming a reality, in a way, thanks to the seemingly non-stop array of immersive pop culture-themed installations and experiences that love popping up around Australia. So if you've recently been wishing that you could step into the twisted superhero realm shared by Gen V and The Boys, for instance, you'll soon be able to. Prime Video is taking Sydneysiders and everyone who happens to be in the Harbour City for the first-ever SXSW Sydney into the franchise's world from Tuesday, October 17–Saturday, October 21. How? Via Primeville, a small town-themed activation that's taking over Fratelli Fresh Darling and taking its cues from some of the streaming platform's popular shows — and one documentary. Primeville's spin on the Vought Cinematic Universe will involve a trip to Godolkin University, where you'll be shrinking down — well, pretending to — for games of Supe Shot. You can stay your regular size to give the prize wheel a spin to score freebies. If you're more fond of Reacher, there'll be a diner inspired by the series. For The Summer I Turned Pretty devotees, expect ice creams at Cousins Beach. And if you just like bites to eat themed around television shows, there'll be a milk bar serving up exactly that. In the town square: celebrating all things The Wiggles in the lead up to Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles debuting as part of the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival, before streaming via Prime Video from Tuesday, October 24. And yes, the Big Red Car will be in attendance, ready for plenty of snaps. If this all sounds a bit familiar, that's because Prime Video set up something similar at PAX Aus in Melbourne in 2022. In this case, the pop-ups aren't just open to SXSW Sydney badge holders, but to everyone. Entry is free, and you'll also score some Primeville dollars to go towards an ice cream, snack or drink. Primeville will pop up during SXSW Sydney at Fratelli Fresh Darling Harbour, 2/14 Darling Drive, Sydney from Tuesday, October 17–Saturday, October 21 — open from 12–6pm on the Tuesday and Saturday, and 12–8pm Wednesday–Friday.
As Sydney-based hip hop artist, DJ and singer-songwriter Joyride will tell you, creativity isn't always something you can switch on and off. "For me, there's no set routine to get my head into a certain space, but I think that's just because I'm always kind of there," he muses. "It's not like you make a decision and go, 'okay, I will now create'." "But that's not to say it's easy. It's still quite difficult, all the time," Joyride's quick to concede."You're always thinking about it, always thinking about ways to present things to other people to make it palatable and to get an idea across. You don't just stop doing that. You don't stop seeing inspiration in things." We sit down with the artist to talk creating for the opinions you respect, 'f---ing' with people's perceptions and wearing trusted clothing. On paper, this artist's own creative space sounds pretty near perfect — a comfy studio in Sydney's colourful, creatively charged inner west, sitting above a mate's pub. But for Joyride, the best creative stuff is less a product of time and physical space, than of the people in his life — both familiar friends and those imagined audiences. "A big part of my inspiration comes from who I intend the thing I'm making to be for," he explains. "I've found recently that if I tailor what I'm making to people whose opinions I respect, people that are close to me, people that I work with, then everything else kind of falls into place. It's kind of reverse engineering inspiration. And it has made making shit a lot easier." "People have different ideas about why we create, but at the end of the day it's a realistic look at having this as a profession, and your number one goal has to be to stir something in enough other people," he says. "I love entertaining, I love making things so that other people get something from it, you know?" It's a similar end-focused attitude that informs Joyride's sense of style and influences his wardrobe picks on the daily. "I consider fashion as a fun and interesting way to say who you are without saying a word," he says. "That's the purpose, right?" "If we're going to cover ourselves with something, why not do it with something that says who we are?" Joyride asks. "And why can't we then subvert that and play with it, so that we can f--- with people's perceptions of who we are? Have fun with it and control that a little bit." For this artist, denim's a wardrobe staple for its staying power. "I've got a few pairs of knock-about jeans and one pair goes back to 2011 — I've still got them and I still wear them," he admits. "I feel like jeans are the kind of garment that just sticks with you. In a world of planned obsolescence, denim is a stayer." "Those old mateys are my favourites," confesses Joyride. "You probably clean out your closets maybe once, twice a year, and these have made it through. They're for, like, when I'm spending time with trusted friends. I want to wear trusted clothing." Check out Joyride's work here, and find the denim that brings out the creative, innovator and gamechanger in you at The Iconic. Images: Letícia Almeida.
From Houseparty birthday bashes to Zoom weddings, celebrations have been looking a little different lately. But one thing is clear: not even a pandemic can stand between us and a good ol' party. And that includes marking World Whisky Day on May 16. We may not be able to head to a cosy bar and celebrate the legendary amber liquor in style, so Glenmorangie has partnered with Boozebud to bring the festivities to your living room via a virtual whisky masterclass. At 6pm on Boozebud's Facebook page, Glenmorangie's Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation and Whisky Stocks Dr Bill Lumsden will be guiding you through a tasting from the Scottish distillery's core range of single malts. You'll start with the classic Glenmorangie Original Aged 10 Years, then move through the Lasanta Sherry Cask Aged 12 Years, Quinta Ruban Port Cask Aged 12 Years and Nectar d'Or Sauternes Cask Aged 12 Years. The masterclass is free to stream but, to make the most of it, you'll want to snag one of the taster packs from Boozebud beforehand, which has the four smooth spirits in 100-millilitre measures — enough for you and a housemate to have a nip each. The pack costs $64.99 and first-time Boozebud customers will score 10-percent off and free shipping by using the code BESTBUD (terms and conditions apply). Purchase your Glenmorangie Scotch Whisky Taster Pack here, then head to Boozebud's Facebook page at 6pm on May 16 to take part in the virtual masterclass.
Great movies live on forever, garnering acclaim and accolades, earning eager rewatches and retrospective screenings, and getting discovered afresh by new audiences. Terrible flicks can also keep drawing in fans, becoming cult hits and having spoons thrown at them — and films don't get much worse-but-glorious than the one and only The Room. In the near future, Tommy Wiseau's disasterpiece won't be a one-off, however. Twenty years after it first hit screens, it's being remade. No, Wiseau isn't behind the do-over, although that does sound like a very Wiseau thing to do. Instead, the new The Room stars Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul favourite Bob Odenkirk. This is a greenscreen remake, which Slashfilm first reported — and then Odenkirk confirmed. "This is real. This is true. And let me tell you, I tried my best to SELL every line, as honestly as I could... and I had a BLAST," the actor tweeted. If this news is tearing you apart, that's understandable. This is real. This is true. And let me tell you, I tried my best to SELL every line, as honestly as I could...and I had a BLAST https://t.co/v261E1DKnG — Mr. Bob Odenkirk (@mrbobodenkirk) March 9, 2023 If you're wondering why — and you want more than the obvious answer: why not? — The Room 2.0 is coming to life for Acting for a Cause, which raises money for charity. And if you're wondering about The Room's storyline because you've missed this whole film phenomenon over the past two decades, it tells the tale of a banker, his adulterous fiancée, his conflicted best friend, a local teen caught up in a drug deal, a mother with cancer, a particularly tense party, a bunch of guys playing football in tuxedos and the worst apartment decorating scheme you've ever seen. View this post on Instagram A post shared by B̸R̸A̸N̸D̸O̸ ̸C̸R̸A̸W̸F̸O̸R̸D̸ (@professorbrando) The Room truly is the vampire of bad movies. It's been living on via event screenings, Greg Sestero's memoir The Disaster Artist, the the star-studded film that book spawned and Sestero's frequent tours. For a while, Wiseau even put it online for free in high-definition. There's no word yet as to when it'll be time to say "oh hi Bob", or where. There's also no sneak peek at the end result, either. But, to tide you over, you can check out the OG film's trailer below: The Bob Odenkirk-starring remake of The Room doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when further details are announced. Via Slashfilm. Top image: Better Call Saul.
In the months since hell decided to casually freeze over and see Donald J. Trump installed on the Iron Throne, things have seemed bleak for the future of American tourism. And they probably are! Now to add insult to injury: Canada has been voted as this year's best travel destination by not only Lonely Planet, but NY Times and Conde Nast too. America's northern neighbour is finally getting the recognition it deserves for being, well, mostly stable while Canada's Pants goes off the rails. No seriously. Canada's comparable safety and stability have been cited as big contributing factors to why the maple syrup capital of the world has won the prestigious title. The Great White North really does have all the tasty stuff you may once have sought out in the US: vast, punishing wilderness, vibrant capital cities (from big ol' Toronto and Ottawa to film-loving Vancouver and French havens Montréal and Québec City), Grammy-winning artists and ridiculously decadent national cuisines (wassup, poutine) — with a relatively much less controversial leader. Colombia, Chile and Croatia all feature in the top lists too, as well as oft overlooked but bountiful Scandinavian countries Finland, Sweden and Norway. Look, if the US election outcome has given us anything (other than a golden era of SNL) it's the chance to temporarily give up on the American road trip dream for four years and set our holiday sights on neighbouring, Drake-raising destinations. Via AFR.
Get ready to unleash your inner Keanu Reeves or Kate Bosworth: the largest surf park in the southern hemisphere is on its way. Western Australia is already home to top-notch beaches, including the third-best beach in the world for 2023, Australia's best beach for 2022 and the best beach in the South Pacific for last year as well — plus all that coastline and plenty of beloved sandy spots, of course — but global surf park brand Aventuur has earmarked it for a massive site in Perth, too. And that site has just received official development approval. Going as big as possible with its $100-million WA venture — which will feature 25 different types of waves, and is forecast to welcome in a million visitors a year — Aventuur's plans were first announced in 2022. Now, however, Perth Surf Park has one round of go-aheads, thanks to the Metro Outer Joint Development Assessment Panel (JDAP). The project also received a decision by the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority that it didn't need EPA assessment because it won't have a significant impact on the environment. More regulatory approvals are needed, but the venue is now another step closer to starting construction in late 2023, working towards a late-2025 opening. "This is an incredibly exciting day for Western Australians, and for the Aventuur team," said Aventuur Chairman and Chief Development Officer Andrew Ross, announcing the development approval. "We've been working closely with the WA Government and the City of Cockburn to design an authentic, inclusive and sustainable surf park, and I couldn't be more stoked that we're one step closer to delivering a new community asset for Perth." Clearly, providing breaks and barrels that everyone can surf — no matter your skill level — is one of big aims of Aventuur's Perth Surf Park, which'll take over a 5.8-hectare site on Prinsep Road in Jandakot, adjacent to the Kwinana Freeway and the Cockburn Central train station. That'll include what it's calling a Wavegarden Cove, aka the huge 56-module surfing lagoon that'll be the key drawcard — and will constantly whip up perfect waves. Also set to feature: accommodation, which'll be handy for anyone making the trip west just for some manmade surf action; a beach club; and bars and restaurants. A wellness and recovery centre and a fitness studio will feature as well, and so will a co-working lounge and spaces for functions with waves as a backdrop. Plus, out-of-the-water facilities also include a skate park, pump track and gardens. Start looking forward to for personalised coaching, fitness and surf skate programs as well, and regular events such as outdoor surf movie nights and photography exhibitions. Yoga and meditation retreats will also make the most of the site, as will live music and cultural festivals — and, naturally, professional surfing competitions. Already an avid surfer? Know someone who might be the next Mick Fanning or Stephanie Gilmore? Then get excited about Perth Surf Park's high-performance surf academy. Whether you're a future superstar or just learning, there'll also be a hire store doing board, wetsuit and equipment rentals — so you won't have to bring your own gear with you. While surfers won't be able to live out their Point Break and Blue Crush dreams until the summer 2025, Aventuur signed a long-term ground lease with the Western Australian Planning Commission for its Perth Surf Park site in 2022. With approval now granted by the JDAP, it'll keep progressing towards starting work to transform the Cockburn Gateway precinct into a hub for tourism, sport and entertainment. The venue will also feature five-star Green Star-rated buildings, which'll help it notch up another achievement: being the first surf park in the world with that classification. Manmade waves have been having their moment Down Under of late. Urbnsurf opened Australia's first inland surf park near the Melbourne Airport in 2020, then revealed plans for Brisbane, Sydney and Perth sites. New South Wales' Hawkesbury region is also getting a giant wave pool and luxury resort, the Sunshine Coast is due to welcome Kelly Slater's second surf ranch, and the Gold Coast has been earmarked for an Endless Surf wave pool. And if you're wondering why surf parks keep popping up — especially in a country girt by sea, and therefore surrounded by so many glorious beaches — they're able to provide controlled and reliable conditions, including waves that aren't daunting for newcomers. Perth Surf Park will feature knee-high whitewater for beginners, for instance, as well as ideal waves for experienced surfers. Aventuur's Perth Surf Park is due to open on Prinsep Road in Jandakot, Perth, Western Australia, in 2025. For more information, head to the venue's website.
When a beaming face is described as "the worst smile I have ever seen in my life", it isn't quickly forgotten. The grins in Parker Finn's films aren't meant to be easily shaken. That line springs from the writer/director's debut feature, which wasn't his first to wonder what might happen if someone couldn't stop seeing the same Cheshire Cat-like expression everywhere to nerve-shredding effect. Before Smile became the highest-grossing horror movie of 2022 — and before the box-office smash spawned 2024 sequel Smile 2 — Finn played with the same concept in his 2020 short Laura Hasn't Slept. Australian actor Caitlin Stasey (Class of '07) plays the eponymous character, who can't get some shuteye as the film's title notes. As she explains to a therapist when the short begins, closing her eyes means having nightmares about a smiling face. When Smile then starts, Laura is in the frame again, still struggling with a grin that no one wants to see. The concept from there: that being taunted and haunted by the eerie smile that can appear everywhere and on anyone is both deeply unsettling and contagious. Smile's point of focus is psychiatrist Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon, Mare of Easttown). In Smile 2, it's mega pop star Skye Riley's (Naomi Scott, Anatomy of a Scandal) turn. When the supernatural force at the centre of Finn's work so far is smiling, which is whenever it's on-screen no matter the face it has taken, the unlucky target's whole world feels anything but warm. Horrific, terrifying, distressing, tormenting: those terms all fit as well. So discovers Skye a year after a car accident ended her last tour, also leaving her both injured and grieving. She's on the comeback trail when Smile 2 kicks off, with a new album out and a fresh run of live gigs to come. Then a smiling malevolent evil won't leave her alone — and the spiralling that follows as she endeavours to understand what's happening, what's real and what isn't, and how to stop it, all plays out in the public gaze. These are flicks to see with an audience, even if Laura Hasn't Slept made the program at 2020's SXSW in Austin, which took place solely online due to the pandemic. It still won a Special Jury Award in the Midnight Short program, then clearly caught Hollywood's attention. Finn himself loves seeing viewers react to his movies. His latest chance to do just that came via Smile 2's Australian premiere. It was also his latest connection with SXSW, this time at SXSW Sydney 2024, where the film screened as one of the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival headliners. [caption id="attachment_976458" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Don Arnold/Getty Images for Paramount[/caption] "It's the best. I think that, especially as a writer/director, it's incredibly delayed gratification when you're trying to make a film. It takes years to do it. The whole reason that I make films is for audiences, and that moment when you finally are putting it out in the world, I love watching the film with audiences," Finn tells Concrete Playground following a screening that he advises was "fantastic, great crowd, really fun". He continues: "so to hear everybody screaming or laughing or gasping or going silent all at the same moment, it's the best". Also featuring Lukas Gage (Dead Boy Detectives), Rosemarie DeWitt (The Boys), Ray Nicholson (Licorice Pizza — and, yes, the son of Jack Nicholson), Dylan Gelula (Hacks), Peter Jacobson (Fly Me to the Moon) and Raúl Castillo (Cassandro), plus Smile's Kyle Gallner (Strange Darling) returning, Smile 2 skews bigger, bolder and gorier than its predecessors. It reinforces a clever connection at the heart of the franchise, too: that seeing people happy and smiling when you're having a tough time, with or without a supernatural force at work, can be hellish itself. We also chatted with Finn about what makes an unshakeably scary smile for him, the inspiration for the franchise, researching pop stars, casting an incredibly committed Scott as Skye, his hopes for the future of all things Smile and more. On What Makes a Perfectly Unnerving Smile That Creeps You to Your Bones "The smiles in the film are all human performance. We're not adding any VFX or CG to these. And for me, it's that uncanny sort of smile that feels like it should be friendly. But the way that we frame it, the way that we have the throughline of how the actors perform it — for me it's the disconnected eyes from the smile that don't break staring at you, it just creates so much tension and stress for me. I find it really creepy." On What Inspires a Maniacally Smiling Figure to Pop Into Your Mind When You're Dreaming up a Serial Killer-Like Supernatural Entity "I think that what's so great about, for me, the concept of Smile is that of course there's turning the warm, friendly gesture on its head, and turning it into something cruel and upsetting — but what I really love about it is this idea of how we employ smiles almost as a mask. And what we put out into the world, we're trying to say 'hey, everything's okay' and it's hiding what's really going on on the inside. In the world of Smile, I love that if you look on the other side of that coin, the smiling faces are also hiding something on the other side, belying what's really behind that smile, something quite evil. And for me, I love that dichotomy." On Making a Connection Between Skye Spiralling and How a Smile Can Feel Taunting If You're Struggling "The reason I want to tell these stories, I love all these big supernatural elements, but it's really about this character's story and really trying to put the audience in this character's shoes. Which was an interesting challenge for this film because Skye is a mega-famous pop star, which is not necessarily a relatable scenario for most people. But I wanted to go behind that velvet rope and tie them to this human being who's quite broken and dealing with really fraught emotions. And I wanted people to really be able to connect with her and relate with her as a human being, and to feel the stress and the anxiety and the walls closing in as she's spiralling out of control, trying to use all the techniques of filmmaking to make the audience feel what Skye feels." On the Research That Went Into the Pop Star Side of the Story, Including Diving Into Pressures, Expectations and Constant Public Scrutiny "I think we're at this peak parasocial relationship with celebrity, and nothing is bigger in celebrity or fame right now than pop. So some of these pop stars have been elevated to the status of a demigod. And I was so interested about what's going on behind the scenes, the real person behind that. How can you deal with that level of expectation? So I dove headfirst into research. I watched every documentary that I could. I read every essay, every article, every interview and just kind of immersed myself in that world of pop. And so much from that research directly wormed its way into the script and into the film. It really helped guide a lot of what I wanted to do." On Enlisting Naomi Scott to Play Skye — and Her Performance at the Pop Star's Best and Worst Moments "I think that Naomi was the perfect storm for this character. She inherently has this X-factor gravitas to her, where I believe this mega pop star, that she could really be this character. But at the same time, she's capable of these incredibly raw, human moments, as she's hitting rock bottom. And it happens to be that she's this incredibly talented singer, she can perform choreography, she can do all these amazing things. She's such a force of nature, and the role was incredibly demanding, and it was an absolute dream to get to work with her." On Creating an Unsettling Mood and Tone That Kicks in Immediately and Doesn't Subside "Mood and tone, and this creeping sense of dread, is something that is really important for me to build into these films. I wanted to make sure that in both films, we, from the opening frame, feel incredibly anxious — and that the movie, what we're exploring with some of the themes and motifs, I want to create that emotionality for the audience, to make them feel what the movie is doing to the characters. It's all about this precision use of filmmaking tools. Obviously performance, what we're doing with the camera, sound design, everything, to just build this stress that just keeps bubbling and boiling more and more and more — and it turns into this powderkeg that's ready to explode by the end." On Finn's Dream for the Concept When He Was Starting Out with Laura Hasn't Slept "The dream was that it got into SXSW. That was as far as I had gotten — as far as thinking 'hey, how is this film going to live and be presented to the world?'. I made that short to stand alone. But while I was in post on it, I had this idea that eventually became the first Smile. The short had really inspired that journey towards Smile. But I think that short and everything that happened after, that's a very rare example where reality way, way, way overshot any expectations I had. So it was like a pinch-me, dream-come-true moment." On Going Bigger in Scope, Scares, Tension, Intensity, Gore, Shocks and Boldness with Smile 2 "Of course I wanted to challenge myself. For me, I only want to make films that I'm terrified to make. I think that's how I'm going to get the best out of myself. But making that jump from the first Smile to Smile 2, it's a much bigger film and I bit off a lot more. But I always love to try to punch above my budget and above our schedule, and go maximalist with everything. So we have more resources, yes, but we also are doing so much more, this so much more movie to make — so it was still just about putting that one foot in front of the other and trying to create the best experience for the audience possible." On Where Finn Would Like to Take the Smile Franchise From Here "I think we'll have to see. I think there's a lot of really exciting directions that that Smile could go. Right now, I'm really excited to see how audiences react to Smile 2. If we're so lucky to have audiences connect with it, I love the idea that these movies could just keep getting more and more off the rails and insane, and really doing new, unexpected versions of what Smile is. That would be important to me, to keep it very fresh and exciting and unexpected." Smile 2 opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, October 17, 2024.
It's a common peeve for many Melburnians: the fact that catching the train to another part of town often means hauling all the way into the CBD before you can switch routes and travel back out. Well, that headache could potentially be removed, if the Victorian Government's incredibly ambitious (and pre-election) plans for a huge underground suburban rail network come to fruition. In the latest (and biggest) of the government's policy promises ahead of the November state election, Premier Daniel Andrews this morning released a proposal for a brand new 90-kilometre Suburban Rail Loop, which would link all of the city's major rail lines, from the southeast in Cheltenham all the way to the west in Werribee. It's a huge undertaking, and one that's largely unfunded at the moment — The Age is reporting that the whole thing will cost around $50 billion, but the State Government has only committed 300 million to it so far. For comparison, the current Metro Tunnel project has been estimated at costing around $11 billion. Premier Daniel Andrews took to his Facebook page to announce the plans this morning, posting a video that details how and where the project will operate. The proposed new line would run a loop around Melbourne's outer suburbs, connecting the existing train lines at a point outside of the CBD. The current plans have it starting at Cheltenham on the Frankston line, connecting to the Cranbourne/Pakenham line at Clayton before running through Glen Waverley and to Box Hill on the Lilydale/Belgrave line. From there it will go underground to connect to Heidelberg on the Hurstbridge line, Reservoir on the South Morang, Fawkner on the Upfield and Broadmeadows on the Craigieburn before heading to the new Melbourne Airport station that we'll supposedly have by then. From there it will head down to Sunshine, which is on the Sunbury line, before finishing up at Werribee. All this work could include up to 12 new underground stations and would provide train services to suburbs that don't currently have them, like Monash, Burwood and Doncaster. If all goes as planned, the new network would carry 400,000 people a day, which the government hopes will reduce congestion on both roads and existing train lines. Of course, this is far from a done deal — it's the Andrews Government's flagship promise in the campaign to be re-elected in November. And, if his government does get re-elected, the project will then have to find funding and be passed by parliament to begin on the proposed start date of 2022. At the moment, the government has only committed 300 million towards a business case, design and pre-construction work, which means there is still a lot of work to go to prove that the project is viable (not to mention finding the extra $49,700,000,000). It's not something you want to hold your breath for. That said, the Andrews Government has been the administration to actually make the Metro Tunnel happen, remove multiple level crossings in the city's east and commit to an Airport Rail Link (although that one's not quite confirmed yet), so we'll wait to see what happens both at the election and in the next 18 months. We'll keep you updated.
Decking the halls with boughs of holly — or whatever other jolly decorations you like — is a standard way to celebrate Christmas. Enjoying a holiday in a caravan decked out like a seasonal dream? That isn't, but you can add it to your list this November. You will need to adore the merriest time of year, obviously. And you'll have to be keen to take an early festive getaway in New South Wales as well. Your Christmas tree-, fairy light- and festive ornament-filled home away from home? Tillie, aka the Christmas caravan, which is available to book via RV rental site Camplify. The service set up shop in Australia a few years back now, and has treated holidaymakers to gin-themed caravans before — but now it's time to take a getaway that's all about Christmas. A vintage caravan that leans into its retro vibe, Tillie sleeps four, and is available at your choice of three Reflections Holiday Parks in NSW: Hawks Nest, Jimmys Beach and Seal Rocks. Whichever one you pick, you'll be paying $125 per night, and the van will be delivered to your chosen site — all decorated, of course — for you. Inside the van, expect those ornaments aplenty. Outside — where it's recommended that you kick back as the sun goes down — fairy lights and Christmas garlands will be wrapped around Tillie. And, you'll even find a wreath on the back of the van, too. No one will be saying "bah, humbug!" here, clearly. You do need to commit to a four-night stay at a minimum, so no need to rush your festive holiday. Also, there's an $80 service fee — and while delivering Tillie to Hawks Nest and Jimmys Beach is free, there's an extra $100 cost for Seal Rocks. All three sites sit along the coast, turning your time with Tillie into a beachy Christmas jaunt. At Hawks Nest, you'll find yourself between Bennett's Beach and the village of Hawks Nest, and also in the vicinity of Port Stephens and Nelson Bay. At Jimmys Beach, you'll be in NSW's Great Lakes region. And at Seal Rocks, a mid-north coast escape awaits. To book Tillie throughout November — with prices from $125 per day, and rentals available at Reflections Holiday Parks at Hawks Nest, Jimmys Beach and Seal Rocks — visit the Camplify website. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
This article is sponsored by our partners, Wotif.com. You might know that Adelaide is the original home of the pie floater. But did you also know that it boasts more restaurants per head than any other city in Australia? For way too long, the South Australian capital has been Australia’s beleaguered middle child, struggling to get the attention of which it’s worthy, and defending itself against the nation’s collective jokes. But, earlier this year, things changed. When Lonely Planet published its 2014 Top 10 Cities of the World, the “city of churches, festivals and homicides” burst into the international spotlight at number nine. “Adelaide is effortlessly chic,” commented Lonely Planet media and communications manager Adam Bennett, “and like a perfectly cellared red, it’s ready to be uncorked and sampled.” And the especially good news? Wotif.com wants you to do the sampling. So, they’re giving away a holiday of epic proportions. One creative reader and their guest will score return economy flights to Adelaide from their nearest capital city, four days’ car hire and three nights’ accommodation. The first two will be spent in king-beds and deep baths at the luxurious Majestic Roof Garden Hotel, situated just 50 metres from the cultural epicentre of Rundle Street. On the third, the winners will find themselves at Mount Lofty House, a 160-year-old manor in the Adelaide Hills, where they’ll be treated to a five-course degustation with matching wines and wake up to a buffet breakfast. What’s more, to ensure a comprehensive experience of the food and wine adventures that so impressed Lonely Planet, there’s a Penfolds Magill Estate Tour, a Top Food and Wine Choco-latte Tour and an Adelaide Central Market Morning Tour thrown in. All you’ve got to do is give your creative fruit a squeeze and tell Wotif.com why they should send you to Adelaide, in 25 words or less. The video below might help you to get thinking left of centre.
Get ready to ring in 2019 with Cruise Bar's huge New Year's Eve event. It's no secret that Sydney loves to put on a show and you'll be in one of the best spots for it, with a prime harbourside view of both fireworks shows and the Opera House. From $99 per person, you will receive a glass of sparkling on arrival and access to levels one and two. Or, if you want to splash out for the special night, you can opt for the VIP package (from $389 per person) which features three hours of food and beverages including free-flowing Pol Roger NV Champagne on Cruise Bar's glorious rooftop. You'll also get access to all three levels across the evening so you can scope out the best vantage point for the fireworks display. Plus, DJ duo Stafford Brothers will be on deck to provide your soundtrack for this epic farewell to 2018. Spots are filling up fast for this end-of-the-year bash. To nab your spot, head to Cruise Bar's website.
ANZAC Day might be more than a month away, but it's still being affected by efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. With non-essential events with over 500 people now banned indefinitely, services around the country are being cancelled and reduced in size. The situation differs state by state, with each respective branch of the RSL making a call on their usual commemorations. Of paramount concern nationwide isn't just protecting the general public, but protecting veterans, especially those of an older age who are particularly at risk from the coronavirus. In New South Wales, that means scrapping all public services entirely. The same is the case in Queensland, although it'll look into options to mark the occasion "without placing veterans and the general public at risk". Western Australia and Tasmania are also completely scrapping their plans. [caption id="attachment_665411" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Shrine of Remembrance Flickr[/caption] In Victoria, events will go ahead — but the public won't be able to attend. There'll be a single dawn service at the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance, which will be conducted "with a small number of official guests and modified to minimise COVID-19 risk"; however, the midday service at the same spot won't go ahead, and neither will the ANZAC Day march. RSL sub branches across Victoria will also be allowed to conduct one commemorative service only, but these will not be open to the public either. If the mass gatherings ban is still in place on April 25, it's likely another major part of ANZAC Day in Australia won't go ahead either: the annual games of two-up. ANZAC Day services will no longer go ahead on Saturday, April 25 in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania. In Victoria, all services have been cancelled except a dawn service at the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance, but it will not be open to the public. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Top image: ANZAC Day at Dee Why RSL.
Over the past decade, streaming has become a firm part of every film and TV fan's life — providing more viewing choices, more places to find movies and television shows, and more excuses to while away hours and hours (and then a few more hours) on the couch. But, it has also sparked a familiar dilemma. Too often, thanks to all of the options available, it's easy to spend more time deciding what to check out next than actually watching something. Netflix has just released its intended solution to this problem, via a new feature called 'play something'. First revealed earlier in 2021, and now available globally across the platform, it's basically a shuffle function — and will automatically pick something for you to watch, rather than letting you keep scrolling and scrolling (and scrolling) while you're trying to make a decision. Here's how it works: when Netflix subscribers hit the 'play something' option — and therefore tell the service that they don't want to browse right now — they're instantly met with something new to view. It'll be either a series or film, and it could be something brand new, something you're already watching, a title that's on your list, or a show or movie you hadn't gotten around to finishing yet. Obviously, Netflix will be drawing upon its algorithm — as aided by your past viewing choices — to take your selections out of your hands. And, while it isn't called "I'm feeling lucky", that's the approach Netflix is basically asking subscribers to go with in terms of finding something to watch next. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY2djp46FeY If you don't like the first choice that the new function thrusts in front of your eyeballs, you can click 'play something else'. What happens then is self-explanatory. And, if you're keen to tun the 'play something' function on, you'll find it underneath your profile name, on the tenth row on Netflix's homepage and in the navigation menu on the left side of the screen. The company has been testing this type of functionality in various forms over the past few years — and the concept is hardly new, as users of music streaming services know. In France at the end of 2020, Netflix also trialled a linear channel, which just played films and shows one after the other in the way that broadcast television does; however, there's no news yet as to whether the latter will become a permanent function worldwide. The idea behind these new features — whether they've been implemented or they're just being trialled — is to keep people watching and encourage more folks to join up as subscribers, of course. More and more new streaming services pop up all the time, all vying for your eyeballs, or so it feels at least. That's also the reason that Netflix introduced its Top Ten lists in 2020, if you've been wondering why the platform started telling you that everyone was watching Tiger King, The Queen's Gambit and The Midnight Sky. Netflix's new 'play something' feature is active on the platform now. For more information about, head to the streaming service's website.
Following up on his contribution to the Venice Biennale earlier this year, internationally renowned Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei has crafted a visually immersive structure made entirely of bicycles. The unveiling of the impressive centrepiece, titled Forever Bicycles for this year's Scotiabank Nuit Blanche has been met with widespread enthusiasm, quickly becoming a crowd favourite. The Toronto initiative, otherwise known as the 'Sleepless Night' festival, is a celebration of contemporary art in public places. Installed at Nathan Phillip Square, the spectacular installation consists of 3144 interconnected stainless steel bicycles. The visual effect of the artwork is mesmerising — it's as if it were designed for slow exposure photography, especially when bathed in pink and blue lights during the evening. The multitude of different viewing positions also means that the work is constantly changing. In this way, it evokes a sense of the fast-paced social transformation that China is currently undergoing. Viewers will be able to walk through the colossal labyrinth-like structure until it is dismantled in late October. Ai Weiwei has been known for his innovative and architectural use of everyday objects. His practice also frequently blurs the boundaries between art and politics, notably speaking out against China's social policies, human rights record and strict censorship laws. Via My Modern Met.
They say food is the real language of love. A simple meal can be as moving as a Shakespearean sonnet, and is, more importantly, mutually intelligible across borders. You can taste the love for yourself this October when the Omnivore World Tour hits our shores for the first time as part of Crave Sydney International Food Festival. Originating in France, Omnivore is an international tour de force that emphasises an innovative approach to the culinary arts by breaking down barriers between chef and consumer, method and madness. Part of the Omnivore repertoire is a series of masterclasses, to be held at the National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour, which promises to reveal the secrets of the masterminds behind a number of Sydney and Paris's most beloved kitchens. If you're more of an appreciator than a creator in the kitchen, however, Omnivore's pop-up dinners may be more your style. For $120 per head, you can experience a feast crafted from the freshest local ingredients and paired with a selection of world-class wine at Sixpenny in Chippendale. Prepared by James Parry and Daniel Puskas, the dynamic duo behind Sixpenny, in collaboration with Sven Chartier, famed for his farm-to-table approach to French cuisine at Saturne in Paris, this pop-up dinner is just one of a handful of banquet options on the menu between Friday, 4 October, and Sunday, 6 October. If you like to play with with your food, treat yourself to a taste of the extraordinary when Omnivore makes its Australian debut.
Sydneysiders will soon have another option for getting around the eastern suburbs, with an on-demand bus service set to launch on Monday, August 20. After launching in Sydney's west in June, Bridj will launch a small trial fleet of buses to initially service Rose Bay, Dover Heights, North Bondi and Bondi Beach, between 6am–9am and 3pm-9pm, Monday to Friday, and 8am–8.30pm on Saturday and Sunday. The areas and routes included are designed to cover gaps between existing transport hubs in the eastern suburbs, predominately functioning to transport passengers to and from the Rose Bay ferry during peak hours. This is the second round of good news eastern suburb commuters have received this week, with Transport for NSW also announcing plans to run buses every three-minutes during peak hour, from North Bondi to the CBD, from September 23. Bridj works a little bit like Uber, combining both fixed route and on-demand transit. To book a trip, jump on the smartphone app — which you can download for free for IOS and android — input your destination and when you want to go, and a booking confirmation will be sent through with a nearby pick-up spot and estimated drop-off time. The Bridj micro-buses travel different routes depending on where passengers are headed, and like an Uber, can be tracked in real-time via the app. The technology even looks at things like congestion to work out the shortest possible routes and best pick-up spots. From August 20 through August 31 the service will be free, after that adult fares will cost $3.10 with concession card holders paying $1.50. You can pay either via credit card through the app, with cash on board or with your Opal card. And don't forget to thank the bus driver. There are plans to incorporate another 27 of the buses across Sydney in the coming years, as Bridj continues to analyse customer needs and evolve its offering to suit. There's no word yet on how long the trial will run for, but we'll update as soon as we have more info. The Bridj service will launch in Sydney's eastern suburbs this Monday, August 20. To learn more about it, head to the Bridj or Transport NSW websites.
Face of Man opened in The Strand Arcade way back in 1978. The male grooming lounge is still going strong over 40 years later, now located just down the block along George Street. The space resembles a 1920s smoking lounge and is considered the top spot for male skincare and haircare in Sydney. There are seven treatment rooms, and a wide range of options from waxing and nail care to massages, laser hair removal and tattoo removal. It's all accompanied by a glass of scotch on arrival, too. First time visitors can get a whole heap of services for just $99 all up, including professional skin analysis, a one-hour customised facial, a hydrating eye treatment, an eyebrow tidy and even a neck and shoulder massage.
This well-loved Bondi establishment run by two talented Kiwis is a mecca for eastern suburbs sugar slaves. And boy, can they make a good doughnut. Several, actually. The vanilla custard and raspberry jam is divine but perhaps risks being overshadowed by the newer, sinful 'Bronut' — a dark-hued beast filled with moreish chocolate custard and dusted in cocoa powder. Be prepared for a very messy, multiple-napkin eating experience (even those of you who pride yourself on eating tacos neatly). The custard doughnuts come in two sizes: regular ($5.50) and the still satisfying mini ($3.50). For those who don't dig custard, their cinnamon doughnut ($3.50), dusted with Rapadura sugar (the pure juice extracted from sugar cane that's supposedly a healthier alternative to white sugar), also scores big points. Appears in: The Best Bakeries in Sydney for 2023
Kicking off the year at MOP Projects is Splitting Sides, a vibrant new exhibition focused on cultural disparities. Curators Andrew Christie and Brigitte Gerges will bring together a group of emerging artists in order to tease out the multifaceted nature of Australian identity. Dominic Byrne, a self-described "disembodied performer", will explore different representations of the self in comical ways. Drawing on her Chinese heritage, Frankie Chow's work confronts the fierceness of racial abuse. Her performance project will use laughter as a method of overcoming aggression against minorities. Martin James is concerned with the nature of time within the act of migrating. Using Australia's landscape as a visual language, he'll reflect on the time taken to flee, to search for a new home, to wait indefinitely and to eventually resettle. Handi Saleh's work springs from Islamic calligraphy, fleshing out its formal qualities into sculptural representations. And finally, Andrea Srisurapon delves into the hybrid cultural identity of her own family. While at MOP Projects, you can also catch House of Mnemonic, a suite of paintings from Camilla Cassidy. Her practice is focused on exploring a set of binary oppositions: material and immaterial, spectral and concrete, past and present.
Hugo Muecke and Holly Greenwood are Sydney-based artists who visualise the Australian landscape in creative ways — from beaches to bushland, McDonald's drive-thrus to marsupials. Their upcoming week-long exhibition Bush Towns at Darlington's Sheffer Gallery will showcase a variety of their recent work that attempts to piece together a rather odd but all-too-familiar national identity. From linear drawings to earthy painterly hues, their contrasting yet complimentary practices aim to capture the beauty, irony and imperfections of the little things that make Australia one of a kind.
Death and the Maiden is a psychological thriller focusing on the aftermath of the Pinochet regime in Chile. Written in 1992, but still frighteningly relevant, Ariel Dorfman's script sheds light on the cultural and political suffocation of Chile that lasted nearly two decades. We're given insight into this historic event through his traumatised heroine, Paulina (Susie Porter). This production, which opens at Melbourne Theatre Company before travelling to Sydney, is generating excitement because of the cultural insight provided by its Argentinian-Australian director, Leticia Cáceres. Cáceres has climbed the theatre hierarchy quickly in recent years, earning much critical praise as well as the MTC associate directorship. But even with all her successes, she maintains that this project holds particular importance. "I regard Death and the Maiden as part of my heritage", Cáceres says. "I am honoured to be able to share it with a new audience and demonstrate why this play is so tremendously important."
You've probably started to notice all the bunny-shaped chocolates, decadent edible eggs and cute baskets popping up at your local supermarket. Yep, Easter is just around the corner. If you're a super fan of the choc-fuelled annual event, then gear up for a fun day out at the Sydney Family Show, which is taking over the entertainment Quarter for two whole weeks. Whether you're wanting to channel your inner kidult or you're looking for a way to entertain your actual kids, this fair has you covered. Running from Thursday, April 1 till Sunday, April 18, the Sydney Family Show will have everything from carnival games and showbags to thrilling rides, such as dodgem cars, spinning teacups and a giant slide. You'll also get to partake in the epic Easter Basket Scramble and dive into a huge ball pit. Then, check out the live entertainment shows, hang out with adorable animals at the on-site nursery, or, if you prefer scaly reptiles, hold a snake at the daily reptile show. There are also some one-day events happening such as bunny hopping competitions on Good Friday; the Variety Easter Family Fun Day on April 8 in partnership with the namesake children's charity; and a dog talent show on the fair's closing day. It's an affordable day of fun, too, with tickets priced at $7 for kids, $15 for adults and a reasonable $40 for a four-person family. Of course, there's a global pandemic to be mindful of, so pre-booking tickets is encouraged. You can also expect social distancing measures to be in place, plus numerous hand washing facilities and sanitising stations around the fair. Sydney Family Show is taking over the Entertainment Quarter from Thursday, April 1–Sunday, April 18. Opening times are 10am–5pm daily, except over the Easter long weekend (April 2–5) when it'll be open till 6pm. Pre-book your tickets here.
Peruse the Tim Tam section of an Australian supermarket and more than just the classic version of the chocolate biscuits await. Arnott's has even done Gelato Messina-inspired Tim Tams in the past. So, adding a new flavour to sit alongside current specials like coconut cream, Murray River salted caramel, and butterscotch and cream isn't a surprise — but turning an April Fool's joke into a real bikkie is a first. It was back in 2023, on the day that no news can be trusted, that Arnott's revealed a Jatz-inspired Tim Tam for when you can't choose between crackers and chocolate biscuits. It was a prank then, but the brand's customers didn't want to to remain just a gag. So, Tim Tam inspired by Jatz will hit Coles around Australia from late April. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tim Tam (@timtam) "Following the overwhelming number of comments and requests, we knew we had to bring Tim Tam inspired by Jatz to the shelf and make it available for every Aussie to enjoy," said Tim Tam Marketing Manager Rebecca Chan. One important caveat, though: Tim Tam inspired by Jatz don't actually include any Jatz, but feature their salty taste — and have "cracker notes", Arnott's advises. A packet will set you back $5 when they reach the shelves. Also, more surprising flavours might be in store across the year, with Tim Tams turning 60 in 2024. In the future, you might want to pay attention to Arnott's April Fool's Day jokes to come, too, in case they actually sound like something you'd like — and become a reality a year later. Tim Tam inspired by Jatz will hit Coles supermarkets around Australia from late April 2024. Head to the Arnott's website for more details.
Dispelling the old thought that art and science cannot mix, The Creators Project showcases the talent of those who have simultaneously mastered both fields. The Creators Project is a product of a partnership between Intel and Vice, and has been held in various locations throughout the United States, as well as in the UK, France, China, South Korea, and Brazil. Held in San Francisco, California last weekend, the event featured both established and new artists who use technology to create their art. “The countries we travel to in our global event series are all comprised of innovative communities at the forefront of the marriage of art and technology," said David Haroldsen, Intel's Creative Director for the project. “Many of our creators are based out of these countries which has in turn helped us further expand, enabling us to form relationships with more and more forthcoming artists in the art and tech communities.” According to Haroldsen, the goal of the The Creators Project is to find the world's most innovative tech artists and provide them with the resources necessary to give their work exposure. Hosi Simon, GM of Vice, said: "We discuss the artists’ dreams and ambitions in great detail, and find ways of how The Creators Project can help them reach their goals. We want to create long-term partnerships and collaborations." The event featured an incredible range of unique pieces. One installation piece titled 'Six Forty by Four Eighty', by Zigelbaum + Coelho2, allowed event goers to interact with giant pixels. The pixels could be controlled via remote, or cloned by holding a hand over a particular pixel and then tapping another. 'The Treachery of Sanctuary' by Chris Milk similarly allowed for interaction by using Kinect sensors to transform participating people into birds on the projection screen. Other works included a giant, LED-lit cube which featured a light show, a giant wall of Instagram photos shared by attendees, and more. [via Mashable]
December 10 isn't an Australian public holiday. The nation doesn't stop to remember or celebrate it, or to look back at our past. But, thanks to a speech that took place in 1992, that date will always remain significant in the country's history. Taking to the stage in Sydney's Redfern Park, then-Prime Minister Paul Keating gave a groundbreaking address about the country's treatment of Indigenous Australians. He spoke six months after the High Court's Mabo decision, and didn't pay mere lip service to the topic. Rather, he directly discussed the negative effects of white settlement upon First Nations peoples. Keating also did all of the above after quite the opening act — with Bangarra Dance Theatre, just three years into its now 32-year existence, performing before what's been known ever since as the Redfern Park Speech. Even if your knowledge of Bangarra is limited to the many dance productions that have unleashed their beauty and potency across Australia's stages — which include Blak, Patyegarang, Lore, OUR land people stories, Bennelong and Dark Emu just in the last decade — the company's presence at Keating's famed address shouldn't come as even the slightest surprise. The Sydney-based organisation repeatedly confronts Australia's colonial history head-on in its works. As an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts outfit, it can't avoid it, the impact that the nation's past has had upon Indigenous culture, and the trauma that's rippled across generations as a result. Seeing footage from that fated day and speech has an impact, though. Such clips form just a small part of the excellent new documentary Firestarter — The Story of Bangarra, but co-directors Wayne Blair (The Sapphires, Top End Wedding) and Nel Minchin (Matilda & Me, Making Muriel) know their power. Indeed, the two filmmakers are well aware that they can't tell Bangarra's tale without placing the acclaimed dance theatre in its rightful social, political and cultural context. What audiences have seen on stage over the years is stunning, astonishing and important, of course, but all of those exceptional performances haven't ever existed in a vacuum. For those unacquainted with the details of Bangarra's origins, evolution, aims and achievements, Firestarter recounts them, starting with its leap out of the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association and the Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre. Actually, it jumps back further, not only stepping through Bangarra's predecessors, but also charting how Stephen, David and Russell Page became its most famous names. Just as it's impossible to examine the dance company's accomplishments and influence without also interrogating and chronicling Australia's history, it's simply unthinkable to do so without focusing as heavily on the Page brothers as Blair and Minchin choose to. Stephen would become Bangarra's artistic director, a role he still holds. David was its music director, while Russell was one of its best dancers — and their path from growing up in Brisbane in the 60s, 70s and 80s to helping shape and guide an Aussie arts powerhouse is a pivotal component of Bangarra's overall journey thus far. If it sounds as if Firestarter has been set a hefty task — doing triple duty as a celebration of Bangarra, a record of Australia's past and a portrait of three siblings with dreams as big as their talents — that's because it has. But this dense and yet also deft documentary is up to the immense feat, and dances through its massive array of material, topics and themes as skilfully as any of Bangarra's performers ever have. It also never loses sight of what it's about, even though it covers a range of subjects. Again and again, whether chatting through the company's formation with co-founders Carole Johnson and Cheryl Stone, hearing the Pages discuss what they learned from connecting with their culture in Arnhem Land, and inevitably facing the fact that life hasn't only brought happiness and success to Stephen, David and Russell, Firestarter demonstrates the relevance to and through the organisation's works. Attendees at Bangarra's shows have been receiving history lessons for years — some overt, some subtle — and the film makes it apparent how that applies not just in a broad fashion but, for the Pages, in a personal sense as well. Even if Blair and Minchin hadn't plunged as deeply as they do into everything that's made Bangarra what it is to this point, they were likely to make an entertaining, engaging and informative documentary. The old clips and home videos; the frank interviews from both the past and present; the glimpses at the company's stage productions; the snippets of Stephen Page's equally stellar 2015 film Spear, which adapts one of the organisation's dance works — they're a treasure trove, and Firestarter always treats them as such. It allocates just the right amount of time to approving chats with other prominent arts industry figures such as Sydney Festival's Wesley Enoch and Sydney Dance Company's Graeme Murphy, too, ensuring that their perspectives are valued but never allowed to take over. The movie doesn't merely look backwards, however. Seeing how Bangarra's history continues to mould its future, its creative decisions and the dancers that star in its productions today is just as crucial to the film. Also part and parcel of Firestarter — which should almost go without saying — is the strong feeling it leaves with viewers. Wanting to soak in and experience everything that Bangarra has to offer is a natural consequence of seeing the company's stage performances, and of watching the aforementioned Spear as well, but Firestarter doesn't let that sensation wane for a second. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3REMs9I9Tg Top image: Bennelon, Sydney Coliseum Theatre, by Daniel Boud.
Thanks to the soothing tones of waves lapping against the shore, a trip to Burleigh Heads always comes a soundtrack. From May, if you're a fan of Japanese cuisine, it'll also feature slurping noises aplenty. That's when RaRa Ramen is set to open its doors, with the Sydney-based chain making its first trip north — adding a Gold Coast site as a sibling venue to its four NSW stores. On the menu: tonkotsu ramen, which has proven quite the hit at RaRa Redfern, RaRa Randwick and RaRa Chan in Eveleigh. Taking its cues from the chain's vegan offshoot Lonely Mouth, RaRa Burleigh Heads will be doing meat-free bowls as well. Chicken karaage, cauliflower karaage and corn tempura will also be on offer, covering snack options for both carnivorous and plant-focused diners alike. While a great bowl of broth and noodles is always a drawcard, RaRa Burleigh Heads will boast another thanks to its neon-lit cocktail bar. Glowing hues are a feature of the company's other sites, too; however, in this case, the vivid lights will be nodding to the area's history. When on the Gold Coast and all that. Drinks-wise, sours will be a highlight, alongside a lineup of beers that'll include Japanese brews. And, the venue's decor will reflect its beachy setting in other ways, including in the curved lines featured in the fitout. RaRa is expected to open in Burleigh Heads before the middle of May, at the back of an arcade on James Street. If you're wondering why owners Scott Gault and Katie Shortland have decided to make the leap, Gault is originally from Brisbane — and, on a trip this way to see family after navigating border closures and restrictions during the peak of the pandemic, the pair spotted the property. "We let it percolate in our heads, and thought it could be a good opportunity to bring RaRa to the Gold Coast," Gault tells Concrete Playground. "Initially, we didn't have any plans to expand interstate, or to open a new store at the time." Like most Brisbanites, Gault has fond childhood memories of spending ample time on the coast, and identified Burleigh as an exciting food hub. Also a factor in the decision: the Gold Coast's existing culinary range. Gault notes that the city has boasted "great options for Japanese food over the years, which have informed everyone's palate." RaRa Ramen will open before mid-May at 21A/50 James Street, Burleigh Heads. Images: RaRa Ramen Randwick, Kitti Gould.
To swim at the beach is to enjoy pure, natural beauty, but swimming at the pool allows for something else: the appreciation of nature and the human-made together. Whether driven by landlocked location, the presence of healing hot springs, or just a fear of waves, people have built stunning public swimming pools all over the world. These are ten of the best. Gellert Baths - Budapest, Hungary One hundred and eighteen thermal springs produce 70 million litres of warm water in Budapest every day. It's little wonder that the Hungarian capital is otherwise known as the 'Spa City'. Of the many pools found there, the Gellert Baths are the most visited. Built during the First World War, they are famous for their majestic, art nouveau architecture and the healing powers of their springs, acknowledged since medieval times. Badeschiff - Berlin, Germany As part of a 2004 public art project, Berlin based artist Susanne Lorenz transformed the hull of a 32m-long ship into a swimming pool and set it afloat it on the River Spree. Known as the Badeschiff, meaning 'bathing ship' in English, it is now one of Berlin’s primary summer attractions and includes table tennis tables and DJs for year-round fun. Montjuic Municipal Pool - Barcelona, Spain If you're a Kylie Minogue fan, you might recognise this view. She and a crowd of rather statuesque divers spend her video clip 'Slow' rolling around on beach towels next to the Montjuic Municipal Pool. Located on a hill high above Barcelona, this one offers spectacular scenery and Olympic diving boards. The Blue Lagoon - Reykjavik, Iceland The silica- and sulphur-rich waters of the Blue Lagoon are believed to possess powerful medicinal qualities. Whether or not you're one of the faithful, you're bound to be seduced by the mystical surroundings and the year-round 37-39°C water temperatures, especially if you're visiting during one of Reykjavik's icy winters. Having appeared in The Amazing Race 6, Hostel: Part II, and Britain's Next Top Model, the Blue Lagoon is one of Iceland's star tourist attractions. Yrjonkatu Swimming Hall - Helsinki, Finland This one is a must for skinny dipping enthusiasts. Up until 2001, you weren't even allowed in the Yrjonkatu with your clothes on. These days, nudity is still popular, but not obligatory, and men and women must visit at separate times. Established in June 1928, Yrjönkatu is Scandinavia’s oldest indoor public swimming pool. Its stunning classical-style architecture conjures up an atmosphere reminiscent of the ancient Roman baths. Barton Springs Pool - Austin, Texas For thousands of years, the Tonkawa Native American tribe used the springs that feed into Barton Pool during sacred rituals. Acquired by settlers in the 19th century and then by the City of Austin during the 1920s, the springs have been transformed into a public pool, which now lies inside Zilker Metropolitan Park. The water temperature is never much lower than 20°C and rarely exceeds 22°C, so you can take the plunge in comfort at any time of year. Pocas do Gomes - Madeira, Portugal The Pocas do Gomes lie on the idyllic southern edge of Madeira, a Portugese archipelago located 400km north of the Canary Islands. Naturally formed from volcanic rock, these pools enable expansive views over the Atlantic Ocean. A nearby restaurant offers fresh seafood and Portugese-style culinary delights. Piscine Molitor - Paris, France The Piscine Molitor, after which Yann Martel's increasingly famous fictional hero is named, may not be considered one of the world’s most beautiful pools right now. Built in 1929, but having closed in 1989, it became a favourite haunt for hoodlums and graffiti artists throughout the 1990s. However, a 2014 reopening promises the reconstruction of the pool in all its art deco glory. If Ang Lee's imaginative depictions are anything to go by, the Piscine Molitor will soon be vying for top of the list. Krapfenbaldwad - Vienna, Austria Situated just outside of Vienna and surrounded by vineyards, Krapfenbaldwad affords sweeping views. Given that Austria is landlocked, this pool provides some welcome cool relief for both locals and visitors and is often packed during the summer months. The old-fashioned changing rooms add an olde worlde charm to the bathing experience. Bondi Icebergs Baths - Sydney, Australia Finally, we'd be doing ourselves a disservice were we to forget that some of the most beautiful scenery on Earth is on our doorstep. The Waverley Council recognised this back in the 1880s, when they built the Bondi Baths at the southern end of Australia's most popular beach. Since 1929, the Baths have been home to the famous Icebergs, the only licensed Winter Swimming Club in the world. To be a member, you must be willing to swim at least one length of the 50m pool on three Sundays out of every month, all winter long. Any attempts at an excuse will only see your membership relinquished. If that’s not quite your style, take a dip at your leisure for $5.50 (adults) / $3.50 (children/Seniors).
Fresh from hosting the Foo Fighters at Geelong's GMHBA Stadium, Victoria's new statewide contemporary music celebration Always Live has just added two new gigs to its lineup: the first stops in the Australian leg of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis' Carnage tour. Mark Friday, November 25 and Saturday, November 26 in your diaries and prepare to head to the Macedon Ranges, because the two Aussie music legends and their must-attend 2022 shows are heading to Hanging Rock. The pair are hitting the stage to support the 2021 album that shares the tour's name, which actually marks Cave and Ellis' first studio album as a duo. Bandmates across several projects since the 90s — including Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and Grinderman — Cave and Ellis are Aussie icons, with careers spanning back decades. Together, they also boast more than a few phenomenal film scores to their names as well, including for The Proposition, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The Road, West of Memphis, Far From Men, Hell or High Water and Wind River. Cave and Ellis will head home after an American Carnage tour, and following Cave's subsequent tour with the Bad Seeds in Europe. Yes, this is some news to come sail your ships around — although, given that Cave announced that the tour was in the works back in early February via his The Red Hand Files email list, you might've already started getting excited last month. [caption id="attachment_845538" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Laurine Payet[/caption] The Hanging Rock shows will have a limited capacity, with getting in quickly when tickets go on sale — at 12pm AEDT on Tuesday, March 15, with general sales available from 12pm local time on Thursday, March 17 — highly recommended. Courtney Barnett will join the duo for the two gigs — and details of shows in other cities around the country is expected soon, so keep watching this space. Fans of the pair have something else to look forward to, too: film This Much I Know to Be True, directed by Chopper, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and Killing Them Softly filmmaker Andrew Dominik, about Cave and Ellis' creative relationship. Dominik also made 2016 Cave doco One More Time with Feeling, and his latest flick will hit Aussie cinemas on Wednesday, May 11. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis' Australian Carnage tour will kick off at Hanging Rock in the Macedon Ranges on Friday, November 25 and Saturday, November 26, then continue throughout November and December 2022 — with other cities, dates and venues still to be announced. Pre-sale tickets for the Hanging Rock shows go on sale at 12pm AEDT on Tuesday, March 15, with general sales available from 12pm local time on Thursday, March 17. For more information or to register for pre-sales, head to the tour website. Top images: Laurine Payet, Palma Sabina.
Regardless of whether you find the block-sized World Square in the CBD more of an eyesore than shopping hub and apartment block extravaganza, you'll be interested to know the six or so-week-old addition, Kingswood Coffee, not only has your coffee needs covered but also offers a little nod to Sydney's past that might just keep those in the former camp happy. In a nutshell, back in the '80s, World Square somewhat controversially took the place of what was once the largest department store in Sydney (and at one point, the world), Anthony Hordern & Sons. Fifty-two acres of retail space, this back-then gargantuan commercial epicentre sported aesthetics of heritage-listed proportions that sadly went the way of many a lost architectural treasure. Fortunately, Kingswood's owner Mikey Jordan (ex-Manly's Barefoot Coffee Traders) isn't one to let beauty be forgotten. With an interior designed by Tamsin Johnson (Mr. Moustache, Mr Tipply's), Kingswood is a polished brass and wood delight, offering a small area inside to order from the two-man La Marzocco coffee machine, lit by four dimple-tipped opaque globes all above royal blue hexagonal tiles. Contemporary elements aren't forgotten either, with Sydney-invented Juggler taps automatically pouring out milk quick sharp, as well as saving approximately 80 percent on plastic waste. But of course, the main attraction here isn't the fit-out but the coffee. It labels itself as a 'specialty coffee shop', and the speciality here seems to be collaboration. The smooth and delicious house blend for dairy-based coffees is from Melbourne's Sensory Lab and uses one Columbian and two Brazilian beans (available to purchase by the bag at $50), while black coffee drinkers can savour the tastes of monthly rotating concoctions: this month is Melbourne-based Proud Mary ($60 per bag), while next month sees Sydney's Sample step up to the plate. Tea drinkers have a number of Tea Craft bags to choose from, Chai-lovers can enjoy an eight-hour brewed homemade creation and, according to Jordan, cold drip will be making its way over in time for summer. If you're looking for something a little naughty, opt for a mocha, combining milk and espresso with melted Belcolade Belgian chocolate, which, thankfully, is just the right level of sweetness not to overpower the underlining yummy coffee taste. But of course, if chocolate is more your thing, there are milkshakes and waffles all just waiting to be smothered in the stuff. Food-wise the selection is limited, but again collaboration reigns supreme, with pastries sourced from Leichhardt's Penny Fours, cronuts from Brewtown Newtown and sourdough from Brickfields in Chippendale. Filling for said sourdough sarnies comes from Alexandria's Salt Meats Cheese. All in all, while this place might only be a tiny takeaway joint tucked away in a monumental modern Sydney icon and surrounded by countless clothing giants and heartless chains, it's this appreciation of the past and, more importantly, a decent cup of coffee that has already made Kingswood a local for residents and business folk alike. Not bad going at all, we say.
For Australian TV viewers, your familiarity with various US cable networks will depend upon which of their television shows you happen to watch. HBO has become a household name thanks to everything from The Sopranos and The Wire to Game of Thrones and Succession, for instance — and if you're a fan of Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and The Walking Dead, you'll have noticed AMC's moniker more than once or twice. Get ready to watch more of AMC's shows, actually, as the American network has just brought its AMC+ streaming bundle to Australia. Rather than existing as a separate platform, it's an add-on that's available via the Apple TV channels on the Apple TV app and, also for Prime members thanks to its Prime Video channels. You'll need to pay extra to access it — to the tune of $8.99 per month — but that'll add both new and classic AMC shows to your streaming queue. So, you'll be able to watch six-part series The Beast Must Die, which stars Chernobyl's Jared Harris and follows the aftermath of a hit and run; Swedish series The Restaurant, which kicks off with a kiss amid end-of-WWII celebrations; and Dutch miniseries The Swell, about the most powerful storm in history heading towards The Netherlands and Belgium. There's also stop-motion comedy Ultra City Smiths, which uses animated baby dolls to stand in for a grown-up cast of characters — and a heap of true-crime titles, including docuseries Cold Blooded: The Clutter Family Murders, about the chilling killings that Truman Capote turned into the acclaimed book In Cold Blood. In terms of new arrivals, the South Australian-shot Firebite might just be the most exciting show on AMC+'s lineup. It won't start dropping episodes until Thursday, December 16; however, it's created by Aussie Samson and Delilah, Sweet Country and The Beach filmmaker Warwick Thornton. Following two Indigenous Australian hunters who battle the last colony of vampires in the middle of the SA desert, it stars Rob Collins (The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson) and newcomer Shantae Barnes-Cowan (Total Control), as well as Yael Stone (Orange is the New Black) and Callan Mulvey (Shadow in the Cloud). Also set to hit in the coming weeks: dystopian drama series Anna, about a world plagued by a virus which kills adults but spares children; the first three seasons of documentary mockumentary series Documentary Now!; and sketch comedy Sherman's Showcase. Subscribers to AMC+ also get access to the network's two other forays into local streaming, horror platform Shudder and the British TV-focused Acorn TV — all at no extra cost. Plus, the streaming bundle will gain a heap of AMC's high-profile existing shows throughout November, such as Mad Men, Riviera, Portlandia, Comedy Bang! Bang! and Eli Roth's History of Horror, as well as of a number of indie movies from IFC Films and horror flicks from Shudder. If you're keen — and your streaming queue has a few gaps in it — AMC+ is doing seven-day free trials for Prime members, too. The AMC+ streaming bundle is now available via the Apple TV channels on the Apple TV app and, also for Prime members thanks to its Prime Video channels. For more information, head to the AMC+ Facebook page. Top image: Ian Routledge/AMC+.
If you're into hip hop and rather large outdoor carpark parties, chances are you've been to a One Day event. Haven't? Meet the crew at Max Watt's this September, as they throw a giant carpark carnival as part of this year's city-wide Red Bull Music Academy Weekender. Catch usual One Day suspects including Remi, Jackie Onassis, B Wise, Joyride, Shantan Wantan Ichiban, Melbourne-based reggae dancehall artist SK Simeon, all-female crew Haiku Hands, Arnhem Land's Baker Boy and Jayteehazard. The whole thing will be going down in the Entertainment Quarter precinct from 1pm through to 10pm.
In a follow up to last year's meditative Talk to the Sea with Gigi Masin, this year's Talk to the Breeze event — which is part of the Red Bull Music Academy Weekender — is set to challenge the senses through sound and performance against a historic outdoor Sydney backdrop. Japanese composer and percussionist Midori Takada will take you on an ambient journey at the Middle Head fortifications in Sydney Harbour National Park, with her harmonious weaving of east Asian sounds, jazz and minimal percussion. The landmark will also play host to Melbourne's Krakatau, a band which describe themselves as performing "explosive improv jams, haunting drones and climactic conclusions". Image: Alison Klein via Flickr.
Is Bond still up to it? After 50 years, six leading men, and 23 films, Skyfall is as much a story of an ageing spy fighting for his relevance as it is a chance for the franchise to do the same for its critics. The film opens on Bond (Daniel Craig) beaten, challenged, and cynical, a spent agent dismissed by his colleagues as a misogynist and denounced by his own government as an expensive and embarrassing anachronism. Even his adversary (Javier Bardem) scoffs, "England ... MI6 ... so old-fashioned," but as Bond shrewdly quips, "youth is not a guarantee of innovation." This clash of ideologies, pitting modernisation against tradition, underscores almost every dimension of the clever script by veteran writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who elegantly have their leading man speak for both himself and the franchise. Bond's rehab, his rejuvenation, and his ultimate demonstration of worth all matter as much to the story and character as they do to the audience in the real world, and — yes — you'd better believe he's still up to it. With its emphasis on Bond's strained relationship with 'M' (Judi Dench), Skyfall is a very British Bond, and also a very personal one. Both characters find themselves at crossroads, plagued by past decisions and questioning the very nature of their profession in which, so often, fellow agents (and even friends) are sacrificed in the name of Queen and Country. It's a small story told on a grand scale and refreshingly favours old-school spycraft over the traditional gadgets, doomsday devices, and cartoonish plans of world domination that defined many of the earlier films. Not that it completely eschews the Bond stables, however. There are still the fast cars, beautiful women, and vodka martinis; they're just presented in a more traditional way. Bond's suits have a '60s cut, his gun is the old Walther PPK, and even the music has more of a John Barry flavour to it, with Thomas Newman (American Beauty) gleefully unleashing his brass section and liberally quoting Bond's iconic theme throughout the score. It all gels perfectly, neatly reinforcing the 'old dog/new tricks' motif epitomised by M's small desk statue of a Churchillian bulldog draped in the Union Jack. In Skyfall, director Sam Mendes has delivered a classic Bond for the 21st century: modern in all the ways we need him to be; traditional in the ways we love him to be. After 50 years, the world definitely still needs its 007, and, courtesy of the closing credits, you can rest assured — James Bond will return. https://youtube.com/watch?v=StJLvbPIvTw
What happened to Carriageworks? Lisa Havilah is what happened. It would appear that this fine lady just stretches out, touches and all turns to gold. Very, very quickly. After only twelve months as Director at Carriageworks Havilah has taken that sprawling mess of boundless potential and turned it into something that appears to have the semblance of an artspace, with an actual exhibition program, and no less, one that is engaging and relevant. Thank you, Lisa, thank you. And 2012 looks set to be a jam-packed year for the former railway yard site. In February we will have the chance to delve into the thirty year career of Bronwyn Bancroft. Bancroft has never been one to limit herself and is known for her diverse talents from artist to fashion designer, illustrator to activist. As a high achiever of the boundless energy type Bancroft was amazingly the first Australian fashion designer to be invited to show her work in Paris in 1985 with her fashion outlet, Designer Aboriginals. She was also one of the founding members (together with Fiona Foley and Tracey Moffatt and others) of the Boomalli Aboriginal Co-operative which marks its 25th anniversary this year. So if you, like me, are in need of a little inspirational get-up-and-go to fire you into start of the first official work week of 2012 (that’s January 30 in case you were not aware, yes, I have been putting it off) I well recommend diving head first into the story of Bronwyn Bancroft.
Afterglow at PACT centre for emerging artists is a two-week season showcasing what the company does best: enable independent artists to create experimental theatre. PACT has curated two works for Afterglow from two of Sydney’s up-and-coming theatre talents. The Great Speckled Bird is an intermedia performance by Ryan McGoldrick, and Dining [Uns]-Table a dance-theatre performance by Cloé Fournier. The two works generate conversation across different disciplines (digital media/live music/dance). Although stylistically diverse, they call and respond to shared themes of family, storytelling and real (and distorted) memory. By no accident, on opening night PACT’s artistic director and CEO Katrina Douglas made direct reference to arts funding cuts currently being disputed in the Senate. She said it was now more crucial than ever to get behind emerging artists like McGoldrick and Fournier, who have realised these solo shows through a rigorous cycle of research, review and practice.
Sydney Dance Company’s Frame of Mind drills a hole into your heart and brain and makes you leak emotion in that sneaky, visceral way only dance can do. It's in fact two short contemporary dance pieces: Quintett, choreographed by William Forsythe, then Frame of Mind, by Sydney Dance Company’s artistic director, Rafael Bonachela. The result is stunning contemporary dance — neither pretentious, nor attempting any grand narrative. These are simply short, genuine outpourings of life and feeling from two very different choreographers, made accessible by committed dancers. Understanding the context of Quintett’s conception is pivotal to the experience. Originally created in 1993 (this is its Australian premiere), Quintett was a love letter from Forsythe to his terminally ill wife. Despite these tragic circumstances, Forsythe's work celebrates the chase of love. It’s full of pulls, falls and negotiations; at once both whimsical and profound. The quintet of dancers (Cass Mortimer Eipper, Chloe Leong, David Mack, Jesse Scales and Sam Young-Wright) engage in explorative play. Each dancer seems to ask, “what can my body do when I look at it anew?” They defy the everyday constraints placed on the body, and provoke their fellow dancers — taps on the bum, grabbing, shakes and whiplash — all to see how far they can possibly go. There is no storyline to follow, or characters to orbit, but the unshakeable feeling they are dancing a memoir. This may be a thank you letter for the moments shared, but it has no final signature. Each extension is intersected and retracted, each posture never fully completed. The bodies constantly interrupt each other's trajectories, so that one must always surrender to another, relinquish and release. The captivating Leong is still running and reaching as the curtain falls. The music mashes up a frail male voice singing a hymn with the crying sounds of strings. It's a simple but catchy looping that makes us aware of the eternal life/death cycle, and humbles us for thinking our own lives so important. Another beautiful element of both Quintett and Frame of Mind is the inclusion of ‘the watcher’. When dancers are not engaged, they pause and watch their peers. Spectatorship being so integral to human behaviour, it’s nice to see dancers drop their guard. Frame of Mind has a turbulent and moody atmosphere, exploding into action with the unnerving, staccato song of violins — the contemporary-classical soundtrack comes from The National's Bryce Dessner. We see warrior-esque rituals, moments of bared teeth and risk-taking choreography that leaves no room for error. We watch dances of despair, reverie and entrapment. The lighting of Frame of Mind is breathtaking. Forsythe’s uses mirrors and projectors to cast Quintett into the refracted/reflected world of memory. Meanwhile, Benjamin Cisterne creates the daily cycle of sun/moonlight for Frame of Mind, within the cavernous abandoned warehouse that designer Ralph Myers has created. Cisterne alerts our eyes to unexpected shades and silhouettes, such that we begin to doubt the materiality of this world. Are those watermarks on the walls, or ghosts, or continents? Quintett aches with shared memories, and Frame of Mind rattles the psyche. Anyone willing to submit to a corporeal experience should attend.
What could be more timely than a musical about gender transitioning, after those photos of Caitlyn Jenner placed trans issues on the pop culture radar? The only catch is the transgender protagonist of Triassic Parq is a T-Rex. The director of the musical comedy's Australian premiere, Jay James-Moody, describes the show as “Rocky Horror meets Jurassic Park”. Pertinent questions of identity and community are explored by an ensemble of existential dinosaurs. Note: the ‘dinos’ still look very human, so don’t expect massive puppets or prostheses and you won't be disappointed. Triassic Parq premiered off-Broadway in 2012 to some acclaim, yet the Seymour Centre's Reginald Season (for Aussie independents) is the first chance to see the “raunchy, yet poignant” musical at home. For musical theatre tragics, it's a must, and for the rest, it's an opportunity to see a funny, self-effacing, contemporary musical.
Drawing on acknowledged events, this new show at the Art Gallery of NSW will shine a light on groups of people who have been excluded from mainstream debates and media coverage. The works featured will focus on political repression, cultural displacement, ethnic cleansing and massacres. Reeling in events unfolding on the peripheries of society, When Silence Falls is an exercise in cultural democracy and inclusivity. Curated by Cara Pinchbeck, the exhibition presents work from contemporary Aboriginal artists alongside international artists. These artists include Vernon Ah Kee, Tony Albert, Daniel Boyd, Fiona Hall, Ben Quilty, Hossein Valamamesh, Doris Salcedo, Paddy Bedford, William Kentridge, Rusty Peters, Pedro Reyes, Doris Salcedo, Timmy Timms, Kara Walker and Judy Watson. When Silence Falls also features a major new acquisition, Judy Watson's picnic with the natives – the gulf (2015). This addition to the gallery's contemporary collection suggests the location of massacre sites across the artist's Waanyi country in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Pinpointing these locations, her work identifies the random and widespread nature of colonial violence against indigenous Australians. In the midst of a desensitising digital age, this exhibition offers an opportunity to quietly contemplate significant events taking place across the world. Pinchbeck has drawn together a group of artists committed to communicating troubling issues, re-examining the past and imagining the future.
When your first year featured Nelly, Ne-Yo, Ja Rule, Bow Wow and Xzibit, and your second had T-Pain, Ashanti, The Game and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, what comes next? For Juicy Festival, it's now time for Ludacris, Keyshia Cole, SWV and Blackstreet. The nostalgic R&B and hip hop fest has locked in its return Down Under in January 2025, again starting in New Zealand with gigs in Christchurch, Wellington, Tauranga and Auckland. After that, it'll head across the ditch for its Australian shows in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Queensland. And, as always, it hasn't skimped on the lineup. After making an appearance at Usher's 2024 Super Bowl halftime show — and spending two decades as part of the Fast and Furious franchise — Ludacris leads the Juicy Festival bill. Expect to hear everything from 'What's Your Fantasy' and 'Area Codes' to 'Runaway Love' and 'Rollout'. Keyshia Cole's 'Love', girl group SWV's 'Right Here' and Blackstreet's 'No Diggity' are all set to be fest highlights, on a lineup that'll also see Akon, Tyga, Omarion, Fat Joe and Jacquees take to the stage. "This year's lineup is packed with artists responsible for some of R&B and hip hop's biggest hits of the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, and we're excited to see the crowd respond to the high energy of our artists," said festival promoter Matthew Spratt. "Every year we are excited to bring another line-up to Australia, and we believe we've come up with a high-calibre group of artists that people will be excited to see," added his colleague Glenn Meikle. "We've locked in some of the biggest names in R&B and hip hop from the 1990s and 2000s era, and they're just as excited about coming to Australia as we are to be hosting them," finished Spratt. When Juicy Fest debuted in January 2023, it attracted more than 100,000 attendees. The event hasn't announced 2025 venues so far, or exactly where in Queensland it'll be heading to, but tickets go on sale from Thursday, May 2. Juicy Fest 2025 Dates: Wednesday, January 8 — Christchurch, venue TBC Friday, January 10 — Wellington, venue TBC Saturday, January 11 — Auckland, venue TBC Sunday, January 12 — Tauranga, venue TBC Wednesday, January 15 – Perth, venue TBC Friday, January 17 – Melbourne, venue TBC Saturday, January 18 – Sydney, venue TBC Sunday, January 19 - Queensland, venue TBC Juicy Fest 2025 Lineup: Ludacris Akon Tyga Keyshia Cole Omarion Fat Joe SWV Blackstreet Jacquees Juicy Fest will tour Australia and New Zealand in January 2025, with tickets pre-registrations available from 6pm local time on Wednesday, May 1 — and tickets on sale from 6pm local time on Thursday, May 2. Head to the festival's website to register for pre-sale access.
In 2022, scam culture was here to stay, as drawn-from-reality hits such as Inventing Anna and The Dropout repeatedly promised. In 2023, playing fast and loose with the truth sits at the heart of Apple TV+'s new Hello Tomorrow!, too, which tells a fictional tale about the deceptions people spin to chase their dreams. The show's beaming face: travelling salesman Jack Billings (Billy Crudup, The Morning Show), the regional manager for BrightSide Lunar Residences, and a passionate pusher of timeshares on the moon. He's this intriguing dramedy's version of Don Draper, but with Mad Men's 60s surroundings swapped for The Jetsons-style robot help and hovering vehicles. Streaming from Friday, February 17, the look of Hello Tomorrow! is retro-futuristic, steeped in 50s-era visions of what might come. The time and place is an alternative version of that decade, in a suburban enclave called Vistaville, where one of Jack's biggest fibs has its origins. He's summoned back with his crew of hawkers — the gambling-addicted Eddie (Hank Azaria, The Simpsons), promotion-coveting Herb (Dewshane Williams, In the Dark) and resident righthand-woman Shirley (Haneefah Wood, Truth Be Told) — by his mother Barbara (Jacki Weaver, Penguin Bloom) after his wife Marie (Annie McNamara, Severance) is injured by a self-driving delivery van. His son Joey (Nicholas Podany, Archive 81) is struggling to cope, a task made all the more difficult by Jack's absence from his family's lives for decades. He's skilled at sharing stories about his domestic bliss on the moon to customers, but being a happy head of a lunar household is merely one of his go-to falsehoods. One such spiel opens Hello Tomorrow's ten-part first season — an attention-grabber of a launchpad with a universe's worth of details about Jack, BrightSide, how both operate and what each trades in from the get-go. In a diner that's the picture of nostalgic Americana except for the android server behind the counter, Jack gets comfortable beside a fellow patron, then gets selling, selling, selling. In his line of work, Jack can pinpoint people's wishes. There's no preternatural talent involved — this isn't Poker Face, another 2023 newcomer — but he knows how to lock in what his potential customers yearn for. So, he packages up an underdome home on the earth's only natural satellite as a way of repairing a fractured father-daughter relationship. Throwing in faux tidbits about his own wife and kids to close the deal, a sale swiftly follows. When Jack is seen spruiking back in Vistaville, after decamping with his team to the Vista Motor Lodge, his inspirational rhetoric wavers. Rather, amid a mass presentation that features celebrity spokesman Buck Manzell (Frankie Faison, Till), TV's Space Sheriff, calling in from up above, his talk turns dark and the room's excitement plateaus. Joey is in the audience, however, and the earnest twenty-something is quickly sold. He also can't remember anything about his father, so doesn't spot the connection. Jack's solution: stopping his boy's purchase and giving him a job instead, still without revealing the bonds of blood. Of course, Joey joins the BrightSide fold just as aggrieved customer Myrtle Mayburn (Alison Pill, Star Trek: Picard) starts kicking up a fuss, her complaints falling on rule-touting bureaucrat Lester Costopoulos' (Matthew Maher, Our Flag Means Death) listening ears. There's a The Twilight Zone-meets-Leave It to Beaver feel to Hello Tomorrow! as its characters seek the same thing we all do: a better life. Creators Amit Bhalla and Lucas Jansen (both Bloodline alumni), also co-writers and showrunners with You're the Worst's Stephen Falk, zoom in further, focusing on the reasons anyone holds onto to hope their lot will improve. Jack hit the road to discover something more when he farewelled Marie and Joey all those years ago, but it's clear amid the poise, polish and patter that he hasn't found it. Still, he hasn't stopped striving, either. Eddie needs a big payday because he's bought into the BrightSide promise, aiming to turn his romance with the married Shirley into a new lunar existence — and escape his mounting gambling debts. And Herb's wife Betty (Susan Heyward, Orange Is the New Black) is expecting twins, hence his persistent push for advancement. Amid constantly whirling dialogue and a playful score by Mark Mothersbaugh (What We Do in the Shadows), selling the American dream — and buying into it — literally means shooting for the moon. As Hello Tomorrow! speedily establishes, both are frequently out of reach. Questing after something that never eventuates is one of the oldest stories under the sun, after all, and imagining a brighter future to make today's doldrums go down smoother is an ancient fact of life on this very earth. None of these notions are revelations in Hello Tomorrow!, but they are thoughtfully and stylishly unpacked. Take the show's pitch-perfect aesthetics, for instance; they're as shiny as can be, for the series' characters to interact with and its viewers to watch, but that gloss is never the be all and end all. Hello Tomorrow!'s colourful, curved, tailfin-heavy production design (by Maya Sigel, I Am Not Okay with This), art direction (Katie Citti, The Peripheral), costume design (Anna Terrazas, Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths) and set decoration (George DeTitta Jr, Succession) are equally sublime and stunning — instantly transporting as well — but they wouldn't gleam as blazingly if its story and themes didn't hit home. The lies keep building, then being exposed, as Jack is forced to confront the fallout of vowing to deliver everyone their best lives. Crudup won an Emmy for his last Apple TV+ role and is in stellar form again, all intuition, optimism and persuasion on the outside, and regrets and loneliness within. "What's life without a dream to make it go down easy?" Jack opines, with Crudup saying it like every character in Hello Tomorrow! believes it. That sentiment also oozes from the fantastic Azaria as Eddie, the most forceful of the show's figures personality-wise and its most devoted to lusting after the BrightSide life. He makes an excellent duo with Wood as the canny Shirley, who puts her faith in people over easy promises — and both help sell a dramedy that's glorious in its world-building, with mobile phones absent but residing in the Sea of Serenity a normal possibility. Apple TV+ knows this high-concept, highly stylised, deeply engaging and resonant space, of course. With 2022's Severance, it traversed similar terrain in a wholly different way. Here's another dream that Hello Tomorrow! peddles, plus embodies: that our idylls borrow from everything we've seen and experienced, but we always make them our own. Check out the trailer for Hello Tomorrow! below: Hello Tomorrow! streams via Apple TV+.
Most people have, at some point in their life, contemplated learning the guitar. Maybe you were inspired by Jack Black in School of Rock or by Paul Rudd and Jason Segel's enthusiasm in I Love You, Man — or maybe you've just always wanted to be able to strum some tunes around the fire on a camping trip. Whatever your inspo, you can (finally) make your dream a reality at Church Street's Guitar Factory. Home to what it calls "Sydney's widest range" of guitars, the shop sells everything from vintage Fenders to acoustic guitars for beginners and even ukeleles. It repairs guitars, too, if you already have one sitting at the back of your closet, and offers music lessons for all levels — from beginner to advanced — so you'll be playing 'Smoke on the Water' or slappin da bass in no time.
For every Skrillex there’s a producer or DJ doing truly groundbreaking stuff for the world of electronic dance music, and Astral People and Niche Productions are bringing five of them to Sydney for one mind-blowing night of sonic exploration. Waving the flag for the UK’s mushrooming electronic scene are Pearson Sound (the Radiohead-approved alias of ex-Ramadanman David Kennedy), DJ Ben UFO, techno producer Pariah and UK garage game changer XXXY. The United States’ Slow Magic will round out the lineup with his swagger-infused dreamwave. Also along for the ride will be a few of Sydney’s own finest electronic artists including Dro Carey, Cliques and Astral DJ Ben Fester, plus some next-level lighting to ensure your eyes are sufficiently dazzled too. Concrete Playground has two double passes up for grabs. For a chance to win, make sure you’re subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name and postal address to hello@concreteplayground.com.au by 5pm Friday 14 December.
Were Picasso's Cubist portraits of women true to life? It would suggest there were a lot of chicks with displaced eye sockets hanging round Paris in the 1900s. Now a Spanish fashion photographer, Eugenio Recuenco, has reimagined Picasso's Cubist muses as live beings, styling his models in the same surrealist manner that Picasso painted them. Recuenco's portraits are weird, emotional and lovely in their own right. His women subjects mirror the poses of the originals, with elegant silhouettes, painted skin and outlandish costumery all projecting a moody atmosphere. Post-production by Recuenco gave the photographs the same feel as the paintings via color manipulation, while the mysterious spaces he used amp up the dreamlike quality. Recuenco has a large dossier of equally stylised art and fashion projects. Beside this project, which was published in the Spanish weekly SMODA, his website shows fairytale scenes and tableaux vivants that suggest their own narrative worlds channelling the work of artists Goya, El Greco and Zurbaran. Check out a selection of the Picasso-inspired portraits below. Via Flavorwire.
Most superheroes don't boast the same skills; however, in making the leap from comics to the screen and beyond, they can follow similar paths. Yes, the fact that great power means great responsibility should apply to all caped crusaders. Yes, many often segue from ordinary folks to suddenly super-powered saviours. And yes, in Black Panther and now the Spider-Man franchise's cases, one of their best are returning to cinemas a couple of years later as a spectacular movie-and-music event. Film fans can see Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in cinemas right now, and should. It's exceptional, and already one of the best flicks of 2023. Keen to revisit Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the title that started everyone's favourite friendly neighbourhood webslinger's current animated movie series? That's coming to Australia via Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Live in Concert. Five years after Into the Spider-Verse debuted on the silver screen, it's swinging back onto one, this time at The Plenary at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday, October 21. Making its Australian premiere as a concert, the animated masterpiece will be accompanied by a 32-piece orchestra, plus DJ Total Eclipse from The X-Ecutioners on the turntables. Everything from The Lion King to Star Wars and Harry Potter, plus The Princess Bride, Home Alone and Toy Story as well, have scored or are about to score the orchestral treatment — but that approach alone wouldn't suit Into the Spider-Verse and its Brooklyn-based Spidey Miles Morales (Shameik Moore, Wu-Tang: An American Saga). Hence the fusion with DJ-spun tracks, to truly do not only Daniel Pemberton's (an Oscar-nominee for The Trial of the Chicago 7) score justice, but also the soundtrack featuring Post Malone, Lil Wayne, Jaden Smith and Nicki Minaj, too. "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is one of my favourite scores I've ever written. Utilising a full orchestra, crazy electronics and unbelievable turntable scratching techniques amongst a million other things, it is so technically complex I never thought we'd ever be able to actually reproduce it in a live concert, but somehow, we have," said Pemberton about the project. The concert version heads Down Under after premiering in New York in March 2023, and with fellow stops around the US currently taking place, as well as shows in the UK planned after its Australian run. Fingers crossed that this dazzling mix of sound and vision will do whatever the Spider-Verse can in other Australian cities, although only a Melbourne date has been announced so far. Check out the trailers for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in Concert and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse itself below: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Live in Concert is playing The Plenary, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne on Saturday, October 21, with tickets on sale via Ticketmaster from Friday, July 28. Images: Adela Loconte.
Community radio is a lovely thing. Run by passionate volunteers who hold a genuine love of local music and the arts, and embraced by supportive listeners who appreciate the alternative to commercial radio, community radio is the backbone of our local communities and the culture we seek to find. One of Sydney's leading community radio stations, FBi Radio, has just turned ten. To celebrate, they have curated and organised the biggest event in the station's history. Join FBi as they celebrate double digits in style. They’ve lined up 35 acts across four stages for the day-long festivities on Sunday, September 8, at Carriageworks. The line-up includes ARIA Award-winning dance music legends The Presets, FBi SMAC Award winners Hermitude and Seekae, alongside an array of the best Australian live acts and DJs. The second line-up announcement has seen the addition of Sarah Blasko, Kirin J Callinan, Bleeding Knees Club, Deep Sea Arcade, Oliver Tank, Big Village Allstars, Katalyst, Fishing and Naughty Rappers Collective. They join previously confirmed acts Urthboy, Decoder Ring, Spit Syndicate, The Laurels, Thundamentals, The Preatures, Sampology (AV Show), World’s End Press, Straight Arrows, Collarbones, Naysayer & Gilsun (AV Show), Zeahorse, Movement, Citizen Kay, HOOPS, Ro Sham Bo, Joyride, Simon Caldwell, Kato, Shantan Wantan Ichiban, Mike Who, Mealo & Space Junk, FBi DJs, secret guests and more to be announced. FBi first hit the airwaves on August 29, 2003, and since then have stayed true to their word, playing 50 percent Australian music, half of those from Sydney. FBi Turns 10! is an 18+ event and tickets are $49 or $39 for FBi supporters. Doubling up as a fundraiser, proceeds will go towards the station for 10 more years of unique content, music and arts.
With 1654 stores to its name worldwide, Five Guys' burger joints have become a common sight across America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia — and soon, they'll also be opening in Australia and New Zealand. That news was announced in 2020, but 2021 brings further details, including the fact that it'll be launching its first eatery Down Under this year. Once the middle of 2021 rolls around, Five Guys will be serving up burgers, fries and shakes in Penrith — making Sydney the first Aussie city to taste the chain's wares. Originally, the debut store Down Under was slated for Sydney's CBD, but those plans changed due to COVID-19. An exact mid-year opening date hasn't been revealed; however, Sydneysiders will find restaurant next to Krispy Kreme and the Panthers League Club on Mulgoa Road in the western Sydney suburb when it launches. Construction on the store is due to start in the coming weeks. The cult-favourite chain is making the leap to Australia and New Zealand as part of a master franchise agreement with Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group, aka the folks behind The Meat & Wine Co, Hunter & Barrel, 6 Head, Ribs & Burgers, Italian Street Kitchen and Butcher and the Farmer. Around 20 stores are due to launch in Australia alone, plus more in NZ — although exactly where else and when Five Guys will be popping up is yet to be revealed. In Sydney, additional sites are currently under consideration, including in the CBD around Circular Quay, Darling Harbour and Broadway. Overseas, Five Guys has amassed quite the reputation — and, even given the number of big-name US burger chains with hefty followings, such as Shake Shack and In-N-Out, it stands out. Its made-to-order burgers skew in the classic rather than oversized, jam-packed direction. They come with two hand-formed patties on toasted buns with your choice of toppings (including pickles, grilled mushrooms and jalapeños), plus bacon cheeseburgers that add two strips of bacon and two slices of Kraft American cheese as well. Five Guys also serves up hotdogs, sandwiches, hand-cut fries (with or without Cajun spices) and vanilla milkshakes. Don't go thinking the latter are boring, though — you can add bacon, bananas, peanut butter, salted caramel and even Oreo pieces to your design-your-own beverage. The chain started back in 1986 in the Washington, DC area and, as anyone with allergies should note, only cooks its fries in peanut oil. Five Guys will launch its first Australian store on Mulgoa Road in Penrith sometime in the middle of 2021, with stores in other Australian states — and in New Zealand — to follow. No exact opening dates have been revealed as yet — we'll update you when more information comes to hand.
