When it comes to two-wheeling, Victoria's picturesque High Country offers incredible diversity. And with autumn's mild weather and gold-tinted scenery, there's no better time to do it. Whether you're an easy-going peddler who likes to take things slow and rest often for wine tastings, or a hardcore cyclist unwilling to stop for anybody or anything and gearing up to conquer the Tour de France, there's a trail for you. At one end, Milawa Gourmet Ride and the Rutherglen Pedal to Produce Ride give you 10–12.5 kilometres of gentle, bucolic riding, dotted with wineries and farm gates. At the other, the Great Victorian Rail Trail, at 134 kilometres, is the longest continuous rail trail in Australia. MILAWA GOURMET RIDE Length: 10 kilometres return Difficulty: Easy An adventure that's ideal for leisurely two-wheelers who like to graze as they go is the Milawa Gourmet Ride. Get started at the famous Brown Brothers Cellar Door, not only to sample a drop or two, but also to borrow a bike — for free. Your ultimate destination, Sam Miranda Winery, is five blissfully flat kilometres away, but there's an abundance of tasting and snacking to do before then. Indulge in handmade goodness at Milawa Cheese, get your condiment fix at Milawa Mustards and swing by Blue Ox Berries farm gate for a punnet of just-picked fruit. If you're up for a longer ride, extend it by adding a section of the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail. PEDAL TO PRODUCE RUTHERGLEN Length: 12.5 kilometres Difficulty: Easy Cycling through the High Country – or perhaps any country – doesn't get any easier or more decadent than this. The 12.5-kilometre Pedal to Produce Rutherglen trail carries you through wineries, olive groves, gold-rush architecture and idyllic picnic spots. Start at Rutherglen Wine Experience, where you can grab a free map and, if necessary, hire a bike. Stops along the way include Anderson, where ex-Seppelt winemaker Howard Anderson and his daughter Christobelle make a great sparkling shiraz; Wicked Virgin Olives, where you can sample oils and tapenade; and pretty Lake King. BEECHWORTH TOWN RIDE Length: 11–17 kilometres Difficulty: Easy Beechworth packs a lot of punch for a town of just 3000 or so people. Built mostly during the 1850s, when the gold rush was at its height, it's home to some of the best-preserved 19th-century architecture in Australia. There are pubs, wine bars, cafes and restaurants galore, including two-hatted Provenance and craft brewery Bridge Road. So whatever your budget, you can count on being amply rewarded for your pedalling efforts. If you're keen to stay outdoors, fill your basket with local cheeses, olives, breads, wines, craft beers and baked treats, and go picnicking in parks crowded with glorious elms and oaks. Cycling takes place on a mix of rail trail and roads, across ever-so-slightly undulating terrain. BUCKLAND VALLEY Length: 45 kilometres return Difficulty: A few harder bits This stunning, 45-kilometre, there-and-back road ride begins among Bright's colourful autumn scenes. It's recommended for cyclists of intermediate ability, but to make it suitable for beginners, get started at Porepunkah. From there, the traffic drops away quickly, so even though you're on the road, you'll often feel like you're in the middle of nowhere. This sensation is intensified by the jaw-dropping scenery: think apple orchards, nut groves, alpaca farms and vineyards (Ringer Reef Winery makes a great stop on the way), backdropped by rugged Mount Buffalo. It's possible to stay the night in Buckland Valley, either by pitching a tent by the Buckland River or sinking into some luxury at the Buckland Studio Retreat. HIGH COUNTRY RAIL TRAIL Length: 64 kilometres return Difficulty: Intermediate Victoria's many rail trails give you hundreds of kilometres of car-free cycle paths. This one, which stretches for 35 kilometres from Wodonga to Old Tallangatta (with sections around Koetong and Corryong), spends half its time on the shores of shimmering Lake Hume. To add some history to your ride, visit Bonegilla Migrant Experience, a camp where more than 300,000 migrants lived between 1949 and 1971. There are plenty of waterfront picnic spots along the way, and in Tallangatta don't miss the scenic views at the Lookout or Tallangatta Old Lookout. MURRAY TO MOUNTAINS RAIL TRAIL Length: 100 kilometres Difficulty: Intermediate with easy sections Starting in Wangaratta and winding its way to Bright, this spectacular trail is a 100-kilometre escapade through lush farmland, unspoiled bushland and epic mountain ranges. In between, it passes through several of Victoria's prettiest and most interesting towns, including Beechworth (on an old branch-line route), Bright and Myrtleford. Wineries, breweries, farm gates, cafes and restaurants abound. If you have the time and inclination, then conquer the entire distance in one go. Alternatively, choose a section that appeals to you. For example, the 16 kilometres between Bright and Everton are all downhill, making them popular with coasters and locals. GREAT VICTORIAN RAIL TRAIL Length: 134 kilometres Difficulty: Hard to do in a day; otherwise easy. This mighty trail, at 134 kilometres, is the longest continuous rail trail in the whole country, but it's easy to do just a small section. It kicks off in Tallarook, just an hour's drive from Melbourne, but once you're on two wheels, it feels like you're a million miles away from the big smoke. Your final destination is Mansfield, but you'll visit loads of settlements before then, including the gold mining town of Yea and Bonnie Doon, of The Castle fame, on the shores of Lake Eildon. Swing by Howes Creek Farm to eat an ethically created pork pie beneath a 130-year-old oak tree, Killingworth Hill Whisky Bar for a quick side-trip to Scotland and Sedona Estate to sample excellent cool-climate wines. For a short, highlights-filled ride, do the 44-kilometre stretch from Kerrisdale to Molesworth, through the Goulburn Valley. Autumn scenery and produce won't last — plan your full itinerary in the High Country or explore more of regional Victoria at the Wander Victoria website.
A coastal-chic wine bar located in Avalon, Bar Elvina is the place to go for a glass of vino and some freshly shucked oysters after a day at the beach. Opening in early 2021, the bar is the brainchild of two hospo legends, Andy Emerson (Acme) and chef Jesse McTavish (North Bondi Fish). It's safe to say that these two know what they're doing. Here, high heels and chinos are eschewed for Birkenstocks and shorts, but the laidback dress code doesn't translate to the food and drinks on offer. On the wine list, you'll only find drops that the owners love and are also inspired by the ocean, either by their terroir, varietal or style. The concise cocktail list is worth a look at, too, with a strong focus on native Aussie ingredients. Food-wise, think snacks like raw yellowfin tuna tostadas ($8 each); oysters served either natural or with an apple cider mignonette ($5 each); and salt and pepper Hawkesbury River school prawns served with sumac mayo ($16). For small and large plates, expect dishes such as seawater-brined broccoli with almond hummus, fermented chilli, almonds ($20); 0ctopus with green tomato and jalapeño ($24); whole snapper with miso lemon butter sauce and warrigal greens ($55); and hangar steak ($49). Still hungry? Order the roasted apple, liquorice and gingerbread bombe ($18) for dessert. If you've got a birthday or special celebration coming up, Bar Elvina can be hired to host your private event, too. Images: Steven Woodburn
We can't yet zipline around the entire world, though it does sound like something Elon Musk might dream up. We can, however, come up with an increasingly impressive holiday itinerary by touring the globe's scenic zipline spots. From this week, the Grand Canyon joins the list. Zooming along tightly stretched cables is already a reality at the world's longest zipline opening at Jebel Jais in the United Arab Emirates and across Dubai's skyline. London recently had one, currently letting locals and visitors fly across the city, as did Sydney did, stretching between two skyscrapers 75 metres above Circular Quay. Seeing the Grand Canyon from such lofty heights is now on offer at Grand Canyon West, at the Hualapai Ranch in Arizona, reaching 300 metres above the floor of the rock formation. Capable of accommodating 350,000 visitors each year, two ziplines have been strung across the natural wonder, one measuring 335 metres and the other spanning 640 metres while traversing a steeper run. Each consists of four steel cables running side-by-side, which means that groups can enjoy the experience together. Riders will reach speeds of up to 80 kilometres per hour. For those planning a high-adrenaline sight-seeing stint as part of their next US trip, tickets cost AU$115, with the zipline operating from Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 4pm. The ziplines join the resort's helicopter tours and 1.2-kilometre-high skywalk among its sky-high attractions. Via PR Newswire.
A great movie soundtrack has the power to lift you out of your seat and take you on a journey to a world beyond the everyday and normal – whether it's to Middle-earth, Gotham City or a galaxy far, far away. If you've ever wondered what makes a soundtrack really soar, podcasters Art of the Score and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra can tell you as they take a deep dive into the magical music of cinema's most recognisable composers, this time the legendary Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi, live at the Sydney Opera House. Hisaishi is the maestro best known for his decades of collaboration with director Hayao Miyazaki, aka the creative behind Studio Ghibli and films like Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, My Neighbour Totoro and many more. With catalogued works dating back to 1984, Hisaishi has quite the portfolio. At this immersive event, Art of the Score podcasters Dan Golding and Andrew Pogson, alongside conductor Nicholas Buc, will unpack, demystify and celebrate Hisaishi's body of work, exploring its unique motifs and more. [caption id="attachment_986871" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Tim O'Connor[/caption] And making this event unforgettable, Hisaishi's magical music will be performed live by one of Australia's leading orchestras inside the stunning Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. 'The Music of Joe Hisaishi' will run performances from Thursday, September 25 to Saturday, September 27 at either 7pm or 2pm, produced in Association with Concert Lab. For more information or to book tickets, visit the website. Header image by Craig Abercrombie
You demanded it, Australia. After apparently hypnotising the country with The Ghan, a three hour documentary about a train travelling from Adelaide to Darwin via Alice Springs, SBS Viceland has announced it'll be broadcasting the extended edition of the film, which clocks in at a whopping 17 hours. Take that, Return of the King director's cut! The initial three-hour cut — billed as Australia's first foray into 'slow TV' — was a massive surprise hit for the network, drawing an average of 583,000 viewers. That makes it Viceland's biggest hit of the past 12 months. The doco was also widely discussed on social media, with #TheGhan trending nationally last Sunday night. https://twitter.com/mel_laah/status/949940354588999681 https://twitter.com/sgbrens/status/949959735905722368 https://twitter.com/quinnal/status/949932847497846785 https://twitter.com/kplyley/status/949959657530916864 The extended version will air this Sunday, January 14 starting at the bright and early time of 2.40am. It'll feature the entire 2979 kilometres, minus the sections at night when the screen would just be black, which, even by slow TV standards, doesn't sound all that interesting. In the meantime, you can catch up with the (relatively) short version of The Ghan via SBS On Demand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiG3ipuB0Sw
Back in 2013, when Kieran Tosolini first opened his gelateria in Darlinghurst, it was unusual to see traditional Italian pozzetti counters. "It literally translates to little wells," says Tosolini, owner of Rivareno Gelato. "It took a lot of energy in the beginning to explain to every single person where we were keeping the gelato, and that we made it fresh every day." The gelato master tells Concrete Playground his early challenges are rewarded every time a new customer tries his gelato. "That look on people's faces. That oh-my-god look. It gives us immense satisfaction," he says. Every day, each Rivareno makes 26 flavours of gelato according to what's in season, how spicy the weather forecast is looking and what flavour combinations will work best together. So, how do they keep it so consistent? [caption id="attachment_791240" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pozzetti counter; Nikki To[/caption] "We pay a lot of attention to weighing," says Tosolini. "It's really important for controlling the quality, getting the right texture and the right balance of flavour. We're known for having intense flavours — and that's because we use a lot of the ingredients. We want people to be able to immediately recognise what it is, not having to scratch their heads and guess." Whether it's in traditional flavours like pistachio and lemon or mango, strawberry or chocolate, Rivareno uses as little sugar as possible and it doesn't use any artificial colours, flavours or hydrogenated fats. "Our gelato really is a natural product, and not too many places can say that," says Tosolini. [caption id="attachment_790074" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] After mixing and freezing ingredients in the gelato machines, the other important aspect at Rivareno is that each gelato flavour goes straight into the pozzetti — the stainless steel cylinders — and straight into the gelato counter. "It's always super, super fresh," he says. Which is why customers keep coming back for more, with some driving across the city just to order a scoop. [caption id="attachment_791241" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] "We get people who drive for an hour to come to our city stores, and that's part of the reason we opened in Parramatta," he says. "It's great to be able to offer those customers our gelato a lot closer to home." The new Rivareno location opened in October in the same multi-billion dollar urban development as the second Ciccia Bella and the first Lilymu and Harvey's Hot Sandwiches. "There are so many great offerings in Parramatta Square. I really believe there's a really bright future here," he says. Parramatta's Rivareno also offers something the other locations don't: a dedicated barista. "We have a full commercial coffee machine and a really nice Lavazza coffee, the Super Gusto blend. And, as people come back to their offices, we'll soon be opening up for breakfast, too." You can find Parramatta's Rivareno at Shop 4.06, Parramatta Square, as well as these seven signature dishes to order on your next visit to the western Sydney dining precinct. Top images: Nikki To
If seafood and fries is your idea of a perfect culinary pairing, then drop by Surry Hills' Loluk Bistro on Thursdays to enjoy as many mussels and fries — or, moules frites — you can stomach for $29. The stuff-your-face food event may not be a Harry Potter or Willy Wonka-themed brunch, but hot and fresh mussels is a pretty great way to help cure the midweek blues. The Bourke Street bistro — known for its southern French fare — is piling plates high every Thursday with steamed mussels and pommes frites, of course. Mussels come with your choice of one of three sauces: provençal, with tomatoes, garlic and black olives; mariniere, with shallots and white wine; and bleu, with roquefort cheese and cream. And you can keep ordering (endlessly) until you're full. Well, until the clock hits 10pm. But four hours should be more than enough time for you to get your mollusc fix. If you prefer your all-you-can-eat on the cheesier side, head in between 6–10pm on Tuesday or Wednesday night. The bistro is serving up unlimited raclette (and profiteroles for dessert) for $49.
Japan is having a moment right now, both as a holiday destination and as a trending cuisine, with all sorts of Japanese venues appearing all over Sydney. One of the most colourful and dynamic among this new wave of arrivals is Miji Bar and Grill — a neon-lit izakaya that's bringing a taste of Tokyo's laneway culture to the North Sydney CBD. If you're one of the lucky travellers who's given Japan a visit but are still yearning for the streets of Shibuya or Shinjuku, you'll feel right at home here. Miji's interior is fully decked with imported Japanese signage, neon lights and even a replica of Shinjuku's famous red archway. Match that with concrete tables, floor-to-ceiling windows and the fact that you're on the first floor of a North Sydney office building, and it feels like a unique combination of two different worlds. The tastes are all Tokyo, though. Chef Jacob Lee has Michelin-starred experience in kitchens the world over, and it shows with an air of inventiveness across the menu. Lunch diners can enjoy set menus, donburi bowls and a mix of cooked and raw bar snacks, but dinner is all about the humble skewer. These skewers are the real deal and a must-try on your first visit. There are six variants to choose from, but the chicken thigh and enoki wagyu roll are our picks of the lot. That's just part of the picture, though, as the dinner menu also treads in the realm of small plates (like the insanely moreish deep-fried whitebait with shichimi spice mix and honey sour cream), hotpots and share plates, like gloriously grilled king prawns or rainbow trout with yuzu butter sauce and salmon roe. When it comes to drinks, one of Miji's specialties is a help-yourself drinks service that's practically unheard of in Sydney: a self-serve sake bar. Just grab a pre-paid membership card to tap, pay and pour. Alternatively, bartenders behind the counter will happily take your order. A creative cocktail menu is especially alluring, with in-house versions of slippers, daiquiris, gimlets and more. Try the Doraemon to sip apple sake and vodka mixed with blue curaçao, coconut and marshmallow. Or, dive into the many pages of highballs, shochu, umeshu, beer, wine, sake, spirits and non-alcoholic options.
Within Darling Square's stunning new food complex lies a haven for all things brewed, distilled and made in small, limited batches: Bucket Boys. Having established their roots in Marrickville in the form of a bottle shop before expanding to a bar, then adding a co-op bottle-o in a Petersham pub to their belts, the boys behind Sydney's craft beer go-to are now in the city. You'll find this is not your run of the mill watering hole. The bar has 20 taps, each pouring wonderful and 'weird' beers, from a locally brewed raspberry and guava gose to ales, porters, the occasion Belgian brew and a range of BB's own attempts. Not a beer drinker? You'll also find specialty, natural wines and small-batch spirits aplenty. If you're just passing through and looking to pick up a six-pack (or few), the adjoining bottle-o is just as impressive as the bar. It more closely resembles a sort of art gallery for alcohol, and houses just about everything a new-age drinker could ask for. Sours, saisons and stouts? Of course. Limited runs of Tasmanian gin and wine on skins? You bet. Aussie and Kiwi craft brews are extensively represented as are wines (including BB's own) and spirits, with a carefully selected bunch of international alcohols also available. Basically anything BB deems worthy (which may as well be doctrine) has made it onto the shelves. Images: Kimberley Low
Located at Angel Place, the City Recital Hall is an eclectic arts space that hosts — and also often creates — a range of performances, events and lectures, with some featuring famous faces like Matthew McConaughey and Nigella Lawson. The company behind the hall has pledged to produce and facilitate a vibrant, diverse and inclusive program. Seating more than 1000 patrons, the purpose-built theatre is home to everything from spoken word performances to classical concerts, live contemporary gigs, cabaret hows, opera productions and musicals. There is also an on-site refreshments bar, with a small menu, should you grow peckish, otherwise check out the plethora of dining options on the surrounding laneways for a pre- or post-theatre feed. Images: Destination NSW
A Sydney stalwart on the bike scene, Albion Cycles in Waverley is run by Frank Conceicao, who brings a wealth of experience in international cycling to his business. He was a competitor, mechanic, coach and manager of cycling professionals around the world. [caption id="attachment_777014" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yaya Stempler[/caption] Don't be intimidated by the shop's pedigree, as it caters to the entire community — commuters, beginners, weekend riders, professionals and children alike. Albion Cycles is a Trek concept store, stocking only Trek Bicycles, alongside top-notch accessory brands including Abus, Mavic and Look. Images: Yaya Stempler
The best glamping sites in New Zealand are made for travellers who want to explore and stay amid the country's spectacular natural landscapes without having to rough it. Either hit a few of these as you road trip through the North and South Islands or find a location you love then stock up and stay for a good few days. Whether you're after seaside glamping or a mountain escape, with fantastic lodgings scattered across the countryside, Aotearoa's best assets are on full display at these glamping destinations that get you closer to nature than any hotel (although there's no shortage of great hotels in New Zealand). Recommended reads: The Best Places to Go Glamping in Australia The Most Romantic Places to Stay in Bali The Best Spas in Auckland The Best Spas in Wellington Glam Camping, Queenstown At Glam Camping, you'll find a collection of geometric dome tents perched along a hillside looking down on the green valley and lake just a 20-minute drive from Queenstown. During the day, take the 90-minute walk around Moke Lake or go horse riding. You can even join a morning yoga class or organise a wine tasting tour around one or many of Queenstown's famous vineyards. But we are particularly excited about the Glam Camping's food and drink offerings. You can opt to cook your own food (with all the produce provided by the hosts) or let a private chef treat you and your travel buddies to a three-course feast on the property. [caption id="attachment_880413" align="alignnone" width="1920"] SJL Photography[/caption] Kawakawa Station, South Wairapa This sprawling farming property spans across rolling grassy hills by the South Wairarapa coastline. And until the end of April 2023, the Kawakawa Station team invites guests to stay in a series of large tents hidden within the pastures. But, unlike other bell tents, these have clear ceilings so guests can stargaze from the comfort of their own bed. It also has a fully equipped kitchen on the property, so you can prep your meals without needing to bring a heap of gear. You can easily spend a few days at this New Zealand glamping site, hanging out among the sheep and strolling around the property. But, if you're after a proper adventure, Kawakawa Station also offers an epic hiking experience. The three-day hike along the Station Walk takes you through forests, along creeks and right down to the coast. The team will put you up in a bunch of different accommodations along the way, too. Coromandel Luxury Escapes, Coromandel It's in the name but still deserves being repeated — Coromandel Luxury Escapes is a truly luxurious glamping site in New Zealand. It is all powered and comes with a mini fridge, oil heater, large king bed as well as a private free-standing outdoor bath. A massive deck with a BBQ is also there for you when you want to cook up some locally caught fish. Apart from the site, one of the biggest selling points is the location. It's close to some of New Zealand's best beaches, including the picturesque New Chums Beach. And, if you're up for a 50-minute drive, you've got to visit Hot Water Beach. Here, you can dig a hole in the sand to find naturally hot water bubbling up to the surface — just be careful when digging, as this water can reach temperatures beyond 100 degrees Celsius. Use Coromandel Luxury Escapes as your base when exploring the Coromandel region which is just a two-hour ferry ride from Auckland. Lavericks Bay, Christchurch The Lavericks Bay glamping spot has two tents making up this wonderfully bucolic site. Seclusion is almost totally guaranteed. Apart from the property's wandering sheep. You'll feel as if you have the entire bay and rolling countryside to yourselves — for exploring or just sitting back and taking in the views. During the day, head to the beach for some leisurely swimming at the property's private beach to check out the resident dolphins and seals that tend to float past. And, at night, you can't say no to a dip in the large wooden hot tub in which you can do some proper stargazing. There's no light pollution here, so you'll be guaranteed a stunning night sky. Waitomo Hilltop, Waitomo The Waitomo Hilltop glamping site feels like it's pulled from a fairytale. Atop a hill, in the green Waitomo countryside lies this luxury tent that's been kitted out with everything you could need. Cook up fresh pizzas in its woodfired oven, rug up by the fire pit watching movies via projector or take a dip in one of the outdoor baths overlooking the countryside. There used to be just one glamping tent available, but Waitomo recently finished creating another equally luxurious site. The new campsite has two tents joined together with a glass walkway — including three separate bedrooms, a lounge area and a massive kitchen and dining room. It is technically a tent, but looks far more like a bricks and mortar home. The Black Yurt, Oakura This one is for the keen surfers out there. You're a short walk away from Oakura's surfing beach which is known for having some fairly reliable swell. The Black Yurt is also close to town — walking distance from plenty of boutique stores, restaurants and bars. It may be one of the least remote New Zealand glamping spots on this list but it still feels miles away from crowds. The large yurt is surrounded by palms and native bushland, offering up some well-needed privacy. The interiors of the yurt are also extra cushy. There's a king bed, a queen futon mattress as well as some schmick bathroom facilities. And, if the weather is good, you can open the dome and windows to let the outside in. [caption id="attachment_879080" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lisa Sun Photography[/caption] Tawanui Farm, Cheviot It doesn't take long to find jaw-dropping vistas outside of New Zealand's main cities. Just an hour-long drive from Christchurch lies Tawanui Farm, a working sheep, cow and deer farm. Here, the Loughnan family have set up two geodesic domes, a central camp kitchen (with couches and cooking gear all provided) and a large hot tub looking out over the pastures. It's easily one of the best New Zealand glamping sites out there. Each dome sleeps up to four people, and no matter how many guests you book for, you'll get the entire site — that makes Tawanui Farm great for larger groups. Either laze around playing boardgames and drinking in the hot tub or use it as a base to explore the rest of the region. You can fish at the local Hurunui River, swim and surf at Gore Bay or take an ATV farm tour to learn a little more about Tawanui Farm. Dealer's choice. Kanuka, Rotorua This is just about as remote as it gets. A single Kanuka glamping tent is hidden up in the bush, right next to Lake Tarawera, and can only be reached by a boat ride or hike. The campsite comes with a large tent and queen-sized bed, a bush kitchen with everything you need to cook up some grub, a dining area as well as a separate bathroom. The essentials are sorted. And, once you're all settled in, what you choose to do around here is totally up to you. The Kanuka team can provide a kayak for exploring the lake, there's a sandy beach less than 50 metres away and you can hike along a number of trails (with one leading to a natural hot pool in the bush). Ah, you've got to love New Zealand and all its thermal hot springs. [caption id="attachment_880412" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dan Kerins[/caption] Camp Kekerengu, Kaikoura Coast If you're travelling with a bunch of mates or a big family, Camp Kekerengu is perfect. Here, you will find three large tents, a group kitchen and a covered lounge area — all with uninterrupted sea views. But, be prepared for living it a little rougher than you might like. The entire glamping site is off grid. This will force you to fully unplug and enjoy nature. You're a short walk from the beach, close to several walking trails and simply surrounded by wide open plains and rolling mountains. It's stunning. And is the perfect example of why people love to go glamping in New Zealand. Here, you get the best bits of Aotearoa's natural landscape all in one location. Feeling inspired to book a getaway unlike anything else out there? Only through Concrete Playground Trips, our new travel booking platform, can you now purchase holidays specially curated by our writers and editors. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips at destinations all over the world. Top images: Waitomo Hilltop
A string of long weekends is a joy while it's happening, such as the current Easter and ANZAC Day run (plus Labour Day, too, if you're in Queensland). When it's over and five-day work weeks become a reality week after week again, however, holiday dreams start calling. Clearly Jetstar wants you to get a jump on planning your next vacation, given that the Australian airline has just kicked off its latest big flight sale. Both domestic and international fares are on offer at discounted prices, with 40,000-plus seats available between now and 11.59pm AEST on Sunday, April 27, 2025. You'll want to get in quick, though, given that sale tickets mightn't last that long — and these deals run until sold out if that happens before the scheduled end date. One-way prices start at $49 for Club Jetstar members and $54 for everyone else this time, which covers routes from Brisbane and Melbourne to and from Newcastle. Next up, $97/102 will get you between Adelaide and Sydney, $99/104 from Melbourne to Cairns, and $114/119 between either Sydney or Melbourne and Uluru — and flights to and from the Gold Coast, Whitsunday Coast and Margaret River are also among the discounts. With the overseas options, one-way fares kick off at $159/165 from Cairns or Darwin to Bali, while Melbourne–Singapore ($179/189) and Brisbane ($279/289) or Sydney ($299/319) to Seoul are some of the other choices. Expect to primarily take winter getaways no matter where you're heading, although the international routes cover dates from mid mid-May to late-August 2025 and the domestic fares are for mid-July to late-September 2025 travel. The usual caveats apply: all prices apply to one-way fares; checked baggage is not included, so you'll want to travel super light or pay extra to bring a suitcase; and, as per above, dates vary according to the route. [caption id="attachment_938861" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] Jetstar's Just Plane Good Sale runs until 11.59pm AEST on Sunday, April 27, 2025 — or until sold out if prior. 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.
Digital nomad visas and remote working have never been more attainable, so if you've ever toyed with the idea of taking your skills abroad, Tourism Authority of Thailand is giving you the chance to try before you fly (away forever) with its Live Your Best Digital Nomad Life competition. Up for grabs is a Concrete Playground Trips voucher valued at $3000 (covering return flights to any major airport in Thailand and accommodation for any hotel in Thailand hosted on the CP Trips website), a $500 Klook voucher to spend on top experiences, activities and travel essentials such as transport and SIM cards, as well as $1500 worth of Visa travel vouchers which should cover you for long-tail boat rides along Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, trekking in Chiang Mai's Doi Inthanon National Park, hopping on island escapades in Phuket or Krabi and all the Tom Kha Kai you can consume in a week. That's a total prize value of $5000. And who knows — at worst you can enjoy a change of WFH scenery. Or after a week you might love the Thai hospitality, your digital nomad life (and affordable living) so much, that you'll decide never to come back. Want to find out more about remote working in this incredible part of the world? Here's what you need to know to get yourself set up for a working holiday in Thailand. [competition]885290[/competition]
Hyderabad House reflects the region's Arabic take on Indian food — a result of having been ruled by the Turkish for 1000 years. This western Sydney institution is lauded by those in the know for its biryani. And, to prove its expertise, it has seven different flavour options all available in single serves, family serves (for between 4–5 people) and jumbo serves (for 10–12 people). Take your pick of meat — prawn, fish, egg, goat are available, but we recommend the chicken 65 (battered, spice-laden fried chicken) — and it'll be mixed through and fried off with the surprisingly complex and aromatic rice. You'll find rich curries, Chinese-style noodle dishes, kebabs and over a dozen bread options on the menu to round out your feast. And the best part? Plates rarely creep above $15 each. When it comes to spiciness, there are three levels available for each dish. As it's all made to order, you can simply choose the level you'd like. When we speak to owner Rehan Ali, we ask how he likes his spice level: "Being Indian, I can't even eat level three. If you're ordering for the first time, go with medium. Once you have it spicy, you can't turn it down". So, proceed with caution. Images: Cassandra Hannagn
So much to see, so little time. If hitting the couch is one of your favourite ways to unwind, that'll be a familiar refrain. Now that there are far more streaming services to choose from than we each have fingers and toes, finding something to watch is never a problem — and in 2022, there's been a lengthy list of excellent shows worthy of your attention. Some have tapped into our struggles with work-life balance in chilling and thrilling ways. Others have made hearts soar and swoon several times over. Also on this year's must-see list: multiple shows that dance with exceptional movies, a behind-the-scenes television great doing what he does best, porn for women, spectacularly lifelike dinosaurs and murder-mysteries. And, they're just some of 2022's standouts. Haven't been able to watch all of the year's ace new arrivals thanks to life getting in the way? Not quite sure where to start? With 2022 now at its midway point, here are our picks of the year's 15 best new television and streaming shows — consider it your catch-up list over the next six months. SEVERANCE It's the ultimate in work-life balance, an antidote to non-stop after-hours emails and Slack messages, and a guaranteed way to ensure what happens at work stays at work. In mind-bending thriller series Severance — which plays like Black Mirror meets the Charlie Kaufman-penned Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, with Wes Anderson's aesthetic if he designed soulless office complexes, plus sprinklings of everything from George Orwell to also-excellent 2020 TV effort Devs — switching off when clocking off at Lumon Industries is easy. There's a brain implant for exactly that, and it's a condition of employment on "severed" floors. Accordingly, when quittin' time comes for Macrodata Refinement division employee Mark (Adam Scott, Big Little Lies), he physically steps into a tiny, shiny elevator to re-enter his after-hours life; however, the version of him that works for Lumon won't recall anything beyond the company's walls. The instant that the lift starts moving, it goes back to the office for Mark's "innie", as his work-bound consciousness is dubbed. Voila, it's clocking-on time once more. Severance's attention-grabbing premise springs from creator Dan Erickson, a TV first-timer, and understands how most folks feel about the nine-to-five grind. The show is knowing in its lead casting, too, given that Scott is best recognised for two workplace comedies: the joyous hug that is Parks and Recreation, as well as the acerbic, astute and soon-to-return Party Down. But as savvily and evocatively directed by Ben Stiller in its first three season-one episodes (and again in its last three, with Kissing Candice filmmaker Aoife McArdle helming three in the middle), Scott's new series dwells in 'be careful what you wish for' territory. For the part of Mark's brain that blanks out work, Severance initially seems like heaven. For the half that only knows the office, it's hell. For everyone watching, soaking in its twisty mysteries — and enjoying Patricia Arquette (The Act), Christopher Walken (Percy vs Goliath) and John Turturro (The Plot Against America) as fellow Lumon employees — it's a surreal and riveting must-see. Severance is available to stream via Apple TV+. Read our full review. IRMA VEP One of 2022's most magnificent new shows, and a cinephile's dream of a series, Irma Vep requires some unpacking. The term 'layered' has rarely ever applied to a TV program quite as it does here. French filmmaker Olivier Assayas (Clouds of Sils Maria, Personal Shopper) retraces his own footsteps, turning his cult-favourite 1996 movie of the same name into an Alicia Vikander-starring HBO miniseries. And, in this series itself, a director is also remaking one of his own past flicks as a television project. In all versions of Irma Vep, the movies and shows being made are also remakes of 1915–16 French crime effort Les Vampires. It was a ten-episode, seven-hour cinema serial, and it's supremely real. Indeed, by first helming a feature about remaking Les Vampires, and now a series about remaking a movie that remakes Les Vampires (which, IRL, is also a remake of a movie that remakes Les Vampires), Assayas keeps remaking Les Vampires in his own way. It all sounds exactly as complicated as it is — and Assayas loves it. Viewers should, too. The nested dolls that are Irma Vep's meta setup just keep stacking, actually. The 1996 Irma Vep starred Maggie Cheung, who'd later become Assayas' wife, then ex-wife — and the 2022 Irma Vep haunts its on-screen filmmaker René Vidal (Vincent Macaigne, Non-Fiction) with visions of his ex-wife Jade Lee (Vivian Wu, Dead Pigs), who, yes, led his movie. If you're a fan of word puzzles, you might've also noticed that Irma Vep is an anagram of vampire; that said, Les Vampires isn't actually about bloodsuckers, and nor is any iteration of Irma Vep. To add to the list, while Cheung played a version of herself, Vikander (Blue Bayou, The Green Knight) plays fictional American star Mira — a name that's an anagram of Irma. You can also take that moniker literally, because mirroring is patently a pivotal aspect of the brilliant Irma Vep in every guise. Irma Vep is available to stream via Binge. Read our full review. WE OWN THIS CITY For the past 20 years, we've all fallen into two categories: people who've seen, loved and haven't been able to stop raving about HBO's Baltimore-set masterpiece The Wire; and folks who don't tick any of those boxes but have been told by everyone who does that they really need to watch it ASAP. We Own This City deserves to spark the same response — and shares many of its predecessor's key pieces. It too takes place in Maryland's most populous city. It also follows a law-and-order battle, complete with time spent within the Baltimore Police Department. It springs from former Baltimore Sun police reporter-turned-author, journalist and TV writer/producer David Simon as well, and sees him reteam with writer George Pelecanos, a veteran of not only The Wire but also Simon's Treme and The Deuce. Oh, and as it tells a compulsive crime tale, it's packed with phenomenal performances. One of those astonishing portrayals is among the first thing that viewers see, in fact, with We Own This City opening with Sergeant Wayne Jenkins lecturing new recruits on the BPD Gun Trace Task Force. Chatting through how to legally do the job — how to get away with what he deems necessary, that is — Jon Bernthal (The Many Saints of Newark) is hypnotically unsettling as Jenkins, who'll become the focus of a corruption investigation for his methods. He isn't the only "prime example of what's gone wrong in Baltimore," as viewers are told. So is Daniel Hersl (Josh Charles, The Loudest Voice), who is initially glimpsed pulling over and terrorising a Black driver for no other reason than that he can. Department of Justice Civil Rights Department attorney Nicole Steele (Wunmi Mosaku, Lovecraft Country) is charged with tracking the force's bad eggs, and that's just one of this complex, revealing and arresting six-part miniseries' layers. And if it feels so detailed that it could only be true, that's because it's based on a non-fiction book by Justin Fenton another ex-Baltimore Sun reporter. We Own This City is available to stream via Binge. MINX When home video, the internet and mobile phones with inbuilt cameras each arrived, six words could've been uttered: get ready to look at dicks. HBO comedy Minx is set the early 70s, so before all three, but the same phrase also applies here. It's true of the show itself, which isn't shy about displaying the male member in various shapes and sizes. It also stands tall in the world that Minx depicts. When you're making the first porn magazine for women — and, when you're making an ambitious, entertaining and impeccably cast The Deuce meets Mrs America-style series about it, but lighter, sweeter and funnier (and all purely fictional) — penises are inescapable. Also impossible to avoid in Minx: questions like "are erections consistent with our philosophy?", as asked by Vassar graduate and country club regular Joyce Prigger (Ophelia Lovibond, Trying). Idolising the magazine industry and unhappily working for the dispiritingly traditional Teen Queen, she has long dreamed of starting her own feminist publication — even penning a bundle of articles and making her own issues — but centrefolds splashed with male genitalia don't fit her ideal pitch. No one's buying what Joyce is selling, though; The Matriarchy Awakens, her dream mag, gets rejected repeatedly by the industry's gatekeepers. Only one is interested: Bottom Dollar Publications' Doug Renetti (Jake Johnson, Ride the Eagle), but he's in the pornography business. Minx is available to stream via Stan. Read our full review. OUR FLAG FLAG MEANS DEATH In the on-screen sea that is the never-ending list of films and television shows constantly vying for eyeballs, Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby have frequently proven gem-dappled treasure islands. When the immensely funny New Zealand talents have collided, their resumes have spanned four of the most endearing comic hits of the big and small screens in the 21st century so far, aka Flight of the Conchords, What We Do in the Shadows, Wellington Paranormal and Hunt for the Wilderpeople — and now, with pirate parody Our Flag Means Death, they've given viewers another gleaming jewel. This show was always going to swashbuckle its way into streaming must-see lists — and into comedy-lovers' hearts — based on its concept alone, but it more than lives up to its winning idea and winsome casting. Come for the buccaneering banter and seafaring satire, stay for a thoughtful and sincere comic caper that's also a rom-com. The inimitable Darby stars as Stede Bonnet, a self-styled 'gentleman pirate' and a great approximation of Flight of the Conchords' Murray if he'd existed centuries earlier. Meanwhile, Waititi dons leather, dark hues aplenty, an air of bloodthirsty melancholy and an eye-catching head of greying hair as Edward Teach, the marauder better known to the world as Blackbeard. The two real-life figures eventually cross paths after Bonnet leaves his life of wealth, privilege and comfort to rove the oceans, captains a ship staffed by a motley crew to end all motley crews, and initially gets captured by Blackbeard — or Ed, as he calls him. As these two opposites bond, riding the waves from adversaries to co-captains to potentially something more, Our Flag Means Death truly and gloriously opens up its warm heart. Our Flag Means Death is available to stream via Binge. Read our full review. THE AFTERPARTY Only Murders in the Building isn't the only new comic murder-mystery series worth streaming from the past year or so. Joining it is The Afterparty, which also sports a killer cast — this time Sam Richardson (Detroiters), Ben Schwartz (Space Force), Zoe Chao (Love Life), Ilana Glazer (Broad City), Ike Barinholtz (The Mindy Project), Dave Franco (If Beale Street Could Talk) and Tiffany Haddish (The Card Counter) — and a savvy spin on an oft-used gimmick. Rather than skewering true-crime podcasting, this quickly addictive comedy from writer/director Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie) toys with the reality that every tale differs depending on the perspective. Whodunnits always hinge upon that fact, and Miller has also clearly seen iconic Japanese film Rashomon. And, considering that its big murder takes place after a school function, there's a touch of Big Little Lies at play, too. With his directing partner Phil Lord, Miller has made a career out of getting smart and funny with familiar parts, however, and that doesn't change here. The setup: at the afterparty following his 15-year high-school reunion, obnoxious autotune-abusing pop star Xavier (Franco) winds up dead on the rocks beneath his lavish mansion. Enter the determined Detective Danner (Haddish), who starts grilling his former classmates one by one to find out who's responsible. Her interrogations start with the sensible Aniq (the always-great Richardson), who was hoping to finally make a move on his schoolyard crush Zoe (Chao) — and after his version of events, Danner hears from Zoe's macho ex Brett (Barinholtz) in The Afterparty's second episode, then from Aniq's best bud Yasper (Schwartz, riffing on Parks and Recreation's Jean-Ralphio without being quite as ridiculous), and so on. The cast is top-notch, the writing is clever, there's much fun to be had with its genre- and perspective-bending premise, and the throwaway gags are simply glorious. The Afterparty is available to stream via Apple TV+. Read our full review. HEARTSTOPPER It only takes minutes for British newcomer Heartstopper to explain its title — showing rather than telling, as all great shows should. A year ten student at Truham Grammar School for Boys, Charlie Spring (first-timer Joe Locke) finds himself seated in his form class next to year 11 rugby player Nick Nelson (Kit Connor, Little Joe). Sparks fly on the former's part, swiftly and overwhelmingly, with the eight-part series' graphic-novel origins inspiring a flurry of fluttering animated hearts on-screen. But Charlie has a secret boyfriend, Ben (Sebastian Croft, Doom Patrol), who won't even acknowledge him in public. He also hardly thinks of himself as sporty, even after Nick asks him to join the school team. And, while a friendship quickly solidifies between the two, Charlie is initially unsure whether anything more can happen — and anxiety-riddled in general. As well as writing Heartstopper's source material — which initially started as a webcomic — Alice Oseman pens every episode of this perceptive teenage-focused gem. From the outset, it bubbles with heartwarming charm, while its coming-of-age story and central love story alike prove wholly relatable, aptly awkward but also wonderfully sweet and sensitive. In short, it's a series that plunges so convincingly and inclusively into its characters' experiences that it feels like its heart is constantly beating with affection for Charlie, Nick, and their fellow high-schoolers Tao (fellow debutant William Gao), Elle (Yasmin Finney), Isaac (Tobie Donovan), Tara (Corinna Brown, Daphne) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell). First crushes, young love, the swirling swell of emotions that comes with both and also figuring out who you are: all of this dances through Heartstopper's frames. Also, when Oscar-winner Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter) pops up, she's glorious as always. Heartstopper is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review. PREHISTORIC PLANET Five episodes, one comforting voice, and a time-travelling trip back 66 million years: that's the setup behind Prehistoric Planet, an utterly remarkable feels-like-you're-there dive into natural history. Having none other than David Attenborough narrate the daily activities of dinosaurs seems like it should've happened already, of course; however, now that it finally is occurring, it's always both wonderful and stunning. Filled with astonishing footage on par with the visuals that usually accompany Attenborough's nature docos, all thanks to the special effects team behind The Jungle Book and The Lion King, it truly is a wonder to look at. It needs to be: if the Cretaceous-era dinosaurs rampaging across the screen didn't appear like they genuinely could be walking and stalking — and fighting, foraging for food, hunting, flying, swimming and running as well — the magic that typically comes with watching an Attenborough-narrated doco would instantly and disappointingly vanish. Welcome to... your new insight into Tyrannosaurus rex foreplay, your latest reminder that velociraptors really don't look like they do in the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World flicks, an entertaining time spent with al kinds of animals, and your next favourite dinosaur project with an Attenborough attached. Each of Prehistoric Planet's five instalments focuses on a different type of terrain — coasts, deserts, freshwater, ice and forests — and chats through the creatures that call it home. Set to a spirited original score by Hans Zimmer, fresh from winning his latest Oscar for Dune, there's a formula at work. That said, it's no more blatant than in any David Attenborough-hosted show. Viewers watch as some dinos look after their young, others try to find a mate, plenty search for something to eat and others attempt not to be eaten. The same kinds of activities are covered in each episode, but the locations and dinosaurs involved all change. Prehistoric Planet is available to stream via Apple TV+. Read our full review. LOOT Aptly given its title, new Apple TV+ sitcom Loot doesn't look cheap — or sound it. It's partly filmed in one of America's biggest private homes, an enormous mansion with 21 bedrooms, five pools, a bowling alley and a cinema. It's filled with well-known needle drops that come quickly and often, with one episode featuring three Daft Punk tracks alone. It couldn't scream louder or drip harder with excess; the series is about a mega-rich tech whiz's wife who gets $87 billion in their public and messy breakup, after all. And, it is inescapably made by a company that's a big technology behemoth itself, and has been splashing stacks of cash to build its streaming roster (see: The Morning Show, Ted Lasso, Severance, Physical, Prehistoric Planet, Foundation, The Shrink Next Door, Shining Girls, Slow Horses, Lisey's Story and more). Loot is also clearly a satire, however, and a canny, warm and funny one at that. The premise: amid being gifted a mega yacht for her birthday, then jumping to a party in that aforementioned sprawling home, Molly Novak (Maya Rudolph, Big Mouth) discovers that her husband John (Adam Scott, Severance) is cheating on her. Post-divorce, after that huge settlement and a stint of partying around the globe with her assistant Nicholas (Joel Kim Booster, Fire Island), she gets a call from Sofia Salinas (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Pose), the head of the foundation she's forgotten bears her name (and even exists). With Molly's drunken decadence all over the news, the charity is finding it difficult to do its work. So, the organisation's namesake decides to ditch the revelry — and her married moniker, becoming Molly Wells — and put all that dough to better use. She also commits to playing an active role in how her funds can truly help people. Loot is available to stream via Apple TV+. Read our full review. TOKYO VICE Seven years after making his most recent movie, aka 2015's Chris Hemsworth-starring Blackhat, one of America's best directors is finally back behind the lens. Thief, Heat, The Insider and Collateral filmmaker Michael Mann only helms Tokyo Vice's pilot, but what a tone-setting debut episode it is — as stylish and gritty a piece of television as you're likely to stream any time soon, in fact. Mann also serves as the eight-part book-to-screen series' executive producer, which explains why its slice of neon-lit Japanese-set noir always feels like it bears his fingerprints. Of course, the show isn't shy about its links to the director, who also executive produced the original 1980s TV series Miami Vice, and wrote and directed the 2006 big-screen remake. That said, Tokyo Vice's moniker actually stems from Jake Adelstein's memoir Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan, about his years writing for Yomiuri Shimbun as a non-Japanese journalist. Nonetheless, everything about the HBO-backed program feels as if it was always fated to end up in Mann's hands. Adelstein was Yomiuri Shimbun's first foreign staff writer, with Tokyo Vice exploring his quest to cement himself inside the publication from the bottom up. As played by West Side Story's Ansel Elgort, Adelstein always stands out, as does his dogged determination to chase the stories he's explicitly instructed to ignore. Murders don't happen in Japan, he's told. What he's witnessing screams otherwise, though. So, he starts spending his own time investigating, befriending Tokyo organised crime division detective Hiroto Katagiri (Ken Watanabe, Godzilla: King of the Monsters) for guidance, and also getting close to club hostess and fellow American-in-Tokyo Samantha Porter (Rachel Keller, Legion), plus jaded Yakuza enforcer Sato (Shô Kasamatsu, Love You as the World Ends). Elgort is the weakest part of the series, but that also suits the overall narrative and its focus on the city's underworld — and everything around him, including Rinko Kikuchi (Pacific Rim: Uprising) and Hideaki Itô (Memoirs of a Murderer), is stellar. Tokyo Vice is available to stream via Paramount+. Read our full review. PACHINKO When novels are turned into movies, there's usually a sense that's something is missing, no matter how fantastic the film proves. That's understandable; when you compare the time it takes to unfurl a story on the page with the usual running time of a feature — even a lengthy one — not everything can make the leap from book to screen. Named for the gambling machines that fill Japanese arcades, Pachinko turns author and journalist Min Jin Lee's award-winning text into an eight-part series instead, and it's a canny and clever move. So too is getting filmmakers Kogonada and Justin Chon to direct four instalments apiece, both coming off fantastic work via After Yang and Blue Bayou respectively. And, adding to the smart and savvy choices made by this immediately engrossing series, which unfurls a sweeping, 20th century-set, multi-generational tale about struggle, resilience and endurance: casting always-wonderful Minari Oscar-winner Youn Yuh-jung — as well as newcomer Kim Min-ha as the younger version of her character. Youn and Kim play Sunja (and, as a child, first-timer Yuna does as well), who anchors a story that's both impressively sprawling and devastatingly intimate. As a girl, she grows up in Japanese-occupied Korea, a fact that shapes every part of her young life. When she's older, she moves to Japan — and by the time that she's a grandmother, that's where the bulk of her existence has unfolded. Jumping between different periods, Pachinko charts how the shadow of colonial rule has lingered over not just Sunja but the family she's brought into the world, including in the 80s where her grandson Solomon (Jin Ha, Devs) works in finance in New York and her son Mozasu (Soji Arai, Cobra Kai) has made his way thanks to the titular game. Splashing an epic story told with emotion, resonance, insight and elegance across the screen, this is at the pinnacle of novel-to-screen adaptations. Pachinko is available to stream via Apple TV+. SLOW HORSES One of several espionage-themed efforts hitting streaming this year — see also: the returning The Flight Attendant and movie All the Old Knives — Slow Horses gives the genre a pivotal switch and entertaining shake up. It's still a tense thriller, kicking off with an airport incident and then following a kidnapping, but it's also about the kind of spies that don't usually populate the on-screen world of covert operatives. Stationed away from the main MI5 base at a rundown, clandestine office called Slough House, Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman, The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard) and his team are the agency's rejects. They haven't been fired for a multitude of reasons, however, including boasting ties to influential past employees, being great at their jobs but also a drunk and having impressive hacking skills yet proving impossible to get along with. Given the nickname that gives the show its moniker, usually they do little more than push paper, too, until they get caught up in a high-profile case. Oldman goes big and broad as Lamb, and he's also ceaselessly absorbing to watch, but Slow Horses isn't short on stars. In a six-episode first season adapted from Mick Herron's 2010 novel of the same name, Kristin Scott Thomas (Rebecca) plays MI5 Deputy Director-General Diana Taverner, Lamb's supremely competent head-office counterpart — although it's Jack Lowden (Fighting with My Family) and Olivia Cooke (Pixie) as young operatives River Cartwright and Sid Baker, and their efforts to chase down a lead they're not meant to, that's at the forefront. Behind the scenes, executive producer and writer Will Smith (not that one) brings a sly and witty way with dialogue from his past work on The Thick of It and Veep, making Slow Horses both crackingly suspenseful and tartly amusing. The slinky theme tune by Mick Jagger also helps set the mood — and season two is already in development. Slow Horses is available to stream via Apple TV+. THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH Who'd want to try to step into the one and only David Bowie's shoes? Only the brave and the bold. Two people earn that description in The Man Who Fell to Earth, the new TV sequel to the iconic 1976 movie that starred the music legend in the role he was clearly born to play: an alien who descends upon earth and ch-ch-changes history. Bill Nighy (Buckley's Chance) is charged with taking over the character of Thomas Jerome Newton and, thankfully and with style, he's up to the task. Chiwetel Ejiofor (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) slides into the same kind of part that Bowie owned in the original, however, as fellow extra-terrestrial interloper Faraday. He's this follow-up's newcomer to the planet, and he's just as destined to do big things. That's not a spoiler — early in the first episode, Faraday addresses a massive crowd like he's Steve Jobs announcing Apple's latest product, and The Man Who Fell to Earth's tech success uses the occasion to spin his origin story. Who'd want to try to pick up where one of the best sci-fi films ever made left off? That'd also be the brave and the bold, aka Clarice creators Jenny Lumet and Alex Kurtzman. Drawing inspiration from silver screen gems is obviously the pair's niche of late, but it's worth remembering with this new effort — which takes its cues from Walter Tevis' 1963 novel of the same name, too — that Kurtzman was also behind exceptional 2008–13 sci-fi series Fringe. Indeed, The Man Who Fell to Earth 2.0 feels like the perfect use of his talents, with the series thinking big and brimming with urgency in its vision of a world that might only be able to be saved by a spaceboy who truly cares about stopping climate change's damage. To follow through with his mission, though, Faraday also needs the help of former MIT physics whiz Justin Falls (Naomie Harris, No Time to Die). The Man Who Fell to Earth is available to stream via Paramount+. OUTER RANGE Some shows commence with a dead girl wrapped in plastic. Others begin with a plane crash on a spooky island. With Outer Range, it all kicks off with a void. On the Abbott family ranch in Wyoming, in the western reach that gives the show its name, a chasm suddenly appears. A perfect circle swirling with otherworldly mist and resembling an oversized golf hole, it's just one of several troubles plaguing patriarch Royal (Josh Brolin, Dune), however. There is indeed a touch of Twin Peaks and Lost to Outer Range. A dash of Yellowstone, The Twilight Zone, The X-Files and whichever family-focused prime-time soap opera takes your fancy, too. As a result, while Royal is visibly disconcerted by the unexpected opening staring at him in an otherwise ordinary field in this intriguing, quickly entrancing and supremely well-acted eight-part series — a show that makes ideal use of Brolin especially — he has other worries. His rich, ostentatious and increasingly madcap neighbour Wayne Tillerson (Will Patton, Halloween Kills) suddenly wants a parcel of the Abbotts' turf, claiming mapping inaccuracies. One of Tillerson's mouthy and entitled sons, Trevor (Matt Lauria, CSI: Vegas), ends up in a bar spat with Royal's sons Rhett (Lewis Pullman, Top Gun: Maverick) and Perry (Tom Pelphrey, Mank). And there's also the matter of Perry's missing wife, who disappeared nine months back, leaving both her husband and their young daughter Amy (Olive Abercrombie, The Haunting of Hill House) searching since. Plus, into this sea of faith-testing chaos amid such serene and dreamlike scenery, a stranger arrives as well: "hippie chick" backpacker Autumn Rivers (Imogen Poots, The Father). She just wants to camp for a few days on the Abbotts' stunning and sprawling land, she says, but she's a key part in a show that's a ranch-dwelling western, an offbeat enigma, an eerie sci-fi, a detective quest and a thriller all at once. Outer Range is available to stream via Prime Video. Read our full review. THE DROPOUT Dramatising the Theranos scandal, eight-part miniseries The Dropout is one of several high-profile releases this year to relive a wild true-crime tale — including the Anna Delvey-focused Inventing Anna, about the fake German heiress who conned her way through New York City's elite, and also documentary The Tinder Swindler, which steps through defrauding via dating app at the hands of Israeli imposter Simon Leviev. It also dives into the horror-inducing Dr Death-esque realm, because when a grift doesn't just mess with money and hearts, but with health and lives, it's pure nightmare fuel. And, it's the most gripping of the bunch, even though we're clearly living in peak scandal-to-screen times. Scam culture might be here to stay as Inventing Anna told us in a telling line of dialogue, but it isn't enough to just gawk its way — and The Dropout and its powerful take truly understands this. To tell the story of Theranos, The Dropout has to tell the story of Elizabeth Holmes, the Silicon Valley biotech outfit's founder and CEO from the age of 19. Played by a captivating, career-best Amanda Seyfried — on par with her Oscar-nominated work in Mank, but clearly in a vastly dissimilar role — the Steve Jobs-worshipping Holmes is seen explaining her company's name early in its first episode. It's derived from the words "therapy" and "diagnosis", she stresses, although history already dictates that it offered little of either. Spawned from Holmes' idea to make taking blood simpler and easier, using just one drop from a small finger prick, it failed to deliver, lied about it copiously and still launched to everyday consumers, putting important medical test results in jeopardy. The Dropout is available to stream via Disney+. Read our full review. Looking for more viewing highlights? Check out our list of film and TV streaming recommendations, which is updated monthly. We also keep a running list of must-stream TV from across the year so far, complete with full reviews.
If a cinema date was on your agenda in the later months of 2024 or has been since 2025 began, then you might've seen an Oscar-nominee. When it comes to accolade-worthy flicks hitting screens, the films celebrated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences usually release closer to awards season and during it — and, in Australia, even once the year's official Oscar contenders have been named. Dune: Part Two, the first of duelling Timothée Chalamet movies vying for glory, is an exception among 2025's Academy-anointed picks, as audiences have had over a year to catch up with the spicy sci-fi sequel. A Complete Unknown, with Timmy as Bob Dylan, demonstrates the normal trend perfectly, though — and you'll need to get cosy in your local cinema right now to enjoy it. They're just two of 2025's Oscar-contending features and documentaries that Australians can enjoy this very instant. In total, if you're eager to give nominated flicks the Pokémon catch-them-all approach — whether they will, could or should win — there's 33 currently available in the lead up to Hollywood's night of nights. Ahead of the recipients being revealed on Monday, March 3, here's where to see them. Watching epic dramas on big screen, diving into powerful and haunting docos at home, deciding whether to defy gravity in a crowd or on your own couch: they're all options. On the Big Screen: A Complete Unknown Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (James Mangold), Best Actor (Timothée Chalamet), Best Supporting Actor (Edward Norton), Best Supporting Actress (Monica Barbaro), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design Our thoughts: This Timothée Chalamet (Dune: Part Two) passion project took more than half a decade to come to fruition. With its 60s setting, focusing on the period from Bob Dylan's arrival in New York City to going electric at the Newport Folk Festival, a sense of time is always visible A Complete Unknown; however, that also applies to the years that its star has had to perfect his lead part. Benefiting from such a hefty preparation block, this is as committed a performance as Chalamet has given — and one that director James Mangold (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) always lets shine as the film explores an icon's talents, ambitions and quest to remain himself. Where to watch: In Australian cinemas. Read our interviews with Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, James Mangold and Boyd Holbrook. The Brutalist Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Brady Corbet), Best Actor (Adrien Brody), Best Supporting Actor (Guy Pearce), Best Supporting Actress (Felicity Jones), Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Production Design Our thoughts: Since switching from acting to writing and directing, Brady Corbet hasn't lacked in ambition for a second — but as excellent as both Childhood of a Leader and Vox Lux are, his third feature towers above them. With Adrien Brody (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty) as Hungarian Jewish architect László Toth, The Brutalist is as epic as a three-and-a-half-hour drama about trying to escape life's horrors, including those of the Holocaust, by chasing the American dream can be. The buildings designed by its protagonist aren't the only things that are monumental here, career-best turns by Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones among them. Where to watch: In Australian cinemas. Read our interview with Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones and Brady Corbet. Emilia Pérez Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Jacques Audiard), Best Actress (Karla Sofía Gascón), Best Supporting Actress (Zoe Saldaña), Best International Feature Film, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Original Song — 'Mi Camino' by Camille and Clément Ducol, Best Original Song — 'El Mal' by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard Our thoughts: As it follows its namesake character's (Karla Sofía Gascón, Harina) journey from cartel leader to trying to live her authentic life, Emilia Pérez isn't just a musical and a crime drama rolled into one. It's also a melodrama — and French filmmaker Jacques Audiard (Paris, 13th District) goes bold in leaning in, and in embracing the juxtapositions of the movie's three main genres as they jostle against each other. That audacity, that willingness to be both spectacular and messy, and the feature's three key performances, including from Zoe Saldaña (Special Ops: Lioness) and Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building): they all assist in making this vivid viewing. Where to watch: In Australian cinemas. I'm Still Here Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress (Fernanda Torres), Best International Feature Film Our thoughts: It came as no surprise when Fernanda Torres (Fim) won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Eunice Paiva in Walter Salles' (On the Road) deeply moving political and personal drama. Her understated yet also expressive performance as the real-life wife of Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello, Bury Your Dead), who was taken away by Brazil's military dictatorship in 1971 and never seen again, is that powerful. I'm Still Here poignantly charts the task of trying to endure under such heartbreaking circumstances — under oppressive rule, when your existence crumbles, when your family is fraying courtesy of the trauma and when fighting back is the only choice, too. Where to watch: In Australian cinemas. Maria Nominations: Best Cinematography Our thoughts: Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín (El Conde). Pivotal women from the 20th century. Phenomenal actors giving their utmost to their parts. That's proven a winning combination three times now, with Maria following Jackie and Spencer. Unlike Natalie Portman (Lady in the Lake) as Jacqueline Kennedy and Kristen Stewart (Love Lies Bleeding) as Princess Diana, Angelina Jolie (Eternals) mightn't have earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination, but she's captivating in every second — in diva mode, but also both soulful and yearning — as opera singer Maria Callas, as the exquisitely shot film (by El Conde's Edward Lachman) charts the week before her death in 1977. Where to watch: In Australian cinemas. The Seed of the Sacred Fig Nominations: Best International Feature Film Our thoughts: Making movies isn't easy; however, there's regular challenges and there's the situation that Mohammad Rasoulof faces. For his art, for documenting the reality of life in Iran today and for showing it to the world, prison sentences and filmmaking bans have come his way. The Seed of the Sacred Fig isn't pivotal viewing just because of what it took to create — in secret, with Rasoulof directing remotely — and how its guiding force is treated by the Iranian regime, though. Observing how a family unravels when an investigating judge's wife and daughters push back amid the country's 2022–23 protests, this is another statement of film from the There Is No Evil helmer. Where to watch: In Australian cinemas. Read our interview with Mohammad Rasoulof. September 5 Nominations: Best Original Screenplay Our thoughts: Before First Cow, Past Lives, The Agency and plenty more, among John Magaro's first on-screen jobs was playing an extra in Munich. Two decades later, he turns in one of September 5's many compelling performances (see also: Presumed Innocent's Peter Sarsgaard, Mrs Davis' Ben Chaplin and The Teachers' Lounge's Leonie Benesch) in another potent drama about the terrorist attack at the 1972 Olympics. Filmmaker Tim Fehlbaum (The Colony) views this chapter of history through the efforts of the ABC Sports crew, whose coverage pivoted and made history — and his tense procedural journalism thriller is both stirring and gripping. Where to watch: In Australian cinemas. Sing Sing Nominations: Best Actor (Colman Domingo), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song — 'Like a Bird' by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada Our thoughts: In the maximum-security prison that gives Greg Kwedar's (Transpecos) affecting and inspiring second feature its title, the aim of the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program is right there in its own moniker. For the real-life scheme to inspire a new cinema masterpiece, an on-screen masterclass in empathy and a tribute to being moved by art, surely wasn't an initial goal. As Divine G, one of the incarcerated man finding purpose through staging theatre productions with his fellow inmates, Colman Domingo (The Madness) is astonishing — as is Clarence Maclin, a former detainee at the NYC facility who plays himself as the movie mixes actors with amateurs. Where to watch: In Australian cinemas. In Cinemas or at Home: Anora Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Sean Baker), Best Actress (Mikey Madison), Best Supporting Actor (Yura Borisov), Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing Our thoughts: Along with playfulness, empathy, and an eagerness to look beyond the usual characters and pockets of America that tend to grace narrative cinema, tenderness is one Sean Baker's special skills, as splashed across his filmography. It's in Tangerine, The Florida Project and Red Rocket, and now Anora. Spotting Cinderella elements and riffs on Pretty Woman aren't hard with this movie about a Brooklyn erotic dancer (Mikey Madison, Lady in the Lake) who liaises with and is soon wed to the son (Mark Eydelshteyn, Zhar-ptitsa) of a Russian oligarch (Aleksey Serebryakov, Lotereya) — but just as Ani is always her own person, the magnificent Anora is always a Baker film. Where to watch: In Australian cinemas, and via Apple TV and Prime Video. A Real Pain Nominations: Best Supporting Actor (Kieran Culkin), Best Original Screenplay Our thoughts: He didn't feature on-screen in his first film as a writer/director, but 2022's When You Finish Saving the World couldn't have sprung from anyone but Jesse Eisenberg. Neither could've 2024's A Real Pain. Both explore the fact that experiencing our own pain, big or small, world-shattering or seemingly trivial, or personal or existential, is never a minor matter. In the latter, the Fleishman Is in Trouble actor plays the anxious part, and literally. His character is a bundle of nerves about and during his pilgrimage to Poland with his cousin (Kieran Culkin, Succession) to honour of their grandmother, who survived the Second World War, then started a new life in the US. Where to watch: In Australian cinemas, and via Disney+, Apple TV and Prime Video. Read our full review and our interview with Jesse Eisenberg. Better Man Nominations: Best Visual Effects Our thoughts: Most music biopics want the figure in its spotlight to remain front and centre. Better Man doesn't stray from the formula there. The bulk of films in the genre also want audiences to always recognise the star in focus, which is where this Australian-made look at Robbie Williams' career makes a huge departure. It's the spirit of the former Take That member that shines through in Jonno Davies' motion-capture performance, as Williams is rendered on-screen as a chimpanzee. For The Greatest Showman director Michael Gracey, it works, so much so that it's now impossible to imagine a feature about the singer done any other way. Let me entertain you indeed. Where to watch: In Australian cinemas, and via Apple TV and Prime Video. Read our interview with Jonno Davies and Michael Gracey. Conclave Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Ralph Fiennes), Best Supporting Actress (Isabella Rossellini), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Production Design Our thoughts: Cardinals, they're just like everyone else seeking power — bickering, gossiping, scheming, fighting and trying to find their way to the top by any means possible, that is. Aided by a stellar cast (including The Return's Ralph Fiennes, Citadel's Stanley Tucci, The Old Man's John Lithgow and Spaceman's Isabella Rossellini) answering viewers' prayers, filmmaker Edward Berger swaps World War I's horrors in All Quiet on the Western Front for a pulpy and twisty but smart page-to-screen papal thriller about electing a new pope. He hasn't completely switched thematically, though: how tradition and modernity butt against each other also remains the director's focus. Where to watch: In Australian cinemas, and via Apple TV and Prime Video. Gladiator II Nominations: Best Costume Design Our thoughts: Swords, sandals, spectacle, scale, sharks in more ways than one — including literally — and Denzel Washington (The Equalizer 3) having a scenery-chewing ball: welcome to Ridley Scott's 24-years-later follow-up to Gladiator. Helming his fourth feature of the 2020s after The Last Duel, House of Gucci and Napoleon, the veteran filmmaker has taken the sequel-as-remake approach with Gladiator II, but sports the style and stars to largely pull it off, with Paul Mescal (All of Us Strangers), Pedro Pascal (The Wild Robot), Connie Nielsen (Origin), Fred Hechinger (Kraven the Hunter) and Joseph Quinn (A Quiet Place: Day One) also great among the latter. Where to watch: In Australian cinemas, and via Apple TV and Prime Video. Read our interview with Paul Mescal, Connie Nielsen and Fred Hechinger. Nosferatu Nominations: Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Production Design Our thoughts: The Witch, The Lighthouse and The Northman filmmaker Robert Eggers turned Nosferatu into a play as a teen. Consider his big-screen remake of FW Murnau's 1922 classic a second bite, then. His fastidious fixation with detail and recreating past eras with painstaking precision is on full and glorious display, as is his way with unnerving eerieness. As Count Orlok in a tale that began as an unauthorised Dracula adaptation a century ago, Bill Skarsgård (Boy Kills World) is commanding, while Renfield's Nicholas Hoult and Shadow of the Vampire's Willem Dafoe make welcome bloodsucker returns, but it's Lily-Rose Depp (The Idol) who truly haunts. Where to watch: In Australian cinemas, and via Apple TV and Prime Video. Read our interview with Willem Dafoe, Emma Corrin, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Robert Eggers. Wicked Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress (Cynthia Erivo), Best Supporting Actress (Ariana Grande), Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects Our thoughts: As a theatre-kid obsession for decades, it was long likely that the big-screen adaptation of Wicked — a movie based on a musical springing from a book that offered a prequel to a film that walked the celluloid road 85 years prior, itself jumping from the page to the screen — would have big theatre-kid energy as it attempted to ensure that its magic enchants across mediums. No one would ever want a muted version, after all. It was true of his take on In the Heights and it's accurate again here: Jon M Chu has a knack as a filmmaker of stage hits reaching cinemas, matching the vibe of the show that he's taking on expertly. Where to watch: In Australian cinemas, and via Apple TV and Prime Video. Read our full review and our interview with Nathan Crowley. Via Streaming: A Different Man Nominations: Best Makeup and Hairstyling Our thoughts: 2024 was the year that Sebastian Stan (Dumb Money) played men chasing a dream that turns out to be a nightmare — and that musing on what it takes to accept yourself and ignore the world's feedback, and whether external change can bring about an internal transformation, was gripping movie viewing more than once. Hailing from writer/director Aaron Schimberg (Chained for Life), A Different Man is an exceptional example of both. When Stan's Edward Lemuel undertakes an experimental treatment for neurofibromatosis, his disfigurement disappears; however, his hopes for stardom and love can't be grasped that easily. Where to watch: Via Binge, Apple TV and Prime Video. Read our full review. Alien: Romulus Nominations: Best Visual Effects Our thoughts: Don't trust your employer. While that isn't the sole takeaway message from 45 years of Alien movies, it's a biting aspect of the sci-fi/horror saga nonetheless. In space, Weylan-Yutani Corp workers keep screaming and the company doesn't simply refuse to hear them; in the battle between killer extra-terrestrial creatures and the outfit's employees, it puts the former first. Under Fede Álvarez's (The Girl in the Spider's Web) direction, watching how that plays out in Alien: Romulus for Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny, Civil War), the latest to glean that she doesn't mean anything beyond labour to the source of her paycheque, isn't quite the perfect organism — but it's engaging. Where to watch: Via Disney+, Apple TV and Prime Video. The Apprentice Nominations: Best Actor (Sebastian Stan), Best Supporting Actor (Jeremy Strong) Our thoughts: The Apprentice was always going to be a horror movie. The world already knows its subject, and is familiar with where his path has taken him since the 70s- and 80s-era chapters of his life that are covered by Ali Abbasi's (Holy Spider) compelling film. Sebastian Stan (Dumb Money) and Jeremy Strong (in his first post-Succession role) proving phenomenal in a movie that's unshakeable: that too feels inevitable. The fact that this is a Frankenstein's monster story, too, was perhaps less expected — but by focusing on Donald Trump's (Stan) mentorship by New York City attorney and political fixer Roy Cohn (Strong) when the former was an aspiring real-estate tycoon, it fits. Where to watch: Via Apple TV and Prime Video. Read our interview with Ali Abbasi. Black Box Diaries Nominations: Best Documentary Feature Our thoughts: It's easy to wish for a world where Black Box Diaries didn't need to exist — where its director and subject, journalist Shiori Itō, wasn't sexually assaulted, then forced to investigate the attack herself because the Japanese police declined to pursue the high-profile culprit. The reality, though, is that in a country where only four percent of sexual assaults end up going through the justice system, many women are in the same situation, even if they can't and/or don't pick up a camera. Itō knows that fact as she courageously shares her story, and attempts to ensure that what she went through isn't buried. Filled with vulnerability and determination, this is devastating viewing. Where to watch: Via DocPlay. Dune: Part Two Nominations: Best Picture, Best, Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects Our thoughts: Revenge is a dish best served sandy in Dune: Part Two. On the desert planet of Arrakis, where golden hills as far as the eye can see are shaped from the most-coveted and -psychedelic substance in author Frank Herbert's estimation, there's no other way. Vengeance is just one course on Paul Atreides' (Timothée Chalamet, Wonka) menu, however. Pop culture's supreme spice boy, heir to the stewardship of his adopted realm, has a prophecy to fulfil whether he likes it or not; propaganda to navigate, especially about him being the messiah; and an Indigenous population, the Fremen, to prove himself to. So mines Denis Villeneuve's soaring sequel to 2021's Dune. Where to watch: Via Netflix, Binge, Apple TV and Prime Video. Read our full review and our interview with Greig Fraser. Elton John: Never Too Late Nominations: Best Original Song — 'Never Too Late' by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin Our thoughts: It started in 2018. It finished in 2023. Across that five-year period, it came to Australia twice. Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, his final string of live shows around the world, saw him say goodbye to hitting the stage after five decades — a decision that documentary Elton John: Never Too Late digs into. This is a celebratory film rather than a deep dive, and somehow not as intimate as viewers should expect of a movie co-directed by the music icon's husband David Furnish (who also helmed 1997's Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras, and works with Martha and Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry filmmaker RJ Cutler hear), but the music is still a treat. Where to watch: Via Disney+. Inside Out 2 Nominations: Best Animated Feature Film Our thoughts: They're basic: joy, sadness, fear, disgust and anger, that is, the five emotions that swirled inside human heads in Pixar's 2015 hit Inside Out. In Inside Out 2, that quintet of feelings isn't enough to cope with being a teenager, which is where anxiety, envy, ennui and embarrassment come in. The newcomers arrive with the onset of puberty. They have no time for simple happiness; they've levelled up some of the emotions adjacent to sorrow, fright, dismay and fury, too. Inside Out was always an all-ages ode to mindfulness, as is its sequel — and discovering how to accept and acknowledge apprehension, unease and nerves is here, like in life, a complicated balancing act. Where to watch: Via Disney+, Apple TV and Prime Video. Read our full review. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Nominations: Best Visual Effects Our thoughts: Since day one, every Planet of the Apes tale has been a mirror. Gazing into the sci-fi series means seeing the power structures and societal struggles of our reality staring back — discrimination, authoritarianism and even the impact of a world-ravaging virus should ring a bell — but with humans no longer atop the pecking order. These are allegorical stories and, at their best, thoughtful ones, probing the responsibilities of being the planet's dominant force and the ramifications of taking that mantle for granted. Not every instalment has handled the task as well as it should've, but those, that do like Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, leave a paw print. Where to watch: Via Disney+, Apple TV and Prime Video. Read our full review. Memoir of a Snail Nominations: Best Animated Feature Film Our thoughts: Fifteen years is a long time between features. Films by Australian stop-motion animator Adam Elliot — movies that he calls "clayographies" — also aren't quick to make. But Memoir of a Snail rewards the wait, with the Mary and Max writer/director again using his preferred medium to process life's heartbreaks, struggles, joys and delights in stunning fashion. Sarah Snook (Succession) voices Grace Pudel, twin to Gilbert (Kodi Smit-McPhee, Disclaimer) and later friend to the elderly Pinky (Jacki Weaver, Hello Tomorrow!). Grace reflects upon her existence from childhood onwards, and her journey towards living for herself, to share this immensely affecting story. Where to watch: Via Apple TV and Prime Video. Read our interview with Adam Elliot. Nickel Boys Nominations: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay Our thoughts: Cinema's function as an empathy machine places viewers into someone else's shoes for 90 or so minutes at a time. Adapting Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, director RaMell Ross (Hale County This Morning, This Evening) doesn't leave that sensation to chance in this impressionistic standout. As shot by Jomo Fray (All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt), Nickel Boys' extraordinary cinematography adopts a first-person perspective, ensuring that the audience sees and hears the world as Elwood (Ethan Herisse, The American Society of Magical Negroes) and Turner (Brandon Wilson, Murmur) do when they're sent to an abusive reform school. Where to watch: Via Prime Video. No Other Land Nominations: Best Documentary Feature Our thoughts: In No Other Land, Basel Adra films what he knows but wishes that he doesn't — and what he knows that the world needs to see. Co-directing with Israeli investigative journalist Yuval Abraham, plus farmer and photographer Hamdan Ballal and cinematographer Rachel Szor, the Palestinian activist chronicles the takeover of the West Bank region of Masafer Yatta for an Israeli military base. As a result, families with centuries of ties to the land are forced to live in caves, battle soldiers and fight to survive. Making this documentary is an act of bravery of the highest order. Watching it, and bearing witness as Adra demands, couldn't be more essential. Where to watch: Via DocPlay. Porcelain War Nominations: Best Documentary Feature Our thoughts: Art can be a radical act — a fight, a show of defiance, a countering to oppression and devastation — and this truth can be baked into a documentary's very existence (see: Black Box Diaries and No Other Land for just two recent examples). The moving and powerful Porcelain War also shows this idea in action in Ukraine, against the backdrop of its devastated landscape under the current Russian occupation. In this Sundance 2024 US Documentary Grand Jury Prize-winner, filmmakers Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev capture the latter's efforts with Anya Stasenko to craft porcelain figurines while they're part of the Ukrainian defense. Where to watch: Via DocPlay. The Six Triple Eight Nominations: Best Original Song — 'The Journey' by Diane Warren Our thoughts: The ever-prolific Tyler Perry directed not one, not two, but three films in 2024: thrillers Mea Culpa and Divorce in the Black, plus the World War II-set The Six Triple Eight. The last of the otherwise-unrelated trio brings the story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion to the screen — the only all-Black US Women's Army Corps dispatched overseas during the conflict. In the lead, Kerry Washington (Unprisoned) is a highlight. Perry helms with great intentions, honouring women who history shouldn't be permitted to forget. But none of that translates to an impressive feature, even with Oprah Winfrey (A Wrinkle in Time) adding to her acting resume. Where to watch: Via Netflix. Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat Nominations: Best Documentary Feature Our thoughts: The Cold War. Jazz greats, including Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie and Melba Liston. America's operations through the CIA in the Democratic Republic of the Congo when it was newly independent from Belgium. Across two-and-a-half hours in essay style, Belgian filmmaker Johan Grimonprez's (Blue Orchids) inventive and engaging — and thorough and dense — documentary Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat explains how they're all connected, plus the 1961 murder of Patrice Lumumba and much more as well. It has the soundtrack, of course, as well as smarts, pace, thrills and a probing look both backwards and forward. Where to watch: Via DocPlay. The Substance Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Coralie Fargeat), Best Actress (Demi Moore), Best Original Screenplay, Best Makeup and Hairstyling Our thoughts: If you suddenly looked like society's ideal, how would it change your life? The Substance asks this. With Revenge's Coralie Fargeat leading the charge on her long-awaited sophomore feature and earning Cannes' Best Screenplay Award for her troubles, the result is a new body-horror masterpiece. Pump it up: the sci-fi concept; the stunning command of sound, vision and tone; the savagery and smarts; the gonzo willingness to keep pushing and parodying; the gore (and there's gore); and the career-reviving performance from Demi Moore (Landman), who'll now always be remembered as newly 50-year-old actor and TV host Elisabeth Sparkle. Where to watch: Via Stan, Apple TV and Prime Video. Read our full review. Sugarcane Nominations: Best Documentary Feature Our thoughts: In 1981, more than a century after it was founded, the Catholic Church-run St Joseph's Mission residential school in British Columbia, Canada closed its doors. Reports of abuse swirled long before its shuttering, in some cases backed up by investigations and trials. Four decades afterwards, unmarked graves were discovered — and more distressing stories emerged, including of pregnancies resulting from sexual assaults and covered up. This is personal for Julian Brave NoiseCat, who co-directs the sensitively, potently, astutely and movingly told Sugarcane with fellow feature-length first-timer Emily Kassie: his father and grandmother are both part of this tale. Where to watch: Via Disney+. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl Nominations: Best Animated Feature Film Our thoughts: Break out the Wensleydale cheese: Wallace & Gromit is back. The first film, short or feature-length, about the kind-hearted inventor (Ben Whitehead) and his beagle since 2008's A Matter of Loaf and Death — TV's Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention did pop up for six episodes in 2010, though — sees its namesakes targeted by penguin Feather McGraw on a quest for revenge. Despite the long break between screen outings, Aardman Animation's main duo have lost none of their charm. A delight of an all-ages flick, it's both humorous and heartfelt, nails its slapstick silliness, and even makes clever use of a robotic garden gnome. Where to watch: Via Netflix. The Wild Robot Nominations: Best Animated Feature Film, Best Original Score, Best Sound Our thoughts: A favourite on the page first, The Wild Robot is now an all-time gem on the screen. Boasting extraordinarily emotive voicework from Lupita Nyong'o (A Quiet Place: Day One), beautiful hand-painted forest imagery inspired by Studio Ghibli, assured direction from How to Train Your Dragon and The Croods' Chris Sanders, and a rousing score by Kris Bowers (Bridgerton) will do that. Story-wise, it spends time with Roz, aka ROZZUM unit 7134, after the android ends up on an animal-filled island and learns that there's more to existence than following your programming — and, in the process, The Wild Robot proves tender, warm and enchanting. Where to watch: Via Apple TV and Prime Video. Read our interview with Lupita Nyong'o and Chris Sanders. The winners of the 2025 Oscars will be announced on Monday, March 3, Australian time. For further details, head to the awards' website. Wondering what will, should and could win? Check out our predictions in 11 key categories.
Walking through a cathedral made of 100,000-plus lights, moseying beneath a canopy of glowing multi-coloured trees, wandering between ribbons of flashing beams — you'll be able to do all of this when Lightscape heads to Australia for the first time in 2022. Originally meant to debut Down Under in 2020 but postponed due to the pandemic, the after-dark light festival will be taking over the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria — Melbourne from Friday, June 24–Sunday, August 7, beaming away from 5.15pm Wednesday–Sunday. While the leafy Birdwood Avenue spot is already extremely scenic, to say that Lightscape will be brightening up the place is quite the understatement. Prepare to see the garden illuminated by immersive and large-scale installations scattered along a 1.8-kilometre route, including sparkling trees, luminous walkways and bursts of colour that look like fireworks. A big highlight: large-scale works like Winter Cathedral, the aforementioned installation that'll feature more than 100,000 globes and make you feel like you're being bathed in radiance. Lightscape comes to Australia after taking over gardens across the United Kingdom and the United States. Developed by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in the UK, it's understandably proven a huge success — and more than two-million people wandered along its glowing trails last season. In Melbourne, Lightscape will also commission local artists to create works that'll celebrate the city's culture and nature — giving the after-dark light festival a local touch. Fingers crossed for pop-up food and drink stalls scattered throughout — selling, we hope, mulled wine to keep hands warm during the chilly winter nights. Lightscape will light up Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne, from Friday, June 24–Sunday, August 7. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the event's website.
A home to sticky floors and debaucherous nights, Club 77 (or Sevs as it's often affectionately referred to) is now 25-years-old. The long-standing nightclub has been a go-to for packed dance floors throughout the last three decades, acting as a base for the renowned DJ collective BangGang and hosting world-conquering acts from across the globe. Just in time for its half-decade celebrations, the Sydney institution was given a revamp, with a new look, a new drinks menu from the Odd Culture crew and a new set of opening hours which will see it open 5pm–4am seven days a week. To celebrate, it's hosting a heap of big late-night parties including two blockbuster shows as part of Vivid's live music program. Taking place on Saturday, May 28 and Saturday, June 11, the two club nights have been coined 77 Live and will feature lineups curated by two renowned party collectives. The first night has been pulled together with the help of events organisation UNDR ctrl and will be headlined by a five-hour back-to-back set from beloved indie-pop producer Golden Vessel and electronic duo Close Counters. Accompanying the music will be lights and three-dimensional visual displays from artist Tom Vanderzeil under their Passive Kneeling moniker. Night two will also feature visuals from Passive Kneeling, with the music now in the hands of local collective Heavenly. Expect a wide-ranging array of electronic tunes from Heavenly including a set from ambient producer Cousin as well as FBi Radio mainstays Bria and Ben Fester. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmsvhQNuO-E
It seems like much of what makes Lightning Ridge special takes place underground. Chambers of the Black Hand is another unique landmark, a sprawling opal cave featuring tableaux hand-carved into the sandstone walls. Produced by artist and opal miner Ron Canlin, this incredible artistic endeavour was started in 1996. Today, the subterranean lair is adorned with figures carved into the mine walls with a small pick-axe and a butter knife. You can explore themed sections dedicated to native animals, dinosaurs and pop culture references like Lord of the Rings. There's also an underground shop where you can purchase opals directly from the source. Head to the website to plan your trip.
A new arrival on the live music scene, the Red Rattler is a community-based venue and innovative arts space. It's a space determined to make a lot of noise, and is named for the old Red Rattler trains that did the same. Building on the shoulders of Sydney's infamous illegal warehouse scene (which many of these Rats were involved in), this is a completely legal venue that seems far too good to be true. It's an inspiring space that feels more like a home than a warehouse. Plush red velvet curtains, mismatched second-hand couches and an intimate, friendly atmosphere make a night spent at the Rattler completely unique. The fact that it's run by a collective of artists guarantees an exceptional spectrum of performers, with past highlights including The Church, Naked On The Vague and the High Reflections experimental music nights.
It feels somewhat odd to use a graveyard as an interesting neighbourhood feature, but this verdant space offers not only beauty, but also insights into the history of Crows Nest from a time long forgotten. The first Christian burial ground to be established on Sydney's north shore, St Thomas Rest Park houses the graves of many notable historical figures from the area including Alexander Berry, after whom the nearby Berry Island Reserve (well worth a visit) was named. The sprawling parkland is dotted with graves of Victorian gothic grandeur as well as plenty of trees. Plaques and signage will be able to tell you more about those buried, but the spot is also popular with runners, dog walkers and just those seeking a leisurely stroll. Images: Mel Koutchavlis
Blak Markets are back at The Rocks this weekend, bringing the now-famous offering of Indigenous makers, artists and small business owners together for a special Mother's Day celebration. While the market has historically run for a weekend, this will see 20 stallholders popping up in Dawes Point Park for one day only, from 10am–4pm on Sunday, May 11. It's not just a great activity to visit with Mum — it's a great chance to meet some talented creatives and celebrate the special day with a community, while you spend an afternoon wandering the markets and chatting with the makers. You can also enjoy a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony when the market opens, as well as live dance performances, a weaving workshop, and a dance and ochre workshop for any kids, before the fun concludes at 4pm. On the stallholder front, you can take home the likes of handmade dolls by Dollies Tribe & Co; gorgeous artworks by Saretta Art & Design, Soul Reign and Kourt; native bushfood and plants from IndigiGrow; and much more.
Humans spend roughly a third of their life sleeping. Aside from the occasional drunken night or camping trip, most of this sleeping is done in a bed. So why, then, are such important objects in our lives often so commonplace and dull? Beds can be used to express our inner self, to represent our deepest loves or simply help us wake up and get going in the morning. Here are 20 of the most creative and eccentric designs that are sure to put a smile on your face. 1. The Stand Up Bed Thanks to this novel bed, which resembles a large vertical bean bag, sleeping while standing is apparently very possible. 2. The Floating Bed This magnetically charged floating bed by Janjaap Ruijssenaars not only looks incredibly chic and contemporary, but also would make it very hard for any monsters to hide underneath it. 3. The Rocking Bed The 'Private Cloud' is a a patented rocking frame designed by Manuel Kloker, which will be sure to lull you into a serene sleep every night. 4. The Sonic Bed Kaffe Matthew's Sonic bed probably isn't exactly designed to provide a good night's sleep, created with 12-channel surround sound speakers encased around the edges to cover every cell of your body with musical beats. 5. The Forest Bed For those who want to have a sense of being out in the wild whilst remaining in the comfort of their own bed, this exotic wooden bed would be the one for you. 6. The Safe Bed This 'Quantum Sleeper' is the ultimate in protection for those paranoid about the threat of natural disasters, terrorist attacks, kidnappers or any variation therein. 7. The Starfish Bed Known as the 'Hold Me Bed', this structure will ensure that you overcome those restless nights of tossing and turning because, well, you won't be able to move a muscle. 8. The Hay Bed Some people have such an affinity for hay they simply want to be surrounded by it when awake and asleep. 9. The Yin and Yang Bed If you believe you've found your absolute soulmate but can't handle sleeping next to them for whatever reason, perhaps this next bed will provide the solution to your problems. 10. The Sandwich Bed You are what you eat, right? 11. The Hammock Bed Everybody loves the tranquil and relaxing sensation induced by the gentle swinging and folding of a hammock. 12. The Pull-Down Bed If you are crammed for space due to a small apartment or want another handy spare bed that doesn't waste the space of a whole room, then this innovative and nifty pull-down bed is the way to go. 13. The Molecular Bed Scientists, sportspeople or ball-lovers will be sure to enjoy this bed made of 120 soft and pleasant balls. 14. The Cinderella Bed Perfectly suited to little princesses with large imaginations and a love for fairytales. 15. The Foetal Position Bed This bed doesn't leave much margin for movement - that is unless you want to end up snuggling up with the floorboards. 16. The Bird Nest Bed This large pit of soft pillows encased in a brown, nest-like structure is a novel way to help kids nod off to sleep. 17. The Geometric Bed If you want to keep the brain cells flowing even when getting some shut-eye, perhaps this bed with a modern geometric structure attached to it is the perfect way to achieve just that. 18. The Brush Bed This bed looks like it would be jabbing uncomfortable protrusions from every angle. 19. The Book Bed Let imaginations soar with this creative life-sized book that also doubles as a bed. 20. The Napping Pod Cure that threethirtyitis by grabbing a quick nap in one of these high-tech napping pods.
You might not know the Mughal Empire by name, but chances are you're familiar with its legacy. The once-mighty dynasty — which ruled overlarge swathes of South Asia for over 300 years between the 16th and 19th centuries, stretching at its peak from the Bay of Bengal to western Afghanistan — was one of the region's most influential, implementing a reformist agenda that touched many areas of life, including centralised government, the rise of Urdu and the construction of iconic monuments including the Taj Mahal. The Mughals were also responsible for introducing new foods and spices to the region, leading to the creation of enduringly popular dishes like biryani, korma and chicken tikka, among others. It's this rich legacy that's being drawn upon at Cleveland Street newcomer Nawabi. Located right around the corner from Wunderlich Lane, the cosy spot leans heavily into the regal traditions of Mughlai cuisine, with a menu inspired by the opulent banquets enjoyed by Mughal emperors and nobility, and recipes that have been passed down over centuries. Stepping inside, you'll be greeted by rich, warm tones and the heady aroma wafting from the tandoor. On the menu, you'll find well-executed takes on classics — think: a range of full-flavoured biryani and rice dishes, sizzling seekh kebabs, and a variety of proteins cooked in the tandoor as well as in traditional Mughal woks, with dishes that make full use of ground and whole spices. You can pair your meal with a tandoor-fired naan or paratha, or a lesser-seen sheermal, a sweet, soft, saffron-accented flatbread made with milk. It wasn't just the spices that the Mughals brought to the table — they also knew how to end a meal on a high. At Nawabi, you can finish your feast with time-honoured Mughlai desserts, including gulab jamun, falooda and pistachio or mango kulfi. You can also go for a hearty ras malai, in which soft cottage cheese is soaked in saffron-infused milk and topped with pistachios and almonds. You might be feasting like royalty but you won't need the bank balance of a king to dine at Nawabi — aside from share platters, nothing on the menu is more than $30. If you're with a group, you can go for one of the generous banquet menus, which start at $59 per head and feature a broad spread of the restaurant's signature dishes. Plus, Nawabi offers free BYO, as well as zero corkage for its opening period. Nawabi is now open Tuesday–Sunday, from 5–10pm, at 351–353 Cleveland Street, Surry Hills. For more information, head to the venue's website.
Two inner west train stations are slated to receive $40-million makeovers as part of their integration into the Sydney Metro project. The upgrades at St Peters and Erskineville stations will help improve accessibility at both sites, and will see them become part of the T4 Illawarra train lines from 2024. This change will provide direct access for inner west residents to Martin Place Station and Sydney's eastern suburbs. The planned upgrades follow an announcement in February that Transport for NSW would be introducing hundreds of extra weekly services to the city's train network. The $1 billion plan to increase the capacity of the rail network is set to include a significant increase in services running through the T2 and T8 lines, both of which run through the inner west, as well as a 6000-passenger capacity increase to the T4 line. When they join the T4 line, trains running through St Peters and Erskineville will no longer continue past Central and Town Hall on to the City Circle (Wynyard, Circular Quay, St James and Museum), but will instead connect from Central to Martin Place, Kings Cross, Edgecliff and Bondi Junction. Both St Peters and Erskineville stations will be fitted with new lifts and canopies in anticipation of increased train services when the Metro opens. Erskineville Station will receive four lifts, a new pedestrian footbridge, new amenities and toilets, a new entrance at the southern end of the station and platform tactiles to help customers with vision impairment. Similarly, St Peters Station will be fitted out with two new lifts, as well as new amenities including a family accessible toilet, platform tactiles and upgrades to the pedestrian pathways. Planning approval is still required, but construction is slated to start later in 2021. Some early work at St Peters Station will take place on Saturday, April 17 during a scheduled train shutdown. You can find out more info on the train shutdown on the Transport for NSW websit. The St Peters and Erskineville Station upgrades are expected to be complete in 2023, in time for the opening of the Metro in the area the following year. For more information about the Sydney Metro City and Southwest project, head to the Sydney Metro website. Images: artist interpretations of the St Peters and Erskineville station upgrades.
While al fresco watering holes might be a dime a dozen in the Sydney CBD, Cabana Bar is an impressive entrant into the mix. The expansive bar and restaurant, located in 25 Martin Place (the erstwhile MLC Centre), is bringing big resort energy to the city thanks to its openair terrace that stretches over 100 metres and is framed with festoon lighting and greenery. Ocean blue banquettes, wicker furniture and white-washed walls complete the look. The cocktail menu leans in to the resort energy — the signature piña colada is a standout here, while there are five margarita varieties and two 600ml fishbowls to choose from as well. The wine list is heavy on Australian makers with most also available by the glass. The food is no afterthought here. The menu, designed by executive chef Brad Sloane, reads like an intersection of resort-style plates and classic pub fare. Highlights include tequila-cured salmon and blue corn tostadas with avocado crema, prawn roll in a toasted milk roll with garlic butter and spicy marie rose and zucchini blossom spaghetti. There's also a late-night menu available from Thursday to Saturday, making this a no-brainer for a post-show bite if you're coming from the nearby Theatre Royal. Cabana Bar also has five spaces available to book for private functions, with both indoor and outdoor spaces available that can cater for groups of up to 80 people. Top image: Wasa Media
If you adore a hidden bar, you're going to love discovering Clarence Street's latest watering hole Old Love's. The new venue from the team behind Old Mate's Place is located down an unmarked corridor and behind a nondescript security door in the basement level of the building. You truly don't know whether you're about to find a bustling CBD venue or an empty fire escape once you head through — but luckily, a welcoming new cocktail bar awaits you. Old Love's has taken over the space previously occupied by Ginny's Canoe Club — a pop-up that Old Mate's Place ran while it was putting the final touches on the Old Love's concept. Namely, the crew was waiting for the perfect swivel chairs to arrive from the US and thought a limited-time restaurant would be a fun idea. Now that the digs have been transformed into Old Love's, you'll find a loving homage to the world of rum in the basement bar. On entry, you're even handed the Book of Rum, a passion project that Old Mate's Dre Walters has been working on in the lead-up to the opening. The book is a guide to all things rum, and the back bar is set up from left to right in the order that different regions and distilleries appear in the book. Flick through the pages to the middle of the guide and you'll discover a list of fun and inventive cocktails — many of which are based on long-forgotten Pacific Island and Caribbean combinations that Walters and the team have dug up from historic Tiki recipe books. The Old Mate's Place owner says they've "dropped some power steering" into these drinks of yesteryear with the help of contemporary spirits and modern mixology. The Pet Dragon will delight, combining a house-made rum-based drambuie, dried plum extract, a burst of citrus and egg whites for fluffiness. Or the Cuban Payphone takes white rum and brightens it with sherry, citrus, sugar and orange bitters. A favourite from the Ginny's and Old Mate's menus, the pickled jalapeño Tommy's margarita is also available here — a good option for the rum-averse. There are seasonal daiquiris using whatever fruit is available from the markets that week. If you want to dip your toes in the world of rum, chat with the bartender and pick out a rum of your choosing to combine with freshly squeezed sugar cane juice. It's the beginner's version of a rum on the rocks. Rounding out Old Love's offerings are a few memorable bar snacks. Both the mini Cubano and the jerk chicken roll are packed with flavour — a true delight when paired with a top-notch cocktail. Old Love's is located on the basement level of 199 Clarence Street, Sydney. It's open 5pm–2am Tuesday–Sunday. Head to the bar's website to browse the full menu.
If any Sydney neighbourhood was going to change the perception of something from unattainable to accessible, it would be Oxford Street. It's where you'll find Izy.Aki, a far cry from the dimly lit, luxe restaurants you might first think of when you hear the word omakase. Visible for passerbys, its bright lights, exposed brick walls, open kitchen and 18-seat marble countertop paint a welcoming picture. While this is still an upscale destination, it's homely. Izy.Aki is what's called a kappo omakase. Kappo is a culinary experience defined by an intimate space and chef-diner interaction, while omakase is a dining experience where the menu is left up to the chef. The final result? A relaxed, informal take on your typical omakase experience, packed full of honest interactions with the chef as they take you through your meal. The guides on this journey will make you feel right at home. Chefs Darren Templeman (Atelier, O Bar and Dining) and Bonnie Yu, alongside bartender, host and sommelier Aurelian Jeffredo, work hard to create an experience that feels more like being welcomed into a friend's home than a booking at a high-end restaurant. Every dish and drink is explained when served, and Jeffredo is more than happy to recommend drinks for each guest to accompany the dishes and match your preferences. The food here is set — it is omakase after all — so each booking is either a six-course or ten-course meal, decided by the chefs and your dietary requirements. As such, what you could be dining on is often in flux, but there are some house specialties. Chief among them is The Egg: a hen egg filled with white onion puree, foie gras, smoked eel and a topping of trout roe. You'll also find a wide range of grilled offerings, including yakiniku-style meats and 9+ Australian wagyu. The drinks menu stars cocktails, alongside Japanese spirits, beers and plenty of sake to keep the thirst at bay as the courses flow.
They like jumpsuits, one name and living in the same suburb. That's The Kates' quick description of themselves, and of their fame as The Kates, as they've been known ever since The Katering Show proved the funniest thing on the small screen in 2015. Kate McLennan and Kate McCartney didn't start their careers together, but they've become Australia's comedy queens by proving a razor-sharp, whip-smart duo — first while satirising cooking shows in a webseries that was picked up by the ABC for its second season; then by taking on morning television with fellow pitch-perfect two-season parody Get Krack!n; and now with Prime Video's Deadloch, which started streaming its Tasmania-set comedic murder-mystery on Friday, June 2. "There were so many Kates in the show," McCartney notes of their latest project, which The Kates originally gave the working title Funny Broadchurch. One such Kate: Wentworth and Rake's Kate Box, who plays one half of reluctant detective duo in Deadloch's titular small town opposite The Breaker Upperers' Madeleine Sami. "Kate Anderson was our special makeup effects artist. Katie Robertson, Katie Milwright — Katie Robertson is on the show, Kate Milwright was one of the cinematographers — and we had another Kate, Kate Fox, doing locations," McCartney continues. "It was basically if your name was Kate…" adds McLennan, "then you got a job," finishes McCartney. Sami "is in the process of getting her name changed to Kate," McCartney keeps joking. "She hasn't started the paperwork yet," pipes in McLennan. No matter how many other Kates had a hand in Deadloch, the series is instantly recognisable as the work of The Kates. Within seconds of a man being found dead on a beach in the first episode's opening moments, the corpse's penis is on fire. When Box's small-town sergeant Dulcie Collins informs the next of kin, he bellows that he loved him like a brother — but has to be reminded that, yes, the deceased was his actual brother. And when Sami's Eddie Redcliffe blows in like a whirlwind of swearing and Hawaiian shirts, she's the stereotypical arrogant outsider cop, but satirically so. Indeed, with their male victim and female investigators, The Kates gleefully riff on the cop-genre status quo, flip the script to focus on the characters usually robbed of a voice and, although it wasn't originally their aim, balance sidesplitting laughs with making an excellent crime procedural. Deadloch is also an inescapably Australian murder-mystery series in its Tasmanian gothic look, its excavation of the nation's treatment of its First Peoples and, as frequently dropping from Sami's mouth, its love of cursing. The latter gave rise to The Cunt Essay, The Kates explain, to justify why its use of language couldn't be more ordinary on an Aussie-set show. From responding to the standard treatment of women in dead-girl crime thrillers to getting that homegrown vernacular over the line — and scrapping their own filmed cameo in the series, too — we chatted with McLennan and McCartney about all things Deadloch. ON THE NUMBER OF DEAD-WOMAN CRIME SHOWS SOMEONE NEEDS TO WATCH BEFORE THEY DECIDE TO RESPOND McCartney: "Roughly 800, I reckon. I just don't know if there is a single crime show that — if it's not in the first two minutes of a murder show, then you will still eventually see a dead woman." McLennan: "And once you're aware of it as well, you'd watch them and, sure, they're showing you the body of a dead woman, but they would always show a gratuitous shot of her boob. You would always see a nipple. You've got these very serious detectives standing over a body, and you just don't need to see a blue nipple. You don't need to see it." McCartney: "There's always that one at the crime scene. But then you go to the morgue and they have another conversation with the forensic pathologist, and rather than putting a sheet up, they're always completely nude on the slab as well." McLennan: "So we just thought what would be really interesting is if you actually gave those victims a voice. To us, we wanted to know about the backstories of these people that would normally be portrayed as victims in these types of shows. Also, we're just terrible at writing men, so it was easier just to have a dead one instead of writing dialogue for him." ON DEADLOCH'S STARTING POINT AS "FUNNY BROADCHURCH" McCartney: "We thought of the idea in about 2015, when we had just had kids, and the kids were newborns. So we were at home at 3am, in that witching hour of not quite knowing if you exist — and sort of knowing, 'well, I think I do exist because I have a Twitter profile, but I think that's the only thing that tethers me to this realm now because it's so late and I have spent so much time by myself as a tit machine with the baby'. During that time, we both, for whatever reason — and I don't really know what this says about our mental health at the time — but we just gravitated towards crime shows. There was a lot at that point as well, there was a bit of an explosion of Scandi noir. You know, like.. I can't think of a single one. What's that one with jumpers? What's the jumpers? You know, jumpers?" McLennan: "The jumpers?" McCartney: "Jumpers. The Scandi jumpers one." McLennan: "Do you mean The Bridge?" McCartney: "No, The Killing." McLennan: "The Killing." McCartney: "And then The Bridge, and then there was…" In unison: "The Return." McCartney: "And then there was…" In unison: "The Fall." McCartney: "The Fall. Yeah, silk shirts. Gillian Anderson. Silk shirts." McLennan: "And you told me to watch Broadchurch, and I thought it was a comedy because Olivia Colman was in it and I knew her from comedy. So I'm like 'oh, it's a comedy'. So I strapped myself in to watch this funny comedy show. And I'm like 'yeah, this is not a comedy'. But we thought 'what if we did take a show that had that small town, lots of secrets, lots of characters, and you just nudge the comedy". You just nudge the needle up a little bit. We had the idea just after we made The Katering Show. We were pitching Get Krack!n overseas, and we would do the spiel about Get Krack!n and then people would sometimes say 'do you have any other ideas?'. We'd just throw in the Deadloch idea as this last-minute 'we've also got this other show with the working title Funny Broadchurch'. And people just really grabbed onto it. McCartney: "Like, they got it." McLennan: "So we knew that it had legs. We made Get Krack!n and then we thought we'd pitch this other show, and luckily Amazon Prime were ready to jump on board with this." ON MAKING A COMEDIC MURDER-MYSTERY THAT ALSO WORKS AS A MURDER-MYSTERY McCartney: "It wasn't actually [the initial plan]. When we first conceived of it, this was at The Katering Show, that's where we were at in terms of what we were working on. And we did originally conceive of it as being a 30-minute show. And then, we just grew in confidence and ambition as we got into Get Krack!n — and then by the final season of Get Krack!n, we started to really experiment with using that interplay of something dark, then something funny. I think that informed us and bolstered us — that may not be a word — in our confidence and our ability to to be able to pull off something like this. And also having that experience. We'd done a few series. And the things we're trying to emulate, they are a lot longer because of the moodiness and the cinematic quality of it — and you just need more time. And because we're not in it — personally, I'm a terrible actor, so there's only so much I can do — but if you get someone like Kate Box or Madeleine Sami or Alicia Gardner, or anyone like that in your show, you can ask them to do a lot more with the characters. You can actually have proper characters." McLennan: "We wanted the space to tell the story and to do it justice, and to do in a way that felt like it was a rich, rewarding experience for the audience. I think around the time that we going through this creative process with it, Killing Eve had just come out — and I don't know if it did necessarily break the mould, but it made it pretty clear to us that you could tell a story that was longer than half an hour and there was an appetite for that from the streaming services as well." McCartney: "It was the appetite, really. Because we'd already thought about it, we'd already gone 'oh, I think I think this is how it needs to be, this is the kind of show we're looking at, I think we want it to be a proper show'. But the fact that people were watching it and responding to it, there was a precedent that we could go 'people will hang in there'." McLennan: "It certainly made us — when we knew that we had the hour up our sleeve, it's like 'well, we'd better made this crime story really good'." McCartney: "It's a lot. It has to be interesting. Because people aren't going to watch something for an hour if they don't care about the characters, if there aren't actual stakes. You can't just do cop jokes. You can't sit above it and laugh, going 'aren't we clever'." McLennan: "You've got to be invested in it. And play the stakes of the crime." ON DECIDING NOT TO APPEAR ON-SCREEN McCartney: "With Get Krack!n, by the end it was a challenge to have the kind of control over what we were doing that that we like to have, and to make sure that our voice is all-encompassing, and also be on screen. It's a very different brain, and you necessarily have to kind of let things go by the wayside if you're in that role — if you're trying to do those two roles together." McLennan: "I remember being on the couch when we were filming Get Krack!n, and I had my phone and I was answering emails, and then we'd have to go for a take and I'd shove the phone under…" McCartney: "Always shoving it under our legs." McLennan: "And it just felt like the acting was getting in the way of the other job." McCartney: "And we wanted to do the other other job more, because we were pretty done with being on camera as it was." McLennan: "I think audiences were pretty…" McCartney: "They were probably pretty done with us as well." McLennan: "But we did cast ourselves in a cameo in the show. And we filmed that cameo." McCartney: "Probably about half a day, I'd say. So not only did we spend half a day on it, like the production spent half a day filming our cameo, but we also took time out of our personal, very busy showrunner schedule, to do it. So it was like a loss in two ways." McLennan: "Because we were watching rushes, and assembly edits were happening as we're going, we got to see that scene pretty quickly in the edit — and we were so bad that we cut ourselves and recast." McCartney: "So it does exist, but it's in the vault. It's in the Amazon vault. It's in one of those seed things that are in Antartica." ON CASTING KATE BOX AND MADELEINE SAMI McCartney: "Mads was actually a writer on the show. We knew her from quite a way back. We knew she's an extremely funny physical comedian and we've been fans of hers for ages, and obviously we've been massive fans of Kate Box as well." McLennan: "The whole casting process was done over Zoom. I mean, interestingly, we were working with Mads writing scripts with her when the audition process was happening, but we pretended that we didn't know that we were getting her into this." McCartney: "We were secretly in love with her and really hoped that she would play this part." McLennan: "We wanted to keep things very separate, because obviously if we didn't cast her, then that would maybe be a little bit awkward. So we're like 'let's just keep this as two separate streams'. She's like 'guys, did you know I've got an audition?', 'And we're like 'great!'. And the more we worked with Mads, the more that we could see that she was a pretty good fit." McCartney: "In fairness, she was a perfect fit. Setting down a self tape at the best of times is the pits, and really one of the key reasons why I stopped being a performer — but, but, doing it via Zoom, auditioning over zoom…" McLennan: "So Mads and Boxy had both done their separate reads of their characters, and then we got them to do a chemistry test — which again, you can imagine how we that is over Zoom." McCartney: " Zoom chemistry, just you can feel it pinging off the screen, can't you?" McLennan: "But you kind of could with those two." McCartney: "You could, yeah." McLennan: "I remember that day of getting them to do the callback, and to do these scenes together. It was like this immediate calm came over us, like 'this is going to be okay'." McCartney: "Yeah, this is going to be really good." McLennan: "Yeah, they're really good." McCartney: "Boxy is so fucking smart — not the Mads isn't — but Boxy is so smart, and so good at her job. On the page, you don't necessarily see that Dulcie is as funny as she is. And she just got it. So it was the moment she started saying those words, we were like 'not only is this what we hoped the character would be, but it's so much more'. She can do anything, so it seems a bit cheeky to be like 'hey, in this comedy, can you be the straight woman?'. But we needed someone that good at comedy and drama to play that part because everyone else can be a bit silly, but we needed someone to have the stakes all the time, because the audience needs that person." ON KEEPING DEADLOCH'S DIALOGUE UNIQUELY AUSTRALIAN McLennan: "To be honest, we wrote all of the scripts and we did not receive a note on the language in the scripts. And then, just as we're going through the process of getting the show happening — you go through this process where people look over everything, just to make sure that everything's okay — there was just a question on the the volume of swearing. And there is a lot. It opened up a conversation, so we responded to that with what's now known as The Cunt Essay. Our setup director Ben Chessell wrote a thesis essentially on Australians' relationship to the word cunt and other swearing." McCartney: "The local usage of it, and how that differs from overseas usage of it. And how, within this context, it's actually not really even a swear word — in fact, it can be a very nice term. And it's used in advertising campaigns! So we just talked about it in its context in the Australian vernacular, and its cultural context. And also, I think he talked about how it speaks to Australianness as well, that we've taken this word — there's no hierarchy, there aren't bad words, we're not as puritanical because we don't have that secretly underpinning our constitution and our heads of government. He also then tied it into something else, he was talking about reclaiming it — which was a bit more of a stretch, I would say, if we're honest about it, and I think he knew it was a bit of a stretch. But it was very wordy. It was about seven or eight pages." ON MAKING MORE SEASONS OF DEADLOCH McCartney: "You always think about things being more than one series, but we'd always thought of it as being an anthology series. So, retaining some of the characters and moving them to a different location, probably — it was always going to be set around Australia. So, that's the hope. That's the plan. That's the secret mutterings between us." Deadloch streams via Prime Video. Read our full review of season one.
What sits at the heart of European storytelling? That's a question that one of Australia's must-attend film festivals has been pondering for three years. It was back in 2022 that Europa! Europa initially started showcasing the breadth of cinema from across Europe — surveying as many countries as it can fit into each annual program, and swinging from the latest to the greatest pictures from across the continent. 2025's event kicks off in February to explore that idea again. Attending Europa! Europa's opening night this year means discovering what makes a French box-office hit, for starters. A Little Something Extra, directed by comedian and actor Artus, was its nation's highest-grossing homegrown movie of 2024. When it kicks off this Australian film fest in Sydney and Melbourne on Wednesday, February 12, it'll start the celebration of cinema with a tale about jewel thief and his son at a summer camp for young adults with disability. Returning to Ritz Cinemas Randwick in Sydney, plus both Classic Cinemas Elsternwick and Lido Cinemas Hawthorn in Melbourne — both for a month, running until Wednesday, March 12 — Europa! Europa has compiled a roster of 44 movies from 26 countries. Accordingly, its latest program lets viewers dig into what drives filmmaking from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark and Estonia, and also Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine. Titles from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Georgia, Montenegro, Norway, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom are on the list, too. Unsurprisingly, the largest contingent comes from France. Indeed, Gallic cinema provides Europa! Europa with its centrepiece film as well — and it's an Australian premiere, with Once Upon My Mother stepping back to the 60s. The festival's headliners bring big-name talents, as well as touching documentaries to Sydney and Melbourne. In Another End from The Wait director Piero Messina, Gael García Bernal (La Máquina) plays a mourning widower exploring tech-enhanced ways of facing grief, with Renate Reinsve (Presumed Innocent) and Bérénice Bejo (Under Paris) co-starring. The Dardenne brothers (Tori and Lokita) co-produce the Belgian tennis academy-set Julie Keeps Quiet, while Sweden's 2025 Oscar submission The Last Journey hails from Swedish journalists and TV hosts Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson, and focuses on a trip to France with the former's father. Still on familiar faces, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan Academy Award-nominee Maria Bakalova (The Apprentice) leads the satirical Triumph, French standouts Daniel Auteuil (An Ordinary Case) and Sandrine Kiberlain (November) get farcical in Love Boat, and Mélanie Laurent (Freedom) and Guillaume Canet (All-Time High) portray Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI in their final days in The Flood. Other highlights from the fest's slate of new titles include Spain's I Am Nevenka, about an IRL MeToo case; U Are the Universe, a Ukranian sci-fil film made during the current war; the Sundance-premiering Sebastian, about a writer who is also a sex worker; Anywhere, Anytime, a modernisation of Italian masterpiece Bicycle Thieves; and Loveable, from the producer of The Worst Person in the World — and the list goes on. Europa! Europa's annual retrospectives keep proving a drawcard, too. After shining the spotlight on Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness director Yorgos Lanthimos in 2024, the festival is jumping back into French film history by heroing the iconic François Truffaut. Four of the French New Wave filmmaker's movies are on the lineup, all showing as new 4K restorations: Shoot the Piano Player, The Soft Skin, Two English Girls and Finally, Sunday!. Europa! Europa Film Festival 2025 Dates Wednesday, February 12–Wednesday, March 12 — Ritz Cinemas Randwick, Sydney Wednesday, February 12–Wednesday, March 12 — Classic Cinemas Elsternwick and Lido Cinemas Hawthorn, Melbourne Europa! Europa will screen in Sydney and Melbourne from Wednesday, February 12–Wednesday, March 12, 2025. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the festival's website.
When I first heard that Bills' former head chef Kentaro (Kenny) Takayama was due open a Japanese fusion cafe in Redfern, I knew this was one for the Google Calendar. Oratnek is located in a terrace house on the fringe of Prince Alfred Park. Grab a spot in the front herb garden, where chefs come to pick parsley, mint and chives to order, and where you can reach down and liberally garnish your own. Start with a Mecca coffee and choose from a selection of classic cafe favourites that have been subtly fused with Japanese flavours. Worn-out breakfast items such as mushrooms on toast are brought to life with a sweet and salty kick of miso ($13), and in some cases dishes have been totally reinvented. A prime example is the jamon serrano, pecorino, kale, mashed green pea and broad bean tartine ($13), which is a fresh and elegant take on a ham, spinach and cheese toastie. Their white chocolate and matcha green tea muffins ($5) will have you wondering why you ever gave up eating muffins in the first place. The lunch menu follows suit, serving salads and sandwiches which are a little bit spesh. Try the monster pork fillet katsu sambo ($10) filled with fresh cabbage, Japanese barbecue sauce and mustard on thick white bread with the crusts cut off (thanks, Mum). Served on a bread board, this epic schnitty sandwich will have everyone wishing they ordered the same, and at just $10, you're paying dodgy pub prices for some really high-quality fare. There's also a Japanese fried chicken sandwich ($10) with a brave helping of fermented kimchi, as well as a calamari, cabbage and fresh herb salad ($17) or a comforting steamed clam pot with sake and garlic ($19). While the cuisine has little in common with Bills, you can see the resemblance in the quality control; every punctured egg unleashes a gooey, golden stream of yolk, while each piece of fried chicken runs with perfectly clear juices. Food is fresh, faultless and fabulous. There may not be corn fritters or honeycomb butter on the menu, but for me this is classic Bills with a Japanese edge.
Manly Wharf has been taken over by Felons. And no, we're not talking about pirates, but the celebrated Queensland brewery that's opened Felons Seafood, a sprawling 300-seat seafood restaurant perched right at the water's edge, right next to its more casual offering that opened in October 2024. It's an impressive set-up — a breezy coastal aesthetic is anchored by white tones and raw, earthy textures, as well as plenty of sunlit space across the spacious indoor and outdoor dining areas. Inside, a 360-degree bar is framed by four stainless steel tanks pouring brewery-fresh beer, all backed by sweeping views across Manly Cove. [caption id="attachment_1011783" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] Helming the kitchen is Luke Bourke, a culinary wunderkind with a CV that belies his age. Most recently at Rockpool Bar & Grill — where he won Good Food Guide's 2025 Young Chef of the Year award — Bourke has also logged time at est., Noma Australia and The Ledbury in London. He's also a proud Palawa man and an alumnus of the National Indigenous Culinary Institute, and his elegant, produce-driven menu — which he's designed with fellow Rockpool alum and owner of Marrickville's 20 Chapel Corey Costello — reflects both his heritage and experience. The menu is very much an Australian expression of a classic seafood restaurant. Dishes range from the traditional — like prawn cocktail and a chilled seafood platter loaded with king prawns, Sydney rock oysters, tuna tartare, honey bug cocktail and lemongrass pipis — to the more creative — Bourke's signature tartar sauce features pickled warrigal greens and Felons IPA malt vinegar, while the abalone schnitzel sandwich with salted chilli mayonnaise already feels like a classic in the making. [caption id="attachment_1011781" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ethan Smart[/caption] The drinks program is equally considered. Felons Super Cold Crisp Lager — Australia's coldest lager, poured at -2 degrees and served in thick-walled glassware designed to maintain the ice-cold temperature — headlines the tap list, while the food-friendly wine list showcases Australian and European makers. There's also a bright, coastal-inspired cocktail list, with highlights like a salt and vinegar martini made with oyster shell gin and caperberry brine, a coffee- and macadamia-infused old fashioned, plus frozen classics and a dedicated spritz selection. It all adds up to a venue that's set to reinvigorate one of Sydney's most iconic waterfront destinations. These Felons might be from Brisbane, but they've nailed the laidback Northern Beaches vibe to a tee.
With Game of Thrones finishing its run a few months back, there's currently a huge fantasy-shaped hole in the TV and streaming landscape. Of course, the beloved show is set to go on thanks to its own prequel; however plenty of networks and platforms are trying their hands at the genre in the interim — and giving television buffs plenty to watch. Amazon is hoping to fill the gap with its forthcoming Lord of the Rings series, although it isn't due until 2021. HBO's next contender has just arrived this month, courtesy of its adaptation of His Dark Materials. And, while Netflix already has its Dark Crystal prequel, which launched back in August, it'll soon drop new series The Witcher as well. In fact, the Henry Cavill-starring show will arrive on Friday, December 20, just in time for some Christmas break binge-viewing. Even better — if you're super-keen for the new series, you now have two seasons to look forward to. As reported by Variety, Netflix seems confident that plenty of folks are eager to see Cavill sporting long blonde locks and fighting monsters, because it has already renewed the show for a second season before the first even drops. You will have to wait for the follow-up batch of eight episodes, though, as it's not slated to shoot until 2020 or hit the streamer until 2021. Perhaps it's the concept that has everyone excited. As seen in both the initial trailer and the recent second sneak peek, the witcher of the title is Geralt of Rivia (Cavill), a monster hunter who prefers to work — aka slay beasts — alone in a realm called The Continent. But life has other plans for the lone wolf, forcing him to cross paths with powerful sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra, Netflix's Wanderlust) and young princess Ciri (newcomer Freya Allan). The latter harbours a secret, because of course she does, with the series blending plenty of fantasy staples such as magic, royalty, fighting factions, battling hordes, fearsome creatures, a heap of sword-swinging and many a scenic location. After stepping into Superman's shoes and facing off against Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible — Fallout, The Witcher marks Cavill's return to TV a decade after starring in regal period drama The Tudors. As well as Chalotra and Allan, it also features Jodhi May (Game of Thrones), MyAnna Buring (Kill List), Lars Mikkelsen (House of Cards) and Australian actor Eamon Farren (Twin Peaks). Behind-the-scenes, the show's eight-part first season is created, executive produced and co-scripted by Lauren Schmidt, who has everything from The West Wing, Parenthood and Power to Daredevil, The Defenders and The Umbrella Academy to her name. If the series' name sounds familiar, that's because The Witcher is based on the short stories and novels of writer Andrzej Sapkowski — and, as well as being turned into comics, it was adapted the video game series of the same name. A Polish film and TV show also reached screens back in the early 2000s, although they were poorly received. Check out the latest trailer for Netflix's The Witcher below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndl1W4ltcmg The Witcher will hit Netflix on Friday, December 20. Image: Katalin Vermes. Via Variety.
This NYE don't settle for something predictable and anticlimactic. We get it, with Christmas still in recent memory, there's often little time to make grand plans for the last party of the year — but Sydney's brand new December 31st festival has done the planning for you. NYE in the Park will ring in the new year with fireworks, a stellar line-up of international artists, great food and plenty of Champagne. Headlining and hosting the inaugural festival is Hot Dub Time Machine, whose packed dance parties are oft described as a 'history lesson through music'. He'll count the crowd down to midnight before starting his epic chronological set — beginning with the rock tunes of the 50s, then travelling through the decades to the best dance hits of today. Also taking the stage will be Canadian electro and techo maestro Tiga, Jurassic 5 legend Chali 2NA, DJ Krafty Kuts and you — if you win our exclusive VIP package. We're offering one lucky Concrete Playground reader the chance to win a New Year's Eve you'll never forget. You'll fire confetti and launch giant inflatable balls into the crowd, dance with Retrosweat aerobic dancers and pop Champagne with Hot Dub Time Machine at midnight — all on stage. Woah. It doesn't stop when you leave the stage, either — you'll be rubbing shoulders with Vera Blue, 2ManyDJs and other famed artists backstage (with complimentary drinks, of course). When the festival is over, you'll have a double pass and priority entrance to an exclusive afterparty in an unannounced location — so you can continue dancing the night away. If there's a new year's eve you can't top, it's this. To enter, see details below. [competition]647819[/competition]
Writer/director Kevin Smith (Mallrats, Chasing Amy) is no stranger to controversy. His 1999 film Dogma received more than 300,000 pieces of hate mail following its release, along with a number of deaths threats that he gleefully published online. Later, in 2005, Smith remarked he'd been mulling over a sequel to Dogma ever since the attacks of 9/11, and so it was that Red State finally emerged. It's casually referred to as a 'horror movie', but that's not quite right. In fact, Red State feels a bit like a movie grappling with an identity crisis: it's not gruesome enough to qualify as horror, just as it's neither exclusively funny enough to be comedy nor 'action-y' enough to tempt the Michael Bay crowd, yet it has more than enough of each to remain both gripping and entertaining throughout. The film is unusual for a number of other reasons, too, not in the least because there's no central protagonist for the audience to follow. Instead, it offers a story in three acts, each of which addresses one of the movie's key themes: sex, religion and politics. First up come the three horny, misguided teenagers Travis (Michael Angarano), Jarod (Kyle Gallner) and Billy Ray (Nicholas Braun), lured to a remote trailer park under the pretense of group sex with an older woman they met online (played to terrifying perfection by Melissa Leo). It feels like a standard setup for a standard horror flick, and when the boys end up drugged, bound and caged for the purposes of a religious execution, Red State seems squarely set on the path to torture porn. Thankfully, though, Smith instead uses the second act to make mockery of religious zealots who warp and misconstrue holy texts for their own perverse purposes. The boys find themselves prisoners of the Five Points Church — a militant version of the real-life Westboro Baptist nutjobs in the United States who (amongst other things) conduct the impossibly offensive protests outside the funerals of gays, atheists and US soldiers. Michael Parks in particular offers a phenomenal performance as the sect's charismatic leader Abin Cooper, and his 15-minute diatribe on the "ills of homosexuality" is as mesmerising as it is exasperating. Finally, the film turns to politics (and bullet-frenzied action) as the church finds itself besieged by an army of heavily armed ATF agents led by John Goodman. The allusions to the disastrous 1993 siege of David Koresh's Branch Davidians cult are unmistakable, and Smith throws subtlety to the wind with his harsh recrimination of both Christian fundamentalism and the heavily unregulated powers prescribed by the US Patriot Act. Overall, Red State delivers a captivating story unlike most of what finds its way to screens these days. It's a tense, unnerving, infuriating and even amusing film that pulls no punches when it comes to Smith's passionate sentiments regarding all things sex, religion and politics. Red State will screen at Popcorn Taxi on Wednesday, October 12 with a special introduction and post-screening analysis by Kevin Smith. It opens nationally on October 13. https://youtube.com/watch?v=uJ1v6oFHefc
Art Month turns three this year, returning with its city-spanning hook-up of contemporary art, galleries and the general public. Orbtiting the calendar opposite Art and About, Art Month shifts the focus to many on Sydney's smaller art institutions, with a month-long schedule of tours, talks, cycles, trails and exhibitions. The gargantuan scale of its full program can be a little overwhelming. Luckily, Concrete Playground is at the ready with this guide to Art Month's 2012 foray. 1. Art at Night Catching galleries of an evening has long since begun to catch on in Sydney. As its contribution to this widening field, Art Month is hosting six nights of Art at Night, with six Sydney precincts opening their doors late. Each evening one gallery hosts an art bar and FBi DJs, with a constellation of late-opening galleries around it. Paddington's hub is MiCK Gallery, flanked by shows like Hugh Ford, Magnum photos and abstracts at Eva Breuer. Rozelle centres around Artereal, with a dLux party, art precinct launch and interesting maps at Paper Plane. Surry Hills starts at the Chalk Horse, with shows at First Draft or Breenspace, and Chippendale offers a duel between MOP and the new Galerie pompom, with drinks later at the White Rabbit. East Sydney's National Art School base is a brisk walk from shows like Alaska Projects' Peep, while Alexandria's evening offers galleries like Darren Knight and hub Sullivan and Strumpf. Each party has one gallery bar, with participating galleries open 6-8pm, bars 6-10. Paddington/Woollhara is on March 8, Rozelle March 9, Waterloo/Alexandria March 15, Darlinghurst/East Sydney March 16, Chippendale/Redfern March 22 and Surry Hills on March 23. 2. Serial Space Suitcase Market Serial Space's Brisbane-borrowed Suitcase Market returns for Art Month, this time stocked by art students and ARIs. Vendors (you too can register to sell until March 15) are able to pack what they can in a single suitcase, selling whatever as they please: kitch, art or other treasures. If it's legal, if it fits in a suitcase, it could be going home with you. As a buyer, just turn up on the day with cash in your wallet, an eye for an interesting bargain and, perhaps, a bag of your own to take home your coming stash. March 17, 10-2pm. Free. 3. Art Cycle Art Month's Art Cycle combines the need to know with a two wheel tour, taking Art Month attendees on one of four itineraries of galleries around town. An Inner West circuit skirts Newtown galleries, Annandale and Leichhardt, with a finish at At the Vanishing Point and the night-garden-making Tortuga Studios, while a Chippendale and CBD tour pings Customs House before cruising inner-city highlights like Gaffa and Serial Space before ending up at First Draft. Bourke Street's foray touches Dank Street, the National Art School and Artspace, and the Paddington excursion exercises you from the Sherman Foundation through Alaska Projects up downhill to Coo-ee Aboriginal Art down by Bondi Beach. Bookings are essential. Email info@artcyclesydney.com with your name, mobile and the tour you prefer. Art Cycle recommends bringing water, food cash, a mobile, spare tube/tube or repair kit, tools and weather protection. Helmets compulsory. 4. Beer and Fries Sydney artist Kath Fries gets about. Dropping sculpture in cemeteries, winning her way to Tokyo with the Japan Foundation's New Artist Award and now a selection of installations in Millers Point's for Scorch at galleryeight. The show casts tree branches in bronze, mixing them into art with nylon, charcoal and a touch of mess. For her Art Month talk, Beer and Fries, Kath gets combined in conversation with MCA Curatorial Assistant Megan Robson and galleryeight director Peter Cramer. At the talk's end, galleryeight's geographical advantages get used to good effect, finishing with a free craft beer-tasting next door at the Lord Nelson Hotel. 11 March, 3pm. Free. RSVP info@galleryeight.com.au (Image: Kath Fries, Hold dear, 2011, bronze, nylon and charcoal, dimensions variable.) 5. Uncollectable Art Fraser Street Studios is bringing a group of artists together to talk about art you can't sell, letting you decide if it's better to make art that comes with a paycheck, or trade economic constraints for arctic freedoms. Uncollectable Art is moderated by Das Superpaper's Bronwyn Bailey-Charteris, and featuring ideas from ARIs, Primavera almunus and Squatspacer Keg de Souza, and performative walker Sarah Rodigari. The afternoon should leave you with a better appreciation for — or at least a stronger opinion about — the sorts of ephemeral things that are hard to sell, impossible to pack for art spaces and on occasion delightful to witness. March 11, 2 - 3pm, Fraser Street Studios. Free. RSVP online. (Strategies for Leaving and Arriving Home image by Adeo Esplago) 6. ARI Tours ARIs (Artist Run Initiatives — galleries run by artists, for artists) are, on the whole, a good thing. They encourage their artistic operators to get au fait with the business side of the creative arts, while they offer their exhibiting artists the chance to get their work shown by in a sympathetic space at (hopefully) sympathetic prices. The only problem for the outsider can be getting your head around where they are and what they do. While those in the know can do worse than checking out an online how-to, those seeking a more personal touch might look to get themselves shown around by someone who knows the traps. Match Box Projects are those someones, offering a series of four ARI Tours around inner Sydney to get you in the know. The tours are in Newtown on March 10 at 2pm, the Rocks March 11 at 1pm, Chippendale March 17 at 1pm, Surry Hills March 18 at 1pm. Tours are free, but you need to book. 7. John Kaldor in Conversation You know John Kaldor's stuff. Commissioning public art like Jeff Koons' puppy at the MCA, domestic wrappers on public sculpture and luring Christo and Jeanne-Claude to cover australian shores, his impressive and extensive collection of modern art now graces the Art Gallery of NSW. During Art Month, Kaldor Public Projects is preparing to launch its twenty-fifth project, The Dailies by Thomas Demand. Demand is printing his art on the Commercial Travelers' Association in Martin Place, even bringing a faint suggestion of scratch-and-sniff to the proceedings. Sitting down in tune with this new endeavour, John Kaldor takes to the stage at Customs House to discuss his collecting proclivities and his love for art, interviewed by ABC art maven Fenella Kernebone. 14 March, 6 - 8pm. RSVP here. Free. 8. Artbank Open Day Take an uncommon peek into the massed cultural holdings of national art-loan service ArtBank. One of the biggest buyers of art in Australia, Art Bank rents it back to offices around the country and some private homes. Their vaults are buoyed by up-and-comers, and more established artists around the country. It's not a collection whose spaces are often open to a general public, but for one day in March they're letting regular punters into what's otherwise a more mercantile environment. With a staff on hand to help you get a better look at their massed cultural holdings, this Art Month offering is a slice into a hidden art world, its own micro Sydney Open. 10 March, 2pm - 4pm Artbank. (Free) Bookings: enquiries@artbank.gov.au 9. Magnum Photos The Magnum Photos co-operative's original members photographed everything. The Spanish civil war, Ernest Hemmingway, Sartre and Ghandi. An agency with an eye for everyday people, and a knack for images à la sauvette, these "toreadors with little Leicas" are slow and selective with their membership. Only one Australian photographer, Trent Parke, is currently on Magnum's books and the Stills Gallery is running images from Parke's book Minutes to Midnight during Art Month, alongside a show of filmic contact sheets (also supporting a book) with Magnum images of Thatcher, the Beatles, Marlene Dietrich and others. A highlight of this photographic visitation will be a floor talk from FotoFreo-loving Magnum rep Fiona Rogers, whose words will no doubt throw the images into clearer relief. The two exhibitions run at Stills Gallery from February 29 - March 24. Rogers' talk takes place Wednesday 14 March at 6pm. (Image © Magnum LON7485 & LON107693. DAVID HURN - G.B. ENGLAND. LONDON.) 10. The Rocks Pop-Up Project in March The Rocks gets into Art Month with an open studio run by the National Institute for Experimental Arts (NIEA), under the umbrella of its Pop Up program. NEIA's space features the Match Box Projects' Sydney Portraits, which invites fresh contributions to their picture of the city, as well as contributions from David Langley, Grace Kingston and Bernardo Bento. Alongside Factory 49, which takes a brutalist-like approach to the raw materials of art, AMBUSH Gallery's Project Five restages prints from previous Project Five shows, before Auctioning off four new, large-scale works to benefit multicultural arts star ICE. Down and upstairs, 47 George St, the Rocks. Wednesday - Sundays in March. Factory 49's show opens Thursday March 8 at 6pm. Project Five has its launch 6pm on March 9, with painting continuing until March 11. The artists will be in conversation from 11am on March 12, and the auction starts March 22 at 6pm. (Image by E.L.K. Leading image from Julian Rosefeldt's 'asylum' video installation in Migration, courtesy of the artist.)
Having recently opened its doors in Redfern's bustling Wunderlich Lane precinct, Regina La Pizzeria is bringing authentic Italian cuisine alongside a welcoming atmosphere to the party. Guided by co-owners Matteo Ernandes and Michela Boncagni, this laidback eatery pairs mid-century sophistication with an easygoing menu rich in flavourful options. Perfect for communal dining, the venue's thoughtful polish elevates it high above standard takeaway fare. At the heart of the kitchen is the first Fazzone oven in Australia, designed and built in Naples, aka the birthplace of pizza. Centred on a volcanic pizza stone, this wood-fired innovation offers remarkably hot and consistent temperatures, while a smaller door makes it highly efficient. For customers, that translates to a crispier crust, a tender interior and toppings cooked to absolute perfection. "The Fazzone oven allows us to elevate our pizza to an entirely new level. It's a perfect reflection of our commitment to authenticity and quality," says Ernandes. Regina also has an uncompromising vision for what goes into and onto every pizza. With a steadfast belief that quality ingredients improve every bite, Matteo only works with stone-ground, unbleached flour and top-notch organic vegetables. This way, each slice delivers a wholesome experience that goes toe-to-toe with the best pizzamakers back in the old country. So, what can you expect on the menu? The classic section features familiar names like margherita, capricciosa and diavola. The names are also familiar on the signature menu – only these pizzas acknowledge Italian legends. For instance, the Versace with king prawns, candied tomatoes and confit garlic is named for the fashion icon, while the Rossi combines fior di latte with pumpkin, pecorino, cavolo nero and sausage to honour the boldness of motorcycle racing champion, Valentino. Also of note are pan-baked pizzas. You might be more familiar with Chicago-style deep dish, but this contentious creation has played a role in Sicilian and Calabrian cuisine for much longer – now is the perfect time to give it a shot. The beverage menu is mindful, with several organic and sustainable options. Here, an all-Italian wine menu pairs with a selection of negronis and spritzes. Meanwhile, refined local and Japanese craft brews bring something different. "Regina is more than just a pizzeria — it's an experience where quality, tradition, and community come together," says Matteo. Regina La Pizzeria is open Monday–Saturday from 5pm–10pm and Sunday from 12pm–8pm at Wunderlich Lane. Head to the website for more details.
Tucked away on Abercrombie Street, The Eveleigh offers old school pub charm in Redfern. It's been around forever and continues to be one of the most reasonably priced venues in the area, with a more eclectic menu than most. Expect a top-notch pub feed that won't break the bank. Swing by for curry night on Wednesdays or Thursdays, when you can snag the likes of chicken vindaloo and barramundi panang with a beer or wine — all for just $20. The Eveleigh also runs regular, next-level lunch specials like crispy barramundi, served with a salt and pepper calamari salad, for $13. And for drinks, there are $15 Aperol spritzes, margaritas and espresso martinis, plus $16 negronis.
If there's one word that can sum up much of 2022's television landscape so far, it's this: finally. After longer-than-anticipated delays due to the pandemic, plenty of excellent shows made their way back to our streaming queues. That includes sublime crime-thriller spinoffs, time-travelling comedies and 80s-worshipping sci-fi hits — and glitter eyeshadow-strewn teen chaos, everyone's favourite hitman-turned-actor and savage explorations of America today, too. They're the shows that we all missed for years, and eagerly welcomed back like old friends. Spanning mind-bending animation and explosive takes on superheroes as well, all these long-awaited returnees arrived with two pieces of good news. Firstly, they made a comeback. Secondly, they proved worth the wait. So did a heap of series that arrived for their latest runs exactly when they were supposed to — following up last year's ace seasons with this year's. Basically, when it comes to already-great shows dropping more episodes, the first six months of 2022 have well and truly delivered. More will follow before the year is out — but now that we're at the halfway point, here are the best 15 returning TV shows that reunited with our grateful eyeballs between January and June. BETTER CALL SAUL Saul Goodman's name has always been ironic. As played so devastatingly well by the one and only Bob Odenkirk, the slick lawyer sells the "s'all good, man" vibe with well-oiled charm, but little is ever truly good — for his clients, as his Breaking Bad experiences with Walter White and Jesse Pinkman demonstrated, or for the ever-enterprising law-skirting attorney himself. That truth has always sat at the heart of Better Call Saul's magnificent tragedy, too, and has made the prequel series one of the best shows of this century. Viewers know the fate that awaits, and yet we desperately yearn for the opposite to magically happen. But now that the series' final season is in full swing, we're pushed well past the point of hoping. Professionally, the earnest, striving, well-meaning Jimmy McGill is gone, ditching his real name and his quest for a legitimate career, and instead embracing his slide into shadiness. It isn't over yet, but Better Call Saul's new season has explored the fallout from this concerted life change — and from all that's brought Jimmy to this point. It hammers home what's to come as well, given that it opens on Saul Goodman's Breaking Bad-era home being seized by the feds; however, the show still has much to cover in the lawyer's past. With his significant other Kim Wexler (the simply phenomenal Rhea Seehorn, Veep), he's seeking revenge on their former boss Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian, Black Monday). Meanwhile, his ties to the Salamanca family and their drug empire — to the psychotic Lalo (Tony Dalton, Hawkeye) and ambitious-but-trapped Nacho (Michael Mando, Spider-Man: Homecoming), and to ex-cop Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks, The Comey Rule) and Los Pollos Hermanos owner Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito, The Boys) — are drawing attention. Tense, intelligent, heartbreaking and just exceptional: that's the result so far, as it always has been with this astounding series. Better Call Saul is available to stream via Stan. BARRY Three seasons into the sitcom that bears his name, all that Barry Berkman (Bill Hader, Noelle) wants is to be an actor — and to also no longer kill people for a living. That's what he's yearned for across the bulk of this HBO gem, which has given Saturday Night Live alum Hader his best-ever role; however, segueing from being an assassin to treading the boards or standing in front of the camera is unsurprisingly complicated. One of the smartest elements of the always-fantastic Barry is how determined it is to weather all the chaos, darkness, rough edges and heart-wrenching consequences of its central figure's choices, though. That's true of his actions not only in the past, but in the show's present. Hader and series co-creator Alec Berg (Silicon Valley) know that viewers like Barry. You're meant to. But that doesn't mean ignoring that he's a hitman, or that his time murdering people — and his military career before that — has repercussions, including for those around him. One of the most layered and complex comedies currently airing, Barry's third season is as intricate, thorny, textured and hilarious as the first two. Indeed, it's ridiculously easy to see how cartoonish its premise would be in lesser hands, or how it might've leaned on a simple odd-couple setup given that Anthony Carrigan (Bill & Ted Face the Music) plays Chechen gangster Noho Hank with such delightful flair. But Barry keeps digging into what makes its namesake tick, why, and the ripples he causes. It does the same with his beloved acting teacher Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler, The French Dispatch) as well. With visual precision on par with Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, it's also as phenomenal at staging action scenes as it is at diving deep into its characters — and, as every smartly penned episode just keeps proving, it's downright stellar at that. Barry is available to stream via Binge. Read our full review. GIRLS5EVA When it first hit streaming in 2021 with an avalanche of quickfire jokes — as all Tina Fey-executive produced sitcoms do, such as 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Great News and Mr Mayor — Girls5eva introduced viewers to its eponymous band. One-hit wonders in the late 90s and early 00s, their fame had fizzled. Indeed, reclaiming their stardom wasn't even a blip on their radars — until, unexpectedly, it was. Dawn Solano (Sara Bareilles, Broadway's Waitress), Wickie Roy (Renée Elise Goldsberry, Hamilton), Summer Dutkowsky (Busy Philipps, I Feel Pretty) and Gloria McManus (Paula Pell, AP Bio) had left their days as America's answer to the Spice Girls behind, barely staying in contact since the group split and their fifth member, Ashley Gold (Ashley Park, Emily in Paris), later died in an infinity pool accident. But then rapper Lil Stinker (Jeremiah Craft, Bill & Ted Face the Music) sampled their single 'Famous 5eva', and they were asked to perform backing vocals during his Tonight Show gig. Jumping back into the spotlight reignited dreams that the surviving Girls5eva members thought they'd extinguished long ago — well, other than walking attention-magnet Wickie, who crashed and burned in her attempts to go solo, and was happy to fake it till she made it again. That's the tale the show charts once more in its second season, which is filled with more rapid-fire pop-culture references and digs; the same knowing, light but still sincere tone; and a new parade of delightful tunes composed by Jeff Richmond, Fey's husband and source of music across every sitcom she's produced. One of the joys of Girls5eva — one of many — is how gleefully absurd it skews, all while fleshing out its central quartet, their hopes and desires, and their experiences navigating an industry that treats them as commodities at best. The show's sophomore run finds much to satirise, of course, but also dives deeper and pushing Wickie, Dawn, Summer and Gloria to grow. Obviously, it's another gem. Girls5eva is available to stream via Stan. Read our full review. STARSTRUCK It's official: after a dream of a first season, Rose Matafeo's rom-com sitcom Starstruck worked its magic a second time. In season two, it makes viewers fall head over heels for its 21st-century take on dating a famous actor all over again. It's also official for Matafeo's (Baby Done) Jessie, who is now dating Tom (Nikesh Patel, Four Weddings and a Funeral), the celebrity she had a one-night stand with on New Year's Eve, then navigated an awkward will-they-won't-they dance around every time they ran into each other in London. But this next batch of six episodes poses a key question: once you've enjoyed the wild meet-cute, ridden the courtship rollercoaster and been bowled over by a grand romantic gesture (see: Starstruck's The Graduate-style season-one finale), what comes next? It's the stuff that rom-com movie sequels might cover, except that for all of Hollywood's eagerness to rinse and repeat its most popular fare, this genre is sparse in the follow-up department. Season two picks up exactly where its predecessor left off, with Jessie and Tom's bus ride segueing into a WTF realisation — as in "WTF do we do now?". That's a query that Jessie isn't ready to answer, even though she's made the big leap and missed her flight home. So, she avoids even tackling the situation at first, and then eschews fully committing even when she's meant to be in the throes of romantic bliss. Basically, it's messy, and the kind of chaos that rom-coms don't show when they end with a happily-ever-after moment. Like everyone, Jessie and Tom endure plenty. In the process, this gem of a show's second season is light but also deep, a screwball delight while also sharp and relatable, and still filled with fellow romantic-comedy references. And, as well as continuing to showcase Matafeo at her best, it remains a rom-com that's as aware of what relationships in 2022 are really like as it is about how romance is typically portrayed in its genre. Starstruck is available to stream via ABC iView. Read our full review. ATLANTA Atlanta's third season hit with two pieces of fantastic news, and one inevitable but not-so-welcome reality. Dropping four years after season two, it's one of two seasons that'll air this year — and it's as extraordinary as the Donald Glover-created and -starring (and often -written and -directed) show has ever been — but when season four arrives later in 2022, that'll be the end of this deserved award-winner. The latter makes revelling in what Atlanta has for viewers now all the more special, although this series always earns that description anyway. Just as Jordan Peele has done on the big screen with Get Out and Us after building upon his excellent sketch comedy series Key & Peele, Glover lays bare what it's like to be Black in America today with brutally smart and honest precision, and also makes it blisteringly apparent that both horror and so-wild-and-terrifying-that-you-can-only-laugh comedy remains the default. Actually, in the season-three episodes that focus on Glover's Earnest 'Earn' Marks, his cousin and rapper Alfred 'Paper Boi' Miles (Brian Tyree Henry, Eternals), their Nigerian American pal Darius (Lakeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah) and Earn's ex Vanessa (Zazie Beetz, The Harder They Fall), the lived experience of being a Black American anywhere is thrust into the spotlight. Paper Boi is on tour in Europe, which results in an on-the-road onslaught of antics that repeatedly put the quartet at the mercy of white bullshit — racist traditions, money-hungry rich folks looking to cash in on someone else's culture, scheming hangers-on, brands using Black artists for politically correct PR stunts and culinary gentrification all included. And then there's the standalone stories, all of which'd make excellent movies. Proving astute, incisive, sometimes-absurd, always-stellar and relentlessly surprising, here Atlanta examines the welfare system and in its inequalities, reparations for slavery, and the emotional and physical labour outsourced to Black workers. Atlanta is available to stream via SBS On Demand. Read our full review. UNDONE Returning for its second season three years after its first — which was one of the best shows of 2019 — the gorgeously and thoughtfully trippy multiverse series Undone is fixated on one idea: that life's flaws can be fixed. It always has been from the moment its eight-episode initial season appeared with its vivid rotoscoped animation and entrancing leaps into surreal territory; however, in season two it doubles down. Hailing from BoJack Horseman duo Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg, it also remains unsurprisingly concerned with mental illness, and still sees its protagonist caught in an existential crisis. (The pair have a type, but Undone isn't BoJack Horseman 2.0). And, it deeply understands that it's spinning a "what if?" story, and also one about deep-seated unhappiness. Indeed, learning to cope with being stuck in an imperfect life, being unable to wish it away and accepting that fate beams brightly away at the heart of the show. During its debut outing, Undone introduced viewers to 28-year-old Alma Winograd-Diaz (Rosa Salazar, Alita: Battle Angel), who found everything she thought she knew pushed askew after a near-fatal car accident. Suddenly, she started experiencing time and her memories differently — including those of her father, Jacob Winograd (Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul), who died over 20 years earlier. In a vision, he tasked her with investigating his death, which became a quest to patch up the past to stop tragedy from striking. Undone didn't necessarily need a second season, but this repeat dive into Alma's story ponders what happens in a timeline where everything seems to glimmer with all that its protagonist has ever wanted, and yet sorrow still lingers. Once again, the end result is deeply rich and resonant, as intelligent and affecting as sci-fi and animation alike get, and dedicated to thinking and feeling big while confronting everyday truths. Undone is available to stream via Prime Video. Read our full review. HACKS In 2021, Hacks' first season quickly cemented itself as one of 2021's best new TV shows — one of two knockout newbies starring Jean Smart last year, thanks to Mare of Easttown as well — and it's just as ace the second time around. It's still searingly funny, nailing that often-elusive blend of insight, intelligence and hilarity. It retains its observational, wry tone, and remains devastatingly relatable even if you've never been a woman trying to make it in comedy. And it's happy to linger where it needs to to truly understand its characters, but never simply dwells in the same place as its last batch of episodes. Season two is literally about hitting the road, so covering fresh territory is baked into the story; however, Hacks' trio of key behind-the-scenes creatives — writer Jen Statsky (The Good Place), writer/director Lucia Aniello (Rough Night) and writer/director/co-star Paul W Downs (The Other Two) — aren't content to merely repeat themselves with a different backdrop. Those guiding hands started Hacks after helping to make Broad City a hit. Clearly, they all know a thing or two about moving on from the past. That's the decision both veteran comedian Deborah Vance (Smart) and her twentysomething writer-turned-assistant Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder, North Hollywood) had to make themselves in season one, with the show's second season now charting the fallout. So, Deborah has farewelled her residency and the dependable gags that kept pulling in crowds, opting to test out new and far-more-personal material on a cross-country tour instead. Ava has accepted her role by Deborah's side, and is willing to see it as a valid career move rather than an embarrassing stopgap. But that journey comes a few narrative bumps. Of course, Hacks has always been willing to see that actions have consequences, not only for an industry that repeatedly marginalises women, but for its imperfect leading ladies. Hacks is available to stream via Stan. Read our full review. ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Born out of the world's recent true-crime and podcasting obsessions — and the intersection of the two in the likes of Serial — Only Murders in the Building boasts its own version of Sarah Koenig. In this marvellous murder-mystery comedy, she's called Cinda Canning (Tina Fey, Girls5eva). As viewers of the show's impressive and entertaining first season know, though, she's not the main focus. Instead, Only Murders in the Building hones in on three New Yorkers residing in the Arconia apartment complex — where, as the program's name makes plain, there's a murder. There's several, but it only takes one to initially bring actor Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin, It's Complicated), theatre producer Oliver Putnam (Martin Short, Schmigadoon!) and the much-younger Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez, The Dead Don't Die) together. The trio then turn amateur detectives, and turn that sleuthing into their own podcast, which also shares the show's title. In season two, the series returns to the same scene. Yes, there's another killing. No time has passed for Only Murders in the Building's characters — and, while plenty has changed since the series' debut episode last year, plenty remains the same. Viewers now know Charles, Oliver and Mabel better, and they all know each other better, but that only makes things more complicated. Indeed, there's a lived-in vibe to the program and its main figures this time around, rather than every episode feeling like a new discovery. Among the many things that Only Murders in the Building does exceptionally well, finding multiple ways to parallel on- and off-screen experiences ranks right up there. That applies to true-crime and podcast fixations, naturally, and also to getting to know someone, learning their ins and outs, and finding your comfort zone even when life's curveballs keep coming. Only Murders in the Building is available to stream via Disney+. Read our full review. EUPHORIA From the very first frames of its debut episode back in June 2019, when just-out-of-rehab 17-year-old Rue Bennett (Zendaya, Spider-Man: No Way Home) gave viewers the lowdown on her life, mindset, baggage, friends, family and everyday chaos, Euphoria has courted attention — or, mirroring the tumultuous teens at the centre of its dramas, the Emmy-winning HBO series just knew that eyeballs would come its way no matter what it did. The brainchild of filmmaker Sam Levinson (Malcolm & Marie), adapted from an Israeli series by the same name, and featuring phenomenal work by its entire cast, it's flashy, gritty, tense, raw, stark and wild, and manages to be both hyper-stylised to visually striking degree and deeply empathetic. In other words, if teen dramas reflect the times they're made — and from Degrassi, Press Gang and Beverly Hills 90210 through to The OC, Friday Night Lights and Skins, they repeatedly have — Euphoria has always been a glittery eyeshadow-strewn sign of today's times. That hasn't changed in the show's second season. Almost two and a half years might've elapsed between Euphoria's first and second batch of episodes — a pair of out-of-season instalments in late 2020 and early 2021 aside — but it's still as potent, intense and addictive as ever. And, as dark, as Rue's life and those of her pals (with the cast including Hunter Schafer, The King of Staten Island's Maude Apatow, The Kissing Booth franchise's Jacob Elordi, The White Lotus' Sydney Sweeney, The Afterparty's Barbie Ferreira, North Hollywood's Angus Cloud and Waves' Alexa Demie) bobs and weaves through everything from suicidal despair, Russian Roulette, bloody genitals, unforgettable school plays, raucous parties and just garden-variety 2022-era teen angst. The list always goes on; in fact, as once again relayed in Levinson's non-stop, hyper-pop style, the relentlessness that is being a teenager today, trying to work out who you are and navigating all that the world throws at you is Euphoria's point. Euphoria is available to stream via Binge. RUSSIAN DOLL Getting philosophical about existence can mean flitting between two extremes. At one end, life means everything, so we need to make the absolute most of it. At the other, nothing at all matters. When genre-bending and mind-melting time-loop comedy-drama Russian Doll first hit Netflix in 2019, it served up a party full of mysteries — a repeating shindig overflowing with chaos and questions, to be precise — but it also delivered a few absolute truths, too. Fact one: it's possible to posit that life means everything and nothing at once, all by watching Natasha Lyonne relive the same day (and same 36th-birthday celebrations) over and over. Fact two: a show led by the Orange Is the New Black, Irresistible and The United States vs Billie Holiday star, and co-created by the actor with Parks and Recreation's Amy Poehler, plus Bachelorette and Sleeping with Other People filmmaker Leslye Headland, was always going be a must-see. Here's a third fact as well: after cementing itself as one of the best TV shows of 2019, and one of the smartest, savviest and funniest in the process, Russian Doll's long-awaited second season is equally wonderful. In glorious news for sweet birthday babies, it's also smarter and weirder across its seven episodes, this time following Lyonne's self-destructive video-game designer Nadia and mild-mannered fellow NYC-dweller Alan Zaveri (Charlie Barnett, You) as they tackle another trippy problem. After being caught in a Groundhog Day-style situation last season, now death isn't their problem. Instead, time is. It was an issue before, given the duo couldn't move with it, only back through the same events — but here, via the New York subway's No 6 train, Nadia and Alan speed into the past to explore cause and effect, inherited struggles and intergenerational trauma. Russian Doll is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review. PHYSICAL Lycra-clad ladies of the 80s and 90s making their mark in a ruthless, consumer-driven and male-dominated world, all by getting active: as far as on-screen niches go, that's particularly niche. It's also growing. Back in 80s itself, Flashdance did it. Starring a fantastic Kirsten Dunst, the sadly cancelled-too-soon 2019 series On Becoming a God in Central Florida did as well. For three seasons from 2017–19, GLOW similarly stepped into the ring. And since 2021, Apple TV+'s Physical has, too. What a feeling indeed. Now back for season two, the latter sports a staggering lead performance, a superb supporting cast and a complex premise unpacked with precision, as well as a pitch-perfect vibe and a killer 80s soundtrack. Season one of Physical didn't quite see Sheila Rubin (Rose Byrne, Irresistible) get everything she'd ever fantasised about. Rather, it followed the San Diego housewife as she pursued something she didn't even know she wanted until her endorphins kicked in at an aerobics class. Now, she's the star of her own fitness tape — and spruiking it, be it in supermarkets or by hosting public aerobics sessions, has become her life. But while she's in control of every exercise move she makes, earning the same power in her relationships, and in business, isn't as straightforward. She's still stuck in a rut with her husband Danny (Rory Scovel, I Feel Pretty), to put it mildly. She's still caught in a torrid affair with grim Mormon business developer John Breem (Paul Sparks, Castle Rock), too. And while she starts leaning on her wealthy and supportive best friend Greta (Dierdre Friel, Second Act) more, she's also unable to shake the engrained notion that needing anyone's help is a sign of weakness. And then there's the help she hopes to get from fellow aerobics instructor Vinnie Green (The White Lotus scene-stealer Murray Bartlett). Physical is available to stream via Apple TV+. Read our full review. STRANGER THINGS Finally back for its fourth season after a three-year wait (yes, finally), Stranger Things ventures beyond its trusty small-town setting of Hawkins, Indiana, and in several directions. It keeps its nods and winks to flicks and shows gone by streaming steadily of course — but expanding is firmly on its mind. Once again overseen by series creators The Duffer Brothers, its latest batch of episodes is bigger and longer, with no instalment clocking in at less than an hour, and several at flat-out movie length. Its teenage stars are bigger and taller as well, ageing further and faster than their characters. The show has matured past riffing on early-80s action-adventure flicks, too, such as The Goonies; now, it's onto slashers and other horror films, complete with new characters called Fred and Jason. And with that, Stranger Things also gets bloodier and eerier. That said, it's still the show that viewers have loved since 2016, when not even Netflix likely realised what it had unleashed — and no, that doesn't just include the demogorgon escaping from the Upside Down. But everything is growing, as Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown, Godzilla vs Kong), her boyfriend Mike (Finn Wolfhard, Ghostbusters: Afterlife), and their pals Will (Noah Schnapp, Waiting for Anya), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo, The Angry Birds Movie 2), Max (Sadie Sink, Fear Street) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin, Concrete Cowboy) all visibly have. Eleven, Will, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton, The Souvenir Part II) and Joyce (Winona Ryder, The Plot Against America) have branched out to California, and Mike comes to visit. Back in Hawkins, Dustin, Lucas, Max, Steve (Joe Keery, Free Guy), Robin (Maya Hawke, Fear Street) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer, Things Seen & Heard) have a new evil to face. And, as for Hopper (David Harbour, Black Widow), he's stuck in a Russian gulag. Yes, things get chaotic from there, Kate Bush and Metallica needle-drops included. Stranger Things season four is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review. THE BOYS In savage and savvy caped-crusader satire The Boys, it has been evident since episode one that Homelander (Antony Starr, Banshee) is a fraud. He's America's favourite superhero, as well as the leader of top-tier supe crew The Seven — and he uses his public persona as a shield for his twisted ego, soul-devouring insecurities, arrogance and selfishness. As instalment after instalment of the show passes, his sinister true nature keeps burning. In The Boys' third season, Homelander may as well be America's most recent ex-President, complete with unhinged rants and an at-any-cost desperation to retain control. The comics that this series is based on were actually published from 2006–12, but the show they've spawned is firmly steeped in the polarised US of the past six or so years. Subtlety hardly comes with the territory here, and yet it doesn't make The Boys any less potent. The in-show alternative to Homelander's psychopathic, egotistical, world-threatening existence: the ragtag gang of vigilantes that shares the series' name. Led by cynical-as-fuck Brit Billy Butcher (Karl Urban, Thor: Ragnarok), they remain intent on bringing down The Seven and Vought, the all-encompassing company behind it, as always. About year has passed since season two, however, and Hughie (Jack Quaid, Scream) now works with congresswoman Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit, Where'd You Go, Bernadette) at the Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs, countering misbehaving superheroes the legal way. That involves overseeing Butcher and fellow pals Frenchie (Tomer Capone, One on One) and Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara, Suicide Squad), but this wouldn't be The Boys if their battle was that straightforward. It also wouldn't be The Boys if everything that followed wasn't wild and OTT to a jaw-dropping degree, oh-so-astute about popular culture and consumerism today, brimming in blood and Billy Joel songs, and always biting deeper — and sharper. The Boys is available to stream via Prime Video. Read our full review. SERVANT Ted Lasso is the Apple TV+ series that's been scoring all the praise and love for the past few years, and rightfully so — but the platform's M Night Shyamalan-produced Servant is also one of its winners. Perched at the complete opposite end of the spectrum to the warm-hearted soccer comedy, this eerie horror effort spends the bulk of its time in a well-appointed Philadelphia brownstone where TV news reporter Dorothy Turner (Lauren Ambrose, The X-Files) and her chef husband Sean (Toby Kebbell, Bloodshot) appear the picture of wealthy happiness, complete with a newborn son, Jericho, to fulfil their perfect family portrait. But as 18-year-old nanny Leanne Grayson (Nell Tiger Free, Too Old to Die Young) quickly learned in Servant's first season, there's nothing normal about their baby — which, after the tot's death, has been replaced by a lookalike doll to calm the otherwise-catatonic Dorothy's grief. That's how the series began back in 2019, with its second season deepening its mysteries — and Leanne's place with the Turners, even as her own unconventional background with cult ties keeps bringing up questions. In Servant's third season, the household is once again attempting to pretend that everything is normal and to also keep Dorothy unaware of the real Jericho's fate, even with a flesh-and-blood infant now back in her arms. But in a slowly paced series that's perfected its unsettling and insidious tone from episode one, serves up a clever blend of atmospheric and claustrophobic thrills mixed with gripping performances, makes exceptional use of its setting and also features Rupert Grint in his best post-Harry Potter role yet, there's always more engrossing twists to rock the status quo. Servant is available to stream via Apple TV+. RUTHERFORD FALLS Mike Schur sure does have a type. If you're a fan of Parks and Recreation, The Good Place, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Office, though, that won't be new news. And if you watched the television producer and writer's great first season of Rutherford Falls as well, you will have spotted all his usual touches at work — which doesn't change in season two. By no means is this a criticism. His various different series feel like siblings, not clones; they share similar traits, but there's so much about their individual personalities that remains distinctive. Here, the fact that Rutherford Falls is a show deeply steeped in a Native American community gives it a wealth of avenues to go down, as well as plenty that's purely the sitcom's alone. Also crucial: the influence of co-creator and showrunner Sierra Teller Ornelas (Superstore), and the strong commitment to exploring the treatment of First Nations peoples in America today. Rutherford Falls' latest batch of episodes follows one of its characters running for local office, for instance, which is a scenario that Parks devotees will instantly recognise. And yet, what that means in a small town that's struggling to address the colonial impact upon its original inhabitants, the Minishonka Nation, is always its real focus. What everything means here is filtered through that lens — including teenage aspiring mayor Bobbie Yang (Jesse Leigh, Heathers), enterprising CEO of the Minishonka Nation casino Terry Thomas (Michael Greyeyes, Firestarter), cultural centre head Reagan Wells (Jana Schmieding, Reservation Dogs) and her best friend Nathan Rutherford (Ed Helms, Ron's Gone Wrong). It's noticeable that Helms is no longer the show's anchor, too. Indeed, the already smart, funny and warm series spends its excellent second season showing how Nathan wants to de-centre himself from hogging the town's limelight, and puts that idea in motion itself. Rutherford Falls is available to stream via Stan. Looking for more viewing highlights? We picked the 15 best new TV shows of 2022, too. We also keep a running list of must-stream TV from across the year so far, complete with full reviews. And, you can check out our list of film and TV streaming recommendations, which is updated monthly.
One of the redeeming aspects of spending time in an airport is the lure of duty-free shopping. But given how rushed the airport experience can often be, there's not always time to browse the aisles when you've got one eye on the time. Savvy Sydney shoppers can take the stress out of the experience at the recently opened CBD store of Lotte, the second-largest duty-free retailer in the world. Located on the corner of Pitt and Market streets, the three-level boutique is home to an array of brands never before seen in Australian travel retail with international favourites such as Pola, Vida Glow, Cosme Decorte, Grown Alchemist and Le Labo available alongside other much-loved beauty brands like Estée Lauder, Shiseido, SK-II, Gucci Beauty, Jo Malone and more. This Thursday, June 30, Lotte's flagship Sydney store is hosting its first-ever sale with 20% off storewide (and no exclusions). There'll also be a range of experiences as part of the occasion — from wine and whisky tastings with Levantine Hill and Benriach to embossing on fragrances and giveaways throughout the day. Shoppers who subscribe to the email list will go into the running to win a $1200 door prize featuring beauty products from SK-II, Tom Ford, Le Labo, Pola and Vida Glow. The only catch? You'll need an international flight ticket to purchase the international brands, but don't need one to purchase products by Australian brands. Come for the bargains but stay for the world-class retail experience. The three-story space, the work of leading Australian interior design company Bates Smart, features a concierge, a cellar door and state-of-the-art technology that ensures a seamless shopping experience — and one you won't have to cut short to catch a flight. The Lotte Shopping Day Out takes place from 10am to 9pm on Thursday, June 30. For more information, head to the website.
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to anything, we're here to help. We've spent plenty of couch time watching our way through this month's latest batch — and, from the latest and greatest to old favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue from August's haul of newbies. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL RIGHT NOW PREY No stranger to voicing iconic lines, Arnold Schwarzenegger uttered one of his best-known phrases yet 35 years ago, in a franchise that's still going today. "If it bleeds, we can kill it" has been quoted frequently ever since — even by champion AFL coaches — and it's no spoiler to mention that it pops up again in the latest Predator film Prey. Trotting out that piece of dialogue won't surprise anyone, but this fine-tuned action-thriller should. It's one of the saga's best entries, serving up a lean, taut and thoughtful kill-or-be-killed battle set in the Comanche Nation 300 years ago. The Predator series hasn't been big on highlights over the years — Predator 2 is forgettable to put it nicely, 2010's Predators is effective, 2018's The Predator favoured its throwback vibes above all else, and the two terrible Alien vs Predator cross-over films are best left forgotten — however Prey not only breathes new life into it, but paves a welcome path for more. (Bring on a Prey sequel ASAP.) The overall premise remains the same, with the franchise's ruthless, brutal and technologically advanced alien species using earth as its hunting ground as the series has already established — and showing zero concern about leaving a body count. Trained healer Naru (Amber Midthunder, The Ice Road) is the first to notice that something is awry this time, spotting the predator's spaceship in the sky and taking it as a sign to follow her dream to become a hunter herself. Alas, that isn't the done thing. In fact, she's spent her entire life being told that she can't be like her brother Taabe (first-timer Dakota Beavers), and should focus on her assigned role instead. Now, even with an extra-terrestrial foe wreaking havoc, she's still dismissed at every turn. Midthunder plays Naru as a fierce, determined, persistent and resourceful force to be reckoned with, while writer/director Dan Trachtenberg — co-scripting with Jack Ryan's Patrick Aison — gives all things Predator the taut focus, canny shift and fresh feel he also gave the Cloverfield saga with 10 Cloverfield Lane. Prey streams via Disney+. THE BEAR First, an important piece of advice: eating either before or while watching The Bear is highly recommended, and near close to essential. Now, two more crucial slices of wisdom: prepare to feel stressed throughout every second of this riveting, always-tense, and exceptionally written and acted culinary series, and also to want to tuck into The Original Beef of Chicagoland's famous sandwiches immediately. The eatery is purely fictional, but its signature dish looks phenomenal. Most of what's cooked up in Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto's (Jeremy Allen White, Shameless) kitchen does. But he has taken over the family business following his brother's suicide, arriving back home after wowing the world in fine dining's top restaurants, and nothing is easy. Well, coveting The Bear's edible wares is across the show's eight-episode first season — but making them, keeping the shop afloat, coping with grief and ensuring that the diner's staff work harmoniously is a pressure cooker of chaos. That anxious mood is inescapable from the outset; the best way to start any meal is just to bite right in, and The Bear's creator Christopher Storer (who also directs five episodes, and has Ramy, Dickinson and Bo Burnham: Make Happy on his resume) takes the same approach. He also throws all of his ingredients together with precision — the balance of drama and comedy, the relentlessness that marks every second in The Original Beef's kitchen, and the non-stop mouthing off by Richie, aka Cousin, aka Carmy's brother's best friend (Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Dropout), all included. Carmy has bills to pay, debts to settle, eerie dreams and sleepwalking episodes to navigate, new sous chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri, Dickinson) mixing up the place and long-standing employees (such as Hap and Leonard's Lionel Boyce, In Treatment's Liza Colón-Zayas and Fargo's Edwin Lee Gibson) to keep happy. Every glimpse at the resulting hustle and bustle is as gripping as it is appetising — and yes, binging is inevitable. The Bear streams via Disney+. A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN The year: 1943. The place: America. The sport: baseball. Misty faces: apparently not allowed. Yes, there's no crying in baseball, again — and yes, after proving a hit on the big screen back in 1992, A League of Their Own is back as an eight-part streaming remake with those rules about waterworks still intact. That said, in both versions, there definitely are tears in the sport. Someone proclaims there shouldn't be, although Tom Hanks doesn't do the honours the time around. And, when it arrives in Prime Video's series, that line isn't code for the entire perspective that A League of Their Own is rallying against: that the bat-swinging pastime isn't for women anyway. The new show's characters are still forced to deal with that abhorrent view, though, and the same storyline and same societal journey slides through the show's frames, too. But Broad City's Abbi Jacobson, who leads, co-writes and co-created this A League of Their Own, helps ensure that this fictional look at the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League broadens its playing field. Obviously much is familiar about this movie-to-TV do-over, including following a small-town star catcher (Jacobson's Carson Shaw) chasing her lifelong dream while her husband serves in the Second World War, a ragtag group of other women living their fantasies as well, a world that sees them as a joke and a male manager (Nick Offerman, The Resort) who used to be a major star but is only in this gig to restart his own career. Also included here: the tale of Max Chapman (Chanté Adams, Voyagers), an immensely talented pitcher who isn't allowed to audition, let alone play, due to her race. Another warm-hearted sports comedy results — and in what proves a worthy extra innings, there's never any doubt that the new series is firmly a 2022 creation. A League of Their Own's gorgeous ladies of baseball span an impressive cast, too, with standouts D'Arcy Carden (The Good Place), Melanie Field (The Alienist) and Roberta Colindrez (Vida) hitting it out of the park. A League of Their Own streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. GLORIOUS During his seven seasons on HBO's slinky supernatural drama True Blood, and in his 223 episodes on Home and Away before that, Ryan Kwanten navigated any actor's fair share of wild scenarios — and soapy and melodramatic, obviously. In Glorious, he's firmly in out-there territory, but as a troubled man conversing about life, love, loss, loyalty, the universe, gods, men, women and plenty more in a dank and grimy rest-stop bathroom. So far, so straightforward. Unexpected connections and cathartic chats can happen in all manner of places with all manner of people, after all. But Wes, Kwanten's character, is conversing with a glory hole. There's a powerful deity behind it, but all that Glorious' protagonist and the audience see is glowing neon light emanating from the circle between cubicles, and a pulsating orb of flesh hanging below the stall walls. Filmmaker Rebekah McKendry (Psycho Granny), plus screenwriters David Ian McKendry (All the Creatures Were Stirring), Joshua Hull (Chopping Block) and Todd Rigney (Headless), aren't shy about their Lovecraftian nods; not thinking about the sci-fi author's brand of cosmic horror and its focus on unfathomable terrors is impossible. Indeed, this'd make a fine double with Color Out of Space — a sincere compliment given that phantasmagorical delight is adapted from the author's words, while this feels like it should've been. Aided by cinematographer David Matthews (Jakob's Wife), McKendry cements the film's clear tribute via its aesthetic and atmosphere, with vibrant pink hues contrasting with the grotty bathroom, and the claustrophobic setting doing the same with the vastness emanating from Ghat, Wes' talkative new acquaintance. That JK Simmons (Spider-Man: No Way Home) lends his distinctive tones to the movie's pivotal voice does much to set the mood, understandably, but Kwanten's layered performance, a twisty narrative and an inspiredly OTT premise executed with flair also make Glorious memorable. Glorious streams via Shudder. THE SANDMAN Fantasy fans who are also TV fans, rejoice — the Game of Thrones realm is back (see below), The Lord of the Rings is about to hop over to the small screen as well, and Neil Gaiman's The Sandman has also been turned into a streaming series. With all three, one word probably comes to mind: finally. But while lovers of Westerosi power struggles and battles against Sauron have already had something to watch at least, The Sandman first played out in comic books between 1989–1996 and, despite efforts otherwise, that's where it has remained until now. Entertaining things come to those who wait, though, even if the first season of Netflix's adaption does take its time to kick into gear. Perhaps that's apt, especially given how the titular figure, the Robert Smith-esque Dream King (Tom Sturridge, Irma Vep) — who is also known as both Dream and Morpheus — spends much of the first episode. British aristocrat and occultist Roderick Burgess (Charles Dance, The King's Man) attempts to lure in Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Hacks) instead, in an effort to bring his son back to life. Disappointed with obtaining the wrong captive, he imprisons Dream for more than a century. That incarceration has consequences, with Dream's kingdom bearing the brunt, and his powers unsurprisingly suffering (yes, cue the season's main storyline). Again, The Sandman doesn't completely click from its first frame; however, while it's putting its pieces together, it cements its dark, otherworldly and suitably gothic mood — and has quite the cast to play with. Because every TV show has to have multiple links to Game of Thrones, Gwendoline Christie (Flux Gourmet) plays Lucifer, memorably so. Elsewhere, Boyd Holbrook (The Predator) swaggers around as The Corinthian, Vivienne Acheampong (The Witches) is a delight as Dream's offsider Lucienne, Jenna Coleman (The Serpent) makes the most of her gender-swapped Constantine (yes, like the Keanu Reeves-starring film) and the always-reliable David Thewlis (Landscapers) leaves an imprint as Burgess' son. And when The Sandman works, whether at a performance or an episode level or more broadly, it is indeed a fantasy aficionado's dream. The Sandman streams via Netflix. THIRTEEN LIVES Hollywood couldn't have scripted the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue better if it tried. As monopolised the news at the time and keeps fascinating filmmakers since, the situation started when 12 pre-teen and teenage soccer players and their 25-year-old coach went into the cave system in Chiang Rai Province in northern Thailand, heavy monsoonal rains caused flooding, and it was widely feared that the stranded team wouldn't be recovered. Thankfully, there was a happy ending — although it took nine days until divers even confirmed they were alive, another nine to both work out the logistics of extracting them safely and follow through, and other lives were lost in the process. The Tham Luang caves can be cavernous, but that just means more room for more water in the wet season. And saying that its tunnels are narrow and difficult to navigate, even for the best of the best below the water, is an understatement. All of the above shines through in the rousing Thirteen Lives, a survivalist and procedural drama starring Colin Farrell (After Yang) and Viggo Mortensen (Crimes of the Future) as cave divers John Volanthen and Richard Stanton, plus Joel Edgerton (Obi-Wan Kenobi) as Australian anaesthetist Richard Harris. For viewers who've seen the two other recent movies about the same situation, stellar documentary The Rescue and subpar docudrama The Cave, the details will be familiar — and how well the film's three biggest names portray their IRL counterparts will stand out as well. Tension drips through this take on the tale, with director Ron Howard (Hillbilly Elegy) enlisting claustrophobic cinematography and sound design to edge-of-your-seat effect. That said, cataloguing an extraordinary extraction job done under dangerous circumstances is Thirteen Lives' main aim. In a film committed to letting the dramatised events themselves set the emotional tone, surveying the contributions beyond the now well-known faces, the context behind their efforts and the impact within the community — for the boys' families, and politically — also gets Howard's attention. Thirteen Lives streams via Prime Video. RETURNING GEMS WITH FULL NEW SEASONS TO BINGE SOLAR OPPOSITES Justin Roiland has one of the most recognisable voices on television right now, especially if you're a Rick and Morty fan. While you're watching Solar Opposites, though, you won't just be thinking about that beloved animated hit and its schwifty dimension-hopping antics — or even counting down the days till it returns, which is soon, while dipping whichever food you like in Szechuan sauce. You'll be too busy laughing, getting drawn into this also-Roiland co-created gem, and trying not to miss anything in its joke-a-second comic onslaught. Solar Opposites and Rick and Morty share more than a little in common, of course, including aliens, strangeness descending upon a suburban family, sci-fi antics, a raucous sense of humour and the fact that literally anything can happen. But while Rick and Morty is basically the new, far-more-anarchic Back to the Future, Solar Opposites has big Third Rock From the Sun vibes — and Futurama, too, if instead of jumping to the year 3000, it followed a ragtag group of extra-terrestrials residing on earth. Roiland voices Korvo Solar-Opposites, the team leader on a mission to terraform this blue marble to replace his exploded Planet Shlorp. But first, his family is trying to make the best of life right here exactly as it is — well, with plenty of science-fiction gadgetry to keep things interesting. Hijinks ensue, involving Korvo, his partner Terry (Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley), and the younger Yumyulack (Sean Giambrone, The Goldbergs) and Jesse (stand-up comedian Mary Mack), as well as their cute alien infant Pupa. There's also Aisha (Tiffany Haddish, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent), the artificial intelligence onboard their spaceship, plus a wall filled with shrunk-down people (thanks to those sci-fi toys) who've started their own society in Yumyulack and Jesse's bedroom. Now three seasons in, Solar Opposites has perfected the ideal balance between fish-out-of-water alien shenanigans and those increasingly poignant miniature human interludes (complete with Mad Men's Christina Hendricks and This Is Us' Sterling K Brown helping voice the latter) — and it's just as ace as Roiland's better-known hit. Solar Opposites streams via Disney+. BREEDERS You don't need to have children of your own, plan to soon or ever think you will to keenly relate to Breeders. Now in its third season, the British comedy about a London family understands one inescapable truth about life: that chaos is an unavoidable constant, and much of that chaos springs from people being people. Based on an idea by star Martin Freeman (and partly derived from his own experiences), this series explores that notion in a microcosm, and without the rosy hues that usually tint sitcoms about parenting. Indeed, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Sherlock, The Hobbit, Fargo and The Office actor has been through more than a few ups and downs as a father — and he will have, because everyone who has kids does — due to Breeders' refreshing frankness. His character's frustrations, and his inability to remain calm while facing mayhem, mess, mania and everything in-between, also proves not just welcomely honest and hilarious, but vicariously cathartic. That often-anguished man is Paul Worsley, dad to Luke (Alex Eastwood, Creeped Out) and Ava (Eve Prenelle, To Olivia) — and partner to Ally (Daisy Haggard, Back to Life). No, none of those relationships are perfect. The same applies to his status as a son to the set-in-their-ways Jim (Alun Armstrong, Sherwood) and Jackie (Joanna Bacon, Benediction), with Breeders examining family ties in multiple directions. The chaos deepens each season, with this batch of episodes opening with Paul staying elsewhere because his presence, and his quick-to-anger temper, are exacerbating Luke's anxiety. Rippling consequences spread throughout the characteristically astute, smartly written, well-performed and cannily amusing new season, as Paul makes a new friend (Sally Phillips, How to Please a Woman), but doesn't tell Ally; the latter adjusts to his absence; Ava tussles with faith, friends and her future; and Jim and Jackie show that even lifetime-long relationships still have their secrets and struggles. Breeders streams via Disney+. NEW AND RETURNING SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK BAD SISTERS Bad Sisters begins on the day of an Irish funeral, farewelling John Paul Williams (Claes Bang, The Northman) — after his widow, Grace (Anne-Marie Duff, Sex Education), makes sure that the corpse's erection won't be noticed first. He's long been nicknamed 'The Prick' anyway, with his four sisters-in-law all thoroughly unimpressed about the toxic way he treated his wife. In flashbacks, they joke about saving her by getting murderous, and exactly why is made plain as well. Bonded by more than blood after their parents died, the Garvey girls are used to sticking together, with the eldest, Eva (Sharon Horgan, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent), stepping in as the maternal influence over Grace, Ursula (Eva Birthistle, The Last Kingdom), Bibi (Sarah Greene, Normal People) and Becka (Eve Hewson, Behind Her Eyes). She's fierce about it, too, as characters played by the Catastrophe and This Way Up star tend to be. When a guest offers condolences at John Paul's wake, Eva's response is "I'm just glad the suffering's over" — and when she's then asked if he was ill, she replies with a blunt and loaded "no". If this scenario sounds familiar, that's because Belgian TV's Clan got there first back in 2012, which means that Bad Sisters joins the ever-growing list of series that largely exist to make the leap into English. That isn't a criticism of the end result here, though, which proves itself a winner early. Also part of both shows: two insurance agents, aka half-brothers Thomas (Brian Gleeson, Death of a Ladies' Man) and Matthew Claffin (Daryl McCormack, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande) here. Their family-run outfit is meant to pay out on John Paul's life insurance policy, but it's a hefty amount of cash and will bankrupt the firm, which is why Thomas starts asking questions. It seems an obvious setup, but this is a series with both bite and warmth. Brought to the screen by Horgan, Bad Sisters finds both the pitch-black comedy and the drama in its whole 'offing your arsehole brother-in-law' premise, and the tension and banter as well — and the sense of sorority between its quintet of main ladies, too. Bad Sisters streams via Apple TV+. RESERVATION DOGS One of the best new TV shows of 2021 is back for a second season — and it quickly proves one of the best returning shows of 2022, too. That series: the gloriously heartfelt and perceptive Reservation Dogs, which may riff on a Quentin Tarantino movie with its moniker, and also started with a heist when it first hit the screen, but proves dedicated to diving deep into what it's like to be an Indigenous North American teenager today. Bear (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Beans), Elora (Devery Jacobs, Rutherford Falls), Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) and Cheese (debutant Lane Factor) are those restless Oklahoma adolescents, and they've shared a California dream since the show began. But when the first season wrapped up with a tornado, as well as a figurative storm of hard truths and buried feelings, the gang's relocation fantasy didn't play out as expected. The lure of family and culture remained strong, as did holding onto a past that's brought happiness as well as pain (getting a fresh start after losing a friend is a big motivation for their escape plan). That said, Elora still attempts to go anyway. In season two, the more things change, the more they stay the same — until they don't. For Bear, Willie Jack and Cheese, staying on the reservation requires facing life on the reservation. For Elora, being on the road with enemy-turned-travelling companion Jackie (Elva Guerra, Dark Winds) gets tumultuous. Made with such an evident commitment to minutiae, and to feeling lived-in at every moments, Reservation Dogs spins both its episodic stories and its long-running coming-of-age arcs, themes and emotions into something wonderful again and again. Co-creator/executive producer/writer Sterlin Harjo (Mekko) deserves all the kudos that can be showered his way, and so does Taika Waititi as one of the series' fellow creators, executive producers and writers. There are many reasons to be thankful for the New Zealand filmmaker as his resume keeps attesting (including fellow recent sitcom Our Flag Means Death); however, using his fame to help bring this insightful gift into the world is one of them. Reservation Dogs streams via Binge. HOUSE OF THE DRAGON In its very first moments, House of the Dragon's opening episode delivers exactly what its name promises: here be dragons indeed. Within ten minutes, the Iron Throne, that sprawling metal seat that all of Westeros loves fighting about, also makes its initial appearance. By the time the 20-minute mark arrives, bloody violence of the appendage-, limb- and head-lopping kind fills the show's frames as well. And, before the debut instalment of this Game of Thrones prequel about House Targaryen's history even hits its halfway mark, a brothel scene with nudity and sex is sighted, too. Between all of the above, the usual GoT family dramas, squabbles over successors and power struggles pop up. Of course they do. House of the Dragon was always going to check all of the above boxes. None of this can constitute spoilers, either, because none of it can come as a surprise. Game of Thrones' fame and influence have become that pervasive, as have its hallmarks and trademarks. Everyone knows what GoT is known for, even if you've somehow never seen this page-to-screen franchise yet or read the George RR Martin-penned books that it's based on. After green-lighting a different prequel to pilot stage, scrapping it, then picking this one to run with instead — and also making plans to bring novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg to TV, working on an animated GoT show, exploring other potential prequels and forging ahead a Jon Snow-focused sequel series — House of the Dragon is the first Game of Thrones successor to arrive in streaming queues, and it doesn't mess with a formula that HBO doesn't consider broken. Its focus: the Targaryen crew 172 years before the birth of Daenerys and her whole dragon-flying, nephew-dating, power-seeking story. Cue silky silver locks aplenty, including cascading from King Viserys I's (Paddy Considine, The Third Day) head as he takes to the Iron Throne over his cousin Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best, Nurse Jackie). She had a better claim to the spiky chair, but gets passed over because she's a woman. Years later, the same scenario springs up over whether the king's dragon-riding daughter Princess Rhaenyra (Upright's Milly Alcock, then Mothering Sunday's Emma D'Arcy) becomes his heir, or the future son he's desperate to have, or his headstrong and shady younger brother Prince Daemon (Matt Smith, Morbius). House of the Dragon streams via Binge. Read our full review. SHE-HULK: ATTORNEY AT LAW What do 90s lawyer comedies, recent TV sensations, Captain America's sex life and the fact that it isn't easy being green all have in common? The Marvel Cinematic Universe's latest streaming series. What gives Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) a worthy comic showcase, sees Marvel's ever-sprawling franchise make a rare admission that The Incredible Hulk exists, and gifts Sorcerer Supreme Wong (Benedict Wong, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness) a hilarious new buddy dynamic, too? Yes, the MCU's likeable She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which proves savvy, self-aware, silly and satirical all at once. What refuses take itself too seriously, knows it's in busy territory, and winkingly responds to the world that's helped it even come to fruition? This Kat Coiro (Marry Me) and Anu Valia (And Just Like That...)-directed show, too, which just keeps ticking a long list of boxes. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is astute and amusing, skewers popular culture's obsession with superheroes, and unpacks the way society treats women — superpowered and otherwise. And where its immediate small-screen predecessor, Ms Marvel, loved the MCU more than its audience ever will, this playful sitcom about Marvel's emerald-hued lawyer sees plenty about the ever-expanding on-screen saga to parody. Jennifer Walters (Maslany) starts out the show as a Deputy District Attorney — and also a hulk. In flashbacks, head writer Jessica Gao (Rick and Morty) gets the obvious question out of the way, aka "how did Jen end up aping Bruce Banner?". In that jump backwards, Jen heads on a road trip with her cousin (Mark Ruffalo, Dark Waters), ends up in a car accident, gets splashed with his gamma-radiated blood and wakes up sharing his traits. Smart Hulk hops into action, training Jen in the ways of being giant and grass-coloured whenever her emotions bubble up, although that's what being a woman today entails anyway. With new powers comes an upended life, however, as well as a new job juggling cases covering everything from Emil Blonsky/the Abomination's (Tim Roth, Sundown) past misdeeds to Asgardian elves and wily magicians. This series has as much in common with Ally McBeal and Fleabag as it does with its fellow spandex-clad cohort, and it's all the better for it, striking an entertaining, perceptive and well-cast balance between the obligatory caped crusader nods and spinning a lawyer comedy about a caped crusader. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law streams via Disney+. Read our full review. Need a few more streaming recommendations? Check out our picks from January, February, March, April, May, June and July this year. You can also check out our running list of standout must-stream 2022 shows so far as well — and our best 15 new shows from the first half of this year, top 15 returning shows and best 15 straight-to-streaming movies. Top image: Photo by David Bukach. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
It happened — it really, finally happened. After being forced to move online in 2020 due to COVID-19, then having to push back its 2021 dates not once but twice for the same reason, the Sydney Film Festival returned to cinemas around the city this month for a 12-day big-screen run. If you're seeing a movie in Sydney, there's nothing quite like seeing it at the glorious State Theatre — or spending almost a fortnight camped out there doing nothing but watching films. SFF hasn't forsaken the online realm, however. The pandemic turned attending film festivals into a virtual pursuit as well as a physical one, and Sydney's annual celebration of cinema is still keen to stream its wares. Enter SFF On Demand, the fest's digital offshoot for 2021, which is showing 56 feature-length films and 13 shorts between Friday, November 12–Sunday, November 21. It's the SFF you can keep enjoying after the IRL festival has packed up its projectors for the year. It's also the SFF you can head to no matter where you're located in Australia, all without worrying about border restrictions and plane fares. The SFF On Demand lineup is jam-packed with must-sees, too, including our ten picks of the online program. Yes, first we watched, reviewed and recommended ten excellent films showing during SFF's physical run, and now we've done the same for its virtual lineup to help liven up your at-home viewing. You can even stream SFF's two big award-winners — and they're definitely on our list. CRYPTOZOO Throw a fantastical menagerie worth of mythical beasts into a kaleidoscope, plus copious amounts of hallucinogens. Then, sprinkle in some savvy cynicism about capitalism, corporations, the military-industrial complex and the 21st century's consumerism-driven ethos, as well as a savaging of xenophobic attitudes and a keen awareness of how humanity has been impacting the natural world. Next, shake vigorously. That's not how you make a movie, even one that splashes hand-drawn animation across the screen and is happy to look like it has been sketched and coloured in while under the influence, but it's easy to imagine that this is how Cryptozoo came together in all its mind-bending glory. A wild ride of a movie — and one aimed purely at adults — it's outlandish, ambitious, irreverent and entertaining all at once. It's also as smart as it is silly, and it's just as willing to make more than a few statements in more than a few ways. In comic book artist-turned-writer/director Dash Shaw's (My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea) psychedelic alternative version of our own universe, and of the 1960s, unicorns, pegasi, krakens, gorgons and other critters of legend all exist. The titular locale is home to many thanks to cryptozoologist Lauren Gray (Lake Bell, Medical Police) and her mentor Joan (Grace Zabriskie, Twin Peaks), but it also doubles as a theme park for humans to gawk at its rare inhabitants. Lauren is devoted to trying to protect the creatures, called cryptids; however, that's easier said than done when shadowy mercenaries are trying to capture the same beings. Some critters take humanoid forms and it's one, Phoebe (Angeliki Papoulia, The Lobster), who encourages Lauren to challenge everything that she believes — and both wondrous and astute chaos ensues. HIVE In Hive, to peer at Kosovo-born actor Yllka Gashi is to look deep into a battler's eyes. She plays Fahrije Hoti, a woman who has never been allowed to stop fighting, although the men in her patriarchal village would prefer that she'd simply attend to her duties as a wife and mother, do what's expected and keep quiet. That's just another roadblock she's forced to rally against with every word, thought and breath. With her husband missing for years due to the Kosovo War, and her father-in-law eager to maintain the status quo, she's been trying to make ends meet in a town — and a male-dominated culture — that's unsympathetic to her plight. Fahrije isn't alone, however, with many of the village's other women also widowed due to the conflict and expected to somehow survive. So, with the beehives she dutifully attends to unable to keep paying her bills, she decides to start a female-run co-operative to make and sell ajvar, a pepper relish. A picture of blistering resilience, unflappable fortitude and baked-in sorrow, Gashi is phenomenal as Fahrije — and first-time feature writer/director Blerta Basholli puts in just as magnificent an effort behind the lens. They're both playing with reality, drawing upon the real-life Hoti's moving and inspiring story, but Hive could never be mistaken for a standard biopic. Lived-in fury and resolve buzzes through every exactingly staged and observed scene, and each facet of Gashi's performance as well, all as Fahrije weathers even more derision — and worse — for even dreaming of attempting to support herself. At this year's Sundance Film Festival, Hive became the first movie in history to win its World Cinema Dramatic Competition Grand Jury Prize, Audience Award and Best Director gong, and deservedly so. THERE IS NO EVIL The death penalty casts a dark and inescapable shadow over There Is No Evil, which is just as writer/director Mohammad Rasoulof intends. The Iranian filmmaker has spent his career examining the reality of his homeland, as previously seen in 2013's Manuscripts Don't Burn and 2017's A Man of Integrity — so much so that he's actually been banned from his craft, not that that's stopping him. With There Is No Evil, Rasoulof doesn't simply continue the trend that's guided his cinematic resume thus far. Rather, he interrogates the most severe form of punishment that any society can enact, and doesn't shy away from horrors both obvious and unplanned. To call the result powerful is an understatement, and it's won him Berlinale's prestigious Golden Bear in 2020, and now the 2021 Sydney Film Festival Prize as well. An anthology film that unfurls across four segments, There Is No Evil explores capital punishment, its impact and the ripples that executions have upon Iranian society. Even the mere concept of state-sanctioned killing rolls through the feature like waves, changing and reshaping much in its wake. It touches a stressed husband and father (feature first-timer Ehsan Mirhosseini), a conscript (Kaveh Ahangar, Don't Be Embarrassed) who can't fathom ending someone's life, a soldier (Mohammad Valizadegan, Lady of the City) whose compliance causes personal issues and a physician (Mohammad Seddighimehr, The Sad Widows of the Warlord) unable to practise his trade. While some sections hit their mark more firmly and decisively than others — There Is No Evil's introduction sets a high bar — this meticulously crafted movie, both visually and thematically, has a lingering cumulative effect as it ruminates on the threats and freedoms that come with life under an oppressive regime. THE JUSTICE OF BUNNY KING Essie Davis and Thomasin McKenzie have each enjoyed a busy few years. Since they co-starred in True History of the Kelly Gang, Davis has added Babyteeth, Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears and Nitram to her filmography, while McKenzie has appeared in Old, The Power of the Dog and Last Night in Soho just this year alone. A drama about a mother desperate to reclaim custody of her children, The Justice of Bunny King slots in nicely on both actors' ever-growing resumes. It's Davis' movie — she plays the titular New Zealand mum, and inhabits the part like a force of nature — but McKenzie still leaves an imprint as Bunny's niece Tonyah. Both characters yearn for a life that doesn't constantly push them aside and ignore their struggles, and longing, determination and resourcefulness shines through in Davis and McKenzie's performances alike. When asked, Bunny describes herself as a "homeless squidgy bandit". She washes car windscreens in traffic for change, and runs her sister's household in exchange for a couch to crash on. And, as social services reminds her every chance they get, she doesn't have the requisite fixed address they require in order to release her kids (Black Hands' Angus Stevens and debutant Amelie Baynes) from foster care. Simply finding a house and being a family again is all that Bunny spends her days working towards, but needing to extricate Tonyah from a horrific situation soon becomes just as crucial. Making a memorable and heartfelt feature debut that pairs its standout performances with naturalistic imagery and a pulsating air of authenticity, filmmaker Gaysorn Thavat gives Bunny and Tonyah the one thing that the world around them won't: the space to have their stories heard, and to fly the flag for other women in similar circumstances. APPLES Add Apples to the list of films that owe a significant debt to The Lobster and The Favourite's Yorgos Lanthimos. Any Greek Weird Wave movie does, after the Greek filmmaker's 2009 feature Dogtooth made such a splash and helped ignite the cinema movement — but it's actually on that very title that Apples' writer/director Christos Nikou earned his first feature filmmaking credit. His time spent there as a second assistant director and script supervisor has served him well. Indeed, his own full-length debut sports the same deadpan tone, but Nikou doesn't merely try to emulate Lanthimos' success. Working with an accidentally timely topic — a pandemic, something he couldn't have foreseen before Apples' premiere more than a year ago — he finds his own way to tap into the ridiculousness at the heart of existence. There's much to poke, probe, ponder and parody, after all, especially when it comes to the difference between the genuine and the performative in daily life. There are no coughs or fevers fuelling Apples' sweeping illness. Instead, a widespread bout of amnesia has obliterated memories at random. For those who can't recall their past life or anyone in it, being cared for by the state awaits — followed by a step-by-step experimental process to learn to live in the world again. That's the new reality for Aris (Aris Servetalis, Alps), who is encouraged to take Polaroid photos to show how he's working towards normality, and also finds himself warming to fellow amnesiac Anna (Sofia Georgovassili, Thread). Apples finds the midpoint between playing it straight and seeing the absurdity in its setup, and it's a perceptive balance. Nikou also uses the film's fastidiously shot frames to muse on happiness, connection, and the latter's role in the former. EL PLANETA A film can be shaggy and precise at the same time — and both warm and melancholy, too. El Planeta is all of these things as it follows a struggling but resourceful mother-daughter duo. Leo (director/writer/producer/star Amalia Ulman) and María (Ulman's real-life mum Ale) have fallen on hard times, yet are desperate to cling to their middle-class existence in the Spanish coastal city of Gijón. María still slinks around in a fur coat and oversized sunglasses, trying to look the glamours part; frequently, she's lining her jacket's pockets during her shoplifting sprees. Leo is initially seen trying to set up her first job as a sex professional (Colossal filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo plays her potential client), but usually works as a stylist. As a video call with a fashion editor about a prospective New York gig with Christina Aguilera demonstrates, though, exposure is her usual form of payment. There's a witty sense of humour coursing through El Planeta's gorgeous greyscale frames — this isn't a social-realist post-financial crisis slice-of-life — but multidisciplinary artist Ulman still steeps her feature in all-too-real income inequalities. While she's taken loose inspiration from actual mother-and-daughter scammers who tried to fake it till they made it as socialites, she peppers Leo and María's days with markers of a society that cares little for anyone who isn't comfortable at worst and wealthy at best. Indeed, this is a movie teeming with devilish and revelatory details, from the frozen curses that María thinks will save them to Leo's dancing dress-ups, and including a clever Martin Scorsese fixation as well. The use of screen wipes and the whimsical score by Chicken suits its characters perfectly, though; they're not above embellishing their lives however they can, and neither is Ulman's playful and thoughtful delight of a film. NOWHERE SPECIAL If the way that cinema depicts cancer was plotted out on a scale, Babyteeth and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl could easily demonstrate its extremes. One sees its protagonist as a person first and a patient last; the other uses terminal illness as a catalyst for other people's emotions (the "dying girl" part of its moniker is oh-so-telling about how it regards someone with cancer as an afterthought). Nowhere Special thankfully sits at the Babyteeth end of the spectrum. Its premise screams weepie, given that it follows a 35-year-old single father, John (James Norton, Little Women), who needs to find an adoptive family for his four-year-old son Michael (first-timer Daniel Lamont); however, writer/director Uberto Pasolini opts for understatement and realism over wringing tears. His last film, 2013's Still Life, was also just as beautifully measured and tender, all without mawkishness — and he hasn't lost his touch during his sizeable gap between movies. Nowhere Special is bittersweet, too; as it charts John's quest to secure Michael the best future he possibly can without himself in it, it soaks in the ups and downs of their life together. Visually, it dwells on small touches in passing moments, such as the type of mirrored behaviour that a young son adopts from his dad, the sight of them walking around in matching baseball caps, and the joy Michael gets from washing his toy truck — because John works as a window cleaner. There's an unfussy, unsentimental but always empathetic feel to every second of the Northern Ireland-set movie, including with prospective new parents both doting and disastrous, and in John's efforts to make the most of the time that he has left with Michael. Both Norton and Lamont are both exceptional as well, in a movie that's firmly something special. NEVER GONNA SNOW AGAIN In Never Gonna Snow Again's opening moments, Ukrainian masseur Zhenia (Alec Utgoff, Stranger Things) walks out of a forest and into a gated community in eastern Poland. His destination is lined with lavish identical houses — the kind that the song 'Little Boxes' has satirised for almost six decades now — but he's about to be its most extraordinary visitor. His hands can help knead away physical troubles, and they can soothe minds as well. Trundling his massage table from well-appointed home to well-appointed home, he quickly builds up a devoted client list of well-to-do residents desperate for his touch. He steps into their worlds, spying their outward gloss — the similar wreaths on each door, the doorbells chiming with snippets of classic music — and palpating away their inner pain. There's a surreal, seductive and otherworldly atmosphere to Never Gonna Snow Again, which filmmakers Malgorzata Szumowska (Mug) and Michal Englert (also the movie's cinematographer) let float through their frames like a lingering breeze. There's also a devastatingly savvy interrogation of the type of rich lives that pine for Zhenia's presence, including their complete obliviousness to him as anything more than a salve for their ennui. Much festers in the feature's McMansions. As it contemplates the everyday malaise that dulls wealth's superficial glow, as well as the vast chasm between gleaming exteriors and empty insides, much haunts Never Gonna Snow Again, in fact. Plenty dazzles, too, including Szumowska and Englert's confident handling — the film could've easily crumbled in other hands — as well as Utgoff's magnetic performance. GAIA A vivid eco-horror set in South Africa's Tsitsikamma National Park, Gaia doesn't sport a subtle title. Referencing the Greek goddess who personifies the earth, it doesn't see its namesake as the warm and welcoming genesis of all life, however. Here, Mother Nature has a bone to pick with humanity and its wanton destruction of the planet. To be specific, she has bodies to overpower with serpentine tendrils and infect with the multi-hued fungal blooms that give Jaco Bouwer's (Balbesit: 'n Studie in Stemme) film its most spectacular images. That's a fate that forest ranger Gabi (Monique Rockman, Number 37) hopes to avoid after being separated from her boss Winston (Anthony Oseyemi, The Red Sea Diving Resort), then injured in a trap set by wilderness-dwelling survivalist Barend (Carel Nel, The Last Days of American Crime) and his teenage son Stefan (Alex van Dyk, The Harvesters). The mushrooms here aren't magic — they're mad as hell, and they're not going to take it anymore. Gaia isn't nuanced about its environmental messaging, including when the mud-covered Barend starts preaching about the modern world's ruinous ills from his heated manifesto, but understatement and rallying against the ravaging of the planet really shouldn't go hand in hand anyway. And, leaning into that fury, as well as embracing nature's revenge, is what makes the movie so gripping. Bouwer hooks viewers from his first overhead shots of sprawling trees, keeps them enchanted with his hallucinogenic fungi and ramps up the tension with pitch-perfect sound design, but his vengeful jungle is the feature's most important inclusion. Too often, locations are deemed extra characters in films; Gaia actually earns that description. I'M WANITA In Amy, Whitney: Can I Be Me, Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry and similar documentaries, audiences nabbed behind-the-scenes glimpses at music superstars. Via personal and candid footage not initially intended for mass consumption, viewers peeked behind the facade of celebrity — but I'm Wanita evokes the same feelings of intimacy and revelation by pointing its lens at a singer who isn't yet a household name. The self-described 'Australian queen of honky tonk', Wanita Bahtiyar hasn't given filmmaker Matthew Walker a treasure trove of archival materials to weave through his feature debut. Rather, the Tamworth local opens up her daily existence to his observational gaze. Following his 2015 short film about Wanita, Heart of the Queen, Walker spent five years capturing her life — and the resulting doco is as wily as its subject is unpredictable. I'm Wanita mightn't spring from a dream archive of existing footage, but it does dedicate its frames to a dream point of focus; its namesake is the type of subject documentarians surely pray they stumble across. Since becoming obsessed with Hank Williams and Loretta Lynn as a child, Wanita has chased music stardom. Her voice earned her ample attention from her teen years onwards, and her first album received rave reviews that she giddily quotes now; however, she's spent her adult life drinking, partying, and supplementing occasional gigs with sex work. Today, she's a legend in her own head, and also an erratic whirlwind. I'm Wanita charts her trip to Nashville to finally make the record she's always wanted, and yet it never paints her tale as a simplistic portrait of talent unrealised. A Star Is Born, this isn't either — even with a glorious closing number that could easily cap off a Hollywood melodrama. Read our full review. Looking for more SFF On Demand recommendations? We've already taken a look at Strong Female Lead and A Fire Inside, too. SFF On Demand's 2021 program is available to stream between Friday, November 12–Sunday, November 21. For further information, head to the festival website.
Something delightful is happening in cinemas across the country. After months spent empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Australian picture palaces are starting to reopen — spanning both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney and Brisbane (and, until the newly reinstated stay-at-home orders, Melbourne as well). During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made over the past three months, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLV63nrXYSY&feature=youtu.be DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: A LIFE ON OUR PLANET Since the early 1950s, David Attenborough's stunningly shot documentaries have been awash with revelatory sights and detailed insights from the natural world, sharing the kind of wonders that eager audiences would be unlikely to see or discover themselves otherwise. Seven decades later, after becoming a constant, respected and beloved presence in the field, the now 94-year-old's passionate and vibrant work has earned its place in history several times over — but it might also become a record of a world, and of natural history, that's lost due to climate change. With this in mind, and to motivate a response to combat both global warming and the catastrophic loss of biodiversity blighting the environment, the great broadcaster presents David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet. On offer: an urgent and far-ranging exploration of how our pale blue dot evolved to its current state, what might be in store if we continue down this path, and how and why things could and should change. Determined in his tone, the veteran natural historian calls the documentary his witness statement several times within its frames, and it's as powerful and devastating as intended. Bookended by scenes in Chernobyl that are initially designed to illustrate what can happen ecologically when bad planning and human error combine — a situation that, Attenborough posits, applies to climate change as well — A Life On Our Planet is both broad and intricate, and personal and political too. Cycling through the earth's life to-date to provide a snapshot of the planet's predicament, it delivers a comprehensive overview, a raft of telling facts and figures, and a plethora of reflections from its central figure. It also features the now-requisite array of eye-catching footage that Attenborough's hefty body of work has long become known for, served up here to not only revel in its glory and showcase his exceptional career, but to demonstrate what's fading away due to humanity's impact upon the globe. Accordingly, it's impossible not to be moved by the film. If viewers won't listen to Attenborough on this topic, and as he explains what he's seen and where he sees things heading, then they probably won't listen to anyone. In the documentary's latter third, A Life On Our Planet follows in the footsteps of Australian doco 2040, too, by pondering how the world might adapt for the better — and again, if that doesn't motivate action, what will? David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet opens in Australian cinemas on Monday, September 28, with a chat between David Attenborough and Michael Palin screening with the film. The documentary only hits Netflix on Sunday, October 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAxtH_xwlnM THE HIGH NOTE With 2019's Late Night, filmmaker Nisha Ganatra stepped inside the world of television, contrasting the journeys of a hardworking woman just starting out and a celebrated but stern female veteran of the field who is unsure of what she wants for the future. Switch the setup to the music business, then swap Mindy Kaling's smart Late Night screenplay for a thoroughly by-the-numbers affair by first-timer Flora Greeson, and The High Note is the end result. In this overtly formulaic feature, lifelong music buff Maggie Sherwoode (Dakota Johnson) is a committed and overworked personal assistant to 11-time Grammy-winning R&B superstar Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross). She's also an aspiring producer who's working on a record with up-and-coming musician, David Cliff (Kelvin Harrison Jr), on the side. Maggie toils away at a demanding gig, albeit for a legend, but clearly dreams of more than merely ferrying her idol around town, picking up her dry cleaning and administering enemas on tour. With Grace's latest string of shows wrapping up, a live greatest hits album in the works and no new music released for some time, the singer herself also wants something different; however long-time manager Jack (Ice Cube) is trying to push Grace towards the easy money of a ten-year Las Vegas residency. There's much that's likeable here, including the soundtrack and the cast. The former spans both new tracks and vintage hits (including an appealing singalong to TLC's 'No Scrubs', and Harrison Jr crooning 1957 classic 'You Send Me' by the king of soul Sam Cooke), while the latter is The High Note's best asset. If only the impressive roster of on-screen talent were working with better material. As well as hitting every obvious note and delivering an awful (and predictable) soap opera-esque twist late in the game, The High Note lacks the resonant commentary that made Late Night as clever and savvy as it was amusing and affecting. The fact that it isn't easy being a woman in music isn't ignored here, but it's pointed out via generic lines of dialogue that simply sound like throwaway soundbites. The reality that both ageism and racism blight the industry too, and that a hugely successful Black woman over 40 still gets ignored by those calling the shots, receives the same cursory treatment. Indeed, The High Note is more content to keep any statements as superficial and easy as a disposable pop song, and to serve up as standard a feel-good fairy tale about chasing one's dreams as an algorithm would probably spit out. Read our full review. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas, check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23 and July 30; August 6, August 13, August 20 and August 27; and September 3, September 10 and September 17. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Personal History of David Copperfield, Waves, The King of Staten Island, Babyteeth, Deerskin, Peninsula, Tenet, Les Misérables, The New Mutants, Bill & Ted Face the Music, The Translators and An American Pickle.
The most famous building in Australia is about to hit a huge milestone, with the Sydney Opera House turning 50 when October 2023 rolls around. Over those five decades, the iconic arts venue has hosted a dream lineup of shows, productions and gigs on its stages — and it has another in store to help mark its massive anniversary. An occasion this huge was never going to pass without plenty of celebrations, so the Opera House is planning a hefty lineup that'll serve up just that. Kicking off in October this year, the 50th-anniversary season will run for an entire 12 months. And while the bulk of it won't be announced until later in 2022, the venue has just revealed its first show: Amadeus starring Michael Sheen. The Welsh actor boasts a resume spanning everything from Masters of Sex and Tron: Legacy to The Queen and Twilight — Frost/Nixon, the Underworld flicks, Alice in Wonderland and Good Omens, too — and, from 1998–99 in London and also on Broadway, this very play. Back then, he took on the role of Mozart; however, this time he'll step into Antonio Salieri's shoes, aka the Italian composer posited to be the titular figure's bitter adversary. [caption id="attachment_860816" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Amadeus by Peter Shaffer. Directed by Peter Hall, with David Suchet as Antonio Salieri and Michael Sheen as Motzart. Performed at The Old Vic in London in 1998. Credit: Geraint Lewis / ArenaPAL.[/caption] Sheen's stint at the Opera House comes as part of Amadeus' Australian-exclusive season, which'll take over the site's newly revamped Concert Hall from Tuesday, December 27, 2022–Saturday, January 21, 2023. He'll play opposite Rahel Romahn (Here Out West) as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, plus Lily Balatincz (Constellations) as Constanze Mozart, all bringing a fierce — and fictitious — classical music rivalry to life. If you're new to Amadeus, which first hit the stage in 1979 in London — six years after the Opera House opened its doors — it reimagines Mozart and Salieri's lives as the latter struggles to come to terms with the former's talent. In 1981, for its first Broadway run, it nabbed the 1981 Tony Award for Best Play. In 1984, after being turned into a movie, it also won eight Academy Awards including Best Picture. And, Baz Luhrmann also mentioned it to Concrete Playground as one of the influences that helped him on the path to making Elvis. Including Sheen, Romahn and Mozart, the Sydney cast will feature 40 performers, spanning actors, opera singers and musicians from The Metropolitan Orchestra who'll be worked into the onstage drama. Director Craig Ilott (Smoke & Mirrors, American Idiot, Betty Blokk Buster Reimagined) will be on helming duties, while Australian fashion house Romance Was Born is directing the costumes. [caption id="attachment_860821" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Boud[/caption] And, for theatregoers keen to turn a night watching Amadeus into quite the special occasion, the Opera House is also doing impressive — albeit expensive — dinner-and-show option called Amadeus: Primo Atto. Starting at $440 per person, it includes a three-course dinner with paired wines in one of the venue's most intimate spaces, plus a private tour beforehand, and then tickets to the production. As for what else will be on the 50th-anniversary lineup, watch this space. Based on this first announcement — and the fact that the full program of events and performances is supported by the NSW Government's Blockbuster Funding initiative — the Opera House's year-long festivities looks set to be big. [caption id="attachment_681696" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hamilton Lund[/caption] Amadeus will play Sydney Opera House's Concert Hall from Tuesday, December 27, 2022–Saturday, January 21, 2023. Pre-sales start at 9am on Wednesday, July 13, with general ticket sales from 9am on Monday, July 18. For more information, head to the Sydney Opera House website. For more information about Amadeus: Primo Atto, also head to the Sydney Opera House website. Top image: Faith Healer by Brian Friel, rehearsals, Michael Sheen as Frank Hardy. Directed by Warchus, set designed by Howell, lighting designed by Lutkin and Brown. Old Vic Theatre, London, UK; 21 September 2020. Credit: Manuel Harlan / ArenaPAL.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. THE FRENCH DISPATCH Editors fictional and real may disagree — The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun's Arthur Howitzer Jr (Bill Murray, On the Rocks) among them — but it's easy to use Wes Anderson's name as both an adjective and a verb. In a sentence that'd never get printed in his latest film's titular tome (and mightn't in The New Yorker, its inspiration, either), The French Dispatch is the most Wes Anderson movie Wes Anderson has ever Wes Andersoned. The immaculate symmetry that makes each frame a piece of art is present, naturally, as are gloriously offbeat performances. The equally dreamy and precise pastel- and jewel-hued colour palette, the who's who of a familiar cast list, the miniatures and animated interludes and split screens, the knack for physical comedy, and the mix of high artifice, heartfelt nostalgia and dripping whimsy, too. The writer/director knows what he loves, and also what he loves to splash across his films, and it's all accounted for in his tenth release. In The French Dispatch, he also adores stories that say as much about their authors as the world, the places that gift them to the masses, and the space needed to let creativity and insight breathe. He loves celebrating all of this, and heartily, using his usual bag of tricks. It's disingenuous to say that Anderson just wheels out the same flourishes in any movie he helms, though, despite each one — from The Royal Tenenbaums onwards, especially — looking like part of a set. As he's spent his career showing but conveys with extra gusto here, Anderson adores the craftsmanship of filmmaking. He likes pictures that look as if someone has doted on them and fashioned them with their hands, and is just as infatuated with the emotional possibilities that spring from such loving and meticulous work. Indeed, each of his features expresses that pivotal personality detail so clearly that it may as well be cross-stitched into the centre of the frame using Anderson's hair. It's still accurate to call The French Dispatch an ode to magazines, their heyday and their rockstar writers; the film draws four of its five chapters from its eponymous publication, even badging them with page numbers. But this is also a tribute to everything Anderson holds The New Yorker to stand for, and holds dear — to everything he's obsessed over, internalised and absorbed into the signature filmmaking style that's given such an exuberant workout once again. One scene, in the first of its three longer segments, crystallises this so magnificently that it's among the best things Anderson has ever put on-screen. It involves two versions of murderer-turned-artist Moses Rosenthaler, both sharing the boxed-in frame. The young (Tony Revolori, The Grand Budapest Hotel) greets the old (Benicio Del Toro, No Sudden Move), the pair swapping places and handing over lanyards, and it feels as if Anderson is doing the same with his long-held passions. Before Moses' instalment, entitled The Concrete Masterpiece, the picture's bookending story steps into Howitzer's offices in the fictional French town of Ennui-sur-Blasé. Since 1925, he's called it home, as well as the base for a sophisticated literary periodical that started as a travel insert in his father's paper back in Kansas. Because Anderson loves melancholy, too, news of Howitzer's death begins the film courtesy of an obituary. What follows via travelogue The Cycling Reporter, the aforementioned incarcerated art lark, student revolution report Revisions to a Manifesto and police cuisine-turned-kidnapping story The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner is The French Dispatch's final issue turned into a movie — and an outlet for both Howitzer's and the director's abundant Francophilia. Read our full review. DON'T LOOK UP Timing may be everything in comedy, but it's no longer working for Adam McKay. Back when the ex-Saturday Night Live writer was making Will Ferrell flicks (see: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Step Brothers), his films hinged upon comic timing. Ensuring jokes hit their marks was pivotal to his scripts, crucial during editing, and paramount to Ferrell and his co-stars. Since 2015, McKay has been equally obsessed with timeliness. More so, actually, in his latest film Don't Look Up. As started with The Big Short, which nabbed him a screenwriting Oscar, his current breed of politically focused satires trade not just in laughs but in topicality. Skewering the present or recent state of America has become the filmmaker's main aim — but, as 2018's Vice so firmly illustrated, smugly stating the obvious isn't particularly funny. On paper, Don't Look Up sounds like a dream. Using a comet hurtling towards earth as a stand-in, McKay parodies climate change inaction and the circus that tackling COVID-19 has turned into in the US, and spoofs self-serious disaster blockbusters — 1998's double whammy of Deep Impact and Armageddon among them — too. And, he enlists a fantasy cast, which spans five Oscar-winners, plus almost every other famous person he could seemingly think of. But he's still simply making the most blatant gags, all while assuming viewers wouldn't care about saving the planet, or their own lives, without such star-studded and glossily shot packaging. Although the pandemic has certainly exposed stupidity on a vast scale among politicians, the media and the everyday masses alike, mining that alone is hardly smart, savvy or amusing. Again, it's merely stating what everyone has already observed for the past two years, and delivering it with a shit-eating grin. That smirk is Don't Look Up's go-to expression among its broad caricatures — in the name of comedy, of course. Trump-esque President Orlean (Meryl Streep, The Prom) has one, as does her sycophantic dude-bro son/Chief of Staff Jason (Jonah Hill, The Beach Bum). Flinging trivial banter with fake smiles, "keep it light and fun" morning show hosts Brie Evantee (Cate Blanchett, Where'd You Go, Bernadette) and Jack Bremmer (Tyler Perry, Those Who Wish Me Dead) sport them as well. But PhD student Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence, X-Men: Dark Phoenix) and her astronomy professor Dr Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) aren't smiling when she discovers a Mount Everest-sized comet, then he realises it's on a collision course with earth and will wipe out everything in six months and 14 days. And they aren't beaming when, with NASA's head of planetary defence Dr Teddy Oglethorpe (Rob Morgan, The Unforgivable), they try to spread the word. The world is literally ending, but no one cares. Conjuring up the premise with journalist/political commentator David Sirota, McKay turns Don't Look Up into a greatest-hits tour of predictable situations bound to occur if a celestial body was rocketing our way — and that've largely happened during the fights against climate change and COVID-19. The President's reactions stem from her clear-cut inspiration, including the decision to "sit tight and assess" until it's politically convenient or just unavoidable, and the later flat-out denial that anything is a problem. The character in general apes the same source, and bluntly, given Orlean is initially busy with a scandal surrounding her next Supreme Court nominee, and that her love life and the porn industry also spark headlines. The insipid media and social media response, favouring a rocky celebrity relationship (which is where Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi come in), is also all too real. The list goes on, including the memes when Dibiasky gets outraged on TV and the worshipping of Mindy as an AILF (Astronomer I'd Like to Fuck). Read our full review. DEAR EVAN HANSEN Dear Dear Evan Hansen: don't. If a movie could write itself a letter like the eponymous figure in this stage-to-screen musical does, that's all any missive would need to communicate. It could elaborate, of course. It could caution against emoting to the back row, given that cinema is a subtler medium than theatre. It could advise against its firmly not-a-teenager lead Ben Platt, who won one of the Broadway hit's six Tony Awards, but may as well be uttering "how do you do, fellow kids?" on the big screen. It could warn against shooting the bulk of the feature like it's still on a stage, just with more close-ups. Mostly, though, any dispatch from any version of Dear Evan Hansen — treading the boards or flickering through a projector — should counsel against the coming-of-age tale's horrendously misguided milk-the-dead-guy narrative. When the most interesting thing about a character is their proximity to someone that's died, that's rarely a great sign. It's the realm of heartstring-tugging illness weepies and romances where partners or parents are bereaved, sweeping love stories are shattered and families are forever altered, and it uses the sickness or death of another person purely as a prop to make someone that's alive and healthy seem more tragic. That's worlds away from engaging sincerely with confronting mortality, loss, grief or all three, as so few movies manage — although Babyteeth did superbly in 2020 — and it's mawkish, manipulative storytelling at its worst. Dear Evan Hansen gives the formula a twist, however, and not for the better. Here, after a classmate's suicide, the titular high schooler pretends he was his closest friend, including to the dead kid's family. A anxious, isolated and bullied teen who returns from summer break with a fractured arm, Evan (Platt, The Politician) might be the last person to talk to Connor Murphy (Colton Ryan, one of the Broadway production's understudies). It isn't a pleasant chat, even if Connor signs Evan's cast — which no one else has or wants to. In the school library, Evan prints out a letter to himself as a therapy exercise, but Connor grabs it first, reads it, then gets furious because it mentions his sister Zoe (Kaitlyn Dever, Dopesick). Cue days spent fretting on Evan's part, wondering if he'll see the text splashed across social media. Instead, he's soon sitting with Cynthia Murphy (Amy Adams, The Woman in the Window) and her husband Larry (Danny Pino, Fatale), who inform him of Connor's suicide — and that they found Evan's 'Dear Evan Hansen' note on him, and they're sure it's their son's last words. With his high school misery amply established through catchy songs, and his yearning to connect as well, Evan opts to go along with the Murphys' mistaken belief, including the idea that he and Connor were secretly the best of pals. As penned for both theatre and film by Steven Levenson (Tick, Tick... Boom!) — with music and lyrics by Benji Pasek and Justin Paul (The Greatest Showman) — this plot point is meant to play with awkwardness and longing, but it's simply monstrous. Indeed, the longer it goes on, with Evan spending more time with Connor's wealthy family than with his own mum Heidi (Julianne Moore, Lisey's Story), a nurse always working double shifts, the more ghastly it proves. It's lazy writing, too, because this isn't just a tale that defines its lead by their connection to a deceased person; it's about someone who intentionally makes that move themselves, then remains the recipient of all the movie's sympathies. Read our full review. RESIDENT EVIL: WELCOME TO RACCOON CITY It's the franchise about zombies that just won't die. The series with a disdain for big corporations and the chaos they wreak that keeps pumping out more instalments, too. After six movies between 2002–16 that consistently proved a case of diminishing returns — and the original horror flick was hardly a masterpiece to begin with — welcoming viewers back to the Resident Evil realm smacks of simply trying to keep the whole saga going at any cost. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City does indeed extract a price from its audience, stretching their fondness for the video game-to-film franchise, their appetite for John Carpenter-inspired riffs and their penchant for overemphasised 90s nostalgia. Primarily set in 1998, and endeavouring to reboot the series without its previous star Milla Jovovich, it strenuously tests patience as well. After an orphanage stint filled with familiar Resident Evil figures — siblings Claire and Chris Redfield as kids, plus nefarious Umbrella Corporation scientist Dr William Birkin (Neal McDonough, Sonic the Hedgehog) — Welcome to Raccoon City first gets gory en route back to its titular town. The now-adult Claire (Kaya Scodelario, Crawl) hitches a ride with a trucker, who then hits a woman standing in the road. The victim still gets up afterwards, because unnaturally shuffling along after you've been killed comes with the territory. The walking dead are a new phenomenon in the desolate locale, however, following Umbrella's decision to shut up shop and leave the place a crumbling shell. Of course, the night that Claire arrives back to reunite with Chris (Robbie Amell, Upload), who's now a local cop, is the night that a virus zombifies Raccoon City's residents. Any movie that features besieged police officers trying to fend off attackers will always tread where Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 has already stomped, and Welcome to Raccoon City writer/director Johannes Roberts knows it — just as he splashed his awareness of shark horror flicks gone by across both 47 Metres Down and 47 Metres Down: Uncaged. Restarting a well-known series by blatantly taking cues from another filmmaker, and from 80s and 90s horror overall, isn't the path to success, though. As this dispiritingly generic feature keeps proving, it's about as smart as constantly splitting up while fending off the undead and navigating labyrinthine spaces, which Claire, Chris, and the latter's fellow cops Jill Valentine (Hannah John-Kamen, Ant-Man and the Wasp), Albert Wesker (Tom Hopper, Terminator: Dark Fate) and Leon Kennedy (Avan Jogia, Zombieland: Double Tap) unsurprisingly keep doing. Welcome to Raccoon City fares better with action over logic and originality, although nodding so forcefully to the filmmaker behind Halloween and The Thing stands out within the Resident Evil franchise. When it comes to Raccoon City's infected inhabitants, plus foes more frightening — their onslaughts, and Claire and company's attempts to evade them — Roberts finds a balance between stripping things back to ramp up the suspense and trying to imitate the video games that started it all. In the film's midsection, it all gets monotonous nonetheless, even while switching between first- and third-person perspectives and going big on monstrous creature design. Callouts to technology gone by, such as Nokia phones with Snake and VHS tapes (and, the flipside, marvelling over whiz-bang new tech by 90s standards like Palm Pilots and chat rooms), get repetitive and old fast, too. All things Resident Evil have as well, something this movie can't change despite its overt angling for a certain-to-eventuate sequel. NEW ORDER If only one word could be used to describe New Order, that word would be relentless. If just two words could be deployed to sum up the purposefully provocative film by writer/director Michel Franco (April's Daughter), savage would get thrown in as well. Sharing zero in common with the band of the same name, this 2020 Venice Film Festival Grand Jury Prize-winner dreams up a dystopian future that's barely even one step removed from current reality. And, in dissecting class clashes, and also examining the growing discontent unsurprisingly swelling worldwide at the lavish lives indulged by the wealthy while so much of the world struggles, the mood and narrative are nothing less than brutal. Screens big and small have been filled with eat-the-rich stories of late — Parasite, Us, Candyman, Ready or Not, The White Lotus, Nine Perfect Strangers and Squid Game among them — but New Order is its own ravenous meal. The place: Mexico City. The setup: a wedding that goes undeniably wrong. As the ceremony gets underway at a compound-style residence that's jam-packed with the ultra-wealthy and ultra-corrupt, the chasm between the guests and the staff is glaring. Case in point: bride-to-be Marianne (Naian González Norvind, South Mountain) couldn't be more stressed when she's asked for money to help ex-employee Rolando's (Eligio Meléndez, La Civil) ailing wife, who also worked at the house, and plenty of her family members are dismissive, arrogant and flat-out rude about their former servant's plight. Then activists start making their presence known outside, as well as further afield in the city's streets — and interrupting the nuptials by storming the mansion, too. The military respond swiftly and brutally, sparing no one in their efforts to implement the movie's telling moniker. Franco doesn't want any second of New Order to be easy to watch. The film's opening foreshadows the bloodshed and body count to come, but even when it then gets immersed in a ridiculously lavish but characteristically chaotic upper-class wedding — as such events stereotypically are — all the slick excess so rampantly on display remains positively ghastly. There's a sense of insidiousness in the air that the filmmaker lets fester amid all the gated home's glass and steel, then pushes into overdrive as the violent uprising gathers steam. There's an utter lack of hope as well, because nothing can or will turn out well in this situation. It can't end nicely for the bourgeoisie previously oblivious to or cruelly uncaring about the 99 percent and, as authoritarianism kicks in to a savage degree, the ideals of fairness and equality being championed by protestors aren't shared by their government. One word that can't be used to describe New Order: subtle, or any synonym denoting a delicate approach. Franco wants the parallels between his fictional situation and reality, and the unsparing critique of the latter he's making with the former, to be noticed — and to be not only unavoidable, but searingly, blisteringly haunting. He's brash and bold with the film's style as a result, as well as blunt. He's forceful, but also masterful, and makes every image and sound resound with palpable anger. Franco's also trading in obvious concepts as he tears down the rich, greedy, powerful and unscrupulous, lays bare the ease with which a fascist nightmare can take hold and posits that the fight against both is never easy, but he's still moulded all those notions into an emotionally dynamic whirlwind. New Order is screening in Melbourne only. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on August 5, August 12, August 19 and August 26; September 2, September 9, September 16, September 23 and September 30; October 7, October 14, October 21 and October 28; November 4, November 11, November 18 and November 25; and December 2. For Sydney specifically, you can take a look at out our rundown of new films that released in Sydney cinemas when they reopened on October 11, and what opened on October 14, October 21 and October 28 as well. And for Melbourne, you can check out our top picks from when outdoor cinemas reopened on October 22 — and from when indoor cinemas did the same on October 29. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Suicide Squad, Free Guy, Respect, The Night House, Candyman, Annette, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Streamline, Coming Home in the Dark, Pig, Big Deal, The Killing of Two Lovers, Nitram, Riders of Justice, The Alpinist, A Fire Inside, Lamb, The Last Duel, Malignant, The Harder They Fall, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, Halloween Kills, Passing, Eternals, The Many Saints of Newark, Julia, No Time to Die, The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick... Boom!, Zola, Last Night in Soho, Blue Bayou, The Rescue, Titane, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, Dune, Encanto, The Card Counter and The Lost Leonardo.
First, the bad news: if you don't already have a ticket to Laneway Festival 2025 in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to see Charli XCX, Djo, Beabadoobee, Clairo, Barry Can't Swim, Remi Wolf and more, they've completely soldout. Now, some good news: in each of the three east coast cities, Laneway has just announced official afterparties. The small club shows will feature STÜM, RONA. and Fcukers, plus others, with the lineup varying per location — and it's your next chance to get in on the Laneway action. The dates for the three shindigs are obviously the same as the Laneway dates in each destination. Accordingly, Brisbane's turn comes on Saturday, February 8, then Sydney's on Sunday, February 9 and Melbourne's on Friday, February 14. As for venues, River City revellers are headed to The Brightside, Harbour City residents to Oxford Art Factory and folks in the Victorian capital have a date with The Night Cat. In Brissie, STÜM, DJ Ivan Berko, nate sib and Cyber DJs will be taking to the stage. Sydney's gig features RONA., Fcukers doing a DJ set, DJ Ivan Berko popping up again, and both Loosie Grind and BEMAN. And in Melbourne, RONA. and DJ Ivan Berko are back, as is nate sib, alongside Laneway Festival's own DJs. Tickets are limited — so, like all things Laneway, getting in fast is recommended. As for the festival itself, if you've been lucky enough to nab tix, its lineup also features BICEP doing their CHROMA AV DJ set, Olivia Dean, Eyedress, Skegss, Hamdi, Joey Valence & Brae, 2hollis, Ninajirachi, Julie, Girl and Girl, and more. For its 2025 season, the event started by Danny Rogers and Jerome Borazio in the mid-00s is also headed to Bonython Park in Adelaide and Wellington Square in Perth in Australia — but without afterparties. Laneway Festival 2025 Afterparties Saturday, February 8 — The Brightside, Brisbane, with STÜM, DJ Ivan Berko, nate sib and Cyber DJs Sunday, February 9 — Oxford Art Factory, Sydney, with RONA., Fcukers, DJ Ivan Berko, Loosie Grind and BEMAN Friday, February 14 — The Night Cat, Melbourne, with RONA., DJ Ivan Berko, nate sib and Laneway Festival's DJs Laneway Festival 2025 Dates and Venues Thursday, February 6 – Western Springs, Auckland / Tāmaki Makaurau Saturday, February 8 — Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane / Turrbal Targun Sunday, February 9 — Centennial Park, Sydney / Burramattagal Land & Wangal Land Friday, February 14 — Flemington Park, Melbourne / Wurundjeri Biik Saturday, February 15 — Bonython Park, Adelaide / Kaurna Yerta Sunday, February 16 — Wellington Square, Perth / Whadjuk Boodjar [caption id="attachment_975321" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Harley Weir[/caption] Laneway Festival 2025 Lineup Charli XCX Beabadoobee Clairo Barry Can't Swim BICEP present CHROMA (AV DJ set) Djo Remi Wolf Olivia Dean Eyedress Skegss STÜM RONA Hamdi Joey Valence & Brae 2hollis Fcukers Ninajirachi Julie Girl and Girl + Triple J unearthed winners [caption id="attachment_975961" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Guido Gazzilli[/caption] St Jerome's Laneway Festival is touring Australia in February 2025. Head to the festival's website for further details and tickets. Afterparties are being held at the fest's east coast stops — with tickets on sale for Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane's events now. Laneway festival images: Charlie Hardy / Daniel Boud / Maclay Heriot / Cedric Tang.
Looking for a rainy day activity? Here are five. Five of the most electric and immersive exhibitions to hit Aussie shores, and they're all happening this winter. From 100 artworks by Picasso to a showcase of MoMa works — featuring Dalí, Andy Warhol and more — and a field of 3000 flowers to an electric ode to the radical artists of post-war Germany, it's all happening down under. The only catch is that they're spread across the country, so keep an eye on cheap flights or plan an epic road trip and hit them all up. It'll cost you much less than flights to Europe, but will still transport you to an alternative world — whether that's New York, post-war Germany, a fictional flower-filled land or Alice's Wonderland.
When you're picking a sky-high drinking spot, one factor sits far above the rest. Obviously, that's the view. At Lady Banks Rooftop, a 360-degree panoramic vista awaits, boasting vantages as far and wide as the Sydney skyline and the Blue Mountains. Whether you're heading by for a mezze board or a drink from the 'spritz your way' lineup — the choose-your-own-adventure of spritzes, basically — that's something to say cheers to. Also on the menu here: a grazing-style spread of dishes that heroes local produce, whether you're keen on roasted beet salad, low-cooked lamb shoulder tagine with labneh and pomegranate or one of seven different types of pizza. And, while it may be located on Restwell Street in Bankstown, the rooftop bar doesn't actually take its moniker from the area. Instead, it's named after the Lady Banks rose, which is named in turn after Lady Dorothea Banks — wife of botanist Sir Joseph Banks, who does indeed give Bankstown its name. Appears in: The Best Rooftop Bars in Sydney
