There is plenty to see and do in Canberra at any time of year, but a strong case can be made for visiting between September and November. The city really blossoms in spring (see what we did there?) — so there's no wonder why it's home to one of Australia's biggest and best annual flower festivals. Can't make it to Floriade this year? Never fear, there are still plenty of epic experiences to have in the nation's capital during spring. Whether you're planning a trip with mates, a significant other or solo, this list of activities will help you emerge from your winter hibernation with a spring in your step. Please stay up to date with the latest ACT Government health advice regarding COVID-19.
Jetsetting overseas may not have been on the cards for you this year, but if you're still craving the excitement of new cuisines and experiences, you don't have to fly across the world for a scenic Mediterranean feast or authentic Indian street food. With its huge variety of restaurants and bars, it's no wonder that Parramatta is rapidly becoming one of the most popular dining destinations in Sydney. From morning to night; from casual eats to luxe dining; from a pre-show dinner to sky-high cocktails — Parramatta has got you covered. In this guide, we've done the legwork for you of picking out a few spots for every occasion, so that your next date night, family celebration or girls' brunch in the River City is an absolute breeze.
At a time when Sydney has endured an unusually high number of venue closures, a formerly shuttered bar's return is certainly good news. Andrew Becher, the owner of two of Macleay Street's best diners — upmarket bistro Franca and Catalan diner Parlar — has already made an impressive mark on the Potts Point dining scene. Now, the restaurateur is adding a third venue to his Kings Cross portfolio, reviving Double Bay hotspot Pelicano, which closed in 2019, and transplanting it to the former digs of legendary nightclub Hugos Lounge on Bayswater Road. Once a favourite celebrity haunt, the original Double Bay Pelicano (where Neil Perry and Liden Pride's new martini bar Bobbie's is now located) was forced to shut at the height of its popularity to make way for building renovations. "It felt like there was some unfinished business there," Becher says of the bar's untimely closure. [caption id="attachment_973008" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andrew Becher[/caption] In the years since, Becher's been biding his time, waiting for just the right location to launch Pelicano 2.0. "An opportunity to move into the old Hugo's site could not have been more perfect [because of] the legacy we both share as revered brands intent on driving the rebirth of Sydney's nightlife," says Becher. "Everyone loves a bit of nostalgia but with a fresh look and feel, we aim to bridge the gap between the good old days and an offering more in line with current demands and desires." This new incarnation of Pelicano will be quite different to the original — and not just because punters will now climb a flight of stairs to reach the front door instead of descending into a Double Bay basement. "Our group has grown dramatically since Pelicano closed, with our food offering garnering more focus and recognition," Becher says. "We are focused on the transition from day to night to cater to the market of today. With this in mind, we want to create a space that offers it all — a high-end cocktail program, great food and a lively atmosphere where you can dance and have fun. People want it all in one location nowadays and we are happy to oblige. The venue itself is also so unique in Sydney, somewhere that captures all the afternoon sun but also works so well after dark." [caption id="attachment_897560" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Armorica[/caption] While Becher's other venues are known for their luxe-leaning, no-expense-spared fitouts — the renovation of popular Surry Hills brasserie Armorica cost Becher a cool $3 million, for example — the decor for Pelicano will take a slightly different tack. "As Armorica had to be developed from the ground up, it required substantial investment to transform it into the venue it is today — the kitchen alone accounted for around half of the budget. This time, the site has good bones and we were able to purchase the kitchen equipment outright which has allowed us to reduce the timeframe and some of the cost to refurbish the venue," Becher explains. "The Pelicano brand embodies energy and fun, but we also wanted it to be a space that people feel comfortable in. That's why the focal point of the venue will be the artwork. We are working with great artists who do a lot of the heavy lifting, eliminating the need for a traditional full fit-out to transform the space." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pelicano Potts point. (@pelicanosydney) Pelicano's restaurant will open to the public from Thursday, October 3 at 5pm. The nightclub space will open at the end of October.
A longstanding south coast NSW brewery has made the move to Sydney, opening a sibling location to its Jervis Bay home. Flamin Galah Brewing Co has built a cult following since opening back in 2018 thanks to its award-winning XPAs, pale ales and sours, cementing its sunny regional brewery as a must-visit stop on a trip south of Sydney. Now, you'll find its range of craft beers on Broadway at its welcoming taproom. Flamin Galah Brewing Co Chippendale is located in the old Hotel Broadway building between Broadway and Shepherd Street. Inside, the space has been transformed with plenty of millennial (or alternatively, galah) pink furniture, retro light fittings and a neon sign proclaiming "Flamin Good Beer". Most importantly, you'll find a line of taps pouring the full range of Flamin Galah brews, including a Chippo Lager dedicated to the digs. While the beers are the stars of this show, there are plenty of supporting characters. Wine, cider, ginger beer, seltzers and cocktails round out the drinks offerings. If you're not a fan of the hops, opt for the Blushing Galah, which combines Flamin Galah vodka, watermelon liqueur, triple sec, lime and fresh watermelon — or the Yuzu Gin Gimlet for something a little more citrus-forward. The theme running through the food is crowd-pleasers. There are sets of cheeseburger sliders and Chippo Lager-battered fish tacos, crispy chicken bao, pulled beef nachos, fried chicken tenders, tangy barbecue wings and dumplings (pork and chive, prawn or vegetarian). And, there are also plenty of enticing deals hoping to lure you in to sample some of the brewery's offerings. Check the Flamin Galah website for this week's discounted meals, happy hour drinks and trivia nights.
It's a war that's been waged for decades among regional bakeries the country over: who's dishing up Australia's best pie? Whose pastry comes closest to perfection? Which filling reigns supreme? Well, 2023's top dog has officially been named, with Victoria's Country Cob Bakery taking out top honours at this year's edition of Australia's Best Pie and Pastie Competition. While you might have your own thoughts about which pie makes the best road-trip accompaniment, goes down best at the footy or makes for the ultimate comfort food, this nationally recognised contest is run by the experts at the Baking Association of Australia. The 2023 competition saw professional judges sample pies from hundreds of bakeries across three days. And for the fourth time — including in 2018, 2019 and 2020 — Country Cob claimed the top title, this time winning over tastebuds with a Cambodian fish amok pie, which was named the Best Seafood Pie as well. Country Cob not only has form, but has a range of ace pies. Back in 2020, it won for a pepper beef pie creation loaded with local ingredients. In 2019, it came out on top with its caramelised pork and pepper pie — and its satay seafood pie took out the top gong in 2018. It's an impressive run for baker brothers Ryan and Chan Khun, who've owned and operated the bakery since 2016. Over that time, they've won more than 350 trophies and medals for their baked goods. If that doesn't put their bakeries in Kyneton, Boronia and Springvale on your must-visit list, then we only have one conclusion: you hate pies. In 2023, the two backed up their big win with a slew of other awards, including taking out the title of Best Pepper Beef Pie, Best Mushroom Pie and Best Meat Pastie. And if you're new to fish amok — or amok trei (អាម៉ុកត្រី) — it's a Khmer steamed fish curry. Made with a mousse-style texture, and thought to date back to between the 9th and 15th centuries, it's one of Cambodia's national dishes. In pie form, it's clearly now an Aussie favourite as well. Country Cob Bakery is located at 130-132 Mollison Street, Kyneton; 951 Mountain Highway, Boronia; and 890-892 Princes Highway, Springvale — all in Victoria.
Vacationing closer to home shouldn't mean settling for unimaginative getaways. Australia has its own collection of holiday paradises, stunning sights and supreme vacation vibes without the long-haul flight — including the lush hinterland region of Queensland's Sunshine Coast, sitting around 90 minutes north of Brisbane. Here, you'll find cosy couples' cabins, treehouse hideaways and stunning rural retreats, all perfectly located to the area's famed nature walks, hinterland villages and sandy beaches. We've done the hard work for you and pulled together a list of the most stunning Sunshine Coast hinterland stays you can book right now. Pick a winner, pack your bags and get ready to recharge those batteries with a blissed-out rainforest retreat. Recommended reads: The Best Dog-Friendly-Stays in Queensland The Best Places to Go Glamping in Queensland The Best Hotels in Brisbane The Best Island Stays in Queensland 629 Balmoral Ridge, Balmoral Ridge Stay on top of the world at this stunning ridgetop retreat, complete with epic views and a roomy deck from which to soak it all in. From $690 a night, sleeps four. Blue Summit Cottages Luxury Escape, Witta Boasting a fireplace, living room spa and sweeping views across the treetops, this self-contained cottage makes for an idyllic couples' escape. From $414 a night, sleeps two. Pencil Creek Cottage, Mapleton Break from reality at this charming couples' cottage, set among the leafy surrounds of Mapleton. Log fire, four-poster bed and peaceful deck, all included. From $297 a night, sleeps two. Cuddle Cottage, Montville This picture-perfect cottage for two comes kitted out with a romantic loft bedroom, plus a sunny terrace for afternoon cocktails with a view. From $195 a night, sleeps two. The Farm on Razorback Ridge, Montville A lofty retreat set on ten hectares of farmland and rainforest. Enjoy sunny days splashing in the pool and nights unwinding by the fire. From $1146 a night, sleeps ten. Bird Song Valley, Montville Experience your own slice of hinterland paradise at this breezy revamped Queenslander, complete with crisp styling, wraparound verandahs and a luxurious master tub. From $375 a night, sleeps six. Couples Spa Suite Retreat, Montville Unwind and reconnect in this luxury honeymoon suite. The balcony spa bath, bio-fuel fireplace and treetop views are getaway goals. From $350 a night, sleeps four. Treetops Seaview, Montville With its breathtaking outlook, this private treetop hideaway feels worlds away from reality. Lounge on the sun-drenched deck, or soak up epic views in the spa. From $512 a night, sleeps two. Cobhearthome, Maleny Tread lightly with a stay at this award-winning Mediterranean-style eco-cottage, decked out with colourful murals and boasting views across lush green rainforest. How much? From $230 a night, sleeps four. The Wilds Container Home, Dulong This converted shipping container home is an architectural delight, enveloped by nature. Enjoy a stylish hideaway, with luxe features and a private, leafy setting. From $330 a night, sleeps two. Treehaus, Valdora Tranquility meets style at this breezy nature retreat. Unwind with the help of luxurious linens, a blissful courtyard garden and a toasty fire pit. From $180 a night, sleeps four. The Bower Couples' Cabin, Wootha Surrounded by rainforest, this charming timber cabin makes for a romantic hideout year-round. Snuggle fireside, unwind in the claw-foot tub, or laze by the shared pool. From $165 a night, sleeps two. All images courtesy of Airbnb. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Already a go-to for budget-friendly groceries, snow gear and whatever other specials that it can rustle up, ALDI is now bringing its discounted prices to your wardrobe. Selling clothes isn't new for the chain, as everyone who regularly trawls its middle aisles will be well-aware; however, for the first time ever, the brand is releasing its own ALDI streetwear collection. And yes, everything comes cheap — under $20 cheap, in fact. We all know someone that's bought a fridge, bed or TV at ALDI. You might even be that person. Now, everyone can know folks — or be them — that rock an ALDI-branded hoodie, track pants, slides, sneakers, socks or beanie. The list of items on offer in the new collection, which is called ALDImania, also includes sweatshirts, t-shirts, bucket hats and caps. For some pieces, there's also multiple colours available, with grey, navy and white the range's base hues. In total, there's 23 items made from sustainably sourced or recycled materials, with compact umbrellas and double-walled insulated mugs helping round out the collection. The socks have the lowest price, coming in at $4.99 no matter which of four styles you choose from. And the dearest item is the sneakers, which cost $19.99. In-between those maximums and minimums, fleecy hoodies will set you back $14.99, slides and beanies $7.99 each, and tees $8.99. From top to bottom — excluding underwear — you could deck yourself out in ALDI gear for less than $50. You'll only find the ALDImania collection in ALDI stores from Saturday, April 13. Given how popular the chain's usual specials are, expect the range to get snapped up quickly. "We have been offering our shoppers high-quality, affordable loungewear for years, but this is the first time we've brought our own brand of leisurewear to the middle aisles," said Belinda Grice, ALDI Australia's Buying Director for ALDImania. ALDI's streetwear range will hit the chain's supermarkets around Australia from Saturday, April 13. Visit the ALDI website for more details.
If your only wish for brunch is simple, nutritious food made from the freshest local produce, then Fable Coffee is the spot for you. Owners Phil Ocampo and Jessica Shaw used to sling Mexican street food at various Sydney markets, and got to know the local grocers working alongside them — they still rely on these relationships, and fresh, quality, seasonal produce is their highest priority. Simplicity is the mantra here, from the industrial-chic decor to the single-origin coffee. The passion for fresh local food is so strong at Fable that you can even purchase market produce from there, alongside its staple range of homemade goods — think chai, peanut butter and muesli. Image: Trent Van der Jagt.
Now that our favourite venues are finally open again, there is nothing ruder than saying no to a rooftop cocktail or harbourside lunch. To help customers manage their social budget, hospitality group Australian Venue Co (AVC) has partnered with Afterpay for an initiative that enables more people to get out and about, with the ability to pay over time. On Monday, November 1, the group launched Dine Now, Pay Later, giving all of us social animals the opportunity to enjoy great food and drinks at over 160 venues Australia-wide and pay the tab in fortnightly, interest-free payments. Here are seven of the venues where you can indulge responsibly with Afterpay — available via mobile ordering, paying at the bar and the AVC app.
We're all for bringing lunch to work. You save money, eat leftovers (reduce food waste) and can show off your cooking prowess to your coworkers. But we also know sometimes you can't bear to eat that same soup for the 14th time. Sometimes that sandwich you constructed with one eye open at 6am isn't quite going to cut it. Sometimes, god forbid, someone stole your food from the fridge. And sometimes you just deserve to treat yourself. So, here's where you can go to grab something tasty for lunch in the CBD — that'll also be relatively fast — from next-level vegan burgers to chicken ramen, gyoza and $10 bowls of pasta (and even giant Aperol spritzes).
When Vivid Sydney took place in 2016, wearing pyjamas was acceptable. As Max Richter performed Sleep at the Sydney Opera House, the composer did so while attendees slumbered, which is what the eight-hour performance is specifically designed for. Did anyone taking a kip to the music dream up a future idea for a Vivid event? Audiences might find out when the festival returns in 2025 for its 15th year across Friday, May 23–Saturday, June 14. It's save-the-date time, with Vivid locking in its next winter return, aka when it'll next take over the Harbour City with its showcase of tunes, luminous sights, culinary events and conversation. Also revealed: 2025's theme, which is where dreaming comes in again. "Dreaming is something we all do. It's as old as time and as universal as life itself. Dreams don't discriminate — they are borderless, ageless and endless. They can be personal or public. When shared, our dreams can become a movement. They can inspire, motivate, spark excitement and connection," explains Vivid Sydney Festival Director Gill Minervini about the event's next focus. "The whole world dreams, it is something we have in common, something that unites us. Our human story is embedded in dreams, they help explain our existence and our past," Minervini continued, also opening the call for expressions of interest to take part in 2025's Vivid. "We want the very best in homegrown talent to be part of our vibrant Vivid Sydney event program, with a unique opportunity to foster community connection, spark imagination and showcase the multitude of ways creativity can enrich our lives." "Each year, Vivid Sydney aims to deliver unparalleled artistic brilliance, and we look forward to welcoming the inspirations within our community that will help shape Vivid Sydney 2025 into a show-stopping cultural phenomenon." Vivid's lineup won't be announced until 2025, but you can lock in one venue: Taronga Zoo. Whatever pops up at the iconic spot can link into light, music, ideas and food, the four pillars that Vivid has at its core. If you're excited about which events will follow in past years' footsteps — 2024's lineup included Amy Poehler, Air, Budjerah, Yasiin Bey, Tekno Train by Paul Mac, a fan of light from Sydney Tower, artwork by Archibald Prize winner Julia Gutman on the Sydney Opera House's sails and plenty more, all ruminating on the theme 'humanity' — then mark your diaries accordingly. If you have a dream-inspired idea that you'd love to see come to life at Vivid 2025, no matter whether you're an artist, musician, chef, speaker or something else, then head to the fest's website to go through the expression of interest process. Vivid Sydney will run from Friday, May 23–Saturday, June 14, 2025 at various locations around Sydney. We'll update you when the program is announced next year — head to the festival website for further details in the interim. Images: Destination NSW.
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 through to old and recent favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue from August's haul. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL NOW HEARTSTOPPER Whether they attend Truham Grammar School or the neighbouring Higgs Girls School, most of Heartstopper's teenagers have much to say, often via text. But perhaps the most apt line of the entire Netflix series so far is uttered by Isaac Henderson (first-timer Tobie Donovan), the quiet bibliophile among the show's main friendship group. "I read all these books where people fall in love and I still have absolutely no idea," Isaac advises in the web-to-page-to-screen hit's second season. As a webcomic, a graphic novel and also a TV series that proved an instant smash when it debuted in 2022, Alice Oseman's creation couldn't better embody this reflection. Heartstopper is Isaac's yearning and confusion turned into art, even as the series remains sweet and joyous in every episode. Isaac gets his own storyline in season two, exploring what that lament means to him as he unpacks his own identity, and it's among the show's weighty narrative threads. But everyone in Heartstopper, from central couple Charlie Spring (fellow debutant Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor, Little Joe) to their maybe-more-than-friends pals Tao Xu (newcomer William Gao) and Elle Argent (Yasmin Finney), plus classmates Tara Jones (Corinna Brown, Daphne) and Darcy Olsson (Kizzy Edgell), live his telling statement in their own ways. Tales about getting swept away by first love adore conveying the rush, buzz and head-over-heels effervescence evoked by the pivotal experience. Awkwardness often factors in, but rarely the reality that no one ever truly knows what they're doing when it comes to romance. A chronicle of coming of age and also coming out, Heartstopper makes the truth that every teen is just doing their best and following their heart one of the show's core guiding concepts. And mostly, usually with each other's help as they traverse the full onslaught of adolescent emotions, this supremely likeable, relatable crew of high schoolers knows that they don't, can't and won't ever have all the answers. Brought to the screen by Oseman as the series' creator and writer, plus director Euros Lyn (Dream Horse) behind the lens — together, they've respectively penned and helmed all 16 episodes, eight in season one and that amount again in season two — Heartstopper spent its debut offering watching Charlie and Nick gravitate into each other's orbits. When the pair were sat next to each other in form class at the beginning of a new term, a friendship and then more swelled. Season two finds them officially and happily boyfriends, and with Nick's mother Sarah (Olivia Colman, Secret Invasion) supportive about Nick's bisexuality. Telling the rest of the world when he chooses to is part of his latest journey, always with the protective Charlie by his side. Heartstopper streams via Netflix. Read our full review. TELEMARKETERS No one likes it when their phone rings from an unknown number, whether "no caller ID" or digits that you don't recognise flash up on your mobile's screen. Telemarketers isn't going to change that response. It won't dampen the collective ire that the world holds towards the pushy people on the other end of the line, either. HBO's thrilling three-part docuseries doesn't just reinforce what viewers already feel about the nuisance industry that thinks it can interrupt your day and life with a spiel that no one wants, and impact your bank balance in the process. In addition, it spins a true tale that demonstrates why a deep-seated dislike of telemarketing is so well-founded, and also why cold-calling operations can be so insidious. This true-crime story about the New Jersey-based Civic Development Group surpasses even the most call centre-despising audience member's low expectations of the field — and it's gripping, can't-look-away, has-to-be-seen-to-be-believed stuff. In fact, it's also an account of a tenacious duo revealing a billion-dollar fraud, and bringing this stunning whistleblower documentary to the masses. "Every other telemarketer who drives you crazy in the whole world is because of CDG," advises one of the series' interviewees. That might seem like a big claim, but co-directors Sam Lipman-Stern (Live From the Streets) and Adam Bhala Lough (The New Radical) step through its truth. The former knows the outfit's approach from experience, working there for seven years from the age of 14 after dropping out of high school, while the latter is the filmmaker cousin he wasn't aware of. Lipman-Stern is Telemarketers' on-screen guiding hand, too, but his ex-colleague Patrick J Pespas is its heart and soul. As seen early, Pespas is called a "telemarketing legend". Although he's happy snorting heroin on-camera in 2000s-era footage, he's switched on to CDG's shonkiness; more than that, he's determined to expose it even if it takes two decades. Everywhere that Lipman-Stern and Pespas look from there, this tale gets worse. It's no wonder that Uncut Gems and Good Time filmmakers Benny and Josh Safdie are among Telemarketers' executive producers, plus Eastbound & Down's Danny McBride, Jody Hill and David Gordon Green. Telemarketers streams via Binge. Read our full review. JUSTIFIED: CITY PRIMEVAL The man knows how to rock a hat: Timothy Olyphant (Full Circle), that is. He knows how to play a determined lawman with a piercing stare and an unassailable sense of honour, too, and television has been all the better for it for nearing two decades. Pop culture's revival culture has benefited as well — first with HBO's 2004–06 western masterpiece Deadwood returning as 2019's Deadwood: The Movie, and now with 2010–15's US Marshal drama Justified making a comeback as miniseries Justified: City Primeval. Olyphant was perfect in both the first time around, and proves the same the second. Indeed, Deadwood: The Movie's only problem was that it was just a made-for-TV film, not a another season; Justified: City Primeval's sole issue is that it spans only eight episodes, and that a next date with the Stetson-wearing Raylan Givens hasn't yet been locked in. This continuation of Justified's initial six seasons arrives eight years after the show ended for viewers, but also finds Raylan with a 15-year-old daughter. And it's with Willa (Vivian Olyphant, Timothy Olyphant's real-life offspring) that he's hitting the road when a couple of criminals reroute their plans. Now based in Miami, Florida rather than Justified's Harlan, Kentucky, Raylan is meant to be taking Willa to camp, only to be forced to detour to Detroit, Michigan to testify. It isn't a brief stop, after the Deputy US Marshal makes the wrong impression on Judge Alvin Guy (Keith David, Nope), then is personally requested to investigate an assassination attempt against the same jurist — teaming up with local detectives who are adamant about Detroit's particular ways, including Maureen Downey (Marin Ireland, The Boogeyman), Norbert Beryl (Norbert Leo Butz, The Girl From Plainville) and Wendell Robinson (Victor Williams, The Righteous Gemstones). You can take Raylan out of rural America and into the Motor City, as Justified: City Primeval does, but even with silver hair atop his calm glare he's still Raylan. So, he'll always stride around like a lone gunslinger who has seen it all, will confront anything, and is perennially valiant and resolute — and silently exasperated about humanity's worst impulses, too — as Justified: City Primeval welcomes. New location, passing years, the responsibilities of fatherhood, more and more lowlife crooks (including Boyd Holbrook, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny): they haven't changed this character, and audiences wouldn't have wanted that to happen. Justified: City Primeval streams via Disney+. Read our full review. KILLING IT Craig Robinson slays snakes. If Killing It was initially pitched with those four words and those four words alone, it still would've been easy to greenlight. When the latest comedy from Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-creator Dan Goor and executive producer Luke Del Tredici first arrived in 2022, it leaned in, too, with terminating serpents the whole point of the contest at the centre of the comedy's debut season. The place: Florida, home to the python-teeming Everglades. The year: 2016, in the lead up to the US election. The reason for vanquishing vipers: a $20,000 payday, which Craig — also the name of Robinson's character — needed to enact his vision of becoming a saw palmetto farmer. Killing It served up far more than just Robinson, a B99 guest and The Office star, polishing off reptiles, however, and not simply because Claudia O'Doherty (Our Flag Means Death) joined in as the hammer-swinging Jillian. As a satire of the type of society that has people resorting to seeking a better future by offing animals competitively, and a nation that celebrates the American dream as the pinnacle of existence without recognising how unachievable that notion is, this series has always sunk its fangs in. Getting Killing It's characters bludgeoning wildlife was a savvy signifier of a horribly broken system in season one. In season two, slaughtering serpents is old news, but venomous foes definitely aren't. They're the uncaring bureaucracy, the shameless corporations, the shaking-down gangs, the car thieves, the cruel insurance bodies, the nation's entire health scheme, the manipulative bosses, the rude customers and the cash-splashing rich. They're absolutely everyone with a solely in-it-for-themselves perspective, which is almost everyone. When Killing It's latest eight-episode go-around kicks off, its central pair have followed through on the saw palmetto plan — albeit at a cost, with Craig's low-level criminal brother Isaiah (Rell Battle, Superior Donuts) now on the lam and posing as a doctor in Phoenix. Their farm is up and running, and perennial-optimist Jillian isn't is the only one who's hopeful. The two business partners even have a buyer for their berries — and, while their margins are thin, they're getting by. Alas, whether they're dealing with a possible giant snail problem, being blackmailed into taking on new colleagues or becoming the subject of a hostile takeover, Craig and Jillian swiftly realise that snakes still lurk everywhere. Killing It streams via Stan. Read our full review. IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA No one should start watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's 16th season with its eighth and last episode (last for this season, that is; the already record-breaking TV comedy, which became the longest-running live-action American sitcom ever with its 15th season, has been renewed for a 17th and 18th go-around). Still, the final instalment from this current batch, called 'Dennis Takes a Mental Health Day', is one the show's best-ever chapters. As a character study of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's most arrogant and abrasive member of its main quintet, aka Dennis Reynolds (Glenn Howerton, Blackberry) — and yes, given his company, that's some feat — it's phenomenal in stepping through how his twisted mind works. A whopping 170 episodes in, it's also a prime example of the series' constant eagerness to push and stretch itself. Season 16 also features It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia instalments that are so classic that they could've aired years ago, not that the program ever repeats itself, but this run also keeps challenging how It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia tells its tale, unpacks Dennis and company, and satirises Pennsylvania's worst Irish bar owners. Howerton remains mesmerising as one of the show's Reynolds twins throughout season 16; however, so does Kaitlin Olson (Hacks) as his sister Dee. This far in, Charlie Day (Bupkis), Rob McElhenney (Mythic Quest) and Danny DeVito (Haunted Mansion) could all play Charlie Kelly, Mac and Frank Reynolds in their sleep, too — but there's no coasting here, only going deeper into what makes the Paddy's Pub crew who they are. Their responses to any given outlandish situation, aka It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's bread and butter, might seem predictable on the surface. Even what proves true, though, nothing is ever straightforward. Amid the scheming, plotting, conning, fighting, revenge plans and more, this bunch constantly unpack and parody America at its most problematic, and western attitudes overall as well. They're as sharp and ridiculous and hilarious now as they were in 2005. In their sights this time: inflation, gun violence, reality TV, chess, celebrity endorsements (complete with a spectacular couple of guest stars), child-friendly food and amusement joints, bowling and, of course, mental health. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia streams via Disney+. VESPER Some films make their audience feel like they could reach out and touch their on-screen worlds, and French-Lithuanian-Belgian movie Vesper is one such picture. Here, that sensation springs from a key element: first-rate world-building efforts on writer/director duo Kristina Buožytė and Bruno Samper's (ABCs of Death 2) parts. This isn't a sci-fi blockbuster with a massive budget and seemingly thousands upon thousands of companies working on special effects. Rather, Vesper is far more modest in scale, as was its big-screen run, including film-festival berths and no general release Down Under. But without megabucks behind it, Vesper spins a dystopian tale that seems tangible — that, as you watch, feels like you could walk straight into, too — as it focuses on its titular teenager (Raffiella Chapman, His Dark Materials). Her quest: surviving after an ecological crisis while looking after her bedridden father Darius (Richard Brake, Barbarian). In this vision of what might come, the planet's plants and animals have become the victims of viruses that ravaged the globe, leaving insects and bacteria as humanity's main diet. Buožytė and Samper, scripting with Brian Clark (Compulsion), work in English with Vesper. That said, on their latest sci-fi feature after Vanishing Waves, they also frequently work in the space between what's uttered aloud. The narrative sticks with Vesper as she keeps attempting to scrounge up food and electricity, usually with Darius' consciousness floating in a drone by her side — a machine that looks like an old-school TV, but with a face drawn on. The film also charts its namesake's determination to avoid her nefarious uncle Jonas (Eddie Marsan, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre), who trades in the blood of children to obtain seeds, which are used as currency and highly protected by towering bases called citadels. And, as it muses on what it truly means to endure and persist, and why, doing so amid grey-toned imagery, a fierce lead performance, meticulous attention to visual detail and expressive silences, it observes what occurs when Vesper finds Camellia (Rosy McEwen, The Alienist) after a crash, then has her perception of an already-tough life challenged. Vesper streams via Paramount+ and Prime Video. NEW AND RETURNING SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Corpses and killings don't normally herald joy on-screen, even in pop culture's current murder-mystery comedy wave, but Only Murders in the Building isn't just another amusing whodunnit. There's a particular warmth to this series. In each of its three seasons to-date, the New York-set show has unleashed amateur gumshoes upon a shock death, with its key trio sifting through clues and podcasting the details. Along the way, it has also kept telling a winning story about second chances and finding the folks who understand you. Only Murders in the Building's ten-episode third season relays that tale again, expanding its portraits of artist Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez, The Dead Don't Die), theatre director Oliver Putnam (Martin Short, Schmigadoon!) and veteran actor Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin, It's Complicated) — and of their friendship. Once more, it embraces the power of chemistry, both within its narrative and for audiences. That isn't new; when the show debuted in 2021, it felt like the murder-mystery comedy genre's version of a cosy embrace because its three leads were so perfectly cast and their odd-throuple characters so full of sparks. While Mabel, Oliver and Charles wouldn't be a trio if it wasn't for a building evacuation, a murder and a love of true-crime podcasts, their connection isn't merely fuelled by chatting about the murders in their building, with crossing each other's paths changing their respective lives. There's a death in season three's initial episode — it first occurred in season two's dying moments, to be precise — and, of course, ample sleuthing and talking about it follows. The victim: Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), a silver-screen star best-known for playing a zoologist who fights crime by turning into a snake in the blockbuster CoBro franchise. (Yes, if those movies weren't just Only Murders in the Building's Ant-Man gag, existed IRL and starred Rudd, they'd be a hit.) But Only Murders in the Building's latest run also opens with Mabel, Oliver and Charles in places that they wouldn't be if they were solo. Largely, that applies emotionally: Mabel is more grounded and open, and now thinking about the future more than the past; Oliver has faced his career fears, resurrecting his showbiz bug with a new show; and Charles is less misanthropic and more willing to take new chances. They're also frequently in a different location physically thanks to Oliver's comeback production Death Rattle (which is where Meryl Streep fits in). No, the series isn't now called Only Murders in the Building and on Broadway. Only Murders in the Building streams via Star on Disney+. Read our full review. THE LOST FLOWERS OF ALICE HART In The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, blooms are rarely out of sight and petals never evade attention. Adapted from Holly Ringland's 2018 novel, the seven-part Australian miniseries is set on a farm that cultivates native flora. It dubs the women who tend to them, an ensemble from various backgrounds largely seeking refuge from abusive pasts, "flowers" as well. Whether stem by stem or in bunches, its characters use florets as their own secret language. And yet, as much as bouquets linger, getting all things floral on the mind, star Sigourney Weaver burns rather than blossoms. Fire is another of the show's strong recurring motifs, so it's still fitting that its biggest name is as all-consuming as a blaze. She needs to be that scorching: this is a story about endeavouring to survive while weathering woes that ignite everything in their path. Weaver also draws upon almost five decades of thriving before the camera, often playing steely, smart and sometimes-raging women. Her on-screen career began sparking with Alien, the film that made her an instant icon. Since then, everyone has heard her performances scream — and, in The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, she's again dazzling. Flowers frequently surround Weaver's June Hart far and wide. With a carefully selected cutting, the shotgun-toting matriarch of Thornfield Flower Farm can say all she needs to. That's what the eponymous Alice (Ayla Browne, Nine Perfect Strangers) quickly learns about her grandmother when she arrives at the property following a tragedy, becoming one of the farm's flowers after losing her pregnant mother Agnes (Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Hotel Mumbai) and violent father Clem (Charlie Vickers, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power). The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is a tale about traumas, secrets and lies that lurk as deeply as the earth — about the choices and cycles that take root in such fraught soil, too. When nine-year-old Alice relocates fresh from hospital, the determined June, her doting partner Twig (Leah Purcell, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson) and their adopted daughter Candy Blue (Frankie Adams, The Expanse) aim to shower the girl with sunlight to blaze away her horrors. You can't just bury problems, however, then hope that something vivid and colourful will grow over the top. Dedicating its first half to Alice's childhood and its second to 14 years later, when she's in her early twenties (Alycia Debnam-Carey, Fear the Walking Dead), The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart understands this immutable fact in its core. The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. RESERVATION DOGS There's only one thing wrong with the third season of Reservation Dogs: this batch of episodes is the show's last. There's a skill in knowing when something's time has come, but this teen-centric comedy about restless Indigenous North American adolescents is so rich in stories, perspectives and minutiae — and so resonant as well — that it feels like more and more could (and should) just keep following. Ending Reservation Dogs when this ten-episode run wraps up is also an example of the show taking its own message to heart, however. As co-created, executive produced and written by Sterlin Harjo (Mekko) and Taika Waititi (Thor: Love and Thunder) — the former its guiding force — Reservation Dogs knows that little lasts. It hangs out with its characters as they learn about life's transience at every moment, whether they're chasing their dreams of leaving the reservation that they've always called home or they're grappling with loss. So, of course the series is moving on. In the process, its farewell season is proving even more moving and thoughtful than ever, even after its debut year delivered one of the best new TV shows of 2021 and its second spin served up one of the best returning shows of 2022. The last time that viewers saw the Rez Dogs — the OG quartet of Bear (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Beans), Elora (Devery Jacobs, Rutherford Falls), Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) and Cheese (Lane Factor, The Fabelmans), plus Jackie (Elva Guerra, Dark Winds), the somewhat-reluctant newcomer to the group — they had finally made the trip to California that they'd been working towards their entire lives. Season three picks up with the group still far away from home, and still journeying even when they do return. Elora considers both her past and her future. Bear goes wandering on his own, including through several revelatory encounters. Harjo still isn't afraid to veer away from his leads along the way, whether sliding into history to explore myths, traditions or horrors inflicted upon Indigenous children. Reservation Dogs finds a story, be it big or small, for everyone within its frames. Bear, Elora, Willie Jack and Cheese especially will be deeply missed, but Woon-A-Tai, Jacobs, Alexis and Factor shouldn't ever be far from screens after this exceptional breakthrough. Reservation Dogs streams via Binge. PHYSICAL Rose Byrne made her acting debut in the 90s, with Echo Point, Wildside, the OG Heartbreak High and Two Hands among her earliest credits. Physical sends the Australian star a decade further back, and the results have kept proving insightful and astute across three seasons. Created by Annie Weisman after the writer and producer previously pondered domesticity in Desperate Housewives and Suburgatory, the series bends and stretches with Byrne (Insidious: The Red Door) as Sheila Rubin, a San Diego housewife when the first episode dropped in 2021 — and an aerobics star not long afterwards. Slipping into a leotard, then getting the blood pumping, isn't just exercise for Physical's protagonist. The late, great Olivia Newton-John mightn't have sung "let's work through our troubles while working up a sweat" (unsurprisingly; it isn't catchy), but that's the thrust here. Among those struggles: Sheila's opinion of herself, including of her body; her relationship with food as a result; the self-critical voice in her head; and her marriage to Danny (Rory Scovel, Babylon) and its impact on her self-esteem. Physical takes the darkly comedic approach to Sheila's ups and downs, including the self-loathing, the lack of fulfilment, the catharsis that aerobics brings and the professional path that it sets her on. In the show's ten-episode third and final season — three being the magic number, just like with Reservation Dogs — its central figure is doing well but wants more, including national exposure and fame. Sheila has also learned to be kinder to herself, at least as herself. When Hollywood actor Kelly Kilmartin (Zooey Deschanel, Dreamin' Wild) encroaches into her territory, she's the new scolding tone in Sheila's brain. Physical has always boasted a stellar cast that can flip between laughs and drama as swiftly as the show does, which is often, and Deschanel is no exception as a newcomer in this swansong run. That said, Byrne's comic chops keep proving a dream (see also: this year's Platonic), while Dierdre Friel (Second Act) is a constant scene-stealer as Sheila's friend and business partner Greta. Physical packs an emotional punch, too, as it embraces Sheila's imperfect journey and her imperfections in general. Physical streams via Apple TV+. AHSOKA In this or any other galaxy, whether here, near or far, far away and a long time ago, Star Wars streaming shows can't all be Andor. In cinemas, the franchise's movies can't all be Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, either. So, in both formats, they aren't always the weightiest and most grounded instalments that the series has ever delivered, all while demonstrating about as much interest in nostalgia as Jar Jar Binks has in not being annoying. The latest TV effort in the George Lucas-started space-opera saga, Ahsoka doesn't want to follow exactly in the last new Star Wars small-screen entry's footsteps, however, even if it's another sidestep tale about battling evil that champions folks who are rarely at the fore. Instead, it has intertwined aims: serving up a female-led chapter and drawing upon the franchise's animated realm. So, as it tells of eponymous ex-Jedi padawan Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson, Clerks III), it links to streaming's three seasons of The Mandalorian and 2021–22's The Book of Boba Fett, and also springs from animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the TV series it spawned, plus fellow animated shows Star Wars Rebels and Tales of the Jedi. Ahsoka's inter-franchise Star Wars links are strong, then, but it isn't just for fans who've watched every frame that the saga has ever sent hurtling across screens. Cue diving deeper beyond the obvious Star Wars fodder while still engaging more-casual franchise viewers. Cue another tale of mentors and students, too, with Ahsoka once a pupil to Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen, Obi-Wan Kenobi) before he went to the dark side. Then, she passed on knowledge herself to rebellious, flame-haired Mandalorian Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Guns Akimbo). Thanks to the man who became Darth Vader, Ahsoka is wary about the Jedi order and cautious in general. Via her prior time with Sabine, she knows the difficulties of being a guide to a headstrong protégée. While the series gives its central figure nefarious foes to battle, it also has her grappling with her past traumas, mistakes and regrets. She's guarded there, too; when rebel crew member and now-New Republic general Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)) suggests that the way forward might involve enlisting Sabine's help, Ahsoka is uncertain. But only the youngest of the main trio can unlock a pivotal orb that holds a map that could lead to exiled Imperial officer Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen, The Kingdom) and Ahsoka's fellow one-time padawan Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi, The Inspection). Ahsoka streams via Disney+. Read our full review. A STONE-COLD CLASSIC FILM TO WATCH (OR REWATCH) IMMEDIATELY OLDBOY Spike Lee (Da 5 Bloods) remaking your movie is a massive compliment, but Park Chan-wook's magnificent Oldboy didn't ever need that tick of approval. The former's US-set and English-language version of the latter's stone-cold Korean classic is great as its own film — albeit maligned when it released ten years ago, so much so that it skipped a cinema date Down Under as a result — but the latter's original is a work of brutal, powerful and astonishing art for the ages. That's Park's wheelhouse, of course. When it arrived in 2003, his Oldboy was the middle chapter in the acclaimed auteur's Vengeance Trilogy, after all, following 2002's Sympathy for Mr Vengeance and preceded by 2005's Lady Vengeance. Joint Security Area, Thirst, Stoker, The Handmaiden, TV's The Little Drummer Girl, 2022's very-best film Decision to Leave: Park's resume is filled with remarkable efforts; however, that he'll always be synonymous with Oldboy, as well as its hammer and live octopus, isn't because nothing else on his filmography beats it. Every Park movie is its own gem in its own way — again, Decision to Leave was the finest film of 2022 — but this one is 100-percent designed to hit hard. The story: it's 1988, Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik, Big Bet) gets drunk and misses his daughter's fourth birthday, then needs a pal to collect him from the police station. But the sloshed businessman doesn't make it home. Instead, he's forced to spend 15 long years in a hotel room that he can't leave, all while being imprisoned by kidnappers that are committed to keeping him alive, too. Of course a quest for revenge springs from there. Adapted loosely from a Japanese manga of the same name, Oldboy's narrative throws up surprise after surprise before, during and after its protagonist's captivity, though. Every element of the plot makes a statement. Every decision that Park makes as a filmmaker does, too. This is a raw, dark exploration at human nature, as helmed with incisiveness, anchored by a stunner of a lead performance and featuring a corridor-set action scene to end all action scenes — and it's always worth watching, be it on a screen big or small, for the first time or as a revisit. Right now, a date with Oldboy also means celebrating its 20th anniversary. Oldboy streams via Shudder and AMC+. 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 shows from this year as well — and our best 15 new shows of 2023's first six months, top 15 returning shows over the same period and best 15 straight-to-streaming movies from January–June 2023, too.
Cycling seems like it's never been more popular in Sydney, and though the city hasn't always been the friendliest place to ride a bike, local councils are working to change that with free bike tune-ups and skills and maintenance courses available across suburbs like Glebe, Erskineville and St Peters. Plus, the City of Sydney has introduced six new temporary cycling lanes to make it even easier to adopt two wheels for your commute, or to simply explore more of Sydney while avoiding public transport. When you're new to cycling, or looking to invest in a new helmet, tyres or cycle wear, you may want to chat to the experts to make sure you're on the right track — and best place to do that is in store. So, we've partnered with American Express to bring you a list of boutique bike shops that have the latest road bikes, mountain bikes and electric bikes, plus cycling equipment, so you can find the one that best suits your needs, and shop small with your Amex Card. Once you're saddled up, check out these Sydney bike rides for leisurely city rides and stunning bush cycles.
After another helluva year, we find ourselves once again entering the festive season. This time maybe a little more wearily, but still aching to hug our loved ones, and, in many cases, shower them with gifts. We all have that one person we have trouble buying a present for. Maybe it's your stubborn old man? Perhaps a wealthy aunt? Or it could be your partner (who you know got you something awesome and, even though it's not at all a competition, you still want to make sure you got them the better gift). Whatever your motivation, there's never a better gift option than to give someone an experience. If you add travel into the mix, you're also supporting some great regional areas around the country that are home to unique cultural experiences. It's a win-win. We've teamed up with Tourism Australia to put together ten top-notch cultural experiences to help you give a memorable, meaningful gift this holiday season.
No matter your feelings on the ideal timeline between Boxing Day shopping and Easter treats hitting the shelves, March has arrived and those babies are coming in hot like a certain glazed fruit bun. And this year, you've got a boozy new offering to add to your Easter shopping list — a Hot Cross Rum from family-run Margaret River distillery The Grove. The small-batch sip has been hand-crafted using The Grove's four-year barrel-aged dark rum, then housed in an American Oak former bourbon barrel. Raisins, oranges and a bunch of warm spices are left to steep, before the rum's given a final infusion of classic hot cross bun flavours including cinnamon, vanilla and cloves. [caption id="attachment_845050" align="alignnone" width="1920"] By Freedom Garvey-Warr[/caption] At the end, you've got a warm, rich, festive-tasting spirit, packed with notes of caramelised raisin, vanilla and cinnamon, with a lingering fruity finish. A 40-percent ABV hot cross bun in a glass, if you like. The Grove team recommends you sip their new creation neat; with a hot buttered Easter bun on the side for full effect, of course. Word is, it's also a solid match to a cheese board or dessert. Just 240 bottles of the Hot Cross Rum have been made, available now to pre-order with Australia-wide delivery happening this month, just in time for Easter. The Hot Cross Rum marks the first of The Grove's new Collector's Series of limited-edition spirits, so expect plenty more creative rum releases to follow. The Grove's Hot Cross Rum is available to pre-order via the website, at RRP $100 for a 500ml bottle.
When we were kids, spending time with our favourite people — our mates — was a regular occurrence. Nowadays, with different schedules and responsibilities, catching up is trickier to coordinate. And organising a group trip? Even harder. Trust us when we say the slog — juggling competing preferences and calculating budgets — is worth it once you're all together. The sense of belonging you'll experience when surrounded by people with shared passions or history is simply unmatched. To minimise holiday admin and finally get your gang on the road, we've investigated destinations around New South Wales that are ideal for a getaway with friends. Whether you're part of an outdoorsy circle or you hang with folks who prefer to spend their leisure time at a constant recline, there's something here to satisfy every taste in vacay.
Before the pandemic, when a new-release movie started playing in cinemas, audiences couldn't watch it on streaming, video on demand, DVD or blu-ray for a few months. But with the past few years forcing film industry to make quite a few changes — widespread movie theatre closures and plenty of people staying home in iso will do that — that's no longer always the case. Maybe you've had a close-contact run-in. Perhaps you haven't had time to make it to your local cinema lately. Given the hefty amount of films now releasing each week, maybe you simply missed something. Film distributors have been fast-tracking some of their new releases from cinemas to streaming recently — movies that might still be playing in theatres in some parts of the country, too. In preparation for your next couch session, here are 20 that you can watch right now at home. THE NORTHMAN Satanic goats don't talk in The Northman. Heartthrobs don't masturbate while fondling mermaid figurines, either. Still, within ten minutes, pre-teen Viking prince Amleth (Oscar Novak, The Batman), his glory-seeking warrior father King Aurvandil War-Raven (Ethan Hawke, Moon Knight) and jester-meets-shaman Heimir (Willem Dafoe, Nightmare Alley) descend into a fire-lit cave to take hallucinogens, growl, grunt, bark like wolves and fart like it's a god-given superpower. If viewers didn't know who's behind this bold, brutal, brilliant, and blood- and guts-strewn Scandinavian opus before then, there's no doubt from this trippy scene onwards: after The Witch and The Lighthouse, writer/director Robert Eggers' touch, approach and style have become that distinctive just three remarkable features into his helming career. In Eggers' new untamed and laid-bare portrait of the past, something is rotten in the state of Iceland — as it was in Denmark via William Shakespeare, and in the Pride Lands of Africa in both versions of The Lion King. "I will avenge you, father. I will save you, mother. I will kill you, Fjölnir," says Amleth as a boy on a north Atlantic island in 895, when he witnesses the latter's (Claes Bang, Locked Down) treachery. He flees after hearing his uncle bay for his head, too, and seeing him carry off Queen Gudrún (Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos) as a spoil of his victory. Two decades later, Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård, Succession) is a hulking, wolfskin-clad Viking berserker, living life flinging whatever weaponry he can find while viciously pillaging through the lands of the Rus. But amid the bloodlust, gore and piling-up body count, the intense marauder is thrust back onto his vengeance-seeking path. A Slavic seeress (Björk, in her first film role since 2005) whispers stark truths about his current savagery and lapsed mission against Fjölnir, reigniting his yearning for that promised slaughter — and the single-minded behemoth learns that his uncle is now sheep-farming in Iceland, having lost the kingdom in another coup. The Northman is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THE GRAY MAN It's been four years since Ryan Gosling last graced screens, rocketing to the moon in First Man. No, Barbie set photos pored over on every internet-connected device don't count. Since he played Neil Armstrong, much has happened. There's the obvious off-screen, of course — but then there's Chris Evans farewelling Captain America, and also appearing in Knives Out with the scene-stealing Ana de Armas. After co-starring in Blade Runner 2049 with Gosling back in 2017, she leapt from that Evans-featuring whodunnit to palling around with 007 in No Time to Die. Also during that time, Bridgerton pushed Regé-Jean Page to fame, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood earmarked Julia Butters as a young talent to watch. This isn't just a history lesson on The Gray Man's cast — well, some of them, given that Billy Bob Thornton (Goliath), Jessica Henwick (The Matrix Resurrections), Dhanush (Maaran), Wagner Moura (Shining Girls) and Alfre Woodard (The Lion King) also pop up, plus Australia's own Callan Mulvey (Firebite) — for the hell of it, though. Back in 2018, before all of the above played out, it's unlikely that this exact film with this exact cast would've eventuated. Making an action-thriller about attempting to snuff out hyper-competent assassins isn't new — both John Wick and Atomic Blonde have already been there and done that, and the Bourne and Bond movies — but the combination of this collection of current actors and that familiar setup isn't without its charms. Gosling plays Court Gentry, aka Sierra Six; "007 was taken," he jokes. Before he's given his codename and paid to do the CIA's dirty work, he's in prison for murder, then recruited by Donald Fitzroy (Thornton). Fast-forward 18 years and Six is a huge hit at two things: being a ghost, because he no longer officially exists; and covertly wreaking whatever havoc the government tells him to, including knocking off whichever nefarious figure they need gone. But one stint of the latter leaves him in possession of a USB drive that his arrogant new direct superior Carmichael (Page) will ruthlessly kill to destroy. Actually, to be precise, he'll pay Lloyd Hansen (Evans) of Hansen Government Services to do just that, and to do the dirty work that's too dirty for the criminals-turned-government hitmen in the Sierra program, with Six the number-one target. The Gray Man is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review. PETITE MAMAN Forget the "find someone who looks at you like…" meme. That's great advice in general, and absolutely mandatory if you've ever seen a Céline Sciamma film. No one peers at on-screen characters with as much affection, attention, emotion and empathy as the French director. Few filmmakers even come close, and most don't ever even try. That's been bewitchingly on display in her past features Water Lillies, Tomboy, Girlhood and Portrait of a Lady on Fire, any of which another helmer would kill to have on their resume. It's just as apparent in Petite Maman, her entrancing latest release, as well. Now 15 years into her directorial career, Sciamma's talent for truly seeing into hearts and minds is unshakeable, unparalleled and such a lovely wonder to watch — especially when it shines as sublimely and touchingly as it does here. In Sciamma's new delicate and exquisite masterpiece, the filmmaker follows eight-year-old Nelly (debutant Joséphine Sanz) on a trip to her mother's (Nina Meurisse, Camille) childhood home. The girl's maternal grandmother (Margot Abascal, The Sower) has died, the house needs packing up, and the trip is loaded with feelings on all sides. Her mum wades between sorrow and attending to the task. With melancholy, she pushes back against her daughter's attempts to help, too. Nelly's laidback father (Stéphane Varupenne, Monsieur Chocolat) assists as well, but with a sense of distance; going through the lifelong belongings of someone else's mother, even your spouse's, isn't the same as sifting through your own mum's items for the last time. While her parents work, the curious Nelly roves around the surrounding woods — picture-perfect and oh-so-enticing as they are — and discovers Marion (fellow newcomer Gabrielle Sanz), a girl who could be her twin. Petite Maman is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Read our full review. THIS MUCH I KNOW TO BE TRUE How do you make a concert film when no concerts can be held to film? Australian director Andrew Dominik (Chopper, Killing Them Softly) and his now two-time subjects Nick Cave and Warren Ellis have the answer. How do you create a personal documentary that cuts to the heart of these Aussie music icons when, whether stated or implied in their vibe, both are hardly enamoured with having their lives recorded? Again, see: Dominik's new Cave and Ellis-focused This Much I Know to Be True. Performances in cavernous empty British spaces fill the movie's frames but, via stunning lighting, staging and lensing, they're as dazzling as any IRL gig. The interludes between tunes are brief, and also intimate and revealing. The result: a phenomenal doco that's a portrait of expression, a musing on an exceptional collaboration and a rumination upon existence, as well as a piece of haunting cinematic heaven whether you're an existing Cave and Ellis devotee, a newcomer or something in-between. Dominik, Cave and Ellis initially teamed up when the latter duo scored the former's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Later this year, when upcoming Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde hits screens, the same arrangement will provide its soundtrack. But in the middle sits 2016 doco One More Time with Feeling and now This Much I Know to Be True, as entrancing a pair as the music documentary genre has gifted viewers. The first factual flick found Cave and Ellis recording the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album Skeleton Tree, as Cave also grappled with the death of one of his sons. Here, its follow-up is shaped by the first performances of Cave and Ellis' latest albums — the Bad Seeds 2019 release Ghosteen, and Cave and Ellis' 2021 record Carnage — plus the pandemic and the lingering effects of grief. This Much I Know to Be True is available to stream via Mubi. Read our full review. DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS Somewhere in the multiverse, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is terrific. In a different realm, it's terrible. Here in our dimension, the 28th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe teeters and twirls in the middle. The second movie to focus on surgeon-turned-sorcerer Dr Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog), it's at its best when it embraces everything its director is known for. That said, it's also at its worst when it seems that harnessing Sam Raimi's trademarks — his visual style, bombast, comic tone and Evil Dead background, for instance — is merely another Marvel ploy. Multiverse of Madness is trippy, dark, sports a bleak sense of humour and is as close as the MCU has gotten to horror, all immensely appreciated traits in this sprawling, box office-courting, never-ending franchise. But it stands out for the wrong reasons, too, especially how brazenly it tries to appear as if it's twisting and fracturing the typical MCU template when it definitely isn't. Welcomely weirder than the average superhero flick (although not by too much), but also bluntly calculating: that's Multiverse of Madness, and that's a messy combination. It's apt given its eponymous caped crusader has always hailed from Marvel's looser, goofier and, yes, stranger side since his MCU debut in 2016's plainly titled Doctor Strange; however, it's hard to believe that such formulaic chaos was truly the plan for this follow-up. The last time that audiences saw Stephen Strange, he reluctantly tinkered with things he shouldn't to help Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Those actions had consequences, and recalling Raimi's time with Spidey came with the territory. Strange's reality-bending trickery has repercussions here as well, because Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen, Sorry for Your Loss) isn't thrilled about her fellow super-powered pal's exploits. Yes, Multiverse of Madness assumes viewers have not only watched all 27 past MCU movies, but also its small-screen offshoots — or WandaVision at least, where the enchantress that's also Scarlet Witch broke rules herself and wasn't still deemed a hero. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. MEN Since popping up over the last decade, the term 'elevated horror' has always been unnecessary. Used to describe The Babadook, It Follows, The Witch, Get Out, Hereditary, Us, Midsommar and more, it pointlessly claims that such unsettling flicks have risen above their genre. Each of these movies is excellent. They all boast weight and depth, trade in metaphors with smarts and savvy, and have style to go with their creeps and thrills. But thinking that's new in horror — that pairing unease with topical woes or societal fears is as well — is as misguided as dubbing Michael Myers a hero. With a name that makes its #MeToo-era point plain, Men has been badged 'elevated', too, yet it also does what horror has at its best and worst cases for decades. That the world can be a nightmare for women at the hands of men isn't a fresh observation, and it's long been a scary movie go-to. Still, Men stresses that fact in an inescapably blunt but also unforgettable manner. Hailing from Ex Machina, Annihilation and Devs' Alex Garland, Men's setting is an English manor, where Harper Marlowe (Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter) hopes for a solo stint of rest, relaxation and recuperation. Processing a tragedy, shattering memories of which haunt the movie as much as its protagonist, she's seeking an escape and a way to start anew. The initial hint that she won't find bliss comes swiftly and obviously, and with a sledgehammer's subtlety. Arriving at an idyllic-looking British countryside estate, Harper is greeted by an apple tree. She plucks one from the abundant branches, then takes a bite. Soon, she's told by her host Geoffrey (Rory Kinnear, Our Flag Means Death) that it's forbidden fruit. He also says he's joking — but in this garden, a woman will again shoulder a society's blame and burdens. Men is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. NUDE TUESDAY Relationships are all about communication. So much about life is, too. And, so is storytelling. With absurdist comedy Nude Tuesday, expressing emotions, connections and narrative details all boils down to two things, though: gibberish and bodies. This extremely amusing New Zealand film from writer/director Armagan Ballantyne (The Strength of Water) and writer/star Jackie van Beek (The Breaker Upperers) does indeed strip its performers bare, as its name makes plain — but it saddles them with conveying almost everything about their characters via body language long before that. The reason: every piece of dialogue spoken in the movie is uttered in gibberish, with completely made-up and wholly improvised words that take a few cues from The Muppets' Swedish Chef in cadence. While they're subtitled in English by British comedian and writer Julia Davis (Camping), that text was penned after shooting, in one of the film's other gleefully silly twists. The result is patently ridiculous, and marvellously so — and hilariously, too. It's such a clever touch, making a movie about marital disharmony and the communication breakdown baked within that's so reliant upon reading tone and posture, as couples on the prowl for the tiniest of micro-aggressions hone in on. Van Beek and Australian The Tourist actor Damon Herriman play that pair, Laura and Bruno. Living on the fictional pacific island of Zǿbftąņ, they're as stuck in a rut as any married, middle-class duo can be, and they're gifted a getaway to ẄØnÐĘULÄ to help. But this mountainside commune, run by the charismatic and lustful sex guru Bjorg Rassmussen (Jemaine Clement, I Used to Go Here), wants them to bare all in multiple ways. The film doesn't live up to its moniker until its last third, but its perceptive and side-splittingly funny from the get-go. Nude Tuesday is available to stream via Stan. Read our full review. THE DROVER'S WIFE THE LEGEND OF MOLLY JOHNSON Leah Purcell's resume isn't short on highlights — think: Black Comedy, Wentworth and Redfern Now, plus Lantana, Somersault and Last Cab to Darwin (to name just a few projects) — but the Goa-Gunggari-Wakka Wakka Murri actor, director and writer clearly has a passion project. In 2016, she adapted Henry Lawson's short story The Drover's Wife for the stage. In 2019, she moved it back to the page. Now, she brings it to the big screen via The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson. Only minutes into her searing feature filmmaking debut, why Purcell keeps needing to tell this 19th century-set tale is patently apparent. In her hands, it's a story of anger, power, prejudice and revenge, and also a portrait of a history that's treated both women and Indigenous Australians abhorrently. Aussie cinema hasn't shied away from the nation's problematic past in recent times (see also: Sweet Country, The Nightingale, The Furnace and High Ground); however, this is an unforgettably potent and piercing movie. In a fiery performance that bristles with steeliness, Purcell plays the eponymous and heavily pregnant Molly. In the process, she gives flesh, blood and a name to a character who wasn't ever afforded the latter in Lawson's version: a 19th-century Indigenous Australian woman left alone with her children on a remote property for lengthy stretches while her husband works. During his latest absence, new sergeant Nate Clintoff (Sam Reid, The Newsreader) and Aboriginal fugitive Yadaka (Rob Collins, Firebite) separately venture Molly's way. From there, this sometimes-stagey but always blistering western digs sharply into issues of race, gender and identity — and eagerly, shrewdly and ferociously draws cinematic blood. The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THE BOB'S BURGERS MOVIE Across its 12-season order to-date, the best episodes of Bob's Burgers have always resembled exactly what they should: a delicious serving of the meat-and-bread combination that shares the hit sitcom's name. There's a knack to a great burg — to a tastebud-thrilling, so-appetising-I-need-more-now example of this extremely accessible culinary art — and it's all about perfecting the absolute basics. No matter what else gets slotted in (and plenty of other ingredients can), every burger's staples should be the stars of the show. Indeed, a top-notch burg needn't be flashy. It definitely mustn't be overcomplicated, either. And, crucially, it should taste as comforting as wrapping your hands around its buns feels. On the small screen since 2011, Bob's Burgers has kept its version of that very recipe close to its animated, irreverent, gleefully offbeat heart. Unsurprisingly, the show's creators whip up the same kind of dish for The Bob's Burgers Movie, too. It's a winning formula, and creator Loren Bouchard knows not to mess with it while taking his beloved characters to the big screen. As always, the action centres on the film's namesake — the diner where patriarch Bob (H Jon Benjamin, Archer) sizzles up punningly named burgs to both make a living and live out his dream. And, as the show has covered frequently, financial woes mean that Bob and his wife Linda (John Roberts, Gravity Falls) have more to worry about than cooking, serving customers, and their kids Tina (Dan Mintz, Veep), Gene (Eugene Mirman, Flight of the Conchords) and Louise (Kristen Schaal, What We Do in the Shadows). Their solution: a burger, of course. But their bank manager isn't munching when they try to use food to grease their pleas for an extension on their loan. That mortgage also involves their restaurant equipment, leaving them out of business if they can't pay up. As their seven-day time limit to stump up the cash ticks by, Bob sweats over the grill and Linda oozes her usual optimism — only for a sinkhole to form literally at their door. The Bob's Burgers Movie is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. HATCHING With a savvily sinister-meets-satirical blend, Hatching begins by unpacking a fallacy as fractured as Humpty Dumpty after the nursery-rhyme character's fall — and that still keeps being lapped up anyway. In suburban Finland, among homes so identical that the song 'Little Boxes' instantly pops into your head, 12-year-old gymnast Tinja (debutant Siiri Solalinna), her younger brother Matias (fellow first-timer Oiva Ollila), and their mother (Sophia Heikkilä, Dual) and father Jani Volanen, Dogs Don't Wear Pants) are living their best lives. More than that, as the soft lensing and music that helps open the movie establishes, they're also beaming that picture of pink, white and pastel-hued domestic perfection to the world. Tinja's unnamed mum is a vlogger, and these scenes are being captured for her cloyingly named blog Lovely Everyday Life. Naturally, showing that this family of four's daily existence is anything but enchanting is one of Bergholm's first aims. In Finnish writer/director Hanna Bergholm's bold and memorable body-horror, twisted fairy tale and dark coming-of-age thriller, the initial crack comes from outside, crashing through the window to ruin a posed shot alight with fake smiles and, of course, being filmed with a selfie stick. Soon, broken glass, vases and lamps are strewn throughout a lounge room so immaculately arranged that it looks straight out of a supermarket-shelf home-and-garden magazine — and the crowning glory, the chandelier, has descended from a luminous pièce de résistance to a shattered mess. A garden-variety crow is the culprit, which Tinja carefully captures. She hands it to her mother, thinking that they'll then release it outside. But her mum, placid but seething that anything could disrupt her manufactured picture of bliss, ignores that idea with a cruel snap and instructions to dispose of the animal in the organic waste. When Tinja disobeys that order, taking the egg into her care, nurturing it tenderly and placing it inside a teddy bear for safe keeping, she gains her own little universe to dote over. Then the egg keeps growing, and a human-sized chick emerges. Hatching is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THE INNOCENTS Thanks to his Oscar-nominated work co-penning The Worst Person in the World's screenplay, Eskil Vogt has already helped give the world one devastatingly accurate slice-of-life portrait in the past year. That applauded film is so insightful and relatable about being in your twenties, and also about weathering quarter-life malaise, uncertainty and crisis, that it feels inescapably lifted from reality — and it's sublime. The Innocents, the Norwegian filmmaker's latest movie, couldn't be more different in tone and narrative; however, it too bears the fingerprints of achingly perceptive and deep-seated truth. Perhaps that should be mindprints, though. Making his second feature as a director after 2014's exceptional Blind, Vogt hones in on childhood, and on the way that kids behave with each other when adults are absent or oblivious — and on tykes and preteens who can wreak havoc solely using their mental faculties. Another riff on Firestarter, this thankfully isn't. The Innocents hasn't simply jumped on the Stranger Things bandwagon, either. Thanks to the latter, on-screen tales about young 'uns battling with the supernatural are one of Hollywood's current favourite trends — see also: the awful Ghostbusters: Afterlife — but all that this Nordic horror movie's group of kids are tussling with is themselves. Their fight starts when nine-year-old Ida (debutant Rakel Lenora Fløttum) and her 11-year-old sister Anna (fellow first-timer Alva Brynsmo Ramstad), who is on the autism spectrum, move to an apartment block in Romsås, Oslo with their mother (Blind's Ellen Dorrit Petersen) and father (Morten Svartveit, Ninjababy). It's summer, the days are long, and the two girls are largely left to their own devices outside in the complex's communal spaces. That's where Ida befriends Aisha (Mina Yasmin Bremseth Asheim) and Ben (Sam Ashraf), albeit not together, and starts to learn about their abilities. The Innocents to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. ITHAKA To look at John Shipton is to see the obvious, even if you've never laid eyes upon him before. The family resemblance is immediately clear, and the traits that've likely been passed down from father to son — determination and persistence, blatantly — become apparent within minutes. Shipton needs to be resolute for the battle that documentary Ithaka captures. It's a fight that's been waged for a decade now, publicly, and not just in embassies and courtrooms but across news headlines worldwide. He's visibly Julian Assange's dad, and he's been helping spearhead the campaign for the WikiLeaks founder's release. Assange fell afoul of US authorities in 2010, when his non-profit whistleblower organisation published documents about the American military's war crimes leaked by army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. As Ithaka makes plain, The Guardian, The New York Times and Der Spiegel revealed the same information at the same time; however, only Assange now sits in London's Belmarsh prison. Plenty about the past 12 years since Manning's leaks were exposed to the world is filled with numbers. Plenty about the ten years this June since Assange first took refuge in the Embassy of Ecuador in London is as well. The Australian editor and publisher spent almost seven years in that diplomatic space, seeking political asylum from sexual misconduct allegations in Sweden that he contended would be used to extradite him to America. If the US succeeds in its efforts, and in its espionage charges against him, he faces up to 175 years in incarceration. The list of figures goes on, but filmmaker Ben Lawrence (Hearts and Bones) makes two pivotal choices. Firstly, he surveys Assange's current struggle not through the Aussie himself, but through both Shipton and Stella Moris, his South African-born lawyer and now wife. Secondly, although those aforementioned numbers are inescapable, the riveting and affecting Ithaka brings humanity to this well-publicised plight. Ithaka is available to stream via ABC iview. Read our full review. ABLAZE A documentary that's deeply personal for one of its directors, intensely powerful in surveying Australia's treatment of its First Peoples and crucial in celebrating perhaps the country's first-ever Aboriginal filmmaker, Ablaze makes for astonishing viewing. But while watching, two ideas jostle for attention. Both remain unspoken, yet each is unshakeable. Firstly, if the history of Australia had been different, Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta man William 'Bill' Onus would be a household name. If that was the case, not only his work behind the camera, but his activism for Indigenous Aussies at a time when voting and even being included in the census wasn't permitted — plus his devotion to ensuring that white Australians were aware of the nation's colonial violence — would be as well-known as Captain Cook. That said, if history had been better still, Bill wouldn't have needed to fight so vehemently, or at all. Alas, neither of those possibilities came to a fruition. Ablaze can't change the past, but it can and does document it with a hope to influencing how the world sees and appreciates Bill's part in it. Indeed, shining the spotlight on its subject, everything his life stood for, and all that he battled for and against is firmly and proudly the feature's aim. First-time filmmaker Tiriki Onus looks back on his own grandfather, narrating his story as well — and, as aided by co-helmer Alec Morgan (Hunt Angels, Lousy Little Sixpence), the result is a movie brimming with feeling, meaning and importance. While Aussie cinema keeps reckoning with the nation's history regarding race relations, as it should and absolutely must, Ablaze is as potent and essential as everything from Sweet Country, The Nightingale and The Australian Dream to The Furnace, High Ground and The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson. Ablaze is available to stream via ABC iview, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA The movies have come to Downton Abbey and Violet Crawley, the acid-tongued Dowager Countess of Grantham so delightfully played by Maggie Smith (The Lady in the Van) since 2010, is none too fussed about it. "Hard same," all but the most devoted fans of the upstairs-downstairs TV drama may find themselves thinking as she expresses that sentiment — at least where Downton Abbey: A New Era, an exercise in extending the series/raking in more box-office cash, is concerned. Violet, as only she can, declares she'd "rather eat pebbles" than watch a film crew at work within the extravagant walls of her family's home. The rest of us mightn't be quite so venomous, but that's not the same as being entertained. The storyline involving said film crew is actually one of the most engaging parts of A New Era; however, the fact that much of it is clearly ripped off from cinematic classic Singin' in the Rain speaks volumes, and gratingly. A New Era begins with a wedding, picking up where its predecessor left off as former chauffeur Tom Branson (Allen Leech, Bohemian Rhapsody) marries Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton, Mank) with everyone expected — the well-to-do Crawleys and their relatives, plus their maids, butlers, cooks, footmen and other servants — in attendance. But the film really starts with two revelations that disrupt the Downton status quo. Firstly, Violet receives word that she's inherited a villa in the south of France from an ex-paramour, who has recently passed away. His surviving wife (Nathalie Baye, Call My Agent!) is displeased with the arrangement, threatening lawsuits, but his son (Jonathan Zaccaï, The White Crow) invites the Crawleys to visit to hash out the details. Secondly, a movie production wants to use Downton for a shoot, which the pragmatic Lady Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery, Anatomy of a Scandal) talks the family into because — paralleling the powers-that-be behind A New Era itself — the aristocratic brood would like the money. Downton Abbey: A New Era is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. FIRESTARTER Would the latest big-screen adaptation of Stephen King's Firestarter have been better or worse if it had included The Prodigy's hit of the same name, aka the most obvious needle-drop that could've been chosen? Although we'll never know, it's hard to imagine a film with less personality than this page-to-screen remake. Using the 1996 dance-floor filler would've been a choice and a vibe — and a cliched one, whether gleefully or lazily — but it might've been preferable to the dull ashes of by-the-numbers genre filmmaking from director Keith Thomas (The Vigil) that's hit screens instead. Zac Efron looking so bored that blood drips from his eyes, dressing up King's 1980 story as a superhero tale (because of course) and having its pyrokinetic protagonist say "liar liar, pants on fire" when she's torching someone aren't a recipe for igniting movie magic, or for even occasionally just lighting a spark. As the first version of Firestarter in 1984 did, and King's book as well, Firestarter follows the McGee family, whose lives would blaze brighter if they didn't have abilities most folks don't. After volunteering for a clinical trial in college, Andy (Efron, Gold) and his wife Vicky (Sydney Lemmon, Fear the Walking Dead) have telepathic and telekinetic powers; being experimented on with mind-altering chemical compounds will do that. And, from birth, their now 11-year-old daughter Charlie (Ryan Kiera Armstrong, It: Chapter Two) has been able to start fires with her mind. Unsurprisingly, the McGees have spent years attempting to blend in, hiding their powers and fleeing the shady government department, The Shop, that's responsible for their situation — and now sports a keen interest in using Charlie as a weapon. Then she literally explodes at school, The Shop head honcho Captain Hollister (Gloria Reuben, City on a Hill) puts bounty hunter John Rainbird (Michael Greyeyes, Rutherford Falls) on their trail and the heat is on. (No, that track from Beverly Hills Cop, which reached cinemas the same year that the OG Firestarter did, doesn't feature here either.) Firestarter is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. HOW TO PLEASE A WOMAN When Magic Mike stripped its way into cinemas a decade ago, it didn't just turn Channing Tatum's IRL background into a movie and give his chiselled torso oh-so-much attention; it understood that women like sex, boast libidos and have desires, too. Its sequel, Magic Mike XXL, doubled down on that idea, and winningly so — even if the saga dances with a notion so blatant that it definitely shouldn't feel revelatory to see it thrust front and centre in a big-budget Hollywood film. There's no trace of Tatum in How to Please a Woman, and it has nothing to do with the saucy franchise that has a third flick on the way, but this Aussie comedy nonetheless follows in Magic Mike's footsteps. Here, women also like sex, boast libidos and have desires, and that's something that the stuck-in-a-rut Gina (Sally Phillips, Off the Rails) turns into a lucrative business. When first-time feature writer/director Renée Webster begins her sunnily shot, eagerly crowd-pleasing leap to the big screen — following helming gigs on TV's The Heights and Aftertaste — Gina's relationship with sex is non-existent. She has long been wed to lawyer Adrian (Cameron Daddo, Home and Away), but he still thinks that having a tumble on their last holiday years ago is enough bedroom action to keep their marriage going. Gina's resigned to that fact, too, until her ocean swimming club pals book her a stripping surprise for her birthday. Tom (Alexander England, Little Monsters) shows up at her door, starts gyrating and undressing, and says he'll do whatever she wants. Although her friends are later horrified, Gina asks him to clean her house instead — and its their eagerness to truly take Tom up on his offer that inspires a plan to turn a removalist company she thinks she can save into a male escort service, covering scrubbing and shagging alike. How to Please a Woman is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. HELMUT NEWTON: THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL One of the great treats in Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful stems from perhaps the film's simplest move: letting viewers peer at the often-provocative photographer's works in such a large format. Being able to do just that is the reason why the Exhibition On Screen series of movies exists, surveying showcases dedicated to artists such as Vincent van Gogh, David Hockney and Frida Kahlo over the years — and this documentary isn't part of that, but it understands the same idea. There's nothing like staring at an artist's work to understand what makes them tick. Writer/director Gero von Boehm (Henry Miller: Prophet of Desire) fills The Bad and the Beautiful with plenty more, from archival footage to recent interviews, but it'd all ring empty without seeing the imagery captured by Newton's lens firsthand. Every word that's said about the German photographer, or by him, is deepened by roving your eyes across the frequently contentious snaps that he sent Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Playboy and other magazines' ways. Those photos aren't run-of-the-mill fashion pics. Largely, the highly stylised images are of naked women — naked famous women, if not then then now, such as Isabella Rossellini, Charlotte Rampling, Grace Jones and Claudia Schiffer — and they're as fetishistic as the artform gets. They're the kinds of snaps that saw Susan Sontag call Newton out for being a misogynist to his face, as seen in a French TV clip featured in the film. The Bad and the Beautiful is an affectionate doco, but it also dives headfirst into the trains of thought that his work has sparked for decades. Anna Wintour explains that when someone books Newton, "you're not going to get a pretty girl on a beach". Women who posed for him, including the aforementioned stars, plus Marianne Faithfull, Arja Toyryla, Nadja Auermann and Hanna Schygulla, all talk through their differing experiences as well — and the portrait painted is varied. Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. LAST SEEN ALIVE Perhaps the most positive thing that can be said about Last Seen Alive is this: it's definitely a Gerard Butler-starring kidnapping thriller. That isn't meant as praise, though; rather, the film simply manages to be exactly what viewers would expect given its star and premise. There's clearly far less cash behind it than the also-terrible trio of Olympus Has Fallen, London Has Fallen and Angel Has Fallen — or Geostorm, Den of Thieves, Hunter Killer and Greenland among the Scottish actor's career lowlights over the past decade, either. There's visibly less effort, too, and more of a phoning-it-in vibe. The second collaboration between actor-turned-filmmaker Brian Goodman (What Doesn't Kill You) and producer/writer Marc Frydman after 2017's Black Butterfly, it plays like something that a streaming platform's algorithm might spit out in an AI-driven future where new movies are swiftly spliced together from pieces of past flicks. Yes, among Butler's output and with its abduction storyline, it's that derivative. Butler plays Will Spann, a real estate developer who already isn't having a great day when the film begins — but it's about to get worse. He's driving his unhappy wife Lisa (Jaimie Alexander, Loki) to her parents' home, where she's keen to decamp to find herself and take a break from their marriage, and Will is desperate to convince her to change her plans en route. His charm offensive isn't working when they stop at a petrol station mere minutes away from their destination, and he has zero charisma for anyone when Lisa unexpectedly disappears while he's filling the tank. Fuming that local police detective Paterson (Russell Hornsby, Lost in Space) hasn't just dropped everything immediately, and that he also has questions about their relationship, Will decides to chase down any lead he can himself. Meanwhile, Lisa's unsurprisingly wary parents (Queen Bees' Cindy Hogan and Master's Bruce Altman) direct their suspicions his way. Last Seen Alive is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. INTERCEPTOR Four decades back, Interceptor would've happily sat on a crowded video-store shelf alongside a wealth of other mindless, machismo-fuelled action thrillers. It would've been the epitome of one of the genre's straight-to-VHS flicks, in fact. Don't just call it a throwback, though; instead of testosterone oozing from every actor within sight, except perhaps a token wife worrying at home, this nuclear attack movie from Australian author Matthew Reilly focuses on a woman making waves in a male-dominated world. That's firmly a 2022 move, reflecting today's gender politics. So too is the fact that said protagonist, US Army Captain JJ Collins (Elsa Pataky, Tidelands), has just been reassigned after putting in a sexual harassment complaint against one of her past superiors. Don't go thinking that Interceptor doesn't tick every other box its 80s counterparts did, however. It couldn't lean harder on all of the cliches that've ever been involved with world-in-peril, military-driven movies, and with action fare at its most inane in general. A global success for his airport novels, writer Reilly doesn't just turn screenwriter here — with assistance from Collateral, Tomorrow, When the War Began and Obi-Wan Kenobi's Stuart Beattie — but also jumps behind the lens for the first time. Alas, his directorial instincts prove as flat and by-the-numbers as Interceptor's wanly boilerplate plot, as well as its clunky-as-clunky dialogue. And, that storyline really couldn't be more formulaic. In her new post on a remote platform in the Pacific Ocean, Collins soon finds herself under attack by terrorists led by the grating Alexander Kessel (Luke Bracey, Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan). Her sea-surrounded station is one of two sites, alongside Alaska's Fort Greely, that can intercept a nuclear warhead launch on the US. Naturally, Kessel and his men have already taken out the other one, and have also pilfered nukes from the Russians in their possession. Interceptor is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review. FATHER STU The last time that Mark Wahlberg played a real-life boxer, The Fighter was the end result. The last time that Mel Gibson played the burger-chain owner's father, the world was forced to suffer through Daddy's Home 2. Combine this mismatched pair and you don't quite get Father Stu, the former Marky Mark's first step into faith-based films — but even watching the latter, the second instalment in his woeful comedy franchise with Will Ferrell, is preferable to this mawkish true tale. Drawn from the IRL Stuart Long's life, it's meant to be an inspirational affair, covering the familiar religious-favourite beats about sinners being redeemed, wayward souls seizing second chances and learning to accept physical suffering as a chance to get closer to the divine. First-time feature writer/director Rosalind Ross is earnest about those messages, and her film visibly looks more competent than most sermon-delivering recent cinema releases, but what preaching-to-the-choir sentiments they are. How ableist they are as well. When Wahlberg (Uncharted) first graces the screen as Long, he could've stepped in from plenty of his other movies. In his younger days, the titular future priest is a foul-mouthed amateur boxer from Montana, but he has big dreams — and when he hits Los Angeles with acting stars in his eyes, viewers can be forgiven for thinking of Boogie Nights. Porn isn't Long's calling, of course, although salacious propositions do come his way in the City of Angels, in one of the film's hardly subtle efforts to equate the secular and the sordid. It's actually lust that pushes the feature's protagonist on the path to the priesthood, however, after he spies volunteer Sunday school teacher Carmen (Teresa Ruiz, The Marksman) while he's working in a grocery store. To have a chance with her, he even gets baptised. Then, a drink-driving accident brings a vision of the Virgin Mary, sparking Long's determination to make Catholicism his calling. Next, a shock health diagnosis both tests and cements his faith. Father Stu is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. Looking for more at-home viewing options? Take a look at our monthly streaming recommendations across new straight-to-digital films and TV shows — and our best new TV shows, returning TV shows and straight-to-streaming movies from the first half of 2022. Or, check out the movies that were fast-tracked to digital in January, February, March, April, May and June.
Another beloved Sydney venue is shutting its doors — and you've only got until this weekend to dine in for a final meal. Joining the likes of Tetsuya's, Raja, Bistrot 916 and Lucky Kwong, affordable Castlereigh Street spot Hey Chú is the latest Harbour City restaurant to announce a 2024 closing date. Cuong Nguyen, the culinary great behind the joint, has decided to close Hey Chú due to increasing operational costs within the hospitality space. Instead, he will be turning his full attention to his other ventures, Penelope's and Hello Auntie. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hey Chú (@heychu.castlereagh) Hey Chú will offer its final service on Saturday, June 15 before officially closing. The Hey Chú team took to Instagram this morning to announce its closure in a short and sweet post. "Thank you to all those who supported us! Goodbye for now, but not for good," said the crew behind the joint. The southeast Asian eatery is known for its affordable and fusion-forward food and drink offering, with the spot undertaking exclusive collaborations with the likes of the Lana and Porkfat teams, and launching affordable deals like its cash-only 'Happy Endings' hour. Its concept blends cues from family-orientated Asian cultures and the casual street diners of the southeast Asian region, putting a playful spin on unpretentious dining with a "pay your uncle a visit" ethos at its forefront. If you're looking to indulge in Hey Chú's finest flavour-packed offerings ahead of its upcoming closure, you'll want to ensure that the dry-aged beef cheeseburger, crispy pork cannoli, lobster agnolotti with smoked kimchi butter and the thit kho lamb pappardelle are among the dishes in your farewell feast. Find Hey Chú at Level 1 of Hotel Downing, 249 Castlereigh Street, Sydney, open from 5pm–12am Monday–Saturday until Saturday, June 15 — head to the venue's website for further details. Images: Chad Konik.
Apologies to your usual streaming queue — and to everything from the past month you're still trying to catch up with, too — but if you're a horror fan, there's only one acceptable way to spend your viewing time during October. Filling every spare second with unnerving flicks new and old is what the lead up to Halloween is all about. Scary movies work all year round, of course, but this is their season. Here's one to add to your list for your next couch session: Jordan Peele's Nope, the comedian-turned-filmmaker's third stint behind the camera, and a movie that's just as great as his Oscar-winning Get Out and equally exceptional Us. Yep, when it comes to making the leap from an iconic sketch comedy series to helming horror fare — and having a hand in bringing everything from BlacKkKlansman and the ace latest Candyman flick to Hunters and Lovecraft Country to our eyeballs, too — the former Key & Peele has been having a helluva time of it. Nope only hit cinemas in mid-August, and it's actually still showing on the big screen — so it joins the list of films that've been fast-tracked to digital while still gracing picture palaces. That's no longer a rarity, given that everything from Dune, The Matrix Resurrections, Spencer and West Side Story through to Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and Elvis have done the same thing this year. Still, the timing of this digital release couldn't be better, especially if you've spent the first few days of October working out which chilling movies you're going to enjoy all month. The film reteams Peele with Get Out star and Judas and the Black Messiah Oscar-winner Daniel Kaluuya, with the latter playing Haywood's Hollywood Horses trainer OJ. His family ranch is proudly run by the only Black-owned horse trainers in show business (with Hustlers' Keke Palmer as his sister Emerald), with their connection to the industry dating back to the very birth of cinema. But their remote patch of inland California soon becomes home to a disturbing discovery — and the fact that everyone spends a fair amount of time either looking up in horror or running away from something chilling in the sky in the trailers says plenty. Emerald decides that they need to capture what's happening on film, which is where Michael Wincott (Veni Vidi Vici) and Brandon Perea (The OA) come in — one charged with standing behind the lens, the other selling tech equipment. And, the Haywoods aren't the only California residents seeing this uncanny presence in the sky, with neighbour, rodeo cowboy and former child star Ricky 'Jupe' Park (Steven Yeun, The Humans) also peering upwards. As with all of Peele's celluloid nightmares so far, the less you know going in, the better. Get ready for a whirlwind of unsettling imagery, though, including fields of colourful inflatable tube men waving in the breeze, the creepiest of clouds and shadows, and a big leap into X-Files territory. Check out the full trailer for Nope below: Nope is currently screening in Australian cinemas (and NZ cinemas), and is also available to stream online via video on demand — including via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video in Australia, and Neon, Google Play and iTunes in NZ. Read our full review.
Each autumn, Australian movie lovers score a super-sized French treat: a feast of flicks hitting the big screen in cinemas around the country, all thanks to the Alliance Française French Film Festival. In 2025, the fest marks its 36th year. On the lineup: 42 pictures that span the breadth and depth of Gallic filmmaking. So, when you're not enjoying the latest version of the The Count of Monte Cristo, you'll be diving into France's newest black comedies, then plunging into French drama and seeing a restored masterpiece. AFFFF revealed eight of 2025's films late in 2024; now, however, arrives the full 42-title program. To venture to Paris and beyond from your cinema seat, you'll be heading along in March and April around Australia. Kicking off the fest: opening night's Tahar Rahim (Madame Web)-starring Monsieur Aznavour, about singer-songwriter Charles Aznavour — which has been doing big business in France, selling 1.8-million-plus tickets. If you're in Sydney, the fun starts on Tuesday, March 4. Melbourne's season launches the following day, then Brisbane and Canberra the day after that — and Byron Bay the day following. Perth's stint arrives the next week, while Adelaide gets into the action the week afterwards and the Gold Coast joins in another week later. There's more locations on the roster, too. Already the largest celebration of French cinema outside of France itself, AFFFF is even bigger in 2025, hitting up 18 cities — and adding five new locations, in Darwin, Ballina, Ballarat, Warriewood and Warrawong, to its slate. Across its full run, the festival is set to host 5500-plus screenings. After Monsieur Aznavour gets the 2025 event started, the highlights keep coming, right through to closing night's rom-com In the Sub for Love. The aforementioned The Count of Monte Cristo features Pierre Niney (The Book of Solutions) in the lead and takes AFFFF's centrepiece slot, while Jean-Pierre Melville's 1969 great Army of Shadows arrives in 4K Down Under after premiering its restored version at Cannes 2024. Or, catch a 50-years-later remake of Emmanuelle, this time starring Noémie Merlant (Lee) and Naomi Watts (Feud), with Audrey Diwan (Happening) directing — or see Mélanie Laurent (Freedom) and Guillaume Canet (All-Time High) portraying Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI in their final days in The Deluge. Plus, Meet the Leroys is a road-trip dramedy that marks Charlotte Gainsbourg's (Alphonse) latest film, while Prodigies delivers a tale of sibling rivalry with Emily in Paris' Camille Razat. Viewers can also look forward to The Divine Sarah Bernhardt, with Sandrine Kiberlain (Meet the Barbarians) as the eponymous actor; All Stirred Up, a comedy focusing on a customs officer on the border between Quebec and the United States, plus her daughter's attempts to win a cooking contest; and Riviera Revenge, where an affair almost four decade prior sparks a quest for vengeance in the French Riviera. Elsewhere, How to Make a Killing features regular AFFFF face and Call My Agent favourite Laure Calamy (The Origin of Evil), as does My Everything; Louis Garrel and Vincent Cassel (co-stars in the 2024 festival's The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan and The Three Musketeers: Milady) team up in Saint-Ex, about Argentinian pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry; When Fall Is Coming is the latest from acclaimed director François Ozon (The Crime Is Mine); and nonagenarian filmmaker Costa-Gavras (Adults in the Room) delivers the personal Before What Comes After. Or, get excited Beating Hearts, which is helmed by Gilles Lellouche (Sink or Swim), stars Adèle Exarchopoulos (Inside Out 2) and François Civil (The Three Musketeers), and played at Cannes International Film Festival 2024 — as did the music-loving My Brother's Band from The Big Hit writer/director Emmanuel Courcol. Also in the Cannes contingent are a range of movies exploring the stories of a courier facing a interview to obtain residency, plus artist Niki de Saint-Phalle, a midlife crisis, pastoral France and being a teenager amid Corsican gang politics, aka The Story of Souleymane, Niki, This Life of Mine, Holy Cow and The Kingdom. The lineup goes on — and so do your reasons to lock in more than a few French movie dates. Alliance Française French Film Festival 2025 Dates Tuesday, March 4–Wednesday, April 9 — Palace Central, Palace Norton Street, Chauvel Cinema, Palace Moore Park, Hayden Orpheum Cremorne, Roseville Cinemas, Warriewood, Sydney Wednesday, March 5–Wednesday, April 9 — Palace Cinema Como, The Kino, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Westgarth, Pentridge Cinema,The Astor Theatre, Palace Penny Lane, Palace Regent Ballarat, Melbourne Thursday, March 6–Tuesday, April 8 — Palace Cinema James Street, Palace Cinema Barracks, Brisbane Thursday, March 6–Wednesday, April 9 — Palace Electric Cinemas, Canberra Friday, March 7–Wednesday, April 2 — Palace Byron Bay, Byron Bay Thursday, March 13–Wednesday, April 16 — Palace Raine Square, Luna on SX, Luna Leedeerville, Windsor Cinema, Perth Wednesday, March 19–Wednesday, April 23 — Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Adelaide Tuesday, March 25–Tuesday, April 15 — Dendy Southport, Gold Coast The Alliance Française French Film Festival tours Australia in March and April 2025. For more information and tickets, visit the AFFFF website.
Australia's toast game just levelled up with a little help from our neighbours across the ditch. If you're a fan of slathering nut butters across slices of heated bread, then you've likely heard of cult-favourite Wellington brand Fix & Fogg — and instead of stuffing your suitcases with their products when you're coming back from a New Zealand holiday, you can now head to Woolworths to pick up ten different types. Woolies already stocked two Fix & Fogg products: Everything Butter, which combines a bit of everything as the name suggests (aka hemp, chia, sesame, sunflower, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts and almonds), plus granola butter (which is made with toasted South Island oats, cashew nuts, coconut, sunflower seeds, chia seeds and peanuts). Joining them are multiple types and sizes of peanut butter, plus a range of other creative flavours. Peanut butter and jelly in a jar, anyone? If you're all about the OG peanut butter by itself, you can go smooth or crunchy in either 375-gram and 750-gram jars. Or, there's the chilli and paprika-spiced Smoke and Fire peanut butter in 275-gram containers, as well as choc berry and almond-heavy versions of the Everything Butter. In Australia, you'll now find the ten Fix & Fogg varieties at all 990 Woolies locations nationwide from today, Monday, August 15. For folks new to Fix & Fogg, it makes the type of nut butters that you'll easily want to eat by the spoonful, sans toast — which is one of the reasons that the company has evolved from selling its wares at Wellington markets to picking up a huge homegrown and now international following. Fix & Fogg's expanded presence at Woolies comes after the brand hit the US in a big way in 2021, getting stocked at 3500 Whole Foods stores around the country. Find ten of Fix & Fogg's nut butters on Woolworths shelves from Monday, August 15.
The Spanish word duende is hard to translate. The director of Live: An Intimate Video Study of the Art of Performing — Jasmin Tarasin — feels that modern venues lack it, as concerts and arenas leave you pushed too far away from the breathing, perspiring pure voice and understated rhythms of one-on-one, casual performance. Too much gets lost in the translation from solo artist to stage or screen. Duende roughly means 'possessed inspiration' — this, she says, is what she was looking to bring to audiences in her installation at the Festival this year. Live is made of two long rooms bunted in black curtains and white neon light. Four big screens sit down one wall of the first room. The second has four black booths — each with a vertical screen shining black and white videos of singers from hips to head, slightly larger than life. The same videos run in the first room. Four sing at any one time, and you choose channels on your wireless headphones to decide who to listen to from screen to screen. They belt out songs like little gods, looking down at you from a taller place. Though there's an obvious progression from the big screen to small, the little black booths are so good that the first room seems almost superfluous. Martha Wainwright explodes on guitar, Julian Hamilton sings acapella, Juliette Lewis does some surprisingly ballsy blues and Warren Ellis is ragged and well tuned. The black and white photography works well, bringing each performer to occupy the same abstract white space. But they perform to camera. Looking into the middle distance, spit and sibilants get lost to electric backing and headphone glitches, pushing you further away from the moment. But although it doesn't quite hand you duende on a plate Live makes for good music, and good art. Live will be closed January 18.
You don't become a first-generation winemaker without a passion for all things vino, which Simall's Simon Hall clearly possesses. Since 2013, he's been crafting locally made drops on the New South Wales South Coast. And, since early 2020, the company has been doing tastings and takeaway sales from its urban cellar door, The Wine Hub, in Wollongong. While Simall's range spans a number of labels, Take a Gander tops the list. It also has both a community focus and a community following. A regular feature at nearby markets and festivals, Take a Gander specialises in easy-drinking tipples, as you'd expect given the region — which is great news for lovers of shiraz cabernet, sauvignon blanc, rosé and pinot grigio. Located on Victoria Street, The Wine Hub also serves up wine by the glass, platters heavy on local produce and wine cocktails — because who says spirits drinkers get to have all the fun?
Some voices could utter anything and make it sound interesting, and David Attenborough's is one of them. That said, that's not why the iconic British broadcaster has become such a trusted and beloved figure in the nature documentary world. His involvement in any project that roves over, probes and ponders the planet we all live on is the ultimate stamp of approval. Whether he's narrating Planet Earth, The Blue Planet, their sequels, a stampede of other series or film David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet, his participation always means more than merely his vocal tones echoing across exceptional imagery — it means astute science-backed insights paired with a first-rate spectacle. When it initially arrived in 2022, becoming one of the year's best new shows and giving nature doco fans the five-episode series they didn't know they'd always wanted — and simultaneously couldn't believe hadn't been made until now — Prehistoric Planet followed that formula perfectly. And it is a formula. In a genre that's frequently spying the wealth of patterns at the heart of the animal realm, documentaries such as The Living Planet, State of the Planet, Frozen Planet, Our Planet, Seven Worlds, One Planet, A Perfect Planet, Green Planet and the like all build from the same basic elements. Jumping back 66 million years, capitalising upon advancements in special effects but committing to making a program just like anything that peers at the earth today was never going to feel like the easy product of a template, though. Indeed, Prehistoric Planet's first season was stunning, and its second is just as staggering. Again, Prehistoric Planet 2 streams via Apple TV+. Again, it's also dropping its five instalments over five nights, this time screening across Monday, May 22–Friday, May 26. And, each chapter again heroes a different environment and the ancient creatures that called it home. This second go-around starts with the inhabitants of earth's islands during the Cretaceous age, then moves to the badlands, primarily focusing on areas with volcanic activity. Next, hopping between continents, the show gets swampy. After that comes a dive into the oceans, followed by a journey to one particular patch of terrain: North America. The catch, in both season one and this return trip backwards: while breathtaking landscape footage brings the planet's terrain to the Prehistoric Planet series, the critters stalking, swimming, flying and tumbling across it are purely pixels. Filmmaker Jon Favreau remains among the show's executive producers, and the technology that brought his photorealistic versions of The Jungle Book and The Lion King to cinemas couldn't be more pivotal. Seeing needs to be believing while watching, because the big-screen gloss of the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World sagas, the puppets of 90s sitcom Dinosaurs, and the animatronics of Walking with Dinosaurs — or anything in-between — were never going to suit a program with Attenborough as a guide. Accordingly, to sit down to Prehistoric Planet is to experience cognitive dissonance: viewers are well-aware that what they're seeing isn't real because the animals seen no longer exist, but it truly looks that authentic. Still set to a rousing score by acclaimed composer Hans Zimmer (now fresh from Top Gun: Maverick) with Bleeding Fingers Music's Anže Rozman and Kara Talve, Prehistoric Planet 2 also expands its focus beyond season one's creatures, aka all the regular dinos that everyone grew up knowing. Familiar beasts still walk through the series' frames, accompanied by new titbits about their lives and behaviour — feathered raptor babies prove both cute and clever, for instance — but honing in on new animals feels as revelatory as it's meant to. One such critter earns episode two's attention, with the Indian sauropod isisaurus first observed as mothers-to-be trekking through gas and avoiding lava to lay eggs in volcanic ash, then seen as hatchlings navigating the treacherous spot to return to the herd. Visually, with painterly backdrops that look otherworldly because fiery mountains always do (see also: Oscar-nominated documentary Fire of Love), the time spent with these plant-eating, long-necked dinos is as beautiful as anything the show has ever delivered. The isisaurus boasts ample company, each making their moments and episodes gleam in different ways. When the island-centric first season-two episode shows the dance-like mating ritual of the hatzegopteryx — the heaviest animal to ever fly — against pristine white sands and an ocean backdrop, it too stands out. So do the towering pterosaurs anyway with their 12-metre wingspans, of course. Also on the list: the pachycephalosaurus with their colourful dome-shaped skulls, as often seen butting against each other, and the displays of combat between clashing triceratops. Dinosaurs, they're just like people: always trying to leave an impression, claim their turf and find companionship. During the chapter dedicated to swamps, prehistoric frog beelzebufo — also known as devil toad — croaks to find love, too. As its presence demonstrates, and the hatzegopteryx as well, dinos aren't the only creatures in Prehistoric Planet's jam-packed return. The ocean instalment is especially fond of ammonites, devoting much of its running time to the molluscs' life cycle and graceful movements through the underwater deep, while mammals, bony fish, flightless seabirds, primitive ducks, million-strong swarms of flies and vegetarian crocodiles all make an appearance. Surveying a broader range of the animals calling earth home before the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction event doesn't just help prolong the program and ideally open the doors for even more seasons to follow; it's an aptly thoughtful touch. Every episode may begin with Attenborough surrounded by fossils, but there's far more to prehistoric life and to scientific learnings about the period than the familiar — artefacts and critters alike. In season two, context isn't only relegated to each chapter's introduction. Moving season one's post-show forays into the facts behind the imagery into the show itself, every nightly segment now ends with expert talking heads — from Prehistoric Planet's consultants, London's Natural History Museum and beyond — chatting through the data and discoveries backing up everything viewers have just seen. That too is an intelligent move, because the longer anyone watches this series, takes in its Attenborough-voiced insights and becomes immersed in life oh-so-far back, the more they want to learn. Move over Jurassic Park — this is the best dino franchise now. Check out the trailer for Prehistoric Planet's second season below: Prehistoric Planet season two premieres via Apple TV+ across Monday, May 22–Friday, May 26, with a new episode available to stream each day. Read our full review of Prehistoric Planet season one, and read our interview with executive producer Mike Gunton and series producer Tim Walker about season two.
There's no time like the present to explore your own backyard, and if you're feeling like getting off the mainland Tasmania's mountain ranges, white sand beaches, lush wineries and fresh farmer's markets are all ripe for exploring. We've done the hard work for you and pulled together 20 of the most stunning stays scattered around the island. Find your ideal getaway nestled among the trees or backing onto a beach, pack the car and head down for a blissful retreat from your day-to-day routine. Recommended reads: Seven Unexpected Things You Can Do and See in Tasmania Your Essential Guide to Hobart The Best Places to Go Glamping in Australia Blackwood Park Cottage, Mole Creek This beautifully restored 1800s farm cottage provides cosy comfort among the Tasmanian mountain ranges. Relax in a super-scenic countryside setting and stare out at the rolling hills — including while enjoying your complimentary breakfast. From $170 a night, sleeps two. The Ocean Retreat, Falmouth Travelling in a bigger group? Don't shy away from a hefty price tag? This four-bedroom oceanfront retreat is fitted with a heated pool, an outdoor fire pit and floor-to-ceiling windows providing stunning uninterrupted ocean views. If you're lucky, you may even catch sight of a whale or dolphin from your living room. From $850 a night, sleeps eight. Aplite House, Friendly Beaches Run on solar energy and built from Tasmanian materials, Aplite House is an eco-friendly stay on the far east coast of Tasmania, just north of Swansea. Decorated with pieces from local artists and sitting on a 200-acre property within the Freycinet National Park, this is a uniquely Tasmanian stay. From $663 a night, sleeps six. Evandale Cottage, Evandale This recently renovated cottage is full of homely charm. It sits 20 minutes from Launceston, so holidaymakers can bask in the rural country feel of the town while still being a stone's throw from one of Tassie's most exciting cities. From $150 a night, sleeps four. Cressy House Estate, Longford Dating back to the 1800s, this history-rich estate is situated within the town of Longford. Find yourself among farm animals, far-reaching greenery and uninterrupted views of the Great Western Tiers. Make sure to pack your racquets as the estate comes equipped with a tennis court. From $310 a night, sleeps four. Captain's Rest, Strahan Sip coffee or mulled wine on the pier at this ultra-quaint waterfront property. Its remote location and minimalist aesthetic pairs well with the misty Tasmania atmosphere — and makes it perfect for a secluded getaway. From $575 a night, sleeps two. The Stable Lofts, Launceston Find the best of everything Tassie has to offer at this Launceston lodge. You'll be surrounded by a lush garden, and also just a short drive from some of the island's best rivers and reserves while still central to the city. Picnic along the River Tamar, hit up the Queen Victoria Museum and relax beside the property's sequoias — all in one day. From $293 a night, sleeps two. The Trig Studio, Lilydale This one-bedroom eco-friendly lodge on the slopes of Mount Arthur comes with everything you need to unwind and enjoy your holiday. It comes fit with an outdoor bathtub, organic breakfast items, Tassie wines, a wood fireplace, a library and a record player with records, so you may find yourself too comfortable to take on the scenic hikes and bushwalks surrounding the property. From $320 a night, sleeps two. Clock Cottage, New Town Inject some history into your trip to Hobart by staying in the former base of the Tasmanian Watch and Clock Company. This refurbished 1832 building sits across from a bakery, and is also a short distance from both MONA and the River Derwent. From $140 a night, sleeps two. Beehives on Denison, Douglas River This rustic cabin combines the best of the beach and the bush. Listen to the sound of the waves from the deck while surrounded by native Australian trees. From $180 a night, sleeps five. Coldwater Cabin, Miena You'll be hard-pressed to find a better-located stay in all of Australia than this cabin, which is hidden among the trees, looks out onto The Great Lake and is surrounded by superb wineries. Pack for the cold, though, as it's known to snow down here. From $283 a night, sleeps two. Black Wattle Coastal Retreat, Four Miles Creek This three-bedroom bushland property is an ideal stay for bigger groups looking to get away. It comes with stunning water views, a fire pit and an affordable price tag. From $460 a night, sleeps eight. Oceanfront Villa, Falmouth Situated just 50 metres from the ocean, this villa is perfect for a romantic couples retreat. Breathe in the sea air as you enjoy breakfast from the property's bench, then relax in the deep bathtub or take a leisurely stroll along the beach. From $313 a night, sleeps two. Whale Song Oceanfront Escape, Falmouth Originally built by a local fisherman in the 80s, this oceanfront house has been transformed into a comfort-first stay in Tasmania's northeast. It's all here: panoramic ocean views, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, an outdoor bathtub, and a range of beautiful local beaches and hikes. From $458 a night, sleeps four. Sea Stone, Swansea This newly built modern cottage provides panoramic views of Tasmania's east coast, as well as a perfect home base for exploring the beachfront or relaxing from the comfort of the private patio. From $825 a night, sleeps six. Candlebark Ridge, Saint Marys Craving a Tasmanian tiny home experience? Look no further than this off-grid, compact dwelling nestled on 18 acres of bushland. Enjoy the panoramic view of the Tasman Sea from the comfort of the luxurious king bed - uninterrupted by the bustle of civilisation. From $295 a night, sleeps two. At the Bay, Coles Bays At this sleek east Tassie stay, you can gaze upon the mountains surrounding Coles Bay from the comfort of your bed each morning — then hit the water via the local kayak hire. From $780 a night, sleeps four. Hazards Rim, Coles Bay Find this architectural beauty hidden amongst Freycinet National Park, just a short walk from Wineglass Bay. Escape the city to live among the trees with all the comforts of home. From $480 a night, sleeps four. Hobart Hideaway Pod, Kingston This environmentally friendly one-bedroom pod sits at the foothills of Mount Wellington, just 20 minutes drive from Hobart. Its simplicity — and its spot among nature — make it an ideal place to relax on a trip to the island's capital. From $198 a night, sleeps two. The Barn, Hobart This charming converted barn will find you smack-bang in the middle of the Hobart CBD, within walking distance from some of its best cafes, restaurants and bars. Here, you can experience the city without compromising the quaint cottage experience of the Tasmanian countryside. From $353 a night, sleeps two. All images courtesy of Airbnb. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
It's one of Sydney's most anticipated restaurant openings of the year — and now, bookings are officially open for Rick Stein at Coogee Beach. The new Australian flagship from Rick and Sarah Stein will welcome its first guests on Monday, December 1, bringing the legendary British chef's world-famous seafood to one of the city's most beloved stretches of sand. Set within the soon-to-open InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach, the restaurant marks the beginning of a new coastal chapter for the Steins. Much like their restaurants in Mollymook and Port Stephens, this seaside dining room will celebrate the best of Australia's coastal produce — but this time, the setting is quintessential Sydney luxe. Leading the kitchen is Head Chef Colin Chun, who brings more than two decades of experience in top hotel kitchens across Australia and Asia, including leadership roles at Hilton Sydney, the Pullman and W Taipei. A longtime admirer of Stein's philosophy of "fresh seafood, simply prepared", Chun brings a refined, produce-driven approach to the table. While menu details are still under wraps, diners can expect a showcase of local and seasonal seafood from New South Wales and beyond, paired with coastal-inspired cocktails and a wine list made for long lunches and sunset sessions. The 224-seat space comprises a main dining room, courtyard terrace and relaxed bar, designed to reflect Coogee's breezy mix of sophistication and surfside charm. "Sydney's Coogee Beach is the perfect location for our flagship Australian restaurant," says Stein. "It's relaxed yet sophisticated, with that incredible connection to the ocean that has always inspired my cooking. For us, this feels like coming home." Rick Stein at Coogee Beach opens on Monday, December 1, at InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach. For more details and to make a reservation, head to the venue's website.
UPDATE, August 9, 2021: Due to recent COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns, The Empire Strips Back's 2021 season has been postponed to 2022. The Sydney shows will now take place on Friday, February 4 and Friday, February 11. This article has been updated to reflect that change. In 2011, in this very country and galaxy, a pop culture favourite gained a singing, stripping burlesque parody. It's the mash-up that was bound to happen. Who hasn't looked at George Lucas' space opera, its sprawling drama and ample spectacle, and wondered what a steamier, funnier version with more visible butt cheeks would look like? Russall S Beattie clearly did, and had a good feeling that other people would give it a shot. The Empire Strips Back was the end result. It became a hit around Australia, then took itself overseas to much acclaim. Now it's returning home for a 2021 tour — once again showing local audiences that lightsabers aren't the hottest thing in the Star Wars galaxy. The saucy show promises "seriously sexy stormtroopers, a dangerously seductive Boba Fett, some tantalising Twi'leks, a delightfully lukewarm Taun Taun, a lady-like Skywalker [and] the droids you are looking for", according to its website. Apparently Yoda doesn't get the sexed-up treatment, but there is plenty of song, dance, acrobatics and — because it's burlesque — the removal of clothing. A dancing Chewie and Han is just the beginning of this cheeky take on Star Wars cosplay. Given that it's got an upbeat soundtrack, the costumes are extremely detailed and the show throws out lots of references to George Lucas' original plot, it's not surprising that local audiences — presumably the same ones that pack out Star Wars parties and large-scale screenings with a live orchestra — have latched onto the production. Heading to the Enmore on Friday, February 4 and 11, The Empire Strips Back sits alongside Dame of Thrones in Beattie's pop culture parody stable — so if you've already seen one of your fantastical screen obsessions get the burlesque treatment, then you know what you're in for. If you're super keen, you can also nab a Wookieerotica magazine online: a 116-page, 70s-style men's mag, just casually featuring all of your favourite jedis, siths, ewoks and other Star Wars characters. Either way, it could be a great introduction to burlesque or Star Wars, depending on which way you're coming at it. Images: Jon Bauer, Leslie Liu and Josh Groom.
With his first feature, Samoa-born, New Zealand-based writer/director Miki Magasiva is living the filmmaking dream, all by championing what's important in his culture. Tinā, about a grieving mother who takes a job at a private school after the Christchurch earthquakes change her life forever, premiered at the Hawai'i International Film Festival late in 2024. Just over six months later, it's a homegrown hit that's earned so much affection from audiences in Aotearoa that the picture is now one of the most-successful NZ films in history. Sitting in sixth place as at mid-April 2025, Tinā is behind only Taika Waititi's Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Boy, then The World's Fastest Indian, Once Were Warriors and Whale Rider. For the year so far overall, it's second to A Minecraft Movie at the New Zealand box office. Taking on her first lead role after decades as an actor — on-screen, see: The Market, One Thousand Ropes, The Changeover, Filthy Rich, The Breaker Upperers, The Justice of Bunny King, Our Flag Means Death, The Rule of Jenny Pen and more — Anapela Polataivao wasn't envisaging this reaction, after she initially came onboard Tinā to help with the movie's development process without knowing that Magasiva had plans for to star. "Let's just say I did not anticipate this kind of response," she tells Concrete Playground. "You do the work and then you walk away and hope for the best, but this has been a continual — the response has been incredible, and mainly from our people, who are so appreciative of the work. And also a lot of the comments also are about their pride in the work, and visibility and for them being seen in our stories. So that's a great compliment." Did Magasiva foresee that Tinā, which takes its title from "mother" in Samoan, would strike such a chord? "Yes and no," he advises. "We were confident we had an initial script that people would enjoy watching. And then once we did the first round of edits, we knew we were onto something good that people would want to go and watch. However, having said that, the eventual response that we've gotten so far has been far beyond what we expected." "Touching on what Bels has just said before, you make these films and then you think 'that's it, my job's done. I'll just send it off — and if people go watch it, great. And if people don't go watch it, well, that's fine, too. We can't help that.' But having people come up to us and talk about their experiences, transformational experiences with family members and themselves, having gone through watching the film, is just way beyond what we ever expected. And so it's just been this really massive surprise for us that we're just so overwhelmed by and thankful for." Screening in Australian cinemas since Thursday, May 1, following its NZ release on Thursday, February 27, Tinā's origins mirror plenty of other movies in one regard: art imitating life. That said, Magasiva combined inspiration from IRL choir contest The Big Sing, the New Zealand choral festival for high schools that's been running for over 30 years, with not only tapping into Samoan culture but paying tribute to both the importance of connection and the leadership role of mothers. Mareta Percival, the heartwarming film's fictional protagonist, dotes on her daughter when the feature begins, encouraging her to make the most of her singing talents. Then tragedy strikes. While grappling with her loss, substitute teaching at a wealthy school becomes a necessity — and starting a choir that croons Samoan tunes proves a much-needed move for Mareta and her new pupils alike, even if some in the privileged community that's barely letting her in are vocal in their opposition. Tinā sits on Magasiva's resume after decades in the business as well, including earning acclaim for his shorts — Rites of Courage arrived in 2005, then Uso in 2006 — and working in television. The Panthers, of which he helmed two episodes, was the first-ever New Zealand TV drama series to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival. On We Are Still Here, an anthology feature directed by Indigenous filmmakers from New Zealand and Australia that opened the 2022 Sydney Film Festival, he was one of the behind-the-camera talents. His success with Tinā is far from overnight, then, but it might not have happened if he hadn't been so moved by online The Big Sing footage. With Magasiva and Polataivao, we also explored the journey from Tinā's first sparks to the tale that viewers are now being so touched by in cinemas — a story that puts the importance of moving forward collectively at its core; that is shaped by grief, and understands how mourning is so personal yet universal; and that also centres navigating cultural differences as a warm, hopeful film, while not shying away from the impact of attitudes of prejudice. And, we unpacked how Polataivo came to be its lead, what that achievement means to her, how Magasiva built Tinā's cast around its star and more. On Finding Inspiration for the Film in Online Footage of High School Choirs Miki: "It was hearing the choir performing. We grew up in churches, Samoan churches, listening to choirs, so we know it well. We have this sort nostalgic memory anytime we hear all of our old church choir songs. And so when I saw that, I was just so emotionally moved. I almost cried watching that video or that YouTube clip. I just thought that would make a great premise. I thought 'if I can just recreate some of the emotion that I'm feeling at the moment, I think we're on to something really special here' — and so I think luckily we've done a little bit of that." On the Path From Watching New Zealand's The Big Sing Competition to a Story About a Grieving Samoan Mother Getting a Job in a Private School in Post-Earthquake Christchurch Miki: "Well, it's a story process, much like you go through when you when you create stories. And what's always good is we had the end in mind, and so we wanted just to build towards that moment, that end. We were always working our way towards the end. So it's about 'who's the main character?'. And it's a drama, and so we try to create situations and journeys for her to get to that end — and put her into situations that challenge her, and put her into situations where she has relationships with others that really drives her towards the end there. And then when you're piercing these things together, you source techniques that you like yourself. There's a lot of comedy in the film, and so I wanted to infuse the storyline with a bit of comedy. And it seemed to work well, because it has this sort of mother-teacher relationship that I always find funny, and I think that that can be a really rich ground for comedy. Add into that a bit of emotion, add into that music, and then just drive the story towards the end — it's a really fun part of the process." On Polataivo's Initial Response to the Project — and Being Asked to Help Develop the Film Without Knowing That Magasiva Wanted Her to Play the Lead Anapela: "Yes, this guy — let's not go there." Miki: "I tricked her." Anapela: "He did. Because these things, I'm just so used to working as part of the team, being the assistant or coach or stuff like that. So when I come in to help, I don't have any other thoughts or any other preconceived anything. It's just like 'I'm going to help my friends'. So when these guys got the green light, and then I get the call saying 'hey, we had you in mind for it' — gosh, I was just like 'you little ...', all of the things. And then, of course, I think we did our first read — I had said yes after that, and then we did our first read where everyone was a mess and we were all in tears. And that's just when you know it's a family affair and it's going to work." On Polataivo Scoring Her First Lead Film Role After Decades as an Actor Anapela: "I think this is different. This was a different one, because it was more personal — so it wasn't like 'oh my goodness'; it was really like 'okay'. I didn't even think about being in the lead, either. I just felt like I was just part of the fabric of the story. There's so many moving parts. Yes, you may be driving the thing, but you understand, well I understand, you'll be able to play that — and to be helpful and to assist in the purpose of it. So it was not an 'oh my goodness' moment. It was an 'oh my gosh', because it's personal, it's family, and you just know. My partner would always say to me 'Bels, it's one shot, one shot for Miki, let's go' — with that tone. And I get it. It is. Any shot we get, it is a shot. And we don't take those things lightly, either. So we go and you pour all of yourself in there. And we do have a big sense of responsibility, as well, to continue." On the Importance of This Being a Movie About Community and About Moving Forward Collectively Miki: "It's everything. It is what we are to be Samoan or Pacific. It's just how we see the world. So right from the way we run our sets to the way we run our production, to the themes of our story, that's how we communicate — and that's how we see the world, and that's how we work. So it is everything to us. And so to have a film reflect those themes, it's really important and allows us to highlight our culture in a way to the world that communicates what it is like to be Samoan and what it is like to be a Pacific Islander, what it's like to live in New Zealand and Aotearoa. And I think a lot of communities around the world can resonate with that, can see something in that, that they connect with as well. So I think it's a very human condition." On Making the Specific and Personal Universal Through the Film's Story of Grief and Connection Anapela: "It's not a thing — it just is. It's only when we talk about these things and analyse, but they are just a way of being. It's like with Miki talking about in Samoan, we're talking at very young age about sharing, and also that you're not the most-important person in the line. If anything, you're the last, you're supposed to help. It's never ever about you. There's this quote that says 'I is we always in a Samoan village'. So it's that mentality. That's how we're born. We're born into religion. We're born into all these things that make us Samoan. That goes more into the nitty gritty of what it's like. But when you try to find all those nuances in her, to not only explore but to allow those things about her being Samoan to breathe on-screen, to bring life and to evoke — let's just say, some of the comments that I've read, and I know it's from non-Samoan viewers, are 'we get a window, we kind of understand now what that means to be a Samoan just through that story'." Miki: "And it is things that we think about when we're piercing it together as well, so that will be the heart of it. But we've tried to create a story that does feel universal, that everybody can connect with. So we're telling a story from a Pacific perspective, but we're telling a story that's a universal story. Those who go and watch the film will see that it's not all about just being a Pacific Islander. And we've had great success back home in New Zealand because the entire country has found something to connect with. And we've tried to build that into the story, when we pieced it all together — that it is about community and coming together, and cultural acceptance. A large part of our European community back home have connected with the film because it has those things in it, and it does deal with things that they can connect with and they find funny, and they can find some sort of connectivity back to how they grew up as well. So hopefully it is a universal story for everyone." On the Movie's Approach to Navigating Cultural Differences Miki: "I tried to put it this way: we're not trying to hide from our past, and we are saying that these things did happen — and actually continue to happen, let's face it. And we've dealt with a lot of that stuff both on the nose, both directly and a little bit more subtly in the film, too. But you have to have that backdrop to it. You have to have some sort of setup for the entire film to end up in a place that we hope everybody ends up, which is inclusiveness and working together and coming together despite our differences — that we can celebrate a culture and the richness of it, we can say that we have been through this and some of us continue to go through these, but we can work our way through it through cultural acceptance and working together as a community." On Building the Cast and the Choir Around Polataivo Miki: "It's an exciting part of it. So, all of our students had to sing in their auditions. They all sung songs to audition for it. We went through the natural casting process. But we got really lucky when we came across Antonia [Robinson, Mystic], who has a musical background herself. She's a great singer anyway. She sings in her real life. But she's also a wonderful actress. We absolutely love Antonia. She's very hard-working, she's super talented. We know she's going to go on to great stuff after this. And then we managed to also find and create students next to her, in Zac [O'Meagher, Uproar] and Talia [Pua, Happiness Is the Path] and Tania [Nolan, The Convert] who had their own unique traits that they could bring to the group as a whole. Outside of that, we also have lots of wonderful New Zealand actors in there. Beulah Koale [Next Goal Wins] is in there, and Nicole Whippy [Shortland Street] is in there. Jamie Irvine [Literally Dead] is in there." Anapela: "Alison Bruce [The Gone]." Miki: "Alison Bruce as well. So we've got all of these well-known and really experienced New Zealand actors that not only are around Bels, but also help support and stand next to Bels." Anapela: "And our guy from Perth." Miki: "And Dalip Sondhi [Better Man] as well, who I think is a wonderful Australian actor — from England originally as well, the UK. So it was just special to be able to build a cast to support that. And they were all just so wonderful and embracing the community spirit of what we were trying to create. They're all amazing in the film, so it's quite lucky — super lucky and grateful." Tinā opened in Australian cinemas on Thursday, May 1, 2025, and in New Zealand cinemas on Thursday, February 27, 2025.
When warm weather arrives, the Snowy Mountains transform into an adventurer's playground. Lakes you wouldn't dip a toe into during winter become dazzling, sun-kissed visions, perfect for windsurfing, sailing and fishing. Walking, cycling and horse riding trails buried in snow thaw out, allowing you to wander through twisted snow gum forests, across wildflower meadows and along majestic mountain ridges, surrounded by incredible panoramas. Here are ten ways to spend time in the Snowies during the warmer months — from paddling the legendary Snowy River to catching trout in Lake Eucumbene to camping by tranquil Thredbo River. [caption id="attachment_659671" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW.[/caption] WINDSURFING AND SAILING ON LAKE JINDABYNE Whether you're completely new to windsurfing or a seasoned expert, peaceful Lake Jindabyne, one of the highest lakes in Australia, offers escapades a-plenty. Winds are pretty steady (yet gentle) and there's not too much traffic, so you don't have to continually stress about bumping into someone else. What's more, the mountainous scenery is stunning. There's a bunch of windsurfer hire spots about, including Sacred Ride and Snowy Mountains Holidays. Alternatively, you could consider a sailboat. If you're looking for fellow sailors, check out Lake Jindabyne Sailing Club, which runs a busy program from November to March. [caption id="attachment_659673" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jon Armstrong / Destination NSW.[/caption] PADDLING THE SNOWY RIVER Starting on Mount Kosciuszko's slopes and flowing into the Bass Strait in Victoria, the Snowy River's 352 kilometres provide ample opportunities for paddling. That said, there are rapids and tight spots a-plenty, so, unless you're experienced, it could be a good idea to find a guide. Alpine River Adventures runs adventurous, yet suitable for newbies day trips and multi-day expeditions through the ancient Byadbo Wilderness. Expect to meet platypuses and brumbies, to journey through steep gorges and to rush down grade-three rapids. [caption id="attachment_661863" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] HORSE RIDING IN THREDBO VALLEY Unencumbered by snow, Thredbo Valley is a picturesque garden of pretty snow gums, towering mountain gums and open plains, with the wild Thredbo River running through. To find out what The Man from Snowy River was all about, experience it from a horse's back. Thredbo Valley Horse Riding has been running trail rides since 1993. For a taster, book a one or two-hour ride, or to spend a bit longer in the saddle, go for a half-day adventure. All rides include gear and basic instruction. If you're interested in a multi-day trip, get in touch with Cochran Horse Treks. CAMPING ON THREDBO RIVER It is, of course, possible to camp in the snow, but you've got to be tough and well-prepared. In the warmer months, pitching a tent is a lot more comfortable. There are stacks of stunning campgrounds in the Snowies and one of the loveliest is Thredbo Diggings. Perched right on Thredbo River, this gorgeous spot surrounds you with snow gums, backdropped by mountain ranges. Spend your days lazing about, going for dips, trying your luck at fly fishing and strolling or cycling on the Thredbo Valley Track. If you're in need of a nightcap, Wild Brumby distillery's warming schnapps, made with local fruit, are just up the road. Another camping option along Thredbo River is Ngargio Campground. [caption id="attachment_661864" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] TROUT FISHING AT LAKE EUCUMBENE You won't have any trouble finding a spot to throw in a line at Lake Eucumbene; it's the biggest lake of the many created by the Snowy Hydro scheme. At full capacity, it's nine times the size of Sydney Harbour and 30 metres deep on average. Plus, a total of 145 kilometres of shoreline gives you lots of room to explore. Before getting started, be sure to pick up a NSW Recreational Fishing Licence, usually available at servos and caravan parks. If you don't feel confident fishing on your own, then consider a visit to Eucumbene Trout Farm, where gear and guidance are provided, as is a barbecue for a post-fishing feast. VISITING A WATERFALL There are several waterfalls in the Snowies that'll capture your imagination. One of the easiest to access is found along a walking track that leaves from Kosciuszko Education Centre, about 12 kilometres west of Jindabyne. The six-kilometre loop passes through an impressive diversity of scenery, from heathland dotted with wildflowers to giant granite boulders to mature gum trees. Keep an eye out for echidnas, wallabies and kangaroos along the way. When you reach the waterfall, be sure to wander onto the viewing platform for some beautiful sights. [caption id="attachment_659669" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paul Sinclair / Destination NSW.[/caption] CYCLING COOMA TRAILS On the outskirts of Cooma lie 80 hectares of land known as North Ridge Reserve. Speckled with granite boulders, basket grass and bright wildflowers, including native bluebells, everlasting daisies and black anther flax lilies, it's a great spot for mountain bike riding. There's a variety of trails, offering something for everyone, from beginners to pros. And, if you're not keen on cycling, you can always walk. Whichever way you travel, the views are breathtaking — over Cooma, east towards the coast and west towards the Snowy Mountains. If you're looking for a coffee or a bite to eat in Cooma afterwards, head to The Lott Food Store. [caption id="attachment_659675" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW.[/caption] WALKING THROUGH YARRANGOBILLY CAVES The oldest of these limestone spectacles, found in the northern section of Kosciuszko National Park, was formed millions of years ago. Several are accessible by self-guided tour, including the biggest, South Glory, where a 500-metre trail passes vast chambers like the dazzling white Ice Age Chamber, stunning rock formations and a natural skylight 55 metres above the ground. Other caves to check out include Jillabenan, covered in delicate cave coral, stalactites and helictites, as well as Jersey Cave, whose extraordinary grey and black flowstone was created by bushfires thousands of years ago. Round out your visit with a swim in Yarrangobilly thermal pool, which is a toasty 27 degree celsius all year round. [caption id="attachment_658614" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Facebook / Heli Fun.[/caption] TAKING A SCENIC FLIGHT IN A HELICOPTER Regardless of whether you've skied, snowboarded, hiked, cycled or paddled the Snowy Mountains, a scenic flight will give you a whole new perspective. Heli Fun will take you soaring above Australia's highest peaks, including Mount Kosciuszko, Mount Townsend and the Ramshead Ranges — make sure you look out for wild brumbies and familiar landmarks, such as Thredbo ski fields as you're flying high. Choose between 30-minute and 60-minute trips or a speedy ten-minute swoop over Lake Jindabyne. For an even more exciting adventure, book a wilderness picnic. Your pilot will take you on a one-hour jaunt, before leaving you in the middle of nowhere with a gourmet picnic and bottle of sparkling. [caption id="attachment_659674" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW.[/caption] GOING WINE (AND BEER AND SCHNAPPS) TASTING The Snowies' wines might not be as well known as those of the Yarra Valley or McLaren Vale, but there's no shortage of decent drops to try. If you're into beer, get started at Kosciuszko Brewery at the Banjo Paterson Inn in Jindabyne. From there, head to Snowy Vineyard Estate in Dalgety, where Dalgety Brewing Company serves up a variety of ales, including pale, golden and red, as well as a selection of wines. On the other side of the mountain lies Tumbarumba cool climate wine region, which specialises in chardonnay and pinot noir. It's easy to spend an afternoon in the lush, Italy-inspired grounds of Tumbarumba Wine Escape and Courabyra is worth a visit, too. Discover all that the Snowy Mountains has to offer outside of winter months, from jam-packed adventures to culinary excursions and so much more.
Only one movie about a Griswold family getaway has ever hit the screen without Lindsay Buckingham's 'Holiday Road' echoing. What does the Nobody 2 trailer boast that National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation doesn't, then? That earworm of a tune, plus plenty more. The sequel to 2021's Nobody, aka the film that enlisted Mr Show with Bob and David, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul great Bob Odenkirk in a John Wick-esque part — its screenwriter Derek Kolstad created the Keanu Reeves (Sonic the Hedgehog 3)-played character, in fact — this is still a movie about a seemingly mild-mannered family man who had a previous life as an assassin. It's another chapter in a tale that acknowledges that those skills aren't just in the past, too. But it also takes Odenkirk's Hutch Mansell on holiday. "Let's just say the first film was a moody winter — this one will be a colourful summer," Timo Tjahjanto tells Concrete Playground. The Indonesian filmmaker is in the director's chair on Nobody 2, which is still an action-thriller. That said, it adapts to its protagonist and his loved ones — including his wife Becca (Connie Nielsen, Gladiator II), children (Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent's Gage Munroe and Harland Manor's Paisley Cadorath) and father (Christopher Lloyd, Hacks) — going on a getaway, as the just-dropped sneak peek demonstrates. The resort setting, the tropical attire, arcades, pool noodles and boat rides: they're all part of it, as is Hutch trying not to let discovering that the Mansells' destination is an old bootlegging route ruin their break. "I love moody winter. My films have always been very moody and very often depressive," Tjahjanto advises. "But I think a good challenge for me right now is 'how do we make this violent world of Hutch Mansell collide with this burst of summer vacation — like this burst of 'the family wants to have fun in this water park'?". He continues: "that's our approach to it, visually and tonally". Again, that comes through in the picture's debut glimpse, which features a number of sights that could've sprung from a Vacation or any other holiday-set movie, except for the frenetic fights everywhere from elevators to those aforementioned arcades and boats. The first time around, Nobody also operated as a character study. When you have multiple Emmy-nominee Odenkirk in the lead — and partly riffing on events that happened to him, with the franchise coming to fruition after his own home was broken into — that's the ideal approach. In Nobody 2, set four years after his altercation with the Russian mob, now the story broadens its focus to Hutch's nearest and dearest as well. The setup: the Mansells head away because Hutch begins to realise that his children are growing up and he's barely spending any time with them, so making the kind of memories that only family time can conjure up is in order. Nobody 2 is Tjahjanto's first full Hollywood picture. He's no debutant, though. For more than a decade and a half, Tjahjanto has been adding features to his resume, both solo and as part of the Mo Brothers with fellow Indonesian filmmaker Kimo Stamboel (Dancing Village: The Curse Begins). Together, they're behind 2009's Macabre, 2014's Killers and 2016's Headshot. Tjahjanto on his lonesome also contributed segments to American horror anthology flicks The ABCs of Death, V/H/S/2 (co-helming with The Raid, The Raid 2 and Havoc's Gareth Evans) and V/H/S/94. Plus, he's directed Indonesian pictures May the Devil Take You and its sequel May the Devil Take You Too, alongside The Night Comes for Us, The Big 4 and The Shadow Strays. He's also been attached to Train to Busan remake The Last Train to New York, and is helming The Beekeeper 2. How has that charting that path assisted Tjahjanto with hopping onboard Nobody 2? How did being able to ask Odenkirk's advice along the way — and co-star Sharon Stone's (The Flight Attendant) as well — help, too? And, like audiences watching, was seeing his lead in action-hero mode part of the appeal of the job? Tjahjanto spoke with us about all the above, plus his approach to stepping into a world already established by the initial Nobody, the action setpiece he's particularly keen on viewers to enjoy on a big screen, the theme of duality flowing through the feature, balancing tone and more. On Whether Seeing Bob Odenkirk as an Action Hero Was Part of the Appeal of Directing Nobody 2 "Yes — and also, in a way, we even try to dig deeper than that. So basically, look, we know by now, in the first film, that Bob can do action, right? But I think what's appealing to me is also that when Bob becomes an action man, he doesn't specifically transform himself into this one-dimensional action hero. He's not the all-knowing, the guy who thought about ten steps ahead — or like 'this is what I'm going to do'. He's not a fully in-control hero. And that's what I like about this character, Hutch Mansell. It's really, yes, he was on top of his game at some point. But now that he is a father of two kids, he's a husband, how does he juggle all these things? And often the greatest moment comes from the time in the film — especially in the second film, you'll see — when things are becoming out of control. And I love that. I never have any interest to make a protagonist who doesn't have any flaws. As a matter of fact, the more the protagonists have all these cracks, and sitting on a ship that is slowly sinking and he's trying to throw away all the water with a little cup, that's when it appeals to me. And that's pretty much what happens to the character here in this film." On How Tjahjanto Approached Taking on a World That Was Already Established in the First Film "The easy answer will be to sit very closely with Bob. Not a lot of people know that the first film is also sort of based on what happened to Bob in real life — the whole idea that he was confronting this thing that happened in his house, when somebody broke into his house. So he exorcised that sort of, I guess, trauma, by writing a script or writing a story. And in this one, he knows Hutch Mansell more than anybody else. And I think it's always good to sit with him and just really be like 'Bob, I don't want to overstep you, but how do we evolutionise Hutch Mansell as a character?'. And we found the fine line between 'well, in order for us to make him grow, we also need to make the family grow — we also need to sort of put the family at the centre of it all'. So that's what we did with this second film. We no longer tell a story about just Hutch Mansell. We also tell a story about Becca Mansell and Brady and Sammy, his kids. And then there's also grandpa and the brother Harry [RZA, Problemista]. So it's really a family affair in the end. " On the One Particular Nobody 2 Action Scene That Tjahjanto Is Most Excited for Audiences to See on a Big Screen "I think they definitely will have a smorgasbord, a buffet, a buffet table of different action setpieces in this film. But I'm definitely proud of the boat fight, just because how technical it is to achieve. We really shot that fight scene inside that boat, in a real location. When we read it in the script, we all had the unison sort of talk, like 'yeah, we're going to do it in the studio with the green screen'. But by the end of it, we decided that 'you know what? Let's torture ourselves further, let's really shoot it in a boat by down by the river'. So that's what we did. And sometimes we'll watch it on post, we'll watch it and Bob will say 'can you imagine this Timo, like we really did this?'. So it's great. I'm proud of that scene and I hope people will enjoy it, too." On the Kind of Direction You Give an Actor Like Bob Odenkirk When They're So Linked to a Film — Not Just Starring, But Writing and Producing as Well "I think the beauty is, I think I always think 'you know what, I'm a much darker person than Bob, I feel'. So I think sometimes there will be times when 'Bob, can I make you do this?'. And then he'll ask me 'aren't we being a bit too much, Timo?'. And then it's like 'you know what, Bob, let's do your take first, and after that, let's do a couple steps darker, you know?'. And that's always fun, just because we'll find the balance of like 'aaah all right, there you go'. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. And it's fine. I think the beauty will come when we both realise why I want things to be in a certain way — because, especially a lot of this film, it's about duality. So there's the doting father and husband who's trying so hard to please his family; to have this beautiful, magnificent memory; to be on a vacation. Because he realised his son's getting older, his daughter as well. Soon they'll be going to college and all that stuff. So there is that real-life issue that he's facing. But at the same time, we've got to remember this is also a man capable of violence. So I think the whole Jekyll-and-Hyde sort of play, it's really something that we both were kind of like 'okay, let's see where's the fine line between the father and the seasoned killer'. On How Tjahjanto's Decade and a Half-Plus of Directing, Both Solo and as Part of the Mo Brothers, Has Led Him to Nobody 2 "I would say I always approach every new project as if I haven't done anything before. I think that's my best preparation, just because that way I'll be very prepared. It's like a kid who's going to a chemistry test for the first time — you better bring the whole table and all that stuff. Because that's the only approach that I feel will prepare you for being from a small pool, suddenly jumping into this Olympic-size, ocean-size pool that is the Hollywood industry. And I always say it's always good to be very prepared. And when I talk to somebody who's in such a different calibre, such as Bob Odenkirk or Sharon Stone, it's always good to realise being a director, yes, you have to know a lot of things, but you should never be afraid to be sort of like 'hey Sharon, what do you think about this? Do you think there's a take that you think is interesting?'. Or even to Bob. These people have been around for decades, and sometimes it's also a situation where, as a director, I'm learning from them." Nobody 2 releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, August 14, 2025.
Utes are as ubiquitously Australian as Vegemite, meat pies and nicknames abbreviated to capitulate in the letter O. This is what makes a trip to the legendary Deni Ute Muster a perfect excursion for those keen to experience a classic Australian road trip. The annual event held in the NSW Riverina town of Deniliquin (a 3.5-hour drive from Melbourne) is a celebration of the iconic vehicle. But you don't need to be a rev-head or even own your own ute to get amongst this uniquely Australian shindig. Parked between the Commodores and Falcons, Rangers and Hiluxes, will be a lineup of some of the country's biggest names in music, tasty food pop-ups and the opportunity to do two nights of camping on Friday, 29 and Saturday, 30 September. Expect to spot Jess Mauboy, John Williamson, Missy Higgins and Lee Kernaghan belting out hits over the weekend. Off-stage, entertainment will be provided courtesy of activities like an ice skating rink, Bogan Bingo, camel rides, monster truck rides and a muster sandpit. Tickets start at $310 which also covers camping, so you can bring your own tent or caravan — or simply roll out a swag in the back of your ute. Deni Ute Muster is on from Friday, September 29 to Saturday, September 30 2023. For further details, head to the website.
CONCRETE PLAYGROUND: In The Guest Edit, we hand the reins over to some of the most interesting, tasteful and (or) entertaining people in Australia and New Zealand. For this instalment, we've enlisted help from Sheet Society founder and interior design extraordinaire Hayley Worley. The Melbourne-based owner and creative has put pen to (digital) paper, outlining the biggest colour and pattern trends of the year, as well as tips on how to incorporate them around your home. HAYLEY WORLEY: The best part of my job is that I get to surround myself with inspirational fashion, interiors and design. While I'm a big fan of staple colours that will never go out of style, I'm equally excited by new, fresh and fashionable prints. It's really important to me and for my creative and design process, that I love and find joy in the things I surround myself with. There's nothing quite like putting on your favourite dress or jumping into a new bed of fresh sheets as a moment of pleasure. My picks for Concrete Playground are all things that have recently made me happy — including making my kids happy too! CHECKERBOARD PRINT This is a huge trend that we don't see going anywhere, anytime soon. If you're looking for an easy place to start, the Sheet Society Margot print is the perfect fashionable update to your bed in a really easy-to-style Camel colour. I've got lots of Sheet Society colours (as you can imagine!) and Margot pairs with pretty much anything. I've currently got it on my bed with Sage and Blush. HAND-PAINTED MOTIFS Sheet Society collaborated with Annie Everingham last year on a beautiful bedding collection, and her latest collaboration with Alemais is such a goodie. Her hand-painted motifs have been used across a wide range of fashion styles and I wore this pink one to my birthday a few weeks ago. It's currently out of stock on Alemais, but is available on Selfridges & Co here. Sheet Society also releases a limited edition collaboration each year and this year we partnered with local artist Lahni Barass, on a collection called Sleep Patterns. It's available here. BLUSH We have a one- and a three-year-old and it's often hard to find kids clothes that are bright or have loud prints. I adore the Aussie brand ByBillie, they've got a really great palette to choose from and a strong range of styles. I recently bought both kids matching Joey Jackets in blush and they are just so adorable. SAGE I've currently got our Sage blanket on, which not only looks great, but it's the extra cosiness I need (and grab for) in the middle of the night. Right in the middle of Melbourne winter, I definitely need to add a few extra layers. It has two layers of our French Flax Eve Linen with a plump quilted wadding inside and feels super lush. Pictured here with a divine Ella Reweti vase. OFF-WHITE I had an absolute blast picking out furniture for our new store in Armadale. Our interior designers, Golden, worked really well and collaborated closely with us to develop a soft furnishing plan that spoke to the Armadale customer, while staying true to Sheet Society. This Gatto lamp, designed by Floss, was one of our 'splurge' items. We also used it in our latest winter campaign, styled with our new-season teal colour. Perfection!
Stay tuned. More information coming soon.
Maybe you lived through the 90s rave scene. Perhaps you spent every weekend enjoying club life in the 00s. Or, you might just wish you were old enough to have ticked both boxes. Ministry of Sound was around to see both, and now it's revisiting the experience — bringing back its massive Testament parties for another year, this time touring them around Australia over two weekends. If cutting loose like you've travelled back in time is your ideal way to mark absolutely anything, then you'll want to make a date with Testament when it hits up six Australian cities. For two nights each in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, plus one-day-only stops in Adelaide and the Gold Coast, the event will have you making shapes to 90s and 00s bangers. [caption id="attachment_799510" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ben Jones[/caption] More than 90 DJs will be hitting the decks between Friday, August 4–Sunday, August 13 across the tour. It's a choose-your-own-adventure type of affair, so fans of old-school tunes can hit up the session dedicated to 90s house, rave, trance and garage tracks, and lovers of 00s electro and breaks get their own shindig. Leading the bill at the 90s parties are Barbara Tucker, Inner City, Phil Hartnoll and Tall Paul, while The Bloody Beetroots, Digitalism, Freq Nasty and Stanton Warriors are their 00s counterparts. The roster of local DJs varies per show and per city, too, including everyone from Alan Thompson, Jason Digby, Barking Boy, Mark Dynamix and Jen E on the 90s bill, plus Groove Terminator, Goodwill, Kid Kenobi, Bang Gang Deejays and Andee Van Damage on the 00s lineup. MINISTRY OF SOUND: TESTAMENT 2023 DATES: Saturday, August 5 — 90s session at Overseas Passenger Terminal, Sydney Sunday, August 6 — 00s session at Overseas Passenger Terminal, Sydney Saturday, August 12 — 00s session at The Timber Yard, Melbourne Sunday, August 13 — 90s session at The Timber Yard, Melbourne Friday, August 4 — 00s session at Warner Laneway, Brisbane Saturday, August 12 — 90s session at Warner Laneway, Brisbane Saturday, August 5 — 00s session at Metro City, Perth Sunday, August 6 — 90s session at Metro City, Perth Friday, August 4 — 00s session at Unibar Adelaide, Adelaide Sunday, August 13 — 00s session at Miami Marketta, Gold Coast MINISTRY OF SOUND: TESTAMENT 2023 LINEUP: Barbara Tucker Inner City Phil Hartnoll [Orbital] Tall Paul The Bloody Beetroots Digitalism FreQ Nasty Stanton Warriors + 85 local DJs around the country Ministry of Sound: Testament 2023 will tour Australia in August. For further details, and to buy tickets — with pre-sale registrations until midnight on Monday, May 29, pre-sales from 8am on Tuesday, May 30 and general sales from 8am on Wednesday, May 31 — head to the event's website.
Taylor Swift is inviting fans around the world to step inside her new era with Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, an 89-minute cinematic event celebrating the launch of her 12th studio album The Life of a Showgirl. The feature offers a mix of firsts — including the debut of the 'The Fate of Ophelia' music video, new lyric videos, behind-the-scenes footage and personal reflections from Swift herself. The global release kicks off at 3pm US time on Friday, October 3, which translates to early morning on Saturday, October 4 in Australia. Screenings will run nationwide across the long weekend, from Saturday through Monday, October 6. Australian Swifties can catch the film at Event Cinemas, Hoyts, Dendy, Village Cinemas and Palace Cinemas, with both city and regional locations taking part. Demand has been so high that Event Cinemas has already added extra sessions. "We've got our Swifties covered with screenings of Taylor Swift: The Life of a Showgirl across our Event Cinemas in both Australia and New Zealand this coming weekend," a spokesperson said. "Tickets are flying faster than a Reputation track drop, with presale numbers already at number one for the upcoming long weekend." It follows the blockbuster success of The Eras Tour film, which became the highest-grossing concert film of all time after earning more than £260 million globally. Find your nearest screening and tickets to Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl Images: Getty Images
This boutique bookseller where to go when you're looking for a fresh read to get absorbed in while the weather is cooler. Browse through the brightly lit shop and marvel at the huge bookshelf that takes up the entire back wall. The shop beholds an extensive collection of cookbooks, a huge fiction section and hot-off-the-press new releases. As for the name of the shop, it pays homage to Irish playwright and poet Oscar Wilde. Image: Arvin Prem Kumar
When a bookstore doubles as a cafe, it really is the best of both worlds. Reading material to peruse with your coffee? A spot of shopping pre- or post-brekkie, brunch or lunch? The kind of atmosphere that can only come from stacks on stacks on stacks of books? You'll find all of the above at Ampersand Cafe & Bookstore. A Paddington mainstay for over a decade, the Oxford Street is as quaint as the world outside is busy — although, with more than 30,000 books sprawling across three levels, plus a cute little laneway area for flicking through pages in the sun, it's usually a hive of activity here. The cafe likes to think of itself as a library with food, and it has the packed shelves, cosy reading nooks, welcoming armchairs and sizeable menu to back up that claim. And yes, you really can just grab a novel, enjoy its contents while you sip your coffee and then put it back again. Ampersand's culinary spread has just had a revamp, with chef Tom Walton doing the honours. On offer: coconut, berry and chai-spiced sticky rice with caramelised banana; Turkish-inspired labne eggs with pepper, tomato and a heap of spice; and French toast with poached pear, whipped ricotta, rhubarb compote and almond crumble — and that's just breakfast. Lunch brings slow-cooked beef cheek pappardelle, as well as other pastas and salads. Drinks-wise, Little Marionette takes care of the coffee, Lindt's hot chocolates will warm up your insides, and beer, wine and cider are also available.
A three-tiered breakfast platter would normally result in a day of food coma-ing and napping, but the geniuses at the Boatshed have a solution: kayaks and canoes for hire. The Woronora River runs through a sleepy, bush-clad oasis in the Shire and it's a pretty sweet spot to spend a morning. The aforementioned breakfast platters include bits of every fathomable breakfast item to share — waffles, hash browns, smoked salmon and eggs cooked two ways (just to name a few). Therefore your only morning decision need be whether you opt for a post-brekky stand-up paddle board session or a relaxing river glide on a kayak.
Between them, Jane Austen, William Shakespeare, JRR Tolkien, Bram Stoker, the Brontë sisters, Virginia Woolf and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are responsible for a wealth of literary treasures. So are Oscar Wilde, Harold Pinter, William Blake, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll, Lord Byron, TS Eliot, Thomas Hardy, James Joyce, DH Lawrence, John Keats, William Wordsworth and Rudyard Kipling, plus AA Milne, Beatrix Potter, Dylan Thomas, Sir Kazuo Ishiguro and Zadie Smith. HOTA, Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast mightn't seem like the usual place to celebrate them all, but it is until the start of August 2025, all thanks to Writers Revealed: Treasures From the British Library and National Portrait Gallery, London. Announced earlier in the year, open since mid-April and running till Sunday, August 3, this exhibition is all about paying tribute to great authors and writers — beyond libraries, bookstores, and your own bookshelf or Kindle. Indeed, getting the chance to revel in the talents behind some of the finest works of literature ever committed to paper in a stunning showcase across a gallery's walls is rare. Writers Revealed is a world-first. What features at an exhibition devoted to wordsmiths? Eager word nerds can see author portraits, plus rare handwritten manuscripts and first editions. More than 100 literary artefacts and portraits span the likenesses of the writers responsible for Pride and Prejudice, Romeo and Juliet, The Lord of the Rings, Dracula, Wuthering Heights, Sherlock Holmes and other masterpieces, as well as texts themselves, with five centuries of literature covered. As the exhibition's full name states, this is a collaboration between the British Library and the National Portrait Gallery, London. If you're wondering why the two institutions are pairing portraits with books, one of the showcase's aims to explore how literature and visual expression are linked. Also in the spotlight: the legacy of influential writers, plus digging into their creative processes. A draft of Dracula, what's thought to be the only Shakespeare portrait to be painted while he was alive, a picture of Austen by her sister, John Milton's publishing contract for Paradise Lost, letters from both Smith and Ishiguro: they're among the highlights that can be found across 1000 square metres in HOTA's Gallery 1. "We are thrilled to collaborate with the National Portrait Gallery on Writers Revealed, a truly unique exhibition that brings together some of the most exceptional objects from our collections. Visitors will experience rare first editions and exquisite manuscripts alongside celebrated portraits of the writers who created them," said Alexandra Ault, Lead Curator of Modern Archives and Manuscripts at the British Library, announcing the exhibition. "Featuring treasures that rarely leave our gallery in London, this major new exhibition will bring HOTA's visitors closer to some of the most-important figures in English literary history," added Catharine MacLeod, Senior Curator of 17th Century Collections at the National Portrait Gallery. "Encountering these displays, visitors will discover what is revealed and what is hidden when life, writing and portraiture intersect." Writers Revealed: Treasures From the British Library and National Portrait Gallery, London displays at HOTA, Home of the Arts, 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast until Sunday, August 3, 2025. Head to the gallery's website for further details and tickets.
Beats allowed but not compulsory? What are they gonna use then? Well Michaela Davies uses electric muscle stimulation to control the limbs of her Involuntary Quartet, and Christian Moraga makes 'noise washes' created by fiddling around on a guitar synthesizer. FBi Utility Fog presenter Petter Hollo loops and layers cello as his alter ego Raven, and you’d better believe Julian Knowles has something other than softsynths up his sleeve after 20 years in the field. These are the four artists heading up the inaugural Pretty Gritty, a bimonthly experimental electronica night at Redfern's 107 Projects. It's a place where music shoved under the 'ambient electronica' umbrella can let loose and spit uneven shards of broken melody all around the room, or strip back the layers and bare its quietly reverberating soul. Because electronica can be pretty too.
The Kings Cross Hotel is about to be transformed into an immersive wonderland as part of this year's Vivid Sydney festival. As part of the truly epic Vivid Music program (which includes the world premiere of Björk's digital project), the hotel will be in full swing with a slew of live music, theatre and cabaret throughout the three weeks of the festival from May 27 until June 18. On Friday and Saturday evenings, some of Sydney's cabaret pros will be setting up shop in the Hotel's plush Red Room as part of Avant-Cabaret. Grab yourself an opulent cocktail and see some of Sydney's best take the stage, from burlesque beauties Zsa Zsa La Fine and Betty Grumble, award-winning Aussie cabaret star Tom Sharah, David Bowie Unzipped's Jeff Duff, the inimitable, unmissable and highly glittery Matt Format, tale spinners Mikelangelo & The Black Sea Gentlemen, King of Dance Moves Brendan Maclean and more. [competition]575107[/competition]
With its golden beaches, lush rainforests and abundant green valleys, North Coast NSW has all the tools to recharge the weariest of souls — or those just in dire need of a holiday. It's also home to some of the state's most renowned producers, who are busily pumping out wine, beer and spirits — which you can sample at cellar doors aplenty — as well as award-winning eateries serving up excellent local produce in stunning locales. So you can make the most out of your next North Coast NSW trip, we've done the hard yards and planned out four adventure-packed holidays. And right now, you can score $100 off select North Coast NSW accommodation when you book through Trip.com. [caption id="attachment_856861" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Koala Hospital, Port Macquarie, Destination NSW[/caption] FLY INTO PORT MACQUARIE TO MEET WILDLIFE AND RIDE WAVES When you're in Port Macquarie, whichever direction you point your compass towards you'll find entrancing rainforests and beaches backing onto sprawling national parks. After touchdown at the city's conveniently located airport, secure a rental vehicle and scoot over to the coast to explore the rainforest canopy and sheltered coastline of Sea Acres National Park. You're bound to spot an ark of critters including goannas, diamond pythons, brush turkeys and even a koala or two. Then, take a free self-guided tour of the Koala Hospital for more cuddly sightings and greater insight into the lives of these beloved marsupials. Motor an hour up the coast to find a marine menagerie in Hat Head National Park. Korogoro Creek is a pristine snorkelling spot where you can spy hermit crabs, flat head, mullet and octopus below the water line, while whales and dolphins might occasionally surface through the waves, too. You'll find excellent surf breaks for experienced riders just south at Crescent Head. And if you're a beginner? Learn to tackle the region's famous tubes with On Point Surf School. After a day on the water, you'll likely need to refuel — venture inland to Bago Maze and Winery to enjoy a wine tasting paired with local cheese and charcuterie before meandering through the venue's carefully sculpted lilly pilly hedge maze. A stay on the Hastings River at Rydges Port Macquarie provides plush interiors with water views, as well as easy access to some of the city's best dining options. Tuck into fresh seafood at The Stunned Mullet or Bills Fishhouse and Bar, which both showcase seasonal local produce. Ensure you leave enough room for dessert, with the creamy artisan scoops at Blue Cow Gelato a tip-top option. [caption id="attachment_856161" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Opal Cove Resort Coffs Harbour, Destination NSW[/caption] FLY INTO COFFS HARBOUR TO EXPLORE ANCIENT RAINFORESTS AND REMOTE COASTLINES Alight the plane at Coffs Harbour Airport with your adventure shoes at the ready. In classic Aussie family holiday tradition, you'll need to kick things off with a choccy-covered banana and a quick round of laser tag at the Big Banana. Then, unwind in the spacious suites at Opal Cove Resort. This expansive seaside venue provides everything you need to relax and recharge, from a sauna and spa to a fully equipped gym and an arcade games room. Start your grand expedition into the great outdoors by ambling through national parks and nature reserves along the Solitary Islands coastal walk. Those tackling the full 60-kilometre trail will move from windswept headlands to undisturbed beaches and lush rainforest paths over three or four days of hiking and camping (depending on your pace). There are also plenty of day-trip opportunities, with spots for ocean fishing, swimming and picnicking. For even loftier views, head to Sealy Lookout (Niigi Niigi) and walk along the Forest Sky Pier which dramatically juts out over the canopy of Orara East State Forest. To put the stunning view into historical context, join a Giingan Gumbaynggirr Cultural Experience tour and learn about the cultural practices and stories of Traditional Owners, the Gumbaynggirr people. If that's still not enough nature for you, head an hour out of Coffs to the otherworldly Dorrigo National Park, where you can walk among 600-year-old trees in the World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforest. The small township of Bellingen is a perfect pit stop on the scenic drive here along Waterfall Way. Savour a lunch of shared plates in the artfully restored church that houses Cedar Bar & Kitchen, or stop in at Black Bear Cafe for a quick coffee in the heart of town. [caption id="attachment_856170" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Angourie, Destination NSW[/caption] FLY INTO BALLINA FOR A SURFING AND PADDLING SAFARI Flights landing at Ballina Byron Gateway Airport are often packed with holidaymakers headed for Byron Bay's star-studded beaches. But if you're keen to take the road (slightly) less travelled — that offer equally glorious seaside adventures — head 90 minutes south to the relaxed township of Yamba. Along the route, stop in at Razorback Lookout in Evans Head for spectacular sightlines up the coast before exploring the varied landscapes of Bundjalung National Park. Pack a hiking lunch and walk the ten-kilometre Jerusalem Creek loop, or book a rejuvenating forest bathing tour, which involves Japanese-inspired mindfulness movements honouring different natural elements, with Iluka Nature and Soul at Woody Head campground. Make Yamba Sun Motel your base once you reach town. The comfortable rooms come in a number of configurations and can accommodate both couples and larger families. The Sun also places you in the heart of this close-knit community, with beaches, friendly cafes and local attractions all within walking distance. Start your day with an Allpress Espresso coffee from eclectic local fave Yum Yum Angourie Cafe and General Store, or tuck into a hearty Turkish-inspired breakfast at the charming Beachwood Cafe. Get active on the water with a Yamba Kayak tour, and paddle around the islands and mangrove mazes of the Clarence River. Or, wetsuit up and tackle the Angourie Point surf break. Even if you're not confident on a board, you'd be remiss not to catch the dramatic right-handers roll in at this renowned spot from the safety of the sand. [caption id="attachment_856169" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Fingal Head, David Kirkland[/caption] FLY INTO THE GOLD COAST AND HEAD SOUTH TO CHASE WATERFALLS AND LOCAL FEASTS After touchdown, find yourself some wheels and scoot over the border to explore the nearby NSW coastline. Head southward and you'll immediately hit the Tweed Shire. Here, you'll find fine-dining spots hidden among rolling green valleys, myriad beaches to suit towel-snoozers and wave-riders alike, picturesque cruises along the Tweed River and plenty of cultural experiences to fill up your holiday itinerary. Be sure not to miss the Tweed Regional Gallery and Minjungbal Aboriginal Cultural Centre, before visiting the seemingly never-ending sandy expanse of Dreamtime Beach. For liquid sustenance, head to the cellar door at Husk Distillers, home of the chameleon-like Ink Gin. Then enjoy the hearty fare served up at Potager — much of what you taste in your miso pumpkin and potato gnocchi with coconut ricotta and warrigal greens has been plucked directly from the onsite garden. Less than an hour on the road and you'll be in the heart of Byron Bay. Set yourself up at the glamorously renovated Byron Springs beach house, tucked away on a palm-lined cul-de-sac with easy access to sprawling Tallow Beach and Arakwal National Park. If you can tear yourself away from the hotel's sun-drenched therapy pool, book a tour with Trip.com to uncover natural gems and native refreshments. The Chasing Waterfalls tour will ferry you between glistening cascades, quiet bushlands and rarely visited swimming holes, while the Afternoon Brewery and Distillery session will introduce you to locally concocted craft beers and fragrant spirits. With $100 off select North Coast NSW accommodation via Trip.com until June 21, now is the ideal time to explore all that the region has to offer. Top images: Destination NSW
In 1997, the biggest selling album in the world was Spice by the Spice Girls. Wherever you went — from to New Zealand to Latvia to Lebanon — you couldn't escape thinking about what you really, really wanted, or about what happens when 2 Become 1. After all, Spice topped the charts in no fewer than 17 nations and sold 19 million copies. Now, it's time for you step into the spotlight. Over two nights, as part of its Sideshow Festival, much-loved live music venue The Newsagency is hosting Spice: A Singalong. You're invited to dig out your coolest crop tops, your most multi-coloured lycra and your sexiest stilettos, and belt out the biggest pop hits of the 90s. Leading proceedings will be a quintet made up of five local vocal talents: Libby Wood, Alison Avron, Steph Kerby, Benjamin Kiehne and Sepora. Spice: A Singalong sold out when held as part of the Sydney Comedy Festival, so get your tix quick. To nab yourself a discount, book in a group of five or grab a ticket for the Britney singalong at the same time.
The Sydney Opera House's groundbreaking Festival of Dangerous Ideas is being replaced in 2017 by ANTIDOTE, a new festival that will not only explore ideas and art — but how we can turn them into action and positive change. The new festival will take place at the Opera House over the weekend of Saturday, September 2 and Sunday, September 3. ANTIDOTE is a replacement for the eight-year-old FoDI, taking it to the next level by celebrating artists, thinkers and doers who have spearheaded change with a program of immersive performances, speeches and workshops. Curated by Danielle Harvey (who was also behind last year's inaugural Bingefest), the new festival responds to the time we live in. Featured in the inaugural program is a performance of Cherophobia by Noëmi Lakmaier, which wowed onlookers in London earlier this year. In the performance, Lakmaier is lifted by 20,000 party balloons over nine hours. The experimental artwork aims to unite the audience in shared suspense while exploring the conflicting emotions of control, desire and restraint. Other international heavyweights include transgender rights activist Janet Mock and the satirists behind The Onion, along with Tamika D. Mallory (national co-chair of the Women's March on Washington) and Reni Eddo-Lodge (author of Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race). The festival also features local change makers such as Indigenous figures Uncle Jack Charles and Archie Roach, as well as LGBTQI+ rights activist Julie McCrossin (Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras '78er), and blogger Celeste Liddle (Rantings of an Aboriginal Feminist). A focus on interactive performances will immerse the audiences throughout the two-day festival — these will include sketches by UK interactive theatre groups Kaleider and Blank Placard Dance, as well as a performance by choreographer Anne Collod, who will revisit Anna Halprin's legendary dance movement that took place in 1950s–80s San Francisco. Plus, storytelling favourite Women of Letters returns to the Sydney Opera House, with special guests including ARIA-winner Sarah Blasko, Mystery Road star Tasma Walton, veteran comedy performer Jean Kittson, journalist and author of Beyond Veiled Cliches: The Real Lives of Arab Women Amal Awad and more. ANTIDOTE is about fostering hope and change in a time when a lot of us are angry and anxious about what's happening in the world. If you want some action point, tickets go on sale at 9am on Thursday, July 6 and free registrations for Cherophobia are now open. Image: Cherophobia, Noemi Lakmaier, shot by Grace Gelder.
When someone mentions watching horror on-screen at Halloween, eerie, creepy and unsettling films usually come to mind. Do you like scary movies? If so, October is your month to shine each year. But frights, bumps and jumps aren't just served up in 90- or 120-minute doses. On the episodic front, TV has more than a few highlights to add to your list for spooky season viewing. Maybe you like nods to Edgar Allan Poe with a Succession-style twist. Perhaps you can't get enough of Charlie Brooker's tech-fuelled nightmares. Or, you could just love vampires. Whichever fits, there's a new or returning 2023 horror-themed television show to watch his Halloween — and we've rounded up ten must-sees. Also on the list: body horror, fan obsessions, dystopian chaos, dark fairy tales and stranded-in-the-woods cannibalism. THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER Of the many pies that Succession's Roy family had their fingers in, pharmaceuticals wasn't one of them. For virtually that, Mike Flanagan gives audiences The Fall of the House of Usher. The horror auteur's take on dynastic wealth gets a-fluttering through a world of decadence enabled by pushing pills legally, as six heirs to an addiction-laced kingdom vie to inherit a vast fortune. Flanagan hasn't given up his favourite genre for pure drama, however. The eponymous Usher offspring won't be enjoying the spoils of their father Roderick's (Bruce Greenwood, The Resident) business success, either, in this absorbing, visually ravishing and narratively riveting eight-parter. As the bulk of this tale is unfurled fireside, its patriarch tells federal prosecutor C Auguste Dupin (Carl Lumbly, SWAT) why his children (including Pet Sematary: Bloodlines' Henry Thomas, Minx's Samantha Sloyan, The Peripheral's T'Nia Miller, iZombie's Rahul Kohli, The Wrath of Becky's Kate Siegel and The Midnight Club's Sauriyan Sapkota) came to die within days of each other — and, with all the gory details, how. As with The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor before it, plus The Midnight Club as well, Flanagan's latest Netflix series finds its basis on the page. The author this time: Edgar Allan Poe, although The Fall of the House of Usher isn't a strict adaptation of the iconic author's 1840 short story of the same name, or just an adaptation, even as it bubbles with greed, violence and paranoia (plus death, loss, decay and the deceased haunting the livin)g. Character monikers, episode titles and other details spring from widely across Poe's bibliography. Cue ravens, black cats, masks, tell-tale hearts, pendulums and a Rue Morgue. What if the writer had penned Succession? That's one of Flanagan's questions — and what if he'd penned Dopesick and Painkiller, too? Hailing from the talent behind the exceptional Midnight Mass as well, plus movies Oculus, Hush, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Gerald's Game and Doctor Sleep, the series that results is a gloriously creepy and involving modern gothic horror entry. The Fall of the House of Usher streams via Netflix. Read our full review. THE CHANGELING It isn't by accident that watching The Changeling feels like being read to, rather than simply viewing streaming's latest book-to-TV adaptation. Landing from the pages of Victor LaValle's novel of the same name, this horror-fantasy series is obsessed with stories, telling tales and unpacking what humanity's favourite narratives say about our nature, including myths and yarns that date back centuries and longer. Printed tomes are crucial in its characters lives, fittingly. Libraries, bookstores, dusty boxes stacked with old volumes, beloved childhood texts, a rare signed version of To Kill a Mockingbird with a note from Harper Lee to lifelong friend Truman Capote: they all feature within the show's frames. Its protagonists Apollo Kagwa (LaKeith Stanfield, Haunted Mansion) and Emma Valentine (Clark Backo, Letterkenny), who fall in love and make a life together before its first episode is out, even work as a book dealer and a librarian. And, The Changeling also literally reads to its audience, because LaValle himself relays this adult fairytale, his dulcet tones speaking lyrical prose to provide a frequent guide In a show created and scripted by Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Fifty Shades of Grey and Saving Mr Banks screenwriter Kelly Marcel, there's nothing more potent and revealing than a story, after all — and The Changeling believes in the power of tales to capture, explain, transport, engage, caution and advise, too. Aptly, New Yorkers Apollo and Emma meet amid books, in the library where she works and he frequents. It takes convincing to get her to agree to go out with him, but that leads to marriage and a child. The Changeling's astute thematic layering includes Apollo's repeated attempts to wrangle that first yes out of Emma, however, setting up a train of thought that has many future stations. In-between early dates and domesticity, Emma also takes the trip of a lifetime to Brazil, where an old woman awaits by Lagoa do Abaeté. The locals warn the visitor to stay away but she's mesmerised. What happens between the two strangers sends the narrative hurtling, with the lakeside figure tying a red string around Emma's wrist, granting her three wishes, but advising that they'll only come true when the bracelet falls off by itself. The Changeling streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. DEAD RINGERS Twin gynaecologists at the top of their game. Blood-red costuming and bodily fluids. The kind of perturbing mood that seeing flesh as a source of horror does and must bring. A stunning eye for stylish yet unsettling imagery. Utterly impeccable lead casting. When 1988's Dead Ringers hit cinemas, it was with this exact combination, all in the hands of David Cronenberg following Shivers, The Brood, Scanners, Videodrome and The Fly. He took inspiration from real-life siblings Stewart and Cyril Marcus, whose existence was fictionalised in 1977 novel Twins by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland, and turned it into something spectacularly haunting. Attempting to stitch together those parts again, this time without the Crimes of the Future filmmaker at the helm — and as a miniseries, too — on paper seems as wild a feat as some of modern medicine's biggest advancements. This time starring a phenomenal Rachel Weisz as both Beverly and Elliot Mantle, and birthed by Lady Macbeth and The Wonder screenwriter Alice Birch, Dead Ringers 2.0 is indeed an achievement. It's also another masterpiece. Playing the gender-swapped roles that Jeremy Irons (House of Gucci) inhabited so commandingly 35 years back, Weisz (Black Widow) is quiet, calm, dutiful, sensible and yearning as Beverly, then volatile, outspoken, blunt, reckless and rebellious as Elliot. Her performance as each is that distinct — that fleshed-out as well — that it leaves viewers thinking they're seeing double. Of course, technical trickery is also behind the duplicate portrayals, with directors Sean Durkin (The Nest), Karena Evans (Snowfall), Lauren Wolkstein (The Strange Ones) and Karyn Kusama's (Destroyer) behind the show's lens; however, Weisz is devastatingly convincing. Beverly is also the patient-facing doctor of the two, helping usher women into motherhood, while Elliot prefers tinkering in a state-of-the-art lab trying to push the boundaries of fertility. Still, the pair are forever together or, with unwitting patients and dates alike, swapping places and pretending to be each other. Most folks in their company don't know what hit them, which includes actor Genevieve (Britne Oldford, The Umbrella Academy), who segues from a patient to Beverly's girlfriend — and big-pharma billionaire Rebecca (Jennifer Ehle, She Said), who Dead Ringers' weird sisters court to fund their dream birthing centre. Dead Ringers streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. SWARM Becky with the good hair gets a shoutout in Swarm. Facial bites do as well, complete with a Love & Basketball reference when the culprit flees. This seven-part series about a global pop sensation and her buzzing fans and stans also has its music icon unexpectedly drop a stunner of a visual album, ride a white horse, be married to a well-known rapper, become a mum to twins and see said husband fight with her sister in an elevator. Her sibling is also a singer, and plenty of folks contend she's the more interesting of the two. Still, Swarm's object of fascination — protagonist Dre's (Dominique Fishback, Judas and the Black Messiah) undying obsession — sells out tours, breaks Ticketmaster and headlines one of the biggest music festivals there is. And, while they call themselves the titular term rather than a hive, her devotees are zealous and then some, especially humming around on social media. Donald Glover and Janine Nabers, the show's creators and past colleagues on Glover's exceptional, now-finished Atlanta — Nabers also worked on Watchmen, too — couldn't be more upfront about who they're referring to. No one says Beyoncé's name, however, but Swarm's Houston-born music megastar is the former Destiny's Child singer in everything except moniker. In case anyone watching thinks that this series is trading in coincidences and déjà vu, or just failing to be subtle when it comes to Ni'Jah (Nirine S Brown, Ruthless), the Prime Video newcomer keeps making an overt opening declaration. "This is not a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or events, is intentional," it announces before each episode. From there, it dives into Dre's journey as a twentysomething in 2016 who still adores her childhood idol with the same passion she did as a teen and, instalment by instalment, shows how far she's willing to go to prove it. Swarm streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. THE LAST OF US If the end of the world comes, or a parasitic fungus evolves via climate change, spreads globally, infests brains en masse and almost wipes out humanity, spectacular video game-to-TV adaptation The Last of Us will have you wanting Pedro Pascal in your corner. Already a standout in Game of Thrones, then Narcos, then The Mandalorian, he's perfectly cast in HBO's latest blockbuster series — a character-driven show that ruminates on what it means to not just survive but to want to live and thrive after the apocalypse. In this smart and gripping show (one that's thankfully already been renewed for season two, too), he plays Joel. Dad to teenager Sarah (Nico Parker, The Third Day), he's consumed by grief and loss after what starts as a normal day, and his birthday, changes everything for everyone. Twenty years later, he's a smuggler tasked with tapping into his paternal instincts to accompany a different young girl, the headstrong Ellie (Bella Ramsey, Catherine Called Birdy), on a perilous but potentially existence-saving trip across the US. Starting to watch The Last of Us, or even merely describing it, is an instant exercise in déjà vu. Whether or not you've played the hit game since it first arrived in 2013, or its 2014 expansion pack, 2020 sequel or 2022 remake, its nine-part TV iteration ventures where plenty of on-screen fare including The Road and The Walking Dead has previously trodden. The best example that springs to mind during The Last of Us is Station Eleven, however, which is the heartiest of compliments given how thoughtful, empathetic and textured that 2021–22 series proved. As everything about pandemics, contagions and diseases that upend the world order now does, The Last of Us feels steeped in stone-cold reality as well, as spearheaded by a co-creator, executive producer, writer and director who has already turned an IRL doomsday into stunning television with Chernobyl. That creative force is Craig Mazin, teaming up with Neil Druckmann from Naughty Dog, who also wrote and directed The Last of Us games. The Last of Us streams via Binge. Read our full review. BLACK MIRROR When Ron Swanson discovered digital music, the tech-phobic Parks and Recreation favourite was uncharacteristically full of praise. Played by Nick Offerman (The Last of Us) at his most giddily exuberant, he badged the iPod filled with his favourite records an "excellent rectangle". In Black Mirror, the same shape is everywhere. The Netflix series' moniker even stems from the screens and gadgets that we all now filter life through daily and unthinkingly. In Charlie Brooker's (Cunk on Earth) eyes since 2011, however, those ever-present boxes and the technology behind them are far from ace. Instead, befitting a dystopian anthology show that has dripped with existential dread from episode one, and continues to do so in its long-awaited sixth season, those rectangles keep reflecting humanity at its bleakest. Black Mirror as a title has always been devastatingly astute: when we stare at a TV, smartphone, computer or tablet, we access the world yet also reveal ourselves. It might've taken four years to return after 2019's season five, but Brooker's hit still smartly and sharply focuses on the same concern. Indeed, this new must-binge batch of nightmares begins with exactly the satirical hellscape that today's times were bound to inspire. Opening chapter Joan Is Awful, with its AI- and deepfake-fuelled mining of everyday existence for content, almost feels too prescient — a charge a show that's dived into digital resurrections, social scoring systems, killer VR and constant surveillance knows well. Brooker isn't afraid to think bigger and probe deeper in season six, though; to eschew obvious targets like ChatGPT and the pandemic; and to see clearly and unflinchingly that our worst impulses aren't tied to the latest widgets. Black Mirror streams via Netflix. Read our full review of season six. YELLOWJACKETS For Shauna (Melanie Lynskey, The Last of Us), Natalie (Juliette Lewis, Welcome to Chippendales), Taissa (Tawny Cypress, Billions), Misty (Christina Ricci, Wednesday), Lottie (Simone Kessell, Muru) and Van (Lauren Ambrose, Servant), 1996 will always be the year that their plane plunged into the Canadian wilderness, stranding them for 19 tough months — as season one of 2021–2022 standout Yellowjackets grippingly established. As teenagers (as played by The Kid Detective's Sophie Nélisse, The Boogeyman's Sophie Thatcher, Scream VI's Jasmin Savoy, Shameless' Samantha Hanratty, Mad Max: Fury Road's Courtney Eaton and Santa Clarita Diet's Liv Hewson), they were members of the show's titular high-school soccer squad, travelling from their New Jersey home town to Seattle for a national tournament, when the worst eventuated. Cue Lost-meets-Lord of the Flies with an Alive twist, as that first season was understandably pegged. All isn't always what it seems as Shauna and company endeavour to endure in the elements. Also, tearing into each other occurs more than just metaphorically. Plus, literally sinking one's teeth in was teased and flirted with since episode one, too. But Yellowjackets will always be about what it means to face something so difficult that it forever colours and changes who you are — and constantly leaves a reminder of who you might've been. So, when Yellowjackets ended its first season, it was with as many questions as answers. Naturally, it tore into season two in the same way. In the present, mere days have elapsed — and Shauna and her husband Jeff (Warren Kole, Shades of Blue) are trying to avoid drawing any attention over the disappearance of Shauna's artist lover Adam (Peter Gadiot, Queen of the South). Tai has been elected as a state senator, but her nocturnal activities have seen her wife Simone (Rukiya Bernard, Van Helsing) move out with their son Sammy (Aiden Stoxx, Supergirl). Thanks to purple-wearing kidnappers, Nat has been spirited off, leaving Misty desperate to find her — even enlisting fellow citizen detective Walter (Elijah Wood, Come to Daddy) to help. And, in the past, winter is setting in, making searching for food and staying warm an immense feat. Yellowjackets streams via Paramount+. Read our full review of season two. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS Following in Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's footsteps isn't easy, but someone had to do it when What We Do in the Shadows made the leap from the big screen to the small. New format, new location, new vampires, same setup: that's the formula behind this film-to-TV series, which is now in its fifth season. Thankfully for audiences, Matt Berry (Toast of London and Toast of Tinseltown), Natasia Demetriou (Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga) and Kayvan Novak (Cruella) were enlisted as the show's three key bloodsuckers in this US spinoff from the New Zealand mockumentary, all in roles that they each seem born for. The trio play three-century-old British aristocrat Laszlo, his 500-year-old creator and partner Nadja, and early Ottoman Empire warrior Nandor, respectively, who share an abode and the afterlife in Staten Island. In cinemas, the film already proved that the concept works to sidesplitting effect. Vampire housemates, they're just like us — except when they're busting out their fangs, flying, avoiding daylight, sleeping in coffins, feuding with other supernatural creatures and leaving a body count, that is. On TV, What We Do in the Shadows has been illustrating that there's not only ample life left in palling around with the undead, but that there's no limit to the gloriously ridiculous hijinks that these no-longer-living creatures can get up to. It was true as a movie and it's still true as a television show: What We Do in the Shadows sparkles not just due to its premise, but when its characters and cast are both as right as a luminous full moon on a cloudless night. This lineup of actors couldn't be more perfect or comedically gifted, as season five constantly demonstrates via everything from mall trips, political campaigns, pride parades and speed dating to trying to discover why Nandor's long-suffering and ever-dutiful familiar Guillermo (Harvey Guillén, Werewolves Within) hasn't quite started chomping on necks despite being bitten himself. Berry's over-enunciation alone is the best in the business, as is his ability to play confident and cocky. His line readings are exquisite, and also piercingly funny. While that was all a given thanks to his Toast franchise, Year of the Rabbit, The IT Crowd, Snuff Box, The Mighty Boosh and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace history, What We Do in the Shadows is a group effort. Demetriou and Novak keep finding new ways to twist Nadja and Nandor's eccentricities in fresh directions; their characters have felt lived-in since season one, but they're still capable of growth and change. What We Do in the Shadows streams via Binge. Read our full review of season five. SERVANT When M Night Shyamalan (Knock at the Cabin) earned global attention and two Oscar nominations back in 1999 for The Sixth Sense, it was with a film about a boy who sees dead people. After ten more features that include highs (the trilogy that is Unbreakable, Split and Glass) and lows (Lady in the Water and The Happening), in 2019 he turned his attention to a TV tale of a nanny who revives a dead baby. Or did he? That's how Servant commenced its first instantly eerie, anxious and dread-filled season, a storyline it has followed in its second season in 2021, third in 2022, and then fourth and final batch of episodes in 2023. But as with all Shyamalan works, this meticulously made series bubbles with the clear feeling that all isn't as it seems. What happens if a caregiver sweeps in exactly when needed and changes a family's life, Mary Poppins-style, but she's a teenager rather than a woman, disquieting instead of comforting, and accompanied by strange events, forceful cults and unsettlingly conspiracies rather than sweet songs, breezy winds and spoonfuls of sugar? That's Servant's basic premise. Set in Shyamalan's beloved Philadelphia, and created by Tony Basgallop (The Consultant), the puzzle-box series spends most of its time in a lavish brownstone inhabited by TV news reporter Dorothy Turner (Lauren Ambrose, Yellowjackets), her celebrity-chef husband Sean (Toby Kebbell, Bloodshot), their baby Jericho and 18-year-old nanny Leanne Grayson (Nell Tiger Free, Too Old to Die Young) — and where Dorothy's recovering-alcoholic brother Julian (Grint, Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities) is a frequent visitor. That's still the dynamic in season four, which slowly and powerfully moves towards its big farewell. Dorothy is more determined than ever to be rid of Leanne, Leanne is more sure of herself and her abilities than she's ever been — in childminding, and all the other spooky occurrences that've been haunting the family — and Sean and Julian are again caught in the middle. Wrapping up with one helluva ending, Servant has gifted viewers four seasons of spectacular duelling caregivers and gripping domestic tension, and one of streaming's horror greats. Servant streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review of season four. THE HORROR OF DOLORES ROACH It takes place in New York, not London. The era: modern times, not centuries back. Fleet Street gives way to Washington Heights, the demon barber to a masseuse nicknamed "Magic Hands", and pies to empanadas. There's still a body count, however, and people end up in pastries as well. Yes, The Horror of Dolores Roach namedrops Sweeney Todd early, as it needs to; there's no denying where this eight-part series takes inspiration, as did the one-woman off-Broadway play that it's based on, plus the podcast that followed before the TV version. On the stage, the airwaves and now via streaming, creator Aaron Mark asks a question: what if the fictional cannibalism-inciting character who first graced penny dreadfuls almost two centuries back, then leapt to theatres, films and, most famously, musicals, had a successor today? Viewers can watch the answer via a dramedy that also belongs on the same menu as Santa Clarita Diet, Yellowjackets and Bones and All. Amid this recent feast of on-screen dishes about humans munching on humans, The Horror of Dolores Roach is light yet grisly, but it's also a survivalist thriller in its own way — and laced with twisted attempts at romance, too. That knowing callout to Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street comes amid an early banquet of knowing callouts, as The Horror of Dolores Roach begins with a play based on a podcast that's wrapping up its opening night. Newspaper clippings in actor Flora Frias' (Jessica Pimentel, Orange is the New Black) dressing room establish that the show takes its cues from a woman who got murderous in the Big Apple four years prior, and helped get unwitting NYC residents taking a bite out of each other. Meet the series' framing device; before the stage production's star can head to the afterparty, she's face to face with a furious Dolores (Justina Machado, One Day at a Time) herself. The latter isn't there to slay, but to haunt the woman spilling her tale by sharing the real details. Two decades earlier, Dolores was a happy resident of Lin-Manuel Miranda's favourite slice of New York, a drug-dealer's girlfriend, and a fan of the local empanada shop. Then the cops busted in, The Horror of Dolores Roach's namesake refused to snitch and lost 16 years of her life. When she's released, gentrification has changed the neighbourhood and her other half is nowhere to be found. Only Luis Batista (Alejandro Hernandez, New Amsterdam) remains that remembers her, still in the empanada joint, and he couldn't be keener on letting her stay with him in his basement apartment below the store. The Horror of Dolores Roach streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. Looking for more things to watch? Check out our list of 2023 horror movies to stream this Halloween, our monthly streaming roundup and our rundown of recent cinema releases that've been fast-tracked to digital home entertainment of late.
What do the Australian comedy scene, YouTube, international festivals, Netflix, wine and picture books all have in common? Aunty Donna have conquered them all. Here's another thing to add to that list: Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves. The Chris Pine (Don't Worry Darling)-, Regé-Jean Page (The Gray Man)-, Michelle Rodriguez (Fast & Furious 9) -and Hugh Grant (Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre)-starring film doesn't just bring of Stranger Things' favourite role-playing game back to cinemas — it does so in Australia with Aunty Donna among the cast. Since forming over a decade ago, the Aussie comedy troupe led by Zachary Ruane, Broden Kelly and Mark Samual Bonanno hasn't stopped making audiences laugh — in-person in Australia, online and around the world; while watching the side-splitting Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun; over a $30 bottle of wine literally called '$30 Bottle of Wine' and while flicking through Always Room for Christmas Pud. Later this year, they'll get folks giggling over their upcoming ABC sitcom Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe, too. But for now, playing corpses revived by Pine, awakening from their eternal slumbers to talk about century-old battles and cats, does the trick first. Aunty Donna are no strangers to Dungeons & Dragons. Back in 2017, on YouTube Channel Insert Coin, they gave D&D an Aunty Donna twist in a now-classic sketch — one that did for owlbears what 'Morning Brown' has for calling your wake-up cup of caffeine "morning brown". And, a couple of years back, they also endeavoured to create their own D&D monsters. How did those comic ties to Dungeons & Dragons lead to Aunty Donna playing undead in Hollywood's latest D&D flick, and the latest movie based on Hasbro's toys and games after the Transformers series, the GI Joe films, Battleship, Power Rangers and more? We chatted to Ruane, Kelly and Bonanno about their new on-screen stint, comedy goals, D&D podcasts, missing out on the first Fast and the Furious movie, visiting cemeteries, flatlining and getting buried alive. So, just a normal Aunty Donna chat, then. ON LIVING THE DUNGEONS & DRAGONS DREAM Zachary Ruane: "We'd talked about it at length. So, when we first got together as a comedy group, we made a list of goals. This was at a Starbucks in…" Broden Kelly: "Melbourne." Mark Samual Bonanno: "Southern Cross Station." Zachary: "We sat down and we had a list of goals. One of them was a comedy festival show. And on that list was 'if Hollywood ever moves towards a more IP-dependent business structure and Paramount teams up with Hasbro to reboot the Dungeons & Dragons franchise, we' — and this is on the list — 'we would like to do voice work for the Australian release of that film'. We didn't think it was going to happen. I'd pretty much given up on that dream. And then, when we got the call from Paramount, I wept." Mark: "You wept for days." Zachary: "I wept for days." Mark: "It was too much." Zachary: "It was a very emotional experience for me, because that was the final thing to cross off the list, you know — so a really big moment for me and for all of us in our careers." ON COMEDY'S FONDNESS FOR DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Broden: "When I started, I'd never played Dungeons & Dragons before. I only knew it as a board game from the 80s. But being in comedy, Dungeons & Dragons is constantly just adjacent to it. There's so many funny people doing podcasts about it. So if you're in the comedy world — I'd never played it but I've been on every podcast about Dungeons & Dragons. And what it is, it seems to be just a community of people who are very warm and welcoming, and it's a world where you can do everything and nothing's wrong, which is just really fun and cool. It nurtures creativity. It nurtures imagination. Even just from doing this, we've seen how warm that community is." Zachary: "I should say, the film isn't just for those fans. It's really for everyone. It's a romp, it's an adventure." Mark: "Well, it's not about people playing D&D, is it? It's a fun…" Zachary: "It's a romp." Mark: "It's a fun romp set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. Owlbears..." Broden: "I didn't know an owlbear until I did that sketch, and now I feel ashamed that I didn't know an owlbear before." Mark: "Don't be ashamed!" Zachary: "We watched the film with a big Dungeons & Dragons fan, and she was telling us all the little references. She was saying 'oh, they got perfect and that right'. And then I was like 'that's so crazy' because that was her experience, but then for me who hasn't played it that much, I just had a great time. It's really funny and fun." ON HOW AUNTY DONNA CAME TO BE IN A DUNGEONS & DRAGONS MOVIE Broden: "Well." Zachary: "Well." Mark: "Well, they just kept knocking at our door until we said yes. [To Zachary and Broden] How many times did we turn them down?" Zachary: "We were initially offered the part of — Broden was offered the part that Chris Pine plays in the film, I was offered the Michelle Rodriguez part. Which is funny because I was also offered that part in the first Fast and the Furious film, and I turned it down. And if I had known what franchise would become — oh my goodness!" Mark: "Sometimes you just miss your shot with those kinds of things." Zachary: "Yeah, absolutely. [To Mark] And then you were up for which part?" Mark: "For every other part in the film." Zachary: "So it was going to be a three-hander." Mark: "Originally it was going to be a vehicle for Aunty Donna to promote our YouTube channel — and we were just like, 'we're so busy'. We were so busy. [To Zachary and Broden] What did we have on?" Broden: "A birthday party or something." Mark: "Yeah, we had a party, and we were going to do half a run at Edinburgh Fringe. A two-week run at Edinburgh Fringe." Zachary: "And then when they folded in the Dungeons & Dragons layer to it, because originally it was just a sketch series of ours, it just became a little too big for us. And we said 'you know what, I'm going to handball this to the real professionals over at Hollywood'. And you'll see the film, you'll see — you're going to have a great time." ON PREPARING TO PLAY CORPSES REVIVED BY CHRIS PINE Broden: "I went to a lot of cemeteries, and it didn't do the trick. So I went back with a shovel, and someone stopped me — but I was going to get in there and really…" Mark: "That was me. I was like 'Broden, if you start digging up corpses to play this role, for this role, even though I know that's under false pretences...'. [To Broden] Because you love robbing graves, don't you?" Broden: "Yeah. Yeah. You can't go back from that." Zachary: "We call him da Vinci. He loves robbing graves and drawing really intricate drawings of the bodies." Mark: "Oh and of flight machines." Zachary: "Like Leonardo da Vinci. Me, I flatlined. I did some flatlining, like the movie Flatliners starring Kiefer Sutherland. So I stopped my heart until I was through the tunnel, and then I was reanimated. So I was able to experience death and coming out of it. And I think you'll see that with the corpse when I go [groans and gasps loudly]. That's from a real place." Mark: "Perfectly recreated." Zachary: "Yeah." Mark: "Broden and I ended up — I just buried myself in my backyard, Broden came and dug me up. It was kind of like a role play." Zachary: "How apropos." Mark: "How apropos! [To Broden] And then did you get enough out of that Broden, that experience?" Broden: "Yeah, so we do that every Saturday morning now, where we…" Mark: "Chuck on Cheez TV." Broden: "Yeah, I'll bury Mark in a garden with a little straw out for air." Mark: "Yeah." Broden: "And then I'll dig him up." Mark: "It's just for lunch." Broden: "And then we'll go have lunch at a cafe, or…" Mark: "That's what Hollywood is so great for: bringing friends closer together." Zachary: "I don't flatline anymore. I discovered that there's a darkness in the other realm and I realised that I had to stop." Sarah Ward: "Just like the movie." Aunty Donna [in unison]: "Just like the movie." Check out the new Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves trailer below: Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves opens in cinemas Down Under on March 30.
