In celebration of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture held on the traditional lands of the Gadigal people in Sydney, Koori Radio 93.7FM presents the annual Yabun Festival. The largest one-day celebration of its kind, the festival seeks to showcase some of the best Indigenous music, speakers and creative talent in the country. Get cultured in traditional dance as performers kick up the dust; wander the market stalls of Corroboree Ground; or be enlightened by some of Australia's leading artists, authors and thinkers at the SpeakOut Tent.
For Australian and Canadian artists, it's difficult to escape the influence of isolation — along with the sense of natural abundance that comes from being part of a tiny population inhabiting a massive land area. Both Ben Frost, who was born here but now lives in Reykjavík, and Canadian Tim Hecker, whose calls Montreal home, create electronic music of epic proportions and striking contrasts. Where Frost combines classical minimalism with punk and metal, Hecker explores the crossroads of dissonance, melody and noise. Their getting together may well produce earthquakes. Ben Frost and Tim Hecker is one of our top ten picks of the Sydney Festival. Check out our other favourite events over here.
Balmy summer evenings should only be spent outdoors. As darkness descends, roll out that picnic blanket, grab a basket of snacks and settle in; it's Sunset Cinema season. Now in its third year at North Sydney Oval, IMB's annual under-the-stars event is set to deliver Sydneysiders eight weeks of open-air entertainment. Blown up on the state-of-the-art inflatable screen are a stellar selection of new releases and crowd favourites. Opening with the hit action flick The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One, the program sports something for everyone. Get swept away in the code-cracking world of The Imitation Game, or belt out the ballads of Disney's soon-to-be classic Frozen (that's right, in sing-along style). With beanbags, gourmet burgers and an on-site bar, you'll struggle to settle for an ordinary cinema experience after these laidback screenings.
David Lynch has dabbled in as much music as he has weird, weird television, film and art — the 68-year-old's quite the multitasker. Having delved into versions of Roy Orbison, David Bowie and Chris Isaak's work, Lynch has continued to gleefully haunt and hypnotise audiences over an epic career. So now, as part of the epic Music at the House program to hit the Sydney Opera House this summer, a tribute to the Twin Peaks mastermind, 'In Dreams: David Lynch Revisited' will see Australia’s Mick Harvey (ex-Bad Seeds) and Sophia Brous (Brous), New York City-based Cibo Matto and Irish-chanteuse Camille O’Sullivan venture through Lynch's covers, original music, as well as his work with Angelo Baladamenti. New additions to the Lynchy lineup have just been announced. In what will be his only Sydney performance, Polaris Prize-winning composer, multi-instrumentalist and dreamboat vocalist Owen Pallett will join the 'In Dreams' lineup, as will Sydney's tale-weaving, ARIA-winning Sarah Blasko, ever-eclectic Sydneysider Kirin J Callinan and celebrated harpist Marshall McGuire. Check out the rest of the Music at the House program here.
Join your favourite little person — and delight your own inner child — at this adaptation of Kit Williams' much-loved children's book, brought to life onstage by playwright Kate Mulvany. With music performed live by Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen, Masquerade follows the courageous adventure of a little boy and his mother who find themselves in an imagined world where the moon loves the sun and hidden treasure, riddles and talking hares collide. It's sure to be a beautiful adaptation by Mulvany, who credits the book with helping her through her own childhood experience with cancer.
Revving up for a string of final tour shows, for the 14th time in fact, Cell Block 69 are putting on a Christmas bash that's worth cancelling your weekend plans for. A revival '80s rock band like no other, this eight-piece act will be delivering their power ballads, synth pop classics and 'Totally Awesome Rock Hits' at their annual festivities once again. 'The many faces of Corey Tour 2014' sees the band's members (all sporting the first name 'Corey') hit the Oxford Art Factory in spectacular style. Renowned for their psychedelic strobe-lit performances, Cell Block 69's shows call back to the sell out stadium gigs of their iconic predecessors. Well, in their minds at least. Part parody, part homage rock group; these guys are a whole lot of hilarious. Spending your Saturday night rocking out to a smoke-filled spectacle of unparalleled excess, get ready for a night of headbanging beats and cringeworthy dance moves.
Whip out those leg warmers, it's time to get physical. Brand X and Electrofringe are putting on an art-meets-sport event guaranteed to get the blood pumping. Game Set Patch is the name of the game; showcasing sport-inspired art, live music-scored aerobics and Jane Fonda's unmistakable workout vids. Hosted by sports-venue-turned-studio-space Tempe Jets on Holbeach Avenue, gear up for an afternoon of good ol' fashioned fun. Ride into the day with the bike brigade (hitting the road from the Sydney Park stacks at 1:45pm), and descend into this sweaty celebration of music and art in Tempe. Collarbones/Black Vanilla's Marcus Whale brings back your repressed PE-class nightmares with his noise beep test, while Sydney duo Fishing will be providing the raging dance set needed to raise heart rates all round for an aerobics session. Prefer a slower pace? Set yourself up in Spoonty's e-games lounge, grab a 'gym and tonic' and load up on some homemade protein bars to keep spirits (and energy levels) high. Fitness fanatics and couch potatoes, consider yourselves both taken care of. Image: The Royal Tenenbaums.
Find out what a late night party looks like when Elizabeth Rose is in charge. The beats-cranking Sydneysider is curating a trio of discotheques, the first of which is locked in for the Civic Hotel on March 27, with the final two hitting Melbourne and Brisbane over the Easter Weekend. For each party, she's inviting her favourite local DJ talent to commandeer the decks, kicking off shenanigans before Rose delivers her own midnight set. It's high time Rose celebrated. Over the past twelve months, this young producer's been racking up one impressive achievement after another. First, FBi Radio named her 'Next Big Thing', then QANTAS gave her its 'Spirit of Youth' prize, and then her second EP reached #1 — on both the iTunes AU Electronic chart and triple j. In the meantime, she was singing on tracks for Flight Facilities and The Aston Shuffle. All of that led to Universal Publishing snapping the young DJ up with a publishing deal. So she's throwing you a party. What a legend.
If you could travel back in time via a Delorean, phone booth, hot tub or some other nifty gadget, what would you do? Making the world a better place, rewriting dark chapters in history and solving global problems are great responses, but they’re also the replies people think they should give. Be honest: if you thought no one was watching or judging you, what would you really do? Many films about temporal trickery actually answer this question accurately, understanding that we’re all just pursuing our own happiness. That excellent adventure Bill and Ted took was a by-product of trying not to fail their history class, after all. The slackers wanted to hang out, chase girls and dream of rock 'n' roll stardom — without worrying about Ted being sent to a military academy. Project Almanac might start with science wiz David (Jonny Weston) attempting to impress his way into a college scholarship, but that doesn’t last. After building a time machine from a blueprint found in his basement, David, his friends (Sam Lerner and Allen Evangelista) and younger sister (Virginia Gardner) chase fun, success, popularity, money, revenge and romance. Sure, David would like to reunite with his father, who passed away a decade ago and shares links to his new toy, but he’s more interested in ensuring his schoolyard crush, Jessie (Sofia Black-D'Elia), falls in love with him. So far, so standard, including the butterfly-effect-style realisation that actions in the past have consequences in the present, and that selfish deeds always have repercussions. Also standard is the approach chosen, and not just in affectionate name-checking of — and offering homages to — all the other time travel films you know and love. Sci-fi meets party movie wasn’t enough in the familiar stakes, so Project Almanac throws found footage into the mix as well. Think Chronicle crossed with Project X, without the surprise of the former and with the excess of the latter. It’s a gimmick plastered over a gimmick, seemingly justified because everyone everywhere apparently films everything these days — or so the movies tell us. For the first-time filmmaking team, it’s an excuse to cover up obvious plot points and generic teen tropes with a frenetic, frenzied style. Sometimes it works, the handheld, hurried camerawork matching the energy of the characters, copying their largely carefree point of view, showcasing the likeable cast and allowing the feature to rush through numerous fun situations such as winning the lottery and going to Lollapalooza. There’s a hollowness that lingers in the selfie-esque imagery, though, like putting on a fake smile and pretending that you’re enjoying yourself. Michael Bay’s name has featured heavily in Project Almanac’s marketing, not because of any giant, intergalactic, transforming robots or a semi-clad Megan Fox, but because of his involvement as a producer. Perhaps it is fitting that his brand of always shiny, sometimes entertaining emptiness is being used to draw people in. Like the believable motivations of the teens within the film in jumping into the past to seek pleasure and act in self-interest, that’s certainly honest.
Combining the holy trinity of music, performance and film together under one roof, Jumpboard Productions presents Live Live Cinema, a showcase of talent paired with a screening of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1963 horror film Dementia 13 and Herk Harvey’s 1962 cult classic, Carnival of Souls. Brought to life by New Zealand composer Leon Radojkovic, with multiple instrumentalists, actors and a foley artist, the films will be reinterpreted and a new, live soundtrack developed. To give some background, these films are usually produced with an ensemble performing the soundtrack; however, Live Live Cinema is producing all audio, dialogue and sound effects live. The result? An all immersive audiovisual environment that celebrates film, music and live performance all at once.
Ever wanted to get your mitts on Ryan Gosling's washboard abs without doing prison time for assault? This one's for you! In an undeniably genius move by the wax museum that takes our rising Celebrity Worship Syndrome to the next level, Madame Tussauds is taking you far away from your planned Valentine's Day Notebook solo sobfest and putting you right in front of the man of your erotic, erotic dreams: Ryan Gosling. And his 'interactive abs'. MT's are bringing the actor's dreamy but creepo wax figure out to Sydney to join the permanent A-List Zone on show from February 15. But if you turn up a day early with roses and heart in hand on Valentine's Day, there's a free pop-up photo booth where you can pose with ol' mate Gosso and create your very own "take-home Hey Girl meme" — actual quote. Suppress that bile, you know you want one. Needless to say, get ready to line up early and with angry, horrific Goslovers. According to the MT's team, this is "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gaze into the A-lister's baby blue eyes, and even take a sneak peek under his suit to have a feel of his famous washboard abs!" Feel 'em! And no jail time for you! Hooray! Oh, Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt's wax figs will be lurking around too, but y'know. 'Interactive abs.' The Ryan Gosling pop-up photo booth runs Saturday 14 February, from 11am to 3pm. Then the A-List Zone opens Sunday, February 15 (ticketed). Find Madame Tussaud's in front of the IMAX Theatre in Darling Harbour.
Purveyors of fine pork and Prosecco Swine & Co. have earned the bragging rights as both one of Sydney's fanciest after-work hangs and the go-to for pork lovers wanting to fork out with their fork out. After twelve successful months of Milk Fed Macleay Valley suckling pig, wagyu brisket Reubens and Mad Men-themed nights, Swine & Co.'s art deco-styled walls have seen a significant amount worth celebrating. So they're going all out and giving their first birthday a Hollywood theme, taking it back to the '50s and keeping things classic. Head chef Michael Box is creating specially-designed morsels for the occasion, while bar manager David Lloyd will be shaking the usual drinks menu up with bespoke cocktails. Horns-happy jazz outfit The Martini Club will be sassing up the joint with their particular brand of yazz alongside local DJs. And if you've ever wanted to see a Marilyn Monroe impersonator sing 'Happy Birthday' to a porky restaurant mascot, this is your kind of party. Swine & Co.'s first birthday is open to all, all you have to do is register for the guestlist here and arrive before 6:30pm.
Seems Sydney's monarchs of dumplingdom weren't content with being top of the bao chain. They needed to get a little more height. Din Tai Fung is set to open a pop-up dumpling bar in the Sydney Tower Eye, celebrating Chinese New Year. Yep, on the Observation Deck. If you like your dumplings with extra chilli and a terrifyingly glorious 360 degree panoramic view of Sydney (stretching 80km in all directions, 300 metres from the ground) get to the elevator. Up top, DTF will be serving up their signature pork and vegetarian buns, black sesame dessert buns and specially created lychee-mint bevs. But most importantly, the pop-up will function as a key venue to grab those adorable little lamb buns we had a kitten over last week. Seriously. LOOK AT THEM. Of course, you can't just waltz into Sydney Tower Eye. It's $18.55 per person if you book online ($26.50 in person, ouch), so you're kind of playing for the view while you nom. But you won't just find Din Tai Fung up there. Celebrating Chinese New Year, the STE Observation Deck will be converted into a little Chinatown with decorations and daily traditional Chinese lion dance performances from 2-2.30pm. Visitors will also be able to share their Chinese New Year wishes on a wishing wall. Din Tai Fung will be open in the Sydney Towere Eye between 11.30am-2pm and 5:30-8:30pm from February 19 to 22.
Maru stuck in too-small cardboard boxes. Grumpy Cat being genuinely unable to help the shape of his own face. Lil Bub hangin' with Whoopi Goldberg. Sure, you could load all three of these superstars on your screen right now, but what if some know-your-freakin-audience genius decided they'd take things next level make an entire film festival of internet cat videos? Celebrating their love of cats and videos of cats doing stupid, stupid things, RSCPA NSW are hosting the first ever International Internet Cat Film Furstival in Australia. Presented in conjunction with Minneapolis's Walker Art Centre, this why-hasn't-this-already-happened-here event stems from the globally-toured Internet Cat Video Festival. "Cats are the second most searched topic on the internet and millions of cat internet videos are shared around the world every day — think Colonel Meow, Grumpy Cat and many, many more. We have gathered the best of the best together and we want to share them with you under the stars," say the straight-up legendary RSCPA team. Genius, I mean who doesn't want to watch a giant screen version of Maru screwing up again? And again. And again. From short films to six-second Vine videos, the screening will visit all your favourite feline celebrities and raise funds for the RSPCA. But the night won't just be sitting and pointing every time Grumpy Cat hates on life or Colonel Meow looks like the demon from the end of Fantasia. You can visit the 'Cattoo Parlour', nom on some tasty food truck treats or throw back some milk in the Cat's Meow Club (for a little extra kibble).
Andy Bull is on one big ol' ride. The Sydney-based singer/songwriter has been unfathomably busy over the past year, juggling tour dates and life commitments while penning and producing his second album, Sea Of Approval. Released in July, the 29-year-old's newest record is a brilliant blend of insightful lyricism and exquisite electro pop. Bull's unique vocals and his knack for catchy hooks have caught the ears of listeners Australia-wide. Bull's latest three singles have notched up hours of radio play; you've definitely heard his voice on the airwaves. 'Talk Too Much', 'Keep On Running' and 'Baby I Am Nobody Now' have helped build anticipation for his second LP, which was almost entirely written and self-produced by Bull. We spoke to the Sydneysider not long after the announcement of his national tour in support of Sea Of Approval, hitting the Metro this Saturday. An insightful young pop virtuoso with a unique take on the creative process, Bull took us through his penchant for DIY, staying sane in the business and dealing with second album demands. Check out the interview here. Supported by New Navy + Vigilantes. All ages. https://youtube.com/watch?v=7sqR15lBVkE
The CBD establishment that houses legendary bookshop Kinokuniya, The Galeries Victoria is bringing more joyful words into our lives with an intriguing art exhibition, paying homage to some of the most memorable movie quotes of all time. Think about the great '90s movies we grew up on, the expected and the unexpected — this temporary gallery will showcase it all. The exhibition is called Based on a True Story and was created by The Writing artist Tania Debono. Debono is well-known in the art world for her colourful and unique approach to typography as artwork. The showcase is being held in The Galeries' public art space, Lane Four. Revered quotes are splashed across the walls in a three-dimensional mural that celebrates the power of film and the actors that immortalised those epic lines. The iconic quotes lining the exhibition walls were the amalgamation of communal input and social commentary. The exhibition is a visual nod to the great writers who have had a significant impact on the film industry — and in some cases influenced the way we talk today (essentially every line in Mean Girls). See if you can match them all to their movies. Based on a True Story will be running until November 1 at the Galeries Victoria. Entry is free.
When Jurassic Park opened in 1993, Steven Spielberg presented us with dinosaurs of such terrifying and spectacular realism, they've not been bested in the more than two decades since. So too the giant, wreathing CGI tornados of 1996's Twister, upon which Spielberg acted as executive producer. Special effects have come a long way since then, and one unfortunate corollary has been the proliferation of movies based on them rather than bolstered by them. Consider the latest offering: Into The Storm — another 'nature attacks humans' film where the only twist is it wasn't directed by Roland Emmerich. Here, a series of twisters are on a collision course with a small American town, imperilling not only its inhabitants but also the storm chasers determined to film from within the eye of the tornado. Some kids get stuck in a mill, more get trapped in their school and… that's it. There's the plot. Storm come. Storm big. Storm destroy. Most annoying of all, this is another addition to the found footage genre of film — an entirely unnecessary device that's almost always ignored as soon it becomes too difficult to explain how or why someone was filming every single moment (in this case, a dramatic shot of 747s swirling around inside a giant tornado was not, presumably, filmed by a pigeon with a Go-Pro). Found footage also has a knack for making even decent actors look rubbish, as is the case here with Richard Armitage, aka The Hobbit's Thorin Oakenshield. His dialogue, whether scripted or improvised, seems horrifically forced throughout, representing a sort of poor-man's Frank Underwood narration. There is one drawcard here, and it's the weather. The menacing skies are spectacular and the force of the winds is well captured in the action sequences, yet it's nothing we'd not already seen all the way back in 1996. So, if it's a twister film you desire, save your money and revisit the only one actually worthy of the name. https://youtube.com/watch?v=A_kj8EKhV3w
For the last four years or so, the Blue Mountains' Russell Fitzgibbon and Doug Wright aka Fishing have been shaking up the Sydney electronic music scene with Hookz mixtapes, applaudable live shows and a killer debut album Shy Glow, featuring members of Cloud Control (lead singer Alister Wright is Doug's brother), Collarbones and Guerre. In June, the Sydney duo held an audiovisual overload of an album launch party at The Basement as part of VIVID; now they're trekking through the country's major cities to showcase their much-anticipated debut LP. Fishing's style has been self-described as 'RAVE' and their most recent music video (featuring several shirtless males, strobe lights and lots of lasers) is testament to this. They've supported the likes of local faves like Elizabeth Rose, Safia and the now-disbanded Snakadaktal, and are set to play OutsideIn later in the year. If their massive raver set at Splendour in the Grass this year is anything to go by, you're in for a humdinger of a party. https://youtube.com/watch?v=HwgWQBLdUwk
It’s a '70s vibe with '50s tunes that the trusty Paddington watering hole The Unicorn and its downstairs den Easy Tiger are rockin’. Or, more accurately, rollin’. New night Roller Dog Thursdays features slick roller-skating waitstaff to take your order of $10 all-you-can-eat hotdogs. And trust us, if you're going to be gorging yourself on hotdogs, having waitstaff on wheels to bring them to you isn't just a gimmick; it's a necessity. Some of the finger-licking bites you can expect include spicy frankfurts served with bacon, cheese and fried jalapenos (Spicy Gambino), a pork and fennel sausage with prosciutto, cabbage and bocconcini (Italian Gangster) and a hot dog trying its very best to be a taco (Mexican Bird Man). Forget about waiting a whole year for the next hot dog eating competition: Roller Den Thursdays is the new time for you and your belly to get reacquainted.
Let’s face it; doing crazy stuff is always better when there’s a good cause to back up the bonkers. Case in point: Abseil For Youth, in support of the Sir David Martin Foundation (SDMF), is calling up to 250 fearless folk to scale down the 33-storey BT Tower building in the CBD on Friday, October 17, and Saturday, October 18. Now in its fifth year, this time around Abseil for Youth is aiming to raise $400,000 for the Triple Care Farm rehabilitation program, which tackles addiction, homelessness, mental health issues, depression and self-harm in seriously disadvantaged youth. The SDMF, established by then Governor of NSW Sir David himself, relies entirely on community and individual generosity to help raise funds for said projects. So if the opportunity to see Sydney from a whole new angle tickles your fancy, you too can help improve the lives of young people across Australia. To register, go to the Abseil for Youth website.
For seven years now, Oxford Street's long-thriving, immersive, experimental, multifunctional venue has been bringing its Warhol-influenced inspiration to Sydneysiders. It's since become a favourite for many a major touring artist, as well as the go-to for innovative mini-festivals, music-meets-art extravaganzas and all-round good times. To celebrate, OAF is hosting a massive, multi-roomed party — and entry is absolutely free (just make sure you RSVP online). On the main stage, a seriously solid lineup of Australian DJs and producers will deliver electronic, tropical vibes all night long, with appearances from Kilter, Oscar Key Sung, Hatch, Kanyon, Meare, Phondupe, Le Fruit DJs and Geoffrey James. But if live bands and sleazy rock are more your thing, there'll be plenty of satisfaction in the Gallery, where you'll find yourself face to face with The Gooch Palms, Flyying Colours, The Upskirts, The Dandelion, Smaal Cats and Dr GODDARD — OAF's got some great friends. To carry home a long-lasting memento of the evening, visit the Hunter and Fox Tattoo Parlour, which will be inking on a first-come, first-served basis from 8pm. Image: Hermitude, Meg Hewitt.
Rizzy’s 18th Birthday Party isn't your standard boozy 18th. Part film, co-directed by S. Shakthidaran and Guido Gonzalez, and part nice 'n' close live music experience, Rizzy is the first in a connected series of works by Shakthi as part of his role as Carriageworks’ first-ever associate artist. Through his work as founder and artistic director at CuriousWorks, Shakthi engages with marginalised communities, empowering them with the tools they need to artistically tell their own stories. Eleven years ago, Shakthi met co-director Guido at one such project in south-western Sydney and it’s a story from Guido’s past that inspired this modern coming-of-age tale with a south-western Sydney twist. “It’s like [there's] an escapist, dream-like stability to your world just after high school, and everything seems possible, and as you navigate your way into adulthood, the force of reality intrudes,” Shakthi explains. The film was shot over two days with an acting ensemble of talented Sydney artists and with the help of 20-30 young people from the CuriousWorks community program. Although many projects that CuriousWorks is involved in focus on refugees and new immigrants, Rizzy is unique in that it focuses on second-generation immigrants. “You walk down a street in Western Sydney and you meet the whole world," says Shakthi. "I feel like it’s that next phase, like contemporary youth culture is about all of us together, post-race, post-everything and having a truly diverse Australian identity." Technology is a huge part of the work he does, and Shakthi is very excited about the opportunities that technology affords in telling stories. For the rite of passage story that Rizzy represents, Shakthi says, “What’s really exciting about new technology is that we’re still in this emergent phase and it’s the most democratic that we’ve ever had — that’s the big difference,” he says. “The opportunity is there I think for huge diversity in our storytelling landscape.” With a band in the middle, surrounded by audiences on four sides whose attention is directed to screens where they will view multichannel projections, audience-to-story intimacy at Rizzy will be at an all-time high. And that’s exactly how Shakthi wants it. “It’s like being in a lounge room with your closest mates and sharing music and film that you love, but your lounge room is really well equipped,” Shakthi laughs. Blending Western Sydney youth culture and popular contemporary art, Rizzy’s 18th Birthday Party is one party where you’ll want to arrive on time. Rizzy’s 18th Birthday Party is on at Carriageworks from October 1-4. Tickets are $35, available via Ticketmaster here.
If you’ve missed waking up with Tom every weekday morning since he left triple j, then now is the time to reconnect. Wil Anderson describes him as “one of the most original, fearless and hilarious voices in Australian comedy”, and that guy knows a thing or two. So get yourself down to The Comedy Store and catch Ballard's latest work of art. Be quick though; it will sell out. This is one of our top picks of the Sydney Comedy Festival. Check out our full top ten.
A young British soldier gets separated from his regiment and has to make his way back to safe terrain amid the height of the Troubles in Belfast. That’s the basic set-up of war-time thriller '71, a film that epitomises the murkiness of the conflict that it depicts. Performance, character, cinematography and story are cloaked in an air of uncertainty and mistrust, with people on both sides of the camera keeping their cards held close to their chests. The result is a film that’s heavy on atmosphere but never quite comes together as a compelling whole. The movie begins with a squad of British soldiers being dispatched to the Northern Irish capital. Their assignment is to help quell growing unrest in the city, where clashes between Protestant loyalists, Catholic nationalist and various factions of the IRA have transformed entire neighbourhoods into war zones. The magnitude of the conflict is made clear on the platoon’s first mission, when a house search sparks a riot. In a hasty retreat, Private Gary Hook (Jack O’Connell) is accidentally left behind — trapped in dangerous territory and surrounded by people who want him dead. Director Yann Demange does great work establishing the look and feel of Belfast circa 1971. The empty grey streets leave you feeling queasy during daylight hours, and hum with danger at night. It’s a quality reminiscent of John Carpenter’s Escape from New York, a comparison driven home by David Holmes’ pounding score. Handheld camerawork further enforces the sense of immediacy, particularly during the film’s sudden, unflinching moments of brutal violence. Unfortunately, the docudrama approach comes at cost. O’Connell, recently seen in Unbroken, does a lot with very little dialogue, but ultimately we know almost nothing about his character. That goes double for the people hunting him, and triple for the double agents and soldiers trying to coordinate his rescue. For the most part, the ancillary characters — the reluctant young revolutionary, the unscrupulous spy — feel more like archetypes than they do real people. Screenwriter Gregory Burke hints at more complex plot machinations concerning people further up the food chain, but it never amounts to anything of substance. So the film fluctuates between gripping and strangely uninspiring — commanding your attention during certain key sequences, but leaving very little impression after the fact.
Whether you spent your entire primary school education grinning smugly from the King square or languishing in Dunce position, you still have a point to prove, right? Here’s your chance. The Oxford Tavern is hosting a handball competition inside a pub. Inside a pub! And, as if that weren’t kickass enough, the champion wins his/her height in cheeseburgers. His/her height in cheeseburgers! Officially known as the Inner West Handball League, the contest kicks off next Thursday, March 19, at 7pm. The rules are exactly as you would have, or should have, followed them at school. That’s four squares, labelled King, Queen, Jack and Dunce (some rebellious schools included Ace as the server). When someone gets out, everyone moves up one rank. There’s no double-bouncing, no fulls, no using any part of your body except your hand to hit the ball, no grabbing, no rolling and no hanging out in other people’s squares. And bullying is absolutely not permitted. Spots are limited, so if you’ve got the goods, you’d better email forbes@drinkndine.com.au as soon as your super-fast reflexes allow it. For the rules, check out Fennell Bay Public School's hella sick PDF. For 'tips', watch ol' K-Rudd do some damage at Brisbane High School.
Australians devour approximately 190,000 tonnes of meat per year. This equates to 120kg per person per annum, which is almost three times as much as the world average. Despite the phenomenal increase in meat consumption over the last few decades, particularly in pork and poultry, the number of pig producers in the country has reduced by 94 percent and there are only two major producers of chicken. This is largely why two-thirds of the world's meat now comes from factory farming. So what can you do about the animal cruelty and health problems this gross over-consumption is causing? Take part in Meat Free Week from March 23 - 29 to help spread the word and raise funds for this important issue. Money raised from the initiative goes to charities such as Voiceless, who help protect factory farmed animals in Australia. And they're not trying to persuade you to become an avid vegan or vegetarian; it's simply about modifying meat consumption: limiting meat intake and only choosing free-range animal products in order to reduce the amount of factory farming in Australia. You could also improve your own health in the process, as eating excessive amounts of meat can lead to heart disease, kidney failure or even cancer. Head to the Meat Free Week website to read more and sign up.
Now in its 24th year, Orange FOOD Week is one of the biggest, tastiest festivals on the New South Wales calendar. This week, more than 80 events will happen across ten days, celebrating the Orange District's local growers, farmers, foragers, winemakers, chefs, restaurants and cafes. Perhaps the most epic part of the program is the FOOD train, which will leave Sydney Central Station for Orange on April 17, taking travellers on a weekend-long journey filled with tasting menus, outdoor lunches and brewery tours. Other highlights include the 100 Mile Dinner in Molong, served under the stars on the village green (April 13); FORAGE, a 3.6 kilometre stroll through vineyards and paddocks taking in several wineries (April 18); the producer's market in Cook Park, where local produce will be turned into breakfasts and brunches on the spot (April 19); and opening night, which will take the form of a night market, to be held at Robertson Park (April 10).
Prolific Japanese sludge-psychedelic noisemakers Boris are well acquainted with sounds of every type. They've released 19 albums full of them in the past 20 years — spanning from doom-laden metal to feedback-heavy acid rock — culminating in last year's release, with the you-can’t-say-they-didn’t-warn-you of a title Noise. It's a far cry from J-pop (though the trio have been known to dabble in it), but still a sound inspired by Japan. "Every street in every city is flooded with massive noise, from people talking, the constant playing of uncomfortable commercial music, so many conflicting sounds in one space," bassist/guitarist/vocalist Takeshi told the SMH. Last time Boris made it to Australia they played their 2002 cult classic record Flood in its entirety. If you manage to bag a ticket to one of their Newtown Social Club shows this month, come prepared for eardrum-popping experimental soundscapes as dense as their discography is in releases. Don't forget your earplugs. Supported by Dumbsaint + Hawkmoth.
There's never been a better reason to drink. Order a Negroni from participating bars during Negroni Week, coming up June 1–7, and you’ll earn $1 for charity. Yep, it’s as simple as that. Negroni Week, an international event, was initiated by Imbibe magazine two years ago. In 2013, 300 bars participated, but by 2014, that number had more than quadrupled, to 1,300. And this year, Imbibe has teamed up with Campari to take Negroni Week global. Consequently, it’s arriving in Australia for the first time. The Negroni was invented in 1919 in Florence, Italy. It came about when a Count named Camillo Negroni ordered an Americano (Campari, sweet vermouth and soda) in a local bar, but decided to add an extra kick. He asked the bar tender to replace the soda with gin, and lo, the Negroni was born. While other cocktails have gone in and out of fashion, the world has been sipping this delicately balanced and beautifully bitter concoction ever since. To find your nearest participating venue, visit the Negroni Week website, or if you just want to see the shortlist, check out our picks of the top five Negroni bars in Sydney.
Returning for a second year after a widely-publicised Parklife rebrand, national electronic dance music festival Listen Out has locked in dates for another year. Spearheaded by organisers and promoters Fuzzy (the team behind Field Day, Shore Thing and Harbourlife), Listen Out marked its debut last year to generally upward thumbs and rants about Azealia Banks' smokebomb. Stopping by Sydney, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane in spring, Listen Out's so-called 'boutique' set-up will "showcase the best dance music in a small but perfectly formed setting," according to Fuzzy. The nationally-touring festival will return to Sydney's Centennial Park, Perth's Ozone Reserve and Melbourne's Observatory Precinct, with a change in Brisbane venue from Southbank's Cultural Forecourt to the Brisbane Showgrounds. Headlined by staggeringly popular UK duo Disclosure last year with highlights including Azealia Banks (very briefly), AlunaGeorge and Classixx, this year's lineup sees Flume, Chet Faker, Zhu, Schoolboy Q and more crank the beats up in Centennial Park. LISTEN OUT 2014 LINEUP: FLUME (only 2014 shows) CHET FAKER ZHU SCHOOLBOY Q FOUR TET YG TA-KU TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS (DJ Set) SHLOHMO BONDAX YOUNG FATHERS YAHTZEL (DJ Set) GOLDEN FEATURES TKAY MAIDZA TRIPLE J UNEARTHED WINNER + more Image by Dominic Loneragan. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Lk3vbB_yuk0
You should cut down on your porklife and get to the Sydney Opera House, Damon Albarn is coming to Sydney. Celebrating the recent release of his critically-acclaimed first solo venture Everyday Roots, the legendary Blur frontman will bring early Christmas presents to Sydneysiders with two intimate performances on December 15 and 16. Alongside his Blur/Gorillaz escapades, the 46-year-old has casually worked with Everyone Ever — including the late Bobby Womack, buds Brian Eno, Natasha Khan (Bat For Lashes), Paul Simonon (The Clash), master drummer Tony Allen, Snoop Dogg and Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers). For his Sydney show he'll be joined onstage with his shiny new live crew, The Heavy Seas, plus a cheeky string quartet and onstage choir. Epic. "Damon Albarn is one of the great figures in modern music and we're incredibly proud to present his debut solo performance in Australia," said Ben Marshall, head of contemporary music at Sydney Opera House. "His restless inventiveness, inquisitiveness and taste across all his projects have been an inspiration to me and this will be an amazing summer evening in the Opera House Concert Hall." While the setlist will undoubtedly focus on Albarn's solo material, fingers are crossed for a Boys and Girls Easter Egg or two. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ODG3VRkncBc
Olympic gold medallist Matthew Mitcham isn't known for his comedic capabilities. That's not to say he doesn't have them, just that most people just tend to know him better for his skills in diving off a plank into water. But Mitcham will soon be joining a whole list of other well-known Australians and taking to the stage in the annual improv comedy event, Celebrity Theatresports. The public figures will be stepping out of their respective varied domains and putting on their comedy hats, ready to entertain in what promises to be a rollicking show. Most people can't think of much worse than having to improvise in front of an audience, but this multitalented bunch isn't just doing it on a whim — the event is in aid of Australian kids' cancer organisation CanTeen, so they all earn props for bravery and for general do-gooderness. Honorary Australian Queen of Eurovision and RocKwiz host Julia Zemiro is presiding over the evening of on-the-spot comedy games. All in all, it's kind of a done deal that you'll leave with muscles sore from chortling, as well as having helped out some needy kids.
The Guinness World Book of Records has some pretty obscure (and oddly specific) entries. The longest distance keeping a table lifted with teeth and the most swallowed sword are really just a scratch on the surface of this weird things people will put themselves through in pursuit of a record. This year will be the year that Sydney gets in on the action – through drinking beer. On Friday, August 1, beer blogger The Beer Pilgrim will be hosting a free beer tasting session, in the hope of attaining the coveted title of 'largest beer tasting in a single venue', in commemoration of International Beer Day. The current record is held in Santa Anita Park in California with a total of 322 participants. In an attempt to outdo this record, the first 350 arrivals between 6pm-7pm will be privy to their own tasting paddle with three local and international beers. All for free! The competition will be held in Ivy Sunroom: Level 3, 330 George Street. Because if there's one thing Australian's take great pride in - it’s the consumption of beer. Lots and lots of beer.
With its shadowy aesthetic and soundscape of screeching and whispering, Deliver Us from Evil immediately displays all the typical horror trappings — and its familiarity only continues. Writer/director Scott Derrickson and his frequent co-scribe Paul Harris Boardman may adapt Ralph Sarchie and Lisa Collier Cool's non-fiction tale Beware the Night, yet the history of the frightening on film is just as influential. Think: flickering lights, difficulties with children and animals, creepy incantations, mental institutions, and even an off-putting jack-in-the-box. Add: literal manifestations of obvious themes, with no subtlety necessary. New York City detective Sarchie (Eric Bana) prowls the streets with his partner Butler (Joel McHale), their undercover operations drawn to particular calls by intuition. One instance links to other unusual reports: a domestic violence case connecting to a woman who threw her baby into a lion's den and then a family living in fear of ominous happenings in their basement. Their otherworldly elements are easily dismissed until Sarchie teams up with Mendoza (Edgar Ramirez), a Castilian priest well versed in the occult, sparking a battle of beliefs on multiple levels. Try as the feature might to capitalise upon a pedigree that includes a true story about a lawman turned demonologist, plus a filmmaker experienced in both the paranormal (as helmer of Sinister and The Exorcism of Emily Rose) and procedural (as writer of Devil's Knot), everything about Deliver Us From Evil dwells in by-the-numbers territory. As the narrative lurches through a convoluted web of grim discoveries in alleyways, it remains a predictable pastiche of the genre. Indeed, the blunt audio and visual cues that smack viewers in the face at the outset prove the lesser of the film's sins, evoking an on-edge atmosphere that is instantly let down by the uninspired content. Derrickson and Boardman divide their time between two odd couplings with care for neither, each character — the brooding cop, his wisecracking off-sider, and the solemn man of faith — constrained by broad categorisations. The same cursory treatment is given to Sarchie's unhappy wife (Olivia Munn) and precocious daughter (Lulu Wilson), with both mere emotional fodder. That the majority of performances are similarly rote is unsurprising, though Ramirez stands out as the sole source of texture among the blandness. When the moment everyone has been waiting for finally comes after too much mood-building filler, Deliver Us from Evil dispenses an impressive and extended exorcism scene; however, the flash of sound and fury might not bring too little, but it is too late to erase the film's unremarkable bulk. The dreariness of its derivation just can't be overcome, nor does the film seem to want to. Instead, it wallows in suspension-of-logic, check-the-box horror of the flimsiest order. https://youtube.com/watch?v=eDZaImYSvm0
Sweden's recent electro music success is enough to believe the likes of Lykke Li, Robyn, The Knife, Swedish House Mafia, Avicii, Adrian Lux and Rebecca & Fiona all hang out with each other, and swap industry tips over fika. Groups such as Little Dragon, however, have developed an international following with records characterised by smoothly evocative lyrics. Their self-proclaimed 'global sound' is experimental and consistently enjoyable. Their latest album, Nubuma Rubberband, is absolutely worth a listen. Hitting up Oxford Art Factory with one of the week's most anticipated gigs, Little Dragon have now sold out every last ticket for the night without breaking a sweat. https://youtube.com/watch?v=UM--TtkGNa4
Film and television aficionados take note — Tropfest Roughcut is back for its fourth instalment and should not be missed (particularly if you're thinking of entering your own short for Tropfest 2015). Featuring actors, directors, producers and comedians, the eclectic lineup of speakers will discuss creativity on the big and small screens. They will provide valuable insight to all interested in the industry, especially those looking to crack it. Headlining the list of industry heavyweight guest speakers will be director Alex Proyas, best known for I, Robot (2004) and cult classic The Crow (1994) and currently working on the much-anticipated blockbuster Gods of Egypt with Geoffrey Rush. Joining Proyas are Australian actor John Jarratt of Wolf Creek fame, motion picture stills photographer Jasin Boland (The Matrix, Mad Max: Fury Road, Skyfall), comedian and crowdfunder Dan Ilic and Triple J's regular film critic Marc Fennell, who will MC the event. With a mix of conversation, networking and panel discussions, it is no wonder that tickets are selling fast. Buy yours now to be ready for when Tropfest entries open on August 13.
The Effect is a romantic comedy about a boy and a girl with instant chemistry. That sentence is true, but The Effect is also a contemporary 'issue play', where the boy and girl's bodily chemistry is being experimented on, and the very nature of our knowledge about mental health is under the microscope. From Lucy Prebble (the UK writer behind Enron and TV's Secret Diary of a Call Girl), the clever, warm and hyper-relevant play is a response to something her country and ours have in common: the rise of psychotropic medications. Antidepressant use has risen by about 10 percent per year since 1998, the program tells us, when not only is it still a fairly fledgling science but the self-interest of big pharmaceutical companies is skewing our progress in the field. The arguments are fought overtly by the conflicted Dr James (Angie Milliken) and her supervisor, Toby (Eugene Gilfedder), who are conducting a drug trial in which subjects are given increasing dosages over several weeks. It's there that buttoned-up psychology student Connie (Anna McGahan) meets scruffy free spirit Tristan (Mark Leonard Winter from Thyestes), while each is holding their pee cups — a meet-cute if ever there was one. Their attraction grows with each passing day in the isolated facility, but Connie resists. Not only is sexual contact verboten during the trial, she's worried it's the mood-elevating drug that's causing the flirtation, not their real feelings. Dr James isn't happy either; she's worried it's the flirtation that's elevating the duo's moods, not the drug she's testing. Props to Prebble — where this tangled web leads after intermission is completely unpredictable. Like that ex you're hung up on, this script is charming, funny and ultimately a heartbreaker. Prebble does great work in a fairly unforgiving style of drama that can so easily get didactic or contrived. And while the false dichotomy set up between the positions of Dr James and Toby can be frustrating, it's also eye-opening. Did you know 'chemical imbalance' is just one, contested hypothesis about the cause of mental illness? That's a pretty important bit of knowledge I owe to Prebble's Dr James, who thinks it'll be the 20th century's four humors. Director Sarah Goodes has put on a clear and energising staging here, bringing out four completely seductive performances from the actors. It's pretty easy to fall in love with both McGahan as Connie and Winter as Tristan (a key factor missing from so many rom-coms). The set — a clinical, reflective room positioned around a giant lightbox by designer Renee Mulder — is an appropriate space said to be inspired by the work of optical trickster Olafur Eliasson. It only seems to get the chance to fulfill this ambition on a couple of occasions, however, and also plays its part in some less-than-smooth transitions. On top of its generally good execution, The Effect is just a great piece of programming. It's the sort of theatre that can speak to a wide audience, about an issue that's touched nearly everyone. Also, and there's never an appropriate place to say this but: the STC programs are the very best around. This one includes a glossary, a contemporary Australian love poem and a medical history essay by science journalist Wendy Zukerman — all wonderfully interesting. Get one when you go.
When someone asks where the party at, Motorik answer. The Sydney-based dance collective and record label are known around the traps for throwing the most outrageous of raves in secret locations. After three years of warm-ups and killer releases, they're ready to get epic for their third birthday this Saturday at a 'secret base location'. With the 15th release coming up for the label — a casual facemelter of an EP from The Presets' K.I.M — and their own show on the brand new FBi Click, Motorik have a bunch of reasons to get messy. They've also released the next instalment of their 'Under the Influences' mixtape series with K.I.M, streaming over here. Andrew Santamaria from Motorik took us through his top five tracks to gear you up for Motorik's epic birthday bash right here.
Throughout October, Barangaroo House will transform into a haven for rosé enthusiasts with its free-to-enter, month-long celebration of pink plonk hot on the heels of its martini festival in September. This lively venue features three distinct levels, each offering a unique experience steeped in the rosy-hued drop Sydneysiders cannot get enough of. Smoke, a Barangaroo House's popular rooftop bar, pairs stunning Sydney sunsets with refreshing tipples like the much-beloved Whispering Angel, a crisp French Provence rosé, or the enticing Pink Sunset cocktail—a spirghtly mix of Bombay Sapphire gin, house-made rosé, and rhubarb liquor, crowned with citrus and berry garnishes. For an added thrill, try the Blush and Burn shot, infused with strawberry and creamy coconut, alongside delectable bites like smoked ocean trout on mini brioche. On the middle floor, Rekōdo exudes urban energy with its Japanese-inspired decor and a vinyl soundtrack. Guests can sip Veuve Clicquot rosé and enjoy cocktail specials like the Kyoto Kiss—an effervescent blend starring Aperol and berries. At weekends, the Jukebox Bottomless experience beckons, allowing patrons to request songs while indulging in a lavish menu that includes prawn crackers and strawberry fried ice cream. At ground level, House Bar offers a moment of chilled-out vibes with its waterfront views. Here, Chandon Rosé bubbles and frosé flow freely, complemented by playful dishes like pink Skull Island prawn bao buns. As the sun sets, DJs will be spinning tunes, ensuring that each level pulses with vibrant energy, inviting guests to sip, savour, and celebrate their favourite pink drink all month long.
Once upon a time, this spot was a craft beer bar specialising in Sunday roasts. Since changing hands in 2023, Taphouse has offered a space for approachable yet creative drinks, fresh takes on suburban Cantonese-style bites and special signature dishes. One of those signature dishes, the spice bag, a viral pinnacle of Irish-Chinese fusion cuisine, debuted on St Patrick's Day to massive popularity. Now it's getting the spotlight in a new regular menu offering: Sunday Shenanigans. This weekly set menu celebrates Irish-Chinese food in all the best ways. The Taphouse's take on the Irish-Chinese delicacy is available to purchase all week for $21. Or, it's a tempting deal to book Sunday Shenanigans for $34pp. That will get you a feast of prawn crackers, vegetarian spring rolls, salt and pepper fries, egg fried rice, chilli chicken, sweet and sour chicken and a healthy portion of McDonnell's Curry Sauce—mandatory for the true Irish-Chinese food experience. Drinks-wise, you can pair the feast with $12 pints of Guinness or a five-spice bloody mary made with your choice of vodka, gin or tequila, Taphouse Spice Mix, tomato juice, coriander, cucumber and lemon for $15. To book a seat at Sunday Shenanigans, visit the Taphouse website.
In 2022, The Strokes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were meant to share the same Splendour in the Grass bill. Karen O's band didn't make it to what became Splendour in the Mud, but the two groups have shared plenty before — and for decades. Their maps have overlapped since pre-9/11 New York, when both were formed in the turn-of-the-millennium indie-rock wave, then surfed it to success and worldwide fame. Both The Strokes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were born of the Lower East Side pre-gentrification. Both spun in the same orbit as late-90s saccharine pop and Y2K nu-metal rock gave way to electrifying guitar riffs and an explosive sound that'd become a whole scene. Both are led by charismatic singers who came alive onstage, but also found chaos and challenges. Alongside Interpol, LCD Soundsystem, The Moldy Peaches, The Rapture and TV on the Radio, both now sit at the heart of documentary Meet Me in the Bathroom. Based on Lizzy Goodman's 2017 book Meet Me in the Bathroom, an oral history that focuses on exactly what its subtitle says it does — Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001–2011 — this is a fond look back at bands setting the room on fire and rolling heads as one century gave way to the next. While the film isn't about just one or two groups, it returns to The Strokes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs again and again, and not simply because they're two of the early 00s' biggest NYC post-punk, garage-rock revival names. Listening to The Strokes' first record, 2001's Is This It, is a jolt and a buzz. With Julian Casablancas behind the microphone, it thrums and hums with the energy of hopping between bars, gigs and parties, and with the thrill of a heady night, week, month, year and just being in your 20s. Hearing O's voice is galvanising — intoxicating as well — and has been since the Yeah Yeah Yeah's self-titled EP, also in 2001. It's no wonder that directors Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern just want to keep listening, and also inhabiting that vibe. Meet Me in the Bathroom jumps around like a mixtape — or, befitting the period, like illicit tunes acquired by Napster and LimeWire, tools that aren't irrelevant to this story. Before technology changed the radio star again, making global fandom easier, better, faster and stronger, the movie's bands had to come to fruition in the first place, however. Lovelace and Southern start with images of the Manhattan skyline, and of New York's subway system. They hero Andy Warhol, Lou Reed and Blondie, ticking through New York icon after New York icon. They position The Strokes, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and company's arrival as the next step and, by using such familiar NYC mainstays, they mark Meet Me in the Bathroom's key players as era-defining legends who were always going be legends. Before this, Lovelace and Southern's best-known film was Shut Up and Play the Hits. In that James Murphy-centric doco about what was then LCD Soundsystem's last gig at Madison Square Garden and in this alike, the directing duo are patently enamoured with their subjects. That doesn't dampen or discount Meet Me in the Bathroom's passion and insights, not for a second — but the film is preaching to the long ago-converted rather initiating 00s-period indie-rock newcomers. There's a wistfulness beyond nostalgia to the movie as well that's a few strums away from being out of tune. The years have passed, naturally. It'll never be the advent of the 21st century again, short of time-travelling DeLoreans or phone booths. Still, The Strokes' last album arrived in 2020, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Interpol released new records in 2022; they're all still together and still touring. In a counterpoint to Meet Me in the Bathroom's confidence that this talent in this town was always going to lead to this tale, The Moldy Peaches' Adam Green voices early doubts: "I remember thinking maybe New York isn't the kind of city anymore that produces iconic bands." The film wouldn't exist if the names it surveys hadn't made their mark, of course, and helped ensure their scene made a mark. Viewers know that going in, but watching the process via archival footage, home movies and gig snippets from the time, much of it handheld and atmospheric — and hearing from Casablancas, O, Murphy, Green, Interpol's Paul Banks and more — is as immersive and transporting as Lovelace and Southern want it to be. A like-you're-there sensation kicks in; Casablancas looking so fresh-faced assists, plus O talking through how fronting a band helped her work out who she was. (Her comment that there were no women in rock leading the way beforehand aren't as spot-on.) O is a fascinating, mesmerising, don't-want-to-look-away point of Meet Me in the Bathroom's focus. The movie does peer elsewhere, but the audience wants it to swiftly return. Her transformation from a quiet girl with an acoustic guitar from New Jersey to a rock goddess doesn't just feel fated, but earned. Her honesty, especially when chatting about the solace from racism and sexism she sought in music, then the treatment that women in rock receive, is pivotal to making Meet Me in the Bathroom more than a vivid effort to revisit a time, place, mood and scene. Also, her candour sits in contrast to Casablancas, who the doco gravitates towards as the world did, but conveys most of what he's going to by saying little. The bigger The Strokes get, the less comfortable he is. And, given that everything in the film's frames comes from back in the day, that's without Casablancas knowing that two decades later this documentary would take its name from a track from The Strokes' second album. Affectionate, in the moment, revealing, reverent: Meet Me in the Bathroom hits all of those notes. It also covers much, from Y2K predictions to 9/11 and its aftermath, sweaty club shows to internet-enabled album leaks, and whirlwind tours through to struggling to get deals and records out. With editors Andrew Cross (Ronaldinho: The Happiest Man in the World) and Sam Rice-Edwards (Whitney), Lovelace and Southern structure the film by feel more than anything else. There's a timeline to this time capsule, but in flitting from one band to the next and back again, choosing where to linger — including an indulgent midsection spent charting Murphy's switch from producer to LCD Soundsystem frontman — and picking what to leave out, mood seems the biggest influence. That's music, though, as anyone who has happily lost themselves to The Strokes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on a heaving dance floor or among a jostling festival crowd knows, as does Meet Me in the Bathroom.
David Attenborough's nature documentaries are acclaimed and beloved viewing, including when they're recreating dinosaurs. Family-friendly fare adores cute critters, especially if they're talking as in The Lion King and Paddington movies. The horror genre also loves pushing animals to the front, with The Birds and Jaws among its unsettling masterpieces. Earth's creatures great and small are all around us on-screen, and also off — but in EO, a donkey drama by Polish filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski (11 Minutes), humanity barely cares. The people in this Oscar-nominated mule musing might watch movies about pets and beasts. They may have actively shared parts of their own lives existence the animal kingdom; some, albeit only a rare few, do attempt exactly that with this flick's grey-haired, white-spotted, wide-eyed namesake. But one of the tragedies at the heart of this astonishing adventure is also just a plain fact of life on this pale blue dot while homo sapiens reign supreme: that animals are everywhere all the time but hardly anyone notices. EO notices. Making his first film in seven years, and co-writing with his wife and producer Ewa Piaskowska (Essential Killing), Skolimowski demands that his audience pays attention. This is both an episodic slice-of-life portrait of EO the donkey's days and a glimpse of the world from his perspective — sometimes, the glowing and gorgeous cinematography by Michal Dymek (Wolf) takes in the Sardinian creature in all his braying, trotting, carrot-eating glory; sometimes, it takes on 'donkey vision', which is just as mesmerising to look at. Skolimowski gets inspiration from Robert Bresson's 1966 feature Au Hasard Balthazar, too, a movie that also follows the life of a hoofed, long-eared mammal. Like that French great, EO sees hardship much too often for its titular creature; however, even at its most heartbreaking, it also spies an innate, immutable circle of life. It's amid strobing red lights that EO makes his debut, and in the embrace and safekeeping of the doting Kasandra (Sandra Drzymalska, Mental) at a travelling Polish circus. They perform, but they're also the best of friends beyond the big top, a bond that she doesn't ever want to end. Alas, swiftly after EO starts, protests engulf the donkey's home, with animal-rights campaigners striking and the troupe's management going bankrupt. Sold off with the other critters, the mule will meet his gentle and kind human pal again, but the movie's tale from here has almost as many strands as EO's own tail — including as he traverses the Polish and Italian countryside, complete with stints at a horse stable, a farm, wandering free, avoiding hunters, maybe bringing good luck to a local football team, definitely enraging their opposition, being accompanied by a young priest and more. After EO's liberation, the change of scenery doesn't initially seem too troubling or taxing. His next abode gets a fancy opening ceremony with dignitaries cutting ribbons, and gifts him a bountiful carrot necklace — the literal kind. But when he's startled by horses and knocks over a display stacked with trophies, he's moved on. There, he's offered just one chunky vegetable and appears despondent. Next comes a reunion, an opportune escape, the forest by night, feuding soccer clubs and awful violence, plus an animal hospital, a fur factory, the meat trade, a lonely truck driver (Mateusz Kosciukiewicz, Magnesium), that man of the cloth (Lorenzo Zurzolo, Under the Amalfi Sun) and a countess (Isabelle Huppert, Mrs Harris Goes to Paris) in a red dress in an Italian mansion. EO is also seen by spiders, frogs, owls, foxes and a Black Mirror-style robot dog. He canters across landscape sometimes left in its natural state, and sometimes blighted by humanity's footprint. And, while moseying through a town, he stops to neigh at fish in an aquarium. As with everything in EO's frames, that moment of communion between mule and goldfish is visually and emotionally striking. It also says oh-so much about Skolimowski's determination to let his eponymous critter just be an animal — more than that, about his success at achieving that feat, and also why. Viewers can read into EO's staring towards the glassed-in fish, and his braying, as an exchange between different types of creatures controlled by humans. The audience can also take it as a comment on the cages that people place around the animal kingdom, and how rare it is for them to be free of such influence. Or, it can be observed as simply a donkey reacting randomly because that's what a donkey, and all life, often does. The broader movie itself operates in the same fashion. It serves up ebbs and flows where one thing happens, then another, then more still, while so clearly and movingly knowing that that's just how being alive goes, and also always witnessing how EO's story takes the path it does because of humanity's dominance over the natural world. EO might boast the incomparable Huppert among its cast, but its stars to whinny about are Tako, Hola, Marietta, Ettore, Rocco and Mela. Skolimowski thanked them each by name when the movie shared the 2022 Cannes Film Festival's Jury Prize — coming in only behind Palme d'Or-winner Triangle of Sadness, then Grand Prix-recipients Close and Stars at Noon — and the care and notice that the veteran Le Départ, Deep End and The Shout filmmaker gave on the Croisette to the six donkeys who play EO is mirrored on-screen. This wouldn't and couldn't be so emotive, immersive and absorbing a film as it is if it didn't truly bask in its mules' presence with pure affection. For the feature's 87 minutes, this is their world, and EO's. For that running time, viewers see EO's donkey protagonist as animals are so scarcely seen: as everything, no matter the good and bad turns that come their way, and the life-and-death course they chart as we all do; as heroes in their own story, too. As a piece of contemplation about the relationship between humans and life around us, EO also brings documentary Gunda to mind. It's just as revelatory and wrenching as that dialogue-free, black-and-white farmyard doco — but, as set to an ever-changing, sometimes-pulsating score by Paweł Mykietyn (a veteran of Skolimowski's 11 Minutes and Essential Killing), it firmly makes the most of its sounds and colours. Everything clashes and crashes around EO, hues, textures, noises, tunes, camera angles and vantage points among them. In one especially stunning scene with an entrancing beat, the donkey scampers through and observes the woodland, green lasers from gunsights beaming bright in the dark of night against the leafiness and its inhabitants. The effect is otherworldly, as is the entirety of this haunting and touching film as it peers at life so often ignored, undervalued and exploited on this very earth.
Has the Easter long weekend snuck up on you? If you are yet to make plans but are looking to fill your extra days off with some very good live music, Waywards above The Bank in Newtown has you covered with three packed nights of music. Each night's lineup focuses on a different genre, kicking off with a hip hop showcase on Thursday, April 6. Commence your four-day break with some of the most exciting acts coming out of Australia's hip hop community right now, headed up by the one and only Mulalo. If the Naarm (Melbourne) rapper isn't on your radar yet she will be soon, with instantly unforgettable tracks like 'Tracy Grimshaw' making huge waves. Joining Mulalo will be Caucasian Opportunities, Carolina Gasolina, Flywaves, Kymie and VV Pete. Come Saturday, the vibe will shift towards nostalgic 2000s dance hits with a lineup of crowd-pleasing DJs arriving at Waywards. Leading the way is Discovery, Australia's highly convincing Daft Punk tribute show which will be rolling out all the hits of the French house/electronica luminaries. Also on the lineup is Sydney nightclub mainstay Jaime Doom of legendary troupe BangGang and local DJ Deckhead. Rounding out the long weekend festival is a double-whammy of indie delights with alt-pop gems Clews performing alongside Canberra's Sesame Girl on Sunday, April 9. Entry is free all weekend. Start getting into the zone with a quick hit of Mulalo now: Top image: Destination NSW
There's only one Nicolas Cage, and long may he keep filling our screens with every kind of movie imaginable. After four decades in the business, his resume really is that vast. When he's not running around with a chainsaw, he's singing Elvis songs for David Lynch. Cage has proven a comedic genius for the Coen brothers, dabbled with Marvel in two different ways despite never appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, wordlessly fought demonic animatronics, swapped faces with John Travolta, gotten speedy before the Fast and Furious saga existed and taken to the skies with criminals, too. Oh, and he's acted opposite himself in Adaptation — and also played himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Naming Nicolas Cage films is almost as fun as watching them. Prepare to utter plenty at Sydney's latest excuse to worship an acting talent like no other. If you know which famous director Cage is related to, which flick gave him his first big-screen gig, how many Oscars he has, the number of Razzie nominations he's notched up, and his IRL ties to Elvis and Superman, rejoice — Nicolas Cage Trivia is for you. Taking place from 6.30pm on Wednesday, April 5 at The Edinburgh Castle in Pitt Street, this quiz isn't for casual Cage fans. That said, there's nothing casual about adoring the man who ran around thinking he's a bloodsucker in Vampire's Kiss, and will next play Dracula in Renfield. Entry is free, with all those times you've rewatched Con Air, Face/Off, Moonstruck and Mandy about to come in mighty handy.
Single O is turning 20, and to celebrate two decades of caffeinating Sydneysiders, it's hosting a birthday party at its Surry Hills cafe. As part of the celebrations, the Single O team has put together a special coffee menu featuring standout beans and blends, and it's created a special one-off birthday blend. Anyone who purchases the limited-time blend will go into the draw to win one of 20 trips to stay in an Unyoked cabin. On top of all of this, the team will also run a free coffee giveaway for just 20 minutes. Mark Thursday, March 16 in your calendar, as that's when the inner-city cafe will be marking cups of joe all the down to $0. You'll have to get down between 9–9.20am if you want to take advantage of the deal. For 20 minutes, Single O will have its self-serve on-tap batch brew and iced oat latte on offer, so you can swing in and serve yourself a complimentary coffee. All of the espresso-based menu will also be on the house for these 20 minutes, with extra baristas being brought in on the day in order to get through as many cappuccinos and almond flat whites as possible before the clock strikes 9.20am. There's no booking or registration required, just head down to Reservoir Street and hop in line for a dose of free Single O.
Talk about a perfect name: if you're going to start a new music festival that revolves around The Smashing Pumpkins, then calling it The World Is a Vampire is a no-brainer. This exciting addition to Australia's festival scene is being sent to drain all of your attention this autumn, when it heads around the country with one helluva bill. Billy Corgan and his band members will be there, of course, and so will fellow alt-rock legends Jane's Addiction. Naturally, you can expect the rollicking classic that is 'Bullet with Butterfly Wings' to get a spin. As well as hearing fellow Pumpkins greats such as 'Disarm', '1979', 'Tonight, Tonight', 'Today' and 'Zero', the Perry Farrell-led Jane's Addiction will be on hand to bust out 'Been Caught Stealing', 'Jane Says' and the likes. How many 'Zero' shirts will you see at the fest? Oh so many, as at every Pumpkins gig. Also on the bill: Australia's own Amyl and The Sniffers, RedHook and Battlesnake, plus yet-to-be-announced local acts opening each stop. And this fest has stops. It'll be singing about rage and rats in cages at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion on Tuesday, April 18 and Wednesday, April 19, alongside trips to Penrith, Newcastle and Wollongong. Each show also features professional wrestling, including matches between Billy Corgan's NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) and the WAOA (Wrestling Alliance of Australia). Wrestlers will take to the ring in-between the bands — and yes, Corgan does own the alliance that bears his name.
If your resolutions for 2023 involve being your best self in the kitchen, this year keeps bringing folks Australia's way who can definitely help. First, Israeli chef Yotam Ottolenghi made his way around the country on a speaking tour. In May, Britain's Marco Pierre White is doing the same. And, also the same month, the one and only Nigella Lawson will enjoy her latest visit Down Under. Dubbed An Evening with Nigella Lawson, this tour will see the television and cookbook favourite chat through her culinary secrets — and food in general, her life and career, and more. If you're the kind of person who starts plotting your next meal before you've even finished the last, or loves eating more than anything else, Lawson's visit will help get right to the guts of your food obsession. And, the two Sydney events at the State Theatre on Sunday, May 21 — at 2pm and 7.30pm — will also feature a Q&A component so that you can ask Lawson whatever you've always wanted to yourself. Even when she isn't answering audience questions, Lawson will have plenty to cover — she has a hefty pile of cookbooks to her name, starting with 1998's How to Eat: Pleasures and Principles of Good Food and including 2020's Nigella's Cook, Eat, Repeat. When she hasn't been filling our bookshelves with recipes, she's been whipping through them on TV, too, on everything from Nigella Bites, Nigella Feasts, Nigella Kitchen and Nigellissima through to Simply Nigella and Nigella: At My Table. And, she's been popping up on Top Chef, MasterChef Australia and My Kitchen Rules as well.
Across two seasons in 2016 and 2018, Fleabag was the only dramedy that mattered. If you weren't watching Phoebe Waller-Bridge's smash hit, you were hearing all about it from everyone you knew. If you were watching it, you were then rewatching it — and, of course, telling all of your friends. But before it was a hit TV series, Fleabag was a one-woman theatre show. That history behind Phoebe Waller-Bridge's award-winning series isn't new news, of course. As the television version of Fleabag kept picking up accolades — a BAFTA for Best Female Performance in a Comedy for its writer/creator/star; Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series; Best Actress and Best Television Series Golden Globes; and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series among them — that past was well-known. But if you haven't seen the OG stage production, a recorded version of that stunning performance is coming back to the big screen in Sydney. The story remains the same, charting an incredibly relatable tale of trying to balance work, life, love and the like. When it was playing theatres from 2013–2019 after premiering at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Fleabag was just as applauded. And, as plenty of hit UK productions are, it was filmed by NT Live, then beamed into cinemas. It's that recording that's heading to picture palaces again from July 13, complete with Waller-Bridge stepping through the story of Fleabag's titular character. Captured at London's Wyndham's Theatre, it initially started doing the rounds for filmgoers in 2019. Indeed, that debut silver-screen stint broke box-office records. If you're unfamiliar with the TV show, let alone the theatre production before it, Fleabag's existence is perhaps best described as chaotic. Friends, family, job interviews, keeping a guinea pig-themed cafe afloat — they're just the beginning. The idea behind it came at one of Waller-Bridge's pal's storytelling nights, as a challenge to create a character for a ten-minute slot. Images: Matt Humphrey.
The Rover is the inconspicuous Foster Street bar spotlighting good booze, friendly service and a tight seafood-leaning bistro menu from the talented team behind The Gidley and Bistecca. And, throughout Vivid Sydney, it's serving up an exclusive set menu to ensure you're deliciously fuelled before your dazzling city explorations. From Tuesday to Saturday, from 5pm, you and your party can dine from a bespoke set menu designed by the culinary team. For $80 per person, you'll enjoy a lineup of favourites from the menu. You can expect all the oceanic influences across British-bistro style plates the spot's known for — a bountiful seafood plate, fish of the day and veg-heavy sides. There'll be the house-made eel pâté too, the salty spread primed to top glazed crumpets that's quickly become a fave among Rover regulars. The Rover is less than five minutes on foot from Central Station, meaning if you want to venture further than the Hollywood Precinct, you're fantastically placed to do so. Pick a date, plan your night and book yourself a table, Sydneysiders. PSA: dietary requests can be accommodated with enough notice. Hollywood Quarter's The Rover will be offering a pre-Vivid meal from Tuesday–Saturday until Saturday, June 17. For more information, head to the website.
In the National Art School's quest to make art accessible and engaging for all, it birthed the monthly event NAS NEO. The free after-hours event brings together live music, food and drinks, and art of every kind — with a particular emphasis on interactivity. Head to the staggering sandstone-walled venue on Thursday, June 8 for the next iteration, On Print, which celebrates a broad range of print techniques via workshops, drag performances and exhibitions. The headline act for the first winter NAS NEO is Battlesnake, the psychedelic rockers who supported KISS on their recent tour Down Under. Catch their hits like 'I Am the Vomit' and 'Nightmare King' on your arty weeknight. Sticking to the night's theme, drag performers will wear dazzling screen-printed creations for both group and solo numbers. Flex your own creative muscles in a range of workshops. There's collage printing with Tristan Chant, the talented artist who fuses screen printing and chopping and rearranging images to form something new. Attendees can try their hand at Chant's creative practice via silk screens (and are encouraged to bring their own t-shirt to use in the session). Do you know what frottage is? Well, if not, you should be even more excited to head to Marcus Dyer-Harrison's session on the artform. Tracing and rubbing over material objects (say a coin or a leaf) with a lead pencil will leave a version of your subject embellished on your page. Through this technique, you can create new versions of the ordinary things in your surroundings — and uncover a new way to see and explore your world. Tickets are free, but you need to RSVP. Hands-on art, live music and dinner chosen from a lineup of food trucks? Better than whatever else you had planned for a Thursday night. Can't make it on the 8th? The next NAS NEO is on Thursday, June 22 and will be spotlighting contemporary Indigenous art — RSVP and then add it to your diary ASAP. NAS NEO: On Print takes over the National Art School grounds in Darlinghurst on Thursday, June 8 from 6–10pm. For more information, head to the website.
