Move over New York — it's time for New South Wales to be overrun by a simian civilisation. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes doesn't swap the Statue of Liberty for the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Rather, it was just made in Australia; this franchise is long past needing to anchor itself in a specific location, but America's west coast is the in-narrative setting. No it-was-earth-all-along twists are necessary, either, as France's famous gift to the US signalled back in 1968 when Pierre Boulle's novel La Planète des singes initially made it to the screen. More than half a century later — plus four sequels to the OG Planet of the Apes, both live-action and animated TV shows, Tim Burton's (Wednesday) remake and the reboot flicks that started with 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes — the saga's basics are widely known in pop culture. The titular planet is humanity's own. In this vision of the future, a different kind of primate runs the show. Since day one, every Planet of the Apes tale has been a mirror. Gazing into the science-fiction series means seeing the power structures and societal struggles of our reality staring back — discrimination, authoritarianism and even the impact of a world-ravaging virus should ring a bell— but with humans no longer atop the pecking order. These are allegorical stories and, at their best, thoughtful ones, probing the responsibilities of being the planet's dominant force and the ramifications of taking that mantle for granted. Not every instalment has handled the task as well as it should've, but those that do leave a paw print. Coming after not just Rise of the Planet of the Apes but also 2014's Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and 2017's War for the Planet of the Apes, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes falls into that category. First helmed by Rupert Wyatt (The Gambler), with Matt Reeves (The Batman) taking over for the second two titles, the most-recent Apes trilogy had Caesar (Andy Serkis, Andor) at its centre. Raised by humans before the simian flu devastated the population and evolved apekind, he spearheaded the latter's uprising. That said, Caesar also retained his compassion for homo sapiens, especially as he gleaned how the worst traits in all primates are the same no matter what they're covered in. His time has now been and gone in the franchise. Swapping from one dystopian saga to another, The Maze Runner, The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials and The Maze Runner: Death Cure director Wes Ball picks up briefly with a farewell to Caesar — but then, for the bulk of the picture, he takes Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes forward through many generations and several hundred years. The influential figure's name is now revered, and his wisdom — but, like humans, apes mould the plights and teachings of historical leaders to suit their own agendas. To some, Caesar is the reason to treat people, or "echoes" as they've been dubbed after losing the ability to speak, with kindness, understanding what the species once was and how it has fallen. For others, particularly of the power-hungry variety, he's the justification for retaining control of the planet by violence and at all costs. But in the peaceful eagle clan, birds not long-ago commanders are the main focus. So, when adolescent Noa (Owen Teague, You Hurt My Feelings), his crush Soona (Cowboy Bebop) and pal Anaya (Travis Jeffery, Before Dawn) leap into the story early, they're collecting eggs to take home, nurture and then rear the hatchlings, one of their community's rites of passage. In a narrative penned by Josh Friedman (Foundation) that nods eagerly to classic westerns, the pursuit of dominance at its most vicious at the hands of a warrior tribe taints young Noa's life quickly. Soon, everything that he knows is gone, sparking a hero's journey to rescue those among his loved ones that he can. When he crosses paths with orang-utan sage Raka (Peter Macon, The Orvill), he receives guidance, including about Caesar's pleas for ape unity. He's also counselled to tamper down his anger at and disdain for the feral human (Freya Allan, Baghead) shadowing his tracks, who he partly blames for his status quo turning to tragedy. Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand, Abigail), the ruler directing a monkey regime of carnage, only has eyes for as much authority and supremacy as he can amass — and so in him, the encampment that he's made where apes enslave apes and his staunchly anti-human ideology, Noa finds a threat. Decades since dressing up actors in costumes to play the series' apes was the norm, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes doesn't just have thematic and emotional realism on its side — it's never been hard to spot the franchise's parallels with reality — but also the verisimilitude gifted by its motion-capture approach (with Wētā FX doing the honours). That's how Serkis inhabited his part, and how Teague and company (everyone except Allan and Ricky Stanicky's William H Macy from the top-billed cast, in fact) follow in his footsteps. Serkis was a special consultant on the production, aiding the actors with their simian performances; the feelings conveyed through their work as a result are deep and affecting. Whether Teague is charting Noa's coming-of-age arc away from blissful naivety, the scene-stealing Macon is making Raka's appeal for empathy resonate or Durand is commanding every second that he's in sight as the hubristic Proximus, their portrayals are rich and insightful. Yes, you could call the performances that drive Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' "human". Painted with pixels over the top, the film's digital fur looks so vivid that audiences can be forgiven for thinking they can touch it — and that combination of naturalistic, grounded and relatable portrayals with special effects that get viewers investing in the movie's animals as animals is potent and pivotal. In a saga that's always been committed to aping the state of the off-screen world, that reflective effect is essential. Ball and his team, cinematographer Gyula Pados (Shazam! Fury of the Gods, plus the last two Maze Runner flicks) among them, also do detail and world-building well, rendering the planet a mix of lush greenery and decaying human relics that equally appears as authentic as CGI can. Their biggest struggle: that there's so much to explore in this new Planet of the Apes beginning that not everything is told as gracefully and clearly as it could be, even across 145 minutes. As with almost everything that hits screens of late, this has been conceived as the catalyst for more to come — and it earns the enthusiasm to keep swinging.
In The Hunger Games and its sequels and prequels, a post-apocalyptic totalitarian state enforces order by murder, picking children via lottery to compete until just one remains standing. Before it reached pages and screens, The Running Man, Battle Royale and Series 7: The Contenders were among the stories that got there first, always with kill-or-be-killed contests at their cores. Now Boy Kills World enters the fray, but in a city ruled over by despot Van Der Koy matriarch Hilda (Famke Janssen, Locked In), with a group of candidates chosen annually, then slaughtered at big televised display that is The Culling no matter what. The titular Boy (played by the US Goodnight Mommy remake's Nicholas and Cameron Crovetti as a kid) is the rare exception: after witnessing his sister and mother's execution in this nightmarish realm, he's simply left for dead. Making his feature debut, director Moritz Mohr (TV's Viva Berlin!) holds tight to another big-screen staple: a revenge mission. As an adult, that the role of Boy falls to Bill Skarsgård fresh from John Wick: Chapter 4 says plenty. The vengeance that's always fuelled that Keanu Reeves (The Matrix Resurrections)-led franchise, and fellow influence Oldboy as well, mixes with cinema's wealth of fight-to-the-death tales. Also thrown in with the fervour of a fan mixing together his favourite things — which is Mohr's unapologetic approach from start to finish — is a colour scheme that Kill Bill also deployed, Deadpool-style humour and violence, notes cribbed from Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman movies and Argylle with its carnage, and nods to video games and Hong Kong action fare plus Looney Tunes and anime. Accordingly, the make-what-you-adore school of action filmmaking gets another spin with a first-time helmer in 2024, alongside Dev Patel's Monkey Man. Revelling in cartoonishness is unique to Mohr's flick, however — right down to enlisting H Jon Benjamin, aka the voice of Sterling Archer and Bob Belcher in Archer and Bob's Burgers, respectively, as Boy Kills World's narrator. He's Boy's voice, in fact. When we said that Skarsgård's casting says much, it has to; his steps into the red vest of a protagonist who is deaf and mute, and his is a physically expressive instead of vocal performance. Cue Benjamin to utter Boy's explanatory inner monologue, and cue the makings of a modern-day silent-film star in Skarsgård (his next part is a remake of silent classic Nosferatu by Robert Eggers, who directed his brother Alexander in The Northman, and it has the perfect lead if ditching dialogue like the OG movie was on the cards). As penned by Tyler Burton Smith (2019's Child's Play remake) and Arend Remmers (Oderbruch) — based on a story by Remmers and Mohr, and also a proof-of-concept short that helped the pair get iconic Evil Dead filmmaker Sam Raimi (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) onboard as a producer — Boy Kills World's script is as busy as the movie's list of influences. Mostly, it's packed with characters, and mainly with adversaries for Boy to smash, crash and bash his way through. After experiencing the life-changing trauma of losing his kin at such a young age, he gets set on his course for retaliation by training in the forest with the Shaman (and yes, that The Raid, The Raid 2 and John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum's Yayan Ruhian is in the role is also telling about Mohr's inspirations). Boy is primed for clash after clash (after clash after clash), then, as his campaign for eye-for-an-eye retribution kicks into gear. Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey: A New Era) as Hilda's sister Melanie, Sharlto Copley (who was also in Monkey Man) as Melanie's husband Glen, Jessica Rothe (the Happy Death Day franchise) as family enforcer June27: they're all in Boy's way. By his side, he has a hallucination of his sister Mina (Punky Brewster), as well as resistance fighter Basho (Andrew Koji, Warrior) in the flesh. A knack for casting also pumps through Boy Kills World beyond its star, but this is always Skarsgård's show. Bill kills. He's traversed dystopias before in Allegiant, grappled with the complexities of a ruling class in Anna Karenina, been immersed in a single-minded mission in Atomic Blonde, given the Deadpool vibe a spin in Deadpool 2, and conveyed everything through his eyes as IT and IT: Chapter Two's Pennywise — and, sporting an action-star physique, he's a find-someone-who-can-do-it-all lead as Boy. If you need an actor to play a literally silent-type hero and play the hell out of it, Skarsgård is clearly your man. Three questions linger at the heart of Mohr's film, though, two within the storyline and themes, and one for audiences. The first: what makes the action archetype at Boy Kills World's centre truly tick? The second: in a bloodthirsty crusade for reprisals, what's genuinely right and what's wrong? And the third: although this is an impressively choreographed affair that values stunts as much as The Fall Guy (Black Widow and Kingsman: The Golden Circle alum Dawid Szatarski is responsible for the flick's spectacle as its action director and designer, and also fight co-ordinator), would its genre mashup work without Skarsgård's magnetism? The initial pair of queries are thought starters rather than inquiries that receive a firm answer; they're Boy Kills World's efforts to note that revenge tales and their unspeaking protagonists could use some unpacking. The third question, unsurprisingly, earns a hearty no. Skarsgård gives Boy Kills World its strongest element, and leaves it with a calling card as both an action force and a silent wonder. Mohr ends the feature with his own as an enthusiastic filmmaker giving his all to a highly stylised and slapstick love letter. And for viewers? The quippy humour is spotty, as is the relentlessly frenetic cinematography (by Dark Satellites' Peter Matjasko) that can swing from feverish to exhausting — and, while jam-packed, the film feels its 111-minute length. Still, being entertained by the sheer delirious display of it all, with the picture's B-movie energy, love of gore and unwillingness to hold back, is as easy as inserting coins into an arcade machine.
What better way is there to beat the Sunday scaries than with a couple of cold beers surrounded by adorable greyhounds? Yulli's Brews is facilitating a greyhound-filled afternoon at its Alexandria brewery on Sunday, April 16 to raise money for Greyhound Rescue and encourage adoption of some four-legged pals. Adoption and Ales will run from 1–6pm, with the local independent beer-maker's full range of beers pouring, the grill firing in the kitchen and a friendly group of hounds from Greyhound Rescue hanging out in the brewery. Yulli's is setting up a karma keg on the day which will be raising money to help re-home pups in need. You can just head in and enjoy a beer, mingle with the dogs, chat with the volunteers about info on greyhound adoption, or start the application process on the spot. Anyone who does apply on the day will receive a free LickiMat Enrichment Kit for their new greyhound to enjoy. Plus, other dogs are welcome to come along and join in on the fun.
If you haven't had the opportunity to visit BrewDog's massive South Eveleigh beer bar, a long weekend full of cheap beers might be just what you need to twist your arm. The 910-capacity venue — one of our favourite dog-friendly bars in Sydney — is staying open every day of the Easter long weekend and sweetening the deal with a bumper happy hour. Every day between Monday, April 3–Monday, April 10 you can get pints for schooner prices for two hours. The Tappy Hour promotion runs on the bar's core beer range from 2–4pm across the eight days. That includes the BrewDog Pale Ale and IPA, the Lost Larger, the Hazey Jane, the Punk XPA, the citrusy Elvis Juice and the Brownsnake Ginger Beer — all for up to $4.80 off per pint. There will also be free bar snacks available throughout the week. Plus BrewDog's usual deals will be in full swing, including all-you-can-eat chicken and cauliflower wings for $25 on Wednesday and two-for-one vegan mains on Easter Monday.
Baba's Place has been doing pop-ups and special one-off events for a while — before the team even found its home in Marrickville. The Baba's Place story started with collaborations at beloved inner-west venues like Rolling Penny and Bush, and since opening a permanent restaurant last year, the team has hosted a range of events from art exhibitions to Baltic wine nights. On Sunday, July 26, Baba and co are celebrating Georgian khachapuri with the help of Melbourne's Gray & Gray Food and Wine. The Khachapuri Street Party will be happening from midday until 4pm on the Sunday, with plenty of Georgian eats, wine and music. Khachapuri is a form of wood-fired bread often filled with cheese and egg. There will be four variants of the doughy treats on offer: the Adjaruli filled with three cheese, egg yolk and NSW truffles; the Kharcho Dream boat featuring beef gravy, parmesan cream, pickled onion and red adjika; the Flaky Meskhetian packed with Baba's specialty fetta, mushroom and onion; plus the Gurian Sunrise with potato, cheese, roasted garlic, spring onion and egg. Entry is free, just head down and nab yourself a hearty weekend lunch and a glass of wine.
Stop us when Lost Illusions no longer sounds familiar. You won't; it won't, either. Stop us when its 19th century-set and -penned narrative no longer feels so relevant to life today that you can easily spot parts of it all around you. Again, that won't happen. When the handsome and involving French drama begins, its protagonist knows what he wants to do with his days, and also who he loves. Quickly, however, he learns that taking a big leap doesn't always pan out if you don't hail from wealth. He makes another jump anyway, out of necessity. He gives a new line of work a try, finds new friends and gets immersed in a different world. Alas, appearances just keep meaning everything in his job, and in society in general. Indeed, rare is the person who doesn't get swept up, who dares to swim against the flow, or who realises they might be sinking rather than floating. The person weathering all of the above is Lucien Chardon (Benjamin Voisin, Summer of 85), who'd prefer to be known as Lucien de Rubempré — his mother's aristocratic maiden name. It's 1821, and he's a poet and printer's assistant in the province of Angoulême when the film begins. He's also having an affair with married socialite Louise de Bargeton (Cécile de France, The French Dispatch), following her to Paris, but their bliss is soon shattered. That's why he gives journalism a try after meeting the equally ambitious Etienne Lousteau (Vincent Lacoste, Irma Vep), then taking up the offer of a tabloid gig after failing to get his poetry published. Lucien climbs up the ranks quickly, both in the scathing newspaper business — where literary criticism is literally cash for comment — and in the right Parisian circles. But even when he doesn't realise it, his new life weighs him down heavily. Lost Illusions spins a giddy tale, but not a happy one. It can't do the latter; exactly why is right there in the title. As a film, it unfurls as a ravishing and intoxicating drama that's deeply funny, moving and astute — one that's clearly the product of very particular set of skills. No, Liam Neeson's recent on-screen resume doesn't factor into it, not for a second. Instead, it takes an immensely special talent to spin a story like this, where every moment is so perceptive and each piece of minutiae echoes so resoundingly. The prowess behind this seven-time César Award-winner belongs to three people: acclaimed novelist Honoré de Balzac, who wrote the three-part Illusions perdues almost 200 years ago; filmmaker Xavier Giannoli (Marguerite), who so entrancingly adapts and directs; and Jacques Fieschi (Lovers), who co-scripts with the latter. There's more to Lucien's story — pages upon pages more, where his tale began; 149 minutes in total, as his ups and downs now play out on the screen. When Louise decides that he doesn't fit in, with help from the scheming Marquise d'Espard (Jeanne Balibar, Memoria), spite rains his way. When Etienne introduces him to the realities of the media at the era, and with relish, he's brought into a dizzying whirlwind of corruption, arrogance, fame, power, money and influence. When Lucien starts buying into everything he's sold about the whys and hows of his new profession, and the spoils that come with it, Lost Illusions couldn't be more of a cautionary tale. Everything has a price: the glowing words he gleefully types, the nasty takedowns of other people's rivals and the entire act of spending his days doing such bidding for the highest fee. Balzac's text was of its time — albeit savagely so — and also ahead of its time. Or, you could say that the years and technologies have changed since the 1800s, obviously, but human nature hasn't. Giannoli and Fieschi intentionally tease out Lost Illusions' still-relevant and even prescient notions, of course, and the result is a movie that looks rich and period-appropriate in every frame, and yet also feels timeless. Part of that sensation stems from the verve with which Giannoli helms, even with his feature sprawling across such a lengthy duration. Like Lucien when he naively thinks that his dreams are achievable in the film's first act, or when he later eagerly laps up the benefits of his choices — despite fellow writer Nathan d'Anastazio's (Xavier Dolan, IT: Chapter Two) attempts to warn him otherwise, and as his decisions start to impact his new girlfriend Coralie (Salome Dewaels, Working Girls), an actress — Lost Illusions has a spring, bounce and dance in its step. Yes, that's Xavier Dolan, director of Heartbeats, Laurence Anyways, Tom at the Farm, Mommy and more, in a tremendous supporting role as one of Lucien's rivals. Giannoli gets the very best out of his supporting cast, including the always-welcome Lacoste, his Irma Vep co-star Balibar and the ever-reliable de France. But, as wonderful as each proves, none are tasked with conveying exactly what the movie's moniker exclaims. When viewers meet Nathan, Etienne, the Marquise and Louise, none have many illusions to lose. Voisin, with eyes that gleam so brightly when Lucien is praised for his poems in his provincial home town, is saddled with seeing fantasies crash, morals twist, hopes wither and hard truths set in. He has to express Lucien's growing lust for status, too, as well as his increasing willingness to shrug off the ramifications. It's a thorny part, and a consummate performance. While Voisin was also superb in Summer of 85, he's even better here. Lost Illusions has much to say about heads filled with dreams; about quests to become the hero of one's own narrative; about the forces, such as cynicism, cash, class structures and an obsession with how everything looks, that trample earnestness and sincerity. It enlists narration to help voice it, but the intricate imagery lensed by cinematographer Christophe Beaucarne (Hold Me Tight) utters plenty anyway. Although almost everything glitters and appears exquisitely golden, little is beyond aesthetics. This is a film where opinions are bought, and not just in print. Paying for boos at theatre shows, including the more sensationalistic productions on "the boulevard of crime", is so commonplace that no one questions it. Lost Illusions itself wouldn't ever need the same tactics IRL, but this movie exists in a world where nothing it explores seems fanciful, farcical, an imagining of fiction or a relic of history. If viewers had any illusions otherwise, prepare to lose them in this sumptuous and savvy picture.
On Saturday, May 21 Australia will head to the polls as Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese face off. Newly opened bar and restaurant The Bob Hawke Beer & Leisure Centre will be hosting an Election Day party for anyone looking to get into the spirit of things with a beer in hand. Named for former Labour leader and Prime Minister Bob Hawke, the Marrickville venue was opened at the beginning of 2022 by local brewery Hawke's inside of its inner west brewery. On election day the bar will have the full Hawke's range on offer to sample, and will be showing the election coverage live on the venue's big screen. There will also be two tip jars on the bar throughout the day — one for Albo and one for Scomo — where patrons can vote with their spare change. Swing by after heading to the polling station for a quick beer, or stick around later into the night until the election's winner is announced. If things get too intense during the day, you can also head to the leisure centre for a round of pool and peruse the countless memorabilia the venue exhibits. And, the brewery's 80s-inspired Chinese bistro The Lucky Prawn will be open so you can order yourself a hefty serving of honey king prawn, XO pippies and deep fried Viennetta.
If you're a fan of psych rock or you're looking for a night of top tunes and some free beers, listen up. Beloved Sydney brewery Yulli's is hosting a showcase of top-notch Australian psych bands from 7pm on Friday, May 6. Pysch rock has had an explosion in popularity over the past decade here in Australia thanks to the likes of world-conquering psychedelic bands like Tame Impala, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Pond, as well as exciting local bands like Fascinator and The Lazy Eyes. Yulli's has pulled together a lineup of four exciting young bands putting out colourful psych tunes to perform on the night. On the lineup: Pasiflorez, Fungas, Silky Red and Memory Motel. The four bands will each take to the stage between 7 and 9pm, meaning you can pack in some live music early into your Friday night. Those that get down promptly will also be treated to some of Yulli's renowned brews, with free food and beers being given out to the first 50 patrons through the door.
When Hollywood's biggest awards can run for 93 years and only give two female filmmakers its Best Director gong in that entire time so far, it's clear that gender diversity hasn't been big on the cinema industry's priorities for most of the last century. But for six years now, the Melbourne Women in Film Festival has been doing its part to celebrate women in film, as its name makes plain — and it's back for 2022 both in-person and online. The mixed format means that Melburnians can head along to ACMI from Thursday, February 10–Monday, February 14, while folks elsewhere — or those in Melbourne who can't make it physically — can watch along at home. On the bill, cinephiles will find a showcase of movies that champion female-guided on-screen comedy, a topic that'll also echo through the fest's conversations and skills-development programs. Screening highlights include short Groundhog Night, about a dad caring for his daughter with disability; 2018 Tropfest entry Paper Cut, which plays with gender experiences; and closing night's Love and Other Catastrophes, the 1996 indie classic starring Frances O'Connor and Radha Mitchell. Among the talks and workshops lineup, The Culture of Comedy will dive into using the genre to unite creatives and viewers from different backgrounds, while Creating Comedy Online will provide tips for women looking to make a digital splash by making viewers laugh.
There's something oh-so-relaxing about staring at the sea, even if you're feasting your eyes on the water via the big screen. That's the concept behind the Ocean Film Festival Australia. You can't always spend all your time at the beach, by the river or in a pool — but you can spend an evening peering at the next best thing in a cinema. On select dates in March, screening at either 6.30pm or 7pm depending on the venue, the festival will unleash a cinematic feast of water-focused wonders onto the silver screen at various venues around Sydney. Head to the Randwick Ritz Cinemas on Tuesday, March 1, the Hayden Orpheum in Cremorne from Wednesday, March 2–Friday, March 4 and United Cinemas at Opera Quays from Wednesday, March 9–Thursday, March 10. Film-wise, viewers will spend time both above and below the ocean's surface thanks to a compilation of shorts from around the world. Expect to chase big waves, explore a range of sea life and get a hefty ocean rush, plus a heap of other sea adventures. The program is united by a love of the ocean, an appreciation of the creatures who dwell in its waters and a curiosity to explore the substance that comprises more than two-thirds of the earth. It's the next best thing to diving in, all without getting wet. [caption id="attachment_840734" align="alignnone" width="1920"] John Kowitz[/caption]
The Sydney Mardi Gras is almost upon us and, along with it, a feast of new queer cinema is about to descend upon the city. For 29 years now, the Mardi Gras Film Festival has added the latest LGBTQIA+ movies to Sydney's big celebration, and it's doing the same again in 2022 — but, as happened in 2021, it's going hybrid with both physical and online screenings. Accordingly, if you're a Sydneysider who's keen to get your big-screen queer film fix between Thursday, February 17–Thursday, March 3, you can, with the fest showing at Event Cinemas George Street, and holding one one-off sessions at Hayden Orpheum, Cremorne and Event Cinemas in Parramatta and Hurstville. But if you feel more comfortable watching from home during the current Omicron outbreak or you're a fan of LGBTQIA+ movies located elsewhere in Australia, you'll also be able to enjoy MGFF digitally as well. The fest's 2022 lineup spans 119 films from 37 different countries, covering 32 narrative features, 15 documentaries, four episodic screenings, a retrospective and nine programs of shorts — so yes, there's more than a bit to watch. That said, different flicks will play in cinemas and on-demand, as happens with hybrid fests, but more than half of the program will be available for those playing along at home and interstate. Opening the fest on the big screen is Wildhood, which is set in Canada's Atlantic Provinces and hails from MGFF's focus on First Nations filmmaking for 2022. In-cinemas only, it's joined by high-profile international film festival circuit highlights such as Great Freedom, an immensely moving drama about a man's experiences being imprisoned under Germany's former law criminalising homosexuality; and Benedetta, which follows a 17th-century nun who shocks her convent with visions, wild power plays and lesbian affairs, and happens to be the latest feature by Basic Instinct, Showgirls and Elle director Paul Verhoeven. Or, there's the Carrie Brownstein and St Vincent-starring mockumentary The Nowhere Inn, which has them both play versions of themselves, and The Novice, about a queer student on a university rowing team. Other standouts include Mexican magical realist drama Finlandia; documentaries about queer comic creators, lesbians in post-punk 80s London and American artist Keith Haring; and closing night's B-Boy Blues, which is based on the celebrated novel o the same name.
When word arrived in 2021 that Sydney was getting a new European-focused film festival, it couldn't have been better news for movie lovers. Europa! Europa is all about showcasing flicks from across the whole continent, so you can see the latest and greatest titles from France, Spain, Italy, Romania and more all at the one event — and, when it debuts at the Ritz Cinemas in Randwick from Friday, February 4–Sunday, February 27, it'll kick off with one mighty fine program. Opening the lineup is The Souvenir Part II, sequel to 2019's exceptional The Souvenir — which means that Europa! Europa is launching with the new team-up between rising star Honor Swinton Byrne and her mother Tilda Swinton. The follow-up picks up where the first movie left off, with Swinton Byrne's aspiring filmmaker attempting to cope with the tragic events of the last flick, all while she shoots her next project. Once again directed by British helmer Joanna Hogg, it'll start the festival in sublime form. (And if you're keen to see the original, it's on the bill as well.) Also bookending the fest: closing night's France from inimitable writer/director Bruno Dumont (Joan of Arc, P'tit Quinquin). A satire of the media industry, it stars No Time to Die and The French Dispatch's Léa Seydoux as a journalist forced to navigate the aftermath of injuring a pedestrian in a traffic accident. Other standouts include 13 films that were submitted as their country's entries for this year's Best International Feature Film Oscar, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina's social-realist fairytale The White Fortress and North Macedonia's Sisterhood, which is about toxic friendships — and a number of titles that wowed last year's Cannes Film Festivals, like Norwegian supernatural thriller The Innocents and the Before Sunrise-esque train-set love story Compartment No 6. Or, there's also Andrea Arnold's (American Honey) Cow, aka the most gripping and moving documentary portrait of a dairy cow's life that you're ever likely to see; Earwig, the English-language debut of acclaimed French director Lucile Hadžihalilovic (Innocence, Evolution); Vortex, which sees Climax filmmaker Gaspar Noé swap his usual wild fare for an Amour-style look at ageing; and No Fucks Given, starring Blue Is the Warmest Colour's Adèle Exarchopoulos as a flight attendant for a low-cost airline.
Pair the wonders of the night sky with the sweet sound of the cello at a new experience from Blue Mountains Stargazing. Taking over the Wentworth Falls lookout in the Blue Mountains from 8.30pm on Saturday, December 10, this symphonic stargazing session will feature live performances from local cellist Emily Williams and celebrated didgeridoo player Charlie McMahon. Attendees will arrive to experience the sunset over Jamison Valley before being treated to the music of Williams and McMahon. From there, an astronomy workshop will be led by astrophysicist Dimitri Douchin with the assistance of laser guides. The workshop will feature constellation storytelling; star observation using the naked eye, telescopes and binoculars; and a Q&A with Douchin. As you gaze up at the sky, you'll also be treated to a free hot chocolate before Williams returns for a final cello performance. Tickets will set you back $110 for adults, $80 for children and $90 for concession tickets.
The 90s were great. That shouldn't be a controversial opinion. Whether you lived through them or have spent the last couple of decades wishing you did — aka binging on 90s pop culture — Oxford Art Factory's New Year's Eve shindig will indulge both your retro and your festive urges. Drinks, tunes, fashion: expect all of the above at the No Scrubs: 90s and Early 00s party from 9pm on NYE. Of course, it's up to you to make sure the clothing side of thing is covered, and to get into the spirit of the season. If you want to use Mariah Carey as a style icon, it'd be fitting. Whatever you choose to wear, there's a costume competition giving away more than bragging rights. Expect to unleash your inner Spice Girl and Backstreet Boy too. TLC, Destiny's Child, Savage Garden, Usher, Blink-182, No Doubt — we'd keep listing artists, but you all know what you're getting yourselves into. Entry costs $30.19 in advance, with the fun running through until 3am. That price includes a free glass of sparkling on arrival, and you'll pay for your 90s- and 00s-inspired cocktail specials from there. Top image: Destination NSW.
One person's favourite film can be another's cinematic nightmare, and vice versa, but every ten years the British Film Institute's Sight & Sound magazine names the best flicks ever made anyway. From a wide-ranging poll, it compiles a list of the 100 greatest movies of all time — and if you're a movie buff, you'll know that 2022's rundown is newly upon us, stacked with stellar pictures and has been sparking plenty of debate. Simply perusing and arguing about these kinds of rankings is one way to engage. Using the poll to fill in gaps in your cinema knowledge is a better way, and Golden Age Cinema & Bar is here to help. From Thursday, December 28 till the end of summer, it's screening a selection of titles currently considered the greatest of the greatest. If you haven't seen them, you're in for a treat. If you have but not on a big screen, you are as well. Sight & Sound Greatest Films of All Time: A Selection includes this year's number-one pick, of course — and there really isn't anything else like Chantal Akerman's Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (which we also recommended to you back at the beginning of the pandemic when we were all streaming flicks about loneliness, isolation and confinement). Other highlights on the clearly stacked bill include Stanley Kubrick's masterpieces 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Shining, the always-stunning Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut, the mafia dramas ofThe Godfather and Goodfellas, recent heartbreaker Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Studio Ghibli's gorgeous My Neighbor Totoro and Jane Campion's Oscar sensation The Piano. Or, there's David Lynch's Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive, Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window and Vertigo, and Claire Denis' Beau Travail, because Golden Age has curated a mighty impressive shortlist. Including Casablanca, In the Mood for Love, Rashomon, The Red Shoes, The Apartment, Blade Runner and Citizen Kane, too, there's 33 films on the lineup in total.
Edgar Wright's Don't and Rob Zombie's Werewolf Women of the SS must be on their way to the big screen soon. With Thanksgiving's arrival, three of the five films teased as trailers in 2007's Grindhouse — and at the time only conceived to exist as those faux trailers — have come to full-length feature fruition. So, the double of Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror and Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof didn't just give the world biochemical zombies and a murdering stuntman, but Machete, Hobo with a Shotgun and now Eli Roth's turkey-holiday slasher horror. In this first stint behind the lens since 2021 documentary Fin, plus 2018's vastly dissimilar Death Wish and The House with a Clock in Its Walls before that, the Cabin Fever and Hostel filmmaker knows the right mood: when you're plating up a film that began as a gag ad, leaning into both tropes and a knowing vibe is the best choice for carving a path forward. There's a downside to the joke beginning and happy winking now, though: Thanksgiving sure does love sticking to a tried-and-tested recipe. Roth and screenwriter Jeff Rendell, both returning from 16 years back and sharing a story credit, have taken to the whole "Halloween but Thanksgiving" approach with the utmost dedication — because it's as plain as a roasted bird centrepiece that that's what they've purposely cooked up. The mood, the nods, the derivation: they don't add up to a new masterpiece, however, genre-defining, cult or otherwise. But there's something to be said for a film that commits to its bit with this much relish, so bluntly and openly, and with the tongue-in-cheek attitude that was baked into the Grindhouse package slathered on thick. And yes, the image that no one has forgotten for almost two decades returns, alongside other signature shots from Thanksgiving's proof-of-concept sneak peek. As they splatter around gore, not gravy, plus guts that don't belong to poultry, Roth and Rendell have given themselves a task: reverse-engineering an entire feature from a spoof trailer that made fun not just of holiday horror flicks, but of Roth's part in torture porn's boom. They're also eager to ensure that their picture locks in its place on the occasion-centric viewing calendar. The raucous Thanksgiving slides in before Black Christmas and New Years' Evil, dates-wise, and joins a roster that also spans My Bloody Valentine and April Fools' Day. This slice of the scary-movie spectrum isn't small, both in general and with past Thanksgiving-themed fare — for the latter, see also: Blood Rage, Black Friday, Blood Freak, ThanksKilling and Boogeyman, and more — but, blatantly angling for sequels as well, Roth and Rendell don't just want to dish up one serving. Thanksgiving could go by Black Thursday, the shopping opportunity that's also been dubbed Grey Thursday and Brown Thursday, because that's when and why its carnage commences. The place is still Plymouth, Massachusetts, and the slasher who'll start offing teens still nabs disguise cues from pilgrims — wearing a John Carver mask specifically, which noticeably resembles not just Plymouth Colony's first governor but V for Vendetta's Guy Fawkes mask — but the 2022-set opening is all about a crushing trip to score bargains. At RightMart, the masses gather when it's traditionally dinnertime, demanding with increasing ferocity to be let inside. The shoving and shouting becomes a stampede after the crowd sees Jessica Wright (Nell Verlaque, Big Shot) and her friends enter early because it's her dad Thomas' (Rick Hoffman, Billions) store. For some, the results are fatal, whether via being caught underfoot, copping shards of glass or getting scalped by trolleys. In adding to the bowl while spooning in pieces from horror classics, Roth and Rendell take inspiration not just Halloween but from Dawn of the Dead — aka that shopping spree gone savage — as well as A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. If Thanksgiving was a feast itself, it'd be everything from dark and light meat with cranberry sauce to sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie smashed together in a blender. Here's another mission on Roth's list: crafting killer setpieces and slayings, with the Black Thursday onslaught at the top of the heap. Not every death is inventive, but this movie and its director are all about the audience impact, with endeavouring to incite cheers, screams and laughs their stuffing and seasoning. That said, Thanksgiving is strongest when it's fresh out of the oven, then dutifully works through its recreated offings from the Grindhouse trailer and soon proves content with a stock-standard cat-and-mouse game. The bulk of the flick occurs a year following the RightMart riot, when Jessica and her fellow survivor pals Gabby (Addison Rae, He's All That), Evan (Tomaso Sanelli, Holly Hobbie), Scuba (Gabriel Davenport, Mistletoe Time Machine) and Yulia (Jenna Warren, The Young Arsonists) get tagged in a creepy social-media post. Then a diner employee turns up dead not long after waiting on them, a spree begins, and Sheriff Newlon (Patrick Dempsey, Disenchanted) and his colleagues aren't much help. Although biting into consumerism's worst impulses is on the menu, as is satirising the chase for viral fame in these always-posting times, the themes and plot aren't the main course. That status goes to upping the body count with bloodthirsty and grisly enthusiasm. The key thing to be thankful for here is that Thanksgiving's creative forces are patently having schlocky fun, including with their McDreamy casting, practical effects and some visual moments — and they don't ever stomach being subtle about it. Ditching the throwback look hasn't meant scrapping the 70s-esque tone or toning down the revelling in getting gruesome. There's a difference between appreciating how much enjoyment went into whipping up the movie and consistently having more than a by-the-numbers time with it, though. Excited chefs can still cook average meals with sprinklings of flavour, as Roth does. There's also one goal that Thanksgiving threw out with the bones: creating a picture that doesn't make viewers certain that they saw most of the best bits in that years-ago trailer.
For most, there isn't much in Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel The Color Purple that screams for the musical spin. Broadway still came calling. On the page, this tale always featured a jazz and blues singer as a key character. When it initially reached the screen in 1985 with Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans) directing, it also worked in an anthem that earned an Oscar nomination and has been much-covered since; Quincy Jones composed the film's score and produced the movie. But if the idea of lavish song-and-dance numbers peppered throughout such a bleak account of incest, rape, domestic abuse, racism, injustice, violence and poverty feels like hitting a wrong note, claims otherwise keep springing. First arrived 2005's Tony-winning stage adaptation, then 2015's also-awarded revival. Now, joining the ranks of books that became movies, then musicals, then musical movies just like the new Mean Girls, a second feature brings Walker's story to cinemas — this time with belted-out ballads and toe-tapping tunes. With each take, The Color Purple's narrative has predominantly remained the same as when it first hit bookshelves, crushing woe, infuriating prejudice and rampant inequity included. Musicals don't have to be cheery, but how does so much brutality give rise to anything but mournful songs? The answer here: by leaning into the rural Georgia-set tale's embrace of hope, resilience and self-discovery. Ghanaian director Blitz Bazawule follows up co-helming Beyoncé's Black Is King by heroing empowerment and emancipation in his version of The Color Purple — and while the film that results can't completely avoid an awkward tonal balance, it's easy to see the meaning behind its striving for a brighter outlook. When what its characters go through as Black women in America's south in the early 20th century is so unsparing, welcoming wherever light can pierce the gloom is a human reaction, and how Celie (American Idol-winner Fantasia Barrino in her feature film debut) copes. Although the sun streams, there's little that's merry about The Color Purple's protagonist's existence when the latest movie begins, or afterwards. On her second pregnancy to her bullying father Alfonso (Deon Cole, Black-ish), who sees her as mere property, the teen Celie (fellow first-timer Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, who was a writer on Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies) knows that this baby will be snatched from her again. But at least she has her sister Nettie (Halle Bailey, The Little Mermaid) to dote on, cling to and protect — until she doesn't. Celie is traded to farmer Mister (Colman Domingo, Rustin) for a cow and a couple of eggs, after he asks for Nettie. The younger sibling soon comes knocking on the door after Celie is burdened with cooking, cleaning, mothering his existing kids and weathering more abuse; however, the sisters are forced apart when Mister still can't get what he wants. Heartbreak is The Color Purple's baseline: over Celie's abhorrent treatment by her dad, and then by Mister; at two girls with nothing else to rely on being torn so cruelly from each other; and at the onslaught of pain that keeps streaming, and widely. With Sofia (Oscar-nominee Danielle Brooks, Peacemaker), the wife of Mister's son Harpo (Corey Hawkins, Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter), Celie meets someone who is unapologetic about her place in the world — even in such a harsh and discriminatory world — only for the xenophobic use of the law to cut her down. With aforementioned crooner Shug Avery (Taraji P Henson, Abbott Elementary), who Mister would prefer to have by his side, she finds more than a push towards self-confidence, a true confidant and friendship; alas, happiness in any form is so frequently fleeting. This Marcus Gardley (I'm a Virgo)-penned The Color Purple might package its championing of persistence and sisterhood with emotion-dripping songs, but it still shares much with its big-screen predecessor beyond its plot. Many holdovers come via personnel. Spielberg and Jones return, both as producers. Oprah Winfrey does the same, swapping from playing Sofia in her acting debut the first time around, which earned her both Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. Another of the original movie's key cast members pops up for a cameo appearance. Also a blatant commonality: that film iterations of this story continue to tamp down The Color Purple's queer romance. 'What About Love?', a duet between Celie and Shug, is a dreamy picture-stealer. As Shug helps Celie to finally value her own desires, Barrino and Henson make a glowing pair. There's passion in their rousing relationship — but if 2024 isn't the time to make their love more than a footnote, then when? Alongside getting audiences yearning for more of Celie and Shug together, that standout tune epitomises a facet of the film that's evident from the very moment that anyone starts singing: this is a stagey production. When musical numbers are pitched as lively escapist fantasies, which isn't rare, Bazawule appears to be making the choice purposefully. Again, although it doesn't always go as smoothly as planned, the reasoning tracks. For Celie and Sofia in particular, finding ways to persevere through everything that they endure, and to retain or regain any sense of spirit, means confronting big emotions. And just as it does in a theatre rather than a cinema, The Color Purple as a musical goes big when those feelings are released through song. (The movie also gets overly enthusiastic with its editing, which proved the case when Jon Poll took on the same role on The Greatest Showman as well.) Even when the exuberant tone doesn't land and emphasising the sets is clunky, Bazawule has compiled an exceptional cast. Barrino and Brooks reprise their turns from the stage, with considerable tasks following in Whoopi Goldberg (Harlem) and Oprah's footsteps — but their expressive performances, which make everything that courses through both Celie and Sofia ripple from the screen, are each rich, raw and resonant. Henson is entrancingly sultry and fierce as Shug, Bailey caring and determined as Nettie, Domingo monstrous but damaged as Mister and Hawkins accommodating as Harpo. Louis Gossett Jr (Kingdom Business) and Jon Batiste (an Academy Award-winner for Soul's score) also make an impression in small parts. This lineup of talent is reason enough to have The Color Purple flicker and echo as a movie musical. And when this reclamation of a grim tale shines brightest, it shines in the same way that Celie's life eventually does: through the right company.
If you were to see a fridge standing in the middle of Bondi Beach, what would you do? And, perhaps more importantly, what would you hope to find inside? On Saturday, January 20, you can put this situation to the test IRL — and we can tell you now that gelato awaits, plus flavoured milks. Gelato Messina and Westinghouse are teaming up on a giveaway, so one of the latter's refrigerators will indeed be onsite. You'll need to head to Campbell Parade opposite Roscoe Street between 10am–4.30pm, but getting in quick is recommended as the freebies are only available while stocks last (and any chance to grab some Messina for nothing is bound to be popular). On the menu: mini ice cream pops in choc jersey milk and coconut passionfruit varieties, as well as choc malt, dulce de leche and strawberry flavoured milks. One person will also win the fridge itself, so you might end up treating your kitchen as well as your tastebuds.
There's no shortage of ways to celebrate Halloween, whether scary movies, eerie art, a trick-or-treating stint, playing with Lego or themed mini golf is your thing. Here's a particularly tasty one: getting dressed up in costume and scoring a free Krispy Kreme doughnut. The chain is known for giving away its round treats, including handing out 100,000 of them each National Doughnut Day. For Tuesday, October 31, it isn't locking in an exact number of doughnuts that'll be on offer — but it will give one to everyone who turns up to a Krispy Kreme store dressed for the occasion. If that isn't an excuse to don your spookiest outfit, then what is? To snag yourself a signature glazed freebie, head to your closest Krispy Kreme store in Sydney — there's 17 stores stretching in NSW from Penrith to the CBD — on Tuesday, October 31 while wearing a Halloween-appropriate costume. You'll receive one original glazed doughnut per person, and you don't have to buy anything else to nab the treat without paying a cent. Of course, Krispy Kreme is hoping that you will be possessed by the Halloween vibe while you're in-store — or beforehand — and treat yourself to something from its themed range. On offer until Tuesday, October 31: four different varieties.
Bond and big-name festival hits. Everyone from Paul Mescal and Lily James and to Olivia Colman and Colin Farrell. Established and up-and-coming filmmakers from across the UK. That's the British Film Festival's 2022 lineup, which'll hit Sydney's Palace Norton, Palace Verona, Palace Central and Chauvel Cinema from Wednesday, October 19–Wednesday, November 16. Get ready to catch Mescal's latest post-Normal People role, Aftersun, then check out a rom-com starring James (Pam & Tommy) with Shazad Latif (Toast of Tinseltown), before seeing the Australian premiere of Colman's (Mothering Sunday) newest movie Joyride. As always, it's a star-studded affair, including opening with Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, as set in the world of French fashion, with Oscar-nominated Phantom Thread actor Lesley Manville in the titular role. At the other end, that aforementioned rom-com What's Love Got to Do With It? will wrap things up, with James and Latif joined on-screen by Emma Thompson (Good Luck to You, Leo Grande). Other standouts include The Banshees of Inisherin, which reunites In Bruges writer/director Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) and his stars Farrell (After Yang) and Brendan Gleeson (The Tragedy of Macbeth); plus the Bill Nighy (The Man Who Fell to Earth)-starring Living, about a terminally ill man in the 1950s. Also on the complete bill, and a huge inclusion: Empire of Light, the new film from 1917, Skyfall and Spectre's Sam Mendes. Skyfall will also play as part of the Bond retrospective, but the director's latest has been called a love letter to cinema — because charting a romance in an old picture palace in the 1980s was always going to earn that description. An Emily Brontë biopic, aptly named Emily, and directed by Australia actor-turned-filmmaker Frances O'Connor (The End), also sits on the lineup — as do more sea shanties in song-filled sequel Fisherman's Friends 2: One and All. Or, there's Rogue Agent, which dramatises conman (and fake undercover MI5 agent) Robert Freegard's IRL story; In From the Side, about an affair between two members of a fictional South London gay rugby club; and Aisha, focusing on a young Nigerian woman seeking asylum in Ireland. As for that shaken-not-stirred contingent, it celebrates six decades since Dr No, the first movie in the 007 franchise, initially graced cinemas — and includes 14 films, with tickets $13 for each. The title that started it all is well and truly on the lineup, as are the fellow Connery-led You Only Live Twice, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger and Thunderball; Roger Moore-era titles Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun; On Your Majesty's Secret Service with Australia's Bond George Lazenby; Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill; Goldeneye and The World Is Not Enough with Pierce Brosnan; and Daniel Craig's Casino Royale and Skyfall.
If high-concept horror nasties get you grinning even when you're squirming, recoiling or peeking through your fingers, then expect Smile to live up to its name — in its first half, at least. A The Ring-meets-It Follows type of scarefest with nods to the Joker thrown in, it takes its titular term seriously, sporting one helluva creepy smirk again and again. The actual face doing the ghoulish beaming can change, and does, but the evil Cheshire Cat-esque look on each dial doesn't. Where 2011's not-at-all spooky The Muppets had a maniacal laugh, Smile does indeed possess a maniacal, skin-crawling, nightmare-inducing leer. In the film, the first character to chat about it, PhD student Laura Weaver (Caitlin Stasey, Bridge and Tunnel), explains it as "the worst smile I have ever seen in my life". She's in a hospital, telling psychiatrist Rose Cotter (Mare of Easttown's Sosie Bacon, daughter of Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick), who clearly thinks she's hallucinating. But when the doctor sees that grin herself, she immediately knows that Laura's description couldn't be more accurate. Toothy, deranged, preternaturally stretched and also frozen in place, the smile at the heart of Smile isn't easily forgotten — not that Rose need worry about that. Soon, it's haunting her days and nights by interrupting her work, and seeing her act erratically with patients to the concern of her boss (Kal Penn, Clarice). Rose upsets a whole party at her nephew's birthday, too, and makes her fiancé Trevor (Jessie T Usher, The Boys) have doubts about their future. There's a backstory: Rose's mother experienced mental illness, which is why she's so passionate about her work and her sister Holly (Gillian Zinser, The Guilty) is so dismissive. There's a backstory to the diabolical frown turned upside down also, which she's quickly trying to unravel with the help of her cop ex Joel (Kyle Gallner, Scream). She has to; Laura came to the hospital for assistance after her professor saw the smile first, then started beaming it, then took his own life in front of her — and now Rose is in the same situation. It springs from debut feature writer/director Parker Finn's own 2020 short film Laura Hasn't Slept, but given how quickly Smile's nods to other horror flicks come — and how blatant they are — it's hardly astonishing how little in its narrative comes as a surprise. A malignant terror spreading virally on sight? A single-minded pursuer that can hop bodies, but always chases its new target with unyielding focus? Yes, as already mentioned, a J-horror franchise and its American remake are owed a huge debt, as is David Robert Mitchell's breakout 2014 hit. And yes, there's no way not to think of a certain Batman adversary each time that eerily exaggerated smirk flashes (given how many times the Joker has featured on-screen, it's downright inescapable). But when Smile is smiling — not just plastering that unnerving grin far and wide, but frequently directing it straight at the camera (and audience) — the fear is real. It's an odd experience, the feeling of knowing how obvious every aspect of a movie's narrative is, yet still having it spark a physical reaction. Finn deploys jump-scares that do genuinely invite jumps. His film goes dark and grim in its look and atmosphere, tensely so, and with cinematographer Charlie Sarroff (Relic) adoring soft, restrained lighting that one imagines the realm between life and death could have. He knows when to let a moment and a shot hang, teasing out the inevitable but still making sure the payoff is felt. And, among all of that, the mood is Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar)-level bleak. The biggest kudos goes to (and the biggest responses come from) that hellish expression that could pop up anywhere on anyone, though. When Smile stops smiling, it's a blander movie — and although the fact that much of it is spliced together from elsewhere, and what isn't is largely generic, doesn't ever slip from view, that's also when the feature gets heftier. A movie that gets its main eerie motif shocking and scaring to a spine-tingling degree, has enough technical nuts and bolts working as well, but ticks oh-so-many recognisable boxes otherwise, can also have something weighty to ponder — and Smile is that movie. Wading through trauma and its longterm effects is a horror genre favourite, with this film's version ruminating on the way that childhood struggles haunt with unshakeable and infernal malevolence. Making that force visible through a suicide-inducing, chomper-baring spirit isn't subtle, but nothing brandishing Smile's smile is overly trying to be. Layering in multiple generations multiple times in multiple ways is an effective touch, too. Still, Finn always seems to be playing with the easiest pieces and emotions, and making the easiest moves; those different instances of trauma, spread across lead, supporting and bit-part characters, also scream of dropping as many breadcrumbs as possible for potential sequels. Smile will likely start a franchise — it has the bones to, even just with its twisted lips and the notion that distressing formative incidences leave a mark. Those smirks can keep adorning and plaguing other faces, and that pain can keep bubbling up. That said, anyone who follows in Bacon's footsteps will have a task ahead of them, especially in conveying how seeing the unhinged grin frazzles and wearies. Aided by camera placement and lighting, Smile's protagonist does indeed come across as a woman fraying in every aspect of her expression and her physicality. Watch enough horror movies and you'll know that showing extreme alarm too often comes down to widening eyes, an agape jaw and a bloodcurdling shriek in by-the-numbers fare; however, there's palpable exhaustion in Bacon's performance that speaks not just to being terrified but tired of spending a life battling many kinds of demons. Gallner's sturdy support also leaves an imprint, and one of Smile's actual surprises comes if you're a Veronica Mars fan expecting him to keep playing the shady or nefarious part — something that hasn't just happened once in his career. As that stroke of casting shows, and Bacon's, there's more than enough in the film that clearly works, but there's still just as much that's almost-dispiritingly standard. Something that's an indisputable delight, a word that can never apply to all of the movie's accursed beaming: realising that plenty of Rose's story fits the lyrics of 'Footloose'. She's been working so hard punching her card. She gets a feeling that time's holding her down. She might crack if she doesn't cut loose — all while something is taking ahold of souls. Dancing isn't banned here and the elder Bacon doesn't pop up, but any flick that's legitimately unsettling and brings Footloose to mind is always going to deserve a hearty grin.
It's no secret that we've all been hiding away inside this winter. But now, with the warmer weather and our bottled-up good-time vibes, we're all raring to go, ready to re-emerge from our hibernation. And here to help in a major way is an epic late-night music and entertainment event. With the help of the NSW Government's CBDs Revitalisation Program, Solotel is hosting Sydney All-Nighter on Saturday, September 17. Across a whopping 16 venues, the country's top DJs and live acts will be welcomed to stages Sydney-wide. The best bit? Entry to each of the venues is totally free. [caption id="attachment_868624" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Maria Boyadgis[/caption] You can get your party on everywhere from Marly Bar and Goros, to the Paddo Inn, The Bank and Parramatta's Albion Hotel. Each venue will be flooded with eager Sydney folk looking to reintroduce themselves to the night life. And this series of parties isn't just big, it's also super diverse, so you're sure to find your music tribe at one of them. Check out pop singer-songwriter-musician Montaigne performing live against the Sydney Harbour backdrop at Opera Bar, or a DJ set by electronic band Northeast Party House at The Golden Sheaf in Double Bay. Elsewhere, Harvey Sutherland is playing a special vinyl DJ set at newly opened Rekōdo, the restaurant and vinyl bar at Barangaroo House. But that ain't all — there will be stand-out performers entertaining crowds at The Clock, Dusk Club, The Courthouse Hotel, Public House Petersham, The Regent and The Erko (which is dedicating the night to all things chilli). Plus, Kings Cross Hotel is transforming into a multi-level LGBTIQ+ party with takeovers by GiRLTHING and Canned Fruit, while House of Mince is hosting a queer party at Darlo Bar. Sydney All-Nighter was created to get people back out at night and experience the best of Sydney's vibrant music and nightlife culture — so grab your gang, register online and get ready to support these late-night venues. Sydney All-Nighter takes over on Saturday, September 17. Head to the website for more information and to register your attendance. Top images: Jess Gleeson (Montaigne), Nick McKinlay (Harvey Sutherland)
It has been a couple of years since The Jungle Collective first started taking over Australian warehouses and slinging plenty of plants, all thanks to its huge sales in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. These leafy excuses to fill your home with greenery always have a bit of a celebratory vibe, so the outfit's next New South Wales outing should come as no surprise — it's hosting a plant sale house party. While all of those gorgeous green babies are the main attraction — and more than 170 varieties of them, too — browsing and buying in an old heritage building isn't something you get to do every day. It's happening twice, across the two days of Saturday, February 9 and Sunday, February 10. You'll pick up everything from fiddle leafs and monsteras to giant birds of paradise and rubber trees, as well as oh-so-many ferns and hanging plants. You'll also be able to shop for designer pots, get expert advice from the horticulturalists onsite, listen to jungle tunes and even nab a $5 discount if you show up in jungle-themed attire. It's all happening at 260 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood, with two-hour sessions held at 8am, 10am, 12pm and 2pm on Saturday, plus 10am and 12pm on Sunday. While entry is free, you'll need to secure a ticket to head along — they'll be available from midday on Monday, February 4.
Combining art classes with alcohol — it's what Cork & Chroma is all about. And for five nights, Sydney's source of boozy creativity is taking its wine-fuelled sessions outdoors to Good Food Month's Night Noodle Markets. Between Thursday, October 11 and Friday, October 19, South Australian winery Brands Laira will set up a pop-up crafty cellar door at the Hyde Park markets. Cork & Chroma will have everything set up for you to create your winery-inspired masterpiece, so all you need to do it get comfy at an easel, drink vino and snack on Asian snacks. Tickets cost $60, and include talented folks giving you expert art advice, some wine and food from the market, as well as all the supplies that you'll need on the evening. The classes run from 6–8pm and bookings are essential. Consider it a ready-made date idea or just a nice way to experience the Night Noodle Markets without having to queue up at each stall.
Given the size of Sydney Fringe Festival's 2018 program, it's no surprise that it'll all culminate in a decadent, magical, art-fuelled closing event: The Last Supper. This extravagant feast, taking place on Sunday, September 30, is promising live performers, live music and a plethora of indulgent dishes — under the stars in Kensington Street Festival Village. First, you must choose which restaurant's delights you would like to feast on, be it Olio's Sicilian delights, Eastside's whimsical creations, Mekong's inventive Southeast Asian fusion or the French wonders of Bistrot Gavroche. Then, on arrival at the dinner, you'll be ushered to your seat at a long table, accompanied by up to 12 of your hungry disciples. Over two glorious hours, your chosen eatery will deliver multiple courses, designed especially for the festival. Expect to find yourself surrounded by snake charmers, fire twirlers and rain dancers. Keep an eye out, too, for tango musicians and Fringe Festival headliners, who'll be making surprise appearances. For anyone who prefers a moveable feast, Spice Alley's myriad of street food vendors will peddle tasty fare, while Gin Lane will serve spirits infused with foraged local ingredients and Handpicked Cellar Door will offer its wines for tasting. Whichever way you experience The Last Supper, you're encouraged to 'dress on the wild side' and dance, dance, dance. The Last Supper will take place on Sunday, September 30. The ticketed meals are available across two sessions, 5pm and 7.30pm, and cost $60 per person. To nab a seat at the table, visit the website.
If seasonal change has left you in a dizzy headspin of new colours and fabrics and prints and jackets — or if, y'know, you just like some fancy new clothes now and then — you'll be pretty pleased to know that the Big Fashion Sale is coming back to Sydney for four days this October. The name pretty much says it all. This thing is big. You'll find thousands of lush items from past collections, samples and one-offs from over 50 cult Australian and international designers, both well-known and emerging, including Opening Ceremony, Isabel Marant, Kenzo, Marni, Phillip Lim, Karla Špetić, Adidas, Kowtow, Matteau Swim and more. With discounts of up to 80 percent off, this is one way to up your count of designer while leaving your bank balance sitting pretty too. Prices this low tend to inspire a certain level of ruthlessness in all of us, though, so practise that grabbing reflex in advance. This is every shopper for themselves. The Big Fashion Sale will be open 9am–8pm Thursday, 9am–6pm Friday and Saturday, and 10am–5pm Sunday.
Tipples and tunes is a familiar pairing, as everyone that's been to a music festival or a jazz bar knows; however the combination doesn't get much swankier than this. At Vino & Violins, you'll tuck into a four-course meal, drink matched wines and listen to the classical stylings of musicians from the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Taking place at The Bridge Room from 6pm on Thursday, October 18, the event is hosted by Barossa winery Peter Lehmann — so expect the vineyard's wines, plus dinner whipped up by chef Ross Lusted. You'll find out just what will be served on the night, but it will start with canapés. Wine expert Malcolm Stopp will be MCing proceedings, while ACO violinists Aiko Goto and Thibaud will be providing the live soundtrack. Actually, the musicians will be doing more than that. Rather, they'll be playing pieces specifically chosen to reflect the vino, playing with characteristics such as flavour, body and style. Tickets cost $90 for what promises to be a sensory meal.
Three decades ago, a New York City cop just wanted to spend Christmas in Los Angeles with his estranged wife. He arrived at Nakatomi Plaza with little else on his mind — but before the night was out, he'd be crawling around in vents, battling German terrorists, and proving that absolutely no one messes with John McClane and his loved ones. Of course, that's the plot to Die Hard. With the action classic turning 30 this year, you'd better believe that the Ritz Cinema is celebrating. On Friday, November 23, it's hosting McClanefest, which will screen the first three films in the franchise in one huge marathon. Even better — Die Hard, Die Hard 2: Die Harder and Die Hard with a Vengeance will all screen in glorious 35mm, so you'll be able to see every inch of their explosive excellence (and plenty of Bruce Willis doing his thing in a white singlet, too). Tickets cost $25 (or $20 for cinema members), and it all kicks off at 7pm and runs until after 2am. If you're thinking "aren't there five films in the series?", well, you're right. But no one wants to revisit the awful (and awfully titled) Live Free or Die Hard and A Good Day to Die Hard.
Popcorn, choc tops and cinema under the stars — it's all coming to Woolwich's Clarkes Point Reserve for the first time. Between Friday, September 28 and Monday, October 1, the Woolwich Open Air Cinema will crank up the projector and play four films over four nights. Get a dose of Pixar nostalgia with Finding Nemo, go over-the-top with Crazy Rich Asians, snuggle up to your nearest and dearest with a rewatch of Notting Hill and remember how young Matt Damon looked 21 years ago — and how great an actor the late Robin Williams was — thanks to Good Will Hunting. Gates open at 4pm each day, with the movies kicking off at 6.15pm — so if you arrive early, you have plenty of time to soak in the lower north shore surroundings. Picnics are welcome, but you can't bring your own alcohol; however, there's a bar selling not only snacks, but wine, beer, spritzes, and gin and tonics, as well as cheese and charcuterie platters for two, porchetta rolls, vegetarian baguettes, and chicken and chorizo paella. Image: Mary and Andrew via Flickr.
UPDATE: APRIL 14, 2020 — Due to popular demand, Salt Meats Cheese's one-kilogram cheese wheel pasta can now be delivered to your door, every day. Cheese and pasta go together like few food combinations. As great as they both are individually, a particularly enticing alchemy of flavours occurs when they join forces. But simply sprinkling grated mozzarella or ground parmesan over your spaghetti is yesterday's news. Eating pasta served out of a cheese wheel is what it's all about now. Salt Meats Cheese has long been hopping on everyone's current favourite Italian culinary bandwagon with its dish — and while Australia's restaurants and eateries are currently in takeaway and delivery-only mode, that doesn't mean you have to miss out on your cheesy pasta fix. Every day, you can order one kilogram of brie cheese spaghetti for $39 from its Drummoyne store — and have it brought to your home via Salt Meats Cheese's new app. While you're sitting at your own dining table, you'll be able to tuck into the cheesiest bowl of pasta you're ever likely to taste, with each serving designed for two people. Flavour-wise, there are a few available, because even a meal like cheese wheel pasta can use a few additions. Just classic cheese is on the menu, as are black truffle sauce, carbonara and a supremely indulgent four-cheese sauce. Elsewhere on the menu, you'll find one-kilogram bowls of gnocchi, vegan pizza, wine and desserts. Download Salt Meats Cheese's new app for iOS and Android. Delivery is available from 5–9pm.
At its locations in Surry Hills and North Sydney, Devon Cafe is serving up a dedicated truffle menu again this winter. It's a sizeable menu, and one item that caught the attention of our taste buds is the truffle egg sando ($20). Combining fluffy white bread, omelette, mushroom pâté and shaved truffle, this is a tasty a twist on a Japanese classic, and it's available through to the end of August. If you're keen on something sweet to end the meal, try the cafe's truffle sundae ($17.50) — truffle-infused soft serve, truffle honey and sea salt, served in a waffle cone or cup and topped more fresh truffle. Also on the menu this year: a truffle latte ($7.50), curly fries with parmesan and truffle ($19), truffle-topped mi goreng ($35) and a wagyu rice dish topped with truffle ($36). With Sydney's current COVID-19 restrictions, cafes are allowed one person per four square metres, so we recommend you make a booking before heading in. Devon's truffle menu is available at its North Sydney and Surry Hills cafes.
In response to COVID-19, film festivals around the world have been making the shift to online programs for 2020 — and Australia's fests are no different. Sydney Film Festival is doing just that, as is the Melbourne International Film Festival. Also going virtual: the Human Rights Arts and Film Festival. HRAFF's addition to the digital fold is called Humankind, and it runs between Monday, May 18–Sunday, May 24. Each day, it'll screen a different film online. And yes, while that means that the fest's lineup is quite small, it's also mostly free. Although registering for tickets is still required, six of the seven movies on the program will be made available to viewers without paying a cent. You can opt to donate, though, if you can spare $2, $10 or $50. On the bill: poignant New Zealand drama Whale Rider; documentary No Time for Quiet, about the Girls Rock! camp in Melbourne; and fellow music-focused doco Her Sound, Her Story, which explores the experiences of women in the industry. Or, you can check out environmental documentary Tomorrow, which is co-directed by Inglourious Basterds star Melanie Laurent; Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise, about the African American poet and activist; and Backtrack Boys, which dives into a jackaroo-led youth program. Humankind is also screening excellent Aussie doco In My Blood It Runs, which tells the tale of 10-year-old Northern Territory resident Dujuan — and tickets to watch it online cost $15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmahNqD3Dvw&feature=youtu.be
Pick your favourite movie, change the concept slightly and Hollywood's next big hit could be born. It worked for The Fast and the Furious, which took Point Break's storyline, swapped surfboards for cars and spawned a hugely successful franchise, and it somewhat works in Little as well. Sequels and spinoffs aren't as likely to follow in the current case, but this age-swap comedy serves up a bit of fun with its reversed take on 80s classic Big. To be accurate, it serves up a highly predictable tale, themes to match, a few laughs, energetic performances and a star-making turn from 14-year-old Marsai Martin. Best known for TV sitcom Black-ish, Martin is a comic force to be reckoned with as Jordan Sanders, a character she shares with Regina Hall. The younger actress plays the 13-year-old version of the hotshot technology entrepreneur — both when she was originally a bullied, anxious, science-loving teenager suffering the ultimate humiliation at her school talent show, and when the tyrannical thirty-something is turned back into her adolescent self by a kid waving a magic wand. As an adult, Jordan has been coping with her youthful torment by becoming a rich, unpleasant control freak, unleashing much of her intimidation upon her long-suffering assistant April (Issa Rae). Then she picks on a child, wakes up to discover that she's now a child again herself, and is forced to enlist April to act as her legal guardian. Obviously, there's no question that writer-director Tina Gordon (who also helped pen What Men Want) and her co-scribe Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip) have seen Tom Hanks dance around on a walking keyboard in Big. The link is right there in Little's name. Martin has too, and that's where the film actually sprang from. The teen actress watched the movie, came up with a twist and pitched the idea to the right person. Now she's starring in the end product. She's also an executive producer on the picture — the youngest ever in Hollywood. Thanks to this origin story, there's a shameless feeling of familiarity to the flick — yet it's by design, rather than through arrogance, ignorance or laziness. The film's pace is breezy and its tone is bouncy, creating a feel-good, upbeat, self-empowering vibe, which should surprise no one. The expected jokes and messages also arrive on cue. Indeed, Little is well-aware that everyone knows where it sprang from, that it's never going to be original, and that plenty of other body-swap comedies have also done something similar. As a result, it rarely contemplates breaking the mould. More than that, it doesn't think it needs to. The film does pair its concept with the African-American experience, and calls out the fact that these kinds of antics usually only involve white characters, but it's otherwise content to stick to the formula. And while playing it safe is rarely the path to big-screen success, there's a reason for Little's approach. Instead of stepping into new territory, the movie adheres to the template, relying on its cast to add much-needed personality. In exaggerated mode, Hall has a ball. Finding the sweet spot between affable and awkward, Rae does as well. In the precocious Martin's case, she shines brighter than her character's oversized sunglasses and glitzy outfits. Without her, all of the film's cliches and tropes would take centre stage, from Jordan's initial shock at her sudden transformation, to the inevitable makeover montages, to the just-as-expected learning of life lessons. But while they're still all blatantly apparent, Martin's spark goes a long way. Crucially, she inhabits her character like an adult placed in a kid's body, rather than a child playing dress-up imitating someone older. With the younger Jordan strutting around in designer clothes, confidently ordering whisky at a bar and even flirting with her teacher when she's sent back to school, it's a vital difference, and it shows. Little still belongs to one of today's most pervasive and worrying trends — where everything can, should and must be rehashed over and over and over again — but it finds a way to stand out. In the crowded age- and body-swap genre that counts everything from 13 Going on 30 and 17 Again to Freaky Friday and The Change-Up, that too makes a difference. A big one, fittingly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWzxkqHn6D4
It's Cinco de Mayo time again, and with the holiday always comes a slew of Mexican food offerings. For the occasion, Neutral Bay's SoCal is bringing back its all-you-can-eat taco night on Tuesday, May 7 — so best start making room in your stomach now. For $30, you can tuck into as many tacos as your tum can handle. Think varieties like fish with pineapple and coriander salsa, smoked brisket with sweet chipotle and tofu with kimchi and daikon slaw. For drinks, the bar will be slinging margaritas for a tenner all night, too. You'll need to book a table between 5–10pm for the deal. And we suggest you do so soon — last year booked out very quickly. It's all part of the venue's second Taco and Tequila Fiesta, which celebrates Cinco de Mayo with a week of festivities.
Every Monday, Salt Meats Cheese Broadway serves up slices upon slices of pizza for its weekly all-you-can-eat night. It's a time when gluttony isn't a sin — but if you're vegan, you might've been holding back. Fancy as much pizza as you can handle, but without any animal products? And pasta, too? Then mark Tuesday, May 14 in your diary. From 5pm, SMC will serve up unlimited vegan slices and bowls for $25. The only catch is that you'll have to buy a drink as well, but you can choose from both booze and non-alcoholic options. As for the pizza lineup, patrons can choose from multiple varieties, all of which come topped with not-zzarella cheese. Pizzas include the margherita, eggplant with basil salsa, and roasted potato with garlic and rosemary. Or, opt for the vegetariana, which combines tomato, zucchini, eggplant and roasted red capsicum — or a slice of truffle and mushroom. If you'd like gluten-free bases, too, that'll cost you an extra $5.
There's a feeling that all wine lovers know — the feeling of tasting a new drop that's never before touched your lips, savouring the flavour and realising how delicious it is. Multiply that by 12, and that's what Bonnie's latest Wine Safari night is all about. You'll taste sup new tipples. You'll enjoy never-before-sampled natural wines. You'll be quite happy, obviously. The third in the Bondi venue's ad-hoc series, this night is all about Lucy Margaux by Anton Van Klopper, so prepare for fresh drops from one of the country's best natural wine labels. From a Pinot Noir Pet-Nat to a Chardonnay to a Merlot — and to vino with names like Sangiovese Stupefacente and Aussie Bum and the Frog, too — a dozen varieties will be there for the tasting from 6pm on Tuesday, March 26. Attendees will also be able to buy bigger portions of each wine by the glass from $16, and nab takeaways. Also heading to the hangout inside Bondi Beach Public Bar are the evening's hosts: Van Klopper, Marie-Sophie Canto (The Dolphin Wine Room), Gabrielle Webster (Icebergs Dining Room & Bar) and James Hird (Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, The Dolphin Hotel). Food-wise, their colleague Monty Koludrovic will be cooking up three kinds of red pizza frittatas.
Getting arty while sipping tipples has fast become everyone's favourite thing to do, and for plenty of good reasons. It's creative, it's fun and it's the equivalent of reliving your primary school art classes as a wine-sipping adult. And, while there's no shortage of places and sessions popping up for the imbibing artists amongst us, Boozy Finger Painting promises something different on a number of levels. As the name suggests, you'll be unleashing your crafty talents using your fingers — and truly feeling nostalgic as a result. For $70, Work-Shop will supply the canvas, paint, gloves if you don't want to get too messy and a primer on what to do, plus two glasses of Cake red wine. Then it'll let you loose. You can also BYO tipples if you think you'll need more liquid inspiration — and you can also use body parts other than your fingers if you'd really like. The next sessions take place as Work-Shop's Sydney HQ from 6.30pm on select Friday evenings between June and October.
Restock your reading pile without paying a cent — yes, Free Comic Book Day is back for 2019. First started in the US in 2002, the event has grown into an annual international celebration, paying tribute to comics and graphic novels in all of their forms. Each and every year, Kinokuniya gets in on the action. This year, the CBD store will be giving away more than 13,000 free comics; however that's just the beginning of the shenanigans. Expect an explosion of pop culture in The Galeries, including a cosplay competition, an artist's alley — where some of Sydney's top creators will sketch pieces for fans — and an incredibly timely Star Wars trivia comp. 2019's Free Comic Book Day does fall on Saturday, May 4, after all. You'll also be able to pick up a free tote showbag (all those comics need to go somewhere) if you register in advance for the early bird queue, take part in a nanoblock building comp, and nab 20 percent off all graphic novels and manga. The fun starts when the store opens, with Kinokuniya trading from 10am–7pm.
The 90s were great. That shouldn't be a controversial opinion. Whether you lived through them or have spent the last couple of decades wishing you did — aka binging on 90s pop culture — Oxford Art Factory's New Year's Eve shindig will indulge both your retro and your festive urges. Drinks, tunes, fashion: expect all of the above at the No Scrubs: 90s and Early 00s party from 9pm on NYE. Of course, it's up to you to make sure the clothing side of thing is covered, and to get into the spirit of the season. If you want to use Mariah Carey as a style icon, it'd be fitting. Expect to unleash your inner Spice Girl and Backstreet Boy too. TLC, Destiny's Child, Savage Garden, Usher, Blink-182, No Doubt — we'd keep listing artists, but you all know what you're getting yourselves into. Entry costs $10 on the door, with the fun running through until 3am.
Until Sunday, March 3, Carriageworks is playing host to the latest exhibition by American artist Nick Cave, which explores issues of gun violence, gender politics and race relations in America. Until is his largest solo presentation, and marks the same achievement for the Eveleigh venue — and now, as part of Sydney Festival, it's getting two after-hours art sessions. Until Later will see Cave's pieces combine with talks, live music and DJs spinning tunes, adding an extra layer to the works and installations gracing Carriageworks' walls. Taking place from 7pm on Monday, January 14 and again at the same time on Monday, January 21, it's your chance to explore the exhibition in a different way. It's also far from your usual Monday night activity. Tickets cost $39, and both dates boast impressive lineups, so head along to see Mojo Juju and Ngaiire one week, then Nakhane and Charlotte Hatherley the next. Each session will also include an in-conversation chat hosted by Wesley Enoch and featuring Ayebatonye Abrakasa, while Ayebatonye will also be behind the decks. Image: Zan Wimberley, 2018.
It's a case of new year, new idea at the Australian National Maritime Museum in January, with the Darling Harbour spot hosting its first series of after-hours waterside parties. Head by on Friday and Saturday nights throughout the month and sunset shindigs await at Summer Lates — with DJs spinning tunes, food and drinks available to purchase, and the museum's exhibitions open as well. Yes, a boozy night at the museum is in store on January 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26. You'll be able to wander through the world of sharks at On Sharks & Humanity's showcase of artwork, step into an a story about the fight for recognition of Indigenous sea rights via Gapu-Monuk Saltwater, and venture to the ocean's depths thanks to James Cameron's Challenging the Deep. Like the parties, the first two exhibits are free to enter; however peering beneath the sea with the director of the Titanic does attract a $12–20 fee. Timing-wise, the waterfront bar will start serving up summery cocktails from 5pm, running through until 10pm — and you'll be able to enter the museum until 8pm. Teaming up with Surry Hills' Fishbowl, ANMM is putting on a tasty salad menu for the occasion. Think salmon sashimi with beets, edamame and kale; free-range chicken with coriander, cucumber, roast sesame dressing and and wasabi peas; and hand-pressed tofu with radish, shallots and a miso tahini dressing.
For nearly six decades, Robert Redford has sparkled on the silver screen, dripping charm across the original The Great Gatsby, solo seafaring drama All Is Lost and everything in between. His resume is as sizeable as his charisma, but as his acting career reportedly comes to an end, the 82-year-old's allure couldn't shine brighter. The primarily 1980s-set The Old Man and the Gun is the story of two men: a real-life thief and the detective on his trail. It's also a tale that's intricately attuned to its leading man. Seeing Redford rob banks and stage heists once more feels like the perfect swansong for a talent who became a star thanks to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting. Likewise, that the movie is all about doing what you love couldn't feel more fitting for his final on-screen role. After stating that The Old Man and the Gun would be his last performance, Redford somewhat walked back those comments with a 'never say never' attitude. If this does turn out to be the four-time Oscar nominee's final hurrah in front of the camera, he's leaving viewers with a treasure of a filmic goodbye that keeps its scale small and intimate, but boasts a big heart as it ponders big existential matters. A loving tribute and a wistful take on a true story combined, The Old Man and the Gun recognises that pursuing a passion is what life is all about and, if you're able to do just that, it changes everything. Much to cinema's great benefit, Redford has chased his dream through acting since 1960. The man he's playing here did the same by walking into banks and demanding their money. Dressed respectably, hat, jacket, tie and all, Forrest Tucker's (Redford) modus operandi is always the same. He steps into a financial institution, steps up to a member of staff and courteously asks for their cash. He gestures gently towards the gun under his arm, all while conducting his stick-up politely, smoothly and with a smile. Afterwards, once he's waltzed out with the loot without customers noticing, bank employees routinely tell the police how nice he is. In his 70s and out of jail again after one of his many stints inside, Tucker is still doing what he does best, usually with long-term pals Teddy (Danny Glover) and Waller (Tom Waits). Sparking up a romance with widow Jewel (Sissy Spacek) doesn't change Tucker's love for his chosen profession, and neither does the sleuthing of determined Texas cop John Hunt (Casey Affleck). Drawn from a 2003 New Yorker article with the same evocative name, Hunt's, er, hunt for Tucker helps shade in some of the latter's backstory. But this isn't about documenting all of the details, with getting a sense of the eponymous old man more important than working through his biography. That's what Jewel does, as their relationship progresses even after Tucker is upfront about his line of work. The film follows her cues, offering a casual stroll through the twilight years of its likeable and kindly criminal. Shot in warm tones on 16mm stock, and given the nostalgic sheen of someone reflecting on fond memories, it may be a bank robber drama, a detective quest and a romance all in one — but it's first and foremost an affectionate yarn about its engaging protagonist and his dedication to remaining true to his outlaw self. In other words, The Old Man and the Gun fits snuggly into the oeuvre of writer-director David Lowery, who has amassed an impressive resume with his four movies to date. Ain't Them Bodies Saints, Pete's Dragon and A Ghost Story might seem worlds away from the filmmaker's latest effort, and from each other, but the yearning need to remain true to oneself sits at the centre of each. Lowery also excels at splashing emotion across the screen subtly but powerfully. It's there when he lingers on the twinkle in Redford's eye, and when he documents Tucker's many prison escapes by using footage from across the actor's career. And, it's evident in the film's other standout performance. Harking back to her breakout role in Badlands, Spacek once again falls for someone who's committed to doing wrong, and once again gleams, this time like her character's name. That makes The Old Man and the Gun a gorgeous and entertaining ode to not just one cinema legend, but two. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWybz4vdaFs
Fancy a trip to China, but can't afford the airfare? Well, luck is on your side, because Chatswood is hosting a three-week-long cultural festival to ring in the Year of the Pig. From 29 January to 19 February, the lower north shore suburb will be filled with food, festivities and floats as it celebrates the Chinese New Year. Highlights include a Golden Market in Chatswood Mall (Jan 29–Feb 8) with 35 stallholders serving up everything from dumpling to flowers; Celebration Day (Feb 9), one of Sydney's largest Chinese New Year celebrations; and the Lunar New Year Twilight Parade (February 16) with impressive floats and dragon dancing moving through Chatswood's main streets. Foodies can head on one of the Taste of Asia tours, which travel through Chatswood's many multi-cultural eateries, with guests feasting on everything from Taiwanese bao to Chinese dumplings to authentic Malay and heat-packing tom yum. Kidults (and actual children) can head to a night at the movies with Flicks for Piglets screened every evening, including both Chinese and English family films. And it's all free, no passport required.
Is your aesthetic still stuck in the greys and navy blues of winter? Well, you should hotfoot it to Precinct 75 — its upcoming design market will help you transition into summer. Across one day December, the market is returning to the St Peters creative precinct to celebrate local independent labels. Both Precinct 75 tenants and guest will be there, including homewares designers Saarde Hoem and Upcycle Studio. Or snag yourself a sweet-smelling real Christmas tree (which'll be available from the precinct for the rest of the month, too). Food stalls from Rice Pantry, Sample Roasters and Buttercream Bakery will keep you fed, while Precinct 75's Urban Winery and Willie The Boatman will be doling out the vino and beer, respectively. Sydney Vegan Market will also be popping up no the day, serving up a slew of plant-based eats and drinks. If you need a midway shopping break, there will be plenty of action to keep you occupied with live music and indoor plant advice — and lots of green babies available to buy — available from the Mega Pop-Up Plant Sale. Even better, with free entry for you, your mates and the pooch — yes, pets are welcome — you'll have more money to spend on some new wares. Precinct 75 Summer Design Fair will run from 9am–4pm.
Summer means sunshine, saying goodbye to wearing many layers of clothing at all times and stepping out into the great outdoors as often as possible. It also means the return of market-friendly weather. With that in mind, the folks at Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel and Cambridge Markets are joining forces for a festive fling. There'll be food. There'll be shopping. There'll be rides, fun and hangouts aplenty. Head on down to Robertson Park on Friday, December 7, because that's when Watsons Bay Christmas Twilight Market will be taking over. As well as browsing and buying in scenic surroundings, expect 120 stalls and many gourmet food stations. Those eager to head home with a full basket will find local designer fashion, homewares, ceramics and jewellery on offer from 3pm until 9pm. Those keen to fill their stomachs can eat their way through Vietnamese pho, pork sliders and more. Arrive hungry, leave satisfied — and with a heap of new items.
Spring is here, flowers are blooming and you just want to fill your house with plants. Head on over to Sydney's latest greenery-filled pop-up and you can do just that. In fact, it's called The Green. Located in Banksmeadow, a 15-minute drive south of the CBD, The Green will be slinging ferns, figs and other foliage from 9am–5pm on Saturday, October 20. Prepare to feast your eyes on a heap indoor and courtyard plants, including succulents, with the majority of the stock on sale for between $10–30. Entry is free, but you will need a ticket to attend — and if you'd like to do more than shop, you have a few options. You can also attend free terrarium and succulent bowl demonstrations, or you can book yourself in for a paid terrarium or kokedama workshop and take your own green creation home with you for $49–59
As the brains behind Ms. G's, and executive chef of Merivale's multi-venue Establishment, Dan Hong is no stranger to innovation. But things are about to get extra crafty when he's joined in the Ms. G's kitchen by some big-name international comrades, for an exclusive series of whisky-inspired food collabs. The first of these kicks off next week, with the help of groundbreaking LA chef Kris Yenbamroong. The mind behind legendary Thai street food restaurants Night + Market and Hong will each deliver an experimental menu of snacks, available across two rollicking weeknight parties on October 10 and 11. We're talking bites like rock oysters with sweet and sour pig's head jam, condensed milk-marinated pork skewers, fried chicken and papaya sandwiches and a whisky coconut sorbet. Guests will enjoy a parade of the pair's game-changing dishes, alongside DJ tunes and a series of Chivas Regal cocktail concoctions crafted exclusively for the events. There'll also be the chance to road-test some special booze blends at whisky stations set up throughout Ms. G's. Your $90 ticket includes all food, four Chivas Regal cocktails, entertainment, a whisky blending experience and your own blended whisky to take home. The Blend series continues next month, when Hong will joins forces with longtime mate Jowett Yu (Hong Kong's Ho Lee Fook) and Louis Tikram from LA hotspot LP & EP. They'll host a couple of similar shindigs on November 12 and 13, this time plating up an adventurous Asian-fusion mash-up. A third and final (and yet-to-be-named) guest will be heading Down Under for two nights in December — we'll update you as soon as they're announced. Images: Dimitri Tricolas, Nikki To and Laure Joliet
Everyone loves digging into a bowl of hearty, cheesy, carby pasta — whether it's the middle of a drizzly winter today or the peak of summer. But sometimes, depending how fancy you go, they can set you back nigh $30. For World Pasta Day (a thing, it seems) Fratelli Fresh is shunning exxy bowls and instead celebrating with a day of $10 pastas. All eight Fratelli Fresh stores — Alexandria, Bridge Street, Crows Nest, Darling Harbour, Entertainment Quarter, Macquarie Street, Walsh Bay and Westfield CBD — will be offering all pasta dishes on their menus for only a tenner. All day. Choose from crab spaghettini, classic spag bol, linguine with chilli and garlic, ricotta ravioli with burnt butter and a next-level fettuccini with duck ragù (among others). Pretty lovely considering some of these dishes are usually priced at up to $35 price tag. Book your spot for lunch or dinner via the website.
Not all street festivals are held in the inner west. Sure, it's got Marrickville Festival and Leichhardt's Italian Festa, but the lower north shore has Crown Nest Fest. And it's no small affair — each year, the one-day festival brings in over 50,000 punters. This year — its 28th — will see Willoughby Road lined with over 200 stallholders hawking food, drinks and other goodies. Bands will play throughout the day across four stages, and you can expect local haunts like The Hayberry, Johnny Bird and Double Cross to get involved, too.
When Best F(r)iends: Volume One hit screens earlier this year, it was the film that had to happen. Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero couldn't just give the world the so-bad-it's-amazing gift that is The Room and leave it at that, after all. And thanks to the surprisingly watchable flick's name, we all knew what would be coming next: Best F(r)iends: Volume Two. Yep, the duo's first disasterpiece became the basis for Sestero's ace behind-the-scenes book The Disaster Artist, and then the oh-so spot-on movie adaptation of the same name — and now their second effort is wrapping up with its second part. Prepare to throw plastic gold teeth rather than plastic spoons at the screen, or just show up wearing a bloody shirt. If you want to say "oh hi" to someone, that's obviously allowed. For those that missed the return of Wiseau's long, greasy locks in Best F(r)iends: Volume One, it sees the world's most distinctive actor play a mortician, with Sestero also starring as a drifter who starts selling off gold teeth extracted from dead bodies. It's somewhat inspired by a true story, with Sestero writing the script based on a road trip he really took with Wiseau. The man forever known as The Room's Mark also says that Best F(r)iends: Volume Two his favourite thing he's ever doneis . If you're so filled with excitement that you feel like storming onto a rooftop and throwing a bottle, don't stress — just like the first part, the second film is coming to Sydney. It'll screen at the Hayden Orpheum at 7pm on Thursday, December 6. Even better, Sestero will be in attendance to answer all of your questions. Just don't ask him how his sex life is, obviously. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTu9N40E_MI
