Entertainment is relative to expectation. At slapdash times, a case of beer, a few friends and the digital music collections contained in your pockets will do. But when you're driving piles into the bottom of Sydney Harbour, crafting a nine-metre chandelier out of Swarovski elements and conjuring up a solid 3000-seat outdoor venue where before there were only lawns, you've committed to staging an event that those who witness cannot forget. It was a huge gamble from Opera Australia, Destination NSW and benefactor Haruhisa Handa. The result is a spectacular success and probably the best outdoor event to ever be staged in Australia. Festivals of all stripes could learn a thing or two from Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour. From the moment you enter, it is designed to be a totally comfortable experience that removes you from the everyday. The labyrinthine paths that lead to the seating and social areas take you under arches and over mini red carpets by day and through a prettily lit botanical corridor by night. There's premium catering sequestered somewhere, but the casual dining is perfect, borrowing the efficient layout of Ikea's restaurants to swiftly spit you out with fish and chips or pizza slice in hand. People promenade along the waterfront, which separates the seating from the stage built over the water. The views, the views, the views wash over you from each direction. By combining the grandeur of opera with Sydney's natural and architectural wonders and the (literal) fireworks of outdoor gatherings, the organisers of Handa Opera on the Harbour have assembled a spectacle heightened beyond what could ever fit in a theatre. La Traviata is the world's second-most performed opera, but let's be straight: it isn't the most exciting. This is a story that was fleshed out by Baz Luhrmann in Moulin Rouge, and in this incarnation, the consumptive consort's death scene takes an hour. It means the pressure is on the performers to convey the emotional impact of tragedy almost solely through their soaring, reaching, longing voices — and really, isn't that when opera is at its best? Emma Matthews and Gianluca Terranova as lovers Violetta and Alfredo and Jonathan Summers as meddlesome father Giorgio ably lead you on that journey. But the light narrative also, in this case, gives your eyes a chance to wander from the surtitles and absorb the spectacle on stage, and when they itch for a break from that, time to dance across the city skyline from the CBD over the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and to the bookend of North Sydney. It's sublime. La Traviata is a story made for excess, allowing designers Brian Thomson and Tess Schofield to fill parties with a raucous mix of tuxedoed gentlemen, gypsies, matadors and drag queens and furnish the set with a cartoonishly long banquet table and Chesterfield lounge. Even when it's lit like a nightclub, the set delivers on scale and glamour. The gilt-frame base is less evocative in reality than concept (it looks a little like a skate park at times), but that much-talked-about chandelier is truly stunning and, given its surrounds, not overwhelming. Most impressively, just when you thought their every use had been thoroughly exhausted by Sydney outdoor events, this one makes fireworks seem wondrous, surprising and meaningful again. La Traviata is the first of three such Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour events scheduled for the next three years. Not even rain could tarnish your experience of a night you'll carry with you well into next March. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ewpzuXjwAMg
Everyone has a favourite kind of chocolate. Everyone also has a favourite kind of chocolate that doesn't actually exist. You know what we're talking about — you've fantasised about a bar of cocoa goodness that includes all your wildest, weirdest additions, and you've been cripplingly saddened every time you've looked for your crazy concoction in the supermarket. Keep dreaming deliciously big, because new Australian online retailer Chocolab is in the business of granting chocolate wishes. Whether milk, white or dark is your jam, and whether you like to find confectionery, spices, fruit, nuts, biscuits, cereal, coffee, popcorn or pretzels hidden within, your dream choccy could be an actual, eatable thing. In the company's online creation lab, you can add up to five possible bits and pieces to your 100-gram block of Belgium's finest. The lengthy list of ingredients currently includes sour gummy worms, Ovalteenies, Nerds, caramel fudge, Nutella, Fruit Tingles, sherbet, acai berries, Tiny Teddies, brownie bites, Cornflakes and more, with new options added regularly. If you don't see an add-in you like, you can even suggest your own. A block starts at $6.50, with add-ins ranging from 70c to $2. Once you've settled on your picks, your concoction is handcrafted by Chocolab's professional chocolatiers, then shipped to you as soon as possible — and yes, there's an express delivery option, because no one likes waiting for the food of the gods. Postage starts at $4 per block, so while it's not the cheapest block of chocolate in town, it's certainly the most happily indulgent. Chocolab recommends eating the finished product with a month or two, and we celebrate their optimism and judgement-free attitude. We all know your dream bar won't last that long. To find out more about Chocolab, or to design your own block of chocolate, visit their website.
Sometimes they're shaved and sprinkled atop pasta, risotto or eggs. Sometimes they're used to flavour cheese. To the joy of libation lovers, they've also been worked into creative types of cocktails. The foodstuff in question: truffles. A king among culinary must-haves, they don't just tantalise tastebuds every time they're mentioned, but get snapped with such frequency that they fill up social media feeds the way they fill up stomachs. Northern Italy's woods are also abundant with them, especially the tuber magnatum — otherwise known as the white truffle. But before these highly sought-after morsels can make their way into kitchens, onto plates, and into many a willing and eager mouth, someone has to spend their time and expend their energy finding the edible fungus. The Truffle Hunters introduces viewers to multiple elderly men and their adorable dogs who all do just that, with their lives revolving around roving the forest and searching out the prized food. It might sound like a relaxed pursuit — as walking through trees with your pet pooch to fill your pockets with a delicacy is bound to — but it's a highly competitive endeavour, and one that the documentary's central figures are intensely passionate about. For Aurelio, the only thing he loves more than foraging for truffles is Birba, his partner in the hunt. Alas, he worries that when his days are over, there'll be no one to care for his adored canine companion. The cantankerous Angelo has no such concerns, but he does have a plethora of gripes. Now an ex-truffle hunter disillusioned with the way that the industry has evolved over time, he's happiest when he's attacking his typewriter with gusto, using it to chronicle his myriad woes and complaints. In earning the film's attention, these two very different men are joined by the committed Sergio, who enjoys his task with his dogs Pepe and Fiona by his side — and by Carlo, who takes his walks with his own four-legged companion Titina. The latter duo are the source of some of The Truffle Hunters' most memorable scenes, with Carlo's beloved pastime forbidden by his wife. Unperturbed, he routinely sneaks out at night to search with a torch in hand. Cycling between these men's stories, directors Michael Dweck (The Last Race) and Gregory Kershaw (cinematographer on The Last Race, and also on this) chart their individual efforts. The titular subjects try care for their canines, argue with others encroaching on their turf, type missives about how the world has changed and, in Carlo's case, keep absconding by moonlight. Their hounds remain a focus, including their efforts to avoid poison baits. Devoted to capturing the pooch perspective however they can, Dweck and Kershaw aren't above using puppy cam as well. Seeing truffle hunting from a dog's viewpoint may be an easy gimmick, but it's also both a joy and a thrill — and emblematic of the film's fondness for flavour and character above all else. Narration is absent, talking heads don't clog up the screen, and no one is on hand to describe the ins and outs of the business in the spotlight, with Dweck and Kershaw favouring immersion rather than explanation. It's a fitting approach, and a purposeful one, even if the documentary takes on a relaxed air from start to finish. The Truffle Hunters is a leisurely movie that's content to chronicle its subjects' easy-going lives, lean into their eccentricities and survey their lush surroundings — and, even clocking in at just 84 minutes, it's an unhurried gem of a documentary — however, it's also carefully compiled. Truffle aficionados will spot the symbolism, of course. When chefs whip up bites to eat using the fungi, they enhance the charms of a raw ingredient by weaving it into a painstakingly crafted dish — and The Truffle Hunters does the filmmaking equivalent. When working in the kitchen and making a movie alike, it takes skill and precision to bring out the best in something, while also simultaneously arranging it in an exacting fashion. If Dweck and Kershaw happen to be as adept at cooking as they are at directing, they'd make exceptional chefs indeed. The pair's efforts behind the camera are certainly enough to whet appetites; shots of truffles being grated over plates will do that. That said, The Truffle Hunters doesn't ever earn the culinary documentary genre's least-wanted term, because no one here is interested in making mere food porn. Instead, this sumptuously and patiently lensed affair is a record and a musing. It details a way of life, and the men behind it, that's likely to wane. To place that foreseeable change in context, it shows how everything surrounding truffles is becoming an ever-lucrative business. In the process, it also ponders the way that traditions fade — when the number of people keeping them alive continues to decline, and also when profit becomes a heftier source of motivation for those taking over. As these elements swirl through the documentary — which also boasts Call Me By Your Name filmmaker Luca Guadagnino as its executive producer — it serves up a rich and substantial cinematic meal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg7QTqm_i4o
Spending more time at home is much easier to stomach with a hefty rage of desserts on hand, or at least that seems to be Gelato Messina's pandemic motto. Over the past few months, the gelato fiends have served up plenty of tasty specials, including cookie pies in choc chip, red velvet, choc-hazelnut, and peanut butter and jelly varieties, as well as 40 of its best gelato flavours. Up next: a gelato version of everyone's favourite Italian chocolate, in tub form. If your ultimate chocolate is round, covered in gold wrapping and has a crunchy hazelnut centre — yes, we're talking about Ferrero Rocher — you best get ready to order this Messina special, dubbed the Tartufo Rocks Hot Tub. Inspired by the famed Italian chocolate, the tubs feature layers of gianduja (chocolate-hazelnut) gelato, whipped cream, chocolate-coated puffed rice, hazelnut mousse and gianduja fudge and are topped with hazelnut rocher glaze. And, yes, the end result looks like the chocolates you know and love — but in a scoopable form. Available as part of Messina's 'Hot Tub' series, the Tartufo gelato can only be ordered online on Monday, October 26, with a one-litre tub setting you back $30. You can then go into your chosen Messina store to pick up your tub between Friday, October 30 and Sunday, November 1. While Rocher's tagline is indeed 'share something special', we think there's nothing wrong with keeping this all to yourself. Gelato Messina's Tartufo Rocks Hot Tubs will be available to order on Monday, October 26, for pick up between Friday, October 30–Sunday, November 1 — keep an eye on the Messina website for further details.
Edge of Tomorrow tells the story of a cocky, unlikeable man trapped in an inescapable temporal loop where he must relive the same day over and over again. From the trailer alone it was clear this new film by director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) had borrowed heavily from 1993's outstanding live-die-repeat karmic comedy Groundhog Day. The only questions were: how much, and how well? Over the past 20 years, a number of attempts have been made to match the Groundhog Day formula, with Source Code and Deja Vu perhaps the most on point, while Looper — though not specifically a 'repetition' film — offered the most refreshing perspective on what it called "that time travel crap [that] just fries your brain like an egg". In Edge of Tomorrow, the allusions to Ramis' film are at their most pronounced, yet — thankfully — they are also perhaps at their best. Tom Cruise, putting in his best performance in years, plays the spineless advertising exec turned military spin-doctor Will Cage, who's railroaded by his commander (Brendan Gleeson) and dispatched to the western front as a regular grunt on the eve of a major military offensive. The enemy is an alien species whose arrival, objective and anatomy most closely resemble those of the bugs in Starship Troopers. As the waves of troop carriers, aircraft and boats swarm across the English Channel towards France, it's hard not to think the timing of this film's release wasn't just a little bit strategic given this week's 70th anniversary of D-Day, yet it neither grates nor bears any significance to the wider implications of the compelling plot once Cruise dies and begins his seemingly endless loop. Edge of Tomorrow was written by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, whose background in IT and video games unmistakably impacted on both the visuals and narrative. For one thing, the soldiers resemble something between human Mech-Warriors and Titan Convertibles, yet it's in the nature of the temporal loop that the gaming analogy is most apposite. Every time Cage dies, he immediately restarts from the same time and place. It is, in effect, his 'save point', and — just as in gaming — he uses both the pain and knowledge from his previous deaths to extend the time before his next one in order to beat the eventual 'Boss'. In Groundhog Day, the main character taught himself piano. In Edge of Tomorrow, it's martial arts and weaponry. In Groundhog Day, he got to know a woman in order to sleep with her. Here, it's to keep her alive. That woman is Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), a war hero and propaganda darling whose nickname is either 'The Hero of Verdun' or 'Full Metal Bitch' depending on whether she's there to hear it or not. Blunt is spectacular in the role, playing an entirely plausible warrior without having to resort to hackneyed tough-talking or turning her body into a giant muscle in a sports bra. She's less a love interest than she is a trainer, motivator and ally, and the partnership is a delight to watch. Funny, suspenseful and terrifically imaginative, Edge of Tomorrow is a thinking-person's action film that will surely stand as one of 2014's best blockbusters. https://youtube.com/watch?v=vw61gCe2oqI
On the lookout for a dope new denim jacket? Or do you want to be rid of that weird-looking lamp taking up space in the living room? Then, by golly, you're in luck. The Garage Sale Trail works with local council partners Australia-wide to get as many trash-and-treasure troves happening on the same day as possible. Last year, more than 400,000 Aussies took part, and held more than 18,000 sales. While life is a little different in 2020, 16,000 events are still expected to open their doors to bargain hunters, selling more two million items. When the event returns across the weekend of Saturday, November 21 and Sunday, November 22, online garage sales will also be part of the trail. According, whether you're buying or selling, you have two options: do so in person, or take the virtual route. It's the first time ever that the Garage Sale Trail is going digital, too. Aside from the retro goodies up for grabs, the Trail is all about sustainability. Instead of ending up in landfill, unwanted clutter becomes a fantastic find. So get that tight pair of sunnies for peanuts and help the environment at the same time. The Garage Sale Trail began humbly in Bondi in 2010 and is growing bigger every year. There'll be a right slew of sales happening all around Sydney, so keep your eyes on the event website — or register online to make a quick buck from your old junk and hang out with the friendly folks in your hood. [caption id="attachment_783811" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Jo Lowrey[/caption] The 2020 Garage Sale Trail takes place on Saturday, November 21 and Sunday, November 22, both in garages all around Sydney and via virtual garage sales. Images: Garage Sale Trail.
If your idea of a good Thursday night involves tasting some of the best wines NSW has to offer in the company of the makers themselves, then keep reading. As part of the revamped Citi NSW Wine Awards, Outstanding on the Pier is a new event taking place on Pier 2, with the sparkling waters of Walsh Bay as a backdrop. It showcases the 120 wines that were selected as 'top wines' for 2013, with over 60 NSW wineries from varying regions being represented. You'll be able to meet some of the makers and sample a smattering of seasonal state produce (think Brasserie Bread, Alto Olives, Pepe Saya butter, a bit of Southern Highlands Lamb). Make sure to vote for the People's Choice Award to be in the running to win a special prize, including a selection of this year's top wines.
Sydney winters mightn't be known for their ice and snow; however, that doesn't mean you can't slide across a frozen surface in the centre of the city. From June 28 to July 21, St Mary's Cathedral forecourt will become a winter wonderland thanks to the return of the Skating At Sydney Festival. With the event back for another year, all of the frosty fabulousness Sydneysiders know and love will return to the CBD. It's the next best thing to heading to Europe when it's oh-so-cool, just without the bone-chilling, teeth-chattering cold. The lineup of events includes not only regular ice skating, but a 'date and skate' night each Tuesday, plus a 90s and 00s-themed evening every Thursday from 5pm, which will see you skating to disco and R&B bangers. Both nights will feature $10 espresso martinis. Entry to the area is free, but you'll have to pay for all of the fun stuff, with the fest open from 10am–9pm Monday to Wednesday, 10am–10pm on Thursday to Sundays.
New year, new vaccination campaign, new chance to see life return to pre-pandemic normality: when 2020 ticked over to 2021, that's what was on the horizon. But the year hasn't turned out as planned so far thanks to ongoing lockdowns and restrictions — and the slow pace of Australian's vax rollout. For many Aussies under 40, it's been quite a wait to get the jab. Across most of this year, getting vaccinated if you're aged 39 and under — and getting the Pfizer vax, which is the preferred jab for that age group — has only been possible if you've fallen into a specific high-risk category. But, thankfully, that's no longer the case. So, it's time to roll up your sleeves, get your two jabs and protect yourself against COVID-19. In the process, you'll also help the country increase its vaccination rate, with more restrictions expected to ease for fully vaxxed Aussies once the nation hits both the 70-percent and 80-percent vaccination thresholds. That said, when it comes to the process of actually booking in for your vaccination, you might have a few questions. It isn't always as straightforward as it perhaps should be, in fact. So, we've run through the basics — and the queries you might have bubbling away in your head at the moment. Obviously, if you have any questions or concerns about the COVID-19 jab, you should seek advice from your GP or a healthcare professional. How do I find out if I'm eligible to get vaccinated? Sydneysiders, your first point of call is the NSW Health website, which runs through exactly who is eligible for both the Pfizer and the AstraZeneca jabs. All Aussie adults have been able to actively opt to get the AZ vax since late June, including under 40s. But, due to rare side effects with the AZ jab, Pfizer is the recommended COVID-19 vaccination for under 60s — and it's now available to any person aged 16–59 years in NSW. To get the Pfizer jab if you're aged 39 and under, you have a few options, too — more on that below. Where can I get vaccinated? The NSW Government has set up NSW Health vaccination centres across the state, including at places such as Green Square Library, Wests Ashfield Leagues and PCYC Marrickville. If you're under the age of 40 and you're getting the Pfizer vax, they're some of the places that you can book in. You can also get the Pfizer jab from your GP, or from other participating GPs. If you want to head to a pharmacy, though, they're only administering the AZ vax. To find relevant NSW Health clinics and GPs giving the Pfizer vaccination, the NSW Health website directs you through to the Australian Government COVID-19 vaccination eligibility checker first — and we'll tell you a bit more about that in a moment.. Or, in a nifty spin on another handy online map that's gotten quite a workout during the pandemic, COVID-19 Near Me now has a vaccination function — so you can use it to find your nearest location as well. How do I book in my vaccination appointments? There are two pathways for people under 40 to book in their Pfizer jabs: via the NSW Health website if you're booking into a NSW Health clinic, and via the Australian Government COVID-19 vaccination eligibility checker. So, you can either hit up the NSW Health website straight away, enter your relevant details and step through the online process to book. Or, if you want to triple check that you're eligible first, you can head to the eligibility checker, then follow the prompts through to the various clinic booking sites afterwards. Once you've had your first jab, you'll follow the same steps to book in your second dose. I've had my jabs. How do I find proof? Allowing people who've been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 more leeway — to go to venues and to travel, for instance — is part of Australia's National COVID Response that was announced in July. So, once you've had both of your jabs, you'll likely be looking for the documentation to prove it. The easiest way at the time of writing: via Medicare, either through the Australian Government's My Gov website and app, or the Express Plus Medicare mobile app. The Services Australia website will step you through accessing your digital certificate using both methods. For further information about Australia's COVID-19 vaccine rollout, head to the Australian Government Department of Health website.
Stop what you're doing. Get out of bed. Cancel that mid-morning meeting. Whatever it is — it can wait. Because this is happening again: In-N-Out Burger is back in Sydney for one of their late-notice pop-ups. They'll be setting up shop at Dead Ringer in Surry Hills from noon till around 4pm today, Wednesday, January 20. It's been almost bang-on a year since the LA fast food legends whipped together a few burgers out at Parramatta Mixology Lounge, so you can bet that burger aficionados will be desperate so get their hands on one of those buns. Last time they were doling out hamburgers, regular cheeseburgers and some double cheese lovelies, so we hope they're on the menu today as well. And cheese fries. Please say there's cheese fries. If you've been to one of In-N-Out's previous Sydney pop-ups though, you'll know those burgers sell like, well, cult-status burgers — so you'll have to get there early. Now is probably a good time. Go. The In-N-Out burger pop-up will run from noon until around 4pm — or until they sell out — at Dead Ringer, 413 Bourke Street, Surry Hills. Move. Now.
With all of its crushing, heartbreaking weight, grief is rarely far from cinema screens. Still, even in the most thoughtful and personal film, it's an emotion that can be difficult to convey. There's such an immense difference between watching characters going through the process of mourning and actually coping with intense sorrow yourself that, when a movie gets it wrong, it's noticeable. When a movie gets it right, however, it hits with the force of a sledgehammer. Foxtrot is one of those elusive pictures: inventive, immersive and absorbing from start to finish, and so accurate in its portrayal of loss that the story feels as though it has been ripped from reality. Although inspired by writer-director Samuel Maoz's own experience in a tangential way and confronting the very real situation in Israel, it's in fact a work of fiction. It's also an astonishing piece of cinema. When a knock at their Tel Aviv door interrupts an otherwise ordinary day, Michael (Lior Ashkenazi) and Dafna Feldmann (Sarah Adler) automatically expect the worst. With their son Jonathan (Yonaton Shiray) currently completing his compulsory military service, they've been dreading this moment — and when officials deliver the news that no parent ever wants to hear, their world falls apart. The Feldmanns' shock is only the beginning of Foxtrot's story, with Maoz exploring the situation across three separate parts. After first riding the wave of grief, the film jumps backwards to spend time with Jonathan as he conducts border patrols at a remote desert outpost, before returning to the family's apartment some time latter. True of this movie perhaps more than most, where Foxtrot heads is best discovered by watching. The film's title refers to a dance as well as a military codeword, and as appropriate as the latter obviously is, it's the former that proves an apt description of this fluid foray into devastating territory. Like the fleetest of footsteps, every move Maoz makes shapes the movie's overall rhythm and keeps viewers enthralled, with actual dance sequences, surreal interludes, and eye-catching animation all part of the show. They mightn't sound like standard ways to explore bureaucracy, mourning and the many difficulties of living in a state of perpetual conflict — or to make plain the film's clear anger about life in modern-day Israel — but, in an extraordinary feat of cinematic choreography, absolutely nothing is wasted or unnecessary. The same description applies to Foxtrot's trio of central performances, for what's a dance without skilled performers moving to a beat? When Michael is riddled with deep-seeded fury, Israeli veteran Ashkenazi makes every glare in the character's eyes as explosive as his actual outbursts. When Dafna is so overcome with sadness that she can barely even speak, French talent Adler expresses a world of hurt in even the slightest of gestures. And, while newcomer Shiray could've just played Jonathan as a regular youth in a tricky situation, his portrayal is every bit as affecting and textured as the work of his older co-stars. Painting a portrait of a young man grappling with forces beyond his control and troubles of his own, Shiray serves up a disarmingly naturalistic turn that's crucial to the movie's shattering impact. Indeed, Foxtrot asks the audience to stare at its main cast harder than most films; to feel their aching hearts, to dive into their despairing minds, and to experience their unshakeable sorrow. Maoz doesn't just call upon his actors to attract attention, though, but ensures that every meticulous shot reflects the characters' internal states. Through camera placement, composition, colouring and every other visual tool in the filmmaker's arsenal, the movie's images sear themselves into viewers' brains as well. While this is only Maoz's second picture, that's his modus operandi — intimacy, intricacy, heightened emotions, awe-inspiring images and topical issues, all intertwined. It has been nearly a decade since he drove a tank through the international cinema scene with his gripping debut Lebanon, which was set during the country's 1982 war and confined its view of the conflict to the inside of a tank. But this exceptional follow-up was well worth the wait. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6o5WPcCgT0
Beginning as a physical trek to the isolated Australian outback, Beautiful Kate is the first feature length film to be directed by Rachel Ward. Ned (Ben Mendelsohn) is a forty-something author who returns home after a long absence with his young trophy girlfriend, Toni (Maeve Dermody). He is there to farewell Bruce, his dying and estranged father (Bryan Brown), at the request of Sally, his long-suffering sister (Rachel Griffiths).An emotional journey begins as Ned’s memories of his last summer at home with his late brother Cliff and the precious but dearly departed Kate (a scene-stealing Sophie Lowe) are evoked by the scenery. The centrepiece in the flashbacks is a clandestine and taboo love affair, and a devastating accident taking place in a family marred by scandal and tragedy.An adaptation of American author Newton Thornburg’s novel, Beautiful Kate is ultimately a tale of forgiveness and redemption, and a dysfunctional family story that explores teenage sexuality with great dignity. https://youtube.com/watch?v=MALGsIuXvgY
As the spirit of insurrection and a brilliant cast threaten to set the Opera House alight, it’s hard not to wonder whether there’s a revolution or two taking place in Maxim Gorky’s grave. Children of the Sun (directed by Kip Williams and adapted by Andrew Upton) was originally penned in 1905 by Russian author Gorky, a Bolshevik sympathiser before it was cool, a prolific writer and a man thoroughly unafraid to ruffle bureaucratic feathers (rumour has it that Stalin had him poisoned). Set in 1862, during a cholera epidemic, the play explores class tensions and the wider plight of Russia through the eyes of an ensemble of naive middle-class characters. Armed with this knowledge, I expected (completely illogically) to be met by a wall of grey punctuated by the odd widow wailing next to an open grave. What I got, for the most part, was a wonderfully acted, skilfully directed romantic comedy in which everybody, in true Russian fashion, ends up dead. Children of the Sun is a play of failed revolutions. It takes place in the house of Protasov (Toby Truslove), a scientist seemingly on the verge of a major breakthrough whose only tangible offering is a series of worsening smells. While he's oblivious to everything outside of his laboratory, including the advances of the desperately daft Melaniya (a hilarious Helen Thomson), his wife, Yelena (Justine Clarke), is courted by Vageen (Hamish Michael), a ridiculous chap in the throes of an artistic revolution that has failed to find any followers. Meanwhile, it is only Protasov’s sister, Liza (Jacqueline McKenzie), who has noticed the growing unrest in the world outside. Her warnings about the need for reform are trampled by the officious maidservant Nanny (Valerie Bader) and the proposals of Boris (Chris Ryan), Protasov’s best friend. A few undisguised flats make up the house, with the cluttered sitting room and courtyard revolving to provide occasional glimpses of a dingy laboratory and servants’ quarters. Despite a relatively small cast, Williams’ direction brings the house alive, filling the large space with a bustling energy and momentum. One of the only drawbacks is the text itself. Williams and Upton both mention the way in which Gorky’s play speaks to contemporary audiences, but the imposition of a relentlessly modern vernacular on the piece robs it of the chance. It's steeped in anachronism and jarring humour. This made it no less entertaining, but as I left the theatre, I did so with the sneaking suspicion that much of Gorky’s original intent had been thrown out the window. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Upton remarked that the play is “first and foremost about love”. It’s virtually impossible to see how Gorky, writing from a prison cell in response to a failed revolution in which scores of his countrymen died, could have arrived at the same conclusion.
Craig Robinson slays snakes. If Killing It was initially pitched with those four words and those four words alone, it still would've been easy to greenlight. When the latest comedy from Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-creator Dan Goor and executive producer Luke Del Tredici first arrived in 2022, it leaned in, too, with terminating serpents the whole point of the contest at the centre of the comedy's debut season. The place: Florida, home to the python-teeming Everglades. The year: 2016, in the lead up to the US election. The reason for vanquishing vipers: a $20,000 payday, which Craig — also the name of Robinson's character — needed to enact his vision of becoming a saw palmetto farmer. Killing It served up far more than just Robinson, a B99 guest and The Office star, polishing off reptiles — and not simply because Claudia O'Doherty (Our Flag Means Death) joined in as the hammer-swinging Jillian. As a satire of the type of society that has people resorting to seeking a better future by offing animals competitively, this series has always sunk its fangs in. Craig wanted to swap being a Miami bank security guard for capitalising upon a smart idea (the berries he's keen on are coveted in the health market for prostate medicines) to provide for his ex-wife Camille (Stephanie Nogueras, The Good Fight) and daughter Vanessa (Jet Miller, Young Dylan). Aussie expat and Uber driver Jillian wanted a life beyond the gig economy and sleeping in her car. But even in a nation that celebrates the American dream as the pinnacle of existence, a goal that all can chase with hard work and perseverance, and a key factor in US exceptionalism, neither had any other option but to hunt snakes for a big payday. Getting Killing It's characters bludgeoning wildlife was a savvy signifier of a horribly broken system. In season two, which streams in Australia via Stan from Friday, August 18, slaughtering serpents is old news; however, venomous foes definitely aren't. They're the uncaring bureaucracy, the shameless corporations, the shaking-down gangs, the car thieves, the cruel insurance bodies, the nation's entire health scheme, the manipulative bosses, the rude customers and the cash-splashing rich. They're absolutely everyone with a solely in-it-for-themselves perspective, which is almost everyone. They're also unscrupulous entrepreneur Rodney Lamonca (Tim Heidecker, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson) and his mini-mogul 12-year-old daughter Prada (Anna Mae Quinn, A Carolina Christmas), who aren't done with Craig and Jillian from season one. When Killing It's latest eight-episode go-around begins, its central pair have followed through on the saw palmetto plan — albeit at a cost, with Craig's low-level criminal brother Isaiah (Rell Battle, Superior Donuts) now on the run and posing as a doctor in Phoenix. Their farm is up and running, and perennial-optimist Jillian isn't is the only one who's hopeful. The two business partners even have a buyer for their berries — and, while their margins are thin, they're getting by. Alas, whether they're dealing with a possible giant snail problem, being blackmailed into taking on new colleagues or becoming the subject of a hostile takeover, Craig and Jillian swiftly realise that snakes still lurk everywhere. Taking a cue from slithering critters, in fact, season two of Killing It poses a question: how low can modern-day America go? It's apt that this brutal contemplation of savage inequality and constant grifting returns in the same week that also gives streaming stunning docuseries Telemarketers, which similarly ponders people exploiting anyone that they think is lower than them in the food chain. Killing It is still firmly a comedy, though, and a hilarious one. Indeed, it's the best comedy that too many viewers aren't watching when everyone should be. The show is also so cutting and canny about capitalism's predators, and the prey that the globe's dominant economic setup turns most folks into, that it nearly draws blood as well as inspires laughs. There's another query at Killing It's core, of course: how low will Craig and Jillian sink, too? Season one introduced them as strangers that were each struggling but striving, then hacked into the little they each had, observing how they were forced to cope (including by coming together). Season two finds them seemingly more comfortable and secure, then unpacks what they're willing to do to retain their new status quo. It sees the selfish moves they make, or don't; the loved ones they protect, or can't; the others they sell out, or won't; the morals they compromise, or refuse to; and the dirt they embrace, or wash away. Craig and Jillian have always been an odd-couple pair, with Killing It's new run also exploring how their differences shape their responses to every choice and decision that slides their way. Problems won't stop multiplying for their on-screen alter egos, but Robinson and O'Doherty's casting gleams. He's all charismatic determination, she's perkily indefatigable, and both play keepin' on keepin' on to perfection. Together, they provide two portraits of trying to hurtle forwards however one can — and as the entire state of Florida, country of America and planet that is earth keep pushing their characters down. That said, Killing It's leads aren't the only ones shining. Fleshing out season two's storylines with an array of eclectic folks, Battle, Heidecker, Quinn and the also-returning Scott MacArthur (No Hard Feelings) all steal scenes. So do Dot-Marie Jones (Bros) as a crime-family matriarch with a laundering proposal, Beck Bennett (Nimona) as an overstressed government flunkey, Jackie Earle Haley (Hypnotic) as an insidious debt collector, Kyle Mooney (Saturday Night Live) getting shady and Timothy Simons (Joy Ride) as an FBI agent. Sharks in swimming pools, shonky surrogate arrangements, multiple Pitbull impersonators, the ridiculousness of the influencer industry, loving your first-ever major purchase, those aforementioned oversized snails: Goor, Del Tredici and their writing team also work them in. Even more than in season one, Killing It's new run of episodes delights with its eagerness to get absurd, filling every instalment with surprises. There's another way of looking at that throw-anything-in randomness: this series is hustling, just like Craig, Jillian and company. Again and again, this satire gets sharper. It also gets deeper and funnier. Yes, that name is accurate: this show is killing it as well. Check out the trailer for Killing It season two below: Killing It season two streams via Stan from Friday, August 18.
This year marks the 11th annual Festival of German Films, and 2012's program promises to be one of the biggest so far, with 37 films screening at the Chauvel and Palace Norton Street. Presented by the Goethe-Institut, this year's festival aims to highlight the breadth and diversity of contemporary German filmmaking. With a long cinematic history spanning as far back as the Weimar silent film era to Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Wim Wenders in the 1970s and '80s and films like Goodbye Lenin! and The Lives of Others in more recent years, Germany has some of the richest and most diverse films in the world, and this festival makes sure Sydney can get a taste. It kicks off with the Australian premiere of Hotel Lux, a satire set in the 1930s dealing with Stalinist Russia and the rise of Nazism. Director Leander Haussmann will put in an appearance for the opening night, hosting a question and answer session alongside a showcase of his other films, including Sonnenallee and Robert Zimmermann Is Tangled Up In Love. Other directors you'll be able to catch in conversation are Alice Gruia and Hendrik Handloegten. This year's festival highlights include Combat Girls, a confronting film about a woman who's involvement with a neo-Nazi gang exposes the lives of those trapped in racial hatred, and Hell, which presents a dark vision of a post-apocalyptic world. Taboo, which tells the story of poet Georg Trakl and his tortured and somewhat dysfunctional relationship with his sister, and Sennentuntschi, Switzerland's first horror film, are also touted as some of the best films on the program. The festival runs for two weeks in Sydney before moving on to the rest of the country. Image from Hotel Lux.
Across its 12-season order to-date, the best episodes of Bob's Burgers have always resembled exactly what they should: a delicious serving of the meat-and-bread combination that shares the hit sitcom's name. There's a knack to a great burg — to a tastebud-thrilling, so-appetising-I-need-more-now example of this extremely accessible culinary art — and it's all about perfecting the absolute basics. No matter what else gets slotted in (and plenty of other ingredients can), every burger's staples should be the stars of the show. Indeed, a top-notch burg needn't be flashy. It definitely mustn't be overcomplicated, either. And, crucially, it should taste as comforting as wrapping your hands around its buns feels. On the small screen since 2011, Bob's Burgers has kept its version of that very recipe close to its animated, irreverent, gleefully offbeat heart. Unsurprisingly, the show's creators whip up the same kind of dish for The Bob's Burgers Movie, too. It's a winning formula, and creator Loren Bouchard knows not to mess with it while taking his beloved characters to the big screen. Co-helming with the series' frequent supervising director Bernard Derriman, and co-writing with long-running producer Nora Smith, he experiments here and there — in filmic form, Bob's Burgers is a tad darker, for instance — but he also knows what keeps his customers a-coming. That'd be the goofy but extremely relatable Belcher clan, their everyday joys and struggles, and the cosy little world that sprawls around their yellow-hued Ocean Avenue burger joint up the road from seaside fairground Wonder Wharf. Bouchard also knows that if you make something well enough time after time — be it a burger or a TV show that's spawned a movie; both fit — it'll be warmly, reliably and welcomingly familiar rather than just another helping of the same old nosh. With that in mind, it's a compliment to say that The Bob's Burgers Movie could've easily stayed on television, slotting in among the 238 episodes that precede it — but longer. Vitally, however, it doesn't ever simply feel like a few TV episodes simmered together. That can be the television-to-film curse, as Downton Abbey: A New Era demonstrated recently. Thankfully, as The Simpsons Movie and all three SpongeBob SquarePants films so far have also achieved, that isn't the case here. Instead, this super-sized stint in the Belcher family's company sports as much care, attention to detail, plot, gags, character-building moments, in-jokes, puns and musical numbers as a 102-minute portion of Bob's Burgers needs. It features the same colourful animation that works such a treat on TV, with added shadows for a cinematic feel, plus the lively voice acting that's the heart and soul of the show — but it's its own meal, and never merely four servings of fries passed off as something more substantial. As always, the action centres on the film's namesake — the diner where patriarch Bob (H Jon Benjamin, Archer) sizzles up punningly named burgs to both make a living and live out his dream. And, as the show has covered frequently, financial woes mean that Bob and his wife Linda (John Roberts, Gravity Falls) have more to worry about than cooking, serving customers, and their kids Tina (Dan Mintz, Veep), Gene (Eugene Mirman, Flight of the Conchords) and Louise (Kristen Schaal, What We Do in the Shadows). Their solution: a burger, of course. But their bank manager isn't munching when they try to use food to grease their pleas for an extension on their loan. That mortgage also involves their restaurant equipment, leaving them out of business if they can't pay up. As their seven-day time limit to stump up the cash ticks by, Bob sweats over the grill and Linda oozes her usual optimism — only for a sinkhole to form literally at their door. As trusty as Bob's Burgers gets, and still refreshingly committed to depicting the daily reality of its working-class characters, that above setup is the movie's buns. Layered inside are tomato, lettuce, cheese, pickle and beetroot, aka the narrative's well-balanced fillings. First comes a murder-mystery ensnaring the Belchers' eccentric landlord Calvin Fischoeder (Kevin Kline, Beauty and the Beast) and his brother Felix (Zach Galifianakis, Ron's Gone Wrong). Springing from there is Louise's determination to solve the crime to save the diner and prove she isn't a baby just because she wears a pink rabbit-eared hat. Then there's Tina's quest to make her crush Jimmy Jr (also voiced by Benjamin) her summer boyfriend; Gene's need to get The Itty Bitty Ditty Committee, the family band, a gig at Wonder Wharf's Octa-Wharfiversary celebrations; and Bob and Linda's attempt to sell burgs at the amusement park using a barbecue on wheels MacGyvered up by number-one customer Teddy (Larry Murphy, The Venture Bros). Meat-slinging, killer-hunting, carnival-frolicking mania and mayhem is the name of the game — dripping one-liners and puns, too, including the obligatory next-door store gag ("Sew You Think You Can Pants" is the film's offering) — and it all makes the leap to cinemas with well-oiled ease. So does the non-stop onslaught of quick gags, verbal and sight included; the extravagant musical numbers and action-flick-esque setpieces, which are all gorgeously choreographed even though they're animated; and the always-loose vibe that can entertainingly feel like the voice cast are just riffing. And, while it might've felt gratuitous, Bouchard and company's efforts to find space for plenty of the series' motley crew of neighbours and other supporting players is as natural as dipping chips in whatever sauce takes your fancy. Also part of this animated gem: robot aliens who hate music, a village inhabited by Wonder Wharf workers called Carnieapolis, fantasy horse rides, creepy skeletons and an underground lair that Wes Anderson could've dreamt up. And, obviously, the overflowing affection for its oddball family that's always made all things Bob's Burgers as engaging as it is firmly remains on the menu as well — as eagerly sprinkled with fondness for the Belchers' many quirks, their routine woes, and their daily efforts to just get by, be happy, love each other and enjoy their modest existence. Without that, The Bob's Burgers Movie would've just been any old film. With it, it's exactly what viewers have adored for over a decade. This show doesn't need to be your regular dish to fall for its charms, though. Whether it's your first bite or your 239th, it's a delight.
You may recognise Jad 'Funk' Nehmetallah from his heated Gogglebox debates about the correct pronunciation of falafel. But, the restaurateur-turned-reality-tv-star is also responsible for Misc. Parramatta, the sleek 300-seat venue that opened in Parramatta Park late last year. Already a Western Sydney favourite, Misc. is taking things up a notch for one special weeknight with the Mersel x Misc. Wine Dinner. Set against the leafy green backdrop of Parramatta Park, the one-night-only event will see the venue collaborate with Mersel Wines, one of the best producers of Lebanese vino. While you might typically expect excellent drops from Spain and Italy, the rolling hills of Lebanon are also responsible for producing some rather excellent reds and rosé which will be on display at the dinner. While the evening will take you on a journey through the vineyards of the Middle East by showcasing five of Mersel's most popular creations, it will go beyond the bottle by pairing them with a four-course menu curated by Executive Chef Sebastian Geray. With a soundtrack courtesy of East West Trio and violinist Yena Choi, the occasion will be a perfect opportunity to embrace the Misc. ethos: "To tell the best stories. And make the most memorable experiences. To feast together. Break some bread. Order a bit of this. Add a bit of that. Drink something. And together we will let the good times roll." Mersel x Misc. Wine Dinner will take over the Parramatta diner on Thursday, July 13. You can nab tickets for $160 via the event's website.
If you're familiar with Cat Power (aka Chan Marshall), then you know how badass she is. Her singer-songwriter meets rock star persona sets her apart as one of the more unique musicians out there. Those who saw her at Golden Plains Music Festival this past March know what we're talking about. Don't fret if you missed her then, because you'll soon have another chance. Cat Power is crossing the pond again for an Australian tour this summer. Cat Power's ten-show tour will kick off this January at the Sydney Festival. It was just announced that she would be a guest performer at the festival's Big Star tribute show alongside Jody Stephens, Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Ken Stringfellow (The Posies), Chris Stamey (The dB's), Mitch Easter (Let's Active), Edwyn Collins and Kurt Vile. Power's Sydney shows will continue the day after at the Circus Ronaldo Tent with a matinee and midnight show. After, she'll continue down the coast, performing in Milton, Canberra, Melbourne, Menniyan and concluding in Perth. So if you haven't heard Cat Power in a while, it'll be worth your hitting up one of her shows. Her newish album, Sun, is freshly awesome and and her blonde coif is shocking, but that's why we love Cat. She always keeps you coming back for more. Cat Power's 2014 Australian Tour Dates Thursday, January 23 – Big Star Tribute at Enmore Theatre, Sydney Friday, January 24 – Circus Ronaldo Tent, Sydney 5:30pm Friday, January 24 – Circus Ronaldo Tent, Sydney 11:59pm Saturday, January 25 – Milton Theatre, Milton Sunday. January 26 – Milton Theatre, Milton Thursday, January – Street Theatre, Canberra Friday, January 31 – Thornbury Theatre, Melbourne Saturday, February 1 – Thornbury Theatre, Melbourne Sunday, February 2 – Meeniyan Town Hall, Meeniyan Tuesday, February 4 – Fly By Night, Perth Tickets for all shows on-sale Friday, November 29. https://youtube.com/watch?v=PDbPrOuXq2s
Get ready for solid dose of intoxicating dance beats. Melbourne's electronic disco outfit World's End Press are hitting stages across the east coast this week to wrap up their 'Spirals' tour, geared up to bring their hypnotic mix to Goodgod. Off the back of their debut self-titled album release in 2013, World's End Press will be bringing their one-of-a-kind dance mixes to audiences along the East Coast this December. Offering irresistibly rhythmic melodies with every single, WEP is one highly underrated live act rumoured to dominate this summer festival season. Playing alongside electronic legends Phoenix and Architecture in Helsinki earlier this year, the band will wrap up 2014 in style with these East Coast shows. Fans will know the kind of energetic antics to expect from these guys. For those looking to start the weekend right, you won't go wrong nabbing tickets to this ripper electronic mini-rave. Supported by TEES + Francis Xavier (DJ set).
This New Year's Eve, it's time to turn back the clock. Pumping out his signature '90s hip hop classics, the legendary Grandmaster Flash is hitting The Soda Factory for a house party like no other. Spinning an unmissable set of old-school records, the founding father of the hip hop scene will be sending off the year-that-was in spectacular fashion. The Grandmaster is gearing up to bring his truly partystarting edits to our shores this NYE. Renowned for breaking new ground and pushing the limits of what DJs are capable of, Flash paved the way for the mixing methods seen pumping across clubs and airwaves today. Tucked away in Surry Hills, The Soda Factory will play host to partygoers looking for a spot to one-two step their way into 2015. Bring your mates and best dance moves along for some Grandmaster tracks this New Year's Eve. Image: Yves Borgwardt.
In 1956 Marilyn Monroe was the biggest movie star in the world, secretly longing for recognition as an accomplished actress. Across the Pacific, Sir Laurence Olivier was acting royalty harbouring dreams of superstardom (and, it would seem, of bedding Monroe). Believing he could achieve both in one fell swoop, he contrived to fly Monroe to London and shoot The Prince and the Showgirl, a trifling farce about an American showgirl falling for a European royal. Life, Olivier undoubtedly hoped, would quickly and obligingly imitate art. My Week with Marilyn traces the course of that ill-fated production through the eyes of Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), a 23-year-old English lad who, courtesy of powerful family connections, secured himself a job as third assistant director to Olivier on the Pinewood set. It was a gopher-type role (go for this, go for that) that not only afforded Clark a fly on the wall perspective but also put him in regular and direct contact with the film's leading lady. Clark kept a diary of his experiences and in 1995 published The Prince, the Showgirl and Me, a supposed 'tell-all' account upon which this film is based. While the veracity of his narrative remains questionable, it ultimately matters very little because My Week with Marilyn is not a plot-driven story at all; it's instead an utterly delightful tale of infatuation and a showcase for two of the year's best performances. Kenneth Branagh stars as Olivier, and it's hard to imagine anyone more tailor-made for the role. He gloriously captures every last whit of the man's imperious conceit and diva-like tantrums so Shakespearean in their delivery they may as well have been in iambic pentameter. It's such a commanding performance that it almost outshines the film's other star, Michelle Williams, especially given the subtlety with which she handles her subject. Williams' Monroe is not the sex bomb we're familiar with; she's more introverted, insecure and childlike yet still somehow every bit as beguiling. Seen through Clark's eyes it's entirely understandable how and why a cavalcade of men, both famous and unknown, blindly strove towards glorious despair despite all the warning signs of heartache. Monroe's gift (and perhaps curse) was how effortlessly she captured the imagination of all around her, fostering irrepressible yearning and inducing the very malfunction of reason. My Week with Marilyn is a light and tender tale of one such diversion, and to hear Clark's account is to believe without reserve how one is always 'better to have loved and lost'. https://youtube.com/watch?v=U_tbnTM7zVE
“Your word is ticket.” “Can you use it in a sentence?” “Get a ticket to this show, now!” This isn't your average night of comedy and it certainly isn't your average spelling bee. I mean sure, words are given to the contestants and they have to spell them correctly, but are all the words real? Probably not. Can they even be used in a sentence? We’re guessing no, but there's sure to be comical consequences aplenty for any incorrect answers. Michael Hing, Alex Lee and Patrick Byrnes are your gamemasters for the evening.
The past two years have delivered plenty of trends that no one loves, including supermarket shortages and traipsing around town trying to get tested for COVID-19. But here's one that's made our lives easier during the pandemic: the fast-tracking of big-name movies to streaming. Seeing a film on the silver screen hasn't been a straightforward experience over this chaotic time, and more and more flicks are quickly making the jump from cinemas to digital — including reaching the latter when they're still showing at the former. The latest is Dune, which looks downright glorious projected on the largest screen you can find, and definitely benefits from the kind of surround-sound setup you'll only get to listen to in a theatre, but is now also available to watch at home if that'll brighten up your January. One of our best films of 2021, the instant sci-fi classic is available to buy and rent via video on demand from Thursday, January 13, including from digital movie services such as Google Play, YouTube Movies and Amazon Video. Accordingly, if you've already sat down on your couch to watch Timothée Chalamet in Don't Look Up this summer, you can now back it up with another of his recent flicks. Or, there's your next double feature sorted. [caption id="attachment_774009" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo credit: Chiabella James. Copyright: © 2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.[/caption] A spice-war space opera about feuding houses on far-flung planets, Dune has long been a pop-culture building block. Before Frank Herbert's 1965 novel was adapted into a wrongly reviled David Lynch-directed film — a gloriously 80s epic led by Kyle MacLachlan and laced with surreal touches — it unmistakably inspired Star Wars, and also cast a shadow over Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Game of Thrones has since taken cues from it. The Riddick franchise owes it a debt, too. The list goes on and, thanks to the new version bringing its sandy deserts to life, will only keep growing. As he did with Blade Runner 2049, writer/director Denis Villeneuve has once again grasped something already enormously influential, peered at it with astute eyes and built it anew — and created an instant sci-fi classic. This time, Villeneuve isn't asking viewers to ponder whether androids dream of electric sheep, but if humanity can ever overcome one of our worst urges and all that it brings. And, in his version of Dune, he's doing so with an exceptional cast that spans Chalamet (The French Dispatch), Oscar Isaac (The Card Counter), Rebecca Ferguson (Reminiscence), Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Josh Brolin (Avengers: Endgame), Javier Bardem (Everybody Knows), Zendaya (Spider-Man: No Way Home) and more. Dune tells of birthrights, prophesied messiahs, secret sisterhood sects that underpin the galaxy and phallic-looking giant sandworms, and of the primal lust for power that's as old as time — and, in Herbert's story, echoes well into the future's future. Its unpacking of dominance and command piles on colonial oppression, authoritarianism, greed, ecological calamity and religious fervour, like it is building a sandcastle out of power's nastiest ramifications. And, amid that weightiness — plus those spectacularly shot visuals and Hans Zimmer's throbbing score — it's also a tale of a moody teen with mind-control abilities struggling with what's expected versus what's right. Check out the trailer for Dune below: Dune is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream online via video on demand from Thursday, January 13 — including from Google Play, YouTube Movies and Amazon Video. Read our full review.
There are two major joys to a good whodunnit: the puzzle and the journey. Whichever intriguing narrative is being thrust their way, audiences want to sleuth along with the characters, piecing clues together in their heads. They want to enjoy each and every one of the story's many ins, outs, twists and turns as all the details unravel, too. The greats of the genre, both on the page and the screen, understand this. It's what made Agatha Christie the queen of suspense, and what kept viewers glued to the screen during 2019's stellar mystery flick Knives Out. The makers of The Translators get this concept as well, and embrace it heartily. In fact, writer/director Régis Roinsard (Populaire) and his co-scribes Romain Compingt and Daniel Presley go a little heavy on convoluted minutiae and attempts to keep everyone guessing, but still mostly serve up an entertaining thriller. The Translators' premise is killer — in a film that doesn't shy away from a body count, but is actually more concerned with stolen pages from the yet-to-be-released last book in the bestselling The Man Who Did Not Want to Die series. The latest novel has only been seen by its secretive author, who refuses to reveal his identity to the world; arrogant French publisher Eric Angstrom (Lambert Wilson, The Odyssey), who made his entire fortune by releasing the first two hit instalments; and the nine translators the latter has assembled to prepare the text in multiple languages for a simultaneous worldwide debut. The enlisted team of experts are only being given 20 pages at a time, however, and they're all living and working in a lavish, highly secure, internet-free and heavily guarded underground bunker beneath a remote chateau for the duration of their two-month contract. Accordingly, when Angstrom receives an email threatening to leak the new book unless a huge ransom is paid, he's both perplexed and angry. Fleshing out its main players isn't high among The Translators' priorities, with Angstrom a cookie-cutter publishing sleaze and his sequestered translators all fitting clearcut types. The Lisbeth Salander-esque Portuguese twenty-something Telma (Maria Leite) arouses immediate suspicion, for example, while Italian Dario (Riccardo Scarmarcio, John Wick: Chapter 2) is dashing and enigmatic, German Ingrid (Anna-Maria Sturm) is a stickler for procedure and Chinese employee Chen (Frédéric Chau) always takes a practical approach. The film attempts to be a tad more furtive about Katerina (Olga Kurylenko, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote), a Russian who purposely dresses to resemble the fated heroine in the book the group is working on, and Englishman Alex (Alex Lawther, The End of the F***ing World), who is noticeably young — but casting choices, with the two ranking among the film's most recognisable faces, already tell the audience that these characters will stand out. Including beleaguered mother Helene (Sidse Babett Knudsen, In Fabric), stuttering Spaniard Javier (Edouardo Noriega) and cynical Greek Konstantinos (Manolis Mavromatakis), The Translators treats everyone on-screen like pawns, all in service of its twisty mystery. That's standard for the genre, though — if you're going to quickly strip a group of suspects down to their underlying motives in intriguingly heightened circumstances, it often helps if there's not too much padding on top. And while that whole tactic is glaringly apparent here, The Translators endeavours to keep proceedings humming along by zipping between new developments at a frantic pace. The movie takes time to establish its concept, naturally, and to explain everything that's relevant about the locked-in situation its titular figures find themselves in (complete with tours of gleaming subterranean pools and bowling alleys). After the groundwork has been laid, it then hurtles forward like someone furiously thumbing through an airport novel. At times, it gets a little too carried away with the exaggerated drip-fed clues, surprise reveals and reversals, but this is still a slick, swift-moving affair that ticks all the whodunnit basics. Sometimes, and usually entertainingly so, it navigates through plenty of heist flick staples as well. As a result, The Translators is understandably a story and style-driven film rather than an actor showpiece; however Roinsard has amassed a considerable group of talent. Ensuring that a mystery's characters demand the audience's attention, even if they're little more than archetypes, is another crucial aspect of the genre — and, thanks to the convincingly slimy Wilson, the slippery Lawther and the melodramatic Kurylenko especially, that's achieved. Also generally hitting the spot while remaining as overt as possible: the movie's contemplation of art versus commerce, and of literary fandom. Nothing new is spouted or revealed, particularly given the obsessiveness that some books garner in real life, but tussling with these ideas gives the feature a bit of extra bite nonetheless. That doesn't make The Translators an overly memorable whodunnit, but that's the thing with page-turners and their filmic equivalent — if you enjoy the game and the ride enough once, it doesn't matter if you won't be clamouring for a second helping. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THXebxAFCzY
Gin lovers rejoice — Four Pillars is opening its Surry Hills digs on Friday, June 12. Since launching in 2013, Four Pillars has given Aussie gin lovers plenty to drink, including its famed Bloody Shiraz Gin, an annual Christmas-themed tipple, barrel-aged gins and even a boozy ode to Melbourne landmark The Espy. Now, Sydneysiders will be sipping the world's best gin straight from the source. It's been months of anticipation, with the Yarra Valley gin distillery announcing plans for its first permanent Sydney spot back in September last year. Part distillery, part small bar and part retail space, The Four Pillars Gin Lab is located inside a 1930s warehouse on Crown Street (across the road from Bartolo and Bills). The space will be the new home for Eileen: the distillery's 70-litre still. This means small batches of gin will be made on site — and you can get in on the action, too, with The Lab hosting masterclasses, tastings and gin gatherings in the space. For the launch, 60-minute masterclasses will be on offer for $75, which includes a G&T, tasting four gins and a tour. Step through a discreet door on the corner of Fitzroy and Crown Streets, ascend the stairwell and you'll find Eileen's Bar: the on-site speakeasy. Expect plenty of G&Ts, martinis and negronis, plus a selection of beer, cider and wine. There'll also be limited food menu — think jaffles and crinkle-cut crisps — put together by chef Matt Wilkinson, who previously headed up Made Establishment's now-closed restaurant Crofter. [caption id="attachment_771582" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] On opening weekend (June 12–13), Eileen's will be open for a maximum of 24 people, with 90-minute sittings available from 5pm, 7pm and 9pm on both days. To nab your seat at the bar, subscribe here and ticketing information will be emailed to you on June 1. For future bookings, email EileensBar@fourpillarsgin.com.au. If all of that isn't enough to excite you, you'll also be able to pick up all of Four Pillars' made-from-gin products (we're talking marmalade, Gin Pig salami and Hunted & Gathered chocolate), merchandise, books, bar kits and, of course, gins from the adjoining Gin Shop. The Four Pillars Gin Lab is opening on Friday, June 12 at 410 Crown Street, Surry Hills. The Gin Lab and Gin Shop will be open every day from 10am–6pm; Eileen's Bar will be open from 5pm–12am, Wednesday–Saturday. Masterclasses will run on Friday at 4pm and 6pm, on Saturday and 12pm, 2pm and 4pm, Sunday at 2pm and 4pm and bookings can be made by sydlab@fourpillarsgin.com.au. Top images: Cameron Mackenzie, James Irvine, Stu Gregor and Matt Jones; martini; salt and gin vinegar chips and G&T by Steven Woodburn; G&T.
Sydney is flush with world-class steakhouses. In fact, we have a whopping five entries in the top 50 of the World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants list for 2023. Liquid & Larder, the team behind two of those five standout meat emporiums, is bringing another beefy brasserie to Sydney's CBD this September in the form of Alfie's. Alfie's will arrive on Bligh Street from the crew behind Bistecca (number 32 on the best steak restaurants list), The Gidley (number 43) and The Rover. In contrast to a restaurant like Bistecca which serves up just one cut of meat for $18 per 100 grams, Liquid & Larder promises Alfie's will be a more fast-paced, affordable dining experience with an adjoining bar, a custom-built grill and a steak ageing facility. [caption id="attachment_675816" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bistecca, Dominic Loneragan[/caption] "We love creating experiences that disrupt the status quo. Our first restaurant, Bistecca, made headlines for all the right reasons and we're not afraid to do things that challenge people's assumptions and expectations and make them pay attention," says Liquid & Larder co-founded and directed by James Bradey. While Alfie's is set to be a more accessible take on the Liquid & Larder formula it will still champion a single cut of meat: sirloin from the NSW Riverine region. Whether you're stopping in for a weekday lunch, after-work meal or relaxed weekend outing, you can pair your beef with a selection of homely sides and a selection from Group Sommelier Kyle Poole's extensive drinks list. Those looking to just enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail with a dose of people-watching can nab a spot in the walk-in bar looking out onto Bligh Street. Former Bartender of the Year and Group Bars Manager Alex Gondzioulis has designed the cocktail menu with classic and seasonal combinations on offer alongside a martini that the team claims will be certified Sydney's coldest. [caption id="attachment_908069" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pat Stevenson[/caption] Alfie's will open at 4–6 Bligh Street, Sydney in September. Top image: Pat Stevenson
From web searches and browsers to email and document storage, Google has its fingers in plenty of different online pies. Many of its services have become such a part of our daily lives that we no longer give them much thought, but every now and then the company has fun with one of its platforms. So far, it has brought Pac-Man, Mario Kart, Where's Waldo? and Snake to Google Maps, and Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? to Google Earth, for example. With Avengers: Endgame shaking up cinemas right now, it should come as no surprise that the company has the Marvel Cinematic Universe in its sights. Or, for that matter, that it's using a certain Josh Brolin-voiced supervillain and his famed gauntlet — aka the object that's been causing so much grief in the MCU in recent films. A word of warning: if you somehow haven't seen Avengers: Infinity War over the past year, Google's latest Easter egg is definitely a spoiler. If you have seen Infinity War but haven't seen Endgame, however, the company isn't giving away anything that you don't already know. All MCU fans need to do is type 'Thanos' into Google's search engine and look for his Infinity Stone-adorned gauntlet, which is currently appearing next to his name in the information box on the right-hand side of the screen. Click the image, and you'll find the giant purple figure's finger-snapping tricks wreaking havoc on Google's search results. In other words: prepare for a bit more space on the page. The Easter egg is a timely move, given how many people have been rushing to cinemas to see Endgame — and how many people are probably searching for every piece of MCU-related information that they can find online afterwards. In Australia, the film smashed the opening day box office record when it launched on Wednesday, April 24, making more than $10 million on its opening day. Top image: Marvel Studios.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, NSW has never closed its borders to domestic travellers. But you'll soon risk a hefty fine — and jail time — if you enter the state from one of Melbourne's "hot zone" suburbs. While NSW's community transmission levels of coronavirus have dropped and been non-existent for "quite a while", with most of the state's new cases from returned overseas travellers in hotel quarantine, Victoria's have spiked. The southern state has seen 306 new cases since June 25 — with 73 of those recorded in the past 24 hours — and, as a result, has reintroduced strict stay-at-home orders in ten postcodes that have the highest levels. The suburbs under lockdown and whose residents are banned from entering NSW are: 3012: Brooklyn, Kingsville, Maidstone, Tottenham and West Footscray 3021: Albanvale, Kealba, Kings Park, St Albans 3032: Ascot Vale, Highpoint City, Maribyrnong, Travancore 3038: Keilor Downs, Keilor Lodge, Taylors Lakes, Watergardens 3042: Airport West, Keilor Park, Niddrie 3046: Glenroy, Hadfield, Oak Park 3047: Broadmeadows, Dallas, Jacana 3055: Brunswick South, Brunswick West, Moonee Vale, Moreland West 3060: Fawkner 3064: Craigieburn, Donnybrook, Mickleham, Roxburgh Park and Kalkallo Those in the listed suburbs are only allowed to leave their homes for one of four reasons — work or school, care or care giving, daily exercise or for food and other essentials — and risk an on-the-spot fine in Victoria for going out for anything else. This means, non-essential travel outside of your homes, let alone across the border to NSW, is off the cards for residents of these suburbs, regardless. But if you do cross the northern border, you'll need to quarantine for 14 days — just like returned international travellers — and if you don't, could be slapped with an $11,000 fine and spend up to six months in jail. The same rules apply for NSW residents who visit a hotspot, too — when you head back over the border, you'll need to quarantine and, if you don't, risk the same fiscal punishment or jail sentence. That said, you are only allowed to enter the Melbourne hotspots for one of the four aforementioned reasons — you can't go and visit friends or family. Announcing the new rules today, Wednesday, July 1, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said to Sydneysiders, "If you choose to go to a Melbourne hotspot you'll be required to go into isolation here for 14 days. Don't go to Victorian hotspots." To Melburnians, he said, "Victorians from hotspots are not welcome in NSW. Do not leave the hotspot. As soon as you step foot into NSW, you'll be exposed to the possibility of six months jail and a $11,000 fine." Hazzard said a public health order implementing the changes is expected to be signed later today. You can find out more about the status of COVID-19 at the NSW Health and Victorian Department of Health and Human Services websites.
UPDATE, September 9, 2022: Dune is available to stream via Netflix, Binge, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. A spice-war space opera about feuding houses on far-flung planets, Dune has long been a pop-culture building block. Before Frank Herbert's 1965 novel was adapted into a wrongly reviled David Lynch-directed film — a gloriously 80s epic led by Kyle MacLachlan and laced with surreal touches — it unmistakably inspired Star Wars, and also cast a shadow over Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Game of Thrones has since taken cues from it. The Riddick franchise owes it a debt, too. The list goes on and, thanks to the new version bringing its sandy deserts to cinemas, will only keep growing. As he did with Blade Runner 2049, writer/director Denis Villeneuve has once again grasped something already enormously influential, peered at it with astute eyes and built it anew — and created an instant sci-fi classic. This time, Villeneuve isn't asking viewers to ponder whether androids dream of electric sheep, but if humanity can ever overcome one of our worst urges and all that it brings. Dune tells of birthrights, prophesied messiahs, secret sisterhood sects that underpin the galaxy and phallic-looking giant sandworms, and of the primal lust for power that's as old as time — and, in Herbert's story, echoes well into the future's future. Blade Runner 2049 ruminated upon a similar idea in its own way, as many movies do. Indeed, Ridley Scott was hired to helm Dune before Lynch, then made the original Blade Runner instead, so Villeneuve is following him again here. Dune's unpacking of dominance and command piles on colonial oppression, authoritarianism, greed, ecological calamity and religious fervour, though, like it's building a sandcastle out of power's nastiest ramifications. And, amid that weightiness, it's also a tale of a moody teen with mind-control abilities struggling with what's expected versus what's right. That young man is Paul Atreides, as played by Timothée Chalamet in a stroke of genius casting that seems almost fated — as if returning Dune to the big screen had to wait for the Call Me By Your Name star. (The book also earned the TV miniseries treatment in 2000, and we should be thankful that a 90s iteration soundtracked by the Spice Girls' 'Spice Up Your Life' didn't ever eventuate.) When the narrative begins in Villeneuve and co-screenwriters Jon Spaihts (Prometheus) and Eric Roth's (A Star Is Born) retelling, Paul's life has been upended. House Atreides, led by his father Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac, Scenes From a Marriage), must leave its watery home planet of Caladan to take over the desert world of Arrakis. Previously run by their enemies in House Harkonnen, it's the source of the universe's melange stores, with the spice making interstellar travel possible. Spice also expands consciousness and extends lives — and, while forced by imperial decree, the monstrous Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård, Chernobyl) isn't happy about handing Arrakis over. To say House Atreides' move doesn't go smoothly is like saying that its new home is a tad toasty, but the tricky transition is just one of Dune's concerns. Another: the plans for Paul. House Atreides' heir, he's being trained as such by the Duke, security expert Thufir Hawat (Stephen McKinley Henderson, Devs), swordmaster Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa, Aquaman) and weaponry whiz Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin, Avengers: Endgame). But Paul's mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson, Reminiscence) hails from the Bene Gesserit, an all-female group who pull the galaxy's strings, and she sees him as its fabled chosen one. On the page, Dune sports an abundance of plot, of which this film only relays half; its title card dubs it Dune: Part One, a move only backed up post-US release when Dune: Part Two was greenlit. This opening chapter is never overladen, however, even if the Fremen — Arrakis' blue-eyed Indigenous peoples, including tribal leader Stilgar (Javier Bardem, Everybody Knows) and the defiant Chani (Zendaya, Malcolm & Marie) — are clearly poised to enjoy a larger part in the sequel. Savvily, one of Villeneuve's big choices is to let Chani's narration introduce the movie. It immediately helps to side the feature with the oppressed, rather than merely embracing several layers of power from the get-go. It also signals a concerted effort to ensure this isn't primarily a story of men. It whets the appetite for more, too, including from Zendaya — who doesn't get much screentime, but still leaves an imprint that'd stick even in sand. Treading not only in Lynch's footsteps, but in Chilean French director Alejandro Jodorowsky's — whose aborted 70s stab at Dune is chronicled in stellar documentary Jodorowsky's Dune — is a mammoth task. Big-budget slams and failed visionary attempts tend to stick in filmic memory. Plus, Lynch's movie featured a heap of other future Twin Peaks stars, and Sting, and a score by Toto (no one blessed the rains, though). Meanwhile, Jodorowsky had Mick Jagger, Salvador Dali and Orson Welles, with Pink Floyd on soundtrack duties. To match, Villeneuve boasts a magnificent cast, all doing their utmost, while Hans Zimmer's throbbing notes set an intense and ominous mood as expertly as his immensely dissimilar work on No Time to Die also did. But what gleams brightest in this take on the tale is its breathtaking visuals, meticulous plotting, a pace that gives the narrative space to breathe and an alluring sense of mystery, as well as the ability to prove simultaneously vast and intimate. When Dune's desert landscapes linger as far as the eye can see, they shimmer with heat, texture and possibility. When the film lurks in palaces bubbling with political scheming, it hews slick, muted and brutal. As lensed by Australian cinematographer Greig Fraser (Lion), these are shrewd choices — pitting the expansive, grainy yet inviting against the confined, sleek and savage — in a movie that knows how to make every image both count and feel visceral. Awe-inspiring to behold, and operatic, Dune turns a literary giant into a cinematic one. It broods brilliantly, dreams vividly and muses sharply, as Villeneuve's work (see also: Arrival and Enemy) does at his best. It stages tremendously engaging action sequences, too, as Sicario also did. The one drawback: as grand and majestic as it is, and as much of an astonishing feast for the senses as well, it could use a slightly wilder streak. Dune rarely makes surprising moves — it doesn't quite take a "walk without rhythm and it won't attract the worm" ethos to heart, aka the line from the book that's immortalised in Fat Boy Slim's 'Weapon of Choice' — but it's always thrilling, immersive and spectacular.
Equal parts indie-pop and '60s nostalgia, the world of Belle & Sebastian is one of bookish girls, lovelorn boys and shy awkward teenagers who skip school, hide behind their hair and practice in secret as part-time punks. Now the beloved Glaswegian musical collective are back in Sydney for one night and one night only, and playing the Opera House Concert Hall to boot. Last year saw the release of their eighth album, Write About Love, drawing on the music of '60s girl-groups, '80s indie and classic pop, and marking a return to the sounds of Tigermilk and If You're Feeling Sinister, which made their name in the mid-'90s. Long-term fans will be pleased to know that the earlier stuff is promised to be included in the set list. I'm going to throw objectivity to the winds and come right out and tell you that I saw Belle & Sebastian when they were last in Sydney in 2006, and it was without doubt the best gig I have ever seen. Lead singer Stuart Murdoch performs with the kind of awkward charm that makes you want to leap up and hug him. They pull girls up on stage to act out role plays and romance with the band as they play, and make you understand why their consistently brilliant music has inspired over a decade's worth of adoration. You should go see them. https://youtube.com/watch?v=GuKuw71YBbI
Battleship is a movie based on a board game. That mightn't seem all that strange at first, given how often we see films based on video games these days, but then you stop for a moment and realise: board games don't have plots. Admittedly the absence of plot has never stopped Hollywood before, but it still threw up a mighty challenge to whoever was the hapless screenwriter tasked with adapting nothing into something: "What’s my source material, boss?" "Well, we've got an instruction pamphlet, a few pieces of plastic and … actually yeah, that's it. Good luck buddy." The only other time it's ever been attempted was 1985's Clue, based on the popular Hasbro board game Cluedo, yet despite its impressive cast, that film was neither a financial nor critical success. Then, of course, there was 1995's Jumanji; however, that was a movie about a board game, not based on one, and it wasn't all that crash hot either. So what's to be made of Battleship, the $200 million movie based on the board game Battleship? Those who've played it before might recall such memorable lines as: "C-9…….miss" and "B-11……miss", and it probably won't come as too great a surprise to learn that Battleship the movie doesn't offer up a whole lot more in the dialogue department. At one point, for example, our hero whispers the classic line, "I've got a bad feeling about this" — despite the fact that by the time "this" has happened, the Earth's already been invaded, Hong Kong's been decimated, his two accompanying naval destroyers have both been sunk, his brother's been killed and he's been trapped inside a giant alien force field for the better part of the morning. What Battleship does deliver, however, is some seriously impressive action sequences and one jaw-dropping special effect after another (think 'Transformers on water', minus the Shia Labeouf and plus the Rihanna). In simplest terms (the only ones available here), aliens invade Earth near Hawaii, and the only people in place to stop them are the US and Japanese navies taking part in some friendly war games. Earth's hero is played by Taylor Kitsch (last not seen in John Carter): a brash, young naval officer dating the supermodel daughter of Fleet Commander Liam Neeson (in a categorical 'pay-check performance' kind of cameo). The film also features True Blood's Alexander Skarsgard, a rock-heavy soundtrack dominated largely by AC/DC and a WWII battleship that at one point pulls a handbrake turn. And that's pretty much it. Seriously. It's an utterly dumb movie, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't also loads of fun to watch.
Lior's sophomore album, Corner Of An Endless Road has been described as “Led Zeppelin meets Nick Drake at a teahouse in the Middle East sharing a hookahâ€. Elaborate melodies and fancy water pipes aside, he is also the man responsible for penning the wedding-favourite hit, This Old Love, from his debut album, Autumn Flow. Earlier this year the singer-songwriter collaborated with shadow artists, Stephen Mushin and Anna Parry, the same dynamic duo behind the puppetry in the video to his song and duet with Sia, I’ll Forget You, and Lior is now set stage a special encore season of the Shadows and Light concerts with accompaniment from the Tailem String Quartet.A percentage of proceeds from the series will be donated to Youngcare - an organisation working towards constructing state-of-the art purpose-built facilities for young adults who require 24-hour care.
Slow living, slow travel, slow TV — everywhere we look these days, people are wanting to take things slow. That's why we've teamed up with American Honey to create The Slow Lounge: an exclusive, invite-only hideaway curated to help you and your mates disconnect from the outside world and stay connected in the moment. At The Slow Lounge, you won't need to fight over the best intimate nook — here, every seat is the best in the house. If you're on the list, you'll unwind in style with your favourite people with a deliciously smooth American Honey, soda and fresh lime, set to a live soundtrack provided by some of the most exciting up-and-coming Australian musicians, including the jazzy sounds of Honey Point and golden hour live sets by indie pop darling Essie Holt (pictured above) and acclaimed singer-songwriter Carla Webhe. You'll also be gifted all the ingredients you need to enjoy the perfect American Honey drink at home, with each guest given a swag bag that also features a bespoke honey-scented candle and a set of conversation coasters. The Slow Lounge is taking place at a secret Sydney location from August 27–28, perfect for a golden end-of-winter gathering. And you can win your way in, for yourself and four mates, right here. [competition]859889[/competition] Images: Charlotte May (Pexels)
With over 85 percent of textiles bought in Australia ending up in landfill each year, the environmental impact of this wastefulness cannot be underestimated. Join in on this free workshop at the Museum of Contemporary Art and you can learn how to turn your tatty t-shirts into an awesome tote bag or plant hanger as this drop-in class provides you with all the required know-how. Led by an expert team of artist-educators, bring your own t-shirt or use one that's been saved from landfill. There's no finicky gluing or sewing involved, either. Free yourself from consumer habits and learn about the impact of the textile industry at this fun and creative workshop. You can drop-in at this workshop between 11am–4pm on Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2. No pre-booking is required. This event forms part of the Museum of Contemporary Art's Conversation Starters 2019: Temperature Rising program. To see the full program, head this way. Image: Sandra via Flickr.
Divine followers of fast food, gather ye round for the angelic choir of Melbourne-based burger, hot dog and hot-chip chain, Lord of the Fries, which has opened the doors of their brand new Sydney venture unto the flocks of George Street. Doth divinity still reign supreme in each deep-fried and juicy bite? It sure doth. That is if you can handle the queues, of course. That’s right, it has come as no surprise that the love-child of Melbourne founders Mandy and Mark, two fry fanatics on a quest for the perfect potato snack, is already attracting crowds far and wide to see if their first interstate store is up to scratch with the original. If you still don’t know what I’m talking about, Lord of the Fries is and has been big in Melbs for some time. Now, it’s big in Sydney too. As the name would suggest, you go there for the fries and the array of heavenly sauces that are layered on top. Too much? Well, you won’t think so when you nab yourself a box ($6.95) and get the East L.A. sauce ($1.50) — a thick, melted cheese and jalapeno concoction — smothered on top. But if you’re simply somewhat of a chip connoisseur, on their own is fine, but you’re missing out on something special here. For a more substantial feed, nab yourself a burger meal ($14.95), consisting of the aforementioned box of fries and choice of any burger. The Original/Melbourne burger was like a thicker, bigger and better Maccas burger while the Parma/Bombay packed a deliciously exotic punch. The hot dogs looked good, although what with the undulating masses waiting behind, there was minimal time to have a proper gander. So overall, yes, Lord of the Fries has succeeded to transfer its Melbourne goodness over to Sydney and we may all rejoice. Hallelujah. Just be prepared for a cramped service area and a long wait.
When working nine to five isn't panning out for Raylene 'Red 'Delaney (Krew Boylan, A Place to Call Home), she does what all folks should: takes Dolly Parton's advice. Pouring yourself a cup of ambition is never simple, but when you're a Parton-obsessed Australian eager to make all things Dolly your living, it's a dream that no one should be allowed to shatter. That's the delightful idea behind Seriously Red, which pushes Parton worship to the next level — and idolising celebrities in general — while tracking Red's quest to make it, cascading blonde wigs atop her natural flame-hued tresses and all, as a Dolly impersonator. That's a wonderfully flamboyant concept, too, as brought to the screen with a surreal 'Copy World' filled with other faux superstars; enlisting Rose Byrne (Physical) as an Elvis mimic is particularly inspired. Seriously Red doesn't just get its namesake adhering to Parton's wisdom, whether sung or spoken over the icon's 55-year career. It also splashes the country music queen's adages like "find out who you are and do it on purpose" across its frames as well. They help give the film structure and assist in setting the tone, as this rhinestone-studded movie comedically but earnestly explores two universal struggles. Everyone wants to be true to themselves, and to work out what that means. We all yearn to spend our days chasing our heart's real desires, too. As penned by Boylan in her debut script, and directed by fellow feature first-timer Gracie Otto (after documentaries The Last Impresario and Under the Volcano, plus episodes of The Other Guy, Bump, Heartbreak High and more), Seriously Red spots a big question lurking in these missions for Red, however — because what does it mean when being yourself and scoring your dream gig means being someone else? When the film begins, Red isn't loving or even liking her lot in life, and definitely doesn't want to keep the status quo on purpose. Tension lingers in her real-estate valuer job and at home, where she's turned her mum Viv's (Jean Kittson, Fat Pizza: Back in Business) garage into a flat — and the daily tumble out of bed and stumble to the kitchen, then to work, is a grind. Even worse, she's tricked into showing up to the company party in her Dolly regalia to be the butt of the office's jokes, although it does get her an in with an impersonator talent agent. Teeth (Celeste Barber, The Letdown) sees an opportunity, Red is willing to take it, and employment and a whole new world follows. Still, Viv can't see how going full Dolly can pay the bills, withholding her support. Also at home, Red's friendship with her best mate Francis (Thomas Campbell, Love and Monsters) feels the strain. Just like its protagonist, embracing this trip down the impersonator rabbit hole — using a Parton-shaped key and plenty of pluck — is easy for Seriously Red. It revels in the look and feel of all things Dolly from outfits to paraphernalia; if something is adorned in a Parton-esque way, this film will likely always love it, short of the flick becoming a movie version of Dollywood. Plunging into the Copy World happens with just as much spirit and affection, and with gags like Dannii Minogue as a Dannii Minogue impersonator. Trevor Ashley's Barbra Streisand tribute gets a whirl, and everyone from Elton John and Freddie Mercury to Madonna and George Michael scores a doppelgänger. If The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Muriel's Wedding spring to mind — because movies about taking to the stage in big, camp theatrical displays based around music legends has long been in Aussie cinema's DNA — there's a tangible link to the former courtesy of Oscar-winning costume designer Tim Chappel. It should come as no surprise, too, that Boylan's script has Red team up with a Kenny Rogers impersonator (Daniel Webber, Billy the Kid), including to do more than croon 'Islands in the Stream'. In the business, as she flits around the country and even the world busting out her best Dolly, there's no shortage of people who respect the gig — Bobby Cannavale (The Watcher) plays Wilson, an ex-Neil Diamond impersonator-turned-agency owner, as another example — but Seriously Red's Kenny is something else. He lives like his hero 24/7, right down to the attire, locks and facial hair. He's also made 'The Gambler' singer's moniker legally his. And, he's the impetus for Red making a similarly hearty commitment, then also evaluating whether Dolly or Red should actually come first. Glimmering with the same fantastical vibe that gleefully silly recent new instant comedy classic Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar also boasted — cinematographer Toby Oliver lenses both, roving over jewel tones here instead of pastels — there's more verve and attitude than poise to Seriously Red. That always feels fitting. There's a scrappiness to being even the best impersonator, as Red's Parton shows; over and over, she sums up the bulk of the movie. While the film can fall on the awkward side of comic, and its dramatic beats aren't quite in tune (see: Red's conflicts with her family and friends), that can-do attitude keeps shining. Of course a feature about taking a big swing does that itself again and again. Of course a picture about adoring and taking life advice from a legend that has never let anyone else define her, and has proven the epitome of kindness-fuelled resilience over her time in the spotlight, dances to its own song as well. Parton's music isn't always as bright as her smile, though, a truth that Seriously Red also works with. This Dolly-approved flick — with her likeness so prominent and her music instrumental, including sung by both Boylan and the artist herself, it couldn't have happened without Parton's seal of approval — grapples with Red's lows as well as highs. It shows the impact that her self-centred behaviour has on others, too, and the way the world often beams anything but sunshine her way. As an actor, Boylan weathers those ebbs and flows with adaptability and commitment. As a performer playing an aspiring performer whose whole routine is based on another performer, she ensures that Red's raw edges are never buffed away. As a writer, Boylan noticeably leans on tropes, but Seriously Red doesn't need to beg its viewers to have an entertaining time.
Each year, at the turn of winter to spring, Hindus celebrate Holi, a festival exalting colour that leaves participants saturated in bright hues. Holi serves as the inspiration behind the Color Run, a unique 5k race that has taken the U.S. by storm and is now headed to Australia. Runners are invited to join the "3.1 miles of color madness" that comprise the untimed Color Run purely for the sake of a good time. The only race requirements are that all participants wear a white t-shirt and be willing to be greeted with a blast of coloured pigment upon completing every leg of the race. The pigment, made of 100% natural food-grade cornstarch, is colour-specific for each portion of the race. After the first kilometre, runners are splattered with yellow; after the second, they are doused in blue. And so it continues until the end of the 5 kilometres, when each runner is covered head-to-toe in a brilliant mish-mash of every hue imaginable. So far only three Australian dates have been announced, but organisers have promised events for most Australian states in late 2012 and early 2013 The Color Run Australia dates:Melbourne - November 25, 2012 (Register)Sydney - February 10, 2013Perth - February 17, 2013Adelaide - TBCBrisbane - TBCCanberra - TBCGeelong - TBCGold Coast - TBCNewcastle - TBC Stay up to speed with further announcements via The Color Run Australia Facebook page. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZWsfHC-0d6A
Director Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast, Birth) puts mankind under the microscope in his enigmatic sci-fi thriller Under the Skin. Unfolding like an arthouse version of Species, the film stars Scarlett Johansson as an extraterrestrial creature who travels around Scotland seducing human men. A cold, disturbing, impenetrable piece of filmmaking, it's a movie that will understandably alienate mainstream audiences, even as it carves a place for itself as a modern-day cult classic. Reversing typical images of sexual predation, Glazer puts Johansson — a pale-skinned, dark-haired female — in the driver's seat of an anonymous white van. The bulk of the film takes place in the vehicle, as Johansson cruises the outskirts of Glasgow in search of her next victim. What happens to the men once they're ensnared is one of many pieces of information Glazer initially withholds, playing with our fears and assumptions and cultivating a sickening sense of dread. Aesthetically, Glazer adopts a naturalistic style that's sundered by moments of Kubrickian intensity. Lingering shots of pedestrians have an air of dispassionate voyeurism — at times it feels as though we too are from another world, viewing our own species from afar. A soundtrack of mechanical rumblings and synthesised screeches sharpens the already menacing atmosphere. Particularly haunting is the track that accompanies the seduction sequences, which rises and falls with mesmerising rhythm. Johansson's performance is the chilling antithesis of her recent work in Spike Jonze's Her. Although frequently frightening, there's a genuine sense of otherworldliness to her characters that prevents us from seeing her as a straight-up villain. More than once, you wonder how aware she is of the consequences of her actions, a question that, as the movie continues, leads to unexpected feelings of empathy. It's a credit to Johansson that she's able to walk that line. Her victims, meanwhile, are played by actual Glaswegian hitchhikers, picked up by Johansson and filmed on hidden cameras (consent was sought afterwards). The guerrilla approach heightens the movie's realism, as the 'actors' are legitimately unaware of the gruesome fate that awaits them. Creepy and glacially paced, Under the Skin is certainly not for everyone; it's easy to imagine viewers enticed by the prospect of seeing a nude Scarlett Johansson storming out of the cinema and asking for their money back. But for anyone keen on expanding their cinematic horizons, Glazer's latest is the best film of 2014 so far. https://youtube.com/watch?v=7S1yhSp5jaI
By day, they climb cliffs and learn survival skills. By night, they sit around a campfire singing songs and discussing philosophy. They're the Cash clan — and if their everyday activities haven't convinced you that the six siblings aren't part of an ordinary family, the determination and dedication of their father, Ben (Viggo Mortensen), should do the job. There's a reason that the heartfelt film that tells his tale is called Captain Fantastic, after all. Whether he's running around the forest in America's Pacific Northwest, or making a scene by wearing a bright red suit to a funeral, the eccentric, affectionate Ben always seems larger than life, and much like a superhero to his kids. But, when tragedy strikes, he's forced to take them on the road out into the real world. With his oldest son Bo (George MacKay) also contemplating leaving his untraditional upbringing behind for a new college adventure, and his parents-in-law (Frank Langella and Ann Dowd) unhappy about his off-the-grid parenting methods, conflict soon begins to brew. As the offbeat brood treks across the country in a coming-of-age journey for both adolescent and adult characters, Captain Fantastic traverses territory that feels familiar and fresh all at once. Yes, the path it takes is sometimes a little predictable, but writer-director Matt Ross generates enough genuine emotion to ensure that it also feels authentic .This is a warm, rich and vibrant production, both visually and in tone. Continuing his spate of fantastic performances in under-seen fare like The Two Faces of January and Far From Men, Mortensen is more than partly responsible for the movie's charms. In fact, he's simply magnetic in a progressive, protective parent role that trades heavily on his gruff yet tender charisma. With much of Captain Fantastic dependent upon unpacking the many layers and contradictions of a man who gives his 6-year-old son a copy of The Joy of Sex but hasn't imparted his 16-year-old with enough practical wisdom to know how to talk to girls, the subtle complexity he brings to his protagonist couldn't be more pivotal. Around him, his young and experienced co-stars also shine, particularly MacKay and the veteran Langella. It helps that Ross knows a thing or two about unusual families, with the actor-turned-filmmaker having starred in the polygamous TV drama Big Love for five seasons. While Captain Fantastic directs most of its fondness towards its unlikely hero and his eclectic clan, it also explores the importance of not only difference but balance. That's not an easy feat given how endearing the main characters and their unorthodox lifestyle are, and proves a testament to how multifaceted this smart, sweet picture really is.
Legendary Talking Heads frontman David Byrne is returning to Aussie shores this November. While down under, Byrne will hit up Melbourne, Sydney, the Gold Coast and Adelaide to promote his newly released — and already acclaimed — album American Utopia. Byrne's first solo album in 14 years, American Utopia features songs co-written by Brian Eno and contributions from Sampha and electro producer Daniel Lopatin. As well as songs off the new album, Byrne will perform classics from his solo career and hits from his Talking Heads days — expect 'Psycho Killer', 'This Must Be the Place' and, of course, 'Burning Down the House' to make an appearance. The show is one of Byrne's most ambitious yet, too, with a 12-piece band joining him on stage and choreography by Annie-B Parson, who choreographed the St Vincent and David Byrne collaboration back in 2013. It's expected to be an eclectic and moving performance, with early shows reviewed as "at once novel and oddly comforting" and "a thought provoking example of the power of live music". Byrne performed the show at Coachella earlier this year, where it was a standout. Tickets to the American Utopia tour will go on sale at midday on Monday, June 18.
Four Pillars' bloody gin season is back for another year, which is one piece of bloody excellent news. There's more where that came from. In 2023, the Healesville-based distillery has two limited-edition wine-infused concoctions on offer: the cult-favourite Bloody Shiraz Gin and new sibling Bloody Pinot Noir Gin. Spirits fiends familiar with the shiraz version will know that it is ridiculously popular for a reason. Also, it's gin infused with shiraz grapes. That blend gives the drop its cerise hue, and provides sweet undertones — but means that it avoids a higher sugar content. It is boozier, though, with an alcoholic content of 37.8 percent (compared to an average 25 percent in regular sloe gin). The 2023 Bloody Shiraz Gin follows that process again, while the Bloody Pinot Noir Gin sees Four Pillars try another grape variety. If the distillery is bottling it and selling it, clearly it turned out well, too. This newcomer also sources its fruit from Yarra Valley again. The end result is softer and lighter but with a heavier gin taste, and with aromas of rose petals, strawberries and cherries. Also bloody brilliant: to celebrate not one but two bloody gins, and bloody season overall, Four Pillars is hosting a midwinter gin fest. Running all throughout June and July in Sydney — even kicking off a couple of days early on Tuesday, May 30 — the festival is actually a heap of events heroing the two tipples (and getting everyone saying "bloody" over and over). So, the Four Pillars Lab will celebrate World Gin Day across Saturday, June 10–Sunday, June 11 with a weekend-long party filled with drinks, snacks, DJs, workshops and free tastings. The venue is also doing a Golden Century BBQ takeover, teaming pork, duck and dumplings with Bloody Shiraz Gin drinks on Saturday, June 17–Sunday, June 18. And, the brand is putting on a big feast with North Bondi Fish on Wednesday, July 19; popping up at North Sydney's Rafi and the Harbour View Hotel on various dates; and bringing back the Gin & Film Fest at Golden Age Cinema every Wednesday in July, this time with a focus on slasher sirens. Top image: Wes Nel.
Tamales — parcels of light corn dough stuffed with meat and vegetables, wrapped and steamed inside corn husks or banana leaves — are a Mexican street food staple. They're also the main dish on the menu at The Midnight Special's latest pop-up Lulu's. Serving up regional US and Mexican fare made with ingredients sourced from local and independent producers, Lulu's is run by chef and owner Monica Luppi. She calls her tamales 'California-style', explaining that they draw upon her childhood in San Francisco, as well as time spent road-tripping along the US West Coast. The results of those American travels feed into her culinary venture, which heads to Newtown from March 15 to April 15. On the menu during Lulu's second stay at The Midnight Special, it also took up residence there last October, are three different tamales ($9 each) — including ones stuffed with 12-hour slow-cooked chipotle pork shoulder and the vegan version made with slow-roasted sweet potato — fried jalapeño hush puppies, mac 'n' cheese bites, chicken katsu burgers and banoffee pie for dessert. A muffaletta, a sandwich created by Italian immigrants in Louisiana, will make an appearance on the menu, too — it's a hefty roll filled with Italian cured meats, cheeses, olives and pickles. Whether it comes close to competing with the OG at New Orleans' Central Grocery is still up for debate, but it's one of the only chances you'll have to try the famed sanga in Sydney. Find Lulu's at The Midnight Special from 5pm, Wed–Sun, March 15 to April 15. Image: Nash Ferguson
If you've been saving your hard-earned cash for a big night out, here's your excuse to spend it. Some of Sydney's fanciest restaurants — including Quay, Bennelong, Otto Ristorante and Firedoor — are now offering five-course tasting menus at (relatively) reasonable prices. Throughout July and August, there'll be limited-edition menus on offer at each Fink Group venue, ranging from $100–195 per person. Sure, these prices are nothing to sneeze at, but you won't find these deals at any other time of the year. And they all include a cocktail on arrival, too. At Quay, Peter Gilmore has created a five-course version of the restaurant's decadent ten-course menu. It'll feature signature dishes and a few new ones, including the playful new Moo dessert. With the restaurant's standard menu going for $285 a head, this one, at $195, is a steal. Meanwhile, Bennelong is recreating high-end versions of Aussie favourites — and serving them up inside the Sydney Opera House. Those include yabby buckwheat pancakes with lemon jam and cultured cream, along with the restaurant's famed lamington dessert. All for $170 a head. Otto is, of course, doings things the Italian way with a full on pasta menu. Yes, its five carb-loaded courses (for $120) include mushroom-stuffed agnolotti and lobster bisque cappellacci, filled with spanner crab and mascarpone. At Firedoor, it's swapping the usual fire-roasted meats for fire-roasted veggies, serving a five-course menu (for $100) that champions all things plant-based. The Big Night Out menus will be available for lunch and dinner throughout July and August. Be sure to make a reservation, though (and select the Big Night Out option when booking) because these popular spots are sure to book out — especially at these prices. Images: Brett Stevens and Nikki To
The Lady and the Unicorn's arrival in Australia is kind of a big deal — this is only the third time the tapestry series has left France in more than 500 years. Held at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the exhibition is a genuine once-in-a-lifetime chance to see these masterpieces of medieval craftsmanship. The six woven tapestries are considered to be some of the greatest surviving artworks from the European Middle Ages, and it's easy to see why. The works span more than 20 metres in length and hold a reputation as the "Mona Lisa of the Middle Ages". To celebrate The Lady and the Unicorn's residency Down Under, AGNSW's much-loved restaurant Chiswick at the Gallery is hosting an affordable dining series. A ticket to the event includes your choice of main, a glass of wine or Four Pines beer and entry to the famed exhibition — all for $59. Dishes are prepared by head chef Tim Brindley and stay true to the restaurant's 'garden-to-plate' philosophy — with ingredients even thrown in from the garden outside. You can choose from Cone Bay barramundi served with pipis, battered flathead fillets aside chunky hand-cut chips and pork cutlets with Brussels sprouts, among others. It's food meets art and, in our opinion, the tastiest way to experience one of 2018's landmark exhibitions. The dining series is available at Chiswick at the Gallery throughout the duration of The Lady and the Unicorn exhibition. It's available for lunch daily and for dinner on Wednesday nights until Sunday 24 June. To make a reservation, head to the restaurant's website.
There are two highly misconstrued clauses about exhibition openings. Firstly, that you have to know a lot about art to go to them. Secondly, that you need an invitation. To set things straight, you actually need neither. Most openings are come one, come many so we've enlisted the experts to help you brave a debut into the commercial art world with A Bluffer's Guide to Art Parties. Who goes? "Exhibition openings are celebrations of art and welcome community participation through discussion," says Nicky Ginsberg, Director of NG Art Gallery. "Openings serve to promote awareness and support in the contemporary art scene." Openings are about engaging with art, the artists, gallerists, artsy types and non-artsy types. They are exciting events where guests are in the privileged position of being able to actually meet the artist and talk to them in person about their work and practice. Don't shy away from openings because you 'don't fit the mould' – there's no such thing. Rhianna Walcott, Manager at Artereal Gallery, is another oracle we asked. "Exhibition openings in commercial spaces attract a very diverse mix of people including the artist's friends, family and supporters. You also find a mix of the gallery's regular clients and ongoing supporters, as well as collectors and arts industry professionals," she says. What to expect And what should we expect from the evening's festivities? Well, ordinarily, guests are given ample time to browse the art on offer, chat with artists and soak up the atmosphere. Next there's normally a formal speech from either the gallery's director or a guest speaker who will declare the exhibition open. And yes. Complimentary wine and canapés are the norm. But remember not to over indulge. No one enjoys the token drunk kid in the corner who has suddenly become an expert on all things contemporary art. Needless to say you're there for the art and engagement, not the free booze. Art criticism 101 Now that we've covered the who and what, we should probably discuss the how and when. The question of how to navigate your way around an opening can be a tricky one. For first timers, Ginsberg offers the advice: "Don't be shy, on arrival survey the room; if in doubt, go clockwise. Take in the art by asking yourself: do I like it? Why don't I like it? How was it made?" "Spend the first ten minutes or so looking at all the work and reading through the available information on the exhibition – curatorial text, artist biography etcetera. If you are serious about engaging with the work in the exhibition it is best to read up on the artist via the gallery's website in advance. This gives you some context and prior knowledge, which will allow you a better appreciation of the work when you do see it in the flesh," adds Walcott. The when of exhibition openings varies. Most, however, are hosted during the week, after hours, from around 6-8pm. Talking art Before presenting our fast fact manual, we'd like to leave you with a few crucial words of departure from the experts. "If in a conversation about the art on offer, it is advised to engage your companion's opinion and relationship to the artist before slandering harsh criticism," offers Ginsberg. And from the Walcott camp: "The art world is not as uptight as it is made out to be. Never be afraid to approach people whether it is the artist or the gallerist, or just the person standing next to you. Galleries feel a responsibility to create a welcoming environment where anyone can come to experience and learn about the work." Fast facts Who: Commercial exhibition openings welcome all and it is not necessary to RSVP. What: An exhibition opening is an event hosted by an art gallery/institution to formally open an exhibition. You go to them to be educated, to celebrate and to congratulate. When: Varied, but usually on a weekday evening from 6-8pm. Where: All galleries on the commercial circuit host exhibition openings to expose artists' work to the public. How much: Usually free, with the exception of invite-only openings or ticketed launch events (usually reserved for major public art institutions such as AGNSW or MCA). For the diary: Iain Dawson gallery pop up. 12 Mary Place, Paddington. Opening night June 21, 6-8pm. www.iaindawson.com The Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere group show. Artereal Gallery, 747 Darling Street, Rozelle. Opening night July 4, 6-8pm. www.artereal.com.au Gary Carsley. Breenspace, Level 3/17-19 Alberta Street, Sydney. Opening night August 17, 6-8pm. www.breenspace.com Mingle like a pro: Don't: Use fancy words you don't know the meaning of when discussing a work just to impress someone. Do: Try descriptive words like 'costly', 'historic', or 'monotonous' rather than 'rip off', 'big', or 'boring'. Don't: Overlook the art nearest the bar. Do: Use the art near the bar as a conversation starter in the likely event there is a queue. Don't: Assume you know everything about the artist just because you've read the catalogue essay. Do: Read up on the artist before the show if you want to get the most out of the opening. Don't: Forget that 'modern' and 'contemporary' are different genres in art history. Do: Be inquisitive if other guests start dropping art historical terms, mid-conversation, that you don't understand. Don't: Say 'I could do better than that'. Do: Say you've been inspired to create your own art. Photo credits: Mishy Lane
Molière might be a 17th century playwright, but don't bother brushing up on your French — or your 17th century comedic lingo, for that matter. For Griffin Theatre Company's latest production, Australian playwright Justin Fleming has taken one of Molière's most acclaimed works by the scruff of the neck and hauled it forward four centuries into the present, rhyme scheme and all. "It's a piss-take on pretentious literary conceit," writes Fleming. "That the learned fool is more of a fool than an ignorant one remains as much a conundrum for us in the 21st century as it did for audiences in the 17th." So what's it about? Juliette wants to marry Clinton. Her father approves, but her mother wants her to marry a poet, Tristan Tosser. Clinton's ex-girlfriend is also Juliette's sister, who's keen to torpedo her sister's chances. Cue farce, of the sprawling and tangled variety which Molière did so well. The Literati, co-produced by Griffin and Bell Shakespeare and directed by Lee Lewis, promises to be a hilarious and anarchic romp that prods at Sydney's culture of faux-intellectualism.
If you're the kind of beer lover who feels like they've tried every brew ever — or you've made it your mission to achieve that yeasty goal — then you're probably a big fan of the Great Australasian Beer Spectapular. For more than a decade now, since it started off as a Melbourne-only celebration of ales, lagers, ciders and more, the event has been serving up weird, wild, wonderful and inventive varieties, many of which are made exclusively for the booze-sipping shindig. In 2022, that's set to be the case once more, with the beer fest returning for a tour of Australia's east coast capitals in May. GABS is considered to be one of the best craft beer and cider festivals in the Asia Pacific region for good reason, and this year it has at least 120 of them, because that's how many brews will be on offer. Prepare to knock back beers inspired by breakfast foods, savoury snacks, desserts, cocktails and more when the event kicks off its 2022 run at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday, May 7, then heads to Sydney's ICC Darling Harbour from Friday, May 20–Saturday, May 21, then finishes up its Aussie dates at the Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, over the weekend of Friday, May 27–Sunday, May 29. Some of the foods and drinks that this year's GABS brews are taking their cues from: peanut butter, coffee, earl grey tea, chicken salt, pizza, fairy floss, bubblegum and sour gummi bears. Confirmed highlights include Brouhaha's Baked and Wasted, a sour which uses wasted baked goods; Capital Brewing Co's experimental Smooches, which pairs cocao nibs with a strawberry kick; Mismatch Brewing Co's We Love NY Cheesecake stout, in case you've ever wondered what cheesecake in a glass tastes like; and The Catchment Brewing Co's Ra Ra Raspoutine, another stout that, yes, is brewed from chips, cheese and gravy. The event surveys both Australian and New Zealand breweries, with more than 60 set to be pouring their wares in Brisbane, and 70-plus in Sydney and Melbourne. As well as the aforementioned outfits, this year they'll also include Balter, Range, Otherside, Black Hops, Ballistic, Your Mates, Mountain Culture, One Drop and Little Creatures, as well as Colonial, Mountain Goat and Bentspoke — and NZ's Garage Project and Panhead Custom Ale. Also on the bill: other types of tipples, including non-alcoholic beers, seltzers, whiskey, gin, cocktails and wines (including by 19 Crimes Snoop Dog Cali Red). GABS is known for dishing up a hefty lineup of activities to accompanying all that sipping, too, which'll span a silent disco, roaming bands, circus and sideshow performers, games and panels with industry leaders in 2022, as well as local food trucks and vendors to line your stomach. GREAT AUSTRALASIAN BEER SPECTAPULAR 2022 DATES: Saturday, May 7 — Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane Friday, May 20–Saturday, May 21 — ICC Darling Harbour, Sydney Friday, May 27–Sunday, May 29 — Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne GABS takes place across Australia's east coast throughout May — head to the event's website for tickets and further details.
After a stint in Heath Ledger's hometown, this stunning exhibition is making its way east to Canberra's National Film and Sound Archive. Celebrating the Perth-born actor's charisma, exemplary career and passionate creativity, Heath Ledger: A Life in Pictures is a must-see for all Ledger fans. Put together by AGWA, the WA Museum and guest curator Allison Holland, the exhibition follows Ledger's career from his teenage years up to his final role in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009). You'll get to see costumes — including the Joker suit from The Dark Knight and the shirts he wore as Ennis del Mar in Brokeback Mountain — alongside research journals (on display for the first time) that grant an insight into how Ledger developed his roles. Also included in the show are photographic portraits by the likes of Karin Catt and Bruce Weber, Ledger's Best Supporting Actor Oscar and BAFTA, and a chronological narrative of his career — including his own experimentation with image making and creative projects as a director. Promises to be a bittersweet reminder of just how talented Ledger was, and what even greater heights he would have gone on to achieve.
Just over a decade ago, Noomi Rapace was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo — The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, too. After starring in the first film adaptations of Steig Larsson's best-selling Millennium books, the Swedish actor then brought her penchant for simmering ferocity to Alien prequel Prometheus, and to movies as varied as erotic thriller Passion, crime drama The Drop and Australian-shot thriller Angel of Mine. But Lamb might be her best role yet, and best performance. A picture that puts her silent film era-esque features to stunning use, it stares into the soul of a woman not just yearning for her own modest slice of happiness, but willing to do whatever it takes to get it. It also places Rapace opposite a flock of sheep, and has her cradle a baby that straddles both species; however, this Icelandic blend of folk-horror thrills, relationship dramas and even deadpan comedy is as human as it is ovine. At first, Lamb is all animal. Something rumbles in the movie's misty, mountainside farm setting, spooking the horses. In the sheep barn, where cinematographer Eli Arenson (Hospitality) swaps arresting landscape for a ewe's-eye view, the mood is tense and restless as well. Making his feature debut, filmmaker Valdimar Jóhannsson doesn't overplay his hand early. As entrancing as the movie's visuals prove in all their disquieting stillness, he keeps the film cautious about what's scaring the livestock. But Lamb's expert sound design offers a masterclass in evoking unease from its very first noise, and makes it plain that all that eeriness, anxiety and dripping distress has an unnerving — and tangible — source. The farm belongs to Rapace's Maria and her partner Ingvar (Hilmir Snær Guðnason, A White, White Day), who've thrown themselves into its routines after losing a child. They're a couple that let their taciturn faces do the talking, including with each other, but neither hides their delight when one ewe gives birth to a hybrid they name Ada. Doting and beaming, they take the sheep-child into their home as their own. Its woolly mother stands staring and baa-ing outside their kitchen window, but they're both content in and fiercely protective of their newfound domestic happiness. When Ingvar's ex-pop star brother Pétur (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga) arrives unexpectedly, they don't even dream of hiding their new family idyll — even as he's initially shocked and hardly approving. Jóhannsson isn't one for telling rather than showing, as Lamb's sparse dialogue ensures. That said, he doesn't unveil Ada a second before he needs to, either. While Maria has a little lamb and its fleece is as white as snow, the film spends much of its first half revelling in how the creature's arrival drastically alters the household's mood. Lamb is firmly a tone poem, in fact, living, bleating and breathing in its titular critter's wake. Something sinister still dwells — and recurrent shots of Iceland's towering surroundings still ripple with foreboding — but Maria and Ingvar have eagerly snatched up what bliss they can. Smartly, when the revealing shot comes, and also when Ada keeps being seen in all her human-animal glory (courtesy of live animals and children, plus CGI and also puppetry), Jóhannsson's winning mix of anticipation and playfulness isn't shorn away. It's easy to spy another picture from this part of the world with an ovine focus and think of Rams (the original, not the 2020 Australian remake). Recalling A White, White Day's musing on grief and its stunning use of wintry landscapes is just as straightforward as well. Throw in the fact that Lamb frolics forth from US distributor A24 — home to fellow folk-horror hits The Witch and Midsommar, the nightmarishly atmospheric Hereditary and The Lighthouse, and the dark and discomforting The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, with the company's moniker now accepted in filmic circles as shorthand for a particular type of indie flick — and believing you know what's in store is equally understandable. But like Robert Eggers, Ari Aster and Yorgos Lanthimos, the directors behind those aforementioned features, Jóhannsson has made a disquieting and dazzling movie that couldn't be more distinctive. Indeed, just as Ada is her own creature, Lamb is its own singular film. Nursery rhyme nods and fairy tale-like touches add extra layers to Lamb's contemplation of parenthood, loss and all the stress that comes with each; however, the movie's religious symbolism is less effective. Christmas songs echo, placing the film at a time of year already loaded with meaning. A manger obviously exists on the farm, too. Also, having a woman called Maria embrace motherhood after a miraculous birth clearly isn't an accidental move on Jóhannsson and co-screenwriter Sjón (an Icelandic poet and frequent Bjork collaborator's) behalf. What rings loudest among these inclusions is the notion of grasping onto whatever you need to in order to understand and endure all that life throws your way. Lamb is also a movie about nature versus nurture, so brooding over the impact of choices both overt and innate cosily resides in the same paddock. Enticing, surreal and starkly unsettling all at once, Lamb also benefits from exceptional animal performances — it won the Cannes Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize for Palm Dog, the prestigious event's awards for best canine acting — and its own savvy. It nabbed Un Certain Regard Prize of Originality at Cannes as well, but the movie's shrewdness isn't limited to its standout concept. Each patient shot that roves over the hillside, peeks through the fog, and soaks in the strain and pressure is just as astute. Each rustle, huff and jangle in the film's soundscape proves the same. Every aesthetic decision paints Lamb in unease and uncertainty, in fact, and lets its lingering gaze towards the steely Rapace, affecting Guðnason and their four-legged co-stars unleash an intense and absurdist pastoral symphony of dread and hope, bleakness and sweetness, and terror and love.
The signature event of our city in summer, the Sydney Festival, kicks off 2013 with the Dirty Projectors, Vivienne Westwood, a series of blind dates, and a giant rubber duckie. They feature among the first line-up curated by new festival director Lieven Bertels, in which more than 750 artists from almost 20 countries will present nearly 100 works of music, performance, and visual arts from January 5-27. Unexpected gems will no doubt be uncovered throughout the festival, but from this early vantage point, these are the 12 events that stand out and have us clamouring for tickets. 1. Semele Walk Fashion show opera is the performing arts medium we didn't even know we wanted. Now we can't wait for Semele Walk to get here so we can gather around the runway for Handel's tragic Semele as told through the deconstructed opulence of Vivienne Westwood's costumes. Expect a sequinned kilt, diamond-studded socks, plenty of crinolines, and kabuki make-up. Westwood's punk roots aren't completely gone from the playlist, either, with Berlin ensemble Kaleidoskop mixing some sly pop music departures into their arrangement. Sydney's known to favour Semele's mythological son, Bacchus, god of wine, and this should be just the occasion to meet the family. January 11-15; Sydney Town Hall. 2. David Byrne & St. Vincent An odd couple to some, a truly remarkable couple to others. Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and multi-instrumentalist St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) will be unleashing their brass-heavy collaborations at one of the classiest joints around town — the State Theatre. The New York-based duo will be accompanied by a brass band on the evening to ensure every quirky interjection from their debut release, Love This Giant, is executed live. The two artists are like kindred spirits, seamlessly creating a record that stays true to each artist's musical identity yet morphs into an entirely new musical beast of its own. When brought to life, this giant will no doubt take on greater sonic measures for an enthralling live experience. January 17 and 18; State Theatre. 3. The Quiet Volume It's always the quiet ones. Members of the Concrete Playground team saw this unassuming audio-theatre piece by UK artists Ant Hampton and Tim Etchells in Utrecht and reported it to be phenomenal. The Quiet Volume has you sit side by side with a partner in the Mitchell Library, each of you with headphones on and a stack of books at your elbow. The words on the page, the voice in your ear, and occasionally the companion at your table guide you through a journey that shakes up your understanding of the act of reading. The whispered, interactive work also makes for a great excuse to visit the library, an institution so many of us still have a great love for although rarely visit. January 7-25; Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW. 4. 2001: A Space Odyssey No Stanley Kubrick film is more lauded for its dramatic marriage of sight and sound than 2001: A Space Odyssey. Ligeti’s spectral Requiem plays to a mysterious black monolith and Strauss's 1986 'Also Sprach Zarathusa' strains to the fabrication of a hominid’s first weapon, all while making the soundless moments paint the chilling void of the infinite beyond clearer than any music could. At this year's Sydney Festival the soundtrack of Kubrick's sci-fi masterpiece will be played live by the Sydney Symphony and Sydney Philharmonic Choirs as the film itself is blown up onto an equally dramatic big screen. January 24 and 25; Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House. 5. The Moment I Saw You I Knew I Could Love You This performance includes a local octogenarian couple still adorably in love, jelly-like lilo seating, and a trip into the belly of a whale. You're totally sold on it already, right? Fortunately, The Moment I Saw You I Knew I Could Love You seems to live up to its promise, with Lyn Gardner of the Guardian giving the show four stars, saying, "There is something immensely wistful about a piece that demonstrates that we are merely chemical compounds, and yet also shows us how to discover equilibrium." Creators Leslie Hill and Helen Paris from UK company Curious have worked with filmmaker Andrew Kotting, composer Graeme Miller, and chanteuse Claudia Barton to combine film, live performance, soundscape, and installation in unexpected ways, coming up with something truly special. It's part of the About an Hour series of performances, each $35. January 11-13; Carriageworks. 6. Dirty Projectors When you’ve built your reputation on being rather odd, it’s a risk to make an album heavy on catchy hooks and cohesive lyrics. It’s one that pays off on Swing Lo Magellan, the latest from American rock outfit Dirty Projectors. The album is still an intricate layer cake of highly charged hooks, tender melodies and the orchestral vocals of singer Amber Coffman. And if we're running with a cake theme, you could even call it the musical Heston Blumenthal Exploding Chocolate Gateau — it's rich and probably required expensive power tools to assemble, yet still retains a surprising amount of pop and is damn easy to devour. Last time Dirty Projectors were here they played the Metro Theatre, but the Sydney Opera House's Concert Hall is far more befitting of their exquisite orchestration. January 21; Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House. 7. Eraritjaritjaka Heiner Goebbels is the celebrity of the 2013 Sydney Festival, as far as the experimental performance nerds are concerned. But the director and composer's esoteric-sounding works can be relied on to hit a nerve no matter whether you've done the background reading. Eraritjaritjaka, which means 'regret for lost things' in the Indigenous Australian Arunta language, features the unflinching texts of Nobel Laureate Elias Canetti, live music by Amsterdam's Mondriaan String Quartet, an actor who takes the whole audience with him when he leaves the stage, and a lesson on how to chop an onion in perfect time with the music of Ravel. The expansive multimedia performance has toured the world since 2004 and now makes its exclusive Australian appearance at the Theatre Royal. January 9-13; Theatre Royal. 8. Nicolas Jaar Read three articles about Nicolas Jaar’s debut album Space Is Only Noise and you can probably expect two of them to make some mention to the Guardian dubbing him “The renaissance man of electronic music.” It’s a tag that isn’t at all unjustified. Jaar’s music is not only quick-witted (in the sense that it’s both highly intelligent and sprinkled with humour) but spearheading (though not on its own) what could be called an electronic revolution. If you follow dance music closely, you could get high off the way it morphs deep house and techno into something soulful and ambient, and if you don’t, its beautiful melancholy is no less addictive. Another great thing about Jaar is his ability to command a room with the barely audible in the same way others command a room with thumping bass. FBi are bringing him over for the Sydney Festival this January, so be at the Town Hall on the 23rd for proof. January 23; Sydney Town Hall. 9. Day One Rubber duckie you're the one; you make staring out over Darling Harbour so much fun. Childhood nostalgics will be beside themselves at the visiting art installation Rubber Duck by Florentijn Hofman, which is five storeys high. We loved it when it popped up in France's Loire River earlier this year, and we'll love it closer up when it bobs into Cockle Bay to mark the opening of the Sydney Festival in the two-hour spectacle billed The Arrival, complete with acrobats, 3000 littler ducks, and the opening of the Pyrmont Bridge. Also happening on Day One is Fun Run, a theatricalised marathon focusing on one guy on a treadmill in Hyde Park (you can even be a part of it — no running required), and the Daptone Super Soul Revue, a huge outdoor dance party in the Domain that thrills every year. It's disappointing that state funding for the ever-expanding street party Festival First Night was slashed in 2012, but Sydney Festival organisers are clearly showing off their powers of making-do with the fun, free, concentrated three acts of Day One that go from 9.30am until late into the night. January 5; Hyde Park, Darling Harbour, and the Domain. 10. Perfume Genius The discrepancy between Perfume Genius's Twitter feed and his music is incredible. As Mike Hadreas he channels his often unnerving honesty into a series of vulgar 140-character trivialities about everything from fondling the f*** out of zits to applying cheapo L'Oreal BB cream. As Perfume Genius he channels it into beautifully harrowing lamentations on serious personal traumas ranging from prostitution to drug addiction. At his live show you get a sense of both sides of Hadreas, making it an even more genuine look into the singular musician’s mind. January 26 and 27; the Famous Spiegeltent. 11. It's Dark Outside The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer won over Sydney Festival audiences in 2011 with its charming, low-fi futuristic world wrought through live action, animation, puppetry, and song. Now that production's creators return with It's Dark Outside, which uses similar ingredients to tell the tale of an old man suffering from dementia. His Sundown Syndrome, which makes him wander off as evening approaches, here becomes a poetic Wild West landscape where puffs of cloud escape from him and a butterfly-net-wielding tracker is hot on his heels. For anyone who's watched a loved one succumb to Alzheimer's or fretted over the inadequacy of their own memory, it's sure to be a moving 60 minutes. It's Dark Outside is another highlight of the About an Hour line-up. January 11-17; Carriageworks. 12. Micro Parks If you've walked the back streets of Newtown and Erskineville, you've probably stumbled upon one of several random little parks that are in blocks between houses and sweet but decidedly empty. Performance Space has a solution to that: put An Art in it. With Micro Parks, they've commissioned four new installations and performances to fill the scattered spaces, which you can seek out by aid of a map acquired from the Carriageworks base. There's dance by Martin del Amo and Julie-Anne Long, tea ceremonies by Sarah Goffman, social sculpture by Kate Mitchell, and performance by Jess Olivieri and the Parachutes for Ladies. Leslie Knope would surely approve. (Carriageworks is full of great stuff during Sydney Festival; check out the epic Waste Not installation by Song Dong in the foyer while you're there.) January 11-13; Carriageworks. Check out the full 2013 program at the Sydney Festival website. By Rima Sabina Aouf and Hannah Ongley.
