Fancy prancing through fields laced with the charm of provincial France? It's just casual summer weekendery when So Frenchy So Chic is in town. The ever-popular one-day French festival is waltzing back to Bicentennial Park in Glebe for its seventh year running on Saturday, January 18. If you haven't been before, expect an entire afternoon of French-inspired niceties, including (but not limited to) gourmet picnic hampers, tartlets and terrines, offensively good wine and croquet all to a chill French soundtrack. So Frenchy hinges around a solid lineup of eclectic artists you may be yet to meet — and ones you might've, too. If you haven't heard of Corine and her brand of French disco-electronica, consider this your introduction. And, while you've likely heard of French pop royalty Lou Doillon, given that she's been on the bill before, this time she'll be playing tracks from her latest album. Don't miss Nouvelle Vauge either, with the group bringing their chilled-out covers of new wave hits to town for their third So Frenchy appearance. Also on the lineup is up Senegal-born French folkster Tété, as well as a blend of beats, tango, bossa nova and jazz from Gotan Project co-founder Philippe Cohen Solal, who'll do a DJ set. If you're not the most organised of picnickers, So Frenchy is putting on the works again with fancy picnic boxes and cheese plates. Filled with brioche buns, gruyere tarts, crusty baguettes, quiche lorraines, parfait, cheeses and more, the picnic boxes are one to preorder if you don't want to miss out. But So Frenchy won't let you go hungry; there'll be a huge banquet of seafood, charcuterie, pastries and more available on the day. And of course, there'll be plenty of Laurent Perrier Champagne, French beer, and rosé, red and whites wines as well. Early bird tickets are now on sale for $84 a pop. If you've got kids, you'll be happy to know that the whole thing is very family friendly, and children under 12 can get in for free. Images: Liz Sunshine.
As Sydney approaches the five-year anniversary of the lockout laws — which have led to the closure of 176 music venues across the city — another arm of the industry is facing potentially strangling regulation: music festivals. Earlier this year, after advice from the government's expert panel on music festival safety, the NSW Government released its strict new music festival licensing regime. While it will not be officially introduced until March 1, the 'interim guidelines' have already led to the cancellation of two NSW festivals: Mountain Sounds and Psyfari. Byron Bay's Bluefest, which is set to celebrate its 30th anniversary in the coastal NSW region this April, has also threatened to leave the state. The festival's director, in a scathing letter to Premier Gladys Berejiklian said, "Will the last festival to leave NSW please turn out the light of culture in this soon to be barren state?". You can read the full letter here. In response to this, a rally to defend the city's live music scene — particularly live music festivals — has been organised in Hyde Park on Thursday, February 21, from 6–8pm. Organisers of the rally have criticised the government's "knee-jerk regulation" and lack of consultation with members of the industry, saying "festivals are being used as a scapegoat for years of failed drug and alcohol policy". They're demanding the State Government review its regulations and consult with members of the industry to create more effective and transparent policies. A corresponding petition, calling for the same actions, has garnered over 114,000 signatures. The rally is shaping up to be a bit of a music festival in its own right, too, with the lineup featuring the Rubens, Cloud Control, Urthboy & Bertie Blackman and Ocean Alley, who's song Confidence topped this year's Triple J Hottest 100. A range of big-name industry experts will be talking, including Julien Hamilton from the Presets; Michael Chugg, founder of Chugg Entertainment and Frontier Touring; as well as City of Sydney Councillor Jess Scully. At time of publishing, 23,000 Sydneysiders had registered their interest in attending. While the rally isn't directly call for pill-testing — there was a separate rally for that last month — the NSW Government's new music festival licensing regime follows the death of five young people from suspected drug overdoses at NSW festivals. The NSW Government is continuing to ignore increased calls for pill-testing as a harm-minimisation technique at festivals, but Groovin' the Moo in Canberra has just been given the go-ahead to host Australia's second-ever pill-testing trial. Image: Kimberley Low.
A film festival that brings the best and brightest new Japanese movies to Australian cinemas each year is a film festival to cherish. Also ace: a film fest that features a solely digital lineup of flicks and TV shows from Japan that you can check out from your couch. So, while it isn't time for the IRL Japanese Film Festival for 2024 yet — it last hit locations around the country across September–November 2023 — the Japanese Film Festival Online will keep you entertained this winter. Both fests serve up a handy way to view the latest and greatest Japanese fare without hopping on a plane, but only the online version lets you do so from home. Running from Wednesday, June 5–Wednesday, July 3, 2024's version will feature 23 films and two TV dramas, the latter serving up 20 episodes. And, you'll be able to check out for four Japanese horror shorts, too, all of which initially debuted in 2023 at the first-ever Horror Film Competition in Japan. The other big drawcard: Japanese Film Festival Online screens its program for free. Accordingly, this lineup won't test your budget, whether you're keen on I Am What I Am, which stars Drive My Car's Toko Miura; Anime Supremacy!, about a new director and a hotshot facing off while making their own competing anime; Single8, a Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans)-influenced picture about Star Wars-loving teens making their own movie; or classic anime Kimba the White Lion from 1966. Film lovers will be catching the movies on the program between Wednesday, June 5–Wednesday, June 19. Fellow feature options include Father of the Milky Way Railroad, a biopic about poet and novelist Kenji Miyazawa; magazine drama Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction; Baby Assassins, where teen assassins are forced to give up the murderous life; and The Handsome Suit, about a magical outfit. TV fans will be tuning in from Wednesday, June 19–Wednesday, July 3, with 2017's Rikuoh starring Kôji Yakusho (Perfect Days), and stepping inside a traditional Japanese sock company — and 2015's Downtown Rocket based on Shitamachi Rocket novels about an ex-aerospace researcher who leads a factor that he inherited. While you won't pay a thing to watch, you do still need to register via the fest's website. Won't be in Australia at the time? The fest is available in 27 countries.
Already scheduled to headline Listen Out 2013, dance music's brothers-of-the-moment have just announced that they'll be gracing us with sideshows in both Sydney and Melbourne. Over the past 12 months, the UK-born and raised siblings have emerged from their bedrooms to dominate the dance charts and sell out international tours. That's especially impressive given that the youngest of the two, Howard (18), is only just out of school uniform and his brother, Guy, recently celebrated his 21st. Not only have party-goers been keeping the boys on high rotation, they've also won a few critics' (often hardened) hearts. The ever-revered Pitchfork awarded Disclosure's debut album, Settle, with a whopping 9.1/10, while UK radio host Zane Lowe described it as his "favourite album of the year so far". Featuring a selection of guest vocalists (including Ed McFarlane of Friendly Fires, Jamie Woon, Jessie Ware and AlunaGeorge's Aluna Francis), Settle represents a move towards balancing the duo's two major stylistic influences: dance and pop. "The main thing we tried to do with it is get a mixture of the more clubbier sides of the music we do with the more sample based stuff that's made for the dance floor and then kinda the other side of it, which is the more pop structured songs with vocals," Howard told the Listen Out team in a recent interview. "We wanted to take a balance between those things." https://youtube.com/watch?v=4nsKDJlpUbA
It was a year ago now that Sydney's North Shore was blessed with a new opening, and a long-awaited one, too. Bar Infinita has taken over the local Italian dining scene from its Gordon home, and it's already celebrating its first birthday. In a fantastic convenience, that birthday just so happens to fall on National Tiramisu Day, so we lucky diners are getting some deliciously themed specials to celebrate. Typically, the birthday celebrant isn't the one giving the gifts, but who are we to complain in the face of tasty treats? Cocktail aficionados should swing a booking on Thursday, March 20 and get into $5 Tiramisu Martinis. Come Friday, March 21, Bar Infinita's famous Nonnas Tiramisu takes centrestage, and is free for all bookings between 5pm and 6pm. That's right, free tiramisu — that's not your Nonna's happy hour special. [caption id="attachment_995404" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Take Studios[/caption] If you miss the initial offering, the birthday celebrations are continuing through the weekend with a limited-edition Pistachio Tiramisu on Saturday, 15% takeout discounts on Sunday, and a set menu wine dinner on Monday, March 24. Those are the specials, but Bar Infinita has a hell of a lot more than just tiramisu going for it. In fact, it hasn't lost a puff of steam since its opening. Chef Francesco Iervolino (who has previously worked at Surry Hills' Firedoor and Mosman's Ormeggio) helms the menu, which is packed with high-end Italian classics and fuelled by a wood-fire oven. But there's not a slice of pizza in sight here, with that oven instead going to work cooking up some seriously top-notch steaks. And carb fiends fret not; the lack of pizza is made up for with bowls upon bowls of pasta and inventive antipasti.
UPDATE, March 15, 2021: Deerskin is available to stream via Stan, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. You've heard the first words uttered in Deerskin before, but it's unlikely that you've heard them in this specific order: "I swear never to wear a jacket as long as I live". In the film's opening moments, three people exclaim the phrase as they dump armfuls of clothing into a car boot. Watching on, Georges (The Artist Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin) makes sure that they say the sentence in exactly the right way. The film offers no further explanation at this point, as if these dramatic declarations are the most normal thing in the world. Next, though, it shows Georges putting his own brown corduroy jacket in a public toilet, flushing, and leaving the bowl clogged and overflowing. His subsequent destination finally helps clarify what's going on, at least in part — with Deerskin's protagonist buying himself a new secondhand jacket made from the eponymous material. How far would you go for the perfect piece of clothing? And can one ideal fashion item completely change your life? They're two completely relatable questions that Deerskin ponders, after aspiring filmmaker Georges takes a strong liking to said Italian-made vintage fringed deerskin jacket. And, we mean strong. Obsessed, fanatical and passionate, even. In the way that anyone can, but that vain, middle-aged, just-divorced men are stereotypically known to, Georges is certain that this one luxurious object is perfect for him. In fact, he thinks he just can't live without it. It doesn't matter that said coat costs him nearly €8000, a price tag that most would stumble over. Similarly irrelevant: that the jacket looks just a tad too small while he's wearing it. Instead, how it makes Georges feel is far more important than any logical drawbacks — to him, at least. Also pivotal is how it catches the attention of small-town waitress and wannabe film editor Denise (Portrait of a Lady on Fire's Adèle Haenel). The latest feature by the inimitable Quentin Dupieux (also known, in his electronic music guise, as Mr Oizo), Deerskin luxuriates in Georges' devotion to the newest addition to his wardrobe. Again, that's putting it mildly. The film revels in this fixation to a purposefully absurdist, always amusing and even sometimes comically unnerving extent, especially when it comes to the character's ultimate goal: that his will be the only jacket remaining in the world, and he'll be the only person wearing it. When Georges is told that it's the jacket of his dreams before he makes the hefty purchase, it's one of many similar statements to come. When two women at a bar comment on it, he says that "it's no ordinary jacket", for example. Later, when one of them remarks on his overall appearance, he asks "don't you see my killer style?". And in bed that night, playing with the video camera that came with the coat as a package deal, he vocally and effusively lavishes praise upon the inanimate item. The above paragraph stresses the point, but so does Deerskin. If you're going to make a movie about a man's crazed fetish for a jacket, his willingness to do anything for it and his belief that it's the only jacket that should exist from this point forward — and his outlandish, even violent actions to make sure that's the case as well — there's no room for being subtle. This is a concept that requires the same level of commitment as Georges' to his beloved possession, and Dupieux doesn't hold back. That's his nature anyway, with Deerskin the latest of the writer/director's movies to fixate on an inanimate object. If you saw the French filmmaker's 2010 cult hit Rubber, about a homicidal car tyre, then you'll know just what kind of weirdness he both relishes in general and unfurls here. Dupieux makes films that instantly seem ridiculous, yet both express and interrogate their central idea with smarts as well as a sense of humour, and Deerskin couldn't better fit the bill. Still, while this French Alps-set horror-comedy is a typical Dupieux movie through and through, a few things particularly stand out. Indeed, from a resume that also includes 2012's Wrong, 2013's Wrong Cops and 2014's Réalité, this might just be the filmmaker's most accessible film to-date. The deadpan performances, including from a fantastic Dujardin, are a delight. The commentary about consumerism, male egos and the potential brutality of both at their most over-the-top proves as funny as it is astute — and even though it's also rather obvious, it's constantly entertaining. Also, the fact that the movie well and truly knows that it's stretching a thin basic idea to its most overblown extreme means that everything is a joke, and the film is all the better for it. Then there's the visual symbolism, the lingering shots, the beige-hued colour palette and the editing, too, all of which follow their own rhythm as much as anything Dupieux has ever made. But, perhaps the most impressive element of this warped, weird, always beguiling movie is that — despite the all-round offbeat premise — Dupieux never forgets that he's actually fashioning a love story here. Yes, it's a twisted, troubled romance between a man and his jacket (and, later, his deerskin hat, shoes and pants as well), but it's a romance nonetheless. In a feature that'd make a great double with Peter Strickland's In Fabric, every element of this sublimely silly, sometimes savage, 100-percent suede-coveting film is crafted with that in mind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_u4YDiGH3k
After launching a pint-size spinoff specialising in build-your-own bowls back in August, swish Japanese joint Sake is already launching a second iteration of Saké Jr. Opening this week in Grosvenor Place in the CBD, the "fast-casual" eatery will offer rice, noodle, salad and bao bun-based bowls, along with breakfast options, 'grab and go' items, smoothies, coffee, kombucha and beer. Open 7.30am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 6pm on weekends, Saké Jr sells itself on a healthy menu that is "honest, sustainable, affordable and convenient — and absolutely packed with flavour". Charging full steam ahead, this is their third Sake Jr to open this year, with the first two already open at Westfield Sydney and in Melbourne. For example, workers blazing through the CBD at breakfast time grab an acai, seasonal fruit or berry and yuzu muesli bowl, and wash it down with a cold-pressed juice or smoothie. Later in the day, you can make your own lunch. Just choose a base (like mix greens, udon noodle sticks or brown rice), decide on a protein (be it grilled chicken, popcorn shrimp, wagyu beef or tofu and shiitake), chuck in some veggies (such as wakame seaweed, steamed edamame, charred corn with garlic shots or crispy Brussels sprouts) and your choice of sauce and garnish. Voila! Further beverage options include nut milk, craft beer, house wine on tap, and sake (of course) by the glass. And if you're not sold on the idea, why not try it for free? To mark their grand opening, the first 500 people through the door after 11am today (Thursday, November 4), will receive a complimentary bowl. If you miss it though, they're planning on rolling out 100 of these joints nationally over the next five years — so you might get your chance to nab another free bowl pretty soon. Sake Jr is located at Grosvenor Place, 225 George Street, The Rocks. For more information visit sakejr.com.au.
Among Australia's claims to fame, our love of a good shoey ranks right up there. We're not only a land girt by sea — we're a nation unrestrained by the idea that you can only drink booze from glasses. Fancy sipping alcoholic seltzer from a trophy instead? A coffee mug? A plastic hat? Whatever else you happen to own that holds a standard jug worth of alcohol? If you're in Melbourne, Moon Dog Brewing has the giveaway for you. When free drinks are on offer, no one needs to dress up the concept. Mention free booze, and we're all already sold. Still, Moon Dog has whipped up something special to celebrate not only the first day of summer, but also the arrival of the brewery's world-first post-mix machine for Fizzer, its alcoholic seltzer line. So, come Wednesday, December 1, it's pouring free Fizzers to everyone who brings their own vessel to Moon Dog OG in Abbotsford between 4–6pm and to Moon Dog World in Preston from 3–6pm. On the menu: freshly poured Fizzers in tropical crush, peach iced tea, raspberry sorbet and piney limey flavours. And yes, by vessel, Moon Dog means container — something that can hold booze naturally. There are a few caveats, unsurprisingly. Firstly, your chosen vessel needs to be clean. Secondly, it'll only be filled to the standard jug amount — so, to 1140 millilitres. Also, it needs to be watertight, and everyone only gets one vessel per person. Bring the best, most creative vessel to either venue and you'll also win a slab of Fizzer delivered to your door. That's worth scouring the cupboards for, clearly. If you're reading this from Sydney or Adelaide and you'd also like a free Fizzer, here's some good news for you, too: Moon Dog is doing giveaways in those two cities — and at other venues around Melbourne — but you'll have to stick to sipping your drink out of an ordinary schooner instead. At three Sydney spots, four Adelaide bars and three other places in Melbourne, the freebies will also be limited to the first 50 folks through the door from set times. Either way, kicking off summer by saying cheers to a free beverage obviously ticks a key box: starting the season as you mean to go on. Suddenly thirsty? Here's where you can nab your free drink on Wednesday, December 1: VICTORIA Moon Dog World, 32 Chifley Drive, Preston — 3–6pm Moon Dog OG, 17 Duke Street, Abbotsford — 4–6pm Concrete Boots Bar, 381 Burnley Street, Richmond — 4–6pm Lulie Tavern, 225 Johnston Street, Abbotsford — 4–6pm Yorkshire Stingo, 48 Hoddle Street, Abbotsford — 4–6pm NEW SOUTH WALES Sneaky Possum, 86 Abercrombie Street, Chippendale — from 12pm The Unicorn, 106 Oxford Street, Paddington — 5–7pm The Townie, 326 King Street, Newtown — all day SOUTH AUSTRALIA Stag Public House, 299 Rundle Street, Adelaide — from 12pm Lady Daly Hotel, 126 Port Road, Hindmarsh — from 12pm Uni Bar, Union House, Ground Floor of The University of Adelaide — from 12pm Cry Baby, 11 Solomon St, Adelaide — from 12pm Moon Dog Brewing's free Fizzer giveaway takes place on Wednesday, December 1 at a range of Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide venues. For further details, head to the Moon Dog website.
A specific kind of Chinese street food in on its way to Kensington Street Precinct in Chippendale. You'll win no prizes from us for guessing the specialty at Holy Duck!, although if you get there on opening day $1 sliders should suffice. "Holy Duck! is modern street food at its best," said co-owner Kaisern Ching, who also owns the neighbouring Chefs Gallery. "We've put a contemporary spin on the menu, dishing up duck and other Chinese favourites in a way that's going to appeal to a new generation of diners." Standout menu items include crispy and roast duck pancakes with spring onions and hoisin sauce, duck spring rolls with mushroom and chilli plum dipping sauce, and whole duck with signature sauce and pickled garden vegetables. They've also got a duck burger, which comes with cucumber, spring onion and orange hoisin sauce. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLgYPKbNvVE Contrary to what you might think, they do serve some duckless dishes, including steamed bao with braised pork belly, cucumber, mustard pickles, chilli sauce and fried onions, popcorn chicken with brown sugar glaze and toasted sesame, lotus root chips with nori powder, and rice bowls with your choice of chicken, pork and... yes, duck. Holy Duck! is set to open this Friday December 9, and to celebrate they'll be selling $1 duck sliders to the first couple hundred punters through the door. So get quacking. Find Holy Duck! at The Old Rum Store, 2-10 Kensington Street, Chippendale. For more information visit www.holyduck.com.au.
Just like their killer villains, some horror franchises never seem to die. In 2021, two big recent sagas have released their latest instalments, with Spiral: From the Book of Saw and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It keeping their respective spook-filled realms going. Alas, neither movie was anywhere near either series' best, but the fact that both Saw and Conjuring flicks are still reaching screens is a great testament to James Wan. The Australian filmmaker has been a key figure behind both franchises, directing their early instalments and still earning executive producer credits now — as he's followed the tried-and-tested path from horror movies to Hollywood blockbusters. Wan mightn't have been behind the lens of Spiral and The Devil Made Me Do It, but he is returning to his favourite genre this year — after detouring into action with Fast & Furious 7, Aquaman and the upcoming Aquaman 2. His latest flick Malignant will hit cinemas in September, marking his first horror film that isn't attached to an existing franchise since the initial Conjuring movie released back in 2013. This time around, he's playing with nightmares — but of the daylight variety. Malignant's protagonist Madison (Annabelle Wallis, Boss Level) keeps having visions of disturbing murders, only to find out that they aren't just figments of her imagination. Also complicating matters, as seen in the just-dropped trailer: the fact that, as a kid, she told people that she was speaking to the devil. The suitably moody and dark-hued trailer teases out this exact scenario, throws in a few bumps and jumps, but obviously leaves the key details for horror fans to discover when the film hits the big screen. Wan co-wrote the story behind the movie, with screenwriter Akela Cooper (upcoming Conjuring Universe sequel The Nun 2) penning the script. And, cast-wise, Maddie Hasson (Mr Mercedes), George Young (Containment), Michole Briana White (Songbird), Jacqueline McKenzie (Palm Beach), Jake Abel (Son of the South) and Ingrid Bisu (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It) all co-star. Check out the trailer for Malignant below: Malignant opens in Australian cinemas on September 7.
If you thought you were going to have to head all the way down to Melbourne to catch The Book of Mormon, think again. It looks like Trey Parker and Matt Stone's hit musical is bringing its hilariously irreverent self to Sydney. At least, that what's all the signs are pointing to, with a series of vague posters popping up on bus shelters across Sydney this week, including this one on Crown Street in Surry Hills. Announcing simply that 'the mormons are coming', the teasers are pretty short on facts, though they've inspired plenty of locals to jump over to the website and sign up to the email list for first dibs on any info that does surface. Even The Book of Mormon's publicity company is keeping hush and refusing to comment on the prospect of a Sydney run. Looks like we'll just have to sit tight and wait for confirmation. Written by South Park and Team America's notoriously puerile creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, together with Robert Lopez of genius grown-up muppet show Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon is probably one of the most lauded comedies ever to have centred on the Church of Latter Day Saints, African missions, AIDS, bum jokes and super ironic racism. If it wasn't so smart and so funny, few would forgive it. But since it is, The Book of Morman has picked up nine Tonys, four Olivier Awards and a Grammy since it debuted in 2011, and has been called "one of the most joyously acidic bundles Broadway has unwrapped in years". If you've been among the throngs to see the musical in New York, Chicago or London, then you'll be plenty excited that your Melbourne friends will now get the chance to go learn all the idiosyncratic details of Mormonism, meet war criminal General Butt-Fucking Naked and know the true meaning of the hakuna matata-like saying 'Hasa Diga Eebowai'. The Book of Mormon is due to wrap up in Melbourne on November 19. We'll keep you updated on any official announcements.
Global ice cream company Ben & Jerry's is best-known for its chunk-filled scoops and bizarre flavour titles like Schweddy Balls and Dave Matthews Band. After releasing an over-the-top creation for both ice cream and burger lovers earlier in the year, the brand has now unveiled its latest frankencreation in its Fast Food Series. The Dough-licious Pizza is the ice cream-pizza hybrid that no-one asked for. Available by both the slice and as a whole pizza, the creation features a baked base made from Ben & Jerry's cookie dough and comes filled with a layer of the brand's chocolate chip cookie dough or chocolate fudge brownie ice cream. From there, you get the choice of two toppings — from chunky cookie dough pieces to brownie chunks, crunchy nuts and chocolate-dipped pretzels — plus a drizzle of either hot fudge or caramel sauce. Of course, hardcore ice cream lovers can push the boat out and select all of the above. The pizza is the second in a series of crossbreed creations from Ben & Jerry's inspired by Australia's favourite fast foods. The Impossible To Eat Burger was described as "the messiest ice cream ever". The 'Dough-licious Pizza' is available for a limited time at Ben & Jerry's shops and Scoop Stores across the ACT, NSW, Qld, Vic and WA. It's also available to order on Uber Eats.
When a musical becomes a Broadway sensation, FOMO tends to sink in for theatre fans Down Under. Rave reviews might start pouring in, and awards as well, but seeing whichever production has New York talking usually requires a Big Apple trip — an expensive endeavour even for the biggest stage aficionado. The other option: waiting patiently for NYC's brightest shows to head Down Under. It happened with Hamilton, finally, and now it's happening with Dear Evan Hansen. A six-time Tony Award-winner, Dear Evan Hansen premiered in the US in 2016, then made the leap to the big screen in 2021. The next stop, back in stage form, is Sydney, with Sydney Theatre Company putting on the musical's Australian debut as part of its just-announced 2024 season. Michael Cassel Group is also behind the Aussie premiere, which will play at the Roslyn Packer Theatre from Saturday, October 12–Sunday, November 17, 2024. The two organisations are already teaming up on The Picture of Dorian Gray's upcoming run in West End in London next year — starring none other than Succession's Sarah Snook, too — following joining forces to take the STC show to Melbourne in 2022. With Dear Evan Hansen, STC and Michael Cassel Group will follow the titular anxious teen. He's advised by his therapist to pen letters to himself to highlight the good aspects of his day; however, when one of his notes ends up in a similarly lonely classmate's hands, it sparks a complex chain reaction. Created for the stage by songwriting and composing duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul — who nabbed an Oscar for La La Land's 'City of Stars' — with playwright Steven Levenson (Fosse/Verdon), the musical spins a coming-of-age story about a plethora of high school struggles. "This will be the first new, original production since the show's phenomenal Broadway debut. This is a real coup for Sydney, and we couldn't be in better hands than with the brilliant Dean Bryant at the helm — one of the best musical theatre directors in the country, and loved by STC audiences after his superb work recently on Hubris and Humiliation and Fun Home," said Sydney Theatre Company's Artistic Director Kip Williams. "Words fail to truly capture the profound impact Dear Evan Hansen has had on audiences and I am thrilled to be partnering with Sydney Theatre Company to create an entirely new version of the show for Australia," added Michael Cassel. "There are no other contemporary musicals that capture the challenges of being a teenager in such a distinguished way with such a phenomenal score." There's no word yet as to whether the STC production of Dear Evan Hansen will tour to other Australian cities — so start crossing your fingers. Check out the trailer for the Dear Evan Hansen film below: Sydney Theatre Company's production of Dear Evan Hansen will play the Roslyn Packer Theatre, 22 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay in Sydney, from Saturday, October 12–Sunday, November 17, 2024 — with tickets available in stages via Sydney Theatre Company from Tuesday, September 19, 2023. Images: Universal.
When everything in the world has fallen into tiny, cracked pieces, the absurdist playwright always seem to be there to try and build it back up again, or at least offer a witty commentary on the whole debacle. The Turquoise Elephant, opening at Griffin on October 14, promises not to buck the trend, with playwright Stephen Carleton's work poised to have deliciously scathing dig at modern life. The play follows the story of three women, all of whom are drowning in the world's problems, but can't seem to agree of any of them. Much in the tradition of Absurdists like Dario Fo and Ionesco, Carleton says of the play, "Every time you think things can't get any more ludicrous, another catastrophe occurs." The Turquoise Elephant is brought to life by director Gale Edwards, a legend of the Australian theatre, who has directed most things you've heard of and everything you haven't.
Once upon a time, an imaginary photographer named Franz took imaginary photos for an imaginary journal, which came to find itself in a highly imaginative photo exhibition: A Glimpse at Anti-Terra. A melange of film noir photographs line the walls of the small but prestigious MILS gallery, which sits like a wedge of cake on Randle Street, Surry Hills. The brainchild — a haunting, oneiric and whimsical collection of work — can be attributed to a very real person: 24-year-old, Libran, Ukranian lawyer and photographer, Vladimir Kravchenko. Despite this being his first solo exhibition of both analogue and digital work, capturing a world beyond this one is something Kravchenko achieves best: landscapes slide off the edge of the Earth, upside-down puddles reflect the sky and ghostly shadows elide your vision. The fine grain tones and contrasted shadows are testimony to that eccentric, Eastern European stark obscurity that lives someplace deep inside our minds. Each untitled artwork delivers you, with immediacy, into the odd and explicit moments that define Franz's life; as does the accompanying narrative penned by Kravchenko. The combination is somewhat intoxicating as you find yourself stalking Franz, as he stalks the Earth and the people in it. From the window of a dismal grey block apartment, a woman appears with pert breasts and an Amelie bob framing red lips. Far below, dunes of shiny blonde sand replace what would otherwise be a street path. According to the narrative, it is the apartment that Franz can no longer climb to see Fredericka, "Now that she was gone, her window gained a sinister air and he knew that it was not just her absence, it was something else, some quirk in space altering the view." Aptly named, this Kafka-esque character goes through aspects of stark misery but also comedy whereby his friend Karl appears in a single portrait with a side part and top buttoned shirt, clasping his own head with wonder. Franz observes, "Eggs Benedict was Karl's favourite breakfast and he found the idea that his head also resembles an egg an endearing one." I shall never think of eggs Benedict quite the same way again. MILS Gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday 12-4. Image by Vladimir Kravchenko.
With a weekly listenership of 1.7 million and a strong following since 1995, the popular weekly hour-long radio program This American Life is due to make its debut in Australian cinemas. Filmed on a stage in New York City, This American Life — Live! is a packed show featuring stories by host Ira Glass, writers David Sedaris and David Rakoff, comic Tig Notaro and Snap Judgment host Glynn Washington, plus live music by OK Go. This live experience will encompass things you could never do on the radio, such as a new short film by Mike Birbiglia, dance by Monica Bill Barnes & Company, original animation, projected illustration and more. Glass is excited to see how it turns out; "We've built this line-up of stories mixed with super visual things," he says. "It's going to feel like the radio show but also totally unlike anything we've done before." A must-see event to be permanent-markered in. This American Life — Live! will screen in Sydney at the Cremorne Orpheum, Dendy Newtown, Chauvel Paddington and Riverside Theatre Parramatta. https://youtube.com/watch?v=iDDUB379juo
The plastic flaps make this play. They're hanging in the theatre doorway, thick, long, translucent and evocative. They're exactly the sort you see separating the sparkling-tiled butcher's shopfront from its bloody back room, and now you're already thinking about big knives and intestines. Flipping through the flaps, you'll find two guys in crisp cricket whites, hair slicked back and carefully parted, frozen on stage and blinking around. One moos occasionally, and the other bleats. Rain patters in the background. It's bleak and weird, and a great start. This is Hartley (Heath Ivey-Law) and Hugo (Liam Nunan), A Butcher of Distinction's twin protagonists, and in the opening scene they're plucking through their father's belongings, snatching up bits to sell. They're out of their element, far away from their isolated country estate and trembling in the dank basement of a London pub. They whimper about their inheritance, and start to plan, poorly, for dealing without it. Their father, we learn, has killed their mother and shot himself dead. They're delicate brats wetting themselves at the prospect of job-hunting. Their parents' death seems more like a financial loss than an emotional one, and so it's not easy to care about their problems. The director, James Dalton, says in the program that they do become likeable, but it didn't happen. Teddy (Paul Hooper) crashes in with a lot of thumping, shouting, drinking and chest hair. He owns the pub and knows a lot more than the twins about their father's sleazy dealings down here. He also knows that he is owed money. Apparently the old man used this dump to indulge in some gross stuff, and now, says Teddy, the twins will have to pay off the debt at a pretty devastating personal cost. And the twins are all "oh dear, okay", which seems implausible, and the writing doesn't redeem itself from there. A Butcher of Distinction is a fresh piece from 25-year-old British playwright Rob Hayes, and it's so exciting to have young work on in cool Sydney spaces. But this script is undercooked. Main characters don't have to be likeable or their situations relatable, but cutting plot corners in the same script is asking too much of the audience. These characters aren't nuanced but just plain inconsistent; the twins supposedly work as a goat herder and butcher, but they're portrayed as privileged wimps until suddenly flipping at the end. The script aims for dark humour, but I just saw some pretty weak punchlines and a gory twist. Stylistically there is strong stuff going on. You know how I feel about the plastic flaps; set designer Dylan Tonkin deftly conjures all kinds of unsettling ideas using just one set piece. Dalton's nailed the macabre atmosphere here, and that opening sequence is ace. The tiny theatre's size works for this play, too, as you feel uncomfortably close to some uncomfortable ideas. But comfortably close to the flaps.
Weary of Westeros? Want a new formula to Breaking Bad? Zoned out of Walking Dead? Okay, perhaps not yet, but soon these shows will be over for the season (or *gulp* for good), and we'll be in the mood for something new. To pre-empt this moment, we've found five shows that might even top the hits we worship now. Here are the soon-to-air, highly anticipated television shows that are a must-see (and that we hope are fast-tracked on some Australasian network soon, but don't hold your breath). 1. American Gods Airing: late 2013/early 2014 Length: Six seasons of 10-12 episodes Based on Neil Gaiman's award-winning novel American Gods, the upcoming HBO series of the same name is expected to grab the attention of TV lovers worldwide. The series, written by Gaiman and produced by Playtone productions, is based on the idea that the gods of ancient mythology do exist in modern America and are kept alive by the people that believe in them. The main character, Shadow Moon, is an ex-convict recently released from prison. Unimaginable events begin to unfold in Shadow's life and he begins to question his perceived conceptions of the modern world. Producers have confirmed that the show will air for six seasons, so get ready to lose days to any binge watching you choose to get into. 2. Under The Dome Airing: June 24, 2013 Length: 13 episodes A television series brought to you by Steven Spielberg and Stephen King? That already sounds like a huge success. Under the Dome, a CBS series due to air June 24, has a star-studded cast and producing team, including actors Mike Vogel, Rachelle Lefevre and Colin Ford and comics king Brian K. Vaughan. Based on the novel of the same name by King, who is also executive producer of the show, Under the Dome follows what happens to a town when they are cut off completely from the rest of the world. In Chester's Mill, Maine no one can come in and no one can go out. With 2000 people trapped under an invisible barrier, things are bound to get scary fast. 3. Family Tree Airing: May 12, 2013 Length: Eight episodes HBO, in collaboration with BBC2, just released its first teaser for the coming series Family Tree. The show, which stars the beloved Bridesmaids and IT Crowd actor Chris O'Dowd, is a single-camera, improvisational, documentary-style comedy series that follows the life of 30-year-old Tom Chadwick (O'Dowd) as he investigates his strange family lineage, travelling from the UK to Los Angeles. The series was created by Christopher Guest, one of the original mockumentarians who brought us This Is Spinal Tap, and frequent collaborator Jim Piddock and could well revive a flagging genre. 4. Masters of Sex Airing: September 29, 2013 Length: 12 episodes in season one confirmed so far Based on Thomas Maier's 2009 biography Masters of Sex: The Life and Times of William Masters and Virginia Johnson, Masters of Sex is a drama series set to premiere on September 29 on the always-impressive Showtime network. Starring Michael Sheen as William Masters and Lizzy Caplan as Virginia Johnson, the show follows the bizarre lives and romance of the real-life pioneers of the science of human sexuality and leaders of the sexual revolution, Dr William Masters and Virginia Johnson. While not much else has been released about the series, this tidbit is enough to grab our attention. 5. True Detective Airing: Soon? Length: Eight episodes in season one With a superb, show-stopping cast, the new HBO series True Detective is without a doubt a show to look out for in the coming months. The series recently went into production and hopes to bring the contemporary crime underworld back to HBO. Starring talented doppelgangers Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, the eight-episode drama series has been in production since late 2012 but still no official word on when it will premiere. The series will follow an anthology vein comparable to the hit series American Horror Story, meaning the next seasons (if the first season is successful) will feature a whole new cast and a different storyline.
Sydney design trio Babekühl are collaborating with Bill & Toni's Pub Life in Surry Hills this week to bring us a burger of epic proportions. Known as the Hambürg, this stoner plat du jour features a bratwurst patty with German beer, rosti, sauerkraut and hot mustard mayo, to be delivered to your table in a custom-made burger box. As if that wasn't enough, Babekühl are also serving up a tape packed with beats and five copies of their latest book, Above The Clouds. Get in quick though: we imagine there might not be enough of these limited edition feasts to go around. This Wednesday night only.
If you're a fan of Gelato Messina and its frosty sweet treats, 2020 is the year that just keeps on giving. That saying doesn't apply to much over the past 12 months, but it definitely fits in this situation. The dessert chain has released all manner of one-off specials, launched a new range of chocolate-covered ice cream bars in supermarkets, dropped a new merchandise line and brought back its Christmas trifle, for starters — and now it's aiming to take care of your summer drinks list. Teaming up with Cocktail Porter, Messina is now serving up DIY kits that'll let you make your own boozy beverages — either using Messina's gelato or its just-as-beloved toppings. Basically, it's the answer to a familiar dilemma, especially when the weather is warm. No one likes choosing between tucking into a chilled, creamy dessert or having another boozy beverage, after all. The Messina dessert cocktail packs come in two flavours: dulce de leche espresso martinis, and gin-fuelled coconut and lychee piña coladas. In the former, you'll get Ciroc vodka, coffee liqueur, premium cold-drip coffee and Messina's dulce de leche topping, plus Messina's chocolate hazelnut spread and shaved coconut to go on top. In the latter — which are being called 'giña coladas' — you'll receive Tanqueray gin, coconut water, pineapple juice, verjuice, and vouchers to go pick up a tub of Messina coconut and lychee gelato. As well as choosing with variety you'd prefer — caffeinated and zesty or fruit and refreshing, basically — you can pick between two different-sized packs. A mini espresso martini kit costs $85, while a mini giña colada kit costs $89, and both serve up six drinks. Or, you can opt for the large ($149/159), which makes 18 dessert cocktails. Cocktail Porter delivers Australia-wide, if that's your summer drinking plans sorted. To order Cocktail Porter's Gelato Messina cocktail kits, head to the Cocktail Porter website.
Rich, magnificent and a little bit fancy are all things that come to mind when truffles are on the menu. But do we know anything about them, really? Long-time favourites of fine dining restaurants, truffles are now popping up on cafe menus too, having entire festivals thrown in their honour — they've even been added to beer, for goodness sake. In order to dispel the air of mystery surrounding truffles (and just so we can stop pretending we know what we're talking about), we've called upon truffle aficionado Bernadette Jenner from Madame Truffles to set us straight about where to find them, how to eat them, and what makes them so magical. What are truffles? Truffles are a type of fungi, and are part of the genus tuber. While there are many different types of truffles, only a few are edible; the white truffle (tuber magnatum) and the black Perigord truffle (tuber melanosporum) are the most highly sought after. Truffles range in size from as small as a marble to as big as your fist and retail for around $2,500 per kilogram. They're found underground surrounding the roots of a host tree, which is often either oak or hazelnut. Currently only the black Perigord truffles are harvested in Australia. Originally pigs were used to sniff out truffles; however, most farmers use dogs these days, as pigs were notorious for eating their discoveries. "Fighting a pig for a truffle is probably not worth your life," says Jenner, and we believe her. Interestingly, the truffle has a pheromone in it that smells like a male boar, so the female pigs are actually searching for a mate, rather than a fine-dining delicacy. "In pig world it's actually the smell of the male that speaks to its dominance. It's not about how pretty it is or how much money it earns; the better smelling the pig, the higher up in the pecking order he is." Weirdly enough, the pheromones in male pigs are actually similar to that found in male humans. Figure that one out. Where do they come from? Australia is actually the fourth largest black truffle producer in the world, following closely behind Italy, France and Spain. Black truffles can be found all over the country. So where can you get the best ones? "As a general rule, there's a great truffiere in Pemberton, WA," explains Jenner. "Truffles from Braidwood in NSW are smoky and gorgeous, and you can also get good truffles from Tassie." So how do our truffles compare? Jenner says that Australian truffles are strong competitors in relation to their European counterparts. "About 95 percent of the truffles from WA are exported to Italy and America, and they fill up the Michelin star restaurants." When are truffles in season? In Australia, peak truffle season is from the end of May through to the end of August. One great thing about truffles is their unpredictability and the variety you can have from one harvest, as Jenner explains. "Each harvest is different and even truffles from the same tree can taste and smell different." This is the fourth year Jenner has run her pop-up shop Madame Truffles during the peak season, and she has noticed a definite increase in interest in truffles. Bernie puts this down to two reasons: "The truffieres know much more about what they're doing so not only are they producing more truffles, but the quality is great." The second reason comes down to us: we're craving something new and special. "People are feeling more confident and adventurous with food," she says. How do you cook with truffles? The possibilities here are nearly endless. Truffles love heat, which make them lovely additions to pasta or risotto, where you can either mix it in while cooking, or shave some on top to add depth to your meal. Jenner's hot tip is to keep things simple. "The truffle is the diamond," she explains. "I love a decadent breakfast, so I love putting heaps of the truffle in scrambled eggs and pop a little bit on top when I serve it." A little bit goes a long way with truffles, and it’s important not to overcook as that can decrease their flavour. Where can you get them? Truffles are purchased by weight and are most often ordered online through various truffieres around Australia. Part of the thrill of buying truffles is inspecting them yourself, and most importantly, smelling them. That's what makes going to Madame Truffles such an experience. "The truffles that you buy here, you would have smelled them, we don’t sell it to you without smelling it first," explains Jenner. As well as buying truffles whole you can also by them as products such as truffle pasta, truffle butter, truffle ice cream, and Madame Truffles is even making truffle Monte Carlos for the adventurous sweet tooth. Where to enjoy truffles in Sydney Sydney is home to a raging truffle scene, not just limited to restaurants with French words splattered around the menu and a wine selection that would cost more than the average weekly rent. Devon cafe in Surry Hills is known for their inexpensive approach to the truffle — the ultimate toastie with egg, gruyere, mushroom and truffle has become a locals' favourite in winter months. Bishop Sessa in Surry Hills takes pride in their truffle offerings (so much so that once a year in June they organise an all-truffle menu), while Mr Wong in the CBD puts an intriguing Asian twist on the humble truffle with black truffle and wild mushroom dumplings and poached pork, prawn and black truffle dumplings (all under $15!). Want to play chef? You can take home some of that sweet, sweet fungus-y goodness from food markets like Pyrmont Growers Market (but remember that truffles are seasonally dependent). If you are searching for truffles all year round, grocery Gourmet Life in Darling Point imports them from Europe. By Hannah Valmadre with Natalie Freeland. Feature image courtesy of ulterior epicure via photopin and ultimate truffle sandwich via @nutellasum. Other images thanks to Madame Truffles.
Updated Tuesday, May 23: Longshore will open on Thursday, June 15 and will offer four different dining options: a la carte, a lunch tasting menu ($100), a standard tasting menu ($150) and a ten-course snacks flight ($80). Bookings are now available exclusively through OpenTable. When Jarrod Walsh and Dorothy Lee announced they'd be stepping away from beloved Enmore Road venue Hartsyard last year, they teased big things in the pipeline, thanks to plans to oversee the food and drink offerings at The Old Clare Hotel. The announcement coincided with the closing of longstanding hatted Sydney restaurant Automata, which operated out of the space next to the hotel bar for seven years — a spot that Walsh and Lee are now making their own. The dynamic hospitality duo have taken over the Chippendale digs from Clayton Wells and the crew, announcing a new 100-seat seafood-heavy restaurant and bar called Longshore. The multi-space venue will accommodate a variety of patrons, with outdoor seats on offer for light snacks over drinks, an upstairs bar for events and snack flights, and a welcoming ground-floor dining room where you can really lose a few hours. "We're honoured to be taking over a much-loved Sydney dining room and opening the suburb's first wine bar and restaurant," says Walsh. "Our menu utilises the whole of Australia's coastline, and is inspired by both our childhoods and our travels around the world. I grew up on the coast in Port Macquarie fishing, camping and exploring, and all these things I learnt as a child, such as how to catch a fish and prepare it, play a huge part in the menu." There are a couple of different ways to approach the menu at Longshore. Alongside the a la carte selection, the experimental ten-snack tasting flight will take you on a journey between hot and cold mouthfuls — and there's a five-course set menu for diners who want to sample the team's favourite dishes from the menu. [caption id="attachment_860564" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Automata, Nikki To[/caption] On the opening lineup, you can expect unique creations like a glazed abalone crumpet with guanciale and sansho pepper, steamed sand whiting with XO pipi butter, and grilled Australian wagyu accompanied by a bone marrow sauce and smoked fat. Longshore will be open four days a week, with lunch on Fridays and Saturdays. It'll launch in June, but the restaurant's exact opening date hasn't been announced just yet, so make sure to keep an eye on its Instagram for the latest updates. Plus, if you're still on the hunt for top-notch food on Enmore Road, Walsh and Lee have passed the baton of their old Hartsyard space onto Neville Dsouza, who has opened the sleek produce-driven eatery Irene's. The Hartsyard pair are still involved with the new restaurant, which serves up hearty dishes inspired by home cooking such as tamarind-glazed chicken and garlic cream grilled prawns. Jarrod Walsh and Dorothy Lee's Longshore is coming to 5 Kensington Street, Chippendale in June. It will be open for lunch Friday and Saturday, and dinner Monday and Thursday–Saturday — we'll update you with an exact launch date when one is announced. Images: Jason Loucas.
One of the giants in the modern pop scene, Goldfrapp have been mixing grind-inducing, strut-generating beats since the late nineties. With a brand new album slated for release later this month, they've joined the already illustrious bill for this year's Vivid, and they're bringing their latest and greatest to Carriageworks. The UK pop duo have had a slew a massive hits, from 2003's 'Strict Machine' to 2005's 'Ooh La La'. While there's been a widespread barrage of bangers from Goldfrapp since then, these are the two that have probably been featured in more films and TV shows than 'Bittersweet Symphony'— seriously, Goldfrapp have been featured in Entourage, NCIS, Las Vegas, House, Bones, Grey's Anatomy, The Sopranos, Ugly Betty, ER, Heroes, Numb3rs...
Tucked away in their scrappy summerhouse, the Tyrone family faces itself. Mary Tyrone (Robyn Nevin), an aged beauty long condemned to addiction after the troubled birth of her youngest son Edmund, once again slips, glassy eyed, away from her family. Her husband, James (William Hurt), and sons, Jaime (Todd Van Voris) and Edmund (Luke Mullins), themselves suffering under the weight of life, are undone as she, the pedestaled mother, falls again. Regret spills out and over, mixing with contempt, self-loathing, love, nostalgia and lost hope. The brilliance of Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Eugene O’Neill’s largely autobiographical play, lies in its finely drawn relationships and the language with which these are expressed. Both Van Voris and have noted that the play has a reputation as a dirge, and indeed it is a slow, mournful composition that only works with pitch-perfect performances. Nevin and Hurt deliver such. Nevin is beyond majestic as Mary and Hurt manages to highlight the kind and loving aspects of a miserly old man willing to send his chronically ill son to a state institution rather than fork out the extra money for good treatment. The two of them together are genius. Unfortunately, Van Voris's and Mullins' performances are just under. While both have finely constructed the physicality of their characters, one a consumptive wraith the other a corpulent whoremonger, neither actor quite delivers the humanity required to draw compassion — compassion that is absolutely necessary to carry the audience through the final hour. Truly, by the end of the third act, you will be scratching at the inside of your skin, desperate that the thing should end. You will feel as if you're being punished. This is mostly O'Neill's fault. He is too theatrically indulgent in the scenes between the brothers, one of which, Edmund, is based on himself — justifying his own personal failings perhaps? A co-production between the Sydney Theatre Company and Oregon's Artists Repertory Theatre, this production is in many ways a triumph. Just don't go thinking it's going to be an easy night in the theatre. If you're under 30, tickets are only $40. Photo by Brett Boardman.
Australians, if you like your burgers cruelty-free, then you've probably been keen to introduce your tastebuds to Impossible Foods. One of the big names in plant-based meat, the brand has built up quite the following in the US — and, from today, Thursday, November 4, it's finally available Down Under. Known for making not just meat alternatives but also dairy substitutes out of plants, Impossible has launched in Australia with two big collaborations: with burger chain Grill'd and Sydney fried chicken joint-meets-sneaker shop Butter. Nationwide, you can now tuck into four Impossible burgs made with the brand's beef alternative. If you're a Sydneysider, you have a couple more options at Butter's Chatswood and Parramatta outposts, and you'll also be able to try a broader menu at Butter's upcoming Impossible pop-up in The Rocks. For burger fiends, those four new additions at Grill'd Australia-wide include a cheeseburger (complete with vegan cheese and vegan mayonnaise), the 'Simply Grill'd' which recreates the chain's standard burg, a vegetable-heavy option that comes with beetroot and avocado, and an Aussie spin on the concept that also adds beetroot and barbecue burger sauce. In Sydney, Butter is doing an Impossible cheeseburger and an Impossible classic burger, marking the first time it's ever had plant-based meat alternatives on its menu. Butter will also be adding a new Impossible burger to its lineup every fortnight, and slinging Impossible lasagnes and meatball subs via its home-delivery brand Mumma Julian's. And, at a yet-to-be-revealed date sometime later in November, Butter's Impossible pop-up in The Rocks will only serve items made with Impossible beef. Think: meat-free katsu, cheeseburgers and chilli cheese fries, plus whatever else Butter co-owner and executive chef Julian Cincotta comes up with. In total, Impossible's meat-less 'beef' is now available in more than 150 restaurants around the country — and you can expect more places to join the list. And if you're wondering what makes the brand's plant-based options stand out, it was named the best plant-based burger by The New York Times. Grill'd's Impossible menu is available in stores from Thursday, November 4. Butter is serving two Impossible burgers at its Chatswood and Parramatta outposts, and will set up an Impossible pop-up in The Rocks later in November. For further details about Impossible, head to the brand's website.
Pitting Will Smith against himself, Gemini Man is designed to boggle the mind. Viewers are supposed to stare at the big screen in awe as the former Fresh Prince not only plays a supremely skilled 51-year-old assassin, but — through the wonders of seamless de-ageing CGI — also plays his 23-year-old clone. We're also meant to marvel at the 3D visuals that surround the two Smiths as they go head-to-head, with the movie shot on digital in 4K resolution at 120 frames per second. Technical jargon aside, that means Gemini Man is super-crisp thanks to its vastly increased number of pixels, and it boasts five times the usual images each second, with the camera picking up five times the visible detail as a result. Sadly, while Ang Lee loves to keep pushing the filmmaking boundaries, especially in a technical sense, he completely misses his target with Gemini Man. It doesn't come close to eliciting the same wonder that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's astonishing martial arts choreography inspired, or the dropped jaws sparked by his immersive adaptation of Life of Pi either. Instead, in Lee's second successive attempt to make a watchable high frame-rate flick (after 2016's Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk), this espionage thriller has the bland appearance of a TV soap opera. At its worst, it resembles absolutely anything screening on television with the motion-smoothing settings left on (aka the default viewing mode on modern screens that Tom Cruise famously asked viewers to switch off when watching Mission: Impossible - Fallout at home). Stacks of cash have been splashed on the most advanced special effects available — techniques that are being hailed as the future of cinema — but the end product really couldn't look cheaper or uglier. In a movie that basically only exists to showcase its apparently cutting-edge hyper-realistic imagery, Gemini Man's visual blah factor has an enormous impact. Lee clearly hopes his high-tech frames will patch over the generic narrative, but they actually emphasise the film's routine flavour. Penned by David Benioff (Game of Thrones), Billy Ray (Overlord) and Darren Lemke (Shazam!), this by-the-numbers affair follows seasoned government-sanctioned sharp-shooter Henry Brogan (Smith) as he packs it all in after a tricky assignment. As soon as he trades in his weapons for retirement, he's tracked down by his youthful doppelgänger (also Smith). A rogue intelligence agency head honcho (Clive Owen) is behind it all; however, as we probably don't need to point out, he isn't the toughest adversary that Brogan must face. Throw in Mary Elizabeth Winstead as another agent caught up in the chaos, plus Benedict Wong as a kindly pilot helping Brogan hop around the globe, and Gemini Man sits somewhere between every Bourne flick and every 90s action movie involving duplicity and double-crossing. Plot-wise, it truly is that standard; no-budget straight-to-VHS stinkers have demonstrated more narrative ingenuity. A boilerplate story told well can still keep viewers engrossed, though, especially in this genre (see: the excellent John Wick films), but that's not the case here. While cheesy, inane dialogue that spells out every twist is unfortunate enough, the fact that Gemini Man looks like someone has simply used their iPhone to film two Will Smiths who happen to be standing in front of them is grating, disconcerting and distracting. That it also looks like it could be a sequel to Tommy Wiseau's The Room — well, that comparison obviously says plenty. It's one thing to feel like you could reach out and touch whichever Smith you prefer (the elder Smith deserves that honour, with the actor more comfortable acting his age than chasing his younger glory days). It's another to get bombarded with so much visual data that nothing stands out, including Smith and his digital recreation. In the pursuit of hyper-clarity, Gemini Man lacks anything that resembles movie magic — and while that means there's no blurring or chaotic editing in the film's chase and fight scenes, which are both staged and shot with fluidity, it's all just dull rather than spectacular. You won't sit there wondering "how did they do that?", but rather "why did they do that?". And if you're not getting jiggy with Gemini Man's imagery, then you're not getting jiggy with this empty experiment in stretching the limits of cinema to a place that no one really wants it to go. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykm0wWnzFY8
Francesca Martinez will tell you she's wobbly. She started her career on the (only recently-cancelled) teen classic Grange Hill, has performed with QI favourite Jo Brand, and been on Extras and Spicks and Specks. She makes her living as a standup these days. She's coming to Sydney, running her only local gig out of Parramatta's monthly Laugh Garage at the Riverside Theatre. Wobbliness is her name for cerebal palsy — a kind of paralysis, which often causes spasms as well — which she pillories as much as anything else in her act. On Grange Hill, she was one of the first disabled actors to get a big, regular part on UK television. Living with cerebral palsy is difficult, but stand-up is hard. She worked hard in the middle of the last decade, doing gigs to the point of exhaustion in 2004. Coming back from an enforced hiatus, she hopped straight back into the comedy circuit and onto the stage of the gargantuan Edinburgh Fringe. With a routine heavy with filth and swearing, it's a surprise the press focuses so much on her wobbliness instead of her talent. Balanced or otherwise, she's funny as. <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="510" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FQQ3sM85oYY?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
We're only four days out from summer (and four weeks from Christmas) but Sydney is preparing itself for another hefty spring downfall. And maybe even some flooding. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the city is expected to be hit with between 60–120mm of rain this Wednesday, November 28, and there's a chance of some thunderstorms hitting as early as this evening, too. https://twitter.com/BOM_NSW/status/1066905019193151489 That's a lot of rain. For comparison, this September — Australia's driest September on record — Sydney copped less than five millimetres a day. So, we're not complaining, especially since 100 percent of the state has been in drought. While it doesn't look like Sydney CBD's will experience any flooding — like it did in Melbourne last week — the BOM has issued initial flood warnings for rivers between the Central Coast the Illawarra Coast, and severe weather warnings, with damaging winds and heavy rainfall expected, for the metropolitan area, the Hunter and Central and Southern Tablelands. If you were planing to spend the first weekend of summer reclining on a beach or by an ocean pool, fret not — that'll still be possible. The weather is expected to clear up by Saturday, December 1, with Sunday hitting a balmy top of 30. But, in the meantime, don't forget to pack your umbrellas and raincoats — and keep an eye on the flood warnings.
Whether it's in the insect-dappled heat of an outdoor cinema or in the sweet smack of an airconditioned theatre, summer is the season of movies. We just have more time for leisure this time of year, and not all of it can be spent running and swimming around. Many of the year's biggest releases are coming out in the next three balmy months. These are the ones you should start getting excited for now. https://youtube.com/watch?v=wceaLzbtuDY The Spectacular Now Out: Now A teen movie about a cool guy and a dorky girl falling in love that's somehow real and honest? It's a Christmas miracle. https://youtube.com/watch?v=WRY2ogQpbvg Kill Your Darlings Out: Now Daniel Radcliffe kills off the memory of Harry Potter with a convincing portrayal of US beat poet Allen Ginsberg for which he has a heady trinity of straight sex, gay sex and self-sex. https://youtube.com/watch?v=h5Cb4SFt7gE American Hustle Out: December 12 Clearly knowing he was on to a good thing, Silver Linings Playbook director David O. Russell reunites Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper and adds Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Robert De Niro and Louis CK. Other good omens: this screenplay once made the famous 'Black List' of unproduced screenplays and used to be more blatantly titled 'American Bullshit'. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Elczv0ghqw0 Anchorman 2 Out: December 19 If that maxim about the strength of the marketing being inversely proportional to the quality of the film holds true, Anchorman 2 will be the worst movie ever. Still, we've got our fingers crossed for this sequel ten years in the making. https://youtube.com/watch?v=OPVWy1tFXuc The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Out: December 26 There's nothing like Boxing Day tradition, and Peter Jackson and Warner Bros. Pictures are hoping that yours only grows stronger with a fifth year of epic Tolkien adventure. It's a no brainer. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ksrkKXoEJbM The Railway Man Out: December 26 The combination of Colin Firth and Burning Man director Jonathan Teplitzky make The Railway Man worth seeing. It's also the go-to Boxing Day film for people who like crying and catharsis around the holidays. https://youtube.com/watch?v=0XBPEUXMtMw The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Out: December 26 The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is Hollywood at its best. Deeply funny, optimistic, life-affirming and full of pretty pictures, the film follows a quiet LIFE magazine staffer, played by Ben Stiller, who learns to seize the day. Kristen Wiig is in it, too, so yay. https://youtube.com/watch?v=rETaWDZ57v0 Short Term 12 Out: December 26 Hot for: This is all a bit deep and wounded for a Boxing Day release, but try it, okay? With one of those hard-to-summarise plots centring around the kids and their barely adult supervisors at a temporary foster care facility, it's compulsively watchable and super emotional. https://youtube.com/watch?v=rD8f9kn7D2U Philomena Out: December 26. On the one hand, Philomena looks a bit fusty and British. On the other, it's written by Steve Coogan, directed by the indomitable Stephen Frears (The Queen, High Fidelity, Dangerous Liaisons, etc etc), stars Dame Judi Dench and will probably kick arse if you give it a chance. https://youtube.com/watch?v=9Hd_uO72h1s August: Osage County Out: January 1 This may look like blatant Oscar bait, but it's too fucked up for that. Which isn't to say it won't win anyway, with incredible performances from Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, among a star-studded ensemble cast. Based on probably the best play of the last decade, it's genius-level hilarious. https://youtube.com/watch?v=6dRuGwS1gWU The Book Thief Out: January 9 Your favourite adorable Nazi Germany bibliophilic bildungsroman has been made into a film. Now with extra adorableness thanks to the girl child from Monsieur Lazhar. Saving Mr Banks Out: January 9 Disney engages in a spot of personal myth-making with a story about the meeting of Walt Disney and PL 'Mary Poppins' Travers. A bit off-putting, but it involves Emma Thompson being excellent as the steely Travers. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ne6p6MfLBxc Her Out: January 16 Anticipation is through the roof for this, the dystopic love story from cult filmmaker Spike Jonze (Where the Wild Things Are, Being John Malkovich). Joaquin Phoenix is the brooding protagonist, and Scarlett Johansson is the operating system he falls in love with. https://youtube.com/watch?v=fmyglO2Zr0E Inside Llewyn Davis Out: January 16 You can't not pay attention to a Coen Brothers release. It's not heavy on plot, but proceedings definitely include a '60s folk singer, a cat and Carey Mulligan. https://youtube.com/watch?v=iszwuX1AK6A The Wolf of Wall Street Out: January 23 If you thought Leonardo DiCaprio was draped in obscene riches in Gatsby, you ain't seen nothing yet. This three-hour Martin Scorsese comedy, of sorts, is based on a real person's memoir of pre-recession fraud and fun times. The Great Beauty Out: January 23 On the one hand, this is an unassuming Italian number about a one-hit wonder novelist coming down to earth in a beautiful way. On the other, it's made a lot of international critics' top ten lists for the year, so we're all ears. https://youtube.com/watch?v=1bQSOBJCPQE Grudge Match Out: January 30 We're not necessarily recommending you should see this. But you should most definitely be aware that a movie exists in which Sly 'Rocky' Stallone and Robert 'Raging Bull' De Niro fight each other. https://youtube.com/watch?v=z02Ie8wKKRg 12 Years a Slave Out:January 30 Splashed on best-of lists the globe over, 12 Years a Slave is the third film from the unflinching director of Hunger and Shame, Steve McQueen. The wonderful Chiwetel Ejiofor stars in this surely harrowing slavery story you just have to sit through. https://youtube.com/watch?v=xPLSpmAtc1Q Robocop Out: February 6 Look, this could go either way. It's summer, so let's be optimists. https://youtube.com/watch?v=GAglZjX3HOk Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Out: February 6 Reviews haven't been all positive, but it can only be worthwhile spending time with such an incredible life story. Universally praised at least is Idris Elba's performance in the lead role. https://youtube.com/watch?v=U8utPuIFVnU Dallas Buyers Club Out: February 13 Matthew McConaughey gets skinny and gives a performance that no one can pay him out for. His Ron Woodroof, an '80s cowboy diagnosed with AIDS who takes to smuggling the pharmaceuticals he wants, has some cut-through lessons about the medical profession. https://youtube.com/watch?v=s4bqeT5edbs Wolf Creek 2 Out: February 20 It's been nearly ten years since the first instalment of this Australian 'torture porn' flick. And because its iconic status just seems to keep on building, we may as well have another. https://youtube.com/watch?v=UT5tqPojMtg Nebraska Out: February 20 You can tell it's the end of summer, because, like the fashion, the movies get more monochrome. Nebraska is the latest from Alexander Payne, director of The Descendants and Sideways, and follows a quirky father-and-son road trip.
Sick of playing Scrabble in generic sans serif? Lovers of words and type alike can spell their way to satisfying word play with these designer Scrabble sets by Andrew Capener. Capener wanted to "excite people about typography by giving them the ability to choose what font their scrabble set would come in." Beauty and quality are Capener's design priorities, with solid walnut and birch woods used to create the board, pieces and box. The A-1 Scrabble designer sets come in a single font of choice, or you can always mix and match with the assorted font pack. [Via Flavorwire]
Over the last year, the champagne brunches at Ananas have been pretty next-level — they've served up every ambitious theme from Mad Hatter to Willy Wonka to Halloween. Then, last December, the team took things to a new opulent level with a decadent lobster and champagne brunch. Now, due to popular demand and marking the first Ananas brunch for 2016, they're bringing the lobster brunch back on Sunday, February 21. Think copious amounts of Maine lobster. Yes, those huge, expensive crustaceans you usually only see on TV shows set in The Hamptons. Expect dishes like mini lobster rolls, chilled lobster gazpacho, oven-baked lobster thermidor, lobster hash benedict, lobster risotto and more lobstery treats. It's a steal at $99 per person for the amount of seafood on offer. Guests can upgrade their experience with a two-hour bottomless Marc champagne package for an extra $55 or the Veuve Clicquot Rose champagne package for $75. If the sound of lobster mac and cheese with a flute of bubbly doesn't bring out your inner hedonist, nothing will. It's time to dig out your stretchiest Sunday best; this is the mother of all brunches for Sydney seafood lovers. Bookings are essential, because lobster waits for no one.
Stay tuned. More info on its way. Image: Sardaka via Wikimedia Commons.
The shard of rock in the harbour that houses the old Queen's Magazine is set to blow up with a slew of local tunes and eats when Goat Island Sounds takes over on Thursday, January 26. Come Australia Day, it'll be your very own island in the sun. Of course, the main attractions are the sounds, and they are pretty solid with appearances from triple j DJ Nina Las Vegas, and one of Australia's more sought after artists, Ngaiire. The lineup also includes a heap more of local talent, including Basenji, Kuren, Adi Toohey and Ariane. Festival food is almost as important as the music these days, so rather than settle for the classic dagwood dog or overly-salted chips with lashings of tomato sauce, the festival is splashing out with the sustenance as food will be provided by the crew from sneaker-and-chicken connoisseurs Butter and Glebe's modern Lebanese joint Thievery.
A food and wine festival coming to Sydney's Kensington Street this weekend is bringing new meaning to the term 'street food', with food stalls and special restaurant menus taking over the area for three days. Part of the NSW Government's $50 million CBD Revitalisation Program, Gather on Kensington St is a streetwide three-day fiesta for food lovers, celebrating the best food of Chippendale and wines from across NSW. Across the weekend, pop-up bars and cellar doors will be pouring wines from local wineries like Vinden, Mercer and M&J Becker, while bars like Handpicked Cellar Door, Gin Lane and Cartel are on cocktail duty. Food stalls set to line the street include Kensington Street faves Automata, Holy Duck and Andiamo. There will also be live entertainment and ticketed events for true foodies. You might choose to learn how to wine and cheese like a pro on Friday, before indulging in a tequila and margarita masterclass on Saturday. If you're a fan of fresh seafood champagne and leisurely Italian style lunching (who isn't?) Head along to Olio's seafood brunch with Merck Watts on Sunday — barbecued scallops, octopus, squid and prawns, and bowls of crab and 'nduja gnocchetti are all on the menu. Gather on Kensington St is free to attend and family friendly, with dishes starting from $7. On your way in, purchase a $7 reusable wine tasting glass and be treated to two samples from your favourite winemakers to really get the party started. If wine isn't your thing, you won't go thirsty: there will be beers from Better Beer, non-alcoholic offerings from NON and a range of drinks from Sip'er. Festivities kick off at 5pm on Friday, June 3, then run from 12-10pm on Saturday, June 4 and the same hours on Sunday, June 5. Head along hungry and ready to sample some of the best food and drink the region has to offer. [caption id="attachment_855926" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Gather on Kensington St team[/caption] Top image: Olio
Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard first met thirty-one years ago - in a Melbourne street in the middle of the night. Just teenagers at the time, they discovered themselves to be united by a common intention – the pursuit of creative vision without compromise. Experiments with ancient folk melodies and tribal polyrhythms led to the construction of haunting soundscapes, over which Perry's rich, solemn baritone interwove with Gerrard's soaring multi-octaves. Dead Can Dance became one of the most successful acts on 4AD's books. In 1998, the duo parted ways. Last year's release, Anastasis, is aptly titled ('Anastasis' is Greek for 'resurrection') given that its their first LP in sixteen years. The passing of time has in no way weakened the mutually creative force that drives Dead Can Dance. Anastasis has topped World Music charts all over the globe with its otherworldly harmonies and unconventional instrumentation, which includes the bouzouki, the yangqin and the Hang. Dead Can Dance last performed in Australia twenty years ago. It's no surprise that their first show at the Sydney Opera House has already sold out. The good news is that a second show is scheduled and standing room tickets are available for just $20. https://youtube.com/watch?v=vZDCOR2a1-E
With the city beginning to turn green again and temperatures creeping from 'mildly cold' to merely 'mild', this month's batch of plays still have something of an edge to them. There are very few signs of new life here, but plenty of grunt left in the classics.
When Jetstar launched a big domestic flight sale in mid-June, it sold 70,000 seats in just five hours, with Australians keen to travel when and where they can in this pandemic-afflicted year. Today, Tuesday, November 17, the airline is kicking off another one — so get your clickers ready. The Return for Free sale kicks off at 3pm AEDT today and runs until 11.59pm AEDT on Thursday, November 19 — if it doesn't sell out prior. In the sale, you'll find cheap flights across 51 routes from destinations right across the country. And, as the name suggests, it's doing return flights for free. So, you buy your ticket to your destination and then Jetstar will cover your trip home. Of course, before you book one of the 400,000 return trips available, we suggest you check on the status of interstate borders wherever you'd like to visit. As everyone should know by know, border restrictions are still changing quite frequently depending on COVID-19 cases around the country. The NSW and ACT borders are currently open to everyone except those from Victoria, for instance, although that'll change come 12.01am on November 23 when the two regions reopen in full. As for Victoria itself, it is currently open — as it didn't shut its border, even during the state's recent lockdown. Queensland is still shut to Victorian and Greater Sydney residents, and will close to folks from Adelaide at 4pm on Tuesday, November 17. The Northern Territory, Tasmania and Western Australia are all open to parts of the country — with restrictions in the NT on folks arriving from metropolitan Melbourne and South Australia; in Tasmania on people from Victoria and SA; and in WA on those heading in from Victoria, NSW and SA. And in SA, it's open to everywhere except Victoria, with inhabitants of the latter allowed to visit from December 1. [caption id="attachment_773285" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] Now you know where you can and can't go, here are some of the deals — because, again, 51 routes are include in the sale. Sydneysiders can snag return tickets to Victoria for $65, Launceston for $89, Brisbane from $92, the Sunshine Coast for $96 and Hamilton Island for $151. Melburnians can book trips to Uluru for $165 and Darwin for $205. And Brisbanites can head to the Whitsundays for $89 and Hobart for $159. Yes, the list goes on. Tickets in the sale are for trips from February–August 2021, with exact dates varying in each region. So, if you're keen to get away, book some now and start planning. Jetstar's Return for Free sale runs from 3pm AEDT on Tuesday, November 17 until 11.59pm AEDT on Thursday, November 19, or until sold out.
This brilliant dance troupe hails from Elcho Island and their style combines traditional Indigenous culture with contemporary dance. Their storytelling through movement is spectacular, and will likely be one of the most stunning performances of the festival. Held in the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, this is sure to be a high-energy event — and with tickets around the $40 mark, it's well worth the funds. Check out more of the best Sydney Festival events under $50 here.
Since COVID-19 was first reported in Australia at the end of January, 6606 cases have been recorded across the country (as at 3pm on Sunday, April 19), bringing with it 70 deaths and a drastic change to life as we know it. As the coronavirus has spread, travel has been banned and restrictions on everyday movement have been implemented, good news has been few and far between of late — which makes the past weekend's significant drop in reported cases across Australia a welcome development indeed. In Queensland, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced that zero new cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, which comes after just five cases were announced on Sunday morning and eight on Saturday morning. It's the first time in more than six weeks that the state has recorded no new cases overnight, with the state's total currently sitting at 1019 out of 85,870 tests administered. In Victoria, Premier Daniel Andrews announced that only one new case was confirmed overnight. That news comes after just nine new cases were announced on Sunday, with the state's total currently sitting at 1329. https://www.facebook.com/annastaciamp/photos/a.523591701005345/3097645476933275/?type=3&theater And while overnight numbers in New South Wales haven't dropped quite as low, Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced that only six new cases were confirmed overnight last night — from almost 3500 tests conducted yesterday — which is the state's lowest total in five weeks. As Australia's worst-affected state, NSW's total currently sits at 2963. Whether the drops in new cases will eventually lead to a loosening of current restrictions might vary state by state — with the Federal Government already outlining the three conditions that need to be in place before Australia-wide rules surrounding social distancing and public gatherings could start to be relaxed, and announcing that the earliest that this might be possible is in four weeks. Announcing today's news, Queensland Premier Palaszczuck noted that, "if we can keep this up over the coming weeks, I'm sure this is going to mean that we will be able to make some changes and ease some of those restrictions on the population." In Victoria, where a State of Emergency is in effect until at least midnight on Monday, May 11, Premier Andrews advised that "these numbers are not an invitation for us to roll back all the rules". To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Image: Julia Sansone
If you're a fan of Mariah Carey, then this is a vision of love and also a sweet, sweet fantasy come true, baby: 11 years after she last toured Australia, the iconic singer is returning in 2025 to headline Fridayz Live. For its big comeback this year, the festival boasts a lineup led by the music megastar. If all you wanted for an early Christmas is this, it's quite the gift. Mariah is celebrating 20 years since her 2005 album The Emancipation of Mimi released — and based on recent set lists, get ready to hear everything from 'Emotions', 'Dreamlover' and 'Hero' to 'Without You', 'Always Be My Baby', 'Honey' and 'Heartbreaker'. She'll have company on the Fridayz Live bill, because this event's blend of R&B, hip hop and nostalgia always brings a heap of big names our way. For 2025, Pitbull, Wiz Khalifa, Lil Jon, Eve, Tinie Tempah and Jordin Sparks are also on the lineup. 'Give Me Everything', 'Timber', 'Fireball', 'Black and Yellow', 'See You Again', 'Young, Wild and Free', 'Get Low', 'Turn Down for What', 'Let Me Blow Ya Mind', 'Who's That Girl', 'Girls Like', 'Miami 2 Ibiza', 'No Air', 'One Step at a Time': expect to hear them all too, then. In Sydney, Fridayz Live has a date with ENGIE Stadium on Saturday, October 18. If you want to go all out for the occasion, The Downing Hotel is transforming into Motel Fireball, with a Fireball-themed room (from the bedsheets to the toiletries, its all Fireball themed) available for bookings ahead of Fridayz Live. On the big day itself, there'll be a concert pre-party on the second floor with live music, a karaoke stage to practice your sing-alongs and a Fireball whisky bubbler to complete the dedication to the theme. Visit the Motel Fireball website to find out more. [caption id="attachment_1030880" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Trent van der Jagt[/caption] Fridayz Live 2025 Lineup Mariah Carey Pitbull Wiz Khalifa Lil Jon Eve Tinie Tempah Jordin Sparks Mariah Carey images: Raph_PH via Flickr. Wiz Khalifa image: Daniel Kelly.
Regardless of your thoughts on the Biennale boycott (and if you care about both art and asylum seekers, you probably had a few), the festival's eventual split with long-term sponsor Transfield has come as at least a temporary relief. Now, there is no reason for people to avoid attending the 19th Biennale of Sydney, and to miss out on a wondrous, inspiringly thought-out and immaculately implemented iteration of the event. Artistic director Juliana Engberg, usually of Melbourne's Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, has a great gift for curation (and communication; you must listen to her speak about the art), and she'll be a tough act to follow. So, yes, it appears the carefree summer days are drawing to a close (or over? They're over, aren't they?), but you can take consolation in the impressive selection of art, talks, films, workshops, forums and performances on offer across our most exciting cultural venues. Autumn's looking pretty awesome, to be honest. Tacita Dean: Event for a Stage Carriageworks plays host to this intriguing world premiere from England-born, Germany-based artist Tacita Dean, probably best know for her 16mm film works. With a lengthy (Turner Prize-nominated) career largely based around film, photography and drawing, Dean is dipping her toes in the theatre pond with this explorative co-commission with Carriageworks. Using English actor Stephen Dillane, Event For a Stage explores the relationship between theatre, sound and voice, raising questions about invention, artifice and the impact of technology upon the worlds of art and film. “I am never prouder than when my labour appears as nothing but the soundtrack of life,” Dean writes. 1-3 May 8pm, 4 May 5pm; $25-$35; Carriageworks Bay 17 Yingmei Duan: Happy Yingmei Happy Yingmei is probably one of the more unusual events on offer. Chinese performance artist Yingmei Duan will, for the entire length of the Biennale, be stationed in a kind of dreamlike forest installed at the Art Gallery of NSW. In a performance-meets-sound installation, Duan will hand out handwritten wishes (presumably beneficent ones) to gallery patrons. Part of the Chinese avant-garde, Duan worked as a painter before switching over to pure performance art and took part in the now iconic To add one meter to an anonymous mountain, a collaboration between Beijing’s East Village artists. Her solo work often explores human instinct, particularly fear and desire. 21 March to 9 June; Wednesdays 12-8pm, Thursdays-Sundays 11-5pm; free; Art Gallery of NSW Biennale Boot Camp The very title Boot Camp may send shivers of pure dread running through your soul (at least for those who’ve experienced a sadistic personal trainer with highly honed humiliation techniques). But fear not! This is different. You catch a ferry to Cockatoo Island, where a personal trainer/artist will lead you around art works that are activated by the human body. At each work you’ll perform a series of exercises while learning about the piece. It basically sounds like you’ll be distracted from the fact that you’re exercising by how cool the art is. Moderate fitness levels are requested… whatever “moderate” means. From 30 March, Sundays, 8:45-11am; free (not including ferry ticket); meet at Wharf 5, Circular Quay. Image Credit: Marko Luli, Space Girl Dance, 2009 (video still) States of Mind Film Series The States of Mind Film Series will be held Wednesdays and Sundays at the Art Gallery of NSW. You’ll be able to take in free screenings of films all about (you guessed it) states of mind, with themes like fantasy, madness and memory. The program includes Christopher Nolan’s Memento (2000), Gus Van Sant’s Elephant (2003) and Michael Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). Check the Art Gallery of NSW website for the screening schedule. 23 March - 8 June; Sundays 2-4pm, Wednesdays 2-4pm and 7:15-9pm; free; Domain Theatre, Art Gallery of NSW Cardiff and Miller: City of Forking Paths Blending technology with art, City of Forking Paths is a site-specific interactive walk. First step, comfy shoes; second, a smartphone (beg, steal or borrow); third, download the app and let it guide you around The Rocks, experiencing scenarios and discoveries crafted to complement this year’s Biennale theme, ‘You Imagine What You Desire’. Creators Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller (who have designed interactive walks all around the world) recommend dusk but timing is flexible — just remember to book. City of Forking Paths is the first “legacy artwork” to emerge from the Biennale, meaning the City of Sydney Council are forking up big bucks to make it a permanent part of the City Art collection. 1 May onwards; available daily; dusk tours recommended; free; booking essential Nick Waterlow OAM Memorial Lecture, Juliana Engberg Juliana Engberg, this year’s artistic director of the Biennale, will be speaker at The Nick Waterlow OAM Memorial Lecture, a biannual event commemorating the contribution of treasured Australian art expert and former Biennale curator Nick Waterlow to academia and the arts. Engberg is also artistic director of the ACCA (Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne), a role she somehow juggles alongside curating, writing, teaching, designing and publishing. You can have a read of her blog Engberg on the Road, written as she travelled the world developing the Biennale (what a job!). A cracking good speaker, Engberg will be talking about the act of making art — specifically, it’s “libidinous, amorous and compulsive aspects.” Sounds pretty juicy. 5 April; 3.30-4.30 pm; free; Domain Theatre; Art Gallery of NSW. Image Credit: Emma Sullivan. Mystery Tours Those who like to be surprised may want to sign up for a Mystery Tour. The brief is pretty vague (how mysterious!) but from what we can gather, get to Cockatoo Island on a Saturday morning and you’ll be led on a special journey. It will be “special” because (a) you don’t know where you’re going, and (b) you don’t know who will be conducting the tour. Each week, you see, a new celebrity will put on their tour guide hat, from artists to writers to who knows what (celebrity is a very loose term these days isn’t it?). But their uniting quality will be their love of art. So that’s nice. From March 29; Saturdays; 11.30am; free; Cockatoo Island Panel: Where Angels Fear to Tread Where Angels Fear to Tread is a food-for-thought panel discussion led by artists whose work has a definitively sociopolitical focus. Norway’s Bodil Furu and Ane Hjort Guttu, Switzerland’s Siri Hermansen and Australia’s Susan Norrie are all artists who have embedded themselves within a variety of geographical locations in order to develop artwork exploring the local culture and sociopolitical situation. They will be chatting about the highs and lows of their process, ranging from conception through to reception. Jeff Khan, artistic director of Performance Space, will act as chair. 25th March; 6-8pm; free; Carriageworks. Image: Susan Norrie, Dissent, 2012 (video still). Behind the Scenes Designed with those studying or teaching art and curatorship in mind, Behind the Scenes gives you the chance to join Australian artist Benjamin Armstrong and MCA staff for a collection of presentations and talks, all of which will reveal the behind-the-scenes processes involved in putting on the Biennale. If you’re determined to run your own gallery, be a professional artist or, heck, maybe even direct the Biennale one day, this event could provide a valuable insight into just what it takes to pull off an art event of this scale. I’m guessing a lot of coffee was involved. 6 May; 12.30- 2pm; $10 for students, teachers free; bookings essential; MCA. Image: TV Moore, Installation view of the 19th Biennale of Sydney at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. Photograph by Ben Symons. MCA ARTBAR curated by Ross Manning If you’ve never been to the MCA after dark, you should head to ARTBAR. The gallery will be blissfully free from gangs of screaming school kids on excursions (I know that was me once, but I was angelic) and tourists who slam their backpack into your face when you’re trying to appreciate a Tracey Moffatt series. You can wander around exhibitions unmolested, with drinks in between. Plus, the best part is that guest curator Ross Manning, a featured 19th Biennale of Sydney artist known for his colourful kinetic sculptures, will be transforming the space into, and I quote, “a pulsating piece of performance art”. Alliteration like that always makes one giddy with anticipation, doesn’t it? 30 May; 7-11pm; $25 at the door; MCA Hero image: The Turbine Hall at Cockatoo Island. Photo by Lindsay Smith.
If you've ever wondered what lies behind the impressive façades that line the streets of inner Sydney, this November you'll get the chance to find out. Sydney Open returns on Sunday, November 2, inviting the curious to step through the doors of more than 55 buildings across the city, marking its biggest edition to date. This year's program spans stately heritage spaces, modernist marvels and cutting-edge new builds, many of which are rarely open to the public. You can strut the corridors of power at the 210-year-old Parliament of New South Wales and the neighbouring Mint, take in sweeping views from the domes atop Sydney Observatory or get an up-close look at the innovative Dr Chau Chak Wing Building, the only Australian structure designed by legendary architect Frank Gehry. You can also lean into tourist-in-your-own-city mode by exploring hotels like Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, Ace Hotel Sydney and The Fullerton, formerly home to the Sydney GPO. Talks and tours round out the program, including an in-depth look at Hyde Park's Anzac Memorial led by a retired government architect and behind-the-scenes tours of AGNSW's stunning Naala Badu wing. While you're in the Royal Botanic Garden, you can also swing by Government House for a vintage car show and live jazz on the lawn courtesy of the Royal Australian Air Force Band. The City Pass (from $35) is your key to entry — grab yours before Friday, October 10, to go into the draw to win the Sydney Open Golden Ticket: a luxe high tea for two, a double-pass to an upcoming Sydney Open Series tour of your choice and an annual Member + One membership to Museums of History NSW.
When and where domestic border rules and COVID-19 restrictions have permitted, travelling throughout Australia has been on the agenda across the past year. With the country set to remain closed to international jaunts until at least mid-June, that isn't changing yet — but you can still hop on a plane and head over the ocean thanks to Qantas' just-announced new flights to Norfolk Island. Of course, travelling south to Tasmania remains a trusty option if you're eager to get off the mainland. Everywhere from Kangaroo Island and Rottnest Island to Fraser Island and Daydream Island also fit the bill. But a trip to Norfolk Island means you'll be venturing more than 1400 kilometres east from the Aussie coastline, and to an external territory of Australia that sits between New Zealand and New Caledonia. Yes, you'll only be spotting water below you while you stare out of the plane windows. Qantas' flights will kick off on Friday, March 19, and head to the Pacific Ocean spot six times a week — three from Sydney and three from Brisbane. Prices start at $412 one-way from New South Wales and $390 one-way from Queensland, with the routes using Boeing 737 aircraft, which means there'll be 2000 seats available each week. Obviously, if you live somewhere other than Sydney or Brisbane, you'll just need to get to either of them first. For now, the two routes are set to run for three months, as part of a contract that the Federal Government has awarded to Qantas. There is a possibility that it'll be extended, and that the routes will stick around for the longer term. If you're keen to spend some time soaring over the sea, then kicking back on a South Pacific getaway, you'll be departing from Sydney and Brisbane's international terminal — so you really will feel as if you're jetting abroad. There's no need to prepare yourself for a lengthy flight, though, with the trip taking around two-and-a-half hours from Sydney and two hours from Brisbane. For Sydneysiders and Brisbanites who'd rather jet off to colder climes, Qantas has also this month announced new routes from the two cities to the Snowy Mountains and the Victorian Alps. There, you're clearly definitely staying on home turf — but when it comes to making holiday plans for the next few months, before a potential travel bubble with Singapore could possibly come into effect, you definitely have options. Qantas' new flights to Norfolk Island from Sydney and Brisbane will start flying from Friday, March 19. For more information, or to book, head to the airline's website. Top image: Roderick Eime via Flickr.
We're told that Sydney's live music scene is crippling, that Melbourne has cooler venues (please), and that our nightlife is for nannies. But apparently we forgot the part about The Standard being awesome. That's right, you'll be, er, bowled over by the high standards of this Bourke Street venue. Out to celebrate their recently announced new identity as the Standard Bowl, the venue is hosting a three-day bender. Because in case you missed the memo, the Standard's bringing ten-pin bowling to its grungy floors, following in the footsteps of New York's famous Brooklyn Bowl. Bowling, drinking, dancing and moshing combine to make a lucky strike. Oh, and no ticket required. These babies are all free. Launch week will bring three celebratory gigs. Wolf & Cub and Greta Mob will be kicking it off on Thursday, April 3, followed by Palms on Friday and the indie-pop Jenny Broke the Window on Saturday, April 5. So get your Pin Pals together to welcome in a new venue with a weekend of indie-pop-rock and leisurely sporting activities — two things that rarely marry so perfectly. Image: Honor Photo Bar via photopin cc.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe's 22nd film might be called Endgame, but we all know there's more where it came from. Of course there is. In July, Spider-Man: Far From Home will swing into cinemas, continuing the MCU and the story of everyone's favourite friendly neighbourhood web-slinger (the Tom Holland version — sorry Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield fans). If you haven't seen Endgame, and you're averse to spoilers, we're not going to tell you anything that isn't already widely known. Far From Home has been in the works since 2017's immensely fun Spider-Man: Homecoming proved a hit, it released its first teaser back in January and it's officially considered the end of the MCU's phase three. But if you don't want to know what follows on from the huge Avengers showdown that's currently in cinemas, then you definitely won't want to watch Far From Home's new trailer. Consider this an official spoiler warning — something that the trailer itself includes at the start. Yes, really. By getting Holland to deliver the caution to camera, Marvel and Spider-Man distributor Sony shows it clearly has a sense of humour, especially since the young star is known for being loose-lipped with important MCU details. Picking up where Endgame left off, Far From Home sees Peter Parker pondering what the end of its immediate predecessor means, all while he's headed to Europe with his friends. Step up for the good of the world, or pursue his crush on MJ (Zendaya)? They're some of Spidey's options. Once again directed by Jon Watts, who helmed Homecoming, the movie also features Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio — as well as familiar faces in the form of Marisa Tomei as Aunt May, Jacob Batalon as Parker's best friend Ned, and Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan. Oh, and because it's an MCU film, Samuel L Jackson as well. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFoz8ZJWmPs Spider-Man: Far From Home releases in Australian cinemas on July 4.
With its next big streaming series, Apple TV+ is managing to tick a heap of must-see boxes all at once. A dark comedy led by Anchorman co-stars Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell? Check. An adaptation of a hit podcast? Check again. A twisty true tale dramatised? Yep, check once more. Throw in WandaVision's Kathryn Hahn in a key supporting role (before she gets her own Marvel spinoff series), as well as Wet Hot American Summer's Michael Showalter behind the lens, and The Shrink Next Door just keeps giving you reasons to add it to your streaming queue. The eight-episode limited series will drop on Friday, November 12, making its first three episodes available then before releasing new instalments week by week afterwards — and, based on the just-released trailer, it's going to tell quite the story. Last seen on streaming in Netflix's Living With Yourself, Rudd plays Dr Isaac 'Ike' Herschkopf. He's a psychiatrist with to Ferrell's Martin 'Marty' Markowitz, and he amasses quite the sway over his patient. In the sneak peek clip, Ike doesn't hold back when it comes to dispensing life advice — and Marty, wanting to improve himself and his factory, listens to every word. But Ike just keeps pushing, which sends the doctor–patient relationship in unsettling directions. If you listened to the Wondery podcast of the same name, you'll know where The Shrink Next Door is headed. If not, expect to watch Ike charm his way even deeper into Marty's existence — including moving into Marty's home, and also nabbing the president slot of his business. Clearly, it's one of those stories that can only spring from truth. And no, no one reads the news here. As for Hahn, she co-stars as Marty's younger sister Phyllis, while Casey Wilson (Happy Endings) features as Ike's wife Bonnie. And yes, if you're looking for something to fill the Apple TV+ void now that Ted Lasso's second season has wrapped up, this just might be it. Check out the trailer for The Shrink Next Door below: The Shrink Next Door starts streaming via Apple TV+ from Friday, November 12, dropping three episodes to begin with and then releasing new instalments week by week afterwards.
If you missed out on The Jungle Collective's previous warehouse plant sales, be sure to clear the weekend of April 7 and 8. Because there's another one on its way. The Jungle Collective is a Melbourne nursery that stocks all kinds of weird and wonderful species. After holding three wildly successful Sydney markets this year, it's tracking down new plants and throwing another two-day indoor plant party. While we don't know exactly what plants will be available this time, there will be a focus on vines, and previous sales have had everything from hanging pot plants to palms to a giant Bird of Paradise. Have a reputation for killing your cacti? Overwatering your ferns? Don't worry — there'll be horticulturalists on site on the night to give you advice and chat through any questions you might have. The location is still TBC, but will run from 10am till 4pm on both days with ticketed sessions. The good stuff tends to go first, so we recommend booking a morning session on the Saturday when bookings open at noon on Monday, April 2. Images: Mooikin.
The Eddy Avenue Plaza at the northern exit of Central Station is set to be transformed into Sydney's latest food and entertainment precinct featuring a slew of new art, restaurants, bars and shops. Named EDDY, the initiative to revitalise this section of the train station was announced by Minister for Infrastructure, Cities and Active Transport Rob Stokes as an additional element to Central Station's huge renovation and refurbishment which will include a massive tech hub and the southern hemisphere's longest escalators. The Eddy Avenue Plaza currently plays home to a few cafes and takeaway restaurants but has remained largely under-utilised. The EDDY precinct will bring an array of new openings to the busy inner-city thoroughfare, which will add to the trend of new dining precincts emerging across Sydney. Stokes compared the Central Station innovation to the nearby Spice Alley in Chippendale and the new western Sydney precinct Parramatta Square. "Central Station will no longer be just a thoroughfare," said Stokes. "The rebranded EDDY marks a new era for the Tech Central Precinct as it becomes a world-class interchange with innovative and diverse businesses that attracts thousands of new jobs to the CBD." [caption id="attachment_652632" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Spice Alley via Destination NSW.[/caption] Over the past two years, the city has welcomed new food, drink, art and entertainment precincts in South Eveleigh, the York, Clarence and Kent Street laneways, Circular Quay, Parramatta and Mascot. Neither the vendors nor an opening date has been announced yet, however NSW Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade Stuart Ayres promises that more information is on the horizon. "We expect to be able to announce an opening date within the coming weeks as we forge ahead with this project which will bring new life to the area surrounding Central Station," said Ayres. Head to the NSW Government website to stay up-to-date with the Central Station renovations. Top image: Simon_sees
If the old wardrobe needs a bit of a pick me up, get yourself over to SWOP quick fast. This delightful second-hand clothing store in Newtown is all about unique, beautiful and sustainable fashion. Inspired by the culture of vintage exchange in the United States, SWOP promotes anti-waste, affordability and sustainability — so it's the perfect place to go for conscious fashion. With both contemporary and vintage threads hanging in colour-coded order, this store is a goldmine for finding that one-off piece your wardrobe needs.
Local festivals are a dime a dozen these days. Not that we're complaining — every one has its own special flavour. And Penrith's approach is to highlight the region's unique natural environment. Across November 2–3, the annual Real Festival will return to the banks of the Nepean River in a clash of art, culture and food. The picturesque location is the hero of the festival, from the water — with jetpack performances, dragon boat racing and kayak tours — to the land — think rock climbing and gardening workshops with Costa Georgiadis. Meanwhile, several art installations will explore the area's urban future, sustainability and waste. Tench Reserve will be abuzz with roving street performers, silent discos and live music planned while internationally celebrated outdoor theatre troupe Stalker will perform Mountain, an exciting fusion of circus, dance and aerial acrobatics. If you want to eat on the go, many of Sydney's much-loved food trucks will be in attendance including Gelato Messina, Burger Head and Stroop Bros. But if you want to put your feet up and soak it all in, head to the sustainable rooftop cafe or riverfront bar, both providing the perfect spot to soak up the sun. Alongside ultraviolet murals, market stalls and a host of other great events, Real Festival is a great way to kick off your November and celebrate the great outdoors. Real Festival will run from 5–10pm on Friday, November 2 and from 2–10pm on Saturday, November 3. To keep up to date on the event program, follow Real Festival's Facebook page or head to its website.
