When a French store slashed the price of Nutella a couple of years ago, customers went wild. Brawling and rioting was reported. So, yes, it's safe to say the chocolate hazelnut spread has more than a few fans. Here in Australia, we've had a Nutella food truck, a Nutella festival and a Nutella dessert bar. And, from Friday, April 10 to Sunday, April 12, a dedicated Nutella menu at Salt Meats Cheese as well. Available for delivery from the chain's Drummoyne and Cronulla stores in NSW, and Surfers Paradise and Newstead stores in Queensland, the seven Nutella-filled items are here just in time for the Easter long weekend (which most of us will be spending predominantly indoors eating Nutella, it seems). Fancy a Nutella calzone, in both peanut butter ($14) and Oreo ($18) varieties? Nutella and banana-topped pizza? Nutella panna cotta ($14)? Nutella Toblerone cocktails? A half-litre ($30) of Nutella espresso martini? Of course you do. To order, you'll need to download Salt Meats Cheese's new app and pray you're in the delivery zone. The Nutella menu is available for delivery from Salt Meats Cheese stores in Cronulla and Drummoyne in NSW, and Surfers Paradise and Newstead in Queensland.
Oktoberfest down under comes in the form of Beer Fest 2023 — The Australian Heritage Hotel's annual event celebrating Australian excellence in craft beer. The free event will bring 20 of the country's leading craft brewers to The Rocks from Friday, October 6 to Sunday, October 8. There are various tasters which you can pre-purchase to avoid the queues. Nab ten tasters and a tasting cup for $49 with the Early Bird Starter Pack, or level it up with all that plus a stubby holder and a Beer Fest tote in the Early Bird Legend Pack for $75. There's also an option to add five extra tasters for $25. Take the experience further at a Meet the Brewer session. Attendees can froth about their favourite cold ones with the experts behind the bevs on the rooftop at one (or all) of the four sessions on Saturday and Sunday. There are prizes and giveaways galore both before and during the event. Home brewers have the chance to get their original recipe brewed by Frenchies Brewery and served on tap at The Australian, while the winner of the social media competition will receive private use of the pub's rooftop for them and their guests on Friday, October 6, complete with a $500 bar tab and a dedicated staff member. Vote for Best Dark Beer, Best IPA, Best Sour, Best Specialty Brew, the Geoff Scharer Award and more in the Best Beer Competition to have a shot at winning a brewery tour with three of your mates, a $250 bar tab at The Australian or a Young Henrys merch pack. If you're not a beer devotee, you can still enjoy live music from Harvey, Tiago, Hot Minute, Oompah Loompah and Hot Potato Band, as well as food stalls and cold cider. To find out more and pre-purchase some tasters, head to The Australian Heritage Hotel's website.
Opera Bar, with its front row harbourside seat, has been one of the top spots for New Year's Eve in Sydney for an age — and this year will be no exception. Sitting front and centre for the multimillion-dollar fireworks, Opera Bar's NYE party involves big hair, Donna Summer vibes and mirror balls. The party is Studio 54 themed, so pop on your highest platforms, don your finest flares and head down to this lively NYC-style disco den. Keen to ring in the new decade by boogying beside Sydney Harbour? There'll be tunes from party group Bermuda Social, Stax-style soul band The Soulphonics, local electro duo Ctrl Alt Delicious and DJ Natural Selector. Of course, it wouldn't be a celebratory occasion without fine French bubbly, which is why there'll be a Veuve Clicquot pop-up bar on the night, keeping you suitably soused. There'll also be a slushie bar where you can pick up an ice-cold miami vice, pina colada or strawberry daiquiri. Or, opt for a beer, wine or spirit from the usual bar menu. And so you can line your stomach, there'll be a popcorn machine and a Brooklyn Boy Bagel bar on site, plus retro American snacks such as pretzels and corndogs on offer all night. Tickets are a cool $499.50 (including booking fee) and cover all the snacks, dance-worthy tunes and sweeping views you could ever hope for, but do not include drinks. Doors open at 6pm and the event runs till well past midnight. New Year's Eve at Opera Bar starts from 6pm. Tickets are limited and can be bought here.
Back in 2019 and 2020, Bong Joon-ho had a huge couple of years. Not only was the South Korean filmmaker responsible for 2019's best movie in Parasite, but that same thrilling flick nabbed the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and took out Sydney Film Festival's top prize. Oh, and it cleaned up at the Oscars, too. Parasite isn't just a one-off, either. For more than two decades, the acclaimed director has been making smart movies that continually surprise and delight — and continually defy categorisation. Bong delved into real-life murder mysteries in 2003's Memories of Murder, reinvented the creature feature with 2006 standout The Host, and used 2009's Mother to explore an unnerving family relationship. And, alongside Parasite, they're all getting a big-screen run at Golden Age Cinema & Bar's new The Best of Bong Joon-ho season. Only picking four of Bong's movies to showcase must've been tricky — but all four in the spotlight are masterpieces. You can catch them at the Surry Hills cinema on Friday nights in August at 8.30pm, with Memories of Murder also getting a second showing at 8.20pm on Sunday, August 28.
Sydney is scoring a brand new block party in celebration of YCK Laneways, the CBD's newest dining and cultural precinct. To help launch YCK, which encompasses York Street, Clarence Street and Kent Street — and to remind Sydneysiders about all the beloved venues that span these three streets — ten of the precinct's most popular bars are throwing a massive six-week party. Running between Wednesday, April 7–Sunday, May 22, the YCK Laneways Block Party will feature 75 cultural events including dance, theatre, live music and interactive art across the ten beloved spots. The ten venues involved: Since I Left You, Papa Gede's, The Lobo, Spawn Point, The Barber Shop, The Duke of Clarence, Stitch Bar, Uncle Ming's, Prince of York and Grandma's Bar. With both free and ticket events taking place, the cultural offerings stretch from antipasto burlesque at the Prince of York and poetry readings in the Since I Left You courtyard to wheelie bin art at The Barber Shop and playing Dungeons & Dragons at Spawn Point. Regular CBD favourite events like Brunch With... will also be wrapped up in the festivities, while a whole heap of live music and dance parties will take place across the three streets following the recent rolling back of restrictions to allow dance floors in New South Wales. More events are set to be announced, including a standalone outdoor live music event. You can browse the full program and stay up to date on everything happening in the YCK precinct via the YCK Laneways website.
Music festival lineups are always cause for excitement, but sometimes spending a whole day at a fest doesn't fit into your schedule. Thankfully, life found a way to ensure that you can still see your favourite acts: festival sideshows, which a heap of talent on the 2024 Groovin the Moo lineup just announced. Can't head to Newcastle, Canberra, Bendigo, Adelaide Showground, the Sunshine Coast and Bunbury this April and May to catch GZA, Claire Rosinkranz, Kenya Grace, Stephen Sanchez and The Beaches? All five have announced their own gigs while they're Down Under. In great news for folks in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, they're all playing all three cities. Perth gets a few sideshows as well; however, if you're elsewhere, you'll have to travel. Wu-Tang Clan's GZA is taking to the stage with full live band The Phunky Nomads, on their Liquid Swords Live Australian tour — starting at Sydney's Liberty Hall, then heading to 170 Russell in Melbourne, The Triffid in Brisbane and Magnet House in Perth. And yes, the set usually includes a heap of the tunes that GZA is best-known for, because Wu-Tang Clan covers ain't nuthing ta f' wit. Rosinkranz has her debut 2023 album Just Because to play through at Max Watts in Melbourne, Oxford Art Factory in Sydney, The Zoo in Brisbane and Perth's Rosemount Hotel. Making her first trip to Australia, 'Strangers' artist Grace will play Melbourne's The Night Cat, Fremantle's Freo.Social, and also Oxford Art Factory and The Zoo just like Rosinkranz. After hitting our shores last year, Sanchez returns to bust out 'Until I Found You' again, this time at Enmore Theatre in Sydney, Forum Melbourne, The Tivoli in Brisbane and Perth's Astor Theatre. And Toronto's The Beaches have dates at The Lansdowne, The Zoo and Howler in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, respectively. [caption id="attachment_939692" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Caity Krone[/caption] Groovin the Moo 2024 Sideshows: GZA + The Phunky Nomads Thursday, May 2 — Liberty Hall, Sydney Friday, May 3 — 170 Russell, Melbourne Tuesday, May 7 — The Triffid, Brisbane Friday, May 10 — Magnet House, Perth Claire Rosinkranz Tuesday, April 30 — Max Watts, Melbourne, Wednesday, May 1 — Oxford Art Factory, Sydney Tuesday, May 7 — The Zoo, Brisbane Friday, May 10 — Rosemount Hotel, Perth Kenya Grace Tuesday, April 30 — The Night Cat, Melbourne Thursday, May 2 — Oxford Art Factory, Sydney Wednesday, May 8 — The Zoo, Brisbane Saturday, May 11 — Freo.Social, Fremantle Stephen Sanchez Monday, April 29 — Enmore Theatre, Sydney Tuesday, April 30 — Forum Melbourne, Melbourne Monday, May 6 — The Tivoli, Brisbane Wednesday, May 8 — Astor Theatre, Perth The Beaches Wednesday, May 1 — The Lansdowne, Sydney Monday, May 6 — The Zoo, Brisbane Thursday, May 9 — Howler, Melbourne Groovin the Moo is touring Australia in April and May 2024. For tickets and more information, head to the festival's website. The festival's sideshows are touring across the same months, with presale and general sale dates varying — head to the tour pages for GZA, Claire Rosinkranz, Kenya Grace, Stephen Sanchez and The Beaches for all the details. Top image: Azuree Wiitala.
Get your wish, This That fans: come November, the coastal festival will return for the first time since early 2022 with another impressive lineup. US singer, songwriter and producer Porter Robinson leads the just-dropped roster of talent for the two-city touring event, which hits up Brisbane and Newcastle, joined by Australian favourites Gang of Youths. Queenslanders, you're heading to Sandstone Point Hotel on Saturday, November 4 to dance to 'Goodbye to a World' and 'Let Me Down Easy'. Music lovers of New South Wales, make a date with Wickham Park in Newcastle on Saturday, November 11. Also on the first This That 2023 lineup announcement: Peking Duk, Hockey Dad, Alex Lahey, Slumberjack, Set Mo and The Presets doing a DJ set, plus Lola Scott, Trophy Eyes, Dear Seattle, Chillinit, Hooligan Hefs, Jesswar, Sophiya, Godlands, Kinder, Alice Ivy and more. This That has traditionally taken place in spring, but that time of year wasn't happy for the fest, or for Newcastle and Brisbane folks planning to dance their way through the music festival, in 2022. The event had to pull the plug on its October and November dates "due to a combination of issues", organisers advised; however, it always promised that it'd be back in 2023. Some of this year's acts were also on last year's cancelled lineup, such as The Presets, Winston Surfshirt, Chillinit, Hockey Dad and Jesswar. This That 2023 will take place across three stages: the This stage, complete with fireworks; the That stage, the go-to for DJs and rappers; and the Other stage, which is about art, immersion and sensory installations. THIS THAT NOVEMBER 2023 DATES: Saturday, November 4 Sandstone Point Hotel, Sandstone Point, Queensland Saturday, November 11: Wickham Park, Newcastle, New South Wales THIS THAT NOVEMBER 2023 LINEUP: Porter Robinson Gang Of Youths Alex Lahey Alice Ivy Chillinit Dear Seattle Eliza & The Delusionals Godlands Hockey Dad Hooligan Hefs Jesswar Kinder Kita Alexander Lola Scott Peking Duk The Presets [DJ set] Set Mo Slumberjack [Live] Sophiya Trophy Eyes Winston Surfshirt + Triple J Unearthed winner Newcastle only: Made On Sunday DJs Ned Bennett Who Is Arcadia Daydreaming Soundsystem Queensland only: Rory Tolsher Sammy G Jess Toasty This That will return in November 2023, playing Sandstone Point in Queensland and Newcastle in New South Wales. For more information, and for pre-sale tickets from 8am on Tuesday, August 1 and general sales from 8am on Thursday, August 3, head to the festival's website. Images: Mitch Lowe / Jordan Munns / Zagexma via Wikimedia Commons.
Combine your love of cheese and crepes this June as Four Frogs Creperie's Sydney outposts host a month of cheesy celebrations in collaboration with Surry Hills cheese specialist Fromaggi Ocello. Starting Tuesday, June 1, Cheese Month will take over Four Frogs Circular Quay, Randwick, Mosman and Lane Cove digs with a special month-long menu featuring limited-time galettes. Each galette created by the Four Frogs French chefs wraps a different mix of cheese and local fresh ingredients in a thin savoury crepe. Packed into the La Savoyarde, you'll find reblochon cheese, onion, potatoes and speck, while inside the L'Auvergnate is leek fondue, creme and runny egg mixed with fourme d'ambert, a natural blue cheese. Four Frog crepes and galettes are made from the restaurant's own buckwheat flour, sourced from a local farm in Orange, while Ocello handpicks its cheese from Europe, bringing some of the rarest and tastiest cheeses to Sydney. To ensure your spot, book a seat at your closest Four Frogs.
Electronic festival Let Them Eat Cake managed an eight-year run of tune-filled New Year's Day parties before COVID-19 hit pause on its 2021 edition. But, you can bet it's making up for that skipped beat, announcing today that the festival will return for a huge comeback outing on Saturday, January 1, 2022. The much-loved music and arts celebration returns to its Werribee Mansion home in just over six month's time. It is Australia's first New Year's Day festival that has been announced since the pandemic hit. Organisers, Novel — the same minds behind Pitch Music & Arts and Smalltown — are yet to reveal full details about the event's music lineup, though they're aiming high, with festival director Daniel Teuma saying, "We want to ensure this is our best one yet." Teuma also hinted that the musical offering will be largely local, saying "with the uncertainty around international borders re-opening, we decided to take a more sensible approach to the lineup. We can't say too much, but we are confident our 2022 edition will have something for everyone." The crew at Full Throttle Entertainment will be making the music side of things extra memorable, installing what's set to be the biggest sound system in town on New Year's Day. There'll also be a diverse lineup of food vendors, curated specifically to complement the tunes, artworks and visuals under the organisers' new, more cohesive approach. Delivering a finely tuned COVID-Safe festival has been top of the planning agenda — Let them Eat Cake 2022 will activate the sprawling Werribee Mansion grounds in a whole new way, with improved traffic flow and more opportunities for exploration beyond the main stage set-up. Under current public health guidelines, the new-look event would be allowed to safely host up to 7500 attendees. Let Them Eat Cake will descend on Werribee Mansion on Saturday, January 1, 2022. Pre-registration for tickets opens from 4.30pm Tuesday, June 22, with pre-sale tickets up for grabs on July 6 and general tickets available from July 7. The full program will be announced in September — hit the website for details and to buy tickets. Top Image: Duncographic
For a long weekend activity on the luxe end of the scale, head down to the launch of Portopeli at Pelicano, a new monthly event transforming the Double Bay venue’s Cote d’Azur-inspired surroundings into a fashion and homewares market. These folk are taking their wildly rich grown-up house-party vibe to new heights, giving Sydneysiders the chance to shop the closets of stylists, designers, bloggers and people who know what to do with scarves. At this inaugural do, snoop through the pre-loved wardrobes of stylists and Instagrammers Everybody Knows Mars and Maia Liakos. There’ll also be new items from Aitken & Co, Cinzia handmade ballet slippers, Santos Wish and Sydney Fragrance Co, as well as vintage and contemporary threads from the likes of Zimmerman, Sass and Bide and Isabel Marant. After all that, you’ll probably need a pick-me-up. Choose from Pelicano’s full modern Pacific food and drink menu, or stop by their pop-up Bloody Mary Bar. Just don’t spill your tomato juice on anything white, and you’ve got this.
Araby Steen is the first to admit that her work is a little difficult to describe.In her first show since finishing at the National Art School – who failed to give her a certificate of graduation, although they did remember to award her a prize – Steen will exhibit fifteen oil-on-canvas works as part of her artist residency at the Trophy Room gallery.While the delicately rendered paintings seem straightforward at first, a closer look will show that the boy in a set of three small canvasses is actually pissing, and that the ibis filling a larger canvas is actually dead. At the same time, the paintings, all of which were photographs in their first incarnation, sustain softness in their sense of time and place. This contradiction is the closest Steen’s show gets to a theme – unsurprising for a show simply entitled New Work, but a lovely un-surprise all the same.
Holy heck - have you seen the Art & About program? It's out of control. We've curated a list of ten excellent happenings to help you navigate this massive month-long festival of art in unusual places. Go on, get amongst it, this is your city in spring. 1. Friday Night Live: Art & About Opening Night Art projects like Renew Newcastle and Alaska Projects have taken charge of disused urban spaces and empty shopfronts. Art & About enlarges this idea to all vacant spaces. Can’t every grey wall, lonely corner and public mall be a site for creative action? Opening night sees Martin Place morph from shadowy wind tunnel to massive street party. The Bamboos, Van She, Rufus and Jingle Jangle are on the line up, with more to be announced. Martin Place will be scattered with pop up bars and food trucks, and the city's main galleries will be open late for our sauntering pleasure. It’s programmed by Stephen Pavlovic of Sydney-based music label Modular, the crew behind such artists as Cut Copy, Ladyhawke and The Avalanches. And best of all, it’s free. So cheers - to art in unconventional places, and to free art and music events that are accessible to everyone. 2. Moveable Feast: Art & About Closing Night A car-free George Street. It's a dream many Sydneysiders hold, and one that will come true on October 20, if only for a night. Closing night party is replacing George Street's usual gridlock of petrol-fuelled monsters with food trucks, dining tables, DJs, outdoor art installations and big screens. It's a celebration to mark the closing of a festival that pulls art out of galleries and into unusual places in the city. And it's a Moveable Feast, not just of tasty international street food, but of art, live music, documentaries, shorts and feature films. Delicious. The next step? Booting cars out of George Street for good. 3. WIND events Are Tim Knowles' creations in WindGrid the birds that have escaped the empty birdcages in Angel Place? The UK artist is installing a shifting ceiling of white paper aeroplanes above Taylor Square that has been likened both to weather vanes and bird flocks. The criss-crossed canopy moves with the wind, casts shadows on the pavement and animates an otherwise motionless patch of sidewalk. Knowles is also hosting a free tour of the city, guided only by the wind. Book here for WindWalk. 4. I Wish You Hadn't Asked Artist James Dive has inverted the everyday and created a house that rains on the inside. The concept brings to mind the inevitable decay of manmade structures and civilisations, and nature returning to how it's always been. Dive, however, has likened it more to a dying love affair: "There is a moment in a relationship when something is said, or done, that can’t be taken back; then the rot sets in." It's an installation that will continue to rot and devolve over the course of the show, so make time for multiple stopovers. And don't panic - raincoats are provided. 5. Hyde Park events Hyde Park is the site of a stream of Art & About happenings. First up, a large-scale photography competition, Sydney Life, will be occupy the main, dappled walkways. Stroll through on your lunch break, or join Sydney Life judge Sandy for a free tour of the show on Friday, September 21, 7-8pm or Saturday, October 13, 2-3pm, starting at Archibald Fountain. For those up late, Craig Walsh, Steven Thomasson and the Australian Museum are illuminating the giant canopies of Hyde Park south with light projections. Emergence is yet another free cultural event bringing the city to life at night. Our suggestion? Head down with some friends, some long necks, lie down and find a face in the trees. A show of kid photographers under eleven years of age called Little Sydney Lives is an opportunity to see the city from the perspective of our tiniest citizens. And finally, there's the four night pig-out otherwise known as the Night Noodle Markets. They're from 5pm to 10.30pm each night from October 15-19. Check out the website for a full list of the stalls and their street food menus. 6. City Space and Laneways Four teams of creative thinkers, including artist Caroline Rothwell and curators Vi Girgis and Adam Porter, have installed a collection of sculptures in public places. The works include shadowy, ghostly, bronze sculptures of hooded younguns and a wilderness trail in Barrack St. They're designed to jolt us out of the blahblahblah of daily city life and give us a new perspective on otherwise blank expanses of bricks-and-mortar. 7. Streetware 3 Part of the City of Sydney's public art program, Streetware takes place around Taylor Square and Oxford St. It's first project is by Reko Rennie, an Aboriginal artist, who will be stencilling and spraying 1-5 Flinders St with a geometric, vibrant work informed by the traditional markings of the Kamilaroi people. We can't wait to see Reko's neon text, 'Always was, always will be', emblazoned across Taylor Square. 8. The Great Crate How's this for a living public art project that engages local residents and non-artists? Thousands of packs of edible plants are currently being distributed to the people of Alexandria, Beaconsfield, Roseberrry and Waterloo. They'll be grown at home then replanted in a giant cube of recycled crates in Green Square. The installation will continue to grow into an urban jungle above the airport-rail network. At the show's conclusion on Saturday October 20, the plants will be dismantled and given away freely to residents. 9. Last Drinks The old bohemian Hotel Australia is being hijacked by visual and sound artists using photos, films and audio to present an alternative oral history of this part of the city. There's a free guided tour at 6pm, September 27 with artists Sarah Barns and Michael Killalea. Meet outside the Commercial Traveller’s Association building at Martin Place. 10. Mystery gigs: Play Lunch Hook up with Art & About on Facebook and Twitter to get the lowdown on weekly secret gigs in unusual places. This set of Friday lunchtime sessions is curated with Modular Music and will be revealed each Wednesday at 5pm.
Been scheming about taking Vivid Sydney to the next level this year? If you've got some cash stashed away for the festival, swap out the crowds at Circular Quay for front-row views of the illuminated Harbour Bridge, a water taxi and dinner literally in the middle of Sydney Harbour. Yep, we're talking Fort Denison. This year, the island outpost is inviting you to join its Vivid celebrations. Dubbed Dinner De-Lights, the evening starts with you wandering around Circular Quay, before jumping in a specially chartered water taxi for a giddy, wind-in-your-hair-lights-in-your-eyes ride to the island. Along the way, check out Vivid's famous boat parade up close. Once you're there, you'll take a mini tour of the Martello Tower before settling into your seat for dinner, which will afford epic views of the lighting of the Opera House's sails (which will this year feature work by artist Ash Bollard) as well as the Harbour Bridge. Dinner De-Lights is happening every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday night throughout the festival. Bookings cost $118 per person, which includes a two-course dinner, the tour and the water taxi ride there and back.
Attempting to give our exploits a facelift in winter can seem an insurmountable task. The challenge: the loud call of nights inside tucked under a blanket with something warm at hand. Here to help you overcome this seasonal hurdle is Pepe's Winter Beach Lodge, the red-hot event delivering an elevated winter experience from Friday, July 15 till Sunday, September 4. Courtesy of coastal digs Pepe's on the Beach and Fireball, the lodge will see you spend three sensational hours in magical surrounds, with photo ops, canapés and cinnamon-laced whisky aplenty. If you've got mates in The Gong hassling you to visit, or you just need to escape the city, now's the time to make the trip. The headlining attraction? Two luxe igloos — one decked out in all-white, the other pink — sitting pretty beachside, awaiting you and your crew. Think of the warm up you'll get sharing a fishbowl of Fire & Ice Sangria (or Fireball Pink Lemonade or Arctic Blue Passionfruit Mojito) with your pals and helping yourself to delicious morsels (like mushroom arancini and pork and fennel sausage rolls) from the confines of your private igloo. There's no stress if an icy abode isn't up your alley, joining the arctic fun is a lineup of Fireball-infused bites in Pepe's dining room. Slow-cooked beef ribs with Fireball barbecue glaze and chimichurri perhaps? Or maybe ruby tuna ceviche marinated in the sweet 'n' spicy spirit with salsa and tostadas alongside. Got a hens do? Birthday bash? Thursday night that needs enlivening? Grab some mates, book an igloo and heat up your winter exploits at Pepe's Winter Beach Lodge. Igloos are available seven days a week, are suitable for up to six guests and cost between $350–500 per session. Your booking includes three hours in a private igloo, six Fireball shots, two cocktail fishbowls, canapés and dessert. Head to the website for more information and to book your igloo.
Taking its title from the French euphemism for orgasm, The Little Death wears its risque approach as a badge of honour. Erotic fetishes furnish six slight vignettes, purporting to normalise types of between-the-sheets behaviour; as the saying goes, everyone's doing it. Alas, more than parodying private peccadillos is needed to turn apparently twisted trysts into a smart sex comedy. Edginess doesn't equal astuteness, nor does painting with sitcom-style strokes cover ill-explored content. Any Questions for Ben? and House of Lies' Josh Lawson writes, directs and stars in an effort destined to be labelled a physicality fuelled Love Actually. Four couples monopolise the anthology feature, each with relationship issues. Maeve (Bojana Novakovic) wants Paul (Lawson) to fulfil her rape fantasies. Rowena (Kate Box) finds herself aroused whenever husband Richard (Patrick Brammall) cries. Phil (Alan Dukes) finds Maureen (Lisa McCune) at her most attractive when she is sleeping. Dan (Damon Herriman) and Evie (Kate Mulvany) make a foray into roleplaying that backfires. As the linking device between the tales, a new neighbour (Kim Gyngell) makes visits to disclose he's a registered sex offender. A final segment tackles phone sex and disability, as the hearing-impaired Sam (T.J. Power) places a call aided by operator Monica (Erin James). Finding farce in intimacy is far from a new conceit; however, it isn't enough to simply bring up taboo topics in contrived circumstances, especially in a superficial manner devoid of depth, discussion or development. Courting controversy and causing a reaction appears the film's only ambition, not thoughtfully examining sources of sexual satisfaction rarely addressed, or contemplating the human core of our deepest desires. Indeed, in pursuing broad and easy amusement, characterisation is absent — particularly regarding women. Unacceptable categorisations and implausible choices prevail, rendering female protagonists naive, cruel, selfish or complaining, whilst attempts to place Maeve and Rowena in charge of their destinies are undone by one-note personalities. Men, contrastingly, are presented with sympathy, even when potentially crossing the line. Consider Paul planning an elaborate rape upon request, and Phil drugging his wife to escape her nagging, the feature skirting around the latter's creepy consequences. The last standalone story may boast sincerity and sweetness otherwise lacking, followed by awkwardly offering comeuppance, but a late burst of heart and consequences can't overcome the bulk of the film's horrific skewering of kinkiness in rom-com confines. Though the ensemble cast toils valiantly and Lawson helms competently, each is poorly served by sketches neither dark nor different. Alas, The Little Death is not the subversive work it intends, instead just gratifying a too-neat account of the same offensive, over-used stereotypes of middle-class sex and romance. https://youtube.com/watch?v=BnnhesQ8Rxc
Phil Spencer is a 29-year-old man who has never thrown a punch. While that's news that probably shouldn't be story-worthy (come on dudes, nobody should be throwing punches), Spencer's stand-up/storytelling show You and Whose Army? takes this idea and runs with it. He uses his own stories of growing up in the 'slums' of rural South Oxfordshire and moonlighting as a drug dealer in Glasgow to craft a darkly comedic meditation on our relationship with violence. Spencer has teamed up with Sydney singer-songwriter Richard Cuthbert, who provides musical accompaniment to Spencer's autobiographical adventure. The pair sold out a bunch of intimate shows at The Newsagency in January this year. If you missed out then, you can catch them again (in their last Australian hurrah before heading off on a UK tour) next Wednesday night at Giant Dwarf — Sydney's newest venue for the particular mash-up of stand-up and storytelling that's become so popular around the city over the past few years.
When the 23rd Biennale of Sydney takes over the city next March, attendees will be forgiven for having water on their minds. The returning art event famously showcased Ai Weiwei's 60-metre inflatable boat back in 2018, but in 2022 it's calling its entire program Rīvus, which means 'stream' in Latin. The Biennale is embracing its titular notion in a number of ways, too. Announcing not just its theme but its first 59 participants for the event, organisers also revealed that it'll use its array of artworks and activities to form conceptualised wetlands and imagined ecosystems. The plan isn't just to feature these watery places in paintings, sculptures and installations, but to "follow the currents of meandering tributaries, expanding out into a delta of interrelated ideas," as a statement by the Biennale's 2022 Curatorium explains. This year, Artistic Director José Roca, Art Gallery of New South Wales Head of Learning and Participation Paschal Daantos Berry, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia curator Anna Davis, Information and Cultural Exchange First Nations programs producer Hannah Donnelly and Artspace curator Talia Linz are overseeing the Biennale program, which'll run from Saturday, March 12–Monday, June 13, 2022. And if you're wondering what their theme will entail in a practical sense, specific artwork details haven't been revealed as yet; however, the Curatorium advises that the lineup will include "river horror, creek futurism, Indigenous science, cultural flows, ancestral technologies, counter-mapping, queer ecologies, multispecies justice, hydrofeminism, water healing, spirit streams, fish philosophy and sustainable methods of co-existence". The first roster of participants charged with bringing all of these notions to life spans folks from six continents and 33 countries — complete with a heavy local component — and includes artists, designers, architects and scientists. Yes, that's a diverse range of skill sets, ranging beyond visual arts into other fields, which is why the Biennale has opted for the term 'participants'. [caption id="attachment_807271" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Julie Gough, Manifestation (Bruny Island), 2010. Installation view of Littoral (2010), curated by Vivonne Thwaites, Carnegie Gallery Hobart. Courtesy the artist. Photograph: Julie Gough. Copyright © Julie Gough.[/caption] Exactly where the event will take place is yet to be revealed, except in one instance, with the Biennale setting up shop by the harbour at The Cutaway at Barangaroo Reserve for the first time — fittingly given the watery theme. And if it feels like Sydney only just enjoyed the last Biennale, there's a reason for that. After the 2020 event was forced to take an unforeseen break due to the pandemic, it wrapped up later last year than initially planned. FIRST BIENNALE OF SYDNEY 2022 LINEUP A4C Arts for the Commons Ackroyd & Harvey Robert Andrew Ana Barboza and Rafael Freyre Badger Bates Milton Becerra Cave Urban Hera Büyüktaşcıyan Tania Candiani Yoan Capote Casino Wake Up Time Carolina Caycedo Alex Cerveny Erin Coates Cian Dayrit Melissa Dubbin and Aaron S Davidson Matias Duville Clemencia Echeverri Embassy of the North Sea Juliana Góngora Rojas Julie Gough Rex Greeno and Dean Greeno David Haines and Joyce Hinterding Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe Dale Harding Joey Holder Marguerite Humeau Aluaiy Kaumakan Pushpa Kumari Eva L'Hoest Mata Aho Collective Clare Milledge Yuko Mohri Moogahlin Performing Arts with Aanmitaagzi Big Medicine Studio New Landscapes Institute New-Territories _ S/he _f.Roche Leeroy New Wura-Natasha Ogunji Mike Parr Marjetica Potrč Caio Reisewitz Tabita Rezaire Duke Riley Abel Rodríguez Teho Ropeyarn Diana Scherer Dineo Seshee Bopape Komunidad X Sipat Lawin Kiki Smith Paula de Solminihac STARTTS (NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors) and Jiva Parthipan Jenna Sutela Imhathai Suwatthanasilp Leanne Tobin Barthélémy Toguo Sopolemalama Filipe Tohi Hanna Tuulikki Gal Weinstein Zheng Bo The 23rd Biennale of Sydney will run from Saturday, March 12–Monday, June 13, 2022. Entry will be free, as always. We'll keep you posted on the whole artist lineup and exhibition program when they're announced. Top image: Carolina Caycedo, Yuma, or the Land of Friends, 2014, digital print on acrylic glass, and satellite images, 580 x 473 cm. Installation view at the 8th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, Museen Dahlen (2014), Berlin. Courtesy of the artist.
In sad news for Australia's creative scene, it's just been announced that SXSW Sydney has come to an end. Launched in 2023 as the first international spinoff of the Austin-born South by Southwest Festival, the event explored music, film, gaming, technology and entrepreneurial spirit through fascinating panel discussions, trade shows, performances and more. Describing the announcement as "bittersweet" on Instagram, the festival said in a statement that the decision "reflects a changing global environment that is impacting major events, festivals and cultural programs worldwide." Going out on a high note, SXSW Sydney said it attracted over 63,000 out-of-region attendees and recorded a 35 percent year-on-year growth in international visitation between 2024 and 2025. "SXSW Sydney would not have been possible without our partners, Destination NSW and SXSW, as well as those who contributed to the event — our speakers, sponsors, volunteers and attendees. SXSW Sydney was an unforgettable three-year journey, and we owe a debt of gratitude to the people who joined us for it," said Co-Managing Directors Simon Cahill and Jono Whyman. While the festival's foray into Asia-Pacific was short-lived, each year's lineup was stacked with incredible talent and experiences. The 2025 edition featured celebrated filmmaker Paul Feig and emerging superstar Ninajirachi, while 2024 was headlined by keynote addresses by Nicole Kidman and Chance the Rapper. "SXSW Sydney represented an ambitious and meaningful extension of the SXSW brand, and we are incredibly proud of what was built in partnership with the Sydney team, Destination NSW, and the broader creative community," said Jenny Connelly, Director in Charge of SXSW. Although the festival explored a possible path forward with the NSW Government and SXSW's global owners, Penske Media Corporation, it was ultimately decided that prevailing market conditions made the Sydney event no longer viable. Says Connelly: "While the event will not proceed in 2026, we are grateful for the collaboration, creativity, and commitment that defined SXSW Sydney." Head to the website for more information.
The last time Cockatoo Island’s gritty industrial spaces were transformed it was by Outpost, a street art explosion of graffiti, paste-ups and sticker art from more than 150 artists across the world. A few of the exhibits still remain, but in February the island will see its topography permeated with installations exploring the territory in a uniquely Australian context. Drawing Lines in the Sand is compromised of six projects engaging with Cockatoo Island as both a symbolic space and a physical one, delving (literally) into its history as a former imperial prison, industrial school, reformatory and gaol. Tunneling under convict-quarried shafts, journeying into the salt-encrusted tunnels of a 17th-century salt mine and filling abandoned storage spaces with a maze of scaffolding plated in 24 karat told, all idiosyncratic installations are connected through a reflection on conditions of interiority and exteriority particular to the Island Continent. Examining the legacy of “the Western colonialist tropism of island territories as condensed sites of acquisition, containment and control,” it’ll also give you something to think about next time you’re lounging in the sun sipping a cold beer from The Island Bar.
The best way to avoid being disappointed on Valentine’s Day is to avoid having any expectations. And you’ll definitely want to leave any preconceptions at the door if you’re planning on showing up to The Standard on the 14th, because this chaotic musical adventure will hold more surprises than a box of assorted chocolates eaten with chopsticks while wearing a blindfold. Love Me is a sonic assortment of unique performances from Australian and international artists, who will be conducting a journey through the jungle of love via an unpredictable selection of covers, collaborations and reinterpretations. Delving into everything from rock cabaret and post-pop to musical comedy and burlesque, the only thing that’s certain is that unless you’re in a bona fide relationship with Ryan Gosling then this will be way better than any Valentine’s Day plans you’ve got lined up already. Performers include Australian rock diva Paul Capsis, NYC bravest and bawdiest burlesque duo The Wau Wau (that’s “vow vow”) Sisters, Triple J presenter/piano basher/ukulele painter Brendan MacLean, cabaret comedian Queenie van de Zandt and the silvery-voiced Tyran Parke. More will be announced closer to the time, though if they’re anything like the unpredictable bunch already named then knowing who they are won’t really tell you what to expect anyway.
Randwick has just scored a new food precinct as the curtains lift on the first phase of its much-hyped lifestyle hub, Newmarket Dining. Inside, four new hospitality venues have already opened their doors, including a second outpost for Redfern's ever-popular ramen joint RaRa, with a stack more to come. Decked out with lush gardens, al fresco dining areas and plenty of public space for barbecuing and picnicking, the fairy light-lit precinct has made its home in the heart of the suburb on Barker Street. And visitors are already met with a pretty diverse spread of food options, right from the get go. RaRa's second eatery takes its ramen every bit as seriously as its sibling, boasting real-deal noodle-making machines imported from Japan. They're churning out fresh, springy noodles to star in the bowls of signature ramen and you can even watch all the magic unfold behind glass in the 'noodle room'. Larger than the original, the space nods to the izakayas of Tokyo, complete with bar seating and a healthy dose of glowing neon. Baccomatto Osteria is the Italian of the bunch, moving into Randwick from its original Surry Hills digs, with its own strong following. Here, it's dishing up its legendary handmade pasta, with fan favourites starring alongside new Roman-style specials. Think, rigatoni with lamb ragu and artichokes, and a chargrilled pork cutlet matched with cannellini beans. It's also serving up Roman-style pizza by the slice, topped with the likes of bresaola, buffalo mozzarella and mushrooms. Family-owned Cafe Mckenzie is brewing coffee alongside a Middle Eastern-inspired food offering, while a new outpost from cold-pressed juice crew Cali Press is your go-to for nutritious eats like smoothies and salad bowls. An unconventional barbershop for guys and girls called Barber Signature is the precinct's first non-food offering. The full lineup of Newmarket Dining's residents will be unveiled in March. Find Newmarket Dining at 154 Barker Street, Randwick. Check individual restaurant websites for opening hours.
Do something way more interesting than sitting at home thinking about the weekend this Thursday night. Head over to Work-Shop in Redfern and learn the beautiful, ancient Japanese dying technique of Shibori. Much fancier than tie-dye, Shibori turns pre-reduced indigo crystals into a blue dye, which is then used to generate unique patterns and designs on material. Led by artist Jess Organ, you'll learn four different methods, and create four unique patterns and styles on the fabric of your choice. The creative class is a great opportunity to revamp old, but still useable clothing and furnishings. Bring old shirts, tablecloths and scarves, and breathe new life into them, making one-of-a-king indigo masterpieces. Image: Lester Lost.
For those in the Shire looking to get out and about in the crisp winter air, Cronulla's popular waterfront market is returning in June. The two-day affair comes from the team behind the market at Watsons Bay and it will bring all of the market stalls, food trucks and entertainment you need to break out of your seasonal slump. Taking place at Don Lucas Reserve, the market will feature over 150 stalls. If you're heading down for a bite to eat, you'll find food stalls from popular Sydney businesses such as Brooklyn Boys Bagels and Thicc Cookies. As with any good market, there will be a range of stalls selling handmade goods from designers, brands and producers like The Peony Press, Isekai Studio, Foxytrot and Bowerbird Jewels. Live music will soundtrack the weekend and the kids will be thrilled by family-friendly activities and games. Market organiser Madelienne Anderson stresses the importance of local markets and their role in supporting small businesses. "Small business is the lifeblood of the Australian community and at our markets, hundreds of small businesspeople, makers and creators come together to offer the community a wide variety of exceptional goods," Anderson says. The markets will be open 10am–3pm on both Saturday, June 29 and Sunday, June 30.
UPDATE, December 16, 2022: Top Gun: Maverick will be available to stream via Paramount+ from Thursday, December 22. As dripping with jingoism, machismo, militarism and sweat as cinema gets — and there really was oh-so-much sweat — 1986's Top Gun was a dream of a recruitment ad. The US Navy's aviation program couldn't have whipped up a stronger enlistment campaign in its wildest fantasies. Even if it had, getting Hollywood's gloss, a star who'd still be box-office catnip four decades later and Kenny Loggins' second-best movie tune (slipping in behind Footloose, of course) probably would've felt like a one-in-a-billion longshot. But all of the above, plus a lurid sheen and homoerotic gaze, didn't make Top Gun a good film. Loggins' 'Danger Zone' remains an earworm of a delight, but the feature it's synonymous with took a highway to the cheesy, cringey, puffed up, perpetually moist and aggressively toxic zone. The one exception: whenever Tony Scott's camera was focused on all that flying, rather than a smirking, reckless and arrogant Tom Cruise as a portrait of 80s bluster and vanity. Gliding into cinemas 36 years after its predecessor, Top Gun: Maverick is still at its best when its jets are soaring. The initial flick had the perfect song to describe exactly what these phenomenally well-executed and -choreographed action scenes feel like to view; yes, they'll take your breath away. Peppered throughout the movie, actually shot in real US Navy aircraft without a trace of digital effects, and as tense and spectacular as filmmaking can be in the feature's climactic sequences, they truly do make it seem as if you're watchin' in slow motion. Thankfully, this time that adrenaline kick is accompanied by a smarter and far more self-aware film, as directed by TRON: Legacy and Oblivion's Joseph Kosinski. Top Gun in the 80s was exactly what Top Gun in the 80s was always going to be — but Top Gun in the 2020s doesn't dare believe that nothing has changed, that Cruise's still-smug Maverick can't evolve, and that the world the movie releases into hasn't either. Early in the film — after Harold Faltermeyer's famous Top Gun anthem plays, text on-screen explains what the titular elite pilot training program is all about, a montage of fighter planes kicks in and then 'Danger Zone' sets an upbeat tone; that is, after the flick begins exactly as the first did — Captain Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell (Cruise, Mission: Impossible — Fallout) is given a dressing-down. Still as rebellious as his call sign makes plain, he's just wantonly disobeyed orders, flown a ridiculously expensive hypersonic test plane when he's not supposed to and caused quite the fallout. "The future is coming and you're not in it," he's told, and Top Gun: Maverick doesn't shy away from that notion. As its opening moments show, along with a touch too many other nostalgia-steeped touches elsewhere this sequel hasn't wholly flown on from the past; however, it actively reckons with it as well. Still hardly the navy's favourite despite his swagger, megawatt smile, gleaming aviators and unfailing self-confidence — well, really despite his need for speed and exceptional dogfighting skills in the air — Maverick is given one last assignment. His destination: Fightertown USA, the California-based Top Gun program he strutted his way through all those years ago. There's an enemy nation with a secret weapons base that needs destroying, and his talents are crucial. But, to his dismay, Maverick is only asked to teach. Given a squad lorded over by the brash Hangman (Glen Powell, Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood), and also including Coyote (Greg Tarzan Davis, Grey's Anatomy), Payback (Jay Ellis, Insecure), Fanboy (Danny Ramirez, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Phoenix (Monica Barbaro, Stumptown), Bob (Lewis Pullman, Outer Range) and the frosty Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw (Miles Teller, The Offer), he's tasked with training them to fly like he does, navigate a Star Wars-style impossible path that zips speedily at perilously low altitudes and, ideally, still survive the supremely dangerous mission. Yes, Bradley Bradshaw is a real name this franchise has given one of its characters. And, he's the son of Goose (Anthony Edwards, Inventing Anna), Maverick's beloved wingman in the original movie, whose death he hasn't come to terms with. Also, stressing that chip-off-the-ol'-block link via Hawaiian shirts, a moustache and a barroom 'Great Balls of Fire' singalong is among Top Gun: Maverick's clumsiest and most needlessly wistful moves — second only to its shirtless team-building beach football scene. Luckily, it's easy to excuse some such blatant nods backwards when interrogating why Maverick is like he is, what cost that's extracted from him and those in his orbit, and how he might climb beyond it is one of the film's main concerns. Plus, one of the feature's other blasts from the past, Maverick's reunion with his ex-adversary Iceman (Val Kilmer, The Snowman), couldn't be more movingly handled. Again, recognising that Maverick's heyday, and everything it instilled in him, has long been and gone proves as crucial in this sequel as those sensationally balletic jets swooping and spiralling above. Cruise's heyday as a mega movie superstar isn't yet behind him, though, and Top Gun: Maverick is also better for knowing that his hyper-committed showmanship is now rare. So, Kosinkski leans heavily on the Tom Cruise of it all — aka the spectacle that's a given when he's in action mode — while unpacking the Maverick of it all. That's how the film zooms deeper than the initial flick, especially into its protagonist, with screenwriters Ehren Kruger (Dumbo), Eric Warren Singer (American Hustle) and Christopher McQuarrie (the last two and upcoming two Mission: Impossible movies) imparting a convincing sense of human drama. Top Gun: Maverick still sports patriotism and militarism so thick it'd show up on radar. It's still sweaty, albeit not as much as the Fast and Furious franchise these days. And it still has a thin but charismatic romance, this time with Jennifer Connelly (who gets a winning music moment if you know what she was starring in back in 1986). And yet, it also faces the fact that flag-waving patriotism and testosterone-fuelled bravado are relics. Even better: while Top Gun: Maverick's exploration of loyalty, duty, camaraderie, bromance and facing your mistakes to be a better person comes second to its stunning aerial scenes, none of those themes completely fade from mind when the movie hits the sky. They're meant to up the stakes, and genuinely do. Indeed, Gun: Maverick's underlying emotions feel as authentic as the astonishing visuals that repeatedly defy gravity. With the latter, it comes as no surprise that Kosinkski's TRON: Legacy cinematographer Claudio Miranda does the honours, again delivering an astounding sight. Similarly, that such edge-of-your-seat sequences are stitched together by McQuarrie's Mission: Impossible editor Eddie Hamilton won't raise an eyebrow. Action cinema rarely gets more thrilling than this — and an action movie that's this visibly wondrous and entertaining, knows it's walking in familiar footsteps but puts in a bold effort to make this return trip mean something is electrifying and, yes, breathtaking.
If you want to add some social justice to your Tuesday night pub feed, head in to Paddo Inn next month. The Oxford Street venue is presenting Inn Talks, a series of expert-led panel discussions that are accompanied by wine, snacks and networking. Coming up on August 13 is a discussion on fashion sustainability and why it is so important, as well as how to be more ethically minded with your fashion choices. On the panel is fashion journalist Rosie Dalton, Vogue's sustainability editor-at-large Clare Press (and presenter of the Wardrobe Crisis podcast), award-winning sustainability fashion designer Jade Sarita Arnott (Arnsdorf) and responsible fashion strategist Melinda Tually (director of NDLESS: The New Normal). The series is being held to support Dress for Success Sydney, a not-for-profit organisation that benefits unemployed women — through donating work clothing, mentoring, job-search skills, career coaching and networking to those who need it. The event will run from 6–8.30pm and cost $55, with each ticket including canapés and a flute of Veuve Clicquot. If you miss on this round, the final discussion in the series will take place in September. Details on that one haven't been released yet, so keep an eye on this space.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. DOG One of the many 80s comedies on Tom Hanks' resume, Turner & Hooch has already been remade in 2021 as a low-stakes streaming series with nothing worth wagging one's tail about to show for it. Still, it gains a big-screen spiritual successor in Dog, Channing Tatum's return to cinemas after a five-year absence (other than a brief cameo in Free Guy, plus voice-acting work in Smallfoot and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part). Sub out a police investigator saddled with a canine witness for an Army Ranger transporting a dead colleague's ex-working dog; swap Hanks' uptight everyman for Tatum's usual goofy meathead persona, obviously; and shoehorn in a portrait of America today that aims to appeal to absolutely everyone. The result: a good boy of a movie that Tatum co-directs, isn't without its likeable and affecting moments, but is also a dog's breakfast tonally. Like pouring kibble into a bowl for a hungry pooch each morning, Dog is dutiful with the basics: a man, a mutt, an odd-couple arrangement between seeming opposites with more in common than the human among them first thinks, and an emotional journey. Comedic hijinks ensue along the way, naturally, although Turner & Hooch didn't involve anyone getting cock-blocked from having a threesome with two tantric sex gurus by its four-legged scamp. Given that Tatum's Jackson Briggs needs to take Belgian Malinois Lulu 1500 miles from Montana to Arizona by car — she won't fly — Dog is also a road-trip film, complete with episodic antics involving weed farmers and fancy hotels at its pitstops. That's all so standard that it may as well be cinema's best friend, but this flick also reckons with combat-induced post-traumatic stress disorder of both the human and animal kind, and ideas of masculinity and strength attached to military service. When Dog introduces Briggs, he's working in fast food by necessity — think Breaking Bad's fate for Saul Goodman, with Tatum even channelling the same stoic demeanour — as he waits to get redeployed. All he wants is to head back on active duty, but his higher-ups need convincing after the brain injury he received on his last tour. But his direct superior (Luke Forbes, SWAT) throws him a bone: if Briggs escorts Lulu to their former squad member's funeral, after he drove himself into a tree at 120 miles per hour, he'll sign off on his re-enlistment. Lulu has also been changed by her service, so much so that this'll be her last hurrah; afterwards, Briggs is to return her to the nearest base where she'll be euthanised. Given that Dog is exactly the movie it seems to be, its ending is never in doubt. Accordingly, fretting about Lulu is pointless. The journey is the story, of course, so Tatum and co-director/screenwriter Reid Carolin — also making his helming debut, and reteaming with the former after penning Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL (and the upcoming Magic Mike's Last Dance) — endeavour to make the small moments matter. That's a line of thinking on par with Briggs' readjustment to civilian life, and similarly howling through his burgeoning bond with Lulu past simply playing chauffeur. Yes, Dog is that obvious. An emotional throughline doesn't need to be novel to strike a chord, though, and this film yaps the message loud and clear. That said, it also trades more in concepts than in fleshed-out characters, making an already-broad story even broader. Read our full review. ANONYMOUS CLUB With her song and record titles — her lyrics as well — Courtney Barnett has long found the words to express how many people feel. It's a knack, talent and gift, and it's helped her rocket to Australian fame and global success within a decade of releasing her debut EP in 2012. As thoughtful and captivating documentary Anonymous Club shows, it's also something she's frequently asked about in interviews. But expressing those lines and the emotions behind them with a guitar and microphone as weapons, plus a riotous melody as armour, is different to sharing them quietly one on one. Directed by her long-time collaborator Danny Cohen, who has helmed a number of her music videos, Anonymous Club begins with this reality. Barnett can pour her heart, soul and observations about life's chaos into the tunes that've made her a household name, achieving something that few others can; when she's on the spot, however, she's as uncertain and awkward as the rest of us. Barnett's way with words and wordplay in her work, and her lack thereof elsewhere, thrums through Anonymous Club like a catchy riff. The subject doesn't fade, burrowing into the film as an earworm of a song inside a listener's head does, and feature first-timer Cohen doesn't want it to. His movie was shot over three years, starting in 2018, which places it between Barnett's second studio album and her third — and knowing that makes the phrases from their titles, and from her debut record also, echo with resonance throughout the doco. Anonymous Club could've been called Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, like its subject's first album in 2015. Tell Me How You Really Feel from 2018 would've worked as well. And, yes, Things Take Time, Take Time would've been apt, too, concluding a line of thinking that the film invites anyway — ultimately finding its moniker in a Barnett track from 2014, before all those releases. Across two tours spanning Europe, the US and Asia, plus stints in Melbourne, Anonymous Club watches Barnett sit and think, and sometimes just sit. It tasks the singer/songwriter with telling how she really feels, and shows her realising the truth that things take time. All of the above is captured on glorious 16-millimetre film and, even within a mere 83 minutes, the backstage documentary is overwhelming comprised of these ruminative, reflective moments — of snatches of Barnett's life caught as she hops between rooms that aren't her own, be it stages or green rooms or hotels or homes she's housesitting. Her thoughts and feelings come via brief chatter in front of the lens (or, more accurately, with the unseen Cohen behind it, shooting with a camera customised to record synchronised sound), and from overlaid snippets of the audio diary he asked her to keep. That's a job she tussles with — more words, more on-the-spot candour rather than deliberated-over lyrics, more struggles — but she still stuck at it for the project's duration. Frank, earnest and honest, so much of what's uttered is as revelatory as everything that Barnett has sung over the years. She confides in the fly-on-the-wall film via her Dictaphone recordings; as a result, a highly poised, posed, image-conscious portrait, this isn't. "I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about anymore. I just feel like I'm going around in circles and digging myself a deeper hole," she says at one point, and many other statements have the same tone. Jumping from America to Japan to Germany and elsewhere, life on the road gets to her. Back in Australia, life without a fixed space to call her own after spending so long touring has a similar impact. "My heart is empty, my head is empty, the page is empty," she offers, another telling statement. "It feels like I'm being part of this scripted performance of what we think we're supposed to see on stage, and it just feels really pointless," she also advises. Read our full review. PREPARATIONS TO BE TOGETHER FOR AN UNKNOWN PERIOD OF TIME Will they or won't they? Do they or don't they? Every time that romance and relationships are portrayed on-screen, at least one of these questions always echoes. In the entrancingly moody and astute Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time, it's the latter. Whether Hungarian neurosurgeon Márta Vizy (Natasa Stork, Jupiter's Moon) and fellow doctor János (Viktor Bodó, Overnight) will end the film in each other's company still remains a pivotal part of the plot, but if there's ever been anything between them — or if it's all simply in Márta's head — is the far more pressing concern. She's a woman smitten, so much so that she's returned home from a prestigious job in the US just for him. But his behaviour could be called vague, rude or flat-out ghosting, if he even remembers that they've crossed paths before — and, if they ever actually have. Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time first introduces Márta as she's unloading her János-sparked romantic woes upon her therapist. What could've been a standard rom-com or romantic drama setup soon twists into something far more alluring and intriguing, however. Indeed, as writer/director Lili Horvát (The Wednesday Child) ponders the role of memory in affairs of the heart, her film just keeps inspiring more trains of thought. How can we ever know how someone else really feels about us? How long will any romantic emotions last, and can they last? Is it ever truly possible to trust whoever our hearts fall or, or our hearts to begin with? And, can we genuinely believe those intense memories of love that implant themselves inside our brains, refuse to leave and inspire life-changing decisions — or is love too subjective, no matter how deep, real, shared and strong that it feels? These queries all spring from Márta's homecoming, after she meets János at a conference in New Jersey, then pledges to do so again a month later on a Budapest bridge. She shows, but he doesn't. Worse: when she tracks him down at his work afterwards, he says that he doesn't know her. While tinkering with memory is a familiar film and TV concept — see: everything from Memento and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to Mulholland Drive and Severance — Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time is interested in the emotional fallout from János' claims to have zero knowledge of Márta first and foremost. Confused, unsettled and still wholeheartedly infatuated, she just can't bring herself to return stateside, and also can't get János out of her mind in general. Scripted with empathy and precision by Horvát, and also shot and styled like a waking dream, Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time isn't easily forgotten either, siding its viewers with Márta over János. This is a haunting and beautifully acted psychological drama that lays bare just how all-encompassing, obsessive, intoxicating and mind-melting love can feel, all as it plays with recollection and its ability to shape our perspectives. The tone is loaded but uncanny — sweet but uncertain, too — and Horvát has fun getting both emotional and cerebral while having her characters cut open brains. The latter happens literally and yes, there aren't many movies quite like this one. Cinema doesn't boast too many performances like the exceptional Stork's, either, which draws viewers into every feeling, question, and pang of both intense affection and shattering uncertainty that flows through Márta. Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time opened in Melbourne from February 24, and screens in Sydney and Brisbane from March 17. IT SNOWS IN BENIDORM Forty-four years have passed since Timothy Spall first graced the silver screen — and what a gift he's given both cinema and television since. He won Cannes Best Actor prize for Mr Turner, earned five BAFTA nominations in five years between 1997–2002, popped up in lively Aussie crime flick Gettin' Square, stole every scene he was in in The Party and recently proved formidable in Spencer. He has everything from multiple Harry Potter movies to playing Winston Churchill in The King's Speech on his resume, too, and also routinely improves whatever he's in with his presence alone. In fact, he does exactly that with It Snows in Benidorm, which'd be a mere wisp of a film otherwise. Following a just-made-redundant bank employee to Spain, this meandering drama frequently mistakes mood for depth — and while Spall can't polish away its struggles, he's always the key reason to keep watching. A fan of the weather and little else, Spall's Peter Riordan has given decades of his life to his employer, and is so settled into the routine he's fashioned around his job that it's as natural and automatic to him as breathing. Accordingly, when he's unceremoniously let go, he finds it difficult to adjust. He's told that being freed from the monotony of his work is a gift, allowing him to retire early — so in that spirit, he heads off to the Mediterranean coast's tourist mecca to spend time with the brother he otherwise rarely talks to. But upon his arrival, Peter finds his sibling conspicuously absent. He still stays in his high-rise apartment, but what was meant to be a family reunion-style holiday now becomes a detective quest. Helping him is Alex (Sarita Choudhury, And Just Like That...), who worked with Peter's shady club-owning brother, might know more than she's letting on about his whereabouts, and also welcomes her new pal's tender companionship the more that they spend time together. Spall has spent his entire career being described by one well-meaning term: character actor. Here, he's centre stage in a character study instead. He's marvellous in the role — more so in the film's early scenes, where conveying both weight, importance, security and dreariness of Peter's lonely niche relies heavily upon his measured performance, but also whenever sharing moments with the always-luminous Choudhury as the complicated Alex. That said, as written and directed by Spanish filmmaker Isabel Coixet (Elisa & Marcela), It Snows in Benidorm proves as thin as the chance of an avalanche in its sunny setting. The script is more interested in contrivance than letting its characters' thoughts and feelings stew naturally, and revels in a ruminative tone that's ponderous rather than revelatory. It's a holiday photo of a complicated getaway given two hours of focus, in other words, and it's as flimsy as waving around a strip of negatives. Coixet helms with emotion rather than story in mind, to the detriment of both. There's such a concerted effort to make audiences share Peter's listlessness at home and his awakening abroad that every second feels forced, and the narrative's leaps and languishing never seem authentic. Thanks to Spall, the end result fares better than Coixet's last English-language effort, 2017's abysmal The Bookshop — but the director's latest can't reach the heights of 2003's My Life Without Me and 2008's Elegy. It Snows in Benidorm's reliance upon comedy rarely hits its marks either, other than when dwelling in the British expat-filled hellscape that is Benidorm's nightlife scene. Indeed, its lasting imprint is a 'what if?', because Pedro Almodóvar and his brother Agustín Almodóvar sit among the movie's producers. Being left wondering what wonders might result if Spall and Choudhury teamed up for the Parallel Mothers auteur isn't a ringing endorsement of their current project, though. DEADLY CUTS The Full Monty wasn't the first to do it, and it definitely hasn't been the last. But for the quarter century since that crowd-pleasing comedy became an enormous worldwide hit, British movies about underdogs banding together to save their livelihoods and communities have no longer been scrappy battlers themselves. Irish film Deadly Cuts is the latest, joining an ever-growing pile that also includes everything from Calendar Girls to Swimming with Men — and first-time feature writer/director Rachel Carey knows the formula she's playing with. Each such picture needs to be set in a distinctive world, follow a close-knit group, see them face an apparently insurmountable task and serve up a big public spectacle that promises redemption, and every step in that recipe is covered here. But a movie can stick to a clear template and still boast enough spirit to make even the creakiest of plot inclusions feel likely and entertaining enough, and that's this low-budget affair from start to finish. It does raise a smile that AhhHair, the glamorous hairdressing contest that Deadly Cuts' main characters want to enter and win, is all about innovation in its chosen form. The movie itself would never emerge victorious at such a competition, but it's filled with broad, blackly comic fun along the way, even if it boasts about as much subtlety as a mohawk. The setting: Piglington, Dublin, an as-yet-ungentrified corner of the Irish capital, where the titular salon is a mainstay. The aim: saving the shop from being torn down and replaced with shiny new apartments. The wholly predictable complications: the determination of corrupt local politician Darryl Flynn (Aidan McArdle, The Fall) to forge ahead with the development, which'll boost his bank account; and the suburb-scaring thugs led by the overbearing Deano (Ian Lloyd Anderson, Herself), who throw their weight around at every chance they get. While lead stylist Stacey (Ericka Roe, another Herself alum) has her heart set on AhhHair glory — a dream that her colleagues Gemma (Lauren Larkin, Love/Hate) and Chantelle (Shauna Higgins, Dating Amber) share — their boss Michelle (Angeline Ball, perhaps best known for The Commitments three decades back) is much less enthused. In another of the script's obligatory choices, the latter has a far-from-joyous history with the event and its head judge D'Logan Doyle (Louis Lovett, Moone Boy), and remains reluctant even when basking in the contest's fame and acclaim might be the only thing that'll keep her salon and Piglington itself going. Of course, movies like Deadly Cuts always find ways to get their characters to the big dance, especially when the odds are overwhelmingly stacked against them. Once there, their mission doesn't get easier. "You've got about as much chance as a dark brunette going to a platinum blonde in one step without her hair falling out," one rival spits at them. There's pluck to Stacey and her hair-snipping crew as they sharpen up their scissors, unfurl their curlers and do everything they must to whip up show-stopping styles to dye/die for — and yes, Deadly Cuts does take its name seriously. As a result, there's the same verve to the movie itself, which dips itself not only in the usual underdog formula, but in twisted OTT crime comedy as well. Patchiness comes with the territory, including in quick-fire gags that don't always land and lines of dialogue that are blunter than rusty clippers, but Carey's film still strives forth with ambition and confidence. Buoyed by game performances, it's the movie equivalent of rocking a by-the-book do and an outrageous hue at once, even if it's far better when it's skewing darker. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on November 4, November 11, November 18 and November 25; December 2, December 9, December 16 and December 26; January 1, January 6, January 13, January 20 and January 27; February 3, February 10, February 17 and February 24; and March 3 and March 10. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Eternals, The Many Saints of Newark, Julia, No Time to Die, The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick... Boom!, Zola, Last Night in Soho, Blue Bayou, The Rescue, Titane, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, Dune, Encanto, The Card Counter, The Lost Leonardo, The French Dispatch, Don't Look Up, Dear Evan Hansen, Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Lost Daughter, The Scary of Sixty-First, West Side Story, Licorice Pizza, The Matrix Resurrections, The Tragedy of Macbeth, The Worst Person in the World, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, House of Gucci, The King's Man, Red Rocket, Scream, The 355, Gold, King Richard, Limbo, Spencer, Nightmare Alley, Belle, Parallel Mothers, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Belfast, Here Out West, Jackass Forever, Benedetta, Drive My Car, Death on the Nile, C'mon C'mon, Flee, Uncharted, Quo Vadis, Aida?, Cyrano, Hive, Studio 666, The Batman, Blind Ambition, Bergman Island, Wash My Soul in the River's Flow and The Souvenir: Part II.
You can stay up to date with the developing COVID-19 situation in Sydney, as well as current restrictions, at NSW Health. Taste of Shanghai are adhering to social distancing measures and providing masks throughout this event. Taste of Shanghai's franchise Lilong will be opening up two new locations this year at Wetherill Park and Mount Druitt. To celebrate, Taste of Shanghai have decided to spread the love by offering $1 dumplings at their flagship Burwood location this Thursday, June 24. That's right, one of the ultimate comfort foods for only a dollar apiece, for one day only. The dumplings on offer come in two varieties — the crispy pan-fried dumplings and the steamed soup-filled xiao long bao. So if you're someone who's madly in love with dumplings or after a cheap meal, head down to the Burwood branch from 5pm tonight.
Frequently, when Jungle Collective hosts one of its huge sales in Sydney, it fills a warehouse with indoor plants — and jungle vibes. But between Wednesday, March 2–Sunday, March 6, it's going virtual with its weird and wonderful pieces of greenery instead. And, it's hosting its biggest online plant sale ever. Whether you're after a hanging pot plant, some palms for the garden or a giant Bird of Paradise, chances are you'll find it here. You'll just be doing your shopping online via the Jungle Collective website rather than heading in-store. More than 250 different species will be on offer, which is a hefty range — and, nationwide, there'll be more than 20,000 plants on offer, too, with prices starting at $10. While this is a 100-percent online event, you do still need to register for free tickets in advance. Once you've nabbed yours, you can drop into the sale whenever you like — with early bird access open on the Wednesday night for those who RSVP, and the sale open to everyone from Thursday–Sunday. As for deliveries, your plants will make their way to you over the following week between Thursday, March 10–Friday, February 18, with more details given when you make your purchase. Delivery costs $15–30 depending on your area, with orders within 25 kilometres driving distance nabbing free delivery if you spend $150 — and everyone living further away getting $15 off. Or, if it's easier, Jungle Collective is also doing pick-ups as well. You'll just need to be able to head to its Alexandria warehouse at Bourke Road from 4–6pm on Monday, March 14.
No one ever needs an excuse to escape their daily routines with a stint of mini golf, ten-pin bowling or sleuthing through a challenge room, but on Tuesday, September 5, Funlab's venues are giving you a mighty great reason to anyway. That's when the company's Day of Fun rolls around for 2023, and lets you get putting, rolling and puzzle-solving for $5 a pop — all to help Headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation. All day at 44 venues Australia-wide, including in Sydney, Funlab will donate all of its proceeds to the charity, which provides early-intervention mental health services to 12–25 year olds across Australia. So, you'll be aiding your own headspace — tap, tap, tapping your way around an indoor mini golf course will do that, for instance — and also showing some love to a great cause. Funlab's Sydney sites include Hijinx Hotel in Alexandria, Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq in the same suburb, Holey Moley in Newtown, B. Lucky and Sons at Entertainment Quarter, La Di Darts in Darlinghurst and multiple Strike Bowling joints — and the $5 deal covers bowling, darts, laser tag, an hour of games, one set of challenge rooms and nine holes of golf (all at $5 per activity). Booking in advance is recommended, but Archie Brothers and B. Lucky are doing walk-ins only. Obviously, if you'd like to add a few drinks — these venues serve plenty — that'll cost you extra. [caption id="attachment_681171" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent van der Jagt[/caption]
Good food is good for the soul, but it's not every meal that's just as good for the community and the world. That level of karmic feedback is reserved for meals like Good Karma (Korma), the annual charity dinner hosted at Newtown's Delhi 'O' Delhi, back for its third year this Thursday, September 18. The one-night-only event showcases the highlights of Delhi 'O' Delhi's menu, featuring dishes like chermoula tandoori prawns, Bengali fish curry, and a decadent almond kulfi to finish. Each course comes with a matching wine, and every dish gives back to the world with donations to The Kids' Cancer Project. There will also be raffles and prizes throughout the evening providing further opportunities for donations. 75 percent of all ticket sales on the night will go to supporting young cancer patients, a cause that's deeply personal for Delhi 'O' Delhi founder Javed Khan, who said "I lost my elder brother in India to stage four cancer at the age of 53, just seven months after his diagnosis. Witnessing the challenges faced by patients at Tata Memorial Cancer Centre in Mumbai was confronting, but seeing children bravely fighting this dreadful disease was truly heart-wrenching. I returned to Australia determined to make a difference for young cancer warriors." The dinner will be available for all diners on Thursday, September 18 from 5.30–11pm. Tickets are $95 per person, $125 for matching wines. If you can't make it on the evening but would still like to donate, you can visit the fundraising page here.
Next time you swing past your local petrol station, you might be able to pick up more than just questionable coffee and Cadbury chocolate bars. In fact, you may be able to leave with a full tank, a rotisserie chicken and some luxe mac 'n' cheese. David Jones and BP have teamed up to open 31 super-fancy convenience stores across Sydney and Melbourne by the end of 2020. The duo has already opened ten trial stores across the two cities, with the first opening in Melbourne's Bayside back in November 2019. The new stores are set to open in Merrifield, Clyde, Epping, Caroline Springs, Eltham, Greenvale and Kingsway in Victoria, as well as in NSW's Kellyville, Marsden Park, Seven Hills, Willoughby, Caringbah, Mosman, Sydenham, Penrith, Thornleigh, Asquith, Engadine, Peninsula, West Ryde and Ourimbah. And they'll each be selling more than 350 different products. As well as top-shelf groceries, such as meats, fancy olive oil and peanut butter, they'll be home to a heap of ready-to-eat and heat-at-home meals. Pick from the likes of salads, sandwich and pastries — all David Jones quality, of course — and meals like green curry chicken, butter chicken, lasagne, mac 'n' cheese and free-range rotisserie chook, which are prepared on site each day. Because we live in pandemic times, each store will also offer a range of items for delivery via UberEats. Called Everyday by BP X David Jones, the delivery service is already available from Sydney's Artarmon, Ashfield, Kingsford and Rozelle, and Bayside, Brighton, Clarendon, Greensborough, Ringwood and Tally Ho in Melbourne. On the menu: pulled pork empanadas, haloumi fritters, bolognese and passionfruit cheesecake mousse. For more information about BP X David Jones stores, head to the BP website.
Biannual art and design markets The Finders Keepers is returning for its autumn/winter iterations, bringing shoppers the latest and greatest from its stellar lineup of Australia's most creative makers. The Eora edition is taking over The Cutaway — the staggering sandstone-walled space in Barangaroo — from Friday, July 29 to Sunday, July 31. Joining the creatively charged stalls is a tasty range of food and beverage offerings — all the makings of a prime day to get out, have a chat with artists and support the industry. At the core of the conscious shopping space is a focus on helping you discover and connect with the next wave of independent and emerging artisans — specifically, local designers. So, you can expect to find everything from jewellery, fashion and ceramics to leather goods and body products. And, for the market's return to Sydney after more than a year, there's a swarm of new makers joining the long-held faves. Confetti Rebels will have you sorted for all of your slogan-tee needs, Bea Bellingham is back and bringing her playful ceramic creations along and newcomer Jus Gudi will have its boldly printed, consciously created fashion pieces at the ready. Plus, you'll be able to peruse the bright and upcycled apparel from Deadly Denim, the 2022 Finders Keepers Indigenous Program stall. The legendary ladies from SIP'ER will be slinging top-notch vinos, Yulli's will have you sorted on brews and whisky and Brookie's Gin will send you home with their premium tipples. As well as nabbing a ticket to enter — which is just $5 for daily general admission — be sure to remember that the market is completely cashless. So check (then check again) that you've got your digital (or plastic) payment methods at the ready — it would be a travesty to leave empty handed. The Finders Keepers Autumn/Winter Markets take place on Friday, July 29 (4–9pm), Saturday, July 30 (10am–5pm) and Sunday, July 31 (10am–5pm) at The Cutaway, Barangaroo. For more info and to check out the full vendor lineup, head to the website. Images: Samee Lapham
A nearly three-tonne block of ice will be suspended above Sydney Harbour slowly melting over the course of the day as part of Sydney Festival's free arts program. On this huge block of water? A series of performance artists utilising it as a temporary stage before it disappears. Thaw will take place above the harbour over three days between Friday, January 14 and Sunday, January 16. Each day at 10am, a new block of ice will be suspended and the performers will ascend into the sky accompanied by a score from Alaskan composer Matthew Burtner. Come 8.30pm each night, the performance comes to an end when the last piece of ice returns to water. Making powerful statements on climate change and sustainability, Thaw has been created by local theatre and arts company Legs on the Wall in collaboration with Sydney Opera House. Each performance is free to view from Circular Quay for the duration of the day, however to witness the thrilling conclusion, its recommend you head over around 7.30pm. You can also view it via live stream as part of the Sydney Festival's digital program. Alongside the set of performances will be a pair of free talks from climate leaders and community members presenting a series of ten-minute speeches adressing climate change and how was can take action against it. Images: Shane Rozario. Image courtesy of the artists and Mona Foma.
The Sydney Seafood School is running its inaugural First Nations seafood demonstrations led by Luke Bourke alongside the National Indigenous Culinary Institute (NICI). Bourke is a sous chef at Rockpool Bar & Grill, alumni of the NICI, and with his brother Samuel works with the organisation to promote the use of native Australian ingredients in cooking. Joining Bourke at the demonstration will be NICI CEO Nathan Lovett and South Coast Seaweed's Sarah Thomas. South Coast Seaweed is an Indigenous-run company that harvests golden kelp and educates people on seaweed's longstanding role in First Nations dishes. The demonstration will be taking place on Monday, October 10 from 6pm until 8pm at the Sydney Seafood School inside the Sydney Fish Markets. The dishes being cooked as part of the demonstration will be kept a secret but native ingredients including seaweed, lemon myrtle and Davidson plum will be used with local seafood. Included in the $160 ticket will also be free parking at the fish markets, canapes, tastings and a welcome drink. All profits from the tickets will also be donated to the NICI. Top image: Sydney Seafood School, Franz Scheurer
The nightclub bathroom is a sacred space. Friends have been made and lost within those hallowed walls. Who among us hasn't had a life-altering experience in the bathroom at Soho or World Bar. This is what the new play taking residency at the Kings Cross Theatre is all about. Hot Mess is the latest production from The General Public and Bakehouse Theatre Company that peers into the lives of six twenty-somethings on a night out and their interactions in a public bathroom. Directed by Tasha O'Brien (Playlist), the play stars six of Sydney's most promising comedic actors: Jenna Suffern (Two Queers Walk into a Bar), Courtney Ammenhauser (FBi Radio), Mây Trần (Playlist), Jessica Adie (Sydney Comedy Festival), Alicia Dulnuan-Demou (Good Enough Show) and Hannah Grace Fulton (Noughty Girls). After originally premiering at Old 505 Theatre in 2019, the return of Hot Mess at KXT has been two years in the making. The show provides a hilarious and nostalgic look at rowdy nights out while centring female and queer experiences. It'll have you reflecting on all your favourite memories, or lack of, from nights out clubbing and reaching for your phone to message that one person you met at Good God Small Club back in 2015. Tickets for the show are $35-42, and if you're under 30 you can nab a discount on tickets every Thursdays.
When you've been in the movie-slinging game for a whopping 85 years and you're eager to celebrate that huge milestone, how do you go about it? By screening films, naturally. But Ritz Cinemas isn't just commemorating the occasion with a couple of flicks. It isn't even content with a handful, or a week or so's worth. No, this grand Randwick picture house is truly living up to its age with a three-month program spanning 85 different titles. Starting on Sunday, July 24 and running through till Sunday, October 16, the Ritz's 85 Films in 85 Days lineup does indeed feature a little bit of everything, with one movie showing each day. This huge retrospective covers the cross-section of features that've graced the cinema's screens over the years, and is unsurprisingly the venue's biggest retro offering ever. It all starts with the 1937 version of A Star Is Born, harking right back to the Ritz's first year. From there, a different year is covered each night, all in chronological order. There are too many highlights to mention them all — all 85 films are standouts — but The Wizard of Oz helps round out the 30s selection, Fantasia and Citizen Kane kickstart the 40s, and the 50s lineup includes Rashomon, Singin' in the Rain and Rebel Without a Cause. From the 60s, you can check out the OG West Side Story, Clint Eastwood in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey, while the 70s spread boasts Pink Flamingos, Young Frankenstein, Dawn of the Dead and Alien. 80s cinema fans can look forward to Blade Runner, Stop Making Sense, Back to the Future and Blue Velvet; 90s aficionados can make dates with Strictly Ballroom, Clueless, Trainspotting and Fight Club; and 00s devotees have In the Mood for Love, Lost in Translation, Brokeback Mountain and Inglourious Basterds among their choices. From the 2010s, there's also Drive, Frances Ha, Get Out and Parasite — and, obviously, the list goes on. Wrapping things up: the first Aussie big-screen session of The Green Knight, which is worth waiting 85 days for.
A new Japanese cafe in Ashfield has garnered much attention since it opened earlier this year. But its owners, former chefs at Lotus Barangaroo and Billy Kwong, didn't set out to open a cafe — they just wanted to make great miso. "We started off making our own miso paste and dressing, and people kept asking us how to use it," says Donna Chau, who co-owns Koku Culture with Kenji Okuda. "So we decided to open a cafe around these products, where we'd make everyday food but with a Japanese twist." Think smashed avo on thick-cut milk toast from Newtown's Azuki Bakery ($16); zucchini, corn and nori fitters with yuzu sour cream and chilli salt ($15.50); and a matcha soufflé pancake ($16) topped with brûléed custard and served with fresh fruit and honey comb. [caption id="attachment_755408" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brûlée matcha pancake by Kimberley Low[/caption] You'll find these three on Koku Culture's all-day brekkie menu — a second lunch menu kicks off from 10am. Everything on both, apart from the seared wagyu ($23), comes in under $20, so a brunch here won't bust your summer holiday budget. On the later menu, there's a confit king salmon with green tea soba noodles and house-made miso dressing ($19) and the popular crispy rice burgers (with rice in place of buns) featuring beef, koji chicken or a corn fritter (all $15). Another fan-favourite is the wok-fried eggs, which is a little like a deconstructed okonomiyaki (savoury Japanese pancake): the crispy eggs are laid on a bed of purple cabbage and topped with bacon, dancing bonito flakes, Sriracha and okonomiyaki sauce. A daily specials board offers the likes of a sesame-crusted tofu noodle salad with spicy soy dressing and a matcha sundae, which we hope makes a reappearance during the hotter summer days. And for drinks, there's Single O coffee and weekly changing blends, plus matcha, hojicha (roasted green tea) and yuzu teas. You can order iced versions of all of these, too. [caption id="attachment_755403" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Matcha sundae by Kimberley Low[/caption] The intimate 29-seat Ashfield cafe is meant to feel like an extension of Chau and Okuda's nearby home. It's a simple fit-out with herringbone tiled walls, light timber tables — with a mix of low, high and bench seating — and heaps of natural light. If you (understandably) develop a miso addiction after visiting Koku Culture, you can nab the duo's packaged products for takeaway at the cafe and at the Erskineville Farmers Market. A vegan kimchi will also be released imminently and a range of soy sauces is slated for release sometime in 2020. Find Koku Culture at 1/355 Liverpool Road, Ashfield. It's open from 7am–4pm daily. Images: Kimberley Low.
This year's stacked Vivid food program boasts some incredible talent from across Sydney — and South Eveleigh's very own Coyoacán Social has joined the ranks for 2024. For the first time, the local favourite will be popping up for a Vivid residency inside the bustling Carriageworks precinct, slinging an array of Mexican street eats that give back to the community. The Mexican fare will not only make a fine addition to your foodie hit list, but will also contribute donations to community kitchens. Coyoacán Social's Vivid pop-up will continue to follow the ethos of its founding social enterprise, Plate It Forward, while offering a fresh addition to the annual festival's food selection. Think: creating unity and shared dignity through the provision of top-quality meals. You can expect its flavour-packed birria tacos to make a special appearance as part of the vibrant fare. And, with each taco purchase, you'll be helping to provide a nutritious meal to families in need. Head to Carriageworks from Friday, May 31 until Saturday, June 15 to sink your teeth into the South Eveleigh joint's famed street food.
Cult favourite Aussie basics label Bassike is hosting a big online warehouse sale this month, selling its items from both its past season collections and its archive at significant discounts off the regular price — with pieces starting at $30. Both men's and women's fashion will be up for grabs for five days from 8am on Thursday, July 9 till midnight on Monday, July 13. Expect to find everything from swimwear and footwear to accessories, denim, cotton jersey pieces and lots of quality basics. If you're struggling with the winter cold, you'll (thankfully) be able to find warm clothing here, too. While exact prices have not yet been announced, previously physical warehouse sales have seen denim from $90, tees from $30 and jackets for $120 — no, these aren't basement bargains, but they are reasonable prices for these fine organic pieces. Spend more than $100, and you'll score free shipping, too. Bassike's online warehouse sale will run from 8am on Thursday, July 9 till midnight on Monday, July 13.
The 80s got a lot of things right: music, movies, big hair and knowing how to have a good time. Cyndi Lauper said it herself... "girls just wanna have fun". So, if that anthem resonates with you, get ready for a series of 80s–inspired, fun-filled nights this month in Sydney. Step back in time and embrace the spirit of the 80s at Now & Then, the underground cocktail bar hidden in the heart of Sydney's CBD. Every Tuesday throughout April, Now & Then will be teaming up with Grey Goose for a series of 80s-theme nights to transport you back to the era of big hair, neon and those irresistible synth grooves. The event series will feature a curated menu of Grey Goose cocktails for just $16 each. Sip on updated nostalgic classics including French Martinis, Cosmopolitans, and a seasonal Caprioska. To satisfy your food cravings, the kitchen will be dishing out a selection of $12 jaffles — the perfect snack to accompany you on the dance floor (which will feature 80s anthems courtesy of DJ Joey Santos). Plus, don't forget to dress up in your best 80s attire for the chance to win some exclusive merchandise and maybe even a couple of Grey Goose bottles to take home. So grab some friends and get out the old hair-crimper and leg warmers for a retro celebration at Now & Then this month.
CBD bar About Time is all about the idea that nothing lasts forever and good things must come to the end. It opened in late 2021 in a soon-to-be-demolished building in Sydney's CBD. Situated on the corner of Hunter and Bligh Streets, the venue will only be open until the site's demolition later this year to make way for the new Hunter Street metro train station. So it will go out with a literal wrecking ball. Each Saturday, the bar combines two of Sydney's favourite things, bottomless brunch and 90s/naughties nostalgia with Baby Got Brunch. The weekly party features a selection of the best eats on the About Time menu, free-flowing drinks and hits from the 90s and 00s. You can enjoy a bangin' barbecue spread over an equally banger-filled soundtrack full of era-defining classics from the likes of Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, Blink 182 and Salt-N-Pepa. Your spread of nostalgic snacks will kick off with crudité, French onion dip and Jatz alongside pulled pork croquettes. From there, things will get a bit heftier with slow-cooked pork shoulder served with apple sauce, lamb forequarter with garlic sauce and an array of sides including bread rolls, potato salad and wedge salad. It will really feel like an old-school family gathering minus the paper plates. Rounding out the meal and offering a fully loaded dose of nostalgia is a serving of Viennetta for dessert. And, there's also a vegetarian version of the brunch on offer. Drinks-wise, guests will be treated to two hours of bottomless wines, beers and cocktails. On the cocktail menu are coconut and mango margarita slushies, Haku bloody marys, Roku gin creations, Bati watermelon daiquiris and grape and thyme bellinis. The full experience will set you back $95 per person, or you can opt for a reduced selection of drinks for $20 less.
Following a successful launch last year that filled the dance-sized hole in our hearts during a time when clubs and music festivals were banned, the Sydney Opera House's free dance classes are returning for a second year. The classes offer the opportunity to fill your afternoons with dance across four nights in April. Running across two weeks, Every Body Dance Now takes over the Opera House's Studio with attendees learning a mix of dance styles ranging from disco jazz and line dancing through to Bollywood, Latin and contemporary hip-hop. There's also a Boy Band Bootcamp session for anyone who's ever daydreamed of being in the Backstreet Boys or BTS. Starting on Saturday, April 9, the classes will be run by dancers, choreographers, performing artists and educators. Classes will run for an hour each, with two to three classes occupying each afternoon of the program kicking off from 3pm on weekends or 4pm–4.30pm on weekdays. This way you can drop in for an afternoon dance fix or head over to Circular Quay after work to shake out the day's energy. If this is your first foray into organised dancing, there's no need to worry, as participants of all fitness, age and abilities are invited. The classes are free, but registration is essential, which you can do over at the Sydney Opera House website from 11am on Wednesday, March 23. Images: Daniel Boud
Giant fluorescent orange fluffy birds, 30 ft high dogs shooting lasers from their eyes, costumes made entirely of marijuana leaves and onstage fake fellatio on a man wearing a Bill Clinton mask. Whatever you think of pop's favourite shock poppet, Miley Cyrus' Bangerz tour has been one of the global Tickets To Have. Now the Wrecking Baller is bringing Bangerz to Australia this October. Kicking off in Melbourne on Friday, October 10 at Rod Laver Arena, Cyrus will embark upon a five-date tour of epic visual proportions. Incapable of being able to stop, Cyrus will then head to Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth for what will most likely be Australia's most 'grammed tour since Beyonce's recent run. Tickets are going for $99.90 to $149.90, plus booking fees. Dainty Group presale tickets kicks off at 10am local time on Friday, June 20. General public tickets via Ticketek go on sale Monday, June 23 at 10am. Miley Cyrus Bangerz tour dates: Melbourne - Rod Laver Arena, Friday, October 10 Brisbane - Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Wednesday, October 15 Sydney - Allphones Arena, Friday, October 17 Adelaide - Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Monday, October 20 Perth - Perth Arena, Thursday, October 23
There's more than beaches and beautiful weather to draw you to Queensland. The Sunshine State's art scene has become one of the most vibrant in Australia, and 2023 is shaping up to be a non-stop calendar of festivals, exhibitions and cultural events that you'll want to lock in ASAP. And it's not just Brisbane: the quintessentially Queensland beachside towns and rural cities come alive all year long as well. You'll find everything from boundary-pushing urban installations that merge art and science to world-first exhibitions of iconic artworks, celebrations of First Nations creators, new interpretations of classic performance pieces and international music acts satisfying all your boot-scootin' and blues-rockin' needs. Together with Queensland, we've rounded up nine stand-out arts and culture events that warrant a trip to the tropics all on their own. Book your flights and pack your sense of artistic appreciation, culture vultures — the north awaits. [caption id="attachment_876729" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Aerocene 2 and Aerocene 1.2, Studio Tomás Saraceno[/caption] 'AIR' AT GOMA, BRISBANE Until Sunday, April 23, 2023, the entire ground floor of GOMA will be given over to a sprawling exhibition exploring the ethereal element we breathe — aptly titled Air. Through the themes of atmosphere, burn, shared, invisible and change, diverse artworks will explore this vital, intimate and at times dangerous element that is core to our existence. The exhibition features Australian and international artists, including collection pieces from Ron Mueck and Jonathan Jone, plus commissions from Jemima Wyman and Tomás Saraceno. The artworks address weighty issues like climate change and the pandemic, as well as evocations and meditations on the place of wind and breath in the natural world. Encounter Air through a broad range of artistic mediums, from solid light installations to moving sculptures, the release of scents and art made from breath and pigment. 'Air' at GOMA, Saturday, November 26 till Sunday, April 23, 2023 [caption id="attachment_880980" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lizzie Himmel, Jean-Michel Basquiat 1985. Artwork ©️ Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York.[/caption] 'POP MASTERS: ART FROM THE MUGRABI COLLECTION, NEW YORK' AT HOTA, GOLD COAST For 15 weeks, the Gold Coast's Home of the Arts (HOTA) will play host to an exclusive, world-first exhibition of pop art. Pop Masters will take over the Sunshine State from Saturday, February 18 till Sunday, June 4, 2023. What's on show? Renowned works from the icons of the artistic movement that emerged during the late 50s — the likes of Andy Warhol will get cosy alongside the great Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Characterised by playful, incisive creative conversation with popular culture, these pieces have been selected from the private New York collection of Jose Mugrabi. More than 40 works will span the 60 year history of pop art — there will be legacy pieces from the original artists of the 70s and 80s, and those they inspired up until now. Don't miss the rare chance to see these works in person on Australian shores. 'Pop Masters: Art from the Mugrabi Collection, New York' at HOTA, Saturday, February 18 till Sunday, June 4, 2023 [caption id="attachment_853020" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Markus Ravik[/caption] WORLD SCIENCE FESTIVAL ft. CURIOCITY BRISBANE, BRISBANE Open your minds and feed your desire for new knowledge, insights and thought-provoking art at the World Science Festival. Presented by the Queensland Museum Network, the program offers a stellar lineup of live events across STEM, education and art, with activities for all ages and curiosities. From Wednesday, March 22 till Sunday, March 26, 2023, the festival will hit locations through the Queensland Museum precinct, South Bank and the city, before it takes a tour of locations in regional Queensland. Curiocity Brisbane is back too. From Wednesday, March 22 till Sunday, April 2, 2023, the city will transform into a landscape of wonder, strange encounters and eye-opening experiences, where an intersection of science, technology and art come to life in installations throughout the urban playground. World Science Festival ft. Curiocity Brisbane, Wednesday, March 22 till Sunday, April 2, 2023 [caption id="attachment_878012" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dave Kan[/caption] CMC ROCKS QLD, IPSWICH Pull out the cowboy boots and grab your Stetson, Australia's biggest international country music festival is boot-scootin' its way back to Ipswich. Over three days (March 17–19, 2023), Rebel and Stampede — the two main stages — will keep up a non-stop musical program of epic shows. Past years have brought big name talents — think The Dixie Chicks, Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw and Troy Cassar-Daley — and 2023 is no different. Next year's fest is hosting the finest country acts from here and abroad. Morgan Wallen and Kip Moore will be joined by the exclusive chance to witness the Zac Brown Band perform Down Under. Expect yeehaws of all kinds: old-school classic country, alt and pop-country. Camp onsite and come join the good country people for a hoedown and/or hootenanny. CMC Rocks QLD, Friday, March 17 till Sunday, March 19, 2023 BLUES ON BROADBEACH, GOLD COAST Now in its 22nd year, Blues on Broadbeach always draws a lineup of big-name artists and the best local talent in blues, rock and soul to its sunny locale. Ever-popular and packed with fans of good tunes, good grooves and good times, this free fest will run from Thursday, May 18 till Sunday, May 21, 2023. Those that've been know the fun they're in for. First time? It's massive: gigs take place throughout Broadbeach, from the seaside parklands to favourite venues, with around 20 different spots for you to catch a performance. Make a holiday of it — stay a few nights, explore the area, eat and drink delicious local things. You're free to get up and dance the trip away, or simply sit on the grass with a brew while soaking in the beachy energy of this seaside blues party. Blues on Broadbeach, Thursday, May 18 till Sunday, May 21, 2023 [caption id="attachment_879295" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Blue Click Photography[/caption] CAIRNS INDIGENOUS ART FAIR, CAIRNS AND GREAT BARRIER REEF The annual Cairns Indigenous Art Fair is both a leading ethical art market place and a true celebration of First Nations culture. From Thursday, July 13 till Sunday, July 16, 2023, the event provides an opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to exhibit, collaborate and connect with each other and wider Australian audiences. Next year's theme, 'Weaving Our Future: Claiming Our Sovereignty', highlights the crucial point of time we're in, on the edge of wide-scale change, bringing the narratives and lived experiences of Queensland's First Peoples into national discourse and uplifting their voices. The festival is comprised of both free and ticketed events, with stages at the Cairns Convention Centre precinct and other venues throughout Gimuy (Cairns) featuring art, music, fashion, comedy, food, crafts, conversations and more. It's an optimal time to book a trip to the tropical north — sun, sea and a showcase of stand-out Australian art. Cairns Indigenous Art Fair, Thursday, July 13 till Sunday, July 16, 2023 TOOWOOMBA CARNIVAL OF FLOWERS, SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND COUNTRY Toowoomba will burst into bloom again for the much-loved, endlessly photographable, month-long Carnival of Flowers from Friday, September 1 till Saturday, September 30, 2023. Expect citywide floral displays, tours and activities, from a glorious swathe of natural colour taking over 25 hectares of Queens Park, to the floral floats and street performers of the Grand Central Floral Parade and the private gardens of proud Toowoomba residents in the Chronicle Garden Competition. By night, take a twilight tour through the magical grounds of Laurel Bank Park or explore the illuminated Botanic Gardens. It's not all buds and petals: there are foodie experiences, pub tours, and a food and wine mini-fest of Southern Queensland Country producers — plus music, local markets and a ferris wheel. Explore Toowoomba at its most lush with a trip next September. Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, Friday, September 1 till Saturday, September 30, 2023 BRISBANE FESTIVAL, BRISBANE Brisbane Festival is the vibrant celebration that hits the city annually, bringing bold art, boundary-pushing performances and installations throughout the city. With a focus on challenging, disruptive and bold art, the popular fest spotlights international, local and First Nations creators and collaborators. Although official dates are yet to be released, it's set to run through September 2023. Expect to be able to head to free events, live concerts and interactive hands-on activities — in past years, there's been Naughty Nights Out, magic shows straight from the streets of Tokyo, all-out block parties, blow-out burlesque performances — even rollerskating. The starter? The famous Riverfire display over the waters of the Brisbane River. Brisbane Festival, September 2023 THE RING CYCLE, BRISBANE There's no opera quite like Wagner's Ring Cycle. Totalling 15 hours, you're in for four nights of powerful, operatic wonder. But even if you've seen it before, we're sure you've not seen anything like the upcoming rendition by Opera Australia. Hitting QPAC from Friday, December 1 till Saturday, December 23, 2023, the production comes from Chinese director Chen Shi-Zheng, and brings together performers from here and abroad. The version places Wagner's classic interpretation of Germanic mythology into a futuristic, parallel-universe setting, using digital art to create virtual landscapes. Breathtakingly original, the music is led by French conductor Philippe Auguin, who has headed up The Ring Cycle on numerous occasions. If you're an opera buff or just a fan of fantasy, futurism, timeless tales and truly epic theatre, this is an unmissable cultural event. The Ring Cycle, Friday, December 1 till Saturday, December 23, 2023 To explore more arts and culture events taking over Queensland in 2023, head to the website.
Activewear fans, we've got some big news: P.E. Nation is bringing back its warehouse sample sale — but, this year, it's all online. The athleisure experts hosted their first ever sample sale in 2016 (and everything sold out in the first day) but, luckily, you don't have to worry about being crushed in a throng this year. You just need to have your mouse at the ready. Whether you're stocking up your own balcony-gym wardrobe (or WFH outfit, if we're totally honest) or doing a solid for sporty loved ones, you'll find an extensive array of swim, activewear, accessories, sweaters and jackets available from 12pm on Thursday, April 16 — and all for 60 percent off. There'll be accessories from $40, tops and bottoms from $60, outerwear from $140 and snow (for those future holidays) from $230. Remember the age-old advice of when it comes to sample sales, you need to get in quick. Given the following the label has amassed since General Pants Co. design director Pip Edwards and former senior Sass & Bide designer Claire Tregoning joined forces, its functional, fashionable bits and pieces are bound to be popular. So, keep an eye on the website. P.E. Nation's Online Warehouse Sale goes live on Thursday, April 16. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
One of New South Wales' most spectacular natural wonders is also one of its most carefully guarded. Closed to the public for most of the year to protect its precious ecosystems and First Nations heritage, the Muogamarra Nature Reserve is a hidden oasis located near Cowan, 50 kilometres north of Sydney's CBD. More than 900 species of wildflowers bloom here, including waratahs, angophoras, old-man banksias, pink boronias and native orchids, making it one of the most vibrant habitats for native flora in the state. However, for one brief six-week season every year, this floral wonderland is revealed to visitors. And it's not just the plant life that nature lovers can discover. You can also marvel at ancient First Nations rock engravings, and take in expansive vistas of the Hawkesbury River, Berowra Creek, Bar Island, Milson Island and Spectacle Island. Between Saturday, 17 August–Sunday, 22 September, there are five guided and self-guided tour options visitors can book. The Muogamarra Bird Gully walk is a 3.5-kilometre trail that skirts the fringes of one of the reserve's swamps, where fascinating ecosystems of insects and plants can be observed. For those who want to learn more about the 90-year history of the reserve, the Muogamarra highlights walk is a three-kilometre guided tour that also explores the story of John Tipper, the reserve's founder. One of the harder guided treks is the Muogamarra Lloyd Trig and Deerubbin loop walk, a 6.6-kilometre journey to the Deerubbin lookover where some of the reserve's most breathtaking views can be found. The most challenging hike, however, is the Muogamarra Peats Bight walk — a full-day, ten-kilometre excursion that visits the area's diverse geological sites, including the volcanic pipes around Peats Crater. Alternatively, you choose your own adventure on a self-guided tour. All entrants receive a map of the reserve's various trails and there are friendly volunteers on hand to answer any questions you may have. Images: Pam Goldie.
Whether it's a dog in a superhero costume or a cat wearing, well, whatever you can manage to get a cat to wear, animals donning outfits ranks among the cutest sights your eyes can ever see. Puppers in cowboy hats and wild west vests, posing for portraits might just raise the adorable stakes beyond previous levels, however. Your furry companion can now be the Kevin Kline to your Will Smith in Wild Wild West thanks to this Dog Photog pop-up heading to Zetland Store Gallery on Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 28. Spots for the pop-up are available between 10am–5pm across both days. Bookings are essential, and getting a gorgeous portrait of your cute canine will set you back $55 for one pooch or $85 for two. While just seeing your fur-ball in a cowboy hat may be worth $55, the photoshoot does comes with one web-res image of each dog to take home and set as background photo for every devise you own. Dog Photog Cowboys Pop-Up is open from 10am–5pm.
El Camino Cantina likes tacos, which isn't new news to anyone in Sydney that's hit up the chain over the past few years. But on one specific day, it's ramping that taco affection up a notch and giving the people what we want. If you're heading to a Tex-Mex bar and eatery, then you're clearly after a taco feast — and, ideally, you want them cheap. Enter World Taco Day's all-day $1 taco special, which is exactly what it sounds like. Head by on Tuesday, October 4 and you can tuck into a highly affordable feed at The Rocks, Entertainment Quarter and Manly. Bookings are essential, and the deal runs from open till close — but there is a caveat. You'll need to buy a drink to get up to five $1 tacos. Fancy more? Then get another beverage. El Camino Cantina is known for its OTT margaritas, after all. [caption id="attachment_742918" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kai Leishman[/caption]
UPDATE, October 19, 2020: Climax is available to stream via SBS On Demand, Google Play, YouTube, iTunes and Amazon Video. A bowl of LSD-laced sangria. A thumping soundtrack. Dancers at the top of their game. With the lurid and kinetic Climax, Gaspar Noé takes a trip into a memorable, manic and murderous all-night party. Loosely based on a true story that dates back to the 90s, it starts with a troupe busting moves, downing beverages and blowing off steam after rehearsals, then discovering that their drinks have been spiked. That said, 'discover' isn't really the best word to describe folks realising that their nightmare is real. It's wholly accurate, however it can't completely convey Selva (Sofia Boutella) and her crew's horrific predicament. Writing as well as directing and co-editing, Noé isn't interested in explaining or describing, so that's about as far as his narrative goes. But, as the Argentine-born, French-based provocateur keeps demonstrating with each successive picture, he loves plunging audiences into hallucinatory and immersive worlds. From I Stand Alone and Irreversible to Enter the Void and Love, every movie on his resume involves a straightforward set-up, followed by a descent into chaos and mayhem of varying kinds. That said, Climax's might just be the most literal. One moment, everyone is eagerly strutting their stuff in a seemingly safe space. The next, an orgy of screams, tears, paranoia, sex, blood and death is the new normal. From a largely non-professional cast that numbers 24, all trapped in a remote hall as snow falls outside, connective threads emerge. Selva isn't particularly happy with anyone, and David (Romain Guillermic) considers himself the ladies man of the gang. Emmanuelle (Claude Gajan Maull) is trying to balance her career with being a mother to the young Tito (Vince Galliot Cumant), while everyone just wants to let loose as Daddy the DJ (Kiddy Smile) hits the decks. Personal squabbles, petty grievances and plenty of baggage all add to a jittery, claustrophobic mood, and that's before the acid takes effect. When the drugs kick in, so too do the group's fears and insecurities, the competitive vibe that comes with performing for a living, and the emotional and physical slaughter. Epitomising the idea that style can equal substance (as he has across his entire filmography), it's how Noé spins this story that mesmerises. Whether he's watching the troupe unleash their stellar dance skills in Climax's hypnotic first half, or charting carnage in its second, there's never a dull moment. There's never an average or unengaging moment either, or one that doesn't want to get a rise out of viewers. All of the director's usual traits are on display, from the propulsive tunes that set a distinctive rhythm, to the fluid and floating camerawork by his now four-time cinematographer Benoît Debie, to his penchant for evocative red lighting. And yet, pairing them with dance is a masterstroke. Noé already has a handful of music videos to his name, including for Nick Cave, Placebo and Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter (who contributes a new song to Climax's soundtrack), but in mixing fancy footwork and horror, he might've found his true calling. That's not to say that Climax doesn't have thematic bite as it both revels in and dissects hedonism, and posits that creation and destruction are two sides of the same coin. Nor does it mean that Noé isn't up to his usual tongue-in-cheek tricks (he introduces his main players via video auditions screened on a TV, with VHS tapes of boundary-pushing classics like Suspiria and Salò underneath). But the film is an experience above all else. Purposefully overwhelming the senses — and trying to shatter them, too — it pulls you in with a lengthy sequence of astonishing choreography. It gets your toes tapping until they can't stop. Then, it forces its pulsating frenzy into your soul. The result is Noé at his best, and is best summarised by a song by his regular collaborator Bangalter. In a sea of sweat and terror, Climax loses itself, its characters and its audience to dance in the most bold, unhinged and thrilling way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=-ydNrDCw58c
