Thundering into town upon the back of his immense triumphs in literature, and now the world of cult television, Lionel Corn is the kind of author who draws focus with the slightest adjustment of his seating position. It's no wonder that academics, writers manqué and pedantic fans alike want to limply dab him to death with inane questions whenever he speaks publicly. Following a successful stint at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, The Chaser's Andrew Hansen and Chris Taylor bring the portly form of Corn to the Sydney Writers' Festival for one night only. Hansen and Taylor's George RR Martin-like figure is the centre of a show that pokes fun at the rise in 'In Conversation'-type events, many of which you'll find over these next two months as Sydney is deluged with the SWF, Vivid and Sydney Film Festival in quick succession.
At Griffin after premiering last year at Perth's Black Swan, Aidan Fennessy’s The House on the Lake is an admirably streamlined thriller devoid of the Important Issues that bedevil Australian theatre, but it doesn’t quite stick the landing. Still, it’s never less than involving, thanks chiefly to the wonderfully detailed performances from Huw Higginson as a man who wakes up in a psychiatric facility and Jeanette Cronin as his assessor. Higginson’s David has lost his short-term memory in some sort of accident, and Alice, a psychologist, is trying to help him recover it. Or is she? Fennessy takes his time peeling away the fog of confusion. Where is David? How long has he been there? How did he lose his short-term memory? As many commentators have pointed out, these are all questions Christopher Nolan asked 15 years ago in Memento, and this play feels like a mash-up of that film with The Usual Suspects. But for all its Russian doll-like construction, The House on the Lake isn’t nearly as ingenuous or as unpredictable as either of them. Its incremental revelations don’t add up to the final reveal, they just lead to it, and Cronin has a slab of exposition foisted upon her late in the game that’s all too pat. Still, it’s hard to think of a better production being done of the play than this one, directed by Kim Hardwick. Both actors are superb in roles that require them to be reticent and open (or seemingly so) at the same time, and designer Stephen Curtis has arranged them on a bare white stage that’s both evocative and fluid. The transitions as Martin Kinnane’s lights dim are smoothly efficient; clever nods to the central character’s state of perpetually waking up. And though the play they’ve chosen to mount isn’t quite one for the ages, it’s a tonic to see a show dedicated to nothing more than to entertain. In the end The House on the Lake is nothing more than that, but nothing less, either.
Watching a cursor move around a computer screen doesn't sound very exciting, let alone frightening. There's only so much intrigue to be found in basically watching over someone's shoulder as they flick between YouTube, Skype, Facebook, Spotify, Gmail and iMessage — or is there? It depends what they're up to, of course, and in these always-online times, that could be anything. In Unfriended, the MacBook user in question, high schooler Blaire Lily (Shelley Hennig), is doing quite a few things. First, she's watching shocking footage of her friend, Laura Barns, committing suicide exactly a year earlier, as well as the embarrassing video that drove her to her death. Next, she's cyber flirting with her boyfriend, Mitch (Moses Jacob Storm). Then they're both video chatting with pals Adam (Will Peltz), Jess (Renee Olstead), Ken (Jacob Wysocki) and Val (Courtney Halverson). They're not the only ones taking part in the conversation, as they soon realise. Their Skype call also includes an unknown party, but hanging up on the unpleasant troll isn't as easy as it should be. At the same time, Blaire starts receiving strange Facebook messages from Laura, despite her dearly departed status. Mitch suggests that their virtual gatecrasher is Laura's ghost in the machine, a prediction that seems laughable at first, but less so as the interloper's taunts get increasingly violent — and personal. Yes, this is a supernatural revenge film. Yes, it swaps a handheld camera for a computer screen in the next evolution of the found footage genre. Yes, that means that the entirety of Unfriended unfolds on a laptop, as scared teens are taunted by an unseen foe. Director Levan Gabriadze, writer Nelson Greaves and producer Timur Bekmambetov — the helmer of Wanted and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, as well the most famous name involved with the ultra low-budget production — simply toy with the usual horror narrative in the same way their villain plays with the characters. It's both obvious and ingenious, and it mostly works. Setting the movie within an overlapping cascade of constantly minimised and maximised application windows places the potential victims in an immensely relatable situation — i.e. staring at a computer for hours on end. More than that, it also ramps up the suspense. A couple of bloody set pieces aside, the usual jumps are largely absent, with few scares to be found in pixilated video that keeps the characters' fearful faces on screen as much as possible. However, tension ripples through every typed then deleted message and every mouse move to the wrong place. Blaire and her friends are on the edge of their keyboards, and the audience is inching towards the edge of their seats. Unfriended also offers a critique of online interaction from bullying to shaming, though there's nothing new in its exposé of the awful ways people behave when they think they're anonymous. There's nothing new in the cast's performances as self-absorbed, fighting and terrified teens, either, other than accurately reflecting the right age and behaviour. Innovation doesn't matter here, though; the movie only ever promises a modern update. When it clicks, it clicks. When it doesn't, it's still not enough to make you want to log off.
Sydney's got a brand new music festival on the beach, and we've never seen a more perfect headliner. Legendary harmonisers, surfin' safari-goers and all-round Californian seaside kings The Beach Boys are set to top the bill for Beachfest, a brand new festival coming to Bondi Beach. Hitting Bondi's main beach on Saturday, November 14 at 3pm, Beachfest will see in its first year with the Pet Sounds legends alongside Australian longtimers The Whitlams, Rockhampton's Busby Marou, surf folkster Kim Churchill and Brisbane's Sahara Beck. The Beach Boys have five decades of Grammy-winning back catalogue to bust out, so come ready to settle in. Imagine watching 'Surfer Girl', 'Kokomo' or 'California Girls' on Bondi Beach. Too good. Tickets are pretty affordable, starting at $85 — running from general admission 'On the Green' seats to reserve 'On the Beach' seats on the beach to VIP packages with food and drink suppled by The Bucket List. There's some warm fuzzy do-gooderness involved here too, with $1 from every ticket sold to be donated to Surf Live Saving NSW (the official beneficiary of the event). Aside from the squealworthy headliners — who'll also be doing a full Australian tour — the festival will see markets, surfing and skating exhibitions and Surf Live Saving events, including a march past, beach flag races and board races. Beachfest is happening at Bondi Beach on November 14 from 3pm. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 26 at midday from Ticketek and Beachfest's website. Early bird presale is Friday, June 19 at midday until Sunday, June, 5pm. Go to www.bondibeachfest.com to register.
June marks the beginning of Guest Chef Sundays at Casoni in Darlinghurst. Casoni head chef Lachlan Robinson will join forces with chefs from some of Sydney and Melbourne's most well-known restaurants to create a series of one-off lunch menus. Joseph Vargetto of Melbourne's Mister Bianco will be bringing his Southern Italian heritage to the kitchen on June 14. Together, he and Robinson will showcase an amazing blend of traditional and modern Italian flavours. Kiwi chef Morgan McGlone will be in the kitchen on June 28 to create a pasta degustation inspired by his time at Husk Nashville and Belle's Hot Chicken in Melbourne. Tickets include five courses with optional matching wines. Bookings are essential.
There’s no nice way to put it: Aloha is a mess. It's not a hot mess, despite its disorganised array of attractive actors and its scenic setting. It's not a fun mess, because it rarely entertains. Instead, it's the worst kind of cinematic clutter: an indulgent mess. Aloha is a movie that hasn't met a cliche it doesn't love — and given that its writer/director, Cameron Crowe, has met many in his past efforts (such as Jerry Maguire, Elizabethtown and We Bought a Zoo), that's saying something. It's also a feature with so little to show or say outside of its rehash of the filmmaker's usual plotline — down-and-out man is refreshed by the attention and affection of a younger woman — that it spends a fair chunk of time referencing its title in dialogue, songs and even on fridge magnets. The film's main tale focuses on former NASA worker turned defence contractor Brian Gilcrest (Bradley Cooper), who returns to the Hawaii base where he once spent the best years of his career. He's tasked with negotiating permission from the locals to move US military operations to another site, which links in with the shady work he's doing for an eccentric billionaire (Bill Murray). While there, he also confronts old issues with his ex-flame (Rachel McAdams), who's struggling with marital problems with her strong, silent-type husband (John Krasinski). Brian's every move is shadowed by an eager fighter pilot, Allison Ng (Emma Stone), assigned as his handler — and of course, soon they're flirting with becoming more than colleagues. As overly sincere as it is sprawling, Aloha exists to trade in Crowe's usual brand of rom-com optimism and self-belief, love conquering all mid-life crises and all that. Sometimes, the filmmaker doing what he does best results in flashes of corny charm, as glimpsed in the banter between Cooper and Stone, and a dance shared by the latter with Murray. Too often, however, he's content with trifles such as featuring a rotating handheld shot around Cooper, Stone and McAdams, or making a joke out of Cooper and Krasinski communicating without words, or shoehorning in a space hacking threat as the movie's climax. This seesawing between too-cute, too-contrived and too-clumsy might have been excusable if the characters immersed in such shoddy plots and shots remotely resembled people, other than physically, that is. Alas, the figures on screen never transcend their status as the idealised imaginings of a dreamer, nor do the corresponding performances. Saying that Stone steals the show is a reflection of her natural pep and flair, not of her ability to repeat the reasoning for her playing someone with partial Hawaiian heritage. Of her co-stars, Cooper is in stock-standard mode and Murray is barely glimpsed, alongside the rest of the high-profile cast, Alec Baldwin and Danny McBride included. Even the one element that typically, reliably stands out in Crowe's films — his use of music, as seen in Say Anything and Almost Famous, for example — doesn't hit the mark. When a movie has to resort to Murray announcing "everybody wants to rule the world" moments before the track is heard, it's hard to get swept away in the emotion of the scene. It's hard to get swept away in Aloha altogether; in fact, you might just want to sweep its mess from your memory.
Back in 1975, photographer Hugh Holland had an inkling a group of teenage skateboarders were going to make it big. It was the group who'd spawn the legendary Dogtown and Z-Boys, and this month, Holland's documentation of them goes on display at Blender Gallery. Locals Only is a newly published book of Holland's photographs, tracing the beginnings of a sport and subculture that changed the face of teenage rebellion. Full of tanned bodies and bleached hair, Holland’s images document the group as they carve up drainage ditches and seize empty suburban swimming pools for skate bowls. Set among the sunny surrounds of southern California, this survey of late ‘70s skateboarding is likely to trigger admiration for both the daring art of skating and the precise art of photography. Don't miss the opening party on Thursday, June 4, sponsored by Pistonhead Lager and Beach Burrito Company.
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.
If you haven't yet sorted that Mudgee weekender that we've been banging on about, here's some relief. The Pyrmont Festival, happening for the fifth year in a row, is bringing you ten days' worth of Mudgee goodness this month. On Saturday May 16 and Sunday May 17, Pirrama Park will host the main event, a two-day extravaganza featuring more than 100 stalls from winemakers, growers and creators. There will also be live music, local art and rides. Between May 14 and 25, you can also pop into some of Pyrmont's best eateries (including Blue Eye Dragon, Cafe Morso, Flying Fish and the new LuMi Bar & Dining) to enjoy lunches, dinners and tastings presented by some of Mudgee's best wineries (including Burrundulla Wines, Robert Stein Vineyard, Lowe Wines and Huntington Estate). With more than 40 wineries now in operation, Mudgee is fast becoming a popular destination for Sydney wine lovers, offering boutique experiences, fancy European grapes and excellent local produce.
Paris has its creepy catacombs. London is contemplating turning its subterranean tunnels into a network of cycle paths. But Sydney’s underground hasn’t been so easy to visit. Not until now, that is. If you’ve been curious about what lurks beneath, you’ll get a chance to find out when Sydney Open 2015 hits town on Sunday, November 1. Among the 50+ architectural secrets opening for exploration are the city’s Second World War tunnels, which twist and turn their way among the hidden depths of Hyde Park from St James Station. Meanwhile, at Central, you’ll be able to explore the spooky platforms 26 and 27, which were built in the 1970s, but have never seen a train. The ghostly stationmaster’s office and bathrooms are still intact. The only catch is that these, along with St Mary’s Cathedral Belltower, Sydney Town Hall Clock Tower, Central Station Clock Tower and the Opera House’s behind-the-scenes, are of limited capacity. So they’ll be exclusively accessible to those with one of 112 Golden Tickets. And to nab one of those, you’ll need to enter a draw by booking a standard OPEN ticket (aka City Pass) by October 16. If you can’t manage that — or you don’t happen to win — there’s no need to sulk. Sydney OPEN will be bringing you stacks more to see. For those who love their sandstone, there’ll be tours of James Barnet’s ornate Mortuary Railway Station in Chippendale, Francis Greenway’s St James Church (consecrated in 1824) and the City of Sydney Fire Station (built in 1887). And you'll also score an inside look at a couple of recent conversions. There’s Kensington Street, where a series of workers’ cottages built in the 1840s have been turned into an arty strip, featuring galleries, markets, small bars and eateries, as well as the Old Clare Hotel, housed within the former Carlton and United Breweries admin building as well as the original Clare. A slew of contemporary architectural feats are on the program, too. Sneak inside Harry Seidler’s creations at Australia Square, Grosvenor Place and 9 Castlereagh Street. Find out what the brutalists were on about inside the Sydney Masonic Centre’s 24-storey Civic Tower and UTS’s 33-storey Building 1. And check out Frank Gehry’s first Australian work — UTS’s Dr Chau Chak Wing Building, which features a curvy brick façade made of 320,000 custom-made bricks and a glass ‘curtain wall’. Then there are another 40 or so places to keep you busy. Book your ticket at the Sydney Living Museums website, and hope it turns golden.
A whopping 60 films will make their Australian debut at the 2015 Jewish International Film Festival. Returning to Event Cinemas Bondi Junction in Sydney and Classic Cinemas Elsternwick in Melbourne, this three-week celebration of Jewish films and filmmakers will screen both fiction and non-fiction films from all around the world, in order to showcase what festival director Eddie Tamir calls "the agony and the ecstasy of the Jewish experience". Standout narratives in the JIFF 2015 program include German post-WWII legal thriller Labyrinth of Lies, French-Canadian romantic drama Felix and Meira, Cannes Grand Prix winner Son of Saul and Natalie Portman's directorial debut A Tale of Love and Darkness, about Israeli novelist and journalist Amos Oz. The documentary lineup is similarly strong. Out of Israel, Censored Voices uncovers harrowing recordings made by disillusioned Israeli soldiers shortly after the Six Day War in 1967, while controversial Latvian doco Beyond the Fear tells the story of Yigal Amir, the assassin of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
2015 is the UNESCO International Year of Light, and Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art is taking the opportunity to shine a little light on local artists harnessing the power of electromagnetic radiation in new and exciting ways with upcoming exhibition Luminous. MCA chief curator Natasha Bullock is promising “shooting star spirits, geometric patterns of light and dark dancing on walls, ambient environments and infinity windows carved into architectural space”. Featuring a major new commission by Sydney-based Aboriginal artist Jonathan Jones (recipient of last year’s Kaldor Public Art Projects’ Your Very Good Idea) and an impressive lineup including Sandra Selig, Peter Kennedy, William Seeto and John Mawurndjul, Luminous is sure to bring a little light into your life as those famous Sydney days start to get a little darker. Image: Sandra Selig, Be Some Other Material (2011), single-channel split screen digital video.
The latest addition to the ‘rom-con’ genre by writer/director duo Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (Crazy, Stupid Love), Focus is a surprisingly enjoyable film in spite of its flaws. With the audience guided early on by the Grifter’s Mantra — "Never break focus. Die with the lie." — it’s one where you’re persistently trying to anticipate the next twist and deconstruct every line to reveal its true meaning, only to find yourself constantly (and refreshingly) wrong. Fronting the film is Will Smith in a role that at last plays to his strengths of charm and wit rather than the physical kind (like so many of his recent, ill-conceived outings). Smith plays Nicky, a lifelong conman at the top of his game who one night finds himself the target of the aspiring but guileless gonif Jess (Margot Robbie). Sensing her potential, however, Nicky shows Jess the ropes and invites her to join his crew in New Orleans as they take on the unsuspecting hordes during Superbowl week. From then on, Focus buffets you with twists, deceptions and double-crosses with such marked regularity that you’re never quite sure where you stand. Key to its appeal is the chemistry between Smith and Robbie, simmering deliciously back and forth between master and apprentice, lover and temptress. Robbie’s sex appeal is undeniable, but here — unlike in The Wolf of Wall Street — it’s treated as a playful trait rather than her raison d’etre, even going so far as to make her character spectacularly bad at the art of seduction. It’s a refreshing angle and one that allows Robbie to showcase her genuine acting chops. Solid performances from Smith and Robbie notwithstanding, it’s the secondary characters, however, who ultimately prove the scene stealers (or should that be grifters?). Rodrigo Santoro (Love Actually) makes for a convincing billionaire playboy come Formula 1 team owner, BD Wong is almost unrecognisable as a cashed-up gambler with a near-sexual response to wagers, and Adrian Martinez delivers a laugh a line as Smith’s long-time accomplice ‘Farhad'. The highlight, though, is Gerald McRaney (House of Cards) in a role that very much channels his iconic Major Dad character from the early '90s. Playing Santoro's interminably suspicious bodyguard, he at one point delivers a sublime rant on today’s youth, covering off everything from lazy Sundays to panini and — best of all — “Sarcasm: another pillar of your generation. If you don’t like somebody’s jacket, don’t say ‘Hey nice jacket’, say ‘Fuck off’”. Overall, Focus might not match the sophistication of Ocean’s Eleven or the passion of The Thomas Crown Affair, but it’s an enjoyable enough distraction whose only real major letdown is an unnecessarily twisty ending.
Enjoy a bespoke cocktail at Sydney’s latest pop-up bar, where it's Happy Hour all night long. The new outdoor appendage of The Governor’s Table in the CBD will serve premium bevs at markdown prices, making it the perfect place to unwind after a busy week at work. Open Thursdays and Fridays from 5pm to 8pm, The Governor’s Shout! is located on the corners of Bridge Street and Phillip Street, right outside The Governor’s Table, opposite the commemorative metal bust of Governor Arthur Phillip. And really, what better way to celebrate Sydney's colonial founding father than with cheap beverages right beside the Museum of Sydney? Each week, the pop-up will showcase a new bespoke cocktail, for the terribly reasonable price of $10 each. This week, it's The Forgotten Bridge, a blend of passionfruit, fresh lime, vanilla and a healthy dose of Pampero rum. The pop-up's drinks menu also features a wide selection of wines, including The Lane 'Lois' Blanc de Blanc, La Prova Pinot Grigio, Mt Macleod Pinot Noir, Voyager Cabernet Malbec and Laughing Jack Shiraz, all at just $6 a glass. Yep, that's $6 after-work wines. It gets better. Asahi and Sydney Cider will be available for just $5, and they’ll be serving an array of bar food and snacks to keep you tied over until your inevitable dinner at The Governor's Table. This is a very, very smart move from the Governor's team, timing-wise. Once the pop-up shuts its doors for the evening at 8pm, patrons have the option of heading indoors, where they can peruse the Governor’s Table dinner menu at their leisure. The bar has just announced the launch of their monthly Winemaker Dinner series, which pairs a selection of local wines with a five-course degustation. The first takes place on Thursday, March 4, with wines from Ross Hill in Orange and a dinner by Chef Marco Adler. Find The Governor's Shout! outside The Governor's Table on the corners of Bridge and Phillip Street, next to the Museum of Sydney in the CBD. Open Thursdays and Fridays 5 - 8pm.
In a festival full of buzzing crowds and street vendors, the Chinese Garden of Friendship is offering a more calming experience as it hosts Saturday morning Tai Chi classes. Conducted by Fiona Maiyin Thockloth from the Inner Peace & Wellbeing Centre, the lessons take an hour out of your weekend and promote mental clarity in the beautiful garden surrounds. It's a popular class, so make sure you get there 15 minutes early to sign up. If you want to keep learning over the Chinese New Year festival, try fan dancing and other workshops.
Flock to the city's best Asian eateries to experience some of the seriously tasty set menus they will be serving up as part of the annual Chinese New Year Festival. That's right people, Lunar Feasts is back and from as little as $20 per person, you can eat your weight in wontons at favourite spots like Din Tai Fung and Chinese Noodle House. The more money you fork out (or should that be chopstick out?), the more decadence you can expect, with the likes of Ms G's and Fu Manchu offering multicourse delights of sambal octopus, kimchi and an included sweet treat for about $50. Most restaurants have both lunch and dinner options and some menus include an alcoholic beverage as part of the deal. Bookings are a must at all restaurants, so if you don't want to be left with the dregs of the green tea, get out your red paper envelopes and secure your place now.
Quiet achievers Little Dragon are a bit of an elusive bunch. Despite jamming together for nearly two decades, the Swedish quartet only gained a serious fan-base following their breakout hit 'Twice' in 2009. But these high school pals-turned-internationally touring chart-toppers are proof that sometimes the best things take time. Making their way around Australia for a string of Laneway Festival appearances, Little Dragon have squeezed in a couple of sneaky sideshows for those not festivaling. Channeling their signature blend of genre-bending beats, their latest fourth studio album Nabuma Rubberband sees a smooth set of dance tracks with strong electro-pop and R&B tendencies. Previous collaborations with the likes of the Gorillaz, SBTRKT and Big Boi have seen these guys go from virtual unknowns to a globally recognised act. With captivating vocals courtesy of Yukimi Nagano guaranteed to get audiences grooving, these performances won't disappoint.
Held at the appropriately underground ALASKA Projects, this discussion will unpick that ambiguous label 'emerging artist'. It seems we’re always on the watch for vibrant young game-changers, but what does this term actually mean? Is it tied to age? Or experience? A solid lineup of speakers will trace the path from art school to art establishment, hopefully shedding a little more clarity. Sharing their thoughts will be Tess Allas, Alexie Glass-Kantor, William Sturrock, Sam Wild, Andrew Frost (MC) and recipient of the 2014 NSW Visual Art Fellowship (Emerging), Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran. This event is one of our top ten picks of Art Month. Check out the other nine here. Image: NSW Visual Arts Fellowship (Emerging) Recipient, Ramesh Marion Nithiyendram, 2014, earthenware, red terracotta, glaze, platinum and gold lustre, raw earth, ceramic tiles, marble, concrete, chains, perspex, cardboard, styrofoam, Installation view, Artspace, Sydney. Photo: San Wimberly.
This conversation delves into the relationship between art and its underestimated cousin, craft. Far from living room knits and quilts, there’s a mountain of innovative products finding a lucrative market online. Through platforms like Etsy and Instagram, these entrepreneurial makers are carving out new business models and satisfying the demand for a more local touch. Held at Koskela in Rosebery, the panel will consist of Emma Rutherford, Luke Temby of CUPCO, Rebecca Chua of Chuchu Designs and design writer Gillian Serisier (MC). This event is one of our top ten picks of Art Month. Check out the other nine here. Image: Courtesy of Rebecca Chua, styling and photography by Emma Duckworth and Abbie Melle.
Naming the sequel to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel probably didn’t cause any headaches or sleepless nights. There’s no unsightly numeral at the end, but the film’s follow-up status is still made clear, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel saying everything a movie title needs to say. It's the same older folks getting up to the same old tricks. The film opens in the United States, the perpetually cranky Muriel Donnelly (Maggie Smith) and always-eager Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel) trying to convince an American company to fund their expansion plans; however, that’s just window dressing. Soon they return to Jaipur, to their home away from home for more mature travellers, and to the recognisable faces of their long-term residents. Everyone’s problems may be new, be it a job offer, romantic entanglements, health ailments, impressing a hotel inspector, fending off rivals or preparing for impending nuptials, but there’s nothing different about the dynamic. Indeed, anyone who has seen the first movie — or anything any of the high-profile ensemble cast have ever been in — already knows exactly how everyone behaves, and how everything plays out. As will-they-or-won’t-they couple Evelyn and Douglas, Judi Dench is wise and cautious, and Bill Nighy is equal parts charming and sweet, their relationship never in doubt. Lust drives Celia Imrie’s Madge and Ronald Pickup’s Norman into their own silly side-character subplots steeped in matters of the heart. When Richard Gere arrives as the visitor assumed to hold the fate of the new hotel in his hands, he’s as suave and dreamy as he’s ever been on film, and there’s a woman nearby to fall under his spell. These soap-like, sitcom-style antics, and Sonny’s in coping with the competing demands of running a growing business and getting married, ensure much of The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel plays out like a subcontinent-set episode of Fawlty Towers. Sadly, missing is the wit and satire that made the TV series such a comedy gem. Instead, the laughs here come from familiarity and predictability, rather than any real comic impulses by returning director John Madden and second-time scribe Ol Parker. Part of what endeared The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel to audiences — old more so than young — was the late-stage coming-of-age story mixed with an elderly-but-not-out attitude. Both came dripping with sentimentality and packaged as a glossy travelogue, but the movie struck a chord more often than not, and not just because of its immensely pleasant performers. That’s exactly what The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel attempts, but the feel-good strengths of the first film just don’t stretch that far. Instead, cheesiness and cliches fill in the gaps, including the obligatory dance sequences, lest viewers forget there’s an Indian wedding thrown in as well.
We've seen a damn lot of cuteness lately. First, Sydney went ahead and landed us our very first cat cafe. Then, Uber decided to deliver kittens to our very offices. But dumpling monarchs Din Tai Fung have gone ahead and created cuteness we can put in our mouths — take that Uberkitty OUT of your gob. To celebrate the 2015 Lunar New Year, Din Tai Fung have created the sweetest buns we've ever been able to sink our teeth into. Offering up Lunar Lamb Sweet Buns every day from February 11 to March 5, DTF have fashioned little lambs out of their bao buns. Just LOOK AT THEM. They're called 'Baa Buns' because sometimes life just gets it right. Good news, you don't have to connect the dots between the lamb inside and out of the bun — they're desserty little blighters. Baa buns come steamed-to-order with a formidable filling of molten dark chocolate and taro, $3.20 each or $6 a pair. The little edible lambies will be available World Square, Central Park, Westfield Chatswood and their new Westfield Miranda outpost. There'll be limited quantities at each venue, available daily. But if you visit on the same day as us, we take no prisoners.
Spend the day lazing about in one of Sydney's sweetest parks; Mardi Gras' Fair Day is back again for 2015. With gourmet food stalls, live music and comedy acts, this day-long celebration is sure to make your Sunday just a little more colourful. From 10am on February 22, join the expected 80,000 other attendees heading along to Chippendale's Victoria Park for a free excuse to get out and enjoy the sun. Everyone's covered, with fairground rides, on-stage entertainment and the festival's famous DoggyWood dog show. Round off the day by kicking on to King Street for the free After the Fair Party at the Newtown and Bank Hotels.
Puddles is a really tall clown who sings covers of popular songs with a sad face. He calls it his Pity Party and he's throwing one at the Giant Dwarf for a few days in March. If it sounds like a gimmick, that's because it is. But if you can manage to get past the 7 foot man with the white painted face wearing pompoms, turns out the clown can actually sing. Puddles' cover of Lorde's hit Royals has received more than 10 million views on YouTube, and his shows have received standing ovations at comedy festivals all around the world. And not without good reason. Puddles' performances are weirdly hypnotic — we think it must be something to do with the ridiculous clown suit and the pretty awesome voice. It's just so unexpected. If clowns creep you out, this might not be the show for you. But if you're looking for a truly unique performance, this might be for you.
It’s 1982, Amsterdam, and tough economic times are hitting hard. So what’s a ragtag gang of close-knit friends to do to make a living — especially when they can’t get a bank loan to pursue legitimate business interests? Abducting a beer baron might not be the obvious answer, but it is the course of action Cor Van Hout (Jim Sturgess) and his brother-in-law Willem Holleeder (Sam Worthington) take. They’ll need to rob a bank to finance their ingenious get-rich-quick idea, and they’ll need the help of some pals (fellow Aussies Ryan Kwanten and Thomas Cocquerel, plus Dutch actor Mark van Eeuwen) to put their plan into action. Welcome to Kidnapping Mr Heineken, a snatch-and-grab caper that can only tell a true tale. This isn’t the first time these circumstances have earned the big screen treatment, with 2011’s De Heineken ontvoering from The Netherlands doing the same. The capture of Alfred Heineken for what was the largest ransom ever at the time made headlines in its day; however, that was three decades ago. Now, it’s a footnote in history, and even with several movies reliving the saga, that’s likely the way it will stay. Journalist Peter R. de Vries turned the entire affair into a book in 1987, his investigative attitude coming through in the film adaptation. Kidnapping Mr Heineken maps the planning and the aftermath in standard crime procedural fashion, more concerned with the perpetrators and their fraying friendship — 35 million Dutch guilders is a lot of money to share, after all — than the plight of their victim. Perhaps director Daniel Alfredson, a veteran of The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, just wanted to showcase his younger stars, all strangely keeping their native accents. Perhaps it’s just because, apart than the initial abduction and the inevitable downfall, not much happens — other than squabbling and sitting around waiting. As is often the case, what Van Hout and Holleeder thought was a sure path to easy money quickly proves otherwise. After capturing Heineken (Anthony Hopkins) and his driver (David Dencik), neither the police nor the beer company plays ball. Cue an average dramatisation of actual events, with the usual backstories and complications. Everyone has issues: Holleeder’s father previously worked for Heineken, his sister (and Van Hout’s wife) is pregnant, one of the group has a family to care for, no one really likes another of their so-called friends. Alfredson is workman-like in bringing it all together, ensuring the movie looks sleek while matching the 1980s period, and even throwing in a few great car chases. His cast does the same, each hitting their marks, though nothing bubbles under the surface of their characters — or the film. It’s a fitting approach for a feature that doesn’t try to be anything more than a faithful, sometimes emotional retelling of real-life circumstances, but it is also unfulfilling. Alas, Kidnapping Mr Heineken is content with just showing us what happened, rather than telling us anything that inspires more than a passing interest.
A psychedelic, space-rock show like no other, The Flaming Lips have been putting on incredible live acts for three decades. Their music is meant for an outdoor festival stage, and for Sydney Festival 2016, they'll be playing out in the open at The Domain — for free. No catch. For the fanatics out there who want to get up close and personal, there is also $50 VIP access passes on sale now, which allows you to jump the queues and sit front-of-stage. Fifty bucks for premium viewing of one of the best live acts around? Now that's a VIP event we can get on board with. Check out more of the best Sydney Festival events under $50 here.
Another incredibly cool freebie, this whimsical fairground is just as much for adults as it is for kids. Think a Ferris wheel fitted out with toilet seats and a bicycle-powered carousel, all of which are made with recycled objects. The vision for the installation was created by a collective of artisans led by Jordà Ferré and Oscar de Paz, and is just one piece of the free summer nights at Parramatta's Alfred Square. Check out more of the best Sydney Festival events under $50 here.
This brilliant dance troupe hails from Elcho Island and their style combines traditional Indigenous culture with contemporary dance. Their storytelling through movement is spectacular, and will likely be one of the most stunning performances of the festival. Held in the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, this is sure to be a high-energy event — and with tickets around the $40 mark, it's well worth the funds. Check out more of the best Sydney Festival events under $50 here.
Spending two days surrounded by sport-crazed fans in Sydney's big gun stadium might not sound like your typical weekend. But if an international carnival of music, booze and killer costumes is your thing, clear February 6 and 7 in your calendar right now. Across two days this February, Allianz Stadium will play host to one of Rugby’s iconic annual events, the HSBC Sevens World Series. Bringing together revellers from 16 nations around the globe, Sydney 7s promises a perfect mix of partying and cracking sporting performances. With visitors flocking in everywhere from Fiji to South Africa, this is set to be an action-packed weekend not to be missed. Best of all, this year’s theme of ‘Go Global’ sees spectators encouraged to dress up and show some colourful international pride. Dust off that long forgotten costume and head along to see some knock out sporting talent hit the pitch. Sydney 7s will take place at Allianz Stadium from February 6 to 7. Single day or weekend ticket passes can purchased from Ticketek. Image: Nick Malouf.
La Traviata is billed as part opera, part protest, part drag show. One wonders whether a simpler approach might have helped the Sisters Grimm land a few more of their punches. Okay, full disclosure: I’m no opera fan. In answer to any question regarding Giuseppe Verdi’s 17th-century opera, I will readily give the same reply I give to any enquiry about any opera from any era: “Oh yes. That’s the one with the viking helmets, isn’t it?” That said, this latest offering from queer theatre collective Sisters Grimm, while entertaining in parts, feels quite confused about what it is trying to achieve. La Traviata (directed and co-created by Declan Greene) is a ‘plundering of the canon’ which takes one of the most frequently performed operas in Australia and uses it as a lens through which to examine the state of the arts. A (literal) paint-by-numbers backdrop, an unironed sky-tarp, an inflatable swan and bouquet-adorned exercise balls are part of a set design by Marg Horwell that, in addition to some fabulously bizarre period costuming (also by Horwell), turn Downstairs Belvoir into a garage sale sanctioned by Queen Victoria. Satire and parody obviously play a large part in proceedings (don’t take my word for it — ask the giraffe). Both the operatic form and the excesses of major Australian arts companies are skewered. But for a show relying so heavily on Verdi’s source material to frame, among other things, debates about Australian arts funding, there is surprisingly little effort expended to situate the audience within this narrative. Unlike, say, Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men in Tights, which retells the famous myth with frequent comedic pit-stops, here, a couple of sentences quickly scrolling across a small, wall-mounted screen at the start of each act provide little context for the deconstruction that follows. Pacing also becomes an issue once we get into the back end. The first half is manic, bursting with energy and comedy. But the transition to a relatively sober second half is a rough one. The stage is stripped, of props and verve, and an audience Q&A session feels vaguely like an admission of defeat. Michael Lewis’s finale is impressive, but after the thorough razzing of opera that we’ve just witnessed (can Emma Maye Gibson’s transformation from opera singer to ape really be read any other way?), it seems disingenuous to hope that an audience would appreciate its beauty. The cast — Ash Flanders, Emma Maye Gibson, Michael Lewis and Zindzi Okenyo — all work feverishly throughout the show. But ultimately La Traviata doesn’t feel like it has its hooks deep enough in Verdi’s work or the political issues to really make it sing.
Hell yes! Get along to the third instalment of the Soul Collective Mixtape series as Australia’s most prominent future-soul, hip hop and electronica groups take over Venue 505 for a night of irresistible groove. Featuring 30/70 (Melbourne), Fortunes (New Zealand), Sydney’s Lana Rita and newly formed electronica/afro-beat supergroup The Cosmodelta, this guaranteed boogie night will have you burning through the soles of your shoes in no time. This event is one of our top ten picks of the Sydney Fringe Festival. See the other nine here.
“Your word is ticket.” “Can you use it in a sentence?” “Get a ticket to this show, now!” This isn't your average night of comedy and it certainly isn't your average spelling bee. I mean sure, words are given to the contestants and they have to spell them correctly, but are all the words real? Probably not. Can they even be used in a sentence? We’re guessing no, but there's sure to be comical consequences aplenty for any incorrect answers. Michael Hing, Alex Lee and Patrick Byrnes are your gamemasters for the evening.
Sixteen brewers, sixty-plus beers, a slew of gourmet chefs, live musicians and a petting zoo will converge on Willoughby on Saturday, September 13, for the fourth annual Willoughby Craft Beer Fair. Entry to the shindig is free. But, if you're keen to taste, you'd be wise to invest in some tasting tix before the date. For $23.50 online or $27 at the door, you get ten delicious samples. Australian brewers who'll be peddling their creations include Balmain Brewing Company, Gang of Four from Sydney's Northern Beaches, Mountain Goat from Richmond, Victoria, Yulli's Brews from Surry Hills and Murray's from Port Stephens. In addition to these local flavours, you'll be offered a stack of drops from around the world. The Fair is hosted by The Willoughby Hotel and is organised in conjunction with Willoughby Council's EMERGE Spring Fair. The action will go on all day, kicking off at 11am and winding up at 5pm.
Sydneysiders are serious about their bar culture, so it's no surprise that Sydney Bar Week is a thing. A glorious, glorious thing. With a program ranging from industry-oriented events like the Bartender of the Year Award to the more casual Global Whisk(e)y Expedition, you'll find something to interest to you. The festival starts off with a bang. Nine veteran bartenders (with over 200 years of combined experience) will be pouring vintage cocktails at a one-off event at The Barber Shop. And why not engage in an Indie Tasting? More than 50 boutique brands will be exhibiting their spirits and you'll also get nine short seminars about different spirits from American gin to craft rum. If none of those sound fun enough to you, we'd suggest the Pool Competition and Handball Tournament at the Oxford Tavern. Show up, and show them who's the school (or bar) yard champ.
Hankering after a Byron Bay break, but don't have the time or cashola to make the 800km journey? Then how about a casual train trip to St Peters instead? This Friday, September 25, Byron's legendary brewers Stone & Wood will be popping up in Sydney for just one night. From 5pm, they'll be running a mini-festival in St Peters' Precinct 75, just in front of The Society Inc. They're driving all the way down the East Coast in their beloved Land Rover, 'Clyde', for the occasion and will be bringing a whole bunch of beachy, Byron Bay-inspired fun with them. For a start, all of Stone & Wood's beers will be available on tap, for just $5 a pop. And to keep your eyes and ears entertained, there'll be live tunes from Byron Bay-based Kyle Lionhart, Luke Morris and Garrett Kato, as well as a projector screening surf films by Mctavish. You won't go hungry either, with tasty morsels from the Veggie Patch van. And you can also expect a visit from the Sydney Cafe Racers, who are taking part in the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride, a worldwide motorcycle adventure raising money and awareness for prostate cancer.
In How To Be Single, paralegal Alice (Dakota Johnson) complains about all the things she said she'd do but hasn't. Everyone in the audience can surely relate; actually, as they're watching her dating exploits, they're witnessing that very idea in action. At the outset, the screen adaptation of Liz Tuccillo's novel declares that it won't tell the usual relationship-focused story. That statement proves more aspirational than accurate, with the author's background — co-writing self-help book He's Just Not That into You, as well as penning episodes of Sex and the City — giving you a hint of what to expect. While this Christian Ditter-directed effort might not focus on a typical boy-meets-girl narrative, that doesn't keep the feature out of predictable territory. Following in the footsteps of every other film and TV show about being uncoupled, How To Be Single delves into the moments in-between the love, lust and living happily ever after. More than one woman attempts to accept their amorous lot in life, and learns a few lessons in the process. The idea of forging an identity without a partner is championed, all while the movie's characters keep talking about the guys — or lack thereof — that they're chasing. Cue a New York tale about Alice, her doctor sister Meg (Leslie Mann) and new best friend Robin (Rebel Wilson) — as well as the marriage-obsessed Lucy (Alison Brie), who frequents the same bar. Alice is on a break from her long-term boyfriend, though the heavy-partying Robin encourages her to make the most of her unattached time, particularly when that hiatus becomes permanent. After spending years delivering other people’s babies, Meg finally realises that she wants one of her own. Lucy, meanwhile, has dedicated the last six months to devising an algorithm to help her get the most out of online dating, with little success so far. The journey each character goes on — espousing the joys of going solo while traversing casual flings and potential serious connections — is far from surprising. Nor is the long list of men — a commitment-phobic bartender (Anders Holm) and protective single dad (Damon Wayans Jr.) among them — that pop up along the way. Indeed, when it comes to chronicling the trials and tribulations of modern dating, How To Be Single thinks that saying it is different is enough. And yet while it fails to follow through on that promise, it approaches the typical clichés of its genre with the energy needed to make them entertaining. In fact, packaging up been-there, seen-that stories and passing them off as a twist on standard chick flick fare proves less trying than it sounds, largely thanks to the film's cast. As he did with the less successful Love, Rosie, director Ditter not only shows an affinity for romantic comedy conventions, but for getting the most out of his actors. If the film's biggest downfall is its false assertion that it doesn't fit the expected formula, then its biggest asset is how its talent weathers the routine material they're saddled with. Yes, you've seen all this before, and no, none of it is particularly memorable. But at least Johnson, Wilson, Mann, Brie and company use their charms to keep things lively.
There's a reason that Mavis! has an exclamation mark in its title. The film doesn't only chronicle the life and music of Mavis Staples, but celebrates everything that has made the rhythm-and-blues/gospel singer and civil rights activist a star. It can't hide its enthusiasm, nor does it try to, but that's okay. While they're watching, audiences probably won't be able to contain their adoration either. Set to an obvious soundtrack of songs such as "I'll Take You There", " Respect Yourself" and "Let's Do It Again", Mavis! is just that kind of biographical documentary: affectionate about a thoroughly deserving figure, and informative about her rich history. The latter informs the former, of course, with every chapter of her past — from her humble beginnings singing in family band The Staple Singers and their rise to the top of the charts, to the intertwining of the group's hits with the civil rights movement and their relationship with Martin Luther King — painting a portrait of an artist who has earned the right to be considered an icon. The movie also benefits from the considerable and eager involvement of Staples herself, aged 75 at the time of filming, who never proves anything less than a candid and engaging interviewee. She starts the documentary showing off her vocal prowess with her friends and colleagues before a gig, then offers a few pearls of wisdom about her longevity — the combination of her voice and views setting the template for the content to come. As she explains, "I'll stop singing when I have nothing left to say — and that ain't going to happen." Her talent is big; her passion is bigger. Both are on display not just in her many chats to camera, but in clips and performance footage — snippets of Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz among them — spanning the length of her 60-year career. Both also encourage many an entertaining discussion with a parade of famous faces, such as Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, Chuck D and Sharon Jones. Their awe is infectious; indeed, if writer-director Jessica Edwards was searching for a high-profile posse to mirror her own evident fondness for Staples, she definitely found one. Movies that double as exercises in hero worship often outstay their welcome; however, at a brief but busy 80-minutes, such a fate doesn't befall Mavis! The adoring tone doesn't only cater to existing fans either, with the film working equally as well as a primer for newcomers as it does as a refresher for devotees. That's a rare achievement for a documentary love letter, but then again its subject is anything but typical. Among her many career highlights, Staples made two albums with Prince, after all. Inspiring and enlivening an emotionally vibrant doco is just the latest in her long line of achievements.
Flock to the city's best Asian eateries to experience some of the seriously tasty set menus they will be serving up as part of the annual Chinese New Year Festival. That's right people, Lunar Feasts is back and from as little as $20-30 per person, you can eat your weight in wontons at favourite spots like Lotus Dumpling, New Shanghai, Din Tai Fung, Dumplings and Beer and Chinese Noodle House. The more money you fork out (or should that be chopstick out?), the more decadence you can expect, with the likes of Tokyo Bird, Bennelong, Fu Manchu and Mama's Buoi offering multicourse delights for about $40-50. Most restaurants have both lunch and dinner options and some menus include an alcoholic beverage as part of the deal. Bookings are a must at all restaurants, so if you don't want to be left with the dregs of the green tea, get out your red paper envelopes and secure your place now. Image: Lotus at the Galeries.
Ring in the Year of the Monkey sipping on whisky cocktails at a custom-built pop-up bar. Presented, appropriately, by Monkey Shoulder whisky in partnership with the City of Sydney, the bar will be open for the entire run of Sydney's Chinese New Year Festival, from February 6-21. The Monkey Shoulder Whisky Bar will pop-up in Martin Place from February 6-14, before hightailing it over to World Square from February 15-21. Beverages on offer will include the Monkey's Mojito, the Monkey old-fashioned and a spin on the Pina Colada named Jungle Juice. Visitors to the bar will also receive a fortune cookie, which will hopefully predict good tidings for the year ahead.
After a successful six weeks, Eric Koh's King Street pop-up — aptly dubbed Work in Progress @erickoh — has been extended until December 23. So you can continue to feast on the Mr. Wong maestro and former Tim Ho Wan dim sum master's perfect dumplings for a few more weeks yet. The pop-up's menu is promising an array of Koh's signature creations, including scallop and prawn shumai, prawn har gau and steamed mushroom dumplings, duck spring rolls and prawn wonton with wasabi mayo. Plus there'll be a neat beverages list to match, covering cocktails, wines and beers. Stay late on Thursdays and Fridays to kick back to local DJs. Work in Progress @erickoh is a sequel to @patrickfriesen, the Papi Chulo chef's fried chicken and noodles pop-up that drew crowds during the 2015 March into Merivale food and wine festival. Planned for just five weeks, it was so bombarded with hungry hordes that it remained open for six months. Not surprisingly, the same has happened with Koh. Koh has been living in Sydney since 2012, when he moved here to set up Mr. Wong, winner of 'Best New Restaurant of the Year' at the 2014 Good Food Guide Awards, the and the 2014 Australian Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Awards. Once he's done popping up in the CBD, he’ll be heading to Enmore to head the much-anticipated Queen Victoria Hotel's new kitchen (recently bought by Justin Hemmes), alongside Papi Chulo's Christopher Hogarth and Patrick Friesen. Eric Koh's Work in Progress dim sum pop-up will be open Monday to Friday from midday till late, with the kitchen cooking between midday and 3pm for lunch, then for dinner between 5.30pm and 10pm until December 23.
Sometimes, a romantic comedy tries to do something different. Sometimes, it just seems like it does. The film's concept aside, there's little about 5 to 7 that defies convention; however even as it offers up the sweetness and convenience the genre is known for, plus a whole lot of culture clash commentary and comedy thrown in too, it proves an elegant effort to watch. Here, adherence to type doesn’t make for a bad film, just a routine one. 5 to 7 has certain charms, but you have to be willing to go along with quite a few contrived and heavy-handed elements to enjoy them — like being told, repeatedly and through montages, that there's a difference between Americans and the French. Chief among those obvious aspects is protagonist Brian (Anton Yelchin), aka the US-oriented party of the central couple. He's a 24-year-old aspiring writer who has dedicated his youthful years to his dream, preferring words to real-life experiences. If he sounds familiar, that's because he's the kind of earnest fellow many a movie is littered with. And those of his ilk often find their world changed through a chance meeting with a lovely lady, such as as the one that starts Brian's connection with European export Arielle (Bérénice Marlohe). After spotting her on the streets of New York City, Brian and Arielle chat and agree to cross paths again the next week. Their catch-ups then move to the titular hours of 5pm to 7pm, which is when she says she is available. The reason for her limited schedule: she’s married with two kids. While her diplomat husband (Lambert Wilson) is fine with her having an affair — in fact, he's having one as well, with an up-and-coming literary editor (Olivia Thirlby) — confining their extramarital dalliances to that daily period is just the way the French apparently do things. Cue Brian's intertwined infatuation and anguish, playing out over typical rom-com park strolls, hotel room liaisons and long chats about everyone's feelings. His parents (Glenn Close and Frank Langella) share reservations about their arrangement, but are similarly won over by Arielle — which shows just how lightly 5 to 7 skims the surface of its scenario. This isn't a film about challenging traditional ideas about relationships, or even exploring something different; it's simply a standard romance narrative navigating a series of problems, using adultery as a point of difference and wrapping everything up in "but she's French!" sentiments. Somehow, though, the actors and their subtle performances mostly make the movie work. Yelchin isn't helped by the writer-side of his character (with a wannabe author looking for his big break also frequent film fare), yet his awkwardness comes across as genuinely as his rapport with Marlohe. When they're just walking and talking, Woody Allen and Richard Linklater style, they're at their best, even if their dialogue remains a collection of clichés and clunky lines. That first-time feature writer/director Victor Levin likes to largely look on from afar, gives the film a leisurely pace, and knows how to put a graceful image together also helps the handsomely shot offering, which clearly aims to be one of cinema's classic love stories. Of course, 5 to 7 never reaches such heights, but it is a breezy and pleasing-enough attempt beneath the platitudes and predictability.
You've feasted upon endless bags of crustacean at The Norfolk's House of Crabs. Recently, Cleveland Street's seafood palace has been delving into another, more traditional means of all-you-can-eat tomfoolery: yum cha. After a hugely successful feast in May, House of Crabs is throwing another one-day-only oceanic version of yum cha on Sunday, October 4. Expect lobster doughnuts with XO mayo, popcorn bugs with lime and chilli salt, Singapore-style chilli crab, alongside 'The Boil' (South Australian mussels, Little Neck clams, Queensland prawns, Blue Swimmer Crab, Snow Crab and King Crab). If seafood isn't your only yum cha preference, there'll be Korean fried chicken ribs, barbecue duck pies, crispy Chinese chicken, steamed pork buns and spicy sichuan pork and scallop dumplings. To top it all off, there'll be fried mantou ice cream sandwiches. Being a long weekend Sunday, you'll want to grab one of the Norfolk's Bloody Marys or a sweet, sweet Fire Engine and get cracking. Just remember, be assertive, be polite and pace yourself — just look at this lobster doughnut:
Maru stuck in too-small cardboard boxes. Grumpy Cat being genuinely unable to help the shape of his own face. Lil Bub hangin' with Whoopi Goldberg. Sure, you could load all three of these superstars on your screen right now, but what if some know-your-freakin-audience genius decided they'd take things next level make an entire film festival of internet cat videos? Celebrating their love of cats and videos of cats doing stupid, stupid things, RSCPA NSW are hosting their second Cat Film Festival at Glebe's Bicentennial Park on Sunday, October 4. Even if you thought cat videos jumped the shark with Cats Make You Laugh Out Loud, you've got to admit this feel-good festival takes things to a whole other level. Here's how it went down last year: From short films to six-second Vine videos, the screening will visit all your favourite feline celebrities and raise funds for the RSPCA. But the night won't just be sitting and pointing every time Grumpy Cat hates on life or Colonel Meow looks like the demon from the end of Fantasia. You can visit the 'Cattoo Parlour', nom on some tasty food truck treats, adopt a pet in the 'Kitten Cuddle Cube' or throw back some milk in the Cat's Meow VIP Club (for a little extra kibble). Image: Dollar Photo Club.
The man who described Tony Abbott as “an absolute raving lunatic” is headed to Australia once again. A comedian, film star, TV host, author and wannabe revolutionary, Russell Brand will no doubt deliver his signature mix of politics and profanity when he tours around the country this October. Coming to the Sydney Opera House as part of Just for Laughs, Brand’s new stand-up show is titled Trew World Order after his YouTube series The Trews. It's described as “a rabble-rousing stab at creating, through the power of the crowd, a Trew World Order.” The comedian turned political activist has long been a divisive figure in the British media, seeming to actively seek out controversy wherever he can. He’s also been highly critical of Australia’s immigration policy, and recently threatened to try and “gay marry” Abbott while he was prime minister. Now that would be a hell of a show. Russell Brand also has a sold-out performance at the Sydney Opera House on October 23.
The thought of craft beers provided by Lord Nelson Brewery and modern medieval food by Gilroys is enough to make us drool. The kitchen will be dishing up age-old recipes with a modern spin to complement the beer. This event is one of our top ten picks of Sydney Craft Beer Week. Check out the other nine.
This is a review of the 2012 run of Masterclass at 107 Projects. The show returns to kick off the year at the Old Fitzroy Theatre in 2015. Masterclass, a two-man pantomime by Gareth Davies and Charlie Garber, was first shown as part of the Imperial Panda Festival in 2011. For reasons unknown (popular demand? to stimulate cash flow? conquer boredom?), they're back, this time performing at 107 Projects in Redfern. 107 Projects is a fantastic new space comprised of a theatre, six artist studios, a small vintage stall and exhibition space that is non-for-profit, so all proceeds are poured back into the space. The opening night was packed with a raucous crowd drinking longies in the foyer (it's BYO). We file into the theatre to the sound of a blaring punk pop song that is paused intermittently for a voice to instruct the audience to "not crinkle chip packets too loudly" and to "please refrain from coughing". Garber and Davies walk on stage and proceed to set up a keyboard and berate the lighting guy, ignoring the presence of the audience. Thus begins the masterclass, an acting seminar that draws on the past of the greatest of all actors, Davies, who was quite literally born into the theatre. He now lives in a Dream Forge, where he has the ability to look through a telescope back into the past. He takes us to the time of his birth, when his mother was a chorus member in Les Mis; Davies was cast as a baby and stayed in the production until he was 21. The rest of the play follows his ascension as an actor and the cataclysmic event that caused him to quit. There is a carefully preserved sense of mystery in the play, so I won't give away too much. Let's just say Garber and Davies are intrinsically connected through theatre, a relationship far deeper than anyone else could ever hope to experience. The absurdity, wordplay, and slightly hysterical drama make this play knee-slappingly funny. Never have I heard such a wide variety of startlingly loud, foghorn laughs. It almost had an air of improvisation, as if the two of them were mucking around together one day, kept the joke going for an hour, and presented it on stage the next day. Full of uncontained energy and wit, this show is best after a few drinks on a Friday night — you will leave feeling refreshed and smiling rather than contemplative and slightly depressed. Masterclass can laugh at itself and laugh at you while you're laughing at it, all at the same, disorderly, time.
Water Polo by the Sea, a highlight of the sporting/social/summer calendar, will return to Bondi Icebergs this January. Come watch our Aussie Sharks — including Olympians Rhys Howden, Richie Campbell, Billy Miller and Johnno Cotterill and Aaron Younger — as they take on the International All Stars in what’s sure to be a fantastic match. This is no normal sporting game. The event is an opportunity to meet the players, mingle with VIPs, extend the summer holiday vibe and sip cocktails (served by shirtless athletes) against the stunning backdrop of Bondi Icebergs. Gates open at 4.30pm, and the game is on from 5.20pm. The marquee stays open until 7pm.
Spookyland is set to wrap up their December residency at the Lansdowne on Christmas Eve. Over the course of four Wednesday-night concerts, the four-piece has established a reputation for killer live shows. Led by 22-year-old frontman Marcus Gordon, who's joined by his brother Liam on guitar, drummer Nath Mansfield and bassist Nic Malouf, Spookyland play what they call "solipsist rock and roll" — which means either they perform entirely self-centred songs, or they're taking the piss. In a recent interview with Jefferson Laufer of Rock Bands of LA, Marcus Gordon explained, "If there is an element for all the lyrics, it's childhood imagination plagued by adult misanthropic concepts." Laufer sees Spookyland's music as "urban gutter rock". "[Gordon] has channelled the spirit of Lou Reed to become a rock and roll animal of current time," he writes. You can check out his assessment by downloading Spookyland's debut EP, Rock and Roll Weakling.
Take your cricket skills beyond your fence this Boxing Day at The Greens, North Sydney. From midday to 4pm, the 125-year-old bowling green will be transformed into one big public pitch, where backyard rules will apply. In between bats and bowls, you'll be able to contemplate your next strategy while gazing out over the venue's cracking harbour views. If you're keen to stick to the sidelines, or you need some refreshments to give your play the edge, there'll be $40 antipasto baskets and bottles of Chandon Summer Brut on offer. The Greens' regular menu is also good for sampling, featuring some pretty exotic sharing plates, such as oxtail croquettes with sweet pimento dipping sauce ($11) and house cured ocean trout with housemade pickled cucumbers, caper berries, quail eggs, and lemon creme fraiche ($14). For drinks, the bespoke cocktail menu includes yuzu daiquiris and tequila and chamomile sours (served with chamomile flowers on the side).
Sydneysiders will get a taste of old Hollywood glamour and charm when Academy Award-winning silent flick The Artist screens in spectacular style, accompanied by the soaring sounds of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. It's a trip to the picture palace, as imagined by the Sydney Festival 2015. The Artist lights up the Opera House's iconic Concert Hall across two nights. Set during the late 1920s, director Michel Hazanavicius's outstanding piece of contemporary cinema is a clear nod to the film industry at a pivotal point of transformation. If the thought of 100 minutes of silent cinema seems utterly exhausting, fear not. With a stellar cast plus five Oscars under its belt, this love story will leave you gasping and giggling all the way to the very end.
Dig out those once-a-year novelty gumboots, Groovin the Moo is back for another year of out-of-the-city footstomping. Taking the large-scale music festival out of CBDs and into regional centres for another year, GTM will kick things off on the ANZAC Day long weekend and travel through Oakbank, Bunbury, Bendigo, Canberra, Maitland, and Townsville. This year's lineup sees syper-hyped internationals like the legendary Peaches, 'Boom Clap'-per Charli XCX, A$AP Mob's A$AP Ferg US trap king RL Grime, UK indie-gazers Peace and NZ festival favourites Broods alongside one of the most Aussie-heavy lineups GTM has seen in recent years. High-fiveworthy locals like Flight Facilities, The Preatures, Sticky Fingers, Hermitude, DMAs, Tkay Maidza, Ball Park Music, Meg Mac and more will also make their way to the Moo. So enough lowing, here's that lineup you're after. GROOVIN THE MOO 2015 LINEUP: A$AP FERG (USA) BALL PARK MUSIC BROODS (NZ) CARMADA CHARLI XCX (UK) THE DELTA RIGGS DMAs FLIGHT FACILITIES HERMITUDE HILLTOP HOODS HOT DUB TIME MACHINE MEG MAC NORTHLANE ONE DAY PEACHES (CAN) PEACE (UK) THE PREATURES RL GRIME (USA) SAN CISCO SASKWATCH STICKY FINGERS TKAY MAIDZA WOLFMOTHER YOU ME AT SIX (UK) GROOVIN THE MOO 2015 DATES & VENUES: Saturday, April 25 – Oakbank Sunday, April 26 – Bunbury Saturday, May 2 – Bendigo Sunday, May 3 – Canberra Saturday, May 9 – Maitland Sunday, May 10 – Townsville For more info, head to GTM's website. Image: Joseph Mayers, GTM.
