That blank space in your calendar that you were hoping to fill with Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour? It's now taken care of. Australian Swifties, yes, your wildest dreams have finally come true. It definitely won't be a cruel summer for fans of the global music star Down Under, after the singer-songwriter announced five Aussie shows for February — although you'll have to be in Melbourne or Sydney to head along. Swift will play two gigs at the MCG in Melbourne across Friday, February 16–Saturday, February 17, then head north to hit the stage across three dates at Sydney's Accor Stadium from Friday, February 23–Sunday, February 25. At all shows, she'll also have company: Sabrina Carpenter in support. [caption id="attachment_906253" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ronald Woan via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] The Eras Tour kicked off in March in the US, where it's still playing. As well as revealing Aussie dates, Swift locked in international stops in Mexico, Argentina and Brazil in 2023 — and in Japan, Singapore, France, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, the UK, Ireland, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland and Australia until August 2024. The tour sees the Swift work through her entire career so far, playing tracks from each of her studio albums in a three-hour, 44-song, ten-act spectacular. 'Fearless', 'Enchanted', 'We Are Never Getting Back Together', 'Shake It Off', 'Bad Blood', 'Look What You Made Me Do', 'You Need to Calm Down' — expect them all to get a run, plus tunes from albums Folklore, Evermore and Midnights as well. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) This'll be Swift's first tour Down Under since 2018, when she brought her Reputation shows to not only Sydney and Melbourne, but Brisbane and Perth, too. In the US, it's been breaking ticketing and venue records — expect tickets to get snapped up quickly Down Under as well. [caption id="attachment_906254" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ronald Woan via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] TAYLOR SWIFT: THE ERAS TOUR AUSTRALIAN DATES 2024: Friday, February 16–Saturday, February 17 — Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne Friday, February 23–Sunday, February 25 — Accor Stadium, Sydney Taylor Swift will bring The Eras Tour to Australia in February 2024. Tickets for the Melbourne shows go on sale at 10am AEST on Friday, June 30, with the Sydney shows on sale at 2pm AEST on Friday, June 30. The American Express VIP Package pre-sale runs for 48 hours from Monday, June 26 — from 10am in Sydney and 2pm in Melbourne — and the Frontier Members pre-sale runs 24 hours from Wednesday, June 28, again from 10am in Sydney and 2pm in Melbourne, or until all pre-sale tickets have been snapped up in both instances. Head to the tour website for further details. Top image: Ronald Woan via Wikimedia Commons.
The Sydney Opera House plays host to the most revered musicians, actors and artists in the world, but it's also home to some of our finest culinary experiences. The four remarkable chefs who manage the Opera House's hospitality offering — Matt Moran of Opera Bar and House Canteen; Peter Gilmore, Executive Chef of fine diner Bennelong; Mark Olive, who directs the native ingredient-focused Midden; and Danielle Alvarez, who oversees the Opera Houses's private function spaces, the Yallamundi Rooms — are coming together for the first time to curate a series of intimate dinners. Drawing on the iconic venue's stature as an arts venue, each shared-table meal will held in the Opera House's cutting-edge Immersive Digital Experience Room — a space where 270-degree projection technology in tandem with live music will enhance the unique themes of each menu. [caption id="attachment_966804" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Anna Kucera[/caption] The series commences on Thursday, August 1 and Friday, August 2, with Danielle Alvarez's Winter Harvest Symphony — a multi-course meal celebrating seasonality and directly sourced produce. Through a carefully crafted fusion of food and paired wine, projected video and a live string quartet score, Alvarez will illuminate the special relationships with farmers, producers and artisans that underpin Australian dining culture. Next, on Thursday, August 8 and Friday, August 9, Mark Olive will present Dreamtime, an ode to the Indigenous cuisine he has pioneered at Midden. "By presenting some of the incredible native produce and Indigenous ingredients from the Midden menu, I hope to give people the opportunity to try something uniquely Australian and something we should all be proud of — a national cuisine within a national architectural icon," Olive explains. During the meal, diners will hear from First Nation performers Marimayi as they share the stories of their ancestors using the traditional sounds of Country mixed with blues and folk influences. A specially commissioned digital artwork inspired by Indigenous astronomy will be projected throughout the dining space, mirroring the fusion of traditional knowledge and contemporary techniques displayed on the plate. [caption id="attachment_966806" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Anna Kucera[/caption] The third instalment of the series takes place on Thursday, August 15 and Friday, August 16, when Peter Gilmore will present his Icons of Bennelong dining experience. Lifted from more than 50 years of Bennelong menus, diners will get to sample some of the most legendary dishes ever served at the Opera House's fine-dining restaurant — including the iconic Pavlova inspired by the venue's distinctive sails — accompanied by vibrant projections and live jazz performances, a wink to Bennelong's long-running Sunday jazz program. The final menu in the series, on Thursday, August 29 and Friday, August 30, comes from Matt Moran, whose Ocean to Table concept takes Australia's vast coastline as its muse. Championing the importance of sustainability and provenance in dining, this marine riff on the paddock-to-plate philosophy will feature locally sourced seafood served on bespoke flatware made by third-generation ceramicist Sam Gordon, who has incorporated crushed mollusc shells into the lustrous patina. Projections based on artist Dr Fiona Hillary's Reverberating Futures, which examines the bioluminescence of algal blooms and ocean fauna, will illuminate the space with an aquatic light show for diners as they eat. If you're unable to make it to one of the Chefs of the House dinners, you can still get a taste of this remarkable series. Throughout August, a signature dish showcased on each chef's menu will be available to order at their respective restaurants. [caption id="attachment_966812" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Anna Kucera[/caption] Top image: Katje Ford
Well and truly gone are the days when yoga was all about stripping back to basics and staying silent. Over the past year, we've brought you yoga with Italian feasts and red wine, yoga underwater and yoga with craft beer. Of course, now that spring is here, we present yoga with goats. This marvellous retreat is happening at Mayfield Garden, a stunning, 160-hectare, landscaped garden just outside of Oberon in New South Wales. Located around a three-hour drive from Sydney, it started as the private domain of the Hawkins family, but is now open to the public 363 days of the year. Over three days from September 15 to 17, you'll get to stay onsite in the beautiful Mayfield Guesthouse, while engaging in yoga, meditation and mindfulness — often while cuddling baby goats. The experience is meant to add not only a whole bunch of cuteness to your bending and stretching experience, but also the benefits of animal therapy. And, in case you're wondering, this isn't the world premiere of goat yoga: it's quite a thing in the US. If you're keen, you should probably book a ticket asap, as there's only room for seven sleepers in the guest house. However, you can buy a day ticket and stay close by — and there's no shortage of lovely places to stay around Oberon and Bathurst.
UPDATE: February 4, 2021: Burning is available to stream via SBS On Demand, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. A part-time deliveryman's worried face reflects the entire world's problems in Burning. Played by the quietly expressive Yoo Ah-in, Jongsu never seems as if he'll allow himself even a second's rest and relaxation. He looks stressed when he's walking the Seoul streets during his rounds. He appears anxious when he happens to run into his former neighbour, Haemi (Jun Jeong-seo), who he can't actually remember properly. Whether the pair is reconnecting intimately, Jongsu is feeding Haemi's cat while she travels to Africa, or he's visibly unimpressed when she returns with the cooly charming Ben (Steven Yeun) on her arm, he's never at peace. A silent stare and inner solace aren't the same thing, as Jongsu's complicated gaze makes so plain again and again. What some filmmakers can't convey with an enormous cast of actors, Lee Chang-dong achieves with the captivatingly melancholy Yoo. What some can't manage across several movies, the writer-director does in mere seconds here. Lee is no cinematic slouch — this is his sixth stint behind the camera, joining a spate of rightfully applauded tiles such as Peppermint Candy, Oasis, Secret Sunshine and Poetry — but there's a particular alchemy to Burning from its opening moments. A love triangle that's also a slow-burning thriller as well as a potent statement on class and gender divisions in modern South Korean society, the film captures a world so visually detailed and emotionally loaded that every frame entices and intrigues. It captures the world, not just a world — from pretty young women selling dreams via lottery tickets, to the chasm between the haves and the have nots, to the feeling that everything, everywhere is always ablaze. When Jongsu and Haemi cross paths, she sells him a dream, too — of being a couple, of a life beyond the abandoned Paju family farm he's just moved back to, and of a future that's not just one routine struggle after another. When she arrives back from her trip with the canny, confident Ben, the jealous Jongsu sees that fantasy slip away. Worse, he sees how starkly different everything is for someone of wealth, comfort and means. "There is no difference between playing and working," Ben offers without a blink, a statement that couldn't be more piercing to someone whose existence is all work and woe and inertia, and rarely any play. But, adapting a short story from Haruki Murakami's The Elephant Vanishes, Lee finds an especially stunning way to build and dissect the pair's rivalry. A ruminative mystery, a fine-tuned character study and an intricately observed examination of human relationships all at once, one of the joys of Burning is its wholesale aversion to simplicity. Here, as in reality, nothing is straightforward. Indeed, Lee takes life's enigmas and puzzles, thrusts them into view and forces the audience to ponder along with him. His film doesn't just ask how well you can really know someone, but whether you can ever actually know someone — and if, with Haemi, Jongsu even does. As it watches its increasingly paranoid protagonist yearn for his new love and stew over his competitor, this haunting, penetrating movie doesn't just wonder what a person is capable of, or what we're willing to embrace and ignore, but how we learn to reconcile the contradictions and ambiguities of human nature that we experience every single day. Lee has always favoured an observational, unobtrusive directorial style, allowing the camera to roam and linger when it needs to, and letting his actors express what they need to to get his stories across. He's also a deft hand at crafting strong but slippery scripts — narratives that say much but leave plenty unsaid, and leave ample room for interpretation. Burning fits the mould, although there is no mould when it comes to the filmmaker. Rather, Lee deploys the same general approach, applies it to a new tale and ensures that the result always feels fresh. The space that he carves out in Burning, and the freedom he gives his exceptional cast, is revelatory. In affording viewers the scope to glean their own insights, sift through their own complexities and come to their own conclusions, this 148-minute movie proves revelatory for everyone. Back to the stellar trio that Lee pushes front and centre, though — not just experienced South Korean star Yoo, but first-timer Jun and The Walking Dead's Yeun as well. Burning would be a lesser film without any of them, with the distance in Jun's performance (the sensation that there's always something just out of reach, specifically) so perfectly attuned to the movie's mood. If Yoo is the picture's face of anxiety, uncertainty and fragile masculinity, however, then the ever-impressive Yuen is its sly, murky, tantalisingly elusive core. How fitting it is that Burning, like Haemi, spends its time caught between the two — and utterly refuses to be pinned down by choice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI9UYcEwUYA
For 50 years, Australia's contribution to music, theatre, opera, circus and dance has been catalogued and preserved, and sometimes exhibited, all thanks to the Australian Performing Arts Collection. At Arts Centre Melbourne, more than 850,000 objects sit within this repository, the nation's largest dedicated to hitting a stage. That's a collection worth putting on display permanently, even if every single item obviously can't always be in the spotlight. From December 2025, the new Australian Museum of Performing Arts at Hamer Hall will do just that — aka showcase the country's performing arts legacy, successes and history for the public to enjoy. The new museum is launching in two phases in the Victorian capital: the first, arriving before this year is out, will span nearly 500 square metres, all devoted to performing arts exhibitions; then the second, which doesn't have a launch date as yet, will expand the space to around 800 square metres. AMPA will both put its own items on display and host touring international showcases. Which exhibition it'll open with in December is set to be revealed in September. The Australian Performing Arts Collection truly is a treasure trove, featuring costumes and objects from the likes of Kylie Minogue, Hugh Jackman, Nick Cave, Peter Allen and Chrissy Amphlett, plus dames Nellie Melba, Joan Sutherland and Olivia Newton-John. The Australian Ballet, Circus Oz, Melbourne Theatre Company and Opera Australia are among the Aussie arts institutions also featured. Again, while exactly what will be on display come December 2025 hasn't been revealed, the collection includes items such as Minogue's gold hot pants from the 'Spinning Around' music video, threads worn by Jackman in The Boy From Oz, Cave's visual journal aka the Handmade Book, maracas shaken by Allen, a tunic worn by Amphlett and the leather jacket of AC/DC lead singer Bon Scott. In addition, it boasts a Jean-Philippe Worth cloak donned by Melba in Lohengrin more than a century ago, a costume worn by Sutherland in 1972's Lucrezia Borgia for the Vancouver Opera, Helen Reddy's Grammy Award for 'I Am Woman', a set model for the Priscilla, Queen of the Desert stage musical — and much more. [caption id="attachment_1003659" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Corset worn by Kylie Minogue, Intimate and Live tour, 1998. Designed by William Baker. Gift of Kylie Minogue, Cultural Gifts Program, 2004. Australian Performing Arts Collection, Arts Centre Melbourne. Photo: Narelle Wilson Photography.[/caption] Historically – and until AMPA opens — the collection's pieces are usually seen in Hamer Hall and the Theatres Building's foyer displays at Arts Centre Melbourne, the Australian Music Vault, on behind-the-scenes Collection Store Tours at Hamer Hall, and if they're on loan to other institutions. "I'm so pleased to be bringing to life the long-held vision to make the riches of the Australian Performing Arts Collection more accessible to the Victorian community through new and expanded spaces," said Arts Centre Melbourne CEO Karen Quinlan. "Through treasured objects, iconic performers and a rich theatrical legacy, AMPA will enable us to share with the world the incredible performing arts history and stories of the stages of Australia and beyond." [caption id="attachment_1003660" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photograph of band Divinyls performing at Subiaco Oval on Australian Made Tour, 1987. Photograph by Bob King. Gift of The Age, 1995. Australian Performing Arts Collection, Arts Centre Melbourne.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1003661" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Costume worn by Hugh Jackman in The Boy from Oz, 2006. Designed by Roger Kirk. Gift of BFO Arena Pty Ltd, 2009. Donated in memory of Ben Gannon. Australian Performing Arts Collection, Arts Centre Melbourne. Photo: Narelle Wilson Photography.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1003662" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Set model bus for Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Australian production, 2006. Designed by Brian Thomson. Gift of Brian Thomson, Cultural Gifts Program, 2015. Australian Performing Arts Collection, Arts Centre Melbourne. Photo: Narelle Wilson Photography.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1003663" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Shoes worn by Dame Nellie Melba. Gift of Pamela, Lady Vestey, 1977. Australian Performing Arts Collection, Arts Centre Melbourne. Photo: Narelle Wilson Photography.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1003664" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photograph of Dale Woodbridge-Brown, TWENTYSIXTEEN, Circus Oz, 2016. Photograph by Rob Blackburn. Gift of Circus Oz, 2023. Australian Performing Arts Collection, Arts Centre Melbourne.[/caption] The Australian Museum of Performing Arts will open at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St Kilda Road, Southbank, in December 2025. Head to the venue's website for more details. Renders: Scharp.
There's never a bad time to bust out the lyrics to 'Footloose', the Kenny Loggins-sung, Oscar-nominated theme to the film of the same name that helped Kevin Bacon dance to fame four decades back. Still, although the track doesn't get a spin in X, Pearl or MaXXXine, its opening line feels particularly relevant to the trilogy, which Bacon has now joined. Since coming up with the idea for three horror movies inspired by pornographic film classifications in the US in 2019, writer/director Ti West (The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers, The Sacrament) has been working so hard to bring a unique slasher saga to the big screen. Working so hard to chase a dream and do more than punch a card has also throbbed within every instalment. Before it had Bacon (Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F) as a sleazy private detective and Australia's own Elizabeth Debicki (The Crown) as a film director, the franchise first had X initially mark the spot in 2022, with the New Zealand-shot feature kicking it back to 1979, to a Texas farmhouse where a porn production featuring an aspiring adult-film actor turns bloody. The talent: Maxine Minx, a force of nature in the movie played by Mia Goth, the X series' own force of nature. Fresh from stealing scenes in Emma, and with standout roles in Nymphomaniac: Vol II, A Cure for Wellness, Suspiria and High Life also on her resume, Goth cemented herself as the consummate horror star in two X roles. She captured Maxine's lust for a life worthy of her ambitions and desires, shooting her shot in the X-rated game, and for survival. She also made the elderly Pearl, one of the remote property's owners, an unforgettable adversary. When X reached audiences, splashing around gore like it truly was a 70s horror flick — and styled playfully to look the part, as if it'd just been unearthed in a dusty barn or basement — good news already beckoned when the film hit the spot with viewers. West and Goth had shot a sequel immediately after the first film, stepping back to 1918 when Pearl was a young woman with her own hopes for the future that spanned far beyond rural life. This time, as the movie's eponymous figure covets chorus-girl gigs and also gracing the pictures, West also took cues 50s-era musicals and melodramas. He didn't hold back in getting bloody, though, and nor did Goth for even a second. Again, viewers lapping up Pearl knew that more was coming. MaXXXine brings the trilogy to a close by once more exploring the pursuit of a Hollywood-tinted dream, also paying tribute to everything that gives movies that I-want-to-be-in-them sheen and equally championing a woman who isn't going to settle for anything less than her fantasies by choice. It's now 1985, Maxine has made it in porn, but she wants to move out of skin flicks and go legit, winning a role in — what else? — a horror sequel. The timing steeps the picture in the backlash against supposedly inappropriate pop-culture wares, while also setting it against the Night Stalker killings, all as someone begins taking a literal stab at Tinseltown's starlets and others in Maxine's orbit. [caption id="attachment_965315" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Stewart Cook/Getty Images for A24[/caption] West and Goth's three films haven't ever lacked name power. West has been a genre favourite ever since 2009's The House of the Devil, which also gave a slasher a satanic panic spin. Goth's stature was rising already in 2022, and fast. Jenna Ortega (Scream VI) and Scott Mescudi (Silent Night) were among X's other actors, while Pearl precedes the next Superman — playing the Man of Steel, too — on David Corenswet's (We Own This City) resume. But it's the 80s in MaXXXine, so everything is bigger, including the film's array of familiar faces. Cue not just Bacon and Debicki cutting loose in the franchise, but also Giancarlo Esposito (The Boys), Lily Collins (Emily in Paris), Bobby Cannavale (Bupkis), Michelle Monaghan (The Family Plan) and Halsey (Americana). With Bacon, who visibly relishes getting shady as questionable detective John Labat, MaXXXine's love of the 80s and its cinema couldn't be paired with a better icon from the period. With The Night Manager, Widows and Tenet's Debicki as Elizabeth Bender, the female filmmaker helming The Puritan 2 — Maxine's hopeful big Hollywood break — the movie earns another opportunity to explore the expectations enforced upon women and the battle to buck them. Ahead of MaXXXine reaching cinemas Down Under on Thursday, July 11, 2024, we chatted with Bacon and Debicki about joining the trilogy, covering Debicki's admiration for Goth, the full-circle feel for Bacon and another way that the feature wears its love for cinema on its frames: multiple scenes set on the Universal backlot on the Bates Motel set from Psycho. On Sliding Into a Franchise with Such Commanding Performances by Mia Goth at Its Centre Maxine Minx will not accept a life that she does not deserve in MaXXXine. That isn't just an observation — it's a mantra. If it was revealed that Goth had been uttering the same words IRL but about starring roles, in fact, it wouldn't come as a surprise. In the saga's latest chapter, nothing is going to get in Maxine's way, not a serial killer, not a private detective rifling through her past, not the weight of expectation when it comes to her first chance in Hollywood. How does acting against a performance like that help Goth's co-stars? Debicki, who also shares Everest on her filmography with Goth, has nothing but praise. "I think she's phenomenal and she's quite mesmerising. She's really a unique creature. She occupies a very interesting energy field. And I felt that when I watched the two films. I've been a fan of hers for a long time because I think what she's been doing in this genre is really kind of radical — she's amazing to watch on screen," Debicki explains. "So it was really just delightful for me, because the first thing I shot was the golf cart monologue and I spent maybe eight hours talking. We were just going round and round in a golf cart, and I was just chewing her ear off, and she was a very good sport about it." "But she exudes Maxine energy. There's no other way to put it. And so because she's the centre of the film and we all come in and out and shoot however many days, she's the vibration — in a way — that you meet, and each character meets and reflects off. I don't know how else to put it. She's the thing we all orbit around. So she really has to hold that space, and she does it amazingly well." Debicki knows Bender's perspective on Maxine, too, as any actor playing a part should of their on-screen alter ego. "I found her kind of maddening, as in the character. She's so on another stratosphere that as Liz Bender, I want rip her down to earth and get her to react the way I want her to. But also, you know that Liz Bender knows her value is that she's kind of on another planet." Seeing MaXXXine's finished product only cemented Debicki's appreciation, however. "I just think she's amazing in this film. And I felt that watching it too — a mesmeric performance that really holds you for the whole thing. I'm a big fan." On Throwing It Back to Footloose-Style Pop-Culture Backlashes, Getting a Start in Horror and All Things 80s From the instant that X started flickering, West's commitment to revelling in the film's period setting was as clear as the determination in Goth's eyes that she, like Maxine, wasn't going to let anything that she wanted pass her by. The years changed, but that era-appropriate dedication didn't fade in Pearl. MaXXXine makes it three for three, while expanding the movies beyond the farm that was so pivotal to the initial two instalments. That sense of immersion isn't just about aesthetics, either. It must've felt that way on paper, and it definitely plays like it on-screen: casting Bacon is a stroke of genius, especially in a feature arriving 40 years on from Footloose that places him in another picture where music and entertainment is considered evil by some. He's also in an 80s-set slasher film after the OG Friday the 13th, an 80s slasher film, was one of his early on-screen credits. Ask Bacon if being in MaXXXine feels a bit like a full-circle moment and of course he sees it, too. "You know, it really does. It's also 40 years since Beverly Hills Cop, and I'm in the new Beverly Hills Cop. And MaXXXine takes place in 85, which is a year hence from when both of those movies came out," he tells Concrete Playground. "I think it really hit me — there's a scene out on Hollywood Boulevard at night. And I walked up there and I saw all the period cars, and I saw that the sets were dressed and the stores, things that were all super, super authentic, and the way that people were dressed. And I went 'wow, this is really like time traveling'." On the Layers of Mythology, Horror Love and Film History That Come with Shooting on the Bates Motel Set Still on blasts from the past, MaXXXine nods back further than the 80s (or even the 70s, when mentions of X's events pop up). Not once but twice while she's on the Universal lot making The Puritan 2, including with Bender and then Labat for company, Maxine walks in the footsteps of Marion Crane. As immortalised by Janet Leigh — mother of Jamie Lee Curtis, for more horror ties — the character's mid-shower fate in one of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpieces gave cinema the definitive slasher sequence. West doesn't dare attempt to recreate the scene, even if the 1998 remake with Anne Heche (All Rise) did, but love for Psycho is splattered on welcomely and gloriously thick. Accordingly, MaXXXine is well-aware of film history, and strengthens its homage to filmmaking at every possible point, with working in the set to one of the earliest slasher flicks while making a slasher flick one such tactic. Yes, that adds another layer to the picture's cinema worship — and swirls in more meta hijinks for Bacon, more eeriness for Debicki and more fun for both. "I think that the two times that we shot on the lot, for me, were very meta in a way. Not even just the Bates Motel horror movie part, but just the whole making of films and running through the flats, and going in and out of these fake buildings — it was great. That was some of the most fun I've had making a movie in a really long time," Bacon advises. "And certainly to end up with that chase scene at the Bates Motel, to walk up those steps and, you know, knock on that door — great, great moment for me." "The same for me," Debicki adds. "There's a very specific — I'm very esoteric today — but there's a very specific energy off that set. I think it's what you bring. It's a pretty creepy place. Would you agree, Kevin? Like it's got a super creepy, it's a creepy vibe." "It does," Bacon concurs. "So you feel it," continues Debicki. "It's something about how it's sort of exactly how you remember in the film, but really kind of dilapidated. Some of the crew were going in and out of the actual rooms in the motel, and someone was like 'come and look at this'. And I was like 'I am not'. Because actually it feels super weird to me." "So I loved it. It really helped me, again, to have that scene where we drive up and we land in this place that's steeped in this mythology. It's just really fun, actually, to have that. And it really helped me. If we'd been shooting off a mockup of that set, it wouldn't be the same performance, I don't think, from either of us." MaXXXine opens in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, July 11, 2024. Read our review.
If you love a TV show, you usually want more of it. The entire history of television is based on that fact. But with some series, you can eagerly devour every single episode and then hope that there's never another one ever. One such program: Dr Death. When it hit streaming queues in mid-2021, it instantly gave viewers their latest true-crime fix — and what a true-crime tale it told. Its focus: Christopher Duntsch (Joshua Jackson, Little Fires Everywhere), a surgeon who was full of charm when he was trying to encourage folks with spinal pain and neck injuries into his operating theatre — or when he was attempting to convince hospitals, particularly in Texas, to hire him. But again and again, those surgeries ended horrendously. Actually, that's an understatement. The result was pure nightmare fuel — and it's for that reason, and not anything else to do the gripping series, that you might've wished that Dr Death would end there. That isn't set to be the case, however, with a second season now on its way. Duntsch's story is done and dusted, but he was just the first medical professional that the OG Dr Death — aka the Wondery podcast that shares the TV show's name — has focused on. Since then, the audio series has released two further seasons, with its third batch of episodes now providing the basis for the second TV adaptation. The new doc in the spotlight: surgeon Paolo Macchiarini, who earned the nickname 'Miracle Man' for his innovative operations. But his charm starts to fade when investigative journalist Benita Alexander approaches him for a story — a tale that'll change her life forever, too. Once again, all the details are drawn from reality. Once again, Dr Death is bound to prove disturbing whether you already know the ins and outs or you're set to discover them for the first time — as horror medical stories always do. Casting details haven't yet been revealed, and neither has a release date. In Australia, the new season is headed to Stan when it does arrive. In New Zealand, TVNZ On Demand streams the series. A trailer for season two of Dr Death hasn't been released yet either, obviously, but you can check out the trailer for season one below: Dr Death streams via Stan in Australia and TVNZ On Demand in New Zealand — we'll update you with a release date for season two when one is announced. Images: Scott McDermott/Peacock.
At Any Cost?, the latest production from acclaimed Australian playwright David Williamson (Don's Party), tackles the emotive and controversial topic of euthanasia. The practice is illegal in most countries, yet I think the majority of us would agree that there are times when prolonging a person's life just because we can actually means just prolonging their suffering. The play centres around a family in a hospital waiting room, the mother lying gravely ill in intensive care. The question on everyone's minds is whether the time has come to let nature take its course, given the seriousness of her condition and the likely extremely poor quality of the life she would have, should she survive. For the husband, Des (Martin Vaughan), there is no doubt in his mind: He will not let go of the woman he loves, and for whom he has also been caring these last few years since she suffered a debilitating stroke. The children — Megan (Tracy Mann), Katie (Kate Raison) and Max (Tyler Coppin) — are able to evaluate the situation a little more rationally than their father. The tension is augmented as the duty doctor, Dr Sharif (Daniel Mitchell), drops by frequently to keep the family updated, gently suggesting the alternative of ceasing treatment. Family dynamics soon begin to come to the fore as skeletons are pulled out of closets and bombshells dropped, and it descends into a quite intense family drama. Dr Sharif is also used as a device between scenes, to distance the audience from the emotion being displayed on stage. As he lectures an imaginary class of medical students (us, the audience), he dryly hands out facts and figures around the cost of care, such as that it requires $50,000 dollars to keep someone alive in intensive care for a week and pointing out to us that "we offer care because we can, but seldom ask if we should." The acting throughout is superb on all counts and it is a very enjoyable play, both moving and served with a decent side of comedy. The interludes from Dr Sharif are thought-provoking and often funny, if a little shocking at times, making us think about the realities of keeping people alive long beyond their "use by date". However, overall, it possibly focuses a little too heavily on the family drama playing out in the waiting room at the expense of the subject at hand, euthanasia, thus rendering its didactic potential less powerful.
If Game of Thrones has taught us anything, it's that no one is ever happy. After all, this is a world where weddings end in slaughter, kings are poisoned mid-feast, queens casually mention that they wiped out your entire family, killing a zombie leader still can't save a girl from dragon fire, and finally finding love usually comes with betrayal — and the discovery of new relatives. But if every fictional Stark, Lannister and Targaryen has seemed less than chipper across the hugely popular HBO show's eight seasons, they've got nothing on a group of disgruntled fans who absolutely hate the last batch of episodes. These GoT watchers don't just dislike the five episodes of season eight so far. Rather, these folks despise them so much that they're demanding for all of them to be remade. The idea of agreeing to disagree, realising that wrapping up nearly ten years of storytelling was never going to please everyone, recognising that endings are always tricky or just accepting that a few disappointing episodes of your favourite show won't spark a white walker-filled apocalypse is clearly lost on some. The uproar spiked after GoT's latest instalment, the carnage- and dragon-heavy The Bells, which is also the series' second-last episode ever. Plenty of viewers have plenty of opinions about the show's narrative arc, its soaring body count, character development and how the expected showdown between Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) turned out, sparking a Change.org petition to "remake Game of Thrones season eight with competent writers". The petition was actually launched after the preceding episode, but took off in the past week. Thanks to darkly lit battle sequences and a quick glimpse of a modern-day takeaway coffee cup, GoT gripes have been coming in thick and fast this year. At the time of writing, more than 900,000 people have signed up — because "there is so much awful crap going on in the world, people like me need to escape into things like Star Wars and Game of Thrones," explains the petition's originator, Dylan. The main source of misdirected ire are showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who were tasked with conjuring up the show's storylines when it overtook George RR Martin's books. And if you're wondering about the Star Wars reference, that's the pair's next gig, overseeing a new trilogy that'll launch after this year's Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker. There's even a second petition now, directed towards Disney, asking for Benioff and Weiss to be pre-emptively removed from the space opera franchise. Online tantrums and outlandish fan service demands like this aren't new, as the backlash to the female-led Ghostbusters and to most women characters in big-name series have shown. Unsurprisingly, both Game of Thrones and Star Wars have specifically been plagued by the latter kind of ridiculous complaints. DC Comics fans also tried to shut down Rotten Tomatoes when they didn't like Suicide Squad reviews, too — before said fans had even seen the film themselves. There are countless more examples, but just because these entitlement-fuelled hissy fits are popping up regularly, doesn't mean they should be considered normal behaviour. Unless Game of Thrones ends with a dragon on the throne, it's never going to make everyone happy. Okay, that idea won't thrill a lot of people either. But not only whining loudly and incessantly because a movie or TV show doesn't meet your specific personal hopes, dreams and expectations, but insisting that it be remade to suit you, is as silly as GoT wrapping up with a resurrected Ned Stark (Sean Bean) as king or everyone learning that they're just a figment of the Three-Eyed Raven's imagination. Game of Thrones' final episode arrives on Monday, May 20, Australian and New Zealand time. Images: Helen Sloan/HBO.
More than four years in the making, Central Station's $955-million transformation is set to partially open later this year. To mark the first stages of the new station and platforms opening in late-2022, the NSW Government has provided some insight into what we can expect, including the installation of the Southern Hemisphere's largest escalators. There are a total of 42 sets of escalators currently being installed, amounting to 955-metres of new automated walkways for tired workers. Each set is made up of three 45-metre-long escalators forming 135-metre long structures. While three sets of escalators have been built inside the new Metro stations, the majority will be incorporated into the new Central Walk underground concourse. 19-metres wide and 80-metres long, the new Central Walk runs below platforms 16 to 23 of the station, connecting the new metro lines to existing train and light rail platforms. Other elements of the station's transformation include the aforementioned Metro platforms that will be incorporated into the new Sydney Metro City and Southwest Metro lines, and the bright 330-tonne Northern Concourse canopy which you can currently see if you make a trip to the inner-city transport hub. "This city-shaping work is an extraordinary engineering and construction accomplishment," NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said. "We're delivering this Metro rail station below the surface at Central while existing train services continue above." Unlike the NSW Government's last major public transport project, the Light Rail, Central Station's revamp is on track to open in line with the 2022 date proposed when construction began back in 2018. Following the opening of the first section, the Sydney Metro City and Southwest metro lines are on track to be operational in 2024. From 2024, the new train lines are expected to shorten travel time between Central and Martin Place to 4 minutes, Victoria Cross Station to 9 minutes and Chatswood Station to 15 minutes. Head to the NSW Government website to stay up-to-date with the Sydney Metro and Central Station renovations.
To help you make the most of Sydney's balmy nights, the Museum of Contemporary Art has a launched new weekly after-hours program, aptly dubbed MCA Late. The event is taking over the much-loved arts space from 5–9pm every Friday till the end of April, so you can watch the sunset on the working week. And did we mention it's free? Take a stroll through the Museum and you'll catch performances by performance artists and musicians, including Nicola Morton, Phantom Chips, Loose-y Crunché, Papaphilia and Moniker Gronk. And, you can join American-born Aussie artist Kate Just in a 20-minute chat as she completes the final panels of her project Anonymous was a woman. Or, you can grab a drink at the rooftop cafe and soak up the spectacular harbour views. For April, the gallery has collaborated with Surry Hills' old-world movie house and bar Golden Age, too, so expect more than just your average glass of vino. Instead, you'll be sipping a double yuzu margarita, a spiced berry negroni or a popcorn-flavoured old fashioned. [caption id="attachment_806500" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bianca De Marchi[/caption] To top it off, MCA x FBi Radio's free, monthly live music event, Sounds on the Terrace, has moved to Fridays. The next one happening on April 9 with performances by FBi Radio Dance Class DJs and Skeleten. So, after you wander through the exhibitions, you can climb the stairs and kick back to some live tunes. Sounds on the Terrace features rising stars from Sydney's flourishing music scene. No bookings are required, but we suggest you get there early as numbers are limited. MCA Late takes place from 5–9pm every Friday till April 30. For more information, head to the MCA website. Top images (in order): Sam Whiteside, Bianca De Marchi, Jordan Munns and Liam Cameron
There's something curiously comforting about a classic British spy film. They've an indescribable charm to them, a sort of old-world authenticity that very few others seem capable of capturing. Doubtless much of that is owed to so many of England's finest espionage writers having actually served in her intelligence services. Both Ian Fleming and Roald Dahl, for example, operated as intelligence officers during WWII, and even Christopher Marlowe is thought to have carried out covert activities at the behest of Sir Francis Walsingham. Not even they, however, can match the experience of writer John Le Carre who penned the novel upon which Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is based. Le Carre (whose real name is David Cornwell) served as an intelligence officer for both MI5 and MI6 during the 1950s and '60s, leaving to becoming a full-time novelist only after his cover was blown by the now infamous KGB double-agent Kim Philby. The incident so affected Le Carre that it formed the central theme of Tinker Tailor, a labyrinthine thriller about a suspected KGB mole within the highest ranks of MI6 and the secret internal operation to root him out. There's very little to dislike about this movie. For one, it boasts an extraordinary cast of England's finest, so much so that veteran John Hurt only receives about 10th billing when the credits begin to roll. Leading the charge is Gary Oldman as George Smiley, a disgraced former agent charged with the unenviable task of investigating his friends and erstwhile colleagues. It's a sublimely subtle performance, with Oldman's haggard fragility masking a cool and understated menace. There to assist him are Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch and his Dark Knight Rises co-star Tom Hardy, while the four subjects of the investigation come in the form of Toby Jones, Colin Firth, Ciaran Hinds and David Dencik. Like all classic spy stories, Tinker Tailor is intensely complex and certainly not a film for the easily distracted. Directed by Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In), it requires one's complete attention if there's to be any chance of keeping up with the continuous plot twists, industry jargon and disjointed narrative; however, the reward is entirely worth it. Le Carre refreshingly eschews the spy gadgetry, satellites and obfuscation of modern intelligence in favour of a very human story about friendship and betrayal, exploring the motivations behind treason and the emotional strain it places on all parties to the deception. Betrayal is, after all, the very marrow of the world in which these characters exist, and Alfredson masterfully taps into it in order to produce this sleek, intimate and taut psychological thriller. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Aco15ScXCwA
Ten years after the conclusion of the Irish Civil War, a local folk hero returns to his small country village, much to the chagrin of the conservative priests and landowners. Sounds like a typical set-up for a Ken Loach movie; the 78-year-old English director has made a career out of grim, socially conscious dramas about the injustices perpetrated against the working class. But while Jimmy's Hall certainly contains many characteristics typical of the veteran filmmaker, the film ultimately stands out as one of his lightest and most hopeful works. Not that that's saying a great deal. Indeed, while Jimmy's Hall is buoyed by its faith in the power of the people, the Loach film it most immediately recalls is actually one of his bleakest. 2006's Palme d'Or winner The Wind That Shakes the Barley chronicled the bloody Irish conflict of the early 1920s, and in some ways could be seen as a spiritual prequel to Jimmy's Hall — a film in which the personal and social fallout of the war is still being felt a decade latter. Dublin-born actor Barry Ward plays Jimmy Gralton, a real-world political activist and the hero of Loach's tale. After spending the '20s living in America, Jimmy returns to Ireland largely to care for his elderly mother but soon draws the ire of the community's ruling elite — led by the overzealous Father Sheridan (Jim Norton) — when he decides to reopen the dilapidated village dance hall. To the priest, it's only logical that where American jazz and pelvic thrusts holds sway, communist schemes soon follow. If it all sounds similar to the plot of Footloose, that's because it is. It's obvious why Loach, an ardent leftist, was attracted to Gralton's story. Jimmy is an easy hero to root for; a man of the people, fighting tooth and nail for the little guy against a stuffy, unfeeling villain. It's an appealing underdog story, rousing if rather simplistic. Screenwriter Paul Laverty's dialogue can be pretty on the nose in regards to the politics of the era, and let's face it, Loach has never been one to keep his ideological sympathies hidden. Thankfully, the film is rather more subtle when it comes to the dynamic between Jimmy and Oonagh (Simone Kirby), his onetime sweetheart who has since married somebody else. A scene in which the two of them dance silently in the moonlit hall is one of the most beautiful moments that Loach has ever put to film. Likewise, his portrayal of the villages' young people — determined not to make the same mistake as their parents — shows a more optimistic side of the filmmaker than audiences may have come to expect.
Long Point Vineyard and Art Gallery combines arguably two of the most important things in life —wine and art — in an exciting re-imagining of a traditional vineyard. The venue is set amongst 12 acres in the Hastings region near Port Macquarie and boasts outdoor artworks from Bondi's Sculptures by the Sea to explore in between wine tastings. And, while it doesn't have a kitchen, Long Point offers cheese boards which pair perfectly with your drop of choice. The vineyard frequently features pop-up events like long lunches and live music, giving you the opportunity to assemble the crew to take in some live music, lawn games, and enjoy grazing platters and wine in the sun.
First, the sad news: Melbourne Queer Film Festival doesn't run year-round. That makes its in-person festivals all the more special, of course, but hitting a Melbourne cinema isn't the only way to get your MQFF fix in 2022 — including if you live beyond the Victorian capital. Spreading its program of LGBTQIA+ movies as far and wide as it can, MQFF also has an online component this year called MQFF+. Streaming from Monday, November 21–Sunday, November 27, it features 25 films that you can watch from home. Yes, that's more than half of the physical lineup, complete with many of the fest's big highlights. On the bill: the Brazilian titles that both launched and wrapped up the fest in-person, aka opening night's Private Desert, about a genderfluid blue-collar worker in an online relationship who goes missing; and closing night's Uýra: The Rising Forest, focusing on trans-indigenous artist Uýra. Or, among other highlights, movie lovers can check out Blitzed!, about the eponymous London nightclub, with Boy George, Princess Julia and Spandau Ballet sharing their memories; Black as U R, a documentary about the lack of attention paid to the black queer community; Youtopia, exploring the inadvertent formation of a hipster cult; and My Emptiness and I hones in on a young trans call-centre worker. Films are available individually, or with three- and five-movie passes — with the latter giving cinephiles a discount.
Here's the headlines: Drake has announced Australian and New Zealand gigs for 2025; it'll be his first trip this way since 2017; and you're now going to have 'Hotline Bling', 'Too Good', 'Passionfruit', 'Nice for What', 'In My Feelings', 'One Dance' and 'Laugh Now Cry Later' stuck in your head again. The Canadian artist is bringing his Anita Max Win tour Down Under, locking in seven shows in four cities. Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland, this is what's next. The five-time Grammy-winner will head this way in February and March, kicking off on Sunday, February 9–Monday, February 10 at Rod Laver Arena in the Victorian capital. The following week, it's the Harbour City's turn at Qudos Bank Arena across Sunday, February 16–Monday, February 17. After that, Drake will play the Brisbane Entertainment Centre and Spark Arena in Auckland on Friday, February 28–Saturday, March 1. The Degrassi: The Next Generation star last took to the stage in this neck of the woods on his Boy Meets World tour, and eight years will have passed between those shows and his 2025 visit. The platinum-selling singer is fresh off his 2023–24 It's All A Blur Tour, which saw him chalk up over 80 soldout shows in North America. On that last visit, Drake had four studio albums to his name: 2010's Thank Me Later, 2011's Take Care, 2013's Nothing Was the Same and 2016's Views. He's doubled that since, so expect tunes from 2018's Scorpion, 2021's Certified Lover Boy, 2022's Honestly, Nevermind and 2023's For All the Dogs, too. The Anita Max Win tour's announcement isn't new news if you've been paying attention to Drake's social media, where he's been teasing details — but now consider it all officially locked in. And yes, there's plenty of space between his 2025 Aussie and NZ shows — a great sign if you're worried about a huge demand for tickets, because there's room for more concerts to be announced. Drake's 'Anita Max Win' Tour 2025 Australian and New Zealand Dates Sunday, February 9–Monday, February 10 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Sunday, February 16–Monday, February 17 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Monday, February 24 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Friday, February 28–Saturday, March 1 — Spark Arena, Auckland Drake is touring Australia and New Zealand in February 2025, with various ticket presales from Tuesday, December 2, 2024 at various times — and general sales from 12pm local time on Friday, December 6, 2024. Head to the tour website for more details. Images: The Come Up Show via Flickr.
I know what you're probably thinking. At Concrete Playground, we're very transparent about the awesome work we do with brands. So it might be reasonable to conclude that I'm going to fill the next 600 words or so with unadulterated praise about Milklab's new oat milk. But you'd be wrong. The first time I, a stubbornly exclusive drinker of full-fat dairy milk, tried oat milk, I made a face that made my walking buddy think I'd stepped in a big pile of dog shit. My next thought: immediate regret. You see, I'd challenged myself to make the switch to oat milk. I discovered while reading up about it, of the various plant-based milks that are now widely available in cafes, oat is supposed to be the closest in taste and creaminess to dairy. So, I thought, why not give it a go? I decided to commit to the oat for a whole week and document my experiences. But, after my first sip, I was immediately overcome with regret. A whole week on this was all of a sudden starting to look like it could be a long one. Was I going to make it? Was I going to cave? Or was I — perhaps unthinkably — actually going to enjoy it? Here's what happened. THE TASTE My first sip of an oat milk coffee was definitely a bit of a shock. For the uninitiated (as I was just a couple of weeks ago), there's a sweet, nutty, almost malty taste — as well as an undeniably oat-y one — that I knew was going to take a bit of getting used to. I don't take any sugar in my coffee, either, so I realised from that first sip that some adjustment (mainly of my own expectations) was going to be required. One almost immediate effect the sweetness did have was that it forced me to slow down, and to savour every sip. There was also a surprising richness to the milk that meant each sip just went that little bit further. I also tried different types of oat milk coffee: hot and cold, frothy and flat. I was surprised by the full flavour and roundness in the latte — especially an oat cap (more on that below). Meanwhile, the iced oat lattes I had were also very, very drinkable. Not only did these not leave me feeling bloated like a dairy version would, but it seems that not heating the milk neutralised some of the immediate nuttiness and sweetness. And while I could tell it wasn't dairy, it tasted pretty close to it. THE MOUTHFEEL This was, to be honest, the part that I was probably the most nervous about. One of the main reasons that I have stubbornly insisted on full-fat dairy milk is because I've found the alternatives either too watery for my liking, or far too overpowering in taste. The warm internal hug that a perfectly made latte with full-fat dairy milk provides is hard to replicate with the alternatives. One drink, though, changed my mind from the first sip: the oat cappuccino. While I am firmly of the belief that cappuccinos should remain in the 90s alongside sundried tomatoes and focaccia, the full velvety goodness of an oat cap was, to quote Jessica Simpson, irresistible. This is likely because oat milk stretches similarly to dairy, effectively resulting in a smaller margin of error on the part of the espresso puller and also creating that fuller mouthfeel. Another thing it took drinking oat to realise — especially on days I drank both oat and dairy to compare a little more directly — is the film that dairy can leave around the mouth, which is honestly... not okay. There was no such residue with oat, hot or cold. THE EFFECT Remember that warm internal hug I mentioned earlier? As pretty much any drinker of dairy milk can vouch for, it's not uncommon for your stomach to start to play dubstep after, or even during, that milk-induced inside-out embrace. Mercifully, no such beats were created after an oat beverage. Another thing I found interesting was that the post-caffeine crash I would usually experience — especially following my afternoon brew — did not come when I'd had my oat drink. This is surprising given that oat has less protein and more sugar than full-fat dairy, but what is undeniable is that an oatey boy seemed to keep me going for longer. The same can be said for the fullness factor. While its bloat factor means that dairy usually fills me more quickly, the fullness seems to be both more subtle and more sustained with oat. [caption id="attachment_824628" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rachel McDermott (Unsplash)[/caption] THE VERDICT Full disclosure: I'm writing this while drinking a full-fat dairy latte. But I'm not enjoying it as much as what I might have done a couple of weeks ago. I actually came to not only enjoy the taste of oat milk, but also crave it. Am I converted? Truth be told, I'll still be ordering dairy when the mood hits. But what I have discovered is that there is another option that does the job just as well — and, in some cases, even better. For more information on Milklab's new oat range, head to the website.
It doesn't matter what the weather holds for Suzie Sakamoto: with her husband and son missing when Apple TV+'s Sunny begins, the series' titular term can't apply to her days. An American in Kyoto (Rashida Jones, Silo), she's filled with grief over the potential loss of her Japanese family, anxiously awaiting any news that her spouse Masa (Hidetoshi Nishijima, Drive My Car) and their boy Zen (debutant Fares Belkheir) might've survived a plane crash. She'd prefer to do nothing except sit at home in case word comes; however, that's not considered to be mourning in the right way according to custom and also isn't appeasing her mother-in-law (Judy Ongg, Kaseifu no Mitazono). When Suzie soon has a robot for company, an unexpected gift from Masa, dwelling in her sorrow doesn't appear to be what he'd want in his absence, either. In this ten-part series, which adapts Colin O'Sullivan's 2018 novel The Dark Manual for the small screen and starts streaming from Wednesday, July 10, 2024, the technology that's quickly immersed in Suzie's existence is a homebot. The artificial-intelligence domestic helpers are everywhere in this near-future vision of Japan, aiding their humans with chores, organising tasks and plenty more — everywhere other than the Sakamoto house with its firmly anti-robot perspective, that is. Amid asking why her husband has not only sent the eponymous Sunny her way, but also why it's customised specifically to her, questions unsurprisingly spring about his true line of work. Has Suzie been married to a secret roboticist, rather than someone who designs refrigerators? What link does his job have with his disappearance? How does someone cope in such an already-traumatic situation when the person that they're possibly grieving mightn't be who they've said they are? Often with a science fiction twist, Apple TV+ can't get enough of mysteries. Approaching five years since the platform launched in late 2019, that truth is as engrained as the service's fondness for big-name talent, including across Severance, The Big Door Prize, Hello Tomorrow!, Silo, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Constellation, Sugar and Dark Matter. Thankfully, there's no content-factory feel to this lineup of shows, or to the streamer's catalogue in general, which is one of the best on offer in the online fight for eyeballs. Sunny's closest equivalent hails from beyond the brand, bringing Charlie Brooker's Channel 4-started, now Netflix-made Black Mirror to mind, but even then it's far more interested in its characters than their relationship to technology. That said, that people and how they use tech remain the real enemy, not gadgets and advancements themselves, hums at the core of both series. Indeed, Sunny proposes a radical path forward for Suzie, especially at a time IRL when generative AI has been making its presence known, and rarely for the better. Creator, showrunner and executive producer Katie Robbins (The Affair) takes her human protagonist down a route where the program's namesake, which matches a WALL-E vibe and emoji-leaning face with the cheerful voice of Barry, I Love That for You, Quarantine and Emma Approved's Joanna Sotomura, is perhaps the only thing that can be trusted. There's no shortage of other flesh-and-blood characters around Suzie, with some kindly and others patently nefarious. Bartender Mixxy (singer/songwriter Annie the Clumsy, Miss Osaka) falls into the first category. The platinum-blonde Hime (You, 9 Border), who seems to have a history with Masa, sits in the second camp. But with her world constantly being turned upside down and her usual confidante in Masa gone, technophobe Suzie might only be able to put her faith in the machine that's now ceaselessly by her side. A show such as Sunny, which is a comedy, drama, thriller and slice of dystopia all in one — alongside an odd-couple buddy pairing, plus a series with multiple puzzles, a stack of technology-driven and existential questions, and a probing of the human condition — needs two things beyond its compelling narrative. If viewers couldn't feel the confidence infused in this delicate mix of components, the show would crumble like circuitry haphazardly jammed together. If audiences couldn't sense the ambition to do far more than join dots as well, Sunny would similarly fail to compute. Not just thanks to its penchant for cliffhangers, this is a mystery with more always on the way, and one that adores teasing out its intricacies in a lived-in world that no other series can call home. That's assurance. That's initiative. Diving in is like strolling through Tokyo: there's always a new lane to mosey down, whether in the pursuit of solving the storyline or unpacking Suzie. The Dark Manual of O'Sullivan's moniker pops up as a hacker guide to customising homebots. Here, the plot also thickens. Still, as the yakuza feature, flashbacks tease out Suzie and Masa's meet-cute, the latter's time as a hikikomori — the portion of the Japanese population who choose to actively withdraw from society — is weaved in and surveillance is ever-present, Sunny never lets the avalanche of developments and threads that keep fuelling its tale become its sole or even main attraction. As penned by a seven-strong writing team led by Robbins with backgrounds on Bunheads, The Staircase, Apples Never Fall, Hit-Monkey, Tiny Beautiful Things and more, this is gripping and addictive viewing. It's a show to sleuth along with. Its retrofuturistic look and Saul Bass-esque opening credits are worth returning for again and again. Nonetheless, Sunny wouldn't connect if didn't value the personal and the human angle of being cast adrift from everything that you relied upon with no certainty about where to turn. Aided by being played by Jones, who so expertly married optimism and cynicism as Parks and Recreation's Ann Perkins — as she had to as the midpoint between Leslie Knope and Chris Traeger versus Ron Swanson and April Ludgate — Suzie is a character of unflagging determination crashing against mourning and anguish. She yearns with hope, as everyone does, for a lost loved one to re-emerge. She couches everything, including that longing, in sarcasm. That she journeyed to Japan to escape past woes, her lack of friends beyond her family and her alienation by refusing to learn the language all help construct a complex portrait. Also assisting: even simple moments, like swigging wine on the toilet. It isn't a secret that bounding through chaos is more relatable when the external tangle that greets a character reflects their inner jumble, as Jones anchors at the heart of her performance. The Boston Public, The Office, Celeste & Jesse Forever, Angie Tribeca and On the Rocks star in never-better territory, in fact, as she must've spotted the potential for; she's also among Sunny's executive producers. New TV arrivals of mid-2024 are now two for two when robot companions are involved. Fantasmas is the other. They're also two for two in world-building and production design that plunges viewers into screen spaces that resemble nothing else, which is no small feat for Sunny with Japan as its setting. Another commonality: not merely making audiences grateful that the non-stop flow of new streaming series can keep delivering programs this unique, but sparking a hunger for more to come. That's the sunny side of more TV begetting more TV and then more still, because a heaving crowd is always made up of individuals. Few new streaming arrivals of late are as distinctive as Fantasmas and Sunny, though. Check out the trailer for Sunny below: Sunny streams via Apple TV+ from Wednesday, July 10, 2024.
Drawing thousands of visitors over the first weekend in June, The Taste of Manly brings together culinary samples from Manly's best restaurants and NSW wineries, plus live entertainment and pop-up inspiration points, like the Sustainability Hub. Spread out along The Corso and Manly Beach from 11 to 5pm on June 2 and 3, there will be tasting and market stalls from eateries including Chat Thai, Le Kiosk, Hotel Steyne and the Troubadour and from big name wineries like First Creek, Lindeman's and RidgeView. Two entertainment stages will be blasting out blues, folk, indie, rock, reggae and '60s rock 'n' roll across both days, as well as comedy acts and two major cooking demonstrations from the chefs at Hugos (Saturday) and Garfish (Sunday). Manly's Sustainability Hub will be the focal point for community initiatives such as car-sharing, green-fingered inspiration in the form of organic produce and native plants, plus advice and special offers on eco-friendly stuff like electric bikes, solar panels and chemical-free cleaning products. Feeling low on cash? Don't miss 'Treat Street' — a cheap way to sample fare from local suppliers like Booza, Gourmet Dinner Service and Infinity Sourdough Bakery. Fill your belly with the goodness of organic lemonade from Bionade and traditional Dutch treats from Poffertjes Please.
Pink hues, beach-themed decor, a roller rink, desserts served in toy convertibles: you'll find them all at the Malibu Barbie Cafe. After popping up across the US — with New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, Miami, Austin and Houston all welcoming the venue — this ode to Barbiecore has made its Australian debut. Come on Aussies, let's go party in Melbourne. Being a Barbie girl in a Barbie world wasn't just a 2023 trend, back when Greta Gerwig's (Little Women) Margot Robbie (Asteroid City)-starring — and Oscar-nominated — film became one of the biggest and pinkest movies to ever hit cinemas. The 2025 way to get your fix Down Under has arrived, and it's hanging around until summer 2026. Hitting up the Malibu Barbie Cafe at The Social Quarter at Chadstone Shopping Centre in the Victorian capital means not only enjoying ice cream floats dished up in a pink Barbie car, but also frequenting the Ken Kabana bar for fairy floss-topped cocktails and putting your skates on. Initially announced in mid-June and open since Friday, June 27, this is the cafe's debut stop beyond America. It's also Melbourne's second temporary big-name pop culture-themed addition this winter, after Melbourne Museum's Star Wars Galactic Cafe opened its doors in early June. Kicking it back to the 1970s, when Malibu Barbie initially debuted, is on the agenda, too. When you're hitting the rink, so is skating surrounded by artwork of palm trees. A life-sized Barbie box? An installation that celebrates how Barbie as a brand has changed over the years? That's all on offer at the Malibu Barbie Cafe as well, alongside merchandise that you won't find anywhere else. Ken's job isn't just beach here, given that his name adorns the cocktail-slinging upstairs bar in the two-storey site. On the drinks menu: that gin and lemonade concoction with spun sugar on top; themed takes on mojitos, margaritas, cosmopolitans, espresso martinis and old fashioneds; and more. If you're keen on a booze-free version, some of the tipples are available as mocktails. There's also a snack range, including fries with pink mayo, prawn cocktails, sushi and baked brie. Downstairs, Malibu Barbie Cafe's menu is an all-ages-friendly affair, with that ice cream float just one option. Sticking with sweets means choosing from doughnuts, pink cookies, cupcakes, ice cream sundaes, fruit and marshmallows. If you can't decide, the dessert sampler dishes up a mix of picks on a Barbie boat for between four and eight people. Savoury dishes span the same small bites as at the Ken Kabana, plus burgers, poke, garlic prawn linguine, beer-battered fish tacos, club sandwiches, grilled cheese, mac 'n' cheese and salads. Or, tuck into avocado toast, açai bowls, bacon and eggs, parfait or pancakes from the all-day brunch selection. Then, to drink, milkshakes, pink lemonade and pink lattes are among the options. If you're thinking "come on Barbie, let's go party", party packages are indeed a feature — including three-hour adults-only private-dining experiences from 6.30pm Thursday–Sunday. Find Mattel's Malibu Barbie Cafe at The Social Quarter at Chadstone Shopping Centre, 1341 Dandenong Road, Malvern East, Melbourne, until summer 2026 — open from 10am–6pm Monday–Wednesday, 10am–10pm Thursday–Friday, 9am–10pm Saturday and 9am–8pm Sunday. Head to the cafe's website for more details.
For 14 hours in October, Sydney became home to a very nice and very large statue of Borat. This month, the city has welcomed another supersized and temporary piece of pop culture-themed art — this time celebrating a local star. Until Tuesday, November 17, an 18-storey-high portrait of Nicole Kidman is soaring above Darlinghurst. And yes, like the sculpture of a certain fictional Kazakh journalist, it's designed to promote a new addition to your streaming queue. For the past three weeks, Binge has been dropping new episodes of HBO's twisty new six-part thriller mini-series The Undoing, with three more episodes left to air across the rest of November. In the whodunnit drama, Kidman stars as successful therapist, Grace Fraser, who lives a life of considerable luxury in New York. But when someone linked to her son's ultra-wealthy private school turns up dead, Grace's seemingly perfect existence starts to collapse — as does her marriage to charming paediatric oncologist Jonathan (Hugh Grant). Clearly, the new sky-high artwork is simply a very large advertisement for The Undoing. And we do mean large, given that it measures 18.4 metres wide and 36.8 metres high — covering nearly 680 square metres in total. That said, it's all hand-painted, with artists Hamish McBride, Laura Paige, Kailin Hegel, Jacqui Butterworth, Aly Barnard, Matt Mcenally, Meg Hardie, Meg Hales, Michael Iglesias, Nancy Ji and Tia Madden working on the portrait across 400 hours over 15 days (and using around 200 litres of paint in the process). The aforementioned creatives all hail from Apparition Media, which is also responsible for the huge mural of AFL star Adam Goodes in Surry Hills. Apparition Media's giant likeness of Kidman is just one half of an overall project, as another painting will replace it from Wednesday, November 18. Yes, you could say that the initial portrait will come undone — but just what the second picture will depict is yet to be revealed. After Monday, November 23, the wall will be painted for a third time, reverting it back to its original state. If you're wondering whether that's a sign of what's to come in The Undoing — which also features Donald Sutherland, A Quiet Place's Noah Jupe and Edgar Ramirez; is based on Jean Hanff Korelitz's novel You Should Have Known and directed by The Night Manager's Susanne Bier; and was adapted by well-known TV writer David E Kelley (Big Little Lies, LA Law, Ally McBeal, The Practice) — you'll obviously need to watch the series to find out. Check out the trailer for The Undoing below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wdlvSoWR6w The 18-storey-high portrait of Nicole Kidman will adorn the side of 227 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, until Tuesday, November 17. It'll then be replaced by a second yet-to-be-revealed painting from Wednesday, November 18–Monday, November 23. The first three episodes of The Undoing are available to stream via Binge, with new episodes added weekly on Mondays. Images: Chris Pavlich
If you're thinking of exploring Barrington Tops National Park (which you definitely should), consider packing your camping gear and spending the night at Gloucester River campground. Have an early night so you can rise with the sun and set off on the Sharpes Creek walking track. There are plenty of stunning vistas, plus the opportunity to spot platypus and eastern water dragons. If you're pressed for time (or don't love the idea of camping overnight in the bush), then there are a number of tracks you can easily complete in the space of a day or less. Image: Peter Beard
Dropping out of the Conservatorium of Music worked out pretty well for The Presets. After ten years on stages and three full-length albums, The Presets will finally make their Opera House debut. The Sydney electronic heavyweights are doing it in good company too – hand-in-hand with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, directed by Richard Tognetti. If the joining of such potent musical forces weren't ambitious enough, they've decided to navigate their way through 42,000 years of musical history and more than 230 songs, starting 13.8 billion years ago and ending up today. Prepare to lose yourself in a mindbending journey from Mozart and Bach to Miles Davis and Bob Dylan, while Ignatius Jones masterminds the visuals. The first show (Sunday, May 25, 2pm) is already sold out, but if you're quick, you might be in with a chance of scoping out the second (Thursday, May 29, 7pm). https://youtube.com/watch?v=0H40riQv5Jk
In The Post, journalists strive to source, confirm and publish reports about a government cover-up spanning several decades. In America's highest office, and among the connected and influential, the powers-that-be attempt to silence the story. It's a true tale, and one that couldn't be more relevant today. At the moment, if the media tried to reveal something as significant as the Pentagon Papers — which detailed the lies four consecutive US administrations told the public about the country's involvement in the Vietnam war — we all know what would happen. Tweets would fly, thick, fast, and probably misspelled. "Fake news!" they'd scream, over and over again. If you're not familiar with the real-life scandal that rocked Washington in the early 1970s, it all starts with marine turned military analyst Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys) and a treasure trove of leaked classified documents. Once The Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) begins to suspect that their rivals at The New York Times have a big scoop in the works, the two newspapers battle it out to piece together the story. The Nixon administration pushes back, placing publisher Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep) under considerable pressure to kill their investigation. While the government accuses the press of violating espionage laws and causing irreparable damage to American security, the journalists stand by their belief in the First Amendment as well as the importance of speaking truth to power. Complicating matters further is the paper's impending stock offering, with the board and investors nervous about possible controversy. There's perhaps never been a better time to make a movie about an attack on the freedom of the press, or the need for the media to scrutinise the workings of the country's leaders. That feeling is inescapable while watching The Post, to the point that many of its rousing speeches could easily be uttered today. That said, director Steven Spielberg dedicates the bulk of the film's time to the procedural business of reporters doing what they do: chasing leads, combing through documents, butting up against deadlines, and more. Tracking their hard work, as well as the difficult decisions and fierce opposition that comes with it, the drama is solid, smart and polished. Working together for the first time in their long and illustrious careers, the same can be said of the movie's two stars. The Post is an ensemble effort, with Bob Odenkirk, Carrie Coon, Tracy Letts and Sarah Paulson all fantastic in pivotal parts. But the central performances of Hanks and Streep are particularly instrumental in the film's hard-earned thrills. Hanks ensures Bradlee's hard-nosed determination shines through, while Streep brings quiet courage to a trickier and ultimately more resonant role. Among The Post's many timely subjects, the dismissive treatment Graham endured as the first female publisher of a major American paper does not escape attention. Nor does her fortitude in fighting back. With Spielberg in the director's chair, working with a script by first-timer Liz Hannah and Spotlight Oscar-winner Josh Singer, none of the above should be surprising. Increasingly at home making serious-minded dramas as the decades go by — see Lincoln and Bridge of Spies in recent years — the filmmaker's handling of tone and pace suits the story and subject matter perfectly. With frames filled with period detail and steely hues (the picture was shot by his now 16-time cinematographer Janusz Kaminski), Spielberg favours an old-fashioned, no-nonsense approach that nonetheless proves thoroughly rousing. And really, how better to handle a movie like this. This tale might be history, but these days it feels like anything but. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1VcCv9JOPQ
At some point in my childhood I was given, by some weirdly joyless relative, a tome of “fairytales” by Hans Christian Andersen. As anyone who’s read these will know, they’re not the kind of happily-ever-after stories that we know, but grim, anti-Disney nightmares where protagonists pay the ultimate price for amoral behaviour. Elena is a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale for adults, relocated to Russia in 2012. Elena spends most of her time caring for the men in her life who could only be described as miserable wretches. Her wealthy husband treats her like a nurse. She wakes him up every morning, makes his bed. They kiss each other on the cheek, numbly ask about each others’ plans for the day, but share little intimacy. Meanwhile, her deadbeat son from another partner treats her like an ATM. When her husband suffers a health scare and decides to rewrite his will, allocating almost everything to his own distant and uncaring daughter, Elena makes a decision that is at once completely understandable and utterly morally repugnant. There is never any question of criminal apprehension: the heart of this beautifully shot film lies in the weight of Elena’s decision on her own conscience. The films’ settings are wonderfully bleak. A huge power reactor looms like a warning over Elena’s son’s apartment block. Russia’s overcast sky - sunless and shadeless, in eternal twilight - becomes, in turn, a kind of awful judgment on her action. Director Andrei Zvyagintsev is best known for his 2003 film, The Return, and his segment in 2009’s New York, I Love You. His assured and slowly edited emphasis on the daily minutiae of Elena’s life serves to build an awful sense of suspense and oncoming calamity, as does Philip Glass’ glowering score. At three devastating points following Elena’s choice, the film breaks away from the plotline to deliver purely symbolic and quite creepy omens. To reveal these moments would be wrong, but they leave little doubt as to the director’s intentions for Elena’s atonement — after all, the tagline is “Thy will be done”. Nadezhda Markina, as Elena, never moralises, and her layered performance has won her a bounty of best actress awards. Many people can’t abide slow-building subtitled films about relentlessly unhappy people. But closet pessimists like myself and the Cannes judges (the film won the Special Jury Prize last year) will find Elena’s sense of impending doom oddly satisfying.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas across the country. After months spent empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Australian picture palaces are back in business — spanning 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, comedies, music documentaries, 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. COUSINS Early in Cousins, lawyer Makareta (Briar Grace Smith, The Strength of Water) walks Wellington's streets, chatting to her cousin Missy (Rachel House, Baby Done) by phone about the latest threat to appropriate their family's land to build a highway. As they talk, a woman with a shrub-like bob of hair and a well-worn green coat almost crosses Makareta's path — and, unbeknownst to her, it's her long-lost cousin, Mata (Tanea Heke, Waru), that she's spent most of her years desperately looking for. In another movie, this near miss would be cutesy, convenient, and spark an onslaught of superficial wisdom about opportunities, coincidences and connections. Cousins isn't that film, thankfully. Here, Makareta and Mata come oh-so-close to finding each other because that's what life entails for a Māori woman who was taken from her family as a child. Stolen away by her white father, left with an uncaring guardian and schooled in a grim home for desolate children, Mata has spent too long at arm's reach from her nearest and dearest, as the film's fractured timeline loops back to explain. She's never all that far away physically — indeed, when she's allowed to stay with her relatives during one youthful summer, a much-younger Makareta (Mihi Te Rauhi Daniels) is shocked to learn that her cousin has been living locally — but by being stripped of her culture, her ties to the past and even the name her mother gave her, Mata may as well have been sent to the other side of the world. Based on Patricia Grace's 1992 book of the same name — and brought to the screen with exceptional performances, including from House, both Keyahne Patrick Williams and Hariata Moriarty (Savage) as younger versions of Missy, and Te Ao Marama Baker, Te Raukura Gray and Ana Scotney (The Breaker Upperers) as Mata at various ages — Cousins explores how Mata's removal from her family leaves a permanent mark. Following her years in institutionalised care and the abhorrent way she's treated by her guardian (Sylvia Rands, Top of the Lake) as well, it's a story and film about colonial trauma, systemic racism and the ills of history that have affected too many First Nations people in too much of the world, and it's a heartbreakingly moving and compelling piece of cinema. Co-directing as well as acting, Grace-Smith teams up with fellow Māori woman and Waru collaborator Ainsley Gardiner to tell a tale that's intimate, impassioned and unflinchingly brought to the screen. Cousins dives headfirst into the pain that removing Indigenous people from their land and culture sparks, and doesn't ever downplay how that hurt, loss, isolation and alienation causes ripples that never subside. And yet, with its calm gaze, as well as its penchant for lingering over brief but vibrant pops of colour and greenery, this is also a movie about fighting for what matters, valuing what you can when you can, and remaining both adaptable and resilient out of both necessity and unyielding fortitude. JOSEE, THE TIGER AND THE FISH With its eye-catching pastel hues and soul-stirring affinity for water, it'd be easy to accuse Josee, the Tiger and the Fish of following in Weathering With You, Children of the Sea and Ride Your Wave's footsteps — or in Ponyo's as well. But this charming and moving Japanese delight finds its origins in a 2003 live-action film of the same name, which itself was adapted from author Seiko Tanabe's short story. The new Josee, the Tiger and the Fish still slides in seamlessly beside its aforementioned anime peers, though. That isn't a criticism by any means. These movies aren't otherwise overtly connected, but Japan's affection for gorgeously animated tales of the heart, of hope and of H2O keeps giving rise to features that may as well be different volumes in a beloved series. Present here, too, is a clear sense of melodrama as two twentysomethings literally collide — physically, more than once, in fact — and try to work out what their futures might hold. Tsuneo (Taishi Nakagawa, Samurai Marathon) has always dreamed of becoming a marine biologist, while Josee (Kaya Kiyohara, Wish) has rarely been given room to think of anything other than the present. Once the pair's paths intertwine, though, they begin to find themselves in far more similar circumstances than either could ever have foretold. The meet-cute here is really a crash-cute: thanks to Josee's hurtling wheelchair and its speedy decline down a hilly Osaka street, she goes flying into his arms. Her grandmother (Chiemi Matsutera) invites him home, and then to join them for a meal — and while Josee is unhappy about the arrangement to the point of being outwardly rude, Tsuneo soon finds himself with a job offer to be her part-time caregiver. He also works in the local dive shop, as part of his studies and quest to earn a scholarship to Mexico. But even with his friend and coworker Mai (Yume Miyamoto, The Misfit of Demon King Academy) pining for him quietly, he's drawn to the impudent Josee. The film strands its titular character in her wheelchair, in peril and in need of help more than once, but Tsuneo is adamant that she needn't ignore her dreams or resign herself to escaping the world around her. Directing his first feature after credits on TV series such as Negima! Magister Negi Magi and Noragami, filmmaker Kôtarô Tamura tells not only a love story, but a tale about embracing life's chaos. His film celebrates the importance of understanding perspectives other than your own, and of fighting for your own choices. Add it to the list of sweet, charming, empathetic and heartwarming anime doing the same — although not one of them simply wades in familiar waters. HEROIC LOSERS Thanks to the vagaries of fate — and, of late, the havoc that the pandemic has played on cinema releases — films with similar elements sometimes brighten up the big screen at the same time. Heroic Losers is one of two movies debuting in Australian cinemas this week that unites a group of small-town locals around a shared cause (the other: Dream Horse; see below). It's also one of two features out this week that pits ordinary hardworking folks against the overwhelming forces making their lives more difficult (the second: Percy vs Goliath; again, see below). Heroic Losers also boasts much in common with the treasure trove of heist flicks that have come before it. Writer/director Sebastian Borensztein (Chinese Take-Out) even includes clips of 1966's How to Steal a Million, and has the 55-year-old classic influence some of its characters' antics, too. But, premiering in Argentina almost two years ago before hopping its way around the festival circuit, including at Australia's Spanish Film Festival, this affable movie ranks among the best kind of formulaic fare. It makes you remember what you love about the genres it warmly falls into, as well as the pictures it fondly recalls — and it never leaves its viewers merely ticking through all of its standard-issue inclusions, then wishing they were watching one of those other pictures instead. The ever-reliable, always charming Ricardo Darín (Everybody Knows) plays Fermín Perlassi, a retired ex-footballer who wants to reopen a grain storage cooperative that stumbled in his small-town home of Villa Alsina a decade earlier. It's 2001, and he manages to encourage his pals and locals to support his dream. Alas, just days after Fermín deposits their life savings — and is manipulated into putting them into an account, rather than in a safe deposit box —Argentina's financial crisis sees the country's banks and their funds all frozen. This isn't the last crisis involving their money, but the group comes up with a plan. Again, as mentioned above, How to Steal a Million helps. So does the eagerness of Fermín and his gang — including Verónica Llinás (So Long Enthusiasm) as his wife, Darín's own son Chino (The Queen of Spain) as his son, and Luis Brandoni (You Only Live Once), Rita Cortese (Wild Tales) and Marco Antonio Caponi (Nobody's Watching) as well — to take their destinies into their own hands. Unravelling their heist antics, Borensztein helms a lively and likeable film that pairs its affection for their efforts with a matching affinity for the characters themselves. It all turns out as anyone can predict, but the good-natured journey is rarely anything less than pleasant. DELIVER US FROM EVIL Whether he's on screenwriting duties or he's behind the camera, a film that involves Hong Won-chan is always worthy of attention. The South Korean filmmaker penned the scripts for Na Hong-jin's gripping The Chaser and The Yellow Sea, then made his directorial debut with the entertainingly savage Office — and now, both as a writer and a helmer, he's added engaging action-packed gangster thriller Deliver Us From Evil to his growing resume. A big box office hit on home turf, this kinetic, frenetic and exceptionally choreographed affair charts the failed last hurrah of cop-turned-hitman In-nam (Hwang Jung-min, The Wailing). In Tokyo, he pulls off his final job without a hitch, but it turns out that his yakuza target has an unhinged brother that his bosses forgot to mention. And, as well as being unhappy about this turn of events to the point of seeking bloody and ruthless revenge, said sibling Ray (Lee Jung-jae, The Housemaid) shares a past with In-nam. That's enough to derail the latter's plans to live the good life in Panama for the rest of his days; however, it's not the only drama that pushes him off course. In Bangkok, his ex-girlfriend has been killed in a bungled kidnapping and extortion scheme, but her nine-year-old daughter Yoo-min (Park So-yi, Pawn) still needs rescuing. Deliver Us From Evil isn't short on plot, but it isn't needlessly overcomplicated or convoluted, either. As a storyteller, Hong has always been efficient above all else. Indeed, when multiple storylines weave through his scripts — as they usually do — they're always unfurled with exactly the flair and detail each needs and deserves. Here, he threads together In-nam's search for Yoo-min and his attempts to evade Ray, and does so with the same precision his two main characters show in their gruesome work. In this 108-minute movie, not a scene or second is wasted, in fact. While much of the minutiae, narrative-wise, hardly reshapes Hong's chosen genre, he firmly knows the difference between blandly sticking to a formula and deploying familiar elements in their best and most spirited forms. His keen eye for dynamic, slick but never mindlessly over-the-top action helps, including in frenzied chase scenes and brutal fist-to-fist battles. His willingness to let the camera linger upon its person of focus a beat longer than usual — whether In-nam, Ray or the transgender Korean woman, Yui (Park Jeong-min, Time to Hunt), In-nam teams up with to locate Yoo-min — also gives the movie its own pace. And, in its casting, Deliver Us From Evil is first-rate. Lee gets the more cartoonish role, but no scene featuring his menace, Hwang's blend of determination and desperation, or both, could ever wear out its welcome. DREAM HORSE Life-changing conversations can happen in bars — as Jan Vokes well and truly knows. Played in Dream Horse by Toni Collette (I'm Thinking of Ending Things), the Welsh supermarket employee and pub barmaid overheard Howard Davies (Damian Lewis, Billions) chatting about his past success as a racehorse owner. In his beer-fuelled boasting, he doesn't discuss how it almost left him bankrupt and divorced, but Jan is still inspired to both follow his lead and enlist his help. Having bred whippets and racing pigeons before, and won prizes for doing so, she decides she'll turn her attention to horses. Husband Brian (Owen Teale, Game of Thrones) isn't initially convinced, but soon she's studying guides, finding a mare and then a stallion, and convincing her friends and neighbours to put away a tenner a week to pay for this little endeavour. The syndicate's focus: a foal they name Dream Alliance, who spends his early days being raised on the Vokes' allotment, and eventually ends up with racing hotshot Philip Hobbs (Nicholas Farrell, The Nevers) as its trainer. Dream Horse wouldn't exist if success didn't follow, and it leaves no doubt that that's the case; however, director Euros Lyn (The Library Suicides) and screenwriter Neil McKay (Mad Money) chart lows as well as highs, and always ensure their characters are their primary focus. Dream Alliance was always going to gallop into cinemas, of course — and not just via 2015 documentary Dark Horse: The Incredible True Story of Dream Alliance. His is a story too crowd-pleasing for filmmakers to ignore, especially given the UK's penchant for against-the-odds tales about motley crews of struggling salt-of-the-earth characters who band together over an unusual but swiftly shared interest that ends up revitalising their lives in more ways than one. That's the template Dream Horse plays to, even though it's based on a true tale and an actual horse. The Full Monty, Calendar Girls and similar feel-good flicks provide as much inspiration here as the actual real-life details, in fact. Accordingly, this is a movie that's easy to get caught up in. It's almost impossible not to, really. That said, it's also a film that wears its warmth, sentimentality and shameless heartstring-pulling as a badge of honour. As a result, it's also impossible to ignore the buttons the movie keeps gleefully pushing, and the parts of the tale that must've been smoothed out to elicit the desired cheer-inducing response — even around Collette's committed performance. But this happily mawkish feature and its characters are all doing it for the "hwyl", a Welsh term that means "emotional motivation and energy", and neither is willing to let that mission dwindle even for a second. PERCY VS GOLIATH Not once but twice in Percy vs Goliath, snippets of news footage utter the three words that no one needs to speak aloud. Given its title, no one needs to spell out that seed-saving Saskatchewan farmer Percy Schmeiser (Christopher Walken, Wild Mountain Thyme) is locked in a David vs Goliath battle with agriculture and agrochemical behemoth Monsanto. By the time the biblical face-off is first mentioned in this underdog drama, it's well and truly clear that this is the case — whether or not you're familiar with the real-life story, or you've seen the 2009 documentary Percy Schmeiser — David Versus Monsanto. But actor-turned-director Clark Johnson (Juanita) and screenwriters Garfield Lindsay Miller (The Devil You Know) and Hilary Pryor (Moosemeat & Marmalade) go there anyway. They make a plethora of choices that are just as blatant and unnecessary, and it robs their film of its potency. Unexpectedly accused of stealing Monsanto's Roundup-resistant canola seeds, and determined to do whatever it takes to demonstrate his innocence and fight for the rights of his fellow farmers, Schmeiser's tale is rousing enough without needing to resort to obvious cliches. Undoubtedly, his quest was described in such terms by media at the time, and definitely would've been since as well, but Percy vs Goliath's viewers don't need to be spoon-fed so forcefully to understand why his battle matters. Thankfully, this by-the-numbers movie has Walken at its centre, which is usually a smart choice. The veteran actor might've been poorly served by his past two big-screen roles — his Irish accent in Wild Mountain Thyme is awful, and the less said about the never-funny all-ages exploits in War with Grandpa, the better — but he's reliably compelling here as Schmeiser. His character's troubles begin when he's sent a letter demanding $15,000 in payment for his supposed unlicensed use of Monsanto's patented technology. Schmeiser's wife (Roberta Maxwell, Hungry Hearts) is initially sceptical about enlisting legal help, his son (Luke Kirby, The Marvellous Mrs Maisel) is steadfastly against it and even their chosen lawyer (Zach Braff, The Comeback Trail) recommends settling; however, this farmer doesn't take kindly to being told he's a thief when he isn't, or being bullied by the big end of his industry. He initially isn't too fond of the environmental activist (Christina Ricci, Around the Block) who pops up to crowdfund for his cause, either, but sometimes he needs her bigger-picture thinking. Yes, everything in Percy vs Goliath unravels as expected, and Johnson, Miller and Pryor's choices emphasis that unmissable truth. The film didn't need to be as routine and drama-free as it is, but Walken gives it far more spirit than it possesses otherwise. THE MEDDLER In The Meddler, it doesn't take long for German Cabrera to admit the obvious: he has an addiction. By day, the Guatemala City resident works as a mechanic, a trade he's keen to teach to his four sons. By night, he leaves his family at home while he trawls the streets until dawn, doggedly searching for whichever splashes of blood, crime and drama that he can capture with his always-recording camera. Cabrera is compelled to document the city's chaos so that he can expose it, he explains. As the block of text that opens the film notes, 2100 homicides were reported in Guatemala City in 2013, making it the 12th most violent place in the world. Cabrera records everything that he can — nightly fights, drunken behaviour, medical emergencies and dead bodies alike — with TV networks airing his footage, and even eventually dedicating an entire segment called The Night Watcher to his visuals. He's proud about the fact that he doesn't get paid for his efforts. As The Meddler watches him as he watches on, he seems to enjoy what he's seeing, too. In fact, Cabrera takes his role as a self-appointed observer to heart, simply standing by camera in-hand while scenes and events scream for someone's intervention, and often just recording anyone who happens to stumble into his view. Directed by feature first-timers Alex Roberts and Daniel Leclair, The Meddler has charged itself with a complicated task — because its subject and his actions and motivations are equally complex. When the documentary spends time driving around with Cabrera, peers at him while he's on the road and hears him talk about his desires to better the city, it purposefully brings Taxi Driver to mind. When it spies his eagerness to voyeuristically seek out and shoot Guatemala City's nocturnal chaos night after night, it summons up Nightcrawler as well. Neither comparison paints Cabrera in a favourable light, or a straightforward one. The Meddler thrusts him to the fore and its filmmakers don't interject in his monologues, question his statements or try to explain his choices; however, the doco's aesthetic and editing choices don't wholly land on his side, either. Indeed, this is a knotty character study that appreciates Cabrera's stated quest, and also acknowledges all of the thorniness that comes packaged with him and his after-dark hustle. When the film uses his footage, it's chilling and unsettling. When it forces viewers to contemplate his presence in the night and accompanying penchant for sensationalistic imagery, it's just as eerie. GREAT WHITE When a giant shark chomps its way through the cinematic ocean, audiences are meant to side with its scared human prey. But some creature features give viewers multiple reasons to do the opposite — and to find their own way to liven up a dull and formulaic movie. Perhaps the film's non-fish characters are woefully one-note or unlikeable, or both. Maybe the script is so simplistic, even in a well-worn genre, that a shark munching random keys on a typewriter probably could've written something better. Or, it could be that every plot development, performance, visual, and score choice is so overwhelmingly predictable that tension is as rare as a vegan great white. Actually, there's no maybes about any of the last three statements when it comes to horror's latest shark-centric outing, which turns Queensland's waters into a buffet for a ravenous critter. Great White marks the feature debut of director Martin Wilson, and only the second movie script for screenwriter Michael Boughen (Dying Breed); however, that its producers have 2010 Aussie shark film The Reef and its now-in-production sequel The Reef: Stalked on their resumes — plus homegrown 2007 crocodile flick Black Water and its 2020 sequel Black Water: Abyss — will surprise absolutely no one. Great White's setup will be familiar to anyone who has even heard of a shark movie before, let alone watched one. The twist: despite reassurances by marine biologist-turned-seaplane pilot Charlie (Aaron Jakubenko, Tidelands) that the time just isn't right for teeth-gnashing ocean predators to fill their empty stomachs, climate change seems to have changed the titular species' habits. So, on a lucrative charter gig that'll help keep his business financially afloat, Charlie, his girlfriend Kaz (Katrina Bowden, 30 Rock), their cook Benny (Te Kohe Tuhaka, Love and Monsters), and their paying customers Joji (Tim Kano, Neighbours) and Michelle (Kimie Tsukakoshi, The Family Law) find themselves under threat. They've headed to a remote island of personal significance to Michelle, and Joji is clashing with Benny before they even spot the resident great white's last victim. To ramp up the stakes, Kaz is telling Charlie that she's pregnant, too. Quickly, the quintet become the creature's next targets, including while cast adrift in a life raft that could use Life of Pi's Richard Parker for company. Just as speedily, Great White's audience will wish that something — anything — that hasn't previously graced Jaws, The Shallows, 47 Metres Down or even The Meg's frames would happen in this thrill-free bob into been-there, done-that waters. SPIRIT UNTAMED The first time that a Kiger Mustang named Spirit cantered across the silver screen, it was in 2002's Oscar-nominated Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. Back then, the film marked just the sixth theatrical feature that Dreamworks Animation had brought to cinemas — following Antz, The Prince of Egypt, The Road to El Dorado, Chicken Run and Shrek — and if anything stood out, it was the movie's hand-drawn animation. Almost two decades later, Spirit Untamed returns the energetic and determined horse back to theatres. The movie he's in still looks gorgeous, even if computers have replaced pencils in bringing him to life. That said, this isn't actually the franchise's second step, with Netflix series Spirit Riding Free also telling the apple-loving animal's story across 78 episodes since 2017. In both look and feel, Spirit Untamed has more in common with its streaming counterpart than its big-screen predecessor, unsurprisingly. It's happy to primarily court the show's young audience, too. Indeed, while voice work by Jake Gyllenhaal (Spider-Man: Far From Home), Julianne Moore (Lisey's Story), Walton Goggins (Fatman), Andre Braugher (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) and Eiza González (Godzilla vs Kong) is designed to appeal to adults, there's little else but scant traces of nostalgia and pastel-hued imagery to keep anyone past their teens interested. Her vocals stem from a different actor — with Isabela Merced (Dora and the Lost City of Gold) doing the honours — but Fortuna Esperanza "Lucky" Prescott still sits at the heart of Spirit Untamed. Like Spirit Riding Free, the new film tells of Lucky's arrival in the frontier town of Miradero, her connection with Spirit and her efforts to save him from wranglers (led by Goggins). Also covered: her budding friendship with fellow horse-lovers Pru (voiced here by Little's Marsai Martin) and Abigail (Mckenna Grace, Annabelle Comes Home). They're the pals she needs when Spirit and his wild companions are snatched up by the nefarious rustlers, who plan to ship the horses off and sell them. Together, the pre-teen trio then sets off across the dangerous plains, determined to save the galloping animals and do the right thing. There's an obvious but still welcome and powerful message in Lucky's story, as she ignores her worried dad's (Gyllenhaal) warnings and her doting aunt's (Moore) fussing, choosing to follow her own heart and path instead. (Her father frets because her mother, voiced by González, worked as a horse-riding stunt performer and died during a show.) Similarly pleasing, even if the movie basically just remakes the TV show's first episode: that this all-ages wild west tale heroes women, although it pales in comparison to the recent Calamity, a Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on January 1, January 7, January 14, January 21 and January 28; February 4, February 11, February 18 and February 25; March 4, March 11, March 18 and March 25; and April 1, April 8, April 15, April 22 and April 29; May 6, May 13, May 20 and May 27; and June 3. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Nomadland, Pieces of a Woman, The Dry, Promising Young Woman, Summerland, Ammonite, The Dig, The White Tiger, Only the Animals, Malcolm & Marie, News of the World, High Ground, Earwig and the Witch, The Nest, Assassins, Synchronic, Another Round, Minari, Firestarter — The Story of Bangarra, The Truffle Hunters, The Little Things, Chaos Walking, Raya and the Last Dragon, Max Richter's Sleep, Judas and the Black Messiah, Girls Can't Surf, French Exit, Saint Maud, Godzilla vs Kong, The Painter and the Thief, Nobody, The Father, Willy's Wonderland, Collective, Voyagers, Gunda, Supernova, The Dissident, The United States vs Billie Holiday, First Cow, Wrath of Man, Locked Down, The Perfect Candidate, Those Who Wish Me Dead, Spiral: From the Book of Saw, Ema, A Quiet Place Part II, Cruella, My Name Is Gulpilil, Lapsis and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.
Affordable brekkie and lunch in the CBD from an award-winning hospitality team — you don't come by that very often. But, that's exactly what you'll find at This Way Canteen. Located at the Museum of Sydney between Circular Quay and The Domain, the charming spot comes from House Made Hospitality, the crew behind the winning formula of Hinchcliff House, Promenade and Martinez. Described as a "good-times sandwich bunker", This Way Canteen presents a simple crowd-pleasing menu with fresh produce at the core — plus, it won't break the bank, with all of the sandwiches here under $16. If you're on the hunt for a quick and easy lunch, set your sights on one of these foccacia sambos, ranging in fillings like spicy falafel and a classic schnitty to ramen pork or grilled mango chicken. Maybe it's Friday and you want to give yourself a little treat? Well, just opt for the lunchtime special which includes the loaded schnitzel sandwich and a beer for $20. That's a bona fide bargain. If you're in earlier in the morning, the breakfast menu also offers plenty of options around the $12-14 mark including, granola, B&Es and next-level English muffins. Finally, there are the drinks. A robust coffee selection is on offer alongside juices and a few boozy lunchtime offerings including beers, wines and Four Pillars yuzu gin and soda. Images: Steven Woodburn
After the last two years, you're probably in need of a holiday. But if border passes aren't your bag, consider treating yourself to staycation instead. Thankfully, there are heaps of exciting events happening in the Sydney CBD to give you that much-needed holiday feeling. From the Doug Aitken exhibition at the MCA to the annual Sydney Festival and the brand new six-day Elevate Sydney event happening atop the Cahill Expressway that kicks off on New Year's Day, there's no shortage of ways to escape the daily grind by hanging out in the city centre this summer. To help you find your sleepover digs, we've uncovered our favourite places to snooze in the CBD. Whether you want a classic hotel on the edge of Hyde Park or boutique accommodation on the city fringe, we've found the plushest pillows and the comfiest beds for you and your mate (or date) to have an A-plus summer staycation. QT SYDNEY, CBD Every one of QT Sydney's guest suites has been carefully crafted to reflect and honour the historic Gowings and State Theatre buildings in which it resides. QT's exterior boasts a blend of gothic, art deco, and Italianate-influenced architecture — and inside, the luxurious rooms carry through that art deco-meets-gothic aesthetic to quite the striking degree. Plus, its central CBD location makes it a breeze to get your culture fix during your stay. Nearby, you'll also find Sammy Junior, Glass Brasserie and The Grounds of the City. However, if you don't feel like leaving your hotel, you're in luck — the QT hosts the renowned Gowings Bar & Grill, too. [caption id="attachment_660514" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paramount House Hotel by Tom Ross.[/caption] PARAMOUNT HOUSE HOTEL, SURRY HILLS When Paramount House Hotel was first announced back in August 2017, the hotel promised it wouldn't be your standard luxury hotel, but rather an experience that would embed patrons into the culture of Sydney's inner city suburb of Surry Hills. All we can say is that, when it opened in 2018, it delivered on that guarantee. You'll never have a dull moment at Paramount, as the building offers up a rooftop gym, independent cinema and one of Sydney's best cafes. Set in an old 40s warehouse, the 29-room hotel features soaring ceilings with exposed brickwork, and while there's also luxury copper finishes, Jardan sofas, premium kilim rugs from Pakistan and a one-of-a-kind vending machine, the appeal of the place is less tangible in its nature. It's both the vibe and history of the surrounding community that make Paramount House Hotel a special stay. SHERATON GRAND SYDNEY HYDE PARK, CBD Back in 2018, Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park underwent a mammoth $50 million refurbishment and catapulted this luxury hotel to five-star status. Guests can book into the on-site health club for a massage, body or skincare treatment, escape to the rooftop pool or jacuzzi or enjoy one of the hotel's incredible dining options. Choose from a seafood buffet at the hotel's restaurant Feast, high tea at the Gallery, or light eats and a cocktail from the Conservatory Bar. Or, go all out and order yourself room service — you deserve it. [caption id="attachment_640064" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sofitel Darling Harbour - Interior Photographs[/caption] SOFITEL SYDNEY DARLING HARBOUR, CBD This lush 590-room hotel was designed by award-winning Sydney architect Richard Francis-Jones. Costing a cool $500 million, the 35-storey building features floor-to-ceiling views of the city and Darling Harbour, a French-inspired rotisserie and grill, a dedicated champagne bar and a decadent pool drinking and hangout space. Those staying the night at Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour means you'll have your pick between a standard room or one of the 35 suites, with the latter coming complete with in-bathroom TVs, soaking tubs, private check-in and your own sky-high guest lounge. Grab a beverage or meal can from the hotel's signature restaurant and three bars or hang out by the 20-metre infinity pool — with a cocktail in hand, of course. FOUR SEASONS HOTEL SYDNEY, CBD This George Street stay is ideal if you want front row seats to the Elevate Sydney sky show this summer. Plus, with Sydney Harbour, The Rocks and Circular Quay right around the corner, you'll be spoilt for cultural and culinary choice during your stay. If shopping is more your bag, there's plenty of that nearby, too. The hotel features an Endota Spa for all your pampering needs as well a luxurious 12pm check-out time so you can relax all morning long during your stay. The best part? There are deluxe accessible rooms available complete with wheelchair-friendly showers. PIER ONE SYDNEY HARBOUR, CBD Pier One Sydney Harbour is perched right underneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge and is one of the city's most historic stays. The five-star hotel boasts spectacular views of Sydney Harbour and if you stay there more than once, you'll likely have a completely different experience as no two rooms are the same. Got a pooch who you simply can't spend a night away from? This stunning harbourside hotel even has dog-friendly rooms so you and your four-legged friend can lap up the luxury together. Plus, there are plenty of dining options at your fingertips in Walsh Bay including Bar One and The Gantry Restaurant. [caption id="attachment_652632" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Spice Alley via Destination NSW.[/caption] FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON, CHIPPENDALE The buses, train and light rail make getting around the CBD is pretty breezy — especially if your starting point is near Central Station. If access to public transport is high on your hotel hit-list, book into Four Points by Sheraton. It's not just its prime position near Central Station that makes this place a great place to stay. It's also close to the bustling streets of Chippendale, Ultimo and Haymarket which are filled with top-notch eats, art galleries and theatres. Plus, there's a 24-hour fitness centre and an on-site restaurant and bar for when you don't want to leave the hotel. Elevate Sydney is happening from New Year's Day until January 6. For more information on the event, visit the website.
As the weather continues to cool down, our appetites naturally move toward comfort food that'll keep us warm from the inside out. Autumn menus are all about seasonality and flavours that prepare you for the blustery days ahead. This means restaurants are starting to turn out dishes using earthier produce and specific cooking methods that put the taste of autumn on a plate. Neighbouring restaurants Balla and BLACK Bar and Grill have done just that by curating their seasonal menus specifically for autumn. We've chatted with executive chefs Gabriele Taddeucci from Balla and Dany Karam from BLACK Bar and Grill on which ingredients make a menu distinctly autumnal and what's inspiring them in the kitchen this season. IT'S ALL ABOUT SEASONAL PRODUCE At the core of any good seasonal menu is the produce, giving a dish the distinct flavour of the time of year. In autumn, that means sourcing what's available for harvest — think wild mushrooms, pumpkin and apples, ingredients which both chefs are apt to use during the season. "Autumn and its fabulous fall harvest provides us with a variety of sensational fruit and vegetables whose nutrients will sustain us through the colder months ahead," says Taddeucci. "The cooler temperatures bring a whole slew of seasonal goodies to cook with, from apples and pears to healthy greens such as cavolo nero or silverbeet, as well as root vegetables and wild mushrooms." Karam is also a big fan of wild mushrooms and feels seasonality is at the heart of any good autumnal recipe. "Our philosophy is to use the best seasonal produce and to treat it simply," says Karam. "Some of my other favourite autumn ingredients include cauliflower, horseradish, fig, kohlrabi, walnuts and finger lime." For Taddeucci, pumpkin is a specific standout as well. "One of my favourite things about autumn is pumpkin — this ingredient holds beautiful memories for me; you can create so many fantastic dishes with it. But the star of the season, in my opinion, is definitely the truffle." SOURCE FROM LOCAL SUPPLIERS The key to seasonal fruit and veg is to keep it fresh, and the best way to do so is to source from local suppliers. This is essential to the menus at both Balla and BLACK. "As chefs, all we can do is work closely with our trusted local suppliers whose passion and dedication to growing and rearing high-quality produce gives us the opportunity to work with the best seasonal ingredients," says Taddeucci. For Taddeucci, the terms seasonal and fresh are codependent. "Seasonal most definitely means fresh," he says. "Sticking to these rules always reinforces the credibility of our menu and, of course, allows passion and quality to shine through." COOK WITH FIRE AND BRIMSTONE Part of what makes autumn dishes so comforting is the way that they're cooked. This often means using woodfire and charcoal cooking techniques to add a bit of heat to a dish, warming you up and enhancing the autumnal flavours of the produce. "In autumn, we use two different types of wood — cherry wood for smoking and ironbark for high heat — as well as charcoal for our rotisserie," says Karam. "At Balla, we tend to use traditional Italian cooking methods such as poaching, deep frying or grilling on firewood," says Taddeucci. Whichever the method, the warmth of the food is sure to keep you going when you step out into the cold. DRAW INSPIRATION FROM THE PAST The autumn menus at Balla and BLACK may change each season, but they draw on deep inspiration from the chefs' pasts. "There is something really special about my memories during the autumn in Italy," says Taddeucci. "The air, the colours and the produce are just magic. Autumn is the time to harvest food and celebrate that harvest. I remember the time spent on my grandpa's farm, where all the family would gather together, spending the days harvesting grapes and olives. I will always bring those memories with me, and I will always try to give this sense of family to the food that I make." Karam similarly draws on his upbringing to inspire his seasonal cooking. "I grew up in a family that ate organic and seasonal food, and food still plays a big part in our lives." CREATE STANDOUT DISHES So how does all of this translate into the dishes at each restaurant? We asked the chefs to tell us about a few standout dishes that they're most excited to share with guests. "I would say our roasted pumpkin ravioli, which is served with burnt butter, parmesan and sage," says Taddeucci. "This is without a doubt a warm pasta dish that is perfect for this season." "At BLACK, our standout dishes include a fig and rocket salad, served with house-made duck ham and burrata, then topped with candied walnuts and a white balsamic dressing," says Karam. "My other favourite at the moment is the crab remoulade with apple, kohlrabi and avocado, dressed with finger lime mayonnaise, mint and puffed wild rice."
If behind every great man there is a great woman, then consider Charles Dickens marked by two: his wife and mistress. The speculative The Invisible Woman tells the tale of the latter, wooed by the author despite their 27-year age difference, yet the former is inescapable. History remembers their imperfections, but understanding reigns in their screen incarnations. One stayed in the shadows as his lover and muse; the other stood on the sidelines as the mother of his ten recognised children. Treading the boards as a fledgling actress with her mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) and sisters (Perdita Weeks and Amanda Hale), Ellen 'Nelly' Ternan (Felicity Jones) catches the eye of Dickens (Ralph Fiennes) as he stages The Frozen Deep. Social decorum frowned upon divorce and threatened to keep them apart, but their love lingered, the open secret of their affair gaining traction before becoming untenable. Years later, Nelly looks back on their tumultuous relationship. Dickens is the high-profile figure in the handsomely staged and sumptuously expressed period drama, yet his presence is secondary to the women at the mercy of his emotions. As a writer, he remains as prominent as his many novels; in his personal life, his flitting from his wife, Catherine (Joanna Scanlan), to Nelly makes him the least interesting character. Instead, the pains suffered by both drive a film that skirts the melodrama inherent in its content. Troubled and tenacious in their individual ways, each could earn the description of the feature’s title. The intrigue elicited by Catherine and Nelly over Dickens is by design, and not indicative of any failings in the film’s performances or construction. Adapting Claire Tomalin's book The Invisible Woman: The Story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens, Fiennes does double duty as director in a deftly delicate addition to his filmmaking resume (and a stark departure from his last effort, the brutal modernising of William Shakespeare’s Coriolanus). Underplaying his lead role but always attracting attention, Fiennes is similarly subtle and deliberate on screen as he is off; however, again it is his surrounding players that rise to prominence. Tackling Nelly’s uncertainty in her younger years as well as her guarded exterior as she ages is no easy feat but one that Jones portrays admirably, building upon her stellar turns in Like Crazy and Breathe In. Scanlan is given less time to impress but makes the most of her moments, conveying the devastating mood that trickles through the entire production. As The Invisible Woman progresses towards its fated conclusion, of course the air thrums with contemplation. Abi Morgan’s screenplay and the film that results makes audiences feel but also think: about life, love, social convention and struggling with normality amidst bright minds and great expectations.
In every generation, there might be a chosen one — vampire slayer, that is — but in the Australian outback, there's now Indigenous bloodhunters. That's the premise behind one of the most promising new local shows of the year, Firebite, which brings undead battles to the South Australian desert with a huge list of top-notch Aussie talent. You know you're watching an Aussie vampire series — or even simply viewing the just-dropped trailer for it — when the words "take that you bloodsucking bastards" are uttered. That's just one of the highlights of Firebite's first sneak peek, though. Also worth getting excited about: the stacked cast, which includes Rob Collins (The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson) and Shantae Barnes-Cowan (Total Control) as the show's Indigenous Australian vampire killers, plus Callan Mulvey (Shadow in the Cloud) as the king vamp of the last undead colony in SA, and also Yael Stone (Orange is the New Black) as well. Behind the lens, Firebite hails from one of Australia's finest filmmakers — Samson and Delilah, Sweet Country and The Beach director Warwick Thornton, who returns to the small screen after helming and starring in the latter, and also working on the second season of Mystery Road. Fellow Aussie directors Brendan Fletcher (Mad Bastards) and Tony Krawitz (The Tall Man, Dead Europe) are also involved, giving the Firebite three exceptional local helmers in one show. The trailer serves up more than a bit of a Mad Max vibe, but with vampires and Indigenous Aussies fighting back — and how it'll unfurl will be revealed come Thursday, December 16. The show is headed to AMC+, the new streaming bundle that just launched Down Under in November, and will drop new episodes every week. And yes, it's going to be a big few months for watching Australia's parched landscape on the screen, following the Jamie Dornan-starring mystery series The Tourist and the Zac Efron-led thriller flick Gold. But again, because it can't be celebrated enough, this is the only Aussie Indigenous vampire horror-fantasy show you'll be adding to your streaming queue. Check out the Firebite trailer below: Firebite starts streaming via AMC+ on Thursday, December 16. Images: Ian Routledge/AMC+.
Producer and co-star Martin Dingle Wall calls The Nothing Men "a rusty nail, one inch punch of a film," and there's honestly no better way to describe it. Set in a dingy factory in the final two weeks before it gets shut down for good, the story sits with the erstwhile workers as they are forced to wait on their redundancy payouts. With cards, beers and a midday visit from the lunch truck their only entertainment, former foreman Jack (Colin Friels) and his men fritter their days away with the crassest forms of 'secret men's business'. That is until mild-mannered David (David Field) arrives and his last minute transfer is enough to turn Jack's corporate conspiracy theories into full-blown, deadly paranoia. Set between Jack's worker blue singlets and David's crisp white shirts is the secretly tortured Wesley (Dingle Wall) and his physical and emotional shades of grey. Already sitting at a slight distance from Jack and the rest of the beer-swillers, Wesley finds a fellow chess player and cultural kindred spirit in David, as well as a decidedly more devastating discovery. It is here The Nothing Men asks its audience to accept a key coincidence, but in doing so writer-director Mark Fitzpatrick seeks to plumb the darkness of desperate men's souls. In both writing and setting, The Nothing Men has a distinctly theatrical feel (indeed the screenplay has been adapted for the stage), but as the first Australian production to use the RED camera, the film also attempts to use the cramped location to innovative, cinematic ends. Powerhouse performances by Friels and Field further elevate this local fare to gripping heights, as combustible cocktail of grief, suspicion and old-fashioned bullying coalesce in the most bluntly terrifying climax. https://youtube.com/watch?v=LvGB4_QLn0A
After a successful run in Melbourne, The FRIENDS™ Experience is now open in Sydney as part of FRIENDS' 30th anniversary year-long celebration. If you love this NYC-set sitcom, now is the time to enjoy the much-loved television series beyond the sofa. Head to The Fullerton Hotel in Sydney to recreate all your favourite scenes and moments in a unique interactive experience. FRIENDS' has an appeal unlike many other shows. Debuting in 1994, episodes are still being watched and rewatched to this day, making the series a perennial go-to. No one can get enough of following the lives of the group of six reckless adults living in Manhattan. At The FRIENDS™ Experience: The One in Sydney, you can expect all sorts of nostalgia-packed experiences. Immerse yourself in recreations of the show's sets and re-enact some of your favourite scenes, like helping Ross move his iconic pivot couch. Plus, you can get a photo taken while you're there to show your mates later. You will even visit the sitcom's famed coffee house, Central Perk, which will be fully recreated on the site, complete with the orange sofa. A wide array of replica props and costumes will also be on display. After your adventures, visit The FRIENDS™ Experience retail store, where you can grab some merchandise and other goodies to take home. "After the amazing response to The FRIENDS™ Experience: The One in Melbourne, we couldn't be more excited to now bring it to Sydney," said Stacy Moscatelli, Chief Executive Officer of Original X Productions. "This stop is particularly special as it's part of the year-long series' 30th anniversary celebration. We can't wait to welcome fans in Sydney to immerse themselves in the world of FRIENDS™ and celebrate their favourite moments from the iconic show." The FRIENDS™ Experience: The One in Sydney is open on Thursdays 11am – 7pm, Fridays 11am – 9pm, Saturdays 10am – 9pm and Sundays 10am – 6pm. Tickets are on sale now. Images: Supplied.
Friday lunchtimes just got a whole lot tasiter thanks to the noodle whisperers at Cho Cho San in Potts Point. Until the end of November, you can slurp-down a bowl of delicious pork gyoza and prawn katsu ramen for just $30, between midday and 3pm. Each serve comes with four pork gyoza, fried into a crispy net atop a bowl of clear chicken shoyu ramen broth, garnished with spring onion oil and shiitake tare. Resting on top of this dumpling lid are two panko-covered fried prawn katsu pieces, bean sprouts tossed in ponzu and thinly sliced nori sheets. The result is a delectable mix of textures, as the crisp bellies of the fried gyoza and the crunch of the prawn katsu counterpoint the silken strands of noodles beneath. Lunches don't get much better than this.
In a poor UK village, two school-aged friends realise they can make money by finding discarded metal and selling it to a local scrap dealer. The more obsessed they get with finding valuable materials, the more dangerous their quest becomes. It's almost impossible to describe this film without making it sound like a bleak slog, so now that we're done with the story summary, let's get to the meat of it: The Selfish Giant is one of the best films of the year: captivating, often funny, and filled with the most naturalistic performances you're likely to see. The two kids at the heart of the story are so damn good, it's worth seeing for them alone. But everything in this film works, and we're presented with a view of a tough working class that seems accessible, familiar and genuine, regardless of your own social background. The film is directed by one of the UK's most fascinating filmmakers, Clio Barnard. Her debut feature The Arbor in 2010 was unlike anything you've ever seen before. Not quite a documentary, not quite a dramatised narrative, it challenged the idea of how stories can and should be told. Barnard is one of the few filmmakers working who seems to be reinventing film in a way that feels tremendously exciting. Barnard based the two main characters of The Selfish Giant on children she met while filming The Arbor, so it's a little curious that she named one of the kids 'Arbor'. Is there a deeper meaning there? The story claims to be partly based on Oscar Wilde's short story of the same name, a fantasy about a giant who tries to keep children out of his yard. It looks like it's a million miles away from Barnard's social realist film, but Wilde's fable is key in understanding the depths behind much of the film. It is by no means necessary — on its own, the film is a complete, satisfying experience — but by hinting at a deeper connection to literature beyond the walls of the cinema, Barnard again expands a straightforward story into something more exciting. At a tight 91 minutes, Bernard wastes no time, giving us an incredible character tale that other filmmakers might take twice as long to accomplish. Be sure to see it. https://youtube.com/watch?v=qPLRZrMflG4
SXSW Sydney is still three months away (yes, we're counting), but the first-ever South by Southwest to be held outside of the US just keeps getting bigger and bigger. So far, the conference-slash-festival has dropped an initial round of speakers, a batch of music highlights and must-attend parties, and details of its gaming strand. Now, it has unveiled more fascinating folks who'll be chatting behind a microphone. The SXSW Sydney Screen Festival hasn't yet revealed what it'll be showing; however, SXSW's Sydney debut has just added a stellar session on First Nations storytelling with three impressive filmmakers on the bill. Leah Purcell (The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson), Kodie Bedford (Mystery Road: Origin) and Jub Clerc (Sweet As) will all take to the stage at The Next Gen Blak Storytellers, which is about Indigenous talents telling 'modern' Blak stories. On moderating duties: Brooke Boney. Also familiar from plenty of screens is Osher Günsberg, who'll be on the SXSW Sydney bill recording an episode of his podcast Better Than Yesterday with a yet-to-be-announced special guest. Hailing from behind the scenes, Gone Girl, The Nightingale, The Dry, Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers producer Bruna Papandrea joins the lineup as a featured speaker, as does Binge's Executive Director Alison Hurbert-Burns. And, the SXSW Sessions lineup now includes Silverchair's Ben Gillies talking about creating music videos with AI, plus other talks on video-game collecting at the National Film and Sound Archive, plus death and dying in video games. Another of SXSW Sydney's new high-profile names: Layne Beachley, with the seven-time World Surfing Champion discussing facing retirement at 36 and reinventing herself afterwards. Fellow just-announced speakers include Indonesian Minister for Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, plus Expedia Group Chief Technology Officer and President Rathi Murthy. Also joining the program: connecting our minds to hands-free digital devices, e-waste, AI in the workforce, Aussie startups, NFTs, the future of news media, protecting the oceans, swiping right, sessions on lab-grown meat and more. Obviously, all of the above names and sessions — plus others already announced — are still just the beginning of what's promising to be SXSW's massive Sydney arrival. The entire event will happen within a walkable precinct in the Sydney CBD, Haymarket, Darling Harbour, Ultimo, Chippendale and more, with the fest's footprint operating as a huge hub. SXSW will also be packed with festivals within the bigger fest, exhibitions, talks, networking opportunities and streetside activations popping up everywhere. So far, venues named include Powerhouse Museum, ICC Sydney, UTS, Central Park Mall, the Goods Line Walk, The Abercrombie and Lansdowne Hotel. Attendees can hit up the SXSW Sydney Conference, which is where those keynotes, presentations, panels, workshops and mentor sessions come in — more than 400 of them. And, there's the SXSW Sydney Technology & Innovation Exhibitions, which is all about innovative and emerging tech and entertainment companies from across the Asia-Pacific region. Plus, at the Startup Village, up-and-comers from all industries and sectors will have space to meet, present and chat. SXSW's arts fests will span the SXSW Sydney 2023 Music Festival, which will be focused on live music venues in central Sydney — and the aforementioned SXSW Sydney Gaming Festival, complete with more than 100 local and international independent games to play at venues (alongside demonstrations, launches performances, exhibitions and social gatherings). Movie and TV lovers, get excited — because the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival isn't just a film fest. There'll be flicks to see, including at red-carpet premieres; episodic content; and digital, XR and social content. Expect Q&As and panel discussions with the folks behind them as well. SXSW Sydney will run from Sunday, October 15–Sunday, October 22 at various Sydney venues — head to the festival's website for further details. If you're keen to make the most of Australia's first SXSW, take advantage of our special reader offer. Purchase your SXSW Sydney 2023 Official Badge via Concrete Playground Trips and you'll score a $150 credit to use on your choice of Sydney accommodation. Book now via the website.
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.
Just in case social media didn't already provide us with sufficient scope to project our mood at unwitting strangers, three German artists have provided another, even more public avenue through the 'Public Face'. Their interactive art installation reflects the mood of the city in which it stands with a giant electric emoticon. Hidden cameras at ground level capture the facial expressions of passers-by to measure the general vibe at any given time, and relay it back to the emoticon tower. So long as there are no manic-depressives in the crowd or cause for any emotion beyond happy, sad, or indifferent, the giant smiley will provide an accurate public vibe-o-meter, constantly updating itself to match the collective mood. There are unverified rumours that the Public Face will do the rounds in a variety of cities across the globe in 2012, but this may not be good news for everyone. The smiley's stint atop a lighthouse on Bavaria's Lindau Island last year revealed that the town could do with a little more cheer, where the giant face spent a lot of time being indifferent and was rather reluctant to flash any pearly whites. How to bring the mood of a city down even lower? Show the people how depressed they already are. The Public Face is a quirky piece of interactive art, taking a playful spin on the distillation of emotion that occurs when relationships go digital. [Via Archetizer]
Wollongong's Babyface Kitchen turned two this year and has not wavered from its promise to deliver farm fresh dishes. The modest restaurant is owned by Burnsbury Hospitality, which also owns the nearby 2 Smoking Barrels barbecue joint and food truck. The team's commitment to top-notch Aussie produce means the offering changes regularly and focuses on organic and native ingredients — most of which come from local producers, while some is foraged by the chefs. Japanese and Korean cooking methods and ingredients also feature on the menu. To this end, the kitchen makes six different miso, plus its own cultured butter, pickles, vinegar, ferments and koji (a fungus used to make soy sauce and fermented bean paste). The succinct menu spans raw starters and smalls to large plates and sides. For starters, there are dry-aged duck dumplings with a black garlic, soy and red vinegar dipping sauce ($3.5 each); a rye and wattleseed tart topped with Moreton Bay bug roe, whipped feta and leek ash ($4 each); and roasted cauliflower with pistachio miso and cultured butter on a kombu cracker ($17). Organic veggies are showcased in the Epicurean Harvest dish of smoked pumpkin, radish, carrot and Japanese leeks with fried buckwheat and feta ($24). Another featuring Asian-inspired ingredients is the Mooloolaba king prawns in a shoyu koji and cultured butter sauce ($49). To try a bit of everything, there's also a nine-dish tasting menu for $85 per person, or a four-course chef's menu for $70 — available for both lunch and dinner. On the drinks side, the compact wine list focuses on Australian and minimal intervention drops, as you'd expect from this crew. Babyface Kitchen also runs regular collaboration dinners with wineries, producers and brewers, so keep an eye on their website for upcoming events. Restaurant interiors: Quicksand Food.
Maybe you're a fan of puzzles, or of horror movies. Perhaps you've always considered yourself a bit of an escape artist. Or, you might've spent so much time at home over the past year that the idea of trying to sleuth your way out of another space — any other space — sounds ideal right about now. Whichever category you fall into, Sydney isn't short on escape rooms, including The Cipher Room in Newtown. Soon, however, you'll be able to experience its games at a second site in St Peters. Come Tuesday, March 23, you'll be able to head to a warehouse on May Street, put your noggin to good use and try to figure your way out. The Cipher Room's owners — and self-confessed puzzle fanatics — David Vella and Marise Watson have also come up with a brand new scenario for their new space. If you find dolls particularly unsettling, consider yourself warned. The new site will play host to Mr Pepper's Toy Shop. No, guessing where it's set isn't part of the puzzle. Here, you'll step inside an abandoned and haunted toy store, because inspecting properties with ghostly visitors is your job. Once inside, you'll need to work out why people have noticed strange lights and noises coming from the place more than 70 years after it closed. Mr Pepper's Toy Shop comes with a warning about creepy imagery — again, there's dolls — and potential jump scares. So, if you're easily spooked, it mightn't be for you. Vella and Watson plan to keep creating new games for their new site, and doing it all themselves. The pair designs the concepts and narratives, all the puzzles, and the sounds and lighting. Supporting fellow local businesses, they also source props from nearby second-hand and vintage shops — and use reclaimed and recycled materials where they can. Over at the original Newtown venue, which is a six-minute walk from the new St Peters spot, you can still opt for 1940s spy thriller Espionage if that's more your style. There's also Cabin, where you'll play a detective hunting a serial killer, and The Marlowe, a film noir-style experience where you'll track a gangster in 1950s New York. Find The Cipher Room's second venue at 31–35 May Street, St Peters, from Tuesday, March 23.
You've likely giggled at the quote on the chalkboard out the front as you've meandered down King Street, but have you been inside Elizabeth's Bookshop? If so, you would find a treasure trove of new and second-hand books that any bookworm could lose hours exploring. It is one of those stores that just keeps going, with an expansive range that covers just about every genre. Hard-to-find titles regularly pop up making it a good destination for gifting, be it for yourself or others. If the collection is a little overwhelming, you can always take a punt on the 'Blind Date with a Book' book stand. The concept is fairly straightforward: the books are wrapped in brown paper with a few clues written on the front alluding to the story inside. It's mysterious, fun and takes the pressure off when you just can't decide. Every title is handpicked by Elizabeth's Bookshops staff so the chances of landing a dud are slim.
For anyone born after 1978, it's impossible to imagine a world without Jamie Lee Curtis playing Laurie Strode, grappling with the ultimate movie boogeyman and being one of the OG final girls. Forty-four years ago, the then film first-timer slipped into the role and battle of a lifetime, taking on Michael Myers in John Carpenter's initial, iconic and now-highly influential October 31-set slasher Halloween. The picture, and the part, both launched and defined Curtis' career — and she's returned as the Haddonfield, Illinois babysitter-turned-survivor six more times since. Curtis' on-screen resume doesn't lack in other highlights, of course. Reteaming with Carpenter in The Fog, riding the scream queen wave in Prom Night, winning a BAFTA Award for 80s comedy Trading Places and scoring another nomination for A Fish Called Wanda: she'd managed all that before the 90s even hit. Since then, Curtis has tangoed into action-hero territory in True Lies, dispensed motherly advice in the My Girl movies, swapped bodies with Lindsay Lohan in Freaky Friday, joined Veronica Mars on the big screen, gotten her murder-mystery on in Knives Out and sported hot dog fingers in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Laurie Strode and Laurie Strode only, she definitely isn't. Still, Curtis and Laurie will always be synonymous. When you keep stepping into a character's shoes for four-plus decades — and when that character is one of the most famous there is in horror movie history, too — that's going to happen. Now, however, the unthinkable is also occurring. Curtis will always be Laurie, but she's also saying goodbye to the constant target of Michael Myers' slash-happy rampages. Yes, Halloween Ends has the perfect moniker for that turn of events. The 13th entry in the Halloween franchise, Halloween Ends is also the third in a trilogy that started in 2018, brought Curtis back to the fold after a 16-year gap and has clearly been working towards closure ever since. Indeed, in this iteration — as directed and co-written by David Gordon Green (Stronger, The Righteous Gemstones), and produced by Jason Blum — Laurie has weathered the pain of being Michael Myers' prey, and worn that survivor's PTSD as firmly as her silver hair. She's prepared to face him down again. She's tried and thought she's won, only for the mask-wearing murderer to re-emerge. She's lost friends and family to the monster, and seen how deeply Michael's mayhem has affected her home town. In other words, she's been as fascinating a horror-film final girl as any movie, franchise, actor or audience can hope for, and she's earned her farewell. With Halloween Ends releasing in cinemas Down Under on October 13, we chatted with Curtis about the series, her legendary character, and what it's meant to earn a part as a teenager and leave it half a lifetime later — plus being not just the final girl, but the final woman. ON THE HALLOWEEN FRANCHISE'S MASSIVE SUCCESS — AND HUMBLE BEGINNINGS "No one knew. If anyone knew, we'd be in Vegas today and we'd be betting money on something because we'd have some prescient idea of knowing about the future. No one knew anything about anything. We were young filmmakers. The oldest person was 30. We were a crew of about 15 people. It was made in 17 days, shot fast and furiously, and it turned into something quite magical. But that's the art of the movies. That's what happens once in a while. I did a movie this year called Everything Everywhere All At Once, which was the same thing. A group of people getting together, 38 days in an abandoned office building in Simi Valley, California — and what came out was this phenomenon, this beautiful movie. No, nobody had any idea." ON RETURNING TO LAURIE FOR THIS TRILOGY AFTER A 16-YEAR GAP "Honestly, the last thing I ever thought I'd do was another Halloween movie. And the phone rang, and it was Jake Gyllenhaal. I was in my house up in the mountains, and Jake said 'my friend David Gordon Green would like to talk to you about a Halloween movie'. And I said 'okay'. He called me, and what drew me back was that David had written a script about really what happens to somebody 40 years after that level of violence and trauma happens to them, and I felt it was very realistic. It was everything I'd hoped H20 could've been, and wasn't. For me it just was truth. It felt like it was truthful. It felt like it honoured victims. It gave a truth to really what happens. How many times do we see a disaster happen, all the news cameras, everybody's camping out on people's lawns — coverage, coverage, coverage, coverage — and then they go away? Then what remains are all these people whose lives have been ruined, and we never see a story about what happens to them ever. I felt like that was what David wrote — a story about what really happens to people who suffer that level of violence." ON EVOLVING FROM FINAL GIRL TO FINAL WOMAN "I represent something as Laurie Strode, the survivor of Michael Myers, for all these years. I take it very seriously. I commit to it. It's very important. She's, by the way, not only the final girl, not only the final mother, not only the final grandmother — ultimately, as you said, she's the final woman. This is a woman in full possession of her own life, and facing fear head on in that a way that I think people admire and respect, and people have certainly loved Laurie over the years for that fortitude. And I owe them. The gravity of the way I approach this work is due to them. If I was sitting here joking with you about how fun it was, and how I'm friends with the guy who's in the mask, and it's all light and easy, then what the fuck am I doing? Then why am I here? It has to be with this level of gravity and respect for Laurie Strode, who is a real person to many, many, many, many, many people. And I am Laurie Strode." ON MAKING A NEW HALLOWEEN TRILOGY WITH SOMETHING TO SAY "It wasn't a trilogy to begin with. We didn't start it out a trilogy. That I found out after the fact. But more importantly, I think also what this movie really explores is how we victim-shame, how we start to blame the actual victims of the crime because of the communal experience. The town is without resources to process their grief and who do they turn it against? Laurie Strode. Look at how we do this all day long. Look at how we use social media. Look at Twitter. Look at these portals of hatred and vile antagonism that we use in the spirit of free speech and all of the rest of it. It's terrible. The movie explores that in a very big way." ON FAREWELLING LAURIE — AND WHAT IT'D TAKE TO COME BACK "I think it'd be hard to come back now. I can't imagine a world where a filmmaker is going to come up with a scenario that explores Laurie Strode's journey and her conflict with Michael Myers in any better way than David Gordon Green has done with these three films. But I never say never, because there are great filmmakers today, and who knows? Maybe Guillermo del Toro will come up with a plan for it, or a filmmaker who's brand new will come up with some breathtaking story that can figure out a way to weave a version of Laurie's story. Who knows? But from my practical standpoint — I'm a very practical person — I can't imagine it. It's been a very emotional trip, this tour of talking and meeting fans, and really talking about the import of Laurie Strode on their lives. I have tried to receive it all, and it's a lot. It's just a lot. It's going to be hard. But I also am very joyful. I have a lot of creativity because of Laurie Strode. I now have all sorts of creative stuff I get to do. So it's not that I'm never going to get to act again — quite the opposite, I get to do that more now than I ever got to before. I get to produce things in a way I never did before. I get to direct things in a way I never did before, all because of this 2018 trilogy. So I'm sad to say goodbye to fans, for sure. But I'm happy for the opportunities that Laurie has given me, absolutely." Halloween Ends releases in Australian cinemas on October 13. Read our full review.
In every way that matters, Manly is the heart of Sydney's northern beaches. Despite its close proximity to the city, Manly has a distinctly small-town vibe that you won't find in many other areas of Sydney. In addition to the beach (which we all know is a stretch of heaven), the coastal suburb is also home to great cafes, boutique grocers and plenty of long lunch spots. To show some of Manly's best small businesses some love, we've teamed up with American Express to put together this list of spots that'll help you out, no matter the situation.
Avoca Beach on the Central Coast is filled with so many great cafes and eateries, but a beachside spot definitely worth a visit is Becker & Co. Located on Avoca Drive a stone's throw from the water, the pint-sized spot is serving up great cups of joe made on beans by Sydney's Single O. To eat, expect all the brunch classics — and lots of avocado. Choose from the likes of poached eggs with avocado, beetroot labneh on sourdough, Vegemite lime and toasted tamari seeds, toasties and fresh pastries. All of the ingredients used in the dishes are seasonal and organic.
Spent your week staring at spreadsheets and need a break from the screens, or just looking for an excuse to get your hands dirty? Work-Shop could be the answer. Based in Redfern, Work-Shop holds short courses to get creative juices flowing and new life-skills nailed. Everything you've ever wanted to learn (and probably ten things you didn't know you wanted to learn) is on offer: from making your own organic skincare to Japanese bookbinding to investment masterclasses. Courses are run by local artists and industry experts who will help you become a more creative (or functioning) adult. Who says you stop learning once you finish school?
Coffee addicts this one's for you. Antidote specialises in coffee and tea brewing techniques from all around the world. Order your standard flat white, or step out of your comfort zone and one of the more exotic brewing techniques such as siphon, cold drip, pour over or Chemex. There are also plenty of sweet and savoury snacks that you can enjoy outdoors on the patio.
For wannabe wizards and witches, the most magical place in Australia right now is located in Victoria. After boasting the country's only run of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, then playing host to a natural history exhibition based on the Fantastic Beasts films, the state is now temporarily home to a new Harry Potter-themed experience. This time, you can walk around an illuminated woodland filled with nods to the Wizarding World, with Harry Potter — A Forbidden Forest Experience finally arriving Down Under. Accio joy, clearly. Think: Lightscape, which is returning to Melbourne in 2024, but all about the world that's sprung up around the Boy Who Lived on the page, screen and stage. So, with Harry Potter — A Forbidden Forest Experience taking over The Briars Community Forest in Mount Martha until mid-July, attendees can enjoy a nighttime stroll an hour out of Melbourne. Entering the Forbidden Forest is clearly the big attraction, as lit up with dazzling lights, all while also spying creatures from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movies. A hippogriff features, as do nifflers and unicorns. You also have the chance to pose for a photo mid-wand duel, and to summon up a patronus spell as well. Accordingly, visitors here aren't surrounded by all things Wizarding World after dark in a forest; they can be join in like every aspiring Hogwarts student has always wanted to. Sounds and special effects also help bring the experience to life, as aided by award-winning behind-the-scenes folks. Expect to spend around 90 minutes being immersed in the all-ages event — plus however long you need at the onsite shop afterwards buying merchandise. That's part of the village at the end of the trail, where you'll also be able to grab a bite and something to drink. Wands crossed for butterbeer, obviously. Harry Potter — A Forbidden Forest Experience has hit Australia after seasons in the UK, Europe, the US and Singapore, with Warner Bros behind it just like the films and upcoming Harry Potter TV series.
If you're a fan of whatever huge HBO hit happens to be airing at any given time, Monday public holidays Down Under are an extra-special joy. They mean watching whichever series is currently showing at the earliest moment possible, and also not having to spend your workday avoiding spoilers. Tuning in to see Succession on Easter Monday wasn't just a normal viewing experience, however. So, if you're now wondering what happens after the award-winning show's monumental third episode in its fourth and final season, HBO has dropped a midseason trailer to tease the series' endgame. This sneak peek comes with the biggest of spoiler alerts, obviously. If you aren't up to date on Succession, you shouldn't even be reading this article. But if you're dying to know where the Roy family saga goes from here, you'll obsess over all two minutes and 13 seconds of this glimpse at the show's last-ever seven episodes. "I just didn't see it coming," says Roman (Kieran Culkin, No Sudden Move) to start off the clip. He isn't alone, although Shiv (Sarah Snook, Pieces of a Woman) is swiftly chatting about "coronation demolition derby". Trust cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun, Zola) to pop up, try to stay relevant as he always does, and stress that he's sad — yes, while also attempting to secure his position in the family. Everyone has an opinion on how to handle things, including Waystar Royco's CFO Karl (David Rasche, Swallow) and general counsel Gerri (J Smith-Cameron, Fleishman Is in Trouble) — and, of course, executive and Shiv's estranged husband Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen, Operation Mincemeat). Plenty of stern words are spoken, complete with how "the naysayers might frame it". And the deal to sell the firm to Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård, The Northman) looks shaky. Kendall (Jeremy Strong, Armageddon Time) is floating in a body of water again, while Connor's (Alan Ruck, The Dropout) bid to become the US President sees him polling well in Alaska — and laughing at the suggestion that he should do what's right for the good of the republic. As for the rest, as always in this high-stakes drama about who'll take over business titan Logan Roy's (Brian Cox, Remember Me) multinational corporation, it's best discovered by watching. "Let the games begin!", as Kendall announces. Check out Succession season four's midseason trailer below: Succession streams via Foxtel, Binge and Foxtel On Demand in Australia and Neon in New Zealand. Check out our review of season four. Images: David Russell/Macall B Polay, HBO.
This homewares shop prides itself on its use of raw materials and contemporary design. Born from a quest to create sustainable materials, Papaya combines ethical production with timeless and innovative designs — and the result is a beautiful (and popular) range of sofas, dining tables and other furniture that'll spruce up your home. Not here for the big house purchases? The store also sells beautifully designed soap dispensers, scented candles, and other, modern lighting, decor and home-building gifts.
Step inside White Rabbit Gallery for their 10th milestone exhibition, Reformation, and you'll undoubtedly spend a good slab of time staring up at the spectacular Salon Hang in the foyer. From Bingyi's I Watch Myself Dying, throbbing with Frida Kahlo-esque torment, to Chen Chun Hao's meticulous landscape of glittering nails, it's a glorious quilt of past favourites, stretching from floor to ceiling. Although, do make sure you tear yourself away eventually, because the upper floors are crammed with more marvellous acquisitions. Reformation is a meditation on the cultural explosion that has burst forth from the ‘opening up’ of China. These works are full of wild experimentation and daring new directions. However, there is also an emphasis on painterly craft, which is perhaps residual of the rigour of Soviet art training. In this way, it’s interesting to see how traditional techniques and subversive ideologies coalesce to produce dramatic results. There is a current of optical trickery that courses through this exhibition. Take for example, Zhou Xiaohu’s silicon business men frozen in mid-conversation. These arrestingly realistic sculptures are partnered with ‘mirrors’ that reflect animated paintings of their facial expressions. I have to say, this illusion achieved its full effect on opening night amid swarms of people. There's also Dong Yuan’s scrupulous reproductions of domestic interiors by European masters. However, the twist is that she divides the painted subjects from their backgrounds, pegging them up like freshly laundered canvas clothing. It is as if she is cleansing and cataloguing the content according to her personal preference. However, if these works delve into double takes, He Yunchang's epic of self-torture is frighteningly real. According to the artist, physical torment generates the ‘intensity’ needed to transform ordinary experiences into art. In One Metre of Democracy, a group votes on whether a surgeon will make a one metre cut from He Yuchang’s shoulder to his knee without anaesthetic. As you can imagine, the gruesome result is squeamish and deeply guilt-inducing. It seems everyone associated with the process carries some level of responsibility for the artist's agony. There are also notions of sin and seduction running throughout Reformation. On level two, you’ll be struck by the fetishistic centrepiece of the exhibition. Play 201301 by Madeln Company is a cathedral of genuine and artificial leather. Adorned with BDSM accessories, this castle of kink is embedded with both contemporary and medieval understandings of ‘gothic.’ Also, the conspicuous overlap of sex and religion provokes some pretty interesting questions regarding lust, pleasure and guilt. Neighbouring this work is Zhao Bo's Circulation which has a similar theme of excess. Reminiscent of Goya and Daumier, the lushness of Bo's painterly style is disturbed by the depiction of a giant, godly toad, whilst slaves toil tirelessly in the foreground. It comes across as a kind of dystopian fairytale with an element of shock eroticism. You don't whether to laugh or cringe. I would also add the sinister soundtrack bleeding into the gallery space from Yi Lian’s video work,Undercurrent instils an ominous atmosphere that compliments the sadistic potential of the other works quite nicely. Whether you're absorbed by the hypnotic rotations of Shyu Ruey-Shiann's Eight Drunken Immortals or Tu Wei Cheng's antiquated image-makers, there’s just so much to see at Reformation. Another wonderful work that deserves a mention is Hu Weiyi's poignant photography series, documenting the temporary tattoos of clothing marks on skin. Whilst there’s obviously a strong Chinese core, there’s an increasingly global tenor to many of these works. Delivering the blockbuster exhibition that we all expected, White Rabbit Gallery remains a remarkably well-run and accessible treasure trove, offering up art that is visually and conceptually enthralling. Follow You (2013) by Wang Qingsong.
