Oh hi Mark! Best known for his immortal role in Tommy Wiseau's cult classic The Room, actor Greg Sestero is headed to Australia. Part of a publicity tour to promote his tell-all book, The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside the Room, Sestero's visit will hopefully shed new light on what is undoubtedly one of the worst films ever made. For the uninitiated, The Room is a low-rent romantic drama written, directed, produced by and starring the enigmatic Tommy Wiseau. Full of undercooked subplots and nonsensical dialogue, the movie made less than $2000 during its initial LA-only release but has since been resurrected by a devoted cult of fans. These days the film plays late-night engagements in theatres all around the world, loyal viewers bombarding the screen with a mix of abuse and plastic spoons. Sestero (or 'Sestosterone', as he is affectionately known) will be in Sydney on Thursday, July 10, for a special event at the Hayden Orpheum that includes an interactive script reading, an audience Q&A session and a behind-the-scenes documentary that explores the making of this unintentional comic gem. The Room will screen afterwards, as a separate event. Whatever you do, though, be sure to leave your stupid comments in your pocket. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Eh9lC7IBJvI
The miners' strike remains one of the most infamous aspects of Margaret Thatcher's British leadership, and one frequently committed to film. Billy Elliott showed the immediate consequences for families, as well as its influence over ideals of masculinity. Brassed Off charted the lingering aftermath as pits closed again a decade later. Now Pride offers a glimpse at unlikely efforts to support those affected by the industrial action. At the 1984 gay pride march in London, Mark Ashton (Ben Schnetzer) is swept up in the spirit of mobilisation, pledging to assist the miners' cause as well. His rationale, of aiding others marginalised, is simple. The apprehension of some of his friends, uncertain about helping a cohort not known for their tolerance, is understandable. With bookstore owner Gethin (Andrew Scott), actor Jonathan (Dominic West), naive college kid Joe (George MacKay), and the world-weary Steph (Faye Marsay), Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) is born. Good intentions can only get them so far, with the group's calls met with rejection and silence. Only the Welsh village of Onllwyn accepts their offer via its union rep, Dai (Paddy Considine); shy secretary, Cliff (Bill Nighy); and women's auxiliary leader, Hefina (Imelda Staunton). But much of the rest of the townsfolk need convincing of the merits of their alliance. In chronicling LGSM's quest, Pride is the kind of heartwarming underdog tale that rouses crowds, as retellings of powerful true stories often do. There's no escaping the schmaltz designed to elicit such a reaction, nor the swelling score or checklist of expected characters; however, the feature's unbridled enthusiasm for its circumstances and cause is similarly, joyously unavoidable. For a film broad in scope and blunt in approach, nothing ever feels cursory, whether touching upon the AIDS epidemic, homophobic attacks, culture clashes, issues of coming out at different life stages, subplots involving female empowerment and small-town discrimination, political paradigms or the overall narrative of acceptance. Director Matthew Warchus and writer Stephen Beresford's earnestness is as authentic as their aim in offering a well-rounded account, fictionalised but devoid of judgment and brimming with understanding. Compiling an excellent cast, each turning in considered and classy performances, further ensures warmth and wit shines through. Schnetzer's go-getting is infectiously charismatic; West is a delight gifted a stellar dance scene; and Nighy, Considine and Staunton radiate compassion, their endeavours combining in an effort as upbeat as it is empathetic. Indeed, even if history tells otherwise, things are always looking up in Pride, thematically in a story steeped in solidarity, and visually in bright, energetic camerawork that peers appreciatively at its many protagonists. With heart and hope, the film becomes a feel-good triumph of statement and sentiment, equally entertaining, affecting and important. https://youtube.com/watch?v=zdbT1N6lGNA
The annual Open Frame festival returns to Carriageworks in June for another excursion into experimental, contemporary sound. Curated by Lawrence English, founder of seminal Brisbane label Room40, Open Frame will feature an eclectic mix of both local and international artists operating right at the fringe of avant-garde. The 2018 edition of the festival splits its focus between senior artists and on emerging voices. It will see the world premiere of Occam Hexa XXIV, a specially-commissioned work by Éliane Radigue, a French composer who draws influence from the minimalist scene in New York in the 1970s, her Tibetan Buddhist beliefs and her native France to create epic, slow-developing works. There'll also be a performance by eclectic US artist Charlemagne Palestine, who has had an amazing career as a musician, composer, visual artist, documentarian and gallerist, to name a few. Palestine recently exhibited an installation of 18,000 stuffed animals (called — wait for it — Ccornuuoorphanossccopiaee Aanorphansshhornoffplentyyy) in Paris, Los Angeles and New York, however it is not yet confirmed whether any of them will be joining him onstage in Sydney. On the emerging-voices side of the equation, Chinese-born, Berlin-based experimental artist Pan Daijing. Her distinctive music doesn't comfortably fit into any category and often combines operatic singing with techo beats and industrial noise. Past iterations of Open Frame have been unusual, unexpected and often flat-out weird, but never less than enthralling. Image: Vitali Gelwich
It was only a matter of time before Australia's penchant for themed brunches spawned an all-out, fairytale-inspired breakfast feast. And you'll have the chance to partake — and channel your inner Ariel, Mulan or, even, Simba — when a huge (unofficial) Disney-themed bottomless brunch and sing-along party rocks into town for the first time ever. The Magical Brunch will go down on March 16 and 17 in the CBD. Prince, princesses and singing candelabras will sit down to an afternoon high tea feast served "fairytale-style", along with two hours of unlimited sparkling for an extra $15. We're hoping for something similar to Belle's 'Be Our Guest' feast in Beauty and the Beast — Word is there'll be themed entertainment and a Cinderella-worthy dance floor for post-brunch twirling, too. Best dust off the DVD collection and start practising — costumes are definitely encouraged, so you'd best start hunting for your best Elsa gown or Cruella de Vil two-tone wig — tickets to the Sunday brunch have already sold out.
Some pop star dreams just aren't meant to be, and The Idol's are now among them. Whether you watched some of it, the whole thing or simply read about it (because no one could avoid the latter), the HBO series has been one of the most talked-about shows of 2023 — when it started dropping sneak peeks from July 2022, too, but especially once it hit streaming in June this year. All that chatter hasn't inspired the US network to bring it back for a second season, however, and unsurprisingly. As per Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, the show has been cancelled after its first season — which ran for five episodes, and focused on singer Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp, Voyagers) and nightclub impresario Tedros (Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd). "The Idol was one of HBO's most provocative original programs, and we're pleased by the strong audience response," said a HBO representative in a statement. "After much thought and consideration, HBO, as well as the creators and producers, have decided not to move forward with a second season. We're grateful to the creators, cast and crew for their incredible work." Set within the music industry, The Idol followed Jocelyn as she attempted to make a comeback, got caught up in controversy and met Tedros. It bears more than a passing resemblance to UK series I Hate Suzie, but with its own stacked cast — and with Sam Levinson, the mastermind behind Euphoria, creating it alongside The Weeknd. The Idol's packed list of on-screen talent also spanned Red Rocket's Suzanna Son, Boy Erased's Troye Sivan, Schitt's Creek's Dan Levy, singer-songwriter Moses Sumney, BLACKPINK's Jennie Kim, Only Murders in the Building's Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Hacks' Jane Adams, Bodies Bodies Bodies' Rachel Sennott and Inglourious Basterds' Eli Roth. Also appearing: Hank Azaria (Hello Tomorrow!), Hari Nef (Barbie), Steve Zissis (Happy Death Day 2U), Melanie Liburd (This Is Us), Tunde Adebimpe (Marriage Story), Elizabeth Berkley Lauren (Saved By the Bell) and Nico Hiraga (Booksmart), plus Anne Heche (All Rise) in what was one of her last performances. Controversy surrounded the show not just once it was releasing episodes, but beforehand. Prior to arriving on streaming — before it premiered at 2023's Cannes Film Festival, too — the Los Angeles-set series started with She Dies Tomorrow's Amy Seimetz directing every single episode. But back in April 2022, it was revealed that Seimetz had left the project and reshoots were underway as a result. Reports also surfaced about the working environment — and, neither the viewer nor the critical response was anywhere near glowing, making The Idol's cancellation far always likely. Check out the trailer for The Idol below: The Idol season one streams via Binge in Australia and Neon in New Zealand. Via Variety / The Hollywood Reporter. Images: Eddy Chen/HBO.
Strolling through stunning lights as far as the eye can see, moseying beneath a canopy of glowing multi-coloured trees, wandering between ribbons of flashing beams, taking the most luminous 1.8-kilometre stroll through nature that you can imagine — you can do all of this again thanks to Lightscape's return to Sydney in 2024. If you went to the 2023 version, this second Lightscape stint in the New South Wales capital is also part of Vivid Sydney. For two years in a row, one dazzling event hosts another, then, with 2024's iteration running from Friday, May 24–Saturday, June 15. Once more, the after-dark light festival is taking over the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, beaming away from 5pm each night. Prepare to see the garden illuminated by immersive and large-scale installations scattered along that almost two-kilometre route, including sparkling trees, luminous walkways and bursts of colour that look like fireworks. A big highlight: large-scale works like giant flowers and glowing tunnels, both of which will make you feel like you're being bathed in radiance. But don't go thinking that you'll just be repeating what you saw last year, because 2024's Lightscape in Sydney has been reimagined. Standouts this year include Winter Cathedral, which is made out of glowing bulbs; Light a Wish, where dandelions will appear to defy gravity; Floraison, complete with suspended flowers; the blooming Blossom; the self-explanatory Neon Outline Trees; and the geometric Trapezoid. Lightscape first hit Australia in 2022 after initially taking over gardens across the United Kingdom and the United States. Developed by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in the UK, it's understandably proven a huge success — and more than two-million people wandered along its glowing trails in a single season overseas. In the Harbour City, pop-up food and drink stalls are scattered throughout Lightscape at Royal Botanic Garden Sydney — selling, we hope, mulled wine to keep hands warm during the chilly winter nights. Images: Dianne Brooks.
Alexander the Great is not your friend. A winner, a military genius, maybe a bit of a multiculturalist. Generations have tried to cast him as a hero, but the gist of his life is much more Game of Thrones. His conquests were a travelogue of ancient, fourth-century life, crossing Greece, Egypt (where one of his generals later started Cleopatra’s dynasty), devouring the ageing Persian Empire and even touching on the edge of India (and, famously and allegedly, its elephants). Alexander has been a symbol of strategy, lateral thinking and gay pride. Over the Sydney summer he's being cast as a bit of a blockbuster, as the Australian Museum and the Ark-worthy, Russian Hermitage Museum have put together a local incarnation of the exhibition Alexander the Great: 2000 Years of Treasures. This show is divided into three big main sections. The first concentrates on Alexander himself and his upbringing. The second looks at the people and places that suffered his military attention across what the Greeks regarded as Asia. The third, and possibly most interesting, of the larger sections concentrates on what Alexander left behind on his death, age 33. (One of the most immediate things being a bunch of generals suddenly at a loose end, with a ready-assembled military machine.) What this collection is definitely not about is everyday life as a Persian or Greek, or even as a Greek soldier. Most of these dazzling Alexander artefacts come from the Hermitage, a collection originally gathered together by another empire builder, Catherine the Great. And this is definitely a monarch's collection, seemingly drawn from the cabinet of curiosities of a powerful woman enamoured with the glories, and past, of a powerful man. This is not necessarily a bad thing. These treasures are glorious. And a modern Australian's look at this period from a lifestyle that is probably much closer (warfare aside) to that of the fourth century BCE's ruling Greeks, than hoi polloi of ancient Hellenism. The gold in this exhibition speaks power. The power of the cultures who made them, the cultures that bought them with conquest and the power of the woman who owned such things, and so many of them. Despite this, what strikes you most among the ancient statuary — their fugitive heads, armour fragments, gorytos or motive vases — is the humanity of the people depicted. Early on a happy Heracles (Hercules), casts his eyes about pleadingly for drinking company. Eros (Cupid) cocks his bow, dropping his visage into his work face. Demosthenes looks pissy. Meleager is zen. In a cabinet of uncannily preserved fourth-century BCE Scythian armour, a breastplate-drawn medusa sticks out her tongue. One of her eyes are missing, but her leer is full of play. The aftereffects of his rule is probably the most interesting of all. It includes ancient artefacts from India, the emergence of hybrid religions and ruler cults, and the occasional Serapis or Priapus (ancient NSFW). There's also an excellent final annex on (very recent) modern representations of the conquering monarch. This is a huge exhibition. It's easy to lose hours just looking at the ancient artefacts while missing some of the more recent or modern pieces hidden alongside. Details like a fragment of an ancient water clock, innumerable coins or immaculately preserved links of Scythain mail armour are apt to get lost along the way. Not to mention the brief video essays along the show's walls assembled from interviews with local (world-class) university scholars. (Or the exhibition's linked program of events and conference.) These interviews provide any number of surprising tidbits, not least Prof. D.T. Potts' reminder that in many places, like Iran, Alexander is not seen as 'the Great'. Why? He reminds us: Alexander killed a lot of people. Image shows a 19th-century reproduction of the Battle of Issus Mosaic © The State Hermitage, St Petersburg, 2012
Only one show on TV starts in a haunted house, then jumps to an asylum for the criminally insane, then follows a coven of descendants of the Salem witch trials. And, from there, it also steps inside a travelling freak show, explores the twisted history of an LA hotel, gets caught up in a small-town cult, sees the Antichrist unleash the apocalypse and sets a serial killer upon an 80s-era summer camp as well. That series: American Horror Story. Every season, it tells a different story, anthology-style. The creepy details change, as do the narratives and characters, but the eeriness remains. Also staying the same: many of the faces seen in American Horror Story's tales, including Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Lily Rabe, Frances Conroy, Kathy Bates, Jessica Lange, Emma Roberts and Lady Gaga. The show is the brainchild of writer/producer/director Ryan Murphy (Glee, Pose) and, yes, it definitely takes audiences on a wild ride each and every season.
A new nursery has opened in the heart of Rosebery, and it's offering heaps of indoor and outdoor plants, alongside Will & Co coffees and fresh pastries to boot. Plant Base Sydney is run by James Stevens, founder of online florist Mr Roses, which also operates out of Rosebery. Located just down the block from The Cannery, the newcomer specialises in plants suited to your home, office or home-office. And the shop already has over 100 species to choose from. Think fiddle leaf figs, crassula max cooks, golden cane palms and snake plants. Plus, succulents and hanging plants aplenty. The selection will change seasonally and includes a range of plants with health benefits, too — such as devil's ivy and peace lily, which, according to NASA, can help purify the air in your home by removing small amounts of chemicals like benzene, formaldehyde and carbon monoxide. The nursery also sells a range of planters and pots that have been chosen to brighten up your home. And, since roses are Stevens' specialty, Plant Base also sells bouquets of freshly cut flowers. As well as all those plants, the space also boasts a Will & Co coffee cart that's serving up fresh pastries, including Portuguese tarts from Tuga, that are delivered each morning. For those who are sticking to online shopping at the moment, Plant Base also offers click and collect and delivery to the Sydney metro area — next-day delivery is available Tuesdays and Fridays if you order by noon. If you're happy to head to the physical store, keep an eye on the website for regular sales. Find Plant Base Sydney at 57–59 Dunning Avenue, Rosebery from 9am–5pm daily.
Hollywood loves an awards ceremony, and boasts a regular lineup of statuette-bestowing occasions to prove it. Stellar television shows and the folks who make them can win everything from an Emmy and a Golden Globe to a Screen Actors Guild Award and a BAFTA — and more — because cinema isn't the only screen format that likes rewarding its best and brightest at glitzy occasions with lengthy speeches and shiny trophies. Awards ceremonies are also a handy source of information for TV fans. They're fun to watch, but they can also help you work out what else you should be watching. So many television shows vie for everyone's eyeballs each year, so knowing that something has scored a few gongs (or even more than a few) might help rocket it to the top of your must-see list. Streaming platform Binge features quite a number of award-winners in its catalogue, for example, if you're not quite sure what you should marathon your way through next. In collaboration with the service, we've taken a look and picked five of our accolade-receiving favourites that you can check out now — including via a 14-day free trial for new customers.
Call it fate, call it destiny, call it feeling so deeply that you were always meant to cross paths with another person that no other outcome could ever be conceivable: in Korean, that sensation is in-yeon. Call it having a connection that sprawls yet binds like an endless piece of string, always linking you to someone no matter how far apart you each wander: stretch that out over many, many lifetimes and, yes, that is in-yeon as well. Watching Past Lives, which references the kismet-esque concept both in its three-part story and its title, gives viewers a brush with in-yeon, too. Writer/director Celine Song's feature debut is that affecting; that vivid, evocative and haunting; that alive with been-there-lived-that energy. Wading through layers of love, identity, roads taken and not, and the versions of ourselves that we are at each fork, Past Lives is that acutely able to make a very specific experience mirror everyone's experiences. Partway through the film, aspiring playwright and writer Nora (Greta Lee, Russian Doll) talks through in-yeon with fellow scribe Arthur (John Magaro, The Many Saints of Newark). She shares that in-yeon lingers with everyone that you meet, the very act of making one's acquaintance signifying that you've done so before — and if two people become lovers, it's because they've kept falling into step in life after life. As Nora speaks, Past Lives' audience are well-aware of an unshakeable truth, as is the movie's central figure: that she knows in-yeon in her bones. Indeed, this is what Song's sublime feature is about from its first frames to its last in every way that it can be. With Arthur, Nora jokes that in-yeon is something that Koreans talk about when they're trying to seduce someone. There's zero lies in her words, because she's working that move right there and then, and she'll end up married to him. But with her childhood crush Hae Sung (Teo Yoo, Decision to Leave), who she last saw at the age of 12 because her family then moved from Seoul to Toronto, in-yeon explains everything. That one perfect term sums up Nora and Hae Sung's firm friendship as kids, as chronicled in Past Lives' first third. As pre-teens, the duo (Voice of Silence's Moon Seung-ah and Good Deal's Leem Seung-min) are virtually inseparable — walking home from school together daily, competing over grades, bantering with effortless rapport — until half a globe separates them. Then, when they reunite in their 20s via emails and Skype calls after 12 years without each other, Past Lives' crucial word also describes their instant spark and pull. The latter is so magnetic that they're basically dating without saying it, and while he's still in South Korea but she's now in New York. Next, it captures the complicated emotions that swell when Nora and Hae Sung are finally in the same place together again after decades. Arthur is in the picture by then and, ever-adaptable, in-yeon even encapsulates that development. If Past Lives didn't leave its viewers certain to their core about its emotional authenticity, that'd be a greater surprise than how strongly and tenderly it resounds. The Korean-born Song also emigrated to Canada with her parents at the same point in her life as Nora. While she hasn't made a strictly autobiographical work, there's fact dwelling behind this fiction. Her picture would pair astoundingly well with Minari and Aftersun, in fact. In its way, leaping in souls and minds rather than through realms, it's a multiverse tale and companion to Everything Everywhere All At Once also. Feeling so intimately applicable to the characters loving, living, immigrating, yearning and growing within its frames, and yet echoing so universally, is that always-sought-after holy grail of storytelling feats. Although her film hones in on the heart — on-and off-screen alike — as it gets poetic and philosophical (and delivers a Big Apple-set Before Sunrise/Before Sunset/Before Midnight sequence), that Song studied psychology and once planned to become a therapist isn't astonishing to learn. Each time that Nora and Hae Sung slide back into each other's existences, a dozen years have passed, but it feels no time at all for both. Still, that sentiment can't and doesn't smooth their way onwards. Fittingly, Past Lives is crafted to resemble slipping into a memory, complete with patient looks and visuals (Skate Kitchen and Small Axe cinematographer Shabier Kirchner lenses) and a transportingly evocative score (by Christopher Bear and Daniel Rossen of Grizzly Bear, which gives the picture a bond with the also-heartwrenching Blue Valentine and its own knotty romance). This feature knows every emotion that springs when you need someone and vice versa, but life has other plans. It feels the weight of the trails left untrodden, even when you're happy with the route you're on. It understands what it's like to be see your past, plus the present and future it could've influenced, shimmering in front of your eyes. Past Lives is a film about details — spying them everywhere, in Nora and Hae Sung's lives and in their faces, while recognising how the best people in anyone's orbits spot them as well. Of course every second appears meticulous, then, but also equally dreamy and ripped from reality. Of course Lee, Yoo and Magaro are each magnificent, as is this entire sensitive, blisteringly honest and complex masterpiece. Lee charms Nora's two love interests and Past Lives' viewers in tandem, in a sincere and sharp performance as a woman who is as witty as she is wistful while grappling with who she is. Yoo hops from the best movie of 2022 to what'll be difficult to beat as the best of 2023 with quiet dedication and potency. And Magaro plays adoring, accepting but never elementary; Arthur knows how intricate the situation is, so his way through is just that, through, gleaning his part in helping Nora and Hae Sung be who they need to. Contemplating what's written in the stars also involves contemplating beginnings and endings, even when in-yeon has cycles and reincarnations all a-fluttering. Again, Song fashions Past Lives to embody all that it muses on, including via an opening that's utterly immaculate and a closing scene that's breathtakingly divine. Both are also unforgettable. To start, jumping forward before going backwards, Nora, Arthur and Hae Sung sit at a bar. Her body language is all about her lifelong friend, as fellow drinkers peering on comment on; regardless of how things appear, though, only Nora, Arthur and Hae Sung can ever truly grasp their own full story. To wrap up, simply walking and waiting is so impeccably considered and staged, down to the direction that events flow in across the screen, that they say everything about advancing, retreating and wishing you were doing one while going through the other. Past Lives is a movie to lose yourself in, and gloriously; a film to fall head over feels for, and fast; like it feels fated to be, it's also just extraordinary.
Some days, don't you just want to run off and join a cult? That's the done thing in the movies, at least. From The Wicker Man to Kill List and Martha Marcy May Marlene to Sound of My Voice, creepy collectives led by charismatic figures continue to entice lost souls. One Eyed Girl is the latest effort to fall under the subgenre's sway, and to attempt to seduce its own followers. On screen, psychiatrist Travis (Mark Leonard Winter) is the troubled figure finding solace in a group, and a man, who contend to have all the answers. He's certainly ripe for the picking, his thoughts haunted by the one that got away — aka the girl he couldn't save (Katy Cheel) — and his self-medicating proving little assistance. When he spots teenager Grace (Tilda Cobham-Hervey from 52 Tuesdays) handing out flyers on the train, he initially dismisses her street preaching, but soon he's intrigued by the saviour (Steve Le Marquand) she champions. A pill-popping cry for help later, and Travis is out on the commune's farmland compound; however, their idea of salvation doesn't match his own. Off screen, first-time feature filmmaker Nick Matthews is also headed in the direction of wise heads and helping hands. The ghosts of cult films past linger over his moody debut, from the stereotypical characters to the just as typical power struggles. The sceptical newcomer, the adoring devotee and the commanding leader — we've seen all these before. We've also seen the fallout when questions are raised, and when someone refuses to comply with the status quo. Eyes are opened, and all that peace and love and believing in yourself goes out the door. And yet, while the writer/director clearly traverses familiar territory with a psychoanalysis versus natural therapy twist, he does so with confidence. After establishing his skills as a cinematographer on 2:37, as well as other various technical talents on projects such as Beautiful Kate and Wolf Creek 2, he's not so green that he's a mere disciple of similarly themed movies gone by; rather, he's heavily influenced by them. In fact, Matthews' ambitions see him taking on a couple of strands of cult stories, one an introspective journey about overcoming trauma, and the other a gung-ho thriller. Together, the two make a motivated but awkward combination, the movie never quite convincingly shifting from simmering anguish to all-out aggression. Sluggish pacing doesn't help, dragging through the first half and then rushing through the second. What does work is the film's unrelenting intensity. It clicks into gear with the opening shot and shows no signs of fading. One Eyed Girl always looks the moody part, whether roaming over icily shot city buildings or relishing the warmth of the countryside in contrast. It also simmers with tension even with its predictable plot, with the determined cast deserving much of the credit. They know what kind of movie they're in, and they play their parts perfectly. Their efforts — and Matthews' assurance — might only result in an okay addition to the fold, but it is one sure to be accepted by worshippers of cult films.
History has been made! Following Australia's 1–0 defeat of Denmark, the 2022 Socceroos are the most successful FIFA World Cup team to ever come out of this country, advancing to the Round of 16 for just the second time ever with two wins in the group stage. Next up: Argentina. This momentous match will be going down at 6am AEDT on Sunday, December 4. To mark the occasion, the New South Wales Government will be lighting the Sydney Opera House's sails green and gold from 8pm Saturday till dawn Sunday, making all public transport free from 4am–midday on Sunday and setting up an official live site to watch the match. While this early-morning viewing time means you may opt to stay in and watch the match from the comfort of your couch, there are a range of spots around Sydney that you can head to if you want to catch a screening of the must-win showdown side-by-side with your fellow countrypeople. To help you plan your Sunday morning, we've compiled a list of all the spots around Sydney that have currently confirmed they will be showing the game. [caption id="attachment_739368" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jason Tong via Flickr[/caption] OFFICIAL LIVE SITES The NSW Government's official live site will be at set up at Darling Harbour's Tumbalong Park. A sizeable screen ready to accommodate large crowds will grace the venue, showing the game for free, and neighbouring Darling Harbour retailers have been encouraged to open their doors early in order to keep the football fans well-fed and well-caffeinated. In southwest Sydney, there will be a couple of viewing zones. The City of Canterbury Bankstown has earmarked Earlwood to host a showing of the match. Socceroos fans in Sydney's southwest can head down to Beaman Park from 5.30am, where there will be a viewing party with a barbecue breakfast. And, Liverpool City Council has arranged for the match to be broadcast live from Macquarie Mall, opening from 5am. If you're in the Inner West, you're also in luck. Following a successful live site in Summer Hill for the Australia vs. Tunisia game, the Inner West Council will again be activating an official viewing zone. This time, the game will be shown at Enmore Park. [caption id="attachment_880855" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] PUBS AND CLUBS While plenty of pubs and clubs had events for the Australia–Tunisia game due to its 9pm start time, 6am is less conducive to your local opening up. Despite this, there are a few that have already announced viewing parties. Following a shoutout from Australian coach Graham Arnold himself, The Sackville Hotel has renamed itself The Sacky-Roo for the remainder of the Socceroos' campaign and will be showing the match on Sunday. Elsewhere, The Star Casino's 24/7 Sports Bar will live up to its name and have the game playing live (as well as the Netherlands vs USA game beforehand), and Bankstown Sports will be hosting viewing parties of the Messi–Leckie showdown across the multi-level mega-venue. There are sure to be more venues announcing special opening hours to facilitate the game, so keep an eye on your favourite spot's social feeds. [caption id="attachment_622123" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kimberly Low[/caption] CINEMAS If you want a unique viewing experience of the World Cup, head to The Ritz Cinema in Randwick. The lush east-Sydney theatre isn't one to shy away from unique screenings, especially sporting-related ones. It's previously hosted showings of the NRL and AFL Grand Finals, State of Origin and previous World Cup matches. Come Sunday morning, you can get comfy in a cinema chair and watch the clash. Tickets are $10. AT HOME If you haven't been tuning into this year's FIFA World Cup, but this run of success from our national team has now piqued your interest, the simplest way to tune in is from home. SBS is the official broadcaster of all games here in Australia. The network is showing all games of the tournament live and free, both on its free-to-air TV channel and on SBS On Demand. And if you sleep in, you can always catch up on the replay on the latter afterwards. Australia take on Argentina at 6am AEDT on Sunday, December 4. For more information about the 2022 FIFA World Cup, head the tournament's website. Top image: Doozeydouche via Wikimedia Commons.
Spend a day immersed in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and pick up some one-of-a-kind gifts at the Blak Markets Christmas Festival, taking place on La Perouse's Bare Island. On Sunday, December 15, market-goers will be able to buy original artworks, beauty products, homewares and jewellery, knowing that 100 percent of profits will go back into Aboriginal communities. You can also sample food and refreshments flecked with indigenous ingredients, get involved in a weaving workshop and even make some of your gifts by hand. Or you can update your balcony garden with a bunch of different native plants, bush foods and herbs from social enterprise Indigigrow. Gates will open at 9.30am, with the Blak Markets officially kicking off with a Welcome to Country at 10.30am. Throughout the day, there'll be cultural singing and dancing performances and a workshop for kids, before it all wraps up at 3pm. Access to Bare Island is usually restricted to tour groups, so this is also a special opportunity to wander around freely. Make the most of the warm weather and take your snorkel — we reckon it's one of the prettiest underwater spots in Sydney.
For one very special night the renowned Yangjiang art collective, currently exhibiting at 4a Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, will be taking over the Chinese Garden of Friendship. With DJs throughout the evening and food and drinks by the Grasshopper Eating House, the Yangjiang group will be putting you at the centre of their art with calligraphy, face-painting and intimate performance pieces. In their trademark After Dinner Calligraphy, they will use food scraps from the event to create a large-scale work, and the night will finish with the artists feeding guests an array of tea designed to spark a shift in your physical and spiritual perceptions.
To the north of Bongil Bongil National Park is Sawtell Beach and headlands, where the coastal views are worth a visit any time of the year but are most popular during whale watching season. You can view the humpback migration from a grassy picnic spot as the headlands allow both northern and southern views. Just ten kilometres from Coffs Harbour, the beachside town is also a popular spot for a swim or surf. While you're here, check out Sailors Bay at low tide, when you'll be able to reach the tidal rock pools. Image: Destination NSW
Fans of boozy brekkies should hop along to Manly's Rialto Lane this weekend where Rollers Bakehouse and Archie Rose are teamed up to bring you a gin and pastry fiesta. From 10am on Saturday, July 20, hungry punters can lounge in the Rollers courtyard with an inventive croissant in one hand and a gin cocktail in the other. For eats, there's a charcoal-infused pain au chocolat ($6), one stuffed with ham, cheddar, gruyere, pickles and whole grain mustard ($8.50) and a lemon myrtle number made with lemon myrtle custard and curd and topped with white chocolate. The cocktails are priced at $12 each and can be matched with any of the specialty croissants on offer, though the team recommends you pair them as follows: the vodka- and honey-spiked Banana Roller with the pain au chocolat; the N' Mary (a gin bloody mary) with the ham and cheese option; and the Lemon Myrtle Collins with, yes, the lemon myrtle croissant. If you miss out on this weekend's festivities, Archie Rose and Rollers will be hosting the same event again out at the Rosebery distillery on Saturday, July 27 from noon. No tickets or bookings are necessary for either — just rock up with at least a $20 in your pocket. Images 1-2: Rollers by Kitti Gould.
Everyone has a favourite kind of chocolate. Everyone also has a favourite kind of chocolate that doesn't actually exist. You know what we're talking about — you've fantasised about a bar of cocoa goodness that includes all your wildest, weirdest additions, and you've been cripplingly saddened every time you've looked for your crazy concoction in the supermarket. Keep dreaming deliciously big, because new Australian online retailer Chocolab is in the business of granting chocolate wishes. Whether milk, white or dark is your jam, and whether you like to find confectionery, spices, fruit, nuts, biscuits, cereal, coffee, popcorn or pretzels hidden within, your dream choccy could be an actual, eatable thing. In the company's online creation lab, you can add up to five possible bits and pieces to your 100-gram block of Belgium's finest. The lengthy list of ingredients currently includes sour gummy worms, Ovalteenies, Nerds, caramel fudge, Nutella, Fruit Tingles, sherbet, acai berries, Tiny Teddies, brownie bites, Cornflakes and more, with new options added regularly. If you don't see an add-in you like, you can even suggest your own. A block starts at $6.50, with add-ins ranging from 70c to $2. Once you've settled on your picks, your concoction is handcrafted by Chocolab's professional chocolatiers, then shipped to you as soon as possible — and yes, there's an express delivery option, because no one likes waiting for the food of the gods. Postage starts at $4 per block, so while it's not the cheapest block of chocolate in town, it's certainly the most happily indulgent. Chocolab recommends eating the finished product with a month or two, and we celebrate their optimism and judgement-free attitude. We all know your dream bar won't last that long. To find out more about Chocolab, or to design your own block of chocolate, visit their website.
Two Queers Walk Into a Bar, the project of Brendan Hancock and Jenna Suffern, is back with its biggest edition yet, rolling out the Two Queers Comedy Festival across two weeks for 2024's Mardi Gras. The packed program of laughs and performances is throwing up a little bit of everything, including an opening-night gala, exciting new shows from some of the country's best comedians and an anti-Valentine's Day singles night. The festival kicks things off with a huge opening night of stand-up on Friday, February 16, at Paddington Town Hall. Nina Oyama (Deadloch, Taskmaster Australia) and Etcetera Etcetera (Drag Race Down Under) lead the lineup alongside Annaliese Constable, Jacinta Gregory, Lou Wall and more. From there on out, there are plenty of exciting shows to catch. Zoe Coombs Marr is bringing her new set, A Perpetual Work in Progress, to Kinselas Hotel on Saturday, February 24, as part of the festival. Also on the program are Frankie Fearce, Annaliese Constable, Jordan Barr, Ruby Teys, Gaffy, Aaron Manhattan, Foxy Moron and Aurelia St Clair. Plus, Ange Lavoipierre and Jane Watt's Jazz or a Bucket of Blood (one of Suffern's top picks for last year's Sydney Fringe Festival) will be returning to the Harbour City to appear at the festival on Tuesday, February 20. Tickets range from $20–50. You can check out the full schedule via Humanitix. Top image: Andy Mullins
They say the world is your oyster, and the folk on the New South Wales South Coast take it very seriously. So much so that they're putting on a festival to celebrate and showcase that salty, slippery, seafood delicacy. The Narooma Oyster Festival, set in the heart of Australia's 'Oyster Coast' will take place on a glorious Saturday on the 5th of May. Head to the Big Oyster Bar where you will be able to feast on delicious oysters from eight south coast estuaries on the banks of the stunning Wagonga Inlet. If you're after a cool $500 in pocket money, the oyster shucking competition could be up your alley, but if you're new to the whole game, there are shucking demonstrations as well. For the most committed of oyster lovers out there, there is The Ultimate Oyster Experience, where you'll enjoy an exclusive master class guide by a local grower and sample Angasi, Pacific and Sydney Rock Oysters with complementing wines.
Missed out on a Euro summer trip this year? Don't drown your sorrows in sangria just yet — Spanish car brand CUPRA is bringing Barcelona to Sydney with the fiery Obsession event series. Inspired by the brand's ethos of style, performance and passion — which will see creative collaborators take over the CUPRA Sydney City Garage in the CBD to showcase their "obsessions." In the second event of this obsessive series, Brisbane-born musician, beatboxer and human lyrebird Tom Thum is taking to CUPRA's Sydney City Garage on Thursday, November 28 for an evening of musical obsession. Since the early 2000s, Thum has been making a name for himself with the power of his voice — rising to internet stardom with a viral 15-minute performance at TEDx Sydney in 2013. He's sold out shows with Gordon Hamilton and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and worked with Disney and Audi, but he's bringing his talents to this far more personal experience here. As well as a performance on the night, Thum will talk about obsession in his obscure medium and encourage some audience interaction if anyone is brave enough to beatbox with the master. Want to win a double pass to attend? You can head to the CUPRA website and share your obsession in 25 words or less to claim a ticket. The CUPRA Sydney City Garage is located at 68 Pitt Street, Sydney. For more information about CUPRA or to get behind the wheel on a test drive, visit the website.
Openair shopping sprees are an inevitable spring/summer plan for Sydneysiders; a monthly outdoor market is soon to be a permanent thing at the Central Park development off Broadway. Kicking off October 12, The Brewery Yard Markets will be set on sunny Chippendale Green on the second Sunday of every month, with stalls selling artisanal foodie-heaven fare beside stands of vintage and locally-produced wares. Though the markets are a radically different retail approach to the franchises currently populating Central Park's vertical 'living-mall', they're sure to be a boom for the soon to be densely-populated inner city complex. And why not make the most of the development's specially-landscaped outdoor areas as summer rolls in? The markets will launch mid-way through the development's Summer Playground festival, with highlights including Long Lunch Sundays — where $15 will buy you a lunch special, to be eaten while lazing back in complimentary deck chairs and listening to live acoustic tunes. As for weekday entertainment, Central Park's got you covered with Thursdays Games Day — head to the Green in your break to see the space transformed into a pop-up fun fair with giant Jenga, table tennis and treasure hunts. Then there's the one-off openair Twillight Summer Cinema, screening everyone's favourite Dirty Dancing on September 25 — with dinner thrown in with your ticket price. Winter, consider yourself well shunned. Central Park's Summer Playground program runs September 8 until October 5. Check out the whole program here.
The last time that Joaquin Phoenix appeared in cinemas, he played an overlooked and unheard man. "You don't listen, do you?" Arthur Fleck asked his social worker, and the entirety of Joker — and of Phoenix's magnetic Oscar-winning performance as the Batman foe in the 2019 film, too — provided the obvious answer. Returning to the big screen in a feature that couldn't be more different to his last, Phoenix now plays a professional listener. A radio journalist and podcaster who'd slide in seamlessly alongside Ira Glass on America's NPR, Johnny's niche is chatting with children. Travelling around the country from his New York base, C'mon C'mon's protagonist seeks thoughts about life, hopes, dreams, the future and the world in general, but never in a Kids Say the Darndest Things-type fashion. As Phoenix's sensitive, pensive gaze conveys under the tender guidance of Beginners and 20th Century Women filmmaker Mike Mills, Johnny truly and gratefully hears what his young interviewees utter. Phoenix is all gentle care, quiet understanding and rippling melancholy as Johnny. All naturalism and attentiveness as well, he's also firmly at his best, no matter what's inscribed on his Academy Award. Here, Phoenix is as phenomenal as he was in his career highlight to-date, aka the exceptional You Were Never Really Here, in a part that again has his character pushed out of his comfort zone by a child. C'mon C'mon's Johnny spends his days talking with kids, but that doesn't mean he's equipped to look after his nine-year-old nephew Jesse (Woody Norman, The War of the Worlds) in Los Angeles when his sister Viv (Gaby Hoffmann, Transparent) needs to assist her husband Paul (Scoot McNairy, A Quiet Place Part II) with his mental health. Johnny and Viv haven't spoken since their mother died a year earlier, and Johnny has previously overstepped when it comes to Paul — with the siblings' relationship so precarious that he barely knows Jesse — but volunteering to help is his immediate reflex. As captured in soft, luxe, nostalgic shades of greyscale by always-remarkable cinematographer Robbie Ryan (see also: I, Daniel Blake, American Honey, The Favourite and Marriage Story), Johnny takes to his time with Jesse as any uncle suddenly thrust into a 24/7 caregiving role that doesn't exactly come naturally would. Jesse also reacts as expected, handling the situation as any bright and curious kid whose world swiftly changes, and who finds himself with a new and different role model, is going to. But C'mon C'mon is extraordinary not because its instantly familiar narrative sees Johnny and Jesse learn life lessons from each other, and their bond grow stronger the longer they spend in each other's company — but because this tremendously moving movie repeatedly surprises with its depth, insights, and lively sparks of both adult and childhood life. It's styled to look like a memory, and appreciates how desperately parents and guardians want to create such happy recollections for kids, but C'mon C'mon feels unshakeably lived-in rather than wistful. It doesn't pine for times gone by; instead, the film recognises the moments that linger in the now. It spies how the collection of ordinary, everyday experiences that Johnny and Jesse cycle through all add up to something that's equally commonplace, universally relatable and special, too. Conveying that sentiment, but never by being sentimental, has long been one of Mills' great powers as a filmmaker. He makes pictures so alive with real emotion that they clearly belong to someone, and yet also resonate with everyone all at once. With C'mon C'mon, the writer/director draws upon his own time as a parent, after taking inspiration from his relationship with his father in Beginners, and from his connection to his mother and his own upbringing in 20th Century Women. The conversations that the rumpled Johnny and precocious Jesse exchange might be exactly the kind that adults and children always have — the earnest talks that Johnny has with his interview subjects as well, which help place the movie's musings in a broader context — but that doesn't make them any less perceptive and memorable. The key to the film is the key to its central duo's blossoming bond, to Johnny's rapport with the kids on his podcast, and to everything that Phoenix as Arthur Fleck wanted and demanded: genuinely listening. C'mon C'mon builds wonderfully detailed and intricate character studies by doing just that with Johnny and Jesse — and, albeit in less screentime, with Viv. Trips around the US play like big adventures, including when Jesse keeps wanting to explore NY and laps up a New Orleans street parade, but the contents of late-night phone calls, the newly single Johnny's diary-like recorded dispatches about his days, Viv's maternal routine and Jesse's favourite play-acting game — where he pretends he's an orphan — frequently feel just as immense. As C'mon C'mon observes and unfurls these textured slices of life, it also takes the act of listening as seriously as Johnny does. Mills has directed a gorgeous-looking film, any frame of which would make a postcard-perfect memory — its closeups are revelatory, its wide shots that place its characters in their surroundings while surveying the minutiae around them are transcendent — but his soundscape does just as much essential work. Viewers hear the hustle and bustle, the noise of the street, the silence that lingers indoors and the clattering chaos one small boy can incite. Jesse hears it, too, and soon becomes enamoured with listening through his uncle's headphones as Johnny records on-the-ground material for his podcast. The National's Bryce and Aaron Dessner also layer in a melodic and dreamy score that both sets and suits the reflective and warm-hearted mood, while the soundtrack's jumps between genres — opera, Lou Reed and Lee Scratch Perry included — are dynamic. For all of Mills' outstanding choices with C'mon C'mon, a feature filled with them, the care and love he gives his characters and ushers out of his actors is his biggest feat. Phoenix's endlessly impressive work as a man both exhausted and rewarded by pseudo-parenthood is matched by Norman, who turns in a spontaneous and instinctive performance, and by the ever-reliable Hoffman as a woman constantly striving for her own space beyond her roles as a mother, partner and sister. Indeed, watching them together, and seeing their reactions and responses while talking to each other via phone, is as crucial as hearing every word spoken. Yes, C'mon C'mon listens devotedly, but it's just as committed to simply being in these characters' presence, soaking in all that comes with it, and finding the aching and affecting truth in every second.
Yesterday saw the first announcement of plans for the 2012 installment of Vivid Live. Vivid Live is the ten day musical extravaganza held under the Vivid Sydney banner, the annual mid-winter festival of lights, music and ideas, which this year will run from May 25 to June 11. Beginning in 2009, each successive installment of Vivid has seen the sails of the Opera House lit up like a psychadelic rainbow and one super-special person or two curating the festival's musical component. Past curators have included Brian Eno, Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson, and Stephen Pavlovic. This year, however, the idea of musical curator has been done away with, and in 2012 Vivid Live will be overseen by Festival Director, Fergus Linehan. Linehan, who was Director of the Sydney Festival during its boom years of 2006-2009, has been Head of Contemporary Music at the Opera House for the past two years. In collaboration with the programming team at Sydney Opera House, Linehan is this year charged with "cultivating artist-driven projects including unique collaborations, one-off projects and special events." While the full festival line-up won't be announced until March 15, the first Vivid Live announcement has revealed that this year's Vivid Live will showcase specially commissioned new works from Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Denner of The National and Nico Muhly, a composer who's worked with the likes of Bjork, Grizzly Bear and Anthony & The Johnsons. Stay tuned for more announcements from Vivid over the coming weeks.
Sydney's only theatre in a pub basement, the Old Fitzroy Theatre has been a beloved stalwart of the independent scene in this city — and that's a position its new artistic management, Red Line Productions, are determined to return it to. They've announced the first six months of their 2015 season, with plans involving a roster of established indie talent, revisits of plays that had their premieres at the Old Fitz, and a late-night slot that will be made available to artists for the rarely seen price of free. "Sydney needs a well-run, intimate small theatre venue. The Fitz is so damn special,” said Andrew Henry, one third of Red Line Productions, who took over the venue from Sydney Independent Theatre Company and were involved with this year's popular Howie the Rookie. First on their slate is the return of Charlie Garber and Gareth Davies' absurd Masterclass, about the greatest actor of all time, Gareth Davies. In February, Workhorse Theatre Company will be presenting Cock, a much-acclaimed relationship drama by UK playwright Mike Bartlett, and in March, a revival of 1999 Old Fitz hit Freak Winds, written by and starring Marshall Napier. Best known for his acting, Anthony Gooley will be directing Orphans in April, while Anthony Skuse visits Latin America with The House of Ramon Iglesia and Kate Gaul returns to Ireland with Enda Walsh's Misterman. In the late slot you'll find more experimental, improvisational or DIY-spirited works, making do on the sets of the regular 7.30pm shows. It's free to use the space, which is great news for artists, and cheaper to buy tickets to, which is great news for us. Already programmed are Kate Walder and Penny Greenhalgh's Bad (which has either not been written yet or just has an admirably vague blurb), Cameron Lukey's Playing Rock Hudson, improv show Holly and Ado Get It On! and Kate Box in Dolores, a play about domestic violence and sisterhood from New York writer Edward Allen Baker. Running since 1997, the Old Fitz is a sweetly dingy favourite among Sydney's theatre crowd, with superfan Toby Schmitz recently telling the Sydney Morning Herald, "The Old Fitz is one of my great loves. When I did Brendan [Cowell's] Men there [in 2000], my life changed." Audiences at the Old Fitz over the last couple of years were less often privy to life-changing theatre, however, as the programming fell below expectations. It's early days yet, but we're optimistic about the new Old Fitz, which seems to wrap its arms around both indie royalty and riff-raff (often the more fun to watch). With the recent closure of the theatre upstairs at the Tap Gallery, and the general dearth of independent theatre venues in Sydney, it's a bit of good news putting a spring in the step of board-treaders. For more information on the Old Fitzroy season, see the Red Line Productions website.
The King has risen. Head out to Parkes in January and you would be forgiven for thinking you're in Graceland — if there's anything this town is known for (apart from the iconic Dish, of course) it's the Parkes Elvis Festival. Pull on your blue suede shoes and get ready to find yourself a hunk, a hunk of burning love. The festival takes place over five days during the second week of January to coincide with the King's birthday (January 8, as if you didn't already know). Over 25,000 visitors flock to the town to see international and national Elvis tribute artists battle it out to be named the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist. There's also a Miss Priscilla competition, rock 'n' roll dancing, busking, a midnight show and a finale concert. The Parkes Elvis Festival is officially endorsed by the King's estate, Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc., so you know it's legit. Stop talking about it, and just do it this year. A little less conversation, a little more action.
Freya and Elias Berkhout’s relatively new sibling collaboration is off to a good start. They won the recent Sydney Festival Soundtrack Competition, which saw their tune 'Picnic!' played as the 2013 Festival’s theme song, and they’re now about to release their debut EP, See In Walk. Freya might be known to some indie music lovers for her work as one-half of experimental pop duo kyü, which appeared at Homebake 2009 and won the Hopetoun Incentive. However, Gnome’s sound takes on a new dimension altogether. She and her brother combine a range of influences and interests, and their work fuses classical and world music with electronica. Live, they float deftly executed harmonies over loops, creating dynamics through percussion breaks and rhythmic changes. Freya has described it as “loosely a combination of Brian Eno, The Knife and Sufjan Stevens”.
If you've ever wanted to enjoy your nosh with casual waterfalls cascading over your feet (haven't we all?), all you need is a cheeky airfare. Nestled right at the foot of a spring waterfall in a coconut plantation and resort in Laguna, Phillipines, Villa Escudero takes novelty dining next level. A self-contained working coconut plantation, Villa Escudero was founded in the 1880s and still sports that colonial-style so prevalent in resorts in the Philippines. Featuring long bamboo dining tables set right over the water, Villa Escudero's restaurant must have some pretty pruny-footed waiters after a long shift. Sure, you could get the hose out at home and attempt to create the same effect, but Villa Escudero might have a natural one-up on your bond-losing acts. Via Lost at E Minor.
Which cravings will Wonka inspire? Chocolate, of course, and also an appetite for more of filmmaker Paul King's blend of the inventive, warm-hearted and surreal. The British writer/director's chocolatier origin story is a sweet treat from its first taste, and firmly popped from the same box as his last two movie delights: Paddington and Paddington 2. Has the helmer used a similar recipe to his talking-bear pictures? Yes. Was it divine with that double dip in marmalade, and now equally so with creative confectionery and the man behind it? Yes again. While it'd be nice to see King and his regular writing partner Simon Farnaby (also an actor, complete with an appearance here) make an original tale again, as they last did with 2009's superb and sublime Bunny and the Bull, watching them cast their spell on childhood favourites dishes up as effervescent an experience as sipping fizzy lifting drinks. It's as uplifting as munching on hover chocs, too, aka the debut creation that Wonka's namesake unveils in his attempt to unleash his chocolates upon the world. Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet, Bones and All) has everlasting gobstobbers, golden tickets and a whole factory pumping out a sugary rush in his future, as Roald Dahl first shared in 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, then cinemagoers initially saw in 1971's Gene Wilder-starring all-timer Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Wonka churns up the story before that story, and technically before 2005's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory from Tim Burton (Wednesday) as led by Johnny Depp (Minamata) — but the less remembered about that most-recent adaptation, the better. There's no on-the-page precedent for this flick, then. Rather, King and Farnaby use pure imagination, plus what they know works for them, to delectable results. What they welcomely avoid is endeavouring to melt down Dahl's bag of tricks and remould it, and also eschew packing in references to past Chocolate Factory flicks like a cookie that's more chocolate chips than biscuit. Wonka is a prequel devoted to telling its own tale — and deliciously — instead of stretching itself like over-chewed bubblegum to stick again and again to all that precedes it. The nods are there, including in the type of villains that Dahl could've penned, and the turns of phrase. Visual minutiae harks backwards, top hat and all, while 'Pure Imagination' and the Ooompa-Loompa flute whistle get more than a single spin. In the worst of the throwbacks, obesity is used as a gag once more like over half a century hasn't passed since Willy Wonka was conjured up. But they're all the feature's sprinkles, not its main ingredients. Come to Wonka and you'll be viewing a film that values its own narrative, magic, whimsy and wonders by the bucketful. Swimming in its river of hopes, aspirations, enchantment and earnestness brings Barbie to mind, in fact, in how to bake something new and flavoursome from pre-existing intellectual property. The trailers largely hide it; however, Wonka is as much of a musical as pop culture's greatest sweet tooth's prior dances across the screen, opening with him singing as he sails to the unnamed European locale that's home to the Galeries Gourmet. Once back on land, he's soon spent his 12 silver sovereigns before a day has passed and his introductory number is over, but the eccentric's hat full of dreams — a Mary Poppins-esque item that contains all manner of physical marvels, too — hasn't come close to running out. Mere minutes in, Chalamet shows how magnificently he's been cast as the wide-eyed, eternally optimistic, crooning-with-cheer young Wonka, wearing sincerity as closely and comfortably as his character's go-to purple suits. He's a daydream made tangible, whether beaming with enthusiasm about every chance that comes Willy's way, speaking in sing-song rhymes or frolicking with a waved-around cane. Never trying to be previous versions of Wonka (no one can replicate Wilder, and no one should want to ape Depp), he's a pleasure at getting goofy as well, sans even a dash of the exquisitely played moodiness, vulnerability and cool that's served him so well in Call Me By Your Name, Lady Bird, Little Women and Dune. At Willy's new home, three shops run by Slugworth (Paterson Joseph, Boat Story), Prodnose (Matt Lucas, DC's Legends of Tomorrow) and Fickelgruber (Mathew Baynton, Ghosts) monopolise the sweets trade, but he wants to be the mall's next candyman. The chocolate cartel doesn't take kindly to newcomers, though, or making treats affordable to the masses. With assistance from a corrupt cleric (Rowan Atkinson, Man vs Bee) and chocoholic chief of police (Keegan-Michael Key, The Super Mario Bros Movie), the core trio has the power and influence to send their unwanted competitor's life's wish down the drain before it even gets a chance to set. Finding a place to stay at a washhouse run by Mrs Scrubbit (Olivia Colman, Heartstopper) and her offsider Bleacher (Tom Davis, Romantic Getaway), then getting landed with a debt that'll take 27 years of labour to pay off for just a night's slumber, also threatens to give his quest a sour taste. Then there's the orange-skinned, green-haired Oompa-Loompa (Hugh Grant, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves) stealing Wonka's cocoa morsels out of revenge. All innocence, charm, buoyancy and tenderness just like a certain Peruvian mammal, Chalamet's star turn is the acting equivalent of having dessert for dinner and relishing every second. That said, there's nothing insubstantial about the fellow talents that surround him, with King's knack for filling parts big and small getting another scrumptious whirl. If the filmmaker wants to continue providing Grant with the scene-stealing comedic supporting roles of his life, audiences will devour his presence. Bringing Sally Hawkins over from the Paddington films to play Wonka's mother in flashbacks is a joyously touching move. Joseph, Lucas and Bayton make entertainingly haughty villains, while Key, Colman and Davis (also a Paddington 2 alum) are all having a ball. Farnaby turns a silhouetted moment as a security guard feasting on Willy's big night out truffle into a gem. And among Scrubbit and Bleacher's other indentured workers, Calah Lane (This Is Us) invests feeling and pluck in the orphaned Noodle, with Jim Carter (Downton Abbey: A New Era), Rakhee Thakrar (Sex Education), Natasha Rothwell (Sonic the Hedgehog 2) and Rich Fulcher (Black Mirror) engagingly rounding out the rag-tag laundry crew. Fulcher's involvement, like Farnaby's, nods to another jewel that King helped gift the world: The Mighty Boosh. The director helmed all 20 episodes, plus the comedy troupe's live Future Sailors Tour special — and its phantasmagorical and heightened vibe, as well as its winning wit, offbeat humour, fondness for silliness and textured details, live on in the filmmaker's big-screen efforts so far. Much is made in Wonka of Willy's compendium of components for his ingenious chocolate, such as giraffe's milk, salty tears from a Russian clown and liquid sunshine. King crafts his own irresistible confection in the same way, with heapings of gorgeous spectacle via its lavish cinematography (by the OG Oldboy's Chung-hoon Chung), production design (Nathan Crowley, Tenet) and costuming (Paddington franchise returnee Lindy Hemming); everything that his actors splash in; and also the memorable score (Joby Talbot, Sing 2) and tunes (Talbot and Neil Hannon, who were both in Northern Ireland-born band The Divine Comedy). And the banding together to bring down capitalist bigwigs dotted in the plot? What a cherry on top it proves.
Too lazy to walk? Want to get to a faraway part of town? Add a bus tour to your Art Month itinerary. Whether you live in Sydney's north, south, east or west, you can rest assured that artists on the other side of the city have something to show you that you've never seen before. 2016's bus tours will be travelling all over the place. And each will be led by an expert. Heading to Penrith is Gary Carsley, while Consuelo Cavaniglia will be helping you to Go East, with a trip through Paddington and Woollahra. Meanwhile, in Parramatta, Jon Kirkman, director of the International Culture Exchange, will be showing you private collections, studios and favourite eateries, and in Campbelltown, you'll meet with artist Rosie Deacon. Finally, Barry Keldoulis will be bravely taking on the Go North tour, covering exhibitions and ending with a live performance. Image: Rosie Deacon.
If laughter is the best medicine then you'll never find a better time to fall ill. From Monday, April 18, over 200 local and international comedians will descend upon the harbour city for the 12th annual Sydney Comedy Festival, ready to fill your prescription of chuckles, giggles and guffaws. Stretching across more than four weeks at venues all around Sydney from the Opera House to Parramatta, it's just what the doctor ordered. Of course, comedy is a notoriously hit-and-miss form of entertainment, so picking the right shows is key. Fortunately, the organisers at this year's festival have knocked the program out of the park. International stars including David O'Doherty, Ross Noble, Paul Foot and Sarah Callaghan will join local legends like Anne Edmonds, Demi Lardner, Michael Workman and Lawrence Leung. Alternatively, you could go and watch a bunch of people reading erotic fan fiction. The choice is entirely yours.
Longrain and Spice I Am, you'd better look out. Chef and Thai food expert David Thompson is making a return to Sydney, opening a new branch of his Long Chim restaurant (which already operates in Perth and Singapore) in the CBD. After announcing that the restaurant would be opening in Angel Place back in May (and since announcing he'll be taking Long Chim to Melbourne too), we now have an official opening date: Monday, August 29. And boy are we excited. First of all, the restaurant's going to be pretty huge. Spread across two levels in old storerooms underneath Martin Place, it will have a large open-plan kitchen, a cocktail bar and room for 190 diners. Developed in collaboration with FJM Property and designer Kelly Ross from The Gentry, you'll have a choice of seating, from communal tables to counter stools to out-of-the-way alcoves, and there'll be original artworks from both Thai and Australian artists. Its atmosphere is set to be a bit of recreation of Bangkok's streets, with all manner of delicious smells, sounds of crashing woks and clattering utensils, and service at lightning speed. The menu will focus on street food (ah, that old chestnut), including crunchy prawn cakes, beef skewers, massaman curry and deep-fried squid. We're also happy to hear that cocktails will be a focus and banana roti will make it onto the dessert menu. "At Long Chim we want to capture all the excitement and tastes of the streets of Bangkok," said Thompson, who returns to the Sydney hospo scene after 15 years. "Long Chim is intended to be fun — 'sanuk', as the Thais say — with food and drinks that everyone loves. Our menu will have the dishes that many Thais miss the most when away from home." Long Chim Sydney will open for dinner on Monday, August 29. It will be located in a basement beneath 14 Martin Place, accessible through Angel Place. For more info, visit longchimsydney.com. By Jasmine Crittenden and Lauren Vadnjal.
Once, dance and classical weren't music genres that you'd usually find swirling around in the same basket, unless you have a particular bent for the orchestral 'Sandstorm' covers found in the depths of YouTube. Since 2019 in Australia, however, Synthony has been here to prove that the disciplines go hand in hand — and it's returning for another tour in 2024. Initially founded in New Zealand, and now an annual highlight on Australia's gig calendar, the event gets a live orchestra joining forces with a selection of DJs and onstage performers to play the biggest dance tracks of the last 30 years. Think: tunes by Swedish House Mafia, Basement Jaxx, Fatboy Slim, Avicii, Fisher, Faithless, Disclosure, Eric Prydz, Flume, Calvin Harris, Wilkinson and the like, and as you've never heard them before. Wherever Synthony pops up, the venues that it temporarily call home take a few cues from the nightclub scene, with lights, lasers and mapped video all featured in the experience. And, as the orchestra busts out a selection of dance floor bangers note for note, vocalists also do their part — because this isn't just about instrumental versions of your favourite club tunes. The 2024 run first has two dates with Sydney, playing Carriageworks during Vivid across Friday, June 7–Saturday, June 8. On the lineup: the Metropolitan Orchestra conducted by Sarah-Grace Williams, as joined by Ilan Kidron from The Potbelleez, Emily Williams, Cassie McIvor, Greg Gould, Matty O and Mobin Master.
Self-sufficiency is not simply an environmental goal but an all-consuming way of life for Spanish design company, Elii Studio. With their brilliant new invention — the Jane Fonda Kit House — these Mediterranean innovators have created an experimental home powered almost entirely through that most futuristic of technologies: human movement. The concept itself is startlingly simple. The house, which resembles something between a DIY greenhouse and an M.C. Escher design, is fitted with a number of low-tech exercise devices hooked up to some pretty high-tech generators. Every time you punch out some sit-ups, jump on the exercise bike or even water the plants, these generators convert your kinetic energy into energy that can be used to power your household appliances. Thus, the fitter you get get yourself, the more episodes of Game of Thrones you can watch. While JF-Kit may certainly isn't for everyone, if you're the kind of person who likes to put their fitness first and likes to keep energy expenses to a minimum, then this might just be future-you's perfect home. Via Inhabitat
It's in Newtown that you'll find some of Sydney's best locally brewed beer, most irresistible bakery treats and most flavoursome vegetarian sausages. To celebrate the suburb's delectable contributions to the city's foodie scene, the Newtown Good Food Fair is returning for a second year this Sunday, October 11. And this time, it's expanding. Held as part of Good Food Month 2015 and organised by the Newtown Precinct Business Association, the event brings together more than 25 of Newtown's brewers, bakers, growers and chefs. These include Young Henrys, Black Star, Suzy Spoon's Vegetarian Butcher, Bloodwood, Mary's, Osteria de Russo & Russo, Miss Peaches Soul Food Kitchen and The Animal at the Newtown Hotel. For your gustatory convenience, they'll all be gathering in three easy-to-reach spots: the Newtown Square, where the focus will be on food; the Whateley Street Car Park, where it'll be all about bars and food; and The Green Living Centre at Telstra Plaza, which will be dedicated to local produce, sustainability and the launch of the new Newtown Local Food Guide.
In 2018's Skate Kitchen, filmmaker Crystal Moselle let audiences air and ollie through New York, with the entrancing and often dreamlike teenage drama stepping inside an all-female skateboarding crew. Even better: it was based on a real-life group of the same name, and starred its members. Now, because this story just keeps getting better, the director has brought all of the above back for TV spinoff Betty. You don't need to have seen the film to enjoy this slice-of-life look at these girl skaters' lives, however. All you need is a couple of hours to watch these young women hit their boards, navigate the normal adolescent experiences, and cope with all the ups and downs of trying to literally glide through a male-heavy realm. And, to simply enjoy spending time with these friends — because Moselle is particularly skilled at making her viewers feel like they're part of the gang.
Aimee Mann’s sweetly critical tones are on their way to the Enmore Theatre in September, with a very chuffed Ben Lee in tow as a special guest to the show. This tour will see Aimee bringing her new album (the beautiful Smilers, out last year), and most importantly her lovely self, to Australia for the first time, to share with us her back catalogue of toe tapping, touching and titillating tunes. Mann might be best known for her Oscar nominated ‘Save Me' from the film Magnolia, or writing the best break up lyrics ("Now that I’ve met you would you object to never seeing each other again" from ‘Deathly’) but she should be known for her lyrical genius across six or so albums and her guest appearance in Buffy. This tour is a first-time-once in-a lifetime-type opportunity, so don’t miss it.https://youtube.com/watch?v=3S7HAvibdvc
Beautiful One Day shows that devised theatre still has a unique power to bring people together for true sharing, collaboration, and storytelling. With the support of Belvoir, leading Indigenous theatre company Ilbijerri and documentary performance maestros Version 1.0 went and tested the waters at the Aboriginal community of Palm Island. When their suggestions for a project weren't rebuffed, they developed the work with the residents, three of whom join the seasoned performers on stage. Palm Island is a place we've mainly seen in snippets on the news — not anybody's best angle. It captured headlines in 2004, after the death in custody there of Mulrunji Doomadgee, whom the coroner found to have massive internal injuries. After the autopsy report was made public, there were demonstrations that turned to rioting. This event, still a trauma and a focus for the people of Palms, is at the chronological centre of the play, although in this version of the story, it is part of a continuum of acts of violence committed by white Australia for which there has never been justice. At the same time, the island has a continuous history of asserting its rights, including through large strikes in 1957 against the Aboriginals Protection Act, which had Aboriginal people under state control since 1897. As mentioned, this is devised theatre without writer or director, so linear story is not its strength — though nor its intention. Instead, the Beautiful One Day team — performers Magdalena Blackley, Kylie Doomadgee, Paul Dwyer, Rachael Maza, Jane Phegan, and Harry Reuben, plus additional devisors Sean Bacon, Eamon Flack, and David Williams — build layer upon overlapping layer of story, context, and meaning. A big success is that they set up an atmosphere of chattiness with the audience from the get-go, creating a feeling of lightness and inclusion. They use a Version 1.0-influenced toolkit of multimedia (presented, not excessively, across three screens), interviews, transcripts of historical and legal documents, and fictionalised scenes to build a picture of Palms. A nod to the 'telling their own stories' trope has the performers actually reading and acting out memoirs from books literally printed and bound, a nice little kick in the pants for anyone who thinks Aboriginal history is sidelined mostly because it's oral in form. The scenes about Mulrunji's death can't match the breadth and discovery of Chloe Hooper's award-winning book on the subject, The Tall Man, which is among the great works of creative non-fiction produced in this country. If the story of what happened to Mulrunji and in the subsequent trials and inquests appears more damning in this viewing, it is because the facts are condensed into a smaller space, in which it is impossible for the officers of law and justice involved to hide. It seems a pity, though, that in some moments, the police are portrayed cartoonishly, as a means to a joke. Even if it doesn't bring new facts to the conversation, Beautiful One Day certainly brings a new feeling. In trying to get a view of Palm Island from Palm Island, rather than of Palm Island from the mainland, the picture they conjure is one of hope. The island has seen conflict and absurdity, but looked at up close, there's at least an equal share of normalcy and paradise. There'll be more once its people can truly say they're no longer "living under the act".
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.
Darwin Deez are cliquey, culty, cooler-than-thou dorks of the curly-haired variety. They play folk-tinged rock wearing trademark headbands and naff overshirts. Their songs are lo-fi and low-rent wonders with lyrics that are vaguely literary. Think Ben Lee vs The Flaming Lips, or Vampire Weekend Vs. Two Door Cinema Club, and you've got a synopsis of their sound. Darwin Deez call what they do "a little bit Thriller, a little bit Dismemberment Plan”, and experiment indiscriminately with ironic Michael Jackson moves and petulant nu-hippy love. They have the threads, but not the attention span of Weezer, Nirvana and Adam Green. The more you try and work out why Deez's onstage calisthenics are so cartoonishly appealing, the more confused you will become. It's difficult enough determining whether Darwin Deez is the guy with the crazy perm who sings their songs and dances, or whether the name pertains to the entire band. The four of them present shows that are shambling extravaganzas of unbridled energy, unfettered shame and infectious enthusiasm. They are known to break into spontaneous bouts of synchronised yet completely deranged dancing on stage, and evoke everything from island beach parties to French soccer stars. Supported by Owl Eyes, Darwin Deez will help you burn a hole in your dancing boots with their songs about twinkly stars and wrinkly scars at The Metro.
Celebrated Wiradjuri artist Karla Dickens is bringing her powerful Embracing Shadows exhibition to Gosford Regional Gallery this winter. This survey exhibition takes in Dickens' distinguished 30-year career and explores themes of female identity and racial injustice. Over her career, Dickens' work has been featured in major exhibitions across Australia and internationally, including at the Adelaide Biennial and the Biennale of Sydney, and her artwork is held in numerous public and private collections worldwide. She was also selected to create a new commission for the Art Gallery of New South Wales' Sydney Modern project. [caption id="attachment_960790" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] 'For Sale' by Karla Dickens — Embracing Shadows[/caption] The profound body of work on display at this new exhibition draws from Dickens' reflections on Australian culture as both a woman and a First Nations person in the post-colonial era. Through diverse mediums, she offers a highly personal and politically charged interrogation of Australian history and culture. Embracing Shadows is coming to Gosford Regional Gallery from Saturday, June 22 to Sunday, August 11. For more information, visit the website. Top image: 'Cuddling Bones' by Karla Dickens — Embracing Shadows
Sonder might look teeny-tiny from the street, but you'll be shocked at its large interior. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, this former terrace house has at least six indoor-outdoor dining spaces, which have been transformed into something reminiscent of a friendly, artsy sharehouse. There's stimulating floor-to-ceiling art murals, mismatched furniture and a surprise courtyard. Styled with succulents, flowers and hanging wall planters, it's a massive contrast to inside — you'll think you've accidentally stumbled into the neighbour's yard. A small menu kicks off the dinner service from an even smaller kitchen. A few grazing dishes are perfect for sharing, like the pickled zucchini bruschetta with goats' curd ($11) and the grilled rosemary king prawns with barbecued corn, green chilli and coriander ($20). The dish's charred smoky flavour combined with the fresh tomatoes, lime and a punchy dressing makes for a tasty meal. Add a coconut margarita ($19) to the mix and you'll want to whip out the maracas. But that's as adventurous as the entrees get. The remaining options are simple, like the burrata with fresh figs and olives ($17). If you're after something more substantial then you can't go wrong with a few old favourites. A 300-gram wagyu scotch fillet with rocket salad, shoestring fries and horseradish butter will set you back $32 and is best washed down with a chilled bottle of beer — after all, there's nine on offer. A big fan of fungi? Then the mushroom and asparagus risotto with crisp enoki and truffle oil ($26) is a vegetarian delight. Sweet tooths, beware: the dessert offerings are not for the faint-hearted. You'll either love or loathe the Sonder Sundae with salted pretzels, berries, Oreos and chocolate fairy floss. It's a total blowout, but not one that's particularly worth it — nothing in it is house-made. And if you're a nighttime coffee drinker, we suggest sticking with a latte or flat white, as less common orders — like a long macchiato — don't come out quite right. Sonder feels like it's still finding its dinner feet, but it's nothing a little fine-tuning can't fix. Located in prime Paddington real estate at Five Ways, it's a much needed casual dining spot, and perfect for a relaxed mid-week catch up with family and friends.
If there's a live gig-shaped hole in your life right now, Indigenous Australian hip hop artist Ziggy Ramo is here to fill that void with a night of hard-hitting tunes. This Saturday, August 29, he'll take to the hallowed stage of the Sydney Opera House for an exclusive live-streamed performance, complete with striking visuals and a ten-piece band in tow. Beaming live and loud to a device near you, Ramo is set to play his debut full-length album Black Thoughts. The much-lauded work was completed in 2015 before being shelved for a few years, and has now been reborn in light of current conversations around race and colonial history. Expect a powerful performance incorporating strings and brass, brought to life alongside newly commissioned artworks by 2018 WA Young Person of the Year, Indigenous Australian illustrator Kamsani 'Kambarni' Bin-Salleh. Spiritually charged rap meets traditional Songlines to deliver a captivating musical journey, touching on collective trauma, racial discrimination, vulnerability and spiritual renewal. Got plans Saturday night? All good — the full performance will also be available on-demand after the initial live stream. While the Sydney Opera House is still closed to the public, it's running a Digital Season with full-length archival performances and live recordings. You can can check out the final lineup over here. [caption id="attachment_720224" align="alignnone" width="1920"] A gig at Sydney Opera House during Vivid by Daniel Boud[/caption] Top image: Emma Pegrum
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.
Fanfare has followed S'WICH wherever it has put down roots in Sydney, with both the 2019 Bellevue Hill pop-up and 2022 Bondi permanent digs seeing lines out the door; with hungry diners hankering for sandwiches, salads and snacks. Now the latest S'WICH venture is set to launch to a similar kind of fervour in the rapidly growing Wunderlich Lane precinct. Surrounded by an emerging dining and cultural scene, it's the ideal spot to call home for the foreseeable future. With an autumn opening on the cards, S'WICH will remain focused on the formula that has helped make its other venues such a success, while exploring ways to elevate its offering amidst a buzzy location. Fans and newcomers alike will find the made-to-order menu perfect for lunch or dinner. Plus, the concept puts on a strong emphasis on sips, with craft beers, natural wines, artisanal sodas and colourful cocktails just some of the refreshments on hand ready to round out your meal. Part of what has made S'WICH a go-to spot is how it effortlessly shifts from day to night. When the sun is up, it's a bright and bubbly space primed for grab-and-go lunches or a salad on your way home from the gym. Yet as the evening approaches, the lights go down and the volume from vinyl tunes gradually rises, as the team digs into crates of LPs searching for just the right house or disco tune to suit the mood. "S'WICH will bring a dynamic, upbeat vibe to Wunderlich Lane, perfectly complementing the other operators in the precinct," said co-owner, Jay Fink. "Our 1980s hi-fi sound system will fill the space with genre-defying music that doesn't just sound great, but feels great too." Just like the Bondi location, S'WICH's menu is designed for flexibility and customisation. The S'WICH Schnit is the go-to option for good reason, featuring pickled red onion, peanut chilli crack and sticky sweet chilli layered on crispy crumbed chicken. The Our Caesar is another stellar choice, as Bannockburn free-range chicken, baby cos, cucumber and avocado are taken to greater heights with parmigiano, jammy egg and garlic bread crumb. With the expansion to Wunderlich Lane, S'WICH will have excellent culinary pals for company. As the likes of Olympus, Island Radio, Saardé, and Regina La Pizzeria have already moved into the precinct, this all-star assortment of foodie destinations means the Redfern dining scene has never been better. To make your visit to S'WICH extra special, keep an eye out for a selection of menu items exclusive to the new location. S'WICH is expected to open at Wunderlich Lane in Redfern this autumn – check back soon for extra details. In the meantime, head to the website to learn more.
Taking up residence at the North Sydney Oval, the 2010 Starlight Cinema kicks off with a preview screening of the hilarious British political satire In the Loop. Then for the next two months the varied program promises something for every cinematic palate with titles including (500) Days of Summer, An Education, the challenging Precious, James Cameron’s epic Avatar and the Pixar perfection that is UP.There’s fun to be had watching Matt Damon lie his way through The Informant! or Meryl Streep cooking up a storm in both Julie & Julia and It’s Complicated. You can walk the hallowed halls of Vogue in The September Issue, the winding streets of Genova or venture into the afterlife with Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones. This season the Starlight Cinema will also host special Bollywood night, a Brazilian Festa, the short film festival FLiCKERFEST as well as a free screening of environmental documentary The Age of Stupid. Cinemagoers can pack a picnic, enjoy a drink in the Chillout Zone, or splurge on Star Class with a VIP area, deck chair and an antipasto snack box. The program is brimming with 45 films, so take your pick and see the stars from the northside. https://youtube.com/watch?v=dQrqMkCuHqA https://youtube.com/watch?v=Q-woBHhOjjo https://youtube.com/watch?v=3qQ1ihiS_-4
Online fashion and lifestyle store Public Figure has taken its collection of effortlessly stylish and consciously made clothes and lifestyle essentials from its online store into the real world with a breezy European-inspired pop-up in Paddington. The pop-up has taken over a former cake store on Oxford Street, refurbishing it with recycled material and furnished with pieces from sustainable furniture-makers Totem Road. Public Figure strives to work with brands and designers making their clothes in both an environmentally and socially ethical way. The majority of designers the store works with are also locally owned and made. Inside you'll find pieces from designers like Anna Quan, Peony Swim, Wynn Hamlyn alongside new additions to the Public Figure collection including Auor, Hyde & Stone and Zulu & Zephyr. Alongside the clothes, shoppers will find accessories like St. Rosé fragrances, Flash Jewellery and Public Figures always popular zodiac towels and sarongs. The pop-up is located at 96 Oxford Street, Paddington and is open as of Thursday, October 14.
There's nothing as heartwarming as a community coming together to support each other — and that's exactly what the trendy inner suburb of Paddington has decided to do. On Thursday, November 21, businesses throughout Paddington will be offering a night of specials, deals, activations, dinners, events and more for Paddo Night Out. It has been increasingly difficult for independent businesses to stay open in the face of rising costs and corporate competition, with 2024 witnessing the closure of many beloved venues across the city. Grabbing the issue by the horns, The Paddo Collective — a clutch of local businesses collaborating for their collective benefit, supported by the Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner's Uptown Program — has decided to step in with this new event in hopes of revitalising the local scene. [caption id="attachment_814270" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Paddington[/caption] Revellers can join Tequila Mockingbird for an outdoor barbecue and $15 margs and other classic cocktails, or stop by The Wine Library street cart, where French-style crepes and glasses of natural wine for $12 will be on offer. The Paddo Inn will be serving $15 margaritas during their 'Playlist Thursdays' DJ set, while The Paddington will run a two-for-one bottle of rosé event along with other cocktail discounts. Fred's will be extending its Aperitif Hour to include more drinks and complimentary snacks, and certainly don't miss free wine tasting at Five Ways Cellar. At a time when the vibrancy of Sydney's hospitality scene is under threat, Paddo Night Out is a chance to support local businesses without breaking the bank. A cheap drink that supports your favourite local hospos? We'll drink to that.
Apologies to backyard cricket, barbecues and water sports. Sure, they're ace things to do in summer in Australia, but movie buffs only have eyes for one outside activity. That'd be outdoor cinemas — and if you're keen on North Sydney's version of this under-the-stars stint of cinematic fun, Sunset Cinema is once again taking over North Sydney Oval from Friday, December 8—Saturday, March. North Sydney will enjoy a three-month stint packed with viewing options. In addition to Christmas movies such as Elf, Love Actually, Home Alone and The Nightmare Before Christmas, the lineup covers standouts such as Past Lives, The Boy and the Heron, Ferrari, Force of Nature: The Dry 2 and perennial favourite 10 Things I Hate About You. With Saltburn, The Marvels, Barbie, an advance screening of the Mean Girls musical, Wonka, Priscilla and Poor Things also on offer, the list clearly goes on. BYO picnics are encouraged, but if you want to enjoy a sparkling, cocktail or brew throughout the film, the onsite bar will be serving a range of drinks. Didn't pack enough snacks? There'll be hot food options, which you can order online and then pickup, plus plenty of the requisite movie treats like chips, chocolates, lollies and popcorn.
