Ring in the Year of the Monkey sipping on whisky cocktails at a custom-built pop-up bar. Presented, appropriately, by Monkey Shoulder whisky in partnership with the City of Sydney, the bar will be open for the entire run of Sydney's Chinese New Year Festival, from February 6-21. The Monkey Shoulder Whisky Bar will pop-up in Martin Place from February 6-14, before hightailing it over to World Square from February 15-21. Beverages on offer will include the Monkey's Mojito, the Monkey old-fashioned and a spin on the Pina Colada named Jungle Juice. Visitors to the bar will also receive a fortune cookie, which will hopefully predict good tidings for the year ahead.
The ultimate boy band party welcomes two of Korean pop's finest — Boyfriend and JJCC — live in concert to help celebrate the 2016 Chinese New Year Festival. For those unversed, K-pop hails from South Korea and covers everything from pop to rock, electronic to hip hop and R&B. It isn't all about the music though, as K-pop fuses hypnotic dance moves with elaborate fashion and hairstyles — and considering it walks the line of both alternative and exceedingly sweet, K-pop's transcendence into the mainstream was only a matter of time. Boyfriend, a six-member band of bashful smiles, has been touted as one of the top K-pop boy bands you should definitely know about. They'll be bringing to the stage a mix of both their Korean and Japanese singles. The other act, JJCC, are the first K-pop idol group formed by actor and martial artist Jackie Chan, and produce a pleasing confusion to the senses with their androgynous beauty and hip hop pop charms. As well as being transfixed by the hyper-energised choreography and endurably catchy tunes, there's a chance to learn more about the bands from SBS PopAsia's hosts, Jamaica dela Cruz and Andy Trieu, who will be holding on-stage interviews. Th K-pop party is presented by Carriageworks and the 2016 Sydney Chinese New Year Festival, which coincides with the event. K-pop is bigger than Bieber, and rightly so – they've got moves as sharp as Mr Chan's, and tighter than the jar of beans we just spilled to let you know that this is one event not to miss.
Creative space Hypmotive Hub is Marrickville's go-to for gifts, art and fashion that you won't find anywhere else. The shop is all about connecting the local community with unique designers, makers and brands. So, if you want nab one-of-a-kind pieces and simultaneously support local creatives, head here. You can pick up jewellery, custom-made art, handmade stationary, candles, ceramics, plant pots, skincare and essential oils — and that's just to name a few items for sale. If you can't make it into the shop, head to the online art gallery, where some of the hub's top artists sell one-off pieces. This store also serves as a community hub, with workshops and events regularly on the docket. Upcoming workshops include pottery, ceramic painting, watercolour and illustration and Kintsugi (the Japanese ceramic restoration technique through golden joinery).
Speaking prior to the screening of his movie in Sydney, director Christopher Miller explained: "Our one, enduring rule for this film was that it had to be story focused. It could never be permitted to descend into a 90 minute toy commercial". For he and co-director Phil Lord, then, The LEGO Movie is mission accomplished. Set entirely within a world of those clickable bricks and yellow-faced characters, LEGO tells the story of Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt), an eternally optimistic construction worker whose pep is matched only by his extraordinary genericism. Emmet is the epitome of commercial dronery: a franchise-coffee-drinking, pop-music-listening nobody who always follows the instructions. That all changes, however, when he stumbles upon the 'Piece of Resistance' and becomes entangled in a power struggle between the ruthless President Business (Will Ferrell), his enforcer 'Bad Cop/Good Cop' (Liam Neeson) and the resistance agent 'WyldStyle' (Elizabeth Banks). It's...a little hard to describe the sensation of watching this film. Yes, it's computer generated, but what those computers generated were Lego pieces. So, if there's an explosion, that explosion is made up of thousands of tiny red, yellow and white lego circles — not CGI fire. The effect is mesmerising. The digital design team (Australia's Animal Logic), wholly adopted the 'rules and grammar' of Lego, meaning characters could only bend at the waist and all vehicles moved as they would if being controlled by a human hand. That device alone lends itself to dozens of jokes, and in terms of laughs, The LEGO Movie delivers in spades. This is, after all, the team behind both 22 Jump Street and the sublime Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs — two films that wield pop-culture references and drop cameos like nobody's business. Where other movies in this genre can often lapse into brand promotion or smulch, The LEGO Movie retains an acute self-awareness that never permits itself to take anything too seriously. As such, the in-jokes are amongst the strongest and nostalgia is used almost exclusively as a source of comedy rather than to pull on the heart strings. That's not to say the film is without a point. Its jabs at corporatisation land more heavily than one might expect for a 'kids movie', and its determination to encourage imagination and exploration 'beyond the instructions' is at times so concerted it borders on pro-anarchism. In the end, this is a family-friendly movie in every sense, yet the truth is, adults will derive more pleasure from the viewing than their children. LEGO is a wry, playful and intelligent piece of filmmaking that, like Toy Story before it, rises far above its station and offers up a truly enjoyable experience. https://youtube.com/watch?v=fZ_JOBCLF-I
The Pebble E-Paper Watch campaign, run in April last year, is the most highly funded in Kickstarter history. Having set their initial goal at $100,000, the creators raised a whopping $10,266,845. The second most successful, if you're curious to know, is that of 'OUYA: A new kind of video game console'. Selling itself as 'the first watch built for the 21st century', the Pebble is compatible with both iPhone and Android. It's also fully customisable. The wearer can choose from an array of watch faces, making changes as often as desirable. The designers write that they 'strove to create a minimalist yet fashionable product that seamlessly blends into everyday life'. The selection of apps is growing all the time, from biking and running monitors to golf rangefinders to music software. Bluetooth enables connection with a nearby smartphone, which means that the Pebble can access GPS, and communicate notifications from social networks and email accounts. The phone weighs in at 32 grams and its black and white screen offers a resolution of 144 x 168 pixels. Drawbacks include the tendency to reduce a smartphone's battery life, by up to 10%. Plus, owners of a Blackberry, Windows 7 or Palm phone don't have any chance of compatibility yet. Following delays, the first Pebbles were shipped to Kickstarter supporters in January this year. On July 7, they (the watches, not the supporters) became available on shelves in America's consumer electronics store, Best Buy. [via mashable]
When Somedays launched in 2005, it began with boutiques in Melbourne and Surry Hills selling menswear and womenswear by international brands, along with fashion-forward sunnies and delicate jewellery. Its third outpost, found on the corner Shipwright Walk and Scotch Row in Barangaroo, is now its only physical store, as the fashion retailer is now primarily based online. What hasn't changed for Somedays in the last 15 years is its commitment to Nordic style. Whether you're browsing online, or in store, you'll find jeans by Swedish brands Dr Denim and Nudie Jeans, men's jackets and merino jumpers from Norse Projects and button-ups by Copenhagen label NN07. [caption id="attachment_779800" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] Though not every brand is Northern European; there's also Australian leather brand Bellroy, French sneaker label Veja (whose sustainably made shoes are produced in Brazil), New Zealand labels Lonely and Kowtow, plus Wool & Bear hats, made with 100-percent Australian wool by milliners in inner Mongolia, Sri Lanka and China. You'll spot the corner boutique as you come down the escalators from Wynyard Walk — the elevated walkway between Wynyard and Barangaroo. It's a small space that showcases hero pieces from its much larger online range — and it knows its Monday-to-Friday crowd. Coffee on your shirt? Forgot your heels for that power lunch today? Somedays will sort you out. Images: Cassandra Hannagan
A decadent spot deserves a decadent bar to match — or a couple. That's the case at Sydney's 120-year-old Queen Victoria Building, which has taken things up a notch with with the launch of not one, but two new luxurious bars. When you're not sipping Champagne at Reign at the QVB, you can combine beverages with a meal at bar-restaurant Esquire Drink + Dine. Open late every night, Esquire is the place to head if you're looking for more of a sit-down meal. The opulent level-one venue takes its cues from the supper clubs of New York, with an old-world fit-out of oak, leather and parquetry flooring. It's a moody, dapper backdrop for settling in with a fittingly expansive offering of whisky, cocktails and wine. From the kitchen comes a sophisticated spread of reimagined comfort food. Think gruyere-stuffed jaffles with fries and a pork jowl schnitzel sided with mustard, radish and burnt lemon. You can also choose from four cuts of steak and a whole roast chicken for two, which is used across two courses. Both Esquire and Reign are overseen by a team of hospitality guns, including Matthew Beaumont as Group General Manager of Beverage (The Star, Merivale), Damien Worthington (QT Hotels, The Winery) in the role of Executive Chef and Fabio Nistrio (Sokyo at The Star, Bambini Trust Restaurant & Wine Room) heading up the tightly curated drinks program. Esquire is open from 11am each day, surely to cater to post-shopping snacks and business lunches. And as far as kicking on late, it's open for eats and drinks right up until 2am Thursday through Sunday. Images: Damian Flanagan.
When the UNESCO's World Heritage Committee sends some attention Australia's way, it often comes bearing good news. Back in 2019, it added the stunning Budj Bim Cultural Landscape to the World Heritage List, for instance. The body has also given Kakadu National Park, K'gari, the Tasmanian wilderness, the Greater Blue Mountains area, the Sydney Opera House, and the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens the same status, too — and, among 20 Aussie places that've earned a spot on the list, the Great Barrier Reef as well. At the moment, the organisation has turned its focus to the Great Barrier Reef again. This time, though, it's doing something other than highlighting its splendours. In a new report by the offshoot of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, the WHC has recommended that the coral reef system off the coast of Queensland should be added to the list of world heritage sites that are in danger. Explaining its rationale, the WHC said that "the long-term outlook for the ecosystem of the property has further deteriorated from poor to very poor" since 2015, and that it has "suffered significantly from coral bleaching events in 2016, 2017 and most recently in 2020, as a result of global warming." It noted that in the past five years, "both the current condition and the long-term outlook for the property have deteriorated. Therefore, there is no possible doubt that the property is facing ascertained danger." The Australian and Queensland governments have a Great Barrier Reef policy — the Reef 2050 Plan — which outlines how they're working to protect and manage the reef until the middle of this century. But the WHC noted that so far "progress has been insufficient in meeting key targets." It also stated that the plan "requires stronger and clearer commitments, in particular towards urgently countering the effects of climate change, but also towards accelerating water quality improvement and land management measures. The widespread effects of the consecutive coral bleaching events further add to the significant concerns regarding the future of the property." [caption id="attachment_796501" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] The Guardian reports that if the recommendation to place the Great Barrier Reef on the in danger list goes ahead, Australia will be a pioneer in all the wrong ways — because it'll mark the first time that a natural world heritage site has been classed as "in danger" primarily due to climate change. UNESCO has asked Australia to work with the WHC to "address the threat posed to the property by climate change and determine a pathway for accelerated actions in other areas affecting the conservation of the property"; however, Federal Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley has said that the country will challenge the draft reef recommendation. "I agree that global climate change is the single biggest threat to the world's reefs but it is wrong, in our view, to single out the best managed reef in the world for an 'in danger' listing," the Minister said in a statement. To read the full UNESCO World Heritage Committee report head to the UNESCO website.
Sample Coffee turns out some of the best coffee our city has to offer. Apart from its original pro shop, it also boasts this Surry Hills coffee bar, which opened in 2011, and, as of early 2020, a Chippendale cafe. The latest addition, dubbed Old Gold, is located inside a converted MacRobertson's confectionery factory. The Surry Hills spot is little more than a counter that houses a display case for pastries and is topped with the La Marzocco espresso machine, register and bags of coffee beans, though you may be able to nab one of the few tables that spill on to the footpath if you're lucky. All the coffee beans come, of course, from the St Peters roastery. Expect a mix of single origin and house blend cuppas in all the usual forms (including cold brew and filter). Images: Cassandra Hannagan
One of Sydney's favourite cinemas is no more, with Palace Verona shutting up shop after almost three decades in advance of the building it called home since 1996 being redeveloped. When the Oxford Street site relaunches in its new guise, it'll still include somewhere to see a movie, thankfully — plus everything from offices and shops to a rooftop bar and restaurant. The 1138-square-metre block at 17 Oxford Street is set to become an eight-level precinct, spanning 3500 square metres of work and retail space. A further 1000 square metres will be dedicated to entertainment, including two subterranean levels that'll feature a cinema setup, plus stores on the ground floor. And on top, that's where you'll find spots to eat and drink across 620 square metres, complete with views of the harbour and Sydney's CBD. It was late in 2023 when Palace announced that its Verona picture palace, which launched in the mid-90s with Nicole Kidman (Expats) opening the venue, was leaving the building. The theatre's projectors stopped whirring this month. The cinema chain is now moving to Entertainment Quarter, with Palace Moore Park opening on Tuesday, February 27. When the new Verona will begin welcoming in patrons hasn't yet been revealed, but plenty of work clearly needs to be done first by owners WT Malouf and Fenbury. The private development companies bought the address in 2021 from Robert Bleakley, who also founded Sotheby's Australia Fine Art. The history of the building dates back to 1946, starting as an industrial facility, then becoming a cinema. The first Mambo retail store was also onsite, closing in 2006. Architecture firm Scott Carver is overseeing the redesign, which will keep the industrial brick façade. Above that, the look will be "crystalline and dynamic", according to the developers, while aiming to reinvent Oxford Street's cultural experiences. "Cinema opens a world of experience and magic beyond our everyday lives. Verona will retain these cinematic experiences loved by so many, and enhance them with live entertainment, retail and creative workspaces," said Doug Southwell, Project Architect and Scott Carver's Co-Managing Director. The revamped Verona will be adjacent to Sydney's 109-room new 25Hours Hotel at 1–11 Oxford Street, which is due to open in December 2024 — and down the road from 56-room hotel Oxford House at 21 Oxford Street. The Verona at 17 Oxford Street, Paddington doesn't yet have a relaunch date — we'll update you when further details are announced. Palace Moore Park opens at Entertainment Quarter from Tuesday, February 27, 2024.
For those that need a glass of wine to feel confident enough to get creative and paint, especially in public, Cork and Canvas is waiting. Offering public painting sessions and private events, this paint 'n' sip studio does not offer your typical art class. Aspiring artists are invited to BYO drinks and nibbles to enjoy while they paint — fridges, plates, glassware and all painting supplies are provided. Each session takes on a different theme, with the Cork and Canvas team taking you step-by-step through creating a Picasso-esque portrait of your mate, a pop-art-style painting of your pet, or the next Banksy exhibition piece. Sessions will set you back between $50–80, and groups of four or more score a cheeky discount. If you're looking for somewhere to host your next work party, private sessions can be booked for up to 53 painters. Walk in with a little liquid inspiration and walk out with a new masterpiece. Image: Trent Van der jagt.
When March 18 hits, it will have been 12 months since the Australian Government implemented an indefinite ban on international travel due to COVID-19, only allowing Aussies to leave the country in very limited circumstances. Accordingly, just when jetting overseas will be back on the agenda has been the subject of much discussion. Last year's prediction that opening up to the rest of the world wouldn't happen in 2020 proved accurate — and, earlier this year, Australia's ex-Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy (now the Secretary of the Department of Health) said that we might not be going anywhere until 2022. Whether that last forecast comes true is obviously yet to be seen but, thanks to a new extension of the human biosecurity emergency period under the Biosecurity Act 2015, Australians definitely won't be travelling overseas until at least mid-June. Yesterday, Tuesday, March 2, Federal Minister for Health Greg Hunt announced that the emergency period now spans until June 17, 2021, which'll mark 15 months since it was first put in place. The extension comes on the advice of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) and Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer, with the former advising "the Australian Government the COVID-19 situation overseas continues to pose an unacceptable public health risk to Australia, including the emergence of more highly transmissible variants". So, it means that the current rules regarding international travel will remain in place for at least another three months, restricting Aussies wanting to fly overseas and folks wanting to return home, and also cruise ships keen to enter Australian territory. It also extends current limits on trade of retail outlets at international airports, and requirements for pre-departure testing and mask-wearing for international flights. This isn't the first time that the emergency period has been lengthened, following several moves in 2020 — however, the government has noted that they "can be amended or repealed if no longer needed". With vaccinations starting to roll out around Australia, Qantas and Jetstar have begun selling tickets for overseas flights for trips scheduled from October, demonstrating hope that the country's international travel rules might ease by then. Of course, the fact that you can book a trip doesn't mean that you'll actually be able to take it — because the current border closure may get extended again — but if you're keen for an overseas getaway, you might want to cross your fingers. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
UPDATE, March 28, 2023: Nope is available to stream via Netflix, Binge, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Kudos to Jordan Peele for giving his third feature as a writer/director a haters-gonna-hate-hate-hate name: for anyone unimpressed with Nope, the response is right there. Kudos, too, to the Get Out and Us filmmaker for making his third bold, intelligent and supremely entertaining horror movie in a row — a reach-for-the-skies masterpiece that's ambitious and eerie, imaginative and expertly crafted, as savvy about cinema as it is about spectacle, and inspires the exact opposite term to its moniker. Reteaming with Peele after nabbing an Oscar nomination for Get Out, Daniel Kaluuya utters the titular word more than once in Nope. Exclaiming "yep" in your head each time he does is an instant reaction. Everything about the film evokes that same thrilled endorsement, but it comes particularly easily whenever Kaluuya's character surveys the wild and weird events around him. We say yay to his nays because we know we'd respond the same way if confronted by even half the chaos that Peele whooshes through the movie. As played with near-silent weariness by the always-excellent Judas and the Black Messiah Oscar-winner, Haywood's Hollywood Horses trainer OJ doesn't just dismiss the strange thing in the heavens, though. He can't, even if he doesn't realise the full extent of what's happening when his father (Keith David, Love Life) suddenly slumps on his steed on an otherwise ordinary day. Six months later, OJ and his sister Emerald (Keke Palmer, Lightyear) are trying to keep the family business running; he does the wrangling, she does the on-set safety spiels, which double as a primer on the Haywoods' lengthy links to the movie industry. The first moving images ever presented, by Eadweard Muybridge of a galloping horse in the 1800s, featured their great-great-great grandfather as the jockey, Emerald explains. His image was immortalised, but not his name — and, although she doesn't say it directly, that's a fate she isn't eager to share. In fact, Emerald ends her patter by proclaiming that she's available for almost any Hollywood job that might come up. Unsurprisingly, OJ is horrified about the hustle. Her big chance is indeed tied to their ranch, but not in the way that Emerald initially realises either — because who'd predict that something would be lurking above the Haywoods' Agua Dulce property? Just as Get Out saw Peele reinterrogate the possession movie and Us did the same with doppelgängers, Nope goes all in on flying saucers. So, Emerald wants the kind of proof that only video footage can offer. She wants her "Oprah shot", as well as a hefty payday. Soon, the brother-sister duo are buying new surveillance equipment — which piques the interest of UFO-obsessed electronics salesman Angel Torres (Brandon Perea, The OA) — and also enlisting renowned cinematographer Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott, Veni Vidi Vici) to capture the lucrative image. Cue plenty of faces staring up in shock and wonder, as Steven Spielberg has made a mainstay of his films — and cue a movie that nods to Jaws as much as Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Peele makes smartly and playfully cineliterate flicks, which aren't content to merely wink and nudge, but instead say "yep" themselves: yep to all the tropes and symbols that the comedian-turned-filmmaker can filter through his own lens, and his determination to unearth the reality of living in America today, just as he did when he was making some of this century's best skits on Key & Peele. Indeed, Nope is keenly aware of the lure and power of spectacle, especially the on-screen kind, which also echoes through in the picture's other pivotal character. Ricky 'Jupe' Park (Steven Yeun, Minari) isn't involved in the Haywoods' attempts to snap upwards, but the former child star runs a neighbouring theme park called Jupiter's Claim, which cashes in on his big hit role in a movie called Kid Sheriff. He's known for short-lived 90s sitcom Gordy's Home, too, starring opposite a chimpanzee, and moments of the show also pop up in Peele's film. A creepy glimpse at Gordy's Home actually opens Nope, starting the feature with a cryptic teaser that couldn't be more potent. Menace hovering above, sprawling vistas and the clouds that pepper them, galloping horses, rampaging apes, waving skydancers, cheesy Wild West shows, predators versus prey, the quest for fame and its self-destructive toll, cashing in: that all earns Peele's attention, weaved together in one jaw-droppingly impressive and unnerving package. This is the filmmaker's clever and compelling stab at a monster movie as well, which applies in a variety of manners. Here's one that doesn't give too much away: the way that animals have been exploited for entertainment, coupled with humanity's pursuit of bigger and better spectacles no matter the consequences, has long proven an act of monstrousness to be battled. Here's another: chasing visual thrills isn't innocent, a truth that resounds unshakeably in today's always-filming times. Nope is a pics-or-it-didn't-happen flick, too, and explores the price that people are willing to pay to keep getting those images. Perfect shots and the industry that relies upon them aren't without their cost, Peele posits — while also filling his frames with a sublimely surreal sci-fi-western vision lensed with rich detail by Hoyte Van Hoytema, Christopher Nolan's recent cinematographer (see: Tenet, Dunkirk and Interstellar). A movie can call attention to cinema's usually ignored ills and equally demand the utmost attention to its stunning array of sights, of course, and Nope is one such feature. Its sound design and score, courtesy of Johnnie Burn (Ammonite) and Michael Abels (Us, Get Out) respectively, are also both staggering and loaded, finding the ideal balance between haunting quiet and symphonic screaming. Nope is many things. It's a reminder that Hollywood's historical approach to race — its blatant lack of diversity, and its willingness to erase the contributions of people of colour, to be accurate — has proven a monstrosity as well. It's an examination of the power of images, for better and for worse. It sees the dark side of courting celebrity as a supposed way of improving our lots in life. Nope takes Peele's The Twilight Zone fascination, after reviving and hosting the 2019–20 version, to its next level. It's also a cowboys-and-aliens flick, and it's as dazzling as a blockbuster that blends science fiction, western, comedy and horror can be. Nope is frequently a daylight nightmare, boasts this year's second-best use of the wide blue yonder after Top Gun: Maverick, and is so terrifying in one barn-set scene that chills follow. Throw in that exceptional cast, including the pitch-perfect chalk-and-cheese double act that springs from Kaluuya's subtlety and Palmer's energy, and it's a downright marvel, as well as another Peele winner. The yeps keep coming — and yep, you'll never look at the clouds the same way afterwards.
With Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras now less than a month away, we're all in on preparing — but put down the outfit plans for a moment as we share some news about one of the annual festival's biggest events: Fair Day is back for 2026, and we know exactly who and what is coming to Victoria Park for the all-day festivities on Sunday, February 15. First things first, the headline acts. House icon Janice Robinson of Livin' Joy is at the top of the call sheet, making a Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras debut with an exclusive performance for Fair Day, belting out anthems like 'Dreamer', 'Don't Stop Moving', and 'There Must Be Love' for the crowd. [caption id="attachment_1064104" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Jordan Munns[/caption] "I am super excited to be coming to Australia to perform for Mardi Gras," said Robinson. "I am a dreamer who continues to live her dreams, and Australia is a country I love deeply. This moment means more to me than words can express." Joining her are some local headliners: Blusher, fresh off the support slot for Rebecca Black and a Laneway show the week before, plus the Milkshake Man himself, Go-Jo and drag icon Courtney Act to bring a blend of star power and classic Mardi Gras flair. [caption id="attachment_1064103" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Jordan Munns[/caption] Beyond the headliners, there'll be dance music icon Zoe Badwi and her house vocals, DJ James Alexandr, joined by Nada Leigh to bring club energy to the park, the queer country bangers of Kath Ebbs, and a Mardi Gras debut gig for IVANA on the Main Stage with her euro-dance hits including 'Liar Liar', 'Need Your Love' and 'Burning'. International acts Mila Jam and Arisce will also join local stars Felicia Foxx, Aunty Tamara, Atomic Kiss, Jackel Doll, Tiddalicious, DJ Nate and more throughout the Fair Day grounds, so you won't go without music anywhere in the park. And of course, it's not just music. Starting with a smoking ceremony and performances from the Buuja Buuja Butterfly Dancers, you'll find fabulous canine pageantry at Doggywood, the return of the Trans Camp community zone, the fast and fabulous Queer Fashion Runway, chaotic sing-alongs at Karaoke Cave: Discos and Divas and similar mayhem plus muscles at Drag King Games. [caption id="attachment_1064102" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Ash Penin[/caption] Stay fed and refreshed, or just buy yourself a much-deserved mardi gras treat from one of the 200+ community stalls, food trucks, pop-up bars and picnic spots spread throughout the park. Download the Mardi Gras app ahead of the big day to find maps, set times and on-the-day updates. Fair Day 2026 will take place in Victoria Park on Sunday, February 15, from 10am. For more information, visit the website. Lead image: Ash Penin Images courtesy of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and City of Sydney
Spoiler warning: this interview incudes specifics about Materialists if you haven't watched the film before reading. Honesty. Authenticity. Anyone who has seen, swooned over and fallen head over heels for Past Lives, aka one of 2023's very best movies, already knows that these two traits beat at the heart of Celine Song's films. What's present in the writer/director's sophomore feature Materialists more than her Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated, Gotham- and Independent Spirit Award-winning debut, however, is frankness — especially about people approaching relationships as an arrangement and a transaction, even, and about coupling not just driven by love, fluttering hearts and racing pulses. As it plunges into the New York City life of Lucy (Dakota Johnson, Madame Web), Materialists is submerged in a matchmaker's existence. That's her job. For those looking for love and willing to pay her high-end employer — so, usually folks with ample cash to splash in the service of meeting their perfect partner — Lucy works her magic. She knows how to woo new clients. She also knows how to seal the deal, with nine marriages springing from her services so far. And, she's well-aware that her gig isn't simply to make sparks fly. With her like with no one else, the Big Apple's bachelors and bachelorettes are unvarnished about their wants and must-haves in a soul mate. They have exact height parameters, and acceptable salary ranges as well. Some sport lengthy lists that go much further. None are particularly willing to budge. Materialists is a direct film, then, about the objectification and commodification of people that can be layered into the search for someone to spend one's life with, plus the materialistic values that can often become part of that process. Yes, that's weighty for a romance. Song's movie is still both deeply affectionate and genuinely comedic, though — smartly, sharply, astutely and wonderfully so. And, even if its characters sometimes might be, Materialists is never cynical about love, its marvels, and the joys of truly finding someone that makes you instantly imagine your older self next to theirs decades into the future. Is Materialists saying the normally quiet part about modern love and dating maths, the motivations and reasons that aren't necessarily normally voiced, out loud? "Oh, interesting that you feel that way," is her first response to the question. "I feel like there are fully people who speak this way about love and dating. You go on TikTok, you know," she tells Concrete Playground. "I think that it is actually so much more common — and not only is it common, it is actually the way that my clients would speak." With Past Lives, Song adapted her own experience. She too had a Korean childhood sweetheart. She has an American husband. The movie in its entirety isn't autobiographical, but it grew from that kind of place. With Materialists, Song instead draws upon her own time endeavouring to assist others with their love lives. She was only a matchmaker for around half a year, but that stint has informed her second film that's centred on the emotional journey of a woman torn between her past and her future. Consequently, when Song says that people tackle the quest for a partner like they're putting in a drinks order (a coke and a beer is Lucy's) or making a deal, it's because she has seen it firsthand. "And also, people will just — like people in my life now, if you ask them what they're looking for, sometimes they will speak that way," Song continues. "And I do think that it is something where it's the quantifying or the turning into numbers, that it is, it gets that literal in that way. As in 'well, even if you're five-two, I still want somebody who's over six-feet tall'. And you're like 'why? Can they be five-ten?'. And they're like 'no'." Lucy faces this situation day in, day out. Chatting with Song about it, it's clear how intricately that her own time in the same day job while she was starting out as a playwright has fed into Materialists. The romantic options of Lucy's clients aren't the film's key concern, of course, but their attitudes have made an imprint on her own. So, when she has two choices — Harry (Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us), the tall, successful, distinguished, handsome and ultra-wealthy brother of someone that she's just married off; and John (Chris Evans, Red One), a struggling actor making a buck as a cater waiter that she has a past with — this proves a picture about how her personal reality and beliefs about love come to collide. Upon exiting her matchmaking days, Song knew that it'd play a part in her work at some point. She felt that compulsion immediately. Why? We also explored that in our chat about this seductive and significant — and masterful and meaningful — interrogation of relationships with its guiding force. Do people appraising romance in economic terms consciously realise that they're treating marriage like a transaction, or do they think that that's just a relic of history? How do you approach casting for chemistry, especially when a luminous Johnson, debonair Pascal and never-better Evans are your stars? They're some of the other directions that our discussion with Song charted. On Song Leaving Her Short Stint as a Matchmaker Knowing That It Would Somehow Inform Her Work — and How Materialists Came About From There "I think that I walked into that job thinking that it was going to be a day job, but I think I learned more about people and what their hearts desire than almost any other six-month period of my life. And I think that I did walk away from that job feeling like I'm going to make something about it. I was like 'I'm going to devise something about it, I just know it'. And I think that it's because I'm dealing with people, encountering people, every day who want to find love. But when you ask them what they're looking for, everything that they say about the person that they intend to love are things like height, weight, salary, lifestyle — things that are quantifiable, things that are concerns of an insurance salesperson or somebody at the morgue. So I think in that way, I was just always so shocked by how different the way everybody's talking about the dating side of the pursuit of love versus what I knew about love. And love is this amazing ancient mystery. It's a complete miracle when it happens. And it's the most beautiful, most dramatic thing that we do in our lives. So it's an amazing thing to just watch such a gap, huge gap, between what is the answer to 'who are you looking for?' and then what it is actually like to be in love and to fall in love. And I think that that gap, and then the tension in that gap, the contradiction of those two things, I think that was what really made me want to make a movie about it. It just felt like such a powerful mystery and a powerful thing to deal with." On Whether People Consciously Realise That They're Approaching Marriage Like a Transaction — or If They Think That That's Just a Relic of History, Such as Victorian Romances "We're not very far from the way that Victorian romances were talking about marriage, because I feel like still this economic pressure, especially as the economic anxieties and financial anxieties are such a fundamental part of our lives, the relief we want from it is, I think, at the heart of our fundamental desires, right? We're starting to be like 'I would like to be relieved of financial troubles. I would like to be relieved of it'. So part of that relief, desire for relief, is, of course, something that was a fundamental part of the Victorian romances. It's so much about that relief. And I think that we have not come that far from feeling like that's a very good reason to marry someone. I think that, of course, it's less of a total choice. And then, of course, women make money. So it's kind of like 'of course it's changed a lot in that way'. But how amazing that women are able to make their own living? And so in that part of this, of course, so far improved — but it still hasn't changed the otherwise very difficult thing, which is that marriage is still seen as a very specific contract. And I think that that is a very reasonable and a normal thing. But as Lucy says in the film 'but love has to be on the table', right? You can't walk away, right? Like you can't actually have a business partner for your spouse. Your spouse is your spouse. You're going to have to change that person's diaper. That person would change your diaper — whatever, one of you is changing the other person's diaper. And the thing is, that's the most romantic thing about marriage, and therefore love has to be on the table." On Song's Approach to Casting for Chemistry — Especially When Casting Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans "I think that when it comes to chemistry, some of it is just purely instinctual. But it's also so much work that's coming from the actors — as in, it is something that we're working on together as part of the performance, the chemistry. I think that sometimes people think chemistry is just flirting on-screen, but it's really not about flirting at all. Chemistry is something that you build by having two characters who want different things from each other, and the two of them trying to find a resolution. So what I mean by that is, for example, that loading dock scene between John, Chris Evans' character, and Lucy, Dakota Johnson's character, is that the chemistry in that scene is being built by me telling Chris 'you're doing your darndest, you're doing your best, to not kiss her'. And when it comes to Dakota, I'm telling her 'I think that she already knows that she probably will kiss him at some point'. So to me, I'm like 'well, you have two contradicting desires, right?'. And in that, that's where the tension is going to be and that's where the chemistry is going to be. So that's how it gets built. And the thing is, it's not just that these two people who are flirting with each other and then somehow there's going to be chemistry — there's not. It's all beautifully make believe. So, much of it I would want to credit the acting, the work that we're doing on it. And this is what I've always believed about chemistry. Chemistry is about erotic desire. And what is erotic desire? Wanting something that you don't have. That's where you can have chemistry. So I think, to be honest, that's the truth of it. And when it comes to those actors, I think building the chemistry, some of that is just about just knowing it — just knowing that they're going to, all three actors, are going to feel something for each other. That they're going to like each other, and even like just actually feel something for each other in such a deep way as humans. So I think it's really that. And of course, if they're the right people for each role, and these roles are romantically entangled and have chemistry with each other, they are going to have chemistry with each other. So to me, that's how I would really describe the way to find chemistry." On the Film Exploring Not Only Lucy's Clashing Romantic Options, But the Conflict Between Her Personal Reality and Her Beliefs About Love "I think the funniest part of it is that she's a matchmaker and she's having trouble finding a match for herself. And that's kind of an amazing dramatic problem — a matchmaker who is looking for love. So I think that in that way, it was always so important that we're meeting Lucy at the peak of her power and the peak of her feeling that she's the expert, that she knows everything. And then throughout the film, to unravel her until she is somebody who was able to not only accept that she doesn't know, but to also say 'I completely surrender. I completely surrender to love'. So I think that because that is her journey throughout this film, it was absolutely, yes, exactly what you're describing is the reason I wanted to make this movie. It was very important for Lucy to start as somebody who is presenting as just the smartest girl ever, and then to end the film making a decision that is with her heart. And it's not going to seem smart to a lot of people — even though the truth is we know that she's making the only smart decision in the whole film, right? Which is to say 'deal' to the one deal that you cannot say 'no' to. That's the only deal that is worth saying 'yes' to. And she does it. And in fact, that's the beautiful thing. It's like by making a decision that I'm sure, to herself in the beginning of the film, may seem like a stupid decision, she's making the wisest decision she can make about her life — which is to go where love is." Materialists opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, June 12, 2025. Images: Atsushi Nishijima, A24.
Work has kicked off on the Regent Theatre's first makeover since the building reopened to the public back in 1996. What's more, the Melbourne heritage site's new look will be making a rather dramatic debut, having landed a blockbuster show that'll help celebrate the revamp in fittingly huge style once complete. With upgrade works slated to wrap up next year, The Regent's confirmed that in 2021, its stage will play host to the Aussie debut of Moulin Rouge! The Musical — a new production based on Baz Luhrmann's award-winning musical film, which arrives Down Under hot off the back of a much-lauded launch season on Broadway. The show brings to life the famed Belle Époque tale of young composer Christian and his heady romance with Satine, actress and star of the legendary Moulin Rouge cabaret. Set in the Montmartre Quarter of Paris, the film's known for its soundtrack, celebrating iconic tunes from across the past five decades. The stage show carries on the legacy, backing those favourites with even more hit songs that have been released in the 18 years since the movie premiered. [caption id="attachment_734113" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Regent Theatre by Josie Withers[/caption] The musical is heading to Melbourne in the hands of production company Global Creatures, along with the Victorian Government. The Government will also be a big player behind the Regent's upgrade works, having dropped a cool $14.5 million towards the $19.4 million project. It co-owns the site, along with the City of Melbourne. Once complete, the new-look theatre will be able to be set to three different configurations, from 1500 seats, to 1700 seats, to 2300 seats for the bigger shows. As well as upgrades to its façade, the building will enjoy improvements to the theatre seating, revamped bar and foyer areas, extra women's bathroom facilities, and an extension to the existing balcony. Having survived a fire, a flood and a twenty-year closure from 1970 to the mid-90s, as well as many threats of demolition, the Regent seems pretty well deserving of its coming makeover. The Regent Theatre, at 191 Collins Street, Melbourne, is set to be completed by early 2020. It'll host Moulin Rouge! The Musical in 2021. Moulin Rouge! The Musical image: Matthew Murphy.
Australia's surf park obsession knows no bounds. Urbnsurf Melbourne launched in 2020 as the first Aussie surf park, Urbnsurf Sydney will open in mid-May 2024, the same team behind both has earmarked Brisbane and Perth as future locations, and the latter is set to get the country's largest surf park from a separate outfit. Next on the list is The Break Surf & Stay, which has been approved as an addition to the seaside town of Aldinga in South Australia — but will be set back from the coast when it starts pumping out waves in mid-2026. The venture, which will give everyone another reason to head to the Fleurieu Peninsula, has just been given planning consent by the City of Onkaparinga Council assessment panel. Clearly, it isn't enough for Australia to be girt by sea; the nation is also determined to fill plenty of its land with man-made wave pools, so that hitting the beach isn't the only way to hang ten. The Break Surf & Stay will sprawl across a a 7.1-hectare site, with the $100-million facility boasting a 11,700-square-metre surf lagoon. And, for visitors from out of town, it'll also double as accommodation, featuring 35 short-stay villas. Who says that you need to slumber beachside to wave up to waves? The park's surf technology from Endless Surf will create waves up to 2.1-metres high, which folks will be able to hit for 18 seconds on a single peak and nine for a split peak. The team behind the venture advises that its wave system will be a first for the southern hemisphere Don't know how to live the Point Break life already? A surf academy will be onsite to teach newcomers to the sport the skills. Also set to be included: a wellness studio, plus a store selling and renting boards and wetsuits. A craft brewhouse, licensed restaurant, skating area and nature play spot are all in The Break Surf & Stay's plans, all set among native vegetation, with 300 new trees to be planted. 'Barefoot luxury' is the vibe, with architects Studio Gram taking their design cues from the obvious: the coast. Construction will start in 2025, with The Tuit Road facility just 40 minutes out of Adelaide. It's also aiming to host surfing competitions, including attracting international waves to unleash their skills in The Break's lagoon. "The Break has been an absolute passion project for everyone involved," said Richard Sheppard, one of the surfing enthusiasts-turned-founding partners alongside Ben McCarthy, Leigh Gapp and Dwight Stuchbery. "There is a significant market for health and wellness, active and surf tourism that is largely untapped in South Australia, and we believe this transformational project will help to unlock that opportunity for the region and the state. And that's to say nothing of the benefits of attracting new visitors to this region's world class vineyards, beaches, eateries, trails and landscapes." "Our vision is to see The Break become a destination for families and surf lovers from around the country and the world, while also using the facilities to teach every South Australian kid to surf in safe, inclusive, controlled conditions," added McCarthy. [caption id="attachment_953676" align="alignnone" width="1920"] No Swan No Fine via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] The Break Surf & Stay's first waves are expected in 2026 on Tuit Road, Aldinga, South Australia — keep an eye on the venue's website for further details in the interim.
When 2019 began, Qantas was named the safest airline to travel on in 2019. Now that the year has almost reached its midway point, the Australian carrier has also been named one of the best airlines in the world. While it was pipped for the top seven spots, Qantas came in eighth at Skytrax's World Airline Awards — after placing 11th in 2018, 15th in 2017, ninth in 2016, tenth in 2015, 11th in 2014, tenth in 2013 and 15th in 2012. Emerging victorious was Qatar Airlines, followed by Singapore Airlines in second place. While that's a reversal of last year's results, the carriers placed in the same positions back in 2017. For those planning overseas trips sometime soon, this year's top ten is rounded out by a cross-section of international companies, with Japan's ANA All Nippon Airlines coming in third, Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific taking out fourth spot, Dubai-based Emirates at fifth, Taiwan's EVA Air sitting in sixth, China's Hainan Airlines placing seventh, Germany's Lufthansa at ninth and Thai Airways coming tenth. Among other local airlines, Virgin Australia nabbed 25th spot, Jetstar sits at 53rd and Air New Zealand pops up at 16th. Jetstar also placed sixth on the best low-cost airline list, behind winner AirAsia — with other gongs awarded for best cabin staff (Singapore Airlines), cleanest airline (EVA Air), best business class (Qatar), best economy (Japan Airlines) and most improved (Philippines Airlines). Now in their 19th year, the Skytrax World Airline Awards are based on an online survey, which ran from September 2018 to May 2019. Participants from more than 100 nationalities took part, with over 21 million entries received — because if there's one thing that's synonymous with air travel, it's telling everyone how you feel about your trip afterwards.
Looking for an utterly delicious way to make a difference? We have the answer. Neil Perry is Two Good Cafe chef of the month this March – and you're invited to eat his delicious creations to help raise funds for at-risk women affected by domestic violence, homelessness and trauma in their search for employment. The star of the month-long menu is undoubtedly Neil's Cubano Roll, packed with pork carnitas lathered in chipotle mayo and stacked with dill pickles – a brilliant fusion of bold flavours for $18. For something lighter, try the Super Salad, a nourishing mix of nuts and grains, feta, herbed tahini dressing, and a perfectly soft-boiled egg (also $18). Either way, finish up by indulging in Neil's carrot cake ($8), a satisfying finale, knowing that with every bite you're making a difference. Good food has never tasted so sweet. Perry's delights will be served at the Two Good Cafe at Yirranma Place in Darlinghurst. Plus, there's a catering service, so you can share all the goodness with colleagues, friends and family at your next gathering.
UPDATE: NOVEMBER 13, 2019 — If you haven't been to see The Art of Banksy yet, it's now too late. The unauthorised exhibition has closed prematurely due to the current high temperatures, which could potentially cause damage to the artworks. The exhibition was scheduled to run until December 1 — if you have a ticket from today onwards, a full refund will be made into your account. When it comes to street art exhibitions, it really doesn't get any bigger than this. A retrospective of Banksy's has made its way back to Australia, featuring 80 of the artist's off-street masterpieces. Opening on Friday, September 13 at Moore Park's Entertainment Quarter, The Art of Banksy is a massive collection of pieces by the art world's chief enigma — including the darkly satirical, overtly political work that has turned the stencil-loving artist into such an infamous icon. Endeavouring to take audiences on a journey through Banksy's output and mindset, the exhibition includes the well-known Flower Thrower, Rude Copper and Girl with Balloon (a version of which was shredded after sale in a highly publicised prank late last year). If it sounds epic, that's because it is. The art featured has been sourced from over 40 different private collectors around the world, and comprises the world's largest showcase of Banksy pieces. As curated by the artist's former manager Steve Lazarides, the exhibition is also a little controversial. While every piece is original, unique and authentic, The Art of Banksy proudly boasts that the entire show is 100 percent unauthorised. No, Banksy hasn't signed off on the event. This isn't the first time the huge exhibition has head Down Under, either. It was on show in Melbourne back in 2016, too — and you can check out our full gallery from that exhibition here. Images: The Art of Banksy, Melbourne, 2016 by Olga Rozenbajgier
If we believe the American travel writer Paul Theroux, "travel is glamorous only in retrospect". It is on reflection that we beautify and sculpt our previous experiences, assembling the pieces into stories that can be passed on to other ears with, well, a kind of retrospective glamour. Fiona Tan, an Australian-born artist living in Holland, approaches the past with a similar inclination; history is used imaginatively for films that seem to be alluring for the very patience they convey. In fact, spending a considerable time in the glow of Tan’s A Lapse of Memory (exhibited at the National Art School Gallery) and Disorient (shown at Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation), confirmed a rare skill with the moving image — although not much appears to happen, her stories are nevertheless compelling. In Disorient, we follow a curious camera as it moves over sensuous and eclectic objects, arranged both chaotically and specifically, in an indeterminate space. Audible is a steady and inward voice, and as we listen to the narrator reflect on distant and unfamiliar lands, we have to suspect that this collection of objects are the imagined rewards and treasures of an early adventure. After some lightweight research, it's revealed that this voice is in the service of Marco Polo, the 13th century merchant and writer of Description of the World (or Il Milione) who introduced Europe to central Asia and China. Polo was more or less a loner, and his language reveals an observant isolation, which Tan accentuates with her arrangement of sequestered objects. Similarly, this rather subduing theme of isolation is continued in A Lapse of Memory, where we move through an extravagantly regal but aging palace with Henry, Tan’s invented character who performs senility and eccentricity with effective persuasion. Here, Tan narrates the film herself, revealing to us some thoughts behind the images and the confused Henry, while also remaining vague enough to deny total explanation. This magnificent context congeals with the antiqued Henry to form a kind of Vogue Living portrait of dementia. While I should warn you that Coming Home requires time, it would not be ill spent with Tan’s images; you just have to think of the glamorous reward, in retrospect of course.
Brookvale in the Northern Beaches was once best known as an industrial hub, with more warehouses and workshops than hospitality venues. In recent years, however, the suburb has attracted an influx of creatives and makers — and, in particular, it has emerged as a dynamic Sydney destination for craft beer and indie distilleries. Celebrating this bounty of beverages: the first-ever Taste of Brookie Festival. This weekend-long party is packed with savoury bites, craft brews and speciality spirits, showcasing the area's ascent as one of the Harbour City's most up-and-coming hospo spots. From Friday, May 24–Sunday, May 26, local cellar doors are swinging wide open — including at Freshwater Brewing Co, 4 Pines, Bucketty's, Dad & Dave's, 7th Day Brewery, Nomad Brewing Co and Broken Bay Brewing, as well as at Manly Spirits Co, Seadrift Distillery and Goodradigbee Distillers. Taste of Brookie isn't just about great drinks — it's also about community. Expect live music sets and DJs spinning back to back bangers, as well as special menus, street eats, and a range of fun activities from cocktail masterclasses and petting zoos to car boot sales and even a chicken nugget festival. Other highlights include a roller rink and bobbing for apples at Manly Spirits Co, a bottomless brunch at Freshwater Brewing to celebrate the launch of its new craft ale Send It, lobster rolls with no-to-low alcohol cocktails at Seadrift, and chocolate and whiskey pairings alongside cheese and wine tastings at Goodradigbee Distillers. With events and pop-ups taking over the entire footprint of Brookvale's former industrial estate, there's something for everyone, including the kids and your four-legged friends. Entry to all venues is free (although many events and activities have a charge), and visitors can access an interactive digital passport to guide their journey and make the most of the weekend's stacked lineup.
When you really want to make a statement, send a bouquet of flowers arranged by My Violet. Sydney florist Myra Perez, who recently opened up a Rosebery studio after seven years based in Redfern, is known for her bold, textural designs that are entirely led by what's in season and arranged for the biggest impact on the eye. Bright and vibrant colours take precedence over more delicate shades, and Perez's team uses height, volume, colour and textural contrast to turn heads wherever the flowers are delivered. Though the Rosebery studio is open throughout the week, it's best to order online for deliveries within eight kilometres of Sydney; you can choose from a mass of singular varieties for $100, and by tones like vibrant, jewel or white from $150 upwards. The utmost care is taken throughout the process to produce a bouquet with serious wow-factor, and you can even shop for same-day deliveries as long as you place an order before midday. Images: courtesy of My Violet.
Steak enthusiasts take note: Sydney's original wagyu omakase is back at Omakase by Prefecture 48, with renowned chef Takashi Yamamoto leading the show. Bringing even more fire-driven refinement to the experience, this opulent 12-course feast offers a complete exploration of wagyu and everything that makes it special. Featuring tantalising morsels served raw, grilled, braised and beyond, the evening takes unexpected detours as well. Think surprising seafood pairings, nostalgic nods and playful flourishes designed to elevate the experience to sky-high standards. Running for a strictly limited season from Tuesday, July 22–Sunday, August 17, expect the ambience to rise above expectations, too. Each night, two exclusive seatings invite guests into an intimate setting to embark on a wagyu-led journey filled with reverence for ingredients and precise technique. Taka-san, aka the Meat Otaku, boasts two decades of experience working in esteemed yakiniku and kaiseki traditions. His culinary leadership ensures that each dish resonates with quality, craft and inventiveness. While it won't come cheap, this wagyu omakase is the kind of experience that justifies a splurge.
With international trips off the cards for the next little while — even if a travel bubble with New Zealand does eventuate by the end of the year — it's time to throw the focus back onto the stunning scenes and world-class landscapes found right here on home soil. After all, this big ol' island of ours is brimming with enough natural beauty to give any international destination a run for its money. And now the folks at Tourism Australia have come up with a new way for you to scratch that domestic travel itch, without even leaving your front door. The organisation has just dropped an impressive new video series, tipping its hat to the unique sights, sounds and textures of Australia. The flicks really endeavour to engage your senses and make you feel like you're there, too, with the videos made using high-tech 8D audio — a sound engineering treatment designed for listening through headphones, which makes music and effects sound as though they're coming from every angle. Each of the six videos is themed around a different colour, evoking various emotions based on the striking hues of Australia's natural scenescapes. For example, the soothing Blue: A Moment of Joy mini-escape takes punters crashing through waves at Esperance in Western Australia, gliding over the sparkling waters of the Great Barrier Reef, swinging by Hervey Bay for a spot of whale-watching and frolicking with seals in South Australia's Baird Bay. [caption id="attachment_784598" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hutt Lagoon, Tourism Western Australia[/caption] The Magenta: A Moment of Freedom video envelops audiences in the romantic sunsets and vibrant tones of destinations like Hinchinbrook Island National Park, the Kimberley and Hutt Lagoon, while White: A Moment of Peace is a minimalist's dream, featuring calming shots of Lake Eyre's salt plains, Fraser Island's glistening sands and Mount Kosciuszko's slopes drenched in snow. Whether you're allowed to trek interstate just yet or you're simply planning for the day when you can, these virtual escapes should offer a good dose of domestic travel inspiration — no long-haul flight required. Check out all six video escapes at the Tourism Australia website, or via the YouTube channel. Top images: via Tourism Western Australia and Tourism & Events Queensland
If you deserve a little luxury (and you absolutely do), Balmain Spa & Natural Beauty on Darling Street has got you sorted from top to toe — literally. Eyelash tints, pedicures and a full-body exfoliation all have a place on the indulgent menu of treatments on offer. Try one of the luxe facials designed to your own skin specifications — the oxygen facial or the compelling anti-stress facial will have you looking and feeling super fresh. If you want to get even more hands-on, get blissed out with a Swedish-style massage or really treat yourself with the Pure Indulgence packages, finishing with a paraffin wax pedicure. Images: Arvin Prem Kumar
Founded by twins Cam and Chris Grant back in early 2017, Unyoked's tiny houses have been in high demand since the outset. There are 13 cabins across NSW, Victoria and Queensland, including one designed by Matthew McConaughey. All properties have been placed in secret patches of wilderness, in the middle of nowhere, allowing you to escape all the hustle and bustle of the city. The off-the-grid experience brings you the convenience and comforts of four solid walls, alongside the adventure, spontaneity and closeness-to-nature of camping. Unyoked's ethos is to connect back with nature to help unplug, alleviate stress and anxiety. Each cabin is designed to make you feel like you're part of the surrounding landscape, too. Think timber, oversized windows, solar power, composting toilets and a blissful lack of wi-fi. At the same time, though, simple comforts are taken care of, so you get a cosy bed, kitchen appliances, firewood, coffee, milk, herbs and the like. [caption id="attachment_745749" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Luisa Brimble[/caption] Images: Unyoked and Luisa Brimble
It's widely known that New Zealand is a bit of a stunner of a travel destination. Overflowing with majestic terrain, impeccable wine and warm hospitality, there are a few reasons why this little corner of the world makes it onto many a bucket list. Whether you're seeking an adventure or want to wine and dine your way around, the South Island, in particular, is a mecca for visitors looking to indulge in the finer things in life. From helicopter flights over glaciers to sailing day trips, we've rounded up some of the South Island's most luxe experiences for when you're feeling a bit flash. SLEEP IN STYLE AT A LAKESIDE LODGE A great holiday starts with a great night's sleep and Whare Kea Lodge is the perfect spot to catch some quality zs during your South Island adventure. Nestled on the edge of Lake Wanaka, this luxurious, private retreat boasts eye-popping vistas of the lake and mountains. Whare Kea is small but perfectly formed, with each of its rooms offering postcard-worthy views that'll be the envy of all your friends back home. Relax and unwind in the stylish surrounds where you'll find loads of light-filled nooks and cosy spaces. On-site, you'll also find a massage room and an outdoor spa pool, so you'll slip into holiday mode in no time. The lodge offers a full kitchen so you can cook up a storm, too. Otherwise, you can treat yourself to a private chef for a real foodie experience. With its five-star views and home comforts, you won't want to leave. SIP TOP DROPS AT A STYLISH WINERY A visit to New Zealand wouldn't be complete without sampling some of the country's famous vino, and Central Otago is the perfect place to enjoy a grape escape. Head for The Shed, the gorgeous, new cellar door by celebrated winemakers, Cloudy Bay. Located in the heart of wine country, just an hour's drive from Queenstown, The Shed is a stylish sanctuary perched amongst stunning South Island scenery. With touches of rustic New Zealand charm, The Shed blends seamlessly into the landscape, and is an unforgettable spot to discover Cloudy Bay's wine range. Book a private tasting tour to get to know the wines and the story behind them. Take a stroll through the vineyards with a Cloudy Bay ambassador to learn about the terroir and the connection between the land and the brand. Afterwards, settle into the private tasting room to savour some of Cloudy Bay's finest, while lapping up the dazzling vistas of Lake Dunstan and the rugged ranges beyond. FORAGE FOR YOUR LUNCH ON AN EPIC HELI TOUR If you thought the South Island was mind-blowing from the ground, just wait until you see it from the sky. Take your trip to the next level with the ultimate experience for adventurous food lovers — a helicopter and foraging tour through the majestic, untamed landscapes of the remote south with Alpine Helicopters. Begin your adventure with a stop on the edge of Lake Wanaka, where you can try your hand at trout fishing. From here you'll be whisked into the Southern Alps, where you'll land smack bang on a glacier for the ultimate photo stop. After the obligatory selfies, fly out to the wild west coast to gather fresh crayfish for lunch. Next, you'll be flown deep into a lush valley for a lunch stop like no other — a Kiwi bush barbecue, featuring smoked trout and premium Te Mana lamb and washed down with local wine. With happy bellies, enjoy a final flight over more epic nature before returning to base. SAIL AWAY IN THE MARLBOROUGH SOUNDS Marking the gateway to the South Island, the Marlborough Sounds is a sparkling labyrinth of winding waterways and bush-clad hills. With its hard-to-reach bays and beaches, the best way to discover this scenic playground is from the water. Get your sea legs on and sail away for a day on a luxury yacht, hosted by Cloudy Bay. Cruise the turquoise waters of the Sounds, visiting quiet coves teeming with untouched nature. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for dolphins along the way, too. Fancy yourself a bit of a sailor? Get stuck in and be part of the crew. Or if that doesn't float your boat, simply sit back and relax — with a glass of Cloudy Bay vino, of course. At lunchtime, tuck into delicious locally caught seafood with matching wines served against a backdrop of pure New Zealand beauty. GET BACK TO NATURE AT A SECLUDED RETREAT Nestled into a lush hillside, in a remote bay that's only accessible by boat, Bay of Many Coves is the retreat of your dreams. Luxury villas pepper the hillside, offering knockout views of pristine waters and bushy peaks. Stay a night or two to truly experience the magic of this secluded paradise. During the day, go for a dip, dine out on the water's edge, or get your walking shoes on to explore nature trails that teem with wildlife — don't worry, New Zealand's bush is proudly snake free. If that's just a bit too active, take it down a notch, listen to the bird song and relax in the serenity. It doesn't get more zen than this. ADVENTURE OFF-ROAD AROUND ONE OF MARLBOROUGH'S FIRST WINERIES If you're a wine enthusiast there's a mighty good chance you've heard of a wee region called Marlborough. Famous for its top-notch sauvignon blanc, Marlborough is the ultimate destination for any wine lover. Experience a taste of the region by visiting one of the very first wineries to put down roots here. The original Cloudy Bay Cellar Door is a chic spot to try the brand's diverse wines, from the iconic sauvignon blanc to the lively pinot noir and crispy Pelorus bubbly. Taste your way through the range in the spacious cellar door before grabbing a glass of your favourite and settling into a hanging egg chair in the leafy courtyard. For a unique adventure, take a vineyard tour by car — jump into a custom-restored 1985 Land Rover Defender and discover the vineyard sites with the Cloudy Bay crew as you learn how these distinctive wines make their way from grape to glass. Discover more about Cloudy Bay wines and the tailor-made experiences you can have in New Zealand here.
Australians across the country have spent the last year adapting to a slew of changes, including restrictions and lockdowns that keep popping up to slow the spread of COVID-19. Yes, we're all getting really good at the whole social distancing thing. But, even if you have plenty to watch and a go-to list of takeaway joints to keep your stomach satisfied, everyone could always use a top-up of warm and fuzzy feels. Whether you're currently under stay-at-home conditions in Melbourne, or you just need to brighten up your day elsewhere, the good folks at Zoos Victoria have your back. They're still live streaming the daily antics of an assortment of adorable wildlife, from both Melbourne Zoo and Werribee Open Range Zoo. Instead of venturing out to the actual zoo, you can now get your cute animal fix from the comfort of home, by simply jumping online. But WFHers, be warned — these small-screen heartthrobs are pretty much guaranteed to steal hours of your time. You can tune in to watch Melbourne Zoo's three fluff-ball snow leopard cubs as they spend their days playing and exploring alongside mum Miska, or the giraffes being all leggy and graceful, munching leaves pretty much non-stop. Keep an eye out here for some humans of the species zookeeper, too, offering a bit of entertainment of their own. You can also prepare to be charmed by the penguins splashing in and out of their pool, especially old mate Ed the Fiordland penguin, who's apparently quite partial to being in the spotlight. All of these cuties seem to love a good close-up. And over at Werribee Open Range Zoo, it's the lions on show, alternating between roaming their enclosure and getting in some serious sunbaking time. The zoos themselves are currently closed due to Melbourne's seven-day lockdown and, at this stage, will reopen on Friday, June 4 — but even a COVID -19 cluster can't stop you from peering at these critters from your couch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wb6o3QvrxY Catch Zoos Victoria's animal live streams over on the organisation's website and on its social media channels.
As affordability becomes the top priority for Australians while the economy buckles under global affairs we have no control over, we're all adapting our savings differently. The methods of saving vary widely, but as costs like groceries, rent and fuel force us to eat into our savings, millions of Australians have targeted one of those major costs by resorting to shared living, as revealed in a new study by Finder. Finder completed a survey of 1,011 respondents to capture a snapshot of data representative of the wider Australian population, and found that one-fifth of Aussies have started saving by moving in with others in the last 12 months — that's 4.1 million people around the country. However, the majority (33 percent) of those respondents live in Victoria. Of those surveyed who have given up on bachelor and bachelorette pads, the most common category of roommate is parents or grandparents, with ten percent of respondents moving back home over the last year. That was followed by seven percent of respondents moving in with siblings, four percent with friends and a desperate three percent who turned to moving in with former partners. [caption id="attachment_1092312" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Lisa Maree Williams/Getty[/caption] Of the respondents who've turned to shared living, 39 percent were Gen Z, and 27 percent were Millennials, showing how the cost-of-living crisis is affecting young people most of all. Finder's Cost of Living Pressure Gauge, which compiles data on pressure from rent, mortgages, savings, debt, credit card repayments and more, is currently sitting in the red at 75 percent pressure. Taylor Blackburn, a personal finance advisor at Finder, explained that millions of Aussies are staring down uncomfortable living as a salve to housing security, saying, "Between soaring rents, rising interest rates and general cost-of-living pressures, the ability to live alone is slipping out of reach for many." To be prepared for the expenses we might not see coming, and the general financial wear and tear of the 2020s, Blackburn says to "design your life so you can manage a drought. One surprising expense that sinks you isn't a surprise – it's a design flaw. Maintaining even a modest financial buffer can be the difference between staying in control and being forced into living situations you never imagined." Lead image: iStock Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
We've all spent more time inside than usual over the past few years. In the process, we've all been looking at our furniture far more often than we usually would. So, if you've been rocked by the urge to redecorate, rearrange and reorganise of late, that's hardly surprising — those well-loved cushions, that old couch or your overflowing shelves could probably do with sprucing up. If IKEA is your furniture go-to, then its mid-year clearance sale is here to help, too — offering discounts of up to 50 percent off on some items. Whether you're in need of something big like a bed, chair or desk, or you're eager to fill your walls and surfaces with frames and vases, you'll find slashed prices on a heap of products. The sale runs until Sunday, July 10 — and, for Sydneysiders, you have multiple options if you're eager to start buying. Head into the Tempe, Rhodes or Marsden Park stores; browse online, then opt for click-and-collect; or do all your perusing and purchasing on the company's website, before waiting for delivery. Getting in quickly is always recommended, given how popular IKEA's sales are — and the fact that all of the chain's discounted wares are available while stocks last. And if you're wondering how cheap is cheap, plates and bowls start at $1, oh-so-many plant pots and fake plants come in at under $10, there's a set of mirrors for $15, and nifty storage tables cost $20 — and that's just the beginning.
"You wanna get through this?" asked Furiosa in the film that introduced her to the world. With the heat of a blazing sun in a desolate future Australia scorched by ecocide, the answer to that question was baked into Mad Max: Fury Road's frames. All that the characters in the dystopian franchise's fourth film in 2015 wanted was to survive, its namesake (Tom Hardy, Venom: Let There Be Carnage) and the long-running hero's new hero in Furiosa (Charlize Theron, Fast X) included. Of course, merely getting through the phenomenal George Miller (Three Thousand Years of Longing)-directed addition to a saga that the iconic Aussie filmmaker started in 1979 couldn't have been further from its audience's mind. Mad Max: Fury Road wasn't just the return of an Australian franchise three decades after its last instalment; it was the return of the Aussie franchise. It was post-apocalyptic action cinema at its most spectacular, too — and the action film that all action films are now judged against. Viewers got through it not only revved up and buzzing, but seeking more like a war boy chasing Valhalla, especially as further chapters were teased by Miller. It took nine years, but now the fifth Mad Max flick is finally racing onto silver screens: prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. As Furiosa, The Witch, Split, Emma, The Queen's Gambit, The Northman and The Menu's Anya Taylor-Joy dons a shaved scalp and grease smeared across her forehead. As Dementus, her captor from childhood — and the adversary that she devotes her pre-Fury Road life to getting revenge on— Chris Hemsworth trades a Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero for a wasteland warlord. Much to the amusement of both while they're chatting with Concrete Playground about the film, the latter can't quite leave his time as the MCU's resident hammer-wielding god behind even while he's riding a chariot made out of motorbikes across a hellscape. A cape that turns red via a flare gun's crimson smoke guarantees it. "You did bring it up," Taylor-Joy says to Hemsworth about the wardrobe choice that pushes his four Thor films, 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder being the last, to mind. "I said it to George, I go 'you know I wear red cape in that film we're trying to forget about, and that character we're trying to remove myself from?'," Hemsworth tells us. "And he said 'oh, I didn't think of that. Anyway, cool.' And I was like 'so it stays red?'. And he's like 'yeah, it stays red'." [caption id="attachment_956846" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jasin Boland[/caption] Scarlet capes aside, the only thing that anyone should be thinking about during Furiosa is Furiosa. That, and the magnificent cinematic series that Miller has been crafting for 45 years now. Back then, he didn't foresee a future for anything Mad Max. He couldn't predict the response to Fury Road, either. "You can't. It's like life; there's almost no point in trying to prognosticate," the former doctor explains to Concrete Playground. Talking through why that's the case Steven Spielberg anecdotes spanning both E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Jurassic Park — and charting how the technology that helped bring the Babe pictures to life (Miller scripted and produced both, and helmed sequel Babe: Pig in the City), and then the Happy Feet flicks, led him back to the world of his directorial debut. Miller hasn't just been making visions of a potential sunburnt fate that increasingly no longer feels purely fictional — especially with Fury Road and now Furiosa, he's been making dystopian magic. We also chatted with him about the route to the saga's fifth entry, plus the decision to cast Taylor-Joy instead of digitally de-ageing Theron. And, with Taylor-Joy and Hemsworth, we dived into entering such a significant franchise, living the Aussie dream, the threads that connect Furiosa and Dementus, Taylor-Joy's love for her character and why this is Hemsworth's favourite part in years. On Never Imagining 45 Years Ago That Mad Max Would Still Be Going All of This Time Later George: "Not in a million years. I mean, to be perfectly honest, the first Mad Max was so difficult to make, I didn't even think I'd make another movie — let alone make more Mad Max movies. But one thing led to the another. As John Lennon said, life is what happens when you're making other plans, and that's what happened to me. Luckily for me, the first Mad Max had some resonance with audiences — and I couldn't even figure out why. Because for me, it just wasn't anything close to what I thought was a film that would work. And then I realised 'oh, I'd better find out why' and that led me to do Mad Max 2 — which was technically and physically a much more difficult film to make, but I understood then what makes a film. I'd learned all the things I did done wrong on Mad Max. And then that basically started my lifelong inquiry into how to make films and why we make films, or why we tell stories on film. So here I am still curious about that process all these years later. Never expected to be, but here I am." On Taking on a Mesmerising Fury Road Character and Stepping Into an Iconic Australian Franchise Anya: "Oh my goodness, I think my brain does a very clever thing where anything that could possibly stop me from taking an opportunity, it just keeps in the back of my mind and I don't think about it until it's way too late. But I will say that I have a lot of friends that made Fury Road and they had one piece of advice — and it was just 'trust George'. This is a man that's been living with this character for forever. He's had this script in his mind for forever. He wasn't going to let us mess it up. He was going to deliver exactly what it is that he wanted." On Living the Aussie Dream of Starring as a Wasteland Warlord in a Mad Max Film Chris: "I remember watching these films with my dad many years ago, and the nostalgia and vivid memories I have around it is incredible. And to be not just working with George Miller, but on a Mad Max film, was kind of this pinnacle for me. And I don't know where I go from here. It may all be downhill. But it was a dream come true. I peaked too early. I'm retiring. There it is." On the Huge Response to Fury Road — and Not Being Able to Predict How Much the World Would Love the Film George: "People say set goals. The only goals you should set are what you can do in front of yourself. You can't lay out plans because life's too unpredictable in every endeavour in life, no matter what people say. That's why I think that John Lennon quote is so true, really. But on Fury Road, that was an exercise in basically realising one day that filmmaking had changed from the celluloid, analogue filmmaking, where we made the first Mad Maxes. Fury Road was a decade into the digital dispensation, which we kind of really got into fairly early with the first Babe movie. That was done at Universal Studios, which had made Jurassic Park, which was the first big movie where Steven [Spielberg] used the digital technology. There were 63 shots of dinosaurs and that basically heralded the new digital age of filmmaking. They saw what was happening with that, hadn't yet released that and said 'hey, if you guys wanted, this would be good if you wanted to shoot the pigs and the animals live action, you could do it'. So that's what got me on that path. The story is always privileged over everything else in filmmaking, but the technology and the tools are also a fascinating thing because the new technologies can really help you make films — interesting films that are in some way unique. So, almost a decade later when [Australian cinematographer] Andrew Lesnie, who shot Babe, went off to shoot Lord of the Rings, and he came back to Sydney after the first one and showed me the first motion capture of Gollum, I suddenly thought 'hey, this penguin story we've got, we can make the penguins tap dance'. And so that technology, motion capture, I'd never even heard the words before and now we could use it in animation — and so on and so on. So, by the time we got to Fury Road, all that technology, that's another decade later, almost. I thought 'holy cow, there's things we can do with a basic action film like this, we could never dream of doing way back two, three decades before'. So that led to Fury Road. You put all that you know, your skills and what you've learned along the way into a film like Fury Road. You go through the process and push it out there and people will make of it what they will — there's no other way you can do it. You can never anticipate whether a film is going to be successful or not. You really can't. I met Steven Spielberg for the first time about a month and a half before E.T. came out. He showed me a trailer of this film. I thought, 'gee, that's very moving'. I was very touched by the trailer. And he no idea at the time that it would become E.T., that it would have such a cultural impact. He was more concerned with some other film that he was working on at the time. So you can never predict. You can't tell either way. You don't know if something's going to be successful. I'm just very thankful that after Fury Road, which was a pretty arduous film to make, that it had some traction and ultimately it led us to do to make Furiosa." On Avoiding Feeling Daunted About the Massive Reaction to Fury Road While Making Its Prequel Chris, to Anya: "I get a little bit of what you were saying — you could spend your entire day kind of thinking of all the..." Anya: "Reasons not to do something." Chris: "Yeah, the consequences. And all of the should, could, etcetera. And it ends up distracting you from what you should be doing, which is just focusing on the character and the story and so on. Plus, the more films I do, I realise how much of it is just out of your control. That used to scare the hell out of me, and now I find it really comforting. I'm like 'there's a lot of people involved in this, it's not my fault'. We're all a part of this massive collaboration or jigsaw puzzle that's trying to be assembled — and it works or it doesn't, but as long as you put your heart and soul into it, then, great. If you try to take it personally and look at it like 'oh, there's this many years and so on', occasionally it's a motivation but it shouldn't be a distraction. Anya: "I'd also say rather than thinking about all of that as something that was scary, we both wanted to do this because in recent memory we'd seen Fury Road. We knew what that was. We knew what an adventure it would be and we wanted to be a part of the team that made such an incredible creation — and now we've done it. So if anything, it's just more exciting to get to work with these incredible artists." On Digging Into the Commonalities Between Furiosa and Dementus, Even Though They're Adversaries Chris: "Quite a lot in the rehearsal process, what I found so impressive from Anya, and what I take away now in that everything I do, is the how fiercely protective she was of the character Furiosa. I suggested doing something in one of the rehearsals with the younger Furiosa and she overheard and said 'hang on, hang on, no, no, no, no, no, she wouldn't take the bear. She wouldn't do this. She wouldn't do it'. And I thought 'oh wow, okay'. That was, I found, inspirational, but it also did drastically alter the way I had to then perform that action. And it was sort of to bury it [a teddy bear] within her grip and then she drops it within the film, you see, as opposed to holding on to it like I was suggesting. And so a lot of our early conversations in the rehearsals definitely, I think, spawned or dictated where these characters were going to go and evolve to or change throughout the film. That was just one thing that always stuck in my mind that I thought I was very thankful for." Anya: "Thank you for saying that, Chris, genuinely. People say that hurt people hurt people. And I think that you can explain egregious action, but I don't think that you should excuse it. That's not something that necessarily makes sense to me. So I think in this relationship, despite the fact that they both have a lot of pain, you can't argue the fact that he is a focal point for a lot of the things that have gone wrong in her life." Chris: "Yeah, it's a beautiful examination, too, of people put in traumatic situations facing adversity." Anya: "Yeah. Everyone's a victim." Chris: "But ultimately it being a decision on the individual. It's not the circumstances that define us, it's ultimately our free will and our decision to act accordingly to that thing. And two people who both have suffered but react very differently and behave very differently — I found that interesting." On Deciding Not to Use De-Ageing Technology and Instead Cast Taylor-Joy as the Younger Furiosa George: "It was a big, big issue. Once we decided to go ahead and realised that close to a decade had gone by — and this is a story that starts with Furiosa at ten and takes her to 28. It happens from childhood to adulthood, whereas Fury Road was compressed into three days and two nights, a completely different exercise in filmmaking. I thought 'gee, who are we going to find to fill those big, big shoes of Charlize?'. And then it turned out to be relatively quick because Edgar Wright showed me an early cut of the movie he'd made — Last Night in Soho, a movie he'd just done with Anya. I saw the movie. I'd seen just clips of her earlier movies, but I hadn't really seen a full movie that she'd done – and I was really struck by her presence. There's a timeless quality about her. She seemed to be very, very in the role. It was a tricky role, it involved dance, there was a lot of precision. And I turned to Edgar and talked about the movie, and then I said 'Anya, she'd be great for...' — he had no idea that I was talking about Furiosa. I said 'she'd be great for...' and before I finished the sentence, he said 'do it, do it, she's got it all, she's got it all' or some words to that effect. I asked him recently is that what he said, and he said it was something different. But my memory was 'she's got it all, she's got it all, do it'. And so I talked to her. I got to understand a little bit about how she approaches her work. She had a lot in common with Charlize. They both were skilled ballet dancers from a very young age, which is a really, really good marker for somebody who's got physical skills. They had that precision. She rode motorbikes. She came from a big family, she was the youngest of them, rode motorbikes when she was a little kid — illegally, of course — in Argentina, and so on. And then we went through the process of working on the film together, and I subsequently learned that it was the right decision, because she was equal to the task — and not only to take on what Charlize had done, but who could match what Chris did with Dementus. These two adversaries had to be evenly matched from the top to the end of the movie, and she was able to do that. I think the movie depends on them both being worthy adversaries." On Conveying So Much of Furiosa's Story Without Words Anya: "It's really extraordinary — characters have always been real for me, and I think with each script I understand how I'll be able to tell the story. Sometimes I'm a little bit ahead of them, and so I can tell it more with hindsight. And with this script, I just knew straight away that I was going to have to tell it in real time — that it was just going to feel very real for me and I'd have to experience it, and that's how I was going to be able to bring the truth of this story to light. I will say that I'm so grateful to both Chris and George for just respecting how much I cared about her. Like, I was really fighting for her every single step of the way, and rather than seeing it as something intense, they saw it as something beautiful — and I really appreciated that. On Hemsworth Getting His Favourite Role to Play Since He Was in Rush Chris: "I think like Rush, when I did Rush, I had just done Thor and a few other things, action films, and it was the great departure from that space. And look, I love playing Thor and if the opportunity came up and there was a story, I'd love to do again. But I definitely feel like I've also run out of ideas with it, whereas this just spawned an abundance of the creativity in me, which I sort of had forgotten about, I think. And it gave me an opportunity to experiment and try different things and lose myself in a role, and get back to the joyful playfulness that we have as kids — and just experimenting with removing the critic and that judgmental voice and just having fun. As odd as that may sound, because he's a murdering psychopath, but it was enjoyable. This is what acting's about. It's about transportation and inhabiting other spaces and someone else's shoes." Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, May 23, 2024. Read our review.
Not content with serving up damn fine cups of coffee, Sydney's Paramount Coffee Project has teamed up with clothing label Banks Journal for a fashion pop-up in Taylor Square. Selling clothing — and hot caffeinated beverages, naturally — it's a must-visit if you adore PCP's cuppas so much you want to deck yourself out in its merchandise. Featuring original artwork by WeBuyYourKids' Sonny Day, the range of summery items includes t-shirts, bathrobes, slippers and baseball caps, plus a fetching set of shorts with a matching short-sleeved shirt. The store will also be selling Day's artwork and, between Thursday, December 12–Sunday, December 15, he'll be onsite painting a new piece live. On the food and drink menu: PCP coffee made with a La Marzocco KB90 machine, warm house-baked cookies in a variety of rotating flavours, and pies that range from classic to mac 'n' cheese. Microcosm microbiologist Jana Stewart has also curated a plant installation, with greenery available to purchase in-store — and other gift-style items too. The Paramount Coffee Project x Banks Journal Pop-Up runs from Thursdays–Sundays between Thursday, December 5–Sunday, December 15, opening from 11am–7pm Thursday–Saturday and 11am–5pm on Sundays.
Has Jennifer Lawrence entered her Jennifer Coolidge era? With the spirit of American Pie lingering over No Hard Feelings like unpaid property taxes — a pivotal part of the movie's plot — the Silver Linings Playbook Oscar-winner and Winter's Bone, Hunger Games, X-Men and mother! star is flirting with that direction and loving it. No one sticks their genitalia in a warm home-baked dessert or talks about band camp in Lawrence's latest film, but it is a sex comedy about an inexperienced teenager that includes parents giving clumsy advice. It also involves getting lucky with an older woman; while Lawrence is only 32 and plays it here, an age gap — as well as the chasms between millennials and zoomers, and with the generations prior — is essential to the narrative. The spirit of Coolidge, a game Lawrence, gags about Hall & Oates' 1982 earworm 'Maneater' — a storyline that somewhat riffs on its lyrics, in fact — and battles over class, generational differences and gentrification: that's No Hard Feelings. Based on a real-life Craigslist ad, it's also the next movie from filmmaker Gene Stupnitsky, who penned Bad Teacher and made his feature directorial debut with Good Boys. Where the latter took a Superbad-esque setup but swapped 17-year-olds out for sixth graders, his second flick as a helmer tells a coming-of-age tale on two levels. Percy Becker (Andrew Barth Feldman, White Noise) is the introverted brainiac whose helicopter parents (Daybreak's Matthew Broderick and Life & Beth's Laura Benanti) want to live a little before he hits Princeton University, while Maddie Barker (Lawrence, Causeway) is the bartender and Uber driver who's been in a state of arrested development ever since giving up her plans to surf California's beaches when her mother got sick. Those taxes? Maddie owes them on her Montauk house, which she inherited from and remains in while the New York hamlet she grew up in is inundated by wealthy holidaymakers. And those tourists? Sweeping in for only part of the year, splashing around cash and causing property values to skyrocket while pushing locals out, they're the reason that Maddie's debt is so hefty. They're also why Percy and his family are in town for the summer. And, in general, those rich interlopers are a prime target for Maddie's anger, unsurprisingly. Still, usually the well-to-do influx helps boost her finances — driving folks around in a vacation town while the weather's right can be lucrative — but her car has just been repossessed, hence an advertisement offering a Buick Regal for dating and sleeping with Percy earning her attention. "These people use us, so why don't we use them?" is Maddie's pregnant pal Sara's (Natalie Morales, Dead to Me) take on the situation. Sporting that exact mindset, Maddie commits. The Beckers want her to bring their shy, reclusive and neurotic son out of his bedroom by taking him to bed — patriarch Laird fondly recalls his own first youthful fling, with Stupnitsky adding an extra layer by having Ferris Bueller's Day Off great Broderick in the role — and Percy has no idea about the deal. Whether Maddie is asking to touch his wiener at his animal-shelter volunteer job, inadvertently getting him suspecting that he's being kidnapped by offering him a lift in Sara's spouse Jim's (Scott MacArthur, Killing It) van filled with machetes and harpoons, teaching him how to drink Long Island iced teas, or taking him skinny dipping by moonlight and fighting the pranksters who try to steal their clothes in the nude, seducing the college-bound young man is far from an easy gig. Co-scripting with John Phillips (Dirty Grandpa), Stupnitsky also has both Percy and Maddie clutch onto the bonnet of speeding cars, and throws in hectic faux prom nights and eventful pre-uni parties; however, the raunchiest thing about No Hard Feelings is largely its premise. Bawdy humour still echoes, especially when Maddie is playing the libidinous part she's being paid to — but, as she genuinely starts to connect with Percy as a friend, so does earnestness. She's initially willing to slip between the sheets to get her life back on track, and pretends to be the stereotypical teen-boy fantasy to do so. He wants to talk, get to know her and build something physical out of a true emotional bond. Of course the film that results seesaws between the ribald and sweet, and of course it's never completely one or the other. That isn't a failure of nerve, but reflects the chaos that is growing up even when you're already supposed to be grown up. No Hard Feelings is rarely as consistently funny as it wants to be, but it'd be far more awkward than it's meant to be if Maddie and Percy weren't so well cast. The luminous Lawrence is a comic dream, no matter if Maddie is cringing at her own behaviour, bluntly decrying teens today and the ultra-rich always, attempting to climb stairs in rollerblades or turning on the sultriness. She serves up a physical comedy masterclass, and long may amusing movies that call upon her laugh-inducing skills keep joining her resume (well, other than the smug Don't Look Up). She's such a natural here that wanting No Hard Feelings to constantly ramp up the OTT antics stems wholly from her performance. (Also, as Coolidge keeps popping to mind, who wouldn't want to see Lawrence in The White Lotus in the future, whether in Thailand or wherever future seasons of the hit HBO series end up.) Feldman, who took time out from high school IRL to play the titular part in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway for a spell and then from uni for this, brings nuance to what could've been a stock-standard nerdy character in other hands. The key to his performance, and to Lawrence's: amid the overtly comic moments, they each know that they're stepping into the shoes of people who are stuck and struggling in their own ways, and they're sincere about having Maddie and Percy work through that together. So, crucially, is the sunnily shot picture itself. Although it's better when Stupnitsky and Phillips put their faith the movie's central portrayals rather than getting thematically heavy-handed, and it's also gleefully formulaic, No Hard Feelings has film-stealing stark-naked brawls, Lawrence in go-for-broke comedic mode, and insight and heart.
Today, Sydney hospitality giant Merivale has unveiled the first phase of its 'Ivy 2.0' project, which will see four new venues open in the Sydney CBD this year. First up is Little Felix: a 60-seat cocktail bar and little sister to Ash Street's hatted French bistro Felix on George Street. The space itself — by lauded design firm Acme and stylist Amanda Talbot — is opulent and designed to transport guests back to 1920s Paris — or at least to the set of Midnight in Paris. Think Zelda and F Scott Fitzgerald parties at their grandest. In terms of drinks, Group Bar Manager Sam Egerton has created a succinct cocktail list featuring eight old-world classics made with premium French ingredients and liqueurs. Instead of a straightforward French 75 (gin, citrus and champagne), Little Felix serves up the Paris Meridian, which uses Chandon blanc de blancs and Farigoule de Forcalquier (a French thyme liqueur). Then there's the Le Ricain (the bar's take on a Sidecar), made with Hennessy VS, Cointreau and Armagnac. The wine list is impressive in its own right, too, curated by Merivale's Master Sommelier Franck Moreau and Head Sommelier Jean-Charles Mahe. Expect by-the-glass wines and champagnes to be poured from magnums — 1.5-litre bottles — and a custom-built wine fridge behind the bar. Guests can also order back vintages from the (impressively large) wine list next door at Felix. [caption id="attachment_736325" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] To eat, Head Chef Nathan Johnson has created a dedicated menu of simple French dishes for Little Felix, with the focus on charcuterie, cheese and tartines (temptingly spread out on the bar). Order a plate of jambon and melon, creamy duck liver parfait or one of the nine different cheeses. Also joining the group's Ivy Precinct this year is a casual Middle Eastern eatery by ex-Rockpool Chef Simon Zalloua, a sister to Bondi's Italian restaurant Totti's and a new Mexican joint. The precinct is already home to Bar Topa, Felix, Palings, Ash St Cellar, The Royal George and Ivy Pool Club, Den and Lounge. The openings coincide with the big Light Rail reveal and the soon-to-launch George Street pedestrian zone that comes along with it, as well as City of Sydney's newly approved late-night trading plan. This phase of Merivale's 'Ivy 2.0' project is the first step toward entirely redeveloping the site, but that won't come into play for many years to come. We'll keep you in the loop as we learn more about all of the new Merivale happenings. Little Felix is now open at 2A Ash Street, Sydney. Opening hours are Monday through Wednesday from 5pm–10pm, Thursday through Friday from 3pm–11pm and Saturday 5pm–11pm. Images: Nikki To
2023 already marks Australia's last chance to be in the room where it happens. Until winter, it's now every Aussie muggle's final opportunity to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child pick up its wands as well. Currently running as a condensed single-night play rather than the original two-part version, this onstage follow-up to the page and screen Harry Potter franchise has announced that it'll wrap up its Melbourne season on Sunday, July 9 — and then leave our shores. Unlike other big shows such as Hamilton, Moulin Rouge! The Musical and The Book of Mormon in recent years, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child isn't jumping elsewhere around the nation after its stint in the Victorian capital. So, when the curtain falls on its lengthy stay at Melbourne's Princess Theatre after four years, that'll be the end of its magic Down Under. That gives theatregoers five months to book in a date with the hit wizarding production, which picks up 19 years after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and its abominably cheery epilogue on Platform 9 3/4. Here, Harry is now an overworked Ministry of Magic employee, with the play focusing on both him and his youngest son Albus Severus Potter as they grapple with the past and future. Since debuting in London in July 2016, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has won a swathe of awards (including nine Olivier Awards and six Tonys) and proven a repeated sellout — in the West End, on Broadway and in San Francisco, too. In its Melbourne run, it has become the most successful play in Australian history, including attracting 326,500 people in its first year. Four years on from first opening in Australia in February 2019, and after navigating the pandemic during that time, the local season has sold more than a million tickets and hosted over 1300 performances. "We are extremely proud of our Melbourne production and to be the longest-running play in the history of Australia is an extraordinary achievement," said producer Sonia Friedman CBE, announcing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child's Aussie end date. "Opening our production here has been one of the highlights in the life of our groundbreaking, astonishing show and we look forward to an amazing final five months in this glorious city." Muggles, if you want to see The Cursed Child, you'll need to accio yourself along before July — with more tickets released on Monday, February 6. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child plays Melbourne's Princess Theatre until Sunday, July 9. For more information and to buy tickets, head to the play's website. Images: Michelle Grace Hunder.
Bondi is no stranger to a multi-faceted all-day venue. The suburb's sunny demeanour, famous beach and vibrant nightlife mean that cafes, bar and restaurants can thrive serving up early-morning post-surf coffee, hearty lunches or late-night drinks — so why not create a venue that can do them all? The latest east Sydney spot to emerge as a culinary triple threat is Makaveli. This pocket-sized Glenayr Avenue spot comes from Jacob Hill and Phill Cooke. The pair link up after both cutting their teeth at ever-expanding Sydney hospitality groups. Hill has been at the helm of Cali Press' eastern suburbs venues, while Cooke has been managing the Milpa Collective's Bondi outposts (Taqiza, Calita, Carbon). Together, Cooke and Hill have created a sleek and inviting neighbourhood haunt. The interiors have been designed by Milpa collaborator Imogen Reed, with the team opting for a minimalist Italian-style fitout that hopes to place the emphasis on flavoursome bites, quality coffee and top-notch drinks. Joining the duo and heading up the kitchen is Head Chef Jessica Young. The accomplished chef has mastered her craft in Michelin-starred restaurants across Europe before hitting Sydney to lead Makaveli's food offerings. Together, all three have created a menu inspired by Italian classics and popular modern Australian dishes. And yes, there's burrata and kingfish crudo. At its core, the eats revolve around quick and easy breakfast options, plus tasty share plates at night. From 8am, you can score freshly baked slices of loaded focaccia topped with roasted zucchini and mozzarella, or ricotta, chilli, garlic and fennel broccolini. The brekkie options and Will & Co coffee keeps rolling until midday, with other early-morning feeds including granola bowls and banana bread with strawberries and icing sugar. Following the morning rush, Makaveli shuts its doors before emerging from hibernation at 5pm Wednesday–Sunday. The By Night menu traverses a range of bread and bite-sized options, as well as larger share plates, centred predominantly around vegetarian dishes done right. Cooke also takes on the role of Head Bartender, whipping up elderflower spritzes and the menu's four unique negronis. As for the wine list, things have been kept simple with a couple of whites, a couple of reds, a couple of sparkling and a rosé from the team's favourite Australian producers. Makaveli is now open at Shop 2/179 Glenayr Avenue, Bondi Beach — operating 6am–midday Monday–Sunday and 5–11pm Wednesday–Sunday.
At a time when most IKEA furniture ends up deep in the Gumtree 'For Sale' ads or left on the side of the road, the Swedish retailer has come up with a pretty clever plan to give those unwanted flat-pack ensembles a second lease on life. In good news for those moving house and face with an accumulative collection of Malm blond wood pieces, IKEA has launched its furniture buy-back service at all of its Australian stores. From today, Australians will be able to bring in their retired IKEA pieces to be sold on to a new home — and score a voucher for their efforts. The program is being rolled out nationally after a year-long trial at Sydney's Tempe store which saw 1600 pieces bought back from customers. Now, you'll be able to do the same at the other two Sydney stores — in Rhodes and Marsden Park — as well as stores in Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth. The initiative was initially spurred by findings from the company's latest People & Planet Positive Report, which suggested Aussies threw away up to 13.5 million pieces of furniture that could have been recycled, reused or repaired. So how does it work? If you've got some furniture you want to get out of your life, you'll need to get an estimated quote online. Then, you'll need to take it and your furniture — still fully assembled, mind you — to the nearest IKEA store. Once there, your furniture will be assessed by an IKEA staff member, and they'll decide on a value and give you a buy-back refund card to use in-store. The buy-back scheme is only for IKEA furniture, and not for other products like lighting, mattresses, textiles, kitchen components or appliances. That's because the bought-back pieces need to be in good enough condition to be sold on to other customers in the As-Is store. It does, however, have separate recycling schemes for mattresses, batteries and light bulbs. If your Malm bed frame or chest of drawers isn't in quite good enough condition for the As-Is store, you might need to consider donating it to charity or finding another way to recycle it. And if you are buying new furniture, consider buying something secondhand from the As-Is store, or at least investing in something that you plan to keep long-term. You can get a quote on your IKEA furniture here, and then you'll be able to take it to the Tempe, Marsden Park, Rhodes, Richmond, Springvale, Logan, North Lakes, Adelaide, Canberra or Perth stores to redeem a refund voucher.
With fresh COVID-19 cases continuing to pop up across Australia and community transmission still a very real issue, the Victorian Government has launched a new travel permit system in an attempt to keep the coronavirus out of the state. Victoria has just chalked up six days straight without any new locally transmitted coronavirus cases; however, with other states experiencing outbreaks in recent weeks, the Victorian Government is now tightening the borders and rolling out new regulations for anyone wanting to enter from interstate locations. After going live yesterday, Monday, January 11, the new permit scheme will now manage all domestic travel into Victoria, using a traffic light-style system to categorise origin locations as red, orange or green — based on their level of risk. It applies to visitors who reside in other parts of Australia, as well as to any Victorian residents returning home from elsewhere. https://twitter.com/VicGovDHHS/status/1348469170472509440 Under the new system, travellers wanting to head into Victoria will need to apply for one of the various permit types, depending on where they've been beforehand. Anyone who has been in a designated red zone — the highest level in the system, which currently covers Greater Brisbane and Greater Sydney — is barred from entering the state. Exceptions apply to residents of NSW/Victorian border communities, and folks who've been in a red zone can also apply to receive an exemption or a permitted worker permit. The former covers instances such as emergency relocations, funerals, essential medical care, and people needing to return home for health, wellbeing, care or compassionate reasons. That said, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) states that exceptions are limited and that they'll only be granted in special circumstances. Victoria will be cracking down on rule-breakers, too — the government has warned that trying to make a land border crossing from a red zone will get you turned away, while attempting to enter by plane or sea without a permit will score you a $4957 fine. Travellers coming from orange and green zones may apply online for a permit. During the application process, you'll be asked where you've travelled to — and you'll also need to answer questions about any symptoms, close contacts and previous COVID-19 diagnoses. Anyone travelling from green zones should get a permit granted easily and only need to monitor for symptoms once they've arrived, as long as you've steered clear of any red or orange zones in the previous 14 days. If you're coming from an orange zone, you'll be required to get a COVID-19 test within 72 hours of your arrival in Victoria, and to self-isolate before and after the test until you're given the all-clear. Of course, the current designated zones and regulations are subject to change, with DHHS advising that "border arrangements are constantly reviewed based on the health situation in each state and territory". When the system went live yesterday, it did so almost three hours after its announced launch time of 5.59pm; however, it is now up and running. For more information on Victoria's new permit system — or to apply for one — head to the Department of Health and Human Services website.
Huge birthday, huge program, huge list of reasons to spend an entire year at the Sydney Opera House. Come October 2023, the iconic Australian venue will reach its 50th birthday, and it's doing what everyone does when it hits a massive milestone: celebrating for as long as possible. In fact, the Opera House is dedicating 12 whole months to its 50th-anniversary shenanigans, starting a year in advance. From October 2022, the acclaimed Sydney Harbour venue will kick off the festivities in the most fitting way — with From the Sails: Light Years, a nightly projection series featuring new art by Sam Doust and Art Processors, which'll adorn the structure's famous sails from Wednesday, October 19–Sunday, 30. Obviously, that's just the beginning of a hefty program, with the already-announced Amadeus starring Michael Sheen taking over the site's newly revamped Concert Hall from Tuesday, December 27, 2022–Saturday, January 21, 2023, too. Also on the bill: a full lineup that spans 230-plus performances, events and experiences, covering outdoor concerts, community events, First Nations storytelling, tours, public art, exhibitions and more, and happening in the venue's theatres, on its forecourt and online. From Thursday, October 20–Sunday, 30, that includes From the Steps: Voices at Dusk, which'll see local community choirs — as curated by resident company Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' Artistic Director Brett Weymark OAM — sing free open-air choral performances on the Opera House steps. Also outdoors, this time running from Thursday, November 10–Saturday, November 19, is a concert series at the Opera House's forecourt featuring Tim Minchin, New Zealand's Fat Freddy's Drop and two shows by Vance Joy. There'll be two free gigs, too — one dedicated to Yolŋu music and culture with Djakapurra Munyarryun, Dhapanbal Yunupingu, the Andrew Gurruwiwi Band and more on the lineup, and another that'll see Ngaiire and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra join forces. [caption id="attachment_871449" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ngaiire[/caption] While Sydney Opera House hasn't unveiled the full program yet, with further events set to be announced in the coming months, the rest of the lineup so far features two big festivals: Inside/Out at the House and Open House Festival. The first will arrive at the beginning of May 2023, heroing performances by the London Symphony Orchestra, Australian Ballet, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and Australian Chamber Orchestra. Each show will take place inside either the Concert Hall or the Joan Sutherland Theatre, but you'll also be able to watch in the forecourt, where they'll be broadcast to an openair cinema setup. At the second, Open House Festival will live up to its name across the entire month of October 2023. That means hosting performances, events and activities in every part of the Opera House, and also holding an open day where attendees can go exploring. [caption id="attachment_871446" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ken Leanfore[/caption] Plus, Bangarra Dance Theatre will unveil the world premiere of a new production in June 2023, under incoming Artistic Director Frances Rings. Sydney Theatre Award-winning play The Visitors will receive a new staging, directed by Quandamooka man Wesley Enoch — and the Opera House will present Blak & Deadly: The First Nations Gala Concert in conjunction with Sydney WorldPride 2023. Also, the Central Australian Aboriginal Women's Choir (CAAWC) — which hails from six remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory — will unleash their vocals in the Concert Hall, German operatic tenor Jonas Kaufmann and an international cast will perform La Gioconda, and Mad Scenes by Jessica Pratt will showcase the Australian talent. [caption id="attachment_871445" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Boud[/caption] Marking a full-circle moment given that it was part of the Opera House's opening in 1973, Sydney Dance Company will stage three works. And, there'll be a revamped Opera House tour that highlights past performances and historic moments. Clearly, this year-long party is going to be massive — it's supported by the NSW Government's Blockbuster Funding initiative, and 'blockbuster' is the right word for it. [caption id="attachment_871453" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Prudence Upton[/caption] Sydney Opera House's 50th anniversary program kicks off in October 2022 and runs for a year. For more information, head to the Sydney Opera House website. Top images: Prudence Upton / Keith Saunders / Anna Kacera.
One-metre long wood-fired pizza should be all the explanation you need as to why you should visit Via Napoli. But then there are also the ever-friendly, enthusiastic servers (most of whom are Italian), the delicious ricotta-stuffed zucchini flowers, the flashy, gold-tiled pizza ovens and meatballs drenched in ragu. But back to that one-metre pizza — the veritable edible promenade enables you to select three different pizza types — think classic Diavola with fior di latte, hot salami and olives or the Chiara with burrata, prosciutto and truffle oil — before it's baked in the roaring hot woodfired oven. It'll land on your table with a molten centre and blackened, blistered bready edges. Of course, pizza tastes even better when you have a good wine to go with it — and, thankfully, you can BYO here with a $10 corkage fee.
Japanese photographer Shinichi Maruyama has captured nude dancers from an unsual viewpoint, representing their motion in a series of complex whirls and swirls. The result is an elaborate yet beautiful depiction illustrating some of the amazing movements the human body is capable of. Maruyama has gracefully encapsulated the swaying of legs, swinging of hips and twirling of arms and combined the movements to create a single, intertwined image of motion patterns that enthralls and amazes. Take a look at these shots from Maruyama's remarkable series of blurred nude dancers.
This is the first solo show in Australia for Chinese artist Chen Qiulin. Her practice draws upon her experience growing up in Wanzhou City in Western China and the confluence of natural and urban landscapes. In recent years, the rapid urbanisation of China has becoming central to her work, which explores the intricacies of city planning, architectural hierarchies as well as tensions between tradition and technology. The centrepiece and namesake of the show is the impressive One Hundred Names, consisting of the most common Chinese family names, carefully carved out of tofu. This edible artwork is designed to gradually decay over time, symbolising the material transformation that inevitably follows intensive labour. The exhibition will also feature a range of photographic, video and performance works. 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art have proved their deftness in programming some of the most stimulating and socially-engaged practices coming out of Asia. This exhibition is shaping up to be no exception. Images: Chen Qiulin, 'The Garden No.2' (2007), cMtype print. 100 x 82xm. 'The Garden No.3' (2007), cMtype print. 100 x 82xm. 'Old Archway' (2009),cMtype print, 154 x 124cm. 'A Hundred Surnames in Tofu' (Chen) (still) (2010), video installation. Courtesy the artist and A Thousand Plateaus Art Space, Chengdu.
Icy poles and booze — they're the two staples of a long, hot Aussie summer. And now they've come together as one, in the form of Calippo-style Champagne icy poles. They're the genius creation of POPS, a UK brand that has been keeping folks stylishly cool since 2014, when it launched its first frozen Champagne treat — apparently supermodels like Kate Moss and Bella Hadid are on board, if that's something to sway you. The Champagne pop (called The Classic) contains half a glass of Champers (wahee!), and the range has since expanded to include another grown-ups-only creation: the Bellini, which blends hibiscus flowers, blood orange juice, peach Schnapps, and half a glass of Prosecco. Plus, there are a couple of all-ages products too, which see the alcohol swapped out for real fruit. The frozen delights are arriving in our eskies just in time to be eaten in front of the fan (or, y'know, in the sun) this summer. They'll launch in Melbourne first, with a series of pop-up events, and festival appearances aplenty. No word yet if you'll be able to buy a box for the freezer, but let's hope. POPS will launch in Melbourne soon. For more info, visit wearepops.com.
Camperdown's farm-to-table restaurant Acre Eatery is going full Italian for the winter months. As of today —Wednesday, July 3 — the venue has transformed its lofty dining room and al fresco garden into an Italian farmhouse, complete with a spritz bar, a bruschetta menu, hand-rolled pasta and a dessert trolley. Executive Chef Gareth Howard is showcasing regional Italian cooking throughout the venue, while still focusing on the locally and ethically sourced ingredients that the restaurant is known for. Head to the dining room to check out the new feasting menu, which features woodfired focaccia — that you can then dip in a wagyu beef fat candle — and baked cheese with truffle honey. You'll be able to try the best of Italy's many styles of pasta — including Piedemont-style pappardelle, Roman creamy carbonara and a meatball dish unique to the south. You'll be eating all of this surrounded by Tuscan-inspired furnishings and indoor olive and citrus trees, too. Out on the terrace during the day, you can opt for a Sicilian-style brunch with a dedicated bruschetta menu and plates of black pig ham, free-range egg and fried eggplant caponata. Or stop by in the evenings, when the spritz bar will serving lots of cocktails, antipasti, pizzas and homemade breads. And, on weekends, a roaming cart will bring arancini and panini to you, too. A second trolley carrying desserts will roll around the dining room, with a whopping 35 different Italian sweets in tow — including orange polenta cake, glazed fruit tarts, cannoli, tiramisu and seasonal gelato. Apart from the new menus, the restaurant is also hosting two collaborative dinners on Saturday, July 20 and Friday, August 2. The first is a four-course truffle and wine degustation with Bilpin producer 4 Winds; the second is a candlelit Sicilian banquet featuring Hunter Valley-produced Italian wine varieties. Plus, each Friday over the six weeks, Acre Eatery will host ticketed masterclasses run by Howard on how to make porchetta, focaccia and mozzarella. And, because it's not Italian without a few namesake cocktails, there'll be plenty of spritzes and barrel-aged negronis to go around. Acre Eatery's Italian Takeover will run from on July 1–August 18 at 31A Mallett Street, Camperdown. It's open Wednesday–Friday midday–11pm, Saturday 8am–11pm and Sunday 8am–9pm. Images: Trent van der Jagt.
How do you follow up Game of Thrones? So asks one of the biggest questions in pop culture over the past decade. HBO's hit adaptation of George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series ended five years ago, but the network behind it, the TV industry in general, and everyone involved in it on- and off-screen has been grappling with that query since the series became a worldwide smash. For the cable station that made it, more Game of Thrones shows is the answer, aka House of the Dragon, the upcoming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight and other floated spinoffs. For Hollywood, leaning in on fantasy franchises has been a solution. And for David Benioff and DB Weiss, the showrunners on the Westeros-set phenomenon, bringing another complex book saga to the small screen is the chosen path. Those novels: Liu Cixin's Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy, which reaches Netflix named after its debut entry, in another of its similarities with Benioff and Weiss' previous success. So arrives 3 Body Problem, streaming all eight of its first-season episodes from Thursday, March 21, with 2008 book The Three-Body Problem as its basis. Invasions, feuds, jumping timelines, a hefty cast of characters: they're all still in place. So are John Bradley (Marry Me), Liam Cunningham (Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter) and Jonathan Pryce (Slow Horses) among the cast, answering the "what comes next?" question for three Game of Thrones actors. Also, that composer Ramin Djawadi (Jack Ryan) is on music duties again isn't difficult to notice. With 3 Body Problem, which sees Benioff and Weiss team up with True Blood and The Terror's Alexander Woo to bring Cixin's text to the screen, sprawling high fantasy gives away to time- and space-hopping hard sci-fi, however. The danger to global stability still springs from a battle for supremacy, but one where countdowns start dancing in front of some people's eyes, particle accelerators stop functioning properly, other folks can't be seen in security footage, scientists seem to be killing themselves and aliens linger. The series begins with a physics professor being beaten to death in front of a crowd containing his daughter during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Then, it flits to London today to watch the entire sky wink, gleaming helmets spirit whoever dons them into a complicated and intricate virtual-reality game, and what lurks beyond the earth — and who — play a significant part. This isn't the only attempt to bring Cixin's novels to the screen, with 2023's 30-part Chinese series Three Body getting there first. 3 Body Problem also isn't concerned with creating as faithful a take on its source material as possible; rather, its main aim is to do for science-fiction mindbenders what Game of Thrones did for epic fantasy. Accordingly, this is a propulsive and addictive drama within its chosen genre — and one where pressing "next episode", since the whole first season drops at once, doesn't feel optional. Given how crucial that advanced maths and physics concepts are to its plot (its moniker is taken from orbital mechanics, after all), sparking a must-binge reaction is far from a simple mission. Structurally, cliffhangers are used liberally. Thematically, all of the scientific minutiae, and sci-fi as well, always comes back to people, families by blood and by choice, and humanity as a species. 3 Body Problem's grim 60s-set opening introduces Ye Wenjie (TV first-timer Zine Tseng), who is also punished by the anti-intellectual movement for being her father's offspring and protege. When she discovers Rachel Carson's Silent Spring at the logging camp where she's forced to toil, prison then awaits — then a secretive mountaintop base, where her work changes not just her life, but the planet's future. In 2024, then, as numbers haunt fields of vision and bright scientific minds commit suicide, old choices made by Ye (who is now played by Rosalind Chao, Sweet Tooth) start having an impact. If it all seems like a mystery, 3 Body Problem purposefully plays out like one, complete with detective Da Shi (Benedict Wong, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) investigating what's happening for shadowy government agency head Thomas Wade (Cunningham). Enter a sextet with ties to Oxford: Vera Ye (Vedette Lim, FBI) and five of her former students. Saul Durand (Jovan Adepo, Babylon) is her research assistant, not that their studies can continue now that technology is failing them; Jin Cheng (Jess Hong, The Brokenwood Mysteries) also remains in science; Auggie Salazar (Eiza González, Mr & Mrs Smith) is trying to revolutionise nanofibres; Jack Rooney (Bradley) has sold out, making a fortune in junk food; and Will Downing (Alex Sharp, One Life) now teaches high schoolers. Trauma brings them back together. Hallucinations, VR, disappearing strangers and odd occurrences in the heavens keep them connected. Also linked to their plight is Mike Evans, who Ye in the earlier timeline (with Y: The Last Man's Ben Schnetzer in the part), but segues from being an eco-activist to living on a tanker (with Pryce taking over the role). Then there's the headsets, which appear randomly and selectively like the present that no one knows that they want (because no one knows about them before they materialise). Popping one on means tussling with the eponymous quandary in a realm so lifelike that everyone who visits is convinced that they're really seeing, hearing, smelling and tasting everything around them. 3 Body Problem proves a spectacle when it slides into VR. Benioff, Weiss, Woo and their directors — Derek Tsang (Better Days), Andrew Stanton (who made WALL-E in his Pixar days), Minkie Spiro (Pieces of Her) and Jeremy Podeswa (Station Eleven, and another Game of Thrones alum) — understand the allure of escaping, of hoping that something better exists beyond our everyday reality and of dreaming big. With the threat of extra-terrestrials taking over looming large, however, their series also recognises the mundanity, brutality and beauty that surrounds humanity daily. One gruesome sequence, arriving just past the halfway mark of the season, won't be forgotten. When a series has such a wealth of narrative to dig through, and so many ideas unearthed in the process, characters can feel like mere pawns. Thankfully, Benioff and Weiss have also been here before. As they did with Game of Thrones, the duo never let the fact that this is a tale about people first and foremost get out of sight. Among the cast, the always-welcome Wong, both Tseng and Chao as Ye, plus Adepo, Hong and Sharp all leave the biggest imprint — and give 3 Body Problem's story several weighty anchors. In no small part due to their efforts, the show's first season inspires another question as it wraps up: how do you now follow that? Check out the trailer for 3 Body Problem: 3 Body Problem streams via Netflix from Thursday, March 21, 2024. Images: courtesy of Netflix.
Supporting charities should generally be the kind of thing you do without an expectation of anything in exchange. But there's definitely something nice about getting a return on your good deeds, beyond the fuzzy feeling of helping someone in need. Making it easier than ever is SleepOut for Homeless Youth — the first public fundraiser hosted by the Property Industry Foundation — on Thursday, November 10 at Centennial Park . The event, which takes place right next to the Wild Play Discovery Centre, will encourage attendees to sleep out without a roof over their heads for one night, so they can get a glimpse into the struggles faced by homeless young Australians needing a place to sleep. The event's charitable aim is to raise funds to build a 19-bedroom refuge for young people and change some pretty rough statistics — like the fact that 44,000 people under 25 don't have a secure place to sleep. And what's in it for you (in addition to the aforementioned feel-good vibes)? In the process of spending the evening bundled in a sleeping bag and looking at the night sky, you'll also have the opportunity to enjoy some excellent entertainment, eats and general fun — there'll be goodies like food trucks, lawn games, trivia, an acoustic guitarist, and a fire-making workshop so you can toast marshmallows. Over 16 and keen to get involved? Register for free, for SleepOut For Homeless Youth's overnight fundraiser on Thursday, November 10 at Centennial Park, and do your bit to end youth homeless — while having a stellar evening out in the process.
So, you're the eager kind of bastard (not the Snow type, mind you) who likes to throw spoilers in the face of your lessers? Lucky for you, the Game of Thrones edition of Since I Left You trivia is here, so you'll be able to use that smug mouth to win. Or die. Lovers of the books and returning TV series (April 15 – permanent maker it in your calendar) should make a date with the CBD bar, with a GoT trivia night happening on Tuesday, April 9. Costume is not mandatory, but that's part of the fun. White walkers, maesters, red priests, naked extras and dung-faced peasants will also most likely be in abundance, so if you really want to impress you'll need to think outside the boxset (someone had better turn up as the animated map of the opening credits, is what we're saying here). Food and drink will be available for purchase — with $15 carafes of wine available all night — and host of prizes are on offer. If you're keener than a Stark heading back to Winterfell, booking a table for your team at info@sinceileftyou.com.au is necessary. And don't delay — it's winter soon.
Putting together a string garden might look as easy as tying a few knots, but there's definitely an art to getting it right — aesthetically, botanically and (if you're planning on dining in on it) agriculturally. Passionate plant expert Georgina Reid will be showing Sydney folk how to create their own mini hanging jungles at her D.I.Y. String Gardens Workshop, part of the Work-Shop series of original and community-based short courses. It's all about picking the best plants, selecting the right strings and knowing when to seed, weed and water. Reid, who's worked with the likes of Jamie Durie and Garden Life, is now based at her studio Reid and Friends, where she collaborates with "a dog and a few other creative tree-hugger types". They take on projects small and large, from tiny urban courtyards to expansive rural properties. In her spare time, she contributes to publications such as Belle, House & Garden and Home Beautiful and creates one-off artworks, combining plants with old objects.
