While the university photocopier and Officeworks help you print some stuff in bulk, and cheaply, there's a whole world of other offerings that Sydney's artists can get close to if they have something special to land on the printed page. Concrete Playground recently chatted with four local Sydney printers. Some use very new technology, others work with much older techniques. And, while none are as cheap as the photocopier, all four of these local printing houses are relatively accessible for the lone artist. Want to learn how to print an object? A zine? A book? A poster? Read on. We'll tell you how it's done. Zines: The Rizzeria "I felt absolutely gutted. It was horrifying." This is how Leigh Ragozzi describes the feeling of watching the (accidentally administered) death throes of the Rizzeria collective's original Riso printer. This photocopier-shaped machine was the raison d'être of the collective. He found himself dropping the machine back at their St Peters studio alone, after a successful residency at the Performance Space. The ramp that the collective usually used to wheel it up the step was missing. Not able to get ahold of any help, he tried to heft the heavy machine up a step where the studio's ramp normally went. He missed. And that wasn't the end of it. After Ragozzi returned the rented truck they used to transport the Rizo, he was mugged. "I emailed everyone and told them everything that had happened that day. I had to deal with that unpleasantness of not feeling safe in the city, and also having busted up one of the best print cooperatives around." You can understand why he was upset. The Riso was cool. With a Riso you can essentially spit out high speed colour screen prints, like a photocopier can spit out copies. It's the same basic some people might remember from the fragrant, purple school handouts made with a ditto machine or mimeograph. Sydney printer, Kernow Craig (now of Blood and Thunder), saw a Riso in action at Knust in the city of Nijmegen, Holland. Craig was floored by the machine — and the workshop around it — and convinced all sorts of people to chip in for one when he returned to Sydney. For the original machine, the cash was raised as a form of gentle loan (later repaid). For its replacement, the Rizzeria collective ran a successful Pozible campaign. Now they have a new machine happily up and running, most of an old machine for parts and no debt. And using the new machine is a pretty simple process to get your head around. You start by making a Saturday appointment via the Rizzeria's web form. Once you arrive, a member of the collective will be on hand to guide you through your first go. Your design (or zine page, or A4 poster) gets scanned up top like a photocopier. But, instead of copying it onto A4, the printer etches the design onto a roll of wax paper that pops out up the top. This wax paper gets wrapped around a cylinder that pops out of the centre of the bed popping out of a CT scanner. The ink for the printing is inside the cylinder. And, as the pages of paper go through, it spits out ink around the patterns. It really is just like screen printing, but the ink is being pushed through the cylinder against the passing pages, instead of a flat screen. Pages pop out as fast and reliably as a photocopier. For a second colour, you just etch out another stencil of a matching design, stick another colour ink in the cylinder and run the paper through again. The paper will get both versions of the image, but lining up the two colours on the one sheet ("registration") is pretty hard. So, for more than one colour, the Riso machine works best with a second colour that looks ok even if it slips a little out of place. At the time of compiling this article, the Rizzeria were still working out their new charges. But they expected them to be pretty similar to the old ones, which worked out at roughly $5 for a single, fully printed zine. The Rizzeria is up and running at its new home in the Oxford Street Design Store every Saturday (book here). For speed stencilling beginners, the Rizzeria is also running an Introduction to Stencil Printing starting Saturday July 21. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Next >
UPDATE, March 31, 2021: Bill & Ted Face the Music is available to stream via Stan, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. When it comes to goofy and sweet movie concepts handled with sincerity, the Bill & Ted franchise has always proven most triumphant. In 1989's Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, the big-screen comedy series introduced the world to Californian high schoolers Bill S Preston, Esq (Alex Winter) and Ted 'Theodore' Logan (Keanu Reeves), who are apparently destined to write the rock song that unites the universe — if they can first pass their history exam by travelling back in time in a phone booth to recruit famed past figures like Beethoven and Socrates to help, that is. The idea that Bill & Ted's affable, air guitar-playing slackers would become the world's salvation was a joke that the film itself was in on, and the movie struck the right balance of silliness, earnestness and affection as a result. So, the end product was joyous. How could a flick that makes the absolute most of Reeves exclaiming "whoa!" multiple times, tasks its titular characters with spreading a message of kindness and sends Napoleon to a water park called Waterloo be anything but giddy fun? Actually, Excellent Adventure was something else: the reason that 1991's even loopier but still entertaining Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey exists, complete with evil robot versions of the eponymous duo and Twister games with Death (William Sadler) in hell. Now, almost three decades after that first sequel, the franchise has spawned a third entry — and Bill & Ted Face the Music delivers yet another dose of warm-hearted lunacy. Bill (Winter) and Ted (Reeves) are back, obviously. They're older, definitely not wiser, and yet again take a few leaps through time. The fate of life as everyone knows it is still at stake, of course. And, as always, the loveable pair's clear motto — "be excellent to each other" — is pivotal. Bogus Journey told viewers that Wyld Stallyns, Bill and Ted's band, would achieve the success that futuristic emissary Rufus (George Carlin) had promised since the beginning of Excellent Adventure. When Face the Music returns to the duo, they've enjoyed the spoils of fame and subsequently crashed back into obscurity, gigs on cheap taco night, and combining a theremin with throat singing in the world's least romantic wedding song. Settled into suburban San Dimas life with their wives and children — medieval princesses Joanna (Glee's Jayma Mays) and Elizabeth (Medical Police's Erinn Hayes), and chip-off-the-old-block daughters Theadora (Ready or Not's Samara Weaving) and Wilhelmina (Atypical's Brigette Lundy-Paine) — they're still certain they'll write the tune the changes the future. Well, they're still trying to. But when they're given a 77-minute deadline by Rufus' daughter Kelly (The Last Man on Earth's Kristen Schaal), Bill and Ted decide to jump forward and steal the fabled track from themselves after they've already penned it. There's a purposeful sense of familiarity to Face the Music's main plot; watching Bill and Ted hurtle through time is what this franchise is all about, after all. Teaming up with director Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest), returning original writers Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon triple down on the setup, however, with Thea and Billie also leaping through history — and their unhappy mothers, who can't quite convince Bill and Ted not to be so codependent, similarly riding the circuits of time on their own trip. Layering all of the above gives Face the Music an overt excuse to rehash many of the franchise's beloved aspects, including bringing Bill and Ted face to face with themselves again and again, and sending the younger B and T on a mission to collect music icons like Mozart, Jimi Hendrix and King Cudi. And yet, while anyone who has seen Excellent Adventure and Bogus Journey will spot the easy nods — even extending to a new robot (Barry's Anthony Carrigan) sent to foil the current plans — Face the Music isn't merely trying to relive past glories. In fact, the very idea that some dreams don't come true — or, to the benefit of everyone, they evolve and get passed along — sits at the core of this tender and loving movie. That's its best feature, and it's far from bogus. Naturally, it's a delight to see Winter and Reeves reprise their roles. They step back into Bill and Ted's shoes with ease, expertly conveying the characters' lingering immaturity, middle-aged malaise and ever-present kindness. They're also clearly having a blast as different versions of the duo, and their enthusiasm is infectious. As the next generation, both Weaving and Lundy-Paine are spot-on as well (the latter couldn't channel late 80s/early 90s-era Keanu more convincingly), while Carrigan steals every scene he's in. But without thoughtfully pondering what it truly means to be excellent to each other, showing that in action and demonstrating the impact that pulling together communally can have, Face the Music could've felt like it was just strumming the same hit notes again. They're also known for spouting "party on!" with frequency, but Bill and Ted's most famous catchphrase has never simply served up empty words. No one can escape the straightforward piece of advice, because "be excellent to each other" is uttered often, but it also means something. Indeed, Bill and Ted approached their lives with goodwill and consideration back in Excellent Adventure as a method of coping with their troubles — with the former's sleazy dad marrying one of their classmates, and the latter's stern father constantly threatening him with military school — and, here, they continue to illustrate the merits of their optimistic and warm mindset. It's no wonder, then, that Face the Music feels like such a nice hug of a movie. It's silly, because that's a given. It relies upon a template, but knows how to twist it in new directions. It occasionally feels repetitive, and a tad unintentionally chaotic. The heartfelt happiness it brings, though, is 100-percent excellent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hAL7emClFM
This year's Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras will, as always, culminate in the Parade on Saturday night with enduring favourites like the 78ers, Dykes on Bikes, and First Nations queers parading around the SCG's substantial oval, as well as performances (or at least appearances) from Savage Garden alum and gay-Twitter icon Darren Hayes, the incredible genderqueer musician Mo'Ju, and Vanessa Amorosi who must perform 'Absolutely Everybody' or risk being glitter-cannoned into space. Stadium regulars, The Wiggles, will also be making an appearance — details TBC. But it's not all about the Parade, of course. If you can't make it or simply aren't into the idea of celebrating Mardi Gras in allocated seating, no problem. There are events and happenings around Sydney covering all your Mardi Gras-adjacent interests: food, dancing, performance and drag (of both the king and queen varieties). Here are a few of our picks, for your queerspiration and consideration. [caption id="attachment_844618" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Dollar Bin Darlings[/caption] 'BREAK OUT' AT THE NATIONAL ART SCHOOL Sydney's National Art School is throwing a series of LTBTQI parties, performance art and moving images to coincide with Mardi Gras as part of the ongoing Thursday night event series NAS NEO. This week, the featured event is titled 'Break Out' and includes live tunes from rapper/artist Jamaica Moana and DJ sets from Ayebatonye and The Dollar Bin Darlings, as well as performance art from Gareth Ernst, Lou Harris and Solar Gold Dancers (among others). There will be pop-up bars and food by Franchi Brothers Pizza Lab to keep you refreshed while you get neck-deep in contemporary queer creativity. When: Thursday, March 3, 2022 Where: National Art School, Cnr of Forbes & Burton Street, Darlinghurst Recommended for: Those who like to put the A-R-T in party. [caption id="attachment_844384" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hot Mess Party (image supplied by Oxford Tavern)[/caption] HOT MESS HOUSE PARTY AT THE OXFORD TAVERN For those who want to dance, The Dollar Bin Darlings are taking over the Oxford Tav for a huge, free six-hour dance party. The aptly named Hot Mess House Party will see the DBDs accompanied by their team of Bottom Dollar Buddies and go-go dancers. Expect things to get trashy — in a good way! When: Saturday, March 5, 2022 Where: The Oxford Tavern, 1 New Canterbury Road, Petersham Recommended for: Dance floor aficionados who are keen to unleash their inner and outer hot mess. [caption id="attachment_830187" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 9 to 5 The Musical, image by Pamela Raith[/caption] 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL Look, it's not technically part of Mardi Gras but the fact remains that 9 To 5 (and virtually everything Dolly Parton has ever done) is queer canon. So if you haven't already procured your tickets to the musical stage version of the iconic revenge-fantasy comedy, what the devil are you waiting for?! When: Running now until Sunday, April 17, 2022. Where: Capitol Theatre, 13 Campbell Street, Haymarket Recommended for: Anyone with a fierce inner queen (who is also a fan of show tunes). DRAG KING BOOZY BRUNCH AND ALL-DAY PARTY AT ELM The Taphouse's rooftop venue recently launched "the nation's first-and-only" drag king bottomless brunch, where guests enjoy brunch-appropriate bites and get a buzz on while being entertained by superb resident drag king, Axl Rod. For Mardi Gras, the party is extending through till the wee small hours, kicking off with brunch, followed by a parade viewing party, and plenty of dance floor debauchery accompanied by DJs and circus performers. Book brunch here. When: Saturday, March 5, 2022 Where: Elm Rooftop Bar, Level 2, 122 Flinders Street, Darlinghurst Recommended for: A pre-parade brunch date fit for a (glam-metal) king and then some. THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA DRAG 'N DINE AT THE IMPERIAL It's giving frill neck lizard couture and Gloria Gaynor disco realness. The Imperial is serving up an all-star cast of drag dynamos for an entire week of Drag 'N Dine shows to celebrate Mardi Gras. And on Friday and Saturday is a special show that pays homage to Priscilla Queen of the Desert with a cast that includes Jojo Zaho, Vonni, Polly Filla, and Art Simone. I will survive (but only if I can see this show). Buy your tickets here. When: March 1 to March 6 Where: The Imperial, 35 Erskineville Road, Erskineville Recommended for: Anthems, iconic lewks and spectacular reads. 'CAMP' RECOVERY LUNCH AT IL PONTILE The Sunday after Parade night can be a bit like the day after Christmas. The trick, therefore, is to have something terrific planned to extend the good times and stave off any glum post-Mardi Gras feelings. Woolloomooloo's impressive Italian newcomer, Il Pontile, is hosting CAMP! — a long lunch with waterfront vistas, signature Italian flavours, bespoke cocktails, surprise guests, some major giveaways and prizes, and more. Tickets are essential and you can purchase them here. When: Sunday, March 6, 2022 from 12pm midday Where: Il Pontile, 6 Cowper Wharf Roadway, Woolloomooloo Recommended for: Chronic FOMO sufferers and post-party gourmands (sunglasses recommended). [caption id="attachment_844521" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image supplied by Heaps Gay[/caption] ABSOLUT X HEAPS GAY PRESENTS THE ROAST Another banger Sunday event that has a focus on food and feelgood vibes. The Roast, curated by queer party pioneers Heaps Gay, features an all-star lineup of queer food, drink, comedy and theatre folk including superstar chef Anna Polyviou in charge of the menu, Mangarai First Nations queen Tyra Bankstown and the Blaq Moles serving face and lewks, and Paul Mac and Johnny Seymour of Stereogamous on the ones and twos. All ticket sales go to supporting ACON, Australia's largest HIV and sexuality and gender diverse health organisation, so you'll be doing good while you have a very good time. When: Sunday, March 6, 2022 Where: The Refectory, University of Sydney (Camperdown campus) Recommended for: Those who want to party hard with heart. [caption id="attachment_844636" align="alignnone" width="1920"] DJ Charlie Villas & Nikita Majajas for The Sunglass Hut[/caption] FREE MAKEUP TOUCH UPS WITH SHADES IN THE CBD Terrible at makeup but want to achieve your favourite Euphoria face for parade day and the myriad parties you've already forgotten you RSVP'd for? The Sunglass Hut flagship store on George Street is providing free makeup touch ups from 11am till 2pm. Glitter, colour, gems — it's all on the menu. To celebrate the unveiling of a limited-edition 'Love is Love' sunglass chain in partnership with Nikita Majajas (of excellently flamboyant jewellery brand Doodad + Fandango), the store is also handing out free scoops of Messina's gayest gelato flavour 'Unicorn' on Friday from 12.30pm-3pm. When: Gelato Messina pop-up on Friday, March 4. Makeup touch ups on Saturday, March 5. Where: The Sunglass Hut, Shop 4-5, Ground Floor, 413 - 421 George Street, Sydney Recommended for: The cosmetically challenged. [caption id="attachment_708098" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image by Ken Leanfore from the 2018 Sissy Ball[/caption] THE SISSY BALL Ok, so we're cheating a bit here. This year's Sissy Ball was postponed to the dismay of many due to the threat of Covid restrictions. But dust off your death drop because Australia's most fabulous celebration of queer ball culture has announced it has been rescheduled for Sunday, April 3, 2022. Mark your diary and buy your tickets before it inevitably sells out. When: Sunday, April 3, 2022 Where: Sydney Town Hall, 483 George Street, Sydney Recommended for: Devotees of the throwdown.
Chocolates, roses, free-flowing drinks, all the gelato you can eat, spending every day at the beach: none of these play a part in animated Prime Video series Undone. But if they all were a standard element of everyone's everyday lives — if we were all blissfully happy all the time, in other words — then stories like this multiverse mind-bender wouldn't exist. Screens big and small keep being filled with alternate realities, and tinkering with time as well, because asking "what if?" is an inherently human way to cope with all of life's disappointments. We dream of what might be if things were different and, when we escape into movies and TV shows, our on-screen fantasies keep dreaming those dreams for us. What if there was another realm where things were better? What if, somewhere else out there, those choices you regret had gone another way? What if you could venture backwards to mend whatever you and your loved ones are struggling with, or forwards to solve the consequences of your misdeeds? What if you could reunite with the people you've lost — or get a do-over on the opportunities you'd missed? These are the questions that Undone ponders, as the likes of Everything Everywhere All At Once, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Rick and Morty, Russian Doll and The Matrix franchise have in their own ways. A particular point of obsession flutters at the heart of all these trains of thought, and all these films and television programs, too: fixing everything that's stopping your existence from being perfect. Returning for its second season three years after its first — which was one of the best shows of 2019 — the gorgeously and thoughtfully trippy Undone is especially fixated on this idea. It always has been from the moment its eight-episode initial season appeared with its vivid rotoscoped animation and entrancing leaps into surreal territory; however, in season two it doubles down. Hailing from BoJack Horseman duo Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg, it also remains unsurprisingly concerned with mental illness, and still sees its protagonist caught in an existential crisis. (The pair have a type, but Undone isn't BoJack Horseman 2.0). Again, it deeply understands that contentment doesn't lead to "what if?" queries. Indeed, learning to cope with being stuck in a flawed life, being unable to wish it away and accepting that fate beams brightly away at the heart of the show. During its debut outing, Undone introduced viewers to 28-year-old Alma Winograd-Diaz (Rosa Salazar, Alita: Battle Angel), who found everything she thought she knew pushed askew after a near-fatal car accident. Suddenly, she started experiencing time and her memories differently — including those of her father, Jacob Winograd (Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul), who died over 20 years earlier. In a vision, he tasked her with investigating his death, which became a quest to patch up the past to stop tragedy from striking. Undone's first season was purposefully and perceptively vague, though. Spectacular to look at, and also inventive, smart, funny and tender, it wasn't keen on offering firm answers about Alma's mission, her mental state and its ending. Rather, it was determined to dive deep but stay ambiguous as it examined the meaning of life, and also slotted in alongside shows such as The Good Place, Forever and Maniac. Undone didn't necessarily need a second season, but this repeat dive into Alma's story is just as exceptional as its first — even with one big change. This time, her actions in the last batch of episodes are given a clearcut answer, and another timeline seems to glimmer with almost everything she's ever wanted. But every family's troubles are multifaceted, with more springing up here to fracture the Winograd-Diazs' seeming idyll. With help from her elder sister Becca (Angelique Cabral, How It Ends), Alma now splashes around in her visibly sorrowful mother Camila Diaz's (Constance Marie, With Love) past, including learning about chapters in Mexico decades back that again disrupt the status quo. If it wasn't evident already, it should be now: while it shares more than a few themes in common with BoJack Horseman, Undone dwells in its own world. Still, in its second season, it has another topic on its mind that Purdy and Bob-Waksberg's last show also surveyed — and fellow multiverse effort Everything Everywhere All At Once as well, plus the recent second season of time-travel comedy Russian Doll. Both Encanto and Turning Red mused on the same concept, too: intergenerational trauma. That some pain is so deep-seated in those bearing it that it passes down alongside genes isn't a new realisation, and wasn't back in the 60s when One Hundred Years of Solitude made it its basis on the page. But reckoning with it more often, as is happening now, is a product of a world that's far more willing to pull apart the sins and scars of the past. Accordingly, Undone joins the parade of pop-culture titles excavating it, spying the marks it leaves from generation to generation, and exploring how to face it. There's more certainty in Undone's second go-around — about what's happening, why, what it means and where it comes from — but that doesn't mean that this devastatingly astute series is done with uncertainty. Using rotoscoping, which involves drawing over filmed footage of its actors (see also: Richard Linklater's Waking Life, A Scanner Darkly and Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood), isn't just a stylistic preference or a way to get the best performances out of the series' phenomenal cast. Able to reflect Alma's ever-changing, always-fragile emotional and mental state in every frame, Undone's dreamlike animation is thoroughly unburdened by reality and all the more expressive for it. Show, don't tell: not that it shies away from talking through what's happening, but that's clearly this soulful, stunning and supremely moving program's motto. Deeply rich and resonant, as intelligent and affecting as sci-fi and animation alike get, and dedicated to thinking and feeling big while confronting everyday truths, Undone is like nothing else that's streaming. And yes, that's still accurate even in these busily multiverse-hopping, existence-contemplating times, where dreaming about alternate lives is as natural as breathing. Check out the trailer for Undone season two below: Undone is available to stream via Prime Video.
For many beer drinkers, opting for a craft creation isn’t just about taste. It’s also about supporting the little guys and choosing microbreweries over multinationals. But the fact that more and more consumers are spending their dollars on local produce is not going unnoticed by big companies. And they’re responding by bringing out beverages that might look, smell and taste like craft beers, but are, in fact, macrobrewed masqueraders. So, a team of US-based entrepreneurs has come up with an app that can tell the difference between beverages from "real craft breweries" and those from "assembly line multinationals". It’s called Craft Check and its motto is "Drink Craft — Not Crafty". Using an iPhone, the user scans the bottle’s barcode or searches by brewery name. The app responds by communicating whether the brewery meets the Brewers Association’s definition of ‘American Craft Brewery’. Thousands of producers are included and records are updated monthly, incorporating new businesses and buy-outs. Findings can be shared via Twitter and Facebook, meaning that friends can be kept in the loop. The only catch for Antipodean drinkers is that ‘Craft Check’ is pretty much only applicable in the US. That’s because most other nations in the world don’t have a definition for ‘craft brewery’. It’s such a subjective term that deciding exactly what it means is pretty tough. Luckily, our team has taken out some of the guess work for you. Via PSFK.
Dozens of independent arts organisations are looking down the barrel of extinction, after being ditched in the latest round of Australia Council funding. The news makes for depressingly familiar headlines, and marks the latest in a series of significant blows to the country's artistic community since the Federal Government cut the independent funding body's budget to the tune of $60 million over four years. Among the 62 previously funded organisations to miss out are the National Association for the Visual Arts, Melbourne's Red Stitch Actor's Theatre and youth-focused Express Media, and Sydney's Force Majeure dance company and PACT Centre for Contemporary Artists. Organisations lucky enough to receive funding, meanwhile, include Queensland's Metro Arts, Multicultural Arts Victoria, and Carriageworks in Sydney. In total $112 million will be invested between 2017 and 2020. The full list of recipients can be found via the Arts Council website. "In a country with an ever growing population we should be receiving ever greater cultural investment and government support," said Arts Party leader PJ Collins. "Instead we have constant and major cuts to our communities and opportunity in developing and recognising our native talent." A number of the affected organisations also spoke out against the cuts. "This is devastating news not just for Next Wave but for all artists and the Australian community," read a statement from the organisers of Melbourne's Next Wave festival (which is on right now). They also pointed out that the decision to drop funding comes even as the festival is being met "with critical and audience acclaim, and record-breaking box office numbers." Likewise, Kath Melbourne of Sydney theatre company Legs on the Wall told ArtsHub that they and many other organisations were the victims of "political decisions [made] behind closed doors." Australia Council CEO Tony Grybowski tried to put a positive spin on the announcement, stating that "while celebrating the success of the companies forming the new cohort, the Council acknowledges that the outcomes of this highly competitive process will be difficult for some companies and is committed to supporting the sector through this period of change. This support will take various forms, responding to the different needs of both individual organisations and practice areas." Via ArtsHub. Image: Next Wave.
The chilly weather has arrived, so that calls for hearty comfort food that can get us through these winter months. Across the city, Sydney's best bars are revamping their menus for the cooler days ahead, bringing you dishes that will heat you up — and also pair well with toasty winter cocktails, warming glasses of red and fiery drams of rum. Since the best seat in the house is usually at the bar, we teamed up with Samsung to find the best bar menus to try in Sydney's CBD this winter. We also brought along the new Galaxy S9 and S9+ with its tip-top low light camera to get some snaps of said bar menus to show you what's in store. BENTLEY Bentley is synonymous with fine-dining in Sydney, with executive chef and owner Brent Savage turning out an ultra-refined menu in his cubist-painting-esque O'Connell Street digs. But the extensive (and pricey) tasting menu isn't the only way to dine here — our favourite seat in the house is at the bar. It's a regular haunt for the CBD after-work crowd and is one of the best spots for a solo drink and nibbles in the city (and a snap of said nibbles to invoke some great food envy via your story). Bentley's winter bar menu spans from casual to high-end, with the likes of house-made rye served with black sesame butter, hand-cut chips with aioli and glazed wagyu beef buns sat with Western Australia's Angasi oysters with finger lime, slow-cooked beef tongue with fermented saltbush and even premium $240 Italian caviar with accompaniments. Pair your eats with a glass (or two) of wine from Bentley's extensive wine list featuring over 1000 drops on offer and a focus on organic and biodynamic vineyards. SMOKE It's tricky to look past a bar menu created by a chef who cut his teeth at Copenhagen's Noma, and the elegant small bites at Smoke nod to pared-back Nordic fare with an Aussie twist. Roo dog or barramundi sliders, anyone? The sea urchin and orange jam toastie is the signature dish you need to try at least once, that is if you can pass up the ham and cheese doughnuts. If you're not too hungry, we wholeheartedly condone the spiced macadamias or house salt and vinegar crisps. Smoke, as the name would suggest, has tipples to warm the cockles of your heart on cooler evenings, like the Smokey Martini, Autumn Spritz and Seasonal G&T with a splash of apricot liqueur. And if steaming food is your aim, perhaps the prawn melts are a goer, or just give in to your true self and order the baked brie with truffle. We won't judge. DUKE OF CLARENCE Hidden down the laneway courtyard that also houses The Baxter Inn and The Barber Shop, the Duke of Clarence is an impressive newcomer to the Sydney drinking scene. The 1800s-style British tavern comes straight out of England, with nearly the entire interior shipped over from pubs and churches in the UK. Since the British know a thing or two about cold, dreary weather, you can't go wrong with their menu of English bar snacks. Think wood-fired bone marrow (our personal favourite of the bunch) or potted crab served alongside soda bread, along with your requisite scotch egg with spicy english mustard and signature ploughman's plate. With over 500 spirits on offer, including an extensive whisky and gin selection, the focus is definitely on the hard booze here. If you're more into cocktails, try the Custard Ale Flip, a wintry concoction of cask ale, Talisker whisky and marmalade custard, spiced with brown sugar syrup and allspice. KITTYHAWK Kittyhawk is a throwback to 1944 and the Liberation of Paris, so it basically feels like you're in a time capsule at an endless party in the French capital. Behind the long oak bar, you'll find wartime posters and memorabilia, plus over 900 spirits that help make some of the best in Sydney. For eats, the bar menu of Parisian brasserie food is available all day and night and includes steak tartare, chickpea pancakes with horseradish creme fraiche and a very special steak frites — made with grass-fed flat iron steak and red wine jus. It's also got a late-night menu served from 11.30pm onward, which is an ideal choice for those looking for a legit after-hours meal. It includes bar menu items like charcuterie platters, baked camembert with truffle and quince paste; shucked-to-order Sydney rock oysters; and even rose water creme brûleé for dessert. To drink, check out the specialty rum and rye menu (with your choice of the two liquors mixed with bitters and orange zest) or the flaming Old Grogram cocktail with spiced rum, stout vermouth, fresh lemon and cinnamon garnish. Head in on Thursdays or Saturdays from 8pm for jazz night. RESTAURANT HUBERT Restaurant Hubert's subtle wooden door intrigues from Bligh Street and transports you straight to Paris as you descend the winding staircase into the old-world opulence of a genuine French bistro. It's exactly where you want to be on a cold winter's night, and Hubert offers one of the city's best aperitivo hours, too. Its daily aperitif hour runs from 4–6pm and serves up heaps of affordable and hearty dishes and drinks — including $5 G&Ts, $10 negronis, $5 glasses of riesling, $3 deviled eggs, $5 chicken liver parfait and $10 burgers. This winter, the bar menu also includes French staples with a twist, like duck liver mousse with maple syrup jelly, roasted snails in XO sauce and fried gruyère with dijon mustard, plus heavier plates like steak frites and wagyu tartare. Don't be surprised if you forget that you're in Sydney altogether — your photos will certainly say otherwise. Camera tip: if you want to take some snaps of your dimly-lit surroundings, a longer exposure will help capture the light and create a dynamic motion effect. Adjust your settings by swiping your S9 into Pro Mode. Lower the ISO, increase the shutter speed and keep very still as you take your shot. Instead of spending your winter nights on the couch, discover all the after-dark happenings in your city here — and don't forget to document it all on the new Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+, designed especially for low light so you can capture your best moments no matter what. Images: Cole Bennetts.
For four decades, Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami explored his homeland — and sometimes the world as well — through a deeply thoughtful, probing and humanist lens. His features don't simply peer on at people and the places they call home; the late, great director's films truly see both his characters and the spaces they inhabit. And when he passed away in 2016, he left cinema with an exquisite body of work. This year, Sydney Film Festival and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image are teaming up to pay tribute to the inimitable auteur, in the sixth of their collaborations to-date. Thanks to a retrospective season called The Long & Winding Road: The Films of Abbas Kiarostami, the two organisations will screen eight of Kiarostami's features and three of his shorts — and gems abound across the lineup. In Sydney, the program will play during SFF — so, between Wednesday, August 18–Sunday, August 29 at a variety of Sydney cinemas — and spans early works, award-winners and seminal Iranian features all-round. Among the highlights: Kiarostami's debut The Traveler, about a boy who desperately wants to attend a soccer match; Close-Up, which blends fiction and documentary; Ten, his snapshot of the lives of contemporary Iranian women; and Taste of Cherry, the first Iranian film to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
Kickass fish and chips will no longer be out of reach for inner city dwellers. North Bondi's celebrated fish and chippery, Bondi's Best, is set to join the Barangaroo lineup. One of North Bondi's local gems, a beloved alternative to the half-hearted seafood takeaway joints of Campbell Parade, Bondi's Best is close to locking in a contract with the CBD waterfront development, according to Good Food. BB will join already confirmed Barangaresident Matt Moran, amongst the epic food and drink precinct planned for the area. Barangaroo marks the third chapter for Bondi's Best, after owner-chef Joel Best opened a second eatery on Bondi foodie strip Hall Street. Snuggled beside Maurice Terzini's Da Orazio Pizza + Porchetta, A Tavola and China Diner, Bondi's Best opened its TomMarkHenry-designed doors just one month ago to lazy, lazy cheers from the South Bondi community. While the Barangaroo/BB residency has not been signed on the dotted line, we can expect confirmation pretty soon. We're predicting the menu will stem from the existing Bondi's Best slam dunks — nothing about beer battered hoki and chips with tartare needs improving. Via Good Food.
Perched on Brisbane's inner-city outskirts for the past 141 years, the XXXX Brewery has become a bona fide landmark. It's the source of much of the beer drunk across town, a place to sip plenty of pints after seeing where the brewing magic happens, and — noticeably — the reason that the suburb of Milton often smells like yeast. This November, it'll also become Brissie's newest music venue, with the iconic spot hosting a festival with bands and brews for the first time ever. Knocking back cold ones while you're catching live tunes may be an everyday gig experience; however, usually when you're enjoying this combo, you're not hanging out in a huge brewery. XXXX Presents: Live at the Brewery will change that when it takes over the site from 2–9pm on Saturday, November 16. Not only is it the XXXX Brewery's first event of this kind — it's the first time it has opened its gates to the public, other than for tours or to patrons at the onsite Alehouse, for 26 years. While the music lineup won't be revealed until mid-September, Brisbanites can look forward to five local and interstate artists, who'll all perform at the base of the brewery's towering, logo-adorned silos. The folks at Jet Black Cat Music have been charged with picking the bill, building on their past work at the End Of The Line Festival and drawing upon the curatorial skills evident in their West End record store. As well as bands, XXXX Presents: Live at the Brewery will have food stalls, a post-fest shindig at the Alehouse and plenty of limited-edition merchandise — should you need a souvenir from your day spent drinking and partying at the home of the Milton Mango. And, while the festival is a once-off affair, attendees will get two chances to wander around the XXXX site, with each ticket also including a free return visit before June 30, 2020 for a brewery tour. XXXX Presents: Live at the Brewery takes place from 2–9pm on Saturday, November 16 at the XXXX Brewery, 185 Milton Road, Milton. Pre-sale tickets will be available from 9am on Monday, September 16 — sign up here for further details. We'll let you know when the lineup drops in mid-September.
State-versus-state and city-against-city rivalries are all part of life in Australia, but New South Wales has been lagging behind many of its counterparts when it comes to banning single-use plastics. When winter arrives in 2022, however, it'll finally kick off with the long-awaited ditching of lightweight single-use plastic bags — and then add more disposable items to the banned list before the year is out. First, the change to doing your shopping. Back in 2020, the NSW Government finally announced that it would scrap single-use plastic bags, becoming the last Australian state or territory to do so. In 2021, it revealed that it'd put that ban in place sometime in 2022 — and the date it actually happens, Wednesday, June 1, is now fast approaching. Only lightweight single-use plastic bags will get the heave-ho on that day, covering anything with handles that's 35 microns or less in thickness at any part of the bag. The ban also applies to lightweight bags made from biodegradable, compostable and bio-plastics, including any made from Australian-certified compostable plastic. That said, it won't cover bin liners, which are considered 'barrier bags'; bags for human or animal waste, which fall into the same category; bags for fresh produce and deli items; and bags used to contain medical items (other than bags given to customers by retailers to take stuff home with them). Next, come Tuesday, November 1, single-use plastic straws, cutlery and stirrers will no longer be part of NSW residents' lives. Neither will single-use plastic bowls and plates, expanded polystyrene items that are used in food service, single-use plastic cotton buds or products containing microbeads. That covers single-use plastic forks, spoons, knives, sporks, splayds, chopsticks and food picks as well, and expanded polystyrene clamshells, cups, plates and bowls. And, it applies to anything with microbeads such as face and body cleansers, exfoliants, masks, shampoo, conditioner, hair dyes and toothpaste. Again, this ban covers items made from biodegradable, compostable or bio-plastic as well, and from Australian-certified compostable plastic. With straws, though, there will be exemptions for people with a disability or who have a medical need. As advised back in 2021 when 2022 was locked in for the bans to start, NSW is aiming to reduce the total amount of waste generated per person by 10 percent by 2030, reduce litter by 60 percent by the same time, and triple the rate of plastic recycling by then, too. Similar laws regarding single-use plastics have already come into effect in South Australia and Queensland — and Victoria has set a 2023 target date. As a nation, Australia is set to phase out a heap of single-use plastic items by 2025 as well. And, that's on top of smaller-scale initiatives, not only including bag bans and container schemes, but the phasing out of single-use plastics in various guises at the company level, with Coles, McDonald's, IKEA, Coca-Cola Amatil and Qantas among those making steps in the plastic-free direction. New South Wales' single-use plastics ban will start kicking in on Wednesday, June 1. You can find out more via the NSW Government website.
Ten venues in Wollongong and surrounding areas, as well as one cafe in southeast Sydney, have been named as potential COVID-19 transmission sites by NSW Health after a returned overseas traveller tested positive to COVID-19 two days after leaving hotel quarantine. The returned traveller tested positive on day 16 of their return to Australia after testing negative twice during their 14-day hotel quarantine. They did not present any symptoms, but were tested again as part of a new precautionary day-16 testing measure introduced by the NSW Government. The test results indicate the person has a low level of infection and their household contacts have all returned negative results, Those who attended Headlands Hotel in Austinmer between 1–3pm on Tuesday, February 2 or Bulli Beach Cafe between 1.30–4pm on Saturday, February 6 are required to get tested and self-isolate until provided with further advice from NSW Health. Visitors to Mootch & Me in Brighton Le Sands between 10.54am–12pm on Tuesday, February 2, the Optus store in North Wollongong between 1–1.15pm on Thursday, February 4 or Officeworks in Fairy Meadow between 3.45–4.05pm on Thursday, February 4 or 2.10–3pm on Friday, February 5 are required to get tested immediately and self-isolate until they receive a negative test result. https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1358362726481817601 Six other venues have been listed as potential venues of concern, with those who visited Bulli Woolworths, Corrimal Memorial Park, Thirroul Beach, Sublime Point Walking Track, Fedora Pasta Factory or Figtree Grove Shopping Centre being asked to closely monitor for symptoms. NSW Health will continue to update the full list of venues that you can find online if more possible exposure sites are revealed. Anyone in NSW that presents symptoms including coughs, fever, sore or scratchy throat, shortness of breath, or loss of smell or taste is urged to get tested and self-isolate until a negative test result is returned. You can find a rundown of testing clinic locations online as well. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website. Top image: Bulli Beach Cafe via Google Maps.
Remember the good old days when you'd meet up with your mate for a beer at the pub, grab a late-night feed and dance till dawn all in one night? Yeah, us too. But just because we can't go out right now and enjoy our city's best restaurants and bars doesn't mean you have to live life in the slow lane. You can still bring the good times to your living room. Want to take your cooking game to the next level? Now's the time to get creative in the kitchen — with some expert guidance, of course. Or you could order a DIY meal kit from your favourite dining spot so you can just worry about all the fun times to be had. Because, when you're at home, you make the rules. If you don't know where to start when it comes to customising your best night in, we've got you covered. We've partnered with Miller Design Lab to celebrate creativity and self-expression when it comes to dining (and drinking) at home. Miller Design Lab is a space built by Australia's leading minds in design, art, technology, fashion and, of course, culinary geniuses. Together, we're celebrating our nightlife and its impact on culture by bringing exceptional experiences to you — like turning your crib into a fine dining restaurant. So, pop on your apron, grab a cold one from the fridge and look no further. [caption id="attachment_505797" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Dinosaur Designs[/caption] START WITH THE ESSENTIALS First up, having the right tools is non-negotiable. Sure, you may have the skills, but you can't create the Sistine Chapel without any paint — and same goes in the kitchen. If you're looking to become a whiz with a wok or perfect the art of baking, you best invest in some good cooking utensils. That said, we're assuming you can cook an egg and peel a potato, so we'll rush through a list of staples: pots, pans, spatula, chopping board, a strainer, vegetable peeler, can opener, cutlery and a wooden spoon. You get the idea. And, unless you plan on turning everything into soup, you'll need a good set of knives. According to Momofuku master David Chang, you only really need three knives: a paring knife, a serrated bread knife and a chef's knife. The first two can be bought pretty cheaply, but you'll want to fork out a bit more on the chef's knife. And as tempting as it may be after MasterChef, don't even think about buying an ice cream machine until you have the basics. Now, the fun stuff. You'll need some nice-looking plates and glassware to take your feast to the next level. There are a bunch of local ceramicists and designers making stunning tableware, including Mud, Studio Enti, Dinosaur Designs and Maison Balzac's colourful goblets and fun champagne flutes, plus independent potters such as Milly Dent, Sarah Schembri and Hayden Youlley. [caption id="attachment_724464" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dan Hong by Nikki To[/caption] SHARPEN UP YOUR SKILLS WITH A TOP CHEF No matter if you're a kitchen novice or know your way around a Le Creuset, we can all learn some tips and tricks from some of the world's most creative chefs. Massimo Bottura is currently hosting nightly cooking tutorials. While the Michelin-starred chef behind Italy's famed Osteria Francescana is in lockdown, he's teaching you the joys of Italian cooking for free with his Kitchen Quarantine lessons. Designed to help spread feelings of connectivity, curb boredom and teach a few new tricks at a time when an increasing chunk of the world's population is in lockdown, self-isolation or self-distancing, these cooking tutorials go beyond textbook cooking. And of course, with Bottura's famously cheery personality, the guy's just a total joy to watch. Because Italian cuisine is the ultimate at-home comfort food, you should learn how to make pasta from a well-seasoned cook: nonna. Actually two nonnas, Nonna Nerina and Nonna Giuseppa. For a lesson on Australian home cooking, turn to Aussie legend and culinary icon Maggie Beer, who is also live streaming every day. Dubbed Cooking with Maggie, the free series of videos show you how to make an easy rustic-style dish in under 20 minutes — from eggplant and eggs to a caramelised onion and persian feta side dish. Another Aussie chef dishing up the goods is Dan Hong (Mr Wong, Ms G's, Queen Chow) via his Instagram. Tune in and you'll learn how to make his famed cheeseburger spring rolls, salt and pepper squid and slow-roasted short rib. For any other kitchen-related (and entertaining) content, check out these eight tasty food podcasts. [caption id="attachment_718506" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Southside Charmers by Kitti Gould[/caption] TRACK DOWN THE BEST (FREE) RECIPES Now that you've learnt from some of the best, you'll want to pick a recipe to tackle on your own. After all, it's time for you to add your own flavour. But before you attempt the best gnocchi ever made or bake even more sourdough, you'll want to do your research. Luckily, you don't have to look too far to find recipes. But, not all are created equal — so, it's about where to look. US-based Bon Appétit — as the name suggests — is a go-to for any culinary query, including a bunch of lip-smacking recipes. Feel like a lobster roll for dinner? No problem, it's got it here. Craving a mean steak? It's got a whole dedicated section. New York Times Cooking also has thousands of the best recipes from the global newspaper. You'll find food editor Sam Sifton's suggestions — from earl grey madeleines to a weeknight fried rice and trini chana and aloo (chickpea and potato curry) — plus a heap of pantry, slow cooker, easy-to-bake and essential Indian recipes. Basically, whatever you've got a hankering for, chances are it's got it. For something more local, podcast Highly Enthused often has a round-up of good recipes. You can listen to it here. [caption id="attachment_751198" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Quattro Deli by Trent van der Jagt[/caption] GET THOSE HARD-TO-FIND INGREDIENTS You're spicing things up, which means you'll probably have some things on your grocery list that you won't find at Woolies or Coles. From artisanal cheeses to Lao Gan Ma chilli sauce and rare spices, such ingredients require you to know where to track them down. At the moment, Sydneysiders can head to Two Providores's Marrickville warehouse every Saturday to pick up everything from top-notch oils to bacon jam, New York-style rare roast beef and hard-to-find flours. For fresh seasonal produce, it's hard to go past Glebe mainstay Galluzzo Fruiterers, which is currently delivering to locals every Monday–Friday. Quattro Deli in Chatswood is dedicated to sourcing the best local and imported specialty items — think Italian gorgonzola, buffalo mozzarella, mortadella, olives, spreads and even vino — and is delivering deli-to-door at the moment. And for all things cheese, Penny's Cheese Shop and Paesanella Food Emporium are great go-tos. For Asian groceries, your best bets are Boon Cafe at Jarern Chai Grocer and Thai Kee IGA Supermarket. For those in Melbourne, a good one-stop-spot is South Melbourne Market, which has launched a drive-thru pick up point. Vegans will find pretty much everything imaginable in Shannon Martinez's and Mo Wyse's spin-off vegan New York-style delicatessen, Smith & Deli. You can place orders for pick up or delivery via Mr Yum. For charcuterie, Obelix & Co has got you pretty well covered and is offering local delivery and if you're after some fancy fromage to go with it, hit up Milk the Cow, which is delivering also. Asian grocers such as TANG, Hometown Asian Supermarket and Minh Phat are all open and well-stocked, too. In Brisbane, Hong Lan Asian Food & Seafoods is one of the best Asian grocers in town. Rosalie Gourmet Market is an institution for a reason — it's packed with everything from oils to pastries, chocolates and fresh flowers. Black Pearl Epicure has your cheese needs sorted with over 300 types and for Italian goods, head to Amici Deli in Chermside. Plus, a bunch of restaurants in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne have turned into mini grocers, many supplying the goods usually saved for industrial kitchens. If you can't leave the house right now, Simon Johnson is delivering across Sydney and Melbourne, too. ORDER IN — AND SKIP STRAIGHT TO THE GOOD TIMES In Sydney, you're spoiled for choice when it comes to DIY meal packs. Ragazzi — the CBD's new pasta bar by the Love, Tilly Devine crew — has ready-to-cook pasta and wine packs (serves two), which are available for pick or delivery within five kilometres of the restaurant. Chippendale's fine diner Ester has weekly takeaway packs, offering a range of ready-to-eat and almost ready meals — with the likes of steamed blood sausage buns, shallot and sichuan pepper tart tartin and leftover sourdough ice cream on the menu. You can pick it up from the restaurant every Saturday between 3–5pm. Mr Wong's, Bert's and Fred's also have packs available for delivery across Sydney metro. Melburnians can order restaurant-quality oysters straight to their door thanks to supplier Mimosa Rock Oysters. They come live though, so you'll have to know (or learn) how to shuck. If you can venture out of the house, you'll find a raft of 'heat and eat' food packages available at Neptune Food & Wine. And while not exactly DIY, Attica — one of the top restaurants in the country — is now offering takeaway and has opened a pop-up bakeshop. If you're in the mood for a big warming bowl of noodles and live in Brisbane, Taro's has DIY ramen packs to go. It even has a how-to video if you need. King Street's French fine diner, Montrachet, is offering a selection of semi-prepared dishes in takeaway packs that can be collected from its Bowen Hills digs (orders must be made before 7pm for collection the next day). Plus, The Balfour Kitchen has a stack of ready-made meals like a Burmese pork curry, spaghetti with Korean bolognese, prawn and ginger wontons and thrice-cooked duck fat potatoes. For dessert, a bunch of spots across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are slinging some top-notch cookie dough for those of us who aren't the next Betty Crocker. To see where you can pick some up, head here. For more ways to celebrate your city's nightlife and recreate its energy in your own space, head this way.
If you like your art digital, interactive and immersive, you should make tracks to the Heide Museum of Modern Art, where Terminus: Jess Johnson and Simon Ward is now on display. Open till March 1, 2020, the virtual reality exhibition is a collaboration between New York-based visual artist Jess Johnson and Wellington animator Simon Ward. Johnson's hypnotic drawings have been transformed into five interactive virtual reality works, which make up five distinct realms filled with "alien architecture, humanoid clones and cryptic symbols". Visitors are invited to explore the artworks through a 30-minute 'quest', venturing between the realms. The choose-your-own adventure exhibition includes journeys into the Fleshold Crossing, Known Unknown and Scumm Engine. Plus, there's a towering piece titled Gog & Magog and the psychedelic Tumblewych. Johnson's drawings and textile works will also be on display alongside Terminus — including quilts made with her mother and garments from her 2016 collaboration with Australian fashion brand Romance Was Born. A public program of artist talks and workshops will accompany the exhibition as well. Events include a virtual reality cinema workshop on February 1 — during which participants will create a VR short — a virtual reality symposium on February 8 and a free screening of the cult 1986 film Labyrinth on February 15. Terminus will go on to tour nationally, too. So, if you're not based in Melbourne, keep an eye out for when it'll head to your city. Image: Installation view, Terminus: Jess Johnson and Simon Ward, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne. Photograph: Christian Capurro
The National Cabinet was set to meet and decide on how to relax some of Australia's social distancing and public gatherings restrictions on Monday, May 11 — inline with the end of Victoria's second four-week state of emergency — but Prime Minister Scott Morrison decided today, Friday, May 1, to bring this date forward to next week. "Decisions on relaxing restrictions will be made next Friday [May 8]", the Prime Minister said. "Australians have earned an early mark for the work they have done." Some states have started to ease minor restrictions — such as allowing two-person house visits in NSW and more outdoor recreational activities in Queensland — but next Friday's announcement could see some larger decisions made on the federally mandated public-gathering and social-distancing rules. The Northern Territory, which has had a total of 28 cases, has already outlined its own roadmap to the "new normal", with the reopening of restaurants, bars and cafes set to take place on Friday, May 15. The Prime Minister would not comment on exactly what restrictions could be wound back, but that "room density measures" — such as the previous one person per four-square-metre rule for indoor venues — and requirements to remain 1.5 metres apart will not be lifted. This could impact if it's financially viable for restaurants, bars and cafes to reopen, even if they are allowed to. Before any restrictions are lifted, though, the Prime Minister said that more people need to download the government's contact-tracing app COVIDSafe. He said that while 11 of the 15 previously outlined conditions under which restrictions could be eased had been met, the final piece in the jigsaw puzzle of contact tracing was not in place. "There are currently over 3.5 million downloads and registrations of the COVIDSafe app, but there needs to be millions more," the Prime Minister said. He reiterated that if Australians want to go to the pub, they have to download the app. For now, the current COVID-19 restrictions will remain in place for at least the next four weeks. And fines are still in place for disobeying these in NSW, Vic and Queensland. 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. Top image: Kimberley Low
It's only been three short years since the world first discovered Paul Mescal courtesy of early-pandemic obsession Normal People, and what a three years they've been. Focusing solely on the Irish actor's on-screen work and related achievements, he's also popped up in The Lost Daughter, been nominated for an Oscar for Aftersun and famously spent time making a movie in Australia — and that flick, Carmen, has just dropped its first trailer. Remember all those Mescal sightings Down Under in early 2021? The whole the country does, and this film is why they happened. The movie turns the classic opera of the same name into a screen musical, and features the internet's boyfriend as Aidan, a marine with PTSD, opposite In the Heights and Scream star Melissa Barrera in the titular role. This clearly isn't a standard adaptation of the opera by Georges Bizet that first hit stages back in 1875, as based on the 1845 novella by Prosper Mérimée that's also called Carmen. Here, in what's been dubbed "a gritty modern-day tale", Carmen flees her home in the Mexican desert after her mother is murdered, then makes an illegal border crossing into America. Once in the US, she's troubled by more killings courtesy of a ruthless border guard — which doesn't go down well with his patrol partner, the aforementioned Aiden. So starts Carmen and Aiden's journey together, also escaping to look for her mother's best friend (iconic Spanish actor Rossy De Palma, Parallel Mothers). This take on Carmen also features standoffs, a nightclub as a sanctuary, a police hunt and finding solace in romance, with Benjamin Millepied making his directorial debut behind the lens. Best known as a dancer and choreographer, he was behind the ballet scenes in Black Swan — and also popped up on-screen as David. Millepied's first stint as a helmer will hit US cinemas in April, with a release date in Australia and New Zealand yet to be revealed. Seeing it turn up on the midyear film festival circuit, hitting the Sydney Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival and New Zealand International Film Festival, wouldn't be surprising. Adding to the project's big names is Nicholas Britell, who is responsible for Carmen's original score and songs, after also composing Succession's earworm of a theme. Check out the trailer for Carmen below: Carmen doesn't yet have a release date Down Under — we'll update you when one is announced.
A new Parisian-style bistro is the latest restaurant to join the regenerating Potts Point dining scene. While the inner city suburb has been plagued by some big-name closures over the past couple of years, a spate of openings have occurred in the last few months. The Monopole team opened a pizza joint. Morgan McGlone moved in with some charcoal chicken. And chef Ben Sears brought a touch of Tel Aviv to the area. Now, three of Sydney's most-acclaimed young chefs and sommeliers are opening the doors to Bistro 916: a neo-bistro with lobster frites and bottles of chablis. Heading up the new bistro is renowned chef Dan Pepperell who has previously flexed his French culinary skills at Restaurant Hubert, and plated up inventive Italian fare at Alberto Lounge, 10 William Street and Frankie's. Joining Pepperell at the helm is Hubert and Alberto collaborator sommelier Andy Tyson, as well as Rockpool Dining Group chef Michael Clift. Bistro 916 is set to open on Challis Avenue, in the former location of Merivale's Lotus pop-up. The Dan Hong-led revival of the former Potts Point favourite had its last service in December 2020 before the building was transformed into Bistrot 916. [caption id="attachment_746694" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lotus[/caption] Pepperell and Clift have created a seafood-heavy menu that offers up new takes on bistro classics. You can expect oysters, steak au poivre, boudin noir spring rolls and handmade pasta with garlic and snails. Accompanying the food will be a wine list featuring a selection of some the most exciting French and Australian wine producers, including plenty of drops from Burgundy, Champagne and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. "I never get tired of making wine lists," sommelier Tyson said in a statement. "In the sense that there are always new producers doing exciting stuff. Wines are just getting better and better." Reservations for Bistrot 916 are open for dinner Friday, February 5 onwards. The bistro is open for dinner seven days a week and lunch Friday–Sunday from February 12. Find Bistrot 916 at 22 Challis Avenue, Potts Point from Friday, February 5. Top image: Michael Clift, Dan Pepperell and Andy Tyson by Jason Loucas
Twelve years after RuPaul's Drag Race first sashayed its way onto US television, viewers Down Under have finally been gifted a local version. Currently streaming via Stan, RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under is exactly what it sounds like — the hit series, still hosted by RuPaul, but featuring Australian and New Zealand drag queens. And, if you'd like to see more of this year's competitors, you'll be able to head along to the program's new live stage show. All ten of this year's drag queens will be hitting up Sydney's Hordern Pavilion, Melbourne's Palais Theatre, Perth's Crown Theatre, Brisbane's QPAC and Canberra's Canberra Theatre as part of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under Live on Stage. It too is rather self-explanatory, and it'll obviously have quite the cast when it hits the road this September. If you've been watching the TV series, you'll already know which contenders have been strutting their stuff for drag supremacy. The lineup spans seven Australians and three New Zealanders, including Art Simone from Geelong, Melbourne's Karen from Finance, and Sydney's Coco Jumbo, Etecetera Etcetera and Maxi Shield. Newcastle's Jojo Zaho and Perth's Scarlet Adams round out the Aussie queens, while Auckland's Kita Mean, Anita Wigl'it and Elektra Shock comprise the NZ contingent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdcgf5I6Qb8&feature=youtu.be RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE DOWN UNDER LIVE ON STAGE TOUR DATES: Saturday, September 18 — Hordern Pavilion, Sydney Tuesday, September 21 — QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane Thursday, September 23 — Crown Theatre, Perth Saturday, September 25 — The Palais, Melbourne Tuesday, September 28 — Canberra Theatre, Canberra RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under Live on Stage will tour Australia from September 18–28. For further details — and to buy pre-sale tickets from 12pm on Friday, May 21 and general tickets from 12pm on Monday, May 24 — head to the Live Nation website.
We hate to jump on the bandwagon of retailers telling you to get onto your Christmas shopping early this year, but sometimes we all need a little push and one retailer knows just the thing. Gift problem solvers since 2005, Etsy are stepping into the real world to host a weekly Christmas market. Thankfully, you (and that impossible-to-buy-for family member/partner/friend) are invited. If you're a regular Etsy trawler, you'll know that the rapidly growing host of online boutiques is home to many a talented designer and craft maker. Now, 53 of those excellent jewellers, artists, artisans, fashion and homewares designers are setting up shop Friday night at The Rocks Village Bizarre for seven weeks right up until Christmas. In fact, The Rocks will be jam packed with goodies this month. Drop in for a cheeky performance or party while you're there. The Etsy Christmas Pop-up Market will be up and running every Friday night from November 7-December 19 from 6.30-10pm.
Calling all building enthusiasts, constructionophiles and design devotees — the seventh annual Sydney Architecture Festival is set to erect itself in the Harbour City from November 1 through to November 10. The ten days of celebration will be curated around the theme 'Your City, Your Community', allowing Sydney residents and festivalgoers to "actively engage and interact with their local architecture and built environment," says NSW Architects Registrations Board registrar Kate Doyle. Launching this engagement on Friday, November 1, is an outdoor party hosted in and around Temperance Lane's hidden watering hole Grasshopper celebrating Sydney's burgeoning laneway culture, where a specially commissioned light installation designed by Steensen Varming will be unveiled outside the bar. Other program highlights include the continuation of 2012 festival initiative Super Sydney, which invites Sydneysiders to submit ideas for places that could transform their community's identity. The 40 most original and thought-provoking entries will be displayed as a digital exhibition symposium at Sydney's most iconic building the Sydney Opera House on November 9 as part of the building's 40th anniversary. Art will also play its part throughout the festival. The Powerhouse Museum will host a Beaux Arts Ball on November 7, a Parisian neo-classical architecture inspired ball featuring food, drinks and live entertainment. The Museum of Contemporary Art will also host the annual Lloyd Rees Memorial Lecture and a re-enactment of the 1976 artwork Man with Mirror (by Guy Sherwin) as (Wo)man with Mirror. The ever-popular Rocks Pop Up Space will host the Expanded Architecture artworks exhibition and Michael Holt will be presenting an experimental play outside the traditional theatre space, as the audience follows the action on foot. The festival will also branch out of the city with a hub at Parramatta hosting talks, tours and exhibitions on Saturday November 2. The popular Archkids event also returns this year for its Parramatta debut, offering children the chance to reimagine their city 37 years in the future. There will also be plenty of chance to explore Sydney's construction highlights, with a host of architectural tours populating the program. You can visit and learn about Sydney's CBD, Cockatoo Island, Granville and Neutral Bay. There are plenty more events and you can find out more information and a full listing at www.sydneyarchitecturefestival.org. So get out and explore the beautiful building work in Sydney. Image: The Generator, raumlaborberlin, 2010, part of the User Generated Architecture exhibition at Tin Sheds Gallery.
When Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art's (MONA) hosts an arts and music festival, it doesn't just compile a standard lineup of shows and events. It curates talents that will hit other bills in other cities, of course, but it also hunts down the kind of gigs and experiences that you generally won't see elsewhere. Take 2023's just-dropped Mona Foma program as a prime example. It was already packed with Pavement, Bon Iver, Bikini Kill, Angel Olsen and Peaches (and Perturbator, The Chills and Kae Tempest), as announced back in October, but now it includes a tunnel of light, 'Complaints Choir' and punk bunker — because of course it does. MONA's summer fest — aka its sunny alternative to its sinister winter arts and culture festival Dark Mofo — will return in February 2023 in a big way. How big? With 370 artists across two weekends. The dates to get excited about: Friday, February 17–Sunday, February 19, 2023 in Launceston, and Friday, February 24–Sunday, February 26, 2023 in Hobart. Now, here's what you'll be seeing. [caption id="attachment_875442" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Debi Del Grande[/caption] Launceston's weekend-long Mona Foma stint will feature a free three-day party at a new hub in the city's decommissioned old TAFE called the reUNIÓN district, which is where those unusual vocals — singing local Launceston grievances — will echo. It's also where there'll be queer woodchopping in the quad, Soccer Mommy taking to the stage and that punk bunker featuring, yes, punk tunes played loud a bunker. Also on the list in Launceston, where Mona Foma has been hitting up since 2019: underwater electronica by Leon Vynehall in the Basin Pool; dance work Body Body Commodity from Jenni Large; James Webb's Prayer, where you will indeed need to kneel while listening to recordings of prayer, song and vocal worship; and Van Diemen's Band and Ensemble Kaboul teaming up for Afghanistan-meets-baroque music. [caption id="attachment_880157" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Prayer, 2012, James Webb. Photo credit: Anthea Pokroy. Image courtesy of the artist and Mona Foma.[/caption] Plus, there's a Fantastic Futures exhibition, a late-night book club overseen by 'sonic librarians', Kenneth Tam's Breakfast in Bed theatre experiment — featuring seven guys he found on Craigslist — and the delightfully named Anthem Anthem Revolution, where you're asked to beat a robot at a game of table tennis. A certain highlight is Hyperbolic Psychedelic Mind Melting Tunnel of Light, with Robin Fox letting attendees take over the light, sound and motion controls one person at a time. Also set to stun is CHANT, with Tasmanian women's sporting clubs performing historic and contemporary feminist protest chants; Lost in Place, a pairing of electro-ambient psychedelic jazz with live dance; Arnhem Land documentary Christmas Birrimbirr; and Martina Hoogland Ivanow's film Interbeing, which only used thermal cameras to shoot human interactions and capture the heat behind them. [caption id="attachment_880156" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Christmas Birrimbirr, (Christmas Spirit), (video still), 2011, Miyarrka Media. Image courtesy of the artist and Mona Foma.[/caption] MONA's summer event was initially held in Hobart, as seasoned fans will remember, and the fest hasn't forgotten its OG home. If that's where you're getting your Mona Foma fix in 2023, you have a stacked lineup in store as well. Many of the fest's big-name acts are playing there — Bon Iver, Bikini Kill, Peaches and Pavement all included — and the MONA lawns will also host a show featuring songwriters from the Pilbara town of Roebourne singing for freedom on the 40th-anniversary year of John Pat's passing in custody, as guided by Ngarluma and Yinjibarndi Elders. Also, Amber McCartney and Tasdance's dance performance Baby Girl will enjoy its world premiere, Nico Muhly takes over the fest as an artist in residence, and the Theatre Royal's program includes IHOS Amsterdam's time travel-inspired PRIMORDIAL For Piano and Diverse Media and film noir opera A Deep Black Sleep. [caption id="attachment_880154" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Climate Notes, Anna McMichael and Louise Devenish. Photo credit: Lucian Fuhler. Image courtesy of the artist and Mona Foma.[/caption] Or, see Climate Notes in Rosny Park, playing five new works for violin and percussion that all take inspiration from scientists' handwritten letters about global warming — and explore Tomas' Garden by Cici (Xiyue) Zhang, where monsters and spirits will feature in an immersive magical landscape. The list goes on, complete with Morning Meditations in both cities — and Chloe Kim doing 100 hours of public drumming over ten days. [caption id="attachment_784488" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Robin Fox laser installation at the Albert Hall, Launceston, Mona Foma 2019. Photo Credit: MONA/Jesse Hunniford. Image courtesy of the artist and MONA Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.[/caption] Already keen to get booking? Fancy a Tasmania trip in the interim? Our Concrete Playground Trips Hobart getaway might also be of interest. Mona Foma will take place from Friday, February 17–Sunday, February 19, 2023 in Launceston, and from Friday, February 24–Sunday, February 26, 2023 in Hobart. Tickets go on sale at 11am on Tuesday, November 29 — head to the festival website for further details. Top image: Regurgitator & Seja & Mindy Meng Wang on guzheng perform The Velvet Underground & Nico. Photo Credit: Mona/Rémi Chauvin. Image Courtesy Mona, Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
There's a small chance Sydney's main nightlife woes could soon be a thing of the past, with a bill to remove the city's ever-problematic lockout laws set to go before Parliament this Thursday, October 25. A proposal by MP Robert Borsak, of the Shooters, Farmers and Fishers Party, will be put before the Legislative Council at around 11am tomorrow. Mr Borsak, who said in a Facebook post that the lockouts are "killing our city", is hoping to have the support of the Berejiklian Government, after reports earlier this month that Deputy Premier John Barilaro also wanted the laws scrapped by the end of the year. While the specifics of this bill are yet to be revealed, nightlife lobby collective Keep Sydney Open is hoping it's a strong step towards saving the city's ailing night time economy. The existing laws, which force 1.30am lockouts on venues in the CBD and some surrounding areas, were brought into effect back in 2014, as part of a suite of liquor law reforms by the NSW Government. Their aim was to curb booze-related violence. Last year the laws were relaxed slightly, with 20 or so venues in Kings Cross and the CBD granted an 'exemption' on the grounds that they provide legitimate live entertainment. This pushed last drinks for these venues from 3am to 3.30am and lockout from 1.30am to 2am. But between the time the laws began and May this year, figures from Liquor & Gaming NSW show that 418 licensed premises had shut up shop in the Sydney CBD and Kings Cross — closures that many in Sydney's hospitality, music and nightlife industries attribute directly to the legislation. "The effect on culture, small business and our civil liberties has been undeniable. We feel patronised — like our city has been taken away from us," explains Tyson Koh, spokesperson for Keep Sydney Open. "This is our chance to reinforce at this crucial time how deeply despised these laws are and how they have crippled Sydney." If you'd like to show your support for scrapping the lockout laws, you can join the Keep Sydney Open: Bye By Lockouts rally happening at the top of Martin Place on Macquarie Street, before making its way up to Parliament House. The exact meeting time will be announced on Keep Sydney Open's Facebook page, as soon as parliament's order of business for the day is announced. The Shooters, Farmers and Fishers Party is, of course, a minor party, so it's hard to say how much support the bill will get in parliament. The party has two members in the upper house, where the bill be introduced, and only one in the lower house — so it will need to win the support of the Berejiklian Government to get the bill through both houses and made into law. Nonetheless, this will give the members of the Legislative Council a chance to explain their views on the lockout laws to their constituents and Sydney's small business owners — that is, those that have been most affected by the lockouts. We'll keep you updated on what happens in parliament this week. UPDATE: OCTOBER 25, 2018 — This article previously stated that the Shooters, Farmers and Fishers Party had no seats in the NSW lower house, when it in fact has one member, Robert Borsack. The article has been amended to reflect this. Image: Kimberley Low.
In a must-do this weekend for anyone who thinks a lamb roast and a G&T make a winning combination, Four Pillars Gin will be temporarily combining forces with the Bottle and Beast crew to create a pop-up within a pop-up. From Thursday to Sunday, the Yarra Valley distillery's rare dry gin, which they describe as "a truly modern Australian gin" combining citrus with spice, will be the sole spirit on offer behind the bar, serving as an ideal aperitif before B&B's meat and Riesling main course. Bottle and Beast is a summer pop up in Pyrmont open for just 65 days and closing March 31. Each night a different beast (from pig to lamb to goat) is lovingly cooked over fire and coals by Sydney chef Jared Ingersoll. There's an emphasis on ethically sourced, sustainably raised produce and a selection of yummy side dishes. Diners are encouraged to wash down their food with wine selected by Jason Hoy, whose aim this summer is to "bring Riesling back to the masses". February 20-23 at 11 Pyrmont Bridge Road, Pyrmont. Call 0449 107 036 for reservations.
Here's a sentence that would've made zero sense two years ago: from 1am on Saturday, January 15, getting into Queensland will become a whole heap easier. The Sunshine State has had various levels of border rules in place during the pandemic, and currently only allows double-vaccinated interstate visitors to travel to the state and stay without quarantining first — but come 1am on Saturday, January 15, it'll scrap all domestic border restrictions. That means that whether you're a local keen to visit Sydney or Melbourne and then return home, or you reside in those cities and you've been dreaming of a sunny beach holiday, you'll no longer need to show a border pass or provide proof of a rapid antigen test to make the trip into Queensland. Border checkpoints will be taken down as well. "Anyone coming domestically across into Queensland, either by our road or by air, they do not have to show that they have had their border pass, they don't have to show that they have had a rapid antigen test," announced Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk today, Thursday, January 13. "This is the time and the time is now right as we head towards hitting that 90 percent [double-dosed vaccination target] next week." BREAKING: Domestic border restrictions will be removed from 1am on Saturday with Queensland expected to hit 90% double vaccination next week. #covid19 pic.twitter.com/fXAhpVz8rL — Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) January 13, 2022 Queensland's rules around international travel are set to change, too once the state hits 90-percent double-jabbed, with restrictions lifting for double-dosed overseas arrivals. That said, an exact date for when the loosened requirements will kick in hasn't yet been confirmed. The Premier advised that further details will be announced once Queensland reaches the vaccine threshold. While restrictions around travel are changing, the Sunshine State's rules regarding visiting venues all remain in effect. As previously announced, you need to be double-jabbed to enter places such as restaurants, bars, cafes, cinemas, stadiums, festivals, libraries, galleries and museums — but all of those types of sites across the hospitality and entertainment industries no longer have capacity restrictions. Queensland reported 14,914 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, January 13, and currently has 145,294 active cases. Queensland's border rules will ease at 1am AEST / 2am AEDT on Saturday, January 15. For more information about Queensland's border policies and border passes, head to the Queensland Government website.
Ever been at an outdoor cinema, and wished you could just jump into bed? Well, of course you have — bed is the one thing we can rely on to always be there for us, and we all wish it could follow us around for intermittent lie-downs. That's presumably why the geniuses at Mov'In Bed Cinema decided to incorporate beds into their outdoor setup when they launched the event back in April. Well, that, and they're probably aware of the struggles of keeping your head propped up on a packet of chips while lying on a picnic rug trying to drink wine. And, after a wildly successful, sold-out debut season, they're bringing back the beds. Mov'In Bed Cinema (previously known as PicNic Cinema) will take over The Crescent at Parramatta Park for an extended season of 45 days in March and April 2017. Instead of just the usual picnic rug and bean bag sitcho, the cinema will bring in a whopping 150 queen size beds to relax on. And because it's happening at the end of summer when the nights are cooling down a little, you'll even get a blankie in case it gets chilly. Next year's film program is quite varied and international, with everything from Star Wars: Rogue One to Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke to Oscar-nominated Turkish film, Mustang. The food lineup was similarly diverse last season, with Cuban, African, Brazilian and Lebanese dishes on rotation, but the edibles have not yet been confirmed for 2017. Tickets are on sale now for $34.90 per person, which gets you a spot in bed and a pillow and blanket. Better snap them up quickly though — last season sold out in about two weeks. Mov'In Bed Cinema will run from March 3 till April 23 at Parramatta Park, Parramatta. To book tickets, visit movinbed.com.
As NSW's COVID-19 numbers have started to drop — with a total of seven new cases in the past 48 hours — and testing and contact tracing ramps up, the government is beginning to slowly (slowly) ease some social distancing and public gathering restrictions. Some beaches have reopened, schools are set to return from May 11 and from this Friday, May 1, you can go and see your friends and family — but there is some fine print. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said this morning, Tuesday, April 28, that from this Friday two adults will be able to go and visit another household. So, for example, you can take your sister to go and visit your parents in their house for dinner, or you and your partner could go to a friend's house for a puzzle night, but a maximum of two adult visitors, with additional small children if they have them, can go and visit a second household at any time. How far you can travel to see friends and family is a little vague at the moment, though, with the NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys saying there's no "exact limit" in terms of kilometres, but police will determine what is reasonable. While these eased restrictions mean friends and family can gather again in homes, the Premier has said if you have even the mildest sniffle or are feeling fatigued to not risk it and that it's important to practise "really good" social distancing if you're visiting someone over 70 years of age or with comorbidity (existing health conditions). The Premier also said the government is confident Sydneysiders will do the right thing with the new restrictions, as there is "too much at stake". "We don't want to see the numbers suddenly spike up because people are being irresponsible," the Premier said. She also noted that Friday's relaxation on private gatherings in homes is "not a licence to go wild and have massive parties". In fact, having a party — with more than two adult visitors from another household — could still see you cop a $1000 on-the-spot fine, as will disobeying any of the other social distancing and public gathering restrictions. From Friday, May 1, a maximum of two adults in NSW can go and visit another household, but all other social distancing and public gathering restrictions are in place for now.
The Koreans do violent. The Italians do romantic. The French do flowery and pretentious. But when it comes strange, no one make movies like the Greeks. Characterised by a deadpan, absurdist sense of humour often punctuated by moments of unsettling violence, the so-called Weird Wave has led to a renewed interest in Greek cinema in recent times — and what better place to get acquainted than at Australia's very own Greek Film Festival. Standout wave films on the program include Luton and the aptly named Miss Violence. The latter title caused quite a stir at the Sydney and Melbourne Film Festivals earlier this year for its extremely graphic content, which caused a number of audience members to walk out. It's a remarkably well-made film for anyone who can stomach it. Just don't say we didn't warn you. Thankfully, there's more to the Greek industry than brutality and existential angst. Opening night film Little England is a lavish period romance set during the Second World War, while Block 12 mixes Bollywood dance numbers into a comedy about the country's economic crisis — because really, they just seem like a natural fit. For the full Greek Film Festival program, visit their website.
After a brief sneak peek featured in Disney+'s teaser trailer for its 2025 slate, The Handmaid's Tale has unveiled its first proper look at its upcoming sixth season — the dystopian thriller's final run. Since 2017, watching the series has meant wishing for one thing: the end of Gilead, the totalitarian, male-dominated society that rules the show's dystopian version of the United States. (No, not the masterplanned Sydney community of the same name.) In the award-winning series adapted from Margaret Atwood's book, that outcome is finally coming in a way, and fans will be able to see how the tale wraps up from April 2025. For June (Elisabeth Moss, The Veil) and her fellow red-wearing women, revolution is also coming. Rallying against the oppressive status quo however possible has sat at the heart of this series since day one — and in the last season, June is back in the fight. The teaser trailer for season six is narrated by its protagonist, noting the ways that the regime tried to push her and her fellow women down, including via their restrictive attire. "The dress became a uniform — and we became an army," June advises. Of course, it's highly likely that The Handmaid's Tale won't conclude with the total destruction of Gilead, because a TV version of The Testaments in the works — and is set to arrive sometime after The Handmaid's Tale finishes its run. It too is based on an Atwood novel, on her sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, which hit shelves in 2019, which means that her fictional nightmarish realm isn't going far. If you haven't read the book, The Testaments is set 15 years after the events of its predecessor, and also includes familiar characters. How that'll play into the end of The Handmaid's Tale on-screen obviously hasn't been revealed. For now, blessed be your streaming queue with The Handmaid's Tale season six this autumn — and praise be what looks like one helluva reckoning. Alongside Moss, Yvonne Strahovski (Teacup), Bradley Whitford (The Madness), Max Minghella (Maximum Truth), Ann Dowd (The Friend), O-T Fagbenle (No Good Deed), Samira Wiley (Breaking News in Yuba County), Madeline Brewer (Space Oddity), Amanda Brugel (Dark Matter), Sam Jaeger (Wolf Man) and Ever Carradine (The Neighbourhood) all return among the cast, with Josh Charles (Moss' The Veil co-star) a new addition. The sixth season of The Handmaid's Tale debuts in the US on Tuesday, April 8. Down Under, it streams via SBS On Demand and Neon. Check out the first teaser trailer for The Handmaid's Tale season six below: The Handmaid's Tale season six debuts on Tuesday, April 8 — and streams Down Under via SBS On Demand and Neon.
When a hit show comes to an end, the network behind it often tries to fill the gap with something similar. It's the situation that HBO found itself in last year when Game of Thrones wrapped up, with the US cable channel quickly launching new fantasy series His Dark Materials and committing to making a GoT spinoff called House of the Dragon. And, with Big Little Lies looking like it's also all done and dusted, the station seems to be in the same predicament in the star-studded murder mystery genre as well. Enter The Undoing. Starring Nicole Kidman, and written and produced by Big Little Lies' David E. Kelley, it's definitely a case of HBO sticking with what they know. Kidman plays a successful therapist who appears to have the perfect life, with a loving husband (Hugh Grant), a son (Honey Boy's Noah Jupe) attending an elite school and her first book about to be published. Then a violent death sparks a chain of revelations that shatters her life as she knows it. Also part of the plot, as seen in the show's first teaser, its second teaser as well and now its just-dropped new full trailer: a missing spouse, plenty of public attention, a heap of interrogations and a plethora of tough choices for Kidman's Grace Fraser. It'll all play out as a once-off limited series — although that was originally the case with Big Little Lies before it came back for a second season. Based on the novel You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz, The Undoing also features The Burnt Orange Heresy's Donald Sutherland and American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace's Edgar Ramirez — with Bird Box director Susanne Bier behind the camera on every episode, just as she was on excellent Emmy-winning mini-series The Night Manager. As for when you'll be able to watch it, it was originally set to premiere sometime in May; however now it'll launch on Monday, October 26. In Australia, it'll screen via Foxtel, Foxtel Now and Binge. Check out the latest teaser below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWoiNlLqLR8&feature=emb_logo The Undoing will screen in Australia via Foxtel and Binge, with episodes airing weekly from Monday, October 26. Top image: Niko Tavernise/HBO.
Since Iron Man first soared into movie theatres in 2008, proved a huge hit and started a massive franchise, fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been getting their caped crusader fix on the big screen. But, while this immensely popular superhero realm mentions its preferred medium right there in its name, the MCU has also made the leap to television — including via Disney+'s WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier so far this year. Marvel and Disney+ aren't stopping there, either. A heap of new shows are in the works at the streaming platform, including Ms. Marvel, Hawkeye, She-Hulk, Moon Knight, Secret Invasion (about Samuel L Jackson's Nick Fury), Iron Heart, Armour Wars, I Am Groot, a Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and a series set in Wakanda. Next up, though, is Loki — and, after releasing a sneak peek last year, the Mouse House has dropped a full trailer for the soon-to-premiere show. Obviously, if you've seen a Thor or Avengers movie, then you know who Loki is about. Creative series names aren't part of the package here. So, Tom Hiddleston (Kong: Skull Island) is back as the God of Mischief — and he's enjoying stepping into the trickster's shoes again, if the glimpses so far are anything to go by. Viewers will watch Loki's antics post-Avengers: Endgame, with Owen Wilson (Wonder), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Summerland), Sophia Di Martino (Yesterday), Wunmi Mosaku (Lovecraft Country) and Richard E Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) rounding out the main cast. When the series starts airing from Friday, June 11, Loki finds himself in a bit of trouble thanks to his previous actions with the Tesseract. The TVA — that'd be the Time Variance Authority — is on his case, which is where Wilson's Mobius M Mobius comes in. Obviously, more time-travelling trickery is in Loki's future from there. We're guessing that Wilson will say "wow" once or twice, too. Check out the full trailer for Loki below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUwwdj6AlBA Loki will be available to stream via Disney+ from Friday, June 11. Top image: ©Marvel Studios 2020. All Rights Reserved.
It swept cities across the nation into a sugar-dusted frenzy when its pop-up 'dessert museum' travelled the country. Now, the team behind the nostalgic Sugar Republic and festive Christmasland is taking its sweet-toothed fantasies to a whole new level, announcing plans to open Australia's first-ever sweets-inspired accommodation. Not a whole lot of info has dropped just yet, but we do know the Sugar Republic Sweet Retreat will be opening its doors in Daylesford, Victoria, this autumn. And it's set to be a true candy-coated affair, complete with sugar-themed suites you can stay in, play in and take some rather dashing snaps in. https://www.facebook.com/SugarRepublic.au/posts/456179658379936 Expect a B&B-style getaway, decked out with sweet additions like private ball pits, free candy and even cherry-scented wallpaper. If the original Sugar Republic pop-ups are anything to go by, you can bank on some pretty wild, OTT styling, with a healthy dose of pink, lots of textures and primo selfie opportunities aplenty. While only one has been announced for now, we're hoping more will open across the country in due time, too. Sugar Republic Sweet Retreat is set to open in Daylesford this autumn. We'll keep you posted with more info as it drops. Top images: Sugar Republic's Christmasland by Kate Shanasy.
Catering to our fierce love of seafood over the holiday period, Sydney Fish Market is once again pulling its annual all-nighter so you can get your hands on the freshest ocean treats for Christmas lunch. Each year, the Fish Market — which will be relocated to a $250 million new site come 2023 — capably serves over 100,000 buyers looking to snag a deal. Between 5am on Thursday, December 23–5pm on Friday, December 24, the market is yours to scout out the most sumptuous fish, king prawns, oysters and calamari. It's not only fish here, though. You can also peruse cold meats and cheeses at the deli for a grand charcuterie platter or stop by the onsite bakery and greengrocer. Or, if you're more of a Northern Hemisphere traditionalist, you can even pick up a turkey from the butcher. They sell basically everything here. If you're stuck for gifts, there are plenty of opportunities for that last-minute find. Head to the gift shop, florist or bottle shop. "We're proud to be a part of the holiday tradition for so many Sydneysiders," Sydney Fish Market CEO Greg Dyer says. Like most things in the past two years, the seafood marathon will be a little different. To keep things COVID-19-safe, you'll need to register upon arrival via QR code, social distancing will be enforced including controlled queuing and there will be a limit on how many people can be in the market at any one time. "We expect visitor numbers to be high and urge customers to plan ahead by allowing extra time for arrival, shopping and celebrating," says Dyer.
Comfort food and winter go hand in hand. Since 2022, so have chaotic culinary dramedies and the frostiest time of the year Down Under. Two years back, The Bear debuted in winter in Australia and New Zealand to become one of the best new shows on television. In 2023, it returned in winter for its second season to become one of the best returning shows on TV that year. And in 2024, it has a return reservation with the middle of the year again. Even after the delays in Hollywood caused by 2023's strikes, American viewers will see the Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning hit in June, with an exact date not yet announced. When Aussie and NZ audiences will get their latest taste of Jeremy Allen White (The Iron Claw) hasn't been revealed either, but it should also be this winter — but perhaps not the same day as our US counterparts. Another pattern that surrounds The Bear is delays between its American debuts and arriving Down Under, affecting both seasons so far. Season one hit in June in America, then in August in Australia. With season two, US viewers still had a June date, while Aussies and New Zealanders had to wait till July. So, fingers crossed that the third time is the charm for a same-date release. The Bear was renewed for season three in November 2023 to the surprise of no one, but to the joyous shouts of "yes chef!" from everyone. If you've missed The Bear so far, its first season jumped into the mayhem when White's Carmy took over the diner after his brother's (Jon Bernthal, We Own This City) death. Before returning home, the chef's resume featured Noma and The French Laundry, as well as awards and acclaim. In season two, Carmy worked towards turning the space into an upscale addition to his hometown's dining scene, with help from the restaurant's trusty team — including Ayo Edebiri (Bottoms) as fellow chef Sydney, plus Ebon Moss-Bachrach (No Hard Feelings) as Richie, aka Cousin, aka Carmy's brother's best friend. Also key to The Bear: truly conveying what it's like to work in the hospitality industry and weather a restaurant kitchen's non-stop pressures. In both of its seasons so far, The Bear's creator Christopher Storer (who also has Ramy, Dickinson and Bo Burnham: Make Happy on his resume) has expertly balanced drama and comedy — and, in season two, he also delivered spectacular self-contained episodes that featured everyone from Olivia Colman (Heartstopper) and Will Poulter (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) to Bob Odenkirk (Lucky Hank) and Jamie Lee Curtis (Haunted Mansion). Guest stars aside, The Bear's regular roster of talent also spans Abby Elliott (Indebted) as Carmy's sister Natalie, aka Sugar — plus Lionel Boyce (Hap and Leonard), Liza Colón-Zayas (In Treatment) and Edwin Lee Gibson (Fargo) among the other Original Beef staff. Check out the trailer for The Bear season two below: The Bear streams via Disney+ in Australia and New Zealand. We'll update you with an exact season three release date when one is announced. Read our review of season one and review of season two. Via Variety.
The atmosphere of a writer's den, insanely long opening hours, fun and flavoursome food, a drinks menu that will keep even the most inspired drinker guessing, and not even the slightest degree of pretension. In short, Hemingway's must be one of the best spots in town right now. And it's perhaps not where you would expect it to be. A far cry from the back lanes of Darlinghurst or even the fame of King Street, this bar is firmly situated on Manly's main strip, right across from the beach. Despite this, it's about as dissimilar from a tourist trap as you can imagine. For a start, the prices. The house cocktails are $15 and the suggested mixers, almost good enough to be cocktails themselves, are a mere $10. Hemingway's Cup is the ten to one favourite cocktail, spotted in the hands of almost every lady in the place. It's gentle mix of Hendrick's gin, rose and apple tea, sugar, and spice, served in a tea cup and saucer with slices of cucumber alongside. While it's very good, my pick would be the Miffy: house-infused vanilla rum, Falernum, orange, lemon and egg white whisked into a cloud-like dream. On a summer's day, the Creaming Soda might be more your style, with vodka, crème de cassis, home-made lemonade, wild berry foam and a paper cocktail umbrella. As far as mixer ideas go, Aperol and Fanta isn't a bad choice, and neither is Rum, Spicy Bitters and Ginger Beer. Both pack a flavoursome punch. Click here for full review and details
Fresh from causing vehicular chaos in the Fast and Furious franchise — and loving it — Jason Momoa is swapping roads for the ocean in that other big-budget saga he's been known to glisten through: DC's movies. It's been five years since the first solo cinema swim for Arthur Curry arrived, with Aquaman marking just the sixth entry in the DC Extended Universe. Now the series will hit 15 instalments with sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, ahead of a fresh direction for the comic-book company's flicks under new co-head honchos James Gunn and Peter Safran (The Suicide Squad's director and producer, respectively). So, Momoa is back as DC's wettest superhero. What happens for the actor and his character from here, however, hasn't yet been confirmed. Wherever both go, they're going to tussle with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Ambulance) as Black Manta again first — as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom's just-dropped first trailer shows. Slated to hit cinemas on Boxing Day as the fourth DC feature of 2023 after Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash and Blue Beetle, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom also hails from Australian director James Wan (Malignant), as the first film did — and sees Patrick Wilson (Insidious: The Red Door), Amber Heard (The Stand), Nicole Kidman (Special Ops: Lioness) and Temuera Morrison (The Book of Boba Fett) return alongside Momoa and Abdul-Mateen II. Dolph Lundgren (Minions: The Rise of Gru) and Randall Park (Strays) are back as well, all in another movie that dives into the sea, heads down to Atlantis and paddles about trying to save the world. The story this time: Black Manta is still after vengeance, but now has the Black Trident and its powers to help. So, as well as being a father and the new King of Atlantis, Aquaman has to seek his own assistance. That's how Wilson's Orm, Curry's half brother, ends up fighting by his side instead of being his imprisoned enemy. So, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom looks set to splash around a tale about family in a variety of ways. Again, Momoa did just pop up in Fast X — and Wan also has a history with that high-octane realm, directing Fast and Furious 7 in 2015. Wan and Wilson keep loving dipping in the same pool together, too, given that Wan created The Conjuring franchise and co-created the Insidious franchise. Check out the trailer for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom below: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom opens in cinemas Down Under on Tuesday, December 26, 2023.
Staying back after school has never been more stocked with good art and a cheeky tipple. The National Art School is launching Sydney's newest after-hours art party: Twilight Sessions. A free series of mid-week soirees featuring art, live music, workshops, talks and film, Twillight Sessions has all the art party trimmings, with one marked difference: it's all going down in the old Darlinghurst gaol. Created to coincide with the International Year of Light (which it is, apparently), Twilight Sessions is launching on Wednesday, February 25 — the first of four dotted throughout the year. So what's in store for this Wednesday hootenanny? Sticking around after Sydney Festival, celebrated, light-based installation artist Bill Culbert will be showcasing his largest solo work in Australia to date — after he blitzed the 55th Venice Biennale. You can partake in free twilight drawing sessions in the gallery, inspired by Culpert's exhibition and led by artists and NAS faculty Lynne Eastaway, Margaret Roberts and Tania Rollond, or a photography workshop with respected Australian photographer Peter Solness (places limited, bookings essential, $25 per person). Once you're all arted out, you'll find Astral People's Mike Who spinning a few tunes at the pop-up bar. Mike Who has warmed up stages for the likes of Action Bronson, Oneman and Peanut Butter Wolf, so it's a pretty big pull for NAS. For the nibblers and noshers, there'll be tasty treats and wine and beer available on the night. Now you're nice and wine-fuelled, wander through NAS's Chapel for an an exhibition from Margaret Olley Drawing Week, and upstairs, Sydney artist Gary Warner invites you to make music on the social 'lamellaphone', an interactive musical instrument made from discarded street sweeper bristles, designed to be played by several people in tandem in a manner similar to an African thumb piano. Twilight Sessions will launch on Wednesday, February 25 and run from 6-9pm. It'll be back four times in the year to coincide with NAS Gallery’s 2015 exhibition program, including the Redlands Konica Minolta Art Prize, New Disciples: 50 Years of Ceramics and Rosemary Laing. For more info, head to nas.edu.au.
There are many, many great things about Nicolas Cage. But if you could only pick one, the sheer erratic nature of his almost four-decade-long filmography has to top the list. He has an Oscar to his name, for 1995's Leaving Las Vegas, but he can also be seen getting goofy in madcap comedies, crooning tunes in David Lynch movies and swapping faces with John Travolta — and playing a deluded literary agent who thinks he's a vampire, yearning over Cher, trying to keep a plane full of criminals in check and grappling with escaped wild animals on a boat. For his latest role, Cage is battling space ninjas. That isn't the type of sentence that you get to write or read every day but, to be honest, it's also a surprise that it hasn't come up multiple times in the actor's career. The reason for the martial arts face-off with aliens: new action flick Jiu Jitsu, which has just dropped its suitably over-the-top first trailer. If you're a Cage fan, you're probably already sold. Watching Cage at his most Cage-esque really shouldn't need much convincing. But if you need more details, the actor also wears a headband, sports flowing locks, dispenses words of wisdom, talks about alien politics, proclaims that he's crazy and claims that he can fly. Of course he does. Story-wise, Jiu Jitsu follows an ancient order of experts in the eponymous martial arts style, who are forced to fight alien invaders for control of earth every six years. Humanity has always won, but when that changes, Wylie (Nicolas Cage) has to help fallen hero Jake Barnes (Alain Moussi) prepare for one last showdown with these violent visitors from a distant gallery. As well as Cage and Kickboxer: Retaliation's Moussi, the film stars The 100's Marie Avgeropoulos, Avengers: Endgame's Frank Grillo, Alita: Battle Angel's Rick Yune, Wu Assassins' JuJu Chan, and Ong Bak and xXx: Return of Xander Cage's Tony Jaa. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywhTeWg8970 Jiu Jitsu releases in the US via video-on-demand on November 20 — we'll update you with release details Down Under when they come to hand.
Neither insurgent nor collaborator, Picasso kept painting in occupied Paris. He wrote Desire Captured by the Tail, a play staged in an apartment and directed by Albert Camus. Damiano Bertoli's Continuous Moment: Anxiety Villa at Artspace draws inspiration from the play, its art splayed across an abstract moment. Thick cross-hatched lines occupy the floor of the piece, a picnic is unwrapped in one corner and a slender dummy stands with a thin mirror for leg. In the background images play untethered from their sound. It feels like a dreamspace from a surreal movie of the sixties; a drawing exercise sprung to life on an infinite plane. At the other end of the gallery, Justene Williams Hot Air Hillbilly Weekend Workshop features a wall of TVs, looping scenes of a paper-covered yellow-pink creature ambling around a papered room. The creature makes a cacophany of light and colour to go with the dazzle and sound of ethereal tv-glow, which dominates the room. The theme of the work is anti-consumerist, but the work itself grabs your eye with a short Gruen all its own. Meiro Koizumi's Voice of a dead hero draws on a letter from Toshio Anazawa — a Kamikaze Pilot — to his one-time fiancé Chieko, full of love and regret. From rough focused images of pedestrians, Meiro's Toshio emerges in an out-of-focus world clutching his face, like a soldier slipping out from a fog. His frantic, laboured breathing covers all other sounds on the streets and subways of Tokyo, as he walks to a shrine for the war dead. He calls for Cheiko. Meiro's Theatre Dreams Again of a Beautiful Afternoon features two screens showing either side of the inside of a Tokyo train carriage. A man in a business suit breaks down one one side, a woman watches him from the other. There is only one problem: each side of the train is going in opposite directions. Still image from Voice of a Dead Hero by Meiro Koizumi.
These days, when a fine dining institution announces a temporary closure and a 'refresh', it usually means they're ditching the white tablecloths in exchange for more accessible, casual fare. Rockpool Est. 1989 just did it, reopening as Eleven Bridge last week (although, admittedly, the word 'casual' is used subjectively), Bennelong took things down a notch last year, and in February Sepia announced they'll be closing and moving onto a more casual venture when their lease runs out next year. But that won't be the case with Matt Moran's ARIA, which was this morning revealed to be closing for a mammoth ten-week refurbishment. In announcing that his harbourside restaurant will be shutting up shop for ten weeks from this Sunday, August 21, Moran has assured punters that he won't be pulling away from fine dining. In fact, he'll be doing just the opposite. "When we opened ARIA just before the Sydney Olympics, we made sure we had a design that was contemporary, cutting edge and would last." said Moran. "We won't be moving away from fine dining at all, if anything, we'll be upping the ante." What will be changing though is the interiors. Moran and co-owner Bruce Solomon have brought interior architect George Livissianis — responsible for the black and white cake icing interiors of the newly-renovated Dolphin Hotel, as well as other institutions like Cho Cho San and Apollo — on board for the revamp. He'll be fitting the 170-seat venue out with a new colour palette, new furniture, bespoke plate and glassware and work from local artists and ceramicists. Moran has also reassured diners that the harbour, bridge and Sydney Opera House will still take centre stage — so those who like a dramatic Sydney view with their fine dining dinner will not be left in the lurch. The restaurant should be back up and running in early November. ARIA Sydney will close this Sunday, August 21 and reopen in early November. For updates, check ariarestaurant.com/sydney.
Although by date it's officially spring, Mother Nature has continued to mix it up with both clear skies and dreary ones, making it hard to believe we're at the beginning of October and a whole month into spring. It's difficult these days to predict the true turn of the seasons, but in the lead up to balmy summer nights The Beresford will be screening classic Italian arthouse films throughout the month of October. Classic films like La Dolce Vita and Life is Beautiful appear on the line-up, as do some American flicks set in or inspired by Italy, like The Talented Mr Ripley and The Last Kiss. To accompany the screenings, the Italian trattoria at The Beresford will serve up a $15 food menu to match what's on show every Monday night until the end of October. For your chance to win one of ten double passes for dinner and a movie at The Beresford Italian Film Nights, just make sure you're subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name through to us at hello@concreteplayground.com.au https://youtube.com/watch?v=0Y9aKqawdUQ
Australians, you won't be holidaying in New Zealand for the next two months. NZ residents, the same applies to you regarding going across the ditch. After the two countries started a trans-Tasman bubble back in April that let Aussies take a getaway in NZ and vice versa, all without having to go through quarantine upon arrival, the arrangement has been on pause since July. And today, Friday, September 17, the NZ Government announced that it'll remain that way for another eight weeks. "When quarantine-free travel (QFT) was established with Australia, both our countries had very few recent cases of COVID-19 community transmission, and a very similar elimination strategy. This has changed significantly leading to our decision to suspend QFT for a further eight weeks," said COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins in a statement. "Uncontrolled community transmission is still occurring in Australia, with case numbers continuing to steadily increase in New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory. A small number of cases also continue to appear intermittently in other states and territories. In New Zealand as well, we're getting on top of an outbreak in Auckland," the Minister continued. "Protecting New Zealand from any possible further spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 is our absolute priority. We have made great progress to contain our current outbreak and are working hard to ease restrictions next week. Reopening quarantine-free travel with Australia at this point could put those gains at risk." At present, both Greater Sydney and metropolitan Melbourne are in ongoing lockdowns, while New Zealand reported 16 new cases in the past 24 hours and has 457 community-acquired cases at present. Back in April, when NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern first announced the two-way bubble between Australia and New Zealand back, she noted that it could and would be paused if and when outbreaks occur. And, when NZ first started this current suspension back in July, stopping quarantine-free travel to and from all Aussie states and territories, it wasn't the first time that the bubble had been put on hold — including with all of Australia, with the same thing happening at the end of June. The arrangement has been paused with individual Aussie states before, too, on multiple occasions. But this suspension was already the longest pause yet, and that's set to remain the case given that the bubble won't be considered again by NZ for two more months. "We will review this decision in mid to late November to give more time for our vaccination rates to climb higher," advised Hipkins. "This recognises that the QFT was established on the basis that there was little to no community transmission in Australia, and that future settings are likely to change." To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. To find out more about the virus and travel restrictions in New Zealand, head over to the NZ Government's COVID-19 hub.
Want to be whisked away to another, more fantastic realm? Le Salon Dada is all your surrealist dreams come true. Taking over French restaurant Claire's Kitchen every Sunday, the three-hour dinner-and-show experience promises unpredictable performances and art, plus canapes, heady cocktails and a five-course feast. Best of all? We're giving you the chance to go to this eccentric night out for free. Should you get your mitts on this lavish prize, you and your date will be heading to Le Salon Dada on Sunday, December 15, where you'll be greeted with a cocktail and some snacks. Then, expect a playful French feast, with each course inspired by a famous piece of art, from Dali's Mae West Lips Sofa to René Magritte's The Son of Man. In between dishes, you'll be transported into an alternative world, inspired by the over-the-top costume parties of the Rothschilds in the 70s as well as the art of Dali, Miro, Duchamp and Magritte. There'll be a mixture of circus, cabaret, deviant art and bizarre theatrics, so don't expect to get bored at this dinner party. And, if you're not lucky enough to win tickets, fret not. As a loyal Concrete Playground reader, you'll get $30 off your first Le Salon Dada visit. If you're keen to book for Sunday, December 1 head here. Or, if you want to go on Sunday, December 15, book here. To be in the running, enter your details below. [competition]750414[/competition]
For anyone that grew up in a Nintendo household where the company's consoles reigned supreme, getting your Super Mario fix beyond mashing buttons has long been easy. You've been able hit up Google Maps and mobile phones, if you really can't tear yourself away from the games. Mario Kart made the leap to reality, too. There's also the Super Nintendo theme park in Japan, as well as the upcoming second site in Hollywood — and, since 1993, the live-action Super Mario Bros film. Come March 2023, watching the new animated The Super Mario Bros Movie will join that list, and it'll reach the screen bearing a hefty weight of expectations that don't actually cover whether it's any good or not. Yes, hopefully it's entertaining. But, does it look like a Mario game? Does it sound like one? Does it include tunnels and coin blocks, floating bricks and superpowered stars? Does it do the Mushroom Kingdom justice? These are the questions that every Mario fan has. For a couple of months now, The Super Mario Bros Movie has been dropping teasers and trailers giving viewers a glimpse at what's to come, and all of the above essentials look to be taken care of. Still, if you still have any doubts, the just-dropped latest sneak peek — a scene from the movie, with Mario getting a tour of the Mushroom Kingdom — ticks all of the above boxes and then some. The most recent trailer included a rainbow road, and racing along it Mario Kart-style, too — so the film is nodding to plenty of Mario games. Indeed, haunted houses have also featured in snippets so far; fingers crossed they also come with the appropriate music. The new The Super Mario Bros Movie has enlisted Chris Pratt (The Terminal List) to voice the Italian plumber, sees Bowser (Jack Black, Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood) proclaim his desire to rule the world and casts Luigi (voiced by Charlie Day, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) as the Mushroom Kingdom's comedic sidekick. Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy, The Menu) is determined to take on the challenge, and dispense words of advice in general, while battling Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen, Pam & Tommy) also features. The Super Mario Bros Movie's voice cast also includes Keegan- Michael Key (Wendell & Wild) as Toad, plus Fred Armisen (Wednesday) as Cranky Kong. And, it hails from directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (Teen Titans Go!, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies), is penned by Matthew Fogel (Minions: The Rise of Gru) and is produced by Illumination Entertainment (aka the studio behind the Despicable Me and Minions flicks, and the Sing films). Check out the latest sneak peek below: The Super Mario Bros Movie releases in cinemas Down Under on March 30, 2023.
Syncretism is a synthesis of old and new. It's usually used for new religions borrowing parts of older ones, like Haitian Voodoo, or Japanese Ryobu Shinto. It's also a way to talk about musical movements appropriating from other influences. You know, like every sort music. Musician Gavin Russom combines his own synthesis of technical know-how and personal influences like Brazilian Candomble and bata drumming, into the musical collective The Crystal Ark. The group has staged its shows in high-profile modern art hang-outs like MOMA's PS1, and for Sydney's Vivid they've been commissioned to layer 90 minutes of noise onto the new surrounds of the Opera House Studio. Gavin Russom is the Jonathan Creek of electronic music. While other artists buy his complex instruments, Russom works out the mechanics behind the scenes. He performs as well, most notably on the keyboards of LCD Soundsystem, but also in his own projects like the Black Meteoric Star and the Crystal Ark itself. At this show, you can get to see the contents of his mind rattle out together. And if too much isn't enough, the show continues til 3am at the follow-up Mad Racket party.
Horses, sand and a whole lot of beige; it's time for a spot o' polo. From the creators of the nationally successful Polo in the City series comes the more summery Polo by the Sea, set to ride into Palm Beach on Saturday, January 10 at Hitchcock Park. Celebrating nine years of PITC, the team now count more than 15,000 in attendance over their mostly sold-out events — and we'd like to hope less dramatic horse thieving than a Gossip Girl Vanderbilt charity polo match. Having raised significant thousands for various charities, creator Janek Gazecki's polo matches took out a few Best State Event trophies at the Australian Event Awards last year. Seems the offhand comment 'polo is the new racing' might have some weight to it. The oceanic version of the city polo 'do, Polo by the Sea was first staged on the Gold Coast in 2013 with the aim to replicate the success of PITC in coastal towns and holiday destinations. The last two events attracted some big name guests — apparently even some royal faces. This time around, Palm Beach PBTS has wrangled some of Australia's best polo players to team up on the day — while you avoid dropping the Grange on your beige chinos. With a front row beer garden dubbed the 'Polo Lounge', live music and everyone's favourite 'fashion on the field', knowing the actual rules to polo isn't really that necessary (just make new buds with those in the know). Importantly, polo days mean superbly executed opulence; we're talking seaplane transfers from Rose Bay to Careel Bay, front row VIP tables, designer-briefed social photographers. Yep, your paycheck might be entirely going on this excursion, but guys, there'll be horsies. If you're wondering what to wear, it's this and only this: The Sydney Polo in the City event booked for 15 November is already sold out, but Polo by the Sea at Palm Beach's Hitchcock Park on Saturday, January 10 is on sale now here.
When it comes to cultural events in Sydney, we're of the opinion that the more you see and do, the better. But filling your calendar with fun stuff can do some serious damage to your bank balance — if you let it. We want you to be able to live your best city life while saving and achieving your financial goals. So, we've teamed up with Great Southern Bank to pick some of the finest experiences you can have in the Harbour City that are on the more affordable side. Great Southern Bank has a bunch of features that will help you keep those savings ticking over, including The Boost. The premise is simple: select an amount between $0.01 and $5 and every time you make a transaction, your chosen amount is transferred into your savings account. The more you spend, the more you save — and the transfers are small enough that you'll barely notice, yet your savings will soon rack up. After months at home, it's high time to experience the city's cultural best — and keep your accounts ticking over — with this budget-friendly hit list. [caption id="attachment_750113" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Liam Cameron[/caption] CHECK OUT ART AFTER DARK Two of Sydney's biggest and most popular cultural spaces, Museum of Contemporary Art and Art Gallery of New South Wales, keep their doors open well into the evening once a week. Here, you can wander the exhibitions, gaze upon the artworks and even pause for a drink or two away from the bustling crowds that frequent these venues during the day. The galleries don't close until 9pm, so it's the perfect Wednesday (AGNSW) or Friday (MCA) night out for those who want to spend time in the city after work but stick to a budget. [caption id="attachment_627580" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Badu Gili at the Sydney Opera House, Daniel Boud[/caption] SEE LUMINOUS PROJECTIONS FOR FREE In the language of the Gadigal people, the term 'badu gili' translates to 'water light' and it's the title of a free exhibition showcasing the work of half a dozen First Nations artists. Post sunset, animated artworks are projected for six minutes onto one of the world's most iconic canvases: the sails of the Sydney Opera House. Commissioned to mark the 150th anniversary of the Art Gallery of NSW, the work of these artists (Marlene Gilson, Judith Inkamala, Sally M Nangala Mulda, Marlene Rubuntja, E Russell and Kaylene Whiskey) shines a light onto the lives of First Nations women and their stories. [caption id="attachment_817297" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'Hamilton Australia', Daniel Boud[/caption] SNAG A LAST-MINUTE TICKET DEAL There's nothing worse than when you want to go and see a show but can't afford tickets. Then, by the time you've cobbled together the cash, it's sold out. Recent events have meant artists and performers are rescheduling dates left, right and centre, and websites like Lasttix and Todaytix should be your go-tos for quick, money-saving deals — the latter even has a weekly lottery to score $10 tickets to Hamilton. Meanwhile, some local theatre companies, including Kirribilli's Ensemble Theatre and the Darlinghurst Theatre Company, have special offers on preview performances. You'll find a full list of theatre ticket hacks here. [caption id="attachment_792366" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'Fangirls', Belvoir, Brett Boardman[/caption] USE YOUTH TO YOUR FINANCIAL ADVANTAGE What do the following things have in common: hangovers, getting up out of a chair and Sydney theatre ticket prices? The answer is they're all less painful when you're under 30. Some of the state capital's finest performance venues such as Belvoir St Theatre, Griffin Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company offer special deals on performances for 90s and 00s babies. In fact, Griffin extends its concessions to those up to the age of 35. This means you don't have to shell out a huge fee to see Australia's finest plays, recitals and pantomimes. You'll also have no excuse not to catch your actor buddy in their new role. [caption id="attachment_816338" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Factory Theatre[/caption] SIT DOWN AND WATCH SOME STAND-UP We could all do with a laugh after the couple of years we've had to live through. Australia's finest comedic minds have spent lockdown penning jokes and routines to unleash upon the public, and now it's time for us to go forth and LOL. Specialist spaces like Giant Dwarf and Happy Endings, as well as multidisciplinary venues such as Enmore Theatre and Factory Theatre, all host comedy events on the regular, with a diverse range of comic stylings to tickle your funny bone. Fingers crossed, it won't be too long before we can see a few more international mirth-makers on these shores, too. [caption id="attachment_722025" align="alignnone" width="1920"] B Lucky and Sons[/caption] PUT YOUR DINE & DISCOVER VOUCHERS TO WORK It's not just us who want you to explore the best Sydney has to offer — the New South Wales Government is doing its bit, too. By now, you know the story of the Dine & Discover vouchers, which you can use via your Service NSW app. Thanks to the recent lockdown, the scheme has been extended until June 2022, meaning you can sample great food and enriching cultural experiences at thousands of COVID-safe venues across the city. Bonus points if you use the vouchers to help support a local business near you. [caption id="attachment_827283" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Warami Mittigar, Destination NSW[/caption] GO ON A CULTURAL TOUR Australia is a land of stories and traditions — you could dedicate your life to learning and never hear them all. If you're not up to speed with the history of the Dharug people, the traditional custodians of Parramatta, then the Warami Mittigar Aboriginal Cultural Walk gives you the opportunity to learn more about how First Nations clans lived in the area. The route itself is easy-going, and you'll be joined by a guide who will educate you on plants, tools, hunting and, of course, the importance of connection to the land. The good news? Tickets are just $10. [caption id="attachment_622123" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ritz Cinemas, Kimberly Low[/caption] CATCH A CHEAP FLICK Watching films from the comfort of your own home is great, but nothing beats the proper big-screen experience. Many cinemas adapted and pivoted to streaming during the pandemic but now you can visit IRL — and they need the support. And if you're looking to save a few bucks, there are plenty of deals to be found. Cinemas across the city including Hoyts, Event Cinemas, Ritz and Hayden Orpheum all sell discounted tickets on Tuesdays, while Palace Cinemas has cheap seats available on Mondays. There are also deals to be found depending on which private health insurance or telecommunications provider you're with or if you're a student. BE DAZZLED AS YOU DINE AT THE IMPERIAL'S DRAG & DINE SHOWS A night at The Imperial in Erskineville means a few things: lots of singing, (chair) dancing and belly laughing. At Sydney's 'home of drag', you can enjoy a delicious meal while experiencing an outrageous and saucy show from incredible performers as part of the venue's Drag & Dine shows, which run from Thursday to Sunday each week. On Thursdays and Sundays, you'll dine from the Priscillas vegetable-forward a la carte menu, which features the likes of zucchini flower with corn and blue cheese, cashew pâté and eggplant tagine. Meanwhile, on Fridays and Saturdays, you'll settle into a set menu starting at $69 per person for two courses. You deserve a decent night out and this is one worth putting aside a few dollars to experience. And with Great Southern Bank's The Boost feature, you're saving without really thinking about it, and you'll be roaring at the tales of Charlamaine, Danni Issues and more in no time. Great Southern Bank is empowering Aussies to get clever with their banking. Whether you want to stick to your savings goals with The Boost or hide your house deposit fund from yourself with The Vault, Great Southern Bank helps you get there. For more information on savings tools and home loan options, head to the Great Southern Bank website. Top image: Badu Gili at the Sydney Opera House, Daniel Boud
We've always been impressed by the skills of bartenders. But we've never appreciated their ability to create mind-blowing concoctions as much as we have in the past year. Try as we may, our at-home attempts to stir, shake, strain and flame ingredients have never been quite up to scratch. So, when we have a chance to celebrate the keepers of our favourite cocktails, we're more than happy to oblige. To mark World Bartender Day on February 24, Grain has unveiled a new cocktail menu inspired by legends of the hospitality industry. Head to the sophisticated bar, located in the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, between Wednesday, February 17 and Wednesday, March 31 to sample the drinks designed by Assistant Bar Manager Adam Lau and team. There are six specials in total, inspired by the likes of Harry MacElhone, owner of the legendary Harry's New York Bar in Paris, and Victor Jules Bergeron Jr, who is known for inventing the mai tai. Want to sip the tipple inspired by Jerry Thomas, who is considered the forefather of bartending? That'd be the Georgia Quarter, made with whisky, cognac, peach liqueur, mint and lemon. We're also keen to try the Silk Road (tequila, creme de cacao, sherry, honey and almond milk), inspired by iconic New York speakeasy Milk and Honey's founder Sasha Petraske. And if all this creativity has you inspired to attempt your own inventions at home, Grain has bartender kits to give away to four lucky readers. Enter your details below to go in the running. [competition]800395[/competition]
Pick up a new pair of kicks, show your favourite band some love and help Aussie communities recovering from devastating floods: yes, just by adding some shoes to your wardrobe, you can do all of the above. If you're a Dune Rats fan, you'll already be mighty excited about the Brisbane band's just-launched Volley collection — but the fact that both Volley and Dune Rats are donating funds from each pair of sneakers to flood relief helps make a great thing even better. First, the shoes. Two different styles are available: a black pair of hightops decked out with the Dunies' logo, which'll set you back $99.99; and a white pair of heritage-style sneakers with red and yellow touches, which cost $74.99. Whichever you choose, $10 will be donated to folks in need after the catastrophic weather across Queensland and New South Wales, via both the Red Cross Flood Appeal and GIVIT. "We would normally be so stoked to announce a partnership with such an iconic brand as Volley (we are very proud of this collab), but what is happening right now in our home city of Brisbane and neighbouring towns down in the northern rivers has been devastating," said the band on Facebook. "To do help do our part, Volley is donating $5 from each pair of shoes sold to the Red Cross Flood Appeal and we will match that dollar for dollar ($10 a pair). We ask everyone to do what you can to help these communities. The music industry over the last two years has been decimated, but pales in comparison to loss these great communities are going through. Our hearts are with you," the statement continued. If you're keen to green light some new Dunies shoes for your cupboard right now, and do a great deed in the process, the limited-edition Dune Rats x Volley range also spans three different types of socks ($19.99 each) — including a black pair with lightning strikes — and a Dunies backpack ($69.99). And, this is just the first drop, with the band and brand launching an ongoing partnership. For more information about Dune Rats' Volley range, or to buy a pair of shoes, socks or a backpack online, head to the Volley website.
It's never too cold to party. At least, that's what the guys behind Snowtunes say. And for its third year, this Snowy Mountains music festival is coming back even bigger — twice the size actually. With the addition of a second night of festivities, the party people have also added a second stage so punters can enjoy live music at one and dance it out at the other, dedicated to EDM. Mark your calendars, snag some tickets and find some snow gear, because September 1 and 2 are fast approaching. Who's expected to take to the stage? There'll be plenty of Aussie-born talent to set your weekend's soundtrack after a day on the slopes, including L D R U, Gang of Youths, Nina Las Vegas, Mashd N Kutcher and Tigerlily. New Zealand-born singer-songwriter Mitch James and French DJ Klingande will bring some tunes from abroad into the mix, too. Really, it's a slam dunk of a lineup. And in between sets you'll be able to grab a drink at this year's Bag Jump Adventure Park, a VIP champagne bar, as Lake Jindabyne gets transformed into the ultimate party snow globe. Stay tuned for any updates and announcements on Snowtunes here.
A soundtrack of wall-to-wall floor-filler classics will echo across Australia this autumn, featuring tunes by Daft Punk, Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers and Groove Armada — but not exactly as you know them. Joining the dance-meets-symphony trend is the just-announced Alive Garden Party, which has enlisted the UK's Club Symphony to head Down Under to give the country another event in the style of Synthony and Ministry of Sound Classical. The setup: having a symphony orchestra play tracks normally known for getting clubs pumping, not concert halls. The concept isn't new; however, it is popular. Australia's latest instance is heading to outdoor venues, including some wineries — taking queues from A Day on the Green and Grapevine Gathering as well. Songs by Faithless, Swedish House Mafia and Eric Prydz will also feature when Alive Garden Party debuts in South Australia at the end of March, then tours to Moss Vale Showgrounds in New South Wales' Southern Highlands, Swan Valley's Oakover Grounds in Western Australia, the Gold Coast in Queensland and Rochford Wines in Yarra Valley in Victoria. The lineup will expand as well, beyond the Steve Anderson-, Dave Seaman- and Cliff Masterson-led Club Symphony, including vocalists. Attendees aren't just in for a treat for the ears, but also for the eyes and tastebuds. With the latter, the focus will be on gourmet local produce that you can enjoy while picnicking the afternoon away — plus drinks, of course — before getting dancing beneath the stars when night hits. Bringing your own blanket to sprawl out on is encouraged, as is relaxing on the grass. If you'd like the VIP experience, it includes express entry, premium viewing and a bar with an expanded range. [caption id="attachment_936463" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Hildebrand[/caption] "This will be a visual and audible show that leaves audiences elated," said Jaylee Osborne on behalf of Alive Garden Party's organisers. "Alive Garden Party was born because music festivals aren't for everyone and concerts sometimes don't quite hit the spot. So we created a highly bespoke, beautiful and comfortable experience for every concertgoer." [caption id="attachment_936464" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Perry McLaughlan[/caption] [caption id="attachment_936462" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Hildebrand[/caption] ALIVE GARDEN PARTY 2024 DATES: Saturday, March 30 — TBC, Adelaide, South Australia Sunday, March 31 — Moss Vale Showgrounds, Southern Highlands, New South Wales Saturday, April 6 — Oakover Grounds, Swan Valley, Western Australia Saturday, April 13 — TBC, Gold Coast, Queensland Saturday, April 20 — Rochford Wines, Yarra Valley, Victoria Alive Garden Party will tour Australia in March and April 2024, with tickets on-sale now — head to the event website for further details.
