The chance to tap into terror without actual bodily danger is what keeps us returning to horror films and roller-coasters, but neither do it as pervasively, intimately, and thoughtfully as Tamara Saulwick in Pin Drop. Primarily using sound design, the Green Room Award winner for Outstanding Production awakens a catalogue of fears learnt through interviews with subjects aged six to 92. Pin Drop is part of the Performance Space season Show On. Read about the other shows here.
Opera on a regular stage is one thing, but opera performed on a floating openair theatre atop Sydney Harbour, under the stars? Well, that's some unforgettable stuff. Especially when it's Giuseppe Verdi's famed classic La Traviata that's being given the overwater treatment. The glamorous three-act show is the latest production announced as part of Opera Australia's Handa Opera series. It was set to pop up on the harbour in March 2020, but, because of COVID-19, it was postponed. Now, it has been announced that the show will (finally) go on in March 2021. Handa Opera has pulled over 400,000 guests since debuting with La Traviata back in 2012, its mix of drinking and dining options, breathtaking views and nightly fireworks making it one of Sydney's must-try cultural offerings. It's also considered one of the world's best openair opera venues. [caption id="attachment_729347" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'La Traviata' by Opera Australia[/caption] The upcoming season will see director Constantine Costi heading up a bold new production of La Traviata based on celebrated director Francesca Zambello's original. It tells the famously heartbreaking tale of a free-spirited Parisian courtesan and her tragic love affair with a nobleman. Expect to be wowed by a glittering nine-metre-high chandelier decked out with 10,000 crystals on stage, while world-class performers deliver soaring renditions of legendary tunes like 'Sempre Libera' and 'Brindisi'. Carmen, Aida and La Bohème are just some of the hits to grace the Handa Opera stage in recent years, with 2019's production of West Side Story selling a huge 62,000 tickets. La Traviata on Handa Opera will run from Friday, March 26 to Sunday, April 25. Tickets are on sale from the Opera Australia Box Office from $99.. Handa Opera's 2012 'La Traviata' by Lightbox Photography
Checking surf conditions is a thing of the past for Sunshine Coasters, there's a multi-million dollar wave pool on its way. Best part is, you choose the size of the waves and customise how long they roll for. Really. The hugely-anticipated Webber Wave Pool has found a spot to make its own, snapping up a 24 hectare piece of land in Glenview — a colossal corner of fun right near Australia Zoo and the Big Kart Track. Developer Waterplay Pty Ltd is behind it all, the water-happy brains behind Malaysia's Sunway Lagoon and Wadi Adventure Park in the United Arab Emirates. Surrounded by waterslides, a 120-room hotel, canoeing rapids and a holiday village, the epic wave pool is the premier focus of the park. Pumping out consistently perfect and regulated waves, grommets and old hats alike will be able to choose their level of difficulty surfing the waves. Purists might be severely facepalming right now, but honestly, this is some pretty badass technology. Webber's drive system, according to their website, allows control over the hull speed, draft and trim angle of the wave. "These additional controls will transform our ability to change the wave shape during the ride," they say. "As a result, we will be able to make the wave angle and wave size shape change in a similar way as happens in nature." If you're bored of a particular set-up (yeah, if you're bored of your predictable ol' wave), just tweak a few details and you're riding a totally different beast. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZA4PoRBVY-M Webber's shiny new systems also allow the team to create waves of different sizes in the same pool at the same time. The coolest part? Your settings are saved on your wrist. "When linked to the profile of each patron by their RFID wristband, the software driving the new drive system will immediately adjust the ratio of the wave sizes to match with the changes in demand during the day." Rad. The Waterplay team hope to have you carving things up within a few short years, with the wave pool first on the to-do list. "All things going well, our team hopes to begin work next year and have the first Sunshine Park guests splashing, surfing and sliding on what will be Australia's latest waterpark during 2016," Waterplay spokesperson David Baird, told the Courier Mail. Fine, I guess we'll just have to surf in the real beach until then, whatever. Stupid, unruly, natural waves. Via Queensland Blog.
In the ultimate girl-power move, Australia has just scored a new contemporary art gallery dedicated entirely to female and female-identifying artists. The groundbreaking Finkelstein Gallery has made its home in Windsor The brainchild of renowned art consultant and advocate Lisa Fehily, the gallery is set to showcase works from a broad bill of emerging and established artists, including the likes of Cigdem Aydemir, Louise Paramor, Deborah Kelly, Coady, Lisa Roet and Kate Baker. On the international lineup, you'll find names such as South Africa's Kim Lieberman and London-based visual artist Sonal Kantaria. Its creation was spurred by the underrepresentation of women across Australia's art collections. According to recent figures released by The Countess Report, a project and online resource on gender equality in the Australian art sector, show that national commercial galleries show just 40 percent women artists, while state museums are at an even lower 34 percent. It'll debut with all-woman exhibition Finkelstein Gallery presents, running from Thursday, August 29 until Saturday, September 28. "I have selected an exclusive group of talented female artists, whose unique voices combine their incredible insight into contemporary society, life as a female, cultural and historical understanding, together with extraordinary skills with concepts and mediums as artists," explained Fehily in a statement. Finkelstein Gallery is set to deliver a broad range of talent, from an array of disciplines. Catch playful pop culture from emerging artist Coady, some socially and politically engaging performance art pieces from the award-winning Cigdem Aydemir, and Lisa Roet's stunning visual exploration of the relationships between humans and primates, to name just a few. The gallery is only the second of its kind in Australia, and the only existing one, with Canberra's Australian Girls Own Gallery representing exclusively women artists from 1989 until it closed in 1998. Find Finkelstein Gallery at Basement 2, 1 Victoria Street, Windsor. Finkelstein Gallery presents will run from Thursday, August 29–Thursday, September 26.
Holy Ghost are back with some ridiculously catchy music, The National have us swimming in a sea of love, and Sam Smith goes acoustic to show us the beauty of strings. Put down the iPod; these five tracks are your playlist for the weekend. 1. 'DUMB DISCO IDEAS' - HOLY GHOST Holy Ghost are back with their impending album Dynamics, and this week they treated us to the first delicious slice of audio pie from the record in 'Dumb Disco Ideas'. It is eight minutes of subtle hooks, groove and simplicity and the accompanying video is equally as fantastic, with a time lapse of the Manhattan skyline punctuated by cleverly synchronised disco lights. 2. 'SEA OF LOVE' - THE NATIONAL The National are experts at making music for all occasions. 'Sea of Love' is another one of those gems that you can listen to whilst jogging, brooding over a break-up or taking a road trip to the greatest festival of your life (at which they are probably playing). The track coasts along nicely until its final third when everything lets loose and the band just take it up a few thousand notches. The National are back to their very best. Also, the kid at the front of the video is incredible. 3. 'LATCH' - SAM SMITH Sam Smith provided the vocals for Disclosure's electro smash 'Latch'. This week he decided to strip that track back, take out all of the technologically created sounds and head in an acoustic direction and we should all be glad he has. Whilst the original is enjoyable in its own right, Sam's haunting voice and strong string accompaniment take it in a direction you never imagined the song could go. This is music as it was meant to be made. 4. 'FALL FOR YOU' - YOUNG GALAXY Canadian indie band Young Galaxy know how to have fun and thankfully they are kind enough to share what their fun creates. 'Fall For You' is from their new album Ultramarine and it creates all kinds of good feelings when you hear it. If you watch the video whilst listening you will never be sad again. 5. 'RUN AWAY' - SUNSTROKE PROJECT It's Eurovision weekend, which means its time to reflect on one of the greatest moments in recent competition history — epic sax man. When Moldova took to the stage in 2010 nobody expected much; how wrong we all were. Not only did we get a spinning violinist but we were also treated to the most epic saxophonist ever. Many have tried to replicate his hips, but none have succeeded and it is doubtful that anybody ever will.
When Meredith celebrates its 31st festival in 2023, it'll do so with a live set more than half a century in the making. Doing the headlining honours: none other than German electro pioneers Kraftwerk, who have not only announced a solo tour of Australia this December, but also locked in a key slot in Meredith's Supernatural Amphitheatre. Aunty Meredith comes bearing two big pieces of news, with Kraftwerk leading the bill — aka the only artist that's been revealed for 2023's fest so far — and the ticket ballot opening. Book that long weekend now, pop your name in the running and cross your fingers that you'll be spending Friday, December 8–Sunday, December 10 at The Sup. "Kraftwerk, quite simply, are the reason music sounds like it does today. Progenitors of pop. Of music as we know it," the Meredith team advised, announcing the Düsseldorf-formed group as the event's first big name for 2023. They're not wrong. "Specks of Kraftwerk DNA hurtle through the space-time continuum, embedding themselves into Bowie, Spacemen 3, Afrika Bambaataa, Prince, Daft Punk, New Order, Radiohead, Missy Elliott and every Meredith Music Festival for the last three decades." [caption id="attachment_847588" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ben Fletcher[/caption] As for who else will join Kraftwerk, watch this space. In 2022, Meredith's first festival since 2019 due to the pandemic, the Caribou-, Yothu Yindi- and Courtney Barnett-led lineup dropped in mid-August. To nab tickets to the beloved three-day BYO camping festival, you've got until 10.31pm AEST on Monday, August 14 to enter the ballot. [caption id="attachment_865642" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Chelsea King[/caption] MEREDITH 2023 LINEUP: Kraftwerk and more to come Meredith Music Festival will return to Meredith on Friday, December 8–Sunday, December 10, 2023. To put your name in the ballot to get your hands on tickets, head to the festival's website before 10.31pm AEST on Monday, August 14. Top image: Steve Benn.
To not enjoy the whistful sounds of Emma Louise may as well be cardinal sin. Her ranging tempos matched with an eerily sweet voice, make for a sound that's encapsulated an audience far beyond the Triple J circuit she's been most frequented on. Now, fresh from firing her music at the flower folk in Toowoomba, Emma Louise is conquering the other side of the Great Dividing Range at Brisbane Festival. On the tail of her latest album release Emma Louise vs. Head vs. Heart this 21-year-old artist has played to sold out audiences across Australia. Her listeners have remained addicted to the pure and pared backed tunes that fuse the sounds of Sarah Blasko and the Jezabels to produce something that is uniquely Emma Louise. From her breakthrough single 'Jungle' to her latest stunners indluding 'Mirrors' and 'Boy' she's captured the hearts of everyone from angsty teens to a more mature fan base. Join a crowd of loyal fans as she treats Brisbane to two intimate shows at The Spiegeltent. Check out Emma Louise's 'Boy'
Featuring over 800 shoes from the 16th century to now, Recollect: Shoes will showcase its diverse collection at the Powerhouse Museum this November. From the first elastic-sided boots in the world (worn by Queen Victoria) to a pair of Charles Jourdan heels worn by Nicole Kidman in the film Moulin Rouge, a pair of cricket boots signed by Sir Donald Bradman and designer names such as Louboutin, Yves Saint Laurent and Prada, this event is one design lovers, fashionistas, artists, shoe fetishists and history buffs alike won't want to miss. But shoes don't just make themselves. The exhibition comes full circle without a range of shoemaking equipment, including an early 20th century clicking press, shoe lasts and patterns to demonstrate the process of making bespoke shoes, in addition to a collection of recent acquisitions, fashion photographs and an special exhibit about caring for shoes. DIY types will want to attend the shoemaking drop-in sessions by designer Jodie Morrison (10 January and 18 April).
UPDATE: May 24, 2020: Zombieland: Double Tap is available to stream via iTunes — and via Amazon Prime Video from Monday, May 25. What a delight the original Zombieland was. Led by Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg and Abigail Breslin, and proving witty and wildly creative in handling its gory subject matter, the unconventional zombie road movie breathed new life into a stagnating genre. Featuring playful additions like cutaways to various zombie kills of the week, plus zombie survival rules that were neatly and contextually transposed across the screen during the action, the film paired horror, comedy and a top-notch troupe of actors to deliver an instant cult classic. Fast-forward ten years and many, many zombie films later, and we get Zombieland: Double Tap (with its name serving up a clever play on its sequel status, as well as referencing rule #2: 'the double tap', aka two shots to a zombie's head to ensure that it's truly dead). From the get-go, Double Tap reminds viewers about its trope-subverting approach, with Eisenberg's voiceover thanking the audience for choosing to watch this movie when there are so many other zombie options out there. Funny, yes, but is our allegiance rewarded? Only just. With the team now living safely in the White House, Double Tap finds itself in similar territory to season three of The Walking Dead. The zombies no longer represent much of a threat, meaning that the bulk of the tension comes from interpersonal, human-to-human conflict. Of that, there's a lot to choose from. Columbus and Wichita's (Eisenberg and Stone) romance has entered the ho-hum phase, while the de facto father-daughter relationship between Tallahassee and Little Rock (Harrelson and Breslin) is at once suffocating and frustrating, with both eager to head back out in search of adventure (and people their own age). Sure enough, the group soon splits, setting the film up for a rescue mission storyline — because, inevitably, things go awry. Relegating zombies to the level of mere background nuisance is always a risk, and in Double Tap it doesn't pay off — instead, it sucks much of the energy out of the film. Even the actors seem bored most of the time, leaving it to the movie's new additions to up the ante. Luckily, that's where Double Tap really delivers. Supporting players such as Rosario Dawson, Luke Wilson, Avan Jogia, Thomas Middleditch and Zoey Deutch provide periodic shots of cinematic epinephrine, jolting the film back into life each time it begins to fade. Deutch, in particular, delivers a cracking performance as Ugg-booted, tracksuited mall girl ditz Madison, managing to find incredible range for such a one-note role. Her casual invention of Uber (to the mockery of everyone else) is one of the film's funnier and smarter moments, as is the arrival of Wilson and Middleditch, albeit borrowing heavily from Shaun of the Dead. Directed by the original's Ruben Fleischer (who also helmed last year's Venom), and written by fellow returnees Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick with Godzilla's Dave Callaham, there's just enough in Double Tap to justify its existence, offering smatterings of new material amid the admittedly still amusing trip back to very familiar territory. Stay put, too, for the credits, which gift us a welcome secret cameo from an old favourite. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUW5ZYwk2zQ
Since dropping a trailer back in September 2022, the instantly stunning-looking Suzume has sat high on animation fans' must-see lists. Given that the Japanese movie is the new release from Your Name and Weathering with You director Makoto Shinkai, it was always going to. The filmmaker's resume speaks for itself, also spanning The Place Promised in Our Early Days, 5 Centimetres per Second, Children Who Chase Lost Voices and The Garden of Words — and his features deserve to be as eagerly anticipated as Studio Ghibli's. Whether you've been excited about Suzume for months or this is the first you're hearing about it, you'd best mark your diary — because Shinkai's latest now has a release date Down Under. The film opened in Japan back in November, and will make its way to cinemas in Australia and New Zealand from Thursday, April 13. As seen in lively trailer, Suzume puts Shinkai into familiar territory visually, with the animation and art direction alone spectacularly and breathtakingly gorgeous. Every detail-filled frame of his films could easily sit on a wall — and, from the sneak peek, Suzume easily continues the trend. Story-wise, the movie follows its titular high school girl as she teams up with a mysterious young man to travel through otherworldly gates. The pair cross paths in a quiet Kyushu town, with the stranger telling the with 17-year-old Suzume that he's looking for a door. From there, they get hopping as disasters start to strike around Japan. As more doors open, more destruction follows — and it's up to Suzume to close the portals to stop the cycle. The coming-of-age tale doesn't just include doors that keep opening up in Japan's "lonely areas people have forgotten" — doors in places that'll make you want to travel far and wide through Japan, as Weathering with You did with Tokyo — but also talking cats, swirling red clouds and scampering chairs. "At its core, Suzume is based on the massive disaster that occurred in Japan twelve years ago. I'm eager to see how this film translates to international audiences: what makes sense, what doesn't, and what common ground we have across cultures," said Shinkai. "The film's imminent international release will hopefully give me the answer to those questions. And, I cannot thank our team members enough for their unprecedented talent and perseverance throughout the film's production. On behalf of the entire team, I would also like to give thanks to all the fans who have cheered us on, making Suzume possible." As they did with Your Name and Weathering with You, Radwimps provide Suzume's soundtrack. The film heads Down Under after playing the Berlin International Film Festival in February, in the prestigious event's official competition — becoming the first Japanese animated film to do so since Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away, which won the coveted Golden Bear in 2002. Check out the trailer for Suzume below: Suzume opens in Australia and New Zealand on Thursday, April 13.
When we caught up with Whole Larder Love author Rohan Anderson, we became immediate fans. We love that not only does he talk green, he gets right in on the action. So the prospect of spending an afternoon in his company, discussing his often unconventional philosophies and picking up some tips for living off the land has us excited. Anderson will be making an exclusive Sydney appearance at Stories from the Cellar, organised by Sydney Living Museums and Wildwon Projects and to be held at Elizabeth Bay House on Sunday, February 23. Leading a journey into the dwelling's secret cellars, he'll be explaining how he went from part-time graphic designer to full-time gardener, forager, hunter and "family cook" in rural Victoria. Plus, there'll be demonstrations of some of his finer skills, like skinning rabbits and preparing game. Several Sydney food experts are also lending their expertise on the day. Turophiles will love artisan cheesemaker Kristen Allan, who'll be showing how to make labna, ricotta and assorted dairy delights from scratch. If you're partial to a dose of Italian seasonal goodness at Berta, you won't want to miss an opportunity to meet head chef O Tama Carey, who'll be conjuring up quick pickles and chatting about raising pigs for charcuterie. For fans of Fish Place, head smoker Steve de Launay will be engaging with all things sustainable and aquatic. Working up an appetite just reading about it? The good news is that the five-hour session will involve not only watching and preparing food but trying it out too. There'll be various samplings, as well as a long, lingering supper, created by Dan the Man Cooking and sponsored by Salumi, with drinks provided by Murray's Craft Brewing Co and live music from harpist and composer extraordinaire Jake Meadows of the Myall High Club. Stories from the Cellar is on February 23 at 3pm. Tickets are $70, or $65 if you book in a group of four. Book here. Thanks to Sydney Living Museums, we have one double pass to giveaway. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address.
Each year we vow to be better gift-givers, but when the office secret santa rolls around, and Christmas parties start to ramp up, we're left with limited time to find a truly good present, one that says we genuinely care. Well, not this year; this time we're prepared. In partnership with Square, we've searched through Australia's independent shops to bring you a gift guide to match all the colleagues you might be assigned this present-giving season. If you are a small business owner, Square has the tools you need to take payments and maximise your sales, including an ebook with tips to help you get started this holiday season. FOR THE WORK PARENT Plant and self-watering planter from The Plant Society, $30 Melbourne plant hunters Jason Chongue and Nathan Smith set up The Plant Society in 2016 and now the small business ships its green shoots, ceramics, homewares and planter kits to people across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. When you're looking for a gift that says thank you to the office parent — the one that mops up the spills, has painkillers when you need them and a shoulder to cry on — we suggest giving a little love back. Buy them an indoor plant already potted in a self-watering planter. You can choose the pot colour and plants, which range from tropical philodendron super atoms to the popular monstera deliciosa. FOR THE BIG CHEESE Gift card from Mould Cheese Collective, $25–85 No matter how much you love your boss, when you've drawn the big cheese of your workplace for this year's gift exchange there's a lot of pressure to get it right. Choose a dud: everyone feels awkward. Pick something special: early marks all round. We say, send them a box of cheesy delights from The Mould Cheese Collective, a Victoria-based club for cheese lovers. You can shop for gooey goodness on its website, but for the safest bet, there's a trusty gift voucher of either $25, $50 or $85. The bonus: it's an instant gift, so no need to wait for shipping. The downside: not suitable for lactose intolerant leaders. FOR THE WANNABE DJ Dolly Parton's Blue Smoke from Cottonmouth Records, $55 Sydney's Cottonmouth Records has a loyal local following for its record store and bar in Enmore, but you don't need to live nearby to take advantage of owner Zachery Williams' eclectic vinyl collection. Its online store has black gold in all shades of nostalgia, from Beastie Boys and Mariah Carey to Pearl Jam and The Prodigy. It's not all about the throwbacks — there are plenty of recent releases available on vinyl here — but, when shopping for the coworker who controls the playlist, we think there's a lot of joy in Dolly Parton's back catalogue. We've picked Blue Smoke, but you can also order Jolene for $39, which is an absolute steal. Shipping is $15, or free for orders over $100. FOR THE ETHICAL ONE Face mask from Second Stitch, $18 Melbourne-based not-for-profit Second Stitch is a social enterprise that employs refugees, migrants and people seeking asylum. It beat lockdown in Victoria by making cute reusable cloth masks in uplifting patterns and colours. When your kris kringle recipient is that work mate who likes to support charities and ethical businesses, this practical gift will go a long way. Not only are the two-layer cotton masks an environmental solution to an ongoing pandemic, but also your purchase directly provides meaningful employment for some of the most disadvantaged members in the community. Now that's what the spirit of Christmas is all about. FOR THE SALAD-FOR-LUNCH ONE Citrus Trio from Mount Zero Olives, $25 If the only thing you know about Nic from HR is that they like to bring their own meals to work every day, be the teammate who celebrates their forward planning and discipline by getting them something that'll bring them a little joy every lunchtime. This trio of extra virgin olive oils from Mount Zero Olives is better than your supermarket drizzles, as they're pressed with citrus fruits rather than infused with synthetic flavours. The family-owned Victorian company says the lime, mandarin and lemon oils pair well with seafood, egg brekkies and roast veggies, so they're versatile too. Shipping is $12, or free for orders over $100. FOR THE CAFFEINE GEEK How to Buy It, Brew It from Market Lane, $25 If you've got a work buddy who places coffee high on their daily to-do lists, look to Melbourne roaster Market Lane for a gift to match their beverage of choice. Market Lane ships beans, coffee making equipment and literature across Australia. And, for a present that'll last longer than a bag of freshly ground coffee, you should pick the in-depth guide to a good brew How to Buy It, Brew It, written by Market Lane's co-founder Jason Scheltus. You can ask for it to be wrapped in paper designed by artist Julia Stewart for no extra cost and shipping is just $8. FOR THE IT'S-5PM-SOMEWHERE ONE Four-pack of Peach Sauce from Sauce Brewing Co, $20 We've all got a coworker who's a bit of a craft beer nerd. The one who plans their weekends around brewery crawls, goes out of their way to order the most obscure ales on tap, and loves to share their knowledge of local drops. Lean into the passions of this person and get them a four-pack of tart, tangy, crowd-pleasing Peach Sauce. The berliner weisse is one of many creative brews from Sydney microbrewery Sauce. There's also hazy pale ale Caribbean Fog, New England-style IPA Bubble & Squeak and a tropical Frisson Raspberry, ready for the summer of seltzers. FOR THE SNACK QUEEN Bubble O Bill cookies from Dough Re Mi, $18 Wagga-based bakery Dough Re Mi specialises in custom-made cookies designed to brighten someone's day. And we couldn't think of anyone more deserving of a treat than the snack kings and queens of your office. They're always ready with a bag of chippies or choccies when deadlines are tight and everyone needs a mood booster. You could go all out and order ones with a motivational message, but for us the winning choice is Bubble O Bill's face on a butter biscuit, complete with a bubble gum nose. You can order a single cookie for $5.50, or a gift box for $18. And Dough Re Mi ships Australia-wide. FOR THE NEW PERSON Notebook from Studio A, $15 Thrown right in the deep end, just before the festive season, the workplace newbie has to be one of the toughest people to buy for when it comes to secret santa time. However, it couldn't be worse than actually being the newest person to join the team. Think of all the catching up they've got to do — and that's just on the office goss. Pick them something they'll be proud to use every day, like a notebook designed by one of Studio A's talented artists. The Sydney-based studio supports artists with disability, providing a workspace and materials for artists to realise their aspirations. We like these ones by Lisa Scott, left, and Thom Roberts, right. Shipping is an additional $10, so order one for yourself while you're at it. FOR THE FASHION ICON Sturt's Desert Pea Socks from Julie White, $30 Adelaide-based designer Julie White creates bold and colourful designs inspired by Australian flora and fauna. She draws all the designs by hand, including ones of lorikeets, midnight orchids and Sturt's desert peas. Her head and neck scarves are 100-percent silk, and the silky-feel knee-high socks are nylon. If your secret santa budget is $30, order a set of statement socks for the most fashionable person in your workplace. They'll feel seen. And, as a treat for you, shipping is free within Australia for orders over $30. Find out how Square is supporting small businesses with the tools they need to grow, here. If you are a small business owner, Square has guidance on how best to maximise sales in the run up to the Christmas holiday period in its ebook, found here.
If you've ever picked up a loved one at the airport, sometimes you might get caught up in the sheer beauty of the moment and simply not know what to say. Those in Amsterdam don't have to worry about becoming a stuttering emotional wreck anymore, as the Schiphol Airport Bannerxpress now allows people to print welcome home signs from a vending machine at the airport. The machine has been under development for the past three years, and recently made its debut at Schiphol Airport. Vending machines now house much more than your standard soft drink, as you can customise these signs with different sizes, fonts, artwork and themes. Depending on how fancy you banner is, this will set you back between 4 and 15 Euros. Depending on the popularity of the machine, Bannerxpress co-founder Thibaud Bruna says that there are plans to place the machines at sporting events and concerts. [via Trendhunter]
Ah, gin, how we love thee. Pretty bottles, lesser hangovers and the smell of botanicals in every sip. Bombay Sapphire are giving you the opportunity to embrace gin at its fullest by matching it to food at their annual pop-up event, Project Botanicals, happening September 8-18. There are ten different botanicals in Bombay Sapphire gin, much more than just juniper. The dishes to be served at Project Botanicals have been tailored to bring out each of the botanicals – whether it's lemon peel, coriander, orris root or almond. Because Melburnians love their gin, tickets sold out quicker than you could say G&T. But, don't worry — you can still head along to the pop-up bar for your gin fix (no ticket needed) or try making a simplified version of it at home. This here is a simple version of the Orris Spice Trader – a blend of turmeric, lime and ginger beer with gin in a cocktail best paired with a coconut curry. ORRIS SPICE TRADER Botanical: Orris root INGREDIENTS 60ml x Bombay Sapphire gin 1 tsp x caster sugar 20ml x lime juice 120ml x ginger beer ¼ pinch x grated turmeric METHOD 1. Take a highball glass and add 20ml lime juice and 1 teaspoon of caster sugar. 2. Add ¼ pinch of grated turmeric. 3. Pour in 60ml Bombay and 120ml ginger beer and 4. Stir with ice. 5. Step up the botany further with the garnish – fresh mint. Images: Steven Woodburn. Project Botanicals will take place at Taxi Riverside from September 8-18. Unfortunately all tickets have sold out, but you can still drop by the pop-up bar from Thursday to Sunday. Get all the details here.
In an industry that can sometimes come across as vapid and insipid, Patti Smith has remained the fortified voice of punk rock and guardian of good music since the '70s. With a career that has included prose, poetry, genre-defining rock and roll and a whole lot a heartbreak, Smith is coming to the Sydney Opera House in April to give a one-off talk that traverses the breadth and depth of her oeuvre. The appearance will come at the end of her Australian tour, which will see her headline Bluesfest, perform her 1975 debut album Horses in full at the State Theatre, and do a gig with Courtney Barnett at Melbourne's Festival Hall. It will be her only solo appearance of the tour, and will comprise of a magical mix of discussion, reading, and even a few songs from one of musical history's all-time greats. Tickets for In her Own Words go on general public sale at 9am on Friday, February 24. Image: Ferial.
Plays like You Know We Belong Together aren't a common sight on Australia's stages, and that's one of the reasons that it exists. Created by and starring actor and writer Julia Hales (ABC's The Upside), it features a cast performers exploring the daily reality of Down syndrome — and the fact that actors with Down syndrome are so rarely featured in Australia's cultural output. The starting point is right there in the Sydney Opera House-bound production's name, which should've instantly gotten one particular song stuck in your head. You Know We Belong Together takes its moniker from the first words to Home and Away's theme tune, a soap opera that Hales has been a life-long fan of. Watching the show's Summer Bay-set antics, she also noticed the inescapable fact that she wasn't represented in its melodramatic antics. "I want people to see us for who we are and what we do as part of the world," says Hales. "I watched every single episode of Australian soap opera Home and Away since it first aired in 1988, but I've never seen another person with Down syndrome in the cast." "I used to dream of landing a role in it and finding love. So I created You Know We Belong Together. This is a story for us, by us." Hales continues. You Know We Belong Together features Hales alongside six other Western Australian actors, all of whom draw upon their own lives and personal experiences with Down syndrome. The result combines monologues, video, scenes, dance and song, and also takes place on a replica of Home and Away's diner — allowing Hales to live her Home and Away dream. Co-written by Hales with playwright Finn O'Branagáin and Clare Watson, ex-Artistic Director and Co-CEO of Perth's Black Swan State Theatre Company, the play will hit the Opera House's Drama Theatre from Tuesday, September 6–Saturday, September 10. Watson directs, too. It comes to the venue after proving a hit in WA and overseas, including seasons at Perth Festival 2018, at Black Swan State Theatre Company in 2019, and at Edinburgh International Festival and London's Southbank Centre. As well as being committed to showing how people with disability are needlessly othered, and endeavouring to rectify that, You Know We Belong Together will feature integrated Auslan interpretation and captioning during its film segments. There'll also be a quiet space in the Drama Theatre foyer during the play's Opera House run. You Know We Belong Together plays Sydney Opera House's Drama Theatre from Tuesday, September 6–Saturday, September 10. For more information or to buy tickets — with pre-sales from 9am on Tuesday, June 21 and general sales from 9am on Friday, June 24 — head to the Opera House's website. Images: Toni Wilkinson.
Defying the notion that, post-lockouts, most Sydneysiders are tucked up in bed by 10pm will be Sydney Fringe's 2018 Fringe Club. From 10.30pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights throughout the month-long festival, level three of the Kings Cross Hotel will be buzzing with live performance, comedy and DJs — all free. Arrive on time and on Thursdays you'll catch Andy Dexterity's physical theatre, while on Fridays you'll get a showcase of show from the Fringe program. On Saturdays, grab a cheap pint of Young Henrys during happy hour (10.30–11.30pm) before DJ Glamour Toads start spinning non-stop hits from the nineties and noughties from midnight, taking inspiration from Video Hits, So Fresh and Hit Machine. Plus, from 11.30pm each night, potential comedians will take the stage when the mic opens to amateurs.
Watch Red, White & Brass and you'll never see the pre-game or half-time entertainment at a big sporting match the same way again. Of course, if Rihanna, or Beyoncé with Destiny's Child, or a heap of hip hop and rap legends are taking to the stage at the Super Bowl, you won't question it — but if there's a community band on the turf, you might start wondering when they first picked up their instruments, why and if it was only four weeks ago to make it to this very gig. Are they just out there because they were that desperate to see their team play? And, because they missed out on expensive and instantly sold-out tickets? Were they so eager, in fact, that they bluffed their way into a gig by claiming to already be a musical group, then had to speedily do anything and everything to learn how to get melodic, and obviously not embarrass themselves, in a passion-fuelled whirlwind of pretence and practice? A band solely forming to score access to a rugby game sounds like pure screenwriting confection. Often enough, though, when tales like that make it to the silver screen, it's because they're so wild that they can only be true. Such is the case with Red, White & Brass' premise, as it notes at the outset. Back in 2011, New Zealand hosted the Rugby World Cup, which was a source of particular excitement to Aotearoa's Tongan population, and especially to avid aficionados at a Wellington church. The kind of fans that were showing their devotion by decking out their homes in the Tongan flag top to bottom, hitching the red-and-white cloth to every free space on their cars and carrying around the symbol on their phone cases, they were determined to see Tonga play France in their own home city, and willing to whatever it takes to do so — wholesomely, in the type of underdog story about fervour, ingenuity, self-belief and luck that engagingly makes for an easy and warm-hearted cinema crowd-pleaser. On-screen, the dynamic Maka (NZ Popstars personality and film debutant John-Paul Foliaki) first thinks that he'll simply raise enough in donations for his congregation to attend the big game, aided by his dancing while the choir sings. When it ends up taking too much money to make money that way, that plan hits a bum note. So does a too-good-to-be-true offer that's exactly that. But sports fandom and a love of one's country are just like life in frequently finding a way. Handily, Aroha (Hariata Moriarty, Cousins) from the city council is looking for a brass marching band to perform before the match, asking at Maka's father Pita's (Tevita Finau) church for local talent. They don't have what she's searching for, and have never been anywhere near even thinking about having a brass marching band; however, that doesn't stop their resident born entertainer from saying otherwise when he hears that free Rugby World Cup tickets are involved. It may spring from reality, with co-writer Halaifonua (Nua) Finau scripting the story with first-time feature director Damon Fepulea'i from his very own experiences — yes, this happened to Finau — but there's a touch of Brassed Off meets Pitch Perfect meets Cool Runnings to Red, White & Brass. Although some films bring others to mind because they're that generic, often lazily as well, that isn't what's occurring here. Whether or not you know the IRL outcome going in, you know the outcome. You know that there wouldn't be a movie unless exactly what you think will happen happens. Stepping through this real-life quest makes for infectious viewing because it does follow the expected narrative pattern so lovingly, with such heart and so satisfyingly, especially when it comes to celebrating NZ's Tongan community. Maka has plenty of convincing to do, including friends like Veni (Dimitrius Shuster- Koloamatangi, Upright), who has largely lost touch with his Tongan heritage; Irene (Ilaisaane Green, The Commons), who is sceptical about this new brass-playing scheme; and his disapproving father and wary mother Elisiva (Valeti Finau). In the process, with help from Samisoni (Michael Falesiu), the only person Maka knows with any brass marching band experience, the Tongan word "māfana" is mentioned more than once. It means an overwhelming feeling of warmth and emotion, so it happily fits his mission, and it's also what Red, White & Brass itself is revelling in. This is an affectionate and joyous film that doesn't just pay tribute to events that clearly begged for the big-screen treatment from the moment that they happened, or to the feeling and energy behind them, but to the community and culture goes all-in when it comes to national pride. Even when they're disagreeing, disparaging or doubting — and when the familiar sports-film training journey sees Maka and his pals start out with plastic bottles, then join a school band for lessons, and also become the unhappy stars of a viral fail video — Red, White & Brass' persistent group of Tongan rugby superfans don't waver in their māfana. Nor does the cast that Fepulea'i has assembled to portray them, as led by Foliaki bouncing around the movie with a larger-than-life vibe that plays as pure zeal. That the Finaus, Nua's parents and both first-time actors, basically step into their own shoes is a nice touch, as is including some original members of the Taulanga Ū Brass Band, who started it all. Red, White and Brass is directed with inescapable fondness as well, which flows through to its sunny frames (as shot by Andrew McGeorge, The Panthers), upbeat editing (including by Fepulea'i) and mix of marching-band tunes with tracks from Three Houses Down. In music, hitting every expected note is usually pivotal. When that skill is perfected, creativity and experimentation can echo, which Red, White & Brass acknowledges and embraces. In cinema, movies that stick to the sheet before them can be blandly cliched, and many do, but the best of them swell with reassurance and comfort. Everyone watching wants this film to turn out the way it does, which it does, sticking to reality and offering a soothing bit of solace in a hectic world. That's what loving a sport, your culture or anything that you're passionate about can be, too, and Fepulea'i, Finau and executive producer Taika Waititi (Thor: Love and Thunder) know it, feel it and let it resound.
Everyone loves heading overseas for a holiday, but no one likes spending more time actually getting from point A to point B than they absolutely have to. So, before the pandemic grounded international getaways from Australia for the better part of two years, Qantas had been working to make stopovers a thing of the past — introducing direct flights from Perth to London, and exploring the possibility of doing the same from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. While those non-stop east coast legs are currently on hold, the Aussie airline has just announced a new direct trip — and the only flight that'll connect Australia to continental Europe. Between June and October 2022, the carrier will fly return from Perth to Rome three times a week. And yes, that timing is 100-percent aimed at letting Australians take full advantage of European summer holidays. The new flights will technically end and begin in Sydney, with a stopover in Perth — and they'll be more than three hours faster than the current quickest travel time from Australia to Rome. That means fewer hours spent in transit, and more to actually soak in Italy. It also means spending a big unbroken block of time in the air, which still sounds a bit like science fiction after so long without international travel. If that's your 2022 plans sorted — why just have an Australian summer when you can enjoy Europe's warmest season as well? — tickets for the new route have gone on sale, starting from $1785 return. The Sydney–Perth–Rome flights will debut on Wednesday, June 22, and are currently scheduled to run until Thursday, October 6. And, if you're keen to head elsewhere on the continent, you'll be able to use Rome as a connection point to fly to 16 other European destinations, including Athens, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Nice, Madrid and Paris — and 15 spots in Italy, Milan and Venice among them. Also, if you fancy flying into Rome but coming home from London, or vice versa, Qantas will let you combine the two direct routes on the one return ticket. Qantas' new Australia–Rome direct flights will fly from Wednesday, June 22–Thursday, October 6. For more information, or to book tickets, head to the airline's website.
Paul Allam and David McGuinness opened Bourke St Bakery in 2004 and worked their way into the heart of inner-Sydney with their quality handmade baked goods. This month they will extend their reach to the city’s outskirts with the launch of The Bread & Butter Project, the 'Makers of Bakers', a social enterprise designed to skill-up the disenfranchised and take the tastes of Bourke St to high-end provedores, restaurants and cafes — it's an old-fashioned everybody wins scheme. The project will be starting up at their Marrickville bakery with six refugees coming on board from greater Sydney for a 12-month paid traineeship in the art of making some of this city's best bread. On graduation the trainees will not only have experience working at a high-standard bakery but be armed with TAFE-accredited credentials for the jobs marketplace. All profits from the enterprise will be reinvested back into the program, which hopes to double its intake of future bakers next year. But it's not just goodwill that will keep the bitter taste in your mouth at bay; the bread range is available on their website, and with offerings like a white chia and goji berry semi-sourdough, this initiative looks set to follow in the success of its older siblings, Bourke St Bakery and Wilbur's Place eatery. Bread & Butter will soon be available at DJs Food Halls in Bondi Junction and the CBD, along with Thomas Dux Crows Nest and from the Sydney Food Connect Organic Fruit and Vegetable Delivery Service. Bread will also be available direct to the public through local markets — The Entertainment Quarter and The Sydney Morning Herald Grower's Market in Pyrmont — and at select restaurants and cafes.
If you're tossing and turning all night — it might not just be because of the state of the world. Your mattress and pillow is something you spend nearly a third of every day lounging on, so it's never not a good time to treat yourself to some upgrades. Luckily, premium homewares brand Ecosa wants to help out. In the lead-up to the end of financial year, everything on the Ecosa website is 25 percent off from Monday, May 31 until Wednesday, June 30. So, if you've been complaining non-stop to your office buddies about a crook neck, get yourself fancy memory foam pillow. The ergonomic pillow boasts an adjustable height, a curved shape that suits side and back sleepers and a compressible foam that supports the natural shape of your head. Plus, it comes with two compression bags so you can pack it up and take it with you everywhere. If that's not enough, Ecosa is also offering free shipping and returns Australia-wide, plus a 100-day free trial period. So if you order a mattress, bed base or one of Ecosa's new cot mattresses, you'll be treated to free same-day delivery, meaning you can start sleeping right from tonight. Ecosa is a one-stop sleep shop with luxe bamboo sheets, silk pillowcases, wooden bed base, memory foam mattress and weighted blanket all available at the discounted price. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Time to scope out an enormous bib and the hardiest pair of gloves you can lay your hands on. On June 2, House of Crabs will host a one-off seafood orgy by the name of 'Endless Bag Monday'. And yes, it means exactly what you think it does. You get to eat as much crab (and as many prawns, mussels and clams) as you, your stomach and your shell-cracking knuckles can handle. The feast kicks off at 6pm. We suggest you arrive right on time because you'll have only two hours to get your money's worth. Tickets are $100, which ain't cheap but, the boil is banging and the atmosphere streaks ahead of the city's hotel seafood buffets. Given that the venue inspires queueing on regular nights, bookings are most definitely recommended. Guarantee yourself a bottomless bag by calling (02) 9699 3177 or sending an email to houseofcrabs@drinkndine.com.au.
Harvest is back for its second year and the official lineup has now been announced. International favourites on the lineup include Beck, Sigur Ros, Grizzly Bear and Santigold. At Harvest's debut last year, festivalgoers witnessed performances from Portishead, The Flaming Lips, The National and TV On The Radio at what most hoped would be the first of many festivals to come. With rumours about the 2012 installation circulating for weeks, it was hard not to be excited when the full lineup for the November events came through at last. Tickets go on sale to the public on Thursday, June 28 at 9am from Harvest Festival, Oztix & Ticketek. Harvest Festival 2012 lineup: Beck Sigur Ros Grizzly Bear Mike Patton's Mondo Cane Santigold Beirut Cake The Dandy Warhols The Black Angels Chromatics Ozomatli Liars Ben Folds Five F**K Buttons The War on Drugs Dark Dark Dark Plus many more to be announced... Harvest 2012 dates: Sunday, November 11 at Melbourne's Werribee Park Saturday, November 17 at Sydney's Paramatta Park Sunday, November 18 at Brisbane's Botanic Gardens
We've heard of public bookshelves and we see piles of terrible self-help books left outside people's terrace houses all the time (just one time, we'd like to pick up a classic), but this New York artist has found a different way to pass on his unwanted paperbacks. Shaheryar Malik, an art director originally from London but working in NYC, left piles of books in high traffic spots around the city for people to pick up and read — and has created a pretty bloody beautiful work of art in the process. Dubbed The Reading Project, the art experiment was both a way for Malik to pass on books from his personal collection and express himself in NYC in a way that wasn't just taking another selfie. So he placed books in some of the busiest spots in one of the busiest cities in the world — Times Square Subway Station, Central Park, The High Line, Brooklyn Bridge — and had photographer Daniel Yim take a single photo of them. Then, the books were left for passersby to pick up, take home and read. Malik left a note with his contact details in each of the books, and according to The Guardian, he's recieved over 60 responses so far. The result is some seriously great photos of books in some of the world's most iconic locations. And literary nerds will be pleased to know that Malik has a diverse range of books in his collection, with titles ranging from Portuguese literature to the history of Nazi Germany — so if you ever bump into one of his book piles, you'll find much more than just the same self-help schtick. Via The Guardian. Images: Daniel Yim.
Every Australian city has its fair share of standout pizza joints, but only one is home to the country's best pizza. If you had an inkling you were chowing down on some world-class pizza, Melburnians, you might have been onto something — with the head chef and co-founder of South Yarra's 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar taking out top honours at the recent Campionato Mondiale Della Pizza (World Pizza Championships). In April, pizza maestro Michele Circhirillo made the trek to Parma, Italy, to battle it out against the big guns in the internationally renowned competition. He claimed the title of Australia's Best Pizza overall, with 48h's Di Parma creation. It's a menu favourite featuring ingredients specific to the Italian region: mozzarella fior di latte, rocket, prosciutto di Parma and Grana Padano parmesan. For Circhirillo, who himself grew up in the northern Italian region of Piemonte, this was the third time competing in the revered pizzaiolo challenge. "It's such a great experience to live and breath pizza for a week," he muses. "All everyone does is talk pizza." Having named their pizza bar 48h, after the minimum time required for natural pizza dough to rise, it's clear that Circhirillo and co-owner Fabio Biscaldi are pretty serious about their dough. Even more so now that their careful concoction of flour, water and yeast has scooped them the ultimate bragging rights in the world's most serious pizza competition. https://www.instagram.com/p/BwQ9sjugxnK/ Melburnians can sample Circhirillo's award-winning pizza skills at both the South Yarra and Elsternwick restaurants, any day of the week. But how about some expert tutelage so you can recreate the magic at home? Among its series of hands-on kitchen masterclasses, 48h also offers pizza-making workshops, most taught by the master himself. The next one's coming up on Saturday, June 29. Find 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar at 373 Malvern Road, South Yarra and 15 Gordon Street, Elsternwick.
In front of the camera, Thomas M Wright's first credit came courtesy of Round the Twist. Two decades later, he has roles on everything from The Secret Life of Us, Top of the Lake and The Bridge through to Van Diemen's Land, Balibo, Everest and Sweet Country to his name. But since hopping behind the lens in 2018, the Australian actor-turned-filmmaker has proven one of the country's most fascinating new directors — first with Acute Misfortune and now with the upcoming The Stranger. That initial helming stint saw Wright take on the story of artist Adam Cullen and journalist Erik Jensen, after the latter was invited to stay with the former in 2008 to turn his life story into a biography. One of the most stunning recent Aussie filmmaking debuts, Acute Misfortune not only explored its subject in a riveting warts-and-all fashion, but also interrogated the nation's fascination with festering masculinity — and yes, it truly was something special. Premiering at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, then set to arrive in Australian cinemas on October 6 before hitting Netflix around the globe on October 19, The Stranger also draws from reality — from the effort to apprehend the person responsible for Daniel Morcombe's abduction and murder. That said, this isn't a recreation or a dramatisation. If you didn't know about the ties to reality going in, or even before pressing play on the just-dropped new trailer, you probably wouldn't pick it — even with lines like "this is the largest missing person's case in the history of our state and is one of the largest in the history of our country". Crucially, The Stranger isn't about the crime, but focuses on the undercover operation to bring the perpetrator to justice. Joel Edgerton (Thirteen Lives) stars as Mark, who goes undercover to befriend drifter Henry (Sean Harris, Spencer) — first striking up a conversation while travelling, with Henry unaware of Mark's true identity and motives. While fictionalised, The Stranger joins Australia's growing list of unsurprisingly tense films unpacking dark chapters in the nation's past, such as Chopper, Snowtown and Nitram. Check out the trailer for The Stranger below: The Stranger will release in Australian cinemas on October 6, and stream Down Under via Netflix from October 19.
Another year goes by, and we return to another year of Sydney's beloved short film festival: Flickerfest. Anyone who loves to be ahead of the cinematic curve can attest that a night at Australia's only Academy® Qualifying short film festival is a night of screen culture unlike anything you'll catch at the blockbusters. Returning to its home at Bondi Pavilion for the 33rd year running, Flickerfest spans ten days in Sydney before it packs up to tour screens across Australia. Throughout the festival, 200 top films handpicked from over 3400 entries will delight audiences while vying for awards like the Flickerfest Award for Best International Short Film, the Yoram Gross Award for Best International Animation, the Panasonic Lumix for Best Australian Short Film and the Flickerfest Award for Best Documentary - all of which are Academy® qualifying. Flickerfest also includes celebrations of diverse filmmakers of all ages and walks of life. Rainbow Shorts celebrates the work of LGBTQI+ storytellers; and FlickerKids gathers the best of the family-friendly program and Short Laughs will keep you giggling throughout the night. Of course, what's a night at the movies without food and drinks? You'll be able to start your evening right with a bev at the Pav's beachside panoramic bar, enjoying conversations with your crew as the sun goes down behind you. Come by day after a swim in the water then a movie at the indoor cinema, or head into the open-air courtyard after dark and enjoy a night of screenings under the stars. After wrapping its Sydney stint, Flickerfest will share the short-film love and pop up at over 50 venues across the country between February and October 2024. The 33rd Flickerfest International Film Festival will run from Friday, January 19 to Sunday, January 28. Tickets and the full 2024 program are available now. For more information, head to the website.
Getting stuck in the Upside Down mustn't be fun. Fighting demogorgons really wouldn't be either. And, neither would being imprisoned in a Russian jail, fighting secret government agents and seeing your home town rocked by a satanic panic-style witch-hunt. They're all among the grim things that Stranger Things has thrown its characters' ways over the years, including in the just-dropped first half of its long-awaited fourth season — and now waiting for the final two episodes in the season isn't that much fun as well. Obviously, spending the entire month of June listening to Kate Bush is on most Netflix viewers' agendas. But if you're after a bit more than that, the streaming platform has just released its first teaser trailer for the second volume of Stranger Things season four. Due to arrive on Friday, July 1, it'll dive back into the current tussle with Vecna — although, as this clip shows, he's decided that no one can stop his chaos now. The new sneak peek is brief, and it won't make any sense if you haven't already seen what the residents of Hawkins, Indiana have been up to lately. It still keeps the hefty slasher and horror vibes going, though, and teases another showdown between Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown, Godzilla vs Kong) and the series' new big bad. Need a refresher on where things are up to? Season four is set six months after the season three's battle of Starcourt, and sees Eleven living in Lenora Hills, California, with Will Byers (Noah Schnapp, Waiting for Anya), his brother Jonathan (Charlie Heaton, The Souvenir Part II) and their mother Joyce (Winona Ryder, The Plot Against America). But, despite her claims that things are sunny — in letters to her boyfriend Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard, Ghostbusters: Afterlife), of course — they really aren't. The same proves true back in Hawkins, too. There, teens are turning up dead, and metal-loving outcast Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn, Small Axe) — who also runs the high school Dungeons & Dragons club — is the prime suspect. Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo, The Angry Birds Movie 2), Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink, Fear Street) and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin, Concrete Cowboy) all know better, though, and enlist help from Steve Harrington (Joe Keery, Free Guy), Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke, Fear Street) and Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer, Things Seen & Heard) to work out what's going on. That's the basic overview — with season four so far also spanning nods to 80s flicks aplenty, a wonderful horror cameo, explorations of Eleven's past and powers, road trips, and Jim Hopper's (David Harbour, Black Widow) whole situation in a Soviet gulag. As for what'll happen next, things look as eerie, tense and chilling as ever. And no, the new trailer isn't set to 'Running Up That Hill'. Check out the first sneak peek at Stranger Things season four volume two below: The first seven episodes of Stranger Things season four are available to stream now via Netflix, with the remaining two set to follow on Friday, July 1. Read our full review of Stranger Things season four volume one.
Any film that critics compare to being "stabbed in the head" would normally be something that people would want to avoid. But when it comes to The Room, the harsher the reviews the better. The 2003 melodrama, about a love triangle between a banker, his best friend and his treacherous fiance, has spawned a massive cult following, with audiences all around the world coming together at late-night screenings to celebrate its cringe-worthy performances, horrendous dialogue and baffling, incomprehensible plot. The mad genius behind The Room is its writer-director-producer-star, the mysterious Tommy Wiseau. Blessed with a confidence that far exceeds his ability, it's Wiseau's virtuosic incompetence that plays a huge part in the movie's appeal. Interviews with Wiseau tend to raise more questions than they answer. A more forthcoming subject is actor Greg Sestero, who co-stars as the best friend, Mark. Sestero recently co-penned a book, titled The Disaster Artist, full of behind-the-scenes stories about the movies' turbulent production. In the lead-up to a promotional visit to Australia, Sestero spoke to Concrete Playground about the book, Wiseau and his dubious double-edged fame. https://youtube.com/watch?v=mQ4KzClb1C4 When you meet Tommy Wiseau "He was the ultimate character," remembers Sestero of his and Wiseau's first meeting, in a Los Angeles acting class back in 1998. "He didn't take no for an answer. As a nineteen-year-old aspiring actor who was doubting myself, he was the perfect person for me to meet at that point in my life." Slowly, the two became friend. Even so, when Wiseau first approached Sestero about making the movie, the actor was reluctant. "I agreed to help him make the film behind the scenes, [but] he really wanted me to be in it," says Sestero. "The night before filming he made me an offer I couldn't refuse. I was an unemployed actor working retail, and I didn't think anybody would see it. Fortunately I was wrong." Production proved a disaster, with cast and crew members regularly quitting or being fired over the course of the six month shoot. "You were dealing with somebody who had never made a film," says Sestero. "He wanted to honour his vision, and anybody who got in the way was shown the door. It was a very trying experience for a lot of people … but he had a very unique way of making art, and more power to him. Unique stands out, and here we are eleven years later, still talking about The Room." When you want fame but get notoriety "I always thought the movie was very funny and very campy, but I was shocked when it found an audience," says Sestero. "It developed a small LA fanbase around 2005, 2006, and then there was an article written in Entertainment Weekly that really blew it up. It wasn't until 2010 that I did an appearance at a theatre in New York at which twelve hundred people showed up. I think at that point I realised The Room had arrived." Of his own performance, and the questionable celebrity the film brought him, the actor remains upbeat. "For something that I just phoned in and didn't expect anything from, I can't really complain," says Sestero. "When you put yourself out there and you read bad things about yourself, it stings. But with this project I was kind of in on the joke from the beginning." And frankly, no one would argue that the cast didn't have their work cut out for them. "With the dialogue, even if you did try to act well, you would have been doomed," reflects the actor. "Even Daniel Day-Lewis probably would have had some trouble getting those lines out." When James Franco and Seth Rogen want to act out your memoirs "I think the book has kind of redeemed the whole experience," says Sestero. "Ever since I made this movie, there were so many crazy stories. I thought that if I took them to a publisher, they wouldn't even believe it as fiction. Then as time went on and the cult began to grow, I felt like the story behind it became even more compelling." Now, in a fittingly strange turn of events, James Franco and Seth Rogen have announced that they'll be adapting the memoir into a film. Franco will direct, while his younger brother Dave will play Sestero. "It's still in the early stages, but I think James Franco and Seth Rogen have made so many great films," says Sestero. "They're a great fit for the project." Despite all The Room has done for him, Sestero is looking forward to moving on. "At the end of the day, it's really Tommy's movie," says Sestero. "It's what really defines him. I think we were all just passengers on this ship. The book was a start to doing things that I'm really excited about, and to kind of show that there's more to me than just this bad movie."
Remember March 2020, when lockdowns first hit, panic-buying toilet paper became a thing and everyone watched the same true-crime docoseries? It now seems like an eternity ago, but our memories do still stretch back that far. We'll all always equate the beginning of the pandemic with Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, after all, and do the same when it comes to last year in general and Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin-related news. Netflix isn't done with all you cool cats and kittens just just yet, however. When Tiger King became a huge hit, another season of the docuseries itself was floated — and now the streamer has confirmed that Tiger King 2 will surface before 2021 is over. Exactly what it'll focus on hasn't yet been revealed, but an incarcerated Exotic pops up in the brief snippets seen in the platform's new trailer for its upcoming true-crime slate. Also featured: Baskin, obviously. Last year, when news of more Tiger King first did the rounds, it was expected that the filmmakers behind the popular doco would actually turn their attention to a different big cat-related tale: the 2003 mauling attack at a Siegfried and Roy show. That might still come to fruition; however, for now, all you cool cats and kittens are heading back to familiar territory. And yes, other projects leapt on the Joe Exotic bandwagon over the past 18 months, endeavouring to capitalise upon the worldwide obsession with him, Baskin and the duo's strange intertwined story. So, in the near future, you'll also be watching a dramatised series with Kate McKinnon as Baskin that's been shooting in Australia this year. Sadly, another drama with Nicolas Cage as Exotic that was announced last year has since been scrapped. Back to Netflix, the platform also has four other big true-crime titles in the works. In January 2022, three-part series The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman will hit the service, with the filmmakers behind The Imposter telling a tale that dates back to 2005 but still has new developments today. Then, in February 2022, get ready for The Tinder Swindler, a film that's clearly about another conman — one who posed as a billionaire playboy on Tinder — and the women who decided to bring him down. Also arriving next year sometime is movie Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King, about investors trying to get to the truth behind cryptocurrency multimillionaire Gerry Cotten's suspicious death, and also attempting to find the missing $250 million they think he stole. And then there's Bad Vegan, a series that sees celebrity restaurateur Sarma Melngailis get scammed out of millions after a man convinces her that he can grow her food empire and make her beloved pit bull immortal. Yes, really. Check out the teaser trailer for Netflix's true-crime slate below: Tiger King 2 will hit Netflix sometime before 2021 ends — we'll update you when an exact date is announced. For further information about the streaming platform's upcoming true-crime slate, head to the Netflix website.
Eating on a budget doesn’t mean that you have to shuffle out to the nearest transnational fast food chain for a greasy burger that, if not bland, tastes terrible, and will make you feel like a shameful ball of clogged arteries afterwards. For less than fifteen dollars, you can still go out and experience a wide range of Sydney cuisine, from delicious culinary experiments to time-tested dishes perfected by masters. And the best news? Concrete Playground has you covered for every day, so being broke and hungry will be a thing of the past. El Loco Where: 64 Foveaux Street, Surry Hills Located next to the Excelsior Hotel in Surry Hills, El Loco is the brainchild of chef extraordinaire Dan Hong. Its tacos, with a subtle Asian influence, are recognisable anywhere, and for five dollars a pop, you’d be hard-pressed to say no. The rest of the menu stays under the fifteen dollar mark, with hotdogs and salads delivered in giant servings. Tip: The frozen margaritas are delicious, but pricey at $13.50. Signing up to Club Loco, however – a quick and free process – you can get a dandy keyring which gets you half price frozen margaritas on Mondays, from 7-8pm. Stinginess win! Zushi Where: Shop 2A, 285A Crown Street, Surry Hills Judging by the queues that spill out onto the street and the arms-full of accolades that it’s swept up, Zushi is not much of a well-kept secret. And for good reason; it offers a full Japanese dining experience at an affordable price. Of the two restaurants in Darlinghurst and Surry Hills, the Crown Street joint is larger in capacity, with a more extensive menu, and – this is what you’ve been waiting for – daily dinner specials. Tip: Hit up Zushi Darlinghurst, and expect to pay no more than ten dollars for eight pieces of sushi between 6 and 7pm. This isn’t that dried-out, pitiful stuff that you get on campus, either; this is sushi from Australia’s Favourite Restaurant, as awarded by Lifestyle Food Channel in 2009. Pub Life Kitchen Where: 42 Wentworth Ave, Surry Hills With weekly experiments in burger-building, Pub Life give you something to look forward to every hump day. Checking out their gallery of burgers past, you’ll find yourself wondering if this is real life or some post-modern movement in which impossibly tasty burgers are dreamed up. Eight cheese sauce? Pork and cider patties? Purple mayo? The Pub Life kitchen is the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory of burgers, and they’re yours for only $14, although you’ll want to line up – they’re made in strictly limited quantities of 15 servings per week. Miss out on the crazy burgers? Don’t fret. Most items on the menu are under $15, some are vegetarian-friendly, and all are served in more-than-generous portions. And, as to be expected from Jovan Curic, whose father has been the chef at the original Bill and Toni’s since 1985, the food is delicious. Tip: Catch happy hour at the bar downstairs between 5 and 7pm, and expect to leave the Macquarie Hotel with bellies content and wallets still full. Gumshara Where: Eating World, 205/25-29 Dixon Street, Haymarket Uttering ‘Gumshara’ strikes fear into the hearts of even competitive eaters. That’s because the portions are huge in this ramen eatery tucked away in Chinatown’s Eating World. Add to that the fact that the collagen-rich pork broth is produced by boiling over 100kg of pork bones on a daily basis, and you have yourself a bowl of ramen quite unlike any you’ve had before, with a thick and salty broth that goes down surprisingly well. The menu is simple, with two of the dishes being rice-based and the rest being soup-based. The ingredients mingle well with each other and result in a flavour which is unique yet classic; combined with the low prices and generous portions, there’s more than enough reasons for Gumshara to be a staple in the diets of many a penny-pincher. Tip: Try the Special Rice ($9) for a combination of spicy cabbage, soft-boiled eggs, and specially marinated pork mixed throughout the half-basketball-sized bowl of rice, or the tonkotsu ramen ($13.50), served with slices of pork and seaweed in the aforementioned broth, which is so thick, it’s practically gravy. Laurie’s Vegetarian Where: 236 Bondi Road, Bondi Beach We all have a vegan friend who needs cheering up when you go out – vegan cuisine is rarely delicious if it is not expensive. Laurie’s, then, is the perfect solution. There’s a choice of six hot dishes which cost, at most, eight dollars. For simple, delicious, and homely food, you can’t look past Laurie’s. Tip: The highlight is the tempeh burger which starts at six dollars, and can have cheese, sour cream, and guacamole added. Nothing can compare to it in price or taste. The Dip Where: 55 Liverpool Street, Sydney With a love of food inspired by a trip to Memphis, head chef Andrew Levis brings you all the best that the United States has to offer, with a rotating menu of creative and delicious varieties of hot dogs, burgers, and desserts. Items on the menu sound like a Masterchef judge’s dream induced by a food coma: the Big Windy ($12) is a hot dog that pays tribute to Chicago, being topped with sliced tomatoes, sports peppers, pickle relish, white onion, mustard, celery salt, and a dill pickle spear; the pulled pork nachos ($15) are topped with pinto beans, tomato salsa, cheese, jalapeno cream, The Dip’s famous sweet’n’strong barbeque sauce, and 12 hour smoked pork; and, for dessert, the Ice Cold Guac ($10) is two scoops of sweet avocado ice cream with strawberry salsa and waffle chips. Tip: Nothing on the menu is over fifteen dollars. Make sure you get in on Saturday to taste-test experiments in hot dog design and deliciousness. Mamak Where: 15 Goulburn Street, Haymarket You can’t ignore the line that stretches down the street: Mamak is the best place to get Malaysian hawker food at authentic prices. Try the Maggi Goreng, which is Mee Goreng made with Maggi noodles, or the Nasi Lemak for the best balance of taste and value. Tip: Visit outside of main meal times to avoid the queues.
The future is officially here, and the subject of many-a sci-fi novel and the dream of every comic book geek is set to become a mass-produceable reality. Google have been the brains and big bucks behind this astounding innovation, with the company's founder Sergey Brin stating that "you can count on one hand the number of years until ordinary people can experience this." This story has been doing the rounds on social media in the recent weeks following California governor Jerry Brown's signing of SB1298, a law which makes driverless cars legal in the state of California. While the project is still in the prototype stage, Google's driverless cars have now done more than 300,000 miles of travel without incident, which at this stage makes them statistically safer than normal automobiles. According to Brin, driverless cars will revolutionise the way we travel and commute. Anyone, and they mean anyone, can "drive" Google's driverless cars, with the elderly, the young, the blind and perhaps most significantly the intoxicated all capable of operating the self-driving car. Similarly, traffic could become a thing of the past if we are to believe Brin's analysis. "Why does the congestion happen to begin with? The fact is that on a normally operating highway, cars take up a very small fraction of the space. Mostly it's just air between you the the car in front of you, to the sides of you, and so forth. Self-driving cars can actually 'chain together' and use the highways more efficiently, potentially eradicating congestion" he said. While the image of thousands of cars roaring down the highway "chained together" does really like sound something out of a Ridley Scott film, Google are confident this image could become a reality in the coming years. The big question for most people in the advent of self-driving cars has been one of safety. Can we trust these things or are we looking at some sort of Matrix-style revolution where artificial intelligence takes over the world? In terms of accidents, so far so good. The only significant accident involving a self-driving car occurred when a driver was operating the car in manual mode. Google as well has stated that self-driving cars will never run a red light and so we are close to reaching a point where driverless cars may not only be the most ultra-modern driving experience but also the safest. While there are a long list of "what ifs" Google are still trying to iron out and overcome, if you are hoping to turn your Prius into something worthy of a James Bond film, have a look at this video to see what the ever-closer future will look like.
Gauchito Gil is Argentina's Robin Hood. As such, it seems fitting that Australia's own Malbec World Day has been borrowed from the South American country, where the majority of the world's Malbec comes from. If this day is a donation from the grape god, it's one we're happy to accept. After a successful three years in Melbourne, Gauchito Gil is bringing Malbec World Day to Sydney with a five-hour wine bonanza at the National Art School's Cell Block Theatre on Saturday, April 23. The event comes from the organisers of the Pinot Palooza and Game of Rhones, and mirrors the free-reign tasting set up. Your $50 ticket will include a wine glass, and from there you'll be able to move around, sampling over 80 Australian and Argentine Malbec varietals. Other events have been known to get a little boozy, so to soak up all that wine, Porteño will be cooking up an epic Argentinian feast. Think empanadas, think asado, think yum. It really doesn't matter if you know everything there is about Malbec or if you don't know much at all, because Malbec World Day is about education and celebration of the Argentine grape. And what better way to celebrate than with an bottomless glass of wine? Malbec World Day will take place at the Cell Block Theatre at the National Art School, Darlinghurst on Saturday, April 23 from 1-6pm. Tickets are $50 and include a Plumm wine glass and tastings of all the wines on offer. For more info and to buy tickets, visit their website.
Even in the middle of Sydney, you're never far from cafes, green spaces and beautiful water views. And one of the city's popular running and walking routes, Blackwattle Bay, has all three in abundance. The eight-kilometre pathway can be tackled in any direction and there's plenty to see and do no matter what time of day you like to exercise. To help you discover more on your next run or walk, we've teamed up with Adidas to pick out seven spots along the way where you can recharge the batteries and add a bit of variety into your routine. Starting at Pyrmont, head towards Glebe before returning back to Ultimo. Or, plan your own adventure using the map below. PIOIK BAKERY Named after the ancient Egyptian word for bread, Pioik is Pyrmont's specialist bakery and cafe. It has a wide range of Middle Eastern-style breads, pastries and treats — all of which are preservative-free and made on site. If you're starting your jog or walk on an empty stomach, you can grab a freshly baked croissant, a takeaway drink or a slice of Pioik's famous orange cake to go. Or, if you have time to linger, take a seat at the communal table and watch the world pass by on Pyrmont's busy Harris Street. [caption id="attachment_804445" align="alignnone" width="1920"] James Horan; Destination NSW[/caption] SYDNEY FISH MARKET A fish lover's paradise might not be the most obvious place for a respite when you're on a mission to burn calories, but the Southern Hemisphere's largest seafood market has more to offer than its fresh catches. There are delis, cafes and eateries here, meaning it's an ideal place to pick up a snack on the go. If you're craving some five-a-day goodness, perhaps a fresh juice is on the cards? Or, if you missed Pioik's opening hours, you can get coffee here too. [caption id="attachment_804619" align="alignnone" width="1920"] City of Sydney/Adam Hollingworth[/caption] FEDERAL PARK Found within Jubilee Park, Federal Park is a grassy playground for our four-legged friends. When there are no sporting events taking place at the nearby oval, dogs are allowed off-leash throughout the area. When there is a game, they can roam free on the grass only. Reward your kilometres so far by giving pats to a parade of puppers and, once you've met a few new besties, you can take in the stunning water views or have a go on the outdoor exercise equipment. We know you're here for the good boys and girls, though. They'll give you the serotonin boost you need to carry on running. GELATO MESSINA TRAMSHEDS At Sydney's Tramsheds you'll find an outpost of one of Australia's finest gelato emporiums. Messina has become famous for its range of flavours, from vanilla and strawberry to its outlandish and indulgent specials. At any one time there are five specials to choose from, meaning one week you could be tucking into a scoop of Robert Brownie Jr. (milk chocolate gelato with chocolate brownie and chocolate fudge pieces) and the next, Papa Don't Peach (peach gelato with crushed amaretti biscuits). The best part is: Messina's open from midday until at least 10pm, even on Sundays. Afterwards, run back around and run back towards Pyrmont. [caption id="attachment_804443" align="alignnone" width="1920"] James Horan; Destination NSW[/caption] BELLEVUE COTTAGE Located within a 19th century heritage-listed building, French cafe and restaurant Bellevue Cottage is known for its stunning vistas and next-level dishes, created by Head Chef Antoine Moscovitz. Given you're unlikely to be in the mood for a three-course meal, the cafe's takeaway cart is where to head. Order a warm cuppa and a pastry as you take in the views over the Bay across to the Anzac Bridge. Should you be passing by on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, the cart has an expanded menu featuring baguettes and traditional french crêpes, too. [caption id="attachment_804624" align="alignnone" width="1920"] City of Sydney/Katherine Griffiths[/caption] WENTWORTH PARK If you're in the mood to add a little distance to your route, take a scenic diversion into Wentworth Park. The urban park was developed in the late 19th century as a way to provide more green space in the inner west; today it has public fitness equipment available in abundance, from traditional bars and ramps for strength building to parkour-themed stations to test balance and dexterity. You'll find the outdoor gym near the corner of Wattle and William Henry Streets. IAN THORPE AQUATIC CENTRE Named in honour of swimmer Ian 'Thorpedo' Thorpe's five Olympic gold wins, Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre was one of the last buildings to be designed by noted architect Harry Seidler. The building's iconic wave-shaped roof is thanks to Seidler, which you can admire from the 50-metre lap pool. As this is your last stop, you can add in some more cardio at the indoor gym, or relax in the spa, sauna and steam room. The latter is open from 6am–9pm daily and casual entry is $15.20. In need of a new pair of runners? Take a look at the new Adidas Ultraboost 21 runners here. Launch the map below to start plotting your own running adventure in and around Sydney. Top image: City of Sydney; Adam Hollingworth
With the 2014 FIFA World Cup seriously almost upon us, it's time to start your carb loading, vuvuzela blowing and early morning venue planning. Despite the Brazil-based, productivity-dooming early starts for all matches, a number of Sydney venues are finding ways to work with the lockout and open their doors to football-mad patrons, offering up some World Cup specials and screenings to give you the best seats in the house over the next few crazy, crazy weeks. THE ENMORE THEATRE Having proven itself one of the best places to watch the 2010 World Cup, the Enmore Theatre will again be live broadcasting all games involving both the Greek and Australian teams. Boasting a giant 9x6m screen, enormous sound system, warm theatre seating, bar, cafe and — most importantly — wildly passionate fans surrounding you, spots will be sure to sell out quickly. Cost: $15 + booking fee (02 9550 3666) Location: 118-132 Enmore Road, Newtown Website: www.enmoretheatre.com.au/events/2014/06/14/fifa-world-cup-australia-vs-chile THE ROSE One of Sydney's go-to pubs for The World Game, The Rose has proved a solid World Cup venue over the last few instalments. With its openair beer garden and last year's renovated upstairs area perfect for early morning ventures, Chippendale's beloved Rose is a solid pub option if you're after the buzzy vibe without the supercrowds. They’re screening games every morning from the wee hours both inside and out, with bacon and egg rolls ($7), brekkie pizzas ($15), bacon, feta and tomato croissants ($8) and eggs benedict ($16) strolling on out out of the kitchen. The legends are even putting on coffee for all morning games, and giving out wifi codes so you can bring your laptop and work/play multitask. Nice. Cost: Free Location: 52-54 Cleveland St, Chippendale Website: www.therosehotel.com.au WORLD SQUARE Boasting another giant screen and an enormous warmed-up marquee, World Square will be broadcasting the games live, beginning with Brazil vs Croatia from 5:30am on 13 June. Grill'd, Sourdough, Primavera and Gloria Jeans will be open to keep you appropriately nourished, penalty shootout competitions will be on to keep you appropriately entertained and Brazilian dancers will be on hand to keep you appropriately questioning your ability to dance. Repeats of the games will also be run throughout the day in case the dawn starts are as unappealing as your samba. Cost: Free Location: 680 George St, Sydney Website: www.worldsquare.com.au/news_events.asp VIC ON THE PARK Enmore/Marrickville's favourite finger-on-the-pulse pub Vic on the Park are hosting a World Cup brekky on Saturday, June 14, screening the Socceroos vs Chile game in all its false hope glory in the front bar. Opening at 7:30am for an 8am kick off, the kitchen will be cranking out epic bacon and egg rolls ($10), while the always legendary bar staff whip up freshly squeezed voddy OJs ($8) and Bloody Marys by the glass or by the jug ($10/$25). Then they’ll rinse and repeat the brekky goodness for the England vs Italy game the next morning on Sunday, June 15. Cost: Free Location: 2 Addison Road, Marrickville WEBSITE: www.facebook.com/thevicenmore THE LIGHT BRIGADE This World Cup, the Light Brigade in Woollahra isn't taking any chances with its reputation as being the sport-watching pub of the Eastern Suburbs. It's pulling out all stops — extending trading hours through the night and early morning, playing live games through the night (plus replays during the day for those not-so-diehards who value their sleep), and serving up a night menu, hot breakfast and coffee to keep you fuelled no matter what strange hour of the day or night you find yourself there. Expect to see all Australian games, all major group games and selected finals, and expect to see them on a pretty impressive 103" plasma screen. Cost: Free Location: 2A Oxford St, Woollahra (02) 9357 0888 Website: www.lightbrigade.com.au/article/2014-fifa-world-cup MLC CENTRE If you fancy yourself fairly adroit with a foosball table, and need a break from watching actual games (we won't tell anyone), head to the MLC Centre when the rest of the world heads to bed to prove your mad skills on the small field. From June 12 to July 13 there'll be two foosball tables set up in the centre of the birdcage, ready for you to battle it out for your own World Cup glory. There are no prizes here, save bragging rights. That, and the knowledge that you're pretty awesome. Cost: Free Location: 19 Martin Place, Sydney Website: www.mlccentre.com.au BRAZA CHURRASCARIA If you can't make it to Brazil, the next best thing is a straight up authentic Brazilian restaurant — and Braza Churrascaria is the place you're looking for. It'll be screening all the Brazilian and Australian group matches, as well as the Round of 16, Quarters, Semis and the Final. Put another way, they'll be screening a lot of Brazil's matches and three with Australia. They'll also be serving up a massive Brazilian breakfast complete with sausage and rump cap skewers, stuffed cheese bread, Brazilian tortilla and polenta chips. Cost: $24 big breakfast Location: 1/25 Harbour St, Darling Harbour (02) 9286 3733 Website: www.braza.com.au/ NEWMARKET HOTEL Having just installed a two-storey bigscreen in the beer garden, the Newmarket brings the large-scale CBD buzz to your Mascot local. Kicking off at 6:30am for Brazil vs Croatia on Friday, June 13, the Newmarket has been know to put everything on hold for a sporting event — rugby, SuperBowl, league; you name it, the Newmarket's yelled at it. Solid pub food, local brews, enraged locals — sounds like a World Cup go-to to us. Cost: Free Location: Cnr Gardeners Rd and Botany Rd, Mascot Website: www.newmarkethotel.com.au HOYTS If sport really is the last truly unscripted drama, then Hoyts is the pefect place to catch every FIFA 2014 blockbuster. Throughout the entire tournament, selected cinemas will be offering up not only their cinematically enormous screens, surround sound systems and candy bar treats, but also a hot breakfast package included with your ticket. Forget biting your nails and instead sink your teeth into a hot toastie (bacon and egg or ham and cheese), then wash it all down with some OJ as you cheer on your team through the big climax and into the closing credits. Cost: Group matches - $22 per person, Round of 16/Quarter Finals/Semi-Finals - $27 per person, Final - $32 per person (all matches include a $1.10 online booking fee / discounts available for group bookings over 20 people). Location: Selected cinemas Website: www.hoyts.com.au/movies/hoyts_plus/2014_fifa_world_cup.aspx THE STAR From 13 June to 14 July, The Star will be offering two huge venues in which to catch all the games live. Sports Bar will feature all 64 games, along with pre-game entertainment and loads of food and drinks; whilst The Star Event Centre will be transformed into the ultimate fan experience - the 'Hyundai Fan Park' - boasting cutting edge audio visual technology, live entertainment and food offers. And if you don't like Australia's chances in the World Cup, remember: they are still better odds than winning just about anything in The Star. Cost: Free Location: Casino (Level 1): 80 Pyrmont St, Pyrmont Website: www.star.com.au/whats-on-sydney/Pages/brazil.aspx HOME Let's not kid ourselves — getting out of bed is hard enough at the best of times, and 2:30am in winter is far from the best. The solution? Stay in bed. One of the more amusing characteristics of the past two World Cups since Australia has been involved is the sound of households around your neighbourhood cheering in unison through all hours of the morning (amusing, so long as you're also awake). For those who favour the comfort of your own fridge and couch groove over the roaring shared experience, SBS will be screening every game live, with kickoff times handily calculated by any number of websites, like Fox Sports' comprehensive FIFA breakdown. And remember, if you're calling in sick to work, lie down on your back while spinning flu-ridden lies; it restricts airflow and enhances the effect. Or buy the sick notes in advance. Cost: Free (plus ample Cheezel, beer and questionable-but-barbequable meat budget) Location: Your joint, strewn with television-thrown socks, pencils and other non-commital screenward torpedoes Website: www.facebook.com/dontfuckwithmywallchart Words by Tom Glasson, Jessica Surman and Shannon Connellan.
If you've ever played along with McDonald's regular Monopoly promotion, then you'll want to watch McMillion$. The marketing campaign itself is rather simple — handing out Monopoly tokens with burger purchases, which corresponds to the game's squares and lets customers win big. But in the 90s in America, someone worked out how to rig it and handpick the lucky folks taking home $1 million cheques, as well as other prizes. Smartly, McMillion$ plays this 100-percent true tale as a whodunnit. If you don't already know the details, we'd advise you to keep it that way until you watch the docuseries' six very compelling and very bingeable episodes. You might not think that a show that spends so much time talking to FBI agents in nondescript offices would prove quite so gripping, but the case they uncovered is both complex and jaw-dropping. The interviews with the promotion's controversial winners, and with other figures involved with the scam, also have to be seen to be believed.
Riparide is a new online venture which aims to provide surfers from around the globe with an easier means of coordinating holidays and trips. The brainchild of Australians Marion Law and Dane O’Shanassy, Riparide allows surfers to seek accomodation and equipment from locals at their destination. Conversely, surfers who would rather catch waves than go to work can offer their own services in return for cash. O’Shanassy stated that “we’ve gone to places where we know the people with boards and places to stay, but not everyone’s lucky enough to know people in, say, Hawaii.” This is a great service which will only tighten the global surfing community. Staying with other locals will also give you a greater insight into the area and a more authentic experience. Who knows, you might find yourself staying on the couch of the next Kelly Slater. [via PSFK]
Paul Rudd probably has an attic. And in that attic, a dusty portrait of the superstar actor is probably ageing, because the man himself doesn't seem to be. That's a perfectly logical explanation for why the Clueless, Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers, Romeo + Juliet, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Parks and Recreation, Wet Hot American Summer and Living With Yourself actor — and Ant-Man star, too — has looked the same for decades. And, it inspires a question: if you keep Rudd's likeness somewhere in your house, will you stop getting older as well? Will you start looking like Paul Rudd instead? That's a situation no one would complain about. Whatever might happen, a very real book written by Rudd's very fictional Marvel Cinematic Universe alter ego is on its way, so soon you can pop it on your shelf and find out. That tome is Look Out for the Little Guy, as penned by Scott Lang — aka Ant-Man. It's just been announced because a not-at-all-tun movie called Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania hits cinemas on Thursday, February 16. And yes, this new text will feature in that flick. See the film, buy the fake memoir: that's what's on offer for MCU fans, Ant-Man stans and Paul Rudd obsessives (so, everyone). In Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, Lang has penned the book, detailing his time saving the world. Unsurprisingly, the autobiography has proven popular. The Disney-owned Marvel will be hoping the real text does the same, of course, when it hits bookstores on Tuesday, September 5. According to the official synopsis, the memoir steps through "a bracingly honest account" of Lang's "struggles and triumphs, from serving time to being a divorced dad to becoming Ant-Man and joining The Avengers". Readers are also in for "stories of epic battles won and lost, as this everyman turned super hero finally tells all — from the official account of what really happened between The Avengers and Thanos to how shrinking down to ant-size really feels to the challenges of balancing the roles of hero and dad". Look Out for the Little Guy also has a trailer, because Marvel and the Mouse House realise that the best way to sell anything involving Paul Rudd is just giving the world what we want: more Paul Rudd. "In this new book I'm almost certain was not written by me, we pull back the curtain and uncover the man behind Ant-Man: Scott Lang," the actor advises. "Who is he? What's he like? Why does he look so much like me?" Check out the Look Out for the Little Guy trailer below: Scott Lang's Look Out for the Little Guy will hit bookstores on Tuesday, September 5, and is available to pre-order now — head to the Disney Books website for further details. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania hits cinemas Down Under on Thursday, February 16.
Snapping a few selfies over Christmas, and then sharing them with the world? Aren't we all. In this selfie-taking, uploading, sharing and Instagram-filling age, the days of only being able to spy your own image in a mirror or reflective surface are long gone. But, what if you could see it on a cookie, cupcake or even on top of your iced coffee? That's what New York's Selfee promises — and they can place your likeness on cold beverages and other baked goods as well. They've been holding pop-up events for the past six months, and are currently running a crowdfunding campaign to open their own store. At the time of writing, they've raised $23,516 towards their $30,000 goal with six days remaining. https://www.instagram.com/p/BOQBxEVAIgu/?taken-by=selff.ee How does it work, you're probably wondering? Flavourless, FDA-certified edible inks hold the key to feasting on food boasting your own picture — or another snap of your choosing. So does a quick printing method that happens as you watch, which gives it an advantage over existing methods of decorating food with your own image (such as cake transfers that have topped bakery fare for years — or online photo-printed marshmallow ordering service Boomf, which is co-owned by James Middleton, the brother of the Duchess of Cambridge). The New York shop will produce selfie-adorned cold-brew iced coffee, iced green tea, cupcakes, cookies, marshmallows and milkshakes, while an online store will ship cookies across America. Add it to your must-try list if you're heading to the US any time soon, or keep your fingers crossed that something similar pops up in Australia. (If you're heading to Asia, Selfie Coffee has proven popular in Singapore)> For more information about Selfee, visit their website.
The Beach Boys, one of the world's most influential bands, are reunited for the first time in more than two decades. Stops in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth mark their fiftieth anniversary, and an end to years of resentful animosity. Playing forty hits spanning over six decades, the tour's new show is described as being "complete and comprehensive", with these old gods once again bringing their summer sound to a wintry Australia. Since forming back in 1961 in California, The Beach Boys have cemented themselves as one of the world's most iconic rock bands, with hits like 'Surfin' USA' and 'I Get Around' still being listened to by all age groups even today. Their 29th album, That's Why God Made The Radio, was released in June this year, propelling the band back to the top ranks of the the US chart where they belong. https://youtube.com/watch?v=RljRp1JgaBQ
Look, some things are definitely better fresh. Things like like produce, sashimi and hot chips. But other things get better with age, things like you and, surprisingly, beer. There's an idea floating around that beer only belongs in the former category, but in celebration of Cooper's 2017 Vintage Ale release, we're shedding some light on the beers that age gracefully. If you're intimidated by the idea of a cellar, don't be. Modern cellaring doesn't require you to own a sprawling mansion with a decked-out cellar door. All you need is a dark, cool and consistent space to cellar beer and bring out its mature flavours. A basement or garage will do the trick, as long as the temperature stays between ten to 12 degrees celsius and doesn't fluctuate. Also, keep the space between 50 and 70 percent humidity if you can, but if you can't, an air humidifier will help control any mould issues. The other very important item you'll need is self control — don't go downing your cellared beers just because they're there and you can. Good beers come to those who wait. (And so do some pretty tasty food and beer pairings.) Once you've got the set-up, which beers should you choose? Which actually age well? Well, that's where we come in. Follow our lead, and look to these brews for your home beer cellar. In a year or so, you'll be thanking us. STOUT A good rule of thumb is that heavier beers with a higher alcohol content will cellar the best. Aim for beers that are heavy on malt and have an alcohol content of eight percent for good results. Stout is an excellent beginner's brew for cellaring. The word stout is even a synonym for heavy, determined and forceful, making it an ideal candidate to develop some extra depth. The rich, dark (but never heavy) texture of a stout starts off great, but is made even better with time. The roasted malt component, which is what gives the beer its depth, becomes even more complex. The consensus on how long to cellar a stout for is mixed, but the best approach for a DIY beer-ager is through experimentation. Buy the brew of your choice in bulk (like Cooper's Best Extra Stout) and drink a few fresh, making sure to take notes as you go. Age the rest and every six months, repeat the experiment, each time taking notes. Everyone has different tastes, but when you have your perfectly aged stout, pair it with a slow-cooked pork roast or oysters. DARK ALE Dark ale is one of the lesser known dark beers, but its reputation (or lack thereof) is undeserved; this beer warrants a place in your DIY cellar, especially if you're into chocolaty, coffee flavours. Think of dark ale as a dessert beer — heavy, creamy and rich. This strong flavour profile is what makes the beer excellent for cellaring, as it gets stronger, yet subtler, after a few years in the dark. For your home cellar, look for either barrel-aged or bottle-conditioned beer, like Cooper's Dark Ale. The active yeast contained in the bottle means they were designed to cellar well. Also note, thanks to their high alcohol content, dark ales can withstand a slightly higher temperature — between 12 and 14 degrees celsius — compared to their wheaty brethren, making this one a kinder brew for the home cellar novice. VINTAGE ALE From time to time, brewers will develop and release beers that are designed to age. Cooper's Vintage Ale is the perfect example and a must have for any DIY beer cellar — trust us, you'll be glad you added it in couple years. In its infancy, it has a bitter and punchy flavour with pineapple and pear undertones (unusual flavours for such a heavy beer, but somehow it works). During the production process, the introduction of live yeast as a conditioner gives this brew its longevity. So, if you're patient, you'll notice as the beer ages that the bitterness evolves into a sweet, caramel palette. Keep an eye out for these kinds of limited releases at your local as they're often designed — bottle and all — to be cellared, and may even become collector's items in years to come. SPARKLING ALE Now, we have just said that dark and heavy beers age well, so it may surprise you to see sparkling ale on this list. As a lighter brew, it may not be a go-to for most cellars, but sparkling ales do actually age beautifully and (if you do it right) you'll end up with a rich brew a lot faster than the heavier drops. The cellaring process takes the sparking ale's fruity, floral notes and smooths them out. Any acidity, over-the-top sweetness or rough edges age into honeyed undertones. But make sure you check these beers more regularly than their darker counterparts as they'll mature a little faster. Also, make sure to keep the temperature under control; these brews won't react well to any heat. Once you've nailed your desired aged flavours, pair them with bold tastes. Spicy food will match with the bubbles, and charcoal and rotisserie barbecue flavours will sit well with fruity tones. SOUR BEER If you like your beer a little bit tart, then turn your attention to sour beer. These acidic brews famously cellar well, but be warned, they're an unpredictable beer to begin with. Sour beers have always been brewed differently from other beers. Before modern brewing, beer was intentionally soured by introducing wild yeasts into the fermentation process — a method still used today. And although the modern brewing method is a little more controlled — brewers often use a Belgium yeast called brettanomyces to sour, instead of leaving the beer out to the elements — things can still go wrong. On the plus side, if the initial brew goes well, the beer will taste even better a few years down the track, since brettanomyces take months to develop a full flavour profile. Even if you don't traditionally like sour beer, we recommend you hop on down to your local and try an aged sour — you might be pleasantly surprised. (Beer pun intended.) A limited number of the 2017 Coopers Vintage Ale cartons have been released, so get to stocking your cellar with these brews quickly. Otherwise, you can find the vintage available on tap at a few key venues in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and beyond. Find your closest pub serving the brew here.
We've known for a while that all is not perfect in the Cross. It's seen some unforgettable tragedy lately, that perhaps could have been avoided, and most of us would rather face torture than its main drag on a Friday or Saturday night. Of course, everyone's got an opinion on what might help — and for many people who live and work in the area, those opinions don't jibe with the actual proposals by the State Government, announced late on Tuesday after mounting pressure from media and community groups. Aside from the mandatory sentencing provisions, which are generally loathed by legal professionals, the proposals include some harsh licensing changes for the bars and venues that fall within the 'CBD Precinct', a designated zone that stretches east from Darling Harbour to Kings Cross and south from The Rocks to Darlinghurst. Exempting small bars with a maximum capacity of fewer than 60 people, venues in this area will be required to impose lock-outs from 1.30am and to stop serving alcohol at 3am. In addition, across the state, bottle shops will be closing at 10pm, and on-the-spot fines for 'anti-social behaviour' are going up — for disobeying a move-on order, from $200 to $1100. In infrastructure news, free buses will be going from Kings Cross to the city every ten minutes. The buses are mostly uncontroversial. But every other aspect of the proposals is being pored and picked over. Most troubling are the lock-outs, which arguably push even more people out onto already crowded streets, all at once, and the ham-fisted, blanket approach to violence that's only being caused by a small minority. More broadly, the question of how we can create a vibrant, international, all-hours city while also making a safe one seems hard to answer. Since we tend to think of our readers as 'people who like to go out at night and not be tossers', we think this affects you. It affects us. Some of the proposals included have value, and certainly the intention is good. But does it come at too high a cost for the cosmopolitan culture we've all being building in this city? Is it even effective? We thought we'd ask some of our friends who know best — those who run the bars we love, where we retreat for nibbles at 9pm, a nightcap at 1am or a dance at 3am. Here's what a few of them had to say about what the proposals will mean for their businesses and the culture around them. Frankie's and The Baxter Inn Anton Forte co-owns the Shady Pines Saloon, The Baxter Inn and Frankie's Pizza together with business partner Jason Scott. Shady Pines, which opened in 2010, is often thought of as a leader in Sydney's small bar revolution. How do you think your bars would be affected by the proposed legislation changes? The Baxter Inn shouldn't really be affected at all — we close at 1am, so no sweat with this little guy. I don't have much hope for our extended hours getting approved. We're waiting for a response from OLGR [The NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing]. I thought it would be neat if we had a little extra time to trade. There are a lot of folk who are keen for a late-night tipple before bed. There are a lot of humans that keep different hours to the social norm — hospitality industry staff, and just regular folk who come to the city to watch theatre/shows. These people might only arrive just in time for our last drinks. t would be swell to give a little extra service to those folk. But alas! If the proposed legislation gets approved it would affect one of our bars, Frankie's Pizza, a ton. We keep our doors open until 4am religiously, and have a super positive clientele enjoying local live music, delicious hand-rolled pizza and icy cold craft beer. The atmosphere is electric! We get all sorts of people coming into the venue — travellers who have just landed, hospitality crew winding down and grabbing a bite to eat after a hard night, and lots of punters who have just seen gigs or shows in the locality. It would be such a bummer to not be able to service these people. It would be a real shame! What about the area as a whole? Obviously, it would be detrimental to the late-night economy of the City of Sydney. Part of what makes Sydney such a fantastic place to live and visit is, its thriving after-midnight scene. Within a five-minute drive you can have such a diverse set of experiences after 2am. A quick drag show on Oxford Street, followed by Peking duck and pinot at Golden Century, a short walk down the road takes you to Good God where you might run into an International Breakbeat DJ, and finish off with a high-end Martini at Palmer & Co. All these things make the city dynamic and interesting! That's what makes a place special: people being creative and putting together products with substance and soul ... So many human beings are connecting after 1.30, and that's what makes for a truly international city — the ability to do all those things listed above, and the facility for people to go out on a whim and attempt to succeed in the concepts they believe in. What, in your experience, would be an effective measure to curb alcohol-related violence? There are some positive measures that this proposed legislation had put foreword, but I don't agree with all of them. I think we should focus on increased police presence, transport and working on 'dangerous venues' instead of placing a blanket ban on the City of Sydney. The Hide and The Flinders Hotel Jason Ryan is the owner of The Flinders Hotel, a classic late-night destination in Darlinghurst. They've just opened The Hide wine bar upstairs, which we love and which was looking like the chill antidote to any rowdier influences in the area. How do you think your bar would be affected by the proposed legislation changes? We have already begun the awful task of reworking rosters and cutting back staff in preparation. The effects on our business will be dramatic ... The Flinders is a safe and well-established late-night venue. We have also just invested large amounts of money into trying to develop The Hide, our new bar upstairs. At the moment we are reliant on the cash flow from late-night business to support and pay for this investment. Now that late-night trade is being severely compromised, it's a real worry as to whether we can sustain cash flow over the next few months whilst developing the rest of the business. This may ultimately jeopardise the future of The Hide. We hope people we still turn out in force at The Flinders for the lock-in! What, in your experience, would be an effective measure to curb alcohol-related violence? Venues and pub owners already do so much to ensure the safety of patrons. I think the government should look at more socially responsible programs. In Denmark they’re really progressive. There’s a national voluntary organisation, called Natteravnene (Night Owls). This is a concept where volunteers work locally across the whole country to increase safety for young people in the public arena. Police are not the answer and neither are lock-outs. It’s an infringement of civil liberty and an impingement on trade. Hinky Dinks Dan Knight is a co-owner of Hinky Dinks with Jeremy Shipley. It's a sweet slice of the '50s just off William Street, and one of our enduring favourite date spots. But just because they close at the wholesome hour of midnight, doesn't mean it's smooth sailing for the future. How do you think the area around Hinky Dinks would be affected by the proposed legislation changes? Undoubtedly it will change the area and the entire city. There are a lot of businesses in the Cross that make their money early in the morning and for them business is going to suffer. You will see a lot of places closing if and when this legislation comes into effect. And the trickle-down effect will eventually see our city lose some of the vibrancy we have all worked so hard to cultivate over the last seven years. Will we see a drop in violence? Probably not. Since neither incident that has inspired this legislation actually happened on a licensed premises, and since both incidents actually happened before midnight, I can’t see how this legislation moves to address an issue that is far more social in its scope than the government is willing to acknowledge. In my opinion forcing entire precincts of drunk people out on the street at taxi change-over and two hours before public transport resumes is more likely to increase alcohol-fuelled violence. What, in your experience, would be an effective measure to curb alcohol-related violence? Perhaps if we stopped glorifying violence in our society people wouldn’t see it as an heroic or powerful act. If I grow up idolising boxers, cage fighters or even thuggish and bullying politicians, then when I am out (with my inhibitions and my self esteem at an all-time low) why wouldn’t I start a fight in order to try and feel better about myself? Beyond that, just running public transport 24 hours a day would also make a huge difference by taking drunk people off the streets and delivering them to their homes. This is something the O'Farrell government could implement immediately, but I doubt it would make them look as tough. Just like the guys throwing the coward punches, this government is more concerned with looking tough than actually being part of the solution. The Old Growler Jack Brown is the owner of Old Growler, just a really great bar in an area with a troubled reputation. The bar closes at midnight so will only be looking at flow-on rather than a direct impact. How do you think your bar would be affected by the proposed legislation changes? For us and our locals we believe it's likely to have a positive affect. If it alters peoples perceptions of the dangerous nature of the Cross then that can only be positive. What about the effect on the local area? Again I think its about perception more than any genuine impact. The proof will be in the pudding but it's unfortunate that an international city like Sydney is forced to introduce such drastic blanket measures. What, in your experience, would be an effective measure to curb alcohol-related violence? It's a very difficult one as many of the serious incidents which were the catalyst for this legislation were actually drug-related; they just happened to be in a high density of alcohol venues. Tougher sentencing for alcohol-fuelled crimes will help but mostly its a cultural issue and thats a generational thing and will take time to alter. Goodgod Jimmy Sing, Adam Lewis and Hana Shimada are owners and operators of Goodgod Small Club. They made their impassioned opposition heard on Faster Louder yesterday. "When we started Goodgod three years ago we wanted to create a late-night environment that was music centric, fun, welcoming and safe. We were inspired to create experiences where people felt entertained, understood and cared for. It’s something that we’ve cultivated week-to-week, hosting thousands of incredible bands, DJs and performers for a community that’s as engaged and passionate as we are. And in doing so, it’s become very clear that Sydney wants to be engaged with something much more than just drinking ... These new measures present a challenge to our ability to nurture this late-night culture. They risk forcing major events away from the planned lockout zone and into nearby precincts, reduce the opportunities available to musicians and music promoters, and wear down the viability of venues that strive to go beyond simply facilitating drinking for drinking’s sake." Read the whole statement over at Faster Louder. Palmer & Co Palmer & Co is a CBD favourite in classic speakeasy style. It's part of the Merivale empire along with the likes of Mr Wong, El Loco, the Beresford and, of course, ivy, so they're all governed by the word of CEO Justin Hemmes in Tuesday's press release: "Justin Hemmes ... strongly welcomes and commends the Premier for these tough measures to combat drug and alcohol fuelled violence. Without doubt, these measures will create a safer environment for all."
It was a sad day when Polaroid announced it was going to stop producing film. The iconic camera was used by artists Andy Warhol, Chuck Close, Helmut Newton and Robert Mapplethorpe and nothing quite matches the simplicity and beautiful graininess of Polaroids. But now, you don't have to feel glum whenever you look at your photo wall - it's not all over yet. The clever clogs at Polaroid have found a way to keep the camera alive without using the traditional film. Meet the Polaroid Z340. It is a 14MP camera with a 2.7-inch LCD display and an integrated printer that produces 3x4-inch color prints. The printer uses inkless printing technology from Zink Imaging where special print paper has embedded dye crystals which are activated by heat to form the image. It's not cheap at $299.99, and a pack of 30 photos costs $19.99. But hey, instant gratification is priceless. Fingers crossed that the images will still have that dreamy imperfection that makes them unique.
Change is coming to The Witcher, with Henry Cavill (Zack Snyder's Justice League) set to relinquish Geralt of Rivia's icy locks after Netflix's hit fantasy series' upcoming third season. Before that big switch — which will see The Hunger Games, The Dressmaker and Independence Day: Resurgence's take over the role — fear is coming first, as the just-dropped first trailer for the show's next batch of episodes teases. "Now, for the first time, I understand real fear," growls Geralt to kick off the debut sneak peek at The Witcher season three — complete with his sword at the ready. Elsewhere, Ciri (Freya Allan, The Third Day) has ghost cavalry on her tail, while Yennefer (Anya Chalotra, The ABC Murders) has her own scares to deal with. Need a refresher on the story so far? Haven't watched the first two seasons yet? If The Witcher's name sounds familiar, that's because it's based on the short stories and novels of writer Andrzej Sapkowski — and, as well as being turned into comics, it was adapted the video game series of the same name. A Polish film and TV show also reached screens in the early 2000s, although they were poorly received. In the Netflix series, Cavill plays the witcher of the title. Geralt of Rivia is a monster hunter who prefers to work — aka slay beasts — alone in a realm called The Continent. But life has other plans for the lone wolf, forcing him to cross paths with powerful sorceress Yennefer and young princess Ciri. When it tosses a coin to its witcher again, season three will take its cues from Time of Contempt, the second book in Sapkowski's series. The new batch of episodes will hit streaming queues this winter Down Under, featuring eight instalments split into two parts. Volume 1 arrives on Thursday, June 29, with Volume 2 following on Thursday, July 27. One of Netflix's big successes, The Witcher has been renewed for a fourth season, too, which happened back in 2022 long before its third had a trailer or a release date — something that also occurred with season three before season two dropped as well, and with season two before season one debuted before that. But instead of Cavill as Geralt, Hemsworth will replace him, as also announced in 2022. The Witcher franchise doesn't just include the show itself, but also animated flick The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, which hit Netflix in 2021. And, there's 2022 prequel series The Witcher: Blood Origin, which takes place 1200 years before Geralt's time, spans four episodes and stars Everything Everywhere All At Once Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh. Check out the first teaser trailer for The Witcher's third season below: The Witcher's third season will hit Netflix in winter 2023 Down Under, releasing in two parts — with Volume 1 arriving on Thursday, June 29 and Volume 2 on Thursday, July 27.
A new nursery has opened in the heart of Rosebery, and it's offering heaps of indoor and outdoor plants, alongside Will & Co coffees and fresh pastries to boot. Plant Base Sydney is run by James Stevens, founder of online florist Mr Roses, which also operates out of Rosebery. Located just down the block from The Cannery, the newcomer specialises in plants suited to your home, office or home-office. And the shop already has over 100 species to choose from. Think fiddle leaf figs, crassula max cooks, golden cane palms and snake plants. Plus, succulents and hanging plants aplenty. The selection will change seasonally and includes a range of plants with health benefits, too — such as devil's ivy and peace lily, which, according to NASA, can help purify the air in your home by removing small amounts of chemicals like benzene, formaldehyde and carbon monoxide. The nursery also sells a range of planters and pots that have been chosen to brighten up your home. And, since roses are Stevens' specialty, Plant Base also sells bouquets of freshly cut flowers. As well as all those plants, the space also boasts a Will & Co coffee cart that's serving up fresh pastries, including Portuguese tarts from Tuga, that are delivered each morning. For those who are sticking to online shopping at the moment, Plant Base also offers click and collect and delivery to the Sydney metro area — next-day delivery is available Tuesdays and Fridays if you order by noon. If you're happy to head to the physical store, keep an eye on the website for regular sales. Find Plant Base Sydney at 57–59 Dunning Avenue, Rosebery from 9am–5pm daily.
Come one, come all! Roll into the Courthouse this Australia Day in your best bogan attire and thongs for a celebration befitting Australia's national holiday, featuring a Bogan Pageant hosted by Dinni and followed by the very competitive Thong Toss Competition. As if this event could be any more Aussie, the Courthouse will be streaming Triple J's Hottest 100 all day long, and will also feature (what else?) an Aussie BBQ. Representing Australia's best side, throughout the day $1 from every VB Tinnie purchased will go towards supporting beyondblue.
Game of Thrones fans might be waiting at least another year before the hit HBO show returns for its eighth and final season, but here's something that should help fill the void: an actual GoT-themed hotel, made almost entirely from ice and snow. Lapland Hotels SnowVillage is an annual pop-up hotel that opens in Kittilä, Finland each December, crafted by professional ice sculptors using around 20 million kilos of snow and 350,000 kilos of natural ice. Covering about 20,000 square metres, it's impressive at the best of times, though as Condé Nast Traveler reports, the owners have this year teamed up with HBO Nordic to give the hotel an extra memorable twist. A wintery homage to Game of Thrones, SnowVillage's latest iteration features its own 'Hall of Faces', a dragon-shaped ice slide, an Ice Mountain-guarded Ice Throne and ten impressive hotel suites with their own unique sculptures carved into the walls. In stark contrast to our current Aussie summer temperatures, the hotel's interiors only reach about minus-five degrees celsius, though you'll get a cosy sleeping bag to help see you comfortably through the night. Of course, if you're not quite sold on the idea of such a chilly sleepover, SnowVillage also has plenty to tempt day-trippers. You can chow down on a feed of local delicacies (reindeer included) in the ice restaurant, warm up with some themed drinks at onsite drinking spot Ice Bar, take in some scenery on a husky safari, or unleash some creativity of your own at one of the ice sculpture workshops. If you're heading to Finland in the next few months, entry to the SnowVillage costs €15 ($23 AUD), with rooms starting at €165 ($253 AUD). It's open daily until April 8, 2018. Via Condé Nast Traveler.
You don't play a character for almost 25 years if you're not fond of them. Renée Zellweger was nominated for her first Academy Award for portraying Bridget Jones — stepping into her shoes, slipping into her skirt and seesawing between her feuding romantic options, too — in 2001's Bridget Jones's Diary. Thanks to 2004's Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, 2016's Bridget Jones's Baby and now 2025's Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, she's returned to the part three times since. "Personally, I couldn't be luckier," Zellweger tells Concrete Playground about her time in the role over more than two decades, a stint that's seen the films take Bridget from a single thirtysomething scribbling her yearning for love in her journal to a widowed single mother in her 50s. The franchise's namesake was initially born in text, in an anonymous London newspaper column penned by Helen Fielding. Then, the author took the unlucky-in-love figure to bookshelves. Bridget now feels equally as tied to Zellweger, though, even if the Cold Mountain and Judy Oscar-winner herself sends the credit for the character's success Fielding's way. "It's a testament to Helen's talent, really, and what she's mined in these characters and these experiences that are universally relatable," she advises. Although all things Bridget Jones struck a chord on the page before lighting up the screen, in cinema the series has achieved a rare feat. Film franchises about everyday women aren't common — let alone a film franchise about an everyday woman who is permitted to go where life takes her over more than two decades, delights, dramas, joys, chaos and all, and who has been allowed to age from her 30s to her 50s over that time. Across its first three flicks alone, before Mad About the Boy reached picture palaces — including Down Under from Thursday, February 13 — the saga has earned over three-quarters of a billion dollars. In Bridget Jones's Diary, Bridget's potential solutions to her singledom were her womanising boss Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant, Heretic) and buttoned-up barrister Mark Darcy (Colin Firth, Lockerbie) — and, although the picture ended with her happily in the latter's arms, The Edge of Reason repeated the same love triangle. Daniel was lost, presumed dead, in Bridget Jones's Baby, so American entrepreneur Jack Qwant (Patrick Dempsey, Dexter: Original Sin) battled with Mark for her affections, and to discover who had fathered her child. In what's being presented as the franchise's final entry, and is certainly its most moving even while remaining delightfully funny, Daniel is back and firmly now a trusted friend, which Bridget needs after Mark's passing. As Mad About the Boy's love interests, then, enter Chiwetel Ejiofor (Venom: The Last Dance) as Mr Wallaker and Leo Woodall (Prime Target) as Roxster. As calm as Bridget is usually chaotic, Mr Wallaker is a teacher at the school attended by her children Billy (Casper Knopf, Rough Diamonds) and Mabel (debutant Mila Jankovic) — and, like the man that's so deeply mourned throughout the movie, his bond with everyone's favourite British rom-com heroine takes time to kick in. Twenty-nine-year-old park ranger Roxster first meets Bridget in Mr Wallaker's company, after she gets herself stuck in a tree trying to get her kids out of it. With Ejiofor and Woodall in the parts, the fourth Bridget Jones flick has enlisted more fans. "I'd always loved the films and so it was really lovely to be asked to join," Ejiofor explains. Of course, courtesy of Love Actually, the 12 Years a Slave BAFTA-winner and Oscar-nominee — and star of everything from Dirty Pretty Things, Kinky Boots and Children of Men to the Doctor Strange movies, The Old Guard and the TV version of The Man Who Fell to Earth — already had a widely loved English romantic comedy on his resume. "It's a tremendous gift to get to join this party," notes Woodall, who finds himself in his third big-name project in three years with an already-existing fanbase. No one will ever forget his turn in the second season of The White Lotus; then came his engaging performance in the television adaptation of One Day. We also chatted with Zellweger about one of the key aspects of returning to play Bridget again and again and again: that she's the same person in each film but also not, because we all change as our lives change and we get older. Ejiofor told us about portraying a character with parallels to Mark, too, and Woodall about his run of standout roles in well-known small- and big-screen series. On How Zellweger Is Playing the Same Character Each Time That She Steps Into Bridget's Shoes — But She's Also Not, Because Bridget Changes as Her Life Changes Renée: "I love that you say that. That's a big part of the experience — it feels like a familiar reunion, and then at the same time it's a rediscovery, to try to figure out how what life has thrown at her in the interim manifests. I love that you mentioned that. And especially at this stage in in life — I think that this film is tonally and stylistically a bit of a departure from the other three, and it's looking at some really meaningful milestones that a person in where we meet Bridget now is going through. So I love that you mentioned that; of course she's different. But part of the fun was also figuring out how she hasn't changed." On What Excited Ejiofor and Woodall About Joining the Franchise — and Playing New Romantic Interests for Bridget Leo: "There wasn't much that wasn't exciting. It's a tremendous gift to get to join this party and I had nothing but joy coming into this. Well, I had nerves, but they kind of started to go away once I'd met Renée and Chiwetel, and started becoming part of the family. It was lovely." Chiwetel: "I felt exactly the same way. It was a really exciting thing. I'd always loved the films and so it was really lovely to be asked to join it. And, you know, a little intimidating, but really just an embracing experience, I think, which is led by Renée — as Leo says. And you feel very comfortable very quickly within the environment of it all. It's a wonderful part as well. Just reading the script, it was so emotional and funny, and this great part to play. So what was not to like, really?" On What It Means to Zellweger to Lead a Rare Franchise That's Not Only About an Everyday Woman, But Has Followed Bridget Through Her 30s, 40s and 50s — to Box-Office Success Renée: "Wow, I guess I don't really look at it from that perspective. It's really special and it's a testament to Helen's talent, really, and what she's mined in these characters and these experiences that are universally relatable. It's just for me personally, it's a blessing. It changed my life creatively — and look at the people that I get to work with. Personally, I couldn't be luckier. Anywhere I go in the world, I meet strangers and we laugh together immediately because they want to share their own Bridget Jones experiences, and why their friends call them Bridget Jones. And what a beautiful thing that we have this thing in common immediately — and it's vulnerability and it's our humanity, and I think that's just so special." On Ejiofor's Sense of Responsibility Playing a Character with Parallels to Mark Darcy – But Never Trying to Replace Mark Darcy Chiwetel: "Mark Darcy is such an iconic character and a completely irreplaceable character, and Colin's work on it is so special that you would be, I think, nuts to even try to sort of step into the shoes in any way. I think the only real thing you could do is try to understand the character as an individual — and, I suppose, represent how Bridget is in a different place in her life and has completely different challenges. Mr Wallaker fits into those challenges in a really complex and interesting way, especially surrounding the dynamics that they have as a family — and Mr Wallaker as an educator, and therefore his relationship and what he brings to, especially Billy, Bridget's son, in terms of what they faced and what they've been through, and how he feels he can help in some way. So he's a really interesting character with this very individual arc, I think, from very buttoned-up to somebody with a few more interesting layers to that. But I think he's quite distinct, as I think Roxster is as well. They're distinct from the other characters, and I think that's what's really special about this. I think all the parts, and all of the parts through all of the films, have been so brilliant and so individually realised. And so it was really wonderful to be part of that." On How Woodall's Experiences on The White Lotus Season Two and One Day Helped Him to Step Into Another Project with an Existing Fanbase Leo: "It's a good question. I'm sure it did, partly subconsciously and consciously, I think. There's always — always — pressure when you start a new job. I am always the most nervous for day one, when you have no idea who you're going to be working with really, and how well you're going to do or how badly you'll do. So I just approach it as much as I can with the same attitude of just being open and wanting to do well, and to be nice and good to work with. I think one thing that's nice about an already-established fanbase is that everyone wants the thing to fulfil what they are expecting and what they're hoping for. So I think it kind of makes it a bit easier." Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, February 13, 2025.
If life in general hasn't been dystopian enough for you over the past few years, your next HBO obsession will be: The Last of Us, the television adaptation of the hit video game. Expect a tense future 20 years after modern civilisation has been destroyed, plus a seasoned survivor given a tough mission involving a teenager — and, amid that nightmarish quest, the kind of monsters no one wants to see. If you've been a fan of the button-mashing favourite since it first arrived in 2013, then played the sequel in 2020, then you're already devoted to The Last of Us — and you know where HBO's version is going when it arrives in January, streaming in Australia via Binge and New Zealand via Neon. If you're new to the gaming franchise, get ready for what's certain to be 2023's first big show, complete with an eerie, creepy, action-packed mood, and a story that dives into a fraught post-apocalyptic version of the US. That's been the vibe in both the initial teaser trailer from September and the just-dropped full trailer, both of which help tease out The Last of Us' premise. Pedro Pascal (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent) plays Joel, who has been hired to smuggle 14-year-old Ellie (Bella Ramsey, Catherine Called Birdy) out of an oppressive quarantine zone. There wouldn't be a game, let alone a television version, if that was an easy task, of course — and if the pair didn't need to weather quite the brutal journey. So far, so intriguing — and while the sneak peeks so far do indeed conjure up memories of The Walking Dead, that just comes with the basic concept. The Naughty Dog-created PlayStation game wouldn't be the huge hit it's proven for almost a decade now if it simply cribbed from that TV show, obviously. Fans of the game will note that Ashley Johnson (Blindspot) and Troy Baker (Young Justice), who voiced the Ellie and Joel in the source material, will indeed pop up in the HBO show. They'll clearly be playing different characters, however. Also pivotal to HBO's adaptation: co-creator, executive producer, writer and director Craig Mazin, who already brought a hellscape to the US network (and to everyone's must-watch list) thanks to the haunting and horrifying Chernobyl. He teams up here with Neil Druckmann from Naughty Dog, who also penned and directed The Last of Us games. Alongside Pascal and Ramsey — and Johnson and Baker — the series also boasts Gabriel Luna (Terminator: Dark Fate) as Joel's younger brother and former soldier Tommy, Merle Dandridge (The Flight Attendant) as resistance leader Marlene and Aussie actor Anna Torv (Mindhunter) as smuggler Tess. And, Nico Parker (The Third Day) plays Joel's 14-year old daughter Sarah, Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus) and Nick Offerman (The Resort) feature as isolated survivalists Frank and Bill, Storm Reid (Euphoria) pops up as Boston orphan Riley, Jeffrey Pierce (Castle Rock) plays quarantine-zone rebel Perry and Yellowjackets' Melanie Lynskey also guest stars. Check out the full trailer for The Last of Us below: The Last of Us will start streaming Down Under from Monday, January 16, 2023 — in Australia via Binge and New Zealand via Neon. Images: Liane Hentscher/HBO.
