Whether he's co-writing and starring in sketch comedies, directing two of the best horror films of the past few years, producing an Oscar-nominee or reviving a science-fiction classic, Jordan Peele has amassed an impressive resume. So, whenever he adds a new project to the lengthy list, it's worth paying attention. After Key & Peele, Get Out, Us and The Twilight Zone — and producing BlacKkKlansman, too — he's now lending executive producing skills to upcoming Amazon Prime Video series Hunters. It stars Al Pacino, it's about hunting down Nazis in the 70s, and it has just dropped its first impressive teaser trailer. Pacino plays Meyer Offerman, the leader of a group of Nazi hunters who are intent on stopping a Fourth Reich taking hold in America. They've discovered that hundreds of escaped Nazis are not only living in the US, but have genocidal plans — and Offerman and his vigilante pals plan to thwart this conspiracy by any means necessary. Expect violence, tensions, action, thrills, and a fight between good and evil that's inspired by real events. Not just calling out oppression, injustice and hatred, but tackling it through film and television is firmly in Peele's wheelhouse, as his filmography shows. Accordingly, Hunters slots in nicely, with a ten-episode first season due to drop at a yet-to-be-announced date in 2020. Fresh from his excellent turn in The Irishman — his first collaboration with Martin Scorsese, somehow — Pacino is in less theatrical, more nuanced mode here. He's also joined by a well-known roster of co-stars, which includes Logan Lerman (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), Carol Kane (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother), Lena Olin (Vinyl) and Australian actress Kate Mulvany (Lambs of God) as a kick-ass nun. Check out the first teaser trailer for Hunters below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYxTHcoRpNo Hunters will hit Amazon Prime Video in 2020 — we'll update you when an exact release date has been announced.
For 14 years, the Voodoo Festival has possessed New Orleans' Halloween with some of the world's most sought-after live music acts, from Pearl Jam to The Cure to Nine Inch Nails. This year, Sydneysiders will have the chance to experience a little of the magic, with The Bourbon getting their ghoul on in preparation for the city's first ever Voodoo. From 6pm, doors will open to reveal a scarily transformed venue, complete with evil twins. Headline acts are Australian rockabilly band Pat Capocci and the Two-Timing Playboys and urban party outfit Pocketful of Soul. They'll be delivering killer guitar licks and dance tunes until late. Award-winning chef James Metcalfe is conjuring up a Halloween-inspired menu, featuring oysters with Bloody Mary granita and spiced pumpkin pie with maple ice cream. Entry is free, plus all guests will receive a complimentary cocktail, courtesy of sponsors Smirnoff and George Dickel. Costume's not compulsory, but it's definitely anticipated. Why not get into the spirit?
It might've taken three years, but Netflix has finally produced its first original Aussie series. Shot entirely in Queensland, and providing fuel for your summer binge-watch sessions, Tidelands is a supernatural crime drama series about a fictional fishing village, dubbed Orphelin Bay, with strange inhabitants: a group of dangerous half-Sirens, half-humans called 'Tidelanders'. Cal McTeer (Charlotte Best), a young women who returns to the small village after a stint in jail, discovers the body of a local fisherman and must navigate the town's drug smuggling history while also investigating the Tidelanders, who are led by Adrielle Cuthburt (Elsa Pataky). Eight episodes, each running for 50 minutes, have been made by Brisbane's Emmy Award-Winning production company Hoodlum Entertainment. Available on Netflix since Friday, December 14, Tidelands doesn't just gift Australian users with a new favourite series, with the show landing in all 190 countries that the streaming platform is available in. Thinking you've seen plenty of Aussie stuff on Netflix already? You're not wrong; however there's a difference between throwing old sitcoms and standup specials into a range inexplicably overflowing with new Adam Sandler movies, and actually funding brand new Australian material. Last year, it was announced that they'd join forces with the ABC to co-produce a second season of Glitch, which showed them dipping a toe in the water — but now they're completely diving in. Before watching the entire series, check out the full trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhsjoQLKaiY Tidelands is now available on Netflix.
If you work the traditional Monday to Friday block, Saturday mornings can be risky business. On one hand, you have two full days stretching out before you. On the other, you've just run a five-day marathon (which may have culminated in a few Friday arvo drinks) so you're probably pretty damn tired. The temptation to sloth about is all too real — then suddenly it's Sunday night and you've not left the couch all weekend. There's one sure-fire way to get rid of those cobwebs and restart your engine: a next-level brekkie roll. Excitingly, Sydney has plenty of them scattered all across the city. Together with American Express, we've rounded up seven of Sydney's top-tier breakfast sambos that'll help put a pep in your Saturday morning step — from mac 'n' cheese-filled croissants in Surry Hills to eggs benedict sambos by the beach. Down one of these and a coffee and you'll be ready to dive into a weekend of coastal walks, art gallery visits and pub hangs.
Earlier this year, the onsite restaurant at Brisbane's Ovolo The Valley announced a considerable change, with Tel Aviv-inspired eatery Za Za Ta Bar and Kitchen switching to an entirely vegetarian menu. But it isn't the only venue at the chain that's making the shift — with the hotel group's full suite of bars and restaurants at its Australian and Hong Kong sites all adopting a completely plant-based range for the next 12 months. Ovolo is calling the move its 'year of the veg', and it came into effect from Thursday, October 1. As well as Za Za Ta, the change also covers Mister Percy at Sydney's Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour, plus Monster Kitchen and Bar at Ovolo Nishi in Canberra. And, Ovolo Woolloomooloo's Alibi Bar and Kitchen, too, although it already served up a wholly plant-based menu before this announcement. In Brisbane, diners can keep tucking veggie-heavy Middle Eastern fare, such as hummus made with braised chickpeas and a 63-degree egg; shish barak, aka Lebanese-style pumpkin dumplings; and cauliflower shawarma with smoked labneh and quince. For Sydneysiders, Mister Percy is now dishing up a vegetarian Italian menu, including pastas, pizzas and antipasti. Dig into a bowl of pappardelle and wild mushroom ragout, for example, or opt for a potato, mozzarella, taleggio, rosemary and truffle paste pizza. And, in Canberra, Monster Kitchen and Bar has a new executive chef as well. Paul Wilson's revamped menu will feature fermented and pickled foods quite heavily, and the restaurant will also start its own kitchen garden to grow its own produce. For more information about Ovolo Hotels, its restaurants and their plant-based menus for the next 12 months, visit the chain's website.
King Street Wharf's Cargo is notorious for its rowdy vibes — almost everyone has a story to tell after a night out there. Proving it's still a winning destination for shaking off a hard day's work, the venue has recently introduced plenty of offers to get the party started. A fresh happy hour is now pouring, which means from Monday to Friday from 4pm–7pm, there are $6 house beer, wine and spirits. Once the clock strikes 7pm, you can head upstairs for classic cocktails — including espresso martinis — for $12 each until 9pm (from Wednesday to Sunday). Fuel up for the dance floor with a few share plates from the refreshed food menu, such as a Chicago-style pepperoni pizza and the hefty Kick In Crab Bowl. The latter is a bowl piled high with crab, prawns, mussels, corn and fries (it's definitely big enough to share) and arrives with two schooners. Cargo's nighttime entertainment has also been revamped, with the introduction of its new Friday Feels session. Kicking off on Friday, May 11, the early-evening music lineup will see a host of musicians and producers re-interpret familiar songs. Think of it as an electro-disco take on Triple J's 'Like a Version'. These funky tunes will run from 5–8pm, after which DJs — playing everything from dance to hip hop — will take over, spinning tunes till the wee hours. Friday Feels' inaugural musician is Sydney electro artist For Life (aka Adam Bozzetto), who'll be live from 5pm on launch night and will followed by DJs Swimteam and Bobby Gray from 8pm. Entry is free all evening, too — so you can save that tenner for a cocktail. Images: Kai Leishman and Jacquie Manning
Whether you've actually feasted at a bountiful Thanksgiving table surrounded by your friends, or the experience exclusively lives in holiday-themed American rom coms, we're all familiar with the setting: warm lighting, roast turkey at centre of table, overflowing bowls of accompanying dishes. It's a feast that the team at NOLA Smokehouse and Bar know well — and are offering for the first time this year in its luxe Barangaroo digs. On Thursday, November 24, the New Orleans-inspired venue is hosting an exclusive Thanksgiving Feast. Holding the spotlight to all the Americana classics, there will be mac 'n' cheese, devilled eggs and charred corn, as well as pillow-soft potato bread and Brussels sprouts topped with maple bacon. The main attraction? A barbecued turkey, Creole style, that's been smoked in-house. The feast is $130 per person, and you'll have to find room for both a slice of pumpkin pie and bite of choc-chip snickerdoodle. You'll also have your pick from the spot's vast whiskey bar and drinks list, as well as the option to sip two cocktails that are pouring for November only: the Southern Belle Spritz (a fizzy flute that's an optimal way to start your Thanksgiving celebration) and the Banana Ballroom (a dark, sweet sip that's a stand-out finisher). Can't make it on the 24th? Head in any time throughout November to taste the bespoke cocktails and pumpkin pie. Book in to the Thanksgiving Feast at NOLA Smokehouse and Bar on Thursday, November 24, via the website.
You've likely giggled at the quote on the chalkboard out the front as you've meandered down King Street, but have you been inside Elizabeth's Bookshop? If so, you would find a treasure trove of new and second-hand books that any bookworm could lose hours exploring. It is one of those stores that just keeps going, with an expansive range that covers just about every genre. Hard-to-find titles regularly pop up making it a good destination for gifting, be it for yourself or others. If the collection is a little overwhelming, you can always take a punt on the 'Blind Date with a Book' book stand. The concept is fairly straightforward: the books are wrapped in brown paper with a few clues written on the front alluding to the story inside. It's mysterious, fun and takes the pressure off when you just can't decide. Every title is handpicked by Elizabeth's Bookshops staff so the chances of landing a dud are slim.
A multi-level dining and party space has arrived on Little Hunter Street, adding to Sydney's current late-night revival. Joining the likes of The Abercrombie, Club 77 and the soon-to-open Pleasure Club on the list of new and revamped venues pushing Sydney's nightlife into the early hours of the morning, Zaffi is a versatile space boasting a 42-seat ground-floor restaurant and a 122-capacity basement bar that's committed to keeping the party rolling until 4am on weekends. "The name 'Zaffi' means 'celebration' in Arabic, so we wanted to create a space where people not only come to celebrate but also where people know you're going to have a good time. For me, those spontaneous nights are the best kind of nights!" says Zaffi owner Chady Khouzame. Khouzame has enlisted the help of ex-Chin Chin and Rockpool chef Graeme Hunt to create a refined Australian-Lebanese menu for the street-level dining room. It's a sharing affair at Zaffi, with plenty of mezze options including dips and veggies paired with mains like Aleppo pepper roast prawns and char-grilled spatchcock. "We want our menu to be big on flavours and sharing, so the food isn't very complicated," Hunt says. "Some light raw dishes to begin with, moving onto your mezze options, then some larger mains that have been designed to share." The two banquets menus are highly affordable, with the $60 option bringing a table-covering feast of saj, hummus, baba ganoush, eggplant fatteh, labneh, haloumi, kofta, cauliflower, spatchcock, pickles and chips — or, for an extra $29 per person, you can basically sample the entire array of eats on offer, with the addition of pan-fried snapper, slow-roasted lamb shoulder, panna cotta and cheesecake. Downstairs in Zaffi's party bunker, you'll find pink velvet-cushioned booths, neon lighting, communal tables and upbeat tunes encouraging late-night revellers to stay well past midnight. "We literally raised the roof to allow people to dance on tabletops," continues Khouzame. The snacks also keep coming, with highlights from upstairs including kofta, dips, chips and grilled honey and za'atar haloumi all available on the after-hours menu. Zaffi is open at 10–14 Little Hunter Street, Sydney, from 5pm–late Tuesday, 12pm–late Wednesday–Thursday, 12pm–4am Friday and 5pm–4am Saturday.
Across six seasons, Netflix's Chef's Table added plenty of high-profile additions to everyone's culinary bucket lists, celebrating the stellar kitchen skills of talents such as Massimo Bottura, Francis Mallmann and even Attica's Ben Shewry. For the streaming platform's next delicious adventure, it's re-teaming with the documentary series' creators for another food excursion — this time focusing on both famous and lesser-known players in the global street food scene. Available to binge now, the aptly titled Street Food hops around the planet to showcase hawker stallholders, food carts and other folks making a big impact in their small street kitchens. In the show's first nine-episode season, Asian cuisine is on the menu. Get ready to get hungry for dishes from Thailand, Japan, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore and The Philippines. Each country earns its own episode, focusing on various local street food heroes, their stories of hard work and perseverance, and the cultural context behind their cuisine. In Bangkok, the well-known Jay Fai takes viewers through her story, while Delhi's Mohamed Rehan whips up a buffalo stew that's been tempting tastebuds since the 1800s, and Chiayi's Uncle Goat cooks in a giant oven cave. Over in Osaka, Mr. Kita has one of the oldest takoyaki stalls in the city, and Singapore's 85-year-old Master Tang has been making wanton noodles since he was orphaned in World War II. Already feeling your stomach rumble? Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI_LjETc_Ak Street Food is available to stream on Netflix now. Images: Martin Westlake/Jisang Chung/M.Synchrony/Netflix. Updated: May 28, 2019.
If you've ever wished for your own personal sommelier, you're in some serious luck. The Wine Gallery is an Australian-based, online wine store that delivers wine curated by one of the best wine sommeliers in Australia right to your front door. And when The Wine Gallery say "one of the best wine sommeliers", they mean it — for this project, Australian entrepreneur Tom Walenkamp has teamed up with three-time Sommelier of the Year Banjo Harris Plane, whose resume also boasts former head sommelier at Attica and co-owner of Fitzroy's Bar Liberty. The idea originated when Walenkamp was studying abroad in France. "My European classmates already knew so much about wine from their culture and I thought the Australian market would really benefit from this type of knowledge," says Walenkamp. "I love drinking wine but always felt a bit on the outside — I call it playing wine roulette because you never know what you're going to get." Not so with The Wine Gallery. The deal is simple: subscribers take a palate quiz and receive three recommend bottles each month based on personal preferences. The bottles on offer are hand-selected by Plane's wine team and each bottle comes with tasting notes, detailed information on the grapes and stories behind the wine makers, along with recipes and food pairings. If you aren't happy with a bottle they'll replace it without a fuss and there's also no lock-in so you can pause, skip or cancel your membership whenever you like. "It's a fully interactive site, with ratings and feedback systems, so after two months no two people will have the same recommendations," says Walenkamp. "You don't have to go with our recommendations, either — you can always swap bottles, add more, or decide to go with all reds for colder months, for example." They've also just rolled out a new, 'state of the art' rewards program — thanks to third co-founder and expert coder Humberto Moreira — which keeps track of the different wine types, production methods and wine regions of each bottle you receive. This allows members to log in and track their wine journey in a visual way, with a few free bottles of plonk as you earn 'badges'. The three bottles are reasonably priced at a uniform $69 and The Wine Gallery will ship anywhere in Australia for a flat rate of $9 (they offer complimentary shipping for orders over $150). Morning orders will even be dispatched same day, so you don't have to wait long to crack one open. "The site is an access point for people that don't really know where to start exploring, and being an independent, online store mean can share our love and knowledge of wine with a much broader part of the Australian population," says Walenkamp. The Wine Gallery will ship anywhere in Australia. To sign up or for more info, visit thewinegallery.com.au.
A film festival that brings the best and brightest new Japanese movies to Australian cinemas each year is a film festival to cherish. Also ace: a film fest that features a solely digital lineup of flicks and TV shows from Japan that you can check out from your couch. So, while it isn't time for the IRL Japanese Film Festival for 2024 yet — it last hit locations around the country across September–November 2023 — the Japanese Film Festival Online will keep you entertained this winter. Both fests serve up a handy way to view the latest and greatest Japanese fare without hopping on a plane, but only the online version lets you do so from home. Running from Wednesday, June 5–Wednesday, July 3, 2024's version will feature 23 films and two TV dramas, the latter serving up 20 episodes. And, you'll be able to check out for four Japanese horror shorts, too, all of which initially debuted in 2023 at the first-ever Horror Film Competition in Japan. The other big drawcard: Japanese Film Festival Online screens its program for free. Accordingly, this lineup won't test your budget, whether you're keen on I Am What I Am, which stars Drive My Car's Toko Miura; Anime Supremacy!, about a new director and a hotshot facing off while making their own competing anime; Single8, a Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans)-influenced picture about Star Wars-loving teens making their own movie; or classic anime Kimba the White Lion from 1966. Film lovers will be catching the movies on the program between Wednesday, June 5–Wednesday, June 19. Fellow feature options include Father of the Milky Way Railroad, a biopic about poet and novelist Kenji Miyazawa; magazine drama Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction; Baby Assassins, where teen assassins are forced to give up the murderous life; and The Handsome Suit, about a magical outfit. TV fans will be tuning in from Wednesday, June 19–Wednesday, July 3, with 2017's Rikuoh starring Kôji Yakusho (Perfect Days), and stepping inside a traditional Japanese sock company — and 2015's Downtown Rocket based on Shitamachi Rocket novels about an ex-aerospace researcher who leads a factor that he inherited. While you won't pay a thing to watch, you do still need to register via the fest's website. Won't be in Australia at the time? The fest is available in 27 countries.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. DRIVE MY CAR More than four decades have passed since Haruki Murakami's debut novel reached shelves, and since the first film adaptation of his work followed, too; however, the two best page-to-screen versions of the author's prose have arrived in the past four years. It's easy to think about South Korean drama Burning while watching Drive My Car, because the two features — one Oscar-shortlisted, the other now the first Japanese movie to be nominated for Best Picture — spin the writer's words into astonishing, intricately observed portraits of human relationships. Both films are also exceptional. In the pair, Murakami's text is only a starting point, with his tales hitting the screen filtered through each picture's respective director. For Drive My Car, Japanese filmmaker Ryûsuke Hamaguchi does the honours, taking audiences riding through another of the Happy Hour, Asako I & II and with Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy helmer's layered, thoughtful and probing reflections on connection. Using Murakami's short story from 2014 collection Men Without Women as its basis, Drive My Car's setup is simple. Yes, the film's title is descriptive. Two years after a personal tragedy, actor/director Yūsuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima, Silent Tokyo) agrees to bring Chekhov's Uncle Vanya to the stage in Hiroshima, and the company behind it insists on giving him a chauffeur for his stay. He declines— he'd asked to stay an hour away from the theatre so he could listen to recorded tapes of the play on his drive — yet his new employers contend that it's mandatory for insurance and liability reasons. Enter 23-year-old Misaki Watari (Tôko Miura, Spaghetti Code Love), who becomes a regular part of Yūsuke's working stint in the city. Drive My Car doesn't hurry to its narrative destination, clocking in at a minute shy of three hours. It doesn't rush to get to its basic premise, either. Before the film's opening credits arrive 40 minutes in, it steps through Yūsuke's existence back when he was appearing in a version of Uncle Vanya himself, married to television scriptwriter Oto (Reika Kirishima, Japanese TV's Sherlock) and grappling with an earlier heartbreak. His wife is also sleeping with younger actor Takatsuki (Masaki Okada, Arc), which Yūsuke discovers, says nothing about but works towards discussing until fate intervenes. Then, when he sits in his red 1987 Saab 900 Turbo just as the movie's titles finally display, he's a man still wracked by grief. It's also swiftly clear that he's using his two-month Hiroshima residency as a distraction, even while knowing that this exact play — and Oto's voice on the tapes he keeps listening to — will always be deeply tied to his life-shattering loss. This prologue does more than set the scene; there's a reason that Hamaguchi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Takamasa Oe (The Naked Director), directs so much time its way. Where tales of tragedy and mourning often plunge into happy lives suddenly unsettled by something catastrophic or the process of picking up the pieces in the aftermath — typically making a concerted choice between one or the other — Drive My Car sees the two as the forever-linked halves of a complicated journey, as they are. The film isn't interested in the events that've forever altered the plot of Yūsuke's life, but in who he is, how he copes, and what ripples that inescapable hurt causes. It's just as fascinated with another fact: that so many of us have these stories. Just as losing someone and soldiering on afterwards are unshakeably connected, so are we all by sharing these cruel constants of life. Read our full review. BENEDETTA What do two nuns in the throes of sexual ecstasy gasp? "My god" and "sweet Jesus", of course. No other filmmaker could've made those divine orgasmic exclamations work quite like Paul Verhoeven does in Benedetta, with the Dutch filmmaker adding another lusty, steamy, go-for-broke picture to his resume three decades after Basic Instinct and more than a quarter-century since Showgirls. His latest erotic romp has something that his 90s dives into plentiful on-screen sex didn't, however: a true tale, courtesy of the life of the movie's 17th-century namesake, whose story the writer/director and his co-scribe David Birke (Slender Man) adapt from Judith Brown's 1986 non-fiction book Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy. For anyone that's ever wondered how a religious biopic and nunsploitation might combine, this is the answer you've been praying for. Frequently a playful filmmaker — the theories that Showgirls is in on its own joke keep bubbling for a reason — Verhoeven starts his first film since 2016's Elle with that feature's more serious tone. The screen is back, the words "inspired by real events" appear and the score is gloomy. When Benedetta's titular figure appears as a girl (played by Elena Plonka, Don't Worry About the Kids), she's the picture of youth and innocence, and she's also so devoted to her faith that she's overjoyed about joining a convent in the Tuscan village of Pescia. But then villains interrupt her trip, and this pious child demonstrates her favour with the almighty by seemingly getting a bird to shit in a man's eye. It isn't quite as marvellous as turning water into wine, but it's its own kind of miracle. As an adult (Virginie Efira, Bye Bye Morons), she'll talk to strapping hallucinations of Jesus (Jonathan Couzinié, Heroes Don't Die), too, and use her beloved childhood statuette of the Virgin Mary as a dildo. There is no line between the sacred and the profane in Benedetta: things can be both here, and frequently are. Case in point: on her first night at the convent, after a bartering session between her father (David Clavel, French Dolls) and the abbess (Charlotte Rampling, Dune) over the girl's dowry for becoming a bride of christ, a statue of the Virgin Mary collapses upon Benedetta, and she shows her sanctity by licking the sculpture's exposed breast. So, 18 years later, when she's both seeing Jesus and attracted to abused newcomer Sister Bartolomea (Daphné Patakia, Versailles), they're the most natural things that could happen. To Benedetta, they're gifts from god, too. She does try to deny her chemistry with the convent's fresh novice at first, but the lord wants what he wants for her. Unsurprisingly, not everyone in the convent — the abbess' daughter Sister Christina (Louise Chevillotte, Synonyms) chief among them — agrees, approves or in believes in her visions. Verhoeven puts his own faith in crafting a witty, sexy, no-holds-barred satire. That said, he doesn't ever play Benedetta as a one-note, over-the-top joke that's outrageous for the sake of it. His protagonist believes, he just-as-devoutly believes in her — whether she's a prophet, a heretic or both, he doesn't especially care — and he also trusts her faith in her primal desires. His allegiance is always with Benedetta, but that doesn't mean that he can't find ample humour in the film or firm targets to skewer. The hypocrisy of religion — "a convent is not a place of charity, child; you must pay to come here," the abbess advises — gets his full comic attention. Having the always-great Rampling on-hand to personify the Catholic Church at its most judgemental and least benevolent (at its money-hungry worst, too) helps considerably. Indeed, what the veteran English actor can do with a withering glare and snarky delivery is a movie miracle. Read our full review. DEATH ON THE NILE Some folks just know how to rock a moustache. When Kenneth Branagh (Tenet) stepped into super-sleuth Hercule Poirot's shoes in 2017's Murder on the Orient Express, he clearly considered himself to be one of them. The actor and filmmaker didn't simply play Agatha Christie's famously moustachioed Belgian detective, but also directed the movie — and he didn't miss a chance to showcase his own performance, as well as that hair adorning his top lip. You don't need to be a world-renowned investigator to deduce that Branagh was always going to repeat the same tricks with sequel Death on the Nile, or to pick that stressing the character's distinctive look and accompanying bundle of personality quirks would again take centre stage. But giving Poirot's 'stache its own black-and-white origin story to start the new movie truly is the height of indulgence. Branagh has previously covered a superhero's beginnings in the initial Thor flick, and also stepped into his own childhood in Belfast, so explaining why Poirot sports his elaborately styled mo — how it came to be, and what it means to him emotionally, too — is just another example of the director doing something he obviously loves. That early hirsute focus sets the tone for Death on the Nile, though, and not as Branagh and returning screenwriter Michael Green (Jungle Cruise) must've intended. Viewers are supposed to get a glimpse at what lies beneath Poirot's smarts and deductive savvy by literally peering beneath his brush-like under-nostril bristles, but all that emerges is routine and formulaic filler. That's the film from its hairy opening to its entire trip through Egypt. At least the moustache looks more convincing than the sets and CGI that are passed off as the pyramids, Abu Simbel and cruising the titular waterway. It's 1937, three years after the events of Murder on the Orient Express, and Poirot is holidaying in Egypt. While drinking tea with a vantage out over the country's unconvincingly computer-generated towering wonders, he chances across his old pal Bouc (Tom Bateman, Behind Her Eyes) and his mother Euphemia (Annette Bening, Hope Gap), who invite him to join their own trip — which doubles as a honeymoon for just-married heiress Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot, Red Notice) and her new husband Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer, Crisis). Poirot obliges, but he's also surprised by the happy couple. Six weeks earlier, he saw them get introduced by Linnet's now-former friend and Simon's now ex-fiancée Jacqueline de Bellefort (Emma Mackey, Sex Education). That awkward history isn't easily forgotten by the central duo, either, given that Jackie has followed them with a view to winning Simon back. Boating down the Nile is initially an escape plan, whisking the newlyweds away from their obsessive stalker. But even as the group — which includes jazz singer Salome Otterbourne (Sophie Okonedo, Wild Rose), her niece and Linnet's school friend Rosalie (Letitia Wright, Black Panther), the bride's own ex-fiancé Linus Windlesham (Russell Brand, Four Kids and It), her lawyer Andrew Katchadourian (Ali Fazal, Victoria and Abdul), her assistant Louise Bourget (Rose Leslie, Game of Thrones), her godmother Marie Van Schuyler (Jennifer Saunders, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie) and the latter's nurse Mrs Bowers (Dawn French, The Vicar of Dibley) — adjust to the change of schedule, two things were always going to happen. The pouty Jacqueline can't be thwarted that easily, of course. Also, the fact that there'll soon be a murder for Poirot to solve is right there in the movie's moniker. Read our full review. MARRY ME Romantic comedies are all about timing. Whoever pairs up in whichever film, they share moments: meeting-cute at just the right time, going on life-changing dates, coming to big realisations in tandem and such. Marry Me lives for those kinds of incidents, but the film's timing itself is also unfortunate. Based on Bobby Crosby's webcomic and subsequent graphic novel of the same name — with the former dating back to 2006 — it arrives on the big screen at a time when Starstruck has already delightfully riffed on Notting Hill's tale about an everyday person falling for someone super famous, and when reality TV's Married at First Sight has been making people who've just met get hitched since 2013 (and in versions made in multiple countries), too. If Marry Me managed to transcend its Starstruck/Notting Hill-meets-MAFS premise, it could reach cinemas whenever and it wouldn't matter; however, even Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson's charms can't make that happen. Releasing a rom-com starring Lopez and Wilson in 2022 does toy with time a little, though. Its source material doesn't date back 25 years, to when its stars were both in Anaconda, but its broad strokes could've still fuelled a late-90s addition to the romantic-comedy genre. That's how creaky it feels; of course, that timing would've meant spinning a story without livestreamed concerts — and livestreamed lives, outside of films such as The Truman Show and EdTV — but it also would've rid the movie of one of its biggest crutches. Marry Me finds it too easy to blame too many character choices on the always-online, always-performing, always-oversharing mentality that's now the status quo. It too lazily uses the divide between constantly broadcasting one's every move via social media and happily living life offline to fuel its opposites-attract setup as well. It's no wonder that the movie always feels shallow, even for an obvious fairytale, and even as the script attempts to layer in knowing nods to how women like its central popstar are treated by the world whether or not they record and share every moment they're awake. That singing celebrity is Kat Valdez, aka Lopez playing a part that could've easily been originally penned with her in mind. Kat is a global superstar who, to her dismay, is known as much for her hits as for her personal life. That said, she also willingly combines the two in the track 'Marry Me', a duet with her fiancé Bastian (Colombian singer Maluma) that the pair plan to get married to during a show livestreamed to 20 million people. But moments before Kat ascends to the on-stage altar, news that Bastian has been unfaithful spreads across the internet. Sick of being unlucky in love — and just as fed up with being publicly ridiculed for her romantic misfortunes — she picks out Owen's middle-school maths teacher Charlie Gilbert from the crowd and weds him instead. He's just holding a banner with the movie's title on it for his pal and fellow educator Parker Debbs (Sarah Silverman, Don't Look Up), and he's accompanied by his daughter Lou (Claudia Coleman, Gunpowder Milkshake), but he still says yes. Director Kat Coiro (A Case of You) knows the kind of glossy, crowd-pleasing, comfort-viewing fare she's making and has a feel for that exact niche, but no one is served well by John Rogers (The Librarians), Tami Sagher (Inside Amy Schumer) and Harper Dill's (The Mick) paper-thin script. Worlds away from their last respective big-screen roles in Hustlers and The French Dispatch, Lopez and Wilson do what they can with the fluffy, frothy material, but make viewers wish they had something better to work with. Charismatic casting can keep formulaic rom-coms afloat, and this pairing frequently does, but it can't hide Marry Me's surface-level skimming of anything that could've given it depth. What's expected of women, especially in the public eye; the struggle to keep believing in love when past relationships have silenced your hope; the chasm between the dream of fame and the reality: fleshed out, they all could've helped make Marry Me sing something more than the same old romantic-comedy tune. SIMPLE PASSION To watch Laetitia Dosch in Simple Passion is to watch a woman flipped and flung about by the forces of love and lust, sometimes literally, while proving steadfastly willing to flail and even flounder in the pursuit of her desires. After appearing in films such as 4 Days in France, Gaspard at the Wedding and Of Love and Lies, the French Swiss actor plays Hélène Auguste, a Parisian university lecturer caught in the throes of her most profound sexual relationship yet. Alas, Russian diplomat Aleksandr Svitsin (ballet star Sergei Polunin, The White Crow), the man she can't get enough, has a wife and another life in a different country. He also alternates between showing up unannounced for marathon lovemaking sessions, ghosting her texts and standing Hélène up on hotel rendezvous, a dynamic that leaves her as tussled and tumbled as their rumbles between the sheets. Passion is the perfect word for what she feels, as the movie's moniker proclaims — but the other term in its title couldn't be more loaded. Hélène's attraction to and obsession with Aleksandr is simple in its most primal form. Whenever the couple are in bed — or on whatever other surface fits the task in her sunny home, as writer/director Danielle Arbid (Parisienne) eagerly depicts — everything just clicks. But when more than flesh against flesh is involved, it isn't merely complicated; the infatuated Hélène may as well be an errant rose petal caught in a gusty breeze on a glorious day. The passion that she holds so dear, that makes her feel like something other than a single mother with a straightforward life, and that seems so perfect when coloured by post-coital bliss, is also a whirlwind that can thrust her in any direction at any time without notice. She wants to bask in the glow that her affair with Aleksandr ignites, not just internally and emotionally but in the way it makes everything about her existence seem brighter, and yet that happiness is always at his mercy. Arbid adapts Annie Ernaux's novel of the same name with a key, calm and clear-eyed aim: steeping her film deep within Hélène's mindset so that every frame reflects her longing and desire, and her passion at its most simple and complex alike. As its lengthy sex scenes linger on Polunin's body, the feature firmly sports a female gaze — the yearning that Hélène feels for Aleksandr filters through every image, whether the couple is getting physical, she's peering at the stoic face that so infrequently betrays what he's thinking, or she's taking her time cataloguing his tattooed torso. Simple Passion is explicit, and often, including with Hélène's ecstatic moans as its soundtrack. It's sensual, soulful and emotional, though, traits that equally apply in the dead space between the dates that its protagonist anticipates breathlessly. Indeed, Arbid and cinematographer Pascale Granel (The Wild Boys) capture the way that she stares around her house as she keenly awaits any sign from Aleksandr with the same intimacy and delicacy. That's a pivotal touch; stylistically, Hélène is never defined by Aleksandr, but by her own feelings. Dosch is remarkable as Hélène, turning in a rich and subtle performance that's both physically expressive and deeply internalised, and usually at the same time. Her body speaks its own language when she's with Aleksandr, while her face coveys everything that bubbles inside — sometimes hope and joy, sometimes despair and listlessness — whether she's revelling in his presence or rueing his absence. In fact, she so sensational that she helps the film patch over easy choices that, in hands less meticulous and careful than Arbid's, would threaten to put Simple Passion in the 50 Shades of Grey and After franchises' company. Of course Hélène is a literature professor, because female-focused features about thorny affairs that spring from the page to the screen love the field. Of course the movie's pop-music cues are heavy-handed. Of course Polunin operates in one register, even if his off-screen infamy lends more texture to his character. Nonetheless, when Simple Passion rises to its seductive and astute peaks, it showers the screen in sparks. WYRMWOOD: APOCALYPSE Add The Castle to the list of influences flavouring Australian zombie franchise Wyrmwood: here, as in the beloved homegrown comedy, it's the vibe of the thing. Starting with 2014's low-budget labour of love Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead and now continuing with Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, this bushland-set saga has atmosphere to spare. Free-flowing gore, a crash-and-bash urgency and a can-do attitude splatter across the screen in abundance, too. They're key factors in all movies about a dystopian future ravaged by the undead, but filmmaking siblings Kiah and Tristan Roache-Turner ask that mood and tone to do much of their series' heavy lifting. The Wyrmwood films blast away with affection for all of the zombie flicks that've preceded them, and all of the outback thrillers, Ozploitation fare and mad scientist-fuelled tales as well — and they couldn't be more blatant about it — but, even with that teeming passion and prominent energy, they still prove less than the sum of their evident sources of inspiration. As its predecessor did, Wyrmwood: Apocalypse nonetheless makes a smart move or two within its sea of well-worn concepts and overt nods. The strongest and savviest here: casting Shantae Barnes-Cowan and Tasia Zalar, and pointing the camera at them at every chance possible. The former takes on the shuffling, brain-munching masses fresh from battling vampires in the outback in Aussie TV series Firebite, and turns in another fierce and formidable performance. The latter arrives with The Straits, Mystery Road and Streamline on her resume and, while playing a character who needs rescuing — a half-human, half-zombie at that — she could never be described as a damsel in distress. Indeed, Barnes-Cowan and Zalar help set this sequel's ferocious tone as much as the gritty, go-for-broke aesthetics that the Roache-Turner brothers and their returning cinematographer Tim Nagle gleefully and eagerly covet. Writer/director/editor Kiah and writer/producer Tristan still stick with the most obvious protagonist, however: Rhys (Luke McKenzie, Wentworth), a special forces soldier who also happens to be the twin of a crucial figure from the prior film. He weathers dystopian life by holing up in a fenced-in compound where he uses a pen full of zombies to his advantage — aided by various contraptions, plenty of chains and shackles, plus blood-dripping carcasses as incentives — and by driving a Mad Max-style vehicle to round up undead test subjects for The Surgeon (Nicholas Boshier, The Moth Effect). In fact, after crossing paths with Zalar's Grace, he delivers her for military-approved experiments, but Barnes-Cowan's Maxi soon demands that he help set her free. Rhys has been operating under the assumption that The Surgeon and his armed pals had humanity's best interests in mind, despite all glaring appearances otherwise, a misguided belief that Maxi quickly vanquishes. Wyrmwood: Apocalypse also weaves in ex-mechanic Barry (Jay Gallagher, Nekrotronic) and his sister Brooke (Bianca Bradey, The Pet Killer), survivors of the first film, and toys with zombies controlled by virtual reality, too. Just like its heaving pile of influences, Wyrmwood: Apocalypse doesn't lack in moving parts — although that isn't the same as telling an engaging story, which the sequel doesn't ever muster up. Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead already echoed too loudly with been-there, done-that touches; this follow-up positively screams, especially for fans of both horror and science fiction who've seen all the same movies that the Roache-Turners clearly have. Unsurprisingly, while Bosher steals scenes by pure force in his attempt to one-up even the craziest of past on-screen mad scientists, everything around Barnes-Cowan and Zalar — McKenzie's supremely standard leading role included — frequently feels like filler in an familiar wasteland. BLACKLIGHT In most movies, Liam Neeson's Blacklight character wouldn't be the protagonist. Secret FBI fixer Travis Block likely wouldn't even be given a name. Instead, he'd merely be a brief presence who popped up to help other on-screen figures — the federal agents he gets out of tricky situations, for instance — as they went about their business and connected the script's necessary plot points. Turning someone who'd usually be seen as disposable into its lead is this action-thriller's one good idea, but the flattened henchman scene in Austin Powers gave the notion more thought than the entirety of Blacklight demonstrates. There's a difference between thrusting a character to the fore and fleshing them out, especially when a film is happy to define them solely by the actor in their shoes. Here, Travis Block is another prosaic entry on Neeson's action resume first and foremost. When Blacklight begins, Block has spent his career doing whatever FBI Director Gabriel Robinson (Aidan Quinn, Elementary) has asked. Typically, that's assisting on-the-books operatives struggling with off-the-books missions — and Block is great at his job. But when he's tasked with aiding the suddenly erratic Dusty Crane (Taylor John Smith, Shadow in the Cloud), he begins to see more in the rogue agent's story than his old Vietnam War pal Robinson wants to share. Crane has quite the wild tale to tell, tied to the assassination of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez-style politician Sofia Flores (Mel Jarnson, Mortal Kombat) and filled with dark government secrets, and he's eager to share it with scoop-chasing reporter Mira Jones (Emmy Raver-Lampman, The Umbrella Academy). That's exactly what Block is supposed to stop, with his new crisis of conscience putting his daughter Amanda (Claire van der Bloom, Palm Beach) and granddaughter Natalie (debutant Gabriella Sengos) in peril. Spotting similarities between Blacklight and Neeson's other recent work isn't just a sign of spending too much time watching the Irish actor's features of late. His latest release shares a filmmaker with Honest Thief, which reached cinemas less than 18 months ago — and writer/director Mark Williams doesn't stretch himself or his star in their second collaboration. Another flick that's solely about getting Neeson to deploy the no-longer-special set of action skills he's been trotting out since the Taken films became such hits, Blacklight is dispiritingly bland and by the numbers, even within the growing pile of movies that fit the same description (see also: The Marksman and The Ice Road in the past year). It isn't just that first-time co-scribe Nick May's formulaic script ticks every expected box, and that Williams' every directorial choice sticks to the easy and obvious as well. Flatter than the weary gaze emanating from Neeson at every turn, the film persistently suffers from a lack of life and energy. Melbourne dubiously stands in for Washington DC, and the conspiracy-fuelled action that takes over its streets and buildings is even less convincing; whether tracking foot chases or crashing along roadways, the movie's set pieces are perfunctory at best. And while the subplot involving Travis' yearning to spend more time with Amanda and Natalie is meant to add depth amid the routine blows, it's as flimsy and implausible as everything else in the narrative (especially when Amanda can't fathom why her dad, whose personality is solely defined by his work, family and having OCD, has a paranoia problem). The twists surrounding Robinson prove just as laboured, and Neeson and Quinn's long-standing on-screen rapport — dating back to 1986's The Mission — can't bolster the dialogue or the dynamic between their. Indeed, when Neeson utters resigned lines about making poor career choices, it rings with truth for all of the wrong reasons. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on October 7, October 14, October 21 and October 28; November 4, November 11, November 18 and November 25; December 2, December 9, December 16 and December 26; January 1, January 6, January 13, January 20 and January 27; and February 3. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Alpinist, A Fire Inside, Lamb, The Last Duel, Malignant, The Harder They Fall, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, Halloween Kills, Passing, Eternals, The Many Saints of Newark, Julia, No Time to Die, The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick... Boom!, Zola, Last Night in Soho, Blue Bayou, The Rescue, Titane, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, Dune, Encanto, The Card Counter, The Lost Leonardo, The French Dispatch, Don't Look Up, Dear Evan Hansen, Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Lost Daughter, The Scary of Sixty-First, West Side Story, Licorice Pizza, The Matrix Resurrections, The Tragedy of Macbeth, The Worst Person in the World, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, House of Gucci, The King's Man, Red Rocket, Scream, The 355, Gold, King Richard, Limbo, Spencer, Nightmare Alley, Belle, Parallel Mothers, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Belfast, Here Out West and Jackass Forever.
UPDATE: NOVEMBER 13, 2019 — If you haven't been to see The Art of Banksy yet, it's now too late. The unauthorised exhibition has closed prematurely due to the current high temperatures, which could potentially cause damage to the artworks. The exhibition was scheduled to run until December 1 — if you have a ticket from today onwards, a full refund will be made into your account. When it comes to street art exhibitions, it really doesn't get any bigger than this. A retrospective of Banksy's has made its way back to Australia, featuring 80 of the artist's off-street masterpieces. Opening on Friday, September 13 at Moore Park's Entertainment Quarter, The Art of Banksy is a massive collection of pieces by the art world's chief enigma — including the darkly satirical, overtly political work that has turned the stencil-loving artist into such an infamous icon. Endeavouring to take audiences on a journey through Banksy's output and mindset, the exhibition includes the well-known Flower Thrower, Rude Copper and Girl with Balloon (a version of which was shredded after sale in a highly publicised prank late last year). If it sounds epic, that's because it is. The art featured has been sourced from over 40 different private collectors around the world, and comprises the world's largest showcase of Banksy pieces. As curated by the artist's former manager Steve Lazarides, the exhibition is also a little controversial. While every piece is original, unique and authentic, The Art of Banksy proudly boasts that the entire show is 100 percent unauthorised. No, Banksy hasn't signed off on the event. This isn't the first time the huge exhibition has head Down Under, either. It was on show in Melbourne back in 2016, too — and you can check out our full gallery from that exhibition here. Images: The Art of Banksy, Melbourne, 2016 by Olga Rozenbajgier
When news dropped that Adnan Syed's murder conviction had been overturned, an obvious announcement followed: Sarah Koenig's grimly addictive podcast Serial, which spent its first season exploring the killing of Baltimore high school student Hae Min Lee and the extremely complex legal matters surrounding her ex-boyfriend Syed, was returning for a new episode. That new instalment, called 'Adnan Is Out', is available to listen to now — and Serial isn't the only recent Syed-focused hit that's making a comeback as a result. Here's another expected but also welcome development: The Case Against Adnan Syed, HBO's four-part documentary series about the case, is also making a new chapter. The US network revealed that a follow-up episode is in the works, with filmmaker Amy Berg (Phoenix Rising, Dogs, West of Memphis) returning behind the lens. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amy Berg (@amy_berg) "We knew the end of The Case Against Adnan Syed was not the end of this story, and we've been closely following every twist and turn in the case since the series premiered in March 2019," said Berg in a statement. "It's gratifying to see many of the questions and issues probed in the original episodes come to bear on the events of this week," the filmmaker continued. HBO revealed that the new episode will arrive sometime in 2023, but hasn't dropped any further details — including how long it'll run for or the exact release date. Where it'll stream Down Under hasn't been announced yet, either. HBO also advised that Berg has been filming the follow-up episode in Maryland since early 2021, and was in the courthouse when Baltimore City Circuit Judge Melissa Phinn vacated Syed's murder conviction. The Case Against Adnan Syed's new episode will not only chart the lead up to that decision, but will also follow Syed after his release. [caption id="attachment_668625" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Adnan Syed. Via: Syed Family / Courtesy of HBO.[/caption] If you missed the HBO series when it premiered in 2019, it examined 18-year-old Lee's death in 1999 and Syed's conviction in 2000, as well as the latter's ongoing quest to have his conviction reassessed in the years since he was found guilty. Lee and Syed's relationship, tothe original police investigation and trial, the developments up until the show hit the air — they all featured, with the documentary gaining exclusive access to Syed, his family and his lawyers. Yes, it made for gripping viewing, with Berg working on the original four episodes since 2015. It was always bound to be compelling and thorough, given her excellent doco background — helming 2006's Oscar-nominated 2006 Deliver Us from Evil, about molestation in the Catholic Church; examining the West Memphis Three's quest for freedom in 2012's aforementioned West of Memphis; and tackling the sexual abuse of teenagers in the film industry in 2014's An Open Secret. Check out the trailer for The Case Against Adnan Syed's initial run below: HBO's follow-up episode to The Case Against Adnan Syed doesn't currently have a release date, other than arriving in 2023 — we'll update you when it does. In the interim, the original series is available to stream via Fetch in Australia . Images: SBS / HBO
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. MOTHERING SUNDAY Is there anything more intimate than wandering around someone's home when they're not there, gently rifling through their things, and — literally or not, your choice — spending a few minutes standing in their shoes? Yes, but there's still an intoxicating sense of closeness that comes with the territory; moseying curiously in another's house without their company, after they've entrusted their most personal space to you alone, will understandably do that. In Mothering Sunday, Jane Fairchild (Odessa Young, The Staircase) finds herself in this very situation. She's naked, and as comfortable as she's ever been anywhere. After her lover Paul Sheringham (Josh O'Connor, Emma) leaves her in a state of postcoital bliss, she makes the most of his family's large abode in the English countryside, the paintings and books that fill its walls and shelves, and the pie and beer tempting her tastebuds in the kitchen. The result: some of this 1920s-set British drama's most evocative and remarkable moments. Jane is used to such lofty spaces, but rarely as a carefree resident. She's an aspiring writer, an orphan and the help; he's firmly from money. She works as a maid for the Sheringhams' neighbours, the also-wealthy Godfrey (Colin Firth, Operation Mincemeat) and Clarrie Niven (Olivia Colman, Heartstopper), and she's ventured next door while everyone except Paul is out. This rare day off is the occasion that gives the stately but still highly moving film its name as well — Mother's Day, but initially designed to honour mother churches, aka where one was baptised — and the well-to-do crowd are all lunching to celebrate Paul's impending nuptials to fiancée Emma Hobday (Emma D'Arcy, Misbehaviour). He made excuses to arrive late, though, in order to steal some time with Jane, as they've both been doing for years. Of course, he can't completely shirk his own party. Mothering Sunday does more than luxuriate in Jane's languid stroll around a sprawling manor, or the happiness that precedes it — much, much more — but these scenes stand out for a reason. They're a showcase for Australian actor Young, who has graduated from playing troubled daughters (see: 2015's The Daughter and the unrelated Looking for Grace) to searching young women cementing their place in the world (see also: 2020's Shirley). With her quietly potent and radiant help, they say oh-so-much about Jane that wouldn't have sported the same power if conveyed via dialogue. They're also exactly the kind of sequences that screenwriter Alice Birch (Lady Macbeth) knows well, although she isn't merely repeating herself. Helping pen the page-to-screen adaptations of Sally Rooney's Normal People and Conversations with Friends, she's inherently at home revealing everything she can about her characters just by observing what they do when no one's watching. The broader story in Mothering Sunday also springs from a book, this time from Graham Swift's 2016 novel, with French filmmaker Eva Husson (Girls of the Sun) making her English-language debut in the director's chair. Swift didn't choose an annual occasion at random, with the day cloaked in sadness in the Sheringham and Niven households — and across Britain — in the shadow of the First World War and all the young men lost to the conflict. Indeed, marking Paul's engagement is the best way to spend the date because his brothers, and the Nivens' boys too, will never have the same chance. The need to don a stiff upper lip, to keep calm and carry on, and to embody every other grin-and-bear-it cliche about English stoicism is deeply rooted in grief here, and more will come in this touching feature before the sunny March day that sits at its centre is over. Read our full review. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on March 3, March 10, March 17, March 24 and March 31; April 7, April 14, April 21 and April 28; and May 5, May 12, May 19 and May 26. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Batman, Blind Ambition, Bergman Island, Wash My Soul in the River's Flow, The Souvenir: Part II, Dog, Anonymous Club, X, River, Nowhere Special, RRR, Morbius, The Duke, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbledore, Ambulance, Memoria, The Lost City, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Happening, The Good Boss, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Northman, Ithaka, After Yang, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Petite Maman, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Firestarter, Operation Mincemeat, To Chiara, This Much I Know to Be True, The Innocents, Top Gun: Maverick, The Bob's Burgers Movie, Ablaze and Hatching.
Flight of the Conchords return home for a New Zealand and Australia tour this winter. Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, the goofy halves of this comedy and musical duo, announced the tour on their website, saying, "We are finally returning to Australia … mostly to apologise." Fans seem to agree that there is nothing to be sorry for: the original tour dates have already sold out. Luckily, additional dates have been added; make sure to snatch yours up quickly. The pair returns from a lengthy run of success abroad, including a BBC radio series, HBO television series, film appearances and an Oscar. Tickets go on sale here on Tuesday, April 17, at 9am. Australian Tour Dates: Thursday, 5th July 2012 - Sydney Opera House, Sydney Saturday, 7th July 2012 - Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Tuesday, 10th July 2012 - Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle Wednesday, 11th July 2012 - WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong Friday, 13th July 2012 - Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Saturday 14th July 2012 - The Plenary, Melbourne Wednesday 18th July 2012 - Challenge Stadium, Perth
Sydney's iconic harbourside funfair, Luna Park, is usually a place of light, bright family thrills. But between October 25–31, a darker side shall be revealed. Luna Park's annual Halloscream festival returns to send a shiver down your spine with a program of spooky spectacles and white-knuckle entertainment. Fans of the Netflix megahit Squid Game can step through the screen and brave the life-or-death trails of the show for themselves by taking part in a round of the infamous Green Light Red Light game. This exclusive sneak peek of Squid Game: The Experience, which is bringing a whole host of mortal challenges to Luna Park's Big Top from mid-December, is exclusive to Halloscream guests. Neon Nightmare brings a new immersive light and sound attraction to Luna Park's popular rave cave, Sonic Neon. Instead of pumping beats, it'll be your heart thumping in your chest as this horrifying show sends your adrenaline through the roof. One of Halloscream's most popular attractions, the Forgotten Funhouse, invites visitors to navigate its twists and turns while braving encounters with those most terrifying of creatures, killer clowns. All ticket holders to Halloscream nights also get unlimited access to all rides across Luna Park but for those who really want to up the ante, VIP tickets are also available offering access to an exclusive lounge featuring spooky drinks, roaming performers and grid-worthy photo opportunities.
There’s a rumbling in the north. The swift opening whoosh of shiny new doors, followed by a frantic cavalcade of foot traffic, as ravenous battalions of Sydneysiders clamber to taste test the newest offerings of the northern suburbs. From Cammeray to Cremorne, Mosman to Manly, there’s been a serious influx of contenders for the culinary crown of late — establishments somewhat under-appreciated by the more east-, west-, and southern-dwelling Sydneysiders. But winter is coming, and you’re going to want to know where to hole up. From Scandinavian-style eateries to quirky art bars, revamped bowling clubs to Italian jetty restaurants (and not to mention whatever Merivale is plotting in Newport), north Sydney's newest are staking their claim for the city's patronage — regardless of their crow-measured proximity from the CBD. Rally your troops and get amongst it. Correction: Mona Vale's La De Da bar was originally on this list. Unfortunately, we've since learned it's closed due to "operational costs proving too great". Better luck next time, Mona Vale.
Like all significant art forms, dance is a medium that transcends language, culture and geography. This November — after an Aussie debut in Melbourne — The Australian Ballet will bring Instruments of Dance to the Sydney Opera House's Joan Sutherland Theatre. Audiences are in for an exploration of the contemporary dance canon from three distinct corners of the globe, showcasing ground-breaking modern dance from the world's top choreographers. Each choreography talent has created a work inspired by musical scores by contemporary composers who work in very different musical fields. The resulting performance will be a spectacular showcase of modern dance and the music that inspires it. First on the bill is Justin Peck, the resident choreographer of New York City Ballet who is making his Australian debut. Everywhere We Go is a nine-part ballet set to a score commissioned from acclaimed singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens. Expect 25 dancers streaming in and out of complex group formations and expertly executed pas de deux bringing the energy of Hollywood and Broadway to the classical stage. Next up, Wayne McGregor's all-male Obsidian Tear explores the dark shadows of the planet and psyche. McGregor, who is the resident choreographer of The Royal Ballet, has created a performance that touches on a range of disciplines — from geology to mythology to the powerful effects of emotion on the body — set to a suite of violin works by Finnish conductor-composer Esa-Pekka Salonen. A range of fashion designers including Gareth Pugh and the legendary Vivienne Westwood have been enlisted for the costuming, ensuring a true visual feast. Finally, The Australian Ballet's own resident choreographer Alice Topp will present her new work, the appropriately titled New Work. The piece continues the celebrated choreographer's journey into the emotional core of the lived human experience, and features Australian design and a commissioned score by AACTA Award-winning composer Bryony Marks. Sound like something you want to see? We've teamed up with The Australian Ballet to give away one double-pass to what promises to be a spectacular showcase of 21st century ballet. You and a lucky plus one will score a premium double-pass to a performance between Friday, November 18 and Saturday, November 26. Keen? Just drop your details below. [competition]877301[/competition]
What a difference fleshed-out characters and a committed cast can make. This shouldn't really be news, but plenty of movies seem happy to overlook both — especially in the popular sub-genre that is the big night out comedy. "Who needs more than stereotypes when everyone's drinking, partying and acting like a lunatic?" appears to be the usual line of thinking. "And why bother with good performances when the script is a bundle of cliches?" The answer to both questions is on display in Girls Trip, a genuine and largely entertaining film that'll help wipe Rough Night and the recent Hangover sequels from your brain. As certain as it's a fact that no good can come from drinking absinthe, Girls Trip follows a tried-and-tested path involving four friends, a raucous weekend away and a crazy amount of alcohol. It's not hard to predict what will happen as self-help guru Ryan (Regina Hall), gossip columnist Sasha (Queen Latifah), single mother Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith) and wild child Dina (Tiffany Haddish) head to New Orleans for the annual Essence festival. Once close college pals dubbed the Flossy Posse, they've lost touch of late, becoming caught up in their own lives and troubles. A lavish vacation and a let-loose attitude might be just what they need. We're not going to reveal exactly what the gang gets up to, since that would spoil the fun. The point is, the details don't really matter. Viewers have seen most of it before and director Malcolm D. Lee knows it — although to their credit, writers Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver still find a few unique inclusions. Even so, Girls Trip is unmistakably the latest in the recent string of ladies-behaving-badly flick (think Bridesmaids, Bad Moms and Fun Mom Dinner), and it doesn't do much differently, plot-wise. If anything, one of the reasons that the movie stands out is because it isn't pretending to tell a new story. Rather, it's happy evoking laughs while also feeling authentic. And it's that authenticity that's key. Plenty of the gags swing and miss, and some are downright cringeworthy. How much you'll chuckle in certain parts of the film might depend on your threshold for gross-out humour, while other scenes definitely overstay their welcome. Yet there's an energy and intimacy to Girls Trip that's inescapable. As silly, crude and debauched as the antics get, the warmth and joy surrounding the four protagonists continually sets the movie apart from its predecessors. These gals are written and played like real women who are actually friends, instead of bland female figures being humiliated to prove they're just as unruly as men. Kudos, too, to Hall, Latifah, Pinkett Smith and Haddish. Depicting characters who not only seem like they want to hang out with each other, but that audiences want to spend time with, isn't as easy as it sounds. Doing it within a bawdy comedy is all the more difficult still. The quartet repeatedly hit the mark, with Pinkett Smith a particular delight as the tightly wound mum learning to be herself again, and Haddish not only stealing every scene she's in but putting her stamp all over the film. To say that her delivery of bedroom tips will stick with you is definitely an understatement. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnqkPpSn94Y
Following this morning's shock announcement from Premier Mike Baird that he will be resigning as of next week, Sydney nightlife guardians and vocal Baird opponents Keep Sydney Open have issued a public statement giving their take on the Premier's sudden departure from politics. The Premier stated during this morning's press conference that "there is a strong personal cost" that led to his decision, namely a number of serious illnesses in his immediate family. Tyson Koh, director of the guerilla movement, was quick to state that, "We never hoped for Premier Baird's resignation, instead we hoped he would be a constructive partner who'd pursue smart policy that could make Sydney both vibrant and safe." Koh offered respectful words for Baird, who has served at the helm of the New South Wales government since 2014. "We wish the Premier well," he said. "His commitment to the job during health crises in the Baird family is admirable and we wish only the best for them." However, Koh criticised the current Liberal government, saying they are "out of touch" and "not listening". He continued to reinforce the idea that Mike Baird's resignation does not end the fight against the lockout laws, saying, "Keep Sydney Open's role in NSW will not be ending with the political career of Mike Baird." Koh made the point that the government is now faced with an opportunity to embrace and support Sydney's dying nightlife, saying, "We are ready to work with the new leader of the government to achieve all of these results." In the statement he released via Twitter this morning, Premier Baird said that a leadership spill that will decide the next Premier would occur next week. Speculation is rife that Gladys Berejiklian, Baird's deputy and NSW Treasurer, is most likely to take the reins as a result of that spill. Berejiklian is the leader of the more moderate section of the state Liberal Party, so it isn't too far-fetched to think that there is potential she will come to the table to debate overturning what Koh has called "the blunt instrument of a curfew". Despite the fact that their most staunch rival has stepped down as the head of the state government, Keep Sydney Open will go ahead with their protest this weekend, with Koh stating that they are "ready to defend the vibrancy, colour and small businesses of our community against any lawmakers who unfairly target them." Image: Kimberley Low.
Patience is somewhat of a virtue with The Forgiven. It would be in it, too, if any of its wealthy white characters hedonistically holidaying in Morocco were willing to display the trait for even a second. Another addition to the getaways-gone-wrong genre, this thorny satirical drama gleefully savages the well-to-do, proving as eager to eat the rich as can be, and also lays bare the despicable coveting of exoticism that the moneyed think is an acceptable way to splash plentiful wads of cash. There's patently plenty going on in this latest release from writer/director John Michael McDonagh, as there typically is in features by the filmmaker behind The Guard, Calvary and War on Everyone. Here, he adapts Lawrence Osborne's 2012 novel, but the movie that results takes time to build and cohere, and even then seems only partially interested in both. Still, that patience is rewarded by The Forgiven's stellar lead performance by Ralph Fiennes, playing one of his most entitled and repugnant characters yet. Sympathies aren't meant to flow David Henninger's (Fiennes, The King's Man) way, or towards his wife Jo (Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye). Together, the spiky Londoners abroad bicker like it's a sport — and the only thing fuelling their marriage. Cruelty taints their words: "why am I thinking harpy?", "why am I thinking shrill?" are among his, while she counters "why am I thinking high-functioning alcoholic?". He's a drunken surgeon, she's a bored children's author, and they're venturing past the Atlas Mountains to frolic in debauchery at the village their decadent pal Richard (Matt Smith, Morbius) and his own barbed American spouse Dally (Caleb Landry Jones, Nitram) have turned into a holiday home. Sympathy isn't designed to head that pair's way, either; "we couldn't have done it without our little Moroccan friends," Richard announces to kick off their weekend-long housewarming party. But when the Hennigers arrive late after tragically hitting a local boy, Driss (Omar Ghazaoui, American Odyssey), en route, the mood shifts — but also doesn't. The wicked turns of phrase that David slings at Jo have nothing on his disdain for the place and people around him, and he doesn't care who hears it. His assessment of the desert vista: "it's very picturesque, I suppose, in a banal sort of way". He drips with the prejudice of privilege, whether offensively spouting Islamophobic remarks or making homophobic comments about his hosts — and he doesn't, nay won't, rein himself in when Richard calls the police, reports the boy's death, pays the appropriate bribes and proclaims that their bacchanal won't otherwise be disturbed. The arrival of Driss' father Abdellah (Ismael Kanater, Queen of the Desert), and his request that David accompanies him home to bury his son, complicates matters, however. While David begrudgingly agrees, insultingly contending that it's a shakedown, Jo helps keep the party going, enjoying time alone to flirt with hedge fund manager Tom (Christopher Abbott, Possessor). John Michael McDonagh hasn't ever co-helmed a feature with his filmmaker brother Martin, but actors have jumped between the duo's respective works, with Fiennes — who starred in Martin's memorable In Bruges — among the latest. The siblings share something else, too, and not just a knack for assembling impressive casts; they're equally ace at fleshing out the characters inhabited by their dazzling on-screen cohorts via witty and telling dialogue. The Forgiven plays like it's in autopilot, though, but having Fiennes, Chastain, Smith and Jones (who appeared in Martin's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) utter its lines is a gift. Indeed, here it's the attitudes captured while they're speaking, and the behaviours and mannerisms made plain in how they're speaking, that add layer upon layer to this murky affair. That'd ring true even if Driss, Abdellah and the tense journey with the latter to inter the former weren't even in the narrative. That's one of the issues with The Forgiven: although David and Jo's lives inescapably change due to the accident, it and everything that it sparks almost plays as an aside. The aftermath is given ample attention, more so than the party, but the film frequently feels as David unshakeably does, like it too would rather be immersed in the revelry. Of course, that's much of the point, especially in Jo's parts of the story from there — and Richard, Dally and Tom's, plus everyone else still living it up (including Jack Ryan's Marie-Josée Croze as a French photographer, Operation Mincemeat's Alex Jennings as a British Lord and Old's Abbey Lee as an Australian party girl, complete with a Coles shopping bag holding her belongings). The Forgiven keeps skewering this fact, with McDonagh attempting to do just that every which way he can, but some of his efforts to mirror what's occurring on-screen through the feature's tone just don't land. When The Forgiven does hit its marks, it's weighty and knotty, and given depth and heft by Fiennes — and, during David's trip with Abdellah, by the powerful Kanater, plus the charismatic Saïd Taghmaoui (John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum) as the grieving patriarch's offsider and intermediary. It's savvy as a satire, too, albeit obvious, but when the balance tips the better, more compelling, more meaningful way, it's a far more potent picture. Empathising with David still isn't the tale's point, thankfully, and neither is a simplistic life lesson-filled pilgrimage that sees an affluent man learn the error of his oppressive tendencies against the less fortunate. Unsurprisingly, The Forgiven is at its best when it's as complex as its desert-swept cinematography (by The Guard and Calvary's Larry Smith) is gleaming. It's not quite right to say that McDonagh brings all of the movie's pieces together in the end — again, it's not exactly accurate to say that he always seems to want to — but Fiennes brings the film home. This is one of his finest performances, which is no small feat given the array of excellent portrayals that dot his resume, including his Oscar-nominated work in Schindler's List and The English Patient, as well as his awards-worthy turn in The Grand Budapest Hotel. It's no minor achievement given the loathsome, boozy, reckless and curmudgeonly figure he's playing, either. The rest of the feature's big names leave an imprint, from the well-cast Chastain playing it sharp but loose, to the appropriately shadowy Smith and catty scene-stealer Jones, but never with the same film-defining impact.
A trio of Sydney institutions are coming together to launch an inclusive community festival that celebrates three cornerstones of Sydney's cultural landscape: footy, food and music. The inaugural Welcome Day will arrive at Henson Park courtesy of the Newtown Jets, Heaps Gay and The Music & Booze Co, the team behind King Street Carnival, The Beer, Footy and Food Festival and The House of Music and Booze. One of the NRL's foundation clubs back in 1908 and a thriving force in the Inner West for over a century, the Newtown Jets pride themselves as a football club for all. As part of this push to make rugby league welcoming and inclusive, the club has teamed up with LGBTQIA+ party collective Heaps Gay and its founder Kat Dopper, plus longtime collaborators The Music & Booze Co, to celebrate Sydney's diversity and ensure everyone feels at home on the hill of Henson Park. "Welcome Day is a celebration of the rich diversity of our fabulous local community, and reaffirms the Jets' long history of inclusion of players and fans from all walks of life," says Stu McCarthy of the Newtown Jets. "It will be unique in the context of cross-code collaboration, but more importantly a fun day out for all." Hitting the Marrickville oval on Saturday, June 24, Welcome Day will bring together a stellar lineup of local restaurants, food trucks, distillers, seltzer brands, winemakers and DJs in support of a jam-packed day of rugby league. The day's on-field action will be headlined by a NSW Cup clash between the Newtown Jets and the Parramatta Eels. The Jets are forgoing their cross-code differences with the Petersham Rugby Union Club for the day, and hosting two union games — one men's and one women's — as curtain-raisers. [caption id="attachment_898477" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Baba's Place wraps[/caption] On the food lineup, you can expect eats from Rolling Penny, Pepitos, Baba's Place, Titos Tacos, Over Embers, Slick Ricks Pizza, Sparky's Jerk BBQ and Condimental. And what would a day at Henson Park be without a couple of choice beverages? Poor Toms, Archie Rose, Young Henrys (slinging gin and ginger beer), Lilyfields Gin, Este Spirits, Brix Distillery, Mobius Distillery, Kraken Spiced Rum and DNA Distillery will all be on hand to sample their expertly crafted spirits. You can also expect wines from Doom Juice and P&V, seltzers from Cantina OK! and Fellr, and cocktails courtesy of The House of Music & Booze in collaboration with Curatif Cocktails. Music-wise, FBi Radio will be supplying the DJs, so you can expect plenty of local Sydney dance floor-fillers to be represented, plus the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir will be singing the house down — and hosting what it's aiming to make the world's biggest sing-along. You can nab tickets to Welcome Day for $20 or $10 for kids under 12 via Oztix. [caption id="attachment_778637" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Poor Toms Pina Colada Gin[/caption] The inaugural Welcome Day is coming to Henson Park, Marrickville on Saturday, June 24. Tickets are one sale now. Images: Tom Wilkinson.
Sandwiches masquerading as lollipops, a garden you can eat and a dessert fairyland featuring giant marshmallows, meringue mushrooms and edible rainbows are just three of the many reasons why you should book a spot at the Mad Hatter’s Brunch. The long, champagne-fuelled banquet will happen at the Ananas Bar and Brasserie on Sunday, May 31, the third in their series of monthly themed brunch events. “It promises to be our most magical brunch yet,” says chef de cuisine Neil Martin. "I don't want to give too much away, but it will be a fantastical feast paired with ‘drink me’ potions, teapot cocktails and a two-hour bottomless flute of champagne for those who want to indulge.” Brunch will be served in the form of a roaming buffet, inspired by French cuisine. You’ll also be treated to freshly shucked oysters, handmade pasta, charcuterie, house-made terrines, pates and a breakfast bar. To match the exotic food, Ananas will be turned into a magical world, with brightly coloured teapots, crazy costumes and eclectic decorations. Don’t, under any circumstances, forget your mad hat.
It has been 28 years since the first Jewish film festival reached Australian screens, and the annual cinema showcase is still going strong. If a movie hails from Israel or explores Jewish culture, it's likely to end up in the Jewish International Film Festival's program — including opening night's Yiddish-language drama Menashe, Orthodox community-set screwball romantic comedy The Wedding Plan, the intimate exploration of grief and connection (and baked goods) that is The Cakemaker, and the Kevin Spacey and Nicholas Hoult-starring JD Salinger biopic Rebel in the Rye, which closes out the fest. They're just some of this year's JIFF's highlights, and there's more where they came from. In fact, the complete 2017 lineup boasts 65 films from 26 countries, including features and documentaries from Israel, Australia, Argentina, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, the UK and the USA. If you're a fan of Jewish-themed cinema, prepare to settle in for the long haul when JIFF does the rounds from October. Sydneysiders can get their fix at Event Cinemas Bondi Junction from October 26 to November 22, and at the Hayden Orpheum from November 11 to 22 as well.
Lighten your run with Mizuno, then lighten your spirits at the Color Run after party. Two rules govern the Color Run. First, turn up at the start line at 9am, dressed according to the official dress code: a white shirt. The adornment of the rest of your anatomy is a matter of personal choice. Rainbow tutus, crochet moustaches and leg warmers resembling packets of Life Savers are often part of the scenery. Second, appear 5 kilometres later at the finish line, doused in colour. How you get there is up to you. Even though the event is known as a 'fun run', travelling methods tend to vary from traditional marathon style to human wheelbarrow-ing to commando crawling. The colour part is easy — every kilometre, participants find themselves in a sea of bright cornflour pigment. None of the usual running event conventions apply. Time keeping, winners, divisions, Personal Bests and the like are all overwhelmed by the focus on having a good time. "[It's] less about speed and more about enjoying a colour crazy day with your friends and family," the Sydney Color Run site reads. Whether you're slower than the proverbial tortoise or fast enough to consider taking on Usain Bolt, you'll feel as though you're a vital part of the action. The Color Run was established in January 2012 by American triathlete Travis Snyder. Last year, 600,000 people joined in at 50 events around the world. This year, it's looking more like a million participants and 100 gatherings. The Color Run is a commercial enterprise, but the organisers do sometimes partner up with local charities. This month's Sydney race will support the Celebrate Life Foundation and the Cure for Life Foundation. Excited? Looking for the Registration webpage? We're sorry to have to tell you that the next Sydney run, to be held on August 25, has already sold out. If you're keen enough to travel, however, you can get your rainbow on at 15 other locations around the nation, the nearest being Wollongong, and the furthest away, Perth.
Technology just keeps getting smaller and smaller. UK game developer David Braben has created the prototype for a mini computer, so tiny and efficiently manufactured that it could be provided to school kids for free. It's called the Raspberry Pi USB computer, and it functions as a real PC, with USB and HDMI ports meaning you can hook it up to a keyboard and television screen in no time. The Raspberry Pi Foundation exists to promote the study of computer science and related topics, especially at school level, and to put the fun back into learning computing. "We plan to develop, manufacture and distribute an ultra-low-cost computer, for use in teaching computer programming to children. We expect this computer to have many other applications both in the developed and the developing world," reads a description of the Pi project on the foundation Web site. https://youtube.com/watch?v=pQ7N4rycsy4 [Via Mashable]
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.
The murky world of web analytics is usually left to advertising types and businesses who want to know about you so they can sell stuff to you. But the newly launched browser extension and website, Voyurl, aims to enhance your browsing experience through infographics that break down your web habits with real-time recommendations. Founder Adam Leibsohn was one of these advertising types. Having had a successful career in advertising as Group Director of Digital Strategy at a NYC advertising agency, Anomaly, Leibsohn has channelled his expertise in consumer behaviour and developed Voyurl, or what he calls the "anti-social social network." He says while social networking sites bring your social circle to the fore, Voyurl is more concerned with how you browse the web. At this month's NY Tech Meetup, Leibsohn was applauded by the audience when he said: "unlike a lot of services, we [Voyurl] actually don't want you to authorise Facebook or Twitter." Instead, what Voyurl does is collect your browsing information and present it in a series of infographics that lets you see trends, recommendations and comparisons seamlessly. There is an option to share your information through social networking of course, but the focus remains on your browsing habits. A feature that lives up to Leibsohn's claim that the browser extention is the "anti-social social network" is the "anti-me" button that presents information based on your anti-self (in case you were curious about what sort of websites your anti-self would be looking at). Concrete Playground got in touch with Adam Leibsohn in New York and asked about the gap Voyurl fills in the user browsing experience and, yes, the usually murky world of web analytics. What did you have in mind when you thought of the concept for voyurl? So, for a long while, I worked as a digital strategist at an ad agency in New York. After being introduced to countless marketing technology firms and data auctioneers that use an ethical gray area to peddle in user data, I thought it was time for a platform that was open about its data use and put the user first. With that in mind, we sought out to build Voyurl. We want to disrupt the behavioural data marketplace that occurs without most peoples' awareness by putting the control of this behavioral data back into the hands of those who generate it: all of us who use the web. We want empower people through their data. So, we've begun to build a platform that puts all this data to work for anyone who generates it. The best part is that you don't have to do a thing. You just browse the web like you already do; and, we'll do the rest. How does it work? We analyse behaviour, not identity. So we try our best to determine where on the web your behaviour indicates positive preference. Then, we find other people who have behaved like you. And then, we figure out what stuff those folks have looked at and liked that you haven't seen yet... and we recommend those things to you. And since your browsing behaviour powers our content recommendation engine, we'll never recommend something to you if you've clicked on it before... ever. This way every recommendation we make to you is guaranteed to be genuinely new, each and every time. How will this benefit businesses? For us, this is mainly about how it can benefit our members. If our members are empowered through their data, then maybe businesses will be encouraged to figure out a better way to interact with them to get data they need. So really, we're trying to create a dynamic that fosters a positive experience through data for everyone. If both consumers and businesses can get what they want by leveraging data, we think we're taking a step in the right direction. What feedback have you gotten so far? The feedback has been incredible. People are really enjoying the data, the trends, the content recommendation, and the comparisons and fun features we offer. For instance, we allow users to invert our recommendations so that they can get content fed to them that's 180º away from who they are. It's our little way of allowing you to take yourself out of the filter bubble. Folks have been really great with feedback and input. They're already looking for some fun new features to help make things more social. If you want to try Voyurl for yourself, can can access the private beta via invitation at www.voyurl.com/concreteplayground
Since first opening its doors back in 2013, Sydney's Golden Age Cinema and Bar has proven a home for interesting and eclectic movies, screening new independent and arthouse fare alongside offbeat retro favourites. It's the kind of venue that shows flicks you won't see in multiplexes, all in boutique surroundings. And if you like its taste in films — or you're Melbourne or Brisbane-based cinephile who regularly wishes they could experience Golden Age's program, too — then you'll definitely like their latest venture as well. As plenty of other companies and cinemas have been doing during the COVID-19, Golden Age is getting into the streaming game. Now available online, Movie Night by Golden Age Cinema showcases movies that've graced the venue's screens over the years, as well as others chosen by the cinema's programmers. That includes a curated selection of recent and new releases, with extra films added to its lineup every week. At the time of launch, the service's range features The Trip to Greece, which was supposed to release in cinemas but has been fast-tracked to streaming instead; 2019 favourites Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Parasite; and thoughtful documentary For Sama, which hit the big screen earlier in 2020. Viewers can also revisit Bong Joon-ho's excellent monster movie The Host, see Nicolas Cage milk an alpaca in Color Out of Space, and enjoy Robert Pattinson's recent stellar work in High Life and Good Time. Spanning award-winners, cult favourites, fashion docos and collections of Asian, Aussie and European cinema, Movie Night's highlights also include 2018 Cannes Palme d'Or winner Shoplifters, adorable cat documentary Kedi and masterful German comedy Toni Erdmann — as well as Sydney Film Festival prize-winner Aquarius, Australian drama Judy & Punch, and docos about Yayoi Kusama, Roy Halston Frowick and Alexander McQueen. https://www.facebook.com/OurGoldenAge/photos/a.472586509492206/2993131060771059/?type=3&theater Films are available to watch on a pay-per-view basis, with prices varying per movie — from $4.99 for an older title to $19.99 to something brand new (such as The Trip to Greece). And, for Sydneysiders eager to physically return to Golden Age, it's also opening its doors for private screenings of up to ten people from June 1 — so you and your mates can pick a film to watch on the big screen, then get the whole place to yourselves for three hours. For more information about Movie Night by Golden Age Cinema — or to watch a movie — visit the streaming service's website. Top image: Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Madman.
Speaking to all dudes who can't get dates, WINGMAN is a new exhibition that traces one Auckland man's attempts to find love in the city of Sydney. Mark O'Donnell isn't good at much, but he is an artist, so he pulled himself up by his bootstraps, chose some appropriately arty spaces to pick up (the MCA, the Biennale), and documented it all for your viewing pleasure. Was he punching above his weight? Or was he just putting himself out there? O'Donnell's efforts are apparently reminiscent of 'lekking' — the courtship ritual of the Prairie Chicken, which combines "dancing, calling, and displaying plumage". We're not sure if we're looking forward to seeing what that looks like in human form, but it's bound to be interesting. The exhibition is presented by New Zealand's Dog Park Art Project Space and features work by improvisational artist Daphne Simons alongside O'Donnell's, as well as a bunch of other talented kids, all selected to frame the ideas behind WINGMAN.
Griffin Theatre Company is the self-proclaimed "theatre of first chances". Championing original new works from Aussie playwrights, the Kings Cross spot makes a mission of providing creative opportunities — and has taken exceptional bodies of work to the stage in the process. To note: it world premiered the now-Aussie darlings Prima Facie and City of Gold. This month, it's bringing us Eloise Snape's one-woman show Pony. This particular one woman is Hazel (Briallen Clarke, pictured) and audiences are joining her as she lives her life before the outrageously obvious imminent arrival of her first born. Expect to split your sides as the reality tv-obsessive navigates baby showers and buckwild nights out, reality-affirming ultrasounds and midwife meetings — plus the almighty weight of the fact there's a life-altering force about to be born into her world. Shortlisted for a handful of prestigious awards (Queensland Premier's Drama Award 2022–23; Griffin Award 2022; Patrick White Playwrights Award 2022), Pony is truly not one to be missed. From an all-female team comes the main attraction for a spectacular night out, delivering a culture trip full to the brim with red-hot wit, crass vaginal innuendos and a truly authentic telling of the whirlwind of anxious anticipation that comes right before parenthood. (The inspiration behind Pony comes from Snape's own experience of becoming a mother.) So, wrangle your mates, book your tickets and plan to grab a pre-Pony bev at the theatre's Penny Cook Bar before settling in to this laugh-a-minute piece of theatre. 'Pony' takes to the stage at Griffin Theatre Company from Friday, May 12 till Saturday, June 17. For more information and to nab your tickets, head to the website. Imagery: Brett Boardman.
Put on your toques and gather your loonies — the Stuffed Beaver is serving up classic Canadian fare on bustling Bondi Road. Vancouver-born Brody Petersen has been dishing up his 'Dam Menu' since 2011. There's wooden booths reminiscent of a wintery ski lodge, vintage Canadian memorabilia on the walls, a game of football on the TV plus a perfectly cheesy poutine — any expat will feel right at home and us locals will feel just like we've visited. When you think of North American food, you think of burgers, fries, hot-dogs and deep-fried everything. The Stuffed Beaver delivers all of the above, with a Canadian spin of course. The classic poutine (fries with gravy and melted cheese curds) is as authentic as those French-Canadians make it and just as indulgently satisfying ($14.99). The beef burgers are made fresh every day with Black Angus beef served on a soft brioche bun. Try the Dam Beaver burger ($10.99), beef stuffed with melted blue cheese, or the John Candy combo ($15.99), crispy fried jack cheese, bacon and pickles. The Burgenhausen ($12.99), sweet pulled pork, candied apple and sour cream, is a definite hole-filler. No matter what main you get, you've gotta try the deep-fried pickles ($6.99). Beer battered pickle spears that are deep fried for that crunchy, greasy taste that only North American food can deliver. Canadians like to drink, so it's fair to say the bar is well stocked. If you're a Bloody Mary fan, the Bloody Caesar is the Canadian version ($16.99), the addition of Clamato juice (Clam and tomato juice) and a briny pickle spear gives it its North American authenticity. And whatever you do, don't leave until you've had a shot of Fireball whisky. Super sweet cinnamon whisky that'll warm the cockles of any sceptic's heart. The Stuffed Beaver's name isn't just a nod to its northern icons but a prophetic glimpse as to how you'll feel after a fun night eating and drink here. The North American food is heavy but oh-so-satisfying and with its affordability, cool Bondi location and friendly, relaxed staff, it's the perfect place to get stuffed, eh?
When a composer who has been dubbed the 'HG Wells of the jazz world' presents his contemporary musical score to the films of a magician, you know it's definitely gonna be worth going all the way out to Parramatta for. That's what Phillip Johnson will be doing this Sunday when he creates a thrilling symmetry between his original music and the silent films of French director Georges Melies in the Georges Melies Project. Melies was one of cinema's earliest directors, and one of the first filmmakers ever to use multiple exposures, time-lapse photography, dissolves, stop tricks and stunning hand-painted colour in his work. His contribution to cinema was the subject of Martin Scorsese's recent Oscar-winning film, Hugo. Trained as a magician, he took the idea of creating seemingly impossible illusions and injected it into his often bizarre but always captivating short films — of which he made more than 500 between 1896 and 1912. A century later most of those optical gems have fallen victim to the ravages of time, and even the recently restored ones screening on Sunday have rarely been seen. And certainly not like this, with some of Australia's best jazz instrumentalists — including Daryl Pratt on vibraphone, Matt MacMahon on piano and Cameron Undy on bass — laying down the musical railroad for Johnson's enchanting score. https://youtube.com/watch?v=4dTVfSJoj04
UPDATE: June 24, 2020: Pain and Glory is available to stream via Google Play and YouTube — and, from Friday, June 26, from Amazon Prime Video. Perhaps it's the brightness, with each splash of colour feeling like it comes straight from the heart. Maybe it's the array of familiar faces that fill his frames, as though he's building a cinematic world populated by his favourite people. Or, it could be his sensitive yet vivid way of seeing the world, and the expressive images that arise as a result. Whether one, two or all of the above are responsible, a film by Pedro Almodovar usually proves a highly personal affair — although there may be no more intimate a movie on his four-decade resume than Pain and Glory. Enlisting one of his go-to stars, Antonio Banderas, to play his on-screen surrogate, this rich and reflective drama follows a filmmaker aching with unhappiness, trawling through his memories and being haunted by his inertia. In a way, Pain and Glory is the Inception of Almodovar films. An acclaimed director steps into his own history by making a movie about a famous director doing just that, with both real and fictional helmers reuniting with an actor who's shaped their career. In Almodovar's case, that should be actors. Banderas leads the show, while Penelope Cruz, the other great Spanish talent that came to fame under the filmmaker's 90s-era gaze, appears in flashbacks as the protagonist's mother. This casting, and the fact that Banderas has been styled to look like Almodovar, is crucial. The actor even wears some of the writer/director's own clothes, and his character lives in a recreation of Almodovar's home. Although Pain and Glory isn't the filmmaker's first movie to include personal elements, he purposefully draws parallels between fact and fiction here — grappling with the idea of revealing a piece of himself with each work, something all artists do, in a wholehearted manner. Salvador Mallo (Banderas) also ponders the same notion. His glory years seemingly behind him, he thinks his days of leaving a bit of himself in each movie are long gone as well. Fans still clamour for his work, as an anniversary screening of his breakout hit shows, but his focus is elsewhere. Mainly, he's consumed by pain from various ailments. When his former star Alberto (Asier Etxeandia) re-enters his life and introduces him to heroin, he becomes preoccupied with glimpses of his childhood that swirl through his mind. Still, Mallo has been working on an autobiographical text — and when he reluctantly lets Alberto turn its contents, including his 80s affair with his great love Federico (Leonardo Sbaraglia), into a one-man theatre show, the experience is revelatory. There's a quiet, thorny and tender core to Mallo's plight but, as the likes of All About My Mother, Volver and Julieta have shown, Almodovar operates in sumptuous, sweeping mode. Far from struggling with the contrast, Pain and Glory is equally restrained and resonant, making exceptional use of its softer and livelier moments alike. So too does this year's Cannes Best Actor award-winner Banderas. Across his layered, multi-decade filmography spanning both Spanish and Hollywood cinema, he's never been better. Indeed, he's the best he's been since following Almodovar into completely different territory his last great performance in 2011's The Skin I Live In. Understated, introspective, gentle and melancholic, rather than the vastly more overt characters he has often played for the director, Banderas frequently conveys all of Mallo's hurts, anxieties and fears without saying a word. It's little wonder that cinematographer José Luis Alcaine (a veteran of Almodovar's work for decades, too) can't find anything as interesting to stare at as Banderas. The actor is a moving canvas within the film's broader frame and, every time you peer his way, the picture changes to something just as astonishing. Unsurprisingly, Cruz comes close to matching him. As the feisty mother to a pre-teen Mallo (Asier Flores) in the 60s, she lights up the screen the way that she lit up the boy's formative years. Her scenes are wistful by design, as you'd expect when an ageing man escapes into his head to take stock of his life. That said, few filmmakers can so seamlessly integrate the ghosts of the past with the woes of the present as Almodovar. Perhaps his genius stems from the reality that, amid the evocative colour and movement, Almodovar is unafraid to glare at hard truths while he's opening up his heart. If only we could all sift through our lives, losses, needs and desires as meticulously and beautifully as the Spanish auteur. Heaving with emotion, his Pain and Glory is a movie to get lost in — and, as anyone who's ever faced their own crossroads or confronted their mortality can attest, it's also a film of sublime and unwavering honesty. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJEDh4ikcWA
Whether you loved it or loathed it, high school definitely left its mark. From the hormones to the house parties, everyone is guaranteed to have a horror story or two, which makes you wonder just how filmmaker Ben C. Lucas fared on the playground, for his striking debut Wasted on the Young sure doesn’t pull any punches. Polished to a high gloss befitting Hollywood, Lucas has further borrowed a few well-trodden tropes from the high school movie catalogue, with an added Australian twist: the jocks all hark from the swim team, and everyone is kitted out in school uniforms (keep an eye out for the school bags with airplane belt buckle straps). But hierarchy and bullying, it seems, are universal, as Lucas navigates these treacherous waters with a coolly detached but discerning eye. The reigning king of the high school is swim team captain Zack (Alex Russell), who has a particularly nasty thug of a 2IC (T.J. Power) as well as a newly minted stepbrother Darren (Oliver Ackland), who proves useful for little more than homework assignments. But when Darren takes a shine to super cute Xandrie (Adelaide Clemens), Zack takes the opportunity to show them both their place in the pecking order. Xandrie is assaulted then essentially excommunicated from school society, and in this social wasteland she and Darren unite to contemplate morality, and revenge. Part romantic tragedy, part ruthless thriller, Wasted on the Young is an impressive but ultimately unsettling cinematic experience. Lucas, his cinematographer Dan Freene and production designer Sam Hobbs have crafted a seriously good looking specimen, while editor Leanne Cole works with Lucas’ script to work up some sharp and confounding temporal elisions. Similarly, the young cast put up impressive performances, with Ackland a fittingly effacing teen pushed to the edge and Power an amped up borderline sadist. With a rather flat affect, Russell is probably the weakest link, but Clemens is a real find, as her sweetness turns steely with scene-stealing results. In a film cleverly devoid of adults, the students of Wasted on the Young wreak enough havoc to start some high school worthy gossip. The problem is, these shenanigans cross some controversial boundaries, namely the massacres of Columbine and Virginia Tech, both of which are directly referenced en route to the revenge scenario. This distinctly muddies the film’s moral waters, which may well poison the viewing for some, or perhaps just seem disquietingly exploitative. Either way, this stylishly provocative film will get you talking, but hopefully not taking a similar trip down memory lane.
UPDATE, Friday, December 8: Leave the World Behind screens in cinemas from Thursday, November 23 and streams via Netflix from Friday, December 8. Call it the one with Julia Roberts playing the mother of a Friends-obsessed 13-year-old girl who hasn't clocked that someone closely resembling her mum pops up in the sitcom's second season. Call it writer/director Sam Esmail still ruing humanity's technological reliance and seeing only dystopian outcomes after Mr Robot became such a small-screen success. Call Leave the World Behind an effectively unnerving psychological thriller about a mysterious communications blackout striking while one New York family holidays at another's palatial Long Island vacation home, too. Down Under, badging it the horror version of Australia's November 2023 Optus outage also fits — just with a home-invasion angle that can be read two ways; Hitchcockian suspense, sharp writing and baked-in bleakness; Barack and Michelle Obama as executive producers; and Roberts (Ticket to Paradise) starring alongside Ethan Hawke (Reservation Dogs), Mahershala Ali (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse), Myha'la Herrold (Dumb Money) and Kevin Bacon (The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special). In her second chaotic getaway in two successive movies, Roberts plays Amanda Sandford, an advertising executive who prides herself on being able to read people and situations. But her professor husband Clay (Hawke) is surprised to awaken one morning to news that their brood is going away for a few days, thanks to a humanity-escaping misanthropic urge and a last-minute online booking. He and the couple's kids — the older Archie (Charlie Evans, Everything's Gonna Be Okay) and younger Rose (Farrah Mackenzie, United States of Al) — aren't complaining about the break, though. Then problems after eerie problems occur. First, an oil tanker runs ashore on the beach. Next comes the late-night knock at the door from their holiday home's owner GH Scott (Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Herrold), who've driven in all dressed up from a night at the symphony. In a movie that isn't afraid of M Night Shyamalan-esque setups on its route to potential societal collapse, a power, phone and internet outage follows, plus oddly behaving wildlife and disquieting developments from above. Paranoia is Esmail's on-screen wheelhouse as much as distrusting the gadgets and connectivity that've become foundations of 21st-century life, so him bringing Rumaan Alam's 2020 novel to the screen is hardly a shock. Cultivating tension is also key among the film and TV director, writer and producer's skills, with Leave the World Behind providing another superb avenue for him to demonstrate that talent. With Mr Robot and this, which is only his second feature as a filmmaker (after 2014's Comet), Esmail has proven fond of filtering life's stresses, reliances and fears through harrowing but grounded-enough situations. Leave the World Behind's circumstances coming true doesn't feel like a fiction-only jump, and nor do the reactions from Amanda, her loved ones and the strangers that they encounter. If existence as we currently know it concludes, falters or is disrupted significantly, perhaps it'll be more mundane than instantly cataclysmic, Esmail keeps positing. Scene by scene, Leave the World Behind tears into the vacation idyll early. The trip to the beach under beaming sunlight becomes a disaster movie when Rose spots the ship heading straight for the shore, as grippingly handled by Esmail, his regular Mr Robot cinematographer Tod Campbell and editor Lisa Lassek (Dead Ringers). The distress that lingers in that incident's aftermath only multiplies when the Scotts show up — not thanks to their presence, but due to Amanda's Karen-style reaction. When there's no way of accessing the outside world, the kids try to swim away the unease while the adults argue, yet the disquieting vibe just keeps building. As the tanker moment illustrates, Leave the World Behind doesn't shy away from hefty instances of prospective end-of-the-world mayhem, with more springing; however, blockbuster spectacle isn't this feature's core focus. Indeed, this isn't just a film about responding to another apocalyptic scenario, of which screens big and small can't get enough (see: Shyamalan's Knock at the Cabin, plus The Creator, Biosphere and The Last of Us are a mere few fellow 2023 examples). Leave the World Behind is also steeped in today's attitudes as well as its accoutrements; that Alam's book is a pandemic-era release is fitting. So, the entitlement and prejudice that Amanda sports when financial planner GH and twentysomething Ruth arrive speaks volumes. The division and doubt between Amanda and Ruth across generational and racial lines do as well. The same applies to the panic when no manner of devices can deliver the news, a number of supremely self-serving decisions, and one helluva dark but glorious gag that stops anyone from hightailing it out of there and never looking back. As the Sandfords and the Scotts alike — and survivalist Danny (Bacon) as well — contemplate what's behind their chilling change of affairs, surveying everything from cyberterrorism to nuclear troubles, that humanity might be its worst enemy echoes loud and clear. Esmail and Roberts have teamed up before on TV series Homecoming, which he created and directed, and also when the former executive produced the latter-starring Gaslit. Enlisting America's sweetheart in an against-type part that gets her playing suspicious, privileged, contemptuous and prickly guides out a compelling performance, and one of her best in years; Roberts turns in an invested portrayal, and is also among the movie's producers. An always-magnetic two-time Oscar-winner (for Moonlight and Green Book), Ali renders GH as open, trusting and reasonable where Amanda is not, with some of the film's top sequences stemming from the pair sharing the frame. Hawke nails his affable part, and Herrold her no-nonsense role. It isn't just how its characters handle their plight, for better and for worse, that makes Leave the World Behind resonate with emotional truth, but the fleshed-out performances that are always centre stage. On the list of things that Esmail and his film don't shirk, humour and paying homage to Hitchcock also rank highly. The idea that the crashing of society mightn't stop a TV fan from wanting to see how their favourite show ends is both an astute commentary on the dominance of pop culture and deeply funny, while nods to The Birds and North by Northwest are well-handled tributes. Making Friends the series that Rose is obsessed with is all the more affecting after Matthew Perry's recent passing, but it's "I'll be there for you" refrain was always pitch-perfect for this tale. As America and the globe keep being factionalised, doomsday possibilities continue to loom and conspiracy theories about almost everything abound, what and who will be there for you? Call that one of the trains of thought that this ambitious, playful, savvy and cutting picture serves up.
For too long the precious black liquid that keeps your brain afloat during 8am meetings on Monday has gotten all the attention. But what about the intricately designed disposable cup? It's easy to forget about (let alone give any sustained attention to) the vessel of cardboard that carries that lovingly brewed coffee to our lips — but we'd be pretty lost without it. Coffee Cups of the World is an unabashed display of one man's beautiful takeaway coffee journey across the world documented on Tumblr and Instagram. "I want people to look at the coffee cups and be conscious of them," New Zealand professional food photographer Henry Hargreaves told Cool Hunting. "The to-go cup is the best piece of advertising for coffee shops, but not everyone gives it enough attention." Until now, that is. Hargreaves (who you might know for his eerie food photography series of death row inmates' last meals) has collected coffee cups from cafes in Europe, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. He has even enlisted a friend from South Africa to send him a bunch and — great news — is now encouraging the public to do the same. See more of Hargreaves's work at the Coffee Cups of the World Tumblr and on his online portfolio. Via Cool Hunting
There is no wrong time of day for devouring Italian food — leftover pasta makes as good a breakfast as dinner, after all. If you agree (which we're sure you do), here's some red-hot intel: Darlinghurst's new bright spot Fortuna has added a bottomless feast to their offering. The diner arrived on Victoria Street from two hospo mainstays, George Nahas and Egon Marzaioli, in late 2021. When it's not treating Sydneysiders to Italian feasts and endless mimosas, it's a breezy all-day eatery pulling from Marzaioli's early years in Naples. And now, from 12pm till 8.30pm every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, you can enjoy a share-style table of treats and 90 minutes of endless Aperol spritzes, negronis, Peronis, mimosas and a selection of vinos for $89. On arrival, expect a slice of warm, housemade focaccia and an array of truly delish antipasti (think Sicilian olives, Princi soppressa mortadella, salami, marinated tomatoes and burrata dressed in a vivid-green herby oil). Then, porchetta with crisp and golden potatoes as a main. All that plus stand-out bevs to wash it down? A delicious bargain. If you want to bolster the meal with some heartier dishes, you can add an additional $10 per person and the table will be treated to two pastas from the menu. Uniquely, and in a move that's sure to keep the vibes merry, staff will present the Wheel of Fortuna for guests to spin. Hope you're feeling lucky, cos you can win or lose. Maybe you'll score a round of shots for the table, or you might be left gifting a round of shots to the staff. Fortuna's bottomless feast is offered from 12–8.30pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Head to the website to make a booking.
It's International Nurses Day on Monday, May 12. And, to mark the occasion, 4 Pines is giving nurses 49% off their bill. Any nurse who drops into 4 Pines between Monday, May 12–Sunday, May 18, will get the discount. It applies to everything – that is, all food and drink – ordered in-house. Seven of 4 Pines' venues are in on the deal. On the Northern Beaches, head to 4 Pines Brewpub or Bonsai by 4 Pines in Manly, 4 Pines Truck Bar in Brookvale, or 4 Pines Public House in Newport. Beyond Sydney, visit 4 Pines in Charlestown and Gracie's at 4 Pines in Orange. "Our nurses are always going the extra mile for us and so we wanted to do our bit to say thank you," said Adam Dearing, General Manager of Hospitality. This is the latest in a series of discounts that 4 Pines has brought to nurses over the past few years.
On the water, near the water and from the water: these are all some of the many ways to look at the 2024 Sydney Festival lineup, which has been announced in all of its 150-plus-event glory. When the Harbour City welcomes back its annual arts fest in January, the event will make the absolute most of its setting. So, get ready for a version of Puccini's opera Il Tabarro onboard the Carpentaria lightship, a waterside Walsh Bay Arts Precinct takeover and a towering giant octopus sculpture that you can get closer to via a kayak tour. Running for 24 days from Friday, January 5–Sunday, January 28, the Sydney Festival program will feature over 1000 artists and a huge lineup of events that includes 26 world premieres, 29 Australian exclusives and 43 free activities. PICKS OF THE PROGRAM If seeing Il Tabarro performed on a boat piques your interest, you can catch the free one-act production at the Australian National Maritime Museum without spending a cent — but you do need to book. You can also catch it from home via the livestream. Keen on hanging out at the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct? This physical strip of the program is called The Thirsty Mile. On offer there: theatre and art, cabaret and dance, bars and speakeasies, and also a late-night club Moonshine Bar. This is where you'll marvel at a 46-metre-long installation Hi-Vis by Michael Shaw; enjoy a cabaret tribute to Kate Bush; and watch a Swedish dance double from GöteborgsOperans Danskompani — and that's just for starters. A eight-legged sea creature lurks on the harbour thanks to Te Wheke-a-Muturangi: The Adversary by Māori artist Lisa Reihana, which'll make its home in Watermans Cove in Barangaroo to explore the tale of the discovery of Aotearoa/New Zealand. Sydney Festival's Blak Out program is similarly worth hitting up the event for alone. ILBIJERRI Theatre Company's world-premiere production Big Name, No Blankets will pay tribute to the Warumpi Band; dance performance Mutiara will also make its debut, as set among Broome's early pearling industry; and Anita Heiss adapts her own novel Tiddas for the stage. Other standouts on the full lineup include Courtney Barnett playing a two-part performance at City Recital Hall; Night Songs at Coney Island, which will feature choral tunes at Luna Park; and Encantado, which will tell First Nations tales from Brazil thanks to Lia Rodrigues' choreographer, 11 dances and 140 bright blankets, and heads to Sydney Opera House. Also, Arka Kinari will be hitting the harbour with its music production that's powered by the sun and moved by the wind, and Kate Miller-Heidke's new musical-comedy Bananaland will make its Sydney debut. Elsewhere, Dinosaur World Live will continue Australia's fascination with the ancient creatures (see also: Jurassic World: The Exhibition, for example); annual favourite Sydney Symphony Under the Stars: Pictures in the Sky returns to Parramatta Park; theatre production Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World riffs on murder-mystery podcasts; Orpheus & Eurydice gets reimagined in contemporary times by Opera Australia; and the Art Gallery of New South Wales' Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night or Has the Night Invaded the Day?, Kandinsky and Tacita Dean exhibitions all link in. Top image: Sammi Landweer.
With the holidays just coming to an end, we're all now emerging from prime binge-watching season. So, if you feel like you've glued your eyes to every possible TV show and movie there is recently, that's completely understandable — but the great thing about streaming is that there's always something else popping up, demanding your attention and helping you maintain that comfy groove in your sofa. Returning series releasing their latest seasons, brand new shows that haven't been on your radar, recent favourites that you mightn't have seen, retro classics that are always worth a revisit, flicks that'll keep you talking — they're some of the fresh additions to the streaming world recently, and they're all ready to add to your 2021 watch list. If you're wondering where to start, we've teamed up with streaming platform Binge to pick five must-sees that'll help you start the year with some top-notch viewing. You can view them all on the Australian service, including via a 14-day free trial for new customers.
In films, the plight of the widowed and bereaved is to see their current moments combine with their cherished memories. When Garrett (Ed Harris), husband of Nikki (Annette Benning), drowns, her mournful gaze looks beyond her constant glass of wine and her no-longer-used backyard pool, everything in sight sparking recollections of his untimely passing. Five years later, the pain may not be as prominent, but in places and people she remembers his presence. Visiting an art exhibition aptly entitled The Pursuit of the Past, Nikki spies a man who could be Garrett's doppelganger (also played by Harris), then seeks him out to start a relationship. Thick, syrupy grief seeps through every frame of The Face of Love, in idea and execution. In the story, the unlikely nature of the central concept is glazed over in favour of furthering that oft-used romantic utopia — the ever-lasting connection. In the style, all things soft invade the parade of sentimental imagery, every sequence lensed with the warm hue of the fetishised. There's never any question that the film is presenting an exercise in wish-fulfilment of soap opera proportions, albeit with more restraint and overt attempts at evoking an air of resonance. It has been a long time between cinematic drinks for director Arie Posin, with his first and only other feature, The Chumscrubber, released in 2005. His return to filmmaking marks an obvious change of pace, and it seems ill fitting, not just in the contrast but also in the heavy-handed approach to the content. While The Face of Love endeavours to dwell in quiet moments of contemplation, it shouts its themes with the loudest voice possible. There's no emotion left unturned, nor any effort to elicit sympathy missed. Perhaps much of the misfiring emanates from a premise that, if gender roles were reversed and the narrative still rendered in the same fashion, would be seen as creepy rather than compassionate. The idea of obsession beyond the grave is hardly new, but outside of movie-of-the-week territory the bulk of comparable offerings have aroused something other than mawkishness and misguided melodrama. Bening and Harris certainly try to rise above the schmaltzy material, their performances tenacious even when uttering the most ridiculous lines of dialogue. Shades of subtlety exist in both portrayals, reaching past characters written by Posin and co-scribe Matthew McDuffie (A Cool Dry Place) in a single dimension. Alas, not even the most invested portrayals — or the strangest of supporting slots, with honours going to Robin Williams as an interested but rebuffed neighbour — can salvage an effort concerned only with the most blatant emotional manipulation. The depiction of mourning on screen, as well as the cast, simply deserve better than this broad, bland fantasy. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Dwpt8LiiSMc
Sydneysiders will soon farewell some of its oldest commuter trains, with the NSW Government revealing it's set to fast-track the delivery of 17 additional air-conditioned models for use on our busy rail network. The Waratah Series 2 trains will beef up an existing order of 24 vehicles, some of which were rolled out onto the tracks last September. You might have spied them cruising around with their bright orange driver cabins. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the new haul of trains won't come cheap, clocking in at around $900 million, taking into account ongoing maintenance. Most of that money won't be headed to local pockets, either, with the vehicles being built over in China — though upkeep will take place in Auburn, NSW. Once rolled out, the full collection of Series 2 models should make for more pleasant journeys across Sydney's rail network, as they eventually replace the remaining S-Set trains — a group of 40-year-old carriages nicknamed 'sweat sets' for their lack of air-conditioning. By comparison, these newer counterparts boast double decker carriages, HD information screens, priority seating, wheelchair spaces, hearing aid loops and full air-conditioning with temperature control. [caption id="attachment_707370" align="alignnone" width="1920"] A 40-year-old S-Set train.[/caption] As well as the dire need to replace the old sweatboxes, the new trains are being fast tracked because of a boom in demand. Sydney's rail network has had a serious workout of late — it clocked 413 million journeys last year, a 38 percent increase from 2013. As to which lines the new trains will be landing on, Transport for NSW has said it will be prioritising T2 Inner West and Leppington, T3 Bankstown and T8 Airport and South Lines. The latest orders should hit the tracks from 2020, which is unfortunately a little too late to save you from this summer's sweaty commutes. But, when they do drop, the additional trains will also mean more trains on the tracks and — hopefully — less time waiting at the station. All 41 Waratah Series 2 trains are expected to hit the tracks by mid-2020.
Over in The Rocks, The Glenmore's rooftop is already impressively high, boasting primo views across to the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour. But head on up on the first Thursday of the month and you'll find yourself soaring even higher than normal, getting extra air with Salto Fit's new Rise on the Rooftop series of trampoline workouts. Across two morning classes (7.30am and 8.15am) on April 29, May 27 and June 24, this sky-high session will have you working up a sweat on your own rebound trampoline, moving through a high-intensity, full-body workout packed with dance, body pump and HIIT moves. According to Salto Fit, which hosts the trampoline classes at a bunch of locations across Sydney, the low-impact workouts are an ideal cardio hit for all body types. And while those muscles might start to burn mid-sesh, at least you'll have that glorious rooftop outlook to distract you from the pain. Tickets to the classes are $30 each.
Sydney boasts one of the most unique coffee cultures in the world, and two homegrown brewsters are taking this culture to a new, nocturnal level. An open challenge to espresso martinis the world over, say hello to Mr Black, the world’s greatest coffee liqueur. Having taken out the gold medal at London International Wine and Spirits Competition, Phillip Moore and Tom Baker are combining with Nixon Cafe in Surry Hills to host The Grind House, a caffeinated pop-up nightspot showing off the very best that Mr Black can offer over three nights. The Grind House opens up this Friday, and plays host to Dale Bigeni, the artist behind the unique design on each Mr Black bottle, who will create live art all night. Led by Mischa Bonova of Rockpool fame, a team of the city’s finest mixologists will pump out Mr Black cocktails, all set to the beats of DJ Belvedere. The $45 ticket price on opening night gets you a night of beats, booze and art plus three Mr Black cocktails of your choosing. So maybe only have three double espressos beforehand. The Grind House runs over three nights from June 12 to 14. Tickets for opening night are available here.
The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney has officially been lit up for Vivid 2019 — and from Friday, May 24, you can explore the garden's 15 glowing light installations after dark. Of course, you're going to want a beverage which you do so, which is where this pop-up nautical-themed bar comes in. With a fit-out to delight your inner wharfie, the bar will be treating chilly Vivid travellers to cosy serves of mulled wine, vino by the glass and the bottle, and a tidy line of Archie Rose gin cocktails. Make sure you try the glowing blue HMAS Royal Archie, with its blend of dry gin, macadamia and pineapple. There'll be plenty of warm food to round out your visit, including a hearty fish chowder served in a crusty bread bowl, mac 'n' cheese spiked with fresh lobster, and classic fish and chips. Throw in a cinnamon sugar-dusted pineapple fritter with ice cream and you'll be well fuelled and ready to set sail on the rest of your night's Vivid adventures. The bar will pop up in the Royal Botanic Garden from this Friday and will be open from 6–11pm each night of Vivid. You'll find it among the glowing trails of the Light Walk which, this year, includes everything from giant bees and a field of fireflies to exotic birds. Food images: Cole Bennetts.
