Launched in 2020, HUMBLE Bakery has been quietly going about business, serving top-notch daily-made baked goods from hubs in Surry Hills, Sydney CBD and Circular Quay. Yet, with Mother's Day fast approaching, the team is proud to reveal its HUMBLE Pie — a constantly changing creation the bakery has dreamed of releasing since it first opened its doors. Unveiled just in time for you to impress mum with your choice of baked goods, the debut iteration of this 1.5-kilogram pie is a nostalgic apple and custard number. Encased in a buttery pastry shell, apples gently cooked with cinnamon and cardamom are layered over a vanilla custard base, then topped with a crunchy oat-and-almond crumble. Yet don't expect the HUMBLE Pie to stay the same for long. The idea behind this flaky treat is that it evolves with what's best and in season. Designed to be baked at home and shared with friends and fam, serve it warm, on its own, with vanilla ice cream or even fresh cream. And you can go back for seconds — each pie serves eight full-sized slices. Keen to get one to round out a Mother's Day feast? Pre-orders are now open, with pickup available from Monday, May 4, with a minimum of 48 hours' notice required. There'll also be a small quantity of pies available in-store from the freezer at HUMBLE's Surry Hills store. Priced at $72 per pie, you can also sample a slice with fresh cream at HUMBLE Surry Hills for $14. This way, you can treat mum in the comfort of your own home, pulling an expert-made pie from the oven, or head out for a special Mother's Day dessert to ring in the occasion. HUMBLE Bakery's Humble Pie is now available for pre-order, with a limited quantity available in-store at HUMBLE Surry Hills. Head to the website for more information. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox. Images: Caroline McCredie.
When a clown ponders its final farewell, what does it see? Cirque du Soleil's Corteo has the answer. When this production first hit the stage in Montreal in 2005, it won over audiences by setting its acrobatic feats within a funeral procession imagined by a jester — a carnival-like parade that muses on humanity's strengths and vulnerabilities — in a space between heaven and earth. Two decades later, it's one of the troupe's most-beloved shows. Celebrating that milestone, Corteo is heading Down Under for a six-city tour in the second half of 2025 — including a visit to Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney from Thursday, September 4–Sunday, September 14. One of the tricks that's helped make Corteo such a success, with over 12-million audience members in 30 countries on four continents seeing it so far, is its unique stage setup. Watching this show means also watching your fellow viewers, because the action takes place in the middle of the arena, splitting it in half and causing patrons to face each other. This is Cirque du Soleil's first production with this layout. As its clown protagonist conjures up the festive parade that ushers him from this world, attendees will witness a poetic yet playful performance — one where the acrobatics are unique, too, and where angels watch over. LUZIA was the last Cirque du Soleil production that bounded this way, kicking off in 2024 — and notching up another first as the Montreal-based company company's debut touring show to feature rain in its acrobatic and artistic scenes. Before that, 2023 saw Cirque du Soleil bring CRYSTAL, its first-ever ice production on ice, Down Under. Images: Maja Prgomet, Johan Persson and Aldo Arguello. Updated: Wednesday, May 28, 2025.
Marco Pierre White is a star of kitchens and screens alike. He was the first British chef — and the youngest chef at the time — to be awarded three Michelin stars. He's popped up on everything from Hell's Kitchen to MasterChef, including in Australia. Back in 2019, he was one of Melbourne Good Food Month's huge headliners. He's also the culinary force behind cookbook White Heat, the 1990 tome that played up his "bad boy" image. He's been dubbed "the first celebrity chef" as well. And, he's trained fellow famed food figures such as Mario Batali, Heston Blumenthal, Gordon Ramsay and Curtis Stone. That's a brief run through White's resume, but you're best to hear the full details — and the ups and downs that've come with being White — from the chef himself. So, in May, the culinary whiz is touring Australia's east coast capitals with his first-ever live theatre show. Heading to Sydney's State Theatre on Thursday, May 25, White's Out of the Kitchen gigs will chat through his beginnings, his training and his stardom, plus the kind of success that led to his "enfant terrible" label. That means hearing about his arrival in London with just "£7.36, a box of books and a bag of clothes", and his tutelage under Albert and Michael Roux at renowned French fine-diner Le Gavroche. And, there's nabbing those three Michelin stars at the age of 33, of course.
Rainy days, hungover days or just-got-dumped days all have the same excellent cure: pulling your mattress out into the lounge room, snuggling under the duvet and chucking on your favourite TV or film series for the ultimate binge day. And there's only one rule: excellent snacks are mandatory. When a simple pint of ice cream just won't cut it, we've got you covered. We've teamed up with food delivery platform DoorDash to round up some of Sydney's next-level desserts to order straight to your door. All you'll have to do is click a couple of buttons and you could be dining on fluffy soufflé pancakes while binging Schitt's Creek or conquering a decadent peanut butter mousse and rewatching the Back to the Future trilogy for the tenth time.
In 2025, Sydney Opera House's annual All About Women festival is welcoming than 50 speakers, including artists, thinkers and storytellers from both Australia and overseas, to explore gender, equality and justice. This year's lineup will participate in sessions that span women in sport and the influence of the Matildas, racism and sexism in the music industry, the impacts of skincare routines, and plenty more. For 13 years, marking International Women's Day with talks, panels, workshops and performances has been as easy as attending this highlight of the cultural calendar — a must-attend event not only in Sydney, but also nationally in recent years, thanks to the streaming of sessions online (which continues in 2025). For this year, Kate Berlant and Gina Chick joined the All About Women bill first, as did the return of the Feminist Roast. Kara Swisher, Rachel House, Jaguar Jonze and Grace Tame are among the folks joining them come Saturday, March 8–Sunday, March 9. Berlant is making her first trip Down Under, with the comedian and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Don't Worry Darling and A League of Their Own actor set to debut a new stand-up show. Alone Australia's first-season winner Chick is on the bill fresh from releasing her memoir We Are the Stars in October, and will chat about following your own path, grief and resourcefulness. On a lineup overseen by the Sydney Opera House Talks & Ideas team — as led by Chip Rolley, alongside 10 News First's Narelda Jacobs and actor and writer Michelle Law — journalist and Burn Book: A Tech Love Story author Swisher will dig into the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter, while Heartbreak High star and The Mountain director House will chat through the importance of community and her Māori culture in her career. Jonze is on the panel discussing the present state of the music industry, as is Barkaa. And Tame is part of the Feminist Roast alongside Michelle Brasier, Nakkiah Lui, Lucinda 'Froomes' Price and Steph Tisdell. The Tillies are on the roster via former Matildas goalkeeper Lydia Williams, plus Football Australia, the Matildas and the ParaMatildas Media Manager Ann Odong, with their session exploring the current situation for women in sport. Elsewhere, Dr Michelle Wong, Jessica DeFino and Yumi Stynes — plus Price again — will examine the impacts of beauty standards, especially upon younger generations. All About Women's 2025 program also spans sessions on the women who gave testimony at the Ghislaine Maxwell trial, the rise of domestic violence-related deaths in Australia, systems that are meant to protect First Nations children, perimenopause and how women's health is being commercialised, tradwives, grief, motherhood, the nation's declining birth rate, bodily autonomy and abortion, and being friends for life.
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to watching anything, we're here to help. We've spent plenty of couch time watching our way through this month's latest batch — and, from the latest and greatest to old favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue from February's haul of newbies. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL RIGHT NOW KIMI For the second year in a row, Steven Soderbergh has made one of the year's standout movies — even if 2022 is still a mere two months in — and it has completely bypassed Australian cinemas. Unlike last year's No Sudden Move, however, Kimi was always destined for streaming. The latest in his series of paranoid thrillers that also includes Contagion, and once again female-fronted as Haywire, Side Effects and Unsane were too, this Zoë Kravitz-starring standout takes its cues from smart devices, humanity's increasing dependence upon technology, and the kinds of events that a virtual assistant like Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant might eavesdrop on. As a result, Soderbergh has crafted another movie that riffs on a growing area of real-life interest, then turns it into a tense, potent and devilishly smart feature. A bonus: focusing on a protagonist who doesn't feel safe leaving her house, Kimi couldn't better capture how the pandemic has felt without overtly needing to be a COVID-19 film. Kravitz (Big Little Lies) plays Angela Childs, who works for Seattle-based tech corporation Amygdala from the comfort of her own sprawling loft — and from her own audiophile's dream of a computer setup — listening to snippets of conversation captured by smart speaker Kimi for quality assurance. In one clip, she hears what she believes to be a horrible crime and is compelled to follow up; however, her bosses aren't thrilled about her probing. Complicating matters: after being the victim of an assault a couple of years earlier, Angela suffers from anxiety and agoraphobia, making leaving the house to investigate a fraught task. As he did to particularly stellar effect in Unsane as well, Soderbergh styles his latest psychological thriller after its protagonist's mindset, making unease and suspense drop from every aesthetic choice — camera angles and placement, jittery frames and a voyeuristic perspective all included. Kimi is available to stream via Binge. STARSTRUCK It's official: after a dream of a first season, Rose Matafeo's rom-com sitcom Starstruck is back to make you fall head over heels for its 21st-century take on dating a famous actor all over again. It's also official for Matafeo's (Baby Done) Jessie, who is now dating Tom (Nikesh Patel, Four Weddings and a Funeral), the celebrity she had a one-night stand with on New Year's Eve, then navigated an awkward will-they-won't-they dance around every time they ran into each other in London. But this next batch of six episodes poses a key question: once you've enjoyed the wild meet-cute, ridden the courtship rollercoaster and been bowled over by a grand romantic gesture (see: Starstruck's The Graduate-style season-one finale), what comes next? It's the stuff that rom-com movie sequels might cover, except that for all of Hollywood's eagerness to rinse and repeat its most popular fare, this genre is sparse in the follow-up department. Season two picks up exactly where its predecessor left off, with Jessie and Tom's bus ride segueing into a WTF realisation — as in "WTF do we do now?". That's a query that Jessie isn't ready to answer, even though she's made the big leap and missed her flight home. So, she avoids even tackling the situation at first, and then eschews fully committing even when she's meant to be in the throes of romantic bliss. Basically, it's messy, and the kind of chaos that rom-coms don't show when they end with a happily-ever-after moment. Like everyone, Jessie and Tom endure plenty. In the process, this gem of a show's second season is light but also deep, a screwball delight while also sharp and relatable, and still filled with fellow romantic-comedy references. And, as well as continuing to showcase Matafeo at her best, it remains a rom-com that's as aware of what relationships in 2022 are really alike as it is about how romance is typically portrayed in its genre. Starstruck's second season is available to stream via ABC iView. Read our full review. HELLBENDER Meet the Adams family — no, not the creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky characters that've featured on pages and screens for decades (including in two terrible recent animated flicks), but the filmmaking collective comprised of couple Toby Poser and John Adams, plus their daughters Zelda and Lulu Adams. The quartet might be missing a letter from their well-known counterparts' names, but they're just as fond of all things horror. Case in point: their second feature Hellbender, a self-financed gem that's both a spellbinding tale of witchcraft and a clever coming-of-age story. It starts in a house in the woods, and also spends most of its time there. It includes the arrival of an unexpected stranger, shattering the status quo. But formulaic and by-the-numbers, this must-see isn't. In making exceptional use of its setting, and of a cast that's primarily comprised of Adams family members, it's also a masterclass in lockdown filmmaking. In the most expected aspect of Hellbender, the film's name does indeed refer to a punk-metal band, with 16-year-old Izzy (Zelda Adams, The Deeper You Dig) and her mother (Toby Poser) its sole members. No one else has ever heard them play, either, given that Izzy is both homeschooled and confined to the family's sprawling mountainside property, as she has been since she was five. Her mum tells her that she can't venture into town or around other people due to a contagious autoimmune disease; however, when a lost man (John Adams) wanders their way and mentions that his teenage niece Amber (Lulu Adams) lives nearby, Izzy gets the confidence to go exploring. As both written and directed by three out of four Adams family members — all except Lulu — Hellbender proves an impressive supernatural affair from its opening occult-heavy prologue through to its astute take on teen rebellion. Here's hoping this Adams family spirits up more DIY horror delights soon, too. Hellbender is available to stream via Shudder. EUPHORIA From the very first frames of its debut episode back in June 2019, when just-out-of-rehab 17-year-old Rue Bennett (Zendaya, Spider-Man: No Way Home) gave viewers the lowdown on her life, mindset, baggage, friends, family and everyday chaos, Euphoria has courted attention — or, mirroring the tumultuous teens at the centre of its dramas, the Emmy-winning HBO series just knew that eyeballs would come its way no matter what it did. The brainchild of filmmaker Sam Levinson (Malcolm & Marie), adapted from an Israeli series by the same name, and featuring phenomenal work by its entire cast, it's flashy, gritty, tense, raw, stark and wild, and manages to be both hyper-stylised to visually striking degree and deeply empathetic. In other words, if teen dramas reflect the times they're made — and from Degrassi, Press Gang and Beverly Hills 90210 through to The OC, Friday Night Lights and Skins, they repeatedly have — Euphoria has always been a glittery eyeshadow-strewn sign of today's times. That hasn't changed in the show's second season. Almost two and a half years might've elapsed between Euphoria's first and second batch of episodes — a pair of out-of-season instalments in late 2020 and early 2021 aside — but it's still as potent, intense and addictive as ever. And, as dark, as Rue's life and those of her pals (with the cast including Hunter Schafer, The King of Staten Island's Maude Apatow, The Kissing Booth franchise's Jacob Elordi, The White Lotus' Sydney Sweeney, The Afterparty's Barbie Ferreira, North Hollywood's Angus Cloud and Waves' Alexa Demie) bobs and weaves through everything from suicidal despair, Russian Roulette, bloody genitals, unforgettable school plays, raucous parties and just garden-variety 2022-era teen angst. The list always goes on; in fact, as once again relayed in Levinson's non-stop, hyper-pop style, the relentlessness that is being a teenager today, trying to work out who you are and navigating all that the world throws at you is Euphoria's point. Euphoria is available to stream via Binge. ALL OF US ARE DEAD The zombie apocalypse has arrived in South Korea — again. Fans of the Train to Busan, Seoul Station and Peninsula film franchise, and of 2020 movie #Alive, will be well-accustomed to seeing the ravenous undead wreak havoc on the Asian nation, of course, which puts Netflix series All of Us Are Dead in particularly great company. The premise here: after a school science experiment gone wrong, Hyosan High School swiftly becomes the site of a zombie outbreak, as students and staff alike start munching on flesh and tearing their classmates and colleagues to shreds. Pick whichever high school-set teen movie or TV show you like, add brain-chewing, face-gnawing fiends, and that's the basic idea. Naturally, all that adolescent angst, teen bullying and unrequited love — and all those class clashes and schoolmate secrets, too — take on extra urgency and intensity when the stakes are literally life and death. It might sound like The Walking Dead-meets-Squid Game but with teens, but All of Us Are Dead is never that formulaic — even though picking where the narrative is going, especially in its first few episodes, proves rather easy. Indeed, as the kids in Class 2-5 and their teachers deal with the zombie chaos, the 12-part series is as interested in what it means to fight and survive as it is in the blood-splattered action. That doesn't mean that it skimps on the latter, though. Hyperkinetic displays of thrashed limbs, gnashing teeth and strewn-about gore pop up often, and put plenty of the zombie genre's big-screen equivalents to shame. That said, exploring the complicated relationship between childhood pals Man On-jo and Lee Cheong-san (House of Hummingbird's Park Ji-hu and Nobody Knows' Yoon Chan-young), and also unpacking rich girl Lee Na-yeon's privilege (Squid Game's Lee Yoo-mi) — to pick just a few of the equally gruesome, entertaining and thoughtful show's lengthy list of characters — couldn't be more crucial. All of Us Are Dead is available to stream via Netflix. I WANT YOU BACK If a rom-com isn't well cast, it might as well not even exist. If viewers can't buy the chemistry between whichever couple has just stumbled into each other's orbit, developed feelings for one another and started wading through all the messy matters of the heart that always follow in the on-screen path to true love, then nothing in the movie will ever make sense. Thankfully, that isn't a problem that the supremely likeable I Want You Back has, all thanks to its ace central duo: the always-welcome Jenny Slate (Parks and Recreation) and Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia). The pair play Emma and Peter, who work in the same building and first run into each other hiding out in the stairwell. They've both just been dumped, Emma by gym trainer Noah (Scott Eastwood, Wrath of Man) and Peter by school teacher Anne (Gina Rodriguez, Kajillionaire), and they're each distraught. As they become friends, stalk their exes via social media, and stumble further into sorrow when they see that Noah and Anne have moved on, they hatch a plan — and yes, getting their past loves back is the number-one aim, as the movie's moniker makes plain. A romantic comedy needn't be surprising to be enjoyable, and I Want You Back was always going to nudge Emma and Peter together. When a rom-com does indeed manage to have two great stars at its centre, that's simply what the genre does best (and should do often). Falling in love while trying to woo back your ex? That's screenwriters Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger's (also co-scribes on Love, Simon) setup, and one that's both goofily and sweetly handled by director Jason Orley — who also showed his skill at tinkering with a seemingly standard formula with 2019's Big Time Adolescence, too. Of course, even with The Good Place's Manny Jacinto also among the cast, I Want You Back wouldn't be a fraction of the warmly enjoyable film it is without Slate and Day anchoring its leisurely stroll through heartbreak and new beginnings. I Want You Back is available to stream via Prime Video. THE TINDER SWINDLER It must be scam month over at Netflix. Example one: The Tinder Swindler. The true-crime documentary tells the tale of Simon Leviev, an Israeli con man who posed as the jet-setting heir to a diamond fortune — among other gambits — on the titular dating app, romanced a series of women and fleeced them of sizeable sums of money. If that all sounds familiar, that's because his fraudulent scheme was exposed in a 2019 article by Norwegian publication Verdens Gang, but stepping through the details on-screen still makes for harrowing, yell-at-the-TV viewing. If your path to love has involved swiping right, the doco-thriller just might be nightmare fuel, too. It treats its interviews, all women who fell for Leviev's scam, with respect and without judgement, but the film also relays a compelling cautionary tale about our always-online lives and the internet as a tool for seduction. When Cecilie Fjellhøy first saw Leviev's Tinder profile, she happily moved her finger in the appropriate direction. That very same day, she was meeting him in a hotel bar, then accompanying him overseas on a private jet. Their whirlwind courtship continued, including talk about starting a family and moving in together — largely via WhatsApp as he was frequently overseas — and then, after his bodyguard was supposedly attacked by one of his enemies, the requests for cash started rolling in. Pernilla Sjöholm has a similar story, although she only ever kept things platonic with Simon. Her time in his inner circle overlaps with Cecille's, in fact. Simon's list of victims doesn't end there, but the trio of Scandinavian women who share the details with first-time director Felicity Morris are candid, earnest and understandably angry as they lay out the facts. A dramatised version of this tale will undoubtedly follow, because of course it will. The Tinder Swindler is available to stream via Netflix. INVENTING ANNA Inventing Anna, aka Netflix scam-month offering number two, doesn't just detail the kind of story that's so chaotic that it can only be true. And, as The Tinder Swindler also achieves (see above), it doesn't simply chronicle another wild case of scheming, conning, pretending, lying and gleefully splashing around fat stacks of cash, either. It's also home to an accent, courtesy of Ozark and The Assistant's Julia Garner as the eponymous Anna Delvey, that's a force of nature all by itself — one that speaks volumes, not just literally, about the woman at its centre as well. When fictionalised writer Vivian Kent (Anna Chlumsky, Veep) starts interviewing the imprisoned socialite's pals for a story, they all provide different descriptions. Little in their thoughts and observations about her gels from person to person, which Kent obviously notices. Evading being easily pinned down — whether in her personality traits, attitudes, clothes, friends, backstory and tastes, or in her voice — is a crucial part to her whole charade. Fiercely spitting out those distinctive tones, which sound more than a touch like The Room's Tommy Wiseau, Garner is nothing less than riveting as Delvey — who, when Inventing Anna begins, has just been arrested for deceiving financial institutions, banks, hotels and acquaintances, charges she vehemently denies. Instead, Delvey claims she's a rich heiress who wouldn't need to do the things she's accused of, but also sports a ferocious lust for fame or even infamy. Kent has to fight to even look into the story thanks to her own complicated history, and the more time that she spends both with Delvey herself and furiously interrogating every aspect of her life, the more fascinated that she becomes. Viewers are swept along the same path in this slick, savvy, super-polished miniseries, which hails from Grey's Anatomy and Scandal's Shonda Rhimes, shares those two shows' loves of glossily packaged twists, and is compulsively watchable. Inventing Anna is available to stream via Netflix. NEW SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK SEVERANCE It's the ultimate in work-life balance, an antidote to non-stop after-hours emails and Slack messages, and a guaranteed way to ensure what happens at work stays at work. In mind-bending thriller series Severance — which plays like Black Mirror meets the Charlie Kaufman-penned Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, with Wes Anderson's aesthetic if he designed soulless office complexes, plus sprinklings of everything from George Orwell to also-excellent 2020 TV effort Devs — switching off when clocking off at Lumon Industries is easy. There's a brain implant for exactly that, and it's a condition of employment on "severed" floors. Accordingly, when quittin' time comes for Macrodata Refinement division employee Mark (Adam Scott, Big Little Lies), he physically steps into a tiny, shiny elevator to descend back into his after-hours life; however, the version of him that works for Lumon won't recall anything beyond the company's walls. The instant that the lift plummets, it goes back up for Mark's "innie", as his office-bound consciousness is dubbed. Voila, it's clocking-on time once more. Severance's attention-grabbing premise springs from creator Dan Erickson, a TV first-timer, and understands how most folks feel about office life. The show is knowing in its lead casting, too, given that Scott is best recognised for two workplace comedies: the joyous hug that is Parks and Recreation, as well as the acerbic, astute and soon-to-return Party Down. But as savvily and evocatively directed by Ben Stiller in its first three season-one episodes (and again in its last three, with Kissing Candice filmmaker Aoife McArdle helming three in the middle), Scott's new series dwells in 'be careful what you wish for' territory. For the part of Mark's brain that blanks out work, Severance initially seems like heaven. For the half that only knows the office, it's hell. For everyone watching, soaking in its twisty mysteries — and enjoying Patricia Arquette (The Act), Christopher Walken (Percy vs Goliath) and John Turturro (The Plot Against America) as fellow Lumon employees, it's a surreal and gripping must-see. The first three episodes of Severance's first season are available to stream via Apple TV+, with new episodes dropping weekly. Read our full review. PAM & TOMMY When the first images of Lily James playing Pamela Anderson in Pam & Tommy dropped, they captured an astonishing transformation. The Pursuit of Love star didn't just look like herself dressed up as the famed Baywatch actor; thanks to the miniseries' hair, makeup and costuming teams, she appeared as if she'd leapt into Anderson's body Being John Malkovich-style. That feeling only grew as several trailers arrived and, in the finished product, her performance borders on uncanny. It needs to, and not merely to ensure that James never just seems like she's simply slipping into a red swimsuit for an easy impersonation. To genuinely lay bare the fact that Anderson's well-known tale with her now ex-husband Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan, The 355) isn't quite the narrative it's been immortalised as for the past quarter-century, the series keeps returning to the fallout for Anderson — and, in the process, it peers well beyond the way she's historically been seen by the world. Focusing on Anderson's marriage to the Mötley Crüe drummer in the 90s, Pam & Tommy is all about the pair's sex tape, because that intimate recording was the pop-culture scandal of that decade. Also, it's impossible to step into Anderson and Lee's romance without it. Indeed, the show knows that it's spinning an out-there story, even by celebrity terms, and that everyone watching will has their own ideas already formed about the incident. Pam & Tommy leans into that exact certainty to begin with — talking penis and all — but, as James' performance demonstrates, it never sees the tale it's telling as a joke. Co-starring Seth Rogen (An American Pickle) as the carpenter who stole the footage after being treated unfairly by Lee, this rollicking ride of a show is also a thoughtful retelling and interrogation of a tabloid-fodder incident that changed multiple lives and wrongly cemented Anderson's reputation. The first six episodes of Pam & Tommy are available to stream via Star on Disney+, with new episodes dropping weekly. Read our full review. Need a few more streaming recommendations? Check out our picks from January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December 2021, and January 2022 — and our top new TV shows of 2021, best new television series from this year that you might've missed and top straight-to-streaming films and specials as well.
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to watching anything, we're here to help. From the latest and greatest to old favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue for August. NEW STUFF TO WATCH NOW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvamPJp17Ds LOVECRAFT COUNTRY Viewing US race relations and the nation's treatment of its black residents through a horror lens has long been Jordan Peele's jam, dating back to his Key & Peele days. Anyone who has seen Get Out and Us, the two films he has directed thus far, also knows this — and it is evident in Hunters, the TV series he executive produced earlier this year, as well. So Lovecraft Country, HBO's new horror drama based on the 2016 of the same name, was always going to be in Peele's wheelhouse. He's an executive producer again, and he's firmly in his element. Set in the 50s in America's south, this extremely well-executed series follows returned soldier Tic Freeman (Da 5 Bloods' Jonathan Majors), his uncle George (Project Power's Courtney B Vance) and his friend Leti Lewis (Birds of Prey's Jurnee Smollett) as they set off on a road trip to both find Tic's missing dad and locate African American-friendly places for George's Green Book-style guide. Their journey takes them to a part of the country where famed real-life sci-fi and horror writer HP Lovecraft found inspiration for his tales, too — and the results are smart and unnerving on multiple levels. The first two episodes of Lovecraft Country are available to stream via Binge, with new episodes added weekly on Mondays. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNlKbqHqGcY HOST Not to be confused with Bong Joon-ho's creature feature The Host, nor with the terrible sci-fi romance of the same name based on a novel boy Twilight author Stephenie Meyer, Shudder's engaging new horror flick Host is relevant to the absolute minute. The setup: bored in COVID-19 lockdown, a group of British friends (Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Emma Louise Webb, Radina Drandova, Caroline Ward and Edward Linard) decide to spice up their weekly Zoom catchup by enlisting a medium to conduct an online seance. Obviously, anyone who has ever seen a scary movie before knows that this is a bad plan, and that things won't end well. It's not so much what happens here that serves up the film's thrills, however, but how director Rob Savage (Strings) unfurls this creepy, timely premise. Frightening and tense features solely set on computer and mobile phone screens are by no means new — see Unfriended, Searching and Profile, just to name a few — but this is a savvy, cleverly staged and suitably spooky addition to the genre. Host is available to stream via Shudder. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_EVR1fI68o I'LL BE GONE IN THE DARK One of the true-crime highlights of the year so far (no, Tiger King really doesn't come close), I'll Be Gone in the Dark delves into the search for the Golden State Killer. If that sounds familiar, that's because the case has been splashed across news headlines of late — including this past weekend, when the culprit was sentenced for his crime spree more than three decades after he last committed the 13 murders, over 50 rapes and more than 120 burglaries that made him the scourge of 70s and 80s-era California. Knowing the most recent developments doesn't spoil this six-part series, though. It's too layered, too full of insight and information, and too tied to author Michelle McNamara, too, to suffer that fate. McNamara wrote the book, I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer, that the show is based on. And, her story is as much a part of the series as the case she spent years fixating over, with the writer's text published in 2018 after her tragic 2016 death from an accidental overdose. I'll Be Gone in the Dark is available to stream via Binge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYQvesno79Y P-VALLEY Blasted with disapproval by her mother for her choice of vocation, strip club employee Mercedes (Brandee Evans, Lethal Weapon) comes back strong: "Nah ma, it's art. I transport motherfuckers," she retorts. It's a powerful moment in P-Valley's first episode, but this is a powerful show all-round — and one that 100-percent treats its central activity as an art form. Created by Katori Hall and based on the playwright and journalist's stage production Pussy Valley, the series follows the ins and outs at erotic dance establishment The Pynk in the Mississippi Delta. The arrival of newcomer Autumn Night (Elarica Johnson, A Discovery of Witches) provides the program with its dramatic catalyst, but P-Valley is concerned with everyone in The Pynk's vicinity. Bold and vibrant in its storytelling, characters and visuals alike — neon features heavily — this series not only tells tales that aren't often seen on-screen, but does so with a clearcut and compelling vision. It's soapy at times, but it's also detailed, raw and utterly involving. The first six episodes of P-Valley's first season are available to stream via Stan, with new episodes starting again from Sunday, August 30. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViiYJZqGC5w BOYS STATE Imagine this: as part of an annual program designed to teach high schoolers about citizenship, leadership and US politics, a thousand teenage boys spend a week building their own (fictional, obviously) government. They form parties, come up with platforms, campaign for votes, endeavour to find consensus on topical issues and, for some attendees, try to reach Boys State's highest office of governor. If you think you already know how this would turn out, especially given the divided nature of American politics today, you're actually right. Still, watching it happen in the excellent documentary that's also called Boys State is another thing entirely. Taking a deep look at the next generation, interrogating their ideals, seeing what rhetoric these 17-year-olds have picked up and witnessing their willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed, this film is exactly what it aims to be, providing a glimpse of the US in a microcosm as well as a potential insight into the country's future. As directed by Jesse Moss (The Overnighters) and Amanda McBaine, it's also engrossing and striking, not to mention unsettling and optimistic in equal measure. Boys State is available to stream via Apple TV+. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4jopG1wX88 HIGH SCORE Maybe you're a Space Invaders aficionado from way back. Perhaps you've always had some sort of Nintendo console in your house. Or, you could prefer computer role-playing games — or mashing buttons in combat titles like Street Fighter II. Whichever category you fall into, six-part documentary series High Score is here to take you through the history of video games, particularly focusing on the 80s and 90s. It provides a wide-ranging snapshot of a broad topic, complete with personal anecdotes from a wide array of folks involved in the industry in various guises, and will certainly get you hankering for some retro fun. That said, there are omissions. If you correctly think Tetris is the best game ever made and deserves all of the attention and adoration possible, you might be disappointed, for example. Still, the whole thing is narrated by Charles Martinet, who has otherwise been known as the voice of Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Wario, Waluigi and Toadsworth since the 90s. High Score is available to stream via Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwJ5LDOl2Tc ACUTE MISFORTUNE If Adam Cullen had been any other artist and Erik Jensen any other journalist, Acute Misfortune may not exist. In 2008, the former invited the latter to stay with him, see him at his best and worst, and channel his rollercoaster ride of a life story into a biography — and, as dramatised by actor-turned-filmmaker Thomas M. Wright in one of the very best Aussie films of the past few years, the results are simply blistering. Just as Jensen didn't shy away from Cullen's erratic, frequently controversial nature at any point, nor does this stunning drama, which could never be accused of being a straightforward biopic of the Archibald-winning painter. Aided by stellar performances by Snowtown's Daniel Henshall as Cullen and Babyteeth's Toby Wallace as Jensen, as well as a script by co-written by the real-life Jensen, this is a warts-and-all portrait that lays bare not only its subject, but Australia's fascination with festering masculinity, and it's a lively and compelling watch from start to finish. Acute Misfortune is available to stream via Stan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QxEh4iadnw HOWARD Disney loves celebrating Disney, and also adores dipping into its own back catalogue. But Howard, its latest project to fit that description, stands out. After spending much of the past decade making or planning live-action versions of its big animated flicks like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Little Mermaid, the Mouse House is now going the documentary route to pay tribute to a man pivotal to all three. Indeed, if it wasn't for Oscar-winning lyricist Howard Ashman, fans everywhere may never have sung the lines "be our guest", "darling it's better down where it's wetter" or "you ain't never had a friend like me". A playwright who tasted theatre success and failure, proved a hit at Disney by helping them pump out beloved hits, and also passed away at the age of just 40 due to complications from HIV/AIDS, Ashman's is quite the story. He was behind the musical version of Little Shop of Horrors as well, and collaborated with fellow Disney composer Alan Menken — and, as told primarily via warm recollections overlaid across archival footage by filmmaker Don Hahn (Waking Sleeping Beauty), Ashman couldn't be more worthy of this touching tribute. Howard is available to stream via Disney+. ONES TO WATCH OUT FOR LATER IN THE MONTH https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo1CzqSA1D4 HUNGRY GHOSTS If there's one thing that the horror genre is fascinated with — and ghost stories especially — it's the way the past continually lingers over the present. Unsurprisingly given its moniker, Hungry Ghosts also adopts the topic; however this is a gripping four-part Australian supernatural drama with a difference. Following four Melbourne families, three of whom are of Vietnamese descent, the show is tied to the annual Hungry Ghost Festival, where some Asian communities venerate the dead. As the event approaches, an old war tomb is reopened in Vietnam — and, suddenly, spirits start terrorising twenty-something nail salon worker May Le (Catherine Văn-Davies), as well as others in her orbit. Moody and intriguing from the outset, Hungry Ghosts serves up effective spooks and scares. Most impressive, though, is its deep contemplation of the way that people are haunted by their troubles, fears and previous actions (including the long-lasting impact of conflict, such as the Vietnam War, on the program's multigenerational web of characters). Also a standout is the series' diverse cast, with the show starring 30 Asian Australian actors and more than 325 Asian Australian extras. Hungry Ghosts starts streaming via SBS On Demand from 9.30pm Monday, August 24, with new episodes added at the same time each night until Thursday, August 27. CULT CLASSICS TO REVISIT AND REDISCOVER https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do_BCA-vR9E ORPHAN BLACK Maybe you couldn't get enough of Orphan Black back when it originally aired, with the Canadian sci-fi thriller hitting screens between 2013–17. Perhaps you heard its name pop up again and again and were intrigued by the premise, but never got around to binging your way through it. Either way, all five seasons of the acclaimed series have now hit Amazon Prime Video, if you're looking for your next marathon viewing session. That's 50 episodes of twisty clone-fuelled thrills — because, yes, that's what Orphan Black is all about. It starts with a woman, Sarah Manning, watching her doppelgänger commit suicide, then assuming her identity. Where it goes from there is too labyrinthine for a quick summary, but Sarah soon discovers that she has more than one likeness as part of an illegal experiment. Obviously, it's an enthralling premise, and one primed for plenty of surprises. And star Tatiana Maslany (Destroyer, Perry Mason) is a powerhouse, deservedly scoring multiple Emmy nominations for her work. All five seasons of Orphan Black are available to stream via Amazon Prime Video. Top images: Lovecraft Country, Eli Joshua Ade / HBO; Hungry Ghosts, Sarah Enticknap / SBS.
Spring is here and it comes with good news — picnics of up to five double-vaccinated Sydneysiders are allowed. With the easing of restrictions in the air, it's time to make the most of those extra daylight hours by grabbing some tasty snacks and tipples, and hitting up one of the beautiful BYO-friendly public spaces in your area. We're spoiled for choice when it comes to chilled outdoor hangouts in Sydney's inner west. So we've teamed up with Rosie Spritz to share some of our favourites. Load up that wicker basket with a lavish spread and chilled bevs and head to one of these spots for some long-awaited catch-ups. [caption id="attachment_653289" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] BLACKWATTLE BAY PARK, GLEBE Blackwattle Bay Park stretches along the Glebe foreshore between Rozelle Bay and Blackwattle Bay, and showcases stunning views of the Anzac Bridge and the CBD. The sprawling parklands offer plenty of spots to chill out and loads of space for dogs to run around (yep, it's off-leash). The park has barbecue facilities if you're keen to pair your spritzes with some grilled snacks (we recommend prawns). Plus, there's a shared walking and cycling trail if you'd like to end your picnic with a stroll. Easily accessible, though never overly packed, this one's a no-brainer. [caption id="attachment_656242" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kimberley Low[/caption] CAMPERDOWN MEMORIAL REST PARK, NEWTOWN Arguably the crown jewel of booze-friendly inner west picnic spots, Camperdown Memorial Rest Park is a go-to for locals — and their cute pups. Barely a minute's walk from bustling King Street (where there is a conveniently located BWS for all your Rosie Spritz needs), this neighbourhood haunt wraps around a peaceful old graveyard and church, the walls of which are adorned with graffiti to complement the suburb's grungy aesthetic. The park is at its most magical just before sunset, so get your vaccinated crew together and head there for sundowners. [caption id="attachment_826941" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brooke Zotti[/caption] ASHFIELD PARK, ASHFIELD A cute local spot with amazing facilities, Ashfield Park is conveniently located at the intersection of Parramatta Road and Orpington Street. An expansive park encompassing a sports field, traditional gardens and a recently refurbished playground, it makes for a great spot to soak up those springtime rays while indulging in some simple comforts. Generally one of the quieter inner west picnic areas, it's a relatively safe bet for chilled-out vibes any day of the week. Dust off the WFH blues with a Friday arvo picnic with your pals to put a satisfying full stop in the workweek. [caption id="attachment_826973" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brooke Zotti[/caption] BICENTENNIAL PARK, GLEBE Situated on the picturesque foreshore of Rozelle Bay, this idyllic waterfront park is an oasis of greenery. Plenty of wide-open grassy spaces make social distancing super easy, and the stunning bayside views are perfect for staring at the luxe superyachts while you picnic. There are also plenty of leafy trees to shelter under if you've forgotten your sunscreen. Parents will be happy to hear that there's some fenced-off play equipment to keep the ankle-biters occupied. Pups are permitted on-leash, but there is also an off-leash section west of the canal. [caption id="attachment_788794" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Martin7d2, Flickr[/caption] BIRCHGROVE PARK, BIRCHGROVE Birchgrove Park may strike a chord in the hearts of sports enthusiasts as it's the home to the oval where the very first professional rugby league game was played in Australia, way back in 1908. The white picket fence that rings the historic oval is reminiscent of times gone by and the surrounding parkland makes for an ideal picnic spot. The park is located near the Birchgrove ferry stop and offers waterfront views, including a spectacular vista of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It's a tranquil and welcoming space, with plenty of room for you to kick back with a spritz and enjoy the sun. [caption id="attachment_731570" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alexandria Velovotee, Flickr[/caption] SYDNEY PARK, ALEXANDRIA A much-loved park with sprawling greenery, water features, running tracks and rolling hills, Sydney Park contains perhaps the most varied landscape on this list. This gargantuan park spreads across parts of four different suburbs and offers many great spots for a picnic. The ultimate afternoon hangout spot here has to be the massive hill. It's well worth trekking the steep incline to the top to catch the city in all its glory as the sun sets. Though it's often quite a busy spot, the park itself is massive, so you'll have no trouble finding somewhere to set up your decadent spread. Rosie Spritz is an ideal springtime sip and is available at BWS, Dan Murphy's and First Choice Liquor stores across Sydney. For more picnic inspiration, check out our guides to idyllic picnic spots where you can BYO booze in Sydney's inner city, eastern suburbs, lower north shore and northern beaches. Top image: Bicentennial Park, Glebe, Brooke Zotti Remember to Drinkwise.
Would you like some creepy with your coffee? David Lynch takes advertising to dark places with this disturbing film promoting his signature coffee line. I'm curious as to exactly what David Lynch Signature Cup would taste like. Obviously it would depend on whether you choose the espresso blend, house roast or decaf. My intuition tells me Lynch likes his coffee strong, dark and somewhat syrupy – much like his genius mind. All the blends are all organic and fairly traded, as we learn from a bizarre dialogue between Lynch and the decapitated Barbie doll head he cradles in his hand. [Via Lost At E-Minor]
The age of the glorious bowling club is nigh, with renovations, refurbs and revamps happening to greens, powder rooms and bistros Sydneywide of late. Following the opening of the Norths Bowlo by the ex-Grounds of Alexandria team as The Greens, there's another long-loved watering hole with a brand new pennants (look it up). One of Bondi's oldest watering holes, the Bondi Bowling Club has reopened after a furious refurbishment; with a focus on craft beer, live music and local produce-lovin' bistro in store. The Bondi Bowling Club has been a central Carlton Draught-lovin' hub for over 80 years. Established in 1933 with three thousand pounds borrowed through Waverley Council from the Unemployed Relief Fund (!), the bowling club has been a solid part of Bondi life — until an unlikely thorn wedged itself right in the club's side. The bowlo reportedly started to suffer after the small bar wave hit Sydney; one of the few groups of Sydneysiders who stood to benefit nothing from the teeny, independent tipple joints we love so dearly. Operator of Panama House and The Corner House, Anthony Kaplan, stepped in to save the ailing club. "There are currently 38 members; in the past 10 years that number was as high as 1000," Kaplan told Good Food. "Our idea is to bring a small-bar mentality to a bigger space. There'll be cocktails, craft beer and live music." The club is spread over four main areas: the pool table-clad, communal clubhouse; the buzzing main bar, a cane couches-flanked Caribbean rum bar called Havana Lounge and the sprawling, sunny patio for long summer afternoon bevs on the picnic tables. Kaplan has chosen a selection of more than 20 craft beers and cider on the menu, handpicked wines and created a full cocktail list. And like any good bowlo, the club has a newly revamped bistro; with your classic steaks and fancy fish of the day to boot. With the live music function of the club stemming from a high-production, 400-capacity band area, staunchly loyal locals could be worried about having to shake a fist at a whole bunch of Beach Road-migrating youths. But Kaplan has a plan to keep everyone happy. "This way they can keep a bowling green for members and we can use the other green to bring in new people with barefoot bowls," he says. Tournaments will remain, as will the clubhouse's achievement boards, pool tables and fireplaces — and the 15 metre main bartop, the main artery of Bondi Bowlo.
In this or any other galaxy far, far away, now and a long time ago alike, this is a first: an exhibition displaying the largest collection of life-sized Lego Star Wars models ever assembled, and ranking as the biggest touring Lego showcase ever. Lego Star Wars: The Exhibition was initially announced in 2024, and now unveils the scenes crafted from its eight-million-plus plastic bricks at Melbourne Museum on the best day for it: May the fourth. The force is strong with this one — the Lego-building force, that is, in this world-premiering exhibition featuring Lego models based on the George Lucas-created space saga. Locations, characters, duels: they're all included, such as the Millennium Falcon, Emperor Palpatine's throne flanked by two Royal Guards, a stormtrooper helmet, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader facing off, and the Mandalorian and Moff Gideon doing the same. Lego Star Wars: The Exhibition hails from Ryan McNaught aka Brickman, who has indeed been spending time turning plastic rectangles, squares and other shapes into a recreation of the smash-hit franchise that's been soaring across screens big and small — and beyond — for almost five decades now. To build, the showcase took more than 25,000 hours at McNaught's headquarters in Tullamarine. As it constructs an immersive experience and follows in the footsteps of the Jurassic World series, which has also received the Lego treatment from Brickman, Lego Star Wars: The Exhibition has plenty of material to draw upon. On-screen, so far it spans the initial film trilogy that released from 1977–83, then the prequels from 1999–2005, then the sequels — including The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker — from 2015–2019. Rogue One, Solo, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Skeleton Crew: the list goes on across cinemas and TV, including the wealth of animated efforts in the saga. This is not just the first Lego showcase dedicated to Star Wars, but the only Lego showcase devoted to it. Another drawcard: being able to build your own Lego brick lightsaber, then giving it a swing in augmented reality. If you're keen to check it out and you don't live in Melbourne, you'll need to head to the Victorian capital to wander through Lego Star Wars: The Exhibition. Alongside the hosting the world-premiere season, which runs until Monday, January 26, 2026, the stint at Melbourne Museum is an Australian exclusive. "Building the Star Wars galaxy from Lego bricks has been a dream project, and I couldn't be prouder of what we've created. Lego Star Wars: The Exhibition takes some of the most-iconic moments from the beloved saga and reimagines them at a scale that's never been done before. The detail, the size and the sheer number of bricks used to make this exhibition is something truly special. Whether you're a lifelong Star Wars fan or just love to build, it's an experience that everyone can enjoy," said McNaught. "This world-first exhibition unites two of the most-iconic and -imaginative forces in global culture ‚ right here in Melbourne. Lego Star Wars: The Exhibition boldly blends creativity, storytelling and interactivity into an adventure for curious minds of all ages," added Museums Victoria Chief Executive Officer and Director Lynley Crosswell. Lego Star Wars: The Exhibition runs from Sunday, May 4, 2025–Monday, January 26, 2026 at Melbourne Museum, 11 Nicholson Street, Carlton. Head to the exhibition's website for tickets and more details. Exhibition images: Eugene Hyland, Museums Victoria / The Brickman.
Not your typical fun run, the Sydney Mud Run lets 6000 runners and thrill-seekers get mud-soaked for a cause. The event features a slippery, obstacle-ridden course where victims — ahem, participants — slide, crawl, jump, wade and even belly flop through mud over a 7km course. There's man-made mud pits and natural bog holes — even a 70m mud slide. “The funds raised will contribute to vital cancer research, prevention programs and support services for cancer patients and their families,” said Rory Alcock from charity partner, the Cancer Council NSW. With this fun and active event, the organisation has set the challenge of beating last year's fundraising amount of $54,000.
Over the past decade or so, Orange has become recognised as one of Australia's finest culinary regions. And, for one special weekend this August, Orange Winter Fire Festival will have the town bursting with great food, drink and cultural events, all with a wintry flavour. The festival will capitalise on the town's winemaking status as some of the best local drops are showcased at events inspired by classic Australiana images, such as crackling bonfires and chargrilled feasts. Held across the weekend of August 2–4, the festival kicks off on Friday with the nearby village of Millthorpe being transformed into a winter wonderland as country-folk duo Smith and Jones light up the stage and Pym Street bustles with food and wine market stalls. Meanwhile, back in Orange, Ross Hill Wines will host a fireside feast with mulled wine and lots of slow-cooked meats by Smoking Brothers. The fire theme continues on Saturday. Join in a night of live music and vino at Nashdale Lane Vineyard, head for hot cocktails, barbecue and campfire sing-alongs at The Oriana or enjoy winter soups and slow-cooked meats (as well as plenty of wine) at The Old Convent. With poetry sessions, 'astronomical journeys' and Sunday roasts plus so much more taking place over the festival, a road trip to the Orange Winter Fire Festival would make for a pretty perfect winter weekend.
It's beginning to look a lot like summer — or, as we may as well call it in Sydney, outdoor movie-watching season. While St George Openair Cinema won't announce their full program until early December, they have revealed their very first title for their 21st season. If you like watching homegrown films under the stars, get excited. The 2017 program will kick off with a preview of Lion, starring Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara, David Wenham and eight-year-old newcomer Sunny Pawar. Based on a true story you might've seen splashed across the local media over the past few years, it tells the tale of Saroo Brierley. He became separated from his older brother at the age of five, first ended up nearly 1,500 kilometres away from home, and then forged a new life in Australia — before taking to Google Earth more than two decades later in an attempt to find his long-lost family. If it sounds more than a little moving, that's because it is, with awards buzz following the movie since it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. And, while it releases in Aussie cinemas on January 19, this is your chance to see it early. Just what else will grace St George Openair Cinema's 350-metre screen might still be anyone's guess; however we do know that they'll be running a 39-night season between January 7 and February 17, and featuring more than a dozen premieres and previews. The other thing we know is that it'll be busy: more than 1500 patrons per evening are expected to flock to Mrs Macquaries Point adjacent to Royal Botanic Gardens. St George Openair Cinema 2017 runs January 7 to February 17. Tickets are on sale at 9am on December 9, 2016. Visit the website for updates, or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
Coming up with Christmas gifts for the entire family isn't always easy, but there are a few things most people can agree on, like a good cup of coffee. That's why a gift like ST. ALi's annual Christmas coffee blend is a godsend when you're stuck for ideas. Back again for another festive season, this year's limited-edition and in-demand blend is the Nutcracker. Primed for going under the tree or straight in the grinder, expect a flavour profile that's delightfully on the nose when it comes to evoking holiday spirit. Jam-packed with notes of stollen and fruit cake, you'll also encounter warm toffee undertones alongside dark chocolate, roasted chestnut and candied orange. Effectively Christmas in a cup, the beans (whole or pre-ground) are also thoughtfully packaged, making them the ideal stocking stuffer for that coffee-obsessed relative who'll appreciate a festive brew. But if that's more of a you thing, trust that your December caffeine needs are covered. Drawing inspiration from the unapologetic spirit of the namesake old-world tale, the strictly limited Nutcracker blend is proud to be more than a little bold and dramatic. Load up on this Christmas coffee before it's gone and avoid snapping like a doll if you, or your relatives, don't get their morning brew. ST ALi's limited edition Nutcracker blend is available now. Head to the website for more information.
In Talk to Me, grasping perhaps the creepiest hand you'll ever see meant messing with the dead, bringing the souls of those who've passed swooping in. After their feature debut became a huge hit, Australian filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou aren't done with hauntings yet. In the just-dropped full trailer for Bring Her Back, their sophomore movie, "some people believe the spirit stays in the body for months after death", a foster mother played by Sally Hawkins (Wonka) advises. The directors, who started out their careers behind the camera as YouTubers RackaRacka, aren't done with nightmarish vibes yet, either. When these Adelaide-born twins unveiled Talk to Me in 2023, a new Aussie horror sensation took the genre, and the world, by the mitt to share its entertainingly eerie energy. The duo behind it also became one of the hottest new things in scary flicks. Two years later, the Philippous are returning to conjure up more chills — and show again, even just based on Bring Her Back's teaser trailer and full sneak peek, how expertly they can whip up an unnerving mood. After Talk to Me's huge success, including for cult-favourite distributor A24, sequel Talk 2 Me was quickly greenlit; however, Bring Her Back will be in cinemas first. Its Down Under release date: Thursday, May 29, 2025. Horror? Tick. A24 onboard? Tick again. Dancing with the dead once more? That seems to be the case as well. Here, Hawkins has a brother and sister in her care, but they find more than just a new parent in her home. Cue petrifying rituals, plus grief, death, coffins, blood, strange circles, a creepy kid, shaky home-video footage and a whole lot of creaking. Among the cast, cue also Billy Barratt (Kraven the Hunter), Jonah Wren Phillips (How to Make Gravy) and film first-timer Sora Wong in the Australian-made picture. A24 went all-in on the Philippous after picking up Talk to Me in a Sundance Film Festival bidding war, when global attention started being showered upon the Aussie flick about shaking hands with an embalmed palm, feeling the rush while being haunted, having your mates watch and film it, and dealing with the spooky consequences. Danny and Michael made their feature directorial debut after racking up a huge following with RackaRacka's viral videos, and via behind-the-scenes work on Australian films such as The Babadook. Their first flick feature proved a big box-office success, taking in US$10 million on its opening weekend in America alone, which placed it second among A24's films after Hereditary. Across its big-screen run, it clawed its way up to second on the company's all-time worldwide list, after Everything Everywhere All At Once and Civil War. And, at the 2024 AACTA Awards, Talk to Me took home eight accolades, including Best Film of 2023, plus Best Director. Check out the full trailer for Bring Her Back below: Bring Her Back releases in Australian cinemas on Thursday, May 29, 2025. Read our review of Talk to Me, and our interview with Danny Philippou.
When it comes to fashioning a successful rom-com, finding the right blend of romance and raunchiness is a delicate balancing act. If too much of the former is present, the film can wallow in cliché and sappiness. If too much of the latter rears its head, the physical side of things can overtake the emotional aspects. Sleeping With Other People might boast a title seemingly aligned more with one of these camps than the other; however this amusing, endearing look at the lives and loves of reunited college classmates happily finds the middle ground. Sexually candid dialogue combines with sweetness, yet never of the syrupy variety. The movie's characters want a happy ending, but they want to earn it — and they want it in all its forms. In 2002, Lainey (Alison Brie) and Jake (Jason Sudeikis) meet during a dorm room altercation, start chatting about matters of the heart and body, and then lose their virginity to each other on the same night. Twelve years later, they cross paths at a sex addiction group, with both harbouring intimacy and commitment issues that plague their dating encounters. Sparks fly, though given their respective romantic troubles, they agree they'd be better off remaining as pals. That decision starts to haunt them as they realise that their bond has all the hallmarks of a relationship, other than the slipping between the sheets part. There's never any doubt that both Lainey and Jake are frequently thinking about being more than friends — and while the course the largely brightly-shot Sleeping With Other People bounces along isn't difficult to foresee, the film is primarily concerned with them fighting that urge. For the central duo, they're trying to flee from their past problems and approach romance with maturity for a change. For writer/director Leslye Headland (Bachelorette), she's attempting to explore the non-bump-and-grind aspects of falling in love. That means that a scenario that seems ripped from the familiar actually becomes much more thoughtful, stripping away the schmaltz and adding an ample dose of authenticity. It's also ripe for comedy, whether flinging fast-paced, filthy dialogue between the protagonists (or fellow cast members Natasha Lyonne, Jason Mantzoukas, Amanda Peet and Marc Blucas as various friends and lovers), joyously enjoying Brie getting her groove back by dancing to David Bowie's 'Modern Love', or finding humorous truths in darker, more reflective moments. Of course, banter infused with wit, wisdom and warmth is only part of the rom-com package, however relatable it proves. As the genre has demonstrated time and again, getting audiences to actually believe the connection between the characters is a large part of the hard work. Here, Sleeping With Other People benefits from excellent casting, as fans of Community and Saturday Night Live will already know. Brie and Sudeikis dial up the chemistry that the film so crucially relies upon, yet never at the expense of fleshing out their roles. That mix of the expected and textured is the movie's ultimate balancing act, and serves it as well as it does it stars. Sleeping With Other People knows you know what's going to happen, but filters it through frankness, upbeat realism and an engaging double act, resulting in a rom-com delight that feels as genuine as it does honest.
Melbourne-born artist Buff Diss has been filling the streets with his geometric artworks for the past 14 years. Eschewing paint, he works primarily through the medium of tape to create dextrous designs that are not only striking in and of themselves but also create a "relationship" with the spaces on which they're displayed and present a "conversation with the architecture". Using a street art-like style, Buff Diss occupies a unique space in the art world, swapping the permanence and illegality of spray paint for a more novel approach. And it's with this style that he'll take over the Miller Design Lab — an innovative event series we're hosting with Miller Genuine Draft at Melbourne's SoHigh Gallery, featuring some of the most exciting contemporary artists and musicians Australia has to offer. Here, we talk creative inspirations and aspirations with the artist and about his latest taped-up work to be revealed at the Miller Design Lab on Friday, March 22. A typical work day for Diss starts to the waking call of his infant son. And then it's on to an early surf or skate, coffee, emails, sketching and brainstorming for new projects. "I try to spend as much time with my son as I can, sharing the workload with my wife by balancing projects — [it's] easier said than done," says Diss. "Then [it's a] nice dinner with a good strong red, [and I] put the little fella to bed then catch up on my Feedly." A former computer science student, Buff Diss has turned back to his roots. He's found an interest in the possibilities allowed by augmented reality for two-dimensional artforms and how he can work these into his art. "I'm keen as to set up a Donkey Kong emulation on a mural, where different sections of the painted mural transform to platforms and are populated with playable sprites," muses Diss. "I'm really keen to get back into coding so I can add AR functionality to my future work." But at present, the artist will keep things analog as he takes over every tapeable surface of the Miller Design Lab space on Friday, March 22. Buff Diss' large-scale, bespoke piece will take shape in realtime, as he works and contours tape and linear mesh into bold, graphic murals that represent a map of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee River — the home of Miller Genuine Draft. "I'm mapping out historical aspects of Miller Beer in modern medium," says Diss, distilling his mammoth project into a single line. Each geometric shaping will appear four times alluding to the "four times cold filtered" brewing process of the beer. And at the event, you can watch as he works in response to music and builds to a 'big reveal' moment. With such an interest in architectural terrain, it comes as no surprise that Diss's favourite country is Taiwan, where he completed a project in New Taipei City back in 2015. "It's such a special place, [with] incredibly varied landscapes from mountains, forests and islands," says Diss. "But [it's] the people and the free approach to art there [that's] addictive." Along with his admiration for Taiwan, as well as New York-based streetwear designer Jeff Staples (the global curator of the Miller Design Lab), Diss notes that there's a lot of inspiring stuff coming out of Australia's contemporary and street art scene. He particularly follows the likes of Adelaide street artist Order (aka Seb Humphreys), installation artist Georgia Hill and painters Matthew Fortrose and Laith McGregor. Whenever interstate, Diss makes sure he hits his favourite spots, including Sydney's China Heights Gallery and dining institution Tetsuya's; Hobart's MONA "for the wine" and The Source "for the art"; and Adelaide's Apothecary 1878. At home in Melbourne, it's gnocchi at Lover and ever-changing art at Collingwood's Blackwoods Gallery. Currently reading Musashu by Japanese writer Eiji Yoshikawa, watching Tawainese film The Assassin and listening to British punk-rock band Idles, Diss's interests are seemingly far-spread, both geographically and topically. But a good red wine, he insists, is a constant in his ever-expanding curiosities. As for his future plans? Buff Diss is going more traditional. "Having worked outdoors for so long I'm going to start painting canvas this year. Wish me luck." Images: Kate Shanasy.
It isn't every day that Australia busts out a pop-metal tune to compete on the world stage. No, just at Eurovision 2023. Apologies to whatever's been getting a workout on your playlist over the past few weeks, but May is here, which means that Eurovision is here. And, so are a whole bunch of synth-heavy Europop tunes — plus that Aussie riff on a on Europop tune — that'll worm their way into your head. This is Christmas for pop songs belted out competitively in a glitzy ceremony filled with eye-catching outfits, with the the 67th Eurovision Song Contest kicking off at 5am AEST on Wednesday, May 10. Doing the honours for Australia, starting in the second semi final at 5am AEST on Friday, May 12, is Perth synth-metal band Voyager. Their track: earworm 'Promise', which'll have "it's gonna be alright" lodged in plenty of brains from the moment that the band take to the stage. For newcomers, Eurovision started back in 1956 as a competition between a mere seven nations. Now, more than six decades later, it's a glitter-strewn and spandex-fuelled global musical phenomenon. Thirty-seven countries not only in Europe but from elsewhere will compete in 2023 — hello Australia — and viewers tune in en masse to watch, sing along and add new pop tunes to their queues. This year's host city is Liverpool in the United Kingdom, in a break from Eurovision tradition. The song contest usually unleashes each year's contenders in the country responsible for the past year's winner — and in 2022, Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra won for 'Stefania'. But due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, Eurovision will be held in the UK for the first time in a quarter-century. Thanks to duo TVORCHI, a huge hit on their homegrown charts, Ukraine will still defend its title with the song 'Heart of Steel'. Australians keen to tune in will be directing their eyeballs to SBS, with the broadcaster's usual annual celebration of all things Europop returning for another round. 2023 marks 40 years of the network showing Eurovision, in fact. When Voyager play their track, they'll be up against performers from 15 other countries, including Brunette from Armenia, Belgium's Gustaph, Diljá from Iceland, Joker Out from Slovenia, and Austria's Teya & Salena. Also in the same show: Aussie Andrew Lambrou, who is competing for Cyprus, his parents' homeland, with 'Break a Broken Heart'. If Voyager makes their way through to the grand final — with only 21 acts making the cut, and France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Ukraine automatically guaranteed spots — you'll also want to get up early on Sunday, May 14. Or, even if they don't, that's when this year's winner will be anointed. Of course, for those who can't tear themselves out of bed before it's light and can somehow manage to avoid the internet and social media, both semis and the grand final will also screen in primetime on the same dates. Wondering who Voyager are? And why you didn't get a say in their Eurovision selection? Unlike past years, there was no Eurovision — Australia Decides event and public vote to choose who'd score the Aussie berth; however, the five-piece band featuring Danny Estrin on vocals and keytar, Simone Dow and Scott Kay on guitar, Alex Vanion on bass and Ash Doodkorte on drums has been vying to represent the country since 2015. In 2022's Australian vote, they came in second to Sheldon Riley, who took the country to 15th spot in last year's Eurovision grand final. Now that it's time to watch along, SBS' usual local hosts Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasey are once again overseeing the Australian coverage. And if you can't decide whether to beat the sun or wait and host a party at sensible hour, it's worth remembering that Australians can indeed vote for Eurovision, but only until around 15 minutes after the last song is performed in each live semi-final broadcast and about 40 minutes after the last track ends in the grand final. In a big change to past years, voting is open to everyone in all finals — whether you're from a country participating in that final or not — and the artists who get through from the two semi finals to the grand final will be solely chosen by the audience at home. Still remaining the same: the rule that says Australians can't actually vote for Voyager, because no one can vote for the country they represent. EUROVISION 2023 BROADCASTS: LIVE BROADCASTS: Semi final one: 5am AEST on Wednesday, May 10 on SBS and SBS on Demand Semi final two: 5am AEST on Friday, May 12 on SBS and SBS on Demand — featuring Voyager Grand final: 5am AEST on Sunday, May 14 on SBS and SBS on Demand STREAMING REPLAYS: Semi final one: 12pm AEST on Wednesday, May 10 on SBS on Demand Semi final two: 12pm AEST on Friday, May 12 on SBS on Demand — featuring Voyager Grand final: 3pm AEST on Sunday, May 14 on SBS on Demand TV REPLAYS: Semi final one: 7.30pm AEST on Friday, May 12 on SBS Semi final two: 7.30pm AEST on Saturday, May 13 on SBS — featuring Voyager Grand final: 7.30pm AEST on Sunday, May 14 on SBS SBS' Eurovision 2023 coverage runs from Wednesday, May 10–Sunday, May 14. For more information, head to the broadcaster's website. Images: Sarah Louise Bennett / Corinne Cumming.
Pick a number between five and 100, and that's the average number of times you've probably watched Home Alone. You'll note that we haven't dared to suggest you've only seen it once, or twice, or even just three or four times, because we know how unlikely that is. We're guessing you've viewed the first sequel to the 1990 favourite quite a bit, too, because we all have. If you haven't given Home Alone 3 and Home Alone 4 as much love, though, that's understandable. Here's an important question for you moving forward, however: how many times do you think you'll give Home Sweet Home Alone a whirl? A very real movie that will soon exist thanks to streaming platform Disney+, Home Sweet Home Alone will jump back into the festive-themed franchise that's all about being left behind by your family at Christmas. On paper, the overall concept doesn't sound all that merry — but as we all know, these flicks have been an end-of-year staple for three decades. So, of course the Mouse House is adding a new chapter to the saga. It sure does love reviving and extending past hits, after all. And, of course Disney will add the resulting movie to its streaming service just in time for the jolliest part of the year. Mark Friday, November 12 in your calendar, as that's when you have a date with this new version of an old favourite. This time around, a kid called Max Mercer is the focus — as played by Jojo Rabbit's Archie Yates. Obviously, he's left at home while his family goes away. They head to Japan for the holidays, he gets forgotten, and soon he's fending off a couple that's trying to break into his house. We all know how the story is going to go from there, with this remake even giving a screenplay credit to the original's writer/director John Hughes. Filmmaker Dan Mazer is in the director's chair on Home Sweet Home Alone, after previously helming I Give It a Year and Dirty Grandpa, and writing Bridget Jones's Baby, Office Christmas Party and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. On-screen, Yates will be joined by Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Rob Delaney (Wrath of Man), Aisling Bea (This Way Up), Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live), Tim Simons (Veep) and Chris Parnell (Rick and Morty). There have been rumours that Macaulay Culkin will make an appearance, too, but you'll obviously need to watch to see if that pans out. Home Sweet Home Alone doesn't yet have a trailer, but you can check out this sneak peek at the original until it does: Home Sweet Home Alone will be available to stream via Disney+ from Friday, November 12. Top image: Home Alone.
To tell or not to tell. It's almost as complex as 'to be or not to be', as anyone who has had the misfortune of uncovering a friend-related secret will testify. It's no surprise then that The Wild Duck, which deals with this very subject matter, is considered to be the most complex of Ibsen's plays. The general run down is this. The apparently happy Ekdal family welcomes the return of family friend Gregers Werle, a noble and excruciatingly honest soul. Gregers proceeds to dig to the bottom of said family and bring to light everything he finds, eventually resulting in Mrs. Ekdal's suicide. The lesson: that honesty is perhaps not always the best policy. Rather than running with the hurdles already in his path, adaptor/director Simon Stone has decided to add an additional layer of complexity on top. Stone places the suicide at the centre of this production, retelling the tale from the point of view of six key characters. In doing so, he re-inscribes into the play Kierkegaard's thoughts on subjectivity, which Ibsen consciously referenced in his works. Emphasising the irreducibility of this fatal act, Stone implies that assigning responsibility for the suicide is impossible, thus removing any objectivity from the work. The ultimate lesson, then, is in the hands of the 'single individual'. It's sophisticated stuff. Yet Stone's back catalog of radical reworkings assures us that he can handle it. It certainly won't hurt to have the incredibly skilled Ewen Leslie (STC's The Trial) and Toby Schmitz (of Benedict Andrews' Measure For Measure) in the two key roles either. Image: Toby Schmitz and Ewen Leslie, Photo Wilk, courtesy of Belvoir Theatre
A quarter of a century ago, M Night Shyamalan started coaching audiences to associate his surname with on-screen twists. Now that The Sixth Sense writer/director's daughter Ishana Night Shyamalan is following in his footsteps by making her first feature, decades of that viewer training across Unbreakable, Signs, The Visit, Split, Glass and more laps at The Watchers' feet. The question going in for those watching is obvious: will the second-generation filmmaker, who first worked as a second-unit director on her dad's Old and Knock at the Cabin — and also penned and helmed episodes of exceptionally eerie horror TV series Servant, on which her father was the showrunner — turn M Night's well-known and -established penchant for surprise reveals that completely recontextualise his narratives into a family trademark? Viewing a Shyamalan movie from The Sixth Sense onwards has always been an exercise in piecing together a puzzle, sleuthing along as clues are dropped about how the story might swiftly shift. It's no different with The Watchers, which Ishana adapts from AM Shine's novel and M Night produces. The younger filmmaking Shyamalan leans into the expectations that come with being her dad's offspring and picking up a camera, making a supernatural mystery-thriller horror flick and living with his brand of screen stories for her entire life. That said, while it's easy to initially think of The Village when The Watchers sets its narrative in isolated surroundings where the woods are filled with threats, and also of Knock at the Cabin given that its four main characters are basically holed up in one, Ishana demonstrates her own prowess, including by heartily embracing her source material's gothic air. This is a tale with a Mina at its centre, after all, because Shyamalan isn't the only name attached to The Watchers that means something in horror. As gothic stories in the genre long have told, it's also a tale of being haunted — here, by the monsters that lurk among the trees in a mysterious patch of western Ireland, and also by the kind of loss and sorrow that reshapes entire lives. As Ishana dials up the foreboding while dancing with fantasy, too, The Watchers proves a reckoning with identity as well. Yearning for the ability to define your own sense of self is another familiar gothic notion (Mary Shelley's Frankenstein puts it among the ideas at its centre), and also a fitting theme and statement for a person who's leaping into a field where they're immediately standing in someone else's shadow. Hours from Galway, shade also looms as The Watchers kicks off. As captured with a moody gaze by cinematographer Eli Arenson — and an eye for the claustrophobia that can simmer in expansive natural spaces, as he also splashed around in 2021's Lamb — warm rays barely filter through the forest even when the sun is high in the sky. In a state of near-perpetual twilight, the woodland possesses an otherworldly and ominous feel. A man (Alistair Brammer, Ancient Empires) is spied trying to flee its sprawling cover; however, the signs about not being able to turn back keep proving accurate. Birds flutter in a swooping and circling flock, the thicket buzzes with its own noise — both with unease as dense as the canopy above — and the picture advises that this location is absent from maps and a beacon for lost souls. A command of atmosphere bubbles through the movie from the outset, then, even before Mina (Dakota Fanning, Ripley) wanders through the same grove. She's entering rather than trying to leave — at first. An American artist working in a pet shop in a biding-her-time fashion, the 28-year-old is tasked with a normal albeit time-consuming delivery, but then her car breaks down and her phone dies shortly after driving into the greenery. Prior to Mina hitting the road, The Watchers dapples her everyday existence with a disquieting vibe. In her life in the Irish city, she's plastering literal wigs and metaphorical masks over her unhappiness while avoiding calls from her sister Lucy and grappling with the death of their mother 15 years earlier. En route to being stranded in a bunker called The Coop, which is sat in a tract where no one should go down to the woods by dark, she's also already feeling as caged as the parrot that she's about to try to ferry to a Belfast zoo. The Coop is no ordinary cabin in the woods, not that many on-screen are, with kudos deserved by The Watchers' production designers. Mirrored glass lines one of its walls, letting interested eyes peer in unseen (their audible reactions provide a soundtrack as well) as the motley crew that is Madeline (Olwen Fouéré, The Tourist), Ciara (Georgina Campbell, Barbarian), Daniel (Oliver Finnegan, We Are Lady Parts) and now Mina navigate their new routine. Each strangers going in and each trapped, they're all endeavouring to survive the creatures that demand to observe them eating, watching an old dating-style reality TV series and sleeping every evening — and, without their captors realising, to ascertain how to escape a place that appears impossible to exit. There are rules to enduring. There are grim consequences for not abiding by them. No one has made it out to seek help and returned, the stern Madeline cautions. When a reflective surface plays such a pivotal part, it's hardly astonishing when a film trades in parallels, including with an IRL world that's frequently becoming one giant online performance (to stress the point, one of The Watchers' most-striking shots shows how Mina and company inhabit a stage for their keepers). As well as absorbing her father's fondness for spinning unsettling tales, Ishana has inherited his ambition, clearly, as she also works in Celtic lore and the impact of colonialism. While it's one thing to aim big and another to thoroughly wrestle everything that you're eager to explore and touch upon into one movie, her directorial debut sports an instantly intriguing premise that draws viewers in effectively, a flair for imagery and tension, and an excellent lead. When Fanning is playing the feature's protagonist as someone who can't see anything but her own pain — who can't see the forest for the trees, aptly — she wears Mina's fragility and vulnerability like a second skin. When her character is forced to confront being put on display, she's just as mesmerisingly relatable.
You might listen to podcasts on your own — in the car, at your desk, or while making dinner — but feeling part of a listener community is often what makes the format so special. With the arrival of DomeFest, an Australian-first podcast fan festival, this shared experience is taking place IRL, as multiple podcasts take over the Hordern Pavilion's stage for a one-day festival-like experience on Sunday, March 29. The brainchild of creative events agency Finely Tuned and Dome — an industry-first podcast community and audience insights platform — DomeFest features four of Australia's most beloved podcasts and their massive fanbases in an entirely new setting. "Podcasts are traditionally a solo experience", says Dome Co-Founder Sophie Greiner, "The Dome ecosystem is about challenging that; bringing together like-minded communities who exist behind one degree of digital separation." For the debut event, the focus is on progressive Gen Z and Millennial women, where aspects of pop culture, identity and relationships lead the conversation. Hosted by queer content creator, comedian and activist Milo Hartill, the podcast lineup features It's a Lot with Abbie Chatfield, which reaches 400,000 listeners every month, and The Psychology of Your 20s, a Global Top 20 Spotify podcast hosted by renowned mental health advocate Jemma Sbeg. Also on the agenda is Big Small Talk — Hannah Ferguson and Sarah-Jane Adams' sharp news and pop culture breakdown — and Momentum by Missing Perspectives, a women's sport show highlighting fresh conversations around sport, fitness and health. Supported by live music, stellar food and drinks, giveaways and community-driven chats, trading in your headphones for face-to-face connection at DomeFest brings a whole new meaning to your favourite podcasts. Tickets are on-sale now, and currently all available with a 50 percent discount — get yours here.
When Memoria begins, it echoes with a thud that's not only booming and instantly arresting — a clamour that'd make anyone stop and listen — but is also deeply haunting. It arrives with a noise that, if the movie's opening scene was a viral clip rather than part of Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul's spectacular Cannes Jury Prize-winning feature, it'd be tweeted around with a familiar message: sound on. The racket wakes up Jessica Holland (Tilda Swinton, The Souvenir: Part II) in the night, and it's soon all that she can think about; like character, like film. It's a din that she later describes as "a big ball of concrete that falls into a metal well which is surrounded by seawater"; however, that doesn't help her work out what it is, where it's coming from or why it's reverberating. The other question that starts to brood: is she the only one who can hear it? So springs a feature that's all about listening, and truly understands that while movies are innately visual — they're moving pictures, hence the term — no one should forget the audio that's gone with it for nearly a century now. Watching Weerasethakul's work has always engaged the ears intently, with the writer/director behind the Palme d'Or-winning Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives and just-as-lyrical Cemetery of Splendour crafting cinema that genuinely values all that the filmic format can offer. Enjoying Memoria intuitively serves up a reminder of how crucial sound can be to the big-screen experience, emphasising the cavernous chasm between pictures that live and breathe that truth and those that could simply be pictures. Of course, feasting on Weerasethakul's films has also always been about appreciating not only cinema in all its wonders, but as an inimitable art form. Like the noise that lingers in his protagonist's brain here, his movies aren't easily forgotten. With Weerasethakul behind the lens and Swinton on-screen, Memoria is a match made in cinephile heaven — even before it starts obsessing over sound and having its audience do the same. He helms movies like no one else, she's an acting force of nature, and their pairing is film catnip. He also makes his English-language debut, as well as his first feature outside of Thailand, while she brings the serenity and magnetism that only she can, turning in a far more understated turn than seen in the recent likes of The French Dispatch and The Personal History of David Copperfield. Yes, Weerasethakul and Swinton prove a beautiful duo. Weerasethakul makes contemplative, meditative, visually poetic movies, after all, and Swinton's face screams with all those traits. They're both devastatingly precise in what they do, too, and also delightfully expressive. And, they each force you to pay the utmost attention to their every single choice as well. As Jessica, Swinton plays a British expat in Colombia — an orchidologist born in Scotland, residing in Medellín and staying in Bogota when she hears that very specific din. After explaining it in exquisite detail to sound engineer Hernán (Juan Pablo Urrego, My Father), he tries to recreate the noise for her, but only she seems to know exactly what it sounds like. At the same time, Jessica's sister Karen (debutant Agnes Brekke) is in hospital with a strange ailment. Also, there's word of a curse that's linked to a tunnel being built over a burial ground, and Jessica consults with an archaeologist (Jeanne Balibar, Les Misérables) before heading from the city to the country. Grief echoes as strongly through Jessica's life as the bang she can't shake, and she wanders like someone in a dreamy daze, whether she's roaming around an art gallery or crossing paths with a rural fisherman also called Hernán (Elkin Díaz, Besieged). No plot description can ever do Weerasethakul's films justice, and Memoria doesn't even consider tying its various threads in an obvious way. Rather, it invites viewers to unlock its puzzles by soaking in every patient 35-millimetre shot and exacting sound, and it's a mesmerising cinematic experience. Part of the film's hypnotic thrall stems from the connections gleaned, too, especially for the filmmaker's fans. Sleep, one of his favourite topics, is inescapable. Spying the hospital-set scenes and not thinking of Cemetery of Splendour is impossible. In the movie's latter sections, when it revels in the Colombian countryside, it's just as difficult not to recall Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. And there is indeed another past that's being conjured up here, separate from Weerasethakul's cinematic background (plus the fact that Memoria's lead is named after 1943 voodoo horror I Walked with a Zombie): that of its setting, its history of violence and the shadow that remains today. How the past, present and future bleed into each other — or drip like water falling into a well, then pool together — sits at the heart of Memoria. That too isn't new for Weerasethakul, but he can't be accused of repeating himself. He also ponders what sticks and fades, and how and why. Witnessing its two Hernán sequences, both of which are sublime in their own fashions, cements this train of thought. In the first, the young audio engineer searches his database of movie sound effects, trying to locate something universal to match a noise that's clearly so personal to Jessica — and observing their to and fro, absurdity included, ranks among the best scenes Weerasethakul has given cinema. In the second, which is loaded with queries about whether the two men with the shared name are one and the same or alternate versions, how life can resemble a mere reverie gets thrust to the fore amid spellbindingly vivid greenery. They aren't straightforward, but there are answers in Memoria. Better than that, there's a powerful and provocative commitment to surprising and challenging that resounds right down to the movie's final glorious reveal. We catalogue and contemplate the past in a plethora of ways, and shifting, shattering and distorting is a natural consequence, as Weerasethakul tells us with his intoxicating frames and soundscape. He gets stunning help from cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (Suspiria, Call Me By Your Name and also plenty of Weerasethakul's work) and sound designer Akritchalerm Kalayanamitr (another of the filmmaker's veterans), because his features are always technical powerhouses — but being on Swinton's ethereal wavelength is essential. She's the audience's guide through a beguiling mystery, her director's surrogate in this quest through Colombia, and an anchor in an achievement that feels like just what the best cinema is meant to: a dream with our eyes and ears wide open. Top image: Sandro Kopp © Kick the Machine Films, Burning, Anna Sanders Films, Match Factory Productions, ZDF-Arte and Piano, 2021
Feel like an island is calling your name? There's a good chance it's Cockatoo Island, now that Mode Festival has dropped its latest euphoric lineup. While you'll be leaving behind the mainland to get involved, don't think you'll be jet-setting to distant lands. Instead, it's a short ferry ride to this industrial haven amid Sydney Harbour, where a springtime playground will host some of the world's top producers and DJs on Saturday, October 11. Tucked away from prying eyes, it's the ideal spot to get caught up in primal grooves. It's a stacked lineup in 2025, with celebrated names like Four Tet and X Club filling earholes with future-facing tunes. Gripping the dance floor like few others can, expect these local and international legends to deliver sonic bliss crafted from the deepest of cuts and crowd-pleasing bangers. Also on the agenda, Floating Points pairs his meticulously composed house and IDM tunes with a special audiovisual show, while IN2STELLAR, KiNK, Skee Mask and Rødhåd serve up ground-shaking electronic performances that exist on the cutting edge of creativity and innovation. General release tickets are on sale from Thursday, June 26 at 6pm. Images: Jordan Munns.
UPDATE, November 20, 2020: Cargo is available to stream via Netflix, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. The ravenous undead have been chomping their way across screens for decades. Still, if it seems like their appetite has kicked into higher gear in recent years, that's because it has. Or, perhaps more accurately, the viewing public's hunger for zombie fare has ramped up considerably. Undead thrillers, zombie comedies, long-running TV shows about the brain-eating hordes — we just can't get enough. It's a zombie feast, not a zombie famine, although don't go thinking that you've seen it all before. Australian film Cargo sinks its teeth into the undead basics, and yet still manages to carve out its own territory rather than mindlessly following the masses. With people scarce and zombies shuffling, the movie begins in a standard-enough fashion, plunging into an outbreak that transforms the living into the living dead in 48 hours. Andy (Martin Freeman) and Kay's (Susie Porter) solution is to stick to their houseboat and float down an outback river, which is the best thing they can do to keep their infant Rosie safe. Unfortunately, their sense of security is short-lived, leaving Andy scrambling across the dusty landscape to protect his baby. Also trying to cope with the new dystopian status quo is young Indigenous girl Thoomi (Simone Landers), with Cargo examining more than one fraught father-daughter relationship. Updating their 2013 Tropfest short of the same name to feature length, co-directors Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke know that less is more. A good zombie film doesn't need complicated scenarios or elaborate explanations, so the duo keep things simple. A great example of the genre puts more focus on the humans than the undead, so that's how the filmmakers approach their movie. You won't find heaving throngs of walking corpses here — but you will find a variety of folks handling the life-or-death crisis in different ways. Andy desperately searches for someone to look after Rosie. Ex-fracking worker Vic (Anthony Hayes) plans for the future in a far more insidious manner. And while Thoomi has managed to keep her zombified dad (Bruce R. Carter) around, her elders, lead by their cleverman Daku (David Gulpilil), have their own methods — and their own ideas about the source of the pandemic. If it's rare for a zombie flick to dive so deeply and thoughtfully into its characters, then it is rarer still for such a film to also ponder various kinds of death and destruction. Writing as well as co-helming, Ramke weaves both humanity's impact upon the environment and white settlers' treatment of Australia's aboriginal people into the narrative — and Cargo is all the better for it. While there's plenty that's familiar, especially if you're an undead connoisseur, the movie smartly and astutely plays up the many real-life parallels that come with its premise. These days, contemplating the end of existence as we know it goes hand-in-hand with contemplating our ecological footprint. Similarly, exploring a world where one part of the population terrorises another provides a timely exploration of race relations. Previous zombie stories have also drawn comparable conclusions, but where George A. Romero highlighted racism in Night of the Living Dead half a century ago, Cargo reclaims a space for Indigenous culture in the fight for survival. Amongst all of the above, and amidst the gorgeously shot South Australian backdrop, Freeman and Landers stand front and centre. The former might be a veteran and the latter a newcomer, but the movie wouldn't work quite as well without either. Freeman's recognisable everyman persona comes in handy, even if it makes you remember his trek across greener terrain in The Hobbit trilogy. Landers' naturalism couldn't be more buoyant, even in such a bleak film. One gets more screen time than the other, but together they embody Cargo's distinctive take on its well-worn genre. This involving, moving zombie drama initially ambles along a reliable path, yet isn't afraid to find its own direction — and isn't shy about blending the expected and the fresh in the process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_SiHPtwQ7s
UPDATE: June 29, 2020 — Honeyland is available to stream via Movie Night, At Home and iTunes — and is currently screening in some Australian cinemas. In Honeyland's opening moments, Hatidže Muratova performs feats that wouldn't be out of place in an action blockbuster. Against the craggy, sun-parched North Macedonian landscape — vistas that could easily provide the backdrop to a Star Wars movie or Mad Max: Fury Road — she scrambles over rocks and creeps along ledges, making her way from her stone and mud hut to the cliffs near her otherwise desolate rural village. There, with her green floral headscarf contrasting against pale walls, she tends to a hive of bees. Hatidže doesn't always wear protective gear, but the insects don't sting her. Pulling out the gleaming honeycomb, she's careful and respectful as she goes about her task. That also comes through in the phrase she repeats like a mantra: "half for me, half for you". Hatidže is the main point of focus in Honeyland, a multiple award-winner at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival that also became the first-ever movie to receive Oscar nominations for both Best International Film and Best Documentary earlier this year. In this intimate observational doco, she's worlds away from cinema's big-budget spectacles — but she's still a daring superhero. Dedicated to traditional apiary methods, Hatidže is the last female wild beekeeper in Europe. That mightn't mean much when audiences start watching Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov's debut feature-length film, but it will when the credits roll. As will those words that Hatidže keeps mentioning, which sum up her approach. When she removes honey from her hives, to bottle raw and sell at markets four hours away in the capital city of Skopje, she leaves as much as she takes so that her bees still have something to feed on. Filmed over three years, with Kotevska and Stefanov's team recording more than 400 hours of footage, Honeyland steps into Hatidže's daily life — and the bees aren't the only things buzzing. At first, the film's indefatigable protagonist splits her time between harvesting honey and caring for her bed-ridden, partly blind octogenarian mother Nazife, their banter brimming with both honesty and affection. Then, in a wave of movement and noise that's an omen for things to come, a family of nine moves in next door. Together, the Muratovas and their new neighbours are the only inhabitants of their village. But the Sams have completely different tactics for working the land, whether they're tending to the cows they trucked in with them or — initially under Hatidže's advice — beekeeping themselves. With so many mouths to feed and, as the movie conveys in its bee-on-the-wall fashion, a struggling existence to begin with, Sam patriarch Hussein has no time or concern for Hatidže's "take half, leave half" methodology. Kotevska and Stefanov's obviously didn't know that this clash would arise when they started filming Hatidže. They couldn't have predicted that the Sams would show up at all, in fact. However, in demonstrating how age-old practices and modern tactics come into conflict, they couldn't have stumbled upon a more pertinent situation. Hussein needs cash, and as much as he can make, with selling honey for €10 a jar seeming like a gold mine. Hatidže needs her beekeeping to remain sustainable, so she can continue on as she has been year after year, and as many an apiarist has before her. Unsurprisingly, the two approaches hardly complement each other. Honeyland explores an overwhelmingly specific feud, but it speaks to a universal conflict — between the old and new, tradition and contemporary thinking, and living with nature versus exploiting it. Hatidže's life is all about balance with the planet around her, and yet it's so easily turned upside down by someone who couldn't care less because there's desperately needed money to be made. As a result, this distinctive snapshot also speaks to much of the modern world's current problems, with Hatidže's experiences filled with obvious parallels. Kotevska and Stefanov don't judge Hussein and the Sam family, but their whirlwind of chaos inherently sits in stark contrast to the Muratovas' modest setup. The juxtapositions keep coming, there for viewers to see frame by frame — in the boisterous kids lassoing unhappy cattle, the tender way that Hatidže sings to her hives, the mess and mayhem of the Sams' property, and the peacefulness of Hatidže and Nazife's humble abode. There's more to Hatidže's story on a personal level, as slowly and meditatively unfurled in a documentary with many purposes, including presenting a detailed character study. Audiences need to understand her work and the problems she's facing to understand who she is — to truly glean the weight of her choices and regrets, too — and both facets of Honeyland are as gripping as they are fascinating. This is a compelling, clear-eyed portrait of a woman who is just as frank and unflinching, and who has taken each facet of her existence as it comes. The filmmakers want viewers to do the same, of course. Taking in their stunning drone-shot views of Hatidže in her formidable surroundings, peering closely at bees going about their business, listening to her candle-lit chats with her mother and simply watching her face, it's impossible not to. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dii0FMXXVvA&feature=emb_logo
The Steppenwolf Theatre Company is theatrical genius. Their production of company member Tracy Letts' pulitzer-prize winning play August: Osage County, is extraordinarily good. I mean, look at the set — it's a house, dammit, a three-story house. And they use it — they use the whole thing. The ensemble performance is of a standard rarely seen and the play itself is brilliantly written — clever, funny and poignant in relatively equal measures. Beverly Weston (Chelcie Ross), a once-was poet, now alcoholic (not the depressingly cool Bukowski type, rather the talented-but-crushed-under-the-weight-of-family-life type), walks out of his house one day and doesn't return after benevolently providing for his drug-addicted, cancer-infested wife, brilliantly played by Deanna Dunagan. In support of their vituperative matriarch of a mother, Beverly's three daughters converge on the family home where the usual, unusual deep family dysfunction crescendos in the most wicked dinner table scene EVER. The characters are so familiar that they verge on cliche — a wife who has given everything to support her husband, who naturally is leaving her for a student; a nagging, motor-mouth aunt whose sweet and kind doormat husband finally discovers his balls; a sister joyously in love with her sleaze of a fiance (15 is old enough, right?) and so on. And, while I am weary of the constant repetition of gender stereotypes in straight-laced, narrative-based naturalism plays, Steppenwolf's August: Osage County delivers them so well that I'm almost convinced that this is just how it was/is. You may have seen the content all before (in various theatrical configurations) but you will, most likely, never have seen it this good. *tickets for under 30s are only $40
If you're headed to Mexico, then you probably have two things on your itinerary: seeing the sights and sipping tequila. And while you can do both in the usual fashion, travelling from place to place, soaking up the scenery, and stopping for a few drinks here and there, combining them on the Jose Cuervo Express really is the ultimate holiday dream. Move over, Hogwarts Express — this is your new favourite train trip, and while it isn't fictional, it does still sound magical. Run by the Jose Cuervo tequila brand, this regular venture takes patrons from the city of Guadalajara to the aptly named town of, you guessed it, Tequila. You'll visit agave fields and take a tour of the Jose Cuervo distillery once you arrive; however, the journey really is just as important as the destination. On the eponymous locomotive, you'll down the spirit in question along the hour-long trek, all thanks to an all-you-can-drink tequila selection. There are three types of tickets available, with the open bar included in the most expensive tier — 2500 Mexican pesos, or around AU$182. While you're chugging along, a range of Mexican snacks and cocktails are also on offer, as well as boozy beverages other than tequila (i.e. rum, vodka and whiskey), should you feel the need to mix up your drinks. Off the train, you'll watch an agave harvesting demonstration, take part in a professional tasting session, wander through the distillery and cellar, and have time to explore the town at your own leisure. You'll also head to a Mexican show, but just what that entails has been left vague. Running most weekends — typically on Saturdays, but sometimes on Sundays instead — the Jose Cuervo Express offers two timeslots. Although the departure time only varies by half an hour (9am versus 9.30am), the 'sunrise' tour takes you on the train during daylight, then brings you back via bus, and the 'sunset' tour reverses the two, so you're on the train come evening. Both take a minimum of ten hours return, making for one hefty tequila-filled day. We're assuming that lemon and salt will also be included in the ticket price. For more information or to make a booking, visit the Jose Cuervo Express website. Images: Jose Cuervo Express.
With a trio of skyscrapers already erected and a casino on the way, it's hard not to wonder what Barangaroo's namesake would have made of Sydney's new financial district. Barangaroo was a fisherwoman for the Cammeraygal people who apparently deplored the excesses of the British settlers, so it's a stretch to imagine her embracing the economic opportunities of the rejuvenated docklands. For 2019's Sydney Festival, Bangarra's Helpmann Award-winning head of design Jacob Nash will be out at Barangaroo crafting a large-scale public sculpture spelling ALWAYS. Using the phrase 'Always was, always will be' as an impetus, the work will serve as a reminder that Sydney's newest development is taking place on Aboriginal land. On January 26, an overnight vigil will be held on the eve of Australia Day at Barangaroo near the sculpture. Running from sunset right through to the morning — around 8pm to 6am — it's a reflection on the impact of the arrival of the First Fleet and Australia's colonisation on First Nations people, with musical performances and stories told by community Elders throughout the night. Always is part of Sydney Festival's dramatic and diverse 2019 program. Check out the full lineup here. Images: Victor Frankowski
The White Cockatoo — or The Cock, as it was affectionately known — is the latest in a string of old fogey pubs to be torn apart and put back together, for Gen Y's drinking pleasure. So pull up a seat, order a beer and get reacquainted with the pub in its new incarnation as West Village, a brand new 130-year-old hotel in the heart of Petersham. The much-loved Cock was snatched up late last year by Goodtime Hospitality, a newly established hospitality group consisting of entrepreneur James Bodel and Locky Paech (ex-The Norfolk and The Forresters). Over the last year they've had a thorough overhaul, championing the original heritage details and laying waste to anything that was awkward and ugly. In one heroic gesture they demolished the old pokies room (hurrah!) and replaced it with a light-filled courtyard (double hurrah!). Now known as the 'patio', this area is soon to operate as a standalone cafe, so you can expect to see lots of smiling commuters getting on at Petersham station, coffee in hand. The West Village pub menu consists of modern Australian share plates and main dishes put together by Paech and head chef Sam Thomson (ex-Catalina). Undoubtedly, some will lament the exit of the legendary monster schnitzels from the good ol' Cock days, and as a peace offering, West Village are serving up a darn good veal schnitty, pan-fried in lemon and caper burnt butter ($22). But if you can't be consoled, you can track down the old ones at The Goni's Schnitzelria in Marrickville. One of the main indicators used to determine a good pub is the steak test. At West Village you can choose between an ethically-farmed fillet steak ($28) or porterhouse ($20). Both are branded with dark caramelisation, evenly cooked and plump with juices, thanks to a highly refined technique. Each steak comes with a choice of side dish. I went for the crispy potato spuds in truffle oil and parmesan, but you can opt for peas, mint and feta, spiced kale chips, coleslaw or seeded mustard potato mash if you think you know better. The one dish on the menu that's raising eyebrows is the kimchi poutine ($12). That’s right, I said kimchi poutine. It's a serving of fries covered with kimchi (fermented cabbage, chilli, carrot, radish and spring onion) topped with melted cheese and sour cream. While it's hardly the food pairing of the century, it still gets top marks for originality and a participation ribbon for giving it a go. A safer bet however would be the blue swimmer crab roll filled with avocado and celery ($12) or the deep fried crumbed camembert, served with chargrilled sourdough, a sweet balsamic reduction and rocket. As far as the drinks go, there's a stellar wine list on show, which has been curated by Andrew Jamieson Wine Merchants, coupled with a wide selection of craft beers and negroni on tap, for those who need their cocktail in five seconds flat. Welcome to the neighbourhood, old friend. Images: Alana Dimou
Anything can be gelato, at least the way that Gelato Messina makes it. Well, any other dessert can get the the ice cream treatment, it seems. The chain has whipped up a lot of of tasty specials in its time, with plenty taking cues from other sweet treats: think red velvet cookie pies, caramel scrolls with cheesecake gelato, Golden Gaytime-inspired Viennetta and even Iced VoVo gelato. The next beloved dish getting the Messina treatment: lemon meringue pies. You can taste the tang just thinking about this gelato version, can't you? The limited-edition dessert is being dished up for the brand's Mother's Day special, but that doesn't mean that it's just for mum. If you can't spend the day with her eating this dessert, she'd want you to treat yo'self. Wondering what exactly a lemon meringue pie gelato hot tub entails? Served in an octagonal tub, this dish comes with burnt vanilla gelato, pie crust and lemon curd mousse, all topped with an intricately piped and torched Italian meringue. Obviously, it sounds delicious. If you're keen to get yourself a piece — which'll cost you $40 — they're available to preorder online on Tuesday, April 26. And, because Messina's specials always prove popular, the brand is now staggering the on-sale times. Accordingly, folks in Queensland and the ACT are able to purchase at 9am, Victorians at 9.30am, and New South Wales customers split across three times depending on the store (with pies from Circular Quay, Surry Hills, Bondi, Randwick and Miranda on sale at 10am; Brighton Le Sands, Tramsheds, Parramatta and Darlinghurst at 10.30am; and Darling Square, Newtown, Rosebery and Penrith at 11am). Gelato Messina's lemon meringue pie gelato hot tubs will be available to order on Tuesday, April 26 for pick up between Friday, May 6–Sunday, May 8. Head to the Messina website for further details.
Picture this: you're on a weekend escape in the Central Coast and you've just spent your day at the beach, swimming and baking in the sun, or going on an invigorating walk along the Bouddi Coastal Trail. As the sun starts to dip, you (like us) might start contemplating a refreshing cocktail or two. Which is fair, you're on holidays after all. For this, there are many options, but if you're near Terrigal, you'll want to head to Pocket Bar. Sister to Sydney's Stitch Bar and Button Bar, Pocket Bar is situated opposite the beach and pairs modern twists on classic cocktails with fun bar snacks. For drinks, you'll be sipping on the likes of a watermelon martini ($19), a raspberry lolly-inspired daiquiri ($18), the Gold Digger ($18) — the bar's version of a whisky sour with honey, chocolate liqueur, amaretto and burned coconut — and a maple-infused highball ($18). If you're hungry, there are plenty of dishes with which to line your stomach. Think wild mushroom arancini ($10), cheeseburger spring rolls ($18), beer-soaked corn ($9), chilli salt squid ($12) and jerk chicken wings ($12).
Which franchise adores sand, has hopped between the big and small screens across four decades, is equally famous for the movie that didn't end up getting made, and has a date with streaming queues via a new prequel series in November 2024 — in the same year that it last graced cinemas? That'd be Dune. 2024 is a double Dune year. First, Dune: Part Two brought the science-fiction franchise back to picture palaces with help from director Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049), plus stars Timothée Chalamet (Wonka) and Zendaya (Euphoria). Next, television's Dune: Prophecy will arrive before spring is out. A six-part prequel series from HBO, it's set 10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atreides — and, as both the first and second teaser trailers show, plus the just-dropped full trailer, this is a time when sacrifices must be made. Dune: Prophecy marks this book-to-screen universe's return to the small screen. Over the past 40 years, the saga started on the page by Frank Herbert has hit cinemas three times so far, including David Lynch's 1984 film and Villeneuve's 2021 standout Dune: Part One. In the 00s, it also spread sand across TV via two miniseries. Everything in pop culture has to span both movies and television at the same time these days, however, hence Dune: Prophecy — even though the tale of Paul, aka sci-fi's spiciest man, is set to continue in a third Dune film that doesn't yet have a release date. Come Monday, November 18, including via Binge in Australia, Dune: Prophecy will follow the sect that gives rise to the Bene Gesserit, the sisterhood that secretly sways the universe. In the debut sneak peek back in May, the narration explained how the faction formed, and was "assigned to the great houses to help them sift truth from lies" — but also noted that that power comes with a price. The second and third glimpses each double down on the costs and chaos, as well as the scheming and subterfuge. And yes, there's also sandworms. Across all three trailers, cue plenty of plotting, lurking in dramatically shadowy spaces, rituals, battles, confrontations and marriages. The focus falls on two Harkonnen sisters — part of the same family that includes Stellan Skarsgard's (Andor) Baron Harkonnen, Dave Bautista's (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) Rabban and Austin Butler's (The Bikeriders) Feyd-Rautha in the movies — who are attempting to sure up humanity's future. Dune: Prophecy is inspired by Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson's novel Sisterhood of Dune, and features Emily Watson (Small Things Like These), Olivia Williams (The Crown), Jodhi May (Renegade Nell), Mark Strong (Tár), Sarah-Sofie Boussnina (The Colony) and Jessica Barden (You & Me) among the cast. Down Under viewers will also spot a heap of Australian talent, such as Travis Fimmel (Boy Swallows Universe), Josh Heuston (Heartbreak High), Shalom Brune-Franklin (Baby Reindeer), Yerin Ha (Halo) and Brendan Cowell (The Castaways). Check out the full trailer for Dune: Prophecy below: Dune: Prophecy will stream from Monday, November 18, 2024, including via Binge in Australia. Read our reviews of Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two, and our interview with cinematographer Greig Fraser.
For all the talk of the inner west becoming a culinary Brooklyn to Sydney's Manhattan — a stretch given the much smaller person-to-band ratio and number of restaurants — there's been little movement in the finer dining scene in the past year. There was Hartsyard, Spencer Gutherie and Sixpenny, and then it went quiet. Congrats to former The Bridge Room and Quay chef Jason Saxby and front-of-house man Mark Russo for opening this new Italian joint bang in the middle of Enmore Road, which has been revitalised with the aforementioned Hartsyard. Yes, it looks like a set from The Godfather and, yes, there's 'old world charm' mixed with nouveau Mediterranean cooking, and not like your mama used to make. Much has already been made of the quaint curtains on the front windows, the faintly tacky paintings on the walls and the menus stuck in vintage hardback books. It's not exactly gloss rather a dusty cover to the meals. Saxby bent the norm at The Bridge Room with nice, quirky takes on traditional dishes, but he's free from the semi-corporate environment there. It's almost a surprise to have a chef of such standing in humble Enmore Road, amid the takeaway chippers and bottle shops. Saxby is still finding his feet and so the menu and specials are in flux at the moment, or at least the basic ingredients. What will be present among the pages of whatever novella you find at your table is a neat little bowl of fried school prawns with deep-fried broccoli and almonds, and a side plate of tomato and capsicum salsa rossa. There are no Italian standards on the menu, but rather busy, fussy dishes such as the wild hare ragu intertwined with scarlet red, hand-rolled beetroot pasta ($24). The glazed beef cheeks with semolina gnocchi, broad beans and radicchio ($28) is a hit, too, but the desserts oddly fall flat after the previous dishes. The semifreddo ($16) is an odd mix of thyme, strawberry and balsamic vinegar, while the chocolate, hazelnut deconstructed 'rocher' ($16) is overly familiar in one form or another in restaurants these days, and is the only non-surprise on the menu. Russo and Russo have opened at the right time — the food is wintery, warm and welcoming, much like the restaurant itself.
After being sold for more than $9 million in 2017, the Verandah is back with not one but two newly energized spaces. Owners Simon Tilley and Nick Wills have updated the 17-year old spot with an escapist jungle theme that'll have you ready for an island holiday. The new layout consists of two different settings fit for an array of occasions: a sit-down restaurant with Social at Verandah and the Verandah Bar for after-work drinks and nibbles. Notes of lush greenery and tropical getaway vibes are woven throughout the two spaces for a consistently cool atmosphere. Plus, the space has gained AHA Chef of the Year Brad Sloan who's curated a menu focused on native produce. Social at Verandah is the go-to spot for a dinner date or a meal with friends. Settle in for creative fares and a foliage-surrounded atmosphere featuring an intriguing mural by Chris Nixon. When it comes to food, the menu offers an array of different flavours and cuisines. Start with oysters ($4 each) or kangaroo tartare ($21) for entrees, then dive into a nettle gnocchi ($32) or a wagyu steak ($35). The Verandah Bar continues the tropical holiday theme with plants hanging from the roof and curved banquets. It's curated a food menu that adds flare to classic bar fares, like the pepperoni pizza with pork belly ($20) and Faloumi Burger ($17): a haloumi and falafel hybrid. The drinks menus for both spaces feature a global wine and spirits list, whiskey and gin choosings and tasty cocktail pitchers, like the White Peach Sparkling Sangria ($38) — perfect for sharing with friends.
Govindas is a bit of an odd one, yet it's a true Sydney institution. This Darlinghurst vegetarian restaurant also operates as a boutique cinema and a quiet space dedicated to yoga, chanting and 'uplifting the consciousness'. A proper evening at Govindas is a cinematic as well as culinary experience – and at $38.80 for dinner and a movie, it's one of the most whimsical and cost-effective date options on offer. The buffet features countless delights from India and beyond. Indulge in unlimited trips to the food table and sample all that the spread has to offer: no two nights are ever the same. You will find a few staples, including Indian dahl soup, vegetable curry, baked penne pasta, lentil pie, potato au gratin, cauliflower pakoras, potato wedges, rice and poppadoms. We love the scrumptious kofta balls in creamy tomato sauce and large veggie samosas. The movie room is upstairs and patrons are invited to kick off their shoes and recline on floor cushions, couches or tub chairs. There are generally five films to choose from each night, all at different times, and these tend to cover the current release art house range pretty solidly. Updated: August 2019. Image: Trent Van der jagt.
Gear up with SPF30+ and broad-brimmed sunhats and squeeze the most out of the last days of summer. It can’t be time to put actual pants on and face up to the changing seasons. We’re already nostalgic for long, lazy afternoons of Redleaf Paddle Pops, pining for balmy cider-fuelled nights outside the Speigeltent, disdainful toward slight jacket-prompting breezes offensively well before sundown. Never fear, there's still plenty of summer lovin' to have you a blast. We've pulled together a few ideas to help you truly squeeze the last unruly droplets of sticky, sweaty, daylight savings-y goodness out of summer. Just remember to be a total legend and whack on some sunscreen and a hat before you head out; that summer sun ain't goin' nowhere yet and Sydney's UV rays are pretty brutal all the way through autumn too. Check out Pretty Shady for their (free) go-to skin savers and get out there. SWIM: WATTAMOLLA As far as watery outdoor day trips go, Wattamolla has everything — not only a waterfall but a lagoon and a beach to boot. Reaching the 7m high waterfall requires a 50m swim from the lagoon’s edge. Some people attempt a shortcut by jumping straight in, but that’s actually against National Parks and Wildlife regulations. After a swim, relax in the shade of cabbage tree palms, take a bush walk or spend the rest of the day looking out for sea eagles and oystercatchers. Wattamolla is a 50-minute drive from the Sydney CBD, in the eastern section of the Royal National Park. Just be sure to bring along your ol' friend SPF30+ and your best broad-brimmed hat — the sun can get through those trees alright. Check out Pretty Shady for their (free) go-to skin savers. Wattamolla has one of the best five waterfalls near Sydney. Check out the rest here. Royal National Park, Sydney's South Coast. PLAY: CLARK ISLAND Clark Island boasts the urinal with the best view in the entire city. It’s an en plein air affair, carved into the natural rock and facing Darling Point’s multi-million dollar mansions. The island’s other claims to fame lie in agriculture: it’s the only place in the Sydney Basin where rare rainforest tree celery wood grows, and back in the 18th century, it hosted one of the colony’s first vegetable gardens. To get there, grab a water taxi, take your own boat or get your paddle power on. Let the Sydney Harbour National Park Information Centre know you’re going by calling (02) 9253 0880. Just be careful of that sun. Check out Pretty Shady for free tips. Check out our Guide to Sydney's Islands here. Clark Island, Sydney Harbour. EAT/DRINK: BEACH HOUSE BY GPO Forget sandy sandwiches. Next time you visit Balmoral Beach, congratulate yourself on your sun-safe prowess and splash out on exquisite Italian fare at Beach House by GPO. Just like the parking, this seaside cafe fills up pretty quickly, but if you don’t score a table, the takeaway fish and chips are a shore thing. Formerly Awaba Cafe, this spot was snapped up by Peter Petroulas, adding to his GPO collection, which includes Prime and Intermezzo. Retaining its nonplussed charm, the contemporary interior features an open shopfront, making the most of sea breezes and waterfront views. Patrons are welcomed in with sandy towels and dripping hair and offered a comfortable spot to enjoy a civilised lunch and a glass of prosecco. Read our full review here. 67 The Esplanade, Balmoral. SHOP: REPRESSED RECORDS Let the team at Repressed Records push the perfect summer LP into your hands. If you’ve got a loved one who’s losing all their funds supporting the local Sydney music scene and buying the latest LP from the newest punk/alt act, feed the habit and direct them toward Newtown's Repressed Records. The team at Repressed are champions of Australian independent music and always have something amazing in stock they can’t wait to get you listening to — plus, if you're having a summer barbecue and need the perfect soundtrack, they can supply more than 'Run to Paradise' on repeat. 356 King Street, Newtown. Check out Pretty Shady for more summer tips and ideas on how to beat that dastardly sun at its own game. By the Concrete Playground team.
Melbourne's skyline is looking up, with the city gaining another huge tower that's not only the Victorian capital's new tallest building, but also the tallest residential building in the whole Southern Hemisphere. Named Australia 108, the Southbank building features 100 storeys soaring 319 metres high, which is more than 20 metres above the city's previous tallest building, the 88-storey, 297.3-metre-tall Eureka Tower. It comes just under Gold Coast's 332.5-metre-tall Q1, though, which still holds the title of Australia's tallest building. Designed by architects Fender Katsalidis, who also led the design of the Eureka Tower, together with World Class Global, the tower's apartments are currently three-quarters complete. The building also has a two-storey Star Club — within the protruding gold Starburst, inspired by the Commonwealth star on the Australian flag — which is home to two infinity pools, dining rooms, gyms and lounge areas. Apartments are split into the Sky Rise Residences (up to level 67) and the luxury Cloud Residences (from level 72 and above). But, they're going for a pretty penny. According to Realestate.com.au, the main penthouse sold for $25 and a two-storey apartment on level 90-91 was on the market for a bargain $10 million. The building officially took out the title as Melbourne's tallest building when it 'topped out' earlier this week, which means the roof is now complete. Australia 108 is slated for completion at 70 Southbank Boulevard, Southbank by the end of September, 2020. For more information, head to the website.
Recent visitors to Glebe's waterfront will have noticed a behemoth emerging from Blackwattle Bay. The superstructure of the new Sydney Fish Market is fast approaching completion, with the innovative undulating timber beams for the wave-like roof now taking shape. While the opening of the new dining hotspot is still several months away (the original opening date of late 2024 has been pushed back to early next year), newly released renders have revealed a glimpse of how this architectural marvel will look when it's finally finished. A new foreshore boardwalk connecting with Bridge Road will offer a shady stroll to visitors as they make their way towards to new Fish Market complex, while a new urban park will create a new harbourside green space for locals and visitors to enjoy. Inside the market, there will be multiple levels of restaurants, retail outlets and produce stores, while overhead, the distinctive scoop of the timbre lattice roof lets in plenty of natural light. When it opens, an estimated six million visitors will flock to Glebe annually to visit the new markets, and with good reason if the latest announcement is anything to go by. Working with Sydney Fish Market, Placemaking NSW — the future operator of the new market site — has released news of the food and beverage offering visitors can expect to find alongside the popular local seafood traders. The biggest get for the Fish Market is a new Southeast Asian diner by celebrity chef Luke Nguyen, which will be operated by Dolton Hospitality Group. A title for the new venue or details of its menu are yet to be announced, but with such a well-known name at the helm, it's set to be a major drawcard. A new outlet from the award-winning and multi-hatted Malaysian hawker restaurant Ho Jiak is another big win for the Fish Market. Diners can expect the tasty street food favourites that have made the chain such a popular Harbour City mainstay. Po Boys, operated by Trippas White Group has been inspired by the cuisine of the Southern USA and the laidback vibes of the East Coast of Australia. The menu will star lobster, burgers, craft beers and of course, the house speciality, po boys, the infamous hot sandwiches from Louisiana. Speaking of sandwiches, Banh Mi & Phin, the debut venue by seasoned hospo professionals Hailey Nghiem and Charlie Dinh, will offer Vietnamese street food with a focus on fresh salads, rice paper rolls and of course, traditional filled baguettes. Asian cuisine will be well represented at the Fish Market. Nanjing Dumplings will feature both traditional and specialty dumplings. It will also be one of the only places in Sydney where diners can sample Nanjing-style xiao long bao — the doughier, slightly sweeter cousin of Shanghai's famous soup dumplings. Meanwhile, the Japanese Collective will serve classic izakaya fare including ramen, donburi and seafood BBQ. It will also boast a dedicated sake bar. There will be plenty to quench the thirst of visitors, including a new outlet for Glebe Point Road favourite Dirty Red, which will serve an extensive bar and cocktail menu and a variety of shared plates; Taiwanese boba bar Gotcha Fresh Tea, which farms its own tea at Taiwan's Mount Ali, and brews each beverage to order; and Aussie company Top Juice, which uses exclusively homegrown produce in its juices and smoothies. The talented baristas of Stitch Coffee will also be on hand to deliver that all-important caffeine fix to any early-morning fish-seekers shopping for the freshest catch of the day. Award-winning family-run artisan gelato company Cow & The Moon rounds out the hospitality offering at the new Sydney Fish Market, so expect to be strolling the new Blackwattle boardwalk with a cone in hand early next year. Images: NSW Government
For 13 years, marking International Women's Day with talks, panels, workshops and performances about gender, equality and justice has been as easy as attending All About Women. The annual festival arrives each March with a packed lineup — and it's the kind of event where riot grrrl pioneers Bikini Kill can be on the same bill as child actor-turned-I'm Glad My Mom Died author Jennette McCurdy, as happened in 2023; and where Yellowface author Rebecca F Kuang and Roman Empire scholar Mary Beard can also headline the program, as 2024 delivered. In 2025, Kate Berlant and Gina Chick are two of All About Women's big names — and two of the festival's first-announced talents. The full lineup won't release until January, but the event has dropped a few details in advance. Also included now: the fact that the Feminist Roast will return when the fest runs across Saturday, March 8–Sunday, March 9. Berlant is making her first trip Down Under, with the comedian and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Don't Worry Darling and A League of Their Own actor set to debut a new stand-up show. Alone Australia's first-season winner Chick is on the bill fresh from releasing her memoir We Are the Stars in October, and will chat about following your own path, grief and resourcefulness. Overseeing the program this time: the Sydney Opera House Talks & Ideas team, as led by Chip Rolley, alongside 10 News First's Narelda Jacobs and actor and writer Michelle Law. Their festival will open with the Feminist Roast, complete with past All About Women co-curator Nakkiah Lui, All I Ever Wanted Was to Be Hot debut author Lucinda 'Froomes' Price, comedian Steph Tisdell and Aunty Donna collaborator Michelle Brasier taking part. More international and Australian artists, thinkers and storytellers will join the lineup when the full details are unveiled — and there'll be room for plenty given that Sydney Opera House's key feminist festival is back to a two-day run, after expanding to the same length in 2022 and then to three in 2023, before returning to a one-day stint in 2024. "Everyone is in for a treat with never-before-seen comedy from Kate Berlant, an opportunity to plant our bare feet firmly on the ground and find peace of mind with Gina Chick, and the return of crowd favourite Feminist Roast — where much-loved comedians and writers celebrate, and take the piss out of, the movement we love. There's plenty more to come in the new year too, including enriching and challenging events spearheaded by our formidable co-curators," said Rolley. "There is so much power in women and non-binary folks coming together to talk about the issues we are facing, whether that's in our workplaces and homes, throughout our country or the world," added Jacobs. "The events I've co-curated are inspired by hot topics that dominate conversations with the women in my life — from the transformations women undergo at pivotal points in their lives, to the ways modern culture rejigs and repeats old stereotypes. We'll be having some cracker discussions that I'm sure will continue beyond the steps of the Opera House!" noted Law. All About Women 2025 will take place on Saturday, March 8–Sunday, March 9 at the Sydney Opera House. The full program will release in January 2025 — check back here then for further details. Tickets for the just-announced first sessions go on sale at 9am on Thursday, November 28, with pre sales from 9am on Tuesday, November 26, 2024. Head to the event's website for more details. All About Women images: Jaimi Joy, Jacquie Manning and Prudence Upton.
"You'll flip over our burgers" is the catch cry of this American diner which serves up indulgent food and good ol' fashion fun. There's rock 'n' roll tunes, mirrors galore, stools that spin and themed outfits for the waitstaff. Oh, and they have some American fizzy drinks — grape Fanta anyone? It's a dentist's nightmare in a can. Batch Burger delivers everything you'd expect from an American-style diner menu. For breakfast try the American stack with fried egg, American bacon and maple syrup ($15). It's bound to make any home sick American weep with joy over the sweet and savoury combo. If you're starving (read: hungover), try the good value big breakfast ($16) and wash it down with a cold drip coffee which changes weekly ($4). Or be a bit more adventurous with a root beer float ($6). The cheeseburger grande ($12.50) can't be ignored. It's full of bacon, cheese and tomato, with American mustard (of course) and fruit relish on a seeded brioche bun. And the tell-tale sign of a good burger place? When they ask how you want your beef burger cooked (and when they cook it to perfection). The fries (side $2.50) were indeed fries. Nothing special. And the corn ($4) was a bit sad and dried out — with faux grill marks and lacking the juicy corn crunch you'd expect. It wasn't quite the paprika and lime mayo experience that the menu spoke of. There are also salad options. But no-one's really there for the salad. To finish, there's the option of a soft serve cone ($3) and for an extra 50 cents scatter on some chocolate and nuts. The food is far from fancy, but that's not what this place is trying to do. It's the full on diner experience, but just down the road from the Prime Minister's Lodge. Much cheaper than an airfare to the US of A, and perfect for the expat friend catch-up. The burgers are juicy and delicious, and full of those all American condiments and relishes that make people drool. It's also got the novelty factor working for it. While some dishes aren't amazing, some are just meant to be simple. Image credit: Andrew Worssam Photography
You've already marked your calendars. If you live in a regional town, you've already submitted the part of Australia that you call home to go in the running to host, too. Now, it's time to find out who'll be playing when Triple J's One Night Stand returns on Saturday, September 14, 2024 — but you'll still have to wait to discover where the music festival is taking place this year. Leading the lineup: G Flip, Ruel, What So Not with some friends and Thelma Plum. Amid their sing-alongs and jam-packed dance floors, they'll have company on the bill from Sycco and DICE. One Night Stand 2024 will also feature a competition winner from Unearthed, and there'll be special guests as well for the event's long-awaited comeback. As for the location, as picked from a huge 2087 submissions, that'll be revealed on Thursday, July 25 — and tickets on sale at 9am the same day. Twenty years ago, the ABC station gave the Victorian town of Natimuk a day to remember when the spot 300 kilometres out of Melbourne hosted its very own major music fest, with Grinspoon, Eskimo Joe and The Dissociatives (aka Daniel Johns and Paul Mac) all getting behind the microphone. So began One Night Stand, which became a yearly tradition, with Triple J putting on a fest in different regional locations every year between 2004–2014, then again from 2016–2019. There's no prizes for guessing why One Night Stand hasn't taken place since 2020, but that gap in the event's history is finally coming to an end this year. Triple J announced the return of the festival back in April, then opened the call for folks to submit their towns to play host — and make a convincing case about their area — before one lucky place is chosen. The all-ages event is returning at time when the Australian live music scene has been suffering, and after a spate of festivals have been cancelling or saying farewell forever. In 2024 alone, both Groovin the Moo and Splendour in the Grass announced lineups, then scrapped this year's fests mere weeks later. Summergrounds Music Festival, which was meant to debut at Sydney Festival 2024, also didn't go ahead. As announced in 2023, Dark Mofo took a breather this year — and Mona Foma, the summer fest also held by Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art, has advised that its 2024 event was its last ever. With the state of the industry in mind, bringing back One Night Stand is not only much-needed and well-timed, but will also raise funds Support Act, the charity for the Australian music industry. In the past, the event has also been to Ayr, Dalby and Mt Isa in Queensland; Port Pirie, Tumby Bay and Lucindale in South Australia; Cowra and Dubbo in New South Wales; Collie and Geraldton in Western Australia; Sale and Mildura in Victoria; Alice Springs in the Northern Territory; and St Helens in Tasmania. One Night Stand Lineup 2024: G Flip Ruel What So Not + Friends Thelma Plum Sycco DICE triple j Unearthed Competition Winner + special guests 2024's triple j One Night Stand will take place on Saturday, September 14, with location details set to be revealed on Thursday, July 25 — and tickets on sale at 9am the same day. For more information in the interim, head to the radio station's website for more details. Top image: Callum Walker Hutchinson.
Landlocked surfers of Melbourne, rejoice — Australia's first surf park has finally announced its opening date. And it's a whole lot closer to the city than Torquay or the Peninsula. Urbnsurf Melbourne will officially open in Tullamarine, near the airport, just 16-kilometres north of the CBD, on Monday, January 6. Plans for the park first surfaced way back in 2016 and, while the team was initially hoping for a spring opening, Urbnsurf is finally opening its doors this summer. The two-hectare space is powering up to 1000 waves per hour — day and night — with the waves coming from an 85-metre pier running down the centre of the lagoon. A series of pistons located on the pier push the water to the left, then to the right, to create the waves. Being ability to create waves means that the park is built for both pros who are looking for steep, barrelling waves and novices looking for a safe place to get their start in the surf. [caption id="attachment_756496" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Courtesy of Urbnsurf and Ed Sloane[/caption] The waves are split into three sections: The Bays (beginner) with gentle rolling waves; The Point (intermediate) with 1-1.5 metre, mid-range turn waves; and The Point (advanced) with steep, long, barrelling waves up to two-metres-high with high-octane turns. At Urbnsurf, founder Andrew Ross predicts most novices will stand on their board within an hour and ride across the green face within two. And not only will you get guaranteed waves — you won't be fighting for them. The park holds a maximum of 24 riders in The Bays and 18 on each side of The Point. [caption id="attachment_756495" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Courtesy Urbnsurf and Stu Gibson[/caption] You'll be able to experience all of these waves for a very reasonable price, too, with one-hour sessions starting at just $25 for adults and lessons from $69. If you see yourself becoming an Urbnsurf regular, you can also splash out on a discounted ten-pack of sessions ($620 for beginners, $700 for pros) and monthly memberships, which start at $100 a month. More of a watch-and-cheer than a tumble-around-in-the-water person? All-day spectator passes are also available for just $5 — and they get you access to the day beds, cabanas and hot tubs (when they open in autumn). If you need a break between sessions on the water, Urbnsurf will also be home to a new two-storey restaurant by the owners of Sydney's Three Blue Ducks, which is set to open in early autumn. Until then, pop-ups by a heap of Melbourne's favourite food trucks, bars and eateries will look after the food and drinks. If you're not in Melbourne, you'll be happy to know that a second Urbnsurf is set to open at Sydney Olympic Park in 2021. Find Urbnsurf from Monday, January 6, near Melbourne Airport. It's open from 6am–10pm in summer and 9am–6pm in winter. You can now book in for surf sessions, surf lessons and spectator passes on the website. Images: Courtesy Urbnsurf, Ed Sloane and Stu Gibson.
Regular Blue Mountains visitors and new explorers alike will be awestruck by the Capertee Valley, the second-largest canyon in the world. The mighty sandstone escarpment drops into a deep chasm of bush and grasslands that's a hiker's haven. If you're not so keen on climbing, easily accessible vantage points such as Pearsons Lookout let you gaze upon magnificent formations like Pantoneys Crown — a flat-topped monolith structure — without all the work. Campers can set up at the main grounds by the Capertee River, or you can find charming private accommodation around the valley, including three bubble tents with 360-degree views and outdoor woodfired baths. Image: Destination NSW
One thing is certain: the Affordable Art Fair is one of the best opportunities to refresh your home with a little more colour and flair. And with the Sydney edition headed to Carriageworks for the first time from Thursday, November 6–Sunday, November 9, getting to know the program ensures you not only discover great pieces from leading galleries, but also catch all the unskippable live events, kid-friendly encounters and foodie endeavours. Joining over 65 galleries in attendance, Surry Hills' N Smith Gallery is bringing its artist roster to the event for the first time, including Sulman Prize winners Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro, as well as award-winning First Nations artist Sally Scales. Plus, other Sydney galleries making their hometown debut are Paddington's Art2Muse Gallery, Pyrmont's Audrey Fine Art and Woolloomooloo's Frances Keevil Gallery. "Our new venue allows the event to grow its footprint and impact, while staying true to its mission of making art accessible, affordable and exciting for all," says Australian Fair Director Georgia Huestis, estimating that 14,000 art-lovers will roam the venue across its four jam-packed days. The Artist in Action live demonstrations return once more, featuring renowned creatives like Brad Turner, Joanna Davies, Wendi Leigh and the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative. Melbourne-based artist Jackie Case's Art ATM will also reappear, with visitors inserting a drawing idea only to have it emerge from the machine shortly after. Meanwhile, Jason Parker will debut his large-scale suspended rotating floral mural, in addition to completing a six-metre work he began on-site at the Melbourne event. As you browse the huge collections on display — priced from $100 and $10,000, as always — sip back a glass of sparkling from the new Bird in Hand Wine Bar. Families should also make tracks for a newly unveiled Children's Art Studio, curated by artist Tenyka Jay. Here, kids of all ages can explore an underwater wonderland filled with sea life and submarines, from a seven-metre hand-painted mural to watercolour whales and free face painting. "Affordable Art Fair is hands-down the easiest and most enjoyable way to explore and buy art, whether you're hunting for your first piece or your fiftieth," says Huestis. "Everything is from a living artist, prices are clearly listed and you can take your new artwork home on the day. What's not to love?" Affordable Art Fair Sydney is happening Thursday, November 6–Sunday, November 9, at Carriageworks. Head to the website for more information.
Two new platforms are about to join Australia and New Zealand's ever-growing streaming landscape: dedicated horror service Shudder and prestige film and TV outlet Sundance Now. Both are run by AMC Networks, the American company that's also responsible for producing and airing shows such as Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Mad Men and The Walking Dead. While Shudder focuses on all things suspenseful and spooky, Sundance Now — which, as you would've spotted, shares its name with a certain high-profile US film festival — focuses on award-winning movies, including documentaries and foreign-language flicks, plus drama, comedy and true crime television series. Exactly when they'll launch is yet to be announced, although both will be up and running in Australia and New Zealand by the end of this year. If you like paying for things upfront rather than monthly, you'll be happy to know that they're available in other countries, such as the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Germany and Austria, for an annual fee. Local pricing is yet to be revealed, but Shudder costs US$4.99 per month and $49.99 per year elsewhere, and Sundance Now costs US$6.99 per month and $59.99 per year. If you already have a Netflix or Stan subscription and you're wondering whether you really need to add another, perhaps the platforms' specific programming will tempt you — including new additions such as 80s-set horror Summer of 84, gory French effort Revenge and Indonesian supernatural thriller Satan's Slaves on Shudder, plus true crime docuseries Cold Blooded and Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle on Sundance Now. Shudder's classic horror game is also strong, should you like watching old scary movies, while Sundance Now boasts plenty of top international TV series. Given that some of the respective platforms' content already makes its way to our shores anyway — a selection of shows on Sundance Now air in Australia on SBS, for example — how existing rights deals might affect their Aussie and New Zealand lineup hasn't been revealed. For more information about the two platforms, and to keep an eye out for local launch dates, head to the Facebook pages for Shudder and Sundance Now. We'll keep you updated with news as it comes to hand.
Australia Street, Newtown, is home to Joe's Tavern, an intimate 30-seater paying homage to the timeless craft of hospitality. The latest venture from Paisano & Daughters (Continental Deli, Mister Grotto), the New York–inspired tavern is named after the hospo group's founding partner, Joe Valore, serving as both a tribute to his years of quiet generosity and mentorship and a celebration of classic food and drink. The considered one-page menu from Elvis Abrahanowicz (Porteño, Becasse) and Måns Engberg (Saint Peter, Au Passage, Paris) has no truck with trends. Instead, it champions dishes that never go out of style — think: prawn cocktail, devilled eggs and hearty steaks, plus sides like onion rings and béarnaise-topped asparagus. There's a focus on nose-to-tail cooking in both a dedicated offal selection and a section dubbed Parts & Labour, where whole animals are broken down in-house and transformed into large-format dishes that showcase time-honoured techniques. Elsewhere, Joe's 50/50 Burger blends lamb and beef in what Valore calls "the perfect ratio", while desserts by the group's acclaimed pastry chef Lauren Eldridge — including a PB&J ice cream sandwich and a standout Knickerbocker Glory — go all-in on nostalgia. This pared-back approach carries through to the cocktail program by Michael Nicolian (Continental Deli, London's award-winning Milk & Honey). It's a concise selection of classics (mint julep, anyone?) that spotlights gin and rum, executed with a quiet confidence and minimal fuss — the hallmarks of a true tavern. Despite its modest footprint, the venue packs plenty of personality. Portraits of culinary mentors and legends line the walls, a quiet nod to the figures who shaped the team's ethos — and a fitting reminder that in an age of fast openings and fleeting trends, the classics never go out of style. Images: Supplied.
Stay tuned. More info coming soon.
