Before the pandemic, when a new-release movie started playing in cinemas, audiences couldn't watch it on streaming, video on demand, DVD or blu-ray for a few months. But with the past few years forcing film industry to make quite a few changes — widespread movie theatre closures and plenty of people staying home in iso will do that — that's no longer always the case. Maybe you've been under the weather. Perhaps you haven't had time to make it to your local cinema lately. Given the hefty amount of films now releasing each week, maybe you simply missed something. Film distributors have been fast-tracking some of their new releases from cinemas to streaming recently — movies that might still be playing in theatres in some parts of the country, too. In preparation for your next couch session, here are eight that you can watch right now at home. JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 Almost a quarter-century has passed since Keanu Reeves uttered four iconic words: "I know kung fu". The Matrix's famous phrase was also the entire movie-going world's gain, because watching Reeves unleash martial-arts mayhem is one of cinema's purest pleasures. Notching up their fourth instalment with the obviously titled John Wick: Chapter 4, the John Wick flicks understand this. They couldn't do so better, harder, or in a bloodier fashion, in fact. Directed by Keanu's former stunt double Chad Stahelski, who helped him look like he did indeed know wushu back in the 90s, this assassin saga is built around the thrill of its star doing his violent but stylish best. Of course, The Matrix's Neo didn't just know kung fu, but gun fu — and Jonathan, as The Continental proprietor Winston (Ian McShane, Deadwood: The Movie) still likes to call him, helps turn bullet ballet into one helluva delight again and again (and again and again). Picking up where 2019's John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum left off, and once again so expertly and inventively executed that it's mesmerising, John Wick: Chapter 4 saddles its namesake with a new adversary: the Marquis (Bill Skarsgård, Barbarian), emissary of the death-for-hire business' powers-that-be, aka the High Table. After Wick puts the assassin realm's head honchos on notice during an early trip to the Middle East, the series' latest nefarious figure wants rid of him forever, wasting no time laying waste to the few things left that John loves. The Marquis has company, too — seeking a big payday in the case of the mercenary known as Tracker (Shamier Anderson, Son of the South), who has his own devoted dog; and due to a familiar deal with Caine (Donnie Yen, Mulan), a martial-arts whiz who is blind, and an old friend of John. That said, Wick has pals in this clash between the hitman establishment and its workers, which doubles as an eat-the-rich skirmish, including Winston, the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne, All the Old Knives), and the Osaka Continental's Shimazu (Hiroyuki Sanada, Bullet Train) and Akira (Rina Sawayama, Turn Up Charlie). John Wick: Chapter 4 is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. BEAU IS AFRAID Beau is afraid. Beau is anxious. Beau is alone. Beau is alive. Any of these three-word sentences would make a fitting name for Ari Aster's third feature, which sees its titular middle-aged figure not just worry about anything and everything, but watch his fears come true, concerns amplify and alienation grow — and then some. And, in the Hereditary and Midsommar filmmaker's reliably dread-inducing hands, no matter whether Beau (Joaquin Phoenix, C'mon C'mon) is wallowing in his apartment solo, being welcomed into someone else's family or stumbling upon a travelling theatre troupe in the woods, he knows that he's truly on his own in this strange, sad, surreal and savage world, too. More than that, he's well-aware that this is what life is inescapably like for all of us, regardless of how routine, chaotic or grand our individual journeys from emerging out of our mother's womb to sinking into death's eternal waters happen to prove. Aster has opted for Beau Is Afraid as a moniker, with this horror-meets-tragicomedy mind-bender a filmic ode to existential alarm — and, more than that, a picture that turns catastrophising into a feature. Psychiatrists will have a field day; however, experiencing the latest in the writer/director's growing line of guilt-dripping celluloid nightmares, so should viewers in general. Even with Chilean The Wolf House helmers Cristóbal León and Joaquin Cosiña lending their help to the three-hour movie's midsection, where animation adds another dreamlike dimension to a picture book-style play within an already fantastical-leaning flick frequently running on dream logic, Aster embraces his favourite deranged terrain again. He makes bold choices, doesn't think twice about challenging himself and his audience, elicits a stunning lead performance and dances with retina-searing imagery, all while pondering inherited trauma, the emotional ties that bind and the malevolence that comes with dependence. Beau Is Afraid is available to stream via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. BROKER No matter how Hirokazu Kore-eda's on-screen families come to be, if there's any actual blood between them, whether they're grifting in some way or where in the world they're located, the Japanese writer/director and Shoplifters Palme d'Or winner's work has become so beloved — so magnificent, too — due to his care and sincerity. A Kore-eda film is a film of immense empathy and, like Like Father, Like Son, Our Little Sister, After the Storm and The Third Murder also in the prolific talent's past decade, Broker is no different. The setup here is one of the filmmaker's murkiest, with the feature's name referring to the baby trade. But showing compassion and humanity isn't up for debate in Kore-eda's approach. He judges the reality of modern-day life that leads his characters to their actions, but doesn't judge his central figures. In the process, he makes poignant melodramas that are also deep and thoughtful character studies, and that get to the heart of the globe's ills like the most cutting slices of social realism. It isn't just to make a buck that debt-ridden laundromat owner Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho, Parasite) and orphanage-raised Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won, Peninsula) take infants abandoned to the Busan Family Church's 'baby box' — a chute that's exactly what it sounds like, available to mothers who know they can't embrace that part for whatever reason — then find good families to sell them to. There's a cash component, of course, but they're convinced that their gambit is better than letting children languish in the state system. In Kore-eda's usual kindhearted manner, Broker sees them with sensitivity. Even if blue hues didn't wash through the film's frames, nothing is ever black and white in the director's movies. The same understanding and tenderness flows towards mothers like So-young (Lee Ji-eun, Hotel Del Luna, aka K-Pop star IU), whose decision to leave Woo-sung (debutant Park Ji-yong) isn't easily made but puts Broker on its course. Broker is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. PEARL 70s-era porn, but make it a slasher flick: when Ti West's X marked the big-screen spot in 2022, that's one of the tricks it pulled. The playful, smart and gory horror standout also arrived with an extra spurt of good news, with West debuting it as part of a trilogy. 30s- and 40s-period technicolour, plus 50s musicals and melodramas, but splatter them with kills, genre thrills and ample blood spills: that's what the filmmaker behind cult favourites The House of the Devil and The Innkeepers now serves up with X prequel Pearl. Shot back to back with its predecessor, sharing mesmerising star Mia Goth (Emma), and co-written by her and West — penned during their two-week COVID-19 quarantine period getting into New Zealand to make the initial movie, in fact — it's a gleaming companion piece. It's also a savvy deepening and recontextualising of a must-see scary-movie franchise that's as much about desire, dreams and determination as notching up deaths. In one of her X roles, Goth was magnetic as aspiring adult-film actor Maxine Minx, a part she'll reprise in the trilogy's upcoming third instalment MaXXXine. As she proved first up and does again in Pearl, she plays nascent, yearning, shrewd and resolute with not just potency, but with a pivotal clash between fortitude and vulnerability; when one of Goth's youthful X Universe characters says that they're special or have the X factor, they do so with an astute blend of certainty, good ol' fashioned wishing and hoping, and naked self-convincing. This second effort's namesake, who Goth also brought to the screen in her elder years in X, wants to make it in the pictures, too. Looking to dance on her feet instead of horizontally, stardom is an escape (again), but Pearl's cruel mother Ruth (Tandi Wright, Creamerie), a religiously devout immigrant from Germany turned bitter from looking after her ailing husband (Mathew Sunderland, The Stranger), laughs at the idea. Pearl is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. POLITE SOCIETY Fists fly in Polite Society. Feet as well. When the latter aren't suspended in mid-air attempting to execute stunning kung-fu stunts, they just might be busting out their best Bollywood dance moves. Words are screamed and shouted, often between sisters Ria (Priya Kansara, Bridgerton) and Lena Khan (Ritu Arya, The Umbrella Academy), who are thick as thieves until they suddenly aren't. Schoolyard fights rumble like they've spilled straight out an action movie, which budding stuntperson Ria dreams of being in. Showdowns with Lena's future mother-in-law Raheela Shah (Nimra Bucha, Ms Marvel) could've burst from a Quentin Tarantino film. Espionage missions are undertaken by high schoolers, as are heists at a spectacular Muslim wedding in a lavish London mansion. Lena scoffs down a whole roast chicken on a public footpath like it's the only thing she's ever eaten. Ria and Lena free themselves from their angst by letting loose in their living room to The Chemical Brothers' dance-floor filler 'Free Yourself'. And being a dutiful member of her community is the absolute worst fate that could await an ass-kicking British Pakistani teenage girl. In other words, a little bit of everything happens in Polite Society, the anarchic and eye-popping debut feature from We Are Lady Parts creator Nida Manzoor. That includes nods to Jackie Chan movies and The Matrix, plus Bond-style antics and Ennio Morricone-esque music drops. Add in riffs on Get Out, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon-inspired wuxia, video-game flourishes, musical dance numbers, and nudges in Jane Austen and Crazy Rich Asians author Kevin Kwan's directions. Scott Pilgrim vs the World and Kill Bill leave imprints. When it examines intergenerational pressure, so do Everything Everywhere All At Once and Turning Red. Whatever this high-energy charmer throws at the screen, it always serves the narrative. It also showcases Manzoor's lively and bold filmmaking eye. But more importantly, Polite Society is the spin-kicking whirlwind it is because that's what it feels like to be a schoolgirl training in martial arts, yearning to pack a literal punch, desperate to become anything but what society demands and tired of being dictated to — and saddled with cultural expectations but determined to propel along one's own path in general, too. Polite Society is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. OF AN AGE You Won't Be Alone isn't just the name of Macedonian Australian writer/director Goran Stolevski's debut feature, which hit cinemas in 2022. It's also a phrase that applies now that his second film is here. Of an Age initially premiered in the same year as well, bowing in Melbourne International Film Festival's opening-night slot — and, while it tells of growing up queer in 90s Melbourne, falling in love for the first time, then sifting through the aftermath a decade later, it's a glorious companion piece to its predecessor. No one is chosen by a sorceress here. The place isn't Macedonia, the period isn't the 19th century and supernatural shapeshifting isn't part of the narrative. But even just a mere duo of movies into his helming career, Stolevski makes pictures that profoundly ruminate upon two of life's purest truths: that absolutely everything changes and, consequently, nothing completely lasts forever. 1999 is inching towards becoming Y2K when Of an Age begins, and 17-year-old Nikola aka Kol (Elias Anton, Australia Day) is only hours from taking to the floor at a Melbourne dance championship. That's how his day is meant to pan out, at least, and what he's preparing for when the film meets him practising his smooth ballroom moves in his suburban garage — conjuring up visions of John Travolta in a flick made famous two decades prior, in fact. Kol's ordinary morning fever breaks, however, thanks to friend and dance partner Ebony (Hattie Hook, Savage River) and her bender of an evening. She's awoken on the beach in Altona with no idea where she is, scrounging up change for the payphone call to say she thinks she'll miss the recital unless Kol can pick her up. To attempt to make his big performance, he has to convince Ebony's older brother Adam (Thom Green, Eden) to play taxi — and he's still all aflutter with anxiety, and just the inertia of being so keyed up from endeavouring to sort things out, when he slides into the twentysomething's brown car and feels sparks fly instantly. Of an Age is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. EVIL DEAD RISE There will be blood in Evil Dead Rise, the latest addition to the Evil Dead fold, and not just inking The Book of the Dead's pages. There's gallons of it, in fact, with assistance from an elevator overflowing with crimson liquid. Writer/director Lee Cronin is clearly happy to jump from his 2019 debut The Hole in the Ground to this beloved horror franchise while giving The Shining some love as well. And yet, nods to past Evil Dead films and scary fare in general aren't the main point of Evil Dead Rise, even though they're still there — loudly when "dead by dawn", words that are also part of Evil Dead II's title, is yelled. It shouldn't feel so rare to see a feature that isn't solely kept beating by gobbling up as many pieces of its predecessors as possible, but that's these nothing-must-die times. (When intellectual property is revived repeatedly by Hollywood's intonations, bringing back Evil Dead over and over couldn't be more appropriate.) Familiar swooping and whooshing camerawork kicks Evil Dead Rise into gear, though, knowingly so. In a clever touch, it stems from a is doing the shooting, not due to supernatural nefariousness. There's a remote abode in the woods — an A-frame shack this time, levelled up to match 2023's travel aesthetic — and unsettling things afoot; however, the bulk of the film takes place a day earlier. That's when guitar technician Beth (Lily Sullivan, Picnic at Hanging Rock) cuts out a the worldwide tour to surprise her sister Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland, New Gold Mountain). The latter is a tattoo artist and mother of three who has recently been left parenting solo, and is interrupted dying her hair 'cool mum' red when her sibling arrives. There's baggage between the pair, but there'll soon be viscera as well when Ellie's teenage son Danny (Morgan Davies, Blaze) finds a certain text — and, because he's a budding DJ, some dusty vinyl sporting words that no one in an Evil Dead movie should be saying or hearing. Evil Dead Rise is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THE SUPER MARIO BROS MOVIE It took 30 years, plus a warp pipe from live-action to animation, but Super Mario Bros finally gained a cinematic mushroom. While these are peak product-to-screen times — see also: The Last of Us, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, Tetris and Air, plus the upcoming Barbie, BlackBerry and latest Transformers flick — Nintendo's plumber siblings were long flushed out of movies thanks to their underperforming first outing. 1993's Bob Hoskins (Snow White and the Huntsman) and John Leguizamo (Violent Night)-starring film, the first-ever live-action video game film, isn't terrible. It followed its own dark path and hit its own wild blocks, something that stands out even more now that slavish obsession to intellectual property and franchise-building is king. If 2023's The Super Mario Bros Movie is a response to its predecessor, it's a happily dutiful one, doing its utmost to copy the video game. The strongest feeling it inspires: making viewers want to bust out their old NES or SNES or Game Boy, or emulators of any of them, or Nintendo's current Switch, and mash buttons as the red-capped, moustachioed, overalls-wearing Mario. In images that look like they've been ported straight from consoles, Italian Americans Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt, Thor: Love and Thunder) and Luigi (Charlie Day, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) essentially find themselves in the Super Mario Bros version of The Wizard of Oz. Like the 90s flick, they're also transported to another realm where a villainous creature lusts for power— Bowser (Jack Black, Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood) here, with an army of the turtle-like koopas doing his bidding. A sewer flood whisks Mario and Luigi out of their own world, after they try to fix it to drum up customers for their plumbing business. On the other side of the tunnel, Mario lands in the Mushroom Kingdom and Luigi ends up Bowser's prisoner. Cue a quest, including along the rainbow road, to reunite the brothers, stop Bowser and keep him away from Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy, The Menu) — who definitely isn't a damsel in distress, but the target of Bowser's obsessive affections. The Super Mario Bros Movie is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. Looking for more at-home viewing options? Take a look at our monthly streaming recommendations across new straight-to-digital films and TV shows — and fast-tracked highlights from January, February, March, April and May, too. You can also peruse our best new films, new TV shows, returning TV shows and straight-to-streaming movies, plus movies you might've missed and television standouts of 2022 you mightn't have gotten to.
Succession may be over, but the fight for the Iron Throne between half-siblings Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney, Rogue Heroes) and Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy, Mothering Sunday) is about to fill your streaming queue. Both want to rule the Seven Kingdoms. Both claim the famous seat as theirs. Both are destined for war — the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons — when House of the Dragon returns for season two. Fiery feuds are this show's baseline — this franchise's as well, since Game of Thrones was also full of them — so much so that when HBO last dropped a sneak peek at the upcoming second season, it did so with duelling trailers. Now, following the first teaser in late 2023 as well, the US network has followed with a full glimpse. Carnage, fire, dragons, conflicting factions, a trip to the north: they're all coming. So is watching House of the Dragon season two in winter, which is when it will arrive. If you haven't already, mark Monday, June 17, 2024 in your diary. And while a clash of Targaryens awaits, Rhaenyra knows that the role of ruler isn't about power but stability. "The Targaryen who sits the Iron Throne is not just a king or a queen — they are a protector of the realm," she says to open the new trailer. Also returning when the fray continues: Olivia Cooke (Slow Horses) as Alicent Hightower, Matt Smith (Morbius) as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Rhys Ifans (The King's Man) as Ser Otto Hightower, Eve Best (Nurse Jackie) as Rhaenys Targaryen and Steve Toussaint (It's a Sin) as Lord Corlys Velaryon, plus Fabien Frankel (The Serpent), Ewan Mitchell (Saltburn) and Sonoya Mizuno (Civil War). HBO is also adding new faces to the mix, with Clinton Liberty (This Is Christmas) as Addam of Hull, Jamie Kenna (Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story) as Ser Alfred Broome, Kieran Bew (Warrior) as Hugh, Tom Bennett (Black Ops) as Ulf, Tom Taylor (Love at First Sight) as Lord Cregan Stark and Vincent Regan (One Piece) as Ser Rickard Thorne. They join Abubakar Salim (Napoleon) as Alyn of Hull, Gayle Rankin (Perry Mason) as Alys Rivers, Freddie Fox (The Great) as Ser Gwayne Hightower and Simon Russell Beale (Thor: Love and Thunder) as Ser Simon Strong among the season two newcomers. When it premieres in June, House of the Dragon's second season will arrive two years after the first debuted in 2022. Game of Thrones was always going to spark spinoff shows. Indeed, when HBO started thinking about doing a prequel six years ago, before the huge fantasy hit had even finished its run, it was hardly surprising. And, when the US network kept adding ideas to its list — including a Jon Snow-focused series with Kit Harington (Eternals) reprising his famous role, novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg and an animated GoT show, to name just a few prequels and spinoffs that've been considered, but may or may not actually come to fruition — absolutely no one was astonished. So far, just House of the Dragon has hit screens; however, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, the Dunk and Egg adaptation, is now due in 2025. With House of the Dragon, Game of Thrones' first spinoff jumps back into House Targaryen's history. When it initially roared into streaming queues, it became an instant success. Accordingly, as it delivered more complicated GoT realm relationships, flowing long blonde hair, dragons, stabbings and fights for power — and plenty to fuel a drinking game, as we created — it was quickly renewed for season two. The series kicked off 172 years before the birth of Daenerys and her whole dragon-flying, nephew-dating, power-seeking story, and gave HBO its largest American audience for any new original series in its history when it debuted. If you're thinking that House of the Dragon is basically a case of new show, same squabbles, as it was easy to foresee it would be, you're right. It's pretty much Game of Thrones with different faces bearing now well-known surnames — and more dragons. If you haven't yet caught up with the show so far, it dives into the battle for the Iron Throne before the one we all watched between 2011–19. Paddy Considine (The Third Day) started the series King Viserys — and it's exactly who should be his heir that sparked all the Succession-style fuss. The words "succession" and "successor" (and "heir" as well) got bandied around constantly, naturally. Also, Australian actors Milly Alcock and Ryan Corr were among the stars. This latest adaptation of George RR Martin's popular fantasy books — based on Fire & Blood, specifically — is bound to continue on for more than just two seasons, but that's all that's confirmed for the moment. Check out the full trailer for House of the Dragon season two below: House of the Dragon streams Down Under via Foxtel and Binge in Australia, and SoHo, Sky Go and Neon in New Zealand, with season two arriving on Monday, June 17, 2024. Read our full review of season one. Images: HBO.
It can't be easy coming up with new angles on the time-travelling thing, at least not until time travel actually becomes possible (at which point I plan to go back and pitch Back to the Future to studio execs before Robert Zemeckis is even born). So for that reason alone, Looper deserves fair credit. Not only does writer/director Rian Johnson (Brick) take the genre in a clever new direction, he playfully avoids all the mind-numbing exposition about paradoxes and so forth by saying to the audience: look, since you've already come along to this movie about time travel, let's just agree it works and skip past the whole 'how' part, okay? Fine by us. Set several decades into our future, it tells the story of a hit man, or 'looper', named Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), whose hooded and anonymous victims are sent back in time via mobsters living 30 years into his future. For the gangsters, looping provides expedient and untraceable assassination, while for Joe it's a lucrative profession in an otherwise debt-ridden dystopia. It also comes with a unique retirement plan: Loopers unwittingly assassinate their older selves in return for a massive pay day and precisely 30 more years of complete freedom in which to spend it. It's a kind of eerily desirable suicide, and the only hiccup is when a looper's older self (ie Joe Snr, played by Bruce Willis) manages to escape and throw the whole system into chaos. The film's fascinating premise gives rise to a novel motivation for its protagonist: Joe Jnr must track down and kill his older self so that he can retire and finally enjoy the good life before being sent back to be killed by his younger self 30 years later. They don't call it 'closing the loop' for nothing. Both lead actors put in excellent performances, though the make-up used to transform Gordon-Levitt into the younger Willis tend to distract more than they impress. There are also some fine supporting performances by Jeff Daniels as the loopers' contractor, and Emily Blunt as a no-nonsense farmer whose interactions with Joe Jnr flesh out the third act with both sentiment and suspense. Unlike other recent sci-fi offerings such as In Time and Surrogates, there's more to Looper than just a great idea. It's intelligently written, well paced, and achieves a commendable balance between dialogue and action. What's more, in a market increasingly flush with remakes and reboots, the discovery of something genuinely imaginative makes for more than a welcome surprise.
From agrarian restaurants and picturesque wineries to après-ski drinks, a foraging and cooking class, a farmers' market and even an oyster festival, Aotearoa New Zealand has a multitude of culinary experiences across every season. New Zealand's hospitality scene is known for using seasonal produce that's locally sourced or foraged, paired with drinks by local winemakers, brewers and distillers. To really take advantage of this mindful approach, time your visit with the epicurean experiences you want to sample or partake in, so you can savour the seasonal ingredients and admire the creative ways they're used. The beauty of Aotearoa New Zealand really starts to come to life through the different seasons. Cooler temperatures mean cosying up with award-winning cool-climate wines against views of the changing foliage and snowfall, while the warmer days of spring bring about al fresco dining, outdoor adventures and fresh seasonal produce. No matter when you visit, you're sure to be well looked after with a warm welcome and sense of manaakitanga, as locals share their knowledge and passion for the land. We teamed up with 100% Pure New Zealand to highlight some delectable drinking and dining destinations around New Zealand for each season, so you can plan your trip based on the time of year that most appeals to you. Flick the switch for seasonal dining experiences in autumn, winter and spring. Jump to switcher
If you're a soccer fan, you've probably nabbed tickets to the upcoming Western Sydney Wanderers versus Sydney FC Derby Match by now — it's taking over Parramatta's Bankwest Stadium on Saturday, May 1. The two rival teams are going head-to-head in what promises to be the biggest event in the Wanderers' season. But the party doesn't have to stop once the game wraps up. Parramatta has heaps of late-night bars that are perfect for celebratory kick-ons. Here are six spots that'll keep the good times rolling — and the good news is they're all less than a 20-minute walk from the stadium.
Turning hit movie franchises into TV shows is one of Warner Bros' current strategies, as HBO's recent and upcoming slate demonstrates. The Batman sparked The Penguin, the recent Dune movies are giving rise to Dune: Prophecy, and IT and Harry Potter are also getting the same small-screen treatment. With Game of Thrones, however, it looks like the company is set to take the opposite path. First came George RR Martin's books. Then Game of Thrones reached television, became a monstrous hit and, when it ended in 2019, sparked more TV. Prequel series House of the Dragon premiered in 2022, returned for season two in 2024 and has confirmed that it has two more runs to go before wrapping up with season four. The third Westeros-set series, called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, will arrive in 2025. More have been floated, but a stint on the big screen might also be in the works. As per The Hollywood Reporter, apparently a Game of Thrones movie is coming. The publication reports that the film is in its very early stages, and that there isn't any other details so far — "but the company is keen on exploring the idea of Westeros invading cinemas". Accordingly, what the film will be about, who will star, if any familiar characters will return, where it fits in the franchise's timeline, who'll direct and when it might reach viewers are all still unknown for now. But audiences have always known that all things Game of Thrones were never going to simply fade away. Given the saga's love of battles and dragons, and the special effects to bring them to life, making the move to silver screens is also far from a surprise. The latest development in the franchise's fortunes follows news earlier this year that the Jon Snow-focused sequel series that HBO was potentially producing is no longer happening, as confirmed by none other than Kit Harington himself. That show was set to explore Jon Snow's story after the events of Game of Thrones' eighth and final season. You might recall that that last batch of episodes were rather eventful for the character, even more than normal. He found out that he was born Aegon Targaryen, and that he has a claim to the Iron Throne. He also ditched Westeros — after being exiled — to head North of the Wall. Among the other Game of Thrones spinoff rumours, a second new series to the Targaryens has also been mentioned. And as for the forthcoming Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, it is based on the novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg, as has been rumoured for a few years now. The story follows knight Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg as they wander Westeros a century before the events of GoT, when the Targaryens remain on the Iron Throne and everyone still remembers dragons. There's obviously no trailer for the Game of Thrones movie yet, but check out HBO's most recent sneak peek of its upcoming releases, including a glimpse at A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, below: The Game of Thrones movie doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you with more details when they're announced. Via: The Hollywood Reporter. Images: Helen Sloan/HBO.
There’s a rumbling in the north. The swift opening whoosh of shiny new doors, followed by a frantic cavalcade of foot traffic, as ravenous battalions of Sydneysiders clamber to taste test the newest offerings of the northern suburbs. From Cammeray to Cremorne, Mosman to Manly, there’s been a serious influx of contenders for the culinary crown of late — establishments somewhat under-appreciated by the more east-, west-, and southern-dwelling Sydneysiders. But winter is coming, and you’re going to want to know where to hole up. From Scandinavian-style eateries to quirky art bars, revamped bowling clubs to Italian jetty restaurants (and not to mention whatever Merivale is plotting in Newport), north Sydney's newest are staking their claim for the city's patronage — regardless of their crow-measured proximity from the CBD. Rally your troops and get amongst it. Correction: Mona Vale's La De Da bar was originally on this list. Unfortunately, we've since learned it's closed due to "operational costs proving too great". Better luck next time, Mona Vale.
The suburbs are twinkling. Yes, it's that time again: the merriest time of the year. If December to you means luminous festive decorations — November as well, or basically the second that Halloween is over — then simply driving through your neighbourhood can be jolly enjoyable. Wherever you look, there just might be a glowing set of Christmas lights sharing its seasonal merriment and brightening up the suburban streets. Of course, these lit-up displays really shouldn't cause such a fuss. They pop up everywhere every year, after all, and we're all well and truly aware of how electricity works. But glowing bulbs are just so hard to resist when it's the happiest portion of the calendar. Keen to scope out the best and brightest seasonal-themed houses and yards? An Australian website called Christmas Lights Search is likely to pique your interest, especially given that it has been updated for 2024. [caption id="attachment_882324" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Donaldytong via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Christmas Lights Search is as nifty and handy as its name suggests, covering festive displays all around the country. To locate all the spots that you should head to, it's as easy as entering your postcode or suburb — or those of places nearby — and letting the site deliver the relevant options. Plus, it also rates the lights displays, if you want to either go big or stay home. It's constantly being updated as well, so, like the best combos of glowing trees, sparkling bulbs and oversized Santas, you might want to check it out more than once. When you pick an individual address listed on the site, you'll be greeted with some key information, too. The level of detail varies per listing, but expect to potentially peruse photos, the ideal hours to swing by, a date range and a description of what's on offer. All that's left is to get searching, plot out where you'll be heading every night between now and Christmas Eve, and get ready to see oh-so-many reindeer, candy canes and snowmen. Putting up your own Christmas lights for the neighbourhood to see? Spotted something in your travels that you think everyone else would like to check out? You can add both to Christmas Lights Search as well. [caption id="attachment_882325" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] To find festive displays near you, head to the Christmas Lights Search website.
Summer might officially be over, but that by no means means you have to head straight home after work. In fact, Armorica, a French brasserie in Surry Hills (and sibling of Franca, Potts Point) is suggesting you do just the opposite. The restaurant is luring you to hang around town with a happy hour deal that's hard to refuse. Between 4pm–6pm, with just $6 in your hand, you can indulge in a glass of rosé, a beer or a serving of charcuterie. This excellent deal has been on offer for a little while – and Armorica has just announced it won't be going anywhere soon. So many people have been getting on the bandwagon, it doesn't make sense to stop. After 6pm, you might, of course, be tempted to stick around to try a little more of the menu. Standouts include the seafood tower layered with fresh oysters and grilled prawns, the slow-cooked duck rigatoni, and the whole chicken served with chicken skin and thyme-infused gravy. You'll have no trouble finding a perfect match in the 400-strong wine menu.
“Living together alone is hell between consenting adults" according to Michel Houellebecq. Porn.Cake, (written by Vanessa Bates and directed by Shannon Murphy) first played to Melbourne audiences at the Malthouse and is on now at Griffin Theatre 'til the 14th of July. If you’re expecting cakes in the shape of naughty body parts: don’t. The producers have opted for standard cake, lovely cake in fact, made by the bakers at the Epicurean Kitchen. Speaking of Epicurus, it’s strange that he is now associated with gluttony and indulgence, when he was really just a hippy who believed that the good life meant spending quality time with friends and family over a modest bowl of soup. Porn.Cake is a world apart from the Epicurean ideal. We meet two mirror-image couples living the middle class domestic dream, who are sick of their respective partners and are unable to communicate let alone copulate. The women are obsessed by their diminishing attractiveness and the men are forever texting about a "business matter". Cake acts a cover for their unfulfilled sexual desires and lack of connection. Porn.Cake’s premise is that "cake is the new porn". Just as porn stimulates a perpetual desire without fulfillment, cake promises sweet satisfaction without nourishment. Steve Toulmin’s sound design using snippets of Jamie and Nigella talking seductively about food in between scenes is pornographic in so far as it is full of promise, with the moment of satisfaction always out of reach. The performers eat cake mechanically, without the appreciation that Epicurus would have us note. In this way porn and food act as "points of entry" into the themes of isolation and existential dissatisfaction. (For more on this watch Steve McQueen’s Shame.) The piece is comprised of four monologues joined by scenes that repeat and morph as the evening progresses. The clunky opening monologue, performed by an otherwise entertaining Olivia Pigeot, falls short of the rest of the play. And this odd start means the play is a bit of a slow burn, but once it gets moving it’s thoroughly enjoyable. In particular, Georgina Symes’s monologue as the naturopath with a bee in her bonnet is excellent and hilarious. Be advised - you should go on an empty stomach, unless you have a truly voracious appetite for cake or porn or both. Image by Griffin Theatre.
The unassuming inner west suburb of Mortlake has more than a few tricks up its sleeve, one of which is a specialty coffee roaster. Wolfpack owners Daniel and Irene Plesko started off roasting in Mum's garage and have just moved into upgraded Mortlake warehouse and cafe digs — at which you can expect a damn fine coffee without pretension. The trade runs in the family — Irene's grandparents were leading figures in the coffee culture of Suva, Fiji, back in 1969, and installed the city's first espresso machine. Wolfpack, similarly, aims to make specialty coffee more accessible to the community. The cafe, fittingly dubbed The Den, is a minimalist space that continues the warehouse vibes of the roastery. All of the coffee is roasted onsite, so you know you're getting a supremely fresh cuppa. While takeaway is, of course, on offer, we recommend pulling up a seat (indoor or out) and revelling in the whole 'beans-to-cup' experience. Once you've found the beans for you, grab a bag to go ($15–17) — there's Alpha for milk-based coffees, Beta for black coffees, Delta decaf and Omega single origin. If you prefer your beans pre-ground, Wolfpack has you covered with options customised to your espresso, filter or plunger machine. The beans are sourced from around the globe, including Kenya, Brazil, Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea and Colombia. While the cafe is about the coffee first and foremost, dine-in customers can also enjoy a few snacks alongside, including the roast beef toastie with onion and bourbon relish ($11), smashed avocado on toast with feta and balsamic glaze ($10) and baked goods aplenty. Those who don't frequent Mortlake can expect to start seeing Wolfpack in Sydney cafes and restaurants soon, so keep an eye out. Images: Lisa Pires Photography
Taking over the turf of the Newtown Social Club, Holey Moley marks the launch of Sydney's first-ever mini golf bar — or 'watering hole' if you want to get on-board with the venue's many golf puns. The once-iconic live music spot has been transformed by the team behind Strike Bowling into an elaborate adult amusement park with a novelty value that's off the charts. The exuberant mini-golf course consists of 18 holes and is split over two levels. Instead of the usual windmills and castles, the course is pop culture-inspired and features gems such as a reproduction of The Simpsons' living room, a hole inspired by the classic '80s video game Pac-Man, and a Donald Trump-inspired 'ass hole'. There's a six shot limit per hole, which is generous if you've had less than five drinks. Impossible if you've had seven. However, there are still a few curve balls in the mix, including the Stage Dive hole, a shot which requires you to putt a ball across a drum kit and down the neck of a guitar — if you get it right, you're basically a rock star. The distressing thing though is that the Stage Dive hole has been hastily set up on the actual stage of the old Newtown Social Club which, before that, was the Sandringham Hotel (aka The Sando). It's a stage that once hosted The Whitlams and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds as well as any Newtownian who owned an instrument or wrote a song, and it's now literally being assaulted with golf clubs. For some it will be a sad sight to see. The old beer garden at the back where locals would slosh their Carltons and stub out their ciggies has been reinvented as Take a Bao, an Asian-inspired diner. Scoot into one of the booth seats or park yourself in the golf buggy while you scoff down a few of the many alcohol-soaking snacks. Just don't expect a culinary journey. Avoid anything too fancy and which feels like it doesn't belong on a mini golf food menu — the trout ceviche is the case in point here. Instead, you can't go wrong with the crispy waffle fries or the sweet corn with lime, cheese and sour cream. If you're looking for an actual meal, schedule one in for before or after your booking — this is Newtown, you're literally surrounded by options. In terms of drinks, Holey Moley has its own Caddyshack Bar for when you need a shot between swings. The cocktail menu consists of party punches with punny names served in frat-style plastic party cups. Embrace the silliness with a Happy Gilmoreo a tasty abomination of vodka, Baileys, milk, chocolate sauce with a hint of Chambord jamminess, served sundae-style with an epic head of whipped cream and Oreos. There are also snow cone cocktails in Negroni, frosé and piña-colada, cocktails in trophy cups and elaborate sugary garnishes of skewered 'candy kebabs'. If it weren't for the alcohol, nothing would look out of place at a kid's birthday party. Let's be honest, Holey Moley is not quite on par with its predecessors, but it's still worth swinging by for a few cold beers, an afternoon game of mini-golf — if not just as a timely reminder of what can happen if you don't support live music. Images: Tom Wilkinson.
XS Espresso, whose first cafe is in Wetherill Park, first got famous via social media, where photos of its crazy shakes dominated many an account. In late 2016, owner Roky Gorgees decided to expand to North Parramatta, where he opened a second incarnation among a bunch of mega stores, just off Windsor Road. Splashed with greenery and warmed by pendant lights, this hideaway is a cosy relief from traffic and shopping. The shakes are as OTT as ever. Take The Volcano, for example — a towering sculpture of Nutella, coconut, Oreo, ice cream and warm chocolate soufflé. Dishes follow suit. Think buttermilk fried chicken stacked with cinnamon waffle, slaw, melted cheese and special sauce, or seared Atlantic salmon on a base of sweet potato mash and stir-fried chickpea, layered with kale, tomato, chilli and crispy sweet potato. Yep, whatever you order, you'll be getting big, rich flavours and enough food to power you through to the next day.
There's no such thing as 'just a cocktail', as everyone who's fond of making and sipping them knows. Sourcing the exact right ingredients, combining them in the ideal way, perfecting your favourite recipe — ace all three stages, and you'll find yourself with a refreshing, drinkable work of art. One particular part of the above equation is especially crucial, of course. If you don't pick the right spirit to start with, your cruisy afternoon cocktail just won't taste the same. And, if you can go one better and find a standout local drop — a creative vodka, flavoursome rum or memorable gin, for example — you'll be able to both enjoy a stellar beverage and support a homegrown distillery at the same time. When it comes to great spirits made right here in New South Wales, you might already have your go-to. Or, you could be looking for ideas for your next concoction. Either way, we decided to highlight five of the best distilleries in New South Wales that are pumping out first-rate spirits. Recommended reads: The Best Bars in Sydney The Best Bottle Shops in Sydney The Best Underground Bars in Sydney The Best Bars and Pubs with Fireplaces in Sydney
When you're a film festival that's all about the best cinema from Spain and Latin America, and you've been showcasing flicks from the two regions for a quarter century, how do you mark the occasion? If you're Australia's annual Spanish Film Festival, you put together a hefty 25th-birthday festival filled with 32 movies. That's the just-announced plan for 2023's event, which will take over the screens at Palace Norton Street, Palace Verona, Palace Central and Chauvel Cinema in Sydney from Tuesday, June 20–Wednesday, July 12 — complete with Spanish box-office hits, stars from beloved series, a focus on female directors and plenty more. Kicking off the fest is the Australian premiere of culinary comedy Two Many Chefs, which follows a father-and-son pair reuniting in the high-cuisine scene in Bilbao. Also a high-profile must-see is the festival's centrepiece selection Alcarràs, the winner of the Berlin Film Festival's Golden Bear in 2022. It popped up at a few local fests last year, and is now finally being made available to a wider Aussie audience. Other highlights include five-time Goya Award-winner Prison 77, a smash in its homeland starring Miguel Herrán from Netflix's Money Heist; The Kings of the World, which focuses on five Medellín teenagers; and Four's a Crowd, the latest from The Bar, Witching and Bitching and As Luck Would Have It filmmaker Álex de la Iglesia. Plus, there's thriller A Singular Crime, about a wealthy businessman's disappearance in Argentina in the 80s — and Staring at Strangers, where The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent's Paco León spies on a family from inside a closet (and yes, sounds like it takes its cues from Parasite). Film lovers can also look forward to rom-com My Father's Mexican Wedding, about two Spanish siblings travelling abroad for the titular nuptials; Mighty Victoria, which sees residents of a small town try to build their own steam train in 1930s Mexico; black-and-white horror film History of the Occult; and feminist Argentinian western The Broken Land. The 2022 fest boasts an Australian link as well via Greg Mortimer, about the passengers and crew on the Australian cruise ship that left for Antarctica just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic being declared. And, the Spanish Film Festival's survey of prominent Spanish and Latin American women directors includes seven movies, while its five-title 2023 retrospective is dedicated to iconic Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura, who passed away earlier in 2023.
Whether you're looking for somewhere close by for an overnight staycation or you're planning a Saturday morning sojourn out of the city, put this leafy and light-filled cafe on your list. Greenhouse on Flora is your next-go brunch destination situated in the heart of Sutherland Shire — about 25 minutes out of Sydney's CBD. Locals Paula and Pablo opened this tranquil cafe back in January 2021, after Pablo (head chef) had spent about 15 years in the culinary game as a chef in two-and-three-hatted restaurants. Now they're providing a leafy oasis where slowing down is the name of the game, amid the hustle and bustle of Sutherland's busy retail strip. Enjoy excellent coffee in the tranquil (and to be honest, extremely 'grammable) interior and watch the world go by. If you think the only meal with having is brunch, you've come to the right place. The all-day breakfast menu changes seasonally — but sweet-toothed diners might opt for the cinnamon banana bread, or the vanilla and cinnamon French toast topped with coconut mascarpone, roasted coconut, banana, blueberries and maple syrup. And yes, you can add ice cream. If you're more of the savoury brunch persuasion, there are all the big breakfast and benedict options you know and love. But branch out and try one of the Greenhouse's specialities like the open omelette with crispy potatoes, pancetta, caramelised onions and manchego cheese served with fermented crumpets. Our pick? The three cheese toastie containing gouda, gruyere and cheddar, along with chives, bacon and jalapeno jam, fried egg and crispy leek. And if brekkie foods aren't your bag, don't worry. There are burgers, spaghetti, and even a lamb backstrap. Once you've appropriately fuelled for the day, spend a few hours checking out Sutherland Shire — there are sparkling waterways, national parks and boutiques. It's a soothing antidote to the rat race of Sydney's CBD.
There's no shortage of Greek restaurants in Sydney, but few channel the spirit of a true village taverna quite like Jimmy's Kitchen. Set within The Rocks' heritage-listed Campbell's Stores, this intimate diner from hospitality veteran Chris Drivas — who boasts more than 50 years in the game — brings the warmth, flavour and heart of a Greek family kitchen to the city's oldest precinct. With just 22 seats and a palette of royal blue and gold against rugged sandstone walls, the indoor-only dining room feels both cosy and celebratory. At its core is the Greek principle of filoxenia, a moral code of generosity, courtesy, and kindness towards guests. The restaurant serves as a heartfelt tribute to Drivas' late father, Jimmy, alongside whom he began working at the age of seven in their native Greece. Jimmy's philosophy — "When customers walk through your door, you treat them like they're coming into your house" — shapes every part of the experience. [caption id="attachment_1041327" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Leigh Griffiths[/caption] That sense of home is evident in the tight, one-page menu of classic homestyle dishes. On it, you'll find a standout astakos kritharaki (orzo pasta cooked in lobster and tomato bisque) and slow-cooked lamb kleftiko, as well as inventive small plates like moussaka croquettes, haloumi saganaki and a gluten-free spanakopita baked en croûte. The drinks list is proudly Greek, too, from crisp assyrtiko and bold xinomavro wines to mastiha-infused cocktails and Greek beers rarely found beyond the Med. Overseeing it is Chef Marko Taxidis, now 82 and still moving effortlessly between the kitchen and the floor. A lifelong friend of the Drivas family, Taxidis first worked alongside Jimmy in Sydney in the 1950s and has been part of the family ever since. At Jimmy's Kitchen, he delivers the kind of unpretentious, heartfelt hospitality that never goes out of style. [caption id="attachment_1041329" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Leigh Griffiths[/caption] Top images: Leigh Griffiths.
It could've been stickier than a marmalade sandwich. After directing the first two Paddington movies so delightfully, and either writing or co-writing both 2014's Paddington and 2017's Paddington 2 as well, filmmaker Paul King opted to dance with another beloved pop-culture character instead of making a third date with a certain adored Peruvian-in-Britain bear. Wonka, starring Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), as the chocolatier, was also a gem. With Dougal Wilson making his feature helming debut, Paddington in Peru has turned out charmingly as well. Wilson has been behind the lens for decades on music videos, short films and advertisements. If you've seen the clips for 'Fit But You Know It' by The Streets, 'Take Me Back to Your House' by Basement Jaxx, Dizzee Rascal's 'Dream', Jarvis Cocker's 'Don't Let Him Waste Your Time', 'Psyche' by Massive Attack, Goldfrapp's 'Happiness' and 'Life in Technicolor II' from Coldplay — among other vids — then you've seen his work. He's received Grammy, MTV Europe Music Awards and UK Music Video Awards nominations for his efforts, but taking over a big bear hug of a cinema franchise that's adored by audiences of all ages (and, in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, by the one and only Nicolas Cage) is quite a task. Was it daunting? How did Wilson approach it, knowing how much viewers have warmed to all things Paddington on the silver screen over the last decade — and knowing, of course, the character's history on the page, where the Michael Bond-created critter first popped up in 1958, too? "You try not to make the pressure make you have a nervous breakdown, really," he tells Concrete Playground with a laugh. While he was new to the series, he was "surrounded by a very good team who all worked on the previous films", which assisted. "I had the same cinematographer, Erik Wilson [who also lensed Better Man], as the first two films. Same producer, Rosie Alison [Wonka], who is fantastic. Mark Burton [an Aardman Animations veteran, including Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl] was one of the writers who worked on the first two films. And James and Jon, two of the other writers, Jon Foster and James Lamont [the creators of animated series The Adventures of Paddington], they'd also contributed to some of the writers' rooms on the first two films. Then I had the director of animation Pablo Grillo [The Little Mermaid], who was a huge part the first two films." "So I had a really good team to help me, who could, if not reassure me — because it's not something you should be reassuring yourself, but it's hard to work on that, and you just have to chip away and keep working and craft it as best you can — but they had been there before, so they were a great team to work with," Wilson continues. For the franchise's third instalment, Wilson, his veteran Paddington colleagues, plus a cast still led by Ben Whishaw (Black Doves) turning in a lovely and lively vocal performance, all have new terrain to traverse. Although Paddington hails from Peru, he's one of London's most-famous animal residents, and so the first two movies largely set their narratives in the UK. With a roster of actors that's added Emily Mortimer (The New Look) as Mrs Brown, taking over from Sally Hawkins (The Lost King) in the first two pictures, and also enlisted Olivia Colman (Wicked Little Letters) as the singing Reverend Mother at the Home for Retired Bears and Antonio Banderas (Babygirl) as riverboat captain Hunter Cabot, the third film unfurls as an adventure in the South American jungle. Paddington and the Browns (including The Agency's Hugh Bonneville, Houdini and Doyle's Samuel Joslin and Man Down's Madeleine Harris) arrive to visit Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget), then find themselves searching for her — and El Dorado. The job for Wilson, then, wasn't just stepping into a heartwarming saga that King had established and then furthered so wonderfully — it was also upping the stakes, playing with a new location, taking inspiration from Buster Keaton and Werner Herzog, and more. We also chatted with the filmmaker about how he came to make his feature directorial debut with a Paddington flick, what excited him most about the job, balancing the slapstick and emotionally resonant elements of the movie (and others), the importance of Whishaw's voicework, the cast's new big names, how his music-video background assisted and more. On How Wilson Came to Make His Feature Directorial Debut with a Paddington Movie "Well, I was quite happy doing short things. They're great fun and they're very distracting. I had made various attempts to start on a longer-form thing, but I'd always haver about whether I got the story right or get paranoid that it wasn't. And then another short thing would come along and it would be more of a delay before the long thing ever got made. But I was working on another thing — a much-smaller long thing. Then this opportunity came up and I thought 'well, unlike other attempts I was making with features, I knew this would definitely happen' — because they really wanted to make a third film. And while it wasn't what I anticipated the first thing I would maybe try to do in long-form, I realised it was a great opportunity, and as did lots of my friends. They said 'oh, it's Paddington, you've got to do that'. Also I really admired what Paul had done on the first two films. Paul was off doing Wonka, so wasn't going to do the third one. And I really admired the style. I thought the way he told those stories, the way he coordinated the world and created the character Paddington himself, and the tone of the scriptwriting was so good. And that the humour was great. It had this lovely, quite unique modern-British comedic sense. And, despite being a family franchise, he'd really made it quite smart, and you could be any age to enjoy it. So I admired all these things and I thought 'well, I should probably take this opportunity'. But I was really scared because the first two films are really cherished and really good — and very well done. And I was under no illusion that this would be easy. We had to work on the script quite a lot with the writers as well, and develop that. And then it's a real technical challenge — and we were taking Paddington out of the environment in the first two films and taking him somewhere completely new, where he'd only been fleetingly in the first two films. So yeah, it was terrifying. But I felt I had to try." On What Excited Wilson the Most About Diving Into Paddington's World "I find the first two films really funny, but also quite emotionally powerful, and I was excited to try — I guess, as well as being terrified, I was excited to try to create something that if it was at least half as good as those two films, then I felt like I would have been really happy. So that was exciting knowing that we were aspiring to make something that could be good. Specifically, I was very excited by the mixed-media approach that Paul had started in the first two films. Using animation for some parts, I loved that in my short-form work. I was really excited about how intricately and brilliantly the action sequences were done in the first two films. I was keen to get my teeth into the slapstick sequences in this film. I was very excited by the approach to the design of the cinematography and the heightened style which we were going to try to continue. It's challenging because we were in London, and London is a big character in those first two films. And it does really, the locations and buildings in London really contribute to the style. But we are obviously in a natural environment in Peru. So it was a challenge, but I was also excited to try to continue the style of the first two films in an environment that was novel to them. We tried to that by setting it within an Incan labyrinth that sort of became our stand-in for how the National History Museum works in the first film, or Hunter's riverboat becomes the same as the train in the second film. It was just trying to find proscenium arches for certain scenes that continued he style of the first two films in a way that was as fun and as intricate as they did." On the Juggling Required to Make a Warmhearted, Globe-Crossing, Treasure-Hunting Mystery Adventure That's Also About Identity, Acceptance and Kindness "If you don't have both, then it will feel quite one-dimensional. So while Paddington will always mess things up or get himself in quite serious spots of bother, it's all because he means well and it's all because he's trying to do the right thing. So that does guide you in the script-development process. Also, we were completing the circle of the trilogy, which was basically the story of an immigrant who's looking for a home, who's trying to find their home — and then in the second film, someone who becomes part of a wider community but loses that place and has to fight to get it again, and in doing so finds out finds out a bit more about himself. And in the third film, it's about the experience of an immigrant who has to ask themselves where their home really is and what home means. So there was a deeper theme lying behind all the fun and the action, and we had to bear that in mind the whole time. And it obviously comes into focus towards the end of the film where Paddington finds out something about how he ended up in that river in Paddington 2 and where he might really be from. So there was always the undercurrent of that guiding us, and Paddington's outlook on life guides us. Even in the smallest details, like there's a scene where he tries to drive the boat and ends up — spoiler alert — ends up sinking the boat by accident, and that's all just because he wants to help. He wants to do the right thing. And so it often steers you, his outlook on life. It's not gags for the sake of gags. It's gags because he's trying to do the right thing at that moment." On the Scene in Paddington in Peru, Amid the Film's Many Visually Imaginative Sequences, That Wilson Is Most Pleased About "There's a few, but the one I thought was very ambitious but hopefully we carried it off was the finale chase at the end of act three — where Paddington's being pursued by the character Hunter, played by Antonio Banderas, around an Incan labyrinth by an Incan citadel, which is very inspired by Machu Picchu. During the research and location-scouting phase of the project, I went to South America for two months and I saw a lot of Incan architecture. And I went to Machu Picchu twice and explored those ruins, and I realised that would be a great place for a chase and for all sorts of interesting physical comedic moments to develop. In the same way as Paul drew on Chaplin in Paddington 2, I'm an enormous fan of Buster Keaton, and we worked in some Buster Keaton — there's a literal homage to the famous moment where the wall falls on Buster Keaton in Steamboat Bill, Jr within this chase. Then there's references to Raiders of the Lost of the Ark. There's nods to Aguirre, Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo. But that particular chase around the Incan ruins, that was really fun to do because we had to work out a sequence of comedic moments within a chase that we could then apply to an Incan citadel, and it just felt like a very good expression and condensation of the idea of Paddington in Peru. It's like, let's take Peru and put Paddington inside and hopefully fun will ensue." On Not Really Needing to Guide Ben Whishaw's Vocal Performance — or Imelda Staunton's as Aunt Lucy "They're somewhat old hands at this now, because they've both done two films already. And they're also just brilliant actors. So I often don't really have to tell them really much to do. I just, we get the first few performances, we might develop it, get some options — because sometimes you also don't quite know in the recording session with them exactly what will feel right within the edit, until you get the recordings back to the edit suites and then play those performances off against the other cast or the particular cut you have. But no, they really inhabit those characters. Ben is the heart and soul of Paddington. And when you hear his voice — because we didn't have his voice right at the start, we started just with scratch dialogue. You do a read-through with stand-ins. And often in the edit, it's sometimes my voice doing Paddington's voice, just because we needed Paddington to say something in particular we don't happen to have as a recording. So in the later stages of the edit, we start doing the voice sessions with Ben and with Imelda, and then those voices go in. And also, you don't have Paddington's animation to begin with. You just might have some — again, sometimes it's my incredibly crude drawings, which my editor Úna Ní Dhonghaíle [Young Woman and the Sea] had to up with. She had to do chase sequences where it's just this frozen awful drawing of Paddington. But then when you put Ben's voice on it, somehow it absolutely comes alive and the emotion sings through. And the same with Imelda. I think we got her voice quite late in the day and suddenly the scene just came alive when we put it on. I don't have to tell them to do very much. It's very, very easy with those actors because they are just so expert." On How Crucial Whishaw's Voice Is as Paddington, Especially Given That Colin Firth Was Initially Cast for the First Film "There's a magic to Ben's performance and it just shows you that it's very difficult to put your finger exactly on what it is that that really works when you see that animation combined with that voice. And I think it was very hard thing to predict. He wasn't originally the voice of Paddington, and it was switched during the editing of the first film, I believe — and then once you hear it, you think 'well, how could that ever have been a different choice?'. I think the fact that it maybe wasn't obvious when Paul and his team were making the first film, who Paddington's voice should be, is part of the magic of why Ben works. And it's quite hard to articulate why he works. He just has this — there's an element of wisdom to his voice, but there's also an element of childish innocence to his voice. It's a lovely, subtle, slightly contradictory combination. And there's a real intimacy to his performance. And also you really believe the character and you believe he cares. That's just something interwoven in the fabric of Ben's performance. What exactly, how exactly he does that, I don't know. That's the magic." On Adding Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas to the Cast "We needed an amusing British nun who just felt like she was in a Paddington film. And as soon as someone mentioned Olivia Colman, we couldn't really think of anyone else, so that just seemed to click together. Then we sent her the script and asked if she wanted to do it, and within the same day we got a response: 'love to, I'm already learning the guitar'. So that was it. It was pretty simple. Antonio was equally keen on the project. We needed a charming Spanish riverboat captain who was quite swashbuckling, and of course your mind immediately turns to Antonio Banderas. So they just seemed the right, obvious choices for two archetypal roles. And luckily, they were very, very into it." On the Sense of Responsibility That Comes with Making a Heartwarming, Joyous Film That Offers Viewers an Escape — But Also Have Some Darkness in It "It's a big responsibility. And it's lovely to see the reactions of people who've seen the film and have found joy in it and found their spirits lifted by it. That's a wonderful thing to do. Obviously they're joyful, but you have to have the dark moments as well in order for the joy to work. And also you can't slap the joy on in too saccharine a manner, otherwise they won't feel authentic. But yes, they have a very positive outlook on the world and that all just emanates from Paddington's character, which he has an optimistic view of the world. He always looks for the good in people, and he always believes that if we are kind and polite, the world will be right. So the joy from the films, I think it all emanates from Paddington's worldview and his ability to change people. He often doesn't change that much himself, but he can change other people for the better. He'll find the good in people and change them." On Why the Paddington Films Have Struck Such a Chord with Audiences "I think basically because Paul got it right. He managed to get the character right, managed to get the tone of the humour right and managed to get the execution right. It could have been done differently, but it was just very, very smartly done. And again, you mentioned Ben Whishaw — Ben Whishaw just inhabits Paddington. And then the animation, the director of animation on all the films has been a brilliant guy called Pablo Grillo, and the combination of the way Paddington is designed and moves and animates and emotes with Ben's voice is just something, there's something magical there, and it was to the credit of all the team on the first two films that they just managed to make that resonate. So, I can't take the credit for that myself. I think that's just something that I inherited and I did my best to continue." On How Wilson's Background in Music Videos Helped with Directing His First Feature "That format of filmmaking, short-form, especially short-form set to music, is — well, the way I've done it, is there's a lot of attention to detail because you only get a short amount of time to show stuff. I also try to put stories into these pieces of videos. And I love it when the pieces are as packed as possible and as intricate as possible. So I really enjoyed applying that to the sequences in Paddington. I also thought, for the first two films, they do feel very carefully crafted and every moment seems to count. So it didn't seem too different a style for this film. Although, story is king and the story comes from the script, so I very much had to respect the scenes where the actors have to deliver a story — but I love trying to entwine that with style and design, and how it was directed and how the shots slotted together. Then it really came into its own when I was doing an action sequence or a slapstick sequence, or even a musical sequence, obviously when the Reverend Mother sings a song. So it really helped, but it was also a good new experience to do long scenes with actors performing and delivering great performances. That was maybe something that I hadn't experienced as much when I did short-form of stuff, but I really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed attacking that sort of scene as well." Paddington in Peru released in Australian and New Zealand cinemas on Wednesday, January 1, 2025.
When someone spots a giant spider, they take notice, even when it's simply a tall metal piece of art. Seeing one of Louise Bourgeois' towering arachnids is indeed a stunning experience; however, so is watching people clock her lofty works. Her Maman sculptures demand attention. They're the type of public art that audiences just want to sit around, soak in and commune with. They're photo favourites, too, of course — and one is coming to Australia. This will be the first time that Maman has displayed Down Under, with the world-famous work heading to Sydney as part of Sydney International Art Series returns for 2023–24. As previously announced, Bourgeois is one of three hero talents scoring a blockbuster exhibition during event, alongside Wassily Kandinsky and Tacita Dean. And, the nine-metre-high, ten-metre-wide sculpture that she's best known for will be catching Aussie art lovers in its web. [caption id="attachment_914565" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Louise Bourgeois' Maman, located outside the National Gallery of Canada. Radagast via Wikimedia Commons.[/caption] That said, there won't be any physical strings of silk — but Maman is that entrancing. The sculpture hails back to 1999, and boasts its name because it's a tribute to Bourgeois' mother. The artist described her mum as "deliberate, clever, patient, soothing... and [as] useful as a spider". If you're keen to see Maman on home soil, it'll sit on the forecourt of the Art Gallery of New South Wales' South Building from Saturday, November 25, 2023–Sunday, April 28, 2024 during Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day?'s run. And if it sounds familiar, that's because you might've seen permanent installations of the bronze, steel and marble work outside the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo — or at the Tate Modern in the UK, National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville in Arkansas or the Qatar National Convention Center in Doha. [caption id="attachment_914560" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Louise Bourgeois 'Clouds and Caverns' 1982–89, metal, wood, 274.3 x 553.7 x 182.9 cm, Collection The Easton Foundation, New York, courtesy Kunstmuseum Den Haag © The Easton Foundation, photo: Christopher Burke.[/caption] "We are proud that the subject of our first major solo exhibition in our new SANAA-designed North Building, almost one year since opening, is the great Louise Bourgeois. We are honoured to introduce this deeply influential artist to new generations, and to have the opportunity to share the strange beauty and emotional power of her art with Sydney,' said Art Gallery of New South Wales director Michael Brand. "The scale of this exhibition, which is one of the most extensive ever dedicated to an international woman artist in Australia, demonstrates our commitment to revealing the depth and complexity of the artistic careers we explore and our commitment to celebrating the work of women artists in our collection and exhibitions." "We are proud to bring Maman, the largest spider sculpture ever made by Bourgeois, to Sydney for the very first time, and to be showcasing the extraordinary breadth of the artist's practice, which includes fabric sculpture, works on paper, bronzes, works from her series of Cells, mechanised sculpture, and more." [caption id="attachment_914563" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Louise Bourgeois 'Twosome' 1991, steel, paint, electric light, 190.5 x 193 x 1244.6 cm, Collection The Easton Foundation, New York © The Easton Foundation, photo: Elad Sarig.[/caption] A collaboration with The Easton Foundation in New York, Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day? will showcase more than 150 works. It's the largest survey of Bourgeois' work ever displayed in Australia — and, as Brand mentioned, one of the most comprehensive ever devoted to a female artist in the country. The Bourgeois exhibition will display 13 years after the Paris-born artist passed away in New York in 2010, and after she stamped her imprint upon the art of the 20th century. Visitors to will see her Personage sculptures from the 1940s, textile works of the 1990s and 2000s, and plenty in-between, with the showcase playing up the duelling themes and ideas in her work by taking over AGNSW's major exhibition gallery and 'the Tank'. Other highlights include The Destruction of the Father, which is among the pieces that've never been displayed in Australia before; Crouching Spider, and one of the biggest works ever to grace the Tank; Clouds and Caverns, which is rarely seen in general; and the mirrored piece Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day?, which shares the exhibition's moniker. [caption id="attachment_889027" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Louise Bourgeois, The destruction of the father 1974-2017, archival polyurethane, resin, wood, fabric and red light, 237.8 x 362.3 x 248.6 cm. Glenstone Museum, Potomac, Maryland. Photo: Ron Amstutz. © The Easton Foundation.[/caption] Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night, or Has the Night Invaded the Day? runs from Saturday, November 25, 2023–Sunday, April 28, 2024 at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery Road, The Domain, Sydney, with tickets on sale from Wednesday, September 6. Sydney International Art Series runs from November 2023 — head to the AGNSW and MCA websites for further details. Top image: Louise Bourgeois 'Maman' 1999, installed during the exhibition 'Louise Bourgeois: To Unravel a Torment', Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Serralves, Porto, 3 December 2020 – 20 June 2021 © The Easton Foundation, photo: Filipe Braga.
The turn of the season isn't far away, so now might just be the perfect time to refresh your wardrobe. And this four-day warehouse sale could give you the chance to do so without spending your holiday budget in one go. Running from Thursday, August 14–Sunday, August 17, Bassike and Studio Amelia are teaming up to host a one-of-a-kind event at the Rosebery Engine Yards. Spanning Bassike's archival and sale pieces of clothing and accessories, Studio Amelia is offering its premium footwear at exclusive prices. If you're not yet familiar, Bassike was launched in Sydney's beachy community of Avalon in 2006, making a name for itself over the last two decades thanks to its focus on natural fibres, airy wool and complementary silhouettes. Meanwhile, Studio Amelia is more of a newcomer. Born in Sydney in 2019, the brand offers a similarly luxe but simple design philosophy, working to reinvent classic styles with surprising details. Time for a new look? Treat yourself.
When festival-goers converge on Woodford at the end of December for the southeast Queensland town's annual folk festival, they'll find a brand new addition at the event's Woodfordia location. Each year, the spot 75-minutes north of Brisbane by car turns into a thriving pop-up community for six days; however from this point onwards, it's also the site of a permanent new lake. Called Lake Gkula — a name that refers to the region's traditional owners, the Jinibara people, and specifically references spokesperson Uncle Noel Blair, whose indigenous name is Gkula — the body of water is now Australia's largest all-natural conservation and recreation lake, too. The man-made spot is also teeming with fish and plant life. More than 400 species of native freshwater fish are swimming in its waters, while over 4000 plants have been planted in and around the lake to date, with more planned. Crucially for both the lake's biodiversity and for human swimmers, the entire body of water is chemical-free, using pumps and injectors to keep both a constant water flow and high levels of oxygen. The water is pushed through two wetlands, which act to purify the lake while also encouraging microorganisms to thrive. If you're eager to go for a splash, it'll only be open to season campers during the 2019–20 fest, although swimming privileges will also given to artists and volunteers. Season campers will need to pay a ticket fee of $4 for adults, which'll help recover the costs of building the lake — and they'll also need to book in advance, with 50-minute slots available between 6am–6.30pm. For those who don't fall into those categories, you'll still be able to peer over the water at the lakeside bar, which'll be running during the festival and open to all Woodford patrons. At this stage, the lake will only welcome swimmers during the festival, but founder of Woodfordia, Bill Hauritz, sees Lake Gkula as a hotspot for the Moreton Bay hinterland area, so perhaps watch this space. "Groups and organisations outside our own are already expressing a keen interest in using this stunning new feature," he advised in a statement. "We know Lake Gkula will be an attraction; it's that beautiful." Costing more than $1.5 million to build, including funding from the Queensland Government, Woodford's new addition has sourced all of its water from onsite dams and a bore, with festival organisers aware that they're opening a watering hole in drought conditions. It's also partly powered by solar energy, and the Woodford team is working towards running the lake wholly on 100-percent renewable sources. The 2019–20 Woodford Folk Festival runs from Friday, December 27, 2019–Wednesday, January 1, 2002. For more information about Lake Gkula, visit the Woodford Folk Festival website.
It's the little things that make the difference. And no one knows it better than The Little Guy, the most recent watering hole to join the Glebe Point road strip. Boysenberry cider, (free!) popcorn, a homely upstairs lounge-room and a 16-strong beer list are just some of the things that make this place stand out from the ever-expanding universe of small bars. The insanely friendly owners Anna and Dynn – formerly of The Clock in Surry and World Bar in the Cross - have somehow managed to retain their love for bar-goers, welcoming every patron through the door as if they were a best bud. They even admitted that the inspiration for the venue's name came from a drunken night out in Melbourne (a 'research trip'), which makes this joint all the more likeable. The beer selection is pretty astounding, featuring mostly local, lesser-known brews like Port Mac's 'Wicked Elf' and 'The Hangman' pale ale from Sydney. The wine list too stays largely within Oz, but features the odd Albarino from Spain and Nero D'Avola from Italy. The Old Mout Boysenberry Cider ($9) is tart and refreshing, and is worth a try if you can get past the fact it looks like pink lemonade. Byron Bay's Stone & Wood Pacific Ale ($8) is very light and approachable but if you're after something a little more robust, hand your car keys over to the bartender and go for the 2-in-1 Sierra Nevada (8.5%). Their short and sweet cocktail list is also worth a gander. The Passion of Ryest ($14) makes for a perfectly balanced rye whisky sour with fresh passionfruit, rounded off with Wild Turkey American Honey. The eats list is brief, but sophisticated and well-crafted. Cheeses, dips, cured meats and seafood (courtesy of Australia On APlate) come separately ($8) or together on a tasting board ($20). The Black Peppercorn Pâté, coupled with Jamon Serrano and pungent Woodside Edith Ashed Goats Cheese (warning: it's a pash-killer) is top-notch. The Little Guy has only a small team of staff, so to get the most out of your visit head down early evening and nab yourself a spot up at the bar. Otherwise you'll be competing with a heaving Friday night crowd. It'll be exciting to see this Little Guy grow over the coming year. Dedicated to supporting local sellers, it's run by the little guys, for the little guys, and it's setting the standard for the rest of the small bars in the inner west. Put this one on your to-do list for 2012.
Some desserts always tempt the tastebuds, because there's going wrong with a classic. As well as tasting great every time you bite into them, some of those same sweet treats have inspired a heap of creative takes, too. If you've ever sipped a lamington-flavoured milkshake or plunged a scoop into some Iced VoVo gelato, then you know exactly what we're talking about. The next dessert mashups on offer hail from chocolatier Koko Black — and, if you're particularly fond of nostalgic Aussie favourites, your stomach might just start growling. As part of its new Australian Classics Collection, the Melbourne-founded company is making chocolate versions of plenty of your childhood staples. Think honey joys, chocolate crackles and Golden Gaytimes, plus the perennial go-tos that are Iced VoVos and lamingtons. The artisanal range turns some of the above sweets into separate bars sold in three-packs, and some into slabs of chocolate. So, you can tuck into Gaytime Goldies, which combine vanilla and malted caramel ganache, then dip the bar in dark chocolate, before covering it with hazelnuts — or opt for a block of Koko Crackles, which features rice bubbles, caramelised coconut and white chocolate, as then dipped in dark chocolate. Also available: a Lamington Slice slab, combining chocolate marshmallow and raspberry jelly, as covered in dark chocolate and dusted with coconut; bars of Koko Vovo, aka milk chocolate-coated biscuits topped with strawberry rosewater marshmallow, raspberry jelly and coconut; and Jam Wagons, which top biscuits topped with marshmallow and raspberry jam, then coat them in milk chocolate. Or, there's also Honey Joys, if you like your cornflakes drizzled with honey, then mixed with either milk chocolate or dark chocolate. The Australian Classics Collection is available separately or as one big hamper, with prices ranging from $15.90–$169. If you're keen, they've already hit Koko Black's online store — with delivery available nationally — and will show up in its physical shops from September 24. For more information about Koko Black's Australian Classics Collection, visit the store's website. Images: Studio Round.
As the name suggests, this new bar from master mixologist Grant Collins is dedicated to celebrating the evolution of the dry martini, as well as its caffeinated crowd-pleasing cousin, the espresso martini. Through a carefully curated collection of experimental and classic cocktails, Grant Collins and Gin Lane invite patrons into an atmosphere of easy-going sophistication, bringing elements from London's modern martini bars and Spain's laidback cocktail and tapas scene to the heart of Chippendale. Think of Dry Martini's menu as an ode to the evolution of the cocktail classic, where guests can experience different flavour profiles and mixes ranging from original and well-loved Gatsby-coded recipes from the 20s and 30s, to contemporary creative takes such as the salted caramel espresso martini with a nitro frozen foam and Scottish espresso martini with a shortbread infused whiskey and shortbread foam. If you're overwhelmed by choice, simply surrender to the espresso martini tree — a bespoke tower of six curated drinks. Guests can expect cocktails mixed with the highest quality house-distilled gin, unique vodkas, and house-made bitters. A tapas-style food menu has been designed to complement the flavours of the martini selection. The oyster shell gin martini, for example, is ideally served alongside freshly shucked oysters — dished-up with dry ice smoke billowing beneath the platter for a little side serving of theatricality. The menu draws inspiration from San Sebastian's bite-size pintxos, offering both sweet and savoury options, from a martini wagyu slider with rich and silky caramelised onions, cheek-wrinkling sour house-made pickles and a generous amount of martini mayo to sweeter options like their piña colada dome with coconut crumble and caramelised pineapple. Alternatively, if the cocktail sidekick you seek is something simpler, the high-low delight of the truffle and jamon toastie topped with caviar perfectly pairs with the house negroni. Dry Martini's wallet-saving happy hours are banishing cost-of-living worries with $10 martinis and $15 daily cocktail specials available every day from 5.30pm–7.00pm Tuesday - Thursday and 5.30pm–6.30pm Friday and Saturday.
There are plenty of oyster deals in Sydney, but they often pop up around the late afternoon — right when many people are tied up with work, classes or errands. They're scheduled to fill the quiet stretch between lunch and dinner service, a lull that exists precisely because diners get busy during those hours. Unless you have the day off, it's easy to miss out on cheap shucks. On George Street in the CBD, The Sanderson is fixing that. Inside the heritage-listed Beneficial House, The Sanderson sits above subterranean cocktail bar and sister venue Eau-de-Vie. Decked out in dark wooden finishes, rich navy-blue walls, plush velvet booths and brass detailing, the venue evokes a glamorous Old World charm that makes bargain oysters feel out of place. Yet, the kitchen serves $2 oysters at lunchtime (down from the usual $8) from Wednesday to Friday. If you're after more than a quick shuck, there's also a seriously hefty $85 three-course menu: three different entrées (including a carbonara tart), a choice of mushroom gnocchi, prawns or lamb rump, plus roasted spuds to share and petit fours for dessert. It's also ideal for a business lunch — especially if you can lock down one of the coveted window booths and expense it. Find The Sanderson at 285 George St, Sydney, entry via Wynyard Lane. For more information or to make a booking, visit the website.
Mary, Queen of Scots is a film steeped in two time periods, yet firmly of the times. A historical drama set in the 16th century as two female monarchs battle for supremacy, it's also a movie that could've only been made today. The true tale itself has graced the screen before, but the angle favoured by this interpretation of the story is straight out of the #MeToo era. As much as Mary, Queen of Scots tells of its titular ruler (Saoirse Ronan) and her conflict with her cousin Queen Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie), it also explores the forces pitting them against each other and putting them in their places. When Mary returns to Scotland after a childhood spent in France, she regains her throne and sets her sights on her other birthright. The only legitimate child of King James V, she boasts a claim to England, even if Elizabeth already wears that crown. What follows is a quest for sovereignty by two relatives as different as they are alike. Mary is a teenage Catholic open to love, life and birthing a successor to both kingdoms, while Elizabeth is a Protestant who refuses to marry and isn't expected to bear an heir. But they're each headstrong, intelligent and passionate, and determined to fight for what's theirs regardless of the obstacles in their path. In a movie filled with men unhappy about serving the fairer sex, including Mary's disapproving half-brother (James McArdle), a scare-mongering religious leader (David Tennant) and Elizabeth's duplicitous chief advisor (Guy Pearce), there's no doubting how cruel the world can be to a woman in power. While political manoeuvring and machinations drive Mary, Queen of Scots' plot, confident first-time director Josie Rourke works with screenwriter Beau Willimon (House of Cards) to focus on the bigger picture. Behind both queens stands a line of wolves in sheep's clothing, complying with their rulers to the bare minimum and trying to push their own agendas. If the male posturing and plotting didn't ring so true, it might've felt like a forced, convenient modern revision designed to highlight that women still struggle to be taken seriously, even if their troubles are finally getting more attention. Sadly, men attempting to tear down female leaders hasn't gone out of fashion in the past five centuries. A veteran of the London stage before this, Rourke knows where the strength of the story lies. Although her handsomely mounted picture is based on the biography Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart and clearly favours the Scottish monarch over her cousin, Mary's struggles are deepened by the comparison to Elizabeth. Indeed, through skilled, fluid cross-cutting, the film convincingly closes the gap between two women who only actually share one scene. Their face-to-face, when it comes, is climactic, emotional and memorable (not to mention strikingly staged by Rourke and her team), but Mary, Queen of Scots places them face-to-face from start to finish, in a manner. History branded Mary and Elizabeth competitors; this version of history sees them as kindred spirits. Still, for all of Mary, Queen of Scots' successes, it ultimately mirrors the plight of its protagonists: striving for greatness, and to make an impact, yet often weighed down. It's a fine, meaningful film that could've been stellar, but sometimes makes its minutiae feel routine and elongated. After a while, the letters back and forth, the scheming and strategies, and the fears and the threats all bleed into each other, even for those already familiar with the details. Thankfully, the same can never be said of 2018 Oscar nominees Ronan and Robbie, each worlds apart from their respective acclaimed roles in Lady Bird and I, Tonya. One is plucky and idealistic, the other fierce yet silently fraying, and both are tinged by exhaustion and frustration — not from squaring off against each other, but from simply fighting to exist. Any movie would be lucky to have them, and their equally timely and timeless vision of women holding their own. Mary, Queen of Scots is lucky to have both. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEC-F8cBD9s
Google's innovation in geo-location tools and imaging has significantly changed how we view and interact with our world. What with Street Art View, allowing users to tag their favourite street art; People Finders connecting friends and loved ones in times of disaster; and artists capturing incredible images from Google Earth, Google blurs physical existence with digital presence to connect us in amazing ways. Whether you want to check out a destination before hitting the road or travel to the other side of the globe without leaving your seat, Google Street View can take you there. With the launch of an all new look and enhanced interactivity, real-world navigation from your net browser has never been so awesome. When you load up Google Maps, areas outlined in blue highlight where Google Street View is available. Google's loveable stick-figure Pegman will light up yellow too. Drag him onto your desired location to view the 'hood, and click on the arrows on the ground to take a little stroll. Back in 2007 at Street View's inception, only select major cities had the feature. Since then, teams of photographers have worked tirelessly to compile incredible images from around the world. Stitched together, the images form 360 degree panoramas which afford gorgeous glimpses of far away places - so good it feels like you're really there. https://youtube.com/watch?v=MwCrjfmCgO0 [Via Mashable]
It's been more than 18 months since the world first got a glimpse of Dev Patel going medieval, all thanks to the initial sneak peek at The Green Knight. The action/fantasy-thriller sees him mess with Arthurian legend, swing around a mighty sword and giant axe, and head somewhere completely different after filming two of his last four movies in Australia (Lion and Hotel Mumbai) — and also stepping into a Dickens classic set in Victorian England (The Personal History of David Copperfield). A second trailer for The Green Knight dropped earlier this year, and the movie released in the US in July; however, if you're an Aussie fan of Patel, medieval thrillers or both, you're currently still waiting to see the dark and ominous-looking film. Thankfully, that delay is about to come to an end, with the movie set to stream locally via Amazon Prime Video from Thursday, October 28. Based on the 14th-century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the film casts Patel as Sir Gawain. Nephew to King Arthur (Sean Harris, Mission: Impossible — Fallout), he's a knight of the Round Table and fearsome warrior. The character has popped up in plenty of tales, but here, he's forced to confront the giant green-skinned titular figure in an eerie showdown. As the poem explains, the Green Knight dares any other knight to strike him with an axe, but only if they'll then receive a return blow exactly one year and one day later. Based on all of the movie's trailers so far, this adaptation looks to be sticking to that story rather closely — and the end result also looks more than a little moody, brooding and creepy. Patel is in great company, too, with The Green Knight also starring Alicia Vikander (Earthquake Bird), Joel Edgerton (Boy Erased) and Barry Keoghan (Calm with Horses). Games of Thrones' Kate Dickie pops up as Guinevere, while her co-star Ralph Ineson — who is also known from the Harry Potter flicks, The Witch, Gunpowder Milkshake and the UK version of The Office — plays the Green Knight. Originally set to release in 2020 until the pandemic hit, The Green Knight is the latest movie by impressive and always eclectic writer/director David Lowery. His filmography spans everything from Ain't Them Bodies Saints and Pete's Dragon to A Ghost Story and The Old Man and the Gun — and The Green Knight isn't like anything on his resume so far. Check out the trailer below: The Green Knight will be available to stream in Australia via Amazon Prime Video from Thursday, October 28.
Life was already pretty dandy for the residents of Summer Hill. This leafy inner-west slice of paradise is well-known for its large family parks, tennis courts, trendy cafes and a local barber who stands out the front of his shop greeting everyone who walks by. Now, just to rub it in our faces, they have a really awesome small bar. Located on the main intersection, where Smith Street meets Lackey, The Temperance Society sprawls over two narrow levels, weaving in and out of rooms like a family home. Upstairs there's a brightly wallpapered library filled with Chesterfield lounges, leather-bound books and the smell of rich mahogany. It looks like they've taken inspiration from Ron Burgundy's apartment. Downstairs there's the bar, a fairy-lit courtyard and various intimate nooks on the way. The primary focus is the drinks list, which showcases quality bevvies from within a 7km radius. On tap there's Young Henrys cider; a fruity German-style Zonnebeke witbier by Marrickville's Batch Brewery; a malty, red rye ale by Chippendale's Ironbridge Brewery; and a clean and grassy Convict Lager by The Rocks Brewing Co. Drinks can be bought via the pot/pint/jug ($5/$10/$17.50) depending on the intensity of your night, and for most, it's just a short stumble home to bed anyway. Lucky bastards. Cocktails also play up the local theme. The Lackey Street Lush ($14) combines vodka and cloudy apple, every 20-year-old's favourite drink, or there's the Smith St Society Classic ($18), a thick and spicy tropical punch filled with hunks of fresh orange, dark rum, caramelised brown sugar and ginger beer. The crowd-pleaser is the Little Myrtle ($18), which is made with Botanica's lemon myrtle liqueur, elderflower syrup and a toothpick threaded with blueberries. It has the delicious lemon fizz of a melted Calippo. The star of the spirits list is the Sullivan's Cove ($68), a luxury small batch whisky recently named best Australian single malt at the World Whiskies Awards, although you'll need to have a few drinks first before you're convinced to hand over the cash. Bar snacks consist of quick and easy cold charcuterie platters. Choose from a rabbit, quail and pistachio terrine ($9), sourced from Marrickville's Black Forrest Smokehouse and served with pickled green tomatoes, or there's a cheese plate ($9) with Hunter Valley Cheese Co. cheddar, pickles, onion and relish. The dip platter ($5.50) includes two dips homemade by a local Lebanese resident and served with a mountain of sliced sourdough. For the ridiculously cheap prices, it's surprising to find the serving sizes extra generous. One plate between two will have you cancelling your dinner plans. The Temperance Society is a charming old-world bar serving quality local drinks at unbeatable prices. I hate you Summer Hill.
For its first-ever festival away from Austin, SXSW will paint Sydney red, blue, purple and yellow. It'll also throw hot potatoes into the mix. And, it'll celebrate an Australian act like no other: the Hottest 100-topping, Mardi Gras-attending, Falls Festival-playing, Little Nas X-adored skivvy fans that are The Wiggles. Two of past big announcements in Australia's screen industry are set to combine in the Harbour City from Sunday, October 15–Saturday, October 21: documentary Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles and SXSW Sydney's Screen Festival. Both were first revealed in 2022, and now they'll join forces this year, with the fest hosting the world premiere of the film. Wake up, SXSW Sydney attendees: the event's first big local movie debut will get you feeling nostalgic before it heads to Prime Video. Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles tells exactly the tale you think it will, following the group's career over more than three decades, including the new levels of fame and popularity that 2022 threw their way. Sure, Dorothy the Dinosaur mightn't need an origin story, but OG Wiggles Anthony Field, Murray Cook, Greg Page and Jeff Fatt are getting one, with Sally Aitken (Valerie Taylor: Playing with Sharks, David Stratton: A Cinematic Life) directing. The feature-length film promises never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage, too — and the SXSW Sydney screening will feature The Wiggles in attendance, including for Q&As and performances. The film joins a lineup that already includes nine previously announced titles, covering everything from flicks starring Indonesian rappers and documentaries about Tokyo Uber Eats rider to movies featuring viral Chinese dance crazes. Can't wait to watch your way through the fest? SXSW Sydney has also announced that Screen Festival wristbands go on sale on Friday, August 25, starting at an early-bird price of $240 and getting people wearing one into unlimited screenings. The SXSW 2023 Sydney Screen Festival also includes an array of speakers, with Queer Eye star Tan France set to hit Australia to get chatting. Indigenous filmmakers Leah Purcell (The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson), Kodie Bedford (Mystery Road: Origin) and Jub Clerc (Sweet As) will also take to the stage; Osher Günsberg is on the SXSW Sydney bill recording an episode of his podcast Better Than Yesterday with a yet-to-be-announced special guest; and Gone Girl, The Nightingale, The Dry, Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers producer Bruna Papandrea and Binge's Executive Director Alison Hurbert-Burns will also appear. As well as showering viewers with movies and TV shows, with more titles to come — including First Nations Screen Festival programming by Winda Film Festival founder Pauline Clague — SXSW Sydney's film- and TV-focused strand will feature red-carpet premieres; digital and social content; an XR showcase; Q&As and panel discussions; parties and mentoring; and a screen market for industry deals. Free outdoor screenings are also slated, alongside indoor sessions at The ICC's Darling Theatre, Palace Cinemas Central and other yet-to-be-revealed venues. All of the above falls into the broader SXSW Sydney festival, which has been dropping lineup announcements for six months now, including in its first batch of speakers and musicians back in February, more music highlights and must-attend parties in May, details of its gaming strand in June, then two more rounds of speakers in July. SXSW Sydney will run from Sunday, October 15–Sunday, October 22 at various Sydney venues, with the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival running from Sunday, October 15–Saturday, October 21 at The ICC's Darling Theatre, Palace Cinemas Central and more venues to be announced. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for further details. If you're keen to make the most of Australia's first SXSW, take advantage of our special reader offer. Purchase your SXSW Sydney 2023 Official Badge via Concrete Playground Trips and you'll score a $150 credit to use on your choice of Sydney accommodation. Book now via the website.
In 2019, Western Sydney will not only score a brand new zoo, it will also add a new community running event to its calendar: RunWest. Open to runners of all ages and abilities, RunWest will follow a 12-kilometre course, through several major landmarks. Its first incarnation was supposed to see runners race through the new Sydney Zoo, but that won't be opening until later this year now. Instead, you'll begin at Sydney Motorsport Park, before traversing Western Sydney Parklands, heading into Blacktown International Sports Park and winding up at West HQ. If 12 kilometres sounds too far, conquer the more friendly four-kilometre Family Fun Run instead. Either way, there'll be plenty of action to keep you on course. On crossing the finish line, you'll find the Finish Line Festival, an extravaganza of food trucks and live music to make you forget all about the pain of running you've just endured. First up, grab a coffee cone (literally an espresso shot inside a chocolate-filled waffle cone) and then take your pick from the likes of Chur Burger, Satay Brothers, Burnt Ends BBQ and Duo Duo Ice Cream. The main stage will feature some local musos, and the festivities will kick on at Made By The Hill afterwards. If you're a City2Surf regular, this might be a good race to enter in the off-season — although, being March, chances are the weather will be pretty warm. But, like City2Surf, you're encouraged to raise funds for a charity of your choice, so your sweat will be all worth it. If you're ready to commit, sign up right now at super early bird rates, which are $15 per person for the fun run and $30 for the 12-kilometre event. Plus, your ticket includes entry to Sydney Zoo, valid for a year from 1 August, 2019. Updated: March 25, 2019.
Frank Mac's co-owners Ciara Doran and Eoin Daniels are no strangers to The Rocks, having opened whisky bar The Doss House on the same street back in March 2018. Now, they've shifted their focus to another beloved spirit — gin. Enter from George Street and make your way through the two-story heritage building (plus a hidden courtyard), before pulling up a seat at the five-metre-long bar. The stools provide the perfect vantage point to take in a show of cocktail mixology or have a gander at the shelves brimming with bottles. Sample more than 100 juniper blends sourced from all corners of the globe as you sip your way through a carefully curated cocktail menu that features an impressive variety of house-made ingredients. "The silver lining from the last three months of lockdown is that we've been able to use the time to really refine our cocktails," said Frank Mac's Beverage Manager Daniel Strahand (The Doss House, Mary's, Spice Temple). "I've spent days perfecting syrups, cordials and bitters." Highlights of the extensive drink menu includes the Shillings ($20), perfect for fans of an apple and lychee martini. The concoction is a mixture of JJ Whitley gin, salted caramel, and surprise surprise, apple and lychee. The Mac Martini ($25) is another stand-out — the vesper-style martini is made with dry gin and an infusion of lemon myrtle, kaffir lime and bay leaves. It's their signature cocktail for a reason. Since it's never a good idea to drink on an empty stomach, the venue also offers a food menu that's short but sweet. It features various plates that are ideal for sharing, like oozy burrata with crusty sourdough ($24) and cheese boards paired with chunks of organic dark chocolate and seasonal market fruit ($40). For something more substantial, guests can order a panini packed to the brim with truffle-infused sopressa ($15) or a roasted vegetable pie ($15) made by Infinity Bakery especially for the venue. The dish is paired with a traditional Irish curry sauce, a nod to Ciara's great uncle Frank Mac who was always to be found at the centre of his local village bar. With its endless gin list, crafted cocktails and heritage charm, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better place for a cheeky tipple than Frank Mac's. [caption id="attachment_834046" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Steven Woodburn.[/caption] Images: Steven Woodburn
When it comes to travel, the early bird really does get the worm. Or in this case, the best value fares. Singapore Airlines has just launched its Early Bird Fare Deals, with flights taking off from all major cities and many regional centres through their partnership with Virgin Australia. And if you're a Type A planner, this is for you. From return fares like Adelaide to Brussels from $1,473, Sydney to Milan from $1,669 or Perth to Manchester from $1,555, Singapore Airlines' Early Bird Fares are full of great value options. Every Early Bird customer can unlock exclusive Pelago discounts on tours, passes and experiences — and KrisFlyer members booking selected European destinations can also earn 50% bonus KrisFlyer miles. So, if you're looking to lock in your holiday plans for 2026 at exceptional value, here's how to do it. Book High-Demand Destinations Early Paris in winter, Rome in summer, London in spring. Whenever you plan on taking off, Europe books out fast. The smart move? Secure your flights now. With Singapore Airlines' Early Bird fares, you can choose from more than 100 destinations, including popular spots like Milan, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Brussels. By the time everyone else is emailing their boss to ask for annual leave, you'll already have your dream itinerary locked in. Maximise Your Annual Leave Speaking of time off work, here's where organised travellers win big: mapping your trip around long weekends and public holidays. With a few carefully placed leave days, you can plan your trip abroad to perfection. For example, in 2026 Easter Monday lands on April 6. If you take the four days before (March 30–April 3) as annual leave, you'll end up with a ten-day break, perfect for a European spring escape. Planning ahead also gives you first pick on leave at work, and helps you line up those rare sweet spots where flights, events, and time off align. Time Your Trip Around the Seasons Australia's summer is Europe's low season, and vice versa. So, planning a future trip based on the season lets you dodge peak crowds and chase the weather that works best for you. You could swap the beach for ski slopes and hot chocolates in January, or book for August to catch the last long golden evenings of a European or North American summer. Luckily, the sale covers travel between January and September 2026 so you can choose your favourite time to go — just keep an eye on blackout dates. Avoid School Holidays Another bonus of forward planning? You can sidestep the chaos (and higher prices) of school holiday periods by travelling in the quieter in-between weeks with available Singapore Airlines' Early Bird Deals. Aiming for off-season windows means more choice, less crowding and smarter value. Plus, if you're travelling with the kids, the sooner you book your flights the more likely you are to nab those prime departure times — no 6am alarms or overnight layovers unless you want them. Reserve Bucket-List Experiences in Advance Want to dine at a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Paris, explore street markets in Ho Chi Minh City or snag tickets to Wimbledon? These experiences often sell out months in advance. By locking in flights now, you can get a head start on bookings that make a trip unforgettable. When you book a Singapore Airlines' Early Bird flight, you'll unlock exclusive Pelago perks (including up to 10% off tours, airport transfers and even Eurail passes) make ticking those experiences off even easier. Make the Most of Extra Rewards Booking early doesn't just save you money and give you something to look forward to, it adds extra value to your trip. With selected Early Bird bookings to Europe, KrisFlyer members can earn 50% bonus KrisFlyer miles to put towards their next trip. All Early Bird customers will unlock Pelago perks — including up to 10% off tours and passes, plus a free 1GB global roaming eSIM. There's a $10 Kris+ sign-up offer available for new users. All the more reason to get that 2026 trip out of the group chat and into the calendar. Don't Wait Until It's Too Late Singapore Airlines Early Bird Fare Deals run only until Tuesday, September 30 2025, with fares across Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class cabins. Book now, and by the time 2026 rolls around you'll be counting down the days, not scrambling for last-minute options. Find out more and book your Early Bird fare for select travel dates in 2026 here.
It has been 11 art-filled years since Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art first opened its doors, and the creative riverside hub just keeps going from strength to strength. As unveiled on Friday, July 13, GOMA is now home to an illuminating new permanent work: Night Life, a brand light installation by artist James Turrell. You might be familiar with the Arizona-based artist's piees if you've been to Mona or the National Gallery of Australia (NGA). He's the one behind the sky-centred installations at both galleries — at Mona, the gazebo-like Armana lights up at sunrise and sunset each day, and at the NGA in Canberra, Within without acts as an outdoor viewing chamber to enhance your view of the sky. All up, Turrell has created 80 'skyspaces' like these around the world. Brisbane's Turrell piece isn't a standalone structure like these other two Australian works. Instead, Night Life lights up GOMA's eastern and southern white façades from within the building, using an 88-minute-long shifting pattern of vibrant coloured light developed by Turrell especially for the location. GOMA director Chris Saines describes it as "a permanent solid light installation that is a deeply immersive field of slowly changing colour." When illuminated — which it will be from sunset to midnight each and every night from this point onwards — the gallery is visible from across the river and around South Bank's cultural precinct. Commissioned for GOMA's tenth anniversary, while Night Life is a new addition, it actually ties into the gallery's history. As Saines explains, "during the development of GOMA, lead architects Kerry Clare, Lindsay Clare and James Jones envisaged an artist-illuminated 'white box' on the gallery's main pedestrian approaches. More than a decade on, Turrell's architectural light installation realises the potential of GOMA's white box façade, and completes a major aspect of the architects' original design intention." Images: James Turrell's architectural light installation at Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art. Photograph: Natasha Harth, QAGOMA. By Lauren Vadnjal and Sarah Ward.
When Sydney's new International Convention Centre opened its doors at Darling Harbour at the end of 2016, it was just one part of the area's ongoing revamp. Welcoming patrons from October 6, Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour is another — a lush 590-room hotel that marks the city's first new internationally branded luxury accommodation since the 2000 Olympics. While most hotels like to think they're offering creature comforts that you won't find at home, SSDH isn't inflating its luxe claims. As designed by award-winning Sydney architect Richard Francis-Jones, and costing a cool $500 million, the 35-storey building features floor-to-ceiling views of the city and Darling Harbour, a French-inspired rotisserie and grill, a dedicated Champagne bar and a decadent pool drinking and hangout space. Those staying the night can pick between standard rooms or 35 suites, with the latter coming complete with in-bathroom TVs, soaking tubs, private check-in and their own sky-high guest lounge. Meanwhile, anyone just looking for a beverage or meal can pick from the site's signature restaurant and three bars, as well as between the likes of deconstructed bouillabaisse, cocktails in the lobby or by the 20-metre infinity pool, and over 20 types of champers. A 450-person ballroom, 6000 external LEDs that will be used for eye-catching light displays, and other design touches that nod to the indigenous clans of the Eora nation who lived in the area — think sail-like triangular accents, and colours of red ochre and blue — are also part of SSDH's package, as is a link with Marseilles. French-theming is part of Sofitel's general approach worldwide, so they've picked the southern port city as this hotel's inspiration. As well as the look and feel, that means patrons can expect Sofitel Wine Days, aka a month of celebrating French wine and living. Find Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour at 12 Darling Drive, Sydney. Head to the hotel's website for further details.
As a vegetarian, it can be easy to feel like an after-thought. Many meat-centric restaurants offer an animal-free option or two, but, all too often, such dishes are not particularly well-considered. That said, more and more restaurants in Sydney are demonstrating that herbivores as just as — if not more — important than their carnivorous counterparts. At the ten covered here, look forward to settling in for, not just a mighty fine vegetarian dish, but an evening-long degustation. Whether you're hoping for fine dining that takes meat-free cooking into the ether or a friendly, affordable feast, you'll find it. THIEVERY, GLEBE Since opening in Glebe in 2015, this cosy eatery has been attracting queues for its imaginative take on Middle Eastern fare. Legend goes that most of the recipes were stolen (with permission) from ex-Nomad chef Julian Cincotta by current head chef Jordan Muhamad (ex-Rockpool). Just a few of these are turmeric baghrir (crumpet) with confit leek, crème fraîche and grape molasses; sheesh barak (Lebanese dumplings) with braised silverbeet, shanklish cheese and fried chickpeas; and haloumi with honey and macadamia dukkah. The vegetarian degustation, dubbed Feast One, gets you nine courses for 52 bucks per head. YELLOW, POTTS POINT This European-style, 100-percent vegetarian bistro serves up some of the finest meat-free cooking in Sydney. It's the work of chef Brent Savage and sommelier Nick Hildebrandt, who are also responsible for Bentley and Monopole. There are degustations for vegetarians and vegans, both dotted with exotic veggies and heirloom varietals. Among the beautifully composed dishes you'll discover are a butternut pumpkin with miso brown butter and saltbush, as well as a pink lady apple terrine with burnt onion and honey. Five courses will set you back $75 (plus $65 for matching wines) and seven for $95 (plus $85). TWO CHAPS, MARRICKVILE Every Thursday and Friday night, Marrickville's Two Chaps cafe stays open late for a set vegetarian dinner featuring hand-made pasta and local cheeses. Dishes vary from week to week, but they're always made from scratch with fresher-than-fresh ingredients. One evening you might be tucking into spinach pappardelle with pine mushrooms, chestnuts, caper butter and pine nut crumbs, and, the next, ravioli with parsley root and buffalo ricotta filling, white wine butter, hazelnut and vein sorrel. You're invited to bring along a bottle of wine or two: the feast is $55 per head, including corkage. OTTO, WOOLLOOMOOLOO For Italian fare fit for a Roman emperor – with dazzling Sydney Harbour views to match – settle in for a meat-free degustation at Otto, on the Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf. Both vegetarians and vegans are looked after with dedicated six-course menus. Just a couple of the gustatory marvels you could find yourself sinking into are a pickled beetroot ravioli with goat's curd, pistachio and horse radish, and an aged acquerello risotto with mushrooms and stracciatella. Expect to pay $140 per head or $215 with matching wines. QUAY, THE ROCKS Another spot that takes vegetarian dining to transcendental levels is Quay, which, in 2017, was one of just three restaurants in New South Wales to score three chefs' hats. Chef Peter Gilmore spends a lot of time experimenting with new plants and herbs, so the menu is ever-changing, depending on his latest discoveries. Dishes that have graced the degustation previously include new season muntries (native cranberries) with sheep's milk feta, cucumber, herbs, macadamia and verjus; and stone pot green rice, buckwheat, sesame, perilla, new season asparagus and wakame broth. The restaurant is currently closed for renovations, but will reopen mid-year with a fresh look and a new menu. ALFIE'S KITCHEN, VARIOUS LOCATIONS The degustations held by Alfie's Kitchen have an unusual element: surprise. Rather than taking place in a restaurant, they happen as pop-up events – in warehouse spaces, at festivals and as part of private functions. Plus, they're not just vegetarian — they're vegan. If you've ever had any doubt about the potential of plant-based food to be as tasty, adventurous and fun as its meaty counterpart, then get along and have your fears allayed. Prepare for native influences — such as the leek smoked in blue gum with potato and finger lime — and unexpected combinations, like avocado with oyster mushrooms and macadamia cream. At present, it has two secret warehouse dinners organised for April 8 and 27, but keep an eye on Alfie's Kitchen's website for other upcoming feasts. ORMEGGIO AT THE SPIT, MOSMAN Ormeggio's contemporary creations visit both Italy and Spain. But, in lieu of the Mediterranean, they come accompanied by vistas of Middle Harbour and Pearl Bay. Executive chef Alessandro Pavoni cut his teeth in the company of renowned chefs Iginio Massari and Giuseppe Maffioli, and has sinced worked in several Michelin-starred restaurants, including Villa Fiordaliso, Lake Garda. The vegetarian degustations, available in five- ($106) and seven-course ($126) formats, are based on simple yet impeccably designed creations, such as green asparagus, corn, apple, pine nuts and coffee. Matching wines are available – both standard and premium. YULLI'S, SURRY HILLS At Yulli's, vegetarianism isn't merely an alternative: it's the reason for being. What's more, the restaurant has been around for years, so there's been plenty of time to come up with interesting dishes. These include the famous moneybags — crunchy parcels crowded with edamame and coconut — as well as jian dui, fried sesame balls filled with cucumber, pickled radish and roasted peanuts and served on a sesame leaf. The banquet, at $40 per head, is the most affordable on this list and gets you three courses plus dessert. Match your picks with Australian wines or a Yulli's Brew or two. BATHERS' PAVILION, BALMORAL Another herbivorous degustation to come with sparkling Middle Harbour panoramas is the one dished up at the Bathers' Pavilion, which is perched on the water at Balmoral. Relax into a comfy banquette in front of glass concertina windows and prepare to indulge in a decadent adventure, fuelled by seasonal produce and French influences. Chef Serge Dansereau's creations include pumpkin and goat cheese cannelloni with hazelnut, cherry tomato, dill and caper wafer; and a passionfruit mousse with Valrhona blond chocolate, turmeric and lemon sauce, and passionfruit sorbet. Five courses are priced at $130 ($190 with matching wines) and seven at $150 ($230). MOMOFUKU SEIOBO, PYRMONT This one's another extravaganza and it's possibly the most unusual, adventurous feast on the list. Momofuku Seiobo, when it opened in Pyrmont in 2011, was the Momofuku Group's first outpost beyond New York City. Barbados-born executive chef Paul Carmichael oversees the creation of 14-course degustations, driven by seasonal produce and inspired by Caribbean cuisine. Dishes vary, but previous offerings include handmade pasta with goat's curd, tomato, chilli and deep-fried mint, as well as creamy pumpkin and coconut pudding with raisin puree and banana leaf-perfumed ice cream. Expect to pay $185 per head, plus $105 for matching wines or $65 for a reduced wine menu.
UPDATE: APRIL 21, 2020 — This Marrickville cafe is still open for takeaway, so you can order everything from coffee and eggs on toast to gluten free toasties, burger and curries to enjoy at home. To place an order, visit the website. A wholefoods cafe with a touch of fine dining flair, Warren & Holt is out to show Sydney's inner west that eating healthy needn't be boring or complicated. The family-owned Marrickville spot embraces the idea of mindful eating, while championing food that's sustainably, ethically and locally produced. The menu is as fun and flavourful as it is nutritionally informed, the kitchen helmed by chef Joey Ingram (Tetsuya's), who's bringing just enough of those fine dining sensibilities into play. You'll find zero in the way of refined sugar, but a plethora of allergen-friendly fare, with gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan options always in strong supply. Breakfast might mean fermented sourdough crumpets by fellow locals Merna, piled with cultured cream and chia jam ($13), gluten-free hotcakes with maple-poached quince ($22) or the kale and zucchini fritter with pickles, caramelised onions and poached eggs ($17). Lunch runs to the likes of a grass-fed beef burger ($22) on a Brickfields Bakery bun, a vegan 'good health bowl' loaded with roast pumpkin, spiced cashew dip and miso-roasted eggplant ($20), and a 48-hour beef bone broth with organic soba noodles ($17). To match, you'll find coffee by Single O, a range of nourishing smoothies and a selection of house-made sweet treats (like chocolate fudge doughnuts).
Write a Brisbane-set book. Score a hit on the page. Then, see your words take to the stage, then the screen. That's how life went for Trent Dalton with Boy Swallows Universe. Next, going as far as treading the boards for now, that's also his path with Love Stories. Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Brisbane Festival have just announced that another of Dalton's books is getting a stage adaptation. As the play version of Boy Swallows Universe did, Love Stories will premiere at Brisbane Festival, with Tim McGarry penning the script and Dalton contributing additional writing. Fiona Franzmann will also contribute, while Sam Strong is directing. If much of this combination sounds familiar, Strong and McGarry also brought Eli Bell's antics to the theatre when it hit QPAC first. Their stage adaptation of Boy Swallows Universe wasn't just a smash — it's still the venue's bestselling drama ever. [caption id="attachment_944825" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent Dalton, Fiona Franzmann, Sam Strong and Tim McGarry. Image: Lyndon Mechielsen.[/caption] Fans won't have to wait long to see the end result for Love Stories, with the production set to have its world premiere in spring 2024, playing QPAC's Playhouse from Tuesday, September 10–Sunday, September 29. As for who'll be bringing it to life onstage, Jason Klarwein plays a writer and husband, while Michala Banas is his wife. They're both based on married couple Dalton and Franzmann. Also in the cast: Rashidi Edwards as Jean-Benoit, a Belgian busker who is also the show's narrator. Kimie Tsukakoshi, Jeanette Cronin, Mathew Cooper, Bryan Probets and Harry Tseng round out the acting talent from there, as joined by dancers Jacob Watton and Hsin-Ju Ely. The production will set its scene from the corner of Brisbane's Adelaide and Albert streets — and if you've read the book, you'll know why. Dalton wrote the 2022 Indie Book Awards Book of the Year-winner by heading to a corner in Brisbane's CBD, Olivetti typewriter in hand, and asking folks walking by for their tales. His question: "can you please tell me a love story?". Accordingly, this is another love letter to Brisbane, as Boy Swallows Universe is. This time, however, it tells true tales about romance and life. The aim is for it to be joyous but poignant, humorous but dramatic, and to be sentimental about Brisbane while telling a range of diverse love stories. [caption id="attachment_944824" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent Dalton and Franzmann. Image: Lyndon Mechielsen.[/caption] "It's a rare and wondrous thrill to see one's words brought to life in the boundless universe of Australian theatre. It's an even greater thrill to see the love stories of so many not-so-ordinary real-life Queenslanders given such reverence and weight," said Dalton. "I've already had the great honour of informing many of the storytellers who so kindly told their stories to me on that corner that their words will now be retold in the most thrilling theatrical way by the most gifted team of creatives. These beautiful people who come from every corner of Queensland are just as excited as I am." [caption id="attachment_935699" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent Dalton, Simon Baker, Phoebe Tonkin, Felix Cameron, Lee Tiger Halley, Bryan Brown and Travis Fimmel at the premiere of Boy Swallows Universe. Image: Jono Searle/Getty Images for Netflix.[/caption] "Love Stories the show will be filled with everything that people adore about the book (and Trent's work) — beautifully specific Brisbane stories that speak universal truths, undeniably unforgettable people, and stories that sometimes break our hearts but always fill them," added Strong. "In translating Love Stories into the theatre, we're also building on the original. Trent and Fiona's own love story, which interweaves through the book, has been expanded by them for the stage show. In addition, we're including some of the incredible love stories that have been shared since the book was published." There's no sneak peek available for Love Stories yet — images, trailer or otherwise — but check out the trailers for both the stage and versions of Boy Swallows Universe in the interim: Love Stories will play the QPAC Playhouse, South Brisbane, from Tuesday, September 10–Sunday, September 29, 2024 as part of Brisbane Festival. Head to the venue's website for tickets and further details. Images: Netflix / Lyndon Mechielsen.
Sandwiches masquerading as lollipops, a garden you can eat and a dessert fairyland featuring giant marshmallows, meringue mushrooms and edible rainbows are just three of the many reasons why you should book a spot at the Mad Hatter’s Brunch. The long, champagne-fuelled banquet will happen at the Ananas Bar and Brasserie on Sunday, May 31, the third in their series of monthly themed brunch events. “It promises to be our most magical brunch yet,” says chef de cuisine Neil Martin. "I don't want to give too much away, but it will be a fantastical feast paired with ‘drink me’ potions, teapot cocktails and a two-hour bottomless flute of champagne for those who want to indulge.” Brunch will be served in the form of a roaming buffet, inspired by French cuisine. You’ll also be treated to freshly shucked oysters, handmade pasta, charcuterie, house-made terrines, pates and a breakfast bar. To match the exotic food, Ananas will be turned into a magical world, with brightly coloured teapots, crazy costumes and eclectic decorations. Don’t, under any circumstances, forget your mad hat.
There are certain cuisines that any city worth its salt must be able to produce with pizzazz. Pizza, for obvious reasons I won't waste time going into, is one of them. Arte Bianca, a nine-week-old addition to Double Bay's smart-casual scene, is a Sicilian-inspired pasta and pizzeria that deserves to be added to any za-lover's list. And, if it keeps up its current game, it could very well be in the running as one of the best in Sydney. An ambitious claim I know, but let's think about this for a moment. There are two types of pizza: the fat, doughy thick-based versions ideal for soaking up hangovers, and the thin, more traditional style versions that focus on real flavour. The only problem is that a lot of places churning out the latter either throw on too much sauce making the dough soggy and causing the ingredients to slop all over the shop, or the base is just too crispy so all you get is an overpowering burned bread taste in your mouth. Arte Bianca, on the other hand, serves up an almost perfect combination of both. And to be honest, so it should. Owners Mark Paterno and Wendy Limond have been on the hospitality scene for a long time, with Mark spinning pizzas for almost 40 years. Throw his Sicilian heritage into the mix alongside one other pizza chef and two kitchen chefs, and this Italian newbie is prepped and primed for the long haul. On our visit we ordered the signature prosciutto, aged for two years (the meat, that is), and the seafood. If the former wasn't served horizontally, it would be literally rolling out the doors, and the latter is so fresh the big fat juicy prawns go in raw, come out cooked and compliment the unshelled mussels like a salty, fishy charm. We also tried the mushroom risotto, which if you like mushrooms, will knock your socks off in the best ways. The place also looks the part. Bright and white, it includes stylish accents like inside supporting beams left untouched, so their multilayered history of paint jobs shines through loud and proud. The words 'arte bianca' translate as 'white art', in homage to the dough of its primary foodstuff. We're told at this stage there have been some issues with the electrics, so dimmer switches will be added to create more ambiance as soon as possible, but to be honest none of that matters if you can nab yourself an al fresco seat. Take in the autumn ambience of this fancy part of town, sip on a nicely made negroni, and after your meal knock back some house-made limoncello alongside one of the creamiest, well-balanced tiramisus we've had in a very long time. Did we mention the service is also superb? No? Well, it's real, passionate and professional. And to be honest, we're pretty damn happy about it. After all, pizza has such a history it deserves somewhere nice to be served up. Get in and get in quick, the secret is out and plenty of people will be heading east to get their hands on some of the best pizza in Sydney. Words by Jack Arthur Smith. Photos by Bodhi Liggett.
Prepare yourself for a serious case of house envy. The winners of the 2017 Houses Awards have been announced and, well, it's easy to see why they won. Taking out the gong for House of the Year is the Auchenflower House in Auchenflower, Queensland. Designed by the team at Vokes and Peters, the deceptively simple dwelling was described by the jury as "the result of the architecture practice's sustained investigations into the Queensland vernacular, and the straightforward application and sensory qualities of utilitarian materials." The Auchenflower House also won the award for House Alteration and Addition Under 200m², an accolade it shared with Branch Studio Architect's A Pavilion Between Trees in Balnarring, Victoria. The Melbourne-based practice also took home the chocolates for Best New House Under 200m² with Balnarring Retreat, while Best New House Over 200m² went to Edition Office's Fish Creek House in Foster, Victoria. Check out the full list of House Award winners, below.AUSTRALIAN HOUSE OF THE YEAR – Auchenflower House by Vokes and Peters (Auchenflower, QLD) NEW HOUSE UNDER 200m² – Balnarring Retreat by Branch Studio Architects (Balnarring, VIC) NEW HOUSE OVER 200m² – Fish Creek House by Edition Office (Foster, VIC) HOUSE ALTERATION AND ADDITION UNDER 200m² – Auchenflower House by Vokes and Peters (Auchenflower, QLD) and A Pavilion Between Trees by Branch Studio Architects (Balnarring, VIC) HOUSE ALTERATION AND ADDITION OVER 200m² – Street House by ME (Burleigh Heads, QLD) APARTMENT OR UNIT – Bobhubski by March Studio (Falls Creek, VIC) OUTDOOR – Waterloo House by Anthony Gill Architects with Budwise Garden Design (Waterloo, NSW) SUSTAINABILITY – Fish Creek House by Edition Office (Foster, VIC) and Garden Pavilion by BLOXAS (Brunswick, VIC) HOUSE IN A HERITAGE CONTEXT – Jac by Panov Scott Architects (Dulwich Hill, NSW) EMERGING ARCHITECTURE PRACTICE – ME (QLD)
The oyster offers a unique taste and texture, and until you embrace this tender and aphrodisiacal snot of the sea, you're just not the refined cosmopolitan you might claim to be. Who could forget the first time they took a fortifying gulp of champers and then allowed the silky grey flesh to slide down their throat, fresh and lemony? And what about those ladies and gentlemen who know how to shuck oysters without severing their own fingers? This is the very height of urban sophistication. You now have the opportunity to join their shining ranks with some help from The Morrison's chefs at August's Shuck Me Silly oyster shucking class. As part of the Oyster Festival, the Morrison team will show you how to extract the suckers without drawing blood. The best part? You can eat the spoils of your labour directly after, enjoying a dozen oysters paired up with their ideal liquid partners: beer by James Squire or Champagne by Pommery.
There's a whole stack of reasons to treat yourself to a stay at The Langham. The indoor pool looks like it's straight out of a Roman cinematic epic and The Day Spa is no less impressive. Embracing the motto of 'detox, renew, relax and rejuvenate', this one offers the full range of luxurious treatments, which, as expected, come at a very luxurious price. Choose from a variety of standalone facials and massages, or really settle in with a multi-treatment package — like the Velvet Experience, an all-inclusive three-hour session that includes a body exfoliation, full-body massage and tailored facial treatment. If you're keen to go all out, it's priced at $480 from Monday–Thursday (or $495 from Friday–Sunday).
UPDATE JANUARY 23, 2017: Because they're legends, the Newtown Hotel is doing $2 pizzas every day from 12–2pm and 5–7pm until February 28. Yep, $2. They'll have 13 pizzas on offer, and you can make it gluten free or vegan for an extra $2. Find more details on their Facebook page. Sydney's Newtown Hotel is back after a year of refurbishments, and it hasn't forgotten its roots. Still standing in the original 130-year-old building on King Street, the place hasn't just received a new lick of paint, it's been totally revitalised. The pub oozes Newtown; from local street artists' art adorning the walls, to the cinema on the second floor, which shows indie flicks during the week. And how about the huge Michael Jackson hand hanging over the main stage? You may remember the pop-up bar Freaky Tiki, which operated in the hotel before the refurbishment. Well, the Tiki is well and truly alive, with cocktails from the former bar that scream rock and roll. Drinks wise? Try the Janis Joplin, chamomile tea-infused Jack Daniels, white crème de cacao, Cointreau and lemon ($16), or go for the cheekily-named Keith Richards Coconut Incident, a combo of Lairds Applejack, coconut, lemon and blue Curacao ($18). Both are excellent. The beer and wine lists also offer plenty of choice. For hops enthusiasts, try the Mort Subite Xtreme Cherry Kriek from Belgium. All of the wines on tap are good, especially the 2010 chardonnay from the Yarra Valley. Outside is another bar area which is perfect during the summer when the sun is out and the retractable roof ensures drinkers won't have to rush inside when it pours. If you're hungry, head upstairs to the hotel's bistro, dubbed 'The Animal'. It's got plenty of bark with a menu featuring Greek influences, which recognises the many Greeks who migrated to Newtown. The kitchen is complete with a whole animal on the spit and table service is offered, but those closer to the bar will have to order there. If you're keen for something to nibble on with your drink, try the mint and lemon grilled haloumi or the grilled WA scallops with baby onions, red wine, cinnamon and capers. For something more substantial, order the wood-roasted suckling lamb rubbed with lemon, garlic and bay leaf . Oh, and least we forget the balcony. It's perfect to watch the colourful characters of Newtown pass by. Newtown Hotel is a bold reintroduction into busy King Street, and is the 'local' that Newtown so desperately needed.
In the 16 years since NSW's liquor licenses were relaxed to support the creation of more grassroots hospitality businesses, small bars have become the bedrock of Sydney's drinking scene. A recent addition to this collection of compact watering holes comes from one of the OG trailblazers of the city's small bar movement — House of Pocket, whose debut venture Pocket Bar (opened in 2009) was a Darlinghurst favourite for more than a decade. Kasippu is House of Pocket's first new venture in four years: a Sri Lankan-inspired "wadiya", blending South Asian cuisine with the pseudo-speakeasy vibes punters will recognise from the group's past venues. Breaking new ground, however, this is House of Pocket's first venue to so conspicuously spotlight its food offering — less a typical bar than a curry house with a hidden cocktail lounge waiting to be discovered just beyond the dining space. The idea to bring a hybrid wadiya-meets-cocktail bar experience to Sydneysiders was hatched when chef Amila Hemchandra and House of Pocket founder Karl Schlothauer travelled together through Sri Lanka. "When we were discussing the new venue concept, I invited Karl to join me [in my homeland] to experience everything — from high-end restaurants to our village cuisine," Hemchandra shares. "It was while we were sitting by a lake, eating curry, sipping kasippu and singing a bit of karaoke that the idea for the venue was born." True to Sri Lanka's culinary heritage, Hemchandra's menu for Kasippu leans heavily on plant-based curries, with just three meat and fish options amongst the nine main dishes on offer. A range of casual curry kebabs and yummy bar snacks like chicken pan rolls and fried stuffed bananas make for ideal cocktail sidekicks for peckish punters in the bar, while the full menu of curries, sides, papadums and rotis are always available during opening hours, right through until close. The venue's namesake is a home-distilled moonshine popular throughout Sri Lanka. Taking inspiration from kasippu's DIY origins, almost all the syrups, cordials and tinctures used to flavour the bar's cocktails are made in-house. A sprawling selection of 16 signature cocktails riff on tropical flavours, such as the Falooda Milk Punch, featuring Bacardi coconut rum, strawberry shrub, rose syrup, fresh lemon juice, coconut milk and strawberry jelly or the South-East Side, a mingle of turmeric-infused Bombay Sapphire gin, fresh lime juice, pandan syrup and mint. Cocktail purists are equally well served by the 37 classics also on the drinks list and a seasoned bar team that can help customers land on the drink that best suits their tastes. Live entertainment will be another cornerstone of Kasippu's appeal. Live music, stand up comedy and even karaoke will have punter's tapping their toes while they enjoy a fiery feed or a refreshing sip. Located on Kent Street, Kasippu joins the collective of bars, hotels and restaurants within the YCK Laneways precinct — an area that became Sydney's first Purple Flag accredited destination in 2023 in recognition of the neighbourhoods superb hospitality offering, its excellent transport links and its general safety after dark. Images: Declan Blackall
South Korean cafe culture has exploded over the last decade, with over 100,000 spots now dotting the nation from top to bottom. Sure, that means there's no shortage of places for specialty coffee. But recent visitors to SK will have almost certainly noticed the latest pastry craze taking over the country — salt bread. For those not planning to hop on a plane anytime soon, the good news is that you'll only have to travel as far as Chippendale to get a bite. Opening Thursday, May 8, Buttered is a brand-new South Korean bakery specialising in salt bread, where each sweet and buttery roll comes with a crisp exterior and just the right amount of flaky salt. If you haven't yet had the chance to sample, think pillowy croissant meets crusty baguette. Led by Vuza Hospitality pastry chef Philip Choi — an alumnus of Paris' renowned Le Cordon Bleu culinary school — he mastered his trade at several of Seoul's top patisseries. "Saltbread was the treat I craved most when I was homesick. It's deceptively simple, but when done right, it's magic," says Choi. "Asian cafe culture is leading the way when it comes to pastries and drinks, and I wanted to bring a slice of that creativity and comfort to Sydney, with a little twist." Planning your visit already? Buttered's signature creation is the 'Salty Boi'. Bringing the same great flavour from South Korea to Sydney, expect a bronzed exterior, layered folds and a soft, chewy centre finished with the perfect pinch of sea salt. Once you've tried the original, dive into creative sweet and savoury surprises, from roasted garlic to almond to vanilla cream. Then you've got other highlights, like distinct varieties of Tissue Bread — a soft, buttery pull-apart loaf — and the Waterfall Cake, featuring airy sponge layered with whipped cream and topped with seasonal fruits. To help your pastry go down, Buttered has rounded out their offering with a lineup of Korean-style 'ade' drinks — fruit-forward beverages combining sparkling water with house-made syrups like yuzu, strawberry and green grape. As for the new bakery's design, Buttered has found a home in Chippendale's The Brewery — a revamped heritage-listed building — where the team has paired old-world charm with contemporary design. Inside, guests are invited to peer into an open kitchen to watch the picture-perfect pastries and cakes take shape, while a minimalist dining area is ideal for kicking back on a slow morning or when you need to grab-and-go on the way to work. Buttered is open Monday–Friday from 10am–5pm and Saturday–Sunday from 9am–5om at The Brewery, 5 Central Park Avenue, Chippendale. Head to Instagram for more information.
Sydney is spoiled with a wealth of bars that also offer up top-notch eats alongside their drinks. Uncanny is the latest to join this list, as a King Street cocktail bar offering a selection of delightful Mediterranean share plates. Located just across from Newtown Station in the former digs of Gurdys, the cocktail bar comes from a family of experienced hospitality veterans — Julien, Michel and Laura Bouskila — who have joined forces to open their first venue. "Uncanny came to be through a mutual excitement and desire to create a venue that felt like a home away from home," co-founder Laura Bouskila says. Step into the cosy and inviting venue and you'll be greeted by an array of family photos, movie posters and knick-knacks, all of which come from the Bouskila family home. As with the best cocktail bars in Sydney, you can order all of your standards alongside a selection of house specials. Uncanny's creations stretch from the sweet to the strong, playing on classic mixes. The Julio Ricter takes a mezcal margarita and adds a salt and za'atar rim; while The Ritz features thyme-infused Aperol with sparkling rosé and soda. And, each time you come in you can expect something new, with the bartenders having regular competitions to come up with new exciting creations. While the drinks hit the spot, the food is the big drawcard. The standout is the bed of hummus with hot pieces of lamb reminiscent of donna or shawarma on top. Laura recommends you pair this with the Julio Ricter fo the ultimate Uncanny experience. Elsewhere on the share-friendly menu is eggplant and pomegranate molasses, harissa and sumac potatoes with chilli aioli, 24-hour marinated chicken shwarma and sautéed harissa prawns. Plus, you'll also find trivia, live music and open mic comedy at the bar on three Tuesdays of each month. Originally slated to open in June of 2021, the pandemic hit the bar pretty hard, with delays and closures continuing until the start of this year. "Since opening again in January, we have not looked back," continues Laura. "We are so grateful and excited that the Newtown community is loving the vibe of Uncanny." Images: Elyse Genrich.
