Survival is an ongoing process. If the first season of The Last of Us didn't already make that clear, the second season of the HBO series is set to arrive in 2025 to stress that message again. How does humanity endure in the aftermath of the Cordyceps virus, and the global devastation caused by it? What does it mean to persist? Also, who do we become in the process? Audiences will find out again from April. At the end of 2024, the US network confirmed that The Last of Us would return sometime in autumn Down Under. Now, it has locked in a month. An exact date is still to be revealed, but the show's comeback is getting closer. Also revealed: a new teaser trailer for the hit TV show that's based on the hugely popular gaming series, following prior sneak peeks — including as images and in promos for the network's full upcoming slate, plus an earlier season two teaser trailer. Prepare for a time jump. Prepare for a guitar. Prepare for hordes of infected. Prepare for a haunting feeling, too. Also, prepare for sirens, flares and a stern warning: "there are just some things everyone agrees are just wrong". In season two, it's been five years since the events of season one. And while there has been peace, it clearly isn't here to stay. Yes, Joel and Ellie are back — and, in their shoes, so are Pedro Pascal (The Wild Robot) and Bella Ramsey (Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget). This time, however, part of the conflict comes from each other. In season two, the show's main duo also have company from both familiar faces and a heap of newcomers. Rutina Wesley (Monster High) and Gabriel Luna (Fubar) return as Maria and Tommy, while Kaitlyn Dever (Good Grief), Isabela Merced (Alien: Romulus), Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction), Young Mazino (Beef), Ariela Barer (How to Blow Up a Pipeline), Tati Gabrielle (Kaleidoscope), Spencer Lord (Family Law), Danny Ramirez (Black Mirror) and Catherine O'Hara (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice) are the season's additions. The two teasers for the second season so far give fans a glimpse of plenty of the above new cast members, including Dever as Abby and Wright as Isaac. The Last of Us made the leap from video games to TV in 2023, and was swiftly renewed after proving a massive smash instantly. The series gave HBO its most-watched debut season of a show ever — and its first episode was also the network's second-largest debut of all time. Locking in a second season was also hardly surprising because the 2013 game inspired a 2014 expansion pack and 2020 sequel. For first-timers to the franchise on consoles and as a TV series, The Last of Us kicked off 20 years after modern civilisation as we know it has been toppled by a parasitic fungal infection that turns the afflicted into shuffling hordes. Pascal plays Joel, who gets saddled with smuggling 14-year-old Ellie (his Game of Thrones co-star Ramsey) out of a strict quarantine zone to help possibly save humanity's last remnants. There wouldn't be a game, let alone a television version, if that was an easy task, of course — and if the pair didn't need to weather quite the brutal journey. As a television series, The Last of Us hails from co-creator, executive producer, writer and director Craig Mazin, who already brought a hellscape to HBO (and to everyone's must-watch list) thanks to the haunting and horrifying Chernobyl. He teams up here with Neil Druckmann from Naughty Dog, who also penned and directed The Last of Us games. Check out the latest teaser trailer for The Last of Us season two below: The Last of Us season two will arrive sometime in April 2025 — we'll update you when an exact date is announced. Season one is available to stream via Binge in Australia and on Neon in New Zealand. Read our review of the first season. Images: HBO.
We could all use a bit of a mood boost and if there's one surefire way to up those dopamine levels, it's a weekend spent lazing by the harbour, soaking up a taste of that luxe waterfront lifestyle. A holiday from reality, featuring sunshine, water vistas and maybe even a private pool. Well, dotted all around Sydney, you'll find chic harbourside retreats and beachfront villas you can call your own for a couple of nights, offering exclusive addresses and hard-to-match views. We've done the hard work for you and rounded up Sydney's most exclusive harbourside stays you can book right now. Choose a favourite, pack those bags and get ready to live your best-ever holiday life. Stylish Apartment, Pyrmont Taste the high life with a stay at this next-level apartment, kitted out with luxury features and boasting sweeping harbour views. From $1410 a night, sleeps six. Cloudbreak, Mosman This sprawling hillside home makes for one luxurious group getaway, complete with smart styling, an infinity pool and absolute water frontage. From $385 a night, sleeps two. The Boathouse, Kurraba Point Set right on the shoreline of Kurraba Point, this roomy retreat features both a sunny waterfront lawn and a boat shed-turned-entertaining space. From $1833 a night, sleeps six. Harbour Hideaway, Clontarf A bright, breezy coastal escape for two, set right on the shores of Clontarf. Enjoy barbecues on the spacious balcony, overlooking the beach. From $499 a night, sleeps two. Camp Cove Tropical Retreat, Watsons Bay Your own tropical oasis, set just metres from Camp Cove Beach, featuring modern styling, a pool and leafy private garden. From $300 a night, sleeps three. Postcard View, Kirribilli A spectacular apartment on the water edge with direct view of the iconic Opera house and Sydney Harbour Bridge. With ideal views and luxe furnishings, this is the perfect stay for immersing yourself in the Harbour city. From $491 a night, sleeps four. Manly Beach Views, Manly Centrally located with a two minute walk from Manly Beach and Corso shopping strip, you'll have easy access to everything Manly has to offer - stunning views included. From $260 a night, sleeps two. Luxury Yacht Overnight Stay, Rose Bay Indulge yourself in a night of romance on board your own private French built Beneteau yacht moored in Rose Bay. On the waterfront with the Harbour Bridge and Opera House in the background, it will be a stay to remember. From $517 a night, sleeps two. Balmoral Beach Beauty, Mosman This stunning absolute beachfront apartment offers magnificent views of Middle Harbour and Balmoral Beach. From $330 a night, sleeps two. Magnificent Waterfront Living, Double Bay Step into your own peaceful harbourside sanctuary complete with it's own private ten metre marina berth, when you stay in this chic Double Bay apartment. From $1008 a night, sleeps five. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy. Images: courtesy of Airbnb
If getting caught in the rain, not doing yoga and making love at midnight are the sort of things you like, then surely you must like piña coladas. All cheesy late-70s songs aside, there's nothing quite like this icy coconut, pineapple and rum drink to get you straight into holiday mode. Meaning 'strained pineapple' and originating from Puerto Rico where it's the national drink, the piña colada has been a steadfast favourite for all those on island time since at least the mid-1950s. The classic version of this tropical cocktail can vary, but for the most part, the drink consists of pineapple juice, coconut cream or coconut milk and rum and can be shaken or blended with plenty of ice. While messing with a classic can sometimes be a lost cause, when you enlist someone like Charlie Ainsbury, ex-This Must Be The Place bartender and Dan Murphy's Spirit Ambassador, to create a twist on the traditional, you end up with some delicious results. And while it's always nice having someone behind the bar pouring, shaking and blending your drinks, it's even better when you can be that person at home and really impress your guests. In the video above, Charlie Ainsbury teaches you the tips and tricks to making a classic piña colada and one with a twist. Study these recipes, stock up on some quality rum and tropical juices, and start wowing your friends with your newly learned piña colada knowledge. And if having your cocktails made for you is more your thing, head to Dan Murphy's House of Discovery, direction Tiki Bar, to immerse yourself further in the world of piña coladas. THE CLASSIC — 50 ml white rum — 50 ml pineapple juice — 50 ml coconut cream — A squeeze of lime juice — A slice of fresh pineapple Combine the rum, pineapple juice, coconut cream and lime juice in a shaker with ice, and give the mix a few good shakes. Pour over ice, and top it off with a fresh slice of pineapple. Charlie's tip: Feel free to add some sugar syrup to this recipe as coconut creams and pineapples vary in sweetness. THE SWIM-UP POOL BAR — 50 ml white rum — 30 ml pineapple juice — 15 ml lime juice — 10 ml orgeat syrup like Crawley's — Nutmeg Shake the rum, pineapple juice, lime juice and orgeat syrup together with glass, then strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg. Charlie's tip: While white rum is classically used for the piña colada, have fun experimenting with gold and dark rums, too. Sip, savour and boost your cocktail savoir-faire at Dan Murphy's House of Discovery from March 8–10. Get your tickets here.
UPDATE, November 3, 2021: The Harder The Fall is available to stream via Netflix from Wednesday, November 3. Idris Elba. A piercing gaze. One helluva red velvet suit. A film can't coast by on such a combination alone, and The Harder They Fall doesn't try to — but when it splashes that vivid vision across the screen, it's nothing short of magnificent. The moment arrives well into Jeymes Samuel's revisionist western, so plenty of stylishness has already graced its frames before then. Think: Old West saloons in brilliant yellows, greens and blues; the collective strut of a cast that includes Da 5 Bloods' Delroy Lindo and Jonathan Majors, Atlanta's Zazie Beetz and LaKeith Stanfield, and If Beale Street Could Talk Oscar-winner Regina King; and an aesthetic approach that blasts together the cool, the slick and the operatic. Still, Elba and his crimson attire — and the black vest and hat that tops it off — is the exclamation mark capping one flamboyant and vibrant movie. Imaginative is another appropriate word to describe The Harder They Fall, especially its loose and creative take on American history. Where some features based on the past take a faithful but massaged route — fellow recent release The Last Duel, for example — this one happily recognises what's fact and what's fantasy. Its main players all existed centuries ago, but Samuel and co-screenwriter Boaz Yakin (Now You See Me) meld them into the same narrative. That's an act of complete fiction, as is virtually everything except their names. The feature freely admits this on-screen before proceedings begin, though, and wouldn't dream of hiding from it. Team-up movies aren't rare, whether corralling superheroes or movie monsters, but there's a particular thrill and power to bringing together these fictionalised Black figures in such an ambitious and memorable, smart and suave, and all-round swaggering film. After proving such a commanding lead in HBO series Lovecraft Country, Majors takes centre stage here, too, as gunslinger Nat Love. First, however, the character is initially introduced as a child (Anthony Naylor Jr, The Mindy Project), watching his parents get murdered by the infamous Rufus Buck (Elba, The Suicide Squad). A quest for revenge ensues — and yes, Nat shares an origin story with Batman. Samuel definitely isn't afraid to get stylised and cartoonish, or melodramatic, or playful for that matter. One of the keys to The Harder They Fall is that it's so many things all at once, and rarely is it any one thing for too long. This is a brash and bold western from its first vividly shot frame till its last, of course, and yet it's also a film about the tragedies that infect families, the violence that infects societies, and the hate, abuse, prejudice, discrimination and bloodshed that can flow from both. It's a romance, too, and it nails its action scenes like it's part of a big blockbuster franchise. As an adult, Nat still has Rufus in his sights. It'll take a few twists of fate — including a great train robbery to free Rufus en route from one prison to the next — to bring them face to face again. The sequence where the outlaw's righthand woman Trudy (King) and quick-drawing fellow gang member Cherokee Bill (Stanfield) take on the law is sleek heist delight, and the saloon clash with marshal Bass Reeves (Lindo) that gets Nat back on Rufus' trail is just as dextrously handled. Nat also has bar proprietor and his on-again, off-again ex Stagecoach Mary (Beetz) on his side, plus the boastful Beckwourth (RJ Cyler, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl), sharp-shooting Bill Pickett (Edi Gathegi, Briarpatch) and diminutive Cuffee (Danielle Deadwyler, P-Valley). Everyone gets their moments, and every one of those moments sashays towards a blood-spattered showdown. It might seem like a pure boilerplate affair on the page, particularly when getting roguish with the western genre — and using it to muse on race — has peppered Quentin Tarantino's resume courtesy of The Hateful Eight and Django Unchained. One of the other keys to The Harder They Fall is how openly and confidently that Samuel knows whose footsteps he's following in, because this is a realm with a past as sprawling as the plains it frequently covets. Seasoned fans can spot the nods in a multitude of directions, including to 60s and 70s spaghetti westerns, and to plenty of other flicks from the same era starring Clint Eastwood. But this is act of reclamation built on the bones of all that's come before, rather than a homage; it slides into a busy field to assert a place for Black cowboys, and does so as beguilingly as Samuel knows how. Perhaps better known as a songwriter and music producer, aka The Bullitts, Samuel brings a thrumming, dynamic, take-charge energy to The Harder They Fall. He writes, directs and composes the movie's soundtrack, too, so that applies across the board. Indeed, the way that he weaves the sounds of hip hop, reggae and afrobeat into a score that also takes cues from the late, great Ennio Morricone — the man behind the music to all of Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns, as well as an Oscar-winner for The Hateful Eight — perfectly encapsulates his overall approach. Samuel has room for all that's come before, and reverence for it, but he's also committed to challenging and redefining the stories and mythology it represents. The Harder They Fall has purpose, pluck and panache — oh-so-much flair, in fact, that it drips across everything from the cinematography to the production design and dapper costuming. It has pace as well, with its 130-minute running-time whizzing by amid several shootouts filled with rapid-fire bullets and enough strong glares to fuel a franchise of flicks. It also boasts the absolute best posse that Samuel could've hoped for. The Harder They Fall's cast is the kind you build an entire movie around, not that that's the gambit here. It'd be hard to thrust this ensemble together and have something other than a spectacular acting showcase result, but this is a rollicking pleasure with the exact right cast, an abundance of smarts, savvy and style, and an unwavering backbone. Top image: David Lee/Netflix.
Every Australian city has its fair share of standout pizza joints, but only one is home to the country's best pizza. If you had an inkling you were chowing down on some world-class pizza, Melburnians, you might have been onto something — with the head chef and co-founder of South Yarra's 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar taking out top honours at the recent Campionato Mondiale Della Pizza (World Pizza Championships). In April, pizza maestro Michele Circhirillo made the trek to Parma, Italy, to battle it out against the big guns in the internationally renowned competition. He claimed the title of Australia's Best Pizza overall, with 48h's Di Parma creation. It's a menu favourite featuring ingredients specific to the Italian region: mozzarella fior di latte, rocket, prosciutto di Parma and Grana Padano parmesan. For Circhirillo, who himself grew up in the northern Italian region of Piemonte, this was the third time competing in the revered pizzaiolo challenge. "It's such a great experience to live and breath pizza for a week," he muses. "All everyone does is talk pizza." Having named their pizza bar 48h, after the minimum time required for natural pizza dough to rise, it's clear that Circhirillo and co-owner Fabio Biscaldi are pretty serious about their dough. Even more so now that their careful concoction of flour, water and yeast has scooped them the ultimate bragging rights in the world's most serious pizza competition. https://www.instagram.com/p/BwQ9sjugxnK/ Melburnians can sample Circhirillo's award-winning pizza skills at both the South Yarra and Elsternwick restaurants, any day of the week. But how about some expert tutelage so you can recreate the magic at home? Among its series of hands-on kitchen masterclasses, 48h also offers pizza-making workshops, most taught by the master himself. The next one's coming up on Saturday, June 29. Find 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar at 373 Malvern Road, South Yarra and 15 Gordon Street, Elsternwick.
Sydney has no shortage of comedy clubs, but let's be honest, most of them don't come with ocean views. Until now. This May, the beloved Sydney Comedy Festival is switching things up by turning Bondi Pavilion into the ultimate pop-up comedy venue. From May 14 to 18, some of the sharpest, funniest, and most unfiltered minds in stand-up will be delivering their best punchlines in The Pav's iconic beachside Theatre, Seagull Room, Bar and Balcony. Forget dingy bars and sticky carpets. This is comedy, Bondi-style. Five nights, back-to-back sets, and a lineup stacked with international names and local rising stars. Whether you're into dark satire, chaotic crowd work, or big jokes that make your cheeks hurt for days after, there's a show (or five) with your name on it. Here are our top picks. [caption id="attachment_995562" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Bondi Visuals[/caption] He Huang He Huang burst onto the comedy scene with a viral audition on Australia's Got Talent that had the world talking, and she's been making waves ever since. Her stand-up is deadpan, dry wit and deeply insightful, tackling everything from culture clashes to identity with a delivery so effortless that you almost miss how clever it is. Ivan Aristeguieta A Venezuelan with an Aussie passport and jokes aplenty for poking fun at both cultures, Ivan Aristeguieta is a master of observational comedy. His performances are high-energy and packed with hilarious insights into language, food, and the quirks of Australian life. Expect storytelling at its best: quick-witted, animated, and impossible not to love. Ian Bagg Brace yourself. Ian Bagg isn't here to just perform stand-up, he'll throw you right into the chaos. His razor-sharp crowd work and rapid-fire delivery make every show feel like a one-off experience. If you sit up front, be warned: no one is safe, and that's half the fun. Luke Heggie Dry, biting, and with no patience for nonsense, Luke Heggie is as Aussie as they come. His humour is observational and delivered with a deadpan drawl that makes every joke land harder. There's no fluff or gimmicks, just brutally funny stand-up that'll have you laughing and questioning your life choices all at once. Jess Fuchs Fast-rising and fearless, Jess Fuchs doesn't hold back. She's got sharp punchlines, chatty crowdwork and a talent for turning the everyday into something uncomfortably hilarious. If you like your comedy bold, unfiltered, and full of unexpected left turns, she's one to watch. Nick White Quirky, clever, and endearingly relatable, Nick White is the kind of comedian who makes you laugh at things you never thought were funny. Known most widely as his TikTok alter ego, Carli Furplam (AKA The Dull Coworker), Nick's live sets are packed with impersonations, wit, and comedic timing that's impossible to ignore. If you love a mix of smart and silly, he's your guy. Sophie Duker If you haven't seen Sophie Duker perform yet, now's your chance. The British stand-up powerhouse is as likely to drop an academic reference as she is to hit you with a perfectly timed pop culture dig. Either way, you're in for a ride. A regular on UK panel shows and festival lineups, Duker's comedy is bold, fearless, and refreshingly unpredictable. [caption id="attachment_995560" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Bondi Visuals[/caption] Showcases and Best of the Fest Can't decide who to see? The Sydney Comedy Festival Showcase has you covered. It's a handpicked selection of festival favourites, bringing together the best of the best for a single, jam-packed night of stand-up on Wednesday, May 14. Think of it as a comedy tasting platter, except every act is a killer. Want to see how they do it overseas? The Best of the Fest International lineup is stacked with amazing acts from around the world, offering a fresh mix of comedic styles, experiences and perspectives across the entire week. If you're after something a bit more unexpected, this showcase delivers a global comedy experience, all without leaving Bondi. Sydney has its fair share of comedy gigs, but very few are at this level. The Sydney Comedy Festival at Bondi Pavilion has everything you could want from a night out. Ocean views, top-tier talent, and a drink in hand? Hard to top. Whether you're a die-hard comedy fan or just looking for a guaranteed good time, this five-night festival is your best bet at this time of year. So, drop a link in your group chat and plan your week of shows with ticket prices ranging from $24 to $49.90. Sydney Comedy Festival at Bondi Pavilion runs from Wednesday, May 14 to Sunday, May 18. For more information or to book your tickets, visit the website. By Jacque Kennedy
In case you haven't heard, some pretty big names in the art world are calling the Art Gallery of NSW home at the moment. The Masters of Modern Art from the Hermitage exhibition features over 65 works from the late 19th- and early 20th-century's most revered artists, drawn extensively from St Petersburg's State Hermitage Museum. This is a rare opportunity for Sydneysiders to come face-to-face with iconic paintings from the likes of Monet, Cézanne, Matisse and Picasso — works which have come to define a revolutionary point in art history. To celebrate this blockbuster exhibition, the Art Gallery of NSW's much-loved restaurant Chiswick at the Gallery is hosting a suitably artistic dining package. For $82 per person, you'll dine on a delicious two-course meal with a glass of wine or 4 Pines beer before setting off to explore the exhibition. Dishes are prepared by head chef Tim Brindley and stay true to the restaurant's 'garden-to-plate' philosophy — with ingredients even thrown in from the garden outside. Choose from seared snapper with capers, witlof and asparagus or grilled spatchcock served with zucchini and flowers for your main, and then, for dessert, there's strawberry, coconut and lemon balm or Valrhona flourless chocolate cake with cherry liquor and cherry sorbet. The Chiswick team has designed a series of artist-inspired cocktails to add to your meal ($20 each), too. There's the Monet, with vodka, strawberry-rose syrup and citrus, the Picasso, with bourbon, sherry, mandarin syrup and bitters, and the Cézanne, with gin, apple liqueur, citrus and bitters. It's food (and drink) meets art and, in our opinion, the tastiest way to experience one of the Art Gallery of NSW's landmark exhibitions. The dining series is available at Chiswick at the Gallery throughout the duration of Masters of Modern Art from the Hermitage exhibition. It's available for lunch daily and for dinner on Wednesday nights until Sunday, March 3. The menu price also includes entry into the exhibition. To make a reservation, head to the restaurant's website. Images: Rachel Kara.
The Mornington Peninsula is now home to a gluten-free brewpub thanks to Twøbays Brewing, which opened the doors to its Dromana taproom in December 2018. The public tasting room is set amongst the production brewery, which began operation in 2017. It's stainless steel tanks are visible from the brewpub side, and the entire facility overlooks the picturesque Arthur's Seat. Founder and beer enthusiast Richard Jeffares was diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2016 and became inspired by similar gluten-free taprooms found in The States. Jeffares signed on head brewer Andrew Gow, who's resumé boasts 20 years in the business, including at Mornington Peninsula Brewery, Mountain Goat and Five Islands in Sydney's Wollongong. While most beers use gluten-containing malted barley, Twøbays instead uses gluten-free millet, rice and buckwheat — imported from Colorado and California — in all its beers. The brewpub has launched with a range of seven core and specialty tap beers, including an easy-drinking pale ale; an English-style extra special bitter dubbed Local Knowledge; Gose Against, a German-style gose brewed with coriander, salt and lime; and a mid-strength ale called Little Arthur. To try a few at once, patrons can nab a four-pony tasting paddle. Apart from brews, there's locally produced Quealy wine and Ten Sixty One cider to enjoy. And, adding to theme, there's also a woodfired oven slinging gluten-free pizza. The taproom is a cash-free environment, though, so make sure you come with card in hand. Twøbays also sells its pale ale and IPA online — both of which are endorsed by Coeliac Australia. If you're a keen home-brewer, Twøbays is already selling and shipping its gluten-free brew packs and malts across Australia. Find Twøbays Brewing Co at Unit 1, 2 Trewhitt Court, Dromana, Victoria. Opening hours are Friday from 3–8pm, Saturday from 12–6pm and Sunday from 12–5pm. Updated: June 3, 2019.
If you're a dinosaur fan in Sydney, life keeps finding a way to indulge your interest in prehistoric creatures. Sydney's latest: Jurassic World: The Exhibition, which roars into town with life-sized, lifelike critters, as well as a celebration of 30 years since the first Jurassic Park movie initially rampaged across the big screen. A showcase with the same name displayed in Melbourne back in 2016, but this Harbour City visit comes after stops everywhere from London, San Diego, Paris and Madrid to Seoul, Shanghai and Toronto — running from Friday, September 22, 2023–Sunday, February 18, 2024. Expect to feel like you've been transported to Isla Nublar, complete with a walk through the big-screen saga's famed gates. From there, you'll walk through themed environments featuring dinos, including a brachiosaurus, velociraptors — yes, get ready to say "clever girl" — and a Tyrannosaurus rex. Also linking in with the animated Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous series, there'll be baby dinos, including the show's Bumpy. Sydneysiders and visitors to the New South Wales capital can get roaming, and staring at animatronic dinos, at the 3000-square-metre SuperLuna Pavilion at Sydney Showground in Sydney Olympic Park. Now, all that's left is to decide which Jurassic franchise character you want to emulate (the best choices: Laura Dern's palaeobotanist Ellie Sattler, Sam Neill's palaeontologist Alan Grant and Jeff Goldblum's mathematician Ian Malcolm, of course). And no, when Michael Crichton penned Jurassic Park in 1990, then Steven Spielberg turned it into a 1993 film, they wouldn't have expected that this'd be the result three decades — and five more movies — later.
It's a little distressing just how good this band is, especially when the two brothers that make up Drenge look like they are only 12 years old. The first time I heard this record, I thought for sure that these were some grizzled old Manchester punks still hanging onto that glorious period of English post-punk in the late '70s and early '80s, still playing their Smiths and Wedding Present cassettes and raging against Margaret Thatcher. And maybe the bit about the cassettes is true, but as you can see, the Loveless brothers (Eoin and Rory) are anything but grizzled. They've been called "Sheffield's Black Keys" by some lazy critics who can only count to two, but rather than coming from a blues kinda background, Drenge is a stripped-back, turned-up combination of all things metal and grunge, with elements of Black Sabbath and The Melvins everywhere — though mostly in the furious guitar overdrive on every track. Their debut album is all killer, and they are absolutely going to tear GoodGod apart. If you're after a sweaty, thrashing headbang over summer, you couldn't ask for a better one than this. https://youtube.com/watch?v=8sqJIdcKsrs
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 will do that, and so will plenty of people staying home because they aren't well — that's no longer always the case. Maybe you haven't had time to make it to your local cinema lately. Perhaps you've been under the weather. Given the hefty amount of titles 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 seven that you can watch right now at home. Dune: Part Two Revenge is a dish best served sandy in Dune: Part Two. On the desert planet of Arrakis, where golden hills as far as the eye can see are shaped from the most-coveted and -psychedelic substance in author Frank Herbert's estimation, there's no other way. Vengeance is just one course on Paul Atreides' (Timothée Chalamet, Wonka) menu, however. Pop culture's supreme spice boy, heir to the stewardship of his adopted realm, has a prophecy to fulfil whether he likes it or not; propaganda to navigate, especially about him being the messiah; and an Indigenous population, the Fremen, to prove himself to. So mines Denis Villeneuve's soaring sequel to 2021's Dune, which continues exploring the costs and consequences of relentless quests for power — plus the justifications, compromises, tragedies and narratives that are inescapable in such pursuits. The filmmaker crafts his fourth contemplative and breathtaking sci-fi movie in a row, then, after Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 as well. The vast arid expanse that constantly pervades the frames in Dune: Part Two isn't solely a stunning sight. It looks spectacular, as the entire feature does, with Australian cinematographer Greig Fraser (The Creator) back after winning an Oscar for the first Dune; but as Paul, his widowed mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson, Silo), and Fremen Stilgar (Javier Bardem, The Little Mermaid) and Chani (Zendaya, Euphoria) traverse it, it helps carve in some of this page-to-screen saga's fundamental ideas. So does the stark monochrome when the film jumps to Giedi Prime, home world to House Harkonnen, House Atreides' enemy, plus Arrakis' ruler both before and after Paul's dad Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) got the gig in Villeneuve's initial Dune. People here are dwarfed not only by their mammoth surroundings, but by the bigger, broader, non-stop push for supremacy. While there's no shortage of detail in both Part One and Part Two — emotional, thematic and visual alike — there's also no avoiding that battling against being mere pawns in an intergalactic game of chess is another of its characters' complicated fights. Dune: Part Two streams via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review, and our interview with Greig Fraser. Immaculate Add screaming to the ever-growing list of things that Sydney Sweeney can do spectacularly well. Indeed, thanks to Immaculate, which gets the Euphoria and The White Lotus star putting her pipes to stellar bellowing use, the horror genre has a brand-new queen; long may she reign if this is what audiences have to look forward to. This film about a nun who moves to a convent in the Italian countryside, then mysteriously becomes pregnant without having had sex, isn't just a job for Sweeney. She auditioned for the movie a decade back, it didn't come to fruition, but she strove to make it happen now. She stars. She produces. She enlisted Michael Mohan, who she worked with on Everything Sucks! and The Voyeurs, as its director. The passion that drove her quest to bring Immaculate to viewers is just as apparent in her formidable performance, too, including echoing with feeling — and blistering intensity— when she's shrieking. No one should just be realising now how versatile an actor that Sweeney is. Her portrayal of Sister Cecilia, who found her way to becoming a bride of Christ after a traumatic near-death incident in her younger years, is exactly what the film's title suggests: immaculate. It's also a showcase of a role that requires her to be sweet, dutiful, faithful, ferocious, indefatigable, vengeful and desperate to survive all in the same flick — and she kills it — but adaptability, resourcefulness and displaying a multitude of skills has been her on-screen wheelhouse beyond just one movie. Take Sweeney's last four cinema releases, for instance, all of which hail from 2023–24. Reality, Anyone But You, Madame Web and Immaculate couldn't be more dissimilar to each other, and neither could the actor's parts in them. Throw in her Saturday Night Live hosting stint, and she's firmly at the "is there anything that she isn't capable of?" stage of her career. Immaculate streams via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review, and our interview with Michael Mohan. The Zone of Interest Quotes and observations about evil being mundane, as well as the result when people look the other way, will never stop being relevant. A gripping, unsettling masterpiece, The Zone of Interest is a window into why. The first film by Sexy Beast, Birth and Under the Skin director Jonathan Glazer in more than a decade, the Holocaust-set feature peers on as the unthinkable happens literally just over the fence, but a family goes about its ordinary life. If it seems abhorrent that anything can occur in the shadow of any concentration camp or site of World War II atrocities, that's part of the movie's point. It dwells in the Interessengebiet, the 40-square-kilometre-plus titular area that comprised and surrounded the Auschwitz complex, to interrogate how banal genocide was to those in power; commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel, Babylon Berlin), even gloats that his name will be remembered and celebrated for its connection to mass extermination. Höss was a real person, and the real Nazi SS officer overseeing Auschwitz from 1940–43. His wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall) and five children are similarly drawn from truth. But The Zone of Interest finds its way to the screen via Martin Amis' fiction novel of the same name, then hones its interest down from the book's three narrators to the Höss family; a biopic, it isn't, even as it switches its character monikers back to reflect actuality. This is a work of deep probing and contemplation — a piece that demands that its viewers confront the daily reality witnessed and face how the lives of those in power, and benefiting from it, thrived with death not only as a neighbour but an enabler. Camp prisoners tend the Höss' garden. Ashes are strewn over the soil for horticultural effect. Being turned into the same is a threat used to keep the household's staff in line. All three of these details, as with almost everything in the feature, are presented with as matter-of-fact an air as cinema is capable of. The Zone of Interest streams via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. How to Have Sex Movies don't have pores, but How to Have Sex might as well. Following a trip to Greece with three 16-year-old best friends who want nothing more than to party their way into womanhood — and to get laid, too — this unforgettable British drama is frequently slick with sweat. Perspiration can dampen someone when they're giddily excited about a wild getaway, finishing school and leaving adolescence behind. It can get a person glistening when they're rushing and drinking, and flitting from pools and beaches to balconies and clubs. Being flushed from being sozzled, the stickiness that comes with expending energy, the cold chill of stress and horror, the fluster of a fluttering heart upon making a connection: they're all sources of wet skin as well. Filmmaker Molly Manning Walker catalogues them all. Viewers can see the sweat in How to Have Sex, with its intimate, spirited, like-you're-there cinematography. More importantly, audiences can feel why protagonist Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce, Vampire Academy) is perspiring, and the differences scene to scene, even when she's not quite sure herself. How to Have Sex also gets those watching sweating — because spying how you've been Tara, or her pals Em (debutant Enva Lewis) and Skye (Lara Peake, Halo), or lads Badger (Shaun Thomas, Ali & Ava) and Paddy (Samuel Bottomley, The Last Rifleman) in the neighbouring resort unit, is inescapable. Walker has been there herself, with parts of her debut feature as a writer and director drawn from her own time as a Tara, Em or Skye while also making the spring break and Schoolies-like pilgrimage from England to the Mediterranean. When the movie doesn't lift details directly from her own experience, it shares them with comparable moments that are virtually ripped from western teendom. One of the feature's strokes of genius is how lived-in it proves, whether Tara and her mates are as loud and exuberant as girls are when their whole lives are ahead of them, its main character is attempting to skip her troubles in a sea of strobing lights and dancing bodies, or slipping between the sheets — but not talking about it — is changing who Tara is forever. How to Have Sex streams via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review, and our interview with Molly Manning Walker. Bob Marley: One Love There's no doubting who Bob Marley: One Love is about, but the Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard)-directed biopic also brings two other big-screen portraits of music superstars to mind. There's always a dance through a legend's history flickering somewhere, or close to it, with the initial dramatised look at the reggae icon arriving after Bohemian Rhapsody and Elvis both proved major hits in recent years. Where the first, which focused on Freddie Mercury, had Live Aid, Bob Marley: One Love has the One Love Peace Concert. Both are gigs to build a movie around, and both features have done just that. Baz Luhrmann's portrait of the king of rock 'n' roll wanted its audience to understand what it was like to watch its namesake, be in his presence and feel entranced by every hip thrust — and, obviously without the gyrating pelvis, Bob Marley: One Love also opts for that approach. Enter Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob Marley, in a vital piece of casting. Although it may not earn him an Oscar as Bohemian Rhapsody did Rami Malek (Oppenheimer), or even a nomination as Elvis scored for Austin Butler (Masters of the Air), the British actor turns in a phenomenal performance. He's worlds away from being a Ken in Barbie. He isn't in wholly new territory seeing that he played Malcolm X in One Night in Miami and Barack Obama in TV series The Comey Rule. He's also magnetic and mesmerising — and, in the process, expresses how and why Marley was magnetic and mesmerising. Ben-Adir's vocals are blended with Marley's. Accordingly, you're largely listening to the singer himself. But there's a presence about Ben-Adir in the part, perfecting Jamaican patois, getting kinetic and uninhibited in his movement while he's behind the microphone, radiating charisma, but also conveying purpose and self-possession. It's a portrayal that's as entrancing and alive as the music that's always echoing alongside it; with Marley's discography, that's saying something. Bob Marley: One Love streams via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review, and our interview with Kingsley Ben-Adir, Lashana Lynch, James Norton and Reinaldo Marcus Green. Riceboy Sleeps When Riceboy Sleeps charts the passage of time from 1990 to 1999 partway into the movie, the Canadian film does so with Dong-hyun at its centre. As a six-year-old (played by debutant Dohyun Noel Hwang) navigating his initial taste of school from behind his large round glasses, he's shy, sensitive, and constantly reminded that he's different by teachers and classmates. As a 15-year-old (Ethan Hwang, The Umbrella Academy) with bleached-blonde hair and faux blue eyes, he's adopted a coping mechanism: trying to blend in. Riceboy Sleeps isn't just about Dong-hyun, who takes the anglicised name David in his attempts to assimilate. It's as much about his mother So-young (fellow feature first-timer Choi Seung-yoon), who relocates him from South Korea to North America after his soldier father's suicide. Writer/director Anthony Shim's sophomore release after 2019's Daughter hones in on the act of seeing, too — gleaning what's around you, who, why, the past that lingers, the stories that echo — as Dong-hyun and So-young survey where they are, where they've been, and how their history keeps dictating their present and future. In that aforementioned time jump, Shim — who helms, pens, edits and acts — and cinematographer Christopher Lew (Quickening) make eyes the focus. When Riceboy Sleeps dwells in the first year of the 90s, Dong-hyun's spectacles are frames within the frame, giving the boy his own windows to the world that he fidgets with, seems burdened by and, in an act of bullying by his peers, has dinged up and taken away. When the movie hits the end of the decade, Dong-hyun is putting in his contacts, therefore making the lens with which he perceives his existence invisible. Semi-inspired by his own childhood as a South Korean arrival to Vancouver Island in the 90s, including attending a school where he was the only Asian student, Riceboy Sleeps is this thoughtful at every level. The movement, and later lack thereof, of Lew's camerawork is just as loaded with meaning: in Canada, it's restless in long wide shots, careening around gracefully but noticeably and finding points to fixate on; back across the Pacific Ocean in the picture's bookending segments, it's still but just as observational. Riceboy Sleeps streams via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. The Boys in the Boat The Social Network isn't a rowing film, but the Henley Royal Regatta sequence in David Fincher's (The Killer) 2010 triumph quickly became one of cinema's most-famous oar-sweeping moments. Prestige, money, tradition, opulence, power, competition, determination: they all wash through the tightly shot segment, which gleams with the water of the River Thames, the sweat on the crew's faces and, just as importantly, with status. Definitely a rowing film, The Boys in the Boat paddles into the same world; however, a commentator's line mid-movie sums up the focus and angle of this old-fashioned underdog sports flick. "Old money versus no money at all" is how the usual big and rich names in the field and the University of Washington's junior varsity team are compared. George Clooney's (The Tender Bar) ninth feature as a director doesn't just spot the class-clash difference there — his entire picture wades into that gulf. Drawn from 2013 non-fiction novel The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown, reuniting Clooney with his The Midnight Sky screenwriter Mark L Smith in the process, The Boys in the Boat is about the UW's rowing efforts, rower Joe Rantz and coach Al Ulbrickson, too — plus an against-the-odds quest, bold choices, the struggles of the Great Depression, the reality of an Olympics held under the Nazi regime and the looming shadow of war. But thrumming at its heart like a coxswain is setting the pace is the mission to keep afloat one stroke at a time, and not merely in the pursuit of glory and medals. What rowing means to Rantz (Callum Turner, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore), the character at its centre, as well as to the classmates-turned-crewmates catching and extracting with him under the guidance of the stoic Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton, I'm a Virgo), is pure survival first and foremost. The Boys in the Boat streams via Prime Video. Read our full review, and our interview with Joel Edgerton. Looking for more 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 and March 2024 (and also January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December 2023, too). We keep a running list of must-stream TV from across 2024 as well, complete with full reviews. And, we've also rounded up 2023's 15 best films, 15 best straight-to-streaming movies, 15 top flicks hardly anyone saw, 30 other films to catch up with, 15 best new TV series of 2023, another 15 excellent new TV shows that you might've missed and 15 best returning shows.
Talk about a big hook: while shark movies and serial-killer films comprise their own unnerving genres, each swimming with ample must-see viewing, Dangerous Animals combines the pair into an entertaining thriller mashup. The Gold Coast-made and -set picture boasts marine predators aplenty. The real monster in the hierarchy, however, lives on land and is very much human. Indeed, in a post-Jaws world — June 2025 marks five decades since Steven Spielberg's blockbuster sparked many a permanent case of galeophobia — one of The Loved Ones and The Devil's Candy filmmaker Sean Byrne's aims with his third feature, and first in ten years, is to do justice to rather than villainise the feared toothy fish. His new antagonist: Tucker, Dangerous Animals' shark-obsessed murderer. The victim of an attack in his younger days, he's now in the cage-diving business. As viewers learn early on, tourists frequenting his boat to swim with the ocean's creatures get more than they bargained for. From Jai Courtney (American Primeval) in the part, the movie receives exactly what it needs, though: an unforgettably terrifying performance, bringing to life a figure that's charismatic from the outset, while equally unsettling from the get-go as well. Tucker charms his customers, but there's aways an edge to him. He's menacing and obsessive, and also believable and fleshed out — and a little vulnerable, too. When Dangerous Animals introduces American-in-Australia Zephyr (Hassie Harrison, Yellowstone), everyone watching knows that the dedicated surfer is bound to paddle into Tucker's orbit, even as the solo traveller is making a rare connection with local real-estate agent Moses (Josh Heuston, Heartbreak High). The screenplay by first-timer Nick Lepard obliges — but this isn't the type of film where foreseeing such a turn of events kills the tension and suspense. Although Tucker abducts Zephyr to indulge his sadistic shark-feeding ritual, she knows the true threat and isn't afraid to sink her own teeth into fighting back. An engaging big-screen experience results, as does a movie that earned a rare endorsement on its way to cinemas Down Under. At 2025's Cannes Film Festival, Dangerous Animals became the first shark film to ever grace the event's program. "To be the first shark film to be officially selected for Cannes was kind of mindblowing," Byrne tells Concrete Playground. "And to be in Directors' Fortnight as well, which traditionally is a very film-literate sidebar — but it was a great vote of confidence that, I think, the selection committee saw this as a subversion of the traditional shark film." [caption id="attachment_1009141" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Belinda Rolland © 2025.[/caption] "What I loved the most was, the Cannes experience, that was the first time that an audience had seen the finished film," Byrne continues. "So I was terrified. And because it is a very film-literate audience over there, I was thinking 'how are they going to perceive this?'. But they absolutely understood that this is just a fun, unhinged night at the movies, and really responded to that, and laughed and gasped. And we got a ten-minute standing ovation. So, yeah, it was incredibly gratifying. But to begin with I was petrified, because it was the first time that an audience had seen the finished film and on quite a big stage, so the stakes felt high." Playing Tucker, the stakes are raised for Courtney, too. It's a complex role — and one that Byrne has likened to Kathy Bates in Misery, Jack Nicholson in The Shining and Christian Bale in American Psycho. The Australian actor, making his second homegrown flick in succession after the immensely different, family-friendly Runt, hasn't shied away from playing the bad guy across his career so far. Here, the IRL true-crime fan was excited about the many layers to his Dangerous Animals part, as he adds to an on-screen resume that began two decades back in short Boys Grammar — and has spanned the likes of Jack Reacher, A Good Day to Die Hard, Terminator Genisys, the Divergent movies and two Suicide Squad entries in Hollywood. Is a willingness to get dark behind the range of antagonistic parts to Courtney's name? "I think it's just something that's started to happen. You find things that are in your wheelhouse," he advises. "And I'm not afraid of that or necessarily in search of it, either. It's just that, I guess, things that tend to be the stuff that come my way, that meet up with where my interests are, happen to be that way. But the goal for me is just to try and shake it up whenever I can. And fortunately films like Runt come along and I get to play a loving father of two, and completely depart from this world whatsoever. As long as I pepper a few of those in here and there, hopefully I'm not pigeonholed too heavily." A premise like Dangerous Animals' is a rarity, no matter how common both shark and serial-killer fare are separately. Yes, for both Byrne and Courtney, that's a drawcard. Respecting the film's sea-dwelling creatures, complete with using real animal footage as much as possible, was another key element for its director. So was the fact that this is as much a movie about the importance of love, and the power that someone believing in you can give. For its star, Tucker's dance sequence to Steve Wright's 'Evie' wasn't a motivating factor — but it's one of the film's most-memorable moments in a flick filled with them. We also chatted with Byrne and Courtney about the above, unpacking Australian larrikins and ideas around Aussie masculinity, how starring in a shark picture leaves you feeling about them and their career journeys as well, among other subjects. On the First Reaction When a Horror Movie About a Shark-Obsessed Serial Killer Stalking the Gold Coast — and About Man Being the Real Monster, Too — Comes Your Way Jai: "I think I read something that felt really original. It was a great story and had really strong characters at the centre of it, which is a sort of immediate way in — because I think with something like this, you get a loose logline before you're about to crack it open and it's like 'okay, it could go either way'. But Nick Lepard, who wrote our script, had really done a lot of work in giving these characters maybe a bit more depth than you'd come to expect from a film of this nature. And I think that's what made it a bit of a unique experience, and certainly made it appealing to me to want to get involved with. I think Tucker, he's so much more than the shark-obsessed serial killer. And we don't get to explore tons of his backstory, but there is a lot of colour to him, and I think seeing a chance to bring all that to life with this undertone of his morally ambiguous intentions was what really attracted me to it. And then, just speaking to Sean and kind of getting on common ground as far as what we thought was necessary for him. I didn't want this character to feel like a broad-strokes-washed-over-evil-intentions guy. If that was the movie he was trying to make, I don't think I would have been there. But I think we both wanted him to feel like there was a sort of deception there. And it had to feel fun. I wanted it to feel familiar and uniquely Australian, but also the genre speaks to the world, and we play into all the classic tropes that you might expect. It also does a good job of not taking yourself too seriously. There's a few winks to the audience in this film, where I think if you get onboard — it's why it's so important to see it with an audience, too, I really believe, because there's an energy to it that when you're sharing the space with others who are on the same ride, it becomes really palpable." Sean: "I tend to write my own scripts, much to the frustration of my agent and manager. And then this crossed my desk, and immediately I was just struck by the high-concept of serial killer film meets shark film. And I thought 'why hasn't anyone done this?', especially when you had the fact that this is the first shark film where the sharks aren't really the antagonist — man is. So I felt like Nick Lepard had actually kind of cracked the code. Because, Jaws masterpiece though it is, has done such a disservice to the sharks, where the same formula has been followed over and over again to the point that sharks are beginning to become an endangered species — because it was so culturally seismic. And so to get this shark film that was unlike any other shark film, but also had a conservation angle — but on top of that, was just a wild, fun night at the movies — it was just irresistible.' On Exploring Tucker's Layers — Including His Childhood Shark Attack and the Physical Scars It Left, Plus the Trauma, Vulnerability and Emotional Damage — All While He Remains a Shark-Obsessed Serial Killer Jai: "You just have to find the quiet moments and allow them to be there without trying to sell it too hard. The camera is an interesting thing, because it sees things that are saved for the audience for later. It's not like on set — you can't kind of like sell it all for the people that are in the room. And I think Tucker, there's an opportunity with him sometimes — where even just his response to certain comments made by Zephyr, or questions he's asked by Heather [Ella Newton, Girl at the Window] in the start of the film, there's things that can be quite potent. I just wanted to find opportunities with him to reveal a bit of his tenderness. And I think that's the thing that, for me, was like the gateway into figuring out who he was — is like this wound. We don't get to hear a lot about it in the film. There's one moment that sort of touches on it. But there's a bit of arrested development. He's stuck in a place where he was abandoned as a kid, and this somewhat otherworldly encounter touched him, and that's by way of being victim of an attack. But it almost made him feel chosen in a way. And so a lot of that is really just figuring out the path for yourself, where you're going 'alright, here's this bloke who's got this gaping wound in him, this trauma, but feels this immense connection to the animal'. All of that is just sort of say that he's found a crusade for himself that feels real. And it might be misguided, but he has a true belief in it. And so there you have the building blocks of who he might be, and then the fun part is stacking on the colourful bits on top. Even just costume and makeup and finding his look, finding the shape of his body — I mean, that for me, it's all part of building who Tucker is, and I wanted him to feel like a real salty, kind of born-out-of-the-marina, familiar Australian figure." On Courtney's Chance to Turn in a Horror Performance That Aims to Be as Memorable as Kathy Bates in Misery and Jack Nicholson in The Shining Jai: "Oh no, I didn't really approach it with any of that in mind. I just approached it with a goal to just do something that was dynamic and big, and get to explore all the corners of this human, really. And I think Sean and I were onboard with each other, and there was an immediate trust. And I think he let me — I was kind of like 'you help me with the temperature, and the volume of where we're pulling moments up and down and in and out, and I'll take care of sending it as hard as I think it needs to'. I mean, the material is there. But that stuff is a blueprint, it's not prescriptive. Every actor is going to come and do that with their own instincts. I saw a version of it in my head when I first read it, and I felt like that was the version that would work for the film. And fortunately I was given the chance to do it, and I'm proud with what we came up with." Sean: "I think any kind of horror film that stands the test of time, the antagonist haunts the audience's nightmares well after they've left the cinema. But I wanted it to be a great time as well. You think of Hannibal Lecter, and as disturbing as he is, he's fun. And Kathy Bates in particular, that character is just so wonderfully goofy, and she doesn't swear. And there's a certain theatricality to antagonists in commercial horror films, and we really wanted to aim for that and keep it fun. But also, the great thing about Jai is he's such a great character actor. I knew he would bring emotional nuance to the character where it was required — and capture the broken child inside the man, and point to this shark attack that he'd had as a child and capture all that. But also, he was also Captain Boomerang. He's got this wild charisma that reminded me of kind of Eric Bana in Chopper. And that's how the spider catches the fly, with charisma and letting tourists, they let their guard down. And finally, he's physically really intimidating and genuine — he could kill you with one punch. So I just thought combining the charisma with the kind of character actor that he is and the physical intimidation would be a really electric mix, to the point that I thought that this was the role that he was born to play. And so I was so thankful that we got him." On What Goes Into a Good Dance Sequence for Courtney, Given That He's in Quite the Unforgettable One in Dangerous Animals Jai: "God, I couldn't even tell you. I was daunted by that whole thing, because I'm by no means a dancer and it should never be filmed when I'm dancing. But we knew what it wanted to feel like. It's completely unchoreographed and just improvised. Tucker's kind of having this wrap party for his own little film that he's made, and it's a private look at this person in a light that we don't really get to spend a lot of time with them outside of that moment in the film. That needle drop of 'Evie' was written into the script. I know that song very well. I could already see it and hear and feel it. And I didn't plan any of it. I just had to go in, get in that mindset that he's in that night and just go for it. I think we did it in two takes. We did one, and we just ran it again from a different angle, and it was just me and Shelly [Farthing-Dawe, In Vitro], our cinematographer, with a handheld camera in the space. It was kind of like 'what we get is what we get'. And fortunately it turned out to be something really fun." On Unpacking Australian Larrikins and Ideas Around Aussie Masculinity Through Tucker Sean: "I think we've all had that kind of tour-guide experience. It doesn't necessarily need to be a shark-diving boat, but we're always in the hands of the tour guide. So yeah, there was that, but also he's almost an outdated representation of the kind of masculinity or toxic masculinity that I think the film works as a Trojan horse to say that this is something that needs to be kind of defeated. And Moses, in many ways, is the anti-Tucker. But I think it's inherent in the title. It's called Dangerous Animals. He is definitely more dangerous than what's in the water. But ultimately, I think Zephyr is the most-dangerous animal — and the allegory is she needs to defeat this. This is something that needs to be defeated. His philosophy needs to be destroyed." On Whether Being a True-Crime Fan Helps When You're Portraying a Serial Killer Jai: "I think so. I think I leant on my curiosity for people that are capable of things that we can't quite understand. And yeah, I do just have a fascination with it. It's one of those things where I think it's easy to judge that and feel like for some reason you're excusing these behaviours, or we're glorifying it or whatever — but I don't know, I've just always been fascinated by how close we might get to people that are capable of these crazy things without even knowing it. And that's interesting to me. You know, you don't really know who you're sitting next to on the bus or in a pub or whatever, and for some reason that doesn't terrify me — it intrigues me. There's not a story you could tell me that's too dark. I'm kind of here for it in a strange way. So yeah, I guess it led me in a little bit. But even with Tucker, the experience of shooting it, there were moments that hit a limit. There's a night we had where Ella Newton, who plays Heather, is strung up in the harness over the open water in the middle of the night, screaming for her life — and everyone was squirming, honestly, after a few minutes. We were all kind of, the whole crew, myself included, we're just like 'can we make this stop? This is too much'. And it's a testament to her performance and what she was giving it. But yeah, when your disbelief is suspended somewhat, even as a performer, you know you're stepping into wild territory." On the Importance of This Being Not Just a Killer Shark Flick and a Serial-Killer Movie, But Also a Survivalist Thriller, Plus a Film About Love and Finding Someone Who Helps You Believe in Yourself Sean: "Oh absolutely. I'm so glad you said that, because I think that's almost a central theme — that it's about love, or the difference that love can make in a life, and what an absence of love can do to a person as well. And I think it's this collision course between these two broken people that have had to learn to survive on their own, which actually sharks do. They're birthed in the shallows, and then they're left on their own to survive. So in many ways, Zephyr and Tucker know each other better than anyone else on the planet does — in a similar way to De Niro and Pacino doing Heat. Even though they're opposites and they're trying to kill each other, it's like, well, they actually understand each other as well. I think ultimately, Zephyr uses the ocean to ease her loneliness, and she uses it in a way that's about solace — whereas Tucker takes advantage of the ocean, ultimately, and it comes back to bite him." On How Making a Film About Sharks — Even When They're Not the Villain of the Movie — Leaves You Feeling About Them Afterwards Jai: "Sharks are scary. Let's get one thing straight, right: I don't think anyone's not scared of sharks. Maybe there are people out there that have a completely different affinity with them, but I don't need to come closer than anyone should. I would love to cage dive with whites. I've been in a tank, in a cage with some sharks, but they weren't exactly maneaters, so, you know, I wasn't in fear of my life. But there's something so incredible and mythical about giant beasts that could consume humans, that I think it's rare — that's sort of a rare quality on this earth. You think of big cats and maybe bears, and other than that, there's things that will kind of poison you. But sharks are a very unique threat, and they live in a world that we really can't get too close to or understand. So I think there's always going to be this quality to that that keeps people in fear. But they're beautiful. And nature is beautiful. And it's just the nature things. There's a line in the movie about it not being the shark's fault, Tucker references his own, being the victim of his own attack, and yeah, that is the case — it isn't." On How Crucial It Was to Use Real Shark Footage, Including to Dispel the Notion That They're Villainous Creatures Sean: "I feel like shark films recently have become so reliant on CGI, just because you can have lots of them in the shot. And they tend to be super sleek and more like a video game. But since Jaws, there's been so much overfishing of sharks. And they carry scars the same way that we do. And so I wanted to present them in a kind of documentary, real light — because our scars as humans are a big part of our personality. So I wanted to depict that with the sharks and show them as the majestic creatures that they truly are. And the only way to do that is treat them with the respect and show them for real. So 80 percent of the sharks that you see are real. Everything underwater is real. It's all taken from 4K footage that our shark researcher sourced to match storyboards and photographic references. The only CG is the fins above the water, because it's pretty much impossible to cover the intricate shark blocking with real shark fins. And all the shark photography really happens underwater because no one ever captures fins. So that was a necessity. But yeah, it just felt like I hadn't seen that in a shark film for such a long time, just real sharks in their element and appreciating them in all their beauty." [caption id="attachment_804997" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Suicide Squad[/caption] On How Courtney's Franchise Experience in Everything From Die Hard and Terminator Flicks to the Divergent Series, Jack Reacher and Suicide Squad Helps on a Film Like Dangerous Animals Jai: "Filmmaking is weirdly all the same. Your experience of it might change because the budget is different, but that's really not — you're just telling different stories. It doesn't really get better or worse. Maybe some people wouldn't like to work on a film of this size and give up a few basic luxuries, but that doesn't really — having more money to spend on screen doesn't make something more fulfilling to make. Sometimes it's just the bare-bones stuff where the story is as good as it gets and the character's really well rounded out and you're working with a phenomenal director, and it can be a really contained drama, but it's just as alive to shoot because of what we do as storytellers, as people that play dress ups. And it's all make believe. It's nice to put a big costume on sometimes and jump around on huge stunt rigs, and get to be involved with epic crash sequences or whatever. It's a lot of fun. But I enjoy the intimate, small stuff just as much. I guess I'm fortunate to be able to shake it up and operate in many different spaces." On What It Means to Courtney to Be Able to Come Home and Make Films That Are as Diverse as Runt and Dangerous Animals Jai: "It's everything. I hope that never ever ends. Australia's such a great place to work. I love the crews there. I've been fortunate to be part of some really special films — and I don't think it'll ever change. As long as we keep telling stories, I'll keep wanting to be involved." On Byrne's Journey From The Loved Ones Through The Devil's Candy to Dangerous Animals Sean: "I think it's probably a perception out there that if you do something that a lot of people end up seeing and gets some kind of cult status, that there's going to be money on tap. And the unfortunate reality is if you write original films about humans hunting other humans, they're not that easy to get off the ground. That's why there's more supernatural films than there are serial-killer films, because it's easier to blame the devil. In fact, I kind of had to do that in The Devil's Candy to get the money. So I've written constantly in the years between The Loved Ones and The Devil's Candy, and The Devil's Candy and Dangerous Animals, and optioned all of my scripts. But then Hollywood is so risk-averse, that that's why they want something that can mitigate the risk and justify their decision. Hence it's got to be either IP-driven or a sequel, or kind of supernatural — and that's why I was so thrilled when this crossed my desk. I had another film that was a lower budget that actually got the money at the same time as Dangerous Animals. So after all that time, it was like an embarrassment of riches. But Dangerous Animals felt the most-commercial choice, just because it's a shark film that has a very loyal following, plus it's a serial- killer film. And I was really happy to have that safety net that I could explore the extreme nature of man, but have the loyal shark fans to hold it up." On How Courtney Sees His Path From His First Screen Acting Role Two Decades Back, Through Huge Hollywood Franchises, Comedies, Local Fare and Much In-Between Jai: "I don't know. I'm still figuring it out, I think. Just trying to stay engaged with the material that I'm choosing nowadays. I'm a big believer in it all being part of the story, and there's some elements of that that you can control and a lot you have none over. So, I don't know, man. It gets tough out there. I'm just really grateful to get to do this for a living. There's nothing else I would be doing or ever will. [caption id="attachment_884171" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kaleidoscope. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022.[/caption] And I really am in touch with that gratitude when I'm working. It's a real pleasure to get to do this. So I'm just trucking along, trying to keep growing as an artist — and try to hopefully do stuff that I'm thrilled to roll out of bed and get to involve myself in." Dangerous Animals opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, June 12, 2025.
Wollongong's Babyface Kitchen turned two this year and has not wavered from its promise to deliver farm fresh dishes. The modest restaurant is owned by Burnsbury Hospitality, which also owns the nearby 2 Smoking Barrels barbecue joint and food truck. The team's commitment to top-notch Aussie produce means the offering changes regularly and focuses on organic and native ingredients — most of which come from local producers, while some is foraged by the chefs. Japanese and Korean cooking methods and ingredients also feature on the menu. To this end, the kitchen makes six different miso, plus its own cultured butter, pickles, vinegar, ferments and koji (a fungus used to make soy sauce and fermented bean paste). The succinct menu spans raw starters and smalls to large plates and sides. For starters, there are dry-aged duck dumplings with a black garlic, soy and red vinegar dipping sauce ($3.5 each); a rye and wattleseed tart topped with Moreton Bay bug roe, whipped feta and leek ash ($4 each); and roasted cauliflower with pistachio miso and cultured butter on a kombu cracker ($17). Organic veggies are showcased in the Epicurean Harvest dish of smoked pumpkin, radish, carrot and Japanese leeks with fried buckwheat and feta ($24). Another featuring Asian-inspired ingredients is the Mooloolaba king prawns in a shoyu koji and cultured butter sauce ($49). To try a bit of everything, there's also a nine-dish tasting menu for $85 per person, or a four-course chef's menu for $70 — available for both lunch and dinner. On the drinks side, the compact wine list focuses on Australian and minimal intervention drops, as you'd expect from this crew. Babyface Kitchen also runs regular collaboration dinners with wineries, producers and brewers, so keep an eye on their website for upcoming events. Restaurant interiors: Quicksand Food.
This self-described dive bar is anything but dingy when it comes to the lineup of live music and entertainment it offers each night of the week — all for free. All that's asked of punters is that they 'be good to one another', which seems like a reasonable price to pay. Head downstairs to hear established and up-and-coming acts behind the mic throughout the week. There's also regular trivia and comedy nights each month. Check out its Instagram for gig details — it's a good idea to book ahead as things can get pretty tight. Images: Jasmine Low
How does Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega, Death of a Unicorn) fare against airport security screenings? Why is she willingly returning to a school for the first time ever? What happens when she plays with dolls? How has Tim Burton (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice) worked Joanna Lumley (Amandaland), Steve Buscemi (The Studio), Billie Piper (Kaos) and Thandiwe Newton (Mufasa: The Lion King) into Wednesday's cast for the series' second season? Some of that has been revealed in the just-dropped teaser trailer for the Netflix hit show's long-awaited comeback — and any other questions you have will begin receiving answers soon. Wednesday has not only unveiled its first season two sneak peek, but also announced its return dates. There's two, because the streaming platform is going with a split release this time around. Part one arrives on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, then part two on Wednesday, September 3, 2025. Conjuring up another spot in your streaming queue three years after its first season released, Wednesday again follows its namesake to Nevermore Academy in its second season — and again features a fresh mystery for her to solve, amid navigating a new round of other woes. The initial trailer also spans her reunion with roommate Enid (Emma Myers, A Minecraft Movie), Wednesday likening her second trip to Nevermore to "returning to the scene of the crime", bees, pink mist, creepy and kooky playthings, swinging axes and a few truths. "Wherever there's murder and mayhem, you will always find an Addams," Wednesday notes — followed by "I do my best work in the dark". Season two will also feature more of Catherine Zeta-Jones (National Treasure: Edge of History) as Morticia, Luis Guzmán (Justified: City Primeval) as Gomez, Isaac Ordonez (Color Box) as Pugsley and Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo (Dreamers) as Deputy Ritchie Santiago, all getting meatier parts than in season one. Among its new cast members, not only Lumley, Buscemi, Piper and Newton are onboard, but also Evie Templeton (Criminal Record), Owen Painter (Tiny Beautiful Things), Noah B Taylor (Law & Order: Organised Crime), Frances O'Connor (The Twelve), Haley Joel Osment (Blink Twice), Heather Matarazzo (Paint) and Joonas Suotamo (The Acolyte) — plus Christopher Lloyd (Hacks), following Christina Ricci (Yellowjackets) among the stars of the 90s Addams Family films popping up in Wednesday. Fred Armisen (Fallout) remains Wednesday's take on Uncle Fester, however — one that Netflix is so keen on that there's talk of a spinoff about the character. In its first season, Wednesday unsurprisingly proved a smash, breaking the Netflix record for most hours viewed in a single week, then doing so again — notching up 341.23-million hours viewed in its first week, then 411.29-million hours viewed in its second. All things Addams Family have always found an audience, with the Ricci-led 90s films beloved for decades for good reason, and the 1960s TV show and 1930s The New Yorker comics before that. Check out the first teaser trailer for Wednesday season two below: Wednesday season two arrives in two parts, with part one dropping on Wednesday, August 6, 2025 and part two on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, both via Netflix. Read our full review of Wednesday season one. Images: Helen Sloan/Netflix © 2025.
If the thought of faux snow, garish mistletoe and other un-Aussie Christmas ornaments leaves you colder than Santa reading the naughty kid’s list in the North Pole, take heart. The folk at 107 Projects – a new hybrid arts space in Redfern – are hosting a distinctly Australian Christmas Show just in time to get you into the festive spirit. Taking their inspiration from the Australian landscape, 30 local artists will showcase a gorgeous array of decorations, handmade trinkets and gifts that are certain to brighten up the home, or put a smile on a friend’s face on Christmas day. With the opening night slated to include musical performances as well as sound art pieces inspired by the Australian bush, it’ll only be a matter of time before you’re guzzling a glass of vino and ‘waltzing Matilda’ down the aisles. Two artworks, donated by renowned lighting designer Roger Foley-Fogg, will also be presented on the night. Opening night Thursday 13th December 6-9pm. Exhibition continues Thursday – Sunday, from noon - 5pm, until Sunday 23rd December. 107 Redfern Street, Redfern.
Get ready, Sydney—Darling Harbour's Culture Alive Festival is taking over Tumbalong Park. In the spirit of Australian multiculturalism, it hosts three epic cultural festivals in February, March and May. First up is the Greek Festival, running from Saturday, February 22 to Sunday, February 23. Then, the Holi Festival from Saturday, March 15 to Sunday, March 16, and finally, Buddha's Birthday, which will take place on Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4. Each will celebrate global traditions, showcase regional cuisine and present a stage for cultural performances from around the world. Whether you're a foodie, culture lover or just looking for a weekend vibe, this lineup has a little something for everyone. Greek Festival Dreaming of a Euro summer but can't quite swing the airfare? We've got the next best thing. The free Greek Festival of Sydney and its return to Darling Harbour this February from 11am until 10pm is bringing a microcosm of the Mediterranean right into the heart of the Harbour City. Prepare to gorge yourself silly on souvlaki and loosen a belt loop for loukoumades, before watching lively dance performances and traditional music from the Xylourides Siblings, Nikos Zoidakis and Rena Morfi. It's not just about the food and music though - the festival will feature market stalls loaded with handmade crafts and Greek delicacies. And if you've got little ones, face painting and kids' activities will also be on the cards. Holi Festival Famously bright, fun (and a little bit messy), the Holi Festival Sydney will transform Darling Harbour into a spectacle of colour this March. If you've never participated in the annual celebration, this is your chance to embrace the traditional Hindu celebration of spring, love, and new beginnings. The most popular way to celebrate? Throwing bright powders in the air, so unless you're planning to turn yourself into a canvas, maybe leave your white sneakers at home. In addition to throwing puffs of powder around, there will also be live music and dance performances to keep the energy high all weekend. Admission is free during select times, but paid entry packages can get you past the lines if you're keen. Buddha's Birthday Festival Need to hit pause and recharge after the vibrant Holi celebrations? Take a breath and harness the inner zen that lies inside you at Darling Harbour's Buddha's Birthday Festival on the first weekend of May. Celebrating the mindfulness and compassion that Buddhist culture is known for, this festival invites you to immerse yourself in traditional ceremonies, meditation sessions and seriously tasty vegetarian treats. Not only could you leave feeling much more peaceful and calm than when you arrived, but you'll also learn a lot that you can take away with you and share with your friends and family. There will be eco-conscious activities, cultural performances, mindfulness workshops and plenty of self-reflection. And in the spirit of Buddhist karma, this event is also free. Head to Darling Harbour's Culture Alive Festival website to see the full Culture Alive lineup and darlingharbour.com to find out more. Images: Supplied.
For the second year in a row, one of Australia's filmmaking icons has joined the Sydney Film Festival's program: George Miller, the director responsible for all things Mad Max and Furiosa. In 2024, he hit the Harbour City festival to chat about his work, including the dystopian saga that he has gifted Aussie cinema, but his 2025 discussion will span further. Not only is Miller taking to the stage, but he'll be joined by Hideo Kojima. One is the man responsible not just for a big Australian movie franchise, but for the big Australian movie franchise. He's also followed a pig in the city, made penguins dance, gotten witchy and granted wishes, too. The other is the creator of both the DEATH STRANDING and Metal Gear Solid video-game series, and heads to Sydney just before DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH releases at the end of June. This is a world-exclusive in-conversation session, taking place on Saturday, June 14 at Sydney Town Hall's Centennial Hall — so consider it one of the ace ways to help see out this year's cinema celebration, which runs from Wednesday, June 4–Sunday, June 15. Miller and Kojima will not only dig into how they each approach their fields, plus their respective visionary approaches, but also explore how movies and video games overlap, alongside cinematic storytelling in gaming. Greats in their own rights, the duo are also recent collaborators — Miller portrays himself in the Australia-set DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH.
When Hans Zimmer composes a film score, audiences remember it. His list of credits is as massive as his love of music, spanning everything from Dune, Top Gun: Maverick and No Time to Die through to Prehistoric Planet, Wonder Woman 1984 and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run in just the past three years alone. Also on the German composer's resume: helping put the bounce in The Lion King's score — both versions — and the droning in Inception's memorable tunes, plus Thelma & Louise, Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, Blade Runner 2049 and more. We could keen naming titles — flicks like Hidden Figures, The Boss Baby, Dunkirk, Widows, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean, 12 Years a Slave, Sherlock Holmes, Mission Impossible II and Pearl Harbour, for instance — but all movie lovers know that the best way to appreciate the the Oscar-, Golden Globe-, Grammy- and Tony-winning talent is to listen. And, that's exactly what the Sydney Symphony Orchestra wants you to do on three big winter nights, thanks to its upcoming The Music of Hans Zimmer performances at the Sydney Opera House's Concert Hall. [caption id="attachment_724809" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hans Zimmer[/caption] Sadly, especially if you caught his 2019 Australian tour, Zimmer himself won't be there. But Australian conductor and composer Nicholas Buc will lead the charge as the SSO plays through a selection of Zimmer's work, focusing on The Dark Knight, Gladiator, Inception, Interstellar, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lion King. Buc is no stranger to Zimmer's tunes, after conducting the world-premiere live concert for The Lion King. And, he's no stranger to this kind of event in general, with doing the same for Beauty and the Beast, and just leading live film concerts around the country and the world, also on his resume. Taking place on Thursday, June 22–Saturday, June 24, The Music of Hans Zimmer will also feature The Art of the Score podcast hosts Andrew Pogson and Dan Golding talking audiences through the music with Buc. [caption id="attachment_886230" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sydney Symphony Orchestra[/caption]
Last night's Marrickville Council meeting represented a victory for Sydney's independent music scene. A unanimous vote saw the passing of a motion stating the Council's intention to undertake research concerning the legal and financial pressures on live venues and to become involved with the Leichhardt Council's Sydney Live Music Precinct plan. On March 26, Leichhardt Mayor Darcy Byrne successfully persuaded his council to back a proposal to transform Parramatta Road’s inner west section into a bustling cultural hub. The following day, he told themusic.com.au that he would next seek the support of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore and Marrickville Mayor Victor Macri. For now, he can safely count on the latter. The Council agreed, not only to "assist with the development of programs and policies that could support the proposed Parramatta Road initiative" but to expand its geographical scope. Marrickville's network of alternative warehouse spaces may soon become part of the big picture. The government also recognised that increased consultation with independent artists might lead to a more sustainable music scene. In the past year or so, both legal and underground spaces have gone down the gurgler at an alarming rate, often due to the obstacles presented by miles of red tape. The Annandale, Notes, The Sando, Dirty Shirlows and Midian are just a few of the names on the deceased list. According to the motion, the Council has now committed to undertaking research into "why legal venues such as Notes Enmore and The Sando Newtown have closed down in recent months. This research should include factors such as economic sustainability, liquor licensing laws, BCA requirements and accessibility requirements," and to investigate "informal feedback" indicating that "the fire, safety and accessibility requirements expected of the venues make it financially unsustainable for small business owners to open and operate a music venue legally." Hundreds of musicians, organisers and promoters crowded into the Council offices at 2-14 Fisher Street, Petersham to show their support. Ali Avron, founder and director of DIY space The Newsagency, was one of the many in attendance. "It was a really great atmosphere ... so many people coming out in support of their community and the culture we're breeding here," she says. "It's definitely a step in the right direction ... It's really hard to start a venue, with the current model ... but now the picture is looking bright." Image: The Newsagency.
While the university photocopier and Officeworks help you print some stuff in bulk, and cheaply, there's a whole world of other offerings that Sydney's artists can get close to if they have something special to land on the printed page. Concrete Playground recently chatted with four local Sydney printers. Some use very new technology, others work with much older techniques. And, while none are as cheap as the photocopier, all four of these local printing houses are relatively accessible for the lone artist. Want to learn how to print an object? A zine? A book? A poster? Read on. We'll tell you how it's done. Zines: The Rizzeria "I felt absolutely gutted. It was horrifying." This is how Leigh Ragozzi describes the feeling of watching the (accidentally administered) death throes of the Rizzeria collective's original Riso printer. This photocopier-shaped machine was the raison d'être of the collective. He found himself dropping the machine back at their St Peters studio alone, after a successful residency at the Performance Space. The ramp that the collective usually used to wheel it up the step was missing. Not able to get ahold of any help, he tried to heft the heavy machine up a step where the studio's ramp normally went. He missed. And that wasn't the end of it. After Ragozzi returned the rented truck they used to transport the Rizo, he was mugged. "I emailed everyone and told them everything that had happened that day. I had to deal with that unpleasantness of not feeling safe in the city, and also having busted up one of the best print cooperatives around." You can understand why he was upset. The Riso was cool. With a Riso you can essentially spit out high speed colour screen prints, like a photocopier can spit out copies. It's the same basic some people might remember from the fragrant, purple school handouts made with a ditto machine or mimeograph. Sydney printer, Kernow Craig (now of Blood and Thunder), saw a Riso in action at Knust in the city of Nijmegen, Holland. Craig was floored by the machine — and the workshop around it — and convinced all sorts of people to chip in for one when he returned to Sydney. For the original machine, the cash was raised as a form of gentle loan (later repaid). For its replacement, the Rizzeria collective ran a successful Pozible campaign. Now they have a new machine happily up and running, most of an old machine for parts and no debt. And using the new machine is a pretty simple process to get your head around. You start by making a Saturday appointment via the Rizzeria's web form. Once you arrive, a member of the collective will be on hand to guide you through your first go. Your design (or zine page, or A4 poster) gets scanned up top like a photocopier. But, instead of copying it onto A4, the printer etches the design onto a roll of wax paper that pops out up the top. This wax paper gets wrapped around a cylinder that pops out of the centre of the bed popping out of a CT scanner. The ink for the printing is inside the cylinder. And, as the pages of paper go through, it spits out ink around the patterns. It really is just like screen printing, but the ink is being pushed through the cylinder against the passing pages, instead of a flat screen. Pages pop out as fast and reliably as a photocopier. For a second colour, you just etch out another stencil of a matching design, stick another colour ink in the cylinder and run the paper through again. The paper will get both versions of the image, but lining up the two colours on the one sheet ("registration") is pretty hard. So, for more than one colour, the Riso machine works best with a second colour that looks ok even if it slips a little out of place. At the time of compiling this article, the Rizzeria were still working out their new charges. But they expected them to be pretty similar to the old ones, which worked out at roughly $5 for a single, fully printed zine. The Rizzeria is up and running at its new home in the Oxford Street Design Store every Saturday (book here). For speed stencilling beginners, the Rizzeria is also running an Introduction to Stencil Printing starting Saturday July 21. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Next >
There's no such thing as an ordinary dish to chef Nelly Robinson, namesake of and driving force behind Sydney restaurant NEL, as his degustation menus keep demonstrating. KFC? Lamingtons? French onion soup? Pots of honey? They can all be given a fine-dining twist, and have. And if it can work for Moulin Rouge! and Paddington Bear, it can work for Christmas. Nel is no stranger to Christmas spreads, but it is celebrating 2023's jolliest time of year with a specific range of treats. The new menu takes its cues from the traditional story of Christmas. It's also filled with festive culinary traditions, but not as you know them — from roast spuds to Christmas Day seafood. Nel's chef and namesake Nelly Robinson has found 11 ways to interpret Christmas food staples from around the world while still giving them his usual creative spin. Available from Tuesday, November 14–Saturday, December 23, the Surry Hills institution's new Christmas degustation features a Nel take on seafood blinis featuring crab salad and flowers on mini crumpets, a black charcoal crumbed sausage in the shape of a star that's paired with curry sauce, and a delicate rendition of silly season carbs called Nanna's Potatoes. There are also dishes named after Love Actually, 'O Christmas Tree' and 'Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer' — we can all imagine what that one might be. Rounding out the menu is a reinvention of the traditional Danish Christmas dessert risalamande. In Denmark, a whole almond is often hidden in rice pudding, with anyone who finds it given a prize. In Robinson's version, there's just big flavours instead, with the dessert starring a vanilla rice pudding foam, amaretto ice cream, and an almond, cinnamon and wild rice granola. There are plenty more surprises to be discovered across the 11 courses, plus diners can also opt for a selection of wines meticulously paired with the dishes by the restaurant's head sommelier. Sydneysiders can tuck in for $185 per person, with another $155 each on top for the classic wine pairing or an additional $185 for the premium wine journey. Or, there's a non-alcoholic matching drinks selection for $85 per head. Nel will also be opening for lunch on Saturdays in November, and Friday and Saturdays in December, to give diners extra options. Nel's 2023 Christmas degustation is on offer from Tuesday, November 14–Saturday, December 23 at 75 Wentworth Avenue, Sydney. For more information or to book, head to the Nel website.
These are the stories that we have read and adored — but what happens when they take a turn in a different direction? Over the years, we've seen books turned into television shows, movies and musicals, and which iteration is better is always a hotly contended topic. So now, with reboots being one of the biggest cultural moments, many of us are enjoying the experience of meeting different sides of our favoured characters and potentially finding out who they really are. There are more than a few classic texts we could delve into, but these seven are spectacular. By being shown an alternative angle, we uncover the events that have shaped who certain characters are and discover the reasons why we have learned to love them or love to hate them. Some may say our theatrical creatives are running out of ideas, but musicals like & Juliet prove otherwise. The production is based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (obviously), and while we've seen the story reimagined countless times, it's always played out the same way. So, what happens when the characters break the mould and they ditch the script that was written for them? Let's dive into the history of modern takes on classic texts. & JULIET A war between families, a story of love and a tragedy. These are the themes you automatically think of with Romeo and Juliet. The fate of two star-crossed lovers can only end one devastating way... or so we think. With music by pop genius Max Martin and dialogue and story by Schitt's Creek writer David West Read, & Juliet tells what could have happened had Juliet had another chance at life. The production takes remixing to a new level by expanding and giving more agency to its romantic lead, enabling her to embrace her own identity while introducing new characters and elements along the way. The superstar team has successfully — with proof in the awards — turned a classic tragedy into an exceptionally moving and joyful new legacy. This particular piece of theatre is showing until Sunday, June 2, at the Sydney Lyric Theatre (so nab your tickets, stat, if you want to experience the twisted take). [caption id="attachment_846530" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Boud[/caption] HAMILTON As a founding father of the United States, Alexander Hamilton has firmly cemented his place in American history. And the global sensation Hamilton — based on the founding father's life — has done the same. Impressively, Lin-Manuel Miranda both wrote and starred in the electric historical reproduction — a musical that infused hip hop, rap, R&B and soul to create a reimagined history. With a diverse, multicultural cast, this musical explores love, loss, forgiveness and ambition, delivering threads of a story we can all relate to. Miranda stayed true to what was written in the history books about Hamilton, but in a spark of creative genius, turned the moment that ended his life into a beginning. [caption id="attachment_904236" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Matt Murphy[/caption] LES MISÉRABLES Written by Victor Hugo and published in French in 1862, Les Misérables is the the story of Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for 19 years who was then able to turn his life around, all the while being scapegoated by an obsessed police inspector, Javert. In 1980, a musical with the same name was created, adored and subsequently inspired multiple cinematic renditions. In the modern makings, some characters differ from who they are in the book and some are forgotten completely. Using songs and stage, the message of the story comes to life vividly, although the strength of some characters doesn't hit the same way they do in the (enormously long) book. [caption id="attachment_904338" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Matt Murphy[/caption] SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE This one's a fun one: Sunday in the Park with George is based on a brightly hued painting by post-Impressionist artist Georges Seurat — "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grande Jatte" — completed between 1884 and 1886. Written by James Lapine and with music by late theatre legend Stephen Sondheim, the musical tells a fictional tale exploring the artist's journey. It's a truly original piece, with most of the painted characters appearing on stage. Inspired by the brush strokes, costumes come to life, and characters flow over the stage in homage to the artwork. This musical only enhances the interest in this painting by offering each person a story that is truly their own. MATILDA Written by Roald Dahl and first published in 1988, Matilda began as a charming yet terrifying novel telling of Matilda's childhood. We had the sugar sweetness of Miss Honey, Matilda's kindergarten teacher, the cold dismissiveness of her parents and the terror of Miss Trunchbull, the headmistress. It was brought to the screen in 1996, delightfully following the hero's journey of the precocious child as she discovers her magical powers. In 2010, the musical co-written by Tim Minchin was born. Going almost full circle, and based on the success of this stage adaptation, another movie was released by Netflix in 2022 — one that stayed true to Minchin's clever text. [caption id="attachment_904337" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Joan Marcus[/caption] OLIVER! A true classic text, Oliver Twist was written by Charles Dickens in 1838. Originally published in monthly instalments, the book depicts the gruelling (and gruel-filled) life led by orphans living in 1830s London. Specifically, an antics-filled life with exposure to criminal masterminds, forced into child labour and without education. Since its release, the story has been retold in various forms as silent movies and films and, of course, musically on stage. Most have kept the story as it was originally intended, but there are versions that tell the story from different points of view, too. As we know, Disney likes to make its mark on great cultural works and it did the job on Dickens with the release of Oliver & Company in 1988, an animated feature about a homeless kitten. [caption id="attachment_803460" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Matthew Murphy, Disney[/caption] THE LION KING Shakespeare's works have been adapted countless times. Here, it happens yet again in Disney's film The Lion King. Taking narrative cues from Hamlet, The Lion King introduces us to Simba, a lion cub grappling with the loss of his dad. Running away from his broken heart and malevolent uncle Scar, we follow Simba on his journey of self-discovery, which ultimately leads him back to *spoiler alert* save the day for his pride. A movie with music written by Elton John and Tim Rice, the masterpiece was turned into a Broadway spectacle in 1997 — and has stayed on stage pretty much ever since. There have been musical changes and whole new songs, Rafiki now being played by a female lead and a special dedication to highlighting the richness of African culture. In 2019, a photorealistic computer-animated remake was created, bridging the gap between the Disney movie and the musical by focusing on African culture in both its casting and music choices. If you're after a musical theatre experience that fantastically reimagines a classic text, look no further than '& Juliet'—now playing at the Sydney Lyric Theatre. To nab your tickets, head to the website.
There's no need to choose between frozen yoghurt or gelato when FREO is within reach. Luckily, this premium purveyor has just launched a new flagship shop in Darling Square, making it even easier to get your hands on a refreshing treat. Now with three stores spread across Sydney, the latest spot makes your in-store visit better than ever, with even more options to craft your dream combination of Asian-inspired flavours, sauces and toppings. Launched by a quartet of industry veterans, including two-hatted chef Federico Zanellato (LuMi Dining, Lode Pies & Pastries), FREO's Darling Square locale features indoor and outdoor seating for up to 30 people. Decked out in the brand's soft purple theme, you'll feel comfortable preparing a sweet treat to-go before catching up with friends and exploring the heart of the city. "Darling Square is the perfect location for FREO – a place we've always dreamed of having the flagship store," says Zanellato. "It's a vibrant, interactive environment where you can create something truly unique and enjoy it with friends and family. We're excited to share this new chapter with our community in such an exciting and dynamic location." With more than enough room to spread out, this larger space has also allowed FREO to expand its range of flavours and toppings. With 10 flavours pouring every day, some of the must-taste creations include Japanese strawberry, mango and passionfruit, and taro. Made fresh daily using 100% pot-set yoghurt, FREO's use of premium ingredients results in a super creamy, tangy base primed for sweet accoutrements. Casting your gaze over the DIY topping bar, it's easy to get lost in the 45 add-ons. Ranging from decadent to healthy, sauces like Callebaut chocolate, melted Lotus Biscoff and Nutella on tap are some of your richer options. Also available is a selection of mochi, fresh fruit, seasonal items and even FREO's exclusive baked goods. Discovering the best combinations is all part of the fun. Yet FREO offers more than just froyo. Guests can opt for silky smooth express gelato, featuring flavours like Sicilian pistachio with sea salt, Rindo matcha, Japanese black sesame with bamboo charcoal, and caffe latte and kuromitsu sugar syrup. For plant-based pals, choice treats like Belgian dark chocolate, watermelon and yuzu, and premium açaí ensure loading up an unforgettable cup is made simple. FREO is open Sunday–Thursday from 11am–10.30pm and Friday–Saturday from 11am–11pm at 5 Little Hay Street, Haymarket. Head to their Instagram for more information. Images: Kera Wong.
First came Mov'In Bed Cinema, the outdoor movie-watching experience that acknowledged just how much everyone loves viewing flicks in bed — even if they're out of the house. Then, adapting to 2020, came Mov'In Car Drive-In Cinema, which is obviously self-explanatory. Now, with summer almost upon us, Mov'In Boat Floating Cinema is splashing down at Cockle Bay in Darling Harbour. It also describes all its basics in its name, so get ready to float in the ocean and glue your eyes to the 15-metre-long big screen. Boats are obviously a big part of this new excuse to watch a movie under the stars. But, when it kicks off on Thursday, December 3 — running through until the end of March next year — Mov'In Boat Floating Cinema will give film buffs multiple options. You can hire one of 40 rowboats ($119.90 for up to two adults and two kids), or BYO boat (and spend $49.90 for access to the event and movie). If you'd prefer to laze about on one of 65 beds on a 1000-square-metre floating platform, you can do that too (for $99.90 for two people and $109.90 for three). And, you can also watch from the VIP area, which includes a bed, butler service, and free soft drinks and popcorn ($149.90 for two people and $169.90 for three). Movie-wise, plenty of titles on the program have been picked with the location in mind. Where better to watch The Meg or Free Willy? Or, to revisit Dirty Dancing's lake scene and The Notebook's rainy embrace? You can also head to everything from action-thriller Tenet and likeable rom-com The Broken Hearts Gallery to Knives Out's whodunnit twists and The Matrix's "whoa!"-inducing sci-fi. If you're hungry, beer-battered fish and chips, buckets of prawns, pizza and Nutella-slathered waffles will be delivered to you via jet ski, from a menu that also includes pizzas and dairy floss as well. To wash all of that down, there'll be a floating bar serving beer, wine, cocktails and soft drinks, too.
If you've ever listened to a true-crime podcast, decided that you'd make a great Serial host yourself and started wondering how you'd ever follow in Sarah Koenig's footsteps, then you should be watching Only Murders in the Building. The Disney+ series follows three New Yorkers who basically follow that same process. Here, actor Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin, It's Complicated), theatre producer Oliver Putnam (Martin Short, Schmigadoon!) and the much-younger Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez, The Dead Don't Die) are all obsessed with a podcast hosted by the fictional Cinda Canning (Tina Fey, Girls5eva). They find themselves bonding over it, in fact. And, when someone turns up dead in their building, they decide that they can sleuth their way through the case by getting talking themselves. First hitting streaming last month, and now dropping new episodes week-by-week, the series has been unfurling its first season in a very entertaining fashion. It's exceptionally well-cast, and makes makes the most of its main trio's mismatched vibe. It's filled with hearty affection for everything it jokes about, resulting in an upbeat satire of true-crime obsessions, podcasting's pervasiveness and the intersection of the two. It adores its single-setting Agatha Christie-lite setup, it's always empathetic, and it also loves peppering in highly recognisable co-stars and guest stars such as Fey, Nathan Lane (Penny Dreadful: City of Angels), Amy Ryan (Late Night) and even Sting. With the latter, it isn't above making puns about not standing so close to him, or just serving up jokes on that level in general. Yes, it's a delight. And, although it's only five episodes in so far, Only Murders in the Building has just been renewed for a second season. So, if you'd like more of a show that's basically Knives Out, but a sitcom and also a little goofier, you're in luck. Expect another round of murder and podcasting. Expect another suspicious death in the show's Arconia building, too, given the series' title. That's great news for viewers, but probably not for the apartment block's residents — other than Martin, Short and Gomez's characters, that is. Exactly what the next season will cover and when it'll arrive hasn't yet been revealed; however, co-creator and executive producer John Hoffman said that "to carry on our show's wild ride of mystery-comedy-empathy is too exciting for words." Streaming as part of Disney+'s new Star expansion, which launched in Australia back in February this year, Only Murders in the Building enjoyed Star's most-watched premiere among its original series. So, it clearly already (and deservedly) has plenty of fans, all ready not just for the next five episodes of season one, but for another season afterwards. Check out the trailer for Only Murders in the Building below: The first five episodes of Only Murders in the Building's first season are available to stream now via Star on Disney+, with new episodes dropping weekly. Read our full review. The show will return for a second season, but exactly when that'll be hasn't yet been announced. Images: Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu.
Among Australia's claims to fame, our love of a good shoey ranks right up there. We're not only a land girt by sea — we're a nation unrestrained by the idea that you can only drink booze from glasses. Fancy sipping alcoholic seltzer from a trophy instead? A coffee mug? A plastic hat? Whatever else you happen to own that holds a standard jug worth of alcohol? If you're in Melbourne, Moon Dog Brewing has the giveaway for you. When free drinks are on offer, no one needs to dress up the concept. Mention free booze, and we're all already sold. Still, Moon Dog has whipped up something special to celebrate not only the first day of summer, but also the arrival of the brewery's world-first post-mix machine for Fizzer, its alcoholic seltzer line. So, come Wednesday, December 1, it's pouring free Fizzers to everyone who brings their own vessel to Moon Dog OG in Abbotsford between 4–6pm and to Moon Dog World in Preston from 3–6pm. On the menu: freshly poured Fizzers in tropical crush, peach iced tea, raspberry sorbet and piney limey flavours. And yes, by vessel, Moon Dog means container — something that can hold booze naturally. There are a few caveats, unsurprisingly. Firstly, your chosen vessel needs to be clean. Secondly, it'll only be filled to the standard jug amount — so, to 1140 millilitres. Also, it needs to be watertight, and everyone only gets one vessel per person. Bring the best, most creative vessel to either venue and you'll also win a slab of Fizzer delivered to your door. That's worth scouring the cupboards for, clearly. If you're reading this from Sydney or Adelaide and you'd also like a free Fizzer, here's some good news for you, too: Moon Dog is doing giveaways in those two cities — and at other venues around Melbourne — but you'll have to stick to sipping your drink out of an ordinary schooner instead. At three Sydney spots, four Adelaide bars and three other places in Melbourne, the freebies will also be limited to the first 50 folks through the door from set times. Either way, kicking off summer by saying cheers to a free beverage obviously ticks a key box: starting the season as you mean to go on. Suddenly thirsty? Here's where you can nab your free drink on Wednesday, December 1: VICTORIA Moon Dog World, 32 Chifley Drive, Preston — 3–6pm Moon Dog OG, 17 Duke Street, Abbotsford — 4–6pm Concrete Boots Bar, 381 Burnley Street, Richmond — 4–6pm Lulie Tavern, 225 Johnston Street, Abbotsford — 4–6pm Yorkshire Stingo, 48 Hoddle Street, Abbotsford — 4–6pm NEW SOUTH WALES Sneaky Possum, 86 Abercrombie Street, Chippendale — from 12pm The Unicorn, 106 Oxford Street, Paddington — 5–7pm The Townie, 326 King Street, Newtown — all day SOUTH AUSTRALIA Stag Public House, 299 Rundle Street, Adelaide — from 12pm Lady Daly Hotel, 126 Port Road, Hindmarsh — from 12pm Uni Bar, Union House, Ground Floor of The University of Adelaide — from 12pm Cry Baby, 11 Solomon St, Adelaide — from 12pm Moon Dog Brewing's free Fizzer giveaway takes place on Wednesday, December 1 at a range of Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide venues. For further details, head to the Moon Dog website.
We hope you're hungry for more kitchen chaos: after dishing up stellar viewing in its first, second, third and fourth seasons, The Bear is returning for a fifth serving. What does this mean for the restaurant that shares the show's name? For Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White, The Iron Claw)? And for fellow chef Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri, Inside Out 2), too? You should hopefully find out in 2026. The news of The Bear's renewal for season five comes just days after season four dropped its full ten-episode run, ready for prime winter viewing. So, if you've binge-watched your way through it and were left with questions about what happens after its season finale, answers are indeed on the way. "The Bear continues to be a fan favourite worldwide, and their response to this season — as seen through incredibly high viewership ‚ has been as spectacular as any of its previous seasons," advised John Landgraf, Chairman of FX, the US network behind the series. "Year in and year out, Chris Storer, the producers, cast and crew make The Bear one of the best shows on television, and we are excited that they will continue to tell this magnificent story." There's no word yet on any specifics beyond The Bear's locked-in fifth season, including timing, storyline, and returning and guest cast members. But expecting to get watching mid-2026 is completely reasonable, given that each of the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning show's four seasons so far have all arrived in winter Down Under. In season four, Carmy's days running his dream restaurant were potentially numbered. In fact, a literal clock put on the business by The Bear's key investor Cicero (Oliver Platt, Chicago Med). As time ticked down, pondering the future became a theme not just for Carmy and Syd, but among the rest of the crew — including Carmy's sister Natalie (Abby Elliott, Cheaper by the Dozen), the Berzatto family's lifelong pal Richie Jerimovich Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Hold Your Breath), and the eatery's staff Marcus (Lionel Boyce, Shell), Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas, Cat Person), Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson, Unprisoned) and Neil (IRL chef Matty Matheson). Check out the trailer for The Bear season four below: The Bear streams via Disney+ Down Under — and we'll update you with more details on season five when they're announced. Read our reviews of seasons one, two and three. Images: courtesy of FX Networks and Hulu.
If spending more time at home has made your indoor plant collection grow, you're not alone. After all, picking up new green babies is a surefire way to brighten up your home, including the WFH office. To help fuel your greenery obsession even further is same-day plant delivery service Natures Colours, which has everything from flowers to foliage and fruit trees. What started as a humble nursery in Dural back in 2009 now has over 100 different plants, which you can order with a click of a button. Head online and you can get yourself a fiddle leaf fig, devil's ivy, monstera deliciosa, hard-to-kill succulent or even a citrus tree without the hassle of carrying it home on the bus. All plants are hand-potted in durable, pretty pots, made with up to 80 percent recycled plastic, as well as ceramic pots and patterned planter bags. Each plant comes with a care guide, so even if you don't have a green thumb (yet), your bundles of greenery are sure to thrive. If you're not sure what kind of frond you're looking for, you can search by size, care-level, light-level and environment, plus ones that are pet friendly. If your home is already looking more like a greenhouse, Natures Colours' plants make great gifts, too. All gift plants include a printed card, plant care guide and gift bag. You can also add presents such as candles, tea, a cactus-shaped propagation station, handmade chocolate and an oyster mushroom growing kit. Same-day delivery is available across Sydney for a wide range of plants, which you can check out here, with costs starting from $19. Orders must be placed before 11am, otherwise next-day delivery is available for all other orders. Natures Colours delivers across a heap of Sydney suburbs, with same-day and next-day delivery available for a wide range of plants and gifts. To see what's on offer — and to order — head to the website.
Hornbags of Sydney, get ready to put those post-Christmas muffin tops to good use because Hudson Ballroom is throwing the Kath & Kim-themed party of your dreams. On Australia Day eve, Kath & Kim's Aussie Shindig will see the CBD bar celebrate two of our most iconic silver screen heroines, complete with life-sized cutouts, a photobooth and a very effluent crowd. The legends in charge have come up with a cracker of a drinks list, starring Aussie-themed creations like Barbecue Shapes Margaritas, Bloody Marys with footy franks, vodka Passionas and of course, Kim's beloved Cardonnay (the h is silent). Post your favourite Kath & Kim moment on the Facebook event page before the party, for the chance to score yourself some free drinks. There's even a $50 bar tab up for grabs, going to the best-dressed foxymoron or hunk 'o' spunk on the night. Best start assembling your finest netball skirts, midriff tops, matching tracksuits and lycra in preparation.
Step aside Viennetta: there's a new luxe dinner party freezer-treat in town. Connoisseur — that purveyor of luxurious, eat-it-by-the-tub ice cream — has teamed up with artisan Australian chocolate brand Koko Black for a new range of ice cream sticks for more discerning chocolate aficionados. The duo of new flavours serve as a good reminder that, sometimes, you can't go past a classic. The vanilla version sees Connoisseur's vanilla coated in Koko Black's 54 percent dark chocolate. If you're looking for a bit more crunch, make a beeline for the honeycomb stick that stars honeycomb ice cream in Koko Black's signature Tasmanian Leatherwood Honeycomb pieces in 54 percent dark chocolate. It's the first time the Melbourne-born chocolatier has made its way into the frozen aisle, which is surprising given that its more recent collabs have included cake and beer. Connoisseur's Koko Black selections are available as four-packs ($8.40), while the classic vanilla is also available as an individual stick ($4.40). They're available right now from leading convenience and grocery stores around Australia.
Benny Sweeten is a man with many hats — a hospitality master if you will. His resume includes Rose Bay Diner, Surry Hills' Joe Black Cafe and, more recently, Kansas City Shuffle in The Rocks. His latest venture Tuxedo is an extension of the Kansas City Shuffle space, which occupies the old Cadbury Chocolate Factory on Gloucester Street. Half cafe, half bar, Sweeten saw an opportunity to expand the space and combine two of his passions: coffee and alcohol. Thus creating Sydney's first specialised espresso martini bar. Opening Thursday, August 18, the bar will open from midday, with an evening session running from 5-7pm. Capacity for the evening sesh will be limited to 50 punters. It will launch with seven different martinis, including the Cadbury Chocolate Martini (an ode to the original owners of the venue) as well as a traditional take on the drink, which will be on tap. Some wilder versions with extravagant garnishes include The Candy Man — a blend of amaretto, vodka, Kahlúa and espresso served in a glass rimmed with sprinkles — and the a cold drip martini, which comes topped with a mini cinnamon doughnut. Freakshake or cocktail? You decide. For those who can't handle caffeine post 5pm, don't fret — a decaf version of the martini will be available too. And if you don't like something, you can just let the team know. Sweeten is keen to get customer feedback to help finalise the cocktail menu. The food menu at Tuxedo takes cues from adjoining sister venue Kansas City Shuffle, offering bites of their superfood snack menu. Think house-smoked salmon and quinoa with asparagus, smoked beef brisket fortune tacos, a shrimp cocktail and — this is what we're most excited for — a tiramisu made with Mr Black coffee liqueur. The vibe of the place is yet to be determined — its inner city location means the establishment has a strong business crowd, however the table tennis and pool tables give it a more relaxed feel amongst elements of the old chocolate factory. Word on the street is that Young Henrys will be pairing up with the venue in the near future to collaborate on a beer-based espresso martini, for those who need their beer injected with coffee too. Tuxedo is located at 195 Gloucester Street, The Rocks. The bar will open on Thursday, August 18 at 5pm. For launch, the bar will be open noon till 7pm, but they're looking to extend operating hours as the weather warms up. For more info, visit their Instagram.
Do you ever watch Jeopardy! or Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and think "I could do that"? Or, maybe you and your mates are guns at pub trivia and you've been waiting for an excuse to go head to head. Well, Sydney's new Quiz Room is here to facilitate just that. The interactive trivia room has opened on Sydney's George Street in the same complex as Virtual Room Sydney and Escape Hunt. There are three colourful quiz rooms on offer, each fitted out to look like a classic game-show set and each with six podiums. Groups of up to 18 can rent out a room, where they'll pitted against each other in bouts of trivia. There are two game modes on offer. The first is a classic general-knowledge quiz that covers a variety of topics and comes equipped with several game modes, as well as in-game trump cards and surprises. The second is for all the music lovers out there. The Music Quiz runs through three rounds of a name-that-tune-style game, with each round serving up new twists and turns. You can choose your preferred musical era (anywhere between the 50s and the 2020s) but, generally, the game is kept pretty broad. If you and your friends were always reaching for the video game Buzz growing up, this is your chance to relive those memories — or you can book a room for a team-building exercise at work. There's also a family-friendly version of the general quiz adapted for kids aged eight to 12. Each Quiz Room booking includes two 30-minute games. Groups of four can book for $45 per person, with the per-head price going down as groups get bigger. And, special reservations can be made for workplaces, hen's parties, birthdays and large events, including catering, drinks and use of the level-seven rooftop. Find Quiz Room Sydney at Level 6, 393 George Street, Sydney — open 10am–10pm Monday–Sunday.
Striking a balance between fun and serious dining can be difficult. Some restaurants lean one way, offering affordable meals, karaoke and 'Ring for Tequila' buttons. Others nail the full-blown fine dining experience. But Barangaroo's new Korean barbecue and steakhouse joint SOOT manages to provide a mix of both, pairing vibrant communal dining and shots of soju with top-notch cuts of wagyu. Each table at SOOT is fitted with smokeless and odourless DIY charcoal grills ready to sizzle some high marble-grade beef for you and your friends. Hero dishes include the MBS9+ chuck eye roll steak, short rib cooked using a 50-year-old family recipe, on-the-bone rib-eye steak which can be ordered by the gram and marinated Kurobuta pork ribs. Pickled and fermented items also feature heavily on the menu, with SOOT making its own kimchi, sesame bean sprouts, pickled onions, jalapeños, okra, asparagus or radishes in-house. Rounding out the extensive list of eats is Korean fried chicken or cauliflower, seafood pancakes, a raw bar featuring rock oysters and sashimi, minced wagyu bibimbap, tofu clam soup and truffle mashed potatoes. SOOT lands next to NOLA Smokehouse and The Butcher's Block on Barangaroo Avenue from the hospitality group Kolture, led by David Bae (Tokki, Kogi), whose father introduced Australia to Korean barbecue in 1992. "I know Korean barbecue like the back of my hand and learnt from the masters. I want to take the experience up a notch for Sydneysiders," says Bae. "We want to take the time to educate and guide our guests on how to have the ultimate experience, showing them aspects of our cultural heritage, and Korean barbecue and drinking etiquette." While the food menu features cuts of meat and truffle-infused veggies that could rival Sydney's new wave of omakase experiences, the drinks list is a joyous celebration of Korean spirits and sake. Cocktails range from miso sours and soju spritzes through to grapefruit highballs and Hennessy, lemon, jasmine and minted honey tea, but the extensive range of sake, soju and Korean ju are the real highlights. Ask the staff for recommendations and expand your soju palette with a variety of flavours, strengths and rarities. If you want to sample your way through the best of SOOT's menu and leave the decisions up to the chefs, turn your attention to The Butcher's Table set menu. This $109 journey through the various sections of the restaurant's offerings features a banchan set, wagyu tartare, seafood pancake, shallot salad, assorted veggies, gyeranjjim, the dessert of the day and four carefully selected cuts of meat: the 240-gram SOOT steak, the 120-gram deckle steak, the ox tongue and the family-recipe short rib. SOOT is located at Shop T1.05, 100 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo — open 5.30pm–late Tuesday–Saturday.
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), Dev Patel is heading somewhere completely different. Jumping back to medieval times, he's delving into the fantasy genre, messing with Arthurian legend, and swinging around a mighty sword and a giant axe, all thanks to the dark and ominous The Green Knight. 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 the new, just-dropped trailer, this film 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 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, based on both the initial teaser and the new sneak peek, The Green Knight won't be like anything on his resume so far. Check out the new trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS6ksY8xWCY The Green Knight will release in the US on July 30, but it doesn't yet have a release date Down Under — we'll update you when it does.
Art & About may be all about art in public spaces, but when the festival returns in September, it will include one usually off-limits venue that's very private: your house. In an event dubbed Armchair Apocalypse, the Rock Surfers Theatre Company is letting you 'order in' a performance work, which you can then watch in your living room in a leisurely manner, not unlike your old friend television. “This year, Art & About Sydney explores the endangered — the ‘at risk’, the threatened, the exposed and the risky from all perspectives,” said Art & About creative director Gill Minervini. Three Sydney writers will work the theme into their domestically destined Armchair Apocalypses, which you can secure for your place by jumping a few hoops here (you need to be happy to have 20 or 30 people over, and you need to own the place even though there's a housing crisis so you most likely don't). It'll be a great chance to see theatre that is intimate, unconventional and quite literally close to home. Other highlights from the first festival program announcement include adorable kid-guided tours of Redfern and Kings Cross (The Walking Neighbourhood), a group of people squishing themselves into the CBD's nooks and crannies (Willi Dorner's Bodies in Urban Spaces), a dance/ballet with shopping trolleys (from Spillers Shaun Parker and Company), James Dive and The Glue Society's nostalgic photo studio (Us) and popular Hyde Park photography exhibition Australian Life (expanded this year from 'Sydney Life'). Kicking off Art & About on September 19, their Friday Night Live event will see Martin Place transformed from business corridor to Quarter Acre Block Party, marrying your precious remnants of the Australian Dream with the fleeting hope you still have of getting along with your neighbours. Expect an Aussie backyard vibe channelled through barbecues, Hills Hoists, back fences, lawn cricket, garage bands, garden furniture, vinyl records, beer and sausage sangas. Image: Art & About 2013.
When you were watching Ocean's Eleven, did you ever think to yourself "this is great, but I really wish someone was trying to eat George Clooney's brains?". Every time you settle in for an episode of The Walking Dead, do you find yourself hoping that someone — anyone — would mastermind a scheme to break into a casino vault? Whichever thought has popped into your head, you'll soon be able to see what a Las Vegas heist flick looks like when it's paired with the zombie genre. That's the whole premise behind Netflix film Army of the Dead, one of the big new movies the streaming platform has lined up for 2021. If the overall concept sounds somewhat familiar, that's because you probably saw Train to Busan sequel Peninsula last year — another zombie-heist film hybrid. The huge difference here, of course, is the Las Vegas setting. Well, that and the fact that Army of the Dead stars Guardians of the Galaxy's Dave Bautista and is directed by Justice League's Zack Snyder. You definitely won't forget the latter based on the just-dropped first teaser trailer for Army of the Dead, because it spends about half of its brief running time stressing exactly who is behind the lens. And as for all the shuffling undead hordes and pilfering antics, the movie follows a group of mercenaries who decide to take advantage of the situation by breaking into the casino-filled quarantine zone. When the movie hits Netflix on Friday, May 21, viewers will also spot Garret Dillahunt (Deadwood), Tig Notaro (Music), Ella Purnell (Sweetbitter), Omari Hardwick (Power), Ana de la Reguera (also from Power), Theo Rossi (Luke Cage) and Matthias Schweighöfer (Resistance), plus Nora Arnezeder (Mozart in the Jungle), Hiroyuki Sanada (Westworld), Raúl Castillo (Knives Out) and Huma Qureshi (Viceroy's House). And yes, Snyder has toyed with zombies before, in the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead. Here, though, he's aiming to set up his own franchise — with a prequel movie and an animated spinoff series already greenlit. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H83kjG5RCT8 Army of the Dead will stream via Netflix from Friday, May 21. Top image: Clay Enos, Netflix.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER What do you call a movie filled with giant screaming goats, magic weapons vying for attention like romantic rivals, a naked Chris Hemsworth and a phenomenally creepy Christian Bale? Oh, and with no fewer than four Guns N' Roses needle drops, 80s nostalgia in droves, and a case of tonal whiplash as big as the God of Thunder's biceps? You call it Thor: Love and Thunder, and also a mixed bag. The fourth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to focus on the now 29-title saga's favourite space Viking, and the second Thor flick directed by Taika Waititi after Thor: Ragnarok, it welcomely boasts the New Zealand filmmaker's playful and irreverent sense of humour — and the dead-serious days of the series-within-a-series' first two outings, 2011's Thor and 2013's Thor: The Dark World, have definitely been banished. But Love and Thunder is equally mischievous and jumbled. It's chaotic in both fun and messy ways. Out in the cosmos, no one can swim, but movies about galaxy-saving superheroes can tread water. Thor Odinson (Hemsworth, Spiderhead) has been doing a bit of that himself — not literally, but emotionally and professionally. Narrated in a storybook fashion by rock alien Korg (also Waititi, Lightyear), Love and Thunder first fills in the gaps since the last time the Asgardian deity graced screens in Avengers: Endgame. Ditching his dad bod for his ultra-buff god bod earns a mention. So does biding his time with the Guardians of the Galaxy crew (with Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper and company popping up briefly). Then, a distress call from an old friend gives Thor a new purpose. Fellow warrior Sif (Jaimie Alexander, Last Seen Alive) has been fighting galactic killer Gorr the God Butcher (Bale, Ford v Ferrari), who's on a mission to do exactly what his name promises due to a crisis of faith — which puts not only Thor himself but also New Asgard, the Norwegian village populated by survivors from his home planet, at grave risk. In MCU movies before Ragnarok, many of which Thor has smouldered and smiled his way through, he would've attacked the problem — this time literally — with enchanted hammer mjolnir. It's been in pieces since the last standalone Thor film. Courtesy of the god's ex, it doesn't stay that way for long. Love and Thunder nabs itself two Thors for the price of one, after Dr Jane Foster (Natalie Portman, Vox Lux) hears mjolnir a-calling following a stage-IV cancer diagnosis. Soon, the astrophysicist is also the Mighty Thor, brandishing the mallet, wearing armour and sporting flowing blonde locks. When the OG Thor finds out, he's overcome with post-breakup awkwardness, but there's still a god killer to stop and also kidnapped kids to rescue. Cue a couple of Thors, plus Korg and New Asgard king Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson, Passing), trying to prevent the worst from happening. Love and Thunder is a film where those yelling oversized goats pull a boat into the heavens; where Hemsworth is gloriously in the goofiest mode he has, aka the best mode; and where Russell Crowe (Unhinged) plays a tutu-wearing, lightning bolt-flinging Zeus with the worst on-screen accent this side of House of Gucci (Greek instead of Italian, though). The movie is rarely more than a few seconds from a one-liner or a silly throwaway gag, and it loves colour more than a rainbow does — except when it doesn't, including in the desert-set opening that introduces Gorr and his god-slaying necrosword, and when it follows him into an eerie shadow realm. Love and Thunder also adds Bale, an actor forever linked with helping bring superheroes back to the blockbuster realm via Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, to the ranks of terrific caped crusader foes. This Thor flick contains plenty, clearly; however, for everything that works, something else doesn't. Read our full review. COMPARTMENT NO 6 Handheld camerawork can be a gimmick. It can be distracting, too. When imagery seems restless for no particular reason other than making the audience restless, it drags down entire films. But at its best, roving, jittery and jumpy frames provide one of the clearest windows there is into the souls that inhabit the silver screen in 90-minute blocks or so, and also prove a wonderful way of conveying how they feel in the world. That's how Compartment No. 6's cinematography plays, and it couldn't be a more crucial move; this is a deeply thoughtful movie about two people who are genuinely restless themselves, after all. Finnish director Juho Kuosmanen (The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki) wants what all of the most perceptive filmmakers do — to ensure his viewers feel like they know his characters as well as they know themselves — and in his latest cinematic delight, he knows how to get it. How Kuosmanen evokes that sense of intimacy and understanding visually is just one of Compartment No. 6's highlights, but it's worthy of a train full of praise. With the helmer's returning director of photography Jani-Petteri Passi behind the lens, the film gets close to Finnish student Laura (Seidi Haarla, Force of Habit) and Russian miner Ljoha (Yuriy Borisov, The Red Ghost). It peers intently but unobtrusively their way, like an attentive lifelong friend. It jostles gently with the locomotive that the movie's central pair meets on, and where they spend the bulk of their time together. It ebbs and flows like it's breathing with them. It rarely ventures far from their faces in such cramped, stark, 90s-era Russian surroundings, lingering with them, carefully observing them, and genuinely spying how they react and cope in big and small moments alike. Pivotally — and at every moment as well — it truly sees its key duo. With their almost-matching names, Laura and Ljoha meet on a train ride charting the lengthy expanse from Moscow to Murmansk. She's taking the journey to see the Kanozero petroglyphs, ancient rock drawings that date back the 2nd and 3rd millennium BC, and were only discovered in 1997; he's heading up for work. Laura is also meant to be travelling with Irina (Dinara Drukarova, The Bureau), her Russian girlfriend, but the latter opted out suddenly after an intellectual-filled house party where mocking the former for her accent — and claiming she's just a lodger — threw a pall of awkwardness over their relationship. Making the jaunt solo is still sitting uneasily with Laura, though. Calls along the way, answered with busy indifference, don't help. And neither does finding herself sharing compartment number six, obviously, with the tough- and rough-around-the edges Ljoha. It's been 71 years now since Alfred Hitchcock gave cinema the noir thriller Strangers on a Train. It's been 27 years since Richard Linklater also had two unacquainted folks meeting while riding the rails in Before Sunrise, which started a terrific romance trilogy starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. Accordingly, the idea behind Compartment No. 6 is instantly familiar. Here, two strangers meet on a train, a connection sparks and drama ensues. Kuosmanen, who nabbed an award at Cannes for The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki and then earned the 2021 competition Grand Prix, which comes second only to the prestigious Palme d'Or, for this, is clearly working with a well-used setup. But even though this isn't a movie that's big on surprises, it's still a stellar film. It's also a reminder that a feature that's personal and raw, also attuned to all the tiny details of life in its performances, mood and style, and firmly character-driven, can make even the most recognisable narrative feel new. Read our full review. SUNDOWN In Sundown's holiday porn-style opening scenes, a clearly wealthy British family enjoys the most indulgent kind of Acapulco getaway that anyone possibly can. Beneath the blazing blue Mexican sky, at a resort that visibly costs a pretty penny, Alice Bennett (Charlotte Gainsbourg, The Snowman), her brother Neil (Tim Roth, Bergman Island), and her teenage children Alexa (Albertine Kotting McMillan, A Very British Scandal) and Colin (Samuel Bottomley, Everybody's Talking About Jamie) swim and lounge and sip, with margaritas, massages and moneyed bliss flowing freely. For many, it'd be a dream vacation. For Alice and her kids, it's routine, but they're still enjoying themselves. The look on Neil's passive face says everything, however. It's the picture of apathy — even though, as the film soon shows, he flat-out refuses to be anywhere else. The last time that a Michel Franco-written and -directed movie reached screens, it came courtesy of the Mexican filmmaker's savage class warfare drama New Order, which didn't hold back in ripping into the vast chasm between the ridiculously rich and everyone else. Sundown is equally as brutal, but it isn't quite Franco's take on The White Lotus or Nine Perfect Strangers, either. Rather, it's primarily a slippery and sinewy character study about a man with everything as well as nothing. Much happens within the feature's brief 82-minute running time. Slowly, enough is unveiled about the Bennett family's background, and why their extravagant jaunt abroad couldn't be a more ordinary event in their lavish lives. Still, that indifferent expression adorning Neil's dial rarely falters, whether grief, violence, trauma, lust, love, wins or losses cast a shadow over or brighten up his poolside and seaside stints knocking back drinks in the sunshine. For anyone else, the first interruption that comes the Bennetts' way would change this trip forever; indeed, for Alice, Alexa and Colin, it does instantly. Thanks to one sudden phone call, Alice learns that her mother is gravely ill. Via another while the quartet is hightailing it to the airport, she discovers that the worst has occurred. Viewers can be forgiven for initially thinking that Neil is her cruelly uncaring husband in these moments — Franco doesn't spell out their relationship until later, and Neil doesn't act for a second like someone who might and then does lose his mum. Before boarding the plane home, he shows the faintest glimmer of emotion when he announces that he's forgotten his passport, though. That said, he isn't agitated about delaying his journey back, but about the possibility that his relatives mightn't jet off and leave him alone. Sundown is often a restrained film, intentionally so. It doles out the reasons behind Neil's behaviour, and even basic explanatory information, as miserly as its protagonist cracks a smile. The movie itself is eventually a tad more forthcoming than Neil, but it remains firmly steeped in Franco's usual mindset: life happens, contentedly and grimly alike, and we're all just weathering it. Neither the highs nor lows appear to bother Neil, who holes up at the first hotel his cab driver takes him to, then starts making excuses and simply ignoring Alice's worried calls and texts. He navigates an affair with the younger Berenice (Iazua Larios, Ricochet) as well, and carries on like he doesn't have a care in the world. His sister returns, frantic and angry, but even then he's nonplussed. The same proves true, too, when a gangland execution bloodies his leisurely days by the beach, and also when violence cuts far closer to home. Read our full review. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on April 7, April 14, April 21 and April 28; and May 5, May 12, May 19 and May 26; and June 2, June 9, June 16, June 23 and June 30. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbledore, Ambulance, Memoria, The Lost City, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Happening, The Good Boss, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Northman, Ithaka, After Yang, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Petite Maman, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Firestarter, Operation Mincemeat, To Chiara, This Much I Know to Be True, The Innocents, Top Gun: Maverick, The Bob's Burgers Movie, Ablaze, Hatching, Mothering Sunday, Jurassic World Dominion, A Hero, Benediction, Lightyear, Men, Elvis, Lost Illusions, Nude Tuesday and Ali & Ava.
Melbourne Cup Day is fast approaching. And while Tuesday, November 5, may not be a state-wide holiday like it is down in Victoria, it's still a traditional 'clock off early' type of day in Sydney. Don't panic if your work is dragging its feet and hasn't booked anything celebratory for the day just yet. Luckily, there are still plenty of spots around town (and close to the CBD offices) you can book into. Our local hospitality legends know what's needed to celebrate the day in style, and there are plenty of venues offering parties with all the bases covered. To help you get things sorted we've put together a list of killer parties going down around town, from a King Street Wharf hot spot to a hidden CBD rooftop bar and a lavish seafood feast in Manly. So get onto your boss, grab your workmates and make something happen already.
Ryan Matthew Smith doesn't just cook and eat food - he spills its, throws it, sets it on fire and then shoots it with a sniper rifle to make sure. He's also a photographer, and has documented these sick culinary experiments in a 2,400 page tome on the subject, Modernist Cuisine: the Art and Science of Cooking. From collating several individual exposures for one delectable cutaway shot of hamburgers on a grill to shooting a lineup of eggs with a sniper rifle at 6200 frames per second, Smith shot 1,400 images for the cookbook/artwork. Despite little experience in studio work, Smith explains in an interview with Feature Shoot that his extensive portfolio of nature and architecture photography helped prepare him for the task. "Having a strong artistic sense towards photography in general can easily transfer through any of the disciplines from advertising all the way to fine art," he says. [via Coolhunting]
Eli Manning and the Giants. Tom Brady and the Patriots. No, we're not talking indie alternative pop rock folk jam bands. We're talking football, of the American variety. Yesterday, New York rose up and once again again beat New England to take out the biggest sporting event of the year. In what has been dubbed by some as the greatest Super Bowl of all time, it was, as usual, the half time antics and ad breaks that captured the imaginations of those outside of the 50 US states. This year's Ad Bowl, the name given to 'the battle of the big ads', was taken out by Volkswagen, who charmed audiences with 'The Force' last year. This year's winner, 'The Dog Strikes Back', pipped Doritos to make VW the most talked about brand of Super Bowl XLVI. Relief for their marketing team, no doubt; the average 30 second ad slot goes for US$3.5 million. Here are the ten best ads of 2012 for your viewing pleasure. https://youtube.com/watch?v=0-9EYFJ4Clo 1. Volkswagen - The Dog Strikes Back https://youtube.com/watch?v=y3bqbJduK2w 2. Doritos - Man's Best Friend https://youtube.com/watch?v=hyFWSys3TJU 3. Bud Light Rescue Dog https://youtube.com/watch?v=P6C2G5I1Z1g 4. M&M's - Ms. Brown https://youtube.com/watch?v=MlYCBJSYWBQ 5. Skechers - Mr. Quiggly https://youtube.com/watch?v=4GIeIpcRv7o 6. Doritos - Sling Baby https://youtube.com/watch?v=VhkDdayA4iA 7. Honda - Matthew's Day Off https://youtube.com/watch?v=tFAiqxm1FDA 8. Chrysler - Clint Eastwood Halftime https://youtube.com/watch?v=lHZbXvts0LE 9. Kia - Dream Car https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ae52ourE3Pw 10. Chevy - Happy Grad
Let's get this straight. Hamlet is, in fact, a princess who may or may not be gay. Her passion for Ophelia may or may not be physical — it could simply exemplify the pleasures and perils of girls' friendships. Hamlet may or may not be descending into madness — or just waxing depressed. Lacking parental permission to speak the truth — or cultural consent to acknowledge conflict — she must resort to covert looks and contrived conduct to express her turbulent feelings. The question of whether "to be or not to be" is not a gender specific question; acting with courage and conviction is crazily complicated when you're a privileged but essentially powerless teenager. The question is no longer whether “to be or not to be,” it is how “to be” when we must live with the consequences. Hamlet, Ophelia, Horatio, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are adolescents coming to terms with the depressing realisation that society is just as corrupt, venal, mendacious and shallow as it was when Shakespeare wrote his great tragedies over four hundred years ago. They are disillusioned and given to existential self-interrogation, pondering cause and consequence, the blurred penumbra of moral ambiguity. Naomi Edwards' great accomplishment as director is to take this familiar milieu and reinvent it into a play that is compulsively watchable. The easy adage that the need for reflection conflicts with the impulse to act is illuminated with new meaning as Hamlet desperately tries to understand the adult world of pragmatism versus ethics. Hamlet sometimes seems less introspective about her failure to kill Claudius than about her failure to take her own life. It’s a funny, angry, moving performance from the versatile Sophie Ross that is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern provide the much needed tomfoolery and dirty innuendo to lighten up the extremity of her angst. Hamlet's tragedy centres on her inability to reconcile rationalism and faith with politics and personal principles.
Watch Red, White & Brass and you'll never see the pre-game or half-time entertainment at a big sporting match the same way again. Of course, if Rihanna, or Beyoncé with Destiny's Child, or a heap of hip hop and rap legends are taking to the stage at the Super Bowl, you won't question it — but if there's a community band on the turf, you might start wondering when they first picked up their instruments, why and if it was only four weeks ago to make it to this very gig. Are they just out there because they were that desperate to see their team play? And, because they missed out on expensive and instantly sold-out tickets? Were they so eager, in fact, that they bluffed their way into a gig by claiming to already be a musical group, then had to speedily do anything and everything to learn how to get melodic, and obviously not embarrass themselves, in a passion-fuelled whirlwind of pretence and practice? A band solely forming to score access to a rugby game sounds like pure screenwriting confection. Often enough, though, when tales like that make it to the silver screen, it's because they're so wild that they can only be true. Such is the case with Red, White & Brass' premise, as it notes at the outset. Back in 2011, New Zealand hosted the Rugby World Cup, which was a source of particular excitement to Aotearoa's Tongan population, and especially to avid aficionados at a Wellington church. The kind of fans that were showing their devotion by decking out their homes in the Tongan flag top to bottom, hitching the red-and-white cloth to every free space on their cars and carrying around the symbol on their phone cases, they were determined to see Tonga play France in their own home city, and willing to whatever it takes to do so — wholesomely, in the type of underdog story about fervour, ingenuity, self-belief and luck that engagingly makes for an easy and warm-hearted cinema crowd-pleaser. On-screen, the dynamic Maka (NZ Popstars personality and film debutant John-Paul Foliaki) first thinks that he'll simply raise enough in donations for his congregation to attend the big game, aided by his dancing while the choir sings. When it ends up taking too much money to make money that way, that plan hits a bum note. So does a too-good-to-be-true offer that's exactly that. But sports fandom and a love of one's country are just like life in frequently finding a way. Handily, Aroha (Hariata Moriarty, Cousins) from the city council is looking for a brass marching band to perform before the match, asking at Maka's father Pita's (Tevita Finau) church for local talent. They don't have what she's searching for, and have never been anywhere near even thinking about having a brass marching band; however, that doesn't stop their resident born entertainer from saying otherwise when he hears that free Rugby World Cup tickets are involved. It may spring from reality, with co-writer Halaifonua (Nua) Finau scripting the story with first-time feature director Damon Fepulea'i from his very own experiences — yes, this happened to Finau — but there's a touch of Brassed Off meets Pitch Perfect meets Cool Runnings to Red, White & Brass. Although some films bring others to mind because they're that generic, often lazily as well, that isn't what's occurring here. Whether or not you know the IRL outcome going in, you know the outcome. You know that there wouldn't be a movie unless exactly what you think will happen happens. Stepping through this real-life quest makes for infectious viewing because it does follow the expected narrative pattern so lovingly, with such heart and so satisfyingly, especially when it comes to celebrating NZ's Tongan community. Maka has plenty of convincing to do, including friends like Veni (Dimitrius Shuster- Koloamatangi, Upright), who has largely lost touch with his Tongan heritage; Irene (Ilaisaane Green, The Commons), who is sceptical about this new brass-playing scheme; and his disapproving father and wary mother Elisiva (Valeti Finau). In the process, with help from Samisoni (Michael Falesiu), the only person Maka knows with any brass marching band experience, the Tongan word "māfana" is mentioned more than once. It means an overwhelming feeling of warmth and emotion, so it happily fits his mission, and it's also what Red, White & Brass itself is revelling in. This is an affectionate and joyous film that doesn't just pay tribute to events that clearly begged for the big-screen treatment from the moment that they happened, or to the feeling and energy behind them, but to the community and culture goes all-in when it comes to national pride. Even when they're disagreeing, disparaging or doubting — and when the familiar sports-film training journey sees Maka and his pals start out with plastic bottles, then join a school band for lessons, and also become the unhappy stars of a viral fail video — Red, White & Brass' persistent group of Tongan rugby superfans don't waver in their māfana. Nor does the cast that Fepulea'i has assembled to portray them, as led by Foliaki bouncing around the movie with a larger-than-life vibe that plays as pure zeal. That the Finaus, Nua's parents and both first-time actors, basically step into their own shoes is a nice touch, as is including some original members of the Taulanga Ū Brass Band, who started it all. Red, White and Brass is directed with inescapable fondness as well, which flows through to its sunny frames (as shot by Andrew McGeorge, The Panthers), upbeat editing (including by Fepulea'i) and mix of marching-band tunes with tracks from Three Houses Down. In music, hitting every expected note is usually pivotal. When that skill is perfected, creativity and experimentation can echo, which Red, White & Brass acknowledges and embraces. In cinema, movies that stick to the sheet before them can be blandly cliched, and many do, but the best of them swell with reassurance and comfort. Everyone watching wants this film to turn out the way it does, which it does, sticking to reality and offering a soothing bit of solace in a hectic world. That's what loving a sport, your culture or anything that you're passionate about can be, too, and Fepulea'i, Finau and executive producer Taika Waititi (Thor: Love and Thunder) know it, feel it and let it resound.
Inner west coffee haven Ashfield Apothecary is turning two and to celebrate, it's giving away free coffees all day on Saturday, November 13. The cafe has partnered with Single O who is also celebrating a birthday and will be serving up free cups of Single O's Freewheelin' 18th Birthday Blend. There will also be a sweet treat created by cake master and pop-up enthusiast Tokyo Lamington. The Strawberry Gum Espresso lamington is created with vanilla sponge, whipped espresso cream and strawberry gum before being coated in espresso white chocolate and toasted coconut. Head to Charlotte Street between 7am–3pm to score your free cup of joe, however if you want to make sure you get your hands one of the limited-edition lamingtons, get down early as they're in short supply. Ashfield Apothecary opened in November 2019 and has been a go-to spot for coffee lovers in the area ever since. The cafe prides itself on crafting its coffee with beans from a rotating roster of roasters, spotlighting different coffee-makers from near and afar including an international coffee supplier once every two months.
If you're a fan of Gelato Messina and its frosty sweet treats, 2020 is the year that just keeps on giving. That saying doesn't apply to much over the past 12 months, but it definitely fits in this situation. The dessert chain has released all manner of one-off specials, launched a new range of chocolate-covered ice cream bars in supermarkets, dropped a new merchandise line and brought back its Christmas trifle, for starters — and now it's aiming to take care of your summer drinks list. Teaming up with Cocktail Porter, Messina is now serving up DIY kits that'll let you make your own boozy beverages — either using Messina's gelato or its just-as-beloved toppings. Basically, it's the answer to a familiar dilemma, especially when the weather is warm. No one likes choosing between tucking into a chilled, creamy dessert or having another boozy beverage, after all. The Messina dessert cocktail packs come in two flavours: dulce de leche espresso martinis, and gin-fuelled coconut and lychee piña coladas. In the former, you'll get Ciroc vodka, coffee liqueur, premium cold-drip coffee and Messina's dulce de leche topping, plus Messina's chocolate hazelnut spread and shaved coconut to go on top. In the latter — which are being called 'giña coladas' — you'll receive Tanqueray gin, coconut water, pineapple juice, verjuice, and vouchers to go pick up a tub of Messina coconut and lychee gelato. As well as choosing with variety you'd prefer — caffeinated and zesty or fruit and refreshing, basically — you can pick between two different-sized packs. A mini espresso martini kit costs $85, while a mini giña colada kit costs $89, and both serve up six drinks. Or, you can opt for the large ($149/159), which makes 18 dessert cocktails. Cocktail Porter delivers Australia-wide, if that's your summer drinking plans sorted. To order Cocktail Porter's Gelato Messina cocktail kits, head to the Cocktail Porter website.
It is shocking to think that there is only one holiday a year that truly cries out for a French-themed party. Why don't we have Croissant Day? Or Baguette Day? Romance and Cheese Day could easily be a thing. Still, we do have Bastille Day, and that isn't going anywhere, despite Russell Crowe proving that he absolutely cannot sing. Bastille Day is important because it celebrates the beginning of the French Revolution — that bloodthirsty struggle for freedom, equality and fraternity. When "the people" stormed the Bastille and seized the military stores, an entire decade of idealism, savagery and carnage started. So why celebrate such a heady (and often headless) period? Because it's about seizing control and brandishing baguettes and bringing about the end of feudalism. Being independent and being proud and well, being French, basically. Along with the start of a new nation, the revolution also saw the explosion of French culture — a culture that Sydney has continually adapted and played with. Compiled here is a list of Sydney's best and most fun French. Carpe diem at one of them this weekend. 1. Claude's Claude's, Woollahra's fine dining stalwart, has ditched the whole grown up thing. When it comes to the space, that is. This Oxford Street veteran has been reborn as a chic, vibrant and airy restaurant; an almost unrecognisable transformation from the proper white table-clothed eatery it once was. Downstairs you'll find a compact bar offering a finely tuned wine list and a selection of smaller dishes such as the souffle a la suissesse, hot and sour mussels and a black fungus relish sandwich. Upstairs is where the serious degustation is at. French culture bonus: Stop in at Palace Verona for the Dans la Maison (In the House), the latest darkly comic French drama from high-profile director Francois Ozon (8 Women, Swimming Pool) 2. Felix If Felix was in a Paris arrondissement rather than the Sydney CBD, no one would blink a perfectly curled eyelash. From the (sometimes) French waiters bustling around the tiled floors to the decadent crustacean bar and elaborate murals on the ceiling, Felix is the bistro the city deserved. It’s a humming, buzzing, people-watchers delight: all beautiful wooden finishes, crisp white table cloths and intricate tiling. All the classic French cues are here: the ever-changing ‘Plat du Jour’, the rotisserie section and that incredible oyster bar. Bastille Day: Felix is celebrating La Fete Nationale by offering three courses with a glass of Ruinart champagne for $100pp for lunch or dinner. They'll also host live entertainment. Bookings call (02) 9240 3000. 3. Ananas An interesting mix of old-school French cuisine and new-world glamour, this sultry restaurant will wow even the most apprehensive amongst us. Contrary to the area's out-of-date pubs populated by tourists, Ananas is a cocktail, champagne and oyster bar extravaganza with an art deco-inspired restaurant and late-night supper club. It's time to join us in indulging what's on offer here, because it's all just brilliantly joie de vivre. Bastille Day: Ananas is celebrating the Bastille Day weekend with a party on Saturday, 13 July, from 6pm until late with free entry. Held at Bar Ananas, guests can enjoy all things French, including canapes, special champagne offers, DJs and live entertainment. Then on Sunday there's a Bastille Day lunch, where a special a la carte menu created by new head chef Paul McGrath will be served. To make a reservation for either call (02) 9259 5668 or email reservations@ananas.com.au. French culture bonus: It's just a hop and a skip over The Rocks to Sydney Theatre for The Maids, the famous French play by Jean Genet about two maids (Cate Blanchett and Isabelle Huppert) dreaming of killing their mistress (Elizabeth Debicki). 4. Absinthesalon Absinthesalon has been around for a while now, and it doesn't really get old. It's still like stepping into another world. This is not only because of the absinthe itself, as we hear that this bohemian drink-of-choice doesn't quite possess the hallucinogenic qualities that it once did. Tucked away in an unassuming corner building in Surry Hills, the interior is dressed to a T as an authentic 'Parisien' cafe. In the middle of each table sits a fountain, surrounded by the various accoutrements of the spirit — silver spoons and cubes of fine French sugar. Absinthe, clearly, is more than just an aperitif, and this salon is its Utopian home. Bastille Day: The Absinthesalon is going all-out with an Off with Their Heads Bastille Day Soiree on Saturday, July 12. Bookings advisable. 5. Le Petite Creme No revolution before breakfast. The French have a reputation for being, how do you say, outrageous? Le Petit Creme fits the genre perfectly: it has a reputation and it is most certainly outrageous. If it's service you're after, this tiny cafe might not be your first pick — the waitstaff tend to be casual at best. However, if you're searching for an absurdly luxurious breakfast feast, you've found the right place. The Eggs Benedict is the star attraction — deliciously runny eggs, rich hollandaise and your choice of ham or salmon on freshly toasted brioche. 6. Le Pelican On Bourke Street sits this quaint French restaurant. A stone's throw from Taylor Square and the flurry of hipsters hanging at Lo-Fi, Johnny Wong's, or nearby Beresford, it's hard to believe that one could experience something so removed from the familiar. Le Pelican offers a unique experience marked by authentic French cuisine in only the most delightful of settings. Ditch the Hills' common haunts for a night and try the road less trodden. The Coorong Angus onglet with potato mille-feuille (layered pastry) and sauce vierge (olive oil, lemon, tomato, and basil) was almost like the stuff of our dreams. Bastille Day: Le Pelican is offering a special Bastille Day menu for lunch or dinner, for $75pp or $105 with matching wines. 7. Le Pub Le Pub is one of those confused places that's somehow just right for Bastille Day. Le Pub still has "le pokies room" and the appearance of a traditional basement pub: no windows and darkly lit. But then there's the pleasant tiled back area, with Scrabble-like words connected to the French theme, and a gastro menu. There's not a huge indicator that the theme of the bar is anything Gallic related outside of the menu, really, which may explain the simplicity of the name, as almost to say to customers, "look, it's slightly Frenchie but you can get a pint here too." Bastille Day: Le Pub is throwing a soiree on Friday, July 12, and will have meal specials all weekend long. They also promise can-can dancers and a Parisien discotheque. 8. La Banette If you just want a slice of France rather than a whole feast, stop by La Banette. The Glebe patisserie-cafe oozes with French charm right from the baked goods to the delightful 'petit miams' in the glass cabinets. Even the provincial-like striped awning out front is indicative of a boulangerie and the wooden furnishings and baskets holding baguettes add a rustic touch. But it's not the decor that you're here for. No, no. It's the flaky pastries and intense chocolate slices of opera sitting alongside the chocolate eclairs that are filled with the creamiest of custards. It's the almond croissants and pain au chocolats that have been handcrafted with passion. 9. La Croix Given that the walk down Greenknowe Avenue into Elizabeth Bay looks faintly Parisian, it's a suprise there aren't more French establishments in the area. La Croix is a goodie, though. There is a strong adherence to classical decor, with white marble Hellenic sculptures and tables, and you can pick up a croissant, an artwork, and a large clay pot for your olive tree in one fell swoop, as they're also a gift shop. Their specialty is the 'tartine', which literally means 'a slice of bread' but it is more like an open sandwich with a sweet or savoury topping. Many kinds are available, from smoked trout to roast beef. Bastille Day: A special menu awaits, as well as a free glass of champagne upon arrival. Look out for French toast and beef bourguignon and tarte tatin. 10. La Grillade Tucked away in a quiet corner of Crows Nest is a cheap alternative to a holiday in Provence. An unassuming cottage on the outside, inside La Grillade is both Gallic hominess and sober modernity. From the same people who brought you the new Vicinity Dining in Alexandria, La Grillade is the North Shore equivalent to Ananas, if less show-offy in appearance. By the Concrete Playground team.
When the 23rd Biennale of Sydney takes over the city next March, attendees will be forgiven for having water on their minds. The returning art event famously showcased Ai Weiwei's 60-metre inflatable boat back in 2018, but in 2022 it's calling its entire program Rīvus, which means 'stream' in Latin. The Biennale is embracing its titular notion in a number of ways, too. Announcing not just its theme but its first 59 participants for the event, organisers also revealed that it'll use its array of artworks and activities to form conceptualised wetlands and imagined ecosystems. The plan isn't just to feature these watery places in paintings, sculptures and installations, but to "follow the currents of meandering tributaries, expanding out into a delta of interrelated ideas," as a statement by the Biennale's 2022 Curatorium explains. This year, Artistic Director José Roca, Art Gallery of New South Wales Head of Learning and Participation Paschal Daantos Berry, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia curator Anna Davis, Information and Cultural Exchange First Nations programs producer Hannah Donnelly and Artspace curator Talia Linz are overseeing the Biennale program, which'll run from Saturday, March 12–Monday, June 13, 2022. And if you're wondering what their theme will entail in a practical sense, specific artwork details haven't been revealed as yet; however, the Curatorium advises that the lineup will include "river horror, creek futurism, Indigenous science, cultural flows, ancestral technologies, counter-mapping, queer ecologies, multispecies justice, hydrofeminism, water healing, spirit streams, fish philosophy and sustainable methods of co-existence". The first roster of participants charged with bringing all of these notions to life spans folks from six continents and 33 countries — complete with a heavy local component — and includes artists, designers, architects and scientists. Yes, that's a diverse range of skill sets, ranging beyond visual arts into other fields, which is why the Biennale has opted for the term 'participants'. [caption id="attachment_807271" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Julie Gough, Manifestation (Bruny Island), 2010. Installation view of Littoral (2010), curated by Vivonne Thwaites, Carnegie Gallery Hobart. Courtesy the artist. Photograph: Julie Gough. Copyright © Julie Gough.[/caption] Exactly where the event will take place is yet to be revealed, except in one instance, with the Biennale setting up shop by the harbour at The Cutaway at Barangaroo Reserve for the first time — fittingly given the watery theme. And if it feels like Sydney only just enjoyed the last Biennale, there's a reason for that. After the 2020 event was forced to take an unforeseen break due to the pandemic, it wrapped up later last year than initially planned. FIRST BIENNALE OF SYDNEY 2022 LINEUP A4C Arts for the Commons Ackroyd & Harvey Robert Andrew Ana Barboza and Rafael Freyre Badger Bates Milton Becerra Cave Urban Hera Büyüktaşcıyan Tania Candiani Yoan Capote Casino Wake Up Time Carolina Caycedo Alex Cerveny Erin Coates Cian Dayrit Melissa Dubbin and Aaron S Davidson Matias Duville Clemencia Echeverri Embassy of the North Sea Juliana Góngora Rojas Julie Gough Rex Greeno and Dean Greeno David Haines and Joyce Hinterding Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe Dale Harding Joey Holder Marguerite Humeau Aluaiy Kaumakan Pushpa Kumari Eva L'Hoest Mata Aho Collective Clare Milledge Yuko Mohri Moogahlin Performing Arts with Aanmitaagzi Big Medicine Studio New Landscapes Institute New-Territories _ S/he _f.Roche Leeroy New Wura-Natasha Ogunji Mike Parr Marjetica Potrč Caio Reisewitz Tabita Rezaire Duke Riley Abel Rodríguez Teho Ropeyarn Diana Scherer Dineo Seshee Bopape Komunidad X Sipat Lawin Kiki Smith Paula de Solminihac STARTTS (NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors) and Jiva Parthipan Jenna Sutela Imhathai Suwatthanasilp Leanne Tobin Barthélémy Toguo Sopolemalama Filipe Tohi Hanna Tuulikki Gal Weinstein Zheng Bo The 23rd Biennale of Sydney will run from Saturday, March 12–Monday, June 13, 2022. Entry will be free, as always. We'll keep you posted on the whole artist lineup and exhibition program when they're announced. Top image: Carolina Caycedo, Yuma, or the Land of Friends, 2014, digital print on acrylic glass, and satellite images, 580 x 473 cm. Installation view at the 8th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art, Museen Dahlen (2014), Berlin. Courtesy of the artist.
If you weren't aware, loveable hitmaker Post Malone has his own rosé. Created with award-winning Provence winemaker Alexis Cornu alongside music manager Dre London and Global Brand Equities' James Morrissey, Maison No. 9 is a classic Provencal pink wine, sporting a name inspired by Post Malone's favourite tarot card the Nine of Swords. The wine is crisp, dry and savoury, and comes in a sleek minimalist bottle sporting a tarot-inspired sword with a rose wrapped around it. The bottle also mirrors the theme of swords and knights, with a solid-glass cap shaped into battlements reminiscent of a historic medieval castle that's located near the vineyard where the wine is made. "Rosé is when you want to get a little fancy," says the diamond-certified, Grammy-nominated pop star. Following successful launches in the US and the UK that saw immense popularity — the wine sold 50,000 bottles in its first 48 hours in the UK — Malone has brought Maison No. 9 to Australia for a limited run of just 10,000 bottles. So, you're going to have to act quick if you want to get your hands on a bottle. Currently, the only way to order the rosé in Australia is through Dan Murphy's website, where you can nab a bottle for $42.99. Accompanying the Australian release of the wine is a line of merch available through the Maison No. 9 website. T-shirts sporting an image of Post Malone with the wine are available, as well as hoodies, crewneck jumpers, wine glasses, dog toys, socks and beanies, all with the wine's logo and signature sword printed on them. While you're at the website, you can also find recipes for a series of cocktails that you can make with the wine, including sangria, spritzes, rosé bloody marys and rosé palomas. 10,000 bottles of Post Malone's Maison No. 9 are available now via Dan Murphy's online.
In terms of products that are equally cruel and stupid, skin-lightening cream would have to be up there. And now, thanks to Anchuli Felicia King's White Pearl, it's now also brutally satirised. Fictional cosmetics company Clearday, based in Singapore, turns a very tidy profit exploiting customers' insecurities about the way they look. When one of its ads for skin-lightening products goes viral, the disapproving eye of the digital world settles on the company's pristine open-plan office. Amidst the buck-passing and fallout containment, a transformation begins to occur — what playwright King has referred to as "the shift from socialised hysteria to primal hysteria". With comedy that's blacker than bitumen and grimier than a skip in the CBD, White Pearl is here to raise conversations regarding casual racism and corporate culture. It's unlikely you needed another reason to hate on late-stage capitalism, but King will make you laugh while you do. The play is a co-production between Riverside's National Theatre of Parramatta and Sydney Theatre Company, directed by Priscilla Jackman and showing at Riverside Theatres, Parramatta. White Pearl will be showing every Tuesday through Saturday, from Saturday October 26 to Saturday November 9.
In late March, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the national cabinet had agreed to a six-month moratorium on evictions for both residential and commercial tenancies financially impacted by COVID-19. Like many coronavirus regulations, though, the moratorium then had to be implemented by individual states and territories. And on Wednesday, April 15, the NSW Government did just that. As part of a $440 million rental rescue package, the government has amended its Residential Tenancies Act 2010 and introduced a 60-day ban, as well as a further six months of restrictions, on evicting people financially impacted by COVID-19. Some of that money — $2.5 million of it, in fact — is also going to bolster Fair Trading and the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), two services that can offer advice to tenants and landlords and help them reach rental agreements during the crisis. The government hopes this pause on evictions will allow time for financial support (such as Centrelink and the new Jobkeeper payments) to reach tenants and "limit social movement in order to minimise public health risks", as stated on the Fair Trading website, during COVID-19. As always, there's some fine print. Not everyone is protected from evictions and even those impacted financially can be evicted under some circumstances, so we've broken it down. First up, what is a moratorium? Simply, it's a temporary ban or suspension of an activity. And an evictions moratorium? A temporary ban on evictions. In NSW, the evictions moratorium is for 60 days, from Wednesday, April 15, and applies only to renters who have been financially disadvantaged by COVID-19. More on that below. During this period, landlords are not able to issue any termination notices and all termination orders via NCAT are on hold. For all evictions, now and in the past, landlords must issue a notice and, in more serious circumstances, an order, which must first be approved by NCAT. Then, only with a warrant of possession, can a sheriff's officer physically remove you from the premises. What happens when these 60 days are up? You can be evicted for not paying rent, but only if you and your landlord have "participated, in good faith, in a formal rent negotiation process about the rent or charges payable" and a termination is "fair and reasonable in the circumstances of the case". Yes, it's a little vague. And, yes, the government is asking you to effectively 'sit down' with your landlord and ask for a rent reduction, which may be daunting for someone who doesn't have a particularly great relationship with their landlord. Fair Trading will be on hand to assist with these negotiations, though, and NCAT still has the final say on approving an eviction order and whether or not the circumstance is "fair and reasonable". So, does that mean I don't have to pay rent? If you have been finally impacted by COVID–19, you do not have to pay rent during the 60 days. During this time, you cannot be evicted due to rental arrears (missed rent payments), but you are encouraged to start negotiations with your landlord for a longer-term rent reduction if needed. What's important to note is that you're only protected from evictions if one or more rent-paying members of your household has: lost employment or income as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, or had a reduction in work hours or income as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, or had to stop working, or materially reduce work hours, due to illness with COVID-19 or due to COVID-19 carer responsibilities for household or family members, and the above factors result in a household income (inclusive of any government assistance) that is reduced by 25 percent or more. According to the NSW Government, household income is inclusive of any government assistance, such as the Jobkeeper payments. If you do not meet the above eligibility, you're expected to honour your agreement and pay all rent and charges in full. What about if I've lost my job? Or had my shifts cut? Yes, as outlined above, you can pause paying rent during the 60 days if your household income has been reduced by 25 percent or more due to lost work during COVID-19. Do I have to pay it later? Any unpaid rent will accrue as arrears during this period. Whether or not you'll have to pay this rent after the 60 days needs to be negotiated with your landlord. This negotiation can be facilitated by Fair Trading, if needed. And if I can't, I won't be evicted — right? During the 60-day moratorium, no — you cannot be evicted for not paying rent if you or your household has been financially impacted by COVID-19, as clarified above. After that, though, you can be evicted, but a landlord must first partake in negotiations on rent reduction "in good faith" and NCAT has the final say on approving an eviction order. The NSW Government has also introduced a new 90-day minimum notice for evictions, after the moratorium, too. To clarify, this moratorium only protects you from evictions for not paying rent. If you breach the rental agreement or you reach the end of your lease, the landlord can still evict you (with at least 90 days' notice). If you've caused damage to property or other residents' property, used the residence for illegal purposes, have been threatening or abusive to other residents or have not payed rent and are not impacted by COVID-19, you can still be evicted with just 14 days' notice. [caption id="attachment_767720" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Click on the image for an enlarged version[/caption] If I receive a phone call or email from my landlord about being evicted what should I do? If your landlord is unaware of the moratorium, you can direct them to Fair Trading NSW website. Here, you'll also find template and example letters to use when approaching your landlord about rent reduction. The Tenants' of NSW Union also recommends getting legal advice from your local Tenants' Advice and Advocacy Service before entering into an agreement with your landlord. You can also get free financial advice from professionals by calling the National Debt Hotline on 1800 007 007. Am I allowed to break my lease and move out early if I need? You can, but you will need to give your landlord notice and may have to pay a break fee. If you're in a period agreement (say month-by-month), you need to give 21 days' notice. If you're in a fixed-term agreement, you might need to pay a break free if the agreement has not yet expired. But, Tenants' Union NSW says it is worth contacting your landlord and seeing if you can negotiate a shorter notice period or if they'll waive the fee. Have more questions? There's a heap of FAQs on the Fair Trading and Tenants' Union of NSW website, and if you're still unsure you can get free legal advice by contacting your local Tenants' Advice and Advocacy Service.
