Fresh flowers. Just-baked cakes. The air just after a storm. Newly brewed coffee. They're all distinctive scents that not only smell nice, but conjure up warm and fuzzy feelings. And if you find that the odour of cracking open a new computer or gadget from a certain popular brand evokes the same kind of reaction, then you're going to want to order a Mac-scented candle. Replicating the smell of a brand new Mac, the hand-poured candles clearly answer an the age-old question: "what do you get the Apple fan who has everything?". They're made from 100% soy wax, cost US$24, and also conjure notes of mint, peach, basil, lavender, mandarin and sage. We have to say, if that's what you're sniffing out when you open your new laptop, you must have super olfactory capabilities. Sure, it sounds like something out of a Seinfeld episode, were the hit sitcom still airing — or a gag one of the many modern-oriented Twitter parody accounts of the show might come up with; however it really isn't a joke. Mac accessories company Twelve South has added the item to their store, alongside their usual lineup of docks, stands, covers, shelves, bass boosters, plug converters and keyboard extenders (you know, the standard computer, tablet and phone gizmos). One US Mac hosting solution outfit put the candles to the test, and decreed that they do indeed emit the apparently much-sought-after "new Mac smell". There must be a fair number of folks looking to fill their home with that particular scent, because the range has already sold out. Don't worry, Mac sniffers: more will be in stock at the end of the month. Via Fast Company.
Don't sweat it. Just don't. That's a great sentiment, but putting it into action isn't always so easy. Humanity has long wanted to care less about all of the things that really don't matter, including since before self-help was a book genre — and since before there were books. Nothing else has quite summed up that concept quite like The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, though, even just in its title. It sits among a seemingly endless array of texts about living your best life and forgetting pointless strife, but Mark Manson's 2016 hit perfectly captured the idea that we should all devote less attention to matters that simply aren't worth it. First came the book. Then came the film version of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. Since Manson's famous tome hit shelves, he's also popped up to chat about it and offer his brutally honest self-help advice — and he's returning Down Under in November 2024 to do exactly that again. Consider heading along to this The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck live tour as the next step in pursuing the ultimate goal: giving less fucks. More than 20-million copies of the book have been sold, so you're probably familiar with Manson's take on living more contented and grounded lives already, but there's something to be said about hearing about it in person. Couldn't be arsed reading the text? Then this is another way to soak in its contents. Of course, Manson's spin isn't about never giving a fuck. Rather, he knows that it's wise to choose where to direct our fucks, what to give a crap about and what genuinely bloody matters. The book's chapter titles are as telling as its overall moniker, boasting names such as 'Don't Try', 'Happiness is a problem', 'You are not special', 'You are wrong about everything (But so am I)', 'The importance of saying no' and 'And then you die'. Also the author of Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope, Manson will be onstage exploring this train of thought on a seven-stop trip around Australia and New Zealand, including in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth and Auckland. Attendees can expect a deeper dive into the principles stepped through in his book, plus practical tips and stories from real life. This is an event to give a fuck about, clearly. Here's the trailer for the film, too, if you haven't yet seen it: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Live with Mark Manson Dates: Monday, November 4 — Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, Sydney Wednesday, November 6 — Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne Thursday, November 7 — QPAC Concert Hall, Brisbane Saturday, November 9 — Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra Sunday, November 10 — Festival Theatre, Adelaide Monday, November 11 — Perth Concert Hall, Perth Friday, November 15 — Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Auckland Mark Manson's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Live tour hits Australia and New Zealand in November 2024, with ticket presales from 10am local time on Wednesday, July 17 — except in Melbourne, where ticket sales start at 11am local time on Monday, July 22. Head to the tour website for more details.
There are 11,761 beaches in Australia. So it goes without saying that choosing the nation's most epic stretches of sand is no easy feat. Still, we've taken on the challenge. And, having considered the entire coastline, we've teamed up with Jim Beam to come up with ten of the best beaches in Australia so you can book a group holiday — from South Australia's sweeping Coorong Beach, which is one of the longest beaches in the world, to Queensland's Whitehaven Beach, which is famous for its incredible beauty, rather than its length. Remote and not close to major cities, these are not your local favourites — these are the top beaches in Australia. Get your bucket list ready, hit up the group chat (because every beach adventure is best enjoyed together) and start planning your next waterside getaway to at least one of them. Recommended reads: The Best Coastal Spots for Whale Watching Across Australia The Best Islands to Visit in Australia The Best Beaches in Sydney The Best Glamping Sites in Australia [caption id="attachment_694321" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] NINETY MILE BEACH, VICTORIA Sometimes, size does matter. That's true in the case of Ninety Mile Beach, which is actually 94 miles — or 151 kilometres — long, making it one of the longest beaches in the world. It runs along the state's northeastern coastline, parallel to the (also epic) Gippsland Lakes. And there are all kinds of adventures on offer. Spend days (and days) wandering along the sand, uninterrupted by rocks or headlands while soaking up the surf and looking out for whales. Visit Ninety Mile's cute seaside towns, like Woodside, Seaspray and Golden Beach. And, if you're a camper who's happy to swap creature comforts for serenity, pitch your tent at Emu Bight, on the shores of Lake Victoria within The Lakes National Park, and use this guide to explore the water. Editors note: Emu Bight is currently closed due to bushfires in the nearby area. Check the government's Emu Bight site for more updated info. [caption id="attachment_743661" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] RED ROCK BEACH, NEW SOUTH WALES Some beaches are epic, not only for themselves, but for what surrounds them. Take Red Rock, 30 minutes' drive north of Coffs Harbour. The Australian beach takes its name from its stunning headland, a 20-metre-high formation of 300-million-year-old jasper, also known as red quartz. Much of the sand is backdropped by national park and keen hikers should conquer the 65-kilometre multi-day Yuraygir Coastal Walk — or at least a section of it. If you find yourself needing human civilisation, visit the tiny coastal community of Corindi, where you can camp or stay in a cabin at Reflections Holiday Park. Take your time exploring the area and Red Rock Beach, one of the best beaches in Australia. [caption id="attachment_743607" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] WHITEHAVEN BEACH, QUEENSLAND Whitehaven Beach was famous for its looks even before Instagram existed. Located on Whitsunday Island, this seven-kilometre-long wonder is known for its sand, which, made of silica, is among the whitest, brightest and purest on the planet. To visit, you'll need to climb aboard a tour from Airlie Beach — be it by yacht, powerboat, ferry or seaplane. You'll be sorely tempted to take a dip in the crystal clear waters when visiting Whitehaven Beach, easily one of the best beaches in Australia. And, for extraordinary views of the beach, island and surrounds, get yourself to Tongue Point Lookout. If you'd like to stay overnight, there are several campsites nearby. [caption id="attachment_743612" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] CAPE TRIBULATION BEACH, QUEENSLAND Cape Tribulation in Queensland's Far North is where two Heritage-listed wildernesses — the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest — come together. Cape Tribulation Beach is the first one north of the cape, around two hours' drive north of Port Douglas. Begin your adventures at Kulki with a ten-minute stroll to Cape Tribulation Lookout, which looks north over Cape Tribulation Beach, backdropped by mountains. And to add a second sandy spot to your itinerary, take the one-hour Cape Tribulation to Mason's Store walk, for views of Myall Beach. [caption id="attachment_743652" align="alignnone" width="1920"] South Australian Tourism Commission[/caption] COORONG BEACH, SOUTH AUSTRALIA This breathtaking stretch of sand forms the southwestern border of Coorong National Park, on South Australia's southeast coast. It runs for around 220 kilometres, between Port Elliot in the north and Cape Jaffa in the south — and it's considered the longest beach in Australia. It's also where the Murray River meets the sea, after a 2500-kilometre journey from the Australian Alps. Just behind Coorong Beach are the Coorong Wetlands, where the original Storm Boy (1977) film was shot. Consider a paddling tour along one of the best beaches in Australia, be it a three-hour sunset fling or a multi-day expedition. Keep your eyes peeled for threatened species, including the orange-bellied parrot, freckled duck and southern bell frog. [caption id="attachment_743610" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] 75 MILE BEACH, QUEENSLAND Another beach that's legendary for its awesome size is 75 Mile Beach on K'gari. This sandy behemoth forms most of the east coast of the island — which is the world's biggest sand island — and lies just off the coast, around six hours' drive north of Brisbane. The attractions here aren't just endless sea and sky, but also multicoloured and adventurous. Yes, there are sharks in the water and dingos on land, but the main attraction here is the length of the beach. Consequently, one of the most popular ways to travel 75 Mile Beach is by 4WD tour. That said, you can also go exploring on foot and camp or glamp at the dedicated Beach Camp Fraser Island. And be sure to stop off at Nudey Beach, which was named the best beach in Australia for 2018. [caption id="attachment_743683" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jason Charles Hill, Tourism Tasmania[/caption] WINEGLASS BAY, TASMANIA Like Queensland's Whitehaven Beach, Tasmania's Wineglass Bay is known all over the world for its good looks. As you've no doubt guessed, the bay gets its name from its smooth curves, which resemble a wine glass. You'll find one of the beast beaches in Australia on on Tassie's east coast, within Freycinet National Park. To get some perspective, follow the three-kilometre walk to Wineglass Bay Lookout from Wineglass Bay car park. An even more epic adventure is the full-day Hazards Beach to Wineglass Bay Circuit, an 11-kilometre hike that takes in two beaches, wilderness and pretty views. [caption id="attachment_743719" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] CABLE BEACH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA Cable Beach, on the edge of Broome, is best known for its camel rides. Every evening, the humped beasts traipse along the shoreline, delivering tourists to some of the most beautiful sunsets in Australia, if not the world. It's hard to think of a better way to experience Cable Beach. But, if that's not your thing, you can hire a bike and cycle along the sand. Alternatively, settle for relaxing on the sand, swimming or sipping cocktails when visiting one of the best beaches in Australia. As well as its white sand, Cable Beach is famous for its rich red ochre cliffs, which create a striking contrast with the blue, blue sky. [caption id="attachment_743663" align="alignnone" width="1920"] David Stanley via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] COSSIES BEACH, COCOS (KEELING) ISLANDS Add a bit of island hopping to your beachy bucket list chasing with a quick getaway to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. These magical wonderlands of coral are in the middle of the Indian Ocean, a 4.5-hour flight west of Perth — which is pretty far-flung, but they're still considered an Australian territory. There's no shortage of gorgeous beaches, but one of the most magnificent is Cossies, on Direction Island, which beach expert Brad Farmer named Australia's best beach in his book 101 Best Beaches 2017. Keen snorkellers should definitely spend some time at the Rip, a haven of colourful corals, parrotfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, reef sharks and other intriguing underwater creatures. And if you're looking for a place to stay when visiting one of the best beaches in Australia, try nabbing a room at Cocos Seaview. [caption id="attachment_743664" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Linear77 via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] EIGHTY MILE BEACH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA One of the best things about Western Australia's many beaches is that they come with sunsets. And, on Eighty Mile Beach — which sprawls between Port Hedland and Broome — you get 220 kilometres of them. It's also a marine park, so you can count on plenty of sea life, including dugongs, dolphins, sawfish and flatback turtles, that come here to nest. Spend your time looking out for these and other wondrous creatures, or get into some strolling, swimming or fishing. There are spots to camp, too, including Cape Keraudren Coastal Reserve. Like Jim Beam, surfing and other outdoor adventures are all about bringing people together, so get out there this summer and find your tribe in the great outdoors. Top images: Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays, courtesy of Tourism and Events Queensland.
Warm. Dry. Temperatures above average, and rainfall below usual levels. That's been the trend across 2019 so far, thanks to a record-breaking summer, a hotter-than-standard autumn and a toastier-than-normal winter, so it should come as no surprise that the Bureau of Meteorology expects the pattern to continue for the rest of the year. Releasing its latest climate outlooks — which focus on spring, while also looking ahead to December and January, too — BOM doesn't have great news if you were hoping for an average end to 2019. Well, as average as this traditional warmer period can be. Instead, below average rainfall is forecast around most of the country, as well as above average temps. In other words, if you call mainland Australia home, there's a very good chance that you'll experience spring and summer temperatures that are toastier than the median. Apart from Tasmania and the absolute lower edges of South Australia and Victoria, the whole country is tipped to endure maximums at least 80 percent higher than normal. That includes the entirety of Queensland and New South Wales. While the peak time for particularly hot temperatures will kick in from October onwards, September is also expected to weather an extended warm spell, with the mercury reaching two–to–three degrees above where it usually sits at this time of year in central and eastern Australia. If you're wondering exactly what's in store, then it's worth keeping the usual daily temps across the period in mind — and remembering that they'll be exceeded. In Sydney, that means the mercury will soar above a 20.1-degree maximum in September, a 22.2 top in October, a 23.7 max in November and a 25.2 high in December, while Melbourne can expect temps above 16.8, 19.4, 21.9 and 24.6 in the same months. In Brisbane, the standard tops range between 25.6–29.5, and in Perth it spans 20.3–29.1. Yet again, farmers are in for not-so-great news. The rest of the year is predicted to be drier than average everywhere other than northern Western Australian and western Tasmania. Yes, it's a familiar story. Let's not forget that in 2018, overall, Australia copped its third-warmest year ever. If it isn't part of your end-of-year routine already, we suggest planning plenty of time in the coolest places you can find — beaches, pools, rivers or anywhere with a refreshing swimming spot — this spring and summer. Images: Bureau of Meteorology.
Call it Red Light, Green Light. Call it Statues. Call it Grandmother's Footsteps. Whichever name you prefer, how good are you at playing the game that gets folks a-sneaking, ideally without being caught? Now, how would you fare trying to creep forward while avoiding being spotted when Young-hee is lurking? Squid Game fans, if you visit Luna Park Sydney, you'll be able to find out. Opening timed to Squid Game season two's arrival on Netflix on Boxing Day 2025, Squid Game: The Experience will get everyone playing Red Light, Green Light with Young-hee in Luna Park's big top — and also busting out their marbles skills, then walking over the glass bridge. Get your green tracksuit ready. Front Man is there to dare you to take the Squid Game challenges IRL, which obviously doesn't involve notching up a body count like in the series — and isn't televised like reality competition show Squid Game: The Challenge. Some games are inspired by the Netflix program. Others are brand new. Players can take part individually, or in groups of up to 25. As you work through the challenges, which get harder as you go along, you'll earn points. Another difference from the series: if you get eliminated from a game, you'll still be able to take part in the challenges that follow. And yes, Young-hee has popped up Down Under before, with a 4.5-metre, three-tonne recreation of Squid Game's eerie animatronic figure with laser eyes making its presence known also in Sydney back in 2021. [caption id="attachment_975032" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Netflix[/caption] Updated Friday, May 23, 2025.
Calling all nomads and avid campers: a Japanese company called DCW has designed a mobile pod home that will fit in a mini van and can be assembled on any terrain. The pod allows you to choose your own style of living while still being at one with nature, and can be placed on flat ground, steep hills or even turned into a kit houseboat if you feel like taking to the sea. The manufacturer has said it can be easily built "by two women" in half a day but may take a little longer to pull it down, possibly a whole day. Don't let its size fool you; this mobile house may look extremely tiny but it can sleep up to 3 people when you manoeuvre the sofa bed in the right way. The Mobile House Kit has yet to be given a price tag, but surely if you love the outdoors and want to experience nature in style then it will be worth breaking the budget for.
Water repulsion is all the rage at General Electric right now. New hydrophobic, durable coatings that repel liquid could increase energy efficiency across all kinds of machine-based industries. While this is a great advance for technology, a pleasant offshoot is beauty: cue mesmerising slo-mo video of glittering droplets, artfully scattering and dancing in unison. To develop a superhydrophobic coating, GE's chemists looked to nature's own superhydrophobicity and specifically the "lotus effect" — the way raindrops stay intact and roll off lotus leaves without adhering or soaking in, thanks to nanoscopic hairs on the leaf surface. If you could harness this water-repelling power of the lotus, what would you do with it? GE's wind turbines and other machinery adversely affected by ice and moisture build-up will benefit from the coating, and a path ahead is also clear for self-cleaning and anti-fouling materials. Below, watch as the cute, scruffy Slow Mo Guys wear lab coats and utter sweet nothings with their British accents, all while applying macro-lens scrutiny to liquids bouncing off a superhydrophobic coating. This bouncing (or "splooshing" as the guys eloquently put it) creates tumbling, flower-like formations that expand and retract. Marvel as they mess around with food dye, back-lighting and ferrous liquid. It's not unlike the famous Sony Bravia bouncy ball ad, enhanced by an emotional synth soundtrack and the shape-shifting elasticity of water. Via Gizmodo.
Gelato Messina has whipped up a lot of of tasty specials in its time, and during the pandemic. Indulgent red velvet cookie pies, caramel scrolls with cheesecake gelato, Golden Gaytime-inspired Viennetta, 40 of its greatest gelato hits — they're just some of the OTT dishes that've been on the menu just over the past 18 months or so. Another that's proven particularly popular: Iced VoVo gelato. So, the dessert fiends are bringing back its frosty version of everyone's favourite childhood biscuit, and they're also turning it into a bavarian. What's better than turning an Iced VoVo into gelato? Taking that gelato and turning that into a bavarian, obviously. And, what's even better than that? Making something that can either be eaten frozen as a gelato cake, or defrosted as a mousse cake — or somewhere in-between if you'd like to go all semifreddo. Wondering what exactly an Iced VoVo bavarian entails? It layers coconut and raspberry mousse and raspberry gel over a coconut biscuit base, then tops it with raspberry marshmallow and desiccated coconut. And yes, the end result looks like the bikkies you know and love — but in frosty cake form. If you're keen to get yourself a piece — which'll cost you $38 — they're available to preorder online on Monday, September 20. And, because Messina's specials always prove popular, the brand is now staggering the on-sale times. Accordingly, folks in Queensland and the ACT are able to purchase at 9am, Victorians at 9.30am, and New South Wales customers split across three times depending on the store (with pies from Circular Quay, Surry Hills, Bondi, Randwick and Miranda on sale at 10am; Brighton Le Sands, Tramsheds, Parramatta and Darlinghurst at 10.30am; and Darling Square, Newtown, Rosebery and Penrith at 11am). The catch? You'll need to peel yourself off the couch and head to your local Messina store to pick up your order. The pies will be available for collection between Friday, September 24–Sunday, September 26. Sydneysiders, remember to abide by lockdown restrictions when it comes to picking up your bavarian — with folks in most suburbs required to stick to their Local Government Area, or within five-kilometres from home, and a strict five-kilometre limit in place in LGAs of concern. Melburnians, under new eased lockdown rules that come into effect at 11.59pm on Friday, September 17, you'll be permitted to travel within a ten-kilometre radius to pick up food. Gelato Messina's Iced VoVo bavarians will be available to order from 10am on Monday, September 20, for pick up between Friday, September 24–Sunday, September 26. Head to the Messina website for further details.
Come with us on now, on a journey through time and space, to the world of Behind The Boosh. You may not hear those words spoken aloud when you walk into the exhibition celebrating British comedy troupe The Mighty Boosh, but fans will think them. When you're peering at behind-the-scenes peeks into Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding's hilarious and surreal creation, as snapped by fellow group member Dave Brown, that's the very first thing that should come to mind. A part of all things Boosh since the troupe was first formed in the 90s, Brown played Bollo the Gorilla, Naan bread, Black Frost and Australian zookeeper Joey Moose. He's also taken care of tour posters, DVDs, set graphics and merchandise; compiled and designed The Mighty Book of Boosh; and had a hand in Boosh music and choreography. And, he's been snapping away with his camera — the results of which are gracing this photography showcase. There aren't enough elbow patches in the world for this exhibition, or shoes filled with Baileys. Whether or nor you can find either — or the black hair dye and strong hairspray needed to get Vince Noir-style locks, green Old Gregg-esque body paint or 60s-era suits that look like they've been taken straight from Howard Moon's wardrobe — heading to Sydney's M2 Gallery from Wednesday, August 2–Sunday, August 6 means getting a glimpse into the minds behind The Mighty Boosh's stage shows and radio series, and obviously the three-season TV gem also called The Mighty Boosh. Brown's two decades of images traverse a history that saw The Boosh become a live smash at the Edinburgh and Melbourne Comedy Festivals, then a 00s cult hit on the small screen. These days, Fielding might co-present The Great British Bake Off and do team captain duties on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, while Barratt has been playing a part in The Great, but they'll always been known for The Boosh. Brown is also in Australia with the exhibition, and doing an artist talk to chat through his work — and being part of a troupe, plus their various onstage and on-screen shows, where anything could happen — on Saturday, August 5. In Sydney as well, Brown will hit the decks at Redfern Surf Club's Surfapolooza festival, also on Saturday, August 5. Images: Dave Brown.
This June celebration of all things punani, foo foo and vagina has one message — love your lady parts! Philip Werner's photographic exhibition, 101 Vagina, and the Festival of the Vagina are en route to Redfern so "get your bits out, they're all fine" (if you watch the promo video that should make more sense). The exhibition is from Werner's coffee-table book of the same name, which features black-and-white stills of full-frontal vaginas and accompanying messages from the subjects. The show will be up for three days at 107 Projects in a bid to not only celebrate but redirect the plight of the forgotten vagina. Tied up in all kinds of taboos, mandatory porno airbrushing and a dramatic increase in labiaplasty, it sounds like the old girls could use a breath of fresh air. So feel free to giggle, scream or get naked (but don't say it came from me). 101 Vagina is also the centrepiece for an all-day vajayjay fest on Saturday, June 29. The Festival of the Vagina will unite educators, performers, artists, journalists and the rest of us with the noble goal of taking the shame out of vagina. Did I mention there is also a ukulele band called the Three Sisters Katoomba? Awesome. Check out the full line-up at the 101 Vagina website.
Just six months after opening his first solo venture, Jared Merlino (co-owner of Big Poppa's, Kittyhawk and Lobo Plantation) is already changing this up. Bartolo (FKA Caffe Bartolo) has just reopened with a new name, a new interior and a new menu to boot. As part of the all-day eatery's revamp, the venue now features a 13-seat bar space, which has launched alongside the approval of the bar's PSA licence — allowing punters to drink without having to order any food. When you visit, expect a sleek fit-out with walnut floorboards and high tables, along with a cocktail menu that spans spritzes ($15), classics ($14–20) and signatures ($22). The menu changes with the season and has been created by the group's lauded head bartender, Grazia Di Franco. At the moment, there's a Vermuttino spritz (vermouth, lemon myrtle and soda), the Rain cocktail (tequila, two types of vermouth, verjus and golden beetroot), the Merino Wool (sherry, cognac and vermouth with apple, almond milk and egg whites) and the Fireplace (Rinomato Aperitivo and Americano Bianco with plum, cacao and earl grey), which is served hot. Over at the dining room, Merlino wanted to serve up something that Crown Street didn't already offer. For that, he called in chef Teofilo Nobrega, who spent the past 13 years working at Potts Point's Fratelli Paradiso. When creating the food menu, Nobrega's aim was to create a lineup of dishes that you could happily spend 17 hours — how long the cafe's open for each day — eating. And, indeed, you can. For lunch and dinner, there are grilled lamb rump skewers with rosemary and garlic ($15), locally made burrata with white anchovy ($18), charred octopus with salsa verde and pickled onion ($23) and pan-fried Spanish mackerel with asparagus and celeriac puree, ($26). Pair these with one (or both of) the house-made pastas — at the moment, those include the tagliolini alla sorrentina with buffalo mozzarella ($21) and the duck ragu pappardelle ($31). And don't forget a serve of the veal and pork meatballs in tomato sugo ($15), which is made using a recipe from Merlino's nan. On weekends, head in for the regularly changing brunch specials, with house cocktails available from 8am — including the bloody mary, mandarin and prosecco mimosa, espresso-based Coffee Break and a campari and grapefruit concoction. For eats, enjoy the likes of brekkie meatballs with poached eggs and parmesan, or brioche French toast with apple and rhubarb compote and mascarpone. For weekday breakfast before heading into the office, the espresso bar is open from 7m till 3pm, at which you can grab Gabriel coffee and a pastry from Organic Bread Bar. Images: Kitti Gould Words by Samantha Teague and Marissa Ciampi
Uber might be stepping up its war on New York City’s famous yellow taxis, with the introduction of a pre-paid service last week. But it ain’t faring so well on this side of the Pacific. This morning, the New South Wales Road and Maritime Services (RMS) put the company on notice. Officially. And, as of midnight, September 30, 40 Uber drivers will have their vehicles suspended for three months. It's pretty serious stuff; if police catch any suspended vehicle on the road, they’ll view it as unregistered and uninsured. So, the owner will cop a $637 penalty on the spot and, if the matter goes to court, could be up for as much as $2200. As far as RMS is concerned, Uber is breaking the law. “Taxi and hire car services in New South Wales must be provided by an operator accredited by Roads and Maritime, in a licensed and insured vehicle, which is driven by an authorised driver,” Peter Wells, director of safety and compliance at the RMS, told the ABC. “Thousands of dollars in fines have already been issued to drivers offering illegal ride-sharing activities and compliance actions will continue.” Needless to say, the New South Wales Taxi Council welcomed the announcement. And the New South Wales Government has an independent task force looking into the future of taxis and hire cars. Its findings are set to reach the Government in October, so sit tight. Whether this will affect Uber in the long term remains to be seen. It's definitely not the first time the company has been hauled into an Australian court. Importantly, Uber's also been pretty open about their intention to simply pay the fine — the company has copped whopping fines in multiple countries, including a $1.7 million fine in Queensland in June 2015, and a hefty US$7.3 million in California, just to name a couple. And they simply paid the fine. Uber's likelihood to simply budget for these driver fines in the foreseeable future could prove problematic for the RMS, and the Australian taxi industry. Via ABC.
Plans, pathways, roadmaps, rollouts: no matter which state you live in, Australians have heard these terms more than a few times over the past year and a half. As the country has grappled with COVID-19, our state and federal leaders have unveiled all types of outlines that run through what we can do, what we can't do whenever restrictions are in place, how we're getting vaccinated, where we can travel and how life might someday return to normal. Following the latest National Cabinet meeting between state and territory leaders and Prime Minister Scott Morrison, which was held today, Friday, July 2, the latter has just announced a new plan — 'a National Plan to transition Australia's National COVID Response', to be precise. It steps through four phases that Australia will now work through to get life back to normal in this pandemic-affected world. Timeframes haven't been noted, so really it's just a list of things that should happen at some point; however, it's a plan nonetheless. Now 16 months since the country first introduced lockdowns and border restrictions due to the pandemic, Australia is currently in the first phase. Here, the aim is to suppress the virus to minimise community transmission, and much of it either sounds familiar or plans to tweak existing arrangements. Lockdowns will be used as a last resort, caps on incoming passenger arrivals will be cut in half to help stop the possible spread of the Delta variant, and the Commonwealth will run more repatriation flights to Howard Springs. Hotel quarantine is set to be reviewed, too, and alternative options — such as home quarantine for returning vaccinated travellers — will be trialled. In this first stage, everyone will be offered their chance to get vaccinated — which, given how slow the rollout has been progressing so far, might explain why no hard dates have been attached to this overall roadmap. Also in the initial phase, the Medicare Vaccination Certificate will be rolled out, Australia will work out how to authenticate digital vaccination status at our international borders and the vaccine booster program will be prepared. Whenever that's all achieved, the nation will move into phase two. That's when restrictions will be eased on folks who've had the jab — including around lockdowns and border controls. It's aimed that, by then, lockdowns will only happen "in extreme circumstances" if needed to prevent increasing hospitalisation rates and deaths. Also in phase two, inbound passenger cabs for unvaccinated returnees will go up, and more vaccinated returning travellers will be allowed to come home. If you're a vaccinated Aussie and you're coming back into the country, there'll be reduced quarantine arrangements. And, this is when the vaccine booster program should be rolled out, too. Up next: a third phase that has absolutely no lockdowns, and frees vaccinated Aussies from all domestic restrictions — and allows them to travel internationally as well. At this point in the plan, there'd be no caps on returning vaccinated travellers at all, and more travel bubbles, like the one floated with Singapore, would open. Also, vaccine boosters would keep being delivered. Finally, phase four sees COVID-19 just treated like other infectious diseases. It'd still be around, but it'd get the same kind of response as the flu. So, there'd be no lockdowns or domestic restrictions ever, vaccinated folks could come and go as they like, and non-vaccinated travellers would just have to get tested before they depart and when they arrive. Again, there are no timeframes attached to any of these phases as yet. That's dependent upon setting vaccination targets for each phase of the plan, based on modelling. And, if Australia's pandemic response so far is any guide, this could all change, take forever or simply not happen — but, if nothing else, it's the stated plan at the time of writing. For further details about the National Plan to transition Australia's National COVID Response, head to the Prime Minister's website.
Real life has enough drama, as we all well and truly know at the moment. When it comes to getting cosy on your couch, you can be forgiven for wanting to forget the world's troubles — and your own, and this year's — and get caught up in a side-splitting comedy instead. Our tip: pick a top-notch TV series of the rib-tickling kind and stream (or re-stream) your way through it. Some you can knock out fairly quickly, filling your weekend with laughter. Others will take weeks and months, and will constantly brighten up your days in the process. From acerbic delights and absurd wonders to heartwarming gems and instant classics, streaming platform Binge isn't lacking in the comedy department. Because being able to lose yourself in a hilarious TV series is one of life's simple but much-needed pleasures, we've teamed up with the Australian service to highlight five shows that are guaranteed to have you giggling and guffawing — including via a 14-day free trial for new customers.
Sydney's blazing summers aren't just a blessing for beachgoers. If you're fond of cooling down on dry land with a spritz in your hand and the sun's rays on your face, this is your time to shine. Our gorgeous climate, tastebud-tempting cocktails, and that carefree vibe that floats across the harbour as soon as the season hits are certain to bring Sydneysiders together. If you're wondering where to head, we've teamed up with Aperol to pick nine must-visit spots that'll take care of this year's holy trifecta: spritzes, all that glorious sunshine, and ample space for you and your pals.
Bondi welcomes a new drinking, dining, and hang-out spot, just in time for the summer months, as Pavilion Social opens on level one of the Bondi Pavilion. When you need a break from the sand but don't want to go far, head upstairs to Pavilion Social, located right behind Bondi Beach, for ocean views, refreshing drinks, tasty bites and feel-good vibes. For sunny afternoons that turn into long, warm nights, Pavilion Social offers leisurely lunches, sunset drinks, relaxed dinners, live music and more, all with unmatched sweeping views of iconic Bondi Beach. The menu is snacky and straightforward, think bread and dips, freshly shucked oysters, prawns with cocktail sauce, marinated olives and kingfish crudo. Sea salt crisps with mortadella and peppers, or charcuterie with pickles, are the perfect accompaniment to a round of Bondi Breezers with vodka, pineapple, lime, agave and soda. If you're hungry after a big day in the surf, go for a prawn roll with yuzu koskō mayo, or a cheeseburger with sea salt fries. A range of frozen cocktails, such as the Coastline Marg, or the Peachy Frosé with rosé, peach liqueur and grapefruit soda, are sure to be the perfect antidote to a scorching summer's day. Images: Supplied.
Tropical North Queensland is so rich in natural beauty that it's easy to forget that the region also boasts an impressive art scene. Local and international artists flock to the tropics, finding inspiration in the stunning scenery throughout the area. From local theatres and art galleries, to beachside markets and concert venues, there are plenty of ways to get your culture fix while in the tropics.
Although SOPA and PIPA were withdrawn from Congress last month, it seems that online freedom may still face immense danger in the savage war against piracy. Recently we saw the unravelling of a bizzare set of events in the Megaupload saga, which included the shutting down of the website and the FBI's dramatic arrest and indictment of founder, Kim Schmitz. Schmitz and fellow Megaupload employees were arrested on piracy charges, as the website is said to have accounted for a staggering $500 million of losses in unauthorised content. Furthermore, it is said that the website also generated $175 million through advertising and other means. With unprecedented accessibility to media and information online, it seems almost all of us are guilty of some form of piracy, which has become normalised and largely seen as a victimless crime. Stemming from a traditional "us vs. them" attitude against corporations and a genuine love of free things, most of us don't think twice about downloading the latest episodes of Mad Men, or hopping over to Thailand to grab a few dodgy seasons of Sex and the City for the missus. Such an attitude is summarised beautifully in a Facebook response to the anti-piracy advertisements equating downloading media to physical theft: I wouldn't steal a car, but I'd download one if I could. With so much stuff out there it's hard to know what belongs to whom, to what extent we're breaking the law and who we are actually hurting when we download media. Indeed, nothing proves this more than the case of aggressive anti-piracy group BREIN, who were accused of using Melchior Rietveldt's song without permission in an anti-piracy advertisement. Besides being a most humorous and delicious slice of irony, this is also evidence of how contractual agreements for media must now be drafted with greater intricacy and detail to keep up with technology's rapid evolution. The effects of the Megaupload shutdown have scared similar websites into re-examining their services, and FileSonic, Turbobit and FileServe have largely disabled their sharing capabilities. In retaliation to the shutdown, hacktivist group Anonymous set their omnipresent eyes on the high-traffic websites of enemies in high places, and the online presence of CBS, Universal Music and the U.S. Department of Justice was temporarily inaccessible. The group has promised further attacks, and we can't help but be a little nervous as the endless list of targets is examined. A call-to-arms video for a blackout on Facebook on January 28 appeared, but its credibility was called into question and the date passed without disturbance. Thank God we were still able to check-in at our favourite restaurants and lurk our friends' photos in comfort. A relief to say the least. Nevertheless, the mere possibility of somebody taking down Facebook and destroying my treasured memories makes me extremely anxious and a little nauseous. If anything, such attacks have proven how individuals can impact others greatly from the comfort of their own bedrooms and mysterious underground hacker-dungeons. With the music and film industries seeking desperately to guard the gates to their traditional pools of revenue, there looks to be no end to the internet war against piracy. If anything, such battles will become more frequent and dispersed, and fought with greater speed and complexity.
Last year saw a slew of announcements around new streaming platforms, including two dedicated to horror and another to the world of Disney. Now, Australia's ever-growing streaming landscape is being joined by a service spotlighting great storytelling. Landing at the beginning of March, the documentary-focused iWonder launched with more than 500 hours of on-demand content, and hopes to host over 1000 blockbuster and under-the-radar titles by the end of the month. Documentaries already available on the platform cover a huge range of topics, from fast food social experiment Super Size Me, to fly-on-the-wall spectacle Jesus Camp which follows an Evangelist summer camp, and Morgan Neville's Oscar-winning music doco 20 Feet from Stardom. Music doco series Rolling Stones: Stories From the Edge, which covers the last 50 years of music in the US, and timely political flick Alt-Right: Age of Rage are also available on the service. iWonder co-founder James Bridges says a key feature of the service is the curation of the home page, which will reflect current events through articles and relevant documentary recommendations. Subscriptions have been set at $6.99 per month or $69.90 for an annual subscription. New Aussie users will receive the first month free — you can sign up here. The service is available on iOS and Android and can be cast to the small screen via Apple TV and Chromecast. The platform previously launched with 15 million users via the iflix platform in Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East. iWonder debuted in Singapore and New Zealand at the same time as Australia. You can sign up for iWonder via the website. Top image: Alt-Right: Age of Rage.
New York and Sydney may be almost 10,000 miles apart, but when it comes to capturing that iconic American panache so many of us know and love, recently opened Bowery Lane aims to prove distance is relative with the right ingredients. Hidden away under the towering office block at no.1 O'Connell and accessible via a second street-facing entrance, the cafe restaurant combines fashion with farm, taking its inspiration from the once-agricultural-then-high-society suburb of early 1800s Manhattan. The former is evident in the warehouse-style ceilings, gorgeous high booths, exposed bulb lighting above large communal tables and soft black leather banquets juxtaposed with crisp, white tiles and hessian curtains. The latter, as you can imagine, via the menu. With an emphasis on locally sourced produce, cocktails and a comprehensive spirits list to sate its predicted majority banker/lawyer clientele, said menu has already had a little journey of its own. Initially linked to chef Jeff Turnbull (High St Bistro), it received its first write up via Braden White (Rickys, Noosa). However, according to general manager Nick Bayss, ex O Bar and Dining, Richard Duff now heads up the open kitchen, visible via a gangway linking the main restaurant to a hotplate takeaway section for busy business folk on the go. Already packed out come 1pm, the dining room is designed for breakfast, lunch and (by early September) dinner too. Again according to Bayss, the main attractions here are the slow-cooked lamb ($55), barbecue organic chicken ($48) and pork collar ($46) share dishes, which, with a couple of sides, will happily feed three or four people and only set you back about $30 a head. Just two on our visit, however, we decided to pick through the menu, beginning with warm Mt Zero olives ($7), manchego croquettes and chargrilled lamb ribs (both $14). The smoked chilli aioli with the croquettes packed a perfectly balanced fiery punch, while the tender, award-winning Milly Hill meat fell off the bone with the help of some seriously vibrant chimmichurri. One of our accompanying cocktails, sadly, was not as impressive. While the New York Sour ($15) was nice and subtle with a firm Bulleit Rye whiskey presence, the Cosmopolitan City ($16) was too sweet. That being said, there are eight more on the menu we didn't try. Next came the house smoked hickory salmon ($17), served with thinly sliced toasted rye bread, puffed wild rice and bottarga salad (cured fish roe). Fresh, thick and meaty, the salmon comes in three fat chunks and makes an ideal sized entree for the giant pork cotoletta (aka schnitty, $27) that followed with slaw and garlic aioli. If you like your condiments, you'll enjoy the aioli, but hats off to these guys here: this deep-fried cutlet was so juicy all we needed was a squeeze of lemon, plus the apple and pea slaw — genius. Throughout we sipped on the fabulously deep and weighty South Australian Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon ($57 per bottle), one of the 50 or so local and US wines on offer. But to put it simply, whether you're after a long boozy lunch like us, or something smaller, Bowery Lane will impress. If the intention here was to prove Sydney can add its own stamp to the service and selection that makes New York such a world renowned destination: mission accomplished.
The team behind Circular Quay's new multi-level venue Hinchcliff House is set to open an all-day cafe, bakery and bistro called Bondi Promenade in the newly renovated Bondi Pavilion. Tenancy of the Shop Four site within the precinct was awarded to House Made Hospitality's Scott Brown, Justin Newton and Stephen Seckold. Waverley Council announced the list of dining and retail tenants for the soon-to-open precinct earlier this month. Bondi Promenade will serve coffee and freshly-baked goods to beachgoers while offering a casual bistro dining experience featuring charcoal seafood and vegetables, with something available "for everyone and at every price point", according to Brown. Light healthy breakfast options, pizza-style flatbreads and seasonal fruit gelatos designed for a summer's day are all planned for the venue's menu. Other tenants at the building include clothing brand Between the Flags, previous tenant Surfish Cafe and Glory Days Bondi, a sister venue of North Sydney's Glory Days from the owners of Glorietta and Woolpack Hotel. "The Bondi Pavilion is truly an iconic building and we're excited to be opening our doors here with Glory Days, with a design that is both fresh and respectful of this incredible heritage building," Glory Days' Aaron Crinis said. The restoration and conservation of Bondi Pavilion was first announced back in 2015 and is now set to be completed early next year with expansive refurbishments to the building and its existing rooms, plus a new grand entrance and new toilets, showers and change rooms. The full plan for the historic building includes several new cultural facilities alongside the improvements made on the building's facade and facilities, with the beachside spot set to feature a new art gallery, community radio station, pottery studio and a flexible cultural space. [caption id="attachment_810676" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Grana at Hinchcliff House[/caption] Bondi Pavilion is located at Queen Elizabeth Drive, Bondi Beach and is set to reopen early next year. You can stay up-to-date with the building's refurbishment at the Waverley Council's website.
A drug kingpin disappearing into a new life, clashing cousins, voting popes, a veteran actor trying to reclaim her career with the help of a mysterious liquid, Adrien Brody surviving history's horrors again, fierce tennis competitors: films about all of the above have earned Golden Globes in 2025. Stressed-out chefs, stand-up comedy greats, Japanese warriors, Gotham villains, determined detectives: TV shows about them are all also in the same category. And, they each have a heap of company. Held on Monday, January 6 Australian and New Zealand time, this year's Golden Globes ceremony started with host Nikki Glaser cracking gags about everything from Dune: Part Two's running time to Nicole Kidman making awards-nominated work to get away from Keith Urban's strumming and Adam Sandler pronouncing Timothée Chalamet's name. It then threw in excited shouts and enthusiastic speeches aplenty among the winners. Picking up the first award of the night — but not the only award for Emilia Pérez — Zoe Saldaña (Special Ops: Lioness) delivered both alone. Other highlights from the hijinks: Catherine O'Hara (The Wild Robot) and Seth Rogen (Mufasa: The Lion King), co-stars in upcoming streaming series The Studio, making up a whole lot of accolades for fake Canadian projects; The White Lotus favourite Jennifer Coolidge being Jennifer Coolidge; Emilia Pérez songwriter Camille calling the whole shebang "such an American experience"; and Vin Diesel (Fast X) starting his presenting stint with "hey Dwayne". And more standouts among the awards: gorgeous Latvian independent animation Flow taking out its category, in the first time that a movie from the nation has been at the Golden Globes; Kieran Culkin winning the supporting actor Succession battle for A Real Pain over Jeremy Strong for The Apprentice; Shogun's well-deserved swag of gongs; Demi Moore's touching sentiments about believing in your own value; A Different Man winner Sebastian Stan demanding that tough films still get made; and also Feranda Torres emerging victorious for I'm Still Here over Nicole Kidman (Babygirl), Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl), Angelina Jolie (Maria), Tilda Swinton (The Room Next Door) and Kate Winslet (Lee). Not every ace nominee could snag a statuette, of course. Not every worthy movie and TV series even made the roster of contenders. They're truths that everyone should remember at every awards ceremony. Still, the rundown of newly minted 2025 Golden Globe winners spans an array of deserving folks and projects — and comes in less than a fortnight before the Oscars joins in, announcing its nominees on Saturday, January 17 Down Under time. Will the Academy Awards follow in these footsteps? And the Emmys later in the year, too? What else received some love? Here's the full list of 2025's Golden Globe winners and nominees (and you can also check out our rundown of victorious films and TV shows to watch right now): 2025 Golden Globe Winners and Nominees Best Motion Picture — Drama The Brutalist — WINNER A Complete Unknown Conclave Dune: Part Two Nickel Boys September 5 Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy Anora Challengers Emilia Pérez — WINNER A Real Pain The Substance Wicked Best Motion Picture — Animated Flow — WINNER Inside Out 2 Memoir of a Snail Moana 2 Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl The Wild Robot Cinematic and Box Office Achievement Alien: Romulus Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Deadpool & Wolverine Gladiator II Inside Out 2 Twisters Wicked — WINNER The Wild Robot Best Motion Picture — Non-English Language All We Imagine as Light Emilia Pérez — WINNER The Girl with the Needle I'm Still Here The Seed of the Sacred Fig Vermiglio Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama Pamela Anderson, The Last Showgirl Angelina Jolie, Maria Nicole Kidman, Babygirl Tilda Swinton, The Room Next Door Fernanda Torres, I'm Still Here — WINNER Kate Winslet, Lee Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama Adrien Brody, The Brutalist — WINNER Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown Daniel Craig, Queer Colman Domingo, Sing Sing Ralph Fiennes, Conclave Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy Amy Adams, Nightbitch Cynthia Erivo, Wicked Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez Mikey Madison, Anora Demi Moore, The Substance — WINNER Zendaya, Challengers Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain Hugh Grant, Heretic Gabriel Labelle, Saturday Night Jesse Plemons, Kinds of Kindness Glen Powell, Hit Man Sebastian Stan, A Different Man — WINNER Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture Selena Gomez, Emilia Pérez Ariana Grande, Wicked Felicity Jones, The Brutalist Margaret Qualley, The Substance Isabella Rossellini, Conclave Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez — WINNER Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture Yura Borisov, Anora Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain — WINNER Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown Guy Pearce, The Brutalist Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice Denzel Washington, Gladiator II Best Director — Motion Picture Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez Sean Baker, Anora Edward Berger, Conclave Brady Corbet, The Brutalist — WINNER Coralie Fargeat, The Substance Payal Kapadia, All We Imagine as Light Best Screenplay — Motion Picture Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez Sean Baker, Anora Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold, The Brutalist Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain Coralie Fargeat, The Substance Peter Straughan, Conclave — WINNER Best Original Score — Motion Picture Volker Bertelmann, Conclave Daniel Blumberg, The Brutalist Kris Bowers, The Wild Robot Clément Ducol, Camille, Emilia Pérez Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Challengers — WINNER Hans Zimmer, Dune: Part Two Best Original Song — Motion Picture 'Beautiful That Way', Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus, Lykke Zachrisson, The Last Showgirl 'Compress / Repress', Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Luca Guadagnino, Challengers 'El Mal', Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez — WINNER 'Forbidden Road', Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler, Sacha Skarbek, Better Man 'Kiss The Sky', Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack, Ali Tamposi, The Wild Robot 'Mi Camino', Clément Ducol, Camille, Emilia Pérez Best Television Series — Drama The Day of the Jackal The Diplomat Mr & Mrs Smith Shogun — WINNER Slow Horses Squid Game Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy Abbott Elementary The Bear The Gentlemen Hacks — WINNER Nobody Wants This Only Murders in the Building Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Baby Reindeer — WINNER Disclaimer Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story The Penguin Ripley True Detective: Night Country Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series — Drama Kathy Bates, Matlock Emma D'arcy, House of the Dragon Maya Erskine, Mr & Mrs Smith Keira Knightley, Black Doves Keri Russell, The Diplomat Anna Sawai, Shogun — WINNER Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series — Drama Donald Glover, Mr & Mrs Smith Jake Gyllenhaal, Presumed Innocent Gary Oldman, Slow Horses Eddie Redmayne, The Day of the Jackal Hiroyuki Sanada, Shogun — WINNER Billy Bob Thornton, Landman Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy Kristen Bell, Nobody Wants This Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary Ayo Edebiri, The Bear Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building Kathryn Hahn, Agatha All Along Jean Smart, Hacks — WINNER Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy Adam Brody, Nobody Wants This Ted Danson, A Man on the Inside Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building Jason Segel, Shrinking Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building Jeremy Allen White, The Bear — WINNER Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television Cate Blanchett, Disclaimer Jodie Foster, True Detective: Night Country — WINNER Cristin Milioti, The Penguin Sofía Vergara, Griselda Naomi Watts, Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans Kate Winslet, The Regime Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television Colin Farrell, The Penguin — WINNER Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer Kevin Kline, Disclaimer Cooper Koch, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story Ewan McGregor, A Gentleman in Moscow Andrew Scott, Ripley Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Television Liza Colón-Zayas, The Bear Hannah Einbinder, Hacks Dakota Fanning, Ripley Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer — WINNER Allison Janney, The Diplomat Kali Reis, True Detective: Night Country Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television Tadanobu Asano, Shogun — WINNER Javier Bardem, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story Harrison Ford, Shrinking Jack Lowden, Slow Horses Diego Luna, La Máquina Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television Jamie Foxx, Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was Nikki Glaser, Nikki Glaser: Someday You'll Die Seth Meyers, Seth Meyers: Dad Man Walking Adam Sandler, Adam Sandler: Love You Ali Wong, Ali Wong: Single Lady — WINNER Ramy Youssef, Ramy Youssef: More Feelings The 2025 Golden Globes were announced on Monday, January 6, Australian and New Zealand time. For further details, head to the awards' website.
The nine to five can be tough. Sometimes there's just too much to do, and not enough time to do it — and sometimes you just struggle to put a sentence together without any typos. But before heading to the cafe next door for another short black, you might want to consider Silicon Valley's pick-me-up alternative: psychedelics. Yep, acid is the new caffeine. It's called 'microdosing' and apparently it's the new thing for overachieving, overworked Silicon Valley yo pros to partake in when they're having a bit of an off one. It involves taking about a tenth of the 'normal' dose of a psychedelic drug (usually LSD or mushrooms) which has an energising and insightful 'subperceptual' — rather than a tripping — effect on the body. And, according to this Rolling Stone article, it's helping them concentrate, and be more productive and creative at work. The concept itself isn't entirely new. Author of The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide James Fadiman introduced microdosing into the mainstream when speaking at a psychedelic research conference back in 2011. Since then, however, the practice has become more widespread, particularly with twenty-something professionals in the San Francisco area, according to Fadiman. Although the dose of the (illegal) drugs is minute, their effects are still hard to predict. So for now, perhaps stick to your single origin coffee beans and a selection of cat GIFs to get the creative juices flowing. Via Rolling Stone.
The Scandinavian crime fixation currently sweeping non-Nordic nations shows no signs of abating, every piece with big screen potential — TV series, book or otherwise — seemingly earning a filmed adaptation. Jussi Adler-Olsen's Department Q series provides the latest instance, a four-instalment-to-date police procedural setting a duo of detectives in search of answers to dead cases. The Keeper of Lost Causes is the first feature to result. All the usual elements exist in director Mikkel Nørgaard and writer Nikolaj Arcel's version of the novel. (They're both veterans of the burgeoning genre with resumes that encompass television's Borgen and the Swedish-language The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as evidence.) An odd couple, an against-the-odds task, brooding backstories, a pretty prey and a cat-and-mouse game with the perpetrator furnish a feature that stays within the confines of the expected — except for one significant deviation. As well as tracking the law enforcement quest to uncover the truth, the film gifts viewers with the victim's perspective, her tale told as a parallel to the investigation. So it is that the taciturn Carl Mørck (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) and lively Assad (Fares Fares) trawl through discarded clues about the disappearance of personable young politician Merete Lynggaard (Sonja Richter), long considered a suicidal jumper who consigned herself to a watery end five years prior. The inter-spliced chronicle of Merete's plight provides a different account, one that the police must piece together as they delve deeper into her mystery. Though the choice to reveal what would've otherwise been a considerable source of dramatic tension is questionable (albeit, a decision that remains faithful to the book), The Keeper of Lost Causes evokes the requisite ominous atmosphere through its appearance and performances. The customary grey aesthetic colours every scene to cement the creepy mood, just as the main pairing fittingly bristles with discomfort even as Mørck and Assad work towards an accord. Cinematographer Eric Kress impresses in the film's shadowy imagery, a feat also achieved by Kaas and Fares. Adopting a chalk and cheese approach to their portrayals, the two actors bounce off each other with an earned rapport that makes their standard contrasting characters all the more interesting. Indeed, as beholden to formula and the familiar as The Keeper of Lost Causes is, Nørgaard endeavours to invest intrigue into the assembly of predictability the movie becomes. Where it all threatens to come undone is in the feature's inability to overcome its overt status as a set-up for further films. In an episodic manner obviously better served on television, The Keeper of Lost Causes wallows in the establishment more than the outcome. What eventuates is an entertaining enough initial chapter in a what will hopefully evolve into a more satisfying saga. https://youtube.com/watch?v=68sO1s9Hy70
For most folks, starring in one of the best new shows of 2022 so far would be the highlight of their resume for the year. But, of course, most folks aren't Taika Waititi. After getting streaming viewers swooning over warm-hearted pirate comedy Our Flag Means Death, he's about to unleash a little movie called Thor: Love and Thunder upon cinemas. And, based on the just-dropped first teaser trailer for his second contribution to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a director, the goofy vibes, old-school rock tunes and delight that is Chris Hemsworth firmly in comedic mode are all back this time around. In fact, if you watched Thor: Ragnarok, laughed along heartily, lapped up the looser mood and instantly wanted more of Waititi's take on the MCU, you're in luck — because he also co-wrote the script for Thor: Love and Thunder with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Sweet/Vicious). In the trailer, that results in a comic look at Thor (Hemsworth, Extraction) dealing with the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame by reassessing his future and opting for retirement. But, if that was all there was to the story, it wouldn't be a Marvel movie. As shot in Australia, Thor: Love and Thunder sees its namesake come up against Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale, Ford v Ferrari), a galactic killer with a world-changing plan: eradicating the gods. So, Thor has to give up his search for inner peace, and call upon help from King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson, Passing) and Korg (Waititi, doing triple duty) — and his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman, Vox Lux), who is now in possession of Mjolnir. Thor: Love and Thunder marks Portman's return to the MCU after appearing in the first Thor flick back in 2011, but sitting out the rest. Given the path her character has taken, it's easy to see why she's back. As set to the sounds of Guns 'N Roses' 'Sweet Child 'O Mine', the trailer makes the most of her new ownership of the god of thunder's magical hammer — understandably. Also popping up in the initial sneak peek for the fourth Thor flick: the Guardians of the Galaxy crew (as played and/or voiced by Chris Pratt, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel), and a lightning-bolt wielding figure who it's safe to expect is Russell Crowe (Unhinged) as Zeus. When it hits cinemas Down Under on Thursday, July 7, following Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in early May, Thor: Love and Thunder will mark the 29th MCU movie overall. And, it mightn't be the last big-screen release Waititi has for us this year, either, with his documentary-to-feature adaptation of soccer story Next Goal Wins also in the pipeline. Check out the teaser trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder below: Thor: Love and Thunder opens in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, July 7.
Watch a Mark Wahlberg-starring movie, tuck into a burg from Wahlberg's burger chain Wahlburgers, get the words 'burger' and 'Wahlberg' stuck in your head for days: that's now on the menu in Australia. After first announcing plans to open Down Under back in 2021, Wahlburgers has just launched its first Aussie store — so, Sydneysiders, it's time to pair a burger with some Sunkist. Because there's a reality TV show for everything, you've probably heard of the chain thanks to the 2014–9 series Wahlburgers, which turned its lens on the burger joints owned by the actor formerly known as Marky Mark and his brothers. Now — in Sydney from Thursday, February 17, at least — you can also eat the Wahlburgers' fast-food fare, rather than just watch a show about it. As also announced last year, Wahlburgers has now made its home at Sydney's Circular Quay, with its first Aussie outpost joining more than 50 stores in the US, Canada and Germany. Folks in Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane can all look forward to munching on the brand's bites to eat, too — and in New Zealand as well — with the chain expected to launch 20 stores across Australia and NZ. On the menu: burgers, obviously, including a meat-free Impossible burg that's been dubbed 'Mark's choice', plus a barbecue bacon burger that bears his fellow actor brother (and ex-New Kids on the Block member) Donnie's tick of approval. There are 13 burg options to choose from in total, with two types of chicken schnitzel burger, a crispy fish option, and a truffle burger — which pairs a beef patty with truffle aioli — also available. Or, you can opt for salads, sides that span everything from French fries and sweet potato fries to onion rings and bacon mac 'n' cheese, and loaded versions of your favourite fries and potato gems. There's also a breakfast menu, complete with avocado on toast, granola, pancake stacks, breakfast burgers and French toast sticks. And, for dessert, you can pick from fried dough — yes, that's what the menu says — and three types of lamington from Tokyo Lamington. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Wahlburgers Australia (@wahlburgersau) To answer the most important question, at least if you happen to remember that Mark Wahlberg was in the music business before he started acting and, as part of his hip hop group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, he released the 1991 single 'Good Vibrations': yes, Wahlburgers serves Sunkist, as referenced in that track's lyrics. Drinks-wise, there's also other soft drinks, coffees, shakes and spiders in both boozy and booze-free varieties, 17 types of cocktails, a small wine list, and beers that include Wahlbrewskis, the chain's signature beer. If the Wahlberg name has you thinking about movies — with Mark starring in everything from Boogie Nights to Joe Bell, and co-owner Donnie also featuring in The Sixth Sense and the Saw franchise — then that won't change with Wahlburgers' Aussie jaunt. In fact, the chain's entire venture Down Under is a collaboration with United Cinemas, and some of the former's sites will be located within the latter's picture palaces. United Cinemas now operates the cinema at Opera Quays that used to be a Dendy, for instance. The picture palace brand also currently runs venues at Narellan, Collaroy, Warriewood and Avalon in Sydney, Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, Craigieburn in Melbourne, Indooroopilly in Brisbane and Rockingham in Perth, so that's where you might be getting your Walhburger fix in the future, too — but Walhburgers will be opening stand-alone stores as well. Just when the chain will launch more locations around Australia and NZ hasn't yet been revealed. Wahlburgers is also co-owned by chef Paul Wahlberg — another Wahlberg sibling — and, given its name, the chain decks out its sites with photos and memorabilia from the brothers' lives. Wahlburgers is is now open at Opera Quays, 18a/7 Macquarie Street, Sydney, operating from 7am–10pm Sunday–Wednesday and 7am–11pm Thursday–Saturday. Further stores in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and New Zealand are also set to open in the future — we'll update you with exact locations and dates when they're announced, and you can keep an eye on the chain's website and Facebook page in the interim. Top image: Michael Rivera via Wikimedia Commons.
In 2012, Imogen Heap appeared on a Wired stage wearing what seemed to be magical gloves. Every time she moved, the music responded. One sweeping gesture would incite a dramatic crescendo; one wiggle of the index finger would provoke a shift from major to minor; one flick of the wrist would mute an entire string section. Liberated from laptops and mixing decks, Heap was transformed into a wizard/conductor/interpretive dancer who seemed to have every sound in the universe at her command. She liked it so much that she wants to pass her superpowers onto the world. She and a team of tech-experts have been hard at work creating a set of electronic gloves that anyone can use. Having come up with a prototype, they’re now looking for Kickstarter support to raise the £200,000 necessary to facilitating a first production run. The gloves, dubbed Mi.Mu, allow the user to interact with their computer through gestures. A series of sensors measure the hand’s position, direction and force of movement and this data is transported wirelessly, then transformed into musical elements. Heap has been developing the technology for four years, initially motivated by a desire to inject more expression into her live performances. "In order to free myself up on the stage from my various bits of technology and to bridge the gap between what’s going on on stage and the audience, I wanted to create something where I could manipulate my computer on the move wirelessly so that music becomes more like a dance rather than a robotic act like pressing a button or moving a fader," she told Dezeen. Early versions of the gloves were connected to a pack worn on the upper body and required elaborate set-up procedures. But the latest are much more accessible. The inclusion of an x-IMU board containing an accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer and wifi has rendered the pack unnecessary. "It's really simple," Heap explains. "It just sees this exoskeleton as a device and then it comes up on your computer as a wifi device and you're ready to go. It's super simple and it's great." It’s expected that Mi.Mu’s uses will expand beyond music, to include design, sign language and, um, driving a vehicle. "I suppose as long as you can access your computer inside your car, there's no reason why you couldn't just sit in the back of your car and indicate right or left," Heap muses. "It's a remote control. It feels like an expressive musical instrument sometimes but it's essentially a remote control and anything that you could potentially do with your hands, you could do with your gloves." With Heap at the wheel, that could be one interesting ride. [via Dezeen]
Liberty Hall comes to Moore Park from the team behind Mary's. While the 1200-capacity concert venue only opened its doors in late 2022, you may recognise it as its former iterations — Hi-Fi and Max Watt's. The longstanding music venue has been taken under the wing of burger bros, Mary's founders Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham, who have given it a refurbishment and a fresh genre-spanning music program. "We are humbled at another opportunity to take the reins of yet another fallen live music venue and pour energy and hard work into creating an exciting creative space for Sydney's arts community," Graham said back when the venue was first announced. Upon opening, Liberty Hall kicked things off with a sold-out show from dance music legend Moodyman and an intimate last-minute show from The Killers while they were in town, setting the tone for big-name acts and fun surprises. This unlikely pair of acts signposted the variety of performers popping up in the hall or outside in its openair gig space. Local party collectives, world-conquering DJs, serene folk singers, Christian hard-rock acts and even pro wrestling events have all made use of the venue in its opening months. Next door, you'll find an all-new Mary's dining establishment boasting the classic menu items that Sydneysiders have come to love. The Mary's Burger, the buttermilk fried chicken (which we rate among the best fried chicken in Sydney), veggie burgers, mash with gravy, trash can bacon and plenty of vegan options all grace the menu. Next time you're heading to a match at the SCG or the newly revamped Allianz Stadium — or a gig at the Liberty Hall or Hordern Pavilion across the road, you can now stop in and get a juicy burger topped with crisp lettuce, tomato and Mary's famous sauce. Top image: Harpreet Singh
Film festival envy: it's a real thing. If you've spent the past week or so wishing that you were sitting in a darkened room in Austin, Texas, then you know what we're talking about. South by Southwest is fast becoming that other American film fest worth paying attention to at this time of year — if a potential indie hit or buzzy title isn't ready for Sundance, it'll likely turn up here. Indeed, the 2017 program featured more than 125 films on 13 screens over 9 days. Now that's some epic viewing. When you consider some of the movies that made the cut, you might agree. Edgar Wright's Ansel Elgort, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx and Kevin Spacey-starring Baby Driver made its debut at SXSW, as did the John Wick-meets-Lucy sounding Atomic Blonde with Charlize Theron. They're among the flicks we know we'll see in Australian cinemas, although we'll have to wait until August to do so. With the festival also highlighting a wealth of potential future cinematic classics, here's ten others we're hoping make it to Aussie screens too. SONG TO SONG Featuring an all-star cast that includes Ryan Gosling, Michael Fassbender, Rooney Mara, Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett and Val Kilmer, put Song to Song in the safe bet category. Terrence Malick's movies usually find their way to Australia, even if they only make it to a handful of screens in a handful of capital cities like his last two features, To the Wonder and Knight of Cups. Here, the always divisive, suddenly prolific filmmaker behind Badlands and The Tree of Life tells a tale of two couples set against the Austin music scene, complete with appearances by Florence Welch, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, The Black Lips, Tegan and Sara and more. As for whether he's balanced his usually gorgeous visuals with a meatier narrative, all signs point to no — but, love him or hate him, that's one of the things that has made his recent work absolutely unmissable. THE DISASTER ARTIST Oh hi, The Room fans. Now, before anyone starts throwing a football back and forth, add The Disaster Artist to your list of must-see movies in 2017. It's another movie certain to hurtle towards an Australian cinema soon, and to have spoons hurtled at it as a result. James Franco (who else?) not only stars as Tommy Wiseau in this behind-the-scenes look at the film everyone loves to not really love, but also directs a cast that features Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Alison Brie, Sharon Stone, Jacki Weaver, Zac Efron, Bryan Cranston… the list goes on. If you lapped up Wiseau's so-bad-it's-still-bad flick, there's a very big chance that you'll do the same with this as well. MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLAND First things first: Most Beautiful Island won SXSW's narrative feature competition, an honour that the likes of Short Term 12 and Lena Dunham's Tiny Furniture previously achieved. The first feature from Spanish actress turned writer/director Ana Asensio, it follows one day in the life of Luciana — played by Asensio — as the immigrant to the US tries to make ends meet. Sounds timely, doesn't it? How could it not. With a game afoot, and the chasm between the privileged and the struggling part of the story, it also sounds like an intriguing thriller INFLAME Critic turned filmmaker Ceylan Ozgün Ozçelik makes her feature debut with a partly crowdfunded thriller that's both immersed in modern-day Turkey in its story and universal in its themes. Screening at SXSW after its Berlinale premiere, Inflame explores a subject the world has had to hear too much about of late, and often in all caps tweets. No prizes for guessing that we're talking about fake news. Here, a television news video editor is forced to tow the line when the powers-that-be decide that the station should no longer comment on politicians. To say that paranoia starts to set in is quite the understatement. SMALL TOWN CRIME If there's one thing that Small Town Crime boasts in spades, sight unseen, it's an interesting cast. Deadwood and Winter's Bone star John Hawkes plays an ex-cop turned unlikely detective when he comes across the body of a dead young woman, and he's joined by two-time Oscar nominee Octavia Spencer, plus Anthony Anderson, Robert Forster, Clifton Collins, Jr. and Michael Vartan. More Hawkes on screen is always a good thing. More Hawkes in the lead, even better. Writer/director siblings Eshom and Ian Nelms clearly agree, and you can bet their pulpy effort is all the better for it. [caption id="attachment_614358" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Noël Wells/Twitter.[/caption] MR ROOSEVELT Watched Saturday Night Live in recent years, or Netflix's Master of None? If so, you should recognise Noël Wells. As well as doing great things on screen, she's made the leap behind the camera, writing and directing the feature Mr Roosevelt. Actually, she stars too, playing a struggling comedian who returns to Austin after a loved one falls ill, and does what everyone does when they're forced to head back home: runs into an ex. Yes, films set in Austin are a trend at SXSW. And yes, the premise sounds familiar; however expect Wells to give everything some extra spark. FITS AND STARTS In 2015, Laura Terruso co-wrote the script for the endearing Hello, My Name Is Doris, which was actually based on her short film. With Fits and Starts, she takes on helming duties on her first feature — and, if you haven't already guessed it, providing ace up-and-comers with a platform for their debut efforts is something else that SXSW excels at. Story-wise, the movie follows a struggling writer and his much more successful wife as they attend a gathering at her publisher's home, with hijinks ensuing. It has been compared to Martin Scorsese's '80s comedy After Hours, which is great news indeed. GEMINI Sorry, Girls fans — Lola Kirke is fast becoming the family's standout screen talent, with Gemini the latest piece of evidence to support that inevitably controversial opinion. This neo-noir casts the Mozart in the Jungle star as a personal assistant to Zoe Kravitz's Hollywood celebrity, then plunges the two into the middle of a crime mystery, complete with John Cho as a detective. Sure, Los Angeles and seedy happenings seem to go hand-in-hand in film, but the combination seems to work. And, in this case, it seems primed to showcase Kirke's talents, with folks at SXSW well and truly singing her praises. DAVID LYNCH: THE ART LIFE With season three of Twin Peaks less than two months away from hitting our TV screens (yes, of course we're counting), there's never been a better time to delve into all things David Lynch. Let's grab some cherry pie, a cup of coffee and call it a damn fine time, actually, although this documentary isn't about his recent efforts. Instead, watch and listen as the filmmaker takes you on a tour of his upbringing, efforts to make Eraserhead 40 years ago, and artistic and musical output. Don't expect any answers — Lynch famously likes to let his work speak for itself, rather than speak about it — but do expect to spend an enjoyable time in the inimitable master auteur's company. I AM ANOTHER YOU After making this year's Academy Award shortlist for Best Documentary for her debut Hooligan Sparrow, Chinese filmmaker Nanfu Wang returns with I Am Another You. Meeting 22-year-old homeless man Dylan is just the beginning of her second effort, with the charming drifter taking her on a journey — not only through his life in Florida or his rejection of society's norms, but through that much-sought-after idyll known as the American dream. If it takes an outsider's eye to tell this tale then Wang has it, with her own experience as a newcomer to the US forming part of the package. Airing in SXSW's doco competition, the end result received special jury recognition for excellence in documentary storytelling.
With every innovative project, we're discovering more about crowdfunding's potential to change the world. Large-scale malaria prevention, ultra-accessible tech and ethically manufactured clothing have all inspired generous donations from the pockets of the people. Rather than waiting for cashed-up corporate giants to give us what we want when it comes to socially conscious products and services, we've been taking matters into our own hands. Now, not-for-profit organisation Immunity Project has turned to Crowdhoster for help in the development of a HIV/AIDS vaccine. Partnered with the Until There's a Cure Foundation and supported by Y Combinator, the venture has some heavyweight backing in its favour. Here's how the vaccine works: A team of Stanford, Harvard and MIT scientists has been studying 'controllers' — the 1 out of every 300 people who can catch HIV yet never develop full-blown AIDS. The virus stays in their system in an inactive state. To cut a long (and complex) story short, controllers are the way they are because the 'rifles' in their immune systems are able to accurately attack HIV's biological markers, rendering the virus dormant. Non-controllers have the 'rifles' but their targeting skills are amiss. Through advanced machine learning, the scientists have managed to reverse engineer the controller's biological processes. Over the past few years, a vaccine prototype has been developed and successfully tested in laboratories. The next step is to prove that it can immunise human blood. Enter crowdfunding. Once that's taken care of, Phase I clinical trials will begin with the FDA. First dosing is scheduled to happen in Africa in June 2015. And the even more excellent part? The vaccine will be distributed for free. In fact, the Immunity Project team is committed to saving lives in sub-Saharan Africa, where access to retroviral drugs just isn't financially viable. More than 35 million individuals worldwide live with HIV. Every single day, another 7,000 are infected and more than 4,000 die. Since 1983, almost 30 million people have been killed by AIDS. https://youtube.com/watch?v=V231hDemqeo Via PSFK.
Among the many ideas that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has conjured up, and the array of casting choices that've been involved as well, tasking Pedro Pascal (Materialists), Vanessa Kirby (Napoleon), Joseph Quinn (Gladiator II) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) with suiting up in a Fantastic Four movie sounds particularly, well, fantastic. Audiences have had more than a year to soak in their excitement, but now discovering how this lineup of actors fares in The Fantastic Four: First Steps is almost upon us — and, as the film's July 2025 release date approaches, Marvel has unveiled a new trailer. Here's your latest look at Pascal, Kirby and company's battle against Galactus (Ralph Ineson, Nosferatu) — and at the space god's herald, aka the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner, Wolf Man), bringing ominous tidings. This is your newest sneak peek at Mister Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Thing and The Human Torch's beginnings in the 1960s, too, as alarms keep going off figuratively and literally. In a massive year for Pascal on the big screen — Down Under, first came Materialists, then arrives First Steps, then Ari Aster's (Beau Is Afraid) Eddington, all in a three-month span — The Last of Us star is getting stretchy as Reed Richards. Kirby is bending light as one of the Storm siblings, Sue; Quinn is proving fiery as Johnny, her brother; and Moss-Bachrach is no one's cousin here, but huge, rocky and super strong as Ben Grimm instead. The latter also knows what everyone wants him to say in the new trailer, but isn't eager to oblige. This is the third glimpse at The Fantastic Four: First Steps — and family dinners, big life changes, the worries that come with that, facing stresses together and world-threatening foes all keep popping up. WandaVision, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and Succession's Matt Shakman directs, with Paul Walter Hauser (Cobra Kai), John Malkovich (Ripley), Natasha Lyonne (Poker Face) and Sarah Niles (F1) co-starring. And yes, Pascal, Kirby, Quinn and Moss-Bachrach's characters have hit cinemas before. Before there was a MCU, there were Fantastic Four movies. The first two to earn a big-screen release arrived in 2005 and 2007, with the latter hitting the year before Iron Man kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As Deadpool and Wolverine did 2024's Deadpool and Wolverine, the Stan Lee- and Jack Kirby-created superhero quartet now join the list of characters who are being brought into the MCU fold, as has been on the cards ever since Disney bought 20th Century Fox. Pascal and company are taking over from two batches of past film takes on the superhero team. In the 2005 and 2007 flicks, Ioan Gruffudd (Bad Boys: Ride or Die), Jessica Alba (Trigger Warning), a pre-Captain America Chris Evans (Materialists) and Michael Chiklis (Accused) starred. Then, in 2015, Chronicle filmmaker Josh Trank gave the group a spin — still outside of the MCU — with Miles Teller (Top Gun: Maverick), Kate Mara (Friendship), a pre-Black Panther Michael B Jordan (Sinners) and Jamie Bell (All of Us Strangers). Check out the final trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps below: The Fantastic Four: First Steps releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Images: courtesy of 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and 2025 MARVEL.
Sure, the animal heads adorning the walls of Shady Pines are pretty cool. And I like the faux Andy Warhol studio decor of the Oxford Art Factory as much as the next person. But when it comes to mind-boggling designs, wacky themes and unique going-out experiences then these ten bars are a cut above the rest. For many bar-owners, the humble "pub" is not simply a local watering hole or after work hideaway but a sanctuary for unreal creative expression and a place where your most bizarre and bewildering fantasies can become a reality. Here we present ten of the weirdest and most wonderful bars from across the globe with themes ranging from a mental asylum to under the sea and unbelievable locations such as inside a 6,000 year-old tree to a giant coffin. Check out the photos below to see what a little bit of imagination, an incredible locality and a whole lot of money can do to transform your average bar into something straight out of a Stanley-Kubrick-on-LSD dream. HR Giger Bar Where: Chur, Switzerland Designed by the manic genius that is Swiss artist H.R. Giger, Switzerland's two Giger bars are modeled on the artist's most famous creation: the nightmarish, intergalactic creatures in Ridley Scott's sci-fi masterpiece Alien. With its giant skeletal arches and torture device chairs, a trip to the Giger bars is an eerie and unnerving experience and provides customers with the distinct feeling that they have been transported into the belly of one of Giger's grotesque alien creatures. Alux Lounge Where: Playa del Carmen, Mexico If descending into the belly of the beast is not your idea of a good time then perhaps descending into a bar carved into an underground cave is more tempting. The bar is not one but a whole system of interlocking caves, with each cave playing host to a different form of nocturnal entertainment, and every room filled with an arresting array of stalactites and stalagmites that surround you on all sides. The Clinic Bar Where: Singapore As the name suggests, the Clinic Bar is a hospital-themed pub that pushes the boundaries of the imagination almost as much as it pushes the boundaries of taste. Some of the medical-themed highlights of this strange establishment include gilded wheelchair seats, hospital bed booths, operating room light fixtures and most peculiarly, drinks served in IV bags and test tubes. Red Sea Star Bar Where: Eliat, Israel While oceanic themed bars and restaurants can be found in just about every seaside town, the Red Sea Star Bar not only resembles an underwater palace but it is in fact located six metres under the Red Sea. Although it may sound camp and kitsch, the combined effect of the sand and sea urchin decor along with the panoramic views of the Red Sea's beautiful coral and sealife provides for an enchanting and fantastical experience unlike any other bar in the world. The Sunland Pub Where: Limpopo Province, South Africa The pub itself is really not much to look at. Consisting of a dusty old dart board, a collection of rusted knick-knacks and the tiniest of bar tables, the Sunland Pub resembles nothing more than a derelict family bar. Yet travelers and locals alike have been known to line up for hours at a time to get a peak of The Sunland Pub thanks to the fact that this remarkable pub is located in a giant Baobab tree. The tree is estimated at being more than 6,000 years old making it one of the world's oldest living trees. Sky Bar Where: Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok has become globally renowned for its beautiful collection of rooftop bars scattered across its sprawling metropolis. None of these bars however bare any comparison to the most famous of them all: the super-ritzy and unbelievably spectacular Sky Bar. Suspended above the city at a staggering 63 floors, the Sky Bar provides visitors with 360 degree views of the city and the majestic Chao Phraya River. Alcatraz ER Where: Tokyo, Japan The weird and wacky tastes of Japanese party-goers has meant that Tokyo has become a hotbed for some truly bizarre themed bars. One of the city's oldest and undoubtedly one of its most deranged is Alcatraz ER, which provides visitors with an experience somewhere between a One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest style mental asylum and a medieval dungeon (no, actually). Customers are locked and chained up in prison cells, while waitresses dressed as nurses serve cocktails with names like "Acute Mental Stabilizer" and men with giant syringes terrorise the unsuspecting visitors. A class act through and through. Eternity, The Coffin Bar Where: Truskavets, Ukraine On the theme of politically incorrect bars is the Ukraine's disturbing and aptly named "Eternity", which was designed to resemble a giant coffin. If the thought of drinking away your sorrows in the world's largest coffin doesn't scare you off then perhaps its equally chilling interior might, with the bar decked out with a highly tasteful collection of small coffin tables, novelty sized wreaths and cathedral-like lighting. Ice Bar Where: Stockholm, Sweden The thought of an ice cold drink in an ice cold bar has taken the world by storm with ice bars popping up in major cities all over the world (including Sydney's very own Ice Bar and Minus5). The original, however, was Stockholm's Ice Bar, in which everything from the bar stools to the glasses you drink from are made from ice harvested from Sweden's Torne River. With the bar set at a frosty -5 degrees celsius and surrounded in Stockholm's stunning winter wonderland, this bar is the perfect place to chill out and grab a couple of cold ones. NASA Pub Where: Bangalore, India With waiters and bartenders that wear spacesuits, spectacular laser shows and all exits and entries shaped like space shuttle doors it is hard not to love Bangalore's most famous novelty pub. While most of us will unfortunately never get to experience what it is like to live aboard a NASA spaceship, this remarkable bar will take you on a celestial and otherworldly experience faster than you can say "open the pod bay doors, HAL".
As warmer weather starts to make its presence known, including an unseasonably hot September patch in Sydney and Brisbane, we're all clamouring for our favourite cooling devices. Fans, air conditioners, pools, any patch of water you can find, frozen drinks, boozy icy poles, all the ice cream you can handle: if it can combat the heat, even for a brief instant, it's a spring and summer staple. Imagine, however, just slapping on a temperature-regulating smartwatch rather than camping out under your aircon or getting comfy in a paddling pool with an esky filled with cold beverages. Or, in addition to all of the above. That's the idea behind the Aircon Watch, a device two years in the making. It claims to offer a reprieve from feeling too warm — or, in winter, too cold — by sending hot or cool signals to the wearer's brain through its special pulsating wrist strap. If you're a little skeptical, that's understandable, though the folks behind the watch point to the instant cooling effect that running an ice cube over your wrist can have — as well as a 2012 research study by Stanford University, which used a cooling glove to indicate that heat exchange can occur through the extremities. And if you think it sounds like a winning idea, you're not alone. Currently running a Kickstarter campaign, the Aircon Watch has already reached its funding goal more than 26 times over. At the time of writing, it's still accepting backers for 18 more days, with the watches expected to start shipping in December. Image: Aircon Watch.
In a perfect world, cinephiles from all around Australia would currently be converging upon Melbourne to attend the city's always jam-packed annual film festival. Going to MIFF is an experience. In its pre-pandemic form, the festival ran for 18 days every year, screened hundreds of movies, and had film buffs constantly hopping between the Forum, ACMI, Hoyts Central and whichever other venues happened to be in use at any given fest. It's an ordeal. It's glorious. It a movie-lover's dream. It's a way of life. It also now feels like a treasure from a completely different time. The Melbourne International Film Festival is still on the agenda for 2021, thankfully. It's quite a bit different to MIFFs gone by, though, and — at least according to current plans at the time of writing — to the fest's online-only version last year. Ideally, there'll still be an in-cinema experience after Melbourne's latest lockdown ends on Thursday, August 12; however, from Thursday, August 5, the fest is also playing more than 90 titles digitally (and nationally) via its new online platform MIFF Play. Accordingly, whether you're a locked-down Melbourne resident who's gearing up for the usual MIFF fun in a week's time, or you're a movie fan also in lockdown in Sydney or Brisbane, a heap of films from around the world are now available to stream. Some have done the rounds of prestigious international fests, and arrive with a reputation. Others you mightn't have heard of yet, and you definitely won't find streaming anywhere else. That's this year's MIFF, digital-style, and we've watched and reviewed ten standouts from the online program that you should pop on your must-see list. FRESHMAN YEAR A college-set rom-com about stumbling forward — literally and emotionally — Freshman Year sounds rather familiar on paper. Alex (Cooper Raiff, Madeline & Cooper) has moved to Los Angeles for school, has struggled through six months so far and is still finding it hard to fit in, especially with his constantly drunk roommate Sam (Logan Miller, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions). When he isn't eating alone, he's video-chatting with his mum (Amy Landecker, Bombshell) and younger sister (Olivia Scott Welch, Fear Street) in Dallas, and wishing he was there himself. Then, after a party at a frat house called "shit house" — which was also the movie's original title when it won the Grand Jury Prize for best narrative feature at the 2020 SXSW Film Festival — Alex connects with Maggie (Dylan Gelula, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) over a night spent drinking, walking, talking, burying a dead pet turtle, spilling secrets and more. Raiff, who writes and directs as well as stars, has clearly seen Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight, plus Dazed and Confused. He's seen all the flicks they've inspired over the past couple of decades, too. Thankfully, the talented young filmmaker and actor crafts a romance-meets-coming-of-age film that's both laden with Gen Z specifics and steeped in universal emotions, as aided by his dreamlike visual eye and stellar performances — yes, from Raiff himself, and also from the always-excellent Gelula. LA VERÓNICA When Mariana Di Girólamo starred in the astonishing Ema, filmmaker Pablo Larraín didn't want to look away from her fierce and unflinching performance, and rarely did. With La Verónica, fellow Chilean director Leonardo Medel (Harem) goes one better — because only once throughout the entire feature does he let someone other than his star linger in the centre of his frame. Di Girólamo plays the titular character here, too, and she's an influencer married to a famous soccer star (Ariel Mateluna, Amanda). Vero spends her life putting herself in the middle of every image, including the daily snaps she poses for her by her pool with her model pals. Yes, she's that determined to always be the centre of attention. Accordingly, Medel uses one big and bold stylistic flourish to constantly remind viewers about what's important to his protagonist, what she seeks and how she goes about it — and it's just one of the movie's pitch-perfect touches. Also outstanding: Di Girólamo, of course, with her portrayal effortlessly conveying Vero's carefully manufactured facade, the at-any-cost drive always lurking underneath, and the way that a life spent courting the spotlight can both hide and augment a person's struggles and flaws. The script bubbles with smarts and insights, too, as the eponymous figure finds it hard to balance motherhood, a secret from her past, her jealousy over her husband and the need to notch up two million Instagram followers to become the face of a lipstick brand. BALLAD OF A WHITE COW During its in-cinema program, MIFF will screen There Is No Evil, the exceptional 2020 Berlinale Golden Bear winner that ponders the costs and weight of the Iranian justice system — and its penchant for the death penalty specifically. Also on the bill: A Hero, the latest movie from acclaimed Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who is known for Oscar-winning domestic drama A Separation and other such thorny fare about the reality of life in his homeland. Helmed by filmmakers Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghaddam (The Invincible Diplomacy of Mr Naderi), and starring the latter, Ballad of a White Cow slides in seamlessly alongside the fest's other Iranian titles. It too explores the impact of executions, and also the unfair disadvantage at which the Middle Eastern nation places its female citizens. It's also moving, insightful, compelling, potent and excellent all-round. In a determined, resilient, often-silently heartbreaking performance, Moghaddam plays Mina, a Tehran resident struggling with the stigma of being a widow after her husband was killed by the state for a crime that he's now been posthumously found innocent. That's a wrong she isn't just willing to stomach, even as simple things like finding somewhere to live and caring for her young daughter keep proving all the more difficult because she's seen as a single woman. THE WITCHES OF THE ORIENT Even if the tail end of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games didn't coincide with the beginning of MIFF, The Witches of the Orient would be must-see viewing. The story it covers is just that engaging, fascinating and important. Back in 1964, when the Japanese capital last hosted the event, the country's women's volleyball team were one of the games' sensations. They didn't just win gold, beating the USSR to claim glory — the team of former textile factory workers managed to nab that coveted medal as part of a 258-game winning streak that lasted from 1960–1966. Fresh from serving up another sports snapshot with John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection, director Julien Faraut assembles the remaining living members of the squad to tell their tale. Starting with an anime sequence about enchanted women, and peppering in a large array of other animated clips that were actually inspired by the team's success (yes, volleyball anima is a thing), this is no ordinary sports documentary. With circling camerawork, Faraut turns roundtable chats over bento boxes into eye-catching clips. He weaves in archival footage with mesmerising and rhythmic flair, cuts to the heart of his interviewees' recollections while also surveying Japan today, and sets his footage and discussions to the likes of Portishead and K-Raw. One training montage is nothing short of hypnotic, and the big game itself is a masterclass in tension. COMING HOME IN THE DARK Peering across New Zealand's gorgeous landscape as far as the camera can see, Coming Home in the Dark starts with a recognisable setup. Hoaggie (Eric Thomson, The Furnace), Jill (Miriama McDowell, Waru), and their teenage sons Maika and Jordan (debutants Billy and Frankie Paratene) have hit the road from Wellington for a scenic trip — stops at quaint service stations, family photos with striking backdrops and cosy little picnics all included. It's during the latter that two men suddenly and unexpectedly cross their paths, and it's apparent immediately that the gun-toting Mandrake (Daniel Gillies, Occupation: Rainfall) and his offsider Tubs (Matthias Luafutu, Ghost in the Shell) aren't there to make friends. Adapting Owen Marshall's short story, first-time feature director James Ashcroft doesn't waste a second in jumping from an idyllic getaway to holiday horrors. He basks in NZ's vast natural splendours, then shows how isolating it can be when things go awry, too. And, he doesn't flinch at splashing bloodshed across the screen as his central family soon find their slice of happiness shattered forever. As a thriller, Coming Home in the Dark is tense, nerve-wracking and unrelenting; however, as masterfully handled by Ashcroft and his co-screenwriter Eli Kent (The Seagull), it finds an even deeper pool of terror in pondering the abuse of children in government-run facilities, the scars it leaves and, here, the retribution it inspires. An exacting genre piece and a weighty musing on trauma all in one — and a feature that's constantly shifting — this riveting film isn't easily forgotten. NINJABABY When Rakel (Kristine Kujath Thorp, Betrayed) learns that she's pregnant, it isn't exciting news. It's a shock that the aspiring artist isn't thrilled about, especially given that it'll require a drastic change to her usual drinking- and partying-heavy lifestyle. That's also how New Zealand comedy Baby Done started, but Norwegian gem Ninjababy boasts a particularly raucous sense of humour, an animated foetus — the titular infant — that talks to and slings plenty of savage comments at its mum-to-be, a guy with the unfortunate but also amusing nickname of Dick Jesus (Arthur Berning, Neste Sommer), and a look and feel that makes plain its graphic novel origins. As savvily adapted from Inga Sætre's Fallteknikk, its protagonist is fiercely her own person as well. Rakel completely refuses to fit anyone's idea of how a young expectant mother should act, or a woman in general for that matter, and steadfastly defies every expectation thrust her way at all steps along her maternal journey. Thorp turns in a raw, rich, resonant and relatable leading performance, all in a memorable movie that also earns those terms with gusto. And director Yngvild Sve Flikke (Women in Oversized Men's Shirts) doesn't so much find the right balance between crude and affecting as embrace the fact that those extremes, and everything in-between, should always be a part of any cinematic bundle that examines motherhood. SISTERS WITH TRANSISTORS As her stellar 2015 documentary Heart of a Dog demonstrated, the great Laurie Anderson should really narrate everything. Clearly, director Lisa Rovner feels the same way. Making her feature-length doco debut with Sisters with Transistors, she enlists the visual artist to talk through a history that's essential but also barely known: the history of women in electronic music. This thorough and illuminating ode to the female pioneers that have helped make the field what it is — including when it didn't even exist, and was met with derision — explores and celebrates ladies like Clara Rockmore, who was handy with a Theremin; Delia Derbyshire, who helped create the distinctive theme tune for Doctor Who; and Suzanne Ciani, the first solo female composer of a Hollywood film score. Also earning attention: Daphne Oram, Laurie Spiegel, Eliane Radigue and Pauline Oliveros, all legends in the field — and with achievements that include creating a technique to draw electronic sound, making a famed piece of musical composition software, and pushing the arena forward in leaps and bounds. Anderson's voice and an unsurprisingly magnificent soundtrack are paired with must-know details about iconic women that each deserve several movies devoted to them. Of course, we shouldn't need films like this to fill in ignored and overlooked gaps, but this a glorious and informative tribute. CELTS Every 90s kid that ever wanted or attended a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed birthday party has an instant entry point into Serbian drama Celts. Everyone who has ever made their way to a friendly or family get-together, navigated heated conversations about the state of the world and felt a sense of malaise seething through the room is similarly well-primed for this striking film. In Belgrade in 1993, Minja (first-timer Katarina Dimic) is looking forward to celebrating turning eight by donning a homemade green costume and being showered in attention. It's an event that requires significant preparations on her unhappy mother Marijana (Dubravka Kovjanic, Underneath), doting taxi-driver father Otac (Stefan Trifunovic, The Living Man) and ever-present grandmother Saveta's (Olga Odanovic, Radio Mileva) parts, though. But the child-friendly festivities are just a backdrop for debut director Milica Tomović — because, as she charts the events of a single day in this bustling household, she explores not only the dynamics festering among the kids and the discontent infecting the adults, but also the effect that the political turmoil seeping through Yugoslavia at the time has upon everyone gathered. As a result, Celts delivers a relatable portrait of domestic chaos and a fictionalised snapshot of a particular moment in time, and in an engaging and textured fashion. WIFE OF A SPY As he's demonstrated in movies as varied as Journey to the Shore, Daguerreotype and Before We Vanish, Japanese filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa makes features with patience — and with a mood that hangs around like an unforgettable memory. He jumps into both marital dramas and period-set wartime espionage antics with Wife of a Spy, and therefore into new territory for him, but his precise approach and affecting tone remains very much intact here. In fact, he won the Best Director prize at the 2020 Venice Film Festival for this sumptuously handsome and emotionally complicated effort. As this film about a wealthy silk merchant and his wife in 1940s Japan unfurls, it's easy to see why. From the painterly imagery to the potent performances — and including the layered script, as co-written with Ryūsuke Hamaguchi (Asako I and II) and Tadashi Nohara (Happy Hour) — every element is brought to the screen with meticulous care and impact in Kurosawa's hands. When Yusaku (Takahashi Issey, Romance Doll) visits Manchuria, Satoko (Aoi Yu, They Say Nothing Stays the Same) thinks it's just an ordinary business trip. But then she's visited at home in Kobe by her childhood friend Taiji (Higashide Masahiro, Before We Vanish), who tells her that her husband's jaunt abroad mightn't have been as straightforward as it sounds. A woman has turned up dead, Taiji has his suspicions, government secrets are involved and, soon, everything surrounding Satoko and Yusaku is under several shadows. DRY WINTER For Australian directors, the country's distinctive landscape is the gift that keeps on giving. A sizeable portion of our national cinematic output puts its blazing ochre hues to great use, and its sprawling outback expanses as well (see: everything from Wake in Fright and Walkabout to Mystery Road, The Rover, The Dressmaker and High Ground). Dry Winter isn't one of those movies, however. It makes the most of its rural backdrop, of course, but by roving over it with the same probing and naturalistic eye that it affords its listless characters. As first-time filmmaker Kyle Davis follows twenty-something couple Jake (debutant Andrew Phillips) and Kelly (fellow first-timer Courtney Kelly) as they go about their ordinary lives on the Eyre Peninsula, he sees the shades of browns that remain evident in every patch of dirt around them. In their routine, he spies the many shades of grey that have infused everything from the odd jobs they work to get by to their nights spent finding mundane ways to pass the time, too. An observational feature that ticks by at a leisurely pace, Dry Winter hones in on detail. It sees the repetition, the minutiae, and the sights and sounds — and lets them build an immersive story. This is a sublime portrait of not knowing what the future holds that makes its audience feel like they're there in the frame with its yearning protagonists, even across its brief 62-minute running time. The 2021 Melbourne International Film Festival runs from Thursday, August 5–Sunday, August 22 — screening online for the festival's entire duration via its streaming platform MIFF Play. Depending on the current lockdown, the festival is also aiming to play at a variety of venues around Melbourne from Thursday, August 12–Sunday, August 22. For further details, visit the MIFF website.
Over the last couple of years while getting your morning cup of joe at cafes around Sydney, you may have spotted a bag of beans emboldened with bright red text behind the counter. Originating in New Zealand, Coffee Supreme's beans and instant coffee are available in locations across the country and are used in Sydney favourites including Paramount Recreation Club and Deus Ex Machina. While you can find Supreme beans in dozens of cafes across Australia and New Zealand, the coffee brewer also has its own cafes and roasteries, with five in New Zealand, one in Brisbane, one in Melbourne, one in Tokyo and now, one in Sydney. Sydney's first Coffee Supreme opened in early 2022 in the northern beaches. Located on Mitchell Road in the industrial area of Brookvale, the venue has converted a warehouse into a bustling cafe, decorated with touches of forest green and Coffee Supreme's signature red. Alongside the cafe is a 12-kilogram Probat roaster, making coffee on-site to be delivered to cafes and homes around the city. "We don't like to favour one city over the other, but the growing coffee culture in Sydney is really exciting, so the search to grow our presence here has been on for a few months now," Coffee Supreme's Sydney and Canberra Sales and Customer Development Manager Jen Le says. "When we visited 11 Mitchell Rd, we knew it was the site for us — heaps of natural light, sufficient space for a roaster and most importantly, a strong sense of community; a key pillar at Coffee Supreme." At the heart of the venue is, of course, the coffee. The baristas are taking Coffee Supreme beans and turning them into espresso, batch brew and cold filter. Alongside the classic beans on offer, there will also be seasonal blends that pop-up as they become available. Food-wise, there's an all-day breakfast menu available until the cafe closes at 2pm. Avocado on toast, bagels and bacon and egg rolls are all here. For lunch, you can also nab an array of burgers and sandwiches. If you're looking to tuck into something heartier, turn your attention to the bolognese toastie. Images: Jessica Nash Appears in: The Best Cafes in Sydney
Who hasn't wanted to care less about all the things that really don't matter? Since long before self-help was even a book genre — since before there were books — humanity has been desperate to devote less of its attention to matters that simply aren't worth it. That's easier said than done, though, which is why there's so many texts about living your best life and forgetting pointless strife, including Mark Manson's 2016 hit The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. If giving less fucks is your ultimate goal — and it should be everyone's — then you've probably read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. Or, you've heard at it at least. It was absolutely everywhere back when it first hit bookshelves, with people glued to it on buses, everyone's mates spouting its advice and more than 15-million copes sold. In early 2023, it's also going to be hitting screens. The tome dedicated to living more contented and grounded lives has been turned into a doco, with Manson himself featuring to lead the way. As the just-dropped sneak peek at the movie shows, he's on-hand to chat viewers through his brutally honest and raw but refreshing philosophy — and help you learn, if you haven't already, that it's wise to choose where to direct our fucks, what to give a crap about and what genuinely bloody matters. Couldn't be arsed reading the book? Clearly, this is the quicker way to soak in its contents, as shot in New Zealand during the pandemic. When NZ-based producer Matthew Metcalfe (Dawn Raid) came across the text — drawn to its bright cover, like plenty of folks have been — he was fascinated by its anti-self-help-book vibe, as well as its take on life's difficulties. Manson had been approached about adapting The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck for the screen before, but Metcalfe got him interested in giving a fuck about his offer. If you're new to Manson's brand of advice, the book's chapter titles are as telling as its overall moniker, boasting names such as 'Don't Try', 'Happiness is a problem', 'You are not special', 'You are wrong about everything (But so am I)', 'The importance of saying no' and 'And then you die'. The appropriate mood comes through in the film version's trailer, with experienced commercials director Nathan Price behind the lens. No doubt timed for New Year's resolutions — especially if not giving a fuck is one of yours — the film debuts in Australia via digital and in New Zealand in cinemas on Wednesday, January 11, 2023. Check out the trailer for The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck below: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck will be available to watch via digital download from Wednesday, January 11, 2023 in Australia, and in NZ cinemas on the same date — head to the film's website for further details.
It's been 14 years since Danny Rogers and Jerome Borazio decided to fill a Melbourne alleyway with tunes in 2005. Thankfully, Laneway Festival has just confirmed it will be heading back to its collection of unconventional venues for another year, revealing its jam-packed 2019 lineup. Returning to Sydney next February, Laneway will raise a plastic cup to the middle of summer with one heck of a lineup. This year's eclectic program is headlined by two huge Aussie names: indie rock group Gang of Youths and acclaimed singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett. A few big artists are heading Down Under for the first time, too, including English R&B superstar Jorja Smith, neo-soul singer Rex Orange County and American rapper Denzel Curry. You'll also be able to get down to Camp Cope, Middle Kids and Mitski and sway along to Mansionair, What So Not and Skeggs. If you want to catch Jorja Smith and NYC rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, you'll have to head along to Laneway — they'll both be playing exclusively at the festival, with no sideshows. But, enough chit-chat — here's the full 2019 lineup. LANEWAY 2019 LINEUP Gang of Youths Courtney Barnett A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (exclusive) Baker Boy Camp Cope Charlie Collins* Clairo Cosmo's Midnight Crooked Colours* Denzel Curry* DJDS G Flip Jon Hopkins Jorja Smith (exclusive) KIAN Mansionair Masego Methyl Ethel Middle Kids Mitski* Parquet Courts Ravyn Lenae Rex Orange County Ruby Fields Skeggs Smino What So Not Yellow Days *East Coast only Laneway Image: Anthony Smith.
Instead of Gen V, you could call this spinoff The Boys Jnr and it'd fit in an array of ways. The superheroes are younger, with the series' eight-episode first season focusing on students attending Godolkin University, rather than adults who've been there, done that and are weathering the brutalities of life as grown caped crusaders. The minutiae of Gen V's characters' lives is firmly teen-centric as a result, including dates and crushes, dorms and lectures, making new friends and peer pressure, and the like. Obviously, their worries largely aren't of the world-weary, years-of-existential-malaise kind, but span making friends, scoring the right classes, wanting to be popular, breaking curfew, navigating social media, body image, sex positivity, morning-after regrets, dealing with overbearing parents and plotting out the future. There's nothing smaller about the hefty, hearty, utterly gleeful splashes of gore and violence, however — the eager amounts of guts and penises, too — in the latest show inspired by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's comic book. Streaming from Friday, September 29, Prime Video's next dive into this satirical superhero world is The Boys but in college, the same chaos, carnage and characteristic raucousness all included. Slotting into the Vought Cinematic Universe after the OG series (which has dropped three seasons, with a fourth on the way) and the animated The Boys Presents: Diabolical, Gen V stems from the 'We Gotta Go Now' storyline, sporting youthful leads but zero tone and vibe changes. So springs an OTT coming-of-age tale that's gruesome, irreverent, subversive, funny and, yes, filled with bodily fluids. Set at the same time that The Boys' fourth season will take place when it hits — its episodes have been filmed, but no release date has been locked in yet due to Hollywood's 2023 strikes — Gen V follows the blood-bending Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) as she scores a university place that could change everything that she knows. Stuck under the cloud of a past tragedy until now, her scholarship to the Vought-approved God U is the ticket to her dreams, with becoming the first Black woman in The Seven her ultimate aim. Her approach going in: putting her head down, working hard and securing a path beyond the facility that's been her home for much too long. She's warned what will occur if she doesn't succeed, with more time spent institutionalised the only other option that superhero organisation Vought foresees. Before Marie arrives at God U, Gen V begins with her backstory, plus with the reason that doing her best is so important. The show's developers Craig Rosenberg, Evan Goldberg and Eric Kripke, all The Boys alumni, also establish that their adolescent angle is as essential as caped crusaders and diving back into havoc caused by the corrupt mega-corporation that is Vought. When a young woman has Marie's distinctive powers, how do they manifest? When she reaches puberty and gets her first period. In opening moments set eight years earlier, just as A-Train (Jesse T Usher, Smile) is welcomed into Vought's top-tier superhero crew, there's a body count, emotional scars that Marie will never get over, and also an ultraviolet start to the series' exploration of compound V-dosed kids who were given the drug by their mums and dads to turn them into something special, only to be forced to live with the consequences. Accordingly, college's everyday trials and tribulations were never going to be the only challenges in store once Gen V steps foot on campus, and Marie with it; more follow. Academic disappointment comes early, when hotshot Crimefighting Department head Professor Rich Brinkerhoff (Clancy Brown, Ahsoka) won't let her into her dream course, but that soon seems like a minor woe. As Marie rooms with Emma Meyer (Lizze Broadway, Based on a True Story), who can scale down her size, fitting in doesn't come easily. And when she meets the resident cool clique, including literally hot number one-ranked pupil Luke 'Golden Boy' Riordan (Patrick Schwarzenegger, The Staircase), his persuasive girlfriend Cate Dunlap (Maddie Phillips, Teenage Bounty Hunters), the magnetic Andre Anderson (Chance Perdomo, also Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) and the gender-shifting Jordan Li (Never Have I Ever's London Thor and Shining Vale's Derek Luh), she swiftly discovers that everything at her new school isn't what it seems. There will be blood by the bucketload — even if Marie's powers weren't tied to it, this is a VCU entry — plus secrets, lies, class clashes and life-and-death stakes. And, in a show that also gives its characters a mystery to chase, there's also a creepy underground facility known as The Woods that Marie, Emma and their pals keep being drawn to. Gen V delivers a savvy balance of wild fun and perceptive smarts as well, in a series that plays like The Boys mixed with The Sex Lives of College Girls, Scooby Doo, Wednesday and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Like the latter pair, it's highly cognisant that growing up is weird and hellish. It similarly knows how to use fantasy and horror — here, being a caped crusader at a sinister uni that specifically trains them, rather than the ultimate goth girl or vanquishing the undead while living on a hellmouth — to explore the many struggles that accompany facing maturity. While a few key cameos pop up from its predecessor, Gen V's is 100-percent focused on the franchise's newbies, their supe and uni experiences, and the shady happenings around them — which is a pivotal move. Indeed, that's what makes it a perfect The Boys spinoff, and never an easy facsimile, lazy wannabe or unsubtle reminder of what else exists in the broader saga. Gen V dwells in the same realm with the same atmosphere and same bite, but always dons its own personality, is committed to telling its own characters' tales and proves genuinely keen to broaden the Vought Cinematic Universe. Tearing into what's become the biggest type of on-screen stories right now is still the same mission, complete with blatant Marvel digs, yet it's done in a story that puts the ups and downs of being a teen in this situation first and foremost. It's no wonder, then, that Gen V is as entertaining as The Boys to watch. It's also no surprise that Marie and her classmates easily earn the same investment as Billy Butcher (Karl Urban, Thor: Ragnarok), Hughie (Jack Quaid, Oppenheimer), Frenchie (Tomer Capone, One on One), Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara, Bullet Train) Mother's Milk's (Laz Alonso, Wrath of Man), Starlight (Erin Moriarty, Captain Fantastic), Maeve (Dominique McElligott, The Last Tycoon) and company. Alongside confidence, strewn-around viscera and its sense of humour, casting remains one of this core franchise's talents, especially with Sinclair, Broadway, Perdomo, Thor and Luh. And any X-Men or The New Mutants comparisons? Just as The Boys knowingly smashed through its Avengers and Justice League commonalities, so does this new sharp, cynical and imaginative chip off the old block. Check out the trailer for Gen V below: Gen V streams via Prime Video from Friday, September 29.
Our city is constantly changing and evolving, with longstanding Sydney streets being treated to makeovers, new pavilions being built and multi-million dollar snow resorts coming to Penrith. Among all these big infrastructure changes, small and carefully designed spaces are always popping up as well. 2021 has seen an awe-inspiring concert venue open in Chippendale, a new food and drink precinct finally welcome in patrons in South Eveleigh and two new multi-storey venues add new bars and restaurants to historic buildings. We've compiled a list of our six favourite spaces that have emerged in Sydney this year. These are the spaces that are pushing things forward with breathtaking visuals, sustainable community spaces or exciting new areas to explore.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas across the country. After months spent empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Australian picture palaces are back in business — spanning 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, comedies, music documentaries, 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COrqRKMZ2KM&feature=emb_logo EMA Before 2021 comes to an end, Pablo Larraín will have given the world Spencer, a new biopic about Princess Diana featuring Kristen Stewart as the royal figure. Also on his hit list this year: Lisey's Story, a Julianne Moore-starring TV adaptation of a Stephen King book that has been scripted for the screen by the author himself. But with the release of Ema in Australian cinemas, he's already gifting viewers something exceptional. A new project by Larraín is always cause for excitement, and this drama about a reggaeton dancer's crumbling marriage, personal and professional curiosities, and determined quest to become a mother rewards that enthusiasm spectacularly. In fact, it's a stunning piece of cinema, and one that stands out even among the Chilean director's already impressive resume. He's the filmmaker behind stirring political drama No, exacting religious interrogation The Club, poetic biopic Neruda and the astonishing, Natalie Portman-starring Jackie — to name just a few of his movies — so that's no minor feat. For the first time in his career, Larraín peers at life in his homeland today, rather than in the past. And, with his now six-time cinematographer Sergio Armstrong (Tony Manero, Post Mortem), he gazes as intently as he can. Faces and bodies fill Ema's frames, a comment that's true of most movies; however, in both the probing patience it directs its protagonist's way and the kinetic fluidity of its dance sequences, this feature equally stares and surveys. Here, Larraín hones in on the dancer (Mariana Di Girólamo, Much Ado About Nothing) who gives the feature its name. After adopting a child with her choreographer partner Gastón (Gael García Bernal, Mozart in the Jungle), something other than domestic bliss has followed. Following a traumatic incident, and the just as stressful decision to relinquish their boy back to the state's custody, Ema is not only trying but struggling to cope in the aftermath. This isn't a situation she's simply willing to accept, though. Ema, the movie, is many things — and, most potently, it's a portrait of a woman who is willing to make whatever move she needs to, both on the dance floor and in life, to rally against an unforgiving world, grasp her idea of freedom and seize exactly what she wants. Di Girólamo is magnetic, whether she's dancing against a vivid backdrop, staring pensively at the camera or being soaked in neon light. Bernal, one of the director's regulars, perfects a thorny role that ties into the film's interrogation of Chile's class and cultural divides. And Larraín's skill as both a visual- and emotion-driven filmmaker is never in doubt. Indeed, this film's imagery isn't easily forgotten, and neither is its mood, ideas, inimitable protagonist, or stirring exploration of trauma, shock and their impact. Ema opens in Sydney and Melbourne cinemas on May 13, and in Brisbane on May 20. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV6VNNjBkcE THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD A smokejumper stationed to a Montana watchtower, plagued by past traumas and forced to help a teenage boy evade hired killers, Those Who Wish Me Dead's Hannah Faber actually first debuted on the page. Watching Angelina Jolie bring the whisky-swilling, no-nonsense, one of the boys-type figure to the screen, it's easy to assume otherwise. The part doesn't quite feel as if it was written specifically for the smouldering movie star, though. Rather, it seems like the kind of role that might've been penned with Liam Neeson or Denzel Washington in mind — see: this year's The Marksman for the former, and 2004's Man on Fire for the latter — then flipped, gender-wise, to gift Jolie a new star vehicle. On the one hand, let's be thankful that that's not how this character came about. Kudos to author Michael Koryta, who also co-writes the screenplay here based on his 2016 novel, for conjuring up Hannah to begin with. But on the other hand, it's never a great sign when a female protagonist plays like a grab bag of stock-standard macho hero traits, just dressed up in a shapelier guise. It has been six years since Jolie has stepped into a mere mortal's shoes — since 2015's By the Sea, which she wrote and directed — and she leaves no doubt that Hannah is flesh and blood. There's still an iciness to the firefighter, and she still has the actor's cheekbones and pout, but Maleficent, she isn't. She's bruised, internally, by a fire that got away and left a body count. After hanging out with her colleagues, parachuting out of cars and brooding in her tower, she's soon physically in harm's way as well. As Those Who Wish Me Dead's plot gets her to this juncture, it also cuts back and forth between forensic accountant Owen Casserly (Jake Weber, Midway) and his son Connor (Finn Little, Angel of Mine), plus assassins Patrick and Jack (The Great's Nicholas Hoult and Game of Thrones' Aiden Gillen). Thanks to a treasure trove of incriminating evidence against important people that no one was ever supposed to find, these two duos are on a collision course. When they do cross paths — while Owen is trying to take Connor to stay with Ethan (Jon Bernthal, The Peanut Butter Falcon), his brother-in-law, a sheriff's deputy and one of Hannah's colleagues — it also nudges the boy into the smokejumper's orbit. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuINvoFAnng&t=3s SPIRAL: FROM THE BOOK OF SAW With Spiral: From the Book of Saw, what came first: the decision to call its protagonist Ezekiel, or the casting of Samuel L Jackson as said character's father? Either way, the film's creative team must've felt mighty pleased with themselves; getting the Pulp Fiction actor to utter the name that's been synonymous with his bible-quoting, Quentin Tarantino-penned monologue for more than a quarter-century doesn't happen by accident. What now four-time franchise director Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, Saw III and Saw IV) and Jigsaw screenwriters Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger mightn't have realised, though, is just how clumsily this choice comes across. The Saw series has made almost a billion dollars at the worldwide box office, but now it's resorting to winking and nodding to one of its latest stars' past movies. Perhaps Bousman and company didn't notice because almost everything about Spiral feels that forced, awkward, clunky and badly thought-out. Jackson and Chris Rock might gift the long-running franchise a couple of high-profile new faces; however, this ostensible reboot is exactly as derivative as you'd expect of the ninth instalment in a 17-year-old shock- and gore-driven saga. Focusing on a wisecracking, gung-ho, about-to-be-divorced police detective known for exposing his dirty colleagues, Spiral tries to coil the series in a different direction, at least superficially — and pretends to have meaty matters on its mind. Ezekiel 'Zeke' Banks (Rock, The Witches) has been crusading for honesty, integrity, fairness and honour in law enforcement for years. Starting back when his now-retired dad Marcus (Jackson, Death to 2020) was the precinct's chief, he's been vilified by his peers for his efforts. When a killer appears to be targeting rotten cops, too, Zeke is desperate to lead the case. Initially, he just wants to avenge the death of the first victim, one of the only co-workers he called a friend, but he's soon trying to track down a murderer that seems to be following in franchise villain Jigsaw's footsteps. A lone wolf-type not by choice but necessity, Banks also happens to be saddled with a rookie partner (Max Minghella, The Handmaid's Tale) as he attempts to stop the bodies from piling up. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBFvpz_Tlrs&feature=youtu.be THE MAN IN THE HAT Throughout his four-decade-plus career, Ciarán Hinds has appeared in everything from Excalibur and The Phantom of the Opera to There Will Be Blood and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 — and in Game of Thrones and First Man as well. But his expressive face never been put to as a great use as it is in The Man in the Hat, which tasks the Irish actor with staying silent for its duration, save for a rare word here and there. As the titular figure, he potters around France in a small Fiat 500. What might've been a leisurely journey just because (its purpose is never explained) becomes somewhat frantic when a car filled with five bald men starts following his every move. The headwear-donning protagonist witnesses them up to no good, drives off quickly and attempts to take the scenic route, but wherever he goes, his pursuers cross his path eventually. That doesn't stop either the eponymous man from whiling away the time on his travels, whether dropping into cafes, helping the people he meets along the way, seeing the sights, having a swim or flirting with a red dress-wearing, bike-riding woman (Sasha Hails, Quiz). Often, the man in the hat simply listens to his short-term companions, including a fellow lonely soul (Stephen Dillane, Mary Shelley) initially spending his time under a bridge and a biker (Maïwenn, DNA) at a makeshift campsite. Written and directed by Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love composer Stephen Warbeck with TV travelogue veteran John-Paul Davidson (Stephen Fry in America, Brazil with Michael Palin), The Man in the Hat is undeniably slight. It's also doused in the same type of Gallic whimsy that made Amelie a delight to some and an utter chore for others. And, with its jaunty score, episodic antics, smatterings of slapstick, and gorgeous small-town and countryside backdrop, it can play like a fever dream you might have after eating too much cheese, pairing it with a few healthy glasses of wine, making European holiday plans and falling asleep watching great silent comedians from decades ago. None of the above is a bad thing, however, if you're on the film's wavelength. Indeed, surrendering to The Man in the Hat's charms — and appreciating its exacting staging and choreography — happens both quickly and easily. It wouldn't be the same feature without Hinds, though, who adds an enchanting wordless performance that owes a clear debt to Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Marcel Marceau and Jacques Tati, but is never an act of miming mimicry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-d92kJUisU CARMILLA Premiering at the Edinburgh International Film Festival back in 2019, Carmilla first reached the screen shortly after Portrait of a Lady on Fire made its maiden appearance at Cannes. It debuted more than 14 months before Ammonite, the other big lesbian period romance of the past two years. But this gothic novella adaptation will always be seen as the lesser of the three recent films. Inspired by Sheridan Le Fanu's 1872 text, Carmilla is indeed another tale of love, lust, repression and the roles that have been enforced upon women for far too long. It takes the restraint that its characters are tasked with displaying a little too firmly to heart, though. While handsomely shot with a keen eye for vivid detail, moody in tone from start to finish, and eagerly savaging society's judgement of female sexual awakening and of sapphic desire, its often feels stilted rather than filled with yearning — and frequently seems as if it's holding a little too much back. Also, although its source material is one of the first works of vampire fiction, hitting the page nearly three decades before Bram Stoker's Dracula, first-time solo writer/director Emily Harris doesn't heartily sink its teeth into that genre, either. There's absolutely nothing wrong with eschewing the supernatural, of course, but a few especially striking images aside, Carmilla's pulse rarely quickens. What this story of passion, seduction, persecution and flouting strict norms does unshakeably possess, however, is memorable and committed performances by its key female cast members — all of whom do their utmost at every turn. Hannah Rae (Fighting with My Family) plays Lara, the cooped-up, constantly lonely daughter of the distant Mr Bauer (Greg Wise, The Crown). When the film commences, she's giddy with excitement about the impending arrival of a fellow teen from a neighbouring town, who's set to join their household for a prolonged sojourn. It'll give her a much-needed reprieve from her stern governess, Miss Fontaine (Jessica Raine, Patrick Melrose), who usually dictates every aspect of her daily routine. The tutor is even determined to train her left-handed pupil to favour her other appendage, all in the name of curing her of her sins. But, when their planned visitor doesn't make the trip, mysterious newcomer Carmilla (Devrim Lingnau, Immortality) earns everyone's attention instead. A victim of a carriage accident with no memory of who she is or why she's in the area, she's like a beacon in the night to the curious and isolated Lara, even as Miss Fontaine endeavours to maintain a close watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uiCkL26zfQ FINDING YOU When aspiring violinist Finley Sinclair (Rose Reid, The World We Make) meets acting superstar Beckett Rush (Jedidiah Goodacre, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) by falling asleep on his shoulder during a flight from New York to Ireland, she definitely isn't just a girl standing in front of a boy asking him to love her. The college exchange student thinks the cinema world's biggest current heartthrob is arrogant, in fact, and likely wouldn't have given him another thought if they didn't end up staying at the same small-town bed and breakfast thanks to pure rom-com logic. No, Finding You doesn't try to hide its Notting Hill-esque concept. Based on the young adult novel There You'll Find Me, it's quite eager to nod in its fellow romantic comedy's direction — and towards as many of the genre's other cliches and tropes as it can find. Even its setting sticks to recent convention; however, it's never as grating and inane as the Scotland-set Then Came You, and doesn't feature a twist as ridiculous as Wild Mountain Thyme. Everything about Finley and Beckett's will-they, won't-they romance plays out as expected, though, other than one key factor. Writer/director Brian Baugh (I'm Not Ashamed) hasn't met a pointless plot development he doesn't need to work into his movie, it seems, so the path to true love here definitely doesn't run smooth. Finley heads to Ireland seeking a change of scenery and a new source of inspiration after failing a big audition, while Beckett makes the trip to shoot the latest instalment of a big blockbuster franchise he's no longer that interested in being in. As they work out their individual issues and inch closer together, the script also tasks her with becoming his acting coach, and sightseeing with him in an attempt to track down a cross sketched by her brother. She also learns a few musical tricks from the boozy town expert (Patrick Bergin, The South Westerlies), and gets caught up in a decades-long scandal surrounding an elderly and cantankerous woman (Vanessa Redgrave, Mrs Lowry and Son) she's assigned to visit for class — while Beckett battles with his manager dad (Tom Everett Scott, 13 Reasons Why) about his future, the tabloid attention and the fake love affair he's supposed to be in with his co-star (Katherine McNamara, The Stand). When Finding You lets its two leads simply spend time together, it benefits from their warm rapport. When it bundles in every complication it can think of, it veers from being blandly predictable to needlessly contrived and convoluted. For whatever misguided reason, Baugh favours the latter over the former, all served up with a soundtrack that couldn't be more stereotypical if it just repeated the word "Ireland" over and over again. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on January 1, January 7, January 14, January 21 and January 28; February 4, February 11, February 18 and February 25; March 4, March 11, March 18 and March 25; and April 1, April 8, April 15, April 22 and April 29; and May 6. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Nomadland, Pieces of a Woman, The Dry, Promising Young Woman, Summerland, Ammonite, The Dig, The White Tiger, Only the Animals, Malcolm & Marie, News of the World, High Ground, Earwig and the Witch, The Nest, Assassins, Synchronic, Another Round, Minari, Firestarter — The Story of Bangarra, The Truffle Hunters, The Little Things, Chaos Walking, Raya and the Last Dragon, Max Richter's Sleep, Judas and the Black Messiah, Girls Can't Surf, French Exit, Saint Maud, Godzilla vs Kong, The Painter and the Thief, Nobody, The Father, Willy's Wonderland, Collective, Voyagers, Gunda, Supernova, The Dissident, The United States vs Billie Holiday, First Cow, Wrath of Man, Locked Down and The Perfect Candidate.
To the joy of folks who love ice cream but don't consume animal products, tucking into a creamy frozen dessert that's 100-percent vegan is much easier than it used to be. You'll find vegan Magnums, Cornettos and Weiss Bars in your supermarket freezer, vegan choc tops at Event Cinemas in Sydney and Brisbane, vegan ice cream sandwiches at Lord of the Fries around the country, and a selection of vegan sorbets at Gelato Messina — and now you'll find a new vegan lineup at gelato chain Gelatissimo as well. Gelatissimo already has its own vegan sorbet range, spanning flavours such as green apple, lemon, mango, passionfruit, raspberry, strawberry and coconut. Now, it's also scooping up dairy-free gelato. As part of the new selection, two varieties are on offer at present, with a third still to come — and they're the first in the chain's ongoing commitment to providing flavours for all dietary preferences. If you like your frosty desserts with a dash of decadence, you're in luck, with caramel mudcake and triple chocolate flavours on the menu. When you're licking your way through a cup or cone of caramel mudcake vegan gelato, you'll be enjoying vegan caramel gelato combined with caramelised sugar, as well as chunks of vegan caramel mudcake. As for the vegan triple chocolate gelato, it blends West African cocoa, vegan dark chocolate morsels and vegan chocolate sauce, then dusts the whole thing with cocoa powder. Available until Thursday, April 2 — or until stocks last — in all Australian stores, both dairy-free flavours use coconut and soy milk. Just what the third vegan gelato flavour will be, or when it'll be available, hasn't been revealed as yet. Gelatissimo's new vegan range is available from all stores nationwide until Thursday, April 2 — or until stocks last. If you're choosing to go out and support local businesses, have a look at the latest COVID-19 advice and social-distancing guidelines from the Department of Health.
Perched above a previously underutilised, quietly beautiful stretch of Darling Harbour, NOLA Smokehouse and Bar is a new addition to the Streets of Barangaroo's tower restaurants. The style tips its hat to one of America's most revered and distinctive cities with hanging basket ferns, wicker chairs and gorgeous wrought iron detailing around the bar. The menu wears the New Orleans influence lightly though — think more along the lines of smoked meats and sazeracs rather than bowls of gumbo and po' boys. Service is knowledgeable and friendly, giving what could easily be a stuffy upmarket venue a taste of laidback Southern hospitality. The menu covers loose groupings of starters and share plates and is particularly strong on seafood; go for a half-dozen oThis Baranf Pacific oysters with a sharp shallot vinaigrette and/or a thick chipotle bloody mary sauce ($25) straight off the bat. A tuna sashimi dish ($24) offers just a hint of Southern spice with its Creole seasoning, and comes strewn with lightly salty caviar-like sea grapes. Mains revolve around the smoking room, and a good way to sample a range of their handiwork — not to mention eat your way into an agreeable food coma — is with the Pit Master's Picks ($43 per person), which includes lamb, pork sausage, brisket and chicken. The velvety-soft brisket pairs nicely with a dollop of chimichurri sauce while the blackened, tea-brined chicken (also available separately for $48) is particularly mouth-watering, full-flavoured and smoked to a soft texture. One of the salad options, the chargrilled cos ($22), goes way beyond being an afterthought for non-carnivores, bringing crunch and plenty of colour with coils of neat green zucchini ribbons, vivid purple radicchio leaves and the dusky orange zucchini flowers. Another big part of NOLA is the drinks list. Cocktails run from well-balanced originals like a bourbon, blueberry and lemon concoction called the Berry Blues to classics like the evergreen Vieux Carré — named after the city's famed Old Quarter — and the sazerac, one of the great gifts New Orleans has given to the world (all $18-20). The back bar also holds an admirably encyclopaedic collection of American whiskies, with plans to expand the range to well over 500 US varieties. All the big names are represented here, but try one of their lesser-known varieties, or something different, like a super smoky Octomore. The dessert list includes some New Orleans specialities like pecan pie and molasses jelly. Bananas Foster would have been a nice addition, but its absence is soothed by the decadent likes of a cookies and cream dish with ice cream, honeycomb, fresh berries and bourbon caramel ($13). Besides, when the last rays of sun are disappearing over the harbour and a breeze is filtering in through the airy room, you'll hardly be complaining.
Oliver Show's 'Street Furniture' has been taking over the streets of Hamburg, Germany, creating utilitarian yet comfortable seating out of existing city structures. By wrapping and securing flexible drainage pipes around the downtown infrastructure, Show hopes to reclaim the city for the public. Not necessarily designed for aesthetic pleasure, Show's pieces gather their charm from their intentionally simple, low-maintenance design. “The interventionist and experimental approach to me is more important than the quest for a ‘perfect’ product,” says Show, who has earned a design award from the HFBK Leinemann Foundation for Education and the Arts for 'Street Furniture'. Each installation is ingeniously resourceful: low-cost and weather-resistant. They are all entirely user-friendly as well. Suddenly, a bridge is an armchair, and a bike rack is a sofa, each beckoning to Hamburg residents, urging them to sit down and stay a while. [via Architizer]
The Sydney Opera House is introducing an exciting addition to its myriad of renowned experiences. Joining one of Sydney's best restaurants in Bennelong, as well as the newly renovated Concert Hall, Opera Bar, House Canteen, the Utzon Room and a range of other tours, theatres and bars at the iconic harbourside venue, will be Midden by Mark Olive. Led by its namesake chef, this new restaurant will bring seasonal menus showcasing native ingredients to the space currently occupied by Portside. Midden by Mark Olive will open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, plus high tea on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from Tuesday, July 4 in the Sydney Opera House's Western Foyer. A proud Bundjalung man, Olive will pull from thousands of years of First Nations cooking to create the produce-driven Midden menu. Shell middens are areas defined by large collections of shells discarded from local residents eating crabs, oysters and other shellfish. Tubowgule, the traditional name for the area the Sydney Opera House now resides on, was once a midden of oysters pulled fresh from the neighbouring harbour. "Middens were vibrant communal spaces with food at their core," says Olive. "Opening a restaurant at the Sydney Opera House on Tubowgule, Gadigal country is a dream come true. I could not be prouder to follow in the pioneering footsteps of leading Indigenous Australians like Rhoda Roberts, Justine Saunders and Stephen Page, who have brought incredible First Nations storytelling to this place over the past 50 years." Expect to start your meal with Sydney rock oysters in a bush tomato and wattle-seed vinaigrette, and damper bread infused with native herbs and partnered with whipped eucalyptus butter. Other snacks and starters available at Midden include native thyme hummus; smoked kangaroo salad; lemon myrtle and pepperberry-cured salmon; and an Indigenous Australian platter featuring highlights from the grazing menu alongside regional cheeses, tandoori crocodile, marinated artichoke and Tasmanian mountain pepper leaf flatbread. If you're still hungry after making your way through your entrées, there are heftier mains on offer including smoked blue gum barramundi, black olive pappardelle, braised wallaby shanks served with sweet potato rosti, and seared pork belly infused with the flavours of river mint and bush honey. "The land on which the Opera House stands was a gathering place for ceremony and culture for thousands of years before the building itself was ever conceived, and I hope the menu we've created will give guests a real taste of that millennia-old history and maybe even inspire some to cook with our vibrant native ingredients at home too," Olive continued. Reservations for the new waterfront restaurant are open now. Midden by Mark Olive will open at the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday, July 4. It will be open 11.30am–2.30pm and 5–8.30pm Monday–Sunday, and will run high tea on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
"Why can't you enjoy life?": when that line arrives in Hard Truths, it's not only a haunting moment within the latest film from British writer/director Mike Leigh, but the same from any movie in the past few years. First, the perennially depressed, angry and disillusioned — and also agoraphobic, paranoid, confrontational and hypochondriac — Pansy (Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Surface) utters it, giving voice to the accusations that she felt were directed her way by her late mother. Pansy's sister Chantelle (Michele Austin, Boat Story) then repeats it back, but as her own question, asking someone so clearly always in pain why such hurt, unhappiness and fury is her default status. "It was the combination of a lot of improvisations and preparation. It just came out of the blue," Jean-Baptiste tells Concrete Playground about that piece of dialogue. "It was obviously months of rehearsing and developing the characters that led up to it." She continues: "it just summed up the frustration that Chantelle has with her sister Pansy, but also I think something releases for Pansy when she actually answers truthfully." Leigh sees it as "part of the investigation of the relationship", he advises. "The moment, like all the moments — and all the action and all the dialogue and everything else — came out of the whole exploratory process of making the film by finding out what the film is on the journey of making it." As all projects by the iconic filmmaker are — across an on-screen resume that started with 1971's Bleak Moments; saw Jean-Baptiste nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Leigh's Secrets & Lies in 1996; and also covers Life Is Sweet, Naked, Career Girls, Vera Drake, Happy-Go-Lucky, Another Year, Mr Turner, Peterloo and more — the London-set Hard Truths was built from the ground up with his collaborators. His famed method of working involves casting first, constructing characters one on one with his actors sans script, tasking them with improvising the dialogue and, along the way, finding the storyline while only telling the members of his ensemble what they each need to know to play their parts. Here, the result is a two-time BAFTA nominee, including for Best Actress for its lead, who won the same category at the British Independent Film Awards. Alongside standing out as a portrait of the daily lives of a Black British family, a rarity in cinemas, Hard Truths is also a stunning study of a character who holds onto her agony, fears, rage and exasperation so tightly inside, and unleashes it so frequently at anyone and everyone in her vicinity. Pansy's contented salon-owner sister — a single mother with two daughters, one training to be a lawyer (Sophia Brown, Dead Shot) and the other in cosmetics (Ani Nelson, One Day) — isn't the only target of her distress. Hard Truths' protagnist's husband Curtley (David Webber, My Lady Jane) and adult son Moses (Tuwaine Barrett, Back to Black) are as visibly weary from attempting to cope as Pansy clearly is. Jean-Baptiste describes the character as "somebody who is in a lot of pain, but doesn't quite know where it's coming from. There's a lot of fear as well. It's 'attack before I'm attacked'. She's petrified of life and it manifests itself in a very aggressive way". If her performance hardly feels like one — not that she's Pansy IRL for a second — that's again a result of Leigh's process. "Michele Austin and I, obviously we've worked together before with Mike, but we would get into a room and Mike would talk to us about the girls. And so we had to build their parallel history," she explains, offering one example of how such fully realised characters came about. "Their parents, their grandparents, where they lived in London, what schools they went to, the bus route to their schools. How did they get there? Did they walk? Did they have to go past the park? And then we go and find that in London. So located it, so there's a visual memory of what that would have looked like, and that continues and continues until we get to a point — we do birthdays, parties, holidays, all that information. So imagine when you're in an improvisation a month and a half later, you've got all this stuff, all this wonderful history, all these experiences, that you can pull on at any given point within the improvs. So that's how that works." And yes, across a resume that also spans The Cell, City of Ember, the RoboCop remake, In Fabric, seven seasons of Without a Trace, Broadchurch, Blindspot, Homecoming and much more, Jean-Baptiste advises that she's benefited from Leigh's approach even when he's not her director. What appeals to Leigh, one of cinema's great excavators of life's complexities — struggles, joys and everything in-between — about investigating humanity through his work, and collaborating with his cast to create characters that feel like they could've walked off the street and into his movies? And what has driven him to do so for more than half a century? "It comes naturally to me. As a little kid, I was drawing caricatures of the grown-ups," he notes. "I don't make movies about movies. I love watching movies, but that's separate from the films that I make. I am not interested in received notions of plot and structure or anything else. For me, film — and indeed theatre, when I do stage plays, including in Australia — it's about a way to look at real life. People say to me 'where do your ideas come from?'. Well, I've only got to walk down the street and there are ten, 12, 20, 50, 100 films, because it's people, and that's really what it's about for me, basically." With Leigh and Jean-Baptiste reuniting for Hard Truths not only after Secrets & Lies and collaborating for the stage, but after Jean-Baptiste composed the score for Leigh's Career Girls, too, we also chatted with the pair about their working relationship, Leigh's starting point with each project, getting into and out of character, and the challenges and freedoms of his process, among other topics. What continues to inspire them and what they make of their respective careers: we spoke with the two about that as well. On Building Pansy as a Character Over Months and Months Marianne: "Mike asks you to come to the first session, where he works with you one on one, and to have a list of people from real life, real-life people that you know. And you start talking about all of these people and a list is formed, and the list gets smaller and smaller and smaller. So it's important to ground the characters in reality. And from that point, it's a stepping off point, because the character changes. For example, if you have three people, you've taken characteristics from those three people and you've merged them, what you would then do is start from scratch and build a new character — from their first memory to the age they're going to play when you actually see them in the film. In that process, you start to, with Mike always — he takes the position of god, he makes the decisions that none of us can make for ourselves — so with Mike, there's a collaboration whereby he asks lots of questions and you start filling in answers to who this person is. And then things that you wouldn't be able to decide, he makes those decisions. And in doing so, the disappointments, the heartbreaks and things like that, start to build in that person's life. So on a simplistic level, you could say that she is a combination of all of the bad experiences she's had — some real, some imaginary." Mike: "It's a difficult question to answer, really. Because obviously at one level, such people resonate for me — just as for everybody else, no doubt, including you — with experiences that you've had. What we do on my films, and this film is absolutely no exception, is I collaborate with each actor to give birth to a character. And drawing on various things, including some people that Marianne Jean-Baptiste actually knows, we evolved the basis of the character, which then grew." Marianne: "My experience in life. Observation. Being fascinated by human beings. That's the sort of thing that I generally draw on. And just knowing that — it's like being a kid again, almost — knowing that I'm absolutely free to imagine and create. One of my first jobs out of drama school, actually, was doing a Mike Leigh play — and it's exactly the same process, but it was early enough in my career to influence the way that I approached my work and almost approach life in that sort of people-watching way, and just being fascinated. So I think that just being in a safe environment where that was okay to make stuff up, and to pull stuff from my imagination is acceptable. I think you're just in-character in this process. We warm up into character and we snap out of it quite quickly. But as I said, it really is the culmination of months and months of working. We rehearsed for three and a half months — and that's a short rehearsal process for Mike. So if you can imagine, that's months of building layers and layers and layers. So there's every disappointment she's had. There's everything that she hoped for but didn't achieve. There's every slight or perceived slight that she's had. There's that idea that nobody listens to her, nobody values her, nobody likes her. So that's going on for three and a half bloody months. So by the time you get to those sort of scenes, it's like it's all there — it's all there already." On Reteaming Not Only After Secrets & Lies, But After Stage Collaborations and Jean-Baptiste Composing the Score for Leigh's Career Girls Mike: "We did work together 30 years, 31 years ago, in a stage play. And then of course, she was famously in Secrets & Lies, in which, incidentally, in both of those projects she paired with Michele Austin, who plays her sister in this film. It's a long time since Secrets and Lies, and I wanted to work with her — and she with me — for a long time. Often it's the case that you want to work with an actor and they're actually very busy doing other things. Finally we said 'well, let's go for it. Let's do it'. We were going to make the film sooner, but the pandemic put paid to that." Marianne: "I think he's very bold. He's a bold storyteller. He loves people and he loves actors. And I think, as an actor you have more agency working with him than you do with most other types of work. It's truly collaborative — and collaborative all round with production design, with hair and makeup. Everybody works together and everybody's on the same page about the way that they're going to approach the work. I think we've got a very similar sense of humour, so that really helps as well." On Leigh's Starting Point with His Actors on Each Film Mike: "I work individually, separately and privately with each actor. And part of the deal with these films is that the actors take part, agree to take part, and the deal is you'll never know anything about the rest of it, except what your character knows. So they're all working, as it were, in isolation from each other. And I sit down at some length, with quite a lot of sessions, with each actor, and we talk about real people and gradually we talk into existence the basis of the character. So that's the starting point. Then it's about putting them together and exploring relationships, and building up the world and doing any research that needs to be done — into activities or work or whatever it is. To arrive at something that is completely organic and three-dimensional, and is also thus the basis of a film, which then, during the shooting period, we construct as we go along scene by scene, sequence by sequence, location by location, arriving at the end." On Ensuring That Leigh's Cast Can Step Out of Their Characters, Especially Someone as Complicated as Pansy, When Each Scene and Day Ends Marianne: "It's hard to shake in that you still keep, it's still there in your head working. Mike's very, very strict about coming out of character. So there's a whole protocol on-set about warming up into character and warming down. But with Pansy, because of the intrusive thoughts that the character had, obviously you have to create that thought process for yourself in order to play it. So it took a while for me to shut her up." Mike: "As soon as we start to get the characters on the go, I'm very strict, right from the beginning. But actors should warm up and get into character, be absolutely in-character when they're in-character, but as soon as we stop — which is to say not at the end of the day, but each improvisation or whatever it is — to come out of character. So the actor is then able to be objective about what happened in the improvisation or about the character. I'm also very strict that the actor, when talking about the character, refers to the character as 'him' or 'her, not 'I' — which a lot of actors, as you know, do, they talk about 'I' and there's a crossing of wires. So that's really a discipline. And that's what you're talking about, to be sure the actor can be totally in it when in it, but totally comfortable and not screwed up when not in it." On the Challenges and Freedoms of Leigh's Approach Marianne: "It's exhilarating, terrifying and freeing — all those wonderful things. There's nothing else like it, being able to work in this way. There were times when you feel like crying, because you're like 'what on earth am I doing? What is this?'. And then you see it, you see the result and you go 'oh my god'. Because obviously, because everybody's working individually on their characters, you don't know what's happening. The first time I saw the film, I was able to see what happened in the beauty salon, and what Curtley did at work and where Moses went, and what the nieces were like. So it's like, for us, it's like discovering the film for the first time. It's wonderful is all I can say." Mike: "It's totally a combination of the two. It's certainly challenging. Here's the thing: if they say 'okay, here's five or six million pounds and you've got to deliver a film', that is quite a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, of course. It's challenging, but it's highly stimulating. And the freedom of there being no preconceptions or interference or prescriptions from the streamers or the producers or anybody — the backers or the whoever — it's very liberating. Frightening, yes, but then the creative process is dangerous in any context. But liberating. It's wonderful. If I were to ever — many times over the years, the opportunity has come to make a film with certain provisos. 'You have to have a Hollywood star in it.' 'We have to be able to monitor it.' 'You can't have final cut.' All that stuff. Well, I'll just walk away. It just doesn't happen, basically. Which then liberates the freedom to do what artists should do." On How Leigh Works with His Cast to Ensure That Whether or Not the Audience Has Lived a Character's Life, They Feel Recognisable Mike: "You can't underestimate the contribution of the actor. The actor's intelligence, sensitivity, perception, talent. I only work with character actors, which is to say people that don't just play themselves in a narcissistic way, but actually are up for and want to detect, depict and portray real people out on the street. And so my job is to facilitate and to contribute in terms of the narrative ideas — but in the end, what you're asking about relies primarily on her ability to to act, create, empathise, project, distill and investigate all those aspects of the character. There are actors who are, on the whole, good actors, but are not very intelligent. There are actors who are fine actors that have no sense of humour. There are actors who, as I've already said, are not character actors. Marianne Jean-Baptiste, like all the actors in this film, has all of those qualities, not least a sense of character and a sense of humour, and therefore has the ability to get inside different sorts of people and really, really bring it to life." On How Cognisant That Jean-Baptiste and Leigh Were About Hard Truths Standing Out as a Portrait of the Daily Lives of a Black British Family Marianne: "No, we were not aware of it while we were making it. We were aware that there's a predominantly all-black cast, but you obviously don't know what the story is. So you know it's going to be something to do with family and stuff, but yeah, it's a bonus that it's something that people can be proud of and say 'yeah, great, so refreshing'." Mike: "That was a deliberate decision. It wasn't, in no way, a difficult decision, because I just approached the characters and the world and the issues and the emotions and the relationships in this film just as I have every other film I've made, including the period films — which is to say these are people and we're looking at them as people in a real way. However, I was very definitely consciously aware that we were not going to deal in all those cliche tropes that films about Black people on the whole deal with, because that's not what it's about as far as I'm concerned. For me, I would say — and you're no doubt familiar with other films of mine — across all of my films, it's a collection of different aspects of society, but all looking at people as individual, real people. And this film is, if you like, the mere continuation of that ongoing investigation." On Reflecting the Reality of Life by Making a Film That's Both Deeply Moving and Has a Sense of Humour Mike: "It's not a balancing act at all. Life is comic and tragic. Whatever you do, whether you like it or not — how many times have you not laughed at a funeral? Life just comes out of the soil, ready-made comic and tragic. So for me, I don't sit around thinking 'oh, maybe there should be a comic moment' or 'maybe this should be a tragic moment'. That looks after itself, and it certainly looks after itself in this film. It's a barrel of laughs, hopefully, for a good section, a good chunk of the film. And then — and we've had quite a number of public screenings of the film, and you could absolutely chart precisely where the laughter dies away, and it's obvious why that is. It's not a question of balance. It's a question of the truth of what you're depicting and what you're investigating, what you're sharing with the audience and what the audience experiences." On What Inspires Jean-Baptiste and Leigh About a New Project Marianne: "At this point in my life, I'm looking for challenges. I'm looking for something that I can transform myself — something that's going to be fun. For me, that's it. Are they good people? Will it be fun? Will it be challenging in a good way, you know?" Mike: "To me, it's always exciting. It's partly, to be honest, because I don't know what we're going to do and therefore there are all sorts of possibilities. And my head is buzzing with all sorts of possibilities and ideas — 'maybe we'll get him', 'maybe we'll get her to the party'. Then, of course, it's the anticipation and the enjoyment of actually working with people, and making it and making the thing happen. And shooting and working with the actors, all that's just, to me, a joy. Here's the thing that's important: the way I make films is the same way but is parallel to people writing novels, painting pictures, making music, making sculpture, writing poetry, et cetera — which is to say that the artist embarks on a journey of investigation, and discovers what the piece is on the journey of making it. They interact with the material. How many novelists have you heard say 'well, I didn't know what was going to happen, and then somehow the character told me what needed to happen next'? That's really what I do. The privilege I feel I have that painters and novelists, et cetera, don't have, is that I'm not stuck in a room by myself. It's a collaborative, socially pleasurable activity." [caption id="attachment_782569" align="alignnone" width="1920"] In Fabric[/caption] On What Jean-Baptiste and Leigh Each Make of Their Careers So Far Marianne: "I think it's interesting. I think I've had quite an interesting career. I've forgotten some stuff that I've done — it's gotten to that stage where people go 'oh that film' and I go 'oh yeah'. Yes, I think it's been a bit of an interesting one, mine, that's taken me to a few different places. I've been able to be quite selective in the last say five or ten years, which is good." [caption id="attachment_722535" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Peterloo[/caption] Mike: "Well, on the whole, if I was to sum it all up, I think I've been very lucky, actually, really. There've been breaks at times, which made it possible to do the crazy thing I do, which is to say to backers or theatre managers: 'I have no idea what we're going to do. I will not discuss casting. And please don't interfere with it while we're doing it at any stage'. And one could be forgiven for imagining that on that basis, I might never have done anything. So I've been lucky in that sense, and I guess the honest answer to your question is that, really — that I've found it remarkable that I've kind of got away with it." Hard Truths opened in Australian cinemas on Thursday, March 6, 2025 and New Zealand cinemas on Thursday, March 13, 2025.
It's been 18 years since Australia's first taste of acclaimed New York artist Spencer Tunick's work, when 4500 naked volunteers posed for a snap near Federation Square as part of the 2001 Fringe Festival. He then photographed around 5000 nude people in front of the Sydney Opera House during the 2010 Mardi Gras, and came back to Australia just last year to shoot over 800 Melburnians in the rooftop carpark of a Prahran Woolworths. This month, Tunick made the trip to the shores again — and this time, he went tropical. On Saturday, November 23, a whole heap of Aussies stripped off on a beach in the Whitsundays, with the internationally famed artist returning to Australia to stage the newest of his famed mass nude photographs. In Tunick's latest visit to Australia, his sights were set on the white sands and sparkling blue waters of Haslewood Island — near Whitehaven Beach, aka the second best beach in the world. That's where Tunick assembled another contingent of naked folk for a work titled Sea Earth Change. Interestingly, the shoot was part of The Iconic's (yes, that online clothing store) summer campaign We Are Human. Naturally, the resulting images feature the sky, the ocean and the sand — and the nearly 100 nude participants — with Tunick making an artistic statement on the fragility of both the natural environment and humanity. "Using a pristine location like Haslewood Island in the Whitsundays to highlight the need for us to protect these areas, while exploring the vulnerability of the human form and importance of community is something I hope I've communicated with these images," he explained. Tunick captured a diverse mix of bodies in the shoot, with participants each receiving a print of the photograph and, we're sure, a big boost of body confidence. The artwork was unveiled at The Calile Hotel in Brisbane on Wednesday, November 27, marking the latest striking images in the artist's career. Elsewhere, he's photographed the public painted red and gold outside Munich's Bavarian State Opera, covered in veils in the Nevada desert and covered in blue in Hull in the UK. Images: Spencer Tunick's Sea Earth Change installation artworks.
For one afternoon only, Messina's headquarters in Marrickville is transforming into a massive dance floor. The gelato maker is teaming up with events collective Maple Social for a sun-drenched day party. Leading the DJ lineup is TikTok hero Touch of Funk, who'll be joined by locals CHRS and steevie. They've all been charged with getting you moving, and keeping you that way. In between dance breaks, kick back with a burger and hand-cut fries from Marrickville's Whole Beast Butchery. Meanwhile, Messina's Erin Bar will be peddling signature cocktails. Then, of course, there's the gelato — bucketloads of it. Tuck into all the usual flavours at your leisure, but do make sure you leave room for the Maple Social-inspired special. It's a Canadian maple scoop infused with butter, dotted with chunks of waffle cone crunch and drizzled with maple caramel. Entry to the Maple Social x Gelato Messina Car Park Party is free, but you need to RSVP beforehand. Do that via Instagram @maplesocialclub or Partiful.
If there's one thing the entertainment industry loves at the moment, it's turning movies into something else. Musicals and television shows, to be exact. Following in the footsteps of La La Land, Amelie and a wealth of others, The Devil Wears Prada is the latest film making the leap to another medium. Yes, the fashion-focused workplace drama is headed to the the stage in musical form. Showing just how terrifying your boss has to be to make you not just scream, but sing, the film-to-theatre adaptation will take its cues from the 2003 novel the movie was based on, as well as the 2006 flick starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. And, it'll come with songs from a famous source, with Elton John signing on to compose the production's music. If this sounds partly familiar, that's because taking The Devil Wears Prada to the stage has been mooted since 2015, but without any specific details. John will join forces with playwright and screenwriter Paul Rudnick (Sister Act, Addams Family Values) to bring the tale of aspiring journalist Andy Sachs, her haughty, haute couture magazine editor Miranda Priestley to singing-and-dancing life. No word yet on casting, or when the musical will become the kind of hot ticket that a million girls would kill for. Via Deadline.
Vaccinated masses rejoice: up to five double-jabbed mates can now gather in outdoor areas together, meaning the hottest ticket in town is the humble BYO picnic. So, it's high time to grab cured meats, crudites and cold ones and make tracks to your nearest scenic park for a long, leisurely day in the sun. But you don't want to throw your picnic blanket down on any old patch of bindi-riddled grass. Sure, you may be restricted to your LGA or five-kilometre bubble, but there are still plenty of sprawling parks, stunning gardens and secluded reserves around. We've teamed up with Rosie Spritz to round up five of the most idyllic spots in the inner city 'burbs — all of which allow you to BYO booze. Here's where to lay in the sun, crack open a pre-batched bottle of rosé spritz and tuck into some A-grade cheese. [caption id="attachment_826962" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brooke Zotti[/caption] BARANGAROO RESERVE, BARANGAROO Named after the Cammeraygal leader and wife of Wangal man Bennelong, Barangaroo is known for both its cultural heritage and as a sprawling precinct nestled between Sydney Harbour and the city. It's also home to Barangaroo Reserve: a six-hectare swathe of rolling parklands brimming with Australian natives, meandering trails, dreamy harbour views and plenty of space to plant your vaxxed bums for a picnic. It's close to Wynyard Station and, if you haven't packed a picnic basket, Barangaroo's southern end is conveniently home to much-loved Sydney eateries like Belles Hot Chicken, Bourke Street Bakery, Ume Burger and Rivareno Gelato, all of which are currently offering takeaway options for your al fresco snack needs. [caption id="attachment_827001" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brooke Zotti[/caption] ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN SYDNEY, CBD Both the oldest scientific institution in Australia (it was opened way back in 1816) and one of the oldest botanic gardens in the southern hemisphere, the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is truly one of the Harbour City's top natural(ish) gems. It's also a perfect spot to set your self up for an afternoon. Why? For one, it's absolutely massive — 30 hectares in total. And, as one of the city's most prized green spaces, it is home to a jaw-dropping collection of both native and foreign species of plants, and, of course, local wildlife. And with all that space, there are myriad options for either a lively picnic with harbour views or a quiet leafy paradise all to yourselves. There are also endless amenities, so if you desperately need a coffee or (inevitably) need to go to the bathroom, you won't have to leave the park. [caption id="attachment_826968" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brooke Zotti[/caption] BEARE PARK, ELIZABETH BAY Known mostly for its foreshore trail loved by seemingly every jogger in town, Beare Park is a stunning space to take a load off post run — or walk, or drive. While this pocket of green space is relatively small (compared with the Royal Botanic Garden anyway), it has ample space for you to spread out. It's also BYO booze-friendly and, thanks to it being a stone's throw from Potts Point, it has no shortage of sweet food options for a luxe picnic spread, including top cheese shop Penny's and go-to sandwich spots like Small's Deli and Room Ten. Kick back, sip a Rosie Spritz and daydream you're one of the local multibillionaires who owns a superyacht moored in the bay. [caption id="attachment_826987" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brooke Zotti[/caption] HARMONY PARK, SURRY HILLS If you're on the hunt for a park that's close to the best eateries in town, look no further than Harmony Park. An ol' faithful outdoor lunch spot for the Surry Hills crowd, the park has an endless list of A-class food spots surrounding it. You can pick up a falafel-filled pita pocket at Shwarmama, a quality cup of joe from Single O, a Japanese-style katsu sando from Sandoitchi and Butter's famed fried chicken — the list of Surry Hills spots goes on and on and on. Harmony Park is also BYO-friendly (praise be), so you can cheers it up with your vaccinated pals. But, the real drawcard is all the cute pups parading around the park, so bring your pooch along, or simply coax a cute doggo over to your gathering with a fistful of leftovers. [caption id="attachment_825209" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Flickr, Amelia Collins, creative commons[/caption] HICKSON ROAD RESERVE, THE ROCKS If you're looking to picnic as close as humanly possible to an Australian landmark, then Hickson Road Reserve is your spot. The park sits underneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and it brings some vacay vibes with the giant palm trees lining the foreshore footpath. Not to be outdone by the bridge, there's also a pretty bloody spectacular view of Sydney Opera House and the rich blue hues of the harbour waters. Though small, it's probably the most blue-chip patch of grass to roll out a picnic blanket in the city. Rosie Spritz is an ideal springtime sip and is available at BWS, Dan Murphy's and First Choice Liquor stores across Sydney. For more picnic inspiration, check out our guides to idyllic picnic spots where you can BYO booze in Sydney's inner west, eastern suburbs, lower north shore and northern beaches. Top image: Barangaroo Reserve, Brooke Zotti Remember to Drinkwise.
Consider yourself a sushi fanatic? Gyuniku is willing to put that to the test with an unlimited sushi and sashimi buffet. But rather than needing to keep count of the plates you've put away like a traditional sushi train experience, this lunchtime event comes with a convenient set price so you know precisely what to expect. Available for lunch from 12–3.30pm, this feast is intended for the whole family, with adult diners paying $48.90 for unlimited trays of sashimi, nigiri and nori rolls. Yet the options extend much further, with delicious salads, dumplings, noodles and desserts on the menu alongside DIY chirashi bowls – or scattered sushi. Designed to deliver maximum value for money, not to mention flavour, at a time when sushi prices are going up and up, stuffing yourself with this Japanese feast is easygoing on your wallet. Kids are welcome to indulge in the banquet too, with children aged 4-10 dining for $27.90 and toddlers aged 1–3 priced at just $9.90.
