What turns a house into a home? Opinions vary. It could be precious memories, it could be building it with your own hands, it could be a renovation, or it could simply be turning a room into a space that's shared with the people you love most — and doing so with your own special flair. For Sophie Biet, co-owner and designer at Marrickville furniture studio and showroom So Watt, it's the power to make a space your own through big and small means. Alongside her co-owner, director and husband Jonathan, she has created a bespoke studio that helps clients transform unassuming materials and spaces into something more than the sum of their parts: into a home, through and through. With the studio celebrating its 10th anniversary, we spoke to Sophie to learn about their journey, their shared love for sustainability, as well as what So Watt does differently, and the dos and don'ts of interior design. Turning Childhood Dreams Into Professional Degrees Childhood is spent with a certain spark in one's eye about how we could end up living our lives. Maybe you wanted to be a racecar driver, an astronaut or a famous singer. For many of us, it's a dream we never got to see through — but not for Sophie or her husband, who each turned childhood dreams of becoming inventors into professional careers in design and manufacturing. "I was convinced it was possible to build a two-storey cardboard cubby house to allow me to move into my own home at nine years old, while Jono took to the go-kart track competing against the other kids and tinkering away on his pee-wee motorbike in his spare time. This passion never went away, so eventually, we were both off to university to study Industrial Design, mine at RMIT and Jono at UNSW." Two dreams, manifesting differently over the years, aligned into one story when the two met on an exchange program in the prestigious Dutch engineering university, TU Delft. The North Star of Sustainability Sophie and Jonathan knew So Watt would need an edge to stand out in the furniture industry. Furniture and other manufacturing industries generate a large amount of waste, so for two recently graduated designers, a sustainably focused store was non-negotiable. While that may seem broad for a business approach, it's resulted in a store experience and catalogue unlike anything else in the area. "There was never an 'ah-ha' moment when it came to our sustainability focus, it was more something that grew from the early introduction to sustainable design at uni and the observance of the increased need for all of us to be making it a critical part of anything we do. When it came our time to launch our own company, it was more of an assumption that it would be focused on sustainable practices." "One of our most unique traits is that everything we do is manufactured in-house, at our workshop below our showroom. For a company of our size, that's pretty unusual, as the manufacturing is more commonly done in larger off-site locations or overseas. This means we truly are an Australian-made company, not just designed in Australia and made overseas." The Ups and Downs of Making Customers' Dreams Into Reality So Watt isn't a run-of-the-mill furniture chain showroom. While there are a variety of products on offer and an in-store experience to be had, the mission of So Watt is one of guidance. Instead of pushing goods to whoever wants them to meet a bottom line, the So Watt team takes clients through it all, from aesthetic tips to full-blown custom furniture builds. "No two days are ever the same! We have such big dreams for So Watt that there are always new product designs on the go, or new system designs to improve the experience for our clients and streamline the workflow for our team. Because we offer custom furniture and joinery, there are always interesting project briefs being sent our way." Is there a common mistake in briefs that makes you cringe? "White! We always have a small cringe response when clients want us to build something completely white and cover all the ply up as much as possible … Nothing beats a beautiful sheet of ply with all its timber grain swirls on show. You can't beat a natural material, but you can definitely make it pop with complementary colours or textures across the whole project." Turning Simple Spaces Into Something Special with IKEA Hacks When considering furniture, the most recognisable name in the game is IKEA. The So Watt team bounces off the Swedish brand's success and service in a surprising way: hacking (not literally) their custom kitchen service into something sustainable and, perhaps most importantly, affordable. It's simple enough: Measure out your kitchen (thoroughly), build out a placeholder project with the online IKEA Kitchen Planner, and then take your shopping list of parts to the So Watt catalogue. You can book a free discovery call to scope it out with the pros first, or even let a design team take care of the whole process on your behalf for a fee. "We started to have enquiries from clients for a more built-in concept or larger fit-out that continued the styling of our furniture, and this began our joinery service. Being built-in, we took control of all the site measures, design concepts and drawings as well as the install so it could only be offered to our Sydney metro-based clients. Adding the 'IKEA Hack' offering has allowed us to expand into joinery projects Australia-wide, allowing customers as far away as Perth to create bespoke-styled built-in joinery with the classic So Watt details and materials." Any final words of wisdom for aspiring customers out there? "Stay open-minded! It's great to have an idea of what you want, but it never helps the outcome if you try and force things to adhere to a preconceived idea. Also, the most helpful thing a client can bring to the table is some well-thought-through consideration as to how they will store their belongings. There's nothing worse than commissioning your dream bespoke home office only to forget about a spot for that laminator you use daily." "After ten years, we feel like this is still only the beginning … We've been learning and watching, and are excited to be working on some pretty big concepts to crack the industry open and allow homeowners a more accessible option for custom furniture and joinery that isn't complicated and won't break the bank." If you're interested in browsing the So Watt collection before you head in store, the team have curated their favourite designs into a ready-to-order catalogue, starring favourites like Speckle Billi Stool and Hardwood Peg Collection. Browse the options, pick a colour option and the team will begin on your piece in the workshop. For more information on So Watt, to shop their collection or to book a consultation, visit the website.
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?time_continue=4&v=87RIVAc6MJU&feature=emb_logo SYNCHRONIC Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead made a significant splash in genre circles with 2014's horror-romance Spring and 2017's excellent cult thriller The Endless, but they aren't currently household names. If the duo keep writing and directing mind-bending sci-fi like Synchronic, though, they will be sooner rather than later. The pair actually appear destined to become better known via Marvel. They're slated to helm one of the MCU's many upcoming Disney+ TV series, the Oscar Isaac-starring Moon Knight, in fact. But, they've already worked their way up from the US$20,000 budget of their 2012 debut Resolution to making movies with Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan. Here, with Marvel's own Falcon and Fifty Shades of Grey's leading man, they play with time, relativity, fate and brain-altering substances. They ponder the shadows that the past leaves on the present, the way that progressing through life can feel far more like a stumble than following a clear path, and how confronting loss and death can reframe your perspective on living, too. Those temporal jumps and existential themes aren't new, of course, and neither is the film's steely look and feel, and its willingness to get dark. That's the thing about Benson and Moorhead, however: few filmmakers can twist familiar parts into such a distinctive, smart and engaging package in the same way, and with each and every one of their movies. Synchronic shares its title with a designer drug. In the film's vision of New Orleans, the hallucinogen can be bought in stores — and plenty of people are doing just that. Shift after shift, paramedics Steve Denube (Mackie) and Dennis Dannelly (Dornan) find themselves cleaning up the aftermath, as users keep overdosing, dying in unusual ways and getting injured in strange mishaps. And, these aren't your usual drug-fuelled incidents. One, involving a snakebite, happens in a hotel without even the slightest sign of slithering reptiles. That's enough to arouse the world-wearied Steve and Dennis' interest, and to give them something to talk about other than the former's attachment-free life and the latter's marriage. Then Dennis' teenage daughter Brianna (Ally Ioannides, Into the Badlands) goes missing, and the two EMTs are instantly keen to investigate any links that the popular pill might have to her disappearance. Cue a film that initially drips with tension, dread and intensity; uses every tool at its disposal to take viewers on a trippy journey; and grounds its surreal imagery and off-kilter atmosphere in genuine emotions. Each of Benson and Moorhead's four films so far are strikingly shot and astutely written, and rank among the best horror and sci-fi efforts of the past decade, but they're also as thoughtful and resonant as they are intelligent and ambitious — and that's an irresistible combination. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5R46NgopPw&feature=emb_logo ANOTHER ROUND Even the most joyous days and nights spent sipping your favourite drink can have their memory tainted by a hangover. Imbibe too much, and there's a kicker just waiting to pulsate through your brain and punish your body when all that alcohol inevitably starts to wear off. For much of Another Round, four Copenhagen school teachers try to avoid this feeling. The film they're in doesn't, though. It lays bare the ups and downs of knocking back boozy beverages, and it also serves up a finale that's a sight to behold. Without sashaying into spoiler territory, the feature's last moments are a thing of sublime beauty. Some movies end in a WTF, "what were they thinking?" kind of way, but this Oscar-shortlisted Danish film comes to a conclusion with a big and bold showstopper that's also a piece of bittersweet perfection. The picture's highest-profile star, Mads Mikkelsen (Arctic), is involved. His pre-acting background as an acrobat and dancer comes in handy, too. Unsurprisingly, the substances that flow freely throughout the feature remain prominent. And, so does the canny and candid awareness that life's highs and lows just keep spilling, plus the just-as-shrewd understanding that the line between self-sabotage and self-release is as thin as a slice of lemon garnishing a cocktail. That's how Another Round wraps up, in one the many masterstrokes poured onto the screen by writer/director Thomas Vinterberg (Kursk)) and his co-scribe Tobias Lindholm (A War). The film's unforgettable finale also expertly capitalises upon a minor plot detail that viewers haven't realised had such significance until then, and that couldn't typify this excellent effort's layered approach any better. But, ending with a bang isn't the movie's only achievement. In fact, it's full of them. The picture's savvy choices start with its premise, which sees the quiet and reserved Martin (Mikkelsen) and his fellow educators Tommy (Thomas Bo Larsen, Veni Vidi Vici), Peter (Lars Ranthe, Warrior) and Nikolaj (Magnus Millang, The Commune) all decide to put an out-there theory to the test. Motivated by real-life Norwegian psychiatrist Finn Skårderud, they conduct an experiment that involves being permanently sauced. Skårderud has hypothesised that humans are born with a blood alcohol deficit of 0.05 percent, so, with some cajoling needed on Martin's part, the quartet work that idea into their daily lives. Ground rules are established, and the shots, sneaky sips and all-hours drinking swiftly begins — and so splashes a tragicomic look at coping with mundane lives and the realities of getting older in an extreme fashion that's frank, unflinching, and yet also warm and sometimes humorous. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNkmnVd9wHM&feature=emb_logo ASSASSINS On February 13, 2017, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, a man was assassinated in broad daylight. While standing by the self check-in kiosks at around 9am, he was approached from behind by two women. After they each rubbed their hands across his face, he was dead within the hour. For a plethora of reasons, the attack garnered global news headlines. Such a brazen murder, carried out not only in public but also in full view of the Malaysian airport's security cameras, was always going to receive worldwide attention. The use of extremely deadly chemical weapon VX obviously demanded scrutiny — and so did the fact that the victim was Kim Jong-nam, the estranged elder half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. But, despite the onslaught of newsprint, pixels and airtime devoted to the incident when it happened, the full details behind it took time to unfurl. As Assassins explores, those facts are fascinating, gripping and distressing in equal measure. Indeed, if a Hollywood screenwriter had cooked up the story at the centre of Ryan White's (The Keepers) meticulously documentary, they would've been told that it's too far-fetched. Not that the world needs any additional reminders, but real life really is far stranger than fiction here. Across 104 minutes that relay an unmistakably and inescapably wild tale in an edge-of-the-seat yet never sensationalistic fashion, White asks the question that was on everyone's lips four years ago: why? That query has many layers. It starts with wondering why two women in their 20s — one from Indonesia, the other from Vietnam — with no clear political affiliations would kill an exiled North Korean who was once expected to lead his nation. From there, it expands to contemplate why Malaysian law enforcement officers and prosecutors were so content to believe that culprits Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong acted without any involvement from North Korea, and why a number of the latter country's citizens were interviewed, but then released and allowed to return home without facing any legal repercussions. Aisyah and Huong certainly weren't afforded the same treatment. Charged with Kim Jong-nam's murder, they were put through a long trial, and faced the death penalty if convicted. The pair, who didn't know each other beforehand, pled their innocence from the outset. Both women were adamant that they had each been hired to make prank videos for a YouTube show and, as far as they knew, their efforts in Kuala Lumpur were part of their latest production. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZNN9AttdBQ LONG STORY SHORT The type of guy who is always too busy to both make plans and stick to them, Teddy (Rafe Spall, Just Mercy) has a slippery relationship with time. He never seems to have enough to commit to anything right now, including setting a date to marry to his girlfriend of four years and new fiancée Leanne (Zahra Newman, Neighbours). Ever the procrastinator, he's always saying that he'll do everything later, too. Then, after an odd cemetery run-in with a mysterious woman (Noni Hazelhurst, Ladies in Black) that results in his wedding occurring just weeks later, Teddy's life starts slipping away in an unexpected fashion. Everything is normal when he climbs into bed on his wedding night but, when wakes up, he realises that it's suddenly a year later. Leanne hasn't skipped the past 12 months with him, although she does think that he's acting strangely (and, that he's simply freaking out because he forgot their anniversary). Teddy's best friend Sam (Ronny Chieng, Crazy Rich Asians) also doesn't believe that anything is amiss with the calendar, but plenty has changed. When another year glides by a few minutes later, everything changes yet again. Now, Teddy's claims that he doesn't have enough time take on much greater urgency, as he tries to work out what's going on, how to stop it and how to save his disintegrating marriage in the process. Writing, directing and appearing on-screen as a psychiatrist who exacerbates Teddy's frustrations, House of Lies and Superstore actor Josh Lawson turns filmmaker again with Long Story Short. He's still sticking with comedy, as he did with The Little Death, his last effort behind the camera. He's still happy to sketch out his narratives via broad strokes, too, and to pile on implausible details as well. Here, he starts with the supposedly romantic idea that a man will kiss any woman who wears the same dress as his girlfriend. That mistaken situation inspires Teddy's meet-cute with Leanne, and somehow sparks their whole relationship. It's about as believable as the beachfront Sydney house the apparently ordinary couple buy as their first marital home — so, when Teddy starts jumping through time, that seems feasible in comparison. From there, Long Story Short packages the expected manchild and relationship cliches with familiar temporal-hopping tropes, and can't hide that fact by shouting out to Groundhog Day. Physically resembling his director more often than not, Spall plays rattled well enough. Newman does her best in a thinly written role that simply has Leanne reacting to Teddy's chaos. But being suddenly whisked through time and missing this flat movie wouldn't be a bad outcome for audiences, unless you're the type of viewer who loves Aussie flicks filled with all the usual tourist-courting visuals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4mxHlXBy_g THE PEOPLE UPSTAIRS A film like Spanish comedy The People Upstairs lives and dies on the strength of its performances. That's not a criticism of the movie's script; rather, it's recognition that its conversation-fuelled dramas and sudden, drastic twists and turns need the right actors to sell everything that unfurls across its brief 82-minute running time. Thankfully, writer/director Cesc Gay (A Gun in Each Hand, Truman) has amassed a top-notch cast. That's hardly surprising — he has worked with his male leads Javier Cámara (Narcos) and Alberto San Juan (Advantages of Travelling by Train) before, and his female leads Belén Cuesta (Money Heist) and Griselda Siciliani (Morir de Amor) boast considerable resumes. But, had any of the quartet missed even the slightest of beats, the whole film could've crumbled, and badly. As the long-married Julio and Ana, Cámara and Siciliani are asked to convey years of unhappiness that's long threatened to push the couple apart, but to still find enough of a spark in their wearied relationship to explain why they're still together (and not just via the smoke that radiates from their frequent arguments). As the upstairs-dwelling Salvo and Laura, San Juan and Cuesta are tasked with looser roles; however, they also have to roll with the punches when their characters keep shocking and surprising their downstairs neighbours. For Julio, the Friday night that attracts the movie's attention should just be an ordinary evening. Coming home from his music teaching gig, he has papers to grade and doesn't plan on doing much else. Alas, after mentioning in passing the day prior that she'd like to invite Salvo and Laura over, Ana has followed through — and they arrive not long after Julio walks in the door, notices the new rug and starts an argument. From there, The People Upstairs stays within Julio and Ana's apartment and follows their awkward get-together with Salvo and Laura. The latter pair notice the tension immediately, and they have very specific ideas about how to ease it. Plenty of comedies of manners have stepped into comparable terrain, to the point that dinner party movies have become their own subgenre, but Gay and his cast never let the situation feel too familiar. While the film makes the most of its nicely appointed set, which helps, how its stars deliver the lively content of Julio, Ana, Salvo and Laura's chats remains crucial. The movie's comedy, and the pondering of changing societal norms that's baked into it, wouldn't work otherwise. That's not to say that The People Upstairs always hits its targets; although short, some of its conversations become not only purposefully circular, but also repetitive. But when the tightly written script and the cast performing it all sparkle, so does the feature. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c85aXHth_uQ&feature=youtu.be UNSOUND In Unsound, Finn (feature first-timer Yiana Pandelis) and Noah (Reece Noi, When They See Us) meet by chance. When the latter wanders into the club for Sydneysiders with hearing impairments that the former runs in the city's northern beaches, a connection springs, although both enter the relationship with other things on their mind. Attendance at the neighbourhood centre has been waning, and the locals complain about Finn's weekly dance parties. Tucking his long hair up under a cap while he stands behind the DJ decks by night and helps children learn Auslan by day, Finn is also slowly taking steps to cement his identity as a transgender man. As for the British-accented Noah, he's just arrived in Australia after touring the UK with his pop singer mentor Moniqua (Christine Anu), and his mother Angela (Paula Duncan, Neighbours) has hardly given him a warm welcome. So, Unsound follows Finn and Noah's romance, but that's just one of the things the film is interested in. While both lead characters receive ample screen time, Finn's experiences as a person who is deaf and with his transition are frequently thrust to the fore. That's a welcome move — not because Noah's efforts to step out of his absent father's shadow, take his career seriously and cope with his often-dismissive mum don't deserve attention, but because inclusive movies about trans men and people who are hearing impaired are rarely this thoughtful (and rarely exist at all, really). Directed by TV veteran Ian Watson (Heartbreak High, Home and Away) and penned by Ally Burnham (Nice Package), Unsound might bring both 52 Tuesdays and Sound of Metal to mind, which are excellent movies to even remotely resemble; however, this small feature with big ambitions and a heartfelt impact is always its own film. Absent touristy Sydney shots that constantly remind you where it's set, and favouring a low-key, lived-in aesthetic instead, it dedicates its running time to plunging into Finn's life and portraying it authentically, a task that it doesn't lose sight of even for a minute. The texture and detail in Burnham's script, especially in fleshing out the movie's characters, isn't just admirable but essential. It's little wonder, then, that Pandelis always makes Finn feel as if he could walk off the screen — although the performer also deserves ample credit. Noi also more than does his part justice, in a well-cast film all-round (see also: scene-stealer Olivia Beasley as one of Finn's colleagues, and a grounded turn from The Boy From Oz star Todd McKenney as Finn's father). And, the use of sound to convey the joy that Finn and his friends feel at their Saturday night dance parties is one of the picture's many astutely calibrated touches. Unsound is currently screening in Melbourne cinemas, and will open in Sydney and Brisbane cinemas on March 18. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb7iVXzGics&feature=youtu.be ESCAPE FROM EXTINCTION As well as introducing the world to Joe Exotic and his out-there story, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness initiated many viewers into the horrors of roadside zoos and exotic animal menageries. Consider Escape From Extinction the counterpoint, then. Focusing on the other end of the zoo and aquarium industry — the professional, well-funded, properly run type — it sings the praises of establishments worldwide that have been doing their part to help save threatened and endangered species from disappearing. The figures, which the film quotes often (and repeats frequently, too), speak volumes. It's impossible not to be moved by the numbers of species already lost, others teetering on the brink, the dwindling populations left in some cases and, after successful conservation programs, the hard-earned upswings as well. But, it's also impossible not to see this feature as a prolonged advertisement, and an attempt to redress the criticism of keeping animals in captivity stoked by not just Tiger King, but animal activism in general, including high-profile campaigns to release creatures such as Keiko, the orca from the Free Willy films. American Humane produced the movie, so the latter is hardly surprising — but even if you didn't know that when you stepped into the cinema, you'd easily guess. With Helen Mirren's calm but no-nonsense voice providing its narration, Escape From Extinction largely operates in two modes: bigger-picture overviews and individual case studies. If you've delved into the ever-growing subgenre that is animal-focused environmental documentaries before (such as 2020's David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet), you'll have heard many of the movie's main overall messages. If you've paid any attention to news coverage of recent disasters, including Australia's bushfires, you'll also be familiar with its top-level details. When first-time director Matthew R Brady gets specific, however, the film endeavours to find its own niche — and to pad it with its clear viewpoint at the same time. Accordingly, there's more than a little awkwardness to some segments, especially when you compare the section about sharks being unfairly maligned by popular culture (yes, Jaws gets a mention) and the black-and-white footage and sinister soundtrack used whenever activists are shown protesting. Of course, the fight to save animals from extinction is a worthy one. The view that many zoos play an important part is worth espousing, too. And the experts, wildlife veterinarians, scientists, zookeepers and other industry figures assembled as taking heads are all clearly passionate about their work and about conservation. But, as Escape From Extinction shows, a film can make a plethora of valid and important points and still clumsily and forcefully push an agenda at the same time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIxq3UCcJmw LOVE, WEDDINGS & OTHER DISASTERS Filmmaker Garry Marshall passed away in 2016, ending his career with three terrible movies focused around specific occasions: Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve and Mother's Day. As well as being awful, all three took star-studded ensemble casts, split them across separate but eventually interlinked vignettes, and told tales relating to the celebrations in each feature's title. While Marshall clearly didn't helm it, Love, Weddings & Disasters takes its cues from his aforementioned films. It's directed by Dennis Dugan, though, who otherwise has the Adam Sandler-starring Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Grown Ups and its sequel, Just Go With It and Jack and Jill on his resume. Sandler doesn't show up here, though, because he's made a decision far wiser than Jeremy Irons (Watchmen), Diane Keaton (Poms), Maggie Grace (Fear the Walking Dead) and Diego Boneta (Monster Hunter). Indeed, it's difficult to see what anyone appearing on-screen saw in Dugan's script, other than the filmmaker himself — who plays the obnoxious host of a TV dating show called Crash Couples that sees strangers literally chained together in an attempt to win $1 million. Yes, the clips involving the latter are as excruciating as they sound but, in fairness, so is everything else about this supremely unfunny and unromantic supposed rom-com. Putting the word 'disaster' in this movie's moniker couldn't be more apt. Nor could its opening scene, where the ultra-competitive Jessie (Grace) drops her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend while skydiving. She also crashes into a lakeside ceremony, with the footage going viral and earning her the nickname 'wedding trasher' — which is a problem given that she wants to work in the industry. Just eight days before a Boston mayoral candidate and his bride-to-be are due to get hitched, Jessie scores her big chance. Trying to play nicely with veteran Lawrence Philips (Irons) while planning the ceremony isn't easy, though, especially when he's preoccupied after being set up on a blind date with Sara (Keaton), a woman with a visual impairment. More of Love, Weddings & Other Disasters' bite-sized tales link in with these narratives from there, involving musicians, buskers, Crash Couples and tours of the city, and they're all just as cliched and thinly thought-out. That's one of the movie's problems, but it's also near-incoherently shot and edited, and looks as if all of its budget went to paying Irons and Keaton. It's hard to say they were worth the money, because he's just asked to be prim, proper and uptight, and she somehow agreed to play a woman who is blind and trips over all the time. That's Dugan's idea of prime romantic-comedy material, and it's enough to harden even the softest of hearts in dismay. 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 July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23 and July 30; August 6, August 13, August 20 and August 27; September 3, September 10, September 17 and September 24; October 1, October 8, October 15, October 22 and October 29; and November 5, November 12, November 19 and November 26; and December 3, December 10, December 17, December 26; and January 1, January 7, January 14, January 21 and January 28; and February 4. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Craft: Legacy, Radioactive, Brazen Hussies, Freaky, Mank, Monsoon, Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt), American Utopia, Possessor, Misbehaviour, Happiest Season, The Prom, Sound of Metal, The Witches, The Midnight Sky, The Furnace, Wonder Woman 1984, Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles, 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 and The Nest.
If it's been a while between visits to Chippendale, you may notice a few changes next time you drive up Regent Street. A strip of colourful brick-fronted townhouses has been demolished to make way for the multibillion-dollar Sydney Metro project, cabbie favourite Michael's Malaysian & Chinese Restaurant is gone and, in its place, a bright red neon sign has appeared. The sign belongs to Manny's, a matchstick-sized diner, whose pizza by the slice and juicy philly cheesesteaks are sure to be a hit with punters leaving Freda's and The Lord Gladstone in the wee hours. Run by Evan Hansimikali, who also owns the attached petrol station, Manny's opens from 6.30am on weekdays, for coffee and B&E rolls, all the way through to 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. So, if you do stumble out of one of the aforementioned establishments after witching hour, you'll be able to grab a $5 slice of thin-crust New York-style pizza topped with double-smoked leg ham and artichoke, perhaps, or cabanossi and pepperoni. Vegan night owls are catered for, too, with about 40 percent of the menu meat- and dairy-free. Their late-night slice of choice might be topped with vegan cheese, potato and rosemary, instead. With only three seats, Manny's is more of a takeaway joint, and it knows this. A delivery service is in the works, it's setting up a happy hour deal with Freda's and it's primed for meals on-the-run, able to turn out a cheesesteak in a minute. And those cheesesteaks sound like they're more than worth the 60-second wait. To replicate the popular PA sangas, Hansimikali has hoagie-like rolls — a cross between baguettes and panini, he says— custom-made for him by Sydney's Fuel Bakery. Then, there's the all-important meat. "We use grass-fed scotch fillet steak," says Hansimikali. "We thinly slice it and throw it on the hot plate. It's so thin it falls apart in your mouth." After that, the rolls are loaded with American cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo. Some are also topped with meatball sauce and provolone, others eggplant and green peppers. They're not traditional, but Manny's isn't following any rulebook too closely. While the food is predominantly Italo-American, you'll also find Greek influences scattered throughout. One cheesesteak comes topped with tzatziki, you'll spot a hot dog with black olives and feta, and you can order fries covered in chilli and garlicky yoghurt. Cabbies might no longer be lining up for the Regent Street restaurant, but it looks like Ubers and personal cars will be soon, with plans for one of the petrol station lanes to be converted into a 'drive-thru'. Next time you're looking for fast meal beyond the Golden Arches, Manny's may be your answer.
Sydney WorldPride is now upon us and the Mardi Gras Parade is this weekend. If you've left your preparation to the last minute, we've enlisted the expertise of living legend Carlotta — a trans icon and cabaret performer who knows a thing or two about getting ready for a show. Carlotta is currently featured in a special Sydney WorldPride installation in the QVB which pays tribute to queer Australians who have made significant contributions to the LGBTQIA+ community. The QVB is temporarily rebranding from the Queen Victoria Building to reflect each of these contemporary queens with a set of fabulous portraits by photographer Dream Syndicator (pictured above). Carlotta is one of the queens in focus, along with queer activist Ken Davis (a member of the original Mardi Gras 78ers), Indigenous drag queen Felicia Foxx, Independent MP Alex Greenwich and Janine Middleton who, together, co-chaired Australian Equality and successfully fought for and helped achieve marriage equality in Australia. Fashion and costume has always played a role in self-expression for queer communities, and when it comes to dressing up Mardi Gras is one of the biggest nights of the year. So Carlotta shared a few tips for any Pride newcomers looking for a bit of a steer. Carlotta, what's the best way to mentally prepare for Pride? It's three weeks of (what seems to be) non-stop parties, so how does one survive? "To prepare for Pride you need to be organised, wear something you're comfortable in (for Carlotta this would now be wearing flat shoes) and make sure you're drinking lots of water." If you were going to Mardi Gras what would you be wearing? "If I were to be going to the celebrations I would be wearing a Camilla Kaftan because it's bright and colourful but also loose, flowy and comfortable. I'd also be wearing flat shoes because my feet are suffering now and I can't wear high heels like I used to." Where are some of the best places in Sydney to stock up on looks for Pride? For me it would be Camilla or House of Priscilla on Oxford Street (it has always been the best place). [caption id="attachment_892528" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Inside of House of Priscilla[/caption] How do you differentiate your day-to-day style versus your on-stage style? - Is your on-stage self an extension of your day-to-day or is it a completely new persona? "My day-to-day persona and on-stage persona are two completely different aspects. Day-to-day I wear more loose and flowy clothing, and on stage I'm more extravagant with lots of sequins and feathers." How do you think fashion plays a role within the queer community in general? Fashion plays a role in the queer community but all the fashion choices and styles are completely different. People can wear what they want to wear and that's what it's all about. What have been your favourite Mardi Gras/Pride looks to date? I've always loved everything I've worn. My favourite look I've ever done is when I did Priscilla Queen Of The Desert — I wore a big white coat and feather collar. Why do you think dressing up is such an important aspect of Pride? It's the excitement of the celebrations in the community. Everyone gets to me themselves and uses their outfits as self expression. For more inspiration for how to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime celebration head to our events guide on the best of Sydney WorldPride.
For those who haven't escaped to Europe during Australia's cooler months, North Bondi Fish is giving Sydney locals something to feel good about while all their mates are sipping Aperol spritzes in Italy. A twist on the Bondi eatery's bottomless brunches, Disco Yum Cha will run every Saturday and Sunday from Sunday, July 5–Sunday, August 3, from 11am–3pm. Guests can expect a fresh, seafood-heavy menu curated by Group Executive Chef Hamish Ingham and Head Chef David Coumont. The yum cha-style set menu perfectly balances Asian flavours with Aussie influences and is designed for sharing. Think prawn toast with sweet chilli, scallop wontons in Sichuan oil, and barramundi with ginger and shallot. Menu options include a small set menu for $65 per person, or a larger option for $89 per person. To keep you quenched, enjoy bottomless beer and wine for $30 per person, or add cocktail jugs to make it $60 per person. Yum cha-inspired cocktails are available à la carte, such as the Mucha Macha with gin, strawberry bitters, mint and matcha soda, or the Marg Yum Cha, which is part margarita, part wild card, with tequila, mandarin and black sesame. Around midday — once you've settled into the perfect spot and are kicking back with uninterrupted views of Bondi Beach — disco DJs will take the stage to take the party up a notch. Bookings for Disco Yum Cha are essential. Visit the Disco Yum Cha website to lock in your spot. Images: Alana Dimou.
It feels like just yesterday that the US-based masters of all things sauce and wings broke new ground in Sydney. You might remember the TikToks, lines going around the block for almost six months, as hundreds of hungry patrons visited to get their hands on the Australian debut of Wingstop. Well, history is about to repeat itself, this time on the other end of town in Penrith. Wingstop's second Australian store is opening in the west, after fans across the city cried out for their suburb to be home to store number two, but Sydney's outer west was outspoken in its demand. Steve Kehl, Country Manager of Wingstop Australia, said, "From the moment we opened Kings Cross, Penrith became one of the most requested locations in the country." "Western Sydney told us loud and clear that they wanted Wingstop, and we've listened. The community energy out here is unmatched, we cannot wait to bring the flavour to Penrith, and then to the rest of Australia as we continue our plans for over 110+ locations across the country." Opening soon, there'll be an opening day extravaganza, just like that fateful day in Kings Cross back in May. The first ten visitors in the door will get free wings for a year, plus exclusive merch for the first 50 and free wings on the day for the first 300. As the day goes on, DJs will keep the energy up alongside giveaways and more exclusive merch, so don't skimp on an afternoon or after-dark visit. At the end of the day, though, we're all here for the wings, so what's actually going to be on the menu? It's poultry aplenty, with classic and boneless wings and tenders available in packs ranging from three to 50. They're tossed with one of twelve sauces: Lemon Pepper, Hickory Smoked BBQ, Hawaiian, Garlic Parmesan, Louisiana Rub, Spicy Korean Q, Mild, Hot Honey Rub, Cajun, OG, Mango Habanero and Atomic. Get them with a side of signature seasoned fries (with seven choices of seasoning), house-made cheese or ranch dips, or cajun-spiced corn. Add on a cold drink or even a chocolate brownie to help the wings go down. If you don't make it on the day, keep your eyes peeled for future in-store events or for where store number three will open. Wingstop Penrith can be found at 565 High Street, Penrith, 2750, open from 11am until late daily. For more information, visit the Wingstop website or social media pages.
Until the end of August, you can snag a free cheeseburger with every drink valued $10 or higher purchased at Will's, the pint-sized beachfront bar at the Coogee Pavillion. And these aren't just any burgers. This Oklahoma-style sandwich stars a Coppertree Farms wagyu beef patty on a cream cheese bun, finished with pickles and mustard. As Sydney barrels towards the warmer spring months, beach weather is tantalisingly close. So why not break your winter beach embargo early, enjoy a bracing dip at Wylie's Baths or a paddle in the surf before heading to Will's for a beverage and burger bargain? The offer is valid Wednesday–Sunday, midday–9pm, or until the supply of burgers is exhausted – so we suggest you plan a lunchtime visit to avoid disappointment.
Merivale is expanding faster than our belts can handle. On Good Friday, Justin Hemmes' heaving hospitality empire cut the red ribbon on the newest member of the Merivale family: the Newport Arms Hotel. Or rather, The Newport. A Northern move for the city-dominant group after opening J&M's whisky bar, the revamped Ivy Pool and The Paddington in the last few months, alongside renovations for the Queen Vic Hotel, Merivale's acquisition of the Pittwater hotel is a bold decision for Hemmes. A landmark property of the Northern Beaches since 1880, the Newport Arms has now officially reopened as The Newport. Design-wise, there's been some hectic landscaping that's been done on Australia's largest outdoor waterfront beer garden — all by landscaper Daniel Baffsky. According to Merivale, the grounds are "a sprawling estate that evokes a sense of nostalgia" with flowering shrubs, jacarandas, wild cacti, succulents, Chinese elms, plane trees, crape myrtles and date palms. The actual Newport building draws on influences from Montauk, The Hamptons and Mediterranean and has been designed by Kelvin Ho and Emilie Delalande (Akin Creative), stylist Amanda Talbot and Justin and Bettina Hemmes. In classic Merivale-style, there's multiple, eclectic, themed spaces to drink and dine in (and take in that view), with natural stone paving, locally-made furniture and plenty of marble. The Newport also features a 'vintage gymnasium' with badminton, exercise bikes that can charge mobile phones (!) ping pong tables, a giant magnetic scrabble board, outdoor petanque and concrete table tennis courts. Food-wise, expect a range of different unique noshing experiences, with executive chef Sebastien Lutaud behind the wheel. Lutaud has fried escargot alongside France's Oliver Elzer, prepared sashimi with Tetsuya Wakuda and headed up Felix Bar and Bistro. Now, he's bringing his 25 years of gun hospitality experience to Sydney's northern beaches. "From the minute The Newport was described to me, I thought it was going to be an amazing project," says Lutaud. "It's a one-of-a-kind in Sydney, if not Australia — an amazing venue in an amazing spot." The Newport has a strong focus on food. But don't expect a single service counter or a straightforward menu at this renovated pub. Instead, expect to feel a bit like you're walking through a permanent food festival. Lutaud designed the menu with input from some of Merivale's other key chefs, so you'll notice some familiar imports — and a similar stall-type layout to the Coogee Pavilion's foreshore fest. "There are little stalls and outlets, selling different types of food," says Lutaud. "So, for example, we've got Vinnie's [Merivale pizza guru Vincenzo Biondini] pizzas, from Coogee. We've got a burger shack, where we do six different burgers and five different salads." There's also a cafe filled with Australian meats like smoked brisket, barbeque chicken and hot-smoked salmon, seasonal salads, smoothies, gelato and coffee by Merivale's favourite Sydney roasters, Will & Co. Given The Newport's Pittwater location, there's also a spot dedicated to fish and chips. "But I wouldn't call it your classic fish and chips, where everything's deep-fried," says Lutaud. "We do have the classic version, but we've also dishes like grilled Clarence River octopus and pan-fried snapper with simple salad." If you're travelling with mates or family and want to share, you'll be heading to The Kiosk, for small and large platters. "We have a French rotisserie, where we're doing chicken and Rangers Valley brisket and hot-smoked whole salmon, which we'll serve with rolls, salads and nice sauces. There's also a seafood section, with fresh oysters, cooked prawns and a crab omelette, with Vietnamese herbs and dressing." As for ordering, you'll have two options. The first is the old-fashioned method of heading to the stall, putting in your request and grabbing a buzzer. The second is downloading an app and doing it all from the comfort of your bar stool. The only catch is that the app is still in development – at this stage, it's good for pizzas, and other stalls will be added with time. Live music is also a huge focus at The Newport, with an expansive alfresco deck custom built to showcase local talent, seven days a week. Sunday Sundown, Merivale's free live music series, will kick things off, with indie duo Gypsy & The Cat on April 3, Tasmanian singer songwriter Asta on April 10 and Sydney synth-pop trio Mansionair on April 17. The Newport is now open at 2 Kalinya Street, Newport. By Shannon Connellan and Jasmine Crittenden. Images: Bodhi Liggett.
Tucked at the southern end of Cronulla Plaza, Fred's Providore is a local go-to for cafe fare, premium groceries and cuts from its in-house butchery. The space is bright and handsome, with dark timber, brass, fluted glass and exposed brick lending it a distinctly European feel. It's the kind of spot you could duck into for a wedge or two from the gourmet cheese display, or comfortably linger with a pick from the all-day brunch or loaded focaccia menus. Come nightfall, things take a decidedly intimate turn with Fred's After Hours, a moody bistro and wine bar that sees the lights dim and the wine poured generously. Those same timber and brass accents glow warmer in soft golden light, while the exposed brick takes on a softly dramatic edge. The fluted glass, etched with gold leaf, adds to the after-dark shimmer, and makes a fitting backdrop for caviar crumpets, dry-aged steaks and 16 wines by the glass. The menu — available from Thursday to Sunday — puts an elevated spin on the wine bar model. Yes, you'll find anchovy gildas and tuna crudo bites — and, naturally, house-baked focaccia — but also brioche lobster rolls and Black Pearl Oscietra caviar served with mini crumpets. Larger plates showcase the butchery's premium produce, like grass-fed steak tartare with 24-month parmesan and focaccia, MB9+ wagyu skewers and a rotating butcher's cut — for opening, it's a one-kilogram, dry-aged bistecca cooked on a hibachi and served on the bone. Behind the bar, sommelier Jeff Beresford has assembled a tight list that roams through Australia, New Zealand, France and Italy, with a pair of champagnes — Pol Roger and Ruinart, no less — available by the glass. Cocktails are equally considered, from the reimagined passionfruit martini served with a prosecco palate cleanser, to classic serves that can all be paired with a caviar-topped crisp. [caption id="attachment_1018893" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jarryd Biviano[/caption] Top images: Jarryd Biviano.
Wander into the National Art School between November 3 – 12 and you'll be treated to an exhibition showcasing a diverse range of works from this year's Masters of Fine Art graduates. Featuring a range of mediums including sculpture, drawing, ceramics, printmaking, photomedia and painting, the postgraduate show is always a great opportunity to get familiar with new artists and catch emerging talent while they're still just that. Budding investors take note: artworks will be available for sale so have your chequebooks at the ready. Artists on show include figurative painter and 2016 Archibald Prize finalist India Mark, Turkish-born postmodern portraitist Murat Urlali, visceral sculptor Samantha Stephenson, and Aly Indermühle, whose large scale and intimate light works were featured in this year's VIVID Sydney. The school is also holding a special evening on Thursday November 2 to mark the opening, with music from FBi DJS, food, pop-up bars and an open invitation to have a nose around the artist studios. Image: Samantha Stephenson Communion of Space 2016 painted steel, 2017
In 1954, Rear Window was the highest-grossing film in American cinemas, the first Godzilla movie rampaged across the big screen, and On the Waterfront won best picture at both the Oscars and the Golden Globes. And, in our neck of the woods, the first Sydney Film Festival was held. 65 fests and more than 9000 flicks later, and SFF is still going strong as it celebrates its latest milestone — with its usual excellent array of international cinema, of course. While the full 2018 SFF program won't be released until May 9, the festival's powers-that-be have revealed the first 26 films that you should start pencilling into your diary. Come June 6 to 17, you'll be watching everything from this year's top Sundance winner, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, to the absolutely exceptional festival circuit hit Foxtrot, from Israeli director Samuel Maoz. And, you'll be clamouring to see Oscar-nominated animated effort The Breadwinner, from the same Irish studio behind gorgeous SFF 2014 favourite Song of the Sea; the Martin Freeman-starring Ghost Stories, which features the star as a professor investigating paranormal activity; and Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist, a documentary profile of the British fashion designer and activist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTHQhMW5iIE Other early standouts include the Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz-starring Disobedience, the newest film from A Fantastic Woman director Sebastián Lelio; American Animals, which is based on the true tale of four friends trying to steal the world's most expensive book; and psychosexual S&M thriller Piercing, featuring Aussie actress Mia Wasikowska and Girls' Christopher Abbott. In addition, the acclaimed Leave No Trace marks the latest feature from Winter's Bone helmer Debra Granik, while this year's best foreign-language Academy Award nominee The Insult relates a fiery court battle between a Lebanese Christian man and a Palestinian refugee. There's also Berlinale Silver Bear winner Mug, a touching Polish satire about a man who has a face transplant (and a flick that has nothing to do with Nicolas Cage, John Travolta and Face/Off). Among the documentaries, Cold Blooded: The Clutter Family Murders delves into the horrific small-town killings that formed the basis of Truman Capote's iconic true-crime novel In Cold Blood (as well as the film of the same name), with the Paradise Lost trilogy's Joe Berlinger in the director's chair. For something completely different — and completely adorable, no doubt — Pick of the Litter charts the lives of five puppies training to become guide dogs. Also on the bill: Genesis 2.0, about hunters in the New Siberian Islands in the Arctic Ocean searching for tusks of extinct mammoths; Chef Flynn, which focuses on 19-year-old culinary whiz kid Flynn McGarry; and RocKabul, with Aussie journalist Travis Beard meeting Afghanistan's first and only metal band. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emta2b1N6m8 On the local front, West of Sunshine leads the charge, with the Melbourne-shot debut of Aussie filmmaker Jason Raftopoulos making its Australian debut after premiering at the Venice Film Festival last year. Then there's Jessica Leski's Kickstarter-funded I Used to be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story, which interviews fans of One Direction, The Beatles, Take That and the Backstreet Boys. Plus, SFF will also screen a brand-new digital restoration of Gillian Armstrong's 1979 classic My Brilliant Career. The just-announced titles join the previously revealed SFF 2018 retrospective, which will once again be curated by David Stratton, and will focus on ten films from Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki. Plus, as well as offering a sneak peek of the full lineup, SFF have also advised just where you'll be seeing this year's movies. For the second year running, the fest has added a new location, with Hoyts Entertainment Quarter joining returning venues The State Theatre, Dendy Opera Quays, Dendy Newtown, Event Cinemas George Street, Art Gallery of NSW, the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace Cremorne, Randwick Ritz and Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre. The EQ site will screen a specially selected family lineup, plus SFF's Screenability strand, which highlights the works of screen practitioners with disability. The 2018 Sydney Film Festival will run from June 6 to 17. Check out their currently announced titles by heading to the festival website. The full program will be released on May 9.
Aakash Nihalani takes the stationery store to town. Creating 3D images on two-dimensional surfaces, the New York-based artist uses an unlikely medium to create his street art — tape. Immediately identifiable by his signature style of bright, bold lines, look-twice illusions and meticulous repetition, Nihalani conjures movement by playing with your expectations. Hailing from Little India, Jackson Heights in Queens, the artist grew up in Jersey and returned to NYC around 2004 to dive headfirst into art school. Now, Nihalani's works are highly recognised from NYC to Vienna — he's even done a residency at the De Kooning estate in the Hamptons. Nihalani's work is created using cardboard, tape and a whole bunch of accuracy. Not one to shy away from experimenting with materials, Nihalani found his magic thread by chance. "I stumbled upon using tape by accident," he told Design Boom. "I was using a painter’s roll to attach some screen prints to the wall for a student exhibition. There was a pedestal in the space that was casting a cubic shadow on the floor that matched the shapes I was using in my prints, so I outlined the shadow with the tape. It all made sense in that moment." Dotted around NYC, the perspective-warping works range from epic installations like Platforms, Drop and Dominos, attached to concrete walls and best posed in front of; to the most recent shirt-attached Landline series (which would be unbelievably cred-prompting worn to a party as a pair). Budding artists, looks like it might be time you ditched Eckersley's for Officeworks. Via Lost at E Minor and Design Boom. Images from the artist's website, Eye Scream Sunday.
After a long, hot day, what better way to cool down than by sipping a chilled drink with the sound of waves crashing in the background. And if you find yourself in Bondi, you can do just that at The Pacific Club. The sleek all-day eatery opened in August 2018, and its chic design, featuring handcrafted Indian tiles and marble finishes, and views overlooking the promenade make it the perfect spot to enjoy a tipple or two. Giving you an extra reason to visit this spring is the arrival of an outdoor pop-up bar devoted to the mighty Chandon S. Get there between 4–6pm and settle in to the designated seating to try Chandon S at happy hour prices — just $8 a glass. This summery drop is a blend of sparkling wine and orange bitters — an aromatic combination of blood and navel oranges, fresh ginger, gentian root, vanilla pods, cinnamon quills and cardamom. Whether you spend your afternoon lazing about on the sand or strolling all the way to Bronte and back, be sure to leave yourself enough time for a cheeky sundowner. The Chandon Spritz Bar will be running every day between 4–6pm at The Pacific Club until Monday, December 3. No booking required.
When Ron's Upstairs opened on Redfern Street last year, the team left the space — which was previously occupied by longstanding Thai restaurant Pron Prohm — largely untouched. The panelled walls, the carpeted stairs and the (albeit altered) original sign out the front remain. The decision to keep these flourishes is a reminder that Redfern has changed rapidly in the last five years. Where dining options were limited to takeaway joints, there is now a rooftop bar, a corner wine bar and a ramen joint with a line snaking out the door. While some small bars like Arcadia Liquors and The Dock have been around for a while now, plenty of Redfern's restaurants and bars are brand spanking new. Here are the places worth checking out for dinner or a drink. Extra points to those that support the local arts community and erase the suburb's history altogether — even if it's just by keeping the sign out the front.
Family feuds are a deadly business in Bad Sisters, Apple TV+'s latest must-see. Just don't believe the first word in its title for a second. Starring, co-written and co-developed by Sharon Horgan, as Catastrophe was before it, this ten-part streaming series focuses on the Garvey girls, a quintet of Irish siblings who became bonded by more than blood when they were orphaned years earlier. Horgan's Eva took on the matriarch role and has doted on her siblings Grace (Anne-Marie Duff, Sex Education), Ursula (Eva Birthistle, The Last Kingdom), Bibi (Sarah Greene, Normal People) and Becka (Eve Hewson, Behind Her Eyes) ever since, even now that they range from their late twenties through to their forties. Used to doing whatever they must for each other, there's nothing bad about their sisterly devotion — but it just might include killing Grace's husband. A pitch-black comedy, a murder-mystery and a family drama all in one — an Irish riff on Big Little Lies, too, although it's actually adapted from Belgian TV's Clan from back in 2012 — Bad Sisters ponders two questions. Firstly, it wonders what lengths loyal siblings would truly go to to protect one of their own. Secondly, it contemplates what comeuppance women pushed to their limits will exact upon the source of their misery. Indeed, it's a darkly funny revenge fantasy as well, and a puzzle to compulsively sleuth along with. Do the Garveys get their wish? How will they try to make their dream a reality? Will their various murder plots work? What'll go wrong next? These queries also keep coming, and unfurling the answers makes for equally riveting, entertaining, empathetic and amusing viewing. Bad Sisters begins on the day of a funeral, farewelling John Paul Williams (Claes Bang, The Northman) after Grace makes sure that his erection won't be noticed first. Her dead husband has long been nicknamed 'The Prick' anyway, with his four sisters-in-law all thoroughly unimpressed, to say the least, about the toxic way he openly treated his dutiful wife. They're all sick of the underhanded abuse he also directed towards each of them, as well as anyone he didn't like, and the unearned air of superiority that always came with it. Calling him manipulative, callous, misogynistic, racist, narcissistic, spiteful, vicious, pitiless, ruthless, flat-out intolerable — they all fit. When a guest offers condolences at JP's wake, Eva's response is: "I'm just glad the suffering's over". When she's then asked if he was ill, she replies with a blunt and loaded "no". Relief lingers during JP's sendoff, but so does tension. Eva, Ursula, Bibi and Becka long wanted The Prick dead and, as flashbacks show, had been planning to bring about that very end. Complicating matters: two insurance agents, aka half-brothers Thomas (Brian Gleeson, Death of a Ladies' Man) and Matthew Claffin (Daryl McCormack, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande), who start nosing around as John Paul is being laid to rest. Their family-run outfit is meant to pay out on his life insurance policy, but it's a hefty amount of cash and will bankrupt the firm. And with Thomas' wife Theresa (Seána Kerslake, My Salinger Year) heavily pregnant and on bed rest, the Claffins already have their own share of family stresses. As brought to Apple TV+ by Horgan with United States of Tara, New Girl and 30 Rock's Brett Baer and Dave Finkel, Bad Sisters uses that insurance investigation to justify its jumps backwards — and it's a savvy tactic. In its weekly instalments, the series works through JP's awfulness and the Garveys' campaign of vengeance in two directions, contrasting the sisters' motivations in the months leading up to their brother-in-law's death with the aftermath. That said, exactly how Grace ends up a widow, who's responsible and which of the siblings knows what all drive the show's whodunnit angle, sharply and entertainingly so. Bad Sisters teases out the precise reasons that Eva, Ursula, Bibi and Becka can't stand JP, too, because The Prick's abysmal behaviour made enemies out of everyone around him over and over. Boasting a devilish setup is just one of Bad Sisters' drawcards. What a premise it is, though. The whole 'offing your arsehole brother-in-law' idea may seem obvious at the outset, but this is a series with both bite and warmth as it unpacks what happens when women don't have any other options but potentially breaking bad — and sticking together. The pervasive feeling: wish fulfilment and catharsis, as Grace's siblings attempt to make everyone's lives better, even if it requires one of the most drastic moves there is. Just as Horgan inhabits her part with fierce affection, as characters played by the This Way Up star tend to sport, the entire ten-episode run bubbles with unfailing determination. It's dedicated to seeing the horrors of coercive control and the harrowing ordeal that is life with someone like JP, but it's as devoted to maintaining hope in the Garveys' sense of sorority. Bad Sisters is also unflinching about perfecting the right balance between twisted, heartfelt, weighty, amusing, sincere and audacious — as resolute as it is about filling its frames with scenic Irish sights. The show's roster of writers and directors, which includes Dearbhla Walsh (Tales From the Loop), Rebecca Gatward (The Spanish Princess) and Josephine Bornebusch (Love Me) behind the lens, ensure four outcomes: lapping up every twist and turn; wishing you're a Garvey yourself; planning a getaway to Ireland; and feeling seen if you've ever been treated terribly by someone you love or even someone you know, be it a relative, friend, neighbour, boss, colleague or acquaintance of an acquaintance. There's no doubting the impact of Bad Sisters' on-screen talents in making it such an instantly addictive Irish delight, however. It isn't merely the central murder-mystery that lures viewers in — and the comic way the series cycles through the Garveys' schemes — but also the show's wonderful leading ladies. From Horgan through to Hewson, the eponymous sisters are exceptionally well-cast, with all five actors conveying the clan's strengths, flaws, differences, fights and camaraderie, including at an individual level and together. Duff is especially heartbreaking as the spouse who has convinced herself that her husband's exploitation and cruelty is normal, while the Bang ensures that the potently odious, easily despised JP is abhorrent on every level but never cartoonish. They're all ably supported by the charmingly bumbling Gleeson and just charmingly charming McCormack, who help reinforce that every family has its ups and downs — including when no one is contemplating homicide. Check out the trailer for Bad Sisters below: Bad Sisters streams via Apple TV+.
UPDATE: Originally scheduled for Saturday, November 25, 2023, Hot Jazz Picnic has been postponed until Saturday, February 10, 2024. Gather any jazz fans in your life to join you for the debut of Sydney's latest live music offering — Hot Jazz Picnic. Picture a spread of vibey musicians playing throughout the afternoon, attendees dressed in vibrant summer outfits and a wide range of luxe food and drink options, all with the backdrop of Sydney Harbour. That's the essence of Hot Jazz Picnic, which comes to Lyne Park in Rose Bay on Saturday, February 10, 2024, from 12pm—8pm. The jazz comes to play with Harry James Angus, Dan Barnett Big Band with special guest Emma Pask, Katie Thorne, The Vampires, Brekky Boy, Kate Wadey, The Morrisons, Ruby Jackson, all hosted by comedy duo Sketchshe. [caption id="attachment_926238" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Anton Rehrl[/caption] Spread out across the park and enjoy the jazz alongside lawn games, a gin garden, a pop-up bar from Pommery Champagne and an artisanal food market. On the food front, look for Mary's, Sonoma Bakery, Ta Ta Ta pizza, Rock Oyster Depot, Tuckerbox and the famous Mapo Gelato truck on site. To up the luxury, pre-purchase a premium (and exclusive) 'Keep Picnic' pack from Business and Pleasure, or book VIP tickets to access the Pommery Champagne bar and bar-to-blanket food and drink service throughout the day. And perhaps most importantly, the dress code is 'colour-block chic', and the best dressed get some extra goodies to take home. Hot Jazz Picnic comes to Lyne Park on Saturday, February 10, 2024, from 12pm to 8pm. The event is supported by Create NSW and Woollahra Council, and $1 from every ticket goes to support OzHarvest. Kids under 12 come free. For more information and to book tickets, visit the website.
Before Batman squared off against Superman and the Avengers started fighting amongst themselves, another group of not-so-average folks brought their battles to the big screen. Since 2000, the X-Men franchise has charted the many clashes and intermittent truces of Professor Charles Xavier, his friend-turned-nemesis Magneto, and their respective groups of disagreeing mutants. Sixteen years later, they've graced nine films, including the original trilogy, two Wolverine spin-offs, two other excursions into the characters' backstories and this year's smash hit Deadpool. With such a sizeable history, of course their latest conflict seems familiar. But it also feels every inch its own. Indeed, there has always been a specific vibe to the X-Men movies: outcast-oriented dramas mixed with bombastic action, while always retaining a distinctive emotional core. Director Bryan Singer is at the helm of his fourth instalment, while writer Simon Kinberg is back for script number three. It should therefore come as no surprise that the '80s-set X-Men: Apocalypse once again charts outsiders looking to find their place in a makeshift mutant family. Ten years after the main events of X-Men: Days of Future Past, Professor X (James McAvoy) yet again locks horns with Magneto (Michael Fassbender), with the recently unearthed Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) — an ancient, god-like being considered the first-ever mutant — the cause of their latest conflict. The former is intent on stopping the new threat, re-teaming with CIA agent Moira Mactaggert (Rose Byrne) and later shape-shifting mutant Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence). The latter, in the wake of his own personal tragedy, once again embraces his destructive streak and sides with the fresh force of global devastation. With teenage incarnations of Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee), Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) and Cyclops (Tye Sheridan) also featured, X-Men: Apocalypse doesn't lack in subplots, characters or attempts to set up future sequels. Nor does it miss any opportunity to thrust a CGI-heavy fray to the fore, or to sprinkle in a few much-needed doses of humour – particularly when returning favourite Quicksilver (Evan Peters) is involved. Instead, the one thing absent is the added element the film so obviously strives for: a heightened sense of grandeur. Conveying the personal stakes motivating the main players may not be an easy feat in such a busy effort, yet it's something the movie achieves in a touching manner. Dialling up the gravity of the entire situation proves far less simple or successful. Sadly, the titular villain is the main culprit weighing the feature down. If X-Men: Apocalypse shines whenever the usual suspects share screen time, it lags when the newfound enemy starts making big speeches. In stark contrast to the actor's typical output, poor Oscar Isaac is barely allowed to make a mark, with his makeup and digitally altered voice sapping his natural charisma. Thankfully McAvoy and Fassbender continue their stellar form across their trio of prequel films, while Peters once again threatens to steal the show. When you're watching them, you're in vintage X-Men territory, even if the movie desperately wants to be something more.
Every year, Refugee Week sees thousands of refugee-inspired events take place around the world, to raise awareness of refugees' experiences and celebrate their contributions to society. Taking over Australia from Sunday, June 16 to Saturday, June 22, the 2019 festival is offering a myriad of film screenings, feasts, gigs, art exhibitions, theatre shows and more. The theme is #withrefugees and, more specifically, "share a meal, share a story". While Randwick's Ritz Cinema's free screening of Ai Wei Wei's documentary Human Flow has already sold out, you can still combine arts and immigration by heading along to Gymea's Hazlehurst Regional Gallery at 6.30pm on Wednesday, June 19 to see Robyn Hughan's documentary Journey Beyond Fear. Meanwhile, in the city, Lower Town Hall will host Stronger Together on Thursday, June 20, featuring talks from Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General, Amnesty International; Dr Graham Thom, Refugee Coordinator, Amnesty International Australia; Frances Rush, CEO, Asylum Seekers Centre; and Clover Moore, Lord Mayor City of Sydney. And, if you want to learn to weave a tapestry rug like an Afghani master artist does, book your free spot at Finding Your Feet, a series of workshops happening at the Australian National Maritime Museum. They're being held at 10am and 12.30pm every day from Monday, June 17 to Friday, June 21. In Australia, Refugee Week is coordinated by the Refugee Council. Image: Human Flow.
Celebrating female runners around the globe, the Nike After Dark Tour is returning to Sydney, with the harbour city again scoring one of seven legs on this international nighttime running series. Launched in 2025 to foster a sense of community and self-expression, the event brought together over 7,000 athletes, regardless of ability, for the debut half-marathon. Now, Nike is running it back in 2026, once more hosting a long run around Sydney. With the precise date and course still to be revealed, just know that this tour invites runners of all backgrounds to show up for themselves, push boundaries and celebrate the collective power of Sydney's women running community. Last year's event started at Rozelle Parklands and finished at Tumbalong Park, featuring stunning views every step of the way. Yet this experience is more than just a 21.1-kilometre run under the stars. A pre-run expotique, complete with a personalised bra fitting, panel discussions and mobility sessions, ensured each athlete arrived at the start line ready to perform at their best. Designed to extend far beyond the traditional race format, each stop on the Nike After Dark Tour includes immersive pre- and post-race experiences that inspire movement, confidence and community. Then, finishing up long after the sun has set, the upbeat atmosphere carries over into the after-party, teeming with live music and rejuvenating food and drink. After your race is run, there's a good chance you'll be looking ahead to the next event on the calendar. With the other stops on this global experience including Shanghai, Mexico City, London, Los Angeles, Manila and Mumbai, each features a one-of-a-kind experience where women's running culture is celebrated in an entirely new way. "I had the privilege of being part of the inaugural Nike After Dark Tour last year in Sydney, Mexico City and Los Angeles," says Nike Pacific Run Coach Lydia O'Donnell. "The tour brought together more than 50,000 runners across seven races on five continents, with nearly half signing up because they were inspired by a series that is built for women — something I'll always be proud to be part of." The Nike After Dark Tour is happening throughout 2026, with Sydney race dates and course information yet to be revealed. Head to the website for more information. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
CBD business lunch stalwart de Vine was an outmoded Market Street spot that you could easily walk by without ever noticing its presence. Then in 2023, in its 21st year of trade, the wine bar and restaurant underwent a million-dollar renovation and an overhaul thanks to restaurateur brother duo, Anthony and Julian Izzillo. The swanky interior, divided up between front bar seating and moody restaurant out back, features exposed brick, a curving granite bar, champagne-tinted mirrors and green velvet banquette seating. The look is very 'big city style', but the warm, personable hospitality is akin to a small neighbourhood restaurant. Anthony is usually front of house, while Julian leads the drinks program — which includes a showstopping selection of Amaro all on show a brass wall display. The wine offering is equally impressive with some 500 bottles available from the cellar, with a focus on artisan wines primarily from the wine regions of Italy, with a more tightly curated edit from the rest of the world. Head Chef Timothy Fisher *previously of Michelin-starred Osteria Lucio in Dublin) has created a reassuring menu of classical Italian dishes executed without fault (vitello tonnato, polpette and zucchini flowers), excellent house made pastas including a signature risotto with king prawn and Balmain bug, and stand-out mains like pork cotoletta. Then, once the plates have been cleared, if amaro is your pleasure, just sit back and let Julian pick a match for your palate or treat yourself to a tasting flight. If you've still got room, the tiramisu is worth your attention.
One mention of Queenstown and you'll likely think of bungee jumping, snow sports and picturesque landscapes in every possible direction. There's so much more to New Zealand's adventure capital if you're not in the market for an obvious head-first adrenaline rush and queuing all day for an Instagram-famous burger. Think backcountry cycle trails, irresistible tacos, bustling weekend markets and endless volumes of wine. This is your less obvious guide to Queenstown. EAT & DRINK A gothic portrait of Bill Murray takes pride of place above the fireplace at Yonder. The homage is the perfect example of the eccentric vibe you can expect from the eatery, which comes from Sydney's World Bar collaborators Steve Ward and Gary Livesey. Found in Queenstown's historic 1882 McNeill's Cottage, the space opened its doors last year and has since developed a reputation as the destination for generous share plates and great cocktails. As you enter the contemporary all-day eatery, you'll stumble across a cabinet stacked with mouthwatering treats like sticky date loaf, blueberry cheesecake and chocolate brownie. For a point of difference, pair your treat with a pitch black charcoal latte. Those who decide to eat in will have the option of kicking off their day or healing last night's wounds with the perfect early morning combo of a bacon butty, fries and bloody mary. After dark, the menu turns into a sharing affair with items like fall-apart brisket — an accompanying stack of white bread take pride of place on most tables. We can also vouch for the half chicken and ancient grain salad (much focus has been put on gluten and vegan dietary requirements). The fluorescently lit back bar is the place to continue your dining adventure — especially on weekends when live music kicks off. Our pick from the cocktail list? The Seven Year Sour, a tarty mix of rum, blood orange, citrus and lager. For something on the run, Taco Medic is the place to grab a bite and make some new friends in the process. The taco joint originally started as a food truck, though has since evolved into a permanent taco nook down the end of hospitality laneway Stafford Street. While there's an option to order at the pop-up window, we recommend heading inside and waiting for your order at the bar. Here you can wait with a frozen margarita in hand and watch the action unfold as the staff hand-roll corn tortillas and chips. The Bajaman is a must; it arrives with fried market fish, creamy jalapeño sauce, tomato salsa and lime to squeeze. For a special occasion, the stunning lakeside boutique Hotel St Moritz boasts award-winning restaurant Lombardi. Overlooking Lake Wakatipu, a table in the restaurant allows you to sit back and enjoy your meal while spying everything from paragliders to shark-shaped jet boats and the historic Earnslaw Steamship floating by in a plume of smoke. Take it from us, splashing out on three courses is recommended. Start your experience with either seared scallops, manuka-smoked lamb tenderloins or the soup of the day before going large on the signature Fiordland venison loin or the duo of lamb. Elsewhere, there's an entire wood-fire menu featuring lasagne and a selection of pizzas. If room for dessert is limited, try one of the unique dessert cocktails — flavours include Toblerone, tiramisu and cremé brûlée. And if the cocktails become too much, there's always a room downstairs. If relaxing with a wine in hand is more your style, there's always the option of exploring wine country in your own time by car (with a sober driver, that is). Gibbston Valley is home to more than 75 wineries and cellar doors — some even home to Central Otago's oldest vines. The cooler climate and changes in elevation also provide some interesting drops for your tasting pleasure. For great wine and a picturesque setting, drop by Chard Farm. A visit to the family-owned winery in the Kawarau Gorge will lead you up a windy dirt road that was once part of the main coach link between Queenstown and Cromwell — just don't look over the edge of the precarious cliff. The vineyard sits at the top and specialises in single vineyard Pinot Noir — most which welcome descriptions like juicy, pure and crisp. We couldn't get enough of the incredibly fresh 2015 Pinot Gris. Tastings are complimentary though donations are gratefully accepted. Across the road is Penegrine, which feels more like steeping into the futuristic wine-tasting lab. Here, tastings are also complimentary and come with the option of choosing particular vintages or leaving your destiny in the hands or the host. Further down the road you'll come across the Gibbston Tavern — a watering hole where you can sample local wines, Southland beer and wood-fired pizza. SEE & DO If you're around on the weekend, an unmissable destination is the Remarkables Market. Sitting just a ten-minute drive from the city, the Frankton market is where you'll find proper locals stopping by for a caffeine hit or lounging about on the grass. Shopping-wise, you can pick up everything from chopping boards crafted out of French wine barrels to the famous Gibbston cheese, handcrafted jewellery and mega rocking chairs that come covered in cow hide and animal furs (good luck with getting these ones home). Self-proclaimed 'meat preachers' Zamora are one of the most in-demand stallholders at the market. From the smoking grill comes sausages on a stick and the renowned pork belly sandwich — the perfect combination of crispy pork and puffy bread loaded with coleslaw and creamy aioli. We suggest grabbing a spot at one of the communal tables and finishing off the experience with one of Plantera's vegan sweets. Around the Basin is a cycle company offering both self-guided and supported tours along the Gibbston wine trail and backcountry. The Arrowtown to Queenstown tour is exactly that: a 35 kilometre ride from the historic gold mining village back to the city. After shuttling from headquarters in Queenstown, you'll be left to make your way back at your own pace — peddling along the Arrow River Trail toward the Twin Rivers Trail, along the Kawarau and Shotover Rivers to the shores of Lake Wakatipu and onward to Queenstown Bay. The trail is recommend as a full-day ride, which allows time for exploring, photo opportunities, café stops and, in this instance, getting lost in suburbia. It took roughly five hours to cycle the trail of isolated country roads and dirt tracks, across swing bridges and through pine forests. And if you'd prefer not to work the legs, Around the Basin also has the option of electric bikes. Hikes are a popular pastime in Queenstown and there's something for every skill level, from easy one-hour strolls to three-day high country treks. Let's start with the former: Queenstown Gardens offer an escape from the hustle of the city. Make your way through perfectly manicured gardens, past frisbee golf grounds, beneath the pine forest canopy and to the headland for a brilliant photo opportunity. Found at the base of the Arrow River, Tobins Track is a one-hour return walk that climbs to the Crown Terrace. While your legs may be screaming, the summit will welcome you with glorious views across the Wakatipu basin. For something excruciatingly hard, skip the gondola queue and take the trail by foot. GETTING THERE Queenstown has a fully functioning international airport so flying direct from across foreign waters is no problem at all. The airport is approximately ten minutes from the city centre and buses run to all major hotels every 15 minutes. Top image: Omer Faruk Bekdemir (Unsplash)
Purrfect news, feline fans: everything a dapper doggo can do, a cute cat can as well. While that's an accurate statement in general, as anyone who has ever shared their life with both a pooch and a kitty will know, it's also the thinking behind Sydney's returning animal event. From the folks behind the Dog Lovers Festival comes the mouser equivalent: the Cat Lovers Festival. If you wear the 'crazy cat person' label as a badge of honour, stop to pat every moggie you meet while you're walking down the street or spend your all of your spare time watching cat videos (or all of the above), then you'll want to block out Saturday, August 24–Sunday, August 25 in your calendar. Expect Sydney Showground to come alive with the sounds of meows, and expect pussy lovers to come out in force. On the agenda: feline-focused education and celebration. Before you go thinking about adorable kitties wearing glasses and sitting at desks, or popping streamers and wearing party hats (awwwwwwwww), humans will be doing the learning and rejoicing. Really, what's more informative and exuberant than entering the Pat-A-Cat zone and getting cosy with cats of all shapes and sizes — and possibly taking one home with you? If that doesn't tickle your whiskers, expect to meet more than 200 kitties, hit up a cat supermarket, listen to talks about felines, watch cat shows, see a fabulous feline performance on the WHISKAS Stage and grab a bite to eat — or even a glass of bubbles at the Purrr-secco Bar. Just remember: there'll be plenty of mousers in the Cat Lovers Show house, so you'll need to leave your own moggie at home.
Erskineville's LGBTQIA+ haven The Imperial Hotel is doing it up big for Mardi Gras, boasting two straight weeks of parties, events and pop-ups. Coming up this Sunday, February 23 is a celebration of all things queer fashion when the Mardi Gras pop-up market takes over the main bar from noon–5pm. You'll be able to pick up everything you need — and so much more — for parade day on February 29. On the day, expect vintage and sparkly threads with a locally made, eco-friendly focus. A wide range of Aussie designers and LGBTQIA+ businesses will set up shop — you can nab swimwear from Frida Las Vegas, vintage dresses from The Crown Street Project, vegan beauty products from Sweet Cherry Soda and recycled plastic jewellery from Maraca Club. Plus, you'll find all-out festival wear from Nevada Clothing and handmade wooden accessories from Frank Wood. Alongside the market, there'll be a patch-making and embroidery workshop for beginners, which you can attend for a donation and by RSVPing to rowanyeomans@gmail.com. And from 1–5pm, the UK's Whitley Neill will be offering complimentary gin tastings in the Priscillas Glasshouse upstairs. Once you're all decked out, you can stick around for that night's downstairs Zodiac-themed dance party. For more details, check out the Imperial's full Mardi Gras program here. Top image: Trent van der Jagt
Hosting your own craft beer-tasting event is a great way to discover the breadth and variety of the good stuff in a fun and highly convivial situation. Plus, you'll appreciate your casual Friday tipple more than ever. If you're a fan of the James Squire craft beer range, chances are you enjoy talking the ears off of your buds about your favourite type and why you think they should try them. Alternatively, you may be a devotee of one or two beers in the range and are now ready to explore a little further, with a mate or two coming along to keep you company on your journey. Either way, we've got all your home-hosted beer tasting ingredients right here. Friends Don't look at us like that. Obviously you're going to invite buds, this is a beer tasting. Four or five would be a good number for a tasting, this ain't a keg party. Food You don’t have to serve up a Michelin-starred degustation menu, but snacks provide the dual purpose of keeping alcohol levels lower and cleansing the palate between tastings. Make sure you don't choose food that could overshadow the taste of the beer. Having water on hand is also a good idea. Beer You could say this is somewhat a crucial element. You could go full throttle and sample the full range of nine James Squire craft beers and two James Squire Orchard Crush ciders or maybe you'd prefer to taste just a handful. Depending on which approach you choose, you could consider buying some of the beers (One Fifty Lashes Pale Ale, Nine Tales Amber Ale and The Chancer Golden Ale) in 568mL Friendship Pint format rather than six packs of the standard 345mL bottles. To keep costs down, you could suggest that each guest/participant/contestant/buddy ol' pal supplies one of the beers. Glasses The aim of the night is to taste rather than scull, meaning proper beer tasting glasses would be ideal. However, if you don't have any of these to hand (and since you don't live in James Squire Brewbar, that’s hardly surprising) any glass will do. You'll earn bonus craft beer cred points for having the 'right glass' for each style of beer (have a look over JS's Guide to Glassware Etiquette), but it's not the end of the world if you don't. Pour about three fingers worth into each glass, allowing the aroma to fill the rest of the space. Remember, the night is about tasting the beer, not simply drinking it and gettin' crunk. Materials You’ll need to provide pencils or pens, along with paper or notecards. If you’re a particularly efficient and overly-excited host, you could create a print a simple tasting score sheet with spaces for notes on appearance, aroma, flavour, mouth feel, overall impression and final total score. Guidelines Each beer should be judged in the same way, as follows: - On pouring, immediately sniff the beer to detect initial aromas. Write these down in the 'Aroma' section of the score sheet – e.g., 'nutty malt' or 'citrusy hops'. - Note the beer's appearance, particularly its colour (golden, copper, etc.), clarity (cloudy, clear, etc.) and head characteristic. - Taste the beer by taking a sip and keeping it in the mouth for a few seconds before swallowing. Note both the immediate finish and aftertaste, the malts and hops and the balance. - Assess the mouth feel — this includes body, carbonation level and alcoholic warmth. - Write down your overall impression and give a final score for each beer. For more detailed judging information, head over here. Now there's nothing left to do except begin the tasting — and enjoy. Image credits: *vlad* via photopin cc, oskay via photopin cc, nahlinse via photopin cc, Fixed in Silver via photopin cc.
A voodoo-inspired, jungle-walled cocktail bar that can tempt you from any dinner plans with popcorn and a glass (or several) of absinthe, Papa Gede's is owned, designed and run by a trio of seasoned hospos: husband-and-wife team Lara Dignam (ex-Red Lantern) and Michael Dhinse (ex-Grandma's), and their friend Joshua Ng (ex-Rover). The cocktail list is a generous mix of classics and signatures, including a Zombie that promises to resurrect the dead. Some bizarre names dominate the menu, like the titillating Centrefold (a golden glass of marigold vodka, passionfruit, lemon, cucumber and coconut water soda with a topping of 'champagne' jelly), or the hopefully not prophetic Double Demerits (a surprisingly sharp mix of cognac, triple sec, guava cryo-concentrate, lemon and pomegranate, finished with a dusting of toasted fennel seeds). The one thing that sets Papa Gede's apart from the rest of Sydney's small bar scene? Its range of international and homegrown absinthes. The proprietors welcome newcomers to the absinthe game. "What I really like about it is that absinthe has this really terrible reputation... [We are] giving people the opportunity to do it in a new fashion," says Dignam. The added theatre of the absinthe ritual — featuring ornate glassware, four-tapped absinthe fountains and burning sugar cubes — will elevate your post-work drinks to a whole new level. Although ostensibly a cocktail bar, including a selection of aged cocktails — matured for one month and stirred upon request — vinophiles aren't left behind, with a generous wine list featuring local and foreign drops. In the fridge, there is also a range of local brews to choose from. As a venue that worships at the altar of history's greatest party animal, Papa Gede — who also happens to be the embodiment of death, a fan of cheap cigars, apples, and top hats — it's little wonder that music is also a big deal here. Expect live music sets from top local blues, jazz, reggae, soul and R&B artists. Images: Cassandra Hannigan
The 2011 Parklife lineup was finally revealed this morning on Triple J. The festival, which reaches Australian shores in September, is headlined by Santigold, Gossip, Lykke Li, the Naked and Famous, Digitalism and the Streets. The lineup is heavy on female and also on dubstep artists with Magnetic Man, Joker & MC Nomad and Flux Pavillion all playing this year. The full lineup for Parklife 2011 is as follows: Gossip Lykke Li Santigold Death From Above 1979 Duck Sauce Katy B The Naked and Famous Crystal Fighters Example Digitalism Adrian Lux The Streets Simian Mobile Disco Magnetic Man Nero SebastiAn Diplo Mstrkrft Sebastien Tellier Little Dragon Gold Fields Mylo Wolfgang Carter Joker & MC Nomad Feed Me Tensnake Kimbra The Aston Shuffle Flux Pavillion Yacht Club DJs Harvard Bass Tickets go on sale 12pm Thursday June 30. For pre-sale click here. The various festival dates: Melbourne on Saturday, September 25 Perth on Sunday, September 26 Brisbane - Saturday, October 1 Sydney - Sunday, October 2 Adelaide - Monday, October 3 https://youtube.com/watch?v=i8QxOEFzAXo
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. ELVIS Making a biopic about the king of rock 'n' roll, trust Baz Luhrmann to take his subject's words to heart: a little less conversation, a little more action. The Australian filmmaker's Elvis, his first feature since 2013's The Great Gatsby, isn't short on chatter. It's even narrated by Tom Hanks (Finch) as Colonel Tom Parker, the carnival barker who thrust Presley to fame (and, as Luhrmann likes to say, the man who was never a Colonel, never a Tom and never a Parker). But this chronology of an icon's life is at its best when it's showing rather than telling. That's when it sparkles brighter than a rhinestone on all-white attire, and gleams with more shine than all the lights in Las Vegas. That's when Elvis is electrifying, due to its treasure trove of recreated concert scenes — where Austin Butler (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) slides into Presley's blue suede shoes and lifetime's supply of jumpsuits like he's the man himself. Butler is that hypnotic as Presley. Elvis is his biggest role to-date after starting out on Hannah Montana, sliding through other TV shows including Sex and the City prequel The Carrie Diaries, and also featuring in Yoga Hosers and The Dead Don't Die — and he's exceptional. Thanks to his blistering on-stage performance, shaken hips and all, the movie's gig sequences feel like Elvis hasn't ever left the building. Close your eyes and you'll think you were listening to the real thing. (In some cases, you are: the film's songs span Butler's vocals, Presley's and sometimes a mix of both). And yet it's how the concert footage looks, feels, lives, breathes, and places viewers in those excited and seduced crowds that's Elvis' true gem. It's meant to make movie-goers understand what it was like to be there, and why Presley became such a sensation. Aided by dazzling cinematography, editing and just all-round visual choreography, these parts of the picture — of which there's many, understandably — leave audiences as all shook up as a 1950s teenager or 1970s Vegas visitor. Around such glorious centrepieces, Luhrmann constructs exactly the kind of Elvis extravaganza he was bound to. His film is big. It's bold. It's OTT. It's sprawling at two-and-a-half hours in length. It shimmers and swirls. It boasts flawless costume and production design by Catherine Martin, as his work does. It shows again that Luhrmann typically matches his now-instantly recognisable extroverted flair with his chosen subject (Australia aside). Balancing the writer/director's own style with the legend he's surveying can't have been easy, though, and it doesn't completely play out as slickly as Presley's greased-back pompadour. Elvis is never anything but engrossing, and it's a sight to behold. The one key element that doesn't gel as convincingly: using the scheming Parker as a narrator (unreliable, obviously) and framing device. It helps the movie unpack the smiling-but-cunning manager's outré role in Presley's life, but it's often just forceful, although so was Parker's presence in the star's career. In a script by Luhrmann, Sam Bromell (The Get Down), Craig Pearce (Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby) and Jeremy Doner (TV's The Killing), the requisite details are covered. That includes the singer's birth in Tupelo, Mississippi, and extends through to his late-career Vegas residency — with plenty in the middle. His discovery by Parker, the impact upon his parents (Rake co-stars Helen Thomson and Richard Roxburgh), his relationship with Priscilla (Olivia DeJonge, The Staircase), Graceland, America's puritanical reaction to his gyrating pelvis, the issues of race baked into the response to him as an artist: they're all featured. Thematically, those last two points thrum throughout the entire movie. Elvis questions why any hint of sex was such a shock, and why it was so easy for a white man who drew his songs, style and dance moves from Black culture, via his upbringing, to be dubbed a scandal. Read our full review. NUDE TUESDAY In Nude Tuesday, you can take the unhappy couple out of their daily routine — and slip them out of their clothes in the process — but escaping to a mountainside commune, ditching the dacks, palling around with a goat and gleaning relationship advice from the author a book called The Toothy Vulva just can't solve all woes. What that list of absurd plot points and experiences can do is fill out a film that's gleefully silly, often side-splittingly funny, and also just as perceptive as it is playful. The basic premise behind this New Zealand sex comedy borrows from plenty of fellow movies and TV shows about stuck-in-a-rut folks seeking bliss and renewal, plus solutions to bland marriages, with a gorgeous change of scenery. But helping make Nude Tuesday such a winner is every offbeat choice that's used to tell that tale. Getting naked is only part of it, given that not a lick of any recognisable language is spoken throughout the entire feature — although plenty of words and sounds are audibly uttered. Nude Tuesday understands one key point, as everyone watching it will: that relationships are all about communication. The film is also well aware that so much about life is, too — and storytelling. Here, though, expressing emotions, connections and narrative details all boils down to gibberish and bodies. This amusing movie from writer/director Armağan Ballantyne (The Strength of Water) and writer/star Jackie van Beek (The Breaker Upperers) does indeed strip down its performers in its last third, living up to its name, but it saddles them with conveying almost everything about their characters via body language before that. Each piece of dialogue spoken echoes in unintelligible nonsense, using completely made-up and wholly improvised terms. Even covers of 'Road to Nowhere' and 'Islands in the Stream' do as well. And while subtitled in English by British comedian Julia Davis (Camping), that text was penned after shooting, in one of the film's other purposefully farcical twists. The result is patently ridiculous, and marvellously so — and hilariously. It's such a clever touch, making a movie about marital disharmony and the communication breakdown baked within that's so reliant upon reading tone and posture, as couples on the prowl for the tiniest of micro-aggressions frequently hone in on. Initially, the feature needs a few scenes to settle into its unfamiliar vernacular, which takes cues from The Muppets' Swedish Chef in its cadence. Via an opening map, which situates the story on the fictional pacific island of Zǿbftąņ, Nude Tuesday's language also resembles an IKEA catalogue. But once Ballantyne, van Beek and the latter's co-stars find their groove — with a literally bloody attempt to make adult nappies sexy, a supermarket tantrum involving tossed cans and a tense anniversary dinner — everything, including the movie's chosen tongue, clicks into place. Van Beek and Australian The Tourist actor Damon Herriman play Nude Tuesday's central pair, Laura and Bruno. In the first but not last example of just how compellingly they use their physicality, the talented lead twosome paints a picture of relatable malaise from their introductory moments together. Laura and Bruno are bogged down in a dull cycle that revolves around working at jobs neither loves — she spruiks those mature-age diapers, he sells bathroom fixtures — then trudging home exhausted and exasperated to deal with their kids, and later crumbling into bed knowing they're going to repeat it all the next day. Sex doesn't factor in, and neither is content with that, but resolving their troubles themselves is out of reach. Then, they're gifted a getaway to ẄØnÐĘULÄ to assist. But this woodland getaway, run by charismatic and lustful sex guru Bjorg Rassmussen (Jemaine Clement, I Used to Go Here), wants its new guests to expose all in multiple ways. Read our full review. LOST ILLUSIONS Stop us when Lost Illusions no longer sounds familiar. You won't; it won't, either. Stop us when its 19th century-set and -penned narrative no longer feels so relevant to life today that you can easily spot parts of it all around you. Again, that won't happen. When the handsome and involving French drama begins, its protagonist knows what he wants to do with his days, and also who he loves. Quickly, however, he learns that taking a big leap doesn't always pan out if you don't hail from wealth. He makes another jump anyway, out of necessity. He gives a new line of work a try, finds new friends and gets immersed in a different world. Alas, appearances just keep meaning everything in his job, and in society in general. Indeed, rare is the person who doesn't get swept up, who dares to swim against the flow, or who realises they might be sinking rather than floating. The person weathering all of the above is Lucien Chardon (Benjamin Voisin, Summer of 85), who'd prefer to be known as Lucien de Rubempré — his mother's aristocratic maiden name. It's 1821, and he's a poet and printer's assistant in the province of Angoulême when the film begins. He's also having an affair with married socialite Louise de Bargeton (Cécile de France, The French Dispatch), following her to Paris, but their bliss is soon shattered. That's why he gives journalism a try after meeting the equally ambitious Etienne Lousteau (Vincent Lacoste, Irma Vep), then taking up the offer of a tabloid gig after failing to get his poetry published. Lucien climbs up the ranks quickly, both in the scathing newspaper business — where literary criticism is literally cash for comment — and in the right Parisian circles. But even when he doesn't realise it, his new life weighs him down heavily. Lost Illusions spins a giddy tale, but not a happy one. It can't do the latter; exactly why is right there in the title. As a film, it unfurls as a ravishing and intoxicating drama that's deeply funny, moving and astute — one that's clearly the product of very particular set of skills. No, Liam Neeson's recent on-screen resume doesn't factor into it, not for a second. Instead, it takes an immensely special talent to spin a story like this, where every moment is so perceptive and each piece of minutiae echoes so resoundingly. The prowess behind this seven-time César Award-winner belongs to three people: acclaimed novelist Honoré de Balzac, who wrote the three-part Illusions perdues almost 200 years ago; filmmaker Xavier Giannoli (Marguerite), who so entrancingly adapts and directs; and Jacques Fieschi (Lovers), who co-scripts with the latter. There's more to Lucien's story — pages upon pages more, where his tale began; 149 minutes in total, as his ups and downs now play out on the screen. When Louise decides that he doesn't fit in, with help from the scheming Marquise d'Espard (Jeanne Balibar, Memoria), spite rains his way. When Etienne introduces him to the realities of the media at the era, and with relish, he's brought into a dizzying whirlwind of corruption, arrogance, fame, power, money and influence. When Lucien starts buying into everything he's sold about the whys and hows of his new profession, and the spoils that come with it, Lost Illusions couldn't be more of a cautionary tale. Everything has a price: the glowing words he gleefully types, the nasty takedowns of other people's rivals and the entire act of spending his days doing such bidding for the highest fee. Read our full review. MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU What's yellow, round, inescapably silly and also just flat-out inescapable? Since 2010, when the first Despicable Me film reached screens, Minions have been the answer. The golden-hued, nonsense-babbling critters were designed as the ultimate sidekicks. They've remained henchman to malevolent figures in all five of their movie outings so far, and in the 15 shorts that've also kept telling their tale. But, as much as super-villain Gru (Steve Carrell, Space Force) would disagree — he'd be immensely insulted at the idea, in fact — Minions have long been the true drawcards. Children haven't been spotted carrying around and obsessing over Gru toys in the same number. The saga's key evil-doer doesn't have people spouting the same gibberish, either. And his likeness hasn't become as ubiquitous as Santa, although Minions aren't considered a gift by everyone. At their best, these lemon-coloured creatures are today's equivalent of slapstick silent film stars. At their worst, they're calculatingly cute vehicles for selling merchandise and movie tickets. In Minions: The Rise of Gru, Kevin, Stuart, Bob, Otto and company (all voiced by Pierre Coffin, also the director of the three Despicable Me features so far, as well as the first Minions) fall somewhere in the middle. Their Minion mayhem is the most entertaining and well-developed part of the flick, but it's also pushed to the side. There's a reason that this isn't just called Minions 2 — and another that it hasn't been badged Despicable Me: The Rise of Gru. The Minion name gets wallets opening and young audiences excited, the Rise of Gru reflects the main focus of the story, and anyone who's older than ten can see the strings being pulled at the corporate level. Gru's offsiders are present and cause plenty of chaos, but whether he gets to live out his nefarious boyhood dreams is director Kyle Balda (Despicable Me 3), co-helmers Brad Ableson (Legends of Chamberlain Heights) and Jonathan del Val (The Secret Life of Pets 2), and screenwriter Matthew Fogel's (The Lego Movie 2) chief concern. His ultimate wish: to become one of the Vicious 6, the big supervillain team of 1976, when Gru is 11. That sinister crew happens to have an opening after some infighting and double-crossing among Belle Bottom (Taraji P Henson, Empire), Jean Clawed (Jean-Claude Van Damme, Haters), Nun-Chuck (Lucy Lawless, My Life Is Murder), Svengeance (Dolph Lundgren, Aquaman), Stronghold (Danny Trejo, The Legend of La Llarona) and Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method). Accordingly, when Gru receives an invite to audition, he's as thrilled as a criminal mastermind-in-training can be. The Minions are hired as Gru's assistants and, after his tryout for the big leagues ends in him stealing the Vicious 6's prized possession, quickly spark the usual Minion antics. Of course they lose the pivotal object. Of course the Vicious 6 come looking for it. Of course the Minions do everything from learning kung fu (from Master Chow, voiced by Everything Everywhere All At Once's Michelle Yeoh) to virtually destroying San Francisco. There's more calculation than inspiration behind their havoc, however; rather than Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton-esque heights, their slapstick hijinks feel as structured and obvious as the film's nods to a wealth of genres (martial arts, spy, road trip, blaxploitation and more) and its hefty list of blatant era-appropriate needle drops ('Funkytown', 'Fly Like an Eagle', 'Born to Be Alive' and the like). It also plays like colour and movement around Gru, rather than the central attraction viewers want it to be. Also, something can't be surreal if it's so thoroughly expected, as the bulk of Minions: The Rise of Gru is. It isn't clever enough to be gloriously ridiculous, either. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on March 3, March 10, March 17, March 24 and March 31; April 7, April 14, April 21 and April 28; and May 5, May 12, May 19 and May 26; and June 2, June 9 and June 16. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Batman, Blind Ambition, Bergman Island, Wash My Soul in the River's Flow, The Souvenir: Part II, Dog, Anonymous Club, X, River, Nowhere Special, RRR, Morbius, The Duke, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbledore, Ambulance, Memoria, The Lost City, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Happening, The Good Boss, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Northman, Ithaka, After Yang, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Petite Maman, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Firestarter, Operation Mincemeat, To Chiara, This Much I Know to Be True, The Innocents, Top Gun: Maverick, The Bob's Burgers Movie, Ablaze, Hatching, Mothering Sunday, Jurassic World Dominion, A Hero, Benediction, Lightyear and Men.
Australia is home to some incredible music festivals, with Laneway, Bluesfest, Splendour, Groovin' the Moo and Dark Mofo bringing some of the world's best acts to our shores each year. But live music isn't the only excuse to head out of town. Australia is also home to heaps of out-there festivals set in rural and random locations, celebrating everything from spuds and watermelon to Mary Poppins and the Nutbush. Looking for an out-of-the-ordinary getaway? Here's our pick of the top ten weird and wonderful festivals to track down around the country.
Fans of the Portuguese tart need to make tracks to Clovelly, where Tuga Pastry is turning out arguably the tastiest pastel de nata our city has to offer. Owner Diogo Ferreira resurrected his father Agostinho's (who was a pastry chef in northern Portugal) recipe back in 2016 when he opened his first cafe, Village on Cloey. Then, when space opened up three doors down, Ferreira expanded his business and opened this bustling weekend bakery. Here, you'll catch Ferreira's mother Lucia in the kitchen, hand pressing the dough for each and every Portuguese tart that goes in the oven. You can watch the entire process in the bakery, then taste the finished product fresh from the oven. The buttery pastry shell is filled with gooey egg custard that's perfectly caramelised on top and dusted with cinnamon. If you're not hungry yet, just take a look at this: [caption id="attachment_762031" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] Apart from the pastel de nata, which is available every day, the Tuga menu is constantly changing. Other favourites include tart de feijao (almond tart), pau de daus (coconut brioche) and bola de berlim (sugar coated donuts). Diogo is also whipping up non-Portuguese treats, like croissants, quiches and sausage rolls. Plus, gorgeous cakes in flavours like coffee and hazelnut, carrot and pineapple, and passion fruit and yoghurt. Tuga is looking to expand in the near future, too, so keep on eye on this space. Images Kitti Gould
Friends, it's time to pay fealty to the king of all food groups: pizza — that divine fusion of carbs, cheese and yummy toppings that's impossible not to love and will rarely let you down. In Sydney, pizza comes in many forms, from mammoth New York-style slices to authentically blistered Neapolitan pies. Here is our pick of the very best pizzerias the Harbour City has to offer. Image: 170 Grammi, Trent van der Jagt Recommended reads: The Best Italian Restaurants in Sydney The Mexican Restaurants in Sydney The Best Steak in Sydney The Best Burgers in Sydney
Let’s get this out of the way early: As pretty much every article ever written of The Tallest Man on Earth will tell you, no, folk troubadour Kristian Matsson is not particularly tall, and no, he doesn't make any secret out of channeling his hero, Dylan. But you wouldn’t call Mattson derivative. As anyone who has ever seen this not-so-tall man live will tell you, Matsson has become known for coming on stage alone with just an acoustic guitar, and blowing everyone away with his charisma and stage presence. Two years after he last played in Sydney to sold out audiences at the Factory Theatre, Mattson returns to play the Opera House. It’s a great chance to get a taste of songs off the back of his latest offering, There’s No Leaving Now, a home recorded album which explores different territory to his last two releases. To his intricate guitar work he’s added layers of woodwinds, drums and songs that explore more grounded, relaxed territory. The stage might be bigger, and the arrangements more complex, but Mattson’s reputation as a performer will remain. If you’re a seasoned fan, chances are you’re already salivating over the chance to see Mattson again. If you’re not, chances are he’ll win you over with his honest, humble performance that has charmed audiences the world over.
Before the pandemic, when a new-release movie started playing in cinemas, audiences couldn't watch it on streaming, video on demand, DVD or blu-ray for a few months. But with the past few years forcing film industry to make quite a few changes — widespread movie theatre closures will do that, and so will plenty of people staying home because they aren't well — that's no longer always the case. Maybe you haven't had time to make it to your local cinema lately. Perhaps you've been under the weather. Given the hefty amount of titles now releasing each week, maybe you simply missed something. Film distributors have been fast-tracking some of their new releases from cinemas to streaming recently — movies that might still be playing in theatres in some parts of the country, too. In preparation for your next couch session, here are ten that you can watch right now at home. BARBIE No one plays with a Barbie too hard when the Mattel product is fresh out of the box. As that new doll smell lingers, and the toy's synthetic limbs gleam and locks glisten, so does a child's sense of wonder. The more that the world-famous mass-produced figurine is trotted through DreamHouses, slipped into convertibles and decked out in different outfits, though — then given non-standard makeovers — the more that playing with the plastic fashion model becomes fantastical. Like globally beloved item, like live-action movie bearing its name. Barbie, the film, starts with glowing aesthetic perfection. It's almost instantly a pink-hued paradise for the eyes, and it's also a cleverly funny flick from its 2001: A Space Odyssey-riffing outset. The longer that it continues, however, the harder and wilder that Lady Bird and Little Women director Greta Gerwig goes, as does her Babylon and Amsterdam star lead-slash-producer Margot Robbie as Barbie. In Barbie's Barbie Land, life is utopian. Robbie's Stereotypical Barbie and her fellow dolls (including The Gray Man's Ryan Gosling as Stereotypical Ken) genuinely believe that their rosy beachside suburban excellence is infectious, too. And, they're certain that this female-championing realm — and the Barbies being female champions of all skills, talents and appearances — has changed the real world inhabited by humans. But there's a Weird Barbie living in a misshapen abode. While she isn't Barbie's villain, not for a second, her nonconformist look and attitude says everything about Barbie at its most delightful. Sporting cropped hair, a scribbled-on face and legs akimbo, she's brought to life by Saturday Night Live great Kate McKinnon having a blast, and explained as the outcome of a kid somewhere playing too eagerly. Meet Gerwig's spirit animal; when she lets Weird Barbie's vibe rain down like a shower of glitter, covering everything and everyone in sight both in Barbie Land and in reality, the always-intelligent, amusing and dazzling Barbie is at its brightest and most brilliant. Barbie is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. TALK TO ME An embalmed hand can't click its fingers, not even when it's the spirit-conducing appendage at the heart of Talk to Me. This is an absolute finger snap of a horror film, however, and a fist pump of a debut by Australian twins Danny and Michael Philippou. As RackaRacka, the Adelaide-born pair have racked up six-million-plus subscribers on YouTube via viral comedy, horror and action combos. As feature filmmakers, they're just as energetic, eager and assured, not to mention intense about giving their all. Talk to Me opens with a party that's soon blighted by both a stabbing and a suicide. It segues swiftly into a Sia sing-along, then the violent loss of one half of the Aussie coat of arms. A breakout hit at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where it sparked a distribution bidding war won by indie favourite A24, it's constantly clicking, snapping and ensuring that viewers are paying attention — with terror-inducing imagery, a savvy sense of humour, both nerve and the keenness to unnerve, and a helluva scary-movie premise that's exceptionally well-executed. The picture's outstretched mitt is the Philippous' Ouija board. That withered and scribbled-on paw is also a wildly unconventional way to get high. In a screenplay penned by Danny with fellow first-timer Bill Hinzman, but based on Bluey and Content executive producer Daley Pearson's short-film concept — yes, that Bluey — shaking hands with the distinctive meat hook is a party trick and dare as well. When the living are palm to palm with this dead duke, in flows a conjuring. A candle is lit, "talk to me" must be uttered, then "I let you in". Once heads are kicking back and the voices start, no one should grasp on for more than 90 seconds, as Hayley (Zoe Terakes, Nine Perfect Strangers) and Joss (Chris Alosio, Millie Lies Low) explain. But, as she navigates the anniversary of her mother's death, Mia (Sophie Wilde, The Portable Door) is up for going as far as she can. Here, being consumed by sinister spirits, not consuming booze, is an escape. That, and filming whatever twisted chaos happens when you connect with the otherworldly. It isn't all fun and frights and games, though; when her best friend Jade's (Alexandra Jensen, Joe vs Carole) 14-year-old brother Riley (Joe Bird, First Day) takes part, traumatic consequences spring. Talk to Me is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review, and our interview with Danny Philippou. THE NEW BOY Warwick Thornton, Cate Blanchett, Deborah Mailman, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis: name a better Australian quintet. The director of Samson & Delilah and Sweet Country, the two-time Oscar-winner and recent Tár tour de force, the local screen mainstay, and the Bad Seeds bandmates and seasoned film composers all combine not for the ultimate Aussie dinner party, but for The New Boy. None are debuting in their jobs. All are exceptional. They're each made better, however, by the luminous and entrancing Aswan Reid. As well as playing the titular part, the 11-year-old first-time actor lives it among such a wealth of acclaimed and experienced talent — and he's such a find in such excellent company, while saying little in words but everything in every other way, that Thornton's third fictional feature owes him as much of a debt as its applauded and awarded household names. There's a spark to Reid from the moment that he's first spied grappling with outback law enforcement under blazing rays as Cave and Ellis' (This Much I Know to Be True) latest rousing score plays. His sun-bleached hair couldn't be more fitting, or symbolic, but it's the confident way in which he holds himself as New Boy, plus the determined look on his face, that sears. Wily and wiry, the feature's eponymous figure is toppled by a boomerang, then bagged up and transported to the remote Catholic orphanage doted on by Sister Eileen (Blanchett, Nightmare Alley) in the 1940s. The cop doing the escorting notes that the kid is a bolter, but the nun is just as fast in her kindness. She sees what Thornton wants his audience to see: a boy that beams with his presence and through his sense of self, even though he's been snatched up, taken from his Country and forced into a Christian institution against his will. Sister Eileen is as drawn to him as the movie, but — and not just due to the red wine she likes sipping and the subterfuge she's keeping up about the resident father's absence — she isn't as certain about what to do. The New Boy is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review, and our interview with Warwick Thornton. RED WHITE & BRASS Watch Red, White & Brass and you'll never see the pre-game or half-time entertainment at a big sporting match the same way again. Of course, if Rihanna, or Beyoncé with Destiny's Child, or a heap of hip hop and rap legends are taking to the stage at the Super Bowl, you won't question it — but if there's a community band on the turf, you might start wondering when they first picked up their instruments, why and if it was only four weeks ago to make it to this very gig. Are they just out there because they were that desperate to see their team play? And, because they missed out on expensive and instantly sold-out tickets? Were they so eager, in fact, that they bluffed their way into a gig by claiming to already be a musical group, then had to speedily do anything and everything to learn how to get melodic, and obviously not embarrass themselves, in a passion-fuelled whirlwind of pretence and practice? A band solely forming to score access to a rugby game sounds like pure screenwriting confection. Often enough, though, when tales like that make it to the silver screen, it's because they're so wild that they can only be true. Such is the case with Red, White & Brass' premise, as it notes at the outset, with co-writer Halaifonua (Nua) Finau scripting the story with first-time feature director Damon Fepulea'i from his very own experiences. Back in 2011, New Zealand hosted the Rugby World Cup, which was a source of particular excitement to Aotearoa's Tongan population, and especially to avid aficionados at a Wellington church. The kind of fans that were showing their devotion by decking out their homes in the Tongan flag top to bottom, hitching the red-and-white cloth to every free space on their cars and carrying around the symbol on their phone cases, they were determined to see Tonga play France in their own home city, and willing to whatever it takes to do so — wholesomely, in the type of underdog story about fervour, ingenuity, self-belief and luck that engagingly makes for an easy and warm-hearted cinema crowd-pleaser. Red, White & Brass is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review, and our interview with John-Paul Foliaki and Damon Fepulea'i. CARMEN Breaking down a classic tale best known as an opera, rebuilding it as a lovers-on-the-run drama set across the US–Mexico border and making every moment burst with emotion, Benjamin Millepied's Carmen is a movie that moves. While its director is a feature debutant, his background as a dancer and choreographer — he did both on Black Swan, the latter on Vox Lux as well, then designed the latest Dune films' sandwalk — perhaps means that the former New York City Ballet principal and Paris Opera Ballet Director of Dance was fated to helm rhythmic, fluid and rousing cinema. His loose take on Georges Bizet's singing-driven show and Prosper Mérimée's novella before it, plus Alexander Pushkin's poem The Gypsies that the first is thought to be based on, is evocative and sensual. It's sumptuous and a swirl of feelings, too, as aided in no small part by its penchant for dance. And, it pirouettes with swoon-inducing strength with help from its stunningly cast leads: Scream queen and In the Heights star Melissa Barrera, plus Normal People breakout and Aftersun Oscar-nominee Paul Mescal. When Mescal earned the world's attention in streaming's initial Sally Rooney adaptation, he had viewers dreaming of fleeing somewhere — Ireland or anywhere — with him. Carmen's namesake (Barrera) absconds first, then has PTSD-afflicted Marine Aidan (Mescal) join her attempt to escape to Los Angeles. Carmen runs after her mother Zilah (flamenco dancer Marina Tamayo) greets the cartel with thunderous footwork, but can't stave off their violence. Aidan enters the story once Carmen is smuggled stateside, where he's a reluctant volunteer border guard in Texas alongside the trigger-happy Mike (Benedict Hardie, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson). As the picture's central pair soon hurtle towards California, to Zilah's lifelong friend Masilda's (Rossy de Palma, Parallel Mothers) bar, they try to fly to whatever safety and security they can find. That may be fleeting, however, and might also be in each other's arms. Carmen is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review, and our interview with Benjamin Millepied. HOW TO BLOW UP A PIPELINE Every story is built upon cause and effect. One thing happens, then another as a result, and so a narrative springs. Inspired by Andreas Malm's non-fiction book of the same name, How to Blow Up a Pipeline isn't just strung together by causality — it's firmly, actively and overtly about starting points, consequences and the connections between. Here's one source for this impassioned tale about determined and drastic environmental activism: the warming world. Here's an originator for that, too: fossil fuels, humanity's reliance upon them and the profits reaped from that status quo. Now, a few outcomes: pollution, catastrophic weather changes, terminal illnesses, stolen and seized land, corporate interests prioritised over ecological necessities, and a growing group that's driven to act because existence is at stake. Turning a text subtitled Learning to Fight in a World on Fire into a fictional feature, How to Blow Up a Pipeline joins all of the above, stressing links like it is looping string from pin to pin, and clue to clue, on a detective's corkboard. In his second feature after 2018's smart and effective camgirl horror Cam, writer/director Daniel Goldhaber isn't trying to be subtle about what dovetails in where. With co-screenwriters Jordan Sjol (a story editor on Cam) and Ariela Barer (also one of How to Blow Up a Pipeline's stars), he isn't attempting to rein in the film's agenda or complexity. This movie tells the tale that's right there in its name, as eight people from across America congregate in Texas' west with a plan — an octet of folks who mostly would've remained loosely connected, some strangers and others lovers and friends, if they weren't desperate to send a message that genuinely garners attention. Goldhaber's latest is explosive in its potency and thrills, and startling in its urgency, as it focuses on a decision of last resort, the preparation and the individual rationales before that. How to blow up hedging bets on-screen? That's also this tightly wound, instantly gripping, always rage-dripping picture. How to Blow Up a Pipeline is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. SISU Lean, mean and a Nazi-killing machine: that's Sisu and its handy-with-a-hunting-knife (and pickaxe) protagonist alike. This stunningly choreographed Finnish action film's title doesn't have a literal equivalent in English, but writer/director Jalmari Helander's (Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale) latest effort means stoic, tenacious, resolute, brave and gritty all in that four-letter term; again, both the movie and the man at its centre fit the description. Former soldier Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila, also Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale) has one aim. After he strikes gold and plenty of it in Lapland's far reaches, he's keen to cash in. For someone who has already lost everyone and everything to World War II, that requires transporting his haul; however, the year is 1944 and German troops still lurk even as the combat winds down. Accordingly, getting those gleaming nuggets from the wilderness to a bank means facing a greedy and unrelenting platoon led by Helldorf (Aksel Hennie, The Cloverfield Paradox), who can spy a payday and an exit strategy for himself. Before anything yellow shimmers, Nazi-filled tanks are sighted, a single shot is fired or a blow swung, Sisu explains its moniker as "a white-knuckled form of courage and unimaginable determination". Text on-screen also advises that "sisu manifests itself when all hope is lost." As a film, Sisu may as well be shorthand for John Wick meets Inglourious Basterds meets Django, the iconic 1966 spaghetti western that Quentin Tarantino riffed on with Django Unchained, too — plus all of that meets the work of legendary spaghetti western director Sergio Leone as well. The carnage is that balletic. The Nazi offings are that brutal, roguish and inventive. And valuing deeds over dialogue as a lone figure dispatches with nefarious forces against an unforgiving landscape, and no matter what they throw at him, is firmly the setup. Sisu is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY Old hat, new whip. No, that isn't Dr Henry Walton 'Indiana' Jones' shopping list, but a description of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. While the fifth film about the eponymous archaeologist is as familiar as Indy films come, it's kept somewhat snapping by the returning Harrison Ford's on-screen partnership with Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge. When this 15-years-later sequel to 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull begins — swinging into cinemas after 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, too — Indy's trademark fedora and strip of leather have already enjoyed ample action. So has the George Lucas-created franchise's basic storyline. If you've seen one Indy outing in the past 42 years, you've seen the underlying mechanics of every other Indy outing. And yet, watching Ford flashing his crooked smile again, plus his bantering with Waller-Bridge, is almost enough to keep this new instalment from Logan and Ford v Ferrari filmmaker James Mangold whirring. Across the quintet of Indy flicks — a number contractually locked in at the outset, even if it took almost half a century to notch them all up — a trinket always needs recovering. Whether it's a relic, stone, cup, carving or, as here, a device by Ancient Greek mathematician, philosopher and inventor Archimedes that might facilitate time travel, nefarious forces (typically Nazis) always want said item as well. Also, only antics that've influenced the likes of Tomb Raider, National Treasure and Jungle Cruise can ensure that whatever whatsit is at the heart of whichever picture stays out of the wrong hands. The object in question falls into those mitts at some point, of course. Indy goes globetrotting and cave diving to save it, and skeletons and creepy-crawlies tend to get in his way. Reliably, he has female company. Frequently, there's a young offsider tagging along. A constant: the whole escapade bounding to the tune of John Williams' rousing theme, which is now acoustically synonymous with adventure. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THE BOOGEYMAN Teenagers are savage in The Boogeyman, specifically to Yellowjackets standout Sophie Thatcher, but none of them literally take a bite. Grief helps usher a stalking dark force to a distraught family's door; however, that malevolent presence obviously doesn't share The Babadook's moniker. What can and can't be seen haunts this dimly lit film from Host and Dashcam director Rob Savage, and yet this isn't Bird Box, which co-star Vivien Lyra Blair also appeared in. And a distressed man visits a psychiatrist to talk about his own losses, especially the otherworldly monster who he claims preyed upon his children, just as in Stephen King's 1973 short story also called The Boogeyman — but while this The Boogeyman is based on that The Boogeyman, which then made it into the author's 1978 Night Shift collection that gave rise to a packed closet full of fellow movie adaptations including Children of the Corn, Graveyard Shift and The Lawnmower Man, this flick uses the horror maestro's words as a mere beginning. On the page and the screen alike, Lester Billings (David Dastmalchian, Boston Strangler) seeks therapist Will Harper's (Chris Messina, Air) assistance, reclining on his couch to relay a tragic tale. As the new patient talks, he isn't just shaken and shellshocked — he's a shadow of a person. He's perturbed by what loiters where light doesn't reach, in fact, and by what he's certain has been lurking in his own home. Here, he couldn't be more adamant that "the thing that comes for your kids when you're not paying attention" did come for his. And, the film Lester has chosen his audience carefully, because Will's wife recently died in a car accident, leaving his daughters Sadie (Thatcher) and Sawyer (Blair) still struggling to cope. On the day of this fateful session, the two girls have just returned to school for the first time, only for Sadie to sneak back when her so-called friends cruelly can't manage any sympathy. The Boogeyman is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. MEG 2: THE TRENCH Jaws, but bigger. Jurassic Park but sharks. Like a prehistoric underwater predator scooping up a heap of beachgoers in one hefty mouthful, describing what The Meg and its sequel Meg 2: The Trench are each aiming to be is easy. Ridiculous big-screen fun that sets Jason Statham (Fast X) against multiple megalodons, his scowl as shiny as their razor-sharp teeth: they're the type of waters that this creature-feature franchise also wants to paddle in. Since debuting in cinemas in 2018, all things The Meg have always had a seriousness problem, however. They're at their best when they're also at their silliest, but they're rarely as entertainingly ludicrous as they're desperate to be. This five-years-later follow-up might task Statham with shooting harpoons while riding a jet ski at a tourist-trap holiday destination called Fun Island — and also busting out the line "see ya later, chum", which lands with such a sense of self-satisfaction that it feels like the entire reason that the movie even exists — but such gleeful preposterousness is about as common as a herbivore with a meg's massive chompers. Again based on one of author Steve Alten's books — he's penned seven so far, so more flicks are likely — Meg 2: The Trench doesn't just want to ape the Jurassic series. It does exactly that overtly and unsubtly from the outset, but this film is also happy to brazenly treat multiple movies from a few decades back as fuel for its choppy antics. When the feature starts, it's 65 million years ago, dinosaurs demonstrate the cretaceous period's food chain, then a megalodon shows who's boss from the water. Obviously, life will find a way to bring some of this sequence's non-meg critters into the present day. Next comes a dive in The Abyss' slipstream, before embracing being a Jaws clone again — even shouting out to Jaws 2 in dialogue — but with a Piranha vibe. Before it's all over, Meg 2: The Trench also flails in Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus' direction, just with a visibly larger budget. Meg 2: The Trench is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. Looking for more at-home viewing options? Take a look at our monthly streaming recommendations across new straight-to-digital films and TV shows — and fast-tracked highlights from January, February, March, April, May, June, July and August, too. You can also peruse our best new films, new TV shows, returning TV shows and straight-to-streaming movies of 2023 so far
Peruse the Tim Tam section of an Australian supermarket and more than just the classic version of the chocolate biscuits await. Arnott's has even done Gelato Messina-inspired Tim Tams in the past. So, adding a new flavour to sit alongside current specials like coconut cream, Murray River salted caramel, and butterscotch and cream isn't a surprise — but turning an April Fool's joke into a real bikkie is a first. It was back in 2023, on the day that no news can be trusted, that Arnott's revealed a Jatz-inspired Tim Tam for when you can't choose between crackers and chocolate biscuits. It was a prank then, but the brand's customers didn't want to to remain just a gag. So, Tim Tam inspired by Jatz will hit Coles around Australia from late April. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tim Tam (@timtam) "Following the overwhelming number of comments and requests, we knew we had to bring Tim Tam inspired by Jatz to the shelf and make it available for every Aussie to enjoy," said Tim Tam Marketing Manager Rebecca Chan. One important caveat, though: Tim Tam inspired by Jatz don't actually include any Jatz, but feature their salty taste — and have "cracker notes", Arnott's advises. A packet will set you back $5 when they reach the shelves. Also, more surprising flavours might be in store across the year, with Tim Tams turning 60 in 2024. In the future, you might want to pay attention to Arnott's April Fool's Day jokes to come, too, in case they actually sound like something you'd like — and become a reality a year later. Tim Tam inspired by Jatz will hit Coles supermarkets around Australia from late April 2024. Head to the Arnott's website for more details.
For the first time ever, the Art Gallery of New South Wales brings to Sydney masterpieces from the golden age of Dutch painting — a culturally confident, powerful era when the art of painting flourished. It was during this time that artists including Rembrandt van Rijn and Johannes Vermeer produced vivid works depicting the world around them, with subjects ranging from intense portraits and dramatic seascapes to tranquil scenes of domestic life and careful studies of fruit and flowers. Exclusive to Sydney, the exhibition features 76 artworks sourced from Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, including seven pivotal paintings and 16 etchings by Rembrandt presented in a room dedicated solely to the celebrated artist. The exhibition also brings a rare and celebrated piece by Vermeer, Woman reading a letter (1663). Jacob van Ruisdael, recognised as one of the most important landscapists of the era, and Jan Davidsz de Heem, the revered flower painter, also take their place among many other masters of this golden age. Meticulously painted, these artworks remain as vital and fresh as they were 400 years ago. What's more, to celebrate the launch of the exhibition — and help reduce the strain the return of summer puts on your wallet — we're giving away ten double passes to the exhibition so you can enter the world of rich paintings and celebrated works for yourself. To enter, see details below. [competition]641676[/competition]
Over the past year, seltzers have gone from a hot new trend to a standard section of any bar or bottle shop's drinks repertoire. Brands including White Claw, Smirnoff, Fellr, Moon Dog and Island Fever have all either tried their hand at the carbonated drink or popped up in Australia with their already-popular drink. Fellr is celebrating the seltzer love that's swept the nation with Australia's first pop-up hard seltzer bar in the Royal Botanic Gardens from Saturday, October 9. The seltzer-only bar will feature Fellr's dry and lime, lime and soda, watermelon and passionfruit seltzers, as well as a new range of cocktail seltzers which are making their way onto bottle shop shelves the same day the pop-up bar launches. You can visit from 10am–7.30pm Thursday–Sunday throughout summer and spring. On top of sipping seltzers in the sun, the pop-up will also be putting on events as Sydney begins to reopen. Starting from Saturday, October 24, you can catch a monthly music series at the bar that Fellr are putting on in collaboration with dance music, art and party agency Fruit Bowl.
Travelling sure has its perks — sightseeing, cultural experiences and new landscapes among them — but we'd argue that the best part is sampling all the local food. And while we'd all like to get on a plane every time we started craving some specific food, that's not very affordable or at all convenient. To combat that, we have food precincts — so you can eat your way around the world without walking more than a few footsteps. Sydney's newest is Eat Street at Western Sydney's West HQ. On top of a new gym, pool, hotel and bowling alley, this dining spot has pulled some top chefs so you can hop across the pond to New Zealand with a Kiwi-inspired burger or go further afield to Naples with a slice of pizza without leaving — or going further than — Sydney's west. Keep this on-hand for the next time you're craving French pastries or a hot Thai curry. USA: STEAK & CO If you're a meat lover, Steak & Co is the spot for you. Under the reign of renowned English Australian chef Sean Connelly (The Morrison Bar & Oyster Room), the restaurant is one of the sleeker options in the dining precinct. So, it's perfect for anything — from a first date, casual catch-ups and dinner with the in-laws. The steakhouse boasts six different steaks, so you can have your cut of beef exactly to your liking. There are also lamb, pork chops and a selection of seafood, including everyone's favourite: the prawn cocktail. ITALY: PIZZAPERTA MANFREDI Those that were fans of Stefano Manfredi's PizzAperta Manfredi in Pyrmont will be happy to know that the restaurant has been resurrected at West HQ. Think traditional Napoli-style woodfired pizza — and plenty of it. These aren't just any slices of pie, either. Here, the dough is leavened for a minimum 24 hours for a slow fermentation process, then topped with simple, fresh ingredients. While the menu changes seasonally, you can expect fresh options like prosciutto with buffalo mozzarella, and prawn with zucchini and mint, or richer slices topped with fennel sausage and lamb belly. Plus, salads, salumi and classic Italian desserts. THAILAND: NEW TOWN THAI STREET FOOD Sure, Thailand has stunning islands, misty mountains and bustling city streets. But most people will agree when we say it's the street food that makes Aussies flock there. If you're craving authentic East Asian eats, then head to New Town Thai Street Food. The food is designed to be shared, so you can order a plethora of dishes and taste a bit of everything. Think rich flavours, aromatic scents and plenty of zest and freshness in dishes like satay chicken, noodles and duck salad. Your gluten-free and vego mates will be taken care of, too. And, just like the streets of Bangkok, this spot is vibrant, loud and fun. NEW ZEALAND: CHUR BURGER Chur Burger took Surry Hills by storm years ago. Then it opened more stores in Sydney and Melbourne — and now Rooty Hill. So it's safe to say these burgers are good. Chur combines the softest buns, the juiciest meats, relishes and pickles to create some downright tasty burgers. The grilled beef and cheese is at the top of the menu for a reason. But the signature lamb burger is worth a look-in, too. If you're vegetarian, grab the meat-free option with a spiced chickpea fritter, grated beetroot and honey labne. Then, add a side of chips and an alcoholic milkshake. CHINA: CHU RESTAURANT Woolloomooloo's award-winning China Doll has been serving Sydneysiders fine Chinese fare for a while now. And, after opening China Lane in the CBD, the team will soon be bringing delectable dumplings to a 200-seat 1940s Shanghai-inspired restaurant in late-2019. Although heavily influenced by Chinese cuisine, Chu Restaurant is a modern take on traditional dishes from China, Hong Kong, Japan and, more widely, Southeast Asia. The menu features dishes from our pan-Asian neighbours that are jam-packed with flavour, including dumplings, locally sourced seafood and roast Chinese meats. The wine list is pretty impressive, too. West HQ's new dining precinct, Eat Street, is located in Western Sydney. To celebrate the launch, West HQ is giving you the chance to win one of five holidays worth $15,000 to a destination inspired by West HQ cuisine — Thailand, Italy, New Zealand, China or New York. For more information and to enter, visit the West HQ website. Image: New Town Thai Street Food.
In the middle of Pyrmont, beyond The Star and behind Blackwattle Bay, you'll find family-run Pioik Bakery. Inside? Breads, cakes, meringues, pastries, tarts and any other baked good you can think of. The Harris Street bakehouse and cafe is a local favourite, with the large shopfront window brightening up the exposed brick interior. Sit at the wooden communal table for a coffee and you'll feel like you're in someone's home in an instant. But, you're coming here for the food, so we'll skip right ahead. Pioik started off with the mission to create simple, great food. There are flatbreads topped with veggies and egg sandwiches alongside sweet treats like flaky croissants, cinnamon scrolls and orange cake. The bread alone is worth the visit. First up, there's Epooro (The King) which is two kilograms of organic whole wheat dough. The Aftonf is a classic sourdough, Kemo is a dark rye style, there's a fruit loaf dubbed Owtah and The Etyoo has five grains: organic sprouted rye grain, fermented whole oats, whole spelt, freekeh and pearl barley. Plus, there are baguettes, focaccia and gluten free loaves. Appears in: The Best Bakeries in Sydney for 2023
This article was written on Yuggera Country. If you'd like to send a physical letter that acknowledges that fact, now you can. Since the end of August this year, Gomeroi woman Rachael McPhail has been leading a campaign to get Australia Post to recognise First Nations place names — and this week, coinciding with NAIDOC Week, the government enterprise has released guidelines on how you can include traditional names when you're addressing letters and parcels. As McPhail outlined in the first post from her @place_names_in_addresses Instagram account on August 31, "every area in this country had an original place name, prior to being given its colonial town/city name, and I believe that it's important to acknowledge this". She explained that she had started including traditional place names when filling in her address in online orders, and noted that it's a small gesture with a meaningful impact. "Adding in the nation or country that you are on is something easy that all Aussies can do to be more inclusive of our Indigenous history. I would love for @auspost to make the original place name a standard part of address information in Australia, the same as your house number and postcode," she commented. Now, Australia Post have announced that Aussies can follow McPhail's lead — and advised how folks should go about it so that your mail is sorted properly by its electronic letter sorting technology. Whether you're including a traditional place name in the address field or the sender field, or both, you should write it directly underneath the recipient or sender's name. Then, below that, you should then include the street address, town or suburb. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Australia Post (@auspost) Following this format will ensure that the mailed item is delivered correctly, and without delay, all while acknowledging Australia's traditional owners. If you're now wondering where to find the appropriate First Nations place name — either for your own address, or for whoever you'd like to send a letter or package to — Australia Post recommends visiting the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies' map of Indigenous Australia on its website, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Councils, or Cultural Centres in your local area. Speaking to the ABC about Australia Post's guidelines, McPhail said that she is also campaigning for a "comprehensive and accurate database of traditional place names that you can cross reference with post codes, but has been verified by elders in all the communities around Australia". For more information about Australia Post's addressing guidelines, visit its website. For further details about the campaign to get First Nations place names recognised by Australia Post, head to its Instagram feed.
Even if plans for a globe-trotting overseas holiday aren't in the cards for you this year, there's an easy fix for your travel blues, and it's located just three hours south of Sydney in the picturesque South Coast region of Shoalhaven. With white sandy beaches and a breezy pace of life, this coastal stretch makes for a dream getaway destination, whenever you need a timeout from big city living. And it's brimming with beautiful stays located by the water, befitting your next, much-deserved break. We've done the hard work for you and rounded up 12 of the most blissful coastal escapes you can book in Shoalhaven. Choose a winner, pack that swimsuit and get set for a hard-earned beachside getaway. Recommended reads: The Best Places to Go Glamping in NSW The Best Tiny Houses You Can Book Around NSW The Best Hotels in Sydney The Best Places to Stay in the Blue Mountains Bayview Magnificent, Mollymook Beach This cheery coastal getaway boasts its own backyard pool and space for the whole gang. Plus, a top-notch deck, overlooking North Mollymook Beach. From $270 a night, sleeps 12. Escape at Shady Acres, Narrawallee Soak up the serenity at this self-contained coastal retreat, featuring thoughtful modern touches, private sunny backyard and a primo location close to Narrawallee Beach. From $446 a night, sleeps eight. Drop In, Bendalong Break from reality with a stay at this gorgeously updated 50s beach cottage, rocking a suite of luxurious features, plus firepit and outdoor tub. From $392 a night, sleeps two. Banniester Head Cottage, Mollymook Beach A breezy modern cottage, boasting absolute ocean frontage. Unwind in style, with luxe furnishings, epic views and an in-ground pool overlooking the water. From $750 a night, sleeps four. Atra, Callala Beach This is the kind of stunning beachfront home you'll never want to leave. Enjoy luxurious, group-friendly spaces, dedicated media room and private beach access. From $1553 a night, sleeps 12. Barefoot, Callala Beach A luxe, modern riff on the classic beach house, with open-plan living spaces spilling right out onto private lawn and sandy shoreline. From $900 a night, sleeps four. Izba, Callala Bay Revel in your own Mediterranean-inspired paradise right on Callala Bay. This one's a lofty pad with dreamy outlook, luxury features and absolute water frontage. From $867 a night, sleeps nine. Gorgeous Beachside Cottage, Vincentia With its stylish fit-out and peaceful setting amongst sandy shoreline and natural bushland, this beachside bungalow makes for an idyllic couples' coast escape. From $229 a night, sleeps two. Cloud Nine Luxury Villa, Vincentia This architectural stunner boasts an incredible outlook over Jervis Bay, with luxurious interiors to match. Expect high-end features and a stunning deck for soaking up those views. From $690 a night, sleeps six. The River Retreat, Sussex Inlet A pet-friendly holiday paradise, set right on the river's edge. This one's got a breezy indoor-outdoor set-up with sunny waterfront lawn and its own private jetty. From $632 a night, sleeps six. The Old Bottleshop, Currarong If you're after irresistible ocean views, direct beach access and a bright, modern pad to unwind in, this is it. Pool table and roomy verandahs, included. From $814 a night, sleeps eight. Prince Edward Escape, Culburra Beach Metres from the sand, with newly renovated interiors, an enviable outdoor set-up and a separate studio apartment, this chic coastal cottage is a summer holiday dream. From $665 a night, sleeps eight. Top image: Atra FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Just a few years ago, US sports didn't resonate much with Australians. After all, we're already footy, AFL and cricket tragics. Yet the biggest day on America's calendar — sporting or otherwise — is now pulling in record viewers on our shores, with 2.6 million of us tuning into last year's broadcast. Whether you're a diehard pigskin fan, need something to chat about around the watercooler, or just care about the half-time show — reggaetón superstar Bad Bunny is headlining — there's no shortage of venues getting behind Super Bowl LX in 2026. That means tailgate parties, all-American food and drink, and merch giveaways before, during and after the NFL's championship game. Keen to watch? Live and direct from Santa Clara, California, the New England Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks, with a massive global audience watching all the tackles and touchdowns. Kick-off is set for 10.30am on Monday, February 9, so tell the boss you're feeling crook, and catch all the action on the jumbotron at your nearest local listed below. CENTRAL Untied – Barangaroo The Sporting Globe King Street Wharf – Sydney Jacksons on George – Sydney Cargo – Sydney Bungalow8 – Sydney Darling Pavilion – Sydney The Glenmore Hotel – The Rocks The Squires Landing – The Rocks NORTH Dee Why Hotel – Dee Why Hotel Steyne – Manly The Old Commodore Hotel – McMahons Point The Mona Vale Hotel – Mona Vale The Buena – Mosman The Rag & Famish – North Sydney EAST Coogee Bay Hotel – Coogee The Strand Hotel – Darlinghurst Taphouse Sydney – Darlinghurst The Golden Sheaf – Double Bay Paddo Inn – Paddington Kings Cross Hotel – Potts Point The Light Brigade – Woollahra Kingsleys Woolloomooloo – Woolloomooloo SOUTH Camelia Grove Hotel – Alexandria BrewDog South Eveleigh – Eveleigh The Clock Hotel – Surry Hills Forrester's – Surry Hills WEST The Erko – Erskineville Brooklyn Boy Bagels – Marrickville The Marlborough Hotel – Newtown The Albion – Parramatta Public House Petersham – Petersham The Woodstock – Rooty Hill Super Bowl LX takes place from 10.30am on Monday, February 9, with pre-match coverage starting from 9am via ESPN on Foxtel, Kayo and Disney+.
The bourbon maestros at Woodford Reserve are inviting Aussies to raise their glass to a cocktail classic as Old Fashioned Week returns with a generous twist this November (and we're not talking about the garnish). Extending the celebrations from seven days to an entire month, Woodford Reserve is offering complimentary cocktails at its participating bars nationwide so lovers of Kentucky's finest dram can enjoy an expertly crafted drink without worrying about their wallet. Sydneysiders will be able to enjoy a free Old Fashioned with an iconic view at Bennelong at the Sydney Opera House or the historic rooftop at Hotel Palisade. The celebrations don't stop with a quick cocktail. Woodford Reserve will be bringing in international expertise in the form of Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall. During her visit, she will lead a series of bourbon masterclasses, offering bartenders and enthusiasts alike the chance to learn from her insights on the art of distilling and how Woodford Reserve has been crafted to be the perfect bourbon for an Old Fashioned. "We're thrilled to be bringing Old Fashioned Week back to Australia once again this year," says Richard Dredge, Woodford Reserve Senior Brand Manager at Brown-Forman. "And this time, we're making it even bigger and better than ever."
The Northern Rivers' food scene has got a new kid on the block, and it's bringing more than a little of the Big Apple with it. Tucked inside a newly renovated community business precinct in Byron Bay, Baloney's is a New York-Italian-style deli and cafe that's serving up nostalgia, deli meats and loaded sambos — no baloney. It's been brought to life by founder George McFarlane as a passion project that puts a breezy Byron spin on Italian-American food culture. And while the two-hander sandwiches might be the initial drawcard, the space itself — designed by Northern Rivers studio Happy Hour — is full of character. Inside, you'll find black-and-white checkerboard tiles, a standing espresso bar and a restored vintage church bench that serves as a nod to old-school delis, while outside, a sun-soaked, 40-person deck sets the stage for relaxed al fresco hangs. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Baloney's Deli (@baloneys_deli) If you reckon the name sounds playful, that's exactly the point. Inspired by the Americanisation of mortadella — a meat banned by the US government during the Italian migration waves of the late 19th and early 20th centuries — 'baloney' became both a regulation-friendly substitute and, in time, slang for 'nonsense'. And McFarlane is actively leaning into the word's double meaning, too: "I am not Italian or American, however I am passionate about Italian and American food so I'm a phoney baloney," he tells Concrete Playground. As for the menu? Expect stacked sandwiches with a personal twist. Each one is named after someone close to McFarlane — like the Spicy Gabita, a tribute to his partner — who, according to McFarlane, is "a little bit spicy" — that sees eggplant, mozzarella, rocket, fermented chilli and balsamic layered on fluffy focaccia. You'll also find other creative combinations like the Alt Tayo, which features lemon-spiked cannellini beans, roast capsicum and vegan basil pesto, alongside the likes of a classic Reuben and, of course, a loaded mortadella, stracciatella and green olive number. If that's not enough to get you road tripping, there's also java juice by Coffee Supreme, artisan deli goods and a rotating selection of sandwich specials. Baloney's also carries the influence of McFarlane's time cutting his proverbial teeth at Mortadeli in Torquay, Victoria, and Byron's much-loved Pixie Food & Wine. Baloney's is another feather in the cap for the burgeoning Byron food scene, which continues to evolve far beyond açai bowls and organic smoothies. Baloney's is located at 10-12 Shirley Street, Byron Bay. It's open Tuesday–Sunday, 8am–2.30pm. For more info, head to the venue's Instagram page.
A new wave of hotels offering more than just a room and a buffet breakfast has taken over Sydney in the last few years. From the beloved Paramount House Hotel to the new Ace Hotel or the northern beaches' freshly transformed Manly Pacific, these accommodations offer both tourists and Sydneysiders a range of lifestyle experiences during their stay. The latest boutique hotel to open in Sydney has arrived on Oxford Street with 56 luxury rooms and suites, an all-day restaurant and a Palm Springs-inspired pool bar. Oxford House is Paddington's first lifestyle hotel, offering guests stylish accommodation, a hotel pool with DJ sets and a bar, and plenty of extras you've come to expect from a top-notch hotel — all in the centre of one of Sydney's top dining and entertainment hubs. While the pool is exclusively for hotel guests, both the bar and the hotel's sleek, street-level restaurant are open for Paddington locals to come and enjoy oysters and a cocktail. The interior of Oxford House — or OH! as it's being branded — has been designed around ample natural light while complimenting the crisp, stylish aesthetic of Paddington with warm natural hues and rich textures. "Whilst we took design notes from the sleek lines and muted colours of Palm Springs, it was important that Oxford House effortlessly threaded into the cultural fabric of Paddington, so art and design were key," says the Principle Designer at Public Hospitality, Tom de Plater. "We collaborated with culture king, George Gorrow to showcase an incredible collection of art, paintings, photography, collage, printmaking and sculpture from artists including Lena Gustafson, Adam Turnbull and Niah McLeod throughout the property." Just some of the considered accompaniments you'll find in the rooms are custom-made bathrobes from Double Rainbouu, crockery from Marc Newson, hair care products from Grown Alchemist and speakers from Mashall. Away from the rooms, there are two hospitality spots built into the hotel. The first is the all-day dining, sitting at street level of Oxford Street for perfect people-watching. In the morning, Oxford House hotel guests and public diners can start their day on rolled bircher muesli, the OH-melette with woodside goats curd, or a lavish big breakfast featuring mixed sauteed mushrooms, crispy kale, truffle oil, pecorino, poached egg and sourdough. Later in the day, the menu switches to feature fresh oysters, kingfish sashimi, house dips, grilled market fish and roasted cauliflower. There's also a sun-soaked pool bar serving up poolside drinks, grilled king prawns, classic burgers and fish sourced from the Sydney Fish Markets. Come weekends, the bar will host DJ sets and digital art shows. "This was a unique opportunity to create an accommodation first for Paddington, provide a new hospitality experience for locals, and help energise an important part of town," continues de Plater. "Given the hotel's enviable location — famed shopping, nightlife and Allianz stadium, all within walking distance and the beach and city, a short drive away - we wanted to create a space that really felt like an unexpected escape; a hotel that was as relaxed as Oxford Street is lively." Rooms range from $229–499 and are available to book now. Oxford House is located at 21 Oxford Street, Paddington. The pool bar is open 7am–11.30am and midday–8pm.
Anyone who takes their alcohol semi-seriously or are discontent with cookie-cutter commercial bottle shops can seek solace in The Oak Barrel. The team takes alcohol even more seriously than you do. A family-run business since 1956, and one of the city's oldest independent bottle shops, The Oak Barrel is a purveyor of the finest beer, wine and whisky available. Organic and natural wines are having a bit of a moment right now, but The Oak Barrel have long been specialists in this realm. It stocks wines from all over the world and the staff's encyclopaedic knowledge will help steer you in the right direction. Craft beer fans will geek out in The Oak Barrel's cave which holds an extensive range of local and global (mostly Belgium, US and NZ) brews that grows quite literally on a weekly basis. If you're after the harder stuff, its spirit range is equally impressive. Whisky is the main drawcard holding everything from Tasmanian single cask to private collection scotch and Kentucky rye. The shop plays host to a number of events and also runs regular tasting nights with tickets usually sitting at the $35 mark. Ranging from sake to natural wines to sour beers, these appreciation events are guided by experts who discuss the history and nuances of the drinks - basically, it's a fancy excuse to drink lots of quality booze.
Have you ever been to a play where, no matter how prominent the lead was, your attention was always drawn to one of the secondary performers off to the side? That's the case with X-Men: Dark Phoenix, a film where everything's pretty decent except for anything to do with the actual title character. Ultimately it's an issue of interest. There just isn't enough in the Jean Grey character (or at least, not in this iteration of the character, played by Sophie Turner, compared to Famke Janssen's version from the origial X-Men trilogy) to justify giving her such a prominent role in a universe already jam-packed with compelling fan-favourites like Magneto (Michael Fassbender), Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Beast (Nicholas Hoult). To appropriate that iconic line from Mean Girls: stop trying to make Jean Grey happen. In a franchise that adroitly positioned itself as one of 'films with special effects' rather than 'special effects films', the masterstroke of the early X-Men movies was ensuring there were always human stories at their core, even if they were about super-humans and mutants. On that front, the original trilogy stands as a sublime allegory for the discrimination of minorities, no matter the kind. The franchise's first ever scene took place in a Nazi concentration camp, bars and restaurants featured mutant and non-mutant sections, and a narrow-minded mother asked her son: "have you tried... not being a mutant?" Beyond the us and them theme, they then added two more critical threads: a complex friendship between Magneto and Professor X, and a love triangle between Wolverine, Cyclops and Jean. It was these stories that made the films so engaging, whilst the special effects just added loads of cool. X-Men: Dark Phoenix forgets that lesson after its first few (excellent) scenes, placing far too much emphasis thereafter on visual pageantry that adds very little to the story. Set mostly in 1992, Dark Phoenix begins with a confronting car-crash sequence, followed by a dramatic space rescue. Both, in their own way, set in motion plot lines involving Professor X arguably overstepping his mark, which inevitably has dire consequences. The problem is, until now, Turner's Jean Grey was little more than a bit-part, so her elevation to leading lady and the subsequent transformation (or descent?) into the all-powerful Dark Phoenix both feel rushed and unearned. You know you're meant to think oh no, but you simply don't care. Added to that is a subplot so forgettable that this writer literally forgot about it until just now. An alien villain named Vuk (Jessica Chastain) pursues and manipulates Jean's transformation into Dark Phoenix for reasons that are barely clear and even less interesting. Chastain's staid, hollow stare throughout the film feels neatly reflective of the audience's expression as it watches another actor of incredible talent relegated to spouting cliched nonsense. With the exception of its early scenes, the only other high point in Dark Phoenix is its climactic battle aboard a speeding armoured train (and it speaks volumes that throughout that scene, Jean Grey is passed out and largely ignored). Mutants being mutants and deploying their abilities in means as violent as they are inventive is ultimately why you'd see this film over other, more conventional action movies. To give us so little of that condemns it to forgettable status from the get-go. Dark Phoenix is almost certainly the last entry in the franchise before the reigns are handed over to Marvel, courtesy of Disney's recent acquisition of 20th Century Fox. Hopefully in their capable hands we'll see a return to the quality delivered in the early days of the saga. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azvR__GRQic
While the Sydney CBD is rising like a phoenix from the ashes of the lockout laws and Western Sydney just keeps getting better and better, the Sydney suburbs that might just be having the biggest hospo boom right now could be Balmain/Rozelle. The peninsular has welcomed back historic pubs and seen luxe French diners pop up — and now, Casa Esquina, a fresh Argentinian joint from the Tequila Mockingbird and Esteban team, is about to swing open its doors. Opening on Thursday, February 15, the new arrival has taken over the historic Elliot Street space formerly occupied by Efendy and L'Unico. The focus here is flame-grilled feeds, with Head Chef Will Quartel and Atticus Hospitality Director Michael Fegent perfecting the art of the char during their time traveling through Argentina and cooking in the Australian outback. The kitchen at Casa Esquina is built around a huge open-flame parrilla grill, while out in the courtyard you'll find a barbecue spit — both of which will be firing on all cylinders, cooking high-quality meats and a variety of veggies. Torched bonito, pork chicharron, charcoal sweet potato and a variety of house sausages all grace the menu, alongside a sizeable steak selection ranging from tajima wagyu picanha to one-kilogram 60-day dry-aged angus ribeye. You can even order a whole suckling pig if you've got a spare $400 to splash. There are plenty of enticing accompaniments to the flamed-grilled menu items. You can kick your meal off with oysters or beef tartare with caperberry and pickled mushroom; order a selection of empanadas including a kangaroo and maraschino cherry variety; and pair your mains with a rocket and watercress salad, Old Bay seasoned fried and fugazzeta, an Argentinian-style stuffed pizza. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the team will be prepping the courtyard barbecue during the day and serving street eats for locals who are after a quick midweek lunch. And, on Sundays a whole lamb or pig will be cooked on the parrilla grill, introducing a fresh element to the menu. Atticus Hospitality's Paddington fave Tequila Mockingbird may have top-notch eats, but it's also known for its creative drinks menu, which the Group Bar Executive Mark Crawford has transferred over to Casa Esquina. There are plenty of nods to the group's first venue on offer, and you can even order the signature Tequila Mockingbird cocktail. There are also a few new takes on Argentinian classics. The Fernet Royale is an ode to the Fernet-Branca and Coke, a mainstay in Argentina. Casa Esquina brings the combo to Balmain with the addition of Cynar, a secret Buenos Aires bitters blend and a charred Coca-Cola foam. Head Sommelier Sophie Gitterle is in charge of the wines, with a big focus on Argentinian drops. Gitterle and Group Sommelier Chesterton Cook have been working with South American importers to craft a list that represents the area and acts as the perfect partner to the flame grill. All of this is housed within a vibrant multi-space venue. Take your pick from the ground-floor dining room and courtyard, ground-floor bar, mezzanine private dining room/wine cellar, first-floor restaurant and shady al fresco balcony. Adding to the lived-in feel of the longstanding building is a pair of 80-year-old camphor laurel trees that grow through the balcony and shade the first-floor tables. "Casa Esquina is a testament to the remarkable bones of the building, its beautiful courtyard and a salute to the lively community that surrounds it," says Fegent. "Balmain is especially close to my heart — I'm a Balmain local, and my son goes to school here. I remember the old days when the area was pumping and I want to contribute to bringing that back — now is the time with Casa Esquina." "The venue is elevated but approachable — a sophisticated take on Argentinian fire-cooked food but with a friendly, local and approachable vibe. We are putting a lot of emphasis on creating an offering where people can come in and have a well-priced meal on a Tuesday night or go all out on the weekend or for a special occasion — there's something for everyone!" Casa Esquina is located at 79 Elliot Street, Balmain. It will open on Thursday, February 15. For more information and to make a booking, head to the restaurant's website.
Take your weekly parkrun (or stroll around the block) to the next level, as New Balance and Sydney-based run crew Unofficial have teamed up to host 'The Biggest Shakeout'. Designed as an easygoing warm-up with a twist ahead of the following day's Sydney Marathon, everyone from high-performance athletes to budding walkers are invited to get a sweat on and connect on Saturday, August 30. Departing from Bradfield Park at 7am, the day's route goes far beyond your usual suburban speedwork session. Instead, you'll cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge on a five-kilometre run bound for Watersedge at Campbell's Store. Then it's time to get stuck into the post-workout celebration that'll make your early start to the weekend more than worth it. Runners can refuel from a floor-to-ceiling bagel wall adorned with tasty bites. Of course, sipping a well-caffeinated treat at the end of a run is the motivation many of us need to rise from bed at the crack of dawn, so it's a good thing Beforeyouspeak Coffee is getting down to brew their high-performance beans. What's more, upbeat DJ and runner Tigerlily will also be spinning tunes. While the thought of that hot coffee might be enough to convince you to get your trainers on, finding that get-up-and-go inspiration will come a little easier with a race-day goodie bag curated by New Balance and Unofficial. Handed out to the first 1500 runners to sign up, you'll find marathon supplies like caffeine and post-race fuel bars, alongside temporary tattoos and more that ensure you look the part while pounding pavement. Yet we haven't even covered this special event's major prize. New Balance and Unofficial are also giving one lucky runner a race bib for the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon, complete with a $3000 travel voucher. To see how hustling through the Big Apple stacks up against the Harbour City, just head to Unofficial's website and submit a one-minute video answering the question: How do you run your way? Entries close at 5pm AEST on Wednesday, August 27. "It's an honour to partner with New Balance to create The Biggest Shakeout," says Chad Cohen, Co-Founder of Unofficial. "This event is all about bringing runners together, celebrating the joy of movement and supporting one another ahead of race day — it truly captures the essence of running: community, connection and fun. We're excited to see everyone come together for what promises to be an unforgettable morning." New Balance and Unofficial's Biggest Shakeout is happening from 7am on Saturday, August 30. Head to the website for more information.
Long before Photoshop became widely available photo hoaxes were much more noteworthy and had larger repercussions for contriving fake events. Today we are accustomed to seeing completely unrealistic and out-of-this-world scenes on photographic prints, but in bygone days society was a little more innocent. Whether used as propaganda in war times, t0 invent or perpetuate superstitions, to improve appearances, or to make ordinary events appear extraordinary, photo hoaxes have historically changed our perceptions, beliefs and even our actions. Here are ten of the most famous photo hoaxes (appropriately from The Museum of Hoaxes) throughout history. Portrait of a Photographer as a Drowned Man Hippolyte Bayard was angered by the lack of attention and recognition given to his independently developed process of direct positive printing, which was instead focused on his rival Louis Daguerre. In the 1830s during the race to perfect the printing process, Bayard was not remembered as the first to invent photography, yet he is known as the first to fake a photograph. To demonstrate his frustration, Bayard took a faux photo of himself as a suicide victim alongside a note reprimanding those who supported Daguerre as the discoverer of photography rather than himself. President Lincoln Due to Abraham Lincoln's lack of 'heroic-style' portraits, an amateur entrepreneur created the photo of Lincoln on the left by combining two other photographs. By cutting out Lincoln's head from a picture by Matthew Brady and pasting it onto an image of southern leader John Calhoun, this widespread image of a bold President Lincoln was created. The Cottingley Fairies Cousins Frances Griffith and Elsie Wright were playing in the garden of Elsie's Cottingley village home when a group of frolicking fairies seemingly decided to join in on their fun. The series of photos taken by the young girls captured the world's attention, providing 'proof' to many spiritualists that supernatural creatures really did exist. Little did the world know (until 1980) that the fairies were in fact only cardboard cutouts drawn by Elsie inspired by the book Princess Mary's Gift Book. Trotsky Vanishes Leon Trotsky, the second in command to Lenin in Soviet Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, was deported and eventually assassinated in later years after demonstrating open dissent towards Stalin's policies. This photo was taken in 1920, with the original depicting Vladimir Lenin atop a platform speaking to troops at Sverdlov Square and both Trotsky and Kamenev standing beside him on his left side. This picture is one of the most famous images in the many falsified photos using paint, razor and airbrushes as part of Stalin's attempt to eliminate all traces of the 'traitor' Trotsky. Baby Hitler In the 1930s, a photo supposedly showing a baby Adolf Hitler circulated throughout England and America. The menacing scowl upon the baby's face and greasy mop of hair covering its head was distributed by Acme Newspictures Inc. and appeared in a large number of newspapers and magazines. The photo actually portrayed a young american boy, John May Warren, whose cute and and bubbly features had been manipulated to make him look more sinister. The origin of the hoax picture has been traced back to Austria, Hitler's home country, yet the identity of the forger remains unknown. Lung-powered Flying Machine One of the most successful and widespread April Fools jokes in history, this photo was run in the Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung on April 1, 1934 presenting a flying machine run by the breath from a man's lung. Many immediately thought the image to be true and International News Photo distributed the image of this 'new invention' to its American subscribers. This caused the image to go viral, with it even making it into the New York Times. The Surgeon's Photo A few months after the initial media hype following a sighting of an 'enormous monster' by a couple in the Loch Ness, a highly respected British surgeon, Colonel Robert Wilson, came forward with a picture showing a serpent rising out of the water. By far the most famous image of the 'Loch Ness Monster', this photo, named 'The Surgeon's Photo' (due to Wilson's wish to remain anonymous) was debunked in 1994, 60 years after the photo's initial release. 90 year-old Christian Spurling, on the eve of his death, revealed his role in the hoax. At his stepfather's wishes he had created a toy submarine with a sea-serpent head to appear in a photograph, which Colonel Wilson would be the frontman for. The Brown Lady of Raynham By far one of the most famous ghost pictures, the Brown Lady supposedly haunted the walls of Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England. The image was taken by two photographers for Country Life magazine, who had been setting up their cameras and apparently saw an unearthly figure floating down the stairs and subsequently snapped a photo. The appearance of the ghost has later been attributed to camera vibration, light entering the lens from the window or double exposure, yet it is unknown whether the result was produced on purpose or was accidental. The Bluff Creek Bigfoot This image represents frame 352 of Patterson and Gimlin's infamous short film about Bigfoot set in Northern California. The pair set out out to make a documentary on horseback about the beast and conveniently managed to capture footage of a female 'Bigfoot' strolling along the river bank. Skeptics argue that this image is obviously just a figure in an ape suit, yet believers counter that costumes and effects were not sophisticated enough in 1967 to create such a believable image. The quality of the film is not good enough to conclusively prove or deny the existence of the beast, so feel free to make up your own mind on the authenticity of the image. The Foetal Footprint One of the more recent photo hoaxes, this image showing the outline of the foot of a baby in utero pressing against a pregnant mother's belly has gained widespread prominence on the internet and elsewhere. Many have been fooled by this miracle photo, but in actual fact, the abdominal wall is too thick and muscular for a foetal foot to be seen so clearly, and the foot itself is also unusually large.
